The Days The Music Died (Open, all X-Men)

Mel shrugged.

"Life's a gamble. And I was sent some sort of e-pamphlet to my email, and it looks legit. I'm going to give it a shot. After all, this power, for the time being, seems to take care of itself. You presented a threat, and look at what it did, just to...I dunno, protect me? And if it can toss American Girl to the pavement, then I just have to trust it and go."

Upon taking another few drags, Mel tossed the cigarette to the ground. As it struck the ground, the embers seemed a miniscule explosion of light, the ashes scattering in the windy night.

"As for Mutie University, I'm not sure what they do to help. All I know is that I was sent it personally, within hours of the....accident. And being on tour, you know that mail can be a bit of a pain to get...if it weren't for it being digital, I wouldn't've gotten it at all. As for it being legit, I checked it up on the 'net, and the address existed enough for Yahoo!Maps to get me directions to it....which I thankfully memorized. 'Cause I'm not so sure I could find them now, being that I just had a head-on collision with a teen superhero..."

Mel laughed, a little overwhelmed. As a rock star, strange occurences were normal to him. But this? These past few days? Weird city. And now being a "normal", unemployed person, the days should've been normal. But they seemed far from it....

"Um, it was nice....you know....running into you? But I gotta get outta here. You know, less likely to get pinched for the cracked windshield...."

With that, Mel climbed into the van.

"Heh."

The passenger door opened, Banner sliding into the seat beside him. She grinned widely at him as he gave her a "Wha?" look.

"You don't think I'm gonna let a civilian like you go to some strange place all alone. What if you need help? I'd feel kinda bad if they used you as a guinea pig or something."

Mel smirked.

"Sure you're not just hittin' on me? I mean, I am a former rock star....who apparently you at least somewhat liked the music enough to go to the concert."

Mel shook his head.

"You know, that's probably not somethin' I should joke about.....Um, you sure you wanna be caught riding around in a beatup van? I mean, it might make tabloids..."

She laughed. "Uh, sorry, but no. And as for the tabloids, they'll probably label me the masked mystery woman who's comforting you in your time of distress."

Mel laughed. It was the first laugh in a few days.

"Or they'll think I'm off the wagon and using callgirl services, and have a strange fetish for masked women. You probably aren't even legal....And they probably aren't following me anymore. I didn't announce my disappearance. I just left after quietly liquidating most of my assets, and covering the injuries. Maybe after awhile, you can give me the hospital where I could see your friend at....a visit might help her some."

After a few sputters, the van's engine roared to life, and Mel pulled off of the side of the road, onto the Interstate, and into the night.

About thirty minutes later, Mel's van finally parked at a stop sign, just a block from Cullen's Institiute. Mel looked over to the girl, an expression of doubt across his face.

"You sure you want to come with me? There is a chance that someone here may be able to identify you by other means...and that would probably screw ya with the press if that info leaked....Plus, I'm not sure how they'd react to a masked mutant, and a tattooed thug showin' up at their doorstep drivin' a beatup Econoline van...I mean, among the two of us, I'm afraid I'm the normal one here, girl..."

Cullen's Institute

Anita couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts running the tracks through her mind sometimes did this. It wasn't from the use of her power. It was just personal, idle wonderings. Her life had been largely ill at ease because of her power, making it hard to get close to anyone, or for anyone to get close to her. Everything she touched had secrets to give to her. It was easiest to trust others until she had to touch them. The thoughts of others can be a daunting arena. So far, her short tenure at the institute had been comfortable in that respect. The environment was different, and there were others that had powers stemming from direct contact. It would take a veritable mountain of trust for her to have direct contact with any one person. If there was one thing Anita had not come to terms with, it was that when it comes to the thoughts of others, it was like dealing with a crowd of people. You had to learn to take the good with the bad.

At least the stars could keep their secrets. Stargazing was a favoured activity with Anita, one that calmed her. She was hoping it would help her sleep tonight, but so far, it was having little effect. As she scanned the constellations, her attention was suddenly distracted by the sputter and noise of a van.

A van, a block away from the institute. Waiting, at the stop sign.

Curious. She thought. Or perhaps not.

And thus, with her curiousity piqued, the librarian made her way to the front entrance. Either something was coming, or something was just passing by. She intended to be there if it were the former.

"Yes, I'm sure." Banner rolled her eyes. "They ARE a place full of mutants, I'm sure they've seen stranger things than a masked girl and a guy with tattoos. If they're really going to help you, then it shouldn't matter, right?"

The ride there had been filled with idle small talk, mostly about Lee and her love of Mels' music. A little bit about his life before finding out he was a freak, and her life - school and whatever. She was more than a little offended that he didn't want her to come with him.

"And like I said, if there's trouble, I'm going to be there to help you out."

Mel looked back at her.

"I'm just tryin' to prepare you....and myself, maybe. Hell, this is the first time I've done somethin' like this myself....And, um, thanks for the help. I don't really deserve it, but I appreciate it all the same."

