David Stillman's Story

David was one of those unlucky kids who were forced to stand to the sides. Not too long ago he had thought that he was done with all this. The cluttering in the autitorium, school lunch, hell, just school for that matter. He was a graduate. He was going to live a normal live, have a normal job, and maybe even start a normal family if he found the right person. But no, he was a freak, an abomination. He was a mutant. The hate that was being screamed outside, it didn't sound so far off. If David had been in a better state of mind, he wouldn't have even considered what they were saying. What they wanted was horrible. But David wasn't in his normal state of mind. He agreed with them. He killed his own father because of his powers. And then, he was let off for temporary insanity, to where he just had to be examined for a little then was shipped off to this hell hole. If it was that easy for a mutant to get away with killing, then maybe there shouldn't be any mutants at all. When he was heading to the school, he thought that maybe he'd feel better among mutants. Maybe being with them would somehow make him feel better about what he had done. It didn't. He was a killer, a crazy one at that. He felt alone. He hadn't felt that since his mom left. It went away after a year or two, his dad did a great job at being there. But now he's gone, and David didn't feel like he could relate to anyone. This was strange to him indeed, he used to be great with people. But not right now, not after what happened.

Scott Summers started to talk over the microphone. David started to listen, but his mind wandered off. He couldn't get the look of his father's face out of his mind. The face he made when he sent massive amounts of electricity into him. It killed David, just killed him. A tear washed down his face as he heard a woman named Emma Frost take the stage. David continued replaying the memory over and over until he heard the Head Mistress say one thing that caugt his attention. "Forget who you were, forget any melodrama’s you may have had back home". As much as he thought it made her sound kinda bitchy, he agreed. He wanted to forget about it, and he wanted to move on, to learn how not to hurt people. I need this. I really need this. Please God, if ever a time to send some luck, it would be now The end of the speech hailed a thunderous applause. John clapped loudly. A smile came to his face for a little, but it soon vanished. Everyone cleared out of the room. If he had paid attention to the mutant kind while he was still normal, he may have recongnized some people. But he really didn't. It just wasn't his problem back then. But now, now things are different.

He walked out into the lounge and leaned against a wall. He thought about lingering with some people, but that thought was quickly shot down when his father came back to mind. I...I just need some time to process this.

After a while David figured he'd find something to drink, hopefully with enough of a kick to knock him on his ass. He started maneuvering through the crowd, looking for something. Memories continued to flash through his mind, and he started bumping into people left and right. Then he heard a voive in his head, a familiar voice. "You know what would make you feel better? A little power. Embrace what you are. You know you loved that feeling...". David looked around the room like an idiot, knowing who it was, but not wanting to believe it. "Feed me David...Feed Me!". David held his head, and then snapped his head up and yelled, "Leave me alone!". Everyone looked over at him like he was a madman. Everyone probably thought he was crazy, but thing was, he KNEW that he was crazy. He dashed off to another room and tried to calm himself down. " You're weak...but you can get stronger. You know exactly what to do...". "I said, Shut Up!". The voice went away. David collected himself and walked back into the lounge.

He spotted the buffet. He went over to the punch, hoping somebody spiked it. In front of him was an obvious Italian, hairy and everything. "Is there anything good to drink around here? Something a little better than punch?". He poured himself a cup of punch and took a sip, then looked over the room.

Cat glanced up as Laura approached, a wicked smirk curving on her lips. The woman was a good combatant and they were evenly tied in their number of fights, though Cat would often reassure the woman that she was allowing her to win only for pity. When Laura mocked her for being kind-hearted towards the little one, her eyes narrowed. That was one thing that Cataleia truly hated about the woman - She seemed unable to fathom kindness and it seemed like Cat was her primary target at all times. "I wouldn't expect you to be able to understand the ability to feel compassion, empathy, and true care for another being because...You aren't really a person...are you? Clone." Laura should have known better than to say anything other than what Emma and Scott asked of her because Cat wasn't afraid to be mean. Of course she wasn't about to duke it out with the woman right here and right now, but she knew exactly how to make her words sting. Shaking her head, she stood up. "We all know that you're jealous of me. I mean, c'mon. I'm gorgeous, outgoing, talented, intelligent, strong, and a better field agent then you could ever be. The only reason why you're on the team and I'm not is because I'd rather be taking care of these kids. With idiot fucks like you running around, someone's got to make them feel better." Laura wasn't exactly known for being understanding towards the young mutants who haven't yet accepted what they are, and Cat was often trailing behind her to comfort the children. The two had totally different personalities and mindset, though they were both strong and well-trained combatants. Cat knew about Laura's past and her inability express, much less process emotions at this point - But she wasn't going to let the woman make jibes at her and get away with it.

When she spoke of the party, Cat sighed. "Of course I'm going to be there." She muttered. Cat knew about the narcotics dealings going on had been keeping an eye out for the culprit. She knew one thing for sure was that it wasn't Tommy and she was surprised that Laura didn't accuse him of it outright. Shaking her head, she stood up and let down the barrier and allowed sound to flood her ears once more. "Yeah, I'll be there. Guess I'll see you then, Clone." She tipped the woman a lazy two-fingered salute before sauntering away, letting a kind smile replace the less than pleasant expression on her face that seemed to sit there when Laura decided to hold conversation with her. She caught a glance of Hank talking to a student that was bundled up and smiled fondly at the blue man, giving a wave. For now, she was seeking out Tommy. She found herself coming to a more crowded area which was where the buffet was. And there was Tommy sipping on punch, another guy beside him asking about something to drink that was a bit more pleasing than punch - She assumed that he meant alcohol. She shimmied her way between the two males, her back to David as she faced Tommy. "Clone says that Surge wants us sober and on duty tonight at the party. Para baixo?" It seemed almost reflexive for her to toss Portuguese in the middle of her English nowadays, though she luckily had taught Tommy enough of her more common phrases so the Italian wasn't quite so lost on what to say. She then turned around, letting her hair flip over her shoulder and brush against Tommy's face- Oh how she loved to toy with him. She extended a hand to David and beamed a smile. "Hi. You must be new here. I'm Cataleia-Inocencía. Call me Cat, Kitty, Legs. It doesn't matter. I hear that you're looking for a more...satisfying drink than punch. I'd tell you where my stash is. But I don't know you like that." She grinned before turning back around and glancing at Tommy. "I'm going to go out to the gardens. It's way too crowded in here - You'd think they'd get some renovations made." She shrugged and leaned up to place a soft peck on his cheek before weaving her way back through the crowd, impressing herself with her ability to not trip in heels over all the people around her.

