W.I.T.C.H.E.: Evolution

By: Sokai

Disclaimer: I, Sokai, do not claim ownership to the workings of W.I.T.C.H. - I leave that honor up to Elisabetta Gnone. Nor do I own Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's X-Men series franchise (even though this story isn't even really related to the series, at least not super super directly, anyway. Just don't want to hear law suit claims LL). However, I can and DO claim to own this story and its inspired ideas FROM both series.

Note: I hate Mondays. I really do. No, wait. I did, mainly when I was in school, for obvious reasons. =) Now I'm not really fond of every other weekend, since those are my super busy ones and I'm not off then, damn it. LoL Anyway, as a result of writing this chapter and just remembering 'High School Me' most Mondays, I honestly had the song "Monday, Monday" by The Mamas & The Papas stuck within my head. =P I remember humming or singing it with my friends whenever we'd get off the bus together and head to our first period classes.

Sure, it may be a love song, but the end of the song most definitely matched with our feelings about the freaking day and having to go back to school. LoL

Anyway! I hope you'll enjoy this first half of the chapter all the same, My Lovelies! =)

This chapter was written/created in January 2018, and revised in June 2018.

Chapter Four (Part One)

Monday, Monday.

Nothing worse than having to start another dreaded week of school by taking an exam, first thing.

Worse still, if it was an exam neither studied for nor passed, although Irma was feeling more than just fairly confident that she had, especially considering all the revision her professors had made her do that past weekend, after all.

And this time around, she hadn't even been one of the last people to complete it . . . that she saw, anyhow, an observation which definitely helped put the Hydrokinetic mutant within a rather forgiving mood for having to begin another, usually slowly paced school week back at Bayville High School, and even having had to have been put on lock down back at the mansion for the rest of the weekend. . . .

After all, Irma hadn't been able to purchase that rocking pair of knee high boots at the mall for the always iconic Karmilla's concert for that coming Friday as planned, but at least she was still being allowed to go at all . . . last she knew, anyway.

Besides, if she hadn't been forced to stay behind by Professor Lin, she might not have met the new girl, Will Vandom, and eventually made friends.

Silver lining, and all that.

Well, no.

To be fair, it wouldn't have really mattered if Irma had been on punishment or not, as she would have most definitely met the reserved redhead sooner or later, anyway, as pretty much every student at Kandrakar's School for Gifted Youngsters knows one another, or at least of one another eventually.

The professors did kind of make that an ongoing point, after all.

Still, Irma was glad to have met Will when she had . . . even if it did result within the very unexpected, and highly accidental 'Short Out' of the evidently Electrokinetic newcomer, alongside Irma's 'enjoyable' electrocution. . . .

After that entire incident had gone down, Irma honestly just wanted to stay locked away within her dorm room the rest of the weekend, and even today, if she'd originally had her way, she'd felt that bad.

Because what was the point, really, of all that training, the perseverance, the patience – Good God, the patience – if stupid little slip-ups, like spilling a glass of water on someone whose electrified powers were still clearly very much unchecked could happen?

Thankfully for good old Hay Lin coming to her best friend and roommate's rescue, though, as she'd been the first to swiftly remind the otherwise pretty laid back Irma of how far she'd come the last two years, and how there honestly had been no way of her knowing that Will was an Electrokinetic mutant.

"It wasn't as though she'd advertised it to me, either, when we'd met, ourselves, Irma. You shouldn't continue to beat yourself up about it," the petite artist had reminded within ongoing comfort yesterday morning before breakfast, upon immediately sensing that Irma had initially no intention of emerging from their shared dormitory, yet again.

". . . . At least, not until I've finished my exercises, Hay," the brunette had mumbled within explanation, referencing the pinpoint precision techniques regarding her Hydrokinetic abilities she'd been repeatedly practicing since the previous evening. "This way, I'll definitely be ready the next time another lightning-friendly student rolls up on campus, and I just gotta go and show off what I can do – Which, of course, we both know that even after all this, I very well will still go ahead and do. . . ."

All's well that ended well, though, since both Irma and Will had been able to finally talk things out after thankfully bumping into one another not long after lunchtime yesterday, anyhow.

Or, rather, Irma had bumped into Will, while on her way to the pool for her regular, daily swim (barring responsibilities, of course), and Will had evidently been on her way to find her . . . while also having just vacated the swimming area, of all places, herself.

