WARNING: Trauma and self-loathing, description of a panic attack, kidnapping, predatory behavior, claustrophobia, unintentional self-harm, intrusive thoughts and flashbacks of abuse. Yeah, this one gets a bit heavy.

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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

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! :)

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The air is full of dust, a massive engine roaring as the monster truck powers over mounds of dirt. Even as the stadium of people hoots and hollers, the motor cuts through the noise with a deep rumble. Everybody goes nuts as the truck flattens a row of cars under its huge wheels.

Everybody except Raven Darkholme, of course. She sits cross-legged, brushing a piece of popcorn off the bench beside her with a frown of distaste. She hasn't come all the way down to Texas for some raucous show for country hicks. As the announcer begins to hype up the next act, she takes out her binoculars and leans forward.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the main attraction of the evening. Let's give it up for the world's strongest teenager: Fred "The Blob" Dukes!"

Another round of cheers and shouts begin as the young boy takes to the center of the arena. He makes a show of it, entering with a bulky cape covering his whole body and casting it off when he faces the crowd. As it turns out, the cape isn't that bulky at all, the boy is. He looks to be almost as round as he is tall, and he stands at nearly 6 feet. The colorful spandex outfit he wears makes it clear there are no tricks or padding. This kid is enormous.

But Raven doesn't care how big this kid is. It's what he can do that interests her. She settles into her seat as the real show begins.

"The Blob" stands between two monster trucks, both facing opposite directions away from him. Each truck has a thick chain attached to the rear, about ten feet in length. The crowd watches in anticipation as the boy lifts the ends of both chains, wrapping them around his arms in a tight grip. The drivers in both trucks rev their engines, and through her binoculars Raven can see a cocky grin form on his face.

The monster trucks take off at full speed but are immediately stopped by the unwavering teenager holding the taut chains. The crowd gasps as the trucks go up on their hind wheels, continuing to pull against the restraints. The Blob chuckles, barely working up a sweat. After a few more seconds to build suspense, he yanks the chains towards him, pulling both trucks in. At the last second, he jumps up, allowing the rear bumpers of the trucks to crash into each other before he lands on them. The force of his weight causes the back wheels to burst and deflate as he balances there, crossing his arms victoriously. 

The man conquers the machine.

As the crowd gets to their feet in amazed applause and cheers, Raven remains seated and cracks a smile. Her intel had been correct, it seems. But just as she is about to stow away the binoculars, she catches the flash of surprise on the Blob's face as he leans over for a bow and loses balance. After a second of flailing his arms to catch himself, the boy falls forward into the dirt. The cheering stops, and is soon replaced by jeers and laughter. Raven's smile grows wider as she watches the teen's expression harden, anger blazing in his eyes as he gets up and stalks out of the arena.

Anger is something she can work with.

As she gets ready to leave, she looks across the stadium through her binoculars one last time to check on the other attendees. Wherever a new mutant appears, Charles' team is never far behind. She'd noticed them hours ago, and no doubt the feral one would have smelled her if the entire arena didn't stink of beer and tobacco. Logan looks right at home with the rough-and-tumble folk, but the fiery redhead was easy to spot.

Raven scoffs. 'Idiotic of him to send his dog and a child.  It's always best to get things done yourself.'

As she walks along the bleachers towards the backstage area, Raven smirks. His loss is her gain.

---

"AAAUUUGH!!" Fred yells as he throws the table and chairs aimlessly. The second he'd stepped foot into his changing room he couldn't keep it in anymore. He's furious, the mocking laughter of the crowd still ringing loudly in his ears. When all the furniture is smashed to bits, he takes to the wall, leveling his large fist at it. His knuckles punch right through to the other side, and he barely feels a thing. Fred breathes heavily, his temper slowly subsiding the more stuff he breaks.

"Something wrong?"

He turns at the amused voice, seeing a strange woman leaning casually against the doorframe. She's dressed all neat in a blazer and pencil skirt, not like the usual crowd that comes to these things. Maybe she's someone's fancy-pants manager. Fred pulls his fist from the wall, drywall falling from the new hole.

"Yeah. These small-town hicks!" Fred vents, "They've laughed at me for the last time! I'm gettin' outta here for good!" With all the property damage, he's gonna be fired anyway. Serves them right, though. They don't respect him, they treat him like garbage! He is ten times more talented than those dumb truckers!

The lady walks forward with a smirk on her lips. "That could be arranged. In fact, I know somewhere where your talents would be truly appreciated."

"Listen, lady." Fred says in annoyance, brushing away her extended hand, "If you're from the circus, you can forget it!" He jabs a finger in her face accusingly and leers over her tiny form. She doesn't seem fazed though. In fact, she laughs.

"Oh no, no no no." The women chuckles as she lightly pushes his hand away. "I have something far more interesting in mind. Care to hear more?"

Fred raises an eyebrow. Then he looks back at the destruction, thinks of his current options, and shrugs.

"Huh. Yeah, sure. Why not?" He goes to close the door, not noticing the two people waiting in the hall.

---

Jean follows Logan down a hall in the stadium as he tracks the boy's scent. Professor Xavier had sent them to scout out a new mutant Cerebro picked up, Frederick Dukes. Since meeting Kitty, Jean has been eager to connect with and recruit new mutants to the Institute. So, when she heard about this mission, she told the Professor that she feels like she's getting the hang of it and wants to put her skills to the test again.

Logan said he'd missed the Texas bars.

And here they are! But she's a little concerned with how the show turned out. The poor guy, stage-named "The Blob", had taken a nasty spill and the audience was pretty harsh. It was hard to tell from their seats, but The Blob definitely didn't exit with the same energy as when he'd entered.

'He may be feeling scared and alone right now.' She worries, preparing words of comfort.

Logan stalls and Jean stops beside him, looking around in confusion. Have they gotten to the right room? The hallway is lined with doors, but Logan has stopped at one that's open. She sees his eyes widen as he looks inside, a growl escaping his throat. Jean tries to look, but the door closes before she sees anything. "What-?"

"Come on." Logan turns around and begins stalking away before she can protest.

"What's the matter? Was it the wrong room?"

Logan's voice is angry. "Oh, it was his room, alright. He already had a visitor." His eyes narrow with loathing, "Mystique."

Jean gasps sharply, looking back in alarm. "Mystique? Here? Shouldn't we-?"

"No." Logan growls, "It'll only get messy if we face her here. And while I'd gladly tear her apart..." He eyes a chatting group as they pass, "There are too many people around. Too dangerous."

Jean shakes her head in disbelief. "I don't get it. Why is she here? Why is she with that boy?"

"Probably to get him to sign onto her little team."

Jean's eyes widen. "What team?"

Logan sighs, taking out a communicator and pressing a few buttons. "The Professor's been looking into her since Mississippi. He has a good idea of her plan, and this just about confirms it. I need to let him know."

As Jean follows Logan out of the derby stadium, she looks back worriedly. Whatever Mystique has planned for that boy can't be good. With a pang of regret, Jean wishes she'd gotten to him first.

---

You sit in the drawing room of the Institute, wedged in between Kurt and Kitty on the couch. Jean sits on the arm of the couch and Scott stands next to her, all five of you looking at your instructors. The fire crackles in the fireplace, keeping the room from falling into total silence.

Everyone around you feels the same way you do, worried and alarmed. Finally, it's Scott who speaks first. "Mystique's making a team of evil mutants to fight us?!"

You feel the tension rise and your heart beat faster as you look to your instructors. Storm is sitting in an arm chair with a concerned look on her face and Logan is leaning against the back wall with his jaw clenched. The Professor, now looking at Scott, is keeping a neutral expression and you can't tell if he's as calm as he looks or just blocking his true feelings from getting to you.

"Now, I wouldn't say evil." The Professor continued carefully, "The mutants she's recruiting are as young as you, and misguided. She's likely primed them to view us as the enemy, just as she did with Rogue."

There's a dull pain in your chest remembering that night. And then, the awful morning when the two of you met again in class. It was so surprising then, so improbable, and yet there she was sitting next to you with enough hostility emanating off of her to make you nauseous. As it turns out, you weren't the only one with a surprise encounter. Next to you, Kitty is fuming with anger.

"This is crazy!" Kitty yells, making you wince, "Lance is a complete psycho who totaled my old school! Why was he even allowed to enroll at Bayville??"

After your first day, you and Kurt had been shocked to meet up with a furious Kitty. Anger wasn't the most fun thing to feel, and Kitty must've seen it on your face because she decided to walk home alone. She said she wanted to talk to you when her emotions weren't all over the place. It was a bit of a relief, but you felt guilty that you couldn't be there for her. Later, when she was more calm, she told you and Kurt what had happened. Her first class, who should walk in a half hour late but Lance Alvers. The thought of how hostile he was when you met him made you shiver. Kitty said he'd tried to talk to her after class but she'd ditched him in the hall, then spent the rest of the day dodging him. It was then when you mentioned Rogue, and all three of you grew super confused. Why were all these people showing up at your school?

This is worse than what any of you had imagined. After Jean and Logan returned from Texas, it wasn't long before Xavier called everyone together. Mystique, some enemy of his, the shapeshifter who played tricks on Rogue in Mississippi, was trying to create a team of mutants of her own. The Professor said he wasn't sure why exactly she's doing it, but she might start a confrontation with the X-men.

"Kitty is right, Professor!" Kurt agrees, "Zhose guys are bad news! Toad broke into ze mansion and started fighting me, and Lance can create whole earthquakes!" You feel Kitty tense beside you and her anger is underscored by fear. You hold her hand and offer a sympathetic smile as Kurt continues. "Und Rogue almost got me and Storm killed! Zhere has to be something you can do!"

You bite your lip, the last part not sitting well with you. Rogue might be dangerous, yes, but you can't help but think that she didn't mean to hurt any of you. Whatever Mystique did made her scared of the X-men, but what if she changes her mind? Then again, she hasn't said a word to you in class, and judging by her attitude she wouldn't listen to you anyway.

Surprisingly, you feel a similar conflicted feeling coming from outside of you and look over at Jean. She's listening quietly, but her expression isn't scared or angry, it's just unsure.

"I'm afraid the students are being enrolled in a special program funded by an anonymous donor." Ororo answers, "It's officially an outreach program to board and school underprivileged youths. It operates by the same standards as our Institute, with students' prior records being wiped clean." She sighs, "Unfortunately, I cannot call for their expulsion without any new misconduct to report. And..." Her lips tighten into a line, and across from her Scott crosses his arms and grimaces.

"We can't tell on them if they come after us with their powers." Scott said in grim understanding, "We can't expose mutantkind."

Your stomach twists, your mind drifting back to an unpleasant place. If they hurt you, you can't report it to anyone. This situation is scarily familiar. Everyone around you is distressed as well, voices overlapping in a chattering frenzy.

"What are we supposed to do?!"

"Zhere's four of zhem now, vhat if zhey start to outnumber us?"

"It's not fair!"

"Professor, we can't go back to school with our enemies waiting for us there!"

"Hey, hey..." Jean says, talking over the noise and getting everyone's attention. "Let's calm down. I don't think any of them are dumb enough to attack us in the middle of class."

"Lance sure is." Kitty mutters.

Kurt nods. "I don't zhink Toad has any brain cells. His head is filled vith flies."

"Mystique is in charge of them. She won't want them to start a powered fight on school grounds in front of non-mutants. It draws too much attention for someone accustomed to working in the shadows." The Professor assures you all confidently, "And the Institute's defenses have been updated to account for all their powers. Right, Logan?"

From the back, Logan grunts. "No one's getting in here unless they wanna be burnt to a crisp."

Despite that horrible image, the security puts your mind at ease a little, but you can tell that no one is completely reassured. "What if they start a fight when no one's looking?" Scott asks.

"Or corner us when we're alone." Kitty adds.

The Professor nods. "If it comes down to it, your safety is the most important. I give you full permission to use your abilities in self-defense."

