Class was in session on the last day of school and while the seniors were ditching class to party one student in particular wanted to spend her ditch day alone and away from the city. Well, she wasn't a lone; she had her best friend, Aro. Aro was a large iguana that stuck to her master like glue. Her master, Tatiana seemed to love the life giving sun just as much as the coldblooded creature. Tatiana's skin was darkened by the sun in such a way that most people thought that her skin color was falsely obtained; her hair was bleached a dirty blonde and hung in long dreaded locks. Her green eyes locked with the golden ones her shoulder and she smiled.
"When was the last time we ditched?" Tatiana asked the stone faced animal. Aro nodded her head and licked her master's shoulder. "Too long," She spoke as she climbed out of her car. She was never one to ditch school and she was a very good student; she was also one of the few who actually enjoyed school, but lately she has been trying to find any excuse to get away from everyone and just be out in the sun.
Reaching into the backseat Tatiana pulled out a heavy backpack and opened it to reveal a large canteen and an equally large book. She unscrewed the canteen and took a drink before zipping close her backpack and throwing it over the shoulder opposite of Aro. She began walking into the national park and the sound of courting birds filled her ears.
There were few trees in the part of the park that Tatiana and Aro were headed. It was atop a tall hill. It was by pure luck that the sun was shinning brightly that day since it was in the middle of winter. The grass was brown and dry and the trees were bare and eerie. The wind blew making Aro press her cool body against Tatiana's neck.
"We're almost there. Don't worry girl," Tatiana whispered as she stroked the lizard's neck.
They climbed to the peak and paused. The wind picked up but the air was warm and the sun beamed down directly overhead. Tatiana dropped her bag and shrugged off her jacket, leaving her in a grey tank top then she kicked off her flip-flops and wiggled her toes in the cool dirt beneath her. She stretched her arms in the air and clasped them together; Aro climbed up her arm and slowly to her palm as she opened her arms wide while still keeping them elevated. With her face pointed at the sky and eyes closed both Tatiana and Aro absorbed the ultraviolet light that rained down upon them.
She could stay like that for hours, her arms never seemed to tire, only get stronger in the sun light. Her feet slowly made their way into the earth as Aro seemed to shift slightly bringing Tatiana out of her trance. Then, a sharp pain ran through her right hand, which also happened to be the same hand that Aro was sitting on.
"Why did you bite me!?" She shouted at the animal as it turned to look at her with a leaf in its mouth. Aro swallowed the leaf and turned back to her masters hand and went to bite another leaf but Tatiana quickly took her in her other hand. "No! Stop it!" She shouted again before looking at her hand and screaming. There were branches and leaves growing out of her fingertips. Her index finger had a broken branch that was leaking a green fluid. "No!" She cried as tears began to run down her face, "no…" She's always hated mutants and now she was showing signs of being one her self.
Tatiana tried to lift her leg to turn around but her feet were stuck in the ground. She began to panic, afraid that her feet had turned into roots, and she fought and pulled until her feet were freed and she went crashing to the ground. The first thing she did was check her feet only to find them normal. She sighed and looked around for Aro, who, was clinging for dear life to her master's dreadlocks.
While she was pulling the petrified lizard out of her hair she felt something sharp stick her. "Oh, no… please no…" She closed her eyes and broke one of the things causing an instant headache. "Why?" She cried as she looked at the throne in her leafy hands. "Why do I have to be one of them?" She whined at her lizard, who, clung to her master's shirt as if she were a tree.
Curling up on the ground Tatiana tried to figure out what was happening to her. Maybe she just had some unknown disease. Not everyone who thought that they had some new disease turned out to be a mutant.
You do not have a new disease. You are a mutant, Tatiana.
"Oh, great, now I'm hearing voices." She mumbled as she fell back into the dead grass. Aro climbed on her chest and stretched out in the sun. "You're not talking to me, are you?" She asked the animal as its eyes drifted close.
You are not crazy. I am a mutant, just like you.
"I am not a mutant!" The girl shouted to the heavens at the voice in her head. She could never become one of them. She was a human, and she had normal human parents from a normal human family. Why does she have to be different?
"We cannot choose what we are." Tatiana jumped at the voice knocking the sleeping lizard to the ground.
"Who are you?" She asked looking up at the tall redheaded women and she blindly scrambled to grab Aro and stand up at the same time.
"I'm Jean Grey. I'm a teacher at Professor Xavier's academy." The women said with a warm smile as she approached the shaky girl.
"H-how did you find me?" She asked as she hugged her fearful iguana to her chest.
"Please, calm down." Tatiana closed her eyes and prayed for everything to go away. She just wanted to block out this horrible nightmare that was unfolding before her. "Tatiana!"
"This isn't real… this isn't real…" She repeated to herself as her body was slowly engulfed by vines. She continued to repeat herself until her mind suddenly went blank.
Tatiana began to stir and felt around for Aro and when Aro was nowhere to be found, within arms reach, she quickly sat up and found herself in a hospital bed. She looked around the room and spotted Aro on a tall branch under an artificial light. The lizard glanced over at her master and flicked her tongue with a nod.
The disoriented girl quickly swung her legs over the table only to feel wires and a I.V. attached to her body. She quickly and violently began ripping the wires and I.V. off of her making one of the machines begin to go off.
"Aro!" She cried as she ran over to her lizard and hugged it tightly before searching for a door. "These mutants trapped me here…" She hissed angrily before the feeling of Aro's claws on her bare back made her realize that she was wearing an open back hospital gown.
"Please lay back down," A women spoke making Tatiana spin around quickly, "You're not ready to run around yet. We had to break some of your vines to get to you and they bled a lot." She whispered calmly.
"Get away from me! Why am I here? What do you want with me?" Tatiana cried as she backed away from the redheaded mutant.
We just want to help you. No one will force you to do anything. You can leave if you want.
"Was that you? How are you in my head?" Tatiana asked with a hint of anger in her voice. She didn't like the idea that this mutant could get into her mind like that.
I'm a psychic. I can communicate with telekinesis.
"I'm leaving," Tatiana quickly ran to the door.
"Wait," Jean blocked the exit.
"I thought you said that I can leave!"
"You can… just keep this in mind. Remember how you see us, mutants, remember how you use to treat our kind. People are far crueler then that," Jean sighed.
"Move!" Tatiana tried to push pass the mutant.
"Just know that you can always come here. We will always be here for you." Jean said before pushing some clean clothes into the scared girl's arms.
"No thanks! My parents will help me." She said taking the clothes and watching Jean give a sad smile before leaving the room. Tatiana sat Aro down and quickly began to changed. While doing so she noticed that her hands still had branches and leaves on them. She walked over to the metal table that she woke up on and looked at her reflection in shock. There were vines in her hair wrapping around her dreadlocks and her ears had leaves growing around the edges. She couldn't go home looking like that. Her parents would call the police the moment she walked into the house.
"Dammit!" She cursed as she slid to her knees. Tears rolled down her cheeks and landed on the white gown making green stains in her lap. "Why are my tears green?" She whined as Aro flicked her tongue on her master's ear. "Don't eat me!" Tatiana ordered the lizard and she obliged.
Tatiana sniffled as she wiped her tears on her arm and stood up to finish changing. She wasn't going home, but she did not want to stay there; wherever there was. She walked over to the door as Aro climbed up to her shoulder. Pushing the door open and peaking out into the empty hallway, Tatiana tried to pretend that she was anywhere but in some kind of academy for mutant freaks. She slowly crept out and made her way down the ancient hallways.
"Hey, are you new?" Tatiana heard a voice say from behind her and she quickly spun around and backed away from the boy. Aro stood tall and opened her dewlap to look big. "Whoa! That's so cool! What is it?" The little boy asked as he looked at the scared lizard.
"Don't talk to me you little freak!" Tatiana hissed at the child making him back away and began to cry. He couldn't be older then five or six. He looked human enough, but, you can never underestimate the mutants.
The kid turned toward the wall and ran right through it with his hands over his eyes. Tatiana shivered in fear of what else she would run into while she tried to find her way out.
"That wasn't very nice," A male spoke as he walked out of one of the doors, "Just because you hate being a mutant doesn't mean that you can make the rest of us feel bad." He leaned on the door frame and looked at Tatiana. "Really, what has a mutant ever done to you, personally?" He asked coldly. He looked half asleep. His hair was short and almost jet black except for two jagged streaks of white on either side.
