WITCHE: Evolution

by Sokai

[WITCH/X-Men: Evolution X'Over, sort of] A group of young women discover one by one that each possess extraordinary, and radically unique superpowers. While they gradually learn to better harness these tremendous gifts, however, a yet to be detected evil vies to make the ultimate power his own. . . .

8. Chapter Seven

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 LoL). However, I can and DO claim to own this story and its inspired ideas FROM both series.

---

This chapter was created/written in October 2018.

---

Chapter Seven

Although the beginning half had admittedly been a tad rocky within execution, the remainder of that particular week had managed to thankfully progress without any furthered excitement . . . at least, not where continual mutant activity had been concerned.

In fact, by the middle of that week, the focus for majority of Himmerish's students had understandably shifted back onto the immensely talented Karmilla's arrival on Friday evening for her concert debut within Bayville City, and the decision whether or not to attend within a group of companions, or with a potential date.

He could have taken direct credit for this, his pupils apparent ability not to buckle too much underneath varying pressures, particularly things which were out of their control; however, having been one himself, 'once upon a time,' Himmerish was fully aware that it was simply more so to do with the fact that they were, first and foremost, teenagers, and would welcome any opportunity to blow off a bit of steam when it'd come.

Still, Himmerish supposed he would be nothing if not prudent had he, in addition to a few of his fellow colleagues, hadn't naturally taken preventative measures regarding the earthquake, which had been unintentionally triggered by a normally in control Cornelia.

Considering the apparent cause had been due to the ongoing, and at times, admittedly perplexing discord the Geokinetic harbored alongside Irma Lair, a strong sentiment which had been regrettably festering during the past two years they'd known each other, it had only seemed fair that the punishment fit the crime, and that both girls should now share the same living quarters of their mutual dorm room.

And as it was to his understanding, courtesy of his ward, Elyon, no one directly involved had been all too pleased with his overruling decision - Including Elyon, herself.

Cornelia was her greatest companion, after all, and former roommate from the very moment the taller blonde had first arrived onto campus.

And, similarly, both Irma and Hay Lin had also always been rather inseparable, themselves, over the years.

Himmerish, indeed his faculty, had not been without any sort of sympathy prior to their headmaster's final verdict; still, he had every confidence that it inevitably would work out for the better, whether or not either girl felt as confident as he on the matter.

Besides, there were far more pressing concerns which Himmerish now found himself faced with tending to. . . .

"Good morning to you, Professor Kandrakar! I trust you've slept well last night?" Himmerish gently smiled as he looked up from his desk in time to watch one of his longtime colleagues, Yan Lin, gracefully glide through the previously sealed door to his private study.

Yan Lin had always carried herself with an . . . almost unparalleled wisdom and dignity, since the very day he had first met her all those decades ago, which sometimes would honestly cause Himmerish to privately wonder if she should not have been the one to have been born with the profoundly omnipotent Telepathic abilities which he instead possessed.

Or, at the very least, had been made the new headmistress of their fair and just school.

And, in all honesty, had he not already bequeathed the position to his beloved Elyon when the time came, feeling quite strongly that she truly was the best person for the job, Himmerish imagined he perhaps might have approached Yan Lin years ago to one day take his place after he'd eventually stepped down.

After all, there were certainly countless occasions throughout the years since the older woman's employment where her sage council had been readily appreciated, even surpassing that of his own.

For all his insight, it was still rather difficult for him to visualize a much, much more reckless and almost sort of wild Yan Lin during her younger days prior to their meeting, as was openly confessed by her as the pair had gotten to know one another over time, although Himmerish imagined that carefree nature he would manage to catch glimmers of here and there from Yan Lin to this day could also be attributed to her Aerokinetic abilities.

It certainly was, as he'd personally observed, a slightly common 'trait,' as it were, for other fellow mutants with the ability to manipulate the air around them, anyhow, especially including Yan Lin's own granddaughter, Hay Lin. (element personality talk)

But then, being able to do the impossible, such as flying would understandably do that to an individual.

"After all these years together, one would think you'd have dropped the formalities between us whenever in private, Yanny," Himmerish couldn't help but widen his smile akin to that of a child's, almost, as he rose from his seat to help his obvious companion with the silver tray she was carrying gingerly in between her slightly wrinkled, although dainty fingers.

"Ah, yes, well. You know how I am with that, Pr – Himmerish, my friend. I may be pushing on fossilized years, now, but I still can recall the good manners my mother and father had bestowed onto me, God rest," Yan Lin returned the smile with a slight nod of her silver colored head, before turning around to close the door behind them.

Himmerish couldn't help but let out a light chuckle at this.

"Oh, come now! We may the both of us possess more than just a few years underneath our belts, but I would say referring to them as 'fossilized' is a bit – "

"- Good mor - ! Oh, my apologies for the interruption, Professor Kandrakar, Professor Lin. That had not been my intention," both Yan Lin and Himmerish turned their heads in time to see the familiar faces of Kadma Starlighter and Halinor Clarkson suddenly appear within the open doorway.

"No, not at all. In fact, you've all arrived right on time, as always," Himmerish promptly soothed the traditionally ruminative woman's concerns, beckoning the duo to enter with a quick wave of his hand before resuming his path toward his desk in order to carefully lay the tray down.

As per usual each morning, it had been intricately outfitted with an array of scrumptious looking biscuits, and also a fresh, ivory colored pot of delicious smelling coffee.

It really was always one of the more fascinating observations which Himmerish had come to assess over time throughout his dedicated years regarding mutant studies (and of the varying abilities he was presently aware existed), to note just how strongly those with elemental based abilities tended to be that much more influenced by them, whether or not this was something they readily realized.

That, of course wasn't to say that none of them, his students, for example, did not possess their own wills and desires separate from whichever element he or she could actively control.

However, it was still endlessly wondrous to observe that, for about every three or so freewheeling Aerokinetic mutant the wise man would have the distinct pleasure of meeting, there would usually be close to the same amount of the more levelheaded, and at times greatly stubborn Geokinetic individuals following along not too far behind . . . like Cornelia, or in this case, Kadma, to name a few.

Still, if Himmerish had possessed any honest qualms over having first approached the extremely adept and wealthy businesswoman, in order to hopefully recruit her talents toward the benefit of the school, he was more than fairly confident he would have dismissed her ages ago.

After all, having someone within his inner circle who was as focused, fiercely protective and . . . at times, admittedly rather blunt, yet forever honest with her every intention as Kadma had only ever been a boon to Himmerish – To each of their ongoing commitment to maintaining the safest environment possible for all of their students.

"Mmm. . . . Another delicious pot of coffee, expertly brewed by the endlessly talented, and thoughtful Yan Lin," Halinor flashed a polite smile toward her encompassing colleagues, as she maneuvered around Kadma in order for the slightly taller woman to close the door behind them both. She then paused within her tracks a moment, her previous smile faltering a bit as she innocently asked, "Should we not wait for Cassidy before beginning our usual 'Pre-Homeroom Meeting?' Or is she just simply running late . . . again?"

As Yan Lin, and even Kadma, surprisingly, let out a soft chuckle at the correct observation concerning the absent redhead's seeming penchant for being behind schedule on and off more than the rest of them, Himmerish curiously became rather pensive.

". . . . Professor? Is something the matter?" Kadma inquired within immediate concern upon turning away from the door in order to join her comrades further inside the expansive and elegantly designed study.

Himmerish let out a gentle sigh at this and nodded, before moving back around his desk in order to return to his seat.

"Ever observant, as always, old friend," he complimented with a faint smile as he sat, extending an arm out toward the tray of coffee in order to silently invite the surrounding ladies to help themselves, much as they normally would each morning. "To answer both questions, Cassidy is in charge of running today's Danger Room training session, as I'm sure you all know, of course. And while, normally, this would obviously not interfere with her other contending duties – Daily meetings, included – I had . . . personally asked that she see to it that everything is within absolute working order, maintenance wise. . . ."

Both Kadma and Yan Lin couldn't help but simultaneously narrow their eyes a bit at this, clearly finding the request to be a bit odd. It wasn't so much for having asked in the first place, as regular checkups was something each member of Himmerish's faculty was generally required to keep up with for safety's sake; it was instead the precise timing of said request, making this the first time in quite a while (barring sickness) that Cassidy would have been absent during their assemblage.

". . . . I do not suppose I would make that much of a good companion if I could not pick up on the bewilderment you so clearly now possess, ladies," Himmerish stated calmly with a small, although still noticeable and sympathetic smile as his gray eyes rested upon Yan Lin, before then settling onto Kadma upon clearly catching sight of their concerned facial expressions. "And it is as you may now be thinking, that I had kept Cassidy away purposefully . . . for the sake of this meeting's focus of discussion. . . ."

"W-What could it be, then, Himmerish? Surely it could not still be about the punishment set onto Cornelia earlier this week?" Halinor harmlessly speculated as she sat down next to Yan Lin, carefully nursing the bold cup of straight black coffee she'd made sure to pour for herself, first thing, in between her hands.

Possibly important news or no, if there was one thing the kindhearted and well meaning woman never failed to be without, it was a steaming hot mug of the strongest coffee she could get, each and every morning.

And considering that her mutant gifts were flame based, Halinor's idea of 'steaming' could flat out at times become borderline scorching.

Both Yan Lin and Himmerish smiled warmly at the familiar sight, regardless, while Kadma released a deep exhale of obvious disapproval before settling down next to her and waited for their headmaster to respond.

"No. No, of course not, Halinor. In fact, as it's to my understanding, Cassidy's session within the Danger Room today will actually focus a bit more upon the root behind the mishap, itself," Himmerish explained with a slight nod, draping his arms across the desk and clasping his hands together. "It sounded rather creative, if I do say so, myself. But, anyhow . . . no. The reason for Cassidy's well timed absence is due, in large, to the fact that Cerebra and I had detected the mutant signature of someone . . . rather familiar to our past a few days ago. Or, to be even more precise, Cassidy's past. . . ."

As the room fell silent, it had only done so for simply a moment before Yan Lin was the first to understand to whom the man was referring.

