Douglas gaped at me.
"Well, not by blood. I'm adopted." Scott explained. "And even then, not legally. Legally I don't even exist, but that's the same for most of the X-men."
"You're his sister!" Douglas said to me.
"Yep." I said, smiling. I was full, so I said to Douglas, "I'm done, how about you?"
"Yeah, sure." Douglas said. "Now what?"
"Free time." Scott said. "Just remember that you have to be in your room by nine."
"Want to take a walk around the campus?" I asked Douglas. I knew he needed a break, and I sort of did, too.
"Sure." Douglas said.
I saw Scott opening his mouth to say he would come, too, but I sent him a telepathic message. Don't. I need to talk to him.
Scott nodded, and said, "Okay, see you later." He walked away.
"This way," I said, and lead Douglas to the exit. We walked out into the courtyard, and sat down on a bench. "So." I said.
"So." Douglas echoed.
"Why were you were so angry back in the Dining Hall?" I asked him.
"Wha-" Douglas's eyes narrowed. "Did you read my mind?" He accused.
"No!" I reassured him. "I have never read your mind without your permission."
"Then how did you know that I was angry?" Douglas asked.
I sighed. "It's difficult to explain, but I'll try. Basically, I have two incredibly strong powers. Telepathy is the lesser of the two, so I can't do as much as the Professor. But it's still very powerful, and I can pick up on the basic emotions of people I know, without even trying to! So I felt your anger and hate, and didn't know where it was coming from at first. Then I felt it again, and I realized it was you. I never read your mind." I said, hoping he would understand.
"Okay." Douglas said.
I could tell he didn't want to tell me what had happened. But I needed to make sure that he was okay. "Douglas, if…" I trailed off, I had no idea how to say this. "Douglas, if anything ever happened to you, I don't know what I'd do. I've already lost so much, I can't lose my best friend. So if anything happens, tell me, okay? I want to help you." I looked at him.
Douglas didn't say anything for a while. Then he nodded. "Okay." He stood, and walked back inside.
I hoped I wasn't losing him. He was pulling away from me, and I didn't know why. Was he angry at me? Why? Because I was a mutant, and never told him? I shook my head, and got up wearily. I walked back inside just as the sun began to set.