CHAPTER SIX...

"We should think of code names!" Raven says enthusiastically. "We're Government agents now, we should have secret code names."

I'm sitting a little ways away from the group of recruits, my feet up on a metal table, listening to the new mutants speak like old friends. A deck of cards sits in front of me, as well as a half finished soda. I pick up the cards and begin to shuffle them. Anything to keep myself distracted.

It's been a day since my failed training with Erik and Charles, and I haven't had the courage to speak to them again. My mind still goes back to the shadows of Erik's mind, of the way I couldn't even twist his pain into energy. Of Shaw's obscure face. Of his glinting eyes.

"I want to be called Mystique." Raven continues. I turn to face the group. They all lounge around, sipping on beers. Every one of them is smiling. They're happy to be here, I realize. They want to fight, and they're not afraid of what they can do.

The only other miserable looking person here besides me is Alex, who rests his head on one hand, looking thoroughly unamused. I wonder what happened to him to make him like he is today. I heard from Hank that he was in solitary confinement, but can't begin to think why.

"Damn, I wanted to be called Mystique!" Sean says from where he sits cross legged on a couch, closest to me. For a moment, a tiny hint of a smile appears on my face, but it's gone in an instant.

Raven chuckles. "Well, tough, I called it." Suddenly, I'm no longer looking at Raven, but Sean. Right where Raven used to be. I haven't seen her use her mutation yet, and I stifle an impressed gasp. She is an exact copy of the Sean sitting near me. Down to the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Whoa!" Darwin exclaims, and everyone laughs. Sean practically jumps out of his seat.

"I'm way more mysterious than you." Raven-Sean says, and she sounds exactly like the younger boy. Sean puts down his drink and everyone claps. I look at Raven.

If only I could have a mutation like hers, where she wasn't afraid of even touching someone.

"Darwin, what about you?" Raven says. Darwin sits up a bit straighter and grins.

"Well, uh, Darwin's already a nickname," he says. "And, you know, sort of fits. Adapt to survive and all." He holds up a hand and gets up from where he sits.

"Check this out." he continues. Darwin saunters over the large fish tank near the wall. I frown, but can't help being intrigued. For some reason, this whole showcase of abilities helps me forget my own. And I really want to forget. Darwin dunks his head into the murky water, and in an instant, bluish pink gills sprout on the side of his head, allowing him to breath. Darwin turns his head towards us and opens his mouth, showing off his skills.

Everyone cheers, and the clapping begins again. This time I join in. Darwin takes his head out of the water and shakes it, spraying droplets across the room. "Thank you, thank you."

"That's incredible." Hank says from where he sits beside Raven.

Darwin points to Sean. "What about you?" he turns and grabs a cloth from beside him.

Sean sighs and puts his hands together, peering intensely at the coffee table in front of him. "I'm going to be... Banshee."

My brows knit together. "After a wailing spirit?" I ask. Everyone turns to look at me, as if they only just realized I was in the room. It makes sense, if you think about it. I came in a little after everyone joined, and didn't say hello. As I was walking back to my room, I came into contact with Moira, who said that I should go with the other recruits to keep an eye on them. It's obvious she just wanted me to not be alone, but I went along with it anyway. When I entered the room, the other recruits were too engrossed in their conversation to notice I sat down at the table. The only one who did look up was Sean. He gave me a large, goofy smile and pointed to the cooler, where I found cream soda.

Sean does that same smile now. "You might want to cover your ears." He gets up and moves across to the end of the coffee table. He kneels down and looks forward toward the window overlooking the courtyard. Slowly, we all press our hands to our ears, looking at each other suspiciously. I keep my eyes on Sean, or Banshee now, waiting for whatever is about to happen.

Sean sucks in a long breath, looks around, winks at me, and turns back to the coffee table. I raise an eyebrow. No one has ever winked at me before.

Sean pauses one more second, then lets out a loud, high pitched whistle. A spiral of what looks like condensed air shoots out his tight lips and heads straight for the window. I wince as the glass breaks, shattering into a million pieces. Sean stumbles back, cringing at his misguided shot.