". . . . You can't mean . . . Sienna?" she asked within honest surprise, at the same time that Halinor nearly spilled her cup of coffee onto herself entirely, and Kadma let out a slightly uncharacteristic gasp. "Why on Earth would she be back in Bayville, and now? Didn't both she and Nerissa move out of state years ago, when Sienna was still just a child?"

"When she was only four-years-old, to be most precise. . . ." Kadma corrected a bit icily, although Yan Lin, indeed, none of their remaining, mutual companions took offense to the sudden bout of aggravation, as they were each well aware of the profound sensitivity of their present topic of discussion. "I imagine, then, that my mathematics would be correct within estimating her present age to be about eighteen, or nineteen, then . . . making her an adult, free to go as she now pleases . . . finally."

Wiping away the few droplets of coffee which had fallen onto her lap, in spite of the extra care taken for it not to, Halinor replaced her cup onto the silver tray before nervously clearing her throat and stated, within as lulling a tone as possible, "Kadma, please. . . . You know that I have always been right behind you about everything that's happened – I-I'm sorry, again, Himmerish – but it was never directly any of our business. Certainly not up to any one of us, The Professor, included, to control any ultimate decisions made by Nerissa. Goodness knows how resolute and defiant she could be. . . ."

"Yes, which only begs the question even more as to how anything positive could have been seen coming from that woman – Especially not enough to -"

"- Come now, Kadma. Nerissa was every bit your companion as she was ours at the start. Do not attempt to feign ignorance over the matter; it does not suit you," Yan Lin tactfully interrupted within a firm tone, although her dark brown eyes betrayed her, as they normally would to those who truly knew her, revealing a far more compassionate inclination toward her blatantly affected friend.

At this, knowing the older woman's words did ring true, regardless of the surrounding circumstances, a scowling Kadma promptly fell silent . . . at least, for the moment.

Himmerish, who had been mum, himself, up until that moment, as he'd been fully aware the affect his news would have had upon his longtime compatriots, released a low exhale before seizing control of the conversation once more.

". . . . There is no need to apologize to me, Halinor. Both yours, as well as Kadma's opinion over what had happened has always been within direct contrast to that of my own, and even Yan Lin's, at times, if I remember correctly," he began within a mildly unfamiliar, and tentative tone, "but . . . contrary to what may at times be perceived as popular belief, I have no more power over the personal lives and affairs of neither our students, nor faculty than any one of you, as was just appreciatively pointed out, regardless. So I could not have very well forbade Nerissa from choosing to leave our school all those years ago."

"Perhaps not, but you could have fought harder to convince her to stay with us . . . to stay with Cassidy," Kadma openly accused within a tired tone, the familiarity and repercussions of their topic of discussion, one which was clearly spoken about to death within one form or another, blatantly weighing heavily down upon them throughout the elapsing years.

"Kadma! Restrain yourself, please!" Yan Lin effortlessly defended from her place next to her friend, her traditionally relaxed nature slowly beginning to unravel as she once again found herself having to effectively take up sides, just as she'd found herself doing when all of this had first occurred.

Himmerish, however, merely smiled sadly toward both women, as he raised a calming hand into the air.

"It's all right, Yanny, no worries. There are . . . oh, gosh, a myriad of . . . regrets and paths not taken held deep inside my heart to fill an entire ocean, to be sure, whether or not any of you choose to believe it," he confessed with another deep sigh, freely allowing his mask of absolute togetherness to fall away in front of his companions, the way it would on occasion with Elyon, thereby conveying the utmost trust he possessed within each woman seated before him. "And there are many days – And nights, as well – where I often find myself wondering precisely would more could have been done, or been presented differently to convince Nerissa that her place was here, with all of us . . . especially for the sake of dearest Cassidy. Still, I am, in spite of the powers I possess, merely human, and have no such leeway over free will. Nerissa had decided that what we teach here, our ultimate ideals for the future as mutants, as humanity, simply no longer interested her . . . just as Cassidy had decided to remain here, regardless of what that would mean personally. . . ."

"I can't even imagine ever being forced to say goodbye to the one I loved like that. . . . But then, Cassidy has always been a lot stronger than what might be initially realized," Halinor remarked sadly, running a shaky hand through her free flowing, flaxen locks. "At least she hasn't had to see Nerissa on a daily basis since then, though, thanks to Nerissa having moved out of state, thereafter. While absence does usually make the heart grow fonder, I'm sure that that might have helped by some degree, all the same . . ."

Both Kadma and Yan Lin nodded simultaneously at this, before Kadma remorsefully added, "And it probably 'helped' that none of us have ever really offered her the chance to talk about it some more within the years since, out of fear of reopening some wounds. . . . Here we are, literally preaching to our students and fellow faculty to always be open with our emotions and own them, lest they seize control of us and of our powers . . . and yet for our own friend, we've been willing to more or less sweep everything underneath the rug in all this time. After all, point in case, Cassidy being actively omitted from this morning's gathering."

"Perhaps, Kadma . . . and I know, all too well, how strongly you care for each of us and are incredibly protective. I thank the Heavens every day for having someone like you in my life," Yan Lin complimented warmly with a heartfelt smile before continuing, "however . . . I have to believe that Cassidy has been coping with what she - And Nerissa – had ultimately chosen to do within her own, obviously private way, or else I imagine that half of campus would have been submerged within a literal deluge formed from Cassidy's pain by now. . . . No. She has always been the most in tune with her emotions of us all, and expresses that every day within her teachings by reminding our students the importance of not keeping things bottled up, as you said. And besides, she has also always been a terrible liar."

Himmerish, Halinor and, to his relief, even Kadma began to chuckle lightly at the accurate observation and description of their absent friend, and simply allowed the thankfully returned feeling of pleasantries to settle back onto each of them a few more moments, before having to reveal a regrettable truth of his own. . . .

". . . . While I am always pleased to take note of just how well we've all come to know and understand one another throughout the years, I, unfortunately, have more news to share," he stated hesitantly, resting his gray eyes onto each woman sat before him with a pointed stare before pressing on. "Yes, Kadma, you are correct within your assumption that Sienna is a young woman now . . . and she has returned to Bayville, Yan Lin, I am imagining, because of Nerissa. She, too, is here. . . ."

At this, all three women let out a sharp gasp of obvious dismay, before Himmerish quickly continued.

"In fact . . . Nerissa has been back the last, I believe, two years or so, now, and . . . has been employed as one of 'Bayville High School's' guidance counselors," he revealed with a heavy swallow, although the weight of having kept quiet to this in all that time admittedly lessening as a result. "Ah, ah. Before you say anything, especially you, Kadma, I'd never told you about this because I did not see the need to. That is, as far as I could always tell, Nerissa was, and still is, perhaps, simply doing her job, and is helping to mold Bayville's students, much in the way that she used to when she was an employee here. . . . However, as I think on it further, coupled by the waves of something unsettling on the horizon that I've been sensing, I fear that there now may be more to her placement amongst the ranks of Bayville's student population. . . ."

"You mean, amongst those not enrolled with us, or might have left over time, due to either personal reasons or . . . differing ideals. . . ." Halinor astutely began to knit together openly, the fear now etched upon her face matching the tone within her voice.

Kadma frowned deeply at this, raising a hand to her chin as she actively pushed her personal feelings aside over the obvious lack of certainty her headmaster possessed within each of them to have never revealed something so important the past two years.

". . . . So . . . what, then? Has Nerissa opened a school of her own or something in order to recruit would be, like-minded students? And presumably without her own mutant tracking device like Cerebra, or possessing an X-Factor Detection ability separate to that, the way Himmerish has both, himself? What would doing so even accomplish in the long run, firstly, and how does Sienna play into any of this?"

Yan Lin's ivory eyebrows slowly raised, as she, too, pieced the newfound puzzle together.

"Well . . . we all saw firsthand just how strongly Nerissa felt about her beliefs, how we as mutants shouldn't be hiding away any longer, and should be the ones on top . . . to the point where she was willing to hold fast onto said beliefs, rather than the one she claimed to love," she commented sadly, momentarily biting onto her bottom lip before continuing. "Perhaps, then, she's simply finally felt it time to apply her ideology into active teachings of her own, in hopes of possibly turning it into a reality. . . . After all, within contrast, our school has become quite the beacon of hope for a lot of our students, past and present, that we really will one day live peacefully alongside non-mutants. Hope can be quite powerful to those who would hold onto it dearly. . . ."

". . . . Yes, making it quite the formidable foe, even, if that hope would mean the promise of never having to live in fear again, and by any means necessary," Himmerish concluded with a heavy nod, his facial expression darkening as he, too, completed connecting the dots to what could possibly be the bigger picture. "I'd originally thought that keeping quiet over her admittedly surprising return would ultimately remain benign, primarily wishing to protect Cassidy's feelings should she ever learn that the two of them are once again neighbors, essentially. . . . However, if what we're now speculating to be true is the case, we must be as vigilant as possible, especially with so many of our own students having direct contact with her, on and off."

"So, then . . . what do you suggest we do, Professor?" Halinor was the first to voice their unanimous inquiry, as she also did her best not to focus too long over the fact that one of her once close companions was now only minutes away all along, rather than the thousands of miles which they had all always believed.

". . . . For now? Nothing, Halinor. At least, nothing active, that is. As it presently stands, everything being discussed is still simply hearsay. After all, Nerissa has been back long enough to try her hand at tipping the scale, so to speak and, as far as we know, has yet to," Himmerish advised pensively, rising from his seat in order to reflectively gaze out the open, elongated window behind him. "And as we've all reminded ourselves, she was once a dear friend of ours, who wanted the same bright future we do . . . so perhaps we could be wrong in all of this. Still . . . it does trouble me, these feelings I possess, even now after having spoken with all of you about this, in addition to Nerissa's daughter returning home. . . . When I'd first sensed her arrival, her mutant signature was rather significant, even more so than what was initially picked up the day she was brought here to the institute many years ago. I imagine, then, that this obvious growth within power would be a great boon to her mother's possible plannings. . . ."

Yan Lin shook her head at this, staring worriedly at Himmerish's back as he continued to peer down at the expansive, and peaceful backyard area of his dual ancestral home and school within a thoughtful gaze.

