A Thunderbird's Tale
By Sara Dillon
2001
Author's note: I'm not gonna try to place a German accent on Kurt. We all know he's German so just imagine it's there. Come on I'm in Japanese not German and there's not a lot of German's chillin' around me that I know their accents. :P J Thanks
Mary Ann Sparks looked around the large entry hall to Bayville High School. She had 15 minutes to find her homeroom class. All around her students were talking and moving off toward awaiting classes. She sighed heavily and shifted her books to her other arm. It was obvious she really didn't fit in. She started down the large hall trying to avoid anyone's eye while looking for her homeroom.
The typical groups were everywhere. Preps, jocks, nerds, Goths, band geeks, and the people that didn't fit in any of the above. She turned a corner and a group of five students stood in front of an open locker, talking. The, the tallest guy had on red tint sunglasses and leaned heavily against the next few lockers, asleep. The red headed female that stood to his left was rummaging around in the locker. The other three were a little shorter and looked younger. One held a skateboard. He was dark skinned and had a big smile on his face. There was a brunette haired girl beside him with a look of disgust on her face. Mary Ann thought that the girl was in the wrong group by the way she looked and reacted to whatever was going on. The final member of the group caught Mary Ann's eye. He was about her height, maybe taller with mousy brown hair. His face was soft and, at that moment, he was laughing. She couldn't quite place it but something was different about him. About all of them in fact.
She kept on walking a few feet the stopped and looked at her watch. 10 minutes. She looked at her class schedule and then at the nearest room. Her room was 234. The closest room was 107. A locker behind her slammed shut and she saw the group she'd just passed start to disperse. She panicked and ran up to the mousy haired boy.
"Excuse me," she said.
"Yeah?" he turned and smiled at her.
"Um. Do you know where room 234 is?"
"Oh yeah. I'm heading that was. You new here?"
"Kinda. Yeah."
"That's cool."
Mary Ann smiled and followed the young man as they headed off.
"My name is Kurt Wagner. What's yours?"
"Mary Ann Sparks. Are you German?"
"Yeah. Was it the accent?"
"A little." Mary Ann smiled softly.
"Hey Kurt! Hurry home after school. We have training!" a male voice called from behind them. Kurt stopped and turned.
"Sure Scott. I will." Kurt turned again and they continued on.
"That's Scott. He's cool if not a little bit of a goody goody."
Mary Ann laughed softly and Kurt's smile grew.
"Did your parents really let you get that tattoo?" Kurt asked
"What?"
Kurt looked down at Mary Ann's wrist. There was a green and black snake wrapped around her right wrist. Its head was in her palm.
"That tattoo around your wrist."
"Oh this? I don't have parents. They abandoned me. So it didn't really matter if they said yes or not."
"Where are you staying then?"
"I, um, don't really know yet."
They turned a corner and a bell rang. Mary Ann looked at her watch. 5 minutes. She looked down the hallway as people walked into their homerooms. The busy hall quickly cleared and Mary Ann and Kurt walked by.
"Here it is. I'm down the hall two rooms. Meet me after and I'll see if I can direct you in the right direction."
"Ok. Thank you so much. Or should I say danke?"
Kurt laughed again as Mary Ann walked into the class.
Ororo could you come here a minute?
Ororo Munroe stopped the raincloud she was playing with and stood up. The doors to the greenhouse opened with the wind and Ororo, or Storm, seemed to float out of the room.
"Yes Professor?" she asked as she walked into the large living room,
"Nothing extreme but I feel a new presence at Bayville. She's strong willed and has suppressed her powers but I don't want her to fall into the wrong hands.
"Of course. Shall I go now?"
"Yes, please."
Ororo nodded and turned to walk out of the room.
"Students quiet down for a minute. We have a new student."
Mary Ann looked around the crowded room nervously. This was not her place. It seemed that the homerooms assignments were grouped by social type here at Bayville, not last name. She was stuck with one of the jock/prep groups.
"This is Mary Ann Sparks. She moved here from… where dear?"
"Um, Indiana."
"Indiana," the teacher repeated to the class.
Mary Ann looked out over the students and wished she could just disappear. No one was paying attention to the teacher or her, which was to her advantage. She looked for a place to sit where she'd be comfortable for however long she was here. The only place that was open was with the guy who had yelled at Kurt earlier. Scott was it. The one with sunglasses She maneuvered through the others and approached Scott's table.
"Can I sit here?" she asked softly.
Scott looked at her and smiled. "Sure. I'd enjoy the company."
