*If you're getting kind of bored with the first part, just skip to the end. Something intemse is going down*

The next week at the mansion was an interesting one. Everyone was floored by Carissa's miraculous recovery and even more stunned by the fact that she was no longer a mutant. The teachers grilled both Carissa and Don about what went on in that hospital room to end in these results, but they kept to the story I fed them. I'm sure the Professor knew the truth, but he had yet to talk to me about it. I waited in suspense to be called out, but it didn't happen. By Friday I had relaxed a little, believing that if people didn't know the truth by now, they never would.

I was reading Alex's history essay over for her in the senior's common room when I heard the news. Apparently Carissa had contacted her parents, for the first time in two years, and they had made up. They asked her to come back home so they could make up for everything and she had agreed. They were picking her up today.

"Some nerve they have." Alex commented. "Now that she's not a mutant they want to be her parents again? Ha, I'd spit in their faces, and then go on the Tara Banks show and write a book about it. Then I'd have lots of money, and they'd feel so horrible for ditching me in the first place!"

"It's her decision Lex." Taren said softly, staring out the window.

"Well, I guess now that Carissa's normal, she wants to get away from us freaks as soon as possible." Alex said frigidly.

"Stop taking this so personally."

"It's a huge slap in the face for the mutant community!" Alex argued.

"No its not. Now that she's human, she doesn't belong here." Taren said practically. I went cold and my heart beat fast hearing those words. Its hard to forget that I'm a human or antimutant in a school full of homo superiors. "Besides, this must be just as hard on her. Carissa has to do what's right for her."

"Have you guys heard how her boyfriend Don is doing?" I asked, handing Alex back her edited essay.

"Not good." Taren answered sadly. "At first he was over the moon that she was better, but then he started to realize that Carissa was human and he wasn't. He's so in love with her but she's been pulling away from him this whole week and now she's leaving the school."

"Poor guy." I muttered. I had witnessed Don sitting by Carissa's death bed, being tortured by her pain and her ending life. He was sat vigil with her and ended up healing her, and now she was leaving him to go live a life he could never be apart of. It was unfair.

I had taken Carissa's mutation away, and with that, her way of life. Did I have the right to do that? I know I couldn't have let her die but still, this felt wrong.

"I'm going to go for a walk." I stated, getting up from the comfy but worn couch and exiting the common room. As I walked down the hall, I fought to keep the disturbing thoughts from my head. I was heading down the stairs to the entrance way when I felt something land on my shoulder. It was a large, colourful parrot.

It gave a bright whistle then broke into song. "You're just too good to be true, can't keep my eyes off you! You'd feel like heaven to touch, I wanna hold you so much. At long last love has arrived and I thank God I'm alive, you're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you!"

A pair of junior girls past me on the stairs giggling. I blushed and glared at the parrot.

"Eric, you are such a dork." I told him seriously.

"Hey, a lot of girls would be thrilled to be serenaded to." Eric protested. His voice almost sounded like his own, but it was a bit scratchy and higher.

"Well, fly off and find one of them to land on." I rolled my eyes.

"Come on Leah, I just wanted to cheer you up." Eric said honestly, and began to preen my hair gently with his beak. "You've seemed so down and stressed this week, I thought this could make you smile."

I did smile. Eric shimmied down my arm to perch on my hand so he could see my face.

"Ah, that's the pretty smile I was going for."

"Thank you Eric, you're a good friend." I thanked honestly. How many people would turn into a bird and sing to their friends just to cheer them up?

Eric let out a squawk, threw up his colourful wings and burst into song, louder this time. "Pardon the way that I stare! There's nothing else to compare! The sight of you makes me weak-"

I tried not to smile and carried Eric along, avoiding the stares we were getting.

"You're crazy, birdbrain." I said seriously to the bird.

He just gave a bow and answered in a cheesy voice, "Crazy for you."

I let out a snort and started to reply when someone bumped into me from behind. Don came bounding down the stairs and had run into me. I couldn't bring myself to say anything to him. He looked even worse than when we were at Carissa's bed side. His eyes were red, his clothes ruffled and his hair a mess. He looked like he hadn't ate, slept or showered in a week. And there was this mad, pained look in his eyes.

