X-Tennyson: Part Five

X-Tennyson
Part Five: Questions…

~~~~~~~~~~

Out of all my teachers, I have to say, Mystique was my favorite.

Most of the kids didn't like her very much - something about her past history with the X-Men - but I was new. So, without being able to judge her for whatever her previous actions may have been, I was able to openly make her my favorite teacher.

She was just so interesting! She made every class something new and fun. Something we never would have expected.

Like today. Friday. Julie and I shuffled into class, (Mutant Understanding was one of the only three classes Julie and I had together), while she giggled and gossiped on and on about her date with Ben, which was now set for this Saturday night.

"We're going to a movie," she informed me for what felt like the thousandth time, "He said I could pick, but I don't know what's showing. Oh. I'll have to look it up on the computer later. But what kind of movie would be okay? I mean, I don't wanna pick something he won't like. Then he might not ask me out again..."

"Julie," I interrupted, firmly but not harshly, "You need to stop. You're turning into some sort of babbling giggler. I don't know who you are anymore."

Julie's face flushed, and her eyes dropped down to the books she held against her chest. "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly.

"It's all right," I told her, placing my hand on her shoulder briefly before we had to take our seats, "You just need to stop worrying. Ben is a sensitive enough guy. He isn't the type to judge a person on a first date."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she agreed, nervously pushing her books around on her desk.

A simple blue jay came flying in through the window and landed on the desk. I may have only been at the X Mansion for five days, but like I said, Mystique was my favorite teacher, so I knew the instant I saw the bird that it was time for class to start.

Our teacher's morphing abilities never got old or boring to me. If I had to give up my power, and were allowed to choose one power to replace it, it would totally be shapeshifting.

Mystique took less than a minute to morph from the blue jay into her normal form. Short red hair. White pants. White top. Yellow utility belt. She sat on her desk with the kind of confidence I could feel every girl in our class, (as well as myself), envying. Her golden eyes flicked over us, pausing to smile at me, then frowning at everyone else. I guess Mystique wasn't just my favorite teacher, I was her favorite student.

Not bad for my first week, huh?

Mystique uncrossed her long legs and hopped off her desk, walking around behind it and beginning the same "good-morning-class" speech that all of our teachers opened with. Still, she did have her own style to hers.

"Good Morning mutant vacillators," she went behind her desk and leaned down to grab something. It was a handle, attached to a shallow, metal bar cage with a sheet of some kind over it. She pulled it up and placed it on her desk, turning to us to finish her welcome. "Can anyone tell me what the most important thing in this modern day and age is?" she asked, looking around.

Some kid I'd never met, but was in my grade, raised his hand. Mystique nodded at him. "Blending in?" he suggested warily.

Mystique's eyebrows slanted forward. "Absolutely not," she spoke firmly, but not angrily. Come to think of it, she spoke exactly as I had spoken to Julie only a couple minutes ago. I briefly wondered if our teacher had actually reduced herself to spying on her students.

"And don't any of you ever think that," she went on, "I know the Professor has told you all of this time and time again, but I will repeat it. None of you are freaks. You are gifted. And none of you should ever reduce yourselves down to blending in with the general public." She paused, letting that sink in. "Anyone else?" she looked around for another volunteer.

Jaime, a sophomore - same grade as Julie - hesitantly raised his hand, and Mystique called on him. "Knowing your enemy?" he offered.

Mystique tapped her index finger on her chin, then moved it away and waved her hand around as she spoke. "You're both right and wrong, Jaime," she told him, "Knowing your enemy is important, but for the dream we wish to accomplish... A world where mutants and humans can live together in peace... I prefer to see it as..." She reached over to the cage and wrenched the sheet from the top, "Knowing your friends."

Mice.

The cage was full of mice.

White ones with brown and black splotches in all these different patterns and designs on their fur. Most of the girls in my class squealed, but Julie and I exchanged excited glances. Knowing Mystique, this was going to fun.

