C H A P T E R   3 :   R E D   S T A N D S   F O R   D O U B L E   T R O U B L E

"You made the right choice, Felicia." Charles stated the second I entered his office to tell him the news. 

"I'll decide that later on." I replied, sitting on the chair in front of his desk. 

"I do hope you'll take this opportunity seriously." He continued. "I have faith in you, but this is a serious school. You are not a minor anymore but most students are so I ask you to behave as best as you can. Stepping out of confusions, not encouraging smoking or underage drinking, that kind of things."

"I hope you're not asking me to set an example. I'm not here to babysit." I let the sarcasm grip every single word, but Charles didn't get bothered. He always seemed so calm, so unaffected. Only a great deal of knowledge and confidence could master that, I imagined.

"I know. I'm not asking much of you, Felicia, I won't be hard on you nor put too much pressure or high expectations on your shoulders. The only thing I want for you is to see you reach your maximum potential while feeling good about yourself. So the only thing I ask of you: try to break as little rules as possible and simply enjoy the ride. We are very tolerant. But some things must be respected. We don't have a curfew, but I would appreciate no sneaking out at night. I get some habits are hard to overcome... but the Black Cat here should remain in the dark. We'll keep your identity a secret if you do the same. No kind of robberies are allowed. Just... try to stay out of trouble."

I clicked my tongue.

"What a shame. Trouble is my favorite lipstick. I wear it according to my mood. Red stands for double trouble."

Charles didn't laugh.

"I know it may be hard... but we will not tolerate misbehaving. If you cross the line we will have no other choice but to expell you, and I sincerely do not want to do that."

"Relax." I winked at him. "I'll be a good girl."

This time, he smiled. As a warning.

"Hopefully, one day, you'll evolve into an amazing woman."

That shut me up. I wasn't used to having people standing up to me and matching my comebacks. It seemed like here I'd have plenty of that. Oh well, not a problem. I had always enjoyed a good challenge.

"How about we start working on your inscription?" Professor X suggested. "We'll try to find you a good schedule. We want to focus on your strengths and how to improve them, but you can also choose some extracurricular activities if you'd like. We have an art class." He smiled knowingly. I had a feeling he always smiled knowingly.

"Hmm... I might check it out sometime, I don't know. Drawing for me is something... personal. It's not always something that I do out of happiness."

Charles narrowed his eyes, concern gracing his features.

"Who knows, maybe we'll change that."

***

"Do you have any other questions?" Charles questioned me after we did my inscription.

"Do I really need to have private lessons?" I asked him while holding my newly created schedule in my hands. Overall it was okay but the private sessions I'd be having were bothering me.

"Yes, Felicia, for the tenth time, we think it will be good for you to be privately tutored. You're older than most students here, you already have the basic instruction so we need to fill those blank spaces with something else. Therefore, specialized counseling. It's an advantage, actually, a luxury most cannot have. You'll be able to boost your strengths and work on your weaknesses more incisively. When it comes to combat, whether it's hand-to-hand or weaponized, you're better than most, you'd be impaired if you only trained in a group. This way you can actually focus on you. Of course we encourage socializing with other students. But we also are aware you have a tendency to work better alone."

Again, all the right words. Charles was the kind of solid, valid argument not even Greek philosophers could refute. Professor X vs Aristotle, now that was a verbal match I'd like to see.

"Fine." I sighed, defeated. "As long as the teacher isn't Jean."

"It's not Jean. She's a teacher and also our doctor here, so if you don't feel like encountering her I really would suggest you chose to wear a different lipstick. Trouble is usually a get in infirmary free card. Or in jail." Charles said and I couldn't help but smile a little. Noted. "Don't worry, you'll meet your teacher soon. Now if you don't have any other doubts, you're free to go. If you want, Storm can drive you to your house so you can pack the remaining of your things. And know that I'll always be here should you need anything."

I nodded, my fingers restlessly drumming on the desk, mirroring the firework show that was my mind.

"Just... one more thing. I know it may be hard but... can you please stay out of my head as much as possible? I don't feel comfortable knowing there's someone else in this brain."

Charles smiled. 

"I thought you'd never ask! Almost every student asks me that, some much more violently than you did. I have to admit you've been exceeding my expectations, Felicia. You haven't lashed out on anything or anyone yet, it's impressive."

I shrugged.

"I don't have the tendency to do wrong to those who do right. Well, not on purpose, at least." I pronounced my last words very carefully as if they could immediately backfire on me. I needed to be very cautious; karma seemed to have a special interest in me.