Once she had made it to the garden, she inhaled the air deeply, closing her eyes. Focusing, she could hear all around the grounds. Each and every word spoken down to the last whisper. She could hear the Bible-Thumpers at the gate shouting for them to burn in hell. But she couldn't do anything about it, because she knew that attacking the humans would only give them another reason to hate mutants. Shaking her head, she opened her eyes and began to weave her way through the labyrinth that she had memorized by heart. There was a special spot at the northeast corner - A dead end where she had made it her own. There were a number of flowers growing there - Cattaleya Orchids of different colors and breeds. It was the very flower that she was named for. She smiled and took a seat on a bench there, leaning her head back to look at the sun burning high in the sky. It didn't bother her in the least as she embraced the light against her eyes like one would do warm water in the summer time. Her glow became brighter as she glanced to her left. There was a little boy sitting next to her that looked like her as a male, but younger. Maybe nine years old, if that. But. He wasn't really there. Cat began to carry on conversation, laughing at nothing and crying at nothing but an empty seat.

[[EDIT]]

Tommy looked up with a smirk at the guys question.

"Well there's always Logan's room but you'd probably just end up getting gutted before lunch."

Castellano replied, the idea of how bad it would be if Wolveirne caught an intruder in his room looting for booze. Tommy shook his head with a chuckle before saying anything else. He knew full well that Logan wasn't the only one who hoarded alchohol in his room. Tommy had a small stash of a bottle or two in his foot locker that he took great pains to keep a secret from everybody else. Tommy wasn't sold on the idea of divulging his little secret stash to this new guy just yet. He was about to ask a few quick questions when Cat walked up. She mentioned the party later and that he was supposed to help her keep an eye on things. As one of the older students it wasnt uncommon for these sort of things to be asked of him

"Ofcourse I'll be there. Wouldn't miss it for anything Cat."

He said giving her a charming smile before she leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. As she left, heading to the garden, the two teens watched her leave. Tommy shook his head with a chuckle.

"Thats one thing you gotta love about Mutant High pal. You wont find girls like that anywhere else."

"Well there's always Logan's room but you'd probably just end up getting gutted before lunch." He looked at him a little funny. Who the hell is Logan? Before he could ask his question, a girl walked over. She offered her hand, to which David kissed like a gentleman."Hi. You must be new here. I'm Cataleia-Inocencía. Call me Cat, Kitty, Legs. It doesn't matter. I hear that you're looking for a more...satisfying drink than punch. I'd tell you where my stash is. But I don't know you like that." David looked her up and down, then looked her in the eyes. "I look forward to knowing you better then, Cat, Kitty, Legs." He smiled. She turned to Tommy and told him that she was going to the gardens. David watched her walk away, eyes lowering to....well, lower areas. "We are so going to tap that piece of-" David smacked his palm to his forehead and told the voice to leave him the hell alone. Luckily, Tommy was too busy watching Cat leave to notice.

"Thats one thing you gotta love about Mutant High pal. You wont find girls like that anywhere else." David went back to looking at Cat, who was almost out of sight. "Ya...she's something else alright.' He looks over at Tommy. "Mind if i tag along with you for a little? I don't really know anyone, but I'll be damned if I don't change that." He was feeling a little better now. Maybe hanging out with some people would do some good.

Tommy gave the guy a polite smile and a quick nod.

"Sure man, Let's take a walk. I think the fun's dying down in here anyway."

He said as the two teens made their way through the crowd and out of the lounge. The lounge while technically the formal lounge of the mansion or at least one of them the true lounge where the students tended to hang was a floor lower near the gymnasium. It had massive bay windows that encompassed one entire wall allowing the students there to look out onto the expansive green terrain surrounding the manor. The two teens made their way into the second student lounge filled with vending machines, pinball, air hockey, a huge tv with the latest video game systems and almost every other ammenity the students may need. Tommy casually tossed himself on the couch with a sigh.

"I'm Tommy by the way. Been here a few months now. This is your first day right?"

"I'm Tommy by the way. Been here a few months now. This is your first day right?"David walked over to the window and looked out. "Nice to meet you, my name is David." He walked over and leaned on the other side of the couch. 'Ya, this is my first day. One hell of a school huh? You know, i thought i had just finished with all that. I thought that my life...my normal life...was going to really begin." He got lost in a thought for a second, and then snapped back to reality. "Mutants. I guess I'll need to get used to that." He brought up his hand, palm up and fingers slightly bent. Some small electric arcs went between his fingers, then they seemed to expand up his arm, and started to the rest of the body. His eyes were starting to glow slightly. "Thats right. Now feed us David. Feed us. Feed Us!" David closed his hand and the arcs went out. His heart was racing. I need to learn to control this, and shut...the freakshow up. "Hey! I heard that asshole!" David snapped out of this conversation, all happening within seconds. To Tommy it may have looked like he was playing with his powers and then paused for a few seconds.

He looked back to Tommy. "So, Tommy. What do you want to do?" He smiled. "You didn't ask me what I wanted to do. Cause if you did, I'd suggest frying his sorry ass until he looked like a crispy Italian Sausage!" David just closed his eyes an focused on ignoring the voice. Fortunately for David, the only time Freakshow has any true influence over him is when he is using electricity, and that influence grows the more power he takes in. He awaits a response from Tommy, the girl with the nice legs appearing in his mind once more.

She watched as he sat up, listening to the words that he spoke.

"I don't know what it is about Phantom, but it really speaks to me. I first saw it in 1995 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theater with my mother. Yoshinodo Yoshikawa played the Phantom and it left a very big impression on me. It made me want to be a pianist and put all of my free time into music. You see, I find that lyrical based music doesn't show much appeal because it's not hard to make people feel a certain way with words. This why I prefer artists such as Bach or Chopin. For being able to invoke so much emotion and truth with just pure music is astounding to me."

