White Witch

Fiona Reis is a mutant newly accepted into the Xavier Institute. She has a distinctive look, almost fae-like, that makes it fairly clear she isn't normal. She doesn't speak, either-- rumor has it she can't.

The White Witch is a new mutant student in her senior year studying under Professor Xavier. She was one of Magneto's Acolytes, and Professor X thinks she can 'go good'-- which is to say, be turned away from Magento's thinking of mutant-kind being unable to live in harmony with humans to her embracing working together. She's worked for Magneto for a couple of years helping him in Genosha, but she hasn't been seen in any sorts of combat.

Background
A mutant born to mutants, Fiona Reis was an only child who wanted for nothing: she had education and love and everything a child could need or want. Her mother, Helena, was a telepath and a doctor (general practitioner), her father, Charles, had the gift of telekinesis, and was an auto mechanic-- in some ways, their relationship seemed strange, but it worked for them. They suspected their daughter would likely share one of their mutant powers, but they knew her abilities would likely not manifest until her teen years, as is what happened with both of them.

In the small town of St. Francis, South Carolina, it wasn't entirely surprising that eventually, her parents secret of being mutants got out. At first, the ostracism was limited to rude comments and heated words. Unknown to the girl, her parents were also getting death threats-- and they had heard of a man, a mutant, who had offered sanctuary to any who would join him. They contacted him for help, offering their talents both mundane and mutant.

Fiona had just had her thirteenth birthday when several townsfolk attacked her childhood home, beating her father on the front lawn, and then shooting and setting the building on fire with her and her mother inside it. Her father tried to protect them with his telekinesis, but was strained to do so between the rising flames, the distance, and his own injuries-- and protecting himself from the repeated bullets fired at his own body.

Her father's shield eventually faltered, allowing the mutant-haters outside to finally kill him, and also dropping the shields that protected mother and daughter from bullet and flame alike. Her mother shielded her with her own body, and died in front of (half on top of) Fiona. The stress was enough to trigger Fiona's own mutant abilities, but perhaps too little, too late-- a flash of indigo light and Fiona was surrounded by a weak protective bubble of telekinesis. The heat and the smoke and her own screams had already done their damage to her vocal cords, and the men outside settled in to listen to her slowly burn to death, laughing about how they were 'burning the witches'.

That was not to be. Fiona heard screams again, only this time, not hers and her mother's, but the anti-mutant murderers outside her home. A blue woman clad in white braved the flames and scooped up the diminutive girl while her partner ripped the men who killed her parents apart. The woman was Raven Darkholme, the man Victor Creed, and they had orders to bring the family to Magneto. Sabretooth carried the girl, smoke and soot covered, to a waiting transport, while Mystique raged about not getting there in time to bring them all.

The Acolytes, the Brotherhood, had come as her parents had pleaded, to bring them to a place where they would be safe. Only they had been too late. Her vocal cords had been too far damaged to repair. Her parents were dead.

Magnus offered the girl sanctuary with him, and called her an Acolyte in her parents' stead, despite her newness to her powers and her youth. She was one of the first Genoshans, the youngest, and, as Magnus had said many times since, one of the examples of why they must fight for mutants everywhere: to prevent more families like hers from being destroyed by hate and jealousy of homo sapien.

She learned to control her powers with the help of those among Magneto's followers who could teach her. She was privately tutored in every subject she desired. And she served Magnus, informally at first, only acting as a good child who noticed that someone who was caring for her was exhausted and never had time to do things himself. She burnt toast and made cereal the first night she 'made dinner'. Erik was touched and more than a little amused; but quickly took advantage of her willingness to help with his household. Every tool to a purpose, and where Fiona was not for the field of battle like his other Acolytes, she was ideal for a personal assistant.

There were growing pains, of course. But Genosha grew, and thrived, and other mutants flocked to the island nation, a place of safety for all homo superior. Fiona felt confident, pleased that she was helping save lives, in her own small way.

Until the day Magnus asked her to go back. He and Charles, he told her, ever friends, ever adversaries, had been speaking in the aftermath of the Newt anti-mutant drug. And as a showing of good faith from Genosha to the X-Men and the Institute Charles ran, Erik Lensherr, better known as Magneto, had offered to send one of his Acolytes to Charles, to train, to liaise, and to prove that Genosha was all in good faith to all mutant kind, even those who spurned it.

Despite her fears of being among the homo sapiens again, Fiona agreed.. and arrived at the Institute under cover of night, and was interviewed by Xavier himself. Confident that Magnus had not sent something evil among them, and hoping to bring her to his way of thinking, Xavier brought her into the institute as a new mutant student in her senior year of high school, only telling a select few on staff the truth of her origins, lest too many fellow students and teachers ostracize her for a traitor.

Personality
Some might call her naive, and others may just be suspicious of her motives. Fiona is a gentle, sweet girl with a soft heart who has seen and experienced far too much hate and terror in her short life already. Despite being a victim of violence and hate crimes, to the point where she can no longer speak, she herself has not fallen into the retaliatory desire for violence and injury. She can be fearful, especially of those things that remind her of how close she came to dying, but a more loyal and calming, caring companion is hard to find. In her own way, she still clings to a sense of innocence: she loves watching children's movies, has a soft spot for small animals, and, in unguarded moments, loves to smile and laugh (though the latter, the sound is.. off.. due to her vocal cord damage).

The idea of bringing someone else pain, whether physically or emotionally, is abhorrent to her. She prefers to try and soothe ruffled feathers and make sure everyone is happy; and though she is soft-hearted, she tries not to let anyone see her cry. She craves feeling useful and needed, and is always willing to lend a hand when asked.

Logs

 * TBA...