Slice of Life
A/N: Yup, it's original X-Men fiction. From a fan-made character's perception. Think you've heard it all before? Well, think again. Reviews would be appreciated. And, Marvel owns X-Ev. That so I won't get sued. Although I've been asking for it. A lot. *grins*
~
Chapter One: Why does it all have to happen to me..?
This day started like any other normal day had in the past fifteen and a half years of my existance. Wake up, have breakfast, go to school. Be brilliant, amaze my teachers, tease my classmates. Hang around with my friends. Have lunch at the caffeteria. Be brilliant again, leave my teachers jaw-hanging, exchange notes with my friends during biology class. Boring.
And then, trouble started coming at me like big dark swarms of swamp mosquitos. I hate those.
It was the last class of the day, P.E. Guys were playing soccer, girls were playing voleyball. My team was leading, 14 to 3. Nothing unusual about that. And suddenly I heard a scream coming from the soccer court. All girls rushed to see, me first in line. I managed to squeeze between two huge guys from my class, only to see Daniel, my latest crush, laying on the ground and clutching at his leg. From what I could put together, he had broken his leg. Or, at least he thought so. I crouched next to him, and he took my hand. I guess I blushed a little. Anyway, I said something really smart, like, "Don't worry, it's gonna be OK. Let me see that." And I touched his leg.
Touching his leg is the last thing I can remember. After that, there is a flash, and then a big blank that ends up with waking up in the school infirmery with a terrible headache. And Daniel walking in, asking if I'm all right, telling me that his leg's fine and asking me out for lunch tomorrow, seeing as tomorrow was the first day of the spring holiday. I said, OK, and that was that. Daniel walked me home, and everything was OK with the world.
Or at least I thought so.
I spent the rest of the day watching TV, going out roller-skating (I'm really good, you should see me!) and generally having a great time. That, until one of my friends suddenly stared at me oddly, jaw hanging. And he went like, "Dude, your eyes."
I glared in a car rearview. And I did not like the least what I saw.
My eyes.
They were turning blue.
No, not the iris. The iris was still the good, old dark blue I knew all-too-well.
It was the cornea that had me worried. No, that freaked me out of my minds.
Because now it was all light blue, and I couldn't do a thing about it. My frieds were all staring at me by now, so I did the smartest thing I could've done. I put on my shades and I zipped home, ignoring the amazed exclamations of my friends. And yes, I did run out of breath after five minutes or so, and my house was still very far away.
Finally, exhausted, on the verge of tears, I got home and immediately rushed to my room and to the mirror. This was just a bad dream... yup, a bad... oh no.
My eyes were looking even worse now, the light tint of blue glowing faintly. Wow, my eyes glow, I must've been nuked or something. Damn russians, was the last thought that went through my mind before I passed out, for the second time that day.
I woke up when somebody knocked hard on my door. "I don't wanna go to school", I said out of instinct, before realizing I was laying on the floor and I was still wearing my skating gears, rollerblades included. "Uh... just a minute", I said groggily.
"There's a strange dude here to see you", my crazed hippie brother announced before heading away. I could've bet my life that he shrugged the whole thing off, like he usually did.
First things first. Loose the skates. And the kneeguards. And the other crap. Stuff everything under the bed. Take a look in the mirror... yes, my eyes were still all blue and glowing. Put some shades on. Go downstairs.
The first thing that hit me when I got downstairs was cigarr smoke. Dense one, too. I coughed. That's when everyone noticed I was there.
My parents were sitting on the couch. In front of them, sitting in my fave armchair (Hey, get outta there!), was... someone. I was guessing this was the dude Rich (my brother) was talking about. Well-built, dark hair, jeans, a shirt. Nothing unusual about him.
"Hi, you must be Elsie."
Wow, the guy knows my name. Quickly, find something smart to say... "Oh... yeah."
Mental slap to the forehead. That was lame.
"I'm Logan."
Yeah. Hi, Logan. "Nice to meet you." Not. I hate meeting new people.
"Honey, sit down for a second."
Nothing better than that, my feet are killing me.
"Mr. Logan here is from the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. He believes you posses special abilities." Wow. Since when does my mum talk like that?
"Uh... yeah."
I seem to have a predilection for this phrase.
Logan takes point. "Tell me, did anything strange happen to you lately?"
Yeah, my eyes glow and I faint when I touch tall handsome guys with broken legs. "Um... no, why would anything strange happen to me?"
"Yeah? Well then, why don't you show us your eyes."
Rats. Rats, rats and rats again. "I... I have an eye condition."
