psinex@yahoo.com Academia Book 1: Starting Block Chapter 6 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: Everyone here is Marvel's, except for Soraya, who's mine. Please don't sue. NOTE: From now on, I'll be listing who's going to be focused upon in the subject line of each chapter - I'm aware that some people might prefer chapters WITHOUT Frank and Rachel hogging the spotlight >) ------------------------------------------------------ 9/23/00: X-Mansion Back Yard: 08:05 hrs EDT: ------------------------------------------------------ It's gettin' quiet. Mrs. Summers says ah'm prob'ly the first person she's met who thinks in the same accent he speaks with. Maybe ah'm not as refined as ah like t'think ah am, or maybe Josh an' Jeb've been a bad influence. "Lewis." Not a very Southern name, at first glance, ah think. But then, it beats bein' named after mah car-thief uncle Lucas. Sam sprung him a few years back, Lord knows why, t'help save the world, then put him back safe an' sound. Ah hope ah don't sound too old. But when ya go t'bed one night after gardenin', then wake up with a whopper of a headache 'cause your big brother's mowin' the grass, an' it's screamin' ... "Screamin' Grass." Sounds like Lila Cheney's backup band if she'd recruited 'em in Amsterdam. (See ? Ah might only be 13, but ah'm not as backwoods as some think ah am.) It's gettin' quiet 'cause it's ... ahem ... bred, an' plants go t'sleep this time o'year - at least the perennials do. Yes, ah grew up on a farm, an' saw nature bright an' big in front o' me, but that don't mean ah'm some rude teenage dope. Ah'm a polite teenage dope. (Trust me, psi-linkin' to marijuana plants is NOT a good idea, especially t' ditchweed ... ah'm still tryin' t'get the image of Jono ridin' a pink elephant outta mah head.) Becky, mah twin, got it easy - nah, she didn't. She's got as much o'a problem with her animal empath as ah do with mah plant empathy. At least plants don't have sorta' intelligent minds - they just feel. But HOW they feel ! They get sad in drought, happy in sunlight, afraid when they "think" ya'll pluck 'em ... ... an' right joyful in rain. Kinda how she makes me feel. Th' temperature's about 70, thanks t'her. Ah can see her an' Ms. Munroe practicin' their powers down by th' cove ... How c'n ah ask her t'the dance ? (NOT Ms. Munroe ! Ah have no problem with race, thank ya very much, but you ever seen Forge when he's angry ? Ah like not havin' plasma rifle holes ...) She's just ... beautiful. Long blonde hair, big blue eyes, that funny/nice accent, an' she's so sweet an' kind an' ... How could ah ever hope t' ... Oh mah Lord. ------------------------------------------------------ He's so sweet. And polite. Bill could learn something from him if he'd just pay attention ... Lewis Guthrie. It's such an ... exotic ? name ... well, at least to an Inhuman princess. (I am NOT marrying Ahura ! ICK ICK ICK ! Cousin marriage is just nasty - I may be Inhuman-born, but I'm American-bred, thank Agon's heart !) The air's alive with pollen - I'm not allergic, thanks to Daddy's immune system, I'm tougher to "outside" diseases and allergens than most Inhumans - but Lewis isn't kicking them up. He's working on his empathic shields - at least the plants aren't too "loud," like Ray, Frank, Nate, Claud and Artie have to deal with from human minds. I wonder if he'd ... Why ? I must seem so snooty, with my weather powers and never talking to anyone. But what'd I SAY ? They don't want some Inhuman rich girl around ... well, the other girls do, they're nice, but the boys ... I will NOT date Chuck or Bill or Tom, and Frank and Ray are all but betrothed, and Artie and Leech are sweet but the St. Croixes are all over them, and Nate's like a little brother to me, and Leong is just - ODD, with that homonculus power, and Joe's - well, he's a little too tough for me. But Lewis ... Ms. Munroe's smiling at me - that "I know what you're hiding" smile I've seen her give Mrs. Summers and Ms. Braddock and "Grandma" Rogue before - and asks, "Would you like to take a break, Luna ?" "May I ... ?" I ask - oh, Randac's tongue, she MUST know, I probably seem like a total teenage flake - "Be daring, Luna," Ms. Munroe laughs. "The weather requires an iron will to command. But the heart is a more subtle thing, and daring commands it." She KNOWS ... but she's trying to help me ! "Thank you," I tell her, and she knows what I reall mean, and I land ... Agon give me strength ... ------------------------------------------------------ "Lewis ?" Luna called, flying over as she shook out her shoulder-length blonde hair. "Uh, hi, Luna," Lewis said, smiling at her. "Ya looked great out there - nice waterspout." #Oh Lord that sounded stupid ...# "Thanks," Luna said, smiling back from where she levitated. "I was just wondering ... would you like to go to the dance next week in Salem Center's Junior High ?" #Courage ...# "You'd go with me ?" Lewis gasped. "Ah mean - ah'd love to." #She wants t'go with ME !?# "Great ! I'll see you, then," Luna smiled, carefully lifting off from her position to avoid hurting the grass. #YESYESYES!!!# #YESYESYES!!!# Lewis thought, blushing when he looked at his feet. "Uh ... Luna, could ya lift me outta this, please ?" the floropath called from amidst a towering, blooming rose bush. "Sure," Luna beamed, concentrating as a dust devil sprang up within the bush. "And thanks." "For - oh," Lewis said, blushing as he was lifted into the air, and handed Luna a rose blossom. "Maybe this'd make a nice corsage ?" "Thank you !" Luna said, landing on the garden path with Lewis. She took the blossom, then smiled, and walked with the boy back to the mansion. #Ah, young love,# Ororo thought, landing beside the rose bush. #And how very appropriate ...# She looked at the thorns, then at the retreating teenagers, and pulled something from her belt. "Forge ? It is Storm ..." ------------------------------------------------------ NEXT: Ah, the school dance ... ------------------------------------------------------ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com/ ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics