Jonathan Alderman, mutant high-schooler

“I dunno…” Jonathan Alderman said, “I sometimes have weird dreams at night.”

“What kind of dreams?” Asked the very beautiful red-headed woman who had introduced herself as Jean Grey.

“Mostly about an ugly purple man who goes around in a spaceship looking for pretty rocks.”

“I see…” Jean replied, “Anything else?”

“Well, there was this one scary dream I used to have,” John said, “I’m at the hospital and the doctors would cut me open. And inside me there was nothing. No organs, blood, or bones. It was like I was made entirely out of plastic. However, there were six empty holes inside of my body, like there were six pieces missing.”

“Johnny!” Melissa Alderman who was Jonathan’s mother, exclaimed. She was sitting on the chair across the living room from him, supervising the interview.

“It’s quite all right, Mrs. Alderman,” Jean said, “Dreams can often depict strange things, particularly at his age.” She turned back to Jonathan. “You say used to have? You don’t any more?”

“Nope!” Jonathan replied with a strange smile.

Scott Summers, who was sitting beside Jean, leaned forwards and asked, “And other than the dreams, have you noticed anything else different in your life? Anything out of the ordinary?”

“You mean other than my mutant powers?” Jonathan replied as he observed the weird red sunglasses that the man was wearing despite being indoors. Jonathan raised an upturned palm and conjured a blue, wiggling, tentacle that seemed to emerge right out of the palm of his hand.

Scott backed away cautiously, looking slightly repulsed. “Yeah, other than that.”

“Not really. This is pretty much it,” Jonathan said and sighed. “Pretty lame power, huh?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Jean replied. “Believe me, it could be worse. Way worse. At the very least, you seem to have very good control over it.”

“Yeah well, I’ve had a lot of practice,” Johnathan replied and stole a glance at his lovely mother whose eyes widened. She blushed and quickly looked away. “I figured if the whole college thing doesn’t work out. I can head to Japan and work in por…”

“Johnny!” Melissa said sternly, giving him a disapproving look.

“S-sorry mom,” Jonathan said sheepishly and made the blue tentacle dissappear.

Scott chuckled. “Well, I think we’ve covered all our bases. We don’t think you’re an immediate danger to yourself or others, so there is no need to rush things. I understand you’ll be graduating soon? Have you given any thought about where you would like to attend college?”

“Well, we’re close to New York,” Jonathan replied, “So I was thinking Empire State University?”

Scott nodded. “That’s an excellent choice. You may have heard that the Xavier school for gifted youths have been fully integrated into ESU. You’ll find plenty of support and companionship with people who are like us there.”

“I’ve heard of that,” said Jonathan, “The ESU’s X-Programs. Isn’t there like an athletic scholarship or something?”

Jean chuckled. “Not so much athletics, but more on training and adapting to your gifts in order to integrate better with society. However, it’s very similar. Instead of a pathway into professional sports like the NFL or the NBA, you’ll have a chance to be selected to join organizations like the X-men. Even if you end up not getting selected, you’ll still receive a free education, courtesy of Foundation-X.”

“Sounds awesome,” Jonathan said.

“Sounds dangerous,” Melissa said nervously.

Jean nodded sympathetically. “I understand your concerns, Mrs. Alderman. However do keep in mind that joining the X-men and its affiliate organizations is totally up to Jonathan. He is free to make that choice in about 4 years once he graduates. In the meantime, there is absolutely no downsides to accepting this scholarship offer.”

Jean placed a thick document envelope on the living room coffee table. “Here are the scholarship and university application forms that you will need. Please take some time to consider the offer.”