Ch 8

*Charles*

"Call me Linda please," the red skinned girl answered softly as I showed her the school. "That's what the doctors called me at the center. I think it means snake in some language. I can't even consider my old name; it's too… too… I don't know. It just doesn't suit me anymore."

"It comes from the German word lint, which means serpent," I said. I now knew that the people that had held her were German, but that gave next to nothing to figure out who they were and how they knew about me, I couldn't even consider the possibility that Erik betrayed me like that, though he did have someone who could cause such mental damage like this.

"Well the classrooms are on the first floor and the dorms on the second, and work out and training in the basement and outside. Jubilee's your roommate, and I'll show you to your room," I wheeled to the elevator and as it went up and with a ding stopped on the second floor. I remember Hank insisting on installing this, I do hope he's gotten over the incident, his been in such a state of distress as of late.

I pushed the door open to Linda's room. Looking in, I saw Jubilee in the corner, she seemed to be intent on reading, but I could tell she was wathcing the all boys training class outside, from the ways her eyes darted up ever so often. I suppose it would interest her, as Alex is in the class.

"Gosh Charles! Knock why don't you? For all you know I could be naked," She cried jokingly, knowing well and sure that I could mentally tell if she was naked.

"I was coming to introduce your new roommate. I know you've seemed slightly lonely," I replied with a sly smile. It was always fun being around Jubilee.

"Really? Are you being serous? I told you under no circumstance that I wanted a roommate! I like my privacy and whatnot." I could tell she was joking, but I could mentally sense that she also didn't really want a roommate. I do hope she would come to like having another girl around, they could maybe do, like girl things.

"Oh I'm sure you'll love Linda," and I did mean that, as I wheeled myself into the room more so that Linda could step into view.

"Oh you're that girl that came in last night! I could hug you; you helped cancel my English and science class!" Jubilee didn't even realize how blunt and semi impolite she was being. With Linda's red skin, most wouldn't even notice her face flushing, but I mentally felt her embarrassment and fear of rejection.

"Um… ya that's me," Jubilee said quietly. She looked down at her bare feet and tried as hard as possible to keep a polite face on. It was hard watching her try to contain her tears.

"Well, Linda, I'll get some toiletries for you when we go shopping for clothes for you. For Jubilee will lend you her surplus amount of clothes. And if you'll come with me, I'll show you to the kitchen so you can get something to eat."

Charles, the man in the wheelchair that seemed to be helping Ororo, had given me overly large clothes that seemed to be old pjs. They were better then nothing, but my skin felt so weird being covered, my skin hadn't been covered since when it was mutated to the red form it was in at the moment.

Trying to be nice I quietly at the apple Charles gave me and gratefully drank the glass of water. Not wanting to be demanding, I decided not to ask Charles.

Charles gave me a funny look when continued to stay silent and eat the apple. I felt my face heat up, though I knew no one would be able to see it. I looked down at the bright red apple in my hand. I could see my sharp canine teeth mark, Ororo had once told me it reminded her of the teeth on snakes. I didn't know anything about snakes, though I didn't think they had teeth, I think they were called fangs or something.

"Please tell me dear, I can tell something is one your mind and keeping you silent," the young man said gently looking me in the eye as I dared to look up for a second. Turning my head and body, I ran my hands along the counter and finally let out a breath that I had been holding for far too long.

"I want to room with the girl. The one I brought here, Ororo. I feel responsible for her," I said softly still not looking up. I doubted he would care what I wanted.

"I would normally allow this, but you and Ororo will have very different schedules. She is younger then you and her classes will be later and she won't have training on Saturday mornings. I'm sorry, but I can arrange for her to be in the conjoined room to yours and Jubilee's room. You'll share a bathroom with her, and probably see her more then you would have ever wanted to."

"Thank you professor, thank you for being so nice and so giving."

*Jubilee*

"So are you like half snake or something?" I asked looking at the girl's skin. It was a rusty red and was scaled and looked hard, kind of like a dragon's skin. Her eyes were garnet red and rust red streaks were tangled into her black curly hair.

When she smiled at me, I could see her two sharp canine teeth that I could only describe as fangs. She shrugged her shoulder and shook her hear.

"I don't really know. It didn't happen till the Whitecoats took me."

"Who are the Whitecoats and do you mean they took you?"

"Well they took me to like their center for mutants or something like that. It's a long story," the anguish and agony was evident in her voice as she sighed and looked out the window of our now shared room.

Following her gaze, I looked out onto the back lawn to see a two or three of the older mutants walking across the bench near the lake.

