I got good feedback for the last chapter, so I hope this chapter is as good. Before I post the next chapter, I want the number of reviews to reach THIRTY. 30 reviews. That's just four more.

It was an overcast day. Dark clouds hung in the sky, creating a gray sheet, shielding the sun. The boy and the woman were in the middle of a large forest. Something terrible was about to happen.

"Go! Save yourself!" the woman yelled. The boy looked at her with a mixture of fear and confusion.

"Go, now!" he screamed. Her eyes were wide with terror.

"I don't understand! What's going on?" The boy was practically shaking with fear and dread. But before the woman could answer, there was a loud crash. Several trees had collapsed, and there were some burning. A large shadow covered the ground. The boy looked up, dreading what he would see next. A huge, red, scaly, fire-breathing dragon had risen into the sky, it's majestic wings beating.

"You must go! You have great power, some day you will be great. You are our only hope! Save yourself!" The woman pleaded again. The boy was about to run when he turned back in horror. A giant, blazing ball of fire hurled toward them as the dragon let out a deafening roar. The ball of fire got closer and closer. The woman closed her eyes and concentrated.

"GO!" She screamed one last time. Before the boy could react, the ground opened up. His mouth opened in a silent scream is he plunged down into the darkness, just as the scalding flames swept over them...

"AAAugh!" Elementro sat up. He looked around. He was in his bed, drenched in sweat.

What just happened? He listened to see if he'd waken up his roommates. He could hear Mason and Nik snoring softly from across the room.

Another nightmare. Elementro rubbed his eyes. This was the second nightmare about the dragon he'd had in two nights. And once he got woken up like this, it took him forever to get back to sleep. He checked the clock on his nightstand. Three thirty A.M. Well, that was just perfect. Freaking perfect.

Elementro stood under the shower nozzle and turned it on, sucking in his breath as the cold water cascaded over him. He hated hot showers, and instead preferred cool to lukewarm water. He turned the knob to a slightly warmer position and relaxed as room-temperature water washed over his body, cooling and calming him.

After washing up, Elementro, (who had brought his clothes into the bathroom), dried off and dressed, scrubbing a towel through his dripping hair. After he had gotten most of the water out, he decided to grab a midnight snack, wondering to himself how many opportunities he would have to have a midnight snack in a huge, quiet mansion by himself.

Probably lots more, if I keep having these stupid nightmares.

Elementro slipped silently through the dark halls. Even he had to admit, this was pretty creepy.

I guess there's a reason you're supposed to sleep all night.

Elementro reached the top of the stairs. He was halfway down when Clink!

He stopped an listened, and his sharp ears picked up the strange sound again...Clink! He inched forward and peered over the railing, straining to see in the dark. He silently gasped. There was a slender figure, cloaked in shadow, walking along the wall toward the kitchen. Every time they stepped, it made a Clink! sound.

Elementro tensed. Was someone infiltrating the Institute? Who could it be? The only ones he could think of that would do something like that were Magneto's Acolytes and the Brotherhood. There were probably more people who hated the X-Men, but he had only been given a brief introduction during his personal orientation. But if it was an Acolyte or a member of the Brotherhood, then did that mean that the rest of their team was here, too? Elementro decided to follow the mysterious intruder, if he woke up the others, the mystery guest might get spooked and run. Elementro climbed up onto the railing and balanced for a minute.

I must be insane.

He tensed and jumped, his leg muscles pushing hard against the railing, propelling him into the air. He stretched his arms out in front of him, but instead of slamming into the wall across the hallway, his arms and legs sank into the stone wall, all the way up to his elbows and knees. The wall was made of earth, and any earth would bend to Elementro's will. Pulling his arms and legs out of the wall slightly, he crawled on the wall, like a huge, four-legged spider. He crept along the wall around the corner, to see the mysterious figure standing about four feet away. He couldn't make out any details, but from the shape, he could deduct that they were...feminine.

Nobody in the brotherhood or the Acolytes is female, except Mystique and Wanda.. He thought. Well, now's my chance!

While the shadowed intruder was standing in the hallway, Elementro crept ahead of them. Then, he dropped from the wall into the shadows. He studied his target for a moment, they did not budge, instead, they seemed to be looking around, as if deciding something.

