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Jubilee looked around. She didn't know much about Daria, but she hope that she would
like her part of the decorating. Almost everybody who was helping set up the room, had added
their own touch to the room. Jubilee decided to help Penny put up the curtain that Penny had
picked out. Monet who was watching them, said "I think to the left."
Jubilee was a little frustrated that Monet was giving her instructions on how to hang a
curtain. The two had a called a truce back at Emma's Canadian house, after they were rescued
from Toad. But, Monet did have a way of getting on ones nerves. She said, "Monet, if you want
to help, why don't you come up her and help us."
Monet responed quickly and calmly. "I am helping by watching from here. I can see
what you can't see. Besides, it is a suggestion."
Everett, who was helping Paige get the bed ready, said, "I think it looks fine, Jubes." At
least Everett was on her side.
Paige turned her head and looked at the curtain and said, "Ah think a little to the right."
Terrific, one for left, one for right, and one for fine. Jubilee had to agree with Monet that it was
best for a person not near the curtain to judge.
Regardless of that, Jubilee turned her head and said, "What do you think, Penny?" She
always thought of Penny as a sister, and after Rich's arrival, Penny expressed the same
thoughts.
Penny looked at her and said, "Well, sis, I think we need a tie-breaker." She then said,
"And go easy on Monet. It wasn't an order she gave." Jubilee realized what Penny meant. She
had been a slave of Emplate for a long time before being brought to the school. She would know
the difference between Monet and Emplate best. Again, if it wasn't for Rich, she would have
never told the stories about what he did to her. Sometimes, they all wished that she hadn't.
Jubilee had to agree with Penny and shouted, "Could somebody help us figure out which
way to move the curtain?" It was almost a plea than a request.
Just as she finished speaking, she heard Rich's voice say, "Half an inch to the left and it
will look great." Well, at least that was better than Monet just saying to the left. She and Penny
moved the curtain and then backed away from it. The red curtain looked lovely in the sunlight.
Rich was right about the look and it was almost instantiously that Penny was by his side.
"You're right. It does look great." She was smiling as the two look at the curtains. Rich
was smiling as well. He seemed to appear abit drained as he yawned. The nightmare he had
had that night must have woken him up on little sleep.
Rich looked Penny in the eyes and said, "Yvette, could we go someplace and talk,
alone." Jubilee noticed a look of recognition in her eyes as she nodded. Rich must have wanted
to tell her about something he didn't want everybody to know yet. Rich had told Penny many
secrets about his life since the two had been seeing each other. They all found out about that
when Rich went into his depression.
Penny turned to everybody and said, "I'm going to leave for a while. I hope I not leaving
at a bad time." Everybody understood what was going on and she left with Rich.
Paige broke the silence when she said "Ah wonder if that has anything with what she
asked him this morning. Ah remember that it struck a nerve with him."
Jubilee wondered what it was Penny had asked Rich. "Do you know what she asked,
Paige?" Jubilee could not think of a single time, other than during his depression, that Penny
had ever struck a nerve with Rich.
"Ah wish Ah did know, but Ah don't."
Monet had bit her lower lip. She knew something, and Jubilee turned to face her. "What
is it, Monet?"
Monet looked at her and said, "I think it is a skeleton that he has in his closet. A secret
he wished he would never face again."
"Like you and Emplate?" Everyone knew the connection between Monet and Emplate,
but they didn't know how deep it went.
"I don't know, but for some reason, I think there is some connection."
"Well," Everett said to everyone, "if it is anything like that. It can't be worse than
Emplate." Deep down, Jubilee hoped it wouldn't be like what she had faced once. When she
used to hang with Wolverine, they got pulled into the Mojoverse, and she had to deal with a
version of herself that worked for Mojo.
As he walked with Yvette back to the main building, Rich decided to tell her about the
one person he feared more than Emplate. With her ability, he psionicly said, {Love, I want to tell
you about something from my past.}
She looked at him and responded. {What is it?}
He decided to start from the beginning of how it began, {You remember me mentioning
my uncle, the one with the mutant ability to see the future.}
{Yes.}
He yawned. Fatigue was catching up with him. {He used to be in the army, and he took
a nasty blow. Afterword, he couldn't have children, so he was forced to adopt.}
{That must have been terrible, I mean to not be able to be a father naturally. My folks
told me about it when I was about to have a younger sister.}
{Well, they did adopt. It was a couple years after he married my mother's sister. The
first child was a boy, which was a baby. Everybody loved that child, and thought him adorable.}
{What happened then?}
{Years later, the boy wanted a sister, or brother. They caved in and adopted a girl. She
came from a broken home. No one believed she was the problem, not until a few days later.}
He could see the concern in her eyes. She stopped the story and said, {Rich, I think you
should tell Sean and Emma about this.} They were in the main building now, and fatigue was
really hitting him. He wanted to finish this story, but he couldn't keep awake.
He looked into Yvette's blue eyes and said, {I think I will, but I think I better rest first.