With a sigh of nervousness, Mel rolled the van down the well-kept roads, past the tidy lawns, and out into a clear area, just short of the Institute. Mel figured it was probably to keep the "school" private. If this is a school, Mel thought to himself. Well, if it was a trap, he at least had some extra muscle. In the form of a teenaged, pre-and-post-pubescent girl who could stop cars with her strength and toughness, and fly.....He almost laughed aloud, but no expression of humor showed upon his face. The nervousness kept him in check. Stopping at the black, wrought-iron gates, Mel rolled down the window...

A rent-a-cop stood beside the van, looking the pair over. Banner flashed him a smile. "Hi, Um, my big brother and I recieved an e-vite. I think someone is expecting us. Right, Melvin?"

She poked him in the ribs, still smiling as the guard radioed up to the house.

Anja sensed both of them; yes, both of them, there were two and they were people. She had already started back through the hedges just off the main road even before she had heard a motor vehicle. Even in her blindness, Anja swiftly picked her way up and over small bushes and through masses of twigs; the vehicle was at the front gate now and at the distance she was at she could hear voices.

One was from the guard at the gate and the other…was from a girl. But there was still someone else in the van. A boy. How interesting.

With perfect precision, Anja emerged through the hedges just before the stairs leading to the Cullen’s mansion. Before the driver of the van had even gotten the word to move on, Anja picked up the presence of an all too familiar mutant… Ms. Florence.

The dark haired girl brushed off her sleeves of her navy blue sweater and took her time in approaching the librarian. She didn’t stop until she was standing right next to the elder mutant, her senses and her eyes facing the van in the gateway down the long, narrow driveway.

“You couldn't sleep.” Anja more stated than asked in her strong accent. And nodded her head to the vehicle. “I’m not sure who they are”. But, I feel a lot of confusion and… hidden fear."

At the sight of the younger mutant, Anita had smiled. She didn't bother asking what she was doing up. It wasn't at all surprising that Anja probably couldn't sleep, either.

"Anja..Yes, sleep wouldn't come to me."

The librarian, looking as if she might be a student herself, set her eyes on the van. Her vision was a normal twenty-twenty, and she had none of the enhanced senses that most of the other mutants young and old seemed to have. At best, the voices were a murmur to her. Even the nightlife of the local insects and animals was more noticeable. She listened in silence as Anja spoke, and at the mention of confusion and fear, she crossed her arms, tucking her hands tightly between them and her ribs. Florence had a noton of just who it might be in the van, but until the guard stepped away, it would remain as such - a notion.

"I have a gut feeling I might know who one of them is. But I wouldn't think he'd have any passengers, considering. That is strange..."

Mel smiled, somehow hiding his nervousness.

"Um, yeah. That's right. Someone sent an....e-vite....to my e-mail. Yeah. You know, crazy guys and their computers....all they're good for is quick communication and video games...."

With a fake laugh, Mel hoped to God the guy was buyin' it. Shortly after an inaudible bark from the radio, the guard waived them in, the gates clanging open, as Mel slowly pulled the beige Econoline in, cracked windshield and dented hood, into the massive complex. Mel noted just how strange it was for a school to have guards. Then again, it wasn't completely unusual; most large colleges had guards. Maybe that's what this was: a college. Mel merely shook his head as his van left the view of the guards. Finding the designated parking space, Mel pulled into it, cutting the engines. He looked over to the Girl, his eyes a flash of green uneasieness.

"Here goes...."

Mel exited the van, not even bothering to get out his stuff. They may not be here long. In fact, they may even be on the run. If that were indeed the case, Mel would leave his clothing, and the expensive music equipment, among his other belongings in the van. His life was worth more.....

Noting the two people in what appeared to be the main entrance to the massive complex, Mel approached them, only speaking once he got closer to see that it was two girls; one had just come from the outside, judging by the night dew that was clinging to her shoes. The other, seeming a little older, was probably from the inside, with her clothing seeming too perfectly in place than to have been hanging around outside. Both seemed students, but one seemed more....studious? The older one perhaps. Mel merely shrugged, the light from the complex washing over his torn jeans, black Metallica t-shirt, the several spiked belts and chains around his waist, and the felt, short brimmed hat. His tattoos seemed alive as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Uh, yeah, I got sent an e-vite. Who do I....I mean, we need to see?"

Banner was hanging back a bit, half way between the van and the door, watching Mel and the two girls. They didn't look like they'd cause any trouble...She took a few steps closer, hands stuffed into her jacket pockets, staying quiet. Mel could do the talking; it was his invite after all.

A thin eyebrow raised as the boy spoke. An e-vite…? Oh, an invitation! Anja almost chuckled at her stubbornness, almost. She smiled on the outside instead.

“Are you a new student, then?” Her grin beaming, even in the night. She looked at the boy, but not only with her eyes. Her senses went to work on him; giving every detail of his grayish outlines a careful look. His aura was like a constant wavering magnetic field, it just never stood still; it made her very giddy...and not in a good way.

