Jean had led her to one of the guestrooms. She left, saying it would be at least an hour until dinner and that she would come get her. When she went inside she wasn't at all that surprised. The room, like the rest of the house, was extravagantly furnished. Only someone as rich as Xavier could afford a mansion and still be able to fill the whole thing with all this elegant stuff. It was nothing like her room back at the school. Her room had been small, and pretty plain.

She glanced over at the huge bed, covered in oversized fluffy pillows. She dropped her bag on the floor. She flew over to the bed and leaped backwards onto it, sinking into its luxurious softness. Oh yes, she could get used to this.

She took a rather long shower in the oversized bathroom, then wrapped herself in one of the oversized towels from the rack. The contents of her luggage were scattered across the bed in an attempt to find something to wear. Jean hadn't told her exactly what the normal attire for dinner was, so she was going to assume it was casual. She was new here, so it wouldn't matter if she matched the rest of them.

Her stomach was a little twisted. It wasn't like her to be nervous. Of course she wasn't normally thrown into a household full of strangers. But they weren't just strangers, they were the X-Men. Even in her sheltered life she knew of the X-Men. She was about to meet and dine with superheroes. Not everyone could say they've done that.

She was never one to be shy. Even though she couldn't talk out loud, she was very expressive. Unlike her, many of the students at the school were very shy. It was especially hard when they left the shelter of the institution. It's difficult to have a lot of confidence when you can't hear people. You can't talk to everyone, because not everyone knows sign language.

She put on another sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. When her hair was dry she put it in a ponytail. She never wore makeup or anything, so it didn't take her long to get ready. It wasn't her style to fuss over herself.

There was a knock on the door. 'Retley? It's me, Jean.'

Jean was using her telepathy again, she noted. It was still strange to Retley, being able to talk to someone with just her thoughts. She had known she could do it for quite some time. One of the students at the school had been a telepath, but even now it was awkward. The student had also taught her to block her thoughts to keep telepaths out. But still, Jean and the Professor were very powerful. She was going to have to be careful what she thought around here.

Retley didn't answer her, just went and opened the door. Jean was standing there, with that genuine warm smile that seemed to always accompany her. She was tall, with fiery red hair, and a perfect face. She could be a model. But she guessed that being a superhero was probably time consuming enough.

She returned Jeans smile. "You ready?" Jean chose to speak out loud this time. Retley nodded and followed Jean through the maze of hallways that led to the dining room. A person would need a map to get around this place; it was huge.

When they finally reached the dining room the knots that had temporarily left her stomach were now back. The room was just as extravagant as the rest of the house, but that was not was bothered her. Apparently she and Jean were the last ones to get there. When they entered all eyes turned to them.

Jean gave Retley an assuring smile, then turned toward the table. "Everyone, this is Retley Marks, which I'm sure you've all heard about by now." After Jean had shown Retley to her room, the Professor called a team meeting to explain the circumstances at to why she would be staying.

Jean proceeded to introduce her to the rest of the renowned X-Men. And what a diverse bunch they were.

There was of course Professor Xavier, seated at the head of the table. The fact that he was in a wheelchair that hovered above the ground and that he was completely bald did nothing to lessen his authoritative presence.

First there was Scott, also called Cyclops, who she remembered from the Professor's study. His clean-cut features were slightly obscured by the dark glasses he seemed to always wear. He acted pretty stiff and uptight, like he could be in the army or something. He simply nodded to her.

Next to him sat Rogue. The sultry southern belle had a charm all her own. And a look too. She was built like Jean, with gorgeous green eyes, auburn hair that had a stripe of white running through it. She seemed to be covered from neck to toes with clothes, none of which lessened her attractiveness. With an undeniable confidence Rogue shook her hand, "Nice ta meet ya."

