"Hey!" Jubes said, coming into the kitchen with an unusual exuberance, even for her. It made my head hurt more, but I nonetheless looked up from my book, sandwich in hand. I had figured that maybe if I ate something my head would stop hurting, but the tactic had unfortunately failed me so far.

"Yeah, what is it, Lee?" Angelo asked. He and I were sitting at the table eating a late lunch after a hockey shoot-out. He had won, of course, and the game had eventually given me this killer headache that it seemed all the ibuprofen in the world would not alleviate. Grr... Although I had been happy to find someone to play hockey with, I still did not enjoy pounding headaches, and reading my book was not really helping, either.

"Half off at the cineplex tonight!!" she announced, waving the newspaper in her hand before us as if to tempt us into going.

"Really? What's playing, chica? Anything worth seeing?" Angelo wanted to know. She began reading off a long list of movies, but amazingly nothing I wanted to see was included. Angelo, however, found quite a few titles he approved of.

"Cool!" he exclaimed, upon hearing that Godzilla would be among the movies being shown tonight. Personally, I didn't want to see it.

"Wanna go?" Jubes then turned to me, trying to draw me in as well. "I've already asked everyone else, and they're all going. 'Cept Jono." she added, a pout not on her face but rather in her voice. She thought that he was a big "party-pooper" that never wanted to do anything and basically lived a boring and pointless existence. I hoped he never found that out.

I weighed my options, although I had a feeling I knew which way the scales would tip. I figured Jen must be going for the romance string in one theater, since they had somehow - somehow - neglected to have a sci-fi string. Personally, I was hurt. The action movies were all Jackie Chan, of whom I am not particularly fond. Too bad they weren't Bruce Willis or something. Because Bruce Willis is always good. Besides, I had to finish my book... if this headache would let me. And then there was this headache, to boot. All in all, it seemed as if the fates had decided that I was just not meant to go.

"Nah, I've got this killer headache," I eyed Angelo, "and besides - there's no sci-fi." Jubes' eyes widened in shock as I passed the marathon up.

"But - but, Jackie Chan!"

I smiled, but shook my head. Even that was beginning to be painful.

"Sorry. I think I'll just veg here tonight." She looked hurt, but said nothing for a moment.

"All right." she finally gave in. She then turned back to Ange, informing him, "We're leaving in an hour. We're going out to dinner too - Frosty's takin' us."

I wondered how on earth Emma had agreed to do that. Jubes then turned and left, presumably to prepare for the Jackie Chan barrage she was about to encounter. I shrugged and picked up the sandwich. I was suddenly not hungry, though, so I put it back down in favor of putting my head down on the table in the hopes that the pounding inside it might go away.

"You okay, chica?" he asked. "I didn't mean -"

"No, I'm okay. Just tired," I lied. He shrugged and got up, leaving his empty plate on the table and leaving the kitchen. I just closed my eyes, and I must have fallen asleep because when I opened them again to a fuzzy-looking kitchen the whole place was quiet. I glanced at my watch, which told me that an hour had indeed passed, and it was not late evening. That meant that the only other people here were most likely Sean and Jono, and probably Penny as well. I mused over the fact that I had not actually met Penny yet as I dragged myself out of the chair I had fallen asleep in and up to my room, which now seemed like an impossible journey.

I finally made it and slowly changed into my pijamas: flannel pants and a seaQuest shirt. My headache wasn't any better, but since I didn't feel like cleaning off my bed to go to sleep I decided on the couch in the rec room. Hopefully I could crash there, and with practically no one else there I didn't see why I couldn't. I took out my contacts and pulled back my hair, and then I dragged myself back downstairs to the couch in the dark rec room and grabbed for the remote, flipping the TV on as I collapsed onto the couch. There happened to be a throw sitting conveniently on the arm, so I grabbed that and draped it over me as I flipped through the channels, hoping that something at least semi-interesting would be on.

I was handsomely rewarded with a rerun of Highlander, and settled back to watch the episode while curled up in a somewhat fetal position on the couch, hoping the headache might somehow decide to just go away. I must have been starting to drift off, and the TV began to seem more dark than light and the sound more soft than loud when I managed to pick out some shuffling, which sounded like it was coming from across the room.

