Chapter 9: Secrets, School and Spies.
It was three days before going to school, so I decided to test out the sewing machine by making a simple doll out of calico, and then make some little clothes for her. I cut out two identical shapes for her, the sewed on a red mouth, two small blue buttons for her eyes and drew on nostrils and freckles. She looked so simple and pretty, I started to fantasize about what kind of clothes she'd have. Picking her hair colour was difficult, but in the end I settled for red wool which I glued on in her inside face, then sew her up, put stuffing in her and arranged her into pigtails and a fringe.
A knock came from the door.
"Enter!" I said while I worked on taking measurements for clothes.
"What are you making?" It was Jean, she looked tired as she'd been training in the danger room.
"A dolly, I'm testing my sewing skills using a machine. Did you want something?"
"No, just wanted to see what you were up to." She hesitated before asking, "Why don't you want to do the classes we do?"
I turned around and hugged the nude dolly, looking to the floor.
"I know you don't think you're the smartest of people, but you should at least give it a go."
"Jean, those aren't my strengths, they aren't my interests and I need these subjects. Its all I really know, and I will enjoy these. Do you see where I'm coming from?"
"No, not really. Just because you were poor doesn't mean you must take poor subjects."
"That was uncalled for, Jean!" I felt hot and angry inside, I couldn't believe she would say such a thing.
She realised what she said and left in a hurry, not even saying sorry. Rudeness!!!
I continued to draw up clothes and sew with my new machine until Kitty phased in. She saw the a small pile of pile dresses, shirts and skirts. I was currently working on a pair of yellow pants to go with a matching shirt I made earlier.
"What is this?" She asked, picking up the doll and admiring the dolly's clothes.
"Practise." I huffed, still grumpy about what Jean said earlier.
"Oh, if it's about the whole class thing, I couldn't care less. She was hoping all of us would be in mostly everyone here's class. I don't mind it if you want to sew and cook, that's what you like."
I finished the trousers and handed them to Kitty.
"What do you want me to do with these?" She asked, a little puzzled.
"Can you see if they fit her…and thanks, I really appreciate what you just said". It is just the way Jean said it that hurt so much."
"Why, what did she say?" Moving forward hoping for a bit of gossip.
"No, I can't say."
"Aww, I wanted to know so badly to, because Jean is looking all sorry for herself about something."
She put dolly down on the bed with her trousers and a red and white striped shirt on.
"Well, we're going out for pizza. Would you like to come with?"
"I'm not hungry, I wish to be left alone a while. Thanks for the offer, though."
Kitty left disappointed and I assumed she went downstairs to join the others for pizzas.
The next two days, I made the breakfasts, lunches and dinners for everyone, cleaned the kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms, changed the burnt out light bulbs, mowed the lawns and tended to the gardens. I also took the liberty of polishing everyone's leather shoes and waterproofed them too. I was just about to go wash the windows when Logan approached me.
"You've been working too hard, don't you have something you could do for yourself?"
"Nope Logan, I'm fine." I turned away from him quickly, but he grabbed my arm.
"Look, I know you're angry about something, care to tell me about it?"
I repeated my last answer and he growled as he tightened his grip on me.
In an attempt to change the conversation, I brought up my metal skin fluid.
"No, Xavier is still working on that. He's figured out what the substance is, and its radioactive but hasn't quite figured out why it hasn't killed you."
"Because I'm a mutant, Logan. That's why!" I smiled but he wasn't letting me go that easily.
"Logan, can I go now, your grip is a little strong."
He did and turned to leave, probably to go to a bar on his motorcycle. Before he made the door, I called to him. "Thanks for the blood!"
"How did you know?" I heard in the distance, but I had vanished from site up the staircase.
That afternoon, I locked my door and sat at my machine making more dollies and clothes for them. Before dinner, I had made three other dollies with brown or black hair, button eyes and all wearing yellow trousers and matching shirt. I was cutting up some patterns for a bag when I heard my watch beep. A quarter to seven, the buzzer went off which was when I usually went to the kitchen to make salads and re-heat whatever I cooked earlier for dinner.
