Note: I made a mistake in the prologue. I referred to the jet as just the
Helix, but it's the Double Helix. My bad, folks.
Chapter 1: At Sanctuary
**flashback**
Serena opened the back door and grabbed Aurora, dragging her out of the backseat of the car.
"Come on, you little freak!" she hissed. "Time to pay the piper." She dragged Aurora inside the house. "Jeremiah?" she called out. "You home, hon?"
"Yeah, I'm in the kitchen," he replied.
"Do you know what I caught our daughter doing just a little while ago?" Serena demanded. Jeremiah came out of the kitchen, holding a sandwich.
"What'd Rora do?" he asked, giving his daughter a dark look.
"I caught her getting drunk and playing doctor! And then, as I was bringing her out to the car, she set my arm on fire!" Serena thrust her singed arm out for Jeremiah to see. He took one look at it, and backhanded Aurora across the face.
"You little bitch!" he snarled. "You're gonna get the beating of your life!" He dropped his sandwich, and grabbed Aurora by the upper arm, dragging her down to the basement. As soon as they got down there, Jeremiah grabbed some rope, which was lying in a coil on the floor. "Take your clothes off," he ordered.
Frightened by the look in his eyes, Aurora did as she was told. Her father spun her around to face the basement wall, and then tied her hands to the ceiling.
He raised his hand to strike her with his belt, and a moment later, Aurora felt it connect with her bare back. She screamed in pain. For the next five minutes, the air was filled with the sound of leather and metal connecting with flesh, and the screams of pain and agony that came from Aurora's throat.
"Stop it!" she screamed finally. "Stop hurting me!"
Her father backhanded her across the face. "I won't stop until you've bled to death, you little freak!" her father shouted. "You ungrateful little wretch! Your mother and I have put clothes on your back and food in your stomach, and in return, you set your mother's arm on fire!"
He raised his arm to bring his belt down on her back again, and Aurora closed her eyes, anticipating the blow. But it never came.
**flashback**
Aurora felt fingers prodding at her back, and she screamed.
"Take it easy!" she heard someone say sharply. "We're just trying to help you!" Aurora opened her eyes, and looked up. She found herself staring into a pair of blue-grey eyes that were filled with concern. They were in the face of a young woman who was only a few years older than her, with short brown hair that fell into her eyes.
"It's okay," the lady said soothingly. "You're not at your house anymore. You're safe now."
"Where the hell am I?" asked Aurora, wincing slightly as her injured back was prodded by gentle fingers.
"You're at Sanctuary." Aurora snorted.
"Oh, that's original. Let me guess; this place used to be a Catholic church with a hunchback swinging back and forth on the bells."
The lady snickered. "Not hardly. This place is a safe haven for people like us."
Aurora was instantly on her guard. "What do you mean, 'people like us'?" she asked cautiously.
"People with extraordinary powers."
"Oh, you mean like my ability to set people on fire?" Aurora replied bitterly. The lady was silent for a moment, and then spoke.
"Your power is not solely to set people on fire," she said.
"It's not?" The lady shook her head. "Well, that's comforting. So what in the nine hells *is* my power?!"
"You have the ability to project thermal energy," someone said from beside Aurora. She looked over her shoulder at the speaker. He was an older man, with curly brown hair and brown eyes. He wore solid black: black shirt, black pants, black shoes. The only clothing he wore that wasn't black was the lab coat that he had on over his regular clothing.
Aurora blinked slightly. "You mean I have the ability to create and control fire?"
The man looked surprised, and then grinned. "You're one of the first New Mutants that I've met who didn't need me to translate that into regular English."
Aurora shrugged. "Well, thermal's another word for 'heat', so I just put two and two together. I was right, wasn't I?"
The man nodded. "Right in one. Now, try and hold still. We're treating your injuries, but it can't be done if you're moving around." He began prodding at her back again, and Aurora noticed that he was being more gentle about it. Suddenly, his fingers connected with an extremely painful spot, and she screamed as pain lanced through her. The man immediately removed his hands from her back. "There's something broken there," he said. "Computer, begin scan." Two beams of yellow light shone down from the ceiling, and ran over Aurora's body. She shivered slightly, and the beams disappeared a few seconds later. "You've got a couple of bones back there that are broken, but they're easily fixed."
"Let me guess," said Aurora wryly. "I've got to stay still and not move for the next two days so that my injuries can heal."
"Actually, it would probably be best if it was four days," the man replied absentmindedly. "Maybe five or six, at the most."
Aurora's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding. I can't stay cooped up in one place for that long; I'll go insane!"
The man lifted an eyebrow. "Then I guess you'll have to go insane, won't you?"
Aurora growled low in her throat. "If I could move without hurting myself, I would *so* beat the living crap out of you."
The man smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Aurora. You won't be bored. You'll have plenty of magazines to read, and I'll have a television brought in here."
Aurora sighed. "Fine. I guess I won't be *that* bored." Then she brightened. "I don't suppose you guys could get me the latest issue of 'Playgirl', could you?"
"You have got to be kidding me," the man said in a disbelieving tone, his eyes having grown huge. "There is no way in hell that we're going to get you an issue of 'Playgirl'!"
The lady in front of her laughed. "We'll get you the latest issue of 'Playgirl'--" The man behind Aurora started to object, but the lady just grinned and continued. "--When you're eighteen."
The man let out a sigh of relief, and Aurora made a face. "But I'm only five months away from turning eighteen," she replied. "Pretty please, with sugar on top?"
The lady shook her head. "Nope."
Aurora sighed. "Damn. Well, then I'll settle for all the other popular magazines." She smiled, and the lady grinned.
"I'll see what I can do, okay?" she said to Aurora.
