Everybody waited for the professor to speak.
Finally he said. "Tegan, tell me what happened one more time,"
Tegan did.
He sighed. "You honestly have no idea who this person is?"
Tegan was about to nod, then said, "Well….I think I know her from somewhere. I mean, she seemed so familiar….but what about my powers, Professor? And my eyes? Is there something wrong with me?"
"No, nothing's wrong. I'm positive that you are simply mutating again."
Tegan sighed. "Does this mean I'll never be able to control air again?"
"No, I think it means you can control both, but perhaps only one at a time. Perhaps the color of your eyes signifies your current power. It's red now, so now you can only make fire."
"And when it was blue I could control wind!" Tegan realized.
"Blue?" asked Rouge. "You're eyes were always grey when you did freaky air stuff."
Tegan was confused. "What? But…I remember my eyes being blue when I looked in the mirror last."
"Well how often do you look in the mirror?" Scott asked.
"Not too often…but…what can I do when my eyes are blue?"
"Maybe water," Jean suggested.
The professor cut in. "We can figure that out later. Now, I need you to hold still Tegan and relax. I'm going to search your memories and see if we can find out who this woman is."
Tegan started to back away, "But…uh…could we do this later? I'm tired and I want to see Kurt and I have homework and…"
The professor lifted a hand. "It's alright Tegan, you can do what you want. But tomorrow we need to find out who this woman is."
--*--*--
Kurt woke up in pain.
His chest hurt like it was on fire, but he knew the professor would have him healed up pretty soon. A day or two at the most.
When he tried to sit up someone pushed him down. "Don't Kurt, you're still hurt."
Kurt opened his eyes and saw Tegan, with worry in her now red eyes.
He smiled at her. "Alright, I von't get up then. So…did the professor find out anything about your powers?"
Tegan sat down on the bed. "Yes, he said that I'm going through mutation again, and I might be able to control both fire and air…and maybe water….we're my eyes grey when I blasted you into the pool, on the first day we met?"
Kurt nodded. "Yeah, but it looks like I'm going to have to get used to this new color."
Tegan turned away. "So am I, I feel so weird."
Kurt squeezed her hand gently. "You're talking to a blue furry elf,"
Tegan laughed. "You don't look like an elf, you look like a Kurt."
He laughed, then coughed, and then tensed from the pain.
Tegan could feel tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them spill over. "Kurt…I'm so sorry."
Kurt relaxed as the pain went away. "It's not your fault…"
"If I would've just left when you told me to then you wouldn't be in this bed!" Tegan bit her lip hard so she wouldn't cry.
Kurt sat up and tried not to wince at the pain. "Tegan, you vanted to know who she was. I understand,"
Tegan put her head down, letting her brown hair fall in her face. "The professor wants to look through my head and see if he can find memories of that woman. Maybe we'll find out who she is."
There was a silence, than Kurt said, "You are scared?"
Tegan didn't want to admit it, but yes, yes she was. She'd didn't want the professor looking through her memories. She didn't want him to see everything that's happened to her. She didn't want him to find out about her father….
Kurt squeezed her hand. "Tegan, it's going to be alright."
--*--*--
The next day everybody gathered in the Library so the professor could look through her head. Kurt had healed enough to walk, but he was still weak.
"Now Tegan, relax, and don't be afraid."
Tegan relaxed but she could do nothing to quench her fear.
As soon as the professor started memories flooding through her mind.
Her brother chasing after her, helping her up, feeding her, smiling at her, laughing with her, singing to her.
Her powers starting out, little breezes, strong winds, small hurricanes.
Her mother, smiling at her, singing to her, glaring at her, yelling at her, hitting her.
Her father…
Slapping her, beating her, bruising her, calling her freak, her brother trying to make him stop, her mother ignoring her cries. Cowering in a corner, crying, sobbing. Her father striking her brother. Her father grabbing her hair and –
Tegan screamed and fell to the floor, sobs racking her body.
Kurt went to her side. "Tegan! Tegan vhat's wrong?!"
Tegan couldn't stop sobbing.
Kurt turned to the professor. "Vhat happened?! Vhat did you do?"
The professor looked at his hands. When Tegan screamed fire went around her and burn the professors hands.
"All I did was search through her memories, accidentally surfacing some that she tried so hard to forget. I am so sorry, Tegan."
Tegan got up and ran out of the room.