Soooooooooooooooooo sorry for not updating sooner and for letting all my poor, neglected reviewers waste away waiting for me to get off my er...rear and put more up. I do have reasons and if you want to know what they are you'll just have to look up my updated Bio page.
Anyway, this chappie is neither exciting nor romantic, but it does finally give a hint to what isthat is coming.
I want to thank everyone for being patient and those newbies who stumble in upon my work and make it this far.
Disclaimer: exactly, as in I am disclaiming rights and responsibilities aka ownership of X-men: evolution and take responsibility for my creations and alterations alone.
NOT MINE - MINE!
Oh, and to break the paragraphs apart this time I had to put in .-. between them.
Whatever. Here you go.
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As Todd made his way down the halls towards his next class, the familiar scent of damp clay grew stronger the closer he came. Turning one last corner he followed a small stream of students into the classroom or, rather, workshop. Taking a seat at one of the pottery wheels against the walls like several other students, he thought back fondly of the one class he had enjoyed when he had last gone to Bayville high, which was basically the same one he was taking now: Pottery. It had been the one place he had truly felt any peace and where no one picked on him since none of the other mutants of the time had taken it with him.
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Besides, Mr. Sehawer wouldn't tolerate anything like that. He either kicked you out immediately if he found you fooling around, or sent you to the office to get suspended for a week. He said it was because it was too dangerous for anyone to spend their attention on anything other than their work, what with the machinery and all. However, if he found you demeaning other students, you got a failing grade on whatever project you were working on at the time, no matter the quality. He said that if the maker was of poor quality, the project couldn't be anything but. I wonder if he and Ms. Alica know each other, Todd thought on impulse.
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Just then, the last of the students came trickling in and he saw a familiar, if unexpected face. "Hey Gabby, over here!", he called. She grinned and weaved her way between the waiting students and machinery of wheels and clay mixers.
"So what're you doin' in this class? Thought you'd be more into, I don't know, somethin' dealing with computers or the like.", he said as she came over and leaned against the wall near his seat.
"Yeah right, I would get so bored so easily.", she replied, refering to the fact that she was writing programs more advanced than the school computers could handle by the time she was ten and hacking into even more advanced ones just last week.
"I decided I wanted to try something new, something like I'd never done before. Also, remember that I was the one to give the school your preferences for electives, so I knew you'd be in this class. I wanted at least one where I knew someone.", she continued in an all-knowing tone.
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Just then the teacher walked in and stood at his desk at the front of the room. It was on a raised floor to avoid the water when they hosed down the clay spattered floor at the end of the day. As with Ms. Alica, the class quieted fairly quickly and paid him all of their attention when he began to speak, "All of you here should be signed up for Pottery one, two, or even a few of you, three. All of you also had better have read the side note on the signup papers about my policy on roughhousing, teasing, foul language and put downs."
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He scanned the room before continuing, "If you haven't, I'll just let you know that I don't hold with any of it. If I catch you at it, you are out of this class immediately. No questions asked." Well, even harsher than last time I was here, in a good way. Todd joined Gabby in her grin, which hadn't left her face yet.
"Now, I'm passing around papers showing what those of you in one and two will be doing this term, take a look at them.", Mr. Sehawer said while doing so, "Those of you in class three, come up to my desk and I'll tell you what you'll be doing personally."
It was like a dismissal, so the class began murmering to itself. Two students headed up to the front desk, "Well Gabs, that's my cue. You can have my seat if you want."
Gabriel looked at him startled and her grin faded a bit, "What? I'm in three. You didn't think to look when you signed up?", his grin got wider at her scowl of irritation.
"I took pottery every year, it was my one haven. Anyway, we'll talk later, I gotta go.", he said as he saw that the teacher was finished handing out papers and was headed back up to his desk. Todd followed close behind him, so didn't see the flash of pity then anger that quickly crossed her features at being reminded of what he had once suffered.
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Turning to the three students before him, Mr. Sehawer got a flash of dejavu looking at, who his role sheet had labeled, Kicker Wigglesman. Shaking it off, he addressed the two guys and one girl, "Since you all are more advanced than the other students, you will act like tutors for them. I can't be everywhere and the classes are much to large anymore. So, you all will act as my aids." The other two besides Todd fidgeted.
