As the dulcet orange tones of Dusk reached in through the deserted Main
room windows Niesa sat alone. She always sat alone recently. She had now
been a student at The Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters a week and so far
it hadn't quite lived up to her expectations. She had now firmly got the
impression that there was something more about this place then she had been
told about -either that or she had foregone reading the small print- and
there had to be something hidden. They knew what it was though. Them. The
endless stream of students that came in and out of the main room everyday,
and barely ventured to speak to her. She had reached rock bottom, she was a
freak amongst freaks and it was all because she had seemed a bit to excited
when a very pleasant boy by the name of bobby had gone far enough to ask
her what her name was. She shrugged this off, as she kept telling herself
'you would be enthusiastic if you had been locked away for four years'. The
only person who had seemed interested in her was Miss Grey and she got the
impression that this was only because of the volatile nature of her 'gift'.
She just wanted to make she wouldn't get to grumpy and send a lamp flying
in to one of the other students. But it appeared that she would have to
make do, at least till she found away of fitting in- she couldn't be the
only English kid in the whole school, or until she died a lonely old
spinster who was found dead 3 weeks later snacked upon by a pair of
Labradors. "Note to Self- stop watching Bridget Jones"
Niesa reached up one hand and brushed a strand of her raven hair out of her face, the other hand holding a heavily chewed pen. On her lap sat a large notepad full of pointless doodles and the occasional lyric 'if the muse descended'. She muttered angrily under her breath, she had just spent her second Saturday in the mansion on an elaborate doodle of buzz light- year that just turned out to have a largely in-proportioned head. With a heavy sigh she reached in to her bag and pulled out her battered old CD player and slid in one of her favorite CD's. She placed her notebook on the seat next to her and flipped herself upside down, her legs hooked over the back and her hair dangling on the dreary carpeted Floor. As the heavy booming of the pointless opening track reverberated through her ears Niesa closed her eyes and felt the warm tingly sensation as her blood went to her head. She awoke about 20 minutes later as her head touched the floor below. She had lost her grip on the back of the sofa and slid down. She quickly cleared her throat and folded her arms across her chest as if she had meant to do this all along. She got a few unaproving looks from the people occupying the main room so she haughtily changed the track on her CD player and closed her eyes again singing under her breath. "Tired of being what you want me to be, feeling so faithless, lost under the surface..." But it wasn't any use; she could feel the color drastically rising in her cheeks. She had made an idiot out of herself again in front of the whole student body of Freaks R Us. She as subtly as possible reached her hand up to her CD player and rolled over the volume control. As the music dimmed and the rumble of the children's voices came through one stood out in particular; it was singing along with her. well almost, her accent wasn't quite that bad "Don't know vat expecting ov me, but under zee pressure of valking in your shoes." Niesa angled a suspecting eyebrow. Was this some sad act trying to be funny? Or was some one actually making contact with her. Turning herself right-side-up she opened her eyes and blinked a few times as the blood descended from her brain, the main room just a blurry merge of colors. Once she had finally focused she found something she didn't quite expect. She shook her head slightly taken aback by what she saw. The voice she had heard had been coming from a guy -the strangest guy she had ever seen- who happened to be hanging upside down from the chandelier above the couch she was seated up on. He was suspended from what appeared to be a three-foot long tail so that his blue face was directly before hers. Niesa leant back suddenly, shocked as he flashed her a cheeky smile, bearing his milky white fangs. She took the time to right herself, her eyebrows were so raised that they threatened to disappear in her hairline. She felt herself blushing as she realised her mouth hung open and she quickly decided now would be a good time to say something "errrrr.rrr.. Hi?" She rolled her eyes at herself ~yeah... reaaaaal smooth~ and the guy gave her another of his brilliant, fanged smiles. She couldn't help but smile back this time. He dropped from the chandelier and flipped so he landed on his feet just in front of her. It was at this point his strange feet and tri-dactyl hands became apparent to her. He stooped himself in to a mock bow and offered his hand. "Greetings Frauline, My name's Kurt, Kurt Wagner." Niesa, taking a few seconds to steady her shaking reached out and shook his hand. Kurt, behind his covering of blue fur had rather interesting features- a thin, shapely face with a chiseled chin, an almost roman nose and the oddest eyes she had ever seen. They were yellow in color and had no pupils. they almost seemed to glow. She felt herself staring again, in particular at Kurt's ears that curved up in to small points either side of his head ~like a hobbits.~ she arched a brow again, but this time at herself; she found this guy kind of cute- in an off putting hobbity-smurf-hybrid kinda way. Kurt blinked at her as she stood their silenced by his appearance "and you are..?" She blushed again ~Idiot, idiot, IDIOT! ~ She finally released his hand feeling the fuzzy fur that appeared to cover his whole body "Um, the names Niesa." This time it was him who angled a brow and added "You have a very pretty name" she grew redder "Well my real names Emma." he grinned at her ".But don't spread it around" She wished the earth would just swallow her up at that point. She couldn't have made more of a fool of herself if she had tried. She looked up at him and he was biting his lip, a smile spread over her face- he was as nervous as she was. He cleared his throat "I like Emma better. Its suits you more" A new wave of confidence filled her and she jokingly waggled a finger in his face "Well, I ask you to reserve your judgment Mr. Wagner." He laughed and took a perched seat on the arm of the couch "Vell, excuuuuuuuuuze me! Sorry if I didn't expect sarcastic comments off Zee crazy new girl!"
Weeks passed and Niesa's perspective of Mutant High began to change. She had found in Kurt a reason to venture out of the familiar surroundings of her dorm. She couldn't help but want to be around him, even if nobody wanted to be around her. He had the most wonderful personality and people seemed to flock to be around him- or at least that's how it appeared to Niesa ...it might have just been the fact it took 3 weeks before any one other then Kurt wanted to speak to her. She had found that around him she acted like she wanted to act and he actually appeared to like her more for it and in return she liked him.a lot more then she would let her self believe.
Niesa had been accepted amongst Kurt's large group of friends that he treated almost like an extended family. It amazed her how much he seemed to know and understand about each of them, she had never has any one take an interest in her before and even thinking about it made her slip in to another misty-eyed reverie. Upon loosing her real family she had gained another, one she loved much more then she let on. Niesa felt closest to Kurt and Cyder in particular and together they made an almost clichéd team: the scourge of the main room. Outside of the school they probably would have been regarded with fear just for the strangeness of their appearances- Cyder with her bright pink hair, Kurt being the cutest elf she had ever seen and Niesa.being just, well, downright unusual in the way she acted. But that was only half of it, with the groups combination of astonishing powers no prank was un-attempted and the three often ended up in detention at least four times by the end of one school week. Niesa's telekinetic abilities didn't appear to be a hindrance to the people here, and while they were only blossoming she sometimes found her self regarded in awe for their possibilities. But in all honesty her gifts were dwarfed next to those of her two best friends. Kurt, Niesa had soon found out, was second generation mutant was able to teleport. He waited a few days in to their meeting before suddenly disappearing in a cloud of brimstone scented smoke. He was also able to climb walls and blend in with shadows- this as well as his eyes made a person always unsure of whether or not he was looking at them or somewhere else. Contrary to what you would think Niesa loved this about him, she would often find herself just watching him for long stretches of times and though he was looking in her direction she was never quite sure he was looking at her in the same way (no matter how much she hoped). No matter how much she grew to know about him he always retained an air of mystery and it was this that attracted her the most. Cyder, it turned out had the ability to morph in to any animal she wished and became an excellent way to find out anything the three needed to know. Between them they were able to get anywhere and a few of the secrets of the Xavier Mansion would soon become apparent.as well as the changes in Niesa.
Thanks to Cyders being able to get any information from the X-team in her form of a small kitten ("Its amazing what people will tell animals") they soon found about the first sublevel of the mansion. The three sat huddled around a table in the main room discussing what they had just found, Cyder seeming the most excited of them all "Did you see it though? It's like some sort of funky training area. I know we have a gym and what ever but jeez." Kurt rested his chin on his hand; Niesa loved it when he did that. "Hmmm.I don't Zink Zey are just training kids here. my bets on super hero's" He said in a pondering tone, Cyder just rolled her eyes "Come on Kurt, this is the real world" Niesa chipped in "Nah. I bet he's right. They are like protectors of mutants. all vidulantyish..." Cyder grinned at her "Well you would agree with Kurt wouldn't you." she added slyly. The colour rose in Niesa's cheeks and she looked over to Kurt to make sure he wasn't running for his life, he was still sat as he was before thinking to himself. Niesa sneakily gave Cyder the finger, and she pulled a look of mock aversion. Kurt spoke again, in a hushed voice "I don't get it. its almost creepy. Did you zee all zose uniforms? I mean zey've got to be Uniforms- Either zat or zee lower levels are just for zee teachers." he shuddered violently at the thought ".enjoyment" Niesa and Cyder fell in to fits of hilarity "What? Like a bondage basement?" Niesa screeched with unrelenting laughter "Dude! Don't say such things.the professor in leather! I wont be sleeping tonight!" Kurt got to his feet, clutching his side slightly from laughing and quickly his face changed "Ve're going back down zere, Ve have to find out Vhats going on cus they wont tell us.and I bet you zeres another floor or something!" Cyder got to her feet and clapped enthusiastically "OH Yeah! Mission!" She began singing the mission impossible theme, scaring most of the other inhabitants of the Main room away. Kurt knelt down on the carpet next Niesa and another of his amazing cheeky grins spread over his face. Niesa felt her stomach lurch as it always did when he looked at her that way. "Are you up for it, Emma?" She smiled weakly and replied "Uh-huh...sure" before the dreamy look could take full control of her face and she ended up looking too besotted. She sighed as he got back up and thought to herself 'Oh God, I love it when you do that." Kurt did a double take and blinked a couple of times at her "Love it when I do Vhat?" he enquired, looking undoubtedly confused. Niesa's eyes went wide and her mouth hung open. Had He just heard her thoughts?
