Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel Comics and are being used for non-profit entertainment purposes only. David and the story belong to the author.

It all started with a dream. The only thing that separated it from any other dream was the vivid clarity by which I could see each detail, hear each sound, and even smell the strange and alien odors. The first thing I remember about it was the sound of bare feet slapping against stony ground. Then, as if I were opening slowly opening my eyes, a girl ran into view. She was young, probably around nine or ten years old. Her golden hair streamed behind her as she ran at breakneck speed through a dark, stone corridor. Flaming torches lining the walls cast a long, flickering shadow behind her, as if she were being followed by some demented wraith. Indeed, she was obviously terrified, her face contorted and her clear blue eyes half rolling back in her head. Without thought of self or movement, I drifted along with her until she finally entered a large, cold stone room. The floor was paved with dull red cobbles, dusty and worn as if from centuries of use. The throne pushed against a nearby wall was small, but carved with ornate skulls grinning and leering from every direction. Ignoring the throne, the girl continued running for another corridor, half tripping on a human skeleton lying shattered on the floor. Paying the skeleton no more attention than she had the throne, the girl regained her rhythm and picked up speed, her white robe fluttering around her white robe fluttering around her. She was not fast enough, however. A huge shadow dislodged from the hallway behind her and flew towards her with impossible speed. With the casual backhand of a red, callused fist, she was sent sprawling to the ground.

"The master is displeased with you," the creature growled. It bent over her, allowing its thick red tail to drag in the dirt. "He sent me to fetch you, as if I have nothing better to do than to run after a scrawny, stupid little girl like you." The creature snarled at her, displaying massive fangs.

"No, I'll be good--" The girl stared up at the creature, numb with terror.

"Too late for that," it cut her off and slowly reached for her.

"Please... don't..." the girl whimpered, shaking like a leaf caught in a thunderstorm.

"Please?" The creature smiled, baring its teeth again at her. "I like that." As it continued groping for the girl, I felt myself pulled inexorably toward it's gaping mouth and then through to the other side. That's when I saw the crystals next to the throne. They stood taller than me and resonated with a dark inner power, like a gateway into hell itself. Caught deep within the surface I saw a pale, misty face staring back at me and realized that it was my own. Was I here staring into the crystal, or was I trapped inside looking out? As if to answer my question, the crystal began to glow with a reddish purple light, pulsating in time to my heartbeat. The light intensified and a portal began to form in front of me. On the other side was the Earth, as if I were seeing it from space. Yet, somehow it was not the Earth; it was the place where this girl and this monster lived and breathed, a place where the imaginary became real and the real imaginary. Slowly, the world grew larger as if a camera were zooming in at incredible speeds. Instinctively, I knew that I had a choice. I could step through the portal to this world of dreams and nightmares, or I could turn my back and return to the existence I knew. And I didn't have much time to make the decision. Hesitating briefly, I stepped forward.

* * *

I stood silently and looking with more than a little trepidation at the heavy metal gates in front of me. It had been surprisingly easy to get here, all things considered. Well, maybe not that easy. The last place I had expected to appear after awaking from my "vision" was in the ladies restroom in a local mall. Since Easter shopping was under full swing, the bathroom was packed, and I immediately found myself in a really embarrassing situation. I guess I should count myself lucky that I had popped into a stall that was currently unoccupied, but it was still a mess trying to explain to those women what I was doing there. Most of them were too shocked and perplexed by my sudden appearance to speak, but one woman immediately ran out of the bathroom screaming for the police. And of course, there just happened to be a police officer nearby.

"You little hooligan," he had snarled, running towards me as I walked out. The police officer was a rather portly fellow, and he stuck his belly in my direction as if it were some kind of weapon. "What do you think you were doing? Did you think your little prank was funny? Pulling a stunt like this, during the holiday season no less!" He huffed, ignoring my stammered apologies and continuing, "where are your parents? They should know what you've been up to!" I'm 22 years old, but I guess I must look like I'm still in high school to him. Just one more added insult to ignore. The last thing I needed was to get myself hauled off to jail, especially considering that the police might discover that there is no record of my existence. Of course, that assumed that I was even where I thought I was; for all I knew, I had just entered the Twilight Zone. Maybe I could pump him for information while at the same time pretending like I belong there.

"I'm from Xavier's School for gifted youngsters," I said hopefully. I didn't really expect him to know the school I was talking about. If I was wrong, it probably didn't even exist.

Luckily, my gamble paid off. "You're one of them?" The police officer said, eyeing me disdainfully. "I should have known it would be one of those brats." It was not the reaction I had been hoping for, but my heart soared nonetheless. Could it be true? Was I really here, the place of my dreams? Not only was I here, but Xavier's school must be nearby. What luck! "What's your name?" The policeman continued, interrupting my thoughts.

"Joe McGregor," I lied easily. "I didn't mean any harm. Honestly!"

"Well Joe, rest assured that your headmaster will hear about this. After eyeing me balefully for a few more seconds, he stalked off, his butt jiggling slightly. A few girls tittered behind me and I couldn't help but smile myself. Despite his bluster, the policeman hadn't really meant any harm; he was just doing his job as well as he knew how. Still, I had plenty of problems to solve, the least of which was how the school's headmaster would react when he heard about my discrepancy. I turned and sighed to myself, wondering what I would do next. What would be the best way to get myself to the school? I didn't have a car, and I had very little money to boot. Would my credit cards work here?

"Hey," one of the girls said abruptly. She was attractive, with dark hair and slightly oriental features. "That was a pretty brave thing you did. Most people can't keep their composure with officer Bob."

"Officer Bob?" I said blankly.

"Well, that's what we call him at least," she responded, taking a step toward me. "The very finest in mall protection! I've known pit bulls with a friendlier disposition… I heard you mention that you're from Xavier's school. Is that true?"

"Not really," I admitted. "I'm more of a friend of the school, but I'm new to the area and I didn't know what else to say. My real name is David, by the way."

The girl smiled briefly and replied. "My name is Linda, and I'm glad to meet somebody else from Xavier's. I've met a few of their students; they seem like a nice bunch, not what I expected. I mean, everybody thinks they're stuck up," she continued blushing a little, "but they aren't at all. I guess it's because they pretty much keep to themselves that people think that."

I was disoriented but very pleased to see a friendly face, even a stranger. "I understand," I said happily. "Could you tell me how to get to the school? I'm on my way to visit them."

"You're almost there," she smiled. "Just take the bus to Greymalkin lane, although it might be a bit of a walk from there."

"All right, thanks a lot, Linda!" I said, offering my hand.

"You're welcome! Maybe I'll see you around." She smiled again, a little shyly.

"Maybe so," I responded smiling in return. Pretty girls always make me a little brain dead, and it occurred to me as I walked away that I should have asked about Douglas Ramsey. I remembered most of the events surrounding his death, so if I could find out if he was still alive or how long it had been since his death, I could establish my place on the time line. But, I didn't want to run back to Linda and ask her about Doug's health. What would I say? Is Doug still alive? If not, how long has he been dead? No, I had a bus to catch.

And that's how I found myself here, still standing in front of these gates. On the side of the gate was an intercom beside a red button, under which were written the words, "speak." Wow, I could finally put to use my four years at an engineering school! I glanced apprehensively at the button for a few more seconds and tentatively pushed it. A short buzz and then nothing. Are they not home? Am I too late? Should I climb the gate and try my luck at the door--I pushed the button again. Buzz… a few seconds later, a young sounding female voice answers.

"Yes, who is it?"

"David Matthews," I answered, not that I expected the name to mean anything to her. Her voice had a slight Scottish accent. Could this be Rahne? Again, my heart leapt within my chest, the impossible suddenly become possible. "I would like to speak with your headmaster." I managed to keep my voice from trembling, but just barely.

"I'm sorry, but he's not available at the moment," she said, sounding a little upset. I wondered if she thinks I'm some kind of law enforcement representative, or one of the mutants' less mundane enemies.

"I can wait," I responded truthfully; I had nowhere else to go. "It is extremely important that I speak with him. May I come in?" There was a long pause, and I heard the gate click open. With a sigh of relief I pushed my way past them and began walking up the long path to the school. Really, it's appearance was more like mansion that a school, with several stories and sweeping arches. As I walked, new fears and doubts assailed me. What if I had fallen into the wrong time? All my hoarded knowledge would be useless and I would have journeyed here for nothing. Calm down. Take things one step at a time. There is no point stressing out when I didn't even have cause yet. And like magic, I found myself in front of the mansion's two huge white doors.

I raised my hand to knock, but before I could land the blow, the door swung open to reveal a young woman inside. Standing half behind the door, she looked like a forest creature poised for flight. The shock of short red hair rising from her head only added to her wildness without mitigating the youth evident in her face. My breath caught in my throat, and it was all I could do not to shout her name out loud. Rahne! It's really you. I'm really here! I tried to suppress my surging giddiness.

"Do I know you?" She asked hesitantly. Obviously, she saw recognition cross my face.

"I don't think so," I answered, managing small secret smile. "May I come in?"

"I'm sorry, but Mag--Magnus isn't here right now, and I don't know when he'll return." She had almost said Magneto instead of Magnus. Luckily, I already knew that secret, as well as many others. If Magneto was the current headmaster instead of Charles Xavier, that meant that I must have been in roughly the right time period! The tinge of sorrow in her voice was out of place, though. Why would she care if Magneto was there or not?

"I'm sorry," Rahne repeated, interrupting my thoughts. "Would you like to leave a message for him?"

"No, that's ok," I said snapping back to the problem at hand. How do I convince Xavier's students to take me in? I needed to gain their trust so that they will pay heed to my warnings of things to come. It would have helped if I had more time to prepare. "How is Doug?" I asked, stalling. If I could find out exactly "when" I was, maybe I would be able to figure out how to proceed. "Does he still go here?" A shadow passed over her face like a cloud over the sun. In that brief moment, I saw sorrow more profound than any I'd seen before.

"I'm sorry, he died a few days ago. Were you a friend of his?"

Tell the truth? Hell no. But if I was going to lie, I'd better at least make it something hard to verify. "Well, sort of…" I replied slowly. Suddenly, the answer struck me. "He was a pen pal of mine. We met in an internet chat room and hit it off. Since then we've chatted occasionally. He spoke often of this school and his friends here and how important they were to him. I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd come and see it for myself." An impressive fabrication, I thought. "I'm truly sorry to hear that he died," I added sincerely. I was too late to save him, and I didn't have much time to help Illyana either. How could I make much of a difference with so little? But, I had to try.

"What did he say about me--about us?" Rahne asked eagerly, a tear trailing unnoticed from one eye. Suddenly, I felt like an jerk. Who was I to make up these stories about a man I had never known? I could only hurt those who loved him. But, in a way, I did know him and I didn't know what else to say. "I don't have his letters with me, but I remember thinking that he must care about you a lot." Time to play my first card. "Are you Rahne? He described you once to me."

"Why, yes!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands to her mouth. Tears were running freely down her face now, and she sniffed a little. Now I felt even more like an ass. I couldn't bare to watch her suffer, especially considering that I was causing the pain. I reached out and held her in a hug. She buried herself between my arms, not caring that I was a complete stranger. To her I was a link to Doug, a man she had dearly loved. Even knowing what she was, her gentle nature didn't surprise me. I held her uncomfortably for another moment and let her go. "I'm such a silly!" She exclaimed, wiping the tears from her face. "Here you've come all this way, and I'm carrying on like a ninny."

"Never apologize for your feelings," I answered. Good advice, but I rarely followed it myself.

She smiled at me and said, "well, come in! I'm sure that everybody will want to meet a friend of Doug's." I nodded and tried not to slouch. I couldn't afford to feel guilty about my lies. It would not be nearly as easy to befriend the rest of the New Mutants, let alone Magneto, and I needed my wits about me. The first thing that greeted me as I entered the foyer was a sloping stairway curling out to either side. The wooden rails were beautiful mahogany and the carpeting was plush. Rahne lead me beyond the stairs to a small room with a few comfortable looking chairs and sofas and a stack of old magazines piled on a table in the center.

"Have a seat," she smiled, her green eyes sparkling through her tears. "I'll go get the others." I sat down but immediately stood again when she left, filled with nervous energy. I paced for a moment and then sat down again. I tried deep breathing, but it didn't work. Conflicting emotions warred in my mind. What was I doing? The New Mutants would see right through my charade! Then what? I was about to see my childhood heroes… would I even be able to speak, let alone convince them to take me in? What would they think about me? I'm no hero. Calm down. CALM DOWN! I could only take things one step at a time, so I should just slow down and cross each bridge as I came to it. I picked up a magazine at random and pretended to read it. Soon, I heard footsteps coming down the hallway toward me. I carefully loosened my grip on the magazine and put it down. The door opened and Rahne ushered in two people. The woman was attractive, with an obvious native American heritage, with flowing black tresses and a proud demeanor. To complete the image, she was wearing buckskins. The man had curly brown hair and glasses. He looked a little nerdish and there was something unexplainably wrong about him.

"Hello, my name is Danielle Moonstar," the native American woman said, offering her hand authoritatively. "This is Warlock," she continued indicating the man. After a moment's hesitation, he also offered his hand.

"David Matthews. It's a pleasure to meet you both," I replied. An extreme understatement; it was all I could do to keep my hand from shaking.

"Rahne tells me that you're a friend of Doug's," Danielle asserted "I'm sorry that you had to find out about his death this way. It must be quite a shock."

"Yes. I can't say that I was very close to him, but I am very sorry to hear about his death. He spoke often of his friends here. You must be going through a very hard time right now."

Danielle nodded once slowly, an expression of pain flitting across her face like a ghost. "We were all very close to him. His funeral will be in a couple of days. You're welcome to come if you'd like to."

