Day One: Introductions

[Drake 53]

Marcus snarled a little and looked away. It felt as though the animals he had become had left something in him. "I don't know. I wasn't going to hurt them. I just...I'm not like them. Sometimes I feel like I'm...better than them. Besides, what's the use of powers if I can't have fun once in a while?"

[Rogue 4]

Natalie tensed a little as he snarled at her. She listened to what he said, crossing her arms over her chest. "...Better than us, Marcus?" She took a step backwards, not out of fear entirely, but because those words hurt her. They made her feel like this person who was supposed to be her friend was once more lost to her.

[Drake 53]

He turned back to her but looked down in shame. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. But you're a mutant too, Natalie. You don't seem to realise it yet but somehow I know that you are. I can feel it." He absently rubbed the back of his neck. "Sometimes it's like a sixth sense but I think I can feel when other mutants use their powers. It happened earlier at school when you heard something that I couldn't."

[Mara 29]

The front door opened and then slammed shut. August took that as her cue to leave. Paul was generally a nice guy, but when he had a bad day at work, the only reason he would stay late, she tried to avoid him. She picked up her carton of food and hurried up the back stairs to her room.

"Sandra, any leftovers?" Paul called gruffly into the kitchen.

"Over here, hon..."

August didn't catch the rest of the conversation, but she didn't have to, or want to. Her mom would try to calm him down, it would eventually work, and they would go to bed. She retreated into her own room, and closed the door.

[Rogue 4]

"That doesn't make what you just said any better." Natalie argued. "What your saying then is that if I am a mutant we're on the same level. If I'm not, then you're above me."

[Drake 53]

Marcus was getting frustrated, "Yes...no! I don't know. I just know that you're different, Nat. And this," he said, motioning to the empty mall, "is just a prank I didn't think through."

[Rogue 4]

Natalie was about to respond when her father came in, the big blond man yelling over her thoughts. "Natalie! Damnit girl! I told you that you're grounded!"

She sighed, rolling her eyes. As if things could get any worse. He grabbed her by the arm. "You're coming home right now, child. There's a wolf on the loose here in the mall. And a mountain lion. They think someone stole them from the local zoo---"

"I know dad, just listen--"

"I'm getting you inside before you get yourself killed." He said, pulling on her wrist. She hissed. It hurt when he did that. He gave a suspicious look to Marcus, as if he might have had something to do with it as he tried to escape with his daughter.

[Drake 53]

Marcus saw the acusatory look in Natalie's father's eyes. He looked down and turned away. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he left the mall out one of the side exits.

Edited May 7, 2008 by Drake

[Ayingel 24]

Lila followed Hailey through the halls, still carrying her bag with her. She needed to figure out as much as she could about this place before she set up her computer; she didn't want any surprises. "Who is everyone? I mean,I know their names and all, but, i guess...what are they?"

[Rogue 4]

"That's cause I just came in this afternoon." Neil looked up at Lance, indifferent. "Aren't you a little young to have your name on a mortgage?" He wondered aloud.

***

Natalie was laying on her bed beside the open window a half hour later, trying to get her head straight. She was so frustrated.

Marcus hadn't been acting like himself in the mall. Not like the Marcus she knew anyway. He was wild, unpredictable, irrational and...rude. She supposed she deserved that for the way she had acted before...but she hadn't known that Mark could be so harsh. She must have hurt him worse than she thought.

She could hear the birds settling down for the night in the tree just outside. She began to wonder if any of them were him. She needed to talk to him. Needed to let him know how she felt about...everything. But how to go about that was the problem. She was grounded afterall. And right about now she wished she'd driven her truck home.

She picked up her phone and searched through the phonebook. She needed someone to pick her up, but she knew Lance was going to be busy with everything going on at the Cove. She decided that she would just have to walk.

She closed the shades....just in case one of those animals was Marcus before she changed into some clothes more befitting a nighttime beach party. Everyone would be at the Cove tonight. She needed to be there too.

She pressed her ear to her door, which was locked from the outside to see if she could hear her father...snoring. That was good. He had probably drunk himself to sleep again. Crossing the room, she opened the window, hoisted down her flip-flops and used the tree to climb down to the ground. She put her shoes on quick and began to make the long walk to the Cove.

Edited May 7, 2008 by Rogue

[Drake 53]

Hailey looked confused. "What they are? Do you mean, like, their powers? Well...you know mine and Kurt's already. Jean can move objects with her mind and has telepathy...but she doesn't use it on people unless she has to. Scott can shoot laser beams from his eyes...that's why he's got those red shades on all the time. Peter can turn his skin into metal, making him super strong. That Chase guy, that was here earlier, can apparently alter people's perceptions so that they don't notice he's around."

After showing Lila to her room, Hailey showed the girl around a little more, giving her a tour of the upper part of the mansion. Once finished, they returned to the kitchen and dining room where dinner was being served.

They both grabbed heaping plates of food and joined the others at the table.

