It was a Wednesday morning and the residents of The Mansion (which it had been christened by the young teenagers as a joke for lack of a better name) were gathering on the front lawn, getting ready for school. Not all the residents though. Only Scott, Jean and Ororo were on the front lawn. Charles had stated that it would be better for Todd to not return due to the circumstances. And Logan had told the others that he had a surprise for them.

"I don't like this." Scott said. "Any surprise that Logan cooks up can not be a good thing."

"Come on Scott." Jean spoke. "Logan isn't has bad as you think." She paused and cracked a smile. "Even though he has managed to pull off a number of successful pranks on you." Both Jean and Ororo giggled. Ororo, even being at The Mansion for only a month now, had been around long enough to witness several of Logan's pranks.

The group heard a roaring in the distance. They looked toward the sound and saw Logan approaching the mansion, riding a motorcycle.

Scott watched in disbelief as Logan rode up the long drive way and stopped in front of the students. "What the hell is that?" He asked.

"A motorcycle." Logan answered taking off his helmet.

"And just how could you afford a motorcycle?"

"Scott, this may be hard for you to believe but I do have life outside this place that I do remember. Let's just say I pulled in a few favors."

"I'm sure you did." Scott wasn't convinced. "So how many people did you have to kill?"

"Seven." Logan smiled; Scott wouldn't be surprised if he had. "Oh come on Scott, you know you want to ride." Logan grabbed the extra, passenger helmet and offered it to Scott.

"I'll drive, Thanks though." Scott began to walk off slowly.

"Jean?" Logan asked.

"I think I'll ride in the car with Scott." She headed off to her boyfriend.

"Ororo?" Logan casually asked the next person in line.

Ororo cast a glance toward the two that were walking off, but quickly agreed to the lift. "Yeah sure… why not?"

"Well at least one of you knows how to have fun!" Logan called out to the other two as he gave the passenger helmet to Ororo and she climbed on the back behind him. "Hold on tight babe." He told her as he revved the engine and took off. Being sure to give it an extra rev as he past Scott.

"Immature." Scott whispered.

"You know Scott." Jean began. "It wouldn't hurt you to at least try to have a little fun every now and then." She grabbed his hand and they walked the rest of the way to the car.

Todd had watched the event transpire from a window on the second floor. He had been at the mansion for just over a month while his wounds healed and he was still itching to get out.

Today was the day. He had planned everything out. He knew Xavier put his few remaining suppressants in a locked drawer in his room. He would just sink in the room when Charles wasn't looking, grab the drugs and get back to the school to say good-bye to the few friends he truly had before heading out into the sun set.

He knew Charles was in his office holding some important phone conference with some random person that Todd cared nothing for.

The Mansion had been fitted with an elevator so Xavier's room was on the second floors with everybody else. Todd walked down the center hallway of the three major hallways. There where only a few doors. Todd walked down to the door that was towards the middle of the hallway. He turned the knob. He didn't know if the door would be unlocked or not… luckily it was and the door creaked open.

Todd entered the room and gaped at the size.

The room was the biggest bedroom in the house and one of the biggest rooms. The bed at the head of the room was lat 19th century design, the same as the rest of the house. And on the walls hung mass portraits of famous War Generals from different wars and eras. General Washington and Patton were just two of the many.

The room had been modernized somewhat with a big screen television a few feet from the bed.

Most of the room was still empty.

Todd spotted the nightstand by the bed and headed towards it. Todd didn't have the key to the drawer, but he tried it anyway. It was locked. He tried again, pulling harder. Nothing.

"Where's that mutant strength your suppose to have?" He asked himself. "Pull!"

He pulled hard, and with a sound of the lock breaking the drawer slid open.

It was empty except for the four cylinders of the drug. "This was a little easy." He said as he grabbed the cases and put them back in his coats pocket, and turned to leave.

"Todd? What a surprise." Todd had turned around to see Xavier just entering the room.

"Uh… yeah… I just felt like exploring the parts of this place I haven't seen yet. I'm sorry if I'm disturbing something… I'll go ahead and get out." Todd walked past Charles and through the doorway.

"Todd." Charles called. "I know what you're planning."

Todd froze stiff. "You do?"

"Yes. I've seen it on your face since you arrived. I know that you plan to leave as soon as you have fully recovered. I just wanted to say that you're welcome to stay even longer if you want."

Todd breathed a slight sigh of relief. "That's very kind of you Professor. This place has been the home I never had, but… I don't feel I belong here. To much bad karma you know?"

"If you ever change you mind. You know where we are."

"Don't worry Charley, I've still got a week or so left here." Todd lied. "I could change my mind.

