18 January

Firework.-n. 1. a combustible or explosive device for producing a striking display of light or a loud noise, used for signaling or as part of a celebration 2. a. a pyrotechnic display b. a display of violent temper or fierce activity c. any spectacular display, especially of wit or of a technical feat by a musician or dancer

The loud bell rang over the students' heads, signalling it was time for the class to start. Rogue's English teacher was one of the teachers that had everyone sitting in their seats before the bell, expecting everyone to have their pencils out and writing the prompt without being told to. Such a thing rarely happened, but it didn't mean her demands were unwarranted. Rogue usually sat down right away, but took her time in pulling out her pen and notebook. She never really liked the prompts the teacher put up on the board, and she didn't see the point of writing a daily journal anyway.

Write about an important person in your life and why.

The teacher made the prompt sound so easy, with such few words. Yet Rogue hardly had anyone. Her mother and Irene dropped her off at Xavier's mansion as if she was a sack of potatoes, and before that, Rogue didn't have much either. Now she had the professor, Ororo, Kurt, and Remy, but Rogue couldn't allow herself to get too close to them, both physically and emotionally. Ororo and Kurt always put an effort into making her feel welcome, but with Remy it was a hit or a miss. Either he was in the mood, or he wasn't around at all.

Rogue twiddled the pencil between her fingers, staring at the board as she tried to think of what to write about. She wouldn't be surprised if most of everyone else was writing about their boyfriend, girlfriend, or best friend. Family members were something of the past; teenagers were too good for that now. Rogue had none of that. She didn't even have a family to take for granted.

"Getting close to other people has never been easy for me," Rogue began. She took her time in writing out each letter, each word. She had to make sure that what she wrote was true, even if the teacher wouldn't care. "but if I have to choose one important person in my life -"

"Put down your pencils," the teacher called out to the class.

Rogue jerked her head up, the white streaks in her bangs falling into her eyes. She didn't even have time to finish her sentence, let alone answer the prompt. Using her pencil to wipe her hair aside, she gently closed her notebook with her other hand. Some other prompt she'd have enough time to properly answer. This one might nag at her, but at least she didn't have to face it head-on any longer.

"Put your journals away and get out your books." She opened her mouth to say more, but instead of hearing words, Rogue heard an impressive explosion outside of the school. The class and teacher froze, unsure of how to react to such a sound. Rogue, on the other hand, jumped straight up from her seat, took one look out the window, and darted out into the hallway. "Get back in here!" she heard the teacher screech behind her. Rogue didn't listen.

Rogue sprinted down the hallway, then came to a skidding stop in front of another classroom door. Peering through the window, she saw Scott trying to tame a frightened classroom. Rogue motioned to him, grabbing his attention. He tossed an apologetic look toward his teacher, and met Rogue in the hallway.

"What was that?" Rogue demanded.

"Rogue, go back to your classroom."

"No. Ah'm an X-Man, an' Ah getta help you," she denied crossly.

"How?" Scott asked. He crossed his arms across his chest, looking down at her.

Rogue jutted her chin upwards to compensate for his height. "We're a team, ain't we? 'Bout time we acted like one."

"Spoken like a true hero," Hank commented from behind her. "Scott, the source of the explosion was another mutant. We don't know who, per say, but we know they're dangerous."

Jean stepped forward. "I think he needs to charge up a little in order to create another explosion like the one before, but he needs to be stopped before that can happen."

Scott sighed, glancing between his teammates, and then down at Rogue. "Alright. Hank, go find Peter. Jean, Rogue, you're with me. And Jean? See if you can get a hold of Warren." He turned on his heel and darted down the hallway, expecting the two women to keep up with him. "Do you know how he creates the explosions?"

Jean shook her head. "No. But I do know where he's at. I can't get a real telepathic fix on him, but he's heading for downtown."

"Great," Scott muttered. "How much time do we have?"

"Not a lot," Jean admitted.

"Okay, we're taking my car. Jean, can you get a hold of Ororo and tell her she's in charge of transportation for Hank and Peter?"

Jean nodded in silent reply. She continued running along with Scott and Rogue, but she stared off in concentration.

The small team eventually burst through the school's front doors and made a beeline to Scott's car. He dug the keys out of his pockets as he ran so that he could automatically open the doors before they reached the vehicle. Before he was even sitting, he jammed the key into the ignition, roughly turned the engine on, closed his door behind him, and threw the car into reverse. Tires squealed as he frantically kept control of the car, though it appeared as if it wasn't much of a problem at all. Within a minute, they were flying down the road as if they were some sort of emergency vehicle.

"Rogue, you don't have your costume on, do you?" Scott asked once he had a rhythm.

"Um ... no. It ain't all that inconspicuous, even in winter."

"Alright. I want you to stay to the side, out of sight, unless we absolutely need you. You're still untrained, and we can't risk anyone recognizing you with your civilian clothes on and making a connection to Xavier. Mutants aren't exactly held in high light right now."

Rogue wasn't too happy with his decision, but she begrudgingly agreed.

Scott pulled to an abrupt halt once they reached the city, guided by Jean's telepathy. He turned around in his seat and Jean clambered on, if only to get one last word in with Rogue. "Jean'll call you if we need help."

"Alright!" Rogue barked, staring after him as he, too, left. He still managed to find a way to bench her, even after she thought she'd be needed no matter what.