And I am a mutant. One with a horrible curse. Toby thought knocking on the heavy door that led into the Massachusetts school for the Gifted. Gifted what a joke Toby thought.

Toby was greeted by a tall Irish gentleman with a thick Irish accent. " Aye and you might be?"

" My name is Toby , Toby McIntosh. I’m a Mutie. " He said in a shy hushed voice.

Sean Did’nt believe him. No mutant would use that word adopted by hate groups as an insult ,to describe himself. He just stood there staring at the young boy barely 15.

"Prove it."

Toby hesitated. He didn’t like to use his powers. They reminded him of the curse he harbored. " Do I Have to? I don’t like them."

" Your powers aren’t bad or evil. You should be proud of them." Sean said still not believing the boy.

A weird glow like that from a Black lamp arose from Toby’s small frame. The Glow floated away from him and then focused into a ball and then shot to a nearby rosebush. As Sean watched the rosebush wilted. And then all the leaves fell of and then the plant’s stem collapsed.

" Oy. come in um Toby... " Sean said not really concentrating on speech.

Toby came in with his one bag. He did so reluctantly. He felt like Sean was afraid of him. Who wouldn’t be afraid of him Toby insulting himself.

Sean came up behind him. " Well my name is Sean Cassidy. You can call me whatever you like. Here I’m sorry but you’ll have to sleep on the couch tonight. We have no extra beds."

Toby looked at the plush leather couch. " I’ve slept on much worse." He put his beat-up pack on the floor near the couch. " I know I’m a guest but do you have anything I could eat?"

" Oh would you mind some ribs?" Sean said not waiting for an answer going into the kitchen for the leftovers of the memorial day party.

Toby sat down on the couch sinking deep into the leather. He smiled at the thought of sleeping on this couch. It was a mattress fit for a princess compared to the last thing he slept on.

Toby looked around the room examining the paintings on the wall. He looked at the stairs when he heard some light steps. A blonde girl about his age came down the stairs in an oversized T-shirt revealing a pair of well sculpted thighs and gave Toby a smile.

" Oh I didn’t know anybody else was here" she said in surprise.

"My name is Toby" Toby said standing up

" My name is Paige. " She said pulling down her T-shirt.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. He couldn’t think of anything to say. It ended when Sean came in with a big plate of ribs and a coke.

" Ah I See you’ve met one of the other fellow students of the school ,Paige." He said handing Toby the plate.

" Well Toby I think we should discuss your powers." Sean said sitting in a loveseat across from the couch.

" Well My power is I cause things to die." Toby said ashamed.

" Living things or nonliving things?"

"Both. I can cause things to decay. Like metal will rust or paper will degrade." Toby said finishing off his first barbecued sauce rib.

" Ah I see." Sean said thinking hard.

Paige was amazed. " You cause things to die?!? Like you look at a dog and then it Falls over?"

Toby nodded and stopped eating. He lost what was left of his appetite.

"Paige did you need something?" Sean said in a scolding voice.

" I just came down because I heard a noise."

" Well then Goodnight." Sean waved bye.

Paige stamped back up the stairs angered by Sean’s attitude. Sean turned back around to see Toby sitting up asleep.

" Well that’s all I needed tonight anyway goodnight." Sean said taking away the plate of ribs.

Toby awoke half on the couch and half off. Standing up he stretched and heard some bones pop.

It had been a long time since he had something decent to sleep on and it felt good. He could have slept on that couch for a long time.

" Enjoy the couch?" Paige asked surprising him from behind.

" Yes very much." Toby said stretching even more.

" Would you like some breakfast? We got some cereal oatmeal and some fruit. If you want anything hot I’m sorry the cook is out." She said leading him into the kitchen.

" I’ll cook."

"Really? What can you cook?" Paige said putting away her box of Lucky Charms her favorite. She loved them but not as much as a hot breakfast.

" Eggs, I can make a potato into anything and I can make a good sausage link." Toby said braggartly.

