Finals week bared down on them like a storm over the north Atlantic. Everyone knew the storm was coming but everyone dealt with it in different ways. Evelyn sequestered herself in the lab most days and spent her free time trying to figure out options for her further education. She sent out applications for two colleges to start on her GED but hadn't heard back from any of them. There were also some high schools in New York her father and Anita found which might accept her even with her background at Xavier's. She filled out those applications and ran them out to the mailbox between the sporadic rain showers that occurred over the last couple of months leading up to spring finals.

Now she found herself staring into a gas spectrometer, waiting for it to finish. Technically the project wasn't due for another two weeks but she wanted to finish the lab section so she could finish the report early. Right now it was a waiting game until the snot-colored mixture she extracted finished being analyzed by the machine.

Fortunately, Kitty arranged a study party down in the labs so they wouldn't be working alone. It was nice to have a group, especially since in the quiet lab the whirr of the machine served as a soothing lullabye. Over the past two days, Evelyn caught herself nodding off twice in the silence and stillness. Across the table, Kitty had a stack of thick books peppered with bright sticky notes. The smell of yellowing paper and old binding glue perfumed the air. Kurt had another stack with him plus one of the school laptops. The shape of his hands made it cumbersome to hold a pen for long periods of time, so he preferred to type if at all possible. Even then it was a slow, methodical process. Kitty or Evelyn sometimes helped. It had been some time since anyone spoke. The air was still save for the rustle of pages and the click of machinery

"Augh!" Kitty groaned after several minutes of pure silence. Kurt jumped and almost fell out of his chair. Kitty continued, "I have read the same sentence five times and it still makes no sense! My brain is fried! FRIED!"

Evelyn looked up at the clock on the wall, it was just after six o'clock in the evening. "I guess it's about time for dinner. We could take a break."

"Don't your booger bubbles have to cook for a bit longer?"

"Protein strands," corrected Evelyn, "And they'll be fine for a bit. I'm hungry."

As if on cue, her stomach let out a low rumble. So the small group went upstairs for dinner. Piotr and Bobby were sitting across from Remy and Rogue so their groups merged to chat over burritos and an enormous bag of tortilla chips.

"So, where've y'all been all day?" asked Rogue, cracking open a can of Dr. Pepper.

"Final projects," said Kurt. Really there was no further explanation needed. Finals were a black hole, eating up all free time and energy.

Remy smiled knowingly, "So, what can I look forward to seeing on Presentation Day?"

"I'm doing my report on mutants in mythology," explained Kitty, jumping in first because she was genuinely excited about her project, "Heroes like Hercules and Gilgamesh have special abilities. It could be that they were mutants and their status as demigods is really just a primitive understanding of mutations. So, I'm using our modern knowledge of mutants to analyze mythology and find out if there is a connection. Evelyn's doing something science-y."

"I'm comparing mutant cellular protein synthesis to human to examine how mutant genetics change the process."

"So that's what your snot samples were," Kitty smiled, "And I know it is protein shakes or something but I forget the technical terms. You are much better at that science stuff than I am."

"How do you mean?"

"I mean, I fell asleep in Dr. McCoy's Chemistry 101 class," she admitted, "If it doesn't involve a computer, I'm sort of lost."

Evelyn dropped out of the conversation. She wanted to finish things up quickly so she could get to bed. Tomorrow, she was going to have her earliest memories probed by Professor X. Maybe, just maybe, they would be able to find out where she came from.

The idea was exciting, but scary. Her father's words weighed heavily on the mind. Her past might be full of things she didn't want to think about but they wouldn't know until they tried to look. Sleep came slowly. She spent a lot of time overnight resting on her back with her eyes closed, reaching for the mindless abandon of sleep and becoming more frustrated as it evaded her grasp.

She finally collapsed into blackness. Semi-lucid, she looked around her surroundings, a field of stars. The cosmos wafted around her. She could see galaxies spiral past her and billions of stars dart past her eyes. Blue lights sank into her skin, melting to become part of her body. Suddenly, all the lights went out and she was left in an empty building. It was like an office building but without any lights or really any sort of furniture or adornment.

Evelyn, you need to wake up.

She looked around the dark corridors, searching for the source of the sound. It seemed omnipresent, rippling around her.

You will be late.

Late for what? She took off at a full tilt run through the black labyrinth of halls and carpeted rooms. Her sense of balance felt off, like the floor was made of Jell-O. She slammed into walls, knocking her way through. The world was starting to collapse around her, great chunks of shadow falling like ash.

