MetaChi!! You found it!! You see, this was a…erm...test, yeah that's it!! Testing…oh I dunno. Y'know, I could've sworn I told ya…oh well. Sorry! Hee…questions are fun…as will be 'that other fic'…yeah, I think now is a good time to shut my yap.
Thankies also to Kitty Tigri and, once again, AngelShadowCat/NightCrawler for reviewing!! I'm in a good mood now!…though it's 12:20 a.m. at the moment…
Yeah…here's the story…and look! Evo charas! Yay!!
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
"Iz zat her?" Kurt asked, carefully pushing down a tree branch to get a better look.
"Yes," Jean said with a decisive nod. "I believe so."
"Vell, she's sort of…small." And she was. She couldn't be any more than five feet or so tall when she stood, and was extremely thin. The thinness was exacerbated by the fact that she wore a tight, purple halter-top under a short black vest, and a pair of jeans that accentuated her waist very well. Her long, dark hair was separated into three plaits: two thin ones framing her face and a thicker one in the back. She wore no make up, and had a purple and black shoelace wrapped several times about her neck.
"She may seem small," Jean said quietly with a shrug, "but that doesn't mean there isn't a tremendous amount of power in there. I mean, look at you. You're a twig, but you're still a very formidable opponent." Kurt just shrugged.
"How do we know that is her, though?" Ororo asked, whispering only loud enough for it to be audible. For a response, Jean just pointed, and both Ororo and Kurt turned to see the cat's ears and tail grow from her. "Oh," said Ororo. "I see."
"Come on," Jean whispered, backing away. "Let's go around to the front of the house." The other two nodded and followed as she led the way. The made it to the road before turning and cutting back across the yard. Kurt moved out in front as they came around the house.
"What's her name?" Ororo asked Jean.
"Janella," she replied. "Janella Baduini…we think." Ororo nodded, and turned back to see a vegetative projectile sail past the corner of the house. "Kurt, look out!" she called.
The disguised mutant looked up and ducked. "Aah! Flying veeds!" he cried, laughter in his voice. A moment later, they heard the girl call out, "Who are you? Show yourself!" Jean stepped ahead of the others and around the corner, Ororo and Kurt just behind her.
"Hello," she said pleasantly, trying to show the girl she meant no harm. "My name is Jean Grey, and I'm looking for Janella Baduini. You wouldn't happen to know her, would you?"
"Maybe," the girl said guardedly, standing and brushing off some stray blades of grass. "What's it to you?"
"We come to extend her an offer to attend Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in north New York state. It is a very exclusive school, mind you, and this is a once in a lifetime offer." The girl appeared to consider for a moment before speaking up.
"So maybe I'm Janella," she says. "Why exactly should I go to this school? I go to school here!"
"Ah, yes," Ororo said, stepping forward. "But are there-?" Before Ororo could complete her question, though, a shout came from the trees behind the house and a teenage boy, anorexically thin, came charging out, waving what looked like a sophisticated water gun. Janella spun and started, and when the three representatives next looked, she wasn't anywhere to be seen. In fact, she wasn't even on the ground. She was perched on the second story roof, leaning over, clutching the gutter. Her previously bound, brown hair, and changed to black, streaked with bright red, and was hanging over and around her shoulders. Amongst her bared teeth were two pointed fangs, which has not been there previously. Two wide magenta wings had sprung from her shoulder blades, and she was fanning them furiously. Occasionally, a glimpse of a magenta tail tipped with a spade like Kurt's could be seen over the edge of the roof or the curve of her shoulder, giving the impression that it was lashing furiously.
"Reno!" she shouted at the boy, who was doubled over in laughter. "You slarking asshole, what are you trying to do, give me a bleeding heart attack?! I'm of a mind to go inside and get my CPS 2500!!" This threat had more weight then it seemed, for the boy instantly stopped laughing and stood up straight.
"Don't you dare…" he said
"Try me!" she shouted back, obviously still incensed. "I dare you!! Try me!!" The boy, Reno, took a few steps back and held up his hands defensively. Janella's wings sagged, and the tip of her tail flopped limply over the side of the gutter. She looked to the three mutants, who seemed struck dumb by this outburst.
