Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men.

21

"Okay," Kitty said, smiling. "You look great. Nice job, Rogue."

"Whatever," Rogue said, picking her bag up off the floor.

"So," Kiara said, turning on her image inducer. "Does this mean I'm allowed outside now?"

"Yup," Kitty said. "Let's go."

Kiara slung her bag over her shoulder and followed the other two out of the room.

"What took you so long?" Kurt said when they met him in the hall.

"Ask Kitty," Kiara said simply.

"Excuse me," Kitty said, "but it's her first day of, like, high school. She has to look perfect."

Kurt took in Kiara's gothy outfit. It did look good on her, especially now that she had her image inducer turned on.

"Okay," Kurt said, "but we should go. The others are waiting."

"Alright," Kitty said. "Let's go then."

"So," Kurt said to Kiara as they walked down the hall. "How are you feeling?"

"Like it's the first day of school," Kiara said, "and I'm the freaky new girl."

"It's your first day as a freshmen," Rogue pointed out. "There are bound to be other freaky new girls."

"How many," Kiara said, "of those girls were featured on a national news bulletin?"

They all paused and there was a long moment of silence.

"My point, exactly," Kiara said.

"Relax, Kiara," Kurt said. "Everything will be fine."

"Right," Kiara said sarcastically. "Of course."

"Look," Kurt said, grabbing her wrist as she started to walk away. "We're your friends. Do you really think we would let anything happen to you?"

"He's right, Kiara," Rogue said. "If someone bothers you, just let us know. We'll put the hurt on 'em."

Kiara stared at the three of them for a moment. It was kind of hard to imagine Kitty putting the hurt on anyone, but she knew Kurt would never let anything happen to her.

"Okay," Kiara said, smiling.

"Hey," Scott said when they met him and Jean in the garage. "You guys ready to go?"

"Totally," Kitty said, climbing into the car.

"Okay," Jean said to Kiara. "Try not to lose control because Principle Kelly is a known mutant-hater."

"No one knows we're mutants, though, right?" Kiara said.

"Yeah," Scott said, starting the car. "And we'd kind of like to keep it that way."

"What if I do accidentally lose control, though?" Kiara asked.

"We would have to wipe the mind of anyone who saw what happened," Jean told her.

"And you might get grounded," Kurt added.

"What about those Brotherhood boys?" Kiara said.

"Bayville High isn't really a big school," Jean said, "so one of us will probably always be nearby if they start messing with you."

"Plus they're idiots," Rogue said, "so they're not all that hard to get rid of."

"Okay," Scott said. "Here we are."

Kiara stared up at the enormous brick building. "I thought you said this wasn't a big school," she said. "It's way bigger than the high school in Jameson."

"Don't worry," Kurt said. "I'll make sure you don't get lost."

Kiara nodded and climbed out of the car. As soon as her foot touched the pavement, she immediately wished that she was back at the Institute. The other students were staring at her. She could feel their eyes on her back. Watching her. Judging her.

There wasn't a single person in this school that didn't know who Kiara was.

"Are you alright?" Kurt asked, pulling her out of her reverie.

"Uh, yeah," Kiara said.

"All right," Kitty said. "Smile, Kiara."

Kiara cringed as a blinding white light flashed before her eyes. "Kitty," she cried. "What the hell?!"

"Sorry," Kitty said, laughing, "but I wanted a candid shot." She waved a silver digital camera in Kiara's face.

"Oh, really," Kiara said, smiling. "Can I see?"

"Yeah, sure," Kitty said, handing her the camera.

Kiara examined the camera quickly. Then she deleted the picture without even looking at it.

"Hey," Kitty said, snatching the camera away from her. "What'd you do that for?"

"No pictures," Kiara said firmly. "I don't photograph well."

"Come on, Kiara," Kitty whined. "Please, just let me take one picture -- it's your first day of high school. We have to document it."

"No," Kiara said.

She turned to walk away. Then Kurt grabbed her, pinning her arms securely to her sides.

"Now, Kitty!" Kurt said as Kiara struggled to escape his grip.

