A New Home
Chapter 2 New Friends
The next day was early, her alarm clock rang at 7:30 and she could hear someone in the bathroom. She grabbed some clothes and knocked on the door. She walked inside and Kess was brushing her teeth. "Hey," she said after she spit, she had already showered and dressed in a pink sweater, black shirt, and pink leg warmers. "I get up at dawn during the week so if I ever wake you up I'm sorry," she said. "You can take a shower or whatever, but wait for me before you go downstairs; I want to see if we have class together."
Jamie showered and got dressed in a red tank and a pair of jeans; she went into Kess' room, though she didn't see the same person. Sitting on her bed in the same pink sweater was Kess but her skin was green scales, like a snake's. Plus she was feeding mice to the snakes that had taken place of her hair. She looked up and Jamie's eyes met a pair of yellow slanted ones. Kess smiled and Jamie spotted her freshly brushed fangs. "Now Medusa makes sense," Jamie said. Kess' appearance surprised her no more than Kurt's. Once Kess' hair had finished breakfast she jumped off her bed, back in human form.
"What class do you have first?" she asked as they went downstairs for breakfast.
"Auto and Mechanic Skills," Jamie answered.
"Oh nice, I have Music Appreciation. Auto is kind of off grounds in a garage, that way," she pointed, "You'd better hurry so you aren't late. I'll see you at lunch but if not then, later tonight." They waved goodbye and Jamie headed toward the separate building where her class was held.
Jamie opened the door five minutes late for class and she could feel all the eyes on her. The class was full of boys and someone from the opposite side of the room whistled.
"Settle down guys, you've seen a girl before," said the teacher, who turned out to be Scott.
"Sorry I'm late Mr. Summers. I'm still getting used to this place," Jamie apologized.
Scott smiled, accepting her apology, "Don't worry it happens to everyone. You can sit back there in the corner."
Scott continued his lecture and Jamie took her seat. She was sitting next to a boy much bigger than she was. He had broad shoulders and was very muscular. He had tan skin and looked good in his white t-shirt, he also had brown hair that was spiked up and a lovely pair of eyes. They were light brown, but very sincere and when you were speaking to him it was hard to keep your thoughts straight because his eyes were just so warm, understanding, and distracting. Jamie couldn't help but smile at him when she sat down; he looked around 18 and was one of the eldest in the class. He gave her a sweet smile which surprised her. She had seen a blue demon and a girl feeding mice to her hair and none of that had fazed her at all, but seeing such an innocent smile on this large, intimidating guy was so out of place she almost laughed at the thought. He leaned over her casting a shadow on her desk and said, "Hi I'm Peter." Jamie smiled and told him her name and they shook hands. They each turned back to Scott and Jamie started to take notes like Scott instructed, but Peter's thoughts were elsewhere. All he could think about was the girl next to him. She had a gorgeous look, especially her own eyes. They were a hard thing to figure out; there were so many colors. Looking at her was like looking into a prism. They seemed to be yellow which shone bright against the dark pupils, but they seemed to darken on the outside and there were flecks of green, maybe blue. All he thought about for the rest of that class were those eyes; he felt lightheaded when he looked into them. They were so captivating with her long eyelashes.
Class was over and Jamie gathered up her notebook and headed back to the mansion for her second class. A group of boys caught up behind her while her mind was wandering. "Hey there baby," the leader said in her ear. They got in front of her blocking her path, "So what's your name hot-stuff?"
Jamie stared right into his eyes, "Move," she said in an angry demanding tone.
"Aw what's wrong sweetheart? I just want to know your name, there's nothing wrong with that is there?" he asked in a mock voice of innocence. Jamie's eyes became fiery and dangerous.
"You heard the lady, get out of the way," said a strong voice behind her; Peter was standing there towering above them all; he was much taller than Jamie had thought.
"Oh yeah, what are you gonna do Colossus?" asked the leader, he was a mousey looking boy who didn't seem very clean; he had a slick smile and greasy hair.
"Do you really want to find out?" Peter asked him menacingly. After a moment the leader lost his nerve and the boys moved out of the way. Peter put his hand on Jamie's shoulder and they walked towards the mansion.
"This isn't over," the mousey boy called after them.
"Oh yes it is," Peter yelled back. His hand was large and warm on her shoulder, it was also comforting and Jamie felt safe. She stole a glance up at him as they walked, 'He must be at least 6'4"', she thought.
They got inside the mansion and Jamie turned to Peter, "What is it?" he asked with a smile when she didn't say anything. Even Jamie had been caught speechless by his eyes.
She gave him a sweet look and said, "Thanks for before. Um…all the guys here like that?"
"No don't worry," he said and smiled more, "Most people are nice. Some just feel they need to get in the new person's face." They walked on through the students and Kess saw Jamie with Peter. Jamie waved and Kess waved back, she also winked and Peter blushed. "Although, I don't blame them, you do have the prettiest face in this school," Peter told her.