"Shut up!" Tatiana shouted at the mutant as she turned from his blank stare and continued on her way down the hallway.
"The exit is the other way." The guy said making Tatiana mentally slap herself.
"Yeah, like I'm going to listen to you." She muttered stubbornly as she continued walking in the wrong direction.
"Well, I can't possibly let a new student get lost. Storm would kill me if she found out that I'm not being helpful." He spoke as he appeared by her side.
"I don't care."
"So, what's your name?" He asked ignoring her disposition towards him, "my names',"
"Aro!" Tatiana shouted and as if the lizard could read her mind she whipped her tail out and hit the boy right in his face.
"Ow! What was that for?!" He shouted as she kept walking without checking to see how badly he was hurt. A good whip in the eyes could easily blind a regular human. "Aw… my eyes… why do you hate us so much?" His voice became more stern and angry as he ran in front of the retreating girl. She looked at his eyes and saw that one was a bright red on the right part of the white. Aro busted one of his blood vessels.
"It's because you're not human. Your kind can just go about doing whatever you want. You shouldn't even exist. It's a mutation, and not one for the better." Tatiana said coldly as she turned and stormed down the hallway.
"Yeah? And what are you going to do? You look like a fucking bush! Do you think those people, the normal humans will except you? Face it, you don't have anywhere to go!" He shouted after her making tears fill her eyes and her legs move faster. "At least here you're not judge for your mutation. You're judged for your attitude and I can tell you right now," He hissed as she reached the corner, "not even mutants will want to be around you!" And with that Tatiana had turned the corner and leaned against the wall so that she could let her tears fall.
"I can't be one of them. They're not even human…" She whispered to herself.
So what does that make you then?
"Get out of my head!" Tatiana shouted as she turned to face the redhead.
"Sorry, it's an old habit I picked up from the professor." The redhead smiled innocently.
"What kind of school is this?" Tatiana asked as she wiped her tears.
"This is a school for the gifted. Mutants." The woman said kindly.
"But, I graduate tomorrow… what about my old life… my parents… everything?" Tatiana couldn't believe that she was actually considering staying at this school but, it didn't seem like she had any other choice. She couldn't possibly go back home. No one would look at her the same; that is, if they don't call the cops the moment she returned.
"You can graduate with this years' academic class here, but it's more then just a school of academics. We are here to help you and all newly discovered mutants adjust to their new lives. Your parents… well, we will take you to go see them to see what they want for you since you are still a minor if they want you to stay at home then we have to leave you with them."
"Really?" Tatiana spoke seeing a slight glimmer of hope in this horrid situation.
"Uh… yeah. Of course." The redhead spoke with a weak smile and Tatiana knew that she was lying, "but, if you decide to stay here you can live on campus and have free roam of the entire mansion."
"We're inside a mansion?" The redhead nodded. "When can I see my parents?"
"Right now, let's go." She said as she walked passed the girl and headed down the hallway back toward the guy Aro whipped in the face.
"Wait, just like that? No, questions, or anything?" Tatiana said in shock that they were just going to show her the way out of this death trap.
"Why would we question you? You've done nothing wrong…" She paused and looked at the door the boy had come out of, "well, nothing permanent…" She whispered as she continued to walk.
"Oh… I'm sorry. Will he be okay?" Tatiana felt guilty about bursting his blood vessel even though she knew that it wouldn't be serious.
"Who? Sparky? He'll be fine. He takes worst hits in training, most of them from his own mistakes." She giggled.
"What kind of training?"
"For his powers."
"Oh… why do you call him Sparky?" She was beginning to get curious about this place and the people in it. She didn't want to at first but she knew that this may soon be her reality and she didn't want to be completely lost if she had to stay.
"Ask him." The redhead smiled as they entered a hall full of teenagers. Most looked like regular teens others looked like freaks. None, however, looked like her.
"What's your name?" Tatiana whispered as she watched the students talk and flirt like regular high school students.
"Jean Grey," She stopped walking and glared at one of the students, "Hey! No powers unsupervised!" She shouted at a girl who was pressing her finger against a, seemingly unconscious, boy's forehead.
"But he was being a pig!" The girl called back as she removed her hand and a few seconds later the boy woke up and ran from her.
So, they were afraid of each other too. Maybe they weren't all alike. "Um…"
"Hey! Is that a new girl?" The girl smiled as she ran over to Tatiana but quickly stopped in her tracks, "Ew… what's on your shoulder?" She said backing away fear covered her face.
"This…" Tatiana was shocked that a mutant, with their abilities, was afraid of a lizard, "this is my iguana…" Aro flicked her tongue and the girl backed away more.
"I hate lizards! Keep it away from me!" The girl said as she ran back over to the other students who were all looking at Tatiana now.
"Go back to what you were doing." Jean said sternly and placed her hand lightly on Tatiana's back as she led her away from the teens.
"How do I know that you guys aren't the bad guys? I know about the mutants in the news that are always hurting people and trying to take over."
"Those mutants are not apart of our school. They abuse their powers and follow faulty beliefs." Jean said angrily.
"Oh…" They stopped at a door that led into a large car garage. Tatiana hesitantly climbed into the car with Jean. She still didn't like the idea that she was one of them they were not human like she use to be.
"Don't worry; the transition from being a normal human to a mutant is difficult for everyone. You're not going through this a lone." Jean said shocking the seven-teen year old beside her.
Tatiana didn't realize that the other mutants began life as a normal kid like her. Of course she knew, but she never took into account that not everyone wants to be a mutant. "I'm sorry…" She whispered.
"For what?"
"Everything…" The car ride was silent after that and it took a couple hours to get back to Tatiana's home town. She quickly ducked down when she saw some of her old friends.
"Don't worry; these windows are too tinted for anyone to recognize you." Jean reassured her.
Tatiana peaked up and looked out of the window sadly. She couldn't stay here, even if her parents wanted her too. She wouldn't be able to leave the house.
"How come you look so normal?" She asked envious.
"I don't know. Each mutant is different. Some look the same as they did before the gene activated and others change." She gave a shrug.
"That sucks…" Tatiana pouted as she leaned back in her seat.
"Okay, what street do you live on?" Jean asked glancing over at the depressed girl.
"You got us this far, I just expected you to know where I live."
"No, remember, I found you just outside of town. It wasn't that hard to figure out that you lived here."
"Oh… turn right at the light." Tatiana directed Jean to her house and saw that her parents were home. She was afraid of how they would react. She couldn't face the fact that her mother may not love her anymore.
"Are you ready?"
"Not really," Tatiana didn't want to live with a hoard of mutants but she also didn't want to live with people who may not care about her or even hate her.
"We don't have to tell them…" Jean bunched her brows and touched Tatiana's shoulder making Aro jump. "Opps!" She quickly retracted her hand.
"Let's go… stop it Aro." She told the stubborn animal as Jean drove off. "Sorry, for wasting your time."
"Oh, you didn't waste my time." She smiled, "So, do you want to stay at the academy?"
"For now…"
"Great!" Jean pulled out a cell phone and flipped it open before hitting speed dial. "Hey, Storm, get a room set up. We have a new student. Yeah… fix up the old green house for her and make a spot for her lizard. Thanks Storm." Jean hung up the phone and continued driving.
"You really don't have to do all of that. I'm not even staying that long," Tatiana whispered as she pulled Aro into her arms and held onto her. "You still love me, huh girl?" She said in a baby voice to the lizard; her eyes seeming to show some sadness for her owner.
"Don't worry about it. This is what we do. We help those in need." Jean said knowing full well that Tatiana didn't have anywhere else to go.
"Will the senior class please raise!" A white haired woman said with a wide grin on her face as Tatiana and the rest of the graduating mutants rose from their seats. "Congratulations! You all still have a long way to go and we will be there every step of the way, however, you have finished your academic years hear at Xavier's School for the Gifted." Her eyes turned white and everyone threw their caps into the air and a strong wind blew the pearl caps into a beautiful tornado above the yard.
"So, who's your mentor?" A student asked Tatiana as they walked back into the mansion.
"Mentor? I didn't know that we got those…" Tatiana mumbled still very uncomfortable with the entire situation.
"Well, you'll get one soon. Don't worry." The student smiled and was quickly distracted by their friends.
Tatiana felt very anxious and slightly agitated. Aro couldn't come to the ceremony and her master was anxious to get back to the green house to get her. She was grateful that she was given a green house to live in instead of an enclosed room. The sun in the morning made her leaves tingle and raise. As creepy as that was she knew that she had to get use to it eventually.