Wow. This guy knows his music. And he's a pianist. And he's as madly in love with the Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Phantom as I am. And he prefers instrumental to lyrical. And he digs classical. Finding out things is fun! She was having yet another internal monologue with herself as she seemed to do a lot lately, though she was still paying attention to him. She blinked a moment at his next words.

"...I mean, we're mutants so it really caters to us, in a way. A man so brilliant forced to live in darkness by people who claim to be of the light. Driven to madness that he almost destroys the only thing that he loves. But, the moment he receives kindness. The moment he is treated like a person and finally felt the touch of love.......he could let her go, and more importantly, let himself into the light. It just sort of hits home for me."

A light smile curved upon her lips, though whether it was one of kind nature or impish, one couldn't tell. Perhaps a mix of the two?

"I'm terribly sorry about that, I lost myself for a moment."

"Don't be silly. I enjoyed your words - And I must say that great minds think alike. I find that music is best when words aren't accompanying it as well. That's not to say that I don't enjoy lyrics - But sometimes, you just need to hear the instruments speak. Not the people. Most music these days is nothing more than people feeding you their fantasies. I prefer songs that have...more meaning. A love song meant for a special someone, an apology song, a song of hidden passion." She smiled softly. "Besides. I don't need words to dance. It isn't the words that guide your movement, now is it?" She laughed a bit and took a seat next to him, crossing one fishnetted leg over the other.

"I'm Tracey, Tracey Nagamura. You're Cataleia, correct? I over heard you introducing yourself to that young girl. What you did for her was very kind. And, If I may say, you have an astounding voice. That display earlier also took my breath away. Similar to the Phantom of the Opera, you have also made a very big impression on me.[/b]

"It's nice to meet you, Tracey. And yeah - Cataleia-Inocencía is the name. Teaching Combat and directing Drama is my game." She gave a girly giggle with a shake of her head. "Most people just call me Cat or Kitty. Whether you're on my bad side or you're just a fan of beauty, Legs also has seemed to...stick to me." Her smirk was just as devious as his following smile, though her face softened a bit at the mention of the little girl. "Oh. Yeah...Melody. I did what anyone should do...really. I hate seeing kids like that. It's not their fault what they are." Her voice seemed to harbor a hatred as the subject arose, the glow of her skin turning a deep cherry red. "Coward pieces of shit. Always wishing for a world of...of...meta-humans. But when it's upon them. When we begin to evolve, we become public enemy number one. Às vezes ... Eu só queria que eles todos se transformar ou morrer." The last phrase she spoke was uttered in a dark tone that was audibly seething with deep hatred as the light seemed to seep from her pores now and writhe about her, small wisps licking the air around her. When she heard him mention her singing and her display, she seemed to snap out of whatever it was that she was in, the glow of her body receding to normal and shifting blue once more as she smiled as though she hadn't even said anything just then. "Thank you. You are one of the few these past few years that has had the honor of hearing me sing, much less in my natural voice. I may have to kill you for that. Unless you can keep your trap shut." She grinned a bit, though gave his shoulder a playful push. As the topic of her 'display' came up, she shrugged a bit. "Yeah, it tends to leave an impression on people. Just don't let the pretty lights fool you. I'm dangerous. With or without my gift." She smirked mischievously and stood up, making her way to exit the maze before pausing to turn back towards him. "Oh. Here." She tossed him the blue cattleya that was tucked behind her ear. "Consider it a welcome present." Giving a wink, she shimmied her way back towards the mansion.

At least the Bible Thumpers had gone home now, no longer presenting an annoyance to her ears. She glanced around the lounge and quickly made her way up to the girls' dorm. She quickly shimmied her way out of her clothes, down to her panties. She couldn't count how many people she had rubbed against just trying to get around. Cat didn't mind getting down and dirty with the big boys, getting soil under her ever-perfect manicure, blood on her face, sweat on her brow. But she didn't like people germs on her. Or at least stranger germs. She was a notorious obsessive self-groomer. She didn't fully shower because she didn't want to run up the water bill - Emma had chewed her out earlier months ago for it. Instead, she just did a quick rub down and washed her hair. It took all of five minutes and she emerged smelling like cherry blossoms and apple spices. Her favorite. She tried not to spend forever brushing out her mane of ebony hair and instead just gave about twenty good strokes before blow drying it. She didn't bother with makeup because she didn't want to go back to the lounge and natural beauty beat enhanced beauty every day of the week. Instead, she went for her usual lounging wear; A cyan tank top that matched her eyes and accentuated her chest, shorts that went well with the tank top that enhanced her legs and were low cut to the hip so that the navel piercing she wore of a pink diamond heart with wings. The earrings that she wore were rather unique - The first birthday gift that Tommy ever got her. It was a dragon earring that curved about her ear. Ready for anything, she barefooted her way out of her room, locking the door behind her.

"I'm ready for the world!" You're also a spaz. She giggled at nothing but herself before heading to the more casual lounge where she found David and Tommy. Grinning widely, she dive-bombed onto a Snorlax bean bag. "As much as I'd love to mingle with the kiddies and check up on everyone, I think I'll harass you two." She laughed from her position on her belly and kicked her feet innocently, mimicking Isabella from Phineas and Ferb. "Soo...Whatcha dooooin'?" She glanced at the door only once to see if Tracey might have followed suit, but gave a shrug and turned her attention back to the two before her.

Tommy watched as electricity arced off of David's body. Radiating off his arms and up through his hands before he made it dissipate completely. "Lightning powers huh?" Tommy said within the confines of his own mind. David finally turned away from the window with a casual smile.

"So, Tommy. What do you want to do?"

He asked. Castellano just shrugged. He was about to toss out a reply when something beautiful, with shapely curves, long legs and who smelled like cherry blossoms and apple spices walked in. He turned around with a smirk already knowing who it was by her scent. Cherry blossoms and apple spices were always her favorite.

"Hey Cat."

