C H A P T E R   5 :   A   W A R   N A M E D   W O L V E R I N E

Sometime after Bobby left, my eyes narrowed to expand my vision when I noticed a figure on the other side of the lake, partially hidden by the trees. I couldn't see his face clearly but something about his posture was alluring. He was clearly well-built and I watched as he lazily carried his cigar to his mouth, only to then expel a puff of smoke that the wind generously carried away.

My stalking was abruptly interrupted when I bumped into someone.

"Watch where you're going..." The guy said before he took a good look at me. His features went right away from annoyed to delighted and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I hated how beauty could change people's judgement just like that. It helped me a lot to get what I wanted, yes, but that didn't stop me from getting pissed off at how people let themselves be so vulnerable and influenceable simply upon watching me batting my eyelashes. Total resistance rarely happened to me. A little resistance could be very exciting. Immediate and total delivery was dull and foolish. "Why, hello there."

My eyes quickly scrutinized the guy. He was blue-eyed and had brownish blonde hair, the color of sand. Very tall and very handsome, his arrogant smile quickly made his charms disappear.

I remained silent as he checked me up and down once, twice...

"Are you done yet?" I questioned dryly. He finally looked up to meet my eyes, his smugness shining bright like a diamond.

"In all honesty, I think I'm only starting." And then he went back to the mental activity of undressing me with his eyes. He made his stare roll down my legs and my chest and the way he was looking at me disgusted me. For someone whose main weapon was seduction, I could easily see the difference between innocent appreciation and dangerous starvation.

This guy wanted everything but to play nice with me.

"And I'm leaving." I announced, passing by him. Before I could, though, he grabbed me by my arm and turned me around, making me stay much closer to him than what I would have liked. I instantly felt the rage shooting up in my system and boiling in my veins. No one invaded my personal space without my consent.

No one.

 "Not yet." He said, smiling still. Enjoy it while you can. "We can have so much fun, you and I."

Yes, we can. I shook my arm from his grasp but didn't walk away. This guy had messed with the wrong person and he needed to know that. 

"I'm not interested." I growled through gritted teeth. I was using my tone of alarm, perhaps he would take it into consideration and prevent me from being expelled in the first day. Honestly, if it wasn't for Charles' request to behave I would have so snapped at this guy already.

Insistence when I had already made clear I wanted nothing to do with him was stepping over the line of what was reasonable and entering the field of harassment.

"Oh, come on, love, don't play hard to get, that's old-fashioned." His arm caressed my shoulder and slowly started sliding over my arm, hovering over my wrist as his blue eyes merged with my own. It took every inch of willpower to not lose my temper and knock him out right then and there. I hated guys that didn't know the meaning of the word no or deliberately mistaken it with a yes. "Girls are free now, you know? They can express their wants freely, you don't have to surpress or hide them behind a tough facade. I know you want it just as much as I do. Show me, baby. Show it to me."

Before he could grab my wrist, I grabbed his arm. I smiled. The most dangerous attacks came in the shape of smiles. I knew, for I had had my share of those. Fake kindness was worse than honest malice.

"Are you a songwriter?" I questioned innocently. He frowned, confused, but clearly pleased by my touching. Until I started burying my fingernails in his skin. Wait until my claws come out. They'll leave marks like the ones guys like you leave on poor girls.

His eyes widened in pain and he tried to release his arm from my grip but I was a handcuff made from fury. Unshakable.

"W-what?" He blurted out, suddenly not so sure of himself. Funny how guys thought they could play with girls until they realized girls were not dolls but warriors ready to go to war.

"Because your talk is so trashy it could easily feature in any pop music video nowadays." I smiled like a reptile. The realization I was not showing interest because I truly wasn't interested finally hit him, and his cockiness quickly gave place to anger. When masks like his fell, all there was left was hell.

He used his free arm to grab my other arm.

"Listen, girl, I don't know who you think you are, but you're going to regret--"

"Let me go." I demanded, very slowly, very quietly, very patiently. I wondered which one would be better, if breaking his nose or kneeing his jewels. "I won't ask nicely again."

His eyes tried to murder me and, in face of death, I smiled even more. "You're right, you won't ask. You'll beg me to--"

The anger in me unleashed without asking. All my temper came together in a smooth, fluid punch that crashed with his nose. Not strong enough to actually break it since causing permanent damage would probably cost me my place here, but enough to make him bleed.