Making my way down, I wasn't concentrating on what I was doing. I kept think back to almost a week ago. That voice had haunted my thoughts for a while, the voice I couldn't put a face to. Kurt and I had been making out on the floor when the window opened and someone spoke, but when we broke off and looked, there was no one there. Kurt wanted to raise the alarm but I had convinced him not to, as they had done no real damage.
I must have misplaced a step and went tumbling half way down the stairs to the floor. Sprawled out on my back, I gave a small yelp of pain before sitting up and rubbing my bumps. I felt alone, as nobody had come along to see if I was O.K.
I made my way back up the stairs and to my room, to continue sewing, I felt in no mood to face anyone, and it didn't seem anybody was around to care if I had prepared dinner or not.
On returning to my room, I heard the window creak open and another person had become present.
The voice returned as well. "Where's everybody gone? Don't they love you anymore, poor baby?"
I turned around, snatching a pillow off my bed and throwing it at the person.
"You'll have to be quicker than that to get me."
"Quicksilver, what are you-why are you here?" I said, furious that he'd dared to come back again.
"To visit my favourite mutant of the month. I hear you'll be going to the local school, well guess what? I go there also, and so does all the rest of the brotherhood. And for the record, you're going to look pretty silly calling me Quicksilver." He sped over so fast, his arm snaked around my shoulders before I could do anything. "Its Pietro and my comrade Avalanche, is Lance."
He leaned in close holding me tightly. I tried to wriggle out of his grip but he kept coming closer to my face. His lips brushed mine in a single kiss, then we locked as he grabbed my arms and tripped me falling on top.
"Nooo! Stop it, please!" I screamed as he leaned in closer against me. "Stop it, you'll be caught!"
He broke off and ran to the window, hanging off the shutter, his parting words were. "I'll never be caught, you can't catch me."
I got up and ran to the window, closing the shutters and jumping onto my bed. That night I cried myself to sleep. I felt so violated and to think I would have to deal with him as he went to the same school I was going to.
It felt like I had just blinked, but my watched beeped to signal that it was time for me to get the breakfast on and get ready for my first day at school. I walked downstairs wrapped in a dressing gown, covering my orange shirt and jeans that I had worn to bed that night. Logan was usually the first one down to eat, so I made him coffee and prepared a slice of toast with strawberry jam.
"You look awful today, you didn't stay up all night for your first day, did you?"
"No Logan, I didn't. I'm just under the weather, that's all."
Kurt appeared and seeing me, turned in the opposite direction back to his room.
I didn't inquire, I remained silent, only saying things when asked by teachers. When students came up to me in school, I'd give them a smile and shove off. They didn't bother following me trying to get a word out of me.
Finally, it came to the last class of the day, sewing class. I sat down, signed a few papers that the school said was for our own safety and then the teacher informed us on our assignment. We were to make an item of clothing that was both functional and fashionable.
'Easy, I'll just make a skirt!' I thought to myself.
"But first, you must learn how to use a sewing machine. Take these patterns and sew as neatly as possible on the lines." The teacher said.
I felt utterly disgusted she asked me to do such an easy task, but I completed it nether less. Then, I borrowed the pattern for a wrap around skirt, copied it onto some baking paper I stole out of the cooking room and the bell rang. Class was over, it seemed so painless, school that is, not hard at all.
At my locker, I was greeted by Evan and Kitty.
"So, how do you like it here?" Evan asked, looking eager to on his skateboard and go.
"Oh, its O.K. Not the best but it will do. I think I'll do better than everyone else in my sewing class for at least this term."
"Really, how's that?"
"I'm the only one who has their design and I'm one step in front of the rest. What class do you two have on at that time?"
"We have shop class. We had so much fun." Kitty said, and she dangled in front of me a heart she'd cut from wood and attached to a key ring. Suddenly, it was ripped from Kitty's hand in an instant.
"What the- I bet I know who did that!"
"Come get it Kitty, its over here-up there, can she get it, who knows?!" Pietro was buzzing around me while Kitty just looked at her watch then returning with a frown.
"Pietro, that ain't funny. Give it back, you're so immature!" I slammed my locker closed and Pietro sunk to the floor.
