The Innocent Will Never Last

Fleur bit her lip, trying to keep her eyes open. If Mr. Debonski noticed her head swaying sleepily, he didn't say anything. Last night, Xavier and Jean had questioned her so throughly that she'd had trouble keeping her story straight. Thank god for their morals, otherwise she'd have been sent straight to Valarie; the resident emotion feeler.

Valarie was nice but she creeped Fleur out. Who wouldn't be freaked out by someone who could taste your mood? Valarie had the power to go deep into a person's emotional psyche and feel their trauma and scars. She could heal them in a way. That might've been a relief if it wasn't for the stupid serenity that stole the person's true emotions for periods of time.

Some mutants liked that feeling- it was the next best thing to getting high. Others, like Fleur, avoided the emotion feeler. Fleur had seen a mutant being "healed" once. At first, the man's face was contorted in fear and anger. Then Valarie had put her slender hands on the mans chest and his face smoothed out. The blankness that came over him was frightening- like falling into a void and not realizing it.

" Mrs.DiMarc!", Mr.Debonski snapped, making Fleur start.

" Huh?", she stared dumbly for a second. Then, she looked down.

" Try to pay attention in my class or I will be forced to speak with your guardian, again"

A few of the people around her sniggered. Fleur slumped lower into her chair, feeling Mr.Debonski's disaproving glare on her. She pretended to pay attention, not caring. This was just american studies, not calculus.

God, I hate Mr.Debonski. He's such an ***, it's like he signales me out specifically, she thought angrily.

Fleur's thoughts then turned to Scarlett. Just like her name, she'd left a scar in Fleur's heart. Scarlett was like a ball of energy, pumping everyone up just by being there. She was the leader in every prank they- meaning Scarlett, Kurt and Fluer- pulled at the institute. Scarlett had been so jazzed before the mission, and then IT had happened.

A sudden wave of grief washed over Fleur making it hard for her to breathe. Her anger drowned in the flood of emotions. It seemed as though Fleur's insides had shriveled up, leaving her nearly empty. A spasm of pain shot through her heart quickly, leaving no time for a reaction.

Desperately, Fleur tried to hold in her emotions. The last thing she needed was a breakdown in class. Tears burned her eyes, begging to be let out. Almost robotically, Fleur shook her hair so that it hid her face. A thin curtain of fiery red seperated her from the world.

" Ms. DiMarc, tell the class when America first became involved in World War one?", Mr. Debonski smiled smugly, as if he already knew she couldn't answer.

" Um...I-I don't know,"Fleur stuttered, her pale cheeks burning again.

Why did Mr. Debonski chose this momment to put her on the spot light? Normally, Fleur had some sarcastic remark ready in her head and a glare to match. Today, she was still reeling from yesterday. She hung her head, allowing two twin tears to escape her eyes.

Everyone stood in a circle, like grim statues. In the middle was a mahogany coffin with pale lilies and orchids arranged on top. The room was decorated in shades of black and grey.

Fleur was kneeling on the ground, sobbing. Her heart felt shattered, cutting her with the pieces. A sick feeling filled her stomach. She wanted to go back and defend Scarlett. She had died because of her. Fleur wished so much that she could protect that friend.

After all, wasn't that being a good friend? If she had done something, anything, Scarlett wouldn't be in that coffin. She'd probably be plotting some crazy prank on somebody. Fleur felt sicker now, she just wanted to disappear.

The only sound in the room was the grandfather clock. Slowly the pendulum in the case swung, anouncing that it was two o'clock. Somehow, that pendulum reminded Fleur of the momments right before Scarlett died.

Fleur remembered being scared and crouching behind those crates. She remembered her heart pounding against her ribs as though it would break through. She also remembered asking herself why she didn't go and save Scarlett. The answer? She didn't know.

Fleur snapped out of the memory just as the bell rang for sixth period. Shoving her notebook inside her Paramore tote, she fought back tears. The other people in the class were too wrapped up in their pointless conversations to notice her. Fleur walked out of the room quickly before Mr.Debonski could stop her.

Silently, she walked to the girls bathroom on the second floor. Once more, nobody stopped her. Fleur wasn't important enough in their little world to be bothered with. Quickly, she pulled the door open and walked in. It slammed shut behind her.

Looking around, Fleur saw a petite freshman girl washing her hands in front of a sink. She waited for the small girl to leave then let herself into a stall. Gingerly, she sat down on the toliet seat and stared at the graffiti covered wall. A few seconds passed before she began thinking again. Her thoughts turned to Scarlett and her nightmares.

What am I going to do? This guilt's going to drive me crazy, Fleur thought frantically.

To calm herself, Fleur allowed a small burst of energy to sit on her right hand. With her left, she slowly shaped it into different forms. Soon, she found herself staring at a silvery image of Logan. He had his leather jacket on along with a pair of ragged jeans. Logan was sitting down with his knees pulled to his chest.

She stared at the image for a few minutes then let it melt into her hand again. Confused and angry, Fleur allowed herself to sink into the floor. Of all the people she could have sculpted from the energy, she made a sculpture of Logan. All these emotions must be messing with her mind.

Still, Fleur needed a solution. No matter how much she wished she could let go of Scarlett, she just couldn't. The brown haired mutant had become a part of Fleur. It was tempting to simply lose herself in her own grief, yet something inside Fleur wouldn't allow her. It was small but persistant.

Suddenly, Fleur stood up and opened the door of the stall. A few seniors stared at her, clearly surprised at her sudden appearence. Quickly, Fleur slipped a fake sheepish grin on and turned to leave. The senior girls went back to reapplying their makeup.

Once outside, she hurried to the nearest janitor's closet. Fleur turned the knob quickly and rushed inside. She didn't understand what motivated her to do such a thing that she'd swore she'd never do.

Fleur allowed a small silvery orb to grow in her hand. Hesitating, she whispered, " Send me home to xavier's study."

Nothing happened for a few seconds. Puzzled, Fleur tapped the orb with the tip of her finger nail. Then she was sucked into the orb. With a shrill shriek, the orb disappeared. A few teachers stuck their heads out of their doors in order to investigate the source of the noise.

***********************************************

Fleur opened her eyes slowly, taking in her surrondings. Around her, were the familiar walls of Xavier's office. She found herself sitting crosslegged on his desk. In front of her was a slightly shaken Xavier.

He cleared his throat and looked at her expectantly, his eyebrows drawing together. It was almost as if he knew exactly what Fleur was going to say.

With her heart thudding loudly and her hands getting clammy, Fleur said," I'm ready now."