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"You will get extra credit and no you don't have to clean up after anyone but yourselves. Don't worry, you'll all get plenty of time for your own projects, including your end of term final. Today I want you to pick one of the first years and get them started. Here's a checklist I want you to go over and make sure that both you and they know where everythings at." He handed out a short list to them all.
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Turning back to the rest of the class, he anounced in a louder voice, "Oh, and for all of you wondering, no we will not be working on anything today. Today is for getting to know where everything is and reading the rules. Once you have that all done, you are free to chat or whatnot the rest of the period. You'll notice all of the machines are unplugged, leave them that way."
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He shooed the three advanced students forward. "If any of you have questions or need help and I'm not available, you can come to these three for help. Kicker," he motioned Todd forward, followed by, "James and Ericka. For now, just look at the checklists with your rule sheets and get yourselves familiar with the room and location of supplies. If any of you need me, I'll be up here at my desk finishing up some last minute paperwork." So saying he sat down and the class began moving about and murmering.
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Todd headed back to Gabriel where she was sitting at the wheel he had vacated. When he arrived he asked in a flippant tone, "So, where you wanna start on that list Gabs?"
Needless to say she was fairly grumpy for most of the period at finding that he would be her superior in this class. She only became more cheerful about halfway through the period when they finished the list and got to talking about their first periods. No one they knew was in with her, but it seems that there was a guy she thought was totally hot that sat in front of her. When he managed to get a word in edgewise, he was able to tell her about Jaime and inviting him to the party after school.
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"He was one of the kids that arrived at Xavier's just before I took off, so I don't know much about him, but he seems pretty cool and we get along great.", he finished.
Gabriel gave him an unsure look, "Kicker, are you sure you want this guy, who you don't even know, to be the first one over? And didn't you say he had a problem with controlling, you know, it?" He knew she was referring to his powers of multiplying.
"Gabs, didn't you pay attention? He's in school, where it's a lot more crowded than it'll be back home. Even if it's everyone all together there.", Todd reasoned, "I'm sure he's got it under control and don't worry, I trust him enough. There's just something about him that reminds me of how I used to be. You know, all unsure, picked on and with no confidence in himself. You'll see."
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Just then the bell signaling the end of the period rang and they grabbed up their backpacks from by their feet. Todd had an advanced math class to dread, while Gabriel had English with Ms. Alica to look forward to. As they headed towards the door and their next classes and parted in the hall, he could hear one of the girls that had been in class with them walk up to Gabriel and ask her if they were dating.
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"Ewww, no way! He's my brother!", was the last he heard from them. He chuckled, at least I wont be starting off my next class in a bad mood, but I'll probably end it that way. Sighing, his mood already dropping in anticipation, he trudged off to his third period math class.
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Surprisingly enough, the math he had been dreading wasn't that bad. It was basically the same stuff he had dealt with in his last term, just a tiny bit harder. It was made even easier what with Tanya sharing his class with him. Thankfully it was free seating so they shared a table. She was not quite a math wiz, but fairly close to it. The teacher assigned an evaluation quiz first thing, to find out how proficient their skills really were and how much they remembered from their last terms.
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The one true down point in that period was a creepy guy that… well, lurked in the back of the classroom. He had a thin, narrow face and angular features. His lank, black hair was long and hung loose down to his shoulders. His expression was always sour and when he caught either Todd or Tanya glancing his way he gave them suspicious looks. Everyone else he just gave scowls. He wore faded jeans and a dark gray T-shirt with an evil smiley face on the back of it. The eyes were black and narrow and the jagged, zigzag smile had little fangs on it pointing down.
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When that class was over they practically rushed out of the room ahead of all the others, relieved to get away from his bad vibes. That and the fact it was now lunch and they could meet up with everyone. As they speedily walked away, they didn't notice the evil glare the dark teen they left behind give them before he hurried off to tell his contacts and make his report.
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Ok, the creepy guy in the end? Think about the evil mongol bowman in Mulan only younger and in modern clothes. If you don't know who I'm talking about you'll just have to deal with the vague description.
I know, I know: so short, so action-less, so late...sigh, but also so much better to come.
And you all will be relived to know I shall stop pestering you all for response. It doesn't mean I don't still crave it, only that I shall cease begging and will rely on your own decision to do so without me interfereing.
For a while at least.
If I can help it.
You might get one or two chapters that way at least.
Maybe.
ANYway... Ithank you all, trust your judgement, and hope you like my work.
If you don't I'd also apreciate to know why and will now accept constructive critasism, but please be polite.
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