At the bottom of the stairs, Carissa was hugging her friends goodbye and promising them that she'd keep in touch. A man and woman stood together in the doorway, obviously her parents. They seemed like they didn't dare come and further into the place that housed mutants. When Don reached them, Carissa looked guilty but forced a smile.

"Hey, Don." She said quietly.

"That's the best you can come up with?" He said in a harsh, hoarse voice. "We've been together for a year Carissa, I sat with you as your body corroded itself, when we thought you were going to die. I healed you every hour, trying to make the pain stop for you. I brought you back from death. And now you were going to leave without even saying goodbye."

Carissa lowered her eyes. "I-I wrote a letter, left it in your room. I thought it'd be easier for both of us."

"No, easier for you."

Carissa turned to her parents. "I have to go, good bye Don."

Suddenly Don broke down, not able to maintain his anger and giving in to his sorrow.

"Carissa please, please don't go! We can make this work! Please, I need you!" He begged sobbing. He wrapped his arms around her, shaking. Carissa's parents looked utterly disgusted at the sight of the mutant boy touching their darling human daughter.

"Don, please, I really do have to go." Carissa said weakly.

"I-I can get cured too! Then I'll be human and we can be together. All I need is some of her blood and-" Don said desperately.

"Don, stop." Carissa ordered, looking my way. She remembered that my only request was that they didn't tell anyone about me, and she was determined to make good on her promise. Her voice softened as she pulled herself away from him gently. "I'll call you when I get home, okay? We can work things out then but I really have to go now. Goodbye Don."

With that, Carissa's parents whisked her away before Don could touch her again. One of Carissa's friends had ran for help when she saw how Don was acting, and was now dragging Hank McCoy an Jean into the entrance. The teachers quickly took over and pulled Don into a private area to console him.

"Poor guy." Eric muttered. "He must be going through Hell right now, being separated from her."

Yeah, and I caused that separation and pain, I thought privately.

"Do you think they'll be able to work things out?" I asked quietly.

"I hope so, but I don't think they will." Eric answered regrettably. "I mean, a human and a mutant? It could never work, not in this world anyway."

I felt cold and numb, so I just nodded.

"Hey, listen," Eric said, taking flight. He fluttered in front of my face as he talked. "I have somewhere that I want to take you tonight. I think it could help you de-stress a little. You interested?"

I forced a smile, still feeling hollow. "Well, a bird has never lead me astray before, so sure."

xXx

At midnight, Eric tapped on my window, once more a hawk. I opened it and said sternly, "I really hope you do not expect me to ride you."

Eric entered and flew into our washroom, laughing. "No, I've got a better way to sneak out."

He quickly changed into the clothing he had placed in my room earlier and emerged, looking good. He smiled and waved at Taren and Alex. "Hey ladies, are you coming tonight, too?"

"I wanted to go watch, but Taren says she's too tired." Alex answered, letting out a sigh of regret. "And I haven't been able to change her mind."

"There's always next month." Taren said, "We're not going to miss anything."

Both girls, and apparently all of the senior class knew what was going on tonight. I coaxed everyone but they all refused to ruin Eric's surprise.

"I'm sure Leah will tell you guys all about it." Eric reassured, taking my hand and leading me back to the window. From his backpack, another thing he stored in our room, he brought out a bunch of ropes, gears and clips, and got to work.

"We're going to repel down five stories?" I asked.

Eric gave a wolfish grin, "You scared?"

"No way." I replied confidently. "I'm from BC, remember?"

After we scaled the wall, Eric led me into the woods beyond the grounds. He shifted his eyes so that they were leopard's eyes, and was able to guide us through the trees. We had been walking for a little over fifteen minutes and I was about to question Eric when I saw light up ahead. I heard voices and movement as well.

"This, is what we do for fun." Eric said, grinning in the dark.

He led me into a clearing full of teenagers our age. They sat on logs and on the ground, circled around a large squared in area. In the middle was two boys fighting. It was Stretch and Bobby, the boy Lana had been hanging out with. Stretch was trying to tie himself around Bobby, or Iceman, while avoiding the ice balls being lobbed at him. The crowd watching them cheered or booed, depending on who they were rooting for.

