Disclaimer: The X-Men aren't mine, they're Marvel's. The characters of Benj, Ty/Spades, Leo, and both Darths are of my imagination.
Author's note: HA! TAKE THAT! Oh, wait...
Yes! Chapter 13: Shrapnel is here. Now I realize the quote at the beginning differes slightly from the one Xavier ended with in chapter 12, I just have to go back and change that. I don't think I need to explain much up here because following this chapter will be an update on what you should be paying attention to. Now, due to the onset of... MORE PROJECTS! I will be posting again, in about 2 weeks (nooo!). Thanks to my lovely and wonderful reviewers and those silent readers who are reading, just not letting me know. Hang in there and Kitsune will be in the next one, I SWEAR! (okay, most likely.)
Read, review, enjoy, and support the BAND! (no I don't know why I said that...)
"…In my experience, it isn't the bombshell that causes the most damage, but the shrapnel it creates."
Leo snatched his sketchbook off his nightstand. He was going to need it. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that the students would say things, and he needed a way to calm himself down.
Of course, biting his thumb at a few wouldn't hurt either.
It was going to be one Hell of a long Saturday.
"How come we're just finding out about this now?" Bobby complained, frustrated. "I mean, the guy's been livin' here for over a month and only now he tells us he's a killer?"
Another 'new mutants' meeting was being held in the Rec Room. Bobby, Ray, Sam, Amara, Tabitha, Roberto, and Jamie sat in a lopsided circle of couches and pulled up chairs. Jamie sat a little ways off from the rest of the older mutants and was mostly observing. He wasn't quite sure what to think, he still liked Leo, but this new development threw a twist into their friendship.
"Man, I knew there was something off about him!" Ray growled.
Tabitha scoffed at the two's testosterone filled anger. "Yeah right Ray, you had no clue like the rest of us."
"He's still the same Leo."
All eyes turned to Amara who made the quiet comment. She blushed and looked away.
"The same Leo? The dude killed three people!" Bobby yelled. "That's not the Leo I knew!"
Amara stood her ground and shouted back angrily. "He'd already done that before! He never changed! Leo didn't just come here and then start killing! It was his past!"
"Woo! Go Amara!" Tabitha laughed. "I'd hafta agree with my girl on this one. Leo's still the same Leo."
"Yeah, but who was that Leo to begin with?" Ray asked darkly.
The silence extended out onto the group, until a voice shattered it.
"Leo kinda scares me now." Jamie muttered quietly. The older mutants looked at the kid. Jamie was sad and stared off into the distance.
Roberto stood and knelt next to Jamie. "He scares me a little bit too, but maybe we just need to give him another chance. He hasn't done anything to us yet." Roberto said gently for Jamie's sake.
Ray's eyes started glowing a little greener. "Hasn't done anything? I seem to remember him almost KILLING ME in a D.R. session!" He yelled.
The group erupted into arguments.
"Oh he barely touched you Ray-Ray." Tabitha said nonchalantly.
"Barely touched me?" Ray shouted. "The dude nearly sliced me to pieces!"
"He couldn't control his powers then." Amara argued.
Ray threw his hands up. "Exactly! He doesn't have enough control!"
"One of us is going to end up diced, and me personally? I'd rather not be ice cubes." Bobby yelled into the din.
The noise grew even louder as the teens got into more heated debate, though to anyone listening on the outside it just sounded like a bunch of nonsense words.
The door to the Rec Room opened with a tiny creak that caused everyone to go silent. All eyes in the room turned to the figure in the doorway.
His red hair was spiked and the tips newly dyed. A shark tooth necklace hung from his neck and stood out against the white T-shirt and khaki shorts. A pencil was slipped behind his ear. It was Leo.
From the moment he opened the door he knew that they were talking about him. Leo turned and left. He had no need to explain himself further.
"Leo!" Amara called after him as she got up.
Tabitha ran after her friend. "Amara, wait!"
