WARNING: Trauma and self-loathing, description of a panic attack, intrusive thoughts, mention of death/fatal accidents, mild violence and injury, unwanted touching.

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A/N: This is a Reader-Insert fanfic, so I'll be using a few abbreviations. Here's a key:

Y/N = Your Name

Y/F/N = Your Full Name

Y/L/N = Your Last Name

Avatar = Your codename

Other Notes: Reader is she/her and I pretty much write out Kurt's accent, replacing w's with v's and th's with z's. If it turns out it's too hard for people to read that way, I'll change it.

Enjoy! :)

---

"Which top do you like better?"

You grin as you sit on Kitty's bed, watching her hold up different clothes in front of the mirror. "You look great in everything, Kitty."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Y/N. Seriously, which one?"

Figuring if you don't help then you'll miss the game, you answer, "Okay, the blue one then!"

Her brow furrows at her own reflection. "I'm kinda feeling the red."

You chuckle. "Why did you even ask me?"

"Because I like a second opinion!" She replies, slipping on a cute red sweater. "Now let me do your hair."

"The wind will just ruin it."

"Debbie Downer." She grabs some barrettes and sits behind you. Despite your contrary comment, though, you quite enjoy how it feels when someone does your hair. It's comforting, almost familiar. When she's done, you gently touch the barrettes and smile. "Thanks, Kitty."

"Anytime."

You hear the door open and turn to see Rogue enter the room. Your heart skips a beat. Rogue looks at you both and raises an eyebrow. "Ain't you supposed to be at school?"

"Jeez, someone can't wait to have the room to herself." Kitty points a hairbrush at her roommate, who scoffs. "Where else am I supposed to get some peace and quiet with all the demons running around?"

Ah, yes, the new students. With the new Cerebro system working better than ever, the Professor's been able to find a lot more mutants. Now the Institute is home to more kids like you, all from different places around the world. It's amazing, and admittedly hectic.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us to the game?" You ask hopefully, and Rogue is quick to shake her head. "Nah. I'm not really the 'Rah-Rah-School-Spirit' type."

"Oh, okay." You say, a little disappointed. Then a flood of positive energy appears out of thin air along with an impish boy. "C'mon, you two, ve're going to be late! Let's go, futbol!" Kurt exclaims, holowatch already set to disguise mode.

"Kurt!" Rogue yells, fanning away the sulfurous smoke with a magazine. "What did I say about teleporting in here?!"

"Oh, sorry, I hear Scott calling me, bye!" Your friend says quickly before teleporting again, a new plume of smoke left behind. Rogue and Kitty groan as you laugh. "We should set a booby trap in here for him." Kitty says completely seriously before taking your hand and pulling you out the door. You manage to wave a quick goodbye to Rogue and catch a small smile on her face.

"Flirt later, Y/N, stop dragging your feet!"

Ignoring the first part of that sentence with a furious blush, you exclaim, "Me?! You took a half hour to get dressed!"

"There's always time to accessorize- Hey!"

You crash into Kitty short of the staircase, which has a long ice slide going down the center of it.

"Bobby!"

Said mutant looks at you two innocently as he sits piggyback on Sam. "What?"

"Please tell you're not doing what I think you're doing." Kitty sighs, and Tabitha speaks up from where she leans against the wall filing her nails. "He's gonna ride Cannonball down the ice slide. Duh."

"We're trying to pick up more speed!" Sam chimes in helpfully. You and Kitty look between each other in exasperation. "Okay, no. No to all of this."

"Boooo!"

"Tabitha, stop encouraging them!"

"I want to see them break their necks!"

"We would NOT-!"

An ominous clap of thunder sounds, and you all flinch as Ororo approaches, eyes glowing.

"Children." She says firmly, "No ice slides in the foyer. Take it outside."

"Awww." The kids look disappointed and shuffle off. Ororo's eyes fade to her normal blue and she pinches her nose before looking to you and Kitty with an exhausted expression. "Is it just me, or is this class even more trouble than you were?"

"Well, to be fair, there's more of them than there were of us." You shrug, looking to your instructor sympathetically. Kitty smirks. "And who says we're done causing trouble?"

Ororo shakes her head with a wry smile, lifting her hands to evaporate the ice. "Cheer on Jean for me, will you?"

"Of course!" You wave goodbye and follow Kitty downstairs where you can see Scott, Evan, and Kurt waiting in the car.

---

Jean wipes the sweat from her brow, catching her breath in the brief moment they reset for the kickoff. The visiting team just scored a goal, tying them 4-4 with only a couple minutes left.

'-can't get past defense, how are we supposed to-?' Jean blinks at the sliver of someone's thought and quickly shuts it out. That's been happening a bit more lately, her mental shields slipping around her peers. It's more annoying than anything, and it's probably just the stress of senior year. Following the thought to its owner, Jean sees Taryn with a discouraged look on her face.

"Hey! We got this." Jean calls, and Taryn grins and nods back at her.

With one minute left, the ball is back in play, and Jean is on a mission.

---

You cheer enthusiastically as Taryn headbutts the ball to Jean. The announcer's voice blares through the speakers. "And with ten seconds to go, the ball's passed to Bayville High star striker Jean Grey!" You beam at the description of your friend proudly. Jean deserves all that praise for how amazing she is on the field, and just as a person, honestly.

"Alright, Jean!"

"Go for ze goal!"

"All the way!"

The other team closes in, and you let out an excited noise with each expert dodge Jean employs. The goalie stands ready as she approaches, and Jean finally makes her shot. A perfect curveball evades the diving goalie and hits the net at the very moment the final buzzer sounds. You and your friends jump in unison with dozens of others. The energy has you so hyped up you can barely stay still, and your smile starts to hurt on your face. "That was so cool!!!"

"And that's the game, as the Bayville beginner's league aces the semi-finals." The announcer concludes, and you turn to Evan. "I didn't know a beginner's league could be so exciting!"

"Yeah, I didn't think they'd pull this kind of crowd, even for the semi-finals." Kitty adds.

"It's all about the talent on the team." Evan explains, "Plus everyone's trying to get a spot in JV or varsity in the spring. They've got something to prove."

"Zhey totally proved it!" Kurt slings his arms around yours and Evan's shoulders. "Jean vas on fire!"

"Let's go down and meet her!"

Everyone follows Scott as the crowd files out of the stands, and you slowly come down from all the excitement. "Wow." You sigh tiredly, "I think I love sports."

Jean's teammates are crowded around her congratulating her on the great shot. Taryn practically hugs her to death as she squeals, "We did it! We're totally making varsity!"

Jean laughs breathlessly as your group finally gets to her through the crowd, voices overlapping.

"Yeah, Jean!"

"Nice move there, superstar!"

"Great game!"

"Jean, you were fantastic!"

Scott goes in for a hug, only for Duncan Matthews to cut in front of him. "Hey, Jean, way to go! You stomped 'em like bugs on a sidewalk!"

Kitty snorts next to you and whispers, "That Duncan. He knows just what a girl wants to hear."

"Yeah." You frown, feeling Scott's enjoyment dull some. He still doesn't like Duncan, and to be honest, you don't either. He may have apologized to Jean, but he didn't say anything to the rest of you. You're not sure you can just let go of how he teased you last year. But Jean decided she wants to be friends with him again, so the least you can do is be polite.

"Thanks Duncan." Jean answers breathlessly, "Yeah, everyone played really well today!"

"Don't be so modest!" The quarterback playfully punches her arm. "You scored the winning goal! Where would your team be without you?"

"Jean?" Scott interjects, clearly struggling to remain civil. "We're taking off. You need a ride?"

"Oh, Scott, that's okay. Uh, Duncan is driving me home."

"Yeah, Summers." Duncan grins at Scott smugly, "Maybe we'll even get lost along the way."

You imagine Scott's eye twitching as he replies, "With you driving, that's pretty much expected."

Duncan doesn't rise to the bait, though, he just puts his arm around Jean's shoulder as she waves you all goodbye. "See you back at the Institute!"

"You were awesome, Jean!" You call after her and turn back to your friends. "Hey, when we get home, maybe we-"

"Scott!" A voice breaks through the crowd and a friendly face comes up to your group.

"Oh hey, Paul!" Scott fist bumps him, a smile spreading across his features, "I didn't know you were coming?"

"I texted you, didn't you see it?"

"Oh yeah, jeez. I must've missed it. Sorry man."

"No worries, I'm just glad I saw you. Hey, Kurt, Evan, Kitty, Y/N!" He greets, and you awkwardly reply, "Hi." You've never quite been able to feel normal around him since Mystique used him as a disguise on the geology field trip and pretty much tried to kill you. But all your emotional senses tell you he's being genuine, so at least you know it's the real him. Still, he's more Scott's friend than yours, so you don't know what else to say.

Kitty and Kurt are also caught by some nearby classmates, pulled into conversation and chatting happily in a way that makes something twinge inside you. You're not quite sure why. Maybe you're just having some anxiety.

"Welp, I'll see you later, I'm gonna go shred with the guys." Evan says as he takes out his board. You raise an eyebrow. "The guys?"

Evan shrugs, "Just some of the dudes who do skate tricks in front of the school. We've been hanging."

"Oh. That's cool." You say as he skates over to some boys in the parking lot. One of them with orange dyed hair you vaguely recognize. He was one of the boys who got spooked by Kurt's "ghost" in the bathroom during the whole Middleverse debacle. Thankfully, they were super high at the time and Jean confirmed that they think it was just a bad trip. You hadn't known Evan made friends with him, though.

The air is friendly and positive, yet you feel that twinge inside you again.

"Hey, we're gonna walk out to our cars." Scott says while gesturing to Paul, "I'll swing back around and pick you up at the curb, okay?"

"Okay!" You agree, and Scott shoots you a thumbs up before walking off with his friend. Looking again to Kitty and Kurt, the two of them having so much fun talking to people you barely know, you feel the need to get away from all these emotions and sort yourself out.

"I'm gonna, uh, wait over there. 'Migraine'." Your friends turn their attention to you when you say the code word. 'Migraine' is the excuse you use in public when you're feeling overwhelmed by emotions. They nod knowingly, and a little bit concerned.

"Do you need anything?" Kitty asks, and you shake your head. "No, no, I'm alright! Have fun, I'll be right over there."

"Okay, if you're sure." Kurt replies, and you nod emphatically. "Positive."

But 'positive' isn't the accurate word to describe what you're experiencing as you step away from the emotional cacophony of the crowd. Alone on the curb, you take a few deep breaths to ground yourself. That strange twinge you noticed is easier to get a grip on, but hard to identify. Not quite jealousy, but... you do feel bad seeing your friends with other friends. And after observing the crowd for a few minutes, you realize how little you know anyone outside the Institute.

'I guess I haven't really made friends at school. Is that.. weird?'

As Kitty and Kurt come over, you plaster on a smile and try to put the thought aside. But even as you talk enjoyably with your friends about the game and Jean's winning goal, it rattles around in the back of your mind.

---

"I feel like I've barely seen you since we got back from summer break." Paul laughs as they go down the sidewalk.

"Sorry, man." Scott spins his car keys around his finger. "There's been a lot going on."

"Like what?"

"Uh... well.." Scott searches for something non-classified to tell, "I went to Hawaii."

"Dude, what? That's so cool! Did you see a volcano?"

"No, just hung out on the beach." Scott smiles, "I was actually visiting my brother."

Paul stops, clearly confused. "I didn't know you had a brother. Or that you were from Hawaii?"

"Oh. Yeah, um, it's complicated. We were born in Alaska, he grew up in Hawaii and me in Nebraska. He doesn't go to the Institute with me, not yet anyway." He sees Paul give him a strange look. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just wild I never knew that." Paul chuckles, "It's like you've got a whole secret life."

Scott laughs along half-heartedly. He and Paul met freshmen year at Bayville and hit it off pretty good. Paul was easy-going, such a geek, and didn't make a fuss about Scott's 'eye condition'. When they turned sixteen, then rooted each other on for the driver's license exam and celebrated with sodas and a movie night at Paul's place. He's always been a great buddy.

And Scott can't even be honest with him.

"So, what's your brother's name? How old is he?"

"Alex. He's three years younger than me."

"You always struck me as the big brother type." Paul smirks, and Scott laughs. "I've heard that before. Anyway, how are things with Taryn? Is that why you came to the game, to cheer her on?"

"There isn't really a 'thing' with Taryn anymore.." His friend shrugs and puts his hands in his pockets. Scott pats his back sympathetically. "Aw man, that sucks. I thought you really hit it off."

Paul sighs sadly. "I thought so too. Summer was great, but when school came back around she broke it off. Said she wasn't feeling it."

"Dang."

"It's alright. I figure you're more heartbroken than me right now."

"Huh?" Scott raises an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"C'mon, Scott." Paul gives him a look, "Jean and Duncan being back together?"

"What?" He frowns, "They're not back together."

