October 8th, 2001

     Nothing. Newt had told him time and time again that he was afraid of nothing. Thomas was calling absolute bullshit on that. He woke up once more during the night. Newt had his hand on Thomas' bicep, squeezing it and pulling his body against Thomas' side. He kept making little whimpering noises and at one point he squeezed Thomas' arm so hard it hurt.

     Afraid of nothing my ass. Thomas thought as he sat up and threw the covers off him. Newt was gone the second time Thomas woke up. Thomas felt disappointed for some reason, but he decided to ignore it. He still wasn't exactly sure what had happened last night. He had no idea why he freaked out or the cube didn't wake him up, Thomas planned on talking to the professor as soon as he got dressed.

     Thomas stretched as he stood up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his fists. He yawned as he stumbled to his dresser. He dropped his boxers and shirt and exchanged them for a clean pair with jeans and a hoodie. Thomas definitely felt better, at least better than he was feeling before he got to the school. He was sleeping more, killing less and sometimes actually having fun.

     Thomas combed through his hair with his fingers and popped a piece of gum in his mouth, feeling satisfied with himself as he walked out his room's door.

     "Hey Tom!"

     Thomas jumped when a voice sounded from next to him. He felt his stomach drop when he realized it was Teresa.

     "Oh hey Teresa." Thomas smiled sleepily at her.

     She returned the look before clearing her throat. "So uh listen, about last night..."

     Please say it was a mistake and you regret it, Thomas begged in his head.

     "...are we like a thing?"

     "A thing?"

     She nodded, flipping her shiny black hair over her shoulder. "Yeah, like you don't talk to anyone else and I don't either. I wanna make sure we're on the same page. Does that sound okay?"

     How am I supposed to know what I want us to be right now? If you haven't noticed Teresa, I kill people in my sleep, maybe I should try and figure that out first. A million thoughts were swarming around Thomas' head in that moment. This was probably the last thing he wanted to deal with right now.

     Minho's words from the pub flicked through Thomas' mind then, before he could open his mouth. Teresa was honestly a pretty nice girl, she wasn't anywhere near ugly either. Saying no to her felt too mean, but honestly Thomas had no idea how these things worked. He'd never dated before and Teresa was his first kiss. Maybe you learned to like them more after you became a 'thing'. He remembered how happy Newt looked when he was with Alby in the bar, Thomas really wanted that. He wanted someone to look at him like that, maybe Teresa would.

     "Uh yeah, sure."

     "Really?" Teresa grinned while she reached over and squeezed Thomas' hand.

     Thomas nodded, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut. Why did this all feel so wrong?

     "So where are you off too now?" Teresa asked, cocking her head. She left her fingers intertwined with Thomas'. It felt okay, it wasn't the worst thing in the world, he kinda liked holding hands. He liked it when Newt held his hand, he could probably get used to Teresa doing it.

     "I have to talk to the professor."

     "Want me to come with you?"

    Thomas shook his head. "It's kinda private stuff."

     Hurt flashed across her face as she dropped his hand slowly. "Okay yeah, if you ever want to talk you know where to find me."

     Thomas nodded muttering out a 'thanks' before heading down the hall to the professor's office. When he got there he knocked on the door, hoping X was in there.

     "Thomas?" a voice asked behind him making Thomas turn quickly.

     "Oh uh hi, I was looking for you."

     The professor smiled at Thomas from his place in the hall. "I figured. Is something the matter?"

     Thomas nodded, watching as the professor wheeled toward the door, pushing it open and motioning for Thomas to follow him.

     Once he was seated inside the professor looked at him with an expecting expression, like he was waiting for him to start his story.

     "I had another episode last night, it was really  bad. It's like I knew it wasn't real but I couldn't wake up. The cube didn't wake me either, I didn't damage anything this time..." Thomas trailed off, not wanting to say that Newt was in his room and get the boy in trouble.

     X actually looked interested. "What was different about this time than the last?"

     After a short second Thomas decided that there was no upside to lying, the professor could probably if he did with his stupid mind reading abilities. "Newt was there. He told me he was having nightmares about his parents, I'm guessing that's what made my powers stronger. He was really scared. I didn't hurt him though, only somehow immobilized him."

     "Did you see the man again?"

     Thomas nodded. "He talked to me, said I could either save Newt or find out who he was."

     There was a soft smile on the professors' lips. "And you chose to save your friend?"

     Thomas nodded. "I know he's kinda a difficult mess sometimes, but I like him, he's nice, well nicer, to me now."

     X let out a stuttered laugh. "You don't have to lecture me on difficult friends Thomas. I know we do a lot for the people we care about, you made the right choice."

     "Do you know how I can make him go away? I've been trying and working on the stuff we practiced, but I still lose control."

     The professor was quiet for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face. When he spoke again his voice was low and chilling. "I think you need to figure this one out on your own Thomas. Once you get the man to leave and stop fearing yourself I think you could unlock your true potential."

