Sorry about the wait there. I started working on a Rise of the Guardians/Alice: Madness Returns oneshot for Scorpiofreak's "Winter Wonderland" and I came up with another idea for it. When it comes to good ideas, it's best for me to write them down right away or I forget them. Anyway, please enjoy Chapter of Light within Darkness!
Chapter 7: Bayville High
"So, what's new at Bayville High?"
Jubilee was riding in Scott's car along with him, Kitty, and Bobby. Scott was driving them to school since he didn't have anything better to do. Unlike Jean, Scott didn't go to college; he instead worked as a full-time instructor at the Institute. Besides Scott, Logan and Storm also drove the kids to school on a normal basis.
It was Jubilee's first day at Bayville High School since the Sentinel Incident and she felt pretty much the same way she had before the Professor had come to her house, just without the sickness from blood loss. She knew it would likely be the same as it had been at her old school. There would be the bigoted bullies, the mostly unsympathetic faculty, and those few who protested silently against the unfair treatment of their fellow students. This time though, she wasn't alone. She had her friends, her true friends, alongside her. It would still be hard, but she wouldn't have to rely on just herself anymore. Her parents were there for her, but they couldn't understand what it was truly like to be the only known mutant in a prejudice and hate-filled environment like that.
"Well, we've got a new principal for a start," answered Bobby. "Donald Hampton. He doesn't care for mutants either, but he doesn't go out of his way to make our lives miserable. He just wants there to be no trouble."
"I think he's honestly scared of us," added Kitty. "He, like, stutters whenever we come close. It's really annoying."
"Paul and Taryn have started speaking to me and Jean again," Scott said simply. "They're mostly upset that we kept it all a secret from them. The idea that Jean was able to read minds was what drove Taryn away. It's a start at least."
"Also, you remember that one guy from my computer class, Arcade, the one who hacked Cerebro during that party we threw?" asked Kitty. At Jubilee's nod, she continued, "Well, it turns out he doesn't hate us. He understands what it's like to be different from the rest."
"He's also good if you're having issues with your computer," added Bobby. "Too bad Paul and Taryn graduated with you and Jean. We need all the friends we can get."
Four people, including Kurt's girlfriend, that didn't hate them, and only two of them still went to high school. Maybe she should start a support group or a Facebook page for those humans that didn't hate mutants, give those afraid to speak out a way to voice their opinions and communicate. That would be a great start against the Friends of Humanity, the human supremacist and hate group that had sprung out of the aftermath of Apocalypse's attempted global conversion. She should probably run that idea by the Professor to see what he thought.
"We're here," Scott announced as he stopped by the school's sidewalk. Jubilee opened her door and stepped out, looking up at the building as she did. The two-story structure that housed the Bayville High School hadn't changed at all in appearance. It was still tan, with its Romanish architecture and many windows. However, the atmosphere was entirely changed.
The students looked at her and the others with no small amount of hostility. The smell had changed as well, if it had at all. Her nose hadn't been so sensitive the last time she had been here. When a person was feeling a specific emotion, their scent changed. She wasn't familiar with the odor wafting over from the building and the other students, but if she had to guess, it was disgust. There was hatred and fear as well. Mainly hate.
Jubilee waited for the others to disembark from their vehicles before walking forward. "Good luck," Scott said as he drove off. There were murmurs from the small groups of high-schoolers here and there. She could hear them, to her regret.
"There's the mutie kids, fresh from mutant mansion."
"You can't help but wish that they would just disappear one weekend and never come back. You know what I mean?"
"At least the mind reader and the eye guy aren't here anymore. Too bad the rest of them still come here."
"There's that Asian chick and that Scottish chick that used to come here."
"Great. Two more muties to take the place of the grads."
"Look. There go the traitors to their freak friends."
"Hey guys!" Jubilee's attention strayed from the angry whispers to a red-headed, bespectacled kid and a dark-skinned girl that walked towards them. She recognized the boy from Kitty's computer class. She had never gotten his first name, just his surname "Torque," and his nickname "Arcade." He got the nickname from his liking for creating and playing arcade and computer games. He was nice enough, though he had taken the Danger Room for a spin, believing that the X-Men were characters in an incredibly well-made game.