She nodded. "Okay." The lady turned to leave, and Aurora called, "There's just one thing I wanna know, and that's who the hell you guys are."
The lady turned to look at her, and smiled. "I'm Emma deLauro, and the guy treating your injuries is Adam. You should meet Shalimar, Jesse, and Brennan soon."
Aurora shrugged. "Okay." Emma left, and Aurora let out a yelp as Adam's fingers prodded her injured back again. "OW! That hurt, you jerk!"
Adam fought back a chuckle. "Would you like a painkiller?" he asked. Aurora nodded her head so fast that for a moment Adam thought that she'd acquired superspeed.
"Yes, I would like a painkiller," she replied politely, and sniffled slightly. "After all, my back hurts really badly." She sniffled again, and Adam blinked, startled.
"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly. "You sound like you're on the verge of crying."
Aurora looked up at him. She looked like she was about to start crying. Adam was about to give her a hug and telling her that she would be fine, but a moment later, the unhappy look on her face disappeared, and she grinned. "I'm fine. I'm just a really good actress." Adam gaped at her, and she gave him a huge smile.
Someone laughed from the doorway, and Aurora looked over to see who it was. A lady with blond hair and blue eyes stood there, along with two men. One of the men also had blond hair and blue eyes, and the other man had dark hair and brown eyes, and was at least seven inches taller than the other two people.
"Hello," said Aurora, lifting up one hand to wave at them. "I assume that you're Shalimar, Jesse, and Brennan?"
The blond lady lifted an eyebrow slightly. "Damn, you're good."
Aurora shrugged, and winced at the pain in her back caused by the slight movement. "Yeah, well, Emma told me that I would probably meet you guys soon. So, who's who?"
The blond lady grinned. "I'm Shalimar Fox. This is Jesse Kilmartin--"
"Hello," said the blond guy.
"--And that's Brennan Mulwray," finished Shalimar.
"How are you doing?" said the dark-haired guy.
"I'm doing fairly good, considering the fact that my father beat the living crap out of me with a leather belt," replied Aurora, unable to keep a trace of bitterness from creeping into her voice.
As one, the people in front of her flinched, but didn't say anything. Finally, Shalimar broke the silence.
"Well, don't worry," she said firmly. "You're safe now. You won't be going back to your parents. Ever. Not unless we have anything to say about it."
Aurora gave the people in front of her a weak smile. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it," replied Shalimar. She, Jesse, and Brennan turned and left the room.
Aurora craned her neck, trying to see Adam. "Hey, Adam?"
"Yeah?"
"Um, could I have a painkiller, please?"
* * *
Two days later, Aurora was bored out of her mind. She'd read every magazine that she'd been brought twice, and had watched television until she became cross-eyed.
"Room service!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
From the living room of Sanctuary, Shalimar glanced over at Emma. "Your turn to play nurse."
Emma made a face, and headed towards the lab. She leaned on the doorframe, glowering at the teenage occupant. "You hollered, your royal highness?" she asked sarcastically.
Aurora made a face at her. "Smartass. I just wanted to know if I could leave the lab anytime soon. I'm bored out of my mind. I've read every magazine that you guys brought me twice, and I've gone cross-eyed from watching so much television. I never thought I'd say this, but I wanna go to school." She pouted, and Emma couldn't help but smile.
"I know what you mean. Being out of school for a while is fun, but the fun soon runs out."
Aurora grinned. "And when the fun runs out, you find yourself wanting to do algebraic problems, just so you won't be bored out of your mind."
Emma grinned at her, and walked over to her. "How's your back feeling?"
Aurora shrugged. "I still feel bruised and battered, but other than that, I feel fine." She gave Emma a hopeful grin. "Does this mean that I can go back to school tomorrow?"
Emma sighed. "I'll talk to Adam, and see what he thinks. Okay?"
Aurora nodded. "Okay."
Emma left the lab, and Aurora let out a sigh.
* * *
Aurora looked up as Adam walked into the lab. "Hey, Adam."
Adam walked over to where Aurora was lying down, and began examining the injuries on her back. "Emma tells me that you're bored out of your wits, and are ready to go back to school. Is that right?"
Aurora nodded. "Uh-huh."
Adam sighed, and straightened up. "Well, I have to admit, you're doing better than I would have thought. Most people, when abused by their parents or guardians, don't usually want to face their friends. Especially not so soon after being abused."
Aurora made a face. "Yeah, well, I get the feeling that my friends are going to be totally supportive of me." She gave him a hopeful smile. "So, can I go back to school?"
Adam sighed, and then crouched in front of her, staring into her pale green eyes. "Aurora, I'll be waiting outside for you as soon as school lets out, okay? Don't go anywhere else."
Aurora grinned. "Okay."
Adam smiled at her, and then stood up. He left the lab, and if she could have, Aurora would have jumped up and down with glee. Instead, she settled for mentally punching the air.
"No more boredom!" her inner voice sang out.
--You are so right-- thought Aurora happily. Then she frowned. --God, I hope there aren't any pop quizzes tomorrow.--
* * *
Aurora felt a tickling sensation on her nose, like she was being tickled with a feather. She snorted, and heard the sound of laughter beside her. Her eyes flew open, and she saw that Adam was standing over her, holding a cotton swab that he'd been using to tickle her nose with. He smiled down at her.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," he said. "You're going back to school today."
Aurora yawned, and sat up. "What time is it?"
"It's a little after five," Adam replied, helping her to stand. "Emma and Shalimar are going to help you get washed up, and then you're going to get dressed." He smiled faintly. "Emma insisted on picking out your outfit."
Aurora smiled tiredly, and yawned again. "That's okay. She's got good taste in clothing."
With Adam's help, she walked out of the lab, where Emma and Shalimar were waiting for her. They helped her upstairs, where Aurora could hear the shower running.