Mary Ann smiled and sat down. She put her notebook and folder on the table and fell silent. The conversations in the class stopped as the announcements came on. Half was through the door to the class flew open and a girl about Mary Ann's height stormed in. She had on a black skirt and small black top with a green see through shirt over it. She wore black boots and gloves. She flipped her brown, shoulder length hair out of her face and Mary Ann saw a streak of white mingled with the black. She smirked at the teacher and headed toward Mary Ann and Scott.
"Nice of you to show Rouge," Scott said out of the side of his mouth.
"Thanks for waiting on me," Rouge whispered back. Mary Ann noticed her heavy Southern accent and amazingly pale skin. A few of the men in the class turned to look at Rouge. She sneered at them and they quickly turned back around.
The announcements stopped and the classroom was once again engulfed in noise. Rouge looked at Mary Ann and turned to Scott. "Who's the new girl?"
"This is Mary Ann Sparks. She just moved here from Indiana. She's a…"
"Sophomore," Mary Ann answered.
Rouge nodded. She crossed her arms over her check and closed her eyes.
"Nice tattoo," a male voice said from behind her.
"Go away Todd," Scott said.
Mary Ann turned and saw a scrawny, disgusting young man about her age. He smelled horrid and his actions gave him toad like qualities.
"Aw come on Summers. I just wanna talk to the new girl," he said as he moved about nervously.
"Fine." Scott sighed and lowered his head to go back to sleep.
"So like I was saying, nice tattoo."
"Thank you," Mary Ann said softly, trying not to look in his pale green face.
"You like snakes?"
"Yeah. I guess."
"What about toads?"
"Um well…"
"I see. It's ok I guess."
At that moment a bell range and people started to get up and leave. Mary Ann silently thanks someone above and gathered her stuff. She pulled out her schedule and pushed passed Todd. She followed to students into the hallway and looked around for Kurt. He came into sight down the hall and waved at Mary Ann.
"So you survived homeroom?" he asked.
"Kinda. Not the best thing in the world but it could have been worse."
"Yeah. At least Scott and Rouge are there. I don't know anyone in my homeroom and don't really care to."
Mary Ann smiled at Kurt. He was so kind and he hardly knew her.
"So where's your next class?"
"Um here." Mary Ann handed Kurt her schedule. Kurt looked over it quickly and handed it back. Mary Ann folded it back up and put it in her back pocket.
"Ok. You ready for Chemistry?" Kurt asked, grinning from ear to ear.
"Sure. Why not. Is there something about the teacher I should know about?"
"No. Its just chem. ain't my best thing."
Kurt smiled again, softly. He understood what it was like to be the new student all to well. He put an arm around Mary Ann's shoulder. They walked to the right and down the hall. There was an intersection up ahead. Kurt paused and looked around. When there was a break in the flow of students, Kurt led Mary Ann to the left then down a flight of stairs. The classroom was right across the hall from the stairwell. "Well this is it. I'll see if I can catch up with you later. Maybe for lunch. Have fun."
Mary Ann nodded her understanding and agreement. Kurt removed his arm and walked down the hall to the left. Mary Ann shook her head to clear it and walked into the Chemistry class only to fine it full of many of the same jocks form her homeroom and even more of their friends. Her shoulders drooped and she slowly walked to the teacher's desk.
"Excuse me. My name is Mary Ann Sparks. I'm new here."
The teacher looked up at her. He realized how different she was from the rest of her classmates and smiled apologetically. "Of course you are. Go ahead and take a seat anywhere. I'll get you a book in a minute."
Mary Ann looked around the loud class. The only seats were in the front row. She took the front seat closest to the door, incase she needed to make a quick escape if need be. The teacher walked to a closet in from of her and pulled out a bright blue book with Chemistry written in the spine. He opened the front cover then closed it, quickly. Mary Ann laid her head down and hoped no one would bother her. The teacher put the book he had on her desk and she raised her head and set it on her folded arms.
"Ok class Let's quiet down. We have a lot to do."
The other students went back to their seats and gradually the chatter died down. Mary Ann slid down in her chair hoping her teacher wouldn't introduce her and pick her out of the crowd, like she didn't stand out already.
"Ok class. Today we have a new unit."
Mary Ann let out the breath she wasn't aware she was holding and felt the eyes that were boring into her back, lift as the students got out notebooks. Mary Ann opened hers and retrieved her pencil from her bag. The teacher turned to the board and started to write, quickly on the board and boredom set in.
