Where the Future Begins

Posted on Wed Aug 5th, 2026 @ 8:48am by Kennedy Kelly & Hayden Davis & Maeve MacKenna & Jennifer Bryant & Drew Williams & Alaric Thane & Josiah Martin & Casey Severide & Cain Cross

5,268 words; about a 26 minute read

Mission: Episode 8: Shadows Over Avalon
Location: X-Mansion - Dining Room
Timeline: March 20, 1992 - Evening

After their conversation in Jean’s office, she led Cain down the hallway toward the now bustling dining room of Xavier’s. What had once been the mansion’s grand ballroom had been transformed into a communal space where students and residents gathered together each evening. Long warming trays filled the back wall, offering a variety of dishes, while half a dozen large circular tables occupied the center of the tall, wood-paneled room.

Nearly three dozen people filled the space, their conversations blending into a comfortable hum. Some were young students barely old enough to be away from home, while others were older teenagers and young adults gathered toward the back of the room. The separation wasn’t intentional, but it was a natural divide that formed over time with different ages gravitating toward familiar faces, friendships, and shared experiences.

“Dinner tonight is shepherd’s pie, along with some sides and rolls,” Jean explained as she guided Cain toward the buffet, where neatly stacked plates and utensils waited. “Dinner is at 6:30 every evening, and I expect you to be here on time. It’s when I check in with everyone. I like seeing everyone together.”

The red head handed him a plate before her attention briefly shifted toward the younger students’ table. One child sat watching her intently, their soft brown eyes carrying a quiet, unspoken plea. Jean noticed immediately, she always did.

“Alaric will show you to your room after dinner. Your things are already waiting for you there,” Jean continued, offering Cain another reassuring smile. “You and I will meet tomorrow at 8:30 so we can go over your schedule and everything you’ll need to know.”

She paused for a moment before adding, “Welcome to Xavier’s, Cain. I hope you’ll find that you belong here.”

With that, Jean stepped away and crossed the room toward the student who had been watching her. The two exchanged a few quiet words before leaving the dining hall together, leaving Cain standing among a room full of unfamiliar faces as he took in his new surroundings.

Cain didn't roll his eyes at the warning to be on time. A ballroom full of people he'd never met before was another reminder that his entire life was left behind on the other side of the table. Sure he probably wouldn't have made it past the age of forty-five the way he was living, but it was all he'd ever known. It was his. He eyed the younger students, feeling left swinging in the wind. But it was a cafeteria - a fancy one, but a cafeteria all the same. He turned to the table where the food was displayed and scooped shepherd's pie, two rolls, and some green beans onto his plate. He didn't know what shepherd's pie was, but he guessed he would find out today.

What table should he choose? He walked toward the back of the room and sat down at an empty table with his plate, his eyes moving between students his own age without a word. He would wait to see what would happen next, if nothing did, he would make his own impression.

Drew was actually running late for dinner. He had spent the afternoon reading thousands of pages of academic text, notes left by Professor McCoy, and a semester and a half of student evaluations. It had been quite daunting. He was wondering if he would regret taking over the teaching of the schools STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum. Tomorrow was his first class lecture and he didn't want to mess it up. It would be a serious disservice to the students. He stepped into the grand ballroom and scanned the room quickly. A new face caught his eye, a young man about his own age. He moved to the food tables and filled two plates, one with a large helping of shepherd's pie and a second plate that held a pile of green beans and four dinner rolls. He balanced the plates with one arm and got a tall glass of water before heading over to the table Cain sat at. "Mind if I sit with you?"

Cain looked up with his fork in his hand, just ready to take his first testing bite. The man was slim, shorter than him, with shoulder-length hair. To Cain, in honesty, he kind of looked a little bit different than everyone else.

"Free country. I think." he took his bite. Salt. He would need salt.

Drew set his plares and water glass down, took a seat across from the young man and extended his right hand across the table. "Hi. I'm Drew Williams. Honor and privilege to meet you."

Cain smirked, but it wasn't one of familiar appreciation. Was this guy forreal? At the same time, he didn't want to be rude and the guy seemed nice enough. It was all very foreign. He shook the hand firmly. It was a gesture he learned at school, but that was the only place besides TV he'd ever seen it.