"Really?" Paul looks surprised, "Sorry, I saw them hanging out a lot more and just thought.. But hey, that's good, isn't it? You have a shot now!"

"No.." Scott shakes his head. "I don't think I do. Jean is amazing, but.. I need to move on and admit that it's never going to happen."

It's quiet for a few seconds, until Paul breaks it with a sorry whistle. "High school sucks."

"Amen."

The bright red of Scott's sports car stands out from the others. He gestures to it. "Guess I'll see you at school."

"Hey, Scott?"

"Yeah?"

Paul grins sappily, "You're my favorite person."

"Shut up."

---

The streets are jammed, Scott's car moving little by little through the rush hour gridlock. Some emo song is playing on the radio, and Kitty and Kurt are bickering about it in the backseat. You're not paying much attention to them, though. Sitting shotgun, you lean on your hand and gaze out at the noisy cars. Short bursts of irritation and restlessness come through, nothing unmanageable. Your mind drifts elsewhere.

'Is it weird that I don't have more friends?'

You suppose that you were never really that great at making friends. Back at the orphanage and your old school, everyone thought you were a spastic freak. It was easy to believe them. Then, when you came to the Institute, the X-men accepted you with open arms. Friendship came easy because you were all in the same boat. Mutants.

At Bayville high, you've always just stuck with them. It felt safer that way, staying with the people like you.

"Y/N!"

Kurt's insistent voice snaps you out of your thoughts. "Huh?"

"Tell Kitty zhat ze Stone Ciphers rock!"

You tune in to the song, catching a few lyrics. "~Why did you leave me? Why didn't you write?~" The lead singer wails, and you cringe. "Uh.. It's.. unique?"

"See?" Kitty says smugly, "They're so last millennium."

"Yeah, because ze nineties vere awesome! Scott, back me up, buddy! ...Scott?"

You look to your driver, but his attention is firmly trained on the road. At least, it seems that way at first. But as you feel a prickle of stress and uncertainty, you wonder if the traffic is truly to blame.

"What's with everyone zoning out? Scott!" Kitty calls louder, and Scott looks up. "Huh?"

Kurt and Kitty just look between you and him with amused expressions, and your tinges pink. Scott is just confused. "What?"

HONK!

You're startled by a loud horn behind you, and then by a wave of Scott's panic. "Woah!" You jerk to the side with a surprised cry as Scott swerves into another lane, confusion and concern rising all around as you see a beat-up, tan car race past while honking wildly.

"They could have hit us!" You exclaim, eyes widening as the car continues to force itself through the jam at a dangerous pace. Kurt leans forward, head between yours and Scott's. "Hey, vhat's his hurry?"

Then you hear the approaching sirens. One after the other, cop cars chase after the speeder. Kitty replies facetiously, "I don't know, maybe it's the twelve police cars on his tail. Just a hunch."

Traffic is a mess as everyone leans out of their cars to get a look at the trouble. A helicopter flies overhead, and your mouth drops open. Is something serious happening? Kurt unbuckles and stands up for a better view, and you're too sucked into the scene to scold him for it. All of your eyes are glued on the tan car as it runs a red light with no regard for the school bus entering the intersection. Your breath hitches as they collide, watching as the bus skids to the side, tires popping. Little faces poke out the bus windows, and suddenly you're very upset. "There's kids in there!"

You unbuckle your seat belt and step out of the car, but someone catches your shoulder. "Y/N, wait!" Scott holds you back, "Let the police handle it. We can't do anything out in the open like this."

Your lips purse as you reluctantly stop and watch the busted-up car continues its escape, sharply turning up a ramp to a bridge above the intersection. More cop cars close in from either side, closing them in.

Then it all goes wrong. The car swerves to avoid the police and crashes through the guard rail, hanging halfway off the side of the bridge. Right above the school bus.

"No!" You shout. Other onlookers do the same, yelling and watching in rapt horror.

"Ve've got to do somezhing!" Kurt exclaims.

"There's too many cameras!" Scott protests, and you suck in a breath as you realize he's right. There are phones everywhere filming the incident. There's even a news chopper overhead. How can you help without anyone seeing?

"But what about those kids?!" Kitty cries, and an awful realization dawns on you. "They're not getting out! Look!"

Sure enough, the children inside are rapping against the windows and yelling for help. "The front door, the car crashed into it! It must be stuck!"

The tan car teeters threateningly above the school bus, cement debris falling on the bus roof. Screams swell inside. The police are too far away.

Your leader looks pale and frozen. You can't do this without him. Grabbing his arm, you beg, "Scott! We need you!"

He snaps out of it with a sharp breath, and the next second he's pulling you and the others to the side of the road. No one looks away from the tragedy-in-waiting to notice. Once in an alleyway, Scott gives his orders. "Nightcrawler, get Shadowcat and Avatar to the bus's emergency exit, then back to me! Stay in the shadows under the bridge, stay out of sight!"

Kurt takes your hands and teleports. He, you and Kitty land between the pillars under the bridge. The rear of the bus is there, and you pull your jacket's hood on before nodding to Kurt, who bamfs away.

Rushing to the rear exit, you pull on the handle to no avail. "It's jammed!"

"Not for long." Kitty phases her hands through, and you hear some mechanical clicks before she pulls in open. Immediately, you're hit with a rush of fear that nearly paralyzes you. But you know that you need to move, so you suck in a deep breath and jump in.

"Over here! Out this way!"

"C'mon kids!"

Surprised, tear-filled faces turn to you. Some run toward the exit right away, and you and Kitty try to help them jump out safely. "One by one, that's it." You encourage as Kitty directs them where to run. There are some kids who look as young as seven or eight who are sobbing in their seats. You move to them, undoing their seatbelts and trying to calm them down. "Let's go, you can do it! You're so brave!"

At the front of the bus, you run into a bigger problem. "Mrs. Shirley is hurt!" One of the kids cries, and you see the bus driver. It looks like she hit her head against the window when the collision happened. "The driver is unconscious!" You yell as you usher the last few kids to the back. Just as the words leave your mouth, you hear a sick metal screeching sound above.

---

Scott peers around the alley wall, keeping tabs on the scene as he slips his visor on. Nightcrawler appears behind him. "Shadowcat and Avatar are getting zhem out."

He's right, Scott can faintly see the kids move away from the bus windows. Some policemen are running up to the bus's front doors. "Be ready to-"

Metal screeches and onlookers yell as the tan car slides forward. It's about to fall on the bus. Knowing there's no time left, he makes a risky move. "Get the driver!"

"I'm on it!"

Kurt disappears and Scott waits to see a waft of smoke come out of the car mid-fall before shooting a powerful beam over the crowd. It hits the car, propelling it sideways away from the school bus. Cyclops ducks away behind a dumpster, just in time as a news team runs past the alley.

---

The red flash makes you duck down instinctively, bracing yourself with the seats. You hear a great crash above and gasp when the speeder's car smashes to the ground beside the bus. It quickly catches fire under the hood, causing enough of a stir to distract anyone from the two girls carrying an injured bus driver through the exit.

Back under the bridge, you see Kurt appear with a dazed, middle-aged man who smells like liquor. Kurt shoves the driver out into the light where the police are waiting. Propping up the bus driver gently by a pillar, you yell as loud as you can, "Over here! Someone's hurt!" before Kurt takes you and Kitty away.

You regroup in the alley. "Is everyone alright?" Scott asks.

"Thanks to your quick save." You answer gratefully, and Kitty nods. "We got everyone out."

"And it looks like ze police are taking care of ze rest." Kurt adds, his head craning around the corner. You take a look too, sighing in relief to see the kids safe and the driver being cared for as an ambulance arrives. The driver is being carted off with a bewildered look on his face.

"We better lay low." Scott warns, replacing his visor, and you all crouch by the dumpster as you wait for some of the chaos to settle. Kitty wrinkles her nose. "We save the day and get rewarded by sitting in garbage. Great."

"I'm just glad everyone's okay." You sigh, but a sudden nervousness gives you pause as you turn to a tense Kurt. "What is it?"

"It's just.. Are ve sure no one saw us? Or caught us on camera?"

You gulp, looking between your friends' unsure faces as Kitty pulls out her phone and does some searching. Her face goes stark white, and she shows the live news footage play back a red beam hitting the car. Scott runs a hand through his hair and curses.

---

It's a beautiful afternoon. And as the Professor gazes out his window, he sees his new students take advantage of the nice weather.

On the front lawn, a girl with short red hair tied up in pigtails runs after a frisbee. She jumps, shapeshifts into a large red wolf, and catches it in her mouth. Rahne Sinclair, AKA Wolfsbane, one of two Muir Island recruits and the recently adopted daughter of his friend Moira. The Scottish geneticist informed Charles of her oppressive upbringing and hoped that the X-men could bring her out of her shell. By the looks of the smile on Rahne's face as she throws the frisbee back, it seems to be working.

Rahne has found a friend in Roberto da Costa, AKA Sunspot, a confident if not hot-headed boy from a wealthy Brazilian family. The lad laughs as he chases after the frisbee, using the solar energy of the bright sun to transform. He absorbs the light surrounding him, cloaking his body in darkness save for a bright halo, and uses the energy to propel himself into flight. Charles watches the boy catch the frisbee, but falter in his descent and stumble to the ground. They will have to work on that.

Unfazed, the boy sits up and waves to the two girls sitting nearby. Jubilation Lee, AKA Jubilee, laughs at his bravado while Amara Aquilla, AKA Magma, enjoys a good book. Coming from Beverly Hills, Jubilee is by all means as exuberant as her explosive powers, colorful energy blasts from her fingertips that resemble fireworks. From her short time here, Charles knows her to be a good kid, and a little troublesome. But children will be children, as they say.

Amara has shown herself to be a gentle and polite girl, hesitant to use her unique abilities. She can turn into a being of lava and fire that is immune to heat, and Charles suspects her powers may lend her a deeper connection to the Earth. Cerebro located her in the midst of the Amazon, living alone with no record of her existence. A true mystery. She has not spoken yet of her origins, but Charles hopes she will feel more comfortable to do so in time.

Not quite done wooing the girls, Roberto transforms again and performs a flip in the air. Jubilee cheers him on, shooting off some fireworks, while Amara looks up and shyly smiles. Spurred on by the attention, the boy takes another attempt at flight. Unfortunately, Roberto has a tendency to not look where he's going.

He flies right into a younger boy eating an apple, knocking them both to the ground. Roberto gets up and looks slightly startled at five identical boys staring back at him, all with apples in their mouths. Jamie Madrox, AKA Multiple Man, the youngest recruit and second to come from Moira's Muir Island facility. They spent much time stabilizing Jamie's multiplication powers, and while the boy is much better at controlling them, he has a tendency to duplicate out of surprise. After Jamie absorbs the "dupes" back into him, he extends a helping hand to Roberto, whose pride seems a little hurt. Truly a good-hearted child, eager to find his place amongst his older peers.

While it looks as though the frisbee game has ended, a game of catch is still going strong across the green. One boy sees the baseball about to land in the fountain and holds out a hand. The water freezes up into a curved ramp, which the ball rides and flies right into the boy's catcher's mitt. Bobby Drake, AKA Iceman, holds it up victoriously and winds up to throw. Another child with a proclivity for troublemaking, it astounds Charles just how creative Bobby can get with his schemes. If he could only channel that creativity into something more productive, there's no limit to his potential.

The boy he throws to is his fast friend, Sam Guthrie, AKA Cannonball. For anyone confused about the codename, they need only watch the well-meaning boy get a little carried away with the game and propel himself at great speed into a brick wall, smashing right through. Thankfully, the same energy that thrusts him forward shields him from the crash impact. Sam pokes his head through the hole sheepishly but still proudly holds the caught ball above his head.

Coming from a large family in Kentucky, Sam's been a little homesick since he came to the Institute. Charles is glad that he and Bobby hit it off so quickly. Hopefully having him as a roommate makes the transition easier.

Finally, Charles spots the last two near the front stairs. Ray Crisp, AKA Berzerker, stands apart from the crowd, a bit of a loner. Kicked out of his home when he first developed his electrokinesis, he's spent a long time fending for himself. Charles has hope that, in time, he can open himself up to his new teammates. He may have had to grow up too fast, but Charles sees the spark of youthful energy waiting to show itself.

Take, for example, when a firecracker seems to go off right underneath him. He jumps, blue bolts of electricity firing off and making his dyed hair stand on end. The laughter of the practical joker gives her away as she ducks behind the stair rail. Tabitha Smith, AKA Boom Boom, can generate explosive spheres in the palm of her hand. Much to all the teachers' chagrin, she tends to exclusively use this ability to mess with her peers. Ray smooths his hair back and glares at her, then smirks and raises a sparking fist. Tabitha runs away and he gives chase, laughter and explosions ensuing.

Charles sighs. 'I'll have to budget for more property destruction.'

