The Xavier Institute

The room was a mess, littered with torn paper, pencil shavings, and random materials that had been scattered across the room during Dani Moonstar’s last counseling session. The Native American X-Graduate hurried around the room, picking up the scattered remnants of Rockslide’s temper tantrum. As one of the lead teachers at Xavier’s lovely little mutant school, she had the pleasure of having every kid come into her office one at a time to get into their heads a little bit.

There was a simple philosophy behind this. High school is hard, but high school with powers is harder. Dani shook her head at the thought. More like ‘counseling is hard, but counseling students with powers is harder’, she thought wearily. She’d already been through three straight hours of this, and her next session was a guaranteed pain in the ass.

With a sudden rush of air, the door to Dani’s office flew open, slamming the wall. It was surrounded with a teal telekinetic aura. In the doorway, with his powers moving his hair as though the wind were blowing, stood Julian Keller, the egocentric Hellion. His black t-shirt and jeans barely masked the well-built form underneath.

“Having trouble cleaning house, Ms. Moonstar?” he asked as he swaggered in. He took a seat in the chair in front of her desk. “I got you covered.” He snapped his fingers, and the items littering the floor glowing teal before zooming into place on her desk or in the trash can. “Sad day when the student’s cleaning up the teacher’s mess, eh?”

Dani put on a fake smile and looked at her watch. “Oh my god, Julian,” she said in mock awe. “I’m amazed! You managed to arrive on time and fit your ego through the door!”

Julian smirked. “Real cute, Teach. Can we cut the crap and get this thing over with? I’ve got homework to do, freshmen to torture, and two lovely ladies to meet up with later.” Most guys in the school hated Julian out of jealousy for the simple fact that he was dating both Sofia Mantega and Laurie Collins at the same time-and neither one of them seemed to have a problem with it.

“Another shock!” Dani continued. She knew exactly how this entire ordeal was going to play out. “You’re planning on doing your homework?”

Julian laughed. “Actually, the freshmen torturing thing and the homework thing go hand-in-hand. In the ‘If you don’t do my homework, I torture you’ kind of way, if you catch my drift.”

“Very funny, Mr. Keller,” Dani sighed. “You know that you’ve broken pretty much every rule in the book, right?” She peered through his file. “Excuse me. That’s just this week.”

Julian cocked an eyebrow. “And…?”

“I’m sorry to inform you, but leading the biggest posse in the school doesn’t get you far with me. Freshmen? Maybe. But I was a student at this school before we were allowed to pretend we even had students at this school,” Dani said, leaning forward. “In the past two weeks alone-in my history class alone-you have been written up for cheating, public display of affection, talking back, sleeping in class, and just plain being an asshole. The rest of the teachers and I had a conference last week to discuss your future with this school.”

“Right,” Julian said cockily. “I know all that. So you can either tell me something I don’t know, or you can stop wasting my time.”

“I’ll tell you something you didn’t know,” Dani said coldly. “It was a five-five vote against expelling you, Julian. Five teachers wanted you out of here for good, four teachers agreed that you’re a negative influence but just didn’t want to kick you out on the street to mutant martyrdom, and one teacher wanted to give you one final shot before kicking you to the curb.”

Dani took a deep breath. “That teacher would be me.”

Julian readjusted himself from relaxed to confused. He leaned forward and put his hands on the edge of the desk. “Wait-you’re saying that if you’d voted to get rid of me, I’d be gone?” Despite being the king of jerks, the school was now his home. He’d never intended on doing anything that would mandate his expulsion.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Julian,” Dani said gravely. She folded her arms across her chest.

Julian narrowed his brow in confusion. “But…why? You hate me.”

“I don’t hate any of my students,” Dani corrected. “But while I do think your actions and decisions suck, I don’t want any student to be forced to leave the sanctuary we’ve provided if they don’t want to.” She paused. “Well, that’s normally my stance. You, on the other hand, have pushed me to my limit. I’m riding the fence here, just like you. Except when I choose my side of the fence, I’m choosing yours. Are you following me?”

“Yeah, I gotcha,” Julian said, thinking. “If I wanna stay here, what do I have to do?”

Dani smiled. “I wondered when you’d ask. All you have to do is make it through a night out in the woods,” she said, “and prove when you come out that you’re a changed man.”

Julian raised his eyebrow once more. “That’s all I have to do?”

Dani nodded, but there was a gleam in her eyes. “Yup.”

“Well, what’s the worst that can happen?” he asked no one in particular. The decision was made. “Ha! Ms. Moonstar, you’re on!”

