Caressa turned off the TV and walked to the kitchen. She was watching the news and getting annoyed with it. It seemed that everything was about mutants lately. Mutants are dangerous, mutants can't be trusted. Mutants this, mutants that. She was at the hearing last week. She was probably the only human there that didn't agree with Senator Kelly. She agreed with what Dr. Jean Grey had to say, especially the comment she made about the wrong person behind the wheel of a car could be dangerous. She didn't think the Senator was looking at both sides of things. Well, that was obvious. But in her mind there were two sides to everything. There were good, honest people in the world. And then there were the criminals. The "evil" people, for lack of a better word; hackers, murders, rapists and thieves. If there was a good side and a bad side in the human world, she was sure that it was the same in the mutant world. Not all mutants had to be bad. Dr. Grey certainly didn't seem dangerous. But people have always feared anything different or what they don't understand. Caressa sighed. She was wished people weren't so closed minded. Finally, she closed the fridge door. Nothing looked to interest her. Nothing seemed to please her anymore. She would get angry at the tiniest thing. That wasn't like her. She was always so laid-back, so understanding, so accepting. But lately everything seemed out of wack. She looked out the kitchen window at the moon, almost full. Maybe that was why she was restless recently. She always restless when the moon was getting full. She muttered an angry word at the moon, but she knew that she could never hate her goddess, her Mother. Maybe she should try going to her spot in the woods to mediate and pray. Sometimes that helped. When she could talk to Spirit and The Goddess away from the real world and ask for The Goddess' guidance. She decided that that, in fact, was a good idea. But not tonight, she was too tired. And her mind was racing. She needed to be calmer, more at one with herself and her mind. Tomorrow night she would go, but for now she decided it was time for bed.

Caressa lifted up a limp leaf of lettuce from her salad and absently flopped it back and forth between her thumb and forefinger. Finally, her best friend Colleen, asked, "Ummm. Are you okay?"

Caressa sighed and dropped the leaf back on her plate, "Yeah. I'm just," here she paused trying to find an explanation. She looked back down at her food when she couldn't.

"Is there something that bothering you?" Colleen asked concerned.

"There's a lot of things bothering me. But mostly that arrogant Senator of ours."

"What about him?" Colleen asked as she shoved a forkful of salad into her mouth.

"That stupid Mutant registration law he wants to pass." Colleen stared at Caressa slowly chewing her food, "Oh! Don't tell me you agree with him?"

"Well," Colleen stared after swallowing, "I know I'd feel safer if-"

"Safer? Why is it that people all of a sudden feel threatened as soon as they found out that there was such a thing as these people?" When her friend didn't answer she continued, "How would like it if they passed a human registration law?"

Colleen shrugged, "We don't need to fear humans."

"Why not? Humans are dangerous." Caressa was getting angry now, she couldn't believe she was hearing this.

"No they're not."

"They're not, eh? How about all the criminals, hmmm? What about them? There's a good side and a bad side to everything."

"Yes, but these Mutants are far more dangerous," She stopped and looked right into her friend's eyes, "Why do you care so much? Are you a mutant?"

"Of course not! But even if I was, would you still be my friend after you found out?" Colleen looked away, "Would you condemn an African-American because of the color of his skin was different than yours?"

"That's different!" Colleen protested.

"No, it's not. It's being prejudice!" Caressa stopped and took a deep breath, "I can't believe you. I thought you had more class than this." Caressa got up from they're table in the food court and went home. When she got home she dropped all her stuff at the doorway and made her way to her living room couch. She flipped on the TV and started to watch afternoon cartoons. She sighed, how could Colleen be so blind? Her mother had taught her that there was some good in everyone, regardless of what or who they were. Why couldn't Colleen understand that? She sighed and flipped through the channels until the clock read 11:01 PM. She decided now would be a good time to go to the woods. She packed up the supplies she need and headed off.

She sat in her usual spot and thought about everything. About why people were the way they were. About why people couldn't just accept others for who they were. Just about people and they're habits in general. She smiled, remembering a quote she once heard. "What we call human nature, is actually human habit." She couldn't remember who had said that. She drew in a deep, even breath and looked around her. She had found this place on one of her usual hikes. It had a tiny little stream running threw it. Sometimes she would come here just the listen to its water flow over the rocks. She knew it would be the perfect place for ritual and prayer. It had all the elements, the water, the earth, the wind and during the day the sun for the fire element. She sat there in the clearing for hours thinking about everything and asking for guidance. When at last she felt completely renewed and at one with her mind, body and spirit, she began to pack up to leave. As she was putting the last candle into her pouch, something large and heavy fell out of nowhere. Caressa took a better and then realized that that something was actually a somebody. Remembering her fear of bodies she started to have a panic attack. Oh god! What do I do? She thought.