I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted a new chapter, I could have sworn I just posted?

Anyway I'm sorry to all my loyal readers who must have thought I abandoned this story, I was so caught up with all the craziness in my life and trying to push out my new story Masters of the Zodiac. So now I'm putting a hold on Masters to try and catch up on this story.

So without further adu, lets see what trouble Talise will stirrup now. Oh one last note, I've notice that in my last few chapters, this story has taken a more childish tone which is far from what I wanted. So fair warning the chapters will get a bit darker but hopefully in a good way.

Enjoy :D

The island was more beautiful than any of the teens could have imagined. The plants were greener than anything they could have compared too, along the way various plants with the most spectacular colors blossomed. Some were vibrant pink or orange, others somehow had colors that changed in waves or resembled a zebra's pelt. Clearly some mutants on the island had enjoyed the remolding of it, along with the free expression of their powers.

Talise played tour guide, pointing out different regions and the value they had. She gave proper warning of where to stay away from and places where they would always be welcomed. Kitty and Kurt decided to collect various shells and stones as souvenirs, while Kurt was holding a red stone, he swore was a real ruby, to the sky to take in it's beauty, he noticed something strange. Jean was standing behind the stone, talking to Scott, when he noticed a slight gleam sparkling from under her hair.

"Ah Jean, vhat is dat?"

"What's what?"

"Dat, dere on your head?"

Kurt extended a massive finger, the equivalent of two for any other human, towards Jean's brow. Jean pulled a tuff of her long red hair away to revile an amethyst gem in the middle of her forehead.

"Good call Kurt, considering we're at the tower now."

Talise was right, the group had somehow made their way so that they were standing in front of a massive ivory tower. it was massive enough that anyone standing on the top should be able to see the whole island. It was solid at the bottom but as it grew, the stones became like glass, leaving the entire top see through.

"This is the Oracle Tower, named so because it sees all and knows all. It's located in the very center of the island and run by out psychic mutants. There they generate their powers to create force fields and block our location.?"

"Why block it, don't you want more mutants to find this place?"

"Come on Bobby, not every mutant is nice. Some would come here looking to conquer the island for all it's valuables. Or worse yet more people like Hell's Birth could see this place as a mutant free for all. That's why Artemis had to take us threw the barrier, I didn't have enough time to tell the tower operators about the Blackbird so if we would have tried to fly in then the ship would have burst on impact."

"Ouch, talk about 'not welcome'."

"The tower also has one more important feature. Some up there use their powers to suppressed the psychic powers of others. We had trouble back in the day with this one mutant who got threw the barrier and tried to tell his friends on shore how to get here telepathically. The gem that Jean's head there helps relieve the pressure from suppressing her powers."

"Wait so Jean can't use any of her powers! But what if we're attacked or if she needs to contact one of us, or"

"Relax Scott, yes she can't use her powers but if I were to take off the gem then with her extreme psychic powers she'd end up in a coma for at least a week."

Scott tightly griped Jean's hand, clearly he was worried for her. For as much as people hated mutants for their powers, Scott knew that if she was cornered at least with her powers she could get away. But here, she had nothing to defend herself if another mutant attacked her. Nothing, but him.

A short coat wearing man made his way from around the tower, inspecting it for some unknown reason. Suddenly his eyes fell on the young woman dressed in white. It was strange to see her in such a dainty gown, but the moment her golden eyes met his he knew immediately who it was. Without a second thought he made his way to the heavily grown jungle. Desperately he tried to put some distance between him and her. Buckets of sweat dripped from his face as he made it threw the jungle, vines and roots catching his arms and legs as he franticly made his way out. The ocean cliff was coming to view, if he could make it out then not only would that put some distance between them but then he could try and hid in the cliff or on the beach. Closer and closer the exit was coming into view. He was going to make it, he was going to get away!

Just as his hand made it threw the jungle, the warm rays of the sun heating his torn and withered skin, he felt a great pain around his neck. Suddenly he couldn't breath, his body seemed to have lost contact with the grown. He felt a great sweeping motion as his back and head made contact with a very thick tree. He tried to see what had staled his escape, when all he saw was gold. Those golden eyes than seem to be radiating the very fires of hell. Three more times she slammed his head into the tree, he felt blood dripping from the back of his head drip down his neck. He smelled the distinct scent of bark, she must have slammed him so hard that his head must have broken some of the tree. The ocean was still within view, but all hope of making it vanished.