"Wassup, Drew. Nice to meet you," Cain said, offering a charming smile, but one that didn't reach out. "I'm Cain Cross. New here. Very new. How long you been around here?"

Drew noticed Cain had a strong grip as they shook hands. He pulled his hand back and took a few bites of shepherd's pie and a sip of water as Cain asked his question. "I arrived about a week ago. Something happened and the school was the only place that was able to provide the help I needed." He paused to eat a few more spoonfuls of shepherd's pie then continued. "My sister and I were students here last year for a little bit before our aunt pulled us out. Currently I am filling in for one of the professors that's...on sabbatical." Drew didn't know if Cain knew much about the medical research and refugees who were infected with the Legacy Virus.

Maeve arrived at the table with her plate balanced against one hip, catching the last of the introductions as she came near. Her eyes flicked over Cain, taking in the height, the build, the sort of presence that made the chair look a bit too small for him.

“Maeve MacKenna,” she said, setting her plate down beside Drew’s and pulling out a chair. “Before you ask, aye, the accent’s real.”

She sat, picked up one of her rolls, then nodded towards Cain’s plate.

“And the shepherd’s pie’s safe enough. Looks a state, but that’s normal.” A small smile tugged at her mouth. “You’ll get used to the place. Or you won’t, and you’ll just get better at lookin’ like you have.”

Cain watched the redhead move, managing to keep his eyes on her face for the most part. He wasn't known for that back home. The flash of red and pale skin were new too.

"Woah, that's new." He reached for the salt, finally, making sure his grandmother wasn't around the corner to see him and take offense that he didn't like her cooking. Sprinkling it, he looked back up at Maeve. He had understood the part about getting used to the place, but the first part was a bit of a mystery. "Feel like I'm havin' a dream, foreal. Not sure if its good or not."

Drew caught Cain's expression when Maeve sat down with them. He lowered his head and took a few more bites of food to conceal the smirk wanting to break out. Virtually every single female could be a runway model and last year he had felt awkward every time he had spoken with any of them.

Maeve caught the look and tipped her head, one eyebrow lifting.

“What’s new?” she asked. “Me, the accent, or Drew introducin’ himself like he’s meetin’ the President?”

She glanced across at Drew then, the teasing easing into a quick smile. “All right, Drew? Don’t mind me, carry on bein’ an honour and a privilege.”

Maeve tore her roll in half and looked back to Cain. “Could be a dream, I suppose. Big mansion, super-powered people everywhere, more spandex than any place has a right to own.” She shrugged. “Give it a week. Either you wake up or someone gives you a codename.”

"All of it," Cain said, taking a bite of his own roll. He licked his full lips, meeting Drew's eyes with a hint of amusement. "I'm not gonna lie, I did think you were jokin' for a second. But the look in your eye said you weren't playin' around."

Cain chewed and nodded, looking at Maeve again.

"The food is better than the airline at least. Drew been here a a week ago, so at least I aint the only one. How bout you, Maeve? You brand new too or a vet?"

Maeve followed Cain’s look towards Drew and gave a small laugh.

“Nah, that’s just Drew. He really talks like that.”

She tore another piece from her roll and looked back at Cain.

“But I wasn’t jokin’ about the spandex. Place is full of it. You’d better hope whoever does the uniforms remembers people come in different sizes.” Her eyes flicked briefly over his shoulders and arms. “Might need extra material for all that.”

At his question, she shrugged.

“I’ve been here two years. So I’m not new, but I’m hardly ancient either.” A faint grin touched her mouth. “Long enough to know where everything is and which rules you can get away with bendin’.”

"Oh, hell yeah. Magic words," Cain said. His face lit up at that. He thought about the spandex thing. His shoulders weren't the part of him he was worried about, but he kept that to himself. He hoped whatever weird uniforms they had would be fireproof. Otherwise he would end up butt naked in the end anyway. "We can laugh at Drew. That's one. What else you get up to?"

