Disclaimer: Still don't own X-men. Opal is still mine. If you take her, I will still kill you.

P.S.: Words in italics in wavy lines (~like this~) represent Opal talking to the Professor (or visa versa) using telekinesis.

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Opal yawned and hopped out of bed. She picked up her timetable. It appeared to be an ordinary junior-high timetable. Math, history, language arts, science. Every boring thing that you would see in an ordinary school. Opal sighed.

She was about to leave the room when she noticed a stack of clothes lying on a chair, accompanied by a note. Opal picked up the note and read;

Opal,

The Professor said that you would like these. I wasn't quite sure about your sizes, so I merely guessed. If some of the clothes don't fit, please let me know.

Ororo

Opal picked up the first item in the pile. It was a black tank top, similar to the one she was wearing, but it had small, embroidered flames along the bottom. The rest of the clothes were similar, all black, with an occasional flame, or dragon. There were five shirts in all, three pairs of pants, a zip-hoodie, and a pair of black hiking boots. Opal smiled, they were perfect for her. Her smile faded as she had another thought. How would she pay for them? She sighed. She would find a way. Opal dressed herself in a black tank top with a blue dragon on the front, and a pair of black sweatpants. She brushed out her hair, then, seeing as it was only six-o'clock (she had always been a naturally early riser) she sat on her bed and picked up one of the text books that had been left on her desk. She leafed through the pages for a while, occasionally checking the clock. Then, at promptly seven, a bell rang in the distance. Opal jumped, but then realized it must be the wake-up bell. Then she groaned, suddenly realizing that the rest of the day, and many days after that, would be measured by an endless supply of bells.

She was about to see what she was supposed to do about breakfast when a slight tap on the door woke her from her thoughts. Opal went and opened the door and found the cute blonde, and the gloved girl that she had seen the previous day outside her door.

"Hi," the boy said, "I'm Bobby. Some people call me Iceman." Opal took the hand he offered her to shake. He could make ice. She knew it the moment their hands met. Then the girl spoke, "I'm Rogue," she said, Rogue could borrow people's powers, but it drained them of energy, "I'm glad you're up, the Professor sent us to get you for breakfast, come on." Rogue spoke with a southern accent. Bobby spoke with a light, polite, almost lilting voice that Opal could tell her reserved especially for strangers. Opal did not return their welcoming smiles, but merely followed them down the hall to a large kitchen.

"Mostly, people eat in the rec-room," Rogue said, "But right now, it's only 7:00, so the kitchen should be almost empty." Rogue sat down on a stool at the large island that covered most of the kitchen. Bobby busied himself making coffee.

"You drink coffee, Opal?" He asked. She nodded. "Good. Best thing for you!" he was warming up to her now, not treating her like a stranger. Opal wondered why. She hadn't shown any interest in becoming his friend. Oh well, she thought, some people are just like that. Rogue and Bobby talked for a while; they even tried to include her in their conversation by asking her questions. She only answered with a shrug or nod. When the coffee was ready, Bobby poured a mug for each of them, and was about to put the pot away, when two girls walked in.

"Awww, Bobby, don't put it away! Get out some more mugs for us," the first said. The second jumped right in, "Yeah, Bobby, we always arrive at this time every day, and you always put the pot away. You really should learn." Both girls started laughing, and Rogue joined in. Bobby only shook his head, smiling. He poured two more mugs, and the other girls were about to sit down, when a strange, blue figure appeared in the room. **BAMF!** Opal jumped at the sound. It was the strangest noise she had ever heard. Then she calmed. He was a teleporter.

"Is zere enough for von more cup?" He asked, speaking in a very strong accent. Bobby smiled and nodded. Then, as if just remembering Opal was in the room, he said, "Oh! Guys, this is Opal," Opal looked at her mug. "Opal, meet, Jubilation Lee, but we all call her Jubilee, Kitty, or Shadowcat, and Kurt, or Nightcrawler." They all smiled and waved, though Kitty backed up a little and her smile was incredibly false. She seemed slightly afraid of Opal.

Another bell rang in the distance, and several teens rushed into the room, grabbing bread to make toast, opening the fridge, or fighting loudly over who would get the last cup of coffee in the pot before it needed refilling. It was very noisy. The calm of the morning was shattered. Opal held her breath as her headache returned. It was not as bad as the previous night. It wasn't unbearable, but Opal knew that if she stayed in the room much longer, she could lose control again. Not something she wanted to happen.

Opal slipped unnoticed out of the room and into the hall. She walked for a little while, then leaned against a tall, wooden pillar. Her temple was still throbbing, but it was ceasing fast. She sighed. How could she go on like this? She knew she couldn't. And classes! She sighed again at the thought of being all day in the same room with countless other mutants. She needed to escape for a little. She was thinking of taking a walk when a gloved hand gripped her shoulder.

