Once again, it was another morning. The sun shone, birds chirped. As always. Once again, Scott was feeling the unease that is waking up in an unfamiliar bed. Not that he'd woken up in a bed he'd felt familiar with since he was a small boy. But, that fact aside, the unease right now was doubled.

He was safe, that was for sure. But the first morning waking up at a new place, a school in this case, is always daunting- he had to stop himself. This wasn't the first morning. It was the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth. Sixth morning waking up in his new bedroom on his new, comfy bed at Charles Xaiver's School for Gifted Youngsters. Six days, and he wasn't used to it. The Professor had assured him it'd take well more than a week to truly settle in there, even among your fellow mutants, but Scott felt disappointed in himself. After all, he was more than used to hopping from place to place, but there he'd been forcing him to settle in.

With a sigh, he stands, he chucks on his finest pair of denim jeans and burgundy sweater, wipes off his sunglasses- those are very essential- and he's on his way down the hall.

"Hey."

The girl that was talking to him- red hair, very cute, green eyes. She winces at him and smiles. Scott's face turns bright red.

"So, " The girl begins to talk, and follows Scott down the hall. They shared their classes, but Scott had never spoken to her. He didn't even know her name. "We share, classes I think. I saw you in the hallway. You uh, you like.. music? Uh.. er,.. oh..." Her walking slows to a stop, as if she'd just realized something horrible.

"I.. do you, you, uh. Your- sorry. My names Jean.-"

"Oh, I know you. You're the girl with Telekinesis, right?"

"Yeah! But- I'm also a telepath. I'm really new, it's a new thing, I've only been here for a couple months, and I'm only fifteen and, I guess, I sometimes look into peoples heads and- let's, get to class I. Sorry."

She goes silent and walks again, head down, Scott follows. He wished he knew what to say, he didn't really care she accidentally got into his head. Charles had told him his brain was 'like someone had left the back gate open' due to his brain damage, so it was easy for someone to get into. She probably couldn't help it. She seemed awfully skittish. He wondered why.

A while down the hall, he spoke up again "I'm Scott I like Rick Wakeman and, uh, The Beach Boys.." He was going to say 'he didn't like it when people pointed out his singing', She obviously got the music question from him doing that. It was kind of a habit. He did it to distract himself from his Tourette's Syndrome but- God, shut it, just let this happen. "Let's go to class.. do you want to.. sit together or something like that?"

"Uh.. sure! I'll help you with your work, if you'd like."

"Don't worry about it, Jean."

The two exchanged awkward smiles and kept on going towards class together, Jean obviously thought Scott was cute, charming, maybe even, and Scott thought the same of Jean.

Days would pass, and eventually they'd end up on various dates together- to the movie theater, various fast food places and cheap restaurants, outings to the mall with their group of friends, who ended up being 3rd, 4th and 5th wheels more than it was a group outing in the end. A few months later, by the time both Scott and Jean were finally sixteen years old, things were really starting to look right.

Scott's friends he went out with- they haven't been gotten to yet- First off, they were all his fellow students, varying in age, but all in his current class. Firstly, there was Kurt, German-born, and four years Scott's senior, with a severe physical mutation. He was blue, furry, and he'd earned himself the nickname 'The Incredible Nightcrawler', apparently from days spent in the circus. A real charmer, highly religious.

Second, there was Jubilation, nickname: Jubilee, a Chinese-American mutant, very nice girl, who was a year younger than Scott. She could create fireworks. It was pretty 'radical', in her words. An Arcade-goer and overall "mall rat". Big into Cyndi Lauper.

Thirdly, there was Bobby Drake 'The Iceman', Jewish, Dark Blonde, Jokester type. He could create ice, turn himself into ice, freeze things. He was two years older than Scott, making him 18 years old. He was big on fast food and video gaming, also severely diabetic and strangely infatuated with telling everyone that he was. Openly gay. Extremely musically talented.

Fourth, there was Warren Worthington The III, insanely rich, government & business family, dubbed "The Angel", for obvious reasons- he had wings. He was also incredibly messed up. Alcoholic, serial groper. Roommates with Bobby. Seemed like he had the potential to be a good friend, but his own need to cause others strife overtook that. One year older than Scott, at 17.

Then there was Ororo Monroe. "Storm". She could control the weather! Was far more friends with Jean than she was anyone else. She was African-American, and had long white hair that she brushed compulsively in a very teenage-girl-type-way. Right now, she was the only one out of them with a job and and her own car. She was 16 also, and worked at the local grocery in the town Alex lived in (Brewster, NY), which was only about 15 minutes away from the Xaiver school.

All these folks were also part of a in-the-making mutant team. Charles had hand-picked the most acceptable students for it, and along with a few other members, Scott and friends formed the X-Men. Scott, was, of course, the leader. This team was already gaining traction, with their third mission coming up in a few weeks- a real battle, too.

