BACK TO SCHOOL

CHAPTER 18: FUBAR

The mutants were back at Bayville High and so far things weren't going too well. With this whole Spears' thing on the news for the past few days things had been pretty messed up. The students around Bayville were in confusion as well. Some were actually shocked that someone had been putting something in their water supply.

There were a few adults that weren't even sure that only mutants would be affected by it. The bottled water market in town had never been doing so well at least. Other students flat out didn't want to believe this for various reasons such as they didn't believe that anyone would do such a thing to it being a mutant plot to frame a human.

Others didn't know what to think, while a small group were actually starting to be a bit more sympathetic to mutants given what was going on. But of course there were those that actually didn't have a problem with what happened.

So throughout the day things like students doing the usual ignoring of them was now mixed with a bit more hostility but actually some sympathy. It was a nice change that was for sure although it didn't lighten up on their day that much. At the moment three mutants were between classes, the blond younger brother of Scott, Alex was there. With Blink in her hologram and Rahne as well, it was the lunch hour by then so they were walking together.

"Man this day is just so long to get over," Alex sighed as they walked along the way. For the past few days things were a little strange. Also the fact that it seems that from the e-mails he did managed to get from Lorna said that things weren't better on their end as well.

"Aye tis strange," Rahne agreed as they walked the halls.

"Hey!" They all turned and Rahne smiled as she saw the nice looking blood boy with dark brown eyes walk up to them. "Mind if I join you guys?" Joseph McKnight asked, he was one of the few humans that was actually friends with them also the fact that Rahne was smiling more so was that they had started to date.

He was a deep caring boy and she liked him. "Oh I think we don't mind at all do we Rahne?" Alex teased the younger girl. He got a small glare from her but when she saw Joseph smile she forgot all about it. They walked on with Rhane and Joseph hand in hand, but he wasn't the only one to join them.

They also ran into Annie Ghazikhanian, the girl Alex had met in Bayville who was new to the area. She had learned that Alex was a mutant and it was a shock but after finding out who he was first before that she managed to look past it. Also the fact that Alex was seeing her they weren't 'officially' a couple since he was also seeing Polaris of X-Force.

It wasn't easy on the one hand he didn't get to see Lorna that often like now so it made their relationship not that easy. But Annie's dad was really anti-mutant so they couldn't 'officially' date in case he found out, it was too bad since she was a nice girl deep inside. 'Man since when has my dating life ended up like this?'

Normally most guys wouldn't mind having two girls but things made it difficult for him to find a normal relationship but then again his life was anything but normal. "So how have you been?" He was brought out of his thoughts when Annie asked him that, "I mean with all you guys sick and all."

He smiled seeing the little worry in her eyes, "Yeah we're fine now. Thanks to stopping the tampering with the water and Gale's healing powers to help us get on our feet sure helped to smooth things along."

She visibly relaxed at that, "That's nice to hear. I just can't believe something so…inhuman was done." She crossed her arms over her chest, she wanted to go into medicine and help people. But someone doing something like this was just abhorrent to her.

Clarice looked at the two couples and kind of felt out of place. She stayed quiet hoping to kind of just stay in the background as the two couples were together. She fought back the urge to sigh at this lately she had kind of been wanting something like that. Living in a mansion full of couples kind of made you realize how lonely you got at times.

Sometimes she, Danielle, Gale would get together mainly just to hang out without anyone who was attached just so they weren't reminded of that at times. Well they hit the cafeteria which was busy as usual. She saw the Hellions in their usual corner everyone around them pretty much left them alone.

There were various members of the mansion around as well but they all took a seat together then join any of the others. Blink and the others who had sampled the kind of food that made Clarice think about making a portal and heading back home for her lunches. It just wasn't up to what they were used to eating at the mansion.

"Hey this seat taken?" Clarice nearly had a heart attack at the voice. She knew it all too well. She looked up shyly to see Ryan there. The same boy she had been crushing on lately asking to sit next to her of all people. She was fidgeting wondering what to do, she was trying to say something but her mouth wouldn't work.

Thankfully Rahne noticed this and stepped in, "Aye, please sit down. I think Clarice would like that," She smiled at the other girl although Blink was torn between thanking her and killing her for this. She was so nervous that she was toying with her long hair.

Ryan sat down next to them he was a bit new to the town lately as his family got a few jobs here. Although he made some friends on the football team, he had tried out and so far he was in. He was built for the game but he also knew that it wasn't likely that he'd do it for the rest of his life so he studied too. He smiled at Clarice and she shyly smiled back. There was something about her that he found interesting and he wondered what this mystery she seemed to have about her was all about.

In fact he had just finally started to get her to talking when a few member of his team saw him, "Hey Ryan what are you doing with the muties?"