"Owww! Meany!" He got up and sped off, leaving me with Kitty's woodwork.
"Selaeste, you do realise who that was, didn't you?" Kitty asked, she bit her lip in her nervous fashion.
"Yeah, I know."
"And you're alright with that?"
"Yeah. I hardly think they'd be stupid enough to attack us here."
On arrival home, the Professor made me go to the library for some extra tuition in English, Math and Sciences. Then, at six thirty I'd prepare dinners, wash up and spend half an hour before bed reading up on recipes and sewing as for extra homework. Everyone went to the danger room for practise until about nine thirty, then it was bedtime for all of us. This went on for a whole month, basically the same routine, until Logan met me at the door with a disturbing gaze and a tight grip.
"What's on your mind, Logan?"
"You know exactly, come with me." He threw me a helmet and dragged me out to his motorcycle.
Kitty passed us concerned but took my books from me. On the way out and to the garage, Kurt met up with us.
"Going somevair vith Logan huh? Can I come too?"
"I don't think so, sorry Kurt." I told him as I was yanked into the garage by the collar of my shirt.
He sat me on the bike, got on and started her up. She purred out of the garage, out the gate and after an hour we sat inside a rough dive of a bar. Logan sat drink his second beer when he turned to me.
"I thought Charles was never supposed to tell you, why didn't he keep his promise?"
Taking his hand in mine, I tried to put on a kinder face. "He did keep his promise. But I knew all along that it was you that donated the blood, well I assumed it was you only. Isn't that right?"
"Yeah, but how could you possibly know?"
"Logan, even if I told you, you still wouldn't believe me."
"Try me." He growled and took another gulp of his beer.
"Well, you know when you die, that you either go to heaven or hell when you're judged?"
Logan's face changed into a curious smile. "I don't know, I haven't died recently to say?"
"Shut up. That's the main theory I have. Anyway, I was greeted by someone that said I had so little chance to live or I could die and wonder around as a spirit and do jack all. I opted for life, as you can see. But before I came back, I noticed you in the room with Kurt-"
"Ah, Kurt!" He chuckled as he cut me off. "Yeah, he was pretty upset when we thought you wouldn't make it. Hey, are you two, you know, an item."
I gave him a look to signify I was unimpressed with what he'd said. "Anyway, when I saw you, there was bandage wrapped around your arm and I just came to the assumption that you must have saved my life. I'm very grateful for it!"
"I guess. You won't tell anyone else, you haven't told?"
"No, I haven't said anything to anyone. Do you know anyone else that knows?"
He shook his head. "Well, you know my secret, let's exchange it for one of yours, shall we?"
"I don't think that would be wise, Logan. Anything I say I have a fear of incriminating myself."
"C'mon! You must have something you can tell me?"
I thought back to when I had a visit from Pietro, it wasn't the last because I knew before I went to bed he was there in a tree, watching me with the window open. I couple of times, I went to shut it but was greeted by him and he give me an enforced kiss and say he'd be watching me, everywhere!
That guy was well and truly freaky, but if I told anyone, I would just get more trouble.
"Hey, you wake up. Where did you go?"
I must have lost track in my thoughts, Logan became worried as my attention span had just vanished.
"What was that, Logan?"
"Never mind, sorry I asked?"
//Sorry you asked what, Logan?\\
Now he was annoyed. "Don't do that, not here!"
//Why, only you can hear me, no one else.\\
He finished his beer and threw the helmet at my gut. "Let's get out of here."
We made for the door and started up the bike. Sitting there waiting for Logan to get on, I went for one last try to get whatever he held in him out.
//Logan, is something bothering you or the Professor? You can't keep things from me.\\
"O.K. Enough with the messages, already! Xavier thinks there's been an intruder on the grounds and he seem mighty interested in your window too. You wouldn't know what's going on, not keeping anything from us?"
"No Logan." I hated lying, but I was afraid of the trouble I would have caused admitting to him about Pietro.
"Well, that's settled, let's get back!" He said, and revved up the motorcycle and squealed out of the parking lot.
A.T.- Selaeste is being a bit naughty, but I'm sure you or one of your friends has been in this situation before.
