A/N: I would like to clear up one thing before you continue reading this story. Don't get me wrong; I understand that some of you are a little concerned that Roberto and Rahne are being mean and cruel… however, they are only doing this to get back at everyone who's pranked them in the past. They haven't had any evidence or well-thought out plans until now and so now their revenge starts… Now that I'm done lecturing enjoy!
"…"- conversation
'…'- thoughts
(…)- extra facts/actions (some)
'blah…' -telepathy/what people say mentally
Chapter 2: The East WingRoom #1, East Wing, 2nd Floor, Xavier Institute for the Gifted, Bayville NY, USA—June 9, 9:39 AM
Once Moira, Sean, and Ororo reached the East Wing they spilt up, each person taking charge of two of the six occupied rooms. Moira took rooms one and two, Sean three and four, and Ororo five and six. Moira came to room one but when she tried to open the door she found she couldn't. Ramming her shoulder finally got the door loosened enough for her to open and when she stepped inside she froze in shock. Both Kitty and Rogue, whom she knew had come in late the night before drunk, were covered head-to-toe in black and pink silly string, only their eyes and mouths showing. Six cans for each color lay suspended in mid-air, obviously empty, and both of them were screaming in shock and frustration as they tried to get the stuff off.
"Rogue, Kitty, wha's goin' on here?" Moira demanded, stepping into the room and sidestepping bits of silly string that had missed their targets.
Rogue looked up and replied, "Moira, thank gawd yah're here! Kit and Ah just woke up and as soon as we tried ta get up this… this stuff exploded on us and it's stickin' ta us!" Kitty nodded in total agreement with her roommate, an action that soon caused her to groan and place a hand to her forehead in pain.
"I knew I shouldn't, like, have had that last shot!" Kitty exclaimed, trying to vainly suppress the headache she felt coming on but she soon let out a scream as she tried to phase the silly string off but couldn't as it seemed to be permanently stuck and was completely ruining her concentration.
Moira looked back and forth between the two and sighed, muttering, "Ay should nae have gotten out of bed this morning." She then shook her head and moved to help take off the silly string but stopped when she stepped on something. Looking down she saw two envelopes in plastic bags, one labeled "Rogue" and one labeled "Kitty". Frowning, Moira bent down and picked them up, examining them with a scientist's eyes. "Girls, did ye notice these envelopes?" she asked Rogue and Kitty, both of whom managing to take off some of the silly string so that more their skin was visible.
Both nodded no and when Moira went to open them she thought better of it and, giving each envelope to their respectful owners said, "Ay have tae go and check on the others; ye try and get cleaned up before tha' stuff gets stuck on ye permanently." Moira then left the room to go to room two, leaving Kitty and Rogue to try and get the silly string off them before it gave them new complexions.
Room #2, East Wing, 2nd Floor, Xavier Institute for the Gifted, Bayville NY, USA—June 9, 9:45 AM
Moira entered room two, fully expecting to see more silly string but once inside she was surprised again as she saw two hoses that had been rigged from the outside to spray their contents at Jubilee and Lorna, who were screaming in pain. Moira wondered why the girls were screaming; after all, the water in the hoses was kept at a specific temperature by Ororo as she sometimes used it to water her plants when she didn't feel like using her powers to take care of the foliage. However, on taking a closer look she realized with shock that it was freezing cold water.
"This is nae good…" Moira muttered and, running in grabbed the two hoses and yanked them out of the string that they had been sitting in. She dragged the hoses over to the balcony window and on kicking it open threw the hoses over the railing, allowing the water to shoot towards the ground, where a large mud puddle was rapidly forming. She then ran back inside and letting her medical side take over groaned when she saw that both girls' skin was bright red from the force of the water hitting it. Running over to them she noticed water bottles on Jubilee's nightstand and, hoping that they were filled with lukewarm water she dumped the contents of one of the bottles on Jubilee and the other on Lorna. Both sighed in relief as the water warmed them up, taking away some of the pain that had come with being attacked by freezing cold water as soon as they woke up.
Moira stepped back and, looking between them asked, "Let me guess—ye woke up and when ye went tae get up the hoses turned on and soaked ye, right?" When both nodded yes Moira sighed and held a hand to her forehead, muttering curses under her breath.
