The New Kid
Kitty Pryde strolled through the sunny grounds of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. The air was alive with the sounds and smells of spring, and talk of spring break. Kitty was nervous, not about her parents, but about everybody else who she used to know. Her old schoolmates. She glanced at her watch. Shoot! She was going to be late for Professor Storm's class! Kitty hoisted her bag onto her other shoulder, and ran through the front doors, leading into the main hall of the mansion.
Kitty began to sprint when the bells rang to announce the beginning of class. Kitty had been sidetracked by her friend, Mary, who had bat wings, and rather large ears, that was why she was running so late. Suddenly, Kitty collided with something, and was almost knocked to the ground. Kitty looked up to see a tall boy, about her age, with snow-white hair, all dressed in black.
"Excuse me." Kitty muttered, sliding past him.
"It's alright." He said in an Australian accent. Kitty paused, and turned to double take.
"You okay?" he asked, rather sarcastically.
"Uh, yeah." Kitty muttered, then walked away.
"You want to tell me why you're late Miss Pryde?" asked Professor Storm.
"Uh, I got distracted, a new kid, uh…" Kitty stuttered.
"I'll let you slide." She said warningly, then turned back to the board, where she was writing down some notes.
Kitty took her seat, then pulled out her stuff to take notes, or, rather, doodle, and occasionally tune into class for the next 45 minutes. When she was done with Professor Storm's class, Kitty went to Professor Xavier's Ethics class. She was always the first one there, she liked Professor X, and he seemed to hold her in high esteem. Kitty hoped that one day, he would take her onto the X-men, the team sponsored by Professor X and his school.
"Hello Kitty." said the wheelchair bound telepath.
"Hi Professor." Replied Kitty, sitting in her desk.
"I see you've met the new student." Said the professor, knowingly.
His telepathy still astounded Kitty, even after all the years she'd been attending his school.
"Yeah, we bumped into each other in the hall."
"Excuse me," said an Australian voice from the door, "is this Ethics with Professor Xavier?"
Kitty looked up to see the new kid holding his schedule and shouldering a black bag.
"I would assume so, seeing as I am Professor Xavier." Said the Professor, smiling.
The new kid looked at Kitty, and Professor X said,
"Jonathan, why don't you sit with Kitty, maybe she could be your guide?"
Jonathan didn't question the professor, and sat down next to Kitty.
"Don't worry," said Kitty, attempting conversation, "he does that to everybody."
"Does what?" Jonathan said indifferently.
"Uh, reads your mind?" Kitty said, confused.
Jonathan just shrugged, like, where he came from, everybody was a telepath.
When Ethics was over, everybody got up to leave, Jonathan, one of the first. Kitty got up, and followed him out, contrary to being the last one gone, as usual. When she caught up to him, she asked,
"So, where are you going next?"
"Does it matter?" he asked not looking at her.
"Well," Kitty continued, not giving up, "I just wanted to make sure you knew where everything was. Like, do you know where your,"
"Look, Kitty, was it?" he stopped and looked down at her.
At Kitty's nod, he proceeded,
"I can handle myself, I'm the new kid, nobody's going to get me in trouble for being late today. And besides, this is supposed to be a "haven for mutants" isn't it? So I should be fine here. I made it alone among the humans, and I can make it alone here."
And with that, he walked off, leaving Kitty alone in the middle of the hall.
Later that evening, in the cafeteria, Kitty was eating dinner with two of the older students, yet, youngest X-men, Rogue and Iceman; and, of course, her bat friend, Mary.
"So," said Rogue, "who was that blonde guy?"
"He's a new kid." Said Kitty.
"Have you guys heard his accent?" asked Iceman, or Billy.
"Yeah, I think he's Australian." Said Kitty.
"I saw you talking to him earlier today." Said Rogue, looking at Kitty suspiciously.
"Yeah, and he's a complete jerk." Said Kitty retaliating.
"Yeah, so what?" came Jonathan's disembodied voice.
Everyone looked up to see an unenthused albino.
"Hey," said Billy, acting as if Kitty had never said a thing, "why don't you join us?"
"Sure." He said looking at Kitty, mischievously.
"So," said Kitty, turning to Mary, "are you going home for spring break?" (not very many mutants left for any breaks or vacations).
The quiet little mutant of about 14, two years younger than Kitty, shook her head, and continued to play with her spaghetti.
Kitty, sighed and turned to her own plate, noticing that Jonathan was sitting uncomfortably close.
"So," asked Billy, "what are your powers?"
"Why don't you tell me yours first, mm?"
"Okay," said Billy, "watch this."
The Iceman turned Rogue's pop into a Popsicle.
"You control ice? Just a wild guess." Said Jonathan, uninterested.
"Uh," Billy said, confused at the negativity.
"Well, you don't want to see my powers, so I'll just tell you." Said Rogue,
"If I touch you, I absorb some of your powers, but if I touch humans, I absorb some of their life."
"Oh, it must be so hard for you." Jonathan said sarcastically.
"And let me guess," he said, turning on Mary, who's face went from pale to beet red, "you're some kind of bat girl?"
"Hey," said Billy, angrily, "what's your problem man?"
"Well, since I'm such a jerk…" he said looking at Kitty.
"Don't turn on her." Said Billy, on edge. But Rogue put her gloved hand on his arm, and shook her head.
"Alright, whatever." Said the Jonathan standing up, and leaving his uneaten sandwich at their table.
Later that night, when she had just laid down in bed, Kitty got the feeling that there was something malicious about the shadows of her room.