After lunch, Rebecca and her peers made their way back to the institute from the public school. They sat in on a general mutant studies course. Sometimes, they would focus on the biological makeup of the X-gene. It always made Rebecca squirm in her seat when they talked about the building of a mutant's powers. It gave the room a venomous green hue that reminded Rebecca of haunted memories of Sinister's experiments. Other times, it gives a brief history of mutant kind's existence. Records are difficult to track on mutants because they were in hiding for many years but there are some documentation of mutants as far back as the beginning of America. The class mostly focused on the history of mutants fighting for their rights and the formation of the school. Rebecca found it as interesting as a history class could get. After that class, the students had their own schedules. Many had time slots for the danger room depending on their experience level and need. Some students also took part of relaxation. The institute did take mental health seriously and advised their students to take time to unwind. Some did sports, others chatted with their friends, and a few partook in meditation classes. After class, Rebecca usually waited outside of her brother's classroom to catch him for a chat.

"Oli!" Rebecca called out as she saw her older brother exiting one of the classrooms. She had been waiting outside of the room for about six minutes to catch him. She had just finished her school day and Olivier was usually the last to leave the classroom. He held a stack of tests that needed to be graded under his arm and rolled his eyes at Rebecca. She fell into step beside him and asked, "Can we start schedulin' danger room session for me?"

"You aren't ready to join the others," Olivier answered, "And you are my responsibility, but I've got a lot to get done before we even touch that topic."

Rebecca let out a huff. She eyed her brother up and noticed how teacher-like he looked. Olivier had been a teaching assistant for the history department. When at his work, he wore khaki pants and dress shoes. Rebecca thought the only thing he was missing were some wire-rimmed glasses and then he would look like a dark academia nerd. Olivier stopped outside of the TA office and then turned to his sister.

"Ok, here's a deal for you. If you help me with a project, then I'll be able to make time to schedule in your first danger room session," Olivier suggested. Rebecca's eyes lit up.

"Yea, let's go!" She eagerly answered and reached out to grab the papers from her brother's hands. Olivier quickly swatted her hand away and Rebecca gave him puppy-dog eyes.

"If you think that I would let you grade papers, then you are dumber than you look," Olivier said, "Our mom's house is now my responsibility. I am preparing to sell it, but I need to go through all the stuff there first. If you help, I will have it done faster."

"Like, our old house?" Rebecca asked. Olivier nodded and Rebecca felt an icy chill go down her spine that froze her in place. Trying to see the house in her memory was like looking through a thick fog. She knew the steep driveway and the large front lawn. She could see the flowers and the front door and the toys scattered about the lawn. Anything inside the house was too hazy to remember. She could not even begin to describe her bedroom. Rebecca stammered, "Well, er, I could probably grade some papers for ya."

"You could always ask if Wolverine would oversee your first danger room sessions. I'm sure he would be happy to,"

"Fine, when are we goin' to the house?" Olivier smirked at his sister's quick answer.

"Tomorrow after classes seems like a good time," He told her and opened the door to his office, slipping inside. Rebecca paused for a moment outside the door, debating if she should go back on the deal or even if she could. Eventually, Rebecca walked back down the hall. It was clearing out as many students were ready to relax after class.

Rebecca noted that she had yet to see any ghosts in the mansion halls. Not in the early morning hours or as late as the curfew allowed her to be out (back in New Orleans there was no written curfew). She did not see shadows moving from the corner of her sight. There were no mysterious knocking noises. The mansion was such a quiet place. Perhaps, ghosts did not like it there. Rebecca reasoned that ghosts may only be attracted to the loud places. While her visual memory of the house was nearly gone, Rebecca would never forget just how noisy their old house was.

While turning a corner, Rebecca was startled out of her thoughts by a figure standing in front of her. She abruptly stopped to avoid running onto another and when her eyes caught sight of the recognizable face she gasped. Rebecca grabbed onto Louis' arm and yanked him to the side.

"What do ya think yer doin'? Imbécile!" Rebecca roared at him. Louis' eyes twinkled as he began to laugh. Rebecca was about to ask him what he thought was so funny or was about to punch him when his features shifted. It was the strangest thing that Rebecca had ever seen. The structure of his face just moved in an almost nauseating way when looked at up-close.