"Sure you do."
"Elsa honey, show him your eyes." Rats. Thanks a lot, dad.
"No." Oh crap. I shouldn't have said that. "I mean..." *sigh* Why me?
I take off my glasses, but keep my eyes closed. "Happy?"
"Open your eyes."
Well, here goes nothing. Goodbye, cruel world. I open my eyes. My parents loose their jaws. Logan smirks. Damn, why don't I have a machine gun right now? I'd wipe that smirk off his face! Ooh, yeah.
To cut a long story short, my parents decided to send me to this Institute where I could learn to control my gifts. That means, away from home. Logan thinks that I have healing abilities, but that drains me whenever I try. And he thinks I may have other abilities. Welp, that's his oppinion and I respect it. So, pack my bags, hug my parents, give Rich a noogie, remind myself to send Daniel an e-mail later, toss my bags into an attachment on Logan's motorcycle, hug my parents again, give Rich another noogie, watch Logan... wait, Mister Logan, shake hands with my parents, hop onto the motorcycle and hold on for dear life as the maniac speeds off. Next stop, the Xavier Institute for Gifted... wait, I already forgot the name.
Oh yeah. I can't wait.
Chapter Two: Institute Blues
"Elsie, right?"
"Wright", I say out of habit. The bald man in a wheelchair - Baldie for short - glares for a second before continuing. "My name is Charles Xavier."
Charles Xavier it is. Or Chuck. Sounds much better. Chuckles...
"Welcome to the Xavier Institute. Here, you'll learn how to control your new... gifts."
Gifts? What gifts? All I got is that freaky blue eye tint. I'm still wearing my shades.
"You're not paying attention."
That's right. Snap back to reality. "Um... sorry. It's just that... well, all this is very confusing. I mean, one day, I'm a perfectly normal kid, and next thing I know, loads of strange things happen to me, and I end up in some huge creepy mansion, miles away from home and everything that ever meant my life." I notice Chuck's startled expression. "No offense."
And now I would get grounded, get a corfew or something of the sort.
"It's all right, Elsie. Logan can take you to meet the other students, and after that he'll show you to your room."
...Or not.
Logan snarls. He obviously doesn't like this more than I do. Can I get to my room first, take a nap, try to run back home, get caught and then meet the others?
"There's no reason for you to run away. This is your new home now."
So Chuckles can read minds. Hear, hear...
"Go on now."
In other words, get lost, I have more important stuff to do than sit here and lecture in front of someone who doesn't give a damn about it. *sigh* Welp, I guess it's time to meet the others.
~
Wow. This mansion is truely the biggest place I've ever been to. I'm guessing you could easily get lost in here. Thank Heavens Logan is with me, although I couldn't mistake him for an angel even if I was dead drunk and blindfolded. And I haven't taken my shades off for bloody ages, neither.
Logan opens a door and steps into some sort of a common room. I follow him. Sitting on the floor, about five or six dudes are playing a game of 'Spin the Bottle'. All look about my age or younger. This may not be so bad after all.
"Your attention please!"
Everyone turns towards us. I quietly sneak behind Logan, and I stay there.
"We have a new student-" he steps aside, leaving me out in the open "-Elsie Wright."
Oh dear. Stares. "Uh... hi there."
Hand waves, 'Hi's and stuff like that. Dear God, please make me disappear now.
"I'll just leave you with the kids, OK?" Before I can say anything else, Logan exits. Alone against a crowd. Oh dear.
"Hi! I'm Jubilee!" A thin, brown-haired girl comes up to me and shakes my hand energically. "Welcome to the team!"
"I'm Amara", another girl cuts in. She looks a bit like Jubilee, only she's shorter and has a brown skin. "And this is Rahne", she points towards a short girl with two hairtails.
Rahne crouches, then changes into a wolf of some sort and rubs against my feet. I take a step back. She turns back to her human self and grins, "Sorry if I scared you."
I find the energy to smile, although I was on the verge of having a heart attack. "Nope, wasn't scared." Liar.
Someone yanks my sleeve. I look down. A cute little guy smiles at me, "Hi, I'm Jamie."
"I'm Ray", a tall guy with blonde hair and painted strips says seriously as he takes my hand and shakes it.
"I'm Roberto." Before I can say anything, another guy takes my hand, and almost crushes it, too. "So, what's your power?"
I finally get the chance to say something. "Well, I..." Does having strange-looking eyes count? "I don't know."
