Chapter 21 – Things Can Change

Saturday morning in the Xavier Institute…

"WHO USED UP ALL THE HOT WATER?"

"WE DON'T KNOW! WHO BESIDES YOU IS UP AT THIS HOUR!

"REMY!"

"IT WASN'T GAMBIT, HE'S STILL SLEEPING LIKE A ROCK. WOULD YOU PLEASE SHUT UP, IT'S SATURDAY FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

Peyton tried to mush her pillow down over her ears, but the shouted conversation between Kitty and some other male student was leaking through the fabric. She was tempted to head outside and break up the screaming match herself. Amy's music on regular mornings was barely tolerable, but disrupting her Saturday snoozing was right up there with murder and turning to PBS while the Rec room was inhabited.

Suddenly her cell phone rang, playing Queen's 'We Will Rock You' quietly. Drunk with sleep, Peyton slapped at it and checked the number. She frowned; it was Aqua. She stared at her roommate's motionless body hardly ten feet away before checking the text.

Shut them up now before I do. I can't guarantee there will be survivors.

Moaning with the vigor of an injured cow, the tiny blonde hauled up and stumbled out into the hall and toward the staircase leading to the second floor.

"CAN IT, BEFORE AQUA COMES OUT HERE AND SETTLES IT! SHE SAYS SHE CAN'T GUARANTEE SURVIVORS!"

The squabbling went on for a second or so more before it finally died. Peyton could hear the gusty sighs of relief rising like a haunted choir throughout all of the third floor rooms. She rubbed her temples, trying to get her brain adjusted to the fact that she was up and moving before noon on a weekend. Unfortunately, she couldn't fall asleep again once she was up, so there went her plans for sleeping in late.

"Might as well get to the Eggo waffles before they are inhaled," she grumbled, clomping down the stairs. And seeing as she had extra hours under her weekend belt then she could finally get to an activity she had been planning for a while; she could finally program customized ringtones for all the mansion inhabitants on her phone.

She was biting into her fourth waffle and trying to find a funny ringtone for Jon when some of the early risers trickled into the kitchen. Kitty was one, laptop clasped under one arm with wet hair, and Logan. But Peyton doubted he slept more than half an hour anyway, so that was no surprise. The others were Roberto, Noa, and Masato.

Peyton couldn't help feeling a little awkward. She was very unsure of the etiquette that was used in the early mornings. She imagined it like being the only straight person in a gay bar for the first time, just hunker down and hope you don't make a breach in this etiquette, or else look like an idiot. So she stared straight ahead, munching on her waffle.

A beep came from the monitor on the wall, indicating someone at the front gate. At this hour it was probably the mail. Logan grunted. "Kitty, go get it."

"Busy," she passed off coolly as Masato drifted surreptitiously from the room.

"Roberto, go get it."

"Peyton's turn."

"Peyton, go –"

"Yeah I know," she said, standing up and leaving the room. Logan didn't care for any sort of drama unless the world was ending, so he just stuck the pin of responsibility onto whatever poor shmuck didn't say 'not it' fast enough. And as Peyton wasn't a morning person, she was considerably slower than the others. Another unfortunate toss-up was the fact that it was the weekend. When the mail came on weekdays then someone could just hit a button for the security and let the mailman through the gate, where he would then drop off the mail at the door. But on weekends everyone was either asleep or was not paying enough mind to do it, so the person stuck with mail-fetching duty had to walk all the way down to the gates to get the stupid things. And that trek was at least half a mile.

So she slumped gloomily down the endless drive, dwarfed in one of Carter's giant grey hoodies. It was still pretty chilly toward the end of February despite the slightly warmer weather they had been getting, and Carter's huge sweaters gave Peyton the impression of still being in bed. Besides, she could guarantee Carter wouldn't be out of bed for another four to five hours, so he would never need know she borrowed it.

Peyton finally reached the gates and was rewarded with the sight of a fat stack of mail. Picking it up she started back, while starting to riffle through the envelopes. She stopped. There were many identical envelopes with the name of a different Institute student on each one. Flicking through them she saw that her name was not among them. Neither were several others, like most of the original X-men and Jamie. Jon, Aqua, and Carter couldn't be found either.

"So just the high school students then." She checked, and sure enough, the letters were from Bayville High. Peyton picked up the pace as she headed back to the mansion.