He whined and tried to come at me, but I was prepared. So much for not causing trouble... yet this guy deserved it. The double dose. I raised my hand to hit his temple with the palm of my hand but before I could reach for it someone grabbed my arm instead. A strong, unwavering grip that intensified my wrath. It wasn't the jerk, who had stepped away slightly, holding his nose, but a much bigger guy. Tanned, tall, ripped. Messy, all over the place brown hair. Light brown eyes. Currently stuck on me. How had I not seen or hear him coming?

"We don't promote violence in this school, girl." He said in a gruffy tone, still clutching my arm. His voice was rough and hoarse, like the whistle of the wind blowing on a cave. He smelled of smoke, sweat and summer. For some reason I didn't try to break free. He was stronger than me, I could tell, but he was containing his strength as not to hurt me. Cute.

"And what about harassment?" I retorted sourly, my tone defiant. My eyes were screaming challenge me. His forehead wrinkled. Behind him, the harasser made a motion to leave.

"Philip. Stay." The guy commanded without turning to him. Philip had lost all of his tough disguise with the presence of someone clearly more daunting. Underneath the anger he was throwing at me, I detected a slightly intimidated and frightened boy, but he followed the order like a well trained puppy. I observed the man in front of me. Yup, could easily be a pack leader. The alpha wolf. All of him shouted menace.

"If I were you, I'd let go of my arm. Now."  I demanded through gritted teeth, not giving a damn about the fact that he was most certainly a teacher and also a figure of authority I was supposed to respect. I remembered the guy smoking on the other side of the lake. It had to be him.

The tip of his lips curled in the smallest of smirks upon my insolence. Since he didn't do as I asked I shook my arm violently and his eyebrows raised, surprised at my strength. He quickly regained his composure, though, and turned to face Philip. I was astonished at the boy's obedience, but unlike me he didn't seem to keen on defying such authority. Philip was a soldier that only misbehaved when the general wasn't looking. I was a rebel generals warned their soldiers against. The insubordinate that allured them into my riot.

"What was going on here?" Logan inquired harshly, eyes buried in Philip's. "Philip, what did you do to make this young lady angry?"

I smirked. Finally someone that didn't immediately jumped to conclusions and blamed me wrongly. He must have been watching us before my first punch.

"Nothing, professor Logan." Philip answered, the motion of his Adam's apple going up and down as he swallowed and the fast-paced beating of his heart denouncing him. As for me, I was totally calm. Until my brain finally registered the last word uttered by Philip. My eyes widened and I glanced up to the big guy again, seeing him in a whole new perspective. He was the Logan? The infamous Wolverine? The hot teacher girls were crazy about? The guy I would train with alone? "I was merely offering my help to Felicia and she--"

"I see." Logan interrupted and his voice was indecipherable which got on my nerves. I was a pretty good reader of character, I wasn't used to shock with solid rock. His impassibility was unnerving. He was a man of few words but the ones he said he said right. "Philip, get out of here."

Actually forget I said that.

Philip sighed audibly and I stared at Logan in disbelief. For real? He was seriously going to let him walk way unpunished?

"Into Professor X's office." Logan added as Philip started walking away. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked over his shoulder, ready to protest. "What now? You know where it is."

Face to face with Logan's expression of 'I-don't-advise-you-to-question-me', Philip had no other option but to resign to his punishment. 

My wild smirk fell upon colliding with the harsh wall on Logan's eyes as he watched me attentively. He was one of those people to whom looking at became an act of bravery. Holding his stare called for courage. Fuck, Bobby was right. And so was Dyani.

With an effort I usually didn't need to gather, I sustained his fierce gaze and matched it with a raging one. I hated losing. In any kind of game. So I made sure I never lost.

"So you're the new girl?" Logan questioned in a matter-of-fact tone. With total disinterest that set my anger on fire. To hide it, I picked up my smirk.

"Not impressed?" I chuckled but he kept his eyebrows firmly narrowed and his lips pressed against each other.

"Are you okay?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Shouldn't you have asked him that? He was the one to get punched, after all." I bit my lip after my slip. I shouldn't have admitted something I was not sure he had actually seen. Oh well, too late. One of his eyebrows raised at my confession, but then he stared blankly at me.

"He was hitting on you."

"Correction: he was trying to."

