Sorry about the wait on this chapter, hopefully it wasn't too long. It's nearly twice as long as the previous chapter, which was my longest before this one. Enjoy.
Chapter 5 - by Paradox Jast
Summer, 1996
Scott Summers looked at the papers in his hands. He was never very good at physics, but the Professor claimed that physics could have several very practical applications for powers. Especially ones like his.
Looking back up and frowning, a question died on his lips. He couldn't possibly see how there was any reason to know the rate at which gravity pulls objects back to the ground, or the speed of sound.
"Do you have something you wish to say, Scott?"
He mulled over his thoughts before speaking. "Not really Professor. I was about to ask why I needed to know this stuff... again. But then I realized you'll just tell me the same thing you have every time I asked that question before."
A small smile tugged at the corner of Charles Xaviers lips. "He understands at last."
Another frown. "Really, sir, when am I going to need the formula for gravity?"
Xavier shrugged slightly, flipping casually through a ledger that lay on his desk. "Scott, it's part of the cirriculum. For your age group, you're actually a year ahead. While most teenagers your age are wondering why they need to know about deoxyribonucleic acids, you're wondering why you need to know about gravity."
He closed the ledger, and looked back up at Scott. "I want you to get an education. The New York School Board wants you to learn about gravity." Leaning back in his wheelchair, he smiled. "Who am I to disagree?"
Knowing arguing would get him no further, Scott sighed and set his papers inside his notebook, then closed it. "Yes, sir. Maybe I'll understand the School Board some day."
"When you figure it out, let me know."
Scott grinned. "Why Profe --"
The phone in Xavier's office rang, cutting off Scott abruptly. He fell silent, watching the Professor reach for the phone. Standing up, he started to turn and make for the exit, but Xavier waved his hand back and forth rapidly, then pointed at the chair Scott just vacated. With a nod of silent assent as the phone was answered, he sat back in his chair and waited for the Professor to finish.
"Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, this his Charles Xavier speaking. How may I help you today?"
Scott started scanning the room, as he had done many times before since he was recruited. It wasn't unusual for the Professor to get calls, as this was a school... albeit a sparsely populated one.
"Yes, Jean-Luc, I admit I am suprised to hear from you. Is something wrong?"
Scott was trying not to listen, but it was hard. The Professors voice had a serious edge to it that he hadn't heard for quite a while. He tuned in, just in case there was an emergency, but stared out the window behind Xavier, trying to keep his face set with a mask of disinterest.
"No no, it's not a problem at all. I told you the invitation would always stand."
His ears perked up at that. Invitation? Maybe they'd get another warm body to fill the mostly empty hallways. There were only five students here now. The mansion they lived in could easily hold fourty to fifty, more if they doubled up some rooms since they were so big. He'd stopped counting how many rooms there were somewhere after twenty-five.
"Very well. Yes... yes... okay, we'll see you in a couple days then. Goodbye for now."
Scott watched the Professor hang up the phone, then slouch a bit in his wheelchair, looking troubled.
"Professor?"
"Yes, Scott?"
"Is something wrong? I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but... I really couldn't help it."
Xavier shook his head, but remained serious.
"I wanted you here in case I needed you to relay something to the rest of the students, which I will."
He paused, closing his eyes and placed his fingertips together. Scott knew this pose well... the man was thinking about something. Remaining quiet, he waited for the Professor to gather his thoughts, fidgeting slightly in his seat. The Professor only thought like this when something serious was going on.
"Scott, do you remember a few years ago... Cerebro detected a faint mutant signature in New Orleans?"
Scott nodded, mostly because thats the first time he'd seen the Professor both startled and slightly disappointed at the same time. Being honest with himself, Scott realized he was probably too young to care about much else other than seeing the Professor looking the way he had.
"Vaguely, sir. I don't think I was paying much attention at the time. Henry and Warren had just joined us, I was too hyper."
