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0. 𝑀𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

  THE MORNING WAS PERFECT in every way. It was her eleventh birthday and Olivia couldn't be more thrilled. Her parents would be home all day — no work calls, no emergencies, just Olivia. Her eyes fluttered open just as her mother knocked on her bedroom door. "Olivia? Are you awake?"

She was already sitting up, bouncing from excitement. "Yup!" Olivia yelled. The door creaked open, her mother's bright face peeking through. She winked and Olivia giggled. "Mama! Stop!"

At her words, the door opened wider and her father strode through, parading a tray of food, her mother filming from behind. "Happy birthday to you!" They began to sing, and rather poorly in Olivia's opinion.

The young girl laughed and clapped along with them until the tray of food was placed on her lap. "Breakfast in bed!" She cheered. Breakfast in bed was a rare occurrence but a tradition in the Peters household and it was one Olivia looked forward to every year. "Thank you!"

On the tray were all her favourites — pancakes, turkey bacon, apple slices, maple syrup — everything you could want in a breakfast. Her mother sat to the left of her and her father on the right, both smiling wide. "Eat up. You have presents to open!" Her mother said, poking the girls' side playfully.

Olivia's face lit up. She ignored the protests of her parents as she inhaled her meal as fast as she could. She didn't care about the hiccups that resulted, she was too excited. She swallowed the last bit of pancake and burped. "Presents?" She looked between her parents excitedly.

Her mother sighed and glanced at her father, who nodded. "Alright, we can-" Olivia didn't wait for her to finish — the young girl sprang from her bed, throwing off the covers and running towards the living room. "Olivia! Slow down!" Her mother called after her daughter. She took out her camera once again and rushed after the child, father in tow.

But alas, she has missed the reaction. Olivia stood in the middle of their living room, hands covering her mouth in shock. Right in front of her was her very own electric guitar — not her father's, which she learned to play on, but her own. And to top it off, it was yellow, her favourite colour. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cheered, running to wrap both her parents in a hug.

Her father chuckled deeply. "You are very welcome, dear," He ruffled her hair lovingly. "Why don't you play us something?" He knew she had been working particularly hard on a Beatles song.

"Yeah!" Olivia gasped. She could finally show off her long-practiced skill. "One second, I have to plug in the amp!" She rushed to the guitar, caressing its bright yellow shine before heading to the amp sitting next to it.

Time seemed to slow at this moment. Olivia had grabbed hold of the plug and moved towards the outlet in the wall. She hadn't even touched the outlet, yet a spark, bright and golden, shot out to her hand. Unlike a normal child, Olivia didn't scream or cry, rather, she watched in awe as the ball of light danced in her palm.

She had dropped the cord and giggled. "What's so funny, dear?" Her mother asked curiously from the couch. Olivia didn't have a second thought in turning to show her parents the newfound power she possessed. They were her best friends, they would never be afraid of her.

"Look!" She cheered, turning to show them her outstretched hand, in which the ball of light was growing gradually. She giggled once more, enjoying the small tingle the electricity gave her. When she glanced back up, however, her parents were not smiling along with her.

The smile that was so brightly spread across the little girl's face dropped at the sight of the look of horror on both her parent's faces. They weren't smiling — her mother even looked on the brink of tears. "No," Her mother mumbled, a shaky hand moving to her lips in shock. "She's one of them..." She trialled off to glance at her husband. "What do we do?"

Her father's face hardened. "Stop that right now, Olivia."

The harsh tone of his voice scared Olivia. "But...what's wrong?" She stood up, walking closer to them, golden electricity still bubbling in her hand. "Mama? Papa?"

Her mother let out a scream. "Don't come closer!" She and her father scrambled away from the terrified girl. "Stop it, Olivia! Stop that!"

Olivia looked down at her hand, tears starting to form. She was scared and confused. Her parents, the people who were supposed to always love her, were scared of her. "I-I don't know how!" She cried. "Please, mama! I don't know what's happening."

Her parents began to argue, loudly. Olivia watched them, shaking. She didn't know how to control what she was doing, but she wanted it to stop. Her hands shook violently. The voices of her parents grew louder and Olivia had enough. She let out a scream, the ball of energy shooting into the wall. The lights of the house flickered and went out. "Stop it!" She sobbed. "What's wrong with me?!"

With wide eyes, her parents watched her shake and cry, but made no move to comfort the girl. "You...are a mutant," Her mother said the word with so much disgust, it made Olivia cry harder. She was a monster.

An hour passed and now Olivia was sitting in the back of her family's caravan, watching as harsh rain pelted down onto the window. Her parents didn't tell her where they were going, allowing the girl to imagine the worst — boarding school, orphanage, prison — all terrible options.

All of Olivia's belongings were packed into the trunk of the car, which meant she wasn't coming back home. She cried silently, fear of being called a freak again by her father. How could such a happy day turn so sour?

The car slowed as they approached large brass gates, that opened to reveal a magnificent house, with rolling hills of land behind it. To Olivia, it looked like a castle, but she couldn't even be excited about that. The car stopped in the front. "Stay here." Her father warned as he and her mother exited the car, rushing to the front door for cover from the cold rain.

Olivia watched from the blurry car window her parents talking with two men — one very tall and one in a wheelchair. They didn't talk long. Olivia's car door was pulled open. "Out," Her mother told her simply. She looked up at her, scared out of her mind. "Now, Olivia."

She listened to her mother, hastily and shakily unbuckling and stepping out into the rain. She stood and watched as her father hauled all of her things to the front door, where the two men waited. Once he was done, her mother and he stood in front of Olivia. "This is for your own good, Olivia. You can be with your own kind."

"But, your my family," The girl's voice cracked as tears streamed her small face. "You can't leave me."

Her father took a sharp breath in. "A mutant is no family of ours. Goodbye, Olivia." She noticed that both of them were crying, yet their faces were straight.

There was no time to say goodbye back, as they turned and moved to the car. Olivia watched silently as they left, only turning once they were completely out of sight. The reality of her situation finally hit the eleven-year-old, as she fell to her knees and began to scream and sob.

Lightning angrily crackled in the sky, reflecting the girl's emotions. She could hear the sound of footsteps in the gravel behind her. The tall man came into view as he squatted down in front of her. "Hey, kiddo. I'm Hank. Would you like to come inside? Get out of the rain?"

Olivia looked up at him, into his kind eyes. His glasses were wet with raindrops, and he smiled sadly. "What's a mutant?" She asked shakily, shivering from the cold.

Hank's smile brightened slightly. "Why don't we show you?" He stood up and held a hand out to the girl. Olivia stared at it for a moment. Taking his hand would mean everything that happened was real, that her parents really did abandon her all because she was different. Nodding slowly, she took his hand and allowed him to help her up. "I think you're really going to like it here." He smiled.

AUTHORS NOTE
haha here's an X-Men book. I recently rewatched them and couldn't resist.

sign-off gif by Raichia