No longer was Louis' face staring at her but Ben's. Rebecca blinked and released her hold on Ben. For a moment, she thought that she had perhaps hallucinated that Louis had entered the institute. Ben kept laughing and tears were in his eyes. Then, the realization of it being a prank dawned upon Rebecca.

"I told you it wasn't going to be funny," Marissa said. Rebecca spun around to find her standing in the hall, with her arms crossed over her chest. Rebecca let loose a breath that she was holding.

"It was too funny. You shoulda seen your face!" Ben chuckled. Rebecca frowned at him.

"I could've blown yer head off," Rebecca lifted her hand to reveal the crackling pink energy built up on her fingertips, "It's been a while since I let off some steam."

"Ah, you'd never hurt me," Ben brushed her off.

"Still, impersonating this guy who might be dangerous isn't a good idea," Marissa was now standing next to Rebecca.

"Louis ain't dangerous. He's just annoying," Rebecca defended him. She had to explain who Louis was to her friends after that first day of seeing him at their school. She had explained the story of how they became friends, how Louis came to live with her, and the last time she saw him in person. They were surprised by the story and very sympathetic towards Rebecca.

"Trust us, these kinds of guys are dangerous," Marissa commented.

"Yea, sounds like he doesn't like us just because we're mutants," Ben chimed in, "And we know people like that."

"I thought this place was mutant-friendly," Rebecca remembered Olivier claiming that living up north would be a different experience as a mutant teenager. She would have people who are just like her and be living in a world that is more tolerant. Yet, Ben and Marissa's attitudes towards the non-mutants told her that somethings were not gold, despite its shiny appearance.

"It's nice until they feel threatened," Marissa explained, "No one is going to just start harassing you. But if you cross a non-mutant at school, they won't hold back bringing up it up as an insult. And a good handful of the students here don't have homes to go to. They sometimes say stuff about that too."

"It's kind of weird. They're friendly to ya at school, but then they won't let mutants compete with non-mutants in sports and stuff," Ben shrugged his shoulders. Rebecca had yet to notice any of this hostile behavior, so it was a surprise.

"For all competitive sports? Like what about dance? Is there a studio or club that allows mutants to do so?" Rebecca asked.

"There's a studio in the next town over. I don't know if there are rules there. But there is no dance group at the public school anyway," Marissa stated.

"If we did have one, I doubt they would let mutants compete against the normal humans. They think we use our powers to cheat and stuff. No mutants are on the sports team around here," Ben explained. Rebecca felt deflated. She had not even had time to ask about joining a dance team here, yet the opportunity was taken away so quickly. The regulations against mutants was still prevalent in a state that was known for being one of the most progressive. Rebecca darkly wondered if her studio in New Orleans would also have second thoughts on her if she openly told them of her mutant powers. Not that kinetic energy had anything to do with dance. Still, her increase in strength and stamina recently could cause others to accuse her of cheating. There would be no way to prove otherwise. Unless she wore a collar on her neck like the one Sinister placed upon her.

Rebecca felt nauseous at the memories. Marissa must have sensed her unpleasant thoughts or seen the color fade from Rebecca's face, because she spoke up with a suggestion of an activity. Marissa claimed that they had extra baking ingredients so they could make more cookies. Ben readily agreed as he always did for cookies and the quick turn of events caused Rebecca to almost forget about their conversation.

)0(

The next day, after classes, Rebecca waited for Olivier at the front door of the institute. Olivier had changed out of his work outfit and into more casual clothes. Rebecca found him looking more like their father when he did so. His eyes seemed tired but, other than that, seemed perfectly normal with his coffee mug in hand. Rebecca followed him to the car. It was rather a boring sight that Rebecca was not used to riding in. Remy owned motorcycles, drove the occasional sports car, and in times of inconspicuousness he drove stylish trucks. Olivier's car was a used Honda that looked like all the other cars in the area.