Hellion in…

MIDNIGHT REDEMPTION

By Hunter Lambright

Xavier Mansion Grounds, That Night

“Can I take off the fucking blindfold now?” Julian asked angrily. It felt like it had been at least an hour since he’d met Amara Aquilla at the rear entrance to the mansion. She’d stood there waiting for him patiently with a sleeping bag and a tent. That was all he would need that night, she’d said.

Amara didn’t answer for a moment. “I suppose this is far enough out,” she said. The tall woman was literally a modern Amazon-tall, broad-shouldered, and beautiful. Her blond hair fell in curls to her shoulders, and her face was blank, giving away no emotion.

Julian tore off the blindfold and blinked several times for his eyes to adjust to the blackness. “Sorry,” Amara said. She tapped into her magma powers, igniting a cluster of branches on the ground. “Is that better?”

“A little,” Julian said, shivering. His sweatshirt wasn’t putting up much of a fight against the cold. From the firelight he could tell that they were a long way from the mansion and, for that matter, anywhere else.

Amara dropped the sleeping back and tent. “If you want the tent, you’ll have to set it up yourself.”

Julian rolled his eyes. Amara watched as the puzzle of a tent pieced itself together, aided by a telekinetic glow. The parts easily glided into place. Amara stared at Julian blankly; he merely shrugged.

“I will leave you here now,” Amara stated simply. She turned to leave, but stopped. “You know, before he died, Wolverine used to say that there was a healing power in these woods. When his adamantium was ripped out, you see, he spent a lot of time back here during his feral states. He would go in as a man out of his senses and emerge in control of himself and his life. Logan said that in these woods, a man could face himself and, if he knows who he is, come out the victor. If he did not take the time to realize himself, however, he could lose the fight against himself and never emerge again. Keep that in mind tonight, Mr. Keller. I hope I will see you here in the morning.”

Julian watched her walk off until her could no longer so much as hear her footsteps. The fire Amara had started had since burnt down to cinders, so Julian telekinetically gathered branches to feed the blaze. He then sat down on a log and stared into the flickering flames.

This is retarded, he thought tiredly, his hands on his chin. I have to pass this stupid test just to stay in the school because Ms. Moonstar thinks I’m an asshole.

A crunch of leaves around him shook Julian from his thoughts. “Hello?” he asked. “Ms. Moonstar? If you’re trying to scare me…”

The crunching continued. Julian stood up, his body surrounding itself with his telekinetic aura. “You better back off, or I’ll kick your ass!” he warned.

A bronze-skinned man in a white suit stepped out of the woods holding up his hands to both stop Julian from overreacting and to show that he came in peace. His brown hair was swept back meticulously and did not move in the breeze. “I come in peace,” said the man. He indicated a stump near Julian’s. “May I?”

“Uh…yeah, I guess,” Julian said grudgingly. He sat down as well. “So who are you? Did Dani send you out here to teach me about how to appreciate life and not to be a dick like she sent Magma?”

The man laughed. “My name is Manuel, but you may know me from the old New Mutant wives’ tales as Empath.” He let that sink in for a moment before continuing. “Dani asked me to come out here as a favor. She seemed to think you had a bit of a complex, you see, calling yourself ‘Hellion’ and all.”

Julian fiddled with two sticks on the ground. He scowled, looking up at Empath. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

Empath wore a knowing smile. “Julian, you seem to forget that I was one of Emma Frost’s original Hellions. I know the meaning of wearing that name better than most. Amara Aquilla also knows that better, as with most of the New Mutants. Most of my dear teammates, unfortunately, are dead. It’s a bit of a curse, it seems.”

“What happened to them?” Julian asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Empath’s grin became grim instead. “Most were killed by a madman from the future named Trevor Fitzroy. I think he may have died later. If he hasn’t, may he hope he never meets me instead.”

“So what’s the point of the story?” Julian asked. “I mean, are you just out here to depress me? Do you want me to change my codename? If it’s that big a deal to you, man…”

“You really don’t get it, do you?” Empath hissed, his demeanor suddenly changing. “There are only four of the original Hellions alive today. We’re not exactly all that old, you know. I’m here, Magma is a teacher at your institute, Warpath is a member of one of your godforsaken dozens of X-Men teams, and, well, Tarot may or may not be alive. I’ve gotten conflicting reports. The point is that those of us who carry that name don’t exactly carry a good track record. Those of us remaining agree that it’s cursed.”

