Chapter 12

Seconds ago Ellie had flown out of the danger room and into the bedroom where she was staying. She grabbed her backpack, strapped it to her back, and leaped into the air once more. She could hear the others running into the hall as she pushed open the balcony doors of the bedroom. As she hovered out onto the balcony her heart jumped as Kurt teleported in front of her.

"Ellie, where are you going?" he asked her with what sounded like a concerned tone.

"This was a mistake," Ellie replied quickly. "I should have never come here."

"Of course you should have! You are a mutant and this is where you belong." Ellie shook her head at him.

"I'm different Kurt."

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but I'm blue. Your differences don't change who you are. Please, just stay." The two turned their heads as Kitty ran through the wall.

"Ellie! Like, what was that?" she yelled as she ran to the balcony.

"She's going to leave because she thinks she is too different to be here," Kurt explained. Ellie tensed up and squeezed the strap of her backpack in her hand.

"That's ridiculous! You can't leave, you just got here."

"Just because the two of you are understanding about this doesn't mean that the others are," Ellie pointed out. "Did you even see the look on Logan's face? Or how about Rogue? I know for a fact that she was hurt because of me." Kurt and Kitty exchanged worried glances.

"Rogue's a tough girl, Ellie. She can handle a little fire," Kitty assured her. "As for Mister Logan, he's just a hothead sometimes. I don't believe for a second that he wants you out of here."

"Neither do I," Eli added as he walked into the room. Ellie lowered herself to the ground and turned toward her brother.

"You can come with me," she told him. "It's not like they are going to want you around any more than they would want me." Both Kurt and Kitty had confused looks on their faces.

"I don't know about that. They could always keep me around as eye candy." Ellie didn't laugh at his joke.

"I'm serious Eli. We need to leave and we need to leave now. So are you coming with me or not?" Eli's expression hardened.

"No." Kurt and Kitty raised their eyebrows.

"What?" Ellie asked, surprised at his answer.

"I said no Ellie. I'm tired of running. We have a really great thing going here in Bayville and I'm not going to let my fears jeopardize that." Ellie's heart clenched in her chest.

The four teens turned toward the door as Professor X, Storm and Wolverine entered the room. A few of the other X-men were peering in the open doorway but remained outside of the room. With her hands gripping her backpack straps, Ellie positioned herself for quick takeoff into the sky. As she was digging her heels into the carpet for traction, the Professor spoke.

"Ellie, I do not want you to leave the institute," he said. "I see that you and Eli need to discuss a few things with Storm, Wolverine and myself. We would never ask you to leave the institute due to something as trivial as this."

"Trivial?" Ellie asked, standing up straight. "You think that this is trivial?"

"Watch the tone, blondie," Wolverine warned. "We just want to talk to ya." Ellie shot a look to Eli.

"I'm sure that's all you want."

"Kurt, Kitty, would the two of you please leave the room for a moment? I would like to speak with the Dingo's in private," Professor X asked. The two X-men left the room, shutting the door behind them.

"I suppose we should begin with the obvious. Ellie has more powers than we were aware of, is the same true for you, Eli?" Ellie's eyes widened.

"No," she quickly said. "Eli is completely normal. Well, for a mutant anyway." Eli shook his head.

"I'm not going to lie anymore Ellie. Yes, Professor. I also have two powers," Eli answered. Storm gave Ellie a sympathetic look, but she did not notice.

"The truth is that our parents work for HYDRA. When we were diagnosed with the X-gene we were experimented on," Eli told the adults. Logan snarled as he balled his fists at his sides.

"Genetic mutation on mutants?" Storm asked. Eli nodded.

"They wanted to see if there was a way to create an all powerful mutant. Someone who could carry different manifestations of the X-gene."

"Shut up Eli!" Ellie yelled, causing everyone to turn their attention to her. "Stop talking. They don't need to know anything!"

"Yes they do. Regardless of what you decide to do, this is going to be my home. I am not running away with you again. I love you with all of my heart Ellie, but I honestly cannot do it anymore." Wolverine narrowed his eyes at Ellie.

"You plan on runnin' away from this, kid?" he asked her. Ellie ignored him.

"I understand that this is a delicate topic for the both of you. I am just trying to grasp an understanding so I am able to accommodate the two of you accordingly," Professor X explained as he rolled closer to Ellie.

"I am able to become an embodiment of water as you already know. I can also control plant life. You know, make them grow, make them die, the whole deal," Eli told the adults. "Are you going to tell them what you can do, or am I going to have to do it?" he had turned his head toward his sister now.

"I love you Eli," Ellie said as she slid her communicator off her wrist, dropping it to the floor. The two shared a very brief look of pain before Ellie shot into the air and flew off into the distance.

Wolverine ran to the edge of the balcony and Storm placed her hand on the Professor's shoulder. Eli kept his eyes glued to the sky where Ellie had just been as his body started to tremble. He never expected her to run this time. Eli feared that he may have just lost his sister for good.

"Are we just gonna let her go Charles?" Wolverine asked over his shoulder. The professor nodded unhappily.

"Yes, Logan. If Ellie wishes to come back we will welcome her with open arms but until then, we will not pursue her," he replied. Eli balled his fists at his side before storming out of the room.

