Title: save your breath

Characters: Hellion, X-23, and the New Mutants + Hellions squads

Universe: 616 pre-M-Day

Summary: What if M-Day had never happened in 616? What if Laura Kinney still came to the school, met Julian Keller--and they absolutely hated each other?
A rivalry evolves between the two...somewhat like my Snff stories, but a different take.

A/N: Picks up from X-23: Target X, Laura arrives at school (for the first time). Ignores all Chris Claremont bullshit.
(please note: this is not my Snff II story replacement, that's coming~ this is a whole new bucket of worms...)

"Huh?"

"What do you call the bird's foot claw?"

The little boy paused, breaking eye contact with the girl sitting alone. "Wait, I know this…it's, um…oh, it's a talon."

They were on a train. Laura pulled a folder out of her sole duffle bag and examined the contents. Several pages of a letter.

Please forgive me. Even as I write the words, they ring so hollow. My mistakes….no, my choices…they cannot be undone…much less forgiven. All I can do
now is tell you what happened.

Laura looked away quickly as her eyes filled up with tears. What kind of tears they were, she wasn't sure. Sad tears? Tears of grief? Or angry tears?

She heard voices—the ticket-marker was coming—and she wiped her eyes on her sleeve and continued to read, her face emotionless. It was better
not to display emotions, attachment, in public. It only made them easier for adversaries to pick out. Actually, it was much safer to let no one in.

Laura finished reading the letter, then folded it up and sat in thought. What would she find at this 'school'? Logan had told her there would be other
children there—other children, her age. Laura wasn't sure how she felt about this either. To begin with, she didn't feel like a child.

When the train pulled into Westchester, Laura bolted for the door, intent on running to the next terminal—headed back the way she'd come. She didn't
want to be here. It was a bad idea.

"Kid! Over here!"

Laura froze; there was Logan, with a friendly grin on his weathered face. In his hands were two motorcycle helmets.

"Here." One helmet came flying at her and she dropped her duffle bag, catching it instinctively (even though she had been about to bolt).

"…" She struggled to put her doubts into words.

"Don't worry 'bout the bag…let the men do the carrying for you, sweetheart," Logan recommended, moving over and hefting her duffle bag. "Come
on…parking's fucking expensive here, so I took the handicapped spot…and I can't say for how long the cops will believe I'm lugging a wheelchair on my bike…"

…

"So, what d'you think?" Logan yelled over the wind as they turned into the driveway of the school. A large stone sign read Xavier's Institute for Gifted Individuals,
in large gold-plated letters.

Laura wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. "You do not need to shout, I have enhanced auditory senses," she mumbled instead.

"Keep forgetting."

The bike came to a halt, sending gravel skittering across the courtyard, and Logan put his foot down and turned off the engine. "Off you get."

Obeying, Laura slid off the bike. A moment later, he joined her; she followed him up to the door, acutely aware of a few pairs of eyes that had fixed themselves
on her. Some children playing Frisbee, a girl in the air. All pausing to examine the newcomer. Laura felt very uncomfortable—and miserable.

"I'm glad you came, Laura. I…I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you before," Logan said. Inside, in the empty hallway. "I didn't even know they could make…stuff
like you. Didn't know to check."

Silence. Laura stopped, unsure if he was insulting her. She didn't think so, but in her experience, any reference to herself being a clone was an insult.

"Anyways…now that you're here…at least I can help you now. Sound good?"

Laura nodded.

"You're a quiet one." Logan ruffled her hair; she closed her eyes, wrinkling her nose, displeased. "Heh, sorry," he grinned and led her down the hall, towards
the headmaster's office.

"Do you want me to speak more?" Laura asked in a small voice.

"I was teasing you. Honestly, I couldn't give two shits. It's kind of refreshing to meet a kid who doesn't think they know everything."

Logan knocked on the big wooden door. "Summers, you decent?" he called.

"Hah, hah. Come in, Logan."

Her DNA original opened the door and gestured for her to follow him in. She complied, and her eyes immediately focused on the man in the center of the
room—Scott Summers. Cyclops. X-man, and headmaster of the Xavier Institute. Alpha level mutant. A strong, commanding voice, yet friendly and personable,
with a scent like lime shaving cream. She continued to mentally categorize him, approximating his weight, height, limb length, bone density and subsequent
combat abilities.

"This is Laura Kinney," Logan announced, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Your clone, I take it?" Summers asked, but his voice wasn't derogatory. He smiled at Laura in a friendly manner; she smiled back slightly, then avoided his
gaze, shy and not knowing how to act.

"Yeah." Logan rubbed his neck. "She's fourteen."

"Fifteen and a half," Laura corrected in a small voice.

"I see." Summers seemed to find this amusing. "You'll fit right in, Laura. We have several groups of mutants just about your age. We'll get you a roommate…you'll
be having fun in no time. And learning stuff, too."

Laura's forehead wrinkled, but she said nothing. The only 'fun' she knew of was the fun she'd had with Megan, when they hijacked the teacher's car and went
for a joyride. Was that what Summers meant? She doubted it.

