“Are you ready?”

“Yes,”

Clint motioned for Liberty to follow him by nodding towards the door that led out to the landing pad. The two of them walked in silence towards the aircraft that resided on the side of Stark Tower and the pilot began to start the engine as they grew nearer. As they entered the compact jet, the ramp automatically began to close. Barton walked up to the front and sat down as he would also be piloting while Liberty sat down against the wall.

Liberty would be returning to X-Mansion as her and Charles had agreed that they would conduct their meeting today. They hoped to be able to find out more about her capabilities. It had been a week since Steve had given her that small lesson in boxing, though ever since then she hadn’t seen much of the Captain. He seemed to be riding his bike throughout the streets of New York more than ever, and Liberty was pretty sure he was still mulling over what Tony had said in the parking garage.

She shook Steve from her mind. Maybe it was best to leave him to himself for a while and not be concerned about him. After all, he had to come to terms with his new surroundings on his own. Letting out a soft sigh, she felt the Quinjet lift off the pad and begin to fly off towards Westchester County.

Due to the Quinjet’s speed, they were soon flying over the familiar dense forest. Liberty, who was standing behind Clint and the other pilot, watched through the window and knew that they were nearing the mansion. She realized how close they were when Clint and the pilot began conversing about where to set down the jet.

Liberty, Charles’s voice rung through her mind and she jumped a bit in surprise, not expecting for him to mentally communicate with her. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. His voice chuckled. We’re going to open the hangar for you. You may set down there.

“Clint, the Professor is going to open the hangar for you to put the Quinjet down.”

“Great, where is that?”

Liberty pointed to the other side of the mansion. “Below the basketball courts,”

Clint and the pilot maneuvered the jet over the courts, watching the hangar open up below and slowly descending inside. As the Quinjet was set down beside Blackbird, better known as the X-Jet, the hangar doors slowly slid close, fluorescent lights illuminating the room.

The pilot flicked a switch and the ramp began to come down. “I’ll remain here and wait for your return, Agent Barton.”

Clint nodded his head. “Alright, then,” he said, soon looking towards Liberty. “Let’s go meet the Professor.”

As the two of them walked out of the craft, they were immediately greeted. “Hey kid,”

Liberty looked to the side of the room and saw Logan walking towards them, his usual cigar in his mouth accompanied by an unreadable facial expression. “Logan,” she beamed, ecstatic to see a familiar face. “It’s been a while.”

Logan grunted in agreement before motioning for them to follow him into the mansion. “So how’ve you been?” He curiously asked.

“Good, good. Everyone’s nice, but Tony can sometimes be a little irritating to put it nicely. And you?”

“The usual—nothing’s happened. It’s boring as hell.” He bluntly answered.

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that nothing’s happened to make you beat the shit out of someone.” Liberty’s reply caused Wolverine to smirk to himself silently. She knew him too well.

As they passed numerous hallways in the mansion’s basement, Liberty looked down one as she saw people exiting a room. She realized it to be the Danger Room, the room where the students would train with Storm and Cyclops.

“Storm!” She called as the dark skinned beauty walked out of the room.

Ororo turned and looked to where she had heard her name be called from. “Liberty, you’re back,” she grinned walking over to the small group and engulfing her in a hug. “It’s good to see you again. How’ve you been?”

Before Liberty could answer, Logan did for her. “She’s fine, but says that Stark guy annoys the shit out of her sometimes.” Logan blew cigar smoke out from his nostrils.

Ororo gave Logan an annoyed glance. “I asked Liberty, not you, Logan.” She sighed and tried to take the cigar from his mouth, the burly man dodging each attempt she made. “And you know that the Professor dislikes it when you smoke down here.”

Once hearing that, Logan grumbled incoherently before taking one final drag and extinguishing it by rubbing it into the palm of his hand. A circular black burn resided upon it for a few seconds before his healing ability took over and repaired the damage almost immediately. “Happy?” He questioned.

Storm rolled her eyes and returned her attention to Liberty. “Well, I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. And who is this?” She looked Clint over with interest.

“This is Hawkeye. Remember that Chase was his sparring partner?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, it’s been a while.” She chuckled out, extending her hand out for him to shake. “Storm; it’s a pleasure to meet you, and thank you for taking care of Liberty.”

He shook her hand firmly and smiled at her warm greeting. “It’s no problem and neither is she. It’s nice to meet you, too.”

Liberty took notice of Scott who was standing beside Storm silently and smiled at him. “Hey Cyclops,”

“Hello, Liberty,” he returned. “What brings you back?”

“The Professor asked me to,” she answered simply. “He wanted to talk to me about my powers.”

He nodded as he took in the small piece of information. “Alright, well, it was nice seeing you again.” He said, leaving right after and heading towards the exits.