"Aro!" Tatiana smiled when she opened her door only to frown instantly, "What are you doing in my room?" She asked as she glared at Sparky while he stood next to Aro petting her.
"Storm told me to apologize. So, sorry for being a dick." He muttered as he turned his grey eyes to Tatiana. His right eye was still filled with blood from the day before and Tatiana felt a ping of guilt bite at her chest.
"Well, I should be the one apologizing… I shouldn't have made her hit you." She mumbled as she walked over to them. "I'm shocked that she didn't try to bite you. She doesn't normally like people." She said shocked that Aro looked very relaxed by his touch.
"Maybe she likes me," He smiled at the lizard before turning to Tatiana, "I never got your name," He seemed to accept her apology instantly.
"Um… Tatiana Parks. You're Sparky, right?" She asked curiously.
"Yeah… I don't like that nickname," He chuckled lightly, "My name is Trevor Paxton." He paused as his smile widened, "We have the same initials."
"Uh huh," Tatiana got a strange feeling from Trevor, "So, why do they call you Sparky then?" She asked making him sigh.
"Really? You're going make me show you?" He reached his hand out to touch her face but she quickly moved away, "Don't worry. I won't hurt you." He said softly as she hesitantly allowed him to touch her. The moment his finger tips touched her cheeks a tingling spark shot throughout Tatiana's body.
"What was that?" She asked confused about what just happened.
"That's my spark. I use to shock people all the time before I learned how to control my power. Storm says it's because I have to much static in my hair, but I beg to differ." Tatiana tilted her head to the side as she took in what he said. "Maybe I used to much static…" He laughed.
"What?" She asked confused. Trevor picked up a mirror from the table behind him and showed Tatiana her reflection. "Oh my god!" She shouted as she tried to lay her dreadlocks down, "I didn't even know they could stand up like that." She whispered to herself.
"Oh yeah, enough static can even move bodies without harming anyone." He said as he waved his hand over her head making her dreads fall limp.
"Really? I wonder what my power will be." She smiled to herself as she started to look at the fun side of being a mutant.
"I'm pretty sure it has something to do with plants," He flicked one of the leaves in her hair sending another spark through her body. It made her feel tingly inside. Maybe that's why Aro liked him so much. It was a nice feeling. Aro was always a sucker for a good rub down.
"Really? You don't say." Tatiana rolled her eyes with amusement.
Trevor smiled and took a step back, "You know you're really cute."
"And you're really pushing your luck. Now, get out of my room." Tatiana said sternly. She could tolerate the mutants, but she could not fall for one. Especially not Trevor.
"Okay, okay. It's only your second day here. I'll give you some space," He walked over to the door of the greenhouse, "but, I'm not giving up on you that easy." He said with determination in his eyes. Tatiana was afraid that he was serious.
"Great," She said to Aro once he closed the door, "First day of my new life and I already have a stalker." She sighed and watched the lizard open one eye only to turn her head the other way and close it again. "That was rude…"
The weather over the mansion always seemed to be perfect. The weather there depended on Storm's mood and she seemed like a fairly happy person, no rain or typhoons as of yet. Tatiana and Aro were loving the constant sun. They would sit on the roof everyday soaking up the ultraviolet. She wasn't assigned any classes or even a mentor yet, so for the time being she has been trying to get use to the school and the mutants that lived there.
The students and teachers seemed like normal people. Some of them had their cliques and others had jobs with regular people and only came to the academy to relax. Even a few of the younger students who still lived with their parents only came to the academy a few times out of the week to train with their mentors for controlling their powers.
"Wow, you can hold your arms up for a really long time." A voice startled Tatiana making her drop her arms to her side instantly. She was never caught basking in the sun before. It was embarrassing.
"How long were you standing there?" She asked as she faced Trevor.
"Well, I came up here to practice two hours ago, but I didn't want to disturb you so I left. I just got back though," He talked a lot. Tatiana did everything in her power to avoid Trevor. He was a flirt and overall, not her type. She found him really annoying.
"Well, I'll leave then." Aro climbed up her leg after being dropped, "Sorry, Aro…" Tatiana cooed as she kissed the reptile on her neck.
"I wish you'd kiss me like that," Trevor said with a fake pout.
"That's enough," Storm said as she landed on the roof, "get to the center Trevor. I want to see a hurricane."
"Um… let me get out of your way." Tatiana said as she quickly grabbed her things.
"No, stay. I want to show you my power." Trevor grinned; he found this to be the perfect opportunity to impress his crush.
"Yes, stay. I want to see if this knuckle head can focus with you here." Storm insisted. She walked over to the confused student. "Have you witnessed a training session, yet?" Tatiana shook her head, "Well then, watch. This is nothing like what you'll be doing but, I want you to see his control and maybe take some notes on how important concentration and control is." Storm said sternly as she reached her hand past the student and moments later a strong gust of wind brought over a rubber tarp. "Sit on this though, just in case," She rolled out the tarp, "They don't call him Sparky for nothing." She smiled at her blushing student while Tatiana gave a nervous nod.
"Um… what about Aro? She is coldblooded." Tatiana noted.
"Hurricanes don't have to be cold." Trevor quickly spoke.
"Enough! Begin!" Storm ordered and Tatiana took a secure hold of Aro.
Trevor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His face went from carefree to deadly serious as his eyes opened and they were chalk white like Storms' when she uses her power. He looked up at the sky and stared at it, almost as if to challenge it; suddenly clouds began to roll in. They piled up slowly getting darker and filling with water. He lifted his hand the veins in his arm strained against his tense muscles as a powerful wind blew over the mansion. It was a warm tropical wind, but a powerful one nonetheless. The clouds seemed to spiral as rain began to pour.
"Where's the eye! You should have made that first!" Storm ordered and Trevor didn't seem to notice her as the sun shown through and landed on Tatiana and Aro. They seemed to glow in the light as most of it was reflected off of the water that drenched them. The wind around the light was wild and the trees were bending under pressure but under the eye of the storm there was no wind or rain. Tatiana was dazzled by the entire thing. She sat there with her lizard wrapped tightly in her arms as her limp leaves began to slowly raise and reach for the sunlight.
"Beautiful Trevor!" Strom applauded as she approached her hovering student. He floated back down to the roof and exhaled as his eyes returned to normal and the sky cleared.
"You think so? It was still kind of small…" He mused.
"The way you controlled the clouds to make the eye directly over Tatiana was something I didn't think you could achieve this soon." She smiled brightly.
"Thanks!" Trevor grinned before looking at Tatiana, "What did you think?" He asked hopeful.
"That was scary…" She mumbled as she tried to remember that he was the same harmless idiot that was flirting with her less then five minutes ago. "But, still… I didn't expect that." She said in awe as she watched his ego grow before her eyes.
"Yeah, well, don't underestimate me." They both looked over at Storm as she took the stairs back into the mansion leaving them alone. "Now that she's gone," Trevor kneeled down to Tatiana's level making her scoot away slightly.
"What are you doing?" Tatiana asked as she watched his eyes turn white and then he held the palms of his hands about a foot apart while facing each other.
"This may be a little loud." He said through clinched teeth before a quick spark went between his palms causing a low crumbling sound. Then, a vibrant heart appeared and rippled between his hands for about three seconds and when it vanished a quiet thunder rumbled.
"Wow…" Tatiana smiled as she reached a curious hand towards the space between his hands only for him to close one of his hands over hers. "You know, just because you can live up to your name doesn't mean I like you." She rolled her eyes and pulled her hand out of his.
"Fine! What will it take then?" He asked as she stood.
"I don't know. I don't like show-offs though. Maybe if I knew that you weren't a complete tool I would think differently of you, but you have yet to prove that theory wrong." She smiled as she walked to the stairs that Storm took.
"I'm not a tool!" Trevor called as he ran to catch up to Tatiana. "Come on, let me take you out this weekend. Just give me a chance." He said catching her arm to make her stop.
"And why should I give you a chance?"
"Because, I really like you and I know you'll like me too if you stop looking at me as a mutant and start looking at me as a person." His eyes looked desperate. He had been pursuing Tatiana for two weeks and it seemed like he was finally running out of steam. If she just rejected him this final time then he might give up.
"Where?" Tatiana knew that she couldn't go out into any public place so she was actually curious as to what he had up his sleeve.
