Chapter 8: Ghost

"She hasn't shown up to the rest of her classes. And from what I'm hearing around the halls, I can understand why." Jean shook her head and looked over to the Professor, who sat behind his desk. "They're scared because they don't know anything about her, or her abilities."

"Everything comes with time, Jean. Ever since Alyce has arrived here, she has been picked out by Jubilee. I think it's more over of having a talk with her than with Alyce. She came to this school to be with others like herself, but instead she is being called a monster."

Jean shook her head. "This is teen aged behavior. I'm sure it can be resolved if we just sat them alone."

Professor Xavier chuckled. "My dear, Jean. Even adults act like this. We need to talk to the entire team as a whole. Call them in."

"Maybe we should just take her off the team. She didn't want to be on it."

"None of them wanted to be on the team in the beginning. They all thought of it to be far fetched. Alyce is a strong case to crack. Both of her parents are mutants, and she has learned from them plenty on how to control her powers. Her own father used to go to this school when it first opened. She thinks there is nothing to learn."

"She needs to learn teamwork, no doubt about that. She has her fathers 'go get 'em' attitude."

"She may seem that way to you, but she would rather much stay in the background of things. Hank has mentioned her lack of ability to make friends, or to even speak up and raise her hand in class." The Professor rubbed his temples and sighed. "This is difficult. Her parents asked me privately to put her on the team."

Jean looked at the Professor with a surprised look. "Really....I would've never guessed. Especially since her father doesn't really like Scott. I'm just confused now."

"It's complicated." The Professor chuckled, making Jean smile. "With time, my dear...with time."

Jean nodded and got up from her seat. "I'm going to get the kids gathered up. They aren't going to be happy about this, you know."

"Nothing we can't deal with." Xavier watched as Jean walked out the door and sat in silence. Alyce's father had warned the Professor when they had talked. His daughters powers were almost identical to his, a rare thing to come by. James had told the Professor that if, indeed, they did share the same power, then sooner or later she wouldn't be able to control it. No matter how well him and his wife had taught her about control and self restraint. They worried for her. It was the exact same reason that had brought James to the mansion so many years before.

It was going to be a challenge. But nothing Xavier couldn't handle.

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Jean breathed out in frustration. She had found all the members of the team, except for one. Alyce. Which wasn't surprising at all. Jean knew, felt rather, that Alyce didn't want to be found. She just wanted to be alone, like how she used to be. Jean shook her head and looked around the living room. Other students were around and about, laughing and talking with each other. But no Alyce.

Jean closed her eyes, as much as she didn't want to do this, she needed to find her. Sitting down on her bed with her sketch pad open, was Alyce. Her face was red and she sniffled as if she had just finished crying. Suddenly, her head snapped up causing Jean to open her eyes.

"She knew I was trying to find her." Jean thought, quickly jogging out of the day room and to the dorms before Alyce could disappear again. "Well, her mother does have the same abilities as me..." Jean walked up the stairs as quick as she could, jogging up to the big double doors that lead to the girls dorm. She opened the door quietly and stepped in, peering in.

Despite it being almost night time, the dorm was eerily empty. Jean stepped in cautiously, suddenly thinking if she had passed Alyce in the hallway.

"Alyce?" Jean murmured. She walked down the massive dorm, her heels clicking. "I know you're in here."

Alyce sighed and closed her sketch book. "I wasn't going to go hide." Alyce murmured to herself, she sat up in her bed and looked up toward Jean. "I'm not going."

Jean gave a meek smile and sat down across from her on the empty bunk. "Why not?" She looked around the area she sat in and frowned. "You know maybe, we can ask the Professor to set you up in one of the private rooms. Would you like that?"

"If this is an effort to butter me up into going to that little 'meeting', then no. I don't need to be in a room with people who think I'm a blood thirsty monster."

"Alyce, it's not that they think you're a monster. They're just struggling to understand what kind of abilities you have. Maybe if you told them how your powers work, they wouldn't be afraid."

"Afraid, huh?" Alyce looked down, and slowly clenched her fists. She didn't want to get angry, or be unreasonable...but afraid? "Yea, afraid." She whispered. "Rogue can kill someone is she wanted too, all she has to do is hold on long enough, Bobby could freeze someone to death, John could light someone on fire if he wanted, Jubilee could make someone spontaneously combust. Do I need to go on? And I'm scary because I can form armour around my body?" Alyce sucked her teeth. "I'm sorry Ms. Grey, but this is stupid."

"Alyce I sympathize with your feelings, I really do. But just come and sit down, and listen to what the Professor has to say. Maybe they can tell you how they feel and everything won't be so bad."

Alyce looked up at Jean with a fury in her eyes. If she really did sympathize, then she would just leave her alone and call it a day. Take her off the team, and tell the rest of them to leave her alone. But no, she has to sit down in a meeting and hear the Professor talk. Alyce didn't want to be rude, she didn't like to be mean. Heck, if anything, this was the first time she spoke more than a few words to Ms. Grey.

"No..."

"Alyce...please?"

"Don't waste your time on me...." Alyce got up from the bed, causing Jean to get up right along with her.

"You're coming?"

"No.." She repeated one more time, before she started to walk out of the dormitory.

"So, then were are you going?" Jean asked, leaning on the side of the bunk bed. She crossed her arms and waited for Alyce to respond.

"Read my mind." She said sourly as she walked away.

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~How are my readers doing? ^_^;. Hope you liked the two chapters I uploaded ;D. Enjoy~and happy reading!