A/N: Hi again! It's been a LONG time since my last update. I've been busy though with other projects that aren't fanfic related and mostly work has kept me away. Anyway, I've cranked out this little update for you, so please enjoy it.
OOOOOOOOO
Scarlet followed the Professor as he led her through the halls of the mansion a few days later. He had said that that there was something that he had wanted to show her, but hadn't told her what it had been and that scared her. She had tried to pry into his mind, but the older mutant had always been stronger in the mind than she had been and had formed a wall against her. Scarlet crossed her arms over her chest and pouted as she followed after his powered wheelchair, thinking about all of the horrible possibilities that he could have in store for her. Each one seemed worse the more she thought about them.
"Where are we going?" she demanded, looking around them as they walked past the main entrance to the mansion. "Chuck, are you throwing me out of the mansion? Have I done something that bad?"
Professor Xavier shook his head and turned his face to look over his shoulder at her. "You haven't done anything wrong in the past month, Maria," he assured her. "And certainly nothing in your stay here that would cause me the necessity to throw you out of my school. No, we are simply going outside. There is something out there that you must see."
The sunlight was bright as Scarlet followed the Professor out of the mansion, causing her to flinch against the light. She raised a hand to shield her eyes and looked out at the world. Students were littering the campus green, playing games and lounging about in the sun. Storm was seated in the middle of a circle of young children that included Leticia and smiled when she saw the Professor and Scarlet. Leticia jumped to her feet and ran over to Scarlet, throwing her arms around Scarlet's waist.
"Scarlet!" the little girl cried out happily against the mutant's stomach. "Storm said that you were going to spend time with us." She lifted her face away from Scarlet's stomach and looked up at her. "Is that true?"
Scarlet's red eyes flashed onto the Professor's smiling face. "Chuck, was this your plan the entire time? To get me out here and force me into this happy little circle of children?"
The Professor nodded and folded his hands on his lap. "I thought that it was time for you to start mentoring the children, Maria. You have much to talk to them about and a lot of stories to tell. They could learn a lot from you."
"Chuck, my stories are all nightmares," Scarlet muttered, putting a hand on top of Leticia's head. "You know that my past is not pretty. I'll end up scaring them all if I talk to them about what I've been through. Do you really want to deal with all of their bad dreams and anxiety at the end of this?"
"I'm sure that it won't be as bad as you think, Maria. Now come, there are some children that would like to meet you."
Leticia reached up and grabbed Scarlet's hand from off of her head and proceeded to pull her towards the small circle of students around Storm. She excitedly pointed to the children around the circle and smiled.
"That's Erik, Lily, George, Sara, Summer, and Franklin," she rattled off in broken English to Scarlet and each child waved shyly up at Scarlet. "Friends, this is my big sister, Scarlet. She's going to talk to us and tell us stories. Right, Scarlet?"
Scarlet didn't have the heart to correct the little girl when she saw how happy Leticia was to call her the big sister. Something about those words made her heart flutter in her chest. She looked helplessly at the Professor, wishing that she could teleport herself out of the situation, but knowing that she couldn't just abandon Leticia like that.
Please Chuck, don't make me do this, she begged, widening her red eyes at him. Not to these little kids. I don't have one maternal bone in my body right now. I don't want to scare them. I don't want to hurt them. I don't want them to see me as a monster. Please don't make me do this right now. Please!
The Professor held her gaze for a moment, reading her thoughts and his smile faltered slightly. Leticia looked between Scarlet and him, confused by the sudden silence and staring contest. The Professor smiled down at her and leaned forward in his powered wheelchair.
"Leticia, Maria is going to talk to you and the others about how she has learned to control her powers," he told the little girl. "You may ask her all the questions that you would like to and she will do her best to answer them as truthfully and clearly as she can. Won't you, Maria?"
I hate you. Scarlet narrowed her eyes, but nodded, shoving her hands into the pockets of her high waisted shorts. "Sure. Whatever, Chuck. Just don't say that I didn't warn you of the foreseen consequences."
"You'll do fine, Maria," the Professor assured her as Storm climbed to her feet and dusted the bottom of her pants off. "Storm, I believe there are some forms that we need to fill out together in my office. Will you care to assist me with them?"
"I'm coming." Storm looked down at the children at her feet. "All right, kids. Maria's in charge of you for the next ninety minutes. I want you to listen to her like you would listen to any other adult in this school. She's going to be having these meetings with you on a weekly basis, so you're going to have to learn how to obey her rules like you would mine. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," the children said in unison, nodding their heads.