It was honestly almost like dealing with an entirely new person that time around, and maybe it had been, the way the previously wound up and guarded Will had been able to express, albeit shyly, her deep regret at having injured Irma and caused such trouble in the first place.

The complete one-eighty was certainly enough to make the naturally curious Irma ask what had sparked such an abrupt turnaround, but had decidedly thought better of it since, despite now being a tiny bit more forthright, Will still appeared to be hanging onto the obvious fortress of protected emotions she had going on for her.

That, and when Irma had momentarily looked over Will's shoulder, she had just managed to catch a glimpse of Elyon looking right back at her with a knowing sort of smile, before quickly scurrying away from the pool area altogether.

Thus, needless to say, Irma knew when to leave well enough alone, especially when it apparently involved Kandrakar's School for Gifted Youngsters future Headmistress, and all the many, many, many different mutant abilities she was very lucky to possess and Irma was eternally envious of . . . within good sport, of course.

Not to mention that even if Irma really did have a serious bone to pick with Elyon within any sort of manner, her unofficial guard dog would most certainly have it out with her, anyway – Not that that didn't honestly happen pretty much on a daily basis for one reason or another, anyhow.

Speaking of. . . .

"Heyyy, there, Corny! I was just thinking of you, did you know? And here you are! It must be fate," Irma teased with a carefree grin as she approached the crouching blonde within the bustling hallway in between First and Second Period.

Cornelia immediately tensed up upon hearing her reluctant friend's voice, before releasing a rather dramatic exhale as a result.

"Of course! Except, you know, barring the fact that I am currently in front of my blatantly open locker, and that my next period class is right across the hall from it, as we both well know," she offered up within her usual, matter-of-fact and fed up sounding tone whenever speaking with her polar opposite.

Irma merely raised her hands up within mock defeat at this, nonetheless, and smirked, before maneuvering around the taller girl in order to lean against one of the many sealed lockers nearest hers.

"Well, I'm just sayin'! You know how much I enjoy running into you during our shared day to day, but to think of you on top of that – And to actually have you show up right when I do? I mean, c'mon, now: Cherry on top, on this, O Blessed Monday back at school!" she fired back without missing a beat, her words drenched within her patented saccharine sort of sarcasm she was fully aware grated on Cornelia's nerves all the more.

Sure enough, the traditionally serious teenager promptly lifted her head up from her open shoulder bag placed temporarily between her legs as she swapped out a few of her notebooks and textbooks, and glared daggers at a now giggling Irma.

"Jesus, Irma! Yeah, it is Monday! So can't you save your annoying . . . ness for later on? You'd think you'd be more moody like you usually are at the start of every school week, especially ones which contain looming tests. . . . I take it you bombed your 'U.S. History' exam – With no real surprise to me, of course?"

Irma merely rolled her eyes and scoffed with yet another smirk, in spite of her so called opponent's best efforts to get underneath her skin . . . even if the blonde surprisingly knew her well enough to at least take note of the fact that she truly did detest Mondays on the whole.

"Ha! Sucks to be you, Cornikins, because not only did I pass that test, but I probably got anywhere between a B to maybe even an A-minus on it . . . or, okay so probably more like B-plus, although they're honestly the same difference, really," she remarked with a cheeky grin, sticking out her tongue for good measure. "So, yeah! You can just go ahead and eat my ass on that one, Goldilocks! Although I will say I am touched that you seem to pay enough attention to me to even remember about my never-ending love affair with good ol' Monday, Monday!"

That was the ticket.

Irma knew that her last comment would completely trigger Cornelia, and unravel the otherwise well maintained composure of perfection she usually exuded on a daily basis, because as soon as she'd said it and the other girl had finished carrying on with her business within her painfully neat locker, Cornelia slammed it shut within undeniable disgust.

Or was it embarrassment?

Perhaps even a hint of . . . Irma wasn't really sure, to be quite honest, although there certainly was a splash of something new brought into the usual mix which the brunette hadn't expected, and which honestly caught her a bit off guard, as well.

"W-W-What did you say? E-Eat your – ? Ugh! Could you be any more revolting, Irma?" Cornelia stammered profusely, cheeks greatly aflame and her usual confidence completely flown out of the window as she suddenly found herself woefully incapable of maintaining eye contact with the now befuddled Irma, who could only slowly raise her eyebrow at the sight.

