4Chapter One
Kate was running from some guy holding a club-like stick…again. She'd let someone see her natural form…again. Kate had thin light blue fur with cat-like ears on top of her head and a cat-like tail. She'd had to stay hidden since she was 8. When she'd been born, her parents didn't want her (big surprise) and she'd been in an orphanage. She had been mistreated from then on. She was fed and cared for, but no one liked her, nonetheless loved her. She didn't mind, but it just bugged her. So when she was eight, she'd ditched the orphanage. She was good at hiding, being a small 13 year old. She wasn't sure what she was or why she was like this, but she kept her cool about it. She had a nice hideout on the outskirts of New York. She had taken disused schoolbooks and learned from them, so she had an average education. She also had books to read.
The guy chasing her gave one last shout and gave up. She had more energy and metabolism, so she ran to her hideout and settled down to read one of her favorite book series: Animorphs, By K. A. Applegate. She was reading about how a character was tuning into a Hork Bajir, a 7-foot tall bladed alien, when suddenly she felt itchy all over. When she reached up to scratch, her skin was scaly. She looked at her body, which had begun to grow the dark green skin of a Hork Bajir. As she watched, she grew taller and blades spurted out of her calves, wrists, elbows, and on top of her head.
She almost freaked, but then she thought, "This must be another thing with the blue. What's it called, though?" She knew she was like the Animorphs, but she didn't need to absorb DNA and she could turn into fictional animals. "Well, finding food will be easier, but why couldn't I do this before? Oh, well, time for some human skin again." She concentrated on her human self, and she felt the changes begin again. Within seconds, she was human again.
Meanwhile, at a mansion in New York, Professor Charles Xavier took off the helmet to his device, Cerebro. Cerebro had informed him of a new mutant just outside New York. He wheeled out of the Cerebro chamber and rode the elevator to the main floor lobby. " Beast, Kurt. I need you to ready the Blackbird." He said to a big blue man who walked on his knuckles who had immense strength and another blue mutant who had two toes, three fingers, a pointed tail, and pointed ears who could teleport.
"But why us?" Said Kurt with a slight German accent.
"Because," Said Professor "She is blue, and has just discovered her mutation. By the brain waves I'm receiving, she's relatively calm, yet ignorant of exactly what she is. She was born blue, so she is used to that, but not her morphing power."
"Man, what is it with mutants and blue?" Said Kitty Pryde, a who could walk through walls and other things. "That's, like, four now. With Mystique, Kurt, Beast and now this chick, we could have, like, a band or something."
This got a laugh out of everyone. Kurt and Beast left the table to go with Professor to the Blackbird, the X-Men's jet. The X-Men were a group of mutants who fought for giving mutants a better name. They also taught young mutants to control their powers.
The Blackbird rose out of the blackboard outside of the mansion and took off north. A new mutant was coming to Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters.
Kate was roasting; she couldn't believe it, a rabbit. She was cooking it on the fire she'd made as a dragon. A dragon! When it seemed to be cooked, she took it off the fire so it would cool. Suddenly she heard engines. She looked up and saw a big black jet bearing down on her camp. She quickly morphed a mouse, and though the mouse brain inside her said RUN! Runrunrunrunrun! She stayed put. The jet set down and a bald man in a wheelchair, a blue guy who resembled a gorilla, and another blue kid who looked kind of like some sort of demon came out of it. The man held his fingers to his temples and a voice sounded inside Kate's head.
"Come on out; we won't harm you." The bald man said telepathically.
"And I should trust you because...?" She responded.
"Because we understand your position. You've seen whom I'm with. Now please let me talk to you as a human and not a mouse."
Kate demorphed and stood up. "Okay, now state your business." She said; quoting a favorite book character of hers from a book titled A Long Way From Chicago
The blue kid said, "Cut the strict Grandma Dowdel act and listen." Kate could tell he was restraining giggles.
"I'll listen to anyone who reads Richard Peck." She said, breaking into a wide grin.
