Rebekah

I sit for a while, stroking Silver-Paw. He purrs and makes a funny noise.

"Behind the ears. No, forward a bit. Right a bit. There!"

He purrs more. I've noticed a difference between contented purring and purring with content. The first one is just that. Purring. The second comes out as words but with a purring note. Hark to me, I'm gabbling.

"Rebekah?"

Brimstone.

"Ku- Nightcrawler?"

"It's Kurt if you're staying here. But the Professor wants to see you."

I nod and then shudder. I don't want anyone rifling through my mind, thank you very much. There is far too much about the future in there. I think I'll use that trick from the Inheritance Quartet. I'm not certain if it'll work but I'll give it a try. Imagine a marble egg, like the one in my room and place all the stuff I know about the X-Men and the films into it. Then I catch sight of myself in the mirror.

"Er…Kurt?"

"Ja?"

"What colour are my eyes?"

"Brownish-green, Why?"

"It's…nothing."

But it is something. This morning they were greenish-brown. And before that, my entire life, they've been a deep brown. I'm changing. I'm changing and I can't stop it. Night- Kurt knocks on the door.

"Enter."

And I go in, Silver-Paw padding after me.

"Hank has filled me in. I need to scan to see that your encounter with Magneto hasn't caused any damage. For all we know, he may have a telepath."

Marble egg. Marble egg. Professor X has an odd look on his face.

"Marble? Egg? Shields? How…? Oh. Books. Dragons. American author. Eragon?"

"Has that been written yet? I'm not certain. What year is it? You have a sliding time- Shut up, shut up, shut up. Marble egg, marble egg, marble egg."

Then the soft brush in my mind retreats and blue eyes are regarding me with an odd look.

"You just did what no novice should be able to do. You placed secrets in a black box, preventing me from getting in. I found out about you as a person, snippets you know about the X-Men. But you know a lot more don't you?"

"I can't say. Trust me. It's important. Look… I know what may happen. And I…I can't change it."

"Why not?"

"Because… because… Time is fixed. You can't change time."

Yes, I'm quoting Doctor Who. What is wrong with that?

"Doctor Who is a fictional TV series."

Marble egg, marble egg, marble egg. Encompass my whole mind in marble, think about the patterns of pink and white, swirling together. And then Professor Xavier smiles.

"I think Jean would love to talk to you."

"Is she Jean Grey or Grey-Summers? Oops…"

"Grey, although she is engaged."

"So she's Phoenix?"

"Yes."

"Just the name, or does she have the Force? Oops…"

"How… Ahhh. Reading comics?"

"Yeah. I sort of know a lot about you. About Juggernaut and Logan's past. I have read Origins as well."

"Origins?"

"Er…"

"You know about Logan's past?"

"Er… Short answer? Yes. In the comics. I don't know what this world's like. I mean, I'm pretty certain something like this would have been mentioned…"

"Like what?"

"Visitors from another universe… Wait. That happens loads. One visit from two teenagers can't be that bad."

"Two potentially Omega level mutants."

"Omega? Me? Not a chance. I can talk to cats. Which is cool and all that. But what can I actually do?"

"You know about mutant classifications. They are still only just being finalised."

"Are they? I'm sorry. Look, if we're where I think we are, I'm about thirty years of comics and about five years your time ahead of you."

"Thirty years…"

"Original X-Men first started in 1963. Second team and Deadly- Shut up, shut up. Second team started in '75. And at the moment, we're in 2011. And it's only been about ten years your time since the founding of the FF and so on. We have whole groups arguing about the time stretching effect. Ignore that bit."

"You mentioned Deadly Something. Deadly what exactly?"

"Errr. Well the formation of the 'second' X-Men team is called Second Genesis. And Deadly Genesis was just before that. And didn't come out for ages after. But… er… Vulcan? Darwin? Petra? Sway?"

His eyes go glacial.

"You will never speak of that to anyone. Understand?"

"Yes Sir. It was during the time when they were trying to make you out a lot less saint-like as you're normally painted."

"Saint-like?"

"Yeah… Except for when they have the M'Kraan business and your evil self sets the old X-Men on the new… I'm not making any sense, am I?"

"Actually, you make perfect sense. I remember that…episode…well. You are not to be underestimated. I assume you know as much about Magneto as you do about me?"

"Actually, I'd say I knew more. He was a Sonderkommando in Auschwitz and saw how humans treated minorities. I know his real name. I know about his wife and his daughter and his other children. I know about your time in Israel together. I know about your split and what Magneto believes in. I know that he isn't really evil. More misguided. And when he sees the truth, he can be a good man. A very good, very honest man, capable of saving someone in this house from a terrible fate."

"Who?"

"Kitty. Many, many years from now. He will save her. As a way of showing you he has changed."

"You speak so surely."

"I was reading it last night. Or whenever."

He nods gently.

"You may go. And about Gabriel. Not a word."

I nod. Not out of a sense of loyalty to him. But really, I don't think the others would be very happy with what he had done. And if he's not brave enough to tell them, then I won't.

