CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

This is the prequel to "Wild Girl" which is a story I will be uploading soon and is a crossover with another show called Mutant X which was a show about four twenty-something characters who had special powers because of a genetics research experiment that their parents had been involved in the eighties. There were four basic types of powers: feral, molecular, elemental, and tele-empath. The four core characters were Jesse Kilmartin (molecular, he could phase so that a person's hand would go right through him or mass which essentially turned his body into a brick wall. He was later able to phase other objects and people), Shalimar Fox (feral, she had the instincts and agility of a cat, though she looked normal. When upset, her eyes would turn yellow, she was later able to fend off attacks without even looking), Brennan Mulwray (elemental, could summon and control electricity with his fingers, was later able to use this power to push himself into the air via a form of "jetting)), and Emma DeLauro (tele-empath, she could sense others' emotions which were often portrayed metaphorically, and could make people see whatever illusion she desired, was later able to produce a white ball of light on her forehead which she could use to knock people out). Their mentor and leader was a human scientist named Adam Kane. Later they were joined by Lexa Pierce (like Brennan, she was elemental, though instead of generating electricity, she was able to bend light to make herself and others invisible). Here's the background for the story: in 1990, Brennan had a relationship with Jessica Young, a feral, which resulted in Casey being born. Jessica didn't want to be a mother, and just left Casey with Brennan. In 2001 (when Casey was eleven), Brennan joined Mutant X. Brennan and Shalimar became very close and Casey began to view Shalimar as her mother, and she saw Jesse as an uncle and Emma and later Lexa as aunts and Adam as a grandpa. Casey is a cross between Brennan and Shalimar power-wise. In 2005 (when Casey was fifteen), Mutant X was forced into hiding and Casey was placed with Nora and Dennis who were family friends of Adam's for safekeeping. For those of you who know the series, I am ignoring Emma's death as well as the expiration date and creator angles, and I'm taking out the Dominion. This is a reworking of "6½" and will be replacing Truman French with my own character. For communications, she has the phone Derek gave her in "The Pox Father" and a comlink that Adam made for her when she and Brennan joined Mutant X. Life With Derek belongs to Canadian Television and Disney. Mutant X belongs to Tribune, Marvel Studios, and Fireworks Entertainment. I only own the plot. I don't know Amy's last name (Max's girlfriend), so I made something up. Mutant X characters may make sporadic appearances in this fic, though they won't be the main focus. Casey wears a comlink just like the rest of Mutant X only it's coded with Brennan's DNA as well as her own. She also has the phone Derek gave her in "The Pox Father".

It was a typical day at Sir John Sparrow Thompson High. Kids either walked to their classes or dawdled in the halls, talking to their friends. The only thing out of the ordinary was the boy coming out of Principal Lassiter's office. He was five-ten, Caucasian with brown eyes and short-cropped black hair and had a small diamond stud in his right ear. He was wearing a white t-shirt that was covered by a black motorcycle jacket with red patches on the elbows in front and in the back was red with a section of black on top, pale blue jeans, and black motorcycle boots. Hearing the sound of two girls talking, he turned to see two girls-one African American with wavy black hair, the other Caucasian with brown hair-making their way through the halls. The African-American girl was five-three with straight black hair and was wearing a pink t-shirt with black jeans and white sneakers. The Caucasian girl was five-five and a half with brown hair and was wearing a green t-shirt with white stripes, a pair of dark blue jeans, and black tennis shoes. The boy continued to stare at her. He wasn't sure why, but he felt instantly connected and drawn to her. What's up with that? Why would I feel that way about some girl I don't even know? he wondered. Then, the warning bell rang and he glanced down at his schedule. Then, he headed for the first class on his list, math. He grimaced as he headed for the class. Not a good way to start the day, he thought to himself. Well, being late would be an even worse way to start out, he mused. With that, he headed for the class. What he didn't know, was that the two girls he had been watching, had also noticed him.

"Who was that?" the Caucasian girl asked. Her name was Casey MacDonald.

"I don't know. But he sure was cute," the African-American girl answered. Her name was Emily Davids.

"I'll say," Casey agreed with a giggle. Why do I get the feeling that we would get along very well? she wondered. Then, they hurried towards their first class. As she took notes, Casey bit her lower lip. She couldn't get that guy out of her head. Why had she felt that pull towards him? She didn't even know him! And yet…there was something familiar about him. But what? Despite her musings, Casey managed to keep herself focused on the class. When it was finally over, Casey gathered up her belongings and headed out, Emily close behind her.

"So I noticed that you were concentrating more than usual," the girl said.

"Oh, my gosh! I swear, there were times when my mind just went-" the other girl made a zooming motion with her hand.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I couldn't get that new boy off of my mind."

"Really?" Emily let out a laugh of disbelief. She had never seen Casey this way, not even when she was dating Sam and Max. To her surprise, Casey's attitude continued as the day progressed. In fact, it seemed to get worse. Casey talked about the boy constantly, would sneak glances at him when she thought no one was looking, and when it seemed like he was looking at her, she'd quickly look away. Emily wasn't the only one who had noticed the reaction. At lunch, Derek Venturi, who was sitting with his best friends, Sam Richards and Ralph Papadopolous had also seen the girl in action.

"It's weird. I've never seen Casey fall so hard," Ralph mused.

"How you would you know? You guys aren't exactly best friends," Derek pointed out. And I don't even know why we're discussing my stepsister's love life in the first place, he silently added to himself.

