A horrid sound began to rattle throughout the museum. It was something akin to static from an old television; a high pitched whine that halted what was left of the soldiers in their place. They froze, all of them completely still as the students and the teachers looked on. When the sound had stopped, another sound took its place, the sound of footsteps. The man with dark hair and bright eyes appeared in the archway of the exhibit. He clapped his hands with a smug grin crossing his lips. “Well well, you all have done well against my friends. Congratulations. Forgive me, I haven’t formally introduced myself. I am the one they call W but to my friends, I’m otherwise known as Pete Wisdom, agent of MI5. In any other hands, what you did would be mass murder but alas in mine…” The man now known as Pete Wisdom placed his hands in his pockets. “…I call it training” He turned his head to the side and in the lingering silence, more footsteps were heard, this time it was a very familiar rhythm of high heels.

“Thanks Pete” Kitty placed a hand on his shoulder as she gazed upon her students and staff. “Don’t look so surprised guys” She let a small smile appear on her face. “I suppose I should explain” She stepped forward to the group. “When I was a student, Professor Xavier always taught us that even though our powers made us different, we should not use them to harm others, we should only use them to protect. A lot of the time, we were forced into situations where would have to defend ourselves and unfortunately that too often led to the injury and the death of my friends. But we were X-Men, that’s what we did. Today, I asked my old friend Pete here to test you. The men you’ve been fighting are nothing more than life model decoys, they have no memories and no conscience. As you can see they freeze under the influence of the correct frequency. Today, we tested you to see how you would react if faced with a situation that was both perilous to you and to humans without powers. I’ve been observing and I’m pretty confident that all of you handled the event well. A few hiccups of course but overall a passing grade if I was giving them out. We may just make some X-Men out of you yet”

THE END

River

Rolling from side to side in bed, River eventually sat up and pulled his knees closer to his chest. That other day during the exercise, he would have killed several people if the whole thing wasn’t fake. It got him thinking, just what was he willing to do to protect himself and others? The thought of killing anyone was absurd but that day, he completely discarded something that had been a given for so long. The will to survive was strong enough to surpass his morals and would have made him a killer. Rubbing his forehead, River placed his naked feet on the floor and slipped into a pair of jeans and a thin black shirt before heading out early in the morning to drop down by a tree in the garden. Was he truly X-Men material if this was going to occupy his mind after each mission? He could see it in front of him, they’d call him weak willed and unable to do what’s expected of him. They’d tell him to get his shit together and understand that it’s either him or them. With a soft sigh, River lowered his head slightly, closing his eyes. He wanted to be X-Men material, what else was there? He had been training like crazy to get to that point and when eventually faced with the real thing, he preformed worse than desired. No, he shot well, he was just hesitating way too much and that would eventually get him killed.

Disappointed, River moved his head up and looked at the golden sky coloured such by the slowly ascending sun. This had been haunting him too much for his own good and needed to be laid to rest in one way or the other. A few moments later, River ascended back to his feet and leaned against the thick tree, covering his eyes at the sight of the ever rising sun. This wasn’t too unusual, waking at the dawn of light. The clock stood at five AM and he could go for more sleep but now that he was up, might as well do something with it.

A gentle smile stretched across his lips with the sunlit warmth touching his skin. Only one thing seemed appropriate right at this moment with the streets completely empty. River made his way back and moved carefully through the mansion towards his room, trying not to make too much noise as he slipped back through the door and avoided waking his roommate. He grabbed hold of his iPod and changed into a pair of tracking pants and sneakers before putting a headband on to make sure his bangs didn’t make him run into a wall. With that, River went for an early morning jog, something he realised was highly underrated.

Luna Marionette

Luna stopped for a breather, her chest rose and fell in quick succession as she took a few quick sips of water from the bottle in her hand between breaths, considering it was ridiculously early having only just hit 7am she was rather fresh faced yet again she went for a run around the grounds early every morning anyway it was somewhat of a routine, one that kept her fit and sane. Her unruly golden locks had been secured back in a low ponytail though a few strands had escaped the hair band and hung freely around her face, she ran her fingers into her side fringe pushing it back off of her sticky forehead. A thin sheen of sweat glistened across her creamy skin she wasn’t wearing anything particularly flattering at the moment a loose fitting purple tank top and 3/4 length Adidas black/purple ‘tights’, she tapped at the soil beneath her feet with the tips of her black Nike trainers, looking up at the building next to her questioning whether to head back inside or go a bit further she’d been out here since sun rise.

She’d felt pressurized into pushing herself harder than before after what had happened last week, Luna’s gaze became far off as she thought back to that event. She hadn’t reacted particularly well to Kitty’s ‘Surprise’ to say she was fuming would have been an understatement if she hadn’t of been supporting Rory -Luna felt herself grimace at the memory of her friends condition- she highly doubted she’d have just settled for growling like a rabid dog to show how angry she’d been at the deception.

Luna took a deep breath having regulated her breathing by now; she stretched her arms above her head leisurely. She couldn’t deny she was still angry over the whole ordeal no amount of understanding would change that at the minute, at least 3 of the students had suffered injuries. Mender had probably fixed them up pretty quickly which was lucky, though Luna may have felt a slight pang of jealousy when he was treating a certain dark haired student.

She’d moved off pretty hastily once she was sure Rory was on her way back to health, she hadn’t wanted to get in the way besides Alicia had been there as well, two of them hovering around would have been a nuisance...plus Rory would have probably wanted just Alicia close at hand anyway, she was a lot calmer than Luna so being the third wheel the young mutant had hesitantly slid away. Taking another swig from her water bottle she allowed her mind to revisit the past week. After the museum trip she had become a little more distant than usual, she’d still spent time around the others she was just less responsive as of late usually preferring to spend her free time training or improving her physique rather than talking which she wasn't very good at anyway...

There were of course a few students that could get her talking, Alicia when she came to visit which was probably often enough that she may as well have moved in...Rory was another -the privileges of sharing a room- Luna would still talk at lights out to keep Rory happy –as well as herself- she knew that her friend suffered from terrible nightmares, having been jolted awake many a night because of them. Luna felt a frown cross her face as she shifted from foot to foot clearly unsettled as her mind drifted to another line of thought. She had revisited that WWII exhibit so many times in her sleep over the past week...her subconscious mind had been lingering on her moments of weakness, her inability to lift the steel door quick enough...being thrown through a wall, allowing herself to be shot, her hesitation to defend herself and the others...she wasn’t sure where this want to ‘protect’ stemmed from, it was rather contradictory to her nature.

Luna rolled her shoulders biting her lower lip gently; the tip of her canine slid over the soft flesh glinting in the early morning light, her expression became thoughtful for a moment as golden eyes firmly focused on the ground just in front of her. She had been weak...that was her belief, it was ironic really the one time she had contained her anger like Daisy had trained her too was the first time she had truly felt weak. The only bonus being she hadn’t hurt anyone...minus those things, whatever they were. This ‘weak’ self image she had was what was causing her to push herself.

Keep training; keep progressing she’d be ready next time...she really hoped there wouldn’t be a next time, she wasn’t sure she could handle another round of deception besides... “X-men? Doesn’t sound very me...” She murmured to herself lifting a hand to her sticky forehead. Why would they even consider me? Her eyes flickered up as she caught movement just ahead of her, she shielded her eyes from the morning light, blinking in surprise as River came into focus she had to admit she didn’t know anyone else jogged this early...she toyed with the idea of calling out to him. She hadn’t really held long conversations with River before, which was understandable she wasn’t exactly a fun person to be around...she was more like an undesirable angry hermit Hello? Self-esteem if you’d like to re-surface at some point that’d be great... Luna sighed heavily pinching the bridge of her nose as if this simple action could ease the pressure building in her mind, she needed a distraction something to take her mind off of her thoughts.

Alicia had woke up hearing her alarm clock going off, she looked at the clock seeing that it was 7AM, she decided to go out onto the grounds for some fresh air and maybe do some exercise or a jog she wasn't sure. Alicia grabbed herself a white tshirt, and grey sweat pants along with black tennis shoes tying her hair into a small pony tail the brown haired girl left her dorm it was rather quiet most of the students were still asleep or just waking up at this point. Her mind went back to last week thinking about the whole ordeal of what went on was still crazy to her, being shot at by those things scared her but she saved the mother and child that day still made her felt good. She didn't like the whole test but knew that it would have been very real but she was glad that both of her closest friends were okay and made it out through the test..

As Alicia headed through the front door of the institute Alicia got a quick glimpse of Luna and River outside Alicia smiled and started to approach Rory and waved at the blonde. "Good morning Rory." Alicia said with a soft smile and looked to River who watched over her body the earlier week and was happy that he did if the soldiers got to it before then she wouldn't have been here now. "Hey River." Alicia said and waved at him. "How are you feeling Luna?" Alicia asked remembering her friend getting shot at while holding the metal door open and was worried if she was okay or not.

Episode 2: All Ages Night

"After their little test at the museum, a lot of the students have been struggling. The answer? An all ages night at local hotspot Ronnie's. There's movies, games, karaoke...everything a young kid would want and it's running for 24 hours straight. Nothing wrong with a little bit of fun to really bring a team together right?



“You’re doing it again” Freddie looked at the beautiful woman on the other side of the bar and she furrowed her brow. “Doing what?” She asked in a soft southern but distinct Louisiana drawl. The Sicilian mutant downed his whiskey and tapped the table. “Avoiding a question. I asked how Chase was, Ronnie” The woman now identified as Ronnie pulled a glass from beneath the counter top and left it underneath a running beer tap as she also grabbed a smaller glass and a bottle of wine. “He’s fine, we don’t talk too much. Just enough for me to know he’s safe and for him to know I’m safe. He’s still very scared after what happened” She poured the glass of red wine and slid it to the empty seat next to Freddie. “For your friend”

Turning, Freddie and Ronnie were met by the sweet smile of one Headmistress Kitty Pryde walking through the door. “It’s really spooky when you do that Rhonda” He shook his head before turning and greeting Kitty with a hug. “Hey” Kitty hugged him tightly, giving him a delicate “Hi” before taking her seat. “Red wine, Freddie how’d you know?” He shrugged and motioned to the gorgeous bartender. “I didn’t. Ronnie here has a knack for knowing exactly what a person needs and wants to drink” Kitty looked into the woman’s blue eyes and she responded with a little chuckle. “It’s not just drinks” Ronnie spoke “I kind of know a lot about a lot of things without actually knowing about the things…that doesn’t make sense” She laughed. “I guess you can say my woman’s intuition is in constant hyper mode” Kitty was curious but she knew better than to press an issue, she’d ask Freddie about it later. “Thank you so much for letting us throw our movie night here, it’s going to mean so much to the kids” Rhonda wiped down the bar with a cloth and grinned brightly. “It’s honestly no problem. My little brother’s their age so and it’s always just been us, so I know how important nights like this can be. Besides, I’ll do anything for Freddie. Can’t deny those pretty blue eyes can I?” She chuckled before heading off to the other end of the bar to serve another customer.

“You did great in organising this, Freddie. You and Nia” The headmistress took a sip from her wine. “It’s what the kids need. Being X-Men isn’t just about fighting, it’s about overcoming your differences and being part of a cause bigger than yourself. These kids need to develop together in order to have a future together. They come in here, watch movies on the big screen, games consoles set up, karaoke, food, drinks. If they don’t gel tomorrow, they won’t gel at all” The former Shadowcat laughed to herself as she looked at her colleague. “I’ve known you nearly ten years Freddie and I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you talk”

---

There was plenty of time to think. Plenty of time to mull over actions and things said and done. Harley, however, wasn't quite fond of that kind of solitude; he wanted to be busy and alone, not alone with nothing to do. Stuck inside his own mind was a venture Harley took to great lengths to avoid. Things he didn't want to look back on made a home in there, nestled deep inside his subconscious where he'd loathe to find them. The only respite that Harley appreciated and that worked for him were times spent reading, studying, working, whatever he could do that was far away from people and far away from himself.