Niesa quickly got to her feet, looking away from him and stuttered out "What!? Love what?" Kurt furrowed his brow "You said you love it ven I do zat.vhen I do vhat?!" He really had heard her thoughts. The colour drained from Niesa's face as she looked him over and thought ~Holy Shit! He's a Telepath!~ Kurt haughtily put his hands on his hips and stared at her "I am not a telepath...Now stop doing Zat, its really stupid" Niesa turned to look at him, her face white as a sheet "Kurt! It's not me! I'm not saying anything.you're reading my thoughts!" Kurt's face fell instantly "Vas? I can't be! I.i've got all my powers! Its not me!" Niesa sat down on the couch, shaking slightly. What if he could do it all along? What if he had sat there and listened to everything she thought about him? All the little daydreams and he never told her? The shock sapped away and was replaced by blind fury "Liar, you've been doing it all along! You've been in my head laughing away at my thoughts!" Kurt's face, if it was possible fell even more. He looked like she had just slapped him full force around the face. He regained composure and his eyes narrowed, the faint yellow glow emitting from two slits. "Vat!? How can you say zat!?.I've never done it before! I vould never listen in on your thoughts! I'm not some sort of . of.thought pervert!" he changed his stance, his tail whipping from side to side threateningly but his face looked as if he had been hurt worse then ever before and it nearly Broke Niesa's heart. The rage left her with the sickening feeling of guilt in the pit of her stomach. She put her head in her hands, hiding her remorse from him; perhaps this was the first time. ~Idiot Idiot IDIOT! ~ She thought to herself. Kurt's tail lashed in front of her face "I am not! Vat is your problem!?" Niesa jumped to her feet "You did it again! You read my thoughts!" a realisation came over her and she was just about to apologise and explain the benefits of this to Kurt when Cyder stepped in front of him. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her forehead to his "OK, lets make this easier.tell me what I'm thinking." She screwed up her face in concentration and Niesa listened intently for Kurt's reply but all she heard was Cyders voice ringing through her skull ~Moo Chops doesn't mean it, Kurt, she's just freaked out~ Niesa rolled her eyes and said "Duh, Cyder, you're supposed to think it, not blurt it out for the whole main room to hear." Cyder lost her footing in shock and landed on the sofa next to her, Kurt merely stood there, mouth open. Niesa tried to stare him out but his eyes grew wider and he muttered "Mein Gott" then as if someone had kicked a hole in the dam of her thoughts, it dawned on her. "Whoa." It was soon after this the room went fuzzy and faded to black.
Niesa felt a splash on her face and her eyes fluttered open. As the room came back in to focus she felt she was stretched out on the sofa having just had water sprinkled on her face in an effort to revive her. Kurt and Cyder's faces crowded her line of sight. "Moo chops! Are you ok? You blacked out!" Niesa felt the sensation return to her body with a heavy blow, it felt as if her head was going to split ~Owwie, anyone got an aspirin?~ Kurt's and Cyders faces both cracked in to identical shocked grins. Kurt put his arms around her and lifted her in to a sitting position, Niesa blushed but made sure not to think anything. "Emma? You did it again. Mein Gott.this is so veird." It was Kurt and he sounded as if he was talking to himself rather then her "You're a telepath, Emma. You can speak in other peoples heads.possibly hear zier zoughts too" He smiled weakly, as if being very careful and Niesa felt the sickness return- he was scared of what she could hear. She looked away from them as he continued "Me and Cyder talked about it vhile you vere out. By the looks of it, it only works if you can see that person or are focusing especially on them. You vere zinking about me..." even behind the fur you could tell he was blushing "...and only I could hear you..." His voice was shaky and frightened. Niesa felt the sharp burning behind her eyes that usually meant it was time to be alone but she couldn't move. She just sat there as silent tears trickled down her cheeks, dragging her heavy eyeliner with them.
Kurt looked up at her and winced slightly. He jumped over and sat
beside her on the couch, nervously his arm ventured round her
shoulder. "Don't cry, please." He put a finger under her chin and
tilted her head so he could see her properly, over his shoulder Cyder
could be seen giving Niesa the thumbs up. He wiped a tear off her
cheek "If you cry then I'll cry and its not a pretty sight" he cracked
another smile and Niesa could feel his feelings flooding her, she
couldn't sift through them all but she could tell he wasn't scared
anymore. He was trying to make her feel better. She looked up at him
and smiled warmly, another thought crowded her mind ~wow.~ But this
time it was clearly Kurt's. Niesa looked back up at him and suddenly
felt very brave. What if he.? Would he mind if.? The distant look in
his eye suddenly vanished and he cleared his throat, letting go of
her. Kurt got to his feet and Niesa could hear a stream of self hating
thoughts sounding from him ~Vardammte Coward!~ He turned back to Niesa
and winced "You can still hear me cant you.?" Niesa nodded solemnly
but inside she was jumping up and down. Cyder retook her seat on the couch and looked Niesa suspiciously in the eye "Well this is weird. But I have to say very useful." she tapped her fingers together in a Dr Evil-esque manner "But first we need to sort out the little broadcasting issue. Niesa I know you can do it cus that Nate guy does it all the time, put up a mental block" Niesa rolled her eyes "That's easier said then done Horsebrain" Cyder slapped her on the arm "Shut up and listen to teacher! Of course you can do it" Niesa shifted through her mind, trying to find somewhere she felt safe, but the whole idea sounded kind of dumb. Then she felt it, she thought loudly ~Moo Chops smells~ Cyder just stared at her "Cyder didn't you hear that?" Cyder grinned, "Ok, see I told you" Cyder got up and pulled Kurt back down on to the couch "And as for me and blue boy here, we wont think so loudly and as long as you don't go looking in our heads we're all as happy as Larry.. Deal?" Niesa looked between the two, Cyder was grinning broadly, obviously considering the possibilities of having a telepath at hand 24/7 but Kurt just looked bewildered. Niesa closed her eyes and concentrated ~deal~ both Kurt and cyder jumped, not expecting this little intrusion. Niesa smiled cheekily, now considering the perks to a power like this one "Sorry guys, just testing it out" the grin spread over Cyders face "This will be extra useful for getting in to those sublevels. aye Kurt?" Kurt jumped as if coming out of a daydream "Ohhh.... Ja.right, very useful" Niesa's excitement had drained away and was replaced with guilt again. She reached over and took his hand "Kurt, I was scared.I didn't mean that stuff..." Kurt looked up at her and forced a smile "No, really Kurt, I bet you're thinking the same. I've sorta got it under control, I cant hear what you're thinking now and I never have before.promise" Kurt's face didn't change and Niesa could feel more tears welling up "Please don't hate me Kurt, you're one of my best friends.I couldn't stand it" Cyder sighed heavily "Oh will you two just get over it, its grinding on my nerves now" She pushed Kurt closer to Niesa "I mean he fancies the pants off you, he always had done. Its not like this is going to change anything.he's just in shock" Kurt quickly tried to get off her laughing nervously and threatening Cyder with a look to kill. Niesa just sat still, aghast. Cyder groaned loudly "Oh for god sake just get on with it will you! Can't you see it Kurt? You heard her thoughts she's got it as bad as you!" Niesa looked back to Cyder but found herself face to face with a very nervous looking Kurt.
Kurt and Niesa both just stared at each other. An awkward silence grew around them but they didn't move. Niesa felt that anomalous feeling in her stomach; something had to happen soon. Panicking she looked down, she could practically feel Cyder rolling her eyes in annoyance. She corrected her gaze to find that Kurt was still there watching her intently; there was no missing it, his eyes were defiantly on her. Niesa felt a tingle of excitement run down her spine and was about to do something- she wasn't sure what- when Kurt received another sharp shove from behind. He landed on Niesa, pinning her down on the couch with an arm either side of her to prop himself up. He grimaced and smiled apologetically to Niesa and began to protest to Cyder "Yes, nice one zere, about a subtle as a train-reck." He gave Niesa another look as he pushed himself off her and without thinking she raised her hand up to his shoulder and held him in place. A small wooting noise could be heard from behind them as Niesa leant slightly closer to Kurt, and he reciprocated. He was so close to her now that she could the soft blue fur on his face. She smiled at him and without a second thought he kissed her. She felt as if she would just melt away right there and then. Cyders insane cheering blurred away and it was only once it had stopped and silence filled the room that it occurred to her something was very amiss. Niesa broke the kiss and opened her eyes. Kurt was still on top of her and he had the funniest look on his face. His eyes were closed and the sides of his mouth curved n to a barely noticeable, dreamy smirk.
