Well, this is new.
A brilliant radiance took the complete Danger room in it's cascading glow. Billowing wave after wave against it's metallic walls, fading only to be replaced by a stronger wave. In the control room watching with inquiring eyes through tinted windows Storm studied her young pupil.
Billy's progressing was as impressive as the light radiating from her being. The child's gift of Lumokinesis would take her far. "Alright, enough warming up. I'm beginning the simulation now." Cascading beams faded in flickering wisps, Billy standing ready dressed in black, white X's wrapping snuggly around her arms, legs, and chest.
"Read you loud and clear Storm." Rose tinted goggles covered Billy's eyes. "Let's light this bad puppy up!" Storm smiled at Billy's enthusiasm, activating the program. The Danger room came to life, dozens of lasers and obstacles sprang from the walls and floors, standing between Billy and her goal. Her hands ablaze with ivory light, Billy grinned at the challenge.
"Begin." Billy bolted head on into the obstacle course lasers locked on her, machines coming at her.
Blast. Run. Blast. Blast. Leap. Roll. Blast. Duck.
"Mind your range, Billy."
"Got it." Billy grabbing onto a swinging claw, flipped over the next death trap. Smoke and sparks dancing behind her, victory a mere step away. "B-e-a-utiful, babe."
"Billy!" A blast in the back knocked Billy off her feet, hitting the ground hard finish line just in front of her nose. The Danger room deactivated, the session was over. Billy banged her gloved fist against the cool metal beneath her. Darn it! Ororo all but rushed out of the control room. "Are you alright child?" Billy gathered herself, sitting on her heels.
"Yeah…" Billy scratched her cheek, giving her mentor an rueful gaze. "I messed up, huh?" Ororo smiled for young Billy.
"It wasn't one of your worst moments." Holding her hand out, Ororo helped Billy up. "A little rough around the edges, but you shine through and through." It was weird how she knew just what to say to make Billy smile. "We'll try again later, in the mean time you best be getting ready for school." Then again, maybe not.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Billy's goggles disappeared under her hairline. "What time is it anyway?" A flick of the wrist and a turn of the glove, revealed a watch that told Billy something she really didn't want to see. "Crap!" She scrambled out of the danger room, hopping on one foot pulling the boot off the other. "Bye Storm!" Ororo shook her had watching Billy leave. "I can't be late again!"
Fussing out of her suit and into her day clothes, Billy rushed through the manor grabbing what she could as she went. Her bag, her books, her homework, can't forget about that one. The front doors practically exploding from her passing, Billy grabbed for a slick red bike. Pedal to the metal, Billy flew down the streets of Bayville, her backpack flapping behind her by the straps. Haphazardly careening through town, barely dodging few pedestrians who dotted her way. "Sorry! Gonna be late! Sorry! In a hurry! Sorry! Sorry!!" An angry truck horn blasted stridently, vehicle breaks screaming with Billy passing. "Sorry!!!"
Billy jumped off her bike pulling up to the school, running it into the bike rack hastily looking at he watch. "Gonna be close. Just gotta get through the--"
"Well, what do we have here?" Billy was brought to a halt by the terror of Bayville High, the queen of mean, the dragon lady herself, Principal Darkholme. "Late again, Miss Quinn."
"But I'm not--" The school chimed with the first class bell. Darkholme grinned coldly, Billy could swear if the Principal had flashed her teeth she would have seen fangs.
"You are now." Darkholme's hand snapped around Billy's wrist like an iron vice. "My office, now."
"As you may know Miss Quinn, I will not tolerate tardiness in my school." Billy looked at toes of her shoes, not willing to gamble a look at the steely eyes glaring behind a large desk. "This is the third time I've caught you late for class, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"I'm sorry, Principal Darkholme. I don't have an excuse." Not that I can tell you, anyway. Dark eyes narrowed. "It won't happen again, I promise." Billy knew not to mess with the Principal, that was one line she wouldn't cross. Darkholme leaned against her desk like a snake would coil to strike, this woman was dangerous, no doubt about it.
"For your sake, it had better not." Billy felt a chill up her spine, Principal Darkholme turned her chair to the window. "I don't much care how Xavier runs that little boarding school of his, but while you're attending my school, I expect you to go by my rules." Billy nodded to her almost threatening words.
"I understand." Darkholme made no effort to turn around, she merely waved her hand.