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief except for you. After all, what can your powers do in a situation like that?

"I want you all to be able to avoid that possibility, though. Which is why you will all be taking certain precautions." The Professor looks at you all sternly, "I want all of you to avoid these students as much as is possible."

"We have class with them every day!" Kitty exclaims in frustration, "How can we avoid that?!" You nod, thinking about the impossibility of avoiding Rogue when you have to sit next to her an hour a day.

"That's where my second rule comes in. If you can't avoid them, stay together. They likely won't want to confront you as a group."

Jean nods and says, "Don't worry, Kitty. Your class with Lance is right across the hall from mine. We can meet up after they end and walk to lunch together." Kitty smiles gratefully, but you can tell she's still upset.

"I'll see if I can transfer into Y/N's Literature class with Rogue, just to be safe." Scott says. "I'd only have to swap periods."

You want to say that there's no need, but Scott has that 'made-up-his-mind' look on his face. Instead, you just nod agreeably. You don't think you're in danger of Rogue hurting you, but maybe if Scott joins the class you can sit with him and spare yourself a migraine.

Kurt smiles. "I don't have class vith any of zhem. Plus, if zhey ever catch me alone-" He teleports behind Kitty, "-I have ze perfect escape route."

Kitty jumps and yells at him, Kurt laughing and a few other people cracking smiles, including you. Kurt is good at lightening the mood, and even Kitty looks better after chewing him out.

The meeting concludes and everyone gets up and starts to file out of the room, probably to go to bed after a long day. You aren't sure you're ready to go back to school tomorrow, though. Then someone catches your arm in the doorway and you're struck with a sense of warmth.

"Hey Y/N." Jean says with a comforting smile, "You didn't say much back there. Are you worried too?"

"Um, well, yeah," You reply quietly, "Now that everyone's gone and I still feel worried, I guess I am. I don't understand how anyone can hate the X-men so much."

Jean scoffs. "Yeah. That Mystique sounds like a real piece of work. Some people just want to hurt people."

"Not everyone.." You say without thinking, then your face goes red, "I mean, um, maybe not everyone she has on her team is bad? Maybe they're just... scared."

Jean smiles. "Y'know, I think so too." She looks back in the room and frowns, and you follow her gaze. The adults are still in there, talking in hushed voices by the fireplace. "We should get to bed." Jean says with a tired sigh, and the two of you walk together to the dorms and say goodnight when you split off.

As you crawl into bed that night, you look at the communicator still perched on your bedside table, and your heart crumples a little.

---

Rogue groans as her alarm goes off. She sits up sluggishly and starts to get ready for more school. Ms. Raven Darkholme, codename Mystique, has her boarding with some other mutants in a rundown old building called the Brotherhood of Bayville. Honestly, she couldn't care less about the others. She's always been a loner, but these are the kind of creeps she usually goes out of her way to avoid. One an obnoxious pervert and one a hot-headed delinquent.

'Why did Irene send me here?' She thinks as she pulls a comb through tangled white and brown strands of hair. Being locked inside her house for the rest of her life almost seems preferable to hanging around these imbeciles.

And then there's the X-men, who are so hung up on her they decided to plant their agents in her classes. Rogue grimaces. Seeing Y/N everyday makes her so angry, especially when she acts all innocent!

She tries to ignore the communicator she has stashed away at the bottom of her school bag. If it's buried deep enough, maybe she'll forget about it.

With a sigh, Rogue grabs her bag and walks down the stairs, intent to skip breakfast and just walk to school. However, seeing someone new at the door stops her in her tracks. This guy is huge, just barely fitting through the doorframe. Behind him follows Ms. Darkholme, who's actually smiling for once. It looks like it's plastered on, but it's there.

"And here's where you'll be staying." She says. Rogue internally groans at the prospect of having another housemate.

"Okay." He replies, glancing at Rogue with interest. "Will there be a lot of girls here?"

Rogue wrinkles her nose. "Dream on, big boy."

The guy scowls at her, then huffs a laugh. "Yeah, like anyone would date you, er, goth girl! I'm The Blob, I don't need you."

"What a charmer." She rolls her eyes.

"Enough." Ms. Darkholme ends the exchange with her icy eyes, "You will both be living here and I expect you to get along."

"And just how many more troubled teenagers do you plan on bringing here?" Rogue asks pointedly.

Darkholme ignores her question and asks her own. "I'm just about to escort Mr. Dukes here to school. Would you like a ride?"

"I'm good. I'd like to walk." Any time to herself is a blessing, and she definitely does not want to share a backseat with that creeper.

Before she walks past them Rogue feels a hand on her shoulder. "Be careful. Remember what I told you." Darkholme says, then lets her go.

Of course, how could she forget?

'Don't trust the X-men.'

Rogue walks out the door and sticks in her earphones, trying to mentally prepare herself for the day.

---

"And this will be your schedule for the semester. Any questions, Mr. Dukes?"

Ms. Darkholme hands Fred a paper across the desk and he awkwardly leans over to take it. He's too big to fit in the chair, so he stands instead, squinting at the complicated print. He gives up for the moment, turning to answer her question.

"I don't know if I can do school again." He says, shrugging. "I didn't much fit into the other ones." This is probably the first time in a year he's been nervous about something, and he let a monster truck run him over at last week's show.

"You won't have that trouble here. As the principal, I can make sure of it." The principal smiled at him, and something in her eyes told him that nobody around here messes with her. He respects that.

Leaving the office and scrutinizing his schedule again, he begins to feel a little less sure. "First period, um.. Man, this is complicated."

A bell rings and students begin to leave the hall for classrooms, leaving Fred confused by himself. He hates feeling dumb like this, with words and math. It's beginning to frustrate him, so he looks up and finds a guy in a letterman jacket passing him by.

"Hey, hey you! Where-?" Fred exclaims, grabbing the guy by the jacket and yanking him back towards him. The student yelps and Fred accidentally slams his back into a locker putting him down. Whoops. "Where am I s'posed to be?"

He stares at the blonde boy, who looks him up and down before smirking.

"I don't know, how about a sideshow?"

The laughter that follows flips a switch in Fred. His face reddens, he clenches his teeth and growls. He throws the guy onto the ground. Blood pumping, he grabs a set of lockers and rips them from the wall with ease. He holds them over the terrified boy, feeling nothing but unbridled rage.

"Don't you make fun of me!!"

---

"Thanks for walking with me!" Kitty exclaims to you and Jean as the three of you make your way down the crowded hallway. You're getting a little better at handling the clamor of emotions from the bustling students. You don't have to concentrate so hard that you miss the conversation. As you all arrive at Kitty and Jean's classes, you nod in reply. "Glad to."

Jean smiles. "What she said."

"I know, but, like, seriously! Lance has totally been creeping on me. I feel a lot safer with my friends."

You try to give her a comforting smile as she waves gratefully and ducks into the classroom.

"Alright, let's get to your Literature class!" Jean says, already walking off. You catch up and shake your head.

"But, Jean, your class is right here. And, I'm fine walking on my own. Really!"

Your pleas don't seem to work as Jean keeps walking and shoots you a skeptical look. "Y/N, I can tell you're nervous. And I really don't mind. Plus, Scott wants us to stick to the buddy system. He'd be here with you if he wasn't getting his classes changed right now, and if I let you go alone he'll chew me out later."

She chuckles and you sigh. She isn't exactly wrong, but she isn't completely right. You are nervous, just not for the same reasons as Kitty. While Lance isn't someone you'd like to run into either, you've been more concerned about someone else. A girl with white streaks in her hair, someone who you so badly want to talk to and yet are always too overwhelmed to try.

Another thing Jean is wrong about: Scott would never chew out Jean.

The bell rings and you cringe, turning to Jean to try to convince her to turn around and get to her own class on time, but the look on her face stops you. She usually has an unconscious smile on her face, but now she's frowning as she stares off at nothing. With all the emotions still around, less now as the hall empties, you haven't noticed anything amiss from her.

"Jean? What's wrong?"

She blinks and smiles awkwardly. "Oh! I'm sorry, I must be tired. I was just thinking."

"About what?" You dare to venture.

Jean hums and the slight frown returns. "I was thinking about the Professor and our other instructors. I had a feeling something was going on that they were concerned about, but I didn't know for sure until they told us last night. Now, I.." Her brow furrows, "I just wish I had gotten to that mutant a little quicker. Maybe if I'd gotten to talk to him... I don't know. I just want to help out."

You understand how she feels. You feel the same about Rogue.

About to say as much, you're suddenly thrown off-balance by a powerful feeling. Rage.

"Y/N?" Jean asks.

"Someone's... really... really angry.." You say breathlessly, the malevolence of the emotion taking a toll on you. It reminds you too much of... some bad things you don't want to deal with right now.

Jean's hand is on your back, and she starts to say something when a roar rang through the empty hall.

"Don't you make fun of me!!"

You and Jean look at each other in alarm and quickly round the corner. To your shock, there's a large teenager hoisting three lockers over someone on the ground. 'Wait, isn't that Jean's boyfriend?' You glance at Duncan Matthews' fearful face for a second before looking back at the incredibly strong boy threatening him.

His feelings are hitting you hard. You grip the wall tightly, trying not to let the rage overcome you.

Jean looks at you once and then strides toward the fight before you can stop her. You watch, frozen, as she walks right up to the boy.

"Hi!" Jean says with a smile, "You must be new here!"

"Huh?" The boy voices confusion as he turns and looks at Jean. She's pretty tall, yet this guy still towers almost a foot over her.  You tense as he holds the lockers above your friend now.

"Uh.. I'm Jean Grey."

As Jean continues with a friendly voice, you can feel the anger subsiding drastically. It's replaced by a flurry of other emotions from you and others. Fear, worry, stress. It's a dizzying change.

You hear the big teenager chuckle awkwardly, almost like he's forgotten he's holding up a bunch of steel lockers in the air. "Heh. Oh. Yeah, I am. New, I mean."

Given the opportunity, Duncan gets up and bolts, knocking into you as he escapes. "Watch it." He mutters, and you wince. You look back at Jean and see her flash a look of distaste at his retreating form before smiling at the new kid.

"I-I figured. Welcome to Bayville." She continues as you inch forward. "So, what do your friends call you?"

He's putting the lockers back on the wall, now all bent and busted. It's strange, you've never experienced someone come down from anger like this. Usually, it's like taking a pot of water from a boil to a simmer. This is like he turned the stove off completely. It's a little unnerving.

"Don't know. Never had any friends." He says with a shrug, then smiles and hesitates but sticks out his hand. "But, my name is Fred. Fred Dukes."

The lockers he put back unceremoniously collapse together loudly and the three of you wince. But Jean quickly takes Fred's hand and shakes it.

"It's nice to meet you." She says, and you can tell she's genuine about it, the same as the day she met you and Kurt. Then she gestures at you, "This is Y/N."

You wave awkwardly. "H-hi."

"Uh, hey." He says back, then looks at the lockers guiltily, "These weren't yours, were they?"

You shake your head. Jean replies, "No. And, hey, don't worry. I'm sure the... special program you're in will take care of it."

It finally dawns on you. This is the mutant Jean and Logan went to meet in Texas, the one Mystique recruited first. You eye him warily.

"You think?" Fred laughs a little, "Sorry about that, though. People just really rile me up when they make fun of me."

"I want to apologize for Duncan. He can be a real idiot sometimes." You catch a flash of irritation from Jean as she says this, and you feel guilty for judging Fred so quickly. Of course Duncan started it. In the short time you've been at Bayville, you've learned to avoid the star football player. You see him make fun of people everyday, at least when Jean's not around. He's only said a few things to you, and you intend to keep him from noticing your presence. But it's harder for Fred to blend in, you realize.

"Y'know.." You say softly, wanting to try again with him, "I'm pretty new to this school too. I'm still getting used to the layout. Do you need any help?"