Xavier nodded somberly, then spoke in a quiet tone while reminiscing. "Cerebro had detected a mutant signature there. It took a while to pinpoint the exact location, because it was so small. I used some contacts of mine to get a number to get in touch with the child's father. It took longer than I thought it would."
Sighing and leaning back, Xavier looked at his hands while he spoke. Scott leaned forward ever so slightly, hanging onto each spoken word.
"I finally got in touch with Mr. LeBeau, the boy's father. To my suprise, he turned me down. Interestingly, he claimed his boy had been cured - that they met a doctor who was able to supress his child's powers. I had no real counter to his claim, so I told him the invitation would always be open should anything change. He thanked me, I thanked him, and we never spoke again."
"Until now?"
Xavier nodded. "Until now. That was Mr. LeBeau on the other end of the line. There isn't much to tell, but in brief, he told me the time had come and that he'd be here with his son within the week."
Scott wanted to be excited at the prospect of having another student, but something was off. "Why now? It's been what... two, three years?"
The Professor looked at Scott, looking just as puzzled as he felt. "I have no idea. But I'm sure they had their reasons to wait this long. Now..."
Xavier wheeled out from behind his desk, moving around it and stopping near Scott as the teen stood. "I need you to inform the other students that we will be having visitors sometime this week. Ask Jean if she wouldn't mind taking a trip to the store for us to gather extra supplies, and tell Robert to get an extra dorm ready for our potential new student."
Scott smiled. "I'll get right on it." He left, nearly bouncing out of the room - off to find his friends and let them know the news.
Xavier chuckled at Scott's speedy departure, then headed for the study.
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Three Days Later
The black Mercedes pulled up to the gate of the Institute, stopping in front. Remy watched the driver get out and walk up to the gate, pressing a button near what he assumed was an intercom. Looking over at his father, Remy noticed his eyes were closed and he was leaning back in the seat with a calm expression on his face. I wish I could have that kind of calm. I have no idea what I'm getting into here... and I've never liked schools.
He pushed his glasses further up his nose. When his eyes started to change color, he was teased relentlessy in school about them. As a result, he was taken out and home schooled for the past few years. When his father had told him about Xavier's school, he was wary. First, because it was a school. Second, because apparently there were other people like him there. I KNOW that I'm dangerous. I wonder what some of these other people here can do.
The driver got back into the car, and they slowly lurched forward as the iron gate in front of them opened wide. The trip up the driveway was uneventful, Remy's father remained silent, and to stop his own restless hands, he pushed his sunglasses up his nose once again. He didn't like wearing them, but lately his eyes had become sensitive to light. They also had the added bonus of hiding his eye color, just in case the students here were less than receptive to them.
Coming to a stop in front of what looked to be the main doors of the Institute, Remy and his father casually stepped outside. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he waited for his father to come around to the other side before taking a step in any direction. This was his father's idea, so he'd sit back and observe as he was taught to do.
He heard a quiet grunt from his father, and turned to look. Jean-Luc was looking up that the mansion before them.
"Papa?"
"A privately funded institution as big as dis? Must be one powerful man. I would say it's nearly as big as de Guild Mansion."
Not knowing what to make of the comment, Remy kept his mouth shut. I can't tell if he's impressed or intimidated. Probably a little of both.
"I guess." Remy groaned inwardly. "I guess dat means dis place is packed with students."
Jean-Luc looked at his son, nodded towards the door, and started walking. "I doubt it; checked out de spending for dis place. Other than a grossly high electric bill, all other expenses are low."
Well, thats a bit of a relief. Falling into step behind and to the side of his father, they walked up to the entrance. As they approached, the front door opened to show a young man standing there. Looks to be my age. Whaddaya know, he's wearing glasses too. They're red though? Weird.
As they got closer, Remy noticed the other man smiling. They were greeted with a firm, clear voice, and a small wave.
"Hello. Welcome to the Institute. I'm Scott. I've been instructed to bring you both to Professor Xavier's office."
