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

Chapter 45

They pulled into the mall parking lot and parked. Naomi pulled off the helmet and ran her fingers through her hair. It had grown out a little since she'd last cut it and the tips were stubbornly remaining white these days. Rune waited for her to climb off before getting off the black bullet-bike. "The others should be inside by now." He took her hand and walked into the building. "So how much blood they take?"

"Not much." She replied. "Doctor stared at me the whole time though, I had to drop my outward appearance."

"What did you expect, you're a beautiful girl." He said with a wicked grin over at her while Naomi blushed. "Come on, everyone's inside."

They found the others just inside the doors, Curse, Sparky,and Siren were trying to decide which store to go to first while Rael, Hart, and Circuit were more interested in getting at the food court. "See, right where I left them." Rune continued, "Still doing exactly what they were doing when I left."

Curse grinned and threw her arms around Naomi, "Perfect, you'll be the one to decide. Food or window shopping until we find somewhere to go into?"

Naomi laughed, "I'm always up for prowling the mall." The boys sighed and rolled their eyes, the girls started walking down the people filled traffic trap and looking at all the shops. The boys fell in behind them, Rune slipped up and took Naomi's hand while they walked, Siren split off at a photography shop claiming to need new equipment for her camera and said she'd meet them later.

They kept walking looking into windows and at kiosk contents. Curse dragged the remainder of the group into a lotion and other such good smelling stuff store. The boys hung back and watched while the girls darted around like hummingbirds from the shelves with the sample smells to each other or back to the boys to share the new scents they'd applied to their skin.

Naomi applied a body spray called 'Sweet Midnight' to her wrist and inhaled the aroma of a dark musty night, Rune walked up behind her and put her wrist to his nose and inhaled as well. She laughed and blushed as he took the bottle and applied more of it to her skin.

She walked out of the store while waiting for Curse to buy a lotion she'd found especially delicious smelling.

There was a sensation in the back of her mind akin to a breath of air brushing the back of her neck. Naomi's mental defenses immediately rose; the sensation continued to prod. She walked back in and grabbed Hart's arm, "Someone's here." She said softly.

"There's lots of people here Naomi." He replied with a laugh, then her aura caught his attention. His eyebrows dipped in, "Are you sure?"

She nodded, "Someone's trying to get into my head, no it isn't Emily." The others had joined them near the door. "There's a telepath of some kind in the mall." There was a tug in her mind and an idea floating around in it. Naomi waited for it to fade before letting the idea be completely formed. "I'll be back." She started to walk away.

Rune caught her hand, "You sure?"

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "I'll call if I need you, promise." She walked away.

After a few steps Siren was at her side, "Hey, we're you off to?"

"There's a mutant at the food courts." She said simply, "Want to help me find out why they wanted my attention?"

Siren grinned, "Sounds fun."

The two of them got seats at a table near the middle of the food court's upper level, Siren purchased something for herself and sat again. Naomi noticed the others were at a table on the floor below, they were chatting away and eating at fries and milkshakes. Naomi turned to Siren, "What did you get at that camera shop?"

"A new tripod and a few different lenses for my camera, my old tripod disappeared for a few days then I discovered a new contraption of Circuit's with my tripod for legs." She took a drink from her soda, "Never leave things lying around in the school. Even if its got your name on it someone will find another use for it."

Another tug at her mind, she turned and looked around. Several tables away there were two young men sitting watching Siren and Naomi, one of them winked at her. She quickly turned back. Another idea floated in her head: go over and sit with them. She'd never seen them before and didn't know what they wanted but she planned to find out. "I'll send you a spider if there's trouble."

"And if there's not?" Siren asked taking another bite of her meal.

"I'll wave you over." Naomi walked over to the two boys and sat at their table. "Hi." She said with a smile.

"'ello beautiful." He had darker blond hair and a Brittish accent, brown eyes and dressed in a t-shirt with the union jack painted on it and jeans. "What can we do for you?"

Naomi forced herself to keep smiling, "You can stop trying to get into my head for first things."

That caught him off guard, he blinked, "Oi, what you mean by that?"

"She's rather blunt and to the point isn't she Midas?" The other one said. "No, I'd be the one gettin' in your 'ead." His accent was a bit thicker than his companions. He was wearing a black shirt and jeans, a white baseball cap hid most of his strawberry blond hair, his eyes were gray. "You're like us as well then? I told you we'd find mutants at the mall we look long enough."

They all would look up occasionally at the tables on the level above. Rune looked over at Hart, he shook his head. Naomi's aura was the same, no danger yet.

They kept talking and eating until from the corner of their vision they saw Siren get up from her table and walk over. They were silent for a moment then heard an outbreak of laughter. None of them moved for a moment then they all went for the escalator.

The two girls and two boys where all sitting and discussing when they reached the table. Naomi laughed at the looks of surprised on their faces, "Everyone this is Nate or Prod, and Luke or Midas. They're from London, they're transfer students." She looked at them and laughed again, "They've been here two weeks and have been completely lost."

Hart chuckled to himself, "So you'd thought you'd look for the other students?"

"To right." Midas said, "Didn't mean any harm. Besides, we didn't expect her to be a one, just wanted to get the attention of the pretty lady." He winked at her, she quickly changed the subject to introductions.

They pulled up another table and everyone sat down and new conversations began.

"What do you do?" Sparky asked Midas in the mids of the talk. Midas grinned.

PS. Don't go looking for the scent sweet midnight, I made it up... at least I think I did. I've never heard of it before.