"Listen," she said, sitting back and crossing her legs, voice taking on a dejected note. "I'm sorry for him," she gestured to Reno, who was still slowly backing away, "and I'm sorry for this." She gestured to her wings and newly changed hair. She didn't expect a reply. Since she didn't know the three representatives were mutant, she fully expected then to go tearing out of the yard, yelling about demons or aliens or something of the like. She was therefore pleasantly surprised when they didn't run or scream. "So…" she continued in a more hopeful tone of voice, "you were asking me about my school?"
Ororo turned to Kurt and smiled. "Do you think you could ask her?" she asked. "I don't feel like yelling." Kurt realized what she meant and smiled also.
"Vith pleasure," he said, turning and looking up at Janella. The transformed girl nearly fell off the roof when he disappeared in a puff of blue smoke and reappeared next to her on the roof. She gawked at Kurt.
"Wow…that's…so…cool!" she breathed, looking at him. He smiled.
"Izn't it though?" he said. She nodded enthusiastically.
"You know," she said, leaning in conspiratorially, "I can do something like that too."
He drew back, eyes wide. "Really?" As far as he knew, he was the only teleporting mutant. Of course, that didn't necessarily mean he wasn't the only one, but he had never met another, nor expected to.
"Watch," Janella was saying, spreading her wings wider. The bright magenta hue quickly darkened to red, and them black interlaced with the red. All of the hair on her head disappeared as a wave of black scales started at her hairline and swept down her face, neck, arms, and legs to her tail. The tail lengthened and thickened, the spade on the end splitting into two, and thick red scales lined the bottom third, near the base. The shape of the legs changed, thigh and shinbones shortening and foot and anklebones lengthening, until she was squatting on the balls of her feet. Two of the toes were long and fully in contact with the ground, but the third curved upward and sported a scythe-like claw similar to that of a raptor. Her arms lengthened and slimmed out, and three long, claw-tipped fingers replaced five relatively stubby human ones. Two fangs began two protrude from her mouth as a row of spines sprouted from the back of her head and traveled in a wave down her back to the end of her tail, where they flared into a lethal cluster.
Janella sat back now, paused for a moment, tail moving slightly from side-to-side. She looked over at Kurt and smiled, an unnerving expression on that inhuman face. Kurt got the feeling that maybe this was one mutant who wouldn't at first repulsed by his natural appearance.
~This is only a half-shift,~ she said, voice echoing in his mind. ~I can't complete these extreme ones in one go yet.~ She shrugged, wing elbows imitating the movement. Then her head grew out, two long, forward curving horns sprouting above her eyes and another on the end of her snout. Her eyes became bright yellow, and several long spines shot out behind her eyes, webbing forming between them. A few triangular ridges grew along her lower jaw. She tilted her head to one side, and Kurt could have sworn she was smiling at him, though it was hard to tell.
~Watch,~ she said, spreading the wings and launching from the roof. Jean and Ororo ducked away from the blast of wind, and Reno pressed himself against the wall of the house, eyes rolling. She just skimmed the surface of the grass a moment before pulling up again. Right before she would have crashed into the tree line, she disappeared. No sound, no puff of smoke, no indications of anything-she was just gone.
Kurt teleported back down to the ground, reappearing in the midst or a question asked by Ororo.
"-id she go?" He figured the first part had been "Where d-?" Jean pointed over their heads.
"Right there," she said. Janella had reappeared, and was flapping her wide wings slowly, fanning gusts of incredibly cold air down on them. She settled slowly to the ground, and quickly and fluidly changed back into her human shape.
"That was an…interesting demonstration," Ororo said. "Are you usually that…quick to display your talents?"
Janella shrugged. "Not on purpose. Sometimes, things just grow out of me, especially if I'm surprised, like you saw with Reno!" On this last word, her voice rose accusatorily, and she half turned towards the boy, glaring. She turned back. "However, I kind of figured it was okay since…" She gestured to Kurt, shrugging again. "Wasn't the smartest thing to do, huh?"
"No, not really," Ororo said, with a smile to dispel any feeling of extreme disapproval.
"Maybe," Jean said, breaking in, "we can take this inside. It is sort of…exposed out here."