The drive was filled with polite conversation. Olivier asked how Rebecca was settling into the Institute and her school. These conversations were just like the ones they had over the phone. Rebecca was mostly an open book. She enjoyed letting off steam by complaining to Olivier over the phone all those years. However, there was something different now that they were in person. The conversations felt shallow. Rebecca kept trying to think of conversation starters, but her mind was occupied fretting over their destination. She did not want to return to that house and the circumstances were even more grim. The house was unfortunately not located far away. Their mother must have wanted to stay close to the institute.

The driveway was steep and long and bumpy. The house came into view and both LeBeau siblings were silent. It was a small house, and the yard was overgrown. There was now garden in the flower beds anymore. Inside the house was dark. There was a windchime on the front porch that Rebecca could remember its song. Olivier parked the car but, for some time, neither of them moved. The house was a cottage and, despite being not being near any forests, had a woodsy charm to it. The siding had vertical board-and-batten. There was a bay window in the front and square windows on the second floor. It was in need of a wash, but it was still standing.

Eventually, Olivier made the first move and got out of the car. Rebecca followed right behind him. The wooden porch stairs creaked under their weight. Rebecca felt oddly nervous as Olivier turned the key and opened the front door.

Inside, the house smelled of dust and it was clear as to why. The place had not been touched in years. The living room to the right had to loveseats and a TV stand, but the TV had been removed long ago. There were a few books that had been left in the room. The blinds had been pulled tight to keep out of the rest of the world. Rebecca felt like her feet were frozen in place. Part of her, had wished that she would have been able to connect with the house once again of its memories. However, there was nothing but a room of unknown items. Perhaps, she was too young, and the memories were lost for good.

Olivier made his way into the kitchen. The cabinets and drawers still held plates, bowls, cups, and silverware. Even the very nice dishes used for only special occasions were left in the house. Olivier sighed as he realized that cleaning out the house was going to require more than one trip. Olivier noticed a highchair still at the table and could not help but smile. He could still see a young Rebecca sitting in that chair.

"Remember when mom used to make us pancakes on the weekends?" Olivier asked, looking over his shoulder at his sister. Rebecca inched her way into the kitchen with a frown.

"No," She shook her head. Rebecca tried to imagine it. It felt like a movie rather than her own life.

"Remember banging on the pots and pans like drums? And mom joined in too," Olivier laughed, opening a bottom cabinet to reveal some metal pots stacked in a pile.

"No," Rebecca said, "But I remember a lot of yellin'."

Olivier's expression softened. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned on the counter. His eyes wandered up the walls of the house as if studying the structure of the building. Perhaps, he saw a crack that would allow the whole thing to come crashing down.

"Yeah, I remember that too," His voice was grave. Rebecca noticed the tears in his eyes and instantly regretted her comment. Olivier was clearly trying to reminisce about their deceased mother. Still, there was a sharp attack just waiting to be said by Rebecca. Olivier was the oldest and therefore had more memories of both of their parents before the split. After leaving, Rebecca's mother was a stranger to her, and death cut off any opportunities for them to make new memories.

Rebecca looked away from Olivier's sad expression. She found a small entry way leading to the right side of the house. It did not look so scary there. The ghostly memory of the layout of the house was coming back to her.

"Our bedroom is there, ain't it?" She asked. She did not wait for Olivier's answer before she moved with her curiosity. She noticed how the door's hinges were loose as she stood in front of it. Very carefully, she turned the knob and opened the door. The metal squeaked.

"I'm going to check upstairs, real quick," Olivier informed her. She heard his heavy footsteps making his own path.

Rebecca did not look back as she entered the bedroom. Many of Olivier's toys would have been taken with them when he and their mother moved into the Institute. Still, the room was very childish. Two small beds were in the room. It had been divided between the two siblings in half. Rebecca had the left side and Olivier had the right. The walls were a pale blue color and there was a white carpet on the hardwood floor. Olivier's bed was stripped of blankets. Many of the books were taken off the bookshelf. A few action figures with missing arms lay on top of a dresser, whose drawers were empty. Rebecca's bed was still made. A thick layer of dust was on top of the hot pink comforter. Rebecca reached out and patted a patchwork stuffed fox's head. She did not remember the fox very well, but it seemed like something her younger self would have liked. Other stuffed animals were scattered about. Dolls were on the dresser. Opening the draw, Rebecca found that her very small clothes were still inside.