Drew looked at both of them as he finished off his plare of shepherd's pie. He stacked his sidedish plate on top and grabbed his glass. He gave them both a slight smirk. "I think I will leave you to discuss things, especially if some of those things might be something you don't want a teacher to here." He stood up and glanced at Maeve. "I'll leave it to you to introduce Cain here to the other's and give him an informal orientation on house rules." Despite not using his super speed, he relocated himself to another table out of immediate ear shot.

Cain watched him go and looked back at Maeve.

"He don't look like a teacher."

Maeve watched Drew go, then gave a small shrug.

“He didn’t look like one last week either.”

She took another bite of her roll, clearly no wiser than Cain.

Hayden finished putting a little of the shepherd's pie on her plate, passing over the rolls and taking a bottle of water. She looked over just in time to see Drew walk away from a table with their newest arrival.

"Hey Maeve," she said as she walked up. "Hey new guy. Looks like there's an open seat. So who scared Drew off? Poor guy over there by himself. I'm Hayden, by the way."

"Somethin' must be in the water in this place," Cain said like it wasn't a rude thing to say. "Nice to meet you. I'm Cain."

Maeve looked up as Hayden joined them and shifted her plate over to make room.

“Hiya. Drew frightened himself off,” she said, glancing towards the other table. “Decided he was too much of a teacher to hear about any rules Cain might be plannin’ on breakin’.”

Cain’s comment caught her half a second later. Maeve looked at Hayden, then back at him, and a laugh slipped out before she could stop it.

“Careful sayin’ that around her,” she said, nodding towards Hayden’s water bottle. “She might take it personal.”

“You're already trying to get him in trouble?” The voice drifted over from behind them, carrying just enough disapproval to announce its owner before they ever turned to look.

Kennedy strolled past in the simple attire of a dancer’s black leotard and a pair of oversized gray sweatpants with an empty plate in hand. Her golden hair was swept into a high bun, exposing the elegant lines of her neck and emphasizing her tall, willowy frame. Her delicately sculpted features settled into a look of lofty irritation that was more reminiscent of a Persian cat than an actual scowl. “At least let the poor guy finish his meal before you start offering him contraband.”

Cain looked from Maeve, to Hayden, to Kennedy, his mouth pausing for just a second before he continued his bite. Leotards left alot to see and he was done being shy. He shook his head.

"Man, what is goin' on around here?" he asked to his plate, licking his lips. "Might not be me gettin' in trouble around here with all this spandex and leotards and shit. Tell me I don't have to go to class and I'll bet you money I'm in the right place."

Joey had come in a few moments earlier, from out on the grounds, carrying enough of the outdoors with him there was no mistaking where he'd spent the time between classes and dinner. A fine layer of dust coated the toes of his boots and clung to the worn denim of his Wranglers. His T-shirt fit close across his chest and shoulders, practical and not fashionable despite what certain people around the mansion might claim, and the beaded turqoise and jade necklace nad cross had come out from under it, resting against the dark cotton.

He'd piled up a hefty serving of shepherd's pie, and rather less green beans and bread before approaching the increasingly crowded table. Unfamiliar face was easy enough to identify. New arrivals had a particular look to 'em he'd discovered. Somewhere between waiting for the walls to start bleedin' and wonderin' whether everyone else had agreed to some elaborate joke.

He caught the tail end of Cain's question as he dropped his plate into an empty spot. "Sorry, but yes," he said. "On going to class that is. I don't usually crush dreams before dinner, but Ms Summers is real creative when she's a mind."

He offered Cain his hand. "Josiah Martin," he said. "And friendly reminder, Ms. Summers is a telepath and I'm a walkin scent detector."

He said the words with an easy grin, light enough to qualify as a joke. Mostly.

Cain looked at the hand. Instead of taking it, he looked into Josiah's eyes with his own.

"Too young to be a teacher for sure. That must mean you one of the good boys around here." Cain took a bite of his pie and chewed, overtly calm. "How can you smell what I'm up to with ya nose so far up Summers' ass?"

A quiet snort of laughter escaped Kennedy before a mischievous smirk spread across her heart-shaped mouth. She regarded Cain with newfound appreciation, a glimmer of playful respect dancing in her eyes. "Oh you're good."

