Hi, it's me, Neostar1. And again, I've managed to take six months to update. Sorry! --
But the good news is that I've got the next two (maybe three) chapters planned already, so they should take considerably less time to write. Also, I'm on Summer Vacation right now, so I've got a lot more time to work.
Again, if you've got questions, pop me an e-mail at purple-angelcharter.net, and don't forget to review. Oh, and you may notice that instead of my traditional three astericks to symbolize a transition, I've instead got three dashes (---). For some reason, FF.net is "stripping" astericks, meaning that they don't show up. Just thought you outta know...
Oh, and please forgive me for butchering Gambit's accent in Chapter 12.
Chapter Eleven:
New Beginnings
February 3
"YAAAA! WOOH, WOOH!" Keri wailed as she ran around the second story of the institute aimlessly. When she had covered every inch, she ran into her room, and phased through the floor. This took her down to the kitchen, where she continued her dash. Eventually, she made it into the living room.
Rogue looked up from the vase she was dusting. "KERI, SETTLE DOWN!" She yelled. "Mary and her parents are gonna be here any minute, and we wanna make a good impression!"
Keri stood there, marching in place. "Too…much…Kool-Aid®!" She whined.
"Go drink some water! Preferably outta the toilet…there might still be some toxic cleaning-chemicals in it…" Rogue groaned.
Keri began running again. "I don't need to! I don't—"
WHAM!
Keri fell backwards as she ran into a wall.
Logan strolled in, and his eyes fell on Keri. "Well, that should be a conversation piece…"
Rogue looked at her, and gritted her teeth. "Gawd, even when she's unconscious she's in the way!"
Logan cocked his head at her. "How come you're so serious about makin' a good impression on Mary?"
Rogue paused, and dropped her arms. "How are we gonna get her parents to let her join the X-Men if the institute is a mess, an' Keri's runnin' around like a wild bafoon?!"
Logan shrugged. "Maybe she likes wild stuff."
Rogue winced slightly. "She does…but her parents don't…See, we've been E-Mailin' each other, and—"
"You've been E-Mailin' here?" Logan interjected.
"Yea. We exchanged E-Mail addresses before Jean, Keri, and Ah left Appleton. We kinda took a shine to each other, Ah guess…Anyway, she told me to make sure that the institute looks nice, 'cause her Mom's a 'serial worrier'."
Logan nodded. "Uh-huh…So, I should put Keri in her room, right?"
"Right." Rogue continued cleaning as Logan picked up Keri and carried her upstairs. She turned and watched him, smiling.
---
10 minutes later, the doorbell rang.
"It's them!" Kitty announced from the top of the stairs.
"Great!" Rogue interjected. She looked at the rag in her hand, and then at Kurt, who was standing near her. She handed it to him. "Do somethin' with this." Then, she ran to the front door and opened it.
Mary stood before them. "Hello, I'm selling cookies! If I sell 20 boxes, I get a free teddy bear!"
Rogue chuckled. "Very funny…Ah don't quite picture you bein' a girl scout."
"Me, either," She replied.
Mr. and Mrs. Astronominoff made their way to the porch. "Hello, Rogue," Greeted Mary's mother. "Is the Professor here?"
"Yes, I'm here," replied Professor Xavier, wheeling towards them. "Rogue, would you take Mary to her room? You two can meet us in the kitchen."
"Sure thang, Professor," replied Rogue. "C'mon, Mary."
Rogue led Mary up the stairs, and through the hallway. "I hope ya don't mind sharin' your room with someone, 'cause that's what's happenin'."
"I don't mind, as long as they don't snore or are slobs," Mary replied.
"Good…And Ah don't think ya need to worry 'bout that stuff, 'cause your roommate's a Princess."
Mary winced. "She's that spoiled?"
"No, Ah'm serious: she's a Princess. Some little country called Nova Roma."
"Ohmigosh! She's seriously a Princess?!"
