Charlie, the bus-driver, stopped the bus outside Galynne's Paintball War Arena and looked at me. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No."

"Ah. Well, as long as you're sure..."

I looked back in the bus at the students. I swear some of them were bouncing. "All right, everyone! How many of you have played this before?"

Most hands shot into the air.

"Okay. So most of you know what you're getting yourself into... Good. When we get inside, I want you to wait in the cafe for a bit while I..." Go convince Galynne that I haven't lost my mind. "...Talk to the owner."

Nods and shouts of "Got'cha!" and "Get a move on it, already!"

I got a move on it.

Entering Galynne's, I felt like a duck mother with all these kids milling around me. Iz and Rick were never going to let me forget this. Hm. Maybe I could bribe Galynne into not telling...?

No, probably not.

I pointed the kids towards the cafe and went to find Galynne.

That wasn't really all that hard. I just followed the sounds of murder and mayhem. And cursing that would make a sailor blush. Ah. She was working inside today. I entered the door marked 'A2' and looked around.

"Hey Gally," I said to the bushy tail waving in front of me. "Have a minute?"

Galynne crawled out from under the 'mountain' and looked at me, ears flat against her head. "What?"

"I have a bit of a problem..."

"Yeah?" Suspicious yellow eyes and hand firmly clasped around a screwdriver.

"Yeah. Um. About twenty-three of them." I swallowed. "You think I could borrow one of the courts for a while? Like... Two hours?"

Galynne stared at me. "You couldn't make it more of a short notice?"

"Well..." I gave her a pleading look.

"Let me think," she sighed and proceeded to look thoughtful while she scratched herself behind one ear with the screwdriver. Sometimes I swear I can hear her purr when she does that. "Yeah. B5 should be free for an hour and a half. That's the best I can do. And you owe me for this."

I beamed at her. "Of course I do. You're a sweetheart, Gally!"

"Yeah, don't go spreading it, or I'll gut ya. Have a reputation to think of here," she muttered and crawled back under the mountain.

I came back to the cafe just in time to stop dark-shades LeBeau and purple-hair Braddock from scamming the poor guy behind the counter into giving out free cola.

I looked around at the kids and really took notice of who was there for the first time. Oh greatness. Just about all of the Smog-people. Wonderful. Heey, wait a minute. Isn't that St. John over there?

Yes, it is.

I, wrongfully of course, suddenly thought things were looking up. I should have remembered that there's a reason I don't like getting involved. But nooo...

"Okay, I'm dividing you into four teams - red, blue, green and yellow. The stuff you'll need is over there -" I pointed. "- go fetch it when I'm done here, then come back and I'll come with you to B5. Everybody get that?"

"Yeah, yeah. Get on with it, will you?" grey-skinned Espinosa said boredly.

"LeBeau, Allerdyce, Smith, you over there and you over there - blue."

"DaCosta," you over there #1 said. "My name is Roberto daCosta."

"All right. LeBeau, Allerdyce, Smith, daCosta and... You are?" I looked at the girl with the short red hair.

"Rain Sinclair," she said shyly and flushed red.

"And Sinclair," I smiled at her. "Are the blue team. Go find your gear."

Then I waited while LeBeau and Blaire said goodbye (by smooching the heck out of each other. Do either of them actually need air to breathe?), Smith and Lee exchanged insults and Allerdyce and daCosta told the blue devil that they were going to kick his ass. Having gotten them out of the way, I divided the rest.

"Lee... What's your name? Wagner. And you? Richter. You? Rasputin. Braddock and Davidson. You're the red team."

"Espinosa, Blaire, Maximoff. No, Wanda. And what's your name? Astrovik. And you? Russell. You? Dane. You're the green team. Go find your gear. The rest of you are the yellow team. Everybody clear on that? Wonderful. You got your gear? Okay, let's go."

Let's see... First, there was an earthquake.

"JULIO!"

Then, there was the bombs.

"TABITHA!"

Then, fireworks in retaliation.

"JUBILEE!"

Then, there were the forrest fires.

"TABITHA!"

"THAT WASN'T ME!"

"JUBILEE!"

"HEY! I DIDN'T DO THAT!"

"DIANNE!"

"NOT ME!"

"JOHN!"

"WHAT?!"

"ALLERDYCE! I'M ON YOUR SIDE, 'MEMBER?"

"LEBEAU! QUIT CHARGING THE PAINT!"

"JE NE FAIS PAS!"

"LIKE HELL YOU'RE NOT!"

Around then I sank down on my ass in the look-out tower, hid my head in my hands and stopped listening. Apparently it was possible to find people who played this the same way the Cornerians did.

