Disclaimer: The idea of X-Men and mutants belong to Marvel comics, the creators of the X-Men comics, the people that made the movies, and anyone else officially involved with X-Men. All named characters in this chapter belong to me, with the exception of Diane; I also created the school. I am not making any money from this. However, this story-line is mine; please don't use/steal it or main details from it.
Author's notes: I'm so sorry this took so long! I'll try to be better next time. (Though I am starting another short story…)
This chapter has the AU element I mentioned in the beginning, though you shouldn't be able to see it yet. Please don't post any guesses in your reviews, although you may email me with them if you'd like. It might be a waste of time, though, since I probably won't tell you anything.
Darkstorm: Glad you like it! I think I understand what you mean about Kitty's phasing. Are you saying she walks on the air right above what she's phasing through?
Tigress Moon: Hehe, you have to wait to find out.
Everyone else (sorry, if I don't have a specific response to you, you have to be clumped together): Thanks for reviewing!
The last two days were little more than panicked blurs. Though the five hadn't had any other close calls, and they hadn't even been pursued after weaving through a web of alleys the night of their escape, they still had had to hide from everyone, afraid their faces were in the news or somewhere equally dangerous.
It had been nearly forty-eight hours since that night, and the five were curled up in a dead-end alley. Artemis hadn't been thrilled with having no escape plan, but Sara had quietly pointed out that there were also less ways for their enemies to sneak up on them. Currently, four of them were supposed to be asleep while one of them kept watch. In reality, they were all awake, but Sara was the only one actually sitting up.
She suddenly stood, moving towards Diane. The latter, having seen Sara in the dim moonlight, rose quickly, allowing Sara to pretend to sleep. Diane leaned against a brick wall, listening for anything unusual. Actually, they didn't have it that bad, or at least not as bad as it could be. Sara had discovered their first night on the run that she could maintain her heat thermals fairly well while she slept. The only danger was that a dream, particularly a nightmare, could cause her emotions to change, and, therefore, the thermals. If they grew too hot, a fire could start. But as long as the person on watch didn't fall asleep, they could probably wake her before it got to that point. And if they didn't…Well, they had unanimously decided the risk of freezing in the bitter winter nights was greater than the risk of fire.
It was perfect timing, really. Nights that could be mistaken for late spring when the five had all the blankets they wanted, and, right after they no longer had those coverings, the temperatures suddenly dropped significantly. The only thing they needed now was snow, which Anna, able only to manipulate liquid water, wouldn't be able to block from hitting them.
Diane sighed, shifting slightly. She might was well practice while she was standing here. Reaching behind her, she waved a hand through the wall. It was a little disconcerting to be able to feel her hand but not able to see it, as it was actually in the wall up to her wrist.
The mutant hesitated. She had yet to totally go through something completely solid like a brick wall. But she was tired to the point of giddiness now, and feeling more than a little daring. Suddenly making up her mind, she plunged into the wall.
The sensation was very brief but a bit scary. For the split second she was in the wall, she couldn't breathe, see, hear, or anything else. It was almost like being underwater, but in a completely still pool. Diane gasped as she leaned against the other side of the wall, mentally berating herself for doing something that idiotic without even telling anyone first. The giddiness was absolutely gone and weariness had replaced it.
She was turning around to go back (which she was not looking forward to) when a voice cut across the otherwise quiet night: "Wait!"
Diane froze, then slowly began to move closer to the wall. "Wait!" the girl's voice called again. "Are you my guide?"
Back pressed against the wall and sure she could go through it in less than a second, Diane slowly asked, "Your guide?"
Brilliant pure white light flared, somehow managing to glare while still seeming soft. The light abruptly decreased, allowing Diane to see. A girl, probably eleven, stood about two yards away from Diane, holding a large piece of a broken bottle, the source of the light.
"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly, gripping one of her two brown and dirty braids, apparently from habit. "I don't totally have it under control. So you are my guide, right?"
Diane blinked; the girl certainly talked fast. "I, um…No, I don't think so."
"Oh." The girl slumped in disappointment. "But you are a mutant, right? I saw you go through that wall." She gestured vaguely towards the wall Diane was backed up against.
Diane hesitated, on the verge of fleeing. Then her eyes were drawn to the glass the girl was holding and she changed her mind. As far as she could tell it was just a piece of an old beer bottle, but it was glowing with unnatural light. And the girl had said that she didn't totally have "it" under control, right after the light flared.
"Yes, I am," Diane replied, slightly apprehensive. "You are, too?"
The girl nodded. "I'm Nicole." Looking at Diane with interest, she added, "Can I shake your hand? I mean, would that work?"
Diane smiled slightly before reminding herself to keep her guard up. "Diane. And yes, it would work." They shook.
"So, are you waiting for the guide, too?" Nicole asked curiously, unceremoniously plopping down on a pile of rags as dirty as she herself. At Nicole's prompting glance, Diane folded herself onto the rags.