She was about to introduce him to Ms. Florence, but the girl from the van caught the edge of her sense. Anja took the liberty of playing along like a normal, un-handicapped teenage girl and physically peered around the boy in front of her at the girl father back.

“We might be mutants but we don’t bite.” Anja waved before returning to her previous guest. She shifted to the side and put a hand on Ms. Florence’s arm. “This is Ms. Florence, our librarian. She can probably help you out a lot more than I ever could.”

She grinned again at the boy, her senses still lingering on the girl behind him, though. “Oh, my name is Anja. I’m a student here at the Cullen's Institute for the Gifted.”

Mel looked over the speaker, who addressed herself as Anja. Though she seemed to look directly at him, Mel felt something wasn't quite right. Like as if....maybe she were relying less on her vision, and more on....some other sense? Mel continued the conversation, filling in on his half.

"Well, I'm not sure I'm a student. That would be if this place is a school, and not some lab where I'll be dissected...But you ladies seem nice enough, so I'll go out on a limb."

Mel stepped forward, his boots resounding on the pavement as he approached them, within hand-shaking distance.

"I'm Melvin Lodeus. Call me Mel."

He reached out his partially gloved hands, a gesture first for the speaker, then for the speaker's accomplice.

Anita remained quiet, allowing Anja to speak. The girl's touch on her arm had no effect in activating her power, which was basically psychometric, because the contact was not direct. Anita was wearing a light sweater with her jeans, and her arms still remained crossed. She grabbed her sweater with the ends of her long, delicate fingers a little, the newcomer's innocent gesture causing the slightest unease.

"I know who you are...both of you, to an extent." She gave Mel a faint smile, glancing briefly to the girl set behind him. "Also, I keep tabs on more than one news source, and I'm more than aware of the invite you received, as I'm the one that noted the strangeness surrounding what... happened."

Anita flicked her soft eyes down to his offered hand, then slowly back up to his face, noting the tattoos on the way up.

"You'll forgive me if I don't shake hands." Even with the partial gloving, she was still wary. Anja's noting of the confusion and fear just minutes previous made Anita not terribly willing to touch him. She did, however, move her hands to the outside of her arms, rubbing them a little. A somewhat awkward silence ensued for a few moments.

"Ah...Perhaps we should head inside?" She said, a blanket statement to all of those present. "It's rather late, and the temperature doesn't improve in the slightest for a while yet. It's easier to talk where it's warm and safe."

Mel gave her a glance over his shoulder, and she shrugged. "May as well go inside."

If things weren't on the up and up, Banner was certain she could take these two out, punch through a window and fly away, Mel in tow. They followed the women inside, Banner taking a second to gape at the interior of the school. "Damn, this place is big."

Following Anita Florence up the stairs and into the building, Anja had to chuckle at the girl's statement. "Yes, this place is overwhelming sometimes."

She could tell that there was an undefined tension, thick enough that one could probably use a knife to cut through, floating in the air. These two thought that this was sometype of lab?

...Anja smiled to herself, they would find out eventually that they had nothing to fear.

Ms. Florence led them down the main hall and to the 'administration offices', which was more of a lounge than office.

Mel himself was a bit stunned at the immense size of the place. The area was clean, and pristine. Yet, to some degree, perhaps it was the dim lighting, and the wood panelling, this place felt comfortable. Everything seemed so nice, so rustic. This place was nothing short of amazing. And Mel felt, to be sure, that there was more to this place than met the first-time visitor's eye. After all, if it were a school for mutants, then they would obviously require places to study, plus places to practices one's power. And the practice area would have to be a stable, and controlled environment, away from things that could be damaged. Problem was, everything seemed almost too comfortable to be a place where mutants would train. Hell, Mel didn't even know if he was a mutant; he couldn't even begin to explain the strange occurences surrounding his abilities....a mutant gene seemed to be the only logical explanation.

The next thing Mel wondered about was why the librarian, Ms. Florence, wouldn't shake his hand. Maybe it had something to do with her power?

And shortly after that, Mel found his eyes lowering slightly, glancing at the two girl's backsides. Had he not been fearful of just what he was getting into, that particular topic would've been the first thing to pique his interests. But, with the potential of walking into a trap in the foreground, he could scarsely keep himself focused on the two women. If he were a telepath, he would've been at ease with the place and the feelings within; being that he wasn't, Mel would have to go off of pure instinct. And right now, the unknown factors would bring fear to him.

As they entered the lounge, Mel felt comfortable. Several chairs were set around a conference table; professional, yet somehow very comforting. Set in the corner of the room was a conversational piece of a loveseat and two large, cushioned armchairs, set around a coffee table. Mel wasn't sure where to sit, so he waited it out, watching everyone, an apathetic look hiding the fear in his mind.

She caught Mel practically DROOLING over the two womens' butts as they were lead down a hallway. All she could do was roll her eyes - boys will be boys, even if their lives are potentially on the line. When they arrived at the lounge area, she pushed passed him and flopped into one of the armchairs, stretching.

Banner waited untill the others were seated before raising a brow at Ms Florence. "So...you said you knew who both of us are. Just from reading the papers?"