Harley isolated himself completely from social and personal interaction.

When he heard about this particular field day, Harley couldn't help the overwhelming sense of dread that surged through him. A day designed for the purposes of interacting, bonding, whatever they wanted to call it. Harley called days like this a living nightmare and he'd plenty of nightmares to distinguish them from real life, but this skirted pretty close to that threshold. This was free time for other kids, but for him it was like a sadistic test. Let's force the boy who can make people murder each other to suppress himself and his powers and overload him with further stress and anxiety. At least, that's how he took it. Some of the other teachers may have wanted something different, but forcing Harley to do something usually didn't benefit anyone. It just worked to further harm himself, rather than other people. There was nothing noble about being so scared of yourself that you have to shove everything inside, all at once, to keep from having it explode in blood and gore.

So, naturally, Harley found the darkest area in the building, or as dark as it was going to get with the enormous TV screen or projector, he didn't bother checking, displaying its intense, colorful light onto the array of seats. The motion picture roaring on the wall was at the discretion of the first person who entered, or at least a vote if people wanted to be democratic. Harley had entered first and took out what was previously playing, The Hangover (boy did he like Bradley Cooper in that), and inserted Night of the Living Dead, a classic, from the library of movies in the walk in closet near the projector—he corrected his thoughts prior. After everything was said and done, Harley traversed through the corridors avoiding people until he hit the kitchen where he found a large bowl of ice cream, some fudge, and a bunch of strawberries. This was supposed to be the kid's night, so he didn't bother with sharing his Cookie Crumble with anyone else, taking the entire container of food and condiments and stuck a spoon in his mouth before walking back to the home theater.

Hopefully, everyone would be too hyped up on sugar and whatever else to come in, sit down, and relax with him. People doing crazy things to burn off all their teenage energy before winding down to watch a movie would be everything falling into place, as by then he'd have the opportunity to slip past everyone, find a cozy place, and relax whilst they all made a ruckus anywhere but where he was. That'd be perfect. Mhm. But, it probably wouldn't happen, so, as he set everything down and grabbed a warm blanket from the closet in the hallway, Harley did his best to blend into the corner he scooted himself in, remote in hand, and hit play. People would be too focused on the movie to notice him in his nook, gorging himself on a bucket of ice cream nearly spilling over with fudge sauce and strawberries.

A soft hum escaped his lips as the cold and way too sweet treat hit his taste buds. He'd not jinx himself, but this wasn't too bad of a start. And now that thought would most likely, utterly doom the rest of his evening until he was running mad for the exit. He'd walk back to the damn mansion if he had to, but God forbid that happen. Harley shook his head of the thoughts, replacing it with a large scoop of cookie crumble and a brain freeze that swiftly followed.

Alicia held a can of soda in her hand she was glad to actually have a whole day away from the school and just hangout with some of her friends and classmates though it was rough since the test at the museum she wanted to get to know some of the others better. She looked around seeing some game consoles set up, a karaoke machine and also a large home theater to play some movies, she noticed Harley sitting by himself eating away at some icecream he found. Alicia knew that he was more of the quiet type but she wasn't sure if he wanted to be alone or not.

Alicia decided to talk with him at least to get to know him some more, she went over and took a seat on the couch she could hear him humming to himself, she looked at the screen to see the movie 'Night of the Living Dead' playing remembering seeing it a few times with her father when she was younger she always was interested in zombie movies. "Hey Harley." Alicia said turning to face him watching Harley eating away at the icecream. "What kind of icecream are you eating?" She asked, it was a night to get to know some of the others better she already knew Rory and Luna well enough and were good friends and if they were going to be a team she would like to know him and the others more.

River

This social event wasn’t too shocking of a change. A lot of these kids had been through something rather hardcore a week prior so this was a way to wind down. Of course, that didn’t quite hold true for many of the students as a lot of them were the quiet, reserved type. It was understandable how such personalities had developed throughout these young individuals, being beaten down by society time and time again. River’s silence came from a purely practical point of view where the silent little guy wasn’t very visible and it helped out quite a lot in his earlier life. It had little to do with insecurity or inner turmoil.

River leaned against the wall with a glass of water in hand. Soda was so unhealthy and he would prefer not to put floating sugar in his mouth. Though, he did eat a lot of ice cream so that would contradict his charade of healthy habits. He kept his eyes peeled to see what people were doing. Sure it felt a bit like being a stalker but that was kind of what he was, it was right in his codename, Sniper. River had developed quite the level of vigilance, keeping his eyes on guard constantly. There was however little to no interesting things going on. Most people were just hanging out, someone was using the karaoke machine and nearly everyone was bathing in sugary delight. Downing the rest of his water, River put the glass away and slowly walked around to perhaps find a place he’d call home for the rest of the evening. He didn’t have anything against social conventions, in fact he rather liked them despite his silence. Though last week’s endeavour put his mind in a spin and kept it there. Training was the one thing that always calmed him down but he knew that for any normal person, this would be considered ‘calming down’. Still, with as many insecure, afraid and straight up anxiety driven mutants in that school, this whole event was just not thought through. He could almost sense the discomfort around him. Nevertheless, most students were indeed enjoying themselves.

A few minutes passed and perhaps it would be a good idea to stop overanalysing his surroundings, it was actually reaching a rather creepy level now. Eventually River would find himself in a room playing the movie ‘Night of the Living Dead’. He did quite enjoy shooting zombies in video games but he’d never seen this movie before. It was most likely about a bunch of people who forget how to run halfway through the movie and end up slowly backing up when chased by a horde, and ultimately get eaten. Damn, the intelligence of people in horror movies is the actual scare factor. Oh well, might as well kill a few braincells and watch it. Alicia seemed to have occupied the room together with another boy, Harley? That kid was wrapped up tight over there in the corner. Surely there was a reason to why he had made himself a blanket armour and gorged on ice cream. It screamed ‘leave me alone’. Alicia didn’t quite catch that, apparently. Either way, River dropped down on the other end of the sofa and rested his chin against his fist while leaning against the armrest. Extreme annoyance towards human intelligence in horror movies in three….two…one…go.

Aurora Claudwell

Rory pulled into the parking lot of Ronnie's, seated behind the wheel of some sleek, purring thing that she had purchased purely for it's looks. She hadn't exactly needed a new car, but it had been one more task to take her thoughts away from the events at the museum.

Loud, alternative music poured from the sound system. As the vehicle came to a stop, she leaned her head forward to rest against the leather-covered steering wheel, recalling that day. She had relived it several times in dreams and nightmares, watching the bodies fall, feeling the earth shake, and the violent explosion of a bullet in her shoulder. Her hand lifted, massaging the location of the wound. It had all been for...nothing.

That, perhaps, was the most difficult to remember. The terribly sickening moment when Headmistress Pryde had announced without an ounce of remorse that it had all been a part of some morbid training. Even now, Rory couldn't help but to shake her head, as if revolted at the memory. What was it that disgusted her so? Knowing that she had revealed such inhuman parts of herself for no true purpose? Or the betrayal, that the institution she trusted had allowed her to? Had sent her to a false battle only to bring her back with scars.

Tears stung her eyes. She had experienced such fear and pain. She had confronted the darkest demons that day, all for the sake of 'training'.

With a shout, nearly a growl, of frustration, she brought a fist down against the wheel - her good hand of course. Although Mender had done a super-human job of healing her wound, it was still a little tender. It wouldn't do her any good to go slamming it against inanimate objects.

She took in a heavy breath, collecting herself as she switched off the kittenish car, the music and the engine dying together.

---

She had intended to walk into the building. She really had. But nearly an hour later, Rory was still sitting in the parking lot. Only now, she sat cross legged on the roof of the black kitten-car, dragging every so often on some type of smoking stick. Its contents were a mystery, and better left that way. She didn't seem to mind the humid mist that teased her dark hair and hinted at the possibility of rain.

Why had she come here, anyway?

Numerous times she had revisited that question. It lead her in circles, hinting that perhaps she had come simply to enjoy herself. Perhaps she should go inside, her own common sense whispered. But each time she met that conclusion, she felt strong reluctance at the idea of being surrounded by so many people she now knew she shouldn't trust. Still, she wouldn't have driven here and waited around in the parking lot without any sort of purpose.

She pulled, and exhaled smoke. The answer was obvious. She didn't want it to be. The truth was that she could never stop being an orphan. She could buy countless houses - or cars - but she would never be able to go home. Those truths, truths like death, were permanent. Even Mender couldn't heal those wounds.

And this, an institution that she had so desperately wanted to belong to, was all she had. They could abuse her trust because she had no one else to give it to. That knowledge made her nauseous. And so, she continued searching for an answer that didn't feel so hopeless. Why had she come here?

Why had she ever come here?

Luna Marionette

Luna had put a lot of thought into this evening; not all of it was good in fact none of it was, she wasn’t sure how to deal with this situation alone she was usually goaded into it not this evening...she hadn’t even made it in yet she was still lingering by the front gates.What if it’s another trap? She knew she couldn’t handle another one, she was still prickling over the last one the probability of her living up to everyone’s expectations was pretty high. She had arrived late on purpose just in case there were ulterior motives here. In her defense she was probably dealing with everything better than most of the other students, she had after all expected to be deceived at some point...the delivery may have been a surprise though. They just assumed everyone wants to be part of it...do I look like the kind of mutant that would sacrifice herself for the humans? I think not Even as the thought crossed her mind she was conflicted over the idea, she felt that way yet she’d acted very differently when it had happened. Alright walk in or walk away... She finally gave herself the ultimatum, running her fingers through her blonde locks she hesitantly turned the corner into the car park, sighing in defeat as she trailed across the tarmac pulling her black leather jacket higher onto her shoulders, her golden eyes were practically glowing in the darkness she hadn't had a chance to replace her contact lenses yet.

She ground to a halt as she neared the doors lifting a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose growling softly as she tried to subdue the surge of anxiety that passed through her sending an uneasy shiver down her spine, this was silly...Just walk through the doors! She was searching for an excuse not to continue, inhaling deeply she was rather surprised to catch a familiar scent on the air,she was getting rather good at following scents...she probably wouldn't share that interesting development with anyone though, having no code name left her open to ridicule as it was. Dropping her hand from her face she lifted her head her eyes scanned the car park catching sight of Rory sat on car not far from her. Luna eagerly abandoned her inner struggle regarding the door and quietly walked towards her friend making no attempt to hide her light footsteps she’d never succeeded in sneaking up on the other woman before she doubted tonight would be any different.

She allowed her gaze to focus on the car Rory was perched on for a moment, deliberately moving into her friends view as she came to stand next to her. “Nice car” She decided on saying, trailing around to the front of the sleek black vehicle giving it an appreciative nod. She was well aware of Rory’s broody mood it was more than obvious in a few sensory ways, ones the young mutant was learning to pay more attention to, though she currently couldn’t read all of them whatever the dark haired student was smoking was rather persistent in trying to confuse her. She may have had an inkling why Rory was out here but she wasn’t the best at figuring out these things...She folded her arms under her bust walking back around to Rory’s side. “Is this your new thing, sitting on cars looking all broody and beautiful?” Luna breached the silence, the corner of her mouth twitched up as she turned her gaze to rest on her friend raising a questioning eyebrow at her. “I’m only asking so I’m more prepared for it in the future” Luna followed up, holding a hand out palm up as she shrugged lightly amusement crossing her expression allowing her a small pause to react the blonde was always half expecting negative reactions to her presence though they rarely deterred her. “Scoot over” Luna prompted the other woman, poking at her side gently almost expecting her to just swipe at her hand and tell her to ‘Be gone’ at the same time hoping she would comply. “If you’re going to be all dark and mysterious, then let me at least join you...I’m a pro at this kind of thing, believe me” Luna smirked lifting her lip just enough that her canine slid onto her lower lip briefly, apparently sticking to tradition she was behaving in a rather random manner, despite the randomness her wording had been carefully thought over.