For a second, no one speaks. Then, gradually, we all begin to laugh and applaud him. Even Alex cracks a smile, breaking the previous tension that held him as straight as a stick. Sean gives a small bow and sits back down, smiling to himself. I shift my body so I'm now fully facing the group, letting my shoulders relax a bit.

"How'd I miss that?" Sean says, before pointing to Angel. "Your turn."

The short girl stands up and brushes invisible dust off her short dress. "My, uh, 'stage' name is Angel." she shrugs off her leather jacket, and Darwin whistles. Angel shrugs and shows off her large tattoo that spreads across her back.

"Kind of fits." she says as the tattoo begins to seemingly melt off her skin, and two fairy like wings blossom out of her back. They shimmer as if covered in stardust, flitting up and down restlessly. Angel begins to float up until she's a couple feet off the ground.

"You can fly?!" Raven exclaims, leaning forward. I laugh, marvelling at the way she flutters around like a pixies I've read about in novels.

"Uh-huh. And, um..." she says, as she turns forward and faces the statue out in the green. She leans forward slightly, and something fast and fizzing shoots out of her mouth. It flies straight onto the statue's head, leaving a burning, acidic dent. Smoke begins to billow out from the top of it.

Darwin claps. "I'm turned on and disgusted." I stifle a spluttering laugh, my stomach twisting. No one seems to notice, however, as they all stare in wonder into the courtyard. Everyone begins to giggle uncontrollably as Angel puts her jacket back on, her wings grafting back into her skin. I wonder if it hurts her.

"What's your name?" Angel asks Hank. My head whips around to the fumbling brunette, remembering his clawed feet keeping him steady as he hangs off a fighter jet. Before I can stop myself, several unsavoury names suggestions pop into my head.

Alex takes a swig of his beer. "How about Bigfoot?" he laughs and takes another sip. I shoot daggers into the side of his head. Why does he have to be so cynical? Why does he feel like he has to make fun of others to feel better about himself?

Before I can respond, Raven steps in. "Well, you know what they say about guys with big feet. And, uh, yours are kinda small..." She glances disgustingly down to Alex's shoes. Sean sits up, making a noise of challenge. Raven and Hank share an endearing look, and it's the first time I've seen Raven anything but confident.

"Ok, now." Darwin says, before anything more happens. "Alex, what is your gift? What can you do?"

Alex looks down at his drink. "Uh, it's not, um." he fumbles over his words, looking helplessly lost. "I just can't do it. I can't do it in here." I bring my chair closer until I'm sitting next to Sean. He smiles at me, and we bump glasses. I turn back to Alex. He looks like he wants to sink into the floor and never come back up.

"Can you do it out there?" Darwin asks, pointing outside.

"Why don't you just do it out there?" Raven says.

Alex shakes his head, but Angel persists. "Come on! Alex! Alex!" the others join until they're all cheering his name. I stay silent, knowing full well what it's like to be pushed into doing something you don't want to do. I feel like I need to stop them, but I sit there, paralyzed. Alex shifts around, and for a second our eyes meet. I give him a sympathetic smile, but when I do, his face hardens. He gets up in an instant, as if he's gotten some newfound confidence.

"All right!" Sean says, while the others cheer him on. Alex murmurs something to himself, then puts down his drinks and walks over to the broken window.

"That's the spirit!" Darwin says, pumping his fists into the air. We all start to get up as Alex makes his way out into the fresh night. I sit there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Suddenly, I feel someone come up in front of me. I look up to see Sean holding out his hand. He's smiling uncontrollably, his eyes twinkling in amusement. I look at his hand. The last time I touched his arm, the darkness took over. I bite my lip, then take a deep breath. You're fine. Absolutely fine. I take it.