"Thanks," I said slowly, thinking furiously. "But I don't have a place to stay."

"Where are you from?" Danielle asked, her dark brown eyes accessing mine.

"North Carolina," I answered truthfully, and pushed my slipping glasses back on my nose.

"Well, that won't help," she acknowledged. "You came all this way to see Doug?" She asked a little incredulously.

"No, I wanted to go skiing in Vermont," I lied carefully, "so I thought I'd stop by on the way. I don't have much money, but if you know of any cheap hotels, I could stay there and take the bus to Doug's funeral."

"You'll do no such thing!" Rahne broke in. "We can let him stay with us for a few days, can't we Danielle?" She looked imploringly at the taller woman.

Danielle considered for a moment. "It's not my call. You remember what happened the last time we let an uninvited guest stay over." Rahne's face turned white and she looked away quickly. "I'm sorry, Rahne," Danielle said stricken, reaching a hand out to Rahne's shoulder. "I didn't mean it like that. All I'm saying that we should wait until Mags gets home before we say yes. We don't need to make him any angrier than he already is." She turned to give me a brief, piercing look. "You're welcome to stay here until then, if you like."

"Thank you," I replied courteously. "I'm looking forward to getting a chance to know the friends who Doug talked about so much."

"Danielle, I'll go ahead and find Sam and Bobby," Rahne said excitedly, her green eyes flashing. "I think they're in… the exercise room."

"Good idea, where's Illyana?" The name sent an unexpected jolt through me.

"She's in the rec room watching the videos… maybe we shouldn't bother her right now?" Rahne asked hesitantly.

"Ok, we'll wait for you in the living room," the Native American woman replied. After Rahne had left, Danielle lead me back past the stairs to a large room, also nicely furnished with sofas, chairs, and a coffee table surrounding a large TV. The room had the polished feel of a show room, used more for entertaining visitors than for every day use. Danielle turned to me, a questioning look in her brown eyes. "So, tell me David. How long have you known Doug?"

"Well, on and off for almost a year now," I answered. In a way, I had known him for much longer than that. "I met him in a chat room on the internet. He's a wiz with computers and I got him to help me with something I was working on. We kind of hit it off and we've kept in touch since then." I had better not elaborate much more on that. A good lie is a simple lie.

She nodded to herself, her black hair falling around her shoulders. "I'm still a little surprised that he never mentioned you to us, but I guess he could have met a lot of people that way without us knowing about it."

"Yeah," I agreed trying to keep my face impassive. "I mentioned that I might come visit him, but he probably didn't expect that I would really do it."

"How did you find the school, anyway? It's pretty far off the beaten track."

"Well--" I was saved from having to answer by the arrival of Rahne and two more men. One was tall, and his blond hair had a military cut. He wore blue jeans and a flannel shirt; everything about him screamed redneck, not that I'm one to judge. The other man was of medium height, maybe a little shorter than me. He was African American and wore casual, stylish clothes.

"Hello, my name is Sam, Sam Gunther," the taller man said offering his hand. "It's a pleasure ta meet ya." His southern accent was noticeable.

"And my name's Bobby," the black man interjected, also offering his hand.

"Carrot top here was all fired up about us meeting you," Sam continued, smiling at Rahne. "Seems you’re a friend of Doug's?"

"Yeah, although I can't really say that I knew him that well," I said forcing a smile. The more I repeated it, the thinner my story seemed to me.

"So how did you know him?" Bobby asked. After I explained my story again, he threw me a look of poorly guarded suspicion, but didn't say anything.

"He doesn't have a place to stay until Doug's funeral," Rahne chimed in, completely oblivious to Bobby's suspicion. "We have to let him stay with us!"

Sam looked at Rahne and then at Danielle. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to let him stay until Magnus comes back. It's been a while since we've had friends from outside the school come over to visit. He might agree to let David stay longer."

"Oh, David! Isn't that wonderful?" Rahne gushed. "Let me give you a tour of the mansion, since it looks like you'll be our guest for a while."

"I'll come with you," Danielle stated, her brow wrinkling slightly with thought. As the tour progressed I saw that the mansion really did have almost everything, including a library, studio, workshop, and a wine cellar. It even contained fully equipped computer lab. All the computers were top of the line and LAN networked. I couldn't help but be impressed with the amount of money that Xavier must have spent on this school, and I knew that this was just the tip of the iceberg. The really impressive stuff was contained in a hidden subbasement . As we progressed through the turn, I caught Danielle giving me long measured looks, as if I were an interesting puzzle. She was polite, even friendly, but I guessed that something about my story hadn't quite fitted in her mind. Well, I knew that they would figure me out sooner or later. I could only hope that they would get to know me a little bit before I had to play my next card. After the tour was finished I excused myself to go to the bathroom. On my way back, I heard the New Mutants in heated discussion in the living room. I slowed my pace to hear what they were saying and drifted toward the wall of the hallway.

"I tell you, I just don't trust him." The voice was Bobby's.

"Calm down, Bobby. Do you want him to hear you?" Danielle replied, sounding a little annoyed.

"Don't you think that it's awfully convenient," Bobby retorted more quietly, "that he showed up right after Doug's death and handed us a story that's almost impossible to check?"

"You have point," Danielle admitted. "More than that, he just looks guilty, like a child caught with his hand in the candy jar."

"Well, I think that you're both being daft!" Rahne spoke up, her Scottish accent dripping with scorn. "He's been the perfect gentleman to all of us. How do you explain the things he knows about Doug? Everything he's said has been right on target."

"Just because he knows something about Doug doesn't mean that he's who he says he is," Bobby exclaimed angrily.

"But self-friend Bobby," Warlock answered, his voice sounding mechanical and tinny. "Even if he is not who he says he is, he doesn't have to be an enemy. Self is also not what self seems, but self means him no harm."

"Warlock's right," Sam broke in. "He hasn't done anything to make us suspect that he means us any harm. For now, he's our guest and we should treat him as such."

"But stay on your guard, just in case," Danielle warned. "Where is he, anyway? He should have returned by now." That sounded like my cue. I stood away from the wall and started walking when I caught a flash of purple from the corner of my eye.

"Who are you?" A woman's voice demanded from behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin, but managed to keep myself from trembling as I turned to face her. Blond hair cascaded over her shoulders and her deep blue eyes regarded me coolly. She was slender but full figured, and I suddenly felt incredibly awkward and tongue-tied. I felt myself turn simultaneously ice cold and fiery hot as my face paled.

"Illyana!" Rahne called out. "It's ok. He's a friend of Doug's. We're letting him stay until Magnus comes home. He needs a place to stay until the funeral."

"Hello," I said, but my voice was a croak. "Hello," I tried again with better success. "My name is David," I continued offering her my hand. She relaxed a little and accepted it graciously.

"Illyana," she replied seriously. Trying to hide my nervousness and attempting to be gallant, I bent to kiss her hand. Startled, she snatched her hand away. I smiled at her, struggling not to show my disappointment. At least it was her turn to be off balance.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, trying to sound suave while pushing my slipping glasses back on my nose.

"Likewise…" she replied uncertainly. Her posture indicated to me that she was struggling to decide whether to be angry or amused. Suddenly, she seemed to regain her composure. "Well, come on," she said brushing past me. Her latex sports pants clung to her like a second skin, and my already scattered thoughts fled in every direction as I followed her into the living room. The students had arranged themselves on the sofa in front of the TV, so we settled down next to them.

"Where have you been, Illyana?" Sam asked, concern in his voice.

"Where do you think?" Illyana replied sarcastically. "I've been reviewing the tapes, and I think I'm beginning to figure out what happened."

"Illyana, you shouldn't keep doing this to yourself," Danielle said. "There's nothing you can do now."

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Danielle Moonstar!" Illyana's voice cracked with anger. "I'm going to find out what happened to my brother, and then I'm going to make whoever's responsible pay." There was a chilling note of finality in her voice, like the snap of a coffin lid. There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry about this, David," Danielle finally said. "It has been a hard time for all of us. We aren't normally so high strung."

"Hah!" Illyana laughed scornfully.

"Illyana--" Danielle began angrily but managed to control herself before speaking further.

"David, you heard about what happened in Dallas, didn't you?" Rahne interrupted. "It's all over the news. Illyana's brother is… was one of the X-men, who gave their lives to close the portal." Her emerald eyes were wide sorrow.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Illyana," I said, understanding her sorrow better than she knew. Yet, I knew that her brother wasn't really dead, merely hiding from his enemies. However, this didn't seem like the best time to share the news. "It must be very difficult for you to lose both a friend and a brother at the same time."

"Don't be sorry for me!" She retorted. "Be sorry for whoever did it; they shall know suffering a thousand times worse than my brother did." It may have been my imagination, but it seemed to me that her eyes momentarily glinted red. Instinctively, I felt myself shrinking against the couch, but then I remembered my dream and met Illyana's cold blue eyes without flinching. "So you know Doug, huh?" She finally asked, dropping her eyes first. Suddenly on the defensive, I gave her the same story that I had given the others. She nodded once, but didn't really seem to be listening to what I was saying. When I had finished, she took the short silence which followed to stand and stretch, her long blond hair falling luxuriously over her shoulders. "I'm going to grab something to eat before I continue reviewing the tapes," she remarked to nobody in particular. Her voice sounded tired.

"Illyana," Danielle tried again. "You've been at that for hours. Give it a rest for now; it will be waiting there for you tomorrow."

"I can't stop now, Danielle," Illyana sighed. "I'm so close I can taste it. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." With that, she left for the kitchen.

"Poor girl," Sam sighed softly. "She's had a pretty rough life, and she's managed to keep her head above water so far. But Peter, her brother--he was more than family. He was her hero. Now that he's dead, it's like her life doesn't have a foundation anymore; everything is spinning out of control."

"Is that why she wants revenge? It provides her a way of gaining control?" I asked.

"Not control at all, ta my mind," Sam responded thoughtfully. "She's been getting wilder every day since she heard the news. We all want to help, but we don't know how." That's where I come in, I thought to myself.

"All of you seem to really care about her," I replied. "In that way at least, she is lucky."

"Self concurs," Warlock spoke up. "Before self met self-friends, self did not even know what friendship is."

"Yeah, if it weren't for you guys, I might still be under my father's thumb now," Bobby joked.

"We've been through a lot together," Danielle acknowledged seriously. The Indian woman leaned forward slightly, allowing her midnight black hair to veil her face. "That's why it hurts us that she won't reach out to us, trust us with her problems."

"Maybe she just needs to wrestle with them herself for a while before she can bring them to you?" I suggested. I knew that this was a false hope, however. After a moment of silence, I said that I was hungry too. "Would you mind if I made myself a sandwich?" I asked politely.

"Help yourself," Sam answered. "Silverware is third drawer on the left."

When I walked into the kitchen, I saw Illyana taking a tremendous bite from a triple decker sandwich. Mayonnaise oozed out the sides and coated her long purple-polished fingernails.

"How can you eat that?" I asked.

"Like this," she mumbled over a mouth full of food as she took another bite.

"That reminds me of some Russian food I ate once." I replied good-naturedly. "It was really good, but it was two thirds mayonnaise."

"Well, I'm Russian, so I guess I'm entitled," Illyana gave a small smile.

"Oh really?" I asked, feigning surprise. "You don't have any accent."

"I came here when I was seven," she replied, her face darkening with some memory.

"Do you still speak Russian?"

"Not very often, why?"

"I am studying Russian, but I still do not speak it well," I answered in Russian. "I could use some practice," I continued, smiling.

"Not bad," she said in Russian, giving me a half smile. "Maybe I'll help you later. I need to go as soon as I finish this sandwich."

"So it's in my best interest to keep you talking so you never finish the sandwich," I said, smiling again. She gave a short, startled laugh.

"Not all the demons in hell could stop me from eating this sandwich," she retorted, taking another bite. She sounded like she was only half joking.

"After which, you're going to go review the tapes of your brother's death?" I asked.

"That's right," she stated, her face darkening again.

"May I take a look too? I've never seen them before."

"How could you miss them?" She asked, surprised. "They've been all over the news for days."

"I haven't watched TV for days," I shrugged. Illyana looked at me curiously for a moment before responding.

"No, this is something I have to do by myself." She sounded resolved, so I decided not to push my luck. It is never smart to argue with somebody who has her power… and temper.

"Ok, but let me know what you find out, ok? I'm curious to know for myself what happened."

"As you wish," she responded, licking the last of the sandwich from her fingers and washing it down with water.

With that, she stood up and left towards the school entrance. I toyed with the idea of following her for a moment, but decided against it. All in all, I thought the conversation had gone pretty well. For the first time, I felt confident that I could succeed in my newly fledged plan. I started to walk back, but suddenly wondered if the others were talking about me in my absence. I crept up to the edge of the kitchen and put my ear to the wall. They were speaking softly, but I could barely make it out.

"The more I talk to him, the more I think that there's something not quite right," Danielle whispered. "I think he's hiding something."

"He acts like he's known us for years," Bobby agreed.

"More than that, nothing we say surprises him," Danielle replied. "He didn't seem to notice the way that Warlock talks, and he didn't blink when we told him that Illyana's brother is an X-man. He didn't even react when Illyana started making her death threats. It's as if he already knows everything that we're telling him, but he's too polite to mention it."

"So you're blaming him for being friendly?" Rahne argued. "I cannae believe it. What has he done for you to mistrust him so?"

"Shh… he'll hear you Rahne! Keep it down," Danielle interrupted. "Where is he, anyway? Is he still talking to Illyana?"

"I wonder what they're talking about?" Bobby mused. "I heard Illyana laughing earlier."

"Point for him," Danielle declared. "I haven't heard her laugh since Doug died."