Across from her was Remy LeBeau, known as Gambit. This guy was hot, and he knew it. He had that cocky confidence, but a charm that practically seeped from his pores. His slightly long brown hair was pulled in a low ponytail. The Cajun accent and the red on black eyes just made him more sexy and mysterious. He took Retley's hand and gave it a sensuously soft kiss. "A pleasure, chere."

There was Dr. McCoy, who was also called Beast. He certainly earned his nickname from his looks. He was tall and built, and covered from head to toe in blue fur. Despite his ferocious looks, he was very scholarly and dignified. "Once again, welcome my dear," he said, taking her hand in both of his.

At the far end of the table was Ororo Munroe, also known as Storm. Her dark skin contrasted with her long white hair. Like Rogue and Jean, she was beautiful. But her beauty was almost regal. She sat like a queen; she looked like a queen. Heck, knowing this place, she probably was a queen. This sure wasn't a place for women insecure about their looks. "It is a pleasure to meet you," she said with a welcoming smile and warm handshake.

Last of all was Logan, also called Wolverine. She could certainly see why. He looked rugged, strong, and wild. A little on the hairy side, but it only accented that tough-guy look he had going. His untamed dark hair seemed to sweep into two peaks on his head. He currently had a pretty mean looking scowl on his face, which was probably his normal facial expression. He merely greeted her with a low, almost unthreatening growl. Yep, this man was definitely a predator.

Dinner consisted of some exquisite dish that was unidentifiable to Retley. It tasted excellent, so she wasn't about to question it.

Everyone talked casually throughout dinner. They all seemed to be having their own little conversations. Retley remained pretty quiet throughout the whole meal. She was asked a few questions here and there, mostly about the school and such. Nothing about the doctor was mentioned. But other than that she mostly observed them. She didn't feel too out of place, Logan wasn't quite the conversationalist either. Dinner was obviously an event with expected attendance.

When dinner was over she offered to help them with the dishes, but she was politely escorted from the kitchen; being told to get some rest, since she had such a busy day. So she went back to her luxurious room and was asleep practically the moment her head hit the lavish pillow.

She awoke the next morning to the beautiful spring sunshine peaking through the curtains covering the window. It was so different here in Westchester. The school had been in New York City. The City Park was nothing compared to the wondrous estates of the mansion. His land seemed to stretch on forever. From her window on the second floor she could see a small lake. She made a mental note to go see it sometime.

She wasn't sure what she would be doing today. Trying to find her way back to the kitchen for breakfast seemed like the sensible thing to do. It was still early, so she jumped in the shower. After throwing on jeans and a shirt and putting her hair in a ponytail, she made her way through the maze of halls toward the kitchen.

After several dead ends she finally found it, but it was deserted. It smelled of brewing coffee. On one of the countertops was a coffee machine making all its gurgling noises as it brewed. Retley felt awkward just standing there. Was she allowed to just go rummaging through the cabinets for breakfast?

Just then Logan walked into the kitchen, coffee mug in hand. She gave him a shy smile. He simply glanced at her for a second then went to the coffee machine and filled his mug. He then turned and proceeded to leave the kitchen, without giving her a second glance.

Her face gave a look of surprise, then one of aggravation. Okay, fine. She was just going to have to find breakfast herself. She was heading toward the rather large refrigerator when Jean walked in, wearing a skintight jumpsuit. Even this early in the morning she appeared cheerful.

"Good morning Retley. I see you're already up. I didn't think you would be up this early, otherwise I would've brought you down for breakfast. Everyone pretty much fends for themselves in the morning."

'I noticed.' Retley replied, rolling her eyes.

"I assume you are referring to Logan," she said with a smile. "He's not much of a people person."

'I noticed that too.'

"You'll get used to him." She went over to the fridge, opened it, and grabbed a breakfast shake. "Just help yourself to whatever you want, except for anything labeled "Scott". He threw a fit last time Logan ate his beef jerky." She turned back to Retley. "Sorry I can't show you around the kitchen, I have to be in the Danger Room in a few minutes."

