Growing
Part 5
By Ruby
Things at the mansion were calm after the Danger Room incident. Bruises were tended to, egos remained more or less intact, and Jubilee got eighty dollars, a forced apology, but no respect from Marrow. For the rest of Generation X's stay Marrow avoided them as much as she could. Everyone was fine, though whenever Gambit made a slightly lewd comment or suggestion to one of them within Emma's earshot he would suddenly be seized by the urge to cluck.
One week later the trip back to the academy was surprisingly a great deal quieter than the trip to the mansion. It was mostly due to the softly snoring and sleeping Jubilee, but then most of the team was asleep too.
"Smart move, Cassidy," Skin whispered sarcastically from shotgun. He reclined back as much as he could without bumping into a teammate and placed his feet on the dashboard, he was the very picture of relaxation. "Leaving at four a.m."
"Wasn't my bloody idea," Sean muttered tiredly, wincing at the orange glow from the rising sun. "Was that cursed woman's."
"Sorry."
The van rode over a large pothole. "Ach…!"
"Can I drive?" Skin asked hopefully.
He gave his student an incredulous look. "No."
***
"Careful where yer drivin'," Jubilee yawned, awakened by the not-so-smooth journey back. The arm she had used as a pillow had fallen asleep, and she stretched to get rid of the pins-and-needles feeling. She heard Sean grumble something as another car swerved I front of him. "And watch the road rage… don't wanna be hitting too many trucks on the wrong side."
Out the window, the sky was a tint of bright, mid-morning blue that she had never seen before. There was no cloud in the sky, and the sun shone clear and pure. At the back of the van sat Jono, Paige, and M. Monet was awake, but the other two were still quietly sleeping on each other's side.
"Hey J, you're finally up," Ev said cheerfully. He was holding the deck of cards Gambit had given Paige and was playing solitaire on his lap. "Paige didn't need these so she let me borrow them. Want to play Blackjack?"
"Sure."
As Everett passed out the cards Jubilee heard M reading from her poem book.
"'The other day upon the stairs,'" Monet whispered. "'I met a man who wasn't there.'"
"Reading out loud?" Jubilee smirked. "I haven't done that since I was seven." Not to mention that she hadn't willingly touched a book since that age either.
It was familiar banter, one would say how childish the other was, and then the other would respond along the lines of "it takes one to know one." But M just stared vacantly at her book, only repeating the verses. "'The other day upon the stairs…'"
"Yoo-hoo? Earth to Miss Perfect?" She waved her right hand in front of the stone still girl. Taking back her arm she noticed that the prickly feeling was still there. "That's just great, she's off to Never Never Land and reading poetry while my arm goes numb from lack of blood flow."
"'I met a man who wasn't there, he wasn't there again today…'"
"Whatever you say." Jubilee flexed her arm and hand to get the feeling back to normal, but the tingling grew stronger instead. "Ev, something's wrong with my arm-"
"Dealer--nineteen," he said as he flipped the cards over, concentrating deeply. "Player--twelve. Dealer wins." He then shuffled the cards and dealt another hand.
"Hello? Are you listening to me?"
"Dealer--ten, player--three. Dealer wins."
"Apparently not. Ow!" Jubilee was worried; the tingling was starting to feel painful from the elbow down. Scanning it with her eyes it looked fine, but the fingers itched. She scratched them, still it didn't help.
"'He wasn't there again today, I wish that man would go away,'" M murmured.
"Dealer--nineteen, player--ten. Dealer wins again."
"Irish!" Jubilee was then scared, her fingers felt like they were on fire. "What the heck is going on? Ange?"
The two in front were semi-passively trying to convince the other that they could or could not drive.
"Si, I can," Angelo adamantly said.
"No," Sean answered flatly.
"Dealer--twelve, player--three. Dealer."
Suddenly the sky went blue-black, resembling more like twilight than morning. From the van's headlights she could see that they were driving through sand, and not asphalt roads.
"Hey, guys? This is really freakin' me out! Where are we? What the-? My hand-!" Jubilee was in full panic mode. The burning in her arm flared, and without warning her hand was sparkling like a week ago when she was in the Danger Room. The paffs nearly blinded Jubilee as she stuck her hand straight out. "Ev! Help!" His head finally turned to her, but instead seeing a friendly and familiar face she saw glowing eyes and a frightening grin.
"'I wish that man would go away…'"
The person sitting next to her was Bastion.
***
"Hey, J," Ev whispered to the head slumbering on his shoulder. "We're back. Wake up."
"Hmm… go away," Jubilee muttered in her sleep.
"I would, but you're on my shoulder." He gave her a gentle nudge so he could get out of the van. It still was an early Friday morning as the others stepped sleepily off and headed to their rooms. There were a few hours before class started so that the team could take a shower and eat. "Come on, you can go back to your room and sleep."
With a jolt Jubilee's eyes flew open. "What-?!" she shouted when she saw Ev; friendly, familiar Ev minus the glowing eyes and nasty sneer. She sighed in relief, it was a dream. "Oh."
"What's wrong?"
"Um…" She looked around, trying to think up an excuse for the impromptu yell. It was then that she noticed the pain in her arm. She lifted it, waved her fingers at her friend and gave a sheepish smile. "My arm's asleep."
