Disclaimer: Darion, Almika and Bouncer belong to me... Alena belongs to Mariamus Prime and everyone else is Marvel's...
Chapter 20: An evil side of life
*10.20am flight from Darwin, Australia to New York, America.
Storm sat comfortably on the plane, watching the clouds out the window as they flew. She'd been absolutely busting to go to the toilet since the 5 minute stop-over in Thailand, but she didn't dare go to on the plane, she knew how small they were and she got queasy every time she thought about it.
There was only 10 minutes until the plane landed, so she hung on and the second it landed, she rushed off the plane and straight into the airport toilets. Taking her bags from the rollers, Storm wandered outside and shoved her bags in the trunk of a taxi, sitting in the backseat.
"Where to?" the driver asked.
"Xavier Institute thankyou." Storm replied.
It was quiet in the taxi, no radio, nothing. Storm thought quietly to herself as she watched streets go by. There was a small prick in the calf of her left leg, like a pin, but when she looked down, nothing.
*Must've been nothing...* Storm thought.
As the taxi pulled up to the school, Storm hopped out, taking her bags and paying the driver. She'd never seen his face, just heard his voice, but she had an inkling that something was wrong. As she entered the mansion, she started to feel a little dizzy and tired.
*Damn jetlag... * she thought.
Looking into the rec room, she found no one, so she went to Xavier's office. He sat in his chair, scribbling on a piece of paper.
"Hello Xavier..." Storm smiled as she walked in.
"Ah, Storm, you're back..." Xavier smiled to her, "How was your holiday?"
"Very exciting, but I seem to have been hit by a bout of jetlag on the way home..." Storm said.
"You go rest child, I will see you later in the day?" Xavier replied.
Storm nodded, her head becoming a little hazy as she wandered out. She wasn't feeling well, which was strange for the Weather Goddess. Returning to her room, she lay down and was asleep instantly.
~~~~
"Dat's nor 'ow ya make porridge!" Gambit cried, laughing.
"It's zee only vay I know..." Nightcrawler shrugged, his face hiding a sly smile.
"What are you two on about?" Almika asked, confused as she walked into the kitchen to find Kurt holding a bowl of oats and water and Gambit leaning upon the table, laughing at him.
"The Elf is tryin'a make porridge, an' 'e's makin' it all wrong." Gambit laughed, trying hard to spit the words out.
"Remy's picking on my cooking skills..." Kurt said, making a sad face at her.
"Aw, poor Kurtie-poo." Almika smiled, rubbing his back.
Kurt glared at her evilly and then smiled, kissing her cheek.
~~~~
"Scott, could you help me with something?" Alena asked, pulling a tray towards him.
"Maybe..." Scott smiled.
"No hitting on my woman Scott!" Toad laughed.
"Would I do that?" Scott laughed.
~~~~
"Me bloody ankle's broke..." Bouncer snarled at Darion.
"Oh dear... I'll be righ' back, jus' gona get Xavier..." Darion smirked, running off.
Bouncer sat on the ground in the Danger Room, pissed off more than anything. Maybe it was just her, but no one really liked her, except Logan and Darion. Almika was curious about her but never really spoke to her, and Kurt followed fashion, Toad and Almika were too busy with doing things to notice her, Xavier was busy with keeping the school together, Cyclops was just a dork and Gambit and Rogue were too busy catching up after Rogue's little accident, whatever it had been. No one had bothered to tell her what had happened.
Logan walked into the Danger Room slowly, cigar hanging from his mouth. He noticed Bouncer lying on the floor breathing deeply.
"This a new way of fightin' darlin'? Lay on the floor an' the opposition won' see ya?" Logan smiled as he leant over her, absently blowing smoke in her face as he spoke.
Bouncer didn't mind Logan, he seemed very different, like her, and he loved to fight and smoke cigars, "Gone an' broke me ankle doll, Darion's gone ta find Xavier." She replied.
Logan slipped his hands under her legs and back, picking her up easily and placing her down on a chair nearby.
"There ya go kiddo. Ya can see normal now." Logan smiled, sitting nearby.
"Thanks..." Bouncer said.
"So darlin', what is ya real name?" Logan asked, "Or ya jus' gona leave that to time?"
"It's Eldaran. I hate me name, so don' tell anyone, or I'll 'ave ta kill ya." Bouncer admitted.
"Eldaran, that's a pretty sweet name ya know." Logan said.
"Yeah, whateva' Wha' shoul' I believe a short, hairy, man with a bad attitude?" Bouncer asked.
"Cause you're gona..." Darion said suddenly, coming from the door with Xavier.
Logan sniffed a bit, mostly near Xavier, "Tha's a familiar scent Professor... You been diggin' into Ororo's perfume?" he laughed as Xavier looked to him unimpressed.
"She's very tired Logan, I think something is wrong because she never gets jetlag, but she had it today when she returned." Xavier said, looking at Bouncer's ankle.
"Tha' is strange Charlie... is there anyway we can find out?" Logan asked.
~~~~
Storm awoke later that day, about mid-afternoon, she felt a little strange, different, as if she wasn't the same. She wandered off to the shower quickly, hoping to clear the feeling. When she came back to her room, she felt the same. Catching a glance of herself in the mirror near her dresser, Storm gasped. Taking a closer look, she saw blue dots upon the pigment of her eyes and little bubbles, like blisters under the skin of her hands and feet. She stood looking at herself in the mirror for what seemed like ages, studying the dots and bubbles. They looked as if they moved under her skin and in her eyes. The dots made little swirly patterns on her eyes, slowly fading like engine exhaust. The bubbles also moved around her hands, as if they lived. Storm took a deep breath to calm herself and then, when she couldn't figure out what else to do, she ran, all the way to Xavier...