Jamie smiled and looked at the ground, she bit her lower lip and Peter looked away and smiled. 'I've never had a guy say something nice like that to me,' she thought.
'She does have the prettiest face,' Peter said to himself, 'I like her more and more every minute.'
"I've never met anyone as charming as you Peter," Jamie said. Peter really liked hearing her say his name and Jamie liked saying it. "I mean most people don't want to deal with me," she continued, "but you're different."
They reached their next class early because there was quite a bit of time between classes. "So can we talk later?" Peter asked as he opened the door for her; he was such a gentleman.
"That'd be great, when?" Jamie responded.
"How's lunch?"
"That's just perfect," Jamie concluded and they went into their classroom.
"So how has your day been going Jamie?" asked Storm; she was teaching this class which was history.
"It's been great, thanks," Jamie replied, "Where do I sit?"
Storm answered, "Why don't you take a seat over there next to Peter. You seem to be getting along well already." Jamie sat down and the bell rang, students hurried in at the last moment and class began. "Alright everyone, take out your text books and turn to chapter 13," Storm instructed, "We'll be studying Ancient Egypt this month."
A groan drifted through the class and someone near Jamie said, "Where's Kess when you need her?" under their breath.
It was then that Jamie realized she didn't have any books yet. The look of panic must have been evident on her face because just then an open book was slid in front of her. "Don't worry, I've got your back Jamie," Peter said, a grin on his face. Jamie bit her lip again and felt light at heart; by the time the day was over she wondered if she would have any bottom lip left to bite.
"I'm glad you do," she said softly. For all her strength and courage, this Peter could make her legs shake. They turned back to Storm's lesson for the rest of the period. After class was over Peter and Jamie got up to go to lunch.
"So Jamie, what other classes do you have?" Peter asked.
"Well after lunch I have Calculus, then a basic drawing class, and English. What about you?"
"Wow that's funny, those are all my classes too," Peter answered.
Jamie and Peter stood in a line to get lunch. "Hey there Jamie, I see you've met a friend," Kess said, she had come up behind them.
"Oh yeah, Peter's in all my classes. He's been real nice to me," Jamie answered.
"Well that's good, hey I'll see you later tonight, I want to hear all about your first day, but I'm just grabbing a bite for lunch. I have to go back to Music Appreciation. I'll talk to you later."
"Alright bye," Jamie said and then Kess left them to talk more. Jamie got a chicken sandwich, a chocolate chip cookie, and a soft drink. Peter chose a cheeseburger and soft pretzel. They walked to a table in the corner of the large lunchroom. It was crowded with hungry students taking a break from their rigorous learning schedules.
"So you're friends with Kess?" Peter asked when they sat down.
"Yeah, we're bathroom mates," Jamie answered.
"Cool, she's really nice, at least if you're on her good side. Lucky for me her boyfriend is a good friend of mine. But I warn you, you'll be sick of rock music within a week, she obsessed," Peter told her and she laughed.
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."
"So how do you like it here Jamie?" Peter asked.
Jamie took a bite of her sandwich and thought for a moment, "I think I like it here a lot."
From across the room the gang of boys watched Jamie and Peter eating and laughing, "Well we can't have that," the leader, Matthew, said to his friends.
"Why do you care Matt?" said another boy with short brown hair. He tossed a paper ball at some girls who passed by and glared at him. He put his fingers to his ear signaling them to call him, the girls rolled their eyes and walked on.
Matt hit the back of his head, "Because no one shows me up, Fitch," he said, "C'mon." Matt got up and his gang of friends followed. They walked over to Peter and Jamie's table. "So you two are best friends?" he said and took a bite of Peter's burger, "I guess you don't waste time do you Petey?"
"Don't you have somewhere else to be, like a sewer mouse boy?" Peter asked taking his cheeseburger back.
"Nope, I'm good right here," he said sitting down next to Jamie.
"Don't touch me," Jamie said threateningly. Matt picked up his arm and tried to put it around Jamie's shoulders. In a flash Peter grabbed his arm and bent it back. Jamie slashed out her claws and held them under Matt's neck, the other boys stepped away, clearly scared stiff.
"I believe she said not to touch her. Besides you, above all people, should know better than to mess with a new kid and not know what their powers are," Peter said with anger.
Matt wiggled his arm free from Peter's grasp and stood up. He spat on the floor near Peter and left with his gang in a hurry. "Hopefully that's the end of that," Jamie said to Peter.
"Yeah hopefully."
After dinner Peter and Jamie were heading back to their rooms to do their homework separately. A thought came to Peter who didn't want to say goodnight yet, "Hey why don't we go to the Common Room. We can do our homework together there, I mean you don't have any books and Kess isn't in your classes."
"That's a great idea, you can help me in Calculus too, I'm a little confused," she said.
They found a table in a quiet part of the room; a few other students had the same idea and were doing their homework there as well. They sat down and started on Calculus, but it was easy to tell they weren't interested in it.
Jamie felt like she had to say something, "I could have handled myself you know," she finally blurted out, "I mean I'm glad you helped but I could…Ah God, I am really bad at this," she stopped and covered her eyes.
