AN: I don't own any of the X-Men Characters. I do own Kelpie, however, Gerri, Aunt Erika, Kelpie's foster family, the story-line, and all animal characters she converses with, including the gang members :P. Vixen belongs to one Melody S. (an ex-friend of mine), Aquifer belongs to Rob G. (soon-to-be famous fantasy writer!), Sensherak (aka Alan) belongs to an ex-online-bf whom no longer speaks to me, Jonny LeBeau belongs to an ex-online-aquiantence. Phew! If I've missed anyone, let me know :P Now that that's over with...

PROLOGUE

Lightning lit up the sky and the clouds opened, pouring out their sorrow as her heart broke in two and her eyes spilled out her own rain. The tears glistened on her cheeks, reflecting the flames that ate at her home. She turned her eyes away and buried her face into the shoulder of the fireman who held her. His hand smoothed her blonde hair gently, whispering that it was going to be okay.

But it isn't, she thought to herself. Her five-year-old body racked with sobs as the picture of her screaming parents, engulfed in flames after a ball of fire had been hurled at them, came to mind. That thing killed them. Now I'll never see Mom and Da again.

An old, ugly, scarred policeman came to talk with the fireman. The fireman nodded--somewhat reluctantly--and handed the girl to the policeman. With disgust, the officer quickly set her down, took her hand firmly, and pulled her unrelentlessly through the crowd that began to form around the burning house.

Oblivious to her cries of pain as she tripped and stumbled, he led her to a police car and set her unceremoniously into the front seat. Slamming the door, he rounded the vehicle to the other side and climbed in himself. Muttering something about him not being a babysitter, he started the car and sped off.

He took her to the local police station and hurried her inside, shoving her into an office saying, "Here's the brat…sir." Then slammed the door behind the girl.

The man sitting at the desk in front of her had looked up as the door opened and frowned as the officer left. He gazed at her with a look that said he wasn't quite sure what to do with her.

The girl bit her lip, then lifted her chin and straightened her back. She wouldn't cry. Not in front of people.

The man smiled at her sudden show of courage. "Come and have a seat…" he frowned. He couldn't remember her name.

"Kelpie," she said. "My name is Kelpie," she said with a slight Scottish accent. It was strange, she'd never been to Scotland before, but she had a genuine accent. Especially when she got mad. Only her father, a Scottish born and bred, could understand her when anger brought out her brogue.

Kelpie wasn't her real name, but she preferred it. Her grandfather, now dead these two years, had called her his little kelpie all the time.

The man cocked an eyebrow, knowing it wasn't her true name, and nonetheless said, "Come have a seat, Kelpie."

She climbed up into a seat twice as big as she and sat staring at the hands folded in her lap.

"Kelpie, I'm a man who likes to get straight to the point. So I'm going to ask you right now, do you understand what's going on?"

She nodded her head. "I'm sittin' in yer office--"

"No, no. Do you understand what happened to your parents?"

She gulped once, almost aloud, trying to keep the tears back and looked again down at her hands. "Aye, sir. They died in the fire."

The man nodded solemnly. Then he said, "Do you know what's going to happen to you now?"

She shook her head. She had no clue.

"We're going to send you to a foster home. They'll take good care of you there, and you can play with other children…"