Tommy said as she approached. Withe wide grin she tossed herself down on a snorlax bean bag chair and started kicking her feet. "God she's adorable..." Tommy thought to himself with a shake of his head.

"As much as I'd love to mingle with the kiddies and check up on everyone, I think I'll harass you two."

Tommy chuckled and stood up.

"You know me Legs, I'm always up for a little harassment."

He said playfully as he crossed the room and knelt in front of her.

"Soo...Whatcha dooooin'?"

She asked innocently. He reached out a hand and tenderly caressed the side of her face, moving the hair out of the way revealing an ornate dragon earring that curved up her ear. Tommy's eyes flicked up and locked onto hers as a smirk etched it's way onto his face.

"I though I saw somethin familiar. Those really look great on you Kitty."

He said. He held his gaze for a few tense seconds. The sexual tension was there as always and these little flirtations only fueled that fire. When the moment came to lean in for the kiss Tommy played the ever mysterious one and stood up before walking over to the fridge. He opened the door and pulled out a three cans of soda. Tossed one to David and after heading back to the couch, sat one in front of Cat before taking a seat himself. He popped open the can, the soda making a clean hiss as he cracked the seal. He took a quick drink before speaking again.

"David and I were just tryin to think of a way to kill time before the party tonight. You're usually great for ideas on how to let off a little steam Cat. Anythin come to mind?"

Tracey was severely interested in this woman. She seemed nice enough to carry on a conversation with and intelligent enough for him to actually stand it. Thankfully she sympathized with him on his tangent tirade. He got like that sometimes, simply talking to express his opinions the second he has someones attention due to him never knowing when he will talk to someone again. Probably due to the fact that he thrusts himself upon people is why people don't really talk to him. Or maybe he was an asshole, he was still deciding.

"Don't be silly. I enjoyed your words - And I must say that great minds think alike. I find that music is best when words aren't accompanying it as well. That's not to say that I don't enjoy lyrics - But sometimes, you just need to hear the instruments speak. Not the people. Most music these days is nothing more than people feeding you their fantasies. I prefer songs that have...more meaning. A love song meant for a special someone, an apology song, a song of hidden passion." She smiled softly. "Besides. I don't need words to dance. It isn't the words that guide your movement, now is it?"

Tracey smiled. "Exactly! I couldn't have said it better myself. That is one of the main reasons why i respect things like techno and dubstep. They were created to evoke physical movement from ones body, to dance. That's all they ever try to be, to just be a good time. That fact makes me respect them." He said, his smile still in place.

"It's nice to meet you, Tracey. And yeah - Cataleia-Inocencía is the name. Teaching Combat and directing Drama is my game." She gave a girly giggle with a shake of her head. So she was a drama director, that would explain a lot. Combat teacher though, didn't see that one coming. "Most people just call me Cat or Kitty. Whether you're on my bad side or you're just a fan of beauty, Legs also has seemed to...stick to me." she said with a rather devious smile. He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Well, I hope you don't mind, but I believe I'll call Cataleia. With a name as beautiful as yours, I honestly couldn't bare to spare to shorten one syllable of it." Tracey said rather casually. It was the truth, he found her name beautiful. Also, the thought calling a woman legs sort of made him a little sick. Though, the fact that she was comfortable with it made Tracey a little uneasy.

She seemed to grow solemn with the mention of the little girl. "Oh. Yeah...Melody. I did what anyone should do...really. I hate seeing kids like that. It's not their fault what they are." Her voice seemed to harbor a hatred as the subject arose, the glow of her skin turning a deep cherry red. "Coward pieces of shit. Always wishing for a world of...of...meta-humans. But when it's upon them. When we begin to evolve, we become public enemy number one. Às vezes ... Eu só queria que eles todos se transformar ou morrer." The rest she spoke in her language....he believed it was Portuguese. She spoke it very dark and seething with hatred. Speaking of seething, her body seemed to be doing that with an odd dark light show. She seemed to calm down a bit after the mention of her singing.

"Thank you. You are one of the few these past few years that has had the honor of hearing me sing, much less in my natural voice. I may have to kill you for that. Unless you can keep your trap shut." she said it jokingly, but there was a degree of truth behind her words. He smiled at her. "I don't know, to make the world hear a voice like yours just might be worth dying for." he said with a slight chuckle. When the subject of her display came up, she seemed rather casual. "Yeah, it tends to leave an impression on people. Just don't let the pretty lights fool you. I'm dangerous. With or without my gift." She smirked mischievously and stood up, making her way to exit the maze before pausing to turn back towards him. "Oh. Here." She tossed him a blue flower that was tucked behind her ear. "Consider it a welcome present." Giving a wink, she shimmied her way back towards the mansion.

Tracey smiled as he looked down at it in his hands. It's life force was so fragile that it barely shimmered......but shimmer it did. Traces of Cataleia's life force were intertwined with it. A more appropriate gift than she realized he bet. Still, a girl giving a boy a flower. He looked up at nothing. "America is weird." He stood up and brushed himself off, for one reason or another and made his way back towards the mansion.

He entered through the glass door with the flower in his jacket pocket. As he passed a table, he grabbed a small stout vase that was just decoration and stuffed it into his jacket. He then made his way to a bathroom on the same floor as his room. When he reached it he filled the vase with water. He then walked it back to his room. He got the door open and walked inside. He passed his katana and placed the vase on his bedside table, the one facing the window. He then took out the flower and placed it inside the vase. It looked rather beautiful. it would give him great comfort to know that a living thing is so close to him while he sleeps. He smiled at it briefly, then turned around and left the room.

He wanted to thank her for his gift, and for her kindness for even talking to him. He closed his eyes and sensed for her life force. He sifted through the other mutants and eventually found her. She was in a room with two others, one he had never felt before, but the other was the one he had locked eyes with at the start of the party. he simply smiled to himself, believing that it might be fun talking to him.....or maybe at least messing with him a bit.

