A/N: I don't own X-Men: Evolution. I just own Addy aka Eve and the plot of this story.

"Thoughts"

Addy's Diary Entries

Chapter 5

Addy woke up in her bed, her dichromatic hair splayed around her head, having been loosed from the braids that held it earlier. As she tried to sit up, a sharp pain erupted in her forehead. She pressed a hand to her temple, only to feel that her glasses were missing. Confusion was her companion in this moment. Was all that stuff that happened just a dream? Looking down at herself provided her with an answer. Nope, she was wearing her day clothes. Addy NEVER wears her day clothes to bed. Not a dream.

Jen had entered the room to check on her daughter, Addy's glasses clutched delicately in her hands. "Are you okay, dear?" Started the barrage of questions. Followed by "Why were you unconscious? Who were those two girls who brought you home?" Moving her half ginger- half brunette bangs out of her eyes, she gently took her glasses from her mother's hand, her vision restored to peak condition as she put them back on.

"I'm fine, Mom," Addy soothed. "I just overexerted myself and my new friends were kind enough to bring me back home to rest." It didn't seem like that was all that was on Jen's mind, though. There was something vague about her face in this moment that made her appear older than she was. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she asked her teenage daughter the big question on her mind: "What's going on, Adelaide?"

Pushing her glasses back into place, Addy made a soft eye contact with her mother. She always knew things were serious when her mom referred to her as "Adelaide" instead of the nickname "Addy". Well, she had kept this hidden from her long enough. Twelve years of keeping secrets because she thought both of her parents wouldn't be able to handle the truth if she told them. But there was something Addy needed to know first.

"Mom," she started, "you know how much I love you, right?"

"Of course I do, baby," came the loving response.

"Before I tell you the truth, I want you to promise me that no matter what, you'll always love and support me."

"I promise you." No hesitation at all. Her daughter just hope that she meant those words. "Now tell me what's going on with you."

"Mom," Addy let out a hard breath and swallow. Saying this would never be easy. "I'm a… eh… I'm a mutant!"

There was no sound for a few moments. When they say that silence feels deafening, they're right. That's exactly what it feels like. All the words that the dual-haired girl wanted to say to explain herself had seemingly flown away. All that was left was any potential she had for action. Images in her mind of those noise-canceling headphones formed crisp and clear. There they appeared, resting gently in Addy's hands. Jen looked amazed at the seemingly miraculous happening.

"I created them from my thoughts," the young mutant nonchalantly admitted, hanging them around her neck. "I can actually make a lot of things just by thinking about them. As long as I have a basic understanding of something, I can bring it into the world with my mind."

Jen took the headphones from her daughter, awestruck by how real they seemed. "Because they are," her daughter knowingly spoke up. "I didn't even have to read your mind to know that's what you're thinking, Mom. The answer to that question is simple: as long as whatever I conjure up is real to me, it'll be just as real to everyone else."

To Addy's amazement, her mom took her up into a deep hug. The teenage girl caught a wiff of the perfume Jen was wearing. Vanilla and sandalwood. Two scents that you wouldn't think go together on paper, but are amazing. It always made her think of her mom and how much she loved her. The teal blue eyes of the mutant girl widened in surprise.

"You're… you're not mad at me?"

"Oh sweetie," Jen started, hugging her daughter tightly, "I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed in you. Disappointed in you for keeping the truth from me for twelve years, but also in myself for ever making you feel like you couldn't talk to me. But to be honest, I kinda already knew."

"How?"

Pulling out of the hug, Jen placed her hands over her daughter's. "A man came to the house today while you were at school, Professor Charles Xavier. He told me that he was interested in you and wants you to live in his home for the gifted."

"I know," Addy casually admitted to her mom. "Those new friends I mentioned are students under his care. The Professor sent them to recruit me. I, uh... pretty much learned that I was a mutant from them."

"At first, I was confused about the whole thing. You have a B average at school, you aren't part of any clubs or organizations, there was seemingly nothing remarkable about you in my mind... And then he told me about mutants. He... showed me, actually. When the conversation shifted into the exchanging of thoughts, I was surprised at first, but then I started putting things together. This was why you were being so distant towards me and your father. You thought that if we found out, that we'd turn away from you. I guess I was still slightly in denial about the whole thing, because I told the Professor I wanted to hear it from you."

"I totally understand why. So, now that you know for sure, what are you gonna do now?"

"Well, Professor Xavier thinks that it would be wise of us to move to Bayville, New York. There's a high school there we could transfer you into and the Institute is well within driving distance."

"And if I decide not to live at the Institute? What then?"

"He still wants you to live in close proximity so that he can check in every now and then and see how your powers are doing."