"look I from the mountains and I had good breakfasts so I’ll be the judge of that." Paige said. Her mouth was watering for sausage.

Toby went to work. He grabbed some pans and skillets. He grabbed the eggs first and cut some ham up and put them into the eggs. Paige left him alone The smell reminded her much of her old home so much she got all misty.

The smell didn’t fade as she got farther from the kitchen. She imagined what her first good ol honest to god breakfast would taste like. He seemed pretty competent in the kitchen. She was drooling by the time Toby brought out the first plate.

" Those omelets look awesome what’s all in there?" Paige said looking at all the different bits in the large omelet.

" Ham some cheese and potato" Toby left for the rest.

Paige finished the first one when Brought three plates of potatoes. One was potato pancakes another was hash browns and another was potato cakes.

Sean came down to see eight plates on the makeshift breakfast table. " Paige did you get a sudden surge of cooking inspiration?"

" Don’t look at me all this is Toby’s fault." She said through a mouth full of sausage.

" Well then Paige save some for me. It looks appetizing Toby." Sean said to Toby who was nursing a glass of milk.

Paige finished off the last plate of biscuits much to Sean’s dismay. Sean bit into the sausage link so Paige wouldn’t take it.

" Oh my. By the taste of this food I’d swear you were from a farm." Paige said laying back full.

" Well no. I learned how to cook like that from a short stint at a Waffle House. " Toby said.

" Then where are you from Toby?" Sean asked cutting a country ham up.

" New York"

" Ah I cant believe anyone who grew up there can cook like this." Paige smiled at him.

Toby shrugged and blushed. He liked Paige she was nice and had an accent that drove him crazy.

" Paige why don’t you show Toby around?" Sean said grabbing more hashed browns.

Paige got up and motioned for Toby to follow him. He got up and followed her up the stairs. She showed Toby her room which she shared with two other girls. And another room that three boys shared.

" Where are they?" toby referred to the other people in the room.

" There on a training mission er ah vacation." She said trying to his her first response.

" Wait a Training mission for what? " Toby said stopping Paige.

" Well .. . " She hesitated." Um great, Have you heard stories of young mutants causing public damage and other things"

" I hear about young mutants doing that everyday."

" Well a specific group wearing some red uniforms." Paige about the ugly red outfits Sean made them wear.

"Oh yeah. The media calls them Generation X" Toby still wasn’t sure what she meant.

" Well we are Generation X. The rest of them are out training." Paige explained.

" Really? Man You can kick some serious butt I have seen some video footage and y’all weren’t playing.." Toby said remembering some footage from CNN.

" Well We dont when we get in major fights." Paige said somberly" well this is the biodome. We usually train in here."

Toby looked into the jungle that was in front of him. It was beautiful and there was even a creek running through the biodome.

" Wow it’s amazing." Toby said picking up a rock and skipping it across the water.

" Nice try" Paige taunted throwing a stone and skipping it across the water at least double the distance of Toby’s throw. Toby answered with another stone that jumped at least twice as high as Paige’s.

Paige was in competition mode now. She threw two stones at once, Toby threw one without looking. When the ground was emptied of rocks and There arms gave up They sat down laughing.

" So what’s your Gift Paige?" Toby asked with extra sarcasm on gift.

" It is a gift. Don’t think they aren’t. They give you an extra edge on life. My power is I can shed my skin and turn into any substance underneath the skin."

" Uh And I thought I had a gross power." Toby said joking with Paige and receiving a shove for the effort.

" How can you control you power? Is it an automatic response or do you think I wish he was dead and he dies.?" Paige said poking into a sore spot to Toby.

" No. I have to feel bad and then this energy runs through me and then whenever I tighten my muscles it flows into my hands and then I look at whatever and then it just goes to the target." Toby said

" you have to feel bad? What happens when you feel good?"

" I don’t feel good all that much so I don’t know."

Paige rolled her eyes. " Oh come on. Don’t get all negative on me. You’ve been happy ever since I known you."