The rational side of her brain rationed that there was no need to take these items out of their place. Rebecca had left this place with her father that day. Yet, a more emotional side of herself felt angry that her mother had left her things here. All these toys were alone, and the clothes were left unworn. Rage bit at Rebecca's throat and hot tears were now in her eyes. Rebecca looked up to see a thick spiderweb in the corner of the room. No spider in sight.

Rebecca left the room when the tears had left. She had dusted off the fox and carried him with her. She found Olivier sitting at the kitchen table with cardboard box full of papers. She pulled out a chair, which scratched the floor, and sat down beside him. He was silent as he flipped through the papers. Rebecca put the stuffed fox on the table and continued to clean him up as best as she could. It could probably use a trip to the washing machine. However, if her friends caught her with the stuffed animal, they would most likely tease her. Rebecca found herself growing bored and got up from the table. She looked out into the backyard. It was small than the front and she could see the neighbors' homes not far away. A newer neighborhood was recently built behind the home. Olivier paused a specific paper and stared at it for too long for Rebecca not to notice.

"What's that?" She asked.

"It's weird. These are divorce papers" He explained. His eyes scanned over them again and again. Rebecca rolled her eyes. She did not remember much from her time in the house, yet the threats of divorce still haunted these walls. Rebecca pulled back the white strand of her hair behind her ear. She would have no idea which parent threatened it more to the other whenever the fights got too much.

"So?" Rebecca sighed. She began to move to a door yet to be opened.

"So, they aren't signed," Olivier said. Rebecca turned around and he held them up to her. She could see that the lines on the bottom were blank. Both lines. Olivier added, "Neither of them signed."

"I thought they would've done that after splittin'," Rebecca said. Olivier put the papers down on the table and shrugged his shoulders. Rebecca asked, "What's that mean?"

"Uh, I don't know," He answered. The siblings exchanged puzzled looks. They had both assumed that their parents were already divorced. This proved them wrong. Why? Rebecca almost thought of asking the question out loud but decided against it. None of that mattered now. One of them was dead. Rebecca pushed the door open and was hit with a musty scent.

The garage. At first glance, Rebecca thought it was empty. Then, her eyes widened at the sight before her.

"Holy sh—Oli!" Rebecca gasped. Olivier got up from the table and rushed over to her side. Rebecca's eyes were sparkling with mischief and she eagerly pointed at what was in front of her. Two dirt bikes. They had been sitting in the garage for a while with a sheet over top of them, but the sheet had fallen off halfway to reveal the prize underneath. One royal blue one and another one that was pink.

"Woah, I don't remember those," Olivier said. He rushed into the garage and yanked the rest of the sheet off the bikes. Rebecca took a closer look and squealed with delight. She again pointed to what she saw. Unable to form words, she only made high-pitched squeaks. Names were written on the dirt bikes. Olivier on the blue one and Rebecca on the pink.

"What are we waitin' for?!" Rebecca finally formed a sentence and then grabbed hers by the handlebars. She mounted the bike before her brother could stop her. Rebecca felt powerful sitting there.

"Does it even work?"

"Let's find out!"

Olivier grinned.

)0(

The next day, Rebecca could not sit still in class. Olivier had managed to salvage any handiness skills he earned from Remy and Wolverine to work on the dirt bikes that they had found in their old home. Olivier remarked how he wished for a dirt bike when he was younger. Begging their parents would not work, they were both firm on their stance that he could only get one when he was older. Olivier had almost completely forgotten about that promise. Turns out, they had been preparing for years for that surprise. They even had one for Rebecca. The siblings guessed that their parents were aware that anything Olivier had; Rebecca would want of her own.

Rebecca had not mentioned the bikes to Remy when she called him on their routine nightly phone call. She talked about other topics instead. For no reason except that she was still angry with him for sending Louis to New York. She was forced to avoid him in the halls like the plague. Rebecca constantly looked over her shoulder to make sure he was not there. Ben had promised not to morph into Louis in exchange for a turn on the dirt bike once it was fixed, even if it was pink.

