Chapter 3



The new group of students left a resounding silence in their wake. Wind rustled gently through the spectators who had put so much of their efforts into anticipating this morning. all eyes were fixed on the doors of the school, as if expecting something quite amazing to come bursting through the entrance to the school. Hardly anybody even noticed when Lorna Baker, one of the meanest, yet most popular girls in school, was sent flying into the dirt. Everything took in one deep breath collectively, and then let it all out with a slightly confused shrug of the shoulders, before following the group of new pupils through the doors of the school, trying to pretend that this obsessive, long lasting fascination with a group of new students had never really happened.

Looking up from her new position on the ground, Lorna uttered a few well chosen swear words, before brushing the dust off of her well chosen ensemble, and then following her classmates inside, vowing to make that girls life a complete hell. She just had this weird sort of feeling that that 'stripy' girl had had something to do with her fall. She hated her already. Strutting into the school, she made her way to the bathroom to see if the fall had caused any damage to her make up, intending to ring one of her friends on her cell phone to catch up with them before heading to the gym. It was on her way to the bathroom that she spotted one of the new kids, the one with the brown hair tied up in a ponytail. She didn't have to know the girl to guess that she was excited to be here; if she were any more psyched she'd be bouncing off the walls. But she was alone, without her boyfriend, or her bitchy friend. And it was then that a little idea began to form in Lorna's mind. It was an idea that sent her sauntering over to the new girl with a game show hostess smile on her face, masking the cruel smirk that lay below it.



Completely oblivious to the reaction they had caused, the new mutants were currently taking in their surroundings. It was funny that no matter which small town you went to, the high schools were all pretty much the same. If someone hadn't told Lance this wasn't Bayville, he'd be convinced that he'd never left the town. Looking out of the window, he could see that an athletics field stretched out below, and a clump of out of place trees crowded one corner of it. He had the funniest sense of déjà vu. Looking around at his friends, he could see that they were pretty much thinking what he was thinking. Lance raised his eyebrows in a despairing way at Rogue, who rolled her eyes right back at him. he failed to see the point of them all going to school. They usually ended up getting into trouble, and it wasn't like any of them had a chance of holding down good, normal jobs in the future. Well, Kitty maybe. Even though he often laughed at her enthusiasm for school, he couldn't help but feel just a little bit proud of her, and just how far she was going to go in the world. There was also Scott, who seemed to have been made for sitting in a classroom and following rules, and Rogue, who could answer any question imaginable without even thinking about it. Though many would find this a fantastic ability to have, Lance thought that it would get a bit boring after a while. There would be no challenges left in life. Looking at the girl he thought of as his little sister, he knew she probably felt exactly the same way as he did.

Kitty, however, was the only one who didn't really seem to notice the similarities. Everywhere she turned she seemed to find something new to squeal about. She'd long since abandoned Lance to go bouncing off round the school, saying something about finding the science labs before skipping off down the corridor. Lance had given up all hope on curbing Kitty's academic enthusiasm a long time ago, and merely thought he'd leave her to calm down a bit. He looked around at the others, who all seemed to be employing the use of the same lost expression. They had no idea whether they were supposed to go straight to their first class, or to a gym for an assembly, or what.

Above them, a bell attached to the wall began to ring loudly, causing several students to put their hands to their ears. After the ringing had done, a flow of students came through the hallway, all-seeming to be headed in one direction. Lance shrugged his shoulders, and began to follow the masses, taking with him the other mutants.

They trooped into a large gym, and climbed into the stands that were positioned at the back of the room. Lance was again amazed at the similarities between this school, and every other school he'd ever been to. He and the others all filed onto one row with almost mechanic movements, looking around to locate Kitty and wave her over to them. They spotted her a few moments later, and their jaws dropped a little in surprise, Rogue's in particular.

Kitty was waving frantically to them from another stand, and was sitting herself next to the bitch of a girl who had insulted the girls this morning. Rogue raised her eyebrows at Kitty, who didn't seem to notice, and plopped herself down happily next to the girl, who gave Rogue a nasty sort of smile. Rogue had no idea what this girl was playing at, or what she was trying to achieve by befriending Kitty, but Rogue had a very nasty feeling that it had nothing to do with true friendship, and she worried about what her friend was going to be letting herself in for.

She leant across Scott to speak to Lance, whispering to him 'what the hell is Kitty doing with her?' Lance looked at her, a bemused expression on his face, and gave her a blank look, shaking his head. He knew better than any that the inner workings of his girlfriends mind were better left untouched.

Rogue resolved to talk to her friend later. She would have thought that Kitty would have been more wary of girls like that, after the experience that she'd had in her first school. Rogue had heard all about those girls, (Riley was it?) who had tortured Kitty mercilessly right before her powers had started to show. By the look on Lances face, he had knowledge about that too. And by the smile she had given Rouge, this girl was just the same.

