Needless to say everyone freaked out about that last bit. It was a week before half of them stopped avoiding me, Kurt in particular. Another few days till they weren't creeped-out...mostly. I sulked to Wanda a few times and she ignored me. But it was the companionable ignored, like 'I accept you're here and don't yell at you for eating my food but I won't say a word to you' ignoring, not 'I don't want to deal with it so go the fuck away' ignoring. There's a difference...probably. Maybe. I think there is. Yeah, there probably is. Am I talking to myself? Either way, we both laughed as Sally chased Toad around, tormenting her new 'playmate' with her 'pretty lights' A.K.A. Hell-fire.
School starts today. This should be...fun. Sally either causing havoc in my head or back at the institute, human interaction, not being able to beat the crap out of things on a daily basis. I never realized how therapeutic ghost fighting was. I also never realized how angry I got until I couldn't take it out on something. The year of seclusion helped, but I was still a giant ball of irritation inside and the smallest poke would bring it burning to fury. I have it under control...mostly. Not like I'm the Hulk or anything...I retain my intelligence, so I'm worse. Okay, teleport to the school invisibly, find some place to become visible, get my schedule, act like I'm lost a bit...nah, I'll just say Jean gave me a tour. She did technically, I just wasn't there with her physically, so really, it's not a lie.
"Daniel James Fenton." Someone was speaking, I gotta stop spacing out. "Good, now that I have your attention, maybe you can tell the class a little about yourself."
"Hi, my name is Danny and I'm seventeen." I've saved the world from certain doom. "I like to play rock music, paint and read." I have powers beyond your comprehension. "I've traveled all over the world without getting lost but if you give me simple directions down the street I will get lost for hours on end. I don't know why, personally I think the world just likes laughing at me." that got a few laughs. I was being serious. "I'm warning you now, I will act weird. I've been alone for a year. If I act weird just tell me." I have seen wonders that would humble some, drive others insane. Thank you Clockwork.
"Good, now does anyone have any questions for Danny?" Hands went up
"Uh, okay. You I guess."
"Where did you travel?"
"Uh, honestly If I named everywhere I went I'd be here till school was out. Some of the places include the Amazon, Egypt, Brazil, Ireland, Canada, Greenland, Spain, Japan, China, Chile, the Ukrain, Romania, Italy and most recently, before I came back to the US, I was in France." about a week and a half ago "I went more places too and lots of places in the countries I already told you about, but there are just too many right now." some people were impressed. "You next."
"Why did you travel?"
"Personal shit."
"Fenton!"
"Yeah, yeah language. I told you I'd act different didn't I? I just have to get back to society's norm. Part of that is cursing. So sorry Whale-man." people laughed
"'Whale-man'? It's Balooka."
"Isn't that a type of whale?"
"No."
"Oh." I shrug "Okay then. You there." I say before I can get in trouble. Not with him, I don't care about that. Jean however, she'd nag me to death.
"Why were you alone for a year?"
"I had to meditate to get my anger under control."
"What?"
"Wherever I went people decided to pick fights with me for no reason at all, and I could vent my rage beating the crap out of them."
"Fenton!"
"Yeah, yeah." the phone rang and he answered it
"I have to talk to the principal, continue your introduction and no more cursing!" We all waited till he left the room
"Any-who, then for some reason,the fights stopped happening, and I was still angry. I didn't realize how much of an angry person I'd become until I didn't have my outlet. So, in order to prevent from blowing up on random people, I went into seclusion for a year. The only person I occasionally talked to was Jean Grey, and that was just so I wouldn't fall behind in school." everyone was looking at me. Was I being strange? "So, yeah, the moral of this story would be don't get me angry and you're fine."
"You are so full of it!" a random student calls out. I sigh.
"And you would be?"
"Name's Dillon, I'm Duncan's brother." Jean's meat headed asshole friend? He has a brother? "I don't believe you. If you really fought that much you'd have the scars to prove it man. Where are yours?"
"Really? You want me to strip down here? Perv." he got red in the face and students laughed. I hold up my image inducer. "Hey class, see this? Looks like a watch right? That's because it IS a watch. But that's it's secondary function. It's primary function is a holographic image inducer." blank stares "It can change my appearance." skeptical faces and some people thinking I'm insane. "The professor back at the institute invented it. It covers up my scars so I can walk around without people staring at me and trying to feel me all the time."
"Okay, now I KNOW you're full of it."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, that kinda thing just doesn't exist yet."
"Yes it does. I'll prove it. Pickle boy."
"PICKLE BOY?"
