A/N: I'm well aware that most of the X-Men involved in this story didn't
exist as X-Men in the 60's. But what fun is it with only five X-Men, rite?
Bear with my vivid imagination, please…
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Chapter Three
Terry was speechless. He had been three years old when his mother abandoned his younger sister in a truck.
"I found her through Cerebro. Her latent powers have decided to manifest themselves at a very stressing time," Professor Xavier said slowly. He understood that Terry would have a difficult time taking in the information if he went too fast. "She's still in Oklahoma City, Terry. We're leaving tomorrow."
Terry nodded. He felt as if his whole body had gone numb. His baby sister… was still alive. Jade seemed indifferent.
Terry had long been plagued by the memory of his younger sister Andi. His parents had been unable to support both of them because Terry's condition forced him to be confined to a wheelchair (he had broken his back when he was a baby). Andi had been abandoned in a truck outside of a house. Terry's dad died six years later with his mother pregnant. Jade was born when Terry was nine, and for a while they were a family of nomads, traveling from place to place until they arrived in New York. Terry was thirteen when his mother died. Luckily for himself and Jade, his powers developed soon after that, and the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning took both of them in.
"Terry?"
He snapped back to reality. The memories assaulting him were a little too much. He knew he had an unexplainable bond with Andi, and that her absence in his life had left a hole that not even Jade could fill. He had only been three years old when they left her, but there continued to be an unexplainable connection.
"T-t-tomorrow morning?" Terry stuttered. "Jade, too?"
"Of course. Meet me in the docking bay tomorrow morning at 8:00," the Professor said. "That's all, Terry. Rest well."
Later that night, Terry lay awake, staring at the ceiling in his room. He could barely contain the excitement and fear building up inside of him. He couldn't talk to Jade about this. Jade didn't even know Andi at all. Terry barely knew her himself. Still, the very idea that he would be seeing his long lost sister again sent chills up Terry's spine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At twelve noon, Andi snapped awake abruptly when she heard voices coming from outside Darry's room. Andi had fallen asleep, head resting on Darry's bed. Johnny was still asleep. Andi stretched and peeked into the living room to investigate.
She saw a bald man in a wheelchair talking to Darry. Darry didn't seem too happy about what they were discussing.
"I don't care what you say. My sister isn't mutated."
"Is she your sister, truly, Mr. Curtis?"
Andi couldn't see how Darry responded to this, but she assumed he looked absolutely livid.
"Andi has lived in this house from since she was a year old," Darry said, trying to keep his voice level. Andi could hear the anger in his voice because he often used it when talking to Ponyboy about schoolwork. "I don't plan on sending her away anytime soon."
"But she isn't your sister?"
"She's as much of a sister to me as my brothers are my brothers."
"I understand, Mr. Curtis. I'm offering her the chance to go to school."
"She's plenty smart."
"I'm sure she is, but I want to help her control and utilize her powers in a good way."
Andi gulped. How did the silly bald man know about her powers? She hadn't told anyone about them, not Two-Bit, not Johnny, not even her brothers. Had he been spying on her?
"Her powers? What kind of lies are you sending me? What powers?"
The creak and slam of the front door announced the arrival of another visitor. Andi peeked around the edge of the doorway. Her mouth nearly dropped open.
"Sorry I'm a little late."
Andi stared at the new arrival, also in a wheelchair. He was handsome, with black hair neatly combed. He smiled at Darry. Andi stared at his white, even teeth, but the thing that caught her the most were his eyes. They were dark brown and had a faint twinkle in them. There was something very familiar about him that Andi couldn't quite place.
"Terry…" she said aloud.
His eyes immediately flashed in her direction. Terry stared at the deep brown eyes that peered out from behind the doorway to the hall. They were a mirror of his own. He wheeled his way slowly toward the doorway. Andi stood rigidly. She couldn't move. Suddenly Darry stood in front of Andi like a human blockade.
"And who are you?"
"Darry…" Andi said quietly. "Darry… it's okay. I know him."