Jason Green sat across from Bryan Long, Melissa Garcia and a few others that were on the soccer team. It had been over a month from the fight in the cafeteria, but it was still the main topic of discussion among the students. And oddly enough the story had never made the news.

Jason hadn't seen Todd since he was hauled into an ambulance and he was beginning to worry about what had happened to him.

"So when do you think the freak is coming back?" Bryan asked taking a bit out of a pizza.

"Huh?" Jason questioned.

"Your friend. The freak. When do you think he is coming back?"

"I don't know, I haven't heard from him. And why do you care about it?"

"I don't. I'm just curious. I'd probably kick his ass if he ever showed up again any way."

"Or try to."

"What?" Bryan asked.

"You heard me Bry. Todd kicked the living crap out of the lion dude. He could fricken kick yours to."

"Why are you sticking up for that creep?"

"Because he is my friend. And that's what friends do. Stick up for each other." Jason paused, he noticed that his voice was raising and people were starting to look at him. "Not that you would know anything about friends." He quickly added and walked off from the table.

Melissa didn't know why but she got up and followed him. "Hey… wait up." She spoke.

"Why do even go out with that creep?" Jason asked.

"So now he's the creep?" She asked.

"Mutants are humans Melissa. So what if they have special powers or deformed skin. Why must man fear everything that they do not understand?"

"I don't know." She spoke.

"You deserve better then the way he treats you."

"I deserve you?" She asked.

"No. But I could name a few guys." Jason began walking again, she followed.

"I visited him in the hospital Jason. Todd was my friend to?"

"He was?" He asked.

"I admit I didn't know that well, but I knew who he was. When I saw that creature man walking toward me I was scared… just like everyone else. He stopped him. He told him to leave us… leave me alone. I know Bryan is a jerk, and now I know he's a coward. Bryan was running away with everyone else. Todd was able to stand up to something he didn't know… something that could've cost him his life. He changed my view on him that day."

"How was he?" Jason asked. "I didn't get a chance to visit him."

"Beaten up. Wrapped in bandages. I didn't stay wrong. Principle Kelly and some bald guy in a wheel chair were there visiting him as well." There was a few seconds of silence between the two friends. "Do you think he will come back?"

"I don't know Melissa… I really don't know."

Todd Mathews was on the roof of Midway High school. Preparing to crawl through air ducts and find a way into the school.

He had done it before on days he had missed the bus and arrived late. He had always kept a few extra hall passes in his jacket. He would sneak into one of the bathrooms and emerge holding a hall pass, and then just make up some excuse to the teacher.

He looked through the vent below him to make sure no one was in the bathroom below. It was clear.

He popped open the vent and dropped into the stall beneath him. He closed the vent and stood with his back to the door, making sure it was locked. He grabbed one of the remaining suppressants in his pocket and took it out. "You shouldn't be doing this." He told himself. "They deserve a good bye."

He stuck the needle into his skin and pushed the contents into his flesh. He surged in pain. It had been over a month since his last injection, he knew this was going to be bad.

His hair grew shorter and dried as the wetness subsided. His skin started to grow pale peach colored. His tongue shrinked. His strength subsided. He grew more human,

When the process was complete he took a breath and stepped out of the stalls. Josh Metcalf and his two lackeys were standing by the sink.

Josh spotted him first. "Well… look who it is. Mutant boy."

"Josh." Todd growled and tried to walk past him.

Josh stopped him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To class."

"I don't think so Toady. That is what the other one called you wasn't it?" He laughed.

"I don't have time for this."

"Really? I thought you would have plenty of time for this. Seeing as how you've been scarce lately."

"Wow, must really hurt then to find out you're wrong."

"No as much as you're going to be hurting." Josh signaled to his two lackeys.

"What you're going to try to hurt me?" Todd was trying to call their bluff. He knew that so soon after an injection his body couldn't handle a transformation back to its mutant state.

"You see Toady. We don't like you kind around here. And it looks like we're going to have to teach you a lesson so you know never to come back."

The three pounced on him. Landing punches all over his body. Todd tried to shove them away, but his body was still weak. They pushed him into a stall and he fell down.

"Pick him up!" Josh ordered. His lackeys obeyed and held onto Todd tightly. "You know…" Josh started, putting his hand into his pocket. "They should really install metal detectors in this school." He pulled out a small object and flipped it open. A small knife emerged from the handle. "Don't you think?" He asked, and then plunged the knife into Todd's stomach. He took it out and plunged it in again. Todd collapsed as Josh's lackeys let him go.

The three boys left the bathroom, laughing as they went.

Todd cried in pain. He couldn't breath. "Professor!" His mind called out. "Charles….help…" Todd's mind continued calling as everything went black.