"Hunh - wha?" was the most I could say in this state, as I managed to pull myself up off the couch somewhat and look around the room. I saw Jono in the corner, having just come through the doorway. He stopped abruptly, apparently startled despite the fact that the TV had been on.

*Oh! Sorry, gel. Didn't know you were in here,* he said after a moment of awkward silence.

"Yeah, well..." Was that the most interesting thing I could say?! God!

*Well then, I'll just be going...* He turned to leave, but somehow I didn't want him to. As I watched him leave, I suddenly felt really... bad. He looked so lonely, so tired - like he didn't have a soul in the world to talk to and he had something important to say. He looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, and there wasn't anyone to help him with that burden, which no one could possibly bear alone. And his voice - although it had merely been words in my head, his voice had sounded like he needed someone to talk to.

Well, I was someone, and he could certainly talk to me. I guessed I could handle feeling like a dork if he could stand talking to me.

"Jono?" I called after him; he hadn't quite disappeared completely yet, and now he turned back to confront me. "You... wanna take a walk or something?" He paused a moment, but then his expression softened and I thought I detected a hint of relief behind that pale yet dark mask.

*Sure, gel.* He already had the ever-present black leather jacket that he seemed to live in - perhaps he did - so I just went to grab my coat and joined him back at the door a moment later. My head was still pounding, although it wasn't quite as bad as it had been, and perhaps the sleep had done me some good. Besides, if he needed someone to talk to, then I could ignore my headache. It was the least I could do. We went outside into the darkening Massachusetts night - the sun had just set, but a few orange stripes still lingered in the western sky. It was cool, but not cold, and a fresh breeze ruffled the grass as we walked.

"Are you ... okay?" I finally asked, as the silence began to grown uncomfortable. He looked down at me from his perch high atop the two feet he could've easily held over me for all I knew.

*Wot do you mean?*

"Well, I know you act like, well, like you and all, but you seem so... sad lately. Introverted. I don't know - just different. Like something's bothering you. I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but if you do I'll listen." He just shrugged, and I immediately felt the dorkiness set in. We walked on a bit more until the silence was finally broken by a rather interesting sound: psionic laughter. Jono was laughing.

I followed his gaze down to his feet, but found nothing humorous there.

"What?" I asked, confused and surprised and wanting to know for all the world what could possibly make Jono laugh.

*Nothing. It's just that... for every step I take, it seems you have to take two and a half.* He laughed again, and as I looked back to te ground I saw that his observation was indeed true.

"Well, so?" I asked, mocking offense. He shook his head.

*No offense. It's just funny, is all.* That laughter seemed to banish any of the dorkiness of a moment ago, and it kind of made me feel - well, to sound corny, all warm and fuzzy inside. It was just so amazing that something as simple as my having to compensate for having shorter legs could make Jono laugh. It was... well, it was gratifying, for some reason, that I could help this poor, self-induced and self-perpetuating modern Quasimodo to laugh, even if for just a moment.

We walked on, the silence enveloping us once more. I chanced a look up at the dark sky, and was suddenly taken aback with the beauty that lay just above me: the sky was crystal clear, and the stars were visible. Oh, were they visible - twinkling above me were thousands - millions - of stars, shining down with a sparkling light that was unmatched by anything I'd ever seen. The dusty wisps of the Milky Way trailed across the sky, leaving its trail among the glittering shapes and pictures of the constellations. It was beautiful. It was awesome. It was breathtaking. It was a dream come true.

"Oh, wow," I breathed, stopping in my tracks to get a better view. Jono tilted his head up as well, wondering what I was so taken with.

*Wot?* he asked, unsure of what he was seeing and what I was so awed by.

"The stars ... they're beautiful up here. Wow." He said nothing, merely looking up at them. I got the feeling that stargazing was not something that he did very often, if at all. Taking a chance, I moved just off the footpath and sank down onto the soft, cool grass, lying on my back with my eyes to the sky. It kind of made my head spin, but I didn't care. I wanted to see these glorious stars as I never had at home. There were too many streetlights by my house, despite the fact that we were out in the middle of nowhere, relatively speaking for Chicago. But here - here on the campus there was little to no light, and the sky shone with a splendor I had only seen a few times before.

