“Hope Get up, Hope Your alarm has gone off twice already!” Hope rolled over to find her mother scowling down at her. As she moved the wild mane from her view, she peered over to the clock on her bedside table.
“Eight o’ clock” Hope was immediately awake. She leaped up from her bed, and ran to her closet, grabbing a T-shirt and jeans from their spot. As she ran into her bathroom, she heard her mother mumble something about being awake all night.
“If only you knew,” she whispered, almost inaudibly. Her alarm went off for a third time, reminding her to speed up. She looked to make sure her mother was gone, then stared at the black box. After a few seconds, the buzzing stopped with a ‘click’.
When Hope walked out of the bathroom five minutes later, she was greeted by a black blur, which then turned into a tall figure with medium black hair. Hope gasped in surprise.
“Gretchen Do you always have to scare me like that?” Hope asked the girl.
“Yes, yes I do.” Hope rolled her eyes at her friend, and smiled. “Now are you ready or what?”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s go.” Hope snatched up her backpack then rushed out the door. She’d meet Gretchen outside.
“Hey, I’ll race you to the school” challenged Gretchen.
“Yeah right You’ll win”
“I’ll give you a head start.”
“What ever C’mon, you have super speed How can I compete with that?”
“You could test the extent of your teleporting powers...”
“In broad daylight?”
“Ah, who cares? The universe already knows we exist. They just don’t know who is one of us.”
“GO” Hope disappeared with a puff of smoke.
“Cheater” shouted her friend, before taking off.


“I so won” argued Hope. “I was there in like, five seconds”
“Yeah, well I was there in- wait- FIVE seconds?”
“Yeah, so?”
“Dude, it’s true then” said Gretchen, dragging her over to a corner.
“What’s true?”
“You’re the Tetris”
“The what?”
“The Tetris”
“Okay, what’s a Tetris?”
“Only the most powerful mutant of them all The Tetris is like, king-er, queen of mutants” said Gretchen, her eyes, bugging out.
“Well, how does me teleporting somewhere in five seconds prove anything?”
“Legend has it that the Tetris has advanced powers. Any teleporting mutant can go a long distance in a fast time with practice, but speed and distance isn’t even hard for her. Not to mention, powers that can’t co-exist in a normal mutant can co-exist in the Tetris. She starts with 3 or more powers, and she gets more as she gains experience with her current powers. Some even evolve. You know Wolverine?”
“Yeah...?”
“Your several little razors will probably evolve into two or three big claws like his”
“Sweet Wait. So, how come I’ve never heard of the Tetris?”
“How should I know? The only other I know is that the-“ Gretchen was cut off by the bell. The girls exchanged looks and then disappeared.
At the end of the day, Hope brought up the Tetris again.
“So, what were you saying about the Tetris? Before the bell rang?”
“In the existence of the only Tetris, there’s supposed to be some sort of evil that only the Tetris can conquer.”
“And when is this battle supposed to happen?” asked Hope, intrigued.
“I don’t really remember. I think it’s like, shortly after she turns 16.”
Hope froze. Gretchen was still walking, when all of a sudden, she stopped, realizing the same thing Hope had. She slowly turned on one heel to face Hope.

“Sixteenth birthday?” Gretchen nodded slowly. “Oh my gosh. Oh man. My. Birthday. Is. Next. Week.
“You have two weeks to train.
“What am I going to do?”
“I don’t know...What about the X-men? Could they help?”
“I doubt it.”
“Then what?”
“The only way is to train everyday for hours on end. Two hours every other night won’t be enough for me to win this. What sort of evil anyway?”
“I don’t know. Nobody does. If anyone knew, then they would find some way to beat it themself. This is the Tetris’s job.”
“Well, how am I supposed to be prepared if I don’t even know what it is?”
“I’m sorry Hope, but I don’t have all the answers.”
“Gretchen, I’m going to die This-evil-is going to kill me I’m not going to be strong enough”
“Hope, listen to me.” The girls had now stopped in front of Hope’s house. “You’ve had your powers for a long time, and for teaching yourself, you have amazing experience with them. But this is not something you can do alone. Hope, you need to get help. I don’t care if it’s Wolverine or a Fantastic, but get help” Gretchen looked at her friend who closed her eyes and tilted her head down in defeat.
“Fine, I’ll go to Wolverine...but not alone. You have to come with me.” Gretchen could see the fear in her friend’s eyes, and knew that Hope wouldn’t go without her.
“Fine. Let’s go pack.” Hope disappeared off the sidewalk , then reappeared in her room. From the sidewalk, Gretchen could see Hope race around her room, snatching up clothes, toletries, books and CDs and dropping them in a suitcase. In minutes, Hope appeared on the sidewalk once again, suitcase in hand.
“What about your mom?”
“I left a note.” Gretchen gave a curt nod.

