(She was running along a highway at night. She was scared and cold and
wearing that borrowed trenchcoat. She kept running and not going anywhere.
She looked at her hands and they weren't fingers anymore. They were claws,
coming from the tips, a full foot long, and she cried. She wiped away the
tears but they were blood. She screamed for help but the sound was animal
and then she was in pain all over, twisting, writhing, shrieking,
screaming, dying...Then she woke up.) SheCat's dream, August 22nd.
SheCat was calmly stretched on her bunk, letting herself sink deep into the blankets. As she focused her hearing, she registered the faint scratching of a pencil on paper above her. Rogue, on the top bunk, finishing geometry homework. The faint bass alerted her that Katherine, also known as Kitty, was listening to music via headphones again. Julie and Paige were gone, roaming somewhere in the school. Jean was teaching her extra-help class. The dorm was next to silent. It was a moment of peace (and Saltines) much appreciated.
A light knock woke her from her semi-catatonic state. SheCat put away the Saltines and opened the door to her friend and room-mate Strobe. Strobe, with a quick toss of her luxurious blond hair, entered.
"What's up, dude?" For almost five years Strobe hadn't changed that catchphrase.
"Shhhh, certain people want to enjoy peace." SheCat giggled, motioning towards Kitty and Rogue. At the same time she turned on the radio to a country radio station at full volume.
Rogue truly didn't seem to mind. Shadowcat shuddered a second, then stormed out of the room.
"Is it too much to ask to have just a bit of, like, downtime without that totally retarded music?!?!" Shadowcat slammed the door behind her.
As soon as Kitty left, SheCat turned off the radio. Settling herself on the lower bunk with Strobe, she readied herself for another grueling lesson in emotion. Why did Strobe always bring certain subjects up?
"How're you doing? You've been kinda edgy since your power went all fritzo like that." Strobe was wading in dangerous water. SheCat was a bit unsettled after certain incidents.
"I'm fine, just fine. I've been able to lift my sword lately." Focusing on a sabre on the other side of the room, she held out her hand and summoned the sword to her. It levitated a few feet off the ground and floated to her. SheCat stood in fencing position and twirled the blade expertly between her fingers. She was a true master of this weapon, thanks to private lessons from Kurt.
"I wasn't talking about your teke. I was talking about him." Strobe didn't know when to let a subject go, even when Rogue was perched directly above them. She twiddled a spark of light in her fingers, predicting SheCat's answer.
"Drop it, Strobey. You know I'm still, you know. And he, never mind. And it's not teke, it's molecular interference." Strobe was a bit off. She had expected something more lighthearted than "Drop it".
SheCat paced across the room, levitated the sword back into position, then got a glass of water from the sink. Rogue continued to study, oblivious to the conversation.
Strobe moved to the desk in the corner of the room, sat on its corner. SheCat followed suit, though she took the chair instead.
About that time there was a knock on the door, then it opened. Remy stood there, poking his head in, then striding in to the bunk on which Rogue perched. Rogue looked up, smiled at him and dismounted the bed. Remy tousled her white on brown hair. SheCat turned adamantly away, squeezing her glass of water till it cracked. Strobe watched SheCat, sensing trouble.
"Ready ta go, chere? I got some reservations." Remy held Rogue's gloved hands and started to lead her out when a crack, then a shatter, rang throughout the room.
SheCat gave a little shriek as the glass she was holding exploded beneath the pressure of her hands, then moved her hand to her face with a pained look. Her hand was bloody; shards of glass littered the table. Remy ran over.
SheCat used her 'molecular interference' to remove the glass from her hand and move the sharper shards to the trashcan. Remy then checked her hand for any stray glass, poking and prodding as she winced, then wrapped it up in a small cloth.
"It wouldn't have hurt so bad if you'd just wrapped it up from the start." SheCat wasn't talking about her hand. Remy understood. Rogue and Strobe didn't.
"Had to make sure it was okay. It'll heal now." He spoke softly, and she sensed care in his voice, a slight trace of concern. He wasn't talking about the cuts either.
"Yeah, it'll heal now." She smiled. 'I'll be fine."
Rogue tapped impatiently at her watch. Remy glanced at her, then followed her out the door, trenchcoat swishing 'round his ankles. Rogue called back. "See you soon! Hope your hand heals!" and SheCat sensed actual sincerity in her voice.
Strobe started rooting through her backpack for a pencil. "Now are you fine?"
"Yeah. If you'll excuse me..." SheCat left Strobe in the room, ran into Shadowcat in the hall, made a quick apology for previous behavior, dodged a heavy book thrown in her direction. She stopped at door 28B, knocked on the wood. Kurt opened the door, his indigo curls falling neatly over his eyebrows.
"Yes, Liebchen?"
"Can I come in?"
"Of course." Kurt led her in. She sat at the edge of the bed; he took a comfortable chair near the fireplace. He looked at her, yellow eyes watching her. Had it only been a week ago she was crying in the halls? She looked far more adult now.
"Can I talk to you, Kurt? I need advice."