As he flung the bedroom door open he was greeted by the faces of the entire student body of the academy. Kitty and Kurt gave him questioning looks that he replied to with an angry expression. As he made his way into the hall the students backed toward the walls to give him room. Jean placed her hand on his shoulder as he passed her, stopping him in his tracks.

"I know that this looks bad right now, but nothing is going to change, okay?" she said in an attempt to comfort him. Eli shrugged her hand off him.

"Everything is going to change," he replied angrily before making his way down the hallway.

The Brotherhood House

Pietro had finished looking through Ellie's journal for the night and was making his way to the kitchen in search for something to eat when Toad bounded down the stairs past him. Pietro gripped the banister as he regained his footing, scowling at his housemate the entire time. He ran his hand through his light hair before continuing down the stairs.

"Why don't cha watch where you're going Toad!" he yelled angrily as he entered the room where Toad and Lance were.

"Yeah yeah sure thing. So maybe this is a bad time but guess what I just saw," Toad said as he pointed his thumb at his chest. Lance and Pietro rolled their eyes in unison.

"Let me guess," Lance started. "It wasn't a bar of soap." Pietro high-fived him on his way to the refrigerator.

"Very funny. You guys are really gonna want to know what I just saw!"

The three stopped talking as the front door slammed shut. Fred walked into the room, his overalls soaked and dripping all over the floor. Toad hopped over to him.

"Hey Blob, guess what I just saw," he anxiously begged.

"Not now Toad, I'm soaked," Blob said as he grabbed a paper towel and wiped it over his face.

"Yeah and you're dripping all over the place. That's a real hazard for me ya know," Pietro pointed out as he slammed the fridge shut, a bottle of water in his hand.

"Will someone please just guess what I saw already!" Toad screamed.

"Shut up Toad!" all three boys yelled back in unison. The four exchanged confused glances as someone knocked on the front door.

They stood in the kitchen looking back and forth between themselves. Fred counted off each person on his fingers before scratching his head. Nobody else lived at the Brotherhood House, and they were not expecting any guests. Toad folded his arms over his chest before giving them a smug smile.

"Why don't you go get that Pietro," he said. The four boys walked into the hall and Pietro nervously opened the front door.

In the doorway Ellie stood soaking wet with her backpack resting at her side in her hand. She looked to be out of breath as rain slid down her face. Pietro stared at her wide-eyed before looking to his housemates. Toad nudged Pietro in the arm.

"You shoulda guessed what I saw earlier," he boasted, already knowing Ellie was at their house. Pietro looked back at Ellie and a long silence occurred.

"Hey," Ellie said as thunder boomed above.

"Hey?" Pietro replied sounding more confused than he intended. Ellie pushed a piece of wet hair behind her ear.

"Think I could stay here for a while?"

"Come on in," Fred said a bit too excitedly. Ellie looked to Pietro to see if he was okay with this.

He tilted his head before sighing. Pietro pushed the door open wider and leaned against it before waving his hand. Ellie gave him an appreciative nod before entering the house. Pietro shut the door behind her and folded his arms over his chest. The four boys stared at Ellie as if they had never seen her before in their lives.

"Why are you here?" Lance asked suspiciously.

"I don't know," she replied. Pietro noticed she had started to shake a bit.

"Isn't it obvious? She couldn't resist my charm! Glad to see you baby," Toad said as he wrapped his arm around Ellie's shoulder. Fred pushed him away from her.

"Shut up Toad," he ordered. "I thought you were stayin' with the X-losers?" Ellie shrugged.

"It didn't really work out," she said, rubbing her arms to try and warm up. Pietro rolled his eyes before whizzing out of the room, then back into it within seconds.

"Here," he said unhappily as he threw a towel onto her head. Ellie pulled it off her head and ran it over her new recruit suit before wrapping her hair in it.

"Thanks," she replied. Another awkward silence occurred.

"Look, I just need a place to lay low for a few days. I was going to go to my aunts place but that was too obvious. Is it cool if I stay here or no?" she found herself asking Pietro rather than the entire household.

"I suppose it's fine," he replied. Lance gave him a quick look of confusion.

"Thanks." Fred took Ellie's bag out of her hand.

"Here, I can show you to a room," he told her. Ellie nodded to him before following him up the staircase.

"There something' you feel like telling' me?" Lance asked Pietro.

"Like what?" he asked, annoyed.

"Like why you juts let Ellie Dingo, who is wearing a new recruit of the X-men costume, into our home to stay for a few days?" Pietro shrugged.

"The plan was to steal the Dingo's away from the X-men, right? Well it looks like we just got one, now doesn't it?" Lance wrinkled his nose.

"So why did you get her a towel to dry off?" Pietro stiffened.

"Why didn't you?" Pietro shot back. "Enough with the questions Alvers. I just scored big time for us, so you just deal with it."

With that Pietro walked up the staircase. Lance stood in front of the door with his arms folded across his chest. He had no issue with Ellie staying with them for a few days but he could tell that something was going on with Pietro. He decided to drop it for the night and returned to the kitchen.

A/N: So between full time college courses, piles of homework, and working part-time I had to take a break from writing. Hopefully this chapter was enjoyable to you and I'll start updating more frequently.