Joey chuckled slightly, sitting down. "Good's a relative term around here. I just try to keep the innocence shatterin' drama and ripping the necks out of walking corpses away from the five-year-olds if you follow," he said, deciding the push Cain just a little, running his eyes over the other boy more than was necessary. "Never said aesthetic appreciation was a problem. Just sayin' it ain't hard to be polite about it. Now, if you wanna help plot the rodent invasion of Kennedy's bedroom or cornerin' a certain werewolf with a hosepipe and flea and tick shampoo, I'm your man."

“Stay out of my bedroom, Joey, or I'll skin you and every one of your filthy rats alive,” Kennedy declared, flashing him a sweet smile that somehow made the threat even more ominous. She rode the line between playful and menacing with practiced ease, leaving it delightfully unclear how much of her warning was a joke.

Cain noticed the look but doubted. Surely this dirt-covered boy didn't have a deathwish. He sipped his water, trying to forget it. That was him being nice. Cain quit his food. A pulse of heat started under his collar, but he was going to play it cool.

"I aint sneakin into Kennedy's bedroom, man. I'm a gentleman. I'm gonna wait until I'm invited."

Joey snorted and laughed outright at that one. "Smart man. I heard she explodes people she doesn't like, and her polar bear viking boyfriend is pretty terrifying too." He decided to let it go, point made. So long as boundaries were respected, no problems to be had with Joey. Life choices might be questioned, but that wasn't his problem.

“We haven't even been on a date yet…” Kennedy mumbled in response to Joey's teasing about her and Skjoldr. Then the implication of his comment finally clicked. Her blue eyes narrowed suspiciously as she looked at him. “Joey... are you creeping around in the woods at night? Don't be a pervert.”

Hayden was about halfway through her meal and shook her head. "Welcome to Xavier's," she said, looking at Cain. "You never know who you'll meet or what you'll get into."

Casey had grabbed some food, scanning the room and spotted Joey. He had just came back from the stables after feeding and giving the horses a nice bath. Moving to the table and set his tray down. "hey Joey." Looking at Cain. "who's the new guy?"

Joey smiled as his fellow country boy came up. "Hey, man. Ain't got the name yet. We just finished howdyin'."

Cain picked up his clean plate and fork. At first, the visits were interested. He had the start of a real interaction with Maeve and had even managed to have some fun along the way with others, but as more and more of these people started pouring in and taking spots at his table, taking too much interest in him, he was starting to feel less like the new guy and more like an animal at the zoo. Everyone was waiting for him to throw some shit.

“Gotdamn, there’s a thousand of you mothafuckas,” he said loud enough for the table to hear him.

He stood, bumping the table a bit to make the plates and glasses rattle, and stepped back to the warming trays to get seconds in hopes that his absence might give the energy at the table the time it needed to settle on something - anything else - besides him.

The bumped table caused Hayden's water bottle to fall over, spilling on the table and on her. "Seriously," she exclaimed. "So rude." She waived her hand and the spilled water rose and formed a sphere while she pulled the rest out of her clothing. The sphere hovered over her right shoulder as she stood and picked up her plate.

"Excuse me, guys."

As she walked over to another table, she saw Cain getting seconds. "Something in the water... okay, new guy." As she sat down, she sent the sphere flying towards Cain's head like a water balloon. When it got close enough she released it and it splashed all over him.

One moment, Drew had been sitting at another table, the next he stood in front of Cain with a neutral expression. He spoke in a quiet, but clear tone, his demeanor apparently calm. "Cain, a word in private if you will. You may come back for seconds in a minute." He nodded his head towards the the double doors leading to the hallway.

A second to himself. That's all he wanted. Cain had started the process of reminding himself to be nice. He wasn't dealing with thugs here. He wasn't sure who the hell he was dealing with, but it wasn't thugs, that was for damn sure. When the water splashed hard against the back of his head, he shook, his mouth agape. He looked back, wide eyed, his heat up so much that the water that pooled on his arms and chest turned to steam immediately. Smoke billowed upward around his head.

"Who the FUCK did that?!"

His voice echoed through the ballroom. Not a soul would miss it and it was full of base. A second voice accompanied it, like a legion of monsters full of rage behind him. Before he could find the answer, Drew moved in front of him. Brave move. He spoke low and slow.