"Yea. Though don't call her 'you majesty' or somethin' like that. Around here, she's just Amara."
"OK. Gotta remember that," Mary tucked it away mentally.
"Here we are," Rogue announced. She led Mary in to Amara's room, which had half of it cleared out and a second bed. Mary set her stuff on the second bed, and looked around. "Not as big as my room in Appleton, but it'll work." She sat down on her bed and sighed. "I'm a little nervous though. I've lived in Appleton my entire life…wait, scratch that: I lived in Green Bay for three months while I was at the orphanage. So, I've lived in Appleton for as long as I can remember. But my point is that now I'm in a new place, a new school, and I'm a mutant. It's kinda overwhelming."
Rogue sat down next to her. "Ya don't need to worry too much. The X-Men aren't the most liked people at school, but at least we've got each other. And stick with me, ah'll show you the ropes."
"Thanks, Rogue," Mary said gratefully.
There was a pause, and Rogue asked: "Mary, did you have any friends at your old school?"
Mary nodded. "I had a best friend named Jennifer that I've known since fourth grade, but she moved to California at the beginning of December. We've been pen-pals, though it was kinda hard being without her at school."
Rogue looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Ya know, we've got a lot in common: we're both mutants, we're both adopted, we've both got 'interesting' senses of style, and we've both got a family member we can't stand."
"Who do you hate?"
"My adopted mother, Raven, AKA Mystique. She's a mutant who can shape-shift. But she only adopted me because she knew about my power. Plus, she tricked me into thinkin' that the X-Men wanted to hurt me." Rogue's face turned sad. "Ah bet she doen't even care about me."
Wanting to cheer her up, Mary added, "Hey, here's another thing we have in common…" She grabbed a lock of Rogue's white hair. "…We both've got two-tone hair!"
Rogue smiled slightly. "Yea, we do."
The two girls abruptly heard knocking on the door jamb. They looked up, and saw Logan standing there. "Hurry up, the Professor is wondering what's takin' you so long!"
"We'll be there in a minute," Rogue replied.
"Right," He responded, and headed towards the kitchen.
Mary turned to Rogue. "Whoa!" She squeaked. "Who was that?!"
"To you, he's 'off-limits'!" Rogue snapped.
Mary leaned her torso back slightly and held her hands up. "OK, sorry…"
Rogue sighed slightly. "Nah, it's alright…Ah just…Well…"
Mary grinned. "Ooh, crush much?"
Rogue looked embarrassed. "Well, maybe Ah…Ah mean, that is to say…OK, I'll admit it, Ah've got a crush on him!"
Mary pulled her knees up. "Well, I don't know him, but he is cute…though he's a lot older!"
Rogue blushed. "He's got a motorcycle; Ah'm only human!
"Ahh….the motorcycle. That how Dad got Mom. But what is he, 27? 28?"
"More like 80."
"WHAT?!"
"See, his power is that he can heal rapidly, and he almost doesn't age at all. So, that's why he looks so young. Oh, and he also has these three metal claws on each hand that he can eject out of the space between his knuckles. But that's not his mutant power; it was the result of an experiment."
"Are you serious?"
Rogue shrugged. "He has claws, Ah absorb people's memories and abilities, you see the future…what's so hard to believe?"
"I guess I'm gonna have to get used to all of this, huh?"
"Yep. But don't worry, you'll learn to just deal."
Mary stood up. "Well, let's get to the kitchen before the Professor sends someone else to come and look for us."
Rogue nodded. "Yea. Let's go."
The two walked out the door, but soon crossed paths with Kurt, who had apparently stolen Kitty's ponytail holder.
"Come and get it, Kitty!" He teased. He noticed Rogue and Mary. "Hallo. You must be Mary." He stuck out his three-fingered hand.
Even though she was obviously surprised, she shook his hand. "Um, yea, I'm Mary. And you are?"
"Kurt Wagner," He replied. "I'm Rogue's brother."