"To answer your request, you can rest assured. I enter people's minds at first to examine. If I don't find anything harmful to others or the school, I leave them alone. Everyone has the right to their privacy. Especially mental."

"Appreciated." I got up, gathered my papers and walked towards the door to leave. Before I could reach for the door, though, Charles spoke.

"And Felicia? I do hope you can try to be comfortable knowing there's only one person in your brain."

I swallowed. I knew what he meant. I didn't know if I was ready.

"I'll try."

"Then welcome home."

***

The afternoon was spent in going from the mansion to my apartment and then to the mansion again. The contrast in decoration and ambiance between the two buildings was so evident and ironic it almost made me laugh. Fortunately I was able to bring my motorcycle with me, which instantly made me feel better. Not that I was that materialistic, but some things just represent us better than ourselves.

Storm helped me putting all of my stuff into my assigned dorm and once we finished she handed me its key.

"You'll share it with Bianca Morris, she's a nice girl. I'll leave you now so you can install yourself. And you must be tired, you should get some rest. For you classes start tomorrow afternoon, after everything is sorted out. Breakfast is served from 7 am to 9 am, lunch from 12 noon to 3 pm and dinner from 7 pm to 9 pm. You can also use the kitchen to cook if you prefer as long as you don't set it on fire. Believe me, it has happened. Any problem, Felicia, you can come to me." Storm smiled. I knew she was a teacher but somewhat I could see her as a friend. Or an ally, at least. Surviving in the streets and nights of New York had divided the world for me in three categories: allies, enemies and the ones who could easily switch sides with the right amount of persuasion, whether monetary or other.

Once Storm left the room, I sat on the unoccupied bed and looked around. From the window we could see the lake and the forest; it was a relaxing view. Taking a deep breath, I started unpacking. I wasn't going to lie, I was a bit worried. I didn't like sharing. I didn't like the idea of a person near me when I was sleeping. What if they decided to turn into an Edward Cullen? Creepy. But really, though, my nightmares were bad enough without having anyone nearby to witness them. Maybe I should have just asked for a single room, but I knew I couldn't have everything private. I didn't want to seclude myself for the rest of my life. Becoming an hermit was not on my to-do list for now.

I looked over at Bianca's side, ready to decipher her just by analyzing her space. Room decoration, clothes and playlists were all things that could tell a lot about someone, but I knew we shouldn't be stuck to first impressions. Unfortunately, seeing beyond was a talent only some could master.

The walls on her side were filled with posters from bands I had never heard of, colorful photos and inspirational quotes. It was all very zen. Very... opposite to me.

"Hello!" I heard someone exclaim from behind me, startling me. I shook my head slightly. Lately I was so out of focus I let everyone approach me without even hearing them coming. Side effects of a rollercoaster-shaped spirit.

"If you keep popping up like that it sure will be a hell." I retorted sarcastically before getting up to meet the owner of the voice. It was a girl with green-black hair, bluish-green eyes and a smile too big for my liking.

Oh, no.

"Sorry! It's just... I'm excited, you know, ever since my last roommate left I've been feeling alone. It's nice to finally have company again!" 

Yup, definitely Reverse-Felicia. She had the kind of voice that when written would be filled with exclamation marks, whereas I was more of periods and ellipsis. Why couldn't I like, hum, share a room with a guy or something? They were usually quieter... well, it depended on the things I did to them, actually.

"I'm Bianca Morris and you're Felicia, but you probably already know that, right?"

My eyes narrowed as I tried to decipher whether or not she was mocking me. She was so honest with her blather it made it hard to tell.

"Yes, I'm aware of that." I said in a tone painted in sarcasm.

"Eheh, sorry. Everyone is talking about you, you know? You're the first student we receive since classes started this month and it's different when a bunch of students come all at once. Since it's only you now... I hope you can deal with the attention 'cause you're already popular. Especially since, well, the guys won't shut up about you. You won't believe it but just now at dinner a girl was on the verge of breaking up with her boyfriend because he wouldn't stop talking about you. So funny!" She spoke so fast and enthusiastically that it was hard to keep up with.

Great, classes haven't even started and I was already wreaking havoc. My red lipstick did work.

I remained silent. She didn't.

"I'm telling you, I don't think there's ever been a person who has been talked about so much in her first day! And I've been here since before I was menstruated, which believe me, happened a long time ago."

Jeez, she talked too much. 