“Now let’s go before I change my mind.” Hope still stood in the same spot. “Ummmm...how are we supposed to get there?”
Gretchen raced down the street, her feet barely touching the ground, and was back in a few seconds.
“We could take Garrett’s bike,” said Gretchen, referring to her older brother.
“He won’t notice?”
“He’s at college.”
“Fine, but I’m driving.” It was the first time Hope had smiled since she relized that she had two weeks till she had to save the world. Gretchen smiled back, and followed her friend to her garage

Hope rounded yet another bend in the deserted road. Though it was close to midnight, Hope wasn’t tired. She couldn’t say the same for Gretchen. Gretchen was leaning back on the seat, head back, and mouth open, snoring loudly.
The wind whipped Hope’s hair back, and she had to laugh. She threw her head back and for a moment, looked at the stars that stood out boldly in the dark sky. The crisp wind hit her neck, and buffeted her face, making tears stream down her cheeks. Her mouth was open, and she could taste the crisp night air. A bug flew in her mouth, and she gagged, then swallowed it, a disgusted look overshadowing her face.
The motorcycle’s light wound around one last curve before illuminating a cast iron gate. It was open, almost as if the X-men were expecting them. For all Hope knew, they were. She slowed the bike, and made a gentle turn into the paved driveway. She put the bike into park in front of the door. She turned the key, cutting off all noise that the bike made. She put the kick-stand down, and got off Garett’s bike. She walked around to the back of the bike and swung her dark green duffle bag over her shoulder. She woke Gretchen up by pushing her off the leather seat. Her friend hit the ground with a thud.
“Thanks,” she groaned as she stood up.
“My pleasure,” responded Hope, emotionlessly. Hope took a deep breath and started towards the door.
The mansion was huge. It had to be, at the very least, three or four stories high. Not to mention a basement. Almost every window was either a bay-window, or was accompanied by a balcony. Most of the curtains appeared to be Navy blue, but some where red. There were five concrete steps that led to the door, which was a large, heavy oak door that sported a dark chestnut finish. Hope took one last deep breath and reached her hand up to the silver door-knock. She knocked three times before the door opened. A soft light from the full moon illuminated the doorway, revealing a teenaged girl, probably about Hope’s age.
“Hello...can I help you?” asked the chestnut haired girl, questioningly.
“We-I-I need to see Wolverine,” said Hope nervously. The girl raised an eyebrow.
“Ummm, yes, of course, come in. I’ll um, go get him.” The teen shut the large door behind them, and jogged up a flight of red-carpeted stairs, and turned right. The girls could hear a soft knock on a door. “Logan...there...girls...you...” Hope caught a few words of the message. A few seconds later, she saw the same girl trotting down the steps, followed my a black-haired man pulling on a shirt. The man nodded in their direction and took the last step to face the two girls.
“Wolverine. What can I do for you?” asked the male.
“I-I need your help,” said Hope, looking up from her black shoes and into Wolverine’s ice blue eyes. Wolverine gnawed his lower lip, and looked sideways.
“Uh-huh...Shadowcat,” he said, speaking to the girl who summoned him. “Will, you go get Rogue and Storm?” Shadowcat nodded, and walked down another hallway. “Now then, let’s go find a seat so you can explain.” Wolverine turned and walked down the same dark-blue hallway that Shadowcat disappeared down.
They ended up in a large kitchen with a very long table. There were six chairs on either side of the table, with one on each short end. Wolverine sat on the furthest end-seat and motioned for them to sit on the chairs beside him on his left. Shadowcat came in through a second door-way accompanied by two other females: one in her late teens, the other in her late 20's or early 30's. They each took a seat on Wolverine’s right.
“This is Storm, Rogue and Shadowcat,” he said, going down the line. Hope forced a smile on her face, trying to be polite despite the nervousness that was eating her from the inside out.
“I’m Hope, this is my friend Gretchen,” she said quietly, glancing back at her friend.
“Well, nice to meet you,” he said, in a polite but slightly irritated-or maybe questioningly- way. “Now then, could you explain why you girls have come here in the middle of the night?”