"All right. I'll see you in ninety minutes then." Storm pressed a hand to Scarlet's arm and squeezed it. "You're going to do fine," she said quietly to the copy mutant. "They're not that bad of a bunch. Just be yourself and try not to let the stress get to you. You might actually learn to like doing this and want to do it more in the end."
"Yeah, don't count on that," Scarlet muttered, frowning at the dark-skinned woman.
Storm smiled at her and followed after the Professor. Scarlet watched the two of the disappear back inside of the mansion, wishing that she could go after them. She sighed as the door swung shut, closing her off from the safety of the inner world and turned back to face the children. All seven of them looked up at her expectantly from the grass, eyes wide as they stared up at her crimson red eyes. Scarlet raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun once more and looked down at them again.
"Let's go find somewhere shadier to sit," she told them quietly. "I don't want to fry and I don't want you to get burnt up either. Come on. I know a spot."
The kids jumped to their feet and started to follow after her. Leticia hurried to her side and wrapped her small hand around Scarlet's fingers, holding on tightly. Scarlet glanced down at the little girl and saw the bright smile on the little girl's face.
When did she get to be so comfortable around this place? Scarlet wondered, noticing the absence of the Leticia's favorite stuffed animal. I remember her crying for her parents and for me all the time. She's come a long way in such a short time. I guess that Chuck has been working with her a lot like he's worked with me…Sometimes he knows what he's doing. He can be helpful when he wants to be. She shook her head and looked away. I really wish that he wasn't making me do this. I really can't work with kids. I've only been good with one on one conversations with them and even then, it's been hard. Working with Leticia is as close as I've ever gotten to a kid in a long time. Doesn't he realize that? Has he finally lost his big squishy marbles? It wouldn't surprise me if he has with all that poking around in people's heads that he does. The creep.
Scarlet caught a frisbee that one of her friends sent her way and tossed it back without really looking their way. They laughed and called out to her, asking her if she wanted to play a around of catch with them.
"I can't right now!" she called back, pausing in her stride which caused all of the kids behind her to bump into the back of her legs. "Chuck's making me take care of these kids for a bit."
"Really? Wow. Good luck with that."
"Thanks, asshole!" Scarlet turned her head and looked at the kids behind her. "Don't tell anyone that you heard me say that word. And don't repeat it either. I don't want you guys to have to learn what soap tastes like."
"I know what soap tastes like," George said, raising his hand. "It tastes like bubbles."
"Uh-huh, sure it does." Scarlet readjusted the position of her hand in Leticia's grip. "Come on. The spot's just over here. And don't push each other or I'll tell put you all in timeout."
The group of kids saluted her and hurried to follow after her. Scarlet led them over to a large tree and sat down under it, leaning her back against the trunk. The children plopped down around her in a close semi-circle and looked at her expectantly. Leticia leaned against her and held tight to her hand, smiling up at her, but Scarlet could see the voices whispering in the young girl's head and knew that the little girl was suffering inside.
She's very brave for dealing with all of this, she thought, leaning her head back against the rough bark of the tree.
"So, what do you guys want to know first?" she asked.
Summer raised her dark hand and Scarlet lifted an eyebrow at her. "Why are your eyes red like that?"
"You mean these?" Scarlet flashed her red eyes at the kids and Summer nodded. "I was born with them that way. Chuck, I mean, the Professor, told me that it's because I have some kind of fire inside of me. Kind of like how you were born with brown eyes. But mine turn completely black sometimes too."
"They do?" Lily asked, eyes going wide.
"Only when I'm really, really mad." Scarlet's lips twitched at the corner. "And I've heard that I can have golden eyes when my powers get a bit out of hand. But that hasn't happened too often, so I don't really know about that. Let's just say, when you're a mutant that's as weird as me, you get some weird kind of eyes." She pointed up at her hair where there were red streaks in her dark hair. "Those are natural too."
Leticia looked at the other kids and stuck her tongue out at them. "I told you that they were."
Franklin raised his hand next. "Can I ask a question now, Miss Scarlet?"
"Sure, and don't call me that. I'm just Scarlet. Except to a handful of people who chose to call me by a name that I refuse to use myself." She pointed a finger at the kids. "And I don't want to hear any of you use my real name. I'm Scarlet. Understand? Just Scarlet."
The kids nodded and Franklin lowered his hand.
"Why is everyone afraid of you?" he asked.
Scarlet frowned at him. Leticia glared.
"You can't ask her that question!" she snapped, crossing her arms over her narrow chest. "That's rude!"