Everyone was silent as they watched him leave. Liberty had never gotten to truly know Scott, she just never had the time or opportunity, but she knew that he was a nice, friendly guy from the way he acted with the team. Storm was the first to break the silence as Scott was gone from sight.

“Don’t mind him, Lib,” she spoke softly. “You know that he hasn’t been the same since she passed away.”

Liberty’s mind flashed to Jean and she nodded her head. “I know,” she said solemnly.

“Why does the Professor want to talk to you about your powers?” Logan asked. “Do you have performance issues or something?” He smirked to himself.

“No. Why would you think that?” Liberty chuckled. “Besides, you’re the one with performance issues here.”

Clint snickered and looked to the ground to recompose himself. “Found that funny?” Logan stared at Hawkeye, waiting for an answer.

Clint looked up, a glint of humor still remaining in his eyes before confidently answered. “Yeah, I did, actually.”

Logan looked to Liberty before returning his gaze to Clint. “I like him, he’s got balls,” he gruffly stated. “Then again he has to since he has no real powers,”

“I’d advise against joking about that. The last person who did took an arrow to the knee.”

Logan gave another smirk and brought out another cigar, lighting it up and taking a drag. As he was about to reply, the Professor’s voice came echoing through the halls, soon rounding a corner in his wheelchair.

"Logan, my tolerance for your smoking in the mansion notwithstanding, continue smoking that in here and you'll continue the rest of your days under the belief that you're a six-year-old girl.”

Logan sighed and took it out of his mouth to speak. “I was just leaving,” he said, loving over at Charles and then the rest of them, his focus lingering on Hawkeye. “Bye-bye, Birdie,”

Storm smiled at Liberty and placed a hand upon her shoulder. “I’ve got to go, too, Libby. Find me before you leave so I can say goodbye, okay?”

“Sure thing,”

As Ororo left, Charles approached the two that were left with a smile. “Hello Liberty, Agent Barton. It’s nice to see you both again.”

“You too, Professor Xavier,” Clint nodded.

“Thanks, Professor, I’ve been getting that a lot lately.”

Charles nodded his head with a chuckle. “I can only imagine,” he replied. “Agent Barton, I take it you would care to join Liberty and I for our discussion? If you would like, you’re more than welcome to walk the grounds and explore. I can have Bobby or perhaps Kitty escort and give you a tour.”

“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to sit in.” He confirmed.

“Of course,” Xavier nodded, beginning to wheel himself towards the elevator. “Please, come this way.”

Within minutes, they were shown into Professor Xavier’s office. Clint stepped inside first and held the door open for Charles and Liberty like a gentleman before closing it after them and sitting next to Liberty on the couch. As soon as they did, the young mutant couldn’t help but voice a question that she had been wondering about since arriving at the mansion.

“How is this going to work, Professor?”

Charles gave his former pupil a reassuring smile as if to say there was nothing to worry about. “It’s quite simple, Liberty. As I’m sure you’ve heard me say that the human mind is like a labyrinth of the highest complexity, I will enter your mind and attempt to locate powers that are stored away in your deep subconscious.”

“How long do you believe it may take to discover them?” Clint inquired.

“I’m afraid that is something I, myself, am unaware of, too, Agent Barton. In fact, I may be unable to find her powers today, though I am trying to remain hopeful.” He answered. “If you grow restless, feel free to explore.” Clint nodded as he listened to the Professor.

Xavier turned to face Liberty and gave her a small smile. “Shall we begin then, Liberty?”

She nodded anxiously. “Yes, I’m ready, Professor.”

“Very well, clear your mind and look directly at me. It will be easier for me to access your subconscious this way.”

Liberty followed Charles’s instruction and took a deep, relaxing breath, letting it out slowly. No thoughts rampaged through her mind—concerns about Charles entering her mind were no more and Steve seemed to vanish into thin air, and Liberty felt at peace. As she stared into Professor X’s weary and glossy light blue eyes, she could feel her powers starting to take over. As they grew within her, her eyes went from their usual color of brown to the outstanding shade of yellow. No more than a second passed before she lost her senses, and ultimately, herself, to her subconscious.

A single dark haired child resided upon the creaking swing set, her brown eyes filled to the brim with fresh tears as she stared at the other orphans with a sense of longing. She wished that she could be like them—fit in and be normal, not be what they called her and what she feared most.

“Move it, freak! We want to swing together!” A girl ordered of her, and when she didn’t move at first she grew restless, pushing the dark haired girl off the swings and into the dirt ground. “Hurry up and leave already! You’re in the way!”

The girl scrambled to the floor and stammered out an apology, leaving hastily as she didn’t want the violence to escalate like it had so many times before.

“Yeah, you better be! And stay off the swings from now on. We don’t want to catch your freak gene!” The other girl called after her with a cold laugh as they started to swing.

