A/N: I'm REALLY sorry this took forever.  It's summer and well… I just got lazy.

Aur: Thanks!

Somebody: Well it's not my fault that FF.net has crappy formatting.  And I only know what I learn from the movies, so if you want something with more depth and things from the comics, go to that section and read the fics there.

XM6: Cliffhangers?  Of course! 

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It was late September and almost a month had past since Kaeldra arrived at the school.  She was still settling in to the new way of living, supported by her newfound friendships with Rogue, Bobby, and the English teacher, Blade.  Kaeldra was also rapidly developing her powers.  With help from Professor Xavier, she was able to focus herself and control her invisibility more fully, though she still continued to flicker when startled or frightened.  One day, she befriended another person, this one unexpectedly.

*~*~*

"I'll catch up with you in a minute!" Kaeldra called over her shoulder, rushing down the hall toward her dorm.  "I forgot my math book!"

As she entered the room, however, her haste was forgotten, because there, lying on her bed and quietly crying onto a book, was Saria.  Kaeldra was stunned.  She knew Saria was a loner, quiet and shy, but she never thought that she would have reason to cry.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kaeldra asked softly, approaching Saria.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said quickly, sitting up and wiping her eyes to try to hide the tears.

Kaeldra raised her eyebrow as she sat down beside Saria. 

"Okay, I'm not fine," Saria admitted, sniffing a little but swiftly regaining her composure.

"Want to talk about it?" Kaeldra asked and handed Saria a tissue from the box on the nightstand.

"There's not really much to say, it's just that my aunt-," she faltered, then continued, "my aunt used to teach this class and I was thinking about her."

"Your aunt?"

"Jean… Jean Grey."

"Oh!" gasped Kaeldra, and she suddenly understood.

Rogue had told her about Alkali Lake and Kaeldra was careful not to mention it around anyone, especially Scott and Logan.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.  She knew how hard it was to lose someone you love.

"Thanks for caring," Saria said, and Kaeldra thought she heard a faint tone of bitterness underlying the words.

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked, slightly surprised.

"Most people don't.  Either they have no clue who I am or they don't like me."

Kaeldra was even more confused.  Saria seemed nice, if a little shy.  Why, then, did no one like her?  Jealousy, perhaps?  Kaeldra looked at Saria, who was still talking.  She was pretty, not gorgeous like a model, but Kaeldra thought there might still be a cause for envy.  Maybe her powers had something to do with it.  The only thing Kaeldra knew about Saria's mutation was that she was telekinetic.  Not too extraordinary, but she had a feeling there was more.  Now that she thought about it, Kaeldra was a bit amazed at how little she knew about Saria.  This girl lived in the same building, the same room as she did, yet she knew barely anything about her.  Kaeldra's thoughts were broken by Saria's next words.

"Rogue, Bobby, and Piotr are actually nice to me.  Most people just ignore me or make fun of me."

Kaeldra noticed that Saria used Piotr's real name, instead of Colossus like most of the other students.  She felt bad for her; it appeared that she was being treated unfairly.

With all the sincerity she had, Kaeldra said, "I want to help.  I want to be your friend."

Saria's head shot up.  "Really?" she asked, not daring to believe it.

"Yep," said Kaeldra, grinning.

"Thanks," Saria said, smiling back.

"You know, my- oh crap!" Kaeldra shouted, making Saria jump.  "Class started eight minutes ago!"

Grabbing their books, they tore down the halls, past paintings and pottery, sculptures and signs, and last, Logan.

"Run faster!" he yelled after them.  "It'll piss Cyclops off," he muttered.

Sure enough, moments later, there was the sound of a door opening and the shout of "Don't run in the hall!"  Logan smirked.

So it was that the two girls came panting into their math class at 2:09, uttering hurried apologies to Professor Xavier.  He just nodded and smiled, a look of understanding in his eyes when he saw Saria's tear-stained face and glimpsed the scenario that began the friendship in her mind.

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Next up: The President's decision!  Will he side with the mutants or not? 

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