Touched



Chapter Five



"Shawn. Wait." Ladha called as she ran after Shawn.

Shawn didn't even slow down. He charged to the elevator and had no problem closing the door behind him.

Ladha caught up just in time and jumped into the elevator.

Shawn moaned. "Just leave me alone okay?"

"No. Talk to me." Ladha said sternly.

"I don't want to talk to anyone, especially you." Although he was Shawn again he looked at himself with disgust. "How could you touch me when I was that thing."

"You're still you. It's just another part of you."

"Yeagh. The freak part and Xavier, how could he do that to me?"

The elevator stopped on the next floor and the doors opened. Shawn walked out into the hallway and again Ladha followed. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"You can't let him do this to you Shawn. It'll drive you crazy and then you'll be no good to anybody."

Shawn bowed his head. He could not shake the image of his transparent form from his mind

"I hate it here too okay and I bet we're not the only ones. But we'll work through it together."

"We're a small army Ladha. Those kids outside, they looked like they were having a ball of a time. Don't fancy making them all hate me for being all anti-Xavier."

"They're not the only ones here though. Like your room mate, Marco."

Shawn raised a questioning eyebrow. "Marco? You know Marco?"

Ladha nodded. "We've met and I can tell you he hates it here as well. That's an army of three."

"I'm not liking the army terminology so much anymore." Shawn sighed.

"The three of us. We'll look for a way to work through this. Just trust me." Ladha touched Shawn's arm.

"I hate it here." Shawn grumbled.

"Go and get some rest then. Or talk to Marco. He may be a tad annoying sometimes but he's a good guy."

Shawn walked to his room and opened the door. "I'll see you later then." He disappeared into his room.



Before Shawn lay down on his bed he poked it a couple of times. When nothing unbed-like happened, he lay down. Suddenly the door burst open and Marco came bouncing in.

"That Xavier's a real head trip ain't he? Two minutes with him and I feel like I need a lobotomy." Marco leaped onto his own bed. "He gets into your head and I don't know about you but I didn't allow an all access pass on my brain."

Shawn agreed. "I thought he was supposed to help me. All he's managed to do was make me more nuts than I already am."

"Made you use your power huh? Me too. I had to morph but he only had copies of wildlife magazines and I'm not too proud of having to morph into a prairie dog. I'm taking that one to the grave."

"Do you know a girl named Ladha?" Shawn asked.

Marco shivered and let out a sort of girly giggle. "She's definitely a H.A.C."

Shawn was puzzled. "A what?"

Marco grinned. "Hot African Chick. Duh!"

"Oh silly me."

"I thought that up. It's copy right, I don't want to hear you slinging that around." Marco warned.

"I'll do my best. She's kind of cool."

"Yeagh she is. She hates it here too. Talked to her when I first got here."

Shawn chuckled. "She was saying you and I should bond. We have something in common apparently."

Marco sat up in his bed and looked over at Shawn. "You hate it too? Mutual loathing. Just the kind of thing to bring two guys from different sides of the tracks together."

"I don't want to date you or anything. Just might be nice to have a friend who has the same way of thinking."

Marco grinned. "Oh so I'm a friend now? This morning you were probably imagining a piano falling out of the sky and crushing me into the carpet."

"It was an anvil" Shawn laughed.

"Anvil, piano, either way I was heading for smooshville. Now we're friends?"

Shawn also sat up. "Ladha's cool but she's a you know.."

"H.A.C.?" Marco said.

Shawn frowned, growing weary of the acronym. "A girl. I'm not use to having friends with girl parts."

"So I'm your friend with guy parts? And you thought H.A.C. was dorky?"

"Forget it" Shawn grunted as he lay back down on the bed.

"No, no, I'll take the job. Be your companion or what ever. Why the hell not. There's nothing else to do in this prison." Marco hopped over to Shawn's bed and nudged his leg. "Hey. Want me to morph into a flexible Play Boy Bunny and put my legs behind my head so we can take pictures?"

Shawn laughed, mostly because of how stupid Marco was. But a minor part of his laughter was because for the first time since he got here, he didn't hate himself.



The next morning when Shawn woke up his face hurt. He had laughed so much the night before and had to admit that Ladah was right. Marco was annoying. But she was right about another thing, he wasn't a bad guy. They talked and joked until the wee hours until both of them were too tired to laugh anymore.

Shawn staggered out of bed and let out a loud yawn. He looked over at Marco who was still fast asleep with his bony arms hanging over the bed.

"Trick" Shawn called. "Get up. I'm hungry." Shawn thought for a moment. "Say. If you morphed into a chocolate sundae could I eat you?"

Marco rolled onto his back. "Not before I kick your ass." he snorted.

Shawn chuckled as he began to sort through his drawers, picking out clothes for the day ahead.

Marco was not as enthusiastic. He stayed lying down and pulled the covers over his head to block out the sunlight. "I think breakfast is on. You should go to the dining hall."

Shawn pulled on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. "You not coming?"

Marco waved a hand under the blanket. "You go ahead. I'm going to sleep a little more."

"Won't that get the teachers angry?"

"What are they going to do? Kick me out? They'll be doing me a favour." Marco yawned. "I'll catch up with you later."

"Okay" Shawn said. He walked out of the room and hopped into the elevator. It wasn't until he got downstairs that he realised he had no idea on where the dining hall was. Maybe he should have taken Jubilee up on her offer. He stood aimlessly in the hall way looking in every direction until the elevator door opened again.

