Learning to Breathe
A/N: As this story arc draws near a close, I would like to thank those of you who are reading and reviewing and leaving comments on this story and others. Though I can't respond in my chapters anymore (darn administrators), I believe I replied back to all who reviewed. I hope you continue to do as you are doing.
Disclaimer: "If you ever grab my ass again, I will take your head with me out the door." –Lois Lane, Smallville
Chapter Thirty-nine: Spying Eyes
"I'm telling you, they were talking like they were family or something!" Pietro protested as the other boys ushered him into the kitchen and out of Mystique's earshot.
"Will you shut up so I can think?" Lance ordered. He put up with the speedster's ranting on the way home and all the high-pitched noise started to give him a headache.
"Look, she told fuzz-butt that her dad was picking her up and who shows up? Sabes!" Pietro shouted. "And she asked something about her mom that I didn't get because she was whispering and I couldn't hear her."
"So you're spying on strangers' conversations?" Fred asked. The smaller boy glared.
"The point is that he's got a kid and didn't tell us!" Pietro exclaimed.
"First of all, it's none of our business who Sabertooth shacks up with or what he does as long as he doesn't bring them here." Lance reasoned. "He's got his own place for that. Second of all, it's his life. He is an adult and perfectly capable of making his own choices. We don't need to get involved!"
"If he didn't tell us, he didn't tell Magneto." Pietro said.
"We don't know that." Todd said. "Just because she may be his kid don't make her one of us."
"Look, Pie, what Sabertooth does on his time off ain't our business." Lance said. "So what if he has a daughter? As long as we don't have to put up with her, I'm happy."
"Maybe Mystique covered for him!" Todd declared. The others stared.
"Why would she do a thing like that?" Lance asked, immediately regretting the decision to open his mouth.
Todd thought a minute before replying "Maybe they used to date or something. Hey, if that's it, then Mystique could be the girl's momma." The other boys groaned.
"Euw." Pietro winced. "Those two together? That's just sick."
"I did not need that mental image!" Lance moaned.
"Why are we pickin' on her anyway?" Fred asked. "She seems nice enough. Didn't stare at me or laugh or nuthin'."
"Probably from some circus." Pietro waved.
"She said she's from Florida." Todd said.
"When did you talk to her?" The silver-haired speedster demanded.
"History." Todd said. "Day-um, she made that period int'restin! Started playin' that March lady like a harmonica, yo."
"Is that why Ms March was purple after second period?" Fred asked.
"Nevermind!" Pietro shouted. "What else did she say?"
"Tro, calm down before you wet yourself." Lance commented. The younger boy glared.
"I'm going to ignore you now." The albino mutant huffed.
Todd rolled his eyes. "Anyway, she said her family's house burned down and she's staying with an aunt until they find another house."
"See?" Lance said. "Nothing to worry about. She'll probably be gone by Wednesday."
"Whatever." The speedster said.
"Just lay off the interrogation." Lance ordered. "The last thing we need in this house is another mutant, let alone another girl."
Meanwhile, Andi and Sabertooth were training in the park.
"Just close your eyes and relax!" He scolded as she again reverted from grass form.
"I'm trying!" She shouted.
"Not hard enough." He growled. "You can't order your powers around, kid."
"You do it!"
"Mine are entirely different from yours. Yours are like your mother's. That means you have got to relax for them to work properly."
"I don't think that relaxation and concentration go hand in hand!"
"Your mother said the same thing when she started power training."
Blink. "Mom had trouble?"
"Mainly because she's stubborn."
"And you're not?"
"Just try again before I lose patience with you completely." Dad growled. Andi glared back defiantly.
"It won't work."
"Only because you don't think it can." He corrected. "Don't focus on anything except stopping the transformation."
Andi groaned, but closed her eyes anyway. Since their session was going nowhere anyway, she decided to at least try Dad's theory.
