Day One: Introductions

[Mara 29]

"Yeah," he pointed. "Physics. And Chem." Joseph cocked an eyebrow at her, wondering how she'd respond and adding deadpan, "There's no surfing class here."

Noticing her glance, he looked over and smiled, waving. "Hey!"

* * * * * * * * *

Suddenly Bridget stopped in the middle of her monologue and stared at the other end of the bleachers. "Ew! Who let the freak in?"

Confused, August glanced over to where she was pointing and rolled her eyes, out of Bridget's view. She certainly knew that the boy wouldn't be the only one dressed like a "freak" in this school. Bridget was just too self-absorbed to notice most of the time.

Edited May 1, 2008 by Mara

[Drake 53]

Marcus shrugged and leaned back. He spotted the two new students behind him. "Told you my highlights. Bookend spare periods with five days of slacking off in between."

He turned around and gave his best half-ass welcoming smile to the new people behind him. "Welcome to Greendale. I'm Marcus. Are you new to the school?"

The girl with the short brown hair smiled back at him, except hers was genuine. "Yeah, we're new here. My name's Hailey and this is Kurt." She reached out and shook Marcus' hand.

The guy named Kurt only waved instead of offering his hand. "Hello," he said, with a heavy German accent.

"From out of town, then?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah," said Hailey. "I transferred from Toronto and Kurt here..."

"I'm from New York," Kurt finished. "Originally Germany."

Marcus smiled again, this one coming a little easier. "Well that's great."

Edited May 1, 2008 by Drake

[Andy 60]

"Over here," Danny said, and headed over to where the girl had just called them with Chase following.

They took their seats and Danny turned to introduce himself; "Cheers, the name's Danny... Kinda new here."

[Rogue 4]

Natalie hadn't expected the accent, and was visibly surprised. "Wow, you guys are British, right?" She sat up straighter in her seat. "That's a long way across the ocean."

[Mara 29]

Joseph held out a hand, "Joseph Sanchez. Nice to meet ya, hombre."

[Drake 53]

Marcus glanced back down at the two other newcomers. "Well it looks like this corner of the risers is turning into the model UN."

[Andy 60]

"Yeah, we moved over here in the summer," Danny explained, "our dad has a job in a fancy office in the city--"

"--but mum still lives at home in London," Chase finished dryly.

[Mara 29]

Joseph chuckled. "Now, don't chunk me in with all those model El Salvadorians, Marcus."

[Rogue 4]

"That's rough. My parents are divorced, so I know how you feel." She extended a smile and a handshake to both of them. "I'm Natalie Brook. So, you guys are twins? Is that cool at all, or is it weird having a carbon copy of yourself walking around?"

Edited May 1, 2008 by Rogue

[Andy 60]

"It can be cool, but it can be more annoying too... It's really just like having a brother the same age as you," Danny nudged Chase, "right Chase?"

"Right," Chase said unenthusiastically. He hated how his brother always got the attention. It was sometimes like nobody even noticed him at all...

"At least we don't dress the same though, else even our own family can't tell us apart!" Danny continued.

[Ayingel 24]

Lila hurried into the auditorium hoping that there was at least something open in the back. She didn't want to be anywhere near the front near the flailing pompoms or the football players who were required to be there. She pushed her way through to the back until she saw some people she really didn't know and a few people she recognized from the year before. "Eh...hi." Lila smiled and looked to the end of the row. One seat was still open there. "Mind if I get through? I uh...get a little claustrophobic this close to the aisle."

***

Gertie was lined up with the rest of the cheerleaders off to the side. Looking up at the bleachers, she saw the whole student body, talking, getting ready for a new year. She watched everyone, eventually resting her eyes on the football team, and a couple of them looked back. Gertie smiled and waved her pompom at them. The principal had been talking, but no one had heard him.

"And now, please welcome your Greendale Gopher Cheerleaders!"

The girls all smiled and started running to the middle of the field, getting into formation. Gertie was right up front, smiling and ready to go. Gertie started off the cheer. "Ready girls?"

"Yes! Hi hello and how do you do? We are the Greendale Gophers and we welcome you! Well our name is the Gophers and we're here to say hello to you in a special way with a g-o-p-h-e-r-s -- Gophers! Gophers! Gophers!"

