I know that this picture has no meaning okay?

It just really makes me happy ❤

Oh and this chapter is a two-parter

People loved my sister. In the few days after she had joined the school people took to her like moths to a light.

I had fallen back into classes in those few couple of days, but everything seemed wrong. It was like someone had moved one thing around, but I just couldn't place my finger on what it was or where it went l. I noticed I was quieter now; I only spoke to Jean, Sage and Warren during class and even then, they usually came to me first.

I couldn't stop thinking about Tori. From what she told me, it had sounded like David was dead and there was something I could have done to prevent it. This thought was consuming me. It like a physical pain that was gnawing at the front of my mind like a parasite and I couldn't stand it. I wasn't a murderer, but is it still considered murder if it's not done by your hand and it wasn't intentional at all?

I also didn't quite understand what was going on in the world right now. I did know that mutants were going back into hiding, that we were at risk for a mutant registration act, we were being abducted, experimented on, discriminated against and facing so much hate you could feel it hanging around in the air if you stepped outside. And to be honest, I also didn't know who was on each side. I didn't know if there even were sides. I always just figured it was Xavier's people against everybody else, but maybe I was wrong. That does tend to be the case a lot these days.

One night in the beginning of January after saying goodnight to my sister, I sat in my room with only my little bedside lamp lighting the room. Snow was falling outside my window, undisturbed by any wind. It fell in quiet and puffy clusters making only a soft tinkling noise upon the glass.

There was a knock at my door. I tried shouting that no one was in but Sage and Warren had muscled their way into my sanctuary and they had practically forced me to talk to them.

"About what?" I asked with a deep sigh.

"About anything" Sage said in a uncharacteristically kind tone.

I was tempted to just talk about something stupid like Burmese pythons and call it a day, but I also knew that it's not good to keep things to yourself too often. Keeping in all the things that are swimming around in your mind can lead to an overflow of, well, everything.

"-But how did they know that Lorna was a mutant before she even acquired her powers?" Sage asked while she was laying at the end of my bed playing with the hem to my worn comforter. I had told them the story of everything that happened.

"I guess I just assumed that they didn't know... I figured that they took her because she was Erik's daughter."

"Do you think he'll come after her again?" Warren asked from my desk chair, leaning back at a dangerous angle.

I shrugged, "I don't really know. I mean, all three of his kids are here in the same town. So one would guess he might make an appearance sooner or later."

"But why is he doing it?"

"Is this gonna be twenty questions or an actual conversation?" I sighed giving Warren a look. I didn't want to admit that I had no clue. I try not to look into the motives of crazy people. He didn't want Charles dead, but that was the whole reason he said as to why he pulled myself and a few others aside. I didn't know if they were allowed to leave like I was.

There was a silence among us for a few moments until Warren spoke up again, "but seriously though, why did he do it?"

"I don't know okay?" I whined, rubbing my eyes just so I didn't have to look at him at that moment.

We all looked up at the sound of someone knocking at my door. The familiar face of Mrs. Downing poked through. I had forgotten that dorm checks were a thing.

"Curfew!" She reminded us in a singsong voice.

Sage let out a melodramatic sigh "but it's not even ten yet" she groaned. This reaction genuinely surprised me. It was so unlike her usual personality. I knew that she used to be in the espionage business before joining us here, but she must put on different masks for a lot of people if Mrs Downing didn't look or as fazed by Sage's reaction.

"If I see you tired tomorrow, I'm checking your room first for a week" the elderly woman said. "And the same goes for the rest of you" she added pointing a finger at Warren and me.

Sage grinned at her, "thank you!" she chirped.

"Since when are you two best buds?" I asked after the door was shut.

Sage shrugged, picking at her nail "must be a hidden talent of mine."

Warren perked up at her words "speaking of which, Josie, what the hell even is your mutation exactly? I don't think you've ever told anybody."

Shit. That's not true is it? How on earth have I gotten this far and not have told the few friends I had managed to make friends with about what my stupid and underwhelming powers were.

"I've told people" I defended, even though I wasn't exactly sure if it was true.

"Jean doesn't count Josephine. The only reason I know, is because of what I can do" Sage added.

She was right, Jean did know, and even then the whole process of telling her was super awkward. The whole: "hey so I totally know everything about you including your past thoughts, actions, fears, and mistakes dating from the day you were born" isn't exactly a friend keeping conversation. People tend get weirded out or they don't trust that I keep things private.

Better late than never I suppose. "Well Warren buddy, I know everything there is to know about everyone in the world just by looking at them. Sometimes I even feel how they felt during certain memories and other times I can watch what happened like I was just a bystander. oh and some times I'm empathic if I focus hard enough."

Warren sat there in silence, nodding his head as he tried to comprehend it, "so... you know everything about me then?"

"Well that's the basic idea" I shrugged.