"I don't think I needed to know that." I told her. She just shrugged, looking around. She seemed satisfied by not seeing anything out of order. I bet she didn't know her newest roommate had a job in taking-and-not-returning, otherwise she would have hidden all of her valuable stuff by now. 

Wait until you see the room tomorrow, I thought. Organized rooms were for organized minds and mine was more like a smoothie made from chaos.

"So, what's your superpower?" She inquired, laughing. She had a melodic voice, if she could just keep it to herself.

"Sarcasm."

Instead of taking it as an offense like I thought (and wanted) her to, she smiled and gave me a thumbs up. I could see infuriating her had the complexity of a Maths problem whose instructions were in Chinese.

"That shouldn't have to be a superpower. It should be the basic stuff, you know?" She replied with a wink. I squinted my eyes. So there was more to this girl than bubbliness and endless chattering. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me, some like to keep it a secret to surprise everyone later on. As long as you're not like that kid that could morph into dog dirt."

"Do you have a habit to talk about things most people would avoid in first conversations?"

She grinned, and when she did, her whole spirit seem to lit up. She was a living Christmas tree, that girl, and she needed no electricity nor any specific time of the year.

"Yes, I do." She stated proudly. "It's just the way I am. I find it stupid we have to have rules about what we can say in a first, second, third and so on conversation. If we don't have a good enough first talk, what guarantees we'll ever have a second?"

"If you keep talking about shit we'll most certainly not." I noticed.

"Sorry. So my power is to create and control sound waves. It's a pretty cool power but I'm still working on its intensity. I'm aiming for global success and music industry domination."

"I wish you the best of luck."

She grinned and suddenly I realized we were speaking the same language. Wait, when did that happen? How did I let myself be tuned into the same frequency as hers?

"Luck is just a matter of willpower for me." She said resolutely. My eyes widened without my consent.

"Luck is a matter of pretty much everything for me." I retorted dryly. She frowned, as if trying to make sense of my sentence. Never mind, girl, not even I do.

"I'm sorry." She replied with honesty. The ability some people had to be so sincere still amazed me, to be honest. Ah, see what I did there?

"For what? What fault do you have?"

"None." She admitted in the same apologetic voice.

"Than stop saying sorry so much." I looked at her, expectantly. I could almost bet what her next word would be.

She just smiled innocently.

"You thought I was gonna fall for that, uh?"

"Yes."

"Not sorry to disappoint you." She winked. "So, do you already know the school or do you want me to show you around?"

"I think I can handle myself, really."

Bianca seemed disappointed.

"Hum, ok. Well, do you wanna see a movie or something? Or do something else?"

"No, I'm tired. I'm just gonna go get some sleep."

The disappointment in her face grew stronger. I mentally rolled my neurons since rolling my eyes would be too obvious. What was she, a sugar candy?

"Well, okay, I'll find something to do. Good night."

I didn't reply, for I knew for people like me such thing was extinct.

***

I woke up with the sun sitting on my eyelids. With a grunt I pushed it away by rolling to the other side, and only when I hit the ground did I remember I was no longer in a queen-sized bed like I deserved. Despite my special balance and cat resemblances, I didn't land on my feet but on my ass. Hard. Karma was such a pain in the ass. And so literal sometimes.

"Good morning." Bianca said in between laughs as she watched me messily getting up. "Let me know if you intend to fall from the bed every morning, that way I won't need an alarm clock anymore."

I simply groaned in response.

"Go back to sleep." I told her as I grabbed my clothes and went to the bathroom. At least our room had a private one. I changed into one of my favorite outfits: high waisted black ripped shorts, a white lace up top revealing my back, my collarbone and some nice cleavage, and dark combat boots. And, of course, red lipstick.

Fortunately Bianca had followed my advice and was grabbing her pillow like a koala hugging a tree. I held back a chuckle and exited the room silently, which was no big deal for me. I was silent as a cat when I needed to and loud as a lioness if I wanted to.

As I made my way towards the cafeteria I shook my hands trying to shake my thoughts. I could feel my heart bumping in my chest and I was hating feeling so nervous. I felt the need to be accepted because the human being was a masochist and usually craved the things that were denied them most.

There were many people awake already, some with all their batteries charged, others walking like zombies. I was somewhere in between: I looked like the first but felt like the second. Everywhere there was chattering and babbling and staring and I knew it wouldn't take long before...