The girl was Amanda Sefton, Kurt's girlfriend. The fact that she had known about Kurt's true appearance before even talking to him never failed to blow Jubilee's mind. If only there were more people like her. The world wouldn't be a half-bad place for mutants then.
"Hey, Arcade," called out Kitty. "How's the project with that enhanced processor coming?"
"It's coming good," Arcade shrugged. "I'm still working out the bugs. Some of the circuits don't seem to work together that well. I just need to figure out which ones."
He noticed Jubilee and Rahne. "Hey, I never got your names when you used to come here." He nervously held out his hand. "I'm Webber Torque, but I prefer Arcade."
"I'm Jubilee, and this is Rahne," Jubilee replied as she shook his hand and let go of it for Rahne. "We came back to the Institute."
"Nice to see you girls again," Amanda greeted them after embracing Kurt and falling into step with them. "I take it things were pretty bad back home?"
"Ay, lass. Things were very rough back at me home," Rahne added. "Imagine being called a werewolf next to the usual insults."
"No wonder you came back. Well, hope your first day back at Bayville doesn't automatically bite you in the rear. Some people," she glared at the surrounding clusters of students, "can't appreciate anyone unless they're exactly like themselves." Several people looked away at this. Most of them just glared back.
Jubilee couldn't help but stare. If Janet had said something like that back in LA, she likely would've been mobbed. She looked around at both her mutant and human friends and suddenly felt a sense of power and hope run through her. She had figured that it would be something like this, but thinking it and seeing it were two entirely different things. Why didn't I come back here sooner?
The rest of the morning went smoothly as compared to the routine she had gotten used to over the months. There were the jeers, the sneers, and the cruel jokes. Some of the staff, especially the physics teacher, made it painfully clear that they had no good feelings for mutants. However, the others were there for her. After English, Bobby had rescued her from a water balloon that someone had rigged in her locker. By lunch, Jubilee was feeling pretty good about life in general.
There were a couple of tables that had their names on it, literally. No normal person besides Arcade and Amanda would sit there; the other students had dubbed it the "Freak Feeding Site." Since the X-Men had started sitting there at the beginning of the semester, the others didn't come near the tables except to scribble or carve insults onto the bottom where they couldn't be seen. Principal Hampton had made it clear that he would tolerate no destruction of school property from either side.
The bench groaned as Piotr settled down into it. Even in his disarmored form, he still had a bit of bulk to him. He went to Bayville High for a variety of reasons: There wasn't much for him to do at the Institute all day, he was still a minor (though not for long), and he also wanted to further his education, especially since he was in America. Jubilee smiled as Dorian and Jamie took up seats beside the, to them, towering giant. He was a good guy to have around in a place like this.
The X-Kids had recently created a "buddy system," where everyone had one or two people walk them to their classes. There was safety in numbers, and Colossus was the buddy that almost everyone wanted. Jubilee was perfectly happy with being paired with Bobby in the morning. Kurt and Amara were her buddies in the afternoon.
"Hiya Miss Fourth of July, Lassie! Long time no see." Jubilee jumped and turned around at the sound of the familiar voice. Tabitha Smith, also known as Boom-Boom, was grinning at her and Rahne while balancing an almost overflowing tray.
"Tabitha!" Jubilee got up to give the girl a cautious hug, not wanting to tip her tray over. Jubilee pulled away and gave her old friend a once-over while Rahne greeted her as well. Tabitha looked pretty much the same as she had before, though she seemed just a little quieter than she remembered, not to mention tired.
"Mind if I sit here?" the blond girl inquired.
Rogue snorted. "You sit here every day, Tabs. Why bother asking?"
"Cause it's funny, and I'm not in the Institute anymore," she replied as she sat next to Amara, shouldering Ray out of the way and earning a glare from him. Jubilee doubted that the girl would ever truly change.
"So, what have you been up to?" Jubilee asked. "Still hanging with the Brotherhood?"
"Heck no. I left those knuckleheads when Mystique came back onto the scene," Tabitha replied between bites. "I've got my own apartment and I work as a waitress. It's not easy, but it works out. I just make sure not to blow the apartment or the diner up."
