"Wow. You catch on quickly." Ororo tossed him a playful glance that turned serious once she saw his expression.
"There is something that each of us do not tell to others," Kurt reasoned from behind them, his own face somber. He kept pace with the other two, but it was obvious his mind was elsewhere.
"I think it's something serious," Scott turned to Kurt. "Something that matters. Not just a little secret."
"Anything that they have not said aloud has been revealed to the Professor. Or have you forgotten the headmaster's abilities?" Kurt's tone was as serious as it had ever been; He was not mocking the other teacher.
"Of course I haven't. But that would mean he's keeping secrets too."
"That would also mean it's none of our business, Scott." Ororo's tone ended the discussion.
Darke, despite the quiet and peaceful settings of the mansion, slept very little that early morning. When she'd first attempted to slip off to sleep, dreams had taunted her almost from the moment she'd closed her eyes. Dreams of complete fantasy, however morbid they were. She'd shaken for almost an entire hour after she'd seen Viikayri's wings ripped off by Jessop. Or someone who looked frighteningly like him.
The funny thing was, Jessop was her own brother. Older, yes, and raised under completely different circumstances, but Darke did indeed have Jessop's blood running through her. And she was none too pleased about it. Ever since he was old enough to discover that he couldn't be touched when they were in physical contact, he'd treated her as a puppet, a slave. Any contact that he hadn't initiated was null and void, a definite break of some law of nature. While he could pin her down and tackle her, she couldn't land one punch in defense against him. It had agitated her to all hell when she was younger. The only contact they had now was when Jessop managed to get his slimy hands on her, which was rare.
He seemed absolutely convinced that if he turned her into the authorities, he would escape the prejudice that was so often dished out against mutants.
He was delusional. Frighteningly, psychotically so.
Sitting towards the head of the bed, Darke hugged her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. Part of her abilities…Her curse…Was a lack of the need to sleep. She functioned properly without it, for at least three days running. The only thing that worried her was that she hadn't slept in nearly four, which explained why she'd been so relieved to finally have a bed. What was she going to do tomorrow, when she had to concentrate? Leaning her head against the wall, she released an audible sigh, ground out in frustration. She'd considered banging her head on the headboard she was leaning against, but remembered the children and other teachers trying to sleep and decided against it. She did, however, wish desperately for a soundproof wall to bang her head on when times got frusterating. Perhaps once she had some seniority under her belt she could request one, for both the sanity of herself and those of her students. Ororo would think her head banging was a health hazard.
Darke snorted at the thought. She was the health hazard. What was she going to do when her blood began to return to it's normal, deficient levels? She had to feed, there was only one way. Directly through her digestive system. Without drinking blood, she would die. And quickly. Miserably. She was suited now, though, for at least another two days. But to wait until the last minute was not her way of dealing with things. Well. Not things like this, anyway. Back home, she was known as the goddess of procrastination and indecision. She received scoldings daily about this from Paige.
Perhaps that was the only thing she didn't miss, besides Jessop in his entirety. She released a low, long sigh. She did miss home. Mom and Dad, Paige…Ali…Not a thought was given to Jessop, though, as one might suspect. Her hatred of him had long ago turned to the worst thing possible that could pass between siblings: Bitter indifference. She'd simply been betrayed too many times. Paige and Ali were entering their first years of college, a bit late at 20, and Darke was being forced to remain on the run and hidden for the safety of all parties involved, which only increased the bitterness. She wasn't sure just how far Jessop would go to become exempt of all mutant charges, as foolish as it sounded to her. She never found out exactly where he got his delusions about being accepted into 'normal' society, but she'd had a strong suspicion it had to do with the group he'd chosen to hang out with throughout high school. The twins'd had very little knowledge of the questionable clique of their eldest sibling, but as Darke was only a year behind him, she'd known without wanting to the company he kept. She remembered the involuntary shudder that had crept up her spine every time she passed them in the halls, undoubtedly caused by the off-balance energies and emotions she'd picked up from them. She knew it was a normal phase for a kid to go through, hating the world and everything in it. These kids, though, seemed to take it just a few steps too far. Indeed, hers was one of the towns in which rumors floated of animal sacrificial rituals, and she couldn't help but suspect Jessop and his…'Friends'. She grumbled in disgust at the thought of them. In her eyes, they'd ruined him. But he'd always been a little off. Perhaps they'd just brought it out. She still resented them. Thoroughly.