Thankfully, the same instant, the door opens, and two other guys come in. One of them, tall and blonde, has his hand immobilized. The other one apparently tries to cheer him up.
Before you can say "Chuckles", all kids rush to the two. I follow.
"So, is it better now, Sam?" Ray asks. The blonde guy scowls. "Look, I really didn't mean-"
"What happened?" I ask, my mouth outrunning my brain.
Everyone turns to stare at me. Again. Why couldn't I just shut my big stupid mouth up?
"Well, we were playing football, and... Ray got a tad excited about the whole thing and knocked Sam down", Jubilee explains. Ray scowls.
"I didn't mean to", he protests.
"I got that part", Sam cuts in. "You guys are lucky that Mr. McCoy knows some stuff about first aid. And that I got Bobby around."
The other guy - Bobby - grins. "Enough of that. I see we got a new girl around?"
"Yeah." I wave. "Hi. Name's Elsie."
"Cool! What's your power?"
"Well, I..." So, again about my power. That I have no idea of. Since I don't really have many options, I take off my shades. Everyone stares.
"Did you know, blue's always been my fave color?" Ray sais, grinning. I don't like that grin.
"Relax, he's always like that." Amara puts a comforting hand around my shoulder. "I think you'll fit right in here at the Institute."
I think not. "Thanks."
"So, can we go back to playing now?" Jubilee asks impatiently. "It was my turn!"
"No it wasn't!" Ray protests. "It was mine!"
"Yeah, I was to dare you."
So, they're playing 'Truth or Dare', bottle version. I got a hunch I'm gonna have some fun with these guys. We all go and sit in the middle of the room. Incidentally or not, I get to sit between Ray and Amara. I sigh mentally.
"So... Ray. Truth or dare?"
"Dare me!"
Geez, why am I not surprised. Typical.
"Okay... make a 20 words love declaration to one of the girls present, except for me."
Evil chuckles in the background. Uh-oh.
"Fine." Ray stands up, looks around - and finally his gaze stops on me. He lazily drops to one knee. The others pull back to make room for him. He takes my hand.
"Elsie. A day has twenty-four hours, an hour has sixty minutes, but each minute is an eternity without you."
The others cheer. I blush. Ray kisses my hand, then goes back to his seat, grinning evilly. I'm gona kill Jubilee.
Ray spins the bottle. It points towards me. Coincidence? Like hell.
"Well. Elsie, truth or dare?"
"Truth." I'm not insane to risk a dare.
"Okay... who's the cutest, best-looking guy in this room?"
He probably expects me to say him. Well, tough luck, amigo. "I think Jamie's the sweetest", I say, grinning. The look on Ray's face is priceless.
My turn to spin the bottle. I grab it and get ready to give it a go, when the door opens, and... oh my insanity.
There are no words to describe the character that just went in. Huge. Blue. Wearing a brown coat and glasses. And holding a Shakespeare book. I must be hallucinating.
Much to my surprise, the other kids just say 'Hello, Mr. McCoy' instead of running away, so I supress the urge to scream and I glare.
"Amara's been teasing me about my hair!" Jubilee says before Mr. McCoy gets the chance to say anything.
"I did not!"
"Did to!"
"Did not!"
"Now, ladies. I'm sure we can all reach a compromise here. And Jubilee, your hair looks great today. Anyway, that's not why I'm here. Elsie, the Professor asked me to do some tests so we know more about your mutant abilities."
I swallow hard. "Tests?"
He smiles confortingly. Or, at least he thinks that's a conforting smile. "Don't worry, it won't hurt a bit."
I've heard that line before. In a Frankenstein movie. "You... you sure?"
"I can come with you", Ray offers immediately. Roberto scowls at him, but pretends to be very interested by Jubilee's hairdo when Ray gives him a glare.
Well, not the most pleasant company, but definately better than nothing. "Thanks, Ray." I get up. "Let's go!"
~
Again, we go through seemingly endless corridors. Mr. McCoy - or Hank, like he told me to call him - puts a comforting hand around my shoulder. "So, Elsie. Did you notice anything strange about yourself lately?"
"Did I? Look at my eyes."
"Hmm. I see. Apart from that?"
I frown. "Well, there was this one time that I touched a guy and then I passed out, but... but that's not relevant, is it?"
Hank hmm-s again, then keeps silent.
"I mean, I touched other guys since then, and I was OK."
Another hmm. "Did you notice anything... particular about the person you touched?"
"Well, he was..." Cute. To be more precise, drop dead sexy. "His leg was broken."
"I see." Well, that makes one of us. "For all I know, you could be a healer."
