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In the last issue: The joint forces of the X-Men and the school managed to escape the Mojoverse, but it resulted in finding out about a possible new threat, Emplate gaining two very powerful thralls, a very embarrassing situation, and signals that a new threat is already in their ranks.
Previous issues: Getting out of Showbiz
Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this work, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is one of my own development. There will be changes to some of the characters background, as this work is part of Marvel Mayhem on ComicVine.com.
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Issue 12: Recovery and Revelation
Richard Cale was enjoying the bit of free time he and Yvette were being allowed. It was arranged, in part, by the X-Men, since the school had been residing with them for the past week. Prior to that, they had spent what felt like a lifetime in a place called the Mojoverse. During the week, both he and Yvette put more time into classes, which some of their students didn't seem to mind. Now that they were on the eve of going to a new place for the school, several people insisted that they take the day and spend it in the city. As a result, both Yvette and he had gone shopping, and were now having a meal at Ma and Pa's Pancake shop. It was almost ironic that their day would lead them there, given Yvette's past visit was when they returned from the Mojoverse, and due to those circumstances, she had arrived au natural.
This time, however, Yvette was at ease, but he knew something was still on her mind. It wasn't Emplate, since they now understood the growing unease they would feel from time to time. Since arriving back in this world, and being with the X-Men, they felt a slight bit of unease, especially when they were alone with Monet St. Croix, who was the sister of Emplate. Now, in this public place, the unease was gone. This meant something else was bothering Yvette. He was just about to ask when she said it. "Now, I know you said you'd tell me once you knew, so who is this fiancée of yours?"
Richard nodded, and leaned forward at the table. He was thankful she had done the same, understanding that while out in public, they refrained from using their psychic powers. "I don't know who it is, but I know what it had been about. My mother, on the day I had met you, had arranged for me to marry some other girl. After I disappeared, and they then learned about the situation, she called it off. I don't know if the girl had or not, but something must have been written down somewhere, given what you‘ve told everyone of Cordelia‘s powers.”
He watched as Yvette nodded, and then ate a bit more of the meal she had gotten. He had to marvel at how the girl he loved could always find a meal that contained apples in it. Until today, he would have never thought Apple Pancakes were a possibility. After a moment, she continued. “I know. I don’t even understand how she can figure out what is useful. Can we even say how many documents are put into print every day? I’m surprised she stayed sane.”
Richard nodded, and was about to say something else when a new voice pierced the normal calm that was in the restaurant. The voice reminded Richard of the lead character of a show in England that featured a woman who insisted her name was Bouquet. It even sent a chill through him when the voice said, “There you are, Richard. My fiancé.” He turned his head to face the woman, and he saw her coming towards him.
From how she held herself, he could tell she was from a noble background. He was even certain he had even seen her in the news, but couldn‘t recall why. She was being followed by another woman, which Richard figured was the girl‘s mother. He also noticed that they both seemed happy to see him, but were looking at Yvette as if they had seen her before. That worried him, and the concern was starting to make the control he had over the range of his powers wane.
Before the situation could escalate, he looked at the woman and said, “Excuse me, but you are definitely mistaken. We aren‘t engaged. Besides, I don‘t even know your name.” He also mentally said to Yvette, “Remain quiet. They seem to recognize you for some reason.” He took note that she nodded, and then he waited for the new person to respond.
He saw the new woman smile, and another chill went down his spine. There was something predatory in that smile, but the woman had a tone that tried to convey sweetness. “My name is Quinn.” He noticed that she then waved a hand, signifying the woman behind her, “and that is my mother. We are part of the nobility back in England. I‘m surprised you haven‘t heard of us, but I suppose that‘s because someone kept you from contacting us.” Inwardly, Richard rolled his eyes. Obviously the women had to be delusional, but he knew better than to tell this woman that. He also noticed the owner was giving him and them a look. It would be better, especially after Yvette‘s last appearance there, for him not to be the cause of another scene.