Kitty snapped the picture and Kurt released Kiara.

"What the hell, Kurt?!" Kiara demanded, turning to face as she struggled against the fire that had flared up within her.

"Ah, no powers," Kurt said teasingly when he saw the look on her face. "Besides, Kitty is right. This is a special day. Don't you want something to remember it by?"

"No," Kiara said. She lounged at Kitty who was now hiding behind Kurt, waving the camera high above her head.

"There's the bell," Kurt said quickly as he began drag Kiara away from the others. "Time for class."

"I'll print you out a copy later," Kitty called after them.

"Why did you do that?" Kiara asked as Kurt released her.

"I already told you why," Kurt reminded her. "Besides, she would have gotten the picture eventually."

"You can't prove that," Kiara said.

"She can phase through just about anything, Kiara," Kurt said. "Trust me, she hadn't gotten a picture here at school, then she would definitely have gotten one at the mansion."

"Whatever," Kiara muttered as they entered the school.

She paused and looked around. There wasn't much to see. The long hallways were decorated with posters advertising the various school clubs and sports teams, and a long banner that read "Welcome Back, Hawks!" had been hung from the ceiling. It was pretty much the same as her old school. Just much, much bigger. Nothing special.

"I'll walk you to class," Kurt said, smiling as he changed the subject. "Where's your class schedule?"

Kiara reached inside her pocket and pulled out the schedule. Kurt took it from her and started laughing quietly. She had drawn little stars around the first period box, which stated that she had year one German with Mrs. Weitz.

"What?" Kiara asked him.

"Nothing," Kurt said. "I just figured out what your favorite class is."

"Shut up," Kiara said, taking the paper from him.

"Come on," Kurt said. "Your class is this way."

Kiara followed him down the hall. She hid behind him silently as the students followed her with their eyes. She wished they wouldn't stare at her, especially the boys. She hated it when strange boys stared at her. It made her feel uncomfortable.

Kurt smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Kiara looked up at him silently.

"These people are strangers, Kiara," Kurt said. "They don't know anything about you. You shouldn't worry about their opinion so much."

"I just wish they would stop staring at me," Kiara told him. "It's annoying."

"Well, look at it this way," Kurt said. "They're staring at you now, but just imagine what they would do if you weren't wearing your image inducer."

"Yeah," Kiara said. "I'd rather not."

"Good," Kurt said. "Because it wouldn't be pleasant."

"I can believe that," Kiara said, nodding.

"Well, here's your class," Kurt said as they stopped in front of a door. "Try to behave yourself."

"This," Kiara said, "coming from the guy who probably spent half the summer planning out of the prank he's going to play on the Brotherhood boys."

"Actually," Kurt said, smiling, "I had to revise those plans just a little bit since you came along."

"Oh, thanks, Kurt," Kiara said, smiling. "I feel special now."

Kurt's smile faded and his expression became serious. "You are special," he told her. "Remember that. I'll see you next period."

Kiara watched silently as he started off down the hall. Then the bell rang and she ducked into her classroom. She took a seat in the back of the room and started looking around the room.

A large German flag and a map of Germany hung on the back wall. A bulletin was decorated with what Kiara assumed were this week's vocabulary words. A list of a classroom rules had written along the length of the whiteboard in the front of the classroom, and two steel cupboards stood tall next to the doorway.

Kiara looked up as a tall woman with dark hair entered the room.

"Hello, class," the woman said. "I am your instructor, Mrs. Weitz."

Kiara reached inside her book bag and pulled out a folder and a five-subject notebook. She watched as Mrs. Weitz grabbed a pile off her desk and began to hand them out.

"Now," Mrs. Weitz said, "we have a lot to do today -- lots of papers to hand out -- so we'll save the formal introductions for tomorrow."

Kiara took the papers the teacher handed her and stared down at them. They all had to do with personal stuff and medical information, but one word in particular caught her eye:

Parent.

The papers were to be signed by a parent or guardian and returned to school by the next day. Kiara didn't have any parents.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Fräulein Blaze. You weren't supposed to get those."

Kiara looked up to see Mrs. Weitz standing over her.