I dodged a rogue snowball that had escaped the ring and stared at Eric.

"What is this?"

"Have you ever heard of cage matches before? Well, this is kind of our own spin on it." Eric answered, his eyes fixed on the fight. "The senior class four years ago came up with it. You can sign up to fight someone, and you put in an entry fee. If you win, you get yours and your opponent's fee."

"This is insane." I stated, my eyes wide.

"Yeah, a little." Eric admitted. "But it does have its purposes. Like instead of us tearing apart the school every other day because two guys have to settle a score with each other, we have this rule that you have to wait until the end of the month and do it out here. Chances are the guys have cooled down a little and they won't damage the building. Plus it gives people a chance to earn some cash, either by entering a match or by betting on other people. And we get some real life practice."

"Aren't you guys worried that someone will get hurt?"

"Yeah, but we have people to make sure the fighters don't get unnecessarily rough." Eric nodded to five huge guys at the edge of the rings. "We keep this from the younger students, so no one under grade twelve is involved with the matches. And we have a team of healers to help after each match."

I looked over to where a large tent had been set up. Inside were a few cots and medical supplies, as well as two mutants I knew had the ability to heal.

"Our biggest worry is getting caught by the teachers. They'd kill us if they found out." Dave said, coming up from behind us. "Bout time you got here man, you missed my fight with Colossus."

"How'd you do?" Eric asked, looking up at his rhino resembling friend.

"He kicked my ass." Dave admitted with a smirk. "But Stretch has Iceman in headlock, so I feel a little better."

We looked over at the ring to see Stretch had pinned Bobby, but was shivering as the other boy attempted to freeze him.

"One, two, three! That's it!" A guy about seven and a half feet tall and made out of rock called, hurrying into the ring with the other four 'refs'. They separated the two fighters and the rock boy held up Stretch's hand. "Stretch wins!"

Iceman shook Stretch's hand good naturedly before both of them went over to the medical station.

"Atta be, Stretch!" Dave roared, pumping his fist in the air. Seeing Jubilee and Amora entering the ring next, he grinned. "Yes! A cat fight!"

Eric rolled his eyes and grinned at me, "Come on, let's go find a seat."

We sat with Eric's friends, and about an hour in, I began to see it their way. It didn't seem so barbaric anymore. No one got hurt too badly and no one was actually trying to really hurt the other person. Usually the fighters joked with the other person and tried to make a show for the teenagers watching. Like when Jubilee pinned her opponent Amora, she began to tickle her, starting a new kind of fight. Both girls were chasing each other around, trying to tickle each other and ended in a truce, laughing hysterically. People did cat calls and teased the fighters, as well as socializing with the people around them. Everyone was here for a good time, not a blood bath. The one time things got a little out of hand with Pyro trying to continue the match he already won, the peacekeepers quickly came in and took him out (even though he won, because of his bad sportsmanship he was unable to claim his prize money, which I thought was fair). Colossus came over to see if Dave was alright and that there was no hard feelings.

And it was nice sitting with Eric. REALLY nice. I knew he was just teasing me whenever he complemented my look or flirted with me, but a part of me wished it was real. He was still the same little boy that I used to sit on when I got mad at him and played army with. He was still caring, funny and patient, but now I couldn't help but notice how he was also confident, masculine, and charming. I like the way he run his fingers through his hair and I love the way he smiles.

When he noticed that I was shivering a bit at the cold, he unzipped his sweater and pulled me close to him so we could share it. I tried to act cool, like that's just what 'bros' do, but I also had to fight to fight my heart from fluttering.

Come on Leah, get your head out of it. I told myself sternly. Mom and Dad are being held by some nut cases and you're thinking about a guy? Worst daughter ever much? Plus the fact that he's your best friend is also on the long list of reasons why you shouldn't even got there.

"Hey Leah, we're up next."

I looked up to see Tasha staring down at me coldly. She's hangs out with Eric's friends, the one with lots of scars on her hands. She is tall and curvy, with thick black hair and dangly hoop earrings. And this chick has the coldest blue eyes you will ever see on another human being. Oh, and she's completely insane. She's got it bad for Eric, really bad. She's always throwing herself at him! At least every hour she not so subtly offering to have sex with him, which he politely declines. As much as she's obsessed with Eric, she hates me on the same level. Since I got here she's been trying to tear me down with insults and snide remarks.