Jubilee nodded. That would explain why Tabitha looked subdued (somewhat) and tired (a lot). It also explained why the girl had her tray filled and her mouth stuffed with food. A waitress's salary likely wasn't much to live on, and a school cafeteria made for a pretty big lunch if you needed it. A thought suddenly came to Jubilee's mind.
"What's up with the Brotherhood these days?"
"Notzing much," answered Kurt. "Zey're still living in zat old boardinghouse, though I have no idea how Zey're paying ze bills. Zey've got a new member, Pyro."
"Pyro," stated Jubilee, quietly. "The crazy guy with the flamethrowers is with the Brotherhood." Kurt nodded. "Oh boy."
"From what I hear, Magneto came back to his old base to find the Aussie watching video clips of his own 'death' at Apocalypse's hands," Ray added. "Needless to say, Buckethead wasn't happy."
"Yeah," Bobby said. "I'm pretty sure that ball of fire we saw flying over Bayville into the ocean a few months ago was him."
"What was he doing at his old base?" asked Jubilee, raising an eyebrow.
"Setting it in order, I think," Kitty mumbled thorough a mouthful of food. She swallowed hurriedly and looked around to make sure that no one was really listening. She lowered her voice. "He wants to use it as a second base/hideout if something like the Sentinel Incident happens again."
"Like I'd want to live there," Alex said testily. "I'd rather crash with the Morlocks than with Magnetbutt."
That brought a chorus of snickers from the tables. Magneto was disliked (and somewhat respected) by most of them and hated with a passion by a select few. He had been an enemy to them for a few years and for the past few months he had been one of their instructors, he was a taskmaster. Wolverine was just as bad, but they trusted him. Magneto would have to earn their trust.
Jubilee didn't laugh very much at the joke. Knowing his story like she did, she wasn't inclined to make fun of him. She didn't think that he was right in most of the decisions he had made, but she hadn't really ever had a chance to build up a real hatred for the man. Thankfully, nobody noticed her lack of mirth at Alex's joke.
Nothing really noteworthy happened except that they met Andrew Matthews, freshman and brother to the incarcerated Duncan Matthews. He was basically Duncan all over again; Jock, bully, arrogant, and an anti-mutant bigot. He spouted off the usual anti-mutant garbage and then ran off when Colossus glared at him. "Sir Jerksalot," as Bobby referred to him, had taken up a safe position twenty yards away before turning around and showing them a really offensive hand gesture, then running off.
Jubilee and Rahne both breathed a sigh of relief as they were driven back to the Institute. "So," Scott started, "how was your first day back at Bayville High?"
"Wasn't stellar, but it wasn't a nightmare either." Jubilee elaborated further, using her fingers to count. "There were the insults, the slurs, the cruel jokes, the hateful teachers, and the mean pranks, just like in LA. However, they didn't get in my face too much because all of you guys were with me."
She paused a moment to think. "Met Tabitha today. I'm a bit surprised she hasn't come back to the Institute yet. Didn't she help against Apocalypse?"
Scott shrugged. "She did and then she went back to her apartment. She probably likes being on her own without taking orders from us." He said this rather stiffly. Jubilee figured that he didn't trust the girl after she had gone out on her own and joined the Brotherhood. Scott would probably never lose his distaste for them. The tension between the X-Men and the Brotherhood wasn't as strong as it was between X-Force and the mutant-gang. Jubilee wasn't sure if this was good or bad; they didn't dislike the Brotherhood as much as the X-Men did, but neither did they have any experience fighting them.
As they pulled into the Institute driveway, Jubilee noticed Mr. McCoy and another figure coming out to meet them. It was a short boy, perhaps a little older than Jamie. He waited patiently for Scott to stop his car and let them out. Up close, he had a slight build, red hair, and an oddly familiar face.
"Are you Jubilee?" he asked. When she nodded in affirmation, he continued. "I'm Brandon O'Neil. Janet told me to tell you hello and thanks for helping us out. I think I'll like it here." Jubilee realized that he strongly resembled Janet.
"Brandon arrived here while you were all at school," Beast explained as the others began to converge. "His family was relieved that Xavier wanted to help." Brandon was apparently lucky in that respect. There were quite a few people out there that disowned their children when they found out they were mutants.
"I'm glad you like it here," Jubilee replied. "You get here ok?"