At the sight of the small man, Talise had taken off in pursuit. She was not as fast as Pietro but much faster than the others. She stormed threw the jungle, her target locked on. Her small body was able to maneuver threw the jungle without getting caught up in the vines or other foliage. The others were lost for breath chasing after her, unable to shout for answers. When they had finally caught up, they saw the petite woman, her hand firmly grasping on the man's neck. He tried to flail his legs, making solid kicks to hers but either she couldn't feel them or was to angry to notice. The young Xmen saw the blood dripping from his head, the kind part of them telling them to move forward to help. They were stopped by the three members of the brother hood and Gambit, the young men had seen fights like this before and for their safety it was better to stay on the sideline.

"Hello Oscar, why were you running off? We have so much to catch up on."

"Ta….Talise! Why when did you make it back to the island?"

"About an hour ago, just long enough to see what you did to Coal, Tony and Jason!"

Talise's anger grew at the memory of her three friends. They were like children that he had knowingly hurt and sent to hurt others. How could anyone be so cruel as to hurt those who were beyond repair. Her grip tightened around his neck, she could feel the very blood vessels in her grasp try to put harder to keep him from passing out.

"I …..didn't mean ….any ….harm! ….I thought …..they …..were ready ….to be taken off ….their medicine. I….I was trying to help them!"

"Help them he says. And what of Wanda? I asked you to pose as me while I took care of business. That was your one and only chance to show that your weren't the disgusting scum bag everyone thought you were. Instead you proved to be even worse! As soon as I came back, Wanda was furious at me, stating that after she got back from the mountains, I tried to sneak into her room every night. Then some of her bras and whatnot started going missing, and when she did find the occasional underwear they were covered with semen on the inside. I also heard you harassed other mutants as Toad, ordering for food, information or anything else you wanted. Not only did you use my form to try and squeeze out your piety needs from others but you used my form, MY FORM, to try and rape one of my friends. DID I LEAVE ANYTHING OUT!

Talise gave a solid punch to Oscar's stomach, the other mutants could figuratively feel the impact as it met its target. Oscar, or Shift as he was known, began to cough up slight bits of blood. His body wasn't loosening much blood, although his skink was starting to be covered in it. His eyes were glaring at Talise, at the young girl who thought she had the right to hurt him.

"You stupid Bitch, I did you a favor! I looked after those miserable hooligans for you while you went off to play super hero! Anything I took I earned from putting up with those ass holes. And as for that other Bitch, well if she dressed like that there was only one thing on her mind. Little whore, I mean what 'good girl' lives with a house full of horney boys if she didn't have it in mind o fuck one of them!"