"I wasn't?" Kiara asked her.

"No," Mrs. Weitz said, taking the papers from her. "Professor Xavier already took care of all that."

"Oh," Kiara said.

The morning announcements came on, but Kiara didn't pay any attention to them.

"Hey," a girl whispered to Kiara. "Hey, you're that girl who was on the news last week or something. Because your house burned down, right?"

Kiara looked up at the girl. "Yes," she said simply.

"I'm sorry," the girl said, frowning. "About what happened to your father."

"So am I," Kiara told her.

When the bell rang to signal the end of first period, Kiara found Kurt waiting for her out in the hall, ready to walk her to class.

"So how was class?" Kurt asked her as they set off down the hall.

Kiara sighed. "You know," she said, "it really should be against the law for teachers to give homework on the first day of school."

"You've got homework already?" Kurt said with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah," Kiara said. "See, as it turns out most the students in the class already took German in middle school, too, so Mrs. Weitz wants us all to introduce ourselves to the class tomorrow. In German."

"Oh, is that all?" Kurt said, smiling. "Don't worry. I can help you with that. I am your tutor, after all."

"Thanks, Kurt," Kiara said, smiling at him. "Really. There's no way I would pass this class without you."

"I should be the one thanking you," Kurt said. "You did say you were taking this class to make me happy."

"Yeah," Kiara said as she followed Kurt into a classroom. "I guess I did say that."

"Right, then," Kurt said as they took seats in the back of the room. "Do you have your textbook?"

"Yeah," Kiara said. She reached inside her bag and pulled out her book. "Here."

"All right," Kurt said, taking the book from her.

He flipped through the book until he found the page he was looking for. "Chapter one," he read aloud. "Basic greetings and introductions."

"Right," Kiara said, nodding.

"Now," Kurt said, "repeat after me. Mein Name ist Kiara Blaze(1)."

"Mein Name ist Kiara Blaze," Kiara said, trying to mimic his accent.

Kurt burst out laughing. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Trying to sound like a German native," Kiara said. "Did it work?"

"Nein," Kurt said. "Listen carefully. Mein Name ist Kiara Blaze." He said the words again. Slower this time.

"Mein Name ist Kiara Blaze," Kiara repeated and the words rolled off her tongue like velvet.

"Hey," Kurt said, laughing. "You got it right that time. Now, try saying this. Ich bin vierzehn Jahre alt(2)."

"Ich bin vierzehn Jahre alt," Kiara said, smiling.

"Good job," Kurt said. "You got it right."

"What did I say?" Kiara asked him.

"That your name is Kiara Blaze," Kurt said, "and your fourteen years old. Just say that tomorrow, and you'll be fine."

Kiara took her textbook from him and scanned the page silently. Then she looked up at him and said, "Was ist Ihr Name?(3)"

"Mein Name ist Kurt Wagner," Kurt said smiling. "But you already knew that."

"Yeah, I did," Kiara said, nodding.

"So why did you ask?" Kurt asked her.

"No reason," Kiara said, shrugging. "I just like hearing you talk in German. It sounds cool."

Kurt opened his mouth to speak. Then the bell rang. Second period was over.

"Walk me to class?" Kiara said, gathering her books.

"Yeah," Kurt said, grabbing his own things. "Of course."

The rest of the day passed much of the same way. Kurt went out of his way to make sure Kiara didn't get lost on her way to class and she clung to him. She clung to him as though he were a shield that could protect from all of the strange people surrounding her. And if he had to protect her, then he would.

Kiara stood outside of her English classroom silently. It was time to go to lunch and she had expected Kurt to walk her to the cafeteria, but he hadn't showed up yet.

Kiara sighed and leaned against the wall. He must have gotten caught up in class or something. Then again, how caught up could a person get on the first day of school?

"Well, well. It looks like we just found the newest X-Dork."

Kiara looked up to see four greasy-looking boys standing in front of her. One of them was skinny with silver-white hair. Another was about the same size of a light-weight sumo-wrestler, and another boy was short with dark hair and greenish skin. The only boy that looked somewhat normal had long, dark hair and was dressed in filthy, torn clothing.