"Yeah, it's typical of him. Yet girls usually like it."

"I have a hard time believing girls, or anyone, enjoy being harassed."

"He's usually less... impatient, I guess. Less impetuous. More flattering."

"Still not a good enough justification." I pointed out. "So... I'm not getting detention or anything?"

"No." He replied simply with a poker face that would get him a lot of money in casinos. And a special cameo in Lady Gaga's videoclip. "It was well deserved."

I smirked. "What happened to not promoting violence?"

Logan crossed his arms over his chest, and just like a magnet, my eyes followed his movement, focusing on the way his muscles tightened underneath his sleeveless shirt and the effect that had on my hormones. And the training hadn't even started. God help me.

"I can't promise you Charles won't call you, though. He might let it pass this time but...you're not planning to go on punching everyone, are you?"

"Hum... not without a good reason." I chuckled, but since he was apparently jokes-proof I decided to play my trump card to get a reaction out of him. I put a perfectly shaped smirk on my face and he frowned in anticipation, as if sensing a catastrophe. But there was no possible prevention for a disaster named me.

"Did you know you'll be giving me private combat training lessons?"

"WHAT?" his voice boomed like a thunder, and I could swear everyone in the mansion had heard him. He turned around and shouted again "CHARLES!", making his way towards the house.

And so the earthquake began.

Strange guy, I thought, but I couldn't help but agree with the other girls, yet smoking hot.

***

At lunch time people were talking about this huge discussion between Professor X and Logan, and it gave me a sense of privilege knowing it was because of me. Once a wreaking-havoc lover, always a wreaking-havoc lover. Apparently I had totally caught Logan off guard, since he had no idea he would be giving me private lessons.

Instead of lunching in the cafeteria I opted for going outside to enjoy the sun, where I was forced to face every new kid's fear: the dreaded question of where-will-I-sit. Fortunately Bobby saved me from that torture by inviting me to join him at one of the many picnic tables.

"Thanks." I told him gratefully.

"No problem." He smiled at me.

"Are you feeling better? About... Rogue and Kitty?"

"Better, yes. But still confused..." His eyes darted to some point behind me. "Alex and Roberto! I didn't know they were here. Do you mind if I call them?"

I smiled. "Not at all!"

Once they saw us, the two guys walked happily towards us, making heads turn. What a sensation they were.

"You could have warned you were in the house, you know." Bobby faked indignation.

"We wanted to melt Iceman's heart with a surprise." Alex joked.

"Alex, I think we failed miserably at that." Roberto added, and I couldn't help but smile at the friendship between the three.

"As always." Bobby grinned. I tried not to feel left out, but, well, I still did.

"I see you met Felicia." Alex winked at me, stealing a fry from my plate. I tapped on his hand but he didn't let go of the fry like it was his life ring. I accused him with my eyes but he simply gave me a cheeky smile before throwing it into his mouth. Traitor.

"Only good decision he's ever made in his life." Roberto mocked, to which Bobby dramatically rolled his eyes. It seemed Bobby was like their little brother they couldn't help but tease but would always defend no matter what.

"Felicia, save me from this embarrassment. Tell me something interesting." Bobby begged.

"I punched a guy named Philip today."

All of their eyebrows raised but Alex was the fastest to react, handing me his hand to high five while the other two nodded approvingly.

"I'm so proud." He said. "Isn't he that stupid kid who thinks he's above everyone else?"

"Probably." I responded. "Also holds the world record for fastest passage from flirting to harassing."

"Wait, did he do anything to you?" Roberto asked, getting protective. My heart warmed a little.

"No, I put him in his place. And then Logan appeared."

"Uh, drama!" Alex exclaimed cheerfully.

"Is it true he's giving you private lessons?" Roberto inquired, curious. "Because I swear everyone inside that mansion heard his shouting. The man's a beast."

"Yeah, I've heard he didn't know about it and that he's not happy with the idea." Bobby added.

I shrugged, unable to hide a smirk.

"Not my problem. I'm not exactly thrilled either, so maybe Charles will come to the conclusion that it's a bad idea and give up."

"Doubt it. Professor X is not easy to persuade." Alex declared.

"Does Logan already know about your claws?" Bobby asked.

"Not from me, but Charles probably told him, which will have ruined my surprise."

Roberto let out a low whistle.

"You just made yourself one hundred times sexier." He hesitated. "Sorry if that sounded disrespectful, I didn't..."