A bit to my surprise, Jono followed me onto the grass, similarly sitting down on the cool ground. Not lying down, but sitting with his knees to his chest and facing a bit to the side, so that I was basically faced with an odd view of his profile. It was a dark profile, with so much sadness and pain in it that I could see it, even out here in the dark of night. He also gazed up at the sky, though not at as sharp an angle.

"Look!" I exclaimed, pointing upward to a pattern of stars. "It's Orion! I love that one. And the Pleiades, and Taurus..." As I spoke, I traced the patterns in the sky with my hand. He seemed to follow for a moment, following my hand as it made shapes form in the chaotic sparkle of light in the sky. "And Vega, in Lyra." I smiled, remembering the implications Carl Sagan had begun with that very star. "Hey, and the Orion Nebula..." I trailed off, sighing and just gazing up at the stars in silence as it enveloped us. I wondered how Jen would ... feel ... if she knew I was out here with him. Yeah, sure - like I would do anything? Come on ... he was cool, but not in the way Jennifer saw him. No way... I almost shuddered at the thought of ... something. Nothing.

"I've got to get a good telescope. Then we could see the Orion nebula really well." I knew he probably didn't care about in the least, but I needed something to say, and whenever I got into stargazing I always complained about my lack of a good telescope. Like he wanted to hear about that. He didn't care, I suddenly realized. No one ever really cared ... Way to go, Alison!

*Yer really like 'em, don'tcha?* he asked. Yeah, it's just another one of those things that I like that no one else likes, so I'm stupid and annoying for liking it and talking to everyone else about it... I was all too familiar with that brush-off. And wasn't I supposed to be helping him? Well, since neither of us was big on talking, it wasn't going anywhere fast.

"Yeah. Someday... someday I'll be up there." I sighed. "If I'm good enough. I hope..."

More silence as we sat there, me gazing up and wishing that I was already up there so I could quit worrying about which college I would go to and if I would ever actually get to be an astronaut. Or so I wouldn't have to be out here, feeling so uncomfortable and out of it. I was drifting here and there, forgetting what we had actually come out here for when he broke the silence.

*Can I ask yer something?* he finally asked, not facing me but staying turned to the side.

"Sure." I said drowsily. I propped my head up on one arm so I could get a better view, but he still would not face me. I wondered if he was actually going to address what had been bothering him. Probably not; he was probably going to ask if we could go in or if I was really certifiably stupid or crazy or something.

*Your friend - Jennifer. She's ... confusing.* he admitted. I laughed a little at that. Was that the question? Well, yes, she was. Very confusing sometimes, but I guessed I was just used to it after so many years of friendship. And, after all, wasn't I confusing as well? Confusing people must understand each other.

"Yes, she is." I said after a minute.

*She says... she says she wants ter be friends. She says that this,* he indicated the bandages covering where his jaw, neck, and chest should have been, *doesn't bother her. But that can't - I don't know what to think.* There was a pause, but I felt that he had something more to say so I said nothing. I was right; after a moment he continued.

*She called me her "anchor" today. Says I'm the only thing that's really keeping her here. I don't understand.* He fell silent again, this time finished with what he had to say. I contemplated this for a minute. Jennifer was often very emotional - and way better at it than I was - and she felt things a lot stronger than I did. Yes, that was confusing, but it was also a part of her that made her unique and different. I knew she didn't feel the way I did - she didn't want to be here - and that she needed something important to keep her here. Obviously, that was Jono.

So how did I feel about that? I didn't know - I'd never really thought about it before. Sure, I liked him - but she obviously liked him more. And she probably had the right to - that was a lot more like her than it was like me. Besides, I didn't like him like that. That just wasn't me. But she did like him, and she liked him a lot. He just couldn't see that, so it confused him. He couldn't understand why anyone would like him, because he was Jono and that was the way he was. Suddenly I felt a chill - that seemed a lot like what people said about me sometimes. So how could I explain that to him? Hmm...

"Well, first of all..." I began. He didn't move, still facing the side. "That doesn't bother me, either."