He remained calm, and just said, “I see. Well, we are definitely not engaged. There were several extenuating circumstances that forced me to disappear from sight. I only learned about it when I deemed it safe to contact my family.” It was the truth, and as he said it, he noticed Yvette‘s concern start to spike. Had this happened later in the day, they wouldn‘t have to worry about the potential wardrobe malfunction that might happen if she activated her power.
To his surprise, it was the mother who answered. “Yes, I had received a call from your mother, but I know what had happened.” He saw her point right at Yvette. “I‘m certain this little trollop threatened your mother to say that. I know her type. Play the man to get at his wealth, and when she has it, she eliminates him.” For some reason, Richard felt the words described someone there, but not Yvette.
He was not surprised when Yvette responded to the comment. He had glanced at her, and noticed her red hair was started to form spikes. It was just the beginning, and he knew she needed to be reeled in. At least her tone signified she wasn‘t out of control. “I am not with him to get his wealth.” It was all she said, but he noticed the smirk on the mother‘s face. She obviously wanted people to think the worst of Yvette. He even noticed that some of the other patrons were looking back at the quiet corner they had been given.
Richard was about to defend her as well when Quinn stepped up behind him, and placed her hand on his shoulder. She even said, "Well, it can't be because of love, since I love him. You are just being a manipulative little whore." When she said that, Richard felt something happening, something he didn't want to happen. He felt new powers coming over him, as well as new memories. It was what happened when his mutant abilities were being forced to take on someone else's powers. Quinn was a mutant, and to his horror, a killer as well.
He quickly shrugged her off, since he was starting to feel like lashing out at all the women. Luckily, the move caught Quinn by surprise, since she backed away from him. He glared at her, but remained calm as he felt the other personality's malice leave him. He then softly said, "If either of you knew the truth about Yvette, you might not be so quick to accuse her of that." He then noticed as the owner was starting to walk over. Obviously, the two women were causing too much of a scene, and if he was right about the anger he was feeling from Yvette, there might be a repeat of Yvette's first arrival to the restaurant. He looked at both women, and then said, "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go."
He noticed the older woman stepped into the path to the exit. He started to have the feeling that these two women weren't about to let him leave. He could, however, use the talents that he and Yvette were learning to use to minimize the impact. He started to project his thoughts out, removing the image of him and Yvette from everyone’s minds. Soon, he saw everyone, except the two women, and the owner, look puzzled at the two women. He noticed that the owner, however, had nodded, and started to act the same.
At that same moment, he noticed two police officers entering the place, and both pointed in their direction. He started to wonder if they were being affected by what he was doing. He stopped wondering that when the one officer said to both of the women. “Excuse me, ma’am. We need to have a few words with you.” He had a feeling, by the shocked look on Quinn’s face, that she knew what it might be about.
Without missing a beat, he saw Quinn’s mother turn, and in an authoritative tone, with a pointing finger pointing at Yvette, say, “Officer. So glad you arrived. This woman here has my daughter’s fiancé under some sort of influence. I also know she was the naked woman that caused a ruckus here last week.” He noticed then that she didn’t look at the officers when she said that, but sneered at Yvette.
Richard wanted to smile when the officer shrugged, and then said, “Excuse me, ma’am, but there is no one here.” He then heard the other patrons start to remark about how the two women had to be crazy, addressing an empty table. The officer then walked up to Quinn, but addressed both women. “We do, however, want to talk with your daughter. Seems she was the last person to see a man alive. He was just found in his hotel room, dead.”
He took a bit of relief in the turn of events, and nodded at Yvette. She had picked up her things, as he picked up his things, and made for the exit. He didn’t pay anymore attention to Quinn or her mother, since both were trying to convince the officer that Yvette had been in the restaurant, while the other patrons loudly complained about their insane antics. Even the owner was complaining, but when both he and Yvette looked back, the owner just gave them a wink, and gestured for them to leave.
Once outside, Richard hailed for a taxi to get them back to where they were staying. As they waited, he felt Yvette lean close to him, and heard her softly say, “I was worried for a moment, there. Why didn’t the police officers see us?”