Tracey made his way down towards where the room was. he noticed the door was open, so he was just going to happen by. He briskly walked by the door, briefly glancing in. He then stopped and back tracked towards the entrance with a surprised smile on his face. "Cataleia! There you are." He slowly walked into the room simply focused on her. "I didn't get the chance to thank you for your gift. It actually means more to me than you know. I also wanted to thank you for talking to me, it's sort of been awhile since Ive had a conversation with someone about a common interest. So just.........thank you." he said very sincerely. He then suddenly realized there were other people in the room. He suddenly looked up ran his fingers through his hair, looking quite embarrassed. "Oh, how rude of me. I hope you'll forgive me for interrupting you." he said in his British accent. He then extended his hadn to both of the men sitting on the couch. "I'm Tracey, Tracey Nagamura. Pleasure to meet you acquaintance." He smiled at them, it being revealed in a devious nature.

Before Cat had a chance to answer a newcomer entered the room. Tommy turned as his eyes narrowed on the guy. Something screamed at him that this guy was dangerous, he wasn't some random new student. His exhumed the life Tommy used to live. Not mafia, the mob didn't take in non Italians for the most part. You might get an an Irishman, maybe a straight American or a mutt every once in a while but they'd never be Made. No this guy carried himself with dignity, honor and respect. Even the way he spoke. "Yakuza..." Tommy warned himself inside his mind. He had a run in with the Yakuza only once before. A few traitors made their way to the states and were trying to make a name for themselves in Brooklyn. Talking tough that the big bad Yakuza were trying to make a move to North America. It didn't take long to learn that they were just blowing smoke. Out of the six members of the little gang Tommy and his crew only left one alive. An olive branch to the Yakuza was sent out. Tommy's dad was always respectful of the other heads of the five families and that transfered over to the leaders of other large organizations as well. Three real Yakuza arrived in the Big Apple to retrieve their prey. Tommy was there when they tossed the beaten and bloodied man at the feet of the Yakuza. The leader took a step forward without saying a word. The man at his feet broke into tears as pure terror took him. The Yakuza stuck out his hand and one of his men put a sheathed katana in his hand. He took it and loomed over the man as he drew the blade. He said something to him in Japanese. While Tommy didn't understand it he could still feel the weight of the powerful words. The target took a few deep, winded breathes before sitting up into a kneeling position. Replying in Japanese and lowering his head. In a single fluid motion the Yakuza beheaded the man and sheathed the blade in the blink of an eye. It was like something out of an old samurai movie. Back in the present Tommy stared at this guy like he was looking at that Yakuza swordman. The guy took a step toward him after speaking briefly to Cat and extended a hand to him.

"I'm Tracey, Tracey Nagamura. Pleasure to meet you acquaintance."

He said polietly. Tommy got to his feet, his eyes locked on Tracey's. He grabbed hold and gave him a firm handshake.

"Tommy Castellano. Looks like you made friends with our girl there huh pal? Legs is easily the most interesting person in this place. You know how to pick em, I'll give you that."

He looked to David for an answer on what to do, when a familiar set of legs walked into the room. And suddenly I know what I want to do. He looked to Cat and let out a nice smile. "Hey cat". "Welcome to our little pre-party kitty." He kept the smile and looked her over. "As much as I'd love to mingle with the kiddies and check up on everyone, I think I'll harass you two." "I'm sure we wouldn't mind the company". "No...no we wouldn't. You know David, if you could just get her alone, then we could get her out of her-" David cut him off in his head. Tommy got up and walked over to her, putting his hand on her face. David watched for a second, jealousy starting to build. If they start making out in front of me, I'm going to be sick. "Soo...Whatcha dooooin'?"
He looked over at the two together an looked away for a second. "Well honey, I can think of something I'd like to be doing. David, be a fucking man here." He shrugged off Freakshow and looked over to the door. A new guy was walking in.

"Cataleia! There you are." He looked up at his. Fucking great...another one. "I didn't get the chance to thank you for your gift. It actually means more to me than you know. I also wanted to thank you for talking to me, it's sort of been awhile since Ive had a conversation with someone about a common interest. So just.........thank you." Something about this guy just rubbed David the wrong way. He was watching this guy like a hawk. "I'm Tracey, Tracey Nagamura. Pleasure to meet you acquaintance." Tommy introduced himself. David waited a second, still determining what to think of him. Tracey let out a smile that really pissed David off. He crossed his arms. "David, I'm David." "Tommy Castellano. Looks like you made friends with our girl there huh pal? Legs is easily the most interesting person in this place. You know how to pick em, I'll give you that." David smirked for a second. Our girl? He looked over at Cat, then back to Tracey. "You have to hate that guy too right? Cmon, just let me have a little fun with him. Look at him, who's going to miss him?" For once, David did't disagree with Freakshow. He wasn't going to try and attack the guy, but he definitely didn't like him. David walked over to the couch and sat down. "Alright, now that we all know eachother, any suggestion on what to do?"

"Hey Cat."

“Welcome to our little pre-party kitty."

"I though I saw somethin familiar. Those really look great on you Kitty."

Cat grinned as he fingers brushed softly against her cheek as he tucked her hair away from her face and behind her ear to reveal the elaborate earrings. “What can I say? You know what looks good on me.” And it was true. Whenever she couldn’t decide what to wear, she’d always ask him and his advice on her fashion seemed to always produce optimum results. She did love the earrings, though; The intricate design pleased her.

"David and I were just tryin to think of a way to kill time before the party tonight. You're usually great for ideas on how to let off a little steam Cat. Anythin come to mind?"

She pondered the thought of what to do as she opened her Sprite, a thoughtful expression on her face. She was in the middle of dipping her tongue into the can like a weirdo as she so often does, when Tracey had walked in. "Cataleia! There you are. I didn't get the chance to thank you for your gift. It actually means more to me than you know. I also wanted to thank you for talking to me, it's sort of been awhile since I've had a conversation with someone about a common interest. So just.........thank you."

She grinned and attempted to withdraw her tongue from the can, but got her piercing stuck in it. Blushing a deep crimson red, the glow about her body shifting a soft pink with her, she took a few moments to free herself as the boys got aquainted. Coughing distractedly as though she hadn’t just looked like a fool, she stood from her place and glanced over at Tommy for a second, furrowing her brow at the look on his face. It wasn’t a good one – Stepping between his view of Tracey and Tracey’s view of him, she beamed the British Asian a big smile. “I’m glad that you enjoyed the gift. Cattleyas are my favorite flower. Kinda my signature, too I might say.” She looked up a bit with a shrug as if saying ‘eh’ before looking back at him.

