Chapter 1

"Ahhh! Get outta the way, Jamie!" A large trunk with legs yelled on its way to the mansion from an official-looking van in the drive. It was Scott.

"Jamie MOVE!"

"Oh, uh...sorry..." Jamie said, trying to move out of the way of Scott and the large atricle of furniture, and almost suceeding, had it not been for the fact that they were taking up the entire path. Before Jamie could move out of the way, Scott's elbow bumped against his chest, causing two more Jamie's to pop up behind him, pushing him forward and crashing headlong into Scott, causing him to cry out in frustration.

"I was uh...wondering if maybe you wanted to...uh... play basketball... but I see that you're doing something, so..can I help?" The two multiples behind Jamie nodded furvently, muttering,

"Ya, can we help?"

And

"What can we do?"

Scott grunted as he stood up, brushing himself off while darting his surprised yet angry eyes to all three of the pleading Jamies.

"You know, I think there is something you can do!" He said, cracking his knuckles firmly and stepping over the fallen trunk with the engravings "Tyler J. Allen" carved into the painted golden frame.

"What?!" All the Jamies cried in unision, looking up at Scott with bright, excited eyes.

Scott stepped forward, makeing Jamie and his two multiples crane their necks to look at him.

"You can get out of my way." Said Scott harshly, pushing one of the multiples out of his way as he picked up the trunk and moved out of sight. Jamie stood there watching him, and anger at being underestimated boiled up inside him.

"I wish he'd let me help!" The multiple Scott had pushed grumbled as he followed Jamie away from the moving van.

The other multiple nodded slowly and looked around for something else to do, spotting noone but Bobby, who was undenyable trying to flirt with Kitty. Kitty was pretty, he decided wth a smile, but he had never really met her. He turned his head as the multiple on his right dissapeared, and then looked in dissapointment as the one on his left joined it.

" Funny, they usually don't dissapear for at least an hour.." Jamie mumbled to himself as he grudged across the green lawn of the Xavier institute, wishing he could bring at least one of his friends from school here, or Professor Xavuer would at least let him go out on weekends. His mind went back to when he had asked the

Professor if he could go to a friends to sleep over.

" Professor- um- Xavier- um- I was um- wondering if I could- um-" Jamie squirmed in his chair uncomfortably.

" I'm sorry, Jamie, you cannot go to your friend's house for a sleepover. "

"How did you-"

The Professor gave Jamie a mysterious smile.

" I suppose none of the other recruits told you I was a telepath. But back to the matter at hand, I am sorry, it is too risky. Until we find out exactly how we can control your powers, and what the nature of your powers are, we can only have you going out when absolutely necessary, such as school. There is no telling what could happen if there was some sort of accident."

" But.. all my friends are going..."

" I'm sorry, Jamie, it cannot be done! You will just have to stay here and spend time with the friends you have in the institute."'

Jamie got up and headed towards the door slowly walked out, casting a final glance at the Professor before mumbling to himself,

" But I don't have any friends at the institute..."

Kitty laughed flirtatiously as Bobby tried to "wow" her with his ice powers, truely impressed. How cool would it be to be able to shoot ice out of your hands? She looked around the lawn and saw Jamie walking glumly across the grass, head down. She had never actually talked to Jamie, she simply knew he was there, and that he couldn't participate in half the training sessions the new recruits were part of.

" Hey Bobbie... isn't that Jamie?" Bobbie's eyes darted around the lawn angerly, and he was clearly annoyed at getting interrupted.

" Yah... so?"

Kitty shrugged , a curious smile on her face.

" Whats his power?"

Bobbie's eyes lit up excitedly, probably at the thought of impressing her with his knowlege.

"It's a really useless power actually.. more of a burden..its... um... well... its like..."

" Hard to explain?" Kitty interjected, grinning at Bobbie's inability to describe the power to her.

" I have an idea!" he shouted, clearly happy she had smiled at him.

" I'll show you! Cummon!"

Grabbing Kitty's hand, he pulled her across the lawn towards a depressed looking Jamie, seemingly unaware of his situation.

" Hey Jamie!" Bobbie called to him when they were but a couple of yards away. Jamie swung around with a surpised look on his face that instantly turned to joy.

" Oh, hey Bobbie!" Then, noticeing Kitty, he gave a shy, " Hi, Kitty" before turning back to Bobbie.

" Hey man, I just wanted to come over and give you a high five!" Bobbie grinned, winking at her and motioning for her to watch.

