Chapter Ten:
A Pair of Opposite Twins
January 27
Word spread quickly that Rogue and Logan had made-up from their argument. Although almost no one knew what they were fighting about in the first place, both of them were much more pleasant to be around now.
With this thought in mind, Keri and Rogue were having a familiar verbal exchange:
You gotta!" Insisted Keri.
"No," Answered Rogue.
"You gotta!"
"No."
"You gotta!"
"No."
"You gotta!"
"No."
"You gotta!"
"No."
"You gotta!"
"NO."
"You gotta!"
"NO!"
"You gotta!"
"NO! Doncha ever get tired of this?!" Rogue snapped.
Keri blinked. "Hello? I'm eight! This is what I do!" Suddenly, she held her forehead. "Whoa…déjà vu!"
"Yea, Ah think we've had this conversation before. And it went exactly like that. Ya know, with my answer bein' 'NO'!" Rogue turned back to the book she was reading.
Keri wasn't going to give up. "Look, maybe it's none of my business. But I seriously think you should tell Logan how you feel! If you don't, I have a good feeling that you'll regret it!"
"Ah doubt it…I'll tell 'em when Ah'm ready." Rogue saw Keri's mouth to protest, and she quickly added, "…And that's FINAL."
"Fine!" Keri rolled her eyes. "I'm leaving." She strolled out of the room, but poked her head in through the wall a few seconds later. "Bye-the-way, did you know that your school and my school are having Valentine's Day dances on February 13th? Which in less than three weeks?" Then, she exited once more.
Rogue laid on her bed, an intrigued look on her face.
***
As Keri passed by Shaina's room, she noticed that Shaina was leaning in over her bottom dresser drawer, fussing over something. Keri realized that the bottom drawer was where Sailor Chicks and her kittens were, so she walked in. "Shaina? Is everything alright?"
Shaina looked up at her with a smile on her face. "Keri, come see this!"
Keri looked in to the drawer, and was surprised to see not one pair of green eyes, but two. The white and silver kitten had opened her eyes. "Cool!" Keri breathed. "She looks just like her mother!"
"I know. I just noticed a few minutes ago." Shaina's smile faded slightly. "Though I'm concerned."
"Why?" Keri looked at the kitten, who seemed to realize that Keri was the same girl who held her back when she couldn't see.
"It should take at least a week for their eyes to open, and the kittens are only six days old. I'm worried that since they opened sooner than week, her vision may be impaired. Though she's responding to movement pretty well…" As she spoke, she swished her finger around in the drawer, and the kitten watched it. "I want to take her to the vet, but Sailor Chicks is being…disagreeable…"
Sailor Chicks narrowed her eyes at them, and wrapped a protective paw around her baby.
"Alright, I get it!" Shaina groaned. "No touchy!"
Keri stroked the irritated Sailor Chicks' head. She seemed to appreciate the gesture. "So, are you glad that Rogue and Logan aren't fighting anymore?" Asked Keri.
"You bet," Shaina replied. "I felt like it was my fault when they were fighting, so now I'm relieved that their argument didn't last long."
"Yah. Kinda like when Miki and I fight. In a day or two, we forget what we're fighting about, and we're friends again."
"I've noticed," Shaina commented.
There was a pause, and then Keri stuck her head through the floor.
"Um, what are you doing?" Shaina asked.
Keri pulled her head back up. "I was checking to see what your room is above. It's the laundry room, by-the-way. Mine is right above the kitchen, so if I need a midnight snack, then I just drop through the floor and on to the counter. After I get it, I can just climb up on to the counter, on to the fridge, and then I can pull myself back up into my room."
"Uh…interesting," Shaina responded, sounding as though she couldn't think of anything better to say.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
"Now who could that be?" Keri asked happily. She phased through the floor, without even a goodbye. She landed in a basket of rumpled sheets and clothes that was perched on the washing machine.
Abruptly, Shaina sprinted in to the laundry room, a shocked look on her face.
Keri looked at her surroundings. "Wow, I'm lucky that Jean put her laundry down there!" She realized out loud.
Shaina blinked. "Wasn't it there before?"
"Not when I was checking which room was below yours!" Keri chirped.
"Wait…so you phased through the floor when you thought that there wasn't anything to break your fall?! It's like…10 feet!"
Keri blinked, and smiled. "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time!" She then ran out towards the door. On her way, she did a cartwheel, a round-off, a front flip, a back hand spring, an Arial backflip, landed on her feet, and did a judo move before she opened the door.
A Fed-Ex driver stood there. "Package for Keri Smith," He said in a bored voice.
"I'm Keri Smith!"
"Sign here," He handed her a clipboard.
Keri scribbled down her signature, and handed back the clipboard. She received a large box in return.
***
Logan was in the kitchen, eating an apple, when he heard Shaina's voice: "Keri, what is that?"
Intrigued, he walked out in to the front hall, and saw that Keri was now the proud owner of a box that was roughly the size a small television. Logan stood next to Shaina, and commented. "Yea, what she said."
Keri grinned. "I honestly have no idea!" She looked at the return address, and her eyes shined. "Wait, now I think I know what it is!"
Kitty walked up and cocked her head at an angle. "Like, know what what is?"
Keri didn't answer, she just phased through the box and disappeared inside.
Shaina blinked. "Should we…?"
Logan shook his head. "Nah. She should come out soon. She has to breath some time…I think…"
Scott joined. "Why are you staring at a box?"
Without warning, Keri phased her torso through, and there was a flash of light.
"GAH!" Scott let out a yell. However, they all soon realized that it was a just a camera flash.
Keri grinned. "That'll be one for the book!"
"What book?" Scott asked, blinking through his ruby-quartz sunglasses. "And why'd you take my picture! I wasn't ready!"
"But those are the best ones! Even though you were making a weird face! And the book I'm referring to is this one, shades!" She triumphantly held out a purple photo album. "On New Year's Day, I was telling my parents about how there was no way to show them exactly how everything was here, and they told me that they would send me camera and a photo album some time!"
"Like, cool!" Kitty said. "What're you gonna take pictures of?"
"I don't know yet…" Keri replied in a strange voice. "But I'm sure I'll think of something!" She phased the rest of her body through the box, and skipped off, shedding Styrofoam peanuts all the way. Abruptly, she stopped, ran back, and grabbed the box. "My box!" She hissed. Then, she resumed her skipping, still shedding Styrofoam peanuts.
Shaina watched her go. "Ya know, that was a pretty big box for just a camera and a photo album…"
Logan shook his head. "Yea, well, Keri loves boxes, especially big ones. And her Mom knows it. So, she makes a point to always send her large boxes."
"Uh-huh…Though I fear that our days will now be filled with flashes, embarrassing photos, and Styrofoam Peanuts being dropped on our heads…" Shaina said insightfully.
Logan couldn't help but agree.
***
January 28
Far to the west, in a place called Appleton, Wisconsin, a thunderstorm was raging outside.
Inside, however, its inhabitants were asleep, oblivious to the noise. One of them, a 16-year-old girl named Mary Astronominoff, was having a strange dream.
She was marching around her house, as if she was in a parade. When she reached a closed door, she would reach out to open it, but the door would just swing open before she even touched the knob. She just resumed marching.
Eventually, she realized that she wasn't the only one in her parade: her stuffed animals (a rabbit, a couple of teddy bears, a dragon, and several others) were marching behind her…or were they? She looked behind, and realized that they weren't walking; just floating behind her in a straight line.
She continued her march. By this time, she no longer had to walk around obstacles, they leapt out of her path by themselves.
Also, she noticed something: in her house, everything in each room was painted the same color, and the door to the room was that color. She could tell the colors before they entered the room: red room, blue door; blue room, purple door; Purple room; orange door…
Finally, they reached white a door that wouldn't open by itself. Not wanting to interrupt the flow of the parade, Mary hurriedly ran up to it and gave the knob a turn.
Immediately, she felt a sharp pain in her head, and she suddenly felt like she was inside a tornado. Everything was spinning around, from the stuffed animals to the furniture in the room.