"What are you doing here?" Elementro demanded, stepping out of a shadow in front of the mysterious person he was tailing.

"AAAH!" The person screamed, startled. There was a faint "Elementro, what are you doing down here?"

"Huh?" Elementro stopped in confusion. He recognized that voice. "Mandira, what are you doing down here?" He looked more closely. "And you are you made of glass?" He realized she was carrying a cup of water in her hand. The ice cubes in it had been making the Clink! sound he'd been hearing. He realized that she wasn't wearing a hijab, so he backed away a little into the shadow to respect her modesty.

"I had just gotten a glass of water and you startled me, so in instinctively transformed into the glass I was holding." Mandira replied. "Probably not the best idea."

At three thirty? Elementro picked up from her tone that she was telling the truth. Well, she's got her reasons, I've got mine. Mandira peered curiously at him. "What were you doing down here? And why is your hair wet?"

"Oh, I was just...up, then I decided to grab a snack." he said flatly. "Then I heard something, and thought you might be an intruder."

Mandira coughed awkwardly. "Well, I'm just glad you didn't, um, crush me."

"Sure, sure." Elementro turned and walked off to the kitchen. "Well, see you...whenever."

Mandira also turned and walked away. Elementro went to kitchen and made himself a mug of tea. But in the back of his mind, two thoughts nagged: Why was Mandira just standing there standing in the hall? And most strange of all, Elementro had noticed the cup she was holding was clear plastic.

…...

Rockflame stood in the danger room, along with the rest of the new students.

"Alright, today, you're focus will be on one-on-one battles." Scott Summers briefed them. He and Jean were standing in front of the large group of students. "None of the Danger Room's defense systems will be turned on at all. The winner is the one who made the hits on the others in fifteen minutes. Oh, and we will be putting boys and girls against each other, because in a real fight, you don't know who you're opponent will be. Ready?"

There was a murmur of agreement from the group. Scott glanced at his sheet. "The first two will be...Rockflame and Elementro. Please step into the center of the room."

Rockflame glanced at her opponent. He stepped forward into the center of the room, his hair slightly disheveled, like he didn't have time to brush it before hurrying to the DR session.

Scott glanced at his clipboard again. The Professor had told him specifically to pit Elementro against Rockflame.

"Those two have a lot in common, including religious beliefs." he had told him. "It will be helpful, as well as interesting, to see how those two will interact in a battle.

Now, Scott watched as the two kids faced each other, in battle stances. Rockflame's body turned from flesh-and-blood into the cold, hard metal of the floor of the Danger Room. She had additional items in her pockets, transformations she could use in battle.

"Start simulation: Beginner's Duel." Scott said. "Begin!"

Elementro and Rockflame stood silently, facing off. Rockflame couldn't fight long range, and Elementro wasn't ready yet. Since there wasn't much earth in the Danger Room, Elementro was concentrating on drawing tiny dust particles from the air, which he could gather together and form a small amount of workable earth. It wasn't a lot, but it was the best he could to in a metal room. If he kept his distance from Rockflame, she couldn't attack, and after a few minutes, he he would be attack-ready.

Rockflame eyed Elementro carefully. He was standing in one place, his eyes half closed. A small, very faint cloud of fine dust was beginning to gather in the around in front of him. Now, he was vulnerable! She jumped high into the air and charged forward, her metal feet clanging loudly against the floor. She was almost upon him when, with what appeared to be great effort, he swept his hands toward her feet. The tiny cloud of dust followed his hands and gathered around her feet, tripping her.

'CLANG!' Rockflame thudded to the ground. Elementro swiftly darted to the other side of the room.

"Now look what you did. It took me a long time to gather that dust." Elementro muttered. Rockflame slowly got to her feet.

I need to switch into something with less density. Rockflame deduced. The Professot talked with me about this.

She reached into her pockets and felt around. Where was it...there it is! She closed her fist around a small ball of rubber. In a flash, her body became tough, black rubber. Elementro was still standing there, and the cloud had grown larger and denser. It was now bigger than him, and she couldn't see him as well through it. Rockflame knew she didn't have much time before he would attack. Hoping to gain that advantage, she bounded toward him, an extra spring in her step. This is when the real fight began.