Ladha stepped out and smiled brightly when she saw Shawn.

"Hey you. What's up?" She asked.

"You are so the person I want to see right now."

"Lucky me."

"I am starving. Where can I get some food?"

Ladha laughed and pointed down the hallway. "Foods that way. Come on, I could do with some breakfast too."



Again Shawn found himself surrounded by normal looking kids. He and Ladha headed for the cereal table and Shawn began to pile his bowl with corn flakes.

"There he is" Jubilee squealed when she spied Shawn. Than her sweet look turned sour. "Oh. He's with her again."

"Looks like they're getting along." Rogue said. "You may have to admit defeat."

"No way. He's going to like me whether he likes it or not." Jubilee said.

"Shawn." Ororo said as she stood behind him.

Shawn paused his corn flake shovelling to look at Ororo. "Oh. Hi."

"I thought it was best that you get to know everyone. Perhaps have a good look around the school. It's nice to see you and Ladha getting on." Ororo looked around the dining hall and smiled as her eyes settled on the table Jubilee and Rogue were sitting at. "I think I have just the girl."

Ororo headed towards the table.

"Guess I'll see you later then." Shawn said to Ladha.

"Good luck." Ladha whispered.

Shawn followed Ororo with bowl in hand. He saw Jubilee sitting at the table and suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore.

"Good morning girls." Ororo greeted.

Rogue and Jubilee looked up and a blinding smile suddenly enveloped Jubilees' face when she saw Shawn.

"This is Shawn Fitzsimmons. I was hoping one of you could show him around, make him feel at home." Ororo said.

Jubilee jumped up from her chair and straightened out her coat. "Sure. No problem."

"You have a test this morning Jubilee. I was hoping Rogue could do it."

Rogue almost choked on her cereal. She coughed roughly. "Me. Why me?"

Ororo laughed. "Well you've been here for awhile now and I know for a fact you don't have any pressing classes this morning. What do you say?"

Rogue looked at Shawn. "Sure. I guess."

"Good. Well then. I will leave you two alone to get know each other."

Shawn stood there for awhile even after Ororo had left. He wasn't sure whether to sit down or find another table.

"Cool streaks" he said blankly.

Rogue tucked the prominent white streaks of hair behind her ears. "Oh, thanks."

"Well sit down." Jubilee said with urgency.

Shawn did as he was told and sat down next to Rogue at the table. It was then that her face came into full view and for a moment Shawn wondered if she had the same power as Ladha. Her face was engaging, so pale but yet bursting with colour. Shawn hadn't felt this way for awhile. It was nice.

"So..." Rogue started, trying to begin a conversation. "Where are you from?"

"A town called Calbert." Shawn replied.

"Never heard of it." Rogue said.

"You wouldn't want to. It's kind of a mutant free zone. Found that out the hard way."

"Sucks huh?" Rogue sighed. "Been there."

"Not that this place is much better. I'd rather be exiled that have every one asking me if I'm okay."

"You're angry because every one cares?" Rogue sniggered. "Would you prefer we chase you with pitch forks?"

"Now, now Rogue, don't be so hostile towards the newbie." Jubilee interrupted.

Shawn wished he had not opened his mouth. Ladha was right. They were an army of three.

Jubilee leant close to Shawn. "Don't listen to here. You're free to think what ever you want. I encourage sharing in a relationship if you were wondering."

Bobby jumped into the seat on the other side of Rogue and touched her cheek softly. "Morning."

Shawn watched Rogue's face light up when she saw him. He hung his head.

"What, did you sleep in?" Rogue asked.

"Must of been all that exciting calculus homework. Wore me out." Bobby replied.

Jubilee rolled her eyes and looked back at Shawn. "Ignore them. Young love and all that."

"They're together?" Shawn asked, trying not to care.

"As together as you can be when you're a power absorbing mutant." Jubilee muttered. "Talk about intimacy issues."

"So he like, sucks the energy out of you?"

Jubilee laughed shaking her head. "Bobby's known as Ice Man. It's Rogue who's the energy sucker."

"Ice Man?" Shawn said curiously.

Jubilee tapped Bobbys' hand. "Hey Bobby. Do something frosty."

Bobby grinned and held his hand over Shawn's cereal. Shawn watched as tiny icicles began to sprout over the corn flakes until the entire bowl and all of it's contents were frozen solid.

"Show off." Rogue giggled.

Shawn gave half a grin looking at his inedible breakfast popsicle. "I wasn't hungry anyway."

"So I was thinking maybe we could take a walk before class?" Bobby said to Rogue.

Rogue almost took up the offer before Jubilee kicked her under the table.

Rogue frowned. "I can't. I'm playing tour guide. Oh, by the way, this is Shawn. Shawn, this is Bobby."

Bobby waved with a friendly smile although you could tell he wasn't happy about the new guy taking up his girlfriends time.

"That's fine. I'll just see you at lunch."

Rogue nodded and then turned to Shawn. "Guess we better make a start of it."

She stood from her chair and lay her gloved hand on Bobby's shoulder. "See you soon."

"So where to?" Shawn said as he stood from his chair.

"We'll go left at the kitchen and see what happens." Rogue replied as she led Shawn out of the dining hall.