A/N: Another short and probably pretty lame chapter, but I promise this
will eventually lead to something! Thanks to those of you who still find
it interesting enough to read!
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Pulling the door to a soft close behind her, Arisnoë glanced around the musty room. Shelves filled with thousands of dusty, leather-bound books lined the walls, concealing the unprofessional appearance of peeling paint and granite chunks chipped out of the fading parapet. Light filtered in through shafts in the bent and broken blinds that were drawn over the grand picture window, providing some of the only light in the room, other than the dim glow of a reading lamp positioned diligently on the spindly desk that was crammed into the tight quarters of the office. Taking a deep breath, Arisnoë waited for her eyes to adjust to the dimness of the cubicle before proceeding further into the room where she took her usual spot on the rickety green bureau chair that sat facing the desk.
"Tantalus," a cool, crisp voice spoke, draining all the warmth from the previously stifling room.
Arisnoë flinched at the harshness of the voice, but replied without emotion. "Yes, milady?"
"How is it with the other mutants? Are we progressing?"
"It's difficult, but I think I've managed to stir fear into the few I've contacted. The three freshmen have been exceedingly jumpy and the senior was late to first period and couldn't stop shaking throughout it. She eventually had to go home because she couldn't concentrate." She smiled satisfactorily.
"Four? You've only managed to work with for of them? And three of them impressionable freshmen at that!" She threw her arms up in disgust and turned to the window.
Arisnoë wrinkled her nose at her administrators back. "It's not like it's been easy. They don't just openly talk about their powers, and the other senior, he's been doing an implausible job of keeping his mind closed; sealing his thoughts. Almost as well as me. . ."
"I did not call you here so you could complain and praise yourself!" She spoke in a frenzied voice. "He is not pleased with your behavior! He'll just as soon have both our heads if you don't progress."
Arisnoë sighed; this was not a battle she'd be winning any time soon. "I'm sorry for disappointing you milady. I'll try to make more progress."
Her overseer eyed her with suspicion. "Very well. But unless you want to find yourself back on the street as a psychic you had better break into this senior's chain of thoughts before our next conference."
Arisnoë winced, she had no desire to return to her past life. "Yes, milady." And as her mistress waved her hand in dismissal, Arisnoë found herself blinking back blinding sun light outside of Bayville, her thoughts drifting lazily to the task before her.
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"So, I was thinking maybe we could catch a movie after school . . . nah . . ." Evan casually leaned against the wall, his hands slipping into his pockets. "Hey Ari, how 'bout, after school, you and I . . . no, that's not right."
"Havin' an affair with ya mirror, Daniels?" Rogue drawled from her place in Evan's doorway.
Blushing furiously, Evan snapped "Whatcha want, Rogue?"
"Just wonderin' if ya knew what was goin' on 'round here. Everyone's been actin' so strange." She drawled languidly. "Or have you been too wrapped up in kissin' that mirror of yers?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Evan spoke through clenched teeth.
"How Jean won't look anyone in the eye and is avoiding Scott, Lance and Kitty cling ta each otha like there's no tomorra, and Kurt's so jittery that if ya approach him without warnin' he jumps a foot in the air."
"Of course I noticed," Evan jutted his chin out, puffing out his chest. "I just wasn't worried by matters that seemed so trivial."
"Oh, and I suppose practicin' lines to the mirror so that ya can win a date with Miss 'Zank you so much for you're kindness' isn't frivolous at all?"
Evan started at the statement.
"Nah, didn't think so." Rogue flipped her streaked hair and stalked out of the room.
Evan threw one last glance into the mirror and glared at his reflection. "Like you even stood a chance anyways." Grabbing his bag he stomped out of his room, vowing to spend less time dwelling on Arisnoë and more time on the problems of the Institute.
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Kurt moved slowly through the emptying hallway, as though he was swimming through a dream. He was going to be late for class again, but for some reason, he no longer cared. In the past, Kurt had dreaded school, dreaded the agonizing six hour days when the students would tease him for wearing the heavy coat and hat in the sweltering classroom, but recently he had learned to love school. Ever since he came to the Institute, had been given the image inducer, he had loved school, especially the early morning hours where he could sit through math class in the presence of . . .
