"Way to go, Lula!" Kurt cheered, once I'd broken the surface of the water holding Kitty in my arms. The bubble popped just as I was about to heave myself out of the water; the only part of my body that remained wet was my feet.

"Wow," Jean gushed, as she took Kitty from my arms. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"No, it is rather unusual."

"Professor!" The X-Men chorused as Professor Xavier rolled onto the scene. He held his hand out for Kitty, and she took it gently. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Lula saved me." She smiled.

"I think it best if you go to the hospital wing anyway, just to be sure. Ororo, would you mind taking Kitty upstairs, she may still be in shock."

Kitty didn't argue.

"Of course, Professor." Ororo who had dutifully followed the Professor outside, wrapped her arm around Kitty's waist and they walked together back into the Institute.

"I think it's Lula who's in shock, Professor." Kurt pointed down at me, curled up on the edge of the pool. All I could think was, what if I hadn't been able to get to her?

"Tallulah, thank you for saving Kitty. It was an extremely brave thing for you to do."

I wasn't about to tell him that Kurt had literally pushed me into it.

Jean sat down on the poolside next to me and looked at my kindly. "You did really well," she said sincerely. "It's okay."

"Professor, I was in the water. I could feel it, for a moment there I was completely absorbed."

"It's all in your control, Tallulah. Over time you will be able to decide whether your skin works as a repellent or not. It's something we can teach you. Something we can help you with. I hope today that you realize just how important that training is."

I nodded. Jean helped me up and then called over to Scott who was reassuring the other New Recruits that everything was going to be okay. Rahne had been particularly shaken up, after she had done so well. Wolverine looked over the scene with a mildly shocked expression. It wasn't one that I ever expected to see on his features.

"Professor, I think I should go and talk to the half pint," he said after sharing whispered words with Beast.

"Yes, I think that would probably be best. Give her a few minutes, I will join you shortly."

Logan retreated into the mansion, and the Professor addressed the remaining teens. "X-Men," his voice resonated. "You've faced an unknown challenge, and I am proud of how you handled yourselves. Panic in a time like this is not what we're looking for. You demonstrated your powers," he looked pointedly at Bobby who smirked and kept changing in and out of being a solid ice sculpture. "But I think we've had enough excitement for one day. Training will resume as usual tomorrow morning! New Recruits, you will be with Beast, for your weekly trip into the woods. X-Men please report to the training room at six a.m. Yes, Kurt, six in the morning," he added which got a few giggles.

I watched as Scott rushed over to Jean and scooped her into a hug. Kurt was looking around, so I asked him who he was looking for.

"Rogue."

I hadn't noticed she was even gone. "Does she usually disappear like this?"

He shrugged. "Usually."

I had a sneaky suspicion that I knew where she was. I'd have to ask her later, now that we were roommates.

Kurt fell into step beside me. "I would have rescued Kitty, you know, but I thought we should all see your power."

"Kurt!" I slapped him on the arm. "I wasn't ready. Haven't you ever heard the expression 'all in good time'?"

"Yes, but I had a feeling you'd work well under pressure."

I tried futilely to hide a smile. "Well, I guess I have to thank you then."

"Yes, yes you do!" He shot me a winning smile. "Last one in's a rotten egg!"

"Tallulah." Professor X came to a halt next to me, leaving Kurt to surge on ahead.

"Yes, Professor?"

"I'd like you to follow the X-Men and meet in the Training Room tomorrow. I'm sure Rogue will be able to show you the way."

"Professor, I-"

He laughed. "I heard about the room changes and I think it's going to be a lot better. Kitty and Rogue had a tendency to fight over the wardrobe space."

I echoed his laugh uneasily. "Are you sure I'm ready to train with the other X-Men? I haven't even been here for one day."

"I'm not normally wrong, Lula. And this is something I'm almost certain about. I don't offer this opportunity to anyone, you know, but you seem to be getting on extremely well with the other members of the team. The New Recruits would've loved to have you, I'm sure, but as you can see." He gestured over to the benches where a few of the New Recruits had stayed, sprawled in their swimming costumes. Bobby was attempting to freeze the water in the fountain, Amara chased Rahne around the fields and Jubilee was sparking fireworks at Roberto to try and make him flare. "I think you need a slightly more mature and experienced team to truly help you develop your powers." I scoffed at the word mature, and I knew we were both thinking of Kurt.