"No, it's okay, Leticia," Scarlet decided, placing a hand on Leticia's shoulder. She turned her eyes back onto Franklin. "Franklin, people are afraid of me because I have problems controlling my powers. More so than you guys do, even at my age. That's why I was brought here to the mansion by the Professor. Because he wanted to teach me how to learn how to control my powers so that I don't hurt people anymore because I have hurt people before." She looked beyond them. "I've hurt people that I've considered friends. I've hurt parents that I knew." Her eyes lowered to their watchful faces. "I hurt other children when I was a kid myself."
"Did you ever kill anyone?"
"You can't ask that!" Leticia exclaimed.
"I did," Scarlet said, causing Leticia to look at her in surprise. "Too many people for me to tell you the names of right now, but I remember every single one of them. I know their names. I know how old they were and how I was when I killed them. I remember the exact dates and times when my powers went out of control and caused me to kill them. And I know that it could happen again at any time if I'm not careful enough. It could happen to anyone of you guys."
The kids gasped.
"But it won't happen," Scarlet continued, shaking her head slowly. "I'm not going to let it happen if I can help it. I'm learning how to control my powers and keep myself from hurting the people that I don't want to hurt." She leaned her head back against the tree once more. "It's just what your teachers are trying to help you guys do. To learn how to properly control your powers so that you and the people around you don't get hurt."
"But our families don't want us anymore," George said, frowning. "Why do we have to learn how to use our powers if we don't have a place to call home?"
Scarlet lifted a hand and pointed. "Look. Do you see that building over there?"
The kids turned and looked towards the mansion.
"It's the school," Erik said, looking at her.
"And?"
"We learn there."
"And you also live there," Scarlet reminded him. "What do you call a place that you live in?"
Leticia waved her hand excitedly. "A home! A home!"
"Exactly." Scarlet looked at the kids around her. "The Professor's school has always been considered a home to the children that he brings here. Almost all of the teachers have grown up here and they have always considered it their home. I haven't ever heard of Chuck sending someone out of this place or rejecting a person for any reason. He's always bringing in gifted youngsters and giving them a safe place to learn how to control their powers properly and adjust to living life as a mutant among the normal humans in the world." She shrugged. "One day, you might go home to your families and be able to live with them in peace again. They might learn to accept you as you are once you learn how to control your powers. That's why they brought you here."
"My mommy and daddy brought me here to get rid of me," Leticia cried, pouting.
Scarlet reached out and wrapped an arm around Leticia, pulling her to her side. "You'll always have a home here though. We're all a big family here. Everyone loves each other here." She narrowed her eyes when she caught sight of Pyro walking by. "With a few glaring exceptions to the rule, of course."
"What's a 'glaring exception'?" Summer asked.
Scarlet shook her head at the question. "You don't worry about that. Now, why don't we go around the circle and you guys tell me where you come from and what you know about your powers. I want to know a little bit about you before we go any further with our little chats. Who wants to start?"
All of the kids eagerly raised their hands and an excited chorus of "pick me" rose up in the air. Scarlet smiled and settled back against the tree, pretending to think really hard about who she was going to choose first.
OOOOOOOOO
Scarlet was bent over the engine of the truck she had stolen from Scott hours after she had had her powwow with the children when something smacked her ass hard. "What the hell?" she growled, jerking upright and almost hitting her head on the upraised hood of the truck.
She turned to see Logan standing there with a twisted, dirty towel in his hands and narrowed her eyes at him. Scarlet pushed herself off of the truck and landed lightly on her feet. She placed her dirtied hands on her denim covered hips and stuck her chin out at him.
"What the hell was that for, Funny Hair?" she demanded, glaring at the offending towel.
"You presented the opportunity and I had to take it, darling," Logan told her simply, snapping the towel at her hip.
Scarlet snatched the towel from him and wiped her hands on it. "That hurt, Logan!"
"Well don't stick your ass out like that, Maria," Logan shot back, catching the towel when she chucked it back at him. "I'm surprised you didn't hear me coming."
"I was a little busy," Scarlet muttered, leaning her hips back against her truck.
"I can see that." Logan moved to her side and peered into the engine compartment. "What were you doing to this thing? It's not broke again, is it?"
"No. I was just adding some things to it. Giving it an upgrade that Scooter didn't think of." Scarlet glanced down at his ass, clothed tightly in his jeans and smirked. "It's going to be much better on fuel and a lot faster while being quieter too. Super stealth mode for when I need to sneak out of here for some late-night munchies or drag races or whatever."
Logan looked over at her and Scarlet quickly raised her eyes from his ass, feeling heat rise to her face. She looked down at her dirty nails and blew on them, watching as the dirt vanished.
"How did the powwow go?" Logan asked her and she looked at him once more.
"What? Chuck didn't tell you?" Scarlet raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't try to listen in on us? To check in on me while we were talking to make sure that the kiddies were safe with little old Scarlet?"