My brilliant plan of putting LeBeau and Allerdyce on the same team and seeing what happened, quickly turned into watching Galynne go postal because said two persons just about burned down her forest.

"...Need air..." I gasped out, wincing as her claws scratched my neck.

"Air?! I'll give you air!" Galynne growled, pushing her face into mine. "My forest! My beautiful, beautiful forest! I NEED THAT FOREST!"

"...Yes, Gally..."

"I HAVE NO FOREST!" she shrieked. "Do you know why? Because of you! You and your brats!"

"...Not my brats, exactly..."

"Shut up!"

"...Yes, Gally..."

"Good. I want my forest back. Now." Her whiskers vibrated and her ears lay flat against her head. "Or else!"

She let me go. I gasped for air and rubbed my throat. I am never getting involved ever again. Especially not in things involving mutants that can make fire, but not water. Where's Pretty Blue Eyes when you need him anyway?

I turned away from Galynne to glare at the teenagers. Weren't seventeen year olds supposed to behave like adults? ...Actually, they kind of were, but not the way I was wishing. Most of them gave me guilty looks in return.

Espinosa held up two flags - a red and a yellow. "Um. We won."

"Good for you."

"We got the blue one," Pietro Maximoff said.

"We're going home," I said. Why couldn't I know someone who could make plants grow? Like Poison Ivy, or something. Not that B5 had burned down, exactly, but it was admittedly a bit singed...

They looked disappointed at me.

"What?"

"We have a whole half hour left!" Lee complained.

"And I'm dead broke and in dept because of you. We're definitely going back to Xavier's."

Lee turned to glare at Allerdyce and LeBeau. "This is your fault!"

"Hey!" St. John Allerdyce and Remy LeBeau exclaimed in unison then glared at each other.

"She's right," Smith said and nodded. "Is all your fault."

"Oh like you're all that innocent!" Braddock snorted.

"Shut up! Shut up!" I shouted, surprising them and myself. They stared at me. "Promise me no arguing and I'll bring you to the library."

"The library?" Smith, Lee and Espinosa said in unison.

I nodded. Mai Lee was going to kill me. Twice. But it was the only thing I could think of. "Yeah. The library. It's either that, or back to the school."

They picked the library.

Damn.

I brightened as a thought hit me. Maybe I could get Xavier's to pay Galynne? This being a school trip and all... Hey, it was worth a try.

"Career change?"

"No. I'm a push-over and she gave me anime eyes."

Mai Lee leaned against the check out desk and snickered at me. "Why did you bring them here? Or better yet, how did you get them to come?"

"Galynne threw us out and it was either this or back to the school."

"I see."

We looked at each other.

"Tell me," said Mai Lee. "How much are you willing to bet against most of your students having split into pairs and being busy making out between the shelves?"

"Not a thing," I sighed.

I've known Mai Lee forever, or thereabouts. I got to know her over the internet. Apparently straight out awe from my side is a good thing. Mai Lee draws comic strips, you see. Fun comic strips. And she writes. I feedbacked her, we got talking, and we became friends.

Very strange to my parents, and lots of fun to me.

When I moved here, Mai Lee showed up on the airport to welcome me, and she'd even brought her beloved toy dolphin. Is there any wonder I adore her?

"Um... Mr. Olsen?"

I turned to look at Rain Sinclair. "Yes?"

She gave me a nervous look. "There's... Tabitha and Jubilee are fighting."

"What?!"

Mai Lee looked worried. "I hope they're not touching the books..."

"Where are they?"

Sinclair pointed. I took off in that direction, swearing rather colorfully in Norwegian. In a library! How the heck did they manage to get into a fight at the frigging library? Huh? What was there to fight about there? A book? Somehow Smith and Lee didn't hit me as being the type for that.

I rounded 'Science Fiction A-H' and heard shouting which grew stronger as I closed in on the fight.

"Whohoo! Chick-fight!"

"Very mature of you, Angelo."

"Put a sock in it, St. Croix!"

"Go Tabitha! Go Tab!"

"Go Jubes! Woo! Woo! Woo!"

"Would it help if I pointed out that I wouldn't go out with either of them?"

"Sincerely doubt it, Ev. You could try of course."

A very loud crash sounded and I started running.

"...I'm thinking I'll stay right here and not say a word," Everett Thomas told John Allerdyce as I reached 'Art and Culture' and the fight.

Allerdyce patted him on the back. "Good choice."