"It's a secret. And don't worry. No one will care about your apperance." He assured her.
"But, Jean said that we can't leave the grounds without permission."
"So, I'll risk all the detention they can through at me for you." He smiled as he leaned in to try and kiss her.
"I'll only go if you promise not to kiss me or touch me without asking." She watched him smile, "And let me start by saying that the answer will always be, no." His smile didn't waver.
"It's a date. Meet me in the garage Saturday at nine." He said before dashing past Tatiana.
"That was stupid…" She murmured to herself as she made her way down the stairs and back into the mansion.
"Tatiana!" Jean called from down the hall, "I've been looking for you… where you outside during the hurricane? You're soaking wet." She pointed out the obvious before opening a small door in the hallway and pulling out a towel.
"Thanks. So, what did you need?" Tatiana asked as she dried herself off, momentarily getting the towel stuck on one of the thorns in her hair.
"Oh, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be mentoring you. Come on, let's get to work." Jean spun on her heels and began walking leaving behind a very confused Tatiana.
"Right now?" Her voice creaked as she jogged over to her mentor.
"Of course, I need to see what your powers are and how well you can handle them. We're going to work everyday for at least four hours… at least until you can pass the test." They walked out of the mansion and into the backyard, which was more like an empty field.
"What test?"
"Everyone has to pass different levels of a simulation but, we'll get into that later." Jean said with a wave of the hand.
Jean pointed to a kiddy pool full of water and told Tatiana that since her DNA was thirty percent that of a plants that should use the water while practicing. Tatiana, not knowing that her own DNA was thirty percent plant DNA, was very hesitant to begin practice. She mostly feared turning into a tree.
"Try to use those vines that you used when we first met." Jean suggested and watched as Tatiana struggled to produce vines longer then the ones in her hair. She was, however, able to move the vines in her hair, albeit in a very disorderly fashion, they moved nonetheless. The movement made Aro jump to the ground and walk over to the nearest bolder to sun bathe.
Tiring easily Tatiana eventually removed her shoes and rooted herself to the cool soil beneath. She didn't seem to lose any energy so long as her feet were in the ground and the sun was beaming down.
"So, how do I- Ah!" Tatiana swatted at an insect and shook her head for fear that the creature had landed in her hair.
"Tatiana stop!" Jean screamed with her hands over her mouth and nose.
"What is that?" Tatiana asked as she watched the orange power float around Jean and herself. The power was suddenly forced into a tight ball and Jean took a deep breath.
"I don't know. Some kind of poison. It must be another one of your defenses." She murmured as she walked up to the ball of power and pulled a jar out of a small bag that she carried. "Do you mind if I take this to the lab?" Tatiana shook her head in shock and Jean took the mysterious substance and put the jar back into her bag.
"That stuff came out of me?" She asked as she watched small red splotches begin to form on Jean's face.
"Uh huh…" Jean gave a loud sneeze before pulling out a compact mirror, "I think that I'm allergic to you." She laughed before gawking at her own reflection. "Maybe you should continue work with Eric today." She said before quickly dashing off only to be replaced by a very tall man.
"Uh… Are you Eric?" Tatiana asked a little hesitantly. He appeared to be very angry and his tall stature didn't lower the intimidation.
"I can't believe she wants me to work today…" He said to his self as he approached Tatiana. He looked at her and sighed, "Yup, and you must be Tatiana," His features seemed to relax. "So, what's your power?" He asked eyeing the plants in her hair.
"I'm thirty percent plant… I can apparently make a poison power and vines…" She said shyly. He was still very intimidating but more then that Tatiana found herself strangely attracted to him.
"Really?" He smiled widely, making him not so scary, "Can you show me? Have your vines pick up that stick." He said while pointing to a long stick.
"I don't know… I can't really control them." She sighed.
"Just try. Think about your vines as an extension of yourself. Where do they grow from?" Tatiana pointed to her hair and a few of the vines uncurled from her dreads. "Just imagine them as extra hands. Tell them to reach out and grab the stick." He spoke softly.
Tatiana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She reached her arms up into the air and took in some of the sunlight. Then, when her eyes opened she pointed her hand out toward the stick and said, "Pick up the stick." Nothing happened. "Pick it up!" She shouted at herself and still, nothing. "Just go over to the stick." She said losing patience and watched as a small green vine slowly wrapped around her arm and down to the ground on top of the stick. "I did it!" She cheered.
"Now grab onto it."
"Okay." She tried to concentrate as hard as she could and slowly the vine wrapped around the stick.
"Good now pick it up… slowly."
The vine began to lift the stick but then it began to twitch and it threw the stick hitting Tatiana in the face. "Dammit!" She cursed as she crouched down and covered her nose with both hands. The pain was unbearable, "How could something so small hurt so much?" She whined as she fought back tears. They were mostly from anger at her self for not having enough self control.
"Well… it only takes four pounds of presser to break a nose." Eric said before kneeling in front of her, "Let me see." He removed her hands as looked at the small gash across her nose.
"How bad is it?" She panicked when he didn't say anything and crossed her eyes trying to see the wound. Eric placed his hand under her chin and lifted it so that he could get a better look.
"Nothing I can't fix. Hold your breath." He said and she took a deep breath. Moments later icy water ran over the cut and it quickly healed. "Better?" He asked with a smile as he stood and offered her his hand.
"Much," She took his hand and stood, "Thank you..." She looked him over for a moment, "So, is your ability to control water?" She asked curiously.
"Yes. Let's try something different." He said walking over to the small pool of water, "Do you need this?" he asked.
"Not all of it." She watched the water cover his body almost like a second layer of skin and then he looked at the stick on the ground some of the water branched off of his body and reshaped into a vine before grabbing the stick. "How did you do that?"
"Just relax and concentrate." He stood besides her and let some of the water drain into the ground.
"Okay…" His presence made her nervous. "Um… pick up-"
"Don't say it. Feel it. The vines are apart of your body, move them like you move your arms or legs." He said only to confuse the poor girl. She still hadn't fully accepted the fact that she was a mutant and now she was being told that the vines were apart of her.
"I… I can't…" She said after a moment of contemplation.
"Hm… okay. Let's try something else." He backed away from her and then sprayed her with water.
"Hey!" She shouted in shock, "What was that for?" She asked getting angry. He sprayed her again and this time she put her hands up in defense. "Stop it!" She cried before he sent another burst of water towards her this time it never connected to her body but she felt it.
"Finally," Eric laughed as he walked up to the wall of vines that blocked Tatiana's upper body and face.
"Wow… that was…"
"Good. Very good. Can you retract them?" He asked.
What she really wanted to do was hug him for helping her. She tried to retract the vines but instead they shot outward and wrapped around Eric. "Hey, what are you doing?!" He asked confused as the vines pulled him toward her.
"I don't know! They won't listen!" She said in a panic as she tried to will the vines back. They finally released the man and returned to her hair. "I am so sorry." She said embarrassed.
"That's fine, no harm done." He smiled at her warmly making the vines on her head move around slowly, "Look, you're moving them now." He reached out to touch one of the small vines and it loosely wrapped around his fingers.
"Thank you for helping me today. Sorry for taking up your time…" He gave her a confused look, "you didn't look like you wanted to be here when you first arrived." She gave a nervous laugh.
"Oh, no. I don't mind helping you. Today was my day off, but the students come first." He said with a slight nod.
"Oh…" Tatiana was a little sad to hear that he was a teacher; she was hoping that he was just a tutor or a nice student.
"What?"
"What do you teach?" She asked curiously and watched him laugh.
"Nothing. I just help students learn how to use their powers; mostly elemental powers. I just graduated two years ago. Jean would never trust me in a higher position." He said with a sigh.
"Oh, that's cool." Tatiana said with a small smile. On the inside she was bubbling over with joy.
"Well, tell me about yourself. What do you like to do for fun?" He asked curiously as they sat down in the grass.
Assuming that the lesson was over for today Tatiana called Aro over before answering the question, "Well, lately I just like being out in the sun, alone." She didn't like how boring she sounded so she quickly added, "but, before the mutation I use to go camping and hiking with my friends and family a lot." She smiled.
"Well then, you have to come on the next camping trip. You've never experienced nature until you've had to share a tent with elementals. And who is this?" He asked smiling at Aro.