He blinks, then fishes a crumpled up schedule out of his pocket. "Yes, uh, please."

He hands you the paper, and you and Jean look over it. Jean deciphers it first. "Ok, hmm. Your first class is... right over there!" She points at a door a little ways down the hall.

Fred brightens. "Hah, Thanks!"

You give it back. "Good luck." You add, hoping Duncan lets it go and leaves him alone. Fred nods with an appreciative smile and looks to Jean.

"Don't worry, the first day is always the roughest." She says warmly, giving him a wave and starting to walk off with you following close behind. "It gets better. See ya around!"

"You sure will." You hear him say behind you. For an instant, you get a feeling you can't explain because you've never felt it before. It's too brief to know where it came from exactly, but it felt strange and uncomfortable. You shake off this bad feeling as you finally arrive at class.

---

As it turns out, one bad feeling gives way to another. It's not unexpected at this point since you've been sitting next to Rogue over a week now. The animosity radiating off of her makes it hard for you to concentrate. Her hostile aura did decline over the week, but a day ago you thought it would be a good idea to ask her for a pencil. The negativity flared up tenfold as she handed the pencil over harshly, and you since resolved to keep your mouth shut.

"Mr. Summers." Your teacher says as Scott walks in, "You're in luck, a student just dropped my class. You may have a seat next to Mr. Haits."

You perk up as Scott waves at you, but quickly wince when you feel Rogue tense beside you. Sneaking a peek, you see her eyes narrowed and fists clenched against her desk as she glares at Scott. You see Scott send her his own look of suspicion before joining his friend Paul in the front row.

The class excitement grows with the new entry, people looking over at Scott curiously or, in Duncan's case, with a sneer. Your brow furrows at that, but overall you're a little relieved that you're not the 'new kid' anymore. Scott's good with attention, you are not.

The teacher, sounding tired, begins passing little booklets around the room. "All right, for this drama exercise, you'll each be doing a scene with a partner. Since a few of you haven't chosen partners, I'll be pairing you up myself. Taryn, you and Paul are going to do Laura and Jim from The Glass Menagerie. Scott, you can pair up with-" He keeps going, assigning most of the class since most people never bothered to actually sign up with a partner on time. You're disappointed now, though, since you would have partnered with Scott if he'd been in your class before today. You just don't really know anyone else here, except for-

"And that leaves you..." The teacher says, handing one booklet to Rogue, "And you."

Your face flushes as you receive the matching booklet and look at your new partner with dread. She stares back at you, similarly unhappy with this.

The teacher continues monotonously. "You two will be doing Shakespeare's Henry V. I've marked it. Henry and Katherine, daughter of the French king."

Duncan barks out a laugh. "Good luck getting either of them to perform. They've never said more than two words!"

Giggles erupt around the room as you turn red. Duncan leers at you. "How about it, mousey? You gonna actually say something for us?"

A chair scrapes against the floor and everyone turns to Scott, who's on his feet. "Shut it, Matthews, or I'll make you!"

Duncan turns his glare to Scott, but the teacher steps between them. "All right, class, all right." Duncan just rolls his eyes and slumps in his seat while Scott sits back down. You throw him a grateful look as the teacher continues. "Now, I want you to get together with your scene partner and rehearse. You perform on Tuesday."

You suddenly become aware in the change of mood beside you. Glancing at Rogue, you see her looking at Scott with something like curiosity. Then she sees you looking at her and turns cold again. "What?"

"Um," You look down, "Are, uh, are you okay with this?"

Her eyes narrow. "I'm not afraid of you."

You look up at her, surprised. "I didn't say you should be." You say after a moment.

She appraises you warily and huffs. "Just tell your weirdo friends to keep their distance this time."

You sigh, looking at the booklet in your hands. Maybe Duncan is right. This assignment seems like a lost cause.

---

Lunchtime is a mixed bag. On the one hand, you get a much needed break from classes. On the other hand, the Bayville cafeteria is even bigger and louder than the one at your old school. Emotions run high as everyone hangs out with their friends. On the first day you had to eat outside to escape the chaotic aura of the room. But even though you expected to be alone, the other Xavier students came with you. You've all eaten together everyday, talking and laughing and sharing food with each other. Sometimes Scott will ask about your training, sometimes Kitty will go on about a sale at the mall, and Kurt always has a joke at the ready to make you laugh. It's nice to have lunch with the X-men, and being around friends makes the rest of the world a little bit easier to deal with.

Kitty stops in the middle of her rant about some reality show you've never seen and stares wide-eyed past you. "Woah. Is that humongous guy the one you and Logan, like, went to see Saturday night?" She asks Jean. You turn around and see Fred Dukes over in the lunch line getting served. He looks pretty calm now, such a stark contrast to the anger you witnessed before.

"Yeah, Fred." Jean says, "He's okay... when he's not ripping the lockers off the wall."

"He's the one who, like, did that??" Kitty exclaims in disbelief.

You nod. "Yeah. He held them over his head like they weighed nothing."

Kitty giggles nervously. "Freaky!"

Scott raises an eyebrow. "Didn't the Professor tell us to steer clear of him? He sounds dangerous."

Jean huffs. "I know how to take care of myself, Scott. Besides, didn't the Professor teach us to help people?"

"If Jean hadn't stepped in, he may have flattened Duncan into a pancake." You add, trying to back her up.

"I've also wanted to give Matthews a beatdown when he pisses me off, that doesn't mean I actually do it! God knows he deserves it." Scott mutters the last part away from Jean, but you can feel her tense up.

"Maybe Fred just needs some guidance." Jean retorts, "I'm not saying his behavior is okay, but he's not the only mutant who's ever lost control of his abilities." She looks down and a sad energy takes over her. "When my powers first emerged, I was hearing everyone's thoughts around me. My telekinesis flared up unexpectedly and... I hurt my parents once. Threw the kitchen table at them when I was angry about something petty. They only had minor injuries, thank god, but... it could have been worse."

Everyone at the table is quiet and somber. You ache hearing what Jean went through. It never occurred to you that someone so strong had ever felt so weak.

Scott, a guilty expression on his face, takes her hand. "I'm sorry Jean, I didn't mean to-"

"It's really fine, Scott." She says, brightening up a little, "I'm just thankful the Professor found me and took me in, taught me to use my powers for good with the X-men."

Scott smirks. "Was that when your code name was still-"

"Don't say it."

"-Marvel Girl?"

Jean groans and everyone else laughs. It spreads to you and you chuckle a little, glad that Jean is smiling again underneath a fake pout.

"Wait, seriously?!" Kitty exclaims, laughing the hardest.

"What do you want from me? I was, like, ten!"

More laughter, and Kitty sighs. "I guess you're right though, about, like, the control thing. When I first got my powers I fell through my bed into the basement! I'm surprised I didn't break my back!"

"Vhat, like you are an old lady?" Kurt teases, and Kitty shoves his face away. "Shut up! Like you weren't surprised the first time you teleported!"

"Ja, okay, I vas a little surprised." He admits, "But not as surprised as mein Mutti and Vati vere vhen zhey found me on ze ceiling!" Kurt laughs, then turns to Scott. "How about you, our fearless leader? Did you alvays shoot lasers out of your eyeballs?"

Scott rubs his neck and smiles nervously. "No... and it wasn't the cleanest discovery either. I blew a hole right through the ceiling."

"Vicked!" Kurt exclaims, and everyone chuckles. This conversation is fascinating for you. It turns out that everyone had their own share of troubles that came with their powers. Maybe the Professor is right. Maybe even you can learn to be stronger.

"Y/N? Have you ever lost control of your powers?"

Your heart stops at the lighthearted question. You know it should be fine, everyone else talked about their power mishaps after all. But what you did...

"Help!"

"Let me out! I'm sorry!"

"Please stop-"

"Just-"

"STOP!"

"Y/N? Are you okay?" You blink back to the present and immediately feel guilty seeing everyone's worried faces.

"I'm fine!" You say quickly, "It's just been a long day."

Scott nods sympathetically. "I'll say. I'm sorry you had to deal with the new kid and Rogue all in the same day."

"What do you mean?" Kitty asks, and you sigh.

"I, uh, I got paired up for an assignment with Rogue. And she hates me." You look across the room and see a small table in the corner. There sits Rogue, Toad, and Lance, though none of them really look together. Rogue is hunched over a book, and Toad is talking at Lance who's looking... at Kitty?

She follows your gaze and grimaces when she notices it too. "Creep."

"Come now, Y/N, it's not possible for someone to hate you!" Kurt says, moving over to you. "She's just a grouch. Vhat's ze assignment?"

"I have to play a romantic scene with her." You say glumly. Kurt just grins. "Ah, see! Zhat's perfect! First you charm her vith a romantic speech, zhen her icy heart melts and she falls in love vith you." He swoons and falls on you, leaving you both giggling loudly.

"Thanks Kurt."

Just as Kurt returns to his seat, a sudden jolt of anger that passes through you and makes you jump. But just as soon as it's there, it's gone again. You look around and see Fred passing your table by.

"What's up?" Kurt asks as you stare after him.

"Um... nothing." You decide.

---

Finally! Lunchtime! Fred walks into the cafeteria excitedly and makes a beeline for the food. All that boring class stuff has him starving! He enters the line, getting impatiently with the guy in front of him taking his time. It's Fred's turn! He shoves the guy aside and hands the lunch lady his tray. "Fill 'er up!"

She makes to grab a plate but Fred stops her. "Hey, woah, woah, woah! Who said anything about a plate? Now, load it up. Heavy!" He makes sure to watch as she scoops portions of everything onto the tray, and once it's heaped with food he nods happily and takes it.

Burgers, fries, pizza, chicken... He's salivating as he walks through the cafeteria toward an empty table. But as he does, he hears people talking.

"Oh my god, he's so big!"

"Gross, he's really going to eat all that?"

"What a freak."

"Hahahahaha!"

Fred grits his teeth at the giggling, anger flaring up inside him. "Jerks. They don't know me. They should! They should know not to mess with me..."

He sits down still angry, landing on the chair heavily. The chair legs snap and Fred pitches forward, flipping the table as he and his tray fall to the ground. Some other food and trash left on the table are launched into the air and across the room, all the way to Duncan Matthews. Fred hears the indignant cry from Duncan, and turns to see him and his two jock friends approaching.

"Bad move, Blob boy."

---

A moment after dismissing your concerns, you hear a loud commotion from the back of the cafeteria. You and the other X-kids turn to look, your eyes widening at the scene unfolding.

Fred is on the floor atop a broken table and chair, half his lunch on the ground and half on his front. Across from him, Duncan Matthews and two of his friends are a mess as well, and they look furious. 

"Bad move, Blob boy!"

As Duncan advances on Fred, a pang of fear hits you. No matter how big Fred is, he's only one person against three muscular football players. You're about to stand up when Jean puts a hand on your shoulder.

"Uh, stay here, Y/N. This could get messy."

"Yeah, 'cause, like, that hasn't already happened." Kitty mutters, surveying the scene excitedly. Jean stands up, and you can sense the anger flaring up in her as she starts toward Duncan. You bite your lip as you watch her confront the quarterback.

"Duncan Matthews! What the hell are you doing?" She yells and you cringe away, never having seen her this mad before. Duncan ignores her, still trying to march over to Fred.

"Teaching that tub of lard a lesson!"

"Oh no, you're not!" Jean grabs his arm as he tries to pass and makes him face her. You see the other jocks backing off, unsettled by the fiery redhead. "You know what? I'm finally seeing you for what you are. You're a bully, and I don't date bullies."

Duncan stops in his tracks and looks at her in shock. "Wha- Babe, you don't-"

"Don't call me Babe." She snaps, "I believed you, you know? I gave you so many chances, but you never actually wanted to change."

