X-Men: Evolution is one of my favorite cartoons, and this is one of my ideas for it. Feel free to offer constructive criticism in a review if you feel inclined to. This is my first XME fic and I'm nervous about how the first chapter turned out. If anyone knows how, please tell me how to contact betareaders for XME. I'd really appreciate it. Without further to do, the first chapter of X-Men: Light within Darkness!
X-Men: Light within Darkness
Chapter 1: Freak in L.A.
Jubilation Lee paused outside her door and sighed. Another day to be spent at her high school with her friends and enemies, or in her case, her enemies. Almost every teenager in the place made fun of her, while her teachers singled her out all the time. When did her life go south? As she walked down her house's steps and to the bus stop, she went over in her mind the bizarre series of events that lead to her current situation.
Over a year ago at the tender age of fifteen, she had started shooting sparks and lights from her hands. The firework-like projectiles frightened both her and her parents, until the red-headed girl and the bald man in the wheelchair came. He introduced himself as Professor Charles Xavier and the girl as Jean Gray. He explained that Jubilee's "powers" were the manifestations of her X-Gene. The X-Gene was a gene that when it got strong enough in a person would give them paranormal abilities. His demonstration of telepathy and Jean's telekinesis pretty much gave them proof that this wasn't something isolated to her alone.
Professor Xavier ran a school that helped to train "mutants" in the exercise of their powers, along with a high school education. The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters was located across the country in Bayville, New York, which was a far cry from Jubilee's native Los Angeles. Her powers needed training though and she and her parents figured that made up for the distance from home. When she made the move to the Institute, she was surprised at the number of other mutants there. The blue-furred Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler), the weather-controlling Storm, her nephew Evan (Spyke), team leader Scott Summers (Cyclops), phasing Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat), the metal-clawed Logan (Wolverine), the ape-like Hank McCoy (Beast), the explosive Tabitha Smith (Boom-Boom), the sun-absorbing Roberto DeCosta (Sunspot), the shape-shifter Rahne Sinclair (Wolfsbane), the pryokinetic Amara Aquillo (Magma), the multiplying Jamie Madrox (Multiple), the electric Ray Carter (Berzerker), the flying Sam Guthrie, and the frosty Bobby Drake (Iceman) made for an interesting group. There was also the Brotherhood, a group of mutant hoods: the geokinetic Lance Alvers (Avalanche), the frog-like Todd Tolansky (Toad), the speedy Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver), and the huge Fred Dukes (Blob). They followed their own creed: a mixture of a gang along with the supremacist teachings of Professor Xavier's rival, Magneto.
It was strange and fun; going to high school with the rest and then coming home to learn how to use her powers. For a while it was great. Normal high school life combined with the thrill of having powers. Being around others that had their own abilities was great as well. She wouldn't admit it out loud but Bobby Drake had an impish charm about him, but she wouldn't get the chance to tell him.
One day, close to about four months ago, the world learned about mutants in the worst way possible. Not in a laboratory or in an act of heroism, but on national television fighting a giant robot, the explosion of the Institute, and finally the X-Men's battle against the power-crazed Juggernaut on a dam. She hadn't been present for the first or the last. When the Institute blew up and the cops came for them, Ray had led a group of students, including herself, to the Morlock's hideout in the Bayville sewers. They had stayed there until the initial panic wore off.
No sooner had that happened than her parents called her back home. Her conscious mind told her they had good reasons; Xavier had promised safety for his students, and he had pretty much bombed. Deep down though, part of her resented her parents for dragging her away from the only people that understood her. Now she had to put up with being the only mutant kid in her high school. The only official mutant kid that is. She suspected a few of the kids that didn't pick on her to be mutants as well. The reason they didn't reveal themselves was the bullying and bigotry that plagued her daily. She didn't blame them. The slurs, the teasing, the notes, having to explain she wasn't a telepath whenever a test came up, being sent to the Principal's office while the bullies got off scot free whenever it all escalated. She wouldn't want to reveal she was a mutant, or even a mutant-sympathizer with that bigotry going on.
She also couldn't go back to the gymnastics club or the martial arts dojo she went to before the Institute. She knew that at either place she would be accused of using her powers whenever she did well so she decided to not even try. She had taken to practicing both in abandoned lots and buildings in her spare time. Also, her first few trips to the mall went well, until it came out that she was a mutant. Getting tailed by mall security while receiving both stares and glares pretty much ruined malls for her after that.