When the two were just outside the Rec Room Tabitha grabbed Amara's arm.
"Hold on there girly. I think Leo just needs some time alone." Tabitha commented.
Amara shook her head. "No, what he needs is a friend."
Tabitha sighed. "I don't doubt that, but let's give him time to cool down."
"More like time to simmer! Come on Tabitha!" Amara shouted, beginning to turn away.
Tabitha reached out and forced the girl to connect her brown eyes with her blue ones.
"Listen to me Amara. Yes, he needs someone next to him, but we need to be careful. He's really on edge right now. You can go, but I'm comin' with you." Tabitha said softly.
Amara threw her arms around her friend. "Thanks Tabitha."
"Yeah…" Tabitha whispered as Amara let go and started down the hall. Tabitha rubbed her arm then shook off the feeling she got. With a laugh she took off after Amara.
"Hey, I'll race you!"
Leo stormed down the hallway, and then stopped. The anger was building in him, and if he didn't let it go soon he was going to explode.
What had I expected? He yelled in his mind. Things were going to change! He punched the wall, leaving a dent and several cracks. He took a deep breath and rested his head against the cool beige paint.
Hearing footsteps he lifted his head. Nearby were Tabitha and Amara. They approached in a hurry.
"Leo…" Amara started.
Leo held up his hand. "Don't start. Thank you, but… I think I just need some time while this blows over."
"If you need to talk, we'll be there for you, kitten." Tabitha said.
Leo chuckled. What had he done to deserve such a nickname? "Thanks Tabs." His face brightened. "Actually, do you mind doing something for me?"
They nodded. "What is it?"
"I need you two to pose for me." Leo answered. "I want to expand my sketch portfolio, and since I'll probably be spending a lot of time alone I could use some good models." He grinned.
The two giggled. "Finally taking me up on my offer, eh?" Tabitha laughed.
Leo feigned mock horror. "Oh no, not that Tabs! You two have a Danger Room session this afternoon right?" They nodded. "Great! I'll get some action shots there then."
Scott and Jean sat at the small table in the kitchen.
Absent-mindedly Scott picked at his pancake. The news of Leo had been very shocking for him. He considered himself to be a good judge of character and very observant. How come he never sensed anything was wrong before?
Maybe he just hadn't spent that much time with the teen. After he'd first arrived Scott became busy with school. There'd been a few Danger Room sessions, but other than that? Scott and Leo never clicked.
Scott was a bit of a stick-in-the-mud for rules and order; Leo was more of a free flowing spirit like Tabitha, he observed the rules but made his own way through them.
Scott sighed and half-heartedly ate a piece of pancake.
Jean glanced over at him, sensing his inner struggle. She put a hand on his shoulder.
"No one knew about this, you didn't have anything to do with it Scott." She said sweetly.
He turned his eyes from the pancake to her beautiful face. "I know it's just… sometimes you think you should have."
Jean reached out and brushed a strand of hair from his glasses. "How would you have? Even the professor had no idea."
Scott paused then sat up straight in his chair and looked seriously at Jean. "Do you think it's safe to have him here?"
She frowned and pondered the question. On one hand she believed he needed to go, but on the other she was that he needed to stay. Leo was broken and needing a place to call home. His parents died because of what he was. All he had done was sought revenge. He got it, but at what price?
"I don't know." She answered truthfully. "It's not up for us to decide anyways… it's the professor's choice. Leo needs us here."
Scott nodded. "I guess if he left so would his brothers." His face darkened. "And who better to find them than Magneto. No, I wouldn't enjoy fighting them. They've earned my trust before."
The morning sun sparkled in the pool's reflection. Benj sat on the edge and dangled his feet over the side. He watched in reverie as the small movements created ripples across the calm surface.
Things were starting to take a chaotic turn. Every X-Man was pondering what Leo had said. Benj had known long before, he'd kept the secret. Things finally started looking up when they got to the Xavier Institute. Like maybe they could place their pasts behind them.
