Acid Touch
Chapter One
"You know, Elise, there really have been wonderful reports made about this school... I'm sure you're going to love it." A slender, brunette youth stared indifferently out the window of a forest green mini van as it drove up the long road towards Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. It was, in Elise's mind, just another little boarding house where she could stay without her mother having to check on her all the time. That's what she had become over the last few months, apparently, just a plain nuisance. After the accident at her old school with a chemistry experiment that had started to blow up in a student's face, Elise had simply put out her hands and focused for a moment. She hardly even realized why her classmates and teacher were staring at her until she saw that the sulphuric acid had rushed towards her to form a neat little ball between her hands.
"Mom, you don't have to try and make me like the school. We both know why you're bringing me here." The bitterness was there; oh, it was definitely there. Green eyes met grey ones over the coffee that steamed in the cup holder. Elise's mother, Janette, frowned at her daughter and looked back at the road. Her slender hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as they continued on in silence.
Upon arriving at the school, Elise stared with her mouth open. It was so beautiful. Pushing open the van door, Elise didn't catch the look of hurt and sadness in her mother's eyes at she ignored the hug extended to her. It was a freaking mansion! Looking around as she walked forward, the brunette could pick up the sounds of kids yelling at each other. Her green eyes caught sight of a basketball court around the sides, as well as what looked like a pool a little farther along. Janette came to stand beside her daughter, hugging herself gently.
"So, do you think you'll survive here?" Elise glanced over, a smirk tilting up the corners of her full mouth. Leaning her head against her mother's arm, Elise wrapped an arm around her mother's slender waist.
"Yeah, I think I will... even though it's going to be different than home." The front doors of the mansion opened and several people filed out, starting over to where Elise and her mother were standing.
"Janette Smith, I presume? And this must be Elise." An older, bald man sitting in a wheelchair came forward, shaking Janette's hand firmly. His eyes turned on Elise, making her feel slightly... naked, somehow. Behind him was a white-haired African woman, a red-headed woman and a man with oddly colored sunglasses.
"Yes, Professor Xavier. I spoke to you awhile ago on the phone, more regarding..." Trailing off, Janette looked embarrassed. Rolling her eyes with a sigh, Elise folded her arms across her chest and snorted.
"Regarding the issue of me being a mutant and my abilities to create, control and manipulate acids. Is that about right, mother?" The biting tone seemed to surprise the red-head, because she looked taken aback and glanced over at the sunglass wearer. Xavier raised an eyebrow and regarded the feisty youth over steepled fingers.
"You have an issue with your mother's fear of your abilities." It wasn't a question; more a statement of fact. Looking down into the knowing brown eyes, Elise sighed, looking at her mother. Janette was chewing on the inside of her lower lip, one of her many bad habits she'd readopted since the discovery of her daughter's odd mutant powers.
"Of course I do. What kid in their right mind wouldn't have an issue with their parent if they basically started to be terrified of them because of something they could do. All's I wanted was to make my mom proud, seeing as how I can't ever do that with my dad..." Janette's grey eyes turned to her daughter, starting to fill up with tears.
"Hunni, it seems like you're going to be well taken care of here. I'll be sure to write..." Elise stared into her mother's eyes; the woman who was now going to become more and more of a stranger than ever. There was no maternal instinct here to nurture her daughter into using her abilities properly, there was only fear. Turning her back on the hug extended to her, Elise walked towards the mansion doors quietly.
"I'll need to speak with you a moment longer if you don't mind..." Professor Xavier said gently as Janette turned to go. Stiffening, the brunette haired woman turned with a stone cold face.
"Alright..."
"But Scott, I've never seen a girl act that way towards her mother! What would your mother have done if you'd acted that way towards her?" Silencing the red head with a slightly impatient motion, the man wearing the sunglasses followed Elise into the house. She was looking around, up and down the ceilings and down the corridors, exploring her new home.
"She would have smacked me one and told me to respect my elders. Jean, she's just a little disturbed by the fact that she won't have her mother with her anymore." Elise turned, looking directly at the two older youths and sniffed.
"You two don't know the half of it. Ever since my mom learnt that I had mutant abilities, she's acted like I'm the Plague. That woman wouldn't even stay in the same room with me for more that ten minutes, if at all possible." Jean and Scott exchanged glances, but Jean stepped forward with a small smile.
"Do you have any things with you?" The brunette youth blinked for a moment, looking down at the rough-looking backpack in her hand. Jerking it up onto her shoulder, Elise looked up at Jean with curious green eyes.