"I am Professor Charles Xavier, and I run an institute for people like us. Mutants with gifts like yours. Not exactly like yours, but gifts all the same." Said the man in the wheelchair. "Hank McCoy here has immense strength, but he prefers to be called Beast by the kids. Kurt will give you a demonstration on his power."
There was a puff of blue-black smoke and Kurt, the kid, was gone; seconds later he reappeared at Kate's side.
"Well you already know what I can do. What else besides training do you have at this institute? Do I have to live here any more? Will you enroll me in normal school?" Kate said in an exited rush.
"A lot, no, and yes." Answered Beast. "We know you've been kept up in your education, so you'll be in eighth grade, along with Kurt and some other students."
After a moment of consideration, Kate looked at each mutant in turn and said "I'll come with you, but if I don't like it, which I doubt will happen, I'm coming back here." With that, she entered the jet, the others following. The jet took off, heading to the mansion.
Hiding in the shadows off to the side, the blue metamorphic mutant named Mystique scowled. She didn't like the idea of telling her boss that another mutant had joined Xavier, especially not this one.
The jet touched down in the hanger under the mansion. A woman with white hair was there to meet them.
"This is Ororo Monroe, or Storm." Said Professor Xavier. "She teaches you to use your powers better here at our institute."
"Hello. Professor, I need to talk to you for a second. Kate, Kurt and Beast will take you upstairs." Replied Storm.
Xavier looked puzzled and said "All right Ororo, what is it?" He wheeled off after Storm.
Kurt and Beast led Kate to an elevator. Beast put his hand on a pad inside attached to the wall. The elevator immediately started to go up.
"We usually cook great meals here, but seeing as it's the first Sunday of the month, we took a break and ordered pizza." Said Beast
"Ya, we don't even have to eat at the table. We can just lounge around and watch TV. It's great! And the best part is, we do it every month!" Said Kurt.
"Yummmm. Pizza. I haven't had pizza in a LONG time. What kind did you order?" Said Kate
"At least two of everything. And we almost never have leftovers." Beast laughed.
They had reached the entrance lobby of the mansion. Kids were running into a room off to the right. Kate guessed it was the dining room. An older with long red hair came up to them.
"Hi. You must be Kate. Professor told us about you when he found you on Cerebro. Cerebro is a machine that detects mutants when there powers are activated. I'm Jean Grey." She said. "I'm telekinetic, I can move stuff with my mind."
"Wow." Said Kate. "Wanna see what I can do?" Without waiting for an answer she began to morph an Andalite.
Andalites are another species of alien. It's body looked like that of a delicate blue deer, yet the torso was that of a human man with a light coat of blue fur. The hands, however, had seven fingers. The head was shaped like a human's with pointed ears and no mouth. Because they had no mouths, Andalites ate trough they're hooves. In place of a nose, there was an oval with three vertical slits in it. It had two eyes on its face, and another two mounted on stalks on the top of its head. It could see in all directions. Yet the weirdest part about the Andilite was its tail. Its tail was long and blue like the rest of it, with a wicked looking triangular blade on the end of it.
Jean, Kurt, Beast, and all the other X kids who could see her gaped. One came in, saw Kate, and screamed. The scream attracted everybody.
"What is that thing?" an older boy with red tinted shades said.
Who are you calling a thing buddy? Kate said in thought speak. Before anyone could blink, her tail blade was at his throat. Then, she demorphed in front of everyone, smiling.
"Whoa." Echoed around the room. The andalite was the best thing they'd ever seen. The same girl who had screamed dropped her pizza.
"I'm Scott, not buddy. In sessions and missions I'm Cyclops. I shoot heatless beams out of my eyes. That's why I need these shades." The guy said.
"So, your, like, the one the Professor went to get." The who'd dropped her pizza said. "Nice entrance."
"Thanks." Kate said, "I can morph any animal I wish, even fictional ones, like the Andalite you just saw, but morphing humans is out of the question."