[Andy 60]

Chase and Danny reached home, each in a mood with the other. Danny was in a mood because Chase was trying to persuade him to go to some special school for mutants, and Chase was annoyed because Danny was starting to realise he was a mutant after all but didn't want to talk about it.

As soon as Danny parked in the driveway, they got out of the car and went into the house to find their dad in the lounge.

"Dad?" Chase said, "I thought you were working late tonight?"

"Listen Chase, Danny," their father, Philip, explained, "My old boss in London has passed way unexpectedly and the company has asked if I want to be his successor. It would mean moving home already, and I know it's been very disruptive for you, so I'm giving you the choice of whether you stay here or come home with me."

Both Danny and Chase were stunned at this bombshell. "Well," Danny said eventually, "I'm going to need time to think about that..."

"That's understandable, son."

Danny had been enthusiastic about coming over here. He felt like he was starting over fresh; which is what he wanted right now as he came to terms with being a mutant. He had already met other mutants who accepted him, so in that respect too it might be easier to stay.

Chase was torn between returning home where he could see his mother and the few close friends he did have back there, and the fact that there were people who could help him with his abilities here.

"Look, you guys should go out and have a good time tonight," said Phil, "isn't there that party on at the beach? Was that tonight?"

"Yeah it's tonight," Chase confirmed.

"Go on then, what are you waiting for? This doesn't have to be decided right now." Phil smiled and fervently shooed them out of the room.

Once they were back in the car, Danny turned to Chase, "What do you think?"

"I'm not sure," sighed Chase, "there are reasons both to go and to stay..."

"Me neither," Danny agreed, even though he was by now set on staying. He wasn't sure why he kept lying to his twin; he was sure Chase must see through his lies, and it was only serving to further push them from eachother.

After a short while they saw a figure walking in the same direction as they were travelling, Danny looked over, "Isn't that Natalie Brook?"

"I think it is," said Chase.

"Well pull over, let's see if she needs a lift."

Chase pulled up beside Nat and put the window down, "hey Nat. You heading down to the Cove? We are, if you need a lift."

[Rogue 4]

Natalie smiled, walking over to the car. "Would you really? That'd be great. You guys are lifesavers!"

She hoped into the back of the car. "Had to escape home, if you know what I mean."

[Andy 60]

"Sometimes you gotta," Danny agreed as Nat got in.

A few minutes later they reached the Cove, and parked up.

"There you go," Chase said, "I bet you didn't expect to get here that quick."

[Rogue 4]

"Sure didn't." Natalie grinned at him. "You guys are a bunch of speed demons." She joked. "Seriously,Thanks for the lift though. That would have taken a good hour otherwise."

Edited May 7, 2008 by Rogue

[Andy 60]

"No problem," said Chase as they all got out of the car. "Any idea when this party gets going?"

Danny thought he spotted Neil, and excused himself. He had a few questions he wanted to ask.

Edited May 8, 2008 by Andy

[Vergere 1]

Lance just shrugged, still wearing an easy grin. "Perhaps. But I've been running it for two years on my own, and have been doing pretty well so far."

Kelly came back by the table a few minutes later, meal in hand. "Here you go, sir. Hope you enjoy it." She smiled before turning away to go take care of someone else.

Edited May 7, 2008 by Tyche

[Rogue 4]

"Should be just a couple of hours. But the Cove's always a good place to hang out." She told him with a genuine smile. "I hope you brought your dancing shoes, Chase."

***

Neil held his mug up like a toast. "Props to you then. Good job." He saw a familiar face heading towards his table and grinned as he put ketchup on his Burger bomb. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Tough Guy himself."

Edited May 7, 2008 by Rogue

[Andy 60]

"Why," Chase replied with a slight smile, "do I look like I can dance?"

Edited May 7, 2008 by Andy

[Rogue 4]

She smiled at him, eyes dancing playfully. "It's not whether or not you can dance that's attractive, Mr. Mitchell. It's whether or not you're brave enough to try. Even if the risk may be embarassment." She sighed overdramatically. "When are you men going to learn that?"

[Andy 60]

"Knowing us guys," Chase did a mock-thinking pose, then said with a grin "probably the other side of never."

[Ayingel 24]

Lila looked around the dinner table at everyone. It had been awhile since she had had a dinner at a table with people who seemed to care about her, and this was probably as close as she was going to get. Looking at her plate, Lila remembered that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. In between forkfuls of food she managed to ask a few questions. "So, why are you here in California...let alone Greendale?"

[Drake 53]

Peter speared a roasted potato with his fork. With his heavy Russian accent, he said, "Our benefactor and creator of the X-Men, Professor Xavier, is a powerful telepath. He detected an increase of mutant powers in dis area. He chose Greendale because of proximity to school. Many mutant powers come with youth."

[Ayingel 24]

Lila shrugged. "Makes sense, I guess. But how did he know that?"

[Rogue 4]

"Professor Xavier created a device called Cerebro." Jean smiled, setting some more food on the table. "A telepathic mutant with enough training can use it to reach out and locate anyone in the world. We use it to find other mutants so that we can extend our hand in friendship, or help them to understand what is going on within themselves, and with their developing abilities."