"I can show you where your room will be and answer any questions you might have." A smirk played across the youthful face, mischief twinkling in the green eyes.
"I'm going to have plenty of questions."
The next day, Elise was led from her bedroom to a large library by Ororo or Storm, the white haired African lady. There were so many mutants, the brunette couldn't figure out how they had kept the whole place hidden and intact. Professor Xavier was sitting in his wheelchair next to Jean Grey on the couch. The pair looked up from their conversation when Storm cleared her throat.
"Elise, did you sleep well?" Jerking her shoulder up in a shrug, Elise leant her head back to take a look up at the chandelier. Jean glanced at the professor, but he motioned her to stay sitting.
"How long has it been since you went to school, Elise?" This time, Elise's green eyes met Xavier's brown eyes and she caught her breath. A frown creased her brow.
"Well, my mom pulled me out of school when I was about half finished grade eleven, but she did teach me some basic stuff at home. Not anything, you know, dangerous or nothing." The professor nodded his head; steepling his fingers as it seemed was habit for him. Jean stood up, flicking her long red hair behind her shoulder and walked over to rest a hand on the back of the professor's wheelchair.
"We can teach you here, or you can come back to school Elise. A lot of the mutants here are back at school, although some have behavior related issues that don't allow them to go back to the school." Raising an eyebrow, Elise looked up at Storm. She smiled gently, nodding back towards the professor and Jean.
"So you're telling me that even with my abilities I'm not a danger to the people around me... and I can go back to school to be with kids my own age again?" Smiling brightly, seemingly glad that she didn't have to actually say it, Jean Grey nodded her head. Pondering this for a moment, Elise folded her arms around her chest and toyed with her lower lip with her teeth.
"I'd like to do that, although I think I'll be behind all the other kids." The professor looked up at Jean and nodded.
"I'm going to tutor you until you're caught up. It will be a little difficult, and I'll have to probably use some of my old textbooks too. We'll get you caught up, don't worry." Sneering, Elise rolled her eyes at the perky red head. Motioning towards the door in a sweeping motion, Elise looked up at Jean with smirking eyes.
"Lead on. I'll follow you..."
It took about two weeks for Elise to be fully caught up to the other students. It would have taken less time, had Jean not have had to go to school herself. Scott, the man with the cool sunglasses, was always standing over Jean's shoulder it seemed and was always there to help if Jean didn't really understand the material. Once she was all caught up, the pair provided Elise with textbooks, a new backpack, pencils and paper. Jean smoothed a hand over Elise in a motherly fashion, making the brunette cringe away from her.
"There you go, now you're all ready." The smiling red head was met with a dark glower, but Elise looked over her shoulder at the laughing kids. Part of her wanted to go join them, but for some reason she still felt like she was an outsider. Walking away from the attempted mothering Jean, Elise shouldered her backpack further up towards her neck. There was a small group of kids looking at her, and one whom Elise recognized as Kitty Pryde, waved her over.
"Oh my God, Elise, it's so great that you can finally come to school with us! I thought Jean would never catch you up." She said with a laugh. The other kids peered at Elise curiously, not really knowing how to react towards her. She stared right back, seeing as there really wasn't much she could do.
"Hey look, there's the bus! Come on, Elise, sit with me. I'll get you updated on the people who are going to be in your classes. Professor Xavier told me that you'd be in most of my classes, so I'm supposed to be your guide." Smiling despite herself, Elise followed the bouncy Kitty onto the bus; only half listening to her chatter. Her green eyes swept across the faces already on the bus. They all seemed so... accusing.
"Sit here, Elise." Kitty pulled the brunette down next to her. Giggling, the bouncy brunette started to point at people and put names to their faces. She knew that she'd forget half of them by lunchtime, but it was nice of Kitty to let her know who she'd likely be hanging out with. The whole bus hushed at the next stop and everyone seemed to hunker down away from the aisle.
"What's going on?" Elise hissed at Kitty. The girl with the ponytail looked up over the seat with a secret smile.
"It's the stop for a group of guys who call themselves the Brotherhood; Lance Alvers, Pietro Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff, Todd Tolensky and Fred Dukes. Wanda doesn't go to school anymore and Fred doesn't come on the bus 'cause he doesn't fit, but..." Her sentence cut off and her eyes widened suddenly. Glancing up, Elise's eyebrows raised in appreciation and her lips curled up in a little smirk.