"Plus, very few people can actually talk to Rogue, and I'd hate to discourage such a friendship."

"Thank you, Professor."

"I'll see you tomorrow. Six o'clock. I trust that if Mr. Wagner is unable to rise then I can count on you to do something about it."

"I'm sure Kitty would love to help."

"I can't believe I have to be the new kid again."

"I sucks," Rouge looked up from painting her nails black to inspect the outfit I'd picked out for my first day at Bayville High School. Rogue had decided to move into my room, and after dinner, when she'd come to relocate her stuff, we found we'd been moved into a slightly larger room with two beds, and more importantly, two wardrobes.

I'd gone to visit Kitty after lunch, because the Professor said that she was still in shock we weren't allowed to visit her until then. She'd tried to thank me, but I shrugged it off. I didn't want her to know that I probably wouldn't have even gone into the water had Kurt not pushed me. She was allowed to go back to her room after dinner, so that she could get well acquainted with Amara, who she would now be sharing with.

Kurt had gone to visit Kitty with me, and he'd tried to make her laugh. Jean had brought up Kitty's toy dragon to leave on her bedside table. My suspicions about Rogue had been correct. When she'd disappeared she'd gone straight up to her room, and then to visit Kitty. She'd stayed by her side the longest, until Jean took over. I had a feeling that they were a lot closer friends than Rogue would care to admit. Sharing a room with someone had to count for something, even if they were complete opposites.

"At least I don't have to listen to her gaga conversations with Lance anymore."

"Who's Lance?" I'd asked, but she'd just rolled her eyes. Apparently I'd find out soon enough, which is how we'd got onto the topic of my new school.

I was scared to be going somewhere without Toby, we'd been in all of the same classes since Kindergarten. I felt like I needed him to get through the day, what was I supposed to do now that I could only see him on weekends and after school visits?

"Professor X probably tried to get you on the same schedule as one of us so you don't feel so alone. Just pray that you're not in any classes with Toad." She threw me a disgusted glance, and then raised her eyebrows at a black camisole I held up to the mirror. "That's kind of cute."

"You can borrow it if you want." After what the Professor had said I was determined to be good friends with Rogue, by the sounds of it I needed her just as much as she needed me. Kurt had whispered to me at lunch – which was just as eventful as breakfast - that she didn't really have any friends, and didn't like to hang out with the rest of them at school. Some past crush on Scott or something made her feel embarrassed. I wanted to change that, since I knew that training with the X-Men meant I would be spending a lot of time with them.

I saw a small smile flash across Rogue's face, but she didn't say anything else.

"What's it like? At Bayville, I mean."

"It's alright. If we're lucky then Scott will take us in his car, but it's first come first served now that one spot is permanently taken by Miss Jean Grey." I tried to find the hint of bitterness in her voice, but it was well disguised.

"And if we're not lucky?"

"Then it's the X-Mobile."

"Is that so bad?"

"When Logan drives."

"Eugh."

"Yeah, make sure you sit at the back, otherwise the rats in the New Recruits will listen to every word you say."

"Right. Let's try and hitch a ride with Scott then."

I thought I caught another hint of a smile when Rogue realized I'd been talking about us as a collective.

"Can you drive?" She asked, her attention returned to her nails.

"Yeah, but I haven't got a car."

"You can always borrow one of the ones from the garage, then we won't have to wait for anybody."

"You'll have to direct me there, okay?"

"You mean I get to sit shotgun?" She feigned excitement. "My gosh, never have I had this privilege."

I laughed. "We could offer to take Kitty and Kurt?"

Rogue didn't say anything for a second. "We'd just have to take The Spike Man too."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not unless you actually want ripped leather seats and muddy foot wells. Done!" She held up her nails for inspection.

"Okay, it'll just be us then, we don't have to take everyone."

Rogue gave me the first real smile I'd seen from her all day. "Want me to do yours too?"