Re-Evolution: Episode 1: The Shadow Over New Salem

Morgan had used the opportunity of the gym fiasco to change her clothes, and she stepped out of the girl's bathroom in a very different outfit than she'd stepped in.

She adjusted the fishnets on her hand with a sigh of relief. She was feeling much more comfortable now that she was in something her own style. She wore a plaid skirt that dared the administration to say it was too short, along with the combat boots she'd hidden in her bag as best she could. Over the skirt, the silver chains she’d brought were clipped in place of a belt and around her neck she’d hung her inverted cross necklace along with a few more silver loops of chain. The necklaces were draped over a crimson shirt bearing a logo of a bloodied straight razor and the name of the band ‘Jacknife's Bitches'. She wore a fishnet shirt under it, covering her arms, up to her hands, where her thumb hooked into the build in armsocks, and down her otherwise exposed stomach. She'd thrown on a couple of spiked bracelets, and a ring choker around her slender throat as well.

She'd finally done her makeup, too, dark, dramatic lipstick to highlight her lips, and sharp eyeliner and crimson shadow.

She sighed with relief as she made her way towards her locker to dump the offending morning's outfit where she wouldn't have to deal with it until much later in the day.

There was a wolf whistle from behind her, and she froze as she felt someone put a hand on her rear.

"Damn, dollface, you dirty-up pretty nice." The voice, which had the sharp, flat edge of one of NY's lower districts, belonged to the lanky and disheveled figure she'd noticed earlier in gym class. That was especially odd, given that the period was several minutes from being over.

Morgan yelped in surprise at the sudden touch and a darkening, rather than a reddening, spread across her cheeks and nose as she flushed and shot the boy a haughty look.

The kid had large, pale greenish-yellow eyes half-hidden under the slightly greasy looking dishwater blond bangs of a choppy chin length haircut and a toothy grin that would have been too wide on a face any less cherubic. He was tall, but slouched, and wearing a plain t-shirt over a long sleeve one that didn't quite come to his wrists, which bore matching spiked wristbands, along with a spiked collar around his neck. His stone washed jeans were blown out at the knees, and he was wearing a pair of old looking converse shoes. His complexion, like hers, was just a little *off*, his in the direction of sallow or greenish, with blotchy freckles over his nose.

He walked past her like it was nothing, adn gave her a lazy, two fingered salute, along with the ‘compliment’.

"Well, someone's at least got taste." she drawled, glancing at him as he sauntered on past "Even if he's lacking a sense of--personal space."

He looked back over his shoulder at her and leaned on a nearby locker. "I donno, doll, I have the *sense* that space between us could get pretty personal, if you know what I mean," he said, grinning even wider.

Morgan felt a flutter of embarrassment at the suggestion, but it was a little flattering. It amused her more than anything, and she opened her mouth to answer his suggestive quip.

"Hey!" A familiar hollar cut through the conversation, halting any reply Morgan might have given.

It was Greg's voice.

Morgan stiffened, and for a moment the shadows near her seemed to flicker and dance as she glanced over her shoulder with an expression of dread 

."Damn it," she whispered under her breath.

Greg and some brown haired kid were coming shoulder to shoulder around the corner, along with a couple more of the people she'd noticed in gym class.

The scruffy kid also stiffened at the sound of Greg’s voice. "Uh-oh. Looks like big bro's got a glass case policy on the princess."

The boy with Greg grinned broadly. "Hey! Toad, what's hoppin'? Skipping out on doing laps to flirt with the new girl huh? wild."

Morgan's face darkened with a flush as she leaned over and mimed, as subtle as she could, to the scruffy kid-- Toad?-- that probably *wasn't* his nam to get running.

For a moment Toad looked torn; but Greg was laser focused on him, not even noticing Morgan's outfit yet, and he made a move to get out of there.

"Yeah, I'll just let ya have some time to chill with the new boyfriend, ice man." He clicked his tongue and made a double shooting gesture at the three of them, before scrambling down the hall in a way that really did have an almost hopping quality to it. "Later!"

Bobby turned a bright pink, and his eyes flicked to the side, perhaps hoping nobody else heard that comment. If Greg had, he didn’t say anything about it. 

"Hey! get back here!" he shouted after Toad.

"Haha, wow, what a card huh?” Bobby laughed nervously. “Toad's a real funny guy."

