For anyone to say that I like being a mutant would be like saying some chick likes Taylor Swift, or whatever singer, band, or influencer is popular at any given moment. I don't simply like being a mutant, I love it. It is who and what I am, and I wouldn't change that for anything.

At least, I wouldn't now.

Back when my power first manifested it was a different story.

I feared what they could do. I feared what being a mutant meant for my life. I didn't have any control over my power, and it was frightening, to say the least. As the years have passed, I have learned how to control the power I have, and with control, the fear has subsided. I've since embraced my powers and what they can do.

There are, of course, issues one must deal with when one is a mutant. Like the fact that most people fear, distrust, and despise mutants. A lot of people would do anything they could to lock us away to keep the world safe, or at least what they deemed safe. Even after so many years of our presence being common knowledge, fear and distrust remain. The bigotry against anything different is there and they will probably always be distrustful. People mistrust anything different. They can't handle it when things don't conform to their ideas. It's why human society will never be a utopia. It can't be. Human nature would never allow it.

So, it pays to keep a low profile if you're a mutant.

My mother was one of those people who feared mutants. Even when I was younger, she'd rage against them. I never understood why, and she didn't bother to explain. My powers decided to manifest themselves during a massive argument she and I were having. It was over something stupid, like me getting behind on my homework or something. It was lame, but at the time, it seemed like a big deal. My temper exploded, literally. I managed to short-circuit every electronic device inside our home, and a few in the closest neighbor's house as well. Once the smoke (and sparks) cleared, I watched as my mother went pale and began to back away from me. She emitted a frightened little shriek, turned, and ran from me. Before I knew it, she had packed a bag full of my stuff, shoved it at me, and pushed me out the door. Before she slammed the door shut, she commanded that I never return. There was no waiting for my dad to get home to discuss things; she just locked me out and threatened to call the cops if I didn't leave immediately. I will never forgive her for that, nor will I forget the fear I saw in her eyes.

I didn't wait around for her to call the cops; I left and never looked back. I've been on my own since then, always moving and hiding until I could control my power well enough to hide in plain sight.

Now that I've turned eighteen, I've found a job as a waitress at a small diner, and I'm living in a shelter for teens and young adults. As soon as I have enough money, I'm going to buy a place of my own, and no one will ever put me on the streets again.

What follows this brief introduction is my story.

I want everyone to know how my life changed, to tell you about the day I discovered there could be more to a mutant's life than simply hiding in plain sight. I want others to know, there is hope for a better life for mutants. This story will show you how I went from being a loner, by what I thought was necessity, to being surrounded by friends. A story about how I found a place to belong.

At Xavier's school, I founda home and a purpose. I found the X-Men.