Wake up. Now.

Her leg pulled and she felt herself being yanked into consciousness by her ankle. The events of her dream were fuzzy and largely forgotten. The details that lingered were mismatched and nonsensical. Her eyes finally settled on the clock. It was a quarter to eight and she had to start her mind - probing procedure at the top of the hour!

She threw on a clean pair of sweatpants and the first t-shirt she could find and raced down the hall. It was only as she skidded to a stop in front of Professor X's office that she realized her sweatpants were inside out and her shirt was on backwards. She ducked into the side bathroom quickly to adjust her clothes so it was less apparent that she just fell out of bed. When she checked herself in the mirror, she was taken somewhat aback by what she saw.

The stress of finals was starting to take a noticeable toll on her. A pimple was started to form along the side of her nose, likely triggered by stress. It was all she could do not to rub at the swollen spot, even as it painfully pressed against the cartilage of her nose. Her long hair was a mess, sticking out of her ponytail at odd angles like copper wire. She tried to fix it but it still wasn't resting as flat as she would like. Her eyes were adorned with sleepless purple. Fortunately, she was going to be sleeping for the procedure so maybe it would make up for the fact that last night could have gone better. When she stepped away from the mirror, she wished she had never looked into it to begin with. Her stomach growled, protesting a lack of breakfast, but she had been specifically instructed not to eat that morning in case she got sick during the procedure.

She pushed open the heavy oak door to the offices and froze. Nick Fury stood by Professor X's desk, eyepatch and all. Her heart pounded in her chest. If the director was here, personally, something was afoot, maybe something more than what her father disclosed to her in confidence. He turned, long black coat spinning around him like a cape.

"'Bout time you got here," he said, surveying her with his one good eye.

"I'm sorry, I overslept," explained Evelyn in a mumble.

"You're here now and we are just about ready to begin," said Professor X soothingly, "before we continue, I am obligated to ask one more time if you are comfortable going through this procedure. This is your last chance to call the whole thing off."

Suddenly, Evelyn's throat felt very dry. She tried to swallow her spit but the back of her mouth felt sandpapery. Her voice came out as a low croak.

"I'm sure."

The professor nodded and then continued. "Director Fury has filled me in on his suspicions and given me the, ah, Cliff Notes version of SHIELD's ongoing project involving superhumans. Because this project, and you personally, are directly involved, he has requested to be present."

"Where's Dad?" Evelyn almost couldn't stop the words coming out of her mouth. Her hands were starting to shake with nervousness and anticipation.

"He is being briefed by Doctor McCoy," assured Nick, "He had... safety concerns."

Yeah, that sounded like him. Evelyn would have laughed if she could manage to quash the clenching feeling in her stomach as the descended a back elevator to a sleep lab. It was an odd room. The ceiling was made up of a series of panels leaned against each other at odd angles. The walls contained several layers of soundproofing and the carpet was thick and shaggy to block outside noise. There was a small chaise waiting, surrounded by wires and technical equipment. Phil and McCoy were waiting. Evelyn walked right into the middle of the conversation.

"It's a precaution," explained Hank, "We had an incident with Jean a not long ago. So this room is designed to repel psychic influences. Nothing from outside this room will be able to get in, tangible or intangible."

"And she will be safe?" asked Phil, arms crossed as his eyes raked over the setup.

"This is the safest place she could possibly be," assured Hank. "Nothing is going to happen to Miss Evelyn."

Phil turned as she walked in. He opened his arms and she fell in. She sighed, breathing in the familiar smell of home. He was slightly woodsy with a hint of clove and pine. She grew up with that smell. And now it was exactly what she needed.

"Evey, are you ready?"

"Yeah," she said, "let's do this."

McCoy did a good job of explaining everything. The electrodes on her head were to monitor her brain waves, just in case whatever visited Jean tried to sneak into her head. A heart rate monitor was attached to her finger and a coil around her chest monitored her breathing. Both of those were simply to make sure her vitals didn't do anything too out of the ordinary. She took a pill to put her to sleep but it would take her a few minutes to slip under. Phil sat at her side, running his hands through her silky auburn locks to help her relax.

"I have some news," he whispered, "I got a response back from Midtown High."

"Yeah?" Her sweet Hazel eyes growing fuzzy.

"I haven't opened the envelope yet," he said, "I thought you would want to do it."