You see her turn her back on Matthews, whose shoulders slump in defeat. In all your worry for Jean, you're caught off guard by a bubble of delight. To your left, Scott is smirking at Duncan. You narrow your eyes at him, and when he sees you he immediately looks guilty. No matter what either of you think of Duncan, Jean's feelings are more important. You see her standing there, tears in her eyes, and stand up to go to her when suddenly-

CRASH!

You gasp slightly when you see Fred fall. He'd been trying to stand up and slipped on a spilled drink, faceplanting on the floor. The crowd of cafeteria goers turn their attention from the big breakup to the new kid taking a spill, and laughter rings out all around. You cringe sympathetically at the humiliation he's facing, but soon that's replaced by the horrible feeling from before.

The rage.

You aren't able to move, just stare as Fred's face turns red and he screams.

"Don't laugh at me!!!"

Anyone still laughing goes silent, but Fred doesn't stop. He gets up, grabbing the first thing he can reach, and throws it into the crowd. The lobbed pie flies through the air, crashing right into Duncan's face. This time Scott can't help a burst of laughter. But you can't even feel his glee, you can only feel Fred's anger and hate.

Duncan growls and retaliates, throwing his own lunch at Fred despite Jean's protests, and soon the two are chucking food everywhere, hitting random people in the process.

Kurt gasps. "Is zhis a-?"

Kitty groans. "Please, anything but a-"

"FOODFIGHT!"

Chaos takes hold of Bayville High as the cafeteria quickly becomes a battleground. Most people run for their lives, the rest sling greasy food all over the place. You and the others quickly duck behind the table, Kitty dodging just a second too late.

"Ew!" She yells, her pink cardigan stained by someone's discarded cheeseburger, "Excuse me, I'm skipping dessert!"

"Kitty, not in school!" Ignoring Scott's whispered protest, Kitty sinks through the floor and out of sight. He looks around and sighs. "No one's watching, at least."

You shake as you try to get a hold on Fred's fury so you can move, but it's so crushingly strong. It's so much worse than when Kurt and Kitty were arguing. Your fists are clenched so tight that you feel your fingernails breaking skin, and an intense heat is burning through your body.

"I... I need to get out of here." You manage to say through gritted teeth. Scott takes one look at you and his face softens.

He nods to Kurt. "Take her someplace you won't be seen."

"You got it!"

As Kurt pulls you into a teleport, the last thing you see is Jean approaching the raging mutant.

---

In the span of a second you're gone from the cafeteria fight and the wild anger causing you distress. Kurt's hand leaves your body and you slowly wind down, trying to figure out where you are. It's dark, and you reach out for Kurt only to find a wall. To your horror, your adjusting eyes make out the cramped walls bordering around you, and then they start to close in.

"No.." You say in frightened disbelief, knocking your fists on the wall, "No! Not again! Please, let me out!"

"Y/N?!"

"Kurt?!" You hear his voice but you can't make him out in the dark, "Kurt, get me out! Get me out!!"

You hear a jostle and then light floods over you as you and Kurt tumble out of the janitor's closet. Gasping, you crawl to the wall and sit there until your vision clears completely. Kurt is kneeling in front of you with a hand on your knee and a scared look on his face.

"Mein Gott, Y/N. Vhat- vhat happened?" He asks, shaking slightly.

"I- I- I-" Your voice trembles and the words can't come out. As tears escape your eyes, you lean onto him, seeking comfort. He immediately hugs you.

After a minute, he speaks again. "Y/N... Are you afraid of small spaces?"

You wipe your tears. "I'm- I'm sorry, I didn't know.. I thought I was somewhere else."

"Vhere?"

You hadn't meant to let so much slip out. But now, Kurt is holding you, doing his best to help you. For the first time, you're tempted to tell him the truth of what happened.

'Tell him? You idiot. You really think he'll be your friend after he finds out what you did? You'll be all alone again.'

Biting your lip, you look from Kurt to the janitor's closet.

"Um, I don't know." You lie, trying to ignore the confusion from him, "I just must have been, um, really drained from the cafeteria."

"Oh. Okay." He says, but you're not sure if he buys it or not, "I'm really sorry zhough. The closet vas ze safest place I could zhink of to teleport, in case anyone vas in ze halls."

"No, no, I get it. It's okay. I'm okay." You reassure him.

The hall is deserted. By the sound of distant noise, everyone has fled outdoors to avoid the food fight. Some are probably taking the opportunity to ditch classes. Either way, it's only you and Kurt.

"I've alvays vanted to see an American high school food fight, but it vasn't even fun!" Kurt exclaims in disappointment, "And zhat mutant really vent berserk."

You hum in agreement, remembering the anger that rendered you useless. Suddenly you notice the blood on your hands from digging your fingernails in too hard. Kurt notices at the same time and takes your arm. "Let's go to ze nurse's office!"

The two of you walk down the hall together and you wonder how your friends are doing.

---

"Aagh!" Kitty yelps as she falls through the ceiling. Leaving through the floor is always complicated, but there's no way she was going to risk getting ketchup in her hair. Blinking, she tries to make her eyes adjust in the dark room. She can make out some boxy shapes... maybe a storage space? Cautiously, she feels around on the wall until her fingers find a light switch.

As the fluorescent lights blink on, Kitty sees that she's right. This room is packed with boxes full of old junk. Forgotten gym equipment, ancient textbooks, and decades-old school projects gathering dust and cobwebs in Bayville High's basement.

Sighing, Kitty slips off her ruined cardigan and sticks it in her bag, then looks around the cluttered mess impatiently. "Where the hell is the exit to this creepy place?" She wonders aloud with a hint of frustration.

"Right over here."

She tenses when she hears him, slowly turning to see Lance Alvers standing by an open door. Her eyes dart between him and the exit and she gets ready to phase past him.

"Kitty, please, I just want to talk!" He says. His hands are up and his eyes are pleading. She rolls her eyes.

"I have nothing to say to you."

He stays put. "I didn't mean to bring the whole office down on you. You have to believe me!"

Kitty scoffs. "I don't have to believe anything. You almost killed me and my parents!"

"It was an accident!" Lance replies, having the nerve to look guilty about it, "I can't control my powers when I get all mad. I swear, I never wanted to hurt you."

"Yeah, right." Kitty narrows her eyes, "I guess using me to steal test answers doesn't count as hurting me then?"

He runs a hand through his hair. "What are you- Are you seriously mad about that? I showed you how to use your powers like you wanted!"

"To steal! From school! God, that's, like, the worst thing I've ever done!"

"You seemed to be enjoying it for a while." He mutters with a piercing look. As his eyes drift down, Kitty can't help but squirm thinking about how much of her she let him see, touch, in that office. "You're a pig."

"Please. I'm the only one who understands you!" He yells, "No one else cared about you, but I did! I do!"

She laughs darkly. "Newsflash, Lance. I do have people who care about me. The X-men are the best people in the world, and I'd pick them over you any day. I moved here to get away from you! So save your apologies, your regrets, all of it. I'm going to pretend you don't exist and live a better life for it." Done with talking, she walks right through him and out the door. Finding a staircase that leads outside, she pauses halfway up when he yells after her.

"You think the X-men are so great, huh?" He glares at her, the basement shaking slightly around him, "I can't wait to see your face when they meet the Brotherhood."

Crossing her arms, she keeps walking. She's not crying or shaking, in fact, she feels strangely better. Lighter. Because, after hearing all he has to say, she realizes how pathetic he is.

Lance Alvers is no longer going to hold Kitty Pryde back.

---

Jean holds up a hand and the food about to hit her is deflected against her invisible shield. She makes sure, with a quick mental scan, that nobody has lingered in the cafeteria who shouldn't see her powers. Even Duncan and his crew have fled, the quarterback flashing her one last sorry look before bolting.

She feels a pain in her chest thinking about it, but this was a long time coming. Over the past few weeks, she's been picking up hints of his bad behavior. Overhearing Kurt and Kitty complain about his teasing, Duncan brushing her off or deflecting whenever she confronted him. She ignored it so long because she really does like him. He has a sweet side, but it's just a side.

Jean blinks away the tears and refocuses. She can't think about this right now, there's more pressing matters.

Fred is creating a dangerous scene in the middle of the cafeteria. He's yelling incoherently and throwing anything he get his hands on. Someone must have hit him with something sloppy because his face and eyes are covered in greasy sauce.

"Fred! Fred, please calm down!" Since he can't see, she tries to talk him down, but he can't seem to hear her over his own yelling. Accessing his mind is proving difficult as it's currently a storm of unhinged anger. Besides, she doesn't like manipulating someone mentally if she can avoid it. She just needs to get him to hear her. Walking closer to him, Jean continues to try to calm Fred.

'Jean, no! Don't go any closer!' Scott's voice penetrates her mind.

'It's okay, Scott. I can reason with him.'

As she reassures her teammate, Fred reaches out and grabs the leg of a table. He swings it around recklessly, sure to cause major damage when he lets go.

"Fred, stop!" She rushes forward, hand outstretched and ready to stop the table before it can hurt anyone. But she loses balance when she skids on a puddle of ketchup, slipping and falling hard on the ground. Disoriented, she shakes her head, then looks up in fear as the mutant boy hoists the table over her head.

"Fred!"

Jean screams as the table is launched at her, but a blast of red light splits it apart in front of her. In a split-second, Scott is between her and Fred. "You okay?" He asks seriously, and she nods. Looking at Fred, Jean sees him calming down at last, wiping the gunk out of his eyes. He looks at her in confusion, and breathlessly asks. "Wha- Jean?"

"Calm down, Fred." She replies carefully and firmly, "No more throwing, no more fighting."

Scott glares at Fred, one hand on his shades. "You heard her, big man. But, if you wanna fight, try me."

She grimaces at his aggressive tone, and stands up quickly as Fred starts toward him. "Back off, Scott, I'll handle this!" She says quickly. "Everything's fine. Isn't it, Fred?"

He's breathing heavily, face still red and eyebrows scrunched together. "Th-they shouldn'ta laughed at me!!"

She shakes her head in agreement. "No, no, they shouldn't. Uh, Scott, uh, don't you have to get to class or something?"

'Trust me.'

Scott waits a moment, but nods. "I'll be close if you need me." He flashes a look at Fred. "Real close."

Jean smiles. "I'll be fine." And Scott walks out of the cafeteria, leaving her alone with the temperamental boy.

---

Rogue hopes lunch will never be that eventful again. Darkholme's newest student might be even more of a danger to her than the X-men at this point. Super strength and a short fuse are not a combination she's too happy about living with. And The Blob could have actually hurt someone with his stunt! When the fight broke out, she'd briefly considered trying to help somehow and get him to stop, but Lance and Toad sure as hell weren't gonna do anything, and what could she do on her own? Then the X-men got involved and she got curious. As all the other students ran as far away as possible, Rogue stuck around and spied on the encounter through the cafeteria doors.

Her breath actually hitched when Blob threw a table at the redhead, Jean Grey, and then the Cyclops one, Scott, blasted it apart. The way he protected her, it stirred something inside of Rogue. Something like envy.

Now Scott's walking out of the room towards her, and she's alone and he could smite her if he wants to. She ducks behind her locker door, hiding her face as she waits for him to come out. Darkholme would want her to run, to avoid him and all the other X-men, but... Rogue's kind of sick of running, of her defenses constantly being up. Maybe this is a bad idea, but it's too late to back out as Scott walks through that door.

"Wow." She says, surprising him as he notices her. After an internal debate of what to actually say, she settles on, "Y'all really look out for each other, don'tcha?"

She observes his reaction, ready to dodge a laser if necessary, but Scott just looks back into the lunchroom. "Yeah. Yeah, we do that."

His eyes are on the Jean Grey, and though she can't actually see his eyes behind the shades, she can imagine he looks at her with a fierce loyalty. Rogue's presence doesn't mean a thing to him, and she doesn't know how to feel about that. So, she closes her locker and walks away.