*But--*

"Just listen. I'm not good at this kind of thing, so let me talk and get it overwith. Then you can tell me how stupid and wrong I am, okay? Second, Jennifer likes you. A lot. And if you can't see that, then I don't know what to tell you. Like I said, I'm not good at stuff like this - she is. But I do know Jennifer, and she doesn't really want to be here. So you must be pretty important to her if you're keeping her here. Because a lot of the time, she feels alone. A lot like you." I paused.

"A lot like me. And she wants to be your friend - I do too. Someone you can talk to freely and truthfully. Someone who understands, even though it's hard to talk. I know, because I'm like that too. I don't talk. This is probably the longest most serious speech you'll ever get out of me, and even now it's about someone else." I admitted. At least, I hoped it was. I was afraid of where I was taking this.

*But you don't understand,* he protested. *Neither of you do -- you can't. Not about how I --*

"No. Don't even, Jono. I've been there." Oh God, how much was I going to tell him? How could I actually talk to him about this? Just be vague - that was the way I was. I could do that, because then it wasn't really like talking about my feelings, right? Because I couldn't do that - that just got you all sad and confused and miserable, and it was stupid. Pouring my heart out was just not the way I did things, especially not when I was supposed to be consoling someone else.

"You think you hate how you look?" He turned to face me now, unsure of what I was getting into. Well, I wasn't sure either, but I was on a tirade and I wasn't going to stop now. "Don't even get me started on hating yourself, 'cause I've been there. Heck, half of the time I still am there. But you - I love the way you look." Oh my God, what was I telling him? I was acting like a complete dork, and I was sure he knew it. Great job of helping him, right?

"I love the way you look." I repeated. "It's what makes you you. I know that sounds weird - mean, even - but I'm weird, so you don't really have to listen to me. I'm not important. I know you don't really care about what I feel or think or say, but I'll still like the way you look. It makes you different, it makes you special. You're a totally unique and deeper person because of it, even if it is a terrible thing. I know it's a terrible thing, and no one should have to live like that. No one. But you do now, and you have to deal with it." What was I now, a counselor?! Where was this all coming from? All this to a guy I didn't even really know, who thought I was a dork, that Jennifer liked?!

"I don't care about "that." And neither does Jennifer. Heck, neither does anyone in this whole Georging school!" I stopped, with nothing more to say, and the silence suddenly hung in the air like a heavy cloud. Oh my God - did I just say all of that? Great, he thought I was insane now. He had to.

*Georging?* he finally asked. I smiled, but I was still uncomfortable after all of that. That was so not me, and suddenly, even though I'd meant it, I wanted to take it all back. He was Jen's and this was hers to tell him. Not me. I was in the wrong place, the wrong role, and I felt odd. Wrong.

"Yes, Georging. You've got to stop it sometime, Jono. I've been there. It's not fun - you know that. It's not. And it's really hard to come out after you've been alone for so long. It is. But... it gets better."

All right, that was it. I was done. What the heck had I just said?! I wanted out suddenly, and I got the feeling he did too. This was just awkward, even though I didn't want it to be. Why didn't I want it to be? I still felt strange, like there was a knot in my stomach. What was going on?

He said nothing, merely turned his head back to the sky. I had no idea what he thought of that - of me - but I didn't think he really cared about any of it. It was all stuff people had tried to tell him before. And here I was, regurgitating it all back out at him while I was supposed to be helping him with something that he really didn't want me to help him with in the first place. I sighed, and looked back to the stars as well, as if they might give me some answers. Instead all I saw was a shooting star, as it trailed through the skies across Cygnus and fell down towards the Little Dipper.

*Well, that's all fine and easy for you to say, but impossible for me ter believe.*

Argh! I knew I hadn't gotten through to him, but was he really that dense?! Geez - he really should talk to someone who was better at this than I was. Someone like Jen, who liked him and who could really talk to him. I was just blabbering on, and it was stupid. Stupid and pointless, and I wanted to go back in and go to bed and forget about this whole thing so Jennifer wouldn't kill me over something that never should have happened with some guy that she liked. Ugh! Life was just too darn complicated. So why not simplify?

