AN: Thank you, LeahElizabeth, for reviewing. I am trying to keep up with this story as best as possible.
As an incentive to review, I will, as I did with Miss LeahElizabeth, thank you in the next chapter of my story. Reviews are love, guys.
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A few days later, Sara got word of a summer camp in Britain by way of her pen-pal. After running it by Mom (twice), dad, and naturally, Professor Xavier (who finally convinced Mom), Sara and I were headed to the UK for a month or so of fun and adventure! The camp was to start on the 15th of July and last until the 28th of August.
This is where my life started getting interesting.
Camp Mason had different areas for all the different age groups for school-aged kids. The ten and eleven year olds were clumped together in the C sector. I ended up sharing a cabin with the most talkative almost-eleven year old I had ever met. Her name was Lily Evans.
I was assigned to cabin C12, which, to my great pleasure, had only two beds. My sister, being five years older than me, was assigned a cabin in the E sector. To my displeasure, it was against camp rules to be in a cabin that was not in your sector after curfew, and also against the rules to sleep in a cabin other than the one you were assigned to. I think this was supposed to cut down on the guys sleeping over in the girls' cabins, but all it did for me was force me to not follow my sister around like a lost puppy for the first time since I got out of the hospital.
I had found my cabin without any problems and was already settled in (with Sara's help, of course) and laying on one of the beds, enjoying a book, when, out of nowhere, a hyper red-head with green eyes and lots of freckles bounced into the room towing an older blonde girl.
"Ooh! I had this cabin last year, Tuney!" she practically shouted.
"I know, Lil. I recognized the cabin," she said.
I could tell by her voice that she wished she could be anywhere but there, in the cabin with her over-hyper younger sister (whom she looked nothing like) and me. As it was, she had no such luck, considering the girl, Lily, was still jabbering on and on and on, so she tried a diversionary tactic.
"You know, Lily, I better go see what cabin I'm in," she said with no avail, considering I don't think Lily heard her over her excited chatter about what activities she wanted to participate in this year. So she tried again, pointing over her shoulder at me: "And you may want to greet your look-a-like roomie over here."
That got her attention. As for me, I quickly got busy hiding behind my book.
"See ya later," said the older girl, tossing an unnoticed wave at Lily.
"Ooh! You're new aren't you? I grew up with about ninety percent of the kids here, been going her for six years, so I can tell the new ones from the vets. So," she rambled, "what's your name? Huh? My name's Lily Evans. The other girl was my sister, Tuney. Well, you might want to call her Petunia. She barely tolerates it when I call her Tuney, so I guess she'd get mad if a stranger, no matter how much you and I look alike, called her Tuney. You really do look like me, you know? We could pass for twins. She says I'm too old to call her that, but you know how old habits are. So, do you have a sister? I think you do. I think I saw her. Short, red hair and green eyes? E sector? Petunia's in D. Oh," she paused, finally, noticing my feint at disinterest. "You don't want to talk?"
And off she goes, again, I thought.
"Why not? We've got a lot to learn from each other. Like where are you from? I know I've never seen you in Devon, but you don't seem like a country girl, and I know I would have seen you at the mall at least once if you were from here. And, like, what's your family like? I bet your sister's real nice like you, isn't she? Yeah, I can tell she likes people. But you don't seem to? Okay, tell you what, tell me your name, and I'll shut up, okay?"
I blinked at her.
"C'mon. I won't bite. Though, Tuney says I can make your ears fall off, much as I talk. What's your name?"
I blinked again. I kind of didn't want her to shut up, but I didn't want to talk about myself either. So I gambled. "So, i-if I t-t-tell you m-my name," I stuttered. God I hate that. "you sh-shut up?"
"Yep"
"A-and if I don't?" I asked, speaking softly and slowly to ward off that blasted nervous stuttering.
"I talk your ears off!"
I smiled, beckoned for her to continue, and whispered "I like your voice."
Lily caught on quickly.
"I'm changing my offer," she said, shaking her head. "Tell me your name, and I'll keep talking." *See if she just wants to be obstinate.*
"Jean Grey," I whispered, smiling slightly at the snide thought that rooted its way across the room. "Nice to meet you."
"You really want me to keep talking, don't you?"
I nodded.
"But you don't much like talking."
I shook my head.
"I can tell. Why not?"
"I st-stutter when I'm nervous."
"There's nothing to be nervous about. And it gets better the more you talk. But you don't have to. Talk, I mean."
"I will, occasionally. And yes, I d-do have a sister. Her n-name's Sara. She's the best."
I was starting to like the bubbly, talkative red-head, and I was sure that Sara would absolutely love her.
[ A/N: Okay Grammar Nazis, I know Lily's grammar is bad. She is an ELEVEN year old girl. She's not going to have the best grammar in the world, remember that before you flame, please. Those worried about Lily, I have always seen her as the social antithesis of Jean; bubbly, hyper, and prone to go off on a tangent, yet, in her later years, mature. This is what helps bring Jean out of her shell. This and another thing you'll find out about later, that is. Yes, it is a boy.
You lot better not doubt I love you. My hands and wrists hurt from typing this chapter.]
