I'M BACK! With an all new story, focusing around this new character of mine that I've been working with. YAY!

I don't have a title yet, but It's getting worked on! I PROMISE!

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-knock knock- "Amra... baby... wake up..." My mom crooned as she knocked on my door to wake me up. I groaned, announcing I was awake.

I sat up, looked at my door, and stated groggily, "I'm up... I'm up... is it monday already?"

"Yes... now get yourself out of bed! I made pancakes." She said cheerily. I swear. We're NOT related. She's a bundle of energy in the morning, and I'm NOT. I swear, if there were any two girls any less alike, they'd be different genders. My mom is a high-fashion tennis player that grew up with the pacific ocean in her back yard. I'm a tomboy dog-lover that's been raised by my mom and dad on a farm, with the montana wilderness hugging me.

I took a shower and got dressed, making my silver braids fall straight. I didn't like having to brush my waist-length hair every day, so I kept it in long braids, dying the last 3 inches that hung loose black. My mom HATED it. I just liked it because it stayed out of my way with very little maitenance. just a few hours on a saturday is all I needed to freshen them up. I ran downstairs and slid across the entryway, leaping up onto one of the barstools near the counter and took my plate of pancakes and bacon and started snarfing it down extremely quickly, stopping for a few moments to suck on a piece of bacon and think over what I needed for the day.

Swallowing my bacon, I looked at my mom and decided to ask now instead of later. "Mom, can I go over to Dowd's later? He wants to jam out with me." I smiled sweetly at her and she rolled her eyes, drinking her orange-vitamin slime that she 'needed' every morning. I tried it. Trust me. It's not good. Stay AWAY from it.

"Sure hon. Are you going to take the jeep?" She asked, smiling at me.

"Yeah. But I need to load up my bass then." I said before gulping down my milk and wiping off my face.

"Hurry up then. You're running late as it is now." she said as I rinsed off my plate and stuck it in the dishwasher. "Get going, you've only got 2 days left, right?"

"Yeah, just 16 more hours of school untill 3 months of FREEDOM!" I cheered as I dashed in my booted feet up the stairs, slid down the wood floored hallway, and went into my room, unplugging my amp and guitar, An Epiphone goth thunderbird IV electric guitar that I had skeched little abstract doodles on the back of with a silver sharpie. My amp was a fender bassman 100 floor amp. A little one, but powerful. I put my guitar in its hardcase, A Coffin Case. White. I love it. I stuffed all of the cords, picks, and other things into my little leather pack and gripped the case with one hand, my amp with another, and walked downstairs and pushed the door open with my foot.

I put the equipment in the back of our wrangler and climbed into the front seat, kicking up gravel as I pulled out of the drive far too fast, and bolted for school. If I didn't make it in time for class, I would end up with summer school. Fun, huh? I pulled into the parking lot, left skidmarks as I slid into my parking space that was 'offically' mine. I grabbed my binder, pulled a pencil out of the ashtray of my car, and ran inside, going for my locker. I pulled it open, grabbed my pre-calculus book, and entered Ms. Schmidt's room just as the bells rang for class to start.

"congradulations, Miss Bruin. You've managed to get into class at the last second yet again."

I grinned and sat down, as Rhonda started calling for our books.

It was the same thing through all classes, everyone returning their books, just relaxing, waiting for the final party the next day. It was a pretty good day. Until lunch. I have lunch right after 5th hour, which is art for me. I always have a touch of paint SOMEWHERE on me, or a colored pencil sticking out of my back pocket, and I have always been persecuted for it. After eating my lunch, which was barbecues that day, I slunk into the bathroom to wash up. Today was a fateful day though. Today was the day that I discovered something about myself.