"Our new recruits." Logan enters, standing beside him at the window. "Hmph. Looks like we got our hands full."

A wayward explosive draws in more annoyed teenagers, and pretty soon it's an all-out war on the mansion grounds. "Yes." Charles replies with a tired smile, "A spirited bunch, but good kids."

A burst of fireworks torches a topiary.

"Though, I'm afraid it's going to be even more difficult this term to keep a lid on things and to maintain our anonymity."

"Not to mention our buildings.."

A fireball whooshes by the window. Logan scoffs, "We're definitely going to need more instructors. And maybe a couple of tanks."

"I'll ask Moira what she has lying around." Charles smirks. Knowing her, she might actually. She was a great help in tightening the mansion's security measures this summer.

"Charles?" The Professor turns his wheelchair to Ororo as she walks in with a serious look on her face. "Excuse me, but I think you may find this interesting." She takes a remote from his desk and points it at a landscape painting, which changes to the TV screen with the click of a button. The local news is reporting on a traffic incident downtown.

"Eyewitness accounts are conflicting, but all agree that the falling car was somehow deflected by this strange, red flash." The footage shows a familiar red beam knock the car away from a school bus. "Its source is still a mystery."

"Scott." Charles states, lines etched on his forehead. Reaching out with his mind, he senses four students in a red sports car entering the grounds.

---

Stepping out of the car, you try helplessly to shake off the nerves that surround you. Kurt pipes up hopefully. "Uh, maybe ve just don't mention vhat happened to anyone?"

"Yeah!" Kitty agrees, "We could just keep it quiet for a while."

"Like forever?" You suggest just as you become aware of three stern presences right ahead. The Professor, Logan, and Ororo watch you reproachfully from the doorway. There goes that idea.

"Or we could blame it all on Kurt." Kitty whispers.

"Hey!"

"Any of you want to explain what happened?" Logan asks, though it's clearly not a request.

Before you say do anything, Scott steps up and calmly states, "It's my fault."

"What? No, it isn't!" You quickly protest as Kitty and Kurt echo similar sentiments. "There was an accident, and-and then-" The Professor puts a hand up and you fall silent. "No one is in trouble. But I would like to see you in my study, Scott."

You watch guiltily as Scott steps inside, then jump at the sound of an explosion. Behind you seems to be a literal warzone amongst the new mutants. Your instructors sigh, Ororo taking off to put out some fires on the green. Logan thumbs at the door. "You may want to take cover."

Following his advice, you hurry inside as Logan shouts at the younger students to knock it off unless they want an extra session with him.

"Wow. How about those new kids, huh?" Kitty attempts to lighten the mood, but the shared trepidation only grows when Jean, Evan and Rogue rush toward you.

"We saw the news!" Evan exclaims. "Did you blow up a car???"

Jean looks you over one by one. "Are you okay? Where's Scott?"

"And what the hell happened?" Rogue demands. Her sharp voice doesn't bother you though, not when you can feel that she's just worried about you.

Moving to the living area for a more comfortable setting, you all take turns telling the story until you've arrived at the present. "Scott's talking to ze Professor about it right now." Kurt frowns, "I hope he doesn't get chewed out.."

---

Scott's eyes narrow at his faint reflection in the window. "The thing that really gets me is that I hesitated." He admits, "I was so worried about anyone seeing me that I almost acted too late. And why? I mean, helping others and saving lives should be the most important thing we do with our powers." He looks to the Professor, feeling more lost than he has in a while.

"Scott, I know this is a confusing issue." The Professor responds carefully, "Yes, helping others is the right thing to do, but we must also try to remain anonymous. At least for the present." That, unfortunately, does little to cheer him up. He can't help but think of his friend Paul again, how much he's lied to him.

"It's like we're hiding in shame!" Scott's brow furrows. He doesn't want his team, his friends to feel like that. "What's the harm in letting people know?"

He knows the answer before the Professor says it. "Because many of these same people are simply not ready to embrace the fact that mutants walk the Earth." The Professor looks to him sympathetically. "Look, Scott, I'm not blaming you for what you did. In fact, I'd have done the same thing in your place. I'm just saying, you need to do what you can without revealing what you are."

'What I am.'

"I don't know, Professor." He sighs, walking out of the room, "I'm having a hard time with this one."

'I just want to be who I am.'

---

Prof watches him leave and his eyes close, knowing that conflict well. It's not a problem with an easy solution.

He thinks back to the bar where he and Erik used to have such debates. Their views were somewhat switched back then. Charles would argue in favor of greeting the world with open arms, and Erik would insist that mutants' survival would depend on how well they hid. And after that day when they lost Natalya, when they were found, Charles realized he was wrong. The world wasn't ready.

All he wants to do is keep his students safe while he prepares the world for their arrival. But as time goes on, he's less and less sure how to do that.

---

You perk up when you sense another emotional presence enter the room. Unfortunately, it's not a happy one.

"Scott!" Jean exclaims, still worried despite your reassurances that none of you were hurt. Her hands clasp his face. "Are you alright?"

"Um.." His cheeks darken, and he awkwardly moves out of her grasp. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Oh.. Good."

You're a little too exhausted by the events of the day to analyze Scott and Jean's weird feelings. However, you do share a look with Kitty, who seems a bit amused.

"So... Are ve in trouble?" Kurt asks with a gulp.

Scott shakes his head. "No, it's okay. The Professor says no one saw us." Everyone relaxes at once, all except for him. You watch him carefully as he waves half-heartedly and leaves the room, "I've got a call with Alex soon, see you all later."

"Did he seem.. off to anyone else?" Jean asks quietly when he's out of earshot. You nod, frowning at the sadness left in his wake. "This whole thing probably just stressed him out." You suggest.

"It sure stressed me out!" Kitty flops back into her chair. "I mean, what if we had gotten caught?"

That question hangs heavily in the room. What happens if the big mutant secret gets out? You swallow uncomfortably at the thought. "Have you ever..." You hesitate, not sure if you should open up this can of worms, but curiosity overwhelms you, "Have you ever wondered what it would be like? If people knew the truth?"

Another awkward silence. Kurt's the first to answer. "I have." He fiddles with his holowatch.

"Yeah." Kitty adds, "Sometimes when I'm trying to fall asleep, I just think of that. Like, I guess it would be more convenient to get to use our powers openly. But..."

"But if people knew, they would be scared of us." Rogue finishes for her bluntly.

Evan sits up, knee bouncing. "But maybe people would think it's cool!"

"Cool, or dangerous?"

"Now, let's all just calm down." Jean interrupts Rogue, "I know today was a lot, but we don't need to jump to conclusions! I for one think that plenty of people will understand when we come out that we're not that different from them. We go to school, play sports, hang out with friends.. just like them. Things will be okay."

"Maybe for you." Rogue huffs with a twinge of anger before she gets up to leave. You stare after her, surprised and a bit guilty for starting this. Jean falters for a moment at the abrupt departure, but quickly recovers and states surely, "We just need to trust the Professor. He knows what he's doing."

That does seem to calm things down. If nothing else, you know the Professor cares about you. Your friends do too. Whatever happens, the X-men will always have your back.

---

Scott sits at his computer, grinning as Alex updates him, showing off the black suit he's been wearing to help disperse his mutant energy. "It's real light, too, so I can wear it under anything. Dr. MacTaggert says I can even go out surfing in it! It makes my blasts come out all hula-hoopy, too!"

"That sounds cool!" Scott exclaims, glad that the doctor was able to do something to ease his brother's pain. "You've gotta show me when you come to the Institute."

Alex's smile falters ever so slightly, but his big brother picks up on it immediately. "Hey, is everything okay there?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's all okay!" Alex is quick to reply, "The Doc is real nice and she's helped me a lot. She even says I can be discharged soon. Um, it's just that..." He looks down, "I'm just not sure I want to go to the Institute right away."

Scott tries not to show how much that hurts. "Really? ...Why?"

"It's just... a lot. The whole 'being a mutant' thing, y'know? And I kinda miss home."

"Oh." He leans back in his chair. "Sure, that makes sense. I mean, I don't want to pressure you or anything."

"You're not!" Alex waves his hands, "Really! It's just that so many things are changing, and I want part of my life to still feel... normal."

Normal. Scott's lips press together as he thinks. "Hey, Alex?" He asks, "You're not...?"

"Not what?"

'Ashamed of being a mutant?'

He puts on a smile. "You're not getting out of me visiting you on break."

Alex's face brightens, and he fake cries, "Nooo! You're going to embarrass me in front of my friends, aren't you?"

"Oh, totally."

"Welp, my social life is over." His brother shrugs. "Y'know, it'll be nice to get back to surfing. I made it to the semi-finals last year and-" As Alex goes on about the competition, Scott pushes his doubts to the back of his mind. As long as Alex is happy, that's all that matters, right?

---

Days have passed quickly this week, probably due to how busy you've been with schoolwork and X-men training. It's actually been a good distraction from the car accident fiasco and all the lingering stress you have about it.

Another good distraction has Bayville High buzzing with excitement today. Tonight's game. As you take your math textbook out of your locker, you catch a snippet of conversation from some passersby.

"It'll be on local news!"

"Oh, cool! Maybe we'll be on camera!"

You grin, shutting your locker and heading to class. Just as you do, however, the PA system announces, "Good morning, Bayville High! In lieu of first period, please head to the gym for a short assembly. Classes will resume as normal afterward."

'An assembly?' You wonder as you change course, 'Maybe it's another fire safety one.'

---

The announcement ends with a cheerful chime, and Lance Alvers rolls his eyes before taking another drag of his cigarette and stomping it out on the pavement.

"Smoking kills, y'know!" Toad grins annoyingly. Lance narrows his eyes. "So do I."

Swallowing nervously, Toad mutters something along the lines of "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," and backs off. Lance's frown deepens, but he doesn't say anything. There's nothing that Wartface or the other bozos can do to help. Not like they'd care, neither. They aren't friends, they're just all stuck in the same boat.

"Wonder what it's about." Blob thinks aloud, and Pietro shrugs with the same moody pout he's been wearing every day for the last month. "Who cares? Probably some stupid."

Lance is inclined to agree, but he catches a glimpse of a pink cardigan walking into the gym and feels something tug him forward. The guys look at him stupidly. "What, are you really going to that lame thing?" Pietro mocks. Lance narrows his eyes back at them. "Not like anything interesting is happening out here. Do what you want, I'm going in."

He turns to walk toward the building and hears grumbling voices follow, much to his annoyance. Why do these guys insist on following him around wherever he goes? There's nothing keeping them together since Mystique ditched. 'Good riddance.' Lance thinks. He doesn't need her. He can take care of himself, always has.

Taking care of his housemates, though, is a whole other issue. If Toad lived alone, he would've gotten himself killed by now. One night last week, the TV cut out in a lightning storm and Toad climbed onto the roof to mess with the satellite dish. Idiot almost got fried before Lance quaked him off. Blob keeps breaking things, sometimes on accident and sometimes on purpose. Lance is surprised their house is still standing after Pietro pissed off Blob one day and he took it out on the wall.

And Pietro. He's been unbearable since the space rock, insisting over and over that his dad is definitely still alive and coming back any day now. Sometimes Lance just wants to slap him in the face to get him to shut up about it.

'Why am I even sticking around?' He asks himself as he slips into the gymnasium. Students file in lazily, the energy gradually growing as friends join up and find a seat together. Lance leans against the wall and scans the crowd until his eyes fall on a girl in the front row with her hair tied up in a ponytail.

Kitty Pryde.

Despite having two classes together this year, she's barely spared him a glance. When they do make eye contact, she looks away with no reaction. For some reason, he wishes she would just say something to him. Even to gloat about how thoroughly the Brotherhood got their asses handed to them on Asteroid M.

"So that's what this is about!" Lance groans as Pietro sidles up next to him with a smug smirk. "Lance here would like to get a certain Kitty stuck in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-" Pietro speedily dodges his fist, moving behind Blob. Toad laughs. "You're still hung up on that chick?"

"It's not like that!"

"Too bad, Romeo, looks like someone else is moving in."

"What?!"

He swings his attention back to Kitty, who's being talked up by some redheaded nerd.

Toad picks at his ears. "Isn't that the dude who always plays video games in class?"

Lance narrows his eyes at the scrawny kid, leaning over Kitty with a stupid smile on his face. What would she see in a geek like him? Just because he's smart? Because he dresses all fancy?

But when he looks back at Kitty, those thoughts vanish. For a second, he could swear she looked... uncomfortable.

---

"Great, I'm missing Language Arts for this." Rogue mutters under her breath as she walks in. It's pretty crowded, which is not her cup of tea for obvious reasons. She can barely pick out anyone she knows until Scott stands a few rows up and waves. Not at her, no, but at Miss Perfect. Jean doesn't even look his way, following her cheerleader friends to their seats instead. Scott sits back down sadly, and Rogue huffs. Some people just don't know how good they have it.