Twenty minutes later, Aurora had been scrubbed until her skin was pink, and her hair had been dried. Both Emma and Shalimar waited outside the bathroom while Aurora dressed, and then Emma braided her hair into a long plait that fell halfway down her back. Then they helped her downstairs, where breakfast was waiting.
After breakfast, Adam led Aurora down the hallway to a doorway. He flashed the ring that he wore in front of the computer screen beside the computer, and the door opened. Aurora's eyes grew huge when she saw the jet that was in there.
"Holy shit," she said, awestruck. "You guys have your own jet?"
Adam nodded. "That's the Double Helix. But that's not how we're going to get you to school. I'm going to drive you."
Aurora nodded in understanding. "Let me guess. The Double Helix is too noticeable, and that's why you're going to take me to school by car."
Adam nodded. "That's right." He hesitated for a moment. "Aurora, if anyone asks what happened to you, just tell them that you were rescued by child welfare services, all right? Don't tell them about Mutant X."
"Huh? Oh, you mean you guys. Okay. Not only that, but I'm not going to say anything about my powers. I don't wanna be ostracized on my first day back."
Adam smiled faintly. "That would've been the next thing I was going to tell you. Thank you for knowing ahead of time."
Aurora shrugged. "It's called good common sense, Adam." She climbed in the passenger side of the car, and buckled herself in. "Oh, we need to go by my parents' house to get my backpack. I can't go to school without it."
Adam nodded. "All right."
Half an hour later, they were at Aurora's house. She ran inside, and grabbed her backpack from where it rested on the chair in the front hall. Then she ran back out to the car.
"School starts in twenty minutes," she called to Adam. "I just checked the clock on the microwave."
He smiled at her. "Don't worry. We'll have you there in plenty of time."
Aurora sighed. "Well, if I'm late for school, I reserve the right to kick your ass."
Instead of looking angry, Adam merely snorted. "You and what army?"
Aurora made a face at him, and he laughed.
He had her at the school in less than five minutes.
* * *
Aurora walked into homeroom, and noticed that Christa was standing in the corner, talking to her boyfriend, Richard Horton. They both looked worried. Suddenly, Christa looked up, and saw Aurora standing there. Her jaw dropped.
"Rora!" she yelled, running over to her, and flinging her arms around her. "You're all right! Your parents didn't kill you and bury you in the basement!"
Aurora laughed and hugged her back. "No, my parents didn't kill me and bury me in the basement." Her smile faded. "But they came pretty damn close. If it wasn't for Mut--I mean, child welfare services, that wouldn't be a rumor. It'd be true."
Christa looked horrified. "Oh, my god," she said finally. "Your parents were really going to kill you?"
Aurora nodded. "With a leather belt," she replied grimly. Christa's eyes bugged out.
"Oh, my god," she said again. Then she shook her head slightly. "Well, don't worry. I doubt that those murdering psychos that call themselves your parents are going to be allowed anywhere near you ever again. You do realize that you'll probably be called into court to testify against them, don't you?"
Aurora nodded again. "I'm all too aware of that fact," she replied calmly. "But I'll deal with it when it happens, not before." She flashed Christa a worried look. "Right now, I'm more worried about what I've been missing in science. After all, that's not my best class."
Christa smiled back, relieved. "Don't be worried about what you've been missing in science. Mr. Harrison's been out sick, so we've got a substitute. She's really nice. Her name's Ms. Wilcox, and the first thing she told us when she arrived was that she barely passed science in high school, so she's not going to give us any quizzes. Besides, Mr. Harrison didn't leave any lesson plans for her, so she's been letting us watch movies."
Aurora grinned. "Cool."
* * *
That afternoon, Aurora and Christa walked down the front steps of the high school, chattering happily about the movie that they'd watched in science. Ms. Wilcox was a really nice lady, and she'd let the students watch the 1998 version of "Godzilla". Everyone had made corny jokes during the movie, including the teacher.
All in all, it had been the best science class that Aurora had ever had.
Suddenly, Christa looked over her shoulder, and frowned. "Hey, Rora, that guy over there is staring at you."
Aurora turned around and looked where she was pointing. Adam was leaning up against a silver car, a frown on his face. Aurora immediately smacked herself in the head. "Oh, my god, I totally forgot!" She slowly jogged over to where Adam was waiting, and Christa followed, a confused look on her face. "Adam, I am so sorry," she said as soon as she got over there. "If Christa hadn't spotted you over here, I would've gotten on the bus."
Adam sighed. "That's all right, Aurora."
Christa stared at Adam, one eyebrow raised slightly. "Uh, Rora, who the hell is this guy?"
Aurora blinked and glanced over at her. "Uh, this is Adam..." She searched her brain for a last name to give Adam. --Somehow, I don't think that Christa would be willing to accept that Adam doesn't have a last name.- - Then she thought of the movie that they'd watched in science. "...Tatopolous," she said hurriedly. "Adam Tatapolous."
"I take it he works for child welfare services?" Christa asked curiously, and Aurora nodded.
"That's right. I've been staying with him for a couple of days. They're trying to find me a foster home with a reliable parent," lied Aurora. Adam glanced over at her, and a faint smile crossed his face. Then he turned to Christa.
"It was nice meeting you, Christa," he said politely. "But Aurora and I had better be going. Hadn't we, Aurora?"
Aurora nodded. "Yes, Mr. Tatapolous."
Christa walked away, waving at Aurora. "See you tomorrow, Rora."
Aurora waved back. "Bye, Christa." Then she and Adam both got into the car.
Adam glanced over at Aurora, incredulous. "Tatapolous? You told her my last name was *Tatapolous*?!"