The attack of the super-mutant Apocalypse only made things worse for mutants and for herself. At least his defeat at the hands of the combined X-Men and Brotherhood had caused some people to quit hating mutants. Not many at her school though.
There were times she'd like nothing more than to just unleash her fireworks in the faces of her tormentors. But that would only put her in a specially-made cell and give other mutants a bad name. She could just imagine the looks on Professor Xavier's and her parent's faces if she did such a thing. She swore to herself that if she ever met Magneto, she'd ask him what made him hate humans so much. What was done to him before mutants were exposed that fostered such a rage and anger against flatscans (racial insult for humans)? The really strange and nasty thing was that she could now sympathize, just a little, with him.
Oh goody. She was at the bus stop, where as soon as she sat down, those around her would move away. And so they did. "Mutie freak," a girl said as she got up from the bench.
Flatscan butthole thought Jubilee. If she said that out loud, they would be on her in a second, and she would be blamed for the whole thing when the dust cleared. The bus pulled up and everyone got onboard with Jubilee nearly getting the door slammed on her. By now she knew the drill. Avoiding the wads of paper thrown at her and the insults she made her way to the back of the bus and sat down alone. Whispers and catcalls accompanied the ride to the school.
It only worsened when they arrived. One boy ran up behind Jubilee as she exited the bus and grabbed her bag. "Hey, give that back!"
"Sure thing, mutie." He grinned. "You just have to catch it first." He threw the bag over her head to another guy standing behind her. They proceeded to throw the bag back and forth while Jubilee tried to catch it.
"Stop that, I'm going to be late," she yelled.
"What's the matter, mutie? Can't use your powers to get your bag?"
Jubilee gritted her teeth. Using her powers at school would result in instant expulsion. Her friend Rahne Sinclair had told her over the phone that her guardian was homeschooling her because her old school wouldn't have her back at all. Being able to turn into a wolf and a wolf-like creature while in Scotland wasn't a good combination. It just gave bigots the power to call you "werewolf" along with the usual racist slurs.
Jubilee's parents couldn't homeschool thanks to their careers. She couldn't help but resent them for this too. She'd rather deal with less money to spend if it meant getting away from these creeps. It's not like she would miss having less cash for the mall if she wasn't welcome there anyway.
She finally managed to snag her bag and run off before they could start again. She made her way to her locker, which now sported an "M" in permanent marker. She opened it to find a note inside. Hey mutie, why don't you…." Her eyes widened as she read the note. The language in it and the note itself was too terrible and obscene to be repeated. She crumbled the note in her fist and then accidentally set it on fire with a few sparks. She hurriedly threw the burning scrap of paper into the bottom of her locker and ground it under her foot. She looked around and breathed a sigh of relief. Close call. She gathered her books and hurried to her class.
There were three people among the faculty that she went out of her way to avoid or to stay under their radar. The first was Mrs. Hansen, a heavy-set woman that taught biology. Whenever she got to mutants, she showed pictures of Mr. McCoy and Logan, decrying them as "evolutionary throwbacks." Mr. McCoy was kind and wise despite his appearance, and Logan was gruff but genuinely cared for the students. Jubilee just held her tongue while Hansen egged her to talk back. The first time she did earned her an hour in detention.
The second was Mr. Jonas, her English teacher. He was nice enough to the other students, but when she came into his line of sight, his bushy eyebrows combined with the look he gave her made him almost as intimidating as a first meeting with Mr. Logan. The slightest mistake on her papers resulted in a "C" while the same type of work with a "human" student earned a "B+." The only good thing that resulted from that was she got really good at proofreading her papers.
The third and worst of the three was Nurse Jan Kelly, who in Jubilee's opinion was a shoe-in for the Antichrist. It was more likely that she was a relative of Principal Kelly of Bayville High; that was possible given her attitude towards Jubilee. Whenever Jubilee came in, which had become more common than it should have been, she made sure to make Jubilee wait. If there was someone already there or someone came with her (which Jubilee wished happened more), she treated them first, and she also liked to send Jubilee to detention for "rowdy behavior."
In the detention room, there was a desk that literally had her name on it, along with insults that had also been carved into its surface. The most that Mr. Daniels, the detention manager did, was to keep a closer eye on her than he did the others. Detention was boring, but at least spitwad-shooters were stopped. One of the worst things was that all the kids she thought were her old friends turned their back on her when it came out. She even counted some of them as her new tormentors.
