The Amaquelins meet with the professor

[x-medusa.livejournal.com]

A meeting with the professor helps set the older Amaquelins' minds at ease and delivers some much needed answers, though Crystal still is not sure what she thinks.

Medusa sat down, a calm expression plastered on her face as she looked at the bald man sitting across the room. So this was Professor Xavier, founder of the school where the two Amaquelins would be spending the next year. Her mother had wanted to meet him before she returned to their island home and Medusa had insisted she and Crystal come along, though she was not sure why. Perhaps it was just her curiosity about this place after all the stories from Crystal. She glanced over at her mother, unconsciously adjusting her pose in an attempt to mirror the graceful woman's regal presence, before turning her attention back to the professor.

Crystal sat silently for a few moments, various thoughts swirling about her head, thoughts she made sure to keep inside her mind where they belonged. There was no need to broadcast thoughts, especially in front of a powerful telepath. She was sure that Mr. Summers meant to keep his word, but perhaps somehow the professor knew something he didn't. "Have you heard any new information about Jennie? I spoke with Mr. Summers on Sunday, but I am still not sure why the school did not question her whereabouts when she did not return during the third week of August."

Charles gave Crystal an understanding look that had a noticeable edge of compassion to it. "I'm afraid there's been no additional news since you spoke with Scott," he said regretfully, then looked up at Ambur and Medusa. "One of our students - Crystal's roommate - was spending some time with her father in Europe this summer. Unfortunately, she contacted the school to tell us that she was staying longer while telling her father she had arrived safely back in Westchester. The young woman in question has had a difficult year," Charles went on gravely, "but such behavior is highly out of character for her." He looked back at Crystal. "As a matter of fact," he said, gently again, "we were in contact with Jennie's father at the time in question. That was how we knew that something was amiss."

Ambur pursed her lips slightly, the only indication that she felt anything about the situation in question was irregular. If it had been one of her daughters missing then she would be frantic, expending every resource available to bring her home safely and quickly. Perhaps that was why she was a mother and not a school administrator, although that he was looking at all spoke well for him. "If there is anything we might be able to do - contacts in Europe perhaps?" she offered cordially.

"Should our own contacts not bear fruit, Lady Ambur, I may indeed take you up on your very kind offer," Charles said, his gratitude for the offer audible in his voice. "We are, thankfully, well-supplied with friends and acquaintances in positions of authority in the area where Jennie has gone missing. One of our staff members is a former Interpol officer, for example. Mr. Niarchos, Jennie's father, has many contacts of his own, and I have faith that our search will bear fruit soon. I know it's very difficult," he said, his gaze compassionate again as he looked back at Crystal, "to sit and wait, when a friend is involved. But I do promise you, Crystal, that we are doing all we can."

Crystal looked at her mother with a slight nod, grateful for her offer. She looked back at the professor, gave him a nod and said "Thank you, sir." Crystal quickly glanced at her sister, trying to keep a neutral expression on her face. She was still not happy. At this point, it probably didn't matter what anybody would say to her, unless they were to say that Jennie was coming home, safe and sound at that moment. And at that point, she would have a lot of questions for Jennie herself.

Despite Crystal's attempt to not physically react to the news, Medusa was adept at reading her sister's moods and could tell she was still not reassured. It was alarming that a student had gone missing, but if all was the professor had said, it did seem as though the school had reacted in the best way possible, given the situation. "Perhaps the other question I think we all have is that..." she paused, formulating her words carefully "...is that people disappearing here seems to be a somewhat frequent occurrence." While she only knew of one other, the fact that anyone had managed to be kidnapped from a supposedly secure facility was disturbing.

Charles nodded, his expression still utterly calm, if touched with a mixture of concern and a certain wry awareness that it was inevitable that this subject would have come up in this particular conversation. "I can understand that to a newcomer to our school," he conceded, his voice very serious, "this may look like a distressing trend. But it's important to understand what has actually happened, as opposed to the picture that student gossip portrays. To my everlasting regret, some years ago the school was not as secure as it should be."

There was a flicker of sorrow in his eyes before he continued. "Since then, however, we have gone to great lengths to improve security on-campus. Mr. Lee, whom you and your sister have both met, Medusa, has an extensive background in security and protection at the highest levels of government, and he has, over the past two years, consulted numerous other experts. At this point, the campus is as safe as humanly possible. The world outside these walls," Charles said gravely, "is of course a different story. Crystal, Medusa, you've both been introduced to the precautions that residents here are expected to take off-campus. In the vast majority of cases, such precautions have been sufficient. Our students and staff travel to Salem Center, New York, and beyond in safety, most of the time. There have been incidents," he confessed more softly. "Thankfully, few of them have involved students, and those that have, sadly, have largely been...unavoidable. The staff cannot foresee and take preventative measures for every eventuality that may transpire away from the school. The best we can do is attempt to teach our students to act with caution in potentially difficult situations."

Without making a sound, Crystal took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Yes, perhaps now the staff members were doing everything they could to find Jennie. Perhaps the school was safer than it used to be. It wasn't just that, though. It was the way the school handled things, the way the staff chose to regale the students with certain events yet withheld other ones from them on a whim. Whose bright idea had it been to let the teachers continually tell the students how broken they were but keep information regarding a classmate from them? Suddenly in a daring mood, Crystal allowed some of her thoughts to slip out.

Lady Ambur, nodded, understanding. "Not everything can be anticipated, no matter how prepared one might wish to be," she said, thoughts going back to an assassination attempt on her daughters when they were children. "Being caught off -guard once is forgivable, twice is as foolish as an ostrich sticking its head in the sand to avoid being seen. I do not give my children to foolish people," the last sentence was said primarily for Crystal's benefit.

Medusa's mind traveled down the same path as her mother's thoughts. It was difficult to prepare for all situations and as long as the school was doing all they could, she would let the matter rest, especially after seeing the look that had flashed across the older man's face. It was true that her mother would not have sent them some place without feeling that her daughters, whom she often called her greatest treasures, would be safe. "I apologize for questioning your methods. I know that I am a guest here and from now on, I will trust your judgment on such matters." She settled back into her seat as her mother and the professor continued talking.

"I do hope," Charles said finally, kindly, his gaze resting first on Medusa, then Crystal, "that you will both feel free to come to me with any questions or concerns you might have. And not merely about the school itself. Adjusting to life in a different country, with a very different culture, is often difficult. One of the great benefits of my particular gift," he said with a very warm smile, "is an understanding that despite the surface differences in language, customs, or behavior, we all share similar needs and concerns as human beings. Very often, even the incomprehensible can become clear once you find that common ground."