'They want to kill me... they tried to! But all week they've acted so... so... normal.' Rogue shakes her head in frustration. 'Irene, why did you send me here?'

As she turns the hallway corner, she nearly runs into another person she's supposed to avoid.

---

"Oh! Rogue!" You exclaim, stopping yourself short of bumping into her. You both immediately take an automatic step back, then stare at each other awkwardly. Oddly enough, though, you aren't sensing the usual hostility from her. There's still wariness, sure, but it doesn't seem like she hates you right this second. That's a plus.

"Sorry, I'll get out of your way." You say, about to move past her in order to not spoil whatever mood she's in.

"What happened to your hands?" She asks, catching you off guard. You hold them up, freshly wrapped up in bandages. "Huh? Oh, these. It's nothing."

"Did.." She grimaces and her eyes dart away, "Did Blob do that?"

She asks it so quietly you almost don't catch it, and even then you aren't sure you're hearing her right. "Blob?"

"Y'know, new kid. Big guy."

"Oh! You mean Fred! No, no, he didn't do this." You say, laughing awkwardly, "Just an accident! I'm just clumsy. Sorry to worry you." And she is worried, you realize in astonishment.

Rogue rolls her eyes, "You don't have to apologize for everything."

"Sorry. I mean!" You resist the urge to face-palm with your injured hands, "Yeah. Anyways, Kurt helped me get patched up so they're all good! Don't even hurt much."

Her eyes widen a little and you catch a fleeting feeling that you don't fully understand. "Always looking out for each other." She mutters.

"What?"

"Nothing."

You both stand there awkwardly a bit longer, then you speak. "Thank you. For your concern, I mean." You offer her a tentative smile and she seems to loosen up a little, not smiling but not frowning at you either.

"You're welc-"

"What's going on here?!" You and Rogue jump as Principal Darkholme appears out of nowhere. You haven't seen her much since you got your class schedule, partially because you've been avoiding the scary woman. You catch the waves of disdain from her as she glares at the two of you, and you want to be anywhere else in the world.

"Nothing!" Rogue quickly answers her. She seems to be as scared as you, so you try to cover for her.

"We were just talking about our assignment, ma'am!" You lie. Rogue catches your eye and nods along.

The principal looks unimpressed. "You had best stop your talking and get to class! Have I made myself clear?"

She looks down at Rogue, who quickly agrees. "Yes, ma'am." She begins to walk away, and you wave after her.

"I'll meet you in the park after school!"

She turns and you get a hint of a smile that makes your heart flutter. That feeling is quickly shut down, however, once Rogue rounds the corner.

"Listen here." Darkholme leans over you and whispers sharply, "You and the rest of your friends better stay away from that girl. She needs good influences. Certainly not someone like you."

You freeze up under her icy gaze. Your mouth opens but no words come out.

"If I catch you hanging around her after today, you do not want to know what the consequences will be. Do you understand?"

She waits until you can choke it out. "Y-yes, Matr- ma'am!"

"Good. Be on your way, and stay out of mine."

You don't let yourself breathe until the sound of her heels clacking fades to silence. As you ground yourself, you notice the students returning to the hallway.

"Y/N!" Kurt waves as he and Kitty approach. "I found her outside!"

You take in her quietness and ask, "How are you doing?"

She shrugs. "Fine. It's just been, like, a super draining day."

You nod in agreement, and hope that the rest of the day won't be as emotionally taxing.

---

Fred is heaving deep breaths as he sits beside Jean, trying to shove the mocking laughter out of his head. Slowly but surely, his anger fades and he unclenches his fists.

"Urgh." He grunts, rubbing his eyes, "It's just, when they laugh at me I kind of explode inside, y'know?"

Jean's hand touches his shoulder, and he feels funny. Usually he has to punch something to calm down, but Jean makes it different. She's so soft and nice, and she even kicked out that annoying dork in the red glasses and broke up with the blonde jerk... just to help him. And she's such a good listener... and so pretty. Like a pretty red flower.

"I understand, Fred." She says softly, "But you've gotta learn to control yourself. You can get training!"

He rolls his eyes and scoffs. "Yeah, right. Where?"

Jean hesitates, then continues. "I learned to control my gifts at the Institute where I live."

He looks at her, shocked. "Gifts? You mean, you have powers too?"

She nods with a smile. "Uh huh. Watch." Getting up, Jean glances around for a second and lifts her hand. Fred looks where she gestures, and his jaw drops as a distant chair begins to shake and lifts into the air. She moves her hand and it whizzes through the air, fast as a fly. He grins as he imagines it smashing against the wall at that speed. Or, better yet, some jerk's face.

"Woah!" He exclaims, standing next to her, "You could really pound people with that!"

But Jean frowns as she sets down the chair. "No, Fred! That's what we learn not to do. That's what the Xavier Institute is all about, control. I'd love to take you there sometime. I know the Professor would like to meet you." She touches his shoulder again and he gets that funny feeling.

"Just let me know when you're ready." Jean begins to walk away, and Fred's eyes drift downward. He likes what he sees.

"I'll think about it." He replies, grinning. This is it. He likes a girl! And she's always smiling at him and touching him... she broke up with her boyfriend for him!

"Great!" She waves at him, and his heart beats faster. "Well, I gotta run. I'll catch you later, Fred!"

He's so distracted by her pretty body, like a real life Barbie doll, that he nearly misses her forgotten bag. Once he sees it, he quickly calls after her. "Hey, Jean!"

"Yes?"

But Fred's eyes darken when he sees who's holding the door open for her. That dumb guy in the red shades frowning at him.

Fred frowns back, gritting his teeth. "..Nuthin'."

Jean waves again and leaves with that jerk. He's from that Institute place, and he obviously likes her. Fred clenches his fist, anger slowly returning, and he picks up Jean's bag. He'll give it back to her when they're alone. On their first date.

A Polaroid sticks out of the front pocket. Fred catches a flash of red hair and takes out the photograph without hesitation. She won't notice it's gone. He blushes as he stares at her smile, forever trapped in this little square. The other half of the picture however, would have to go. Fred tears the picture in half, discarding the side with Scott onto the floor and crushing it under his foot.

What does he have that Fred doesn't? He's the Blob! He's amazing! And Jean is perfect.

She's gonna be all his.

---

"Agh, I can't believe you get out of training just because you have some stupid project to do!" Kurt complains as you, Kitty and him walk down the front steps of the school. You smile sympathetically and shrug. "I don't make the rules."

Kitty elbows Kurt. "Y/N's the one who has to put up with Rogue. If she tries anything, just let me know." She says, looking at you seriously, "She doesn't want to mess with me."

"Yeah, like how you von your last fight vith her!" Kurt laughs.

"She had football player strength! Football player strength!! That wasn't a fair fight!"

"It's okay, guys!" You assure them, smiling because their bickering is all in good fun, "I'll be fine. Worry about yourselves, Logan's lessons are tough."

Kurt makes a sad face. "I'm sore just zhinking about it."

"Well, the Professor is stepping in as co-instructor today, so at least Mr. Logan won't, like, completely torture us." Kitty sighs.

The three of you look up as Scott's sports car pulls up. "Need a ride?"

As Kitty and Kurt hop in, you wave them goodbye. "I'm going to the park to do the Literature assignment with Rogue."

Scott nods. "Jean's staying after too, Geology Club. You can meet up with her when you're done and I'll pick you both up."

"Alright, thank you. See you later!"

They drive off and you begin on the short walk to the park. It's still strange to be out in public like, dare you say, a normal kid. The Institute really has helped you in ways you didn't expect. Why such a place would have enemies is unfathomable.

You sigh. Is Rogue supposed to be your enemy? You don't want her to be.

There she is, waiting at a picnic table under a tree. Despite her dark demeanor, the sun catches her brilliantly. She looks up and bristles, and you try not to feel too hurt at the defensive wall around her.

"Hi. Room for one more?" You inwardly cringe at your awkwardness.

She just shrugs and gestures across the table. "Be my guest."

The two of you sit together awkwardly, then pull out your playbooks and start looking over the lines.

"Do you like me, Kate?" You ask in-character.

Rogue puts on a cute French accent for her lines. "Pardonnez-moi? I cannot tell what is 'like me'."

"An angel is like you, Kate, and you are like an angel." You blush deeply at these words, not sure why your heart is beating so fast. Rogue snickers and you blush even harder. You must look ridiculous.

"It's really sappy, huh?" You say, trying to distract from your beet-red face.

Rogue hums. "Yeah, well. Sometimes I wish..." She trails off, but that flash of sadness you get makes you want to probe further.

"What do you wish?"

She looks up, hard expression softening ever so slightly. "Wish... I could get close to somebody. But you know what happens when I do." She says darkly, and your chest hurts. You've never contemplated her powers, how they could effect her. How it must feel to never be allowed to touch somebody... You want to hold her hand and ironically that's the kind of comfort you can't give her. And something tells you that any words of sympathy might be resented.

After a moment of quiet, Rogue looks to you. "So, what do you wish?"

The question catches you off guard, but you think for a few seconds and say, "I wish... sometimes... that I'd never been born this way."

She looks at you, interested. "Without your powers?"

"Yeah." You confess, "I guess I'm getting better at them now... but it's still so... loud. And draining. I have to focus every day to not lose myself in what someone else is feeling."

When you look at her again she looks confused. "What?" You ask.

She tenses, as if considering whether to ask something. "Um... what exactly are your powers?"

"I thought you knew." You say, a little surprised, "Oh. Well, I'm an empath. I can feel the emotions people around me feel."

Rogue looks more confused than before. "What about the other one?"

"What other one?" Now you're confused.

"That night in the cemetery, you..." Rogue crosses her arms, "You turned into a monster. All of you X-men tried to hurt me."

Your eyes widen at the accusation. "I... I can't do that, Rogue. And I never tried to hurt you."

"Why should I trust anything you say? This could be a trick!"

"It's the truth. I don't know what you saw, but, well, the Professor says it might have been the work of Mystique-"

Rogue scoffs. "She said you'd say that."

You feel that wall coming back up and stop. You're not going to be able to convince her with one conversation. Of course she thinks you're lying!

You sigh. "Rogue, I know you don't trust me, but... I hope I can earn your trust. Eventually."

The two of you sit there quietly, and Rogue finally moves to grab the playbook. "Yeah, well. Let's just start by getting this assignment done."

You nod, and go back to the beginning of the scene.

---

Jean tries to listen to Taryn as they exit the school.

"Like, there goes my weekend! I can't believe how much homework I've got." Her dramatic friend exclaims.

"Yeah, me too." Jean mumbles in response. Her mind is elsewhere, though, and Taryn seems to notice.

"What gives?" She asks, eyebrow raised, "Are you hung up on Duncan? You really handed it to him at lunch."

Jean frowns. "I don't really feel like talking about him right now." It still hurts, after all.

"Right. Well, if you change your mind, you can call me! And we can talk about whatever you want, even boring rocks and junk."

"Last I checked," Jean chuckles, "We're both in Geology club."

Taryn pouts. "I need the credit! Not everyone gets straight A's, Jeanie."

Jean smiles, then suddenly senses another presence. From behind a row of trees, Fred steps out in front of them. It happens so quickly that he catches Taryn off guard. She yelps and takes a step back.

"Oh!" Jean exclaims, stopping short of bumping into him, "Oh, hi Fred. This is my friend Taryn."

Fred doesn't really look at Taryn as he mumbles out a greeting. "Yeah, hi."

"Hi!" Taryn replies perkily, but Jean can tell it's forced. Fred's size and strength really freak her out.

"Uh, Jean!" Fred continues, looking nervous, "Would you... I mean... Would you like to... Wanna get a soda or something?"