Hope looked back at Gretchen, who gave her a solemn nod. Hope looked at Wolverine, and ran her gaze over the others. She held out her two hands: Her left ring finger slowly ebbed away, out of sight, and her little razors sprung up from her left palm. A small candle-like flame sparked to life in her right palm. Wolverine inhaled sharply and leaned back in his chair.
“I can teleport, and have a little telekinesis too,” she added meekly, her hands returning to normal.
“Wolverine...” said Storm. He turned his head to face her.
“I know, Storm.” He looked at Hope again. “You the Tetris?”
“Supposedly.”
“Not so supposedly anymore. Rogue?” he asked the light brown haired girl who, oddly enought, had some grey strands of hair, despite her young age. She gave him a look that implied that there was no question about the fact that he pretty much had to take Hope in to train her. “Right. How long you got, kid?”
“Two weeks, give or take.”
“Not long enough. You’re going to have to do everything we tell you too.”
“I know.”
“Rogue, go with the girls and find them a room,” he said to the gray-banged girl. “You can get a few hours of sleep before you have a Danger-Room session tomorrow,” he said, looking back at Hope.
“Thanks, Wolverine.” He shook his head.
“Logan.”
“Thanks, Logan,” she corrected. Hope and Gretchen followed Rogue and Shadowcat down a hallway, up some stairs, and to a room with two beds..
“This is your room,” said Rogue. “Get some sleep. Logan isn’t very patient when it comes to Danger-Room sessions, so you best be down there by 5:30.”
Hope nodded, then asked, “where is the Danger-Room?”
“There’s an elevator across the hallway, two doors down. Just press the ‘DR’ button. We’ll give you more of a tour later tomorrow,” answered Shadowcat.
“All right, thanks Shadowcat.”
“Call me Kitty.”
“Kitty. Okay, and what about Rogue?”
“I just go by Rogue all the time,” she answered in her southern accent. “But like I said, you’d better follow your friend’s lead,” she remarked, jerking her head to Gretchen who was already crashed out on one bed.
“Right. Thanks again.”
“Not a problem...see you girls bright and early.” Hope nodded them good-bye, then shut the door behind them and sprawled out on her bed. She was beginning to feel the effect of the ride up here.
Before she closed her eyes, she felt an odd sense of presence, almost like she was being watched. She closed the window before drifting into a fitful sleep.

Thunder crashed overhead as a grey-haired man in a light brown coat walked out of a brick cottage. The wind howled loudly and blew his wavy hair behind him. He dug in his coat pocket for a key, then buttoned up the cotton jacket. Huddling over the kite, he clumsily attached the key to the kite’s tail. Another gust of wind blew the kite a few feet away, and the man hurried to collect it again. Taking hold of the kite and the string, he threw the body of the kite into the angry storm. The light weight object steadily ascended into the raging elements. As it reached it’s highest, things immediately began to calm down, and the storm disappeared with one last rumble of thunder before revealing a clear, crisp night with a bright half moon. The wind stopped, and the kite took a nose dive and landed at Ben’s feet, unharmed
Hope bolted upright, panting and sweating. She glanced around the room nervously. The only thing that moved was the curtains, waving from the breeze of the open window. Hope rested her elbows on her knees and wiped some of the sweat off her face. A faint, orange glow just barely showed against the black sky. She looked over at the clock. 4:30. She still had an hour. She sat on the edge of the bed, her whole body sopping with sweat. She could almost guarantee that she heard a faint squish from her feet as she grabbed a hand towel and left the room, headed for the kitchen.
It wasn’t so much the dream itself that frightened her, but more so the menacing yellow eyes that glowed in the trees. The effect of them racing in towards her before she woke up was probably the worst part. Why she even had a dream-or nightmare, rather- about Ben Franklin flying a kite was beyond her.

When she walked in the kitchen, she was greeted by the sight of a sweaty, shirtless Logan hunched over a steaming cup of coffee. She took light, timid steps to a chair next to him, seeing his ears twitch just the slightest bit at the first step. He looked up at her, cocking an eyebrow in confusion. Hope plopped down on the chair beside him, and whipped the towel off her shoulder and again tried to rid herself of the salty droplets that coated her body.
“This gets older and older every night,” mumbled Logan
“Huh?”
He shook his head. “Never mind. What are you dong up right now. You don’t start for an hour.”
“I know.” She ran the towel over her cheeks and off her nose, her hands against each other as if she was praying. “But I had this nightmare-it wasn’t so much the dream itself, but-“
”Yellow eyes?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
“I had the same thing.”
“Wait, you had the same dream as me?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Did Ben’s kite nose dive?” she questioned him. He nodded. “Do you think there’s a reason we had the same dream?”
“Couldn’t tell ‘ya.”