I smiled at Danielle's praise. Suddenly, I realized that I still hadn't eaten. I really was pretty hungry, so I made a sandwich as quickly as possible, and ate it slowly, turning over my next step in my mind. When I was finished, I walked into the next room without thinking to listen to any more of their conversation. Whatever they were talking about died on their lips as I entered and there was a brief, awkward silence.

I was desperately trying to think of something interesting to say when I heard the school door bang shut. Heavy, measured footsteps swiftly approached us. The man who entered the living room was tall, although not as tall as Sam, and he wore an expensive looking white suite. His hair was also a shock of white, and his gray eyes regarded me calmly from under a set of thick eyebrows. His face had the grimly chiseled look of a war veteran and his posture denoted somebody who was use to giving commands and having them be obeyed. So, this was Magneto.

"Who is this?" His tone was pleasant, but with a hint of steel underneath it. Although the question was directed at his students, his eyes bore into mine. I looked away first.

"This is David, he was a friend of Doug's," Rahne spoke in a rush and added defiantly, her green eyes flashing, "and he's a friend of ours too. He doesn't have a place to stay until Doug's funeral so we were wondering if he could stay with us?"

"Recent events haven't given me any reason to suspect that you can behave yourself while he's here." Magneto replied speculatively. His face was impassive, but under the surface I could tell that he was thinking hard.

"We will!" Rahne blurted, looking imploringly up at her headmaster. "We promise!"

"Sir, you're always saying how we should do more with people outside the school," Sam added.

Magneto considered for a moment. "What brings you out this way, David?" He finally asked. "Do your parents know you're here?" Why did he think that I'm young enough to need my parents' permission?

"Yes sir," I answered politely. "I was on my way to go ski in Vermont, but I told them that I would stop by here to see Doug."

"So how did you know Doug?" His question seemed bland, but I knew I had to make my response convincing. After I repeated my story for him, he considered for a moment.

"Very well. It's all right with me if you stay for a few days." Magneto smiled wolfishly. "Maybe you'll even keep my students out of trouble for a little while. Wouldn't that be a nice change?"

"See, I told you David!" Rahne cried, hugging me impulsively.

"My name is Magnus and I am the headmaster of this school. I hope you enjoy your stay here," Magneto said politely. "I'm sure that my students will show you the guest bedroom when it's time for bed. Let me have your parents' number so that I can contact them in case of an emergency." Uh oh! I didn't have any number that I dared give him.

"I could give you the number, sir, but I don't think they're home. They decided to go to the beach while I was away."

Magneto regarded me impassively for a moment. "Do you have any friends that I could get in touch with? Are you going to meet anyone in Vermont?"

"No, this is sort of a whim," I answered. "My parents have a cabin out that way, so I only have to worry about getting myself there."

"I see," he said, his face unreadable. His gaze flicked to Danielle and Sam, but they didn't meet his eyes. "I guess I'll have to settle for your parents' number. Wait a moment while I get pencil and paper." When he returned, I had the sinking feeling that he hadn't bought my story and was even now planning my interrogation. I knew that the man before me was one of the single most powerful men on the planet. However, he took the name and number I made up without comment.

"How did your visit with Doug's parents go?" Sam asked suddenly.

"As well as can be expected," Magneto replied, the lines of his face tightening. With that, he excused himself, saying that he had paperwork to attend to.

"Tomorrow afternoon, friends and family will view the body," Sam sighed, absently running his hand through his short blond hair. "You're welcome to come with us if you want."

After Magneto had left, we talked about various subjects. I remarked to Rahne that I liked her accent. She flushed and thanked me. She told me a little about what it was like growing up in Scotland with her father, a strict fundamentalist minister. The way she described it, Scotland sounded absolutely beautiful, but she didn't seem to miss it very much and she grew uncomfortable when discussing her background. I didn't push her; after all, I knew her secret. To put Rahne at ease, I redirected the conversation to Sam's past instead of hers.

His roots were equally humble. He had grown up as a miner's son in the Kentucky mountains. He was the oldest of the group and the hardest to teach, he joked. His father had died when he was younger, and he wanted the school's education in part because he wanted to make enough money to help support his poverty stricken family back home. Then Danielle slyly added that he was now dating Lila Cheney, the famous rock star, so money probably wouldn't be too big an issue. After a moment's pause, Sam stiffly replied he would never take handouts from his girlfriend. Biting back a sigh of exasperation, Danielle apologized and said she was only kidding. At this point, I decided that it might be a good idea to change the subject again, so I asked Danielle to tell me about herself.

In response, she proudly described her Cheyenne heritage and the values which her parents and grandfather had instilled in her. Although she missed her family, she said that she had needed the learning which this school would provide her, and she was glad to have made such good friends. I knew that the learning which she was talking about extended beyond algebra and physics. When Danielle was finished speaking, I asked Bobby the same question. He only described his father as a rich jerk, but he talked for several minutes about his mother and her exploits. She was an adventurer of the first class, he said, more courageous than Indian Jones. He described a few of the exotic locations she had visited in some detail.

"In fact," Bobby continued, "that's how we met Amara. She used to be a student here, too, but she transferred to the Massachusetts Academy." His tone expressed distaste at her decision. "We still keep in touch with her, though. We all still really think of her as one of us."

Finally, I looked at Warlock, curious to see what his response would be. Warlock looked questioningly at Danielle, who nodded slightly to him. "Self is an orphan," he began. "Self's father abandoned self when self was a child. Now self-friends are self's family."

"That's right, Warlock." Sam replied softly, putting his hand on Warlock's shoulder. "We're all family now, and we look after each other."

I looked at them and vicariously shared in their friendship. At that moment, I could clearly remember what had drawn me to their story, so long ago. In my life, I have had close friends, but never people that I felt I could rely on to the degree that these teenagers could rely on each other. It was beautiful to see, even though it hurt to be an outsider. Danielle had said that they had been through tough times together. I knew that she hadn't told me the half of it. They were like soldiers who knew their teammates so thoroughly that they couldn't help but love each other.

The students spent the rest of the night in various activities. Bobby and Warlock went to bed first. Illyana still hadn't returned from the rec room. Sam, Danielle, and Rahne talked with me for a while about the school and some of their memories of Doug. As it got later, Rahne became more and more withdrawn until she finally left for bed. I told Sam and Danielle a little about my life in college and my interest in Russia. Most people fall into three categories. Many people don't understand my interest in Russia, and they wonder why I don't take a "sensible" language like Spanish or Japanese. Other people aren't interested in either going to other countries or hearing about them. However, a few think that studying different languages and cultures is inherently interesting and encourage me, even if they don't know much about Russia itself. Danielle and Sam fell closest to the last category; I thought it was primarily because they were curious about Illyana's homeland. Then we talked for a while about languages, cultures, and current events. I was relieved to notice that the events in this world closely paralleled my own. Hopefully, I would be able to avoid giving myself away inadvertently in discussions like this one. Finally, we all said our good nights and went to bed.

I tossed and turned for a while in the unfamiliar bed before I realized that I wasn't about to go to sleep. My mind was working overtime, thinking about what I had done so far and what I hoped to accomplish. A kind of nervous excitement coursed through my veins, making it impossible for me to lie still. I tried doing a few push ups to burn away my excess energy, but they didn't help either. I glanced at my watch and realized that I had been tossing and turning for almost three hours. It was past two o'clock in the morning! Finally giving up, I decided to go watch a little TV in the living room. When I reached the stairway, however, I heard some sounds drifting down the stairway from the attic. Suddenly, I realized that somebody must be watching television upstairs. With a feeling of trepidation, like a burglar in somebody else's house, I crept up the stairs. When I reached the top, I found myself in a spacious room. A ping pong table and a pool table stood off to the side. At the far end, an old comfortable looking couch sat in front of a small TV and VCR. The entire room had a well used look, like an old favorite shoe. Poking above the couch I saw blond hair falling around slender shoulders. This must be the rec room, I realized. I stared at Illyana's back for a moment, wondering if I should just let her be. No, I was here to make a difference. I cleared my throat and forced myself to approach the sofa. Illyana didn't look at me as I sat down stiffly, but I could see the tears which streaked her face gleam in the television's light. For a minute, she didn't give any indication that she was aware of my presence.

"What do you want?" she finally asked, still not looking at me. Her voice was devoid of emotion.

"I thought you might like some company," I responded softly.

"You thought wrong," she replied without rancor.

"Sometimes it helps to talk things out with a friend. It gives you a different perspective."

"Are you a friend?" Illyana asked, finally turning to look at me. Her face was strangely shadowed in the flickering TV light. "I never met you before today."

"I would like to be your friend, if you'll let me," I replied, my heart in my throat.

"You don't even know me," she retorted angrily. "If you did, I assure you that you would run screaming from this room. Leave me alone."

"I know you better than you think, Illyana." I struggled briefly to continue speaking. "I know that you have spent most of your life alone, away from the people who truly care for you. I know how much you love your brother and that you have always wanted him to be proud of you, his little snowflake. Now that he is gone, I can only imagine how you must feel. Just don't lose hope. Remember, the X-men have come back from worse situations than this."

A look of shocked vulnerability crossed Illyana's face, but it was quickly replaced by one of anger. Before I had time to react, she grabbed my shirt collar, half choking me in a surprisingly strong grip. "How did you know that?" She hissed angrily. "Little snowflake was Piotr's special name for me. I never told anybody about it. Never!" She shouted.

"I… I…" I stuttered, frantically trying to think of a way to correct my error.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Illyana shouted, shaking me furiously.

"Illyana!" I shouted back, grabbing her wrists and trying to keep her from shaking my teeth from my head. "I'm a friend. You have to believe me, a friend!"

Suddenly, there was a roar like a rocket at close proximity and I caught a brief glimpse of short, sandy hair before somebody hurtling above me grabbed my arm and yanked me forcibly from my seat. I gasped in pain as my arm was nearly wrenched from its socket, and I fell to one knee. Sam was standing beside me, still holding my arm in a crushing grip.

"Illyana," he said panic stricken. "What's going on up here? I heard you shout and then I found the two of you at each other's throats."

"Maybe you should ask him!" Illyana growled, pointing an accusing finger at me. "I think he's been feeding all of us a line of bull."

Sam pulled me a little roughly to my feet and let me go so that I could face him. "That true?" He asked calmly.

I hesitated for a moment, but I knew that I was busted. Lying couldn't get me any further. "Yes," I replied softly, unable to meet his eyes. "I haven't really been completely honest with you."

"So you ain't really a friend of Doug's, then?"

"I… I would like to consider him a friend, even though we never spoke with each other." I met Sam's clear blue eyes briefly, but quickly looked down again.

"Seems to me that it ain't too polite to come to folks as a guest under false pretenses," Sam responded softly, but with a hint of steel.

"I'm sorry," I said sincerely. "I didn't know of any other way--"

"Any other way to intrude on our lives?" Illyana demanded, cutting me off. "Let me talk to him Sam. I'll find out exactly why he's here." She smiled at me, but it wasn't a very pleasant smile. I imagined that it was how a cat would smile at a mouse.

Sam glanced sharply at her. "No Illyana," he said decisively. "He hasn't done anything to deserve that, least so far as I know. If we have to, we'll send him to Danielle first. She can probably find out just as well as you can, and the effects will be a whole lot less permanent."

"A pity," Illyana replied, sending a dark look in my direction.

I struggled to speak for a moment and was finally able to free my voice. "I truly am sorry. I didn't mean for you to find out this way. I was going to tell you myself after the funeral, but I just wanted to give you a chance to get to know me."

"What I want to know is how you found out about my brother's name for me!" Illyana retorted.

"The same way that I know your other names." I had to force the words past my teeth. There was no turning back now. I held her blue eyes with my own and tried not to fall into their depths. "Which do you prefer, Magik or Darkchilde?"

Illyana blinked and drew back at my words. "How…?" She didn't finish the sentence.

"I think you had better start explaining," Sam said grimly.

"Maybe it would be better if I explained to everybody at once," I replied quietly. "I happen to know that everyone is awake. I only ask that you hear what I have to say before you tell Magneto."

"All right," Sam responded. "Let's go."

I was right about the rest of the students being awake. We ran into Bobby and Rahne coming up the stairs. Their questions died on their lips at the grim expressions on Sam's and Illyana's faces. In the kitchen, we found Danielle sitting on a strange, black metal chair. She was watching TV on a small set that rested on the kitchen counter.

"What's wrong?" Danielle asked, an expression of concern marking her face as she stood.

"Our guest here has some information that he would like to share with us, " Sam replied. "You can show yourself, Warlock," he continued addressing the chair. "He already knows about us."

After a moment's hesitation, the chair quivered. In the space of a few heartbeats, the metal folded in on itself like a viscous liquid and sprouted legs, arms, and a head topped with spiky metal shards. "Self complies," the alien murmured, looking at me with unbridled curiosity. Even though I already knew what Warlock was, I was still taken aback seeing it first hand. I was reminded unpleasantly of the movie, "Terminator 2."

Sam lead all of us to the living room, where he crossed his arms and looked at me calmly. "So, start explaining," he said.

Feeling their eyes on me, I suddenly desperately wished that I could turn invisible. Unfortunately, I am only human. "I would like to apologize to all of you," I began, trying not to slouch. "I haven't been honest with you about who I am or why I'm here."

"I knew it!" Bobby crowed eagerly. Rahne threw me a hurt look that wrenched my heart. She had trusted me, and in her eyes I had betrayed her. But, this had to be said, so I steeled myself to continue.

"I was hoping this moment wouldn't come until after Doug's funeral, but I blew it and here we are." I paused for a moment, gathering my breath and my courage. "I lied to you because you wouldn't believe the truth. I wanted all of you to get to know me a little before I dumped my surprise on you. That way, you would be more likely to believe me because you would know something of my character. I never met Doug on the internet, and I've never spoken to him."