If Rory had ‘Be goned’ her she stood stoically by the side of the car rolling her eyes but accepting her decision. However had she scooted over as asked Luna promptly hopped up onto the roof beside her in one quick movement making the car jolt a little bit “That’s a way to give a girl weight complex...” Luna murmured, having halted all movement immediately to stop the car from doing so. Standing or Sitting the young mutant was rather glad she’d opted for black vans this evening instead of heels she was aware they didn’t go at all with her jeans but she had been pretty sure with this corset her shoes would be the last thing to be recognized. “What have you got there?” Luna asked Rory intrusively indicating the smoke stick she held between her fingers.

"C'mon, Professor Torres! You got this!" A young man with red hair cheered along with a few other students as the woman feigned going left before spinning and whisking past her dark haired opponent. With little effort she sank the orange ball into the net from the three point line. "And that is just how I do." The fifteen or so kids went wild, tackling their buddy and harassing him about having been beat by an older woman before quickly assuring Art that they meant nothing by it. She shooed them away, smiling as they headed off to the kitchen. She made her own way to the locker rooms where she had left her phone, checking it for messages. Nope. None. She wasn't sure why she had a phone. She only really had about seven friends and they all slept down the hall from her. Her human friends from her days as a teen, waitressing in the Bronx, all thought she was dead. 

She sighed and pushed her fingers through her now vividly blue and purple waves of hair, turning in front of the mirror to flex and marvel at her toned muscles. Staying fit was hard work. She was chubby once. Never again. The feeling of getting lightheaded every other time she stood was something she couldn't handle. Plus her tattoos didn't look good stretched out. She ran her fingers along them, tilting her head as she envisioned more ink covering the remaining spots of exposed, scarred flesh. Her scars weren't all gruesome. Most just looked like she'd been attacked by some kind of animal with claws or a knife and a few burns. But she didn't like looking at them. The tattoos and scars were all visible in her sports bra and sweats. She had smacked a boy earlier for commenting on the scar taking up her back.

All this thought of scars was depressing her so she resigned to simply go back and play more ball. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and pursed her lips as if to kiss the mirror. But she didn't. Obviously. That's crazy. She just adjusted her shoes, which were as colorfully creative as she was, and headed back out. The sight of Freddie dribbling the ball brought a faint smile to her face and she quickly moved to lean against the bleachers. "Well, well. What's going on here?"

"I was going to run naked through the quad but I settled for a quick game of free throws" Freddie bounced the ball off of the ground and back into the palms of his hands. "I wouldn't mind a little one to one though, you're certainly dressed for it Nia." He threw the ball over to his gorgeous friend and smiled. "What do you say, a quick game of Horse?" It was something they had done for years when they were students. Midnight games of basketball, fueled by liquor stolen from Logan's drinks cabinet that often resulted in either a temper tantrum or sex, sometimes both. "It'll be just like the old days."

"In other words, you're looking to get down and dirty on the court and in my sheets." She gave him a grin as she caught the ball with ease only to toss it off to the side without a second glance. The sound of the net swishing as it met the ball was followed by the sound of the ball bouncing off of the floor several times. "I should warn you that my aim is a lot better than it used to be." But that's what happens when you remember that you were once a highly trained assassin.

Picking the ball off the floor after it had rolled to his feet, Freddie grinned at his old friend. "Remember, I have a heart condition. You'll have to take it easy on me, on the court and in the sheets" He winked before he began to dribble the ball. "The whole all ages night was a good idea, Nia" He said as she moved to position to guard him. "The kids will love it and so will the teachers. Even now you still surprise me" He took a step back and launched the basketball high into the air for an easy 3 point shot, "We can skip all this and go straight to the bedroom if you want?" He laughed.

"I'm full of great ideas. Why are you so surprised that I'd suggest a night filled with singing, gaming, movies, and snacks? I might be getting old but I'm still a kid at heart." The mixed young woman grinned as she fetched the ball and made another shot, though she missed. "H." Glowing hands snatched up the ball and tossed it to Freddie as she moved closer to him as well. "Depends... What do you want, mi amor?" Her smile was softer as she stood inches away from him. Despite the bag of cats in her head he seemed to make her feel normal.

"What do I want? ... All of it, give me all of it and give me it now." Freddie pulled a spin move and hit another basket. "I want it all and I want it with you, always have." He telekinetically pulled the ball into his hands and tossed back over to Nia. "Seeing you like this...when we were kids we were both in a dark place, hell we both still are but now, that darkness seems a little brighter and ain't because of your powers." He began to guard her again as she set off on her next turn. "It's up to you really Nia, what do you want....?"

Nìa caught the ball and threw it again, missing as Freddie smacked it before it had gotten an inch from her hands. "O." She kicked the ball away and grabbed Freddie by his shoulders and pulled him closer. "What I want? I want us to be us again! I want to pretend that I'm not a psycho assassin serial killer. That I'm just a teacher. But I can't. And it pisses me the fuck off." Like many of their basketball court conversations, this one escalated quickly as her grip on his shoulders tightened. "I want the good days back."

"The good old days are gone, it ain't never gonna be like it was but that doesn't matter. You know why? Because we're different people now and we can be better than we were before." Freddie raised his hands and placed then on Nia's soft neck. "We can be better."

Armonía closed her eyes, the game forgotten as her arms slid and draped over Freddie, leaning against him. "Jeez. It hasn't even been a week and I'm already spazzing out." She smiled lightly and placed her head against his chest with a light sigh.

"Guess that makes two of us." He kissed the top of her head lightly ad simply held Nia in the middle of the court for a few moments of blissful silence. "Come on girl, let's get out of here."

♤♡♢♧♤

Armonía had prepared herself for the night by arming herself with her favorite body pillow, iPad, phone, and laptop. She had her favorite blue fleece blanket matching her hair wrapped around her Hello Kitty pajamas as she watched everyone file in. She had worked hard to turn the large club into a place fit for children. She had a lot of help from students too, especially in preparing the snacks. She had a falling out with Kitty earlier after snapping on the Head Mistress for feeling she was overstepping her authority and undermining Art's own authority as the appointed X-Men leader. While she did find that the test at the museum was fun and insightful she wasn't pleased that Kitty hadn't discussed it with her. She hadn't spoken with her old friend since, burying herself in the work of preparing a relaxing evening.

And relaxed she was. She found herself a nice dark corner where several older students surrounded her as she inked them. A few had asked for X-Men tattoos but she had denied them. She compared it to a civilian getting the Marine Devil Dog on them. They didn't earn it. She did fear that she'd be stuck giving tramp stamps, butterflies, and kanji marks on people all night. But teaching was her thing now and teach she did. As she leaned against Robert Yancy's back with her inky gloves she finished shading his tattoo. It was another of her famed 3D tattoos, his skin appearing to be ripped open on the right side of his chest while a snarling wolf seemed to trying to break free. He could shift into various canine forms and she was giving him all the information she knew about shapeshifting mutants, speaking with bravado and enthralling her audience.

As her hand cramped up from doing so many tattoos so quickly she took a break and sent them away. Guarding her tattoo station she flexed her hand and curled up with a paperback novel. Of Mice and Men was one of her favorites and it still managed to make her cry.

Spencer

Today had been a busy one for Spencer O’Connor. There was hardly a moment where Spencer wasn’t shouting coffee orders or fumbling to prepare drinks. The smell of vanilla and hazelnut filled the air as Spencer clawed her way to the sink, scrubbing out past substances and preparing it for a vanilla bean frap. Spencer dowsed the beverage with whipped cream and topped it with a lid, whisking a straw from the container before the woman could manage to ask. She thanked Spencer, to which she nodded curtly, bustling about until her lunch break which came to be a measly fifteen minutes.

Removing her apron, Spencer sighed heavily. “I’ll be back,” she told a coworker, one she doubted even knew her name. Bolting out of the coffee shop, Spencer headed for one of the empty tables set for two, restlessly slumping into the chair farthest from the door. Rummaging through her pockets, she revealed a battered pack of Marlboro and a thin lighter. Her fingers shaking, she lit the cigarette and took a drag, releasing the smoke as it gradually tickled the back of her throat.

Craning her neck, Spencer gazed at the clouds loomed over her and the rest of New York, threatening to storm on this beautiful afternoon. Spencer furrowed her eyebrows and put the cigarette to her lips, breathing in the smoke only to exhale it into the luminous sky, where it floated through the—

“Is anyone sitting here?”

Wincing, Spencer retracted, pulling herself upright with her widened eyes on that of another girl’s. She was smiling wryly at Spencer, her hands perched on the base of her bag, her posture tense as if she were prepared for Spencer to say no. She didn’t, however, for reasons unknown, as both girls stared at one another, utterly entranced.
Swallowing, Spencer shook her head. “Um, no, why – do you need the chair?” A stupid question on her part. If she’d needed the chair, she’d be standing, leaning the object in her direction ready to take it. But instead she was sitting, relaxing a bit as she raised the strap of her purse over her head to drop it directly at her feet. She was preparing to stay.

The girl laughed. Soft and light. “No, I was actually hoping I could sit with you.”

She cocked her head. “Sit with me,” she repeated, replaying the words over and over in her mind. Was this girl planning to embarrass her? If so, Spencer was capable of doing that all on her own. So, if that wasn’t the case, what did she want? She couldn’t possibly wish to just sit here with her. That would be preposterous.

The girl nodded. “Is that… okay?” she asked gingerly, tucking brown curls behind her ear. She had a single piercing in either ear, plus a cartilage in the left. She was beautiful, this girl, with brown hair that draped over her chest, a cute nose that dipped just at the very end, piercing blue eyes, and a smile that curled, creating dimples. She was a sucker for dimples.

“Uh, yeah, yeah, that’s okay.”

“I’m Zoe,” she told her, placing her hands on the table.

“Spencer,” she responded.

“Do you, ah,” she said, motioning to the building, “work here?”

“I do.” She pointed wearily at the Starbucks. “Right there.”

“So you’re local, huh? What school do you attend?” Spencer hadn’t even realized she smoked, as she, too, began to pull out cigarettes. She had camel, though, and had also forgotten a lighter. Spencer offered her lighter and the girl puffed smoke. Spencer tightened her jaw.

“Xavier,” she replied halfheartedly, to which the girl’s face brightened.

“What? That’s so cool! I wanted to go there, but I heard it’s pretty difficult to get in. You have to be invited or something. How’s the campus?”

Spencer ran her fingers through her hair, uncertain of how much information she was permitted to tell about her school. Even if the questions were quite vague, she didn’t want to risk being expelled for a rule she hadn’t even been informed on. So Spencer said, “It’s alright. I, uh, I have to get back to work…”

The girl – Zoe – made a bit of a pouty face, her shoulders dropping as her eyes saddened. “Aw. Damn, that sucks… Well, before you go.” Grabbing her purse, Zoe pulled out an old receipt and a pencil, scrawling on what appeared to be a number. Handing it to Spencer, Zoe pulled the girl into a hug as if they’d known each other for a while, kissed her cheek, and whispered, “Call me sometime, okay?”

Then she was gone.

Spencer was awestruck. The rest of the day went by in a blur, and before she knew it, she was climbing into her car heading home. She wanted to tell Mila about this strange encounter (considering she was practically her only friend) but she wasn’t anywhere to be found. She figured she’d probably be in her room, but Spencer didn’t want to disturb her if she was sleeping.