"Kurt!" Amanda's soft voice beckoned to him.
"Amanda?" He lifted his eyes off the concrete to see her worried eyes staring back at him.
She ran down the hall, her braided hair flying out behind her. "Why aren't you in class?"
"Look who's talking,"
She blushed at his intense gaze; Kurt's eyes were normally full of laughter, but not today. "My dad just dropped me off; we had car trouble at home." She replied uneasily. "You?"
"Ah, I guess I just feel a little out of it zis morning." He smiled apologetically. "No rush for school."
"Yeah, I know what you mean; everyone's been so uptight lately, so school's been a major drag." Amanda smiled at Kurt's drained face. 'He hasn't been getting much sleep lately,' she thought, noting the heavy bags under his tired eyes. His almost bluish hair fell in a tangled mess over his head, giving him the look of someone who had rolled out of bed and just barely made it to school.
Kurt had just opened his mouth to say something when heavy footsteps echoed down the hall, followed by panting breaths. Both Kurt and Amanda turned just as Jamie Madrox came barreling down the hallway. Picking his eyes off the ground, Jamie seemed startled to see the two of them standing there, and he abruptly tried to stop running causing him to skid across the floor into a metal trash disposal. "Whoa, aaaaah!" He shrieked as he thudded against the garbage can, sending 10 different copies of him sprawling across the floor. Looking up at Amanda's startled face he muttered, "Uh- oh," then his eyes moved to Kurt with a worried expression as if to ask "Am I in trouble?"
Glancing from Jamie to Kurt, from Kurt to Jamie, an expression of understanding dawned on Amanda's face. "Oh, oh! Is he-? I mean. . . like you? Are there more than just you two?" Her eyes opened wide with excitement.
Kurt sighed as the Jamies lay confused on the floor. "Jamie, you better get yourself together and head to class, um, Amanda? I think we need to talk. . ."
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Pulling the door to a soft close behind her, Arisnoë glanced around the musty room. Shelves filled with thousands of dusty, leather-bound books lined the walls, concealing the unprofessional appearance of peeling paint and granite chunks chipped out of the fading parapet. Light filtered in through shafts in the bent and broken blinds that were drawn over the grand picture window, providing some of the only light in the room, other than the dim glow of a reading lamp positioned diligently on the spindly desk that was crammed into the tight quarters of the office. Taking a deep breath, Arisnoë waited for her eyes to adjust to the dimness of the cubicle before proceeding further into the room where she took her usual spot on the rickety green bureau chair that sat facing the desk.
"Tantalus," a cool, crisp voice spoke, draining all the warmth from the previously stifling room.
Arisnoë flinched at the harshness of the voice, but replied without emotion. "Yes, milady?"
"How is it with the other mutants? Are we progressing?"
"It's difficult, but I think I've managed to stir fear into the few I've contacted. The three freshmen have been exceedingly jumpy and the senior was late to first period and couldn't stop shaking throughout it. She eventually had to go home because she couldn't concentrate." She smiled satisfactorily.
"Four? You've only managed to work with for of them? And three of them impressionable freshmen at that!" She threw her arms up in disgust and turned to the window.
Arisnoë wrinkled her nose at her administrators back. "It's not like it's been easy. They don't just openly talk about their powers, and the other senior, he's been doing an implausible job of keeping his mind closed; sealing his thoughts. Almost as well as me. . ."
"I did not call you here so you could complain and praise yourself!" She spoke in a frenzied voice. "He is not pleased with your behavior! He'll just as soon have both our heads if you don't progress."
Arisnoë sighed; this was not a battle she'd be winning any time soon. "I'm sorry for disappointing you milady. I'll try to make more progress."
Her overseer eyed her with suspicion. "Very well. But unless you want to find yourself back on the street as a psychic you had better break into this senior's chain of thoughts before our next conference."
