Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story and my story Dimensia. I have so many ideas for this series and I can't wait to get them all down. Before we go into the story, I would like an opinion. Would you, as the readers, be interested in hearing a story about Alena and Nhamo? Well, think on it as the story progresses and tell me what you think. Thanks! R&R!

They Never Stop

The journey to the "Sisterhood" took about an hour. The last part of the flight was silent, since I was still suspicious about Ms. Alena Saunders and her sisterhood. But for the first part I was inquisitive and wanted to know what to expect.

"The Sisterhood?" I asked, skepticism and sarcasm ringing through every note. "He doesn't look like he should part of a sisterhood." Whether the purple pilot heard me or not, he didn't respond.

Alena only smiled at me, as though reminiscing about some fond memory. "Well, we don't have a real, proper name. We've been affectionately dubbed the Sisterhood. We've also been called the Amazons. And just so you know, he named us." She jerked her head towards the pilot who still made no movement.

"Why would he give you such a feminist name?" I was determined to at least get some answer today.

Again she smiled at me. I was beginning to hate how much she smiled. "Because when we rescued him, it was only myself and two other women. Now of course there are other men at the Sisterhood, but they've all adopted the name too." She gave me a sly look and added, "Besides, it almost the same as a woman having a place in the Brotherhood. A woman in a patriarchal society, a man in a matriarchal society."

I glared at her, but she shrugged and looked down at her glass of wine.

"What's his name?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

Alena glanced over her shoulder at him and replied, "Nhamo. It means disaster."

I was shocked at the meaning of his name. "What? Why would someone name their child disaster?"

"His parents didn't name him," she explained, returning her gaze to me. "He was a member of a village in the Sudan. His fellow villagers named him after the mutation."

"Why? What did he do? And why doesn't he ever answer my questions?" I was suddenly very interested in the man.

Alena, once again, smiled. This time it was a sad smile. "I'm afraid that's not my story to tell. You should ask him. Well, I don't know about that. He's mute, a side effect of his mutation. But just because he can't speak doesn't mean that he doesn't have anything to say."

I nodded in surprise. I hadn't considered the possibility that he was mute. I guess there were some people who had it worse off than I did. That was when I lapsed into silence and let the rest of the flight pass while I tried to decipher her cryptic answer. Alena seemed content to let me think in silence and did not push any subject further. But she did stare at me, which was unnerving and annoying. Again I found myself wishing for my shape shifting powers to teach her some manners. Staring is rude.

I was thinking all kinds of malevolent thoughts about what I would have done in prison or what I would have done to Alena had I had my powers, when suddenly she stood and announced, "We'll be landing shortly."

With that cold, short statement she walked towards the copilot's seat and buckled herself in. I watched her punch a few buttons and turn a few knobs with a harsh glare. She really was getting under my skin.

I peered out the window, still glaring hotly, and watched as we descended from the clouds and flew towards a mansion. It was actually more like a small palace and many times the size of Xavier's stupid school. The grounds were much bigger too. I briefly wondered what kind of institution it was and just how many mutants called this home. For a fleeting moment, I questioned whether or not I would fit in here, and whether I really wanted to. Then I remembered that I didn't have anywhere else to go, and until I did I would have to make do with this.

I watched silently as Alena and Nhamo steered the jet over a concrete hanger and landed it carefully. They cut off the engines and Alena got up and left Nhamo to finish the process. She moved towards the door and looked back over her shoulder at me.

"Ready?" she asked. I merely fixed her a glare. Taking the hint, she opened the door and stepped out into the sunshine. "Welcome home, Mystique."

I froze. I hadn't considered this home, merely a transition until I found my real home. I guess she misunderstood my meaning and I planned to set her straight the moment I got the chance. But for now, my curiosity was overwhelming and I wanted to see where I would be spending the next few days.

I stepped out behind her. The sun warmed my skin, but did nothing to soothe my nerves. I looked out across the grounds and thought again that I wouldn't fit in here.

They had to own miles of land. Acres of meadows spread out in front of me, and small palace sat in the center. It looked like it could have housed an army or a small town. Around it there were tennis courts, basketball courts, a swimming pool, a large pond, and a track. I was stunned. I had not expected this.

"So, what d'ya think?" she asked me in a surprisingly slang tone. So far I hadn't heard her use slang and I was beginning to think that she was a diplomatic asshole with a stick shoved up her ass so far that it was affecting the way she spoke.

I ignored her. Rather I made a conscious decision to ignore anything she said. Instead I walked down the steps and began making my way over to the palace. I hadn't made it two steps before someone interrupted my bitch mood, which was just as good because I hadn't actually thought of what I would do when I got there, and I didn't honestly expect a couple hundred mutants to let a strange human wearing prison blues into their domain.

"Hey! It's Alie! Alie's back!" I heard the shouts coming from the basketball court where two boys were putting on a strange display. One had the basketball in hand and was running towards the hoop while the boy who shouted was floating in mid air and struggling against some invisible force to move. Instantly the boy dropped the basketball and the other boy dropped from the air. They both ran towards the hangar to greet Alena.

"Hey guys!" she said when they reached her. She grinned widely at them and it seemed like the first genuine smile I had seen from her. Bitch.

"D'ya wanna play basketball with us?" one asked very enthusiastically. He was actually bouncing up and down like he couldn't keep still.

She grinned playfully at them and replied, "Aw, you guys cheat!"

They were protesting her accusations when she turned to me and began explaining the surroundings. "We're the single largest mutant home in the world. We normally have numbers between six and seven hundred, but they've been sky rocketing since Alcatraz. Mutants have been swarming here looking for safety. I think we'll hit the one thousand mark before the year's up. Care to see every-"

She was cut off when a short, pudgy woman came running out of the palace and across the lawn. She was shouting hysterically. "Alena! Alena!"

The boys cleared the path as Alena hurtled down to meet her with a graceful speed that was rare, even for mutants. She embraced the woman strongly as the pudgy woman nearly collapsed at her feet. Raising her up, Alena began trying to soothe her.

"It's ok, Seraphina. I promise. Just breathe, alright? Now, what happened? What's wrong?" There was a sincere kindness in her voice that made me almost like how much she cared. Almost.

The woman wheezed and gasped for air. She didn't look like she did that kind of physical activity often enough. "I'm so sorry Alena, so sorry. They took him…they took him! I couldn't stop him!"

"What? Who are you talking about? Calm down! Everything will be fine!" Yet even as she said that, I saw her face harden and she looked like she was ready to fight for something. It was the expression she had that made me feel the slightest twinge of respect for her.

She was sobbing uncontrollably. "Jordan! They took Jordan! I couldn't stop him, Alena! I couldn't! The man with the fire in his hands!"

"Pyro," I whispered as my stomach tightened. They never stopped.

"Where is Isis?" Alena demanded more strongly than she should have. Suddenly she rounded on me with burning red eyes. "I suggest you get back in the jet."