[Rogue 4]

Principal Warren smirked, looking out at the student body. He was a tall and lean man, with brown hair and glasses. He clasped his hands behind his back, waiting for the Cheerleader's cheers to be over.

Behind the glasses, eyes flashed yellow, wondering just how many of the student body contained the mutant X gene. Wondering just how many of them would come to their side, the side of the morally correct. The side where you fought for your place in this world instead of letting those lower on the evolutionary ladder control you.

"Thank you girls!" He said when the cheers ended. "I am Principal Warren. Following your old Principal's retirement, I am going to be running this school. Now I know this is a new school year, and the last for some of you, but I'm going to challenge you all to take a look at the world around you, and discover your rightful place in it. I also expect good test scores and another winning season for the Gophers!"

---

Natalie sighed as she moved out of the way for Lila. "Is this pep rally over yet?" She wondered aloud, Something about incredibly fake girls parading for the football team made her feel nautious.

[Andy 60]

"What... is... this...?" Chase wondered out loud, with a tone that half-suggested disgust.

"Well," Danny commented, "they certainly don't do this back home..."

Edited May 1, 2008 by Andy

[Rogue 4]

""What, Pep Rallys?" Natalie asked curiously. "Lucky..."

She couldn't believe that she had been a member of the pom pom brigade back in middle school. She really didn't know what she was thinking, but she was glad she had matured out of that one. She wasn't going to dumb herself down for anyone's benefit.

[Andy 60]

"Is the stereotype true though?" Danny asked, "I mean, cheerleaders are hot and all, but I prefer girls with brains."

[Rogue 4]

"Well, I'm screwed either way then." She joked. "Beats me. I don't have the proper biological prerequistites to answer that question. Marcus? Joeseph? Chase?" She couldn't pass up on this opportunity to get inside the testorsterone controlled brains of her fellow students.

[Ayingel 24]

Lila sat down and looked over the edge of the bleachers. The janitors had done just what she had thought they would do by running the cords for the PA system right along the bottom of the bleachers. She ran her hand below the bars and near the seats themselves to find the support beam. Finding what she was looking for she concentrated on sending some static down the pole. Some of it traveled down the seats as well causing some of the girls' hair to get frizzy. Lila laughed as they all flattened their hair seemingly at once. Finally she heard the results of her efforts--silence form the principal.

[Mara 29]

August's friend Bridget and the others were mumbling to themselves during the pep rally assembly. Mostly about the cheerleaders and football players. August tried to listen to the new principal.

"Do you see her hair? Ew."

"Look at his shoulders..."

"What is up with that eyeliner?"

* * * * * * * * * *

"Hmm?" he turned back to Natalie from scanning the crowd for more familiar faces. Joseph smiled. "Sorry, I missed that."

Edited May 1, 2008 by Mara

[Rogue 4]

Natalie flattened down her own hair before responding. "Danny here was just wondering if the American stereotype is true. What do you prefer, rico suave: Brains or body?"

On the gymnasium floor, the Principal was growing outraged by the sudden lack of volume, raising his voice to be more easily heard as the custodians rushed about, trying to find the source of the problem. To Natalie it was kind of comical.

Edited May 1, 2008 by Rogue

[Drake 53]

Hailey straightened her hair, leaned closer to Kurt and whispered, "I don't think this is natural, if you know what I mean."

Kurt agreed, "Da. Mine fur is standing on end all over. I'm just glad no one is close enough to feel it." He looked around, trying to make it look casual. Finally, he spotted a girl at the end of the bleachers. She was laughing and looking at Principal Warren while touching the metal support beam beneath her seat. Kurt pointed to her. "Dat one. Lila Mercer, I think. She's on da list of students to look out for. Jean found them with Cerebro."

"What's her power?" Hailey questioned, her voice low amidst the ever growing voices of the students around them.

"She's an electropath," Kurt answered. "She can control electricity with her brain. Dere's nothing to do about it now. We can talk to her when dis thing is over."

***

Marcus shrugged at Nat's question, "Mix of both. A great body's fun to look at and play with but brains can come up with killer pranks. Like when you messed with Ms. McPhearson last year."

