School
*Bring, Bring*
Scott rolled over and hit the alarm clock. It was new and unused to years of constant abuse so it shut up immediately, whereas his last one would have kept going for quite some time. Shame it got blown up he thought idly.
A shriek from across the hall, and the two empty beds beside him, alerted Scott to the ever-present Institute morning routine- no matter what happened in the world, Kitty would always scream in frustration seconds after his alarm rang.
"Kurt, like get back here."
It did not matter that their home was in rubbles, or that one of their closest friends had been taken away. They still acted out the same thing every morning. It was almost comforting in a strange way, as if nothing could shake them.
He was already halfway out of bed before he realised. Today would be their first day back, if they were even allowed. He almost sank back down into the pillows, but instead he sat up. He could and would survive this, you need only look at the last couple of weeks to realise he had been through much worse. He locked eyes with the photo of Jean on his desk, good luck he thought to himself.
*~*~*~*~*
Jean looked herself over in the mirror. She'd tied her hair back, and was dressed in dull, drab colours, trying her hardest to fade into the background. Like that'll happen she thought idly to herself, as she fingered blazing red locks. Maybe I should just dye it. Kitty's eyes stared reproachfully out from the frame beside the bed and she looked away.
"You win," she said aloud, "I'll just lurk and pray."
Suddenly in her mind she felt the briefest caress, the lightest whisper, which she almost thought she imagined. Good luck
She straightened up and looked at the mirror, under her breath she whispered,
"I can and will survive this." She locked eyes with Scott's picture.
"Good luck to you to," she whispered, before striding out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.
*~*~*~*~*
Scott pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Funny how one building could hold so much hope, and yet at the same time so much fear. The Institute kids drew closer together, unconsciously seeking the support the others gave. He could not help but think of Jean, what would she do with no one to turn to?
As they neared the school it became clear they would not be able to slip in unnoticed as hoped. Groups of students stood outside and as they approached, you could hear a pin drop. The same expression was on everyone's faces, hostility, hate, and what was the worst- fear. He saw Taryn at the edge of the crowd; she turned away, unable to meet his gaze. At least he knew where he stood there then. A path formed amongst the mass of people, and as they walked towards the school, students leant as far away from them as possible. It's like we have some infectious disease.
Scott's heart sank as he recognised Duncan standing on the steps. He tried to make his way past, but the jock grabbed him and spun him around.
"Where's my mutie bitch of a girlfriend?"
Scott had never felt anything like the hate that ran through him then. His eyes blurred as he struggled to keep control. The last thing he wanted to do was bring down the Institute's good name in front of a large audience.
"Jean has gone back to live with her parents. At least she won't have to lay eyes on your ugly face ever again."
Duncan flung him to the ground, and he stood up preparing to fight, but Rogue stepped in front of him, and Kitty laid a restraining hand on his shoulder.
"Like lets go."
With one final glance back at Duncan, Scott prepared to face the hardest of battles. A school where everyone hated him and where there was no best friend to help him through.
*~*~*~*~*
At first nobody had paid her any attention, except to note she was new. But she had noticed a blond girl in homeroom whisper something to the girl next to her, who had whispered it to the boy behind, and now everyone stared openly at her.
She hurried out of the room to first period, but the blond girl stood blocking her way. Her voice was falsely sugary and sweet "Hi are you new? I'm Ashley."
She was wary, but it was a harmless question.
"Yeah, I just transferred from Bayville High. I'm Jean."
A scowl appeared on Ashley's face, while the girls beside her began to whisper.
"Jean as in Jean Grey, the mutant who was on the news?"
Oh Scott, help Jean thought What do I do now?
"Yeah, that's me." She whispered it, hoping it would pass, but when Ashley stepped closer, she knew she had made her first enemy.
"Listen mutant. There's no place for you here. Why don't you just go home?"
Jean wished with all her heart she could do that, in fact anywhere would be better than here.
Ashley leant forward to say something else, but before she could a girl wearing a cap that covered her hair forced herself between them.
"Leave her alone Ashley."
"Finally found another freak like you then Lorna?" Ashley's remark was spiteful, but she backed away.
As she and the other girls walked away she called back over her shoulder.
"You're both freaks, and you will never belong here."
The girl in the cap pulled Jean along the corridor to the girl's bathrooms, where she stood staring at her. Jean shifted uncomfortably under her gaze Did Ashley say her name was Lorna?
"Er…hi. Thank you for standing up for me back there. You didn't have to."
"No problem." The girl continued to stare, and Jean struggled to remain calm.
"So why did you help me?"