Janella nodded. "You're right. I should have offered right away." She turned then and led the way into the large, tastefully decorated house. "Can I get any of you a drink or something?" she asked, shifting back and forth from foot to foot, apparently uncomfortable in this hostess role. The trio nodded, and she quickly situated them with their preferences from the myriad of beverages in the large refrigerator. She picked a can of something herself, and sat down at a large table.
"You said you were representatives of a school for the 'gifted,' as you put it?" she said, prompting them to give her more info.
"Yes," Ororo said, leaning forward. "Xavier's school is told off to the public as a very exclusive prep school. However, our true purpose is to train mutants to control their powers and use them for the good of all. Actually, most of the students still of school age attend the local high school, Bayville High." Janella nodded. "Most of the mutants, when they've progressed far enough in their abilities, are given the choice of joining the X-Men."
"The X-Men?"
"Yes," Ororo said, continuing. "We're a group of…well, crime fighters, really, assembled by Professor Xavier, who supports the school and all its facilities." Janella nodded.
"I see," she said, folding her hands and resting her chin upon them. "And what if a graduate chooses not to become one of these X-Men?"
"They're allowed to leave, live their life as they will, attempting to be normal, or even staying on at the Institute as an instructor or behind-the-scenes sort of person." Janella nodded.
"And if I choose to attend this school?" Janella asked.
"You'll be given room and board," Ororo said. "You'll attend the local high school, starting next year seeing as this year's almost over. You'll be instructed in how to control and moderate your gifts, and be given the opportunity, if you so choose, to join the X-Men." Janella tapped at her chin, and her eyes became glazed over, as she appeared to think about it.
"Suppose I choose to come, but turns out I don't like it. I'm uncomfortable, or just don't fit in? What then?"
"You're free to leave, at any time." Janella nodded once again. She asked a final question.
"How soon do you need my decision?"
"As soon as you can provide it," Storm said spreading her hands.
"The I'll give it to you," Janella said with a smile. "I'd be honored to attend Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." Ororo matched her own smile to the girl's.
"That's wonderful!" she said. "Now…how soon can you be packed?"
It didn't take long for Janella to fill a suitcase with clothes, nor a small duffel bag with the sanitary necessities she preferred. It did take longer, though, for her to gather the personal items she wanted, since they seemed to be scattered about the house. The two women stayed in the kitchen but Kurt opted to follow Janella around and try to help her. She had opened a backpack now, and slid several sketchpads of assorted sizes inside. She was browsing a pair of bookshelves, pulling off random titles and putting them in too. She then darted back into her room and threw the covers off her bed, revealing quite a few stuffed animals. Two or three of the most worn were added to the backpack before it was closed. She turned to Kurt with a smile.
"Just a few more things," she said, winking. She moved into her closet and pulled out a large, blue bag with several pockets on the front. She opened them systematically and checking the contents inside, before closing them. She then opened a door into the next room, which was just a small room with wide windows and a desk. Sitting on the desk was a laptop, which she unplugged and slipped into the bag, bundling the charger and slipping it into the pocket.
"My baby," she sighed, patting the bag and taking it back through her bedroom and into the hall where the other things were. She stood and, motioning once again to Kurt to follow her, slipped into her room and into the closet. Pushing aside the clothes at the back, she revealed a small door, which she opened onto a narrow, steep stairwell. Smiling mischievously, she led the way up the stairwell and into a small room that was furnished with some wooden crates and a beanbag chair.
"This is my sanctuary," she told Kurt. "Neither of my step mothers nor my step brother knows about it. It's the only place I can get away in!" She sighed and looked around. "I can tell I'll miss the privacy." She moved over to one of the crates and flipped it over to reveal a plastic chest about twice the size of a shoebox. She picked it up and moved over to the head of the stairs. "Oh dookie," she muttered. "I forgot…"
"Forgot was?" Kurt asked. She chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"I can't get this down the stairs!! It's too full!" Kurt rolled his eyes.
"Zat von't be a problem," he said, and before she could reply, he laid a hand on her shoulder and teleported them into her room. She reeled slightly.
