Author's Note: To "Hiya": It's all right with me that you write and post your fic. We may have the same idea for our OC, but that doesn't mean we'll come up with the same story, right? However, it could be a good idea that we not read each other's works to prevent our plotlines from crossing, even unintentionally.
And regarding the pairings, whether Alana will end up with Logan or with Warren, we still have to see. To apocalypse90, don't worry, I promise I will decide based on what I think is best. However, I'm just saying that readers' comments do affect the way I form the plot in my head.
I'm rather disappointed that this story hasn't had many reviews so far. The thing is I usually I end up losing drive and discontinuing my stories when it doesn't receive encouragement in the form of reviews. So if you're reading this, please do review if you have the time and want to keep this fic going! Thanks!
CHAPTER THREE – More Than Human
"Alana?"
She looked up briefly from the large suitcase she had just opened and laid out on the floor. With a small sigh, she returned to pulling out clothes from her bag and just called out to the person who had knocked on her door.
"Yeah, come in."
There was a slight rattling sound followed by a pause. "Uh…the door's locked."
She looked up again, this time turning her gaze directly to the doorknob. Squinting her eyes, she concentrated on its simple lock. It clicked open in a second, and a handsome blonde head poked through the door.
Warren looked confused for a moment before he remembered what Alana's powers made her capable of. He pushed the door open a little wider and ventured a step into the bedroom, but this still didn't get the young woman to pay him more attention.
He cleared his throat. "There's a guy named David Masters downstairs. He says he came by to drop off some of your stuff."
That got Alana scrambling up to her feet in a hurry. "David?" she exclaimed, eyes widening with what seemed like a mix of excitement and fear. "He's here?"
Warren nodded. "He's unloading the stuff out of his car right now."
"I'll be right down," Alana said quickly. Her hands flew to her hair as she made a beeline towards the bathroom. "I just…have to fix myself up a little. Could you just keep him company for a while? Tell him I'll be just a minute!"
She didn't even bother to glance back and check if Warren was indeed following her hasty orders. Rushing in front of her bathroom mirror, she quickly ran a brush through her hair, did a quick retouch of her lipstick, and dabbed on some perfume.
About five minutes later, she got to the main foyer of the mansion, slightly breathless but face shining with anticipation. Her expression fell almost instantly however, when she saw only Warren standing there next to couple of large cardboard boxes.
"He said he had somewhere else to be and couldn't wait," Warren explained. "I'm sorry."
She didn't know how long she stood rooted in place in dumb silence before she finally caught a hold of herself. Tears of hurt and disappointment welled in her eyes, but she fought against them and instead took a deep, calming breath.
"Doesn't matter," she said, her voice stiff with forced control. She strode over to the boxes and, with some effort, heaved the first one into her arms.
"I'll help you bring these up," Warren volunteered quickly. He went to her and gently relieved her of the heavy load. "Why don't you take the other one? It's much lighter."
Alana opened her mouth as though she meant to refuse, but then seemed to upset to argue. She simply sighed and did as he suggested.
They walked in silence all the way back to her bedroom. When they had set the boxes down on the floor, Warren watched as Alana immediately went back to her unpacking, this time with renewed fury.
"You know, I've got nothing else to do at the moment," he said quietly, as Alana tugged wrathfully at the heavy packing tape that sealed one of the boxes. "I could just…"
"No thanks," Alana cut him off almost instantly. "I sure I can handle it from here." She finally managed to rip open the box and started sorting through its contents. "I'm going to be throwing out most of this stuff, anyway."
Finally giving up, Warren turned and slowly walked to the door. At the doorway he glanced over his shoulder and saw Alana carelessly throwing aside an assortment of items that she dug out from the box. Books, picture frames, stuffed animals…things that he could only assume connected her to that guy, David.
He stepped out into the hall and was just about to close the door behind him when suddenly he heard a loud sob. He turned around once again, this time to see Alana sitting on the floor, her head lowered into her hands in defeat. Her back shuddered as she struggled to control her tears, but this effort only led to heavier, ragged sobs.
Immediately Warren reentered the room and walked slowly towards her, but still keeping a respectful distance away. "Hey…are you okay?"
He was surprised when Alana actually responded quickly, though in the form of another question. "Why does it have to be like this?" she burst out, throwing down the frame that she held in her hands. "I worked so hard to get everything I ever wanted or needed. I was happy! And now it's just gone, all of it!"
She lifted her head from her hands and looked up at Warren. "I know I haven't been the greatest or nicest person," she said. "But I don't think I ever did anything to deserve this."