The girl seemed to realise she was staring and blushed.
"I'm a mutant too. My name's Lorna, Lorna Dane."
"Really, what's your power?"
Lorna reached into her pocket and picked up a coin. She flicked it into the air…and it didn't move. Slowly it flew around the small room before coming to rest on her palm, where is slowly transformed to become a long, thin bar. Jean couldn't help but stare, this girl's power was a less powerful version of Magneto's.
"I can manipulate metal. I'm not very good but I'm working on it." Lorna's voice softened. "When I was twelve, some girls were picking on me, and I ran out into the road, not looking where I was going. I turned around and there was a car coming straight at me. I screamed and blacked out, when I came too, I was lying on the ground and all around me was a circle of cars, they appeared to have just stopped inches away. There was a whole group of people standing on the sidewalk just looking at me, and then one of the girls started yelling, that I had always been a freak and that just proved it, and they began chanting 'mutant, mutant'." She shuddered. "It was horrible."
"What did your parents say?"
"They're not my real parents, just adoptive, but they were actually really supportive, helping me train to make sure my powers wouldn't harm anyone, but they never really understood you know, what it's like."
"Why were you staring at me before?"
"I saw you on the television. You're part of Xavier's group right."
"I used to be, but my parents took me away. They said it wasn't safe."
Lorna laughed, "And they think here is, wow they have a twisted perception of this place." She paused, thinking. "You know, when I saw you guys on the TV, it was the most envious of any group of people I had ever been."
"You were jealous of us? Why?"
"I saw you helping each other, and backing each other up. I wanted someone to do that with me. This will sound a bit weird, but I was jealous of your mutant family."
"I miss them. In a way they are far more like my family than my parents. I can't explain what it feels like, it's like this huge hole in me."
"A hole that will never quite fill, even if you try. I used to miss my parents like that, even though I'd never really met them. I thought, they'd understand exactly how I was feeling when my foster parents couldn't. Don't worry the pain will fade in time."
Jean shrugged, how could she explain to this girl that she didn't want the pain to fade, that she wanted to make sure she would never forget them. With some effort she forced her mind to other things.
"Why do you wear that cap?"
"I guess I don't want to be ridiculed again."
"Why were you ridiculed?"
Slowly Lorna took off the cap, and her hair flowed down her back. Jean could not help but gasp slightly- her hair was green.
"Why don't you dye it?"
"Why don't you dye yours?"
"I see your point."
The two girls stood uneasily in silence for a minute, unsure what to say.
"I guess I should go, I don't want to be too late on my first day. Jean made her way to the door before turning round. "Thank you again, and now I'm here, you will have someone to talk to, that is if I can talk to you about stuff."
"Of course." Lorna's face let up into a truly happy smile.
"Hang on, I show you to your first lesson." She grabbed her bag and pulled Jean out of the bathroom. "Maybe it's with me."
The two girls made their way down the hall, both happy to have at least one friend.
*~*~*~*~*
"You want me to speak."
"I think it is vital that the parents hear from our point of view, rather than just Principal Kelly's."
"But me?"
"Out of all the students, I think you would be the best to speak."
"But I don't know what to say. They are so gonna hate me."
"Just speak from your heart." The Professor turned and wheeled out of the room. "Good luck Kitty."
As soon as he left the room, Kitty ran straight in the opposite direction and crashed into Rogue.
"Woah, slow down. Ya tryin to kill someone."
"I am so dead. The Professor wants me to do a speech and I have no idea what to say."
"Your right, you are dead…" The goth looked at her hyperventilating friend and continued, "Unless you get help."
"Like who here could write a good speech? Bobby would just make jokes the whole time, Scott would be too serious, Evan would just fool around, Amara…"
Rogue cut her off in mid-babble. "The idea is not who is here, but who isn't."
"Who isn't? Have you gone crazy?" Kitty gestured above her head and began to jump up and down in frustration. "Oh my God, Rogue's gone crazy, I have to give a speech, we are all going to get chucked out of school. Why isn't Jean here, she's the one who should give the speech, she's the one who the professor would have asked. Jean could have done it, Jean could have…oh I get it, Jean isn't here. You want Jean to help??"
Rogue stared as her friend slowly calmed down. "That's right ah'm not crazy. Crazy people talk to themselves and jump up and down."
Kitty looked puzzled for a moment, as if something her friend had just said eluded her, but she shrugged it off and continued. "How can Jean help, she's not here?" She paused for a moment as Rogue's last comment began to sink in before continuing, "Hey, I'm not crazy, just stressed."
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Just call her."
