Summary: The following day in school.

This chapter is a bit longer than the last, so I hope you enjoy. Please review, I didn't get any comments about the last chapter. If that keeps happening I probably won't finish it.

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School lunches, one of the great mysteries of the universe. How do they manage to make them taste so terrible? Do people try to cook them badly? I picked up one of the pieces of recycled garbage they claimed were chips and bit into it. Lovely, what would I do without them? I sighed, What a week its been. First someone tries to kidnap Kurt, and then I'm ill for two days afterwards. I hope he's all right, I haven't been able to talk to him since.

I picked up another chip, looked up from the table where I was sitting and gazed around. I hadn't talked Kurt since I got back today. I've seen glimpses of him around the school, but every time I go after him he vanishes, it almost like he's avoiding me. "What is going on?" I muttered to myself.

I looked over at the entrance, and saw Kurt step out, flanked by Kitty and Evan. His gaze swept across the courtyard and settled on me. I was close enough to see him flinch, turn and walk back through the doorway. I have to talk to him. I stood up and turned towards the door, only to get very dark looks from Evan and Kitty. What happened while I was away? Why is Kurt avoiding me and everyone else from the mansion giving me looks that say we're not letting you near him?

I walked off in the other direction, muttering to myself, under my breath "I have to find out what happened. But how?" There's only one thing to do. I'm going to have to ask someone from the institute. Looking over my shoulder I saw the group sitting around one of the tables, Jean and Scott, facing Kitty and Evan. I took in a deep breath. Why am I nervous? I didn't do anything. Yet in spite of that I felt wrong for some reason, as though I had done something terrible, and shouldn't be talking to them. I pushed the feeling aside. You haven't done anything Amanda.

I marched up to the table where they were sitting, and faltered under the gaze of four very angry looking mutants.

"What do you want?" Growled Scott.

For the first time I don't feel entirely safe around a round them. I felt a twinge of fear in the corner of my mind, but shoved it aside. "I won't to know what happened while I was away, " I replied, my voice betraying by unease.

"What happened, while you were away? Is this some sort of sick joke? If it is it's not funny," Jean said in disgust."

"Yeah, we all know what you did to Kurt, and after he trusted you," said Evan.

"What do you mean, what I did to Kurt. I haven't seen him for two days." What could have happened to Kurt?

"All right we'll play along with your little game. If you really want to gloat then hear it. Yesterday you walked up to Kurt, called him a freak to his face, told him you never wanted to be near him again and that he should get out of the mansion." Jean said this all very rapidly, nut I could hear the suppressed anger in her voice. "There's no point denying it I flicked over Kurt's mind, I know what he saw."

Oh, god Kurt. What happened? It couldn't have been me could it? They were all looking at me rather oddly now, and I realised I had been staring at them in shock.

"What are you looking so surprised about?" Kitty muttered.

"I didn't do it, I haven't been in school for two days. I would never do anything like that to Kurt, I promised him that." I replied pleading them to believe me. I lowered my voice "Jean you're a telepath, read my mind, I'm telling the truth."

She was looking at me with suspicion now, but the hostility was not so evident. I've got that strange feeling again, like fingers crawling inside my mind. After a few seconds they became stronger, and as they did so, I saw the look of Jean's face turn from suspicion to surprise.

"She's telling the truth, she's got no memory of ever doing it, not even a trace."

"Jean, either Kurt's mind or Amanda's must be wrong, are you sure you haven't made a mistake," Scott said. I could tell he wasn't entirely convinced himself.

"Scott, I don't think so, we should probably get the professor to check, but I think they are both right, at least they believe they are."

"Well there can't be two me's running around can there, " I said. That would just be freaky.

I saw a look of shocked horror and realisation appear on all four of their faces at once.

"Mystique," they all said in unison.

"Why?" Said Evan. "What could she possibly gain from splitting up Kurt and Amanda."

"I don't know, but we'd better tell the others fast," said Scott. "Jean contact Kurt and tell him what's happened."

"I've already tried, I can't find him. With all these people around it's hard to focus on one mind, if it isn't focused on me."

"Alright then, you tell the professor, and Kitty go find Kurt."

What is happening? I felt rather overwhelmed by what being said, having no idea of what they were talking about. I desperately tried to get a word in but was interrupted by Evan.

"I guess, we owe you an apology." He said.

"It's OK, but I'm obviously missing something. Who is Mystique?" This week is getting stranger, with every day that goes past.

"She's a shape-shifter, but we haven't seen her for a while. It seems she's back, although what she wants will probably remain a mystery for the moment," Scott explained.

"Look, do you mind if I visit the institute this evening. I'd like to talk to Kurt. I can't imagine what's going through his head at the moment." He thinks I called him one of the things he fears most, what would I be thinking.

"Sure, meet me at the front of school, I can give you a lift there."

"Thanks. Oh and Scott one more thing, is this Mystique somehow connected to the military. First soldiers attack the mansion, then this women tells Kurt to get out."

"No, she isn't, at least I don't think so. The professor might know, we should ask him. I wouldn't worry its probably just a coincidence." He didn't sound all that convinced about that last part though. I wonder if there's more going on than there seems.