Maeve was running around, dodging flying objects that were thrown at her. The Professor had dimmed the lights as to give her some shadow to work with. She dodged a few, not using very good agility.

"Speed it up, Maeve," Wolverine said over the intercom.

She sighed angrily and ran faster. A large metal disc with spikes on it hurtled at her, and she punched her fist in its direction. A looming shadow from behind her shot out and crushed it to shards of glittering iron dust. She kept running, and suddenly stopped. The stimulator had created the image of a rather mutant in a spandex suit (she cringed) with silver- looking hair that was swept back on either side.

"He's just a stimulation. Don't be afraid of him." Xavier said over the intercom, and she clenched her fists. He ran towards her faster than she had expected him to. . . much faster. In fact, she had barely caught a glimpse of him before he came up to her and pushed her off her feet. She gasped and fell hard onto her back, wincing.

"I thought you said not to be afraid of them," she growled.

"I did." Xavier chuckled to himself.

Maeve stood to her feet as quickly as she could, and staggered back. The boy knocked her over again, and she grabbed his ankle and pulled him down with her. Using the shadow from behind, she wrapped him up in darkness, and he collapsed to the ground, trying to get out of his binding. Maeve heaved a sigh of relief, but then moaned when two other 'holograms'-yeah, right- formed where he used to stand.

Finally, to her relief, Professor Xavier got on the intercom. "That's good enough, Maeve, come on out."

Tired and sore, she stumbled out of the large steel dome they had been in, and they gave her the holo-watch she was supposed to be using. They briefly explained it to her and she tried it on. As soon as she pressed the button, her horns, wings, pointy ears and tail disappeared. She quickly thanked them and went straight up to go collapse onto her bed. The professors watched after her until the steel door automatically slid shut behind her, and then turned back around.

"What did you find out about her?" Logan asked immediately to Xavier, about when he looked into Maeve's mind.

The professor shook his head. "She has a mild case of schizophrenia and she has suicidal tendencies. If we want to get her completely healed, it's going to take a while for the training and analysis to be completed."

"Did you find out a cause for all of this?" Ororo asked, folding her arms.

Xavier sighed and raised his eyebrows. "Well, it could either be something she was just born with, or have something to do with the fact that she thinks the death of her best friend is all her fault. In short, the police were following Maeve and a stray bullet hit her friend Riley in the back and killed her."

Ororo looked sympathetic. "That's terrible. Do you think we should talk to her about it? You know, help her realize that it's not completely her fault?"

Logan shook his head. "We shouldn't do it yet. She's still pretty beat up about it and I doubt she'll even want to talk for a long time."

"I agree with Logan," Xavier said. "What we need to work on right now is trying to get rid of her blood drinking habits."

Logan snorted. "And just how do you expect us to do that?"

The professor raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Ketchup. . .?"

+ + +

"What?" Maeve exclaimed, almost angrily. She had just been woken up and wasn't in the best mood to begin with, and now they had suggested the most ridiculous idea she had ever heard of.

Ororo was trying to explain to her what their theory on ketchup had been. "Just try it for me, alright Maeve? Whenever you feel like you need some blood, go get some French Fries or something with ketchup on it. If it doesn't work, just tell me and we'll think of something else."

She was about to protest, but Ororo quickly walked out the door and shut it behind her. She heard something smash up against it, probably another picture frame. Logan was waiting for Ororo outside.

"How'd it go?"

She sighed and folded her arms. "That girl might as well be the bringer of death."

The door opened and Maeve stood there, glaring at the both of them. She had obviously heard her comment. They stood silently for a minute, before she went down the stairs and stood looking out one of the windows.

"Damn it," Ororo mumbled, hanging her head.

+ + +

Xavier found her standing by the window. He wheeled his chair over behind her, and she flicked her eyes at him but didn't say anything. She turned back to the window and he could tell that she was angry about something. Finally, he spoke. "Maeve, how would you like to see your parents?"