With his finally word, Talise slipped her hand up the side of her ripped skirt. From within, she took hold of a small but very sharp looking knife. Before the teens could question if it was a real weapon or another candy version, Talise plunged the weapon deep into her captive's flesh. His cry of pain carried throughout the island, birds flying away for fear of the noise. She had stabbed the weapon directly in his neither region, blood spreading profusely from the deep wound. As the removed the weapon, a small bulge pressed up against the dark fabric. As Oscar kicked and screamed in pain, the mass made it's way down his pant leg until it fell to the green base of the tree. With her hand still firmly on his throat, Talise tossed the filth of a man out of her sight, causing him to crash into a nearby pile of puffy blue flowers. She then took her hand, now covered with the blood of her victim, and took hold of the item nestled in the grass. She then carelessly walked over to the cliff, gazing down at the rough waters below. Suddenly a gentle whistle escaped her lips, a simple tune with no more than four notes. No sooner had she finished than a great beast burst forth from the water below. It resembled a fierce sea serpent that many had seen from ocean maps of long ago. It's scales were different shades of ocean blue, it's back littered with longer, sharper scales and it's fangs were the size of either of Fred's arms. As the creature reared it's mighty head in a loud unforgiving roar, two more creatures emerged by it's sides. The new creatures were smaller than the first, only just so, and where the first was blue, the second and third where a purple and then a green. The blue creature lowered itself till it was at eye level with Talise, who seemed even smaller by comparison. She gentle rubbed the creatures giant muzzle, as it gave a slight purr in response. She then shot Oscar a final look, opening her hand to show him what she had taken. He reached a hand out in protest, to try and stop the horrible act the planned on committing, but it was too late. With a firm throw, Talise had chucked the pile of flesh over the ocean. The three sea beast each clambered to take a bite, ripping and shredding the flesh until it was completely gone. As soon as they had finished their treat, all three beast had returned to the ocean below. Threw the forest a troop of new mutants emerged. One resembled the closest thing to a pterodactyl while the other seemed to be made of solid crystal. Both mutants wore a sort of blue uniform with an outline of a golden circle with a giant S in the middle as a badge. The dinosaur like creature held Oscar's arms behind his back as the crystal man created a pair of crystal cuffs to bind his hands. Artemis, who was the first to emerge, ran past Oscar and directly to his sister. He took note of the blood that now covered her dress and began asking questions a mile a minute. Seeing the blood herself, Talise passed her brother and made her way out the same way the others had entered.

"Thanks for the assistance patrol. Lock him up for the night, tomorrow I want Soteria erased from his mind completely. After that if is permanently banned from this island, anyone who so much as tells him the ocean the island is located, will also be banned."

"Ma'am, yes ma'am."

"Oh quick question, is anyone else locked up at the moment?"

"Just that piece of work Wicker."

Talise gave a wicked smile at Oscar's expense. Even if the guards would not let Wicker hurt him. The fear that he may would serve her purpose.

"Talise, what happened? Did he attack you?"

"In a way. There's too much to go into but the short version is he used my identity for his own gains, tried to rape my friend, and he is the reason why the trio stopped taking their medicine and sent them after the town."

"Talise, I understand he hurt people you care about. But you can't go around serving your own justice! We have to obey the laws we created for this paradise, those were the very words you told us when we created it! What example are you setting for the others, that it's ok to mutilate people as long as their powers will let it grow back?"

Talise looked at her brother, in the greatest of aggravating ways he was right. She had said that, and enforced what she said for many years, so what gave her the right to act out now. With a heavy sigh she admitted defeat.

"You're right, as much as I hate to admit it, and I really do, you're right."

Artemis placed a heavy hand on his sister's shoulder.

"I hate to do this T, but as the leader of the law here, I have to exact punishment where it's needed."

"With all respect sir,"

The crystal like man, who shared a firm grip on Oscar's body with his dino like counterpart, spoke up.

"As I hear it, she was defending herself, her friend and quite frankly everyone on the island. Surely there is a loop hole for self defense."

"That and it's her first offence sir. What would be a worse message, that she went to jail for defending others or that she didn't go to jail and let an attacker run free."

Talise gave the two officers a smile, it was good to have friends in many places. Artemis extended his forefinger, barely an inch from her face. He looked like a parent about to scold a child for a mild infraction.

"Don't ever do anything like this again. Everybody gets just one do-over."

"Yes sir, captain law book sir."

Artemis shook his head in disbelief, as he silently lead Talise and the others back to the Inn as quickly as possible.

"What happened!"

Dante let out a shriek of fear as he saw the disarray the once beautify dress he had made was in. it was now covered in sticks, leaves, blood, dirt and rips.

"Oh nothing much. First I had to stop a fight between the trio and the locals. Then I played tour guide and showed everyone around. Oh and then ran into Oscar and then I went Lorena Bobbitt on his ass. "

Dante felt the need to sit down, clearly he had forgotten what a rambunctious daughter he had. He knew his daughter would not attack someone without just cause, and if she was allowed to come home then the ordeal must have been settled.

"I trust then you won't be spreading the story around?"

"Why would I? I mean come on, how am I gonna get a date around here if all the guys think I'm gonna slice them when it's over?"

"Oh for goodness sakes!"

Dante stormed off the gather his thoughts as the others made their way to the Inn's kitchen. Talise offered and made glasses of chilled lemonade, as Fred and Bobby helped serve.