"Far be it for me to ever doubt the profound capabilities of that of Cerebra, or yourself, individually, Himmerish, but . . . I am simply having a bit difficulty believing that, whatever Nerissa may or may not have within her head, she would directly involve her child. . . ."

"I'd like to believe the same, myself, Yan Lin, but maybe this is simply you projecting your own feelings onto the matter, knowing that however you, yourself, felt about those without gifts like ourselves, you could never bring yourself to drag neither Chen, nor Hay Lin into it in order to further advance your overall agenda," Kadma observed, openly stating what was clearly bothering the other woman within that particular moment. "Regardless . . . if Sienna may now be as powerful or as capable as you say you can sense, Himmerish, then we shall certainly do our best to keep an eye on matters. . . ."

Halinor nodded within agreement, before suggesting, "Hold a moment, everyone. Seeing as the safety of those attending Bayville may or may not now be potentially at risk, perhaps it would be smart to alert a few of our more experienced students? That is, ask them to sort of be our eyes and ears over there, in case anything might change. We have been training them for such moments of potential conflict, after all. . . ."

At this, Himmerish slowly raised an eyebrow within intrigue as he turned back around to face his colleagues, the mounting alarm which had been building up inside of him temporarily at a standstill.

"Hmm . . . a fair point, indeed, Halinor. We really have been doing precisely that over the decades, haven't we . . . though, thankfully, we've never needed to ask any of them to actively call upon said training . . . until now," he remarked with a slight nod, gently rubbing at the back of his neck before posing his own inquiry. "Who, then, would you suggest? Would any of you suggest? I have regrettably kept this concealed away for far too long, and would not wish to have any more strife lingering between us. And so, as we press forward, I would do so with as much of your seasoned input as possible, my friends. . . ."

---

"You know I generally enjoy our lovely 'D.R.' seshes as much as the next mutant, but I would really much prefer to conserve my energy for something far more important . . . like screaming my lungs literally out throughout the entirety of Karmilla's mother-fluffing rock concert, tonight!" Irma squealed within unbridled excitement, something she'd been doing all morning to anyone within earshot.

She'd say she'd well earned the so called right to do so, quite frankly, as not only was it finally Friday, Irma had done her absolute best to ensure that she did not get into any sort of trouble at either school.

Not even sharing intimate quarters with Cornelia from now on had managed to dampen her resolve within any way, either . . . although, to be fair to them both, while they were far from declaring one another best friends, they were, at least for that first week, managing to better tolerate their newfound circumstance.

On the surface, anyway.

Regardless, Irma was taking what she could get from the normally high strung blonde if it meant that she was now only mere hours away from finally, finally, finally seeing her beloved musical artist face to face.

It was still a little after one in the afternoon, with both lunchtime, in addition to her first half of classes over at Bayville High School out of the way for her, and all Irma really had left to contend with was her weekly scheduled training session within the Danger Room.

Well, that, and her Journalism and Sociology classes to still somehow plow through, as well, before sequestering herself inside of her bathroom for what would be the beginning of her afternoon long preparation, right until the concert later on that evening.

"You've lasted this long, Irma – I'm sure just a few more hours won't kill you! And besides! You usually look extra forward to sessions run by either my grandma or Doctor Chacon, like today, since they tend to be more on the creative side, right?" Hay Lin queried with a light giggle as she continued walking alongside her best friend down the familiar, metal lined walls of the basement level of the institute, where the ever impressive and adaptive Danger Room awaited.

As one of the more practiced students, both Hay Lin and Irma, as well as Elyon and Cornelia, to name a few others, were now bumped over onto the rotating schedule of having their training sessions every Wednesday and Friday from now on, versus the Tuesdays and Thursdays which were reserved predominantly for the newer schoolmates, instead.

As it was to her personal understanding, courtesy of her grandmother Yan Lin, separating the Danger Room sessions by degree of difficulty greatly decreased the pressure on those who might also have felt they were not as prepared, or even as powerful as someone who believed, say, to be ready to take on the highest level of difficulty the training facility presently had to offer.

Regardless, it was certainly quite the honor to finally be considered capable of handling any and all advanced simulated programs her instructors would undoubtedly lob her way from then on.

Plus, there was at least Hay Lin's newfound Invisibility powers to back her up if things became too dicey, a recent development which had filled her grandmother with pride, as expected, and had filled Irma with overwhelming jealousy . . . also as expected.

Mostly.

It wasn't to say that Irma hadn't been every bit as thrilled as Hay Lin now was with her newest gifts, now that she was gradually getting used to them, if not the hang of them, outright; it was, simply put, 'unfair.'

"Here I am, busting my chops to get my own powers to expand and branch out more – Which, yeah, okay, they totally have, fine – and all you have to do is meet some cute guy at the park one day, and boom! 'See Through City,' population: you!" Irma had playfully chastised her comrade upon becoming privy to the smaller girl's literal development. "At the very least, you're so gonna use it to my advantage, like sneaking me the answers to future homework assignments, or pranking the hell out of both campuses, or something!"

Thank goodness both girls knew one another inside and out, for the most part, or else Hay Lin might have really believed that her most recent manifestation was now going to be an issue between Irma and herself.

Still, something told her that, for all her present complaining, Irma was probably feeling secretly pleased for sharing today's training session together, unlike the other day on Wednesday, as it meant possibly evening the so called odds between them again.

"Well, yeah, of course I do, Hay Hay, and today is no different . . . I guess, but my mind's just not fully in the game, y'know? But, hey. Maybe Doctor Chacon will have us do some simple targeting practice the whole time, or something! And then, I'll be home fr -"

"- Oh, God. Don't tell me you're sharing today's session with me, too? It's like The Professor has us glued at the hip from now on," Irma suddenly heard Cornelia's voice unexpectedly cut her off, just as the x-insignia and reinforced metal door to the Danger Room slid open and revealed a familiar pair of blondes waiting patiently inside.

As was customary, all four students were presently donned within the sheer black boots and uniforms traditionally worn during each training lesson which was, including the small, yet noticeable canary colored 'X' adorning the navel area, meant to signify a united front as students.

As for the 'X,' itself, and what it actually meant (as it was naturally a simple, yet curious symbol to come upon, all the same), each professor would explain to those encountering the Danger Room for the very first time that it would help serve as a reminder that each and every one of them was extraordinary within his or her own right . . . hence, the 'x.'

A bit cheesy, to be sure, but applicable, nonetheless.

"You know that Irma doesn't have any control over the rotating schedule any more than you do, Cornelia. Not to mention the fact that this certainly isn't the first time we've all shared a training session together, and not just the two of you, specifically," Elyon, who would apparently also be within attendance that day, commented kindly with a small smile, moving away from a lightly scowling Cornelia's side in order to properly embrace Irma, as it had been the first time the pair had seen one another that day. "Hey, you two. Bet you're excited for tonight's concert, right? I never did remember to ask if you're going with a group of friends, or with a date? I know th – "

"- N-Not that this isn't a fantastic conversation, but if you get Irma going again, we'll never get through today's session, and then we'll all miss out on Karmilla's concert, Elle," Hay Lin politely interrupted with a teasing nudge into Irma's side with her elbow, who merely rolled her cyan colored eyes within defeat.

Thankfully the attention had been focused in upon Irma during those past few moments that none of them had managed to catch the brief, yet regrettably strong rouge splashing across Cornelia's cheeks at the mention of going to Karmilla's rock concert with a potential 'date.'

She'd honestly been so preoccupied with attempting to no longer beat herself up as much over her slip up on Monday concerning her powers, in addition to doing her best to cope with having Irma as her roommate as a result that it had completely slipped her mind to ask not only if Elyon was going with anyone, but if she wouldn't want to with her!

Now how's it going to look if I try to ask her after this, or something? There's no way Elyon's gonna buy into the originally casual approach I had planned, and will undoubtedly think something is up! Cornelia stiffened with a mental groan as she finished blindly pulling her long hair up into a slightly messy ponytail. O-Oh, God! Relax, Cornelia! You've got this, all right? Stop thinking about it so much before even Irma's usually oblivious self catches onto something being the matter with you, and just focus on training! Man, am I definitely looking forward to this much more, now. . . .

"Good afternoon, ladies! Are we ready for today's lesson?" Doctor Chacon's familiar, and energetic voice suddenly echoed from overhead, causing the quartet to gaze toward the glass covered and cylinder shaped control room constructed high above within the center of the area.

This was generally where each professor placed in charge of any presiding training session remained, both to be out of the way in order for their students to properly focus, but also to immediately shut down any running simulation at any given time if need be.

Indeed, despite now having experienced at least over a hundred sessions firsthand, it never did cease to amaze all four girls just how amazing the Danger Room truly was, courtesy of its out of this world, holographic technology none of them could even begin to fully comprehend, nor was ever fully explained by any of their instructors, truth be told.

All any of the students were really certain of, was that one moment, they would be standing within the woefully bare metallic lined room, within nothing truly impressive about it on the surface; the next, they could find themselves somehow transported to the moon, forced to defend themselves against hostile alien lifeforms hot on their trails.

Or, sometimes, the room would remain as it presently was, without any sort of projected images, and instead a full arsenal of weaponry would suddenly unleash itself from the surrounding walls, or even beneath their feet in order to subdue them.

It certainly was not aptly named the 'Danger Room' for nothing. . . .

Irma was the first to respond, grinning ear to ear toward the red haired pediatrician who was not only one of, if not her most favored professor, but really was, at times, her doppelganger, as both were Hydrokinetically gifted, but also shared a similar sense of humor.

Heck, they even sort of looked alike.

"I know I am, Doc! Well, I mean, I am but I'm not, but we all know why by now, so I won't get into it, again!" Irma said with a dismissive wave toward her own self before nodding within confidence. "A-Anyway, suffice it to say, I'm ready to take whatever monstrosity you can dish out at us, today! What'll it be, eh? A giant squid which needs to be taken down a peg or two? Or maybe a 'simple' sparring match amongst friends . . . hmm, Hay Hay?"

