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"Valerie, to what do I owe this honor?" Emma Frost asked. As she stood the sun shown through the sheer white blouse she wore, silhouetting her slender, graceful form.
Val frowned with a trace of disapproval at the other woman's display. "I hate to offer you a difficult case as your first student. Her parents contacted us as soon as they heard we were arranging schooling for mutants. Professor Xavier already has a number of students and more on the way…"
"Oh don't apologize." Emma said. "I enjoy a good challenge. Please introduce me to the little dear."
"We'll be collecting her today. Would you like to come along?" Val asked. "I have a helicopter waiting at the airport."
"I'd be delighted." Emma said with a gesture to the door.
Forty minutes later they were standing outside a tidy brownstone building. Emma noted the heavy bars on several of the upstairs windows. Val rang the bell. Three of Fury's soldiers backed them up.
A tall elegantly coifed woman answered the door. "Oh thank God you're here. We just don't know what to do with Maria anymore. Every year she gets stronger, wilder and more vicious. We've had to keep her locked up since she was thirteen."
"Lets not waste time." Emma said coolly. "I'll go up and talk with young Maria."
Mrs. Callasantos took a key out of the draw in the table at the base of the stairs then led the way upstairs. When she put the key in a door on the third floor Emma placed a hand over hers. "I'll take it from here." She said. She turned and gave the three soldiers a disdainful look. "That means you too."
Val gave Emma an evaluating glance then nodded to the soldiers. "We'll wait downstairs. Don't hesitate to yell if you run into trouble."
"Certainly… if I have a problem, darling."
Emma opened the door and stepped inside. Once upon a time the suite of rooms had been a pleasant, delicately feminine apartment. Now there were deep claw marks in the walls and table while the curtains and cushions were shredded. A bare mattress lay in one corner, several pieces of furniture had been drug near it and the box spring was balanced on top of them to make that corner into a lair. One window was broken out between the bars. A slim girl covered in short, tawny fur sat in front of the window. She was completely still, except for the occasional twitch of her three-foot long tail. One ear flicked back in acknowledgement of Emma's entrance but that was it. A sparrow landed on the windowsill and started picking at the ripped up pieces of bread scattered there. Maria's clawed hand shot out and snatched the little bird. The sparrow twittered in panic as the girl squeezed it lightly. Maria turned to face Emma, the bird still in her hand. "My dear, celebrating your differences is to be admired." Emma said. "Blindly obeying your every impulse is something else altogether." "I ate my last tutor." Maria announced sounding pleased with herself. "My parents dumped the body in the park. The police are still looking for an escaped tiger from the zoo." "Try me." Emma offered.
Maria leapt at Emma. A moment before her claws connected a glittering, diamond-hard shell formed around Emma. Maria's claws scraped harmlessly across the shell with a sound like nails on a chalkboard. Maria yowled at the sound.
"Next time maybe you'll think instead of simply reacting." Emma said tartly. She calmly walked into the room, took a seat in one of the battered chairs and neatly crossed her legs.
"You're like me." Maria said as she stared at Emma.
"Yes, I am. Now can we talk like civilized beings?" Emma asked.
Maria's tail lashed angrily. "What do you want?"
"I'm offering you a chance to meet with other people like yourself; a chance to get out of this room; a chance to put your natural assets to good use. I'm certain we could find you more interesting prey than sparrows."
Maria flicked a bright pink tongue over her needle-sharp fangs. "Call me Feral." She said.
****** ****** ******
"Taxi's stopping." Ray announced as he turned away from the window.
"Oh joy, more newbies." Bobby said boredly. Delicately he nudged one block out of the Jenga tower sitting in the center of the coffee table. With a flourish he placed the piece on the top of the tower. "Rahne?"
The wolf-girl sat up from where she'd been reclining against Todd's shoulder. She studied the tower. "What does this one look like?" She asked as she considered her options.
"A guy, blond. Looks pretty well-to-do." Ray summarized. "Ouch, poor gate. He's not happy to be here."
Todd rolled into a crouch behind Rahne and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Todd!" Rahne protested for form's sake. "You'll make me mess-up."
Todd glanced over at Ray. "He already sounds like fun." He commented. "Yo, any bets on who'll get stuck with this one?"
"A milkshake says he's ends up in Kitty's wing." Ray said. "She's good with the 'I just want to be normal' set."
"How about Rogue?" Bobby said. "She wouldn't put up with nonsense."
"Kurt, shock value." Jubilee volunteered.
"Oh damn, the Prof'll probably give to me." Todd exclaimed. "The fuzzball's too sensitive."
"He might be nice." Rahne said. "But if he says anything nasty to you I'll bite him."
