Chapter 13: Chloe & Len

By: Galadeidre

A/N: Hi, readers! Thanks for reading once again! This is a really short chapter, I know, but the next one I feel is gonna be a long chapter, so hopefully that'll make up for this one: p

By the way…I do not own Daughter of the Forest or A Scandal in Bohemia.

Stormy…thanks for giving me incentive. I hope I'll be able to update faster than I have been. Sorry about that!

EA-01…Thanks again for letting me use Chloe!

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Len squirmed as she noticed that the dark blackness her closed eyelids had given during her slumber had irritatingly been brightened. She whined and turned in her bed as she heard the curtains being drawn all the way back to let in as much sunlight into the bedroom. Giving up at trying to fall back asleep, she threw the covers off her head and opened her eyes, giving a huge sigh as she did so. She noticed her new roommate leaning at the open windowsill looking out into the school grounds. She also didn't fail to notice that Chloe was wearing her overly large black sweatshirt and long pants with black socks on a warm autumn morning, but made no comment to her.

Not wanting to be rude, Len gave a smile. "Good morning."

"Hey," Chloe responded not looking at her.

Len ignored the cold shoulder as just sudden awkwardness. After all, it was Len that had disrupted the mutant's normal day-to-day life. Len looked out her window and gave a smile. "It's a gorgeous day. I'd love to take a walk outside. You don't think they'll mind, do you?"

"We've got school today," Chloe answered, pushing herself off from the windowsill and finally looking at Len. She nodded towards the small table beside Len's bed. "There's you're schedule of classes. We'll eat breakfast downstairs so hurry up and get yourself ready." Chloe turned towards her desk, packing a few notebooks and textbooks into her backpack. Normally, she would skip breakfast, but she knew full well that the Professor wanted her to watch after the new mutant until she got the hang of things around the mansion. After that, Chloe thought, she's on her own. She suddenly noticed that there was no noise from Len's side and turned around to see what was the matter.

Len was sitting up on her bed, but she had made no move to change or tidy herself. Chloe took one look at Len and realized what was wrong, mentally slapping herself for being so stupid. "You don't have anything else to wear, do you?"

Len miserably shook her head.

Chloe sighed. I've become a babysitter for a teenager. "Hang on. Lemme ask if any of the other girls have got something you could wear for now." She was about to walk out into the hallway, when she noticed a duffel bag out of the corner of her eye. Recalling that Len's boyfriend had given it to her the day before, she had a hunch. "Hang on a sec. What's in the bag that that boy gave to you?"

Len turned to glance at the duffel bag and got out of bed to grab it. "I really have no idea." She unzipped it and started taking out its contents, her emerald eyes growing wider with each item that she took out: two notebooks, a pack of pencils and pens, Julliet Marillier's Daughter of the Forest, as well as Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novel, A Scandal in Bohemia. Len also took out two cute knitted turtleneck tops, a green sweatshirt, a pair of jeans, a blue pajama set, several toiletries, and – strangely to say – several sets of undergarments.

"Conner…" Len drew in a shaky breath as she realized how much Conner had just done for her. He had always been so overly responsible. Tears welled up in her eyes as she fingered through all of the items that now lay across her bed. "He shouldn't have…he didn't have to…"

Chloe, too, had realized just how much had been done for this new mutant. "You don't find a guy like him often these days," she whispered. This is one lucky mutie. He'd be crazy not to come back and visit her after all he's done. A sudden thought then crept into Chloe's brain, and Chloe couldn't help suppress a chuckle.

Len heard it and looked up. "What?"

Chloe was still chuckling and shook her head as she looked down. "I'm sorry, but…well…I was just thinking how weird it must've been to see a guy buying women's clothing. He seems to know your size pretty well. And I have to say, those…clothes…that he bought for you. They're awfully cute." Chloe had to laugh as she continued to look at the undergarments.

Len slowly glanced from Chloe back to her bed and to the clothes. A slow smile began to form on her peach-white face and she soon was laughing with Chloe, thinking how odd it would've been to see Conner buying girl stuff.

While Len continued to laugh, Chloe began to realize that she was actually laughing. She had actually let her barrier down and had befriended the new mutant in less than a day. She watched as Len continued laughing as she organized the items and chose a top and jeans for her outfit. Len was different from the other girls, Chloe realized: simple, honest, and not too talkative. Chloe smiled; she could live with that. She grabbed her backpack as Len finished changing and looked up. "Ready?"

Len nodded as she grabbed a notebook, pen, pencil, and her class schedule from the table. "Ready."

Chloe held the door open as Len walked through first.

"Oh, uh, Len."

Len stopped midway through the door and looked up at Chloe.

Chloe took a deep breath. "The name's Chloe Smith. I'm a wall-walker and slight telekinetic."

Len smiled. "Lenette Terace. I think I have mind powers."

Chloe nodded and gave a small grin. "Welcome to the world of mutants."

With that, they both walked down the hallway and to the elevator to start the new day.