At that all conversation at their table and a few around them just died at that moment. Clarice felt her heart just drop at this point seeing them there and what they said. A few people knew she was from Xavier's but she hadn't told Ryan this yet. When his friends pointed her out as a mutant she saw the surprise on his face.

She was crushed, seeing his look like he didn't know what to think. Her throat tightened up, it was all going so well and now she was outed already before she had the chance to explain. Clarice didn't know what to do, but all of a sudden whatever appetite she has left was gone. She couldn't face him so she mumbled an excuse and left as fast as she could without actually running.

She heard a few people call out to her but she didn't pay attention she just needed to go and hopefully keep her distance from Ryan. She just knew that he wouldn't like her now, he would hate her. Why did it seem she had to suffer so much? All she wanted was to be loved in life and every time something happened to screw it up for her.

-NYU-

Jean was walking through the halls heading to the courtyard as the school day was nearly over with. She was going to meet up with Scott while he was between classes. She was done for the day and so was Forge so after a quick visit with him, she'd meet up with Forge and take her back in her white SUV she got a in her senior year thanks to Xavier.

She was on her way when she met up with one of the few friends she had on campus, Peter Parker although he seemed to be favouring his leg for some reason. Years of Danger Room practice made a few of them experts in seeing someone with an injury. 'Maybe he plays a sport or something?' She wondered.

He smiled seeing her, "Hey Jean how's it going?"

"Better thanks, and also thank you so much for helping with the notes." Jean was sure she would still be behind if not for his help.

He just smiled at her with a shrug, "Oh it wasn't much, and it's just nice to help a friend out you know?"

Jean had to admit that Peter was a very nice guy, the kind that any girl would love to have in fact. Although he didn't seem to have someone in his life at the moment Jean was thinking if Taryn might be interested. Although before she started to get the idea of setting up her friends for a blind date another red head was coming up behind Peter.

Oddly enough she looked kind of like Jean herself if somewhat different. She seemed to be moving towards Peter a little cautiously as if not sure about talking to him. Jean looked at her, "Can we help you?"

Peter turned around and the look of surprise on his face was like someone had just slapped him, "MJ? I thought you were in LA trying to get your modeling career off?" He remembered how she had gotten an offer and had left. He had been depressed after that for over a month.

"Hey Peter," She said a little shyly she had been debating how to approach him. But seeing him talk to the girl that looked so much like her she wasn't sure what to think. Was he going out with this woman because of her resemblance to her? She didn't think Peter was the type. "I…well it didn't turn out too good…I did get an offer for some part time work in New York…So I figured I'd work and study and well…"

Jean saw that these two had some issues to talk about she would have to ask him later for the full story. "Well if you'll excuse me I'm going to be late to meet my boyfriend. I'll talk to you later Peter," Jean noticed how there was a happier look on the other girl's face when she mentioned her boyfriend.

She left for the two to talk things out wondering what would happen. Either Peter got a new or maybe old girlfriend back given how they were acting or if it didn't work out she could still set up Taryn. She made it outside but what she saw made her stop in her tracks.

There in the center of the plaza on some tables there looked to be a rally. Although from the guy with the megaphone and the signs she could tell what it was. She noticed anti-mutant slogans there as well as a few people with FOH armbands. Jean got a very cold feeling in her stomach seeing those it was the FOH that hired spears for his toxin.

She felt her anger at these people, all she and most mutants wanted was just to live like normal people but then all these people wanted was to wipe them out al because of a single gene. How people could think like they did even a telepath like she didn't know.

She felt a presence walking up next to her, "Pathetic isn't it?" She turned to see Shinobi Shaw there with his hands in his jacket looking with contempt at them. "They refuse to accept the future, the mutant birth rate is climbing and here they are trying to stop the future. One day only mutants will be left on this planet and they feel it."

"They're afraid of us not because of what we can do but because of what we represent. They know their time is limited and that we will replace them eventually. They know they are a dying breed and so they hold on trying to do whatever they can to comfort themselves and to prevent them from being nothing more then a footnote in history."

Jean looked at them seeing the angry faces, how they acted more like primitive savages with the things they were saying that no civilized person would ever say. It made her sick to her stomach about certain things, "Xavier says that we can one day live with them peacefully…" Although seeing this it was actually hard for her to think so in that moment. She knew there were good humans, she knew them but seeing this made her question if she would ever live to see that day.

"Perhaps but even if we one day do it will be short lived," Shaw said still looking at them. "History has a grim way of repeating itself and this planet was once home to two species. Humans and Neanderthals, but only one survived."

Jean knew about that it wasn't clear how humans were the only survivors against a race that was bigger and physically stronger then humans.