Aurora looked helpless. "Well, I had to give you a last name, and it was the first thing that popped into my head!"
Adam shook his head slightly. "It just popped into your head? Where the hell would you hear a name like that?"
Aurora made a face. "Well, we were watching the 1998 version of 'Godzilla' today in science class, and one of the characters had the last name Tatapolous."
Adam sighed. "Do you have any homework?"
Aurora shook her head. "Nope. I had to sit out two of my classes today."
"Which ones?"
"Theatre and dance. My other two classes were science and chorus. We've started working on some new songs in chorus, and we're usually sitting down for that class, except when we're doing choreography, and we had a substitute in science. She was really nice. She's been letting the class watch videos all week, because the teacher didn't leave any lesson plans." Aurora grinned. "Ms. Wilcox is the absolute best substitute ever."
That got Adam's attention. "Was your substitute's first name Claire?"
Aurora gave him a strange look out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah, it is. Why?"
Adam glanced over at her, and gave her a huge smile. "Claire Wilcox is a New Mutant that Jesse, Shalimar, and myself put in the New Mutant Underground about two years ago."
Aurora grinned. "Cool! What's her power?"
"Telekinesis. She chose the codename 'Floater' for herself."
Aurora rolled her eyes. "That is such a corny codename." Then she grinned. "But I just thought of one for myself."
"What's that?"
"Firestarter."
* * *
Aurora stared out the window as Adam pulled up to a house across the street from where the cast party had been held a few nights earlier.
"What are we doing here?" she demanded. "This doesn't look like Sanctuary."
"That's because it's not. This is Claire Wilcox's house. You're going to be staying with her until the end of the school year."
Aurora blinked. "Why?"
"Because you need to complete your high school education."
Aurora rolled her eyes. "Duh, I kinda figured that I needed to finish my high school education, but why can't I live at Sanctuary while I'm finishing up?"
"Because you need to be closer to the school." Adam stopped talking when he saw the hurt look in Aurora's eyes. "Aurora, it's for the best. Besides, your parents are going to be put on trial, and the court is going to want to know where you've been staying."
Aurora sighed. "Oh, all right." She grabbed her backpack, and both she and Adam went up the walk to the front door. Aurora knocked once, and the door was opened by a blond woman in her early thirties, wearing jeans and a red tank top. She grinned when she saw Adam.
"Adam!" She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "It's great to see you again!"
"It's great to see you too, Claire," he replied. He stepped backwards and smiled down at the petite blond woman in front of him. "Claire, this is Aurora Hawkins. I believe you've met her already."
Claire gaped when she saw Aurora. "Well, I'll be damned. So you're the New Mutant I'm taking care of, huh? I hadn't realized that you'd be one of the students in the class that I was substituting for."
Aurora flashed her a grin. "Well, you learn something new every day, don't you?"
Claire nodded in agreement. "True. Very true." She stepped out of the doorway, and indicated inside. "Why don't you come inside?"
Aurora smiled, and went inside. Claire turned back to Adam, a huge smile on her face. But before she could say anything, Adam held up a single finger, indicating that she shouldn't say anything. "I'm going to go ahead and leave," he said quietly.
Claire gave him a hurt look. "Without saying good-bye?"
"It's better that way," he replied.
"Adam, she'll pitch an absolute tantrum if you leave without saying good- bye, and I've only got one fire extinguisher in the house," she joked.
Adam sighed. "All right, fine," he said. "But I'm only going to stay long enough to say good-bye."
Claire made a face. "Well, that's better than nothing." She headed inside. "Come on in, Adam."
Adam followed her inside, and shook his head slightly at what he saw. "Claire, your house looks like a tornado hit it."
Claire stuck her tongue out at him. "That's because I can't do my taxes and clean house at the same time, jerk." Aurora came downstairs a moment later. "Aurora, Adam has something to tell you."
Aurora looked at Adam expectantly, and he sighed. "Aurora, I've got to be heading back to Sanctuary. Now, I know that you're probably disappointed that you won't be coming back with me, but you need to stay here." He fished around in his jacket pocket for a moment, and came up with a bottle of pills. "Aurora, you need to take one of these twice a day for the next two weeks."
Aurora took them from him, glancing at the lable curiously. "What are they?"
"They're antibiotics, and they're going to keep the injuries on your back from getting infected. Now remember: One pill twice a day for two weeks."
"Got it," replied Aurora. Then, before Adam could do anything, she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Am I gonna see any of the members of Mutant X again?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled by the fact that her face was buried in his neck.
Adam nodded. "As often as you'd like. You're just not going to be staying at Sanctuary." He pried himself loose from her grasp, and looked her in the eye. "If you have any kinds of problems, any at all, you call me. Claire knows Sanctuary's number. Okay?"
Aurora nodded, and sniffled once. "Bye, Adam." She hugged him again, and he left. Aurora stood at the doorway for about ten minutes after he'd driven away, resisting the urge to start crying.
Claire watched her for a moment, and then placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Aurora, what say we go get you some new clothing?" she asked softly. Aurora looked up at her, and nodded.
"Okay," she said in a small voice.
Claire gave her a broad smile. "Great! While we're out, we'll get some dinner, too." She made a face. "Believe me, you don't want to eat my cooking. I can stomach it, but only because I've had years of experience."
Aurora giggled. "Can we get McDonald's?"
"Sure," agreed Claire. "We'll stop by McDonald's after we've gotten you some new clothes. Just let me get my keys and my jacket, and we'll go."
Ten minutes later, Claire and Aurora pulled out of the driveway in Claire's truck, laughing and talking like old friends.
to be continued...
* * *
A/N: Well, that ends chapter 1. Now to start working on chapter 2! As always, please R&R, but no flames, otherwise I'll have to kick your sorry arses from here to Middle Earth. See ya!