Benj snorted. Yeah right. Things always had a way of resurfacing.
A fuzzy blue head appeared in the pool reflection.
"Hey Benj, have you seen Tyler?" Kurt asked.
Benj turned around. Rogue stood next to Kurt. The three made an odd scene. Kurt was wearing a red long sleeve shirt and jean shorts (and he was blue); Rogue wore a gray zip-up hoodie, a tight purple shirt, and leather pants; while Benj sat there with only a pair of green swim trunks on, exposing his still heavily bruised chest and stomach.
The blonde shook his head. "Haven't really seen Ty too much."
"I know, I'm starting to get worried." Kurt said. "I haven't seen him in like three days!"
Benj grimaced. Ty was shutting down again. "It's been five for me. I think he's holed up in his room."
"Getting' fired really got ta him, didn't it?" Rogue asked.
Gritting his teeth, Benj answered. "Yeah. His job was the last tie he had to the real world, the normal world, where he was human."
Kurt's gold eyes flashed about in worry. "I'm going to go see if I can find him."
"Good luck." Benj wished whole-heartedly as Kurt ported out.
Rogue slipped off her clunky leather boots and set them aside. She sat down on Benj's left and looked into the pool.
"How are ya holdin' up?" She asked.
A long sigh escaped Benj's lips. It was like he'd been holding his breath until someone asked him that. "I should be asking you the same thing. Me? I'm fine… avoiding people…"
Rogue turned and looked at him. She could tell that he was in turmoil, more so than Leo. His turquoise eyes flashed at odd moments like he was wrestling with something within him.
"Don't lie ta me Benjamin Dents."
He sighed again and looked at his toes. Pain from a long ago wound caused him to grasp his side. The scar was still there, from when Ray shot him from his skateboard.
Rogue looked worriedly at where Benj held his hands.
Gently, she pried them off and looked at the scar herself. It was a kinda off-sided sunburst; the scar was a light brown against his normally pale skin (though currently it was still marbled with bruises). He looked down at her gloved hands. She pressed one against the scar.
Benj smiled to himself, he loved the feeling of leather against his skin. It was the only intimate touch he ever felt.
"A reminder," he said, "that things don't always go as planned."
"That seems ta be happenin' a lot lately." Rogue muttered. She withdrew her hand from his side and looked at his face. There was a light shadow under his eye from where he took a punch from Lucius. He turned and met her eyes.
"I'm a fool sometimes, Rogue."
She laughed. "Ah know that."
Benj scowled into her dazzling green eyes. "Yeah, I fell for you." He received a shove for his comment. "Oh, don't start Rogue, I'll push you right into this pool."
"Ya don't got the guts."
He shrugged. "We'll see about that." And grabbed Rogue around the shoulders. The two plummeted into the mansion's pool with a splash.
Rogue surfaced gasping next to a laughing Benj. "Damn ya Benj! These pants are leathah!"
"Leather! Leather, Rogue!" Benj teased.
She growled and dunked his head under. Benj rose back up and whipped his wet hair from his eyes. Using a mix of his power over air and actually hitting the water he splashed a huge wave at Rogue. She gasped as the water hit her hard and forced her under. When she came back up she growled.
"Ya're goin' ta pay for that!" Thus commenced the splashing war.
The two fought for nearly half an hour when they both dragged themselves from the pool exhausted.
Panting Benj rolled over onto his back. "H…had enough?"
Rogue followed suit. "Not even." She gasped.
Professor Xavier, Logan, Storm, and Beast watched the scene from the second story window of the professor's office. Logan leaned against Xavier's desk and drank his coffee from a mug that said "Toughest teacher". Storm and Beast both stood at opposite sides of the window and looked down at the couple.
"They seem pretty happy don't they?" Storm said.
Logan grunted. "That was more entertaining than what I was gonna watch on TV."
