Note – I've not updated since 5-30-09, so my style may have changed, but hopefully my writing has also improved. If you notice any plot-holes in the previous work and the previous chapters, please let me know, so I can try and figure out something to rectify the issue.

Cyber & Saber
Outsider

Lance honestly wasn't sure how to explain being late to Mystique. He wasn't sure yet if he simply hated the woman, or feared her. "Scratch that, she's a red head naturally. If course I don't like her. I hate all red heads." Letting out a sigh, Lance pulled up to campus, getting out of his jeep and letting Toad take off. Already, Mystique was waiting for him, the woman who had threatened his previous foster family. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Great."

"No backpack or school supplies Alvers? I am highly disappointed."

"It's not as if I've never not been a disappointment."

"Inside for the placement testing."

"Joy. I don't see the point." He started to walk through the doors just as another car pulled up. The teen found himself taking a deep breath as he noticed Kitty was with three other guys. His hands clenched, realizing that he'd not have the luck of avoiding her, but that they'd be going to the same school again. Lance swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing down, quickly noticing the red-haired kid – the one who came with that strange red-haired woman looking into him changing the grades of the jocks and rich kids in school.

"Alvers."

"Fine. I'm going inside." As Lance turned, he heard Kitty's voice squeak, indicating she'd seen him. It didn't seem like she was pleased. One of the kids spoke in an accent, asking her what was wrong, but he didn't stick around to find out what was exactly happening. He stepped into the office, where Todd was waiting.

"Hi. I was late, so I got sent to the office of course. I'm surprised Mystique didn't send me herself." The kid's tongue darted out, catching a fly. Lance sighed, sitting down in the chair, sliding down slightly. Already he had a negative reputation starting up at this school, which was definitely not a good thing. Not when two people he'd already run into showed up.

Mystique led the four others into the office. "I've let you know Wagner what would happen if this happened again."

The foreign student – for he had an accent – sighed. "Yes, mam."

"You and Todd Tolansky will be serving detention together this afternoon, understood."

Lance flinched upon hearing both kids let out major groans but noticed how they glared at each other. "Obviously they don't like each other."

"Kitty Pride, here is your schedule."

The older of the new teens flinched as Kitty glared at him. "What about Scott? I mean, the younger Scott?"

"He's going to be taking placement testing with mister Alvers today"

The girl stammered. "Well, why? Scott is really smart, unlike L… Alvers."

"Simple. Abernathy is taking the placement testing because he's a child genius and we need to access what advanced classes he'll be in, and for Alvers we need to access what remedial classes he needs to be in." The woman looked at the person who seemed to be the older Scott. "Would you show Pride around? Here is a note for your first period classes when you're done."

"Yes, mam." The teen raised an eyebrow, seeming to have already judged Lance, but that was normal.

"In the meantime, this way to the testing room where you'll be supervised."

Lance stood up, following Scott into the other room. No other students were set up to test, yet he still winced. He sat down, only to have Mystique place a pencil in front of him before turning to the person in charge of the room. He sat in the far corner, hoping the other kid would stay far way from him.. Picking up the pencil, he snapped it in half, attempting to calm himself down before he started an unnecessary earthquake.

"Are you okay?"

The older of the two students flinched, looking up at Scott who was busy getting out his own supplies. "What?"

"I asked if you were okay?"

Lance swallowed. "What the hell. Why are you asking that? Why are you even looking at me?"

"You looked frustrated. You've never taken placement testing before?"

"No." The older of the two let out an irritated sigh, only to have Mystique clear her through from where she spoke to the teacher up front, indicating he should be quiet.

"I've had to do them loads of times."

"Why?"

"I'm an army brat."

"Exactly what does…" Lance took a deep breath. "What do these tests entail?"

"Just treat them like a normal test. It doesn't matter if you get the answers right or not. They're just to test what you know. Fill in what you know first, then go back and fill in the rest, as you might know, it but be drawing a blank."

"Wonderful." The teen sighed, only to wince, one eyebrow shooting up as Mystique glared at him. The teacher in charge moved Scott farther away, almost as if they felt some delinquent would cheat on the test.

Mystique came over, setting two more pencils down. "I don't know what kind of behavior you got up to at your old school, but you are to take this seriously."

"Not as if anyone's taken me seriously." The accusation of plagiarism from the teacher that week still stung.

"The teacher is under orders not to let you out until you complete the whole test, but she will also be checking to see if you half-assed the answers Alvers." With that, Mystique left the room.

Lance winced, knowing it would be a very long day. The other teacher spoke up. "Now, I am going to be handing you these placement tests. Don't worry about being graded on them, they are only to see what you know. Answer what you know, then come back to the rest."

