Chapter 6- Coming Out
Candy arrived at school Monday distracted and unwilling to discuss what was making her so jumpy. She kept glancing over her shoulder and was starting to remind Amanda of a bad movie. Finally, during lunch, she dragged her friend out onto the lawn/forest/band of scrawny trees where no one really went.
““Tell,”” she demanded. ““You’’ve been acting weird all day, and it’’s got Colleen, Lee and I worried. There’’s something wrong, Candy, don’’t even try to pretend there isn’’t.””
Candy broke down into tears.
““Candy, I- I’’m sorry, what’’s wrong?”” Amanda crouched down next to her friend as she sunk to the ground.
"I can’’t tell you I can’’t tell I can’’t!”” Candy whispered almost mindlessly. "I can’’t I can’’t I can’’t!””
"Candy, you know you can tell me anything. Please, this is making you go nuts! You have to tell someone, if it’’s doing this to you. What’’s wrong?!””
"Warren,”” she whispered. "He’’s –– not normal, Amanda. And the –– people, people tried to hurt him for it. He’’s been hospitalized, and he made me promise not to tell anyone what really happened, because they could come after him again . . .””
Amanda went out on a limb, praying she was right. "Candy, is Warren a mutant?””
Mutely, Candy nodded. "I –– oh, God, don’’t tell anyone, Amanda! He’’s already gotten mobbed, hospitalized, for what he can’’t help. He’’s –– ”” Candy smiled dreamily. "He has wings. I call him ‘‘Angel’’, and they’’re beautiful, Amanda. He took me flying, once. Just up there without a care in the world, shooting over downtown Manhattan.”” Candy smiled at the memory, right after Warren had told her he was a mutant, unstrapping his wings from the harness that gave him his normal public appearance. "I don’’t see why people want to kill him for it,”” she finished in a whisper.
"Who, Candy? Who attacked him?””
Candy stared up at her friend in dazed astonishment. "You mean you’’re not going to go get a white jacket for me? Send me to the place with padded walls? Go after Warren with pitchforks and torches?””
Amanda smiled. "Not a chance, Candy. I’’m in the same boat. I have a few friends who are mutants. Who was it, Candy? Who went after your Angel?””
Candy sighed. "You have no idea how nice it is to finally tell someone. You really do have to meet Warren –– the real Warren, not the stiff-faced billionares son.””
"Without wings.””
"Yeah. He’’s much nicer when his wings aren’’t all cramped up under some stupid suit,”” then Candy’’s eyes glazed a moment before returning. "It was the Friends of Humanity, Amanda. The adult branch, but it was them, with their FOH hats and shirts and torches,”” she muttered, adding the last part darkly. "If you know any –– are friends with any –– warn them, Amanda. This group means business.””
"And most everyone ignores mutants. There are too few of them, most in hiding because they know what’’ll happen if they’’re seen,”” Amanda commented. "It’’s a statement that we can’’t accept them for who instead of what.””
"Amen to that, sister!”” Candy said, making Amanda burst out laughing.
"You over this?””
"Over it. Though I’’m still gonna be watching for Graydon over my shoulder,”” Candy told her, letting Amanda pull her to her feet. "Oh, by the way. Kurt wanted to know Graydon’’s birth last name? It’’s Creed. Graydon Creed.””
*
"Kurt! Kurt, get over here!”” Amanda yelled, gesturing wildly. Kurt’’s holographic eyebrows rose into his hairline, mimicking his real ones.
"You are in a mood today,”” he commented. "What?””
For the second time that day, Amanda dragged one of her friends back into the forest. Neither of them noticed someone following, far behind. "Your fuzzy blue hide is in real trouble, mister.””
"What’’d I do?!””
"You were born,”” she muttered darkly. "Shut up and listen. One of my friend’’s boyfriend got attacked over the weekend, and it put him in the hospital.””
"Attacked . . ?””
"By the Friends of Humanity. Kurt, he has wings. Whatever that group says it is, it isn’’t. Colleen and Candy were more than right; it’’s some sort of mutant-hate group,”” Amanda leaned against a tree as she watched Kurt absorb this. "Oh, weird side note. Candy found out Graydon’’s birth last name. Creed.””
"MEIN GOTT IN HIMMEL!!”” Kurt screeched, and vanished with a BAMF.
*
"PROFESSOR!!!!”” Kurt screeched after the three ‘‘ports it took him to get back to the mansion.
*Kurt, what’’s going on? Why aren’’t you in school?*
Because I just found out that Angel was attacked this weekend. One of Amanda’’s friends is dating him, and it has her scared stiff.