"Maria, you know that I trust you."
"That makes only about two of you in this entire mansion…"
Logan hardened his eyes. "Maria."
Scarlet sighed and sagged further against her truck. "I guess the powwow went okay. The kids seemed to be really comfortable around me, despite everything that they must have heard about me. I guess that Chuck, Storm, and Leticia did some talking to them to get them calmed down about being alone with me." She shrugged. "They asked a lot of questions about me and what my powers were like. It was kind of cute seeing their faces when I told them about how I could take on the powers of everyone around me and keep them forever. They wanted me to show them some the powers."
"And did you?"
Scarlet shook her head. "Not today. I wasn't feeling too hot. Not with their powers buzzing through me. I had to get out of there as soon as Storm came back to get them and get into the lake to buzz off some of that power build up." She glanced at him. "Did I let you down, Logan?"
Logan raised an eyebrow. "How could you have let me down, Maria? You talked to those kids and it sounded like you had a good time."
"But I also freaked out afterwards."
"You always freak out after you take in some new powers, but you get over it quickly," Logan reminded her, bumping his elbow against hers. "You just need to hang out with those kids some more. It might do you some good."
"Maybe."
"Or you could end up killing some of them. Thin out our group a bit."
Scarlet narrowed her eyes and spun on him. "Logan!"
Logan caught her by the wrists and pinned her against the truck with his body. "I was just joking, Maria," he told her softly. "I know you'd never hurt a hair on the heads of any of those kids on purpose. It'd kill you if you did."
Scarlet squirmed against him. "You don't know anything, Logan." If you did, you wouldn't be touching me like this.
"I know more about you than you'd give me credit for, darling," Logan growled, leaning his face closer to hers. "I know that you have a softer heart than you want to admit. And it scares you to think about letting someone in. To let someone get hurt because of you. Even if it's an accident." Scarlet grew still when Logan's face grew even closer to hers. Her red eyes were fixed on his darker ones and her chest heaved against his harder one. Logan's face grew close to her neck and Scarlet's eyes widened; her bottom lip captured by her teeth.
What are you going to do?
"Why can't you just learn to trust people, Maria?" Logan asked, growling softly into her ear. "Why can't you trust yourself? Why can't you trust me?"
"Logan," Scarlet whispered, releasing her bottom lip as the feral mutant released her wrists to wrap his arms around her, crushing her against his chest.
"You've got more people in your corner than you know, Maria," Logan told her, speaking against her hair. "You just have to open your eyes."
Scarlet's hands flexed behind his back, not quite touching him. She was afraid that if she did, she wouldn't be able to let him go.
Logan released her and stepped back. "We're training again in an hour. You'd better be there and be ready to get your ass handed to you. Winner gets to choose dinner. The loser pays for it." He tapped his fist against the side of her truck. "You're driving either way."
"O-okay," Scarlet said helplessly, running a hand through her hair. "See you in an hour."
Logan nodded and walked away. Scarlet tilted her head to the side and watched his ass until he was gone from sight. Shaking her head, she turned back to her truck and kicked the wheel.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she hissed to herself, rubbing her aching toe. "You're acting like a stupid school girl. Nothing can happen between the two of you. You're sixteen and he's – he's, well, he's Logan. Off limits. Completely and totally off limits. And he could never and will never be interested in me. There's just no way." She glared down at her body. "Do you hear that? It's never going to happen. So, you might as well shut down and give it up already. Nothing is going to come from this."
Scarlet growled profanities to herself and jumped back up onto her toes, ducking back under the hood of her truck. She figured that she might as well get her upgrades finished before heading to the training session with Logan. They'd need the truck later when she'd kick his ass around the Danger Room, especially when they would have to sneak back into the mansion after her curfew was past, to keep from getting caught by Scott. Not that she really cared if she got caught by the laser eyed creep. Logan could always give her an excuse and she could always ignore the rant that Scott would give her like she always did.
Like I care if I get detention for the next week, she thought, smearing grease across her cheek with the back of her hand. As long as I get to spend time with Logan. She rolled her eyes at that and shook her head to get rid of the images that came with the thought. Don't start that again! You know better than that, Scarlet. Just fix the damn truck and get on your way.
"Dammit, I am so stupid!" Scarlet snapped at herself, throwing a tool over her shoulder. "Dammit!"
OOOOOOOOO
A/N: What'd you think? Thanks for the continued support, you guys. It's really appreciated. My page has been pretty dead with me not updating and people not reviewing when I do update my other stories. So, I don't know what's going on. But I hope that you're still sticking around until the end. Leave a comment or two in the little box and I'll get back to this story when I can. Savvy? Thanks! -Scarlet