A/N: YAY! This took awhile, I'm laaaazzzzyyyy. Googles of thanks to: Silvers, RogueDragon5, Zoken, and The RP you guys are smurfy (that's good) IF your mad about my abandoning you for months on end, So am I! I am such a jerk sometimes. I should really give myself a good talking to. Give me a review and yell at me for being so inconsiderate. This chapter is really short, but fear not fair readers! I already have a longer one typed and ready to go! YAY! Also, this chapter has not been betaed like the previous ones so expect typos and if you see them, point them out :)
Jamie stood in the middle of the Bayville train station. He had managed to call the Institute and arrange for someone to come and pick him up when he got there, explaining to them that his parents were at the hospital visiting with his sick grandmother and couldn't take the trip with him. The only hard part of the process was reabsorbing all the dupes he had made over the weeks and weeks alone. He was still getting over the headache.
"Jamie?" Jamie spun around at the sound of the voice, scared out of his mind.
"Hey." Said Rogue, "Sorry to startle you."
"No problem." He said, breaking out in a smile. He should have known Rogue would be the one to pick him up. They had really clicked when he met her the first time, even though he was so much younger than she was. Something about he just set him at ease.
"None of the teachers could come so we got to pick you up on the way back from school. Scott's waiting outside in the car." She told him.
"Who's Scott?"
""One of the students." Rogue replied, "You'll like him. . . I think. . . . probably not, but he's a really nice guy." Rogue smiled but he noticed her eyes were a little unfocused.
"OK!" He said with a big grin.
Rogue laughed and showed him over to where the car was parked, a red convertible that was so shiny it hurt Jamie's eyes. A boy wearing red glasses was in the driver's seat nodding his head to the beat of some unidentifiable song on the radio.
"Hi," he said with a smile, "I'm Scott, it's nice to meet you, Jamie."
"Uh, likewise." Jamie replied. He still wasn't used to speaking to people who weren't himself.
"Jump in." Scott said. Jamie and Rogue both got into the car and Scott shoved the car in gear and screeched away.
Jamie sat in the back seat with Rogue and Scott up front. There was total silence. Every now and then Rogue would look over at Scott, who didn't even seem to notice.
'This has got to be the most uncomfortable car ride I have ever taken' Jamie thought.
"So." Scott said, "When did you find out you were a mutant?"
"I fell down the stairs" Jamie replied shortly, not mentioning how he had lain there, at the bottom of the staircase, for almost two hours before moving, and learned that his ankle was sprained and 6 of his newly made dupes had finished his dinner without him.
"Bummer." Scott said. Jamie grunted, not really sure of what to say.
Before the silence could become too oppressive, Scott had pulled up in front of a huge estate, complete with grounds, pool, and mansion.
"Wow." Jamie breathed.
"Yeah," Rogue said from behind him, "That's what I said too."
Jamie grinned in response as the huge gates swung open and Scott drove the car slowly up to the garage. Together, the three mutants walked to the front door. Scott pulled out his keys, fumbling a moment before finding the right one and opened the door.
"Step into my parlor." Rogue murmured, moving aside so Jamie could see into the huge mansion.
Jamie was taken on a whirlwind tour. He met all the X-men and teachers in a little over five minutes. Their names and powers flew by so fast he had very little recollection of anything. Anything except for Beast, who, besides being big, blue, furry, and unforgettable in other ways, had grabbed Jamie up in a big hug upon meeting him and exclaimed "Welcome!" in a bellow loud enough to shake the foundations of the house.
He now sat in his room, trying to figure out all that he had been shown in the short period of time. It was definitely a huge jolt, moving here from his New Mexico farmhouse where he lived with only his dupes and himself to this huge mansion in New York with so many other people.
He currently had a room all to himself, although he'd been informed that that would change in a few days when the rest of the new recruits arrived. All of his possessions (a few clothes and a picture of his Dad) were arranged in the closet and his bed was made. Even though the room had been clean when he moved in, Jamie still sensed the dust and dirt that hadn't been picked up. What would happen if his mother found him here and saw what a mess he lived in?
All of a sudden Jamie felt nervous. The room seemed to grow messier and dingier by the moment. Quickly, Jamie jumped off the bed and ran downstairs to where he thought the kitchen was. Pleased to find that he was right, Jamie then groped under the counter and emerged with some Windex, bleach, and a bottle of wood polish. Jamie rushed back upstairs and proceeded to rip one of his shirts up into rags.
The next hour was spent cleaning the windows, furniture, and woodwork, of his room and the entire bathroom. A half-hour was devoted to vacuuming and another to cleaning the walls with another piece of his shirt. Jamie then cleared every thing out of his closet, wiped it down, and put everything neatly back.
