Chapter One

The halls seemed so empty to Ororo Munroe. The mansion repairs were almost complete and most of the students had returned, save those whose parents pulled them after the raid, but something was missing. Something more than Jean.

She heard a faint laugh, distant and echoing. She froze, suppressing a shudder. Had her thoughts summoned her friend? She shook herself for a fool -- she had been far too maudlin of late. The laugh repeated itself.

Maybe it is spirits, she thought, her lips quirking in a bitter smile. She descended the staircase, turning the corner into the students' dining room. Or maybe it's lunch.

The room was filled with the children of Xavier. Students old and young jostled each other in line for food or shouted merrily across the tables set up every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Rogue and Bobby still sat with the younger children for meals, unwilling to make the jump to sitting with the adults even though they now were technically part of the team.

Ororo passed by them on her way to retrieve a tray, smiling at the youngsters and giving Rogue a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. She picked up a snippet of conversation from a table behind her. Not meaning to intrude, she started to continue until she heard one of the boys say "blue freaky guy."

"...he's like a ghost, I tell you. You only see him at night and then he disappears. He may well be the demon of the Book."

"Oh, you know that's not true. Just shut up," a female voice replied, bored with it all.

"I bet you he hangs upside down in his closet to sleep, just like a bat-"

The boy cut off mid-sentence, his fingers curled into two-pronged hooks, as Ororo's piercing eyes bored into his own. He dropped his hands and offered a weak grin.

"Roberto," Ororo began, automatically switching to what Jean had always jokingly called "the teacher voice." "I hope you are not talking about who I think you are."

"No, Ms. Munroe... well, yes, but... only because he is creepy." His voice trailed off as Ororo's eyebrows climbed.

"You will write a 1,000 word essay on racism for me -- by Monday," she raised a hand to stop his protest. "By Monday. You are a mutant, Sunspot," she felt no satisfaction at his wince, "and should not be saying such things about anyone, especially another mutant."

She gazed at him a moment longer before sweeping her eyes across the other children at the table. They were suddenly very engrossed in their carrot sticks. Satisfied, she continued on to her own lunch.

She settled at the adult table next to Logan with her tray, feeling no desire to eat her salad. Logan wrinkled his nose at her in way of greeting as he chewed on a massive cheeseburger. She was thankful he swallowed before speaking.

"A thousand words, eh?" His eyebrows arched. "He's just being a kid."

It figured he had heard the whole exchange. She sighed. "I know, Logan, but he shouldn't be saying such things."

Logan shrugged his reply, taking another bite of his burger. She picked at her salad, listening to him chew. He washed his bite down with a swig of soda before taking her silence as invitation to continue.

"You know, that German guy ­- Kurt ­- does act a little odd. He was down here before the kids, snatched some food, looked at me looking at him and 'whooshed.'" He wriggled his fingers to illustrate Kurt's teleportation.

Ororo couldn't help but smile. The Wolverine was trying to cheer her up. "It's 'bamf,' not 'whoosh.'"

"Come again?"

She shrugged, now completely taken with Logan's puzzled expression. "I think it sounds like that, so that's what I've starting calling it. He just 'bamfs' away when he's shy."

Logan snorted. "Well, whatever you call it, it still stinks."

Ororo shook her head in mock disgust and turned her attention to her salad.

A half-hour later, with lunch safely over, Ororo started up the stairs. She needed some time alone to think. And her plants needed love and water.