Scott smiled and extended his hand to Jean-Luc, which was met in kind with a faint smile and quick handshake from the elder LeBeau. "Hello Scott."
Scott nodded at Jean-Luc, then turned his attention to the younger LeBeau. "You must be Remy. It'll be nice to have another face around here." He grinned, extending his hand once again.
Seems nice... so far. Remy extended his hand and grasped Scott's. The handshake was firm but brief. Scott released his hand, then turned, gesturing for them to follow. "Comon. Professor Xavier's office is this way."
Jean-Luc stepped inside, followed by Remy. Closing the door behind him, Remy walked briskly to catch up to his father and Scott, not wanting to get lost in this place. They wandered from hallway to hallway, working their way to the Professor's office.
Remy whistled to himself as they walked down the halls. Scott was talking to his father about the school, but Remy tuned him out, instead staring at all the art that was on display. Whoever this 'Professor' guy is, he must have some deep pockets to afford some things I see here. I wonder what Papa is thinking. If his father was thinking anything, he wasn't showing it. At least, he appeared to be fully engrossed talking with Scott.
After a few minutes of walking, they approached some double doors. Scott stopped in front of one of the doors, knocked lightly, and opened it. Sticking his head in, Remy heard Scott explain that the guests were here, then watched as the other teenager stepped away from the door and turned to look at them.
He smiled. "The Professor is waiting for you. Go in when you're ready. Hopefully I'll see you again shortly, Remy." With a curt nod, he walked back down the hallway from whence they came.
Jean-Luc turned to his son. "Y' ready?"
No. "Ready as I'll ever be."
Without another word, Jean-Luc grabbed the door handle and opened it, walking into a bright office. Following behind him, Remy squinted out of habit, even though he still had his sunglasses on.
"Welcome to my school, Mr. LeBeau. Remy." Wheeling out from behind his desk, he rolled over to the side and gestured to the seats in front of his desk. Before they sat down, Xavier shook each of their hands.
Returning to the back of his desk, Xavier looked them both over briefly, then gave a genunie smile. "I must admit, I'm both suprised and pleased that you decided to come. I had thought Remy was..." he stumbled for a moment, but quickly caught himself, "... cured."
Remy watched his father lean back in the chair, as if preparing himself for a long speech. He'd seen it multiple times before when Jean-Luc chaired over Council meetings.
"It's... complicated. T' say de least. We visited a doctor, who was actually a client of our business. Dis doctor claims he was a chemist, but from some of de things he's been able t' do, I'd say he's a little more than dat. His name is Nathaniel Essex, don' know if y' have ever heard of him?"
"I'm afraid I haven't. I'll look into it though, rest assured."
Jean-Luc gave a tight lipped smile and continued. "He gave Remy here some medication, and it worked. Still works, for de most part."
Xavier interrupted him. "So you're saying sometimes it doesn't?"
Remy saw his father give a barely noticable shrug before continuing. "With some trial and error, we figured dat it doesn' work in extreme situations. Where Remy gets agitated, excited... t'ings like dat."
"So essentialy, Remy has circumvented the medication so that it no longer works."
"In extreme situations, yes."
"I see." Xavier paused as if considering something, then shook his head and smiled at Remy.
"Remy, I've always been curious as to what exactly it is you do."
Here we go again... might as well get this over with. "Do y' want me t' tell y', or would y' like a demonstration?" It came out a bit more forced than he intended, but it was too late to rephrase the question.
Xavier's smile faded, slightly. "A demonstration would be better, so long as it doesn't destroy property or injure anyone. Including yourself."
Remy looked to his father for approval, and was met with a small nod. Sighing and reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a single playing card. Holding it up so the Professor could watch, he nudged it gently, feeling the molecules in the card get excited and start to move faster and faster. The card started glowing a faint magenta, along with a light sizzling noise. Remy tossed the card up in the air before the charge started getting too large, so it only exploded with a loud 'pop'. He felt a small breeze pass him from the force of the expanding air around the small explosion.
