The weekend passed swiftly, and before she knew it, Sarah stood in front of the infamous Bayville High on Monday morning.

Scott had offered to transport her in the morning. Though Jean was normally in charge of transporting kids too and from school in her much larger SUV, Scott was left with the questionable privilege after her departure to Muir Island. To say the little red convertible was cramped was an understatement, but Kurt helped out by letting Kitty and Rogue ride the bamf express to school.

Sarah looked up at the big two story building, and suddenly felt very small and afraid. Steeling herself, she marched ahead, her new backpack bouncing gently against her back as she made her way to catch up with Amara, with whom she shared her first class.

Algebra.

Sarah was good at math. She was good at a lot of things, not just taking people out. She'd been educated by Dr. Risman and other Hydra scientists to know a number of things to aid her missions, and basic math had been one of them. However, as the class ended, Sarah had to jolt herself back to full awareness. It had been so dull she'd been on the verge of falling asleep. It had seemed so... pointless. Still, at Amara's suggestion, she'd stayed as awake as possible and dutifully copied down notes from the teacher's lecture in her notebook. As well as accepted his rather bizarre assignment of homework.

"What is the point of giving us work now?" asked Sarah as she walked alongside Amara to their next class. "Wouldn't it be easier to just give it to us and let us finish it during the class? Instead of wasting time with a pointless lecture?"

"School's a strange and mysterious place," replied Amara enigmatically, and Sarah was grateful she recognized the dark-haired girl's joke. Otherwise, she might've taken her seriously. "Go figure... but its homework, so we do it at home. Look on the bright side, you get stuck you can get help at home... well, see you later Sarah," she added, as she headed down the opposite hallway. She pointed in the opposite direction. "Roberto's in your next class, just down the way, with Mr. Finkbinder. See you at lunch!"

Sarah studied the paper in her hands, immediately spotting the number of the room she was looking for and finding the room with similar efficiency. School wasn't half as hard as some of the Institute kids had claimed to be. It was almost frighteningly easy compared to her own training and education back at the Hydra installation.

English was another thing all together, for the dark-haired former assassin. The concept of abstract stories and reading was almost alien to her, but she warmed up quickly and did her best to keep up. Apparently Roberto, sitting next to her, didn't care much for the subject either. He was too much of a physical activity fellow, to use to simple sciences he could see and interact with. Abstract concepts like symbolism left him floundering, though having the resources of an Institute student allowed him to pass with a low B grade.

Grades were another concept Sarah had a hard time grasping, but Hank had managed to clear the matter with her over the weekend. Thinking of them as performance reviews, as it were. Five letters, A, B, C, D and F. Where E went, nobody knew, Hank had joked. The first three were acceptable, though the higher one progressed the better. An A was the goal to aim for. And Sarah never missed a goal she aimed for.

It was however, during English she noticed the looks.

Sarah hadn't been paying attention in her first class, and it had been structured with everyone facing forward in their desks. She and Amara had been late, so they'd taken up seats in the back. Thus, Sarah couldn't really judge the expressions of the other students. But here, the seats were in a semi-circle, and she could see them clearly. A mixture of revulsion, fear, and outright hatred, all directed straight at her and Roberto, the only Institute students present. Mutant hatred.

Sarah had never been exposed to such raw, seething hatred. She'd never interacted with normal humans so closely before, and never ones that knew she was a mutant. She did not think it was a big deal. But apparently it was. Everyone at the Institute had warned her before her first day not to use her claws unless her life was in danger. Her healing couldn't be helped, but hopefully she wouldn't be in a situation where she was injured to begin with.

Thankfully, English ended, and Sarah escaped into the hallway, away from the judging, sinister eyes of her classmates. Roberto walked with her to their next shared class, and the day continued on. Boring lectures, teachers droning, papers being passed out (moreso in her case, because of the missed first month) and of course more unfriendly eyes watching her.

Thus it was a relief when lunch came.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sarah bid farewell to Roberto and Amara as they headed to the open lunch court. she went instead to her own locker, turning the combination code she'd been given. She wondered why anyone bothered, it would be a simple matter to break into the locker, and she didn't have anything vital in it anyway. Then again, some of the students here she'd seen weren't very intelligent or resourceful. Perhaps they had trouble with this simple combination lock. Chalking it up to yet another thing best just accepted, Sarah opened her locker and exchanged her books for those in her next few classes. She was glad for that at least. Her small frame, tough or not, could never carry all those books at once without doubling over.

She also grabbed her bag lunch from inside. Ororo had stopped her before she'd left the Institute and handed it to her. She said would be preferable to getting cafeteria food. Passing through the cafeteria to the outside lunch court, Sarah was forced to agree.