"Gwen, to the front please," Mystique called. Caught a little off guard, I lurched slightly in my seat before getting up, making some of the class – including Julie – giggle. Mystique glared at them and everyone fell silent.

Favorite teacher EVER!

"Now then," she continued, lifting the top from the cage. I was worried the mice might escape or something, but they didn't. They just kept running around in their silly little haphazard patterns. "I'm going to change myself into the form of a mouse," she explained, as I stood there blinking with surprise and excitement, "Gwen? I'll need you to pick me up and gently place me in the cage with the rest of the mice."

I nodded.

She turned to the rest of the class, "There is a piece of paper taped to the bottom of each of your desks. When I'm in the cage, you will each come up one at a time and pick a mouse from the cage. You are allowed to use your powers, but most of your abilities won't help you in this situation." She smirked, "You'll just have to be clever and try to find me."

The class started shuffling a bit. Everyone reached under their desks and pulled out their numbers, which they showed to one another. Some complained, some gloated. Eventually, they all stopped talking and looked at Mystique.

"Rules," she went on, "One – You have to pick a mouse. Failure to do so will result in a detention with me this afternoon.

"Two – You are to pick ONE mouse. Pick more than one and that's also a detention with me this afternoon.

"Three – After you pick a mouse you must keep that mouse. You cannot put it back. The reason for this is that I will be changing my appearance between each of you. You can't put your mouse back just because it doesn't change.

"Four – Once you pick your mouse, you are to set it down on my desk and count backwards from ten. If it doesn't transform, it wasn't me. After counting backwards, place the mouse back in with the others and go sit down.

"That is all," she finished. And suddenly, she was gone.

I looked down at the floor where a small white mouse with brown splotches stood up on it's hind legs and looked up at me. I knelt down, feeling every gaze in the class on me and set my hand on the floor in front of the mouse.

Mystique scampered into my hand. I gently cupped her with my other one and stood up to place her in the top-less cage with the other 15 or so white mice with brown and black and cream splotches. She quickly melded into the confusion and random running around that the rest of the mice were doing, so I was lost. I didn't know which one she was.

Not that it mattered. When I got back to my desk, I found that I was number 11. Right before Julie – number 12.

We waited.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"I can't believe I won!" Julie exclaimed again, looking down at the crudely made ticket in her hand. It was silly and it only got her out of homework for a week. But it was laminated, so she felt it was official. And I guess official pleased her.

"I can't believe it either," I told her, because I really couldn't. I really thought I'd be able to feel Mystique's manna, but with all those little mice scurrying around the cage I couldn't pick her out.

Julie on the other hand, had guessed.

We stopped at a hallway intersection and said out quick good-byes. Because of all of Julie's Senior classes, she had been allowed to exempt P.E.

Yeah, that's right. Even mutated freaks had P.E. class. And I had my P.E. class with Kevin. Which was nice enough, when I didn't talk to him.

I had Outdoor Training on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then I switched off and had Physical Education on Wednesdays and Fridays. I had found out on Wednesday, when I tried hanging by Kevin and talking to him that he didn't want anything to do with me when their were other people around.

Whatever. He had taken me out for lunch yesterday. Didn't that count for anything?

Now it was Friday. But I found when I entered P.E. Class – held in the Danger Room for obvious reasons – he wasn't there. I waited around by the front door until one minute before class was supposed to start, then I went in with a sigh. He would probably show up late like he usually did.

He didn't. Kevin was absent all through P.E., which really distracted me and got me knocked down by simulator after simulator. I was definitely going to be sore tomorrow.

As I left P.E. I found myself scanning the crowds – looking for him. Was he playing hookey? I wouldn't put it past him to do so.

What the hell do I care so much for? I wondered, trying to keep my eyes on the ground, but it wasn't working.

I always checked out the windows too. I looked over all of the parking lots to see if I could find his gren and black car, but I couldn't. And I couldn't find him either. And eventually, I gave up.

Later that evening I was working on my homework when my ever flamboyant room-mate came dancing into our bedroom. Her iPod headphones were on full blast, and she was swinging around like a crazy person. She jumped up on the bed and threw her hands in the air. I watched dumbly.