Warren sat down on the floor so he could be at level with her. "Deserve what?"
"This!" Alana blurted out, throwing up her hands. "To have my career destroyed. To be confined to this place." She closed her eyes and raised a hand back to her face. "To have people look at me as if I were some kind of freak!"
"But that's exactly why you're here," Warren told her gently. "So you could be with people who will understand you and help you understand yourself."
He reached over and placed a hand on her knee. "And hey…you are not a freak," he told her firmly. "You're no less human than any person out there. You're just more."
At that Alana fell silent. Warren waited patiently as her tears ceased, and she composed herself enough to look at him again.
"It sounds like you've really grown to accept it," Alana told him. "The fact that you're a mutant."
"Trust me, I've had a lot of time to get used to the idea," Warren said. "Besides, I told you, that's what being in this school does. In time, it will help you to adjust too…if you let it."
There was another silent pause. Suddenly for the first time since she came to the school, Alana smiled, surprising Warren. For the first time he noticed how truly beautiful she was without the sullen, scowling expression on her face.
"Thanks," she said softly.
They held each other's gazes for a moment before Warren broke contact and got to his feet. "Well," he said. "I guess I should let you get back to unpacking then."
"Wait," Alana said, rising from the floor as well. "You never told me what your powers were." She hesitated. "Can you…do you think you could show me?"
Warren stared at her. "Why?" he asked. "I mean, are you sure?"
"Like you said, maybe it would make me feel better to see and know that I'm not alone," Alana said quietly. "That I'm not the only one who's different."
She crossed her arms and looked down at her feet. "Only if it's okay with you, of course." Another smile played at the corners of her lips. "Your powers aren't something out of control and potentially dangerous are they?"
Warren shook his head and smiled. "No, nothing like that" he assured her. "Well…if you really want to see it, then okay."
Slowly, he removed his jacket, conscious of the fact that Alana was watching him very intently. He reached behind his back and undid the clasp that held his harness together. He flexed his arms and arched his back, causing his wings to unfurl and stretch out slowly on either side of him.
Alana gasped, her eyes widening with awe. Her mouth dropped open, but she quickly raised her hand to cover it.
Warren smiled shyly and flapped his wings slightly to show her that they were indeed real. "Nothing really dangerous about them, is there?"
"They're…beautiful!" Alana whispered. She ventured a few steps forward with her hand stretched out, before she hesitated and drew it back quickly.
"It's okay," Warren assured her. "You can touch it if you want. I can't hurt you any more than you can hurt me."
He felt her fingers trembling as she ran them over the smooth, white feathers of his left wing. At last, she stepped back and smiled up at him. "You look like an angel."
Warren grinned. "Yeah, a lot of the students have taken to calling me that," he admitted. "Not the best nickname in the world for a guy, but I guess it's the best fit."
"And I guess I'm starting to see your point," Alana said. "About being more than human. I mean, you do look different, but I still don't think I could call you a freak."
"Then you understand that it's all just a matter of how you look at things," Warren told her. "As always. Basic principle of life."
He flexed his shoulders once again, and his wings folded easily behind his back. He picked up the harness and his jacket then faced Alana.
"Well, I guess I should let you get back to unpacking now," he said. "Unless there's something else you want me to help you with."
Alana shook her head. "I'll be fine," she said. "You've done a lot already." She turned her back on him, but then added, "Thanks, Warren."
Warren smiled, watching her back for a moment longer before stepping out of the room. "Anytime."
It was well past midnight, but for some reason, Peter was having difficulty falling asleep. After nearly an hour of lying awake in bed, he got back up and decided to see if a glass of warm milk would help. He made his way downstairs as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake anybody up. He arrived at the mansion's kitchen and was slightly surprised to see that someone else was apparently having the same problem as he.
Kitty was sitting on a stool at the center island with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk set out on the counter. Her head was bowed as she read from a book that lay open before her. As usual, she was too absorbed in her reading to realize that someone else had come into the room.
Peter smiled and watched her from the doorway, silently observing for a few moments before finally walking in and making his presence known.
"Hey," he called out softly.
The girl gasped out loud and looked up with a start. "Oh geez, Peter! You scared me!" she exclaimed.
She closed her book as he came over and pulled up a seat next to her. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"
"Yeah," Peter said. "Maybe I just got too wound up shooting hoops with Bobby after dinner. What about you? What's your excuse?"
Kitty grinned. "The thrill of tomorrow's science lesson I guess," she said, holding up her textbook. "But don't you dare tell anyone what a huge dork I've become."
