"Is there a return address on them?"

"Like, really, is he that stupid?"

"Why would he even bother sending them here?"

Crystal groaned as she looked at the bouquet of flowers in her arms. It was beautiful with all of its different colors of lilies, roses, and tulips. If she had gotten these at an earlier point in time, she would have loved them, but now she only wanted them to burn. She wanted to find the person who sent them to her and throw them at his face. While on fire! She thought, igniting a fire on the flowers.

Jean, Kitty, and Rogue screamed and backed up from the heat. Crystal held the burning weeds in her hands and stared at them. Was this Pietro's way of saying sorry? "Oh, hey, Crys, so sorry about leaving you for dead with the Sentinel and the military! Hope flowers will make it right!" she mimicked his voice, talking faster than normal. The other girls laughed as Crystal let the fire die and the ashes scatter away.

"What a jerk! He just thinks he can run back into your life with flowers and think you forgive him? Ugh!" Kitty said as the girls walked to the gazebo and went to their underground home.

Crystal shrugged. "I don't care if he comes back. If he even tried to look at him, he's gonna find himself trapped in an eternal tornado." She told them as they walked about the metal halls to the makeshift kitchen.

"Isn't that the third bouquet he's sent you?" Jean asked as the girls got out different snacks.

Crystal stared out at the wreckage of the Institute through surveillance monitors. It reminded her of the only time in her memory that Black Bolt has chosen to spoke. He laid ruins to half of Attilan. She didn't know much about that day, being young when it had happened, but she knew that it was to prevent an attack from the Kree that was brought on by Maximus. The echoes of Black Bolt's voice caused him to go mad. She rolled her eyes. He was probably mad before that, if he wanted the Kree to attack their home. She lazily looked over to Jean as she heard the redhead call her again.

"What? Oh, yeah, that's the third one. Maybe I'll stay home one day and wait to for the delivery man and tell him to send them back." She said, her voice colder than the Himalayas in winter. The others sensed it and quickly changed the subject.

Crystal got up and dragged her legs to her and Jean's temporary room. She pulled her phone out and stared at the screen as she sat on her bed. It had been a few days since they found the Professor and got back to the Institute. Her phone had died while they had been on the run and she had since charged it. She just never changed the lock screen picture.

It was still a picture of her and Pietro. To her dismay, she could still remember it perfectly. He had taken her to a carnival that was in town, and she had managed to drag him onto the ferris wheel.

"I hate ferris wheels! They're so slow!" He groaned as the ride started to churn.

She giggled, playfully smacking his arm. "Don't be such a sour puss! It'll be fun! We could see the stars and moon shining over Bayville from the top." She said dreamily, with a sigh.

He had stared at her for most of the ride. He played with her hair when he got bored of the slowness of the giant wheel. When the ride got to the top, she pulled out her phone and took a selfie, one of the many things humans did with cell phones, with him. Right as she was about to take the picture, Pietro kissed her on the lips and grabbed the phone from her, taking a picture of their intimate moment. Before he gave it back to her, he set it as her lock screen.

"What was that for?" She asked, taking her phone from him. She looked at the screen and blushed. "Change it back!" She cried out, laughing as she tried to give the phone back to him.

He had refused, saying that it was a symbol of their eternal friendship, "I like you too much to change it back!" That seemed to be his favorite excuse.

Tears formed in her eyes as she relived the memory. If you liked me that much, why did you leave? Why did you leave me alone? She sobbed, pulling her knees up and holding herself. Not since she had first found out about Pietro's betrayal had she allowed herself to cry. The X-Men needed her help in order to survive the hateful world. Now, though, back at the Institute and with the Professor safe, she just let it all out. Her hands clutched her iPhone to her chest, as if she was trying to absorb in a happy memory of Pietro into herself. She wanted all of her sad memories and feelings taken out of her and be replaced with her happy moments with him. There are dreams that cannot be, though.

For once, Maximus didn't bother her or taunt her. He left her mind for moment, to let the girl grieve the loss of her first love. She wouldn't notice his absence. She barely started noticing him there until he started to openly communicate with her. Maximus rolled his eyes as he stared at himself in the mirror that was in his cell.

The boy was not a part of his plan. Hell, most of the events that have happened to Crystalia lately were out of his control. Those fools still really haven't realized what happened to her. They're suspicious, though. He pondered telling them about their little one's broken heart, just to see their reactions. That would reveal his role in her disappearance, though, and no matter how fun and amusing their reactions to Crystalia's pain would be, he wasn't ready to reveal his motives yet.

The chess board that was the Royal Family was not set up yet.


She stirred awake from her dreamless sleep. It was the first time in months that she hadn't had a nightmare that was driven on by Maximus and his annoying games. Maybe he had finally given up on her. She hoped that he was done with her, but she knew that probably wasn't the case. He would be back to taunt her, she knew that much. The real question was when he would be back.

Sitting up, she noticed that Jean wasn't in her bed yet. It's probably not too late. She thought, yawning. A dull ache went up her body from her feet. Looking down, she realized that she had fallen asleep with her shoes still on. Kicking them off, Crystal stood up and stumbled towards the door. She looked out the door and saw no one in the hall, but heard the hum of voices coming from their makeshift living room. She walked in, stifling a yawn.

Crystal plopped down on the couch next to Logan, who was reading the newspaper while watching an military show. She reached for the remote, but he glared and growled at her. "You aren't even watching it!" She screeched as he snatched it from , she sat cross legged and watched it. It made absolutely no sense. These guys were acting like fools in the middle of the way and barely cared about it! With an eye roll, she got up and creeped to the kitchen.

The large clock in there said that it was close to eight. The others were talking about when they would go back to school and how the others students would react. Crystal thought the whole school thing was tedious. Unless the other students learns to accept mutants, and indirectly accept inhumans, then nobody would be happy. Crystal sat down next to Jean.

"Frankly, I'm not surprised this happened this way. Humans have had a long history of not accepting those who are different than them." Crystal said somberly as she looked down at the table.

The others nodded, realizing that she had a point. "Well, have to see what the Professor says about it tomorrow." Scott told them, trying to raise their spirits a bit. "It'll all get better in time."