After all, this was the day before that stupid group building thing, or whatever the fuck they called it. She thought that seeing as she was over the age of eighteen, she was entitled to say no if she didn’t want to attend, but supposedly it was mandatory. Not that it mattered much to Spencer. At least Mila would be there.

Spencer | Mila

Over the following week MIla hadn't spent much time out of her dorm other then classes. Luckily Spencer had come over a few times to hang out and give her company. She was always rather introverted and didn't mind the being alone. But she had to admit she enjoyed the times Spencer had given her company. But she would never admit it out loud. She had always thought it was strength to remain alone and be uneffected. She didn't want to be perceived as weak, especially not to Spencer.

While in her room Mila went about rearranged small things. Taking little things and adjusting their position or bringing them to the other side of the room because she thinks it'd look better. She, in truth, had no idea what she was doing. She had never had a eye for fashion or styling, especially not for a room. But she thought it was starting to look nice, and it helped the time pass.

She sighed as she finished. She went and hopped onto her bed, bouncing faintly on the springs. She pushed her hand into the back of her tight jeans and pulled out her phone. Turning on the screen she went to her contacts. She scrolled down to the S's and stopped at Spencer's name. Her thumb hovering over the call icon. She hesitated for a few moments but eventually locked her phone and dropped it on the bed at her side. She sighed, reasoning that if Spencer wanted to come over she would stop by. No reason calling and asking her to come over. That would seem too desperate. Far, far too desperate.

She reached out to her dresser and swiped the headphones off the top, plugging them into her phone and the earbuds into her ears. She went to her music library and played her most currently made play list. She laid back in bed, staring up at the swirling ceiling fan as the beat of her songs drowned out all the sounds around her. Bringing her arms up aboved her head comfortably it faintly brought up the bottom of her light green blouse, showed the warm tan of her belly.

Spencer began to grow impatient. She'd thought that waiting for Mila to leave her room and by chance, happen to wander into the cafeteria would then give Spencer the opportunity to casually start up a conversation, but unfortunately for her, that ended up not being the case. Surely Mila would not mind if Spencer dropped by, if just to strike up small talk. So Spencer fled the kitchen, leaving behind her half-eaten turkey sandwich, and headed for the girl's dormitory.

She arrived at Mila's door in a matter of minutes, surprised by the rhythm of her heartbeat as it sputtered uncontrollably beneath her chest. Closing her eyes as if to calm herself, Spencer knocked on the door - first softly, then several times much louder than before. She waited, but Mila did not come to the door.

Biting her lip tentatively, she decided to take a small peek and if she was not there, she would leave a note that she'd stopped by. Satisfied with this idea, rather cautiously, she reached for the doorknob and turned it, opening it up ever so slightly and popping her head in. It smelled of lilies. A smile formed on her lips.

She spotted Mila sprawled on her bed with earbuds in either ear. No wonder she hadn't heard me, Spencer thought. Entering the room, Spencer looked more closely at the body of the girl, noticing that her shirt had risen, exposing skin she'd never before seen on Mila. She was absolutely stunning, it took Spencer aback.

Clenching her jaw, she eased her way onto the bed, resting a hand delicately on Mila's thigh (a mistake on her part, really. It made her heart swell in all the right ways). "Hey," she murmured, grinning to the other girl. "So this is where you've been hiding, hm?"

Mila laid quietly on her bed, after a little while her eyes closed as she fell into the beat of the music. Though only three songs later and she was startled by the pressure on the bed right beside her and a soft hand on her thigh.

"Ah!" she yelped as her eyes shot open and looked over only to see Spencer. Her heart stopped for a second but once she realized it was only Spencer her heart began it's normal pace. Actually, it went rather fast but that became normal when she was with Spencer. She was relieved to find Spencer, moving over and hugging her tight out of adrenaline. Realizing she had acted so impulsively she let her go and laid back on her back. Shyly staring up at the ceiling from embarrassment, a warm of red touching her cheek.

"Hey Spencer.." She spoke quietly, so embarrassed with her actions to talk any louder. She reached up, pulling the earbuds from her ears just in time to here her remark. "I wasn't hiding." She protested innocently. "I was..." she trailed off, thinking of an appropriate word. Though nothing better suited the situation than hiding. She sighed in defeat. "Okay, I guess you could call it hiding..."

The hug didn't last as long as Spencer would've preferred, and perhaps Mila thought she would have protested, as she scrambled back down to her original position, a crimson color flushing over her cheeks. Spencer chuckled as Mila attempted to explain herself, her heart warming as she did so.

"It's fine, I understand why you would. It's nuts out there. Everyone's preparing for that thing at Ronnie's," Spencer said distastefully, dismissing the topic almost as quickly as she'd brought it up. "Anyhow, you won't believe what happened to me today at work."

Slipping a hand into her pocket, Spencer pulled out the crumpled receipt Zoe had given her. She smoothed it out on the bed and held it out for Mila to take. "A girl gave me her number completely out of the blue. It was weird. She kinda just sat down next to me and started talking to me... asking questions about me and whatnot. Then, well, this happened. I'm not really sure what I'm even supposed to do with it, in all honesty. She told me to call her."

Mila perked up at the mention of not being able to believe something that could have happened at Spencer's work. Mila turned on her side on the bed, consciously making sure not to move her the leg Spencer left her hand on. Trying not to make that fact obvious. "Oh yeah? What happened?" She asked curiously.

When she began to explain Mila's heart sank. 'A girl...?' she thought to herself, the words tearing her apart from the inside. "Oh.. A girl, huh? Was she..." her voice trailed, nervous about asking as she didn't want the answer. "Was she pretty?" She tried to smile, act excited for her but there was something about her tone and in her eyes that she was emotion pained.

Spencer shrugged at the mentioning of her looks, referring back to the event as if to recall the girl altogether. "Yeah, she was," she noted. But not as pretty as you, she thought, but of course, didn't say. "I don't think I'm going to call her, though."

Taking the receipt, she put it aside, and shrugged once more, no longer interested in the other girl, but the idea of someone actually wanting her. Spencer was a fuck up, to say the least. She had a past that didn't, nor wouldn't, be thought of as acceptable in anyone's book. Even the slightest bit of detail was likely to scare off anyone. It had in the past, so what was to stop people from leaving now? That alone terrified her. She didn't want to risk getting close to someone, only for them to leave out of fear or lack of understanding.

"It doesn't matter," she decided. "I don't exactly care for her." Which was true, but hurtful, nonetheless. Her eyes flickered up at Mila, her attention drawn to the other girl's eyes, sad and no longer reaching that of hers. She was upset, that much was evident. What Spencer didn't understand was - what could she possibly be upset about?

"Hey, it's alright," Spencer laughed. "She's just some girl. It's not like I won't find someone someday." She wouldn't. She knew that. But Mila didn't need to hear Spencer droning on about how miserable her life was. Not right now. Not ever.

Mila softly laughed as Spencer said it would be alright. She didn't even realize what she was upset about. "You should call her." She stated, the words cutting into her very soul. She didn't want Spencer to call that girl. She didn't want her calling any other girl. But she was being jealous. That wasn't fair to Spencer. Keeping her from happiness just for her own greediness.

"You deserve to be happy..." she trailed on, getting up on her hands and knees, starting to crawl up and over Spencer.

"Wait," Spencer whispered, lacing her fingers over her forearm. She could practically feel the air between them thinning, as the overwhelming scent of Mila's perfume consumed her whole. She glanced up at Mila, a mere inch away from her face, and parted her lips longingly. "I am."

There were so many bones within her that ached to be against hers, and the thoughts of how unworthy she was suddenly began to fade as she cupped Mila's face and lessened the distance that suddenly felt miles apart. She needed this, she realized, pressing her lips against Mila's as her body began to intertwine with hers. God, but she doesn't need this... She doesn't need such a mistake in her life.

She didn't care. She didn't care because her kiss was so addicting and she didn't want it to end. Spencer's hand traced the crook of her neck, edging down to the bare skin of her waist, pulling her closer and refusing to let go. It was only when she began to ran out of air did she finally part, gasping to fill her lungs with oxygen. Fuck you, lungs, she thought bitterly.

"I-I'm sorry," she told the girl, even though she really wasn't.

Mila gasped into her lips as she was suddenly kissed. Her eyes wide and staring down at Spencer. As the realization this wasn't some vivid dream sank in she slowly let herself enjoy it. Her eyes slowly closing, her body losing the tense as she let it droop down and press into Spencer. Her lips softly parted, taking a bit of her bottom lip between her own and softly sucking. Eagerly enjoying the kiss as it felt her body was melting in her hands.

But before she knew it the kiss broke and she realized she was out of breath. Taking a deep breath she began to pant, gulping in air before she passed out from oxygen deprivation. She blushed deeply as her eyes slowly opened to look down at Spencer. Just staring at her with sweet, loving eyes. She shook her head at the apology. "I am not." She said before placing another quick, simple kiss to her lips to show she liked it.

Mila wrapped her arms under Spencer and pressed herself into her nice and close, squeezing her arms around her in a tight hug. She was hesitant but she needed to know. "Spencer..." she whispered quietly and nervously. "What was that for..?"

She contemplated how she was to answer that, wrapping her arms around the small frame of the other girl protectively. Resting her chin on Mila's head, she stared blankly at the opposing wall, decorated with posters and other things that were important to Mila.

Seeing these things brought her nostrils to flare at the thought of how plain her walls were. She'd never before been able to decorate her room, as it hadn't entirely been hers to begin with. She'd shared it with Richie and several other people who came in and out as they pleased.

This was the first time she'd ever had a room of her own, and she hadn't even thought to fucking make it her own. Tears welled in her eyes as she tightened her hold on Mila, her eyes narrowing on a single poster as the colors began to come together. Spencer closed her eyes and inhaled, thinking back to what Mila had asked her.

Why had she done it? Impulse, really. But it wasn't just that. "For all the times I wanted to - but was too scared to do it," she blurted, biting down on her tongue the moment she'd said it. Now Mila probably assumed she was some sort of stalker who constantly wanted to kiss her. She remembered how other people did with her, too.

Sweat began to form on the back of her neck as she thought back to all the people that'd come and gone. How they'd spoke to her and Richie as if they were foul animals. Hurt them, yelled at them, god, raped them. Raperaperaperaperaperape. Her mind began to race.

"I, uh, I have to go," she said hurriedly, shimmying out of Mila's hold and coming to her feet, her fists curled at either sides. "I'm sorry. You don't understand, Mila. And you don't need to. You... You don't want to. Trust me. I'm sorry." Without another word, Spencer left, slamming the door shut behind her as the memories came rushing back.

Mila smiled brightly at the blurted out admittance. Faintly biting her bottom lip in an attempt to keep from smiling so big that she looked like an idiot. Then she said she had to leave and she became worried. Did she regret what happened? She moved her head back to look at her just in time for her to scoot out from underneath her.

Mila slowly pushed herself to the edge of the bed, sitting with her legs over the side. "But.." was all she could say before Spencer left and slammed the door behind her. She wasn't thinking, all she knew was that she needed to stop her. Mila quickly pushed herself to her feet and hurried after her.

Pushing through the door she looked down both hallways til she saw Spencer down a ways. She dashed after her, running as fast as she could to catch up. As she came only a few feet away she called out to her, "Spencer, stop!"

moments after she called out she nearly slammed into the back of Spencer, her arms snaking around the front of her stomach and clinging tightly to her, keeping her from running anymore. She held tight to her from behind, resting her head on her back. "Please don't run from me..." She pleaded sweetly. "I am sorry.. If it was a mistake we don't have to do it again.. I just..." she trailed on, tears swelling in her eyes. "I just can't lose you..." she admitted. Fearing Spencer wanted to leave her.