The buzzing of chatter around the hall was brought to a stop, as the principal stepped out onto a makeshift podium in front of the stands. The head of the school was a woman, though she didn't look a thing like Mystique had done. She was small, roundish, and had a plump, kindly quality about her. Round glasses had slipped to the end of her nose, and light blue eyes twinkled from behind them. She certainly seemed more normal than their first Bayville principal, and saner than their second. Though maybe that wouldn't last, Rogue thought, looking down the line at her brother and his girlfriend, who at the moment looked as though they were in the midst of plotting bad things for the poor woman. Rogue almost felt sorry for her, but on the other hand, she had to admit that it was good to see the two of them smiling again, Tabby in particular. The girl had been so upset about Rahne; Kurt had confided to Rogue that she'd almost run away. Rogue kicked herself inwardly, now was not the time to be thinking about all that. She squeezed Pietro's hand next to her, and he gave her a comforting smile, as if he knew exactly what she'd been thinking, which made Rogue think again just how lucky she was to have him there with her, to have somebody who loved her that much, and who she loved in return. She gripped his hand a little harder, as though determined that she was never going to let it go.

'Welcome, everyone, both new faces and old, to a new year at Bedford High!' said the woman at the front, beaming around at her students, who stamped their feet in response. Rogue joined in, feeling that you just couldn't help but share some of the woman's overwhelming enthusiasm. She was like an older, slightly plumper version of Kitty, who gave you the impression that, under any circumstances she would be happy to hear both sides of an argument before passing judgement. Which, she decided, was probably going to be good for her and her friends.

Mrs. Bennett held up her small hand, and again the students were quiet, waiting for more. 'For those of you who don't know, I'm principal Bennet, or Mrs. Bennet out of hours!' there was more cheering, and Principal Bennett's smile seemed to grow even wider, if that were possible. She launched into her 'new year' speech, and Rogue, having heard all she really needed to know, let her mind wander off again. A few minutes later, Scott nudged her in the shoulder, and she started, looking around to see that every pair of eyes in the hall were now directed at them. Even though there was no sudden spotlight placed over them, Rogue almost narrowed her eyes from the imaginary glare. She felt so uncomfortable, being stared at.

'……….So everyone, lets welcome our new classmates!' Principal Bennet finished, throwing her hands together jubilantly, as the students all droned out the word 'welcome'. Rogue could feel a little bit of a blush creeping into the sides of her face, and could almost feel the heat coming off Scott. This was definitely different to Bayville; it felt like being back in Kindergarten or something.

The principal then motioned that it was time for the students to be heading off to their first classes. Once filing out of the gym, the group immediately split up, owing to the fact that they were nearly all in different classes. Rogue and Pietro headed off to their first class, world history, waving goodbye to the others. In truth, the two of them hadn't really put much thought into deciding what classes to take, they'd only been concerned with taking their classes together. Rogue, being who she was, could ace pretty much any class in the school, much to her discomfort. She had therefore signed them both up for a cookery class, despite Pietro's protests that he already had the best teacher in her. Rogue had smiled at his comment, thanked him for his abysmal attempt to flatter her into changing her mind, then told him that he was taking the class, like it or not.

The two of them wound their way through the corridors hand in hand, finally stopping at a door labelled 'world history'. They opened the door cautiously, before making their way inside, hoping desperately that they hadn't turned up at the class late. Luckily for them both, the room was fairly empty; evidently the students here took their time in heading to lessons. The two mutants threw themselves into seats next to each other, shrugging off the curious looks that those already present in the class were throwing them. Soon, the room began to fill with teenagers, each looking at the new additions to the class (whilst trying to pretend not to notice at all), before taking their seats. Rogue noticed that the girl she had tripped up was in her class, the one who Kitty had been sitting with back in the gym. Even if she hadn't seen her, she would have felt the heat of the girls glare on her back. Rogue sighed to herself, she did not need to make enemies on her first day at school, but hey, if that girl was going to start things, she wasn't going to lie down and take it.

The teacher walking into the class saved Rogue from any actually conversation with the girl, who looked ready to start a catfight even without having talked to her. He was tall, thin, and going grey, but his face showed a weary sort of youth that seemed to Rogue as if it belonged in a painting. It was like the man had been young only a very short time ago, and something had almost knocked the child out of him.

The guy beginning to speak stirred her from her musings. He cleared his throat softly, signalling for silence, and then rolled a battered old map of the world down in front of the board. He pointed haphazardly at the countries, and then stopped his finger, not even noticing the new students in his class. He began speaking, not expecting to ask questions, or for interruptions to be made.

'Greece. One of the most fascinating civilizations of the ancient world, giving us some of the world's greatest ever thinkers.' He stopped, and looked around, trying to work out by his students blank faces just how much he would actually have to teach them in this area of work. Judging by the way his face fell, it seemed to be a lot. Looking around, students were twiddling their thumbs with great concentration, scribbling down things that had nothing to do with history, and looking out the window, trying to imagine themselves out of the class. Rogue felt kind of sorry for the guy, so she put a hand to the pendant hanging round her neck, and felt herself pushing out a little with her mind, feeling knowledge on the Greeks pushing its way to the surface. The teacher was right, it was sort of interesting.

Across from her, Pietro gave her a fake disapproving look. He leaned over when the teacher wasn't looking with one eyebrow arched perfectly, whispering 'Hey, no cheating.' Rogue gave him a guilty sort of grin, before looking down at her desk, a small smile playing on her lips, ruining the innocent look she had been trying to achieve.

