Disclaimer: Everyone, barring Blaize, belongs to someone else. No copyright infringements intended.

Author's Note: I changed some things around to suit me.

Change. Lupine Draconis

CHAPTER 3

The doors of the elevator slid soundlessly open in the foyer, Blaize stepped out and headed up the stairs to her room. She flung herself on the bed and closed her eyes against the flood of memories that came flying at her.

She was eight years old and in a foster home, her mom had just died and she felt alone. Her foster dad burst into the room, she wasn't doing well in school. She was a bad girl and needed to be taught a lesson. He took his belt off and starting whipping her on the back with it. She screamed and cried, but no one came to help her. Finally he stopped and left her alone; that was when her foster mom came up and bathed her back. Telling her to be better in school. She was eventually moved from that house and put into another.

Blaize squeezed her eyes closed harder, but still the memories flew around her mind unbidden but unbanishable.

She was nine; the children in her new foster family didn't take too kindly to the Southern Belle that was suddenly thrust into their midst. She was tormented by the other children and finally ran away. The authorities found her and took her back. She ran away from them eight times before she was moved again.

Finally Blaize gave in and watched the next memories playing on the insides of her eyelids, as though she was in a movie theatre.

The next two places were OK, but when she was twelve they moved her again. This was to be the last foster home she lived in. She had started puberty when she was eleven, now a year later she was becoming a young woman. Her new foster dad noticed this and started to pay her special attention. One night he came into her room and took her innocence away, when he had left her room she ran away.

She lived on the streets of that town for two weeks before hitchhiking to Atlanta. She stayed there for a month or so and then moved on. Never staying in a city for more than two months and never visiting the same city twice. Then she came to New York. She found kids younger than her on the streets and took them under her wing. She found a place for them to stay; somewhere warm and dry. Then she went out and earned money to feed them.

Until the day that Xavier had found her and took her back to his place, telling her he knew of somewhere that was safe for her to live. Where she would have regular meals, clothes on her back and kids her own age to talk to.

So she ended up here, in Massachusetts. With a woman that hated her for no reason and a guy that was obviously nice to make up for his partner.

Blaize turned over and closed her eyes, sinking blissfully into a deep sleep. Maybe things would seem better afterwards.

* * * *

When Blaize opened her eyes the room was dark. She stretched her body and sat up; the clock beside the bed told her that she had slept for nearly six hours. Blaize stood up and wandered downstairs to find out if there was any food going spare.

She reached the foyer and started to look for the kitchen, she guessed it would be somewhere near the dinning room and started there. As she glanced into rooms, she came across a partially open door.

Pausing for a moment she heard voices coming from inside the room, Blaize moved a little nearer the door and listened.

"I'm not saying that," Sean sighed. "But surely she deserves the benefit of the doubt."

"Sean, look at this picture." Emma thrust a sheet of paper under Sean's nose. "You tell me that isn't Blaize."

Sean looked at the figure staring defiantly at him from the front page of the newspaper.

"I must admit, it's a good likeness. But how do you know it is her and not someone masquerading as her?"

Emma sighed loudly. "Why would someone want to pretend to be her just to kill two people? Why her?"

"Maybe they saw her on the streets and thought, hey street kid, what better cover. There are a few shapeshifters out there."

Emma sat down and rested her head in one hand. "This is getting us nowhere, I just want to know."

"Well, accusing her isn't the right way to go about it." Sean's voice lowered to a more conversational level. "I'll talk to her about it."

"But she could have done it, Sean, we don't even know what her powers are. These men were burnt to death, how many shapeshifters have two powers?"

"True, but as you said we don't know her powers. She may not be able to do it herself."

Emma nodded in agreement, before contemplating the newspaper again. Sean watched her for a few moments more before leaving the room as quietly as he possibly could.

As soon as Blaize heard Sean lower his voice she knew that they had nearly finished talking. She backed away from the door and ran soundlessly to the stairs, stopping halfway up and turning around.

She was nearly at the bottom when Sean left Emma's office. He glanced up at her and smiled, but Blaize could see suspicion underneath it. Did she kill those two men? If she did why and if she didn't who did?

Blaize stopped as she reached the floor. "What's up Sean?"

Sean pursed his lips and thought about how to approach this matter. "Blaize, darlin'. Will ye come an' sit in th' lounge with me?"

"Sure. This sounds serious, have I done something wrong?"

Sean sat in one of the armchairs and motioned for Blaize to sit as well. He watched the younger mutant as she settled onto the sofa and looked expectantly at him.

"Blaize, Emma was going through some of her files earlier and she found an old newspaper."

"Oh?" Blaize knew where this was going.

"Aye, there was a picture on the front page of a girl. She looked a lot like you. She was the main suspect of a murder."

Blaize nodded but said nothing.

Sean suddenly began to feel awkward; maybe it hadn't been her. "Well, Emma an' I were jus' wonderin'.if well."

"If it was me?" Blaize finished for him.

"Aye."

"Yeah, it was me."

Sean stared at her in shock. "It was?"

"Yeah. The police didn't have enough evidence and they had to let the case go." She looked at Sean's face. "You wanna know if I did it, don't you." It was more statement than anything else.

Sean found that he suddenly couldn't look her in the face.

"Well, yeah I did it. I killed them. Given the chance I'd do it again."

Sean's head spun round to looked at her. "What?!"

Blaize sighed. "They were trying to rape a nine year old girl. They were scum. I stopped them, then they tried it on me so I fried them."

Sean stared at her, digesting all that he had just heard. "You did it to save a little girl?"

Blaize stared at the floor. "Yeah, unfortunately I wasn't in time to stop them killing her brother. I promised his body that I'd look after her and I was until Xavier sent me here."

Sean stood up. "I have to tell Emma about this."

"I know. Look I just wanna say, thanks. You know for letting me stay here and all, I guess Emma's gonna want to send me away so.well, it's been real." She got up and walked away silently.

Sean watched her go up the stairs before walking into Emma's office. He stopped in front of the desk and braced his hands on it.

"She did it. She admitted it and she told me why."

Emma looked up at him, expectantly.

Sean sat down and picked his words carefully. "She was saving a girl from being raped. The men killed the girl's brother, but Blaize stopped them from hurting the girl."

Emma looked down at the paper. "They do mention another body, a young boy. It says that it looked as though he was sexually abused, either before or after he was stabbed."

"So, Blaize must be telling the truth." Sean sighed softly. "She's upstairs packing now. She thinks she's goin' ta have ta leave."

Emma looked at Sean, the Irishman had a big heart and it was sure to get him in trouble, but he was right about this. Blaize did what she had thought right, maybe it was a little extreme but at least the men weren't going to hurt any more children.

"OK," she relented. "She can stay for now. But any trouble and she's gone."

Sean smiled at her. "You know Em, no matter what anyone says I know you've got a heart in there somewhere." He got up and left.