Spencer swiveled on the heel of her foot, forcefully moving the arms that had held her in place. She jumped backward and threw her hands out in front of her, ice building on the ends of her fingertips. "Don't... don't," she hissed. "Get the fuck away from me. You're never touching me again. Never, ever again." Tears blinded her view as they began to stream down her cheeks, hitting the ground as she trembled where she stood.

Furiously swiping them away, she inched backward, not at all afraid of her father in this moment. "Stay away from me and Richie," she snarled, baring her teeth. There were voices all around them now, but she couldn't be bothered to hear what they were saying, throwing her head every which way as if to keep them at a distance.

It took what felt like a century before Spencer's mind processed the words the voice had said, registering that it'd been a female voice. She blinked rapidly, her eyes fixating on Mila, standing before her with worry plastered on her face. She lowered her hands. "Mila? Mila, oh god, I'm so sorry... You have to understand- My mind... My mind is fucked up. I-It does things..."

There were people watching them now. God, she felt humiliated. Without much thought, Spencer bolted for the nearest bathroom in hopes that Mila would follow. Inside, a few girls began to exit, leaving the bathroom empty aside from Spencer. The lone girl pushed herself up against the wall and breathed. "Fuck," she muttered. "Fuck!" The one good moment... the one good moment I've had in so long and I ruined it. I always ruin good things, don't I?

As Spencer tore herself away from Mila's arms she looked up to see the aggressive stance. She didn't move, not forward to pressure Spencer and not back for she wasn't going to run away. Not from Spencer. As she began to yell at her and tell her she would never touch her again her heart sank. What had happened to make Spencer hate her so much. Though as she continued to yell and said Richie she began to understand.

They had known eachother for a bit and this wasn't the first time she had lost herself. Though this occassion might have been the worst of them all. Then Spencer broke free of her daze and realized who she was once again. She was going to reassure Spencer after the apology but before she could she had dashed for the bathroom.

Mila quickly following behind, nearly trampling over the girls that were leaving as she entered. She pushed herself past them and stopped as she saw Spencer pressed against the wall. She didn't know what to say but she knew she didn't want anyone walking in. She turned back to the door and turned the lock to give them some privacy.

Slowly Mila took hesitant steps closer to Spencer without a word, her foot steps hardly making a sound. But before she knew what she was doing she gently pressed herself once more against Spencer's back. Gently and tenderly, not wanting to be forceful like before with the hug. Just soft enough to let Spencer feel her presence. She softly placed her hand against her back, gently caressing her fingers affectionately against the clothed flesh in an attempt to comfort her.

"It's okay Spencer..." She cooed sweetly. "We all have demons... You don't need to explain.. I am here for you.." She promised as sincerely as she could. She didn't make another sound, not even a motion - other than the soft caress of her hand against her back. She just wanted to comfort her. That is the only thing in the world she wanted.

She didn't understand, this girl, but perhaps that was for the best. She shouldn't ever have to understand such pain. Spencer turned to face Mila, slowly this time, and held her close, sliding down to the floor with Mila still in her grasp. Crossing one leg over the other, she guided Mila into the base of her legs and held her, Spencer's eyes boring into the tile at which she sat on.

"I can create such chaos, Mila," she whispered, flicking a finger to the ground as a shard of ice manifested below. "But I try so fucking hard... to create beauty." Pressing her palm onto the shard, she felt the sting of it prick her, blood seeping down to her wrist. She curved her hand and began to shape it, bringing forth more ice as it overlapped and lowered. As the shard began to vanish, a small rose was left in its place.

She glanced up at Mila and took her hand, tracing her fingers over the rose with every arch and curve on it. "I'm sorry you had to experience that," she sighed, resting Mila's hand on her knee. "I can't promise it won't happen again. But I'm trying to get rid of the thorns so all there is... is beauty. I don't want my past to run my life - however, it seems to have already done that."

Shaking her head, she planted a small peck on the other girl's cheek, acknowledging the constant rattle of the door as other girls attempted to get into the restroom. "We should probably go, love... Maybe get something to eat. Are you hungry?"

Mila didn't fight as she was gently pulled down to the ground and onto her lap. Smiling sweetly as she let herself rest against Spencer's figure, her cheek laying gently on her shoulder. As she began to explain Mila looked out to what she was doing. She remained silent til she was done speaking, letting her take her hand and trace her fingers along the rose.

Mila looked back at Spencer, smiling softly and sweetly. She brought her hand up slowly to Spencer's jaw, taking it gently in her hand; her fingers still cool from touching the rose as they gently reached out along her soft jaw. She held her face there, looking intently and lovingly into her eyes. "I will always be there, for whatever happens. Always." She promised, sealing her words with a kiss. Leaning in she stole a kiss from her lips, letting the kiss remain for a long moment before breaking it. A soft blush touching her light colored cheeks.

Hearing the door rattle from someone trying to get in she looked behind her and sighed. They were so impatient. She nodded at Spencer's suggestion. "Yeah, I am pretty hungry." She admitted as she begrudging stood up off Spencer's lap - her new favorite place mind you - and gently reached down to take Spencer's hand to help pull her up to her feet. Though as she stood, Mila kept hold of one of Spencer's hand, moving over to the same side as the held hand. Blushing as she hoped Spencer didn't mind holding hands.

"How does spaghetti sound?" She offered the idea, looking up at the slightly taller girl.

Coming to her feet, Spencer nodded her head eagerly at the idea of spaghetti. While she wasn't too fond of going to face some of the people that had seen her in the hallway, she knew it was inevitable. Reaching for the handle of the door, Spencer unlocked it, and already there were a flood of girls that rushed past them. "Well, damn. Okay, then..." Spencer muttered.

As they walked out into the hall after the flood of girls had past Mila noticed how there were still people in the halls. As they walked out most had turned their gaze to look at the two, whispering amongst themselves. Mila could assume as to what the subject was.

Suddenly then, without warning, Mila turned to Spencer and pushed her against the wall. Standing up on her tippy toes to even their height she took Spencer's lips into an unprevoked kiss. Mila kissed Spencer deeply and slowly, pinning her body between herself and the wall. She let the kiss last a good long while, making sure everyone got a good long look. She then broke the kiss with a faint whimper, missing the sensation.

She dropped back to her normal height as she finally let her eyes open and take a deep breath to relax her nerves. She smiled up at Spencer with a blush. "There... That will give them something else to talk about.." She whispered, only loud enough for only Spencer to hear.

Taking Spencer's hand once more she started walked down the hall, past all the awestruck students staring at the two as they past - heading for the cafeteria.

It didn't take long for the two to walk from their building to the cafeteria. Pushing through the double doors she looked around to see not many people were in the building this late.

"Hello."

Curiously, the young woman's head tilted just-so to the right, her dark eyes watching the door intently. Karerra felt the structure's computer system; it's security system was one of the most impressive she'd ever seen. You could repel a small army with the weapons concealed around this Mansion. That in and of itself was interesting. But it wasn't nearly as exciting as the hints the system gave her, the little clips of unsecure information, digital 'garbage' that no human mind was going to even consider. But Karerra considered them, and they showed her this mansion was hiding something.

Mischief sparked in the woman's eyes, as her head turned this way and that, her body taking a few steps back to get a fuller view of the mansion in question. "What's your name?" After a few moments the Mansion responded the only way it could; by unlocking the front door. From the door to stealing a quick glance of the mansion's front face, Karerra found herself smirking as she shouldered through the door, the orange-red candy coated McLaren P1 behind her holding her luggage in it's trunk, luggage she figured she'd leave there until she had a room.

The easy rolling beat-boxing of The Pharcyde's song "Runnin'" drifting through the entirity of the mansion as she walked in, the back of her mind reconfiguring the Mansion's PA system to play the retro hip-hop as her real focus remained on everything the system was trying to keep hidden and locked away from her. Her high glossed pink lips pressed together as a low whistle began to mimic the sounds of the hip-hop beat, as her mind began to mix her own vision with the closed circuit cameras and motion detectors all over the Mansion as part of the afore mentioned security system.

There weren't many students left in the big house; a quick flip through recent wifi traffic let her know where most the Mansion staff was, as well as a large group of students. There was a rather amusing moment between two female students. Maybe I ought to start there. After, of course. Karerra was photoshoot fresh; between the black jeans, white silk sleeveless top under a tight black jacket and the purple Jordans she wore, everything was Gucci save the Jordans, pink diamond studs in her ears matching the pink diamond crusted watch on her right wrist. Drug dealer chic.

It wasn't but a minute before Karerra uncovered a secret door disguised as a book shelf on the first floor revealing stairs that descended to a basement. The staircase was metallic in nature, and once the door opened came alive in accent lighting. Karerra smiled with her high-glossed lips, a small whistle following the smile. "Fancy--still don't want to tell me your name?"

But still the system didn't respond, something holding it back, something ensuring it's silence. A large steel encircled "X" meet her at the foot of the stairs, shortly after she passed by a 'Danger Room' labeled door. A quick scan of Xavier's systems and Karerra knew all she ever needed to know about the Danger Room; namely, it was something she could have a lot of fun with. Fun that would have to wait, as she walked past it, her eyes and mind focused on her true mark: the room at the end of the hall.

At first, the door didn't want to open. There was no power routed to the room, leaving the door dead and lifeless. A quick snap of her fingers, and electric power was routing itself to the room that had been on lockdown since shortly after the fall of Charles Xavier. When the door opened and she walked in, Karerra found herself lost in darkness once the door she walked through closed. A half minute and lights started to come on, a gentle female voice coming from speakers to greet her.

"Hello, Professor Xavier."

Oh, this just got better. She wasn't Xavier, but it wasn't the computer's fault for not knowing that; it's what Karerra had told the computer to believe. There were only two names on the "Root Access" list; Charles Xavier, and Jean Grey. Karerra simply picked the top name. Speaking of names... Now was the time to ask; now that Karerra had gotten through each layer of the Mansion's 'onion' router to reach the secret Xavier's system had tried to hide.

This room was no more than a metallic platform stretching into the middle of a room the size of a small cave. There were sensors fixed around the round walls of the room, and a small console with something set upon it. Something round and metallic...a helmet? Taking the helmet in her hands, Karerra's eyes snapped back up to the dim light of the cavernous room, feeling as if she was finally in the right place to get an answer to her question.

"What's your name?"

"I am Cerebro, Professor."

"What do you do, Cerebro?"

"When connected to your telepathic mutation my systems will scan the world for all mutant lifesigns with an estimated accuracy of 98.6477777%."

"Wow," Karerra was left blinking in half-caught amazement. "When was the last time you were activated?"

"Eleven hours before your recorded time of death, Professor."

That was sad. Without him, they shut you down and locked you away? "...thanks, Cerebro. Run start-up diagnostics and system maintenance protocols. I'll be back to continue this later, I want you at full strength when I get back."

"Good-bye, Professor."

The dead man's super mutant hunting computer saying farewell to said dead man sent chills down her spine. She locked the door to Cerebro, intent to return and see what she could do for the forgotten Cerebro. First, however, there was the matter of tending to her physical needs. A room first among them. For that Karerra returned to the first floor and made her way to the cafeteria, to find the two girls she'd seen using the Mansion's security system before she chased down the mystery in Xavier's system.

A sharp whistle cut through the air of the Cafeteria with the sudden sharpness of a whip crack as she approached the two girls. "Hey!" That would interrupt whatever personal moment they were, clearly, having. Not that Karerra felt bad for interrupting them--sista hadda getta room, afterall. Only when close enough to speak at a normal volume did Karerra continue, "Hi, I'm new. Is there a free room in the girl's wing?"

Spencer | Mila | Karerra

Spencer couldn’t recall the last time she’d been intoxicated, but perhaps this was what it felt like. It was exhilarating, so much so that Spencer didn’t want it to end. The kiss alone had left her feeling as though she were on cloud nine for everything around her came to a halt when her body was pressed against Mila’s. And her lips – oh, God, her lips mesmerized her. She wondered that had it not been for Mila pulling away if she’d drown in that kiss. It’d be a death so beautiful.