"Look, it's the little rocker girl..." the nasally whine touched my ears and made me tense. Tori... the bitch. A blonde bimbo with an army of boyfriends and a clique of little girls that always just HAD to harrass me. I hated it. I hated it soo much... she persecuted me like dog after a side of beef. "Planning on making your hair normal any time soon?" She taunted, leaning against the sink next to mine. I rubbed at a green speck on my chin, peeling off the latex paint. "Hey, ya going to answer me?"

"not until you adress me like a person, and not your bitch." I said, rubbing more vigourously at the spot. two seconds later my attention was drawn away from it, and not because I had removed it from me, but because I violently impacted the ground.

Now... I'm not sure what happened next. All I knew was there was a deep roar that echoed loudly in my ears, I was up off the ground, there was loud ripping noises, and the clicking of nails on the tile... like a dog with too long of toenails.

Tori screamed, then was silenced by a large, black and silver furred hand with long claws covering her mouth and picking her up, slamming her against the wall. I could see a long, dog-like muzzle... and realized... that it was mine...

I had somehow become... a wolf... human... thing. Tori stopped struggling, and people started to pour into the bathroom, gathering around our corner and trying to pull me off of her.

I felt a sharp pain at the base of my spine, and realized that I had a tail. And someone had yanked it. Hard. I screamed, but it came out as another loud roar, and I turned and glared at the little freshman that had pulled me. I advanced on him, but was stopped by someone cracking me in the skull with a heavy bag filled with books. I fell the the floor, and lay still for a few moments, feeling like I couldn't move.

I heard everyone around me gasp, and I tried to get to my feet again. but found that I couldn't. I stood on all fours, and

I bolted, sliding around and through the forest of legs and feet, panicking. I ran and ran through the halls, throwing myself up the stairs and looking around for an exit. I didn't know what was happening to me, but I wasn't going to sit around and find out. I saw someone walking into the school, and threw myself against the door, pushing it open and racing out, diving under a car and resting there for a few moments, radiator fluid dripping on the top of my head. FIX YOUR CAR! was the first thing that came to my mind, funnily enough.

I saw that the commotion that I had caused brought a large amount of the student body out onto the grounds, to hunt for me, I guessed. So I decided to run for it, taking off as fast as my legs could carry me. Which was extremely quickly. I almost FLEW towards the forest, heading for my home. I knew that I would be safe there. Maybe.

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Scott, Storm, Logan. Come to my study. Someone has just manifested. the professor called to myself, Logan and Scott.

"Excuse me class. Keep reading silently on pages 334 to 338 on Van goh, and then you are released." I instructed, and left the room, meeting Scott in the hallway.

"Now... she's been on the brink of manifestion for a long time, about a month now, but she just needed a snap, something to set her off and put her over that edge."

"what are we looking at here?" Logan asked, pulling on his gloves.

"She's a shapeshifter of a specified breed. She transforms herself into a wolf."

"Anything that we should know about her? Her family, background, schooling?" Scott implored.

"Her name is Amra, and she goes to a little school in the countryside of northern Montana. I would suggest a slow approach. Her mother and father are divorced, and she lives with her mother."

"So, we're going to Montana."

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I came home, exhausted, and walked up the front steps, walking into my house through the dog-flap that was meant for my huge great dane, Cosmos. He ran up to me with a booming bark and snarl, and I answered back by nosing him, my tail between my legs, and he nuzzled my head gently. I walked up to my room and jumped up onto my bed, laying down to think. I rolled over onto my back and relaxed, Trying to focus on being normal... at least what is normal for me. I opened my eyes, and looked at my hand. my, NORMAL hand.

I whooped, leaping to my feet and punching my fist into the air. Cosmos, who had come up into my room, barked his booming bark and danced around the edge of my bed, excited by my excitedness. I leapt down from my bed and hugged him when he put his paws on my shoulders. "I did it, Cozzy! I did it!" I cheered as he licked my ears. A few minutes later, and I was calmed down on my bed, Cozzy laying next to me and sleeping, myself drifting off a few minutes later. A 8 mile run will do that...