Out of nowhere, she felt something hit her on the back, and looked down on the floor to see a large piece of something like an eraser hit the surface, stopping immediately. She turned round slowly, to see the girl from the entrance to the school returning her sarcastic little wave. Pietro saw this happening, and looked like he was going to do something about it, but Rogue held up a hand to stop him. She picked up the eraser casually, and raised it in her hand, waiting for the teacher to again look the other way. He went bumbling off to a small ledge in the corner of the room, crammed with books, and started to prise one from the crowded shelf. Rogue raised her hand, and then threw the item over her shoulder, knowing exactly where it was headed. And sure enough…

'Ow, my eye!' came the screeching moan from the back of the classroom. The teacher wheeled around at once, to see one of his students clutching her eye in supposed agony, though he suspected that she was probably trying to prevent people from seeing her running mascara.

'Now now, Lorna, what happened?' he asked lazily. The girl stood up dramatically, using her free hand to toss her hair indignantly. The class was now watching the scene with ill concealed interest.

'She, she threw this at my eye!' Lorna cried, pointing an accusing, well polished finger in Rogue's direction, the eraser lying on her desk like a piece of courtroom evidence. The latter widened her eyes innocently.

'It was an accident professor. I wasn't looking where I was throwing it, I was merely giving Lorna her eraser back.' Pietro laughed, Rogue was practically batting her eyelashes at the poor guy.

The teacher nodded quickly, and Pietro suspected that Rouge might have used her powers to play a little bit of a hand in his decision. 'Very well, Lorna, go to the nurse. I'm sure all this was just an accident.'

The girl opened and closed her mouth several times, then threw her things into her bag, and storming from the room, forgetting to keep her hand on her 'injured' eye.

The bell rang sometime later, and students poured from the classroom, looking at Rogue with a certain amount of awe. Nobody, ever stood up to Lorna Baker, let lone got away with it.

'You know' Pietro said, as he slung an arm around his girlfriend. 'I think we might have had a bad influence on you.'



The group met for lunch that day, with the exception of Lance and Kitty. Lorna had apparently escaped from the nurse by then, and Kitty had dragged a reluctant Lance away with her to meet her new friends. Rogue sighed to herself at seeing how happy the other girl was. She couldn't help but think that Lorna and her friends were setting Kitty up for a very big fall. She'd just have to wait for that night before she told Kitty about this.

Scott soon joined Pietro and Rogue, trying his best to saunter over to the two of them as though he were completely fine with seeing them together. Rogue could remember all those months ago, when Scott had told her that he loved her, and she had told him he was wrong. Her heart went out for her friend, but she was still convinced that she had been right.

Pietro had the tact to move a little bit away from Rogue as the other boy approached. Rogue was proud of them both. They'd managed to get around their differences, even though they had had so many, and they'd managed to form an easy companionship that meant Rogue wasn't worried about them ripping each other's eyes out when her back was turned.

Scott lifted up his hand by means of saying 'hi', and Pietro and Rogue made space for him at the table. They would've started up a conversation, but they were interrupted by someone screaming 'freak' on the other side of the cafeteria. Heads immediately turned in the direction of the voice, and Rogue wasn't really surprised to see that Todd was at the centre of attention. Clearly, he'd done something, or shown some of his powers, but whatever it was, there was a rather nasty crowd around him. Some girl was holding onto the arm of a football player or a wrestler or whatever, and it was probably her that had screamed. The meathead and his friends were beginning to look a bit menacing, and Todd had the expression of a deer caught in headlights. The three at the table got up from where they were eating, and waded into the fray. Pietro stepped in front of Todd, rolling his eyes at his friend, while Scott made to approach the would be attackers. Rogue put a hand on his arm.

'Let me do the talking,' she murmured softly. Scott nodded; remembering that the last time he'd stuck up for Todd had ended up with a guy in hospital.

Rogue approached the jock with a pleasant smile on her face. 'Whatever my friend's done to upset you, I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding.' She said this, while twirling a strand of white hair in her fingers, jutting her hip just a little to one side. Scott bit back a gurgle of laughter. Unfortunately, the guy was letting his girlfriend do the talking.

'That weirdo tried to come on to me!' she said, as if the thought alone still disgusted her. Her voice seemed to stir the guy from his stupor.

'Yeah' he said, injecting testosterone into his words. 'That's what he did.' Rogue cringed; it was going to take a lot to get her friend out of this one.

Scott couldn't stay quiet anymore; he stood at Rogue's side, despite her frantic gestures for him not to get too involved.

'He didn't know she had a boyfriend, it was just a mistake!' he said, looking from the girl to her boyfriend, both angry and sensible at the same time. If there weren't so many people around her, Rogue would've put her head in her hands.

'Who the hell are you?' the jock demanded. His friends, sensing a new target, began to leave Todd and Pietro, circling around the other two mutants. Just as Rouge was beginning to think that some use of powers was in order, the ground next to them began to shake a little, and the group of 'sportsmen' found themselves looking up into the face of a very peeved off Fred.