Cornelia could, however, frantically gaze about the continually crowded hallway, clearly feeling relieved that it was far too loud for anyone but the two of them to have heard what Irma had previously stated.

Whatever she'd been thinking, or had been the matter with her had already passed, as the admittedly quite mature older girl swiftly calmed herself down and coolly tucked a stray strand of her pulled back blonde hair behind her ear, before exhaling deeply toward Irma within what eerily almost sounded like a parent's disappointment within their child.

And considering the previous statement, said connection only made things all the more bizarre for Irma to continue witnessing. . . .

"You'd think living at the mansion would have awarded you a bit more maturity and insight over time, Irma, but I guess not. Still, hopefully something will rub off on you soon, though . . . preferably before graduation," Cornelia stated with an even sort of calm, carefully draping her shoulder bag back over her left shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm heading to my 'AP Calc.' class before the bell rings – Because I, unlike you, prefer not receiving any tardy slips, thus possibly ruining my chances at going to Karmilla's rock concert this Friday. . . ."

Irma let out a purposefully loud, purposefully obnoxious snort at this as she pushed herself off of the random locker she'd been propping herself against that entire time.

"Oh, yeah, of courrrse! It's easy not to be late to your next class when it's right-freaking-there, like you pointed out. Even a toddler could get there on time without ever receiving one late slip," she jeered with a chuckle, choosing to let her housemate have the rest of her honestly weak insults for a change as, once again, she was in a pretty good mood for a Monday. "Now, you run along and go learn all about your precious 'Derivatives' and 'Integrals,' and tell Taranee I'll save a seat for her at lunch later, yeah? Have funnn!"

And with that, Irma was off, charging down the now thinning out hallway like an honest bolt of lightning, ironically, leaving a presumably scowling Cornelia behind to probably wonder how or why the brunette was even aware of what Integrals and Derivatives were, both considering Irma was presently taking Algebra, and that both girls were keenly aware that Cornelia (and admittedly a few other fellow students) perceived her to be a bit of a slacker.

So long as it didn't involve her family, any of her close friends, or Kandrakar's School for Gifted Youngsters and its faculty, Irma traditionally couldn't give a rat's ass what anyone thought nor spoke of her, as she knew the truth of herself.

And so, too, did anyone else who truly mattered to her, as well.

Besides which, Irma presently had three things going for her which helped keep everything within perspective.

Number One: High school was just a drop within the massive ocean of life, so really virtually anything which would occur while there wouldn't even come close to mattering within the long run.

Number Two: She so totally more or less 'aced' her 'U.S. History' exam, which meant that . . . Number Three: She was free to spend the rest of the week coordinating outfits with Jubilee and Megan for Karmilla's concert come Friday night.

Hey.

She still did firmly believe virtually anything which would occur while within high school really wouldn't come close to mattering later on in life . . . just not including her first time attending an actual, mother-loving Karmilla concert, that's all.

Everything within perspective.

~O~

"And be sure to study everything thoroughly for Friday's quiz, all right? Have a great day, you guys!" Mister Arya hurriedly stated as his students began filing out of the doorway just as swiftly, carrying his usually calm and honestly soothing voice over the bell which had just then signaled the end of Second Period.

It was probably a very good thing that Mister Arya was pretty popular – No, Leonard, as he'd requested all his students refer to him as (primarily due to the fact that it was apparently quite difficult for several of them to properly pronounce his last name for whatever the reason) . . . or else Cornelia was fairly certain there would have been some sort of revolt at the fact that not only would there be even more studying involved, but that a quiz now just so happened to coincide with one of the biggest events to hit the generally quiet city of Bayville in quite a bit.

It was also a very good thing that Cornelia was usually pretty prepared and generally caught up within her studies, anyhow, regardless of the topic, or else she, too, might have actually been a bit outraged, herself . . . although, it wasn't to say that she was the tremendous fan of Karmilla the way Jubilee or Irma were, for example.

She was just more so merely looking forward to going at all, honestly, because it would provide her with the perfect excuse to spend some quality time with Elyon, within a setting which didn't involve the high school, or the mansion, or any of that for a change.

. . . . Well, a pretty sizable chunk of their housemates were going, Cornelia was aware, and she was pretty sure that more than just a handful of the rest of the kids from Bayville would be going, as well, so it technically would still involve both 'worlds' in some fashion.