“I’m glad that we’ve got a bit in common. We should talk more.”

With that spoken, she made her way over to the window, closing her eyes as she pressed her forehead against the glass. "Alright, now that we all know each other, any suggestion on what to do?" She could hear David speaking, but louder in her ears was the sound of protesters at the gate. “Return of the Bible Thumpers. Part six.” She hissed under her breath, narrowing her eyes as her glow turned a dangerous cherry color as it had in the garden. Shaking her head, she turned back to the three guys. “I could grab my kunai and we could play target practice around the gates…” A smirk curved on her lips, but she ended up sighing in defeat as her morals won her over. “Or we could go swimmng. It’s hot outside. And with all those people breathing all over the place in one room, it ain’t any cooler ‘round here.”

She gave a shrug and made for the door with the can of Sprite pressed against her lips as she thought. Cat seemed to be on the move quite a bit today, unable to sit still for too long. Swimming would keep her in one place for sure. “I’ll meet you guys out there.” She had opened the door and left, though she quickly popped her head back in. “Oh, Tracey, love. You should join us at the party tonight. You too, David.” Giving another smile, she popped back out of the lounge and made her way up to her room, chugging the Sprite the whole way there. She only grabbed a towel, two garters sheating her kunai, and a bikini before heading for the door. She moved downstairs, trashing the can along the way as she headed towards the back of the mansion. She slipped out the backdoor and made her way towards the pool, but walked past it. “Cholorine is so unhleathy for my hair.” She huffed softly and kept walking all the way to Breakstone Lake. It really wasn’t that far and she made it there in less than five minutes after jogging, not checking to see if the boys were behind her at all – She tuned out any and all sound that wasn’t simply nature. When she arrived at the lake, she stripped down her clothes and set them in the sand before slipping on a blue cattleya print bikini. It didn’t take her too long to strip herself of her piercings, though she left the dragon earrings in. She laid down her blades alongside her piercings on her towel before making a dive into the lake. She now tuned out…everything.

Tommy noticed Cat's interference immediately. She knew him better than he thought. The handshake, the smile, even the greeting. All to measure Tracey, to gauge him. Test his respose. She prevented the test to complete but there was more than enough time to get a feel for the guy. See if the two would end up becoming friends or coming to blows. Cat took a minute to stand by the window as she considered out loud to play target practice with the bible freaks before relenting to going swimming. Tommy walked up to her left and stared out at the protesters outside.

"I'm actually favoring your first choice Kitty..."

Tommy said as he glared out at the fanatics. Images of him sending them away, screaming flashed in his head.

"But... I guess swimming works ain't half bad either."

He said as Cat left after inviting Tracey and David to the party later. Tommy turned around casually as walked past the other two.

"Suit up boys if your comin, if not. See you tonight."

Tommy made his way to the door and stopped just short of leaving.

"Oh and don't bother headin to the pool fellas. Kitty hates it. Say's the cholorine messes with her hair. She'll be at Breakstone Lake. It's not far from here. Hit the hiking trail just past the gardens and follow it for a bit. You can't miss it."

With that Castellano dissapeared into the hall, was in his room in minutes and had his dark blue swim trunks on shortly after. He stripped the button up shirt, tie and vest off before tossing it aside and throwing on a simple white tank. He grabbed a towel and his sunglasses before heading to the lake. He found Cataleia casually lounging about in the cool water. Tommy smirked at the sight of the sultry Brazilian. His shirt fell to the ground before he dove into the water after her. He enjoyed the coolness of the murky lake water as it washed over him. Cradling him in it's dark embrace. He surfaced to all the brightness of the late day sun and turned to Cat as he waded in the water.

"So, while we're alone... what do you think about the new students?"

He asked with an arched eyebrow and casual smile. WHile the question was broad technically encompassing all the new students there was no question that he was referring to David and Tracey, more specifically Tracey.

“I’m glad that we’ve got a bit in common. We should talk more.” David almost puked at that. Jesus, leading people on much? And you're leading HIM on?" He looked over to Tommy, hoping to be sharing a disliking with him. He walked over to the other side of the room. “Or we could go swimmng. It’s hot outside. And with all those people breathing all over the place in one room, it ain’t any cooler ‘round here.” David looked over at her. Hell yes! He kept his cool. "I'd love to." "Yes! Once they all get into the pool, zap it. I want to see what happens." Would you just shut the fuck up please? "Well, I am a little hungry. Feed me some of the good stuff and I'll leave you alone for a little." Ya...No. Cat was was out the door when she told us to meet her out there. She then popped her head back in to say “Oh, Tracey, love. You should join us at the party tonight. You too, David.” Tracey love? You know, if i can get only him in the pool, i might have to take your offer Freak. As she started back out David replied with "Wouldn't miss it."

He went to his dorm and changed into his bathing suit, which was a black one. He put on a white tanktop and grabbed a towel. He headed out, noticing Tommy a good ways ahead of him. While moving through the lounge he bumped into a peculiar looking young man, he was dressed for an ice age. "Oh hey, I'm sorry. Its my fault, I wasn't paying...aren't you hot? You're wearing clothes for a blizzard." "Oh..... uhhh.... n-no, I'm.... I'm fine. So, uhhh...... you...... you guys heading to the........ whatever.... that hyperactive blue girl was talking about that I totally missed?" "I'm sorry....who?" "The..... nevermind, sorry. " Alex then walks off. "Uhh, ya. Have a good-day?" "Wow...and you thought that we were crazy...freaking nutjob. Ever heard of the phrase "Thinning the herd"? Well, him and the Japanese asshole are my top two contenders right now." He continued walking outside, walking past the pool and to the trail. He walked in just as Tommy and Cat had finished their conversation, or at least he thought they had. "Hey, did I miss anything?" He takes his shirt off, purposely showing off. Once he finishes that, he jumps in, making a splash. When he hits the water, a small shock was sent out through the lake. It was a small one, but they could still feel it. "Uhh...sorry about that.""If you could just send as much of a shock as you can, you might be able to make their heads pop. Wouldn't THAT be exciting?" David continues swimming, and then looked at Tommy and Cat. "That uh...Tracey kid. He's uh...something. I just hope he's not in the mood for a swim." He looks back to the trail, scanning it for Tracey. So whats the party going to be like? Never been to mutant party, sounds pretty fun."