The child wandered about the small playground aimlessly, trying to find a spot where she could stay and be by herself without bothering any of the others. As she passed different groups of friends, they glared at her in disgust. No one wanted her to hang around them. She was nothing but trouble, it was all she ever brought.

She could hear them—every insult and cruel thought, she heard them all too clearly in her mind. And it was always her constant reminder that she truly was a monster and freak – a mutant.

“Children, listen up!” Mary, one of the few caretakers, ordered. “This is Jillian and she’s new here. Make sure you’re all nice and make her welcome to her new home.”

For once, all eyes left her and began to scrutinize the newcomer. She was what many called adorable with her golden blonde hair and deep green eyes. Mary gently nudged her down the few porch stairs and out onto the playground, the fear seeming to radiate off of her.

When Mary left, things resumed where they had left off and no one sent the girl a second look. They didn’t acknowledge her existence and continued to play and chat, deciding to act like another child hadn’t been abandoned on the porch of the heinous hell house they were forced to call home.

Jillian was nervous and frightened as she surveyed the groups of children. Her feet carried her past them as she tried to find one who was willing to take her under their wing. No one dared look in her direction and she knew that she wasn’t welcome here. As her eyes scanned around once more, she noticed the dark haired girl by her lonesome in the back and walked over slowly.

The girl could hear new astonishment in the thoughts of her peers and she began to become curious. Is the new girl stupid?

She’s going over there?

Why’s she going towards the freak?

Her head flew up and noticed Jillian was only mere feet away now. “Hello,” the blonde girl greeted shyly. “Why are you all alone?”

She frowned and hung her head low once more. “No on… no one wants to play with me,”

“I’ll play with you,”

Hope ignited in her being as she once again looked up at Jillian in shock. Was there truly someone who wanted to befriend her?—The mutant, the freak?

“R-really?” She stammered out.

“Mhm,” she nodded. “But only on one condition.”

She grew nervous and shrunk back. “What’s that…?”

“You and I have to become friends,”

The nerves disbanded and were replaced by happiness as she smiled and nodded her head vigorously. “Sure!”

“My name’s Jillian,”

“Liberty,”

After that, the girls did everything together and they really hit it off. They played with one another so seamlessly one would have thought they had been friends all their lives’. It was the first day in her life that Liberty had felt like a normal child, like she belonged.

As that day drew to an unfortunate end, the caretakers brought all the children back into the building, ordering for them to get ready for bed. Jillian was the last to go to the bathroom that night and as she returned, many other girls surrounded her with cruel intentions.

“Who do you think you are, new girl?” One girl questioned.

Hearing the tone in her voice, Jillian took a few steps back. “What do you mean?”

“Who do you think you are?” She growled out. “You can’t just go and make friends with anyone Jillian.”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t make friends with the wrong people,”

“More like with the freaks,”

The girls that surrounded her laughed to themselves before fixing their attention upon the blond once more. “Now Jillian, don’t take this the wrong way. We’re only doing this for your own good. One day, you’re going to thank us.” The lead girl said. “Get her.”

In an instant the other girls tackled Jillian, pulling upon her golden hair, using their nails to scratch her till she had cuts, and using her body as a punching bag. Through it all Jillian cried and screamed from pain and fright in that dark hallway. The girls pulled away soon enough, though for Jillian it felt like an eternity, and they left her sobbing uncontrollably in the hall.

“Stay friends with that freak, Liberty, and we’ll ruin your life here.” They called.

“I won’t! I won’t!” Jillian sobbed. “Please, just don’t do that again!”

“We’re glad you understand, Jillian,” she smirked. “Goodnight.”

As she was left alone, all Jillian had were her thoughts. I hate you, Liberty.

The dark haired girl could clearly hear her friend’s thought from inside the bedroom. Slipping out of the room with much ease, Liberty went to find the blonde she had made friends with, finding her soon enough in the middle of another hall. Her knees carried her to her and she knelt beside her with concern.

“Jillian, what’s wrong?”

“Leave me alone,” she whispered.

“Why Jillian?”

“Just leave me alone!” She screamed through a sob. Another thought of Jillian’s entered Liberty’s mind. I hate you.

“Why do you hate me?”

Shock overcame the blonde and she rose from the floor, taking steps away from her until she hit the wall. “How did you know what I was thinking?” She questioned. “You… you really are a freak. You’re such a freak, Liberty!”

“No, I’m not Jillian,” Liberty’s voice cracked. “We’re… we’re friends aren’t we?”

A door in the hall opened and a weary, older boy stepped out, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What’s with all the racket?”

“The freak’s scaring me! Please, get her away from me!”

As he heard this, the boy woke up completely and looked to Jillian, sending her a nod. “It’s okay. Go to bed.” She did so without a care and ran away towards the bedroom, leaving Liberty alone with the boy who was beginning to call his friends.