"What about the moving fees? How are we supposed to..."

"The Institute will take care of everything."

Addy's eyes went wide behind her lenses, then she let out an audible sigh of bemusement. "I guess all we have to do now is call Dad and let him know that we're moving."

"You don't need to tell me twice, dear." And with that, Jen stood up and left her daughter alone. Things were going to be different from now on, but she knew that despite that, everything was going to be okay.

Xavier's Institute for the Gifted

Bayville, New York

One Week Later

Dear Diary,

Things have been pretty hectic lately. Dad took finding out I'm a mutant extremely well. He was kind of upset when he found out that we had to move to New York, but when we told him the Institute would cover the finances, he was fine with it. He told me he's scared for me and how people would treat me differently if they found out, but I reminded him that I can handle myself. I'm tough, always have been.

The house we moved into is so different from the one we had back in Ohio. Part of me was wondering if I'd find a dead body in a closet or at least a nest full of opossums in the ceiling, but nothing so far. Thank goodness. Professor Xavier has given my family a grace period of three days to move into the new house and adjust to it before he wanted me to come to the Institute to meet me in person.

Now, it's the big day. In a few minutes, I'll be meeting the Professor. To say I'm nervous is an understatement. Jean and Kitty will be there for moral support, but... I don't know. Hopefully, everything turns out okay.

Your girl,

Addy

Putting down the pencil, Addy attempted to fix her bangs. They were the only part of her hair that was refusing to behave today.

"I think your hair looks fine," was what Jean had said to her about it. The ginger-brunette smiled at this.

"About everything that happened that day," the upperclassmen questioned, "Was that what your vision was about?"

"Yeah," was Addy's simple answer.

Kitty followed up with, "Are Lance's powers, like, gone forever?"

"Nope," Addy admitted. "Not forever, Kitty. I'm not an absolute monster. I merely took them away for twelve hours. He definitely has them back by now."

"But why did you take away his powers in the first place?"

"Lance was acting like a bratty child, so I essentially gave him a time out. Hopefully, half a day without his powers taught him a valuable lesson."

Addy's heartrate skyrocketed as she entered the Professor's office. Her pale hands felt sweaty and shaky. "Why am I like this?" Her thoughts screamed as she could feel the start of a headache coming on. "He's just a person. A Professor, a powerful telepath, but still a person. Calm down, Addy. Focus." Whatever dull ache had began in her head subsided as she looked up to see that not only was he there, but her mother was as well. She seemed almost as anxious as her teenaged daughter and for some reason that she couldn't explain, that put Addy at ease.

Professor Xavier then started the meeting, right as Addy took a seat next to her dark-haired mother. He reiterated what the purpose of the Institute was: It was meant to be a safe haven where mutants could live free of judgement and learn better control over their powers. It was also a place were research on mutations was being conducted so that they could be better understood. He also spoke of his vision for the future; that one day, mutants wouldn't have to hide or live in fear of judgement. Then came the big question: Will Addy stay at the Institute or not?

Hesitating for a moment, Addy finally says, "I admire your vision, Professor. Someday, I hope to live in that world you envision. But… I don't think I'm ready to be part of something yet. It's just… I need some time to myself to answer those two big questions on my mind right now: Who am I and what do I want?" The girl with the dichromatic hair stood up from her seat with a sad smile plastered on. "It's not a 'no'. It's just a 'not now'."

The Professor simply offered a kind smile and told the girl that if she ever changed her mind, there would always be a place for her at the Institute. As she left, she received a few tearful hugs from her two new friends. Sure, Addy wouldn't be living with them, but she was content with the fact that she'd still be able to see them at school.

The Next Day

Bayville High School, Bayville, New York

"Pardon the interruption. Would Adelaide St. Peter come to the principal's office, please? Adelaide St. Peter, you are needed in the principal's office. Thank you!"

As Addy got up and started on her way there, she could hear the faint voices of the other students around her. One doesn't need telepathy to know what was on their minds at that moment. All eyes were on the new girl as she calmly retreated into the hallway. Some of the snippets she managed to catch were as follows.

"You think Principal Darkholme has beef with her?"

"Getting called into the office on the first day? She must've done something REALLY bad!"

"Real gutsy of her to tick off the principal on the first day. I kinda respect her for that."

Addy smirked over her left shoulder, playfully saying, "You guys are doing a pretty bad job at being subtle."

Everyone went silent as she left them behind, making her way over to the office. As she took a seat, the ginger-brunette couldn't help but wonder to herself as to what this was all about. After what felt like an eternity - but was probably just ten minutes - she heard a woman's voice call out, "Miss St. Peter?"

