Privet! Hello everyone! Well, here's the scope about this story. I started writing this a while ago, and I'm pretty pleased with how the first chapter ended up, even though it's kind of short. It's up to you guys whether you want me to continue this or not - if enough people are interested, then I'll keep adding on. As always, reviews help me so much as a writer, and I really appreciate even just the littlest remarks. Trust me, I do! ;) So once again, have fun and enjoy!

P.S. X-men rocks! And Nightcrawler is my furry blue angel...

-FromRussiaWithLove

Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. - Helen Keller

The Mansion

Fifth of March, 2003

Midnight

For the third night in a row, Rogue lay on her bed thinking of Bobby's face, wondering how it would feel to touch his cheek and run her fingers through his hair. For not the first time she lay completely awake, eyes staring up at the ceiling. She gave a small smile as she thought about his lips, but it soon disappeared.

Jubilee wandered aimlessly through the foyer, speculating whether anyone would even be up at this hour. Her mind was already in the kitchen, getting out the huge bowl of chocolate fudge ice cream she knew was there; the thought was extremely tempting. Perhaps Kitty had had some earlier this week just to spite her. Jubilee grinned wickedly as she thought of ways to get back at her.

Pyro glanced at Bobby. The latter was swimming in blankets and sheets thick, while the former laid with his arms crossed and behind his head, sinking in thoughts thicker. Funny how the stillness of night brought out the demons that day couldn't comprehend.

The fourteen year old girl that was Kitty still had yet to let go of her childhood friends. Cuddles was stationed at the foot of her bed, an extremely worn pink elephant had found its way on the wooden floor, and Shadow, her favorite, was now cradled securely in her arms as she slept. It was a plush cat, the first toy animal she ever received. There was something innocent and sweet about its big blue eyes. She couldn't sleep without it.

Chapter 1

Anna

It was Siren that initially woke me up. Moreover, her voice.

It was as if someone was driving a jackhammer through my skull, boring it so deep that my ears were pounding with the metallic screech, and as I futilely clapped my hands over them, I knew that something was terribly, undeniably wrong.

Forcing my eyes open against the pain, I saw that everyone was awake, all doing the exact same thing I was. I saw my own fear mirrored in their eyes. By now, I thought, the whole school should be awake. After all, Siren's room is on the level below ours. There was no way anyone could still be sleeping with that gift of hers.

And then, just as suddenly, it stopped. I slowly let go of my ears, too aware that my hands were shaking uncontrollably, my head still ringing with a dull hum. I caught eyes with Keyla across the room and neither of us said anything. Her eyes were wide, unblinking, until I heard her suck in a sharp breath of air, cutting the terrible silence that had settled on all of us.

"They're downstairs."

A rush of chills flew down my spine and my mind raced. Who was she talking about? Again the impending feeling grew inside of me, until it felt like I would burst soon if I didn't know.

"What do you mean?" a small, confused voice whispered in the shadows. Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered that it was Payton Adams. Only ten years old.

"There are people downstairs."

Before I could even begin to comprehend her words, a piercing beam of light shot through our room, blinding us; the sound of thumping boots on the floor, the swish of rapid movements, filling us; and the vision of tall, solemn uniformed men with guns in their hands…

It terrified us.

I had only one second to think, but I never did at all.

I became invisible.

To think that a few weeks ago I had gone to the Professor for help, the fact that I still felt uncomfortable with this gift even after all these years…none of it mattered. Everything felt different all of the sudden. Miss Munroe and Mr. Summers had always told us to watch out for ourselves, to act responsibly. Know that there are people in this world who are not fond of mutants. Be aware, be prepared. I could feel my molecules buzzing at the thought. How could we have predicted this?

Pow!

"Keyla!"

Her body slumped against the bed post, thick curtains of black hair masking her face. It didn't take long to notice the two small dart-like objects protruding from her neck. She was still breathing. Relief came to me instantly, as I calmed the part of my brain that had thought…

No! Don't think! Go, run!

Without any more hesitation, I swung around the bed, promptly hitting one of the uniformed men in the gut with my heel, and as he crouched over in pain, I grabbed the hand of Payton and the other little girl next to her. Kara.

My eyes darted around the room. The others were out cold.

The man who I had struck steadied himself and along with the other two, mechanically poised his gun at the three of us. I realized with dread that the other two were still visible and with all of might, squeezing their hands as hard as I allowed myself to, slipped inside their bodies and forcefully pulled apart the molecules one by one. It was painful for me and I knew it would be painful for them, but there was no other way.

Breathlessly, I tugged on the bewildered girls' hands and ran as fast as I could out of the room, not before noticing the mens' state of awed shock as they realized they were now pointing their guns at nothing more than open air.

Stumbling into the corridor, we were met with a complete chaos of masses of petrified students running every which way, some bumping into us unknowingly, most without even realizing that they ran into actual people. Continuous beams of light were shooting through the high, glass-paned windows, running over faces of horror and shock each time, blaring its way into the mansion as swiftly as a storm. Upstairs, downstairs, everywhere, I had the sense that the exact same thing was happening all over the mansion. The thunderous pound of bare feet on wood almost drowned out the sound of stiff rubber pounding down the bedroom doors, the piercing cries and screams of the younger children almost just as haunting as the vision of those same children stunned by the mens' guns.

As much as I tried to stay calm, everything only came back harder than before. I felt like my gut had sunken in on itself. Everything I saw was one more blow I feared I couldn't take…

I closed my eyes and took a breath.

There was nothing I could do but deal with it.

Holding their hands tighter, somewhere inside of me was the knowledge that we had to get out of there, and fast.

"Let's go."

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