"This is Aro, Say, hi, Aro." Aro flicked her tongue and closed her eyes. "She doesn't hate you at least," Tatiana giggle, "So, what do you like to do? Besides swimming?" She asked, she could tell that he was a swimmer by his tan, build, and the fact that he controlled water.
"What an assumption," He laughed confusing her, "I do enjoy swimming, now. Before the mutation I couldn't swim to save my life. Hell, I feared the water…" He ran his fingers through his short brown hair. "I like to play the bass."
"Really?" Tatiana asked excitedly, "Are you in a band?"
They talked for another hour about anything and everything. The only reason that they stopped was because the sun had set and Tatiana had a curfew. Eric kindly walked Tatiana back to her greenhouse and then they said their awkward goodbyes.
"Well, then I guess I'll see you around the mansion." Eric said with a grin.
"Yeah, maybe we can catch lunch or something tomorrow." Tatiana offered boldly as she fidgeted with a leaf at the tip of her finger.
"Sure-"
"I thought that you were going to eat lunch with me tomorrow?" Trevor chimed as he jumped off of the roof of the greenhouse.
"No. I didn't agree to do anything with you." Tatiana hissed at Trevor.
"What about Saturday?" He asked with his head tilted to the side.
"Trevor, can you please leave?" Tatiana said after seeing the disgruntled look on Eric's face.
"But I wanted to wish you a good night." Trevor pressed.
"You just did. Good night." She turned to Eric and sighed, "I'm sorry about him. He's an idiot."
"Yeah, my little brother can be a hand full." Eric laughed while Trevor glared.
"Brothers?" Tatiana looked between the two to try and find some similarities. The only one that she could find was that they had the exact same smile.
"Yup," They spoke in unison.
"Unfortunately," Trevor added before grabbing onto Tatiana's hand, "but I will assure you that I am a way better boyfriend then this meathead will ever be." His words made both Eric and Tatiana blush and look away from each other.
"Shut up Trevor." They said in unison then blushed more.
"Fine, I'm not giving up on you though," He said before kissing the back on her hand sending a spark through her body.
"Bye Trevor." Tatiana spoke after a pause. She watched him shock his brother; doing far more bad then good in the process.
"Dammit, Trev! You know we can't touch!" Eric shouted at his brother as he ran off. "That kid plays too much." He huffed as he laid his hair down.
"Yeah, he does." An awkward silence fell between the two. "Um, so, about lunch tomorrow…"
"I'd love to." He smiled.
"Okay, I'll meet you on the roof at noon then." Tatiana said as a large goofy grin spread across her face.
"Why the roof?"
"It's closer to the sun." She shrugged.
They hugged and said goodnight before parting. When Tatiana entered her greenhouse she set her sleeping lizard in her corner then went over to her bed to change.
"Please don't tell me you actually like him." Trevor said as he came in from an opening in the ceiling. Tatiana quickly pulled down her shirt and shot a glare along with a couple vines at the irritating boy.
"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" She hissed as her vines squeezed Trevor as he stood speechless in shock.
"This is new." He said with a smile, "Arms. Vines. A hug's a hug."
"What do you want?" Tatiana rolled her eyes and released the idiot.
"I just want to know what you see in him." He asked seriously.
"I don't know… he's just really cool." That same goofy smile returned to her face as she thought about seeing Eric again.
"He always gets the cute girls…" Trevor whined, "He doesn't even like you… he's an attention whore." He said with his arms crossed.
"Don't say that! He's a nice guy." She retorted.
"Whatever. Just remember that when that idiot get's bored of you, I'll be right here." He said with confidence.
"Get out. Now." Tatiana ordered and walked toward Trevor. "I am sick and tired of you bugging me. I don't like you and I will never like you. I'm sorry for giving you some hope earlier but you need a reality check. You and me, will never happen. Get use to it." She said coldly as Trevor's heart broke right before her eyes. She felt the guilt pinch at her chest but she felt like it was the only way to get him to give up on her. If that didn't work, well, then she didn't really have a plan B.
"Never? Really?" His eyes narrowed and he looked away. He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it and bit his lip. "You never gave me a chance. Besides," He looked into her cold eyes, "I see the look in your eyes when we touch. You can't say that you don't like me, even a little bit."
Tatiana was caught off guard. She hadn't realized that she gave such an obvious reaction to his touch. But, she didn't want to look like a fool and so she stood by her word. "Just leave."
He walked to the door and opened it, then paused, "I'll still wait for you. You know, when he hurts you. But, I'll leave you a lone for now." And with that he left Tatiana alone in her guilt.
"He's a sweet guy, but he's an idiot…" She murmured as she walked over to lock the door only to be shocked by the knob. "Idiot…"
That day the sun seemed to shine even brighter; it was some of the oddest winter weather that they've had in a while. The students were all waiting for snow so that they could go on the yearly ski trip that the teachers held. It didn't seem like the students would get a ski trip; maybe a trip to the beach instead.
Tatiana was hoping for a trip to beach. That way she and Eric could enjoy themselves. He would have the ocean and she would have the sun and warm sand. The thoughts continued to mule around her head about all of the things that they could do together. She was more then excited to meet him for lunch that day. She had breezed through her training with Jean and learned a few new things about herself. One, she was flammable and two, she knew absolutely nothing about plants.
By the time lunch time had come Tatiana was already on the roof; arms out and Aro perched in the sun. At her feet lay a small book about trees and flowers. She was trying to study up on her mutation so that she wouldn't be surprised when something new popped up.
Just when the sun began to get too hot a cool mist fell over the girl and her lizard. "How long have you been there?" She asked as she brought her arms down to her sides and turned to look at Eric.
"A while, I didn't want to disturb you but, your face was turning red and I just didn't want you to pass out." He said with a small smile.
"The mist was nice, thanks," Tatiana said as she walked over to him and sat down. She pulled her bag over and pulled out her lunch. "So,"
"My brother threatened me last night," Eric cut in, "he told me that I'd better not hurt you because he cares about you so much. You know what I told him?" Tatiana watched him in shock; mostly from the thought of Trevor threatening his older brother. He did have the advantage, though, electricity travels through water and is attracted to water. To Trevor, Eric was the perfect lightening rod. If the two ever worked together then they could be a very powerful duo.
"No…"
"I told him that I wouldn't dream of hurting you, and that he needed to give up on you." The guilt returned to Tatiana, ruining the mood.
"And… and what did he say?" She asked.
"Just that you already told him off and that he wasn't quitting." Eric said with a sigh before eating some French fries.
"Oh…" Tatiana felt a little better that Eric hadn't upset Trevor too much. She didn't like him always popping up but she didn't like how she talked to him the night before. "He didn't shock you again, did he?" Tatiana asked as Aro climbed down and waddled over to her food that sat besides Tatiana's sandwich.
"He tried. But, he missed." He gave a shrug. He reached a hand out to touch Tatiana's hair. "It looks like you have more vines then yesterday…"
"Really?" She said reaching up to touch her hair and mostly found vines. She gave a whine and bowed her head down, "why do I have to change?" She figured that being a mutant wouldn't be too bad but the fact that she was losing her human characteristics in the process was something she was not ready to live with.
"It looks fine. Don't worry," Eric said trying to comfort her. He moved beside her and rubbed her shoulder, "it's not how you look on the outside, but how you feel on the inside. Everyone had to change… it's not that bad."
"Yes it is!" Tatiana pushed away from him and glared at him with tear filled eyes and blurred vision, "I'm turning into a tree! My hair looks like medusa! This is horrible. I never wanted to become a mutant!" She cried as she got to her feet and ran over to the stairs.
"Wait!" Eric called after her and along with Aro chased Tatiana down the stairs, "wait," He grabbed onto her arm to stop her.
"Leave me alone!" She hissed; her vines rose and pointed at the man threateningly.
"I'm sorry… I just don't want you to leave like this… I didn't mean to upset you." He said releasing her and taking a step back.
Aro climbed into her owner's shaky arms and glared at Eric, "Just leave me alone…" Tatiana said before running down the hall. She pressed Aro into her chest as she ran; she didn't want to be in that place any longer. She didn't want to be around anymore mutants, not even herself. She ignored curious students as she dashed past them and was only stopped by the front gates. She kicked at the gate for a few minutes before dropping to her knees in defeat.
"This place is really secure. It's not easy to get in, or out." A voice said right before the gates creaked open.
"Why are you helping me?" Tatiana said in a whisper as she fought her tears.
"Because you looked like you could use some help."