"Well, if you're gonna see it that way, then there's not much that I'm good for, now is there?"

*Don't know.*

Well, this conversation was most definitely over. Conversation - hah! I'd just blabbered some stupid crap in his direction, and he hadn't listened anyway. Why did he have to make me feel so George stupid?! I should have been used to feeling this way, considering it was how I always feel, but it was still bugging me. It always bugs me. I hate this, I hate this, why can't I just be up there in space so I know I'm already good enough and I can be out there among those stars...

He said nothing more, but stood up and began heading for the path. I took that as a definite end to our conversation, as if it hadn't been over before. And I was glad, too. My head was pounding worse than before, and I felt stupid out here anyways. This was wrong, I thought as I walked down the path after him. I wasn't like this. I wasn't like this around guys. This was wrong.

I passed him up in my hurry to get back to bed, which I now felt was an urgent issue. As I walked up the steps to the door, I turned, figuring I should say goodnight or something.

"Goodni -" I stopped. He wasn't there. Where was - I though I saw a figure then, a dark outline against the dark sky. Yes, it was Jono, farther out on the footpath, hands shoved in pockets, leaning back and looking upward to contemplate the stars.

"You will go with us," she ordered from her desk across the room. "And you will enjoy yourself. You are a part of this group and you will act like it."

"But --"

An arched eyebrow interrupted my deprecations. There was no arguing with her, that was just the way things were, no questions asked.

Somehow Alison had managed to get out of going to the stupid movie marathon. I'd have to ask her how later.

"We have already purchased tickets," Emma explained, as though she was telling this to a child for the thirty-fifth time. "At the time, Alison did not want to go, but you did. Therefore, you have a seat and she does not. You will be coming. That is all."

The dismissal came like a door slamming shut in my face. I left, certain that I radiated some loathing for the woman but I didn't care -- I couldn't stand her and would make that plain as day.

I stalked up the stairs to my room, each foot pounding with every step. Once in my closed cavern, I turned off the light and put Under the Pink in my CD player. Lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, I let the almost sonata-like notes of "Pretty Good Year" wash over me, soothing me. And "Hey, what's it gonna take till my baby's alright?" -- the angry section in the middle; I just let all my anger at Emma be channelled through Tori's screaming and banging and whatnot. The music slowed and calmed again and I cooled off -- I truly needed that.

"JENNNNN!"

On my CD player, "God" was starting. I turned over. I didn't want to be yelled at.

"TIME TO GO!!"

" ... sometimes you just don't come through ... "

I really didn't want to go.

" ... do you need a woman to look after you ... ?"

My door flew open and Jubilee stood there, impatient as ever. I was beginning to feel ill.

"C'mon, we're gonna be late!" she insisted.

" ... you make pretty daisies, pretty daisies ... "

"What's this?" she asked, distracted by the music, her brow furrowed.

"Tori," I explained halfheartedly.

" ... a few witches burning gets a little toasty ... "

Jubilee walked over to my CD player and was about to turn it off, hoping that I might come to her stupid movie marathon.

"Don't even think about it," I warned, only half-joking. I knew perfectly well what she could do to a CD player, even inadvertently. Reluctantly, I got up and trudged to the CD player and turned it off myself. I grudgingly followed her out of my room after grabbing my purse from the mess on the floor.

As those who were going piled into the car I found myself between the window and Monet. At least, I noted, I wasn't by Paige again -- and the window was a welcome relief. But Jono wasn't with us. How had he managed to get out of this, too? And now I was completely alone. Or at least, that's how I felt.

The car pulled up to the cineplex, where we saw the marathon went 'til 3 AM -- and Emma insisted that staying out that late was simply out of the question.

I wanted to fold in on myself, to crawl into my own little world and not be bothered by anyone or anything. Someone -- Paige? -- had apparently decided on the movie we'd see instead of the marathon: City of Angels. And there was much protest -- nobody else cared to see a "mushy" movie. I didn't mind, though. Perhaps I could lose myself in the fiction on the screen instead of dealing with the strange reality of life.

The usual waiting in line for popcorn and candy and pop and other paraphernalia conducive to a moviegoing environment took place. I would've loved a box of Junior Mints and a raspberry tea, like I usually get at the theater, but I was flat broke. It was nice that I didn't have to pay for the actual movie, though.

