Haunted

Chapter 9

"I hate my life." I mumbled as I crossed my arms and stared out the window of the bus. "This will suck. Big time."

"Come on, Lana." Kurt said from the seat next to me before resting his arm behind my head. "It can't be that bad."

"Yes." I said, leaning my head back so that it rested against his arm. "Yes it can."

"How?" Evan asked from the seat across the aisle from ours.

I had to lift my head to look at him. "The camp master or whatever you call it is a former sergeant. Trust me, city boy. You and Kitty Cat do not stand a chance out here."

"What have I told you about calling me that?" Kitty asked from her seat between Evan and the window.

I smirked. "Not to?"

She crossed her arms and pouted. "Knock it off, Lana." Scott said from the seat in front of us. "Don't scare them away yet. They have yet to see all the wonderful things out here in the forest. Like spiders."

I smirked, seeing that Scott had decided to join in my fun and Kitty shiver out of the corner of my eye. "Do not forget the snakes." I added.

"Or the bats."

"Or slimy frogs."

"Or all the mud."

"Or digging for worms in said mud."

"Or-"

"Like, cut it out!" Kitty yelled out.

Scott smirked and I tried to stifle my laughter with one hand, high fiving him with my other. Jean rolled her eyes at us. "You two."

"What?" We both asked innocently. I heard Kurt chuckle next to me and leaned back again, shutting my eyes.

I awoke to a gentle shaking and someone brushing hair from my face. When I opened my eyes I found that my head was resting on Kurt's chest and he was trying to wake me up. "I do not want to get up." I mumbled. "I am too comfy."

I heard his heart beat pick up and smirked. "Come on, Lana. We're here."

I groaned and sat up, stretching and rubbing my eyes before we both stood and headed off the bus. We all stood in a line and waited as Sergeant Hobbs came out and seemed to inspect us. He nodded to me. "Svetlana."

I nodded back. "Sergeant Hawk."

He then went in to this speech that I had heard multiple times. I didn't pay attention and only reacted when it was needed. "Dismissed."

"I'm gunna be dead in two days." Kitty said, sitting on her suitcase.

"What about me?" Evan asked. "I'm a city kid."

"So far, you have both proven me right." I said to them, picking up my bag. "As you Americans say, suck it up." I started walking away to our team cabin to claim a bottom bunk. Farther away from the cobwebs on the ceiling.

"Hey, wait!" Kurt called out as he picked up his bag and followed me. "You've obviously been here before. What should we expect?"

"Our Sergeant friend is fond of relay races." I said, sitting on the steps of our cabin.

"Vunderbal."

I chuckled before standing and kissing his cheek, running into the girls' side of the cabin.

Sure enough, ten minutes later we were pitted against the Brotherhood in a relay race. Scott and Lance were tied in first when Lance used his powers to knock Scott in the water. Scott retaliated and used his optic beam to knock Lance out of his raft. I found this rather funny and my laughter got a glare or two from the Brotherhood boys.

I waited by the water for Scott to row back over. When he did, we heard the dreaded whistle blow and turned to see the sergeant yelling at our team and the Brotherhood.

He made us "drop and give him sixty." The entire time I would glare at those around me. It's not like I couldn't do sixty pushups. I do them every day. I was just a little pissed at being forced to do more work than was necessary.

When he blew the whistle to signal that we were done with the pushups, I stood up much quicker than the others. "You all should take a tip from Svetlana, here." Hawk said. "Look at her. Sixty pushups and not even a drop of sweat on her brow nor one word or groan of complaint.

"Now then, we're going to weed the loudmouths from the tough guys. We're going to fight it out in the wilderness against the wilderness. You wanna prove how tough you are? Fine. First team who brings back the flag that I planted up there on Mt. Humiliation wins."

I sent withering glares to everyone except Scott and Lance, who technically did nothing to put us in this situation. I am seriously going to kill these guys. "Cakewalk." Pietro said. "My team can take a sauna. I'll get it myself."

"Not if I beat you there." Kurt said.

"The whole team or no one." Hawk commanded. "And as proof, I want a snapshot of every team member at the top. Is that clear?"

"SIR YES SIR." We all responded.

"You leave in five from opposite trails. Be ready."

As everyone except Scott, Lance and Jean left, I crossed my arms and let loose a low growl. "You are all completely stupid." I muttered.

"They started it." Kitty said.

"I do not care who started it!" I yelled out. "You are more competitive than my brothers, and that is saying something, believe me."

"You have brothers?"

I paused, my eyes wide. "I did not say that." I said. "You are hearing things." I walked away, leaving a group of baffled and confused X-men behind me.

A few minutes later and I was leading the group up the mountain, Scott close behind me. The others were falling behind, Evan complaining about the size of the mosquitos. I rolled my eyes. "Is your fault." I called back. "So none of you can complain."

"How can you not be tired yet?" Kitty asked me. "My legs feel like they're about to fall off."

"I run every day. With weights. This does not faze me."

They were quiet, everyone's stares boring into my back. "If you have something to say, then say it." I said, getting tired of everyone gawking at me when I do something unexpected. They've been doing it since Sabertooth attacked.

"How can you claim to be normal when you can take down Sabertooth without batting an eyelash and run a mountain and not get tired?" Evan asked.

I turned my head so I could look at him out of the corner of my eye before looking forward again. "I am normal for me. Like Kurt is normal for him and you are normal for you."

"Are you saying that you could be a mutant? Then why won't you just come out and say it already?"

"Because I am not a mutant. I am normal."

"For you?" Kurt asked.

I smirked. "Da. For me."