"W-Wait, what?" Hay Lin stammered within mild confusion, her closest comrade's statement all but confirming her previous suspicion that the brunette was greatly itching to go toe to toe against her in order to see how well she might now fair against Hay Lin's cloaking power.

"Mmm, kinda close, there, kiddo! No, today, I thought we might try something a teeny, tiny bit different than what you might be used to – Consider it an inspiration, or even a dedication or sorts, toward you, Cornelia," Doctor Chacon confessed with a slight, good-natured chuckle as her voice continued to reverberate through the control room's intercom. "That is, I know how beat up you've been about what happened on Monday, and have probably had it up to here with a few of your fellow students possibly still talking about it on either campus, right? Well, I've decided to let you – Let all of you – let loose today!"

Cornelia's cheeks once more grew hot as Doctor Chacon's words regrettably held merit.

While, for the most part, things certainly had quieted down around Kandrakar's School for Gifted Youngsters about the incident, with none of them ever really catching on that it had been Cornelia's doing, the students over at Bayville High School, on the other hand, were understandably much more in the dark about the matter.

Even Principal Knickerbocker appeared to be continually affected in some way, as although the school and its surrounding area had been deemed safe enough to reopen by Wednesday, after having temporarily closed its doors on Monday and Tuesday in order to fully assess any possible dangers, she had still scheduled not only an assembly dedicated to earthquake safety, but had conducted a surprise earthquake drill both on Thursday, as well as earlier that morning.

"This was something that I, as your principal, should have implemented long ago; however, being that I had naively believed that our location was completely safe and away from any fault lines, we will be performing both fire, and earthquake drills from now on," she had explained during her school assembly, much to the chagrin of Cornelia, yet surprising . . . relief, almost, to majority of Bayville's populace, it appeared.

Cornelia had imagined that it was only fair in the end, however, as the occurrence really did seem like one born of nature's unpredictability.

Still, it was a bit unsettling to be aware of the sheer fright she had directly invoked among her peerage, and made her honestly wonder if that's not what it might be like on a daily basis if ever non-mutants were to ever one day learn of the existence of mutants. . . .

"You will each be paired off, one team against the other, within a race to seize your opponents' flag from their starting base – And bring it back to your own – without getting eliminated!" Doctor Chacon excitedly explained through the intercom. "Consider it a game of . . . 'Mutant Capture the Flag,' if you will. Of course, the key differences here is that not only will you be up against your powers, but also a few little . . . surprises thrown in here and there, courtesy of yours truly! As I said, this exercise was inspired by Cornelia, so as a result I am . . . throwing a tiny bit of caution to the wind by allowing you to go all out with your abilities for a change! That's right, ladies! Want to summon up massive floods, tornadoes . . . another earthquake? Nothing is off limits, here – Barring maiming and actual killing, of course."

Both Irma, as well as Cornelia's eyes widened simultaneously at the news, though for different reasons, as the brunette was the first to speak up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you seriously giving us free reign and the green light to just . . . go to town for once with our powers, Doc? Like, for real?" Irma asked with palpitating glee, giving a sideways glance to Hay Lin as a now troubled looking Cornelia did the same toward Elyon.

"That's absolutely what I'm doing, Irma . . . and yet, I'm not," Doctor Chacon replied, a bit cryptically, before continuing. "See, as you're all very much aware – Or should be, by now – Control can mean many, many things, generally speaking. And within our case, it can mean control over never using our gifts again, or using them with discretion, as your other professors and I have always tried to impart upon all of you. But then, as you, and a few of our other more experienced students have or are beginning to learn, it can also mean using your abilities with such precision and tact that it's almost as though no effort was even taken at all. Today, however, it's my hope that you'll learn how to harness the sheer, raw strength of what your powers can really do, yet somehow still maintaining a balance between that, and outright utter destruction. . . ."

Hay Lin was the first to activate her gifts, almost as though on cue, as she effortlessly lifted her thin frame from off of the metallic floor and gently glided toward the redheaded professor stationed within the comfortably lit control room.

"So . . . wait. How are we meant to 'let loose' like you want us to do, but at the same time be mindful of, well, everything else, Doctor Chacon?" she posed her inquiry within a slightly worried tone, lightly ringing her hands together as she gazed down at the companions now below her.

"And that, my sweet Hay Lin, is precisely a part of what today's exercise will be about! Learning when, where, and how – And even why the choice whether to use a little to full force within any and every situation is so important, especially if there might be others to protect, hence pairing you off into teams," Doctor Chacon stated within a reassuring tone, lightly clearing her throat before at last revealing the remainder of her lesson plan. "Now, then! Speaking of, Hay Lin, you will be with Elyon, which naturally leaves Cornelia and Irma together. As you go through the simulation, true, you're meant to retrieve the other team's flag, but it's also absolutely important that you stick together, and have each other's backs! Got it? Take a minute or two to get ready, because we're commencing on my mark."

As Hay Lin turned away from Doctor Chacon and began her descent back toward her newly assigned partner, Elyon approached Cornelia from behind and rested a gentle hand upon her shoulder.

". . . . Well, good luck to you! I . . . know that being paired up with Irma during any exercise has never been your idea of fun, but now that you two are roomies, surely you might find more common ground with one another," she stated as peacefully as she could manage, although her eyes began to strongly give her true feelings away once Cornelia's own rested upon her.

Maybe it was because they were best friends as the main reasoning for having immediately picked up on it, but considering it was a concern the tall blonde was also feeling, herself, Cornelia wasn't really all that surprised.

". . . . She's still definitely one of the last people I would actively pick to team up with, true, I guess, but I'll manage like I always do, somehow," she agreed with a slight nod, before exhaling a bit shakily. "No . . . Irma's not my focus right now, anyway. I-It's . . . today's objective, and . . . well, having to now go full force against you. I don't . . . I don't want to hurt you, you know? You saw – Well, sort of – the chaos I unleashed the other day, and that was just a few seconds. . . . But, I know what I'm feeling is nothing in comparison to your own worries, right? You've been so used to dialing back your many abilities by your own accord all this time, anyway, and now here we are, being told to do the exact opposite for a change. . . ."

Elyon nodded slowly, a light rouge dusting her cheeks as she shifted her gaze from the ever concerned Cornelia, to Irma and Hay Lin, who now both approached and presumably caught the tail end of the conversation.

"Y-Yeah, I, uh . . . well, this is definitely going to be a bit of new territory – For all of us, I'm sure – but I suppose that's just part of our advancement as students here, right?" she responded as calmly as she could, although she unconsciously began to lightly rub at her left arm. "I'm still not a fan of using my gifts to . . . their greatest potential, I guess you could say, but . . . I do know that if I start to freak out about it right now then we'll all be in a lot of trouble. So, don't worry about me, Cornelia – That'll be Hay Lin's job, instead! And . . . you don't worry about yourself. . . ."

"While I hate to break up this little love fest you've got going on, here, I'm gonna have to interject and say that both you, and Hay Lin should be worried, Elyon, because I'm definitely going to be bringing my 'A Game . . . ' even after being partnered with Cornikins," Irma smirked as she playfully wrapped an arm around the diminutive Telepath's neck. "Just make sure you try to keep up, eh?"

Cornelia, shooting daggers at Irma upon lingering instinct, found herself immediately relaxing, strangely enough, and even managed a faint smile as she was for once able to pick up on the other girl's jest.

. . . . I guess now being stuck as roommates actually has made some sort of impact, after all . . . maybe, she mused with a light nod, just as Doctor Chacon's voice could then be heard through the intercommunication system above them one final time.

"All right, ladies, here we go! Computer, run Simulation Number: Five, eight, four, one, level two," she activated the intended program, before then shifting all of her attention toward monitoring the oncoming situation, both at her place in front of the multitude of controls set before her, as well as properly overseeing her students' overall safety.

Without another word, the mutant quartet below swiftly separated into their designated pairings, attempting to gain as much distance as possible within the expansive area, as the once unembellished Danger Room suddenly shifted into what appeared to be a dense marshland of sorts. . . .

"Sweet! Talk about nepotism, huh? Good looking out, Doc," Irma squealed as quietly as she could upon having taken in her newfound surroundings, grinning from ear to ear toward the watery area both she and Cornelia were now standing, knee deep, within.

"Yeah, great for you, not so much for me. Gross mosquitoes and gnats, gross swamps, and not much earth to work with," Cornelia muttered within blatant disdain for the chosen simulation, as she carefully concealed herself behind one of the many nearby Weeping Willows which naturally shielded both girls against immediate detection. She then wrinkled her nose within furthered disgust as she timely swatted away a few of the pesky insects in question, before performing a double take upon catching Irma's amused stare of disbelief. "W-What?"

"Are you serious right now? Miss 'Has Totally Worked Around the Clock to Master Her Abilities, Tout Suite?' I guess what happened on Monday really does still have you pretty rattled if you've somehow forgotten that, hellooo? You control earthy crap!" Irma chuckled with a disappointing shake of her head, expanding her arms out on either side of herself for furthered emphasis. "If you've managed to learn how to heal people through said ability, then I'm pretty sure you can make a simple mud ball, or . . . I don't know. Make one of these massive trees here start walking and subdue our lovely opponents long enough for us to snag their flag. 'Go all out,' remember? Now, c'mon, girlie! Let's camouflage the piss out of our flag I see next to you, there, before heading out to take out our respective besties!"

Cornelia felt herself rapidly blinking within surprise as Irma's words sunk in, before her face grew warm as she realized her obvious folly.

Clearly, she really was still too hung up on her previous mishap, even now, that the normally observant teenager hadn't made the, perhaps literal connection that she was now surrounded by her personal element, just like Irma was, herself.

She could do this.

She could get over herself, get over the fact that she would be forced to unleash her full strength at all, let alone against Elyon of all people . . . and win.

Simple.

". . . . You're right, Irma. I can do this. Well, we can," Cornelia nodded firmly, taking a deep breath to center herself as she watched the Hydrokinetic brunette begin to eagerly lead the way after leaning forward to gingerly pluck the blue colored flag previously perched against the tall and peaceful looking tree. She then quickly reached out and seized Irma's wrist as she sternly reminded, "B-But, we're a team, remember? If you've got my back, I've got yours."