Rebecca had just finished Algebra class and was on her way to lunch when she realized that Louis had a class directly across the hallway. She attempted to duck behind the other students, but he noticed her too quickly. Louis called out her name, but she ignored him and kept walking.

"Becca, wait!" He grabbed her wrist and Rebecca quickly pulled away. She spun around and gave him a death glare.

"I'm not in the mood to talk to ya!" She practically yelled. Some bystanders gave them worried glances and Rebecca felt a rush of embarrassment. She had not meant to been so loud. Not to draw attention to others, she decided to settle down and hear what Louis had to say, "What do ya want?"

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said last time. Can't we jus' talk?" Louis said. Rebecca placed her hands on her hips.

"Sorry for the time ya insulted my friends for bein' mutants? Or the time that you pretended not to know me so you could continue goin' to that dumb party?" Rebecca questioned. Her eyes were like daggers to Louis. He gulped in fear. By now, the hallway was beginning to clear out. Louis ran his hand through his hair.

"You misunderstood what I was tryin' t' say!" Louis argued, "If you would jus' have a conversation wit' me; then we could work it out!"

"I don't have to talk to ya," Rebecca huffed and then attempted to brush past him. Louis grabbed onto her once more, but this time with a much stronger grip. It was not enough to hurt, but enough to catch Rebecca's attention.

And the attention of another. A tall boy with red hair stepped in between the two. Louis, caught surprised, released his hold of Rebecca, who was staring at the stranger in bewilderment.

"She asked you to leave her alone," The boy warned. Louis looked over to Rebecca for an answer, but she looked just as in shock as he was. Louis was dwarfed by this other guy.

"Um, and you are…?" Rebecca cleared her throat. Louis just stood frozen, with his mouth slightly ajar and his lips trembling. Rebecca leaned forward to catch a look at the stranger. His hair was mop on top of his head and freckles were scattered along his nose. He had thick arms and was clearly one to go to the gym on a regular basis.

"Just making sure that this guy isn't bothering a lady who isn't interested," The stranger explained.

"Oh. Oh no, it's not like that," Rebecca explained, "The conversation had just ended anyhow."

With that, Rebecca walked away from Louis, who was left speechless. However, she did not look back to see his face. If she had, she would have noticed sooner that the gallant stranger was following her.

"Hey, you ok? I heard you say stuff about mutants and stuff," The guy asked. Rebecca looked to her left to find him standing next to her. Without an angry look on his face, he looked younger. He had round cheeks and brown eyes.

"Oui. Louis is harmless, but annoyin'. Thanks though," Rebecca said.

"I'm James. You're one of those Xavier students, right?" James asked but Rebecca did not answer. She kept her jaw shut tight. James continued, "It's cool. I'm a mutant too."

"You are?" Rebecca whipped her head around. She took in the guy's face once more and did not recognize it. She questioned him further, "But you aren't from the institute?"

James shook his head. He flashed a smile and Rebecca noticed a dimple in his cheek. It was charming and it almost made her smile back at him.

"Nah, that place is too expensive. But mutants gotta look out for each other, right?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh, well, I'm Rebecca," They came to a crossroads in the hallway. Rebecca had to go right to meet up with her friends for lunch. Unsure of where James was going, she stopped walking in the middle of the intersection. James' body was relaxed and slightly slouched. As if he could not be bothered to put in a lot of effort in his presence. He was wearing a grey t-shirt and black joggers. He must have been the same age as Rebecca, since they were both students, but he had an aura of maturity with him.

"Nice to meet you. You gotta watch out for people like that guy. Not everyone understands us," James said. Rebecca offered him a sweet smile.

"What're your powers?" She asked.

"Maybe, I'll show you another time, hm? And you can show me yours," James gave her a wink, "Stay safe, Rebecca. I'll see you around."

Just like that, James walked down the left hallway. Rebecca was left slightly stunned. James was one who commanded the energy of the room. When he left, the energy in the air was gone. Rebecca walked towards the cafeteria. Meanwhile, she glanced behind her to get one last look at James.

)0(

My apologies for my break from my writing but I have returned. I will post the next chapter tomorrow. All I need to do is edit it. I appreciate all that follow the story. I am setting up some fun chapter ahead. Have a beautiful day.

-Kit