Chapter 3: Mind Problems

By: Galadeidre

"Sorry I'm late, Ms. Heinrich. I wasn't feeling too good. I was in the bathroom for a bit." Len stopped to catch her breath at the door where her English teacher was watching her.

A look of worry formed on the young teacher's face. "Are you all right, Len? You do look a bit pale. Maybe you should go to the nurse…"

Len shook her head as she continued to catch her breath. "No. 's okay. I just need to take a breather."

"Well, if you think you're up to it, I'll let you take the test today. Unless you want to just do it tomorrow."

"No, I'll be fine. Really, Ms. H. I'll be fine." Len gave a smile, though she wasn't completely telling the truth.

The headache had gotten just a bit worse…

…well…maybe a bit more than just a bit worse…

Len sat down, giving her English teacher a smile as she was handed the test. As she opened up her purse to find a pencil, she took a swift glance around the room to clear her head just a bit.

It was a full class that morning, she noticed. All were there, humans and…the others. She drifted her eyes across the mutants within her classroom that were in her line of vision. She sat in the second to last row, so she had a pretty good view of almost everyone.

She counted, though she knew full well that seven of the twenty-two in her classroom, including herself, were mutants. There was a flyer in the first row and a mutant of electricity and a shapeshifter in the second. In her row, the fourth row, the two seats farthest to the left were occupied by twins: one with fire and the other with water. The person on Len's right side she knew to be a mutant of speed. She had seen him talk with Conner before, appearing as if out of nowhere and then speeding away in a flash.

Marron, the last mutant that was in her classroom, had a story to tell. Len didn't look behind her, for that was where the young mutant sat, but she recalled that she hadn't been a mutant for very long. Len remembered in her freshman year how Marron had been rushed to the hospital after she had fainted in the hallway. She had been gone for a good month and a half. Conner had visited her, impelled by his benevolent conscience. Len recalled that it was Conner who had brought her to school on her first day back. Apparently, she had gone bald during her days in the hospital, but her hair was starting to grow back by the time she returned.

She never told exactly what had happened to her, but rumors started, saying that she had had a brain tumor and had undergone surgery, which lasted several days. The recuperating process had taken longer than was expected. It was a pretty good rumor, but only the mutants and a select few humans who were pro-mutant knew the truth. Conner had told Len a few days after Marron had returned: she had turned mutant. Her constant migraines and frequent fainting spells had been a sign of her telepathy starting to appear. He told Len that she had started receiving guidance from a certain professor while she was at the hospital. He had never seen him in person, but whoever the professor was, he had definitely done his job. Marron came back to school with an air of confidence. Just like the other mutants, she kept her powers a secret, but she soon became a leader in the secret mutant group that had been formed at the high school.

Len…, Len gave a slight start as she heard Marron's voice inside her head. You'd better get a move on that test of yours.

Len didn't turn around to look at Marron, but she gave a small smile of thanks and started her exam. She twirled her pencil between her fingers and glanced down at the first question: When is it necessary to use an ellipses?

Len smiled. English was her favorite subject, so this test would be easy for her. She poised her pencil down onto the paper, about to write the answer.

Only she couldn't remember it.

Len frowned and closed her eyes. Ellipses…you use an ellipses when…when… Len sighed in frustration. She was sure that she had known the answer just a few seconds ago. Why was it not coming to her now?

Unbeknownst to her and most of the classroom was that a few small objects were starting to levitate. The mutants had already noticed and were stealing glances backwards to the telepath, Marron.

But it wasn't Marron who was doing the levitating.

Marron was staring straight at the frustrated Len, who was rubbing her temples of her forehead – her headache was definitely not helping her think.

Len shook her head slightly as if to try and rid some of her headache, but it persisted. She finally decided to ignore it as best as she could and looked down to the next question: Explain the differences between the usages of parentheses and brackets. Len frowned once more and squeezed her pencil. I know all this…but why am I drawing a blank? She dropped her pencil and rubbed at her temples once more.

Marron noticed a few of the backpacks on the floor shift ever so slightly – but there was not a hand nor foot shifting them.

Len found herself flipping through the test packet to find a question – any question – that she could answer. She read every single one, but she couldn't answer any. What's going on with me? Len dropped her face into her hands as she tried hard to think through her headache.

Marron wasn't paying attention to the last few questions of her test anymore, but was looking at the board up front behind Ms. Heinrich's desk – the markers and eraser that were resting on the board stand were silently and swiftly sliding back and forth on the board stand. Luckily, no one was paying attention to the front of the classroom. Marron decided that it was time she took action – before it was too late.

Quickly, Marron finished the last questions of her test, not caring if they were right or not and then silently took out a piece of scratch paper. She scribbled a note onto the blank sheet and folded it several times. Swiftly, she rose up out of her chair and walked up the aisle, silently placing the note on the speed mutant's desk. The speed mutant took one look at the folded piece of paper and immediately grabbed it, hiding it from view in his pocket.

Marron handed her test paper to her teacher and whispered something in her ear. Ms. Heinrich gave a glance at her, then at Len, then stood up. She walked to Len's desk, where Len was shaking her head in the palms of her hand, and softly spoke into Len's ear.

"Len, I think you should go with Marron to the nurse's office."

Len glanced up at her teacher, about to protest, but saw Marron's face and thought it over. "Thanks, Ms. Heinrich. I think I should go. I can't seem to concentrate."

Ms. Heinrich nodded. "I think it's for the best." With that, she turned and walked back to her desk, nodding at Marron, who nodded back.

Marron then gave a glance at Len and then quickly took her things from underneath her desk. As she did so, she muttered in Len's head, You and I need to talk.

What do you mean? Right now?

Yes. Now. They quickly walked out of the room and into the empty hallway.

Inside the classroom, nobody noticed the markers and eraser abruptly stop up on the board.

The speed mutant swiftly opened up the letter and quickly read it, his eyes growing wide.