Story so far: Ailsa has made no friends, just enemies, and is using her powers in Biology, only no one knows it.
I thought I would reveal more of her powers in this chapter. So far you've seen invisibility and 'super-computer' brain.
Thanks to Courtney Summers for your review of the last chapter!
The bell finally rang and Ailsa was one of the first out the door.
"You do realise that those clothes are so last millennium."
Ailsa whipped round to see the blonde girls laughing at her clothes.
"Heh-heh, cute! That must have been a big word for you," Ailsa said, the comment not stinging one bit seeing as these were Jean's clothes.
"Are you trying to be clever? Oh, no, wait, you're a geek! You don't have to try!"
The girls fell about laughing.
"Where are your clothes from, princess?" Ailsa mocked, her hands balled into fists, "Wal-mart? Sears?"
The girls stopped laughing. A ring of people were surrounding them, chanting. Ailsa's eyes widened at the sight of them, memories of that day rushing at her, crowding in from all sides, suffocating her. Tears flooded over her cheeks. She pushed through the thronging crowd and ran towards the bathrooms. Ten minutes later, the bell rang and Ailsa made her way to her gym class. Unfortunately, the blonde girls were in that class too. Ailsa was just lucky enough for them to be too busy arguing among themselves to notice her.
"I am so totally the best at vault!"
"Yeah, right!"
"There is no way you'll beat me!"
Ailsa ignored them, changing into her red, blue and white leotard and gathered her long hair into an elegant knot at the base of her skull, her face still stained with tear-tracks which she tried, desperately, to wipe away.
"Wow!" someone said to her, "Did you compete?"
Ailsa looked round to see someone staring at her clothes. "Yeah, for my school in England. I would've been able to compete for England itself next year if... Never mind."
"Better not beat Madison," the girl advised, "She hates being beaten."
"I'll bear that in mind," Ailsa said coolly, not even bothering to do as the girl said.
"You need a friend? I'm Alison Blair." the girl asked.
"No, I don't need a friend and I don't want one either!"
Ailsa left the changing room, leaving the girl looking rather hurt.
"Excellent, Madison!" their gym teacher called as the blonde girl vaulted almost perfectly, "Just remember to jump lightly on the springboard so you can gain extra height. Who's next?"
Ailsa tried to hide at the back of the line, desperately trying to be unnoticed. At the moment she decided to use her powers to become as hidden as anyone could in plain sight, Madison volunteered her. Ailsa positioned herself just two feet from the springboard. She took a run-up, gaining speed in an incredibly small amount of time. She jumped, higher and further than Madison, performing a perfect somersault high over the vault, landing poker-straight on the crash mat, her arms held stiffly and gracefully, to loud applause from her teacher and classmates, apart from Madison and her friends. Madison did not look happy. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but somehow, the blonde's eyes flashed as yellow was her hair. After school, Ororo came to pick her up at take her to the mall.
"I don't need a chaperone! I can go by myself!"
Ororo sighed, they were back to Ailsa's insistence that she could do things on her own. She tried a different tactic. "Jean will be there, maybe you could-"
"I. DON'T. NEED. HELP!"
Ailsa got out of the car. "Just forget it, I'll walk."
The Professor had given Ailsa plenty of money to buy new clothes with. She had instantly reached for the soft, elegant skirts in delicate, pastel colours before remembering that this was her trip and herclothes. She could buy whatever she wanted and no one could tell her to take them back and buy something feminine and conservative. She walked towards the display of jeans: boot cut, flared, skinny, hipster; all just waiting to be tried. She bought a couple of pairs of each, along with some long, loose-knit jumpers in purple and lilac (her favourite colours), a few white camisoles and - purely because it looked so lovely - a ruched, off-the-shoulder top in almost tie-dyed shades of purple. They would do for a while. Just as she was looking at shoes - or rather, high-heeled black boots in varying lengths - Madison and her friends walked into the store. Ailsa hid behind a display of men's shoes, but it was too late.
"What's this?" Madison's sneer rang out, "Are you buying clothes from two millenniums ago?"
Her friends sniggered. Ailsa pushed past them with her boots and paid at the till. "By the way, it's millennia, stupid!" she called over her shoulder as she left the shop.
She was just about to leave the mall when Madison's friends blocked her way. "We're not finished yet," they said menacingly.
Madison walked up behind Ailsa and grabbed the bags. "Look at this!" Madison pulled out a beautiful top. "What is this? 1970's want their clothes back!"
This comment was met by more sniggers and Ailsa was knocked to the ground, her fingernails taking on a purple glow like the colour of the top. Jean and her friend, Taryn, were on their way back down the stairs when they spotted Ailsa. Jean raced over, scaring Madison and her friends away, and helped Ailsa up. Far from being grateful, Ailsa snatched her arm from Jean's grip.
"I can fight my own battles! I don't need any help!" Gathering up her purchases, Ailsa left the mall, leaving Jean staring after her.