"And now we're seeing it again only now humans are facing another species, but it's their fate like the Neanderthals? To be swept aside by another species? This is what they fear and I know that one day we'll eventually replace them…That is, if someone doesn't make a plague to wipe us out in the mean time."

Those last words really hit Jean the hardest in that moment.

Across from them on the other side of the protesters Scott was walking and he scowled seeing this. His thoughts were a lot like Jean's at the moment seeing them like this. He sighed to himself until he heard some footsteps and looked and then groaned, 'Great why of all her.'

"Because you're just lucky," Emma Frost smiled at him.

Scott glared at her, "I'm not in the mood for you and keep out of my head." He said in a flat tone. Why this woman kept on bothering him he never knew.

"I wasn't you were projecting Scott darling," She crossed her arms seeing the scene, "God this sickens me…"

Although he didn't say anything it was one thing they could agree on. He listened in on the foul crap that the main guy was spouting off. "Mutants are the enemy! They aren't even human so why should we treat them as such? Do you want a mutant dating your sister? Do you want mutants to contaminate your family gene pool? They are dangerous freaks, mistakes of nature and they have to be dealt with…And then we can focus on the Jews and the Blacks…"

At that point the crowd and even the FOH members looked at the speaker like he just went nuts. The crowd didn't know what to think some now were even protesting the protesters as the man who spoke that looked just as freaked out that he said that.

Scott was trying to figure out what had just happened when he heard a small laugh and looked to Emma. "You did that didn't you?"

"Of course don't tell me you don't think that was funny," Emma flipped her long hair over her shoulder, "Besides if they think of them like other hate groups maybe it will remind them that they could be next after us."

"Still you shouldn't use your powers like that Emma," Scott said to her although there was a part of him that liked seeing the FOH trying to talk their way out of this one. Yes he knew two wrongs don't make a right but still…

"Actually he was thinking it I just make him voice it," Emma told him with an amused voice as the FOH were starting to fight back the crowd. At this rate there might be a small riot and that would help go to hurting the FOH's popularity in the area.

Emma looked over across the courtyard and smirked, "Oh looks like Jean is hanging out with the tall, dark, handsome stranger again." She smiled seeing Scott's head look in that direction quickly and at the jealous that she was sensing as well. A little push here and there and there would be trouble in paradise soon enough for the love birds.

-Back at the Mansion-

After school things didn't seem to get much better. Most of the students were just relaxing after another Danger Room session. In the living room Vincent was sitting on the couch with Rogue cuddled up against him. She was getting used to showing her emotions and she was a bit more at ease with him.

Kitty was there while Piotr was on the phone with his sister as she was sitting back looking through the channels. Kurt and Amanda were on the floor together his tail around her waist as she played with the tip lightly. Bobby was flipping through channels looking for something interesting to watch form his chair.

Danielle was working on some homework on her stomach with her homework in front of her. It was kind of boring but the TV helped her to keep her mind from glazing over. Bobby sighed as he flicked through the stations until he found one about one of those Jerry Springer like shows, the title at the bottom said 'My lover is a Mutant' on it.

"Oh brother," Bobby groaned seeing some guy with what looked like scales and this girl what was in love with him arguing with her family apparently.

"Am ah the only one here that is only surprised that this didn't happen sooner?" Rogue asked with a sigh at what was going on. By now a fight was breaking out between them with the crowd goading them on.

"I'm totally with you," Kitty groaned seeing this display on the TV, "Bobby can you please change it?"

"But it's just getting good," He whined but then saw the others look at him so he caved in and turned it.

It then turned to the news and Bobby stopped as an image of Spears showed up on the screen, "The trail for Guy Spears is set soon into the allegations of him creating an illegal biological weapon on US soil."

"Allegations?" Vince said through a clenched jaw, "Yeah right. You know, I kind of wish we could testify as to what happened to us to give out our side of that." Others nodded with him, after all many of them had gotten sick and nearly died as well. The Morlocks had already a few fatalities as well and it wasn't right that they were killed and no one knew of it.

"In other news newly elected Senator Kelly made an announcement today," The reporter stated to them and the entire room groaned.

They just knew that this wouldn't be good the scene turned to a press conference with Kelly there, "Ladies and gentlemen in light of the resent mutant attacks a new organization has been given the green light to start operations by the end of the month."

"Oh man this isn't going to be good at all I just know it," Bobby said as everyone silently agreed with him as it went on.

"We are implementing a new agency that will help deal with mutant criminal called the Genetic Security Agency," Kelly explained to the press, "This new agency will deal with mutant threats as they are part of the Homeland Security, they will deal with all domestic mutant issues."

"They will be mainly used by the GRSO troops that are being trained to handle mutants but also there will be mutant agents trained to back them up as well." It went on from there about the organization but everyone there wasn't really paying attention.