     "But I don't know how to do any of that! I don't even know where to start! I need help-I need your help!" Thomas pleaded, clenching his hands into fists.

     "Consider it the next phase of your training because obviously what we've been doing isn't helping."

     Thomas sighed, deflating on himself. "Okay."

     "It's not easy Thomas because if it was easy everyone would do it. You have to learn to exist as one with your power not live with the mindset that your power is an accessory. You know when I couldn't control mine, I made a serum that got rid of it completely? You're special Thomas, do things with it, don't hide from it."

     Thomas nodded, not feeling any more reassured.

     "I think you have a lot to learn from your invisible friend."

     Thomas left Xavier's office feeling super frustrated. He didn't get the answers he needed, he had a girlfriend he didn't really want and was somewhat convinced that even the professor didn't know how to help him.

     Thomas was so pent up with his own thoughts he nearly ran straight into someone.

     "I'm sorry," Thomas immediately said, feeling his cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

     "Hey you're the kid from the other day right?" a brown haired girl asked, cocking her head slightly.

     "Yeah the kinda fucked up one." A blonde girl added.

     Thomas immediately recognized them from the day in the office, when X told him about his parents.

     "I'm not fucked up." Thomas frowned alright there was no bite behind his words, he kinda believed blondie.

     The blonde girl rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning.

     "She didn't mean that. Thomas right?" The brunette smiled. Thomas decided that he liked her, she was certainly kinder than blondie. Maybe just all mutants with blonde hair were rude.

     "Yeah, Thomas. It's Thomas."

     "Well you can call me El."

     Thomas waited for the blonde girl to introduce herself which she actually didn't look like she had any intention of doing.

     El nudged her with her shoulder, making her scowl. Thomas almost laughed, they reminded him a bit of Newt and him.

     "Kismet, or Kis, whatever." Her arms were still crossed over her black t-shirt but somehow putting a name to the face made her slightly less intimidating.

     "Why were you in there?" El asked, motioning to the office door.

     Thomas huffed, for some reason he wanted to tell them, it felt right. They already knew half the story.

     "I can't get myself under control, the power thing I mean. I keep seeing this man...I don't know who he is and I can't stop seeing him. I think he's like a mix of fears conjured by the students and my own mind but I just don't know! I'm sick of not knowing!"

     "How about the parent stuff? You doing better with that?" Kis asked, almost looking compassionate.

     Thomas sighed, his shoulders visibly deflating. "I don't know, I just wish I could talk to them. I don't want to talk to them, ya know, but I want to know why they did it. Why they abandoned me and why they're sending vans of men after me."

     The girls shared a look. Kis drew her lip in between her teeth and shrugged.

     El took a deep breath before turning back to Thomas. "I think you should come with us."

     Thomas followed them without thinking twice.

     They stopped in what looked like a library. Thomas had never been there because he didn't take classes in the classrooms, the professor decided that it would be more beneficial if he learned how to stop killing people before he started studying. They crowded at a table in the back, their chairs all touching. El sat in the middle, her brown curls falling over her blue shirt.

     She pushed a wrinkled paper onto the surface, unfolding it and smoothening it out on the surface. "We found this on our last raid, I wasn't sure what to make of it but now I feel like it might mean something more."

     Thomas craned his neck to look at it, he could barely make out a scribbled address and small words under it. Dark Son.

     "Dark son? Is that supposed to be me?" Thomas asked wrinkling his nose.

     Kis nodded, putting her elbows on the table. "The address is from an orphanage near the place you were picked up from the night you came here."

     "How did they get that?" Thomas asked.

     "Probably the same way they get everyone else's, some kind of tech. We found more of pages just like these."

     Thomas frowned slightly. "What does that have to do with me? You think they're tracking me or something?"

     The girls shared a look again, it was starting to creep Thomas out. "We're starting to think your parents have an ulterior motive."

     "And what would that be?"

     "We think they're trying to use you."

     "Why would they want to do that? I can't even use my power without fucking everything up."

     There was the look again, Thomas felt like he was going to scream.

     "We think they're trying to kidnap you. They don't really want you Thomas, they want this school taken down and they want to be the ones who do it."

October 12th, 2001

     Teresa was pressed against his chest, laughing at something Minho was saying as they ate sandwiches on a blanket in the grass. Newt was strangely quiet, he was shoving food in his face at an alarming rate.

     Thomas shot Minho a questioning look. He just mouthed out "trouble in paradise".

     Teresa tilted her head up and smiled at Thomas, stroking his cheek and pecking his lips. Thomas smiled back, keeping his hand on her hip. It's been a couple days of being a 'thing' with Teresa and it stopped being unbearable. She was nice and cute and she always brought food to his room when he forgot to eat which was a bonus. He didn't get those described butterflies in his stomach when he saw her but he assumed that was a good thing, being with her felt regular.

     "So Tommy, burn down anymore bedrooms lately?" Minho asked, snickering as he took a bite of his massive sandwich.