Arisnoë winced, she had no desire to return to her past life. "Yes, milady." And as her mistress waved her hand in dismissal, Arisnoë found herself blinking back blinding sun light outside of Bayville, her thoughts drifting lazily to the task before her.
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"So, I was thinking maybe we could catch a movie after school . . . nah . . ." Evan casually leaned against the wall, his hands slipping into his pockets. "Hey Ari, how 'bout, after school, you and I . . . no, that's not right."
"Havin' an affair with ya mirror, Daniels?" Rogue drawled from her place in Evan's doorway.
Blushing furiously, Evan snapped "Whatcha want, Rogue?"
"Just wonderin' if ya knew what was goin' on 'round here. Everyone's been actin' so strange." She drawled languidly. "Or have you been too wrapped up in kissin' that mirror of yers?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Evan spoke through clenched teeth.
"How Jean won't look anyone in the eye and is avoiding Scott, Lance and Kitty cling ta each otha like there's no tomorra, and Kurt's so jittery that if ya approach him without warnin' he jumps a foot in the air."
"Of course I noticed," Evan jutted his chin out, puffing out his chest. "I just wasn't worried by matters that seemed so trivial."
"Oh, and I suppose practicin' lines to the mirror so that ya can win a date with Miss 'Zank you so much for you're kindness' isn't frivolous at all?"
Evan started at the statement.
"Nah, didn't think so." Rogue flipped her streaked hair and stalked out of the room.
Evan threw one last glance into the mirror and glared at his reflection. "Like you even stood a chance anyways." Grabbing his bag he stomped out of his room, vowing to spend less time dwelling on Arisnoë and more time on the problems of the Institute.
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Kurt moved slowly through the emptying hallway, as though he was swimming through a dream. He was going to be late for class again, but for some reason, he no longer cared. In the past, Kurt had dreaded school, dreaded the agonizing six hour days when the students would tease him for wearing the heavy coat and hat in the sweltering classroom, but recently he had learned to love school. Ever since he came to the Institute, had been given the image inducer, he had loved school, especially the early morning hours where he could sit through math class in the presence of . . .
"Kurt!" Amanda's soft voice beckoned to him.
"Amanda?" He lifted his eyes off the concrete to see her worried eyes staring back at him.
She ran down the hall, her braided hair flying out behind her. "Why aren't you in class?"
"Look who's talking,"
She blushed at his intense gaze; Kurt's eyes were normally full of laughter, but not today. "My dad just dropped me off; we had car trouble at home." She replied uneasily. "You?"
"Ah, I guess I just feel a little out of it zis morning." He smiled apologetically. "No rush for school."
"Yeah, I know what you mean; everyone's been so uptight lately, so school's been a major drag." Amanda smiled at Kurt's drained face. 'He hasn't been getting much sleep lately,' she thought, noting the heavy bags under his tired eyes. His almost bluish hair fell in a tangled mess over his head, giving him the look of someone who had rolled out of bed and just barely made it to school.
Kurt had just opened his mouth to say something when heavy footsteps echoed down the hall, followed by panting breaths. Both Kurt and Amanda turned just as Jamie Madrox came barreling down the hallway. Picking his eyes off the ground, Jamie seemed startled to see the two of them standing there, and he abruptly tried to stop running causing him to skid across the floor into a metal trash disposal. "Whoa, aaaaah!" He shrieked as he thudded against the garbage can, sending 10 different copies of him sprawling across the floor. Looking up at Amanda's startled face he muttered, "Uh- oh," then his eyes moved to Kurt with a worried expression as if to ask "Am I in trouble?"
Glancing from Jamie to Kurt, from Kurt to Jamie, an expression of understanding dawned on Amanda's face. "Oh, oh! Is he-? I mean. . . like you? Are there more than just you two?" Her eyes opened wide with excitement.
Kurt sighed as the Jamies lay confused on the floor. "Jamie, you better get yourself together and head to class, um, Amanda? I think we need to talk. . ."
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