Chapter 1: At Sanctuary
**flashback**
Serena opened the back door and grabbed Aurora, dragging her out of the backseat of the car.
"Come on, you little freak!" she hissed. "Time to pay the piper." She dragged Aurora inside the house. "Jeremiah?" she called out. "You home, hon?"
"Yeah, I'm in the kitchen," he replied.
"Do you know what I caught our daughter doing just a little while ago?" Serena demanded. Jeremiah came out of the kitchen, holding a sandwich.
"What'd Rora do?" he asked, giving his daughter a dark look.
"I caught her getting drunk and playing doctor! And then, as I was bringing her out to the car, she set my arm on fire!" Serena thrust her singed arm out for Jeremiah to see. He took one look at it, and backhanded Aurora across the face.
"You little bitch!" he snarled. "You're gonna get the beating of your life!" He dropped his sandwich, and grabbed Aurora by the upper arm, dragging her down to the basement. As soon as they got down there, Jeremiah grabbed some rope, which was lying in a coil on the floor. "Take your clothes off," he ordered.
Frightened by the look in his eyes, Aurora did as she was told. Her father spun her around to face the basement wall, and then tied her hands to the ceiling.
He raised his hand to strike her with his belt, and a moment later, Aurora felt it connect with her bare back. She screamed in pain. For the next five minutes, the air was filled with the sound of leather and metal connecting with flesh, and the screams of pain and agony that came from Aurora's throat.
"Stop it!" she screamed finally. "Stop hurting me!"
Her father backhanded her across the face. "I won't stop until you've bled to death, you little freak!" her father shouted. "You ungrateful little wretch! Your mother and I have put clothes on your back and food in your stomach, and in return, you set your mother's arm on fire!"
He raised his arm to bring his belt down on her back again, and Aurora closed her eyes, anticipating the blow. But it never came.
**flashback**
Aurora felt fingers prodding at her back, and she screamed.
"Take it easy!" she heard someone say sharply. "We're just trying to help you!" Aurora opened her eyes, and looked up. She found herself staring into a pair of blue-grey eyes that were filled with concern. They were in the face of a young woman who was only a few years older than her, with short brown hair that fell into her eyes.
"It's okay," the lady said soothingly. "You're not at your house anymore. You're safe now."
"Where the hell am I?" asked Aurora, wincing slightly as her injured back was prodded by gentle fingers.
"You're at Sanctuary." Aurora snorted.
"Oh, that's original. Let me guess; this place used to be a Catholic church with a hunchback swinging back and forth on the bells."
The lady snickered. "Not hardly. This place is a safe haven for people like us."
Aurora was instantly on her guard. "What do you mean, 'people like us'?" she asked cautiously.
"People with extraordinary powers."
"Oh, you mean like my ability to set people on fire?" Aurora replied bitterly. The lady was silent for a moment, and then spoke.
"Your power is not solely to set people on fire," she said.
"It's not?" The lady shook her head. "Well, that's comforting. So what in the nine hells *is* my power?!"
"You have the ability to project thermal energy," someone said from beside Aurora. She looked over her shoulder at the speaker. He was an older man, with curly brown hair and brown eyes. He wore solid black: black shirt, black pants, black shoes. The only clothing he wore that wasn't black was the lab coat that he had on over his regular clothing.
Aurora blinked slightly. "You mean I have the ability to create and control fire?"
The man looked surprised, and then grinned. "You're one of the first New Mutants that I've met who didn't need me to translate that into regular English."
Aurora shrugged. "Well, thermal's another word for 'heat', so I just put two and two together. I was right, wasn't I?"
The man nodded. "Right in one. Now, try and hold still. We're treating your injuries, but it can't be done if you're moving around." He began prodding at her back again, and Aurora noticed that he was being more gentle about it. Suddenly, his fingers connected with an extremely painful spot, and she screamed as pain lanced through her. The man immediately removed his hands from her back. "There's something broken there," he said. "Computer, begin scan." Two beams of yellow light shone down from the ceiling, and ran over Aurora's body. She shivered slightly, and the beams disappeared a few seconds later. "You've got a couple of bones back there that are broken, but they're easily fixed."
"Let me guess," said Aurora wryly. "I've got to stay still and not move for the next two days so that my injuries can heal."
"Actually, it would probably be best if it was four days," the man replied absentmindedly. "Maybe five or six, at the most."
Aurora's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding. I can't stay cooped up in one place for that long; I'll go insane!"
The man lifted an eyebrow. "Then I guess you'll have to go insane, won't you?"
Aurora growled low in her throat. "If I could move without hurting myself, I would *so* beat the living crap out of you."
The man smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Aurora. You won't be bored. You'll have plenty of magazines to read, and I'll have a television brought in here."
Aurora sighed. "Fine. I guess I won't be *that* bored." Then she brightened. "I don't suppose you guys could get me the latest issue of 'Playgirl', could you?"
"You have got to be kidding me," the man said in a disbelieving tone, his eyes having grown huge. "There is no way in hell that we're going to get you an issue of 'Playgirl'!"
The lady in front of her laughed. "We'll get you the latest issue of 'Playgirl'--" The man behind Aurora started to object, but the lady just grinned and continued. "--When you're eighteen."
The man let out a sigh of relief, and Aurora made a face. "But I'm only five months away from turning eighteen," she replied. "Pretty please, with sugar on top?"
The lady shook her head. "Nope."
Aurora sighed. "Damn. Well, then I'll settle for all the other popular magazines." She smiled, and the lady grinned.
"I'll see what I can do, okay?" she said to Aurora.
She nodded. "Okay." The lady turned to leave, and Aurora called, "There's just one thing I wanna know, and that's who the hell you guys are."