"Thanks," she smiled, "I'll check it out after this, okay?"

"Of course," he said, holding her hand.

"I'm surprised Clint didn't tag along," she commented.

"He's on a mission," said Phil, "or else I'm sure he would have been here."

"Where's he off to now?"

Phil glanced over to Nick and then back again. It seemed like it was okay for him to speak. "He's doing some surveillance in the Baltic. We're trying to track down some old Soviet scientists."

"He'll have fun," she assured. "He likes doing things like that."

"Like what?"

"Watching."

She was starting to slip under. Her words were slurring and her thoughts becoming unfocused. Even her grip in his hand loosened.

"I'm glad you're here, Papa," she said.

"I'm always happy to be here for you," he said, "You're my baby girl."

"I'm glad you're my Papa," she sighed, eyelids growing heavy. Phil leaned over to kiss her forehead. When he sat up, she appeared to be asleep.

He had to sit back while Hank got to work monitoring her vitals and getting her set up. It was unnerving to see his daughter with an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth and electrodes dotting her head. Phil had to keep reminding himself that nothing was wrong, she was okay. Nick noticed his nervousness and handed him a bottle of water. Phil thanked him but didn't really feel thirsty.

"Do you need to take a walk?" asked Nick.

"I don't want to leave her," said Phil, looking back over at the bed. She looked so innocent in sleep, with only the slight twitch of her eyelids as she dreamed.

Hank looked up, "Her vitals are stable. She's going to sleep for about four hours, tops. You can take a seat if you want. Relax. I'll let you know if anything happens."

Nick handed him a package of powdered Donettes and pulled out a chair for him. Phil reluctantly settled and started nibbling on the snack.

Professor X was sitting at her side, eyes closed. He was gone, off somewhere in the recesses of her mind. The room was completely, uncomfortably quiet save for the rustling of the snack wrapper and the churn of machinery.

"What are you thinking?" Asked Nick, breaking the silence.

"Just," Phil tried to piece together his words, "wondering where this is going to go. Wondering if I'm doing the right thing."

They sat there for a moment in silence before Nick spoke again. "If I can take a moment to not be Director of SHIELD and just talk to you as the dude who's known you since boot camp, it doesn't matter what you find out today. Evelyn is a smart girl. She'll get along fine no matter where she is or what she does."

Phil stared straight ahead, "I think I know that."

"Then you don't have anything to worry about."

"Who said anything about worrying? I don't worry."

Nick raised a dubious eyebrow at him but didn't deign a response to that bit of silliness. "That all being said, I do have my own responsibilities to think of, as do you. And by saying that, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. The fact of the matter is, however, that investigating Evelyn does nothing but benefit not only her but others. If there is another poor girl in her situation, we can do something about it if we jump on this. As far as doing the right thing is concerned, we are absolutely doing the right thing. In every sense of the phrase."

"I wish I had your confidence. Or your ability to tell me what I want to hear."

"Well, I didn't get my job because I was the prettiest flower in the garden," said Nick, snagging one of the Donettes.

They sat there, eating junk food for a long few seconds. Nothing seemed to be happening to Evelyn but then again, that was a good thing. So long as the machines kept humming and the slow in-out of Evelyn's breath continued, there was nothing to be concerned about. Phil kept telling himself this. It made him feel better.

"Anything from your side of operations?" he finally asked Nick to break the silence, "As far as leads on what Evelyn could be?"

"Some. Lots of them classified."

Phil resisted the urge to roll his eyes at more of the typical Nick Fury cryptic malarky. "Okay, well then, what can you tell me?"

"I'm giving you shit, Phil," said Nick, " Honestly, she could be any number of things. Russia had some crazy shit active during the Cold War. We know about the Red Guardian project. How much of that don't we know?"

Phil nodded. He couldn't say he at all liked where this was going. But he wanted answers. This seemed as plausible an explanation as any.

"So, if this is even the case, who are our prime suspects?"

"Well, Russia is the obvious culprit. Everyone knows they did human experimentation back in the cold war days. China is a possibility. She could be a leftover from Hydra. Korea has been into some whacky shit over the years. Possibly Middle Eastern somewhere cooked up their own batch of super soldier juice. We don't have confirmed reports from that corner of the world but we can't rule it out just yet since it seems everyone has tried to create their own version of Cap at some point in time."

Phil raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Those are really far fetched, Nick. Remember, she still had to somehow still end up in New Mexico."