As the cab pulled up, Richard quietly said, “I used one of the tricks Emma taught us. No one, except for the owner of the restaurant, remembers we were there. I’m guessing, however, that they were there when you first appeared there.” He glanced back, and saw her go red with embarrassment. He then said as he opened the cab door, “Besides, I have a bad feeling that Quinn is trouble. I think the man the officers wanted to question her about was someone she killed. She’s a mutant, and it’s linked to her power, what ever it is.” He heard Yvette gasp, and he was certain she was thinking the same thing he was. It was another threat, and they could do with a lot less of those, especially now.
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Everett Thomas sat around the one table at the X-Men headquarters with his girlfriend, Absicca, known to all as Abi, and fellow students and couple, Jonothan Evans Starsmore and Clarice Ferguson. Thanks to their time doing shows in the Mojoverse, he and the others had been exempt from most of the training during their stay. He had found it odd that Monet St. Croix had opted to do all of the training, but it was a small part of some weird turns her behavior had taken.
Now, however, was not the time to dwell on that topic. They had been discussing for a while now the changes their school was going to take. They knew they were going to get uniforms like the X-Men had, and they had finally decided on a codename, at least the students had. The only thing up for speculation was the school's location. Everett decided to broach the topic, remembering some facts Abi had told them all about the other version of the team she had seen. "I have a feeling the new school is going to end up being in Europe somewhere. She said the second headmaster in the other timeline is from Ireland."
He noticed Abi nodding, and heard her then say, "Yep. Sean Cassidy, known as Banshee, has a castle over there. His ancestral home. He was the co-headmaster of the school, since those X-Men didn't fully trust Emma Frost in that timeline." He then watched her lean forward, with a devilish look on her face. "Judging by Emma's reactions to the idea of Sean Cassidy being co-headmaster in another timeline, it would funny if that ends up happening here."
Everett noticed a smile crossing the others' faces, and then heard Clarice say, "If it is true, then the name Generation X would definitely be perfect." He then saw Clarice lean her head against Jonothan's shoulder, the psychic fire giving the lavender skin an eye-catching glow. "Don't you agree?"
He looked at Jonothan, and noticed him silently nodding. He wondered what all was going on in Jonothan's mind. He knew that his friend liked the relationship he had with Clarice, but he figured the wounds of seeing Paige again had done a number on him. After a moment, however, Jonothan finally spoke. "While it might be funny, I have a feeling that if Sean Cassidy were to be involved, we might end up in Ireland. I have heard things about one boy in Ireland, and I hoping those are just rumor."
Everett was starting to feel good about the possibility, and said to his friend. “It‘s nothing to worry about, Jono. We‘ve survived two attacks by Emplate, and whatever Mojo threw at us. We're Generation X, and we can handle anything." As he said the last words, it made him smile, and the smile was infectious. Everyone, including Jono, had felt better about his words.
The feelings the words caused ended when a new voice spoke. "Now don' dat sound like a perfect team. Makes me think they already X-Men instead of jus students." It was easy to determine who was speaking, since the words were spoken in the accent of New Orleans.
Everett looked over at the door to the room, and saw Remy Le Beau, known as Gambit of the X-Men, enter, with a girl about their age in tow. He could see that she was a mutant as well, and that her skin had a crystalline look to it, which had to be linked to her mutant power. He also noticed that the girl was studying them carefully, but the most attention was on both Abi and Clarice.
Since the arrival of the two, the room had gotten quiet, so Everett decided to break the silence. "Well, it already feels that way. We are even picking out code names, but enough about that. What brings you over to our little group, and who's your friend?" He saw a slight smirk cross Remy's face, and hoped he didn't give the guy any ideas. He had seen Remy try a few unsuccessful flirts with various females there.
He then watched as the X-Man nodded towards the girl, and said, "Dis here is Roxanne Washington, or as she likes to codename herself, Bling! She's one of a few who will be going to the new school. Thought I'd introduce her to you first, given how your teachers just got back in, and have to prepare."