“How many times do we have to put you in your place, you freak?” He growled out lowly, his hands balling up into fists.

“Please, I wasn’t doing anything!” Liberty pleaded as the group of boys surrounded her. They gave no warning before they began to beat her. “Stop it!” She cried, though they still continued to kick, punch, and yank at her hair roughly. “I said stop it!” They stopped attacking her, but her eyes were still clamped shut as she remained in a fetal position, still waiting for them to continue their assault.

“Put us down, freak!” Hearing that caused her to slowly look at the boys to see them floating in the air, bumping into one another sporadically. “Put us down, you damn mutant!”

“What on Earth is going on out here?” Mary hollered, flicking the switch and turning on the lights as she entered the hallway. As the hall became illuminated, the boys fell to the ground with a hard thud. Mary gasped as she had seen them all fall. “Just what do you think you’re doing, Liberty? Just because you’re a mutant, it doesn’t give you a reason to abuse the other children! Maybe you are what they call you—a freak!”

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and all the while that word had seemed to haunt through every second. Freak, I’m a freak, She thought. I’m sorry I’m such a monster. As she thought more about it, tears brimmed her eyes.

There’s no reason for you to be sorry, Liberty, especially for being something that you’re not. Liberty jumped as she heard a voice enter her mind, looking up and seeing a man in a wheelchair approach her on the playground. My name is Charles Xavier, and it would make me very happy if you would come to my school for gifted youngsters like yourself. You’ll be among friends, people like you, like us. Won’t you please come with me?

Liberty found she couldn’t only nod her head as tears spilled over. Charles smiled and held his hand out for her to take.

“Come now,” he took her hand in his and patted it gently. “Let’s go home.”

“Liberty?”

Her eyes fluttered open at the familiar call of her voice and she studied the room curiously, forgetting that she was in Charles’s office for a split second. Clint looked at Liberty with concern, and Charles smiled sadly at the young mutant. What had happened while she was out?

Liberty realized her cheeks felt wet and it dawned on her that it was due to tears. She rose from the couch instantly and sauntered towards Xavier’s desk, taking a few tissues and wiping her face dry. Heat rose to her cheeks and she began to feel embarrassed for having them see in her such a state.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed, Liberty. You’re among friends.” Charles reassured.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, taking her seat beside Clint.

“Are you okay?” Clint inquired.

“Yeah, don’t worry,” Liberty flashed him a small smile and turned back to the Professor. “So did you find anything?”

“Why don’t you tell me, Liberty? I’m sure you can guess as to what one is,”

“Telekinesis?”

“Correct,”

“But… why didn’t I know I had that ability before?” She asked. “I didn’t even know I had that memory.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard that the human brain can hide or make you forget certain memories.” Charles began. “It seems that night was such a traumatic experience for you that your subconscious pushed it into the far recesses of your mind and locked away the power deep within you.”

“How can I use it?”

“You must clear your mind and concentrate. Try to bring the tissue box to you from my desk.”

Liberty looked to the box and took a deep breath. She fixed her attention upon the object, her eyes changing to their other shade of yellow. Nothing happened and she began to become flustered.Come here, you stupid box. Move! She thought angrily, the box then zipping off the table and towards her. She caught it before it hit her and she placed it upon the coffee table gently.

“Liberty, we don’t want to fuel powers with anger,” Charles said. “Try it again.”

She repeated the process again, though did her best to keep her temper down. Her irises flickered to yellow once more and the box violently shook upon the table, though it didn’t move towards her.

“Much better,” Xavier smiled. “Of course, you will need to practice. If you ever need something, try to bring it towards you. The more practice the better.” Charles looked towards the clock and back towards the two upon his couch. “Shall we continue this another time? I’m afraid I’ve got an afternoon class to attend to.”

They nodded and rose from the couch. “Thanks for doing this for me, Professor. I’ll be practicing as much as I can.”

He nodded his head in understanding. “Best of luck, Liberty, I shall let you know when to come again.”

They soon said their goodbye and headed out of his office. Liberty found Storm easily as she was leaving a class and said farewell to her as well. Clint and the young mutant made their way back towards the hangar in silence.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened when he entered your mind?” Clint couldn’t help but voice his curiosity.

“I saw a memory,” she answered. “It was from when I was an orphan and the others were beating me for what I am.”

“I’m sorry to hear it,” he replied. “They must’ve been pretty ignorant to not realize how good a person you really are.”

Liberty smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “It doesn’t matter anymore, it’s in the past. I just have to be grateful for the present and look towards the future. C’mon, let’s go home.” She said, jogging towards the Quinjet as it came into view. Clint could only smile and nod his head as he jogged after her.