Usually I could handle stuck up crazy chicks, but this one was a little different. See, she has the power to shoot electricity out of her hands. (Try thinking of the craziest chick you knew in high school, and now give her the power to electrocute people. How scary is that?)

"What?" I said dimly.

She rolled her eyes and made that 'tuhk' sound I had with her tongue. "Our match is up next."

"Really? Funny, I don't remember signing us up. Or agreeing to fight you." I said coolly, standing up.

She just tilted her head upwards as a subtle challenge. "No need, I took care of everything."

"No, I don't think you understand," I explained slowly, like I was talking to a child. "See, in a situation where two people are needed, both people actually have to agree on it."

"Are you saying you won't fight me?" Tasha asked coldly.

Now all eyes were on us, as if we were already in the ring.

"Yup, that's what I'm saying." I said lightly.

"Wow," Tasha said, turning away from me. "I didn't know Wolverine's daughter was a coward."

Dave gasped. "Oh no she didn't!"

Stretch slapped him upside the head. "Shut up Dave."

"Alright, one, I'm not afraid of you." I said, moving so that I was facing her once more. "And two, you've got to get over whatever your problem is with me."

:I don't have a problem with you, sweetie, I feel sorry for you." Tasha said in a sickly sympathetic voice. "I mean, obviously you're not really Wolverine's kid. Your mom must be a real slut and have gotten knocked up by someone else. Toad, maybe?"

I fought back the urge to punch her in the face. Calm down, she's just trying to get you to fight. You have to be smart about this.

"Stop it Tasha, that's way out of line." Eric said, actually angry. He came to stand behind me and took my hand to support me. "Leah doesn't want to fight, so just leave her alone."

Tasha's jaw dropped. Slowly she closed it, her whole body shaking. I didn't need a comeback for her awful remarks about my parents because seeing Eric hold my hand and defend me was the worst possible thing for her. And she flipped out. Letting out a banshee scream, she sent a ball of blue electricity at us, but it hit Eric in the head. He let go of my hand before it touched him, so I was unaffected, but it took him down.

"Eric!" I yelled when he wasn't getting up. I saw Tasha from my peripherals just in time to see her attempt to shock him again, but I countered her attack by round house kicking her in the face.

"No!"

"Ah!" My kick was solid, but it didn't take her down, only giving her a black eye.

"Hey, that's enough!" The rock boy roared, attempting to get through the crowd to us without hurting the other people.

"Back off Mark, this isn't about you!" Tasha shrieked before attacking me.

I played defensive while Tasha was offensive. She kept trying to electrocute me but I was quick enough to dodge her most of the time. Around us I heard the others muttering, wondering why I wasn't attacking back. Some people wondered when I'd unleash my claws while others were sure I'd cause a hail storm.

"Tasha, stop being crazy and back off!" I warned.

"Come on Logan show me what you can do! Let's see your power!" Tasha sang happily.

I advanced and kicked her in the back. I tried to sweep back out but I was too slow.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" I screamed in agony. I wasn't quick enough and Tasha was now bearing down on me with her lightning, a mad look in her eyes. She grinned evilly as my muscles contracted and locked .

"Leah, show me your power and I'll stop." Tasha coaxed, completely insane. "Just pop out your claws and it'll end."

This was worse than when I fought the robot and got electrocuted. My eyes started to roll back and I was sure my heart would stop soon.

"Show me your power, show me your power, show me your power!" Tasha sang.

"Shut up! I don't have a power!" I yelled.

Tasha let up, shocked. "What?"

I lay on the ground, gasping. "I don't have a power."

This set up a roar of whispers. Wolverine and Storm's daughter didn't have a power? But, did that mean she was-

"You're a human?" Dave gasped.

"Guys, she's kidding. Leah's a mutant like us." Eric was off the ground now and came over to me. He helped me up and put a protective arm over my shoulder. "She's not a human, right Leah?"

I looked down at the ground. Eric stared at me when I didn't answer.

"Leah, tell them." Eric said, this time in a less confident voice.

I freed myself from his arm and walked into the trees without a word.