Pyro was couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Let me get this straight. You're going to give me, us, the key to take both the humans and Xaivier down, and lead the mutants to world domination and you don't want anything in return? That's ridiculuous! No one is ever that generous without a catch." He spoke quickly to the figure who was cloaked in the shadows.

He could hear the murmured agreements of his "friends" behind him. Among them, Toad and Mystique. They were all standing in a cold cellar of a dilapidated farmhouse, and all of them were grouchy and growing impatient.

The figure growled, detesting the defiance. "Listen to me! I can offer you everything, but you have to trust me!"

"Then tell us. What do you get out of this?" Pyro argued.

"Everything you do, my boy, everything you do."

"A mutant? But that's ridiculous. That's like saying there are such things as werewolves!"

Marie giggled again. "Funny you should say that. I'm friends with one!"

June's jaw dropped. "Mutants are just make-believe. Only Crazy Ed from town talks about mutants, and he's always drunk!"

"You guys don't get cable here, do you?" Ororo asked.

"No, why?" June asked, catching on to what Ororo was about to say.

"Well we've been all in the news these past few years. Framed for doing things we haven't done. We want to take you to our school back in New York, so you can learn to use your gifts, so you don't become the kind of angry and dangerous mutants humans makes us out to be- so that you're not a danger to others or yourself."

June looked from Ororo, to Nana, to Marie, to Nana, to Ororo again. "Tell me more."

It was August 22th and the students at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters were as wild as ever, trying to enjoy there last couple of days freedom before the school year began on the first of the month. Kit and Katie Carson were sitting next to each other in the lunchroom enjoying deli sandwiches and French fries. Kit and Katie were faternal twins seven and a half minutes apart. Both had incredibly straight platinum blonde hair, Kit's wore his just a bit longer than a buzz cut and Katie wore her all the way down to the middle of her back. But what made the siblings unusual were their eyes. Katie's left was blue and her right eye was green. Kit's left eye was green and his right eye was blue. The pair of them had always loved their eyes, amazed at the wonder of it.

Across the table sat Matthew and Eric. Matthew, was a stocky German boy, who had the body of a football player, built thick and strong, but Eric was taller and leaner. He was a runner and a ball player. His caramel skin and dark curly hair made any girl want

to melt.

"…and then the blonde said, 'I wish I could be a penguin!'" Matthew said, with a large grin attached to his face as he finished his joke.

The rest of the kids at the table groaned. "Ugh!" Kit whined, "I can't believe you! And in front of me and Kaite? That's just low man!"

Katie giggled, and tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. "Kit's right, Matt! That's cruel! Go find some manners!"

The table continued to laugh at stupid blonde jokes, enjoying their vacation while they could. When they ran out of jokes, the table grew quiet.

"Hey, guys, guess what I know?" Eric said finally. The rest of them leaned into the table. "We're getting a new student. She's our age, from New Mexico, I don't know what powers she has, Xavier was holding her folder."

"This late in the game?" Katie asked quietly, knowing that they weren't even supposed to know about these things, but their curiosity combined with their gifts tempted them to monitor the whereabouts of the mansion. Eric and Matthew was the best at it though. With the powers to control time and camouflage, respectively, they would overhear when the teachers were meeting for something important, and Eric would freeze time so they could get in the meeting room look through all the papers and leave without being noticed. They had a feeling Xavier knew about what they were doing, but so far he hadn't stopped them.

"How do you mean?" Matt asked.

"I mean she's what? Sixteen? If she's lasted this long without Xavier, why get her now? He usually sends for us when we're younger, right?" Katie asked, skeptically.

"Maybe she was hard to track or somethin'. Or her powers are gonna grow to unimaginable strength." Kit offered.

Katie shrugged. "What's her name?"

Eric paused, then told her. "June Whitefeather."