" Um...okay..." Jamie said uncertainly, but still smiling at the fact Bobbie was talking to him.

" Well?" Bobby said impatiently, his hand still posed in midair, a lot higher than Jamie's head. Oblivious to the annoyance in Bobbie's voice he jumped up and slapped his hand, landing hard on his butt and hearing the soft popping noise as five

more of him appeared behind him, all in the same position.

" Woh..." All the Jamies said together, some stareing up at Bobbie, others stareing around at the Institute from their perches on the springie green grass.

" See!!! Isn't that the COOLEST?!" Bobbie shouted, pointing at all the Jamies lounging on the grass, and what looked like the real Jamie standing up and brushing himself off.

Kitty giggled and nodded, before stepping forward to help one of the multiples that was closest to her up.

"Jamie?" She asked, brushing him off with a giggle.

"Yes?" Six voices chorused, all turning to look at her. This made Kitty giggle even more, which made all 6 Jamies blush and smile apolegetically.

"Which one is the real Jamie?" Bobby asked, stepping forward, a grin on his face.

The Jamie standing up raised his hand, but the four multiples sitting down and the one that had been helped up by Kitty all sprang forward, shouting,

"ME!" At all differance times.

Kitty found all of this extremely funny, and Bobby gave Jamie(or who he thought was Jamie) a thumbs up and a wink, before turning to Kitty and, leaning against a tree, said,

"You see, I know alot. I'm just about the smartest kid in my geomatry class...besides you, of course..."

Jamie shook his head and went on his way once again, waiting for the sound of his multiples running to catch up with him, which came soon after.

"Hey Jamie!"

"Almost lost you there!"

"Why'd you walk away?"

"That was a long run!"

"You shoulda waited!"

Jamie sighed and ignored the constant chattering of his multiples, and walked into the kitchen to find only one person occupying a chair. Jamie didn't know who he was, but then again, he didn't know alot of people. The boy sitting at the head of the table looked bored and aggrivated, his expression filled blue eyes darting around hyperly. His platinum blonde hair was askew, as though he had been running his fingers through it quite a few times, trying to get it to make it look right. He looked about Nightcrawlers age...was that 15? He'd always been too shy to ask.

"Hey!" Jamie cried, looking around. There were six seats at the table, and his multiples had taken up five of them.

"You guys have NO respect!" He grumbled, and was answered with,

"Get your own seat!"

"You snooze you lose!"

"Ha HA!"

"Na na na na na na!"

"This seat is SO comfy!"

Jamie let out an exasperated sigh and jumped up onto the high counter, deciding right then and there to try his luck with the stranger in the room.

"Um...hi!" Jamie said loudly, so the stranger could hear.

He looked up, and gave Jamie a death stare.

"Hi?"

Jamie looked uncomfortable.

"Um...can I ask...are you new?"

The death stare continued.

"Oh."

Jamie stared at the stranger for a moment, his mouth in a strait line like he other boy's, but in only a minute the side of his mouth twitched into a smile. To his surprise, so did the stranger's.

"Geuss I can't keep a strait face..." Jamie said, grinning. The boy nodded.

"Me either. Esspecially since theres someone grinning at me. I'm Tyler, what's your name?" He held out his hand to Jamie, and Jamie carefully shook it.

"I'm Jamie."

"Is that your gift?" Tyler motioned to the three multiples now left. The rest had faded.

Jamie nodded glumly.

"Sometimes. Um, hey, if you dont mind, can I ask you something?"

Tyler put his hands on his hips and sighed.

"Lemmie geuss, you want to ask me what my power is, right?"

Jamie opened his mouth, but Tyler put his hand up to stop him.

"Well you dont have to ask. I can attract metal objects with my body. There."

Jamie cleared his throat and grinned.

"Well, um, thats not what I was gunna ask, but...okay. I was gunna ask if you wanted to play basketball with me."

An excited smile lit up Tyler's face as he nodded, and they ran outside to the basketball court together.

"Well, that's the last of it. " Scott concluded, brushing his hands off.

"Now, where's the new recruit? I think the first thing he needs is a traditional X-Men welcome."

Professor Xavier chuckled.

"I'm afraid, Scott, that someone else has beat you to welcoming him. But if you'd like to introduce yourself, they're on the basketball court."

Scott nodded and headed torwards the basketball court, the leaves crunching underneath his feet. There was a large crowd surrounding the basketball court, cheering loudly, and Scott could see them making quite a commotion. It was obvious who was playing basketball with the new recruit.

The whole crowd of people looked like Jamie.