"Everyone's a suspect until otherwise noted," insisted Nick.

"But Hydra? Really? They haven't been active for decades."

Nick crossed his arms. "I'm going to continue to call them a suspect until they are completely ruled out... beyond a shadow of a doubt. Peggy Carter spent years destroying Schmidt's pet projects. Maybe she missed something."

That sentence was almost sacrilegious. Peggy Carter, the first director of SHIELD, was the most beloved of all agents, the role model everyone looked up to. The first helicarrier launched was named in her honor. The academy gymnasium had a large plaque out front dedicated to her and the Howling Commandos. There was a life sized statue of her in the memorial gardens. To say that she could possibly have missed something and allowed Hydra to linger would have caused some of the old-time agents to grasp their badges with shock keel over from a fatal heart attack. She was second only to maybe Captain America in terms of influence. And even that was up for debate.

They were pulled out of the conversation when Evelyn's heart rate monitor started beeping frantically.

On the other side, in another world far away from the machine, Evelyn dreamed of snow. A fine layer of floating white particles drifted down from a pewter sky. The horizon appeared to be made up of shifting shadows, writhing and wriggling like a nest of worms. Not knowing what else to do, she walked toward a lighter portion of the horizon, faintly silver with starlight. She wasn't sure where she was. The landscape was undeniably alien to her. Did she image this or was this a part of her distant memories? She wasn't sure.

The lighter portion revealed the faded outline of a large building. There was no telling just how high it was. From her perspective, it seemed to stretch on forever. The inner chamber was adorned with rows of fiery orbs. Despite the illumination, the hall was blurry and intangible. It was like looking at a photo which was completely out of focus. Nausea swirled in her stomach as she tried to get her bearings.

After a few moments of walking, she was in a mezzanine of some sort. Things were slightly more tangible, less blurry. She could pick out thick columns lining each side of the hall. They were pale, standing like an honor guard of ghosts. She caught a whiff of fresh air swirling down the hall. There was a touch of flowers on the breeze and something soft and sweet, like honey. Birds sang somewhere far away, echoing in the massive hall.

After a moment, she became aware of a voice. One voice gave way to hundreds or thousands. A choir of voices speaking in dozens of different languages. She looked around for the crowd but couldn't see a single soul anywhere around her. She was listening to the voices of the past, of people who may not even be still alive. As suddenly as the voices appeared, they disappeared into silence.

She felt warm, soft in the silence. It was like being held by the strongest arms but also the most gentle. A lullabye wafted in one ear and out the other. She wanted to sleep, to remain in this beautiful place as long as possible. She was floating in billows of soft cottony sleep.

It was only as she floated down from this embrace that she saw something which struck fear into her heart. A tall figure, completely covered with molten gold. As he moved along the floor, the viscous liquid bubbled and swirled. He shone like the sun but his face was completely blacked out, like someone took a Sharpie and scribbled over anything distinguishable. His footfalls sounded like an earthquake. His breath sounded like a hurricane in her ears. His hands were tendrils of smoke, reaching out to ensnare her.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed.

All she could think to do was to take off into the shifting shadows as fast as she could. But it didn't seem to be any use. Everywhere she ran, he was there. It seemed like there were dozens of him, stepping from the shadows and reaching out toward her. There was nothing but boiling gold wherever she looked.

"NO! STOP! NO!"

Cold hands touched her, like frostbitten fingers reaching up from the grave. It writhed like maggots and clenched her wrists so hard she thought her arms would break. She screamed but her voice stuck in her throat. All she could do is make small choking noises and flail against the ice which encircled her.

Evelyn… Evelyn, you need to listen to me. None of this is real. You are in your mind.

"No… no no no no no…" she muttered, gripping at her hair and squeezing her eyes closed. The icy grip lifted her off her feet so she dangled in midair. She tried to stretch to get her feet back on solid ground but she couldn't quite reach. She didn't know how high she was off the ground and she didn't want to open her eyes to find out.

She fell, just like in her nightmares. After a while, she wasn't sure if she was still falling or not but she also feared what she would see if she opened her eyes.

Evelyn… Evelyn…

She finally realized that the voice was Professor X. She peeked under her eyelashes. The professor did not appear to be physically there but she also wasn't falling anymore. Instead, she felt like she was hovering. The air was neither cold nor warm, the space neither bright nor dark. It was truly a void of nothingness.

You're safe here. He's gone.