Still.

This would hopefully be Cornelia's 'in' to making the concert a date without actually labeling it as one . . . at least, not aloud, anyway.

After all, it had been Elyon's suggestion that the two of them go together and 'let our hair down for a change,' as she'd put it, when the news first broke months ago that Karmilla would be making a first time visit to the otherwise pretty ho-hum Bayville area.

And, of course, Cornelia had continued to play it cool, which really wasn't terribly difficult as again, the superstar's music really wasn't her cup of tea, and she'd said as much.

Especially if it meant having to share the concert arena with Irma, who, of course, was positively over the moon within exultation over the upcoming turn of events.

Nonetheless, despite still firmly wanting nothing to change between them as best friends, if going to the concert would also mean getting a chance at being close to Elyon, all while dressing up a bit and perhaps even getting her to notice the effort she was most assuredly going to put that night in getting ready, then . . . perhaps it all would be worth it.

One little moment of private indulgence wouldn't hurt, would it?

As Cornelia continued privately daydreaming about the unrequited focus of her burgeoning affections (and once more feeling rather thankful that there weren't any mind-reading mutants within the class she'd just left), her attention then splintered onto another particular individual who'd just hurried past her within an admittedly pitiful attempt not to be noticed.

By her, by everyone, Cornelia wasn't really sure, although from what she was aware of the Thermokinetic mutant so far, Taranee Cook wasn't really one for making waves.

In fact, if Cornelia was perfectly honest with herself, she'd still find herself usually forgetting half the time that the two girls even shared the same class, even after having been directly asked by The Professor to sort of take the bashful girl underneath her wing.

And it especially slipped her mind that they also had the same lunch period with both Irma and Hay Lin.

But then, within Cornelia's defense, seats weren't alphabetical within their 'Advanced Placement Calculus' class, which meant that Taranee usually sat far in the back and rarely raised her hand, while Cornelia did the exact opposite.

And as far as lunchtime was concerned, as irritating as she could be, Cornelia would usually alternate between sitting with Irma (although mainly because Hay Lin would obviously sit with her, what with somehow being her best friend and all), and sitting with a few other housemates from the institute.

She didn't know exactly where Taranee sat, although Irma apparently seemed to, given her having asked Cornelia to pass along the message that she'd 'see her at lunch.'

Speaking of, Cornelia supposed she may as well do so now, and use that as a way to breach the otherwise awkward segue into being forced to being the incredibly skittish girl's 'mentor' of sorts where her mutant abilities were concerned.

No time like the present, after all, especially considering Elyon had already managed to not only touch base with Will the day before, but had apparently imparted some sort of profound wisdom to the newcomer.

While it may not have been an actual competition over whom would ultimately be the best 'Mutant Tutor,' Cornelia couldn't help but let her natural rivalry take over once Elyon had informed her of the news during bedtime last night.

And as admittedly adorable as it'd been to have watched the petite blonde beam with pride at having been able to "actually help out on my first go of it," as she'd stated, Cornelia wasn't about to let herself fall behind as a fellow Junior Professor.

. . . . Even if she really wasn't looking forward to it, as she was pretty certain both she and Taranee would have absolutely nothing in common, barring mutual smarts where at least mathematics was concerned, in addition to the both of them being mutants.

She really did have to wonder, if only just a little bit, if The Professor might have swapped Irma out for herself a bit too prematurely, as the brunette had originally been all too eager and willing to show the other new girl the ropes, after all. . . .

Exhaling heavily within defeated resignation, Cornelia swiftly began to pick up the pace as her blue eyes trained themselves upon Taranee's retreating form within the near distance.

"H-Hey, Taranee! Good morning!" Cornelia breathed with as casual a smile as she could presently muster, just managing to catch up to the now taken aback girl before the both of them had rounded the corner ahead. "Today's lesson with Leonard was pretty . . . pretty intense, huh? Sucks that we have to have a quiz the same day as the big rock concert, though, right?"

Cornelia could feel her cheeks growing incredibly hot as Taranee merely stared blankly back at her from behind her rectangular and black framed eyeglasses.

She couldn't really say that she blamed her current confusion, honestly, as even Cornelia wasn't readily sure what all of that was about.