Mary was now being lifted off the ground, and the tornado was roaring in her ear. Her black hair was whipping around, obscuring her vision.
And with a jolt, Mary awoke from her dream. She heard someone crying, and then she realized that it was her. Her dream had been so strange! What had it meant?
There was a shuffling in the darkness, and then she heard her mother's voice: "Mary? Are you alright?" She put her hand on Mary's head.
"I think so, Mom," Mary answered. "I was just having at nightmare, is all."
Mary's father squinted in the darkness. He turned on the light abruptly, and the three of them stared at Mary's room.
No one would have believed that Mary had cleaned her room the day before. It looked as though, literally, a tornado hit it, and had spread everything in the room.
Her parents turned to her, startled. "Mary?" Her mother asked.
Mary buried her face in her knees and began to cry. Somehow, she knew that was a mutant.
***
January 29
Monday morning, Cerebro went off: there had been a discovery of two new mutants.
Professor X, Beast, and Logan watched the monitor for the details:
"Mutant discovery one," Said the computer's voice as it showed a picture of a teenage girl with long, black hair with purple bangs, gray eyes, and goth-looking clothes. "Name: Mary Astronominoff. Residence: Appleton, Wisconsin. Age: 16. Identical twin sister of Mutant Discovery number Two."
Logan leaned in and got a better look at Mary. "Somethin' tells me that she and Rogue would get along well."
Beast chuckled. "I agree."
The picture changed, showing the other mutant. What it had said was true, the two girls had to be twins; their faces, eyes, and hair color were identical, although the second girl's hair was tied in to pigtails and was purple-free. However, she was dressed much differently, in a sleeveless shirt, a miniskirt, fishnet tights, and sandals. "Mutant discovery two," Said the computer. "Name: Susan DéReal. Residence: Appleton, Wisconsin. Age: 16."
Beast squinted at the screen. "Wait a minute…if they're twins, why do they have different surnames?"
"Maybe their parents are divorced, and they each live with a different parent," Logan suggested.
"It could be." The Professor sounded like he honestly didn't know the answer to Beast's question.
Beast looked at Professor Xavier. "So, what do you propose we do, Charles?"
"We need to make contact with the girls as soon as possible. I think that we should use the same approach that we used when we met Kitty for the first time. Though in this case, bringing Rogue as well as Jean would be a good approach."
"I bet I know why," Logan sighed, as he examined the differences between the girls.
Keri strolled in to the room, trying to pat down her hair, which was standing on end. "Hey, Professor, as much as I hate tattle-taleing, I think that there's something that you should know…RAY WAS ABUSING HIS POWERS!" She said the last five words very dramatically.
"Whaddya mean?" Logan sighed.
"Well, he said to me real snappish, 'Keri, better not have eaten the last of the Cocoa Puffs®!' And So I said, 'You think you own all the Cocoa Puffs®! Well, ya don't, OK, Ray? Ya just don't.' And then he zapped my hair and made it all static-ey! Can you believe it?!" Her attention fell on Cerebro's computer monitor, and the images of Mary and Susan. "Who are they?" She asked excitedly. "Are they mutants?"
"Yes. I'm going to ask Jean and Rogue to come with me to make contact with them," The Professor explained.
"Wait, so we've never had any form of contact with them?"
"No."
An evil grin appeared on Keri's face, and she turned to Beast. "Mr. McCoy, you remember that bargain we made a week ago or so?"
Beast's face fell. "Um…"
"What bargain?" Asked Logan suspiciously.
"It's…uh…well…" Beast stammered, but Keri cut in.
"Mr. McCoy said about a week ago that if I got more than a 100% on my next math test, I could come the next time we meet a mutant that lives far away…even if it means cutting school! And it just so happened that on the next math test that I was given, I got a 103% So looks like I'm going to…" She leaned in and looked at the monitor. "Wisconsin! I'll do you all a favor and tell Rogue and Jean that we're going. And when should I tell them is our departure time?"
The Professor sighed. "In one hour."
"Right!" Keri skipped off, singing something about Wisconsin being "the land of cows and cheese".
The three were silent for a few seconds, and then Logan and Professor X looked at Beast.
Beast suddenly became interested in his fingernails. About a bit, he looked up and said indignantly, "How was I supposed to know that her next math test would have a bonus question?!"
***
When Mary was a toddler, she remembered hearing voices.
Sometimes they were rogue voices, and sometimes there would be conversations. Sometimes, they were people she knew. It didn't seem so strange, but then she'd look up and see that she was alone of that everyone around her was silent.
This terrified her at first, but after a while, she got used to it. And eventually, she stopped hearing the voices altogether.
However, this morning, she was too busy to think about this, or the fact that she may indeed be a mutant…she just needed to get to school on time, which was particularly difficult, thanks to Mrs. Astronominoff.
"Are you sure you want to go to school today, Mary?" Asked her mother, a serial-worrier.
"MOM!" Mary groaned. "Yes, I'm sure! I have things to do! Besides, I really need to talk to Susan."
Mrs. Astronominoff stiffened. "Susan? But, Mary, every time you talk to her, you end up upset."
"I know…" Mary looked a bit upset right now. "But we're twins. If I've got these…talents, maybe she'll have them, too. I'll see you this afternoon." Mary picked up her backpack, and headed out the door.
"Call me if you want to go home!" Called Mrs. Astronominoff.
"Right, Mom," Sighed Mary. She began her walk to school.
The storm last night had left puddles on the ground and mist in the air. No matter. Mary loved rain, especially its scent. Though she didn't care for puddles, or the muddy water that filled her shoes when she stepped in one.
It was hard for her to concentrate on such little things at a time like this. The tornado in her room had really startled her, but she was particularly afraid of the fact that she may be a mutant. She was enough of an outcast at school, and a condition like that certainly wouldn't help.
One thing was for certain: she had to talk to Susan.
She arrived at school about five minutes before the bell rang, so a lot of the students were outside on the front lawn. Mary's gray eyes scanned the area, and then fell on a popular-looking boy. She approached him, took a deep breath, and tapped him on the shoulder. "Ross?"
He turned around, and curled his lip. "Oh, it's you. I thought was Susan."
"Yea, about her…Do you know where she is?"
"Sorry, I don't speak dork," he sneered.
Mary sighed. "Ross, it's really important."
Just then, the bell rang, and Mary was swept in by the rush of students.
***
Meanwhile, Professor Xavier, Rogue, Jean, and Keri had been on their flight to Wisconsin for the past hour.
"Are we there yet?" Keri groaned.
Rogue, who had been listening to CD's for a while, looked at her, and then took off her headphones. "What?"
"I said, 'Are we there yet?'"
"No," Rogue replied simply.
Keri rolled her eyes and reclined her seat back. "Man, if I'd had known that it was gonna take this long, I woulda gone to school! There is absolutely nothing to do!"
"Sorry, runt. Ridin' the X-Jet's part of the experience."
"I've got cabin fever!" Keri moaned. "I'm going to lose my mind!" Suddenly, she turned her neck at a 45° angle and said in a demonic voice that wasn't her own, "And when I lose my mind, I go craaaazzyyyy…"
They were interrupted by the sound of a microwave dinging.
Keri snapped back to her regular self. "Ooh, my taquitos are done!" She skipped off towards the back of the X-Jet.
Rogue watched her go, and put back on her headphones, thinking to herself, And people think ah'm weird…
***
Mary was at her locker, getting her things for first period geometry. She looked in the mirror located on the door, and just barely caught two popular girls pointing to her and giggling.
She paused for a minute, and inhaled softly. Then, she continued getting her things, and started her walk to class.
Things like that weren't uncommon to Mary. She was used to being teased, what with her being smart, quiet, and bad a team sports. The fact that she almost always wore clothing deemed "goth" by the rest of the world and had her bangs dyed purple didn't really help the situation, either. But Mary's motto had always been, "Being the same as everyone else is the same as being a nobody," so her odd style stayed. But why did people have to tease her?