His face suddenly broke out into a grin. "That jet of yours is so cool," he exclaimed. "And being around other mutants is just…great. I can do this all the time." He raised his hand and a handful of pebbles arose from the ground and began flying around his arm in a pattern.
"Geokinesis, nice," Scott commented as he walked around his car. "I'm Scott Summers, one of the instructors here." He offered his hand and Brandon shook it after dropping the pebbles. "Anything else you can do with that?"
Brandon grinned again and closed his eyes. Scott nearly jumped out of his skin when Brandon's skin turned to stone and he shot up to a little over Scott's height. "How's this?" he asked in a much deeper voice. Scott nodded.
"Hey, Ruskie!" called out Bobby, grinning. "Looks like you finally got someone to arm wrestle with." Piotr rolled his eyes as the others chuckled. Jubilee smiled to herself as the others began to introduce themselves to Brandon. At least one good thing had come of her vampirism; Janet had comforted her and Jubilee in turn had provided a way for her brother to learn about his powers in a friendly environment. Maybe there was hope this whole thing wouldn't destroy her life.
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A few hours later found Jubilee staring up at the ceiling. They had had dinner followed by that day's assigned homework and then bed at ten. It was a quarter to midnight and she wasn't going to sleep right now or soon. It was like the night was calling to her. The moon was full, but that was a werewolf thing, right?
She couldn't help but wonder if there were werewolves too. That would be so ironic in Rahne's case. Then again, there were no mutants that had the characteristics of a vampire. At least, she didn't know of any. How awful would that be, to have your mutation turn you into something that drank blood and couldn't live under direct sunlight? The things that mutant would have to deal with, especially the extra prejudice. What a nightmare. That could be my future….
Jubilee shook her head and got up. She couldn't sleep, she might as well do something with her extra energy. I wonder just how far I can push my agility and speed. A rather rebellious thought that could have come from when she, Bobby, and Sam had taken the X-Jet for a midnight flight went through her brain. No way am I doing that. Then again, I've got vamp powers now. Jubilee got dressed as quietly as she could. Rahne had been given the room across from hers and she didn't want to wake anyone up with what she was about to do.
She walked out onto the balcony and looked out over the moon-lit lawn. She activated her "vamp vision" as she now called it and studied the lawn with far better acuity than before. She could see each individual blade of grass under a moon as bright as the sun. A bat shot over the trees to grab a moth out of thin air. Bugs crawled through the grass quietly, or loudly, depending on how sensitive your ears were. She also spied the faint movements of the cameras, sensors, and automatic turrets that made up the Institute's first line of defense.
She did some quick stretching exercises and then jumped up on the railing. Something happens, I can just jump back up onto the balcony. With that comforting thought, she launched herself into the air with all the strength in her legs. She was twenty, twenty-five feet from the building when she landed. Rolling to her feet quickly, she took off across the lawn.
Her senses picked up the minute movements of the defenses as she ran forward. She began jumping and leaping into the air to avoid the cameras and sensors. Quicksilver could avoid the defenses just by running through them; she wasn't as fast as he was, so she had to rely on her other abilities to get her through this maze.
The vibrations from her footfalls picked up something metallic under the grass ahead of her. She leaped directly over the points that responded differently to her footfalls. Apparently the Professor had installed pressure sensors on the Institute grounds since she left. Logan, is this what you think about at night? Coming up with new traps for the defenses? She was fine with that; she just didn't like it that there were so many new ones in her way.
Hearing a motion sensor rise out of the grass directly behind her, she jumped through the air as hard as she could, flipping to gain more momentum. She sailed over the gate and landed in a handstand. She pushed hard and righted herself. For a moment, she stood panting a little and looking over her shoulder at the Institute. No alarm sounded, no lights flicked on. She heard the sensor move back into the grass. She grinned and then ran forward as fast as she could go.
Within five minutes, she was at the outskirts of Bayville. She channeled her powers through her legs, sailing over a chainlink fence and onto the roof of a two-story building. Ignoring the yells that the use of her power had awakened, she continued running and leaping in a super-powered version of parkour. She ran along ledges and leapt over alleys easily. She jumped onto houses silently and bounded off again.