Rahne sniffed and looked down. "Why would you do such a thing?" She cried softly. "I'm so stupid. I cannae believe I fell for it."

"You aren't the only one, Rahne," Danielle replied grimly. "He had all of us going for a while."

I faltered for a moment. "I'm sorry Rahne" I replied gently. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean to hurt any of you," I continued glancing at Illyana. "You probably won't believe me now, but I want to help. I know what I'm about to say sounds crazy, but please hear me through." I marshaled my thoughts for a moment, trying to think of the best way to explain. "I'm a traveler from another plane of existence. However, in a way, our two planes intersect. This intersection provided me with a window into your lives. I was able to look through this window and see fragments of people's lives. By chance, I noticed you and started watching your lives regularly. I shared your hopes, your dreams, and your disappointments. After a while, I didn't want to be just an observer any more. I wanted to meet you. As time went on, I saw… some things that I would like to prevent. For example, I was hoping that I would get here in time to prevent Doug's death, and I'll always regret that I was too late. Time works differently in our two realities. The way the realities intersect allowed me to observe any point in your past if I was determined enough. It stood to reason that if I could find some way to travel here, I could travel to any point in time. One day, I'm not really sure how, I got my chance, and that's how I ended up here." I stopped speaking and tried to judge their reaction to my words. It was as close to the truth as I dared come.

"What a load of hogwash," Bobby said finally. "I can't believe you honestly expect us to believe that."

"It's interesting to see so much cynicism in a mutant who can harness solar energy," I retorted sharply. "Not that your power did you much good while you were fighting the demon bear. One swipe of its claws and it enslaved you to its will." I stopped, pretending to consider for a moment. " I guess I shouldn't be too harsh. When you went to Asgard, your strength actually increased due to the potency of the sun there." I could almost hear the students' jaws drop at my words. "All of you have met gods. Many of you have died and been resurrected. Compared with that, does my story really sound so unbelievable?"

There was a full minute of silence following my words. Finally, Danielle spoke speculatively. "Just because you know all these things doesn't mean that you are who you say you are. You could have broken into Xavier's files, or you could even be working with our enemies."

"If I had meant you harm," I replied evenly, "you would be dead. For example, I could simply have told the Animator how you were going to escape. None of you would have left that Island. At least Doug died a free man, sacrificing himself for the woman he loved." I glanced meaningfully at Rahne and she immediately broke into tears. Feeling like a rat for making her cry, I looked down again.

"Assuming for tha moment that we believe you," Sam interrupted my thoughts. "What other 'bad things' did you come to warn us about?"

"That's the rub," I replied uncertainly. "What I saw was your future, but it was a future that didn't include me. The more things I do to alter that future, the less what I know holds true. I think that I will be able to help you most effectively if I wait to give you information until it is critical that you have it."

"Awfully convenient, isn't it?" Bobby retorted sarcastically.

I stopped, my gaze boring into his brown eyes. "What if I told you that you're going to die, Bobby?" I asked softly. "What if I told you that one of your enemies, Silver Samurai for example, will kill you during your next battle? What will you do? Will you run away when that fight starts or try to avoid it altogether? What if during that battled you saved one of your teammates lives before losing your own? Who can predict how the battle would have gone if you had not been there? On the other hand, what if I just yelled, 'look out, he's behind you!' at a critical moment? Thus, I could preserve the parts of history that went well and repair those that didn't. Now, do you understand?"

"Except for one thing," Sam replied slowly. "What makes you think that you have the right to change history?"

"What gives you the right to put on your shoes each morning?" I retorted, pushing my glasses back on my nose. "We all make choices, and those choices could impact others in ways we could never predict. The only difference is that I know what will happen if I fail to act. I think that makes it my responsibility to do something based on that knowledge."

"Still, it doesn't seem right ta me, mucking around with the past," Sam replied slowly. "It's just arrogant to think that you know best what should and should not be, as if you were God Himself."

"I tend to agree," Danielle spoke up, her brow slightly wrinkled with thought. "But I still would like to know what exactly it is that you're trying to prevent. Why is this so important to you that you traveled to another dimension?"

A fair question. How could I answer? These teenagers represented a dream to me, the hope that nothing is truly impossible. Heart and spirit really can conquer all… at least most of the time. "As I said, I grew to know you over the years. Without my intervention, two more of you will die and your team, the New Mutants, will break up. I didn't want to let that happen."

"Oh no!" Gasped Rahne, raising a pale hand to her mouth. They all looked a little shaken at my words.

"That's IF you're telling the truth," Bobby interjected darkly. "IF you're from another flipping dimension and came all this way just to save our butts. So far, you don't have too great a record in the truth department. Besides which, what do you want us to do, haul you around with us everywhere we go? Do you have any super powers, or are you going to hide somewhere during battles until it's time to save someone? You'll probably just get yourself killed and maybe us along with you."

"Bobby isn't winning any awards for his charm, but he does have a point," Danielle concurred. "Doug died because his power wasn't useful in combat. We tried to protect him, but all it took was one momentary lapse in attention and he was killed. I don't want to be responsible for your death too." Mirage and Sam were the unofficial co-leaders of the New Mutants.

"It's not your fault, Danielle," I responded. "It was his choice, his sacrifice to make. There was no way you could have known. However, I know the risks. Moreover, knowing the future has its perks. I know what your enemies are capable of and what situations to avoid. If I find myself facing a dangerous adversary, I'm not too proud to run. I know very well what my limitations are."

"You said that you could see the past as well?" Illyana broke in unexpectedly. Her voice sounded inexplicably melancholy. "Did you see me as a child in Limbo?"

"Yes."

"Who was my first teacher of magic?" Was this a test of some kind? The answer seemed obvious. The demon lord Belasco had abducted her from earth in order to corrupt her and use her as a conduit, a means of returning from exile. Towards this end, he spent years teaching her black magic. But as I thought about it, I realized that he was not truly her first teacher.

"Ororo," I said finally. "Before Belasco recaptured you, she was able to teach you how to fight his influence. This knowledge is what ultimately allowed you to defeat him years later." At my words, Illyana turned white.

"There's absolutely no way he could know that," she gasped. "No one on this planet could have known about that except for me." Briefly, I saw her fight back tears. Suddenly, her face shifted to anger and she turned towards me violently. "You bastard! Why did you wait until now? Why did you leave me in that God forsaken place, if you knew how I could escape?"

"If I had gone there, I just would have been trapped with you!" I responded heatedly. What did she want from me? I had given up everything to save her, and I was met with nothing but suspicion and accusations. "Besides which, if you had not stayed to defeat Belasco and send him into exile, he would still be free to abduct more apprentices. Also, it would fundamentally alter the course of history. You probably never would have joined the New Mutants, and who knows what might have happened in your absence. You have saved people's lives on more than one occasion--"

"Ok, this is getting us nowhere," Sam interrupted me. "I think that we've already said everything that there is to be said. Further arguing won't accomplish anything. It's time to take a vote. Should we take him at his word or send him packing. Since there's an even number of us, I won't vote. Bobby what do you think?"

"I don't trust him." Bobby's dark face scowled at me.

"Rahne?"

"I think he deserves a second chance," she answered, smiling shyly at me. "Everybody makes mistakes." Apparently she had already forgiven me, which only made me feel worse.

"Illyana?" She didn't seem to hear him. "Illyana? Ok, I'll come back to you."

"Warlock?"

"Self agrees with self-friend Rahne."

"Danielle?"

"I don't think that he means us any harm," Danielle responded, her proud native American features giving nothing away. "But, I can't help wondering if he might end up making things worse. After all, he said himself that he has no way of knowing what the results of his actions will be. Besides which, I can't allow him to jeopardize his safety for ours."

"Ok, Illyana. That means that you are the tie breaker. What's it going to be?" Illyana hesitated another moment before finally speaking.

"You know… it's ironic. If what he says is true, then he is probably the only person in the world who really knows me, knows the things about my past that I've been afraid to tell anyone." Illyana turned towards me, her blond hair falling gently across her shoulders, but she couldn't meet my eyes. "I don't understand. Knowing these things, aren't you afraid of me, of what I can do? You know what I'm capable of, yet you came to help us anyway? Who am I to say no? I only hope that you won't need to save them from me."

"You're one of us, Illyana," Rahne responded, hesitantly reaching out to take Illyana's hand.

"So it's agreed," Sam said solemnly. "I have reservations, but I hope that I'm worrying about nothing. Welcome to the New Mutants."

"Wait a minute. How are we going to get Magneto to agree to this?" Bobby asked suddenly.

"Bobby!" Danielle exclaimed.

"What? It's not as if he doesn't already know that our headmaster is really Magneto, right?" Bobby asked, shooting me an angry look.

"Yes," I confirmed. "He started teaching here after Charles Xavier went to outer space."

"Jeze!" Danielle blurted. "Would you stop doing that? It gives me the creeps. You said that without even blinking; don't we have any secrets from you?"

"None that I know of," I quipped. "If it makes you feel any better, the more time passes, the less I'll know. Also, there are probably plenty of things that I saw and don't remember anymore. As for Magneto… maybe I could approach him and tell him that I'm a mutant? My power is seeing possible futures, and one of my visions told me that Doug was also mutant. I'll tell Magneto that I'm afraid of what might happen to me back home if people find out that I'm a mutant. I think I can convince him to allow me to stay."

"Better wait 'till after the funeral," Sam replied, absently rubbing his short, sandy blond hair. "Let things calm down a bit before you stir them up again. I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty tired. Let's get some shut eye."

"Agreed!" Danielle said wholeheartedly. "I think I'm about to fall over on the spot." With that, we all retired to our respective rooms. Rahne threw me a bright smile as we parted and I waved at her. I looked at Illyana as she walked past, but she didn't seem to be paying any attention to her surroundings. Instead of returning to her room, she continued up the stairs towards the rec room. Sighing softly, I decided to let her be. I only had time to think idly about what the next day would bring before I quickly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Again, I found myself in a strange dream-reality. Without transition, without even noticing the absence of transition, I found myself in the middle of a battlefield. The New Mutants were there too, locked in mortal combat with armored shock troops. Explosions rocked the battle field. Reddish-purple light flickered here and there, seemingly at random. Machine guns flashed. With a roar, something rocketed overhead, trailing orange fumes. Unnoticed by the others, a scrawny man clad in animal skins lifted a pistol, it's muzzle glinting in the sunlight. His eyes rolled in their sockets and his face was contorted in a bestial snarl.

"Rahne, he has a gun!" A voice shouted. The gun went off, barely heard in all the commotion. Stumbling a body fell in front of me. The young man was bleeding heavily from a hole in his back. Even sprawled across the ground, he was obviously handsome. His golden hair and delicate features made him look almost godlike, a pale and innocent Dionysos.

"Doug! Get back!" Rahne's voice drifted towards me. "Please. I can handle him alone. He's still armed and dangerous and you have no powers." She hadn't seen the man in animal skins. She didn't know of the young godling's sacrifice or see his blue eyes clouding over as he whispered his last words.

"Don't be mad, Rahne..." his chest moved once, twice. "I'll... never... do it... again." Blood trickled slowly from his mouth onto the dirt below and a celestial voice seemed to say, "your sacrifice is accepted. Sleep in peace."

* * *

The next morning, I was woken by loud knocking on my door.

"Time to rise and shine!" Sam practically yelled as he opened the door. "We have to leave for the viewing in 30 minutes.

"Oh my Gosh! I don't have anything to wear!" I realized belatedly, fumbling for my glasses.

"Hold on, I think I have an extra suit," Sam responded and dashed out of the room. He returned with a pin-striped suit that looked like it belonged to a door to door salesman. "It's probably too big," he apologized, "but I guess beggars can't be choosers."

"Shoes?" I asked.

"I don't have any extras… wait, I'll grab one of Bobby's pairs."

I dressed quickly and put on Bobby's expensive shoes when Sam returned. I could only guess how terrible my mismatched outfit must look. The sleeves of the jacket completely covered my hands, and I barely managed to refrain from rolling them up. Quickly running my fingers through my tangled brown hair, I ran to the kitchen to find something to eat. The rest of the team was already finishing up with their breakfast. I noticed that Illyana was absent and sighed again to myself. Fortunately, I was able to scrounge together some cereal for breakfast quickly, because I heard a car horn blow at the same instant as I was taking my last bite.

"Magneto's here! We better run," Danielle exclaimed.

"Warlock, you'd better assume a human form," I suddenly blurted, glancing at the black, metallic alien. "We don't want to spill the beans too early to Magneto that I know about you guys." Warlock abruptly began to fold and mold himself into a more human looking form. As his new body coalesced, Warlock's skin blended into new pigments until the nerdy guy with brown hair was standing in front of me again. I found myself staring and realized that it would still take some time for me to get used to my new friends.

"Self complies," Warlock murmured unnecessarily, and we hurried outside to find an old car waiting for us. Beside it was standing a very impatient Magneto.

"Where the devil is Illyana?" He demanded.

"Uh…" Sam stuttered, desperately searching for some way to stall. Quietly, almost imperceptibly, I caught a glimpse of light a few feet behind Magneto. Hellish, purple red rays oozed from a rent in the fabric of reality itself. Hanging in the air at about head level, this gap quickly widened from a pinprick into a horizontal circle.

"I asked you a question!" Magneto growled, not noticing the light behind him. The circle quickly descended, and Illyana rose from it like a specter from the grave.

"Here I am!" She called, her voice sounding utterly calm. I noticed with detachment that she was wearing a rather attractive purple dress.