When she got to class and took her seat, she remembered their test this morning. So, while everyone else was chattering to each other, she pulled out her book, and began studying. She had already studied all weekend, but it never hurt to look it over right before the test.
Just as the tardy bell rang, their teacher, Mr. Doxon, walked in. "Alright, everyone. Settle down."
The students quietly finished their conversations, and then took their seats.
Mr. Doxon nodded. "Great. Now, let's get to work! Time for that test I promised last week."
At that moment, Ross strolled in casually and sat down.
Mr. Doxon narrowed his eyes. "You're late, Mr. Langely."
"Am I?" Ross asked, sounding as though he didn't care.
The teacher rolled his eyes, and continued. "Start when you get your paper, and turn it in when you're finished." He grabbed the papers, and handed a small stack to the people at the front of the row of desks. Those people then passed the papers back, until everyone in the room had one.
Mary got to work, and, unsurprisingly, found most of the questions easy. She ended up finishing about 10 minutes before everyone else. She handed in her test to her teacher, who grinned at her. "First again, eh, Mary?"
"Yessir," she replied, and shuffled back to her seat. She sat down and tried to come up with ways to amuse herself while all of the other students finished their test. She had left her book in her locker, so she had nothing to do. As she stared at the wood patterns on her desk, a haze filled her mind…
Without warning, Ross ripped her paper out of her hand. "Another A+, huh?! Get a life, Astronominoff!"
Mary jumped, and looked at Ross. To her surprise, he was still working on his test, and looking like it was giving him trouble.
There was no indication that Ross had ever stolen her paper, or that Mary had even gotten her paper back yet.
Mary wrinkled her nose up. OK, that was weird… She thought to herself. Was I having a hallucination, or something?
After a few more minutes, Mr. Doxon gave the class their assignment, which they worked on for the rest of the period. A few minutes before the bell rang, he handed back their tests. Mary was not surprised when she saw that she her paper had on it a red A+ on it.
Next to her, Ross groaned. Mary stole a look at his paper, and saw that he had recived an "F", along with the notice : "You could do better!"
Mary would've smirked, but that wasn't her style. That was more of a Susan thing to do.
Susan. She would have to look for her. They didn't have any classes together, so her best hope was catching her at lunch.
Mary suddenly heard Ross groan. She turned to him, and saw him glaring daggers at her. "May I help you?" Mary asked coolly.
Without warning, Ross ripped her paper out of her hand. "Another A+, huh?! Get a life, Astronominoff!"
Mary was about to comment about how there was no reason to be jealous, but she jolted when she realized that what had happened was exactly what she had seen in her daydream.
At that moment, the bell rang, and the students filed out of the classroom.
***
"Well, here we are," Professor Xavier commented.
Professor X, Jean, Rogue, and Keri, stood on the stoop of a friendly-looking house.
Jean sighed. "Well, I hope that this goes better than when we were meeting Kitty…"
"We'll just have to see," Sighed the Professor, and he rang the doorbell.
There was a pause, and then the door was opened by a middle-aged woman with light orange hair and brown eyes. "Yes?"
"Mrs. Astronominoff?" Asked the Professor. "Good day. I'm—"
Mary's mother finished for him. "—Charles Xavier, of the Xavier institute." She smiled slightly. "I had a feeling that I would be hearing from you before long."
Professor Xavier returned her smile. "My reputation proceeds me."
Mrs. Astronominoff opened the door further. "Well, come in."
The four padded indoors, and found that the inside of the house was warm and welcoming.
"Can I get anyone some chips, or pretzels?" Asked Mary's mother.
Keri raised her hand. "You got anything sugary?"
"NO SUGAR," Ordered the three other X-Men.
Keri's expression dulled. "OK, I'll just have some pretzels."
Mrs. Astronominoff giggled. "I see if we have any cookies. Miss…?"
Professor Xavier cleared his throat, and gestured to the three girls. "I'm sorry, this is Jean Gray, Rogue, and Keri Smith."
"Well, then, Keri, I'll see what we have. You four, wait here, and make yourself at home." She disappeared in to the kitchen.
Jean turned to the Professor. "Well, this is certainly easier than I thought it would be…"
"Same here," Replied the Professor.
Rogue looked at the various pictures framed on the wall, and one specifically caught her eye: it was a family portrait, that looked like it had been taken a few years ago. It showed a who had to be Mrs. Astronominoff, a man with red hair and blue eyes, and a young girl with soft gray eyes and long, black hair. The man was probably Mary's father, and the girl had to be Mary.
But as Rogue looked at the picture, she noticed that Mary didn't look like her parents. Not then, and, judging by the picture used by Cerebro, not now.
Mrs. Astronominoff strolled in, bringing a bowl of cookies with her. "Help yourself," she commented as she put it on the table.
While Keri began scarfing down cookies, Professor Xavier began. "Mrs. Astronominoff, I think that you know why we're here."
Mrs. Astronominoff sighed and nodded. "Mary began exhibiting strange behavior when she was a toddler, though she eventually grew out of it…until about six months ago…And last night…well, that took the cake."
The Professor put his fingers together. "What exactly do you mean by, 'strange behavior'?"
"Oh, things like claiming that she hadn't made the mess in her room. I know that sounds like normal toddler behavior, but the thing is, I believed her, because her room had been clean only minutes before. It would have been impossible for her to make such an enormous mess in that span of time. Also, she often talked about hearing voices in her head. And finally, when she started school, she kept having déjà vu when teachers were explaining things."
Professor Xavier nodded. "It sounds as though she has been subconsciously aware of her power for quite some time."
Keri piped up. "Kinda like me! I discovered my powers when I was two! Only I kept using my power."
Mrs. Astronominoff smiled at her. "And just what are your powers?"
Keri stuck her hand through the table. "Oh…" She feigned thinking, and then turned invisible. "…This and that."
"Show-off," Rogue muttered.
***
Meanwhile, back at Appleton High School, Mary was having locker problems.
She wasn't too concerned: there were seven more minutes in the passing period, and since her next class was PE, she had an extra five minutes to change.
It was, however, annoying.
After five minutes and several verbal threats, the locker opened, and Mary hurriedly grabbed her clothes for PE that had been washed over the weekend.
As she made her way down the hall, she was thinking about how weird things had been lately.
Well, so what if I'm a mutant? It'd be cool, I guess…And no one has to know…
Abruptly, she crashed in to someone rounding the same corner as she was.
"Watch it!" The other person snapped in a voice that sounded much like Mary's.
Mary was just about to say, "Well, you were walking on the wrong side of the hall," but she recognized the voice. She looked up and another girl who looked exactly like her, except for her hairstyle and her clothes.
She had finally found Susan.
***
"Mrs. Astronominoff, are you familiar with a girl named Susan Déreal?" Asked Professor Xavier.
Mrs. Astronominoff's smile faded. "Susan Déreal?"
"Yes," Clarified the Professor.
Keri piped up. "Ya know? Mary's height…Mary's weight…Mary's identical twin?"
"Yes…I know Susan…" Mrs. Astronominoff sighed.
"Does she live here? Cerebro—that's our mutant detection program—says that she's Mary's twin sister."
"Yes, she is," Mrs. Astronominoff put her hands in her lap.
"Does she live with your husband…err…provided that you're divorced?" Jean tried.
"No."
"Is she dead?" Rogue asked rather bluntly.
"No."
"Is she really a version of Mary from a parallel dimension who has somehow stumbled in to our dimension and is bent on destroying Mary and taking over her life?" Keri rattled off.
Everyone looked at her.
Keri glared at them. "Hey, it could happen!"
"Those were all good guesses…except for Keri's…" Commented Mary's mom.
Keri scowled.
Mrs. Astronominoff's eyes traveled to the family portrait on the wall. "You see, Mary isn't really my daughter. My husband and I…we adopted her when she was three months old. But the people at the orphanage said that she did have a twin sister, though this sister had already been adopted.
"Anyway, when Mary was 13, we found out that a new family that had just moved to town…and their daughter was Mary's twin sister, Susan. We arranged a meeting, so the sisters could finally see each other…" Her voice trailed off.