It was three days before going to school, so I decided to test out the sewing machine by making a simple doll out of calico, and then make some little clothes for her. I cut out two identical shapes for her, the sewed on a red mouth, two small blue buttons for her eyes and drew on nostrils and freckles. She looked so simple and pretty, I started to fantasize about what kind of clothes she'd have. Picking her hair colour was difficult, but in the end I settled for red wool which I glued on in her inside face, then sew her up, put stuffing in her and arranged her into pigtails and a fringe.
A knock came from the door.
"Enter!" I said while I worked on taking measurements for clothes.
"What are you making?" It was Jean, she looked tired as she'd been training in the danger room.
"A dolly, I'm testing my sewing skills using a machine. Did you want something?"
"No, just wanted to see what you were up to." She hesitated before asking, "Why don't you want to do the classes we do?"
I turned around and hugged the nude dolly, looking to the floor.
"I know you don't think you're the smartest of people, but you should at least give it a go."
"Jean, those aren't my strengths, they aren't my interests and I need these subjects. Its all I really know, and I will enjoy these. Do you see where I'm coming from?"
"No, not really. Just because you were poor doesn't mean you must take poor subjects."
"That was uncalled for, Jean!" I felt hot and angry inside, I couldn't believe she would say such a thing.
She realised what she said and left in a hurry, not even saying sorry. Rudeness!!!
I continued to draw up clothes and sew with my new machine until Kitty phased in. She saw the a small pile of pile dresses, shirts and skirts. I was currently working on a pair of yellow pants to go with a matching shirt I made earlier.
"What is this?" She asked, picking up the doll and admiring the dolly's clothes.
"Practise." I huffed, still grumpy about what Jean said earlier.
"Oh, if it's about the whole class thing, I couldn't care less. She was hoping all of us would be in mostly everyone here's class. I don't mind it if you want to sew and cook, that's what you like."
I finished the trousers and handed them to Kitty.
"What do you want me to do with these?" She asked, a little puzzled.
"Can you see if they fit her…and thanks, I really appreciate what you just said". It is just the way Jean said it that hurt so much."
"Why, what did she say?" Moving forward hoping for a bit of gossip.
"No, I can't say."
"Aww, I wanted to know so badly to, because Jean is looking all sorry for herself about something."
She put dolly down on the bed with her trousers and a red and white striped shirt on.
"Well, we're going out for pizza. Would you like to come with?"
"I'm not hungry, I wish to be left alone a while. Thanks for the offer, though."
Kitty left disappointed and I assumed she went downstairs to join the others for pizzas.
The next two days, I made the breakfasts, lunches and dinners for everyone, cleaned the kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms, changed the burnt out light bulbs, mowed the lawns and tended to the gardens. I also took the liberty of polishing everyone's leather shoes and waterproofed them too. I was just about to go wash the windows when Logan approached me.
"You've been working too hard, don't you have something you could do for yourself?"
"Nope Logan, I'm fine." I turned away from him quickly, but he grabbed my arm.
"Look, I know you're angry about something, care to tell me about it?"
I repeated my last answer and he growled as he tightened his grip on me.
In an attempt to change the conversation, I brought up my metal skin fluid.
"No, Xavier is still working on that. He's figured out what the substance is, and its radioactive but hasn't quite figured out why it hasn't killed you."
"Because I'm a mutant, Logan. That's why!" I smiled but he wasn't letting me go that easily.
"Logan, can I go now, your grip is a little strong."
He did and turned to leave, probably to go to a bar on his motorcycle. Before he made the door, I called to him. "Thanks for the blood!"
"How did you know?" I heard in the distance, but I had vanished from site up the staircase.
That afternoon, I locked my door and sat at my machine making more dollies and clothes for them. Before dinner, I had made three other dollies with brown or black hair, button eyes and all wearing yellow trousers and matching shirt. I was cutting up some patterns for a bag when I heard my watch beep. A quarter to seven, the buzzer went off which was when I usually went to the kitchen to make salads and re-heat whatever I cooked earlier for dinner.