'Any problem you have with my friends, you have with me. Have you got a problem with me?' He said, sounding more confident than Rouge had ever heard him before. The guys all shook their heads a little.

'Go then' Fred said, grinning at them. Within about ten seconds, there were no longer any jocks in the cafeteria. Kitty and Lance looked up from the table where they were eating. Lance looked glad for the distraction, and gave an impressed nod in Fred's direction, whereas Kitty turned back round and began to talk excitedly with her 'new friends'.

The group stood there for a few moments, then headed back to the table, with Pietro slapping Fred on the back. 'Wow, didn't know you had it in you Fred' he said, not even bothering to hide how surprised he was. Usually, Fred had no clue as to how to use his strength to help in situations like that. Scott remembered when he had accidentally started the largest food fight in Bayville's history.

Todd nodded his thanks in the direction of his best friend, and Rogue and Scott congratulating them. In contrast to his earlier self, Fred now looked a little embarrassed at the attention and praise his friends were giving him. It was then that Rogue realised Fred didn't often receive praise and attention, and decided that that should probably change in the future.

Todd on the other hand, looked a little bit depressed. That was just another time that he'd had to be helped out by his friends. Rogue knew all about how frustrating your powers could be, but the feeling of uselessness that she felt radiating from Todd was unlike any she'd felt before. Patting his back gently, she spoke to him. 'Todd, we know it wasn't your fault, and hey, we just wanted to stop the fight before you creamed those guys.' Even as she spoke, she heard how fake those words sounded.

'I could do it you know' he said, more to himself than to her. 'I could do it if I tried.'

'I know you could' Rouge replied gently, though she doubted if he'd even heard what it was she'd said.

When they reached their table again, Kurt and Tabby were waiting for them, big grins on their faces. 'We were going to get up and help' Kurt explained, 'but we thought Fred was doing pretty well on his own.'

Fred sat down, his ears now bright red, and Rouge was sad to notice that Todd had plonked himself down on the opposite end of the table. She looked to Pietro, and he shrugged, unsure of what to do. Rogue noticed that Tabby and Kurt were still grinning like idiots, and decided to change the topic of conversation.

'What the hell are you to up to?' she said, trying to give her brother a stern look and failing miserably.

Tabby and Kurt leaned in with a conspirator's glance at each other, and the table waited eagerly to hear whatever idea they had had.

Tabby took a deep breath, and opened her mouth. 'You'll just have to wait and see.' She said, winking at them all, then laughing as the table lapsed into exasperated groans.



Scott was in a slightly odd mood, he decided as he walked into his French class that afternoon. He felt kind of removed from everyone, even from his friends. He knew that Rogue was worried about him, that her and Pietro were making an effort not to appear too close when he was around, but he guessed it just wasn't enough to stop hurting. Whether or not he was really in love with Rogue didn't matter, what mattered was that he was still hurting, even after all this time, and there was nobody he could talk to about it. His best friend here was probably Rogue, and she was part of the thing he needed to talk about, so that ruled that out. And he felt uncomfortable talking to Kurt about it, because he was her brother. So, he would just have to live with the hurt, and get over it, all the while trying to find a place where he could truly feel comfortable. He knew he didn't belong back at the institute, he thought he might not belong here, and he knew these sorts of thoughts were not appropriate in a French class. He woke himself up a bit, and looked around in surprise to see that the class was suddenly full, and the teacher was ready to begin.

'Now we shall begin,' she said, in one of the phoniest French accents he'd ever heard, even Kurt's attempts were better. 'We shall turn our pages to twenty one, and we shall refresh our knowledge of verbs.' She clapped her hands together, and the class groaned. Scott realised he had no textbook, and no knowledge of French verbs still in his head.

He was saved from having to talk to the woman, by the girl who was sitting next to him. She moved her desk slightly, so she could place her book between them. Scott looked across at her in gratitude, and found himself lost in doe brown eyes, looking at him innocently under thick lashes.

'Thanks' he said, not knowing what else to say. The girl smiled at him, and it spread all over her face, lighting up her amazing eyes. Scott suddenly became aware of the sun striking rich on the golden strands in her otherwise tawny hair.

The teacher only just seemed to notice him. 'Oh my my! We have a new student among us. Please, monsieur, introduce yourself!'

Scott stood awkwardly; painfully aware of the attention he was now getting from the other students. 'Erm, I'm' he began, but he didn't get a chance to finish.

The teacher let out a squeal of indignation. 'Non, en Français!' she boomed out, making the poor boy flinch slightly.

'Oh,' he said, now bright red. 'Je m'appelle Scott Summers'. He sat down as quickly as possible, wanting to bury his head behind a book. He'd never been this shy back in Bayville, but then he'd never been embarrassed in front of a group of strangers there either.

The girl who had shared her book with him watched him and then giggled a little. 'Je m'appelle Lydia' she said, her face reflected in his glinting red shades. Scott smiled back at her, forgetting what had just happened, and remembering that he only 'thought' he didn't belong here.

He was about to start up a conversation with her, when a voice came booming over the speaker system.