"Go to class, we're done here." More than glad to oblige, Billy all but ran out of Darkholme's office. Closing the door she released her stilled breath, Principal Darkholme was like no other principal and that was saying a lot. Billy pulled her bag over her shoulder, walking through the main office passing a rather funny looking fellow sitting in one of the chairs.
Todd Tolansky, or as everyone else likes to call him, Toad. Giving his nickname by his rather amphibious characteristics and pungent odor, Todd had a bit of a habit of getting into trouble and by the looks of it he was next in line for an appointment with the dragon lady. "Catch you again, Toddy?" Todd crossing his arms leaned back in his chair.
"What can I say, I'm a popular guy." Billy rolled her eyes, among other things Todd had an ego that would stifle any other shallow teenager.
"Yeah, real popular when it comes to people's wallets." Todd was a pickpocket, but not a very good one. He'd get busted every other week with someone else's dough in his hands. "You really need to kick that habit of yours, man. One of these days your sticky fingers are going to write a check your butt can't cash."
"Hey man, I'm just stealing from the rich to give to the needy." What do you know, a modern day Robin Hood. "Me." With the wrong idea of the concept. "Guys gotta eat, you know."
"Yeah, I know." Billy fished through her pockets. "Look, if Darkholme catches you again, you're fried." Pulling out her wallet, a couple bills wavered in front of Todd's face. "So try not to get caught okay?"
"Yeah, whatever." Todd took the money, not one to ask when money was given. "Thanks man."
"No sweat, dude." Billy patted Todd's shoulder, wiping her said hand on her shirt a second later. "And maybe a bath wouldn't hurt either." Todd glared vaguely at that remark. "Later man." Todd rolled his head back, Darkholme's door opened.
"Mister Tolansky!"
"Good luck, man!" Billy took off, one visit with the principal from the black lagoon was more than enough for one day. "You're gonna need it."
Making a quick stop at her locker, Billy hurried into Geometry. Which like any other class, required notes, solving problems on the bored, and boring the young teen out of her blonde mutant head. Next came English 101, reading a few a few editorials and an essay due for famous writers of the eighteenth century. Not the most exciting topic, but definitely one of her better studies.
"Billy, over here!" Looking up, Jean Grey waved for Billy. Putting her stuff in her locker Billy joined her red-headed psychic companion. "Heard you were late again, Darkholme give you the ax?"
"Not even, but I seriously think that lady is out to get me sometimes." Jean's airy laugh rewarded Billy's statement as they entered the cafeteria. "I'm serious, it's like the woman's pumping ice in her veins." Shaking her head, Jean grabbed a tray.
"She wouldn't be so tough on you if you just remember to set your watch during training sessions." An exasperated sigh puffed out Billy's lips, her head rolled back. Can't a girl get a break? "Oh, stop being so dramatic." Eyebrow twitched, Billy gave Jean a look.
"I hate it when you do that." It was bad enough with just herself in her head, Jean smiled grabbing a fruit cup. "And I'm not dramatic, I'm from L.A." An airy laugh rewarded Billy's humor. Turning from the food line the two teenagers walked towards the tables. "There's a difference." Finding a table Jean and Billy sat down, conversing still. "So with that aside, got any plans tonight? I was thinking we could hit the mall or something?"
"Sorry Billy, I need to take pictures of tonight's game for the yearbook." Jean could very well be involved with every extracurricular activity in this school if at all possible. "Maybe some other time." Billy brooded to some extent, stirring her straw in her milk carton. "But if you want, you can come to the game with me?"
"Watch a bunch of guys crushing the tar out of each other over a pig skin?" Billy slurped her calcium enriched beverage. "Eh, why not? Could get a couple laughs out of it." Jean was smiling for Billy, knowing the young mutant was more than happy to go, just a little disappointed it wasn't where she wanted to go. "Is Scott coming too?" A haughty grin played upon Billy's lips, Jean seemed oblivious of it.
"Of course, you know guys and their sports." Waving her hand, Jean tried to explain the obvious to which Billy knew all too well. "I'm sure he won't mind the company." Refrained from rolling her eyes, Billy popped a piece of bread in her mouth. It wasn't that Scott and Billy didn't get along, it was that they just didn't seem to see eye to eye when it came to certain things. "It'll be fun."
"Yeah, a real blast."
"TOUCHDOWN!"
"TOUCHDOWN!"
