Chapter 4
Scotia Loves John!
It was around noon, the next day. Renny was sitting with Scotia Summers in the campus cafeteria. They both settled on spaghetti that day, which was Scotia's favorite food.
"So, did you hear? Katie found a Sisterhood spy last night," Renny said.
Scotia took a bite out of her spaghetti.
"I know. It makes me wonder though, if Draven was posing as Shade, then where is he, really?"
Renny sat back and relaxed a little.
"Do you think we'll go on a mission soon? That stuff sure is fun," she said.
Scotia was about to comment, until someone else caught her eye. It was John Grey. Scotia secretly had a crush on him, but didn't like to admit it, even to herself. She tried to be serious and sometimes believed that she was above such feelings. She couldn't deny it, though. Scotia was a mutant, but on some level, she was still human, with human urges and human desires.
"Should we let John sit with us?" Scotia said.
Renny rolled her eyes.
"The guy's a weirdo. Did you hear about what he did last month?"
John Grey never felt like he was in control of his powers. His telepathy would sometimes go off at bad times. He'd broadcast his thoughts to everyone, like he was involuntarily screaming everything that went through his mind to everyone. The previous month, he ended up broadcasting to everyone that he was imagining various students and staff members naked.
John Grey sat down at a table, alone. He opened up his can of pop and drank it fast, like he wasn't enjoying it, like he just wanted to get out of here as soon as he could and move on with his life.
"We should sit with him," Scotia said to Renny.
"Fine. We'll go sit with him," Renny groaned.
Scotia picked up her plate of spaghetti. She stood up and stared at John. She wanted to help him, maybe even love him. She ended up so lost in thought that she wasn't paying attention to the floor. Renny tried to warn her.
"Scotia, look out!"
It was too late. There was an empty candy wrapper on the floor. Scotia tripped on it. She fell. She dropped her food. Spaghetti flew everywhere, onto the floor, all over her clothes, even on Renny's shoes. She tried to pull herself up, but her hands slid on the slippery spaghetti sauce. She whimpered.
"Renny?"
Some of the cafeteria was staring at her.
"You spilled spaghetti everywhere," Renny said.
Scotia tried to get up. Once again, her hand slipped on spaghetti sauce.
"Help me up? Please?"
It was humiliating for one of the leaders of the X-Women to be seen like this in front of so many people.
Renny backed away. Fear and doubt consumed her.
"They're all looking at her. They're all looking at me!"
"They all think I'm a moron for hanging out with such a clutz."
"She can be saved by that white knight John, over there if she likes that shithead so much!"
"Just run away. You don't need to get pulled into this shit. Just run away."
Renny smiled an awkward smile.
"I need to go, Scotia. Later!"
She ran.
Scotia started to cry.
"Renny? Come back! Help me!"
The people in the cafeteria stopped staring. They continued on with their business. Scotia tried to get up again. She got on one of her knees, but slipped on the spaghetti sauce.
"Need a hand?"
It was John Grey. Sure enough, he'd come to Scotia's rescue. He helped her back up to her feet and away from the spaghetti spill.
"Thanks. Seriously, thank you," Scotia said.
"Well, you looked like you needed help and I figured…"
He trailed off, like he didn't have anything more to say, yet his sentence was incomplete. Scotia giggled.
"Seriously, thank you. My eyesight never was that good."
It was true. Even if Scotia didn't need ruby quartz to keep her from blasting eyebeams at everything, she'd still need glasses.
"Scotia?" John said.
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay? Do you need to see a paramedic or something?"
Scotia grabbed napkin from a nearby table and wiped off her hands and face.
"I'm fine. Everybody has their clumsy moments," she said.
"You don't need anything?" John said.
She gave him a smile.
"Let's just go outside. Okay?"
"Okay."
John grabbed his can of pop and his sandwich and followed Scotia outside.
Scotia led John out to a courtyard. It was quiet there, much more quiet than the cafeteria. Scotia was a little nervous. She was normally only around John when they were doing something serious, like fighting The Sisterhood or training in The Danger Room.
"So… What's up with you? I never get to talk with you, Scotia," John said.
She stammered for a second before answering.
"There's a track meet today."
"Really? Against who?" John said.
"Some mutant academy from Britain. We'll win, though. We always do," Scotia replied.
"Well… I don't have much going on tonight. Maybe I could come?" John said.
Scotia's heart began to race. She didn't think John would actually be interested in anything about her.
"Really? Oh wow! Cool! It's at 7:00 pm, tomorrow," she said.
John smiled. He started to laugh.
"Sorry," He said.
Scotia looked worried.
"Sorry for what?"
"You look silly covered in spaghetti sauce."
Scotia was so wrapped up in everything that she forgot that she still had sauce all over her shirt and pants.
"I need to go change. Bye, John."
"I'll see you later, Scotia. At 7:00, tomorrow!"
"Yep, 7:00. See you then."
-XW-
Renny was in her dorm room, alone. She had a secret device, a magic communicator underneath her bed. With this communicator, she could speak with someone important, someone that Professor Xavia didn't know she was corresponding with. She pulled out the magic communicator and opened up a bubble. It was like looking into a window to Hell, a terrible, fiery place where she spoke with a woman. Her body was pale. She wore some kind of armor that covered most of her body, save for her head. There was a large red stone sticking out of her face, where her right eye would be. It was Ms. Sinister.
"Master?" Renny said.
Ms. Sinister was silent. She motioned Renny to go on.
"The time to strike is soon. I need you to send me the cap."
"It will come, Renny. Tomorrow, you will receive a package with no return address. That will be what you need," Ms. Sinister said.
Renny bowed to her.
"Thank you, Master."
Ms. Sinister smiled.
"You are very welcome, Renny. I look forward to seeing what you can accomplish.
Renny shut off her magic communicator and put it back underneath her bed.