We came upon a steep incline that could possibly be mistaken for a cliff. I sped up my running before leaping onto a boulder. I leapt off that one and onto a taller one before leaping onto the ledge. I looked over and smirked down at the others who were looking for footholds. "What do you see?" Scott called up.

"Another cliff." I called back. "I think I see the flag."

"You sure?"

"No. You look. You are one with sunglasses."

He crawled up and looked towards where I pointed. "Yeah. That's the flag. We're almost there. Evan, do ya think you could stick the rope up there?"

"Are ya sure?" Evan asked. "We're supposed to be doing this without powers." Scott gave him a look. "You look pretty sure ta me." Evan attached the rope to one of his spikes and shot it. It stuck in the rock and Scott started to climb.

I rolled my eyes and started to climb the cliff myself. I saw Scott offer the rope to Jean and she turned her nose up before following my lead. I sniggered and doubled my efforts so I wouldn't block anyone should they pick up their pace.

"I can see the flag." I said as we got to another ledge.

Everyone got up after me. "Victory!" Scott exclaimed, a smile on his face.

I rolled my eyes before freezing. "What's wrong?" Kurt asked.

"Avalanche." I muttered. "Evan, get away from the ledge!"

A tremor started and I saw Evan lose his balance. I ran forward and grabbed his hand before he went over and pulled him away. "Whoa." He said, looking over the edge of the cliff after the tremor ended. "Thanks, man."

I raised an eyebrow at being called 'man' but didn't comment. "I found the Brotherhood!" Rouge called as she looked down some kind of mining shaft.

"We're caved in!" Todd called up from the bottom. I looked down and was met with nothing but darkness. "You're not gunna leave us, are ya? Not for some flag."

"Of course not, Todd." I called down, trying to sooth him with my voice. "We'll find a way to get you out. I promise."

"Thanks, Lana." He called back, sounding calmer.

"Are any of you injured?"

"I don't think so. But the ladder broke."

"See if you can get Pietro and or Lance out." I called down before turning to Kurt. "Get Fred."

He nodded and teleported only to come back a few seconds later with Fred. Todd came up with Pietro on his back. "Lance is buried up to his shoulders. He wouldn't let me help." Todd said.

I snorted. Boys and their pride. I took the rope from Fred as he sat up and rubbed his head. Using Evan's spikes, the rope was attached to the rock around the shaft along with our own and Scott lowered down. As they were coming back up, I heard a bamf and looked up to see Kurt and Pietro playing tug-of-war with the flag. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. Just like my brothers.

I heard the roar of an engine and looked up at the Blackbird as it hovered before Kurt and Pietro. "X-men." Storm's voice called from the jet. "The Professor is in trouble. So is Mystique."

I ran up to the jet, pulling the flag away from the two boys as I went and glaring at them. "Bitch fight later." I said. "We have real problem." With that I passed them, ignoring when Pietro said something along the lines of "she digs me" and Kurt growl at him as they followed with everyone else.

When we got to the mansion, I headed straight to the Danger Room. "Lana, where are you going?" Storm asked.

"Where do you think?" I asked. "They will be in Danger Room. Safest place."

"You should stay here." Scott said. I froze in my tracks. I turned slowly and glared at him. I know that my eyes were now orange, but I didn't care.

Someone was threatening my home.

Someone needs to pay.

"I refuse," I said, trying to keep my voice level, "to stay here while people I love are being threatened."

"What can you do against the Juggernaut?"

"You underestimate me, Scott." I muttered. "All of you do. I am tired of it. I am not some fragile damsel that needs to be protected!" I turned again. "And I am not going to wait for you to decide how to make dramatic entrance. That is not how one goes into battle." I started to walk away.

"Lana." Scott said. He sighed at my still retreating back. "We need a plan."

"You should have thought of one on the ride here." I replied icily. "You want plan? Here is plan. We need to get off his helmet. We make distraction. Kurt and Pietro try to get helmet. We help as needed. Good enough for you?"

"What if that doesn't work? Do you have a plan B?"

"Do you?" I retorted. I could tell he was glaring at me. "I do. Let us hope we do not have to use it."

We got to the Danger Room to see Wolverine barely conscious and the Juggernaut advancing towards the Prof and Mystique. He reached for the Prof. "Jean!" I yelled out. "On it." She replied, lifting the man in the air. "Remember!" I yelled out. "After the helmet!"

What happened next should make the Prof swell with pride. Everyone worked together to get that damned helmet off. When it was off, he saw me. I stood there, glaring at him with my arms crossed and legs spread even with my shoulders. "Hey, big guy." I said, smirking. "Lose something?"

He let out a shout and charged, intending to punch me. I casually took two steps to the side and as he ran past I grabbed his arm, twisting it behind him and kicked his legs out from under him. "Blob! A little help here!"

Fred came over and sat on the Juggernaut's back, effectively immobilizing him. "Take it away, Professor." I said, backing up. After some struggling, he was finally unconscious.

"How'd you do that?" Fred asked as he got off the man under him. "Take down the Juggernaut?"

All talking seemed to cease as everyone listened. "Using an enemy's momentum against them is basic fighting technique." I replied, shrugging. I went over and helped up Wolverine as the Brotherhood left.

"Scott?" I asked. When he looked at me, I continued. "I apologize about earlier."

He smiled at me. "It's all right. I should apologize as well. You were right about underestimating you. Maybe you could teach us a few moves."

I smiled and nodded. "I would enjoy that."

There was a chorus of me to's and I couldn't help but laugh as I helped Logan to his feet and out the door, followed by everyone else.