And what was this situation that she and Viik'd now found themselves in? Her mind had skillfully, effectively forced a change of topic. She'd heard very little of the school prior to meeting Kurt. Only that it was highly esteemed for producing well-taught professionals who went on to become doctors, lawyers and such. Nobel Prize winners, the like. She'd not caught onto the pattern before, but they all had indeed proven to be mutants, either in coming out from the school or later on in life. The ones she'd taken the time to research, anyway. To be a teacher of such successful pupils seemed like a distant dream. Hell, it was the very reason she'd become a teacher; she knew values and morals were instilled early in life, and that of course, aside from parents, teachers had a distinct effect on how young people grew up. She had her own teachers to thank for that theory, as well as proven studies and statistics. She wanted to be one of the positive influences on the coming generations, even if it was only minute. And now it seemed too good to be true. A shiver of unease crept up her spine. Things were going too well. Despite not being able to contact her family and tell them that her greatest dream had become a reality, it all seemed…Surreal.
Before she knew it, someone was tapping her on the shoulder, and she realized that a rather hateful light was shining towards her closed eyes.
"Lemmeh'lone." She swatted away the hand that had tapped her, rolling over so that her back was to the 'assailant'.
"Geddup," was Viikayri's annoyed reply. She knew better than to continue tapping, for more than once she'd almost lost a limb in attempt to get Darke from bed. Waking Darke from her rare night's sleep was like waking a bear from hibernation, in difficulty and in danger.
"Nu. Lemmehlone." Darke growled, pressing her face farther into her pillow.
Slowly, an evil smile spread across Viik's face. "I'll get water. Ice cold. Bobby Drake style."
"Yeah…Because we all know you both have a death wish," Darke's quick reply was muffled only slightly by her pillow, still clenched tightly.
Viik rolled her eyes again, arms crossing over her chest, her tail twitching to emphasize her agitation. "C'mon, Kat, just geddup!"
"Annawanna. Lemmehlone."
Viik threw up her hands in despair and stamped out of the room, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "stubborn, lazy youth".
"Lazy!" Darke leaped out of bed, instantly awake. Her hair was heavily disheveled, her clothes wrinkled badly, and her eyes were narrowed in a glare that would have made SabreTooth cower. Beware a woman forced out of bed at what seemed such an ungodly hour.
Viik turned, her expression maddeningly calm, at least, maddening to Darke, and smiled triumphantly. "Thought that would get you moving."
"You rat."
………………
Breakfast had already been served in the main dining room, and so she'd had to catch a quick bite to eat in the kitchen. It wasn't anything large, for she felt she hadn't earned anything yet. Darke was a firm believer in earning her keep, and so far, it seemed she'd done nothing but cause the staff trouble. She knew that would change soon enough; she had confidence in her teaching ability and relations with kids. And so scrambled eggs it was. As she stood over the stove, poking at the eggs with the spatula, two younger children walked in, appearing to be just as hungry as she. Smiling brightly at them, even though they stared at her warily, she asked cheerfully if they wanted some eggs, moving to the refrigerator already to grab more.
Both nodded, still speechless, one from the sight of her eyes, one still recovering from the fact that they'd wandered in to find a stranger. Taking the initiative, she put the carton of eggs on the table and offered a slender hand to the smallest, who was staring at her through coke-bottle glasses that were alarmingly thick, even for coke-bottle glasses. He stared at it for a long thoughtful moment, before glancing back up at her, a brow raised.
"I'm Katherine Darke. Everyone just calls me Darke, though…I'll be teaching math here pretty soon." It was faintly clear that she was nervous.
Jones seemed satisfied with this. Taking her hand, he shook it, his handshake surprisingly strong for a boy of his size. "Jones. Just Jones. And sure. I'm hungry."
Her grin softened, and she turned to the taller boy, whom she had to resist giving a cheek pinch. As he shook her hand, he smiled, a bit more at ease than his younger friend. "Me too. I'm Artie."
Even as Darke turned away to add more eggs to the gooey mess she'd already produced, she thought she caught a glimpse of a black tongue as Artie spoke, but she'd learned to expect the unexpected even in the short time she'd been here. Just on the way to the kitchen from her room after scolding and repeatedly insulting Viikayri, she'd seen one girl walk through two different walls, heard another scream louder than she could (Peter, get OUT of here!), and spied an older boy concentrating with all his might on a levitating corner table. Thankfully, the table had been void of decoration. He hadn't seen her, though she could imagine the crashing sound that might have resulted if he had. He'd held the expression and appearance of someone who'd been caught at this sport before and had been scolded repeatedly for it.
