Chapter 2 Image Conscious

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Marvel, except for my original characters, of course. But if Marvel wants to use them, they can. Feel free to post this, or any other Glaivester fic, anywhere, but please notify me so I can brag about it.

Author's Note: I have drawn some illustrations. Please indicate in your review if you would like to see them. If so, I will email them to you.

Special warning: While this story is rated for audiences with some level of maturity (PG-13), some of the conversation in this chapter may require a measure of immaturity in order to appreciate it fully.

Friday, December 21, 2003

Kurt was talking to Wanda at school. Since joining the Institute, she had been allowed back into school. Technically, actually, she had just joined the school, having never gone to Bayville High, as she had not exactly been given all the proper papers when she was first released, and then being covered under the blanket expulsion of the Brotherhood later. The rest of the Brotherhood were getting home-schooled in preparation for the GEDs.

Her status as a mother was not known to anyone at school, and she intended on keeping it that way. Talia had, in fact, been given only minimal papers to prove her existence, as there would be too many questions that she did not want her daughter to face. She had been given an image inducer, but when she would finally be taken out to see people, Wanda intended on having her introduced as a visiting cousin. A different one each time, actually, as she would grow up too fast for people to believe that she was the same kid unless they were told about Sinister's experiments.

Talia understood in general that no one was ashamed of her, they were just afraid for her, and never having been in society, did not think herself to be missing too much. But she did have a sense of dissatisfaction about never being allowed out of the grounds of the mansion.

In any case, Kurt and Wanda were walking to their history class, when something unthinkable happened.

Connor Matthews, Duncan's younger brother [A/N Yep, I'm making a Highlander reference in their names], walked up to them. He was known as being a little bit of a brat, having been bullied by his brother a little too often. Now his brother was away at college, he was coming into his own.

"Hey, mutie, like your watch!" Connor snatched Kurt's watch off of his hand and put it in his pocket.

Connor had intended simply to tease the mutant by threatening to destroy what lookd like a very valuable watch. However, as soon as he had taken Kurt's watch off, he discovered he had done something far more serious and unnerving.

Kurt's image suddenly morphed into that of a blue, tridactyl, tailed, furry kid with pointy ears and digitigrade legs. Fortunately enough, he had worn his normal clothes to school that day, the ones that looked like his image inducer, rather than his uniform. [A/N Is anyone else irritated by the fact that Kurt is almost always wearing his uniform under his inducer - in school, at the dance, meeting Amanda's parents?] He was also glad that he had not responded to Evan's challenge to go to school naked one day.

There was a collective gasp. Several students screamed. Other students got angry or decided to attack Kurt. But one girl in the background just looked on with interest. She turned to another girl who was looking on with horror, worried about what would happen to Kurt.

"Amanda," asked Laura Kelly to Amanda Sefton, "didn't you use to go out with him?"

"Er... yes."

"Did you know he looked like that?"

"Uh... yes."

"And you didn't tell me? Why not? I thought we were friends."

Amanda Sefton looked around uncomfortably. "He... he wanted to keep it a secret. He's shy..."

"And I suppose that the Principal's daughter is the last person you'd want to know? OR was it that you were afraid of me? That I might take him away from you?"

Amanda looked at Laura with surprise. "What do you..."

"You have the most interesting boyfriend in the school and didn't tell me?" She smiled at Amanda, scrunching up her face. "He would be nice to add to my collection." Laura had "collected," a lot of the boys in school. "Collected" was of course, a euphemism for a large quantity of other words, all giving the general impression that she had spent time with the boys without the benefit of clothes, and engaged in activities that, if she had not used the proper pharmaceuticals, would have resulted in a condition not unlike Ms. Dexter's. If we used the baseball four-base analogy, she had a home run record that Babe Ruth would have been proud of.

"You want to 'collect' Kurt?"

"I've already collected three mutants. Pietro, Lance, and Freddy."

"Freddy? How in the world did you... I mean, you could have been crushed. How did you..."

"Vertically."

"Oh. Wait, what about Todd?"

"Oh, the one with the tongue? I'd like to, but I haven't seen him around recently. Oooo.... that tongue. I would really like to put that to use."

Amanda looked at her, disgusted. This was definitely not the thing to talk about in public. Not that she minded that this girl liked mutants. Even Todd, Amanda had actually begun to think him an okay fellow once she realized how put-upon and unfortunate he actually was. But she didn't want to hear a graphic description of how he could use his abilities for Laura's benefit, and it appeared that Laura was dying to tell her just that.

"Uh... good-bye, I gotta get to class!" said Amanda, and she walked over to Kurt.

Kurt was panicking, as a bunch of students looked like they were prepared to beat him up. Suddenly the history teacher, Mr. Larson, walked out.

"Stop this at once!" he bellowed. "We are discussing the Civil War again today, and I will not have my class interrupted by people wanting to throttle another student. I don't care what he looks like, he and the rest of you are going to get a lesson on the election of 1864 and how Lincoln managed to get re-elected when a few months earlier the war had been going poorly for the North! Now everyone get in here."

Kurt walked into class with Wanda at his arm, and the other students dispersed, grumbling. A number of students, Kurt noticed, had left rather than go to class with him. These were not the mean prejudiced students, Kurt surmised, the ones who would hurt him. These were probably just the frightened or startled ones.

It took only five minutes before Principal Kelly's voice came over the intercom. "Kurt Wagner to the office at once."

Once inside the office, Kurt was subjected to more of Kelly's anti-mutant feelings.

"So, Mr. Wagner. Not only are you a mutant, you are a freaky-looking mutant."

Kurt just glared at Principal Kelly. He really didn't need to deal with this, and he was beginning to think that he should just tell the Principal off.

"And you have the gall to hide it from everyone. Well, no more. You cannot take this watch that apparently makes you look normal to school any more. You have to go as you are."

"Fine. Now may I go?"

Principal Kelly sighed and put his fingers at the bridge of his nose. "Listen, just never wear that thing again, and I'm not going to give you any more trouble. I'm almost done as principal, today and Monday. Just be good so that I don't have to do anything to you. I am almost out of here, and I just don't want to deal with it anymore."

Kurt was surprised. Kelly was actually being forgiving. But not because he was feeling forgiving, just because he, quite frankly, didn't want to be bothered. Was that the key to tolerance? Apathy?

Walking back to class, Kurt ran into Laura, who had skipped class per usual.

"Hi, Kurt." She waved a little seductively at him.

"Hi, uh... I don't know your name..."

"Laura. Laura Kelly."

"As in Principal Kelly?"

"He's my father. Was he mean to you?"

"Vell, he doesn't seem to care right now. He just vants to get out of here."

"I know the feeling. Listen, Kurt, can I talk to you after school? I want to discuss starting a club for tolerance for mutants."

"Vell, okay, but it has to be qvick. I have to get back home." He didn't mention that he needed to get home to play some board games with T.J. Or that he and Wanda were going to be eating out alone that night.

"Oh, don't worry. It'll be quick." Laura flashed a brilliant smile. Her brown hair waved softly as she shook her head slightly.

Kurt was puzzled as to why his appearance had never been mentioned. Oh, well, he thought. Danke Gott for small blessings.

Laura took out her notebook. She looked at a long list of names written in pencil at the end was "Kurt Wagner." If she was lucky, by tonight she would have his name inked into the notebook.