The trio that got onto the bus was definitely a sight to behold. They didn't seem very nice at all, perhaps that was what Elise found so damn attractive about them. The first was a lanky youth with shaggy brown hair brushing his collar and ripped clothing; the second more of a prep, it seemed, with his white hair flipping oddly away from his harshly handsome face; the third was quite unattractive, with yellowish skin, eyes and teeth. He was hunched over in more than just a little slouch. As the lanky youth passed, he shot a wink at Kitty and smirked. Elise's eyebrows shot up further when the white-haired youth passed his eyes over her and his smirk grew wider.
"Uhh... explain please. Which one was which?" Kitty's eyes followed the trio to the back of the bus before she turned to Elise with delighted pink cheeks.
"The first one was Lance, second Pietro and the third was Todd. Since I'm sure you're going to meet at least Pietro in one of your classes, if he shows up, you might as well know that all of them are mutants." She spoke the last sentence very quietly, leaning in very close to Elise. Nodding her head, and understanding why Kitty was whispering, Elise looked back at the trio. It was slightly unnerving to find that Pietro was still looking at her. She turned back to face the front and toyed with a piece of hair that hung over her shoulder.
"I think I'm going to enjoy school after all..." Exchanging looks, Elise and Kitty burst into laughter.
At lunchtime, Elise was sitting at a wooden bench with Kitty and an outgoing blond girl named Tabitha Smith.
"Hey Pryde, who's your new friend?" The three girls swiveled their heads at the sound of the voice. Lance, Pietro, Todd and the large fellow Elise assumed was Fred Dukes, were standing next to a map. Lance was looking directly at Kitty, his lithely muscled arms folded across his chest. Pietro was leaning against the map, propped up by his foot, but his eyes were on Elise's face. She barely resisted the blush that threatened to rise in her throat. Todd hopped oddly up to Tabitha, grinning like a moron, and ran a finger across her cheek.
"'Sup Tabbs, my girl?" Tabitha's nose wrinkled in disgust and she smacked away Todd's hand before moving away from him.
"Everything that's not you, Todd." Fred stood just behind Lance, arms folded awkwardly over his very wide chest. Kitty leant against her hand and smiled brightly at Lance.
"This is the new girl, Elise Smith. I'm just showing her around." Grinning evilly, Lance walked forward and leant across the table to put his face in Elise's. Her brow darkened with a glare, but she kept herself from slapping him.
"Another mutant for Xavier's great house?" He asked nonchalantly. Kitty squeaked, smacking his bare arm hard enough to make him jump back. Lance rubbed the spot, but kept his eyes on Elise. The brunette was still glaring, but her eyes were starting to change into a brighter green that appeared when she was going to use her powers. Kitty, recognizing the signs, stood up and put herself between Lance and the new Elise.
"Lance, she's still learning how to control her powers, so back off. She'll burn you..." Snorting, Lance grabbed Kitty and pulled her against him. A breath whooshed out of Kitty's mouth before Lance's mouth covered it. Elise's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Pietro groaned, rolling his eyes at the pair.
"Jesus, Lance, do you have to go and do that?? We came here to find out who this chick was, not to mack on Kitty." Sneering, the white haired youth walked over to his friend. "Well, we didn't at least. Seems like that's all you ever have on your mind."
Snarling, Lance pushed Kitty away from him to take a swing at Pietro. In the blink of an eye, Pietro went from being next to Lance, to being just behind Elise. She started, looking up at him with wide eyes. Around her pupils was brilliant green, a stark difference to the sandy green that was her natural color.
"Xavier'll teach you nothing, you want to learn cool stuff? Come see me after school..." He whispered, grinning before sauntering off towards the school. Lance, glaring darkly at the back of Pietro's head, followed with Todd and Fred on his heels. Kitty was standing, watching the guy who'd just kissed her walk off without a word, and Tabitha sat on the edge of the table with her arms folded across her chest.
"Guys have no tact anymore, I'm telling you." She said with disgust. Kitty seemed on cloud nine, as her blue eyes shimmered and a light-hearted smile crossed her face. Elise was still thinking about what Pietro had said: should she go find him after school? Or was it just a trap to get a girl to be next to him. Everyone, from what Elise had noticed, avoided that particular group like they were carrion or something.
"C'mon you two, we better get back to class. Don't want to be stuck in Darkholme's office..." Tabitha waltzed off, Kitty skipping happily behind her. Elise followed the pair more slowly, many thoughts whirling through her head.
By the end of the school day, Elise had decided that she was going to go meet with Pietro. Maybe he wasn't such a jerk after all, though the brunette girl highly doubted anything else. The least she could do was give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being.