Addy got up from her seated position, following this woman - whom she assumed was the principal - into her office. Everything was arranged in a very methodical way; it reminded the girl very much of how she'd decided to arrange her own space in her family's new home. As she took a seat, she fiddled with her braids out of habit. "You wanted to see me, Principal Darkholme?" Was the first thing that popped out of her mouth. It was said out of pure curiosity; the girl made sure there was no disrespectfulness behind it.

Adjusting her own glasses with a serious gaze, the principal's eyes didn't leave Addy for a second. "That's right," she firmly answered. "Miss St. Peter, I've called you in to discuss a matter of importance." The principal straightened some papers on her desk's surface before continuing. "I've heard that when offered a place to live at Xavier's Institute for the Gifted, you rejected the offer."

The young mutant's expression turned to one of high alert. "Why do you care?"

Principal Darkholme's eyes seemed to gleam with something Addy couldn't quite put words to. It made her skin crawl. "Because you are very special. You have great potential. You're not like the other students here. You're better than them. We are better than them."

The ginger-brunette knew what was being hinted at, even though she didn't want to admit it to herself, so she decided to play dumb. "I'm sorry, Principal Darkholme, but I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a B average student with no achievements to speak of. I'm not part of any notable groups and no one of significance, other than Professor Xavier, has ever paid any attention to me. Other than the fact that I have two hair colors instead of one, I'm no different from everyone else at this school."

Standing up from her chair smoothly, the Principal walked over to the window, gazing at the cloudy sky above. The bespectacled teenager couldn't see her hands as they were clasped in front of her. "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about, Adelaide," the older woman mused, not looking in Addy's direction as she spoke. "You're quite aware of how special you are. You can't hide it from me." Right as she said that last part, she moved seamlessly quick, revealing a sharpened pencil in her hand before throwing it in the direction of the ocean eyed girl. Addy panicked at first, but cleared her mind, coming up with a solution to her predicament.

"The pencil isn't about to hit me. It's laying on the desk. The pencil isn't about to hit me. It's laying on the desk." The whole time she pictured a number 2 pencil similar to the one about to nail her in the forehead resting plainly on the surface of the desk. Focus, focus, and there it was. No longer was it hurdling towards her face, but was laying still on the polished metal. In fact, the writing instrument looked as though it had never been moved to begin with.

"Impressive display," the educator praised. "You would make a fine edition to the team I'm building."

"What if I say 'no'?"

"Do you value your life?"

When she said this, the woman's form shifted into that of a truly despicable, horrifying monster. It looked like something right out of the pages of Lovecraft. Addy gazed up into the monster's eyes with no emotion. No trace of fear. "Do you really think trying to scare me will convince me to work for you?"

"You seem to be a very brave individual, Miss St. Peter." Her form shifted again, but this time into the shape of a red-haired woman with blue skin and piercing gold eyes. She wore a long white dress with matching gloves and boots. "Either that, or you're very foolish."

"I'm just the type of person who likes to know what I'm getting into before I make a decision. Answer me this: Who are you really?"

The woman smiled once again in a way Addy didn't like. "I've taken many forms over the years. I've went by a variety of different names with each new face I wore."

Addy knew that she was being vague on purpose, but decided not to press that issue any further, with or without telepathy. "Alright, I have one more question: Is one of the members of this 'team' Lance Alvers?" She didn't get an answer. She didn't need to hear one. She had a feeling she already knew what it was.

"Well first of all, he hates me because I temporarily depowered him, so if we were working together, all of our interactions would be WAY too awkward. But that's not the only reason why I don't want to work with him." Addy stood up from where she was sitting, eyes locked with the shapeshifting principal.

"Him and I have very different ideas of how the world is. I'm gonna go my own way. You got a problem with that?" The shapeshifter would never admit this to a soul, but when the eyes of this young mutant shifted in color behind those transparent lenses, she felt a slight twinge of fear for her life. Just calling Addy's eyes pink would be a disservice. There was pink and then there was this.

They were more like two rhodochrosite stones set against a white backdrop with a dark hole in their centers that seemed to swallow all light. Had they just been colored glass, light would've been reflected in all directions, but these were genuine. All light went straight to their cores. They were cold. They were seemingly unfeeling. They froze Mystique where she stood. Any words she could've said had seemingly been stolen from her by this... she didn't even have words to describe what this girl was. That was all that Addy needed to know.

"I didn't think so." As her eyes shifted back to their usual shade of teal blue, the girl with the dichromatic hair proceeded to leave the office, with Mystique still frozen where she stood. She didn't even say a word to try and stop Addy from leaving. She just... let her go. Was she that scared of this mutant... or did some dark part of her that she would never admit existed have some form of respect for her?