"Oh yeah," she said. "I forgot that too!" They looked at each other uncomfortably for a moment, and Kurt realized his hand was still on her shoulder. He took it off and stepped away. She gave herself a small shake and moved away, back into the hall. The slid the backpack onto her shoulders and picked up the small duffel bag. She had one arm around the chest and the computer bag over her shoulder, but she managed to gesture awkwardly at the suitcase. "Could you…?"
"Ja," Kurt said with a nod, picking it up.
"Thank you!" The two carried the things downstairs and into the kitchen. Jean instantly stood up and relieved Janella of a few of her things.
"Is that all you'll need?" Ororo asked. Janella nodded.
"Oh, wait!" She said, setting her things on the floor and turning and darting into a front room. She returned a moment later with a boxy, black hand bag. She was stuffing a CD player into it. She slung it over her shoulder and picked up her other things. "Now I'm-wait again! I should say goodbye…" Ororo nodded consent, and the girl whirled and disappeared into a doorway. There was a hollow pounding that indicated she was going down a flight of stairs. The three mutants exchanged questioning looks and shrugged. It was her business.
Maybe ten minutes, she reemerged from the basement and quickly picked up her things, the corners of her eyes slightly wet.
"Are you ready to go?" Ororo asked. Janella nodded.
"I am," she said, moving to open the door into the back yard. Ororo, who wasn't carrying anything, moved forward and opened it for her, holding it open while the three laden ones passed out. It apparently wasn't a very far walk to their jet, because they set a brisk pace and were soon there. They set the things on the ground as Janella let her eyes take in the vehicle they came in.
"Damn…" she murmured, amazed. "Nice ride."
"Thanks," Ororo and Kurt said at the same time, before beginning to laugh. The entrance was opened, and they began the quick task of loading Janella's relatively few things. The sound of a dirt bike in the distance made them stop. Janella in particular tensed and cocked her head to one side. Her stance changed almost imperceptibly, and her movements became jerky, but controlled. It was obvious to them that she was a shapeshifter, and they wondered what she was becoming now. She straightened as the sound drew closer.
"It's Reno," she stated, turning back to loading her things into the jet. "I can tell." She was right. A few moments later, a sleek Japanese dirt bike slid into the clearing, the boy on it the one who had spooked the girl earlier. He looked normal enough, but as he pulled his helmet off, Kurt wondered if he was the only one who noticed that the boy held his hands in the same manner his appeared when he was wearing his image inducer. He unconsciously stuck his hands in his pockets. Janella sauntered forward and punched the boy I his shoulder.
"Whaddya want, E.T.?" she asked. He glared at her for a moment, eyes flicking to the three mutants by the jet.
"Mom said you were leaving…I wanted to say goodbye!"
"I should hope so!" Janella said crossing her arms and leaning back. "I'd never forgive you if you didn't." She leaned forward and hugged him quickly, tapping his forehead before she took a step forward. "Stay outta trouble, pal," she said, turning away and walking back to the others. He went to put his helmet on.
"I'm likely to get into less trouble with you gone!" he called as they went to board the jet. She leaned back out.
"You won't last a minute without me around!!" she called as he kicked the bike into gear. He spun it and sped off, smiling over his shoulder at her and holding up the first two fingers of his left hand. She stuck out her tongue at him and yelled "Right back atcha, pal!" before climbing fully into the jet.
"Shall we go?" she asked with a smile, sitting down in one of the seats and buckling on the harness at Jean's direction.
"Yes," Ororo replied, lifting the aircraft from the ground. "Yes we shall!"
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
Woo! Long one this time!! *Looks up at story* Did you know that if this were a Word document and you printed it, it would be six pages?? That's a lot…
Oh, and MetaChi? Sorry you didn't get to see how *cough* her parents *cough* got to act, but…well….don't want to give away the secrets of my story, now do I? *Looks around* Did I say too much? Uh oh…I think I said too much…
Disclaimer: Sadly, I still do not own X-Men: Evolution. If I did, don't you think I'd be spending my time thinking up ways to subtly control the world using that wonderful show? You don't? Well, you should. One day, I'm gonna rule the world, and it will all be through children's programming! You wait and see! *Commence maniacal laughter…………..now!*