"It's okay." I assured him. "I can tell the difference between a compliment and an invitation."

He smiled, relieved.

"What about the school? Are you liking it?"

"More than I thought, yes. Taking away stupid guys like Philip, there's actually nice people here."

"You're obviously referring to us." Alex stated, reaching for another one of my fries. I took it away before he could grab it and shoved it happily in my mouth. Take that! He pouted at me, trying to make me give in, but I just laughed, savoring victory.

"Wait until you start classes. Then we can talk about if the school's still cool or not." Bobby chipped in with a mischievous smile.

"How's Rogue, Bobby?" Roberto asked, but the expression in Bobby's face was enough to shut him up. "Gosh, you two... this is why I stay single."

I nodded in agreement, holding my fist for him to shock his with. Looking around, I noticed a blonde girl staring intensely at us. Or more precisely, at me.

"Hum... you guys would warn me if I was suddenly the target of the jealousy of one of your love interests, right? Cause that girl is making me feel like I owe her a Kit Kat. Or stole her wallet."

If I wanted to steal your wallet, you would never notice me.

"That's Tara Cooper." Bobby informed me. "The good news is she's not targeting you because of us. Bad news is she's targeting you because of Logan. She's his number one fan. The supreme leader of Team Logan's club."

"She'd probably sell her soul to be in your place." Alex criticized.

"Or sell yours." Roberto added.

"Good luck trying to find it." I snorted.

***

I found out Biology was a good class to practice my drawing and the first pages of my notebook quickly became filled with scribbles. The following class seemed more promising.

I put on some black leggings and a grey top knotted at the front, showing my toned belly. With my hair pulled back in a ponytail I went outside to the open gym where the combat lessons were held. Several training mats and punching bags were scattered around the place, as well as some machines and other equipment I was unfamiliar with, most likely gadgets to train specific powers.

"Hey." Bobby greeted me as I approached him. I smiled to him, glad to have a nice, familiar face in the class. I looked around and recognized Dyani, who waved at me. Then I spotted Logan talking to Jean. With her his face wasn't permanently paused on a scowl.

"What is Jean, exactly?" I interrogated.

"An extremely powerful telepath and telekinetic."

Of course she is.

"I was talking about... isn't she Scott's girlfriend?"

"Ah, yeah, she is." Bobby confirmed. "She's also the only woman Logan looks at."

"I can see that--

"Great Bobby!" A guy interrupted me. "As if Rogue and Kitty weren't enough you had to get the hottest girl around here, uh? You need to teach me your ways, man."

The guy winked at me before Bobby told him to shut up and shoved him away.

"Sorry 'bout that. I hope you know I'm not trying to... get you or anything."

"Don't worry, I know the difference between boys and men."

"Okay, class, enough with the talk." Logan's voice boomed. Jean and I shared a glance before she walked towards the mansion and the students gathered in a messy circle in front of Logan. He was wearing baggy black pants and a sleeveless white shirt to allow his biceps to breathe and the girls to swoon.

"Today after warming up we'll do some exercises in the punching bags and then I want you to join someone in the training mats and train the techniques you learnt in these last lessons, 'kay? Come on, we don't have all day."

"For you, I have." I heard a girl whisper nearby. I followed the sound which landed right on Tara Cooper's lips. I rolled my eyes, which Dyani noticed. She came near me and murmured so Logan wouldn't hear.

"To make things clear, I'm team Logan but I'm not obsessed. It's just like having a football team or a favorite ice cream flavor. Logan's hot, yes. But he's a badass teacher and an even better person. That's what I truly admire in him. Have you decided which team you'll root for?" 

I showed her my signature half smile. "My own."

"Hum hum." Logan coughed a little too loudly, catching everyone's ears. Dyani blushed a little upon the sudden attention. I simply smirked. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Nothing important, just a small talk. No need to apologize." I smiled innocently. All of him frowned upon my answer, which made my smile widen. I couldn't help it. It was like he had Tease Me Please written in big bold letters on his forehead. "Felicia." He called in a dangerously calm voice. "Ten laps around the lake."

"I... what?" For moments I had forgotten he was the teacher holding all the power.

"Eleven. No need to thank me."