A particularly forced clearing of the throat was heard and Niesa looked around the main room. A group of students sat watching the pair with a look of utmost amusement on their faces. Niesa looked to Cyder, her arms still around Kurt's neck and Cyder was making a very funny face, she kept looking up over Niesa's shoulders at something behind her and Kurt. The coughing noise sounded again and Kurt's eyes snapped open, he quickly dived off Niesa and teleported up on to the chandelier "It.it vas an accident." Niesa sat up and turned around. Behind her were two very well known members of the teaching staff.they had seen it all.
Mr. Logan growled under his breath as Niesa raised her gaze to meet his. He rolled his cigar in his mouth and folded his arms "Explain how that was an accident, elf" he grunted. The second teacher leaned against the staff he always carried with him. Niesa recognized him...all the girls knew who he was. Mr. Lebeau or Gambit as her preferred to be called. Gambit reached up and arm and leaned against the small but bulky frame of Logan. "Aw, come now Logan, Dey did no damage. Hell knows dis place needs a little amour. None?." He looked down at Niesa and grinned, a few girls could be heard sighing from over the main room "Isn't Dat right Mon Chere?" Gambit grinned and Niesa forced a nervous smiled back but it faded as Logan stomped across the room and stood beneath the Chandelier. Kurt was visibly shaking. "Elf!?" He barked up at Kurt who looked like, if it was possible he would have crawled through the ceiling "Not everyone wants to watch you get your grubby paws all over your little girlfriend." He said this last word with such an acid discontent that Niesa felt she may explode at any moment. Kurt began to stutter explanations "Sorry. it vont happen again, I svare" Logan pointed a stumpy finger up at Kurt "It had better not.Bub" Logan walked away and Kurt bared his fangs at his retreating figure, the amusement on Gambits face was so obvious that as Logan stopped next to him he muttered "Not a word, Cajun" A steady stream of thoughts came from the two and Niesa did her best to block them but then she heard something that shocked her. It came from Logan. He was suspiciously studying her ~I know that scent.how do I know you? ~ This thought scared her to the point of wanting to run for it. Why would Logan know her scent? And why was it interesting him so much? Logan approached her slowly and contemplated her with with an air of pompous, forced dignity. He spoke, all the time inhaling deeply, trying to place her scent "And the same goes for you.Errrr." Remy rolled his eyes and said to Logan "Her name's Emma" and thought to himself ~You know.Jeans special case~ Niesa did a double take and Gambit raised a brow, this was getting to weird. Logan chipped in again "Yeah. The same goes for you Emma.Find somewhere else for it. I don't appreciate such public displays of affection" Logan was just giving Niesa a threatening glare when his eyes went wide ~Sub-Level 1! Oh, I got you now girlie." He glared and turned on his heel. Grabbing Gambit by the collar of his trench coat he dragged him out the room "Come on, Swamp Rat, we've got business to take care of..." Remy smiled strangely at Kurt, Niesa and Cyder and followed him out of the room. Kurt disappeared in a blue cloud and re-appeared moments later with his arms around Niesa's waist. He leaned forwards and kissed her on the collarbone "He is vay veird." Niesa had waited long enough for this moment but was unable to enjoy it, her grip on Kurt's hand tightened. "He knows we know"
The remainder of the day passed slowly, shadowed by the shock of what Niesa heard. Not even Cyder could see a high point to that but she was still as determined. The lights through out the mansion had diminished and Niesa lay awake in her room. She tossed and turned in a desperate effort to get to sleep but she could feel the back of her mind buzzing. The other two had come to the conclusion that she was evolving still. The idea had sounded so dumb to her at the time that she had almost snorted drink out of her nose from laughing- It had to be said that wasn't the best way to be seen in front of her new boyfriend. The buzzing faded and was replaced by butterflies in the stomach. Boyfriend. She just liked to think that word to herself. Niesa closed her eyes to block out the unremitting blinking of her digital alarm clock, which now read 01:18. She could hear other people awake through the mansion too- or rather she could hear their thoughts. She tried to blank them out, preying the people would just fall to sleep but as the buzzing in her skull grew louder more subconscious thoughts became apparent. Niesa squeezed her eyes shut and went to that safe place in her head, she finally felt alone and the heavy drowsiness of sleep blanketed itself around her.
She was awoken ten minutes later by the feel fur against the skin of her hand. She didn't open her eyes but she grinned to herself "Do you know how many rules you just broke?" she turned to face the person but found herself a little disappointed. A small kitten sat on the edge of her bed, is saucer like eyes reflecting all the light in the room. Niesa groaned sulkily "Hi, Cyder, what is it?" A small shuddering noise was heard and Cyder morphed back in to her human form. She went to Niesa's draws and began rooting through. She chucked some clothes in her direction and whispered hurriedly "get dressed, we're going back down there." In two minutes Niesa and Cyder were outside the Boys Dorm. Niesa strained her telekinetic abilities and hovered a few feet above the floor so their footsteps would make no sound, in her arms was Cyder back in her kitten form. Niesa knew what to do. She screwed up her face in concentration, she lost a few inches and her toes almost touched the carpet below but she had succeeded. She sent a telepathic wake up call to Kurt ~Wake up, its time for Mission Impossible 2~ A muffled bang could be heard from inside the Dorm and seconds later Kurt appeared in front of them, wearing just his boxers and t-shirt. Cyders voice could be heard now ~Oh come on Kurt, not all of us want to see you half naked~ Kurt blinked and padded forward, silently ~Okay.Vhen did Cyder become a telepath too?~ The kitten visably rolled its eyes ~Shes linking our minds moron. So we don't have to talk and wake the staff up.~ Kurts golden eyes flashed as he looked Niesa up and down. ~Voah, youre flying.Zat's handy~ Niesa grinned sheepishly, only having just took her eyes off the parts of him that weren't covered ~Err.yeah, powers gone a bit funny~ she replied. Cyder dug her claws in to Niesas arm ~Okay, okay, enough with the cryptic flirting. Time to get this show on the road.~ Both Kurt's and Niesa's heads were filled with Cyders carefully thought out instructions and identical evil smirks passed over their faces. Kurt stepped forward and put his arms around Niesa. He whispered in her ear "You look sehr beautiful tonight." But she didn't even have the time to blush as they re-appeared in the hall below, crowded by sulpherous smoke. Kurt didn't let go and Niesa's excitement over the mission was replaced by the excitement of being near him. They were just about to have another of their moments when Cyders voice rang through ~Hey! Come on! I'm still hear, so put her down before I label this mission PG-13~ Both Kurt and Niesa took a step back but just smirked at each other. The kitten jumped out of Niesa's arms and landed on the wooden flooring below. Silently it padded along the hall and Kurt and Niesa followed- Him with his silent steps, her hovering a foot above the ground. The kitten stopped outside one of the wooden panels on the wall and morph back in to a girl. She beaconed them over and as quietly as possible they all pressed their weight against it. A hissing noise could be heard as the paneling slipped back to reveal a chrome door, with an X shaped emblem upon it. She spoke to the others telepathically ~Ok, wanna check out my new party trick. I've been practicing all night~ Cyder shuddered violently and her form changed. She spread and gained about a foot in height- she had turned in to Logan She stretch her arms out and felt to the top of her head where her long pink hair still remained. Pink defiantly wasn't Logan's color. Both Kurt and Niesa gasped ~I zought you could only do animals!~ Logan's mouth grinned at them ~Hey, anything that hairy counts as an animal right?~ Niesa furrowed her brow ~why do you need to do that? We just teleported in last time~ Cyder flicked her manly magenta locks out of her face ~Well since you said Logan knows we've been down here I reckon there will be some knew security measures to prevent it.and I bet only teachers can get in to the next sub-level~ Cyder stood, her eyes level with the center of the cross on the door. The circle in the middle turned slightly and beam ran over Logan's features- a retina-scan. The door slid apart and the passage behind it lit as the strip lighting panels blinked in to life.