"Don't follow me. I'm not coming back." She stood and ran through the gates.
It felt like she had been running for hours and her body was about ready to fall apart. She couldn't see past the blur of tears in her eyes and as far as she could tell she was still in the forest that surrounded the mansion. She stopped running and began to trudge through the thick forest. She didn't want to stop, even if her legs felt like they were going to fall off. She couldn't stop now. She had to get as far away from that place as possible.
As the sun began to set Tatiana's energy seemed to drain even faster and she was finally forced to rest. She sat down next to a large oak and pulled her knees to her chest as she cried. Aro climbed down to the ground and stretched out under a large root before falling asleep.
The sounds of the forest began to register in the girl's mind. She wasn't a lone. She'd never be alone. Her vines seemed to hang limply on her head as exhaustion finally began to take over. She could no longer feel her legs and her lungs were burning from the long run. She needed water, but she had left in such a hurry that she wasn't prepared.
A water bottle fell from the tree tops and Tatiana quickly looked up only to see Trevor grinning widely down at her.
"I thought that I told you not to follow me." She said with a glare and watched him jump down and land besides her.
"I couldn't let you go alone. Do you know how dangerous it is to go off on your own?" Trevor spoke, his smile quickly faded, "Once you leave the school your fair game for anyone who can get their hands on you."
"I don't care…" She whispered as she opened the water and drank the entire bottle.
"Well, I do." He sighed before handing her another bottle and watching her drink that one as well.
They sat there in silence for a moment before Tatiana began to cry again, "I don't want to be a mutant…" She cried. Trevor pulled her into a hug and was surprised when she grabbed onto him and cried into his shoulder.
"No one does…" He whispered in her ear as they sat there. The night seemed to drag on and the stars only lit the forest floor dimly.
Once Tatiana had fallen asleep Trevor laid her down gently and climbed into the large oak that they were beneath. He began to clear away some of the leaves and branches until the light from the moon and stars illuminated Tatiana's sleeping form. Then, with a yawn he climbed down to the ground and walked around to the other side of the tree trunk before falling asleep his self.
Neither of the teens knew what they had gotten their selves into. Tatiana only wanted to get away from the thought of becoming a mutant while Trevor simply wanted to keep an eye on her and make sure that she didn't get herself killed.
The light filtered down through the opening in the trees that Trevor had made the night before onto Tatiana's tearstained face. When her eyes opened she came face to face with Aro and smiled weakly. "How much of that was a dream…" She sighed before the sound of breathing startled her. She glanced around but didn't see anything. When she tried to stand a sharp pain shot through her legs making her knees buckle. She was never an athletic person and all of the running was something entirely new to her body.
Managing to crawl a few feet, Tatiana spotted something on the other side of the tree. She pulled herself a little further as saw Trevor's sleeping form. She was shocked that he had actually showed up. She thought that her run in with him the night before was part of a dream.
She sat down besides him and watched Aro crawl over to him and lay on his chest. "Leave him alone," Tatiana smiled as the stubborn lizard stretched her legs out and closed her eyes while Trevor laid there unfazed and still asleep.
The white in his hair seemed to spread. Only the very top seemed to still be black. He was changing too. She wondered if his hair would turn fully white like Storm. His features seemed tense while he slept and not at all cheery like when he's awake.
Tatiana still didn't want him following her. She didn't want him to have to deal with her drama. She quietly picked up Aro and stood before slowly making her way deeper into the forest. Her legs were killing her, but she knew that she couldn't stop yet. She had to keep going. Something deep inside told her that if she kept going that she could be happy.
About twenty minutes into Tatiana's slow journey she heard her name called, "Hey, wait for me!" Trevor shouted as he quickly caught up to her. "Geeze, you don't rest do you?" He asked while trying to catch his breath.
Tatiana looked at the green stains on his white shirt from where she cried and quickly looked away. "You shouldn't follow me." She said as she fought the pain in her legs and continued walking.
"I know. I just can't help myself." He laughed sheepishly as he walked besides her. "Wow, your hair has almost been completely replaced by vines, huh? That's so cool." He smiled widely as he reached out to touch her hair only to have a vine swat his hand away. "Nice control," He complemented.
"Please don't talk about my hair…" She pleaded as she stopped and tried to stop herself from falling over.
"Hey, hey," Trevor caught her shoulders and eased her down to the ground, "you need to rest. You are in no condition to hike this forest." He said; his face covered in worry.
"I don't care…" She pulled away from him and tried to get to her feet again, "I just want to get away from the school and everyone," She sighed as she pressed on.
"Believe me, we're away from everything right now." Trevor said as he blocked her path, "No one will find us. Just rest for a little while. For me," He begged as he locked eyes with her. Tatiana's mind didn't want to stop but her body was ready to collapse.
"Just for a little bit," She gave in before sitting down on the forest floor and sighing. She ran a finger through her hair only to have the few dreads that she had left fall out. "No…" Tears began to fill her eyes again, "Did I really have to lose my hair?" She asked looking at Trevor as if he had the answer.
Trevor didn't say a word and pulled her into a tight hug. He figured that if she could get all of her tears out then she'd feel better. Tatiana pushed against his hug at first but when she found that her struggle was futile she cried into his shoulder again.
"I'm ruining your shirt…" She sniffled after a while. The tears still flowed but she didn't feel as horrible as she did before.
"It's just a shirt." He smiled, happy that she had changed the subject. "Tell me, where is the one place that you've always wanted to go?" He asked her randomly.
"Italy," She said confused by his subject choice.
"Why? What do you like about Italy so much?"
Tatiana paused for a moment then she pulled away from him and looked up at the tree tops, "Because it has such beautiful towns and I've always wanted to try real Italian food." She said with a slight blush.
"They do have the best. Nessuno le marche esso meglio poi madre." He smiled at her, "I'll have to invite you to my house over the holidays if you want some real Italian food."
"You're Italian?" She asked in shock; not only because he was and could speak Italian but also because he still made contact with his parents.
"Well, half anyway. My mom would try to feed the entire school if she saw the slop that they fed us here." He laughed at Tatiana's shocked expression, "What?"
"Nothing… I just didn't expect that. And your mom doesn't mind the mutation?" She asked slowly.
"Not at all," He looked down as his smile weakened, "She cried when Eric and I came to the school though. She didn't like the idea of us living with strangers. We left when we were really young and real Italian guys stay at home until marriage… so, you can see why my mom felt that way." He gave a sigh and a shrug.
"That's good that she cares so much about you… my parents would probably call the National Guard if they saw me. They hate mutants." Tatiana whispered as she rubbed Aro's back.
"You never know… they might want you to come home." He said as he reached over to touch her shoulder. A couple of her vines wrapped around his fingers and Tatiana smiled slightly.
"You think so?" She asked looking up at him with hopeful eyes. She was so afraid of how angry her parents would be when they saw her mutation that she never thought that they could accept her.
"Yeah, you'll never know if you don't talk to them." He said as she leaned into him, catching him off guard. He smiled widely to his self.
"I want to see them." She spoke sternly as she looked up into his eyes.
"Okay… where do you live?" He was a little hesitant to give into her need to see her parents, but his feelings for her overpowered his fears.
"Northridge. It was a two hour drive from the school." She said with a bright smile.
"That's really far…" Trevor bit his lip and looked up at the sky for a moment, "it'll take a couple hours to get to town and then we can probably catch a bus to Northridge." He mused.
"What about my hair… and hands…" She said as reality began to set in, "and money…"
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
They sat there for another half hour before standing and slowly making their way out of the forest. Trevor led the way happily and patiently. He waited for her when she needed a break and managed to bring a few snacks in his backpack so that they wouldn't starve. The forest, however, seemed to never end. Tatiana had managed to get use to the pain in her legs after a while but the more she walked, the more time she had to think about how her parents might react. When she tried to change her mind, Trevor wouldn't allow her too. He would find a way to cheer her up and give her some hope. He didn't want her to shut down and leave again. He was hoping that getting some closure with her parents might ease the situation some.
When they got to the forest edge Trevor told Tatiana to wait. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a baseball cap before walking out into the small town that they had arrived in. Tatiana sat patiently behind a tree as she dug through his backpack curiously. She didn't find anything beyond a few bags of chips, water, and a small metal rod.
She curiously lifted the rod and looked at it. She felt her finger pass over something and the rod grew instantly. In surprise she quickly tried to make it go back to its original size before Trevor returned. Aro placed her front leg on the rod just before the sound of foot steps quickly approached.
