Cecily caught the professor and Alex just before they left the mansion. "Ah, Cecily," Charles greeted her with a smile. "Alex and I are heading out for a bit. I know this is usually the time we talk, and—"

"It's not about that," she interrupted softly.

Charles paused, his tone shifting. "What is it?" he asked, watching her closely as she started picking at the skin of her fingers.

"It's Jean," Cecily said, her voice low.

"I thought you liked her. You two seemed to get along well," Charles replied.

"I do... I want to like her. But whenever I'm around her, I get this strange feeling. Like something's off," Cecily admitted, her fingers still fidgeting.

Charles's expression grew more serious, his eyes thoughtful. "How about we talk about this later, alright?" he suggested gently. "But for now, if you head to your room, you'll find a gift waiting for you."

Before Cecily could respond, Charles gave her a reassuring nod and left with Alex. Cecily stood there for a moment, her unease lingering.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Cecily settled down next to Jean, who was engrossed in a book. While Jean turned the pages, Cecily's attention wandered. She discovered a small spider and gently cupped it in her hand, letting it traverse her skin. As the spider danced across her fingers, she mumbled something incoherent, her voice barely registering against the backdrop of voices around her.

"Hey," Scott said as he approached the pair.

"You can see," Jean remarked, glancing up at him.

"Yeah, it's not as bad as I thought it would be," Scott replied, observing the students walking by. "But they're still scared of me."

"Hey, I have special glasses now!" he called out to a group of passing students, trying to lighten the mood.

"They're not scared of you," Jean shot back, smirking. "They're scared of me. You're not the only one who can't fully control your powers."

"Wait, so last night when the house shook, that was you?" Scott asked, his brows raised in surprise.

"Sorry to break it to you, but you're not the biggest freak in the school," Jean teased a hint of laughter in her voice.

Scott chuckled, "Well, that's a first."

He then turned to Cecily, who was still preoccupied with the spider. "And her?" he asked, pointing.

"Oh, yeah, they're pretty scared of her too," Jean replied with a grin. "The girl who plays with insects for fun."

"Does she always do that?" Scott inquired, watching as Cecily carefully crushed the spider between her hands.

"Sometimes," Jean said, a mix of amusement and concern in her tone.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

"It's my first time in America, and I'm very excited to see your culture," Kurt said, his enthusiasm evident.

"Well, you're not gonna see much of it here," Scott replied dryly. "The only thing American about this place is that it used to be British."

Jubilee rolled her eyes. "This is Scott," she introduced him to Kurt. "He's new here too."

"And I'm already up for a prison break," Scott added with a smirk.

Cecily, distracted, glanced at her snake's red eyes and then at Scott's ruby glasses. Something nagged at her—his beams were red too. She was convinced he had done something to her snake.

"What do you say we take this blue guy on a little field trip?" Scott suggested, nodding toward Kurt.

Cecily carefully placed her snake back into its exhibit, with a new one Charles had gifted her. "I'm sure there's a mall around here somewhere," Scott continued.

"What's a mall?" Kurt asked, genuinely confused.

Scott laughed. "What's a mall? Now, that's a matter of national pride. Civic duty!"

"Scott," Jean interjected, trying to rein him in.

"What? You've been cooped up here for way too long, and the professor isn't even home," Scott argued.

"I'd like to go to the mall," Kurt chimed in, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Try it,"

"Alright," Scott said. "Cecily, you in?" Scott asked, looking at her expectantly.

"Do I have a choice?" she replied quietly, her eyes drifting back to the snake exhibit.

Scott shrugged, a casual smile on his face. "Okay," she said

"Where does he keep his cars?" Scott asked, glancing around the mansion.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

"I'm just saying, Empire is still the best," Jubilee insisted, turning to Scott. "It's the most complex, sophisticated, and it wasn't afraid to have a dark ending."

"Yeah, but come on," Scott countered. "If it wasn't for the first one, none of the rest would even exist."

Jean chuckled softly, joining in. "At least we can all agree the third one's always the worst."

Cecily, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't really get it."

The group fell silent for a moment, glancing at Cecily before Jubilee shrugged. "Well, it's not for everyone, I guess," she said with a small smile.

Jean gave Cecily a reassuring look. "That's okay. Sometimes things take a while to click."