Darry gave Terry a poisonous glare and reluctantly stepped out of the way. Andi and Terry stared at each other, unsure of what to say. Terry gawked at the girl that had become his sister. Whoever had raised her had done a pretty good job. His sister carried herself with confidence. Her long dark, dark brown hair was tied back in a ponytail and there was a kind sparkle in her eyes.
Andi didn't understand how she knew the handsome boy in the wheelchair. She didn't know why she knew his name or why he seemed to know her.
Terry pulled his eyes away from Andi and stared up at Darry.
"Thank you for taking care of my sister."
"Your sister?" Darry and Andi both sputtered at the same time. Darry couldn't believe it but for Andi it sounded right.
"Darry… I have to go with them."
Darry gave his sister a quizzical glance.
"I haven't told you about my… powers," Andi went on. "I didn't really discover them myself until yesterday. When Johnny was getting beaten up by those Socs… I… water just came out of nowhere from my hands. I don't know if that sounds more than a little weird, but I want to go with these people, learn about who I am."
"You're sure?" Darry asked doubtfully. Andi glanced around the room. She hadn't noticed Ponyboy and Sodapop sitting on the couch across from the bald man in the wheelchair. Ponyboy looked a little stricken while Sodapop avoided Andi's gaze. Andi turned back to look at Darry, who was doing a very good job of looking emotionless.
"I'm going… but I'll be back, Darryl Curtis," Andi warned. "You can count on that."
Darry nodded, then turned to the bald man.
"Professor Xavier… about the tuition to your-"
"Don't worry about that, Mr. Curtis," the Professor answered, waving his question away. "That will all be taken care of."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Andi managed to pack all of her necessities into a small suitcase. She glanced around the room she shared with Darry. There was a curtain dividing her half of the room from his half, and she ran her fingers over the material.
Everything was happening so suddenly, Andi realized. Yesterday she had just been normal and now she was going to a special school to learn about powers she never realized she had.
Andi's gaze settled on Johnny, who was still sleeping. Darry said it was best to let Johnny get as much rest as possible. Andi felt a little selfish for leaving him without saying goodbye, but she didn't want to disturb him. He had already been through enough.
Andi gave one last glance behind her before walking into the living room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Three
Terry was speechless. He had been three years old when his mother abandoned his younger sister in a truck.
"I found her through Cerebro. Her latent powers have decided to manifest themselves at a very stressing time," Professor Xavier said slowly. He understood that Terry would have a difficult time taking in the information if he went too fast. "She's still in Oklahoma City, Terry. We're leaving tomorrow."
Terry nodded. He felt as if his whole body had gone numb. His baby sister… was still alive. Jade seemed indifferent.
Terry had long been plagued by the memory of his younger sister Andi. His parents had been unable to support both of them because Terry's condition forced him to be confined to a wheelchair (he had broken his back when he was a baby). Andi had been abandoned in a truck outside of a house. Terry's dad died six years later with his mother pregnant. Jade was born when Terry was nine, and for a while they were a family of nomads, traveling from place to place until they arrived in New York. Terry was thirteen when his mother died. Luckily for himself and Jade, his powers developed soon after that, and the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning took both of them in.
"Terry?"
He snapped back to reality. The memories assaulting him were a little too much. He knew he had an unexplainable bond with Andi, and that her absence in his life had left a hole that not even Jade could fill. He had only been three years old when they left her, but there continued to be an unexplainable connection.
"T-t-tomorrow morning?" Terry stuttered. "Jade, too?"
"Of course. Meet me in the docking bay tomorrow morning at 8:00," the Professor said. "That's all, Terry. Rest well."
Later that night, Terry lay awake, staring at the ceiling in his room. He could barely contain the excitement and fear building up inside of him. He couldn't talk to Jade about this. Jade didn't even know Andi at all. Terry barely knew her himself. Still, the very idea that he would be seeing his long lost sister again sent chills up Terry's spine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
At twelve noon, Andi snapped awake abruptly when she heard voices coming from outside Darry's room. Andi had fallen asleep, head resting on Darry's bed. Johnny was still asleep. Andi stretched and peeked into the living room to investigate.