Irma rolled her eyes at this and scoffed, before gently pulling her arm free.

"Yeah, yeahh. We may now have 'graduated' to the harder stuff the Danger Room can supposedly lob at us, but it doesn't mean that this is my very first training session. Now, hurry up, will you? The sooner we find that flag – And I show Hay Lin that just because she can now become see through doesn't mean she can escape my wrath – the sooner this school day will be over with, and I can, say it with me, fiiiiinally put all of my attention onto Karmilla's concert tonight!"

---

"Boy, I really hope our poor flag will be okay. I understand our needing to have an actual, solid objective to this exercise, besides . . . well, you know, ripping each other to shreds, maybe, but I don't think Doctor Chacon's played normal 'Capture the Flag' a whole lot, growing up. We totally should've had at least two more teammates, or something," Hay Lin couldn't help but ramble as she continually floated at Elyon's side, halfheartedly leading the way through the incredibly thick, and seemingly unoccupied swamp area.

They were about half an hour or so into the simulated exercise, with little to no activity, thankfully, but Hay Lin clearly was feeling every bit as unsettled over the prospect of potentially hurting the one, or both of her friends as she was sure Elyon was.

True, this wasn't their first training session, and during the more traditional sparring matches, specifically, Hay Lin had been known to get into a few tussles here and there against some of her fellow schoolmates. Still, she had always been mindful enough to hold back as she was used to, and even then she'd always trusted whichever professor who was running the simulation to promptly call it off if ever an emergency would arise.

And while she was still quite certain that this time wouldn't be any different, the fact that somewhere, lurking out there within that otherwise uninhabited marshlands was Irma, who was apparently more than willing to go toe to toe against her, it naturally made Hay Lin a bit more than just nervous.

Especially considering that her particular gifts had always been on the more . . . gentle side of the spectrum.

Or, at least, how Hay Lin had personally always chosen to nurture them, anyway.

Sure, she was well aware just how devastating her dominion over air could be, especially if Grandma Yan Lin's personal demonstrations over the years were to be any sort of indication, but there had never really been any reason for Hay Lin to harness them within that way before.

Not really, anyhow.

Hay Lin was all about keeping the peace, after all.

Still, it did make her wonder what tactic she might ultimately employ, once both she and Elyon would inevitably come face to face against their mutual opponents. . . .

". . . . I'm a little nervous, as well, Hay Lin," Hay Lin could hear Elyon whisper next to her with a faint smile of understanding, before quickly adding, "and that isn't me reading your thoughts . . . although I will admit that it's becoming a bit difficult as we go along to actively keep that in check as I normally do. . . . I guess that little pep talk I gave to Cornelia earlier isn't really rubbing off on me as well as I'd wanted. I just hope that I'll be able to help you out and . . . trust within my gifts when we do eventually come across them, or their flag. . . ."

"Y-Yeah, or whatever so called 'surprises' Doctor Chacon said she'd have planned for us along the way," Hay Lin couldn't help but shiver within agreement, just as their surrounding area curiously became enveloped by a rolling fog. "Aaand, great. Now we've got low visibility to deal with. As if this place isn't creepy enough on its own. . . ."

Suddenly, Elyon stopped within her tracks, quickly reaching out for Hay Lin to do the same.

"S-Shh! . . . . Wait a second, Hay Lin. I . . . I don't think this is a naturally occurring fog," she hushed, willing herself to push aside any lingering hesitation and focus about their immediate vicinity.

Her teammate needed her, and like it or not, she couldn't let her down.

Hay Lin, too, quickly caught on to the abrupt shift in concentration, landing beside Elyon back into the muddy water as quietly as she could as she breathed, ". . . . Irma must be in heaven with all this water to manipulate, huh? At least we know we must be on the right track, now, although it'll definitely make seeing their flag that much more difficult."

Nodding firmly with agreement, it was the kind Telepath's turn to lead the way through the swampy area as best she could, now that visibility had been drastically cut, courtesy of their Hydrokinetic opponent.

"Y-Yeah, as well as making it that much harder to find her, or Cornelia and incapacitate them both, although I'm pretty sure that was the idea," she remarked, her eyes squinted and straining to see even just a few steps in front of her. An idea then sprang to mind. "Hay Lin . . . your abilities are air based, right? So, why not get rid of some, if not all of this fog so that we can at least be able to see where we're going, again. And while you do that, I'll . . . see if I can't listen in to either girl's thoughts in order to get a general sense of where they might be. . . ."

As Hay Lin slowly raised her arms up, signaling her concentration in order to disperse the encompassing fog with her Aerokinetic gifts, her raven colored head gently cocked to one side as she asked, "Really? But . . . won't that be, like, cheating a bit?"

Elyon paused a moment, before responding.

". . . . To me, personally, yes, but . . . Doctor Chacon's counting on us to do everything we're present;y able with our abilities, so. . . ." she trailed off with a light scowl as she prepared herself to peer into the mind of their comrades, in spite of knowing how uncomfortable that usually made all parties involved.

Seeing how determined Elyon, of all people, now was in order to complete today's training session as successfully as she could, Hay Lin, too, followed suit.

After all, once she became serious toward an objective given to them by one of their professors, then it was definitely time to put up, or shut up, considering how immensely powerful the blonde was without ever truly trying.

It was certainly one of the reasons Hay Lin wasn't;t ever too keen on sharing training sessions with the Omega Level mutant, after all, though she was feeling rather blessed that Doctor Chacon had partnered the two of them together for this particular exercise.

She didn't' envy Cornelia and Irma once all four girls at last faced off, that was for sure. . . .

"All right, then. . . . Here we go," Hay Lin complied with a calming inhale, slowly placing her hands together in front of her, before then abruptly wrenching them away from one another . . . at the same time that a large gust of wind sliced through the previously matting fog, and effectively cleared a renewed path for both girls. "There. I'll take to the skies again, though, to see if I can't finally get a visual on the girls' flag, while you continue doing . . . your thing."

As she momentarily watched as her partner swiftly lifted herself back off of the ground, smartly utilizing a few of the nearby trees to act as cover, Elyon took the opportunity to close her eyes and chose to focus all of her thoughts toward Cornelia . . . wherever she was.

After only a few moments of silence, her mind was effortlessly bombarded with those of the Geokinetic mutant, which were frequent and rather informative at first . . . before curiously tapering off to a faint trickle.

". . . . Well played, Cornelia," Elyon murmured to herself with a soft smile as she reopened her eyes, before sending a mental message to Hay Lin above her, catching her off guard.

Hay Lin, I was able to pick up on Cornelia's brainwaves. It was pretty strong at first, and filled with . . . a bit of apprehension, I suppose maybe over having to face us, as well, but then . . . nothing, she revealed telepathically as she craned her head up in order to look upon a now partially hidden Hay Lin a few feet away from her. That is, I'm still able to read her mind, sure, but she's . . . purposefully trying to distract me with all sorts of nonsensical things, clearly knowing that I'd try to find her this way. Probably should've chosen to probe Irma's mind, instead, in that case. . . . Still, I did get that both hers, as well as Irma's general location is about . . . due east from here, I believe.

That's great, Elyon! I'd honestly forgotten for a second that you could also project your own thoughts into the minds of others, there, Hay Lin's own mind responded with a sheepish grin and nod, before growing serious once more as she then asked, So then, how do you wanna proceed? We obviously can't hang around here for much longer, and that flag's not gonna capture itself. Do we go after the girls and try to take them out first, and then find their flag? Or, do we do the exact opposite?

Elyon took a deep, cleansing breath before suddenly rising into the air right alongside Hay Lin, causing the other girl to gasp within genuine surprise.

". . . . I say we eliminate the bigger threat first, especially since we now have at least a general idea of where they both are," she stated verbally as she continually hovered delicately beside the Aerokinetic teenager, before blushing slightly. "I, uh . . . guess I don't normally use my Telekinetic abilities all too often, as well, do I?"

Hay Lin blinked a few times at this, before lightly chuckling and shook her head.

"Mmm, nope, not really! But boy, you really do have, like, a full arsenal of powers there, don't you? Must be pretty amazing to be an Omega Level mutant," she replied with another smile, her comment intended to be simply good-natured, although it unknowingly caused a momentary twinge of upset to course through Elyon, reminding her once more why it really did continue to bother her to be within possession of so many abilities at once. . . .

Choosing to push those unsettling feelings aside, both mutually levitating girls sailed toward their new point of trajectory with relative confidence, courtesy of Hay Lin continually clearing a path within the fog, and Elyon's previously gleaned information from her closest friend.

---

"Hmm . . . pretty clever there, Corny. They're headed this way, just like you said they would," Irma quietly complimented from where she sat, presently crouched down upon both knees and mostly submerged within the surrounding, murky water.

She continued to peer straight down in front of her with an eerily pointed stare, as the water before her curiously projected the very familiar images of Hay Lin and Elyon, who both appeared to be airborne and fast approaching what Irma knew to be their location.

It had admittedly taken the Hydrokinetic mutant a bit of time to even conjure the watery image to begin with, certainly far longer than she personally would have preferred, anyway, but she was still pleased with her efforts all the same . . . especially given that it wasn't an ability she ever really bothered to fully foster before now, either.

As previously requested, Cornelia had remained perfectly still within her place from behind, as Irma apparently needed the surrounding waters to remain as calm as possible in order for her skill to work. Now that they were both fully aware that they would soon have company, Cornelia took a step forward as she began to maneuver around the brunette, causing the previously clear image of their friends to dissipate before completely vanishing.

"Pretty sure I've told you repeatedly never to call me that, but . . . yeah, thanks, I guess," she stated lowly with a brief roll of her eyes before continuing. "Anyway, I just had a feeling that Elyon would naturally try to use her Telepathic abilities to try to find either us, or maybe even our flag somehow, so I purposefully jumbled up my thoughts as best I could in order to at least give her a general vicinity, if not block her completely. . . . Good thing she's seemed to have chosen my mind to read instead of yours, though, since you were in the middle of doing your . . . 'Hydromancy,' right? Why'd you say it's a stupid ability for? From what I just saw, that was basically like seeing into the future, almost, something I'd think you'd be thrilled about being able to do. Hell, I didn't even know you could do that in the first place – And you were all upset when you first found out about my healing abilities. . . ."