More people had rolled into the kitchen by this time. Peyton sat down next to David who was yawning widely over his bowl of Fruit Loops.

"Hey David, check it out," she said, handing him one of the letters that had his name on it. He blinked and took it.

"From the high school?" he asked perplexedly. Peyton nodded as he tore it open. She waited as he read through it, becoming more curious as his face took on a stunned and apprehensive expression.

"What's up with your face David?" Bobby asked as he sipped his orange juice. For the moment he was ignored as David picked up the other letters. They all looked the same.

"Guys, listen to this." He began to read aloud the letter.

Dear Student of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters,

We extend you the invitation to return to Bayville High school after this prolonged period of suspension. The Board of Education has been undergoing serious debate; a decision has been made dictating that mutants returning for the spring trimester will be declared participants in a social experiment for the organization of public education. If you decide to return, mutants will be guaranteed strict protection from all forms of bullying, harassment, and ridicule.

If you accept the offer of reenrollment, meet with Bayville High's new principal, Ms. Justine Delphi, on Sunday February 24th at 1:00 pm to discuss any and all questions. We hope to see your return.

Sincerely,

The Board of Education

David looked back up at those few gathered in the kitchen. Glances of confusion were being tossed around, with a bit of hope.

"What does that mean; social experiment?" Alex asked having entered just as David had begun to read.

David shrugged. "I'm not totally sure. I think the best way to find out would be to meet up with this new principal. Hope she's better than the last one." David's mouth turned down bitterly at the memory of his first and last day at the high school.

"What's going on?" Kurt asked as he entered.

As the students trickled in at intervals, they were each given their respective letter and read through them. Kitty rushed off to show the professor as the rest of the high school students babbled about what this might mean.

"Wow, they were cutting it close," Amy said as she read it again. "The twenty fourth is tomorrow. Maybe they were hoping we wouldn't get these so we wouldn't show up."

"I believe we should look on this turn of events as an opportunity." They all looked up as the professor entered. "This is unexpected, but not entirely unwelcome."

"I don't know Professor," Inara said. "This didn't work out so well for us last time, and with things still so tense, it might be a bad idea."

He nodded in acknowledgement to her concern. "Nevertheless, this could be a chance to move forward with mutant acceptance. None of you are required to return of course, but if you feel ready to give public education another chance, you should make sure your schedules are clear tomorrow at one."

The high school students glanced around. This might be a chance to return to some form of normality. Then again, it could be opening another doorway to more abuse. Still, the letters said they would have a new level of protection if that condition was honored, and this could really help mutants if it went right. Simply meeting with the principal couldn't hurt anything, could it?

"Mail's here!"

A whirlwind shot through the Brotherhood's living room, envelopes slicing like ninja stars through the air. St. John yelped when he was hit in the chest with something. "All right!" he yelled as he held up the magazine.

"Newest issue of Playboy?" sniped Azula, who caught the letter that came zooming at her without even looking up from her book.

"Pottery Barn actually," Pyro said as he flipped open the sleek pages. Azula gave him her usual disdainful raised eyebrow followed by a dismissive eye roll. She examined the letter that was addressed to her.

"Who the hell would be writing to me?" she whispered to herself as she ripped it open. The shape shifter read through it, before looking up and yelling up the stairs. "MICHAEL! COME HERE!"

The mutants huddled nervously outside the principal's office in the empty high school, but they put on stoic faces. After all, it was only high school. They had faced a powerful sorceress for crying out loud, they wouldn't be cowed by public education. Professor Xavier waited patiently, trying to send out an aura of calm to his students. He was proud of them for the courage they were displaying. Facing public school again might not have seemed like a great challenge on the outside, but sometimes it was easier to face bodily danger than the trials of hate and discrimination.

The principal's door swung open, showing a tall dark-skinned woman with rectangular glasses and sharp features.

"Come in," she said in a rather husky voice. The professor entered first, his students filing in behind him.

The woman, who they could easily assume was the new principal Justine Delphi, straightened her dark blue jacket as she went to stand behind her large desk. She waited silently as they all filed in and grew still. Among their number were several mutants who hadn't previously attended the high school. Masato was one, leaning up against the wall, wary of sitting down for fear of breaking the furniture. Another was Tsarina, who, despite her normally aloof mannerisms, was hovering near the back trying to remain inconspicuous. She was one of the most obviously distinguishable mutants of the group with her bleached skin, black lips, and luminescent eyes.