He absently rubbed the back of his neck. For some reason it was tingling. It had happened several times before, mostly around Natalie. He supposed this time was no different. But why? he wondered.

[Rogue 4]

Natalie chuckled. "The old woman's practically deaf. She had no idea why the whole class was in different seats every time she turned around."

The bell rang, and Principal Warren dismissed them all. Natalie rose, standing on the bleachers before walking and jumping off. "Class is on the other side of the building. Catch you all later!"

[Ayingel 24]

"Gertie! Wait!" One of the senior football players was running after Gertie. She had been talking with another one of the cheerleaders, but stopped to turn around and smile.

"Hey, Brad."

"Good luck, Gertie!" The girl whispered before heading off.

"Gertie! I was hoping I'd catch you. I was thinking, maybe, after the game tonight we could get something to eat."

"Oh...well, I dunno...I was going to be staying over at Lisa's but, I think she might understand. But I'm not super sure...Like I said." She brushed him off and started walking away, counting silently in her head.

"My dad's loaning me his convertible for the night so--"

Gertie turned and smiled flirtatiously. "Well, we wouldn't want to make your dad give up his car for no reason..Okay, you talked me into it." She laughed and started heading towards her first class when someone bumped into her. "Hey! Watch it!"

***

"Whatever." Lila pushed on past the cheerleader. She laughed a little as Gertie's hair frizzed. That'll show her. She stopped at her locker and grabbed her computer before heading to her programming class. She had checked the class list earlier that morning and found out she would be the only girl in the class, so she hurried to get there before most of the guys. Lila was so lost in thought that she ran into a scarily pale guy. "Sorry."

[Drake 53]

"Later, Nat," said Marcus. He got up and turned to Hailey and Kurt behind him. "Have fun on your first day. Try not to get lost." He chuckled and left the gymnasium. It was a Monday so his first period was a spare, meaning he had no class. Now that he was a junior, he was allowed to leave school property on his breaks. Not that it would have stopped him anyway.

Marcus started towards the doors but paused when he saw the new principal, Mr. Warren, staring at him.

***

"I'm sorry too," said Kurt. "Dat was a neat trick you pulled back in the gym there."

Hailey came up beside Kurt, smiling. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with us. See, we're like you. Maybe we can talk about it after class?"

[Mara 29]

"Aw, I cannot have both?" Joseph chuckled. "Actually, I would choose neither." He winked, slung on his backpack, then hopped down the bleachers two at a time to catch up with the friends he spotted earlier on the way to class. "Hey, Jess, Taylor! How was your summer?"

The three of them chatted a while but broke up to make way to their classes. Joseph made it to his physics class just a few seconds before the starting bell and took an empty seat in the front. No one ever wanted those seats. He got out a notebook and pencil from his backpack and sat, eagerly awaiting the start of class.

* * * * * * * * *

In the commotion of the failed microphone power, the bell ringing for the first class, August quickly slipped away from her friends. She held her bag close to her side as she navigated through the crowded halls on the way to her first class.

Her heart was still pounding rapidly from earlier. August knew that it was more than just a little static that made her hair rise up like that, her spine had tingled. Just before the principal lost power. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. It wouldn't do to arrive half-flustered to her World literature class.

August had been dreading the return to school, though. More people, more accidents, more crazy tingling sensations in the back of her mind. Something she was afraid to tell anyone about, hoping it wasn't some tumor. And know that her family would make too much of a deal of it. Attention was something she avoided like the plague.

Calmer now, she slid into a seat near the back. A Miss Wertz was teaching World literature this semester, someone new.

Edited May 2, 2008 by Mara

[Ayingel 24]

Lila's eyes widened. "No, I don't think I have time." She hurried past the girl and made it into the computer lab. She set up her laptop next to a computer in the back so she could do her classwork and some research. As the teacher prattled on about basic programming, Lila brought up the school website on her laptop and pulled up the admin screen. Going through all the teachers' attendance, she finally found the two people who confronted her outside. Kurt Wagner, transfer from New York...and I know he's German...there's no hiding that accent. Hailey Hudson, exchange student from Ontario...but how would they know?