"Nice to meet you both," said Aubrey, her face buried in the refrigerator. "Is anything in here not pop?" she said, looking around with disgust.
"What's wrong with pop?" asked Pyro, sounding somewhat astounded.
"I don't drink pop around competition time," replied Aubrey, finally fishing a bottle of lemonade out of the back of the fridge.
"What kind of competition?" cut in Bobby before Pyro had time to make another smart remark.
"Nationals swimming. Though I guess I won't be doing that for a while."
"You like water?" asked Pyro. Aubrey grinned, guessing that the boy's mutation probably gave him a certain dislike for the substance.
"Oh, is the Human Match afraid of a little iddy bitty bit of water?" she asked evilly, flicking a little water from the sink at him. He ducked quickly, and she could feel the room warming slightly as he blushed.
"So much for getting a decent recruit," said Pyro grumpily. "And I was so hopeful."
"Says the narcissistic, histrionic kid. He may be obsessive-compulsive too, the shrinks aren't sure yet," taunted Bobby, a wry grin on his face.
"Hey, at least I'm not schizo. That's what they thought when my powers manifested."
"You two are hopeless," said Aubrey, grinning. "But nowhere near as hopeless as my brothers, and people tell me they have some redeeming qualities. Now, do either of you know how to get around this place, or do I have to find some sane guys around here?"
"That'd be a problem," retorted Bobby. "No one around here's sane."
"And that's just how we like it," finished Pyro.
She felt frost under her fingers as she tried to take a sip of her lemonade. Nothing came out of the bottle, and she shot Bobby a glare. He only grinned back, and Pyro rolled his eyes.
"You call me a histrionic show-off," he said, smirking.
"C'mon," replied Bobby, totally ignoring his friend. "The campus is big, and if we want to give you a decent tour by dinner, we need to get going."
Whoever said flirting wasn't the easiest way to get a little help? thought Aubrey, smirking slightly.
"First of all, the most important tour:" began Bobby. "This is the main kitchen, and- as you've now found- the sandwich fixings and general snacks are in that fridge, drinks are in that one…"
"Except for the fun stuff, like Wolverine's beer, but it's really not a good idea to steal that anyway," remarked Pyro.
"You would know," remarked Bobby.
"Like you don't."
"Fair enough," replied Bobby, unperturbed. "There is pretty much any other food you could want available with all the takeout people get and such, but generally ask around before grabbing it. Some of us are kinda protective of our food."
"Do people eat in or go out most of the time?" asked Aub, curious. The little amount of time she was home she almost always ate in, but at school she'd had lunch out all the time.
"A mix. Tons of people have cars and stuff, but generally the Professor likes to be really sure that you can and will control your powers before he lets you out," replied Bobby.
Aubrey looked down into her lemonade, silenced. Control. The confidence she'd regained evaporated, and she wished she was alone. She couldn't fix what she'd already done, and she had no control to insure that it wouldn't happen again. She was surprised, even, that the Professor had let her out amongst the other mutants- what had happened to Cyclops told her that she could certainly hurt them too. Sarah's face leered in her mind's eye, and she shuddered slightly.
"You okay?" asked Bobby, sounding concerned.
"Um… yeah," answered Aubrey quietly, rubbing her temple to try and rid herself of the tension headache that had just formed there. "Just tired, I think. I didn't really sleep at all last night, and it just kinda… hit me."
Both of them looked at her for a second, and she could see in their eyes that they didn't fully believe her, but understood the feeling nonetheless.
"If you need anything, feel free to find us. It's a small enough place, if you ask around someone'll know where we are," said Pyro quietly, though she could tell from the slightly jaunty tone of his voice that he was quite proud to be so known.
"This place has great service, that's for sure," teased Aubrey, though she knew it still sounded a little forced.
-----
Surprising herself, Aubrey actually did head to sleep, not even bothering to strip out of her jeans. Not all of what she'd told the guys had been a lie: her sleep the night before had been both short and erratic, and now with the stress of the new day, she was dead tired.
Her dreams were not easy- she kept remembering the pool. The thoughts roamed from the moment she'd first felt something and kept ending on Sarah's face- somehow Aubrey doubted she'd ever forget that expression. Then they roamed further- to the lifeguard's touch, to the water on the floor, and then to the other swimmer, gasping shallowly and looking blankly up at the ceiling, her eyes twitching as if she was watching some epilepsy-inducing, fast-paced movie. The sirens screaming, the water on the ground, and then the scary, overwhelming guilt as her competitor's jolting gaze met her own.
