Disclaimer: don't own anything, cept some characters and the plot
Thanx for all the reviews! This is only my second fic, so they're really appreciated! Keep 'em comin! Sorry it took so long for me to update…hehe.. o, also, in my story, the institute is in Westchester, New York, not Bayville. And if anyone has problems with my story, just don't read it! It's as simple as that.
Michigan- Daniels Household
Kristen Daniels awoke to the loud blaring of her alarm clock, which was blasting out one of the latest pop tunes. She groaned and turned to look at the digital red numbers. 9:30. She sighed and rolled over onto her back. She didn't normally get up this early on a Saturday; she was not a morning person. But today she had gymnastics practice at ten.
She strolled down the hall to the kitchen of the Daniels' quaint home. Her mother was up, making breakfast for Evan and Kristen. Kristen was half black and half white, which sort of made her look like she had a permanent tan, since her mother's genes were predominant in her. Her skin tone matched nicely with her light blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
Her mother set a plate full of pancakes down in front of her, and Kristen started to scarf them down, realizing she only had half an hour to get ready.
"Whoa, kid, you might want to slow down there," her dad said, reaching for the carton of milk. Her mother sat down in the seat next to her.
"Honey, some things have come up, and we might have to go to New York for awhile," her mother said, nervously wringing her hands together. Kristen set her fork down and finished chewing her last bite of pancake as she thought this over. Kristen liked her life here; she had friends, and gymnastics. She wanted to enjoy her time off from school.
"For how long?"
"Well, we're not exactly sure…" Evan trailed off. "We were thinking about catching the next flight out, my old professor needs my help." Kristen had heard all about her father's old school and Professor Xavier. She knew that if he summoned her dad that it must be for something important.
"Can we at least stay for one more day? My friends and I had plans for today, could I at least spend the day with them?" Kristen pleaded, shooting her dad the puppy dog eyes. They always worked, he just couldn't resist. It was something Kristen had learned from her mother.
"Fine, but first flight tomorrow morning we're outta here. So you better pack your bags tonight," Evan relented.
"Okay, thank you daddy," she kissed him on the cheek and bounced up the stairs to get ready for practice.
Kristen entered the gymnasium. Her best friend glanced her way and ran over to her as Kristen set her pink Addidas bag down.
"Hey Kris, you're late!" The girl mock-glared at Kristen, hands on her hips.
"Well, you know me," they both laughed. Jen had been Kristen's best friend since grade school. Jen had first introduced her to gymnastics, and as good as Kristen was, she was never going to beat Jen. They were the best on their team, Jen even qualified to go down to state. Kristen was disheartened by the fact that she was going to have to tell her best friend she was leaving, for who knows how long.
They walked over to the uneven bars as Kristen told her about the trip. Jen was disappointed that she wasn't going to get to spend the rest of their vacation with her best bud, but she tried to cheer her best friend up, nevertheless.
'Hey, don't worry about it. It probably won't be as bad as you think. And hey, maybe you'll meet some cute New York boys," Jen waggled her eyebrows at Kristen, who let out a chuckle.
Jen also knew that Kristen was a mutant. She was with Kristen the day that it first happened. Kristen was a mutant with the ability to become invisible. Jen thought it was the coolest thing ever. But Jen kept her secret, since the town they lived in didn't exactly welcome mutants with open arms.
After practice, Kristen went with Jen and some of her other friends to the mall. After a fun-filled day of shopping 'til they dropped, the girls parted ways and went to their separate homes. A block away from her house Kristen noticed a crowd of people and an ambulance and police car surrounding the sidewalk. She pulled over and got out to see what the disturbance was.
It all seemed to happen in slow motion for Kristen. One moment she was standing next to her car, and the next she was rushing over to her father, who was kneeling on the sidewalk, cradling her mother, who was bleeding from what seemed to be a gunshot wound in her chest. Kristen started crying as she noticed silent tears streaming down her father's face as he rocked her mother.
"Mommy!" She cried, reaching out for her mother as the paramedics were taking her away. But instead of just placing her on a stretching and rushing her to the hospital, her mother was zipped up in a big, black bag. Kristen gasped, a hand stifling her sobs. She started running over to her mother, when her father's arms wrapped around her and pulled her to him. "Mommy, no!" Kristen started screaming, becoming hysterical as her father tried to hold her back.
"Shhh, it's okay honey. There's nothing we can do. Mommy's…" he choked, "mommy's gone now." He softly stroked his daughter's hair as her sobs started to die down.
It would be on the news later that night. A woman shot dead, dead on the sidewalk. A mugging, they would say. Kristen and her father packed in silence, boarding the next plane out to New York. Kristen tried to sleep on the plane, but sleep would not come. Instead she was left alone with her thoughts. If only she had agreed to leave at once…instead of staying a day longer…her mother might still be with them.