She finally came to a stop on top of the city hall, one of the taller buildings in the town. The moon shown down on her in all its glory. She grinned, showing a full set of vamparic teeth to the world. She looked out over the town, its citizens wrapped in the pleasant euphoria of sleep. All of them except for her. Her eyes gleamed in the silver light of the moon, reflecting strangely off of the red. She sensed it in her body, her mind, her instincts; she could live in the day, but at heart she was a child of the night.
She stayed like that for a few moments, observing Bayville under the lunar light with her new eyes. The pavement gleamed dully under the moon, while the bay that gave the town its name reminded her of a glistening, fluctuating, silver coin in the distance. Very little stirred under her gaze, even with her on full vampire mode. Which was probably why she was able to spot it.
A small shadow flicked out of an alleyway for a brief instant, followed shortly by the scraping of metal. Jubilee shot down from the dome of the Bayville City Hall to investigate. When she got to the alley, there was nothing there but some turned over garbage cans. Taking a sniff, she picked up the odors of garbage, plastic, and…a person?
She tracked the smell over to a manhole cover in the middle of the alley. Don't the Morlocks live down there? Last I heard Evan was with them. She remembered what she had heard about him over the news. Powers going crazy at a skating competition, going vigilante against mutant bigots and getting attacked by Duncan Mathews and Co., fighting against a possessed Storm in China, and with those huge bony plates growing out of his body.
I wonder if he wouldn't mind a visit from an old friend? Jubilee remembered that the Morlocks were incredibly isolationist and secretive, even when they had been taken in during the Sentinel Incident. With their mutations making it impossible for them to walk unnoticed among people, they had started regarding even normal-looking mutants with suspicion and envy. She didn't like their attitude, but she wasn't petty enough to blame them for it.
She probably shouldn't go into the sewers with her enhanced nose, but the idea of seeing Evan and this new tracking thing she could do sealed the deal. She carefully lifted the cover and jumped down the shaft, letting it close behind her.
She touched ground and then stood up. An instant later, she was bending over and gagging hard. The smell had been bad the last time she was here, but she had put up with it. Now the perfume that was created by the combination of dirty dish water, human waste, and others sent down to the sewers was threatening to bring up every bit of food she had in her stomach. She hiked her shirt up over her nose to hide the smell as best as she could. Great, now I can't even track this guy by scent. Heh, I feel sorry for Logan now.
At least her sight was unaffected by the stench, though it didn't help her with tracking any. The water on the walkway, which she tried not to think about, make it impossible to track footprints since it washed dirt right off. At least her hearing could help her. She concentrated on the sounds going on around her, the flowing water being the most prevalent. For a moment that's all she heard. Then far off, she heard the sound of a splash followed by hurried footsteps. She began walking quickly in the general direction of the echoes.
She walked for a good ten-to-fifteen minutes through the pipes and tunnels. The smell was getting less potent but not by much. Whenever she came across an intersection, she would listen again for the telltale splashes and footsteps. Suddenly, they stopped altogether.
She stopped and let her shirt down all the way. She could barely smell the sewer's stench anymore. That didn't concern her right now; she couldn't get a fix on where the Morlock, as it probably was, had gone. The echoes, though helpful, made it hard to pinpoint a sound after the cause had stopped moving.
The sound of flowing and dripping water was starting to get to her when she heard it. A sound like something slimy was coming right out of the wall. It was behind her. She shot around to see a man seemingly grow from the wall. She gasped and then remembered. He was one of the Morlock's scouts and spies. She could never figure out if his power was camouflage or being to merge with his environment.
"What are you doing here?" he growled, looking at her from his perch on the wall. He obviously hadn't expected her to hear him.
"I'm Jubilee. I'm here to see Evan. Is he around?" He narrowed his eyes at her in distrust. "I just want to talk with him." He studied her for a moment, then vanished back into the concrete that made up the tunnel wall.
"I'll just stay here then."
She waited for a few minutes before hearing someone walking towards her. Whoever it was pretty heavy if the footsteps were anything to go by, and they had a light with them. Looked like a candle from the flickering.
Evan stepped out of a large drainpipe close to where the other mutant had emerged. Jubilee had seen the footage of him but it was still rather shocking. His entire upper-torso was covered in a bony plating with spikes poking out at regular intervals. A spike that was on fire poked out of his forearm, lighting his way. The armor looked pretty heavy, yet he didn't seem to have any difficulties walking around in it.