Aubrey sat straight up in bed, unsure of what had awakened her, but glad to be released from the endless nightmare cycle. Looking around, she was surprised to find no light anywhere. And then it hit her: control. Powers. She'd blown the lights, and maybe more.
She didn't seem to have had any ill affect on those around her, but who knew what could happen if she went back to sleep?
You might actually get some sleep, suggested a voice in her head, startling her once more. She recognized the Professor's calming tones a moment later.
Do you ever sleep? she asked, amazed.
I have a tendency to notice when someone's mental state is violently disturbed. I also try to watch out for new students in their first day or two.
How do you learn control? I blew out something… I could've hurt someone else! I could've hurt the other girls, I could've hurt Bobby or Pyro, I mean, look what I did to Cyclops…
Control will come over time. I suspect for now that, provided you can keep a relatively stable emotional state- hard for a teenager, I know- you may not have any more trouble.
So all I can do is try to stay calm?
For now. Tomorrow I can show you a little bit more and see if we can keep you from having any more large-scale accidents. Also, I might be a little more optimistic about your situation: Cyclops will make a full recovery, as, it appears, will your competitors; and even if you do accidentally shock anyone else, it is unlikely your emotions will be strong enough to do any real harm. So do try to sleep some more. You've got a big day tomorrow.
So I shouldn't be thinking anything I don't want you to hear for the next couple days?
Laughter sounded in her mind. I teach a school full of primarily teenagers. It would not be the first time, he said, sounding amused. As an afterthought, he added, Remember to come and see me tomorrow morning. We need to get you a class schedule.
Goodnight, Professor.
Goodnight, Aubrey, replied the Professor, carefully reaching into her consciousness to put her back to sleep.
-----
Light peeked under the hall door when Aubrey awoke early the next morning, and she observed it with relief. She crept into the bathrooms to take a shower, checking carefully that no one else was around- whatever the Professor might say, she still wanted to be careful around water- and headed to the main floor after throwing on jeans and a t-shirt. She shook her wet hair slightly, still a little disturbed by the odd blonde.
The Professor's voice in her mind guided her to his office, and she stepped in quietly.
"Hello, Aubrey," he said cordially. "I acquired your school records last night, and I believe I may have a schedule to work for you."
"Acquired?" asked Aubrey, an eyebrow rising. She wasn't sure how he could have gotten her grades and schedule without talking to her school or her dad, and she wasn't really sure she wanted either to know where she was.
"Acquired. Don't worry, you will have say in when and how we arrange for an official transfer," he said, calming her. "Now, your grades were quite good, though your attendance- to put it lightly- was bad. I suppose swimming took you out often?"
"Yessir," responded Aubrey. "I did most of my work on the road or in hotel rooms."
"Since we have no competitive swim team, and since I- and, I'm fairly sure, the regulators- would prefer if you did not compete in water sports for a while," Aubrey nodded gravely. It was unlikely she would be able to swim competitively again, let alone at the level she once had. "I expect your attendance to be much better. Now, is this class schedule to your liking?" he asked, turning his computer screen to face her.
"Advanced English, Physics and Mechanics, Spanish, Calculus, Chemistry, Photography and World History," she read. "That sounds about right- but where is everything?"
The Professor smiled. "I'll print you a map, but I'm fairly sure you'll find no shortage of help from the other students."
-----
Much to her chagrin, Aubrey found that by the time she found her English class, they were in the midst of a heated discussion that went silent as she entered the room. Looking around, she was comforted to find Bobby sitting in a back corner. He grinned at her when she saw him, but she noticed no free seats around him as she walked slowly to the teacher's desk. She was overly conscious of the whispering that started behind her as the teacher went through the rote introductions and the dampness of her still-drying hair. She was glad to find that she'd already read the book he tipped into her hands- A Tale of Two Cities- but it was not without some trepidation that she went to her seat.
As the lesson progressed, Aubrey was a comforted to find that though the class had taken a different tactic on their examination of the book, she could still generally understand- and enjoy- the fast-paced discussion. It was less comforting to find that most people didn't seem very interested in meeting a new student, but it occurred to her as she watched them that they also seemed, for the moment, wholly occupied with the class discussion: they weren't ignoring her on purpose, they just found this a class to pay attention to.