"TOUCHDOWN!" The crowd was abuzz with cheers, roaring with praise giving confidence to their team. Stomping their feet and clapping there hands, it was all giving Billy one big headache. She watched the team's line up for another play with placid eyes, slender fingers strumming upon her temple. In a split second the two teams were upon each other, one struggling to retrieve the ball the other maintaining it's hold.
Duncan Matthews weaved his way through the collisions, those of the other team trying to stop him. It wasn't until one came up behind him that he was pounced upon and wrestled to the ground, unfortunate luck for the opposing team for he was tackled on the field goal. Referee blowing his whistle, the crowd cheered for victory. Billy smiled lightly watching Jean on the scene camera flashing on the star football player. Words were spoken between the two, but with the ecstatic joy of the crowd it was too loud to hear, but the tension almost flaring beside Billy was impossible to miss.
If Billy had turned her had, she would have seen red sunglasses glaring at the pair on the field. Scott Summers was not as pleased as the people around him. He watched them with every step as they were joined by two other players to which Billy was not familiar with. One pointed to an area out of Billy's peripheral vision, but whatever it was had Duncan's attention with a almost roguish smirk. More words unheard from the stands and Duncan with his two companions of play hastened their way away from the field. A clatter, something small and metallic rattled for a moment and disappeared.
"Ah man, my cash." Scott had dropped a quarter through the stands. Looking down to see if she could spot the shiny coin, a pale almost grayish hand came out from underneath the stands.
"Would you look at that?" The grayish hand from within the steel depths reached out snagging an unsuspecting man's wallet. There was only one person who would take up such an opportunity and such an opportune time. Todd Tolansky.
"Hey check it," Billy was not alone, Scott had also seen the thieving hand. "Looks like someone's taking up a collection."
"Whoa, should we call the cops?"
"Hold that option open." Standing with what gave the impression to be chivalry, Scott climbed down the stands. Curious as she was, Billy knew this was what you would call an unnecessary guy thing and knew to leave well enough alone. After all it was Scott, what's the worst that could happen?
BOOM!!!
The snack bar lit up like the Fourth of July. Smoke and fire flew up to the heavens in a magnificent blaze. Screaming and running, people fled the stands, retreating from the growing flames.
"Geez!" Billy scrambled from her seat, roughly forcing her way through the frightened people to what she thought was the cause of such an explosion, She dashed under the bleachers. True to form, small plots of smoldering fire scattered around the stand beams, proving point of origin. Amongst them she could see two people moving around the confines. A wave of a hand and burning timber moving on it's own, Jean pulled Scott's glasses out from under the smoldering debris. Scott was curled up a few steps away, no doubt eyes shut tight.
Sirens echoed in the distance, no doubt police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks coming for the fire. Jean put the sunglasses back before Scott's lethal eyes, Billy entered the confines under the bleachers. "You guys okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine." Both Jean and Scott look to the field where Duncan was being taken care of by an ambulance crew. His football helmet was cracked, head falling limply as they pulled it from his head. "Look, you better split." Watching them load Duncan onto a stretcher, Jean took her leave to tend to the football player. The flaring tension had returned as Scott watcher her leave, leaving Billy feeling in an awkward state.
"Scott man," Scott walked past Billy, following Jean's path out, Billy slowly following behind. "W-what happened?" He stopped short away from the field watching the redheaded psychic from afar. "Scotty?"
"It's nothing." The two watched as Duncan's stretcher was lifted into an ambulance, Jean close behind. Rigid, Scott stood silently watching Billy making no attempt to break it. Todd who had thought to have fled the scene came up to them. He stood there for only a moment afterwards turning to Scott.
"Uh…thanks." Todd wasn't used to someone actually standing up for him, so it was uncomfortable for him to show appreciation. "Really, you know." Scott stood oblivious for a moment longer.
"Yeah." Turning, Scott left the field leaving Todd and Billy behind him. Giving the pickpocket a look, Billy hurriedly followed after him.
"Hey, wait up!" With both gone, Todd crouched to a posture similar to a toad as he was so casually nicknamed. A lone fly buzzed around his head, a quick flick and a part of his lips, a slimy green appendage sprang out snaring the fly in it's trap and pulling it mercilessly to it's doom into his mouth. Chewing the insect hungrily, Tolansky swallowed the poor morsel before hopping away into the night.