Both of Xavier's eyebrows raised. "That is... interesting. Do you have any idea how that happens?"
Remy shook his head, and his father remained silent. "Non. I have no idea."
The Professor nodded, leaning forward and folding his hands together on his desk. "Was that small explosion all you do?"
Remy smirked. "Dat was nothin'. I barely charged that."
"You can charge it more?"
"Yes. I could charge it t' a point where it would probably reduce most of y' desk to splinters, burn some of de room, and burn us. Not to mention throw y' out de window an me and my Pere against de wall."
Xavier brought his hands up to his mouth, contemplating once more, then spoke from behind them. "Thats just from... a card? Does a bigger object mean...?" He didn't finish the sentence, but it wasn't hard for Remy to figure out what he was getting at.
"A bigger boom? Yeah. Takes longer t' charge a bigger object, usually."
Remy watched Xavier's eyebrow shoot up. "Usually?"
"Depends how excited I am. De faster my blood is pumpin', de faster I can charge."
"I see." Xavier was considering what Remy had said. There was a moment of silence. "Does your power have any limitations, other than the size of the object?"
It was Remy's turn to be quiet. Honestly... never really thought much about limitations. Too busy worried about charging something I shouldn't, trying to hold back. "De only thing I've noticed is dat I can't charge anythin' that's still livin'. Was testin' my powers one day, tried chargin' a tree. Could charge de bark easy. Some parts of de wood held a charge, but dat took a long time."
Xavier nodded, leaning back in his wheelchair. Throughout the conversation, Remy noticed his father hadn't said a word. Probably checking to see how much I tell this man, and how much I decide to keep to myself. The Professor will figure out everything he needs to know eventually anyway.
"My next question..." Xavier paused, readjusting himself in his chair, "What exactly brings you to me, three years after I first contacted you?"
Jean-Luc sat up straighter, clearing his throat. I guess this is a question he wants to answer. Considering I didn't know this man existed until a couple weeks ago. Remy placed his elbow on the armrest of the chair he was sitting in, then placed his head against his hand. Getting bored... and so tired of answering the same questions over and over to everyone in the Guild, now I'm betting that I'll have to do it here too.
"At first, I thought Remy was like I told y'... cured. Not long after, we were sparring one afternoon. I noticed he was movin' slower than usual. I chalked it up t' bein' the medication, figurin' it was makin' him drowsy - so I stopped pushin' him, and started goadin' him on to be better. I knew he was."
Jean-Luc sighed, staring at the professor while talking. "I guess somethin' must have snapped. Next thing I know, he charges his staff, and starts bouncin' around all over de place, faster dan I can keep up. Somewhere in all his movin' around, he transferred the charge from the staff to the floor at my feet. It exploded, and no harm done, but he was still movin' faster than I had ever seen before."
Idly scratching his chin, he continued. "Over de course of de next week, we confirmed that de medication was still working. Most of de time, anyway. By the time a year passed, we figured dat any time he got excited, or angry... any extreme emotion, really... he could override de medication and bring his powers out. We had perhaps a handful of incidents over de course of a few years. Which brings me t' why we are here now."
Jean-Luc looked away from the Professor, as if unsure how to phrase why they were here now. Remy just yawned, he already knew what his father was going to say, considering he was the one being talked about. He was fidgeting in his chair, nearly bouncing out of it. Lately, he couldn't bear to sit still, it just made him irritable.
"Somethin' is wrong with my son's power. Y' saw earlier when he showed y' that he was holdin' a card, then threw it, and it exploded. Three weeks ago, we were lookin' for a new car for Remy's older brother, Henri. Remy here has always had a thing for bikes, and I let him wander off to go look at dem." He turned his head to look at his son, who was literally bouncing in his seat. "Would y' like to explain what happened Remy? Y' can probably tell de story better than me."