Those last words prompted everyone to get up. They all had to assemble for a special meeting for the new school. He heard Jonothan say as they all moved, “We need to find Jubilation and Angelo. I think he went to comfort her since she started worrying that she‘d be sent back to her former team.” Everett remembered hearing her complain about that, and he figured Angelo was trying to console her that it would not happen. Their Hispanic classmate had formed what had to be a relationship with the vampire.
He nodded, and then remembered the one person who seemed to be isolating themselves from the team. “We also have to get Monet. She can‘t keep training non stop.” He sighed then, and he noticed that everyone was nodding in agreement. “I guess I‘m not the only one worried about her.”
He was a little surprised when Abi said, “We are all worried about her. I know she and I seem at odds about you choosing me, but something isn‘t right that she keeps focusing on training. It‘s like she‘s been filling up with rage, and that‘s not good.” He had to agree with that view. It was something he also seemed to notice building since before Abi first arrived, even when they learned they might be facing Emplate on a regular basis.
Everett realized what needed to be done. He looked at the others and said, “Alright, Jono, you go get Monet. Clarice, go hunt down Angelo and Jubilation. Abi and I will head to where we are meeting to find out where the new school is.” He then looked at the new girl to the group. “Roxanne, why don‘t you join Abi and I on the way there.”
He saw the girl nod, and the fell into step with them as they ran. As they did so, he heard her speak for the first time. “I guess I should thank you for welcoming me to the group, but I was wondering one thing.” He glanced at her, and her next words surprised him a little. “I noticed that hot looking redhead earlier. Do you know if she‘s hooked up with someone?” Right then, he heard Abi chuckle, and wondered what this little insight into their new teammate might mean for the relationships that have formed, both friendship wise, and romantically.
Angelo Espinoza walked through the halls of the X-Men Headquarters along side Jubilation Lee. The whole time they walked, he could sense that she was worried about the situation she was now in. After the X-Men had rescued them from the Mojoverse, and brought them to their headquarters, talk had started about the situation regarding her. Apparently X-Force was still operating, and had not written off the vampire. As they walked, he heard her say, “I don‘t want to go back to them, you know. In that group, they were a bit…” He heard her pause, as if trying to find the right word.
For a moment, he wanted to offer the one word he thought she might be thinking, but thought it would have been in bad taste. He shook it out of his mind, and decided on a better word. “Brutal. I think you told me that they had Venom in the group.”
He saw her nod as they walked. “Yea, they were brutal as well. No, some of the members I think were closet perverts. I mean, I got vamped before I left my teens. If they posted any pictures of me,” with that, he saw her looking at him, an anger in her eyes, “let’s just say I’m going to be kicking their asses for a while.” While part of Angelo was curious what those pictures might be, he really didn’t want to anger Jubilation. He actually liked the vampire.
As they walked, her words prompted him to wonder about the stories he had heard about vampires. He stopped her for a moment, and said, “You know, I’ve been wondering about that. I thought vampires couldn’t be photographed, or even be out in sunlight. I’ve seen you out in the sun a few times. What gives?”
He was glad to hear a laugh come from Jubilation at that moment. “Well, as for the photographs, that one is simple. People believe that cameras and mirrors capture or reflect souls. If that was the case, why do you see buildings in pictures and mirrors. They have no soul.” He had to nod in agreement with that, even though he had never thought of it in that way before.
He then heard her continue, “As for the sunlight, well, there is tons of lore where vampires can move about in daylight. They can’t access all their powers, but they can move. Besides,” he saw her look down at her feet as they walked, as if part of this made her feel uneasy. “some of the Forgiven think that the low tolerance for daylight comes from excessive killing of people. Some members haven’t managed to avoid doing that for too long, and still have problems.”
Angelo put his arm around Jubilation, and was glad that she hadn’t shrugged him off. He then said, “Well, I’m sure they will give you the choice about going back or not. I would think that the X-Men would let you stay with us if you are happier here.”
