Day One: Introductions

[Vergere 1]

Kelly sat on a table and looked around. "So where are you two living now?"

Brett came in and just waved as he passed by and walked on through to another room without a word.

Lance just sighed and shook his head. "And that was Brett Radcliffe, if you've not met him. Rather unsocial."

"But my neighbor, so I need to be nice to him." She grinned faintly. "So anyways... good job taking care of Trent's friends earlier. Very impressive."

[Andy 60]

"We're living with our dad," said Danny, then took a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, just out past Jefferson Avenue," Chase continued, "the house is okay, just don't know too many people yet. And trust Danny to get into a fight on the first day of school."

"Hey, they started it," Danny protested, "I'm not going to just sit there and take it am I? It was nothing really, anyway."

[Vergere 1]

"Trent was a thorn in my side when I was still in high school."

"Yeah, you're so old." Kelly rolled her eyes.

He just shook his head. "Good job fighting back. He needed it." He looked over his shoulder as someone bumped him, then smiled. "Your food... is served."

[Andy 60]

"Thanks," Danny said as they began to tuck in to their lunch. "Trust me, I'm not a violent person really, but I'll stick up for people when I have to. Kind of like a superhero; only not," he chuckled.

Edited May 4, 2008 by Andy

[Vergere 1]

She just raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh, of course." She nodded and stood up. "Well, I'm going to get ready for some surfing." She headed into one of the back rooms to change.

Lance shrugged. "So anything you guys want to try out here?" He motions about the increasingly busy room. "Looks like a party is getting started."

Brett came up to Lance. "Hey, you have my surfboard around here still?"

"Yeah, back in the extras room."

"Thanks, Lance."

[Andy 60]

"I think I'll just watch for now," Danny said.

Chase stood up and nudged Danny, "I'll be back soon, don't get going anywhere."

"Where are you off to?" Danny called after his brother, but got no reply.

***

Chase got into their car and took a look at the address scribbled on the paper he had in his pocket. Now to see if this place is for real, he thought to himself.

After a few minutes driving he found the place; a large mansion with neatly kept gardens. It looked very much the part of a posh private school. He stopped the car outside and contemplated whether to try his luck or come back another time when he felt braver.

Edited May 4, 2008 by Andy

[Drake 53]

Peter entered the den where the other four were talking. "Excuse me but we have company."

Kurt teleported from the room, presumably to see who it was.

"It does not look like girl you were talking about," said Peter. "This one is a boy."

"Probably Chase, then," said Hailey. "The British twin."

"Let's get this party started, then," Scott said, standing.

***

Kurt appeared in the lobby. He just about opened the door when he remembered his appearance. Whoever it was probably wouldn't react well to seeing a blue-furred mutant with a tail on their first visit. He switched on his holo-watched and looked out to see who it was.

[Andy 60]

After mulling it over for a few minutes, Chase got out the car and headed towards the building's entrance. As he approached he saw Kurt appear at the door.

"Hey there. This is the right place then after all," he said nervously.

[Drake 53]

"Welcome!" said Kurt. "Come on in and meet the teachers here. We just opened so me and Hailey are the only students so far."

The others came down the stairs in the lobby to greet the visitor.

"Hey Chase!" exclaimed Hailey, with a big smile.

[Andy 60]

Chase gingerly stepped into the lobby, and recognised Hailey from school. "Hi Hailey," he said as he shut the door behind him.

Three other people he didn't recognise were there too, so Chase introduced himself to them. "Hi, Chase Mitchell. I heard you help kids who, uhh, aren't your average teenagers?"

[Drake 53]

"That's right," said Jean. "My name is Jean Grey and this is Scott Summers. We're currently in charge of this institute. And this is Peter, who is in charge of security here."

Each of the teachers shook Chase's hand in turn.

"I bet you'll be wanting some reassurances about what we can do," said Jean. Raising her hand toward a nearby chair, she levitated it with her mind, floated it over to her and set it down again. "I'm a telepath. Scott here can fire concussive beams from his eyes. Peter can enhance his strength and protect his body by turning his skin into metal."

Peter smiled, changing his skin as she said.

"I believe you already know about Kurt and Hailey's abilities. There are hundreds, if not thousands of others across the country just like us. We know people who can control fire, alter magnetic forces, walk through walls, and shoot lighting bolts from their hands."

[Vergere 1]

Kelly came back into the room wearing a wetsuit, a surfboard in hand. She kissed Lance's cheeks, "Thanks hun." She smiled at Danny.

Lance smiled, "Sure you don't want to try out some surfing? I'm sure Kelly wouldn't mind showing you the ropes."

"Or I'm sure Natalie would too, if you wanted to wait a while. Most of us here don't mind at all." She smiled reassuringly.

[Andy 60]

"Oh, wow," Chase said in amazement, "I'm afraid I don't have a fancy ability like that... I can't even show you mine, it comes and goes when it likes."

***

"Oh go on," Danny grinned, "seeing as Chase has took off I'll give it a go. Never done it before, but I'm a quick learner."

Edited May 5, 2008 by Andy

[Vergere 1]

She smiled, "So that's a yes? You're gonna give this a go?"