"…Keepin' in mind that I'm adopted," Rogue added.
"Oh…OH! OK, that explains the lack of family resemblance."
"Yah," Kurt said with a nod.
"Kurt, like, give it back!" Kitty yelled, running towards them.
Kurt grinned. "Buh-Bye!" Then, he BAMPHed away.
Kitty reached them just as the smoke cleared. "Hey…you must…be Mary…" She panted. Then, she paused and took a deep breath. "I'm Kitty Pryde. I'd, like, love to talk some more, but I gotta catch my Boyfriend." She thought for a minute. "Now, if I were Kurt, where would I go?" She snapped her fingers. "Duh! The kitchen!" She phased through the floor, and disappeared.
Mary blinked, and then tucked some of her bangs behind her ear. "OK…furry blue guy: teleports. Brunette valley girl: phases through stuff."
Rogue smiled. "Are we learnin' yet?"
---
About an hour later, Mary bid farewell to her parents as they drove off. "'BYE!" She called. When they were out of sight, Mary dropped her arms in relief. "Whew!" She sighed.
Rogue smiled slightly. "Glad to be rid of them?"
Mary shook her head. "No, it's not that…it's just…my Mom worries a lot, and so does my Dad. It can get kind of annoying, you know?"
"Yea. Irene—she's the woman who raised me—was pretty strict, and made me cover up, 'cause she knew mah power could manifest at any moment."
Mary shrugged.. "Well, it's like I always say: I love my parents dearly, but they drive me insane. Fair enough?"
"Ah guess…"
"Anyway, I got unpacking to do. Wanna help me?"
"Wah not?"
Rogue and Mary padded back to Mary's new room. When Mary flipped open one of her suitcases, the first thing that Rogue noticed was a medium-sized stuffed panda with a red ribbon tied around its neck.
"Spodey-head," Mary explained quickly, blushing.
"'Spodey-head?" Rogue giggled.
Mary hunched her shoulders slightly. "I got her when I was three…and, when I wanted to show my Dad, I hit him with it…and the doll's head came off in a shower of cotton. It was as if her head had exploded."
"Oh…OH! 'Spodey', like 'explode'!"
"Yea. My mom fixed it, and the ribbon hides her stitches."
Keri strolled in to the room, holding her head. "Hey, Rogue, what happened? All I remember is a sugar rush and a wall that just lunged out in front of me." She noticed Mary. "Oh, hi, Mary. How long have you been here?"
"'Bout an hour," Mary replied, looking at her watch. "Where have you been?"
"I was viciously attacked by a wall," Keri answered. Suddenly, she saw Spodey-head, and gasped.
Mary blushed angrily. "Oh come on! I can't be the only 16-year-old who sleeps with a stuffed animal!"
"No, that's not it!" Keri said. "Wait right here!" She ran out of the room.
Mary turned to Rogue. "Uh…?"
Rogue shrugged. "That's Keri for you. Just go with it."
A few seconds later, Keri ran back into the room, clutching Teddy. She put him on the bed, so he was close to Spodey-head. At once, Rogue and Mary could see what surprised Keri so much: Except for colors, ribbons, and scars (the one on Spodey-Head's neck, and the visible one on teddy's right wrist) the two bears looked exactly alike.
"Whoa…weird…" Mary murmured.
"Probably the same manufacturer," Rogue brushed it off.
Keri was busy, however. "Teddy, this is…" She looked at Mary for help.
"Spodey-Head," replied Mary.
"Spodey-Head," Keri continued. "Spodey-Head, this is Teddy. I think you two will get along nicely." She paused, while the bears' gazed at each other. She turned to Mary and Rogue, and whispered, "I think they need some alone time. By-the-way, is Spodey-Head a boy or a girl? And if she's a girl, is she single?"
"She's a girl…And yea, she's single. She dated a my friend Jennifer's Black Bear, 'Cookie,' for a while, but they broke up when he and Jennifer moved."