"Ah, sorry Fred, I can't. I got some stuff I gotta do." Jean replies apologetically. Taryn's right, they do have a lot of homework. On top of that there's training, and she needs to get the Professor to sign her permission slip... She probably won't even have time to call Taryn later, much less go out. As she and Taryn walk past him to go home, she offers, "Hey, how about if I catch up with you tomorrow?"

Thinking that's the end of it, Jean is surprised when she hears Fred scoff behind her. "'Stuff', huh?" He grumbles, "That's the best you could come up with? 'Stuff'?"

The two girls stop in their tracks, Taryn looking between Jean and Fred awkwardly. Jean's a bit taken aback, but she figures she should clear this up. "Uh, Taryn, you better go on without me. I'll catch up with you later."

"You gonna be okay?" Taryn asks nervously.

Surprising herself, Jean hesitates. But, she's an X-man. She can take care of herself. So she nods and dismisses her friend, who walks away.

Turning to face Fred, Jean's mouth forms a tight line. "Look, Fred, I like you and all, but I have responsibilities. And that means I can't go with you right now." She hopes that that's firm enough for him to understand. Maybe she said something earlier that caused a misunderstanding, but now she's drawing a clear line.

To her shock, Fred's face twists into a frown and he grabs her arm, causing her to drop her books.

"But you're my friend."

Jean doesn't like where this is going. She tries to pull away but his grip is like iron. "I thought so, but friends don't hurt each other. Now let go of me!"

He doesn't. "Well, just let me talk to you for a second! In private!" Fred starts to drag her off somewhere and Jean starts to panic. He's not listening! Where is he taking her?

Fred stops behind the school, in a closed off area where construction is being done for an extension. No one can see them.

Jean pulls harder. "I said, let go of me, Fred! I have to go home!" She finally wrests it free and grimaces at the bruise forming on her wrist.

"You can't!" Fred starts to yell, "Y-you gotta go out with me!"

"I don't have to go anywhere but home!!" Jean yells back, hoping someone can hear. She makes a run for it, but he's faster than he looks. He grabs both her arms from behind.

"Let me go!! I'm warning you!!" Jean scans the area frantically as Fred keeps yelling at her to hold still. There's scaffolding climbing the tall brick walls of the school, and piles of cinderblocks and other equipment scattered around. She calls them to her aid, sending several blocks of concrete at Fred's back. He yells in surprise but they don't hurt him.

"That the best you got?!" He laughs.

Adrenaline rushes through her veins and she doesn't hold back. She sends everything she can handle flying at him. Cinderblocks, pipes, buckets, wooden planks. Finally her mind takes hold of something big and a dumpster barrels toward Fred at top speed. He has to let go of one of her arms to bat it away into the scaffolding.

One arm free, she pulls and pushes, and makes as much noise as she can manage. "I said, let me go!!"

But a loud rumbling drowns out her cries, and she and Fred both look up in horror to see the stories of scaffolding collapsing on top of them. Jean screams, trying to push away the debris, but she's already used her power so heavily to fight Fred off. It comes down too quickly, and Jean doesn't have time to react as the rubble buries them and something hits her on the head, knocking her out.

---

You leave Rogue in the park. She said she wanted to keep memorizing the lines but that you could go. She seemed like she wanted some time alone, so you packed up and made your way back to school to meet up with Jean. You come up on your planned meeting spot at the side of the school.  There's a landmark you check, the stairs that lead into the school's basement. Looking around, you don't see anyone else nearby. You check the time and frown. Maybe Geology Club went long?

There's a noise in the distance, towards the back of the school. Loud voices and clatter. You stop and listen, and you feel something faint but familiar. Anger. Fear.

Cautiously, you venture towards the noise, trying to figure out what's going on. You don't like what you're getting. Someone's in trouble, you can feel it. You're about to pull out your communicator when-

Scream.

Crash!

You gasp, then barrel around the corner to see what happened. There's been a huge accident, a collapse in the construction area. Then panic swells inside you as you realize you don't hear any voices anymore. Fearing the worst, you run in.

A huge cloud of dust hangs in the air, surrounding the collapse. You cough and look around for people in trouble, trying not to get too close. "Hello?!" You call out, "Is anyone here?! Are you okay?!"

The dust settles a bit and you see a large figure step out of the mess. Your eyes widen. It's Fred. And he's carrying-

"Jean!" You run towards them, taking in her state. She has a bloody gash on her head. "What happened?" You demand.

Fred stutters. "I... she... she wouldn't go with me..."

"What?"

"I didn't mean to... She... She's supposed to say yes!" As he mutters on incoherently, you feel a torrent around him. Guilt, anger... and a mix of other feelings you can't and don't want to describe. They feel... gross.

A pit forms in your stomach as it dawns on you. The yelling, the fear... it felt familiar because it was your friend. And the one scaring her...

"You're my friend, too!" Fred exclaims, stepping toward you with a wild look in his eyes, "You can't- You can't tell no one!"

You swallow slowly, trying not to shake. "O-of course, F-Fred.. But w-we need to get her help."

He shakes his head, holding Jean tighter. You want to scream at him to let go. "No! I'll fix it!" He continues, "And then she'll forgive me and everything will be perfect. She'll be my girlfriend, and you'll be my friend, and-and-and no one will ever laugh at me again! Ever!"

As he stares at Jean with a sickening smile, you reach into your bag slowly, hoping he won't notice. You take out the X-men communicator, waiting until he's completely distracted to press the button and-

"Y/N, I'm at the front, ready to pick up you and Jean."

Fred's head whirls around as Scott's voice comes out of the device. You press down the button to call for his help, but Fred's hand wrests it out of yours. He throws the communicator at the wall and it shatters. You open your mouth to scream but his hand comes down on your face. He holds you tight with Jean as you struggle. He's covering your nose and mouth, you're running out of air.

Fear.

Anger.

Pain.

Panic.

Your eyes tear up as your vision fades.

"You said you were my friend." Is the last thing you hear before it all goes dark.

---

"Uuuuuughh." Jean groans. Her head is throbbing. What happened? As her eyes blink open and focus, she sees that she's in a small, dreary room. There's some file cabinets covered in cobwebs and desk set in front of her. On it is a plate and plastic cutlery, an assortment of stale boxed food, and a few candles that dimly light her surroundings.

"Wakey, wakey, Sleepin' Beauty!" At that drawling voice it all starts to come back. Fred walks into the light, grinning. "Your table's ready! Pretty sweet, huh?"

She immediately moves to get out of her chair, only to realize that he's twisted a steel bar around her, trapping her. Then she tries to free herself with her mind, but cringes back as the pain flares up in her head.

"This can't be happening." She mutters as the pain sets in. 'Professor, I need help. Please, help me!' But she doesn't think she's actually transmitting anything. The pain is breaking her focus!

Fred is busy with the food, trying to put together something that resembles a meal. As Jean continues to reach out with her mind, she senses something stirring. Someone is very close. And realizing who it is, her eyes widen in horror.

---

'Y/N? Y/N! Are you there?!'

The voice in your head wakes you up, though you do find it weird that's it's not your own voice this time. Your mouth is dry and you let out a groan.

'Y/N, please, answer me! Are you okay?'

"Jean?" You ask, confused and starting to get scared. You don't know where you are. "What's going on?"

The memories come flooding back and you gasp. You get up and reach out in the dark only to find a wall. And another. And another. "J-Jean! Where are you?!" You yell, banging on the wall.

'Stay calm! Fred took us somewhere, can you see where you are?'

"N-no! It's dark!"

'Your communicator, do you have it?'

"I don't- Jean, I need to get out, I need to GET OUT!"

It's all happening again, you realize. Just like last time. Just like it always was. You can't feel your hands anymore as you keep banging on the wall.

'Stop!'

Her voice cuts through your mind and you freeze, feeling the fresh tears running down your face.

'It's okay, Y/N, it's okay.' You hear her say firmly, 'Just do exactly what I say and we'll be okay.'

You nod shakily.

'Close your eyes.'

You do.

'Think about school. What's your favorite class?'

"W-wha-? U-um... Art?"

'Awesome! Do you like to draw?'

"So-sometimes."

'I do too! We draw a lot in Geology Club, all the different types of rocks and crystals... Maybe you can join! We're going on a field trip in a little while! You could come!'

You sniffle. "Where?"

'To the mountains! I hear it's beautiful up there.'

Your heartbeat has finally started to even out. "That s-sounds nice."

It takes Jean a moment to respond, and she sounds strained. 'Yeah, it'll be... loads of fun.'

"Are you okay?" You ask, trying to focus on her and not where you are.

'Just a bump on the head. Makes it hard to... focus. Use my powers.'

You remember the gash on her head and cringe. "The X-men are on their way, right?"

Another pause.

'Right. So just hold tight. We're going to be out soon.'

You hug your knees and pray she's right.

---

Charles Xavier folds his hands as he watches Logan's training exercise play out on the green. His old friend had originally planned for the young ones to dodge lasers in the Danger Room. Xavier suggested something a little less rigorous.

Kitty laughs as she keeps the football away from a chasing Kurt, phasing through trees to keep ahead. Logan, dressed in a black gi, nods as she dodges. "That's it, half-pint. Keep the ball away from the elf. But you gotta concentrate, or-"

A loud thud sounds out as Kitty hits a tree. The football quickly gets scooped up by Kurt. "Ha! It's mine now, Kitty!"

"Give me that!"

She chases him as he teleports up into the trees, appearing from one branch to another. Charles smirks. They never did say the tree branches were out of bounds. Kitty makes a grab for him but Kurt teleports away to a thinner branch.

"Watch where you're 'porting!" Logan warns, but the branch snaps a second later and Kurt begins to fall. As he does, Kitty leaps off the trunk of a fallen tree, launching herself towards the blue boy. She phases through him, grabs the football, and pulls his tail for extra measure. Kurt yelps and falls to the ground and Kitty laughs, victorious.

Xavier hears Logan sigh and turns to see him facepalming. "What kind of move was that?" The instructor says in exasperation.

"Innovation. Adaptation." Charles replies, "It's what they're here to learn."

Logan shoots him a skeptical look. "You think stunts like that are going to help them against Mystique?"

Charles' face darkens. "We don't know what Mystique is planning."

"We don't need to know. We just need to take care of her before she can get to us." A gleam of adamantium silver peeks through Logan's knuckles.

"Logan." He chastises, "You know our goal here. The X-men aim to bring peace to the world, not start fights with misguided mutants."

Logan scoffs, but sheathes his claws. "Mystique must be the most misguided mutant there is."

Xavier looks away. He can think of one worse.

Then he feels it on the periphery of his mind. A voice. Listening intently, he can pick up bits and pieces.

'Professor... Y/N... help!'

His face pales and he holds on to that connection. He sees Jean, held captive... and Y/N not too far from her.

'Jean. Stay calm. We'll find you.' He sends down the line, and then turns to Logan. "Wolverine, Jean and Y/N have been kidnapped!"

The man immediately responds, calling the students over. "You, Elf! Get Cyclops! I gotta ride." Wolverine sprints off, ready to track down the missing teens.

"Vhat's going on, Professor?" Kurt asks as he and Kitty approach, both looking worried, "Is zhis part of ze exercise?"

"No, Nightcrawler, I'm afraid not." Xavier explains, worry gripping his heart as well, "Your teammates are in danger."

---

Scott taps his foot, checking his watch again. There's no way Geology Club went this long. He's trying not to be worried, but he sent his message with the communicator almost an hour ago. But Jean did mention losing her bag, and Y/N may have forgotten her communicator. Maybe he got the location wrong. Maybe he's supposed to pick them up at the park where Y/N is studying, and Jean's been waiting to chew him out for being late. Maybe.

He hopes so.

Scott gets back in his sports car and drives a block away, stopping to look into the scenic park. It's starting to get late and not many people are still here. As he scans the green for his friends, one face stands out. Rogue, sitting alone at a picnic table. If anyone knows where Y/N is, she must.