He looked at her and gave her a small smile. "Hey, Jubes. Your parents let you come back to the Institute?" His voice had deepened considerably since she had last seen him.
"Yeah," she replied. "Things got pretty rough in LA. They let me come back because of the crap I had to deal with at school. Rahne's back too, and we've got a student, Brandon. He can control rocks."
"That's cool." The atmosphere was a bit strained. The last time they had seen each other Jubilee's parents were pulling her out of the Institute, and Evan had looked normal. Ironic. We've both changed so much. Our powers and our outlooks have turned to something neither of us would've recognized before the Incident.
"What exactly are you doing here, Jubes?" Evan finally asked. "It's past midnight, and I'm sure this is a school night."
"It is," sighed Jubilee. "My powers have changed. Enhanced strength, speed, agility, and senses. It was murder on my nose coming down here. My fireworks pack a lot more of a punch, and I've got a lot of energy going through me right now. I figured a midnight run and a visit to an old friend would get me tired. Nice upgrade yourself." She gestured to the flame coming off his spike.
He gave a wry smile. "Yeah. It's one of the few pluses that came with this." He motioned towards the armor. "Can't really walk unnoticed through a crowd anymore."
Another moment of silence. Jubilee broke it this time. "Why do you stay down here? You know we wouldn't look down on you or anything at the Institute."
Evan's face hardened. "Xavier and the others don't know what it's like for mutants that are on their own. He's got his mansion and his money to help protect himself and you guys. The Morlocks, and other mutants like them, they need someone to protect them. None of them have got the training with their powers that I do. Xavier's dream, it's just not real to me anymore."
I know how that feels, and I still remember. Jubilee looked at the ground and then back up at him. "Just…know that we're there for you if you need us. The same goes for the Morlocks."
Evan smirked. "Thanks, but don't let Callisto hear you say that. She's dislikes the idea of charity."
"So I've heard," laughed Jubilee. "I should probably get back to the Institute. You know where the newest exit is?"
"Back the way you came to the T-intersection, fifteen feet to the left. Comes out on an alley behind that bodyshop that Scott used to go to."
"Thanks Evan. It was good seeing you again."
"Same here, Jubes." Evan turned to go. "Take care of yourself."
"Will do," Jubilee called out after him as they parted ways. She found her way to the manhole and breathed in a breath of fresh air. She looked back into the dark depths of the sewers and then replaced the cover. She jumped onto a fire escape and began her run back to the Institute.
She could understand how Evan felt in regards to Xavier's dream. Being the better person only got you so far when almost everyone was dead set against you. She just hoped and prayed that he would turn out to be right.
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Jubilee hummed to herself as a hundred happy memories flicked through her mind, her fingers searching through the clothes rack in front of her just as quickly. It was the next day and the girls had decided to take a quick trip to the mall. Besides the pop quizzes in history and chemistry and the narrowly-avoided food fight in the cafeteria, the day had been pretty uneventful. Jubilee had managed to get back to the Institute and her room without any incidents, so that was a plus for her.
Kitty and Amara had suggested going to the mall that afternoon to do some shopping and visit the place. One of the things that Jubes had always liked was going to the mall. As far as she was concerned, the mall had been invented for the teenage adolescent female. Besides herself and the rest of the girls (except for Jean), a few of the boy were here too. Kurt was at the ice cream place with Amanda, while Bobby and Ray checked out the video game store. She had come because she wanted to see one of their favorite haunts and to grab a few items.
Her favorite yellow jacket had gotten shredded at that LA warehouse, and she needed a pair of sunglasses. Her plasmoids now blinded her, and besides, she wanted to keep her red eyes a secret for now. Someone might have seen them by now. Thankfully, the glare from her fireworks gave her an excuse to keep her eyes covered after that day's DR session. Also, she wasn't sure if the Morlock that had found her had been studying her out of pure suspicion or not. Having her vamparic abilities being mistaken for mutation was both a blessing and a curse.
"Hey, Jubes, what do you think of this?" Jubilee turned to see Kitty holding a baby-blue blouse to her chest.
