A/N: I do not own anything in any part of the Marvel-verse, and that includes the X-Men. I do own Nancy and all of the thought I put into her abilities/character.
Please, let me know what you think!
"Speech."
'Thought'
[CEREBRO]
[Telepathy]
Chapter 01: A Worrisome Headache
"Ms. Habersham? May I be excused?" A lone hand in the air let the room know from where the voice had come.
"What is it this time, Miss DuLauncet? Another headache? Another bout of nausea? Keep it up, and at this rate you'll have excused yourself enough for the whole class."
Nancy winced and moved her other hand to hold her head. She didn't know if the increased pain was from the noise created by the class' sniggering or from Ms. Habersham's words. "Yes, Ma'am, I've got a headache." Another chorus of sniggers rippled across the classroom.
The woman at the front of the class paused mid-equation and sighed. "Yes, Miss DuLauncet, you are excused… However, I expect no less than four pages of practice equations by the end of this week to make up for some of these absences." The few scattered hands that had risen during the woman's pause slowly lowered, their owners clearly no longer wanting to try their luck at escaping class on Nancy's coattails.
"Thank you…"
There was a slight click as the lock on the bathroom stall slid into place. She didn't even bother going to the nurses' office any more. Her liver was far too important to keep taking the medicine for the headaches; besides, they always seemed to lessen when she got away from other people. Dark spots began appearing on her jeans as she let go. 'Why?! Why do these headaches keep coming? Why can't I seem to get through even one class period without some sort of panic attack or migraine? WHY?!' She was shaking now, and her normally bright, hazel eyes were crisscrossed with thin, red lines.
A locker slamming and a few shouts on the other side of the wall shattered what had been, other than her quiet sobbing, a blissful silence. She breathed in deeply and brought the sleeve of her hoodie across her now puffy face, groaning at the sight of streaky mascara on the fabric. She didn't know why she even tried…
She left the bathroom and turned to go toward the girl's locker room. Running would make her feel better. A little healthy competition on the track field? That always made her feel better….'Coach always says that running empties the body of emotions, and these days, it feels like I've got emotions to spare…'
The rhythmic thudding of her sneakers on the track and her short, sandy colored ponytail swinging back and forth between her shoulders as she settled into her pace brought her some much needed relief. She took in a steady breath and kept her eyes on the upcoming turn. Candice was just ahead of her, and if she kept her current pace, she'd overtake her in less than 30 seconds. As she approached the other girl, she took a glance behind her, suddenly feeling like someone else was on the track with them. 'Nothing…' She grinned a little and waved as she passed her classmate. 'Coach was right, I definitely feel better.' "See ya, Candice!", she called softly as she moved even farther ahead. A little surge of anger went through her as she continued, but it vanished as she rounded the next bend.
The bell rang and she just slowed into a light jog to head back to the locker room. She'd had a good run, and certainly felt a lot better. She almost hated to get changed and head home, but going home would make her feel even better, though the ride certainly wouldn't. She hated the bus, almost as much as the bus seemed to hate her.
"Mom, I'm home!"
"In here, sweetie! I'm in the living room with your friend!"
"My friend?" Nancy called back as she plopped her backpack down by the door so that it would be ready for her tomorrow. "Which one?"
"Pietro? One of the guys from the track team?" Mrs. DuLauncet answered as her daughter came through the archway and into the living room.
Nancy's eyes widened as her eyes fell on the slim, silver haired boy sitting across from her mother. What was he doing? He wasn't her friend; she'd never even seen him before!
"Nance! Hey, how ya doing?" He was up and giving her a side-hug before she could say anything to correct her mother. "Saw you out on the field today, you're pretty fast. You had little blondie licked without even breaking a sweat." He chuckled. "With you on the team, the school will do great this year. Thanks for the cookies, Mrs. DuLauncet! Come on, let's go out back and hang out, Nance."
Before Nancy could protest, the strange guy was pulling her arm toward the backdoor as her mother waved them on, as if in encouragement. She felt giddy all of the sudden, but she didn't know why. She certainly didn't have a crush on the creep who had lied to her mother and had apparently been watching her all afternoon, that was for sure.
As soon as the door closed, Nancy jerked her hand out of his grip. "Who are you? Why are you here and telling my mom that we're friends? I've never even seen you before!" She spit out before he could grab her again.
"Didn't you hear your mom? My name is Pietro. And I want to be your friend. I was just reading a little into the future when I said I was already your friend." He chuckled, striking a pose. "After all, who wouldn't want to be my friend?"
"Um… Me? Like I said, I don't even know you, Plus you were watching me?! No one was out there on the field, so no one could have told you that I passed Candice."
"I was watching you because we've got some stuff in common." He answered. "People who have stuff in common should be friends, ya know?" He said before running in a single circle around her, his movements so fast that they kicked up a small breeze and it was like he had never moved at all. "You're not as fast as me, but you've got a leg up on the rest of the snails around New York, and ya know, the rest of the world. It's too small a place, dontcha think?"
[That's right, Ororo, I think your help will be invaluable in convincing young Miss DuLauncet to join us at the Institute.]
'If you say so, Charles. I still don't know how I will be of help in convincing a seventeen year old to come here. Wouldn't Jean or Kitty be a better choice?'
[No, Ororo, this girl needs stability. Jean and Kitty are adjusted, but still far too affected by what happens at Bayville High. You don't have the same drama and you have a greater grip on who you are. That is what will help Miss DuLauncet. I'd like you to leave for Lake Placid after lunch, tomorrow. That will enable you to arrive just before the last bell.]