A few hours later, a loud rapping on the door downstairs brought my attention, and I walked downstairs, looking out the front window, and saw three people standing on the front porch. I put on the chain and pulled the door open. "Hello? May I help you?"

"Yes... are you Amra?" a woman with white hair questioned, smiling at me.

"Yeah... I'm amra... what d'ya need me for?" I asked cautiously, looking at the two big men behind her. I was nervous. Did the school call the feds?

"Don't worry. We're friends." The man in the red shades said gently. Cosmos walked up behind me and put his nose between the door and the frame, sniffing and wagging his tail.

"Well... if Cozzy likes you... i guess you're okay." I pulled Cozzy away from the door and shut it, unlatching it and pulling it open. She started to walk in, and I stepped out. "Let's talk out here." I smiled at them, and walked to the side of the wrap-around porch and sat on a railing.

"your dog?" the rough biker-like man asked, and I nodded.

"He's a lion-killer." I smiled, seeing him squeeze out of his flap and walk over to us. The african-american woman sat next to me, and started to explain as to why they were here.

"So my gut was right. You're here because of the fiasco at the school, right?" I wondered aloud, scritching Cozzy's ears as he drooled on my lap.

"We're here because you are a gifted young woman, in need of guidance. And to make an offer." the woman, Ororo, said, petting Cozzy's back.

"I'm listening." I said, looking into Logan's face, then looking out across the 'backyard', a 32 acre lot of forest, river, and prarie.

Scott decided to speak now. "We're offering a place at a school, out in Westchester, New York. It's tucked away in the countryside, so there's not going to be a lot of people, outside of the students and instructors. We're all mutants there, including the headmaster, Charles Xavier. He's a very kind man."

"How much?" I asked, not looking at them.

"Nothing. We're provided for by the board of Education in the government. There's not a dime you have to pay for room and board, classes, food, and so on. but the extras, such as your clothes and the such, you're going to have to provide for yourself." Logan said, as the high whine of my mother's toyota announced her arrival.

"Amra! what's going on? Why is there a jet behind our house!" she squeaked, then noticed the people. "Who are you?"

"Mom, chill. I guess there is something that I have to tell you." I said, jumping from my perch down to the grass and walking over to her. "Mom, something happened today, I attacked a girl. In self-defense." I added quickly, seeing her open her mouth to yell at me. she nodded, and I continued, explaining what happened, and what was going on, and why these people were here.

"So... you're going to leave?" She asked me, looking at Ororo, Scott, and Logan, then at me again.

"If you'll allow her to leave." Scott said, walking down the steps towards us. "We're not forcing anything onto you two, but it is in her best intrest if she were to come with us to the school, to learn to control her powers. So an event like what happened today doesn't happen again."

"Amra... what... what is it that you can do?" mom asked me, looking frightened.

"I'm not completely sure... but I know I can transform into a wolf, like a werewolf can." I explained, and mom nodded, inviting me to transform. "I'm not sure how to do this... but..." I tried to focus on how it felt to be the humanoid wolf that lifted Tori from the floor, and heard some grinding noises, feeling some things pop out of place and pop back. I opened my eyes, and saw everything a lot clearer and sharper, including the fact that my mother was short... and falling. I reached out and caught her with one hand, cradling her in my arm before lifting her off the ground and holding her like a doll in my arms. I flicked my eyes at the door, and Logan opened it. I noticed I had to duck to get into the house.

Depositing Mom on the couch, I turned to look at the others, who were staring at me, impressed, appreciative, and unreadable expressions on their faces. I focused again, and looked down at myself, seeing I was back to normal.

Well, as normal as I am.

"Interesting." Was the only reaction that Logan had, and the others just nodded.

"Well, now that we're inside... would any of you want something to drink? Eat? A squeegee?" I suggested, seeing that Ororo had a long slime trail on her latex pants, due to Cozzy's drooling on her. Scott and 'ro chuckled, and Logan asked if we had beer.