She spun around quickly, and saw her mom and dad standing behind him with smiles on their faces. "Maeve," they both said, and they ran to each other. They grabbed her in a hug, and she hugged back tightly.

"We were so worried. . . why didn't you call us sooner?"

Xavier laughed. "We couldn't even get her talking until a few days ago, actually." Her father chuckled and put a firm hand on her shoulder. The Professor rested his elbows on the arms of his wheelchair and folded his hands. "But, I believe we have a lot to talk about."

The conference with her parents went all right, considering she had to talk about what had happened with Riley. She was buried a few days ago, and Maeve had missed the funeral. She doubted that she would have been able to go any way, feeling as guilty as she did. They also said that there had been search parties out for Maeve, even rewards for her finding. When they had received the phone call from Xavier, they had thought it to be a ransom thief calling, but he explained politely exactly what the institute was and offered for them to come down to see her. It had taken a while to convince them that their daughter was unharmed, but they finally agreed to come, threatening that if they didn't have her safe, they would call the cops right away. And, strangely enough, everything worked out in the end.

Xavier smiled. "We're inviting her to stay here with us to learn to keep her powers under control and use them for the good. Of course, it is entirely up to her if she wishes to stay or not. Nobody except us would know that she is a mutant, although the government does know that the school exists."

Her parents turned to her. "Well, Maeve, would you like to stay?"

She opened her mouth to say that she just wanted to go home, but then she realized that by doing so, she wouldn't be able to do anything because they police would be on her tail for the murder of the one policeman. After a moment, she slowly nodded her head yes, and received three smiles in return.

+ + +

It was a very dark, dreary day. Her parents had gone back home to get her things packed, assuring her that she should just stay here for the time being instead of going back. She realized why; it would probably awaken some memories she didn't want to think of. They would have had to drive by Riley's house to get to hers, and it would just be for the worse. She stood once more, looking out the same window. The glass was stained with raindrops and every once in a while the thunder would roll, but the storm wasn't close enough to see any lightning. In her opinion, that kind of weather was the best kind. She looked at the large grandfather clock against the far wall. It was a quarter after two; she had maybe five minutes before the other students got home.

Deciding to take a chance, she glanced over her shoulder for the professors, but they weren't anywhere in sight. She slowly pushed the door open and walked out into the rain. She stood under the ledge for a moment, looking up at the sky. The rain falling and the occasional roll of thunder were like listening to a symphony to her. Finally, she looked around for any spying professors, and ran out into the rain. She just stood there for a minute, taking it all up, until she spread her arms out and lifted her head to the sky. She shut her eyes and the water ran down her face onto her neck, soaking her through and through. Then she started spinning around, faster and faster.

She heard the sound of a car door slamming shut, and she opened her eyes. She was dizzy momentarily, but then she realized that she had spun halfway across the lawn, and was now almost amongst the trees near the opposite side of the yard she had started at. She looked for the source of the noise, and saw Scott's car in the driveway. The students were all running inside, Jean was mumbling about having to blow dry her hair again. She watched as the students quickly made their way into the house. Shortly after, Kitty's ride showed up and she ran in holding her jacket over her head to keep herself dry. After she had made sure that they were all gone and recounted in her head to make sure no more students were coming. She stood there for a moment, just getting wetter and wetter, until she finally started spinning.

She was surprised she didn't trip at all, and she eventually stopped and just stood there with her arms open, looking up at the sky. Her hair was dripping wet, and she didn't know why, but she always got the strangest satisfaction knowing that her hair was dripping raindrops. It didn't matter if it was pool water of from a hose, it was just if they were raindrops. And it was at times like this, when she was alone except for the thunder and the rain. It was at times like this that she felt almost. . .happy.

"You like the rain too, ja?"

It was that unmistakable German accent. Maeve whirled around and saw Kurt standing behind her, just as soaking wet as she was. He had a broad smile on his face and he was breathing pretty hard; he had probably actually been running in the rain. She didn't say anything, but just kept looking at him as he stood next to her.