When at last the song ended, she pulled her headphones out, hit PAUSE on her iPod and dropped the small music player on her bed and she jumped off it. "Hey Gwenny," she greeted me, like she was just noticing my presence.

I raised and eyebrow at her. Just who was she calling 'Gwenny'?

"Hi Kitty," I replied, just to be polite. I turned back to my homework, spread out across my desk. I was all basic, simple stuff, but it was still annoying to have to do it at all.

I briefly wondered if Kevin was working on his homework. If he was he was probably struggling with it. Then again, he didn't really seem like the kind to do…

"Ugh!" I smacked my head down on the desk. Damnit all! Why couldn't I get him out of my head?!

"What's up with you?" Kitty asked. She was right behind me.

"Nothing," I replied – too fast. She got suspicions.

Kitty leaned over my desk and looked around at the papers. "Homework trouble?" she asked.

"Umm…" That would work. "Y-Yeah," I lied, "Homework… trouble…"

Liar. Liar. Liar. Not homework trouble. Guy trouble. Kevin Levin trouble.

Damnit! I cussed myself out, "Stop thinking about him!"

"Him who?"

Oh shit.

I turned in my seat to face Kitty. "Him… No one…" I muttered lamely.

"Uh-huh. Sure Gwenny," she smiled this sickeningly sweet smile that made my heart jump up into my throat. I was so screwed. "Come on," she was luring me in, making me feel like I had someone to talk to, "Tell me. Who's on your mind?"

Yeah right. Like I'm gonna tell the school gossip about my fast-food-on-the-hood-of-Kevin's-car date.

"Ben?" I told her, though it sounded more like a question, "Um. Yeah. Ben… and… uh… his date with Julie tomorrow." Oh crap! Gwen? Stop talking!

"His date?" Kitty took a step back from me. The normal "Kitty glitter" that I usually saw sparkling in her eyes seemed to darken and disappear. "Date with whom?" she asked.

Now I knew I hurt her feelings. She was using proper grammer. Yikes.

"Oh would you look at the time," I was desperate. And didn't someone once say that desperate times called for desperate measures? I glanced down at my wirst, even though I wasn't wearing a watch, and stood up. "I've really got to get to a thing I'm supposed to be at right now," I added lamely. I walked past her and quickened my pace to the door, but she still beat me there.

Well technically, she cheated, since I passed her and then she came sliding up out of the floor and blocked the doorway.

"With whom, Gwen?!" Kitty was taking steps toward me, and I was backing up. Yep. I was backing up from a very scary looking girl a year younger than me, and I'm not afraid to admit it. Though I'm sure if Kevin were in my position…

Oh for fucks sake! Now was not the time for him!

"J-Julie," Yep. I stuttered. That's how afraid I was. So, just so we're clear, being afraid of my room-mate was one of the many reasons I would not be an X-Men any time soon.

"Julie?" Kitty seemed confused. Like I had irritated her by mentioning someone in our school she didn't know. "Who's that?" Oh. Nevermind.

"A friend of mine," I told her, "She was sort of… blackmailed into it. So was Ben for that matter. So you don't need to worry. I bet this date means nothing to Ben." That's right… Calm the beast…

Lie – A weird technology type pet refusing to let them go did not count as blackmail.

Lie – Kitty really did need to worry, because from the way Ben acted, this date probably meant the world to him.

Kitty relaxed, and I slowly saw the Kitty sparkle coming back into her eyes. "Oh, well, if that's like what this is all about," she informed me, "Then it's like, fine with me."

And since when does my cousin having a date need to be put past you first? I wanted to ask, but I didn't. I think I had angered her enough for one afternoon.

Fantastic. She was probably going to be even angrier when she found out I had lied to her.

I sighed and walked past her. After severally screwing myself into the ground, I felt like going out on the balcony for a breather.