Making my way down, I wasn't concentrating on what I was doing. I kept think back to almost a week ago. That voice had haunted my thoughts for a while, the voice I couldn't put a face to. Kurt and I had been making out on the floor when the window opened and someone spoke, but when we broke off and looked, there was no one there. Kurt wanted to raise the alarm but I had convinced him not to, as they had done no real damage.
I must have misplaced a step and went tumbling half way down the stairs to the floor. Sprawled out on my back, I gave a small yelp of pain before sitting up and rubbing my bumps. I felt alone, as nobody had come along to see if I was O.K.
I made my way back up the stairs and to my room, to continue sewing, I felt in no mood to face anyone, and it didn't seem anybody was around to care if I had prepared dinner or not.
On returning to my room, I heard the window creak open and another person had become present.
The voice returned as well. "Where's everybody gone? Don't they love you anymore, poor baby?"
I turned around, snatching a pillow off my bed and throwing it at the person.
"You'll have to be quicker than that to get me."
"Quicksilver, what are you-why are you here?" I said, furious that he'd dared to come back again.
"To visit my favourite mutant of the month. I hear you'll be going to the local school, well guess what? I go there also, and so does all the rest of the brotherhood. And for the record, you're going to look pretty silly calling me Quicksilver." He sped over so fast, his arm snaked around my shoulders before I could do anything. "Its Pietro and my comrade Avalanche, is Lance."
He leaned in close holding me tightly. I tried to wriggle out of his grip but he kept coming closer to my face. His lips brushed mine in a single kiss, then we locked as he grabbed my arms and tripped me falling on top.
"Nooo! Stop it, please!" I screamed as he leaned in closer against me. "Stop it, you'll be caught!"
He broke off and ran to the window, hanging off the shutter, his parting words were. "I'll never be caught, you can't catch me."
I got up and ran to the window, closing the shutters and jumping onto my bed. That night I cried myself to sleep. I felt so violated and to think I would have to deal with him as he went to the same school I was going to.
It felt like I had just blinked, but my watched beeped to signal that it was time for me to get the breakfast on and get ready for my first day at school. I walked downstairs wrapped in a dressing gown, covering my orange shirt and jeans that I had worn to bed that night. Logan was usually the first one down to eat, so I made him coffee and prepared a slice of toast with strawberry jam.
"You look awful today, you didn't stay up all night for your first day, did you?"
"No Logan, I didn't. I'm just under the weather, that's all."
Kurt appeared and seeing me, turned in the opposite direction back to his room.
I didn't inquire, I remained silent, only saying things when asked by teachers. When students came up to me in school, I'd give them a smile and shove off. They didn't bother following me trying to get a word out of me.
Finally, it came to the last class of the day, sewing class. I sat down, signed a few papers that the school said was for our own safety and then the teacher informed us on our assignment. We were to make an item of clothing that was both functional and fashionable.
'Easy, I'll just make a skirt!' I thought to myself.
"But first, you must learn how to use a sewing machine. Take these patterns and sew as neatly as possible on the lines." The teacher said.
I felt utterly disgusted she asked me to do such an easy task, but I completed it nether less. Then, I borrowed the pattern for a wrap around skirt, copied it onto some baking paper I stole out of the cooking room and the bell rang. Class was over, it seemed so painless, school that is, not hard at all.
At my locker, I was greeted by Evan and Kitty.
"So, how do you like it here?" Evan asked, looking eager to on his skateboard and go.
"Oh, its O.K. Not the best but it will do. I think I'll do better than everyone else in my sewing class for at least this term."
"Really, how's that?"
"I'm the only one who has their design and I'm one step in front of the rest. What class do you two have on at that time?"
"We have shop class. We had so much fun." Kitty said, and she dangled in front of me a heart she'd cut from wood and attached to a key ring. Suddenly, it was ripped from Kitty's hand in an instant.
"What the- I bet I know who did that!"
"Come get it Kitty, its over here-up there, can she get it, who knows?!" Pietro was buzzing around me while Kitty just looked at her watch then returning with a frown.
"Pietro, that ain't funny. Give it back, you're so immature!" I slammed my locker closed and Pietro sunk to the floor.
