Alright,I re-did chapter 3, so mayhaps it would suck as much. Changed the rating for language, and so forth.

Conversations

I was in a board room of sorts; people were speaking to me in Korean accents so thick I could hardly understand them. My little brother was sulking in the corner, and my foster parents were shaking uncontrollably. Had I really caused all this? Was it really all my fault? Things were so different now.

"Will?"

"What?" his voice was hard and cold, resentful that I had gotten the mutant gene and he hadn't. But he was my brother, younger in body, older in sprit.

"Are you sure I'll be alright?" I wandered over to the Asian style sofa where he had been sulking and laid my head in his lap.

"Yes; I'm sure. I've done all my research. This place can help you, my shadow. They can teach you how to control your…" He paused, unable to say "your mutant abilities." Instead he let the comment lay unspoken and stroked my scalded head. I tried not to wince in pain, but human touch was so warm that it burned me. That was what had happened to my hair.

"Time to go, Angela." A Korean lady led me away from my brother, away form the one person who still cared about me.

Weeks passed, I let myself sink away until I was nothing but an empty shell. No one wanted to bunk with the strange Canadian girl and I was given my space. Personal training, my own rooms, and archery lessons – an extra-curricular class of my choice. But one day there was a duffle bag on the extra bed in my room, and a girl sitting on the floor.

"Excuse me, what are you doing here?" She was meditating or something, but that didn't stop my curiosity.

"Sorry, I don't speak Korean." English! She spoke English!

"Oh, umm, I said 'Excuse me, what are you doing here'" It seemed like so long since anyone had spoken fluent English around me.

"Oh, I'm your new roommate. My name's Darlene Cumber, but back home I was The Mistress of Darkness." She stuck a firm and calloused hand out, and I took it almost greedily despite the burning sensation.

"Angela Stryker. Most people call me Shadow 'round here. So, umm, where is home?" I was nervous, and my palms began to sweat.

"Oh, it doesn't matter." She wiped her hand on her jeans. How long had it been since mine wasn't the only pair in the entire institute? "So, Shadow, looks like the two of us are in the same boat, might as well be bunkmates, eh?" She was friendly, which was probably what drew her to me and me to her.

"Please," I gasped, throwing the Professor's hands away. "Please, no more." I ran my hands through my short blue hair. It was spiked with sweat.

"Yes, of course. I can find her now, go and rest." He wheeled away, looking shaken, and Jean led me to a room upstairs. I collapsed on the bed in a desperate attempt to keep my tears hidden. It didn't work. Jean sat down and gently rubbed my back and waited for the tears to stop.

"I'm sorry." I sat up and began to wipe the tears away. "Mind blocks have a tendency to make me emotional."

"Liar." I grinned through tears that wouldn't stop. "Psychic powers, remember?"

"Thanks." I took the tissue she offered me, and her hand accidentally slid over mine. "Ouch." I drew my hand back quickly before I could really think that it hadn't hurt, it was just my initial reaction.

"Sorry, so sorry." She looked like I had been the one who had hurt her.

For once I had found a group of people that didn't hate me immediately; I didn't want to lose that. "No, it's all right. The mind block shut me off from the shadow realm."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Well, at least she was open, if not wary.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to think of how best to explain it. "Umm, the shadow realm is really cold. It has to be. There's no light, therefore no heat. Too long in it will kill anybody but a shadow traveler, because as soon as you, what's the word I'm looking for? Umm, come to grips with your gift – or curse, take your pick – your body will lose all body heat. When you're in the shadow realm as often as I am, only a mind block can restore natural warmth."

"So what's the 'ouch' for?" She was experimentally poking me.

"Ever touched dry ice?" She nodded. "That's how cold my skin is. Think it hurts to touch something that cold? It does, but it hurts me even more. To me it feels like touching a stove would for you." I took a deep breath before continuing, wondering if I even should. "The burn of human skin is the reason my hair won't grow more than a couple of inches."

"What happened?" She asked, like I knew she would.

"Well, let's just say that me and a boy were caught in the throes of youthful abandon." I ran a hand through my hair in remembrance.

"You were making out?"

"Yeah, something like that. Anyway, that was the exact time that the whole shadow traveler thing decided to kick in. The hair follicles were so damaged that even if I could get it to grow more than two inches, it would be ice-white. That's why I dye it." It felt weird, talking about something so incredibly pointless, but it was nice too.

Jean took a moment to gather her thoughts and then continued. "So, what is the shadow realm?"

How to explain, how to explain? "It's all in the name. It is basically an alternate world that is a shadow of this one. When I slip into the shadow realm you can see my silhouette here, along with anything I take with me. I am confined to move about in the patterns of the world, so I can't go through walls. And anything that casts a shadow here will obstruct my way. I can also move something in this realm by moving its shadow. Not very easy, mind you, but doable."