"ALL RIGHT!" I made my way through the crowd, somehow managing not to get overwhelmed by secrets. The close to blinding rage and serious exasperation thing probably had something to do with it. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

Lee did a spin-kick and made Smith fly backwards into the crowd in front of 'History G-L'. I took a moment to admire her technique (it's in the blood. Vikings, you know. Can't help it. When I see violence, my first reaction is either to stop and admire or rush right into it), then rushed forth to stop Smith from attacking Lee.

I glared at the 'History G-L' crowd. "Can I get a hand here?"

Astrovik and Pietro Maximoff hesitantly came to help me. Once they had Smith's hands firmly locked behind her back and Richter and Russell had done the same to Lee, I stared at them. For a long time. Hoping to induce squirming.

It actually worked.

"All right," I said, somewhat calmer than the first time I said it. "What the hell were you two doing?"

Both of them started talking at once.

"She --"

"That bitch --"

"Not going out with --"

"I keep telling her, but she won't listen!"

That was about all the words I managed to get from what they were spitting out. I shook my head and they fell silent. "One at the time. Lee, you start."

"She like thinks she's going out with Ev but she's definitely not doing that because I am and she's like a total bitch who won't even admit when she's outclassed and--"

I held up a hand. "Yes, quite enough, thank you." I stared incredulously at them. "You started a fight in Mai Lee's library because of him?" I pointed towards Everett Thomas.

They flushed.

"Okay, I don't care if you've twenty minutes left, we're going back to the school. And you two -" I looked pointedly at Smith and Lee. "As well as Allerdyce and LeBeau are coming with me to Ms. Guthrie's office."

"What did I do?" Allerdyce wanted to know.

"You nearly burned down a forest."

"...Oh."

"Yes. 'Oh'."

I dropped down on a pile of pillows, leaned my head back and stared at the star covered ceiling. I sighed deeply, then closed my eyes. "Wake me up sometime next year."

I felt someone ruffling my hair, then Kallie's voice sounded above my head. "Bad day?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Want to talk about it?"

"And relive it? Not a chance."

She patted my shoulder and I opened my eyes in time to see the smile on her face. "All right. But if you do want to talk..."

"Yeah." I smiled. "I know."

I closed my eyes again and I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I remember is waking up to Jana's scream of horror.

"JASMINE!"

Ah. What a way to wake up. I sat up and looked around. Yup, there they were. At a standstill by the four leaf clover table, it would seem. Jana was glaring daggers at Jasmine who was smirking back. Rick, Kallie, Stace, Moric and Ron were rolling on the floor laughing.

I poked Ruth's ankle. "What's going on? What did I miss?"

"Jasmine has been telling us embarrassing stories about Jana," she explained, grinning down at me.

"No! And I missed it? There is no justice in the world," I moaned.

Ruth took advantage of her position (her regular computer was on floor one and a half. It's a bit hard to explain) and patted me on my shoulder with her foot. "Dear, dear. I'm sure you could get Jasmine to repeat them to you."

I looked over at Jana who was giving Jasmine dire threats of no more smoochies if she ever, ever told any more embarrassing stories. Or stories at all, for that matter. I looked back up at Ruth. "I doubt it. Wait. Why did Jana let Jasmine tell the stories in the first place?"

"She didn't," Ruth grinned. "She had to go to the hairdresser, and she left Jasmine with us."

"That would explain it."

Ruth nodded and went back to her computer.

I got on my feet and walked over to look in fascination at Jasmine's attempt to placate Jana. Apparently Jana's girlfriend had gotten over her initial shyness at the Corner. Which had probably been induced more by the multiple death threats against her should she ever hurt Jana than anything else, to be honest.

Nothing personal, you understand. We had to threaten her life. Principle. Not that it wasn't heartfelt from my side. I like Jana. She's a cute little thing.

Telling her that to her face is usually a good way to seeing a human volcano explode. She's in deep denial over her own cuteness. Lucky for her that we at the Corner have seen it. And are pointing it out at regular intervals.

She doesn't see it quite that way.

"See," said Jasmine earnestly. "I had to know how to change my nick and they wouldn't tell me unless I told them stories about you."

"HA!" said Jana.

"*Snicker* *choke* *laughter*" said Rick, Kallie, Stace, Moric and Ron.

"You're all dead," Jana growled menacingly. "Dead. Dead. Dead."

I knew I could trust this place to get me in a better mood.

The next day I promptly forgot all promises to myself about staying the heck uninvolved as St. John Allerdyce, Remy LeBeau, Tabitha Smith and Jubilee Lee came to apologize for yesterday.

No, the apology had nothing to do with it, really. It was very obviously a forced one.