" That’s because I uh You just make me happy" Toby said stumbling over himself.

Paige looked at Toby. She had no idea he had those feelings towards her. " I know what your trying to say. You’re sweet but I can’t " She said giving a kiss on the cheek without thinking.

" Oh well I know ... " He was interrupted by a message on some hidden intercom.

" Paige and Toby , Lunch" said Sean in his Irish voice.

Paige and Toby got up and headed towards the kitchen. A though lingered in his head What does happen when I feel good and use my gift?

Sean had prepared some grilled cheese slightly burnt and some apples sliced. Paige was still full from the large breakfast Toby prepared. Toby dug into the hot sandwich despite the Burnt bread.

" Um Toby I tried to look for your parents but I couldn’t find any records of them." Sean said suspicious in tone.

" Uh I’m an orphan." Toby lied obviously.

" Oh please you don’t live with six teenagers and not learn how to see through lies which that obviously was."

" Well I live lived in Genosha so that’s why you cant find the number."

Sean dropped his plate. " Genosha !?! Oh this can’t be good. I’m gonna hate myself in the wee morning but whom are your parents?"

" My father is Commandant McIntosh. My mom well I don’t know my mother." Toby said understanding Sean’s reaction.

" What’s the big deal?" Paige asked.

" The government isn’t the best about mutants and not warm towards the idea of one escaping. I have the worst feeling about this." Sean said grabbing a Tums from the cabinet.

" Huh so what’s the big deal? Were in America the Genoshans aren’t exactly gonna fly over here and attack us." Paige said. from Sean’s expression she started to believe they would.

" Oh boy I’d better call Emma I think we need to be at full strength for this." Sean left the room in a worried rush.

" Is that why you left?" Paige said looking out the window spooked by Sean’s reaction.

" No The government was fine. I left because my father wanted me to use my power against someone." Toby said his face was first sad then contorted in rage.

" You think he would came up here to get you?" Paige said still looking out the window.

" He could he has some pull around the military." Toby said thinking if his father was crazy enough to come up here.

" If he does he’ll come up against some resistance." Paige said making a mock fighting stance.

Toby and Paige spent the day training. She taught him some fighting techniques. He seemed to already know how but he was a son of a military commandant. He even knew some one strike techniques that were designed to paralyze or kill someone in one hit.

He wasn’t tired at the end of the day. Paige was ready to sleep if she didn’t need a shower she would have fallen asleep standing up.

" Well Toby You know that last spar I let you win." Paige said rubbing her back. He had thrown her with a flip that caught her on her blindside.

" Oh yeah right that’s why you tried to dropkick me on the way down." Toby said stretching.

" I didn’t want make it seem like I was letting you win." Paige quickly said smiling at her own cleverness.

" Well then if you didn’t want to make it seem you were letting me win why are you telling me now?" Toby said smiling.

Paige didn’t bother to answer him. She just climbed the stairs like she hadn’t heard him. " I’m going to take a shower."

Toby was about to make another comment but he noticed a car on the window. " Uh Paige what kinda car does the rest of the team have?"

" A van I think a Mazda"

" Then why is there a Hummer on the lawn?" He said staring at a poorly camouflaged Humvee on in the woods.

" What a Hummer " She was downstairs and she looked out the window. " That shouldn’t be there. Sean! Sean!"

He came in the room A few seconds and a few more Seans! from Paige.

" What is it ya wailing banshee? Oh that’s isn’t good." Sean said noticing the Hummer. Here lets get away from the window before they open Duck!" Sean said pushing Toby and Paige down when he saw an rocket fly at the window. He joined them behind the television. Some glass flew past them when the rocket hit. Sean who was used to loud noises stood up first. Paige and Toby were jarred from the explosion stood up later with ringing in their ears.

A few soldiers came through the window dressed in some heavy combat armor and carrying automatic plasma rifles. Sean dispatched them with his scream but more came in to replace the few who were unconscious.