"Crap," I swore pushing my feet into my tennis shoes on the ground, "I gotta go to the training, Charles said that you won't be joining us for a while, he's gonna like evaluate you and just kinda get a feel for your mutation and whatnot. You gotta tell me about it later, I'm really sorry." Linda looked slightly relieved at the thought of not having to tell me about her story, but I would have to get the story out of her.

Running down the stairs, I sprinted onto the lawn as Claire and Heather Cameron started to stretch and get ready for training. Alex was supposed to join us, as he was the instructor of hand to hand combat, but some days he just wouldn't show.

Heather was only about 18, making her only three years older then me. She was quiet and seemed to be the complete opposite of me. She had the ability to change her appearance or body so that it would protect her or those around her.

At the moment it was in a golden hard skinned formed, the way it was when she came. In my opinion it was a crappy mutation, cause she didn't really seem to be able to control or command it on will. Charles has been trying to come up with ways to try to trigger her mutation, but none of them have worked yet.

"Jubilee! You were almost late," Claire said bossingly, I didn't really care what she thought of me, but I thought she was a down right bitch. Only Charles seemed to like her and put up with her.

"Ya well I got a new roommate, while you were dwindling your fingers."

"You should still be here on time, this is a class that you are required to take, so you must show up to the class on time!"

"Can you shut up and just get on with the class?" I could tell Claire was about to fire a snide retort right back at me, but Heather interrupted as usual.

"Both of you stop fighting, lets start class." I don't think Heather really enjoyed class, as it consisted of her showing us her mutation basically failed and sucked, but I think she liked class more then she liked listening to us fight.

"Today we will be working on Jubilee's mutation. Heather, I want you to stand on the other side of the lawn and Jubilee I want you to send your fireballs at Heather. This time try to control them the whole way." Claire didn't seem happy with me being the center of attention for this class, but she had to follow what Charles set out for her to do. Some days he would even come out and check when he didn't have training classes with the younger mutants.

Heather raced off to the other side of the lawn and yelled back at us once we stopped. The sun was just setting in the distance behind Heather and she looked so… the only word I can think of is magnificent. The sun reflected off her golden skin and she seemed to glow.

"Are you going to start? I asked you to aim your fireballs and control them as you send them at Heather if you have already forgotten," Claire needed to shut her mouth as only crap could spew out of it.

"I haven't forgotten," I said loudly and under my breath whispered bitch.

I felt the fireball at the tip of my finger before I could even see it. My finger glowed and seemed shimmer like a fire before I fireball emerged. I felt it as though it was a part of my body, I could feel the heat coming off of it, but it didn't burn me like a heated flame. I felt it as I sent it flying through the air, the whole time making sure to keep a slight mental grip on it so it wouldn't fly off course.

I saw as it zoomed closer and closer to Heather and then as it was feet away, I sent it hurtling at her and cut off all mental links I had to it. This time I didn't have to mentally feel as it crashed and burned.

I had been stupid enough in the past not to cut off my mental link to the fireballs, and lets just say it hurt too much to be worth it. Charles had helped me find a way to cut off my mental link after I asked him about it.

"Do it again," Claire commanded like she was the queen or something. I rolled my eyes and felt the tingle of another fireball in my fingers.

I watched out my new window as my roommate shot fireballs from her fingertips. Jubilee did seem a bit mean, but I had no reason to judge her and hadn't even gotten to know her yet.

I swished the light brown curtains closed and looked down at my own red palms. If you looked hard enough, you could almost make out the slightly darker red labyrinth of designs and scars.

That brought back the thought of today. I had started to feel the heat and tingle of power when I didn't control my anger at the blue man. I had almost lost control, but he didn't seem to even notice that much.

I would have to figure him out soon, and see if he was one to trust. Charles seemed all right, but I was afraid he knew too many people and would hear rumors and lies, although he may hear the truth and be equally as afraid, Jubilee wasn't to be trusted so far all I had seen of her was her big mouth. And I don't mean it in a bad way, its just she can't seem to stop talking.

This was suppose to be easier then the Whitecoats, but at least I had them figured out.

DUN DUN DUUUN
Sorry for the cliffy, and it prob won't even be fulfilled for a while, so stay in there you readers!

And want to thank those few people that have reviewed!

They set a fab example for the rest of you all to follow…

As in… REVIEW!

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I really hope you like this and I need some ideas for Claire so please give me any ideas you have because right now she is a blank canvas.

So review and ideas for Claire!

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Carry