So he parks and walks over to her. She looks up from a playbook and raises an eyebrow at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry to interrupt." He apologizes, "I was wondering if Y/N is around here? I was supposed to pick her up."

"Y/N?" She replies, looking a little surprised, "She left ages ago to meet up with your girlfriend."

His face goes red. "Jean's not- I mean, we're not-"

"Cool it, Romeo." Rogue smirks, "I'm joking."

"Oh." Scott rubs the back of his neck, "Man, where are they?" He's getting more worried each passing minute. Maybe he should call the Professor...

"Hey, um." He turns to Rogue, who's fiddling with a bracelet, "You said before that X-men really look out for each other, right?"

"Uh, yeah." What's she getting at?

She turns calculating eyes on him. "Are the X-men-?"

A cloud of sulfurous gas appears as Kurt teleports onto the picnic table. Rogue cries out in surprise and takes off a glove.

"Easy!" Kurt exclaims at her, blue three-fingered hands held up, "I'm here for him."

Scott looks around, relieved the park has emptied out. "Kurt, why would you-?"

"Y/N and Jean have been nabbed."

Kurt's serious words sink in and before he knows it Scott has a hold of Kurt's suit. "What?!"

"Voah! Easy, mein freund!" Kurt yelps, "Volverine's on ze scent, but I'm supposed to collect you."

Scott lets go, sucking a deep breath in. This is all his fault! He's supposed to be the leader and protect everyone, and now two of his team are being held captive! Jean... his heart aches thinking of her in danger. And Y/N is so young, and she can't defend herself as well as the others... He should've been watching closer with Mystique's stooges on the loose. One in particular.

"Blob!" He growls as he realizes the likely culprit. Toad doesn't have the power and anything Lance might pull would have set off the seismometers at the Institute. And the way he was looking at Jean today... Scott knew something wasn't right! "If he's hurt them, I'll-!"

Scott stops, remembering the third presence. He swings around and points at Rogue. "You know anything about this?!" He accuses.

Rogue holds her bare hand between him and her, eyes shining with fear. Scott sees this and steps back, feeling slightly guilty. So, she is still afraid of the X-men. But she's on Mystique's team. And if she had anything to do with the kidnapping, scared or not, Scott would never forgive her.

"No." Rogue finally answers, scowling at him, "And even if I did I wouldn't tell you!"

Scott just frowns and shakes his head.

"Then I hope you can live with your conscience." He spits out. A flash of hurt crosses Rogue's face, but Scott has no time to regret his harsh words. He needs to be a leader.

"Let's go, Kurt!"

"Aye, captain!"

Kurt carries them back to the mansion, and Scott sprints inside. The change into his suit is swift and practiced, and he enters the briefing room two minutes later.

"Scott!" Kitty exclaims as he walks in, Kurt close behind, and the Professor looks up. He's standing before a big screen with a map of Bayville displayed. Without words, Scott conveys for him to begin.

The Professor nods. "I've been in mental contact with Jean, but she has no idea where she is. All I can tell is that she and Blob are somewhere in this area." The map zooms in to display a few square miles south of Bayville High.

"What about Y/N?" Scott asks.

The Professor's frown deepens. "I can sense her close to Jean but I cannot make contact. She may be under duress."

Scott grimaces. "Then let's move!" Kitty and Kurt follow wordlessly as he leads them to the garage. They pile into the X-Van and Scott steps on the gas.

'Hold on.' He thinks, hoping Jean can somehow hear him. 'We're coming to get you two.'

---

Jean tries again to loosen her restraints and fails, sweat beading on her forehead. Fred is smiling giddily as he places a napkin on her lap. "This is gonna be the best night you've ever had! Dinner, dancing-"

"Fred. This is all wrong." She pleads, "You can't force someone to like you!"

He just grins. "Why not? I'm stronger than everyone!"

She puts on a smile. "Being nice usually works better." She says as sweetly as she can, but it just goes in one ear and out the other.

"Oh yeah! I just remembered! I've got a surprise for you!" Fred exclaims, then turns and leaves the room. Looking past him through the doorway, Jean spots some mechanical equipment. Maybe they're in a factory? But she doesn't have the energy to contact the Professor again, she'd pass out, and she needs to stay awake for Y/N.

'Y/N?' She reaches out again, but receives no response. 'Y/N?!'

---

"Y/N! What have you done?!"

Matron Mary looks down at you as you nervously hold the hem of your skirt. "I'm sorry, Matron Mary." You say guiltily.

"What have I told you? You must stop this foolishness at once! Disrupting your classes every day with these insane outbursts!"

"I don't mean to!" You cry, "I can't help it!"

"You will learn to help it." Matron Mary hisses. She grabs your arm and drags you to the basement, all the way to the very back where it's dark and dusty, and opens a door. "From now on there will be consequences for this behavior. Get in."

It looks like a black hole, or a hungry mouth waiting to swallow you up. "Please.." You weakly plead, but she throws you into the closet and locks the door behind you. There's barely a foot of space in any direction around you and it's pitch black. You hear receding footsteps and start banging on the door.

"Please! I'll stop, I promise! I won't be weird anymore! Come back! Let me out, please! Please!!"

You finally give up and slump against the wall, hands throbbing dully and tears falling sedately down either cheek. You're alone again. Stuck in nothingness. You are nothing.

'Y/N!'

A warm face comes to mind. Just a flicker of light in absolute darkness. Another face, this time blue. One with a ponytail. Another with glasses. Finally, a bald man with kind eyes.

You don't want to be nothing, to disappear. You want to see them again.

'Y/N!'

You want to talk to them. Go to school with them.

'Y/N!'

You want to be half as good as they are. To love like them.

'Y/N!'

"J..." Your voice fails you, but you try to send a thought her way. 'Jean. Dark.'

'Please stay with me, Y/N. We're going to get out of this!'

'Want to stay...' You think before starting to drift off.

'Y/N, just stay with m-!'

---

She can't feel Y/N anymore. Jean panics. She needs to do something, but she's so exhausted. Her head feels split open.

'No, I need to try again. I must!'

She extends her mind outwards, as far as she can. She can barely manage it, but she pushes through the pain.

'Someone.' She sends out a message, 'Help us!'

'I hear you, kid.'

Jean's head snaps up. 'Wolverine?'

---

Logan pulls up to the old building as he hears Jean's message. Once he takes off his helmet, he just needs one sniff of the air to know he's in the right place. He pulls out his communicator and growls into it, "I found them. They're at the old ironworks at the South End. I'm going in."

Wolverine ignores the Professor's pleas for him to wait for back-up as he draws his claws and stalks toward the door. He's going to tear that boy apart if he touched either of his girls.

---

Everything is going to plan. Fred made a fancy dinner all for Jean and even has an old record player he found in the back playing her a sweet song to keep her entertained. Y/N is out of the way, locked in the storage closet. He feels a little bad about that, but... 'She was gonna ruin my date!' He sighs, shaking his head. Jean's his only real friend. The perfect girl for him. And once he shows her that he 'found' her bookbag, she'll be so flattered she'll have to forgive him! Maybe he'll even untie her later if she wants to get serious.

He giggles at the thought, walking back to Jean's room through the main area. There's lots of big factory equipment here, kinda like the place his Pa used to work before getting laid off. His Ma and Pa, if they could see him now! They don't know what they're missing.

A guttural yell surprises Fred, who turns around to see metal claws shredding apart the locked front door. Some weird guy in a yellow suit climbs through and jumps at him like a feral dog.

"Hey!" Fred yells as the guy grapples him, landing a punch across his face. It hurts a little, like an annoying bug bite. This guy is ruining his date! With a yell, Fred throws the guy off, growing even more annoyed when he lands on his feet. How is this puny man holding his own against him?! He's The Blob!!

The clawed freak comes at him again, but Blob sees it coming and dodges. Finding himself next to a giant mechanical doohickey, Blob rips it off its bolts and tosses it at the intruder. Then he hears Jean's distressed yell from the back room and gets even more incensed.

"Don't worry, babe!" He calls to her, "I'll take care of this loser!"

"You don't talk to her!" The man growls as he jumps on him again. Blob's eyes widen. Could this be... a love rival? He yells in rage and grabs the man by the arms, not caring about the cuts he gets from the claws. They're like splinters to him. With all his might he slams his jealous rival down on the floor and suplexes him.

His opponent starts to choke underneath him. "Can't... breathe..." He grunts, struggling less and less. Blob presses down harder.

"Jean's my friend! You can't take her!"

As the man in yellow stops moving, Blob suddenly feels a sharp burn against him as the room flashes red. He gets up, a little dazed, and grits his teeth when he sees him. He knows that smug face under the red visor.

"We're just giving her a way out." Cyclops says coldly, "Through you, if necessary!"

Another laser blast hits Blob and he takes it. The burn doesn't compare to the rage he feels looking at that poser. That guy doesn't deserve Jean! None of them do!!!

He roughly grabs up Wolverine and pitches him at full-speed. He hits Cyclops so hard they both go flying out the front door, knocking the former unconscious as they tumble into Wolverine's bike.

"Wha-? Hey!" Blob yells as Nightcrawler appears on the rafters above and throws machine parts at him. Shadowcat does the same from behind him. Anger boiling over, he screams and jumps as hard as he can, shaking the ground. Nightcrawler is knocked off balance and starts to fall, teleporting into a shaken Shadowcat. They only steady themselves in time to see Blob charge, slamming them both into the wall. They quickly slump to the ground, defeated.

Face red, Blob breathes heavily as he looks around at all these jerks. They thought they could fight him? The strongest man alive?? Everyone always treats him like a joke, it's not fair! Only Jean-!

A filing cabinet comes crashing into him from behind. Shocked, he turns to see Jean, glaring daggers at him from their ruined dinner date. The heavy metal cabinet begins to lift up into the air again, but Blob easily catches it.

"You." He says, betrayal aching in his heart as walks toward her. His face burns hot as he clutches the cabinet. "Nobody respects me!" After everything he did for her... "And you're the worst!" He points at Jean, "You pretended to be my friend!"

With an enraged yell, he throws the cabinet directly at her. It stops inches short of her head and flies back at him. He deflects it, and growls as Jean glares at him.

"You are not my friend." She says, narrowing her eyes, "They are."

Blob clenches his fists in frustration until an idea dawns on him. "Your friends, huh?" He grins bitterly, "Let's see how they like getting their hearts crushed."

---

Light suddenly floods in, waking you up slowly. You feel a rough hand grab and carry you out of the dark.

"Let's see how she likes it!"

"Fred, no!"

You open your eyes and see Jean's terrified face in front of you. Then, as the pain at your sides registers, you see Fred's hands wrapped around your frame. You gasp as he squeezes and your air gets cut off. Your bones feel like they're about to snap.

"Fred, please!" Jean yells in fear.

"I'm not Fred!" You hear his voice rumble, "I'm The Blob! And you are nothing!"

He laughs and Jean screams, and you shut your eyes in anticipation of a painful death. But then the room flashes red and you fall to the floor.

"Ugh!" Blob grunts, rubbing the back of his head. You look up and see his mohawk slightly singed. He turns around and you also move to look at your savior.

Rogue stands facing Blob, her fierce eyes glowing red with Cyclops' lasers. "Leave her alone, you yahoo!" She yells, and your heart skips a beat.

Seeing your chance, you scramble back while Blob is distracted and find Jean tied up, her head bloody. "Y/N!" She exclaims, "Are you alright?!"

You're shaking as you helplessly pull at the bar wrapped around her. "Sh-Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing?" You whisper breathlessly as you look around for a solution.

"Whatcha gonna do to me?" Blob laughs at Rogue, "Make me wear bad makeup?"

You see a slight smirk on Rogue's face as she walks forward. "Didn't Mystique tell you what my power is?"

"No. Cuz I don't care." He swings at her and she ducks, grabbing his arm with an ungloved hand.

"My power is your power and I can take more than one!" Rogue yells.

