Disclaimer: Through complete failure of my most recent plans and strategies I (unfortunately) do not own X-Men (yet). However, through a few rather devious ideas, this will soon change (hopefully). Until then, however, I will still have to add disclaimers in my stories. :)
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Opal sat for a while under the large oak that she had used for a backrest. She then dried her eyes and looked around. She could see the school across the field. It was much bigger than she had expected. A bell rang somewhere, and teens streamed from the building. With many shouts, activities began. Some children started up a game of basketball. Others ran friendly-looking races. Some sat around picnic tables and talked. Opal sighed. She wanted to be among them. To run. Laugh. Belong. She moved around to the other side of the tree. She didn't want to look at them. She stood and walked deeper into the forest. It was beautiful. Every tree was tall, majestic. Flowers grew everywhere. A small stream trickled past over smooth stones. Opal smiled. She would love to simply live here. Forever.
Opal decided to climb one of the oaks, and reached for the first branch. She looked up, expecting to see a leafy canopy, but her view of the leaves was obscured by a face.
"Hi!" the face said. Opal fell over backwards in shock. The face laughed. The face belonged to a girl. She had a pale complexion, framed by golden curls. Freckles graced her nose and cheeks. The girl laughed again at Opal's startled face. She was a mutant. Or was she? Opal couldn't really tell. No, wait. Yes. She was a mutant. Her thoughts had the right patterns. But, what could she do? It wasn't something that Opal could sense. Her emotions were hard to grasp, too.
"Hi!" The face said again. "My name's Holly, but every one calls me Nike." Opal just stared, to shocked to react. I wonder, Opal thought, does she go to school here? As if answering her question, the girl- Nike?- said, "Do you go to school at the mansion? My Aunt says it's for gifted kids, but I'm not allowed to go there. There's a rumor that it's full of mutants! Are you a mutant? I'm not." Opal stared. But, her thoughts were so much more complex. How could... No. If this girl said she wasn't a mutant, she wasn't. "Wanna come see my fort? I built a tree fort. It's just up there. See it?" Opal didn't want to see. She wanted to get back to school. She really wanted to apologize to the professor. She was hungry, too. "Forget about whatever you have to do," Nike said, "Just come on." What was it she wanted to do again? Opal didn't remember. It could wait, whatever it was. She really did want to go up, now that she thought about it. The offer was so inviting. "I made it all by myself. Every piece of wood I laid down by myself. Every nail." Opal thought this was impossible. It was huge! It even had blue paint on the inside, and the outside was painted to match. It had a shingled roof, and six rooms. "You don't believe me, do you?" Nike asked, her smiles disappearing. "Well I did do it. I really did." Well, ok, then. If she said she did, then she did. Then a voice penetrated the air.
"Nike? Nike, where are you?" Opal had heard the voice before. Nike sighed.
"Yes?" she called down from the window.
"Have you seen Opal? I'm supposed to look for her, and I know she passed this way." Nike stuck her head back in.
"You're name Opal?" She asked. When Opal nodded, she called, "Yeah, she's up here with me. Want me to bring'er down?"
"Yes, please. And you had better come down, too. Break is almost over." Nike sighed.
"Come on, we'd better go," she said. Opal stared. "Don't you ever talk?" Nike demanded. Opal shook her head, and shamefully looked at her shoes.
"You should. Yup, you definitely should talk," The other girl said. Opal looked at Nike. She was right. After all, Opal really didn't have a reason to be silent, and Once again, the suggestion sounded so inviting.
"Ok," Opal told her, "I will." Nike grinned broadly.
The two girls climbed down. Opal looked into the person that had been calling. It was Pyro!
"Hey, Opal," he said, "I'm glad Nike found you. You will find she can be very...persuasive. You see, I sent her, because we need you. You are crucial to our planning. So, come with me." Opal stared at him, and, very levelly, she shook her head.
"No, I won't" she said, her voice much louder than she had meant. Pyro sighed and said, "I think I liked you more when you were silent. Nike?" Nike looked Opal in the eyes.
"Opal, come on. You should come with us." Well, when you put it that way...
Opal walked with them to a black convertible, parked on a near-by road. Opal hopped in the back with Nike. Wait! She thought, what am I doing! I need to be at the school! If I go back, they will make me fight!
"Calm down," Nike told her, "You really need to relax. I think you should relax." Opal sighed. Taking Nike's advice was so calming. It made her truly...happy. But she had no idea why.