"Are you sure?"

Absolutely. You can stay here and sleep as long as you need.

"And the gold man won't be here?"

He is only a nightmare, Evelyn. You have nothing to fear.

She found herself relaxing, just a little bit. It was enough that she could relish in the emptiness and turn off the last firing thoughts so she could sleep properly in safety and solitude. Xavier opened his eyes and looked up. Phil was kneeling at his daughter's side, watching the bank of machines like a hawk. He clasped Evelyn's hand in his own.

"She's fine," he said, his voice pulling Phil from his thoughts. "She will sleep an hour or so longer but for now, I have retrieved all the information I possibly can from her."

Phil's blue eyes were sharp, "What happened?"

Xavier glanced over at Hank for an explanation. "Her heart rate jumped," he clarified, "About two minutes ago. Nothing critical but it did seem unprovoked."

"Ah," said Xavier, "She has stumbled upon something distressing in her past, in her earliest memories. I will explain more in the debrief. The good news is, she is unharmed from her encounter. We shall see how much she can recall of her ordeal when she awakes. For now, let us leave her in peace. Doctor McCoy will monitor her until she awakes."

Phil was uneasy leaving Evelyn alone, particularly knowing she was in distress. But he felt he had no choice and followed the professor and Nick back into the main school building. In a way, it was a relief to be back at ground level and breathing fresh air, as opposed to the recycled, stale aroma of the basement. Light streamed in through the large picture windows, almost blinding them with the brilliance.

"So, what have we found?" asked Nick.

Xavier picked up a stack of paper from his office printer and handed it to the director, "These are my notes and observations during the time."

"How?" asked Phil.

"We had to develop technology to record psychic data," explained Xavier, "Took us almost twenty years to make it perfect. But you'll find all the things I observed in your daughter's mind in that report."

Nick sat off to the side to give it a read but Phil still had questions. "What had her so upset?"

"I did not intend to alarm her," explained Xavier as he turned his chair back toward Phil, "I did not know, but it is obviously a sensitive subject for her. But as her father, you need to know so you can tell her when she is ready."

Phil was not entirely knowing what to make of this and somewhat dreading what he was about to hear. Xavier sighed and turned back to look from the balcony across the grounds where the students were milling about.

"When I entered her memories and tried to go back as far as she had recollection, there were some blurry images. These were places she has been but not for so long as for them to be ingrained in her recollection."

The words didn't quite make sense and Phil said as much. Xavier smiled wryly and turned his chair back again.

"Forgive me, I tend to speak as though I'm talking to scientists. It is a side effect of the job here," he said, resting back into the chair, "Allow me to clarify. Memories are not stored in neat little filing cabinets. I can't just go looking through her mental files and find what I am looking for. Memory is more like an ingraining process. When you see the same thing time and time again, you can remember more of the details about it.

"There are places that Evelyn has been when she was very young that left a very faint impression on her. I wasn't able to pick out very many details because she has only been there a few times or only for brief periods of time. This is possibly the place she originally came from. Unfortunately, there isn't enough detail to pick out where that might be. I could distinguish snow and some large buildings and a bit of architecture but it was also distorted, observed through the eyes of a child. I'm afraid pinpointing the exact location may be difficult, if not impossible."

"So what had her upset?"

"She was taken... I would guess within a few months after being born."

"Taken?" said Phil in alarm, "Evey was taken?"

"Quite possibly," replied Xavier with a dark sigh, "Interestingly, she seemed familiar with her abductor. She called him the 'gold man.' Does that name at all ring a bell?"

"Yes," said Phil in surprise, "She would have nightmares about him when she was a kid. I always wondered if maybe there was an explanation for her nightmares."

"You see now why I wanted to discuss this with you first. I did not want to alarm her by saying that her nightmares are at least based on fact. She will have to know eventually but I was under the impression that now was not timely. It would alarm her."

"Y-yeah," stammered Phil, "I'd say it would. What can we do to find the gold man? Who is he?"

Xavier started to maneuver his chair back to the office, "I'm afraid the printouts of the investigation aren't going to be of much use. The memory is tainted with time."

"Tainted?"

"Yes," clarified Xavier, "You recall how I said that memory was an engraving process? Well, the engraving also occurs with recollection. As we recall our memories, we also influence how they are recorded. Evelyn is blessed with a vivid imagination but it also impedes with the recollection of the gold man. The image has been altered by her recollection of it."