"And then…?" Encouraged Professor Xavier.
"Well…it didn't quite work out quite like we had planned. It turns out that Susan was snotty, stuck-up, and really didn't care about seeing Mary. It didn't go well."
Keri looked up from her cookie. "Harsh!" She commented.
Mrs. Astronominoff "And, unfortunately, now that the two of them go to the same school, it's hard for Mary to avoid her."
Abruptly, the phone rang.
"Excuse me," Mrs. Astronominoff chimed as she stepped over, and picked up the white, plasic phone. "Hello?" She listened in for a few moments, and then covered the speaking-end of the phone. "It's my husband," she notified Professor Xavier. She turned back to the phone. "Hi, honey…Oh, really? Well, come home, and I'll make you a new one." She paused for a minute, and then said, "On second thought…you might want to stay home. You'll never guess who stopped by…"
***
"Susan!" Mary yelped, standing up.
Susan rolled her eyes. "Yea…Ya wanna get out of my way?"
Mary shook her head. "Susan, I wanna talk to you!" She said.
Susan leaned down to pick up her things, the hem of her miniskirt hiking up. As she tugged it down, she replied. "What a coincidence: 'cause I don't wanna talk to you!"
It was Mary's turn to roll her eyes. She got down on her hands and knees to pick her things up "Look, Susan, it's more of a need than a want."
Susan groaned. "Alright, this had better be good."
Mary nodded. "Have you been experiencing any err…sudden changes?"
"What?"
Mary sighed. "Alright, I put it simply: I think I'm a mutant."
Susan blinked. "…So?"
"So, if we're identical twins, and I have a mutant power, wouldn't it be logical that you have a mutant power, too?"
Susan gave a short, mean laugh. "Heh heh…I don't think so. Just because you're a freak doesn't mean I am."
Trying to brush off Susan's snub, Mary replied coolly, "Thank you for your time." She turned on her heel, and walked off.
Susan watched her go, and noticed a quarter laying on the ground. She picked it up, and stared at it. Then, when she was sure that Mary was out of sight, she clenched it in her fist and concentrated.
As casual as you please, she opened her palm, and dropped in her pocket four identical quarters.
***
"…So, this Institute…it's where mutants learn to control their powers?" Asked Mr. Astronominoff.
Professor Xavier nodded. "Yes. That is out goal. We at the institute believe that humans and mutants can co-exist in peace as long as mutants have a handle on their powers.
Rogue chuckled. "That should go on the pamphlet, Professor."
Keri turned to her. "QUIET OR I SHALL EAT YOUR HEART WITH A SMALL SIDE-SALAD!" She roared in a demonic voice.
Jean put her hand over Keri's mouth. "OK, that's enough sugar for you…" She said sweetly. She looked at the Astronominoffs. "Really, she's harmless. It's the cookies talking."
"Maybe we ought to continue this conversation outside…away from things breakable…" Suggested Mrs. Astronominoff.
The Professor looked at Keri, who's leg was twitching. "Agreed."
The group made their way to the back porch, and Keri instantly began running around in the yard.
"So Dark Elf…" Rogue commented.
It had been about 25 minutes, and Mr. Astronominoff had come home so he could be part of the discussion. He seemed to be interested in the institute, though hesitant of the idea of sending Mary there.
"So, it'd kinda be like boarding school, huh?" He clarified. "I mean, she'd come home over Summer and Christmas?
"And Spring Break!" Jean added.
As Jean and the Professor chatted with the Astronominoffs, Rogue was deep in thought. Would Ah have gotten something like this if Mystique hadn't messed with mah mind? She questioned. Would Professor and Little-Miss-Perfect have come and talked to Irene?
The best answer that she can could come up with was "perhaps."
Rogue rubbed her purple-clad arms. She could still remember the night. What was that boy's name? Cody, or at least something along those lines…she had touched him, and had gone to his house.
And then she met up with Logan.
Well, it was really Mystique disguised as Logan, but she didn't know that at the time.
When did she really meet him for the first time? What did she think of him? When exactly did they become friends?
Why was she thinking about him right now?
Rogue sighed. So maybe that's how bad it is now…I can be thinkin' about somethin' that only partially includes him, and then mah focus shifts over to him.
She shifted her weight in her chair. And every time Ah think of him, Ah get sad, 'cause it'll never happen. I'm just a kid, and I can't touch people to boot.
Abruptly, Rogue felt a hand on her arm. And then, Keri's voice said. "You're thinking about him, aren't 'cha?"
"SHH!" Rogue shushed. She looked over to the four others, who didn't seem to notice them. "Keep yer voice down when ya talk about that stuff! If Red found out mah secret, ah'd never live it down!"
Keri sighed. "Whatever you say. Though if I may offer a suggestion: tell him before it's too late."
Rogue glared at her. "Doncha have circles to run around in?"
Keri's eyes shot open. "Oh, my gosh! You're right!" With that, she sped off and began running around the yard again.
One again, Rogue found herself thinking, And people think ah'm weird…
***
It had been 40 minutes since Mary's meeting with Susan, and she was outside for P.E. They were playing softball, and Mary was playing outfield.
Way outfield.
Mary was bad at team sports, so (after she was chosen last for teams) she usually got saddled up with the crummy positions. However, this gave Mary plenty of time to think.
Susan's lying, I think…She told herself. Since we're identical twins, we have the same genes. So wouldn't we both be mutants? And would we have the same powers? But what are my powers?
In the distance, the unmistakable crack of a bat hitting a softball could be heard.
Mary, however, was lost in thought. Why would Susan lie about being a mutant? She rolled her eyes. Duh! She answered her own question. Everyone hates mutants. It's like they're all convicts or something…
Had Mary been paying attention, she would have heard another player yell, "It's going in to the outfield!"
Who was that guy who had that institute for mutants? Something Xavier, I think…I wonder if he's gonna come and talk to me about his institute? Should I go and live there?
"Who's in the outfield!?"
"I think it's Astronominoff!"
"ASTRONOMINOFF, GET THE BALL!"
Mary was snapped out of her trance, and saw the softball hurtling towards her. From multiple personal experiences, Mary knew two things: (1) She couldn't catch, and (2) Softballs hurt. So, out of reflex, she held her hands out to shield her face. She waited for the impact.
That didn't happen. Instead, the ball made a 180° turn, hurled off towards the second-basewoman, who caught it. "That's three outs!" She cheered. "Our turn at bat!"
At that moment, the coach then blew her whistle, signaling that class was over. The girls trotted back inside, and the coach followed.
Mary, however, stood there. She was contemplating what had just happened.
She turned around, walked across the field, climbed over the fence, and off of school grounds.
It wasn't as though she was cutting school. It was her lunch time, and a lot of kids went home for lunch. Although the school did keep a close tally on kids who went home, and were supposed to get a pass, in case you were stopped by the truant officer. Plus, Mary was supposed to buy her lunch.
Ok, maybe she was cutting school. But she needed some time to think, some time alone.
And that was how she found herself wandering around downtown Appleton. At one point, she thought she saw the truant officer's car, so she ducked in to a nearby ally.
***
Unknown to her but known to us, she was being watched from the top of the neighboring building.
"Izzat the one we want?" Asked Todd.
Pietro shook his head. "Nah. You can tell by her hair."
Lance turned to him. "Alright, Pietro: Spill it. Why does your Dad want one and not the other?"
Pietro shrugged. "I dunno. He just told me that he wanted the one with pigtails. We're only supposed to get the other one after we've gotten her."
Wanda rolled her eyes. "Tell me, do 'they' have names?"
Pietro racked his brain. "Yea…uh, the one we want is…something that begins with an S…Susan! That's it! The other one's…well, she doesn't matter…"
Todd piped up. "Well, one things for sure: we gotta get to Susan before them X-Geeks get her!"
Wanda rolled her eyes again. "You're sooo eager…" She commented.
Todd grinned. "Aw, no need to be jealous, Wanda-kins! You know you're the only woman for me!" He wrapped his arms around her waist in a tight hug.