Jubilee piped up and said, "Dr…. Dr. MacTaggert could you… you get us our… our comforters?" Her teeth rattled with intense cold and both she and Lorna watched as Moira walked over to one of their closets—per Lorna's directions—and opened the door. She took down from the top shelf a bright yellow and black comforter followed by a blue and green one and gave them to their owners, wrapping them up tightly so that they could try and get warm.
Moira stepped back and once more she stepped on something that sounded like plastic. Leaning down she found two envelopes identical to the ones in Rogue and Kitty's room but they had Jubilee and Lorna's names on them. Frowning, Moira looked up at the two shivering girls and asked, "Girls, did ye notice these?"
Lorna spoke, shivering violently as she did so. "No… no Dr. Mac… MacTaggert. We just… just woke up… up and were… were bombarded… bombarded with water." Lorna wrapped the comforter around her tighter, hoping to get warmer. Moira gave the envelopes to their owners and then, looking at them thought about what to do next.
"Girls, listen; Ay have tae go and meet with the other instructors but ye need tae get into a warm shower right away before ye catch hypothermia." Moira then left the room, leaving behind two shivering girls, and made her way to the second floor landing to meet up with the other instructors.
Room #3, East Wing, 2nd Floor, Xavier Institute for the Gifted, Bayville, NY, USA—June 9, 9:39 AM
Meanwhile, Sean had found that the door to room three was locked and deciding to forgo necessities rammed his shoulder into the door, causing it to fall to the floor, the hinges broken. Upon entering he saw that only Danielle was in the room, Rahne's bed empty because she was downstairs. Sean immediately saw what was wrong—at least six amp systems were connected to each other and all were blasting rock music at high volumes at Danielle, who was curled into a ball to try and block out the sound.
Sean looked for a switch to turn off the sound but after finding nothing shrugged and deftly took out the amps one by one so that by the time he was finished all that was left of them were pieces of metal and wiring on the floor. Danielle's screaming died down to sobs as she tried to deal with the pain of having loud music assault her when she had a major headache from the alcohol she'd consumed the night before.
Sean knelt beside Dani and, gently putting a hand on her shoulder said, "Dani, it's me, Sean Cassidy. Are ye okay, lass?"
Dani's sobs quieted and, slowly rising to a sitting position dried her tears and responded, "I'm… I'm fine, Mr. Cassidy… it's just I woke up and when I moved the music just started and I… I couldn't handle it. I… I cracked and I collapsed… who would do something like that?"
Sean sighed and replied, "I don' rightly know, lass, but believe me when I say tha' we will find out." He patted Dani's shoulder and moved to start picking up pieces of the amps he had destroyed when he noticed a plastic bag with a manila envelope inside with Dani's name on it. Frowning, Sean picked it up and turning to Dani asked, "Dani, did ye notice this bag on the floor?"
Dani nodded her head no and asked, wincing in pain from the major headache she was getting, "What's in it, Mr. Cassidy?"
Sean shook his head no and said, "Nae, I don' know, Dani. It's yer envelope; ye open it." He handed it to Dani and then added, "I have to go and check on the next room's occupants; ye get dressed and come see me later fer some help with yer headache." Sean then left the room and went to the next one, leaving Dani on her bed, the envelope in front of her.
Room #4, East Wing, 2nd Floor, Xavier Institute for the Gifted, Bayville, NY, USA—June 9, 9:47 AM
When Sean entered room four he had to duck to avoid one of Tabitha's bombs and one of Amara's lava streams. "Wha' I don' understand is why Charles put these two together," Sean muttered under his breath before taking a deep breath and letting out a short sonic scream that got him the attention of the room's occupants.
"Mr. Cassidy, please stop!" Amara screamed, not noticing that he had and when she did notice added sheepishly, "Oh, you did. Thanks." Sean found himself staring at the two girls who had what appeared to be entire buckets of gum in their hair, pink for Tabitha and white for Amara, and they were also covered in what appeared to be mayonnaise.
Tabby looked up and said, "Banshee, hey! Do me a favor: punish Amara for doin' this to me, would ya?" Tabby motioned to herself then glared at her roommate, who glared right back at her.
"Mr. Cassidy, why would I cover Tabitha in gum and mayonnaise when I'm covered in it too?" Amara asked, trying to be the logical one.
Tabby sneered and replied, "Oh, you just covered yourself to throw the blame off you!"