"You're late; students, get into the car!" Magneto replied, completely oblivious to what had just happened. If the rest of the New Mutants had noticed her spectacular arrival, they didn't give any sign. Magneto looked at me and sighed. "I'm afraid it's going to be a tight squeeze, fitting all of you in the car. I trust that you'll work something out quickly." With that he walked to the driver's seat. I ended up sitting in the middle; Bobby was on my left, and while Danielle claimed the passenger side seat in the front, Illyana and Sam sat down on my right. We decided unanimously that Rahne would sit in somebody's lap, since she was the smallest. After a few minutes of shifting around uncomfortably, we were able to at least keep our elbows out of each other's ribs.

"You look real tuckered out, Illyana. Where've ya been?" Sam whispered to Illyana, concern obvious in his voice.

"In limbo. Watching those tapes. And thinking." Illyana enunciated each word angrily. "I know now whose fault it is my brother died."

"What? Whose?" Sam asked surprised, but Illyana only shook her said and said, "later." Magneto turned towards us and hesitated when he saw me.

"I told Doug's parents what happened to him," he said finally. "We were on a camping trip and Doug wandered off into the woods alone. We heard a shot and rushed back to find Doug's body. It's hunting season. These things happen, but we should have been more careful," he added significantly. "The bullet entered his right side and passed on through. There'll be an investigation, as there always is in shooting cases, but don't get flustered. Just explain it to them the same way I just explained it to you and there won't be any misunderstandings." Magneto's face was set in grimly chiseled lines, as if he were carved from marble. With those comforting words, we drove off. The teenagers were silent during the short ride to the church, and when we arrived, Doug's parents were waiting for us outside.

"Mr. and Mrs Ramsey… words cannot express how sorry I am… about what happened," Magneto began uncomfortably. After a few more clumsy attempts at consoling the grief stricken parents, he led his students into the dimly lit room.

"My baby! No… no…." Doug's mother sobbed, utterly loosing her composure at the sight of her dead son's face. As the New Mutants filed around the coffin, Magneto stood on the other side looking down. He didn't move. Indeed, he didn't seem capable of movement, like a worn and beaten statue. Tears were streaming down Rahne's face as she clutched her hands to her lips. Illyana absently put a protective arm around Rahne's shoulders. Sam threw his eyes to the ceiling and struggled desperately to suppress his own tears.

"Self friend Bobby… that is not dear friend Doug," Warlock whispered, an expression of complete confusion on his face. He reached out to touch the corpse of the blond-haired boy. "It does not look like him!"

"Hush, Warlock!" Bobby whispered urgently, snatching Warlock's hand back. "Cut it out! You can't touch him; it's not allowed. It's the wax and embalming stuff that makes him look so funny. I'll explain later. Just do what we do. Behave!"

"No, Warlock's right!" Rahne cried suddenly. "That isn't Doug, that can't be Doug!" Without another word, she turned and fled from the church.

"Rahne!" Magneto called out stricken and reached awkwardly for her.

"Don't worry, sir!" Sam replied hurriedly. "You stay right here. We'll take care of her." With that, the teenagers ran after their friend. As I ran after them, I heard one of Doug's relatives say, "private school brats! Running around like hooligans…"

"Wait!" Magneto yelled at me, but I ignored him and continued running. We found Rahne around the side of Church, clutching a stunted tree as if it were a life raft.

"What'll we do? What can we say to her?" Danielle asked hopelessly as she rushed to Rahne. "Look, Rahne, sweetie, you're religious, right?" She asked enfolding Rahne in her arms. "And Doug died like a hero. He was a good guy. Don't you think he's gone to a better place and he's happy in heaven?"

"I… I should think that," the fourteen year old girl wailed,"but I'm wicked. And I just think that he's not here with us any more."

"But Rahne, if it was God's will?" Danielle continued desperately.

"It's not my will!" Rahne replied hotly. "Doug was good and kind. He was my friend. He died saving me." She paused gathering breath. "It was my fault he died, and I didn't even notice. And I could have saved him! I loved him and I didn't even notice when he died," she sobbed, clawing at her hair. "And they're going to shut him up in that coffin and bury him in the ground where it's cold and dark and I'll never see him again!"

"Men will bury self friend Doug in box, away from light and sun forever?" Warlock suddenly interrupted, his metallic voice screaming shrilly. "No, self must stop them!" Losing all control over his shape changing ability, he exploded into black, metallic spaghetti.

"Warlock… Doug's dead, and it's what happens when people are dead," Bobby answered, trying not to panic. "It shows respect."

"Listen, Warlock," Sam responded, putting an arm around the frightened alien's slowly reforming shoulder. "The bible says that on judgment day, Doug's body will rise. Buryin' keeps his body safe till then."

"Besides which," I broke in suddenly. The others turned to me in surprise. I guess they had forgotten that I had followed. "That body is just a shell. Doug, the real Doug, is gone and won't come back no matter what we do. Burying the shell is just a way of saying goodbye." I reached out hesitantly to touch Warlock's other shoulder. His metallic skin was warm and strangely textured--not entirely unpleasant.

"That's right," Sam agreed, giving me a strange look. "Please pull yourself together Warlock, before somebody sees you."

With a little more coaxing we managed to convince Warlock to return to his human form. Rahne was still quietly sobbing on the tree with Danielle whispering softly to her. The rest of us gave her space and huddled together, feeling dejected and uncomfortable. After a while, Magneto walked around the side of the church and approached us. He started to speak, but when he saw Rahne, his words caught in his throat. He stood silently watching us, his expression unreadable. When Rahne's tears finally slowed to a trickle, he led us back to the car. The ride home was even worse than the ride to the church. The only sound to break the silence was Rahne's sniffling.

After we got home, I went to my room to change. I realized absently that I should probably buy more clothing, since I only had one set. But, that's a problem for later. I returned the suite and shoes to their owners and glanced at my watch. It was a little past eleven and my stomach was starting to rumble. It felt almost sacrilegious to eat after such a solemn event, but I decided that it would be useless to argue with my stomach over the issue. I wandered back to the kitchen and made myself another sandwich. Sam and Bobby were already there eating leftovers. Sam nodded to me, but other than that, they didn't show any awareness of my presence. After I finished eating, I decided to go outside to the backyard, mainly in order to avoid the oppressive silence. There, lying on the grass, I found a large red wolf. She lay on her side, panting slightly.

"Hey, Rahne," I said sitting down beside her. "Do you mind if I pet you?" The wolf pricked her ears, but otherwise ignored me. I sighed to myself and stroked her red hair. I sat for a few minutes without speaking. Really, it was a beautiful day. The sun shown brightly and the grass was still glistening with spring dew. It was far too beautiful a day to have conversations like this. "I know it hurts now, but one day this will just be an unhappy memory," I finally said. "You will find love again--" At my words, the wolf jumped to her feet, pushing my hand aside. Bones and flesh shifted rapidly until a creature from dark stories stood above me. Rahne was a werewolf.

"You don't understand anything at all!" Rahne growled, her voice guttural and angry. "My father was right. I'm wicked, evil. Otherwise, why would I not have saved Doug? God would never have chosen for him to die instead of me. Just leave me alone!" Taking small satisfaction from the fear her sudden transformation had invoked in me, she shifted back into wolf form and ran towards the woods. I watched her go, tongue tied.

"This whole thing is still pretty raw for her," a voice spoke from behind me. Startled, I glanced around to see Danielle. "She just needs some time alone to sort things out. She may seem fragile, but believe me, she's a tough girl. She'll get through this all right." Danielle sat down beside me, her arms folded protectively across her chest.

"How about you?" I asked, trying to shake off my surprise. "She isn't the only one who's lost a friend."

"I'm doing ok," Danielle responded, looking down to let her jet black hair cover her face. "I just can't help wondering who's next. Who's life will be lost next, because of my mistakes?"

"Your mistakes?" I repeated dumbly.

"I am co-leader. When Bird Boy asked us to come help his friends, I could have said no. I should have said no, but we had to go and save all those animals--those people, from the evil geneticist. We thought we were invincible, and Doug paid the price for that arrogance."

"But if you hadn't gone, then you wouldn't be the heroes that you are."

"Ha! Some heroes!" Danielle looked up at me, a single tear sliding down her sunburned cheek. "We couldn't even protect one of our closest friends. No wonder Magneto doesn't trust us anymore!"

"Don't say that!" I replied angrily. "You took a stand, and sometimes when you take a stand, the ground falls out from under you. That doesn't mean that it is better to hide from the world and pretend that the bad things never happen. And if Magneto had been there for you, instead of hanging out with his Hellfire Club buddies, Doug might still be alive!"

"I don't know," Danielle whispered. "I don't know anything anymore."

"Where are Illyana and Warlock?" I asked suddenly. "I haven't seen either of them since we came back."

"I think Warlock is pretending to be furniture somewhere," Danielle sighed. "Sometimes I wish that I could just turn into furniture when feel down too! I guess Illyana went back to Limbo."

"Damn it," I cursed quietly. "If you see her, please tell her that I'd like to speak to her sometime."

"What about?" Danielle asked curiously.

"She promised to teach me a little Russian." It seemed as good an answer as any. Giving me a strange look, Danielle agreed.

"Have you really been watching us for all these years?" She asked, looking at me from the corner of her eye. "It's really kind of creepy, thinking that someone has been watching my every move, and I never even knew about it."

"Well, I didn't see you in the shower, if that's what you're asking," I answered trying to smile. "I prayed for your recovery when the demon bear mauled you, and I hoped that your friends would save you. When you went to Asgard, I was dumbfounded to see you chosen by the valkaries. As time passed, I watched you mature and learn from your experiences... I guess there is a sense of voyeurism involved. I never really thought about it that way."

"And anybody from your dimension could see all of this?" Danielle still wasn't quite looking at me.

"Anybody who wanted to bother," I answered reluctantly. "It wasn't on billboards or anything, and there are thousands of other dimensions to choose from."

"You're homeland must be incredibly advanced, to have these powers," Danielle guessed, finally meeting my gaze with dark brown eyes. "Something occurred to me recently. You've asked a ton of questions about us and our history, but you've been pretty closed mouthed about you're own."

"Well, there's not much to tell," I answered, trying to piece together an appropriate answer. "My world is really very similar to your own. The biggest difference is that there are no mutants."

"No mutants?" Danielle mused. "It must be much more peaceful there."

"No, not really," I scowled, remembering. "People don't need much excuse for conflict."

"I guess I knew that. What about you?"

"I guess it depends on the kind of conflict... oh you're wondering about my life back there? I was a computer science major at a local university. I enjoyed acting and martial arts, but I wasn't particularly good at either of them. I was decent at chess and pretty good at video games, though. Um... my sign is Leo."

"I guess that covers all the bases," Danielle laughed. "Does traveling to another dimension involve computers somehow?"

"Darned if I know," I answered truthfully. "I don't really have a clue how I got here."

From there our conversation degenerated into idle chatting about life in general and at Xavier's school in particular. Before long, darkness fell and I decided to go to bed early. Although my conversation with Danielle was nice, overall the day had been long and arduous and I wanted it to be over. Stuck in this strange land for two days, I was already feeling culture shock. Also, I remembered the fight tomorrow. I needed to get rested so that I wouldn't make any mistakes; it would be the first real test of my ability to influence the course of history. However, as I walked up the stairs, I caught a glimpse of a reddish purple flash of light coming from the rec room. I hesitated a moment, wondering if I was doing the right thing, before I continued up the stairs.

Illyana was reconnecting the TV and VCR when I walked in. Her golden hair glittered softly where a pale patch of moonlight struck it. It seemed as though she were frozen in time there, lost in her own thoughts and fears. Unfortunately, the tableau shattered at my entrance. Startled, she whirled in surprise, falling automatically into a fighting stance. When she saw that it was me, she relaxed marginally.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," she said, raising a hand to massage her forehead. "It's not very healthy." Her voice was matter of fact.

I shrugged, unconcerned. "I knew you wouldn't hurt me. I guess you figured out who opened the portal," I continued, indicating the TV.

"It was Forge," she replied, "but you already knew that didn't you?"

"Yes. You're going to fight him tomorrow." It wasn't a question.

"Who will win, or do I really want to know?"

"You will both win, but at great cost."

"Could you be any more cryptic?" Illyana asked, throwing me a annoyed look. "Some use you are." I gazed for a moment at her face, still lit gently by the moonlight.

"Could you take me to Limbo?" I finally asked.

"Why do you want to go there?" She asked, taken aback. "It's not a very nice place."

"I know, but I would still like to see it."

After hesitating a moment, she said, "Ok, but don't say that I didn't warn you. I might not be able to protect you, if you things get nasty."

"Life is risk," I responded simply.

"Yeah, say that when a demon is nibbling on you," she replied darkly.

She didn't move, but suddenly a glowing circle of hellish light grew beneath my feet. I only had time to whisper, "oh hell!" before I felt myself falling. How long I fell I cannot say; it could have been an instant, or it could have been an eternity. Then, without warning I hit red, rocky ground. I stumbled from the sudden contact, and fell to one knee. Looking up slowly, I beheld a vision that rivaled my worst nightmares. It seemed as though the land itself was cancerous, rough and scarred. I was standing on top of an impossibly high pillar of rock. For as far as the eye could see, everything was absolutely desolate. Scattered among the few stunted trees, twisted pillars of rock rose to point accusingly at the hazy magenta sky above. Along the ground, creatures as twisted and ugly as the land scuttled and fought with one another. I tore my gaze away from the horrid things and looked again at the sky. Something was wrong. After a moment, I realized that there was no sun; a sort of diffused, amorphous light fell evenly from above. I shook my head in an attempt to regain my bearing, and I noticed movement in the corner of my eye. Trapped in a semi-transparent rock, like a fly caught in amber, a skeleton grinned back at me. I cried out in fear and stepped away it reflexively. It mockingly mirrored my movement and I realized that I was looking at the reflection of my own skeleton. I backed away again, unable to tear my gaze from it. Suddenly, I backed into something and quickly turned around, afraid of what I might see. Illyana smiled at me.