Wanda's eyes narrowed. "Be gone…" She hissed.
***
Normally, Mary would have probably felt a thrill cutting school, but she was too preoccupied by her thoughts to notice. She attracted several stares, probably because it was about 12:15, and teenagers her age should be in school. No one said anything, however, and that was just fine with her.
Suddenly, a jolt surged through her body, and everything seemed to slow down…
Without warning, a toolbox came down with a CRASH, about an inch from Mary's foot.
"Are you OK?!" One of the construction guys called from where they were working.
Mary blinked her eyes to clear her sight. It was just like when she was in geometry, except this vision was different. So, what does that mean? She wondered. Is this going to come true, as well?
About five minutes later, she realized that wandering around wasn't going to help her situation. What she needed to do was talk to her parents about these…changes…she was going through.
Without thinking about it, she had wandered over to a crosswalk. She noticed that the stoplight was getting fixed. She pressed the button to turn on the "walk" sign.
Without warning, a toolbox came down with a CRASH, about an inch from Mary's foot.
"Are you OK?!" One of the construction guys called from where they were working.
"Um…yea…" Mary replied softly.
Mary considered what had just gone down. Alright, now she was 94% sure she was a mutant. Of course, this could just be a weird dream. Then again, what if she…
Mary wandered in to the street and was almost hit by a car. As the driver swore at her and sped away, she decided that now wasn't a good time to contemplate this.
***
"Is she gonna be OK?" Asked Mr. Astronominoff.
Jean stroked Keri's head, which was resting in her lap. "Oh, yes. She does this all of the time."
Apparently, Keri had finished the "up" of her sugar rush when she ran around in circles, and was now experiencing the "down" part, in the form of falling asleep as soon as she sat down.
"Ah don't think you're comin with us again," Rogue whispered in Keri's ear.
"Who's 'us'?" Keri asked, her eyes still closed.
Rogue blinked. "Ah thought you were asleep."
Keri rolled over. "I am; don't bother me."
Mrs. Astronominoff smiled. "I see that your students are all very different, though they all live together in harmony."
Rogue shrugged. "We're not harmonious all tha tahme, though we do get ahlong pretty well…usually…"
"Let's put it this way: we only fight when we're not getting along. OK?" Keri commented.
Jean looked down at her. "Are you sure you're asleep?"
Keri nodded. "Positive."
The Professor decided that now would be a good time to change the subject. "I think that the best course of action would be to talk to Mary and see how she feels about her gifts and what she would like to do."
Keri sat up. "Absolutely! Therefor, we must summon Mary home from school, have a snack, and have a long, drawn out conversation. With luck, she won't shun us or leave us hanging like Evan did. As for Susan, let's put her clear out of our mind right now. We need to give Mary our undivided attention." Without missing a beat, she turned to Mrs. Astronominoff. "May I use your bathroom?"
Mrs. Astronominoff blinked. "…Sure…Lemme show you where it is." She took Keri's hand, and the two disappeared in to the house.
The remaining four sat out there in silence for a few seconds. Then, Rogue thought out loud what everyone was probably thinking:
"Who picks the mutants?!"
***
Mary made it back to school about five minutes before the end of lunch. Once again, she wasn't worried about the scheduling, because she had 45 minutes of study hall right after. The teacher didn't care what you did as long as you were quiet about it, so Mary intended to just buy her lunch in the cafeteria and eat in study hall.
However, just to make sure she didn't get in trouble, she was sure to go over the softball field and through the girl's locker room. She was going to change in to her regular clothes, but when she saw that one of the coaches was doing an inspection of the locker room, Mary left in a huff. The rest of her plan worked, though. By the time the dismissal bell rang, Mary had purchased a slice of pizza, an apple, and a soda. And, just as she planned, the teacher didn't bat an eye when she brought her food in to the classroom.
10 minutes later, she had finished her lunch, and she went up to the teacher. "Mrs. Zita?"
"Yes?" She responded, looking up from her magazine.
"Can I…use the restroom?"
She checked the clock. "Sure. But next time, go before class. 'K?"
Mary nodded. "I will." She grabbed the wooden hall pass, and walked down to the girl's locker room.
Mary's luck took a turn for the worse: Her locker was jammed., due to a book pressed up against the mechanism. She would have to get a key from the coaches. "Great!" She groaned. "I'm stuck in my gym clothes all day!"
She scooted out of the locker room, and walked halfway down to her study hall class. She ducked in to the girl's bathroom…
…Just in time to see Susan departing from one of the stalls.
Mary turned to her. "Shouldn't you be in Athletics?" She asked.
Susan rolled her eyes. "Yea, though when I heard that we were going to jog a mile, I told the Coach that I had a stomachache. The idiot actually bought it!"
Mary rolled her eyes, as well.
"Hey, look," Susan commanded. "We're wearing the same outfits."
Mary looked, and sure enough, they were both wearing white T-shirts with a blue Appleton High School logo, navy pants, and sneakers. "Interesting…"
Susan flipped her hair back. "Well, nice try, but you really can't pull this look off." With that, she departed.
Mary groaned loudly. "'You can't pull this looks off'!" She mocked out loud. "We look exactly the same!"
Except for the hair…Maybe that was it…
"Oh, I am so not going to take her seriously!" She assured herself. Still…she searched the sink and stalls, and sure enough, she found two ponytail holders. Then, she pulled her hair in to twin pigtails.
Except for her purple bangs, she looked exactly like Susan.
Freaky.
Mary checked her watch, and found that she had been "going to the bathroom" for at least five minutes. The teacher would probably send someone to check on her in a soon.
But as she was about to walk out, another girl strolled in. This new girl had short, black hair with the sides painted red, blue eyes, heavy make-up, and was wearing a strange outfit. Her eyes narrowed at Mary. "You're coming with me," She said.
Mary blinked. "…Excuse me?"
"You're coming with us, Susan!"
Mary blinked. "Wait…you want Susan?"
"Come on!" She grabbed Mary's hand and began pulling her out of the bathroom.
Mary jerked free. "Hold it! You've got the wrong—"
The girl was getting angry. As her expression changed, the metal walls of the bathroom stalls vibrated.
Mary recognized her at once. "Hold it! You're one of those mutants I saw on TV a while back! Um…what was your name? Red Sorceress?"
"Scarlet Witch!" She corrected. She flexed her fingers, and a blue wave hovered around her hands and wrists. "And if you know who I am, then you know not to mess with me! Now let's get going before I get angry!"
Mary backed off slowly. "Uh, no thanks…I gotta take a test next period…"
"RRAAGGG!" Scarlet Witch roared, and aimed her hands at Mary. The blue wave hurled towards her.
"YEEK!" Mary screamed. She rolled out of the way just in time, letting the blue wave hit the feminine needs dispenser behind her. The machine smashed, and tampons and sanitary napkins churned out.
Mary looked at it. "Hey! I might need that next week!"
Scarlet Witch rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She took aim, and fired again.
Mary managed to dodge this one as well, and ran out of the bathroom.
Her troubles weren't over, though. She had only made it about halfway down the hallway when a boy met up with her. "Hi there hon," He commented quickly. He had the same blue eyes as Scarlet Witch, but he had white hair and pale skin. He too was wearing a strange outfit.
"Yea…Hi…I gotta go!" Mary replied, and she began to make her way down the hall again.
The boy ran in front of her so fast that he was just a blur. "Sorry, no can do!"
Mary rolled her eyes. "Lemme guess: you're with Scarlet Witch, huh?"
"Yup."
"Look, I have to tell you something: I'm not—"
Suddenly, the boy was hit in the back of the head with something. Apparently, Scarlet Witch had gotten angry, and was throwing things. And super-speed doesn't matter if you're not looking.
"WANDA!" He screeched. "I was making my move! How're we gonna convince her to join us if she doesn't trust us!"
Mary wasn't really interested in their fight, so she took this opportunity to start creeping away slowly.
"SHE'S GETTING AWAY!" Scarlet Witch (or Wanda) roared.