"Okay then... what's my middle name?"

"Kenneth."

"Where was I born?"

"Centerport."

"What triggered my mutation?"

"Nothing, sometimes they just manifest with no outside cause." I said with a shrug.

"Okay. Tell me something nobody else would know."

I raised my eyebrows, "you sure about that?"

"Absolutely."

"Candace Southern" was all I said, but it was enough to shut him up. "Hey man, you asked for it" I said in defense after he said nothing.

"Well, on a different but earlier subject" Sage said quickly, "I think you need to go back and talk to that girl, Tammy-"

"It's Tori, but yeah, I think you're right" I said rubbing my face, a little stressed out but glad we were back to the original subject.

Sage only smirked at me, "I know I am."

Peter chuckled beside me as we walked down the sidewalk.

"What?" I demanded giving him a sideways glance.

"You're nose is red. It's cute."

"Of course my nose is red, it's freaking cold out here!" I said with exasperation as I shoved my hands deeper into the pockets of my coat and nestled my face further into my scarf, trying to avoid frostbite.

I knocked at a door that I prayed was the right one because my memory tends to be crap sometimes.

"You sure this is the right place?" Peter asked behind me.

"Nope" I said biting my lip. As I waited, I hopped on the spot trying to stay warm.

To my utter relief, Cecilia opened the door with a dish towel in her hand.

"Josephine!" She exclaimed looking a little relieved too and she tossed the towel onto her shoulder and came to pull me into a hug. "You had me worried, we usually don't get people at the door."

"Why, did something happen?" I asked.

"No" she shook her head. "We're all just a bit jumpy I guess... Come in its cold out here" she said hurriedly, opening the door wider "what brings you back? Is Lorna alright?"

"She's doing wonderfully. I just needed to talk to Tori, is she in?" I added nervously as I bounced on my toes.

Cecilia visibly deflated at the mention of Tori, "she's up on the top floor, fourth room on the left. Trying to organize to rent out the place next door for more space."

I thanked her and started making my way up the stairs, "this place is dreary as hell" Peter said and I elbowed him.

"Be nice, at least it's a place it stay." I said chuckling as we came upon the fourth landing. A couple of people brushed past us sending wearily looks as we passed.

I looked at the slightly ajar door which they had left from. My steps were tentative and I was starting to think the whole coming back was not such a good idea. Softly tapping my knuckles against the withered wood, my heart faltered in it's rapid beat when I saw Tori sitting at a desk, shuffling through stacks of documents. She looked up to see who had signaled at the door. She didn't look as angry as she was during our previous encounter, but I could still see her brain immediately associate my face with a negative connotation.

She dismissively returned to her paper shuffling, "did Lorna forget something?"

"No" I said feeling like I could finally breath now that she said something. With my newly gained confidence I walked over to sit on the edge of a seat near by. "I just wanted to talk is all."

"And you had to bring your hype man with you just to get out a couple of sentences?" she scoffed. "Did that scarlet-powered witch decide to stay home today?"

I felt Peter's mood shift slightly. "look, I just feel like I didn't get to say all the things that I wanted to the other day. And I don't want you to hate me because there aren't many mutants in the world to begin with so to fight amongst ourselves like this, especially since we're already divided, can't lead to anything good.

"What?... What could you possibly say that hasn't already been said? The conversation was over Josephine. I thought you knew that."

"You know what? No." I had to really focus on not losing my cool. "I don't know. I don't know anything about what happened at that place, I don't know why they let me go, I don't know what's happening now, I especially don't know how to make you see that I'm not a hero. I was scared and confused back there. I panicked and left and you know what? It haunted me everyday since then. So what do you want me to do Tori? Please tell me because the more people assume I know what I'm doing and they let me handle it on my own, the more I'm just fucking everything up."

Tori sat in silence. Her eyes bored into mine in a nonthreatening and contemplative way. I just looked back, pleading with her.

"I'm not going to say that I forgive you because I probably never will, but I suppose you're right. It isn't good to be divided." I smiled as I stood back up. "You're on our side if you were wondering by the way" she added as she started shuffling papers again.

"Which side is that again?" I asked, unsure.

"The one that's not trying to take over the world, just improve the lives of the people in it."

"Couldn't that be the same thing if you think about it?" Peter asked suddenly, reminding me he was there.

"Yeah, but only if you're one of the people who over thinks everything or you are perpetually stuck in the seventh grade" Tori retorted.

"I think you fall under both of those Pete." I had to tell my friend grimly as I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

**to be continued I just got super lazy and didn't want too long of a chapter**

A/N: sorry for the wait I got super sick!

I'm actually really happy about this chapter! I have access to a desktop so it's really been helping me write.

Question of the day: if you could control any of the four elements (fire, earth, water or wind) which would you chose?

I would chose either water or wind cause of all the possibilities there are to it