"You don't have a problem with this Logan?" Storm asked with a laugh.
A look of distaste spread across the gruff man's face. "Of course I have a problem with this!" Logan's face softened. "But, this is the happiest I've ever seen Rogue before. I guess she's old enough to decide for herself. Besides," he said chuckling, "it's not like Benj can get too close to her."
"Looks like they're finding a way." Beast said, pointing out the window. Logan ran over to see Rogue sitting on top of Benj. Both were laughing. Logan let out a low growl and clenched his fists. Suddenly Rogue stood up, grabbed Benj's arm, and flipped him into the pool. Logan unclenched his fists and burst out laughing.
"I don't think you have anything to worry about Logan." Professor Xavier said with a smile.
Beast turned from the window. "So… Leo?"
"I was not expecting the news from him at all." Storm said. "He seemed like such a nice young man."
"Still is." Logan said gruffly. "He didn't change; we just know more about him now."
Xavier leaned forward in his wheelchair. "True. I just hope the students can see it that way."
"I have a feeling some of them won't be able to." Beast said grimly.
Kurt appeared outside Ty's room in a puff of smoke. He knocked on the closed door. When there was no answer he called out. "Hey Ty! You alive in there buddy?"
"…Ty's not here." A voice said from inside.
Kurt shook his head. "I'm coming in Tyler." He disappeared and reappeared just inside the door of Ty's room.
While his eyes adjusted to the dim light in Ty's room, Kurt noticed a few things. The computer that usually sat illuminated in the corner now sat dormant, there were several half-melted pieces of plastic around the room, and scorch marks on the walls. Ty himself lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He barely moved when Kurt ported in.
Benj knew what he was talking about when he said that Ty's world had collapsed.
"Ty, I can see you." Kurt said, trying to get a laugh out of the red mutant.
Ty stirred and sat up. Folding his legs he stared straight at Kurt. He was wearing just a black under armor shirt and black athletic shorts. "Not, here."
Kurt frowned and took a few steps farther into the room. "Ty, you can't hide in here forever."
"I just… I can't go back out there. I can't handle being a mutant in a world where they're hated and feared." Ty choked.
"You don't have to do this alone." Kurt came and stood at the foot of Ty's bed. "We all go out knowing people hate us more than anything. It takes a few to start the revolution. We'll do this as a team, Ty"
Ty looked up at the ceiling. "A team. A team that doesn't even trust my brother! He's probably the most faithful guy there is and half the students think he's waiting to turn!" He shook his head. "Well, they can't all be bad. Rogue, you, Scott, Jean even, you all are down with it."
"I wouldn't say 'down with it'. It kinda freaks me out, but I know Leo is a trustworthy and nice guy. I know what it's like to be persecuted, Ty."
Ty gnashed his teeth. "Don't call me that anymore. I can't keep a name to a world that won't accept me."
"What?" Kurt said puzzled. "But it's your name!"
"So is Spades." Ty said, dead set. He didn't want to keep any ties to his old life. If he was going to start new as a mutant, every human thing would have to go. Spades was a fitting name for him he thought. His tail snaked its way up and scratched his ear.
The elf didn't know what to say. Although he didn't like a lot of what humans thought, he never imaged rejecting that part of himself. No matter what, he was still human, whether or not he was blue.
As Kurt gaped at him Spades went on. "I was there that night too, you know? In fact, I was in the house…"
X*X*X
"I was working on the new project the company had me start when I heard a crash and the sound of glass shattering…"
Ty sat at his computer in a large beige colored room on the upper floor of the white house. He typed furiously away at the computer filling the room with a clicking noise. Then the sound of shattering glass below caught his attention.
"What the-?" He said, standing up. A female scream sounded from below as well as a steady stream of Spanish curses and prayers.
"Mom! Pablo!" Ty screamed, tearing out of the room.