"I don't need a word or seconds. I'm outta here."

Then he turned and walked out with a step that was a mix of swagger and irritation, steam still flowing behind him until he was gone.

Drew raised a hand and dragged it down his face. He picked up Cain's discarded plate and glass then his own before taking everything to the discard bin and drop off cart. He stepped in to the hallway once he was done and leaned against the wall. Part of him wanted to find Cain, but he had a more pressing issue he thought needed addressing. He looked to the banquet doors and waited for Hayden to emerge.

“Oh, shit,” Kennedy blurted, a delighted laugh escaping her as the scene unfolded before the entire dining hall. “I didn't know Hayden had it in her.” She glanced down at Maeve with a crooked smirk. “Is this your influence?”

Maeve pressed a hand to her chest, looking wounded despite the smile trying to break through.

“Would you stop, Kennedy. I’m not behind every bad idea in this house.” Her smile escaped anyway. “The lot of ye manage grand without me half the time.”

Her eyes drifted towards the doors Cain had disappeared through, the humour easing a little.

“That one had nothin’ to do with me.”

Alaric had finished dinner some time ago, with the exception of some rolls he'd gone back for. Bread on Earth wa still something he couldn't over, even after a year plus out of Limbo. Rather than returning to his room, he remained in the dining hall with the rolls and a chalice of water. The kind that tasted of home.

An open book lay on the table in front of him, written in Latin. He had found the library to be rather extensive. But he found himself reading the same paragraph more than once as the evening unfolded around him.

It wasn't long before conversation began to gather around Cain. Drew approached first, then Maeve, followed by Hayden. Joey and Casey eventually wandered over as well, and before long the table had become the center of the room's attention.

Alaric turned another page without reading it.

The exchanges carried easily to where he was sitting. Friendly introductions gradually gave way to sharp remarks, teasing answered by sarcasm, then open irritation. He watched Hayden leave, the sphere of water hovering at her shoulder, and silently suspected exactly where that was going. Moments later, the splash confirmed it.

When Drew appeared beside Cain and quietly asked for a private word, Alaric's expression softened by the slightest degree. Good. No spectacle. No shouting. Just an opportunity to let tempers cool. And then Cain left after the water sphere. It could be overwhelming, being here. He remembered his first day standing before the entire student body.

He lifted the chalice, taking another slow drink as the murmur of conversation resumed throughout the dining hall. Jean had asked him to show Cain to his room after dinner. And this seemed like the best of times. He picked up the book and snapped his fingers. The chalice disappeared and he headed out the door to catch up to Cain, jogging past Drew. Jean had given him a job and he was going to see it through.

With her water gone, Hayden went to get another bottle. As she turned to go back to her table, she paused. Perhaps too long. There was Drew standing in the hallway by himself and leaning against the wall. She huffed, thinking it was her turn to get a lecture from the teach. She had no idea if Drew had caught her looking or not, but she still had food to finish. She took her water and went back to to table where she'd left her plate.

“Gosh, Hayden, I didn’t know you had it in you,” Kennedy said with a chuckle as the tension in the dining room melted away. Around them, the students gradually returned to their meals and conversations, the moment already becoming another story to laugh about later. “Next time they play chicken fight in the pool, I’m definitely asking you to be my partner.”

Hayden couldn't help but laugh a little as Kennedy sat down. She twisted the cap back onto her bottle of water and gave an innocent shrug. She wasn't naturally confrontational. Throwing the water was more impulsive than anything. Like, you soaked me, now it's your turn. "He knocked my water all over me," she said, as though that simple statement explained everything. "It just...it just seemed fair."

A year ago, she probably would've just apologized and let it go. But since then, she's learned that she doesn't have to be a doormat. She doesn't have to be mean-spirited about it, but she doesn't have to be a doormat. She looked back toward the hallway where Cain had gone and Drew was still standing...as far as she knew. "I probably shouldn't have done it."

She let out a small sigh before glancing back at Kennedy, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "...Okay, maybe I should've. Just a little."

"And if there's ever another chicken fight in the pool," she added playfully, "...you're on. Just don't expect me to go easy on whoever we're up against."