He walked up amist the many multiples of Jamies to the edge of the basketball court, and, leaning against a surprisingly calm multiple, examined the game being held. Despite the fact that all of the sideline Jamies were shouting into his ear, "Go Jamie!", there was some heavy action on the court, Jamie and Tyler twirling and throwing, using their greatest techniques to keep the ball away from the opposing player. The basketball hoop posessed a sort of lean to it, letting the much taller, older Tyler have the advantage of a perfect jumpshot.

He should have told me he liked basketball! Scott mused to himself. I would have played with him!

But he did...A voice in the back of his head snickered at his stupidity. Don't you remember? He asked you to play with him, just this morning!

"I dont remember that!" He said to the voice.

Ah...you don't? The voice weedled back. He was trying to cheer you up...because it was yesterday night that Jean announced she was going to the prom with Duncan, do you remember now?

"I still don't remember that."

One of the Jamies that was cheering for...the real Jamie stopped to whisper to the Jamie next to him, pointing at Scott.

Scott shifted uncomfortably and watched the game once again. But something was strange about the basketball hoop...it seemed bent...as though something was uprooting it from its surface...

"Guys!" Scott shouted, waving his arms to get the boys attention. Jamie looked up from his concentrated dribbling of the ball and waved with a smile, while as Tyler quickly snatched the ball away from the smaller boy's careful grasp. Scott was about to call out to the two players once more, but his cries were stifled by a large, earsplitting crash, and a body to come barelling into him, sending him to the ground.

Pushing a large form he knew was Tyler off of him as gently as he could in his panic, he coughed and squinted into a mass of dust that had arisen from the impact of the basketball hoop falling atop the cement court.

There was Tyler, now where was...

"Jamie?" Scott looked around for Jamie, but he only saw a large mass of crumpled multiples. The senier jumped forward onto the mashed basketball court, raising his voice in obvious panic.

"JAMIE!"

"Scott?" A small voice could be heard on the opposite side of the basketball court from where Scott was.

"Jamie, where are you?" Scott took a cautious step, looking around.

"I'm stuck! I can't get my arm out!" Scott spotted him and quickly ran to his aid.

"Oh..." Scott groaned. Jamie's arm was stuck underneath the basketball hoop.

"Okay...how do we do this?"

Scott crouched down next to Jamie and thought quick. He would have to move it...but if he used his lazer vision, he might hit Jamie...

"Alright. I'm going to move this, okay? It might hurt."

Jamie bit his lip and nodded.

Putting his hands on either side of where Jamie's arm was, Scott pushed the large, metal off of the boy's arm as gently as he could. There was a yell and a sob from Jamie, who now had tears running down his face, but that was the only noise heard by the boy while the item was being moved off of his arm.

"See...it's moved...now let me see take a look at your arm..." Scott instructed, hoping he was doing the right thing.

Jamie covered his eyes with his uninjured arm to cover up his tears and, with much pain, held out his arm to Scott. The outside of it was shiny and red, while some parts were covered with thick red blood.

"Okay, I need to take you to the hospital ward. You're bleeding." Scott slowly lifted Jamie up into his arms, careful not to touch his hurt arm.

"Tyler! Go get Ororo!" Tyler nodded and ran out the doors in front of Scott.

The 12 year old that Scott held was letting out jagged sobs into the sleeve of his uninjured arm, his eyes getting heavy and pain shooting throughout his entire arm and shoulder. A mysterious blackness crept into the close corners of his mind, asking permission to wrap itself around his confused thoughts.

"Okay, Jamie, focus!" Scott's persuasive voice jerked Jamie out of the trance he had once been in, and the boy focused on Scott.

"Okay. Now, whatever you do, DON'T PASS OUT! Think about happy things...waterfalls, snow, nightstars...no, not night stars!"

Boring. Jamie thought to himself, but focused his mind on snow...

"Wait, I've never seen snow..." Jamie commented, his voice fading, as though he was nodding off.

"Jamie! Wake up! Okay, let's play a game. I say basket, you have to say ball. Ready?"

Jamie let in a breath.

"Ready."

"Okay. Basket..."

"Ball."

"Good. Basket?"

"Ball..."

"Basket?"

"Ba..." Jamie's voice faded.

"BASKET?!" Scott shouted, making Jamie start in his arms.

"Ball."

They entered the hospital ward, and Jamie was quickly handed over to Logan's waiting arms, lead into the busy ward by Ororo.

"Basket?" Scott asked before they dissapeared into critical care.

He got no answer.