A few more moments of silence, but curiosity is powerful. "What about being able to defy gravity?"

"Ah, that. A shadow traveler has extreme control of their body when the laws of physics are concerned. I don't have to eat, breath, sleep, or pay attention to small maters like gravity. Like for instance, I could go around hovering all the time."

"So why don't you?"

"Because it's too, umm, obvious. Besides, I have legs; I might as well use them." I took a deep breath; I wasn't used to having to breathe so often.

"Wow, you've got a giant gift. Where'd you learn to control it like you do?" Jean was looking as eager as a school girl. That seemed somewhat ironic, because she was supposed to be a teacher, not a student.

"Same place I met Darlene." Just when I thought I had found something that wouldn't remind me of her, Darlene had to come. Just had to.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Jean got my drift; then again, she is psychic.

"Don't be. I'm sick of it." I got up and began to walk around.

Once again, she got my drift. She nodded to me and left. On her way out she added, "Bathroom's through that door, fell free to anything in the kitchen, and dinner is usually at seven."

When I was sure she had gone, I decided on a shower. When ever I bathed I kept the water on cold, just because it hurt too much otherwise, but this time it was nice, feeling warmth for once. I had forgotten how much I missed it. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, so I got out of the shower and dressed. I don't wear makeup, and my hair was too short to dry, so it didn't take all that long to get ready for… for whatever I was going to do.

Apparently what I was going to do was talk to Logan. He had just walked into my room, and was nosing about in my few possessions.

"Did you have any idea I was in the shower?" I was leaning nonchalantly against the bathroom door to hide that my knees were quaking. Odd, I'd meet gangsters more frightening that him, why would he make my legs quake?

"Oh, I waited until I knew you were dressed." He didn't seem in the least bit perturbed that I'd caught him pawing my valuables, not that they were that valuable.

"Now how could you possibly know that?" I swatted his hands away from a bundle of my stuff, accidentally knocking it open.

He tapped his nose and grinned slyly at me. "I have an excellent sense of smell." He picked up my necklace out of the mass of stuff. "What's this?"

"That's mine!" I snatched it back and immediately felt a twinge of regret. Hmm, that was new too. "It was my focusing object." I put the necklace back on the bed. It was a pendant with a wispy, almost demonic dragon hung on a chain with small spikes lying gently on my neck.

"Until…" Logan waved his hands as if he wanted me o continue.

So I did. "Until my brother broke it."

He nodded and then gently placed the necklace around my neck. His hands were warm, but not hot, as they did up the latch. I didn't turn around, forcing him to come close. His breath smelled of cinnamon, not beer, his eyes were soft, not calculating. It was a nice change.

"It flatters your neck line." Logan stood back to admire the effect.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" I was fingering the places where his skin had touched mine.

"I would?" All signs of cockiness were erased.

What was wrong? Why was he playing dumb? "Of course; you gave it to me." He was drawing a blank. "Don't you remember?"

He looked down, ashamed. "I don't remember anything before…" he trailed off and let his claws unsheathe. "How do you know me?"

I motioned at him to sit down, not expecting him to do so. I was a little shaken when he did. The Logan I knew never would have let someone tell him what to do. "Do you know who William Stryker is?"

"Was."

"Pardon?"

"Do I know who William Stryker was. He's dead now." He didn't look to sad about it either.

I ran my hand through my hair. "Well, I can't say he didn't have it coming to him. I'd know, he's my brother."

"What does that have to do with you knowing me?"

"Patience is a virtue; I'm getting there. Well, about six months before your, um, procedure I came to stay with Will. Both of you were staying at the military base, so we met there. When I told Will that experimenting on Mutants was wrong, especially for him, he kicked me out. He told me later what had happened, and I can't say I felt a great swell of pity for you."

"Gee, thanks." He gave me an accusatory glare, but it held no real malice.

"Hey, if you'd known what you were like you wouldn't blame me." Out of sheer playfulness I shoved him off the bed. Once again, that was new. Is this what they call "flirting"?

He got back up and tackled me. The blow knocked my breath away, but I could tell he was being gentle. We tossed back and forth, until he had me pinned. I am proud to say that he was breathing harder than I was. We just stared at each other, panting and grinning like idiots. My heart was racing, and my only coherent thought was, When was the last time I felt this happy?

I was shocked out of trying to remember when the last time I felt this good was by lips being pressed against mine. I met them, losing myself and forgetting everything but how wonderful it felt.

Logan broke the kiss first, reluctantly, and whispered in my ear, "Promise me you'll be here when I get back?"

I whispered back, "You'll just have to find out, won't you?"

"Guess so." He got up and left, leaving me to wonder what the hell I gotten myself into.