"I wasn't aware a guide was coming," Diane answered, choosing her words carefully. "What sort of guide are you talking about?"
"I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but since you're a mutant too it should be okay. Someone's supposed to come who will take me to a school for mutants. I don't know much about the school, just that it's run by a mutant family. Do you like pickles?"
"What?" Diane asked stupidly, thrown by the sudden change of subject. "Not particularly."
"Oh. That's good, I guess. At least you don't like them. I hate them. They're cucumbers, which are already disgusting, that have been soaked in brine, which is basically ocean water, you know."
"Um," Diane began, flustered. That girl (completely obliviously, of course) could probably talk at an army until they surrendered from confusion. "R-right. I, um, need to go back to, um, where I was before." She needed to get back to her watch. If this girl wanted to talk about pickles, of all things, instead of something important such as the location of other mutants, Diane didn't really have time. From the way she was acting, Nicole was probably in denial, convincing herself someone was coming to help her. Help her…What could Diane possibly do? Take her back to the others? They were on the run, and she almost certainly wouldn't benefit from their new lifestyle, even if she wouldn't slow them down.
Nicole interrupted her mental battle between logic and conscience. "Oh, don't go yet! Don't you want to wait for our guide?" Diane opened her mouth to protest the change from "Nicole's guide" to "our guide", but Nicole took no notice. "Unless you're already with some people. But they could all come! At least if they're all mutants. They are, aren't they? I'm not sure if they could come if they're not. But they are, right? What are their powers? Do you have any powers besides walking through walls? Do you…"
Diane stared at Nicole, trying to understand her seemingly endless chatter. Diane herself wasn't exactly quiet, but she did usually allow the person she was talking to to answer her questions.
Frowning slightly, she held up a hand to signal Nicole to be quiet. When the girl didn't notice, Diane's hissed, "Quiet!" at her. Of course, Nicole wanted to know why, but Diane finally was abler to make her stop talking. Now listening just over the sound of Nicole's heavy breathing – she must get out of breath talking that fast, Diane reflected wryly – Diane could finally hear the sound of someone trying to creep up on them. That someone really needed training.
"Stay here," Diane whispered to Nicole as quietly as she could. Nicole opened her mouth but Diane shot her a sharp look. "Can you turn your light off?" Nicole frowned but nodded, and a second later everything was dark, the moonlight seeming like nothing after Nicole's brilliant light.
The person had stopped moving, so Diane just headed towards the place the sound had come from. With some concentration she was able to go through everything in her way. After several yards she felt the tingling that indicated she had passed through a tall, oddly shaped something and felt more of her low amount of energy drain. She could hear several people breathing. Someone moved directly behind her and, whipping around in surprise, she lost her concentration, banging her leg against what felt like an empty crate. Stumbling, she fell before she could recover and in a panic grabbed for something, anything. She succeeded, but whatever it was she managed to grasp actually squeaked and wriggled.
"Ah!" Diane cried out in surprise as the thing, probably a mouse or rat, squirmed out of her grip.
"Diane?" Nicole's scared voice called for her. Apparently Nicole decided that Diane needed help, because several glass bottles lit up brightly.
Five men, all looking scruffier than Nicole, were surrounding Diane. By the looks on their faces they had had no idea she was there. Obviously thinking they were being attacked, the men lunged for Diane and Nicole, who, holding her piece of glass, was running up.
At first, as Diane fought, she thought this would be no problem at all. After all, she could go through their punches, and as long as she could inflict a little damage she would still be winning. But then she realized Nicole was practically defenseless, the men had knifes, and all this going-through-things eventually would wear her out.
She was about to tell Nicole to run while she held the men off when the girl was suddenly snatched up by one of the men. All movement abruptly ceased as they all watched the man who had a knife to Nicole's throat.
Diane could feel adrenaline in her blood but shoved it down. "She hasn't done anything," she protested, voice strong in her anger. This girl hadn't done anything and now some moron was threatening her life. "Let her go." Hello? she called telepathically. Vic? Artemis? No good. They broke the psionic rapport when they went to sleep, as neither of them were strong enough to connect non-telepaths in their sleep. (They, as two telepaths, could maintain a rapport between themselves, however.)
"Hey!" Two more men dragged a boy into the light made by Nicole's glass pieces. "What the heck?" he demanded furiously. His brown eyes took in the entire scene, and Diane was sure he had some sort of fighting or tactics training. He stared at Nicole for several seconds, particularly at the glowing glass she was holding, as he was shoved forward next to Diane.
"Found him tryin' t' sneak up on us from that way," one of his escorts muttered to the man holding Nicole. The latter nodded slightly, inspecting the boy.
Trying to inconspicuously peer at him, Diane had noticed he had short, dark brown hair and fair skin. He was wearing gloves, a common thing in this weather. She now realized he wasn't as young as she had first thought, probably around nineteen or twenty.