To his shock, a dignified voice sounded out, confirming what he just said. “That is quite correct, Angelo.” They both turned, and Angelo saw Hank McCoy, the fur covered X-Man known as Beast, standing there. While he looked like a monster, the glasses he had on made him look human, even thought it was just one item. He also noticed that Jubilation seemed to be tensing up. “We did tell my ‘double’ about you, Jubilation, and he, surprisingly in my opinion, said that you are welcome back only if you wish to return. I will not confirm that I trust him one hundred percent, which has affected our choice for the school’s new location, but if you don’t wish to go back to him, you are still welcome at the school.”
He watched, deeply hoping she would remain at the school. When she finally nodded, and said, “Then make sure he knows that I’m staying with the school. They are a better group of people anyhow.” Angelo had felt glad to hear that. He hated to think he was the only guy at the school that wouldn’t have someone in their lives. He was starting to get the feeling that Monet was isolating herself more and more because of that. He even swore he saw some murderous looks coming from the Algerian girl.
He saw Hank McCoy nod then. “That is indeed good news, Miss Lee.” He then saw Mr. McCoy adjust his glasses. “You know. We had detected your power long ago, but Wolverine came back, telling us that someone got involved in some sort of crazy thing. He couldn’t fully remember what had happened, but after rescuing you all, he remembered Mojo. I’m guessing you might have gotten caught up in something back then as well, Miss Lee.” Angelo remembered the vampire saying something to that effect had happened.
He then watched as she looked Hank in the eye, causing the intellectual mutant to avert his eyes for a moment. She then shrugged and he heard her say, “Yes, but why ask me about that?”
He then saw the X-Men put a finger to his forehead, as if remembering something. “Well, there was something I was just recalling after hearing about Richard and Yvette’s ordeal.” Angelo remembered that day, since they were midway through a training session when Richard had to run out. He had heard later that Yvette had been asked to recount the one incident that happened in their shows, which had caused her to run out of the room she and the other ladies of the X-Men were in. Just as he was about to mentally muse on that, he heard Hank say, “It seems that the signs we detected of Mojo entering our world had been detected at one other place. A brothel for mutants, and one of the women there had gone missing. No one there fully understood how she had been so popular, but after her disappearance, the business there was not as well as it had been.”
This news Angelo found both surprising and informative. Jubilation had told him, after the attempt to contact the X-Men, and before they had been whisked away to their ordeals, that she had detected some strange pheromones on the teachers. He now wondered if those were linked to this mutant woman that had gone missing. He looked over at her, and noticed that her eyes were saying the same thing he was thinking. He wanted to ask her if she had a theory, but before he could, he noticed Clarice come running over. The lavender skinned mutant waved at them, and he heard her call out. “Hey, we need to get to the meeting. We are about to find out where we are going.” There would be no time to ask now, but he would ask her later, when they got to the new school.
Jonothan arrived at the X-Men’s war room last, with Monet St. Croix in tow. He had almost been afraid he would have to physically drag her to the meeting, since she seemed so focused on training. He was glad he didn’t have to, since he wasn’t sure if he could do it. There had been a few times during training that Monet had proved herself to be so strong, no one could move her. It was a disturbing thought, and worried him more as she began showing a more aggressive nature.
When they had arrived, however, he saw Emma Frost and Scott Summers at the head of the room. Just in front of them was both Yvette and Richard, both in red uniforms. He had to admit that the outfits looked very flattering, and then wondered how he might look in one of them. He could see that Monet didn’t seem impressed. In fact, he could have sworn he saw a contemptuous look on her face.
Once they were there, he saw everyone had been assembled, including a few new faces, other than Roxanne. He then looked up to Emma, and noticed she was starting to speak. “Alright everyone. I know there are some new faces to this group, so I want to go through the basics of the changes we are going through. First off, due to the events that have happened at the school, and where we’ve gone, it has been decided that we will have a team name, and team uniforms. It is thanks to Abi that we have agreed on the team name ‘Generation X’.”
Jonothan saw that all the current members of the school were nodding in approval. The new people, however, looked a bit puzzled. Before any of them could raise their hands, he saw Richard step forward and speak. “We were also given uniforms, each one designed to work with our unique abilities.” He watched as Richard motioned to Yvette, who activated her own power. In that instant, he watched as Yvette’s limbs appeared to lengthen, her hair spiked, her figure became more petite, and her digits turned into claws. He knew the result of that action would leave her naked when she returned to normal.