"You're the Brotherhood," Kiara said, scowling at them.

"Ooh," said the boy with green skin. "You're a smart little cutie, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?" Kiara said, looking at him.

"Looks like she's not as smart as you thought, Toad," the silver-haired boy said. "She probably isn't as cute as you thought, either."

"What are you talking about?" Toad said. "She looks cute to me."

The silver-haired boy sighed and shook his head. Then he moved in a blur as he ran over to Kiara. "Look," he said, grabbing her wrist. "She's wearing an image inducer."

"I wonder what she looks like when it's turned off," the sumo-wrestler said, laughing.

"It's a watch, stupid," Kiara said, pulling away from the silver-haired boy as she battled against the fire that flared up inside her.

"Oh, please," said the boy in the dirty, torn clothes. "You don't have to lie to us. We know what you really are."

"And," the silver-haired boy said, "we know how that house fire really got started."

Kiara stared at them for a moment silently, unsure of how to respond. Of course, they would know she was a mutant. They were mutants, too, and they knew all about the Xavier Institute, but did they really know that she was the cause of the fire?

"Kiara!"

Kiara looked up to see Kurt and Kitty rushing down the hall towards her.

"Oh, calm down, Kitty," said the boy in the torn clothing. "We were just talking."

"Yeah," Kitty said, scowling at him. "Well, like, don't. I told you earlier to, like, leave her alone."

"You know what, Kitty," Kiara said as she turned and started off down the hall. "Don't worry about it. These guys aren't even worth getting upset over."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Kurt asked as he and Kitty followed her down the hall.

"No, I'm not alright," Kiara said in a hushed voice. "But I'm not going to give them the satisfaction of knowing that."

"Why?" Kitty said. "What did they, like, say?"

Kiara sighed as they turned a corner. "Nothing really," she said. "It's no big deal. Don't even worry about it."

"Nein," Kurt said. "Kiara, we will worry about it -- we are worried about it. It's the first day of school and you already look overwhelmed. That's not normal. Just tell us they said."

"It's nothing big," Kiara said. "I just think that they know what my powers are and I don't like it."

"How would they know that?" Kurt said. Then he looked at Kitty. "You didn't tell Lance, did you?"

"Ew, god, no," Kitty said, frowning.

"They probably just figured it out on their own," Kiara sighed. "I mean, first my house burns down, then I turn up at the Institute. It's probably pretty obvious to other mutants."

"So, like, what's the problem?" Kitty said, looking at her.

Kiara leaned her head against a locker and sank to the floor. She shook her head silently.

"Kiara," Kurt said after a long moment of silence. "Are you afraid of them?"

"Oh, my god, Kurt," Kitty said, laughing. "Give her some, like, credit. No one's afraid of the Brotherhood…" Her smile faded when she saw the look on Kiara's face.

"One of them touched me," Kiara whispered.

"Touched you?" Kurt said. "How -- in a bad way?"

"No, not really," Kiara said, shaking her head. "He just grabbed my wrist and one of them said I was cute --" she laughed weakly "-- any other girl might have taken it as a compliment, but I just…I don't…" Her voice trailed off.

"You're kind of, like, afraid of boys, aren't you?" Kitty said. "Like all boys?"

"Kind of," Kiara admitted. "Yeah."

Kurt exchanged a glance with Kitty. "Kiara," he said, "do you remember what I said this morning?"

"You would never let anything happen to me," Kiara said, nodding.

"Exactly, Kiara," Kurt said, smiling. "So you have nothing to be afraid of."

"Yeah," Kiara said, "but then what am I supposed to do when you aren't around?"

"You know what," Kurt said, "you worry too much. You need a distraction."

"Right," Kiara said. "Any ideas other than school, homework, and training?"

"Yes, actually," Kurt told her. "And I think you'll like it."

1) Mein Name ist…- German for "My name is…."

2) Ich bin vierzehn Jahre alt - German for "I'm fourteen years old."

3) Was ist Ihr Name? - German for "What is you's name?"