Not feeling comfortable squeezing past people up into the bleachers, she considers ditching the assembly entirely. Until someone asks, "Excuse me?"

In the first row, a girl looks up at Rogue with a nervous smile. "How long do these assemblies usually last, huh?" The English accent is surprising, as is the fact that someone went out of their way to talk to the school's designated moody goth. The girl has a very punk haircut, though, with cool purple highlights.

"Oh, uh, too long." Rogue answers after a moment. "But at least it gets us out of class."

"Right, class." The girl looks down at a paper, "My next one should be..."

Recognizing the struggle, Rogue sits next to her and leans over. "Geometry with Mr. Barton. You're new?"

"Yeah. I'm Risty Wilde, from Manchester, England." She introduces herself with a cheerful tone. Rogue relaxes a little and offers a small smile back. "I'm Rogue. Hang out afterwards, I'll show you where Barton's class is."

---

You enter the gym, breathing in as you let the emotions surround you. Embarrassment from a boy who spilled his drink on his pants. His friends' amusement as he runs to the bathroom. A shock of surprise from a girl who gets snuck up on from behind as a prank. After a few moments, they become something like background noise in your head. You breathe out, relieved, but flinch when you hear giggling behind you. Some kids are looking at you funny, whispering among themselves. You pull your backpack tighter and go to find someone you know.

It's harder than you thought it would be. You're a late arrival and the bleachers are packed. You consider hanging out on the sidelines but quickly nix that idea when you see who's already lurking there. The Brotherhood are standing at the edge of the gym by the exit, snickering and leering at the crowd. You've barely seen them since school started, and you'd begun to wonder if they dropped out completely.

Your eyes linger on Pietro, remembering what Alex told you all after Asteroid M. Apparently, he's Magneto's son. You can't help feeling a little bad for him. After all, none of you know if Magneto even survived. Just then the speedster catches you staring and fixes you with a glare before turning away. You huff in annoyance. 'Fine. Continue to be a jerk.' It's probably a good idea to steer clear of them anyway.

Finally, you spot Rogue in the front row and hurry over excitedly. "Hey!"

Rogue looks up with a smile. It gives you butterflies.

"Hey there!" The girl next to her speaks up, to your surprise. "I'm Risty."

"She's from England." Rogue explains. "And she's new here."

"Rogue's helping me figure out my schedule." Risty tucks a lock of violet-streaked hair behind her ear. "So glad she came along when she did. My own personal guardian angel!"

Rogue's cheeks tinge pink. "It's nothing."

"O-Oh.. Uh, nice to meet you." You say, awkwardly hovering there for a second. "Er, well, I should probably go find somewhere to sit.."

"Wait, we can make room-" Rogue says, shifting in her seat so she's closer to Risty.

"No, no, it's okay!" You insist, "I'll, um, see you after school!"

"Well, okay.."

"Bye!" Risty's eyes are piercing, "I'm sure I'll see you around, Y/N."

As you walk away, you think furiously at yourself. 'What is the matter with you? Just because you like Rogue doesn't mean she belongs to you! She can have friends!'

"Y/N! Up here!"

Kurt calls your name from atop the bleachers, Evan waving beside him. You smile gratefully and climb the steps to sit with them. Glancing down at Rogue and Risty one more time, you see Rogue laugh about something. You bite your lip.

'Stop being jealous.'

---

"And my dad knows the CEO, who pulled some strings with the game devs, so I get to be a beta tester." The boy brags, "And if you want, I can probably let you come over to my place and watch me work."

Kitty smiles tightly, wishing she was anywhere else. In any other circumstance, she would jump at the opportunity to get a sneak peek at this game. It's a cool-looking ninja rpg, and its fight mechanics have really been hyped up. But this is clearly not a "no-strings-attached" hangout.

"Gee, Webber, I'd love to-"

"Call me Arcade." He winks. "I'm a high scorer, you know. I can show you the ropes."

"No need, thanks." Kitty frowns, "And anyway, I'm kind of busy.."

Can't this guy take a hint? Clearly not, as he proceeds to sit down next to her uncomfortably close. "So what? Take a day off. Life's a game, might as well play it, right? Especially if you've got someone to play with."

Without warning, he reaches out and puts a hand on her leg. Her instincts tell her to phase out of there immediately, but she can't use her powers in school. She freezes up as his leans in closer.

---

"You're so jealous!" Pietro laughs, "The Gameboy has more game than you."

Lance ignores him. He's more focused on the discomfort growing clearer on Kitty's face as the nerd sidles up closer to her. Then the guy's hand touches her leg, and he sees red.

In three seconds, he's across the gymnasium yanking the boy off the bench. "That's my seat."

"H-Hey, I was talking to-"

"And now you're leaving. Scram." Lance glares, daring the boy to say another word. The redhead swallows audibly, scampering off without another word. Lance watches him carefully, waiting until the geek is out of his sight to unclench his fists.

With that taken care of, he turns to Kitty. She looks wide-eyed at him for a second, but then quickly crosses her arms and levels him with a scathing look. "Well, if it isn't the walking Richter scale. Shouldn't you be erupting somewhere?"

Lance grins. "Oh, finally talking to me, are we?"

She glares even harder. "Y'know, I could report you for bullying that kid."

"Right, like you weren't two seconds away from punching him in the face."

"Well, I don't need one creep defending me from another!" Kitty snaps. Lance stops, her words cutting him more than he'd like to admit.

"Fine. Take care of yourself." He mutters, ignoring the surprised look on her face and moving up a couple rows. Why does he even care what she thinks? Wasn't he fine with her hating him?

It was easier when he hated her back.

A member of the faculty sets up the podium microphone, and he's ready to tune out whatever boring PSA they're getting today.

"And now, everyone, let's give a warm Bayville welcome to our new principal, Mr. Edward Kelly."

Lance's eyes snap up, recognizing the face that greets the student body with a smile. Applause rattles around him, but Lance doesn't move.

"Why the hell is he here?" He says under his quickening breaths.

Lance hardly notices as the gym starts to shake. As the quake grows, applause disappears and is replaced by startled and confused voices. Lance narrows his gaze at the man and tightens his fist, letting his rage burst out with the sound of a splitting crack.

---

"Guys, stop it!" You swat at Kurt and Evan, trying to snatch away their paper airplane. "You'll get in trouble!"

Kurt grins, holding it out of reach. "Not if I make it in ze trash can. I'll be a national hero."

"And I'll owe you five bucks." Evan adds, and you groan.

"You're not helping!"

"And now, everyone, let's give a warm Bayville welcome to our new principal, Mr. Edward Kelly."

While the boys are distracted by the announcement, you manage to snatch the plane away. "Got it!" You laugh.

Then, the whole gym starts to shake. You hold onto your seat tightly as emotions turn frightened. "What-?"

A loud crack calls your attention to the scoreboard above the podium. You gasp as it breaks from the ceiling, the new principal frozen below it. Fear swells as it falls and you're helpless to stop it. But, so subtly you doubt anyone else notices, the scoreboard shifts it trajectory. It lands just shy of the startled man, and the tremors cease.

As everyone stares in shock at the scene, you search the crowd until you see flame-red hair. Jean's hand is to her temple, and as if she senses your attention, she meets your eyes and sends you a message.

'Are you guys okay?'

'Yeah.' You glance at Kurt and Evan steadying themselves. 'That was close.'

"Vhat happened?" Kurt asks, and Evan narrows his eyes down the bleachers. "More like who happened."

Of course. You catch sight of Lance stumbling out of the stands and hurrying to the exit, his Brotherhood buddies following shortly after. Evan crosses his arms. "Those guys think they can just do whatever they want."

You hear some feedback as Principal Kelly picks the microphone off the ground. He dabs at his forehead with a handkerchief and nervously smiles. "Since when is Bayville on a fault line?"

The tension dissipates as students chuckle, everyone writing it off as a freak accident. They have no idea how bad that almost was. It's a good thing Jean was here.

Principal Kelly continues. "Anyway, I want to welcome you all to a new semester. I know that filling the vacuum left by your previous principal, Ms. Darkholme, will not be an easy job," You see Kurt frown out of the corner of your eye, "but it's a challenge to which I am looking forward. And that brings me to what I hope will become the theme of the coming semester: Meeting new challenges."

He walks along the front row, like he's addressing every single student personally. "You know, most of us go through life thinking we're not so different from the people around us, and that's a mistake. Because I'll wager that every one of us here has some unique talents. Some special gifts, some ability that makes us stand out from the crowd."

"He sounds like the Professor.." You say under your breath as you lean forward.

"Ja." Kurt grins, "Maybe zhis new principal vill not be so bad."

"Maybe." Evan agrees, though he feels a bit skeptical.

"However, that said, I want your second priority to be.." Principal Kelly pauses before raising his voice, "supporting the girls' soccer team for the championship! Give it up for our phenomenal players!"

You cheer excitedly with the rest of the student body. Principal Kelly points at the stands. "And that means I want every one of you to turn out tonight for the big pregame rally! Can we count on you?!" Even louder cheers, and you let a laugh slip out.

Maybe Kurt's right. This is shaping up to be a pretty good junior year.

---

"Yes! Zhat vas so hype!" Kurt shouts, and Evan gives him a light shove. "Dude, people are looking."

"Who cares?" He replies happily as they walk through the hallways. "Go Bayville Hawks!"

"Hell yeah!" A random guy high fives him as they pass. Kurt grins back at his friend. "Don't tell me you're not psyched for tonight."

"Only because Jean's team kicks ass." Evan smirks, saying the next part quietly, "And some of the girls are pretty cute."

Kurt stops in his tracks, his hidden tail perking up. "Do you have a crush??"

"I mean, I- I don't know!" The sophomore blushes, "They're just cute, alright? Don't make a big deal out of it."

"You know I vill."

Evan elbows him. "One day, when you have a crush on someone, it's gonna be payback time." He says as they duck into World History and take their seats. Their teacher, Mrs. Herrera, stands up with a sheet of paper in her hand.

"Alright, settle down everyone." Mrs. Herrera adjusts her glasses. "First order of business, I have a new seating chart."

"Vhat?" Kurt exclaims as other classmates respond in a similar unhappy tone.

"Now, now, I know you don't want to hear this," Mrs. Herrera tuts, "But I don't want my class distracted by sitting next to their friends." Kurt's pretty sure the teacher is looking pointedly in his and Evan's direction. "You are here to learn, and your new neighbor will be your partner for the end of semester presentations."

He and Evan look at each other with matching disappointment. Bumping his fist, Evan sighs, "It was fun while it lasted, dude."

"I'll miss you so much, bro."

"Don't cry, man.."

"Mr. Daniels, you're with Mr. Barrett. Mr. Wagner..." The teacher looks at the list, "I'm pairing you with Ms. Sefton."

'Sefton?' Kurt's brow furrows as he tries to remember who that is. Looking around, he spots her in the back. She's dressed in all black with heavy makeup and is staring intensely at him.

"Have fun with that." Evan whispers unenviously as Kurt gulps. He grabs his bag and moves to sit back there with the girl, trying very hard not to be disconcerted by her unblinking gaze.

"Um, hi! I'm-" He holds out a hand and she jerks away, "...Kurt."

She narrows her eyes and Kurt chuckles awkwardly. "Sorry, um.. Do I know you from somevhere? You seem kind of familiar."

"No." She says quickly and turns to her paper, eyeing him every so often.

'Great.' Kurt mourns, 'She hates me. Vay to go, lady killer.'

---

"There he is!" Lance groans as the Brotherhood finds him in the bathroom. He doesn't have time for this.

"Man, I can't believe you almost squashed the new principal!" Toad cackles, "What a riot!"

"Yeah, what gives?" Pietro prods Lance, "You didn't tell us you were going to bring the house down like that. Give us a little warning!"

Lance glares at them. "I don't have to tell you anything! And why don't you take a hint and leave me alone!" He stalks off, needing to get away from them, from everyone.

"Touchy." Pietro mutters as the door shuts behind him.

The lunch bell rings, and the halls flood with hungry students. He turns around to escape but stops in his tracks when he sees him. For a second, their eyes meet. Lance quickly ducks out the first exit he sees, ending up behind the school trying to catch his breath. He holds in the tremors that want to burst out of him.

'How is he here?' His thoughts whiz furiously through his head, 'He's supposed to be in Chicago, he's not- He shouldn't be-'

"I thought I saw you at the assembly."

Lance bristles, whipping around to see Edward Kelly standing there by the door.

"It's been a while." Kelly smiles cordially, "I didn't know you moved here, Mr. Petrakis."

"It's Alvers!" He snaps, "Lance Alvers."

The principal cocks his head. "If you say so. I'm guessing things didn't pan out with the Jones family?"

"What do you care?!"

Kelly shakes his head. "Oh, Nikos. You still haven't learned anything, have you?"