Irma frowned deeply with a dramatic sigh as she allowed the blonde to prematurely break her concentration, before carefully rising to her feet.

"Tch, because it is pretty stupid, that's why. At least, to me, personally. For one thing, I already generally know the ins and outs around here, anyway, so it's hardly 'seeing into the future,' like you said. If I wanna know something, I just ask. And secondly, as you so kindly demonstrated, both you, and the water have to remain perfectly still, or else it's kaput," she explained with a dismissive wave of her left hand toward her companion, while simultaneously 'flicking' away excess water from off of her legs and torso with the other via her Hydrokinesis. "Plus, it takes way, way – And I mean, wayyy too long to even get at least a few seconds worth at a time of an image, let alone maintain it. Frankly, we're lucky it even worked at all right now."

"Hmm . . . well, still. I wouldn't count that ability out just yet, though. Look how easily you dried yourself off, there, and made that rolling fog from earlier. I'm pretty sure that, if you really wanted, your Hydromancy could grow into something truly powerful – And, generally knowing how you are when it comes to your gifts, I'm sure that I'm right when I say that," Cornelia respectfully commented before she could stop herself, causing Irma to flash her a slow, but growing, Cheshire Cat like grin as a result. ". . . . W-What the hell's that face for?"

"Takes one to know one, right? Didn't think you noticed me at all, but I guess maybe having to live, literally together now has already rubbed off on ya! Uh huh . . . you like me, I knew it," Irma teased with an added wink, causing the tall blonde to blush profusely, although Irma, herself, truly was rather impressed that it really did appear as though Cornelia did seem to know at least a tiny bit about her nature . . . that is, beyond believing her to be an 'insufferable layabout,' or whatever the Geokinetic girl would habitually refer to her as up to now.

"W-What? N-No, hardly! I just – ! Irma, watch out!"

Before the brunette could even look, let alone properly react, Cornelia was suddenly pushing Irma back down toward the swampy ground, just in time to witness her toppling over with her . . . in addition to an eerie, eggplant tinted mist filling the surrounding area straight above their heads.

"U-Ugh! C-Can't . . . breathe! What is this stuff? M-My head's getting . . . f-fuzzy!" Irma managed in between struggled gasps for air as Cornelia quickly rolled off of her, and both now completely drenched girls immediately placed their hands over their mouths for protection.

". . . . I-I . . . I don't know, but I think it might . . . might have t-to do with that!" she sharply coughed within reply, now using her forearm to cover her nose as she carefully sat up and pointed toward the terrifying sight which now lay before them.

What was previously only occupied by themselves, the immediate area was now suddenly infiltrated by massive, grotesque and apparently plantlike creature, which woefully towered over the duo.

Innumerable, tentacle like tendrils encompassed its extremely intimidating, and round frame, each one whipping about feverishly as it slowly approached.

And unfortunately for both girls, whatever noxious and debilitating gas which had been previously emitted from its saliva filled, and frighteningly gaping maw did not seem to effect it within the slightest, the way that it continued to completely seize them within its mercy by comparison.

"S-Sweet Jesus! I-I'm . . . guessing that that's the . . . 'surprise' the D-Doc . . . had in mind!" Irma cried out within immediate trepidation in between continued gasps for fresh breath, her vision beginning to grow quite cloudy as her mind became incredibly strangled and addled. "W-We've . . . got to . . . clear out this air b-before – "

Before Irma could complete her sentence, both she and Cornelia thankfully witnessed the timely arrival of Elyon and Hay Lin overhead, who immediately sprang into action and cleared away the poisonous gas via her Aerokinetic abilities.

"I-Irma! Cornelia! Are you two okay? W-What the heck isthat thing?" the ebony haired teenager asked as she continued to summon up a tunnel of wind, this time directing straight into the side of the emerald colored monstrosity, causing it to successfully teeter . . . however, only for a few short moments.

Elyon let out a sharp grunt as she nonetheless lifted both Cornelia and Irma from out of the water and straight above the creature's head with little to no effort.

"N-Ngh! . . . . What . . . Whatever that thing is, your powers clearly have no effect on it, a-at least not long enough to keep it down, permanently!"

"Well I'm certainly open to suggestions!" Irma cried out with an appreciative nod toward the petite blonde for the levitating rescue, before Elyon gingerly settled the four of them back down onto the ground a few feet away from the tentacled creature.

"I-It appears to be . . . sort of plant based, o-or at least something close to that, right? So maybe we could figure out a way to set it on fire, or something!" Hay Lin openly brainstormed as she struggled to contain her mounting terror, at the same time that Irma lightly shivered at the mention of the at times destructive element which, if not careful, tended to be one of her strongest weaknesses.

"Yeah, sure! Why not go ahead and light a match around the water wielding party member, Hay Lin? Besides, thankfully with all this water around, I highly doubt anything would really catch," she countered with a deep frown, immediately taking a defensive stance in spite of her ongoing intimidation toward the unidentifiable foe, which was now fully erect once more and on the warpath.

As Cornelia watched as Irma swiftly summoned up a column of the surrounding swamp water to ruthlessly collide into the nameless monster, however once again only just managing to subdue it for a mere few seconds, an idea promptly sprung to mind.

"W-Water! That's it! This thing really is presumably one giant plant, right? And plants are generally upwards around ninety to ninety-five percent water! S-So, if we time our attacks just right, Irma, maybe you can . . . I don't know, somehow extract the water which is inside it, destroying it in the process!" she feverishly hypothesized in between successfully just managing to dodge the volley of vicious looking attacks the sinister beast had spewed from out of its snarling mouth.

"E-Excuse me? While I'm honestly flattered you suddenly seem to believe I possess enough juice to do something that epic, it clearly illustrates how much time we've spent together over the years! That's some super, high level concentration there, especially against something this gargantuan, and actively trying to kill all of us!" Irma grunted upon diving back down onto the watery ground, at the same time that one of the colossal being's endless tentacles then stretched out with seemingly never ending length toward both Elyon and herself, and thankfully managed to miss penetrating either one of their skulls. "Besides! I've never before bothered to think about messing with vegetation like that – That's your area of expertise! So why don't you try dismantling this thing, yourself? Bury it, or something, I don't care!"

Elyon, who, up until that point, had been primarily focused upon deflecting as many of the monster's attacks as possible via her lesser used Telekinetic abilities, gasped sharply as a newfound idea sprang to mind.

"N-No, wait! You can both do it!" she began with mounting excitement, mentally seizing control of the acidic and green colored deadly waste which had just been spewed from out of the creature's mouth and ruthlessly redirected it back against its body . . . although it yet again did not appear phased within the slightest. "It's just like Doctor Chacon said! We have to stop focusing on what we can't do, and push ourselves out of our comfort zones long enough to see what we can! Hay Lin, you and I will keep this thing – And its attacks – at bay as best we can, while Cornelia, you and Irma summon up both your Geo, and Hydrokinetic abilities in order to take it down, once and for all!"

"A-Are you sure? Like Irma said, I, too, haven't fully -"

"- Cornelia, watch out!" Elyon cried out within alarm, lunging toward the taken aback Cornelia and summoning up the very same teleportation abilities which had once saved her own life in order to now save her best friend's, moving them a few inches over from where the monstrosity had just violently extended a series of its tentacles within a whipping like succession.

As she was about to release the now wildly blushing Cornelia from her grasp, the two of them reappearing from out of the familiar haze of bright, golden light seconds later, Elyon suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream and immediately went rigid, her tiny body vibrating directly over the other girl within immense pain.

"A-Ahhhh!" she shrieked, causing Cornelia to promptly roll out from underneath her body and gaze behind her in order to see what had happened.

Although they had managed to skirt the creature's pommeling efforts seconds before, it, too, appeared to have formulated its own strategy of attack, clearly realizing that Elyon was one of, if not the strongest among them, and sought to completely eliminate her from the equation first.

A single, yet now very noticeable vine, or perhaps another tentacle or sorts, this time hailing from its bottom half had discreetly ushered forth through the murky waters at the same time as the monster's previous onrush . . . and pierced straight into the back of Elyon's upper right shoulder. . . .

"E-Elyon! No!" Cornelia, Hay Lin, and Irma all simultaneously cried out at the sight, Cornelia reaching out to catch the now toppled over and injured Elyon within her arms.

". . . . M-My . . . My b-body! I-It's getting h-harder to . . . to move!" Elyon hissed in between labored breaths of continued pain, which was swiftly becoming replaced by that of an unsettling numbness.

Despite this, however, she appeared every bit as determined to defeat the menacing brute, and without hesitation, summoned up her remaining strength in order to lock the creature in place via her waning Telekinetic gifts, at the same time that it began to violently resist.

"N-Nghhh. . . .! N-Now!" Elyon winced with a shaky breath as she managed to wriggle free from Cornelia's protective grasp and raised her good arm out in front of her in order to maintain her psychic hold against their undeniable foe for as long as both her strength, as well as its apparently paralyzing attack would allow.

"On it!" Hay Lin, who had only just returned to the ground seconds before, promptly took to the air once more as she complied, letting out a startled gasp as the acidic like saliva which had once again been released from the monster's mouth prior to being restrained just managed to miss her via her timely, although still mostly involuntarily activated Invisibility power.

". . . . S-Show off," Irma muttered with a playful roll of her eyes as she watched from below, tactfully deploying a lighthearted approach, at least within that particular moment, as a way to ironically help keep her focused upon the task at hand.

Doing so had yet to fail her during her other training simulations, after all, so she wasn't about to deviate from her personal fighting style now, especially not when one of her friends truly needed her.

She didn't get bumped up into one of the more advanced levels for nothing.

. . . . At least, she hoped.

As Hay Lin reappeared seconds later, she took a deep breath, holding it in briefly before violently letting it loose toward the continually struggling monster directly below her. Her companions watched within impressed satisfaction as the previously unseen air which had been released from her lungs ruthlessly rammed into the beast, before suddenly beginning to freeze over and further locked it within its place.