For a moment, I can't breath. I look at where our hands touch, waiting for the shadows to slither out and take hold. I wait. 1 second, 2 seconds. After 5 seconds, nothing has happened. I let out a dizzying breath, and smile. Together we walk towards the door, but the moment I stand up fully, I snatch my hand away and shove it into my pocket. I might not have felt any of his emotions, but the feel of his warm skin against my own almost makes me want to throw up. I think about the times Shaw or Emma took hold of my hand, and I was sent into a frenzy of emotions. Is that what I'm feeling now? The way my stomach seems to be doing somersaults makes me unsteady. I want to hold onto something. I need to calm down.

"Get down when I tell you." Alex commands. We all back off, then immediately go forward peering around the corner to see him. Alex looks at us like we're crazy.

"Get down when I tell you." Sean mocks from beside me.

"Get back." Alex warns. We step back, and since I'm the smallest, I have the hardest time seeing past the others. After a couple moments, we all look back around. I know we shouldn't, but adrenaline courses through me, and I want to see Alex use his ability.

Alex sees us again. "Get back!" he yells more forcefully. None of us listen. None of us even move, and Alex sighs. "Whatever."

Alex turns back the statue, and raises his hands. Large rings of red and blue energy wrap around his body. They twirl around him, dancing to their own melody, flashing in a dizzying array of colours. Beaming magenta, clashing silver, and lightning white. They all come together as he swings his arms around, the rings grow bigger and bigger until they finally release. The hoops of pure energy whizz through the air, and we all cower back as the cut jagged lines in the walls, leaving scorched wounds in the grass, in the concrete, and in the metal statue now lying in half on the ground.

I don't realize I've fallen until Sean helps me up. He lets go to start applauding for Alex, who looks like he just ran a marathon. I look at him, noticing the signs of stress and fatigue his power has cost him. The statue is still on fire, it's severed abdomen lying distantly on the grass.

We all go back into the lounge, sitting on the sofas. I plop down into the chair, holding my hands around my waist. Everyone is laughing, hyped up on the thrill of showing off. I look down into my lap.

"And what about you, Leena?" Sean's voice pulls me back. I look up to see every single recruit staring at me, expectant. I shake my head furiously, my cheeks burning.

"No." I say. "I can't."

"Aww, come one." Angel pleads.

"Can't you just use those shadows or something?" Sean asks quietly. "Like before."

"Its..." I say, my throat seizing up. "It's complicated." I feel like I've just been thrust onto stage in front of a crowd of hundreds, expected to sing out an operatic tune.

"Come on, Leena." Darwin says. "Don't be afraid. We won't judge."

"I can't do it." I snap, looking back down at my hands. "If I do, I won't be able to control it." There is silence for a moment. "I might hurt one of you."

They all look at me through sad eyes, and I hold back tears. Disappointment hangs in the air like a perfume, pricking my soul. I wish I could show them. I wish I could prove to them I have control, but images of the courtyard enter my mind. I can't control it, and I can't show them.

"I can feel... and-- and manipulate emotions." I say, my voice barely there. "An empath, only enhanced. They become energy. Dark energy." Everyone looks at me in amazement, but the spark of passion that once filled the room has gone out.

"Phantom." Sean says softly. I look up at him, confusion plain on my face.

"What?" I ask. Sean looks at me, his eyes glint brightly, like an idea is forming in his head.

"You'll be called Phantom." he says, with more confidence this time. Everyone sits a little straighter, waiting for my reaction.

"A ghost." Hank remarks. "Phantoms haunt the mind.They're powerful spirits who walk in the shadows."

"I like it." Raven says.

I mull the word over, letting it plant itself in my head. Phantom, Phantom, Phantom. A powerful spirit that lives and breaths the shadows. An individual that haunts the mind, constantly trying to be rid of. A being that lurks at the edge of everyone's brains. I try to resist it, but it sounds like me. I take a deep breath and look back towards the group, planting a small smile on my lips.

"Phantom." I say with a finality that speaks for itself. They all whoop and cheer, and soon Darwin puts on some music. A sweeping, swinging tune overtakes the small lounge, taking hold of everyone.

The energy returns, and I let out a small laugh as Raven starts to dance. Her body moves with ease, and soon Angel starts in the clumsy waltz, giggling and holding on to Raven to keep from tumbling off the couch. Her wings sprout back out, shimmering in the moonlight.