As she left, she found Bobby coming towards her, holding hands with a girl who'd sat not far from her. Damn, she thought. It figures that the cutest one would already be taken, she thought laughingly.
"Aubrey, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Rogue," he said jovially. "Rogue, Aubrey."
"Good to meet you," said Rogue, he voice carrying a hint of Southern drawl. The hand she extended as Aubrey returned the pleasantries was gloved, and Aubrey noted curiously that almost all her skin was carefully covered, even the hand that held her boyfriend's. Her hair was also unique, holding an interesting white streak on the locks that framed her face.
"Do you know where your next class is?" she asked kindly, and Aubrey was glad to see that she didn't appear to harbor any resentment towards other girls.
"Not really... the map's not really that detailed, it just says that it's by the garages," she replied, looking intently at the offending map once more. She could've sworn the Professor provided a map that was just a little too small so she'd have to talk to people- not that she didn't meet enough new people on her own. Tricky, she thought, with a little admiration.
"Mechanics stuff?" asked Bobby. "Rion takes that… Hey! Rion!" he yelled at a tall, dark-haired boy approaching them. As the boy came towards them, Aubrey saw that he was athletically built, with curly brown hair that hung down around his ears and into his face in a way that forced him to flip it out of his blue eyes ever so often.
"Rion, would you care to show the lady to mechanics?" Bobby asked smoothly, and Rogue gave him a sidelong look and rolled her eyes expressively at Aubrey, who grinned.
"Well, well," said Rion, "I suppose I could. You're sure she actually takes mechanics? You've gotten my hopes up before… almost no girls take mechanics," he said, by way of explanation, as he looked at Bobby. "You haven't been in Wolverine's beer stash again, have you?"
Rogue butted in, "Don't mind him, Aubrey, he's always like this. Mutant High's resident drama king," she said, giving him a wry grin.
"Mind not the harridan over there," he said to Aubrey, his nose in the air. "I will escort you to mechanics, my lady, and fight off all monsters and Rogues that come our way," he continued, sticking his tongue out at Rogue as he offered his arm to Aubrey, who took it with some amusement.
As they headed away from the couple, Rion continued, "As you may have heard, I am the High and Honorable Rion."
"Just how high?" asked Aubrey evilly.
"You would impugn my honor!" Rion put a hand to his heart, sounding offended.
"Maybe. I'm the Lowly and Impertinent Aubrey, at your service," she continued.
"Now, that is no name for one so fair!" he cried. "What about Aubrey the Great but Evilly Humored?"
"And Rion the Egregious Actor," retorted Aubrey. Rion broke out into loud laughter as they entered the mechanics room. Aubrey was pleased to see that there was no shortage of good humor in the school. "What's your power, anyway?" she asked as they both sat down to desks in the middle of the room, Rion having assured her that the teacher didn't care where anyone sat. Rion reached behind him and drew out a flower, which he handed to Aubrey with greatest care before cracking up once more as it squirted her in the face with a little stream of water.
"You can create bad jokes?" she asked, sounding astounded. "I could tell you were full of them, but I had no idea I was in the presence of their very source."
Rion chuckled. "If I concentrate, I can create just about anything. It's just harder to make bigger or more complex things."
"Sweet. Probably helps when you forget your homework," she mused.
"Actually, not so much. If I want to make a paper or something, I have to think of everything on the paper too- rewrite it in my head. I'm getting better at it, but I still can't replicate the whole homework by any stretch."
"Ouch. Worth a shot, though, I suppose," she said, before gulping when she saw the teacher entering the room. She sunk in her seat as she recognized the red sunglasses and saw the look of recognition when he saw her. This was going to be an uncomfortable period.
Rion raised his eyebrows at her reaction. "Cyclops may look a little weird, with the glasses and all, but he's no big bad wolf. He's actually a pretty cool teacher."
"I had kind of a run-in with him before coming here," she said, by way of explanation.
"So you're that one," he said thoughtfully.
"Does everybody know about that?" she asked, a little annoyed.
"It's a small world, especially this corner of it," he replied solemnly, and Aub cocked an eyebrow slightly at his interesting use of idiom, but took it to heart.