As much space as possible was placed between our crowd and Emma -- thankfully! Previews and the usual ads for the snack bar rolled, and then the feature. I was soon caught up in the bittersweet love story -- although I hadn't known that angels dressed entirely in black and didn't eat.

Perhaps ... perhaps then he was an angel ... because eventually angels felt human emotions, too. And that was what he was, I decided: a fallen angel.

When the lights came back up, I was in tears -- the earlier events of the day were of no help to me at all. Finally I looked around at the rest of the group. Paige was also in tears, sniffling quietly like a sentimental fool -- perhaps I had more in common with her than I'd anticipated. Did we have too much in common, though? I didn't know. Jubilee (who had been initially protesting because of the movie's "mushy" nature) had actually fallen asleep on Everett's shoulder -- he was taking this rather well, only a touch embarrassed as he tried to wake her up. And failing. I found this mildly amusing, and apparently so did Monet, who had wayward kernels of popcorn trapped in her hair. She didn't know they were there. Some passerby's aura flared an incredibly bright orange and it was all I could do to try and ignore it. Auras that bright generally meant the owner possessed some type of mutant ability, as I'd noticed in the mall.

Emma found us, appearing by our row all of a sudden. Everett was still having trouble waking Jubilee up; she was now muttering something, caught in that world between awake and asleep. "Mmm ... Ev ... yummy."

With the mention of his name and "yummy" in the same sentence, Everett's characteristically kaleidoscopic aura went haywire, and he tried to shove Jubilee off his shoulder. His aura caught the flash of orange I spotted from the corner of my eye. Almost simultaneously, the temperature of the already cold theater dropped. Emma grew irate as a split second later some guy whose aura was the same brilliant orange came up behind her grinning madly, his hand on her shoulder. She whirled around -- she most certainly recognized him. As did the half asleep Jubilee, who was only now becoming aware of the rest of the world.

"Hey, Emma!" the orange guy greeted almost too happily. "Good to see you!"

"Robert," Emma said coldly and sent some telepathic message to him -- seconds later he lifted his hand from her shoulder, finger by finger, an "innocent" look plastered across his face.

"Excuse me," Monet interrupted, clearing her throat. "I would assume you haven't already noticed: Angelo is no longer with us. I propose a search of the building."

Emma seemed a bit off-guard -- like too many things were happening at once. Maybe her corset was too tight ... I chuckled to myself at the thought, but agreed to help Monet find Angelo ... if only to get away from Emma. Everyone else apparently thought the same -- they followed Monet and me out, leaving Emma to deal with this orange-ringed Robert guy.

As I walked behind Monet, I wondered if I should tell her about the popcorn in her hair. I decided against it as I ran my fingers through my own hair to check for catapulted snack food. I found one piece that had apparently been sitting atop my head for a while. I was about to toss it onto the ground when I noticed something oddly familiar about the lost puffy kernel -- it had been Angelo's. I had no idea how I knew, I just knew. And with that recognition I was immediately alerted to his location like a compass needle within me. Weird.

Meanwhile, Monet and Paige were headed off in the other direction. Everett stayed in the lobby -- I noticed his aura spread thin across the general area, radiating in a perfect circle from him. It touched everyone, each person creating a tiny ripple of their own; those with mutant abilities tinted the layer with their own unique shade -- really just me, Jubilee, and some guy in the line who I think may have been a latent telepath. It made me uncomfortable; my blue was even visible to me now and I felt like something was crawling inside me just underneath my skin.

"What's he doing?" I whispered to Jubilee, who (just for some odd reason, you know) decided to stay here in the lobby. Somehow the situation warranted a whisper.

"He's lookin' for Ang," she whispered back, quite pleased with herself and oblivious to the crawly feeling.

"But I've already found him," I explained.

"Huh?" Jubilee asked, confused, as Everett (also confused) dropped his search, the multihued aura springing back around him.

"I, ah, found him. He's that way," I said as I indicated left.

"Uh, okay," Jubilee muttered.

Everett nodded. "That's what I thought."