"So what do you think?" she asked, her voice betraying slight amusement. "Home sweet home, where I was raised and learned the black arts." She seemed somehow different here. An aura of power radiated from her almost visibly, and her blue eyes glinted evilly in the red light.

"What's this sweetness?" A voice broke in from a short distance away. "Fresh meat?" I looked in surprise to see another tall pillar across from us. Standing on it was a frightening monstrosity, grinning at me with pointed teeth. I noticed that it was covered with the same circuitry as Warlock, and it was big. I guessed that my head would not even come up to its chest.

"We have our first tourist, S'ym!" Illyana responded gaily. "Try not to eat him." S'ym's long, thick tale pounded the ground rhythmically as he considered her words.

"Heh. You don't get a taste of Limbo." S'ym snickered, removing a cigar from his huge mouth. "Limbo gets a taste of you." He grinned at me again and flicked his pointed ears. "You better show him around quick," he continued, his smile disappearing. "Before long, you won't have a say in what happens here."

"Don't try my patience, demon." Illyana snapped. "I didn't come here to fight you today."

"Yeah, I see you haven't assumed your true form," S'ym replied, eyeing her speculatively. "Maybe you don't want your boyfriend to see it?"

At his words, Illyana made a casual gesture with her hand. A loud crack resounded and there was a flash of incandescent light. When the spots cleared from my eyes, I realized that half of S'yms head had been blown off.

"That stung," S'ym winced. His head was slowly beginning to reform before my eyes.

"I'm just getting warmed up," Illyana snarled, razing her hands again.

"Illyana," I broke in, putting a hand on her shoulder. She whirled towards me, and for a moment I wondered if my head was about to become a smoking crater. "Maybe now isn't a good time. I don't want to be stuck here by myself while you fight him," I continued in a rush, quickly removing the offending hand. With a soft growl, Illyana lowered her hands.

"Consider yourself lucky," she glowered at the demon. "Next time I won't go easy on you."

"Oh hurt me baby!" S'ym responded mockingly. "Maybe once I'm ruler here, I'll let you stay for my… entertainment. It'll be just like old times. Wouldn't that be fun?"

For a long moment Illyana stared at the creature, visibly trying to control herself. Finally, she said, "let's get out of here. Something smells." Without warning, the teleportation light appeared beneath my feet again. I was too surprised to even cry out. This time, I completely lost my balance and fell to the ground. Illyana alighted gracefully beside me and offered me a hand up. Again, her grip was surprisingly strong.

"Well, are you happy now?" She asked, the darkness obscuring her face. "I don't know what you hoped to accomplish there."

"I just wanted to see it for myself," I responded after a moments hesitation. "You know, it isn't your true form," I continued unexpectedly.

"What?" Illyana looked at me in confusion.

"What S'ym said about you being afraid to assume your true form. I know what he's talking about, and he's wrong. The way you look right now is just as true as any other form. They are all aspects of the same person."

Illyana was silent for a moment. "It's pretty late. We should get to bed," she finally said. I looked out the window and realized that day was dawning outside the school. "Time moves differently in Limbo," she explained.

"I knew that," I answered and sighed. "But knowing it and seeing it are two different things. There are a lot of things that I have to get used to." Illyana nodded and we went to our separate rooms. The events in Limbo kept replaying themselves in my head. "Just like old times," the demon had said. I wanted to kill the thing myself. There has to be a way; nothing in this world is totally invincible. But how? It was with these thoughts that I finally fell asleep.

When I woke up, the sun was pouring through the window. I checked my watch. It was one in the afternoon, and I still felt tired. My trip to limbo must have taken more out of me than I realized. Remembering last night's events, I suddenly wanted to talk to Illyana, see her again. Her room wasn't hard to find. It was the one that had all the danger signs on the door. "Beware of Demons," one of them read. I took my hand off the door handle. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea? After a brief struggle, desire won over fear, and I gently opened the door. Illyana was lying with her back to me, her golden hair cascading over a pillow. She had carelessly tossed her sheets away in her sleep and they hung drooping forlornly to the ground. Without realizing what I was doing, I took a couple steps into the room. Her white night shirt didn't conceal the semi transparent red panties that she was wearing. After a few seconds I managed to violently wrench my attention back to her hair, and I noticed the white skin of her neck providing contrast to her luxuriant tresses.

Unintentionally, I allowed my gaze to wander again, slowly tracing the gentle curves of her back under the flimsy T-shirt. Suddenly, I wondered if she was cold. Slowly, quietly I took the sheet off her bed and unfolded it. Voices were screaming in my head that she must surely wake up, and then I'd be in big trouble... possibly the kind of trouble that could sever my head from my body. However, I moved as if compelled by some outside force and gently lay the sheet on top of her. The regular rise and fall of her chest didn't change. As if that were some kind of sign, the spell was broken and I realized that I was being a complete idiot. Stifling a sigh of relief, I fled the room a quickly and quietly as I could, cursing myself mentally for my stupidity. After closing the door, I took a few deep breaths and went down the stairs to get something to eat.

The rest of the day passed non-eventfully. While the New Mutants were studying, talking, or training, I surfed the internet in their computer lab. I was curious to see what was happening in this new world in which I found myself. There weren't as many differences as I would have thought. Of course, the names of super heroes and villains appeared periodically in the electronic newspapers and journals, but as I'd noticed before, the general course of world events seemed pretty much the same. With one major difference. The computer clock told me that it was 1988. Although these computers seemed remarkably advanced, I was thirteen years in the past! Apparently, their timeline and my own matched almost exactly. By traveling to their past, in a way, I was also traveling to my past. It was kind of confusing to think about, but at least I could make money as a stock broker. I continued to read about "current" events until it was time to go to the funeral, which was a couple hours before sunset. Thankfully, the funeral itself was much easier for everyone than the viewing had been. After the preacher finished the eulogy, Warlock and Rahne spent a few minutes alone at the grave site. It was spooky to know that someday Doug would be reborn from the ashes as Douglock, a creature half human and half alien, created from the same race as Warlock. What would the others say if they knew? Sometimes it's hard to keep secrets, but fate is unpredictable, and I didn't dare tell them.

When we got home, Illyana waited until Magneto was out of earshot and told us to come with her upstairs. Curious, her classmates followed her to the rec room. We sat down and she turned on the TV. Fire and smoke suddenly filled the screen and the news reporter's awe stricken voice began.

"Forge starts chanting, and somehow his very words, the sounds themselves, take on a palpable physical force."

"Oh no!" Bobby interrupted. "Not this again. Illyana, we know how your brother, and all the X-men, died by heart. We've seen it a million times."

"Well, watch again, Bobby," Illyana responded evenly.

"Forge gestures, and the X-men transform into beings of pure energy," the reporter continued.

"Illyana, Bobby's right," Danielle began. "It's not good for you to dwell on it this way. There's nothing you can do!"

Illyana responded by turning up the volume and fast forwarding the tape for a few seconds.

"Until with a fierce war cry, the star is thrown. And just like that, it's over" the reporter whispered, and the camera zoomed in on a man outlined by the huge blaze behind him. The man had his hands raise as if trying to push the flames down by sheer force of will, his dark ponytail streaming behind him. His face was set in grim lines, and his chiseled muscles made his sweat drenched, sunburned skin gleam in the firelight. Most remarkable about him was the fact that one of his legs appeared to be completely mechanical. After a few seconds, the flames began to die down and he mouthed words that were lost in the distance.

"The next thing he says," Illyana whispered, "is that the scales are balanced. The ghosts are gone. The spirits of his friends are free to rest in peace and the price isn't worth the victory." She turned toward us, and her eyes seemed to glint with a red light. "The price he paid was my brother's life. It was Forge's fault. His sorcery caused that destruction, and my brother's death stopped it." The New Mutants stared at her, aghast, as she continued, growling "and I'm going to make him pay, sorcerer though he is. Forge can't imagine what that bleak 'victory' is going to cost him."

"What going on here?" A voice suddenly demanded from the doorway. Magneto stood glaring at us.

"What's going on?" Illyana mimicked angrily, striding towards him. "Forge murdered my brother! And now he's alive, and my brother is dead."

"Judging by the televised accounts, the X-men sacrificed themselves voluntarily," Magneto scowled, his thick white eyebrows drawing together. "And even if they had not, the X-men aren't my charges. Charles Xavier left me as headmaster of the school he founded, in charge of training and protecting all of you."

"Then Professor Xavier messed up!" Illyana cried defiantly. "He shouldn't have left you in charge of a bunch of hamsters." Magneto looked truly shocked. It was probably the first time anyone had dared to speak to him this way. "I gave you the chance to help," Illyana continued, "and you blew it. And if you won't do something, I will!" With these last words, a flash of reddish, purple light appeared beneath her feet.

"No!" Somebody shouted amidst a sudden babble of voices. I heard a roar like a rocket engine above me as the New Mutants rushed to stop Illyana from leaving. Unfortunately, they were too late and she vanished without a trace, leaving them to collide with each other. The entire group land on top of Magneto, who was not amused.

"Enough!" He yelled angrily. "As much as I detest doing so, I will reiterate," he continued, standing shakily. "You students will no longer use your powers or leave the house without permission... is that clear? Obey me voluntarily, or I'll make certain that you have no choice but to obey." He paused for a moment and regarded me with steel gray eyes. "Now I'm going to have to clean up the mess you made." He gestured for me to follow him. I looked at the others desperately, but they had no help to offer. Glumly, I turned and follow him out of the room.

As I closed the door, I heard Rahne ask in a frightened whisper, "What did he mean by we'll have 'no choice but to obey?'"

It had been a long time since I'd last been sent to the principle's office. When we reached his office, he closed the door and looked at me speculatively. "What do you think of mutants?" He finally asked me. "Answer truthfully and no harm will come to you."

I shivered involuntarily. An interesting thing to say from someone who intended to enslave humanity. "I think the same about mutants as I do about everybody else. Some are good. Some are bad. Sometimes, the same person can be both, even the mutant master of magnetism, Magneto." I had the satisfaction of seeing a fleeting look of surprise cross his face before I continued. "I'm afraid that I haven't been completely honest with you either, about who I am and why I'm here." Magneto's face set itself into grim lines and I rushed on without giving him a chance to interrupt. "I did know Doug, but I didn't come just to see him. I'm a mutant like him; sometimes, I can see glimpses of the future. I saw his death on the Animater's island, and I was hoping to prevent it. Unfortunately, I got here too late." Magneto's face was unreadable. Keep it simple, I reminded myself. I hesitated a moment before continuing. "That's not all... something bad is going to happen tonight, and only I can stop it." I paused again, trying unsuccessfully to guess what he was thinking. "Magneto..." I finally asked. "Do you care about your students?"

He looked at me for a moment before answering. "They are the clay from which I hope to create I brighter future," he finally said. "Doug's death was a terrible waste; I would have done anything to prevent it."

"Anything?" I asked. Magneto just looked at me impassively, waiting for me to continue. "Would you like to save Illyana?"

"From what? How?" Magneto asked, his expression unchanging.

"From herself. I'll tell you what you have to do. For once, be there for your students without trying to keep them on a leash. I will help you if you are willing to do at least that much."

"You will do whatever I require of you," Magneto stated evenly. I suddenly realized that I was in a very dangerous position. Magneto was capable of doing almost anything if he thought it necessary. "What do you mean? How is she in trouble."

"Time is critical, Magneto." I responded, feigning bravery. "If I choose not to speak, then you will lose any chance you had in minutes. I know that you're a man of your word. Do you agree to do as I ask?"

"I could crush you like a tin can," Magneto growled softly. I simply stared back at him, hoping that he didn't notice my knees shaking. After an eternal moment, he finally nodded his head. "But I will act if I see my students in danger."

"I expect nothing less," I said, breathing a sigh of relief. "They're in the attic now, preparing to attack Forge."

"What!?" Magneto yelled.

"No time to think," I answered. "Let's go." As we raced up the stairs, I continued. "Remember your promise. You won't try to stop them."

Magneto looked at me briefly. "I am swiftly beginning to regret that promise," he answered.

When we reached the attic, the New Mutants were already dressed in their uniforms. They only had time to look in surprise at us before a flash of light appeared next to a box of clothing.

"Wait!" I shouted and ran toward Illyana as quickly as my legs would take me. A few steps from the circle of light, or "teleportation disc" as Illyana called it, I dove forward head first. When I landed, I tried to go into a Judo roll, but I hit a rock almost immediately and ended up flat on my back. Miraculously, my glasses remained on my face. The rest of the New Mutants and Magneto ended up in a pile beside me. Bobby noticed Magneto first and stood quickly.

"What's HE doing here?" Bobby demanding, pointing at Magneto and shooting me an accusing look.

"He promised not to interfere," I answered quickly.

"That true?" Bobby asked, glaring suspiciously at Magneto, who nodded slowly.

"Dani, 'tis horrid. More monstrous than ever!" Rahne interrupted, looking around at the twisted landscape of Limbo.

"Yeah. It's way worse than it was before," Danielle agreed, shivering.

"I'm worse than before," Illyana growled. "I am the Darkchilde, remember? Limbo reflects what I am."

"Illyana, listen ta me," Sam started, putting a hand on Illyana's shoulder. "You're over reactin'. First with Magneto, an' now with Forge. You're seeing demons where they don't exist."

"Don't tell me about demons!" Illyana snapped, brushing Sam's hand off. "I fell into Limbo when I was practically a baby. I grew up with demons." Illyana began changing clothes, glanced at me and stopped. "Danielle," she sighed. "Could I use you and Rahne as a screen?"