"I said, my name is Lance!" He yells as he makes a fist. He could open a chasm right underneath him, let him fall into the earth.

Kelly is quiet for a moment, then steps forward. Lance steps back and hits a wall.

"Young man, I tried to help you. But I know now that I can't help you until you help yourself. Now, our counselor's office is always open to troubled teens like you." He places a hand on his shoulder, "That said, there are good kids at this school, kids with a bright future, and I will not allow you to endanger them." He squeezes tightly as he leans in, "And if you step out of line even one inch, you'll be back in juvenile detention before you can blink. Are we clear?"

Lance's hands shake. Then he bows his head. "Yes, sir."

"See? Wasn't that easy?" Kelly backs off with an easy grin as he adjusts his tie. Lance flinches as he musses his hair. "Run along, now."

Lance's feet move before his mind does, trying to get as far away from this man as possible.

---

You're looking for a quiet spot to have lunch outside after a grueling Spanish lesson when someone shoves into you. "Hey-" Your words catch in your throat as your heart seizes with fear. But whose fear? The person stumbles back and you see his face.

Lance?

His eyes are wide and full of tears. You vaguely remember a time when you caught him in a vulnerable position, and his reaction. You lift your arms up defensively. He just runs past you.

'What was that?' You think, concerned despite yourself. First the earthquake at the assembly and now this? And what was Lance so scared of?

Then you notice there's another presence behind you.

"Hello? Who's there?" You demand, a little scared yourself now. Out from behind the building steps Principal Kelly, much to your surprise. "O-Oh, um, s-sorry, I didn't know it was you." You stutter, embarrassed.

The man chuckles. "No need for apologies. Sorry for startling you. I'm just getting to know the school grounds. It's nice to meet you, Miss...?"

"Y/F/N." You shake his hand, and he feels genuine enough, but there's something sour that remains.

"You're one of the Charles Xavier's Institute students, aren't you?" You nod. "Well, I find your dedication to education very admirable. The world needs more go-getters, don't you think?"

"Right." You reply, smiling hesitantly.

"Oh, excuse me, I'm taking up your lunch period!" He laughs easily, "I'll leave you to it. Good to talk to you, Miss Y/L/N."

"You too. Um, welcome to Bayville High." You say as he walks away, and you feel like kicking yourself for being so awkward. Way to make a first impression with the new principal.

Something still bothers you about how Lance came through here, and how Kelly felt. Did he catch Lance doing something bad and chew him out? But Lance seemed scared. Then again, you probably shouldn't get involved. It might be nothing.

With one more curious glance in the direction Lance took off, you continue on your way.

---

The hours pass one after another, and soon enough classes are out for the day. Kitty Pryde grabs her bag and does a quick scan of the halls to make sure she doesn't run into Lance. She caught him waiting at her locker earlier and is in no mood to deal with his crap. Just to be safe, she heads out the side doors and takes the long way to the parking lot. 'Okay, I've got AP Calculus homework, and that essay on Animal Farm to start on, then I need to get ready for Jean's game..'

"Hey, Kitty. Kitty, wait up!"

'Just my luck.' She scowls and keeps moving as he jogs over to her. "Leave me alone, Lance!"

"Just listen a second!" He stops in front of her, a little out of breath, "The assembly thing wasn't- it was an accident."

"You must think I'm really stupid." Kitty glares, "What's your angle, huh? Get back in my good books, and get info on the enemy?"

"What? No, that's not-"

"Or do you just want to use me again?"

He groans. "Come on, they were just some stupid test answers! You can't still be mad about-"

"Test answers? Test answers?!" Kitty even surprises herself when she shoves him. "This isn't about the test answers!"

"Then what-?"

"I thought you liked me!!" It finally bursts out. Kitty angrily wipes at her watery eyes. "You're the first person I ever kissed, y'know? I wanted it to be special, or at least to be real. But I guess you just wanted to fool around with someone gullible enough to think you really liked them."

Lance stares at her, and Kitty regrets opening her mouth. She should be over him by now. What was she thinking? That just because he saved her once, he's a different person? He's the same destructive jerk he's always been and today proves it.

She tries to step around him, but he doesn't let her. "Wait!"

"Go away!"

"It was real, Kitty, I-!" He catches himself and lowers his voice. "I did like you."

"Right. Liked me enough to almost kill my parents??"

"It was an accident!"

"Or how about when you ran me and my friends off the road and tried to kidnap us for a blue scaly lady and a crazy magnet man?? Still an accident??" Kitty scoffs. She hears laughter and glances around him to see the Brotherhood watching them from the parking lot, snickering. Her face goes hot, and she turns on her heel. "For a second, I thought that maybe you could change. I guess I was wrong again."

A strong hand grabs her wrist and holds her tight. She's about to shout at him to let go, but she sees his face and can't get the words out.

"You don't know anything about me!"

---

As you get to the parking lot, it doesn't take long to spot your ride. Scott is leaning against his red sportscar pensively, and it looks as though you're the first to arrive. Maybe that's a good thing, as you've been looking for a chance to talk to him alone. "Hey, Scott."

He looks up like you broke him out of his thoughts. "Oh, hey Y/N. How were your classes?"

"Boring?" Scott laughs, but his mood remains less than happy. "You alright?" You ask hesitantly, "You've been kind of off lately."

"...Yeah. There's just a lot going on." He's quiet for a few seconds, like he's deciding whether to say something. Finally, he says, "Alex decided he isn't coming to the Institute this year."

"Oh.." You look at him sympathetically. It must be hard to be apart from his little brother after being separated for so long. "That's too bad. Did he say why?"

Scott frowns at nothing you can see. "He says he wants to feel 'normal'."

"Ah." You respond, understanding. "Is it bad to say that I get it?"

"Definitely not." He touches his glasses. "I get it, too. Being a mutant comes with all kinds of struggles and baggage. And secrets. I can't blame him for not wanting that. I don't want that for him, either." Frustration wafts off as he sighs. "I wonder if I'm setting a good example for him, or if I'm just teaching him to be ashamed of his gift."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because I'm telling him that he needs to hide who he is. That being a mutant means being hated."

"You're only trying to keep him safe." You fiddle with your sleeve, "If people knew about us... wouldn't they hate us?"

"I don't know. Even if that's true, I wish I could just rip off the band-aid now and get it over with. We'll be out in the open someday anyway."

Not sure what to say, you look around at the other students. Which of them would accept people like you? How many wouldn't? Which ones would make you feel as horrible as you did at the Home? The truth is that you don't think you can trust any of them.

Speaking of untrustworthy, you spot the Brotherhood across the parking lot. Pietro, Toad, and Blob are lingering by their newly repaired jeep, which looks a bit worse for wear. Seeing as they busted it up while attacking you, you don't feel all that bad. As you wonder just what they're laughing about, a loud shout catches your notice.

"You don't know anything about me!"

Lance has his hand wrapped around Kitty's wrist. You and Scott are running toward them in an instant. "Alvers, leave her alone!" Scott demands, putting himself between them. Kitty easily phases out of Lance's grip and is in your arms the next second. "You okay?" You ask, and she nods. She's shaken up, but she's not scared.

"Go recharge your batteries, goggle boy." Lance sneers at Scott, "This is between me and her."

"Yeah? Well now it's between you and me."

"Actually, Summers, it's between you and us."

Toad, Blob, and Pietro gather around Lance with eager faces. You can practically hear the tenuous truce between you snap in two.

Lance shoves Scott and taunts, "Go ahead, Summers. Take your best shot. Let's see those eyes blast me through the fence! Right here, right now." He grins like a maniac. Doesn't he know Scott's beams could seriously hurt him?!

Scott's fingers twitch and you look around. The commotion has drawn some attention. "Scott, people are watching." You whisper nervously.

"Yeah, don't let him bait you." Kitty pulls Scott back. "He knows we can't do that stuff out in the open."

Scott stands down as the Brotherhood laugh. "You're right." He responds, his expression hardening. "They're not worth it."

You try to ignore the dangerous tilt of Lance's emotions as you head back to the car.

---

"For a second, I thought that maybe you could change. I guess I was wrong again."

"Boys like that don't change."

"They're not worth it."

"Worthless punk!!"

"I'll show you who's worthless.." Lance says through gritted teeth as he watches the X-men walk away.

"Aww." Blob whines sadly, "I wanted to punch them."

"In the middle of the school parking lot?" Toad laughs, "Get real. These normies can't know about us."

"Says who?"

The others quiet at Lance's deadly serious tone.

"Um... Mystique?" Blob guesses.

"Mystique ain't around no more!" Lance rounds on them, "We're on our own! That means we make the rules! And you know what? Summers might like keeping things under wraps, but I've had it with hiding our powers!"

"I'm not hiding!" Pietro exclaims indignantly. Toad snickers, muttering a quiet, "Except from SpykeBall." The silver haired teen glares at him and crosses his arms. "Besides, my dad said-"

"Your dad isn't here, is he?!" Lance snaps.

And for once, Pietro shuts up. Maybe it's because he's been stuck with the speedster for so long that Lance recognizes that vulnerable look flashing across his features. Blob and Toad are also looking at him warily, but he's too angry to feel guilty.

"Aren't you sick of being treated like garbage?! Of getting looked down on by people weaker than you?!"

"Yeah.." Toad mumbles, and Blob nods.

"Aren't you sick of being ignored?! Told you're not good enough?!"

Pietro glances at him. Toad and Blob nod more fervently.

"After tonight, they won't be able to ignore us anymore."

He can't wait to see the look on their faces. Principal Kelly. Summers. Kitty.

"Oh, yeah." Blob pounds a fist into his hand, "This is gonna be fun."

---

"I think it's a great idea!" Kitty exclaims as she roots through her closet, taking out a big box. You smile nervously. "Really?"

"Heck yeah! The others will love it." She sets the box down on her desk and roots out some crafting supplies. "What design were you thinking? It should have a good color scheme, something that pops."

"I, erm, drew this." You show her a paper and her face lights up. "Oh, that is perfect!"

"Cool." A small blush creeps onto your face. "Thanks for letting me use your stuff."

"No problem, I needed it for my own little plan. Wanna work together?"

"Sure!"

The two of you get to crafting. After your conversation with Scott, you had an idea for something that will hopefully cheer up your friends, and yourself for that matter. Everyone's had a stressful few days, and you just want to do something small to help.

Kitty hides it well, but she's stressed too. Other than sensing it, you see it in how she's not as chatty as usual, and how her eyebrows scrunch up when she's lost in thought. It doesn't take a telepath to know who it's about, either.

"Sorry Lance is bothering you again."

"Yeah, well, he's a jerk." She replies nonchalantly, but you catch her chewing on her lip. "...But?"

She frowns, "But... Ugh! I don't even know. Gah, he's driving me crazy!" She fumes, slamming her pen down.

A flash of guilt cuts through the anger, perplexing you. "Nothing he does is your fault, you know that right?" You tell her.

"I know that, that's not..." Kitty purses her lips and looks over at you vulnerably. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Anything."

"...When we were fighting at the beach, before those big orbs came down and took you, he saved me. I was stuck underground, I didn't know which way was up, I couldn't breathe-" Just the sound of it makes you shiver. "He saved me. Avalanche opened up the earth and saved me. I didn't know if he meant to or not, but he was looking right at me and it felt like.. I don't know."

You remain silent, thinking.

"There's this part of me that wants him to be better. A part that still... Ugh, and I feel so stupid for it! I mean, look at today! He nearly brought down the gym and killed the new principal!"

You remember running into Lance and Principal Kelly today, how weird it felt. "Do you think they know each other?"

"Who?"

"Lance and Principal Kelly."

"Why do you think?"

"Something happened today, and I got this weird feeling about them."

Kitty pauses before raising an eyebrow. "Now that you mention it, he said something. Right before he started quaking the assembly, he muttered something like he recognized..." She shakes her head, "Why does that matter, though?"

"I don't know. Maybe it doesn't." You frown. "I... get it, you know. That feeling of wanting him to be better. And feeling dumb for wanting it."

You reach over and take her hand, and she squeezes it. "He really hurt me. I wish I knew why part of me still cares about him."

Lance's tear-filled face enters your mind. "Maybe because you know he's hurting too."

Kitty wipes her watery eyes after a moment and makes a face. "Bleh, feelings."

"Don't I know it."

---

Charles sits at the center of a large spherical room, going through the files on Cerebro. There are three files under the name Maximoff.

'They can't know about her. Not yet.' With a few keystrokes, those files are locked. Only he will be able to access them, so nobody else will find out.

The door opens behind him, and Storm enters. "Did the new system pick up anything interesting?" She asks.

"Nothing of note." He lies, turning to his faculty with a smile. "How can I help you, Ororo?"

"You can hire a new instructor to help with all these kids." She says seriously, and he laughs. "Don't worry, I'm looking into it. Think you and Logan can handle a few more weeks?"

