FicWad

“Yah actually made notes of th’ entire conversation?” Marie asked John, completely incredulous.

They were walking around the schoolyard, waiting for Kitty to finish her after school talk with Miss Darkholme. The fall air was as crisp as ever, even though clouds were massing on the eastern horizon.

John and Marie felt that something was in the air. The whole story of Amy, Riley, and Kitty had to be told some how. It was, in some indescribable way, important. Marie had rushed off several drafts for the school paper, yet everything seemed too -- strange and unreal. There was a sense of a moment in time coming to an end. Anyway, it was far too important for the school paper.

“Yeah, but I don’t know what good it’ll do us. The story’s interesting, but it doesn’t put Kitty and Lance at odds, which is what we were looking for,” John pointed out sounding depressed.

“Ah think--,” Rogue began, before getting cut off by John jumping up and down waving his arms.

“Hoi! Over here! We’re over here!”

Kitty was the object of his frantic yelling. She had just walked out the school doors, and was standing on the steps with a far off look on her face. Of course, it didn’t stay all that far off once John started screaming blue murder. She looked decidedly confused as she walked up to them.

“Er, what are you two doing here?” She asked walking up to them.

“What, can’t old chums from the same school greet each other after school for a little get together?” John asked innocently.

“Er, no offense, but if anyone from the institute was going to meet me, I sorta thought that it would be Jean,” Kitty replied, pointedly ignoring Rogue’s muttered: “Ah still think she had somthin’ tah do with this.”

“Well, Jean’s at soccer, an’ we’re not, and I promised Kurt that I’d tell him what’s been going on, sooooooooooooooooooooooooo, what did the ice cold bi-- I mean, principal have t’ say t’ you?” John asked.

“She just had me call my parents, and then gave me a couple of brochures. Then Kurt came in. I think they’re having a ‘were you the reason there was a fire hydrant in the middle of your homeroom?’ talk, again,” Kitty replied.

“A fire hydrant in the middle of home room?” John asked, feeling awe for his friend.

“Again?” Marie asked in the same breath.

“Yeah, you know Kurt’s reputation. If a prank’s been pulled ten to one it was Kurt. Apparently someone did a mural to Essex’s new head ornament. She thinks that it was Kurt. Is something wrong?” Kitty asked John, who looked as if the sky was about to fall on his head.

“Nothin’ sheila, just -- cogitatin,’” John replied.

They were walking along the side walk, now, on the way to the institute. Marie was following the two members of Xavier’s geek squad simply because Irene was going to Have Words with her when she got home, and Marie was not eager about hearing them. The uncomfortable silence that now descended between the three caused Rogue to feel as if it was her turn to contribute.

“So, what did yah parents have tah say about this?”

“Oh don’t talk about that,” Kitty rolled her eyes, “they went completely ballistic when they found out. At least, my dad did. I don’t know Mom’s reaction. Funny, they seem to blame you and Lance for the fight. Dad’s impression of Lance couldn’t be worse if Lance had tried to kill me and mom by dropping a house on the family.”

“Dropping a house on the family,” Rogue muttered.

The silence descended again, like a brooding cloud, until finally Kitty could not take any more of it. It was weird walking with three people and having nothing to say to them. The entire situation was weird. She saw her chance in an electronics store, and ducked inside, telling John and Marie to go on ahead.

As soon as Kitty was gone they began to talk. It seemed taboo to discuss the English project when someone was around, but once they were alone the partners felt that they were free to discuss things.

“Ah’ll do the writing on this one, Ah’ve a pretty good idea what tah write. Yah can start on the next one. We’re not goin’ tah be introducin’ more than one character, got it? Can’t overload people,” Marie informed John.

“Right,” he agreed, “I’ll hand over the notes I’ve got and then we’ll pick a name from th’ hat. Sound good?”

“Sure.”

They were at the security gate now, and John handed over his notebook. Fishing in his backpack, John brought out a crumpled ball of names. Marie looked at him.

“Yah’ve been bringin’ those tah school? Won’t this just confirm your status as a strange foreign kid?”

“Yeah, but who cares, sheila?”

“Whatvah. Just gimme a name.”

John closed his eyes and shook the crumpled ball of graying paper. One finally floated down from the pile. He snatched at it before it could land, and then read the carefully written name. His expressive face broke into a wide grin.

“Who is it?” Rogue asked, exasperated, “Did yah get Essex, or the MacTaggart woman?”

John began to chuckle with his estimation of evil malevolence, and handed the scrap of paper to Rogue. She took it, looking annoyed, and read it. Then she read it again, her expression draining away.

“No way are we doin’ that. Pick someone else!”

“Sorry sheila, y’made the rules,” John was already slipping through the security gate, his insane grin locked firmly in place.

Rogue threw the name to the ground, and stamped away, muttering obscenities. She was going to the Backs, and going to blow off her steam by yelling at the guys before heading home.

The whitish scrap of paper looked innocently into the clear sky, bearing the ballpoint pen inscribed legend Marie Alder.