The music swells, pulsing through me, lifting up unknown memories that taunt my vision. I try not to cry, then immediately scorn myself at letting the tears glisten in my big eyes. These past few days all I've done is wallow, and every time, I hope it will be the last.

I've done enough crying in the past few years to last a lifetime, and when that realization dawns, something inside me cracks. The weak, selfish, and tortured part of my soul that has no right to take up all of me.

Everyone sees me as the weak one. As the tormented child in a place of soldiers. A sheep in a pack of wolves. I go over to the table and pick up the deck of cards, and begin to shuffle them. The small slabs of paper fit easily between my fingertips, sliding across my palms and onto the table as if skimming on water.

I may not be able to command my abilities, but what I've witnessed here tonight causes determination to sweep through my hesitancy. I want to show off like the others. I want to show those agents I'm not a monster. I want to be a warrior.

"You're pretty good at that." Sean's voice says from beside me. I look up to see him watching me shuffle the deck. He seems impressed.

"Thanks." I say. When I was 13, Azazel appeared in my room and threw a deck of cards onto the messy bed. In his thick accent, he taught me how to shuffle and play a couple different games. That year was the last of the experiments, and I was still recovering.

I don't know if Shaw told the crimson skinned man to keep me occupied, or if Azazel truly wanted to teach me, but I will forever be grateful for the distraction. Those cards kept me sane, and the lessons kept me from breaking down.

"What do you play?" Sean asks, taking a seat across from where I stand. I look into his constantly amused eyes, wondering if he is ever anything but happy.

I can't relate.

"Blackjack." I reply, shrugging. "I've learnt some others, but I'm not very good."

"I doubt that." Sean says, smiling. A sheepish grin makes it's way onto my face.

"Thank you."

The music grows louder, and Hank takes off his shoes, jumping onto the chandelier. Darwin grows rocky scales on his back while Alex tries to hit him with a chair. The moment the wood hits Darwin, it shatters. Angel and Raven dance hysterically.

They've all clearly had something to drink.

"Do you want to play?" Sean asks, taking a swig of his beer, which I am fairly certain he should not be drinking, seeing as he is most definitely not of age. I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, trying to keep a blush from creeping on to my freckled cheeks. I sit down on one end of the table, so we're almost beside eachother, but far enough that I don't feel like running.

"Um."I say, and am about to answer yes, but another voice cuts through the haze of commotion.

"What are you doing?" Moira McTaggert stands with both hands on her hips, poised outside the window. Charles and Erik stand beside her. They look at us like we've just told them some sort of shocking news, and disappointment churns in my stomach, wrapping around me like a father embracing his child.

Moira practically yells. "Who destroyed the statue?"

I close my mouth and stand up from where I sit. Slowly, carefully, I move to the side of the room, away from everyone else. Shame rises up in me. For some reason, I feel like I'm responsible for things getting out of hand. Erik and Charles wanted to help me, and I should have listened to them. They're the adults. And I decided to be the child they all see me as.

But a tiny voice in the back of my head is grateful. For a moment, I forgot who I was. I forgot what I am.

"It was Alex." Hank tattles from a little ways away. Alex turns and shoots daggers into Hank's skull.

"No. Havok." Raven clarifies, turning back to the group of unimpressed adults. "We have to call him Havok. That's his name now." I can feel someone's eyes on me, but I don't look up. I can't.

Raven walks closer and continues. "And we were thinking, you should be Professor X." she points to Charles. "And you should be Magneto." she turns his gaze to Erik.

He looks between us all, his gaze lingering on my red face. I look into his eyes, expecting to see disappointment planted in his stormy eyes, but all I find is a softness that looks out of place on his rough features.

"Exceptional." he says, and begins to walk away. I stand for a moment, anger boiling up within me, then slowly walk away from the group. They all stand rigid, and their guilt is palpable.

"I expect more from you." I hear Charles say. Once the three are out of sight, I rush after them, not pausing when I hear Sean call my name.