I went out and rested my hands on the railing, inhaling the wonderful smell of the ocean at the base of the cliff where the X-Mansion was built. I had one of the best views in the whole school. It was the kind of view I doubted I would ever get used to.

My thoughts drifted back to Kevin, and this time, I let them.

What about Kevin? Would I ever get used to him? Would I ever get used to his charm? Would I get used to his asshole attitude at school? Would that make it harder to get used to the real Kevin – the one I had seen on our date?

Fast food on the hood of his car…

"All right… How about… World class diamond thief?"

He stopped sipping his soda and threw me a 'Are you nuts?' kind of look, "Rumor, of course. If I had been a world class diamond thief, you honestly think I'd be going to this hell hole of a school?"

"Fair enough," I shrugged, crumpling up the wrapped that had been on my burger, "Okay. Your turn."

He sipped his soda and looked up at the sky for a minute. "The cure," he turned back to look at me, "Is it true your Aunt tried to cure you?"

I sighed. Somehow I knew this would come up. "Yes. My Grandmother, Christine… tried…" I corrected.

"Oh," I wasn't looking at him, so I didn't know what expression his face held, but his tone was something like curiousity and remorse. Like, he really wanted to know the story, but he didn't like asking, "Why?"

"My Grandpa Max and my Grandmother Verdona are the mutants in our family," I explained, my hands figiting nervously in my lap, "Verdona left when I was little, and Max… Well, my parents didn't really like me hanging around him, because they knew he was a mutant.

"I didn't know though. And about a year after my parents died in a car accident, I was living with him and Ben when I started showing signs of being a mutant." I paused, but my tale wasn't done, "He was overjoyed. He made my being different so easy to accept.

"Anyway," my hand continued fidigiting, "My Grandmother on my mother's side knew nothing of me being a mutant, and fought the system for a year before she won over custody of me. I tried… I really tried to hide my abilities from her, but back then I was just starting out, and they were kind of hard to control. Whatever. She found out and marched me straight to a clinic to be cured, but I wouldn't let her.

"Grandpa Max had always taught me to be proud of my powers, so I refused. Christine tried everything to get me cured. Then… She attempted to bribe the cure people to hold me down and cure me against my will, and I kind of lost it," I looked up slighty at Kevin, who was listening intently, "I made a mess of things, and then I ran off…"

I dropped my eyes back down to my fidgeting hands, "I ran to the person I knew could protect me…"

"Max?" he guessed.

I shook my head, "No, actually… My brother."

"Oh."

"Ken was attending College. He wasn't involved in the custody disagreement because he was over 18, but he had tried to win over custody of me, and failed. Anyway, I went to see him at school, and I explained what was going on. I stayed at Ken's school for a couple days, until a man approached us."

"Xaiver," Kevin guessed again. This time he was right.

"Yeah, and then we ended up here…" I finished, lamely.

Kevin set his soda down and laid back on the hood of the car. "I don't have a big story," he told me, "My powers showed up when I was just a kid, and they abandoned me. I lived on the streets, made a bunch of wrong choices, got myself locked up. Xaiver showed up and offered me a place to stay, I accepted. Simple as that."

"Hmm…" my hands were still fidgeting.

"So, do you think she's looking for you?"

I shook my head again. I knew who he was talking about. "Not a chance," I answered, "She didn't want me around unless I was normal, and I… I just don't want to be normal."

All of a sudden, his hand was on mine. Well, both of mine. He placed it on my fidgeting hands so they stopped. I looked up, and found he had propped himself up on one elbow and was now only inches away from me. "Well good," he told me, "Cause I don't want you to be normal either."

I glanced down at his hands, then back up at him. He did the same. Then all of a sudden, his hands were gone and he was getting up, keeping his face turned away from me, but I could have sworn I saw a little blush…

"Come on, we should go," he started gathering garbage up from the hood of the car, "We've got class in 15 minutes."

All I could do was nod.

I looked around at the students hanging out around the yard beneath me and I sighed again.

Would I even get the chance to know the real Kevin?