I just want to get out of here! Remy snorted, then sighed, looking a little more somber. "I saw a bike I really liked. I mean, I was almost droolin' over it. I was examining de details, starin' at it. For no reason at all, I felt a slight pressure behind my eyes, I thought I was gettin' a quick headache. I didn' notice it at first, but I had apparently charged parts of de bike. I never touched it, not once. I looked at it, an' it blew up. Barely ran away in time."
The professor looked slightly startled, if that were possible. "I'm assuming that was not the only incident?"
Remy shook his head, and started counting different incidents off on his fingers. "Non. Dere was de fire extinguisher at de mall... dat made a mess, by de way. Part of de boardwalk down in Miami. Julien's fake tooth, he's okay, was just a little startled... and... I t'ink I'm forgetting one..."
Jean-Luc chuckled. "Tante Mattie's rolling pin."
Remy nodded, blushing slightly. "Oh yeah. Dat one."
Xavier wasn't sure whether to be worried or smile at Remy's embarrased state, so he kept his face expresionless instead. He coughed lightly, to gain their attention. "So... you would like me to keep Remy here to help him learn to control this ability?"
Jean-Luc nodded affirmative. "Can only trust medication so much, as has been proven. De best thing is for Remy t' learn t' control it on his own. He's agreed to stay here until he learns dat much."
Xavier turned a questioning gaze toward the elder LeBeau. "Only until he learns control, but not after?"
Jean-Luc didn't comment for a moment. "De boy has strong family ties and obligations. Bein' away from home as long as he may be is goin' t' be hard for him. Besides, if dis really is a school, why does he need t' stay after he has control?"
Xavier didn't answer the question Jean-Luc put to him, but instead started opening one of the drawers of his desk, searching for something. "Very well. I will leave that decision up to you and your son."
"T'ank you."
Xavier waved it off. "No thanks necessary. It was your choice to come here, just as it will be your choice to leave. I do not pressure anyone into anything." Pulling some papers from the drawer in his desk, he added, "I'll just need you two to fill out these enrollment papers, and Remy will be good to go. His training will start as soon as he's ready. Tomorrow, if he'd like."
Jean-Luc raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn' we discuss tuition?"
Xavier smiled at the question. "So long as Remy does his best, gets at least average grades, and makes gradual improvement with his powers... there is no tuiton."
It was Jean-Luc's turn to smile. "I see. Well, Remy?"
Remy was crying inside. Thats blackmail! I can't goof off, because if I do, Papa will know. Xavier will ask him for tuition money if I'm not doing well. This... is not good. But I have no real choice here. I don't want to accidentally hurt someone if my powers get any worse. Sighing to himself, he leaned forward toward the desk and grabbed the papers Xavier was handing him.
"Where do I sign?"
Xavier chuckled. "Take them down the hall, second door on the left. Thats the study. Feel free to look them over with your father before you decide for certain. There's a few basics you need to fill out as well. When you're done, bring them back here. I'll be waiting."
Jean-Luc got up without a word and gestured for Remy to follow him. Remy got up and followed his father down the hall, grumbling all the way.
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The Study
"Starin' at de paper ain' gonna get it done, Remy."
Remy sighed in is chair, his eyes skimming over the questionaire and information sheets. "I really don' wanna do this, Papa."
Jean-Luc was slowly pacing back and forth next to the window, occasionally looking outside. He kept his voice mild, but firm.
"Trust me, Remy, I don' wanna leave y' here either. Y' much more useful t' me and the guild at home, not t' mention you're my son and I worry about y' more dan anyone else. But y' a strong boy, Remy. I'm sure with Xavier's help, y' will be home again before y' know it."
Jean-Luc's spoken confidence in Remy didn't do much to change his mood.
"It's not so much dat bein here scares me Papa... because it doesn'. De only thing I'm afraid of right now, is bein' bored outta my mind. It is a school."
"Doesn' mean y' still can' practice y'... extracirriculars."