An hour later, Kitty, Rogue, Hope, Gretchen, and Logan were all in the Danger-Room; Two other X-men, Kurt and Bobby, were in the control room.
“Now, don’t be afraid to take out any of these machines,” lectured Logan. “Forge always has them up and running again in a few hours.” Hope and Gretchen both nodded, and turned with the others to find and frenzy of crazy machines.
Wolverine went on to explain. “A person’s powers will greatly effect how they fight. Rogue, for example; her powers only effect humans and mutants, so when it comes to Danger-Room sessions, with machines, she must rely heavily on self defense and offence moves. Kitty, on the other hand, can phase through anything, but it still doesn’t mean she can just run away. Everyone has to learn the moves. Rogue, would you like to demonstrate?” She smiled a heinous smile and glared at the machines in deep concentration. In a split second, Rogue hastened forward, blocking hits and giving them back; dodging the machines in a quick move each time. In a few minutes, she was at the other end of the room and back. Only one barley-visible drop of sweat sat on her brow, and the same smirk coated her lips.
“Perfect,” was all Wolverine said. Then he turned. “Kitty, give it a go. Watch the difference in her combat style compared to Rogue’s,” he added as Kitty bolted up to the start. They turned to watch Kitty jump around on moving machines and throwing light punches that would be much harder in scale in a real fight. Kitty would often grab the blasting part of a machine and drag it half-way into the floor. She phased again as a huge wave of fire blew in the exact ally that Kitty was in. She stayed phased, and hurried out of the valley. Immediately when she was free of the flames and un-phased, she was hit in the gut with a foam NERF ball.
“Bobby” she screeched, going far beyond a soprano. ” This is level one material. I’m level EIGHT” Logan turned around and glared at Bobby. Bobby hastily took his fingers to his mouth and froze a cover of ice over his lips. Kurt was laughing so hard that he teleported next to Logan, who despite seeming annoyed, had a small smile playing at his lips.
“Iceman” he called, an instructing note in his voice.
“Om ift, Logan” came the muffled reply from Bobby.
After Kitty finished her round, Logan decided to do a quick demo himself.
“Nightcrawler,” he ordered Kurt. “Level ten.” Logan snapped out a black cloth and tied it over his eyes. He nodded, and machines again started moving about everywhere. Rotating razors and swinging discs dropped from the ceiling. He raced forward and jumped over the razors, cutting through the beams with his claws. They fell to the concrete ground with a bang. He stood, frozen, then jumped and sommer saulted the landing. A large metal bar had rolled almost silently to him. He remained in his single-knee posture for a moment, then turned his head. A small object whistled through the air, and Wolverine slashed right through it. Two halves of a dart fell in front of him. Seconds later, at least 30 more darts where flung at him. Miraculously, he sent every single one back to the ground in halves.
Hope watched in awe as Wolverine jumped and dashed around, avoiding danger in perfect timing.
“He’s just memorized it, “snorted Gretchen.
“No, he hasn’t,” said Rogue, walking up behind them. “Yes, he’s remembered what he’s up against, but every time someone uses a level, the order and where-abouts of the machine changes.”