'Will Kurt Wagner and Tabitha Smith please go to the Principal's office immediately!'



Kurt and tabby stood next to each other, facing the Principal, who was sitting at her desk and looking both disappointed and concerned in a parental sort of way. Both students had their heads bowed, which she assumed meant they were ashamed. Had she looked closer, she would have discovered that both of them were trying not to giggle too loudly.

'I understand' Mrs. Bennet said, looking down and raising her eyebrows at their rather, colourful personal records, 'that the two of you enjoy joking around, and hey, I love a good prank as much as the net person.' She let her face become serious, 'but I feel that unleashing the science labs frogs into the school swimming pool is taking things a bit to far.'

Tabitha raised her head a bit, nodding her head, her eyes bulging with repressed laughter. 'I agree Miss, and of course we didn't think of the, erm, chaos it would cause.' Kurt snorted at her side, and Tabby nudged him in the ribs. Mrs. Bennet eyed them both rather suspiciously.

'Well, I think that, being as it is your first day, we'll let it go this one time. I do however, fully expect you to apologise to the girls that were in the water, once they get out of the psychiatrists office.'

They nodded, and after a nod of the Principals head, let themselves out the door. Once along, Mrs. Bennet looked over the personal records one more time, and came to the part about the academic tournament.

'Oh my.' She said.



Rouge and Pietro were waiting for them outside the office, and the four of them waited until they'd made it outside before bursting into wild fits of laughter. Rogue and Pietro had been fortunate enough to have sports that afternoon, which had given them a perfect view of the uproar their friends had created. Pietro had to shake his head in disbelief a little bit; this had been their first day at a new school. Even he wouldn't have been that daring. And they'd gotten away with it! He couldn't help but think that they had definitely caused a stir today at school, though perhaps they'd made more friends than enemies.

He saw Scott Summers approaching the two of them, with a pretty, brown haired girl at his side, talking animatedly. Hmmmm, he thought again, perhaps not.

'Hey guys' Scott said, a genuine smile on his face for the first time in weeks. 'This is Lydia Willis'. He motioned for the girl to meet his friends, and she came forward somewhat nervously to greet the new arrivals to the school.

'Hey,' she said shyly, 'I was going to say I'm Lydia, but I guess that would sound kind of stupid now.'

They all laughed, and rogue took the opportunity to look at Scott, who was probably happier than she'd seen him in a long time. She looked inside herself, and tried to see if there was any part of her that was jealous that she hadn't been able to make him this happy. A slight wave of relief rippled across her face when she realised that she only felt happiness for her friend, and hope that he would now be happier with where he was.

Pietro looked at the two of them very happily, and Rogue rolled her eyes a little. Even after all that had happened, even though they were now quite good friends, her boyfriend still sometimes saw Scott as a threat. Even if Rogue wasn't telepathic, the look of pleasure on Pietro's face was like an open book.

He saw her looking at him, and rearranged his features into an expression of polite casualness. 'What?' he said innocently.

Rogue batted him on the arm, and laughed at the confused looks that had appeared on the others faces.

'I hope you know what you're letting yourself in for Lydia!' she said, and this time, they all got her meaning.



Soon after, the final bell rang to signal that the first day of a new school year at Bedford High had come to an end. People piled out of the doors, and out the school gates where they had stood in anticipation that morning. The people were still talking, and the subject was still that of the new students. Only this time, there was no speculation involved, only discussion of the many events, which had occurred during the school day. The new arrivals had indeed lived up to the hype that had surrounded them, and several of the people leaving the school that night had opinions formed in their minds.

Lorna Baker left the school with a thunderous expression on her face, and a storm building in her eyes. It was now clear to her, that girl had caused her to fall over that morning. She didn't know how she did it, but it must have been her. And then she threw that rubber at her eye. Again, that was no accident. But she was definitely going to get her back. Already, she'd befriended the valley wannabe, who had told her she was 'Rogue's' best friend. Now she just had to sit back, and wait for a rift to come between the two girls. Then she could really have some fun.

Lydia Willis walked out the gates with her books clutched close to her, and her eyes focused on some distant point that only she could see. She wanted to know more about Scott Summers. The guy was a complete mystery, and just too cute. And his friends seemed nice. A little eccentric yes, but still nice. She, like everyone else in the town, wanted to know more about the new occupants of the house, but perhaps for slightly different reasons.

The subjects of all this attention gathered together by the car, all full to the brim with first day stories and impressions. They tumbled into one car, and some remained, climbing into the other car that had pulled up beside them, with a dark haired, bespeccled woman at the wheel. The cars pulled away from the gates, leaving behind them a sea of controversy.



There was a desert, a vast desert all around him. Hot dry air blew round with the ferocity of a hurricane, whipping the sand that coated the ground into a frenzy. It didn't bother him at all. He was immune to such petty things. But even in the torrent of sand, in the heat, and the dryness, he could taste it. Human life. Disgusting, dirty human life. He waded through the tides of dust and swirls of sands, following the smell that assaulted his senses. After a few hours of searching blindly in the desert, ignoring the heat and the vastness, the thing that he had been hunting for finally shimmered into view on the horizon. A grim expression of satisfaction fell upon his twisted features like a gruesome mask, and he trudged through the sands with new resolve.