The shifting finally ceased among the gathered group, and Ms. Delphi at last saw it fit to speak.

"Welcome everyone. If you have all received your letters then you'll know the essentials of what this meeting is about. I think it would be best if I skipped the recap and just inquire as to whether or not there are questions you need answered before you make your decisions?" The woman's slightly raspy voice was brisk and down-to-business, though not harsh. She seemed to have no issue with the fact that she was in a room full of mutants.

The Professor nodded, speaking up first. "Thank you Principal Delphi, both for your hospitality and for this opportunity. Firstly, would you mind explaining in more detail this 'social experiment' the letters mentioned?"

"Of course," Ms. Delphi said, but before she could continue the door swung open again. They all turned, and the students were surprised to see Morpheus and Zenia in the doorway. They said nothing, remaining quiet in the back. It hadn't occurred to the Institute mutants that the Brotherhood had received invitations as well, and apparently only Michael and Azula had deigned it worth their time to come down and check things out.

Ms. Delphi showed no sign of annoyance at the interruption, merely nodding to the newcomers and picking up where she left off. "The social experiment mentioned is fairly simple, though only in theory. It is merely the town board's first true attempt to assimilate mutants into mainstream education. The months following mutants' first appearance in the public eye, as you know, were shaky at best. School boards and staff didn't know how to react to the new denomination, and personal prejudices and fears were an unfortunately large source of many of the hardships mutant students had to face in the time following their emergence. Now that time has passed, the Board of Education has decided it is time to make a genuine effort to bring mutants back in. Young mutants are still adolescents that require education, and that is not something we can ignore."

The professor nodded along. "A logical conclusion and one I find admirable. It is encouraging that steps are being taken to normalize the current situation," he said, vaguely referencing the tense state of relations these days.

"Our situation is half the reason I requested the leading position at this school," Ms. Delphi said. The students watching the exchange could catch the rising approval and slight surprise in their mentor upon learning that this woman had asked for her position specifically. The first student hand to go up in inquiry was Inara's.

"Yes?" Ms. Delphi asked, motioning to her.

Inara bit her lip a bit nervously, but asked anyway. "If you don't mind my asking, but what happened to the former principal?"

Severe distaste, perhaps even disgust, slid across Ms. Delphi's face at the question, and she responded in a clipped manner which obviously showed her dislike of the subject of the question. "Mr. Dartworth was convicted of several offenses, including vandalism, disturbing the peace, and assault and battery. Apparently, the good principal was caught associating with a local gang prone to violence against known mutants. As far as I know, he's serving several months' time in prison."

The students glanced around; some were non-too-subtly smirking at each other, David and Inara most obviously. Michael and Azula were flat-out sniggering in the back.

Xavier ignored the righteous mirth behind him, instead steering the questions back to the conditions of reenrollment, allowing his students their slight victory. "Most importantly, the invitations mentioned bettered protection against all bullying and harassment?"

"Yes," the tall woman nodded. "That was one nonnegotiable aspect of this trial period your students are being granted if I secured the position of principal at this school. I don't abide any kind of vocal or physical displays of prejudice, whether it is due to race, gender, sexuality, religion, or in this case, whether the student is mutant or human. But it isn't a one-way restriction." Here she turned her eyes onto the students. The gaze was stern but not unkind. She was speaking seriously, and expected to be taken seriously. "I have seen mutants struggle against bigotry and I admire that defiance, but being wronged doesn't give you the right to turn about and do the same. The remainder of the year is a trial period for you all; how you act, and how well this school functions under the experiment's temporary rules will determine whether you will be invited back next year. I'm hoping that the experiment is a success and mutants will become accepted, but that all depends on you. Rules can't protect you from everything, and you need to be willing to make the effort, no matter how difficult, to make this work. Change is hard and can require sacrifice, even for just your pride. If you return here, I have to have your word that you'll be as obedient and respectful to your fellow students as they should be to you. Any misdemeanor on either side, I will hold accountable. Understand?"