As well as the lighting covering the ceiling the panels on the walls began to glow, gently illuminating the glass cabinets that lined them. Contained in each of the cabinets were what Kurt had earlier decided, were uniforms but these were old to the trio now and they passed through them with as much haste as possible. Niesa hovered down the hall, carrying Cyder (now reverted to kitten form) in her arms and Kurt snuck silently along the ceiling. They were careful not to touch the floor because of alarm systems. They were almost at the steal door the other end of the corridor when something new caught Niesa's eye and she came to a stop. Kurt stopped and hung upside down from one of the pipes channeling along the roof ~Vhat is it? Vhy did Ve stop?~ Niesa indicated to three new glass cabinets at the end of the line, containing three uniforms that were new to the costume parade. One black with a red V that ended at the navel and white boots and gloves and two similar uniforms obviously meant for women. One was colored the usual black but with a large blue X through the middle, with matching boots and fingerless gloves and the other the same but with magenta trimmings. Cyder sounded confused ~I guess the super hero's just gained three new members~ Niesa continued down the corridor ~I guess~ until she reached the main door at the other end. Countless other doors opened in to extending corridors but they weren't interested in these. They knew this had to be the door, if any, that lead to the next level. Without thinking Niesa dropped to the floor in front of the door, they all flinched expecting to hear the scream of alarms any second but nothing happened. Kurt dropped next to them. ~Go for it Cyder~ Cyder once again morphed in to the pink frilled Logan and took the retina scan. The doors slid open to reveal an elevator ~This is it!~ Cyder hoped inside and dragged in Kurt and Niesa with her. Kurt looked around the elevator and spoke his thoughts aloud "Okay, this is unusual.but how do we get to level 2?" The team felt a pull in their stomachs as the elevator began to descend. A woman's voice filled the contained area "Level 2" and the elevator halted. The moment the doors were open Cyder ran out mid morph and made her way to a huge circular door at the end of the hall. Kurt and Niesa exchanged knowing looks and hastily followed. Cyder was just shuddering, a warning she was about to morph when the doors rolled open on their own. ~Well that was unexpected~ thought Niesa and the other two echoed her thoughts. They stepped inside, their footsteps echoing through the massive empty room. The walls were covered once again in silver chrome with various hidden compartments all over the sides and roof. The doors rolled shut behind them and the woman's voice from the elevator sounded again "Welcome to the Danger room" Kurt loudly snorted with sarcastic laughter "Oh come on. What's so dangerous about Zis place? .Danger Room. It sounds like something out of a bad Bond Movie" he took a upright stance, one hand forward as if holding his martini and said in a very bad English accent "The names Logan, Logan 007." Cyder and Niesa began to laugh when a quiet rumble could be heard coming from the walls, the disembodied voice sounded again "Running program Logan 007" The walls seemed to shimmer as if with heat haze and their surroundings seem to change. They were now stood outside what appeared to be a large shopping mall in the dead of night. Cyder cocked a brow at Kurt "Why did you do that?" Niesa's hand reached across and shook Kurt before he could deny the accusation. Kurt fell silent, staring over Cyder shoulder. Niesa pulled her around in turn and Cyders face fell. Niesa thought to the others, her mouth unable to move in shock ~it wasn't Kurt who moved us.but I think now would be a good time to move back~ All three backed away in panic as the large metallic head of a Sentinel could be seen emerging from behind the malls jumble of towers.
The sentinel stepped clear over part of the building and stopped in front of the three. Its bright eyes burned down on them, reading their signals. Its metallic joints creaked as it relayed its orders in a hollow tinny voice "Undocumented mutants detected. Seek out and destroy." Niesa was unable to move, she had heard of these things. The robots that hunted down mutants for experiments- they were the reason her parents had really sent her away, they didn't want these things banging on their door. Besides her Cyder and Kurt were already taking action, they had been at the school a long time and knew what to do in an emergency- and this defiantly counted as emergency. The sentinel raised its hand and the morphed form of kitten- Cyder jumped in to Niesas arms Kurt took them both in his arms quickly and teleported them 1000 yards away from the it. Cyder morphed back and took her battle stance; Kurt copied "Niesa! Mind link us! We are going to take it down!" This was easier said then done but she followed the orders. Kurt's continuous stream of fearful thoughts screamed out to Niesa but she was shocked to find that he was not scared for his own safety but was in fact planning the best way to get her and Cyder away. ~I could teleport them one by one.but I don't know Vere I am.please don't let her get hurt..ARGH!!!~ Kurt's sudden scream caused Niesa to jump; this was lucky as she missed the beam that was sent forth from the sentinels hand by a hairs breadth. The pavement next to her was now adorned with a large crater and Kurt and cyder lay either side of it having just dived for their lives. The sentinel raised its hand to fire for a second time but Niesa was ready. As soon as the laser shot was fired Niesa's arms flew forward and a telekinetic barrier deflected the beam. They all got up to their feet and formed a tight group. Kurt took control and began to send the other two instructions. ~Cyder, you and me need to get up on to ze Sentinals shoulders. Emma, you need to protect us- and especially yourself from zose lasers.~ Cyder nodded, never once taking her eyes off the sentinal, while Niesa occasionally reflected its blasts. The sentinal was getting closer. As Cyder morphed in to a large Bird and took off for the sentinal Kurt's hand found Niesa's and he held it tightly to steady her shaking. She was instantly flooded with all his thoughts and feelings. He was thinking openly, letting her feel it all. His thoughts left her feeling warmed through out and the fear melted away. Niesa's expression set to that of rock determination and Kurt leant forward to her. He placed a single kiss on her cheek and teleported away. Within a few moments both Cyder and Kurt were up on the Sentinals shoulders. Niesa, between the building of her telekinetic walls could see Kurt was struggling to pull away what appeared to be a panel on the sentinels head. It could feel something wrong so it began flaying around, shooting badly aimed shots over its shoulder, trying to brush Kurt and Cyder off. ~WATCH OUT! ~ But he was already away the square of red steel in his hand. Kurt teleported randomly, trying to get the Sentinals attention while Cyder did her part. She appeared to have morphed in to a wolf, which was now hanging on for grim death by the long string of wiring that she had pulled out of the sentinals neck. The headlamp like eyes of the sentinal began to flicker as Cyder continued to rag at the wires. The sentinal itself was now firing random shots in an attempt to prevent Kurt from teleporting and Niesa could hear his strained thoughts- he was getting tired. Niesa too was feeling weak. Cyder let go, morphing mid air back in to a bird and landing besides Niesa. The Sentinal began to teeter, threatening to fall. It raised its hand one last time and fired a shot. The Shot caught Kurt mid-teleport and he dropped from the air. Niesa steadied his fall with her telekinetic abilities and he touched the ground gently. Panic began to rise in her, she had been so busy watching Cyder she had forgotten about Kurt. She was just beginning to fear the worse when the body of the sentinal began to plunge forward, heading right for Cyder and herself. Cyder morphed and flew away but Niesa was rooted to the spot. She could hear Cyders strangled screaming of her name as Niesa closed her eyes and braced herself for death. The deadly blow never came, Niesa just felt like she was being pulled from behind. She ventured to open her eyes and found herself in Kurt's arms. His eyes too were closed and he looked pale from shock. He opened his eyes and looked her over, his arms instantly tightened around her. Niesa looked down, she was standing on the sentinel's head and Cyder's elated shouts could be heard from below. She felt her knees go weak with trauma but Kurt held her up. She stuttered not understanding what had happened. She should be dead. He should be dead. "Kurt.I. I thought you were shot. I.it.how did I get here?" He smiled weakly, the color returning to his face and once again she heard his thoughts ~Zankgod you're safe.~ He kissed her hair and whispered, obviously still in shock himself "It didn't hurt me.. I vas stunned, ve teleported.are you ok? Are you hurt?" She didn't answer. She reached a hand up and took hold of his collar. She pulled him down and their lips met again. Once again Niesa felt her knees go weak and the sounds around them faded in to nothing, until she was bought round by a rude shout. "ELF!" Kurt and Niesa parted and Kurt was visibly shaking again "what have I told you about doing that!?" It was Logan. The real Logan strolling up the street- which was scary- with a huge grin splashed over his face- which scared Niesa more then any sentinal. Kurt instantly teleported the pair down to ground level and hid behind Cyder. Niesa rolled her eyes "Oh, my hero" she said sarcastically. Logan burst in to loud, rumbling laughter and Niesa angled a brow at him. Logan smirked "Oh you will see why I find that funny in a second, kiddo" Logan turned to face the mall and shouted out to no one in particular "Hey! Chuck, I think the rookies are finished now. Computer end program Logan 007" Before they three could question this their surroundings began to merge again and was soon replaced by the metal room they had entered at the mansion. Logan was shouting up at a small high room, covered in one-way glass. Logan turned back to Niesa and the others and grinned again- this was too weird. The large circle door to the room rolled aside once more and the bald but oddly dignified Professor Xavier wheeled himself in. He stopped and regarded all three with a mysterious look. He folded his hands in his lap and addressed them "I would like to congratulate you. You passed the test. I knew you would." Kurt stepped out from behind Cyder and put an arm around Niesa "Vat test?" he enquired. The professor smiled "Well it became apparent to us that our secret was, in fact, not as secret as we thought and it would appear that had a group of very skilled detectives on our hands." Both Cyder and Niesa went red in the cheeks, Kurt just watched Logan to make sure he didn't try anything. "As you've gathered, things about my school are not quite what they seem. These lower levels are dedicated to the training of my team of X-men." Niesa couldn't stand it any longer "and that training includes pitting three teenagers against a giant robot?!" She said rather more sharply then she had intended to. Xavier smiled calmly "Well we are always looking out for skilled mutants with the abilities and the minds to help us. After Logan discovered you had already visited our little base of operations it occurred to me that there may not be a reason to look any further a field." Cyder spoke now "And the sentinal?!" she demanded. "That was the final test. The test to see if you could keep your heads under pressure." Logan added, "as well as your fighting skills" Charles nodded in agreement ".as well as your fighting skills and we have decided that you would be valued members to our team. Miss Grey?" The familiar slender figure of Niesa's psychology teacher stepped through the doors and in her hands she carried a pile of folded clothes. She handed Kurt the red uniform, Cyder the pink and she placed the black and blue suit in to Niesa's hands. The three exchanged looks of mingled excitement and misunderstanding, Kurt's hold on Niesa tightened again. Jean spoke to Niesa so the others couldn't hear ~I knew you could do it~ She smiled down at her. Niesa looked confused but replied ~Um, well thank you.but I don't get it~ Jean grinned and answered ~You will soon enough.~ She now spoke aloud to all three "Danger room practice is at eight PM. Welcome to the X-men"