"I only hope I can handle tonight." Ororo sighs, "Logan took off again with just a note on the fridge."

"I can stay if you need me."

"No, no." She waves him off, "I'm only venting my frustrations. Go, enjoy the game." She grins. "It's only so long until they're all grown up. We should cherish what time we have."

"Indeed." He agrees, a bittersweet taste in his mouth. "Indeed."

---

Something you've learned about Kitty is that she cheers up a lot when she gets to scheming. That is the only reason you're humoring her right now, you have absolutely no other agenda.

"Ask her to the game tonight! We're all going so there's less pressure. This can be, like, a practice attempt!"

Yep. You're definitely just doing this for Kitty's sake. No other reason at all.

It takes a little searching, but eventually you find her. You're traversing the basement levels of the mansion when you come to the workout rooms and hear someone hitting a punching bag. There she is, working out in her dark tank top. Her pale toned arms shine with sweat, and you give yourself a second to get your heart under control before knocking lightly on the door. "Getting out all that pent-up aggression?"

She pauses mid-punch and looks a little surprised before clearing her throat. "Yeah, pretending that this bag is Mystique is really motivating."

You snort. "Sounds cathartic."

Her lips quirk up. "So, uh, what's up?" She asks, toweling off.

'Here goes.'

"I was just, um, wondering if you were going to the game tonight with.. anyone...?" You lean against the door frame, trying way too hard to look cool and unbothered.

"Ah, um, nah." She frowns. "I'm not super into soccer, so I was just gonna skip it."

Disappointed, you're about to leave it there until you feel something else. A spike in the nerves with just a dash of guilt... She's lying. But why?

"Are you sure?" You ask, stepping inside, "Is it because there will be a crowd? I can make sure no one gets too close to you."

"It's not that." Her eyes fall to the ground. "Just go on without me. Hang out with everyone else, cheer on the golden girl."

Her encouragement comes off sardonic, and now you're sure something is wrong. "Did something happen between you and Jean?"

"Nothing happened, it's... It's nothing, forget about it." She brushes you off, and it stings a little. You don't like when your friends fight, and you don't like not being able to help. But you also know that whatever's going on, it's not really your business.

Your face must be an open book, because Rogue softens quickly. "Sorry. I'm rotten company today." She sits on the bench, stewing in her negative emotions. You know from experience that stewing only makes things worse. Bracing yourself, you sit next to her and let her emotions run through you. The frustration, the resentment, the confusion, all of it. Even a bit of alarm as Rogue realizes what you're doing. "Y/N, wait. I don't want to put this on you, you don't have to-"

"I want to." You interrupt. You can deal with a little discomfort if it means Rogue doesn't have to sit here alone. "And for the record, I always like your company. No matter how grumpy you are."

She laughs, her cheeks pinkening. All those tough emotions are still there, but you can't help but feel all warm inside looking at her. Your eyes meet, and for a second everything is standing still. Then a wave of panic courses through you and Rogue stands up abruptly.

"I need a shower!" She exclaims, turning away from you and walking off quite fast. The sudden shift in mood stuns you briefly, and she almost gets away before you can call out, "Wait!"

She stops, barely turning her head so you can hardly see her face. You hesitate, then say, "Come to the game! Please." Oh god, are you really doing it? "Everyone wants you there. I want you.. there."

Again, everything seems so still.

"...I'll think about it."

You see the barest glimpse of a smile before Rogue rushes out, leaving you in a very confused state.

'Well... At least it wasn't a no?'

---

Rogue shivers intensely as she lets the cold water pour over her. ''I'll think about it'??? Come on!' As she cools down, she leans her head against the wall tile. When you were sitting so close to her, she just wanted to lean in and-

But she can't. So why is she even entertaining it? Why is she considering going to that stupid game?

Why can't she get you out of her head?

---

The band is playing loudly as the crowd claps along at a jaunty rhythm. Jean tries her best to block out the sound as she does some leg stretches, but it's a useless endeavor. She can feel the weight of so many minds pushing against hers that it's giving her a migraine.

"Grey!"

"Yes, Coach?" She stands, glad to have something else to do other than sit and wait.

"You know where Fujioka is?"

"I think she was taking a phone call?"

Their coach frowns, looking a little exasperated.

'I swear, if one more thing goes wrong tonight-'

Jean winces as her head twinges in pain. "I'll find her." She offers, popping a Tylenol before leaving the locker room.

Outside, she can see the stadium a lot better, and wow. Nearly two-thirds is filled with red and white, their home colors. And off to the side there's a news crew setting up by their van. All eyes will be on her team.

And on her..

It's not that she isn't used to attention. Ever since she started dated Duncan back in sophomore year, she's made some pretty popular friends. It wasn't uncommon for some of their popularity to rub off on her. But now she's not just a supporting player. Her teammates look to her for leadership. Kids that she doesn't know high five her in the halls, and she's even gotten recognized outside of school. And while the positive attention can feel pretty good, right now it's making her stomach twist into knots.

'Everyone is counting on me. I can't let them down.'

Closing her eyes a moment, she focuses on Taryn until she finds her in the empty space under the bleachers.

"There you are!" She exclaims, and Taryn jumps. "Jean! Jeez, you snuck up on me.."

"Sorry." She chuckles, but stops when she sees her friend's face. "Tar, what's wrong?"

Taryn wipes her eyes and shrugs. "Nothing. My mom just couldn't make it, that's all."

"Oh." Jean hugs her. "Hey, it's okay."

"It's the finals! I get that she's busy, but I really thought this time.."

Jean purses her lips. She's never met Mrs. Fujioka despite being Taryn's friend for two years now. She understands being a busy parent and missing things from time to time, Taryn's mom is the District Attorney for goodness' sake. But Jean can't recall her showing up to support her daughter one time.

"Guess she'll just have to see you kick ass on TV." Jean says, and Taryn snorts. "Hope they get my good side."

"They're all good sides!"

"Yeah, they are." They giggle. Taryn nods her head out at the crowd. "By the way, you have a whole fan club out there."

Jean peeks out and beams when she sees the X-men in the front rows across the field. Her eyes linger on Scott, and she blushes.

'Scott is pretty cute.. Does he have a girlfriend?'

"Yea- What?" Jean jerks back, "I mean, no!"

Taryn looks at her weirdly. "No, what?"

She inwardly curses herself as she tries to pivot. "Ah, sorry. Just pre-game jitters, I guess."

"Hey, you can't be nervous!" Taryn smirks, "You're our secret weapon!"

"Right." She smiles, another knot twisting inside her. "Let's get back before Coach blows a gasket."

---

"B-A-Y-V-I-L-L-E! What does that spell?!"

"Bayville!" You shout with a hundred other voices. The pep rally was really fun, and now the game's about to start! You can't wait to see Jean.

"Everyone got their signs?" Kitty asks around, and you nod. "Awesome! Now we've gotta do it at the same time, right when I say, got it?"

"We've got it, Kitty, geez!" Evan groans. "It's not that hard to lift a sign! Look!" He starts to lift his up before Kitty pounces on him. "Not yet!!"

"Hey! Get off!"

"Ow! Evan, you pricked me!"

"You startled me!"

"That was so on purpose, and you know it!"

You cringe as the argument heats up, but Scott gets between them before you can. "Easy, easy! We're all here to support Jean, right?"

"Right." They both say sheepishly, and you chuckle.

"Ve're back vith snacks!" Kurt announces, pushing the Professor's wheelchair. In the Professor's lap is an assortment of junk food.

"Kurt." You facepalm, "You can't use the Professor as a food cart."

"I have permission!"

"Indeed." Professor Xavier chuckles as he passes out chips and candy. "It's been good while since I've been able to go to a game with my students. It's my treat."

A chorus of thanks yous ring out as you take a bag of Doritos gratefully. The Professor has been pretty busy, what with all the new students and overseeing the mansion upgrades, and his appointments outside the Institute, so it makes sense why he hasn't been able to hang out much. You wish you could help make his load a little lighter.

The announcer starts introducing players as they run onto the field. "Everybody ready? Everybody here?" Kitty asks excitedly.

But everybody isn't here. Logan is out of town for the night and Ororo is making sure the new mutants don't burn down the mansion while you're gone. You really wish Rogue had decided to come, though. Even if you weren't asking her out on a serious date, it kind of stings that she didn't show up. It makes you dread what she might say when you properly ask her out.

"Hey! Look who's here!"

Kurt is waving at someone, and you crane your neck to get a look. Your heart swells as you see who's climbing up into the stands.

"Rogue!" You call out giddily, practically blasting off into space when she locks eyes with you and waves. You meet her at the end of the row, acting as a buffer between her and anyone she might accidentally brush against.

"Thanks." She laughs, "You were right, it's damn crowded."

Instead of saying something witty and perfect, all you can say is, "You came."

"Yeah, well.." She blinks slowly, her eyeshadow shimmering under stadium lights. "You asked."

---

"Playing mid-field for the Bayville Hawks, Taryn Fujioka!" The soccer players start to make their entrance as four boys watch from their hiding place overhead.

"This is gonna be so good.." Toad snickers, and Avalanche grins when he sees the group in the front row. "Perfect.."

---

"Rounding out the team, Bayville's star forward, Jean Grey!"

"Now, now, now!" Kitty squeals as the cheers turn into a roar.

On cue, you hold up signs with all your friends that spell in big, bold letters the same thing you all shout:

"GO JEAN!"

You see Jean running on to the field and turning her head toward you as a big smile lights up on her face.

"Hey, you've this Jean!" Scott shouts as she passes by. Subtly, Jean lifts her fingers to her temple, and you can tell by Scott's blush that a message passed between them. You giggle, wondering if the two are finally going to stop dancing around it and just get together already. But then you feel something odd. Jealousy.

'I'm not jealous..' You wonder, tracing the emotion to the girl beside you. Your eyes widen at Rogue, but she doesn't see it. She's too busy looking between Scott and Jean.

'Why would she be jealous of them? Is it the same reason why Rogue seems upset with Jean?' Your eyebrows draw together. 'Does Rogue have a crush on... Scott??'

Okay, now the jealousy is definitely coming from you.

"That's him, Professor." Scott points at Principal Kelly as the man walks onto the field with a microphone.

"I see." Xavier replies as Kelly welcomes the visiting guests and gives a nice little speech. "I'm glad you all seem to like him."

"Yeah, it's cool that he's not a shapeshifter bent on destroying us." You mutter, making Rogue snort. You laugh too, then stop sort of hesitantly. 'Wait. He's not, right?'

'Rest assured.' You hear as the Professor winks at you. 'I checked.'

'Okay good.'

"In appreciation of the team spirit that has brought us all the way to tonight's championship game," Kelly gestures up the other side of bleachers, "We'd like to present our school mascot, the Bayville Hawk!"

Sitting atop the scoreboard, a sheet is pulled away to reveal a golden hawk statue. The hawk's wings alight with flames and fireworks shoot out. The crowd claps in excitement as Kelly finishes with an energetic, "Now, let the games begin!"

The whistle blows, and both teams go for the ball. It gets kicked around some until Taryn takes possession and passes it to Jean, who dives right into the opponent's defense.

"Go for the left, it's the weakest!" You jump in surprise as Rogue shouts, then give her a smirk. "I thought you didn't like soccer?"

She blushes. "Okay, maybe I like it a little."

"-dodges the defense, and- Hey, g-!" The commentator cuts out, and you look up at the speaker box curiously. It almost looks like there's someone on top of it..

"Excuse me, folks!" Your jaw drops as he moves into view. Lance... no, Avalanche is standing on the speaker booth in full costume, a microphone in one hand and waving with the other. "Hey, can I have your attention up here?"

"Lance?" Kitty gasps as the crowd quiets down at the unexpected interruption and the soccer players come to a stop.

A spotlight turns, illuminating Avalanche and directing everyone's eyes to him. "What's he doing?" Scott hisses. A blur of light blue zooms to the top of the booth, and Pietro seems to appear out of nowhere. 'He used his powers.' You realize, your stomach dropping.

Avalanche speaks again as Blob and Toad join them up there. "That's better. My name's Lance, Lance Alvers. I also call myself Avalanche."

You look to the Professor desperately, but it's too late by the time the next words are uttered.

"Because I'm a mutant."

The bomb drops.

At first, all you feel is a lot of confusion. No one knows exactly what they're looking at. They probably think it's a prank. But you look back at Lance and you know this is serious.

"That's right. Me and Toad and Quicksilver here, we're all mutants! Born different. What you might call 'freaks'."

"I-I can't believe he's doing this.." Kitty stutters.

"Those idiots!" Scott hisses.

Your eyes dart between your friends, trying to keep up with all the emotional changes. Anger, shock, dread, so much dread..