The eggs were quickly finished, seasoned, and placed on three different plates on the island counter. The three ate rather quickly, the two boys appearing to have another agenda to get about, just as Darke had. If she was to be working with Ororo, she had to get to one of her classes and see just how the woman taught. That would be the wisest course of action for now, considering that she most likely wouldn't have her own room to decorate. She began to wonder, as she finished her eggs, if Viikayri would have luck getting Professor Xavier to bring in more instruments than she'd already found.
Apparently, before she'd awaken Darke, Viikayri had gone to investigate the old choir room, which she would be using to teach her classes. There were some flutes in cases, a tuba that looked as though it'd seen much better days, a trap set with half the pieces punched through, and one lone clarinet that looked as though it'd been used to play baseball. She'd found no case for that one. She'd also mentioned to Darke the need for sheet music, which made sense. Very little could be played without it.
Once she'd seen to it that the children headed to class, she went about writing a letter to her sisters, to let them know she was alright and had found a place to live safely. They, of course, knew about her abilities, though not the extent of them, and so they were her lifelines. She could talk about anything with them, though she kept this one short and to the point; They wouldn't even be able to reply. She wasn't giving a return address, and had planned to mail it from a town near the edge of New York State. It was just like her snake of a brother to have been keeping an eye on their incoming mail.
That soon was the end of that. Finally, she meandered through the halls, following her sharp senses to Ororo's classroom. She paused at the open door, leaning in the entrance and crossing her arms before Ororo glanced up from helping one of the children to see her. Smiling kindly, she gestured to an empty desk near the back and mouthed 'Hey, hun," before continuing to see to Jubilee's geography paper.
Slowly, Darke sank into the seat and crossed her arms, watching with a slow smile on her face. It'd been a long time since she'd sat in on another class, it was truly like coming home.
Ororo really was skilled. She could deal with any problem that arose (and several did arise) quickly and fairly. Her lesson plans, upon the various subjects they were, were executed efficiently and in a way that the points were made clear to each child, no matter their age. Darke noticed that a rather young looking child, perhaps nine or ten, had a question about an obtuse angle in geometry. By the time Ororo was done explaining his problem to the class, all understood the factor completely and also had an introduction in the other angles as well.
Lunch time rolled around quickly, especially since Darke had been late for breakfast. Ororo invited her to dine in her classroom, where she usually ate alone, or perhaps with Scott or the Professor. Darke gratefully accepted the invitation, though was strangely reminded of being the new girl in school.
Viikayri joined them, having completed a list of essentials for the class that was to start in three days. She was in a rather cheerful mood, as she'd spoken with Professor Xavier and learned that all she needed would be delivered shortly. They talked amiably through lunch, though Viik told Darke that later on, they would have to speak in private. Her younger friend had raised her eyebrows at this, but nodded.
Later, after classes had finished, Darke wandered to her room, frowning at the emptiness of it. In her college dorm, she'd constantly kept the walls and furnishings covered with posters, nick knacks, and other things that were just…Her. But she couldn't anymore, all that had been lost to her. She could feel the bitterness beginning to well up once more as she sat on the bed, but it was interrupted, thankfully, by Viikayri's entrance.
Darke turned to her and grinned, though only until she remembered Viikayri's mentioning the need to talk in private. Well, this was as private as they could get. Her expression turned somber, to match Viik's, and she gestured to the bed with a hand.
"Have a seat."
"Will, thank you." Viik replied with a small smile. She didn't hesitate to come straight to the point. "Kat, we can't be forgetting about those who pursue us. Jessop will find a way to figure out where we are. When that happens…"
Darke swore. "I don't want to move on from here, Viik. I like this place."
"Then it's time we fought him off."
Once again, Darke swore. "We can't. Once he gets his hands on me, there's nothing that can stop him. Freaky bastard. And what about the kids?"
"Well, if you don't want to move on, that's a risk we're all going to have to take. It's not like they wouldn't be prepared. Remember? Charles Xavier is a-"
"-Telepath," Darke interrupted, turning from Viik to look toward her dresser, biting her lip. "But he can't read me. Maybe it's time we had a talk."
"He might be angry," Viikayri pointed out.
"No doubt. But...He's gotta know. And the kids…The other teachers, they deserve to know, too."
"It would be better not to live here under false pretenses." Viik spoke quietly, looking down at her tail as it twitched idly on the floor
Darke nodded, then stood after another long, thoughtful pause. "Alright. Well…I'll let you know how it went."
Viikayri snorted. "Good luck, Darke."
Darke turned to face her close friend, watching her in silence for a moment. "Thanks, Viik." In the next second, she was out the door. "See you later."