The two girls began bickering again, which caused Sean to groan and slap a hand to his face. He screamed again and this time, before either girl could speak again Sean ground out, "Do ye want me to scream again, lasses? 'Cause I can and will if ye don' stop!" This got Tabby and Amara to shut up and as Sean looked around he noticed a bucket, one above each of the beds that had remnants of gum in it and two large squirt-bottles rigged to either side of the beds, the containers for the mayonnaise that now covered Tabby and Amara.
"Let me guess," Sean asked wearily, turning his eyes to Tabby and Amara, "Ye both woke up and the gum and mayo was dumped on ye, causin' yer current conditions, right?"
Tabby blinked and said, "Wow, you're good Banshee!" Amara nodded in agreement and before she could speak Tabby asked, "So 'Mara, if I didn't do this and you didn't do this then who did?"
Sean answered, "Well, Tabitha, tha's what we're tryin' to figure out. Ye're both not the only victims." Sean paused to continue but then noticed two envelopes on the ground, both the same as the one in Dani's room but with Tabby and Amara's names on them. Frowning, Sean picked them up and said, "Do ye know who sent these to ye?"
Both girls nodded their heads no and Amara remarked, "Maybe they're from the prankster?"
Sean shrugged and said, "I don' rightly know, lasses. Here, they belong to ye and ye should see wha's in them then come and tell me. In the meantime, ye both need to get cleaned up and try to get the gum out o' yer hair." Then, before Tabby and Amara could start fighting again Sean had given them their envelopes and left the room. On his way to the landing he muttered, "I knew tha' I shouldn' have gotten out o' bed this morning. Boyo, ye had the chance to avoid this but no, ye chose to get up and greet the new day, didn' ye?
Room #5, East Wing, 2nd Floor, Xavier Institute for the Gifted, Bayville, NY, USA—June 9, 9:39 AM
When Ororo entered room five she had to cover her mouth in surprise and shock at the sight she was met with. Lexie was currently hanging upside down, with what appeared to be handcuffs keeping her arms behind her and her feet connected by a piece of rope that was hanging from the light fixture on the ceiling. What really got to Ororo though was the fact that Lexie's bed was covered in what appeared to be engine oil and Lexie herself was covered in a mixture of ketchup and mustard.
"Child, whatever in the world happened?" Ororo asked, moving so that she was directly in front of Lexie.
Lexie snorted and responded, "Let's see… I woke up and jumped out of bed and heard a noise behind me. I turned around and saw that my bed was completely covered in engine oil. I backed up, arms behind me, thinking that something was going to grab me from the direction of my bed but I backed into a pair of handcuffs that were timed to close around my wrists as soon as they made contact. I couldn't get my arms back over my head to get the damn handcuffs off and as I was struggling to get the handcuffs off I walked into this trap. The rope grabbed my ankles and hoisted me to the ceiling where two large squirt-bottles got me with ketchup and mustard. Now you know the whole story, Storm. I just have one request—get me the hell down from here!"
Ororo nodded and, as her eyes turned white she said, "Lexie, this may hurt a bit…" Ororo then lifted her hand and sent a bolt of lightning at the rope, severing it instantly. This allowed Lexie to fall to the ground where she let out a few choice curses as she landed face first.
Ororo knelt behind Lexie and removed the handcuffs; hey, her thieving skills from when she was little sure came in handy. Once Lexie's hands were free Ororo helped her to her feet and went over to where the closet was and, grabbing a towel handed it to Lexie, who began to clean off her face.
"Thanks, Storm," Lexie said, doing her best to not let any of the mixture touch her eyes and when she brought her hair around so that she could see it cursed and said, "Damn, my hair's screwed up!"
Ororo nodded and examined the traps, thinking, 'Whoever did this knew exactly what Lexie would do and predicted every move. They are very skilled, I must say.' One of her eyebrows rose when she saw a plastic bag that was half-covered in ketchup and mustard lying on the ground. Upon picking it up the eyebrow rose further when she saw that there was a manila envelope inside, addressed to Lexie. "Child, I think you should see this."
Lexie moved to where Ororo was and like the weather witch an eyebrow rose when she saw the envelope. "I didn't know I had this in my room… who the hell do you think sent it?"
Choosing to ignore Lexie's language Ororo replied, "I have not the faintest notion, my dear. However, I think that you should open it and see what's inside. I have to go and see what's going on in the next room." Lexie nodded and, taking the bag from Ororo threw it on her bed where it laid, the name staring up at Lexie accusingly, making her nervous. Ororo left the room, moving on to the next one, not sure what she would find upon entering.