The girl was in such a trance, she hadn’t even come to acknowledge they’d reached the cafeteria until a voice behind them spoke. Glimpsing over her shoulder, she saw another girl about the age of her, if only a few years older, with brilliant blue eyes and crimson cheeks. The way she moved was so facile, coming about them so directly.

Her words echoed through Spencer’s mind, articulating that she was both new and in search of a room. Had she not been assigned one? If that were the case, there was a good chance it would happen sometime soon, leaving her without one for the time being.

“They’ll assign you a room,” she informed the girl. “But everyone is at Ronnie’s as of right now.”

"Thanks, Spencer."

Mila blinked curiously, looking back and forth between the two. "Uh... Do you two... know each other?" She asked a bit confused.

Spencer narrowed her eyes at the other girl, an abrupt flush of bewilderment and pure rage surging through her veins. “No,” she told Mila. “We don’t.”

Dropping Mila’s hand from her grasp, she neared the girl with her jaw set. “How did you know my name?”

"Have you ever heard of 'metadata'? Of governments hardwiring backdoors into every possible information database they can get their hands on?" When Karerra smiled, there was suddenly something sharper than mischief on her pretty glossed lips. Her arms crossed carefully over her chest, her saucer sized eyes narrowing, darting this way and that to ensure no one else was listening.

As if there was a secret to tell, hints of wild jasmine giving life to the air directly around Karerra as she leaned in to whisper just loud enough for both girls to hear. Her eyes locked onto Spencer's eyes. Onto Spencer's soul. "Can you imagine what SHIELD knows about you? Anti-Mutant extremists, a modern mix of the KKK and al-Qaeda, have pictures of you at work. Do you know how intensely just how many sets of eyes are always watching these grounds? From the satellites to the server rooms to the Cloud--I am all seeing, I am all knowing, I am God of any electrical system; and honey you cannot imagine the connections that run through your life, through any person's life, on any given day. Oh I know your names."

Her body leaned back, a soft, frustrated, sigh escaping her lips and nose as her eyes looked away from Spencer, from Mila after a quick hard look. "I could find a secret super mutant hunting computer in the basement, but I couldn't find a modern room assignment list" Oh the pain of ironies. "The last one I found was a stupid simple Excel file created by a 'B. Drake' in Xavier's files, and that was dated back almost a decade ago now."

When her eyes came back to the girls they were softer, as if the black truths of the world had ran off her back like rain now. "I can room with the boys if the girl wing is full? I really don't give a shit." Cold, and creating distance.

Mila became a little nervous as Spencer released her hand and went to confront the girl who knew her name. Her eye twitched nervously, knowing this wasn't going to go in a positive direction with the girls response. Mila walked up to Spencer's side, retaking her hand in her own and giving it an affectionate squeeze; reminder her Mila was there for her and not to worry.

"That's interesting. So, I take it your power is technological based?" She asked, her tone sweet and kind. Trying to diffuse the situation with kindness. "I knew someone like that a long time ago. It was new to him so he couldn't really do much other than check his facebook." She laughed, hoping her little joke helped.

A near silent escaped lips that were otherwise tightly pressed together until she couldn't help herself on the question about her powers. "No, they're wood based."

“Watch it,” Spencer barked, her posture stiffening. She hadn’t realized before how she towered over both the girl and Mila, a good three or four inches held in her favor. She began to coil her open hand into a fist, suddenly drawn to the very idea of beating her down after replying to Mila so sardonically.

“It seems we’re of no use to you, then,” she said bitterly. “You’ll have to wait for Professor Pryde to return to the school or go to Ronnie’s and talk to her there.”

She was in no mood to even act as though she even tolerated this girl’s presence any longer. Claiming that she was a nuisance would be more than an understatement – and whether it was done so on her part intentionally or otherwise, Spencer wanted nothing more than to leave before this led to something she’d regret in a few hours.

Mila smiled, looking up at Spencer. Though she didn't like the high strung energy in the air she had to admit.... she loved she was so defensive of Mila. She gently caressed the free hand along her arm that she held the hand of. "Calm now, Spence. No need to get worried." She cooed sweetly, trying to ease her temper.

She looked back to the girl. "So, since you already know us. What is your name?" She asked sweetly, a smile to match the warm honeyed tone.

"Karerra."

"It's nice to meet you Karerra, and welcome to Xaviers. Is there anything information you are in need of? Or have you already gained what information you might need?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Probably head back to the basement now. Nice meeting you both," her head nodded just slightly so, Karerra's lips smirking.

Basement? Spencer thought.

Spencer eyed the girl, watching intently as she swayed backward, readying herself to head off in the other direction. Surely this girl – Karerra as she’d called herself – didn’t believe that there was a basement at the institute. And on the off chance that there even was one, it hadn’t been on the school’s layout of the campus, which would make it off-limits to anyone who wasn’t authorized.

“What basement?” she finally inquired.

Karerra found her smirk receding as her eyes once more found Spencer's, her lips moving to speak--but not to Spencer. "Cerebro, is there a basement?"

Echoing from the PA system speakers in the Cafeteria came the soothing, deep, feminine voice Xavier and Magneto had given Cerebro early in 'her' development. "The basement of the Mansion is hidden under dozens of meter thick steel reinforced concrete and supported on a large steel spring support base designed to survive even a direct nuclear attack. Stations within the basement include the Hangar, the Danger Room, Research and Medical Labs, my chamber, and the X-Men's War Room."

"Thanks, Cerebro." Then, finally, Karerra spoke directly to Spencer. "That's the mutant hunting super computer in the basement, Cerebro."

Obviously.

Spencer expected an explanation from that of Karerra, but instead, she found herself surrounded by the sound of a woman’s voice at every angle, answering the very question that she’d asked precisely and candidly. She looked to Karerra aand cocked her head ever so slightly, her lips composing into a grin. As to how she’d gotten such information, Spencer hadn’t a single clue, but she had her attention, and for whatever the reason may be, Spencer wanted to see what the basement had to offer.

“Alright, I’ll bite,” she decided. “Care if we tag along?”

Mila nodded. "Yes! That all sounds incredibly interesting!" She chirped up eagerly.

"Follow me." Karerra turned on her heel, and started moving, never once looking back to ensure they followed or not. The bookshelf in the library hissed as hydraulic engines slid it out of place before retracting it into the floor below, revealing the steep metallic staircase that immendiately lit up as soon as it's entrance was revealed. At the bottom she was greeted by the same symbol of the X-Men as before, a monument to ghosts.

Just as before Karerra walked down the hall, ignoring off branches and doorways until she arrived to the door at the very end, which opened only after scanning her and reading what Karerra told it to read. "Hello, Professor Xavier."

"It thinks I'm Xavier. Right now, it's the only way I can access it's full systems. It's powered by Xavier's telepathy, but I have a theory my technopathy will work, plugging Cerebro directly into the entire planet's networks."

Mila looked around in wonderment at all the secret rooms and reinforced hallway. This was all so... crazy. Though in truth it was the Xavier's Academy. She really shouldn't be so surprised. "That is... very impressive, Karerra..." She admitted. She wasn't joking about the weak technopath she knew. She had no idea they had this sort of capability; especially against such an advanced system.

Spencer found it a tad bit odd that the system thought Karerra to be Professor Xavier. She hadn’t known much about the man prior to arriving here, but supposedly, he’d been a very powerful mutant with abilities unlike any other. The fact that she was able to trick the computers into believing that she, in fact, was Xavier, puzzled her.

Her plans, however, were a different story. She didn’t quite understand what Karerra really thought she would achieve, but surveying the likes of the basement brought her to the conclusion that there were many factors at which she didn’t know. Information that Karerra probably did. After all, she was probably the first student here who’d discovered the basement in years and she'd only just arrived.

“By doing that, what’ll happen?” Spencer asked quizzically.

Her eyes focused on the control panel she stepped up to, Karerra gave the only answer she could; the one that scared even her. "I don't know."

For the first time in so long she couldn't remember, Karerra felt so nervous she found her hands...trembling. "Here goes nothing." There was nothing casual about her tone of voice. Even if those behind her didn't quite understand the challenge in what she was about to do, she did. And even Karerra couldn't have understood the danger in what she was about to do. "Stand back. Cerebro, start up diagnostics and maintenance protocols ran?"

"Yes, Professor. I am at full operational capacities."

For some reason, it made Karerra smile. "That a girl. Wish me luck."

"Good luck, Professor."

A few quick breaths, a few quick moments to psych herself into the action, and her trembling hands were reaching for the helmet that attached to the console with three metallic cables at least three inches thick each. After a noiseless, mouthed, prayer the helmet was lowered onto her head. Instantly, the room darkened to black, a rush of energy moving through her body like an electric storm as light slowly crept into the room in the shape of clouds of grey. Shadows began to develop, moving through the haze like wraiths caught in a haunting--but no sooner did a shadow appear than it's image sharpen into shapes; a man there, a woman there, a child over there. Through the fog shapes turned into people, the machine starting to cut from one to another so fast that it became impossible for a human to keep up with.

Cerebro and Karerra were moving at speeds most organics simply could not match. "Something's wrong. Found something...I don't know."

Half a heart beat after she said it, the room darkened once more. And then Karerra screamed high and sudden, sparks flying from the control console and the metallic alloy paneling of the round shaped chamber. For a beat, Karerra thought she heard the world crack. She didn't, instead hearing a voice that sounded like hellfire and granite grinding together.

"Who?! Who dares disturb my slumber?! Who dares disturb -- APOCALYPSE?!"

Another scream came out of Karerra; louder, and desperate as another wave of sparks flew after the control console exploded, loosing Karerra from Cerebro's helmet and sending her body flying back upon the walkway--the machine going dark as the chamber it was housed in. She flew almost all the way back to the two girls. Karerra tried to speak; nothing came but a cough of blood. Feral and seeming half-mad the latina growled, gritting her teeth and trying to force her body up--to stand on her knees, to claw her way back to standing.

But her body betrayed her, and Karerra's body fell where limp and flat as conciousness was robbed from her by the trauma of the feedback and the subsequent explosion. A moment later and red emergency lights came on along the sides of the pathway, only enough power in Cerebro to half open the door.

Spencer hadn’t digested the full extent of what had just occurred, but at the end of it, Karerra was sprawled on the ground, unconscious and spewing blood. Rushing forward, Spencer crouched to her knees and felt for a pulse, relieved to find that she was still alive. With her mind now blanking on ideas of what she was to do, Spencer scooped Karerra from the ground, and bolted for the exit. “Mila, let’s go.”

She didn’t feel welcome here, nor was she keen on staying. Spencer went in the general direction at which they’d came from and veered for the girl’s dormitory. She thought to bring her to the infirmary, but the school was practically empty at this point – all faculty and students now at Ronnie’s having the time of their lives as Spencer was on the verge of breaking down.

Hauling her way up two flights of stairs with Karerra still in her arms, she headed down the corridor of empty rooms to where her dormitory was, fumbling to unlock it as she realized she didn’t possess her key. “Fuck,” she hissed, grabbing the handle of the door, watching halfheartedly as ice branched off, caking the lock until it was nothing more than ice. Jerking it every which way, the piece finally smashed under her pull, allowing her to kick the door open with great force.

Easing Karerra on her bed, she stormed for the restroom, pulling a hand cloth from the folded pile of towels and running hot water over it. Rolling it as best to her ability, she placed it on the girl’s forehead and collapsed next to where the girl laid, uncertain of what her next move would be.

“Did you hear what it said?” she whispered. “The voice – it said something about apocalypse.”