Niesa reached up one hand and brushed a strand of her raven hair out of her face, the other hand holding a heavily chewed pen. On her lap sat a large notepad full of pointless doodles and the occasional lyric 'if the muse descended'. She muttered angrily under her breath, she had just spent her second Saturday in the mansion on an elaborate doodle of buzz light- year that just turned out to have a largely in-proportioned head. With a heavy sigh she reached in to her bag and pulled out her battered old CD player and slid in one of her favorite CD's. She placed her notebook on the seat next to her and flipped herself upside down, her legs hooked over the back and her hair dangling on the dreary carpeted Floor. As the heavy booming of the pointless opening track reverberated through her ears Niesa closed her eyes and felt the warm tingly sensation as her blood went to her head. She awoke about 20 minutes later as her head touched the floor below. She had lost her grip on the back of the sofa and slid down. She quickly cleared her throat and folded her arms across her chest as if she had meant to do this all along. She got a few unaproving looks from the people occupying the main room so she haughtily changed the track on her CD player and closed her eyes again singing under her breath. "Tired of being what you want me to be, feeling so faithless, lost under the surface..." But it wasn't any use; she could feel the color drastically rising in her cheeks. She had made an idiot out of herself again in front of the whole student body of Freaks R Us. She as subtly as possible reached her hand up to her CD player and rolled over the volume control. As the music dimmed and the rumble of the children's voices came through one stood out in particular; it was singing along with her. well almost, her accent wasn't quite that bad "Don't know vat expecting ov me, but under zee pressure of valking in your shoes." Niesa angled a suspecting eyebrow. Was this some sad act trying to be funny? Or was some one actually making contact with her. Turning herself right-side-up she opened her eyes and blinked a few times as the blood descended from her brain, the main room just a blurry merge of colors. Once she had finally focused she found something she didn't quite expect. She shook her head slightly taken aback by what she saw. The voice she had heard had been coming from a guy -the strangest guy she had ever seen- who happened to be hanging upside down from the chandelier above the couch she was seated up on. He was suspended from what appeared to be a three-foot long tail so that his blue face was directly before hers. Niesa leant back suddenly, shocked as he flashed her a cheeky smile, bearing his milky white fangs. She took the time to right herself, her eyebrows were so raised that they threatened to disappear in her hairline. She felt herself blushing as she realised her mouth hung open and she quickly decided now would be a good time to say something "errrrr.rrr.. Hi?" She rolled her eyes at herself ~yeah... reaaaaal smooth~ and the guy gave her another of his brilliant, fanged smiles. She couldn't help but smile back this time. He dropped from the chandelier and flipped so he landed on his feet just in front of her. It was at this point his strange feet and tri-dactyl hands became apparent to her. He stooped himself in to a mock bow and offered his hand. "Greetings Frauline, My name's Kurt, Kurt Wagner." Niesa, taking a few seconds to steady her shaking reached out and shook his hand. Kurt, behind his covering of blue fur had rather interesting features- a thin, shapely face with a chiseled chin, an almost roman nose and the oddest eyes she had ever seen. They were yellow in color and had no pupils. they almost seemed to glow. She felt herself staring again, in particular at Kurt's ears that curved up in to small points either side of his head ~like a hobbits.~ she arched a brow again, but this time at herself; she found this guy kind of cute- in an off putting hobbity-smurf-hybrid kinda way. Kurt blinked at her as she stood their silenced by his appearance "and you are..?" She blushed again ~Idiot, idiot, IDIOT! ~ She finally released his hand feeling the fuzzy fur that appeared to cover his whole body "Um, the names Niesa." This time it was him who angled a brow and added "You have a very pretty name" she grew redder "Well my real names Emma." he grinned at her ".But don't spread it around" She wished the earth would just swallow her up at that point. She couldn't have made more of a fool of herself if she had tried. She looked up at him and he was biting his lip, a smile spread over her face- he was as nervous as she was. He cleared his throat "I like Emma better. Its suits you more" A new wave of confidence filled her and she jokingly waggled a finger in his face "Well, I ask you to reserve your judgment Mr. Wagner." He laughed and took a perched seat on the arm of the couch "Vell, excuuuuuuuuuze me! Sorry if I didn't expect sarcastic comments off Zee crazy new girl!"
Weeks passed and Niesa's perspective of Mutant High began to change. She had found in Kurt a reason to venture out of the familiar surroundings of her dorm. She couldn't help but want to be around him, even if nobody wanted to be around her. He had the most wonderful personality and people seemed to flock to be around him- or at least that's how it appeared to Niesa ...it might have just been the fact it took 3 weeks before any one other then Kurt wanted to speak to her. She had found that around him she acted like she wanted to act and he actually appeared to like her more for it and in return she liked him.a lot more then she would let her self believe.
Niesa had been accepted amongst Kurt's large group of friends that he treated almost like an extended family. It amazed her how much he seemed to know and understand about each of them, she had never has any one take an interest in her before and even thinking about it made her slip in to another misty-eyed reverie. Upon loosing her real family she had gained another, one she loved much more then she let on. Niesa felt closest to Kurt and Cyder in particular and together they made an almost clichéd team: the scourge of the main room. Outside of the school they probably would have been regarded with fear just for the strangeness of their appearances- Cyder with her bright pink hair, Kurt being the cutest elf she had ever seen and Niesa.being just, well, downright unusual in the way she acted. But that was only half of it, with the groups combination of astonishing powers no prank was un-attempted and the three often ended up in detention at least four times by the end of one school week. Niesa's telekinetic abilities didn't appear to be a hindrance to the people here, and while they were only blossoming she sometimes found her self regarded in awe for their possibilities. But in all honesty her gifts were dwarfed next to those of her two best friends. Kurt, Niesa had soon found out, was second generation mutant was able to teleport. He waited a few days in to their meeting before suddenly disappearing in a cloud of brimstone scented smoke. He was also able to climb walls and blend in with shadows- this as well as his eyes made a person always unsure of whether or not he was looking at them or somewhere else. Contrary to what you would think Niesa loved this about him, she would often find herself just watching him for long stretches of times and though he was looking in her direction she was never quite sure he was looking at her in the same way (no matter how much she hoped). No matter how much she grew to know about him he always retained an air of mystery and it was this that attracted her the most. Cyder, it turned out had the ability to morph in to any animal she wished and became an excellent way to find out anything the three needed to know. Between them they were able to get anywhere and a few of the secrets of the Xavier Mansion would soon become apparent.as well as the changes in Niesa.
Thanks to Cyders being able to get any information from the X-team in her form of a small kitten ("Its amazing what people will tell animals") they soon found about the first sublevel of the mansion. The three sat huddled around a table in the main room discussing what they had just found, Cyder seeming the most excited of them all "Did you see it though? It's like some sort of funky training area. I know we have a gym and what ever but jeez." Kurt rested his chin on his hand; Niesa loved it when he did that. "Hmmm.I don't Zink Zey are just training kids here. my bets on super hero's" He said in a pondering tone, Cyder just rolled her eyes "Come on Kurt, this is the real world" Niesa chipped in "Nah. I bet he's right. They are like protectors of mutants. all vidulantyish..." Cyder grinned at her "Well you would agree with Kurt wouldn't you." she added slyly. The colour rose in Niesa's cheeks and she looked over to Kurt to make sure he wasn't running for his life, he was still sat as he was before thinking to himself. Niesa sneakily gave Cyder the finger, and she pulled a look of mock aversion. Kurt spoke again, in a hushed voice "I don't get it. its almost creepy. Did you zee all zose uniforms? I mean zey've got to be Uniforms- Either zat or zee lower levels are just for zee teachers." he shuddered violently at the thought ".enjoyment" Niesa and Cyder fell in to fits of hilarity "What? Like a bondage basement?" Niesa screeched with unrelenting laughter "Dude! Don't say such things.the professor in leather! I wont be sleeping tonight!" Kurt got to his feet, clutching his side slightly from laughing and quickly his face changed "Ve're going back down zere, Ve have to find out Vhats going on cus they wont tell us.and I bet you zeres another floor or something!" Cyder got to her feet and clapped enthusiastically "OH Yeah! Mission!" She began singing the mission impossible theme, scaring most of the other inhabitants of the Main room away. Kurt knelt down on the carpet next Niesa and another of his amazing cheeky grins spread over his face. Niesa felt her stomach lurch as it always did when he looked at her that way. "Are you up for it, Emma?" She smiled weakly and replied "Uh-huh...sure" before the dreamy look could take full control of her face and she ended up looking too besotted. She sighed as he got back up and thought to herself 'Oh God, I love it when you do that." Kurt did a double take and blinked a couple of times at her "Love it when I do Vhat?" he enquired, looking undoubtedly confused. Niesa's eyes went wide and her mouth hung open. Had He just heard her thoughts?
