[Single? No More!] – Storm Makes A Decision
Mystique looked at the tears on her face and said, "Listen, girl. If you have guilt over your actions, then face it with a straight face. Fear must drive you to learn from your errors and become better. Shying away from your past won't do you any favor, either. What matters is 'You!'" She pointed at Storm's chest.
Storm thought about it for a second, and tears fell from her eyes again when she decided to think about it and change herself.
"Th-Thank you..." Storm replied with her slightly trembling voice.
"If you want to thank me, " Mystique smirked and said, "Then, how about you join the X-Men?"
"Wh-What?!" Storm was shocked.
Mystique, clearly enjoying Storm's shocked expression, said, "Join the X-Men and become someone greater than the person you're meant to be! This would also eliminate your guilt of hurting the civilians back in Cairo. Plus, people would also want to give an X-Men a chance rather than a girl who worked under an evil man. And that would free you from your guilty conscience."
"R-Really?" Storm asked with hesitation in her voice.
"Of course!"
* * *
One week later, in Charles' office,
Storm was lying on a couch with her eyes closed. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her clenched fists were shaking.
Charles stood beside her with one hand on her forehead and the other on his temple. He also had furrowed eyebrows and a very intense focus on his face.
A few minutes later, Charles pulled his hand back from her forehead and backed away.
Storm opened her eyes and looked at him with slight reluctance. She asked hesitantly, "I-Is he in there?"
"No!" Charles replied with a smile, making Storm sigh in relief, and continued, "There isn't a speck of Apocalypse's dark powers left inside you. Nothing in your mind could turn you back into what you were before."
Hearing him, a huge wave of relief washed over Storm, and she suddenly burst into tears.
"Uuu...!"
Seeing her burst into tears, Charles sighed and let her vent out. While he waited, he pulled a piece of paper out of a drawer.
"That.. this is..." Storm wiped her tears and asked, sniffing between words, "I don't deserve this much leniency... I mean, this is the... "
"Xavier School for Gifted Students.", Charles said with a smile while displaying the paper in front of Storm, "Ever wanted to be a teacher?"
Storm didn't know what to answer when her gaze locked upon the word - FIRST CLASS TEACHER printed on the paper in a bold font.
"I... What about the students?" Storm immediately asked, "Won't the students avoid me because I worked for the enemy?"
Charles wheeled himself to his desk and replied, "They would avoid you. To be precise, most of the people here will show an extreme level of aversion towards you. Probably, they wouldn't even want to accept you here at all."
"And, if I still want to join?" Storm asked while looking into his eyes.
"Then, you shouldn't use that kind of mindset!" Charles smiled at her, "Yes, they will be averse to you, but you have to understand one thing. This is your chance to learn from your mistakes. Show them that you have changed! Show them that you are serious in your repentance and that you are here to help them grow. In time, they would see the kind of person you are. The first step to achieving something is to make an effort. So, work hard. Show them your true colors! Who knows, maybe the tables will flip!"
"I'm..." Storm wanted to reply when Charles interrupted her.
"Don't live your life with uncertainties! Come! Let's go out and greet the rest of the school's teachers.", Charles replied with a smile and gestured to the door.
She nodded with a determined smile.
* * *
A week later, Storm stood before a classroom door with a '1B' sign plastered above the door. She had changed into a dark blue frock, accentuating her ebony skin. She had worn the necklace given to her by her mom along with dark blue earrings and took her beautiful white hair out of braids and let them flow freely down to her hips.
Storm stood before the closed door with an expression akin to someone approaching an unknown water cave on a deserted island. Her clasped hand was trembling in fear as she thought, 'Come on, Ororo! You can do this! It's just a bunch of kids. How bad can it be? Moreover, this is your chance to make up for your foolishness. It's now or never! JUST. DO. IT!!'
"Psst!"
Suddenly, she heard a sound behind her and turned around and saw Angel, Gambit, Hank, Havok, and others standing in front of the classrooms, flashing a thumbs up toward her.
She was reminded of what each of them had told her and smiled back, showing them she was ready.
"Show them your best!" - Angel
"We're here for ya!" - Gambit
"Do your best, and everything will be fine." - Beast
"It's going to be good for you in the long run." - Havok
She returned to the door and inhaled deeply, calming herself down and making the trembling stop. She flexed her shoulders and neck to relax. She sucked in a deep breath and clenched her fist, mustering up all the courage in her body. After she had prepared her mind, she finally raised her hand, and her cold fingers grabbed the door handle before turning it open and pushing it forward.