The lady turned to look at her, and smiled. "I'm Emma deLauro, and the guy treating your injuries is Adam. You should meet Shalimar, Jesse, and Brennan soon."
Aurora shrugged. "Okay." Emma left, and Aurora let out a yelp as Adam's fingers prodded her injured back again. "OW! That hurt, you jerk!"
Adam fought back a chuckle. "Would you like a painkiller?" he asked. Aurora nodded her head so fast that for a moment Adam thought that she'd acquired superspeed.
"Yes, I would like a painkiller," she replied politely, and sniffled slightly. "After all, my back hurts really badly." She sniffled again, and Adam blinked, startled.
"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly. "You sound like you're on the verge of crying."
Aurora looked up at him. She looked like she was about to start crying. Adam was about to give her a hug and telling her that she would be fine, but a moment later, the unhappy look on her face disappeared, and she grinned. "I'm fine. I'm just a really good actress." Adam gaped at her, and she gave him a huge smile.
Someone laughed from the doorway, and Aurora looked over to see who it was. A lady with blond hair and blue eyes stood there, along with two men. One of the men also had blond hair and blue eyes, and the other man had dark hair and brown eyes, and was at least seven inches taller than the other two people.
"Hello," said Aurora, lifting up one hand to wave at them. "I assume that you're Shalimar, Jesse, and Brennan?"
The blond lady lifted an eyebrow slightly. "Damn, you're good."
Aurora shrugged, and winced at the pain in her back caused by the slight movement. "Yeah, well, Emma told me that I would probably meet you guys soon. So, who's who?"
The blond lady grinned. "I'm Shalimar Fox. This is Jesse Kilmartin--"
"Hello," said the blond guy.
"--And that's Brennan Mulwray," finished Shalimar.
"How are you doing?" said the dark-haired guy.
"I'm doing fairly good, considering the fact that my father beat the living crap out of me with a leather belt," replied Aurora, unable to keep a trace of bitterness from creeping into her voice.
As one, the people in front of her flinched, but didn't say anything. Finally, Shalimar broke the silence.
"Well, don't worry," she said firmly. "You're safe now. You won't be going back to your parents. Ever. Not unless we have anything to say about it."
Aurora gave the people in front of her a weak smile. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it," replied Shalimar. She, Jesse, and Brennan turned and left the room.
Aurora craned her neck, trying to see Adam. "Hey, Adam?"
"Yeah?"
"Um, could I have a painkiller, please?"
* * *
Two days later, Aurora was bored out of her mind. She'd read every magazine that she'd been brought twice, and had watched television until she became cross-eyed.
"Room service!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.
From the living room of Sanctuary, Shalimar glanced over at Emma. "Your turn to play nurse."
Emma made a face, and headed towards the lab. She leaned on the doorframe, glowering at the teenage occupant. "You hollered, your royal highness?" she asked sarcastically.
Aurora made a face at her. "Smartass. I just wanted to know if I could leave the lab anytime soon. I'm bored out of my mind. I've read every magazine that you guys brought me twice, and I've gone cross-eyed from watching so much television. I never thought I'd say this, but I wanna go to school." She pouted, and Emma couldn't help but smile.
"I know what you mean. Being out of school for a while is fun, but the fun soon runs out."
Aurora grinned. "And when the fun runs out, you find yourself wanting to do algebraic problems, just so you won't be bored out of your mind."
Emma grinned at her, and walked over to her. "How's your back feeling?"
Aurora shrugged. "I still feel bruised and battered, but other than that, I feel fine." She gave Emma a hopeful grin. "Does this mean that I can go back to school tomorrow?"
Emma sighed. "I'll talk to Adam, and see what he thinks. Okay?"
Aurora nodded. "Okay."
Emma left the lab, and Aurora let out a sigh.
* * *
Aurora looked up as Adam walked into the lab. "Hey, Adam."
Adam walked over to where Aurora was lying down, and began examining the injuries on her back. "Emma tells me that you're bored out of your wits, and are ready to go back to school. Is that right?"
Aurora nodded. "Uh-huh."
Adam sighed, and straightened up. "Well, I have to admit, you're doing better than I would have thought. Most people, when abused by their parents or guardians, don't usually want to face their friends. Especially not so soon after being abused."
Aurora made a face. "Yeah, well, I get the feeling that my friends are going to be totally supportive of me." She gave him a hopeful smile. "So, can I go back to school?"
Adam sighed, and then crouched in front of her, staring into her pale green eyes. "Aurora, I'll be waiting outside for you as soon as school lets out, okay? Don't go anywhere else."
Aurora grinned. "Okay."
Adam smiled at her, and then stood up. He left the lab, and if she could have, Aurora would have jumped up and down with glee. Instead, she settled for mentally punching the air.
"No more boredom!" her inner voice sang out.
--You are so right-- thought Aurora happily. Then she frowned. --God, I hope there aren't any pop quizzes tomorrow.--
* * *
Aurora felt a tickling sensation on her nose, like she was being tickled with a feather. She snorted, and heard the sound of laughter beside her. Her eyes flew open, and she saw that Adam was standing over her, holding a cotton swab that he'd been using to tickle her nose with. He smiled down at her.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," he said. "You're going back to school today."
Aurora yawned, and sat up. "What time is it?"
"It's a little after five," Adam replied, helping her to stand. "Emma and Shalimar are going to help you get washed up, and then you're going to get dressed." He smiled faintly. "Emma insisted on picking out your outfit."
Aurora smiled tiredly, and yawned again. "That's okay. She's got good taste in clothing."
With Adam's help, she walked out of the lab, where Emma and Shalimar were waiting for her. They helped her upstairs, where Aurora could hear the shower running.
