Chapter 32: Gambling Makes Everything Better

Xavier smiled and Alara listened intently as he rolled out. Then her eyes stared at the blank wall. Kurt stayed there a moment before she asked, "Are you afraid of me Kurt?"

In truth, Kurt's heart was racing and he was shaking.

"No. Of course not Alara," he lied, his voice squeaking slightly. He could see her ears twitch slightly and hung her head, obviously observing that he was lying.

"All right. I'm a little afraid of you. It's just…" Kurt trailed off.

"Just that I have too much power that I can't control?"

"No… I don't think that's it…"

"That I almost killed you?"

"Not really."

"Then what?"

"I just don't understand a lot about you," Kurt sighed. "For example, vhy are you surging NOW? Vhy can't you control it?"

Alara shrugged.

"I try not to use my powers very often. People call me names and treat me differently when they find out. I've used my power more in just these few days than I ever have in my life."

"I know about the names. I vas taunted vhen I lived back in Germany. Novon understood vhat it vas like to be blue and fuzzy."

Alara put her forehead on the glass. Kurt put his forehead where hers was.

"Vhy do they have to be so cruel?"

Alara smiled softly.

"Because humans are afraid of those who are different. People attack those they are afraid of."

"Vhy are they afraid of me?"

"Because you don't look like them."

"But that's not fair."

"I know. I know," she murmured soothingly. "Life is never fair. It's not fair to me either."

Kurt lifted his head off the glass to look at her.

"How's so?"

She looked up to where she thought he was, smiling.

"When I was about six, my grandmother died and left me all alone. A foster family took me in, trying to make me forget what happened. The only thing that helped me remember was my mother's diary. She kept precise detail of what happened up until she died. They, my foster family, tried to make me become a Christian. They tried changing my name. They tried cutting my hair. They tried everything to try to absorb me into their family. But one day, they walked in on me antagonizing my foster sister by changing into a tiger. She was always mean to me. Stole my stuff constantly. So I decided that night to use my powers for a little mischievous activity.

"I morphed, snuck into her room and roared my heart out. She screamed bloody murder and before I could get out of there, my foster parents were at the door, with a shotgun no less. So I transformed back into a human and got onto my knees, begging for them not to shoot me. They started yelling and screaming about how I was a demon from Hell and that I needed to be punished. So they knelt in my foster sister's room and prayed. I walked out and packed all of the stuff I could and got out of there fast. I was nine then. I wandered through the streets for years. I almost got killed several times. I almost got sexually abused twice."

Alara paused, sighing sadly.

"I finally heard about this place. So I came and thought it was abandoned because there were no lights on. So I decided to sneak in anyways and look around to see if maybe, just maybe there was someone like me in there. And guess who I found."

Kurt blinked.

"Who?"

Alara smiled and turned, leaning the side of her head against the glass.

"I found the best blue, fuzzy German guy I have ever met."

"I'm the only blue, fuzzy German guy you ever met."

Kurt smiled and placed a hand where the side of her head was. She turned to look at where the hand was and stood up.

"Kurt, I have something to show you," she whispered.

Kurt looked suspiciously at her.

"Vhat vould that be?"

She laughed slightly at the mistrust lacing his voice and sighed.

"Don't worry. It's not bad."

She put her arms out to the sides and looked as though she had fallen asleep. Suddenly, an unseen force lifted her up into the air, holding her about three feet up. She opened her eyes, which had begun to glow red. A strange light began to emanate from her, covering her body with a greenish light. Specks of plasma-like material coated her body and held her in position for a minute or two like a cocoon. Suddenly, it shattered like a window being broken by a flying rock. She fell from the sky and landed crouched on one knee, her black hair covering her face. Her clothes had changed, but it wasn't noticeable until she stood.

Her black hair had grown to her waist and was coarser and thicker. Her eyes had grown a bit more slender and her face as well. Her skin tanned slightly and her fingers and feet seemed to be longer. Her eyes were lined in traditional Egyptian kohl. Her arms were covered in camphire, swirling and making beautiful black designs. Her dress was black and sleeveless with a black sash wrapped around it. Pale white lotus flowers were embroidered on the bottom and swirled up to her waist. On her wrists were several small, golden bracelets and small, white flowers decked her hair. Her sandals were simple and black and a golden onc was on a chain that hung from her neck. Her eyes had changed from a dark green to a pale, almost yellow green. Kurt stared at her blankly.

"Kurt? Are you still there?" she asked.

"Uh huh," Kurt replied quietly.

"Well…" she said, sighing and shrugged. "This is me. You can see why people made fun of me. I look like an ancient Egyptian and everyone seems to think that I'm supposed to be in, like, the Cleopatra movie. But this is what I traditionally wear."

Kurt smiled.

"I think it's pretty. It should be the new style or something. Ve should start a trend. I'll come in dressed like Julius Caesar and you can go as Cleopatra."

They both laughed and Alara blushed slightly.

"Hey, don't tell anyone that I can change into this all right?

"Only if you tell me vhy you had to do that explode-y thingie to change…"

Alara smiled and shrugged.

"It's strange. I haven't really been able to figure it out. But I know it has something to do with going to my original form. It only happens when I go back to this, but changing from now is just like blinking. I dunno. Maybe it has to do with my training."

Kurt tilted his head.

"Training?"

"Ummm…" she replied, blushing deeply. "Well, I learned how to do traditional belly dancing and I know how to do traditional Egyptian dances and I know how to fight for…. Something…."

Kurt smiled, laughing slightly.

"Vhat? Tell me."

She sighed and smiled.

"Well, sometimes, when you were born to the right family, you would be able to fight for the honor of being a bodyguard of the pharoh. Well, I was trained since I have a very influential blood line and I don't think that the bodyguards were JUST bodyguards."

"Oh really. Vhat vere they then?"

"Uh. Their mistresses."

Kurt laughed heartily, causing Alara to glare at the wall she was facing.

"Hey. I'd like to see you try to fight me and win without teleporting. I know exactly what to do to beat you to the ground. Only all the moves I know were adapted for women. So I'd be fighting you like you were a woman."

Kurt laughed for a few more minutes before gasping, "Yeah, right. I could beat you vith my hands tied behind my back."

"Oh really?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "I bet you that as soon as I get out of here, we go into that Danger Room and fight each other WITH Logan in there to fight as well and I'll win."

Kurt smiled an evil sort of smirk.

"Really? Do you vant to make a bet on that?"

Alara nodded.

"Of course!"

Kurt nodded.

"All right. Tventy bucks says that I beat you and Logan."

She grinned.

"I'll bet you thirty that I'll beat both you and Logan and not use any powers."

Kurt smiled.

"All right."