ONCE AGAIN, I apologize to all those that read this for taking so long to post this chapter (which is kind of boring and slow btw) I have had so much freaking homework, and like no free time to write…BUT I WILL MAKE TIME IN THE FUTURE! I PROMISE! * lol*. So, yeah like I said, sorry for this boring chapter, the next one will be better hopefully. And I DON NOT OWN THE X-MEN! Cuz if I did, I wouldn't be living in HICK-TOWN USA! And keep in mind ppl, I am kind of twisting the whole Marrow-joining-the-xmen thing around, sorry…it fits my plot better. Hope u love my story so far J

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"Like, oh my gosh Kitty! Did you hear about that girl that…" I heard Jubilee shriek to Kitty from the kitchen. I rethought going into the kitchen, did I really want to get tangled up in teenage girl gossip? No, I didn't, but I was really hungry since I hadn't eaten since I arrived.

"I totally cannot even believe that! It's so completely bogus!" Kitty gasped a little then started giggling with Jubilee right before I walked into the kitchen. But when I actually set foot inside the kitchen, the two girls stared at me in silence.

I grabbed an orange from a basket on the table, "What? Do I have something on my face…" I know that I didn't look too pretty in the morning…but my God, they were staring at me like I was the damned ghost of Christmas past.

"Um, no, nothing." Jubilee elbowed Kitty softly in her side.

"Yeah, um, morning Sarah." She quickly looked down at her cereal bowl and lifted another spoonful up to her mouth.

I raised an eyebrow at the two, "Whatever…" I took a seat in one of the chairs surrounding the table. It was set for what looked like 15 or 20, at least. Everyone must've already eaten. I shrugged and grabbed the newspaper from the middle of the table.

After a few minutes of complete silence I heard Kitty whispering something to Jubilee, obviously something not meant for me to hear. I turned around in my chair, "You two mind tellin' me why the hell you're actin' like you're scared outta your pretty little heads?"

Jubilee and Kitty jerked their heads up.

Jubilee gulped, "Um, well…we were just kind of…talking about…how you…" she glanced at Kitty for help.

Kitty continued, sounded somewhat tentative, "We both heard you scream last night…and it was, sorta, kinda freaky…" she dragged out the last word in nervousness.

"It was nuthin' but a dream." I began to peel the orange. I set the small bits and pieces of the fruit's skin in a small pile on the table.

"It was kinda loud, for just a dream." Jubilee pointed out. Kitty nodded, agreeing with her.

I glared at them, "Well, it WAS just a dream, and next time, talk to me to my face, not behind my back, ok?

They both nodded meekly.

"We were afraid that you would totally…freak out…" Jubilee said, "That's why we didn't ask ya."

Kitty interrupted, "Kinda like Mr. Logan does." She stopped for a moment, "You two are a lot a like, ya know?".

"Me and the old windbag…alike? Yeah, you keep on thinking that in that weird mind of yours…" I said, not taking my attention off the paper. I peeled of a segment of the orange and slid it into my mouth, biting down and savoring the sweet juice.

All of a sudden I heard a * BAMF *, "You t'zoo are actually very much alike, zu are bo'f rude and unsociable." Figures, Kurt popped into the kitchen, squeezing his way between Kitty and Jubilee.

Kitty playfully slugged him in the shoulder. If it woulda been me, I would've shoved my fist through his eye socket, "I didn't mean you two were alike, like that. You two are both so…mysterious."

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Mysterious, huh?" I started laughing. That was definitely not a word I've ever used to describe myself; rude, yes, insulting, too many times to count, ugly, more than a few times, but mysterious? No that was a new one.

Jubilee nodded in agreement with Kitty, "Ya know, Wolvie has nightmares in the middle of the night too. Most of the time he wakes up the whole West Wing of the mansion."

I shook my head. These kids were just too weird. I got up, leaving the newspaper in its place on the table.

I heard Kitty yell bye as I left; weird, strange kids. They accepted me like it was nothing, well except for Kurt. Maybe they just didn't ever know the extent of my previous crimes. Then comparing me to old man. Me and him alike, no if that's not the most fucked up thing I'd ever heard. Wow, yeah those kids ARE messed up. I shook my head again. The people here, at the mansion, were too confusing to even try to figure out, so even why try.

I stopped thinking when I passed a mirror in the hallway. I never, EVER, used to look in mirrors; I was too ugly (and still am). But when I stared at myself in the mirror, I saw my soft crimson tousled hair, flopping every which way on my head. The greasy mess disgusted me. Compared to everyone else here, I did look like nothing more than a street rat. A shower definitely couldn't do any harm.

I spun back toward the direction of my room. I stepped into the small private bathroom that each of the older members of the X-Men was privileged with having. But, as I was reaching for a towel, I questioned what I was doing. I never used to care what I looked like, I didn't have no one to impress. No you do, I told myself, you have a whole mansion to impress. Maybe, just maybe, this could help me a little with getting accepted into this place. As I was rotating the shower knobs around, trying to get the right water temperature, I couldn't help but take notice at how different I was. I wasn't sure whether or not it was a good different, but it was definitely different.