"I have always loved it. In Germany, there were hills that I used to run around on when it was raining. It was so fun because they would flood, and if you fell you would just end up in a little pond and get wet all over again." He smiled at the memory and looked back at her. She was staring at him with an unreadable expression. "I'm sorry that I'm going on and on," he laughed, "I don't know why I'm telling you all of this."

She shook her head and said bluntly. "I don't either." She was hoping to get the point across that she didn't really care too much.

Kurt opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He flicked his eyes to the ground and then looked back at her. "Sorry," he mumbled, and then teleported away.

It suddenly seemed darker and colder outside after he disappeared, and she shivered. She stood there for a moment until lightning struck close behind her, and she decided she had better get inside. She walked to the landing and took her shoes off, then went inside and trudged up the stairs, leaving tiny puddles of rain water behind her.

When she turned the corner, she bumped into Evan-literally-and he noticed that she was wet. Smiling, he asked, "Playing in the rain?"

She realized how stupid it sounded, now that she thought of it, and looked at the ground. "Something like that," she mumbled, and he laughed pleasantly. She kept walking and walked into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. Her black eyeliner had run down her face, and she looked paler than ever. Shedding her soaked clothes onto a pile on the floor, she stepped into the shower for the second time that day.

It didn't occur to her that she hadn't even brought any clean clothes to change into until she he already gotten out. And she had walked into the bathroom separate from the one attached to her room-hey, it was nicer-so she'd have to travel across the mansion in just a towel. Great. She took her wet clothes and hung them over the shower in an attempt to stall, and then opened the door and poked her head out. She was about halfway down the hall before she heard Rogue's voice and froze.

"Uh, I realize you're indecent right now, but d'ya wanna go into town with us tonight?"

She slowly turned around and saw that thankfully, Rogue was the only one there. "Who all is going with you?" she asked, clutching onto her towel.

Rogue shrugged. "Everyone. I normally wouldn't even think about going but it's rainy out and there's nothing to do, so it's kind of a lose-lose situation."

No, I don't want to go. But you have a point, she thought. "Uh, sure. When?"

"Just be ready by five. You'll know when we're leaving."

Maeve nodded and turned around, dying to get out of just a towel and put some real clothes on. She had been in the same clothes since she had gotten there. Thankfully, her parents had gotten her stuff to her earlier that day, so she had something new to wear. She grabbed a black tank top that said 'The Early November'-a band she liked-and some black boy's shorts that came down to her calves. She looked down at her bandage on her left arm, and figured that showing off her cutting wouldn't exactly be something to be proud of. Digging around in her belongings, she came across a red and black striped arm warmer with the fingers cut out, and she put one on. The bandages could barely be seen over the top unless it started to slip down.

Heaving a sigh, she fell back down onto her bed, and was surprised that she was actually wondering where they would be going that night.

+ + +

They ended up going to some kind of dance club, all crammed into Scott's car. Maeve sat with Rogue on the way there, and they were both surprised that they found someone they could actually talk to. Maeve was even more surprised that she actually liked Rogue; she had the thought stuck in her head that she wouldn't be able to get along with anyone here, but apparently she could. As they rolled to a stop, Kurt, who was in the front seat, leaped out of the open window. He was obviously a little more enthusiastic than the others were.

Inside, they found that it was very spacious, and they were playing techno/dance music nearly on full blast. As soon as they got in, Kitty ran onto the dance floor and two or three guys immediately started dancing with her.

Maeve raised her eyebrows. "That must take skill."

Rogue swatted her hand dismissively. "Nah, just a short skirt and a non- existent top," she said. She was right though, Kitty's skirt was rather short, and her shirt was even less 'there'. But apparently it was working; she did have three guys around her. Oh, wait. Okay, make it four guys.