God, I'm sounding like Irma or something, she groaned inwardly, puckering up her glossed lips as she had to silently remind herself that she wasn't some mindless teenager, incapable of handling even the most basic of situations, such as simply conversing with a fellow student. It's not like you two haven't already spoken before, even if it's been few and far in between. You've got this, Cornelia!

"O-Oh, um, yeah, I guess so, Cornelia . . . although I honestly didn't really find it to be all that complicated, myself," Taranee innocently remarked with a slight nod and smile, before both girls resumed their walk further down the high school's busy hallway. "But then, mathematics has just always been my favorite subject. . . . And as for having the quiz on Friday, that's all right by me, since I'm not going to that concert, anyway. . . ."

Choosing to ignore and immediately swallow down the admittedly nuisance of a competitive streak within her once more, as Taranee had more or less indirectly challenged the blonde's own intellect (even if it had already become widespread throughout both campuses of how incredibly knowledgeable Taranee truly was), Cornelia instead pushed through with the overall conversation.

"Mmm . . . Well, maybe later on in the week you and I could still do some revision together, anyway, huh? Especially if you're not going to go to Karmilla's concert, since pretty much everyone else will be and won't honestly be focusing on proper studying," Cornelia stated a bit evenly at first, before forcing herself to relax and completely shift gears onto the topic of the week as a way to better get the ball rolling between them.

Taranee merely shrugged at this, however, not seeming to have caught the taller girl's brief discourtesy.

"Yeah, I think that would probably be best, since I think you're right about how it seems everyone here at Bayville – Even back at the institute, honestly – just have this whole concert thing on their minds. But, to be fair, Karmilla isn't honestly half bad, so I guess it's understandable," she commented with another, slowly growing smile, although this one appeared a bit more forlorn within nature.

Having caught sight of this, and honestly already running out of anything else to discuss, Cornelia promptly pounced upon it, although taking extra care to maintain as respectful and easygoing a demeanor as possible.

Elyon was so not going to 'win' this mentoring thing.

"Ohhh, that's right. You've only been here for about a month or so, right? So honestly all of this, well, craziness about a big time superstar coming to a small, generally tame city would probably be a bit of a shell shock . . . especially, you know. Given the timing, and all," Cornelia finished a bit cryptically and carefully lowered her breath as a result, although her last statement appeared to affect the raven haired girl all the same.

Even though Cornelia naturally didn't know all too much about Taranee, she was at least still aware of what The Professor had informed both she and Elyon of upon the timid girl's arrival the previous month.

That she, like Will, had had the unfortunate experience of having her mutant abilities manifest unexpectedly, during a family camping trip before school would have started for Taranee, back within her much more populated hometown of Sesamo, Connecticut.

"Miss Cook's abilities are Thermokinetic within nature, and had regrettably manifested themselves twice upon that trip, the first being during a previously cooling dip within a nearby spring with her older brother, Peter . . . and then the second time, a bit more . . . theatrical, as it were, when she and the rest of her family were intending to roast marshmallows back at their campsite," Professor Kandrakar had explained within his usual, sympathetic tone whenever a new student would awaken to their powers without any prior knowledge. "Yes. Apparently the entire bag Miss Cook had been holding onto had inexplicably begun to brown and cook themselves just by her simple touch, alone. . . . Needless to say, her family's vacation had been immediately cut short upon witnessing such an otherwise troubling sight."

Although Taranee's 'story' wasn't terribly original by that point to Cornelia, having met and lived with so many other students who've also had the misfortune of waking one day with previously unimaginable powers, she still could and did also sympathize, herself.

After all, her own 'origins' had been made known to her from the get go, so when Cornelia had awakened to her mutant capabilities, it was fully welcomed, as well as embraced.

However, if there was one thing she'd swiftly learned during her time at Kandrakar's School for Gifted Youngsters, it was that not everyone had it easy in life, especially not when it came to being a mutant. . . .

It honestly both further humbled her, as well as make her truly respect those who were previously blind to who they really were, much like Elyon, or even Will and Taranee . . . especially Taranee within this case, as she was also adopted, evidently, and no one else within her family were also mutants, or even were aware they'd existed prior to the initiating incident.

Still, from what Cornelia was also made to understand, Taranee's family was a rather closely knit one, through and through, and as understandably upsetting as everything had been, they had made it abundantly clear that they loved her no less than before, and would stick with her every step of the way.