Although it had been her obvious intent to attempt to encapsulate its entire body, Hay Lin had at least managed to do so to its lower half, disabling it at its roots as the newly formed ice successfully thickened, at the same time that Elyon's Telekinetic efforts were beginning to fade.

"H-Hurry! I-I can . . . feel it b-breaking through!" she urged at the same time that her own body was rapidly losing the fight to resist whatever sort of neurotoxin which had been injected into her system.

Without another word uttered by any one of them, both Cornelia, and Irma gazed toward one another with admitted uncertainty at the prospect of possibly attempting something which hadn't previously been done before regarding their respective gifts.

However, as Irma looked up at Hay Lin, whose arms were now both out and quaking within the clearly physical strain it was taking in order to maintain her own clasp upon the creature as best she could, and Cornelia did the same toward a now profusely sweating Elyon crumpled at her side, both girls pushed any lingering doubt far from their minds and summoned up the sheer, raw strength from within.

Taking several deep breaths, Irma sharply held in the last as she raised both arms into the air, her right slightly extended further ahead of her left, as she strained with all of her might against the seemingly unaffected monstrosity.

At first, nothing appeared to be happening, just as she privately expected, regardless of her willingness to achieve the previously unachievable.

However, after a few more moments of silent prayer, focus, and coaxing to dig as deep as she possibly could within herself as never before, Irma nearly began to cry within utter jubilation as all four of them watched, within undeniable awe, as the towering and honestly once plump monster slowly, but surely began to become quite withered within appearance. . . .

I-It's working! Holy hell, i-it's actually working! the brunette mused with widened eyes, beads of her own sweat forming and trickling down her forehead as she continued to enforce her entire will upon the now screeching creature, whose entire body was now eerily shriveling up as its water was being drained away, as though through an invisible straw.

As Irma continued to channel the full force of her Hydrokinetic gifts, somehow successfully unlocking a completely new side to it which she had never before realized was possible, Cornelia, too, simultaneously began to unleash her own mutant abilities alongside her.

Having hunkered back down into the boggy water, now completely on all fours, Cornelia promptly ignored the squishy feeling of the damp earth submerged underneath, a sensation which still privately bothered her every bit today as it had the very first time she'd attempted to manipulate the ground during a rainstorm, during one of her earlier training sessions a few years back.

It was one of the reasons she'd strongly disliked going into this particular simulation the moment Doctor Chacon had programmed it, after all . . . that, as well as the fact that she was otherwise terrified of water - Or, more specifically, swimming in it, a religiously maintained secret which thankfully only Elyon appeared to be aware of.

It certainly made it a bit ironic, anyhow, considering that she was now being forced to share a dorm room with an individual who could direct control said element. . . .

Further pushing any and all conflicting feelings aside, as she normally would whenever needing to take care of the task at hand, Cornelia began gritting her teeth as she summoned up every last ounce of power within her, beckoning the surrounding earth to bend to her will.

Her mind then took a surprising detour as she suddenly focused upon her folly earlier that week and the fear it had invoked, for once choosing to finally, and fully embrace her mistake and how it made her feel head on, instead channeling it into something constructive . . . or rather, destructive.

Instead of thinking about Irma as she had originally done that day and how infuriated it had made her, Cornelia began to think about Elyon – No, their companions as a whole, and of her great desire to protect all of them. . . .

Within no time at all, Cornelia began to feel the familiar sensations of the earth vibrating beneath her feet as she continued to focus all her strength, visualizing the ground ripping open within her mind as she then squeezed her blue eyes shut.

Just as Elyon's Telekinetic hold had at last completely dissipated, falling onto her side and into the turbid water within an exhausted and fully paralyzed heap, Cornelia hadn't any time to react to it as she normally might have, as her Geokinetic abilities had right then completely taken over.

The surrounding water, or rather, the earth within Cornelia's immediate vicinity began to emit a familiar glow of emerald as it emanated from her continually opened and submerged hands, with small but swiftly growing fractures within the ground shuttering forth from her now curled fingertips and straight toward the shrieking monster.

Although now completely free from both Elyon's, as well as Hay Lin's restraints, as the raven haired Aerokinetic also now found herself drained of her energy and began to plummet toward the ground as a dangerous consequence, the creature appeared to be a literal shell of what it once was, as at least half its body was now successfully desiccated and resembled that of a raisin having shriveled away within the hot sun.

Both Irma, as well as Cornelia let out cries of frustration together, willing themselves to 'ignore' their now incapacitated comrades in order to give one final push, as Irma, who was now down onto her knees within her own exhaustion, continued to extract as much of the life giving liquid from her foe's body as possible, while Cornelia's literally earth shattering assault had just then reached its target.

Irma felt her limbs completely give out at the same time seconds later, also unable to maintain what little balance she precariously held onto due to the violent tremors which continued to envelop her; however, it didn't appear to have mattered, as the already partially defeated monstrosity just then received its coup de gras, as the ground beneath it fully crumbled away before immediately swallowing it whole.

Before it could have made any attempts to resist, Cornelia, with one final grunt, redirected her Geokinetic abilities toward resealing the now torn apart ground as swiftly as she could, closing up the targeted area where the beast had once stood and burying it, presumably, for good. . . .

". . . . U-Ugh," Cornelia groaned, now completely spent as she blindly fell forward, face first into the quaggy swamp water . . . at the same time that the simulation curiously disappeared, and the familiar setting of the metallic, blank walls of the Danger Room once again enveloped the quartet.

"W-Well done, girls! You did it! You did it!" Doctor Chacon congratulated within a mixture of profound pride, as well as understandable concern as she swiftly approached seconds later, having evidently left the safety of the control room in order to better attend to her partially wounded students. "H-Here! Lie still, all of you, and regather your strength. . . ."

As Cornelia managed to slowly roll onto her back in between heaving inhales, only just catching a quick glimpse of her instructor as she passed overhead, she asked weakly, "I-Is . . . Is everyone okay? E-Elyon . . . Is Elyon all right, as well?"

"M-Mmm . . . I'm d-down . . . but not out," Elyon's voice could be heard from behind the taller blonde where she continued to lay, at the same time that Doctor Chacon settled down next to her in order to give her a physical examination.

"No . . . No, you won't be, will you, as while obviously menacing, I'd programmed the monster's crippling effects to be temporary. So while it might last no more than say, five, maybe even ten minutes for another individual, for one so powerful as yourself, there, Elyon, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it only lasted for another few seconds. . . . Still, I'm sure you'll still feel a bit of residual effects as you try to sit up, so do take it easy," the skilled pediatrician explained soothingly, understanding the obvious concern the Omega Level mutant would presently possess over having been rendered immobile, however temporary. "Professor Starlighter and I can give you a more thorough examination inside the infirmary after this to help put your mind at ease even further, however."

". . . . N-No matter how many times I've experienced these Danger Room sessions, regardless of level, I personally still can never quite get over just how real everything inside becomes – Especially the pain," Elyon whimpered with a faint smile toward the redhead hovering over her, her insides flooding with utter relief over the rapidly returning feeling of . . . anything, as the now defeated creature's paralyzing attack really was already wearing off.

For once, it made her feel a little less alienated to possess such tremendous abilities, by comparison to those around her. . . .

"Tell me about it, Elles," Irma exhaled gruffly as she, too, gingerly rose to her feet with the help of a much more recovered Hay Lin, who then wrapped both arms around her within an affectionate and appreciative embrace. "B-But yeah, that's right. I just totally saved the day back there by literally sucking the life straight out of that . . . God awful thing. No biggie."

"Yeah, you did! That was so awesome, Irma! And here, you were so worried about mymeasly invisibility powers, when it seems like you've just unlocked a whole new side to your own!" Hay Lin pointed out in between tired giggles, releasing the now slightly blushing Irma in order to give her a high five of approval.

". . . . Yep, because it was all one hundred percent Irma there, but sure," Cornelia mumbled to herself as she managed to sit up with a quick roll of her eyes, wiping away the phantom sensations of the previously simulated mud against her now well worn training uniform, before then turning her attention onto a now warmly smiling Elyon. "I'm so glad you're all right, now, though, Elyon. And I'm so glad that I – We all managed to defeat that beast together, just like you said. . . ."

Elyon shook her head at this as Doctor Chacon gently moved aside in order to let her student carefully crawl closer toward an awaiting Cornelia.

"No, that's not true. I mean, all I did was remind everyone of Doctor Chacon's own words, remember? I'm just thankful that it worked, like you said. . . ."

"Fair enough, Elyon, but hearing it come from you, the apparent glue which managed to unite you and your friends together, is clearly what really did the trick, and managed to awaken a strength within each of you you never before believed was possible, until now," Doctor Chacon kindly remarked with a broad smile as she watched both Hay Lin and Irma approach, as well. "You'd managed to do everything I had asked of you, and then some. Well done, again. . . ."

Irma paused a moment, before a realization then dawned on her.

"Thanks for that, Doctor Chacon, but . . . we really didn't, though. I mean, didn't' you want us to go up against each other, instead, and capture the flags you'd also programmed into the simulation? You ended it before we'd even gotten the chance to go toe to toe," she stated with a light frown of reflection, as Hay Lin, too, also nodded within agreement next to her.

Doctor Chacon then flashed each of her students a curious sort of grin as she asked, "Oh, did I? You should know by now to always be ready for the unexpected, Irma, just like in real life. I wanted to see what you all were capable of during a truly stressful situation, and I have . . . with the added bonus of implementing one of my favorite role playing game enemies for a much added zing, is all. . . ."

"T-That was one of your favorite enemies? My gosh! I'd hate to ever encounter one of your least, or outright play whatever game that that monster had come from! A-And here I thought I had pretty peculiar interests," Hay Lin rapidly blinked with a renewed shiver at the returned memory of the simulated foe, before joining suit within the light chuckles her words had managed to elicit from the remaining women surrounding her.