"Maybe not, but I dated her, and I saw how she was with Max, and this-isn't like her," Sam responded.

"Okay, could we stop discussing Casey's love life?" he requested. "Or, you know, the lack of it?" he added.

"Dude, you're not even the least bit curious?" Sam asked.

"Nope," Derek replied. Then, he switched the topic to an upcoming game and soon the boys were in a heated discussion, Casey's strange behavior basically forgotten. Meanwhile, Casey and Emily were sitting at their own table, also talking about the boy.

"So, what is it about him that's attracting you?" Emily wondered.

"I don't know, Em. All I know is that for some reason, I'm being drawn towards him," Casey replied. This sounds like what Mom described when she and dad told me about Richard Saunders, she thought. Her heart jumped hopefully. Could this boy be a feral like herself? Okay, so she was only half feral, while the other half of her with an elemental like her father, but still…could this boy be a mutant? It'd certainly explain why I'm drawn to him, she thought to herself, recalling the penchant for ferals to instinctively seek each other out. What no one knew, was that the boy was wondering the same thing. Could she be like me? Is that why I'm attracted to her? he wondered. He had to admit, it'd be nice to finally have someone else like him around. Oh, his parents were cool and everything, but they couldn't really understand how lonely it could get. His reverie was broken when a blonde-haired girl wearing a red tank top, black denim shorts, and brown ankle boots walked up to him.

"Hi, I'm Kendra Collins," she introduced herself, sitting down next to him.

"Curtis Valentine," he responded.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you," she told him, as they shook hands. Well, he's kinda cute, she thought. But truthfully, she had her eye on one of Max's football buddies. She was only doing this to play out a hunch she had gotten from watching Casey. Almost as if sensing the girl, Casey turned in her seat towards the table where the boy was sitting.

"Wow. Kendra moves fast," Emily laughed.

"She sure does," Casey replied, clenching her hands into fists, which went unnoticed by her friend. "Excuse me, Em. I'll be right back," she said, standing up. Then, before Emily could stop her, she strode over there.

"Hey, Kendra," she greeted sweetly. Curtis let out a secretive grin when he heard the slight jealously in her voice. This oughtta be interesting, he thought to himself.

"Oh, hey, Case," the other girl acknowledged. "Oh, Curtis, this is a good friend of mine, Casey MacDonald. Casey, this is Curtis Valentine," she introduced them.

"It's very nice to meet you, Curtis," Casey emphasized, moving so that Kendra was out of Curtis' line of vision and the blonde-haired girl bit back a chuckle. Looks like my hunch paid off, she thought.

"Well, I'm going to let you guys get better acquainted," she declared, standing up. "Good luck," she whispered to Casey before walking away. Well, that sly little…Casey's thought trailed off as she turned her attention back to Curtis, who was smirking.

"Interesting girl," he commented.

"That's one word for her," she agreed.

"So, what do you do for fun around here?" he asked.

"I dance," she answered.

"You're a dancer?" he asked, his voice betraying his interest.

"Not like, professionally or anything, but yeah," she replied. "How 'bout you?" she continued.

"I don't do much. Especially since my parents and I just moved here," he answered.

"Well, what kind of cycle do you have?" Casey wondered.

"Very astute," Curtis approved.

"Oh, please. Simple deduction. A monkey would be able to tell from your jacket that you ride," Casey replied.

"Actually, you'd be surprised," Curtis said. "Anyways, I have a Kawasaki," he told her.

"Wow. That's pretty cool," she said. Granted, she preferred her father's Mustang or her mother's Honda 250, but Kawasakis were pretty cool. They continued to talk; unaware of the looks of shock they were getting from the rest of the student body.

"Why is that hot guy all over that boring keener?" a cheerleader, Stacey Reynolds, questioned.

"Who knows?" her friend, Miranda Peterson, responded.

"I wouldn't exactly say he's all over her. They're just talking," Amy Chandler stated. Stacey scoffed.

"Whatever. I'm going to introduce myself," she declared. With that, she stood up and headed for the table that Curtis and Casey were sitting at.

"Hi. You must be new here. I'm Stacey," she introduced herself, interrupting their conversation.

"Curtis," Curtis acknowledged and then turned back to Casey. "So, what were you saying?" he asked.

"Oh, well, uh, I-" Casey's voice trailed off, as she tried to remember what they had been talking about.

"If you can't even form a complete sentence, Klutzilla, you should really stop bothering people," Stacey interrupted. As Casey's eyes flashed, Curtis noticed a quick flash of gold, something that Stacey completely missed. She is like me, he realized, remembering what his parents had told him about his eyes turning gold when he was made angry enough.

"Actually, you're bothering us. We were having a great conversation which you interrupted. So if you would leave us alone, that'd be great," Curtis responded. Stacey let out an exclamation of surprise.

"Well, you don't have to be so rude. I was being polite and trying to save you from boredom," she told him and then flounced off.

"Oooh, I can't stand her," Casey fumed, her eyes once again flashing gold. Curtis let out a discreet cough and pointed to his eyes. Casey's jaw dropped. How could she have messed up like that? Now he knew that she wasn't normal. She started to stand,

"Wait, don't go," he said, grabbing her wrist. What? He's not freaking out? she wondered. "It's okay. I know what you are," he said.

"Oh, really?" she challenged. If he calls me a freak, I'm gonna flip him, cover or no cover, she thought.

"You're like me…not human," he said quietly.