"Yeah, like 'DILL pickles', y'know, cause your name's 'Dillon'." he fumes as I take off my shirt. There were a few murmurs. Fighting ghosts, better than a total gym, sorry Chuck. A cat call comes out
"Way to go Sexy Zom-boy!"
"Tabitha?" she was in this class?
"We gotta talk later Z. By the pool. With your shirt off." a few giggles
"Uh, yeah, sure, back on topic." I return to the rest of the class, just staring at the shirtless boy "And Clockwork said, 'Let there be Scars'." I turn off the inducer and there is a collective gasp. I know what they're seeing. Claws. Knives. Bullet holes. Fire burns. Acid burns. Skin deformed, from bones breaking though and from having chunks torn away. Stitches. A hell of a lot of stitches. The scars cover me. You cant place a hand on me without encountering some type of scar. Sometimes you couldn't put a finger on me through all of them lacing together. not just my chest. My arms, my neck, my face. Everywhere. Admittedly my head is better than the rest of me and thankfully my crotch is relatively safe and I have all the parts I'm supposed to. And, bonus, they're in working order. With my healing ability, a lot of it is just superficial, but the scars stay all the same. I hold my arms out and spin around letting them get the full picture.
"Okay, I'll admit that watch does what you say it does, but how do I know you didn't just turn it on?" I sigh and take off my watch "Yo Tabbs! Catch!" I throw it at her and she catches it. I look at Dillon who's face is ashen just like everyone else's. Not Tabby though, she tried to steal my watch when I fell asleep on the couch and we'd already gone over the whole 'scars' thing. I give him my best insane grin, which admittedly, I'd practiced quite a lot. "Am I still full of it pickle boy?"
"How the hell are you even alive after all of that?" I laugh and put my shirt on
"That's highly debatable. In fact, Tabitha thinks I'm a Zombie, but for other reasons entirely." the class turns to Tabitha, so she puts on a fake Romanian accent and hunches over saying
"If you have seen as I have seen-" then busts out into laughs
"Hey Tabbs."
"Yeah Z?"
"The watch?" she looks at it then grins
"Nuh-uh, I want something first." of course she does
"Of course you do. What do you want?"
"I want what you gave Rogue." I feel like blushing. I want to. But I don't "And I want you to take me wherever I want for a week."
"One trip."
"Five days."
"Two trips."
"Three days."
"Three trips."
"Two Days."
"Three minutes and three trips."
"Deal." she tosses me my watch and I put it on, becoming flawless Danny once more. The teacher walks in just then and tells me to go to my seat in the back. Interesting cooking class. He's in such a huff he doesn't realize how strange the class is acting, everyone quiet, everyone staring at me, everyone looking freaked out. I take a seat next to Tabitha and whisper
"I never said where, I just promised three trips Tabby." I grin at her as she frowns "How do you feel about...Greenland, the Sahara and...Ohio?"
"Two minutes, I don't steal your watch and I choose where I go." she whispers back
"Deal." Who knew cooking class could be so fun? "Hey, Kitty likes to cook, right?"
"Yeah but she was banned after the stone cake incident last year."
"Over one cake?"
"And several instances of accidental poisoning." my eyes go wide. Dear lord, I thought only my mom could do so bad.
"Anything she make try to bite back yet? Or gain sentience?" Tabby looks confused for a moment.
"No, why?"
"Then I can handle it. My mom's food comes alive when you try to eat it." Tabitha started to laugh but I stopped her. "I'm serious. Once, a tribe of hot dogs escaped and lived in the walls. They worshiped a turkey mom brought to life one thanksgiving until we destroyed it, then they tried to stage a coup and liberate everything in the fridge. We stopped them and sentenced them to death by way of my dad eating them." Tabitha stared at me for a bit. Then she burst into uncontrollable laughter for a few minutes. When she calmed down I asked "Wanna know the really funny part?" she tried to wave me down "It really happened." she laughed some more and slowly regained herself.
"I-know-it-h-ha-ha-happened-hahahaha, that's what makes it so funny!" she said laughing some more. It was an interesting first period. Second and third passed in a similar fashion but minus the asshole and the whole 'scars' show. People were beginning to talk though. And then...LUNCH! Kurt was sitting and talking to some girl, Amanda I think, at the mutant table, so I walked up behind him
"Hello Kurt." he turns and begins
"He-AAAHH! Y-y-you! Vhat do you vant?" I put my hand on his shoulder and he flinches.
"Just to say hi to you and your lovely..."
"Girlfriend." she supplies "My name is Amanda. Judging from the way Kurt's shaking you're Danny right?"
"Yeeeeeess."