Down below the subject of their conversation jumped back as the intercom squealed in protest at his rough treatment.
"Um… Doug Ramsey to see Professor Xavier." He said as he recovered himself.
//Just follow the road. Someone will meet you at the front door.// A voice in his head said.
Doug jumped again. "I can already see how well I'm going to fit in." He muttered. He studied the boy who met him at the door curiously. He wondered if the strangely cut and colored hair was a mutation.
"Hey I'm Spyke or Evan." The other teen said as he offered Doug his hand. "Nice to meet you. Welcome to the Institute. Hope you like it here… Am I forgetting anything? Oh, where are you from? What do you like to do? What are your powers?" Several long, sharp looking bone spikes erupted from the other boy's forearm. "That's what I do and I'm the best skate boarder you've ever met. You're turn." Evan delivered the whole speech as if by route.
The first day of the deluge the X-Men had been eager and excited to meet their new classmates but after a week long parade of kids who were alternately homesick, angry, scared or in denial, an air of cynical ennui had descended over the senior classes.
Doug blinked at Evan a few times while he processed the barrage of questions. "Doug Ramsey from Upstate New York. I'm into computers. And it's none of your damn business what I do. It's a mistake that I'm here and with any luck I'll be back home before I have to unpack my bags."
"Good luck with that." Evan said patronizingly.
"Look, could I talk to Xavier?" Doug said.
Evan gestured for Doug to follow him upstairs. He left the blonde outside Xavier's office.
"Douglas, I'm pleased to meet you." Xavier said.
"They made a mistake." Doug announced. "I'm not a mutant. I don't have any powers. They sent me here because I wouldn't show them my powers… The ones I don't have! You gotta make them understand I'm just a normal kid, I don't deserve this."
"None of us do." Xavier replied. "Who deserves to be ostracized? To have their lives arbitrarily uprooted? We live in very uncertain times. I saw your test results; you are a mutant. It's likely that your power is a subtle one. Here we can help you to discover what it is and to use it."
"Maybe I'd be happier ignorant and free to live my own life." Doug said.
Xavier sighed. "Maybe you would have been but you aren't ignorant anymore. You can't just forget what you know to be true about yourself."
"What I know is that someone made a mistake and I'm going to prove it."
"Douglas, you'll be happier if you try to fit in." Xavier said.
"How do I do that? I'm not a freak." Doug exclaimed.
"You're room is in the south wing of the new building." Xavier said. "Pietro Maximoff will be your RA. He'll be orienting you. Normally he'd also be doing preliminary work in helping you to manage your powers but considering your rather unique situation I'll be asking Hank McCoy to work with you."
"Good, maybe he'll realize I'm normal." Doug said.
"You are normal, you're also a mutant."
****** ****** ******
The lights of Rio de Janeiro spread out before the window. At night it was hard to tell where the city ended and the ocean began because of the boats in harbor and the lights reflecting up off the water.
Roberto DaCosta stood in front of the floor to ceiling windows that made up the outer wall of his father's office. Behind him his father discussed his future with a sexy blonde.
Mr. DaCosta smiled warmly at his visitor. "I know my son will be in good hands with you Emma."
"Our mutual associates appreciate your confidence." Emma replied as she offered him her hand. Mr. DaCosta raised it to his lips. Roberto watched their reflections in the glass with a dark scowl.
Once Emma had left Roberto turned to confront his father. "If you're going to send me away again why can't I go back to Xavier's? I have friends there." He complained.
Emma is one of the savviest businesspeople I've ever met. You could do much worse that to emulate her."
"Mama thinks highly of Professor Xavier." Roberto said. "I doubt she'd like Ms. Frost's style."
"It's not your mother who will inherit this business." Mr. DaCosta said. "I love your mother dearly but she's the very definition of ivory tower. I expect you to deal in the real world. Emma has access to the kinds of connections you are going to need if you intend to succeed."
Roberto sighed then nodded his consent.
****** ****** ******
As the breaking thrusters on the X-Jet fired Sam opened the top hatch and blasted out. His maneuver got him to the Cumberland meadow about three second faster than the jet would have done and added a new pit to the countryside.
"Hey mama!" Sam yelled.
"Yah look so much like your Daddy." Lucinda Guthrie called back. She smiled at him even as she blinked back sudden tears. "Yah been eatin' your greens?"
"Yes ma'am, yah can even ask Mr. McCoy." Sam replied blushing faintly. "How's the farm doing?"
Lucinda shrugged. "No worse than normal. Yah know how it is."
Sam frowned. "Should Ah come home?"