You watch in awe and fear as her touch throws Blob back like he's been electrified. Rogue immediately grabs him again and throws him into some heavy equipment, then blasts him with a laser for extra measure.

For a second, all is still.

Then Blob's hand reaches up out of a pile of junk, and he begins to rise. You gasp. 'It's like nothing can hurt him! We need to get out of here!'

"Y/N!" Jean calls out, and she nods her head at a lead pipe. "Can you try to pry me loose?"

You nod, picking up the pipe and wedging it under her restraints. You can hear Blob's laughter growing outside and pull with all your might. Just as your arms feel like they're about to fall off, you hear the rebar around Jean give with a metal creak.

"I think I can..." Jean grunts, eyes squeezed shut in concentration. Slowly, the metal begins to unbend and unpeel from her chair.

"Ha!" Your attention shifts to Blob outside, his arms stretched wide victoriously. "I got too much power, even for you!" He boasts to Rogue, "You can't hurt me! I'm THE BLOB!!"

"Nah." Rogue replies. "You're just garbage that wanted a date. Now, tell you what. I'm taking you out!"

You cry out in fear and Blob jumps at her, so huge she's completely obscured by his shadow. But Rogue's eyes light up the dark as she sends one more laser blast before he can crush her. It impacts with his chest, and in a powerful surge the laser sends Blob through the roof and far away.

---

Blob lands face first in a pile of sloppy grime. Dizzy, he takes in the garbage tram he's landed on, stacked high with putrid junk.

In his haze, he hears a cackle, and whirls around to see a seagull looking down at him. More fly in, all cackling constantly as they circle him. Blob screams.

"STOP LAUGHING AT MEEEE!!"

He chucks a tire at them and misses, falling into the rank garbage once again. Tears form in his eyes as he continues to yell incoherently, and the seagulls laugh at the pathetic mess.

---

You don't say anything and Rogue comes over and easily unbinds Jean the rest of the way. She doesn't either. The other X-men come to, Kitty and Kurt immediately running to help you and Jean. Wolverine stands up slowly and groans, obviously still hurting from the fight. He looks between all of you and gruffly asks, "Where is he?"

You awkwardly look up at the broken ceiling and over at Rogue, and Wolverine follows your gaze. The red glow is fading from Rogue's eyes, and Wolverine frowns. She takes a step back from him.

"It's okay." You reassure her, and look imploringly at Wolverine who just sighs.

"A little help." You all look at Scott who's lost his visor. Rogue finds it and walks over, placing it on him.

"There you go." She says quietly, "I only took a short-term dose of your power, you should be back to normal soon."

He looks up at her and offers her a small smile. "Thank you. And... I'm sorry, for-"

"Don't say it." She interrupts, crossing her arms. You walk up to her, confused. "How did you find us?" You ask.

She hesitates, then pulls out a small communicator. The one you gave her. "Heard it over this." She mumbles.

"Vait, she has one?" Kurt asks, "Is zhat allowed?"

You're about to protest when Rogue shoves it into your hands. "No. I'm not an X-man." She replies.

"But you helped us." Jean asks beside you, "Why?"

You can feel so much going on in her. Confusion, anger, fear, uncertainty, yearning... It seems to be too much for her as she backs away.

"I don't know. I just don't know!"

Rogue runs away and you begin to run after her. "Wait!" A firm hand stops you.

"Easy, kid. Let her go." Wolverine says.

"But she-!" You try to argue.

"She ain't ready. Trust me on this." There's something soft you can feel from him when he says that, something painful. You stop and watch miserably as Rogue leaves you again.

"Okay, so maybe she's part of the dark, icky side," Kitty says as Rogue's form disappearance in the distance, "...but I figure we, like, totally owe her now."

Scott sighs and you feel your sadness echoed in him. "Yeah." He replies, putting a hand on Jean's shoulder, "Yeah we do. Big time."

'...Thank you.' You realize you didn't say, 'You saved my life.'

---

Rogue's head is spinning. She doesn't understand. Why did she help the X-Men? They tried to hurt her! And yet, when she heard Y/N was in trouble... Her powers aren't helping anything. Having touched both Cyclops and Blob, their perceptions are at war inside her. Thankfully, both are fading as she steps up to the Brotherhood boarding house.

Darkholme is waiting for her inside. "Where have you been?" She asks wearing a deep frown.

"Um.." Rogue hesitates, "I was.. out for a walk."

"This late?!"

"Hey, you're not my mom, okay?!" Rogue snaps. She instantly regrets it as the woman fixes her with a sharp glare and moves to stand over her.

"Listen. Very. Carefully." Darkholme whispers, "I did your guardian a favor taking you in and shielding you from the mutant hunters. I am the only person who can protect you and teach you to handle your powers. So I would be more careful when addressing me."

Rogue looks down. "Yes, ma'am." She replies quietly.

"Good." Darkholme resumes her usual demeanor, "Now get to bed."

Rogue climbs up the stairs, stopping as Darkholme speaks again. "And where have you been?! A pig sty?!"

She turns and sees Raven address Blob as he stands in the doorway looking a mess.

His eyes are downcast as he answers. "I was.. er-" He looks up at Rogue. She narrows her eyes at him, reaching for her glove menacingly. He looks back at the ground. "Nowhere."

Darkholme groans. "Get out of my sight!"

Rogue walks back to her room, locking the door. The memories are faded but now she's got a headache. She lays back in bed and drifts off to sleep, tired of wondering about her enemies.

---

"Scott, really, I'm fine!" Jean huffs in annoyance as he fusses over her. She got checked out in the medbay, and now she's on a bunch of painkillers and can barely feel her head wound anymore. But at this rate Scott's nagging is going to cause a worse headache!

"I just want to make sure you're taking it easy!" He replies as she tries to read her book, "If you feel woozy, just let me know. Do you need more water?"

Scott gets up quickly to go to the kitchen but Jean shuts the door telekinetically. "I said I'm fine!" She groans, "And as much as I appreciate your mother henning, maybe you can go check on someone else. Y/N, maybe?"

The tall boy smiles sheepishly. "Uh, yeah, I mean, I was. But, uh, Kurt and Kitty told me I was smothering her."

Jean shoots him a look and he laughs. "Okay, you're right. I'll back off. I just..." He takes her hand gently, "I'm really glad you're alright."

She slowly smiles and squeezes his hand back. "Thanks, Scott. You're a good friend."

Scott coughs and smiles weirdly. "Uh, yeah! You too!" He points to the drawing room door, "I'll leave you be, then."

"Actually," They both turn to see the Professor sitting in the doorway, "If you don't mind one more interruption, Jean, I'd like a word."

She's nervous, but she doesn't show it. She merely smiles and nods, waving goodbye to Scott as he shuts the door behind him. The Professor approaches Jean with that ever indecipherable expression of his. Is he disappointed? He told them all to stay away from Mystique's team, but she'd still tried to get close to Blob. It feels like she's partly at fault for what happened to her and Y/N.

Biting the bullet, Jean speaks first. "I'm sorry. I ignored your warning and approached Blob at school. I wasn't careful enough-"

"Jean!" She's confused to see the Professor looking to her in shock. "You did nothing wrong! It is Mr. Dukes who is responsible for his actions, not you."

Jean's breathing hitches and her eyes well up a little. "I just feel stupid. I should have seen it coming."

The Professor takes her hand between his. "Kindness isn't a fault, Jean. You acted with the compassion and responsibility befitting a true X-man. Mr. Dukes hurt you and others, which is no one's fault but his." He shakes his head, "Jean. This is not your fault and I am so sorry this happened to you."

Jean wipes her tears. "Thank you, Professor."

"I wanted to tell you that I've taken steps to ensure this does not happen again. Everybody is receiving an upgraded communicator with a tracking device. Logan will be keeping a close watch on all the members of the Brotherhood, especially Mr. Dukes. Though, rest assured, I have probed his mind and do not sense any threat of retaliation from him."

"I know." Jean admits, "I checked, too. The fight seems to have knocked him down a peg."

The Professor continues. "I also wish to offer an ear, if you ever feel the need to talk. And, if you want to take some time off before returning to school-"

"I'm good." She replies quickly, "I'd fall behind on homework. And, honestly? I love school. I have my friends, my extracurriculars... I'm thinking of trying out for the soccer team. Being an X-man is great, but school is one place I get to feel normal, you know? And I'm not going to let one jerk ruin that for me."

Jean grins in defiance, and the Professor nods with a smile of his own.

"There's something else, though." Jean remembers, "About Y/N."

The Professor raises an eyebrow and she goes on. "Well, I know she's been through a lot." She says sadly, "She hasn't told me anything, but there's all these little hints. And then, while we were... trapped, she was locked away in a closet. I could manage to talk to her, but she was in a panic. It felt like more than just the current danger, like something else was scaring her. At one point she wasn't responding, and I could hear bits of her thoughts." Jean swallows, "Professor, I'm scared something really bad happened to her at that orphanage."

He's quiet for a few moments, and Jean doesn't know what he'll say.

Finally, "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Jean. Kurt actually voiced similar concerns to me earlier about an incident at school."

Jean's eyes widen. "What does this mean?"

"It means that I've contacted Ororo, who has agreed to take Y/N away from the Institute for a few days to visit with her nephew. She needs a break, and I need to continue my investigation. I don't want to involve her with this yet, given what I suspect. Will you do me the favor to keep quiet about this for now?"

"Yes, Professor." She hopes against hope that she's somehow wrong, but knows deep down that it's true. All she can do is be there for Y/N through it.

God, she hopes that's enough to help her.

---

"Goodnight Kurt! Goodnight Kitty!"

Your friends leave your bedroom, having kept you company there all day. They've been spending extra time with you lately, and you can't help feeling guilty about it. Maybe if you could take better care of yourself, they wouldn't be so worried. Physically, you're all patched up. Just some bandaged arms and hands. It's just cuts and bruises, not a big deal.

You wish it wasn't, anyways.

The truth is that awful day has been keeping you up. You used to only have nightmares about the past, but now you have new fears. Blob hurt you, he trapped you... You don't remember much from being in that closet. It's all very blurry. Just panic and fear, that's all you could feel.

You shudder to think what might have happened.

What you might have done...

You shake your head. You're safe at the Institute. You're safe with the X-men. You just need to control yourself before someone gets hurt.

Before they discover the real you.

---

A/N: Have I given the Reader enough trauma? Nono, not at all. I've barely begun! Bwahahahaha! On a serious note, please take care of yourself when reading this. It's cathartic for me to write because I can relate to certain intrusive and depressing thoughts the Reader has, but I understand that for someone else this fic could be triggering. I put warnings at the top, and if there's a warning you think I should add, let me know asap! I want everyone to take care of their mental health!

It's fun going back through these old X-men episodes and noticing things I didn't as a kid. Blob gives me massive incel vibes, really uncomfy. Wolverine is grumpy dad energy. Lance is someone I'm excited to explore further as he grows throughout the series. I hope I'm not making anyone too shallow, I want to make it clear why everyone is the way they are, most of all the Reader! I know she's not for everyone, and that's okay! I'm writing what I would want to read, and so I guess my target audience is people who are similar to me.

Hid a Steven Universe reference in this chapter, try to find it.

As always, let me know any critiques, questions, and random thoughts you have, haha. In particular, I want y'all to give me feedback on this idea. I wrote this fanfic inspired by Ongaku_Ato_Kakikomi's Total Drama Reader-Insert fanfic (https://archiveofourown.org/works/16766611/chapters/39340423) and they do some fun Q&A stuff with their readers in the comments that I'd like to try! So if you have any questions/comments for the Reader or any other established characters, I can post a Q&A chapter with the characters' answers! :D My limit will be questions that mess with the canon too much (Example: Hey, Rogue, did you know your real mom is --------?). Have fun with this!

Thanks to my friend Milena for Proofreading!

Until next time! <3