“Great. Another ghost story,” Julian said, waving the man off. “If that’s the best you could do…”

“Be thankful I’ve put my yearning to mess with emotions in check, or I would seriously consider your impotence a reason to degrade you to a sex-obsessed, fearful, disrespectful teenager.” Empath reconsidered. “Which, unfortunately, you appear to have made yourself on your own.” Empath stood up angrily and began striding back off into the woods. He looked back and gave one final warning. “You’d do best to respect the Hellions of the past. Otherwise, these things-they can get into your head.” With that, he turned and strode off into the woods.

“Wait!” Julian cried out, a small part of him missing the man’s company. “You’re just gonna leave me out here, you bastard? I mean, you just freakin’ told me I’m a marked man!”

The crickets’ ceaseless song was his only response.

“Shit,” Julian cursed, and he sat down alone once more. He wondered who else Dani had called in for the night. Did she have others in the wings just waiting to expand on another of his petty fears?

“Julian,” whispered a voice from behind him. Damn. He stood up once more and turned around to face his mystery caller. Nothing.

“Julian.” The voice came from the other side of the clearing this time, and in a different tone of voice.

“Uh…hello?” Julian asked. “Ms. Moonstar? You can quit playing mind games now…”

“Julian.” The voices continued to whisper around him. “Julian.”

“Who the hell are you people?!” asked Julian, backing away. As he stepped into the center of the clearing, he spun around to see a group of teens closing in on him from all sides. They were clothed in pink and black spandex with a deep neckline, but their most noticeable feature was their eyes. They glowed red.

“Good question,” they said in unison, “considering you’re using our name…”

Julian pieced this together as quickly as he could, all the while keeping his telekinetic shield fired up. “You’re…the Hellions? I thought you were dead!”

There was heinous laughter from all around, before they cackled, “We are!”

Julian rocketed from the center of the closing circle into the woods, powered by his telekinetic prowess, until he realized one of them was hot on his tail. “I’m Jestream!” exclaimed the Arabic boy. “You’re just a fake-a fraud Hellion! You’re not good enough to be one of us!”

“You know what? You don’t know me!” shouted Julian right back in his trademark defiant way. “I’ll show you I can!”

The two crashed through the woods in a game of chicken with the trees, each hoping to force their rival into a tree trunk. As Julian zipped this way and that, he could catch glimpses of the other Hellions in the woods. Catseye hissed at him as he passed, and he could see Tarot astride one of her mythical beasts over the treetops. A younger Empath stood near a stream, but Julian quickly avoided him, which led them on a collision course toward Roulette.

What are her powers? What are her powers? Julian struggled to remember, not focusing as she shot a disc of crackling bad luck that caught him dead on. His powers faltered for a split-second, taking away the time he would have spent dodging another tree trunk. Wood splintered as he and the tree collided.

As Julian slid to the ground, he could hear Roulette’s cackling as she and the other Hellions caught up to him. “You’ll never live up to our name-just like you can’t live up to your own!”

When Julian came to, he was no longer in the woods. Rather, he was tied to a chair in a pitch dark room. “Hello?” he asked. “Miss Moonstar?”

“We’re very disappointed in you, son,” said a voice that was frighteningly familiar.

Julian’s eyes flew open in shock. “D-Dad?” he asked tentatively, shrinking into the chair. “Is that you?”

“Yes, Julian,” said his father’s voice, before the man himself finally appeared in front of Julian. “Your mother and I are very disappointed in you,” he repeated.

“Why? What did I do?” Julian asked defensively. “Did they kick me out?”

“They very well should have!” shouted his father, his spit spraying across Julian’s face. “It’s bad enough you were born a mutant-you can’t even hold your own there! How the hell do you expect to help run my company if you can’t even do well in mutant school?”

“But-Dad!” Julian protested.

“No buts!” his father exclaimed. “We’ve already filled out all the paperwork, Julian. Your brother will be running the company once I pass away or retire, and you will be rotting out on the streets on your own, just like you deserve.”

“Wait-you can’t do that, Dad! I’m your son!” Julian said, a feeling growing in his gut that just wouldn’t go away.

“Not anymore, you aren’t,” his father said coldly. “No, Julian. You’ve shamed us, just like you’ve shamed those mutants.”

Julian then heard footsteps walking away, and a door slamming closed. “Dad, don’t leave me here!”

It was silent for a long time before the sound of the door alerted him to another presence. Suddenly, the lights flickered on and Julian found himself in a pristine white lab room, still shackled to a metal chair. He had already found that his powers were neutralized, but he hadn’t realized until now just how naked that made him feel. He was absolutely helpless, and in control of whoever had just come in.

“So, you want to be an X-Man, do you?” asked the sharp, stiff voice of Scott Summers.

“I-what?” asked Julian, now thoroughly confused. Why was Cyclops here?