“Then how does he know what there is and when and how to avoid it?” asked Hope, not taking her eyes away from him.
“He can hear them. And he can feel them. Wolverine has a few other powers aside from his claws. For one, he heals quickly. He’s pretty much immortal. He also has advanced senses of smell and hearing, that’s why he can hear the machines. An easy feel of vibrations isn’t a power of his, he’s just trained himself to feel the vibrations.”
“How?”
“The same way you’ll learn-practice.”
“But I thought he said I don’t have enough time,” she said, finally tearing her gaze from Logan.
“Not enough time to learn that before the battle, but he was expecting you to stay afterwards...Stay and be an X-man.”
“Oh...”
“Well, your turn,” said Wolverine, walking up silently behind her. She shifted her gaze to the destroyed material, and gave Wolverine a confused look. “Kurt” Kurt appeared on the lot, and teleported pieces out, and the area was rubble-free in minutes.
“We’ll start you out on level one. Harmless objects just to so we can assess your powers and combat abilities.” She nodded numbly, and took a mindless step in the direction of the lot. “Don’t walk,” said Wolverine, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Uh, right...” Catching on just as she said that, Hope closed her eyes and pictured herself in the center of the lot. She clenched her jaw and then dispersed. Were she had been standing was now a fading puff of hunter-green tinted smoke. She re-appeared milliseconds later in the exact spot she had hoped. Hope turned, and received an approving nod from Wolverine. Her pride glowed, and she smiled to herself. She was ready. She faced the main machines and leapt out of the way of several foam NERF balls as they were launched at her.
“Use your powers” coached Wolverine.
She hit the ground and let her spikes crawl out of her hands. She shoved them out in front of herself, and a ball stuck to each hand. More balls were flung at her, and she whacked them aside, using the machines’ materials against it.
The NERF equipment was finally done flying through the air, the two on Hope’s hands fell to the ground as her quills sheathed.
Hope came around a corner and heard a ‘thwump’ as pillows were shot from cannons. “I hope this works,” she muttered to herself. Hope clapped her hands together and the flame that was created was by far larger than her usual candle light spark. Flames erupted from her whole hand, and grew larger. She thrust her hands forth, and the fire all but leaped out of her hands and scorched each pillow with a passion. The remains of each cushion was delivered at Hope’s feet. Her wave of fire seized, and an instant later, she was knocked over by a large, powerful, but kind, force. She sat back up and shook her head, trying to clear it. She picked up the ‘weapon’ and looked at it quizzically. “Really? An oversized teddy bear?” Bobby just laughed, but there was something in his eyes...knowledge? Anticipation? Whatever it was, it made Hope whirl around-just in time, too. Another stuffed animal flew over her head, and she could feel the breeze on her face. Just as the first cleared her head, another jabbed her in the shoulder, making her stagger sideways. Again, she was hit. She finally crouched down, trying to get a hold of her telekinesis. Her eyes flew open and she jumped up. Her arms were out on either side of her, fingers spread apart. Right away, the majority of the kids’ toys froze in mid-air. A few whistled past, but Hope threw them aside using her eyes. The ones she held now dropped to the floor. Suddenly, she had an idea. As more and more toys attacked, Hope brushed them off, and trotted up to the first artillery she saw. Once again, her razors slid out, and she slashed through them metal like scissors through paper. She took out every one around the room. Out of the corner of her eye, Hope saw Logan hold up a hand at Kurt. Wether that was a signal or he was telling Kurt to stop, Hope didn’t know and stood her ground until Logan waved her over. She was in front of him in an instant
“That was good-“
”Stuffed animals?”
“Hey, like I said. Harmless. Just combat practice. Now, that was good-great, actually, but next you’re going to have to learn how to use your powers to your advantage.”
“How so?”
“Kurt, tell her.” Kurt stepped up.

“Teleportation can get you almost anywhere so long as it’s close enough and you can see where you’re going,” he said in his heavy German accent. “ I once had to follow someone to find the truth, but cameras with alarms were everywhere. To put it simply, I teleported behind each of them and either turned them off, or teleported again from behind them.”
“Yeah...”
“In your case, not only can you teleport, but you can strut right in front of a camera and not be seen if you turn invisible..”
“So? That’s only one, er, two powers. What about the others?”
“Be creative,” interrupted Logan. “Besides, it’s not like you can really plan these things out. You don’t know what you’re up against.”
At that moment, Hope had a pang of fear. The yellow eyes flashed in her mind, and the storm turning to moon came with them.
“Hey, kid, you okay?” asked Logan.
“What?” Hope returned to the real world. “Oh, yeah. It was nothing. So, uh, what’s next?”
“Let’s get you a uniform. We might need your help before your battle.”

“Oh my gosh,” sighed Hope as she slid into the hot, bubbling water later that night. “I went from level one to level four in one day” she exclaimed. She sunk down farther so that only what was above her nose was out of the water.
“Yeah, I only got to level three and I’m tired,” agreed Gretchen.
The girls had been training all day.
“I don’t know how they can do this everyday,” she sighed. They were silent for a moment before Gretchen spoke.
“Did you see the way Bobby was looking at me?” she squealed.
“Yeah, and I also saw the way Kitty was looking at him. Face it, Gretchen. Kitty and Bobby are a thing. Best to not get on her bad side by stealing her boyfriend.”
Gretchen’s gaze dropped as she agreed. “Yeah, they do look good together...but he is still really cute” Hope just smiled and rolled her eyes at her friend.