She shouldn’t have permitted Karerra to go any further than giving them a tour of the alleged basement. She shouldn’t have let her do whatever it was she was planning to do. In a matter of seconds, the air had thinned and the lights had flickered to nothing but shadowed darkness, all under the power of that damn machine. If Spencer remembered correctly, even Karerra hadn’t been fully aware of all that it could do.

And yet, Spencer had foolishly let her tamper with it anyway.

Mila panted a bit as she stood in the center of the room, regaining her breath from running all the way to Spencer's room. She knew Spencer was freaking out, she needed to be there for her, she needed to make sure to keep her calm. They wouldn't be able to solve anything with all this tension.

Mila went over to Spencer, crawling down to straddle Spencer's lap softly she took her cheeks in her hand and brought he face to look into Mila's eyes.

"It's going to be okay, Sweetie. When miss Pryde gets back we will explain what happened and we will figure out what to do. For right now we just need to remain calm and make sure Karerra is okay." She spoke in a slow, calm tone. Placing a tender kiss to her lips in an attempt to reassure Spencer.

Mila then crawled off Spencer's lap and moved on her knees over to Karerra's side on the bed. Taking the damp cloth off her head and using it to wipe off the blood on her lips. Her free hand gently checking for a pulse. It was normal. It was safe to assume no threatening damage was done to the girl, just the whole experience must have taken a lot out of her. She needed rest.

Mila spun around and sat beside Spencer on the floor, resting her back against the bed. She then leaned over, resting her head on Spencer's shoulder in an attempt to relax.

Today had gotten crazy....

---

This wasn't supposed to be happening.

Marlowe wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to kill something. But, most of all, he wanted to drown in a vat of alcohol.

It was later that evening, before he left for the All Ages Night, something he determined that he desperately needed, when he'd received a call from one particular individual. The individual he'd wanted so bad to go back to, but was too angry at to deal with. Ryan, when he spoke, was audibly tired, despite the fact that he was a night owl—he detested mornings, Mars recalled—and there was a strain in his voice like he'd been yelling at someone or something prior to calling. His sentences were short, concise, and to the point, in a hurry to get things out there and end the call at that. But, as Mars always did with him, he drew the conversation out until his voice was hoarse from a mixture of yelling and sobbing. He'd not had that opportunity before, to yell at him or being such an asshole and practically dumping him on the side of the road. Ryan had tried to instigate something, always tried to get a rise out of him, just because they fought so little and he'd felt Mars subconsciously pent everything up, all of his frustrations and worries. There was never any ill intent with Ryan, which was what irritated him most that night because they obviously had a lot to say to each other and they said it, but Ryan had a way of twisting those words to mean something entirely different. A simple, "I hate you," never meant what it should have. There was always something sincere about it, with no underlying malice. Why couldn't it ever be as simple as that, though? Why couldn't an, "I hate you," or, "I love you," mean what they were supposed to mean instead of going roundabout, hiding things he'd never thought to hide underneath those words and specific intonations. The sounds he made. The coarse lilt in his voice when he'd wished things were different and the keen understanding that it wouldn't be when Mars had drilled it in so harshly. The silence that had followed that moment, the kind of silence where you wish you didn't hear your lover's hand cup his mouth, fingers squeezing his jaw in a vain attempt to suppress a sob. The noise was so foreign to him, like it shouldn't have been coming from his lips. It was a firm punch to the gut, that squeezed the air from his lungs and made him want to keel over and vomit.

He'd hurriedly said he had to go, that he was late to an important event. Ryan only mumbled something and Marlowe had made the mistake of saying, "I love you," to which he was met with a brief pause before the line went dead.

It was well over time he should have been there, but Mars was currently stuck on his front porch staring at grass that needed cutting. He had to pry himself out of his mind and out of the chair before he became cognizant of his own actions. It didn't take long before he was pulling into the nightclub driveway, having completely lost track that he had even driven the distance. Looking into the rear view mirror, Marlowe gave his reflection the best smile he could give and failed miserably. He'd suffice with the sullen look and mark it off to the others as just needing some alcohol. Well, not just some, but a whole lot. He trusted himself drunk , just not enough to drive, which was leagues above most drunks. Plus, he had his powers to rely on; no one would get harmed in his venting process. Though, he didn't promise himself he wouldn't find the nearest individual, kid or not, sit them down and begin droning on about his sorrows. That brought more shame than he'd thought it would. He, who's worst ordeal was a divorce he was still working through, whining about it to someone who probably faced multiple tragedies in such a short span of time.

A sigh broke from his lips as he entered, flashing the worst smile he could at Art before finding his way to the bar where the lady behind served alcohol for the adults and virgin whatever to the kids. Seeing a kid with a margarita fly past him, he almost blew up, but was stopped when Ronnie called out to him, "Don't worry, it's just juice, hun. Like hell I'm gonna let a kid run off with an actual margarita."

Marlowe gave a slow nod as he slid onto one of the bar stools, smiling at Freddie as he did. "I don't suppose I could have some alcohol?"

"Course not, sweetheart," she replied with a flash of pearly white teeth. She didn't bother asking him what he wanted and gathered the biggest glass of hard liquor she could, sliding it forward into his awaiting hands.

"You know, the mind's a wonderful tool," he said, taking a large draw of the beverage, "That kid's going to run around thinking she's actually drunk."

Ronnie gave a soft chuckle before turning to tend to more students attempting to smooth talk her into trying a beer or whatever. She gave them both diet Cokes, put a lime wedge on the side of the glass and shooed them off before looking back at Marlowe, who'd all but downed the entire glass and was coughing into his sleeve. Two more glasses were slid in front of him, to which he nodded his thanks.

"You know, drinking away one's problems never helped anybody," she chided, uncorking herself a small glass of wine.

"It's the only feasible course of action, right now."

"Really? I'm sure there are better ways to deal."

"I'd rather forget and deal with it later."

"If I had a nickel for every time I heard that..."

"You'd be rich?"

"No, but I'd have a damn lotta nickels."

Marlowe chuckled, leaning over his drinks as he took the next ten or so minutes to down the two glasses and stomp off, waving by to Fred and Ronnie as he took the bottle of water she offered and thanked her.

Having powers specifically designed to sway certain things into happening was often helpful when you couldn't quite see clearly. Of course, Mars had a distinct way of acting when he was drunk and it didn't much differ from the way he usual did. He walked normal, looked normal, didn't give any clues as to his current state of mind unless he talked. When Mars talked after drinking his weight in alcohol, it would become blatantly obvious that he wasn't currently capable of doing much aside from menial things like eat, walk, and talk. A drunk Mars rambled, using whatever he could think of as a topic; drunk Mars wandered everywhere and anywhere he could, not caring that he shouldn't have been there in the first place; and drunk Mars did and suggested things that only someone unable to form coherent thoughts would think of or do. Like seek out Art after sneaking another beer into his system for her to draw the biggest, most obtrusive thing on his body. He'd pulled his shirt and pants off the moment he entered, pointing to her with a very hardened stare.

"I want you to give me a giant tattoo all over my body. Just one tattoo. I want it everywhere. Like. Literally. Everywhere. I don't want to see an ounce of my own skin that's not inked with this giant monster of a tattoo..." he demanded, though quickly paused in his advance toward her to think over this decision, "Maybe not literally every inch of my skin, but like... a lot of it? Fuck it, I don't even care right now; hit me with your best shot."

Marlowe paused, climbing onto the chair she used for her 'customers', before chiming in an off-key, sing-songy voice, "Hit me with your best shot!" He turned over onto his back, doing a very bad impression of an air guitar as he continued, "Fire awaaay!" He went on mumbling words he thought were the lyrics but wasn't quite sure enough to belt it out.

It felt like falling. Like finding out the Devil really existed by stumbling onto the Prince of Darkness' doorstep; with the nightmares that followed. During the few hours she was disconnected from conciousness, Karerra saw the world burn in her dreams. A demon pale and blue came from black clouds, the Four Horsemen of the world's end following fast behind, death following behind them. Fear overwhelmed her, the panic of the end of days confronting what little humanity was left to her. Karerra heard herself scream...but this time it wasn't out of pain or fear.

It was out of rage. A scream so loud and with so much force it was as if her entire body shook to it's core in the world of dreams. When her eyes snapped open, there was only silence at first. A lingering listen, and only the soft sounds of breathing found her. A quick look this and that and Karerra realized where she was, and who was sleeping; the two girls were leaned upon each other and sleeping soundly. Sneaking off the bed and out of the room without a sound was tricky, but after a minute of slow, careful, movements Karerra had achieved just that.

Maybe Spencer and Mila wanted answers? Maybe they did. Maybe they didn't. It didn't matter--they were children, and Karerra wasn't about to endanger them further unless she needed to. Just outside the girl's room, Karerra tripped on her own foot and fell to her knees. Her limbs felt as if they were thrice as heavy as they should be; her head was a migraine that felt as if it were literally splitting her brain in two a microcentimeter at a time. Slowly, yes, but surely her head would explode from the pressure eventually.

But it wouldn't, and Karerra knew better. Her mind reached out, brain waves turning into electrical signals through the power of mutation and willpower. "Cerebro? Are you alright?"

But there was no answer. The Gucci brand leather jacket was ripped from her body and tossed behind her, Karerra's temper getting the better her, but providing the energy to climb to her feet and continue moving. A quick inspection of her appearance found spats of blood on the white silk sleeveless top. She would have to change, but spatters of blood could wait too. Immediately she went to work multitasking; half her mind working with Cerebro, the other half guiding her burnt out body back to the basement.

Many hours and more had passed by the time Cerebro finally came back to her. She was still wearing blood splattered clothing, and still not caring, her hair swept behind her head and tied up in a messy, quick, ponytail. In a tech lab that said it belonged to one 'H. McCoy' Karerra found enough tools to pop the panels open on Cerebro's control panel and do some wire splicing and simple sodering.

It was enough, finally. "Hello, Karerra."

Just the sound of the A.I.'s voice made her smile, and lean back against the Control Panel in weary joy. "Welcome back, Cerebro. Did you lose readings from just before you shut off?"

"No."

She could chase him, or it, then. It was suicidal, but somehow that sounded like the only option to Karerra. "What was it that hit us?"

"According to my sensors, Karerra, it was a mutant with previously unseen power levels."

"Previously unseen? What's that mean?"

"My databases have no record of a mutant as powerful as the one encountered before my system failure."

...suicide it was, then. For a minute, Karerra actually tried to talk herself out of it. Of course, she failed. "Did you get a chance to geotag the source of the feedback? Of the mutant?"

"Analysis was incomplete upon critical failure, though simulations suggest the source of the feedback came from Egypt."

"...like...martial law, violence in the streets, military in charge of the government Egypt?"

"That is correct, Karerra."

Just once, Karerra wanted to see something evil and bad hiding in a happy place. Like DisneyWorld. Why couldn't this bad super mutant be hiding out in DisneyWorld? Or Malibu?...but Egypt? "Thanks, Cerebro. Seems I need to find one of my passports."

"The Hangar Bay houses several personal hypersonic stealth turbo-jet aircraft, Karerra."

"I'll need to learn how to fly a jet plane, then." Even as she said it, Karerra began scouring the Air Force and Navy databases for flight training information. Within an hour she would know enough to fly one of the jets. "Are they fueled and functioning?"

"I will begin fueling one of them now, Karerra."

"Thanks, Cerebro. I'll be back." Now was the time to change, to put her rented McLaren in the Mansion's garage. And maybe say goodbye to the X-Mansion, not even twenty-four hours after she'd arrived. "A new personal record for leaving a place, Christina."

Now that was something to be proud of.