I meet Isaac, exchange a few words. Then I walk upstairs. Kitty's waiting outside my room.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Isaac's okay I suppose. But it's good to have another girl around the place. Storm and Rogue are too old."

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen, nearly fifteen. You?"

"Nearly sixteen. In a few months, I'm actually able to get married. Which is slightly scary… Not that I want to get married or anything."

"Sixteen?"

"Oh yeah. It's mainly seventeen here, isn't it?"

"So you really are British?"

"Scottish. Sorry, touchy subject."

She nods.

"Do you want to go into town to get new clothes? You can't wear mine all the time."

"These are yours? I'm sorry."

"It's fine. The Prof gave me some cash to get you clothes."

"Prof?"

"Don't ever tell him I call him that."

"Your secret's safe with me."

And she giggles. I think I'll get on with her. Computer genius. Hey! Maybe I stand a chance of getting better Computing grades… And Beast for the sciences… Stop it. You can't get the X-Men to tutor you.

Isaac

I crept down the passage silently. I poked my head round the corner. There was no one in sight. I turned right and stole down the corridor to an unmarked door. I peaked inside. The place was shaped like a huge metal dome with a bridge of sorts leading onto a platform in the middle. Below was a sickening drop. This was the place where Cerebro was located. I recognised it from the comics. I retreated from the room and made my way back to where I was before. This time I took the left turn. My heightened hearing detected someone approaching fast. I quickly ran down the stairs taking them three at a time. A smell of wet dog, sulphur and metal reached my nose and I realized I was being pursued by Dr. McCoy, Kurt and Logan. I could sense them speeding up. I remembered Logan's senses were almost double mine which meant he would have already picked up my scent a while back. I quickly ran through the wall. On the other side was a brilliant sight. The Blackbird stood there in all her glory. I marvelled at the beautiful deadliness she possessed. I would always be an air cadet at heart and I reminisced over my bygone cadet days. But there was no time for memories now, I had to get out of here but before I could take another step I was tackled from behind by Nightcrawler. I rolled as I hit the ground throwing Kurt off.

'You have to come with me Isaac.'

'I'm sorry but I can't do that,' I replied. Suddenly Nightcrawler was behind me and I found myself heading towards the floor again. I phased and Kurt went straight through me crashing face first into the floor. He looked up and I could see pain written on his face.

'I don't want to hurt you Kurt,' I said.

'Well it's a bit late now!' He said jumping up and throwing a well-aimed punch at my face. It connected and my teeth rattled in my head. I could taste blood in my mouth. Logan and Dr. McCoy burst through a door off to my left. I dodged another attack from Kurt and teleported outside.

I tried to go into slow-time but Kurt appeared in front of me and grappled me to the ground. I could tell he was holding back. I phased again and Kurt was left holding air. I went into slow-time and raced across the lawn. Nightcrawler appeared directly in front of me. I couldn't avoid him. I ploughed into him like a bull and he flew up into the air. He slammed onto the ground a way off. Rebekah and Kitty were just returning from their shopping trip chatting away like the best of friends. I sped up to them tearing up the well-mown lawn as I came to a stop.

'What's wrong?' Rebekah asked.

Kitty gave me a warm smile. Blood started to leak out of my mouth where Kurt had punched me. Kitty's expression changed to one of alarm.

'It was an accident,' I panted. 'I'm so sorry.' I sped away leaving the girls standing there with shocked expressions on their faces. Logan and Dr. McCoy came charging up.

'Where's Isaac?' Logan said.

'He just left,' Kitty said.

'Oh no,' Dr. McCoy said. Rebekah turned to look in the direction the Doctor was gazing in and groaned loudly. A blue crumpled figure lay on the ground. They all rushed to the spot where the unmoving, broken form of Nightcrawler lay. I was speeding along the coast when I stopped to catch my breath. I had teleported often in the hope of throwing Logan off and I was feeling a slightly woozy, the ache from where Kurt had punched me didn't help either. I settled down on the beach letting my healing factor kick in. Slowly the pain subsided. But the pain in my heart didn't. That was something that couldn't heal. Tears pricked my eyes but I forced them back. I hadn't cried since I was little. I had always told myself that crying didn't change anything. I picked myself up wearily and started running again.

'I'm running over the North Atlantic Ocean,' I told myself but my brain refused to comprehend it.

The water soothed me slightly and by the time I'd reached England I had calmed down sufficiently enough to think properly. I looked around curiously. England hadn't changed at all in this world. The same rowdy people roamed the docks, talking loudly to each other about the race of the day or how they were going to spend their money once they'd won the lottery. I dashed to my favourite park in London where I sat amidst the trees. I wished this day had never happened. Rage coursed through my veins like larva threatening to overload me. I growled and punch the tree in anger.

The trees snapped like a twig and keeled over. I looked at my hand in amazement as the cuts started to heal.

'I have Colossus' strength,' I whispered in awe. I picked myself up and quickly sped off into the distance.