We walked and stopped in front of a closed theater door. "He's in there," I said.

"He must've snuck in during the movie," Jubilee was quick to comment. And quick to break illegally into the theater, might I add. Everett shrugged and followed her in. I stayed put. They returned moments later virtually dragging Angelo behind them, who was grinning maniacally.

"He snuck in to see Godzilla!" Jubilee announced loudly.

That sounded like something he would do.

"Hey, I don't care what they try to call it, that chick flick was not about LA," Angelo informed us. "And the last thing I need to see is Nick Cage gettin' all weepy up on that screen."

I considered tossing the stale piece of popcorn at him, but decided against it and threw it onto the floor.

Because I had nothing to lock on with, I conducted a general search for Monet -- Paige could stay behind at this point and I wouldn't care one iota. I found the two not far from Emma and the orange Robert guy, who were all in the lobby by now.

Emma was quite upset but trying to hide it, presumably because of the orange guy. She was glad, however, that he was no longer in actual physical contact with her. Nevertheless, one pink tendril remained in constant contact with his mind -- if he noticed, he gave no indication of it.

"Hey!" he greeted us enthusiastically. Or perhaps just Jubilee, since he recognized her.

"Bobby!" she exclaimed and ran to give him a friendly hug. Only seconds passed -- if even that -- before she realized Everett was watching every bit of this. "Uh, this is Bobby!" she explained. I still had no idea what -- or who -- she meant by that; I still didn't recognize the guy. Though for some truly odd reason he managed to remind me of Tom Paris.

"Jubilation," Emma warned.

Oh, she definitely had something against this guy -- and I didn't have to be an empath to figure that out, to paraphrase Missy Scully. She began to drag us all out of the cineplex just as Angelo was starting to sneak off again.

"Hey," Bobby called after her in a lame effort to get her attention. "How does dinner sound?"

"Go home, Robert," Emma ordered.

"I mean tonight," he explained. "For everyone. It's on me."

She considered this a moment. "Fine," she relented, "but only because I love to give you another useless expense with which to deplete your already pitiful wallet."

"Hey!" Bobby protested.

But thankfully we weren't all squished into the Jeep; in some last-ditch effort to escape Emma, I had opted to ride with this new guy. Monet had joined me but was perfectly content to sit by herself in the backseat and stare out the window at the passing trees.

"So, I don't remember you from last time," this Bobby guy said as he drove.

"Um, no ..." I muttered. Small talk really wasn't my forte. Besides, it was meaningless. "I'm new here, I guess." But I was acclimating.

"I'm Bobby Drake," he introduced himself like he was something terribly special and I ought to feel privileged to know him. I didn't. He caught this and continued, "Iceman. One of the five original X-Men."

I only nodded. I recalled Alison mentioning something about an "Iceman" once before but didn't know him well myself.

"Uh-huh," I said. "I'm Jen. No codename."

"No codename?" Bobby exclaimed like it was some terrible crime. "Great ... we've got another Cecelia on our hands...."

I didn't know any Cecelia but there was a good deal of ~impatience~ and ~exasperation~ associated with the person behind the name.

"Oh, no," I assured him, picking up on that, "I don't hate you that much." At least, not yet. Not that I wanted to hate anyone, but his ego was monstrous.

~curiosity~ as he turned to me with a raised eyebrow.

"Watch the road!" I reminded as we almost veered off it into the inky night. The car swerved suddenly back onto the road.

"So, no codename? What do you do?"

I felt my own annoyance and exasperation at having to explain again. But thankfully it was hard to come up with a codename for an empath and the search kept Bobby's one-track mind busy for the rest of the time it took to get to the restaurant.

We arrived shortly thereafter, the Jeep not far behind. I got out of the car and slammed the door behind me, looking up at the stars -- they were beautiful. And the night air was crisp and inviting, refreshing and cool. I hung back, waiting for everyone else to get out and lead the way.

Monet apparently had the same idea, or at least a similar one; she decided it would be better to just stay in the car. I knocked on the window and waved at her, trying to get her attention. I gave up and followed the rest of them into the restaurant, dismissing her as just ... the way she was. But -- something even stranger happened. The green I'd noticed before in her aura, back at the mall, had completely taken over, with almost no trace of the royal violet I was used to associating with her.