"Oh Sammy, no." Lucinda sighed. "Yah can't make the rain fall or the ground better. 'Sides what would yah do about schooling? Ah'm not raising an ignorant child. Josh and Ah are managing just fine. Truth is Ah asked your Professor about taking Paige and Ah'm counting on you to look out for her."
"Paige? She's just a little thing." Sam exclaimed.
Lucinda shook her head. "Ah know Sam. Ah need to talk with one of your teachers."
"Mr. McCoy came down with me like yah asked. The Professor would've come but things are a little crazy at school right now." Sam said. He gestured back toward the jet where Hank and Kitty were disembarking.
"M' lady Guthrie," Hank said as he made a courtly bow.
Lucinda laughed as she put a hand to her heart. "My lands, someone didn't miss a day at charm school."
"One must compensate for fur in the drains somehow." Hank replied.
"Ah have a number of young ladies, with long hair that ends up in all sorts of unfortunate places, whom Ah'd be obliged if yah'd mention that detail to." Lucinda said. "Sam, Miss. Could yah go on ahead?"
" 'Course Mama." Sam said. "Come on Kitty, Ah'm sure mah sisters want to hear all about what's in style in New York. Maybe yah'll have better luck satisfying them than Ah have."
When the teen were out of earshot Lucinda turned to Hank. "Ah'm in a corner. This is a small town; everyone knows everyone else's business. The Alvers boy destroying Bayville made the national news. We may be off the beaten track but we aren't ignorant of the world. Our neighbors all know what happened in Bayville was caused by a mutant. They know mutation is genetic. They know mah Sam has powers. They drew their own connections and made life hell for mah other kids. Ah had them all tested. Paige and Elizabeth are both dormant. Liza's only six; Ah can manage home schooling for her. Paige, she's twelve and a real, real sharp girl."
Hank listened patiently.
"Ah don't want to hold her back. Mr. McCoy, Ah'm a widow with over half a dozen children, a farm to run and no college education. Ah have neither the time, money, nor the ability to do right by Paige. But mah little girl doesn't have any special powers, not like Sam's; she may never develop them. By pulling her and Liza Ah made thing tolerable for the others. Paige is a grade ahead in English, two ahead in math and the sciences. She works incredibly hard, she deserves every chance. Ah need to know two things: Would your school be willing to take her and if yah are, can yah keep her safe?"
"I understand your concerns." Hank said. "We would be honored to see to Paige's education and I promise that we would do everything in our power to keep her safe. However I would be remiss if I didn't remind you that the Institute has become something of a target."
Lucinda glanced off to one side.
"I know you discussed this with Charles when we were first revealed to the public." Hank said gently. "You knew that Sam would be targeted regardless of where he was. You and Sam decided that it was best if he faced those threats head on and with his friends. Paige's circumstances are somewhat different. I wish I could give you the perfect solution but I'm afraid all I have to offer is an option."
"Ah'd like for yah to talk to Paige. Ah knew she's gonna want to go. After yah've met her, tell me if yah think yah can keep her out of too much trouble."
"What sort of trouble?" McCoy asked.
"The sort a smart, idealistic, stubborn young person finds very appealing."
****** ****** ******
Pietro's eyes sparkled with mischief as he spotted Jean sitting by herself in the front row of the lecture hall. In a blink of an eye he'd plaited her hair into dozens of tiny braids, finishing each one off with a knot, then taken the seat beside her.
"Do you always have to be a pest? You're worse than my sister ever was." Jean complained without much heat.
Pietro pretended to think about it for a moment. "Well no, but you never notice the eight-tenths of a second where I valiantly resist the temptation."
Jean had already started using her powers to unravel her hair. She extended it to hold Pietro still long enough for her to swat him.
"Hey watch the hair!" Pietro exclaimed with an evil grin.
"I take it you're staying for the lecture." Jean said with an attempt at a long-suffering sigh.
"I already set up a tape recorder in my other nine 'o clock class." Pietro replied. "The biology teacher never blows stuff up, it's not worth my time to actually attend his lectures."
"Where as Dr. Watson always finishes the week with a bang." Jean remarked. "How are things at the mansion?"
"The newbies are a bunch of whiners." Pietro said. "Professor X is making me share a room with the biggest pain of all. 'I'm not a mutant! I'm normal! It's all a big mistake!' Like I'm not a hundred times cooler than he is. So how's your roommate situation going?"
"Five down, a few hundred more students who don't want to live with a mutant yet to meet." Jean sighed.
"If you were me you could commute." Pietro said. He made it clear that this was clear evidence of his superiority.
Jean rolled her eyes and thought about hitting him again. Then, with a grin, she projected an image of Pietro being forced to sit perfectly still and silent for the whole lecture.
//This is the song that never ends…// Pietro started humming in his head.