Peter chuckled and shook his head. "Wouldn't dream of it," he promised. He got up from his chair and walked over to fridge to get some milk. "How did your class go today anyway?"
"Pretty good, I guess." Kitty sighed. "Some of the younger kids are quite a handful, though. I don't remember being that much trouble when I was their age, do you?"
"Hard to say," Peter said with a grin. "I was already seventeen when I started my first year here, remember?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot," Kitty retorted "You're one of the oldies."
Peter raised his eyebrows. "Hey, I'm not one who's lying awake in the middle of the night worrying about lesson plans," he teased. "You're the oldie!"
"Mean!" Kitty exclaimed, punching him hard on the arm.
"Ouch!" Peter rubbed the spot that she had struck and faked a pained expression. "Hey, that hurt!"
"Good!" Kitty said with a grin. She lifted her fist and punched him again. "Take that! And that!"
Peter laughed as she started raining blows on his arm. "Hey, stop it!"
"Take it back first!" Kitty ordered. "And say I'm not an oldie!"
"Fine, fine!" Peter conceded. "You're not an oldie."
He grabbed her fist to keep it from hitting him again. "You're Kitty Pryde, and you're just a girl." He smiled. "The smartest, cutest, and sweetest girl I've ever known."
Kitty froze as she suddenly found herself staring into Peter's green-grey eyes, her mind racing to register his words.
…he just said I'm cute! And sweet…but he also said I'm just a girl…I'm JUST a GIRL…
Then, she realized that Peter was still holding her fist in his hand, his hands strangely gentle for one so big and strong. Her first instinct was to phase her hand free of his grasp, but something in the back of her mind told her not to, and just enjoy the warm, tingly feeling his touch gave her.
"Oh…excuse me…"
The voice caused them both to look up with a start. Alana was standing at the kitchen doorway, looking at them hesitantly. Peter immediately released Kitty's hand.
"I just wanted to get a glass of water," she said. "I'm sorry if I've interrupted anything."
"No," Kitty said quickly. "Go ahead. We keep the glasses over there."
"Thanks," Alana said, walking towards the cabinet Kitty pointed to. There was an awkward silence in the room as Alana took out a glass and poured herself some water out of the tap.
"So…"Alana finally said, after she took a sip. "It's Kitty right? And Peter." She smiled when the two nodded. "You guys seem to be pretty young to be teachers. How long have you been working here?"
"Actually, we were students here just last year," Kitty explained. "We've already graduated, and now it's our turn to help out with the younger kids."
"I see…" Alana said. She sighed. "I have to tell you, it just feels really strange being in back a school surrounded by children half my age. And I'm supposed to be a student just like the rest of them."
"Well, technically you're not a real student," Kitty said. "You're just here to learn more about your powers, that's all."
"Right…" Alana said, pausing to take another sip of water. "I still don't understand how it's supposed to work, though. I mean, who's going to teach me? Is there anyone else in this school with powers just like mine?"
Kitty and Peter glanced at each other uncomfortably before Peter answered. "Well…there used to be…but she's not with us anymore…"
"Storm's going to be the one to teach you of course," Kitty spoke up quickly. "She's taught a lot of us, and for sure she can help you too."
"So I've been told," Alana said. She quickly rinsed out her glass and dried it with a dishtowel. "Ororo told me I'll be starting my first session with her tomorrow. Here's hoping something comes out of it."
She returned the glass inside the cabinet. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow I guess," she said, heading for the door. "Good night."
"'Night," Peter and Kitty echoed, and she was gone.
Kitty sighed. "Well…" she said, propping her chin on her hand. "At least her attitude seems to be showing some improvement."
Peter smiled. "She just needs time," he said. "We all did."
He finished the last of his milk and went to the sink to wash his glass. "And you were right, as usual." he said. "Alana's really a beautiful woman. I'm sure Bobby's already eaten all that stuff he's said about her."
When he was done cleaning up, he turned back to Kitty. "I just hope Storm could really help her get a handle on things," he said.
"Right," Kitty said, her heart sinking at the sight of that smile.
"Well, I guess I should try and get some sleep," Peter went on. "I've got class first thing tomorrow. What about you?"
"Oh, you go ahead then," Kitty said with a weak smile. "I'll be up in a while too, as soon as I finish a few more pages."
"All right," Peter said. He reached over and tousled her hair gently. "But don't stay up too late, young lady." He chuckled. "Good night then."
"Yeah…"Kitty said, watching him as he left the kitchen until he disappeared from view. She sighed and started to clear the counter. "Good night, Pete."
To be continued…