As soon as he was out of the room another crash sounded from behind him. He whirled around to see his window broken open and a shrieking firecracker inside. It sputtered and exploded. Multi-colored light filled the room. Ty ducked as a screaming fireball flew overhead. It caught on the pictures and drapes, causing the flames to spread all throughout the room and hall.
Ty stood hurriedly and ran down the stairs. He didn't feel the heat, but he knew that his parents could. He ran toward the family room to see it engulfed in flames.
"Pablo!" He cried.
A deep Hispanic voice came from within. "Tyler!" The man coughed. Suddenly the man sprang from the flames carrying a woman over his shoulders.
It was the Hispanic man from the photo Ty gave to Forge to create the image inducer with. He had dark hair and dark skin, his shoulders were wide and despite being only 5'7" he was incredibly strong.
Ty choked on the smoke and helped Pablo toward the door. A support beam fell from the ceiling and crashed down in front of the door out.
"Damn it." Ty cursed. Pablo stumbled and coughed violently.
"The smoke, my lungs feel like they're on fire!" Pablo yelled.
Ty looked worriedly at him and glanced at the stairs which were yet to catch on fire. He grabbed Pablo around the waist and the woman, who was his mother. He ran up the stairs, surprised at his own strength and stamina. He tore into his parents' bedroom. There was a large window that overlooked the driveway. He set the two down and leaned against the wall.
"Just gotta wait for the fire department," he said to himself more than anyone else.
His mother's blonde hair was caked with blood and Pablo had several burns on his body. He lost consciousness from lack of sufficient air.
Ty sat for about five minutes then heard the sirens. The flames were now just outside the door. He looked out and saw the firemen scramble around with hoses.
He looked back at the door, it was now on fire. Ty swore under his breath and saw that though the firemen were fast, they wouldn't be fast enough.
Taking his parents under his arms he looked at the glass window. He was going to jump through it.
"This has got to be the worst idea ever." He muttered. Lowering his head and mumbling a prayer, he charged at the window.
Glass shattered around him and he flew through the air.
The firemen on the ground looked up to see the young man on fire falling to the ground. His legs peddled fast and he hit the ground hard.
Ty stood up in a crowd of bewildered firemen. His red skin and horns caused most to back away.
"These two need medical attention." He said firmly. When no one acted he shouted again. "These two are DYING!"
"What's going on?" A man with a booming voice asked. He pushed his way through several men. His dark skin and beard gave him a rough look, but his eyes were soft. "Get back to work, NOW!"
Men scrambled away back to their jobs. The man looked down at the two in Ty's arms.
"I got it, son."
X*X*X
"Ty-Spades, I had no idea." Kurt said softly.
Spades shrugged. "No one asked me." He flopped back down on his bed.
Kurt let an awkward silence extend. "Hey!" He said excitedly. "You know what would make you feel better? A nice Danger Room session!"
Spades sat back up and looked at the fuzzy blue elf like he was insane. "How would that make me feel better? I'd die."
Kurt shrugged. "It would snap you out of your funk though. Come on, I'll even join you buddy!"
"If you're willing to do that… I guess it's time I rejoined the world."
"Alright runts." Wolverine growled. He sported his classic orange uniform, hood down. "You all can thank Kurt for the torture you're all about to endure." The students groaned and muttered things at Kurt, who stood next to Spades in the Danger Room control room. "The original session scheduled has been revamped to include EVERYONE. Again, you may thank Kurt."
Wolverine glanced down at his clipboard then back around the room. All the X-Men and students were assembled in the cramped space. He frowned slightly when he noticed Benj was standing behind Rogue, and even more when he noticed Benj had his hand on her waist.
He shook his head and looked back down at the clipboard. "We're doin' one-on-one combat again today. First up is Spades and Cyclops. Go down there and first to surrender, quit, or get knocked out loses."
Spades had his hood down as a new embracement to his mutant life.