The inhabitants of the village had long since adapted to life in the deserts. Water was treated like precious jewels, and food was carefully harvested and stored. But the people were happy, they had never known any other way of life, and they enjoyed living it. The children ran in the hot sands, wearing leather sandals thin. The women spun exotic fabrics, and the community was lusher than the landscape could possibly have been.

The children had, early that day, decided to play explorers. The morning was the best time to explore, for the sun had not fully begun to beat down on them, and showed mercy to their easily damaged skin. Dressed in spotless white, brushing over their skin and billowing in the dusty breeze, they poked their way over dunes, sticking their wooden sticks in the ground to check for the depth of the sand. And in the distance, they spied something unusual. Something that they'd never seen before. It was like a giant that they'd heard about in stories before bedtime, like the character that had followed them into their nightmares after a particularly scary story time. But they couldn't really see what it was; it was shielded by the winds. Some of the move intrepid children stayed to watch in wonder; others ran back to the village, seeking those they found after being troubled by those nightmares. Either way, they never stood a chance.

Apocalypse saw them scuttling around in the sand as clear as day. They were like ants, some too stupid to take action, others scampering back to the hole. He knew that, in purging the world of human filth, he was going to need more on his side, but he felt confident that he could successfully deal with one village. He would start with the children, he thought to himself, raising his gigantic arm above his head. Let the adults come and try to save them.

The older inhabitants of the village were alarmed when a small group of children came staggering into the centre of the settlement, with wild claims of a giant man moving towards them. One woman put their behaviour down to extreme heatstroke, and shouted to her companions to take them to the shade and fetch the water. That was when they heard the screams, so small and hopeless they were almost carried away completely by the wind. Eyes in the village met each other in terrified glances, and feet seemed to work independently of the mind, dragging those above them to the scene of the screaming.

'And so they come' Apocalypse murmured, fully aware of the chaos in the houses before him. 'The lambs to the slaughter.'



After climbing out the cars, everyone seemed to break off. Todd muttered something about sitting somewhere, and took off in a random direction. Fred seemed to be slightly troubled by this, but tried to shrug it off, going into the kitchen for a ritual snack.

Pietro gave Rouge a quick kiss, whilst saying quietly to her that he was going to rescue Lance from Kitty's continued ramblings about Lorna and Co. the other boy gave him a grateful glance, and the two of the left a little quicker than they would have done in normal circumstances.

Once they were out of sight, Pietro looked at his friend with an expression of utmost sympathy. 'That bad huh?'

Lance looked desperate. 'They don't have one intelligent thing to say, not one! It would help if they were nice, but they're not. They're complete bitches. And Kitty likes them!' he looked slightly hysterical. Pietro couldn't really blame him. He didn't know Kitty Pryde as well as most the people in the house, but he knew that when she wanted something, or when she liked something, she was not going to be pleased with people who stopped her. Now she'd decided that she liked those bimbos, Pietro wouldn't be surprised if she had Lance round at their houses watching movies and painting nails. The thought did cause him to laugh a little bit. Avalanche could never refuse a request from Kitty.

The brown haired rebel took a look at Pietro's face. 'This is in no way funny!' he said, causing Pietro's gurgle to become a full blown laughing fit.



Scott followed the boys into the house with a wave in the general direction of the others. Rogue and Kitty saw Kurt and Tabby unpacking their school bags at the front porch, and were shocked to see them pull beach towels, swim things, and an inflatable ball from their bag, before throwing them down on the seat by the door, now completely empty.

'School is just a place you go to pass the time for you isn't it?' Rouge asked, an incredulous look on her face.

Kurt shrugged, grinning, then followed Tabitha, who had already begun to make her way down to the sands, kicking her shoes off mid stride and stepping into flip flops.

This left the two girls alone. Mystique had been first to go inside, saying first that she wanted to hear about their first day at dinner. Rogue took one glance at Kitty and knew she was about to go into a rant, and chose that time to say what she'd been wanting to say all day.

'Look Kitty, I'm really glad that you've found friends so quick, but I just thought I'd warn you, be on your guard. I'm not saying that they're making you look like a fool, because they're not. I'm just saying, I guess I'm just saying to be careful. Those sort of girls will hurt someone who's supposedly a friend without giving it a second thought, and I don't want to see you hurt.'

Kitty was stunned into silence for a few moments, as though someone had just swung a blow at her. 'I thought you'd be happy for me,' she stammered, 'I thought you'd be pleased.'

'I am' Rogue said quickly, rushing to reassure her. 'I'm just saying you should be on your guard, don't get too involved with that crowd.'

'Are you saying I shouldn't be friends with them?' Kitty said, stricken.

'No! I just don't want you to get hurt by them, I mean I've had a couple of run ins with that Lorna girl already..'

'You can't judge her like that! You, you haven't even given her a chance!' Kitty said, looking like a child who'd been told Santa Claus isn't real.

'I know that she must be exactly like those girls from your first school..' Rogue said, trying to relate it to her.