"Nice. It really matches your hair." Kitty squealed a little and put it in the shopping cart. Jubilee went back to perusing the jackets. Last time she checked that type of jacket had been pretty popular and most of the stores had had it.
Ah, there it was. She picked it up and gave it a quick look-over. Yep, same designer and same size. She put it in the cart along with the other things she and the girls had picked out. She caught another flash of yellow in her periphery vision. It was another yellow jacket, though it looked more like a trench coat. It was the same shade of yellow and as Jubilee looked at it, she remembered something. The others in X-Force had taken to modifying their suits in small ways, nothing real fancy like the X-Men. The heavier jacket would do nicely against the black of her suit. Add the sunglasses and she would be looking pretty good.
She picked up the heavy jacket and tried it on. It wasn't too warm or cumbersome, and it stopped a few inches short of her ankles. Perfect. She put it in the cart and went over to where Dani was looking at sunglasses.
"Did you find the jacket you were looking for?" Dani inquired. She was studying two different pairs of sunglasses: A set of aviators and a sleek number that looked like the shades in The Matrix Trilogy. Jubilee started turning the revolving racks in search for her own pair.
"I found two actually. One for normal, and one for the Danger Room." There were a lot of sunglasses to choose from. What she needed was something that was large enough to completely cover her eyes, and dark enough for her to use her plasmoids with little discomfort as well as hide her vamp eyes. She also wanted it to look good with her suit too.
"I wonder how Logan would take to that," mused Amara, who had just walked up. "I once showed him a design idea I had for his own uniform. He didn't act impressed."
"Did it make him look lak Sabertooth?" Rogue asked as she entered the store. She had been looking though one of the Goth music-and-clothes stores. Kitty followed right behind her with Rahne in tow.
"Oh, that's why," Amara said sheepishly.
Jubilee stopped the revolving rack and picked up a pink pair of shades with large, almost black lenses. She faced away from everyone and put the sunglasses on. They fit perfectly. She picked up the coat and pulled it on. "Tell me girls." She flicked the tag for the sunglasses out of her mouth and turned around. "How would this look with my suit on?"
Forty-five minutes later, Jubilee was studying herself in the mirror. Gambit must be on to something with that trench coat thing of his. The girls had practically applauded when they visualized the "trench jacket" and the sunglasses with her uniform. Surveying herself in the mirror, she could see why. The jacket contrasted nicely with the black of the uniform, yet matched the gloves, the boots, the belt, and shoulder guards. She supposed that the pink glasses could fit with the red parts of the shoulder guards, if you could've seen them underneath the jacket.
"Firecracker, McCoy wants to run a few tests…." Jubilee looked up at Logan and Mag…Mr. Eisenhardt, who were standing in her doorway. Logan had trailed off while looking at her new look.
"What's this?" he asked.
"The improvements I made to my suit. What do you think?" she replied.
He raised an eyebrow. "What's with the pink shades?"
"I need them, and these look good on me." She took them off and held them out to him. "Want to borrow them?" she grinned.
Logan snorted and rolled his eyes. "Hank's down in the infirmary when you're ready." He walked off.
"I personally think it makes you stand out on the field," Mr. Eisenhardt stated simply.
"As much as that armor and cape you wear?" Jubilee countered.
"Touché." Magneto turned to go, but stopped to add, "Or as your generation says, 'burn.'" Jubilee had to hold back a chuckle at that.
She turned back to the mirror and studied herself again. She activated her vampire senses and was pleased to see that her eyes would be protected from the light her fireworks generated and from being seen.
Things were so much better at Bayville than they were at LA. People were just as mean but she wasn't standing on her own anymore. Her friends, including Evan and Tabitha, were alright and doing good in their own paths. She was able to keep her bloodlust at bay by taking regular trips to the infirmary before the daily DR session (which was Beast's recommendation after nearly being exposed on Monday). All in all, things were looking up for her. The real question was, could it last?
And that's how Jubilee's return to Bayville High went, and how she got the famous jacket and glasses. Please leave a review if you liked it or thought I should have done something differently.
This will probably be my last update for the next few months. I'll be starting college shortly and my rule for college is "study, study, study." I'll write when I can, and I do hope that'll be often. Happy reading and writing everyone!