Sarah joined up with the others at what was affectionately (or not so affectionately) dubbed the 'mutant table.' Most of the students gave it a wide berth, and it was the only table that any of the mutant students were welcome. The only exception seemed to be Kitty and Roberto, who had managed to keep a few open-minded friends in the changing social circles of high school. They rarely ate with them, however. Bad for social status.

Sarah sat down between Tabitha and Ray. Amanda Sefton had decided to join them today, as always sitting as close to her boyfriend Kurt as possible without actually sitting his lap (not that either would've complained about such a position, however). Lance Alvers, whom she recognized from the SHIELD archives as the mutant Avalanche, was also present. They were of course introduced to Sarah (given only the short version of her history), who shook their hands in friendly fashion, then set about to devour her meal. She was surprised at how hungry she was.

"So how's your first day at school going, Sarah?" asked Amanda politely.

"It's... okay I guess," she replied after a moment's thought. "I've had worse."

"Wait 'til you get to Senior year," advised Lance. "Things get considerably easier."

Rogue, the only other senior present, nodded in agreement. Lance had been readmitted to Bayville High at the beginning of the year to repeat his senior term. And he'd only managed to get a second chance because of the new principal and because of Professor Xavier's recommendation. He'd offered to do the same for the other Brotherhood members, even Wanda and Pietro, the latter of whom still technically was a student, but all had refused. Only Lance had taken advantage of the offer, and one did not have to look far to find the source of his newfound desire to make something of himself.

"Just you wait until you go to college next," remarked Kitty Pryde, sitting at his side, as she nudged Lance playfully in the ribs. A sophomore now, she was taking a lot of advanced classes with Lance, and the two were fast settling back into the happy couple routine they had before the Sentinel disaster split them apart. Lance stayed with the Brotherhood, however, and Kitty with the X-Men.

"Oh I'll do fine..." replied Lance in his normal non-challant manner, sipping on his soda. Kitty, at her side, giggled like the little girl she truly was, and playfully punched him in the arm, then hugged his side.

"Oh you're hopeless..."

Sarah blinked once, twice, still trying to puzzle out their very bizarre relationship. She even glanced at Tabitha for clarification, but the buxom blonde had her attention focused squarely on the dark-haired Amara, and the two were chatting animatedly. It was all so strange, seeing them talk to one another, happy in one another's presence. No one paid any attention to the other students, who were shooting alternatively fearful and hateful glances at their table. And Sarah found she didn't care either.

She found it infinitely more interesting to observe her fellow students, who chatted about this and that. Mostly school related problems (tests, projects, and the like) and something called 'dates' that Sarah couldn't quite catch. They seemed very important though. Amanda, in particular, seemed vexed that Kurt had been forced to bail on their last date. He was apologizing profusely, saying he'd been needed on a mission to rescue a girl who'd been missing for two whole years with Kitty and hadn't made it back in time. Though Sarah was partially warmed to see such happy couple behavior, another part of her, a jealous little demon that gnawed at her heart, was not so content.

Then as Sarah watched, Kurt and Amanda made up and shared a warm, heartfelt kiss. And that was the catalyst. Something inside of Sarah snapped, and she growled softly. She stood, grabbed up her trash and tossed it into a nearby garbage can, as she stalked onto the empty track field to be alone. She couldn't stand it.

Why did they deserve to be happy, and let her suffer? Who made those choices? Why were they spared the hardships she'd been through? And why was she still alone, with no one to understand her? These questions and more plagued the mind of Sarah, as she sat down on the bleachers, rubbing her knuckles. She had perhaps another quarter hour before classes started again... she needed to regain control of her emotions. And make sure she didn't do something reckless like before.

A sudden implosion of air and the sickening scent of sulfur alerted her instantly to the appearance of the mutant Nightcrawler. Despite her every instinct, she remained still, not turning around, and not turning to greet him.

"You okay, fraulein?" he asked in his thick German accent.

"Fine," she replied angrily, still not looking back at him. "Go away."

"Is something wrong...?" he asked hesitantly, his blue eyes (holographically blue, at least) looked remorseful, and Sarah's defensive wall dropped a fraction. As did her anger.

"Sorry... I... I get angry when I see people happy together. Couples, families, children," she replied, finally glancing his way.

"Vhy?" he asked curiously, sitting down next to her on the bleachers.

"It angers me. That they get to have a normal life... and I never did," she replied darkly. "I thought I'd learned to suppress it... evidently I was wrong."

"I'm sorry Sarah..." he replied, and she found herself nodding. "Listen, there's no shame in admitting your anger."

"Emotions do nothing but complicate my life..." she replied, lowering her head and allowing her dark hair to obscure her face as she sighed deeply. "This is so frustrating."

"I'd like to help if I can," he replied gently.

Sarah sighed again, more deeply this time. "I... I do need to learn this, I suppose. How do you deal with it? Your anger?" she asked, turning to regard him. "Or does it never affect you as badly."