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Authors Note: Ok, if you don't get it yet, you are probably not alone :)
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Opal sat for a while under the large oak that she had used for a backrest. She then dried her eyes and looked around. She could see the school across the field. It was much bigger than she had expected. A bell rang somewhere, and teens streamed from the building. With many shouts, activities began. Some children started up a game of basketball. Others ran friendly-looking races. Some sat around picnic tables and talked. Opal sighed. She wanted to be among them. To run. Laugh. Belong. She moved around to the other side of the tree. She didn't want to look at them. She stood and walked deeper into the forest. It was beautiful. Every tree was tall, majestic. Flowers grew everywhere. A small stream trickled past over smooth stones. Opal smiled. She would love to simply live here. Forever.
Opal decided to climb one of the oaks, and reached for the first branch. She looked up, expecting to see a leafy canopy, but her view of the leaves was obscured by a face.
"Hi!" the face said. Opal fell over backwards in shock. The face laughed. The face belonged to a girl. She had a pale complexion, framed by golden curls. Freckles graced her nose and cheeks. The girl laughed again at Opal's startled face. She was a mutant. Or was she? Opal couldn't really tell. No, wait. Yes. She was a mutant. Her thoughts had the right patterns. But, what could she do? It wasn't something that Opal could sense. Her emotions were hard to grasp, too.
"Hi!" The face said again. "My name's Holly, but every one calls me Nike." Opal just stared, to shocked to react. I wonder, Opal thought, does she go to school here? As if answering her question, the girl- Nike?- said, "Do you go to school at the mansion? My Aunt says it's for gifted kids, but I'm not allowed to go there. There's a rumor that it's full of mutants! Are you a mutant? I'm not." Opal stared. But, her thoughts were so much more complex. How could... No. If this girl said she wasn't a mutant, she wasn't. "Wanna come see my fort? I built a tree fort. It's just up there. See it?" Opal didn't want to see. She wanted to get back to school. She really wanted to apologize to the professor. She was hungry, too. "Forget about whatever you have to do," Nike said, "Just come on." What was it she wanted to do again? Opal didn't remember. It could wait, whatever it was. She really did want to go up, now that she thought about it. The offer was so inviting. "I made it all by myself. Every piece of wood I laid down by myself. Every nail." Opal thought this was impossible. It was huge! It even had blue paint on the inside, and the outside was painted to match. It had a shingled roof, and six rooms. "You don't believe me, do you?" Nike asked, her smiles disappearing. "Well I did do it. I really did." Well, ok, then. If she said she did, then she did. Then a voice penetrated the air.
"Nike? Nike, where are you?" Opal had heard the voice before. Nike sighed.
"Yes?" she called down from the window.
"Have you seen Opal? I'm supposed to look for her, and I know she passed this way." Nike stuck her head back in.
"You're name Opal?" She asked. When Opal nodded, she called, "Yeah, she's up here with me. Want me to bring'er down?"
"Yes, please. And you had better come down, too. Break is almost over." Nike sighed.
"Come on, we'd better go," she said. Opal stared. "Don't you ever talk?" Nike demanded. Opal shook her head, and shamefully looked at her shoes.
"You should. Yup, you definitely should talk," The other girl said. Opal looked at Nike. She was right. After all, Opal really didn't have a reason to be silent, and Once again, the suggestion sounded so inviting.
"Ok," Opal told her, "I will." Nike grinned broadly.
The two girls climbed down. Opal looked into the person that had been calling. It was Pyro!
"Hey, Opal," he said, "I'm glad Nike found you. You will find she can be very...persuasive. You see, I sent her, because we need you. You are crucial to our planning. So, come with me." Opal stared at him, and, very levelly, she shook her head.
"No, I won't" she said, her voice much louder than she had meant. Pyro sighed and said, "I think I liked you more when you were silent. Nike?" Nike looked Opal in the eyes.
"Opal, come on. You should come with us." Well, when you put it that way...
Opal walked with them to a black convertible, parked on a near-by road. Opal hopped in the back with Nike. Wait! She thought, what am I doing! I need to be at the school! If I go back, they will make me fight!
"Calm down," Nike told her, "You really need to relax. I think you should relax." Opal sighed. Taking Nike's advice was so calming. It made her truly...happy. But she had no idea why.
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Authors Note: Ok, if you don't get it yet, you are probably not alone :)