Retley gave her a questioning look. 'What's the Danger Room?'

"Well, it's difficult to explain in a few words. Why don't you come and watch from the control room. The Professor will be able to explain everything to you."

Jean glanced at the clock on the microwave. "Oh! I better get going. You never want to be late for the morning workout." She finished guzzling her shake and turned to leave, but stopped in her tracks, turning back to Retley. "If you want to wait for breakfast I can show you where the Danger Room is now. I don't think you'll be able to find it on your own."

She was right. The upper levels of the mansion were very elegant; antiques, paintings, rugs, old elegant furniture, and all that said "old money". But the lower levels were something out of a science fiction movie. The metal walls were cold and bare. Pale florescent lights lined the walls. When they reached the door leading to the control room it opened with a hiss of air and slid into the wall. The control room was floor to ceiling computers and machines that covered three of the walls. On the remaining wall there was a very big window looking down on a warehouse-size empty room. The Professor was there, pushing a bunch of buttons on a control panel in front of the window.

"I brought Retley down to watch Professor." Without waiting for a reply Jean left the room.

Retley approached the window, looking down into the room she saw the rest of the team standing there. Jean joined them a few moments later.

The Professor didn't say anything, just kept on pushing buttons. She was rather curious about all of this, but thought to save her questions until later.

She looked down at the team again. They all seemed to be warming up. Stretching, jumping, moving around. They were all dressed in tight fitting outfits; similar to the one Jean was wearing. None of the outfits looked the same, though. They were all different colors.

Suddenly the professor spoke into a little microphone. "Alright X-Men, we will have a rather non-strenuous workout this morning. You will simply be fighting against droids. I want you focusing on coordination. We cannot have people bumping into each other. The last incident proved to be disastrous."

Gambit and Logan looked at each other. Gambit with his wicked smile, and Logan with his scowl. Obviously he was referring to those two.

"Alright, begin."

To Retley's amazement, the previously empty room was suddenly filled with robots. They seemed to have materialized from thin air. They immediately started darting everywhere and shooting laser beams at all of them.

Retley watched in fascination as the X-Men worked their magic. They were amazing, moving with such skill and grace.

"I am sure you're wondering exactly what their mutant powers are," the Professor asked.

Not taking her eyes away from the window, she nodded.

The professor proceeded to explain all their individual powers. Although it wasn't that hard to figure out just by watching them. She discovered the reason for Scott's glasses. His eyes emitted these red optic blasts that were pretty effective in demolishing the robots.

Storm, the Professor said, was able to control the weather. She was currently creating these little tornadoes that whipped up the robots and smashed them into each other.

Gambit was throwing playing cards that glowed red. The cards were explosive and blew up the robots with no trouble. Near him was Beast and Rogue. Beast was grabbing robots and tossing them up in the air, where Rogue would smash them to bits.

Retley found Rogue's ability to fly fascinating. What would it be like to fly?

But Rogue's situation was also a little sad. Because of her powers, she wasn't able to touch anyone else. The Professor told Retley that Rogue was able to absorb people's energy and memories if she touched their skin. With mutants, she could also absorb their powers for a short time. That was how she obtained her ability to fly, along with super human strength. She had accidentally, but permanently, absorbed someone's powers. Retley was curious to know the details, but the Professor didn't elaborate, so she decided not to pry.

Then there was Logan. He seemed like a wild animal. Growling and snarling and ripping at the robots with these claws. But they weren't really claws. They were about 10 inches long and metal, coming out of his knuckles. The professor said they were made out of a metal called adamantium and that his entire skeleton was laced with it. He also mentioned he had a healing factor, so whenever he got an injury, it healed right away.

When the workout was over, they all left the room, most likely to go take showers. The professor asked her if she would accompany him to the medical lab.

Dr. McCoy spent the rest of the afternoon running tests on her. He said he would have most of the results done by tomorrow.