The two girls moved to comply and Illyana swiftly began to change again. After a moment's hesitation, Danielle spoke. "Everybody has demons, Illyana, of one kind or another: me, Magneto, Sam, everybody. Things that drive them to behave in ways they're ashamed of. We just have to fight it, and try to stay in control!"

"What good did control ever do me?" Illyana demanded, stepping into her pants. "All right! Forge has become one of my demons, and I'm gonna kill him, like he killed my brother."

"Illyana, think about what you're sayin'!" Sam cried. "Forge is a master sorcerer! You're not in his league--at least, not on earth. He'll eat you for breakfast. We lost Doug. We don't wanna lose you, too."

"Well, Magneto thinks we're worthless!" Bobby replied, looking angrily at the master of magnetism. "I say we prove him wrong! We won't lose her if we all help."

"Are you beginning to understand?" I whispered to Magneto.

"I understand that they are on a fool's mission and that I will probably be required to save them from their own stupidity," he replied in annoyance.

"You understand nothing," I sighed.

"Self-dearest-friends," Warlock was saying. "Headmaster-Magneto says, 'let X-men fight own battles.' Would letting Illyana face this demon foe alone not make us as bad as him?" The alien glanced nervously at Magneto.

"The difference between you and the X-men," Magneto growled, "is that the X-men are adults and veterans of many battles. As much as you may wish to believe otherwise, you are still children and inexperienced. You have no business trying to protect them, let alone trying to avenge their death."

"Ha! You mean you just don't care," Illyana retorted.

"No," I answered. "He just wants to protect you the same way you would have protected your brother, by yanking him from danger. What neither of you seem to realize is that we have to allow our loved ones to make their own choices." I looked again at Magneto. "Although it helps to have a friend or parent around to tell us we're making a mistake and catch us if we fall."

"And that's why we're here," Rahne breathed. "We're here to support her when she needs us, even if we know she's wrong."

"I'm right... you'll see, Rahne," Illyana answered, her voice forceful. "Forge used black sorcery irresponsibly. It's his fault that Piotr is gone, and he must be held accountable. Wait a moment while I conjure my scrying glass and look for him." Suddenly, the cracked earth at our feet sprouted a blackened, gnarled arm. Clutched in the hand was a circular disk of blood red crystal. Illyana gestured again and within the crystal, the man with sunburned skin and a metallic leg appeared. Abruptly, Illyana turned and strode to a silver sword buried point first in the ground. As she pulled it from its rocky sheath, silvery armor sprung around her body, as if the very air had coalesced around her. It clung to her a matched her movements like a second skin.

"Illyana, leave the sword," Bobby begged. "It binds Limbo under your control. Limbo's bad enough already."

"Besides which," I interrupted. "It won't be enough. Even with the sword, you can't defeat Forge on Earth. His magics are rooted to his homeland; you'll have to bring him to limbo regardless. If you take the sword, you might also have S'ym to deal with when you get back."

"Might or will?" Illyana asked, staring at me.

"I can't say without divulging too much of the future," I answered, trying to sound mysterious. "Please believe me. If things get too hairy, Magneto can yank us out of trouble. Forge has a metal leg after all, and Magneto IS the master of magnetism. Just teleport Forge here first chance you get."

For a moment, I thought that Illyana would ignore my advice. If she turned and walked away, all my carefully laid plans would be for nothing. In this critical moment, she would choose her own fate. She turned, looked at me, and then looked at the sword.

"You know, I would hate to do anything that might please S'ym." She finally said and jammed the sword back in the ground. Maybe it was my imagination, but it seemed as if the ground beneath my feet groaned at the sword's touch.

"Well, let's go," Illyana said suddenly and reddish-purple light cascaded around me. Without warning, I found myself standing on a different kind of rocky ground. These rocks were a reassuring brown that told me I was back on earth. Apparently, we were standing in some kind of rock quarry or construction site. Before us stood an old woman dressed in blue robes. Behind her stood Forge, his face unreadable.

"...and the possibility of all our salvation hangs on the outcome of what will happen here tonight," the old woman was saying to Forge, her milky eyes staring at us sightlessly.

"Forge!" Illyana screamed. "Tonight you die!" Before she was finished speaking, she leapt for him as if she intended to tear out his throat with her bare hands.

"Look out," I screamed. She didn't seem to hear me, but she stopped in mid air as if she were a puppet which had it's strings suddenly pulled.

"What the--" she cried out, but her words died from her lips as a fist larger than my head passed through the air were she had just been. I glanced at Magneto, surprised. He made a casual gesture and Illyana sank gently to the ground.

"Surely I taught you better than that!" He yelled to her. "You should know better than to rush headlong into battle without paying attention to your surroundings." I could hear a smirk in his voice. Standing between Illyana and Forge was a man who was at least eight feet tall and probably weighted over six hundred pounds. That's why they call him "the Blob."

"Hey, no fair!" The huge man rumbled. "She was mine. What's our old pal Magneto doing here anyway?"

"I could also ask you why the Brotherhood is here," Magneto retorted. "Quite frankly, I'm surprised that Forge would consort with you."

"We aren't the Brotherhood anymore," a man wearing body armor spoke from the side. "We're Freedom Force now, and we work for Uncle Sam."

"Mom, apple pie, truth, justice, and the American way." Boomed the Blob, striding towards Illyana again. "Ain't it grand?"

"Get away from her!" Rahne growled as she shifted form to become half wolf, half woman. Suddenly, the ground below us rumbled as the armored man hit it with both fists. I fell to one knee and instantly chaos broke loose. To their credit, the New Mutants reacted instantly and as a team. I reminded myself to use their code names in public. It would be rather bad form if I revealed their true names to their enemies during my first battle with them. Danielle's code name was Mirage, because she had the ability to pull a person's greatest fear or desire from his subconscious and present it to the world to see as a three dimensional projection. Unfortunately, her power was too unpredictable to use in mass combat, so she primarily acted as a tactician.

"Me and Warlock will take the armored man!" Danielle shouted. "Magik, you take care of the Blob." Illyana nodded and turned to face the obese man. Noticing a man wearing a flame thrower, Danielle added, "Cannonball, deal with the pyromaniac!" Sam's code name was Cannonball. It was a source of continuing embarrassment to him, but it fit. Sam could fly, but he didn't have much maneuverability. Also, a kind of orange cloud poured around him while he was flying which made him nearly invulnerable. Thus, he became a sort of human weapon with all the finesse of... well, a cannonball. I heard the roar of a rocket behind me as Sam left the ground. Illyana pointed at the Blob and a teleportation disc appeared beneath him.

As quickly as I could, I got to my feet. Already, I was beginning to realize that I was hopelessly outclassed. Of what use could I be in a fight like this? Magneto could probably mop the floor with everyone present by himself. I looked a the master of magnetism and realized that he had not moved from the spot where he had landed. He looked around at the ensuing battle with calm interest, but made no move to help his students. It's a test, I realized. He wants to see first hand how they perform in a real battle. In an odd way, he was also honoring the promise that he had made to me. He wouldn't interfere much unless things got too far out of hand.

Turning back to the battle, I felt as if I were trapped inside a surrealist painting. The Blob had somehow escaped from the teleportation disc and was lumbering heavily towards Illyana. Overhead, Sam roared by, still grappling with the pyromaniac. A large, heavily muscled man slid past me, desperately crawling at the ground. He appeared to be getting dragged by his belt. I glanced again at Magneto. He still hadn't moved, but his face betrayed a slight smile. Warlock was laid out like black, metallic spaghetti across the battlefield, apparently injured. The armored man was lying flat on his back, unconscious. Danielle fought hand to hand with a man wearing red combat fatigues. Bobby was now covered with black, crackling energy. He charged a woman with six arms. Her back was to a wall and he was sure that he had her trapped. At the last moment, she nimbly flipped over him, leaving him to plunge fist first into the wall. The wall gave way. In a stroke of blind luck it tipped over to fall on the surprised woman. I knew enough about her to realize that the wall wouldn't hurt her much. I looked again for Illyana, but I couldn't see her. Finally, I turned my attention to Forge. Wherever he was, Illyana would follow. He and the old woman were standing unafraid amidst of all the insanity as if they couldn't be touched by any of it. Rahne stood in front of them, unsure of what to do next. Suddenly, red light leaked from a rent in the fabric of reality in front of Forge. Like a fallen angel returning from the Abyss, Illyana leaped from the hole and immediately had the surprised man in a strangle hold. Even though I knew what to expect, I was still shocked by her transformation. A pair of sensuous red horns now twisted above her golden hair and a slender tail curled around one leg. Her feet had turned into hooves, and her eyes glowed with the same eerie light as Limbo's sky. I knew that this was a bad sign; if she was revealing her demonic nature, it meant that she was beginning to lose control. I heard Forge's vertebrae begin to crack as she continued slowly twisting his head.

"No!" The old woman screamed. "I see another way. There is another way!"

With a roar, Sam rocketed into Illyana, pulling Forge from her grasp. "The muties don't kill people, Magik!" He explained, landing roughly a few steps away. "Like we said before; we came along ta save you from yourself." Illyana's response died on her lips as Forge's skin began to melt and change color, until a blue skinned woman lay gasping in his place. It was their leader, the shape changing Mystique.

"Behind you!" I shouted at them before they had a chance to react to Forge's sudden transformation. Of course, I had not seen anything. I was reacting solely from memory. A blur of motion raced towards the pair, but with battle hardened reflexes, Magik whirled to create a teleportation disc in front of it. Another disc appeared in front of a large pile of dirt. A fraction of a second later, I heard the sound of a body hitting dirt at close to the speed of sound, and I rejoiced. I did it! I had directly changed a piece of history! For an instant, I exalted in my minor victory, but it was a short lived celebration. Without warning, my arms were yanked behind me and I felt the cold steel of a sword press against my throat.

"Give up," a cruel sounding woman yelled, "or this one dies." She was pulling my head back by my hair so that I couldn't see anything but the darkening sky above. I felt a trickle of blood where she was pressing the sword, and she had both of my arms locked into place. It must be nice to have six arms. I should have struggled or at least told my friends not to give in. Instead, I remained very still and thought about how unpleasant it would be to try to breathe through my throat. "Destiny says that the Darkchilde is the source of the upcoming evil," My captor called out. "Maybe we could make a trade... her life for his?"

"Spiral, no!" The old woman replied, and Spiral’s grip on my hair loosened. "Stop!" As she spoke, images began to fill the air around us. Metal creatures flew, hopped and crawled across the landscape. Behind them lay strewn bodies and the mangled remains of civilization. I recognized some of the creatures from Limbo. "Look!" Destiny cried. "Mirage is projecting my greatest fear. It is my overwhelming horror at what may yet happen. It is more than she can block. My fear overwhelms her and forces this vision. Look at it, Darkchilde. Look at it and learn! You almost brought--and still could bring--disaster on yourself and your world. Put down your swords, Spiral. Her death will only guarantee disaster. She must leave. She must learn, or the world as we know it will no longer exist."

With those words, the combat was suddenly over. Spiral let go of me reluctantly and shot me an evil look before she went to rejoin her comrades. The New Mutants looked at each other uncertainly. "Illyana... Magik," Rahne corrected herself. "Are you all right? Those terrible things she said..."

"If you believe them," Bobby interrupted angrily. "I think it's some kind of scam."

"I think that Sunspot is right!" Illyana agreed. "Their goal is to protect Forge, and they will say... do anything to accomplish it."

"Then perhaps you would be willing to discuss the problem with me?" A voice boomed from above. Standing atop a small hill, Forge looked down on us. Outlined by the dying sun and his voice resonating with power, Forge seemed almost as much a god as a man. Illyana was not cowed.

"I was tricked before," she cried to the distant figure. "But you cannot evade me any longer." Before I understood what was happening, red light gleamed beneath my feet. In an eye blink, I found myself standing before Forge.

"You killed my brother, and now you'll pay!" Illyana snarled, and leapt at the muscular man.

"I've killed in my time in war and through affliction," Forge responded, nimbly dancing out of the way. His voice was deep and resonant. "But never anyone who looks like you. Who are you?"

"Sometimes I'm Magik." Illyana answered, lunging again. "Right now I'm the Darkchilde." Fangs protruded from her lips as her face twisted into a snarl.

"Yes, I can see that," the Cheyenne observed nonchalantly as he again dodged her attack.

"Don't play Mr. Cool with me, Forge!" The demoness screamed, enraged. "You know what you did, and I will personally escort you to Hell. " Matching action with words, she raised her hands, and a red circle swiftly expanded beneath her and Forge.

"Wait!" Someone shouted and the New Mutants rushed towards her. I reached the circle first and both Rahne and Bobby landed on top of me. When I raised myself to my elbows, I beheld Limbo's twisted landscape for the third time that day. Danielle and Sam were strewn to either side of me, but Warlock and Magneto were nowhere to be seen. They must not have made it to the circle in time; already, I was affecting history more than I had intended to. If Danielle had failed to reach the circle, all might have been lost.

"How dare you follow me here?" Illyana asked the New Mutants. I wanted to get away from you! Don't you know how dangerous this place can be?" She pointed at some withered vines beneath our feet. I immediately dived away from them. "Vines cling," she commanded. "Keep them well, out of danger and safe from hell." In an eye blink, the vines grew in length and thickness until the New Mutants were surrounded by the stuff. Unfortunately, a tendril had also coiled around my ankle like a vise before I could get any further away.

"This is safe?" Danielle asked incredulously.

"Dani! I think 'tis choking me!" Rahne wailed.

"Ah can't bust loose!" Sam noted. "She musta put some kinda of zap on me!"

"Where are we Darkchilde?" Forge asked calmly.

