Chapter Two

"Any sign of them?" Bobby asked.

Scott shook his head. "The coordinates lead to inside this warehouse but...all I'm seeing are these crates."

"They could be hiding in them."

"Very funny."

"You never know."

The warehouse was cramped with old crates of random things. It was pretty difficult for them to get around the crates, even when they had to split up. A few mice scurried about the floor and around the tops of boxes but aside from that there was no other movement. Then all of the sudden came a small sneezing sound.

"Was that you?" Scott yelled over the mountain of crates.

"No. You?"

"No."

Small movements were then heard and then stacks of crates fall onto Bobby. Scott made his way over and began digging him out.

"Are they down?" came one voice.

"Yeah now let's get outta here before they get up," answered another.

Just then shadows of the missing kids began scurrying toward the doors. Bobby got up and slammed his hands onto the ground and created a sheet of ice over it and the others all slipped and slid until they fell. Scott started walking toward them but then got shoved back by an unseen force.

"You want some of this? C'mon I can take you on, four-eyes," came a female voice before Scott got punched again.

"Look, we're not here to hurt you," Scott replied. "We're from Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted. You all were suppose to transfer today but Mrs. Bons said you all ran away."

One managed to stand up finally. "We ran off to save the others back at the shelter. Some old fart that controls metal and this creepy blue lady, who I swear is related to Morph ---"

"Morph ain't naturally blue, Max."

"Whatever, Spit, you know what I mean. Anyway, these two show up at the shelter last night saying of we don't leave they're all dead. So we up and left."

"Magneto threatened a bunch of kids at a shelter?" Bobby questioned walking up.

"We're the only mutants there. Believe me we were planning on heading to Xavier's but......we kinda don't know the way."

"Well we're here to bring you to the school."

"Oh, cool."

Max and the one called Spit started helping the others up and the invisible girl reappeared. "By the way, uh, sorry about the attack. We thought you were with them, you know."

"Just get in the car."

At the hospital Storm and Xavier followed the doctor as he walked down to Jade's room.

"She's been very cooperative in our tests and has no fuss in taking her medicine that the nurses are beginning to believe she doesn't need them anymore," he said. "She doesn't speak much but she does know the English language pretty well. Almost like she's lived here forever. However, she doesn't know how to read in English, she's been having trouble with that."

"I don't think that will be a problem, we are a school after all," Xavier mentioned.

"Of course. Here is her room," they got to the door and the doctor opened the little window to see into her room. "Jade? Professor Xavier is here for you."

There was no answer when the doctor began unlocking the door to allow them access. The teen girl sat on her bed staring outside at the dark gray sky with her long black hair poured over her shoulders. She wore nothing but one of those hospital gowns and had a medical bracelet with her name on her left arm. Xavier wheeled over to the window while Storm sat in a chair by the bed.

"Jade?" Xavier spoke to get her attention. "I'm Professor Charles Xavier and this is Ororo Monroe."

"You're from that mutant school?" Jade softly asked looking over at Xavier. Her eyes were very green, an unnatural shade to be exact. "Dr. Marx already told me I was going with you."

Xavier nodded. "That's true."

She showed no excitement or anything, her expression was just blank. "I don't want to go with you."

"Why not, Jade?"

"You know why. I'll kill everyone."

Storm looked to Xavier out of surprise but Xavier did not take her eyes off the girl.

"Jade, you will not kill everyone."

"Yes I will. Doesn't matter that last time was an accident, my power kills, I can't be out in society."

"I want to help you, Jade, at my school I can teach you how to control your power so that what happened last year never happens again. I'm asking you to give it one week, if you still think you're a threat then we will bring you back. Are you alright with that?"

Jade stared at Xavier long and hard. Storm just stared at the both of them. And after one minute Jade nodded. "Alright, you got a deal."