Nick handed the manila folder over to Phil so he could start to flip through it. Xavier smiled softly, hopefully, "I hope what will assist you in your investigation. I know she is strongly considering attending another school. We will miss her here but I believe she will have a shining future regardless of where she ends up."

The folder was heavy between his hands. Evelyn had a lot of memories that he was going to have to sift through if he was going to find answers about where his little girl came from.

"Thank you," he said, "For being so… wonderful to Evey and helping her as much as you have. It's been… indispensable. I honestly don't know what we would have done without your help."

"It is what we are here for," said Xavier, "We're always here for her."

Phil sat downstairs to keep an eye on his daughter as she woke up and read through the file. Nick was already on his way back to HQ. As Xavier stated earlier, it was vague. But there were enough circumstantial clues that he felt confident they could start crossing names off the list of suspects. He was in the process of doing so when he heard a faint rustle from over at the bed.

"Hello?"

"Evelyn," he put his notes off to the side and walked over to her bed, "How are you feeling?"

"Sleepy," she said, rubbing her eyes, "But okay."

He smiled at her, running a hand through her hair, "Do you remember anything?"

Her eyebrows knit together as she tried to think, "No. Not really. Hank put the breathing mask on me and then I fell asleep."

After a few moments, Evelyn felt sturdy enough to stand on her own two feet and take the elevator back up to the main office. Xavier had water bottles waiting for her and a bit of food, as she hadn't eaten since the day before. She devoured the bagels and peanut butter with a ravenous appetite.

"Who is the gold man?" asked Xavier softly over his tented fingers. The simple words made the hair on her arms stand up and the back of her neck feel incredibly cold.

"I-I don't know. I've had nightmares about him since I was a kid but I don't know anything else," stuttered Evelyn, "H-he's not real."

"Tell me more."

Evelyn squirmed in her seat, trying to discreetly wipe some of the sweat off her palms, "It's usually the same dream. I'm just going about my day and then he grabs me, picks me up and throws me. And I keep falling and falling and falling... but then I usually wake up before I hit the ground."

"Does he say anything?"

"No."

"Does he seem to smile or laugh at any point?"

"I don't think so. It doesn't look like he is enjoying himself. He just looks... scary. I don't know how else to say it."

"Have you ever seen anyone resembling him in real life?"

"No," she said slowly, "I think I would definitely recognize him in a crowd. He stands out. Did I dream about him while I was out?"

Xavier and Phil exchanged a look. Phil was finally the one to speak up, "Yes, you did, honey. But he's not going to hurt you."

"I know," she said, licking peanut butter off her fingers, "I know he's not real."

Phil decided not to voice his doubts just yet. She had been through a lot. Maybe someday when they knew the truth, he would be able to explain it to her properly, with concrete evidence. Until then, it was all just a nightmare and nothing to be scared of. She snarfed down a fifth bagel with barely an inhale between bites. Phil felt an envelope burning a hole in his pocket. He slid it across the table to her.

"This is for you. It came yesterday."

She paused and slid open the envelope. It was addressed to her and the return address was for a location in Manhattan. She held her breath. If this was what she thought it was, this day was either going to be disappointing or exciting.

"Congratulations, Miss Evelyn Carlton," she read aloud, "You have been accepted into the Midtown High School for Math, Science and Engineering."

"Honey! I'm so proud of you!" he reached over to hug her. Evelyn returned his embrace but she was silent for a long moment. Her hug was slightly listless. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" she said, cracking a stiff smile, "I wasn't expecting to hear back so soon and I'm a little tired right now. It's… not quite sinking in just yet."

Phil nodded. "I understand. But, still, this is a great thing. Midtown is a good school."

"Yeah," she said, "But I'll be the new kid. And… I'll miss everyone here. I'll also have to hide my powers."

"All of us who leave here have to do that," said Xavier, "You are fortunate your abilities do not alter your external appearance. It will make your task easier."

Evelyn's mind flashed to Kurt and she instantly knew what the professor was saying. She at least had opportunity, whereas someone like him might not. All the same, the bagel started to feel like chunks of lead in the pit of her stomach.

"Also," interjected Xavier, "You are welcome to return at any time to visit. I'm sure Miss Pryde will be eager to see you again."

She hated having to leave Kitty. The two of them became best friends and she couldn't be happier to have a real friend that she didn't have to hide anything from. Part of her wished that she could take her friend with her. It was going to be so difficult to make new friends at a new school and having just one person to hang out with and talk to would be a big help.