“Do you want to be an X-Man or not? This is the interview process,” Scott explained.

“There’s an application?” Julian asked in astonishment.

“Just answer the damn question!” Scott said tersely.

Julian considered this for a short moment before realizing that it was probably his best bet thanks to the fact that he’d just been cut out of his parents’ will and thereby their business and their lives. “Well, yeah, I guess,” he stammered.

“Good,” said Scott, pulling up a chair from out of nowhere. “Let’s start this, then. What have you done to help human-mutant relations in the past year?”

“Uh…” Julian paused before answering ashamedly. “Nothing.”

“That’s what I thought. Have you done anything, then, to help your brother mutant recently? That’s the second shot of three possible reasons you’d join us, you see,” Scott said.

Julian shrugged, his face and ears reddening. “No.”

Scott nodded like he’d expected that, which caused Julian to redden further. “Last chance. Have you fought off any major X-Men villains in the past year?”

“Uh, do the Hellions count?” Julian asked timidly.

“Aren’t they dead?” asked Scott with a raised eyebrow.

Julian shrugged. “That’s what I asked them.”

Scott shook his head. “Well, I’m sorry, but it looks like you just won’t pan out. You don’t really qualify, and everyone I’ve talked to has said that you kinda suck at being around people without shitting on them. It’s not exactly one of those endearing qualities that’s going to make you X-Man material, if you catch my drift.”

“Wait-what are you saying?” Julian asked, a new panic rising in his chest.

“Sorry,” Cyclops said, shaking his head again. “We just couldn’t accept you as an X-Man, based on the fact that no one else really accepts you at all…”

“B-but-” Julian stammered. “My girls-they do!”

Scott shrugged. “Sure. Fine.” He undid the shackles on Julian’s wrists. “You’re free to go.”

Julian ran out of the room with a look of fatal desperation plastered across his face. He sprinted from the mansion’s lower levels into the dorm rooms, knowing he would find Sofia and Laurie waiting for him in his room.

He threw open his door. “Laurie! Sofia! Are you here?”

They were; however, it was not the relief he expected. The two girls were tangled naked beneath his bed sheets. Sofia looked up with wild eyes. “I always knew the reason you kept us so close was that you didn’t want us to realize that we didn’t have to share you when we could have each other.”

A single tear streaked down Julian’s cheek. The only two people he thought he loved had betrayed him for each other. He ignited his telekinetic field and fled from the room, crying.

There was no one in the halls, but had they been they would have been blasted against the walls by the sheer force of Julian’s flight. He crashed through the window at the end of the hall when his powers faltered again, leaving him to crash into the middle of Breakstone Lake.

He thrashed his way to the top, but immediately wished he hadn’t. The surface of the water was aflame, turned into a lake of fire, and he was in the middle of it all. He swam to the edge and lay panting on the edge. “I want to die,” he murmured.

“No, you don’t,” said the voice that had started all of this. Julian looked up to see Miss Moonstar staring down at him. “Get up.”

Julian came up swinging. “You took my life from me! This is your fault!”

“No, I didn’t,” Dani said calmly. “And I’m standing five feet to your left. Illusion powers, remember?”

“So, none of that happened?” Julian asked, seeing the lake behind him. He realized, looking down, that his clothes were dry and the lake was no longer on fire.

Dani shrugged. “You talking to Magma and Empath was real. And you know for a fact that your parents disowned you. But beyond that? All the rest of it was your fear. I just brought it to life so that you could confront it.”

“So…that Cyclops thing didn’t happen?” Julian asked in bewilderment. “And Laurie and Sofia…?”

“None of it was real,” Dani assured him. “Really.”

“Oh my God,” Julian said, breathing heavily. “I didn’t…I can’t-you thought this is what it would take to make me less of an asshole?!”

Dani shrugged. “Did it work?”

“What the hell kind of question is that?! You just put me through hell and made me come back! I wanted to die!” Julian shouted.

“No, you didn’t,” Dani repeated forcefully. “And now that you know it’s not true, you’re relieved. And thank God, why don’t you, that I didn’t take a peek into your greatest desires, you pervert.”

“Go to hell,” Julian spat, walking off at a brisk pace toward the mansion. “I’m going to go pack my bags now.”

“Go ahead,” Dani said. She watched as the fiery-headed teen headed back inside the mansion. Empath and Magma joined her as he closed the back door.

Finally, Empath asked the question that both he and Magma were thinking. “So-did he make the cut?”

Dani bit her lip before answering. “Go tell him to unpack his bags, Amara. He’s still an asshole, but maybe-just maybe-he’s a little less of an asshole now…”