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Chapter 2: School Bus Dilemma, Pull-Ups, Burnt Dolls, and Imaginary Friends

Day 1/Monday

"Here's your backpack and lunch. You did want tuna, right?" Scott asked his son, handing him a red lunch box with his favorite superhero, Spiderman, on the front. "Yep. Thanks Dad. Bye," he said, climbing aboard the bright yellow school bus that was especially for mutant children going to public school.

~*~*~

"So, Tara. What are you not supposed to do?" Bobby asked his daughter. "I'm not supposed to use my powers at school," she said, repeating what he had told her at breakfast earlier that morning. "That's it. Have a good day at school, sweetie. Okay?" he asked, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Uh huh," she answered, running over to the bus.

~*~*~

"NO! I, like, don't wanna go, Daddy! Please don't make me, like, go!" Lauren screamed, using the same Valley-Girl talk her mother used as she held onto Lance's shirt for dear life. The ground started to shake as the bus driver pried the young girl off of her father.

"Wow, you sure are feisty today. Usually, you're so calm when your Mother takes you," Lance said as the bus driver buckled Lauren in the front seat next to Tara. "Where did the mothers go?" Mr. Jemison asked as the rest of the mutant children from the Institute go on. "Florida," he answered. "Dang! And they just left you guys. That's pretty harsh. Uh... hey, I gotta go. And don't worry, Lauren will be fine," he said, closing the bus doors and driving off.

~*~*~

"Cela est la dernière paille (that is the last straw)! Mon cher, venir ici maintenant (my dear one, come here now)!" Gambit shouted, a pull-up raised above his head as he tried to catch his daughter.

Remy quickly grabbed Emma's arm and pulled her towards him. "Nuh uh! Only... only babies wear diapies!" she said, trying to pull her arm away from her father. "Remy says that while Mama is gone, chere (dear) will wear pull-ups," he said.

"Aaah!" she cried, being dragged by her father up the stairs.

~*~*~

"Papa, it's feels weird!" she cried, tugging at it as it hugged around her waist. "You'll get used to it," he said, pulling her shirt down over her head, buckling her pants, and tying her shoes.

He knelt down until he was eye level with her and said gently, "This is not a punishment, but Remy can't take changing chere (dear) every time she has an accident. Now, let's go down to the Professor's office. Logan's probably waiting for us," he said, carrying her downstairs.

~*~*~

"There ya are, Cajun. Just in time," Logan said, taking Emma from her father's arms and setting her between Immy and Jenna. "We were just about to talk about what we wanted to do for the two weeks your Moms are away. Any suggestions?" he asked.

"ICE CREAM!" Nathan shouted. "Sorry, Nate. Mommy said no sugar," he told his son. "Ice cream's not sugar," Nate said, making one of his best pouts. "Ice cream has sugar in it," Bobby countered with his son, ignoring his face.

"Anything else?" Logan asked. "ZOO!" Immy screamed. "Yeah! We'll see tigers, bears, ostiches (ostriches), heinas (hyenas), and pegwins (penguins)," Brad said, counting the number of animals on his fingers. "That's two animals," he said, grinning widely.

"Son, that's five animals," Sam corrected, bouncing Mia on his knee. "Nuh uh. It goes three, six, seven, five, then two, Daddy," he answered. "What have the Sheilas been teaching them?" John asked Scott. Scott shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, then. Anyways, it been decided that we'll go to the park tomorrow. Now it's playtime down in the playroom," Logan declared. All the pre-schoolers ran from the office and down the stairs to their playroom.

~*~*~

"DADDY!" Immy screamed at the top of her lungs. Scott ran into the playroom as fast as he could with Grace in his arms, shouting in alarm, "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Jenna's using me and Emma's dollies for a sactifice (sacrifice) to Jimmy," she sobbed. Emma was huddled in a corner, silently crying as she watched Jenna burn her doll helplessly. "Pyro! Your daughter's burning things again!" Scott shouted to the king of fire.

"Sheila, what have you done this time?" Pyro asked, extending his arm out to the fire and putting it out. He ran his hands through his orange hair as he waited for an answer. "Jimmy said to bring him two dolls for sactifice (sacrifice) and then he would give me a cookie," she replied simply.

Scott and John looked at the girl as if she was a nutcase. "Um, Sheila. There's no Jimmy here," John said quietly, hoping no one else but Scott was listening. "Yes, there is. He's sitting right there," she answered angrily, pointing to where Jimmy was supposedly sitting.

"Ok. Anyway, go apologize to the two Sheilas and give them their dolls back," he said. "I'm sorry," Jenna said, handing the dolls back to their owners. "Courtney's all toasted now!" Immy said madly, stalking off. "Kristin is too!" Emma said, following her best friend.

"Immy and Emma never play with me," Jenna said, twirling her foot around in the carpet. "That's probably because you burn their stuff. Now, if you ask nicely, I think Immy and Emma might play with you," he told her. "Okay," she said, going off to find Immy and Emma.

"I can't wait until she's older," Pyro grumbled to Scott, making his way to his bedroom.