[Rogue 4]

"That's okay!" Scott told Chase, looking at him through his red tinged glasses. "Most abilities start that way. You're not just going to wake up one morning and know the ins and outs of controlling it. It's going to take time, and practice. It's going to be a lot of work, but it will pay off in the end."

Jean put a hand on Chase's shoulders. "That's right. And as you learn to control it your abilities will change and grow."

***

Natalie paddled out a bit, feeling completely at home and comforted by the ocean. The ocean to her was a beautiful meld of contradictions. It was sometimes calm and tame, and other times wild and rough. It could be peaceful or angry. It was like a person in it's own right.

The sound of the waves on the shore calmed her, and she felt a wave coming on. She stood on her board, riding it until it broke, then settled down to wait for another one.

She heard a strange bird noise, and got a flash in her head. She turned her eyes to where she instinctively knew where it would be coming from. How did I know it was a hawk? Man, I'm good. But what's a hawk doing near the beach?

[Drake 53]

"If only I had been so lucky," said Hailey. "First time my powers surfaced, I sneezed and blew out a brick wall in my house."

"Niiiice," said Kurt.

***

The hawk flew out over the water, coming down low over the waves. It dropped down into the ocean, transforming into a dolphin as it submerged.

The dolphin sped along under the waves, slowing down beneath the surfers and one in particular...

[Rogue 4]

Natalie rose back onto her board as another wave came, but hadn't expected it to be so hard. She misstepped half way through it, collapsing into the surf. She took a breath, filling her lungs right before going under, and didn't panic as most people would have done. She had fallen off her surfboard enough to know that panicing didn't help.

But then she heard a sound, like a dolphin, and suddenly everything changed. Just like she'd pictured the hawk before in her mind, now she pictured everything around her. The algae, the fish, the dolphin and...

She opened her eyes, and what she saw made her suddenly feel the need to panic.

Edited May 5, 2008 by Rogue

[Vergere 1]

Kelly got Danny situated with a wetsuit, a board, and everything he'd need to learn how to surf, and headed out to the beach with him. She explained to him the basics of surfing and the like as they walked, Kelly being very animated and excited as she did so. They meandered around people already just lying out on the beach for some sun, and headed down to the edge of the water.

[Drake 53]

The dolphin watched as Natalie fell off her surfboard. It also spotted the white shark making its way towards the girl.

Letting out a squeal, the dolphin sped toward the shark at full speed. The predator tried to veer away at the last second but the dolphin's nose plowed into its side. The shark was temporarily stunned but it wouldn't be for long.

The dolphin swam up and surfaced right beside Natalie, who was trying to swim away as fast as she could.

"I know this is weird," Marcus, the dolphin, said, "but you're going to need to grab my back fin. I'll bring you back to shore."

[Rogue 4]

Natalie froze, her eyes going wide as she stared at the talking dolphin. The waves crashed, and another image flashed in her mind of the shark speeding towards her. She paniced, taking a leap of faith and grabbing onto the dolphin's fin.

[Vergere 1]

Kelly stopped mid-sentence to Danny and just stared at Natalie, and was about to ask if she was okay when she saw her friend grab the dolphin's fin. "Nat!" She moved closer to the water, "Nat, are you alright?"

[Drake 53]

Marcus swam back to shore, with Natalie on his back. He could see a figure running out to the water yelling at Nat. He turned slightly, heading towards an unpopulated area of the beach.

When it started getting too shallow for him to swim easily, Marcus said, "Don't freak out, Nat."

As soon as his belly started touching sand, Marcus transformed from the dolphin back into his human form. Unfortunately, he was still wearing all of his clothes from school so they prompty got soaked.

[Rogue 4]

As he began to transform, Natalie moved off of him, stumbling in the sand and tide. She took a few unsteady steps and tripped, falling to her hands and knees. She was shaking, and in shock, from both the shark attack and...

She couldn't even think about it. Couldn't comprehend it. The dolphin talked to her. It saved her, and now...Now it wasn't a dolphin at all. Now it was dark hair, tan skin...Marcus Connor.

He had told her not to freak, but she was definatly freaking. Either her dad put mushrooms in her sandwich this morning of she was going crazy all on her own.

[Drake 53]

Marcus wanted to help Natalie up but he also knew that going near her would probably freak her out even more. Instead, he took a couple steps back and lifted his hands, as though to physically defend himself from anything she said.

"Look, Nat," he finally managed to say, "I know you don't understand it but I'm different from other people. Obviously. But I'm still the same guy...inside. The same person you joke around with. It's just...for some reason...I can turn into any animal that I touch. I'd understand if you don't want to have anything to do with me...and I'll probably have to leave Greendale if you tell anyone, but I had to save you from that shark."

[Vergere 1]

Kelly just sighed as she saw Nat moving and looking uninjured, as well as the fact that there was another figure there talking to her. She shrugged and shook her head as she looked at Danny, "Well... I'll just assume she's alright unless she doesn't come back soon. I mean, she's a big girl and has been surfing long enough, I'm sure she'd say or do something if something happened." With that, she returns to discussing basic surfing.

Edited May 5, 2008 by Tyche