More than Existing
Author's note: Do you guys have any idea as to what is wrong? No? Well here are a few more hints...
Chapter 4 – "Bruises and Powers"
Janine was back to school on Monday, and everything seemed fine again. Janine looked a little thinner, but no more worse for the wear. The day seemed to completely drag for Janine, mostly because she couldn't wait until after school. Today was the day Kitty and Kurt were going to take her around the town. She could hardly sit still during her last class. It was Algebra II honors with Mr. Whittemore, and he was really boring. As he lectured, Janine's mind began to wander. Her mind began wandering back to the first day of school. She kept thinking back to lunch, when she found out that they were mutants. She had been a little scared at first, but she thought to herself, 'They treated me well. They treated me just like I was one of them, and they hadn't known me for more than a few minutes. Which was a lot more than I could say for that Duncan guy.' When she stood up for them, for a moment, she'd wondered if she was doing the right thing, but the more she got to know them, the more she was convinced that she'd been in the right. Janine was surprised so many people hated the mutants. Sure, it was a little scary that they had abilities that could easily hurt someone, but they were nice, and she knew that they wouldn't hurt anyone intentionally. Now, because she'd stood up for them, she was getting the same treatment that they were getting. There were the smart remarks behind her back, and the occasional paper airplane, but for the most part it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. The mutants were good people, and she knew that she could deal with a little hassling if it meant that they could be friends. Speaking of paper airplanes, one currently was making its way to her desk. It hit her in the side of the face, and fell to her desk. On the wings, the words "Open Me" were scrawled in neat bubble letters. Janine opened the crude paper airplane, what was written on the inside gave her chills. It said, "You may think that your mutie friends can protect you. But you're wrong. They can't protect you forever, and when the day comes that they're not around, you'll get what you deserve." Janine looked around innocently in attempts to see who threw the airplane. No one gave any hint of who the culprit was. Angrily, Janine crumpled the message into a tight ball, and threw it in her backpack. She wouldn't be intimidated by someone that wasn't even brave enough to claim a paper airplane.
The clock inched forward, and the final bell rang. 'Freedom' Janine thought as she quickly made her way out of the classroom. Moments later she found herself waiting for Kitty and Kurt on the school's front steps. Suddenly, directly in front of her, a cloud of harsh smelling smoke appeared. Kurt stepped out of the middle of it and said, "Hey! Vhat's up?"
Startled at his entrance, she stepped back, but tripped over a stair, and fell down. "Ow." She said loudly. 'That'll be a bruise tomorrow. I can add it to my collection.' She thought, glumly. "How did you do that?" Janine asked as Kurt helped her up. He wasn't really listening to wait she said, he was looking at her arm. Clear on the pale skin were several bruises. Some were small, but several were quite large. He glanced at her other arm; it was in the same condition. 'What could have made so many bruises?' Suddenly he realized that she was expecting an answer for something. "What did you say Janine?"
"I asked you how you did that." She repeated.
"Do vhat?"
Janine sighed, this was getting repetitive. "How did you...poof like that?"
"Oh, that? That's my...gift. I'm a teleporter." He said, teleporting over to another part of the stairs to show her. "Wow." Janine said. She'd never seen a mutant use their powers before, and it looked so cool. She had to admit, she was feeling a little jealous. She would give up people liking her in a minute if she could do something like that. "So can you poof anywhere?" she asked, completely fascinated.
"No, I can teleport up to 2 miles away, but I don't like to teleport somewhere I can't see. And I have to know where I'm going." Kurt explained. This attention was kind of nice for a change.
"Can Kitty do that too?" Janine asked.
"Um...no. I'm the only teleporter at the institute."
"Oh." Janine replied a little let down. "What can Kitty do?"
"I can walk through walls." Kitty said coming up in time to hear Janine's last question.
"Cool! Can-can you show me?" Janine said, getting really excited.
"Sure." Kitty said as she walked through the school's doors, and then came back out.
"You guys are amazing." Janine said
"You're not telling them anything they don't know." Said a smiling black girl that walked up next to Kurt.
"Janine, this is my girlfriend Amanda." Kurt said.
"Hi...Janine, was it? Its good to have another mutant lover around here." Amanda said.
"I hope you guys don't mind, but I invited Amanda along. She's had a stomach bug for the last couple of days, and has been wanting to get out of the house." Kurt explained.
"I don't mind." Kitty said.
"Neither do I. It's nice to meet you Amanda." Janine said. "So how are we walking to the mall, or what?"
"Actually, my holo-watch had been on the blink. I thought we could pop back to the institute, and then go from there." Kurt suggested.
"What's a holo-watch?" Janine asked
"Well, lets just say that Kurt has a less than normal appearance, and he had a holographic inducer hidden in his watch that gives him the appearance of a normal looking teenager." Kitty explained. As if on cue, Kurt's watch blinked off and Janine got an eye full of the true blue Kurt. Like anyone that wasn't used to his appearance, Janine gasped and took a step back. After a slightly longer look at him, she sort of thought he looked cute. 'His pointy ears kind of makes him look like an elf' she thought to herself, as he struggled to get his watch working again. Suddenly, his image transformed back into a regular looking guy. "That's better. Sorry about that Janine, I suppose I should have warned you..."
"No problem...you just sort of startled me..." she replied.
"Well I'm just glad that no one else saw you." Kitty said. "I guess making a detour to the institute is definitely unavoidable now. Lets go."
