New Generations

"Half British, Canadian, some Dutch and French..." Carrie replied, "Hey, that basically means that I can eat anything I like."

"Indeed it does" Charles smiled as the waitress came over taking thier orders

"Tea and scones, with honey and cream, please," Carrie requested.

She sighed and relaxed, "So how did you fall into teaching?"

The waitress nodded heading back to the kitchen

"I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life after school and did whatever jobs I could find. Then one day I woke up and just thought I should be doing something with my life and figured what better way than to pass on my knowledge to younger kids."

"I'm the same... I didn't think I'd be a teacher. Use to think that teachers were stuck up, and know it alls, but funnily... you'll find one of those in any workplace. Really, I just wanted to help people... and this is a lot better than being a nurse or vet, or volunteer at World Vision. Oh, that reminds me of this story... I once said to this girl that being a vet must be so cool, looking after the animals, but she actually replied that she hates giving a needle to put down a pet every single day... eww... that makes me more glad that I'm helping by teaching."

"Yes it is a good day when you see that light come on in a student when they finally get what your trying to teach them."

"No, my biggest smile comes when they are leaving school to enter the big wide world, and they come right up to tell you that you were their best teacher," Carrie beamed.

"That too is a highpoint." Charles smiled as thier food was broght to them

Keegan went into her dorm after class and shut the door, noticing a parcel on the desk.

"To help you with the exams," she read from the card, "Sorry Aunt, don't have much desires of leaving this place. An a Ipad 13? Never liked 13... never liked computers. Don't like reading... but I know who does."

She ripped off the card and pink ribbon around the black gift wrap and wrote on a piece of paper, 'Recycled gift... rather you have it than finding a 1000 gift in ashes,' and sneaked behind the reception desk to lean over, putting it into Max's pigeon hole.

"Keegan, what are you doing here?"
"Looking for a band-aid, miss. Thought you might have one in a kit somewhere on the desk, so I lent over to check, but seems you haven't thought of it."
"The kit also contains scissors, dangerous for younger kids, so we keep it locked away."
"Fair enough, its just I like to be independent, and fix things up myself."
"Sometimes, Keegan... you find yourself asking for help. It doesn't make us weaker. Like your paper cut, thousands others have done it."
"Yep, and many others will be sucking on their finger without realising it had super glue on it!"

"Would you like to try some of this" Charles offered "It's very good."

*Sorry Shaun, must've posted in unison.*

Carrie looked it over, "It does look good, but I'll do a deal, help me finish off this half, and I'll have a bit," and she took a spoonful of meatloaf, "Damn, not bad. Better than the grandmother's meatloaf's. So do you believe we'll get our troublesome seniors over the finish line? There's only two that are promising and I'm yet to decide if they're deliberately showing off, that they're telepathic, or absolute geniuses."

"Mercer's has never had a class of students fail" Charles said

"Until that one year, when all hell broke out," Carrie inserted in a story telling tone.

"Are you referring to the year Max was dismissed and all those students were expelled" Charles said "Cause we still graduated half the class."

"Oh, no... I was making a joke that this year could be that year," Carrie said leaning forward, "So what's this about Max? Someone didn't tell me this when I started. Should definitely be in the job description."

Charles sighed sitting quietly for a few minutes "Max and I started Mercers together about fifteen years ago. Our goal was to be like Xavier's, you know teach the gifted to use them to help the world. Max is a brilliant teacher and most students love him. I knew Max believed that we were better because we had powers but never thought he would take it so far. Back then Mercers took in more than just mutants, we had students without powers but extremely gifted in other areas. Some of the students that shared Max's belief began attacking those without powers and Max was becoming more outspoken against our normal faculty. Things got so bad that we had to let him go or risk the school being shut down. That was the year he started the Brotherhood, the year he became the Evolutionary."

"And now?" Carrie asked, "Should we be concerned still?"

"He still believes that mutants are superior" Charles said "But he's come to realize that his methods were only making things worse."

"Granted our powers make us different to the average person, but I wouldn't be one to walk about like I'm any better," Carrie replied, "If anything, rather than keeping our powers hidden and a secret, we should use it to improve on everyday things. I'm sure a fireman would love having someone who can manipulate water, but instead they run away in fear!"

"Change frightens us" Charles said "I think you are right. I also think that if mutants were to start using their powers to do jobs such as putting out fires then the average person will shift thier reason for hating mutants from hate based in fear of the unknown and different to a hatred based in resentment. Mutants will be attacked not because they are different but because they or someother mutant has stolen jobs from the average person. I believe what we need to change the way the world defines the term mutant. What once was a word used to describe any change in genetic structure has become a word used to define individuals with powers and is more akin to words suck as niger, spick, chink, or any other word used in a negative way to describe a person's ethnicity. When the world hears mutant I want them to think of someone that has blonde hair or eyes of two different colors."

"Hmm... it used to bother me, but I don't think about it anymore. Look at them all, they wouldn't have any idea, and that suits me fine. I am not out to draw attention to myself, but I suppose you and I have it easier than others. Some can't have a cup of tea without people noticing their differency. That's an issue I struggle to understand. Whether it is right to hide inside until the world comes to terms with things, or to wander the streets with everyone commenting. Me... I would plucker up the courage, and go out with a normal looking person dressed in costume. Hey, it would make me easier if there were two people that looked funny."

"If that day comes it will be great" Charles said "but it'll take something drastic"

"war? In all our lives we wouldve heard or seen a war or riot take place. People burning flags, protesting, racist gang fights... Etc. It will probably be past my lifetime till we have peace and harmony and were both rather young. Uh let's get off the matter of our students, nationality and genetics. What would be your favorite subject?"

Carrie gulped down te last of her small slice of scone, licking her fingers, "besides food."

"Might surprise you but I'm a bit of a math nerd" Charles said "me and numbrs get along like beer and pizza."

"I'm not alone in the world! I'm not a maths nerd but happily title myself as nerd. I love geography, the fact that something is always happening on this planet thrills me."