Cornelia had to honestly stop and wonder what it might have been like had the Cook and Hale families had lived near one another since day one, what with the way the blonde's parents still very much felt about non-mutants.

Hell, how Cornelia, herself, used to feel about non-mutants.

She'd probably would have made Taranee's life a complete nightmare, if she was perfectly honest with herself, just for having a 'non-gifted family.'

Despite the overall, morose reflection, Cornelia couldn't help but smile thoughtfully with a bit of personal esteem over how far she truly had come as an individual, filling her up with a renewed vigor to help Taranee out properly, and not because of any competing factors against Elyon, or even because she'd been directly asked by their Headmaster.

But because it was the right thing to do.

As the two girls began climbing up the nearest set of stairs toward the second level of the high school in order to reach their next, although this time separate classes, Taranee gazed down at her now outstretched hands within pointed contemplation.

". . . . Y-Yeah. I guess that's true," she murmured, more so to herself with a faraway, facial expression, before swiftly taking in a deep inhale and appearing to snap out of her previous haze. "B-But, um, i-in all honesty . . . I think having to move here really was all for the best. I mean, well, I'm definitely still not fully all right with the decision, having to leave my family and former life behind, but . . . at least it had been left up to me to make that final call. And, thankfully, I still even have my family's support and love to fall back on no matter what. . . ."

Taking brief note within Taranee's meditative pause, which Cornelia was fully aware was taught at the institute by their professors as one of the principle ways of maintaining control over one's powers, the blonde couldn't help but smile genuinely upon hearing the bashful teenager's words.

"That's honestly great to know, Taranee," she stated warmly as the pair reached the top of the staircase, hesitating a moment before gently resting a hand upon the shorter girl's shoulder. "And, hey. It's really great to see the strides you've already made just by coming here, as well. If . . . If you want, maybe some time I could help you out sometime. You know, be more than just study partners for our 'AP Calc.' quiz on Friday, you get it. . . ."

Taranee's soft brown eyes lit up at this as she smiled back, apparently clearly touched by the other girl's offer.

"R-Really? You wouldn't be too busy or something like that, like what Irma said? That'd actually be pretty great, thanks, as I understand that both you and Elyon are kind of like . . . I guess two perfect examples of what living at the institute could do if you're dedicated enough. And I'm nothing, if not pretty dedicated," she revealed with a light chuckle, running a hand through her medium length and free flowing hair as she'd unfortunately managed to yet again unconsciously sour Cornelia's previously relaxed mood.

". . . . 'Like what Irma said?' What did Irma tell you about me, anyway, if you don't mind my asking?" she naturally inquired, with as much tactful pleasantness as she could presently muster, as she was already well aware that whatever the Hydrokinetic joker had been saying about her, it was undoubtedly overly exaggerated, and greatly vexing.

Smartly sensing the sudden tension upon referring to their mutual housemate, Taranee carefully cleared her throat before simply stating, ". . . . J-Just that you recently got promoted, I suppose, as sort of a student teacher – You and Elyon, actually, and that because of that, you just kind of have your plates full, more than the rest of us. So that's why Irma's kind of been showing me how things go around here on and off, herself. She's also pretty impressive, herself. I just hope that I can get the hang of – "

Just then, the late bell had sounded, causing Taranee to squeal within obvious stress and alarm, as she looked down at her wristwatch and already began taking off further down the hallway.

"O-Oh, my God! I'mlate! We're late! I'm never late! S-Sorry, Cornelia! I-I'll talk to you later, maybe during lunchtime today!" she called out from over her shoulder as she gave a quick wave of goodbye and continued her frantic sprint toward her next class.

And normally, Cornelia would have been right there with her, as she, too, took esteemed pride within a generally non-blemished, scholastic attendance, as she'd made the point of more or less rubbing within Irma's face earlier that morning.

However, within that present moment, the only thing she could clearly think of was getting to Fourth Period, so that she could see the nauseatingly irritating girl again and positively throttle her with abandon.

"And here I was worried about falling behind Elyon and her own tutorial progress, when I've got Irma still trying to steal away my student!" Cornelia hissed underneath her breath, her emotions seething and mind running wild . . . at the same time that the ground beneath her feet suddenly began to gently quiver, and the rows of unopened lockers on both sides of the now partially empty hallway popped open as a result.