I stopped. "Come again?"
"A healer. A person that can heal physical injuries by use of his or her own energy. That explains why you fainted when you touched him. Of course this is all a supposition, but still..."
"Oh, I understand." To be honest, I don't, but what the heck. But I don't have time to refflect on it. Suddenly, there is a flash of smoke, a 'Bamf', and a very strange character appears, laughing so hard he can hardly breathe. When he sees us, he chokes and starts to cough hard.
"It's all right, Kurt. She's our new student", Hank says, reaching out and patting him on the back. Kurt gives him a grateful look before turning to me, "Hello."
That's when I notice he has a tail. And fur. And three fingers. Jesus, Lord, what have I done you wrong? "Err, hi, Kurt. I'm... I'm Elsie."
"Well, nice to meet you!" He shakes my hand energically. I think I heard that twenty times today.
Out of nowhere, a girl in a pink blouse and jeans runs into me, sending both of us crashing on the floor. Wait... she came through the wall. Oh wow.
"Like, sorry", she says, jumping back to her feet and pulling me up. "My fault. I really should watch where I'm going", she goes on in a hyper voice. "Wait... you're new! I'm Kitty", she says. "Sorry for-"
"It's OK", I interrupt her. Frankly, I'm too tired to care. Yup, that's the word. Tired. Dead tired.
"Really? Well... cool!"
"We really should be going", Hank interrupts our little conversation. "We must be done before dinner."
"You have no idea how good that word sounds to me", I say with a sigh.
"Dinner?" Ray asks. "I've got some snacks in my room! Unless Bobby ate them all that is."
Suddenly, Hank stops in front of a pair of metalic doors. "The elevator", he says, pushing a button. The doors open with a his.
"You guys have elevators? Geez, I think I'm starting to like it here!"
"You haven't seen anything yet", Ray retorts.
We're going down. I can tell that by that sensation of emptiness in my stomach. This lasts for about a minute or so, then the doors open again.
I rub at my eyes. My sight must be playing tricks on me.
The decor we came out in looks like the interior of the Star Treck research deck. Metal floors. Metal walls. Glass panels. I guess I'm in the twilight zone. Creeepy.
"Mr. McCoy? What kind of tests will you do exactly?"
"Well, for starters, I need a sample of your blood. Then I'll analyze it and-"
"No way. No freakin' way."
I'm freaked out by needles. Any kind of needles. Any at all.
"Come on, it won't hurt! I'll spary some anestezic so you won't feel a thing!"
Something in his voice makes me calm down. "You sure it won't hurt?"
He smiles, "Certainly."
"Well. okay, but make it quick."
And he does the whole thing in less than thirty seconds. No pain... but I can't feel my left arm.
"That'll do for now. Except - for one more test..." He takes another needle, then does a small scratch on the back of his hand. Eww... blood...
"Can you heal that?" he asks.
For a second, I feel the impulse to yell, "HOW?!", but I contain it. "I don't know", I say instead. "But I guess I... can give it a go..."
"You can do it", Ray says, trying to encourage me. Duh.
I close my eyes and reach out for Hank's hand. The next second, tiny sparks are dancing before my closed eyelids, and my head feels like it's about to drop off. All lasts for a few moments, then I pull my hand back to clutch at my forehead. Ray puts a hand on my shoulder.
"You okay?"
I force myself to open my eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine." Slowly, I'm returning to normal. Hank smiles at me.
"Well, it's like I thought. You are a healer."
Wow. I'm a healer. "Yeah", I say.
"That's great! We've been needing one of those", Ray cheers. "Especially when... well, you know..."
"Yeah, I know." Fortunately for the world, a speaker beeps, and I hear, "Dinner will be served in the dining room in ten minutes." I don't know the voice.
"Well now, let's go!" Hank says cheerfully.
I stand up groggily. Ray offers me his arm for support. I take it, although if I wasn't in such a state, I wouldn't. All three of us enter the elevator, and a minute later we're in the hallway upstairs.
The rest of the day passes like a videotape when you hit 'Fast Forward': dinner, Chuck telling me that I'll be roomies with Wolfsbane - Wolfsbane? The she-wolf? Oh my... - , Kurt carrying my luggage upstairs and saying some sort of a silly joke in German, dropping on the bed in my new room, stare at Rahne. It was then that I realize there was only one bed.
"It's OK", Rahne says with a sigh. "I'll just sleep on the armchair." With that, she turns into a brown wolf and leaps on the armchair, curling up in a ball and closing her eyes.