Jean and Scott were dancing, and they were surprised to see that he was a fairly good dancer. Evan was walking around with his video camera, taping random girls and getting quite a bit of attention for it. Kurt was off to the side with two girls talking to him, and he seemed to be enjoying himself. Maeve and Rogue were being wallflowers, until a tall guy with blue liberty spikes came and asked Rogue to dance. She looked at Maeve, asking if it was alright, and she just nodded her off. When she left, she looked around for the nearest place she could get something to drink. Or some ketchup. Looking around, she saw a vending machine, and her only other option was the bar. Being under twenty-one, she decided that she had a better chance with getting Mountain Dew rather than alcohol from a bar tender.

She walked over to the vending machine and pulled a dollar out of her pocket. She put it in, pressed a button and waited, but nothing happened. She pressed the button again, and again and again and again. Still, nothing happened.

"Freakin' machine ate my dollar," she mumbled to herself angrily. She hit it a couple times, and then sighed. "Dammit!"

"Here, let me help."

She turned around and saw a tall muscular guy, with brown hair cut just above his shoulders. He looked around him to see if anyone was looking, and then pressed his hand up against the vending machine. As soon as he did this, a small tremor occured and the Mountain Dew rolled out. He picked it up and handed it to her, a coy smile on his face.

"I'm Lance," he said, and she caught the Mountain Dew with two hands.

"How did you do that?" she asked, eyes wide.

He snorted, his smile still on his lips. "I'm a mutant too, Maeve."

She noticed how he had used the word 'too', and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Did she even know this guy personally? She had never met him before now, and he didn't go to the institute... how did he have any idea who she was, let alone that she was a mutant. She just looked at him, words failing her.

Lance smiled. "It's okay, don't look so surprised. I've known about you for a while. Everyone at the brotherhood has."

She raised an eyebrow. "The brotherhood?" she repeated skeptically.

"Yeah, it's like Xavier's Institute, except a lot more run down, shall we say. There's nothing to be afraid of." He explained. She slowly nodded, not really understanding. He sighed again. "Aw, I'm sorry if I scared you, I didn't mean to. Here, come dance with me."

She nearly choked. "Dance?" she repeated. She seemed even more skeptical of the idea of her dancing over the fact that he was a mutant.

He laughed a nice, rich laugh, and she felt herself feel lightheaded. "What, you don't dance or something?" he asked her.

"No, it's just. . ."

"Well come on then!" He grabbed her by the hand and she felt like she was about to have a heart attack. He took her out onto the dance floor and she was surprised that in seconds, they were dancing together. She turned her back to him and he put her hands on his hips, and she realized just how fast her heart was beating. Turning back around, he asked her something, but she couldn't hear over the music.

"What?" she shouted.

He put his face closer to her ear, and she felt his breath on her neck. She shivered, and hoped he didn't notice, but she soon shook it away. "I asked you how old you were," he replied just as loudly.

"Sixteen. How old are you?" she asked. The thought of how old he was never even crossed her mind. See, it's stupid, Maeve. You don't know anything about him and you're getting all giggling school-girl for him. He's probably like twenty-one.

"I'm seventeen."

Seventeen!-her inner girly voice squealed-he's only seventeen!

Shut up.

Look at him. You so want him.

I do not, I just met him! I'm not the slutty one-night-stand type.

That's why you're blushing, right?

Shit! I am? Oh God I hope he isn't noticing. Erm, I mean-

Ha! Told you! You think he's gooooorgeous. You want to daaaaate him. You
want to kiiiiiiss him. You want to hooooooold him.

What? Please no!

Lance was looking at her strangely, and she looked up with him. He laughed, and she hoped that he didn't notice how horribly she was blushing. She turned around again and kept dancing as she was earler, as an excuse to look at something else. But as soon as his hands moved from her hips down to her thighs and she felt him leaning back, she was sure the blush returned.

Sweet Jesus, I'm giving him a freaking lap dance. What the hell is wrong with me!?

What do you think, genius? You think he's gooooorgeous. You want to daaaaate him. You want to kiiiiiiss him. You want to hooooooold him. You want to fu-

Ah! Shut the hell up! That's...ahhhh don't say that!