He smiled slightly as he realized that for once he had an upper hand. Scott couldn't hurt him with optic blasts, and would have to go hand-to-hand. Even then, Spades could use his powers when Scott could not.
Cyclops realized this too as they both descended in the elevator.
They took their spots and stances and waited for Wolverine's cue.
"GO!" Wolverine's voice yelled over the intercom.
Cyclops charged at Spades, who conjured fire around his hands and spread out in an arch. Cyclops had to duck under the flames to avoid being cooked, opening the way for Spades.
In a fury the red mutant grabbed Cyclops and threw him away. Heat was emitted from the mutant's body as he allowed Scott to come at him with his fists. The first he caught by the younger mutant's wrist, burning the skin under Scott's uniform.
Screaming in pain, Cyclops fumbled for his visor in reflex and blasted Spades. The red mutant was pushed back by the force, but was unharmed. More energy fueled his fire and he shot flames from his palms in all directions, forming a massive wall that Scott couldn't avoid.
"Oh no." Scott groaned as he covered his face. The flames overwhelmed him and knocked him to the ground.
Spades appeared over Scott as he opened his eyes behind his visor. "Wanna call it?" Spades taunted.
Cyclops tried to get up, only to be pressed down by a red-hot hand at his throat.
"Alright, that's enough." Wolverine said over the intercom.
Spades released Cyclops and offered his hand to help him up. "It's cool." He explained when Scott gave him a horrified look.
The two came back up the elevator in good spirits. Scott knew when he was beaten, and Spades was guaranteed to win on those fights.
"Next up is Iceman and Leo." Wolverine growled, using his gruffness to mask his amusement of Scott's failure.
Bobby stood up from where he was leaning against the controls. "Woah, woah, woah. I am not going to go anywhere near him!"
Leo growled. "Why not, can't handle it, popsicle?"
Iceman approached Leo. "I can handle it-"
"Well then what's wrong?"
"You kill people." Bobby said pointedly.
Benj grabbed his brother's arm as he lunged forward. No one had expected Spades would lunge as well.
Spades stopped inches from Iceman's face and gnashed his teeth in a shark-like way. "Despicable."
Iceman shoved him away. "What's your problem? You can't possibly be on the side of a guy who murders others!"
"He's my brother you dimwit!" Spades snarled.
Bobby was taken aback by Spades' sudden behavior change. The guy he had spent three weeks trying to get him out of his shell had just turned on him. He threw his arms out to the side. "We're your family too now Ty."
Spades looked like he'd been punched. "I don't go by that filthy human name anymore. It's Spades, through and through."
The tension continued to build in the room. Logan decided not to get involved and let the kids work out their own differences, but if it got out of hand he was ready.
Rogue separated the icy and fiery mutant. "Look, Ah'll settle this. Ah'll fight Leo. Ya need ta chill off Spades."
Spades snorted and backed off.
"Wait a minute, Rogue." Wolverine interrupted. "You're matched against Turbulence."
"So? Can't Ah fight 'em both?" Rogue asked.
Logan laughed. "I don't doubt you could handle both, but you can't. These matches are final."
"Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud Logan." Rogue argued.
"Listen," Benj butted in. "I'll forfeit the match if it makes it easier."
Logan looked about ready to explode. "No it doesn't windbag. Matches are final. If Bobby's got a problem he'll either have to swallow his ego and forfeit, or scrimmage with Leo."
All eyes turned to Iceman. He stood awkwardly in their gaze and looked at Leo. The feline mutant tried to look indifferent, but he was boiling mad. He couldn't even train normally.
"Fine, I'll fight." Bobby answered with a minimal shake to his voice.
The match was over fast. Bobby got his butt handed to him, and escaped with no lasting injuries. Leo was proving just how much control he had, he didn't even shift once during the fight.
Wolverine smirked as they came back up into the control room. Bobby's ego was squashed flatter than if he had forfeit.
"Heheh," Wolverine laughed. "Hope that taught you somethin'. Now! Next is Magma and Nightcrawler!"