Niesa quickly got to her feet, looking away from him and stuttered out "What!? Love what?" Kurt furrowed his brow "You said you love it ven I do zat.vhen I do vhat?!" He really had heard her thoughts. The colour drained from Niesa's face as she looked him over and thought ~Holy Shit! He's a Telepath!~ Kurt haughtily put his hands on his hips and stared at her "I am not a telepath...Now stop doing Zat, its really stupid" Niesa turned to look at him, her face white as a sheet "Kurt! It's not me! I'm not saying anything.you're reading my thoughts!" Kurt's face fell instantly "Vas? I can't be! I.i've got all my powers! Its not me!" Niesa sat down on the couch, shaking slightly. What if he could do it all along? What if he had sat there and listened to everything she thought about him? All the little daydreams and he never told her? The shock sapped away and was replaced by blind fury "Liar, you've been doing it all along! You've been in my head laughing away at my thoughts!" Kurt's face, if it was possible fell even more. He looked like she had just slapped him full force around the face. He regained composure and his eyes narrowed, the faint yellow glow emitting from two slits. "Vat!? How can you say zat!?.I've never done it before! I vould never listen in on your thoughts! I'm not some sort of . of.thought pervert!" he changed his stance, his tail whipping from side to side threateningly but his face looked as if he had been hurt worse then ever before and it nearly Broke Niesa's heart. The rage left her with the sickening feeling of guilt in the pit of her stomach. She put her head in her hands, hiding her remorse from him; perhaps this was the first time. ~Idiot Idiot IDIOT! ~ She thought to herself. Kurt's tail lashed in front of her face "I am not! Vat is your problem!?" Niesa jumped to her feet "You did it again! You read my thoughts!" a realisation came over her and she was just about to apologise and explain the benefits of this to Kurt when Cyder stepped in front of him. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her forehead to his "OK, lets make this easier.tell me what I'm thinking." She screwed up her face in concentration and Niesa listened intently for Kurt's reply but all she heard was Cyders voice ringing through her skull ~Moo Chops doesn't mean it, Kurt, she's just freaked out~ Niesa rolled her eyes and said "Duh, Cyder, you're supposed to think it, not blurt it out for the whole main room to hear." Cyder lost her footing in shock and landed on the sofa next to her, Kurt merely stood there, mouth open. Niesa tried to stare him out but his eyes grew wider and he muttered "Mein Gott" then as if someone had kicked a hole in the dam of her thoughts, it dawned on her. "Whoa." It was soon after this the room went fuzzy and faded to black.
Niesa felt a splash on her face and her eyes fluttered open. As the room came back in to focus she felt she was stretched out on the sofa having just had water sprinkled on her face in an effort to revive her. Kurt and Cyder's faces crowded her line of sight. "Moo chops! Are you ok? You blacked out!" Niesa felt the sensation return to her body with a heavy blow, it felt as if her head was going to split ~Owwie, anyone got an aspirin?~ Kurt's and Cyders faces both cracked in to identical shocked grins. Kurt put his arms around her and lifted her in to a sitting position, Niesa blushed but made sure not to think anything. "Emma? You did it again. Mein Gott.this is so veird." It was Kurt and he sounded as if he was talking to himself rather then her "You're a telepath, Emma. You can speak in other peoples heads.possibly hear zier zoughts too" He smiled weakly, as if being very careful and Niesa felt the sickness return- he was scared of what she could hear. She looked away from them as he continued "Me and Cyder talked about it vhile you vere out. By the looks of it, it only works if you can see that person or are focusing especially on them. You vere zinking about me..." even behind the fur you could tell he was blushing "...and only I could hear you..." His voice was shaky and frightened. Niesa felt the sharp burning behind her eyes that usually meant it was time to be alone but she couldn't move. She just sat there as silent tears trickled down her cheeks, dragging her heavy eyeliner with them.
Kurt looked up at her and winced slightly. He jumped over and sat
beside her on the couch, nervously his arm ventured round her
shoulder. "Don't cry, please." He put a finger under her chin and
tilted her head so he could see her properly, over his shoulder Cyder
could be seen giving Niesa the thumbs up. He wiped a tear off her
cheek "If you cry then I'll cry and its not a pretty sight" he cracked
another smile and Niesa could feel his feelings flooding her, she
couldn't sift through them all but she could tell he wasn't scared
anymore. He was trying to make her feel better. She looked up at him
and smiled warmly, another thought crowded her mind ~wow.~ But this
time it was clearly Kurt's. Niesa looked back up at him and suddenly
felt very brave. What if he.? Would he mind if.? The distant look in
his eye suddenly vanished and he cleared his throat, letting go of
her. Kurt got to his feet and Niesa could hear a stream of self hating
thoughts sounding from him ~Vardammte Coward!~ He turned back to Niesa
and winced "You can still hear me cant you.?" Niesa nodded solemnly
but inside she was jumping up and down. Cyder retook her seat on the couch and looked Niesa suspiciously in the eye "Well this is weird. But I have to say very useful." she tapped her fingers together in a Dr Evil-esque manner "But first we need to sort out the little broadcasting issue. Niesa I know you can do it cus that Nate guy does it all the time, put up a mental block" Niesa rolled her eyes "That's easier said then done Horsebrain" Cyder slapped her on the arm "Shut up and listen to teacher! Of course you can do it" Niesa shifted through her mind, trying to find somewhere she felt safe, but the whole idea sounded kind of dumb. Then she felt it, she thought loudly ~Moo Chops smells~ Cyder just stared at her "Cyder didn't you hear that?" Cyder grinned, "Ok, see I told you" Cyder got up and pulled Kurt back down on to the couch "And as for me and blue boy here, we wont think so loudly and as long as you don't go looking in our heads we're all as happy as Larry.. Deal?" Niesa looked between the two, Cyder was grinning broadly, obviously considering the possibilities of having a telepath at hand 24/7 but Kurt just looked bewildered. Niesa closed her eyes and concentrated ~deal~ both Kurt and cyder jumped, not expecting this little intrusion. Niesa smiled cheekily, now considering the perks to a power like this one "Sorry guys, just testing it out" the grin spread over Cyders face "This will be extra useful for getting in to those sublevels. aye Kurt?" Kurt jumped as if coming out of a daydream "Ohhh.... Ja.right, very useful" Niesa's excitement had drained away and was replaced with guilt again. She reached over and took his hand "Kurt, I was scared.I didn't mean that stuff..." Kurt looked up at her and forced a smile "No, really Kurt, I bet you're thinking the same. I've sorta got it under control, I cant hear what you're thinking now and I never have before.promise" Kurt's face didn't change and Niesa could feel more tears welling up "Please don't hate me Kurt, you're one of my best friends.I couldn't stand it" Cyder sighed heavily "Oh will you two just get over it, its grinding on my nerves now" She pushed Kurt closer to Niesa "I mean he fancies the pants off you, he always had done. Its not like this is going to change anything.he's just in shock" Kurt quickly tried to get off her laughing nervously and threatening Cyder with a look to kill. Niesa just sat still, aghast. Cyder groaned loudly "Oh for god sake just get on with it will you! Can't you see it Kurt? You heard her thoughts she's got it as bad as you!" Niesa looked back to Cyder but found herself face to face with a very nervous looking Kurt.
Kurt and Niesa both just stared at each other. An awkward silence grew around them but they didn't move. Niesa felt that anomalous feeling in her stomach; something had to happen soon. Panicking she looked down, she could practically feel Cyder rolling her eyes in annoyance. She corrected her gaze to find that Kurt was still there watching her intently; there was no missing it, his eyes were defiantly on her. Niesa felt a tingle of excitement run down her spine and was about to do something- she wasn't sure what- when Kurt received another sharp shove from behind. He landed on Niesa, pinning her down on the couch with an arm either side of her to prop himself up. He grimaced and smiled apologetically to Niesa and began to protest to Cyder "Yes, nice one zere, about a subtle as a train-reck." He gave Niesa another look as he pushed himself off her and without thinking she raised her hand up to his shoulder and held him in place. A small wooting noise could be heard from behind them as Niesa leant slightly closer to Kurt, and he reciprocated. He was so close to her now that she could the soft blue fur on his face. She smiled at him and without a second thought he kissed her. She felt as if she would just melt away right there and then. Cyders insane cheering blurred away and it was only once it had stopped and silence filled the room that it occurred to her something was very amiss. Niesa broke the kiss and opened her eyes. Kurt was still on top of her and he had the funniest look on his face. His eyes were closed and the sides of his mouth curved n to a barely noticeable, dreamy smirk.
A particularly forced clearing of the throat was heard and Niesa looked around the main room. A group of students sat watching the pair with a look of utmost amusement on their faces. Niesa looked to Cyder, her arms still around Kurt's neck and Cyder was making a very funny face, she kept looking up over Niesa's shoulders at something behind her and Kurt. The coughing noise sounded again and Kurt's eyes snapped open, he quickly dived off Niesa and teleported up on to the chandelier "It.it vas an accident." Niesa sat up and turned around. Behind her were two very well known members of the teaching staff.they had seen it all.