Room #6, East Wing, 2nd Floor, Xavier Institute for the Gifted, Bayville, NY, USA—June 9, 9:50 AM
When Ororo entered room six she had to duck to avoid Wanda's hexes and Betsy's psychic knives, all of which were being thrown across the room in an insane version of tennis. Ororo's eyes turned completely white and she yelled, "Enough!" Thunder cracked outside, followed by a rather large bolt of lightning that occurred just outside the bay window.
Wanda and Betsy, who had been given the room to stay in while they were attending the Institute for Todd's graduation, looked up at Ororo and instantly stopped, both knowing that it wasn't wise to face a pissed off Storm; especially when said mutant was five feet away from them. Wanda's hands lost their blue glow and Betsy got rid of the handful of psychic knives she had been preparing to fire at Wanda.
Ororo's eyes returned to their normal blue and she let out a breath and said, "Now then, what is going on in here?"
Wanda blinked and snapped, "What's going on, Storm, is that my hair is now bright, neon pink!" When Ororo looked at Wanda she had to stop herself from laughing; Wanda's black and red hair was now bright, neon pink. Wanda glared at Ororo and added, "When I find out who did this to me I swear that I'll kill them!" She crossed her arms and glared across the room at Betsy, who was glaring back.
"Alright, Wanda, I completely sympathize with your circumstances but I must know: did you find this out when you woke up?" Wanda nodded yes and Ororo groaned, placing a hand over her eyes. "Betsy, child, what's wrong with you?"
Betsy took her attention off Wanda and, turning to Ororo said, "Look, I can deal with getting pink hair; I can just dye it back but unfortunately that's not what happened with me. Luv, I cannot say how disgusted I am when I think of how I was so stupid to trip the wire that caused this to happen!"
Ororo looked at Betsy and had to once more stop herself from laughing. Betsy was covered head to toe in what appeared to be a combination of Remy's gumbo from yesterday's dinner and white feathers. Ororo covered her mouth and said, "Dear me, Elisabeth, we need to get you cleaned up before that mixture becomes stuck in your hair. And Wanda, I will help you with your hair later. In the meantime, do any of you see any envelopes in here?"
Wanda raised an eyebrow and replied, "Storm, the mail doesn't come this early. Hell, if I know my brother—and I do—he's probably already waiting at the gates to greet the mail deliverer and if it's a female to hit on her and if it's a male to scare him off." Ororo made a mental note to tell Logan to not let Pietro anywhere near the gates of the Institute during the time period that the mail arrived and, bending to look at the floor, spotted the plastic bags that she knew would be in the room. Picking them up she noted that they looked exactly the same as the one in Lexie's room did except they had Wanda and Betsy's names on them.
"Girls, I believe that these belong to you," commented Ororo as she moved to deliver the envelopes to their owners. However, she didn't see the clear wire in front of her so when she hit it a signal was sent to a bucket above her head and before either Wanda or Betsy could warn Ororo a bucket of black gunk was dumped on her, covering her head-to-toe.
"Dear Lord, Storm, are you okay?" Betsy asked, getting off her bed, Wanda doing the same. Ororo lifted up her hands and gave Betsy and Wanda their bags, now covered in the substance, and brought her hands up to clear away the gunk from in front of her eyes.
Once she had done that she turned to the girls and said, "Girls, get cleaned up and come downstairs as soon as possible. Betsy, I recommend a hot shower with lots of soap and shampoo and Wanda, I will help you get your hair back to normal after you have eaten. Also, do open your envelopes and tell me what their contents are. If you will excuse me I must go and report to the other instructors what has happened here. I must also go and try to get some of this off of me."
Ororo then left the room, leaving a stunned Wanda and Betsy looking after her. "Damn, that Storm is something else entirely," Wanda whispered, Betsy nodding in absolute agreement. Ororo walked down the hallway, ignoring the whispers and looks she was getting from the other girls as they prepared to go and get cleaned up in the bathrooms.
"Ororo, what happened?" Kitty asked, Rogue right behind her. Ororo didn't answer and continued to make her way to the landing. Kitty and Rogue watched her go and Kitty said, "I think she's, like, angry or something."
Rogue rolled her eyes and grimaced as she managed to pull off more silly string, leaving a stinging sensation behind. "Of course she's angry, Kit. She had that disgustin' gunk all over her. Ah just hope that tha person that did this gets punished; severely."