"W-What the –? An earthquake? And in New York? Students, quickly! Take cover, and remain calm!" Cornelia could hear the female teacher within the open classroom a little ahead of her frantically instruct, causing immediate guilt to shoot straight through her as a result, especially upon both listening to and seeing several other nearby classrooms fill with terrified students in addition to cries of alarm.

Great shame and utter disappointment overwhelmed her senses within that moment as she'd then managed to thankfully regain the usual control she had over her Geokinetic abilities moments later, causing the so called earthquake to promptly stop just as soon as it had begun.

Nonetheless, the damage, thankfully only proverbially, it seemed, was already done, as while Cornelia swiftly played the part of concerned student and ran to the nearest open doorway and wedged herself within it for 'safety,' the school's principal could already be heard speaking nervously over the public address system.

"S-Students and faculty, this is Principal Knickerbocker speaking! P-Please, remain where you are and maintain shelter, until we are absolutely certain the danger has passed! O-Once I believe that it has, I will be sounding the fire drill in order for everyone to vacate the school within a safe and orderly fashion, so that we can better assess the situation," the traditionally quite strict, although generally well meaning older woman instructed as calmly as her obviously rattled nerves could manage, before sharp sounds of dramatic feedback could then be heard as she sloppily struggled to turn off the P.A. system moments later.

As students and teachers alike began to speak feverishly amongst themselves, in spite of their principal's previous direction of 'remaining calm,' Cornelia's own mind was running a mile a second while surveying the brief, yet palpable chaos she had wrought all around her.

Pens, pencils, and books upon books were strewn haplessly about the ground, as the lockers to which they'd once belonged limply hanged open.

If that was the only sort of property damage to have occurred as a result of her uncharacteristic mischance, then Cornelia would never again allow Irma to get the better of her for as long as she lived!

. . . . Like that was honestly possible, really.

Still.

So long as no one got injured in any way, then Cornelia was a happy girl.

. . . . There just was now the question of how to explain to The Professor that her first so called day on the job as a Junior Professor resulted within an impromptu earthquake drill for a school which had never before needed one, to her knowledge, anyway.

". . . . Well Ellie definitely has me beat on this one. Great way to start the week off, as well," Cornelia muttered to herself within renewed self-admonition, shaking her blond head within disgust as she continued to look upon her temporary handy work, all while waiting as patiently as she could for the fire drill bell to sound so that she could finally vacate the premises.

Monday, Monday.

- End of Chapter Four (Part One)

(A.N. Stupid 'Edit Document' on here was notttt liking me, today, for whatever reason, hence having to put '~O~' instead of my usual line break for new scenes, sorry.

Anywhodle!

Poor Cornelia. LoL But I did want to show that even someone as so 'put together' as she could have slip ups every now and again . . . even if it might mean causing an earthquake here and there. LoL Speaking of, in case the 'scene' might have been a bit familiar to any of you reading, yep, I did take inspiration from Lance/Avalanche back in Season 1 when he first met Kitty/Shadowcat and showed her his powers. =) Great. Now I wanna watch me some "X-Men: Evolution," again. LoL

Anyhow! What else, what else. . . . Oh, right. Irma and Will were finally able to reconcile and 'make nice . . .' just off camera. LoL No worries! They'll still definitely interact some more the following chapter, but I just didn't want to drag that whole incident any further than necessary – At least, not where the whole, "Ohhh, noes! I don't know if that new girl I just met hates me!" and junkola is concerned. LoL

Also, yayyy: Taranee! That takes care of the main cast, for the most part, finally, although I didn't want to super unload all of her backstory in this chapter. Well, no, I guess I did, but I'll most probably plan on allowing her to explain it a bit more intimately later on . . . also probably to Will, the way I sees it, ya see. LoL

And that little blurb about Taranee and Cornelia's Calculus teacher asking his students to call him by his first name, mainly because 'no one' can pronounce his surname, was just me remembering one of my only favorite mathematics professors, whose name was also Leonard and also requested we all did the same for the same reasons. Only diff was the last name, with the real Leonard's starting with an 'N' and being much longer by comparison. But obviously out of respect, I didn't/won't use or say it here. =)

Buuuut, yeah! Can't think of anything else beyond all that! Hopefully I'll be able to post the second half as soon as possible, though, where I finally get to showcase a few, genuine antagonists for a change . . . and not just the kind Cornelia clearly believes Irma to be. LoL

See you soon, My Lovelies!)