All the teenagers nodded, feeling the need to show their sincerity. Michael faintly snorted and Azula rolled her eyes, but in the end they too nodded, albeit a bit reluctantly. Principal Delphi gave a small smile of approval before straightening back up again. The professor asked a few more questions, mostly concerning how to assimilate the academic work the young mutants had done at the mansion during their suspension into their school grades, and getting into classes in the middle of the year. By one forty-five, the principal and professor were shaking hands, and then Xavier and the teenagers left the office. They hadn't even left the empty school hallways before the teens were talking, trying to decide on what to do.

"I liked her," Inara said as she spoke to Alex. "She seemed like the kind of person to play fair, and no-nonsense. I can't see any bullies or prejudiced parents pushing her around."

Alex nodded in agreement, before turning his head to look at the two Brotherhood members. They had fought together, but the new X-Men and the new Brotherhood weren't exactly on chummy terms at this point. The closest to come to that was Bridget, and even then she wasn't inviting them out for smoothies or anything.

"So you're considering coming to school too?" he asked hesitantly. He directed the question mostly toward Michael, because Azula walked with her head held high, not really looking at anyone. Michael shrugged, in his perpetual half-smug half-playful manner.

"Got the letters; figured, why not? At least until the next doomsday event rolls around, got to have something to do in this one-horse town."

"Funny," Lyle said from a few feet away, "I didn't really figure Brotherhood people as the academic types."

"And why not?" Azula questioned icily, turning towards the ginger with an imperious glare. "Just because we don't suck silver spoons in that mansion with your lot doesn't mean we want to spend our lives and talents flipping burgers at Gut Busters. Not all of us have healthy allowances to ride off of," she snipped. Lyle just held his hands up, slightly red in the face. Azula just sniffed huffily, grabbing Michael by the hand and towing him toward the exit. The handsome boy gave them a mocking shrug, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Well, that'll be fun," Amy said as she glared after them. "Having those two, Mister Oh-So-Hot and the Queen of Sheba as classmates."

Bridget chuckled. "They're not so bad. They're just acquired tastes is all." Amy rolled her eyes, mouthing 'I highly doubt it'.

Nikolai shrugged, nodding at Bridget. "We can give them a chance; after all, they did fight with us against the Ravens."

Amy threw him a pitying gaze before slinging her arm around his shoulders. No small feat, as she nearly had to stand on her tiptoes to get her arm up there. "Nikki darling, there is a big difference between fighting for your life and loved ones with someone, and suffering through the academic torture known as high school with them. A really big difference."

Sunday evening came around quickly, and decisions were still being made on whether or not to attend. Some had decided to give it another try, Nikolai and Amy among them. Others were still wary: Inara's memories of her single day at that school didn't lead to a strong desire to return, and those with more physical mutations were having trouble deciding as well. But what was ultimately in mind was how much going back and passing this trial period could mean for their kind. Being at Xavier's had a habit of impressing a sense of action on those staying there, and knowing how much making this work could help mutants was a major factor flowing through their brains as they made their decisions.

In the end, most had decided to give it a try. Noa wouldn't take classes there, being deaf and needing specialized teaching, and Peyton, who was not yet in high school, and the college students would alternate between home classes and the community college. Aside from that, everyone was willing to return to Bayville High.

"We're just gluttons for punishment, that's all," Bridget grumbled a bit, but she refrained from further negative comments as she saw how nervous Dalaja looked beside her. The newest students, unofficially dubbed the One-X team ever since their declaration of their team theme, were hanging about listlessly in the rec room, trying to appear casual before tomorrow's return. All necessary school supplies, sans books, were gathered and ready for an early start up in their dorms. Now it was just a matter of sitting with their decision and hoping they weren't about to step into another colossal mess.

They had found on the TV a news coverage of the new principal and some school board members speaking to the press about the decision to let mutants back in. It certainly wasn't a sanguine meeting. Angered shouts and hateful blurbs could be heard in the background as mutant acceptance was protested. Despite the hot environment, they had to admire Ms. Delphi, who maintained a cool and professional attitude throughout the whole meeting. She also had quite the glare whenever some overzealous protestor would attempt to heckle or disrupt her words.

"As I said before, whether the community is prepared for such a large change or not is irrelevant. The fact remains that mutants are very real, and despite some shortsighted opinions on the matter, they are thinking, feeling people just like humans. And being thinking and feeling people, it is necessary for adolescent mutants to receive an education just like anyone else."The Institute students found themselves silently cheering the statuesque woman on. It was such a welcome change to see a human actually willing to see their side.