Hope sat up, listening to Gretchen’s unbearable snoring. It was more of a background noise, though. She constantly mad fire, one flame at a time after another by snapping her fingers, allowing herself to be hyptmotized by the flame and rhythm of the snapping. Deep in thought, she wondered what was in store for her, and dreading the thought of the dream coming back. She tried to think of what she might be up against, but no possibilities came to mind. Giving up, she flopped back onto her back and stared at the ceiling before falling into a fitful sleep.
“I still can’t believe he can do that!”
“Well, believe it,” Hope answered her friend. They were back in the Danger Room, watching Logan as he demonstrated techniques. Hope watched in awe as he dashed around. The movement was jerky and uneven, yet smooth and connected at the same time.
Are you sure he hasn’t memorized this?” Hope already knew the answer, but couldn’t help but ask.
“I’m sure,” said Storm with a smirk. Logan stood up from his crouch, seeming surprised at nothing coming at him.
“Bobby!”
“Logan, it froze!”
“What?”
“It’s stuck!” Logan’s shoulders sagged.
“Then get- hey, don’t do tha-” Bobby had started pushing random buttons when the machine gave a wheeze, and started seizing...
“LOGAN!”
“Hope! Hope! HOPE!” Hope launched upright, sweating and panting. Her eyes darted wildly around the room. Gretchen had her by the shoulders. “Hope, look at me!” Hope turned a weary head towards Gretchen. “Hope, what is it?” Hope looked at her, numb. Then, it flashed in her eyes. The wheezing, the crashing, the fire and Storm on her knees sobbing. Hope’s eyes grew wide.
“Where’s Logan!?”
“Um, I’m pretty sure he’s asleep. Though, he might not be with all your screaming.” Hope held her head in her hands.
“I’m going downstairs,” she finally said.

“Okay...do you want me to come with?”
“No, that’s okay.”
“Kay...See ya.”
“Yeah...”
Hope plodded down the stairs. No lights were on, and she heard nothing.
Now she was on the second floor. To her left was a large, furnished wood door. It was open a crack, and Hope peeked inside. A large rectangle was right in line with the door. A rounded figure was laying in the bed, and Hope could tell it was Logan.
She stepped away from the door and started to go down the steps when she heard him.
“Hey, kid, you okay?” Hope froze, then turned and walked back to the door. She just stood in the doorway, looking at him. “Seriously, you have a very loud scream. Now, what’s up?” Hope just looked down. She could feel Logan’s stare digging into her head. Finally, he took a deep breath and glanced around the room.
“Well, okay then. Just...please don’t scream. I almost jumped through the roof,” he added slightly gruffly, but good-hearted non-the-less.
“Right.”
“Right. Get some sleep.” She nodded.
“Night.” Hope turned and started down the stairs again.
She wandered around the mansion, not really going anywhere. Eventually, she walked into a large room. There were two chairs in the center, and a floor rug between and ahead of them. An end table was between the two brown, antique chairs. The center of attention was a fireplace. Above it, there was a shelf. It was empty.
In the two days that she’d been there, she hadn’t noticed any pictures. None of Logan, none of Storm, Kitty, Bobby, Kurt, Rogue...No pictures.
Hope took one of the chairs and gazed into the dark fireplace. She started snapping her fingers and sparks grew from her palm. Wanting to try something, Hope extinguished her current flame. Mustering as much energy as she could, Hope lunged her arms and hands forward. No snapping was required as the flames jumped from her hands to the logs. The fire danced and she watched in awe.
A dark shadow was barely visible on the far left and Hope floated fire to the candle’s wick. As the fire settled and grew, light climbed up the wall, revealing framed newspaper articles.. Hope stretched out her arm and the frames unhooked and steadily came to her. One after another, Hope picked the frames from the air and set them in her lap. She looked at the first frame in horror.
“MUTANT ESCAPES IMPRISONMENT!” She quickly turned to the second paper.
“MUTANT TERRORIZES CITY; MAN KILLED.” Hope’s heart raced as she scanned the article. She froze as she read a line again and again.
“The victim of the mutant attack has been identified as James Logan.” Hope read it several more times before turning to the last article with frozen hands. She stared at the headline:
“BUS CIVILIANS SAVED-MUTANT DEAD.” Again, she scanned through the article.
“A bus crash that would have killed all of its occupants is saved by a mutant. At a cost, the mutant was discovered dead. When returned to after all civilians received medical attention, the mutant was no where to be found. It is believed that a passer-by may have “turned in” the body to a separate ambulance to be removed from the scene.”
Hope leaned back, confused. Why were these here? Who was James Logan? Why would the X-men have a dead-mutant announcement in the mansion? Holding the frames in her lap, she gazed into the flames again. She set the frames on the table, and leaned back. Watching the illusions of the fire, she watched as the scene of the bus crash played out. Before long, her eyelids fluttered closed, and Hope fell asleep.