"Good…" Keri smirked slightly. "'Cause Teddy's single, too. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Mary looked at the bears, who, not surprisingly, hadn't moved. "Well, they would make a cute couple…"
"Oh, Brother…" Rogue sighed. Mary was cool…But she wasn't so sure about Spodey-Head.
---
February 5
It was Monday. Mary's first day at Bayville High School.
"MARY!" Rogue called. "Hurry up!"
"Just a minute!" Mary replied. There was the thumping of feet against the floor, and Mary dashed in to the foyer. "Ok, I'm ready. How do I look?"
Rogue looked her friend over. Mary was wearing a purple crop t-shirt, an orange-and-magenta plaid pleated skirt, black opaque leggings, and black lace-up boots. Her accessories were gray biker gloves, silver hoop earrings, and a dog collar around her neck.
Rogue nodded approvingly. "Gothic chic. Nice."
Mary nodded. "Yea, well, I had a different outfit planned, but then I found out it was gonna be pretty warm today."
"Uh-huh. Well, what yer doin' it is really bold."
Mary looked at her outfit. "Well, this is who I am. I might as well get that across."
Rogue looked at a nearby clock. "No, ah mean, be late on yer first day."
Mary's gray eyes shot open. "We're gonna be late?!"
Rogue grabbed her hand. "Not if we hitch a ride. C'mon, maybe Jean hasn't left yet." The two scrambled towards the garage, and arrived just in time to see Scott and Kurt about to leave.
"Scott! Can we get a ride?!" Rogue called.
"No problem," Scott replied. "Hop in."
The two made their way in to the car, both hopping over the side instead of opening the door.
Scott gave them an odd look. "New invention, girls: it's called a 'door'."
"Ah'll look into it," Rogue brushed him off. "Now, c'mon!"
Scott put his foot down, and they were off.
---
Ororo watched from the kitchen as Scott's car pull out of the garage, taking with it Scott, Kurt, Rogue, and Mary. "There she goes. I can't help but wonder how Mary will do at that new school."
Logan looked up from the newspaper he was reading. "I wouldn't worry too much. With the way she dresses, I'm sure she's used to bein' antagonized."
Ororo nodded. "I suppose you're right. After all, she is with the other X-Men. Did you notice that she and Rogue have taken a shine to each other?"
"Yea. I'm not surprised. They've gotta lot in common."
Ororo sat down next to him. "Rogue has been acting bit friendlier lately."
"I guess," Logan replied, returning to his paper and tilting his chair back.
"…Which is a break from how she's been acting for about a month…which is about how long Shaina's been living with us…"
Ororo was lost in thought. "And she strongly dislikes Shaina…"
Logan looked at her. "You gotta point?"
She stood up. "I thought I did…" She laughed at herself. "…But it couldn't be…could it?"
Logan put down his paper. "What're you talkin' about?"
She smiled. "Nothing. Well, I have work to do. Good-bye."
Logan leaned back further in his chair. "What were you talkin' about?!" He insisted.
"Nothing!" Ororo called.
Logan leaned back still further, and snapped, "If you're not gonna make sense, then shut uuUUPPPPPPPPP!!!!" He yelled the last word as he toppled over backwards.
---
A few minutes later, they arrived at school. Mary looked around, and was surprised to see that there were still a lot of kids on the front lawn.
Mary cocked her head. "Hey, Rogue, I thought you said we were late."
Rogue thought for a minute. "Oh yea, I forgot that the clock I was looking at was 10 minutes fast."
Mary groaned. "Oh well…I need to get my schedule and my locker, anyway."
"Right. To the office!" Rogue grabbed Mary's arm, and the two headed indoors.
Mary noticed the whispers and stares that other students were giving her, but she really didn't care. She and Rogue went to the front office, and got Mary's locker number and schedule together. They were about to leave, when she was approached by a man who had to be the principle. "Mary Astronominoff?" He asked.