     "Don't call him that Minho, that's my thing." Newt rolled his eyes, pulling his lips into a frown.

     Minho just huffed and flicked a tomato slice at the blonde boy who scowled and ate it. "What's up your ass today Newt?"

     Newt ignored him, going back to eating quietly.

     Thomas was watching him carefully, Newt didn't even look mad, he just seemed upset.

     "How did your meeting with the professor go?" Teresa asked, looking back up at him.

     Thomas shrugged, internally cursing the fact that she asked that in front of Minho and Newt.

     Newt's attention caught at that, he looked up instantly. "Why'd you go and see X?"

     Fuckin Teresa.

     "Just power related stuff."

     "Cause he keeps burning down bedrooms." Minho snickered.

     Newt didn't look convinced but he nodded anyways and went back down to his food.

     Everything felt weird, like everyone was oddly uncomfortable yet no one had the guts to admit it. It was like walking on eggshells around the people he was supposed to be able to talk easily to.

     "Do you want to hangout tonight Tom?" Teresa asked sweetly.

     "Yeah sure." Thomas agreed distractedly as he watched Newt throw food back into his bag.

     Suddenly he got up and walked off without another word.

     Thomas sat up straighter. "Minho is he okay?"

     Minho shrugged. "It's Newt, who knows? If something is really wrong he'd talk to me about it."

     Thomas gently pushed Teresa off him and stood up. "I'm gonna make sure he's okay."

     Then Thomas was running, his sneakers were crunching the grass as he sprinted after the blonde boy.

     "Newt! Hey Newt!" Thomas grabbed his arm as he caught up to him.

     Newt turned around looking beyond pissed, but his expression softened when he saw it was Thomas.

     "What do you want Tommy?"

     "Are you alright?"

     "Why wouldn't I be?" Newt snapped, pulling his lips into a frown.

     Thomas didn't know how to reply to that. He just looked at the blonde boy with a sad expression. He wanted nothing more than to make him feel better.

     Newt sighed and tugged at his hair. It was getting longer, like he hadn't cut it in a while, it looked nice.

     "You show up, change everything, give me these awful nightmares...I tried so hard to hate you Tommy, so hard, but then you had to be all stupid and nice." Newt huffed and shook his head. "You just stress me out, you shouldn't have came after me."

     "I stress you out?" Thomas asked, sounding confused.

     Newt nodded before wiping at his eyes. He wasn't crying, but he looked like he was close.

     "Okay Newt, what's actually wrong?"

     "Alby dumped me." Newt blurted out as he blinked a few times, shaking his head as if he was acting ridiculous. "Said I was acting weird and he couldn't 'vibe with that', whatever the fuck that means."

      "I'm sorry Newt." Thomas frowned, just now dropping the blonde boy's arm and frowning. "When did it happen?"

     Newt shrugged. "What does it matter?"

     "It matters Newt, it was obvious that you cared about him."

     Newt snorted out a sad sounding laugh. "Whatever. Love is a sick joke Thomas."

     "I'm serious." Thomas looked him in the eyes. "Are you okay?"

     "You don't have to worry about me all the time!" Newt snapped, taking a step back. "I'm not some fragile princess."

     "I know," Thomas said, ignoring Newt's change in mood. He was conditioned to handle the boy's bad moods by now. "I never said you were. Plus I'm pretty sure that would make me the hero in this situation and we all know you're gonna be the one saving my ass someday yeah? Definitely not the other way around."

     Newt rolled his eyes, a small smile pulling on his lips. "Yeah you'd be lost without me Tommy."

     "Probably even dead...and my room would still be a disaster. I'd be getting lost in the halls still."

     Newt was smiling now. He reached out and lightly shoved Thomas. "You're an idiot."

     Thomas lightly grabbed his wrist. "You're the idiot."

     Newt was staring at him with those big brown eyes. For some reason it made Thomas' stomach feel weird. He felt shaky when Newt was looking at him like that. He instantly dropped Newt's wrist and scratched the back of his neck.

     "So yeah, you'll tell me if you're sad again right?"

     Newt rolled his eyes, crossing his arms back over his chest. He looked angry again, but Newt always looked angry so Thomas didn't know how to take it.

     "Sure Tommy. Your girlfriend doesn't look happy, have fun with her."

     "She's not m-" Newt was gone before Thomas could even finish his sentence.

     As soon as he turned around, Teresa was there.

     "Were you planning on coming back?" Teresa asked, frowning slightly.

     "Well yeah, but Newt was upset."

     Teresa sighed. "Have you ever dated anyone before Thomas?"

     "Well not really, but I don't see what that has to do with anythin-"

     Teresa had her hand on his cheek then, lightly rubbing it. "You can't keep pushing me to the sidelines okay? You're supposed to tell me stuff so I can help you."

     "Oka-"

     Teresa cut him off by pressing his lips to his.

     Thomas left his eyes open as she kissed him trying to see where the blonde boy stormed off to this time.

     Thomas felt bad, he honestly did, but Teresa would always be second to Newt.