It was when I touched Allerdyce and LeBeau again. Or rather, they touched me as they walked past me on their way down the hallway. Something happened that I can't remember happening before. It was like I was watching it on a 3d video tape or something. Instead of the usual jumble of images, impressions and thoughts, what I got was clear as crystal. And it made me change my mind about getting involved.

*You wan' a relationship o' somethin'? Dat it? [Eyebrow arched in... challenge?]

[Startled look.] No. No, of course not.

Didn' think so. So stop actin' like a jealous petit ami, d'accord?

What? [Puzzled.]

Boyfriend. You're actin' like a jealous boyfriend.

Am not! [Instant denial.] ...But do you have to kiss her like that?

I think she'd find it a bit odd if I jus' gave her a peck on the cheek, non? [Hope? Is that hope in his voice?]

You're right, you're right. [Deep sigh.] I'm just being a moron. Been spending too much time with Bobby lately. C'mere, let me make it up to you... [Smile.]

[Disappointment quickly pushed away. Answering smile.]

[Initiates the kiss. Searches his mouth possessively to get rid of her taste and replace it with his own.]

[Gasping. Feeling. If this is all, it's better than nothing.]*

It's probably needless to mention that I passed out. Woke up again to a bottle of paracet and Doc Reyes. I have definitely woken up to prettier sights. Right then I didn't really care.

I grabbed the bottle and held my hand out for the water Doc Reyes gave me. I swallowed five paracets - new personal record - and smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks."

"It's my job," she replied. She took the empty glass (I wasn't going to let go of the paracets just yet), put it down on a table and looked searchingly at me. "What is your mutation exactly? I'm only asking because it could come in useful if you plan on coming here a lot."

"I'm not," I said, then remembered that I hadn't exactly planned this visit either. "But I see secrets, if you must know."

She blinked at me. "Secrets?"

"Yup. Hidden stuff, like secret passages, safes, thoughts, feelings..."

"And the downside?"

I blinked at her. "There's an upside? Never mind. Headaches. Get headaches. The intensity varies after how serious whoever I touch consider the secret to be. With things, I usually don't get affected at all."

"Touch? That's what causes this?" She took half a step back before she realised what she was doing. "Sorry."

I grinned and shook my head at her. "Don't worry. People do that a lot when I tell them. I guess it's something of the same with empaths and telepaths, you know? Only they're more so."

Doc Reyes nodded. "I see. And the skin?"

I shrugged. "The powers that be probably found it horribly amusing."

I had to give her a blow-by-blow account of my medical history before she let me go. I was there for a while, yeah.

Jana sat crosslegged on the table and stared blankly in to the air. A small grin was playing on her lips. She looked adorably cute and I regarded her warily for a bit before I continued over to pillow heaven.

I sat down beside Rick and nodded towards Jana. "She's plotting, isn't she?"

"Mmm."

"Should I worry?"

"Probably." Rick grinned.

I nodded and changed the topic. "Where's Izzy, by the way?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"I've just had two days of hell. Trust me, I wouldn't even been able to remember Moric's birthday, hadn't it been for them there." I nodded towards the nearest 'MORIC'S BIRTHDAY! THIS SUNDAY! BE THERE!' poster.

Rick chuckled and patted my back comfortingly. "Izzy went to OzCon."

I closed my eyes. Duh. I opened my eyes again. "Are you writing anything for Moric?"

"Yup. But it's a secret. You?"

"Faith and Anya."

"What?" He stared at me.

"It's what the man asked for," I shrugged. "And remember who pestered me for two weeks in order to get Spike and Ethan Rayne..."

Rick grinned brightly at me.

I rolled my eyes and grinned back. You'd never get me to admit this out loud, but I kind of do like that story. Weirdly twisted as it is.

"Rick...?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you remember being a teenager and hopelessly closeted?"

He gave me a fond look and patiently waited for my brain to kick back in. It did, about two seconds later, and I banged my head against his thigh. Rick snickered and patted my back again.

"You're too touchy-feely," I complained. "How the hell am I supposed to remember that you're mostly on the side of straightness?"

Rick laughed. "Hey, I have no gender prejudices, you know that."

I just grumbled at him.

"What made you ask, by the way?"

I straightened. "Oh that. You know I've been working over at the Xavier's school lately, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Kind of hard to explain, but um... I picked up some secrets I probably shouldn't have and now I can't just forget it and..."

Rick blinked. "You're getting involved?"

"No! ...Well. Yes. But I don't really want to. Honest."

"Sure. I believe you."

"It's just... I think they're in love. Well, one of them, anyway."