Elise walked quietly, looking around to see if there was anyone around. It seemed that the small parking lot in the back of the school wasn't a typical 'hang out' area. A sudden flare of wind stirred at her right side and Elise turned her green eyes up. Pietro was now walking beside her; not even glancing her direction.
"Didn't think you'd have the guts to show up..." Narrowing her eyes, Elise smoothed a hand over her hair. When her hand returned to her side, Pietro's fingers reached out to brush lightly across the back of her hand; Elise resisted the urge to pull away from him.
"Just because I live with a whole whack of stuffy snobs doesn't mean that I'm just as much of a goody two-shoes. I'm sure old professor Xavier can find me with his mind play if he was worried." This time Pietro did look over at Elise and met her hot green gaze. A smirk twitched up the corner of the tall youth's mouth.
"You've got spunk; I like that in a girl." Lip curling up, Elise snorted and flipped a brunette lock over her shoulder.
"I don't give a damn what you like in a girl, Pietro." She replied icily. Chuckling, Pietro looked around. He reached over and snaked his arm around Elise's waist.
"What are you...?" The silvery haired youth put two fingers over her mouth and looked around again.
"Just hang on to me... it's going to be a bumpy ride." Before Elise had a chance to come up with a response, Pietro took off.
It was like going into a warped time zone; everything was just a blurred line around them. Wide-eyed, Elise looked up at Pietro. Not a single line of exhaustion or a drop of sweat could be seen. Just as quick as the journey had started, it ended. Elise felt weightless, but her knees buckled.
"Hey! Don't go fainting on me! I can't stand the weak..." Glaring balefully up at Pietro, Elise rolled her eyes. She pushed away from him and made sure she was stable.
"You're a mutant who is all speed... don't think that'd be good in some situations." The innuendo was unmistakable, neither was the insult. The silver haired youth had a look caught between admiration and a glare.
"You're a mutant too, but what can you do?" Pietro came back with a weak retort. Upper lip curling back in a sneer, Elise lifted both hands and her eyes started to change colors; from forest green to a sharp, bright green in a matter of seconds. Between her hands, a wispy cloud of green smoke started to appear, then widened. Pietro looked at it and snorted.
"So you can make green smoke, big deal." Raising an eyebrow, Elise started to manipulate the smoke to swirl around her.
"The green smoke is the gas form of hydro-chloric acid. My mutant powers allow me to create and manipulate acids in any form." Pietro's expression changed into one of pure admiration.
"Nice destructive power. Chose a mutant name yet? Or is old Stuffy going to choose for you?" Elise sneered, making the green smoke swirl around her head more rapidly.
"Chlorine. What about you, quickie?" Pietro moved in lightning speed to just outside the billowing cloud of acid around Elise.
"I'm called Quicksilver." The brunette's face screwed into a mocking sneer and she laughed.
"Sounds like a wuss name to me. What else can you do? Bore people to death with lame humor? Or do they just get bored of hearing you talk about yourself and what you like in girls?" Pietro's face contorted in anger and he snorted. He moved quickly around Elise and started to stir up the dust and the smoke around her. With a raised eyebrow, Elise let the smoke die down and then stuck out one of her feet. The white haired boy tripped, flying a few feet and landing hard on his shoulder. As he sat up, a surprised look had crossed his face; changing as he looked up at the brunette girl and laughing.
"Smooth kid, very smooth. You could go far with an attitude like that." Rolling her eyes again, Elise turned and started to walk towards the house that was just up the gravel driveway. Pietro got to his feet, dusted himself off and wandered behind Elise. Just before she reached the stairs, she turned and looked up at Pietro with a curious expression.
"Purely for curiosity's sake, why did you bring me here? I'm sure you've had a few run ins with the Professor and crew… why mess with me?" Looking down into the still slightly round face of the girl in front of him, the white haired youth shrugged his shoulders carelessly and let his eyes roam over her body,
"You seemed different. My dad taught me how to read mutants well enough, and you don't seem like the type to go wandering around with a bunch of stuck up stuffs." A smirk crossed Elise's lips and she chuckled. Hooking her thumbs into her front pockets, Elise tilted her head back and slightly to the side.
"You're not as arrogant sometimes as you seem. But only sometimes…" Reaching up and patting Pietro gently on the cheek, Elise blew a kiss up and him and sauntered up the stairs to the front door. Looking over her shoulder, the brunette girl winked at him and opened the door; motioning for him to lead the way.