The only people that were kind to her was the lunch lady, whose name she didn't know, the janitor Wallace Nelson, and those few kids that stood up for here in their own quiet way. The lunch lady made two differences to Jubilee's lunch: she discreetly gave her a little more dessert than the others, and she often left a kind and encouraging note under her milk carton. If Jubilee ever got the chance, she was going to tell her how much that meant. Mr. Nelson cleaned up the messes left by her tormentors. A few hours later as she prepared for her history class, she spotted him coming towards her locker armed with the materials needed to scrub permanent marker off a locker door. He gave her a small smile as he passed by. She noticed a green-haired "punk" girl leaning against the wall that had helped her yesterday. Jubilee had been running from the jock pack when the girl had stuck her foot out in front of Gary Anderson, the local Duncan Matthews. He tripped, and when his buddies were helping him up, Jubilee spotted the girl hightailing it too. The girl winked as Jubilee went by. Her help would be more pronounced if the people that were against her weren't so numerous or powerful in the school.
By two in the afternoon, Jubilee was starting to relax. Only one hour left to the day, and she would be out. After that she would call her parents, let them know where they could find her while she practiced her gymnastics and martial arts. She also practiced her mutant abilities, but she always made sure that no one was watching, in person or through a camera, while she did. She didn't need people thinking she was gearing up for a Columbine.
"Hey Jubes! How's the freakshow going?" called out an arrogant voice. Jubilee groaned and turned to the source. Angelina Kyle stood there, grinning and flanked by her two minions and her boyfriend, Gary. What was with popular and jerky kids and their tendency to find each other? Gary and Angelina were practically the power couple of Popularity, and really enjoyed voicing their dislike of Jubilee and mutants in general.
Gary walked right up to her and stuck his face in hers. She literally had to hold back her gag reflex; his breath was really bad. "Listen freak, who was that punk that tripped me up yesterday?"
Jubilee smirked. "I don't know. I thought you tripped on your own feet."
He snarled. "You know I didn't. I was tripped and I knocked myself cross-eyed thanks to whoever it was."
"Poor baby," cooed Angelina. "Tell us Jubes, who was it? A freak friend of yours? No self-respecting normal person would ever help one of you genetic oddballs out."
That ticked Jubilee off. "You know that my powers come from my DNA? And here I thought you didn't know what the word 'genetic' meant."
That drew a gasp from Angelina and her flunkies. No one insulted her to her face, and those that did it behind her back whispered. Her parents were on the school board and she knew how to make your life hell. Jubilee inwardly flinched as she remembered that.
"Take that back," squeaked Mindy, the blonde minion. The brunette was Deedee. Jubilee thought both names appropriate for the two. They were practically drones that were nothing until Angelina showed up.
"Nope. I, like, totally won't take that back," mocked Jubilee. Living around Kitty allowed one to imitate the Valley Girl accent real quick. Kitty had brains however, while these three didn't have a clue about anything outside high school politics and cute fashions.
"How about you take that back and tell us about your friend," growled Gary, "Or I test just how far I can throw you." One of his favorite phrases was to say that he couldn't trust someone as far as he could throw them.
"I wouldn't do that. I can control gravity. I'll just make myself very heavy," lied Jubilee.
"You use your powers on campus mutie, and you'll never come here again," said Gary, smirking.
The word "mutie" always ticked Jubilee off, which explained why she said what she said next.
"In that case, your girlfriend's going to be expelled. The ability to bring down the I.Q.s of yourself and your friends is pretty lame, but it's still a mutant ability," she smirked back. In response, Angelina looked to Deedee and snapped her fingers. Deedee walked right up to Jubilee and slapped her in the face. While Jubilee was recoiling, she took the opportunity to spit in her face.
"That bit is reserved just for you mutie creeps," she said brightly. At that Jubilee snapped. She slapped Deedee back and before she knew it she was in the eye of a hurricane of feminine slaps, scratching, and shrieking. If it had been just one of the girls, heck, even just Gary by himself, she would have dominated the fight. As it was, she never even got the chance to throw a punch.
"What's going on here?" bellowed a familiar voice. Jubilee looked to see Mr. Jonas stalking towards them. Oh great.
Angelina jumped up and forced a quaver into her voice. "She just jumped us and slapped Deedee!"
"She slapped me first," protested Jubilee. "And she spit in my face!"
"Quiet Ms. Lee," he snapped. "Two hours detention after class."
Good, at least these idiots get punished too, thought Jubilee.
"For you."