"You're a romantic sap," Rick said. He raised his voice. "Hey! All! Alex is a romantic sap!"

"Tell us something we don't know!" Was the reply he got.

I groaned, turned dark green and sank deeper into the pillows. I distinctly heard at least four different snickers thrown my way. I stayed that way for a while until something else hit me.

The 3d secret vision-thingy... Why was I getting them all of a sudden? I couldn't possibly have gone through the last 13 years without touching two people who shared the same secret, could I? Nah. Far to implausible.

Testing time, I decided and looked around for someone to pester. "Hey Montgomery! You doing anything?"

Montgomery looked up from the computer and gave me a suspicious look. "Writing. Why?"

I was momentary distracted by that. "Is it Ethan Rayne?"

"Yes. And you still owe me Doyle."

I winced guiltily. "I know. But anyway, could you do me a favor? Could you come over here and touch me?"

This was one of those rare moments where the cafe fell entirely silent.

Montgomery's eyebrows went up towards his hairline. "I hesitate to ask, but why?"

"I'm testing out my powers."

"Don't listen to him!" Moric shouted. "He just wants to take advantage of you! ...And only I get to do that..."

I waited until the laughter died down before I asked again. Montgomery nodded. "Sure. But I'm not moving, so get your lazy ass over here."

I got up on my feet (after a lengthy fight with the pillows who seemed reluctant to let me go) and wandered over to him. He looked expectant up at me and I placed my hand on his head, feeling oddly like a Padre of some kind.

Nope. No 3d here.

I removed my hand and frowned.

"Well?"

"No, didn't work," I said distractedly. Hm. Maybe it had to be two persons... I looked around the Corner for another person I hadn't become more or less immune to yet. Aha! Daniel and Cassie! I stalked over to them.

"Can I touch you?"

Daniel and Cassie gave me identical puzzled stares as they looked up from their respective computers.

"...Sure," Daniel said somewhat doubtingly. Cassie nodded. I beamed at them and did repeat of my 'Padre' act.

Frell it. That was just confusing. I removed my hands and frowned in frustration. What was I forgetting? There was something... Ah right! Two people, same secret!

...Where the hell was I going to find that?

I spun around to eye the still meditating Jana. Hmmmm. There was the immune factor to take into consideration, but Jana and Jasmine were bound to have some secrets together, right? Right.

I walked over to her, poked her and asked where Jasmine was.

"Not here," was the reply I got. "And you can forget about getting more stories out of her."

"I didn't get to hear the first one, actually."

"Good."

"...Tell me?"

"No."

"With sugar on it?"

"Absolutely not."

"I'll write you Harmony fic."

Jana got very talkative all of a sudden. I got the whole tale out of her. Much fun. Involved public singing. Of Lion King songs.

Which reminds me, I really should write her that Harmony story...

When I stopped laughing, I looked around again and spotted Stace over in her regular corner. And lo and behold! Who other than Ellis walked through the door? I pounced immediately.

"Ellis! Stop right there!"

He froze. "What?"

Stace, who'd jumped out of her chair the second she spotted Ellis, completely ignored me and threw herself into Ellis' arms. He caught her automatically.

"Could I touch you? I'm testing my powers."

Ellis blinked, then nodded. "Sure. If you have to."

"Stace?"

"Yeah, yeah. Get on with it, already. Do you know how long it's been since I last saw him?"

I reached out and touched their arms. Bingo. 3D heaven. I was prepared this time, however, and stepped back as soon as I'd confirmed that they gave me 3D visions.

They also gave me blitz-light-spots-vision, dizziness and an ever worse headache than I already had.

I decided to wander home and lock myself in my bedroom. Oh yes. My nice, cold, dark bedroom. With blankets. I thanked Stace and Ellis, got me a coke, swallowed a few paracets in order to keep from blacking out on the way to my apartment (I always carry a box of paracets in my pocket. I pretty much have to) and looked pleadingly at Rick.

"Stop looking at me like that and tell me what you want," he sighed. "You can be truly exasperating sometimes."

"And I thought I was always terribly charming." I tried to smile. "Could you follow me home?"

"Yeah, sure."

I woke up next day to the sound of the telephone. I squinted in its direction and picked it up. "Hmm?"

"Alexander Olsen?"

"Is him. I mean, yeah?"

"This is Kitty. You didn't show up at the school today and I got worried something might have happened..."

"No. Nothing's wrong. I'll be back again tomorrow. Just a really bad headache," I assured her.

"Oh good. Not that you have a headache, because that's bad, but that it's not more serious than that."

"Yes, I know," I smiled. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

I hung up and fell asleep again.