Huh?! I can still... "Y' mean I can still go around thievin'?"
He must have spoken a little louder than intended, for Jean-Luc winced slightly and made a hushing gesture. Remy sank back in his seat, blushing slightly.
"Y' can still practice. I'll contact Genard when I get back t' de Guild Mansion and have him set y' up a fence while y' here."
Remy looked like he was about to burst, he was so happy.
"However, dere's gonna be a cap on how much y' can do. I want y' t' get practice, but y' ain' gonna do it all de time. Mostly because I want y' t' get as much done with y' powers here as fast as y' can, so y' can' be gallavantin' around all de time around here. Plus, I don' need my son gettin' greedy. I didn' raise y' dat way."
Remy nodded at his father, a little more subdued, but still happy overall.
"If I get any assignments dat I think y' can handle, I'll send dem y' way."
Remy was smiling and still nodding, just happy he would have something to do so he wouldn't get bored while he was here. I get to practice! And sometimes even go on official jobs! That means I have to be careful, not to get caught by anyone. I wonder if any of these other kids have a power like night vision... that would suck. "Papa... what do I say if I get a job? What if I get.. caught?" Remy gulped slighlty, as if the thought of getting caught was a taboo.
Jean-Luc paused for a moment and stopped walking, staring at a painting on the far wall. "Don' get caught. Dat's all I can tell y'. You've been trained by de best our Guild has t' offer. As for jobs... I'll tell Xavier dat sometimes I might need y' t' help me out with de business, and since y' nearby I just have y' do things for me."
That answer satisfied Remy, for the most part. I won't be able to do anything until I know what everyone else's abilities are... and how to avoid them.
Jean-Luc walked over to the table, arms crossed over his chest, and looked down at the papers on the table. "Y' gonna fill those out now, or do y' need me to do it for y'?"
Happier now that he knew he would find things to do to occupy himself, Remy quickly snatched up his pen and started filling in the blanks.
Five minutes later, without another word spoken between them, they exited the study and headed back in the direction of Xavier's office, application papers clutched tightly in Remy's hands.
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One Hour Later
Henry McCoy walked into the kitchen, looking for a bite to eat. He opened the refrigerator, hoping to find some of last night's left over pizza. Seeing none, he sighed, and reached for the loaf of bread and some cheese. "Looks like its grilled cheese... again." He mumbled to himself, muttering about gluttonous snowmen, when he heard a rustling noise behind him. Turning around, he saw a teen he had never seen before, sitting at the table and staring out the window.
The cards in his hands were making a constant 'fwip' noise as he shuffled and mixed them up over and over.
Henry politely cleared his throat, but the stranger must have been daydreaming, because he didn't even acknowlege he heard anything.
Deciding to try again, Henry spoke up. "You must be the new recruit Scott was telling me about?"
Remy jumped in his seat, nearly dropping his cards to the floor. He caught them all faster than Henry thought possible... but he did witness it with his own eyes.
"Oh.. uhm... sorry mon ami, was just thinkin'. Yeah, I'm the new guy." Remy gave a small smile and a mock salute.
Henry smiled back, then returned to his task of making a grilled cheese. Reaching for the pan, he looked over his shoulder. "You hungry?"
"Non... jus' ate before I got here."
Henry shrugged his shoulders. "Okay. You need to know where anything is in here?"
Remy shook his head. "Scott gave me de tour. Even know where y' keep de toilet paper already."
Barking out a laugh, Henry turned on the stove, setting it up for his sandwich. "Thats Scott for you. Obsessive, compulsive, and everything in between."
Remy snorted. "Must be one of de school leaders then, right?"
Henry looked over his shoulder, toward Remy, raising an eyebrow. "Very good."
Shrugging, Remy didn't comment further. It's all in the personality. Not too hard to figure out.
A few minutes passed, neither of them talking about anything. Remy stopped shuffling his cards, instead opting to set up a game of Solitaire on the table. Henry finished up, and came to sit next to Remy, watching him intently.