"You know her mum won't let anyone call from here."
"So just say you're from school."
"She's only been there one day, who would call her."
"So ask to speak to her sister, the one that's helping."
"Great idea, only, I don't know her name."
"So go ask someone who does."
"Who'll know that we can ask without them telling the Professor I didn't write the speech?"
The answer hit both girls at the same time.
"Scott!"
*~*~*~*~*
"Why exactly do you want to know this?"
"It's for the good of mutants worldwide."
Scott looked at Kitty, quite sure she had gone mad. "Her name's Sara. Now will you tell me?" Kitty had gone.
*~*~*~*~*
"Er hi. Can I speak to Sara please?"
"Who is this?"
"Hold on one second." Kitty placed her hand over the receiver and whispered to Rogue.
"What shall I say my name is?"
"Your real name, Katherine."
"Oh cool," she removed her hand. "It's Katherine…from school."
"Right, one second…Hello."
"Listen, I know you don't know me, but it is really important that I speak to Jean."
"The math homework, let me just go upstairs and check…who are you?"
"I'm one of Jean's friends from the Institute, and I really need her help."
"I'll just get her."
*~*~*~*~*
"Are you ready Kitty?" The Professor looked at her with worry in his eyes. She looked at the audience staring at the podium where she was to stand. She could here them whispering to each other, and every voice was full of fear.
"They hate me Professor, and I haven't even stood up yet."
"I won't pretend you can win all of these people over, but even if you sway just one, that is a beginning."
"But where are the others?"
The Professor's eyes went blank as he swept the area. "I think they are fighting their own battle for mutant kind. Now off you go, and good luck."
She made her way onto the stage. She was so nervous she was shaking and she gripped the podium as if her life depended on it.
"My name is Kitty Pryde. I suppose I can stand up here and recite the fifth and fourteenth Amendments or quote some passionate speeches from famous civil rights leaders, but to be honest, I don't want to. Since this is personal, let's keep it personal. Now most of you have children. And you love them for who they are, not for what they can or can't do. There is a chance that one of them will have an advanced X-gene and as they grow older, they will be considered mutants. You will love them anyway, but people will hate them. And people will want to hurt them. You will hope for the day when your child can live in a safe world. Well, that world must begin now with you; by allowing mutants to attend public school. Thank you."
*~*~*~*~*
phoenix_fire: so how did it go? How was Kitty's speech?
cyke_shades: I don't know, we'll find out tomorrow, but we may as well have dug our own graves out there.
phoenix_fire: what did you do
cyke_shades: we fought against Duncan and the Brotherhood, and they basically destroyed the parking lot
phoenix_fire: but you guys didn't right?
cyke_shades: we didn't use our powers, except to save people, but you know how it will look. They'll perceive all mutants as like the Brotherhood.
phoenix_fire: don't despair until you know the verdict, you have to email me as soon as you find out.
cyke_shades: of course. You are the first person I'd tell. How was your first day?
phoenix_fire: absolutely great (sarcasm). They found out I was a mutant, I made an enemy, I'm behind in some of the classes, nobody will talk to me. It was amazing. One weird thing happened, I met another mutant. Her name's Lorna Dane, and her powers are like Magneto's, only not as strong. Get this, she has green hair!!
cyke_shades: wow, cool, so you have got one friend then. I wonder why Cerebro didn't pick her up.
phoenix_fire: you know I never even thought of that :) I'll ask the Professor when I see him. I wish you could come too.
cyke_shades: so do I. You know I miss you right.
phoenix_shades: not as much as I miss you I bet.
cyke_shades: I have to go, Kurt and Evan want to go to bed, it sucks sharing a room.
phoenix_fire: I guess that's one problem I don't have!
cyke_shades: I'll speak to you tomorrow?
phoenix_fire: of course. Night, night. xxxxxx
cyke_shades: xoxoxoxox
cyke_shades has logged off.
*~*~*~*~*
Don't own them, never have, never will.
DID YOU LIKE IT???????????? Please tell me, I'm not sure it's particularly good, just long. It didn't write itself (does that make sense?). Sometimes the chapter just writes itself, and all I have to do is make sure the spelling's right. This I actually had to think about, and so I'm not sure it works as well as the others. Anyway feedback would be seriously appreciated so please click the little button. Thank you so much to all my reviewers, it makes me keep writing and struggle through any block I may have. Also thank you for putting up with my long gaps between updates!
If you like this fic, you'll probably like sweet-destiny3 fics. They are very good, and don't get enough reviews! Her latest one is Difference; feel free to go check it out!
Thank you
-Kat