Twenty minutes later, Aurora had been scrubbed until her skin was pink, and her hair had been dried. Both Emma and Shalimar waited outside the bathroom while Aurora dressed, and then Emma braided her hair into a long plait that fell halfway down her back. Then they helped her downstairs, where breakfast was waiting.
After breakfast, Adam led Aurora down the hallway to a doorway. He flashed the ring that he wore in front of the computer screen beside the computer, and the door opened. Aurora's eyes grew huge when she saw the jet that was in there.
"Holy shit," she said, awestruck. "You guys have your own jet?"
Adam nodded. "That's the Double Helix. But that's not how we're going to get you to school. I'm going to drive you."
Aurora nodded in understanding. "Let me guess. The Double Helix is too noticeable, and that's why you're going to take me to school by car."
Adam nodded. "That's right." He hesitated for a moment. "Aurora, if anyone asks what happened to you, just tell them that you were rescued by child welfare services, all right? Don't tell them about Mutant X."
"Huh? Oh, you mean you guys. Okay. Not only that, but I'm not going to say anything about my powers. I don't wanna be ostracized on my first day back."
Adam smiled faintly. "That would've been the next thing I was going to tell you. Thank you for knowing ahead of time."
Aurora shrugged. "It's called good common sense, Adam." She climbed in the passenger side of the car, and buckled herself in. "Oh, we need to go by my parents' house to get my backpack. I can't go to school without it."
Adam nodded. "All right."
Half an hour later, they were at Aurora's house. She ran inside, and grabbed her backpack from where it rested on the chair in the front hall. Then she ran back out to the car.
"School starts in twenty minutes," she called to Adam. "I just checked the clock on the microwave."
He smiled at her. "Don't worry. We'll have you there in plenty of time."
Aurora sighed. "Well, if I'm late for school, I reserve the right to kick your ass."
Instead of looking angry, Adam merely snorted. "You and what army?"
Aurora made a face at him, and he laughed.
He had her at the school in less than five minutes.
* * *
Aurora walked into homeroom, and noticed that Christa was standing in the corner, talking to her boyfriend, Richard Horton. They both looked worried. Suddenly, Christa looked up, and saw Aurora standing there. Her jaw dropped.
"Rora!" she yelled, running over to her, and flinging her arms around her. "You're all right! Your parents didn't kill you and bury you in the basement!"
Aurora laughed and hugged her back. "No, my parents didn't kill me and bury me in the basement." Her smile faded. "But they came pretty damn close. If it wasn't for Mut--I mean, child welfare services, that wouldn't be a rumor. It'd be true."
Christa looked horrified. "Oh, my god," she said finally. "Your parents were really going to kill you?"
Aurora nodded. "With a leather belt," she replied grimly. Christa's eyes bugged out.
"Oh, my god," she said again. Then she shook her head slightly. "Well, don't worry. I doubt that those murdering psychos that call themselves your parents are going to be allowed anywhere near you ever again. You do realize that you'll probably be called into court to testify against them, don't you?"
Aurora nodded again. "I'm all too aware of that fact," she replied calmly. "But I'll deal with it when it happens, not before." She flashed Christa a worried look. "Right now, I'm more worried about what I've been missing in science. After all, that's not my best class."
Christa smiled back, relieved. "Don't be worried about what you've been missing in science. Mr. Harrison's been out sick, so we've got a substitute. She's really nice. Her name's Ms. Wilcox, and the first thing she told us when she arrived was that she barely passed science in high school, so she's not going to give us any quizzes. Besides, Mr. Harrison didn't leave any lesson plans for her, so she's been letting us watch movies."
Aurora grinned. "Cool."
* * *
That afternoon, Aurora and Christa walked down the front steps of the high school, chattering happily about the movie that they'd watched in science. Ms. Wilcox was a really nice lady, and she'd let the students watch the 1998 version of "Godzilla". Everyone had made corny jokes during the movie, including the teacher.
All in all, it had been the best science class that Aurora had ever had.
Suddenly, Christa looked over her shoulder, and frowned. "Hey, Rora, that guy over there is staring at you."
Aurora turned around and looked where she was pointing. Adam was leaning up against a silver car, a frown on his face. Aurora immediately smacked herself in the head. "Oh, my god, I totally forgot!" She slowly jogged over to where Adam was waiting, and Christa followed, a confused look on her face. "Adam, I am so sorry," she said as soon as she got over there. "If Christa hadn't spotted you over here, I would've gotten on the bus."
Adam sighed. "That's all right, Aurora."
Christa stared at Adam, one eyebrow raised slightly. "Uh, Rora, who the hell is this guy?"
Aurora blinked and glanced over at her. "Uh, this is Adam..." She searched her brain for a last name to give Adam. --Somehow, I don't think that Christa would be willing to accept that Adam doesn't have a last name.- - Then she thought of the movie that they'd watched in science. "...Tatopolous," she said hurriedly. "Adam Tatapolous."
"I take it he works for child welfare services?" Christa asked curiously, and Aurora nodded.
"That's right. I've been staying with him for a couple of days. They're trying to find me a foster home with a reliable parent," lied Aurora. Adam glanced over at her, and a faint smile crossed his face. Then he turned to Christa.
"It was nice meeting you, Christa," he said politely. "But Aurora and I had better be going. Hadn't we, Aurora?"
Aurora nodded. "Yes, Mr. Tatapolous."
Christa walked away, waving at Aurora. "See you tomorrow, Rora."
Aurora waved back. "Bye, Christa." Then she and Adam both got into the car.
Adam glanced over at Aurora, incredulous. "Tatapolous? You told her my last name was *Tatapolous*?!"
Aurora looked helpless. "Well, I had to give you a last name, and it was the first thing that popped into my head!"