After that, I fall asleep.
Probably faster than I normally do.
Chapter Three: Rise and shine! ...hold on, where'd the sun gone to?
"Rise and shine!"
I curl up in my sheets and curse under my breath. No WAY I'm waking up. No freakin' way. It's spring holidays, I wanna sleep, then sleep some more, and finally sleep yet more. That's what holidays are for. Especially since you get to have cool dreams, like I did last night. I was some kind of... mutant? and I was taken to some big and spooky mansion, with elevators, and blue furry guys, and another guy called Ray who had a crush on me... Yup, dreams are good. Definately mind candy.
Someone yanks my shoulder. "Elsie! C'mon, wake up! If we're not downstairs in five, we'll be in big trouble with Logan!"
I groan. "I don't care about all the Logans in the world. Now leave me... hold on. Did you say, Logan?"
My eyes are still squeezed shut. If I don't see it, then it doesn't happen.
"Yeah, Logan, Wolverine... you know, the guy with the claws?"
Moment of truth. I open my eyes to see a very hyper-looking... Rahne Sinclair, if I recall right.
So, it wasn't a dream after all.
Welp, dream or no dream, I ain't gonna wake up. Especially since an electronic clock on the night table shows that it's five in the bloody morning, and there's no sign of sunlight outside. Or any kind of light, for that matter. "Go away", I mutter before I burry my head in my sheets.
Suddenly, something jerks the sheets away, and, since I'm holding on to them like there is no tomorrow, I land hard on the floor with them. Ouch.
"What did you do that for?" I shout. "Really..."
"Like I said, we have to get downstairs ASAP, or we'll be late for morning training. And trust me, that would be bad."
"Really. What morning training?"
Rahne rolls her eyes. "I'll explain on the way. Put some clothes on and let's go!"
"Okay, okay... yeesh." Cursing under my breath, I grab a pair of baggy pants and my old Metallica T-shirt. I barely have time to take a brief look in the mirror (and yes, my eyes are still freakin' blue...). Rahne bolts through the door, and I have to run at top speed to keep pace with her.
"So, about the training...?" I ask, panting.
"It's part of the morning schedule", she answers.
I snarl, "What morning schedule?"
"Welp, it's like this: ten laps around the mansion, then showers, breakfast, and... that's it!"
"Oh, just... wait a freakin' minute! Ten laps?"
"Yes, that's what I said." Meanwhile, we had made our way to some huge stairs I recall from last night. Rahne bolts down the stairs, and I can see all the others are already gathered there. I rush down as well, only, when I'm just three steps away to the safety of the ground floor, I trip on a skateboard (how did that get here?), and I fall down, head first. Colored sparks suddenly dance before my eyes...
Ouch. That hurt. That definately hurt.
"You okay?"
"Here, let me help!"
*Crash!*
Naturally, everyone present bursts into a terrible laugh. I snarl and rub at my forehead, then I open my eyes, only to see Ray and Roberto laying on the floor and also rubbing their foreheads. Giggling, Rahne helps me back to my feet.
"Ha, ha", I mutter. "I forgot how to laugh."
Sam waves his hand in a desperate attempt to gain attention. "Not... you..." he manages to gasp between giggles.
A groan comes from behind. I turn around. Oh yeah, Ray and Roberto... "What in the name of Grandma Cheese happened to them?"
"Well... when you... you... fell..." Sam starts, but giggles drown the rest of his words.
"When you fell, they kinda... just rushed to the rescue", Amara manages to say before bursting into giggles again.
"And, being the hotheads they are, they bumped their heads. Hard." Bobby's the only one who's trying to keep cool. Keyword: trying.
Ray groans softly and stands up. So does Roberto. They both glare at each other for a moment.
"All right, is everyone here?"
We all straighten our backs involuntarely at Logan's voice. Moments later, the guy comes to sight. I must say, dressed only in a tank-top and tight jeans, with muscles that would put Hercules to shame, Logan truly makes an impression. Especially on someone like me.
The guy next to him I haven't had the chance to meet. He's Logan's exact opposite: slim, tall, and... wearing shades. Hey, maybe he's got weird eyes, too. He's wearing a white and yellow tracksuit with the initials BHS on the front. What they stand for? No idea.
"Listen up. I've got good news, and I've got bad news, which one do you want me to tell first?" Logan half-shouts in a military manner.
"Uh... bad?" Bobby tries.
"Right. The good news, is that I can't train you today, being... busy with stuff. So, I'll let Junior here handle it instead."
Cheers.