Mr. Logan growled under his breath as Niesa raised her gaze to meet his. He rolled his cigar in his mouth and folded his arms "Explain how that was an accident, elf" he grunted. The second teacher leaned against the staff he always carried with him. Niesa recognized him...all the girls knew who he was. Mr. Lebeau or Gambit as her preferred to be called. Gambit reached up and arm and leaned against the small but bulky frame of Logan. "Aw, come now Logan, Dey did no damage. Hell knows dis place needs a little amour. None?." He looked down at Niesa and grinned, a few girls could be heard sighing from over the main room "Isn't Dat right Mon Chere?" Gambit grinned and Niesa forced a nervous smiled back but it faded as Logan stomped across the room and stood beneath the Chandelier. Kurt was visibly shaking. "Elf!?" He barked up at Kurt who looked like, if it was possible he would have crawled through the ceiling "Not everyone wants to watch you get your grubby paws all over your little girlfriend." He said this last word with such an acid discontent that Niesa felt she may explode at any moment. Kurt began to stutter explanations "Sorry. it vont happen again, I svare" Logan pointed a stumpy finger up at Kurt "It had better not.Bub" Logan walked away and Kurt bared his fangs at his retreating figure, the amusement on Gambits face was so obvious that as Logan stopped next to him he muttered "Not a word, Cajun" A steady stream of thoughts came from the two and Niesa did her best to block them but then she heard something that shocked her. It came from Logan. He was suspiciously studying her ~I know that scent.how do I know you? ~ This thought scared her to the point of wanting to run for it. Why would Logan know her scent? And why was it interesting him so much? Logan approached her slowly and contemplated her with with an air of pompous, forced dignity. He spoke, all the time inhaling deeply, trying to place her scent "And the same goes for you.Errrr." Remy rolled his eyes and said to Logan "Her name's Emma" and thought to himself ~You know.Jeans special case~ Niesa did a double take and Gambit raised a brow, this was getting to weird. Logan chipped in again "Yeah. The same goes for you Emma.Find somewhere else for it. I don't appreciate such public displays of affection" Logan was just giving Niesa a threatening glare when his eyes went wide ~Sub-Level 1! Oh, I got you now girlie." He glared and turned on his heel. Grabbing Gambit by the collar of his trench coat he dragged him out the room "Come on, Swamp Rat, we've got business to take care of..." Remy smiled strangely at Kurt, Niesa and Cyder and followed him out of the room. Kurt disappeared in a blue cloud and re-appeared moments later with his arms around Niesa's waist. He leaned forwards and kissed her on the collarbone "He is vay veird." Niesa had waited long enough for this moment but was unable to enjoy it, her grip on Kurt's hand tightened. "He knows we know"
The remainder of the day passed slowly, shadowed by the shock of what Niesa heard. Not even Cyder could see a high point to that but she was still as determined. The lights through out the mansion had diminished and Niesa lay awake in her room. She tossed and turned in a desperate effort to get to sleep but she could feel the back of her mind buzzing. The other two had come to the conclusion that she was evolving still. The idea had sounded so dumb to her at the time that she had almost snorted drink out of her nose from laughing- It had to be said that wasn't the best way to be seen in front of her new boyfriend. The buzzing faded and was replaced by butterflies in the stomach. Boyfriend. She just liked to think that word to herself. Niesa closed her eyes to block out the unremitting blinking of her digital alarm clock, which now read 01:18. She could hear other people awake through the mansion too- or rather she could hear their thoughts. She tried to blank them out, preying the people would just fall to sleep but as the buzzing in her skull grew louder more subconscious thoughts became apparent. Niesa squeezed her eyes shut and went to that safe place in her head, she finally felt alone and the heavy drowsiness of sleep blanketed itself around her.
She was awoken ten minutes later by the feel fur against the skin of her hand. She didn't open her eyes but she grinned to herself "Do you know how many rules you just broke?" she turned to face the person but found herself a little disappointed. A small kitten sat on the edge of her bed, is saucer like eyes reflecting all the light in the room. Niesa groaned sulkily "Hi, Cyder, what is it?" A small shuddering noise was heard and Cyder morphed back in to her human form. She went to Niesa's draws and began rooting through. She chucked some clothes in her direction and whispered hurriedly "get dressed, we're going back down there." In two minutes Niesa and Cyder were outside the Boys Dorm. Niesa strained her telekinetic abilities and hovered a few feet above the floor so their footsteps would make no sound, in her arms was Cyder back in her kitten form. Niesa knew what to do. She screwed up her face in concentration, she lost a few inches and her toes almost touched the carpet below but she had succeeded. She sent a telepathic wake up call to Kurt ~Wake up, its time for Mission Impossible 2~ A muffled bang could be heard from inside the Dorm and seconds later Kurt appeared in front of them, wearing just his boxers and t-shirt. Cyders voice could be heard now ~Oh come on Kurt, not all of us want to see you half naked~ Kurt blinked and padded forward, silently ~Okay.Vhen did Cyder become a telepath too?~ The kitten visably rolled its eyes ~Shes linking our minds moron. So we don't have to talk and wake the staff up.~ Kurts golden eyes flashed as he looked Niesa up and down. ~Voah, youre flying.Zat's handy~ Niesa grinned sheepishly, only having just took her eyes off the parts of him that weren't covered ~Err.yeah, powers gone a bit funny~ she replied. Cyder dug her claws in to Niesas arm ~Okay, okay, enough with the cryptic flirting. Time to get this show on the road.~ Both Kurt's and Niesa's heads were filled with Cyders carefully thought out instructions and identical evil smirks passed over their faces. Kurt stepped forward and put his arms around Niesa. He whispered in her ear "You look sehr beautiful tonight." But she didn't even have the time to blush as they re-appeared in the hall below, crowded by sulpherous smoke. Kurt didn't let go and Niesa's excitement over the mission was replaced by the excitement of being near him. They were just about to have another of their moments when Cyders voice rang through ~Hey! Come on! I'm still hear, so put her down before I label this mission PG-13~ Both Kurt and Niesa took a step back but just smirked at each other. The kitten jumped out of Niesa's arms and landed on the wooden flooring below. Silently it padded along the hall and Kurt and Niesa followed- Him with his silent steps, her hovering a foot above the ground. The kitten stopped outside one of the wooden panels on the wall and morph back in to a girl. She beaconed them over and as quietly as possible they all pressed their weight against it. A hissing noise could be heard as the paneling slipped back to reveal a chrome door, with an X shaped emblem upon it. She spoke to the others telepathically ~Ok, wanna check out my new party trick. I've been practicing all night~ Cyder shuddered violently and her form changed. She spread and gained about a foot in height- she had turned in to Logan She stretch her arms out and felt to the top of her head where her long pink hair still remained. Pink defiantly wasn't Logan's color. Both Kurt and Niesa gasped ~I zought you could only do animals!~ Logan's mouth grinned at them ~Hey, anything that hairy counts as an animal right?~ Niesa furrowed her brow ~why do you need to do that? We just teleported in last time~ Cyder flicked her manly magenta locks out of her face ~Well since you said Logan knows we've been down here I reckon there will be some knew security measures to prevent it.and I bet only teachers can get in to the next sub-level~ Cyder stood, her eyes level with the center of the cross on the door. The circle in the middle turned slightly and beam ran over Logan's features- a retina-scan. The door slid apart and the passage behind it lit as the strip lighting panels blinked in to life.