A loud, bellowing voice shouted up from the back of the crowd. "And how exactly are you going to control these mutants once they're in school? How do you plan to keep our children safe from these people? What's the difference between a mutant walking into our school and a student walking in with a loaded firearm?"

"I don't intend to control them," Principal Delphi replied confidently, bulldozing over the furious shouts that threatened to rise. "I intend to work with them and try to make cooperation work. The difference, sir, between a mutant student and one that brings a firearm is the choice to bring and use that weapon.
A student that brings a loaded gun obviously intends to use it. These young mutants cannot simply leave their powers at home to be picked up at the end of the day, yet they still deserve a chance at a proper education. I assure you, measures have been set up for the safety of both mutant and human students."

The crowd continued to yell questions and protests, but the mutants were gratified to discover several among the snarling crowd that seemed open-minded. One woman even stood and berated a man loudly for a particularly nasty slur he made.

"Maybe people who don't know what the hell they're talking about should keep their mouths shut about matters they don't understand! You're a white, American, middle class male. Of all people, I think you have the least authority to be talking about who is or isn't a trustworthy member of the community, and certainly not on the subject of segregation!" That woman received vigorous applause from her Institute audience.

The meeting continued to spiral about, bigotry warring against tolerance. It was still much more prejudice than lenience, but knowing it was there was encouraging. By the time the school gathered together for dinner, the teenagers were feeling better about their decision. However, that didn't mean they had let their guards down. Whatever hopes or misgivings they had now, tomorrow they would just have to play by ear, hope for the best, and be prepared for the worst.

"Whole new chance at reform and I'm still stuck with Biology," Inara sighed dejectedly. She had just received her schedule alongside the rest of her friends. She was now trekking the mostly empty hallways toward the classroom. Tsarina was the only Institute member she had the class with, the schedules they had had at the beginning of the year having changed. Despite her recent, less-prickly behavior, the Romanian girl wasn't exactly a kindred spirit to mope with. She seemed too busy shooting glances around, moving quickly and as discreetly as possible. Inara couldn't exactly blame her. Over the weeks since the Ravens incident, Tsarina's appearance had slowly shifted back to its more unnatural state. Her skin was bleached white again, her lips pitch black, and her pretty brown eyes had grown translucent, and then had returned to their liquid shifting state. Inara wondered why they did that, but for now all she knew was that Tsarina was currently sticking out like a sore thumb, and she was obviously nervous about it.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," she tried to reassure. Tsarina threw her a look that she couldn't quite make out; it could have been anything from annoyance to gratitude, but the taller girl did attempt to relax her stiff shoulders.

The two found their classroom and slipped in. Inara had an unpleasant flashback to that awful first day at school as heads turned toward them. Yet unlike before, no jeers or snarls of dislike came their way. She could still see animosity on some of their faces, but the new rules, and strict disciplines enforcing them, kept the unfriendly comments and actions restrained. Inara let a small puff of breath in relief. Tsarina stayed very quiet, tailing the dark-skinned girl toward an empty desk where they sat side by side. There might be new rules now, but they weren't going to push it. Not on the first day.

Alex glanced around his Algebra II class. So far, so good. This was a class he had alone, and he was surprised how nervous that fact made him. Facing violent mutant armies or mad sorceresses was fine, but facing a class full of silently hostile teenagers was what caused him to sweat bullets.

"Ow!" he hissed quietly, raising a hand to rub at his chest. Whenever he got a phantom twinge of pain there, he tried very hard to turn his mind to other things. He didn't like thinking of how close he had come to death, and he honestly didn't feel like letting the fact sink in. He could still remember what cold metal in his chest felt like, and it was something he wouldn't admit he had begun to have nightmares about. What was important was that he was alive and kicking, so he found no point in dwelling on it, no matter how unnerved it made him when he was alone and there was no one to see. There was one advantage to the haunting experience of near death: it was a hell of a help straightening out his priorities. If he could take a knife to the chest and live to tell the tale, he could certainly survive high school.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the period, and the beginning of lunch break. He worked his way through the crowded halls, which was fairly easy seeing as the students seemed content to stay out of his way. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, being avoided like a leper, but at least he wasn't being harassed.