"I wasn't sneaking," he snapped. "I was lost and trying to find my way back to my friends before they called the police or something." Diane's eyebrows rose slightly. Not many in his situation would have thought to throw that last part about the police in so casually. Of course, he could be telling the truth, but Diane was almost positive he was lying, if only from the way his eyes darted.
The man threatening Nicole – their leader? – narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. Diane's head jerked slightly towards the boy in surprise as she felt his gloveless hand touching her own. But his touch wasn't what was making Diane uneasy. It was what accompanied it: Memories that, because of uncharacteristic emotions that came with them, Diane doubted were her own, and, even more surprising, what felt like a mutant power.
Diane hesitated a split second, allowing the boy to catch her eye and give her an urging look. Well, who was she to complain about the weapon she had just been given? She just hoped she could control it.
Focusing on the ground at the feet of the men's leader (but as far away from Nicole as possible), she could feel heat welling up inside her. It suddenly died down as flames erupted from where she had been concentrating. The man yelped in shock, letting go of Nicole and the knife. Diane focused on the ground around the rest of the men as she broke free from them, snatching Nicole's arm and running. Luckily the girl had been smart enough to shed her burning coat, which Diane had accidentally flamed, and stay away from the rest of the fire.
Diane became aware of the boy – she needed to stop thinking of him as that; he was older than she probably was, after all – running beside them. As they approached the dead-end he yelled, "Other way!" but she grabbed his arm, and, without thinking, ran straight through the wall – with both of the others.
Diane moaned, dropping to the ground on the other side of the wall, where her four friends were. Her head ached from the strain of her feat after she was already almost wiped-out, and she was on the verge of falling asleep. That was an incredibly dumb thing to do, taking two other people with her. Those hadn't been "instincts," just panic and unthinking actions. It would seem that the instincts only came in when she didn't know what do in a fight.
"Diane? Diane!" Vic was shaking her shoulders, so she looked up blearily.
"That was way too much," she moaned.
A tirade of thought pounded her. Diane, are you okay? What happened? Who are these guys? Does that girl ever be quiet? Why is that glass glowing? Her four friends were all questioning her with varying degrees of panic and grogginess, having fallen asleep while Diane was gone.
I'm just tired, Diane snapped grouchily. I'm not sure what happened. The girl's a mutant. I don't know the boy. And no, she is never quiet.
The other's noticed her mental "tone" and quieted down themselves. Diane pushed herself into a sitting position, leaning against Vic. She was already recovering, but she wasn't about to try that again, though it was good to know she could take people with her through things. In fact, she probably could do so without tons of strain, if only she had some energy.
Nicole was now chattering at Diane. "Who are these people? What's going on? That was really weird. Who are you?" she asked, turning to the boy. Diane noticed he had put his gloved back on.
He hesitated, looking down at her from his average height. "Would your name be Nicole, by any chance?"
Her eyes widened. "Yes! Are you our guide?"
He blinked. "'Our'? I was only aware of one of you."
"Oh, but Diane and her friends are coming too!"
Artemis suddenly had a short coughing fit. What did you tell her? she demanded angrily.
Nothing! Diane protested. It's just the way she is, assuming things.
Where does she think we're going? Vic broke in.
Some sort of mutant school. She didn't tell me any more.
This, of course, led to Diane explaining why Nicole knew she was a mutant in the first place and everything that had happened.
"Excuse me?" the boy asked as the five were telepathically discussing what do to. They all looked up at him. "Did you hear me? You were all zoning out. I asked if you were planning on going back with Nicole and I."
"We're not sure about that," Vic said slowly. "Can you explain more about this…school?"
He was beginning to look uneasy. Opening his mouth, he changed his mind and closed it again for a few seconds. "It's a small school for mutants," he finally told them. "I can't tell you anything else until you get there. If you want to, I mean."
Vic looked at Artemis hesitantly, obviously communicating with her. We're going to do this, Artemis announced to the other three, following her usual style of announcing the plan and waiting for any objections.
When none came, Vic, their spokesperson, told the boy their decision. "We'll go see this place. But if we find it dangerous or suspicious in any way, we'll have to leave."
The boy hastily assured them it was completely safe. An awkward silence descended, during which even Nicole didn't say anything. "Um…I'm Derek," the boy eventually mumbled, holding out his hand to the others in general. The girls introduced themselves.
"So are we going?" Artemis asked pointedly, causing Vic to wince.
"Yeah. Um, where are we?" Derek replied.
Artemis shrugged. "Some alley."
"It's called Dogfight Lane," Sara murmured.
"Charming," Diane breathed.
Derek nodded slowly. "I think I know the way back."
A/N: This was supposed to be longer, but since I'm so bad at typing things up I'll just make the next section, which is already written, another chapter, instead of making everyone wait for me to type it, too. (Which hopefully means it will be up fairly soon.)