Class could not have been any longer. Finally, the bell rang and Mary Ann closed her notebook. She put her pencil behind her ear and gathered her book, folder and notebook. The other students sped out and Mary Ann didn't even stand up until they left. She walked into the hall and looked from side to side, trying to orient herself. She pulled her Schedule out from her back pocket. Public speaking. It was one floor down. The basement. Mary Ann folded up her schedule but didn't return it to her pocket. She moved into the flow of students and moved toward the closest stairwell.
The next floor down was even more crowded than the other one. Mary Ann found the closest room and got her bearings, somewhat. She started to fight her way down the crowded hall toward her room. Countless people bumped into her but just went on as if it were normal to almost knock someone down. Her class was at the end of the hall. She didn't bother to look around at the class; She didn't bother to look around at the students. She walked right up to the teacher, wanting to get the day over with.
"Um, excuse me?"
"Yes?" his accent was heavy Russian.
"I'm Mary Ann Sparks. I'm new."
"Oh yes. Take a seat and I'll get you your books."
Mary Ann nodded and finally looked around the room. The desks were split into two groups on either side of the room. She sat in the back across from the windows. Students filed in, none of them she'd seen before. They all looked at her then went about their business. She sighed and laid her head down.
"Mary Ann?"
Mary Ann raised her head and found Kurt standing over her.
"Hey Kurt."
"You're in this class?"
"I guess."
Kurt smiled. He sat down next to her. "That's great! But watch out for the teacher. He's, well. Um…"
"I get it."
Kurt smiled again. He opened his mouth to say something but the bell rang and people fell silent as the teacher stood and began his lesson. Kurt pulled out his notebook and started to write something. Mary Ann pulled her notebook out also.
"Students! We have a new member to our group. Mary Ann Sparks. Please make her feel welcome," the teacher said. He placed two large books on the deal in the front of her row and they were passed back to Mary Ann. She sighed and put them on the floor.
Kurt ripped the paper he was writing on out of his notebook, folded it and put it on Mary Ann's desk. He smiled at her then turned to pay attention. Mary Ann opened the paper.
Do you wanna stay with me tonight?
Mary Ann pulled out her pink ink pen and scribbled I guess underneath Kurt's note. She put it back on his desk and went back to her notebook, pretending to take notes. He read it and scribbled something down in reply. He folded it back up and waiting til the teachers gaze passed them by, til he put it on Mary Ann's desk.
Meet me in the front of the school. I'll wait for you. Need help finding anything else?
Mary Ann smiled and wrote My locker down quickly. She tossed it back on Kurt's desk just as the class burst out on an uproar over something to teacher had said.
"This happens all the time," Kurt said.
"Oh, great."
Kurt smiled again and said, "Let me see you schedule again. The locker number and combo are on there."
Mary Ann pulled it out from in between her folder and notebook and handed it to Kurt. He opened it up and looked it over. "Your locker is up by Jean's, where we were this morning. I'll take you up there after this class. My next class is that way anyway. Yours is to. Japanese. That's hard."
"Not really. I'm only taking it because I know most of it already. Do we have any other classes together?"
"Um," Kurt looked over the paper once more "Yup. Last period. Geometry."
"Gravy."
Kurt laughed and handed the schedule back to Mary Ann.
"What?" she asked.
"Is 'gravy' an Indiana thing?"
"Not really. It's a Mary Ann thing. My best friend use to say it a lot."
"Oh I see."
The class slowly quieted down and went on with the poetry lesson. Everything the teacher was trying to say Mary Ann knew by heart.
English class was longer than the Chemistry class. The class erupted in some sort of argument every 5 minutes. No one even looked her and Kurt's way. Finally the bell rang and the class filed out. Mary Ann followed Kurt back up the stairs and down a small hallway.
"So you're gonna meet me after school?"
"I guess. But I though we had last period together?"
"Oh yeah. Sorry."
Mary Ann smiled and walked beside Kurt silently. The hallway was quiet and not a lot of people seemed to use it. There were no windows or classrooms. No lockers, or fountains. In fact the wall were bare of the usual posters. Mary Ann tried to suppress a shudder that something was about to happen. Suddenly, ahead of them, the brunette haired girl he'd seem with Kurt seemed to appear from the wall. Mary Ann screamed and dropped her books. Kurt grabbed her arm to keep her from running and, for the first time, he didn't seem to remember who he was. Mar Ann felt his three fingers around her wrist and panicked even harder. She grabbed his hand and wrist and accidentally hit his watch. The holographic disguise faded and Mary Ann hit the ground.