She saw a bald man in a wheelchair talking to Darry. Darry didn't seem too happy about what they were discussing.
"I don't care what you say. My sister isn't mutated."
"Is she your sister, truly, Mr. Curtis?"
Andi couldn't see how Darry responded to this, but she assumed he looked absolutely livid.
"Andi has lived in this house from since she was a year old," Darry said, trying to keep his voice level. Andi could hear the anger in his voice because he often used it when talking to Ponyboy about schoolwork. "I don't plan on sending her away anytime soon."
"But she isn't your sister?"
"She's as much of a sister to me as my brothers are my brothers."
"I understand, Mr. Curtis. I'm offering her the chance to go to school."
"She's plenty smart."
"I'm sure she is, but I want to help her control and utilize her powers in a good way."
Andi gulped. How did the silly bald man know about her powers? She hadn't told anyone about them, not Two-Bit, not Johnny, not even her brothers. Had he been spying on her?
"Her powers? What kind of lies are you sending me? What powers?"
The creak and slam of the front door announced the arrival of another visitor. Andi peeked around the edge of the doorway. Her mouth nearly dropped open.
"Sorry I'm a little late."
Andi stared at the new arrival, also in a wheelchair. He was handsome, with black hair neatly combed. He smiled at Darry. Andi stared at his white, even teeth, but the thing that caught her the most were his eyes. They were dark brown and had a faint twinkle in them. There was something very familiar about him that Andi couldn't quite place.
"Terry…" she said aloud.
His eyes immediately flashed in her direction. Terry stared at the deep brown eyes that peered out from behind the doorway to the hall. They were a mirror of his own. He wheeled his way slowly toward the doorway. Andi stood rigidly. She couldn't move. Suddenly Darry stood in front of Andi like a human blockade.
"And who are you?"
"Darry…" Andi said quietly. "Darry… it's okay. I know him."
Darry gave Terry a poisonous glare and reluctantly stepped out of the way. Andi and Terry stared at each other, unsure of what to say. Terry gawked at the girl that had become his sister. Whoever had raised her had done a pretty good job. His sister carried herself with confidence. Her long dark, dark brown hair was tied back in a ponytail and there was a kind sparkle in her eyes.
Andi didn't understand how she knew the handsome boy in the wheelchair. She didn't know why she knew his name or why he seemed to know her.
Terry pulled his eyes away from Andi and stared up at Darry.
"Thank you for taking care of my sister."
"Your sister?" Darry and Andi both sputtered at the same time. Darry couldn't believe it but for Andi it sounded right.
"Darry… I have to go with them."
Darry gave his sister a quizzical glance.
"I haven't told you about my… powers," Andi went on. "I didn't really discover them myself until yesterday. When Johnny was getting beaten up by those Socs… I… water just came out of nowhere from my hands. I don't know if that sounds more than a little weird, but I want to go with these people, learn about who I am."
"You're sure?" Darry asked doubtfully. Andi glanced around the room. She hadn't noticed Ponyboy and Sodapop sitting on the couch across from the bald man in the wheelchair. Ponyboy looked a little stricken while Sodapop avoided Andi's gaze. Andi turned back to look at Darry, who was doing a very good job of looking emotionless.
"I'm going… but I'll be back, Darryl Curtis," Andi warned. "You can count on that."
Darry nodded, then turned to the bald man.
"Professor Xavier… about the tuition to your-"
"Don't worry about that, Mr. Curtis," the Professor answered, waving his question away. "That will all be taken care of."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Andi managed to pack all of her necessities into a small suitcase. She glanced around the room she shared with Darry. There was a curtain dividing her half of the room from his half, and she ran her fingers over the material.
Everything was happening so suddenly, Andi realized. Yesterday she had just been normal and now she was going to a special school to learn about powers she never realized she had.
Andi's gaze settled on Johnny, who was still sleeping. Darry said it was best to let Johnny get as much rest as possible. Andi felt a little selfish for leaving him without saying goodbye, but she didn't want to disturb him. He had already been through enough.
Andi gave one last glance behind her before walking into the living room.