"You mind not terrorizing my boyfriend?"
"But it's so much fun." she gives me a reproving look "Okay, okay. Spoilsport." I turn Kurt to face me. "Hey Kurt." My eyes turn black and I see the sickly yellow green permeating his aura. I look at him with me black and blue eyes and take a long deep breath, inhaling his fear, taking it into me. It tasted good. When I was done I closed my eyes and and smiled. When my eyes were open again they were normal, Kurt was a bit tired and he was looking a little confused, but not afraid anymore. I felt fantastic.
"What did you just do to him?" Amanda asks. She's a little panicky but that's to be expected.
"I ate his fear. It was delicious by the way, he really was terrified of me."
"Is...is he going to be okay?"
"Yeah, a little tired, and pretty calm for a while but other than that he's perfectly okay."
"Why did you even come over here?"
"Because I know Kurt's afraid of me and..." I scratch the back of my neck a little sheepishly "I kinda forgot my lunch."
"You terrified him for lunch?" she practically screeches
"Well, yes, and it will help him get over his fear of me, if I fed on his happiness then he'd be a mass of tears and hate right now. Besides, negative emotions taste better." Amanda looks at me like she wants to tell me to do something anatomically impossible and I hold my hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, I'm gone." I walk away, waving over my shoulder "Bye Kurt, thanks for lunch!" I spot a person walking across the lawn towards an old tree with lots of shade "Hey Wanda!" she glances my way and keeps on walking. I'm halfway to her when a hand on my shoulder stops me. Scott. Of course.
"Danny," he's panting. He really booked it over here "What do you think you're doing?"
"I was going to ask Wanda on a lunch date."
"What! Why? She's with the Brotherhood Danny, you can't trust her."
"Okay, I won't, but you don't necessarily need to trust someone to grab a burger now do you?"
"You can't just leave the school!"
"Yes I can, I can even leave a duplicate here in case I'm gone longer than expected."
"What, Danny you can't-" I phase my shoulder from his grip
"Scott, it's fine." *Plus you do realize I can wipe this from your memory, don't you?*
*But you won't* cam Jean's voice in both of our heads.
*Spoilsport. Have you been talking to Amanda or something?*
*No, I just like my friends not to brain damage each other.*
"Brain damage!" came Scott's worried call
"Oh relax, I'm getting better. Besides, you're already brain damaged aren't you?"
*Danny.*
*I was just joking, and really, what's the harm in a small lunch date?*
*Where would you go?*
*I was thinking of taking her to Japan.* there was silence.
*Japan?*
*I hear they have good sushi. But that's only if she says yes, which she won't if you two don't let me go and ask her!* Jean talks to Scott and he goes back to her
*Just be careful Danny.*
*I will Jean.*
"Hey." I whip around, Wanda "Are you in the habit of screaming someones name and not talking to them?"
"Uh, sorry, I kinda got sidetracked by Scott and Jean. They think if I ask you on a lunch date then the world will end. I of course argued that it would only blow up the moon but they were obstinate." she raised an eyebrow at me
"You done?" the way she says it I nearly blush
"Yeah, I'm done. Hey Wanda, how do you feel about Sushi?"
"...Where?"
"Mito, Japan?"
"...Okay. How are we getting out?"
"Come around the side with me." she followed me around the side of the building and I put my hand on her shoulder and duplicated. A giant white ring formed at our waists and when it split up and down creating another me with his hand on another Wanda's shoulder.
""What the hell?"" both Wanda's said at the same time
"I cloned you." I started off
"And you have complete control over your clone." said my clone.
"You think at it what you want and it will do it."
"Like think 'act like me' and we will."
"Clones don't have the same needs."
"But we have all the same abilities, except of course, cloning."
"So we can go out to lunch."
"And we can stay here and talk."
"It's like two lunch dates at once."
"The best part is that when we dissipate, you get all our memories."
"So no missing out."
"But if the the original me uses too much energy us clones can unintentionally be called back and used for energy."
"So I have to be careful. But I've mastered it by now." Both Wanda's looked at each other then smacked both of me on the back of our heads.
"That's fucking annoying." O(riginal) Wanda said "So stop it."
"Okay, no more taking turns then. You ready to go?"
"Yeah, she's ready." C(lone) Wanda said
"Is she really like me?" OW said
"Of course I am. Just go get sushi. We don't want anyone to hear us talking to ourselves. They'll think we're crazy. Again."
"Good point. Let's go."
In a mist of green we were off to Japan for lunch, and we came out from behind the school acting like nothing had happened, chatting the rest of the lunch bell. All in all, it was a good day.