"The bad news though, is that you'll all have to do fifteen laps around the mansion. Call it, a little test, if you will."
Mutters. Fifteen laps? Oh no.
"Well, what are you staring at? Get going already!"
We all rush outside and wait for the guy with the shades to follow. Oh yeah... "Who's that?" I ask.
"Oh, that's Scott Summers. He's sorta the unofficial leader of the young recruits. Nice guy, really."
"Thanks, Ray. By the way, sorry about that little accident with the stairs."
"It's OK. Evan must've left his skateboard there by 'mistake'. He's gonna get it for that."
"I second that", Roberto cuts in.
Just then, Scott shows up, interrupting our conversation. "Okay everyone, ready for the big run?"
A loud and general "Yes". And my soft "No" .
"Fine then, let's go!"
We all set in motion, me being last in line. Fifteen laps...
I am so going to die.
Chapter Four: Training
"...Okay... *pant* another lap done... *pant* this was... *pant pant* the eleventh lap, right?"
Rahne looks at me like I was our of my minds, "It was the seventh."
"Seventh...?"
I can't believe my ears. I'm beat. Drained. Totally out of energy. And she tells me I have... eight?! more laps to go? These guys are sick.
"'Smatter?" Ray asks as he slows his pace to come closer to me. "Tired?"
"No, I'm willing to go on forever!" I answer between pants. "Honestly, Ray..."
"Oh. Well, you can ask Cyc to stop if you can't handle it", he says, then he shouts, "Hey, Scott!"
Scott turns around. "What?" he shouts. He sounds irritated.
"Elsie's beat and asks you if you can spare her the rest of the run."
"I did not ask you to do the talking for me, Ray", I growl.
He just shrugs, "Doubt you could've shouted like I did."
Point. "Well... okay."
Meanwhile, Scott furrows his brow. Oh yeah. Quiet, the big man's thinking. "Okay, Els", he says finally. "Take five."
I don't wait to hear him say it a second time. In the blink of an eye, I lay flat on my back under a tree. A smile streches across my face as I see the others disappear around a corner. Yup... This is life. Involuntarely, my gaze turns to the tree I lay under. It looks pretty old. The twisted branches are a cool sight. With a sigh, I close my eyes, and I'm this close to falling asleep, when I hear a *bamf*, and a voice joyfully greets me, "Gutten morgen!"
I open my eyes to find Kurt - the blue guy who helped me carry my luggage upstairs the other night - sitting on a branch. I wave a hand, "Hi."
"You don't look very enthusiastic, liebchen", he says with a grin. "Vas the training too much for you?"
I snarl, "Go away."
"Sorry." He giggles, and I smile without even noticing. Somehow, I just can't stay mad at this guy.
"You were right 'bout the training." I sigh. "You guys do that every day?"
"Just the new recruits", he answers. "And, since you're one of them..." He doesn't have to finish the sentence.
"Welp, thanks to your training, I don't have enough juice to get up, but getting back inside the mansion... That's gonna be a problem."
"Not if I got something to say!" Kurt leaps down and lands next to me in a crouch. I'm surprised he didn't break his neck; after all, there were at least ten or eleven feet to the ground from where he was standing. Before I get the chance to say anything, he grabs my arm. "Kurt, what are you-" The rest of the sentence is lost somewhere along the way. There is a flash of smoke - and next thing I know, we're in the Institute's entrance hall! "How did you-" I mutter, still dazed from the ride.
Kurt flashes me a grin, "I'm ful of surprises."
"Well, I guess you don't mind helping me get to my room then, do you?"
"Sure!" Again, he grabs my arm and 'ports us both just outside the room I share with Rahne. "There", he says, grinning.
"Thanks, Kurt. See you around." Kurt waves his hand, then *bamf*s away.
I sigh as I go inside my room and I collapse on my bed. I'm dead. Yup, that's the word. Dead.
Hardly do I have time to regain my normal breath though, that the door bursts open, and in comes Rahne, looking incredibly fresh for someone who had just run about two or three miles.
"Come on, you lazy girl! Get up!" With that, she yanks my leg. "Up!"
I sigh as I climb back to my feet. "Okay, okay... you've made your point." Translation: I'm in no mood to land on the floor again. Soft as the carpet may be, the impact is strong enough to create disconfort.
Rahne bolts to the door, "C'mon! On to the showers!"
Resigned, I begin rummaging through my luggage to find a towel and a bathgown. My feet are killing me.
Oh well. All in a day's work.
Chapter Five: Wilt thou light our path with thy shiny blue presence?