To his surprise, as Yvette moved about, the outfit didn’t tear. Emma then continued. “As you can see, the uniforms will retain their shapes, which for some of us, is a blessing.” He then saw Emma looking at him. “Jonothan, would you please approach Richard.”
Jonothan looked at Richard for a moment, and then looked back at Emma. “Are you sure about that, Miss Frost. I know how Richard’s powers work, and I’ve been keeping my distance just in…” He didn’t want to finish his statement. He was permanently stuck the way he was, and didn’t want both Richard and Yvette to suffer for it.
To his surprise, he heard Richard say, “Come on, Jonothan. I’ve been leery about it too, but I think we can handle it.” He wasn’t sure why Richard thought that, but inwardly he was hoping Richard was right, even though he suspected Richard would regret the events that they were setting in motion.
Jonothan stepped forward, a little unsure of what might happen. As he neared Richard, however, he noticed a slight look of pain on Richard’s face. He froze at that moment, but watched as Richard motioned for him to step forward. He was afraid to do so, but then it happened. He saw Richard’s chest explode, but not as huge a hole as his had done. The psychic fire was now erupting from the hole. He also heard a few people gasping, and a few almost retching.
He then saw Richard do something a bit amazing with it. He saw Richard refocusing the power, and start to lift off into the air. He stepped back, away from Richard, and watched as Richard also backed away from him. After a few moments, he saw Richard lower himself, and the fire faded away. Then, the very hole started mending itself, and Richard was back to normal, and his uniform was mending itself. All Jono could find himself saying was, “Damn.”
He then heard Emma say, “As you can all see, the uniforms use some special technology that allows these outfits to reform. This is useful for Richard, and there are some of you whose uniforms will have to adjust for your abilities. Since these uniforms will also mean more missions, we will have to take on code names. Now I know some of you have decided on some, again thanks to Abi, but I want confirmation on those by the time we get to the new school.”
Jonothan still couldn’t help but stare at Richard. He had never fully seen that aspect of Richard’s abilities, and he even wondered if that was part of his own abilities. It was true that he had seen Richard’s skin take on a lavender hue when ever he had Clarice’s abilities, but he never saw Richard reform any lost body parts. As he was staring, he heard Clarice say, “I saw him do that once.” He blinked and then looked at her. She just smiled and said, “The orphanage I was in, there was a guy who could use his bones like weapons. He could pull them out of himself. Richard mimicked it once, and he almost freaked out. When the ability left him, he took a few thankful breaths.”
“Thanks.” That did make him feel better about the whole scene. He also felt better that they didn’t have to state their codenames right now. He was still nervous about where the school would end up. He then turned his attention to the teachers and Emma Frost. “So where is the school going to be at?”
This time, he heard Scott talk about the new school location. “It took some time, but we found a good place for it. It will be in Ireland, at a place known as Cassidy’s Keep.” In that moment, he noticed that Emma looked pale, as if she had just heard some news she didn’t want to hear. He had to admit he was worried about it, but If this is what the X-Men wanted to do, he had to go along with it.
He then heard Scott say, “That means your school will have an additional headmaster, who will be Sean Cassidy. Now, I suggest you all gather your stuff together, so we can leave on time.” At that moment, everyone all headed out. Jonothan knew it would not take him long to get all his stuff together. Still, while he was uneasy about the school being in Ireland, at least the whole team would be together with no threats able to find them.
Emma watched as all the students, including the new ones left. They had all taken the news well. Even she had to admit that with all that had happened since the school had started, working with Sean Cassidy was not the worst thing that could happen. The only thing that could be a threat was something they were only going to find out about in a few moments.
She looked at the two teachers, who were still admiring their uniforms, and said, “Richard, Yvette, it’s time.” She watched as both nodded, and walked over to her. She then led the way out of the war room, and to the room she was using as her office.
