Chapter 4: Calvin's in Lo-ove!

Susie looked around at her surroundings. She saw professor Xavier in his wheelchair, Rosalyn with her hands aiming toward Susie like a magician, Calvin staring at her, and a tiger standing on two feet whom she had never seen before. But she didn't care about the tiger at the moment.

"CALVIN! You're all right! Thank goodness!" She ran up to Calvin, squeezed him, and started repeatedly kissing him.

When she was done, there was a moment of silence, finally broken by the tiger breaking out in song.

"Calvin's in lo-ove! Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo! Calvin's in lo-ove! Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo! Calvin's in lo-ove! Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo!"

Calvin was too stunned to say anything. He just stared blankly into space.

Susie looked at the tiger. "H-Hobbes? Is that… you? As in, for real?"

Hobbes bowed.

"How come I always thought you were stuffed?" asked Susie.

"Calvin has harnessed his mutant power," answered Xavier. "He can now project his imaginary friend, Hobbes, for everyone to see."

"How did Calvin and I get here?" asked Susie.

"Well, Rosalyn here just teleported you here," said Xavier, "and Calvin has been here for the last two weeks."

"But…" said Susie, "Calvin disappeared from the playground shortly before I did!"

"Calvin's duplicate disappeared?" asked Hobbes. He thought for a moment. "He must have had an evil thought. That's what made him vanish last time Calvin made him."

Susie stared at Hobbes in shock. "What do you mean, Calvin's Duplicate?"

"Calvin's mutant power allows him to imagine pretty much anything, and bring it into reality," said Xavier. "Seeing as this is Calvin's new school, but it is a secret, and everyone thinks Calvin still goes to his old school, I trained him to use his duplicator."

Susie looked upset. "You mean… I went out for ice cream with a duplicate?"

Calvin broke out of his trance. "You and my duplicate went out for ICE CREAM? What's wrong with him?"

Hobbes went back to his song. "Calvin's in lo-ove! Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo! Calvin's in lo-ove! Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo! Calvin's in lo-ove! Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo!"

Calvin tackled Hobbes, and the two started rolling around on the floor, fighting. Susie broke out in tears. "I thought Calvin liked me!" she sobbed.

"Cheer up, Susie," said Xavier. "Think of it this way. The Calvin you went to Friendly's with wasn't the physical manifestation of anyone's good side. He was the physical manifestation of Calvin's good side. Therefore, he wouldn't go out with you if the real Calvin didn't like you."

Susie looked up at the professor. "Calvin's duplicate said he'd been mean to me to hide the fact that he liked me."

"Being telepathic, I know that to be true of Calvin," replied Xavier.

Calvin stopped trying to strangle Hobbes and glared at Susie and Professor X. "You've been reading the wrong person's mind! You're relating what you saw in someone else's mind to me! THIS IS INSANITY! I won't take it anymore!"

Rosalyn turned to Xavier. After seeing Hobbes come to life, she had realized that anything was possible, and this nonsense of Calvin's duplicate might actually be true. "If Calvin's duplicate disappeared, what will his school think? For that matter, I'm supposed to be in high school! And what about Susie?"

"Use your powers to see into Calvin's house," said Xavier. "Look for a cardboard box, and teleport it over here. Wait for further instructions."

Rosalyn didn't know how a cardboard box could possibly help, but she did as Xavier said. Soon, Calvin had his duplicator back, although it currently read Time Machine.

Calvin took out his felt-tip marker, and soon he had his duplicator set up.

"Um," said Hobbes, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What's that?" asked Calvin.

"Aren't you going to use your ethicator?"

"&#, no!" shouted Calvin, causing Rosalyn to glare at him. "I can't stand having my duplicate go on another date with Susie!"

"But Susie's right here," argued Hobbes.

"Yeah, but we're going to have to duplicate her, too, aren't we?"

"Last time you duplicated yourself without the ethicator, your duplicate made duplicates!"

"Hello? Last time he actually had access to the duplicator. It's staying right here while my duplicator goes home."

"But what about getting sent to the principal's office every day?"

Calvin was at a loss for words, but Xavier had an answer. "Technically speaking, Calvin's duplicate didn't go to the principal's office every day. Each of his five duplicates got sent to the principal's office once a week. Although if I'm reading Calvin's memory correctly, they only lasted one week before getting transmogrified into worms."

"See, Hobbes?" said Calvin. "It's settled. I'm not using my ethicator."

Calvin walked into the box, and Hobbes pressed the button. Boink! Two identical Calvins walked out.

"Susie? Your turn," prompted Xavier.

Susie looked nervous, but she walked in. Calvin pressed the button this time. Out walked two Susies.

The second Susie (Susie's duplicate) looked at Susie, looking surprised. "Why do I keep my hair like that?" she asked.

The original Susie turned and looked at her duplicate. "Turn around, please," she requested.

Duplicate Susie turned around to show the back of her head. Susie jumped back in surprise.

"Rosalyn, please take these two young duplicates to their old school," said Xavier.

A portal opened up in front of the duplicates of Calvin and Susie. "This portal will take you near the playground near your school, a few minutes before Susie disappeared."

The two duplicates walked into the portal and found themselves behind a bush. They peaked through the bush, and saw another duplicate of Calvin, with his hair combed, preparing to fight Moe. "So, you want to fight, Moe? Well, we'll see who has the last… whoops! I had an evil thought!" Pfft!

"Calvin? What have you done to Calvin?"

Soon, Susie and Moe were fighting. A few minutes later, Susie let out her sonic scream.

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Duplicate Calvin pressed his hands over his ears. Duplicate Susie, however, just tried to say something, but her voice was muffled by the scream.

"What?" said Duplicate Calvin.

"I said the real Susie must be immune to her own scream. Since I'm her duplicate, I have all her mutant powers."

Duplicates Calvin and Susie emerged from the bushes. The original Susie had disappeared into the portal.

Moe just stared at the duplicates.

"What was that scream?" asked a voice behind Moe.

Their teacher, Miss Wormwood, had just arrived, looking for the source of the scream that had upset many people's eardrums.

"It was Moe, Miss Wormwood," said Duplicate Susie. "He seemed to be having some kind of fit."

"What?" exclaimed Moe. "I… Susie… she just… I saw… disappeared… bush…"

He fainted.

Meanwhile, at Xavier's Mansion:

"Professor, what about Rosalyn?" asked Susie. "Won't she need to be duplicated?"

"No," said Xavier. "I sent a letter to her parents and teachers that she got transferred to a higher-level school."

Calvin's mouth dropped open. "Why didn't you do that for me?" he shouted.

Susie giggled. "Calvin, ever since I knew you, you were struggling through your current level. I doubt anyone would believe you could possibly be transferred to a higher-level school."

Calvin glared at her.

"Having said that," continued Susie, "I think I could manage being transferred."

"You already have been," replied Xavier.

"I meant with everyone knowing. I mean, not knowing I'm a mutant, but knowing I'm at a higher-level school."

"Susie, not only are you only in first grade," said Xavier, "but you were transferred into first grade from another school already. I don't think your parents could handle all the transfers. Besides, you can't drive, so either your parents would have to drive to a secret location they don't know about, or you'd need to make this mansion your home. Rosalyn's older, she's been in high school for four years, and she's becoming independent. She can handle her parents knowing she's gone, as long as they think they know where she is. There's one more thing. It would be pretty suspicious if three people, or even two, were transferred to different schools at the same time."