End of Part 5
Part 5
By Ruby
Things at the mansion were calm after the Danger Room incident. Bruises were tended to, egos remained more or less intact, and Jubilee got eighty dollars, a forced apology, but no respect from Marrow. For the rest of Generation X's stay Marrow avoided them as much as she could. Everyone was fine, though whenever Gambit made a slightly lewd comment or suggestion to one of them within Emma's earshot he would suddenly be seized by the urge to cluck.
One week later the trip back to the academy was surprisingly a great deal quieter than the trip to the mansion. It was mostly due to the softly snoring and sleeping Jubilee, but then most of the team was asleep too.
"Smart move, Cassidy," Skin whispered sarcastically from shotgun. He reclined back as much as he could without bumping into a teammate and placed his feet on the dashboard, he was the very picture of relaxation. "Leaving at four a.m."
"Wasn't my bloody idea," Sean muttered tiredly, wincing at the orange glow from the rising sun. "Was that cursed woman's."
"Sorry."
The van rode over a large pothole. "Ach…!"
"Can I drive?" Skin asked hopefully.
He gave his student an incredulous look. "No."
***
"Careful where yer drivin'," Jubilee yawned, awakened by the not-so-smooth journey back. The arm she had used as a pillow had fallen asleep, and she stretched to get rid of the pins-and-needles feeling. She heard Sean grumble something as another car swerved I front of him. "And watch the road rage… don't wanna be hitting too many trucks on the wrong side."
Out the window, the sky was a tint of bright, mid-morning blue that she had never seen before. There was no cloud in the sky, and the sun shone clear and pure. At the back of the van sat Jono, Paige, and M. Monet was awake, but the other two were still quietly sleeping on each other's side.
"Hey J, you're finally up," Ev said cheerfully. He was holding the deck of cards Gambit had given Paige and was playing solitaire on his lap. "Paige didn't need these so she let me borrow them. Want to play Blackjack?"
"Sure."
As Everett passed out the cards Jubilee heard M reading from her poem book.
"'The other day upon the stairs,'" Monet whispered. "'I met a man who wasn't there.'"
"Reading out loud?" Jubilee smirked. "I haven't done that since I was seven." Not to mention that she hadn't willingly touched a book since that age either.
It was familiar banter, one would say how childish the other was, and then the other would respond along the lines of "it takes one to know one." But M just stared vacantly at her book, only repeating the verses. "'The other day upon the stairs…'"
"Yoo-hoo? Earth to Miss Perfect?" She waved her right hand in front of the stone still girl. Taking back her arm she noticed that the prickly feeling was still there. "That's just great, she's off to Never Never Land and reading poetry while my arm goes numb from lack of blood flow."
"'I met a man who wasn't there, he wasn't there again today…'"
"Whatever you say." Jubilee flexed her arm and hand to get the feeling back to normal, but the tingling grew stronger instead. "Ev, something's wrong with my arm-"
"Dealer--nineteen," he said as he flipped the cards over, concentrating deeply. "Player--twelve. Dealer wins." He then shuffled the cards and dealt another hand.
"Hello? Are you listening to me?"
"Dealer--ten, player--three. Dealer wins."
"Apparently not. Ow!" Jubilee was worried; the tingling was starting to feel painful from the elbow down. Scanning it with her eyes it looked fine, but the fingers itched. She scratched them, still it didn't help.
"'He wasn't there again today, I wish that man would go away,'" M murmured.
"Dealer--nineteen, player--ten. Dealer wins again."
"Irish!" Jubilee was then scared, her fingers felt like they were on fire. "What the heck is going on? Ange?"
The two in front were semi-passively trying to convince the other that they could or could not drive.
"Si, I can," Angelo adamantly said.
"No," Sean answered flatly.
"Dealer--twelve, player--three. Dealer."
Suddenly the sky went blue-black, resembling more like twilight than morning. From the van's headlights she could see that they were driving through sand, and not asphalt roads.
"Hey, guys? This is really freakin' me out! Where are we? What the-? My hand-!" Jubilee was in full panic mode. The burning in her arm flared, and without warning her hand was sparkling like a week ago when she was in the Danger Room. The paffs nearly blinded Jubilee as she stuck her hand straight out. "Ev! Help!" His head finally turned to her, but instead seeing a friendly and familiar face she saw glowing eyes and a frightening grin.
"'I wish that man would go away…'"
The person sitting next to her was Bastion.
***
"Hey, J," Ev whispered to the head slumbering on his shoulder. "We're back. Wake up."
"Hmm… go away," Jubilee muttered in her sleep.
"I would, but you're on my shoulder." He gave her a gentle nudge so he could get out of the van. It still was an early Friday morning as the others stepped sleepily off and headed to their rooms. There were a few hours before class started so that the team could take a shower and eat. "Come on, you can go back to your room and sleep."
With a jolt Jubilee's eyes flew open. "What-?!" she shouted when she saw Ev; friendly, familiar Ev minus the glowing eyes and nasty sneer. She sighed in relief, it was a dream. "Oh."
"What's wrong?"
"Um…" She looked around, trying to think up an excuse for the impromptu yell. It was then that she noticed the pain in her arm. She lifted it, waved her fingers at her friend and gave a sheepish smile. "My arm's asleep."
End of Part 5