Jennifer was heading for a meal. Too late to see the spectacle or the new student, but not too late to see Drew leaning against the wall, looking frustrated. "Everything ok?" she asked.

Drew turned his gaze from the door to Jennifer. He gave her a week smile. She had this way of calming him when he was upset. He let out a sigh. "There's a new guy, Cain Cross. People started introducing themselves. I guess he started feeling a little overwhelmed by the attention. He got upset and then a globe of water floated from the table and exploded all over him. He fled after that and I was just waiting here to talk to Hayden." He looked in and saw Hayden sitting with the others then turned back to Jennifer. "I don't want to keep you from dinner...unless. You feel like going out to eat? Jean told me about this restaurant in town and honestly...I could use a break from this place."

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Jennifer said. "I think everybody'll feel better if we get a little time."

Drew didn't hesitate. He took Jennifer's hand and walked o the foyer and out the main doors. He would talk to Cain and Hayden another time. He just wanted to spend an evening with Jennifer and not have to worry about the events of the last week.

Alaric had taken some time to speak with Cain while showing him to his room. He let him know that he expected him back in the dining room after he'd had a chance to cool down. There was a time when an Alaric had been the new guy. A stranger from a world very different from anything Xavier's students understood. Fitting in had required compromise, patience, and understanding from everyone involved.

He noticed that Drew was not in the hall where he had left him. He walked into the dining room and saw Hayden and Kennedy sitting at a table. "Cain should be back shortly," he said to the two young ladies. His eyes lingered on Hayden for a moment, taking in the slight tension in her posture. "I'd like to hear what happened."

Hayden exhaled heavily, almost a huff, which Alaric would have noticed. She didn't say anything but nodded her head and waited.

"Things just got a little... intense... for a minute," Kennedy replied with an easy shrug. "You know how it is sometimes. Everyone rushes the new face, people get carried away, things get awkward. If you're lucky, the worst thing anyone walks away with is a soggy shirt."

You could accuse Kennedy of a lot of things, but being a tattletale wasn't one of them, especially not over something this minor. A few calm words, a chance for everyone to cool off, maybe a few swings at the gym's punching bag, and everything would be back to normal.

"I think the new guy is just overwhelmed," Kennedy continued. "By all of us... all of this.” She gestured vaguely at the lively dining hall around them “He just needs a friend or two. Once he figures out he belongs here, I think the rest will come naturally."

"I hope you're right," Alaric said. "I understand being overwhelmed. The Professor introduced me to the entire student body at once. However, had someone embarrassed me, I wouldn't have opened a portal to Limbo and thrown them into a lake of fire. I watched him push his mutant powers until smoke rose from his skin. Had he injured anyone in here, action would've been taken. I can assure you of that."

"I understand why you did it. I'd have been frustrated too," he continued, looking at the water-bender. "Getting up and leaving the situation was the right thing to do. But throwing the sphere of water wasn't appropriate. We do not use our powers to settle personal disputes," he said. There was a stern tone to his voice and he expected that was all that was needed for Hayden.

As Alaric spoke, he kept an eye on the door. Cain had yet to return as he'd been asked. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I would have preferred to hear from everyone involved. It seems that won't be possible tonight." He looked at Kennedy. "If you see him, remind him this is a school. We have children here as well as teenagers. Whatever he may be accustomed to elsewhere, those standards won't serve him here."

Alaric didn't wait for a response, but instead left the make-shift cafeteria. Wisps of windblown, mystical, purple energy popped and trailed off his arms mixed with otherworldly shadows. But they were inside. There was no wind. Or sun.

Dinner at Xavier's had been a little more chaotic than usual, though that was hardly remarkable. Life at a school filled with mutants was rarely quiet; every day brought its own brand of disorder, whether in the form of harmless mishaps, unexpected discoveries, or moments that changed lives forever.

For Cain, tonight marked the beginning of one of those moments. Crossing the threshold into Xavier's was more than just arriving at a new school—it was stepping into an unfamiliar future. It wouldn't be easy. Trust would have to be earned, old habits broken, and wounds allowed to heal. But if he was willing to meet the challenge, these halls had a way of turning lost souls into found family.

For the first time in a long while, Cain Cross had a place where he could choose who he wanted to become.

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