"Brat." Jean laughed quickly erecting stronger mental shields.
****** ****** ******
Kitty blinked at the blonde whirlwinds engulfing Sam. One boy, only a year or two younger than his brother hung back slightly but the girls and younger boys welcomed their big brother home with open arms and an enthusiasm that nearly as perilous as a danger room session.
"Sweet Potato, you're gonna hug the life right outta me." Sam declared as he twisted an arm around behind his back to get a hold of the little goldilocks who'd jumped on his back to wrap her arms around his neck in a determined hug. An older girl disentangled her sister while planting a kiss on Sam's cheek.
A pair of twins glomped on to Sam's legs while several other small children attempted to climb him. Sam went down in a heap under their combined attack. The goldilocks squirmed to get loose and her sister released her to join the free-for-all.
"It'll be a bit before they're through with him." The girl said as she turned to Kitty. "Ah'm, I'm Paige, please to meet yah."
"Likewise, I'm Kitty Pryde."
"Josh." The older boy volunteered. Kitty nodded to him.
"Kitty, Kitty, I know I remember you from Sam's letters." Paige pondered. "Oh, oh mah. We have got to talk."
Kitty didn't have a chance to react before she was being hauled into a bedroom. One wall had a set of bunk beds against it there was a third bed beneath the window. One closet door was papered with 'My Little Pony' posters. Its neighbor featured N'sync and the wall over the neat, study desk had an old Suffragettes poster and a calligraphy copy of Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' speech.
"Okay, I already asked Sam, but the more details the better." Paige said in a rush. "I've written to Amnesty International and they agree what happened was totally amoral. I know he's dead but… Oh geeze. How tactless can I get? Oh man, Ah'm so sorry. Ah'm digging up painful memories, but what happened was wrong. We have to stop it from happening again. The government made Lance take poison, well practically."
"You were trying to help Lance?" Kitty asked as she sank into a chair. "Wow, you don't even know him."
"Wrong is wrong. It doesn't matter if I knew him or not. 'All it takes for evil to win is for good people to do nothing'." Paige quoted.
****** ****** ******
"Are you sure you're related to Scott Summers?" Jubilee asked.
"Is that your question?" Alex asked with a smirk. "I think it is. Yes, the truth is I really am Scott's younger brother."
"You are such a cheat." Jubilee laughed. "That wasn't a real question."
"Gotta watch how you phrase things." Alex replied with a grin as he reached out and spun the bottle in the center of the ring of teenagers. He'd arrived at the Institute earlier that afternoon and quickly decided that the only real way to get to know his new housemates was the spin-the-bottle version of 'Truth or Dare'. Bobby, Jubilee, Todd, Rahne and a few of the new comers had taken him up on it. Jamie had wanted to play but Bobby nixed it claiming that they wouldn't be able to get into any good stuff with a kid around. Todd seconded the motion for a more honest reason: They were all terrified of what Jamie might dream up.
The coke bottle came to rest pointed at Todd. "What's it going to be?" Alex asked.
"Dare." Todd answered confidently "There's nothing any of you can think of that I wouldn't do."
Alex pondered the challenge for a moment. "I seem to remember an irate looking hottie in a red trench studying downstairs." Todd gulped. "I dare you to walk up to her and lay one on her."
Todd stood up slowly. "A dare's a dare." He sighed. Melodramatically he swept Rahne into a hug. "If I don't make it back, always remember I love you." He announced.
"Quit your stalling." Bobby ordered.
"He can stall all he wants." Rahne declared as she snuggled up to Todd.
"March." Jubilee laughed.
Todd reluctantly let Rahne go and headed downstairs. The other players filed out after him and arranged themselves along the banister.
Todd hopped to Wanda's side. "Please don't kill me!" He exclaimed. He leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her cheek then leapt over the table. "I had to do it Wanda! Don't kill me."
Wanda stood up. She flexed her fingers as if to warm up. Todd cringed. Internally Wanda grinned, this was definitely how Remy would have handled things. After a moment she asked. "Why?"
"We're-playing-'Truth-or-Dare'-they-made-me!" Todd explained at a rate that could challenge Pietro's speed talking.
Wanda frowned consideringly as she saunter over to Todd.
"Donna ye dare hurt him!" Rahne exclaimed from the top of the stairs.
"Yeah it was just a game Dudette," Alex added with a faint tinge of guilt in his voice.
Wanda thought about hexing the blond surfer just for old times sake even if Papa would ground her for it. "If it's just a game, I guess I'll have to play then." She announced.
The other students stared at her in shock. Todd sighed in relief. "We're all glad to have you." He said as he led the way back upstairs to pick up where they'd left off.