"What? But Mr. Jonas, they-"
"Did nothing wrong as far as I saw. Get to class."
Gary grinned at Jubilee from his position, leaning against a locker. The jerkoff starts this whole thing and doesn't even get scratched, Jubilee thought as she stormed off. And now I'm going to be an hour late, and I won't be able to call my parents until detention's over. What I wouldn't give to either rip these bigots a new one or to go back to the Institute.
These thoughts circulated through Jubilee's mind as she sat through her last class and in detention. The insults and racial slurs carved into her detention desk drilled their way into her mind as she studied the wood. Mutie, freak, monster….
What was the point of holding back like Xavier said they should? Not fighting back might work with good people, but these weren't good people. They thrived off of those who didn't stand up for themselves. Evan did the right thing when he stood up for the Morlocks. Duncan and his creep friends were currently rotting in jail for using explosives and deadly weaponry within a town, and Evan had brought them out. He should start his own movement. A combination of Magneto's and Xavier's philosophies: Leave us alone and we'll leave you alone. Bug us and we'll tear your house down. Thoughts like this crossed her mind often these days. Before the Incident, she had concerned herself with just her schoolwork, her gymnastics and martial arts, and her friends.
Maybe if she had stayed at the Institute with the others, she would think differently. But after a few months of being the only mutant in school, her mind had changed radically. Whenever she dropkicked a target or blasted it into oblivion, she fantasized that she was striking Gary, or Angelina, or Nurse Kelly. She knew though, that the Professor wouldn't approve, and neither would Bobby, but neither of them were on in high school on their own. Why was she thinking about what Bobby would think?
"Ms. Lee, you can go now," interrupted Mr. Daniels.
"Thanks," Jubilee intoned as she gathered her stuff. He just grunted and continued with some paperwork of his. As she left the building, she whipped out the phone and dialed her parent's number. It was answered on the first ring.
Her father's voice comes through the speaker: "Jubilation Sarah Lee, where are you? You should have been home an hour ago."
"I'm sorry dad. I got in a fight with Angelina and her goons and Mr. Jonas gave me two hours detention."
"Two hours? Jubilee, we talked about this. You can't go about fighting people that insult you. You know that they're just doing it to egg you into using your powers."
"Dad, they were giving me the usual until I mouthed off, then one of Angelina's minions slapped me, and then she spit in my face. How is someone supposed to act when that happens?"
Silence. "I understand honey, and frankly I don't think you should have to ask that question. No one should have to ask what they should do when they're slapped and then spit on. Your mother and I have been talking, and we'd like to discuss it over dinner. We'll keep dinner warm in the oven until you get back."
Jubilee smiled. "Thanks dad. I'll take a few shortcuts towards that one spot where you picked me up when the bus was being repaired that one time."
"You sure that's a good idea hon? It's pretty late, and those areas of town aren't safe."
"I'll be fine dad. Between my martials arts and my powers, I think I'll be safe. Just be careful driving. I think you'll be in more danger from mom if you scratch her car," she laughed.
Mr. Lee chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind Jubes. See you there. Love you."
"Love you too, dad." Jubilee closed her phone and hurried off. She knew a shortcut through some vacant lots and abandoned warehouses that she had found while looking for a good place to practice. Her dad would pick her up a few blocks away. He was right though. Towards the evening, the creeps, perverts, and psychopaths came out to play. Thankfully, her house was in a good neighborhood faraway from most of the troubled spots. It wasn't Beverly Hills, but it was pretty upscale. No matter where you lived in L.A., you always had to watch yourself.
She was on a good pace along her route. A few minutes away from the pick-up point in a warehouse, Jubilee was just about to exit when the doors slammed shut in front of her. She turned around in time to see the doors where she entered close too. The shutters on the windows closed an instant later. Hurriedly she dug through her bag for an emergency flashlight. Its light was only enough to penetrate the darkness immediately around her.
Something clattered to her left and she shot around. A sound like someone landing from a long jump echoed behind her. She turned around again and saw something move in the gloom. "I'm warning you," she yelled. "I know several different martial arts and I've got both mace and a taser. Open that door and I'll let you off easy." She decided not to mention her powers. She might need an ace up her sleeve (pun intended).
Someone walked towards her in the darkness. She soon made out a tall, young man dressed all in denim. He looked her over and then grinned. Was it just her, or was his teeth, especially his canines, long and sharp?
"Well, well," he said snidely. "What a cute, little snack have we got here?"