"So like that guy is gonna be alright, right?"

"He'll be fine kitty. It'll grow back in a month or so."

"Well I can't say I sympathize with him. The dude went after my sister!"

"Yah well, Art was right. I shouldn't have lost my head like that. Sad as it is, I do set an example around here for the"

"MAMA T!"

Before Talise could get the final words past her lips, a young boy came running into the kitchen and into her arms. Her arms immediately wrapped around the young boy, hugging him with the affection he had been denied the last three years. He could not have been older than ten, with his thick hair mirroring that of a tiger pelt. His eyes were deep green, gleaming with a hope that could only be found in youth. From the door he had entered, two more beings came forth. The first was a young woman, about the same age as Talise, with dark lavender hair that fell midway past her back and shared the same eyes as the young boy. The older member was a tall man, a year or two older than the girls, with the same hair and eyes as the smaller boy. His hair was styled so that a larger portion fell over his right eye, truly bringing out the stripes in his hair. No sooner did the older ones enter, then the other mutant teens set about straightening their hair and clothes to make a good impression. Logan and Dante also entered, with Dante carrying a brightly wrapped box. The two just basked at Talise hugging the small boy, swearing they could see a faint tear grace her cheek.

"Oh my goodness Samuel, you've gotten so big!"

"I know, I even got my powers!"

Talise gave him a solid kiss on the cheek as she hosted him onto her hip, refusing to let the hug end.

"Sofia! Sebastian! Where have you guys been, I've been on the island for hours now and haven't seen either of you. How's Gabriel and Maria?"

Sofia was able to give her a friendly hug on her free side, before her older brother pushed her aside to give Talise a kiss on her cheek. As Sofia spun slightly round the kitchen, she was caught by Artemis' gentle hands. The two exchanged a favored glance before she addressed the question.

"Mom's fine, teaching the kids at the local school. Dad's been breaking in new recruits at the Safety Sector. You know them, as long as they have someone to teach they're happy."

"And what about you? The last time I saw you, you were this little frog princess. Now you've grown into a full goddess."

"Easy there lover boy, you do relies all the protective men in my life are in this kitchen right?"

Sebastian gave a final kiss on the cheek before retreating, standing behind her as he seemed to be fidgeting with his little brother's hair.

"Yah you got prettier mama. Hey wanna see my powers now!"

"Um why does the little tyke keep calling you mama?"

Rouge had addressed the question that had been on everyone's mind, she was merely the brave one to ask.

"If you remember from my flashbacks, Sebastian, Sofia, their parents and me all shared a cell. During the time there, little Samuel was born. After that, Maria asked me to be his godmother. Hence the name"

"Mama T!"

Samuel's cuteness was overwhelming as Talise dove in for another hug. The fact that less than a week ago, they were seeing the same body eating bugs out of a trashcan, and now was lovingly embracing a child made Fred chuckle.

"Hey you seem to be pretty good with kids."

"I should, I only want like a million of 'em."

Logan silently walked across the room, taking Samuel from Talise's grasp and handing him to his older brother. Clearly he was not ready to be a grandfather yet.

"So mom, what's in the box?"

Dante handed the beautifully wrapped present to his daughter. On the top of the box was a small card that clearly read 'Happy Birthday". How could she have forgotten, to day was her sixteenth birthday.

"Aww thanks mom, I completely forgot myself."

"Well it's not much, but I thought It would come in handy."

"Handy, handy for what?"

"Well for tonight dear."

Talise tore threw the once beautify wrapping, creating a pile of debris on the floor. she then tore open the box to find it's gift inside. It was a dress, but not just any dress, a dress for her. The soft materials were the colors she like, the cut worthy of a growing woman and not a child. The pattern itself reminded her of the dress her birth mother would wear when they played in the backyard, the smallest details caused memory after memory to flood to her mind. It was beautiful and yet fun, not overly proper but something she could wear while out having fun.

"Because tonight, we party!"

And there we have chapter 20! Woo hoo party time! And like I said I will make sure to post another perception chapter before moving on with the Masters. Let me know how I'm doing, please review!