My fists clenched as he turned my previous words against me. Dyani mouthed a 'sorry' at me while Bobby just shook his head, trying hard not to laugh. I mouthed a 'it's not your fault' to the first and scowled at the latter, but at that moment Logan was the only one with the monopoly of my rage. I couldn't let him have the last word. I couldn't let him win.

"Eleven laps is for children. Why don't you make it twenty?"

A flicker of fury passed through his eyes. Finally some kind of reaction.

"Eleven laps." He repeated, his gaze burning mine. "Maybe then you'll come back as a woman 'cause right now I'm not seeing it."

I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists, and ran towards the lake as laughs followed me.

When I returned, I wasn't out of breath. I had good stamina and an even greater will to not show any sign of weakness. Defying Logan's authority had probably guaranteed me a place in his black list, but I didn't care. I was resolute on not exhibiting any flaw he could use against me.

During my absence students had lined up in queues waiting for their turn to punch the bags. I spotted Dyani being last on one of the lines so I went to her.

"Seems like you really got on his bad side." She remarked. "I have a feeling your interactions will be very fun to watch."

"Boredom doesn't match my hair's color." I smirked, evaluating people's strength and technique. No doubt some knew how to punch. But none of them were designed to destroy. 

The biggest guys in class were responsible for holding the punching bags so they wouldn't swing and Logan was walking around watching the students, replacing those guys sometimes to test the efficacy of the blows. He was in the queue next to mine when Dyani punched, but when my big moment came, he gestured towards the guy holding the punching bag in front of me.

"I'll handle this one."

"Are you sure you're up for it?" I teased, positioning myself in the right way. Years of training had made these small things come natural to me. I didn't have to think. Fighting was an extension of who I was.

"Are you sure you can punch a bag?"He replied flatly. "Or do you only punch nose--"

My strike was so fluid, potent and unexpected Logan struggled to keep the bag still. I didn't even give him time to grab it properly as my fists collided again and again against the rigid surface of the bag, my punches sounding loud like bursts of gunfire.

"With the right motivation, I'll punch even the sun." I answered as I straightened myself. I could hear people whispering about me, but I paid them no attention. Professor Logan was claiming it all.

"Luckily I don't have to waste my time guiding you through the basics." Logan ignored me. "You know how to breathe properly and how to use speed to boost your strength. You know how to close your fist in the correct manner to avoid injuries. You clearly know what to do with your body."

If he was complimenting me, why didn't it sound like it?

"I most certainly do--"

"But for someone who'll have advanced and private training lessons, I expected more." 

I kept myself under control. I knew he was just trying to provoke me, and I wouldn't give him that joy. But perhaps someone had also written a Tease Me Please in my forehead without me noticing it. Perhaps in a language only Logan could read. He sure seemed like a man that could speak multiple languages but still sound like an angry bird on each of them.

"So is this all you've got?" He instigated, grasping the bag more firmly. I had caught him by surprise before but now he was prepared.

I breathed out. I channeled in. I called the cat in me, and the cat came out.

I saw his muscles tensing when the bag received the impact of my punch but still it didn't move. So I turned around and backed off a bit. My legs were ninjas on its own. Apart from my claws they were the parts of my body I could always rely to to end a fight. So much strength hidden in a pair of sexy thighs.

The roundhouse kick I threw made professor Logan back off just a little bit, but it was a victory nonetheless. From the astonishment on the students' faces I could see that happened as rarely as cows flew.

"Not bad. You can go now." Logan dismissed me sternly. I had impressed him and it bothered him. And it delighted me. And also bothered me. Because I was letting it matter more than it should.

"Girl," Dyani beamed at me when I returned to the end of the queue, "great leg work."

"Thanks." From afar Bobby gave me a thumbs up. Tara was staring at me like I still hadn't given her her wallet or ate all of the Kit Kat in front of her without bothering to offer a piece. Most students were staring at me with the I-want-to-live-so-let's-not-mess-with-this-one look. At that moment I felt like a conqueror. I had their respect.

"You do realize you just openly declared war on a war named Wolverine, right?"

I shrugged, a stupid shiver of excitement and anticipation running through my spine.

"I don't mind. I never lose."

"Ok." Dyani pronounced carefully. "But do you always win?"

The girl who always had a snarky comeback on the tip of her silver tongue couldn't find an answer for that.

A/N: Picture... you know who he is ;)

QUESTION: What's your favorite Marvel movie (MCU, Sony, Fox...)? Mine are Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.