Morgan slowly started inching along the wall....before she too made a break for it, hoping against hope that her brother hadn’t noticed her attire.

"A real comedian," Greg growled. "Morgan! are you alr--"

He stopped mid sentence as her hope dissolved. He’d definitely seen it.

Morgan stumbled, tripping on one of the laces of her shoes. "Just dandy, bro!" She gave him a hasty salute as she caught her footing. "Anyway, late for class! Bye~"

Greg looked for a moment as if he was going to come after her, his face contorted with anger, and black mist starting to simmer off the top of his head. Thankfully, he didn’t move to follow her, instead shouting, "I'll talk to you *later!*"

Morgan flashed him a smile that for the briefest of moments, showed her fangs, before she vanished into the hallway.

000

Bobby pat Greg on the shoulder again as they watched his sister retreat down the hall and vanish. "Hey man, don't worry about it. Todd was probably just saying hi."

"You heard what he said," Greg snapped, cooling off enough for the mist to dissipate. He cracked his knuckles, trying not to think about what else the creep might have said to his sister. "Who was that kid?"

"He was uh, flirting with her a bit, right?" Bobby rubbed his neck awkwardly. "He's Todd Tolansky. Toad. We ain't in the same social circles but he's an alright guy when he ain't causin' trouble. Don't think he likes me much, though."

"Toad huh? He sure looks like one," Greg snorted, opening his locker with a yank. "What kind of social circle is *he* in?"

"You should see his long jump game. I tried to get the guy to join track before but uh, he's not interested." Bobby stuck his hands in his pockets, and continued. "He hangs around with m...m.." he glanced off to the side, "one of my old friends, who uh, isn't really on speaking terms with me at the moment...and some other kids in school. "

"Great." Greg set his jaw and shouldered his bag angrily, almost tearing it at the seam. "Whatever. I'll deal with... that... later. Come on, I don't wanna be late."

Bobby shrugged his shoulders with an easy smile, and nodded "Yeah. Let's head out huh? Bell's about to ring."

000

Kitty Pryde slammed her locker shut, only to find someone standing behind it waiting for her while she got her books for theater class.

He was tall and slim, though a bit wide in the chest and shoulders, and had an easy smile on his sharp, long nosed face. He had brown eyes, and clear, milky skin, and a trace of red fuzz over his upper lip. He was dressed a little more dramatically than most, in tight black jeans and high black boots, with a blue and gold hip length jacket, beneath which his ruffled shirt looked like it belonged either to a pirate, or to the ladies section at target.

"Hey, looks like we have class together, hmmm?" the redhead smiled roguishly.

Kitty sighed as she closed her locker, hugging her theater book to her chest as she glanced sidelong at Dorian. It had been practically the whole summer since she’d seen him.

Tossing her loosely curling brown hair over her shoulder, she nodded "Like, I guess we do huh? Kinda a trip down memory lane, huh? We used to have all kinds of classes together--.back at the Institute."

Kitty flashed him a very pointed look.

Dorian looked a little pained, and put his hand to his chest. "Kitty, darling, you cut me to the quick. I've been trying to give Bobby that *space* he wanted; you understand?"

"it's a big mansion, Dorian." she huffed. "People are asking about you, you know!"

"And I have a *big* wound on my heart, Kitty!" he draped himself over the locker melodramatically. "I could come back though.... if....."

"Gawd." Kitty rolled her eyes. "You know, Dorian. You're soooo lucky that Theater class is next. You big ham."

"Maybe they'll actually appreciate me in that class, hmm?"

"Plenty of people appreciate you, oh Pirate of Penzance." Kitty pointed her finger at him. "You just really hurt Bobby with that whole mess!"

"I know, I know..." he agreed, slumping down on the locker. "We both hurt each other terribly, and I want to make it up to him! but damn it, Kitty, he won't talk to me."

"I mean, you did out the poor guy in front of the entire class." Kitty said with a pouting frown. At least it had ‘only’ been about their relationship, and not about Bobby being a mutant, but that was small consolation. "He's had kind of a rough time since then...can you blame him? He needs time."

"How much time, Kitty?" he half wailed. "I'm dying in anguish. I'm a lost soul! Can't *you* get him to talk to me? you could talk sense into anyone!"

"You know. I'm, like, starting to remember why they call you Banshee, Dorian." Kitty huffed, watching his theatrics with a huff of breath. “You sure do a lot of moaning.”