*Attacked by whom?*
Supposedly? The Friends of Humanity. And tell Logan that an old friend may have dropped some baggage in this town.
"What’’s Chuck sayin’’ ‘‘bout an old friend o’’ mine? I got too many to keep ‘‘em straight, elf, so out with it.””
Kurt’’s yellow eyes were slightly wild throughout the conversation. "Graydon Brent, the guy who started the high school branch, and his father started the regular one? He’’s adopted. His real name is Graydon Creed.””
Logan’’s claws smoothly entered and exited out through the other side of a wall as he roared. The New Mutants, Amara included, quickly found hiding places. "He has a kid he has a flamin’’ kid . . . Of all the lousy people on this planet to have children, does it really have to be him?!””
"Sabretooth with a son . . . I do not find this prospect a good sign. But then, why is the son of a mutant so determined to wipe them out?”” Xavier asked as he wheeled into the room.
"Any number of reasons . . . foremost being that he doesn’’t know his own father was a mutant, and the man he does call father raised him to hate us!”” Kurt ended in a screech. Across the hall, Rahne winced.
"Kurt, calm down. For one, get back to school. You’’ll be missed. Act as if nothing has happened, or Graydon may connect you with the Angel incident. That could very easily bring down what we’’ve tried to build here. Who told you? Or was it gossip?””
"Amanda,”” Kurt took several deep breaths, then ‘‘ported out without so much as a by-your-leave.
"Amanda. She knows about Angel. Another mutant, and we didn’’t even know,”” Logan commented.
"I believe, Charles, Logan, that we have just had our minds made up for us on whether or not to allow Amanda to knows about the Institute,”” Ororo commented from Logans usual spot in the doorway. "We need a plant, and the girl has just volunteered herself.””
*
"Amanda?””
"Kurt! I didn’’t see you after you BAMFed yesterday. Is everything alright? Where did you go?”” she asked, worried.
Kurt was flicking his tail back and fourth with nerves. The tiny forest-like setting outside the school but still on grounds. Kurt had perched in the branches of a tree, and much to his surprise, Amanda had followed him up. He had also ditched his image inducer.
"Back to the Institute. I’’ve kind of been not exactly telling the truth.””
"*Gasp*! You’’re not really a mutant, are you? You lied to me!””
Kurt had to hang onto the tree to keep from falling out. "You are a bad person,”” he shook his finger at her. "I was actually attempting to be serious for once.””
"Oh, dear. Kurt’’s being serious. Shall I run for the hills?””
"‘‘Manda!””
"Sorry. The opportunity was simply too good to miss. Now: What?””
"Everyone at the Institute? They don’’t just know I’’m a mutant. Scott, Jean, Rogue, Evan, Kitty . . . They’’re all mutants. Everyone at the Institute is a mutant –– Professor Xavier is the worlds most powerful telepath, Logan has these huge adamantium claws, Ms. Munroe controls the weather, and Mr. McCoy, who used to teach Chemistry here, has long blue fur and an apelike appearance. He’’s more touchy about it than I am.””
"Everyone . . .”” Amanda shook her head. "Not precisely a shock, but this will take some getting used to. What –– what type of mutations do the students have, if one of your teachers can control the weather?””
"Scott fires beams of force from his eyes –– ””
"His ever-present glasses!””
"Ja. Jean is a telepath/telekinetic, Evan shoots his bones from his body and instantly regrows them, Kitty can become intangible, and Rogue . . . if anyone ever touches Rogue’’s skin, she drains their life force, putting them into a coma and allowing her to gain whatever special abilities that person has. With mutants, she gains mutations.””
Amanda looked rather overwhelmed.
"There’’s more.””
"Oh, boy.””
"The New Mutants are mostly in junior high, or would be if they could control their powers. Sam Guthrie can fly, Rahne Sinclair is a . . . well, she’’s a werewolf, Roberto DeCosta can take energy from the sun and turn black, giving him strength and flight, Bobby Drake can lower the temperature around him enough to freeze water molecules, Jubilation Lee creates a chemical reaction that allows her to shoot firework-like things out of her hands, Amara Aquilla controls flame and magma, Danielle Moonstar has the ability to manifest images from other peoples minds as illusions, and Jamie Madrox, who clones himself every time his body impacts something hard enough.””
There was a Pause.
"Um . . . oh, dear. That’’s . . . quite a lot of mutants.””
"And we all live under one roof.””
Amanda glanced at Kurt, who was dangling in front of her. "So . . . do I ever get to meet these people, or do they become the stuff of legends?””