It was two weeks before Sam could return to the Institute. During that fortnight, he still went to school, constantly having to evade Kitty. He was helped enormously by Lance, who distracted her with flowers (which Sam had to pay for), and by Jean, who telepathically warned him when Kitty was near.
At the end of two weeks, Kitty had given up on woodwork. She had turned to gymnastics and acrobatics.
Kurt and Jubilee began hiding at the 'Hood House.
"We should be chargin' fer this, yo," Toad remarked after the third time, when Rahne had come and gone, having been chased after for sewing lessons. Kitty was vexed terribly.
Lance was getting tired of these goings-on. When Scott appeared, being the only one who knew how to surf (and poorly), Lance blew up.
"GodBLEEEPing BLEEP it!" he roared. "Are you guys so BLEEEEPing scared of Kitty!"
"...yes?"
"Good thing none of us ever went over to the dork side," Pietro remarked. "Well, except for boss rockman."
Lance made a mental note to trash Pietro's room later.
"What we need," decided Tabby, " is to forcibly convince Kitty to STOP."
"How we gonna do that, yo? She can make stink noodle bombs."
"What we need," Freddy said sensibly, " is an intervention."
Crickets chirped. Everyone stared at him. 'Intervention' was the longest word anyone had ever heard him say. Scott had begun shaking.
"Dude, chill," Pietro rolled his eyes. "Just 'cause Freddy said a big word doesn't mean ya have to freak."
"It's not the fact that he said it," Scott squeaked. "It's the fact that he said IT!"
"What, intervention?" Lance stared at Scott. Scott yelped and dived under the table.
Pietro blinked and cogs began turning in his head. He got an idea and zipped round, whispering successively into the ears of Tabby, Lance and Toad. He skipped Freddy. Intervention was probably the longest word he knew.
"How about supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?" asked Tabby, smirking. Scott 'meep'ed and curled into a ball.
"Antidisestablishmentarianism?" suggested Toad with a grin. There came a yell of anguish from Scott.
"Floccinaucinihilipilification!" cried Lance triumphantly. Scott shrieked.
Pietro bent low and said coolly to Scott, "Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia." Scott gave a small weeping cry.
"What's the last one?" Freddy wondered aloud, scratching his head.
"It's what he's got," Pietro said with a small smile of satisfaction. "Fear of long words."