I must say, seen after a good shower, an eventful breakfast and half an hour of playing "Truth or Dare" with Rahne, Ray and Amara up in my... our room, life doesn't seem so bad after all. Of course, my legs stil hurt - and I mean they really hurt - but at least I don't feel like I would pass out from exhaustion. The others seem to be OK, and I'm guessing they go through that every morning. My hair stands on end when I think of what awaits this afternoon. Rahne told me they had special training with Scott. I really don't want to know what 'special training' means.
My mind snaps back into focus as I hear, "Elsie, truth or dare?"
"Huh?" I mutter.
"Truth or dare?" Jubilee repeats impatiently.
"Err... truth." I'm definately in no condition for a dare, even if it's the simplest one in the world. "Gimmie your best shot."
"Okay... how many boyfriends did you have until now?"
"Er..." Rats. If I tell them the truth, I'd look like a dork. Truth is, I never actually had a boyfriend. What, a good-looking gal like you? some people might say. Well, yeah. A good-looking girl like me. No bf-s. Ever.
"Well?"
"I... had one", I blurt out, mentally slapping myself as I do so. That was lame.
"And...? Tell us more, will you?"
"Well, he wasn't... exactly... what you may call a boyfriend", I answer timidly. "He was... er, he was just... walking me home after school and stuff." Actually, that had happend once. So, technically, I wasn't a liar. Or was I?
"His name, honey", Jubilee says with a sigh. "Tell us his name."
"Sean."
"How did he look?" Amara cuts in. "Was he hot?"
"Uh... yeah, he was... cool. He was tall, had dark hair, green eyes and wore glasses." And had acnea. A detail I conveniently forget to mention.
"But you are single now, aren't you?"
I glare at Ray. He glares back innocently.
"Conveniently, yes", I answer. "Okay, my turn", I go on quickly. "Amara, truth or dare?"
"Dare", she answers with a smirk.
Just then, there is a knock on the door. My feet are killing me, and even the idea of getting up makes me feel drained. "Fine then, go get the door."
Amara pouts, "Don't wanna."
"Well, that's your dare, now go get the door."
With a snarl, Amara gets up, still pouting, and heads for the door, "Who is it?"
"It's the magnificent duo", Bobby's voice answers from the other side. "C'mon, open up."
Amara giggles and opens the door. Sam and Bobby come in. Sam still has his arm immobilized.
"Hello to the people of the X", Bobby says, spreading his arms in a dramatic manner. "We come to bring you salvation from the Realm of Boredom that is Mutant Manor today. Accept it, and you wilt not regret."
The rest of us giggle. Bobby's definately the man when it comes about jokes. With him, you laugh all time. Sometimes, with no reason at all. That's just him.
"What salvation does thou bring?" Rahne asks, joining in the game.
"I bring thee, beautiful lady, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to the mall in town for an unforgettable shopping trip. Seing as Elsie is new to Bayville, we might also show her around a bit", he continues, dropping the fake serious pose. "We can snatch Scott's car."
Ray cheers. Sam and Amara exchange a high-five. On the other hand, Jubilee shakes her head.
"I've had enough last time", she says. "You guys go on. Scott's gonna kill us when he finds out."
"Okay, your loss! Are the rest of you with me?"
Cheers.
"I'll take that for a yes. However, I did not hear thy answer, Lady Blue-Eyes", he says kneeling before me. "Wilt thou light our path with thy shiny blue presence?"
"Bobby, knock it off!" I say between giggles. "Sure I'll come, but you don't have to make such a show out of it!"
He takes my hand and kisses it with mocking respect, "Thank you, we are not worthy!"
I giggle and I try to get up. My feet immediately give up under my weight. "OW!"
Ray glares at me, "What is it?"
"My feet hurt", I answer, rubbing my ankles.
"Come on, I'll help you."
"Er, no thanks. I can manage. I try again, and this time I stand up, but I have to lean on Ray's shoulder for support. "On second thought, I guess I can use a little help. But don't gloat about it."
"By the way, how the heck are all of us supposed to fit in there?" Amara asks, catching everyone's attention.
"Easy! We're not Blob Junior one, two, three, four, five and six!"
Chuckles. Who the hell's Blob?
"Yeah, right. You mean you, me, Ray, Elsie, Sam and Rahne are going to fit in that tiny thing?" Amara glares increduosly. "And I'm the Pope."
"Wouldn't look bad in robes. Anyway, if Rahne can revert to her wolf shape, then I can drive, one of you can sit up front with her in your lap, and the others stay in the back. And that's that."