When I get out into the hall, I see Charles, Erik, and Moira up ahead. I race to catch up to them. "Wait!" They all turn around to face me, and for the first time, my frustration gets the better of my judgment.

"Why would you do that?" I ask, my voice rising rapidly. Charles makes a confused face, and Moira puts up her hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry, I can't deal with this right now." she says, and walks away. Charles and Erik both look at me again, and I realize this is the first time we've spoken to eachother since the failed training. My anger dissipates.

"Do what, Leena?" Charles asks, and his voice is thin. He has no patience for this right now, but I find I don't care.

"We were just having a bit of fun." I say.

"Fun does not mean ruining property and getting drunk." Charles replies. "I know you didn't have anything to do with it Leena, but they should be setting a better example. For your sakes."

"I don't want a better example." I say, the words pouring out of me like wine from a bottle. "Back there, I didn't feel like a monster. I didn't feel like I was some lab experiment, or Shaw's weapon or anything! I forgot who I was, and it was the best damn thing to happen to me all day." I tug on the hem of my sleeve and pull it up to show the lacing of scars that make their way up my forearm, pink and raised like a mountain range. "They made me forget this. They gave me a name, they looked at me like I wasn't some sort of fragile vase, the way you do. And the moment they do something that you disapprove of, you have to shame them to no end."

"That is not what happened." Charles says, but I cut him off with a look.

"It is. You see them as children." I turn my piercing gaze to Charles. "Raven is practically your sister, so why do you feel the need to demean her like she's something that needs the utmost care. She is as much an adult as you, and the moment she finds people she likes, you have to point out exactly why she shouldn't."

"They are all exceptional young people, Leena, but I don't think you understand--"

"What? What don't I understand?" I cut in, forgetting all sense of politeness. "You're a nice person Charles, but you expect everyone to be just like you, and that's a real messed up thing to do."

I whirl around, my face flushed and my heart racing. I'm angry and flustered, my senses going haywire after everything that's just happened. I don't even notice someone has gone after me until a hand grasps my forearm. I spin around and find Erik looking down at me with a half amused smile on his face.

"What?" I say with more force than I mean to. Erik takes a step back.

"I'm impressed." is all he says. I frown.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"There are not many people who stand up to Charles like that." he replies.

"It wasn't just about Charles." I say. "You too."

Erik scoffs. "What did I do?"

"You've never believed in us." I say, turning away and grabbing onto the railing near one of the windows. Outside is dark, and the night sky is like a yawning cavern, swallowing the light. Darkness seeps into everything. It makes me shiver.

"What makes you think that?" Erik asks, coming up beside me once more.

"When you came back after recruiting the new mutants, you were disappointed." I say. "I know because you can't hide your emotions from me. You're scared for someone, and you don't think we're ready."

Erik doesn't say anything, so I continue on. "You're both wrong. From what I've seen here today. From what I've seen these mutants do. They're gonna help stop Shaw. You just can't see past your own selfishness."

"Leena." Erik speaks softly, and guilt instantly gnaws at my stomach. I shouldn't have said those things. I shouldn't have tried to argue with them.

"Don't say anything." I whisper.

We're plunged into silence, the only noise is our breathing, and I hold back tears once more. "You're right about me. But you're wrong about the others." I force myself to look at Erik once more. "They can help. I know they can."

"Maybe." Erik says. "But nothing changes their behaviour."

"Their behaviour." I say. "Is normal."

Erik doesn't speak for a second, then says. "We leave for Russia in a few hours." I look up in surprise. "We're going to find Shaw."

"Are you going to kill him?"

Erik thinks for a moment, then states. "I don't know."

I face the window, and gazing out across the lawn to where Cerebro sits proudly by the outskirts of the facility. My hand twinges, and my stomach flips with uncertainty.

"Be safe, Leena." Erik says alongside me. "While we're gone, try to be safe." He turns to leave, to go. It dawns on me that he is leaving to get Shaw. to kill him. Up until now it's all just been talk. They said they would capture him, that they would catch the Hellfire Club.

"Erik." I call after the man who rescued me. "When you see Shaw. Tell him to go to hell."