Hello again to all my friends. I don't own X-men, but regardless the original characters that I'll be using in here do belong to me.

To firewhisperer: Yep Hart's an empath. Yes that is one of the many uses she can find for shadows, it will be very entertaining to watch dear Naomi don't you agree? Yeah, I'm planning to bring in Logan, Iceman, Rogue, ShadowCat, and the others. Just have to have to end this day and then they'll all be coming back cause winter break is over.

Chapter 8

She finally managed to find her way back up to the top floors. Naomi leaned against one of the walls and sunk down into a seated position, both of her hands over her mouth trying to keep herself silent and from gagging. That could of been her. A half strangled sob broke through her hands.

Someone sat down next to her, it was Hart. "So, she introduced you to Nightmare?" She slid away from him slightly, "I could tell from your energy. I'm an empath, everyone has had that reaction to her just about. I'd say you weren't human if you didn't think that it was terrible what happened to her." He looked over toward her from the corner of his eye, "I also noticed you don't have the best reaction to the subjects of parents. You're energy gets rather... muddled. How about I tell you about my parents."

"You said your mom was in the Caribbean." Naomi retorted.

"Yeah, my adoptive mother is." This caught the girl's attention. "Yeah, not abandoned, not unloved like some of the kids here. Mom actually asked if I wanted to skip a semester and join her in traveling." He smirked, "I was an accident for my birth mom, never heard what kind, unplanned, rape, or something else but she didn't have a way to keep a kid, normal or mutant. She cared enough to make sure I found a family that would love me, no one knew I was a mutant till I was in third grade and the bullies in my class started realizing that when ever they'd try to beat me up, they'd suddenly feel calmer and then they'd go do something else." He sighed, "My adoptive mom was told she should get me checked for being a mutant. When we found out it was true she freaked out for a few days, wondering if anything she'd ever felt toward me was real." He looked over at Naomi. "She got over it, cause she always loved me no matter if I was with her or not so she knew the feelings were true."

Naomi shook her head, "You made it sound like she didn't care."

"Sorry, all the others know what my mom's like." He put his hands behind his head, "I could help you calm down a little if you want me to, my power doesn't require contact. Course its easier if there is contact, though Chameleon is one hard girl to figure out, I haven't even been able to change her mind about simple things like strawberries. She hates strawberries for no apparent reason." He chuckled.

Naomi took a deep breath to calm herself, "No, I'd rather get control on myself, but thanks."

Hart looked her over, "Hmmm, you do pretty well at it, you're energy lightened a few shades." He stood and shrugged off his coat and gently put it around her shoulders, "Though you do feel a bit cold."

The girl smiled slightly. "Yeah." He started to walk away, "What about you're adoptive father?"

Hart paused and looked over his shoulder, "He's in the military, but I get letters from him every week, he misses mom and I a lot." With that he vanished around the corner.

Naomi curled up under the warm jacket and smiled to herself. At least there were some that had a decent life, maybe there was hope for the world yet. At least in her mind. She touched the blackness across her nose again, it was still cold. She got up and went up to her windows, a little sun would make it vanish in no time.

"Where should we start?" Curse asked Naomi leaning over the front seat, "You look like a Hot Topic kind of girl, or maybe one of those other darker, gothicy stores."

Naomi blinked and looked toward Storm, who was driving. "The mall usually has the widest variety, how about we start there, you're uncle said he would pay for anything you need while you stay here."

Curse gasped, "That's like, an unlimited supply of money!" she nearly squealed with joy.

Naomi gave a forced smile, "If you don't mind me asking, why do you go by Curse?"

"Of course I don't," She said waving a hand at her, "My power is a curse. I have so little control over it."

"What is your power?"

"Animation." She said simply, "Once I bring things to life I don't have any control over what they do, and until I touch them again they stay alive." She reached into her bag and produced a small doll. "See." There was a vibration through the little stuffed form.

It twitched then got to its fabric feet and pushed its yarn hair back from its face. It's face, normally a straight line of stitches slowly pulled up into a smile up at Naomi. Curse touched it again and it fell lifeless on the consul between the front seats. "It only works on inanimate objects, not people, dead or alive. Just things." She grinned, "I gave one of Wolverine's motorcycles a touch one day and it had some serious attitude problems."

Storm looked over her shoulder at her, "That was why he was in such a bad mood, did you change it back?"

"Of course I did," She said crossing her arms, she looked over at Cathrine who was staring out the window at the scenery going by. "How can she tell his good moods from his bad moods?"

"Who's Wolverine?" Naomi asked curiously.

"He's not around very often, but sometimes he comes to see Storm and some of the older students." Curse said, "I think the guy is immortal, he never looks any older no matter how long he's been gone."

They pulled into the parking lot of the mall, Storm found a parking spot, "Alright, Cat, make sure you hold someone's hand while we're in there alright?"

The girl smiled brightly, glad she had gotten to come, "Kay!"