"Let me make it easier for you. I didn't want that nasty toad to touch you. Plus you didn't want him to touch and a guy should respect you. You should want him to touch you," Peter finished and smiled Jamie, she smiled back and they both looked away and continued to work.
"So what's your power?" Jamie asked a little later.
Peter turned to her as his body became covered with metal armor, like a protective shield. "I'm indestructible," he told her after his metal plates had become skin again. "What's yours? I mean I know you have claws like Logan, but is there anything else I should know about?" Peter was very curious about her. 'She's definitely not like all the other girls I know. I'd really like to get to know her better,' he thought.
"Superhuman strength, healing abilities, and agility, nothing special," she replied.
"Nah, you've got some power. I wouldn't have thought you could do all that," Peter said.
"Well, lots of people here probably have much more powerful gifts," Jamie said shyly.
"No I mean when I first saw you, I wouldn't have thought you had superhuman strength. I mean you seem so small and…"
"Powerless?" Jamie finished for him.
"I was going to say beautiful, not powerless. But you do have that don't-mess-with-me look about you. Though you're still the prettiest girl I've seen," Peter admitted shyly.
"Thanks…oh my, it's late. We'd better get to bed," she exclaimed. They gathered up their books and headed out of the now empty Common Room.
"Walk you to your room?" Peter asked.
Jamie nodded, "Yeah you don't have to ask."
"Well I didn't want you to get sick of me," Peter joked.
Jamie gave him a cute girlie look, "Oh I could never get sick of you," she told him and they walked on to her room.
They reached her room, "Well goodnight Jamie," Peter said and suddenly Jamie stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. Peter regained himself and Jamie turned red. "What was that for?" he asked.
"For being nice to me, no one else even made an effort to help me," replied Jamie.
"Anytime," Peter said but his voice cracked in mid-word. It was clear to see that he has absolutely smitten with her. It was she who made him weak. They had been standing very close together and once they realized it they each took a step back.
"Well I'll see you in the morning Peter," Jamie said to break the silence.
Boy he loved hearing her say his name, "Yeah tomorrow, goodnight Jamie." Peter started to walk down the hall.
"Goodnight," Jamie said quietly and watched him walk away. When he disappeared around the corner she went into her room. Out of the shadows stepped Logan and he went down to the Training Room.
In her room Jamie got ready for bed. In the bathroom was a piece of paper with her name on it. 'Jamie - Sorry I missed your first day but I had to go to bed early. I'll see you tomorrow and you can tell me all about it. - Kess'. Jamie smiled and threw the note away to brush her teeth. 'This was the best day ever, I'm so glad I'm here. I think I finally have real friends,' she thought to herself. She went to bed in her new, warm pajamas and lay down in her new, warm bed. She turned out the light ending the perfect day.
Jamie was running, running from something she couldn't see. Her breathing was heavy and with each step she took a painful shock went through her body. She ran down a maze of doors and hallways and she could feel hands grabbing at her from the open doorways. At the end of the hallway she saw an open door where a bright light came from. She stopped for a moment because something was holding her back from going through the door. Footsteps and a high pitched cackle sounded behind her and Jamie took a deep breath, and then ran through the door.
She sat up in her bed covered in sweat. Jamie wiped her brow and lay back down. The fear from her dream was still haunting her and she got up. In the bathroom she washed her face and looked at herself. She tried to fall back to sleep but she just couldn't shake the dream. So she decided to go downstairs and find a snack. Seated at the small breakfast table when she got down there was Logan. He was drinking a root beer and looking out the window into the night sky. He was deep in thought and when her footsteps pattered on the tile floor he was brought out of his thoughts. Logan's first instinct was to attack but he reminded himself that Jamie was just a student, not a menace.
"Hey kid," he said.
"Hey," Jamie returned, but she was uneasy, she hadn't forgotten the attack of the previous day and even though she wasn't scared of him, that memory, combined with the lingering dream made her cautious.
"Had a good first day I see, but not a good night? Bad dreams?" Logan said, and took another swig of his beer wanna-be.
"Just can't sleep is all," Jamie replied taking a chocolate muffin from a bowl and a glass of milk from the refrigerator, "And yes the day was great."
"Well it's gonna get more hectic real soon, my class will be added to your schedule. And after training with me you won't have anymore sleepless nights," he said to her.
"Looking forward to it Logan, I'm looking forward to it," Jamie said almost defiantly. And she was, she couldn't wait to start using her powers on a daily basis.
"Why don't you tell me a little more about your past Jamie," Logan said.
"Actually, I think I'm tired now. I'd better get back to bed. I want to be fresh for tomorrow morning." With that Jamie finished her muffin and left the kitchen. She headed back upstairs to her room where she finished off the night. For some reason she hadn't felt like talking about her past right now. Her dream had been all too fresh in her mind. Logan watched her leave, disappointed that he was unable to find out anything about Jamie and where she came from. He finished his drink and went to bed himself.