As they walked, she heard Yvette ask, “How long did it take you to arrange this call, Emma?” She figured the young woman would ask about this. It was all linked to the threat of Emplate, whom Yvette had been a prisoner off, as well as still being pursued by.
When they reached the room, which wasn’t far away from the war room, she responded. “The better part of this week, Yvette. With the uniforms, as well as the new students we are taking on, getting this call set up took time. Luckily, when I mentioned it was concerning his children, Ambassador St. Croix set up this time to call.”
When they were in the room, she saw Richard close the door. He then said, “Good. I have a bad feeling he’s going to confirm something I’m starting to suspect.” She nodded, remembering the two discovering recently that they got ‘a feeling’ when Emplate or one of his thralls were around. They had even said they had a slight ‘feeling’ since they had been in the Mojoverse, and since they got back.
Almost as if on cue, the video phone in the room came to life. Emma approached it, with the two teachers behind her, and activated it. Soon, the image of Ambassador Cartier St. Croix appeared on the screen. She smiled her warmest, neutral smile, and said, “Ah, Ambassador. I’m glad we could talk now.”
Before she could ask, he had actually brought up the point. “I take it you wish to talk about our family’s curse.” The statement was enough to make them all gasp, since she was sure that none of them expected him to say that. He then continued, “I’m sorry to be so blunt about it, but since I haven’t been able to contact you in a while, I feared the worst. Has Monet attacked anyone yet?”
She felt the fear starting to radiate out from Yvette, but it calmed down quickly, most likely by Richard either mentally comforting the redhead, or holding her hand. Emma decided to answer the question. “No, she has not. She has been training more and more since the end of our last ordeal.”
She noticed the grim look crossing Cartier’s face. It was not a good omen, if she truly believed in that stuff. “If she’s using her main powers more, she’s only draining the resources the curse has to feed off. Her brother did the same thing, not listening to the warnings. You need to convince her before she starts feeling the hunger.”
Hearing those last words made her remember Monet’s odd statement from when they first returned from the Mojoverse. Obviously, Richard still remember the words as well as she heard him say, “She may already be feeling the hunger. After an ordeal we had all gone through, when we returned, she remarked being in the mood for Chinese, and we have two members of our team that are Asian-American.”
She heard a groan come from Cartier, and that raised all the alarms in her. Finally, he spoke, and as he did, her fear increased. “Then she’s already feeling the hunger. You need to make sure she doesn’t use her powers for a while. If she keeps doing so, the hunger will take over. It’s the same thing that happened for years, ever since one of our ancestors got cursed by an evil being. Since then, we have had this hunger, but were able to control it somehow. With the rise in mutant powers, the hunger has gotten stronger. My son was the first one to give in to it. You may not know this, but they had two twin sisters. The hunger consumed them quickly, since one was constantly using her power to help the other. If Monet lets the hunger consume her, it will not be good.”
Emma realized that those words meant there was a danger coming that might destroy the school. While she didn’t want to hear the answer, she heard Yvette ask the question that was on her mind. “Just how bad will it be? Richard and I have both been supped on, as he calls it, by Emplate and his thralls.”
Emma noticed that Cartier was looking away from the screen, but his words said a lot about the curse his family had to endure. “I could tell. While I am in control of the hunger, I can see his mark on both of you. If I were to give into the hunger, I would not be using you as a food source. I would be inclined to kill both of you. If the hunger consumes her, she will want to kill you as well.” Again, Emma could feel the fear coming from the two teachers, but she understood now how bad the situation could get.
With that last bit of information, she decided it was time to end the call. “Thank you for the information, and the warning, Ambassador. We will try to do all we can to avoid that from happening.” She saw him nod, and then she shut the video call off. While the call had been disturbing, she had to hope for the best.
After a few moments, she turned to face her two teachers. Both had been scared by what could possibly happen. She let out a sigh, and then said, “Well, it is as we have been fearing, but we might be able to stop it. I’ll ask Beast to look into a cure.”