"Owww! Meany!" He got up and sped off, leaving me with Kitty's woodwork.
"Selaeste, you do realise who that was, didn't you?" Kitty asked, she bit her lip in her nervous fashion.
"Yeah, I know."
"And you're alright with that?"
"Yeah. I hardly think they'd be stupid enough to attack us here."
On arrival home, the Professor made me go to the library for some extra tuition in English, Math and Sciences. Then, at six thirty I'd prepare dinners, wash up and spend half an hour before bed reading up on recipes and sewing as for extra homework. Everyone went to the danger room for practise until about nine thirty, then it was bedtime for all of us. This went on for a whole month, basically the same routine, until Logan met me at the door with a disturbing gaze and a tight grip.
"What's on your mind, Logan?"
"You know exactly, come with me." He threw me a helmet and dragged me out to his motorcycle.
Kitty passed us concerned but took my books from me. On the way out and to the garage, Kurt met up with us.
"Going somevair vith Logan huh? Can I come too?"
"I don't think so, sorry Kurt." I told him as I was yanked into the garage by the collar of my shirt.
He sat me on the bike, got on and started her up. She purred out of the garage, out the gate and after an hour we sat inside a rough dive of a bar. Logan sat drink his second beer when he turned to me.
"I thought Charles was never supposed to tell you, why didn't he keep his promise?"
Taking his hand in mine, I tried to put on a kinder face. "He did keep his promise. But I knew all along that it was you that donated the blood, well I assumed it was you only. Isn't that right?"
"Yeah, but how could you possibly know?"
"Logan, even if I told you, you still wouldn't believe me."
"Try me." He growled and took another gulp of his beer.
"Well, you know when you die, that you either go to heaven or hell when you're judged?"
Logan's face changed into a curious smile. "I don't know, I haven't died recently to say?"
"Shut up. That's the main theory I have. Anyway, I was greeted by someone that said I had so little chance to live or I could die and wonder around as a spirit and do jack all. I opted for life, as you can see. But before I came back, I noticed you in the room with Kurt-"
"Ah, Kurt!" He chuckled as he cut me off. "Yeah, he was pretty upset when we thought you wouldn't make it. Hey, are you two, you know, an item."
I gave him a look to signify I was unimpressed with what he'd said. "Anyway, when I saw you, there was bandage wrapped around your arm and I just came to the assumption that you must have saved my life. I'm very grateful for it!"
"I guess. You won't tell anyone else, you haven't told?"
"No, I haven't said anything to anyone. Do you know anyone else that knows?"
He shook his head. "Well, you know my secret, let's exchange it for one of yours, shall we?"
"I don't think that would be wise, Logan. Anything I say I have a fear of incriminating myself."
"C'mon! You must have something you can tell me?"
I thought back to when I had a visit from Pietro, it wasn't the last because I knew before I went to bed he was there in a tree, watching me with the window open. I couple of times, I went to shut it but was greeted by him and he give me an enforced kiss and say he'd be watching me, everywhere!
That guy was well and truly freaky, but if I told anyone, I would just get more trouble.
"Hey, you wake up. Where did you go?"
I must have lost track in my thoughts, Logan became worried as my attention span had just vanished.
"What was that, Logan?"
"Never mind, sorry I asked?"
//Sorry you asked what, Logan?\\
Now he was annoyed. "Don't do that, not here!"
//Why, only you can hear me, no one else.\\
He finished his beer and threw the helmet at my gut. "Let's get out of here."
We made for the door and started up the bike. Sitting there waiting for Logan to get on, I went for one last try to get whatever he held in him out.
//Logan, is something bothering you or the Professor? You can't keep things from me.\\
"O.K. Enough with the messages, already! Xavier thinks there's been an intruder on the grounds and he seem mighty interested in your window too. You wouldn't know what's going on, not keeping anything from us?"
"No Logan." I hated lying, but I was afraid of the trouble I would have caused admitting to him about Pietro.
"Well, that's settled, let's get back!" He said, and revved up the motorcycle and squealed out of the parking lot.
A.T.- Selaeste is being a bit naughty, but I'm sure you or one of your friends has been in this situation before.