"Oh no…I hope they are more like X-Force," Amanda said a little softly, she had remembered how Trask had kidnapped her and a few of the others and put them in that cell. The thought of something like that only with government backing wasn't pleasant. She felt Kurt behind her hugging her and she was thankful for it.

Rogue didn't say anything but she doubted that theses guys would be like X-Force and from the looks of the others she guessed they were thinking the same. She sighed as if things were bad enough now there was going to be this goon squad out there and she just knew that the Morlocks would be number one on their hit list after those attacks.

"After this statement Senator Miles Brickman had this to say about this," The reporter then showed a man with some grey hair on the sides of his head but still a youthful look to him with glasses. He had a calm and warm personality to himself.

"I do agree that violence needs to be taken care of but there is no reason why we must treat these people like animals as if they weren't human. Because they are human, if one of my family members was a mutant, say if my little girl becomes a mutant I would love them just as much."

"We can't let ourselves be ruled by hate and fear, we're living in a historical age with all of this happening and I don't want the mistakes of the past to happen all over again."

"Okay if he runs for president I'm so voting for him," Danielle said taking an interest in this since it wasn't often that politicians were on their side. It was a little easier knowing that the entire government wasn't against mutants and gave her a bit of hope.

"Ja same here…vell if I vas a citizen zhat is," Kurt shrugged to himself with a smile on his lips.

"Ditto dude," Vince nodded it was nice to finally see someone in the government on the side of mutants for a change. Rogue however was looking at him with a strange feeling of déjà vu, like she knew this man. At least she had a feeling about him like she had seen him somewhere before then. But she just shook her head thinking nothing of it maybe it was just another remnant memory floating around from another personality.

She got those now and then, feelings of familiarity about something that she knew she hadn't seen or heard before. It was one of the few annoying things about having absorbed all those minds over the years.

'Can everyone free come to the front door to welcome a new guest,' Xavier voice rang out in all their heads. A few people jumped ever after years that was still a little unnerving to happen now and then. Bobby turned off the TV since they weren't sure they even wanted to know how it was going to end.

By the time they got to the main entrance they saw Xavier and the adult as well as the few students that had been close enough to meet them. "Ah good well I suppose I should inform you that we are getting a new student." Xavier explained to them all.

"Are you sure that's a good idea with all that's going on?" Gale asked given all that was going on was it really safe to have a new student around here.

"I'll have to agree with Patch here," Logan said although Gale didn't like her nickname of 'Patch' just because of her healing powers, she gave a small glare at the big man who wasn't fazed by it.

Xavier nodded he knew that the current climate wasn't exactly stable, "Yes but she's the daughter of an old friend and her powers are getting hard for her to control. In order to help her I need to be with her and since I can't leave my responsibilities here her parents wanted to help her so they sent her here."

"So who is she?" Hank asked as he was interested in the new student.

"Her name is Elizabeth Braddock, I haven't seen her or her brother since she was ten years old but apparently she's a telepath," He had actually sensed her in town with Cerebro as she was taking a taxi to the mansion. He even managed to talk to her with her mind and helped to put her a bit more at ease.

She didn't like leaving her home but on the other hand her powers were causing problems for her much like when Jean's power manifested. Although her powers had developed at a slower pace then Jean, they only just recently got very bad for her at times causing her pain in her head.

A car was heard being pulled up, "Ah that should be here now. So please everyone try to keep it civil and welcome her in."

"Yeah of course," Kitty smiled wondering what the new girl would be like.

A young girl that looked about seventeen or maybe eighteen took out a few suitcases from the taxi and looked at the mansion. It was a very big place about the same size as her family home, so she figured she might feel a bit at home here. Although she just wanted to get her powers under control for once, they were starting to get really annoying.

She paid the driver and carried her cases into the mansion it would be kind of nice to see Xavier again. She still remembered how nice a man he was and how he and his parents were old friends. She used to call him 'Uncle Charley' when she was younger and that memory brought a small smile to her face.

The others watched as Gale opened the door to help the girl in, "Hi, I'm Gale welcome to Xavier's."

"Thanks luv," She said in a British voice as she walked through the open door. She had purple dyed hair and wore kind of a punk look. Baggy black pants but with an orange top that showed off her stomach and had on jewellery like a few bracelets, rings, ear rings but nothing too much.

She was a pretty girl but she stopped seeing the surprised looks on most of them, a few just looked confused as to the reactions of the others but it was Rogue that was hit the hardest. She was so pale at that moment on seeing the other girl it was like she was seeing a ghost in a way.

Rogue finally managed to whisper out one thing the name of the girl that this Elizabeth girl looked like. Rogue felt like her entire world has just been turned upside down as she spoke, "…R…Risty?"

NEXT UP CHAPTER 19: JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU KNOW SOMEONE