• Alan Peregrine

Flying has never felt better. Alan loved to fly more than anything in the world. The freedom to fly high in the sky was a feeling he would always love. The air above the city was okay. They were mostly clean, but the air in the countryside was something else. The air wasn’t just clean, they were also fresh, moist, green, and smelled like home. The air of Westchester wasn’t just special because it was familiar. It was an air fillied with his memories of an irreplaceable youth.

Alan was flying above the skies of New York, the state not the city. He got to New York city a few minutes ago there by train, but not by choice of course. If it was truly up to him he’d rather fly all the way, but flying from Baltimore where his old life was to New York was tiring even for him. It wasn’t impossible of course seeing as he’s flown from coast to coast before. To be honest he just wanted to get there quickly. He was fast flyer he knew that much, but it's been long time since he's gone mach levels of flying. He was rusty and he was not ashamed to say it.

Alan was speeding on the blue skies above everyone else with the bright yellow sun as his observer. Every time he flew there was a certain level of weightlessness that only flying allowed him. The weightlessness was helped by the fact that he was only carrying a shoulder bag; everything else he owned had already been shipped off at the institute days ago. He hoped they were there already and not lost. Although if anything he wished that Kitty replied to his email saying he was coming back todayabout him coming back today, and he knew from experience that that was long shot given how chaotic the school could be.

In the four short years that felt like a hundred lifetimes he’s spent in the school he knew just how bad they could get. He also knew how good it could get. The two went hand in hand, the good and the bad. He could always count on something happening at the school. If it wasn’t being attacked, raided, destroyed, rebuild, destroyed again and rebuilt again then that means something was going on. Nothing stayed the same. One week they could get going off to an unknown dimension, the next week they would be facing a galactic overlord. The best and worst part was that he was never a full X-Men. He was just a student most of the time that liked to help around and even still, he experienced the full blunt of things. If he was sure of something it was that he’ll never be sure when it came to things involving that school. One of the hardest lessons he learned was that things change, for better or worse. The world would be in a constant state of flux that was the status quo.

Al had just flown past the Salem town center when he finally started recognizing the familiar scenery; heck, all of it was still familiar to his senses. His heart was pounding already, but the closer he got it felt as if his chest would explode and his heart would leap. When he finally saw the mansion hi smile beamed. His landing was soft and perfect. “Just like always.” He told himself as his feet made contact with the brick pathway. It was like he was a teenage boy again walking on the same steps as before, but he knew it was different. He was sure they were different because once a year the school would get destroyed and nearly everything had to be remade. It was an annual event that anyone from his generation expected. He felt like running, but he wanted to stroll and take it all in slowly because the all too familiar feeling of walking in this place would bring him to tears, and he really wanted to cry.

• Daniel Keel

Daniel was still new to school. Everything in this place was weird. They were exciting, but it was something he was not used to. The first time he came here the Headmistress personally greeted him. She was a nice looking woman and was pleasant company, but the way she introduced herself half of her body was still coming out of the floor. It was surreal, that much was true, but surreal immediately turned weird, then creepy, then surreal again, and then weird once more. Overall it was such an uncanny experience that he could not believe he was signed p for it.

The whole tour he could not pay attention. Danny tried to pay attention but he was more interested in the students that the actual tour. There were people that didn’t look like people, people that were more than just people, people that could lift other people, and people that shoot things at other people. There were also people that flew. That was something he wanted to try out, but the people that did flew often had wings or were glowing.

After the glowing incident happened, he officials told him that he had gravity powers. Danny didn’t really understand the specific, but he understood the basics. The blue colored energy was for making things light and the red one ‘s for making things heavy. He did experiments on his stuff. His dresser floated all the way to the ceiling, and the quarter he put on the floor made dents. It was a fascinating experiences that he shared with his brother. They were freaked out. It sucked. After the whole experience he made sure to do his thing in private.

He was proud of his powers and he really wanted to show them, but his family was none too happy at his new abilities. The Institute was different though. Everyone was so proud at showing off their powers that everyone was literally flying or made other fly. Right there and then he knew he would like this place.

It’s only been a few days. Two days really and he’s already feeling like it’s been a whole month. His first visit comprised mostly of his own tour, and wandering around by himself, getting to know the campus and meeting up with other students. It was fun. It was the most fun he’s had in years.

Duncan/Freddie

Duncan didn’t exactly have to drive to Ronnie’s, it was more a case of needing the time to think. Daisy had left her post as teacher claiming exhaustion, the reality of the situation was extremely different. After the battle at the museum, she had given herself to him, he was her first. It was supposed to be special but alas, even after an act of love like that she still could not get past the stigma of teacher student, so she ran. Duncan would chase her but pride and a silent understanding are what prevents him from doing so. Maybe this all ages night would be exactly what he needed. Maybe….The Chevy Stingray pulled up outside the bar and the smouldering Brit stepped out with a purpose. He entered the club and easily manipulated the doorman to give him an over 21 wristband to allow him to buy alcohol. The wristbands were supposed to identify a person’s age, making sure students didn’t buy drink unless they were legal. It didn’t matter to Duncan though and in a sense, it probably wouldn’t matter to the teachers either as long as everything was moderated, the whole purpose of this little event was for everyone to unwind after all.

Taking a seat at the bar, Duncan flashed is wristband to the bartender. “Shot and beer please” He traded the money for the booze and downed the shot in one before chasing it with his beer. He looked up with cold grey eyes as a sweet, hypnotic sound caught his and many other people’s attention. Not too far in front of him, Duncan could see Coach DiAngelo talking to a dazzling redhead the owner Rhonda;

“Well well, Ronnie. I thought you said you two only talk every so often” Freddie grinned. The bright eyed beauty with lips curled tilted her head and spoke with the Nawlins drawl. “Maybe we do but I wasn’t going to let my little brother pass up a chance to be a normal kid for twenty four ours was I?” Rhonda turned her head to the origin point of the music, a young long haired man with an acoustic guitar about to but his lips to a microphone. Her baby brother Chase.



“Darling, hold me in your arms the way you did last night
And we'll lie in sight for a little while, he wrote
I could look into your eyes until the sun comes up
And we're wrapped in light, in life, in love
Put your open lips on mine and slowly let them shut
For they're designed to be together, oh
With your body next to mine our hearts will beat as one
And we're set alight, we're afire in love”

Frankie had kept to herself mostly since the incident at the museum, it only bringing to light that her powers weren't very useful when it came to an actual combat situation. She'd confided in a few of the teachers about the issue, but they'd only encouraged her to continue perfecting her abilities, especially the defensive ones, and that she would eventually get the hang of it, and even expand them. The all-ages night at the local Ronnie's was just what she needed to let loose, a situation to take her mind off it. She'd walked there on her own, despite having made a few friends, the fresh air clearing her head and helping her think. She'd managed to flash enough of a smile at one of the bouncers for them to allow her to gain a wristband, but hadn't taken advantage of it yet. She was settled against one of the walls by the empty areas assigned for dancing, her eyes on the musical entertainment, who wasn't too bad on the eyes, her head tilted, her glass of water rested against her lower lip, half observing the room, half listening to the music.

She soon spotted Duncan settling himself at the bar, and she hesitated whether to approach him. He'd been distant with her since the museum, and she wondered if her friendship had lost it's charm to him, maybe her powers had lost their appeal in his eyes, due to him protecting her at the museum. She took a deep breath and weaved her way through the occasional dancing couple in the centre of the main bar area. Placing her water on the bar, she rested her chin on one of his shoulders, stood behind him. Taking his beer off the bar, she took a sip and placed it back down, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Why so blue, stranger?"

"Hey Franks" He smiled as she settled herself beside him. "I'm ok, you know me I always am" Duncan took another sip of his drink as Frankie looked at him. He knew that it was no use lying to her or being economical with the truth, she always saw right through the façade. With a great sigh he looked into her bright eyes. "I was kind of seeing someone on the sly and now she's gone. So I thought what better way to get over that than drown myself in a glass of beer? I'll be ok though, no need for you to worry your pretty little head about me" The British mutant turned his head and looked at the musician for a second before returning his attention to his old friend. "He's pretty good. Anyway, sorry I haven't really been in touch. How're you?"

"Mmm, I kind of guessed. I know everything, you know" She grinned at him, and tilted her head a little, chuckling softly. "I'd rather you didn't drown yourself in beer, what a waste, there are better ways to feel better." She looked over his shoulder at the musician strumming away at his guitar, now at a slightly faster tempo, more people joining on the dance floor, some in groups, some in different couples. "He is really good, cute too" She chuckled and looked back at Duncan, letting out a little shrug. "Ehhh, I've been better. I missed you." She looked at him for a second, her eyes scanning his face. "Hmmm, we're going to dance." She didn't give him opportunity to protest, reaching to lace her fingers between his, standing up from her chair.

"You're the worst, you know that?" Duncan didn't bother to fight her off, if had learned anything from his long association with Frankie, it was that no matter what, she always got her away. He allowed her to lead him out onto the dance floor, moving into a dancing position with their fingers laced together, his hand on her hip and hers on his shoulder. "You know I hate dancing, you know that. I swear you're like the devil"

"Oh just shush and cheer up" She chuckled softly, pressing her cheek to his as they danced. She swayed with him, humming softly along to the music. "This place reminds me of those dances they used to put on at the academy, where it was like we were actually allowed to be free. You used to cause so much trouble, I missed you when you left." She propped her chin against his shoulder gently, chuckling to herself a little. "I swear everyone was on edge, like something was about to happen any minute"

"I had to go. Our trainers didn't want a mutant on their books. Plus like you say, I used to cause so much trouble" Duncan to great pride in that last statement, it even helped him raise a smile. "Everyone was on edge, Frankie because we were supposed to be. It was a Naval Academy for God's sake. We were being trained to constantly be alert" He chuckled. "I missed you too but hey, we're together again now so we can cause just as much trouble here as we did there"

"You know what I mean. It was like they were expecting you to come racing around the corner in the Headmaster's car" She smiled to herself, shaking her head. "I suppose, I think you should keep your head down though, we had our fun, maybe it's time to grow up" She shrugged a little, watching the musician over Duncan's shoulder as they danced. "Although, causing a little trouble sounds like the kind of thing we need to cheer up."

"Didn't I do that once?" Duncan laughed, feeling a little better as they went down memory lane. "I know you're totally looking at the guitar player right now" He smiled. "Go talk to him when he finishes his set, you could do with the cheering up as much as I could"

"Probably. You did most bad things I could think of. I remember sneaking you back into the academy through my window." She wrinkled her nose and shook her head as he encouraged her. "Nuh-uh. That'd be so awkward, I'd look like a right groupie" She chuckled softly, tilting her head a little. "Since when did I ever approach guys, anyway? Not my kind of thing. I'm shy remember?"

"That kind of happened a lot. I was so bad" He laughed. "Uh-huh" Duncan shook his head. "So here's what happens next. At the end of this song, either I'm going to go up to the guy and tell him that you've been eye fucking him since you walked through the door tonight or you go over yourself and put what I said into more refined terms. Besides, you're not asking him to put a ring on your finger Franks you're just having a conversation with the guy"

"You're mean." Frankie pouted to herself, huffing softly through her nose like she did when she was displeased with him. "And pushy, and a pain in my arse" She rested her chin on his shoulder, leaning the side of her head against his. "What if I just want to be mopey with you until we can cheer eachother up? I get a choice, you know."

"No more mopeyness, for either of us" Duncan leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Thank you for trying Frankie, it means a lot" He stopped moving and took a step back. "Now go socialize, I'm gonna go see what movies playing in the other room" He winked and made his way back to the bar to grab his drink before moving into the other room.

Her pout disappeared a little when he kissed her cheek, but she still poked her tongue out at him when he winked at her. "Fucker" She muttered to herself under her breath, making her way back over to the bar once he disappeared, she motioned over the barman and held out her wrist. "I'm going to need a drink over here."