If you couldn't tell, Ailsa can move at superhuman speed. She's also a gymnast and a black-belt in all martial arts but that's not exactly a power.

Thanks to Courtney Summers, Scott Summers fan and TristeAlma for your reviews of the last chapter!

Madison Seville watched through the gates of the Xavier Institute as Ailsa ran toward the doors. Time to put the plan into action. She thought she'd killed the damn girl, apparently not. Her eyes flashed gold again and she made her way to the mansion.

*****

Ailsa burst through the doors of the mansion, nearly knocking over Ororo as she carried some plants out to the garden. She was about to knock on the door of the Professor's study when heard voices coming from inside.

"I agree, Logan. Perhaps Ailsa is too difficult for us to accommodate."

"That Emma Frost's opened an academy in Massachusetts. We can send her there."

"Very well, Logan. I'll let her know when she gets back."

For the second time that day, Ailsa felt tears tumbling over her cheeks. No one wanted her, not in London, not in Jump City... Not here. She ran upstairs, pulled a suitcase from under her bed and started piling her new clothes into it. There was a knock at the door and it opened, Logan stepping into the room.

"Hey, kid."

Ailsa ignored him, turning her face away so he wouldn't see her cry. He spotted the case.

"You goin' somewhere, kid?"

"You know exactly where! Emma Frost's academy in Massachusetts? I heard you and the Professor talking! I'm not wanted anywhere!"

"Me and the Professor? He's at Bayville High talking to the head teacher about some kids who're giving Scott hassle. Been there for the past hour!"

"BUT I HEARD YOU!"

"Listen, kid, the Professor told me about your powers. In the wrong hands, you could be a deadly weapon."

"So?"

"There are mutants out there who are bent on killing humans. They think that mutants are better."

"That's ridiculous! We're all people!"

"Not all mutants share our view."

That statement brought back the dreams. Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Dove, Zelli... Hazy figures, no faces, just black shadows... Other hazy figures, one blue and female, one male with a red glow, like a strange eye... Blood, lots of blood... Herself covered in the red goo...

"So how come I heard you talking?" she asked, snapping out of her thoughts.

"There's one mutant who thinks that mutants are better than humans, and who can look and sound exactly like other people. Her name's Mystique. She'll exploit your powers, use you to kill people."

The name rang a bell and the blue figure had a gun, pointed at Ailsa, red hair, and golden eyes. "I want to stop her then. I - I don't want more people to get hurt."

She clutched at the locket she wore around her neck.

"What's that, kid?"

Ailsa opened the locket, revealing two pictures: a man and woman on their wedding day, and a tiny, rosy-cheeked baby. "My parents and sister. They died in a fire a year ago."

"No family then, kid?"

"No. Why do you care?"

"I can't remember my life before I got these." He unsheathed his claws. "Scott hasn't got a family either, Ororo's an orphan and Charles' parents died years ago. Jean's the only one with a real family, but she barely sees them. Your not very different from us at all."

"It's not just my family," she began with no idea as to why she was telling him this, "I have these nightmares. There are people, the Teen Titans... They were my old team, and hazy figures that're just colour... And then there're figures that look like... Like the Cybermen ghosts in that episode of Doctor Who."

Logan's blank look at the last phrase was shrugged off.

"And I'm covered in blood and... And that's it. I don't remember anything. The Professor couldn't find out if my mind was messed with... He said the way my powers got screwed with stopped him from finding anything."

"Stick with us, then, kid. We'll help you."

Almost an hour later, Jean walked through the gates to see Logan and Ailsa in a training session. She watched in awe as Ailsa cartwheeled past several obstacles, beating Logan to the finish by a mile. Jean jogged over to the pair.

"Hey! What's the matter?"

"Some mutant called Mystique is trying to recruit me for something. I'm learning to defend myself."

"You'd better get on the Blackbird, then. There's an escaped animal from the zoo and the authorities are having no luck. It's causing a lot of trouble downtown. I'll get Storm and Cyclops."

Ailsa looked confused. "Storm? Cyclops? Who're they?"

"Ororo and Scott. We all have code names. I'm Wolverine. You'll have to choose one too, kid."

Ailsa thought for a moment. "I like Whisper."

After a short trip in the Blackbird, the five mutants arrived in downtown New York where, as Jean had told them, an elephant was was stampeding along the road, causing a lot of problems.

"We can't go in. If someone sees us, our cover's blown," Storm said.

"I can go," Whisper offered, "I can go in without anyone seeing me."

Wolverine nodded. "The kid's right. She's the only one who can get in there."

Storm shot Wolverine a worried look.

"The kid's an impressive fighter. She wasn't wrong when she said she can take care of herself."

"You sure?" Cyclops asked Whisper, "It'll be dangerous."

"I'll be fine. I mean it."

"I'll cover you, kid."

"No. Like Storm said, if any of you are seen, the world's going to know about mutants. I can do this." She looked at Jean. "You saw my training session, you've seen what I can do. My force fields'll stop me from getting crushed and if I'm invisible, no one'll even see me. I can lure it away."

Jean nodded. "She's going in," Jean said decisively, "Storm, once she's in, we can use our powers and interfere with the news cameras. This might just work..."