Author's note: Do you guys have any idea as to what is wrong? No? Well here are a few more hints...
Chapter 4 – "Bruises and Powers"
Janine was back to school on Monday, and everything seemed fine again. Janine looked a little thinner, but no more worse for the wear. The day seemed to completely drag for Janine, mostly because she couldn't wait until after school. Today was the day Kitty and Kurt were going to take her around the town. She could hardly sit still during her last class. It was Algebra II honors with Mr. Whittemore, and he was really boring. As he lectured, Janine's mind began to wander. Her mind began wandering back to the first day of school. She kept thinking back to lunch, when she found out that they were mutants. She had been a little scared at first, but she thought to herself, 'They treated me well. They treated me just like I was one of them, and they hadn't known me for more than a few minutes. Which was a lot more than I could say for that Duncan guy.' When she stood up for them, for a moment, she'd wondered if she was doing the right thing, but the more she got to know them, the more she was convinced that she'd been in the right. Janine was surprised so many people hated the mutants. Sure, it was a little scary that they had abilities that could easily hurt someone, but they were nice, and she knew that they wouldn't hurt anyone intentionally. Now, because she'd stood up for them, she was getting the same treatment that they were getting. There were the smart remarks behind her back, and the occasional paper airplane, but for the most part it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. The mutants were good people, and she knew that she could deal with a little hassling if it meant that they could be friends. Speaking of paper airplanes, one currently was making its way to her desk. It hit her in the side of the face, and fell to her desk. On the wings, the words "Open Me" were scrawled in neat bubble letters. Janine opened the crude paper airplane, what was written on the inside gave her chills. It said, "You may think that your mutie friends can protect you. But you're wrong. They can't protect you forever, and when the day comes that they're not around, you'll get what you deserve." Janine looked around innocently in attempts to see who threw the airplane. No one gave any hint of who the culprit was. Angrily, Janine crumpled the message into a tight ball, and threw it in her backpack. She wouldn't be intimidated by someone that wasn't even brave enough to claim a paper airplane.
The clock inched forward, and the final bell rang. 'Freedom' Janine thought as she quickly made her way out of the classroom. Moments later she found herself waiting for Kitty and Kurt on the school's front steps. Suddenly, directly in front of her, a cloud of harsh smelling smoke appeared. Kurt stepped out of the middle of it and said, "Hey! Vhat's up?"
Startled at his entrance, she stepped back, but tripped over a stair, and fell down. "Ow." She said loudly. 'That'll be a bruise tomorrow. I can add it to my collection.' She thought, glumly. "How did you do that?" Janine asked as Kurt helped her up. He wasn't really listening to wait she said, he was looking at her arm. Clear on the pale skin were several bruises. Some were small, but several were quite large. He glanced at her other arm; it was in the same condition. 'What could have made so many bruises?' Suddenly he realized that she was expecting an answer for something. "What did you say Janine?"
"I asked you how you did that." She repeated.
"Do vhat?"
Janine sighed, this was getting repetitive. "How did you...poof like that?"
"Oh, that? That's my...gift. I'm a teleporter." He said, teleporting over to another part of the stairs to show her. "Wow." Janine said. She'd never seen a mutant use their powers before, and it looked so cool. She had to admit, she was feeling a little jealous. She would give up people liking her in a minute if she could do something like that. "So can you poof anywhere?" she asked, completely fascinated.
"No, I can teleport up to 2 miles away, but I don't like to teleport somewhere I can't see. And I have to know where I'm going." Kurt explained. This attention was kind of nice for a change.
"Can Kitty do that too?" Janine asked.
"Um...no. I'm the only teleporter at the institute."
"Oh." Janine replied a little let down. "What can Kitty do?"
"I can walk through walls." Kitty said coming up in time to hear Janine's last question.
"Cool! Can-can you show me?" Janine said, getting really excited.
"Sure." Kitty said as she walked through the school's doors, and then came back out.
"You guys are amazing." Janine said
"You're not telling them anything they don't know." Said a smiling black girl that walked up next to Kurt.
"Janine, this is my girlfriend Amanda." Kurt said.
"Hi...Janine, was it? Its good to have another mutant lover around here." Amanda said.
"I hope you guys don't mind, but I invited Amanda along. She's had a stomach bug for the last couple of days, and has been wanting to get out of the house." Kurt explained.
"I don't mind." Kitty said.
"Neither do I. It's nice to meet you Amanda." Janine said. "So how are we walking to the mall, or what?"
"Actually, my holo-watch had been on the blink. I thought we could pop back to the institute, and then go from there." Kurt suggested.
"What's a holo-watch?" Janine asked
"Well, lets just say that Kurt has a less than normal appearance, and he had a holographic inducer hidden in his watch that gives him the appearance of a normal looking teenager." Kitty explained. As if on cue, Kurt's watch blinked off and Janine got an eye full of the true blue Kurt. Like anyone that wasn't used to his appearance, Janine gasped and took a step back. After a slightly longer look at him, she sort of thought he looked cute. 'His pointy ears kind of makes him look like an elf' she thought to herself, as he struggled to get his watch working again. Suddenly, his image transformed back into a regular looking guy. "That's better. Sorry about that Janine, I suppose I should have warned you..."
"No problem...you just sort of startled me..." she replied.
"Well I'm just glad that no one else saw you." Kitty said. "I guess making a detour to the institute is definitely unavoidable now. Lets go."