Abruptly, a teacher popped out her head out of her classroom. Her eyes swept the almost empty halls, and fell on the three teens. "What are you three doing?! Do you have any idea how much noise you're making?!"
"Uh…" Mary muttered, trying to think of a way to explain what was happening.
The teacher narrowed her eyes. "Furthermore, do you have a hall pass?"
Without warning, a short boy with sallow skin, crimson eyes, and dirty, shoulder length light-brown hair popped up. "I gottcha hall pass right here, lady!" He replied. With that, he spat a dark green sludge in her face.
As the teacher fell backwards and tried to peel the crud off, the boy hopped back, and flashed Mary an beige smile. "Wazzup?"
"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE?!" Mary yelled. She sniffed the air, and added, "And what's that smell?!"
The short boy's smile turned a bit sheepish. "Sorry…my last shower was a couple of weeks ago."
Mary cringed. "Ewww…."
The white-haired boy grabbed her arm. "Don't worry honey, all will be explained soon!" Then he took off, Mary and the others trailing behind.
***
The professor cringed, as well.
"What's wrong, Professor?" Asked Jean.
He turned to her. "It's the Brotherhood Boys. They're here, and they've kidnapped Mary!"
Keri raised her hand. "Question: how did they find her? I mean, they don't have Cerebro…"
"The same way they found Lance, Fred, and Alex," Jean replied.
Keri blinked. "…Which is?"
Rogue blinked. "Hey, the runt's right. How did they find them?"
"I…don't know…" Jean admitted. "Professor?"
The professor was about to answer her, but he was interrupted by Mrs. Astronominoff. "Who are the, 'Brotherhood Boys'? And what do you mean, kidnapped?! Is she OK?"
"Last year, did you watch that live coverage on the Mutant's battle against the Sentinel?" Rogue asked.
"'Sentinel'?" Asked Mr. Astronominoff.
"The giant robot." Keri explained.
"Oh! Yea, we did." He replied.
"Well, the people who weren't X-men—" Rogue explained.
"— The people who had X's on their outfits." Keri commented
"Were members of the Brotherhood."
"An organization of evil teenage mutants, junior to the Acoloytes. The brotherhood is led by a mutant named Magneto, who feels that regular humans are inferior to mutants, and, therefore, should shut up about the threat that mutants pose to society. Thus, we are constantly fighting against him, and must always stay one step ahead of him when it comes to new recruits."
Mrs. Astronominoff rolled her eyes slightly. "Well, that answers one of my questions…"
"No, I don't think Mary's in danger," The Professor said, answering another question. "If the boys went through enough trouble to kidnap her, Magneto obviously wants her. They won't harm her." He paused, and then added. "Though, I think a rescue is in order."
Jean stood up. "I'll go fire up Cerebro."
Rogue stood up. "I'll go rev up the X-Van."
Keri stood up. "I'll go get more cookies."
"NO!"
***
Mary rolled her gray eyes, and analyzed her situation: I wake up this morning, thinking I might be a mutant. Then, between predicting the future and banishing a softball, I'm sure I'm a mutant. Next thing I know, I get kidnapped by a fast guy, a witch girl, and a guy with hygiene problems. But wait, there's more: now, I'm driving away in a dirty jeep with those three, as well as a punk and a fat guy. Now what?
The fast guy turned around and flashed her a smile. "So, ya comfy, Susan?"
"I'M NOT SUSAN!" Mary yelled.
The punk, who had brown hair like the small guy except cleaner and darker, nearly rear-ended the car in front of them. "What?!" He demanded.
Mary put her head in her hand. "I'm not Susan," She explained in exasperation. "I'm Mary."
The small guy's jaw dropped. "You mean we kidnapped the wrong twin?! You gotta be kiddin' me!"
"You idiots!" Wanda growled. "I told you we wanted the one without purple hair!"
"…But…the pigtails…" The fat guy tried weakly.
Mary pulled them out. "See? Now I'm Mary."
The fast guy blinked, and leaned back in his seat. "Well, Dad didn't say not to get to get her. Just to get Susan first…so, I guess if we get her, it'll work out."
"May I ask why you all kidnapped me?"
"Well…" Began the fast guy. "See, your sister's a mutant, ya know? And, my Dad's assembling a team of super-powered mutants. 'Cept, Susan doesn't seem so powerful, so I dunno why he wants her. As for you, well, we screwed up. Susan was supposed to take highest priority…but, hey, we'll go get her next, so it'll all work out."
Mary rolled her eyes. "Great plan."
The small guy piped up. "It was my idea!"
The guy with long hair glared at him. "No, it was my idea!"
The fat guy looked confused. "Wasn't it Pietro's idea?"
As the boys bickered about whose idea the plan was, Mary turned to Wanda. "Are they all morons?"
Wanda glared a her. "Be quiet!…And yes, they are all morons."
Mary unfastened her seatbelt, and hopped out of the jeep. "Ya know, maybe I ought to just get out here."
Less than a second later, the blue haze had surrounded Wanda's hands. "Don't even think about it!" She hissed.
Mary put her hands out in front of herself and was about to say, "Take it easy," When the car suddenly jerked and slid backwards about 10 feet. She looked at her hands. "Gotta watch that…" She murmured. Then, changing her mood completely, she began running away like a scared rabbit.
She didn't get very far. When Wanda threw one of her blue hazes at her, and hit dead-on.
Not good.
***
The Professor pulled off the Cerebro headgear. "Mary's mental trail has suddenly gone cold," He announced.
"What does that mean?!" Mrs. Astronominoff cried frantically.
"Don't worry," Jean said soothingly. "She's probably alright. I mean, worst case scenario, she's been knocked out."
Rogue blinked. "Wouldn't the worst case scenario be if she was de—"
Keri silenced her by slamming her heel on Rogue's toe.
"OOOHH…" Rogue moaned.
"You're not good at comforting people, are you?!" Keri whispered fiercely. "No one wants to be told that their daughter might be dead!"
The Professor tactfully distracted Mary's parents. "Wait, I have an idea:," He put the headgear back on, and shut his eyes. About 30 seconds later, he opened them. "I've gotten a lock on Lance. The Brotherhood boys are heading back to the school. They're new target is Susan."
"Oh, well they can kidnap her…" Mr. Astronominoff muttered.
Rogue nodded, rubbing her toe. "Yea. From what ah've heard, that wouldn't be such a bad idea."
"Rogue, you know we can't turn our backs on anyone," The Professor reminded.
"Alright, fahne. What's the plan?" Rogue grumbled.
"Let's head to the school, and cut them off." Jean suggested. "We'll apprehend Mary, and then try to get to Susan before they do."
"Good idea!" Chirped Keri. "Should we wear our uniforms?"
"No. We need to blend in as much as possible," the Professor explained.
Rogue looked at herself, Jean, and Keri, and mumbled, "Too late for that."
***
Mary was asleep in the back seat of the jeep when she felt someone shake her awake. "Ugnnunnn?" She asked.
The girl, who looked about her age, and had pale skin, blue lipstick, and auburn hair with white bangs, blinked. "Huh?"
"Wait…what?" The girl asked.
Mary tilted her head. "Pardon?"
"STOP!" The girl ordered, and Mary fell silent. "Ah'm Rogue." She explained, and Mary noticed her Southern accent.
Mary sat up. "Hi, Rogue," She said casually. "I guess I fell asleep, huh? That Wanda person shot me with that blue stuff, and I got really tired…hey, what happened to that gross little guy? I heard that he was supposed to watch me."
Rogue smirked. "Oh, Todd? I took care of him."
Mary looked over the back seat, and saw the boy unconscious, sprawled on the ground.
"Oh…Say, are you one of those X-Men that I saw on TV last year?"
"Yea, that's me."
"Ah…So, uh…where are all of the rest?"
"Oh, them? Well, only three of us came to Appleton, four of us if ya count the Professor. The Professor is with yer parents, and the other two, Jean and Keri, are inside trying to go get Susan before the rest of the Loserhood gets to her."
