Chapter 13

Anna Conda looked at the fallen girl in triumph, however, what she failed to see was Scott and Emma rising. Scott blasted her with one of his strongest optic beams, sending her flying through the house itself. Nigh quickly uncurled himself from Cassie to help his owner, standing in front of Anna baring its venomous fangs. Scott was ready to blast the thing to Hell, only he was stopped by Emma's hand on his shoulder. He looked at her with question apparent in his hidden eyes, but then turned a bit to see the father of the house standing and looking in horror at what they had done to his house. "Where's my daughter?" He spoke, eyeing them suspiciously.

"We're eXcalibur, Mr. Bailey, and your daughter will be fine. With your permission, I'd like to enlist her help on this team and take her to Xavier's for training." Emma spoke with her usual tone, although it was softened to convince him. He looked to the girls that now gathered around the back door, two of which were holding the dazed Dee up. They had taken care of Marrow with a bit of exhaustion, Cordy finally encasing her in a block of ice for now. The girls looked like something the cat dragged in, their uniforms looking dingy from grass stains and the like, Kat's ripped in the back from the places where her wings had emerged. The whole room fell silent, all eyes on him, but the silence was interrupted by a quick cry from Emma. "Anna Conda and Marrow are gone." She shook her head, thinking that this was a rough start to the newly formed team, but she still awaited David Bailey's decision.

"Take care of her, Miss Frost." He lightly nodded to the girls to show that that was meant for them as well, then headed upstairs with the stride of an old man as if he had aged in those few moments. Emma, still in her diamond form, took Dee from the girls' arms, who was awake to hear it all, but gave no protest. Emma carefully set up her telepathy to protect all of them from the girl's nauseating effect, all of them heading back to the Blackbird. The girls lingered behind a bit, Scott and Emma not slowing their pace to wait up for them.

"What a great first mission. We got our asses beat and the crazy woman got away," Kei said, a bit downtrodden that she didn't have anything to help them out.

"That's not my fault," Kat claimed. "You guys were busy with bone-girl back there and I was trying to take care of Medusa."

"If you had listened to Kei and aimed at Delirium, Emma and Scott would've responded faster and we would've had her ass," Cassie protested almost in a growl.

"Don't talk down to each other, please," Eve demanded dryly, having the energy drained from her at the moment.

"Hey, guys, I thought we were a team," Cordy reminded them. "If Emma heard you talking to each other this way, she'd be smoking in her white platforms. I know it's hard and everything, but at least we got Delirium to join us, didn't we?"

"She's your roommate. You fix her," Kat snapped, increasing her pace to catch up with Emma and Scott.

"Someone didn't have a good time," Cordy noted, smirking a bit.

"I feel so helpless," Kei sighed, folding her arms underneath her breasts.

"If you feel helpless, you will be," Eve advised, narrowing her eyes simply because she was tired.

They finally boarded the jet, silent on the entire way back. Emma turned to look at them. "I suggest you start designing those uniforms, unless you want to walk around looking like sextuplets." They all nodded lightly, though they were brought down quite a bit by their battle. They finally landed back inside the hangar, getting off of the walkway and changing in the locker room. They took their uniforms with them, each one deciding just how they'd want theirs to be designed. Emma had hired a seamstress to help them in designing them, but she warned that she'd only be there a short time. Kat went in first, mapping out everything she wanted, and as did the other girls. By ten o'clock, everyone was exhausted. Emma telepathically reminded the students that it was their curfew, and they all went into their separate rooms.

Inside Room 1, Cassie lie awake, staring at the ceiling, while Kei attempted to fall asleep. "Why aren't you trying to sleep?" Kei asked, not meaning to pry.

"I don't need sleep because of my power."

"But couldn't you if you wanted to?"

"I could." She considered a moment. "But I find it easier to just think."

"What are your powers? You never really explained," Kei pried a bit, her emerald eyes glued to Cassie.

"I can feel and absorb the emotions of others. That's where I get my energy. If I don't 'feed' every week, I start to drain my own emotions and go into a period of starvation. That's when it gets nasty." She quieted.

"So you're sort of an empath too?"

"Yeah."

"How long has it been like this?"

"All my life, I guess."

"Same here."

"Why don't you go to sleep?" Cassie suggested. "I heard we all have class tomorrow, and you don't want to be tired."

Kei took her advice and allowed her eyes to close, falling into the deep resses of sleep quickly.

Eve and Kat were inside their room, though Eve was lying with her eyes open. "Why didn't you listen to Kei?"

"Look, I came here to get a decent rest and to catch up on my beauty sleep, not to gab with you."

"I was just asking."

"Well, don't ask. Don't think that being your roommate makes me your friend."

"I don't. Believe me." Eve turned to face the wall, troubled, but letting sleep come to her.

Cordy flipped through the pages of her magazine, tired, but being exhilarated by the night's air. Her roommate was dead asleep, tired from today's exertions. Wearing her gloves, Cordy sighed a bit. She supposed Emma had a reason for rooming them together, Cordy immune to psionic attacks or detection, so she wouldn't grow sick of her new acquaintance. She laughed softly at the pun.