(She was running again, only this time through a field. She was scared but not terrified. Then she fell into a hole and there was white all around and she landed in Remy's arms. She felt safe. She could feel his auburn hair brush her face as he carried her back to the mansion and laid her on her bunk. Then she woke up smiling.) SheCat's dream, August 23rd.
SheCat was calmly stretched on her bunk, letting herself sink deep into the blankets. As she focused her hearing, she registered the faint scratching of a pencil on paper above her. Rogue, on the top bunk, finishing geometry homework. The faint bass alerted her that Katherine, also known as Kitty, was listening to music via headphones again. Julie and Paige were gone, roaming somewhere in the school. Jean was teaching her extra-help class. The dorm was next to silent. It was a moment of peace (and Saltines) much appreciated.
A light knock woke her from her semi-catatonic state. SheCat put away the Saltines and opened the door to her friend and room-mate Strobe. Strobe, with a quick toss of her luxurious blond hair, entered.
"What's up, dude?" For almost five years Strobe hadn't changed that catchphrase.
"Shhhh, certain people want to enjoy peace." SheCat giggled, motioning towards Kitty and Rogue. At the same time she turned on the radio to a country radio station at full volume.
Rogue truly didn't seem to mind. Shadowcat shuddered a second, then stormed out of the room.
"Is it too much to ask to have just a bit of, like, downtime without that totally retarded music?!?!" Shadowcat slammed the door behind her.
As soon as Kitty left, SheCat turned off the radio. Settling herself on the lower bunk with Strobe, she readied herself for another grueling lesson in emotion. Why did Strobe always bring certain subjects up?
"How're you doing? You've been kinda edgy since your power went all fritzo like that." Strobe was wading in dangerous water. SheCat was a bit unsettled after certain incidents.
"I'm fine, just fine. I've been able to lift my sword lately." Focusing on a sabre on the other side of the room, she held out her hand and summoned the sword to her. It levitated a few feet off the ground and floated to her. SheCat stood in fencing position and twirled the blade expertly between her fingers. She was a true master of this weapon, thanks to private lessons from Kurt.
"I wasn't talking about your teke. I was talking about him." Strobe didn't know when to let a subject go, even when Rogue was perched directly above them. She twiddled a spark of light in her fingers, predicting SheCat's answer.
"Drop it, Strobey. You know I'm still, you know. And he, never mind. And it's not teke, it's molecular interference." Strobe was a bit off. She had expected something more lighthearted than "Drop it".
SheCat paced across the room, levitated the sword back into position, then got a glass of water from the sink. Rogue continued to study, oblivious to the conversation.
Strobe moved to the desk in the corner of the room, sat on its corner. SheCat followed suit, though she took the chair instead.
About that time there was a knock on the door, then it opened. Remy stood there, poking his head in, then striding in to the bunk on which Rogue perched. Rogue looked up, smiled at him and dismounted the bed. Remy tousled her white on brown hair. SheCat turned adamantly away, squeezing her glass of water till it cracked. Strobe watched SheCat, sensing trouble.
"Ready ta go, chere? I got some reservations." Remy held Rogue's gloved hands and started to lead her out when a crack, then a shatter, rang throughout the room.
SheCat gave a little shriek as the glass she was holding exploded beneath the pressure of her hands, then moved her hand to her face with a pained look. Her hand was bloody; shards of glass littered the table. Remy ran over.
SheCat used her 'molecular interference' to remove the glass from her hand and move the sharper shards to the trashcan. Remy then checked her hand for any stray glass, poking and prodding as she winced, then wrapped it up in a small cloth.
"It wouldn't have hurt so bad if you'd just wrapped it up from the start." SheCat wasn't talking about her hand. Remy understood. Rogue and Strobe didn't.
"Had to make sure it was okay. It'll heal now." He spoke softly, and she sensed care in his voice, a slight trace of concern. He wasn't talking about the cuts either.
"Yeah, it'll heal now." She smiled. 'I'll be fine."
Rogue tapped impatiently at her watch. Remy glanced at her, then followed her out the door, trenchcoat swishing 'round his ankles. Rogue called back. "See you soon! Hope your hand heals!" and SheCat sensed actual sincerity in her voice.
Strobe started rooting through her backpack for a pencil. "Now are you fine?"
"Yeah. If you'll excuse me..." SheCat left Strobe in the room, ran into Shadowcat in the hall, made a quick apology for previous behavior, dodged a heavy book thrown in her direction. She stopped at door 28B, knocked on the wood. Kurt opened the door, his indigo curls falling neatly over his eyebrows.
"Yes, Liebchen?"
"Can I come in?"
"Of course." Kurt led her in. She sat at the edge of the bed; he took a comfortable chair near the fireplace. He looked at her, yellow eyes watching her. Had it only been a week ago she was crying in the halls? She looked far more adult now.
"Can I talk to you, Kurt? I need advice."
(She was running again, only this time through a field. She was scared but not terrified. Then she fell into a hole and there was white all around and she landed in Remy's arms. She felt safe. She could feel his auburn hair brush her face as he carried her back to the mansion and laid her on her bunk. Then she woke up smiling.) SheCat's dream, August 23rd.