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

As the group neared the mansion, Cecily felt a wave of relief—home was within reach. But in a flash, everything changed. The mansion erupted into flames, smoke billowing into the sky. Scott slammed his foot on the gas, speeding toward the burning building. The car screeched to a halt, and everyone scrambled out.

"What happened? Where's Alex?" Scott shouted, panic rising in his voice. "Where's my brother?"

"Pretty sure I got everybody," said a white-haired man, his tone almost too casual for the chaos surrounding them.

Scott didn't wait for answers. He sprinted toward the source of the blast, desperation in his every step. Jean and Kurt quickly followed, calling after him.

Cecily stood frozen for a moment, her mind racing. Her nails dug into her skin, scratching at her fingers—an old habit she couldn't shake. She hesitated, weighing whether to follow. With a deep breath, she pushed herself forward and ran after them.

When Cecily caught up with them, she found Scott on the ground, tears streaming down his face. Jean knelt beside him, her hand gently resting on his shoulder, offering what little comfort she could. Cecily could feel the tension in the air, but something worse came: voices. Voices she didn't recognize, flooded her mind, too loud and too many. She pressed her fingers against her ears, desperate to block them out.

Jean's sharp gasp told her she wasn't the only one hearing them. Jean turned toward Scott, urgency in her voice. "Scott," she said, pulling him back to reality.

Suddenly, the voices grew louder and closer. Without a word, the four of them scrambled for cover, ducking behind what remained of a crumbling wall.

"What do we do?" Kurt whispered, his voice trembling with fear.

"Keep quiet," Jean instructed firmly, her eyes focused on the man as he walked by. She concentrated, using her telepathy to shield them from his sight.

Cecily observed Jean closely, noting how she pressed her fingers to her temples, just like the professor had taught them. It was a skill he had been trying to instill in both of them, but while Jean seemed to grasp it effortlessly, Cecily struggled to make sense of it.

The man glanced over at the group's hiding spot but saw nothing. "Clear!" he yelled, striding away. Jean let out a sigh of relief and lowered her hand.

"Thanks, Jean. We've got to help them," Scott said, urgency lacing his voice. He turned to Kurt. "Can you get us in that thing?" he asked, pointing to the helicopter.

"You want us to get in there?" Kurt replied, wide-eyed. "What if the soldiers see us?"

"Don't worry, they won't see us. Trust me," Jean assured him.

Kurt extended his arm, a determined look on his face. "Hold on," he instructed. Cecily hesitated for just a moment before grasping onto him. In an instant, they were inside the helicopter, the door slamming shut behind them, followed by the activation of some kind of energy field.

"Kurt, get us all out of here!" Scott yelled, panic creeping into his voice.

"I can't!" Kurt exclaimed, his brow furrowing. "When they closed the doors, some kind of electrical field activated. It's like Berlin all over again."

"Jean, get into the pilots' heads. Don't let them take off," Scott urged, desperation rising.

"I can't. I can't reach the pilots. I can't reach anyone," Jean said, frustration evident in her tone. She glanced at Cecily, searching for support, but Cecily shook her head, feeling powerless as well.

But, in that moment of chaos, her mind was silent. For the first time in years, the constant noise had vanished, leaving her with a sense of peace amidst the turmoil.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

After what felt like an eternity, they were still trapped in the helicopter, but Cecily remained oddly at peace, her mind silent for once. Kurt, on the other hand, was whispering softly to himself, "Our dear Father, hold me in the light of God," his quiet prayer filling the small space.

Scott sat in tense silence, guilt gnawing at him. "It should've been me," he muttered, his voice cracking. "He was the one who was gonna do something with his life. He was always the one."

Jean looked at him with soft eyes. "That's not how he felt," she said gently. "He believed you were the one who would do something special. That you were going to make a difference in the world. Maybe even change it."

Scott turned to her, frustration in his gaze. "How do you know what he felt?"

Jean sighed. "I know what everyone feels."

Cecily, quiet until now, spoke up. "She's right, you know. About how he felt. And he was right too," she added, her voice calm and sure. "You're going to make a difference one day."

Scott's eyes met hers, the doubt still clear. "How do you know that?"

"I can see the future, Scott," Cecily said flatly, not embellishing her words. "This wasn't hard to piece together."

Scott leaned back, a tear falling down his face. "How am I supposed to make a difference?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Cecily shrugged softly. "That part's up to you."

Jean glanced at Scott, then quietly reached over and took his hand, offering him a silent reassurance in the midst of all the uncertainty.