Because Bobby had been in such a hurry to see Emma, he'd left the car unlocked, and I could open the door. I did so. "Monet?" I asked gently. "You okay?"

She didn't respond. I concentrated on the quietly pulsating green glow and searched, somehow, for the violet I recognized. It was hard to find -- the green was like another person entirely; like she'd become someone completely different. People often had a duality to them, like when they made decisions, each side examined and weighed its options -- but this was beyond that. This was weird. Could I coax the violet personality back out? I searched for it again ... It was buried beneath layers of shields and it would be hard to draw it through those layers to the surface. I tried to establish a link, some sort of hook within so I could try to pull it through the dominant green. I thought perhaps I'd gotten the hook in when I was instantly repelled, forced out of Monet and snapped back into my own mind like a rubberband. I knew I couldn't have done it -- no, she had done this. She'd forced me out.

~fear!~

I bit my lip.

Her eyes darkened like angry stormclouds hanging on a rainy horizon. "Stay out of my head," she warned me, her voice a quiet thunder in my ears.

I wasn't in her --

~fear~fear~fear~ bombarding me, streaming towards me and I couldn't shut it out. I couldn't stop it.

"How much do you know?" she asked quietly, worried, so frightened, so confused. For a moment she was a scared deer and she was trapped in my headlights -- I would run her down if I didn't step on the brakes soon.

"Nothing ... " I said. "Not -- just -- well, a ... duality -- your aura, it's two different colors, and just now it was green.... I have no idea what that means, I'm not gonna -- don't worry, what little I -- I won't -- I'm not gonna do anything you don't want me to. Trust me, I know what it's like." I recalled my first day here and Emma's attack on my psyche. But -- it was different for Monet. I just knew it was different. And it was a creepy sort of different. And I knew it meant a lot to her. "You wanna come in and eat something now?" I asked, trying to keep my voice smooth, extending a hand to her. Soft, cool fingers found my palm and I helped her out of the car. A soft monochromatic thanks colored her, and I thought I saw a weak smile through the cloud of fear that still lingered. I tried my best to broadcast ~comfort~ as we walked into the restaurant.

Monet's aura instantly flared back to violet as she dropped my hand.

What had just happened? I wondered. It was like she had multiple personality disorder or something. I wanted to find out -- but I was no telepath, and besides, I'd promised.

The meal passed uneventfully. The highlight of the evening was when the coffee someone ordered came too hot and Bobby froze it, nearly shattering the ceramic mug it came in. There was no further odd behavior from Monet, but I'd apparently moved up on her imperial food chain. And me? I missed Jono. He wasn't here. I didn't know what would have happened if he'd come, but I missed him. "When are we gonna get back?" I whined in the general direction of the other table, where Bobby was admiring Emma and she was pointedly ignoring him.

"Right now," Emma responded, snatching up her purse and stalking outside. Thank goodness! Everyone just sorta looked at everyone else and waited, then as if by some unseen cue, got up and started talking all at once. Bobby shrugged and took out his wallet, flipping through bills and expecting the worst.

I glanced over at Monet, searching for any signs of -- well, anything really. There was nothing but that imperious aloofness I was so used to -- she didn't speak to anyone, she simply sat there nibbling the thick fries that had come with her hamburger, long since eaten.

After paying the bill, Bobby came to collect both of us -- Emma and the others were already gone.

We arrived at the sprawling campus later than we'd expected to. Despite the hour (whatever hour it was), lights still glowed pale amber from within the building.

I was tired as I plodded up the stairs to my room -- I thought perhaps Monet might follow but she was nowhere to be found. At this point I was so tired I didn't even care. She could take care of herself, I knew, despite the strange fears I'd felt from her before. She'd be okay. I hoped.

I wasn't. It had been one strange day -- thoroughly odd, indeed, knowing and coming to realize those strange goings on in my heart, and defining what I felt for the other people here. I hoped, as I turned off my light, that I might soon find my niche. I turned over in my bed, hugging my pillow tight and wrapping myself up in The Ugly Blanket. I willed sleep to come.

I didn't have to will very hard.