"Ve all have to deal with emotions, negative or positive, at times in our life," replied Kurt. "When I feel angry, I try to vent it in a positive way. Whether its in my training or my work. Or sometimes, I go to church."

"Church?" asked Sarah, unfamiliar with the term.

"Not a regular church," replied Kurt, shaking his head. "My church... its on the Institute grounds... vhy don't I show you after school? I can introduce you to someone who's great at listening to your problems and helping you fix them."

"I... I'd like that," said Sarah with a heartfelt smile. "After school then..."

"Ja. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go see to meine schlone liebchen. See you later!" he added, as he leapt gracefully off the bleachers and headed back towards the lunch court.

Sarah sighed, realizing again she'd have to apologize for her rude behavior. But at least they'd be kind enough to accept her. And later she could meet this person Kurt knew. Must've been a teacher at the Institute she hadn't met yet. Sarah, smiling, headed back to grab her backpack and head to her next class. School had its good points, it seemed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Gauntlet to Hydra command... have located the target."

Gauntlet had never been considered a handsome man. As the saying went, he had a face only a mother could love. His skin was green, his eyes yellow, his features twisted and dark. The crisscrossing scars did little to add to his appeal, nor did the sharp yellow teeth in his mouth, though these were only evident when he smiled. A gruesome sight to see.

He was currently high atop a nearby building overlooking the Bayville High school track. Watching his target, the former Hydra agent known as X23. Their last attempt to recapture her had failed miserably. This time they wouldn't fail. Still, he had to be careful before making a move. The last agent on her had been good, yes, but he'd nearly exposed them to Wolverine, and the last thing they needed now was outside interference from the X-Men or SHIELD. Already Wolverine was getting close to their trail. Stealth, therefore, was their best option.

But Hydra was an organization of spies, and spies work best with information. Thus, they kept their eyes and ears up and open, watching. Gauntlet could see Sarah, alone, by the bleachers. The German boy was with her, but Gauntlet couldn't make out their conversation. Even though he could see them both clearly, a benefit of having a binocular cybernetic eye, his ears were not similarly gifted. Nor was he skilled in reading lips.

At last, the German boy moved away, and X23 was alone again. Gauntlet's hand dropped down to his sonic rifle.

"Not yet," intoned the voice behind him. Not from his communicator, from the other agent sent along with him. The one who'd botched their first attempt to take X23. "I want her for myself."

"Don't let your emotions overrule the mission," replied Gauntlet angrily. His cloaked and hood whipped around his body in the light wind. His companion was still hidden in the shadows of the rooftop, keeping hidden, and only his outline was visible.

"You go in now, someone will see you... its broad daylight near a school with students from the Xavier Institute. Only an imbecile would try now."

"Then we wait..." replied Gauntlet, easing his grip on the sonic rifle. In a sense he was glad. His companion had spoken truthfully, this was an unwise time to attack X23. But the urge to pay her back for their last encounter was very strong with Gauntlet. They all could've been killed. But he had survived, and once the time came, he'd make sure X23 paid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Notes:

School can be such an unfriendly place, can't it? Yes I realize I sped through most of those classes, but do you all seriously want me to write about how boring school is? I thought not. Mr. Finkbinder is not a made up name (though it sounds like one) he was my English and Theater teacher. The concept of Kurt's personal church I borrowed from Internutter, and I hope she won't be angry at me for it. Gauntlet's alive, is anyone surprised? Again, I thought not. But he's not the mystery attacker... that's still to come.

Kinomi: Liar, you make the better stories. Really love your current work especially, since its in the same category as mine.

Vanilla Fox: Naive, yes. That was my attempt. She'll relax into it soon enough, fret not.

The Rogue Witch: I mostly base the concept of her nightmares the same as Wolverine's. That's some traumatic stuff for anyone to go through. Glad you like it though.

Steven P.P: I guess she was a little maybe, and I know her her basic design was after a writer's neice (or something) but I think that with a little more screentime she could easily grow into a much more beloved character. Like Spyke did. Your comp wasn't at it, the chapters were accidently switched when I replaced chapter five (big error) and it should all be fixed now.

Zoken: Well I guess that's true but I wanted her to bond with Ororo in a motherly way. I guess what you say makes sense too though.

Elrohirthewriter: Well thank you kindly, glad you think so. Dr. M? Who's that?

Lyranfan: Well the Jean idea serves two purposes. One, to lead her gradually towards Phoenixhood. Two, to get rid of the red-headed bitch. And yeah Ororo's underused, so are a lot of characters. I try to give them all a fair share of time.

Ultimate R-Man: Oh you think you're right, do you? You will be shocked and surprised! You will!! Hehe.. glad you like the website, but the credit mostly belongs with Denaill, Meri and the others. I am but a humble contributor.

DoWriter12: Again, I cannot take credit for the scene. The X-Men 2 Movie Comic was my inspiration. But glad you like it none-the-less.