***
The receptionist, whose name tag read 'Dana', eyed Keri suspiciously. "You're who?"
"The Local Susan Inspector. I'm here to inspect the girls named Susan," Keri replied.
"What are you inspecting them for?" She asked.
"YOUR RESISTANCE WILL BE NOTED!" Keri snarled.
Keri probably would've blown everything if Jean hadn't bumped her away. "Sorry about that," Jean apologized. "Actually, we're Susan's cousins. We're here to deliver a message."
Dana nodded. "Oh, well, write it down, and I'll have it delivered to her."
"NO!" Jean said quickly. However, she caught herself and added, "I mean, I need to tell it to her in person. Can you tell me which room she's in?"
"Well, alright…Just a second." With that, Dana walked into a back room.
Jean waited for a second, and then turned to Keri. "'The Local Susan Inspector?'" She asked, as if she couldn't believe it.
Keri shrugged. "Hey, it worked on an episode of Invader Zim."
Jean rolled her eyes, and was probably about to launch into a lecture about cartoons not being real when the receptionist came back. "Here you go. Room A102." She handed Jean a sticky-note that had the number written on it.
Jean smiled. "Thank you. Come on, Keri," She grabbed the eight-year-old's arm, and the two strolled off.
The receptionist watched them go, and once they turned the corner, scoffed. "The Local Susan Inspector? That's a new one!" She looked around. "Now, where did Ashley go?" Ashley was another receptionist who should've been at the counter, but appeared to be missing.
"Oh well…she must've gone to get coffee…good idea…" Dana walked a little ways back, until she made it to the break room. "Hey, Ashley? Are you in—"
She stopped abruptly when she saw Ashley crumpled, unconscious, on the ground.
***
Lance shut the door angrily. "Pietro, wouldn't it have just been easier to ask which room Susan was in instead of checking each one?!"
Pietro shrugged. "Hey I asked that woman but she wouldn't tell me! I had no choice but to have Wanda knock her out!"
"Well, when she asked you why you needed to see her, you probably could've come up with something better than, 'I can't tell you'!" Wanda philosophized crossly.
"On was on the spot alright?" Pietro said, equally crossly.
Fred rolled his eyes. "Well, we've checked 20 classrooms so far. Maybe she's close."
10 classrooms later, the Brotherhood Boys were starting to get annoyed.
"OK, I say one more classroom, and then we just let the X-Geeks get her," Lance proposed.
"I agree," Said Wanda.
"Me two," Agreed Fred.
Pieto rolled his eyes. "C'mon guys we gotta get her for my Dad!"
"If your Dad wants her so much, why doesn't he get her?" Lance asked.
Pietro quickly changed the subject. "There's no more classrooms on this story, so let's make our way up the stairs."
***
"No offense, Rogue, but I'm starting to get bored," Mary sighed.
Rogue leaned back in the seat of the jeep. "Me, two. Ah wonder what Keri and Jean are doing right now?"
"What if they run into the Brotherhood?" Asked Mary.
"Oh, don't worry. They can handle themselves…" Rogue murmured.
***
Jean looked at the paper, and then at the plastic tag outside the door of the classroom. "Yep, A102." She looked at Keri. "You, stay out here."
Keri narrowed her eyes at Jean. "OK, fine."
Jean took a deep breath, and walked in to the classroom.
It seemed to be a Biology class, with about 25 students. Apparently, the teacher was in the middle of a coffee-fueled sermon, so she paid Jean no mind.
"Um, excuse me?" Jean asked.
The teacher paid her no mind and kept talking: "So, the reason that most scientific names are in Latin are because Latin is a dead language, and, therefore, never changes…" A few students looked up at Jean, but then turned back to their notebooks.
"Um, Ma'am?" Jean tried a little louder.
The teacher continued: "…You may notice, though, that many English words have Latin roots. Since this isn't Language Arts, we won't cover this in debt, but an example that I could use is—"
Suddenly, Keri popped her head in to the room. "HEY, CAPTAIN-LATIN!" She yelled.
All heads turned to Jean and Keri.
Keri looked at Jean. "I'm outta here!" She pulled her head out.
The teacher gave Jean a sour look. "May I help you?"
Jean regained her composure. "Um, yes, I need to talk to Susan DéReal?"
"And you are?" Asked the teacher.
"Uh…"
Keri suddenly ran inside the classroom and shut the door. "Jean! The Otherhood-Bay is Omin-Cay this way!"
Jean groaned. "Great! How many?"
Keri thought for a minute. "Well, Rogue knocked out toad before we went in here, so…all of them except him."
"Excuse me, is this some kind of joke?" The teacher demanded.
"Um, we really need to see Susan DéReal!" Jean insisted quickly.
"Young Lady, you've got a lot of nerve coming here!" The teacher snarled. "I suggest you tell me what you're doing here right now!"
BAM!
With a crash, Wanda, Lance, Pietro, and Fred strided in to the classroom.
Wanda's blue eyes swept the room. She pointed to the back row. "See? I told you she was in here there!"
The teacher let out a roar of frustration. "And who are you four?! I'm trying to teach a class here!"
"Like we care!" Wanda snapped, and shot a blue haze at the teacher.
As the teacher froze up inside the haze, there were shouts and gasps from the students: "Hey, she's a mutant!" "I bet they're all mutants!" "Cool!" "Are you kidding?! Mutants are dangerous!" "Get the freaks outta here!"
Keri shrugged. "The Jig is up, I guess." Then, she turned to the class and asked in a regal voice, "Which of you is Susan DéReal?!"
Almost everyone in the class turned and pointed to Susan…
…Who was asleep at the moment.
Keri's jaw dropped. "How can she be sleeping at a time like this?!" She ran through several desks and students, until she reached the sleeping teen. "HEY, WAKE UP!" She yelled, shaking her.
Her eyes fluttered open. "I wasn't sleeping…" She said drowsily.
"Yes, you were! But we don't care at this point!" Keri replied, grabbing her arm. "Right now, we just need to get you out of here!"
Susan's lip curled. "What?! And don't touch me, you little weirdo!" She shoved Keri hand away.
Without warning, Peitro zoomed in, grabbed Susan, and ran out the door. The rest of the Brotherhood followed.
Keri's arms fell to her sides. "Ok, that didn't work. What now?"
"Come on, Keri! I'll contact Rogue and Mary while we try to catch up!" With that, she and Keri ran off, hot on the Brotherhood's trail.
***
After receiving Jean's telepathic message, Rogue and Mary crouched down in hiding in the back seat of the jeep. Just as they got settled in, Pietro ran out of the school building, and got in the front seat of the car. He threw Susan in the passenger seat. "I'll come back for the others later…" He murmured.
Suddenly, Rogue sprang out, and grabbed his face with her bare hand. Needless to say, Pietro was put out of commission.
As Rogue slid her glove back on, Mary grabbed Susan's arm. "Come on! We gotta get outta here!"
Susan, who looked like she was in a state of shock, took one look at Mary and Rogue, and screamed. "AAAHHH!! I'M BEING KIDNAPPED! I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO ME SOME DAY! Look, I'm not really that rich! A lot of my parent's money is in stocks and bonds! So, you wouldn't get a lot if you held me for ransom! Just please, lemme go!"
Mary graoned. "Oh, puh-leez! Do really think I'd kidnap you?"
Susan blinked, then regained her composure and smoothed out one of her pigtails. "Of course. The whole kidnapping thing is giving you way too much credit." She looked over at the unconscious Pietro. "Ya know, now that I think about it, he is pretty cute…"
Mary blinked, and turned to Rogue. "Would your professor be really upset if we just let the Brotherhood take her?"
Rogue sighed. "Ya know, Ah suggested that very same thing, but he said no. So, let's get outta here." She linked arms with Mary and Susan, and the two zoomed about 20 yards away from the school, off to the side.
"Why are we back here?" Susan demanded.
"'Cause we gotta get outta sight, but I gotta be ready to help Jean and Keri if they need it."
"I'll help, too, if I'm not getting in the way," Mary volunteered.