Chapter 20: An evil side of life
*10.20am flight from Darwin, Australia to New York, America.
Storm sat comfortably on the plane, watching the clouds out the window as they flew. She'd been absolutely busting to go to the toilet since the 5 minute stop-over in Thailand, but she didn't dare go to on the plane, she knew how small they were and she got queasy every time she thought about it.
There was only 10 minutes until the plane landed, so she hung on and the second it landed, she rushed off the plane and straight into the airport toilets. Taking her bags from the rollers, Storm wandered outside and shoved her bags in the trunk of a taxi, sitting in the backseat.
"Where to?" the driver asked.
"Xavier Institute thankyou." Storm replied.
It was quiet in the taxi, no radio, nothing. Storm thought quietly to herself as she watched streets go by. There was a small prick in the calf of her left leg, like a pin, but when she looked down, nothing.
*Must've been nothing...* Storm thought.
As the taxi pulled up to the school, Storm hopped out, taking her bags and paying the driver. She'd never seen his face, just heard his voice, but she had an inkling that something was wrong. As she entered the mansion, she started to feel a little dizzy and tired.
*Damn jetlag... * she thought.
Looking into the rec room, she found no one, so she went to Xavier's office. He sat in his chair, scribbling on a piece of paper.
"Hello Xavier..." Storm smiled as she walked in.
"Ah, Storm, you're back..." Xavier smiled to her, "How was your holiday?"
"Very exciting, but I seem to have been hit by a bout of jetlag on the way home..." Storm said.
"You go rest child, I will see you later in the day?" Xavier replied.
Storm nodded, her head becoming a little hazy as she wandered out. She wasn't feeling well, which was strange for the Weather Goddess. Returning to her room, she lay down and was asleep instantly.
~~~~
"Dat's nor 'ow ya make porridge!" Gambit cried, laughing.
"It's zee only vay I know..." Nightcrawler shrugged, his face hiding a sly smile.
"What are you two on about?" Almika asked, confused as she walked into the kitchen to find Kurt holding a bowl of oats and water and Gambit leaning upon the table, laughing at him.
"The Elf is tryin'a make porridge, an' 'e's makin' it all wrong." Gambit laughed, trying hard to spit the words out.
"Remy's picking on my cooking skills..." Kurt said, making a sad face at her.
"Aw, poor Kurtie-poo." Almika smiled, rubbing his back.
Kurt glared at her evilly and then smiled, kissing her cheek.
~~~~
"Scott, could you help me with something?" Alena asked, pulling a tray towards him.
"Maybe..." Scott smiled.
"No hitting on my woman Scott!" Toad laughed.
"Would I do that?" Scott laughed.
~~~~
"Me bloody ankle's broke..." Bouncer snarled at Darion.
"Oh dear... I'll be righ' back, jus' gona get Xavier..." Darion smirked, running off.
Bouncer sat on the ground in the Danger Room, pissed off more than anything. Maybe it was just her, but no one really liked her, except Logan and Darion. Almika was curious about her but never really spoke to her, and Kurt followed fashion, Toad and Almika were too busy with doing things to notice her, Xavier was busy with keeping the school together, Cyclops was just a dork and Gambit and Rogue were too busy catching up after Rogue's little accident, whatever it had been. No one had bothered to tell her what had happened.
Logan walked into the Danger Room slowly, cigar hanging from his mouth. He noticed Bouncer lying on the floor breathing deeply.
"This a new way of fightin' darlin'? Lay on the floor an' the opposition won' see ya?" Logan smiled as he leant over her, absently blowing smoke in her face as he spoke.
Bouncer didn't mind Logan, he seemed very different, like her, and he loved to fight and smoke cigars, "Gone an' broke me ankle doll, Darion's gone ta find Xavier." She replied.
Logan slipped his hands under her legs and back, picking her up easily and placing her down on a chair nearby.
"There ya go kiddo. Ya can see normal now." Logan smiled, sitting nearby.
"Thanks..." Bouncer said.
"So darlin', what is ya real name?" Logan asked, "Or ya jus' gona leave that to time?"
"It's Eldaran. I hate me name, so don' tell anyone, or I'll 'ave ta kill ya." Bouncer admitted.
"Eldaran, that's a pretty sweet name ya know." Logan said.
"Yeah, whateva' Wha' shoul' I believe a short, hairy, man with a bad attitude?" Bouncer asked.
"Cause you're gona..." Darion said suddenly, coming from the door with Xavier.
Logan sniffed a bit, mostly near Xavier, "Tha's a familiar scent Professor... You been diggin' into Ororo's perfume?" he laughed as Xavier looked to him unimpressed.
"She's very tired Logan, I think something is wrong because she never gets jetlag, but she had it today when she returned." Xavier said, looking at Bouncer's ankle.
"Tha' is strange Charlie... is there anyway we can find out?" Logan asked.
~~~~
Storm awoke later that day, about mid-afternoon, she felt a little strange, different, as if she wasn't the same. She wandered off to the shower quickly, hoping to clear the feeling. When she came back to her room, she felt the same. Catching a glance of herself in the mirror near her dresser, Storm gasped. Taking a closer look, she saw blue dots upon the pigment of her eyes and little bubbles, like blisters under the skin of her hands and feet. She stood looking at herself in the mirror for what seemed like ages, studying the dots and bubbles. They looked as if they moved under her skin and in her eyes. The dots made little swirly patterns on her eyes, slowly fading like engine exhaust. The bubbles also moved around her hands, as if they lived. Storm took a deep breath to calm herself and then, when she couldn't figure out what else to do, she ran, all the way to Xavier...