"Okay", Rahne agrees. "I guess", she adds so soft that only I hear her.
"Hey Bobby, can I drive?" Ray asks suddenly. "Come on, please? You drove the last time!"
Bobby sighs. "In your dreams, you maniac. Last time, you drove off the road, twice."
"I'll be real careful! Please?"
"Oh okay, I hate to see you with those puppy-dog eyes. Let's go."
One by one, we sneak out on the corridor. It looks deserted.
"Okay, follow me."
About ten minutes and a lot of twists and turns later, we find ourselves outside. Then, Bobby leads us to the garage. Truthful to his words, a red convertible with a white stripe awaits. Out of nowhere, Bobby takes out a pair of keys and tosses them to Ray. He makes a jump to catch them, then turns in mid-air and lands in a crouch at my feet. "Ta-daa!" he says with a proud grin. *Sigh* Men...
"Nice, Ray. Very nice", I say.
Meanwhile, everyone else had hopped into the convertible. In a matter of seconds, I find myself sitting on the backseat, almost squashed between Sam and Bobby. Amara is in the front seat, with Rahne in her lap. Ray turns on the engine - and the next instant, we speed out of the garage like a bat out of Hell.
"Slow down!" I shout at the top of my lungs.
Suddenly, we hear Scott's voice coming from one of the windows of the Institute, "CRISP!!!" The same second, a few red blasts land around the car.
"Speed up, Ray! Speed up!" we all yell in a single voice. "SPEED UP!!!" Ray hits the pedal to the metal. The car accelerates.
"The gates are locked!" Amara shouts. "We can't pass!"
"Yes we can!" Bobby raises his hand and forms an ice ramp over the gate. With the engine roaring, the car reaches the top, and then makes a huge jump... I close my eyes and I say a quick prayer. Dear Lord, forgive me if I've ever done you wrong...
THUD!
"What the..."
I open my eyes. Incredible, but we landed safely on the other side. Next to me, Bobby sighs and rubs his forehead, "I'm never riding with you again."
"You can say that again", Sam moans. "And my arm's killing me."
"Not bad, eh?" Ray says proudly. Suddenly, I feel the urge to whack him over the head with a baseball bat.
We drive away from the Institute with no other incidents. Suddenly, Sam yanks my shoulder, "Uh... Elsie?"
I look at him, "Yes?"
"Err... Mr. McCoy told me you were a healer, is that true?"
"Yeah, I... guess so, why?"
He points to his arm, "Could you... I don't know, at least easen up the pain a bit? It's killing me."
"Gee, I don't know. Last time I tried, I almost passed out, and..." Sam's got such a pleading expression on his face. "Okay, Sammy boy. But if anything happens to me, I'll hurt you. Got it?"
He grins, "Okay."
I close my eyes, "Gimmie your hand."
"Romeo and Juliet", I hear Bobby musing next to me.
"Shut up, Drake."
I take Sam's hand and focus my entire energy on his wound. Suddenly, the wound appears clearly in my mind. Then, as if in a slow motion movie, I see it healing... I know it's healing... It's indescribable. At the same time, I feel increasingly tired, as if my entire energy was absorbed by the healing process. And then, just as fast as it all began, it's over. I open my eyes. Sam flexes his wrist.
"Hey, I'm OK!" he nearly shouts. "I'm healed! Wow! Thanks, Elsie!"
I rub at my forehead, then I sigh. "Well, that took long enough. Are we there yet?"
Sam glares, "You only held my hand for about ten seconds or so!"
"Ten seconds?" It's my turn to glare. To me, it seemed more like ten minutes. Well, if he says so. "It's... it's nothing, Sam. You're welcome."
"Hey Ray, hit some music, will you?" Amara cuts in.
"Okay, let's see what CDs Scott has around here. Hmm... Bonfire, Bee Gees, Roxette..."
"RAY! LOOK OUT!!"
Too late. With a screeching sound, the car drives off the road. Ray desperately hits the brakes, but it's no good. For the second time in less than five minutes, I close my eyes and begin, "Dear Lord..."
SCREECH!
I feel I'm being thrown off my seat, and I barely have time to grab Sam's arm, that the car does a full circle, then comes to an abrupt halt. I sigh with relief and lay my head on Sam's shoulder, "I'm going to have a heart attack."
Sam nods weakly, "You said it."
"You maniac! I told you you'd drive off the road! Believe me now, you hot-head?"
Ray glares back innocently, "Anyone want to get out and push...?"