"You see, there's lots of mutants at Bayville High. Scott Summers, over there? He's one!" Avalanche points directly at your group. Eyes from all over the stadium turn on you as you break out into a cold sweat. "And so is Jean Grey, the soccer star! And most of their pals over at the Xavier Institute, which is kind of a school for weirdo, mutant nerds."

"Weirdo!"

'No no no no-'

"Freak!"

'It's over it's over it's over it's-'

'Y/N, breathe.' Xavier's voice cuts through. You try, but it's like there's no more air. 'But they all know now!' You see the news cameras focused on the Brotherhood, and tears well in your eyes. 'I'm scared, Professor..'

'I know, but you can't let that emotion control you. We need you now.'

A hand lands on your shoulder and someone else grips your arm as you try to breathe. Someone is speaking to you, but all you can hear is Avalanche's voice.

"Now, being mutants means we've got these special powers we can use to make little improvements. For instance, we thought this game would be more fun if the goals were further apart!"

The earth shakes, and you stumble to the ground as screams erupt all around you.

---

"And so is Jean Grey, the soccer star!"

All at once her defenses slip, and voices invade her head.

'Jean? What is he-?'

'-a prank or somethi-?'

'-guy just appeared out of-'

'-focus in on those kids-'

'Where's my phone? I need-'

'Is she okay?'

Shoving them back out, Jean gasps and looks up at her teammates. They're all staring at her. Taryn is stepping toward her, and then-

CRACK!

The ground splits open.

Her teammates shriek and stumble out of the way as a giant rift tears across the middle of the field. Jean nearly falls in, diving aside last second. Then she hears a shriek and sees Taryn disappear into the chasm. "No!!" She yells, grabbing hold of her friend with her mind.

Taryn shouts fearfully as she floats out, Jean setting her down on the grass gently. "Taryn! Are you o-?"

Jean reaches out only for her hand to be slapped away. Taryn looks at her with an awful expression of horror. The same look Jean's parents had when..

Blinking away tears, Jean turns back toward the Brotherhood. Lance is grinning ear to ear, and her hands shake. For a moment, she truly wants to tear him apart.

---

So much screaming. So much panic. So much fear. Is the ground still shaking or is it you? Curling in on yourself, you faintly hear your name being called and drowned out in the cacophony.

Then, so instantly that you feel a little sick, it's gone. You still hear the screams, but you don't feel anyone else's emotions but your own.

"Breathe, Y/N, breathe." You hear the Professor, "I took it away."

Gasping, you try to get ahold of yourself. Your friends are all gathered around you, shielding you from the chaos.

Kurt and Kitty on either side of you holding your hands. "Rogue?" You ask, and her face comes into view. "I'm here. You're safe, Y/N."

Panic lessens as you nod. You're safe. Your friends will keep you safe.

"Nikos!" A voice blares through the speakers, and you see Principal Kelly standing shakily on the green with a mic clasped in his hands. "H-How are you doing this?!"

A venomous laugh rings out. "Believe me now, sir?" Lance says lowly, "Quicksilver, why don't you help our dear principal get a better perspective on his new student body?"

Kelly yells, a blur of white and blue closing in and creating a whirlwind that picks him up off the ground. "W-We have to stop them!" You exclaim, but your knees are shaking so much you can't stand.

"We will." Scott says, replacing his glasses with his visor. "Avatar, stay here with the Professor. We can handle it." You nod reluctantly, ashamed to have been so affected even after all your training. After a few pats on your shoulder, and a lingering look from Rogue, they move out.

'This is what teams are for.' The Professor reminds you. 'To help each other.'

Help each other, right. And you can't help your friends or anyone else until you've calmed down. Closing your eyes, you slowly count to ten.

---

"We need to stop the Brotherhood before they get people seriously hurt!" Cyclops shouts to his team as they follow him onto the field.

'Spyke, Shadowcat, take out the news cameras!' The Professor directs via telepathic link. The two run off toward the crew as Cyclops turns his mind back to his mentor. 'It's too late to cover this up. They're broadcasting live, and everyone has their phones out.'

'Even so, Scott, it's not over yet.'

"Another thing!" Lance calls out, hopping down from the booth as the crowd scatters around him. He points up at the new, golden statue mounted on the other side of the stadium. "We think that mascot totally reeks!"

Scott watches as Blob stomps up there, his footsteps breaking apart every step. He shakes the scoreboard, the fiery hawk wobbling on its perch as fireworks shoot out at the wrong angle hitting the gymnasium and blowing out a stadium light. Glass showers down on the civilians.

Quickly reaching for his visor, Cyclops shoots a red beam at Blob. It seems to annoy him more than anything. Another tremor hits and Scott stumbles mid-shot, blasting a hole through the bleachers clear to the school. He curses as bricks fly, but there's no time to dwell when the Brotherhood continues to sow discord. "Nightcrawler, get Toad! Rogue, you're on Blob!"

'I've got Quicksilver.' He hears as Jean runs towards the miniature tornado carrying their principal.

And that leaves one.

"Alright, Lance!" Scott shouts as Avalanche jumps onto the field. "You want it all out in the open? Let's put it out there!"

The other boy grins, fingers flexing. "I've been waitin' for this, Summers."

Cyclops fires.

---

Jean sprints across the field, avoiding the small seismic waves coming from Avalanche. She has half a mind to go after him first, but Scott's closer and she can't ignore Principal Kelly's shouts.

Quicksilver is laughing and taunting the man as he runs in rapid circles. "What do you think, Mr. Principal? Think I have what it takes to make the track team?"

"That's enough!" Jean raises her hand and lifts Pietro into the air. Remembering how he tore up a city street the last time she tried to hold him, she decides to let his momentum take care of the rest. Quicksilver yells as he flies over the field right into Blob. While the big guy just seems momentarily confused, it looks like the speedster is down for the count.

She makes sure to catch Kelly and lower him safely to the ground. He wobbles on his feet, and Jean goes to steady him.

"Get off me!" He yells, stumbling away from her touch. Jean freezes. First Taryn, now him.

The principal gets out his phone, dialing 911. "We need the police, now! This is-"

The phone shatters in his hand at Jean's command.

---

Rogue runs faster, trying to ignore how you looked back there, how much she just wanted to hug you.. But she couldn't. She never can.

So right now, she focuses on what she can do.

Blob is tearing up the bleachers by hand, terrorizing everyone still stuck up there. She can stop him.

"I'm about to feel really big and stupid.." She grumbles, removing a glove and jumping onto him.

He's not easy to knock out, stubbornly trying to shake her off like a bucking bronco. But after about ten seconds, the big guy can't take it anymore and slams against the floor. She shoves his memories to the back of her mind as the bleachers buckle unstably. 'Uh oh.'

---

"Rogue!" You shout as that section of the stands collapse on her and Blob. "I have to help."

The Professor, face twisted in concentration, asks, "Are you sure?"

"I'm ready now." You assert, bracing yourself.

"I will take it slowly. Remember, they are not yours."

"I know. They're just passing through me."

Something changes, like cork popping out of a bottle as the emotions begin to flood in. So much fear and confusion, so much panic that it's hard to think straight.

"Avatar." You look at the Professor, who seems a bit dazed himself, "Use your abilities to calm the crowd."

Your eyes widen. "I-I can't."

"Not everyone. Just those around you."

"..Okay." You close your eyes and focus on the closest emotional presence.

Underneath fear, there is bravery. Everyone has it, even you. You draw upon that courage one person at a time, and the surrounding panic starts to ebb. "I'm going in."

Jumping down, you make a run for the collapsed stands. With every person you pass, you try to draw out their bravery. It's not a huge difference, but maybe they can get the rest of the way on their own.

"Shadowcat!" You call, and Kitty looks your way. "Rogue is trapped in there!"

Shock on her face, she follows quickly behind to help. You reach the rubble and point to where you last saw her. "Can you phase-?" But before you can finish, the pile of wood and metal shifts and Rogue bursts out.

"Rogue!" You exclaim, traversing the debris carefully. "Are you alright?" She blows a strand of white hair out of her face and gives a weary thumbs up. "Remind me to never touch him again."

Blob is lying face down beneath her. You and Kitty exchange a nervous glance. "Is he...?"

A loud snore comes from the unconscious boy, and you sigh. "Yep. He's fine."

"Help!"

You turn to see someone half-buried under the debris. Rogue lifts broken planks away to free them, but you can sense more. "There's someone over here!" You direct Kitty, who phases into the heap to pull them out. A jab of desperation leads you to another one, and you dig out a young boy. He looks like he might be a freshman, and it becomes very clear that he's having a panic attack.

"Hey, it's okay, just breathe with me." You say softly, counting to help him focus. The panic begins to subside and the scared boy stutters out a small, "Th-Thank you.."

"Can you walk?" He nods, standing with your help. You get him to firmer ground, and he runs off to the side of the field where a large group of onlookers have gathered. You can also see your friends. Jean is lifting an unconscious Quicksilver while Nightcrawler grapples with Toad. Spyke helps, pinning the slimy boy's costume to the ground. That just leaves...

You see a bright flash of red and duck out of the way.

---

"You're an idiot, Alvers!" Cyclops shouts as Lance dodges another beam. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"I know exactly what I've done." Avalanche punches the ground and rocks jut out at the X-man. "I've shown everyone what we really are. I'm not hiding like a coward, like you! I'm taking control!"

Cyclops rolls out of the way, panting heavily. "You're not in control of anything! Look around!" He gestures at the crowd, all watching with wide, frightened eyes. "They're scared of us!"

"Good!" Avalanche laughs. "You're the idiot, Summers, because you think everyone's gonna hold hands and sing kumbaya. That's not how the world works! You either get crushed-" Lance clenches a fist, earth trapping Scott's foot, "Or you're the one who crushes."

He pulls at his leg to no avail, he's stuck. Lance flexes, lifting a hand. Scott grits his teeth and shouts, "You're wrong!"

Avalanche raises an amused eyebrow and sneers. "Boy scout."

"I do know how the world works." Cyclops continues, thinking back to his time at the orphanage. The bullies that tormented him and got away with it. The way they only backed off when his powers manifested. "I know that there's always going to be people who hate us, who want to hurt us."

"I am not ashamed of being a mutant. I'm just not sinking to their level like you are." Before Lance can react, Scott gets down on one knee and fires a shot at his stomach.

---

The wind gets knocked out of him as he flies back, landing sorely on the collapsed bleachers. He groans and gets up, anger burning in his veins. "I am not the same as them!" He shouts furiously.

"Momma!"

That small voice makes the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Lance turns slowly, gasping sharply when he sees the kid among the wreckage. He can't be more than eight.

---

"Only eight years old."

He sits in a chair in a bland hallway, gripping a plastic figure tightly in his hands. The red, white, and blue super soldier looks up at him with a heroic smile. He can't return it.

Muffled voices can be heard inside the room behind him.

"Awful tragedy. The wreck killed them both instantly. Poor kid."

"There are too many 'poor kids' out there. I don't know where the government expects us to put them all."

The rest is fuzzy, but he manages to make out "group home" and "problem".

Nikos throws the small Captain America at the wall, hugs his knees and cries angrily.

"Momma, Daddy.. Why did you go?"

---

His hands shake, but not because of his power. He takes a step toward the crying kid but quickly stops. This is his fault. He did this.

And then, like an angel, Kitty swoops in and gently takes the boy in her arms. She wipes his tears and says something that makes the kid laugh.

An ominous creak of metal draws Lance's attention, and his eyes widen as he sees the golden hawk teeter and fall from above them.

His feet move before his mind. "Kitty!" He shouts. There's a split-second where her confused eyes make contact with his, and then he shoves her backwards with the kid in her arms.

Pain explodes in his head as the world goes dark.

---

It all happened so fast. Cyclops blasted Avalanche back and you moved to duck. You looked up to see Avalanche run at Kitty and-

"Lance!" Kitty screams, a crying child held in her arms. The giant hawk sits where they were just standing, where Lance ran.. He pushed them out of the way?

You rush to Kitty's side and gasp at Lance's unmoving form pinned under the hawk, its wings still ablaze. Kitty hands over the kid and phases through the statue, dragging Lance out from under it. You're torn between the panic of not being able to feel anything from him, and the fear of the child you're now holding.

"It's okay.." You say, soothing the boy empathically, "You're safe."

His cries quiet just as you hear a voice.

"Marcus!"

The kid wiggles out of your grip and runs to the woman calling out to him. "Momma!" They embrace fiercely, and all of a sudden you seem to remember something similar. Being held.. being loved.

"Lance, wake up!"

You shake yourself back to reality and join your friend by Lance's side. A trickle of blood falls from his head, but his chest rises and falls steadily as he lets out a painful groan. "I can feel him." You sigh as his eyes open. He winces. "Kitty?"

Her breathe hitches. "Y-Yes, I'm here, Lance."

"Kitty....'m sorry..."

Kitty bursts into tears and takes his hand.

"I'll get the others." You promise, trying not to pay too much attention to your friend's emotions. It feels like a private moment.