She looked around, hoping that none of the other Xavier students were watching. Rogue was too busy dancing to notice, Kitty was too busy flirting with three guys to notice. Jean and Scott were... well they were busy. Evan was still video taping, good. And Kurt was... oh God, where was Kurt? She spun her head around, and prayed to God that he wasn't looking.

Ugh, God must really hate me.

He was standing against the wall, staring at her with a drink in his hand. She looked back at him, feeling nothing less than embarrassed by the fact that she was dancing like some kind of hoochie. The two girls he had been talking with earlier walked back to him, carrying plastic-bottled drinks in hand. They looked at him strangely and followed his blank stare over to Maeve and Lance. She let out something that sounded like a gasp and turned her head back around. Thankfully, Lance's back was to them and he was big enough to shield her, so she was out of sight from them.

She turned back around to face Lance and realized that they were slowly stepping back around, and she was in Kurt's view again. He wasn't looking at her for the time being, and she relaxed. He leaned down to her again and shouted, "I thought you said you don't dance."

"What do you mean?"

"You're not bad at all. In fact, you're quite good."

She felt that stupid blush rising to her face again, and smiled nervously. As soon as she did, she got a surprised look on her face. She hadn't done that at all since what had happened at the mall, a few weeks ago. Lance caught on to what she was thinking and lowered his head again.

"You don't smile much, do you?"

She felt it creep back up to her face, and she shrugged. "For some reason I am now," she said. As soon as she said it, she wanted to kick herself into the face.

God, he's gonna think you're coming on to him or something!

Well, aren't you?

Blow me.

Still, she found that her smile wouldn't fade. She looked up at the cieling, all the colored lights; everything. And she was still smiling. Evan found Kurt and walked over to him.

"Hey man, having fun?"

Kurt didn't say anything. He just kept looking at Maeve and Lance, and Evan tried to see what he was looking at. As soon as he saw her, his jaw dropped. "Dude, is she. . . smiling?"

"Yeah," he said, "And look who she's with."

He looked hard for a while, and finally saw who it was. "Why is she with Lance?"

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know. I've been wondering the same thing."

"Damn, she's getting freaky isn't she?" The hormonally-challenged boy couldn't help himself as he zoomed in with his video camera.

"Evan!" Kurt exclaimed angrily. He seemed to be the only one that was concerned with the fact that Lance wasn't a very trustable person. Or that it was one of their fellow students he was probably trying to brainwash like he had Kitty.

Evan "Oh, sorry. So. . . you're keeping an eye on her?" he asked, switching his camera off. Kurt nodded again, and he did too. "Alright, tell me if anything goes wrong. I'm so ready to kick that guy's ass."

"Right," he said, less than enthusiastically and Evan left. He watched the two for a long time, never taking his eyes off of them. He was ready to jump on him, just like Evan was. But what he couldn't understand was what Lance was doing to her that made her smile. Or maybe he didn't even want to know. Still, he found himself to be staring for most of the night.

The song ended and Maeve turned back around to him, out of breath. She was still smiling, Kurt noticed. She finally spoke when she felt she could breathe again. "That was. . . interesting."

"Yeah," Lance agreed, and leaned over and kissed her. Kurt went rigid. He clenched his empty pop can so tightly that it crushed in his grasp. She was kissing a player. He was just out to get some action, and he had no doubt that he was going to use Maeve so he could get in her pants and then leave her high and dry.

He pulled away and smiled down at her, and Kurt held his breath, watching intently. She looked back up at him and snaked her arm around his neck, and he kissed her again. Kurt made a frustrated noise and flopped back in his seat. She was falling into his trap, and he only oped that she would be leaving with the rest of the X Men tonight, not with him.

Kurt sighed. "Watch yourself, Maeve." The last thing she needed, after being as suicidal as she was, was for some guy to play her. That would probably drive her right off the edge.