Chapter 5- Apprehension

““Kurt?””

““Ja, ‘‘Manda?””

““You don’’t have to answer this, but does everyone at the Institute know you’’re a mutant?””

Kurt did his best to keep his face still. Although he had promised not to tell her about the X-Men and the Brotherhood, he wasn’’t sure how to answer this question. If he said no, she’’d never believe him; after all, the first time she’’d caught a glimpse of him, he’’s ‘‘ported right in front of Rogue. So the answer was yes, but he’’d have to be even more careful not to give everyone else away.

““Yeah. I definitely scared them when they first did the same thing you did: caught me without my watch on,”” he shrugged, and tried for a sheepish grin. She laughed. ““I’’m just lucky Professor Xavier and the rest knew me well enough by then to only take a week to get used to me.””

Amanda was about to venture another comment when a commotion down the hall interrupted them. Some girl was complaining down the hall loudly enough to interrupt anyone for a second. ““Graydon’’s, like, so moronic. He doesn’’t want anyone in his stupid ‘‘people first’’ club that doesn’’t hate some minority or another. I mean, it’’s not like it’’s on the club creed or something, but if they find out you don’’t hate someone, they’’ll find a way to kick you out. Y’’know how Belladonna’’s been absent for nearly a week? Well, I heard that she’’s not sick. I heard Graydon and his group beat up on her. But thugs like him and that stupid Duncan Matthews are too big to get any accusation like that carried through.””

Kurt didn’’t recognize the voice, but Amanda did. ““Hey, Colleen! What’’s this ’’bout Belle and Graydon?”” When Kurt gave her a questioning look, she explained. ““Belladonna’’s a Junior, moved here from New Orleans a month ago. She’’s in Colleen and mine science class.””

Colleen and Candy looked up, and saw Kurt and Amanda talking at his locker. ““Well, there’’s no proof or anything, I mean, it’’s just some weird rumor, but the club that senior, Graydon Brent, started, Friends of Humanity? It’’s supposedly got all these weird rules that make no sense, and for a group that’’s supposed to go out and help people they have some pretty strange members,”” Colleen explained.

Candy broke in. ““Colleen was saying that Graydon and his group were the ones that put Belladonna outta school for a four days.””

““She’’s not sick?””

““Well, sick’’s what her parents are claiming, but I don’’t believe it for a second. They just don’’t want a court case with the Brents,”” Colleen shook her head.

““Well, at least I’’ve got nothing to worry about,”” Candy grinned. ““Graydon can try for me all he likes. He couldn’’t get a step past Warren’’s lawyers.””

Amanda shuddered. ““Well, I’’m staying with a fourth cousin and I’’m not even an American citizen. I’’m staying out of his way.””

““You know, I heard Graydon’’s adopted. Anybody have any idea what his birth last name is?”” Kurt asked unexpectedly.

““No clue. But I’’m sure it’’ll be in the school records or something. Why?”” wondered Colleen.

““I dunno. His name just sounded a little familiar,”” Kurt shook his head. ““I guess I’’m imagining things. Amanda, I have to go -- I’’ll see you in school tomorrow, okay?””

““Uh -- yeah, sure, Kurt. Why the sudden hurry?”” she queried.

““I just have -- a few things to do,”” he replied, then threw his backpack over his back and headed unerringly for the Institute. Amanda raised an eyebrow.

““Nice exit,”” Candy commented. ““Are you sure you like that guy?””

*


““I know that there isn’’t any proof, Professor, but I think this deserves checking out. What if it’’s true?””

““And what if it’’s only idle gossip, Kurt? What do we do then?”” Xavier inquired. He knew his students had been unsuitably frightened by the threat FOH presented, but he hadn’’t thought that anyone would go as far as to believe that high school students would be capable of putting a girl in the hospital for a week . . .

Then again, Xavier, you lived in a different time. Maybe, when half of school shot-outs don’’t even make the evening news, Kurt’’s fear could simply be reasonable worry, Xavier sighed at the thought. Things had changed so much -- not that they’’d been perfect -- but children had gone to high school and hadn’’t feared their classmates.