"Well, look at we have here. A little mutant girl." A man said as he stood beside Tatiana making her freeze.
"Just leave me alone," She stuttered as she eyed the man.
"Now I have the right mind to turn you in,"
"Leave!" She hissed her vines stood on end startling the man. She watched him begin to back away only to freeze in his tracks as the sky suddenly grew dark and the wind began to pick up. The man then began to twitch violently as smoke started to lift from the top of his head. Then he fell to the ground unconscious leaving Trevor standing behind him with chalky eyes and a nasty glare.
"Did he hurt you?" He asked as both the sky and his eyes cleared.
"No…" Tatiana was still holding onto the metal rod tightly. Trevor walked over to her, his eyes still in a narrow glare. He pulled the rod out of her hands and retracted it before sliding it into his back pocket.
"Put these on quickly." He said tossing her a head scarf and a pair of gloves. He then walked over to his backpack and closed it.
"I'm sorry…" She only felt the need to apologize because he appeared to be so angry.
"For what?" He asked as his eyes softened into confusion.
"Well, I went through your things and I almost exposed us."
"Don't worry about it. You didn't do anything wrong. That jerk didn't know who he was dealing with," Trevor smiled victoriously as Tatiana wrapped her vines tightly in the scarf and slipped on the gloves.
"Okay then Mr. Tough Guy," She laughed, "Did you get a bus schedule?" She asked with a raised brow.
"Yup! Next bus leaves in twenty minutes. We need to go." He said before turning to leave. Tatiana quickly followed him but, then paused to look at the man.
"Will he be alright?"
"Yeah, I just knocked him out." Trevor said with a casual wave of the hand. Tatiana looked down at the burn on the man's shirt and sighed.
They quickly went through the town and to the bus stop. They made it just as the bus was pulling up.
"Wait, we don't have any money!" Tatiana said checking her pockets. Trevor smiled and pulled out some cash.
"Just because you weren't prepared doesn't mean I'm not." He paid the bus fair and they took a seat near the back. The bus ride was long and boring and Tatiana soon found herself lizard less. She watched Trevor pet the reptile with a calm smile on his face. She gave a yawn and closed her eyes. They still had a few hours before they were back in her hometown.
"Wake up, we get off at the next stop." Trevor said as he gently shook Tatiana's drooling head off of his shoulder.
"Already?" She mumbled as she lifted her head and when she felt the drool on the side of her face she turned bright red. She quickly wiped the drool off of her face and looked away from Trevor. "I'm sorry… I'm just ruining your shirt more and more." She laughed sheepishly.
"Hey, I keep telling you that it's just a shirt. Besides, you're really cute when you sleep." He said as the bus came to a stop and a few of the passengers were looking at them.
"Shut up." She whispered before quickly standing and jumping off of the bus with him right behind her.
"Aw… but you are." He grinned as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a clean shirt.
"Where did you get that?" Tatiana asked not remembering seeing a shirt while she was prying.
"I bought it at the last rest stop," He said as he quickly changed. He threw his old shirt in the trash, "I don't want to look a complete mess when I meet your parents." He smiled brightly.
"You're a real piece of work," Tatiana laughed, "you know that right?" She looked up at his confused expression and then began to walk. "I don't live too far from here." She wondered how worried her parents were. They didn't know that she was a mutant. She just disappeared the day before graduation. She hoped that they weren't too hurt by her disappearance and she could only prey that they still love her as a mutant.
"Wow! Is this your house?" Trevor asked in awe at the huge house in front of them.
"Yeah… it looks like they're home…" She whispered as her heart pounded against her ribs.
"Everything will be alright. Come on." Trevor smiled before taking her hand and leading her to the front door. Tatiana tried to free her hand from his and run away but he knocked on the door loudly and quickly. "Relax, just talk to them. Don't bring up the mutation until your ready." He whispered to her as footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door. He gently pulled her in front of him as the door swung open and two pairs of arms threw themselves around her.
"Tatiana!" Her mother cried as she squeezed her shocked daughter. "Where have you been? We've been so worried about you." Her parents hugged her for a long time before inviting Trevor into the house.
"Did you find her?" Robert, Tatiana's father asked Trevor.
"Um… no sir, my teacher did." He smiled at her parents. They all looked so happy to be together again.
"What's your name?" Kristine, Tatiana's mother asked as she served hot chocolate to everyone.
"Trevor Paxton,"
"Thank you so much for bringing her home." Kristine said before hugging him tightly.
"Tatiana, take off that scarf and relax. You're home now," Her mother said as she reached to remove the scarf only for Tatiana to dodge her and cover her head.
"Um… no, I uh…" She didn't know what to say. She looked at Trevor who simply pulled his hat down over his white hair. "I have to tell you guys something." She said before sitting down on the couch.
"What is it?" Her father asked curiously.
"You might want to sit down," She watched her parents sit and Trevor walked away from them. He began to look around at the little trinkets that Kristine collected anything to make him look busy.
"What is it? You can tell us." Her mother said making her shake from the nerves.
"Well… the day I disappeared, I had run away," She thought it'd be better to leave waking up in the mansion out, "I came across a place that helped people like me…" She paused as her parents didn't seem to understand. "I've changed. A lot. And I'm afraid that you guys won't love me once you see the new me." She whispered.
"We can never not love you. You're our baby. It's okay, tell us."
Tatiana took a deep breath before standing and removing her gloves. When her mother saw the leaves growing out of her daughters hands she quickly grabbed her hand and looked at it closely.
"What is this?" Her mother asked in a panic.
"I'm not done yet." Tatiana said before pulling her hand away from her mother. She set Aro down on the couch and reached for her head only for Trevor to place a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you sure?" He whispered and watched her nod. He picked up Aro and went back to looking at the decorations in the living room.
Tatiana unwrapped her hair and watched the horror pass over her parents face as the vines slowly squirmed around knotting around each other and releasing; they were always in motion.
Tatiana closed her eyes and waited for their screams but it never came. Instead, however, there were shouts directed at Trevor.
"What is wrong with her? What did you guys do to our baby?" Kristine shouted at the poor boy. He just put his hands up in defense.
"Nothing, she was like this when I met her." He said seriously.
"Mom! He did nothing but help me. This is my mutation." Tatiana said sternly as her mother tried to comprehend what was going on. Her father had mysteriously disappeared. "Where's dad?" Tatiana asked her mother fearfully.
"You can't be the same girl I had… there's no way." Her mother whispered; repeating the last part a few times to herself.
"Let's go," Trevor said before grabbing Tatiana's wrist and pulling her to the front door.
"Mom," She watched her mom stare at the wall in complete shock. "Mom!" Her mother slowly turned her head to look at Tatiana, "I love you, mom." Tears rolled down her eyes, "Please love me!" She pleaded pulling her hand out of Trevor's grip. "Mom!"
"I can't!" Her mom cried.
"Get out of our house." Robert returned with a handgun aimed at his daughter.
Trevor quickly pulled her behind him and reached his hand out towards the gun. His eyes glazed over as a small spark shot between him and Robert making the gun shock him. He watched the gun fall to the floor.
"I can't believe you two. You dare threaten your own flesh and blood?" Trevor asked in a dangerous tone, "She was already terrified that you'd do this to her. She knew that you'd treat her as if she wasn't yours, but she came anyway because she missed her parents." His ghostly white eyes narrowed as a sudden wind picked up, "You two are scum. You don't deserve her heartache." He turned to the shocked Tatiana and wrapped the scarf back on her head before grabbing her gloves and walking her out of the house.
"You freaks stay away from here!" Her father shouted to the backs of the teens as they made their way back to the bus stop.
Tatiana slowly put her gloves on and then she stared blankly at the ground, only moving when the bus arrived and Trevor lead her to the platform. She was still in shock about how her parents treated her. She didn't even realize that the bus ride was more then twice as long as the first one. She finally looked out of the window and tried to take in her surroundings. She didn't know the way back to the school so she couldn't be sure if they were there or not when the bus came to a stop.
Trevor led her off of the bus and told her to wait on the bench while he went to a nearby pay phone. When he returned Tatiana was still staring off into space. He led her down a long road until they came to an old run down neighborhood. They stopped in front of a house and a woman was standing on the porch.
"Is this her?" The woman asked in shock while Trevor gave a nod. "Hurry up and bring her in." She said gesturing for them to come in.