'I know! She is exactly like those girls. And she wants to be my friend. Do you even know what that means to me? After what happened, all I wanted was to be accepted by people like that, to be told by them that I'm not a freak! And now it's happened, and I thought you'd be happy, but you're not.' She paused, thinking whether or not to say what she wanted to say next, as though she'd just come to a conclusion so astounding she had to wait a moment to consider whether or not it was actually true. 'You're just jealous. You're jealous because they haven't accepted you like they have with me!'

Kitty took deep breaths, seemingly shocked that she'd said it. It hung in the air between them, and froze Rogue's face until it became as cold as ice.

'I don't need to be accepted by them. I have my own friends, just like you do.' She said, her breath tearing out in rags.

'At least I thought I did.' Kitty retorted, before sweeping past her and into the house, the door making a satisfying bang behind her.

Rogue suddenly felt very lonely in the garden. She had thought she could talk to Kitty about this easily, that the two of them could have gone on to plot about evil things to do to Lorna and her gang. But she'd been completely stupid. She hadn't counted on the fact that Kitty had actually wanted to be their friend, that it meant something to her, going around with those overgrown Barbies. Now she wasn't talking to her.

And she'd accused her of being jealous. Rogue sat down on a porch step. Was she really jealous? Had she secretly wanted to be part of that elite group? She supposed she kind of did back at Bayville, when Jean Grey had ruled the school. But then she'd turned sixteen, and everything had changed, and she'd hated being one of them. No, she decided, she was not jealous. Kitty was just angry, and scared that Rogue was right. And soon she'd calm down, and everything would be all right again. Rogue wandered inside the house, feeling a lot lower than she had done before.



Rogue wasn't the only person alone at that moment in time. Todd had also wandered off to lose himself in his own thoughts. He was so busy thinking, he never even noticed Fred sneaking up behind him, which was a pretty amazing thing to happen. He did notice however, when his best friend came and stood right in front of him.

'Hey' Todd said, without even looking up. Fred responded, then shuffled his gigantic feet on the floor, knowing exactly what was up with the much smaller boy.

'I'm sorry for helping out this lunch time.' he said remorsefully, not even caring how strange his apology sounded.

Todd looked for a moment as if he were about to laugh out loud at the absurdity of what Fred had just said to him, but instead he shook his head.

'Nah, it's ok, you were only looking out for me.' He said, trying and failing to reassure the other boy with a smile. He settled for looking out at the scenery before him. The sky, the sea, the hills, the houses.

'It's just..' he started, not quite sure of what to say really. 'I'm not useless.' He said desperately, like he didn't quite believe the words.

'Of course you're not.' Fred said, without a clue as to what the magic words were, the thing to say that would make his friend feel instantly better.

'Then why do I feel like it?' he asked, not sure as to whether or not he actually expected an answer. 'Why do I feel like every day I make less and less of a difference.'

He cleared his throat; trying his best to subdue unshed tears that were firmly lodged within him. He wanted to watch the landscape again, to lose himself in the world around him. But it only served in making himself feel more insignificant than he already did. The tears felt very close now.

'You're not useless.' Fred said gruffly. 'You know it, we all know it, and someday the whole world is going to know it. Your day is going to come.' He wanted to reach out and pat the boy on his back, but he already looked like he was going to cry, he didn't want to send him over the edge.

When Todd looked up, there were no longer leaky tears in his eyes, a steely sort of determination had hardened them into glinting chips. In truth, he had never expected words of that depth to come out of his friend's mouth. Then again, he'd been surprised as well by Fred's actions at lunchtime. He'd been completely confident and composed ever since they'd arrived in Bayville. It was then Todd realised that perhaps that was why the change had occurred in his friend. He hadn't just left his old home behind; he'd left his old self behind. He was no longer the awkward, bumbling boy that lashed out with violence to make up for his own awful insecurities; he was no longer searching for a friend to tell they cared. He'd found his friends, and his stability, and he'd changed for the better because of it. He wanted to do what his best friend had done, what his best friend believed he too could do. He was going to make a difference.

Fred nodded at him, and made a move to take the walk back to the house together. Little and large, silhouetted in the setting sun, casting shadows on the grass.

'Thanks, by the way,' Todd said conversationally. 'You didn't have to stick up for me then.'

'No problem.' He responded easily. 'So it was all over a girl then. Was she worth the trouble?'

'She was hot.' Todd said simply.

Fred laughed. 'Enough said.'



Mystique almost dropped the plates in shock when the teenagers came in for dinner that evening. She'd never seen such a drastic change in people's moods before. Scott came breezing in first, a smile on his face. What was wrong with the boy? She thought to herself. He hardly ever smiled. Kurt and Tabby followed him in. They at least hadn't changed a bit, though the size of their smiles worried her slightly. Just what had they been up to that evening?

Lance and Pietro were next, lance staring daggers at Pietro, who was caught between fits of sympathy and giggling. Their respective girlfriends came soon after, throwing daggers at each other before throwing themselves down into seats as far away as possible from each other. Mystique looked at her daughter with concern, as Fred and Todd walked into the room. Firstly, Fred walking and not running into a room where food was being served was a rare occasion. But both boys also had pensive, thoughtful looks on their faces, an alien expression to both of them.