Mary nodded. "That'll be me."
He nodded. "I'm Principal Edward Kelley. I was…warned about your arrival at Bayville High."
Mary didn't really care much for his choice of words, but she stuck her hand out, offering to shake his.
Principal Kelly looked at her hand, but didn't extended his. Instead, he continued: "I would like to tell you something right now to avoid confusion later: while I am a firm believer in the principal that a school Principal should establish a trusting relationship with his or her students, you should know that if I witness or hear of you or any of your mutant friends using their powers on campus, I'll have you out of this school so fast it will make your head spin."
Mary blinked. "OK…"
He gave a false smile. "Well, enjoy your stay at Bayville high. A little less than five months until summer vacation." With that, he departed.
Mary slowly leaned back, so her head was level with Rouge's. "OK, somebody needs to switch to decaf."
Rogue shrugged. "Just try to avoid him."
"Oh, don't worry, I will."
---
Seven hours later, Shaina was at the institute, making a batch of cookies. They were done, and she pulled them out of the oven. She set them on the counter to cool.
Keri wandered in, sat down at the counter, and reached for one.
Shaina slapped her hand away.
Keri wrinkled up her nose, and reached for a cookie again.
Shaina slapped her hand away again.
They did this about three times, when Keri said, "I think I'm seeing a pattern here."
Shaina shrugged. "I was waiting for you to demand why I was slapping you."
Keri rolled her eyes. "I don't demand…" Suddenly, she scowled. "Why the heck are you slapping me?!"
Shaina was about to reply, when Scott, Rogue, and Mary tromped in. "Hello! We're home!" Mary chirped.
"Hello," Shaina greeted. "How was your first day, Mary?"
Mary shrugged with one shoulder. "It was pretty good. Principal Kelly gave me a lecture, and some people stared, but I have a few classes with Kitty and lunch with most of the other X-Men, and there's this really cute guy in my geometry and language arts classes. We didn't actually talk, but he kept looking over at me.
Keri raised an eyebrow. "Were you playing the, 'Ignore Game'?"
Mary blinked. "The what?"
Keri groaned, as if this were obvious. "You know, the 'Ignore Game'! It's when you stare at someone until they look at you, and then you quickly look away and ignore them. Then, they keep looking at you, and then you look up at them, and they ignore you, and so on and so fourth. James and I kinda got started that way." She sighed happily. "It was so magical!"
Mary gave her an odd look. "Uh, yea…we got a couple of rounds of that in… Anyway, praise the heavens, Scott gave his car a 'jump' after school, and he looked right at me and smiled!"
Keri nodded. "Keep up the ignore game for a while, or at least until you can talk…"
Rogue raised an eyebrow. "What do you know 'bout this stuff? You're in third grade!"
Keri gave her a triumphant smile. "Yea, but I'm the one with a boyfriend!" She reached for a cookie.
Shaina slapped her hand again. "What did you not understand about those warning slaps?!"
At that moment, Sailor Chicks trotted into the kitchen, sniffing around and looking eager.
Shaina nodded. "Yes, they're ready." She picked one up, and handed it to Sailor Chicks. The cat picked it up in her mouth, and strolled out, purring.
Keri glared at her. "Oh, so you give the cat one!"
Shaina smiled. "Keri, you wouldn't want to eat these."
Keri's eyes narrowed. "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Shaina?"
Shaina smiled. "Well, these cookies have—"
Logan strolled in, sniffing the air. "Is there a reason the kitchen smells like grass?"
Scott sniffed the air, as well. "I thought I smelled something odd."
Shaina nodded. "It's these—"
Logan looked at the tray. "Cookies…" He murmured. He reached for one.
Shaina slapped his hand. "No!" She snapped.
