'You veren't honestly going to sit alone vere you?' asked a German voice on her right.
She looked up and saw her good friend Kurt smiling down at her benevolently.
'Kurt!' she exclaimed happily 'I didn't know you took art!' he sat down beside her and took out his school books and pen.
'Yeah!' he said smiling, 'It was this or home economics.' he continued smiling unenthusiastically. 'But now I tried it, I kinda like it!'
'Couldn't you do workshop?' asked the girl laughing tenderly at the boy who had saved her from her loneliness.
'Zere vere no free places left.' he replied as a very thin woman came and stood at the front of the class.
'Hello again, then.' she said with a friendly smile. 'Welcome newcomers and welcome back for those who did this last year! I can see that many who took this option last year have taken it again this year, good for you!' she looked genuinely pleased to see the class again. 'I can only see two newcomers, I think.'
She smiled welcomingly at Vixen and the boy who had bumped into her earlier.
'Vat is he doing here?' asked Kurt under his breath to Vixen, who looked curiously at him.
'Would you two like to come up here please and tell us who you both are?' asked the teacher enthusiastically. Vixen eyes widened in horror and from what she could see of the boy he had the same reaction.
Kurt nudged her and she slowly got to her feet, the teacher making motions drawing her to the front of the class. The boy glanced around at Vixen and, seeing that she was making her way half-heartedly to the front joined her.
'That's right kids,' continued the woman excitedly. 'Just over here. That's right.'
The dark-haired boy and Vixen stood side by side between the rest of the class and the blackboard.
'Perfect!' exclaimed the teacher happily, bouncing on the spot, 'Don't you make a splendid couple?' she asked looking from them to the class who were sniggering.
The boy looked sideways at her and smirked a slightly flirty smile, the blond girl frowned back at him.
'So…' continued the straggly looking woman 'What are your names?' she asked beaming. The boy was about to speak but the teacher tutted, 'Ah, ah! Ladies first, young man.'
'Yeah, ladies first.' said Vixen raising a cheeky eyebrow. 'My name is Vixen-' she started but the dishevelled woman interrupted.
'Did your parents call you Vixen?' she asked doubtfully. 'That's rather an… unusual name, isn't it?' she continued rifling through her book, 'It says here you're called Ge-'
'Nobody calls me that.' butted in the girl, 'Call me Vixen.' the teacher looked at her taken aback.
'Err… right, ' she said uncertainly, 'Alright then. Umm… What's your name then young man?'
The boy who had been smirking at Vixen looked vaguely back at the teacher who was looking expectantly back at him, then at the class.
'Erm, well I'm called Lance,' he said, 'but my friends call me Avalanche.' he finished, turning and gazing at Vixen to see her reaction. He was satisfied to see her eyes widening in disbelief and inquiring curiosity.
'Avalanche?' asked the woman frowning at the two teenagers gazing at each other. 'That's a strange nickname, isn't it? A bit like, Vixen I suppose.'
Vixen was gazing at the boy in front of her, mentally asking whether he was a mutant. As an answer, he smiled smugly at her.
'So, Lance and err, Vixen. Could you tell us a little bit about yourselves, please?' asked the unkempt woman smiling again.
Vixen looked at Kurt, sitting at the back of the class, gazing at her; he shrugged apologetically as if to tell her that he had known before who the boy was.
'Vixen?' pushed the teacher, the young girl glanced at her then, gathering her wits, took a deep breath.
'Umm, I'm 16 years old… I err, left home not long ago… I-'she started, only to be rudely interrupted by the boy called Lance.
'Where do you live?' he asked smirking vindictively. She looked at him indifferently, then back at Kurt who nodded.
'I live at Xavier's Institute for the gifted.' she said looking insolently back at him, 'Since I ran away, as I told you earlier, in case you didn't catch that.' she smiled a victorious smile, Lance glared at her.
'Okay,' said the teacher, 'Lance?'
'I'm 17, I left home too cos my parents hated me.' he said glaring at Vixen as if to challenge her. 'Why did you leave home, Vixen?'
'My parents tried to do experiments on me.' she replied without thinking of the consequences.
'Why did your parents want to do experiments on you, Cutey?' he asked pinching her cheek.
'Is it any business of yours?' she asked glowering at him, 'Oh, and don't call me "Cutey"… Sweet-cheeks.'
With that he lost his temper and tried to punch her, she grabbed his hand just in time and pressed him back into the blackboard. He thrust her off him and tried to hit her again, she dodged but he still got her left arm. She kicked out and hit him in the chest, whereupon he clenched his fist, still glaring at her.
Suddenly, the ground started to rumble and quake beneath their feet. The other classmates screamed, fell off their chairs or hid under their tables with their hands over their heads.
Vixen screamed and fell forwards into Lance's arms, as she made contact with him the earthquake stopped. He looked down at her and smiled.
'impressed?' he asked holding her upper arms and pulling her upright. 'What's your "talent" then?' she looked up at him incredulously.
'Woah.' she said with an astonished look on her pretty face. He sneered down at her, she giggled meekly.
'I didn't realise you cared.' he said smiling.
'I don't.' she said regaining her former expression. 'And if you want to know just what I can do, then…' she leaned in and whispered in his ear, as the class filed slowly out of the classroom, 'meet me at 4 in the wood just outside the city.'
Whereupon she extricated herself from his arms and walked out of the room into the crowded hall.