Irritatingly enough, the teacher said the exact same thing that the Scott kid did. He received the test first, and shook his head, hoping a headache wouldn't be coming on. Letting out a deep sigh, he started with what he knew right off the top of his head. Glancing up, he saw that Scott simply filled in everything, but then Mystique had noted that Scott was a genius. Shaking his head, he continued to fill out the questions.

It was no surprise when Scott finished long before him, and he expected the kid to leave, but instead, he sat back down. It had been two hours already of the grueling testing, and already he wanted to throw the entire thing out of the window. Looking back at some of the unanswered questions made him frown, and started jotting down "whys" as to why he didn't know something, like the math symbols which were foreign to him, and then he guessed what the right answer might be. It wasn't a multiple-choice test, which didn't help either.

Then, when he had about what he'd estimate as a quarter of the questions, a headache hit, and he winced. Not only did a headache hit, but so did a mild earthquake. Glancing up at the clock, it was already one o'clock, and his teeth ground together, not at all pleased that he'd missed lunch. A nap usually helped, but so did having some kind of food in his stomach. Scott had left and come back, likely getting his own lunch. As a headache was setting in, it was time to book it, to make sure no damage was caused. He would have booked it sooner, had he not gotten so engrossed in the test and his frustrations.

He didn't notice Scott watching him, let alone getting up to talk to the teacher at the front desk. A hand on his shoulder made him nearly jump out of his skin. "Alvers, are you alright?'

Lance's eyes blinked.

"You don't look alright."

"Assume that I'm on drugs if you want."

"Assume? Why would I assume that?"

"Everybody does 'cause I look it."

"Except that's one disciplinary issue not on your transfer records. Sure, there are notes of accusations and testing, but never any…"

"Screw it!" Lance let out another rumble. "I don't…"

Mystique walked into the room then, glaring, obviously having felt the tremors. He swallowed, looking her right in the eye. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't think Alvers is feeling well." Scott piped up.

"Yes. Abernathy alerted me to the fact. I'd not noticed that Alvers hadn't gone to get lunch."

Mystique walked over, looking down at him and he looked away. "Alvers, look me in the eye."

He looked up, glaring at her. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Nurses office, now."

He swallowed, remembering that she said he was to stay in the class until the test was done. "I'm going to finish the test.

"Alvers, the test has college level questions in each section. I don't expect you to actually be able to answer any of those questions. Nurse's office now. She can figure out what's wrong with you."

"I know what's wrong."

Lance flinched, hoping that someone hadn't figured out about those headaches which made him feel like a major pansy. Mystique took a deep breath. "And what pray tell may be wrong?"

"He's not eaten lunch."

"Abernathy, you finished the test. Why are you still even at school?"

"My ride is still at school."

"And you didn't think to call up the institute to have one of the adult guardians over there to come and pick you up?"

Scott shrugged his shoulders. "Not really anything I can do there without the other kids."

"Then if you don't mind, I'm sending you on an errand." Mystique scribbled a note on paper and sent Scott off before taking the test from Lance. She began to flip through the pages, one of her eyebrow's shooting up. "Interesting."

She walked over to talk to the teacher supervising the test, showing her what she had found. The other teacher shook her head. Lance swallowed, closing his eyes to try and abate the headache, only for them to snap open. This usually meant – the looks on the faces that is – that they were thinking he'd done something, and that they'd managed to catch him in the act. The other teacher was even shaking her head as Mystique asked a few questions, before speaking up.

"Look, I didn't cheat." Lance felt a twinge and one of his eyes twitching. An earthquake went off.

"Alvers, if I ever catch you…"

In other words, they hadn't caught him cheating, but suspected it. "… cheating, I'll be expelled. I know the drill."

"I was going to say, if I ever catch you skipping lunch again, you'll be in serious trouble." Mystique turned back to talking to the teacher.

Lance's eyes widened, letting out a groan. His eyes closed, wondering what they could be talking about if not cheating, as Mystique seemed amused by his reaction more than anything. Scott came back in and said something to Mystique before heading over to take his seat again. Lance closed his eyes, ignoring the fact the door opened again as well as the conversation the second person had. If it was some kind of officer to take him away to juvi again, he didn't want to know.

That was until the sound of a trey being set down in front of him drew his attention. His eyes blinked before he looked up to see what must have been one of the cafeteria people. Mystique looked him directly in the eye. "Again. If I catch you skipping lunch again, you'll be in serious trouble. After you're done eating, head to the nurse's office for the rest of the day."

She didn't though tell him what she was talking to the other teacher about.