After a few more moments of reveling within their well earned victory, Doctor Chacon gently clapped her minuscule sized hands together as she announced, with yet another smile, "All right! Class, dismissed! We will definitely pick up where we left off next week, as I'm sure you undoubtedly have even more questions about everything you'd just accomplished together – Especially you, Irma, and having unlocked your Chlorokinetic gifts, there, one of my own favorite abilities, mmhm! Get cleaned up, enjoy the rest of your day, and Elyon, I will meet you within the infirmary in five minutes or so, all right? See you, ladies!"

"W-Wait, what now? 'Chloro-whosits?' Is that what I just did? Is that really what you can do, too? How come I never knew this before? Did I know this before? Where have I been this whole time?" Irma fired off an onslaught of inquiries to really no one in particular, despite the obvious topic of discussion, as Doctor Chacon was already swiftly retreating with a knowing sort of smirk etched across her tawny complexion, while Hay Lin began to lead the way out of the emptying Danger Room.

"Maybe because you might've been only focused on the more blatant applications to your gifts this entire time, I guess? Don't feel bad, though, Irma: I also didn't even think of possibly attempting to freeze things with my own breath until maybe like, the second or third month after my gifts had first manifested and – O-Oh, sorry!" the Aerokinetic teenager offered up with an apologetic grin upon catching the brunette's unappreciative, although fleeting glare as the dirtied pair continued to exit the previously sealed room ahead of the two remaining blondes.

Shaking her head within mild amusement as she watched them go, Cornelia then promptly turned her attention back onto her previously incapacitated best friend and asked, with blatant concern, "D-Do you want me to go with you to the infirmary, Elyon? You know that I don't mind. . . ."

Elyon smiled gently at the taller girl standing before her and shook her head, reaching out to cup her hand within her own and lightly squeezed.

"You're sweet, as always, Cornelia, but no. I'll be fine, I think. I really do feel a whole lot better now, although I will still go and get checked out just in case. After all, tonight's the big night, and I'd rather not have to stay home on account of any unforeseen injury, you know?" she responded in kind, releasing her friend's hand before gently beginning to rub at where the creature had managed to stick her earlier. "Gosh, did that really feel so real – Every time, right? The technology Oracle has managed to construct inside here really is so amazing. . . ."

Cornelia could only nod as her initial response, her mind somehow managing to rapidly shift from her ongoing concern for her best friend's well being, to her previous concern over having forgotten to properly ask the other girl to Karmilla's rock concert.

. . . . Well, although it's absolutely far from the ideal setting you'd originally envisioned, it's now or never, Cornelia, she mentally urged herself, taking deep, rhythmic breaths in order to further steel herself, feeling far more rattled by this than she had during the entirety of her previous battle with the thankfully now defeated monster, hands down.

". . . . Y-Yeah, so, about that – T-The concert, I mean. I have no idea how I completely let it slip from my mind to ask if . . . you know, if maybe we were going together – As a group, of course," Cornelia tried her best to maintain her normally cool head, throwing in a light shrug for added effect as the pair just then passed through the sliding doors of the now abandoned Danger Room. "I mean, obviously, you know that I'm not really big on Karmilla's music, so we've never really talked much about her concert in all this time, until now, I guess. But since I did decide to go, anyway, I just naturally assumed that you and I would go together . . . like we usually do for things, is all."

Believing to have successfully covered her tracks by pointing out that last particular statement, as it was true that the duo really would do a great many activities together throughout the years, Cornelia was nonetheless surprised to watch Elyon's face grow pink with curious abashment, as she then suddenly stopped short.

"O-Oh, gosh! I-I mean, I don't . . . I don't even know how I'd completely forgotten to tell you," she began with a sheepish smile, momentarily averting her eyes away from the taller girl, before looking back up at her and continuing, "but I, um . . . kinda, sorta . . . have a date. . . ."

Cornelia felt her heart immediately being torn in two upon hearing the incredibly unexpected news, although somehow feeling more so betrayed rather than sorrowful, as this really was news to her.

After all, Elyon, much like Cornelia, herself, had remained rather single for majority of their time together at both schools, although, at least within Cornelia's case, it had been more so by choice, for obvious reasons . . . at least, only to herself.

Sure, there had been random 'so and so's' here and there, with even more admirers to potentially choose from, particularly back at Bayville (despite the blonde's admittedly at times intimidating presence); however, none of them could, or ever would compare to the wonderfully kind and remarkable person standing right before her. . . .

And, as for Elyon, herself, while every bit as attractive as Cornelia, honestly more so (at least, within Cornelia's own personal opinion), she had always been far too self conscious about herself, and especially of her multitude of capabilities as an incredibly powerful mutant to ever really put herself out there . . . until now, apparently.

". . . . Y-You do, do you? Oh . . . w—wow! Really," Cornelia tried her best to sound every bit as thrilled for her friend as she deserved, although her face clearly seemed to give her away as Elyon immediately looked absolutely crestfallen. "Oh, n—no, Elyon, don't worry about it! I really am happy for you about it! It's your first date, after all! I just . . . well, this is literally the first I'm even hearing of it, and just hours away from the actual concert, to boot, that's all. . . ."

Elyon perked up at this, if only a tiny bit as she slightly nodded within understanding, gently kicking at the metallic ground beneath her feet as she began to properly explain.

"I-I know, and I really am sorry about that, Cornelia . . . but that's because it kind of happened 'justhours before the actual concert,' as well," she started cryptically, before taking a deep breath in order to continue. "O-Okay, so . . . do you know that new guy – Well, maybe not so new, since he's been in Bayville since the middle of this past summer, he said, now? Caleb Cipes? Yeah, well, I don't know if you remember or not, but he and I share Philosophy together, and . . . he just sort of . . . asked me this morning, after class. . . ."

". . . . And you obviously said yes," Cornelia finished with a low, defeated exhale, although she faked a teasing smile upon her face within that moment.

Fake, and quite honestly not one of her better works, but appropriately 'teasing,' all the same.

Elyon, ever the trusting companion, appeared to have taken the bait, regardless, as she let out a soft giggle of continued embarrassment at the sight, and nodded.

"Y-Yes, I did, although, honestly, I was every bit as surprised about it as I'm sure you are right now," she responded, tucking a stray strand of her now very loose, and lopsided bun behind her ear. "I mean, he and I have spoken before now, obviously, although it was really more so for our assignments, or in class discussions, you know? And, I'll admit, we did seem to have a few things in common before all this, but . . . I didn't really think he'd noticed me like that. . . ."

"And I didn't even know that you'd noticed him like that, yourself – Thanks for that, by the way," Cornelia once again managed to jest, falling back into the role of supporting best friend with greater ease now that her habitual, emotionally concealing mask had been placed securely back over her heart.

Seeming to no longer sense any potential tension lingering between them, Elyon completely relaxed and chuckled some more, as the girls resumed their walk toward the infirmary.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, again! But, to be even more honest, I didn't even really fully realize I maybe might . . . like Caleb until he was in the middle of asking me out this morning. You know how completely hopeless I've always been about affairs of the heart – Not at all like you, 'Miss Picky Aphrodite,'" she stated ironically with a broad smile and nod. "I-It was just like . . . I don't know. Like a jolt of lightning or something suddenly hitting me once I did realize that I might . . . have a crush on him. And then . . . well, after we parted ways, I did immediately feel guilty about it, because I did figure that you and I would just go with a couple of our other friends like you said, but . . . seeing as you never really did seem all that enthusiastic about Karmilla's concert this entire time, and don't really like her, herself, as you'd just pointed out, I thought -"

"- What would be the harm in taking a chance and going with a cute guy, instead, right? No, no, I totally understand . . . seriously," Cornelia finished her friend's train of thought with a convincing nod of agreement, hesitating a moment before wrapping an arm around her for good measure. "Frankly, I'd have done the same, myself. . . . Well, maybe not, but who am I to stand in the way of a potential love connection, eh? Especially someone as . . . hot as Caleb Cipes. I've seen him around, yeah, obviously, and have Russian and Gym Class with him. Pretty serious and a bit too by the book, if you ask me, but whatever floats your boat!"

As the familiar doors to the infirmary came into view, Elyon shook her head with a playful roll of her eyes as she stated, "Sure, yeah! If anything, he totally sounds more like your type, huh? Or like, maybe a male version of you, almost, then! Anyway, I'm really, really glad you're okay with me going with him instead of you, tonight. I-I . . . I'd really like to see where this might go, if anywhere, you know?"

Keep it together, Cornelia. . . . Keep it together, the Geokinetic blonde mentally chanted as she did her best to ignore the honest marvel which was Elyon's ongoing density.

"Yeah, well, it's not like I still won't be there. I've gotta have some good material to make fun of you both over, right? All about your very first date together, during my speech at your future wedding!" she jested, admittedly laying it on thick as she released a now profusely blushing Elyon and nodded toward the infirmary's doors. "Now, go on. You make sure you get your absolutely clean bill of health before tonight, all right? . . . . Wouldn't want anything to stand in the way of true love."

No longer feeling like she could take much more of the rather disturbing conversation, Cornelia flashed Elyon as calming a smile as possible before uncharacteristically leaving the scene before another word could have been uttered, nor without nonetheless accompanying her inside as she was originally going to, in spite of previously agreeing that she didn't need to.

She knew that she was probably risking at least a fraction's worth of suspicion for having done so; however, after having faced off against one of the more personally challenging Danger Room simulations to date, followed by getting unexpectedly slammed by the very last thing she ever wanted to hear, Cornelia didn't think she had it within her to maintain her cool much longer than that.

In all honesty, she would have preferred to face off against an entire room filled with whatever creature that had been, in lieu of ever having to face the fact that not only did that bastard, Caleb, beat her to the punch of officially asking Elyon to go to Karmilla's rock concert tonight, but that he, too, apparently had feelings for her.

Worse yet, that Elyon apparently had feelings for him.

Strong ones, even, and growing. . . .

". . . . God, could this day get any worse?" Cornelia muttered to herself with heart breaking bitterness on her way toward the awaiting elevators, as she purposefully avoided heading into the nearby locker room and shower area, lest Hay Lin or, worse yet, Irma still be inside getting cleaned up before their next class.

So much for things looking up. . . .

- End of Chapter Seven