She felt her tactile senses read the outward genetic structure of the grass blade; her scales beginning to respond to the flow. Sure, she knew she could copy by touch, but that ability seemed so foreign before. Now, it felt almost natural. She was so immersed in the influx of information that she just asked her skin not to change. It obeyed. Not a single green scale appeared. She stared in amazement. Dad grinned.
"I told you so." He said. "Now shift green without touching the plants."
It sounded hard, but the last thing she wanted to do was disappoint her father. Besides, he'd been right so far, hadn't he? She called back the sensation of the leaves to her mind and immediately turned green. Even her hair was grassy. Cool.
"Whoa." She gasped.
"Good girl." Dad smiled, ruffling her green hair.
A thought hit her. She looked down and saw that, to her surprise, her clothes turned the same shade of green she was. And given the fact she had only worn a tank top under her hoodie... oh dear. Slightly embarrassed, the changed back to normal. Dad laughed.
"What's so funny about me being naked?"
"You weren't." He said. "Your clothes were still on you; they just matched the rest of your skin."
"It looked like I was naked."
"Now you're really overreacting." He shook his head. "Let's give this a few more tries and call it a day."
"Okay." She nodded, staring back at the grass.
"Good." He said. "Let's go back to the grass."
"Wow, Kurt! You and the new girl seemed to like really hit it off!" Kitty grinned, following the blue boy around. Kurt sent a small glare her way.
"Not in the way you think." He said.
"She seemed like really rude to me in the office." Kitty said. "Then again, I don't like dealing with Kelly either."
"Are we talking about the same chick that pantsed you in the hallway, Elf-boy?" Evan asked, overhearing the conversation from the living room sofa. Kurt went fuge.
"Shut up, Evan." He muttered.
"She pantsed you?" Kitty shrieked. Kurt was sure the neighbors heard that one. "Why?"
"She didn't like the baggy pants." He said. "I knew I shouldn't have worn real clothes under my inducer this morning."
"Well, your underwear does clash with the rest of your wardrobe." Kitty pointed out. "I still can't believe a girl would do something like that!"
"Something like what?" Rogue asked as she walked in.
"The new girl at school pulled Kurt's pants down because she thought that his underwear clashed." Kitty said.
"Nien! She said she didn't like the baggy look." Kurt protested.
"Neither do I." The Southern girl glared. "To be quite honest, I have considered it before. When I was with the brotherhood. You and Porcupine, here, dress worse in public than they do sometimes."
This lecture sounded awfully familiar to Kurt. "Principal Darkholme got onto me for it one day. Not like she could do anything, though."
"Well, the witch actually had a point this time." Rogue said. "You two need to get your act together. Those four idiots are insane, but at least they know how to follow a dress code."
"Not you too!" Evan groaned. "Auntie O's already givin' me the third degree about that stuff!"
"Yes, me too." Rogue said. "Both of you loons need to grow up." She said before walking away.
"That was harsh." Kitty said. "Although I do kinda get what she meant. You never see the brotherhood walking around school with their underwear exposed."
"Speaking of the Brotherhood, Mystique wasn't there this morning." Evan said. "What happened."
"Ella said she called in sick." Kitty relayed. "That's all I know." Kurt tensed up. Xavier gave him strict orders not to inform another soul of Mystique's injuries. But how could he lie to his friends?
"I bet she came down with food poisoning." Evan said. Kurt nodded along, though he knew the truth dwelt far from the statement.
"Ja, that makes sense." He said. "I think she'll be back to herself by tomorrow."
"God, I hope not!" Evan said. "I hate her!"
"Evan!" Kitty hissed, sending glares his way. "It doesn't matter if you like her or not, she is still our school principal. She hasn't hurt us at school yet, has she?"
"No." The blond boy muttered. "But I still don't like her."
"You don't have to." Kurt growled, getting in the younger boy's face. "She is an authority figure placed over us, and we should respect her for it."
Evan, knowing the fight was lost, shut up and slouched on the couch. Kitty gave no further comments, leaving Kurt to teleport to the kitchen and fix himself a snack. So many close calls in one day would make anybody hungry.