Rogue sat twirling her pencil in her AP Chemistry class. There was still two minutes until class started and there was a substitute teacher. The day promised nothing.
Sighing, she sank back in her seat. The weekend had been chaotic; there must have been at least four more situations like the one in the control room. Bobby and the other younger mutants were having a hard time accepting Leo. They hadn't liked him much to begin with, since he took their spots on the official X-Men team, and his past resurfacing brought a new wave of dislike. The D.R. session had been fine for her, though. Logan was pissed; he had to call a tie between her and Benj because they were taking too long.
"Just hit the damn kid Rogue!" Logan had yelled from the intercom. She chuckled quietly at his voice. He hated Benj in that father-boyfriend way that she loved.
The bell rang and the rest of the class took their seats.
The sub introduced himself and announced that they would be working in pairs with the person next to them. Rogue looked over and realized for the first time that she sat next to the principal's daughter, Claire Darth.
The dark blonde-haired girl turned her neon green eyes to Rogue. "Rogue, right?" She asked in a monotone.
"Yeah, ya're Claire, Principal Darth's daughtah." Rogue stated.
Claire nodded. "Yep! Let's get started on this packet."
Their conversation started out slow, but the two quickly realized they had a lot in common. They breezed through the school work and just conversed for the rest of the hour.
"So, what's yar dad like?" Rogue asked.
Claire leaned back in her desk and thought hard. "He's alright, strict at times, but he's a good guy."
"And he's fine that ya're a mutant?"
The other girl's left eye twitched as she looked at Rogue. "Um… yeah. He sees past the mutation thing most of the time… but you know how it is…"
Rogue nodded. "Ya should check out the Xavier Institute sometime, Ah think ya would like it."
Claire sighed. "I don't think that's an option for me, but listen, thanks a lot."
Rogue nodded. Convincing your parents to let you live in a mansion for "freaks" usually didn't go very well.
"Hey, is that guy Leo Dyson one of you?" Claire asked, hopefully nonchalantly.
"Sure, why?" Rogue asked slightly confused.
"Oh… just wonderin'…"
"Wonderin'? Ah think not." Rogue laughed. "Ya don't just ask about a random guy unless ya want ta know something."
Claire shook her head and gestured frantically with her hands. "No, no, I'm serious! I was just curious!" Rogue smirked at her new friend's discomfort. Claire noticed and decided to turn the tables on her. "What about you Rogue? Who's that blonde guy you're always around?" She was hoping to get some details on the other new mutants.
Rogue's face went red. "That's Benj, he's mah… er… we're friends."
The other girl lowered her eyebrows. "Friends? I see. Mutant as well I'm guessing."
"Yeah." Rogue started to wonder why this girl was so interested in the other mutants at the Institute. She was about to ask her when the bell rang. The class packed up their stuff and started toward the door.
Before Rogue could leave, Claire grabbed her arm. "Hey, you wanna hang out some time?"
"Sure," she pulled out her cell phone. "What's yar numbah? Ah'll text ya."
After exchanging numbers the two exited the classroom and went their separate ways.
Interesting girl… Rogue thought to herself.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in." Principal Darth's voice said from within his office. The door opened and in walked Claire Darth.
"Bout ready to go?" She asked.
Darth turned around and looked at her quizzically. His dark suit and tie almost let him melt into the shadows. "What are you still doing here, Claire? I thought you were going home with Portia."
Clair shrugged and plopped down on one of the arm chairs. She locked her green eyes with Darth's purple ones from behind his desk.
"Needed cell phone reception." She stated.
He blinked at her. "And who are you texting?"
Claire cringed. She started wishing she hadn't mentioned anything to Nick, and made up some ridiculous lie. "Why do you care, Nick?"
He stood up. "While we're still in this school building you will call me your father."
"Sorry, father" she accented the word 'father' for his sake.
"Now who are you in communications with?" He asked again.