He passed directly through the cafeteria and headed outside for the quad, where his friends were gathered for the break, despite the chill air out there. It was best to take things slow, let the other students become accustomed to their presence again, and keep to themselves until things were more stable.

Alex plopped down, one of the last to arrive. The others didn't look as dejected as they had on their first day of school back in September, so things had to have gone better today. "How've things been?" he asked anyway.

Dalaja shrugged, nibbling on her chips and hummus she'd brought from home. "Alright I suppose. No one has said a word to us so far today, but it is better than the alternative."

Alex nodded, before looking at Tsarina and Masato. "You didn't have any trouble?"

Tsarina shook her head, looking rather sullen. Masato seemed less downtrodden, but probably because he wouldn't let anyone push him around, no matter whom they were. Alex smirked as he asked, "Break any chairs yet?"

Masato snorted deeply, biting into his plain turkey sandwich and swallowing before replying. "I asked to stand in most of my classes. The teachers didn't seem too pleased, but once I mentioned the threat to the furniture they decided that I was asking for the lesser of two evils."

A couple of the students snickered, mostly because of the mental image of what would have happened had Masato sat down. A calculating and intelligent person such as the Japanese boy just didn't fit with the image of a Pratt fall off of a broken desk chair.

David piped up from the end of the table. "Hey, did anyone notice the gym class thing on the schedule?"

Those who hadn't noticed pulled out their schedules and looked, but Dalaja had the answer. "Principal Delphi mentioned it during our meeting with her. It is one of those precautions I think. Mutant students are supposed to take P.E. class separate, because our powers require specialized teaching. I do not think it matters what grade we are in, as long as we still are required to take it."

"What do you guys think 'specialized teaching' means? Lava pits? Alligator pools? Boot camp torture?" Lyle said, eyeing the schedule as if expecting it to give him an answer to his question.

"It's not as if training with Wolverine is that far off," Amy reminded him. She out of all of them seemed least unnerved today, but that was probably a byproduct of having no shame and being proud of it.

Alex shrugged. "It's only the period after next, so I guess we'll find out soon."

When lunch ended they split up once more, again going back to the tense silence they maintained in their classes, trying to remain as unobtrusive as possible. They began to actually look forward to their P.E. class. At least they were all friends and could escape the stifling atmosphere.

There was a note on each of their schedules telling them to gather out on the football field for their first class. Everyone, besides the seniors Kitty and Kurt, were there, milling about as they waited to see what was in store for them.

"This everyone?" a strong voice asked. The fidgeting group all turned to see a man in his late twenties and dressed in workout clothes striding up. Around his neck was strung the traditional coach's whistle. The guy was a solid block of muscle; they could tell this wasn't some run-of-the-mill squalling gym teacher. He stood with his arms crossed, observing his new students. They all felt the need to stand at attention. Maybe the guy was former military or something?

At last he uncrossed his arms and spoke again. "So you're the mutants? Pretty big group, and not couch potatoes from what I can see. I'm Devin Shaw, your P.E. teacher, if the whistle and outfit didn't tip you off." Faint chuckles rose. "For the rest of the year I'll be working with you on your standard physical education lineup, but factoring in your powers. Obviously you pass certain limitations regular humans have, so I need to be able to understand your abilities in order to push you more toward your limits."

A hand, belonging to Sam Guthrie, went up. "Excuse me Mr. Shaw, but I forgot to ask in our meetin' with the principal; are we allowed to play sports here at school?"

Coach Shaw shook his head. "Not yet. This trial period is still a work in progress. Depending how well things go, certain restrictions will be lifted, or installed, by the school board as they see fit. For now, not knowing your powers and because of the displeasure of other student parents, mutants aren't allowed to sign up for sports teams, yet. In this class though, I'll work with you so you can get in your physical education, as well as learning about your powers. Maybe if the board feels they can identify illegal use of powers then you can get onto teams."

He paused, glancing over his students' heads. They turned around, and found they were being joined by Michael and Azula. They had wondered if those two had enrolled; they hadn't seen them all day, but apparently they had come nonetheless.

"Seven minutes late?" he inquired neutrally, eyeing the two. He didn't seem particularly put out, but it was obvious he wanted an explanation.