Adam shook his head slightly. "It just popped into your head? Where the hell would you hear a name like that?"
Aurora made a face. "Well, we were watching the 1998 version of 'Godzilla' today in science class, and one of the characters had the last name Tatapolous."
Adam sighed. "Do you have any homework?"
Aurora shook her head. "Nope. I had to sit out two of my classes today."
"Which ones?"
"Theatre and dance. My other two classes were science and chorus. We've started working on some new songs in chorus, and we're usually sitting down for that class, except when we're doing choreography, and we had a substitute in science. She was really nice. She's been letting the class watch videos all week, because the teacher didn't leave any lesson plans." Aurora grinned. "Ms. Wilcox is the absolute best substitute ever."
That got Adam's attention. "Was your substitute's first name Claire?"
Aurora gave him a strange look out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah, it is. Why?"
Adam glanced over at her, and gave her a huge smile. "Claire Wilcox is a New Mutant that Jesse, Shalimar, and myself put in the New Mutant Underground about two years ago."
Aurora grinned. "Cool! What's her power?"
"Telekinesis. She chose the codename 'Floater' for herself."
Aurora rolled her eyes. "That is such a corny codename." Then she grinned. "But I just thought of one for myself."
"What's that?"
"Firestarter."
* * *
Aurora stared out the window as Adam pulled up to a house across the street from where the cast party had been held a few nights earlier.
"What are we doing here?" she demanded. "This doesn't look like Sanctuary."
"That's because it's not. This is Claire Wilcox's house. You're going to be staying with her until the end of the school year."
Aurora blinked. "Why?"
"Because you need to complete your high school education."
Aurora rolled her eyes. "Duh, I kinda figured that I needed to finish my high school education, but why can't I live at Sanctuary while I'm finishing up?"
"Because you need to be closer to the school." Adam stopped talking when he saw the hurt look in Aurora's eyes. "Aurora, it's for the best. Besides, your parents are going to be put on trial, and the court is going to want to know where you've been staying."
Aurora sighed. "Oh, all right." She grabbed her backpack, and both she and Adam went up the walk to the front door. Aurora knocked once, and the door was opened by a blond woman in her early thirties, wearing jeans and a red tank top. She grinned when she saw Adam.
"Adam!" She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "It's great to see you again!"
"It's great to see you too, Claire," he replied. He stepped backwards and smiled down at the petite blond woman in front of him. "Claire, this is Aurora Hawkins. I believe you've met her already."
Claire gaped when she saw Aurora. "Well, I'll be damned. So you're the New Mutant I'm taking care of, huh? I hadn't realized that you'd be one of the students in the class that I was substituting for."
Aurora flashed her a grin. "Well, you learn something new every day, don't you?"
Claire nodded in agreement. "True. Very true." She stepped out of the doorway, and indicated inside. "Why don't you come inside?"
Aurora smiled, and went inside. Claire turned back to Adam, a huge smile on her face. But before she could say anything, Adam held up a single finger, indicating that she shouldn't say anything. "I'm going to go ahead and leave," he said quietly.
Claire gave him a hurt look. "Without saying good-bye?"
"It's better that way," he replied.
"Adam, she'll pitch an absolute tantrum if you leave without saying good- bye, and I've only got one fire extinguisher in the house," she joked.
Adam sighed. "All right, fine," he said. "But I'm only going to stay long enough to say good-bye."
Claire made a face. "Well, that's better than nothing." She headed inside. "Come on in, Adam."
Adam followed her inside, and shook his head slightly at what he saw. "Claire, your house looks like a tornado hit it."
Claire stuck her tongue out at him. "That's because I can't do my taxes and clean house at the same time, jerk." Aurora came downstairs a moment later. "Aurora, Adam has something to tell you."
Aurora looked at Adam expectantly, and he sighed. "Aurora, I've got to be heading back to Sanctuary. Now, I know that you're probably disappointed that you won't be coming back with me, but you need to stay here." He fished around in his jacket pocket for a moment, and came up with a bottle of pills. "Aurora, you need to take one of these twice a day for the next two weeks."
Aurora took them from him, glancing at the lable curiously. "What are they?"
"They're antibiotics, and they're going to keep the injuries on your back from getting infected. Now remember: One pill twice a day for two weeks."
"Got it," replied Aurora. Then, before Adam could do anything, she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Am I gonna see any of the members of Mutant X again?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled by the fact that her face was buried in his neck.
Adam nodded. "As often as you'd like. You're just not going to be staying at Sanctuary." He pried himself loose from her grasp, and looked her in the eye. "If you have any kinds of problems, any at all, you call me. Claire knows Sanctuary's number. Okay?"
Aurora nodded, and sniffled once. "Bye, Adam." She hugged him again, and he left. Aurora stood at the doorway for about ten minutes after he'd driven away, resisting the urge to start crying.
Claire watched her for a moment, and then placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Aurora, what say we go get you some new clothing?" she asked softly. Aurora looked up at her, and nodded.
"Okay," she said in a small voice.
Claire gave her a broad smile. "Great! While we're out, we'll get some dinner, too." She made a face. "Believe me, you don't want to eat my cooking. I can stomach it, but only because I've had years of experience."
Aurora giggled. "Can we get McDonald's?"
"Sure," agreed Claire. "We'll stop by McDonald's after we've gotten you some new clothes. Just let me get my keys and my jacket, and we'll go."
Ten minutes later, Claire and Aurora pulled out of the driveway in Claire's truck, laughing and talking like old friends.
to be continued...
* * *
A/N: Well, that ends chapter 1. Now to start working on chapter 2! As always, please R&R, but no flames, otherwise I'll have to kick your sorry arses from here to Middle Earth. See ya!