Please wake me before we have to leave to get Daria from the airport. It might the only way to
avert this nightmare.}
Yvette nodded and they walked over to the lounge. Rich decided to lay down on the
sofa and rest a while. He needed the sleep, and the rest. As he drifted off into dreamland, he
felt Yvette kiss him on cheek and say, "Don't worry, I'll always protect you, as you protected me."
He felt better hearing something like that as sleep took him to his dreams.
Sean was with Emma in his office. In a few hours, they had to go to the airport. The
fact that Rich had another nightmare only made things more complicated. He and Emma were
still thinking about it as they were planning out Daria's first few days here. He was about to ask
her about the Biosphere session when Emma said something disturbing. "Sean, do you think
that Daria is who is threatning Rich?"
"Now, that is a daft idea, Emma. What would Rich have to worry about from her?"
Although, he wouldn't admit that he had had the same thought.
Emma had a simple answer for that. "It is similar to what a child goes through when a
new child is going to be born. Maybe he feels threatened by her presence. We know that the
attacker is a female mutant."
"And that is a reason to suspect Daria? We don't even know what the girl's abilities
are?" Sean then started to think along the same lines that Emma was. That was disturbing, to
think that the new student was the one who would attack Rich.
"We know that she was in Bastion's care. Who knows how that might have warped her
mind?" Emma was about to continue when there was a knocking at the door.
"Come in," Sean said. The door opened and Yvette came into his office. He probably
knew why she was here. He motioned for her to sit down and then said, "Did he say anything?"
Yvette looked a little concerned when she said, "It is something that he would tell you in
his own words. All I can say is that it must have been a daughter of his uncle." Sean noticed the
look that Emma was giving him.
Before Emma could say anything, Sean remembered Rich had two uncles. He looked at
Yvette and asked, "Was it his uncle on his mother's side?" When she nodded, they were now
faced with an unknown attacker again, but there was relief that it wasn't Daria. Now all they had
to do was figure out who wanted to attack Rich. "Can Rich elaborate on who it might be?"
Yvette just looked at him and said, "The lack of sleep has caught up him. He's asleep in
the lounge." Sean hoped that Rich would wake up before they had to pick up Daria. In his mind,
Sean could see Yvette staying behind until Rich awoke, and they might not see the two ever
again. The thought that it wasn't Emplate offered little assurance. For all that could happen, this
unknown attack could be working for Emplate, but Emplate didn't have any female mutant
Hellions.
Sean noticed Emma leaning over to Yvette. He heard her say, "Yvette, why don't you
keep an eye on Rich and wake him if he has another nightmare." He watched as Yvette nodded
in agreement and left the office. Sean was abit suspicious about that when Emma said, "No, I
didn't use my powers on her. But now, we have to wonder who might be the problem, and I think
Rich would be very upset if we called his family for help."
"Aye. But what other choice do we have? We have little time left before we have to
leave for Logan airport."
Emma just looked and said, "If we are forced to leave Rich and Yvette here, then we will
leave someone to protect them." Emma was being smart about this. She was remembering
Rich's wishes, and the fact that Rich didn't want his family to know about the problems here was
top on the list. Sean then wondered if that might be the one thing Rich would regret.
*******************************************
Elane was looking out of the lighthouse window when she heard Emplate enter the room.
She turned to face her new ally and asked, "Is it time?"
Emplate walked over to her and said, "Soon, everyone will be leaving the school. I have
gotten insight that Richard and Yvette would stay behind. The fact is that you might be
expected."
She did not like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"
Emplate looked at her and said, "They are planning to have someone stay behind with
them. That won't affect the plan any, will it?" His words were almost harsh, but she knew he
wouldn't sup on her.
"One extra person is not a problem. It is hard for me to focus my aura on more than four
targets. The less I have to take on, the more likely success will occur. Now, Emplate, I have a
question for you?"
"And that is?"
"The girl that Richard has taken a liking to, Yvette. Is there another reason you want her
brought here?" She heard Emplate sigh as if there was a weight on his shoulders.
"That girl was unlike most of the other mutants I supped on. She lasted the longest. I
still wonder where my life ended and hers began. The fact that she escaped has made it harder
for me to survive. If the opportunity would have arisen, I would have traded them one mutant for
her."
"And forcing Rich to watch her suffer would be painful for him as well. I could really love
it here. But how will I get to the school to capture them?"
"I shall transport you to the school, but do you have a way to hide from the cameras."
Elane knew that this would shock Emplate, as well as Generation X. She focused on her aura
and allowed it not to eminate from her, but to envolope her. Emplate then exclaimed, "Amazing,
you have become invisible."
"I can do this at anytime, Emplate. They won't know where I am, until I attack them."
She allowed herself to become visible again and said, "Anything else I should know?"
"Yes. I don't want them to know of my involvement, at least not yet. When you leave,
head north from the school. Eventually, you will see the lighthouse."
"Then, I'm ready to attack." She noticed that Emplate held out his hand.
"Take hold of my hand, and I shall take you to the gate of the school. And put your aura
around the two of us." She did as he said, and instantaniously, they left the plane of reality and
passed through what seemed a realm of hands, reaching out to slash them to pieces. They then
appeared at the gate of the school, and Emplate left the same way they arrived. She put her
aura up, and disappeared from sight.