Logan walked into the den and was surprised to see fresh coals in the fire place. The candle on the wall was but a raindrop of fire. Silently he stepped up to the left chair and found a sleeping girl. The frames were on the table. Logan slowly reached out for them and hung them on the wall once more. He looked at Hope again. Sighing, he crept over to her and lifted her into his arms. She murmured something in her sleep and turned her head into his chest. He shifted her weight and started out of the den and returned her to her own bed. A foggy haze blurred Hope’s vision as she opened her eyes. She blinked a few times and rolled onto her back. Raising her arms above her head, she stretched. Relaxing, Hope looked at the ceiling. She abruptly sat up and looked at the clock. “Oh, Crap!” She jumped out of her bed and raced around, pulling on her uniform and brushing her hair at the same time. She hurriedly brushed her teeth and ran down the steps. Halfway, she gave up and teleported to the kitchen. “Well, good morning sleepy-head,” teased Rogue. “Morning...” she panted, then glanced around the room. “Um, where’s-“ ”Logan’s in te Danger Room. Told up to come with you when you finally got up. Here,” Storm handed Hope a Pop-Tart ® . “Hurry up and eat it, we’ve gotta go.” Hope gulped down the food and took a swig of milk. Holding Rogue and Storm’s arms, she teleported them down to the Danger Room. “Morning Logan,” said Hope, trying not to sound rushed. “Morning Hope,” he responded, amusement tugging at his deep voice. “So, what are we doing toda-AAY!” Hope moved to the other side of the room as Ice covered the spot where she’d just been. “Bobby! What the-“ Hope moved again as red light scorched her area on the floor. She looked up and saw a person she hadn’t met before. From all sides, there was an X-man ready to attack her. “Umm, Logan?” “Good luck,” he said. All the mutants charged at her. “Oh sh*t.” Hope jumped up and vaulted off Wolverine’s shoulders. She landed evenly and glanced around wildly, trying to think of what power she could use to her advantage. Then she had it! She flexed her hands and unsheathed her quills. Hope rushed in towards the team attacking her. As she neared Logan, she phased and could no longer be seen. “Good,” growled Logan. “Use your powers.” Wolverine swung around wildly. It was the first time Hope and ever seen Wolverine’s claws. She ducked and bent over backwards avoiding the swinging razors. “He’s pretty much immortal.” Rogue’s words ran through Hope’s mind and she decided that a few little pokes wouldn’t hurt him any. The next time Logan had his back to her, she gave him a few stabs with her quills. A trickle of blood was released from each scratch before drying up and the wound healing. Wolverine turned on her and she was thrust back by his arm. As she hit the floor she was stunned and lost her hold of her invisibility. All eyes turned to her. She watched them as they advanced. She panicked. What to do? Then she saw Bobby in the control room. “Ah, crap. Now I have to fight you and machines?” Logan just smirked. Hope sighed and ran into invisibility. As Hope tested out her telekinesis, she heard the machines roar to life. “Let’s see how she does with this.” “What, Logan?” “What?” “You said something?” “Uh, no...” “Oh my gosh! Did-did I just read your mind?” “I don’t know. What did I say? “Something about “She” and “This.” “Oh my god, you heard my thoughts.” Logan was just staring at her in astonishment. “Logan, I think it’s stuck!” came Bobby’s voice over the intercom. “What?” “It’s stuck!” Logan rolled his eyes. “Then go- Hey, don’t do tha-“ Bobby ignored Logan and started pushing random buttons. Hope’s heart was racing. She’d seen this before, but where? “Bobby! Knock it-“ The machine coughed, and started to fall... “Logan!” Hope screamed and ran into a teleport. The momentum of her run knocked her into Logan as she appeared next to him. Both Hope and Logan flew back as the machine got closer and closer to the floor. Logan landed on his back. The Tetris staggered backwards trying to regain her balance. She tripped over Logan’s leg and flew over him and landed on her shoulder. “NO!” Hope’s hand flew out, fingers straining, trying to stop the equipment’s fall. Her jaw clenched as the mass stopped, just inches above the floor. Hope panted, beads of sweat forming along her brow. Slowly, she exhaled and gently let the metal machine descend the last few inches to the floor.