Logan looked at her, then at the cookies. Then, he shot a claw out, snagged one, and picked it up. He tasted it, and made a face. "That's are the weirdest cookies I've eaten…"
Shaina looked amused. "I'm not surprised. They're—"
Logan turned his attention to Mary. "So, Mary, was school bearable?"
Mary shrugged. "Ih…The principal's a butt, though I've got the other X-Men, so it kind of balances out."
"Right." He turned to Scott and Rogue. "You two watch out for her, got it?"
"We will," The two reassured him.
Logan exited, and Shaina burst out laughing.
"What is it?" Mary asked.
Shaina stopped laughing, but was grinning from ear to ear. "What I was trying to tell you guys was that those cookies were for Sailor Chicks…they have catnip in them!"
"Catnip?" Keri asked.
Shaina turned to her, and was surprised to see that Keri had somehow gotten her hands on a cookie, and there was a large bite taken out of it. "Yea, catnip."
Keri looked at her, then at the cookie, walked over to the trash can, and made a huge show of spitting it out and making gagging noises. After about five seconds of this, she changed her tune instantly. "Actually, they're not that bad." She took another bit out of it.
The two goth girls looked at each other. Rogue did the cuckoo sign, and Mary nodded.
---
February 6
The next morning, Mary was picking out her clothes for school when she had a vision:
Mary rounded the corner, and nearly bumped into another girl. She was wearing a white, sleeveless bare-midriff turtleneck, tight black jeans, and sneakers. However, there was no mistaking those black pigtails and gray eyes.
Mary's jaw dropped. "No way…"
Mary's eyes shot open, and were filled with fear. "No…no…"
Amara walked up to her. "Mary, can I borrow your headband?"
Not hearing Amara's question, Mary yelled. "NOOOOOO!!!"
Amara backed off. "OK, I was just asking."
Mary looked at her. "Wait, what?"
"I asked if I could borrow your headband."
"Oh, sorry. The answer's 'yes,' as long as you don't have lice or anything like that."
At that moment, Ororo rushed into their room. "Is everything alright in here?" She asked.
Mary looked at her. "Not really. I just had an awful vision!"
"What was it?"
"Well, I was at school, and I turned a corner in the hallway. Then, I ran into—"
Jean poked her head in. "Hey, does anyone need the shower? I'm done with it."
Apparently, Mary's vision could wait, as she and Amara climbed over each other to get to the bathroom.
---
At school, Mary was hugging the walls, and was peeking around corners.
Rogue looked at her. "Alright, ah give up. What are you doing?"
Mary turned to her. "See, I had this vision this morning."
"What was it about?"
Mary stood up straight and walked while she talked. "Well, I was here at school, and I turn a corner and…"
Mary rounded the corner, and nearly bumped into another girl. She was wearing a white, sleeveless bare-midriff turtleneck, tight black jeans, and sneakers. However, there was no mistaking those black pigtails and gray eyes.
Mary's jaw dropped. "No way…I was this careful, and it still happened?!"
Susan Déreal rolled her eyes. "Great, you're here, too."
"The Brotherhood boys don't go to school, so why do you?" Rogue asked.
Susan looked at her manicured fingernails. "Simple. I have parents that actually care about me. So, Magneto's buddy, Mastermind, used his influence to make the principals agree to have an exchange student, and select me from the school in Appleton. Hence, I have to go to school. Now, if you'll excuse me, no one at this school knows about my mutant status, and I'd like to keep it that way. And, seeing me with you two might give people the wrong idea."
As she strolled away, Mary sighed. "She was always one to talk about herself."
Rogue nodded. "Ah can tell. So, what're you gonna do?"
Mary sighed. "Just deal with it. That's what I did at my old school."
Trying to cheer her up, Rogue pointed out, "Well, now she's workin' for the bad guys, so you have an excuse to kick her snotty little butt."
Mary thought for a minute. "This is true…Now, I gotta go, before I'm late for class."
As they walked off, they failed to see Mary's "ignore-game" partner, watching the two of them go by, a shy look on his face.