Rogue looked at her. "By-thah-way; what's yer power?"
"Oh, well…I think I'm telekinetic, and I think I might be able to see the future," Mary replied. "Yours is cooler, though."
"Ah'd trade with you anyday," Rogue murmured. Her eyes traveled over to Susan, who was pacing on the muddy ground. "So, yer twins, huh? Which one's the evil one?" She joked.
Susan let out a wail of misery. "This is the worst day of my life! And to make matters worse, a rhinestone just fell of off my sandal!"
Mary rolled her eyes, and turned to Rogue. "Take a big, fat guess."
***
Back indoors, there had been a brawl in the hall, the likes of which had never been seen before by Appleton High school.
Jean, Keri, Wanda, Lance, and Fred were duking it out, doing plenty of collateral damage in the process.
"The Professor is gonna kill us…" Jean murmured.
"Let's worry about the Brotherhood killing us for now!" Keri reminded shrilly, phasing though a locker that Fred had ripped off the wall and thrown at her.
After a few more seconds of fighting, Keri had obviously had enough. "That's it!" She grabbed Jean's arm, and chirped, "Going down!" The two began phasing through the floor, down to the first story.
"Not so fast, X-Man!" Wanda growled. She shot a little bit of blue haze at Keri, causing Keri's power to fail. The two had only made it to up t Keri's knees and Jean's lower shin when they stopped.
Keri squirmed around a bit. "I can't move!" She whined.
"Don't worry!" Jean replied. She jerked her hands forward, and Wanda flew backwards and crashed in to the wall. This shook her up quite a bit, and she released the hold she had on Keri's power. The two slid through the wall without a hitch. When they landed, they made a beeline to the door, despite stairs and whispers.
"Now what?!" Asked Keri.
"We gotta find Rogue, Mary, and Susan…provided that they're all together. And let's hurry!" She could hear the three Brotherhood members above them, and they didn't sound happy.
***
"So…Susan? What's yer power?" Rogue asked.
Susan fluffed her hair. "If you must know, I can copy things."
"Huh?" Asked Mary.
Susan rolled her eyes, and picked up a rock from the ground. "See? One rock." She cupped it one hand, and covered it with the other. Then, she concentrated. When she opened them up, Mary and Rogue were surprised. "Now there's two rocks. Yes, I know it's cool," Susan relayed.
Rogue blinked. "But if you're twins, shouldn't ya have the same power?"
Mary shrugged. "I dunno…maybe whatever makes you a mutant—"
"—An advanced 'X' Gene—" Rogue inserted.
"—doesn't form completely at birth, so it can be different. I dunno, we'll have to ask the Professor."
Abruptly, Keri and Jean ran up to them.
"I see…you have…Susan…" Jean panted.
"Yea…and Ah see yer outta breath," Rogue pointed out.
Keri narrowed her eyes. "We've been running for our lives, thank you very much!"
Susan's eyes fell on Jean. "Finally! Someone who's not a total freak! Well, one out of four isn't that bad…"
Mary looked behind them. "Uh, don't count your freaks before they hatch."
Susan glared at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
A nervous expression came to Mary's face. "It means that the Brotherhood is coming!"
The five girls turned, and saw Wanda, Fred, and Lance walking striding towards them.
"End of the line, X-Men! Hand over the girls, or I'll rock you!" Lance threatened.
"How about not!" Snapped Mary.
Lance's eyes rolled back in his head, and he held his arms up. The ground around them began shake and rumble. Meanwhile, Fred picked up a nearby tree and heaved it towards them.
Keri, apparently, wasn't quite herself and was clocked by a few of the long, thick roots, knocking her over.
Jean ran over. "Keri! Are you OK?"
Keri nodded slowly. "Oh yea…I'm fine…Say, have your eyes always been purple?" She leaned back, and was out cold.
Jean shook her a few times, but to no avail. "Great, Dark Elf's down!" She called.
Mary shook her head in frustration. "I'd rather be an X-Man than a Brotherhood boy, but things aren't looking so good. Gawd, I'm so mad, I could just—" She brought her hand down, and Lance went flying into the wall. She looked at her hand. "OK, I have really got to watch that…"
Rogue shrugged. "Well, it may be your powers ragin' outta control, but it's sure helpin' us."
Jean's eyes swept over the battlefield. "Hmm…three against two…I like those odds."
Fred poked Wanda. "Hey, Wanda…Maybe it's time to retreat."
Wanda glared at him. "My father will be furious!"
"Yea, well….safety first! He walked over, picked up Lance, and walked off towards the car. Wanda shot the X-Men a look of pure hatred, and followed him.
Mary blinked. "So…did we win?" She looked around, and a confused look appeared on her face. "Hold it…where's Susan?"
Rogue and Jean looked around, and found that Mary's twin was no where to be found.
"Aw, man! Did the Brotherhood get her while we weren't lookin'?!" Rogue moaned.
"How could they? Pietro and Todd have been down since before the battle, Lance got knocked out by Mary, and we had our eyes on Wanda and Fred…that's all of them, unless they had one of the Acolytes with them…"
Keri lifted her head up. "Well, I think I saw her sneak off around the back of the school, but it could just be my head injury playing tricks on me…"
Mary rolled her eyes. "She ran away and let us fight? That is so like her!"
Rogue shrugged. "Well, look on the bright side: we won."
"You are correct Rogue. You four should be very proud," said a familiar, profound voice. The four girls turned, and saw Professor Xavier, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Astronominoff, making their way towards them.
"Mom! Dad!" Mary called. She ran up to meet them, and was met with hugs. She looked at the professor. "Lemme guess…you're 'the Professor' that I've been hearing so much about."
The Professor nodded. "Yes. And I've heard a great deal about you, Mary. I came to ask if you would like come to the Xavier Institute for gifted youngsters, so you can learn more about your gifts and how to use them."
Mary looked at her parents and smiled. "I'd have to talk to my Mom and Dad, and do some thinking…but I'm leaning towards yes."
Keri jerked upward. "And that's what we like to hear!" She slumped again. "Ooh…got up too fast."
Mrs. Astronominoff looked at the wreckage. "Um, Mary, why don't I sign you out of school for today? Everyone can come back to our house."
Keri stood up. "Let's eat cookies!" She announced. She clutched her head. "On second thought, I'll settle for an ice pack."
A few minutes later, Mary was signed out (although she had skipped about an hour and a half), and was sitting in the back seat of her parent's car. She looked out the window and sighed. "It's been one weird day…" she murmured.
"Things will quiet down soon," Mary's Mother reminded her gently.
Mary nodded softly. "I know…but one thing has been bugging me: what happened to Susan?"
***
Later that night, at Susan's house, five figures crouched behind the trees in her backyard.
Eventually, Susan herself walked out through the backdoor, checking over her shoulder that her parents weren't watching. She strolled over, and her eyes fell on the figures. "Hey, you came. I didn't think you would."
"Oh we're here," Pietro chirped.
"And we've only been waiting for 10 minutes…" Lance grumbled.
"It's called, 'being fashionably late'," Susan brushed him off. "Anyway, I'll cut right to the point. I like you guy's style. You don't take it slowly and only attack defensively; you're in charge, and you let people know it. I bet that you rule your school."
"Actually…we're expelled," Fred admitted.
Susan rolled her eyes. "Whatever…so, why'd you want to kidnap me?"
"Well you're a mutant and my Dad wants you to join us. I'm not sure whether you'd be a brotherhood boy (which is what we are) or an Acolyte (the next step up), but he really thinks he can use your power."
Susan leaned against a tree. "Hmmm…sounds appealing…"
"I'm glad you feel that way," Said a sixth and ominous voice. "You have ambition, something that your sister does not."
"And you are?" Susan asked.
The figure landed, though he was still shrouded in darkness. "You need only to know me as Magneto."
"Magneto huh?" She picked up a small rock from the ground, and copied it in her hands until they spilled over. "Ya know, I dunno how many copies I can make…but I bet it's a lot. So just call me…Trillion."