Seconds later, Logan had his hand on Hope’s shoulder.
“Hope, are you okay?” She gave a blunt nod
“Thank You.”
“What?”
“Thank You for pushing me out of the way.” for a mysterious reason that Hope didn’t understand, the other X-men scattered, leaving only Logan and Hope in the Danger-Room.
“I’m sorry, I forgot that it didn’t matter...”
“That what didn’t matter?”
“If that machine crushed you or not.” Logan sighed. “How are you immortal?” Hope asked.
“It’s called Atamantium.” Hope turned her head and looked at him over her shoulder. Logan held out his hand. Hesitantly, she took it and Wolverine pulled her to her feet. Logan started walking and Hope followed.
“What is Atamantium?”
“A mineral...A rare one.”
“Well, what does it have to do with anyting?”
“Atamantium is unbreakable...Unless you melt it.” He was silent for a moment, then continued. A man called Stryker was able to melt enough Atamantium...Enough Atamantium to coat a skeleton...My skeleton.”
“Wait, so your bones are made of Atamantium?”
“Yeah.”
“So, your bones are indestructible?”
“Yes, but more like unchangeable.”
“What?”
“They don’t grow, don’t get weaker or stronger...I’ve looked like this for centuries.” Hope pondered on that for a while.
“What if,” she started, “you sat in a fire? Could the Atamantium melt?” He snorted at that.
“I’d have to sit in a fire for a long time.” They both smiled at the thought
“Now I feel really dumb.”
“Why?”

“If you’re...basically immortal...than it was pointless to push you out of the way.”
“That may be, but think of it like this- what if it had been Storm or Kitty or Bobby or Scott?”
“Scott?”
“He’s Mr. Laser-eyes,” joked Logan. “My point is: It’s the thought that counts. What I do wonder about though, is how fast you reacted, almost like you knew...” He looked at Hope.
“I...I had a dream.”
“Again?”
“Yes.”
“Do you always have foretelling dreams?”
“I don’t know. This has never happened before.”
“Or has it?”
“What do you mean?”
“What if the kite dream we both had is foretelling?” At this thought, the lights flickered and machines died.
“Foretelling how?” Hope blinked a couple times but could not see in the darkness. Her hand trembled and then a fire rose up from her hand. Logan looked around at the flickering shadows. He cocked an eyebrow.
“What’s the weather like?” asked Logan.
“Bright and sunny.”
“Odd...
“Logan!” Kitty appeared with Gretchen from the ceiling. “We have a problem!”

“What do you mean there’s no electricity?”

“Exactly that. There are only two options for power now,” Rogue told Logan. “Nitro and people like him,” she started, referring to a Mutant In Custody with the power of making and controlling electricity.
“Or batteries,” she concluded. Logan rolled his eyes at the last solution.
Hope looked around the room; up at the ceiling and out the window. A menacing pair of yellow eyes stared at her from out the window before fading away.
“Logan?” hissed Hope urgently. “I saw the eyes.”
“What?”
“The eyes! From the dream!”
“Where?” he asked as he glanced around.
“Out the window.” Logan stared out the window. After a few minutes, he suddenly whipped around.
“Hope! History lesson. What did Ben do on that stormy night?”
“He proved that lighting is a source of electricity...or is electricity, whatever...”
“Right! Then he made what?”
“Lightning Rods...used to prevent lightning-related fires. But what-“
”If that discovery never happened, then the rods were never invented! Buildings burned and slowed other discoveries. By the looks of it, electricity was never tamed into what we use now a-days. Someone was tinkering with time. I’m guessing it was the mutant with yellow eyes. Okay, so knowing this, what abilities does he have?”
“I’d say time travel and...” Hope looked at Storm. “Weather control.

“Happy birthday, Hope! “ said Gretchen happily.
“Hm, so, it’s ‘finally ‘ your sweet sixteen isn’t it?” said Logan.
“Yeah, it is.”
“In that case, here. It’s from all of us,” he said, pushing a small, wrapped package to her. Then, at the last moment, he pulled it back towards himself. “Actually, I’m going to be a jerk and make you work for it,” he said with a smirk. He took his hand off it then nodded to her. She sighed, then pulled the box in with her mind. It finally reached her and he gently untied the ribbon, then pulled off the top. She gasped in horror as she saw what was in the box. Yellow eyes glared back at her. They rushed in at her face, and she screamed.

“Hope! Wake up, Hope!” A slender hand rested on one arm, while two other much larger, stronger hands had her by the shoulders and were shaking her vigorously.
She bolted up. Sweat dripped off her entire body, and her hair was soaked. She looked on either side of her bed; Nobody was touching her. Gretchen was somehow still asleep in her own bed, and Logan wasn’t even there at all.
Then, a tall figure dropped silently from the ceiling.
“Happy Birthday, Tetris,” whispered the man, his yellow eyes gleaming.