"A girl in my Chemistry class."
"Does this girl have a name?"
Claire gulped. Now was the tricky part. "Rogue." She muttered.
Darth slammed his hands on the desk. "Rogue? From the Xavier Institute?" He yelled angrily.
"Yeah, from the X-Men." Claire stood as well and glared back. "Is there a problem?"
"I don't want you talking to them! You will not befriend them!"
"And why not?" Claire shouted, spreading her arms out. "I can talk to Leo all I want, but I can't talk to any other X-Men? What the he-"
"Claire!"
She stopped. The shadows around Darth vibrated ominously. "I AM YOUR FATHER!" He yelled. "What I ask you to do, you will do it."
"You may be my father, but not by blood, Darth." Claire growled. "And stop referring to me by that name. I hate it!"
Darth straightened and walked around his desk to face her. "And what name would you prefer? Clay? Dune? Jane?" He bent down to meet her eye-to-eye. "You will go by the name we chose."
"We?" Claire snorted. "It was you, who wanted me to go by that, I would have preferred Jane, but nooooo, we gotta do it Nick's way."
"Young lady, this conversation is over!" Darth said forcibly. The shadows appeared to stretch out from their respective spots toward Claire.
He halted and took several deep breaths. "Listen, I'm sorry Clay. This was a stressful day for me." The shadows receded. "Let's get you home." He said, sighing.
Claire calmed down as well and opened the door to his office.
"We'll finish this conversation later."
Author's Rant: Ah yes, the rant:
This is a list of what you should've been noticing, if not it's here for catchup
Leo: He has red spikey hair with blonde tips, typically wears a red or white T-shirt, khakis, and a shark tooth necklace. Can shift into a lion humaniod with bronze claws. There's a crystal over his heart that he can detect energy with.
Okay, that's basics what you need to have noticed: He plays soccer./ Leo is good friends with Enrique, who's gay, Enrique thinks Leo's gay too./ Leo meant to kill those teens. He passes it off as an accident (which it partly was), but he has no remorse. He likes them dead./ He's Christain and puts his beliefs very highly./ Oh, and Bobby and most of the 'new mutants' now hate him./ Amara has a crush on him, and Tabitha likes them both (yeah, Tabitha is fun).
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Benj: Blonde, looks like a skater, typically wears green. Powers include air manipulation (think airbender from Avatar), basic telepathy. He's pathetic at influence, but rocks at empathy links. He can create and disband empathy links that he sees as colored cords that represent a person's aura. (basics, now onward)/ He and Rogue aren't really dating, but they might as well be. He loves her despite the fact he can't lay a hand on her (a reason why I think people are so drawn to those ROMY fics)./ His friend Vince is a human./ He did cause his parents' car accident (more on that later)./ He doesn't get along with Ray, AT ALL./ Likes to work with metal.
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Ty: Now goes by Spades, red skin, devil horns, shark teeth, immune to energy blasts and heat which he absorbs to fuel his own fire./ Has decided to separate himself from the human world./ Very good with computers./ Drastic behavior change from shy guy to in your face./ He's in the background a lot but still a main character like any of the other X-Men.
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Claire Darth/ Clay Dune: Wears a tight gray t-shirt and jeans mostly. A mutant with the power of cellular metamorphis, which is more than just shape shifting, otherwise it would have said shape shifting./ Leader of a Haven squad./ Hates a guy named Jaller./ Best friends with Zen (Knife)./ Darth is NOT her real father (hope you liked that line by the way), but he is related to her.(I cut out the line that said: "You may share some of my blood, Darth, but you're not my father")/ Believes in mutant supremacy like Magneto, but she's never met him in person./ Ultra important character who you have sadly not seen much of.
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I think that's mostly it... Anything I missed I'll be sure to point out during future author's notes. And of course you'll get to see what Lance told Kitty of Magneto's plans... LATER!
Until next time: Fare thee well.