Kitty returned to the dorm room after classes and Evelyn showed her the acceptance letter. Kitty read it through once and then again. It took a minute for the realization to sink in.

"You're really leaving?"

"Yeah," said Evelyn softly, "I'm done with Middle School and already starting high school classes here but maxed out on science. It's a good school and I can learn more about science and stuff there. And it's good for my career and stuff."

"I'm gonna need to find a new roommate," she whispered, "But… but I don't wanna because I liked being your roommate."

Evelyn reached over to hug her. There had been a lot of hugs today, a lot of emotional moments. Her shoulder grew a little bit wet from Kitty's tears.

"Kitty?" she said.

"You're my best friend!"

"You're mine too," added Evelyn. She was getting a bit teary-eyed as well. "Look, I don't want to stop being friends just because you're not going to the same school as me. I'm completely freaked out, okay? I'm worried I'm not going to have any friends, and certainly not friends I can be honest with. I mean, I can't tell anyone about my powers because they might not get it. Not like you."

Kitty was quiet for a minute and they just cried into each other's shoulders for a long time, several minutes. Eventually Evelyn couldn't find tears. Kitty seemed to be winding down too. They fell back onto the lower bunk and stared up at the ceiling.

"Are you going to be living with your dad again?"

"Yeah," muttered Evelyn, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, "We live just across the river. A bus goes right over to the school. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be able to get a car in the next year or so."

"That'd be cool. You could drive up here to visit. Or, you know, I could go down there. I've only been to New York City once."

"You should. We could have fun on the town. The place is beautiful at Christmas."

"It's not fair that you get to go home for Christmas."

"You're not going home for Christmas?"said Evelyn in surprise.

"Mom and Dad moved to a smaller home. There isn't a place for me unless I want to crash on an air mattress. Which, you know, I will if I have nothing else. But we also don't do a lot for the holidays so it would be really boring."

"If you want to, you can stay with me and my dad," offered Evelyn, "And also Clint. He usually spends time with us since he doesn't have family to go home to. The more the merrier, you know."

Kitty's eyes welled up a little bit as she dove in to hug her friend again, "Oh, thank you."

"Give me a call when you're coming over, so I can make sure the spare bed has clean sheets."

"Aw, I can't just show up in your kitchen one day?"

"I would prefer you didn't, because then I can't promise clean sheets."

"I promise I'll call, then."

It took a few more weeks to finalize the paperwork and complete her schoolwork. Phil assisted her with registering for classes at Midtown and soon word spread to her classmates that she would be leaving. She received various questions, presents, and words of advice such as remembering to think three steps ahead from Rogue. It dawned on her that in the last week she hadn't seen Hank. She found him in the lab, entering in findings from a project.

"So I hear you are leaving us for Midtown High."

"Yeah, thanks to you."

"My recommendation only helped, you did most of the work."

She pulled out a thank you card, "I wanted to thank you. Without your guidance I wouldn't have realized how I could apply myself. I wouldn't have pushed myself to learn as much as I have."

He looked at her with warm eyes. "Thank you, my dear. You will do great things. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"I'll be in touch," she assured.

Goodbyes were bittersweet. She had gotten so used to being in the stately school with the oak paneled walls and the ornate "Addams Family" furniture that going to a regular school with regular desks and regular classrooms could be a bit dry and boring in comparison. But then she was going to be learning more math and science and simulations class was gone forever so it couldn't be all bad.

It didn't take long for her to load all of her dorm room into Lola. Part of her wished it would take longer so she could loiter around the school and say a proper goodbye. But eventually the time came to leave.

"Are you ready to go?" asked Phil as he put an arm around his girl.

"I think so."

Phil opened the door to Lola and Evelyn took one final look at the colorful array of mutants she had come to call friends. Kitty was still crying horribly. Peter, Kurt, and Bobby waved from the door. Rogue blew a kiss, her gloved hand entwined with Remy's. Scott and Jean were waving a little bit as well but it was a lot more strained… especially from Scott. Jean seemed almost wistful, if Evelyn's eyes weren't deceiving her.

Perhaps, maybe, she wished she could have been better friends with Jean. Maybe they could have been close. Who knew, in the end? Beast and Professor X were in the front of the stairs. Beast waved a big paw. Professor X just nodded slightly. Evelyn could have swore up and down that she heard his voice bidding her farewell in the back of her head.