Michael shrugged carelessly, grinning lopsidedly. "Locker trouble, got lost, you know." It hardly sounded like any excuse. It more sounded like he was being purposely snide. Mr. Shaw stared for a while, but in the end didn't do anything about Michael's flippancy. He either decided it wasn't worth his time, or was just simply saving the matter for later.

"Alright then, why don't we start with some basic drills before we get to the big stuff?"

Coach Shaw ran them through some standard drills: a jog around the track, some tire runs, a few pushups and sits ups and so forth. Training with Wolverine for the past six months or more was no walk in the park, so faced now with standard drills the Xavier students passed with flying colors. Michael and Azula did fairly well for their part as well.

"Well, that's the boring stuff done," the coach declared. "Now for some fun." He led them over to one of those practice dummies football players used to work on their strength and tackling skills. He slapped it good naturedly. "I want each of you to try to move it somehow. I would prefer you to use your powers to do that."

The group heard Azula laughing quietly as Michael's face grew sour. "Tough luck Mikey. I don't think you'll be able to persuade it to move, no matter how sweet your silver tongue is."

"Why don't you start?" the coach asked, motioning to Masato.

The athletic boy nodded, pausing as if he was thinking. The whole group watched as the black stone texture spread over his skin, his silver-white hair hardening as if hoarfrost had overtaken it, turning it stiff and sharp. The coach watched with a mildly impressed expression before stepping back, giving the stone teenager plenty of room.

Without prelude, Masato charged forward, slamming his thick shoulder full force into the practice dummy. The resulting crash was near deafening. Masato slid to a halt, leaving deep furrows torn in the emerald green grass from where his heavy feet had dug in. The practice dummy, which was easily more than a hundred pounds, went flying across the field. It cartwheeled in a shower of dirt and torn green and white grass, rolling and clanking to a disheveled halt down in the opposite touchdown zone.

The mutants stared apprehensively at the coach, wondering if he would be angry at the damage done to the field. Rather than being angry though, the man let out an awed whistle.

"Man that is one literally killer tackle. You play linebacker with freight trains or something?" Masato shrugged one shoulder emotionlessly. The coach merely shook his head in awe again, before turning back to the stone-skinned mutant. "Well, since that one's trashed, think you could help me bring out a few spares? If you're the first, I can imagine we're going to need them."

He was right in that regard. Elemental and energy blasts, super strong tackles, and tangling vines had the dummies tumbling all over the field, tearing up the grass and sending blasts of dirt flying. They asked several times if they weren't causing too much damage, but the coach waved them off, saying they were planning on fixing up the field anyway. Several of the mutants didn't have the ability to move the dummies, so the coach just had them gather together and shove it over. Michael didn't seem at all pleased with it, and Azula laughing at him the entire time wasn't helping. In the end he got her back, abruptly grabbing her and kissing her in front of everyone. Of course she slapped him, but he seemed satisfied that his revenge had been had.

It was only when Coach Shaw was congratulating and dismissing them that they realized that, against all odds, they had really enjoyed themselves. It may have only been one class out of the day, but maybe it was a sign that with time, things can change.

"It may not have been the best day ever, but I thought P.E. was really fun," Bridget said as the group exited the school building at the end of their first day back.

"Yeah, if nothing else, at least we have decent people like Principal Delphi and Coach Shaw around," Inara said. She was smiling; she had a lot of hope for their second chance.

Amy added her half-expected comment. "Of course, it helps that the coach is built like Adonis, doesn't it girls?"

"Oh shut up Peanut Gallery," Bridget grumbled.

A/N: HEY Y'ALL, I'M BACK! This story seems to have periodic hibernation times or something doesn't it? I did not expect it to take this long to move on with this chapter. I guess moving out of state, lack of motivation, and rebooting my other OC series tends to get in the way of things. Add an extra period without internet and having to wait to post this puts in a little extra stall. Oh baby, how I hate to see you sit in Word documents, ready to go, after months of absence, and having to sit on this 'till the stupid internet comes back on. Grrrr. Oh well, so that's the THEME for this next 'season' of OE&NB: reintegrating into school. Again, this is a loose storyboard, so if anyone has any ideas they want to see here, send those babies in, I'd love to see them. I already have a couple I'm sitting on and can't wait to write. Until next update!