““If it’’s only idle gossip, Professor, we praise the club for their humanitarian efforts and stop living in fear,”” Kurt would normally have made a comic picture, hanging from the chandelier by his tail, but his completely serious attitude and the severity of what he spoke nixed even the idea of laughter.

Which wasn’’t like him.

““I think we should make an effort to scope out at least the high school level of the Friends of Humanity. If all our paranoia has been for nothing, at least Kitty can stop looking over her shoulder when she walks down hallways, and I can stop checking my image inducer every ten seconds, afraid it’’s on the fritz again.””

““Kid makes sense, Chuck,”” Logan commented, leaning on the doorframe.

““Do you ever knock, or do you assume a conversation requires your commentary?”” Xavier asked, slightly annoyed.

Logan grinned. ““Two-way conversation or no, Chuck, elf’’s got a point. What I’’m trin’’ at figure out is how we get out o’’ there if he’’s right.””

The professor sighed. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. ““Alright. We’’ll ask the X-Men, and if they think it’’s worth investigating, we’’ll have to come up with some way to infiltrate the organization.””


*


The X-Men clamored their agreement with Nightcrawler, and Xavier, Logan and Ororo spent the next week attempting to figure out a way to pull out should FOH be an essentially anti-mutant group. It would have to be infiltrated by one of the students, and that’’s what had them worried. The X-Men could be on call for an entire meeting, but it would be nerve-racking and each time the aforementioned student went, it became more and more likely that they would be discovered.

““I am not entirely certain how we thought to accomplish this in the first place!”” Ororo declared, frustrated. ““What we have to come up with is a way to get to the bottom -- the true purpose -- of the high school level of what is, essentially, a mutant-hate group. All without risking the students in too high a fashion. Even assuming we could do this, choosing whom to go is nearly impossible. Kurt, Rogue and Scott are out of the question, Kitty is only a freshman and unlikely to discover anything at all because of it, Evan is slightly impetuous, and although Jean seems our best candidate, I must say that as of late, I am not certain I would trust her judgment to remain unaltered by her personal opinion. Which leaves us, of course, with no possible course of action.””

““Why wouldn’’t Jeannie give a true report? She’’s in as much danger as anyone else,”” Logan pointed out.

““Duncan Matthews is one of the upper-level members of the Friends of Humanity. She is already too close to the situation,”” Ororo informed him.

Logan felt like growling. ““Great. I never liked that kid.””

““Yes, well, Scott heartily shares your opinion, and Kitty as well, though not nearly as fiercely. She doesn’’t like him because he looks down his nose at freshmen,”” Xaiver sighed (again). ““There is an option we haven’’t considered, though obviously because it doesn’’t apply, at the moment.””

““Okay. Lemme guess: you’’ve been holdin’’ out on us about this fer a week ‘‘cause it didn’’t seem ‘‘plausible’’ to ya. So tell.””

Xavier took a breath (wow! Inhale instead of exhale! Yes, yes, shuttingupnow). ““We could have a human acquaintance of the X-Men do reconnaissance for us.””

““Charles, the X-Men don’’t have . . .”” Ororo began, then trailed off as a thought occurred to her. ““Amanda.””

Logan was rarely surprised by the Professor. He’’d known the man too long. But this . . . ““Um, Chuck? We already had this discussion. Nearly a month ago. The kids all voted not to let Amanda in on their secret.””

““Besides, Charles, it would be cruel to the child for us to trust her simply because we have no one else to trust. We would not even be telling her because we think enough of her, but only because we need to place her in a position we would not put our own students in,”” the windrider pointed out. ““Not only cruel, but against the policies of the Institute.””

““Back to the drawing board.””

*


The drawing board, however, revealed no better ideas. When Xavier brought the idea up to the students -- all of them, New Mutants and X-Men alike -- the vote was out for two days on how to handle it.

Then something made up their minds for them.