She watched as both nodded, and started to relax. She watched as Richard leaned against the back wall. “If he has time. We asked him to look into the issue regarding…” She saw him turn red, and figured it had something to do with what had happened when Yvette recounted the one thing they had gone through. When ever one of them thought about ‘the incident‘, they had to both bolt, and give into the lust that hit them.
She nodded again in understanding, also remembering how she felt after hearing about it. She nodded, and then said, “Fair enough. Still, we will have to try and find something, before the hunger consumes her. In the meantime, we need to get ready and go. Head back to your quarters, and get everything ready.” She saw them both nod, and then leave. She then started to hope for the best as they prepared to head to Ireland.
**************************
Monet St. Croix had been told to prepare for the trip, but there wasn’t much to do. Thanks to everything that had happened, she had nothing to prepare. That was, for the most part, thanks to her brother, Marius. Maybe it was part of the reason why he appeared in the dream she had during her nap.
It was one of the best dreams she had ever remembered having, although she wasn’t entirely sure why. It opened with her in a garden, looking over what at first appeared to be two statues like the Venus De Milo. One was Marius, and the other was the treacherous Paige Guthrie. As she walked over to them, she took pleasure in the fact that they weren’t statues, but the actual bodies, their bloody arms on the ground next to them.
She had then moved over to what looked like a barbeque grill. It was actually a huge one, and on it was the one bane of her existence, Abcissa. The girl was bound and gagged, and being cooked alive. She savored the smell, and even sampled a part of the meal she was making.
She then found herself moving on to where the next meal was being prepped. It was the vampire Jubilation, and she took the bottle next to the figure, and dumped the contents all over the girl. She savored in the screams that came from the girl, especially as she put the empty bottle of holy water down. The screams made her feel so good.
Finally, she moved on to the last part of the garden, where two figures where hung from the trees, the two teachers Richard and Yvette. Both were near naked, their powers obviously kept in check by some means. Both of them had been wanted by her brother for some reason, and that meant they were tainted. She had even timed their capture to be in tune with that moment when their time in the Mojoverse was clouding their thoughts. There was only one thing she could do, and that was to kill them.
She turned to the one person in front of them, wearing a royal blue cloak. She got next to him, playfully running her hand over his chest, and throatily saying, “Well, Everett my love, which one should we kill first. Personally, I think it should be Yvette first, since she seems to think her own figure is more enticing than mine.” She then took pleasure in the fact that Richard seemed to struggle more.
To her surprise, however, she heard Everett say in a voice almost like her brother’s, “Monet.” She turned to stare at him, and he repeated it. Why would he want to kill her, since she loved him, and he loved her.
She blinked again, and noticed that she was in her room. It had been all a dream, but she was certain Everett was calling her. She quickly got up, and ran to the door of the room. She composed herself quickly, realizing that she appeared to be a mess, and then opened the door. Thankfully, she saw he was alone, and she said, “Everett, why did you stop by now? Shouldn’t you be getting ready for the trip?”
Much to her surprise, he said, “We are all ready to go. Remember, you had to get ready. Everyone else is ready for the plane. Come on.” She blinked, and then glanced back at the time. It was as he said, time to go. She nodded, and then started to dart around the room, double checking for things in the pure dark room. When she was certain she had everything together, she made her way to the door.
As she followed Everett, she had never noticed her hands, nor had he. She never noticed the holes on the palms of her hands resealing. She was even now forgetting the hunger pains she had started feeling at that moment. That growing part in her, however, could bide its time. It would get its meal, and remove the tainted meat.
Issue End.
Next Issue: The New School
From the author:
As always, I want to thank all the readers for various things. First off, thank you for reading. I try to make all these issues worth while for you. I also want to thank you for being so patient. I know I usually only post something once a month, but it gives me time to plan out and write a good story for you all. I also want to thank those readers who have commented, and let me know you've been reading my series.
For those who have been enjoying my work here, I invite you to check out my work on Fanfiction.net. Also, in the past few months, I have started ePublishing, and invite all of you to look into my first publication, an adaptation of an audio play. Here it is for Kindle, and on Smashwords, and for the Nook.
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