After the talk with the professor, Alex realized that he had no idea where the thing he was invited to even was. Let alone what it was. Could she talk any faster? Was it even possible? No, better question. Where the hell am I right now? Alex discovered that in his thoughts he had wondered to some back hallway somewhere in the mansion. Out of all the things I could have looked up on this place, none of them happened to be- oh I don't know... a Map? Alex roamed aimlessly, trying to regain his barrings in a place he's never been before. He discovered that he could hear people chatting in the lounge, but couldn't find it. The noise always seemed close or even just behind a door, but at every turn he just became more and more lost.

Brilliant idea, Alex. Let's go ask Professor McCoy! Oh wait, that's right. You walked off and got lost first. Well, on the bright side I won't starve to death, but I also won't get an awesome beard... Hmmm. "I'm Bear Grylls. I'm going to show you what it takes to get out of doing real survival scenes in some of the most dangerous places on Earth. I've gotta make it through a week of putting my camera men through hell, eating raw zebra, and drinking my own urine, sometimes not just to survive, in the sorta places I've rarely ever been to. This.... is Man vs. the X Mansi-" Ouch! What the hell?

Alex, in mid-mocking of one of his favorite television shows, finally bumped into some fellow students. Unfortunately, it was literally. He glasses bounced off the ground, but were caught on the rebound and returned to their rightful place. Alex looked up at the man who dared to interrupt his idea for a new hit TV sitcom. This guy seemed to be of an athletes sorta build, and if it weren't for the smile he was prime "asshole jock" material. He began to pull himself back to his feet as the individual offered his apology. "Oh hey, I'm sorry. Its my fault, I wasn't paying...aren't you hot? You're wearing clothes for a blizzard." Once again forced into social confrontation, Alex reverted back to his nervous self and delivered yet another mangled response. Albeit not as bad as the first. "Oh..... uhhh.... n-no, I'm.... I'm fine. So, uhhh...... you...... you guys heading to the........ whatever.... that hyperactive blue girl was talking about that I totally missed?"

Alex hoped this person could fill the gap of necessary information he was missing. However, this guy turned out to be less than helpful. "I'm sorry....who?" Terrific.... He attempted to maybe clarify, hoping the man would suddenly understand and provide the details Alex was lacking. "The....." he started, but quickly guessed by the look on the students face that he likely didn't get the invite from the weird girl. "........ Never mind, sorry." Bumping into people, answering awkwardly, and then promptly fleeing was almost becoming a trend by now, as Alex gave a repeat performance of what happened by the refreshment table back at the lounge. Yep, I've definitely got this whole socializing thing down pat. Alex strode off, catching a brief view of the guy he previously crashed into. Okay, if there gonna start moving in groups now then this is just going to get awkward....

He waltzed right passed a window, but found the urge to back track a bit. He stood staring through the glass at possibly one of the hottest girls he'd ever seen in his life. While the urge to allow a mild fantasy to form in his head was quite strong, he simply let logic demolish it as logic usually would. She could probably walk right through and not even see me. Actually........ she literally could walk through me. Irony aside, point still remains. Dream on, Al. Peeling himself off the window, he continued his quest to find out where he was suppose to go for the....... something.

Tracey's devious smile grew when the one he wanted to talk stood up and gave him a firm handshake. His tone was light, but his stare was judgmental. Is he sizing me up, I think I like this guy already. He was very proper with his introduction. "Tommy Castellano. Looks like you made friends with our girl there huh pal? Legs is easily the most interesting person in this place. You know how to pick em, I'll give you that." Tracey simply smiled a bit. He understood that Tommy and Cataleia must be very good friends or possibly dating, so him calling her legs was most likely appropriate. Tracey, though, still had a problem with it. He looked over to Cataleia to see her tongue was stuck in a soda can. He smile grew wider at the sight. She seemed to be so embarrassed and her body let off a pinkish glow. She was really quite cute, now that he looked at her. It was odd, while originally conversing, he hardly had paid attention to her looks. Before he could reply to Tommy, she jumped in between them with a beaming grin. Is she protecting me? How sweet.

“I’m glad that you enjoyed the gift. Cattleyas are my favorite flower. Kinda my signature, too I might say.” She looked up a bit with a shrug as if saying ‘eh’ before looking back at him. An expression that Trace didn't really understand. “I’m glad that we’ve got a bit in common. We should talk more.” Tracey simply smiled a genuine smile. "I would enjoy that." She then walked over to the window. He then heard the disgruntled voice of the other male in the room. "David. I'm David." The disdain in his voice couldn't be more obvious if he smacked Tracey in the face with a sign that read I Don't Like You. Unlike Tommy who was airing on the side of caution due to his recognition of a colleague, David seemed to simply dislike him for no reason. Tracey then remembered all of the eye rolling he had done when Cataleia was talking to him. Perhaps he had a crush on her and he was just being petty.

He hadn't really been paying attention, but suddenly Cataleia suggested they all go swimming. Tracey was up for it since everyone else seemed game. She was out the door in a heartbeat. She suddenly popped her head back in and addressed him. “Oh, Tracey, love. You should join us at the party tonight. You too, David.” she smiled. "I'm always up for a party." he stated, returning the smile. He could taste the hate seething off of David. Tommy then told them the directions to the lake and soon they were all out of the room. Tracey then sighed and walked up to his room.