"I know just who to put you in with," he said, without pausing to think. He and Logan had obviously spoken before, and planned things out. "Would you like to
go see your new room?"

"…yes," Laura whispered.

"I'll see you later, kid…I have to go teach self-defense in half an hour. You can sit with me at dinner if you like…it's in the staff lounge," Logan called as
Summers led her out of the office.

…

The door opened to the knock, revealing a humanoid-shaped blob of metal with female features, and bright auburn hair. And a bright smile.

"Mr. Summers! Is that my new roommate?" the metal asked in a female voice. It echoed in an odd way, as if the sound was coming out of a synthesizer. Snff—she
smelled like liquid mercury. Something Laura was familiar with, from her many torture sessions.

"Indeed she is," Summers said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "This is Laura Kinney. Laura, this is Cessily Kincaid…otherwise known as Mercury."

Laura wondered how much the girl had been told. She seemed nice.

"Pleased to meet you," she said. "Call me Cess, everyone does."

Laura said nothing, but she managed a small smile in return. She didn't know what to say. Almost anything she said was offensive to people her age; she'd made
no friends at Megan's school—except for the aforementioned Megan.

She missed Megan.

"Cessily…would I be able to rely on you to give Laura a tour of the school?" Summers asked. Passing her on, too. Laura felt like a relay baton from athletic
competitions. She wondered briefly what the prize was for those involved.

"Sure, sir," Cessily said. "Come in, Laura!"

Laura followed her in and stood in the middle of the room, uncertain. Cessily pointed at the bed against the wall. "That's your bed. God, I hate to say this…but
I'm really glad you came. I mean—it sounds awful—but I hated my old roommate. I requested a transfer…she was so…ugh!"

Cessily grinned at her. "You know?"

Laura wasn't sure how to respond, so she smiled back again. Hesitantly.

"I'm sorry! I just met you and I'm dumping all my problems on you, jeez. Get yourself settled in and then we'll go explore the school a bit! And I'll introduce you
to all my friends. You'll love them."

Laura put her bag down on the cot. "I will put my possessions away later. We can go now."

"No no—make yourself at home!" Cessily said.

"There is only a few hours of daylight remaining," Laura pointed out. The reality was that she did not want to expose her letters—one set of which was covered in
blood—to a person she had just met. They were on top of her bag, and would be visible the instant she undid the zipper.

"Alright…if you're sure," Cessily said, sounding surprised.

…

"And this is the grounds," Cessily said as they exited the mansion again, after a long tour around the school. Laura had been shown the locker rooms, the
Danger Room area (although not the actual room), the councilor's offices, the cafeteria, the classrooms, the recreation rooms, the swimming pool. Her head
spun slightly—Xavier's was large, that was for sure.

"On nice days, almost everyone goes outside. There's a sports equipment shed…over there…" Cessily pointed. "There's lots of Frisbees, and basketballs
and stuff inside it. I love softball—hey! You can play on my team!"

Laura paused. There were several children—the ones who had stopped to gawk when she was riding in with Logan—playing Frisbee on the large lawn.

"There they are!" Cessily said, waving to them. "I bet Julian's going to love you!"

Laura paused, studying the group. "Which one is she?" she asked.

"HAHAHA!" Cessily laughed. "Julian's a guy!"

"I'm a what?"

Laura looked up; one of the boys was floating in the air, holding a frisbee.

"A dork," Cessily said, but she didn't sound serious.

"Doesn't that mean a whale's dick?" a male voice asked—coming from a humanoid mass of what looked like rocks. Laura blinked, eyes wide. She'd seen
mutants—but none like this before.

"Who's she?" the first boy asked.

"Her name's Laura Kinney," Cessily said.

"What's her power?" the rock boy asked. "Mouse imitation?"

"Heh," the first boy said.

"Don't be mean, guys," Cessily said, looking annoyed. "Everyone's a little quiet on their first day!"

"We're just fooling around," the boy responded, lowering himself. "Saw you ride in with Mr. Logan—you know him or something?"

"Yes," Laura replied.

The boy looked impressed. "What kind of powers you got? You look like a something-kinetic, am I right?"

"Excuse me?" Laura asked politely.

"You know, your mutant thing," Cessily said. "I'm made of metal. Well, duh, captain obvious. Liquid mercury, to be more accurate."

So she'd been right.

"I'm made of rocks," the rock boy said, grinning. "Can I be your sidekick, Cess?"

"Shut up." The girl brushed hair behind her ear.

"I'm telekinetic," the other boy said. Smugly. He looked expectantly at Laura.

She took a deep breath. "I am Wolverine's clone."

Silence.

"That's not a power," the rock boy said, looking puzzled. "Do you mean you have the power to, uh, clone Wolverine?"

"Shut up, Santo, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Cessily said.

"Well, jeez, this from miss 'I'm-made-of-metal'. Don't I feel stupid."

"So, what? You have claws?" the other boy asked, his manner a little less friendly. More condescending, perhaps.

