Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men.

BW: Okay, I decided to make this chapter a little longer than I originally had it, and since I did, it means the next chapter might be a little short but a lot is going to happen....

Something Not Right

"She looks out of it." Kitty whispered into Jubilee's ear.

Jubilee looked up from her breakfast. "Huh?"

Kitty rolled her eyes and nodded to X with her chin. "X. She looks out of it, doesn't she?" Kitty whispered.

Jubilee looked up and over. X was sitting at one of the tables by herself, pushing her food around with a fork. She had been sitting there for at least ten minutes but hadn't eaten. Not only that, but she looked extremely tired. More than anyone else Jubilee had ever seen.

Jubilee looked back over at Kitty. "Yah. Why do you think that is?"

Kitty shrugged and just then X stood up. Both girls watched as X went and threw her plate in the garbage and then left the kitchen. Both girls shared weird glances. Surely X would have snapped at them about how staring was rude or something.

"Man, she must be really tired." Jubilee said as X left the kitchen without a second look over her shoulder.

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Noticing the odd behavior in the morning, Jubilee and Kitty found themselves watching Laura all day, taking note in everything weird she did. When most the teenagers were in the recreation room hanging out, they observed that X wasn't there.

Wanda and Pietro were in the corner, seemingly arguing about something, but Kitty and Jubilee didn't bother asking, they just went over to the pool table where their boyfriends were playing.

Pietro sighed and rolled his eyes. "I told you she hates me! She's been avoiding me all day."

Pyro was playing with his lighter. Open. Close. Open. Close. "Calm down man. She's probably just stressed about the whole horsemen and crazy dream death thing."

Wanda turned to Pyro. "But where did this come from? When everyone was first taken, she didn't act like this. It's like it happened over night." Wanda sighed but knew she had to admit it. "And she's avoiding me too."

That caught the attention of both boys. "What?"

Wanda rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "
Don't make me say it again."

Just then Pyro noticed the door to the recreation room open a crack. X's head peaked into the room but as she caught sight of Pietro and Wanda she backed back out.

Kitty nudged Jubilee. "She's doing it again." She whispered as Jubilee looked over just as X let the door close again.

Pyro glanced over at Wanda and Pietro. Neither seemed to have noticed what had just taken place. "I'll be right back." He said, getting up and leaving the room.

He stepped into the hall and looked to his right. Nope. He looked to his left and spotted X. "Hey!"
X took a couple more steps then turned around to look at John, her eyes dull. "What do you want Pyro?"

Pyro gave her a funny look. "Why did you leave the recreation room? Why don't you hang out with us anymore?"

It was X's turn to give him a funny look. "It's only been two days." She replied.

"Yah. That's weird considering the four of us hang out every day!" Something was definitely up.

X sighed and rolled her eyes. She looked like she was getting annoyed now. "Look Pyro. I enjoy my alone time as much as the next person. Did you ever think maybe I don't feel like hanging out with you guys today?"

Pyro crossed his arms. Now he was getting irritated. He didn't like the tone she was using with him. "You could have at least said hi! We were sitting ten feet away from the door. Would it have killed you to stop by for ten seconds?"

Not me, but Pietro and Wanda! "Why waste my time? I could be doing other things with those ten seconds."

Pyro felt his jaw drop. How dare she? "Oh, so now friends are a waste of time?!"

"Yes." X gave him a smirk. "Now you're getting the picture."

John couldn't suppress his anger anymore. "Fine! If that's how you want to act, consider your friendship to all three of us over. You've been acting like such a bitch these past few days." He turned and left, not even bothering to pay attention to how X took what he said.

X felt herself swell with anger. The jerk! But she felt a rush of fear underneath of it. She should have let John help her. He was her last link to helping her get through whatever it was after her. Anger at herself coursed through her body. Then she felt a pain in her stomach. That anger was the lift I needed!

X felt a strange sensation come over her. Her anger was consuming her, but it burned. She turned and punched the wall, trying to fight her own anger down, but she was failing. Her claws popped out and she didn't even notice. She was in too much pain. She was about to let out a scream, but some force clamped her own hand over her mouth and she bit down on her own skin, feeling the flesh tear off and drip blood on the floor.

She punched her other hand into the wall, her claws popping out again, blood from her hand smearing on the wall. She threw her head against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut in pain. She couldn't ignore the feeling and she felt herself lose control.

X straightened up, pulling her claws out of the wall and retracting them before turning and walking back down the hall.

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Kitty and Jubilee were unaware of the confrontation that took place that night, and the next day they kept looking for abnormal signs and debating whether or not they should confront X about her strange behavior. However X didn't show up anywhere the next day.

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"Children. Come here."

Wanda and Pietro looked over their shoulders from where they had been sitting and eating lunch at their father who stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

The twins shared a look before getting up and walked over. "What do you want Magneto?" Wanda asked, not even caring how sharp her tone was.

Magneto glanced at Wanda, as though debating whether or not to challenge her tone and the fact she called him by his mutant name. "I've noticed that the past few days you two have seemed very upset."

Pietro looked over at Wanda who didn't even blink. "Why do you care?"

Now Magneto looked shocked. "You're my children. I want you to be happy."

Wanda rolled her eyes. "We were happy before you showed up at the Institute." She shot back.

Magneto looked somewhat irritated now. "If that's what you think, than fine. But tell me why you have been so distressed these past few days."

"It's not that big of a deal dad." Pietro muttered, eyes diverting to the floor.

"Pietro. I know you better than that. You've never been one to make a fuss over nothing." Magneto spoke in his knowing, but gentle tone that always won people over.

Wanda however huffed. She couldn't believe Pietro still called Magneto father after everything they had gone through.

Pietro scuffed his feet on the ground. He knew his father was right. "It's our friend Laura. She's been avoiding us the past few days like she's mad and she won't even stay in a room long enough to tell us why. And she talked to Pyro the other night and he said she lashed out at him for no reason."

Magneto looked as though he were deep in thought. "Laura? Ah yes that metal skeletal friend of yours." He remembered her. Although he rarely spoke to his children, he was not blind to them. He often saw them hanging around with Pyro, Rogue and Laura. He didn't have to ask, he knew they all shared a deep rooted bond. "Where is she now?"

Wanda shot Pietro a brief annoyed glance, but he was staring at his feet, which he shuffled around, as though not wanting to talk anymore. "She's upstairs. She won't talk to me anymore. This morning she just glared at me before I left the room." Wanda admitted.

Magneto looked up at the ceiling. "Perhaps I could influence her…" He trailed off but there was the sound of screeching metal as the metal objects in the kitchen started to move.

"No dad!" Pietro looked up, eyes huge.

Magneto looked at his son, and the metal all stopped moving. Wanda grabbed her brother's arm. "Thanks but no thanks. We don't you to kill her. She'll come to her senses all on her own." Without another word, Wanda pushed her brother past Magneto and out of the kitchen.

Magneto watched them go, looking thoughtful. He had noticed the odd behavior of the little metal girl too. It had almost seemed to have happened over night. That's when it struck him.

AN: Review :) The next chapter is a work in progress. I got the idea, but crazy year end projects take priority.