"So what do you think of the school so far?"
Remy didn't look up from his cards, but still answered. "Not much t' say right now. Haven' been here for more dan a hour or so."
"Have you met everyone yet?"
Remy paused at this, and leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. "Dunno. De Professor tells me dat dere be 5 students here." Remy looked up at the ceiling, still talking. "Scott was de first I met, and I met Bobby shortly after I agreed t' stay. He welcomed me, and dropped a snowball down my shirt when I wasn' lookin'."
Henry chuckled, but stopped when he recieved a glare from Remy. Strangely enough, Remy smirked right after the glare. "I got him back about 5 minutes later, snuck up to him quietly and gave him a wedgie. Never heard someone yelp and den run away so fast."
At this Henry burst out in laughter, unable to help himself. "Oh... oh my... the resident prankster got pranked!" Remy continued smirking while Henry tried to stifle his laughter, wiping a tear away from his eye.
"Resident prankster, hehn? Gonna have t' remember dat."
Henry nodded. "Indeed, indeed." Finally catching his breath, he looked back at Remy. "Who else?"
Remy went back to looking out the window. "I met Warren, he came t' see why Bobby was runnin' so fast. He grinned when I told him what happened. He introduced himself as 'Warren Worthington the Third, heir to Worthington Industries, then promptly excused himself from my presence'." Remy suprised Henry, as well as himself with his enunciation and attempted New England accent, mimicking Warren. Maybe I should work on that more, might be a hidden talent of mine.
Henry finished making his sandwich and started munching away at it, chuckling lightly and waving his free hand nonchalantly, encouraging Remy to continue.
Looking at Henry, he was about to say more when Scott walked in, interrupting them both.
"Hey Henry! Remy! Whats up?"
"Henry's tryin' t' swallow a mouthful, and I'm tellin' him who I've met so far."
"Cool! I don't mean to change the subject, but is there anyone you haven't met yet? I can arrange for you to meet them."
Remy looked at Scott, then at Henry, then to his cards. "Strangely enough, according to y' all and y' Professor, I've met one more person than I should have."
Henry almost choked on his sandwich, but waved away Remy's offer to slap him on the back. Scott looked confused at first, then something akin to understanding came across his features.
"I've met y', Scott. And y', Henry. Bobby an' Warren." He paused for a moment. "I saw Jean, she said hi t' me, and then ran off. Looked like she was angry about somethin', but I'm new and didn' want t' be nosy so I let her go."
Scott seemed to pale slightly at that comment, but just nodded.
"I saw someone else too, another girl with jet black hair. Went t' introduce m'self, but she just looked at me, didn' say nothin', and walked away. Haven't seen her again since."
Scott nodded. "That was Sage. She um..." He looked to Henry to finish the sentence.
Henry turned to Remy, a serious expression marring his features. "According to the Professor, Sage doesn't exist."
Remy was actually startled, he knew it showed on his face, since Henry continued, trying to explain.
"According to the Professor, Sage has some rather unique and special abilities. He claims the less we know about her, the better it is for us, and for her as well. We don't know anything about her, other than we encounter her here in the kitchen maybe once a week, for a couple minutes when she gets food. Otherwise, we don't exist to her either."
Remy didn't know what to say to that, so he just nodded, and went back to his game. "Anyone know why Jean didn' want to talk? She didn' exactly leave a good impression, an' I'm new."
At that comment, Scott looked distinctly uncomfortable. He paled first, then started blushing. "I uh... well... you see..." Scott started absently scratching the back of his neck as he tumbled over words.
Remy looked up at Scott, smirking a little. Might be fun to push his buttons just a little bit. "Oh, I get it. It's okay, we all have rough moments sometimes."