"Hey there." A brunet, tall, most likely muscular-under-that-shirt guy greeted me, stopping right in front of me. Or better said, my chest. My smirk formed itself naturally on my face. Some things never changed and at least here I was in my comfort zone. "New here?"

"No, just new month." I smiled. "Beginning of October."

He frowned, visibly confused.

"Wait, what?"

Another guy jumped from the stairs and landed next to him, hitting him playfully in the back of the head. He was blond, blue-eyed, tall and shredded, and his features seemed familiar for some reason.

"A pun. Course you didn't get it. And of course she's new. Do you think you'd forget that face if she weren't?"

"She is still here." I pointed out. The blondie smirked. He seemed more confident and less cocky than his friend, but he was simply not my type. They were both handsome but the brunet had a latin vibe to him, which added to his sexiness. Currently, though, I was simply in observer mode. Who knew, maybe I'd switch to player mode soon.

"I can see that. I'm Alex. Summers."

My lips instantly pressed against each other in distaste. He noticed.

"Yes, Scott's brother." He informed in a tired tone. "Gosh, why do I lose all chances as soon as that information is known? Is he that awful?"

The brown-haired guy clicked his tongue.

"Perhaps you should choose a girl that's Team Scott." 

This time I was the confused one.

"No, dude, that's even worse." Alex retorted. "Can't believe that's even a thing, to be honest."

"To answer your question, I don't know Scott, but he doesn't seem awful. What's awful is dating a guy whose older brother is a teacher." I explained.

"Worse would be dating a teacher." Alex replied.

I smirked. Not really.

"No, because that's like getting to the finish line without using any guy as a crutch. Being with one brother if you want the other is just getting stuck in the middle. Lost halfway."

"Well... thanks."

I sighed.

"What I'm saying is... you should be with a girl that likes you before and after she knows your name. That chooses your soul and not your surname."

Alex smiled, surprised. There I went spreading pearls of wisdom for free. No wonder I was poor. Kidding.

"It's what I always tell him." The latin hottie intervened. "Ask Lorna out."

Alex's jaw clenched, just like his fists. If his heart could clench, it would have clenched too. Some people just had that effect on us, I knew.

"I would if she wasn't so keen on joining the dark side."

The other guy shrugged. "Details. Polaris is anxiously waiting for Havok to wreak her, I tell you." 

"Don't talk about her like that, Roberto." Alex snapped. How adorable it was seeing guys getting touchy when their hearts were at stake.

"So everyone has an alter ego here?" I questioned to change the delicate topic, receiving a thankful smile from Roberto in response. "What's yours?"

"Burnt Sausage." Alex answered instead sporting a sly smirk. "Or Roasted Banana."

Roberto could do nothing but to smack Alex hard in the back of his head.

"Shut up." He growled, in that unharmful way only friends knew how to use with one another. "It's Sunspot. Have you decided which one is going to be yours?"

I made a puzzled smile.

"Still thinking."

"While you do that... what's your real name, newbie?" Roberto asked me, interested.

"Felicia."

"Felicia, uh?" He smirked, and dimples magically appeared on his cheeks. "Cute."

I rolled my eyes.

"I hate that word. Hate how people use it because they don't have the balls to say beautiful. It's like it's there just to fill a void. If you don't know or can't say something, opt for silence."

Alex leaned against the wall and smirked at me while Roberto frowned, trying to put my pieces together as if I was a puzzle. But I was no puzzle. I was a roulette. A different outcome each time.

"There's a lot of depth in you." Alex spoke up. "I'll keep an eye on you."

"For what?" I questioned. You clearly are in love with that Polaris. People don't clench their entire beings just because.

He shrugged. "Protection. Once I take a liking on someone, I take them under my wing. I'm not a regular student here, but I'll make sure I'll pop by to say hi. See how you're doing."

"Bring Polaris next time." I suggested, making Roberto wink at me and give me a thumbs up. Alex just crossed his arms, sulky. "You look like Grumpy Cat."

"If you told me I looked like Black Cat, that would surprise me." He retorted, but a joyful smile defeated his temper.

I supressed a laugh. Even here my alter ego was famous, uh?

"I wonder what she looks like behind that mask." Roberto thought out loud.

"They call her Devil in Heels, so like an angel wearing boots, I suppose." Alex completed, to which I couldn't help but agree with the most innocent of smiles.

A/N: Picture is a map of Xavier's School.

Alex Summers aka Havok is played by Lucas Till.

Roberto "Bobby" da Costa aka Sunspot is played by Henry Zaga.