"Oh. I can phase through stuff like walls and all that. My name's Kitty, or Shadowcat in training sessions. This is Bobby, Amara, Ray, Sam, Jamie, Roberto, Rouge, and Evan. Bobby makes ice, Amara can project heat waves, Ray makes electric energy, Sam can fly FAST, Jamie multiplies himself, Roberto uses solar energy, Rouge absorbs life force, powers and memories when she makes skin contact, and Evan has spikes. You'll fit right in." Said Kitty, pointing to who she introduced.
"Show me to the pizza, and I'm happy." Kate said, and followed Kitty to the dining room to get pizza.
Later, as she was getting to know the X kids better, Jean came up to Kate and said "Hey, Storm, Scott, and I went back to your hideout and got all your stuff. Come see your room."
Taken aback, Kate said "Room?"
"Yeah, where did you think you were going to sleep?" Jean said, laughing.
Kate followed Jean down a hallway and stopped in front of an open door. She stood for a moment and gaped. The room had sheets, a desk, a tall window in the back wall with a garden view, a bookshelf with all of her books, and an inflatable chair.
"You're lucky. You don't have to have a roommate. Tabitha just moved out, so you're on your own." Jean said "G'night. P.J.s are in the second center drawer down in the dresser."
Kate changed and crawled into the bed, sinking into the soft mattress. She'd barely had time to pull the soft, fluffy quilt over herself before she fell soundly asleep.
When she woke up the next morning, Kate looked in her closet, rummaged in some drawers, and finally chose a Happy Bunny shirt that said "Cute but psycho, things even out" and jeans. Going down the hall she met up with Kitty and Rouge. They were arguing.
"Oh, yeah. Well you snore, little miss pretty." Rouge snapped.
Kitty opened her mouth to say something, but thought twice and shut her mouth. Turning to Kate she said, "Cryptic darkness here was talking in her sleep."
Looking at Rouge, Kate realized the term "cryptic darkness" perfectly described Rogue. She was wearing black combat boots, tight black pants with a purple-black mini skirt over them, a black belly shirt with black gossamer over it, black gloves and wrist bands, and a thick black choker necklace. She was the definition of "cryptic darkness", but she put the outfit together well.
While walking down the hall, Kate passed a mirror. Looking in it at her blue fur, she started to wonder how she would be able to go to school.
As if in answer to her question, the professor wheeled into the hall in front of them.
"Ah, Kate. Just the person I was looking for. In order for you to go to school, you need to put on a normal appearance. This," he said, holding out a watch, "is an image inducer. Put it on and press the button on the bottom."
Kate did so, and as soon as she pressed the button, her skin became free of fur and normal. Her tail and ears vanished. "Professor!" She said, amazed. "Did you invent this?"
Smiling, he said, "Yes, I invented it. Kurt has one, too. You can still use your powers while you have them on. Go on and get breakfast. When you're going to leave Hank will have your backpack. All you need for school is in it."
While eating breakfast, pancakes, toast, eggs and sausage, Kitty leaned over and said to Kate "Just an F.Y.I., our principal, Ms. Darkholme, is Mystique. She is Magneto's head mutant. She can turn into anyone she likes, but in her natural form she's easy to recognize. She's blue with orange hair. Magneto is a mutant out against all of humanity. He bends metal with his mind. He's one bad dude."
"Whoa. We've got one of our top enemies AS OUR PRINCIPAL! Now I have a really good reason to stay out of the principals office." Kate said, making Kitty laugh.
"You joke about everything, don't you?" She said.
"That and sarcasm are the only free services I offer."
This brought laughs from around the table. The only one who didn't laugh was Kurt. He just sat there looking sullen and picking at his eggs. Kate decided to ask him about it after school. Suddenly a cry of "C'MON GUYS!" came from the front door. The rush of kids getting out of seats followed and all the X-kids went to get the packs from Beast and get to the SUV, Jeans convertible, and the other vehicles available.