"Last time wasn't enough for you?" he taunted. He raised his arms, preparing to hit her again.

"See for yourself!" She jumped and kicked, her foot lashing toward his chest. He ducked, and the cloud of dust gathered under her. In one swift motion, Elementro brought his hands together, and the dust immediately formed into a head-sized rock.

"Oof!" Rockflame hit the ground. Elementro a few feet away from her. He smirked. Then, he gestured toward her. The rock flew toward her head.

"AAH!" Rockflame shreiked. She raised her arms protectively...and the rock bounced off of her more resilient body. The rock returned to Elementro, who flattened it into a disk and stepped on, carrying him through the air.

I need something tougher, something to break through his rocks.

She shifted to metal again. Elementro jumped off his floating platform and clapped his hands together. The chunk of rock burst back into a cloud of dust again.

Now, before he attacks! Rockflame leaped up and threw a punch toward Elementro's midsection.

"Argh!" he grunted, falling back as her metal fist connected with his stomach. He got to his feet just in time to see her running toward him again, ready to attack.

"Not this time." he muttered. He focused on her, and the cloud of dust swirled around her in a mini sandstorm.

"Where are you? Come out and fight!" Rockflame covered her face, trying to keep the swirling dust of her eyes. I flew around her faster and faster. Elementro, his face grim, closed his fist. The dust clumped around her, forming a thin layer of solid rock, completely encasing her. Rockflame tried to budge, but the rock was crushing against her too tightly. She was completely immobile.

"The winner of this round is...Elementro!" Scott announced loudly. But Elementro didn't stop. He closed his fist tighter.

"ArrUGRGH!" Rockflame grunted as she was pressed more tightly.

"Elementro, you won!" Jean yelled, in a effort to stop him. Elementro's gaze suddenly lightened, and he relaxed his fist. Rockflame fell to her hands and knees, heaving. She felt like there was something lodged in her throat, and she was unable to speak.

What was that all about?

…...

Elementro hurried from the Danger room, trying to get away from all the questioning glances and whispers from the other recruits. He didn't quite what happened in the Danger Room, what had made him almost suffocate his teammate. It was almost as if...something had came over him, and he couldn't control it. He quickly went to the locker rooms and changed, then headed upstairs to the bathroom near his room for a shower. The thought of showering in public in the locker rooms was simply disgusting in his mind.

After he had showered and got all the dust out of his hair, he changed out of his uniform (He requested it when he was officially admitted to the team: It was dark grayish-brown, perfect for blending in with the earth. It had a large hood that that completely shadowed his face, and matching gloves) and into his street clothes: Black jeans, a dark gray three-quarter sleeve shirt, and a long, black vest.

I need some fresh air. He walked outside into the lawns, breathing in the morning air. The first leaves had begun to fall, and there was a nip in the air.

-Elementro, I need to talk to you. Come see me in the library.- The Professor's voice was suddenly in his head. Elementro had come to trust the Professor a little more, but didn't let his guard down. Deep down, he knew the Professor was good-hearted and trustworthy, but for some reason, he couldn't get rid of the feeling that he couldn't totally put his trust in him. Sighing, he went back inside.

…...

Wanda Maximoff rubbed the bridge of her nose as the first speck of a migraine pulsed behind her eyes. Having Pyro in the house was a full-time job, and with her brother Pietro's constant whining, she was going mad. Not to mention that she suspected his of stealing her foundation and eyeshadow. Toad and Freddy were as annoying as usual, and Lance was just...Lance. There was no other way to put it. Wanda got up and headed downstairs. Just as she was halfway down...'KA-BOOOOOM! AHHH!' She heard an explosion (The third this week) and a scream (Toads). She peeked around the corner, almost afraid of what she might see. There sat Pyro and Toad in front of the fireplace. Or, what used to be the fireplace. Now, it was a charred pile of ash, in which Toad was buried in. Pyro was laughing his head off, videoing the whole thing on his phone.

Not again.

...

The person cloaked in black sat in a dark room.

Things are working out perfectly, Master.

There was an evil cackling sound, seemingly coming from thin air. Outside, a raven crowed.

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