Scott opened his mouth and closed it like a fish out of the water. "No! I mean... well not like that... but... oh geez. Henry, you were there, please?" Remy couldn't help but laugh outright at Scott's lack of ability to talk, and he had plenty of thoughts as to why. He must like the girl... she was good looking. Maybe I should start something with her, when she's feeling better, just to get under Scott's skin a little. He's a nice guy, but needs to loosen up something serious.
Henry had a humorous glint in his eye, and began to explain the situation to Remy amidst his chuckling.
"Well, it seems our leader here has taken a fancy to a certain redhead. Given the circumstances, and the distinct lack of choices, it's not too hard to figure out why."
Remy laughed at this, and Henry couldn't help but snicker as well. Scott glared.
"Anyway, it seems she caught old Slim here doing something he shouldn't have been, and decided to give him a piece of her mind. I wasn't privy to the conversation, I was too busy studying. But you couldn't help but overhear a few choice words." Henry looked over to Scott, and the former looked at his fingernails. Then he started to talk, filling in the rest. Remy had to lean in to hear, Scott was talking quietly.
"Warren and I were fighting over who would be a better match for her. Without giving too much detail to you two jokers," he glared at them each in turn, "she was standing nearby and apparently heard the whole thing. She looked furious, and as soon as he saw her, Warren tried to play the whole thing off and sweet talk her. She didn't like that, and pretty much threw him into the study."
Henry cackled to himself. "Poor guy, he looked so dazed and there were feathers everywhere."
Scott and Remy both smirked, then Scott spoke up louder and continued his story. "Jean gave me a piece of her mind, saying it was her choice and no one elses, and she was so sick of boys thinking they know everything, blah blah... stuff like that. I wasn't listening, I was just trying to protect myself in case she decided to throw me somewhere. Then she just turned around and stormed off. I guess thats when you crossed her path, Remy."
Scott winced a little. "Sorry about that."
"No problem, mon ami. Y' couldn' have known I would be crossin' her path. Besides, I'm still here in one piece."
Scott smiled, then turned to Henry. "Basketball later?"
Henry had started looking at the sports section of the paper. He nodded, and mumbled a "Sure." without looking up.
"You're welcome to join us Remy. We'll finally have even teams. Well, mostly even."
Remy stared at Scott, trying to figure if he was implying something about Jean playing and being a girl, or Warren's wings making him slow. "Sure. I'll be dere. Nothin' else t' do."
Scott clapped his hands together and got up. "Great, basketball court in 2 hours."
Remy nodded and went back to his card game.
"Oh, and by the way. I still need to give you the second part of the tour, I'll let you choose when after the game. You'll get to look around downstairs. Then we're going to have a small practice session whenever your're ready where you get to see everyone's powers, and we get to see yours. I hope they're good." Scott was grinning like an idiot.
Remy simply snorted. "Be careful what y' wish for..."
Scott's grin faded. "Right. Okay, see you guys in two." He turned and departed the kitchen.
Henry got up from the table shortly after, folding the paper back up and setting it in the middle of the table. He glanced at Remy, watching the younger teen as he finished up his game of Solitaire.
"You don't like your powers?"
Remy didn't respond at first, mulling over the answer. Its complicated. Very complicated. "Yes, and no. At first, dey weren' so bad. I had control, dey weren' dat strong. As I've gotten older, dey have gotten worse. Much worse. Dat's de only reason I'm here right now."
Henry frowned at how serious his new friend got when talking about his powers. He walked over and placed a comforting hand on Remy's shoulder. Wow, his hand is huge! It covers my entire shoulder! I just noticed...
"The Professor is a good man, he'll help you. He's helped all of us here today in one way or another."
Remy stacked up his cards, and put them back in their box. He slid the box into the back pocket of his pants. "I hope so, Henry." Remy turned and walked toward the door, his head hanging slightly.
Henry remained where he was and watched the Cajun teen exit. Yet another day for him to wonder why people so young had to deal with responsibilities so great.
- - - - - - - - - - -
Reference:
Bobby - 14
Remy, Scott, Jean - 15
Warren - 16
Henry - 17