And so, they would every weekend and sometimes after class go off to the mall or arcade or just sit around inside, depending on their mood, and Scott for once felt like he belonged.

And the sweetest and best part of all? Scott got to wake up every morning- usually cuddling or being cuddled by Jean- and know that someone loved him.

Alex, on the other hand, his experience was becoming quite a harrowing one.

Alex was a gay man. Simple as that. He was dating his former class/teammate Sean Cassidy (Banshee), and he loved him very much. They'd hold hands and walk along, they'd share intimate nights together and share fun mornings making breakfast and overall it was a very happy relationship. Ah, young love. But the more Alex, in many years time, would look back on this, the more it seemed like it never even happened. But, that's a side note.

Now, in the present, his main concern was Charles. As in Xavier. He.. changed. A lot.

Scott was failing classes he shouldn't have been failing. Why was that? Alex's things he had stored in the school were gone. Why was that? He shrugged it off, but today, something had taken the cake; his photo was gone off the wall. But, no. He couldn't get angry. He was probably just having everything moved to set up things for the new students. Yeah.

Alex went home at the end of the day, and sat down on his couch. Maybe I'll call Lorna. No. No point in that. She's probably busy working.

He looked at his clock- It was seven past six-and then he looked at his TV. It wasn't turned on. He liked it better this way. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours. He looked at the clock again. Still seven past six.

Why did time feel so slow today? This was crazy. Something was.. off. Very off. Probably something bad was about to happen. Probably.. something. Something.

Alex dozed off.

5:04am, the next morning.

Ratta-tat-tat.

Ratta-tat-tat.

"I'm coming! keep your shirt on-, Christ- Ooh, hi there Jean. "

"Hi, Alex. "

"Why're you uh, here so early?" He looked around past her. "Where's Scott?"

"He's asleep still, I just.. needed to tell you something. "

"Yeah? You didn't need to come all this way for that, I'm sorry- Whats up?"

"Well, uh, it's about Professor Xavier. That's part of the reason I'm here so early. "

"Go on."

"He really.. doesn't... how so I put this, uhmm.." She put her hand to her chin in thought ".. He doesn't.. like it when Scott does well at things that isn't being Cyclops. He keeps pulling him out of class for no reason and well, he put him down a grade yesterday. Scott's really upset about it. Maybe you could speak to him?"

Alex furrowed his brow. Ah.

"Yeah. I'll talk to him. Thanks Jean. Can I drive you back to the school- or?"

"No, it's okay. Ororo and I passed through on our way to get an early breakfast, soo.. "

And with that, the redhead rushed off and jumped into a little blue Toyota.

Alex bit his lip, weighing his options up. Maybe Charles was making the right decision? Sure, Scott was smart but.. he was also stupid, for lack of a better way to put it. But there also seemed to be something very off about this. Should he just let this simmer and see what happened?

God, Xavier really was changing. He always joked he would go mad once he lost his hair but.. that was a joke. Right?

Alex listed in his head the strangest things Charles had down in the last few months;

Put Scott down a grade for no reason.

Commission Hank (for free) to devise a new security system for the school, utilising missiles.

Made several crude phone calls to the rival school, telling them to transfer their students to him.

Changed his rhetoric to one of utter nonsense. It was now at a point where Charles truly believed mutants need humans to survive, and they are straight up better than us. Or something like that.

Yeah.

Maybe his best option would be to talk to Scott about it first. He'd see him today but shit- he had work in an hour.

Tomorrow seemed out of the question too, since Scott had a mission. Maybe tomorrow morning would be okay to talk to him?

The more he thought about Scott, the more anxious he felt- he sat down, face in his hands. Bad feelings all around. Something bad was happening. Was going to happen.

Tomorrow was going to be a disaster and he could tell, but he can't stop that. Best he can do is do his Big Brother Duty and snoop.

Another knock at the door. He rushed to open it.

"Alex! Top of ta' mornin' to ya."

"Sean please.. don't do that."

"Listen y' big lug, it's my job to be a stereotype." Sean waltzed in and grabbed a juice box from the fridge before placing himself on the couch. "You got work?"

"Yeah, in an hour and a half or so. I think. It's not for long."

"Alrighto.. I'll just stay 'ere then. I'm outta things t' do today. Been awfully bored since Moira made her way back to Muir."

"Yeah? I heard she has a lab there or some shit."

"A HUGE one, t' whole island 'tis hers. I think if I ever get boreda life here I'll help her research.. shit and stuff."

"That's gross."

"Not literal shit."

"Of course." Alex would go over and kiss him on the cheek, taking him into a hug-hold. "You okay? You seem off."

"I'm alright.. " Sean sighed "I just.. can I share a secret?"

"Sure."

"I tink Charles is trying to get rid of me. Don't know why. Just before he ran his wheelchair over my foot and was purposely ignoring me? "

"Ha, yeah. Sounds like Charles."