Mystique served them their pizza and fries with caution, aware of the presence of so many moody teens in one room. She sat down to silence, as everyone began eating.

'So' she said, deciding to risk it. 'How was your day?' she regretted it almost instantly. Forks fell to plates with a clatter, and every single face looked at her in irritated amazement. Finally, Rogue said the only word Mystique would hear on the subject.

'Fine', she said, before continuing to eat, not before throwing a glance in Kitty's direction, who glared right back. Mystique went back to her food, glad in a way that at least she hadn't been attacked. This was going to be a very quiet meal.



It was later that night, and the mood in the house had only slightly improved. They were all sat in the living room, all-trying to keep up some pretence of normalcy. When the phone range, there was rush to answer it, because the room was full of people who wanted out of it. Even the cartoon on the telly couldn't completely lighten the mood.

Pietro, being who he was, was first to make it to the receiver. He hoisted it from the hook, and then put it down in disappointment. 'Rogue, it's someone for you, not sure who.'

Rogue stepped forward, taking the phone from Pietro and motioning for him to leave. He made a pleading gesture, desperate to stay with her, but she kicked him softly in the shin and he got the message, leaving the room with a pout on his face.

Rogue pressed the receiver to her ear, saying 'Hello, who is this.'

She never got a name; the voice on the other end was raspy, low, and most likely disguised. 'It has begun.' Came the reply, and Rogue tried very hard not to jump.

'I'm sorry; I don't know what you're talking about. You must have the wrong number.' She said, sounding all the same a little freaked out.

'If don't know now, you soon will. You are the one, and you will soon know.'

'I'm sorry, I have to go.' Rogue said, wanting nothing more to put down the phone. Her body however, would not respond to her wishes.

'You will listen to me. The time has come again, and he is raised. You will have to make your choice, and everything will depend on it. This I have seen, what the choice is I do not know yet. You must believe, or everything will be lost, because it has begun. We will talk again.'

'What has begun? I don't understand!' Rogue said, but she never got an answer. Almost immediately after their little speech had finished, rogue had heard a click that meant the person, whoever they were, had hung up.

She gripped the table, unaware of just how quickly she'd actually been breathing. She wanted to move, to go through and tell the others about the strange, clearly hoax call she'd just receive, but another part of her, something almost primal inside of her, had convinced her to keep quiet about it all.

She found her feet again, and paced for a moment or two, gathering her nerves again, before joining the others back in the living room. Pietro beckoned for her to sit down next to him, and she complied, leaning into his arms. He planted a kiss on her forehead, and whispered to her. 'You look upset, was it bad news?'

She shook her head softly, and replied 'no, just one of those bitches from school, Kitty must have given her my number.' She knew her lie sounded false, and that Pietro had probably picked up on it, but he said nothing. He stroked her hair, and she closed her eyes. It was hard to feel scared anymore, when she felt so cosy and warm. On the other side of the room, Lance glanced at her face, she could feel his eyes on her, and knew the he too suspected something was up. How many other people had worked out that something was wrong.

She didn't get the opportunity to pursue this, because the cartoon they had been watching on the telly was turned off by Mystique, joining them after fetching coffee, who flipped the channel to news. There was a reporter on the screen in what looked like a desert, with a very sombre, disturbed look on her face.

'We bring you breaking news from Egypt, of a massacre occurring miles out into the desert. An entire village has been slaughtered, and two hundred people have been killed. A group of tourists discovered the scene of the murders whilst out on a camel ride today, when they came across the bodies of five children being buried in the sand. A few moments away, the bulk of the villagers were found, having been butchered several moments after the children had been killed. The village itself had been burned to the ground, and those who had remained in the houses had perished in the fire. Local reports suggest that all inhabitants are dead, save one, who is reported missing. A local woman has yet to be found. Police are baffled by this seemingly motiveless crime, and the ferocity of the massacre had astounded the whole country. For who has the strength and mind to kill five children, and slaughter their families?'

The room was completely stunned. Nothing like this had ever happened, nothing so random, so completely pointless. Everyone forgot about their day, as they let their minds fly across the seas to Egypt, where two hundred people had been brutally slaughtered for no apparent reason.

The reporter had moved on now, to talk to one of the traumatised tourists who had found the bodies. And Rogue found herself looking at the screen in agonised horror, the shock of that phone call still weighing heavy on her mind, which was starting to run away with her. She tried to convince herself that surely it must have been a coincidence. The call and the murders were not connected, they'd just happened to occur round the same time. Yet at the back of her mind, the words of the anonymous caller rang clear in Rogue's head.

It has begun.



DISCLAIMER: Characters you know about are property of Marvel and WB

AUTHORS NOTE: Hoorah, hopefully the first of many long chapters! This does mean that chapters should take longer to write, but it also means I can put more aspects into the story, which is hopefully a good thing! Hope you like this, next chapter, we shall see whether Rogue and Kitty make up, whether Lance finally snaps, and whether the caller makes another appearance. Thank you to everyone for reviewing, long may it continue!!!