"You can have any brand you want, as long as it's a Corona." I quoted one of my favorite movies, walking to the glass-doored fridge and pulling out a beer and three bottled cokes for us, passing them out and popping the lid off of mine with my teeth.

"You'll ruin your teeth doing that, you know." Scott stated, prying his off with his thumb. I shrugged and quaffed my soda, feeling it bubble in the back of my throat. "So... the ruling?"

"If Mum says yeah, then I'm going. If mom says No, then I'm going. I don't care what she says, I want to go. I want to be able to use this skill of mine to the fullest." I smiled at them.

"where are we going to meet you if she says no?"

"There's a rather large clearing about a half-mile into the woods west of here. I go there often to be alone to paint. I'll meet you guys there if she says no. I'll carry what I can, and come back again for the last of it. It won't take long." I smiled at their faces, putting my soda on the counter. "So... Shall we try to wake up the mom?" I asked, walking to the freezer and chipping off some ice from the block and striding to the couch, dropping the ice on her bare stomach.

I've never seen or heard someone leap that high and squeak that loudly. It was hilarious.

"IEEEEEE!" She squealed, sliding off of the couch and falling on the floor.

"So... can I?" I asked mom, for the eighth time that evening.

"Well... as long as you write me and don't forget... then I'll let you go." She relented, and I whooped for the second time that day. I ran out the back door in bare feet and yelled out to the jet that my mom had agreed to let me go. I saw 'Ro waving in response, and lowering the back gate. I went up to my room and started packing my stuff into my trunks. Mom came up and started helping me, bringing me my stuff from the bathroom, wrapping it in seperate plastic baggies and organizing my stuff.

"Are you going to... bring it all?" she asked, rolling up my leather pants and tucking them into a corner.

"Nah. It won't all fit... but... will you do me a favor? I left my jeep at the school, when I ran earlier... My amp and thunderbird is in the back... could you get that one of these days and mail it to me? The guitar and amp, not the jeep. I'd LOVE to have my musical items with me." I asked her, giving her my big doe eyes. She nodded, and a half hour later, I had my two trunks packed.

"Ready to go?" Scott asked when I lugged out my big trunk, and my mom dragged my little one across the lawn.

"Yeah. Packed, and ready to go. I've made an arrangement so my guitar shows up later on. That's all." I grinned widely, dropping the trunk on the floor with a loud bang. Logan flinched at the sound, then sneered at me.

"Don't do that. We don't want dents in the floor." He growled from his seat. I shrugged and 'Ro showed me where I could strap them so they wouldn't move around.

I stepped out of the plane and looked at my mom sadly. It just hit me, I was leaving here. for a long time. That was a double-edged sword. Good and bad. "Amra... are you SURE you want to do this?" Mom asked as she hugged me. I hugged her back and nodded, inhaling her perfume for the last time.

Cozzy had walked out and nuzzled the back of my leg. I knelt down and buried my face in the fur of his shoulder, tears streaming down my face and smudging my my makeup. He responded by pushing me backwards on the ground and licking my face. I just hugged him tightly, then pushed him off of me. "Sorry babe... I've got to go... I'll come back... one of these days..." I promised him, holding his head between my hands and rubbing the bases of his ears. He whined, leaning his head against my hand. I chuckled, and wiped my face with my arm.

"Mom... I promise. I'll come back and visit. If I don't... then something's happened. I'll write you a letter in the morning and mail it off, so you know where to send my stuff." I said with my back to her, then I turned to look at her. "I love ya, Mom. We might argue, but you're the only thing that's stuck with me through all of this crap. Just... don't have a heartattack while I'm gone. Keep alive." I hugged her again, then boarded the craft, strapping myself into a seat near a window, and looking back at the house.

Placing my hand on the window, I smiled sadly, and silently said good bye to the only home I've ever had.

"Bye..." I whispered, as the jet took of, and I sped off to my new life.

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