Evelyn stepped into the car, waving goodbye to Kitty and the others. It wouldn't be the end, she knew, but goodbyes were always bittersweet and nostalgic. They were soft and fluffy around the edges. The images would remain frozen, much like a photograph, but also with a blur around the sides as time went on.

"Papa," she asked turning down the swing music, "Is it possible that I can go back and visit once more before I started school?"

"Oh, I'm sure," smiled Phil, "We'll find a weekend and get you up here to see everyone."

"That's good."

Phil looked over at her, "You know, that was a great thing you did for Kitty in offering her a place to go for Christmas."

"I hope you don't mind."

"I don't," said Phil, "You know our place has always been a place for folks to crash. I'll be sure to make sure the Christmas ham is cooked to perfection."

"Dad, we have never cooked a full Christmas dinner… ever."

"It will be the sort of ham that comes between two buns with cheese from McDonalds."

"That's more like it…"

The next day Phil went to work as usual while Evelyn enjoyed the start of her summer break. Maria curious to see how Phil was handling the transition stopped by to visit him on their coffee break. She found him elbow deep in old files. Several boxes from the archives littered his usually neat and organized office. The lingering scent of mildew and old paper hung in the air like an old strip of flypaper. She leafed through some of the briefings. Portions of it were redacted since the information was not yet ready to release to the public record but she knew enough bits and pieces to fill in some of the gaps.

"Do you want to help?" asked Phil over a coffee-stained manilla envelope.

"Nope, but I will anyway," replied Maria, grabbing one of the closest boxes. This one was labeled "Kree Empire."

"I was thinking the gold man could be The Hand or a splinter of Hydra," muttered Phil, running through the files on all their known adversaries, "They both had variations on yellow or gold colored uniforms at some point in time."

"What about Vector or one of the other U-Foes?" asked Maria, "Could it be one of them?"

"I thought of that, but no," said Phil, pausing to sip a cup of coffee, "I contacted Richards briefly and he said the timelines don't match up. They were dodging extradition laws by hiding out in Latveria under Doom's wing during that time. If they were dropping something off, they wouldn't be able to do it in New Mexico without going incredibly out of their way."

Maria shrugged a shoulder, "I took the liberty of checking in with our Russian haven't heard of any experiments in Russian organizations involving a 'gold man.' Also, there hasn't been any projects involving energy transference to their knowledge."

"Could be that is wasn't government sanctioned?"

"It's a possibility, I suppose. But it would take some massive balls to do a massive energy project right under the nose of the Soviets and not invite them to the party."

"What about something deep cover? Like MKULTRA deep?"

"Again, it's possible. We didn't know about the Red Guardian project until two years ago. This could be part of that or something similar. It's hard to tell but, again, they had to somehow get her all the way over to New Mexico. That is going to rule out a lot of possible leads."

"I guess," sighed Phil, "Well, I have a short list of possible culprits. Maybe this will net something."

He sent the list over to Maria. Her response was generally unimpressed, except for one or two eyebrow-raising suggestions. After a moment or two, she looked back up.

"You're forgetting one very big thing."

"What's that?"

Maria took a deep breath before speaking, "There is the possibility that Evelyn is... not of this world."

"What? She's an alien?" Phil looked at her as if she were crazy.

"Could be," said Maria, "You did find her after a monster of an energy storm. We still don't really know what that was about. It could be that she was dumped here by some kind of ship."

"We ran genetic tests at Xavier's," countered Phil, "Her genetic sequencing is almost the same as a human's. So, she's not Kree."

"And a chimpanzee's DNA is almost like a human's but that doesn't mean that we're exactly the same thing," noted Maria. She pulled out the file from the Kree box and pulled out a trascript she had just glossed over, "And during initial interviews at least, Mar-vell had made reference to there being other civilizations out there. She could be one of any of them."

"But he also said," Phil reached over to the box and started digging through the dusty files, "In later interviews that humans and Kree shared the most physical attributes. Between that testimony and the DNA testing at Xavier's, I think the chances of her being an alien is slim. There would be more signs."

"And being able to channel energy isn't...," Maria suddenly stopped what she was doing and sighed, holding her hands aloft in defeat, "Okay, whatever. You can't say it isn't a possibility, however remote. You should look into it. At least to take it off the list."

"Fine," grumbled Phil, "I will also try to rule out leprechauns, fairies, and mermaids."

Maria glared at him, "Smart ass."