As well as the lighting covering the ceiling the panels on the walls began to glow, gently illuminating the glass cabinets that lined them. Contained in each of the cabinets were what Kurt had earlier decided, were uniforms but these were old to the trio now and they passed through them with as much haste as possible. Niesa hovered down the hall, carrying Cyder (now reverted to kitten form) in her arms and Kurt snuck silently along the ceiling. They were careful not to touch the floor because of alarm systems. They were almost at the steal door the other end of the corridor when something new caught Niesa's eye and she came to a stop. Kurt stopped and hung upside down from one of the pipes channeling along the roof ~Vhat is it? Vhy did Ve stop?~ Niesa indicated to three new glass cabinets at the end of the line, containing three uniforms that were new to the costume parade. One black with a red V that ended at the navel and white boots and gloves and two similar uniforms obviously meant for women. One was colored the usual black but with a large blue X through the middle, with matching boots and fingerless gloves and the other the same but with magenta trimmings. Cyder sounded confused ~I guess the super hero's just gained three new members~ Niesa continued down the corridor ~I guess~ until she reached the main door at the other end. Countless other doors opened in to extending corridors but they weren't interested in these. They knew this had to be the door, if any, that lead to the next level. Without thinking Niesa dropped to the floor in front of the door, they all flinched expecting to hear the scream of alarms any second but nothing happened. Kurt dropped next to them. ~Go for it Cyder~ Cyder once again morphed in to the pink frilled Logan and took the retina scan. The doors slid open to reveal an elevator ~This is it!~ Cyder hoped inside and dragged in Kurt and Niesa with her. Kurt looked around the elevator and spoke his thoughts aloud "Okay, this is unusual.but how do we get to level 2?" The team felt a pull in their stomachs as the elevator began to descend. A woman's voice filled the contained area "Level 2" and the elevator halted. The moment the doors were open Cyder ran out mid morph and made her way to a huge circular door at the end of the hall. Kurt and Niesa exchanged knowing looks and hastily followed. Cyder was just shuddering, a warning she was about to morph when the doors rolled open on their own. ~Well that was unexpected~ thought Niesa and the other two echoed her thoughts. They stepped inside, their footsteps echoing through the massive empty room. The walls were covered once again in silver chrome with various hidden compartments all over the sides and roof. The doors rolled shut behind them and the woman's voice from the elevator sounded again "Welcome to the Danger room" Kurt loudly snorted with sarcastic laughter "Oh come on. What's so dangerous about Zis place? .Danger Room. It sounds like something out of a bad Bond Movie" he took a upright stance, one hand forward as if holding his martini and said in a very bad English accent "The names Logan, Logan 007." Cyder and Niesa began to laugh when a quiet rumble could be heard coming from the walls, the disembodied voice sounded again "Running program Logan 007" The walls seemed to shimmer as if with heat haze and their surroundings seem to change. They were now stood outside what appeared to be a large shopping mall in the dead of night. Cyder cocked a brow at Kurt "Why did you do that?" Niesa's hand reached across and shook Kurt before he could deny the accusation. Kurt fell silent, staring over Cyder shoulder. Niesa pulled her around in turn and Cyders face fell. Niesa thought to the others, her mouth unable to move in shock ~it wasn't Kurt who moved us.but I think now would be a good time to move back~ All three backed away in panic as the large metallic head of a Sentinel could be seen emerging from behind the malls jumble of towers.
The sentinel stepped clear over part of the building and stopped in front of the three. Its bright eyes burned down on them, reading their signals. Its metallic joints creaked as it relayed its orders in a hollow tinny voice "Undocumented mutants detected. Seek out and destroy." Niesa was unable to move, she had heard of these things. The robots that hunted down mutants for experiments- they were the reason her parents had really sent her away, they didn't want these things banging on their door. Besides her Cyder and Kurt were already taking action, they had been at the school a long time and knew what to do in an emergency- and this defiantly counted as emergency. The sentinel raised its hand and the morphed form of kitten- Cyder jumped in to Niesas arms Kurt took them both in his arms quickly and teleported them 1000 yards away from the it. Cyder morphed back and took her battle stance; Kurt copied "Niesa! Mind link us! We are going to take it down!" This was easier said then done but she followed the orders. Kurt's continuous stream of fearful thoughts screamed out to Niesa but she was shocked to find that he was not scared for his own safety but was in fact planning the best way to get her and Cyder away. ~I could teleport them one by one.but I don't know Vere I am.please don't let her get hurt..ARGH!!!~ Kurt's sudden scream caused Niesa to jump; this was lucky as she missed the beam that was sent forth from the sentinels hand by a hairs breadth. The pavement next to her was now adorned with a large crater and Kurt and cyder lay either side of it having just dived for their lives. The sentinel raised its hand to fire for a second time but Niesa was ready. As soon as the laser shot was fired Niesa's arms flew forward and a telekinetic barrier deflected the beam. They all got up to their feet and formed a tight group. Kurt took control and began to send the other two instructions. ~Cyder, you and me need to get up on to ze Sentinals shoulders. Emma, you need to protect us- and especially yourself from zose lasers.~ Cyder nodded, never once taking her eyes off the sentinal, while Niesa occasionally reflected its blasts. The sentinal was getting closer. As Cyder morphed in to a large Bird and took off for the sentinal Kurt's hand found Niesa's and he held it tightly to steady her shaking. She was instantly flooded with all his thoughts and feelings. He was thinking openly, letting her feel it all. His thoughts left her feeling warmed through out and the fear melted away. Niesa's expression set to that of rock determination and Kurt leant forward to her. He placed a single kiss on her cheek and teleported away. Within a few moments both Cyder and Kurt were up on the Sentinals shoulders. Niesa, between the building of her telekinetic walls could see Kurt was struggling to pull away what appeared to be a panel on the sentinels head. It could feel something wrong so it began flaying around, shooting badly aimed shots over its shoulder, trying to brush Kurt and Cyder off. ~WATCH OUT! ~ But he was already away the square of red steel in his hand. Kurt teleported randomly, trying to get the Sentinals attention while Cyder did her part. She appeared to have morphed in to a wolf, which was now hanging on for grim death by the long string of wiring that she had pulled out of the sentinals neck. The headlamp like eyes of the sentinal began to flicker as Cyder continued to rag at the wires. The sentinal itself was now firing random shots in an attempt to prevent Kurt from teleporting and Niesa could hear his strained thoughts- he was getting tired. Niesa too was feeling weak. Cyder let go, morphing mid air back in to a bird and landing besides Niesa. The Sentinal began to teeter, threatening to fall. It raised its hand one last time and fired a shot. The Shot caught Kurt mid-teleport and he dropped from the air. Niesa steadied his fall with her telekinetic abilities and he touched the ground gently. Panic began to rise in her, she had been so busy watching Cyder she had forgotten about Kurt. She was just beginning to fear the worse when the body of the sentinal began to plunge forward, heading right for Cyder and herself. Cyder morphed and flew away but Niesa was rooted to the spot. She could hear Cyders strangled screaming of her name as Niesa closed her eyes and braced herself for death. The deadly blow never came, Niesa just felt like she was being pulled from behind. She ventured to open her eyes and found herself in Kurt's arms. His eyes too were closed and he looked pale from shock. He opened his eyes and looked her over, his arms instantly tightened around her. Niesa looked down, she was standing on the sentinel's head and Cyder's elated shouts could be heard from below. She felt her knees go weak with trauma but Kurt held her up. She stuttered not understanding what had happened. She should be dead. He should be dead. "Kurt.I. I thought you were shot. I.it.how did I get here?" He smiled weakly, the color returning to his face and once again she heard his thoughts ~Zankgod you're safe.~ He kissed her hair and whispered, obviously still in shock himself "It didn't hurt me.. I vas stunned, ve teleported.are you ok? Are you hurt?" She didn't answer. She reached a hand up and took hold of his collar. She pulled him down and their lips met again. Once again Niesa felt her knees go weak and the sounds around them faded in to nothing, until she was bought round by a rude shout. "ELF!" Kurt and Niesa parted and Kurt was visibly shaking again "what have I told you about doing that!?" It was Logan. The real Logan strolling up the street- which was scary- with a huge grin splashed over his face- which scared Niesa more then any sentinal. Kurt instantly teleported the pair down to ground level and hid behind Cyder. Niesa rolled her eyes "Oh, my hero" she said sarcastically. Logan burst in to loud, rumbling laughter and Niesa angled a brow at him. Logan smirked "Oh you will see why I find that funny in a second, kiddo" Logan turned to face the mall and shouted out to no one in particular "Hey! Chuck, I think the rookies are finished now. Computer end program Logan 007" Before they three could question this their surroundings began to merge again and was soon replaced by the metal room they had entered at the mansion. Logan was shouting up at a small high room, covered in one-way glass. Logan turned back to Niesa and the others and grinned again- this was too weird. The large circle door to the room rolled aside once more and the bald but oddly dignified Professor Xavier wheeled himself in. He stopped and regarded all three with a mysterious look. He folded his hands in his lap and addressed them "I would like to congratulate you. You passed the test. I knew you would." Kurt stepped out from behind Cyder and put an arm around Niesa "Vat test?" he enquired. The professor smiled "Well it became apparent to us that our secret was, in fact, not as secret as we thought and it would appear that had a group of very skilled detectives on our hands." Both Cyder and Niesa went red in the cheeks, Kurt just watched Logan to make sure he didn't try anything. "As you've gathered, things about my school are not quite what they seem. These lower levels are dedicated to the training of my team of X-men." Niesa couldn't stand it any longer "and that training includes pitting three teenagers against a giant robot?!" She said rather more sharply then she had intended to. Xavier smiled calmly "Well we are always looking out for skilled mutants with the abilities and the minds to help us. After Logan discovered you had already visited our little base of operations it occurred to me that there may not be a reason to look any further a field." Cyder spoke now "And the sentinal?!" she demanded. "That was the final test. The test to see if you could keep your heads under pressure." Logan added, "as well as your fighting skills" Charles nodded in agreement ".as well as your fighting skills and we have decided that you would be valued members to our team. Miss Grey?" The familiar slender figure of Niesa's psychology teacher stepped through the doors and in her hands she carried a pile of folded clothes. She handed Kurt the red uniform, Cyder the pink and she placed the black and blue suit in to Niesa's hands. The three exchanged looks of mingled excitement and misunderstanding, Kurt's hold on Niesa tightened again. Jean spoke to Niesa so the others couldn't hear ~I knew you could do it~ She smiled down at her. Niesa looked confused but replied ~Um, well thank you.but I don't get it~ Jean grinned and answered ~You will soon enough.~ She now spoke aloud to all three "Danger room practice is at eight PM. Welcome to the X-men"