Once they were inside Trevor sat Tatiana down on the couch and then went over to the woman and gave her a long hug and a quick kiss. Tatiana watched them curiously. She assumed that the lady was his mother by the way she forced more kisses on him. She looked around the living room and figured that she was in his house. It was a cozy little house. It was very warm and inviting. Aro quickly made herself at home by stretching out on the arm of the couch.
"Are you hungry?" The woman asked as she looked Tatiana over, she didn't seem to mind the lizard at all. Tatiana shook her head only for her stomach to say otherwise. "I'll make you guys something to eat," She smiled warmly, "Just relax. You are more then welcome here." She said before walking into the kitchen.
Tatiana stood and walked over to the mantle where there were plenty of pictures of two little boys. She could tell that they were Trevor and Eric.
"Wasn't I cute?" Trevor asked with a short laugh when he saw her looking at his baby picture.
"Why are we here?" Tatiana spoke in a horse voice. She hadn't cried out loud the entire ride there, but she still managed to strain her voice.
"Because, I didn't think you'd be ready to go back to school… besides, you said that you've always wanted real Italian food," He smiled brightly at her, "my mom here is the best."
Tatiana hugged him tightly and closed her eyes to stop the tears. "Thank you so much." She whispered as she felt his arms wrap around her.
After a while his mother returned with a hand full of clean clothes, "You can go get cleaned up for dinner in my bathroom." She smiled warmly, "And don't worry about your hair. I've witnessed my oldest son turning into a puddle. After that, nothing can surprise me." She laughed lightly before leading Tatiana down a hall and into the master bedroom. Trevor's mom showed her the bathroom and left her alone.
After her shower, Tatiana looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look too different. The vines resembled her old hair and the leaves weren't too noticeable. She ran her finger through her hair and found that thorns were all throughout her head. She wasn't surprised. It was part of being a plant she assumed and quickly put on her clean clothes before walking back into the living room where she found Trevor sitting on the couch in clean clothes and with wet hair. He was petting Aro and watching TV. She could smell his mother's cooking and it only made her acknowledge how hungry she really was.
"Your mom is too kind." She whispered, her voice was still horse. She sat down on the couch besides him and laid her head on his shoulder.
"I know…" He whispered as he touched her hair gently sending chills down her spine. "You're new hair really is amazing." He said softly. He wasn't smiling that goofy smile he always had. It was a very somber smile, very calm and relaxed.
"Thanks," Tatiana said as she glanced at his face. She could feel her vines gripping onto his hand and feeling around his shoulder.
"Hey, I'm ticklish!" He laughed when the vines touched his neck. Tatiana lifted her head and smiled weakly at him.
"You're so goofy," She gave a weak laugh as he tried to untangle his hand. When his hand was freed he cupped her cheek and locked eyes with her.
"You're beautiful," He said making her blush, "You know you like me." He grinned making her punch him in the arm.
"Get over yourself!" She laughed as his mother walked in.
"You two are so cute," She cooed, "come on, dinner's ready." She said before leading them into the dinning room.
They all sat around the small table and passed the delicious looking food around. Tatiana tried not to inhale the wonderful feast but being out all night with only a few snacks took its toll on the girl.
"So, Tatiana, do you go to the same school as Trevor?" His mother asked.
"Yes, I just started a couple of weeks ago." Tatiana smiled as she tried not to talk with her mouth full.
"Oh, so, how long have you had your mutation?" She seemed very curious.
"A couple of weeks," Tatiana said shyly. It was weird to talk to a normal person again. "I'm still getting use to everything," She said as she watched a vine pick up a napkin and then wiped her mouth.
"Oh, so, how long have you been seeing my son?"
"Mom!"
"Oh, we're not together…" Tatiana said with a blush.
"I'm sorry," His mom held back a laugh, "You two just seem so close. Trevor doesn't bring home girls. You must be really special to him,"
"Ma, stop it." Trevor grunted.
"He's normally a hot head who can't stand a girl long enough to have a relationship." His mother finished with a smile.
"Really?" Tatiana smirked at Trevor, "Well, he's been trying to get my attention since I got to the school; I just thought that he did that with all the girls."
"No way," Trevor said after taking a sip of water, "I keep telling you that I like you," He glanced at his mother, "She's going to be my girl. Just you wait and see," He looked back at a shocked Tatiana. He was so determined to be with her that she was beginning to wonder why she didn't like him.
"Keep dreaming," Tatiana said before taking a bite of her food. "I like your son, but his ego is just way too big," She said making his mother laugh.
"Well then you've never met Eric. There's an ego." She said confusing Tatiana.
"Really? He seemed so nice when I met him." She said as her head tilted slightly.
"Oh, he didn't try to seduce you did he?" She asked in shock.
"Um… I don't think so…"
"Yeah, he did, but he didn't get anywhere." Trevor cut in.
"Good. You two are very cute together." His mom looked between the two teens.
Tatiana didn't bother correcting her and simply continued to eat her meal. She could see were Trevor got his persistence from. If Trevor couldn't get her to like him his mother would find a way to make it happen.
Once they finished their food Trevor's mom showed her to Trevor and Eric's room, "You can sleep here tonight. He'll sleep on the couch." She said making Trevor frown. Tatiana thanked her and sat on one of the beds, "That's Trevor's bed." She smiled widely before handing Tatiana some pajamas, "You can call Jean in the morning to come pick you two up. Have a good night." She said before pushing her son out of the room and closing the door.
"Night Tatiana!" Trevor called through the door.
"Good night. And thanks for everything!" She called back with a smile.
She quickly changed and laid down in the bed. It was so comfortable that she nearly fell asleep but she remembered that she left Aro on the couch and she wanted to get her before going to sleep. She quietly walked out of the room and saw that the master bedroom door was shut. She tiptoed down the hall and spotted Trevor sitting on the couch shirtless while watching TV.
Tatiana walked over to the arm of the couch and picked up Aro.
"She can stay here if you want to leave her for the night," Trevor smiled up at her.
"That's okay. I don't think I could sleep without her." She smiled back and had to turn away for a moment.
"What's wrong?" He asked standing up and touching her shoulder.
"Nothing. Good night." Tatiana said with a red face as she quickly ran into the bedroom. She couldn't believe that she was nervous around him. When did this begin?
The drive back to school was long and awkward. No one wanted to say anything. Jean had already lectured the two for leaving campus. Neither of them told her their true intentions. Tatiana wanted to forget about what happened with her parents while Trevor just wanted to keep her happy. He knew that her parents wouldn't accept her, but she needed the closure. If she hadn't experienced the pain then she would never be about to accept herself.
Trevor took a deep sigh as Jean came to a red light. She looked into the back seat at him and glared. She held him responsible for opening the gates and allowing Tatiana to leave. There were security cameras that watched them leave the grounds and head off into the forest. Jean didn't want to use her powers to find them right away. She wanted to give them time to do the right thing. But, it took two days for them to call and she wanted to know why. She couldn't look at their memories while she was driving so, she'd have to do it later.
"You two are grounded for a month. You go to practice and back to your room." Jean said sternly as they pulled up to the mansion.
They were stuck in their rooms for the rest of the day. The next day, however, after both of the teens had finished training they managed to sneak out of their rooms. Tatiana headed for the roof to try and get a little more sun before night fall. Trevor went to the greenhouse to look for Tatiana, but she wasn't there.
"You look like a tree," Trevor said from behind Tatiana scaring her.
"What are you doing? You're going to get in more trouble." She said in a hushed tone.
"So are you," He smiled. Tatiana didn't bother arguing with him and instead went back to soaking up the sun.
Once the sun began to set she sat down on the roof with Trevor and the two stayed quiet. The scene was beautiful. The sky was a deep orange and the sun was slowly sinking behind the mountains. Tatiana rested her head on Trevor's shoulder as the first start appeared in the sky. Slowly other more dim stars appeared in the darkening sky. After a few minutes, Tatiana was going to leave but then a meteor shower began.
"Make a wish." Trevor whispered as he watched the falling stars in the distance.
"Already did." She smiled.
"What was it?"
"I wished for courage."
"Why?"
"Because, I need to be courageous while I deal with my changes, and also, for this," She lifted her head and leaned in to kiss Trevor catching him off guard in the process.
The meteors rained down unfazed by the mutant's emotional accomplishment. They're only job was to fall and grant wishes; rather or not those wishes came true was completely up to the people who made them.