He came back down wearing his swimming gear. Which were white speedo briefs with two red koi circling each other on his ass. It was standard swimming suit in japan for someone his age. He had his sunglasses, his towel and a bag of dice hidden in the towel......you never know. He made his way to the lake and arrived in time to hear David asking about the party. Tracey simply laid his towel down near the rest of theirs. He then took off his white tee revealing all of his tattoos. He took off his sunglasses then ran towards the lake. His eyes briefly flashed purple and his speed increased ten fold and used the speed to rocket himself 20 feet into the air. He then came back down in a swan diving fashion and made a rather small splash as he entered the water.

HE closed his eyes as he allowed his body to sink down into the lake. He could feel the Life force of all of the organisms that made their home in the lake. Every fish, every insect, every piece of algae. All of them danced through the water in a synchronized ballet that was their day to day existence. It was beyond beautiful. He was down there for a;most two minutes before he realized he needed air. He was pretty deep in the lake, his eyes glowed purple and accelerated himself towards the surface, but stopped himself before he shot out of the water like a dolphin. He didn't really feel like showing off, so his head simply broke the surface and he took a large breath. He then adjusted himself and began to float on his back with his hands behind his head. He simply looked up at the western sky.

Tracey's entrance was carefully watched by Castellano. The first thing he took notice of was the tattoos. The rings were what really caught his eye. He counted twenty. From what Tommy knew about the Yakuza each ring signified a single crime. Tommy had a bit of ink himself but nothing like this, not with this meaning, not with this history. Then just before he made his way to the water The heir to the Castellano Crime Family caught sight of the missing portion of his pinky on his left hand. "Somebody fucked up." Tommy told himself within his mind. Tommy had heard of the tradition the Yakuza had with cutting off peices of their pinky fingers when they committed an offense. He remembered being told that not only did they have to cut it off but it had to be presented to their Boss. That kind of loyalty bordered on fanaticism. But it was the next thing Tracey did that got Tommy to pay close attention. His body began to emanate a purplish hue before he rocketed forward at blinding speed before shooting into the air and coming down in an elegant swan dive. He was beneath the surface of the water for a minute or so before surfacing and causally floating on his back. Tommy's gaze was carefully studying the Yakuza with interest.

"Shit Trace, I was about to break your balls over them goldfish titey whiteys you got on but hell... That little trick of yours has got me scratching my head. The hell are your powers anyway?"

"So, while we're alone... what do you think about the new students?"

Cat heard Tommy’s voice suddenly causing her to slightly jerk a bit. “Oh shit. Scared me.” She blinked rapidly before shaking her head. She grinned over to him and splashed some of the murky water at his face. “You mean what do I think of Tracey, right?” Smirking, she swam closer to him and behind him, resting her chin on his shoulder. “You jealous, Mister Castellano?” She purred into his ear, letting her lips brush softly against his earlobe. There was always some sort of sexual tension between them and his stunt back at the lounge would not go unpunished. Laughing softly, she swam backwards away from him, floating on her back and closing her eyes. “David is alright. I haven’t known him long enough to impress me and we haven’t had a conversation yet. Tracey is pretty cool. He’s got great taste in music and entertainment.” She swam towards him again and bit his shoulder. “You’ve got some competition there, Bonbon.” Giggling, she swam away from him and dove underneath the warm waves. When she came back up, she could hear David’s voice.

"That uh...Tracey kid. He's uh...something. I just hope he's not in the mood for a swim. So whats the party going to be like? Never been to mutant party, sounds pretty fun."

“Hostile much?” She eyed David with a light smile on curved on her lips, though she shrugged a bit. “It’s like a human party. But so much better. Mutants get to show off what they are and what they do and not get shunned for it. It’ll be fun; Trust me.” She closed her eyes, thinking about the party. She could hear Tracey splash in and Tommy began to interogate him, starting with the question of his powers. She rolled her eyes and dove deeper under the water, kicking her feet. She never onced open her eyes because she hated the dirty lake water and knew that kids peed in it all the time. She was going to bathe vigorously after this. She surfaced once more, her legs giving powerful kicks to propel her through the water. As she bobbed up, she rubbed the water away from her eyes, glancing over at Tracey. “Nice tats.” A grin graced her face as she looked them over. She had her own plethora of tattoos, and was only thinking of getting more. She swam alongside Tommy and glanced at the two boys, deciding to stay silent for a bit and just enjoy the water while observing them. Sometimes you could find out more about a person by watching them rather than talking to them, enjoying the time spent in the water as the sun began to go down and the moon slowly began to rise up. It was getting a bit dark, but her soft blue glow gave enough light for the four the see.

The rest of the day was spent lazily lounging around in the water. The four mutants joked and laughed, enjoying the cool lake water. As the light of the day gave way to the darkness of the night the approaching party lured the revelers out of the water. Tracey, David, Cat and Tommy dried off with their towels on the bank of the lake as they grabbed their belongings.

"I'm gunna take off guys, gotta get ready for the party. I'll see you all there."

Tommy said in way of his departure yet paused and gave Cat a personalized goodbye.

"I know you'll be dressed to impress tonight beautiful. Can't wait to see what you come up with."

He said giving her a quick wink before turning around and walking off down the dirt road on his own at a slow and easy pace. It wasn't long before Castellano was alone in the shadow of the night, casually making his way back to the mansion. Tommy had grown quite fond of silent walks in the dead of night. He felt powerful, untouchable. Like he was apart of the night itself. Deep rolls of black essence rolled off of him as he walked. His power almost activating on it's own in response to Tommy's mood. He savored the lonely stroll back to the mansion and opted for speed and stealth to reach his room for no reason in particular. Shifting his body from a physical form to an incorporeal shade he became shadow itself and darted through the mansion. His form clung to the walls racing past others in the hall way. To the on looker he would appear as little more than a quick darkening of the light, a trick of the eyes. He reached his room in under a minute and rematerilzed. Tommy stripped down and entered the shower. The steam from the hot shower filled the bathroom and spilled out once he was finished as he stepped through the door back into his room. The suit that he'd laid out was meticulously set out on his bed. He dressed with careful diligence making sure not a hair was out of place, not a loose strand on his clothes was present. Once finished he had some time to kill so he took a quick stroll down the steps and took a seat on the bottom of the steps. Casually relaxing until the party started Tommy kept an eye out for new students he hadn't yet met.