Flopping happily on the bed, Jamie admired his work. Mom would be proud of him when she saw his work. She would see how well he did and she'd want to stay with him. Jamie nodded to himself. Yes, he thought, she would be proud.
Jamie stood in the middle of the Bayville train station. He had managed to call the Institute and arrange for someone to come and pick him up when he got there, explaining to them that his parents were at the hospital visiting with his sick grandmother and couldn't take the trip with him. The only hard part of the process was reabsorbing all the dupes he had made over the weeks and weeks alone. He was still getting over the headache.
"Jamie?" Jamie spun around at the sound of the voice, scared out of his mind.
"Hey." Said Rogue, "Sorry to startle you."
"No problem." He said, breaking out in a smile. He should have known Rogue would be the one to pick him up. They had really clicked when he met her the first time, even though he was so much younger than she was. Something about he just set him at ease.
"None of the teachers could come so we got to pick you up on the way back from school. Scott's waiting outside in the car." She told him.
"Who's Scott?"
""One of the students." Rogue replied, "You'll like him. . . I think. . . . probably not, but he's a really nice guy." Rogue smiled but he noticed her eyes were a little unfocused.
"OK!" He said with a big grin.
Rogue laughed and showed him over to where the car was parked, a red convertible that was so shiny it hurt Jamie's eyes. A boy wearing red glasses was in the driver's seat nodding his head to the beat of some unidentifiable song on the radio.
"Hi," he said with a smile, "I'm Scott, it's nice to meet you, Jamie."
"Uh, likewise." Jamie replied. He still wasn't used to speaking to people who weren't himself.
"Jump in." Scott said. Jamie and Rogue both got into the car and Scott shoved the car in gear and screeched away.
Jamie sat in the back seat with Rogue and Scott up front. There was total silence. Every now and then Rogue would look over at Scott, who didn't even seem to notice.
'This has got to be the most uncomfortable car ride I have ever taken' Jamie thought.
"So." Scott said, "When did you find out you were a mutant?"
"I fell down the stairs" Jamie replied shortly, not mentioning how he had lain there, at the bottom of the staircase, for almost two hours before moving, and learned that his ankle was sprained and 6 of his newly made dupes had finished his dinner without him.
"Bummer." Scott said. Jamie grunted, not really sure of what to say.
Before the silence could become too oppressive, Scott had pulled up in front of a huge estate, complete with grounds, pool, and mansion.
"Wow." Jamie breathed.
"Yeah," Rogue said from behind him, "That's what I said too."
Jamie grinned in response as the huge gates swung open and Scott drove the car slowly up to the garage. Together, the three mutants walked to the front door. Scott pulled out his keys, fumbling a moment before finding the right one and opened the door.
"Step into my parlor." Rogue murmured, moving aside so Jamie could see into the huge mansion.
Jamie was taken on a whirlwind tour. He met all the X-men and teachers in a little over five minutes. Their names and powers flew by so fast he had very little recollection of anything. Anything except for Beast, who, besides being big, blue, furry, and unforgettable in other ways, had grabbed Jamie up in a big hug upon meeting him and exclaimed "Welcome!" in a bellow loud enough to shake the foundations of the house.
He now sat in his room, trying to figure out all that he had been shown in the short period of time. It was definitely a huge jolt, moving here from his New Mexico farmhouse where he lived with only his dupes and himself to this huge mansion in New York with so many other people.
He currently had a room all to himself, although he'd been informed that that would change in a few days when the rest of the new recruits arrived. All of his possessions (a few clothes and a picture of his Dad) were arranged in the closet and his bed was made. Even though the room had been clean when he moved in, Jamie still sensed the dust and dirt that hadn't been picked up. What would happen if his mother found him here and saw what a mess he lived in?
All of a sudden Jamie felt nervous. The room seemed to grow messier and dingier by the moment. Quickly, Jamie jumped off the bed and ran downstairs to where he thought the kitchen was. Pleased to find that he was right, Jamie then groped under the counter and emerged with some Windex, bleach, and a bottle of wood polish. Jamie rushed back upstairs and proceeded to rip one of his shirts up into rags.
The next hour was spent cleaning the windows, furniture, and woodwork, of his room and the entire bathroom. A half-hour was devoted to vacuuming and another to cleaning the walls with another piece of his shirt. Jamie then cleared every thing out of his closet, wiped it down, and put everything neatly back.
Flopping happily on the bed, Jamie admired his work. Mom would be proud of him when she saw his work. She would see how well he did and she'd want to stay with him. Jamie nodded to himself. Yes, he thought, she would be proud.