You run into Cyclops first, who goes to help Kitty with first aid. Then you find Rogue. "Are you okay?" You ask, relieved beyond belief that she absorbed Blob's strong invulnerability. She nods, and a crack of thunder announces the arrival of another.

Storm descends on the field and brings down a shower of rain to put out the small fires. You look around at the damage; One side of the stadium is collapsed in the middle, the school building behind it has a large hole in its wall, and the earth is torn in half a dozen places.

Then you look at the people, and a pit forms in your stomach. Everyone is quietly watching with disbelief. A soft murmuring begins, barely audible over the rainfall. They're so afraid of you. Rogue crosses her arms, averting her eyes from the onlookers as her worry grows. "What do we do now?" She asks quietly.

You don't have an answer.

"Good work, Storm." The Professor says as he wheels over, and he glances at you and Rogue. "Good work, all of you."

Ororo nods, a grim look on her face. "Yes, but no downpour can make people forget what they've seen here. The secret is out."

Kurt, Jean, and Evan gather around, and the Professor looks at all of you before answering, "Perhaps not, if I can alter their memory of what's happened."

"No!" Storm protests, "There are too many! Even your mind could never withstand such a strain."

"I really have no choice." He responds, lifting his fingers to his temples and concentrating.

Around you, people stop in place and go silent, eyes glazing over. It's eerie, and you watch in rapt silence as this fog comes over everyone. The Professor's face is strained, his determination overriding the pain he must feel. You make a move toward him worriedly, but Jean catches your hand. She shakes her head.

A tense few minutes go by, and then it's like a spell has been broken. Everybody looks around at everything except for you, and the air of fear that had permeated the stadium starts to dissipate.

"He did it." You say under your breath, but the awe is short-lived. The Professor cries out in pain and crumples in his chair.

"Charles!"

"Professor!"

---

The game was perfect cover to sneak into the principal's office unseen. The doors unlock at his command, and he enters Mystique's old office.

He searches to no avail and yells out in frustration. The yell quickly morphs into a pained wheeze as he clutches his chest. He's running out of time.

'It was foolish to think she'd leave any trace.' He scolds himself, promising to pay her back for her betrayal one day.

Just then, the faint cheers from the nearby stadium become panicked shouts. He exits swiftly to spy at the commotion. It seems that the young Brotherhood of Mutants he had Mystique put together are exposing their power to the audience. His lips quirk up into a smile, slightly impressed with the bold move.

Then he sees Charles and his students.

The poor man is trying to avoid the unavoidable, just like he did so long ago. It's sad. Mutants will be exposed, one way or another.

An idea dawns on him, and he raises his hands to create a magnetic field around the stadium.

'Hide another day, Charles. I have much bigger plans in store.'

The chaos subsides as the X-men defeat the Brotherhood yet again. He manages to slow the statue in its fall, but pain shoots through his arms and he's forced to stop. Avalanche is hit, but not fatally. And just as expected, the crowd looks on in fear and disgust.

Charles takes it from there, erasing the memory from all present and collapsing from the stress. He watches, ignoring the desperate pang in his heart and lifting into the sky. Sparing one last glance at the white-haired teenager below, he uses the clouds to cover his escape. Weakness pulls at his bones.

'Not yet. I can't see him yet.'

---

"Dad..?" Pietro groans, squinting at what looks like a cape disappearing behind a cloud. He blinks and it's gone.

"Hey." He rolls his eyes at Blob's clueless voice. "How come nobody is screaming no more?"

"Dude, didn't you see? That old baldie, like, possessed everybody! It was spooky." Toad exclaims, "Hey, Q.S., you up?"

"No thanks to either of you!" Pietro snaps, "Where's Rocky?"

"He got knocked on the head, looked like. Boy, that Shadowcat is scary. She was all like, 'I'm taking him back to my place and if you try to stop me I'll drag you ten feet underground!!'" Toad giggles. "Maybe ol' Lancey has a chance, after all."

More giggling draws Pietro's attention to a group of kids, pointing out their costumes. He blushes furiously and crosses his arms. "Let's get out of here."

"But what about Lance's plan?"

"His plan flopped." He scowls at the ground as he stalks off. "Let him kick it with his new girlfriend, I don't care! This was stupid."

'A cape in the clouds. Get real. Lance was right.'

---

"Ow."

"Stop fidgeting."

"I'm not- Ow!"

"You are such a baby!" Kitty huffs, throwing the wet cloth on his bed. "Do it yourself, then!"

"I can." Lance grouses, snatching the cloth and dabbing at his head wound. "Like I told you, I don't need yours or any X-man's help. I can take care of myself."

"Right. So diving into the path of giant, flaming metal hawk is taking care of yourself?" She asks skeptically.

"I only did that 'cause you-!" He cuts himself off, face turning beet-red.

She's quiet, and for a second he wonders if it's back to the silent treatment. Then, to his relief, she speaks.

"Thanks. For pushing me and the kid out of the way."

Lance snorts, and Kitty's eyebrows tighten. "What?"

"Yeah, right. Thanking me." He replies sarcastically, "Like I didn't cause that mess in the first place."

"Well, yeah, you did." Kitty replies bluntly, "And I would totally slap you for that if you weren't concussed, idiot."

"Barely concussed."

"Not how that works. But... you still turned around and saved me. And then you apologized, and it seemed... real."

He averts his eyes and mumbles. "It was."

"...Okay."

Suddenly a hand grasps his, and he looks up in surprise. She's smiling at him, just a little. "I forgive you."

He wasn't prepared for that. Sucking in a sharp breath, he pulls away and stands up so fast he gets a little dizzy.

"Hey, careful!"

"I'm fine." He puts a hand out to stop her, using the wall to steady himself. "I should get going. Enemy territory and all that."

Kitty gives him the most annoyed look that he can't help chuckling. "Are you serious? You need someone to monitor you!"

"Fine, I'll get Toad to do it. He's usually up all night hunting cockroaches anyway."

She gags. "Ugh. Alright, but I'm walking you home." Kitty goes for the door before he can protest. "Besides, I need to make sure our enemy isn't stealing valuable information from us on his way out."

He rolls his eyes, then smirks. "Who, me? I'd never."

"Those test answers would disagree."

It's strange. They keep chatting all the way to his place, and even though his head is throbbing like crazy, he kind of likes the feel of this. She walks him up to the door and everything. After that, he would sneak up to his room and take out an old photograph. A little boy and his two parents, before everything went wrong eight years ago this day.

It used to be easier to believe that he was just doomed. A lost cause. Maybe that's why he threw himself under the hawk so easily. He wasn't expecting her to save him.

But she did. And she even forgave him.

Why is that so scary?

---

The first thing he notices is the dull ache of his head, a sign of his powers overextending. The reason for it comes next, and Charles forces his eyes open. Ororo and Logan are at his bedside.

"Easy, Chuck." Logan pats his shoulder. "Take it slow. You threw your brain into overload."

"Logan." He says, voice a little rough. Ororo hands him a glass of water. "You're back already. How long's it been?"

"Only a day, Ororo called me. Sounds like you had an eventful night."

"But it worked!" She chimes in, "Eyewitnesses believe that a freak earthquake and the hawk's exploding fireworks caused all the damage."

She takes his hand, which he accepts gratefully after propping himself up. During the pandemonium, he'd tried keeping peoples' minds away from their phones. However, he couldn't stop the news cameras already rolling. "What about the broadcast? How much got out?"

"None." Logan answers, to his surprise. He knew Spyke and Shadowcat had shut it down, but the broadcast was live. His confusion is answered by Logan's continued explanation. "Seems there was some kind of weird magnetic interference that knocked the station off the air seconds before."

"Magnetic?" Charles purses his lips. "Could it be that he's still alive?"

Logan crosses his arms. "Magneto? I wouldn't doubt it." He says lowly.

"Neither would I." Ororo purses her lips, "I was focused on the fires, but there was a strange static in the air. It felt like him."

That is a development. Charles has been searching with Cerebro for weeks, but he couldn't find anything. He figured that either Erik died that night, or he didn't want to be found. Now knowing it's the latter, Charles' heart twists. Magneto is back and, whatever the reason, he helped them. He wishes he knew why.

"Professor!" A voice calls from the doorway, and Scott comes rushing in. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

He smiles at his ward reassuringly. "And I, you. Is the rest of the team alright?"

"Yes, sir, just a little shaken up." Scott reports, "We had Avalanche treated in the medbay, but he was discharged earlier." He frowns. "I'm real sorry, Professor."

"You have nothing to apologize for, my boy."

"But you were right. The world really isn't ready to learn about us."

"I'm afraid not." Charles admits, the fearful memories he erased still heavy in his mind, "From now on, we must be more careful than ever. I'm concerned about Principal Kelly. I was inside his mind when I blacked out, and I'm not sure I finished the job."

"That could be a problem." Logan grunts.

"Or not." Ororo suggests, "After all, he hasn't gone to the news or any authorities about super-powered children."

Logan raises an eyebrow at her. "Would you tell anyone if you saw something crazy?" He looks to Charles. "It's not good to keep loose ends lying around."

"I don't want to cause any undue stress on his mind if I don't have to." Charles answers, "Too much tampering with memories can get messy. For the time being, will you monitor him, Scott?"

"Of course!" The boy stands up straight. "I'll let you know if he's acting strange."

"Then let us hope you have nothing to report."

---

His office feels... off. Like all of today has felt. Ever since that... earthquake tore up the field and damaged the school. The gymnasium will need a new wall, and the stadium will have to be replaced entirely.

Principal Kelly looks out his window, frustrated at something nagging in his mind. It was just a freak accident, wasn't it?

Something like this happened a long time ago. A damaged home, an injured child, and a troubled boy at the center of it.

He can't shake the feeling that this has something to do with Nikos. And for some reason, Jean Grey keeps popping into his mind as well. Something about those two isn't right.

His father taught him that a man trusts his instincts.

---

Thank goodness the Professor is okay. As soon as you and the others heard, you all rushed down to the medbay to check on him. It was so scary to see him pass out like he did. Fortunately, he was released quickly after, assuring you that he just pushed himself too hard.

As happy as everyone is to see the Professor awake and well, you can't ignore the tense atmosphere. The younger students don't know much of what happened and find it more exciting than anything, but among those who were present... If the Professor wasn't so powerful, you'd all be exposed as mutants. It was too close of a call for any of you.

So, you figure that maybe a little surprise can lighten the mood.

One evening after dinner, with some prodding by Kitty (who has actually been strangely chipper these last few days, wonder what that is about), you bashfully bring out a basket.

"I, um, was thinking a lot about how we have to keep our powers a secret." You start, looking around at your family. "And that's good because it keeps us safe, but sometimes it can be really hard." Scott smiles at you. "I want us to remember that being a mutant isn't a bad thing, I guess. So, Kitty helped me with these."

You show the basket full of buttons, patches, bracelets, and jewelry, all with the same blue and yellow 'X' design.

"It's like mutant pride gear!" Kitty grins, showing off her 'X' earrings. "Incognito style."

"No one else will know, but we will." You add. "That's what's important."

"That's so cool!"

"Ooh, can I have zhat one?"

"I like it!"

"Very creative." The Professor nods, taking a button for himself. "Y/N is correct. You should all be very proud of yourselves. I know I am."

"Me too." Scott says, nudging you knowingly. You hand him a bracelet and whisper, "Send this one to Alex?"

"Sure thing."

---

A/N: I'm back and I have a bone to pick with Disney+. They cut out the scene of Lance saving Kitty! Why?? It's so confusing when you see her cradling his unconscious body like, what happened???

Season 2 babyyyy! I'm so happy I'm not dead yet :) Sorry again for the wait, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. I had fun writing it! See if you can spot the Be More Chill and Epic the Musical references lol. I have musical brainrot rn.

Lance might be a new favorite for me, maybe because I looked at him and went, "Ah, yes, more trauma, please." I also found a way to loop in his comics name lol. In my canon, his birth name is Dominikos "Nikos" Lance Petrakis, and after a certain incident, he started going by his middle name and mother's maiden name, "Alvers". Feel free to guess the details, I'll be expounding on his backstory later on.

Some more notes:

- I need irl mutant pride gear AKA x-men merch

- Kitty and Lance are so messy but I love them. But they need therapy. Particularly Lance.

- Lance learns to say "I'm sorry"

- don't smoke, kids

- Charles keeping secrets? sHOCKING

- don't drink and drive, kids

- best part of the episode was when Lance and Scott fight, but instead of using their powers they just start wrestling. I cut it out because I like fight scenes but man was that funny

Okay all! Here's something I'm kicking around. I've been thinking of doing bonus mini-chapters in between episodes for each of the New Mutants. Just a little peek into these new characters, and something for y'all to read in between waits.

Lmk what y'all think of this chapter. I know I probably go overboard with these lol. Stay safe, everybody! Have a nice day <3