"My realm, Limbo." Illyana answered with a hint of pride. "Where I fell into as a baby. Where I was raised among demons until from self defense I learned their magic and became one of them, the Darkchilde, most demonic one of all." To underscore her words, she again summoned the silver sword. It flew from a nearby rock as if eager to greet her. When it touched her hands, it immediately burst into pale flame. By it's flickering light, I noticed strange shadows arranging themselves around us, and I heard the skittering of many tiny feet. The demons were coming to watch the upcoming spectacle.

"There are other magics, Darkchilde, as ancient and powerful." The lean man admonished her. As he spoke, a ghostly spear and shield materialized in each of his hands. "I don't want to hurt you. Tell me why you are doing this."

"My brother was Colossus of the X-men. You tore a hole through the dimensions--" Illyana began.

"And Colossus and the other X-men volunteered to help me close it," Forge interrupted, comprehension dawning.

"Oh, they closed it, all right," Illyana spat angrily. Her sword lashed out as if it had a life of its own. Forge took the blow on his shield, but was forced to step back. "And it took everything they had. Everything!" Illyana struck again, her red eyes glaring brightly.

"That rift was opened before you were born, Darkchilde," Forge replied, giving another step. "Back in Vietnam when I was a soldier driven to desperation and madness. A person would have to be mad to consider such a deed, to call up demons, to unleash such horror on even that foul corner of the world. It was a mistake, Pandora's box. One opened, it was impossible to close, and years later, I paid dearly for it."

"My brother and the others. They paid!" Illyana retorted. "They closed it with their lives." Eldritch sparks flared as her sword met again with his shield, knocking it aside. Before he could react, she brought the sword in an arc intended to sever his head from his body. With strength born of desperation, Forge twisted to block the blow with his spear. Relentlessly, the demoness swung again, putting all her strength into an overhand blow. Astoundingly, the one legged man blocked again, using both his spear the shield to knock it away. Still, the fury of the attack drove him to one knee. His metallic leg gleamed eerily in the flickering light.

"You fight well Shaman," Illyana panted, her tail twitching spasmodically. "Why didn't you fight this well against the adversary. Why did you let my brother die?"

"He said his little sister brought him to Dallas and I didn't understand." Forge countered. "You teleported him there into harm's way."

"Shut up!" Illyana screamed and struck again. Her strike was swift, but wild, and Forge was able to parry it easily with his spear.

"You have the magic arts at your disposal," he continued, seeming to gain confidence. "Why didn't you know. Why didn't you see? Why didn't you come to their aid? You could have carried colossus and all the X-men far from harm's way."

"I was gone, fighting other battles," she groaned. "I didn't know till it was too late. I tried to come, tried to help, and I couldn't get in."

"Ah! Then at my arrival, the adversary shut you and everyone else out." Forge exclaimed. "Do you think I wanted that confrontation with him? Do you think that in winning against him, I lost nothing? I lost Storm, the woman that I love."

"Loved?" Illyana laughed. "You stole her powers. You killed her! You have a funny way of loving."

With renewed vigor she leaped again at the shaman, raining blow after blow against his shield and spear in display that was as much brutality as it was swordsmanship. Her strength seemed inhuman, but Forge deflected each attack and even managed to put some distance between them. Immediately, he pointed his spear at the sorceress and uttered a single foreign word. Light sprayed from the tip and lanced towards the her. Although surprised, Illyana parried the light as if it were a physical weapon and it deflected crazily away from her. One of the misdirected beams passed close enough to my leg for me to feel the heat. I flinched but couldn't move much more; the vine had continued growing and now I was engulfed up to my waist. As luck would have it, one of the beams also struck the scrying crystal a few feet away. With a hiss like ice turning to steam, the entire thing shattered.

"My scrying glass!" Illyana screamed, falling to one knee. Even her armor reacted to the destruction, sprouting extra ridges of metal to further protect her. "Shattered..." the girl whispered, her golden hair falling to partially cover one horn. "It's images lost. All is lost... I'm lost, and the darkness grows and begins to take on life of its own."

"An accident, Darkchilde" Forge replied.

"Another accident." Illyana said tonelessly and stood. "You're accident prone, aren't you, magic man? A real hard luck case."

"Accident prone?" Forge asked contemplatively. "Perhaps I am. Storm took blow meant for someone else. I nearly killed her then. But I restored her and her powers. That led us to that confrontation, to Earth's salvation, and to her destruction. Storm. Colossus. All the X-men dead because of me. I'm tired, Darkchilde. Tired of using my powers for destruction. You're a child, like I was back in 'Nam, wielding magics as deadly, driven by as great a rage, as powerful a grief. And if you choose to use your magic in this way... how have I the right to destroy you too? In order to stop you? If that's the choice, let me die instead." Slowly, the shield and spear melted away and Forge stood defenseless.

"If that's your choice," Illyana growled. "Then die!" She lunged and embedded the sword in his abdomen. It glowed there with white radiance until she finally pulled it out again. He fell to the ground unmoving, except for his chest, which still rose and fell rhythmically. The demons slowly crawled and slithered to where Illyana was standing. One passed close enough to me that I could hear metal grating on metal as it walked.

"Not dead," A thing with ant mandibles cackled. "Blow disrupted magic, Darkchilde. Not life."

"Not yet," a mouth of razor sharp teeth agreed. It was propped on four short legs. "Not quite."

"Kill him," another voice urged.

"Kill him now," another chimed in.

"Kill him," they chorused as the babble of demented voices grew thicker.

"No, you can't! Stop!" Danielle screamed. Suddenly, an image began to take shape in front of Illyana. At first, it looked like her reflection, caught in exactly the same pose. But the image moved and warped. The horns grew longer and thicker. Armor disappeared as was replaced by rough red scales. Golden hair wilted and became matted with blood and refuse. A forked tongue protruded from a mouth filled with decayed and blackened teeth.

"It's you!" A demon exclaimed happily.

"Me?" Illyana gasped.

"A thing of beauty," the image answered, it's voice a sibilant hiss. "A joy forever."

"No..." Illyana moaned and backed away.

"Dani, you did that!" She exclaimed looking frantically for her friend. "It's an illusion. Dani? Dani, where are you?" Danielle couldn't answer, because by now she was completely covered by the vines. I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Darkchilde," Forge groaned, trying unsuccessfully to sit up. "Surely your sword holds more power. That was not a killing blow. I'm disarmed. I couldn't stop you if I wanted to. Kill me, if that's your choice. Send me to join the woman I love." Her friends forgotten, Illyana strode towards the Shaman.

"Ignore the buzzing of those little flies, mistress," a demon hissed. Illyana raised her sword, preparing a blow that would sever Forge's head from his body.

"Kill him," another responded.

"Return to us."

"Rule us!" At the demon's words, Illyana froze, caught in the current of conflicting emotions.

"Kill him."

"Kill him."

"KILL HIM!"

"I give the orders here," Illyana growled softly. "I rule here," her voice raised to a scream, "Limbo is mine, and you will release them now!" Without warning she sent the sword hurtling toward the New Mutants, where it sunk deep within the vines clinging to them. With a sound of pain, the vines threw us to the ground.

"I thought we were doomed," Bobby exclaimed.

"We may still be," Danielle half joked. "These vines have a mind of their own."

"Ah guess your mirage was enough ta scare some sense into her," Sam said, relieved.

"I pulled from her mind the thing she was most afraid of," Danielle answered, "and gambled that it would be herself."

Illyana turned back to Forge, who had made it to his knees. "How did you know that I wouldn't kill you?" She demanded.

"I didn't," Forge gasped, his ponytail drooping along his back. "Life. Death. It wouldn't have mattered, but you have friends who value you and risked their lives to save you. I thought perhaps you would be worth it."

"Fine words. A noble sentiment," Illyana mocked. "I won't kill you now. You don't deserve to be with Storm and my brother. I won't let you have it so easy. You are restored in health and power, and may you suffer worse torments than I could every inflict for what you've done."

As Forge was engulfed by a red disc, I could barely hear his parting words. "You're lucky, Darkchilde," His voice seemed faint and distant. "If I had friends like yours around me in my youth, perhaps I would not have become the accident prone man that I am."

In a heartbeat, I found myself back in the attic of Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

"You saw what I did!" Illyana cried, still clutching the sword as if it were struggling to escape. "I almost killed him. I almost killed you!"

"Almost isn't did!" Rahne answered defiantly, approaching trembling girl. "Illyana, send the sword back to limbo. Please. Come back to yourself."

"I can't," Illyana wailed, tears leaking from her crimson eyes. "Don't you see? Dani's mirage, that monster, is what Destiny prophesied would destroy the world. It's what I am, what I've already become! I can't change back."

"No, listen to me," Rahne begged, clutching Illyana's metal sheathed arm. "It wasn't you. It wasn't even what you'd necessarily become. It was only what you were afraid you'd become. Only you didn't. You let Forge go and you didn't kill anybody. Please come back to us." Illyana gritted her teeth, fangs grinding audibly as her face set in lines of intense concentration. For an instant, it seemed that nothing was happening, but then the sword, the armor, the horns, and all other supernatural elements faded from Illyana's body into nothingness, as if they had been nothing more than a passing dream. Or nightmare. She looked as if she were ready to collapse.

"Illyana," I whispered, reaching for her. I only meant to steady her, but instead I found her in my arms, still trembling. The words I had been about to say died on my lips and I just continued to hold her, wondering why I didn't feel uncomfortable. After a few seconds she pushed away from me, unable to meet my eyes.

"So now you've seen Darkchilde firsthand," Illyana said, her posture rigid. "Are you reconsidering your decision to help us yet?"

"Nothing has changed," I answered. Illyana's surprised eyes, again deep blue, met mine. "You're still the same person you were when I first got here. Darkchilde is no more your real form than the one you have now; it's all part of the same person. Perhaps I'm harder to scare off than you thought? Right now I'm more worried about Warlock and Magneto. We kind of left them out in the middle of nowhere."

"Oh my gosh!" Danielle gasped. "That's right! Mags is going to KILL us."

"He wouldn't do that," Bobby joked. "Then he wouldn't have any students left to bully."

"I don't want to go back to limbo," Illyana shivered.

"We'll be with you," Sam answered, putting a hand on Illyana's shoulder comfortingly.

"Well, let's get it over with," she answered ungraciously after a moment’s hesitation. Within seconds we had rejoined the missing team members.

"How considerate of you to remember us," Magneto said sarcastically. He and Warlock were sitting uncomfortably on a large rock.

"I can leave you here if you prefer," Illyana snapped.

"Remind me to discuss your behavior today with you when we get back," he answered levelly. With a snort, Illyana raised her hands and we were back at the school. Looking at me, Magneto continued, "I believe I have kept my promise to you to the letter." I nodded unnecessarily. "However," the headmaster continued, "my students' disobedience cannot be tolerated." He glared around him until, finally, his eyes rested on Illyana. "I don't know whether you succeeded in killing Forge and I don't care. You may be one of the most powerful members of the New Mutants, but that makes you more responsible for your behavior, not less so. In the future, I expect that you will treat me with the respect I deserve as your elder and as your headmaster." Illyana nodded, still too shaken by recent events to offer protest. Magneto turned and addressed the entire group again. "I had hoped that you all learned a lesson from Doug's death, but apparently I was mistaken. Do not use your powers without my permission. Do not leave the school without my permission. And no more harebrained missions without my permission! Fail to obey these simple guidelines, and you will find the consequences most unpleasant. Any questions? Good, then you're dismissed." He stood and waited while his students slowly filed out of the office. When I turned to leave as well, Magneto stopped me.

"Wait a minute, David," he commanded. I look at him expectantly, searching for a sign of danger in his cold gray eyes. "What are you going to do now? Do you plan to go home now that you've been to Doug's funeral?" The question seemed rhetorical.

"No, I don't think I would be welcome there," I answered. "I was hoping that I could stay here," I continued and wondered if I was being too forward. "I mean, Doug seemed happy here and he was a mutant so I thought--" I babbled.

"No need to explain," Magneto interrupted, not unkindly. "This school was designed to be a place where mutants could live, study, and train. Will you follow my orders if you stay?"

I froze, my thoughts racing. "For as long as I'm a student at your school," I answered carefully. "However, I have to obey the dictates of my conscience and necessity. For example, you told us not to use our powers, but I can't shut mine off."

"David, I am a reasonable man. My rules are mostly common sense, so I don't expect that you will have any trouble following them. Really, you haven't done anything deserving punishment, so the 'no use of powers' rule need not apply to you anyway." He paused, thinking. "Speaking of which, you haven't really explained your powers yet. How do they work, anyway? " Magneto's voice betrayed only slight interest.

After a moment's thought, I answered. "I get dreams sometimes that are real. Either they are things that happened in the past, or they are things that are likely to happen in the future."

"How often do you get these 'dreams?'" Magneto seemed to sense that I wasn't telling him the whole truth.

"Um... it's hard to say," I answered, stalling. "It's hard to predict."

"You're a poor liar," Magneto remarked without malice.

"I know," I sighed, wondering if I was blushing. "These are the best answers I can give you. To be honest, I would prefer not to reveal exactly how it works. It's like making a birthday wish. If you tell someone else what it is, it might not happen."

"I could make you talk," Magneto stated evenly, "but you did me a service today and I'm grateful. I'll look the other way, for now." He emphasized the last two words. "After all, I have already seen some of the limits to your power," He continued. "I noticed how Spiral surprised you."

"Yeah, and I noticed that you did nothing to help me," I answered wryly. "I guess you were curious to see exactly how much of the future I saw. The answer is, just a few key moments here and there. There's plenty I haven't seen. Satisfied?"

"For now," Magneto answered, smiling wolfishly. "You have only been here for a couple of days, and there is still much that I don't know about you. That makes me nervous, but my instincts tell me that you may prove... useful. You may stay, but remember that you do so on my sufferance."

"Yes sir," I answered and escaped from his presence as quickly as I could.