AN: I don't own X-Men Evolution, bladda, bladda, bladda. Thanks to all who have read and reviewed my story so far.
"Jean," Kitty repeated, "I, uh, I don't know anyone named Jean."
"Yes you do," Jean gently insisted, "and I think you know that."
"No," Kitty responded, but her voice had lost all of its earlier conviction.
Jean paused for a few minutes before continuing. "When you woke up this morning," she finally said, "It's as if you had two sets of memories both of which seem real but both in conflict with one another." Kitty gasped, unsure as how to respond.
"Kitty," her mother called from the other room, "Who is it?"
"Just a friend," Kitty quickly responded.
"Then tell her you'll have to call her back," Kitty's father announced, "and come back to the table."
"Look, can you call me back in an hour or so?" Kitty asked, "My dad's kinda weird about being on the phone while we're eating.
"No, I think I'll come by tomorrow," Jean answered, "I'll meet you after school. Okay? We can talk more than."
"Sure. Bye."
"Bye."
Kitty replaced the phone on its receiver and walked back as if in a daze to the dining room. Everything seemed so unreal, but she found herself trusting Jean. "Uh, Mom," she said, "Is it okay if I go to the mall after school tomorrow before coming home? Some of my friends are going to take me."
"That's fine, dear," her mother answered, "Just don't stay out too late."
"And call us if anything happens," her dad added.
"Yeah," Kitty replied in a faint voice as she focused her attention to the food in her plate. Maybe tomorrow she would finally get some answers.
********************
As Kitty walked out of school, she wondered if Jean would be there or if she would even recognize her. However, when she saw the redhead standing by the SUV, both questions were answered. Somehow, she knew this had to be Jean. It was strange - she didn't look like someone Kitty would have chosen to be her friend. She looked like one of those seemingly perfect, popular girls that made you feel incredibly self-conscious to be around: the kind of girl you envied, admired, and despised all at the same time. Kitty made her way over to her.
"Jean?" she asked.
Stepping forward, Jean nodded. "Hi, Kitty," she greeted.
An awkward silence followed. "Uh …I told my parents that I was going to the mall."
"We could drive there," Jean said, "and talk on the way."
"Okay," Kitty agreed, and climbed into the passenger side. Jean got into the driver's seat and started the vehicle. Together they made their way towards the nearby mall, Kitty quietly giving Jean directions, but they had yet to talk about their mutual problems. It wasn't until the pulled into an empty parking space at the mall that they begin talking.
"So what's going on?" Kitty asked.
Jean sighed deeply. "I'm not sure," she admitted, "It's seems almost like there are two realities - as if time was split somehow. All I know, is that I woke early yesterday morning with two sets of memories. At first, I thought I was just going crazy." She sighed again. "That's when I decided to see if I could find out if any of those people or things I was remembering actually existed. At first, I couldn't find anything until I stumbled onto a web page where you were mentioned for winning a prize for a computer program you had made. When I saw your picture, I knew that I wasn't losing my mind."
"Wow," Kitty said, breathless, "And that's when you called me?"
"Actually," Jean answered, "I told my parents I needed some time to myself. My spring break started yesterday, so they encouraged me to take a little vacation. I called you from a hotel room last night."
"Oh, but then what is going on? I do sorta remember you but at the same time I don't.
"I wish I knew. It appears that something has happened to alter the way things were supposed to occur."
"But how? I mean, that wouldn't exactly be something easy to change," Kitty stated. She paused for a moment. "Maybe I am just losing my mind."
"Don't say that," Jean insisted, "You're not losing anything. Remember, it's happening to me too."
Kitty managed a small smile. "Maybe insanity is contagious," she said.
Jean returned the smile. "Maybe," she replied before becoming serious again. "Isn't there anyone else you know who seems to be having these problems?"
"There's a guy at my school," Kitty answered, "Lance. He mentioned something about it happening to him too." She shook her head. "But how could something like this happen?" she asked, returning to her original question.
"I don't know," Jean said, "but still, I think we have to find out."
"How are you going to do that?"
"I'm going to go to Bayville. It seems like that's the center of all these other memories so maybe that's where the answers will be." She turned towards Kitty. "I'd like you to come too."
"I would, but my parents probably wouldn't let me."
"But next week is the beginning of your school's spring break isn't it?"
"Well, yeah. But my dad's kinda overprotective."
Jean smiled mischievously. "Leave that to me."
********************
"We're here," Jean announced with false enthusiasm.
Kitty watched as the sign welcoming them to Bayville slid past her window, still more than a little amazed that Jean had been able to arrange for her to come along on this little trip. Her parents, especially her father, were usually extremely overprotective, but Jean had turned on the charm when she had come over for dinner on Thursday evening.
Casually, she had told them how she had just moved to the area and how her and Kitty had become fast friends, but then came the tricky part. Jean had said that since the upcoming week was their Spring Break, she was going to spend the time looking at a few colleges. She had even produced a few college brochures. Even though she was convincing, Kitty had braced herself for rejection when Jean suggested that it might be a good idea for Kitty to come along.
However, Kitty's parents had agreed with Jean. Although Kitty still had a few years before she had to make a decision about a college, her parents seemed pleased that she would be looking. Still, her father had made her promise that she would call every night.
As they drove the through the town, everything seemed so familiar to Kitty, but that didn't really surprise her. In fact, very little surprised her these days. However there was one thing that was disturbing to her: when she had first awaken the other day, the other memories were very clear but had quickly begun to fade. In fact, the memories had steadily faded until she had seen Jean that evening after school. And now, as Bayville stretched out before them, those memories had become painfully clearer - reverberating in her mind as they collided with what she believed to be the truth. She couldn't help but wonder if they were doing the right thing.
Still, she tried to hide these feelings as she glanced towards Jean and asked, "So, where to first?"
Jean's face was grim as she drove around a steep curve. "The high school," she answered simply, obviously not willing to elaborate.
Kitty nodded as they rode in silence to the school. It was Sunday afternoon, so they expected the school to be basically empty. However, it appeared that the band had just returned from a trip. Most of the band students were climbing into their own cars or their friend's vehicles but a few were just waiting around for a ride.
Parking the SUV, they walked towards the front of the school, drawing the attention of a few of the students. Kitty couldn't help but wonder if they looked familiar to them. "What now?" she quietly asked Jean.
Before Jean could answer, a stern voice spoke up from behind them. "Can I help you, ladies?"
Jean and Kitty turned and simultaneously gasped. The woman herself didn't looked particularly frightening but rather no-nonsense with short, brown hair and glasses. Still, something about the woman made Kitty feel uneasy and she could tell by the quickness of Jean's breathing that she felt it too. The woman folded her arms across her chest and stepped forward, obviously expecting an answer. A nearby student also noticed the woman.
"Hey, Principal Darkholme," he called, "What are you doing here?
****************
The stars twinkled in the black, velvet sky - seemingly cold and lonely. Kurt Wagner knew exactly how they felt as he stared at the night sky through his bedroom window. He couldn't sleep. Again he had the dream about the institute in America where he had friends and where he was accepted. He sighed as he turned away from the window and crawled back into bed.
It was a shame that it was only a dream.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry I took so long posting this, but a lot of stuff has been happening lately. A few notes: first, I'm going to repost Chapters 1 and 2 because I noticed a lot of weird errors (like writing to day instead of to say). No major changes will be made, only a few corrections. Secondly, I hope this section wasn't too dull but, if it was, I blame Jean. She's never been one of my favorite characters and I had a terrible time writing her scenes. Thanks again for reading!
