Once again, I apologize for the delay on this one. I got caught up in finishing the other fanfic I was going to wait to finish, so now I'm ready to continue this one as planned. Hope you guys enjoy!
Episode 101: Trial Run!
Before Peter Parker could decide how to answer Anna Marie's question, the bell rang signifying the end of lunch period.
"Don't think I won't ask you later," Anna warned. Then she got up and left with her cat-like Marémon Tabirog.
"What's her problem?" Kitty Pryde wondered. "She's never been this inquisitive before."
"Maybe our visitors are making her nervous," Kurt Wagner suggested before apologizing to Peter and the others. "No offense to you guys."
"None taken," Michelle 'MJ' Jones said assuredly. "I know Mutants have a long history of being discriminated by regular humans."
"But we're not like them," Peter Quill said he bumped Gwen Stacy's shoulder. "Right?"
"Right," Gwen nodded reluctantly.
Jubilation 'Jubilee' Lee sighed. "She's probably just fretting over Remi again. I swear that guy's flirting with a new girl every day."
"Who's Remi?" Gwen asked.
"Remi LeBeau," Kitty answered. "He's Anna's boyfriend and the school chef."
Looking over at the table where the food was served, Gwen beheld an attractive-looking boy that was tall with short brunette hair and dark eyes with no irises. The boy noticed Gwen's gaze and he winked at her, which made her blush in spite of herself.
"What's wrong with me?" Gwen muttered to herself as she slapped her cheeks. "I must remain loyal to my true love!"
"And who is your true love?" MJ asked coyly. "You've never told us who he is."
Gwen looked at MJ and frowned. "I'm certainly not going to tell you, unless you win the next Affection Ribbon. And if I win, you have to confess your feelings for Peter Parker."
MJ hesitated, but then she shook Gwen's hand. "I'll take that bet."
As this was going on, Jubilee and the other Mutant kids were clearing out of their tables and heading out of the dining hall in a hurry. Peter was also lost in his own thoughts, so he wasn't paying attention to the bet made between MJ and Gwen while Quill was trying to keep his still unruly Marémon in line.
Later that night, Peter woke up and was compelled to head to Professor Charles Xavier's office though he didn't know why. Inside, he found Xavier in a deep concentrated state while his helmet-headed Marémon Proffix watched Peter closely.
"I'm sorry I made you get out of bed, Mr. Parker," Xavier apologized. "But I wasn't sure if you would come to my office willingly, given the troubled state of mind you're in."
Peter knew Xavier was right and said nothing in response.
"Did you tell your friends about your new status as a Mutant?"
"No, sir," Peter mumbled. "I couldn't find a way to tell them."
"That's understandable since this is all new to you."
"Will I have to now put my name on the Mutant Registration List?"
Xavier's brow furrowed. "I would strongly advise against it. Not only is the Mutant Registration List a breach of personal privacy, but it's nothing more than a way for the Sentils to find us."
"The Sentils? You mean the artificial Marémon programmed to hunt down Mutants that didn't register on the list?"
"Yes. And if they knew where we were, they would take us all away to government labs like the one Logan was found in."
Shuttering at the thought, Peter clenched his fists.
"Well, the reason I called you here was to offer a trial run of attending my school."
Peter couldn't believe what he just heard. "Are you serious?"
"Of course I am. You will take classes first thing tomorrow and throughout the week until Steve Rogers recovers from his injuries."
"And my friends?"
"They can attend if they want to as well. But I'm not sure what they would get out of it since they're not Mutants."
"I see. But why are you asking me to attend?"
"Because I think it would help you feel better if you were with fellow Mutants. Though if you wish to continue your journey to becoming a Marémon Hero by the end of the trial run, that is perfectly reasonable."
Peter thought over Xavier's proposal and then nodded. "All right, I'll do it."
Smiling, Xavier said, "Then I shall telepathically inform your friends of your decision."
The following day, Peter got up at daybreak with his spider-shaped Marémon Spidermin. After getting washed and dressed, he went to his first class which was Homeroom. Peter was not only surprised to see Xavier himself, but also Kitty, Kurt, and Jubilee.
"Hey, Pete!" Kitty said as she waved. "Nice to see you again!"
"I take you've already acquainted yourself with Miss Pryde," Xavier guessed.
"We met the other day at lunch," Peter answered in an embarrassed tone.
Just then, the door to Homeroom opened and MJ stepped through.
"Sorry I'm late," MJ apologized, standing next to Peter. "I would like to participate in the trial run too, if that's not too much of an inconvenience."
"Not at all, Miss Jones," Xavier responded, hiding his confusion with a polite smile.
"MJ," Peter whispered. "What are you doing?"
"Keeping you out of trouble," MJ said quietly to Peter. "You never know if any of these Mutants might decide to gang up on you for being a newbie."
"Mutants aren't like that," Peter argued. "They seem really nice and accepting."
But as Peter and MJ went to their seats, Peter's gaze fell on a girl in the back with a constant scowl on her face. She had straight brunette hair and dark eyes that always seemed watchful. He caught her staring at him suspiciously and averted his eyes from her for the rest of the class. After two ordinary classes of Art and Biology taught by Jean Grey and Hank McCoy respectively, there was a 30 minute lunch break before Combat Studies which was taught by Ororo Munroe.
To be continued…