"Hey, you ok?" It was Rogue. Opal nodded, and let her hand drop from her temple. She looked at her shoes. "What happened?" Opal shook her head. She looked back up into Rogues eyes and swallowed. Kitty and Jubilee were standing not to far away, whispering to each other. Opal concentrated on their words.

"She's so... odd!"

"I know. I don't see how she'll fit in."

"Bobby said that she hasn't said a word since she got here."

"I know. I know that the professor usually has a reason to bring in more students, but none of them were like this!"

"Yeah. Even if they were a little weird, none of them could do what she does!"

"Mmhmm. All the weather we've been having was her fault. She's gonna make this place collapse 'round our ears if were not careful."

"Yup." Opal stopped listening. She didn't want to hear anymore. She returned her gaze to her shoes.

"Oh, hi, professor!" Kitty said. Professor Xavier was wheeling towards them. Uh oh, thought Opal.

"Hello," the professor replied, "Opal, please come with me." She swallowed hard, and followed him down the hall, leaving the three girls to whisper rapidly to each other. They sounded like hissing snakes.

The professor led Opal into his office, and rolled behind the desk.

"Please, sit" he told her. She sat in one of the soft armchairs in front of the desk. ~Do you know why you are here?~ his voice echoed in her mind. She shook her head. ~I wish to speak with you about what happened, before we found you.~ Opal swallowed. The doors leading to the hall opened, and in walked three people, two of them Opal already knew.

"Ah, you are just on time," said the professor, moving out from behind his desk. "Opal, you already know Ororo, or Storm. And I believe you briefly met Logan, also called Wolverine." He motioned to the gruff man that was there when Opal woke. He nodded. "The one you have not met is Scott, also called Cyclops." Scott stood, hands behind his back, feet shoulder width apart. Like super man. He wore red-tinted shades. Scott stuck out his hand, quite abruptly, almost mechanically, for Opal to shake. She took the offered arm.

"Now that our company is all present, I have a few things to discuss. Opal, I want to ask you some very serious questions that must be answered. The future of man and mutant kind lies in your hands," she sucked in her breath. He was going to ask about Magneto. She knew he was. He cocked an eye slightly.

"Opal," he continued, "Will you answer?" ~Why don't you read my mind?~ she shot at him, her mental voice full of sarcasm. He sighed. ~I f you prefer to discuss this mentally so they can't hear-~ she cut him off, ~I do.~ ~Alright.~ he sighed again. ~Opal, you know I can't read your mind. You are blocking me. You will only let me hear, or see, our conversation. Nothing else. Why are you hiding from me? What knowledge or experiences are you so anxious to protect? What secrets do you know?~ ~If I told you that, they wouldn't be secrets, would they?~ She glanced behind her, hearing Storm suck in her breath. She caught Logan with raised eyebrows, and Scott with his mouth slightly open in surprise. She knew automatically what was happening. The professor was feeding their conversations into the others brains. Her opinion of his doings showed clearly on her face. Her eyes turned cold, her mouth went up in a sneer of distrust. ~You traitor! ~ She cried in her mind, ~You said they couldn't hear!~ ~Opal, wa-~ She cut off the mental connection so abruptly that he couldn't even finish his sentence, blocking him from entering her mind at all. He tried again, speaking this time, "Opal, wait, I..." but she was gone. She ran out of the room, down the hall, and outside. She kept running until she reached a large garden across a small field. There she threw herself down under a tree and burst into tears, burring her head in her arms.

The professor sighed. He was going to have a harder time with this girl than her thought.

"What is she so eager to hide?" Scott asked, motioning towards the door.

"I'm not sure," the professor replied, "Memories, probably. You can tell she has not lived a happy life. She is trying to block me out. Even when she was unconscious, there was only a limited area of her mind I could enter. All I got from her then was the basics. Her name, powers, and, oddly enough, a few details about these attacks she's had."

"But, what are the attacks," Logan demanded gruffly.

"They are some sort of...seizure, I suppose, brought on when she is around to many mutants. She absorbs all of the powers around her, and she can't control all of them. Young mutants are always losing control, but when she does it is so much more obvious. Apparently, from what I got, she has been in over six different mutant homes in the past two years, because they are all too afraid to keep her." Logan whistled.

"Poor kid," he said, "No wonder she never talks." Ororo nodded in a agreement.

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Author's Note: Umm...yah! Please Review! Let me know if I'm doing anything wrong! I'm always open for constructive criticism! :)