He clasped his hand over his heart. "I'm wounded. Can't you help a man with his heart on his sleeve?"

"That's a pretty terrible place to keep your heart, oh bard." Kitty said with a hand on her hip. "You should put it back in your chest where it belongs."

"I can't, Kitty! Bobby has *ripped it out*!"

Kitty pressed her hand to her face with a quiet sigh. "Dorian. Gawd, it's one breakup. Do you know how many break ups I've had?? like, 5 or something!"

"Please, Kitty I'm begging you," he insisted, leaning in quite close to her, demolishing anything like personal space. "Tell Bobby just to talk to me."

Kitty pressed up against the lockers, her lips twisting into a pouting frown. "hey, hey, Dorian! Back off, okay? Like, I'm not gonna make Bobby do anything he doesn't wanna do! You broke his heart too, you know! He'll talk to you when he's ready!"

Dorian grabbed Kitty's shirt dramatically, sagging toward his knees. "Kitty, I--"

"Hey, creep, the lady said to back the fuck off," a voice Kitty didn’t recognize snapped.

 Marching up to them as he came around the corner was a tall and somewhat effeminate young man, with a slim, muscular frame, dressed in workout gear and a letterman jacket from some other school.

000

Greg had been on his way to shop class when he came upon yet another scene in the hallway. Some brown haired girl was being menaced at her locker by a guy, and damned if he was going to let that happen on his watch, especially after that shit with his sister. 

Hackles raised, he stalked up to them.

Somehow, the girl slipped out of the red head’s grip despite his hold on her shirt, and she slid to the side with a sigh. "Look, Dorian.."

The red head, Dorian, looked over at Greg with a snide expression. "Do yourself a favor, friend and don't involve yourself in another man's heartbreak." He sighed and held up his hands. "Kitty-- I'll see you in class."

Dorian straightened his shirt, and stalked off down the hall.

"Wow what a drama queen," Greg muttered, watching him go for a moment, before he turned his attention back on the girl. "Are you, uh, alright? Kitty, was it?"

Kitty, who had also been Dorian go, a slight frown on her face, looked up at Greg.  "I'm fine...I could have handled it but.." Her frown dissolved into a little smile.  "thank you for breaking it up before it got ugly. Dorian's always been...well. LIke...you know....Hyperbolic." 

She tucked a curly lock of hair over her ear and nodded, realizing he’d asked her name. "That's right! Kitty Pryde! And you're a new face, I don't think I've seen *you* before."

Greg smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "It's my first day. Greg Connelly. My sister and I just moved to town."

"Ooooh! It's always real groovy when someone new rolls into town!" Kitty beamed. "You and a sister huh?"

"Yeah, Morgan, my twin." He nodded, fussing a bit with the hair over his ears, and hoping that Kitty didn’t notice anything amiss with them.

"Oh *wow*" Kitty clapped her hands together. "I hope I get to meet her too!" She looked Greg over somewhat appraisingly, a slight smile on her face "you know, you look pretty strong."

"I bet you two will get along," he said hopefully, and preened a little bit, figuring that she was checking him out. "And, yeah, I work out."

"I can tell! Have you ever thought about, like, taking up martial arts?"

"Morgan and I actually took a couple of years of karate when we were kids, but I haven't really touched it since then," he admitted, a little surprised by the turn in the conversation. "Why do you ask?"

"Wellll." Kitty twirled a lock of hair around her finger with a ditzy little smile on her face, "believe it or not, I'm pretty good, you know? And I'm part of the school's mixed martial arts club on top of some outside training with my trainers… and if you wanted to join I'd love to see you there. Maybe we could go toe to toe sometime."

Greg actually cracked a smile--and his knuckles. Finally, something up his alley. "This school actually has a martial arts club? Yeah, I'd love to come. Just say the where and when and you;ve got me there."

"Yeah we do! You'll love it! Just come on by after school today, out behind the football fields. We're using the outdoor ring today." Kitty grinned, giving him a wink. "Just don't hold back. We've got some tough customers in the club."

"I'll make sure to remember that," he nodded, a smile warming away his earlier scowl.. "I better get to class-- but I'll see you in the ring."

Kitty gave him a little salute, "See you in the ring, big guy."

She winked, before scampering off with her theater book to class.