Toby saw the Genoshan flag ran and stumbled out of the room. Paige began to rip her skin off and a few soldiers stared at her in disbelief.

Paige noticed the stares." Can’t a girl change in private?" She said before she kicked the nearest soldier below the chin.

"Paige get Toby and Hide." Sean said screaming knocking out a soldier with vicious jab. She started to protest but ran out of the room when some plasma bursts were fired.

She ran out of the room. She couldn’t find Toby. She looked in the kitchen and the she started to look in the rooms upstairs when she noticed her door was open. She looked in the room. A weird pink energy floated in the room. Toby was sitting on the floor.

" Toby come on we need to leave." Paige said grabbing him.

Toby stood up but he didn’t move. " Look behind you Paige," He said calmly.

She did. Two Genoshan plasma rifles were pointed at her face. She raised her hands. They grabbed Toby and her and led them into the living room. Sean was half in this world and half into the other. His clothes were burnt from several shots of plasma.

" Well hello Toby. " A man in a red beret and a nicely pressed uniform spoke to Toby .

" Sonuva---- " The worst Curses came out of his mouth as he tried to struggle free of the soldiers grip and to the man. He gave up when he was hit in the back with the butt of a rifle.

" No I hear one more word out of your mouth boy and I will hit you with something other than a butt of a gun." He drew a .45 colt and held it up to Toby’s head.

" Well then how about my mouth" Sean said preparing to scream. A soldier saw this and delivered a knee to his face that shattered his nose and sprayed blood onto the floor.

Paige screamed a shrill war cry and sweeped the soldier who was holding her legs out from beneath him. A soldier shot a plasma burst at her head made of diamond.

Toby stood there in shock. His mouth fell open. He tensed his muscles and a black fog filled the room. Every man in the room started to choke and then all of them fell. He was still screaming when the fog disagreed.

He stumbled over to his father’s corpse. It was aged and some tumors pierced the skin. The neatly kept mustache was straggly and grey. Toby felt nothing at all. Then the sadness came like water that just was released from a dam. He started to cry hot tears streaming down his face. He didn’t want to kill anybody especially not his father.

" Toby why are you crying?" Paige said turning him around to see his red tear stained face.

Toby didn’t say anything he just cried. " It my fath.. my father I killed him" He looked at his father.

" Well I’m sorry. He did try to kill you Toby." Paige said trying to comfort him.

" That’s not it I killed so many I that’s it" Toby said screaming the last part. He stood up

Paige stood back. She didn’t know what was happening. She knew what was happening when a black energy came out of his hands and filled the air around his body. She tried to knock him out of the fog but he fell dead , Before she could reach him.

She saw his body. it was gray and had a lifeless color to it. She crawled over to it. she grabbed his hand and screamed a horrible scream loud and shrill enough to put to shame Sean’s own screams. She laid there screaming and sobbing till she passed out laying on his body.

" Oi someone had one hell of a party here. Paige" Jubilee said stepping through the Living room door.

Paige sat on her bed with a headache. She was alone except for Monet in the corner reading. She was empty. She had seen someone kill himself and she liked him. She felt guilty. He had killed all those soldiers and then himself because they had shot her. Paige bit her lip to try and displace the pain in her stomach.

" Paige are you alright? " Monet asked sympathetically although it was false sympathy. Monet hadn’t seen anyone kill themselves.

"No I’m not M" She said snapping.

" Well I’m sorry but if you don’t want my help" M said giving up" By the way your stuffed pig is missing."

Paige looked on her desk. Her stuffed pig , A gift from her brother, was gone. she slid of her bed to look around. She felt something slide past her foot. she looked down and a small little pig was down there. It oinked when Paige picked it up and held it to her face examining it and looking into it’s irresistible little black eyes.

" Ugh" M snorted "were did that filthy creature come from?"

" I think it is a gift from Toby." Paige said poking it in it’s belly and listening to its cute oinks. The pain in her stomach faded when she realized how this piglet was created.