"Yes," Laura said shortly. She didn't often judge people on sight—but she had formed a perception of this boy. She did not like him. He was intrusive, and seemed
ready to judge her on her abilities alone.

"Well, that's original," he said.

Silence.

"Can I see them?" he asked.

Laura held her elbow, formed a fist with her free hand, and flexed the specialized muscles in her forearm that triggered the release of her claws. Everyone jumped back
an inch involuntarily, although they tried not to show it.

"Holy!" the rock boy.

"Ohmigod!" Cessily said, covering her mouth.

"Gross." the boy who had asked.

Snkkt. The claws withdrew. "Will that suffice?" Laura asked.

"…" the boy raised his eyebrow, sensing the stiffness in her tone. "Hey, I was just being—"

"Annoying," Cessily said, rolling her eyes. "Don't let him get to you, Laura, he can be a bit—"

"Shut up, Cess. I'm making a point. The school's been letting on charity cases lately—people who obviously can't pull their weight." The boy curled his lip at Laura. "I think
it's only fair she know what's expected of her, don't you?"

Laura blinked, then turned and ran in the opposite direction, towards the woods.

…

"Laura! Come down, please!" Cessily called from the bottom of the tree, looking up into the dark canopy. "I'm really sorry! I didn't think he would be mean like that! Hey,
come down please…you just got off to a bad start!"

"No." Laura stared into the leaves around her. "I do not like it here."

"Don't say that!" The other girl bit her lip. "Give us a chance? I feel really bad…Mr. Summers asked me to make you feel welcome, and, well, I pretty much failed royally…"

Scuffling. The two boys were waiting at the edge of the woods. For her to come down. Laura closed her eyes. "No, thank you. I will stay here."

Cessily hung her head, then her face seemed to harden, and she disappeared.

Talking.

"Julian, you idiot—what the hell were you thinking?!"

"Cess, she's acting like a five-year-old. All I said was—" Thunk. "OW! What the hell?!"

"She's my roommate, you retard! Mr. Summers isn't going to be happy, and I'll bet you anything Mr. Logan isn't either."

"Mr. Logan could probably care less about what us kids do." The rock boy.

"Shut up, Santo. You're going to apologize." Cessily.

Silence.

"And explain to her why you would say such mean things and make her feel unwelcome here, you jerk."

"To hell with that." Thunk. "OW! Quit it, Cess!"

"No! You quit it! I'm not going to end up with another roommate who hates me because of you, okay? You're quite the lousy friend!"

"You didn't say she was your roommate, jeez."

"I shouldn't have to! That shouldn't be a factor in your relations with people!"

"Well, it is, okay? There are a lot of people here that don't deserve to be here. They don't bring money to the school…they don't bring talent. They don't even bring class. I
hear Ms. Frost talk about it all the time."

"Julian—you realize how much you've changed since you switched advisors? It's like day and night. You're becoming a really unappealing person!"

And on, and on they argued. Laura slipped down the trunk of the tree and crept away unnoticed. She found she could breathe easier without these strange children
boxing her in, forcing their opinions on her. She re-emerged on the school grounds and saw a girl with very long hair, about the same shade of brunette as Megan's.

"Hello," the girl called warmly, surprising Laura, who found she had been expecting some degree of hostility. She had an accent; it sounded Spanish. South American,
perhaps. Her scent reminded Laura of fresh mountain air, as if she regularly swept all her human scent away.

Laura smiled back hesitantly.

"Are you new here?" the girl asked.

"Yes." Laura glanced at the woods, hearing the voices rise even higher in argument.

The girl looked towards the trees as well, and sighed.

"I see you have met Julian and his friends. They are…how do you say?"

Laura didn't have a word for her, but her features tightened slightly. They listened in silence as the shouting reverted to name-calling, and then as the rock boy
intervened. Laura was not sure how the other girl could hear—were they that loud? She didn't think so, but then again she wasn't sure what the 'normal' auditory
range was, having had sharp hearing almost as far back as she could remember due to the artificial activation of her powers.

"My name is Sofia," the girl said suddenly. "What is yours?"

"Laura."

Sofia smiled at her. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Do you have a roommate yet?"

"Yes." Laura felt more was expected. "Cessily is my roommate."

"Oh," Sofia said, looking worried. "I hope she is nice to you…I have never seen Cessily treat anyone badly, but she does not keep pleasant company. Do not let them
get to you, Laura…it…it is complicated." She frowned. "Julian is not really as bad as he seems, really, just—"

"Unpleasant," Laura said, her nose wrinkling. She was surprised to have come to such a conclusion on his personality—normally she liked to watch people, take her
time, learn them inside out before she decided what they were. But the boy in question almost left a bitter aftertaste. He'd put Laura in a bad mood.

She turned and headed for the mansion without explanation, deciding she would unpack while Cessily was otherwise occupied.

When the girl returned to the room, Laura was already asleep, the covers pulled up tightly over her shoulders so only the top of her head showed. She had skipped
dinner, not wishing to meet anymore students for the night.