"Sam?"

I stood, grounded to the spot, gripping the book to my chest so tightly I could feel the skin stretching around my knuckles. He turned around.

"Not quite." said a voice I wasn't expecting. Theo Baldwin grinned at me, and took a step forwards. Luckily I found my feet again.

"Go away Theo." I said levelly, before turning away from him and starting off towards the East exit. It was a much longer route back to my corridor, but if it meant staying away from Theo I really didn't care.

"Sorry to disappoint you Rainbow, lover-boy's back tomorrow!" He called after me, not caring that he was disturbing the students still working...or that Miss Stevens looked like she was going to gut him.

Lover-boy. Really? It was too pathetic to make me angry enough to retaliate, but it still stung me.

I really thought it had been Sam, and for a split-second all my thoughts and feelings vanished, replaced by a numbness which settled in my stomach like a large brick. Then thoughts had raced through my head at lightening speed: What do I say? Do I say anything? Has he forgiven me? Will he ever forgive me? Does he even know I'm here? Instead, all I'd been able to produce was a single word; his name.

I shook it off. I'd have to bump into him eventually - if Theo was right, sooner than I had been ready for. The brick wobbled, unsure of itself. Was that a feeling of happiness, or of dread? I guessed I'd find out tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Time to present my sociology project to Fulmen. It was the first time I'd been excited about a piece of homework in my entire life, and I was glad it was first period. Hopefully everything would still be fresh in my mind, but for now I knew I should get some sleep.

Amber was breathing heavily in her own slumber as I entered our room quietly, and laid down the book as quietly as I could on my bedside table. It was bursting with notes, and I felt something a little like pride coursing through me. I'd work out what I was actually going to say tomorrow over breakfast. I might ask Holly for help, she was interested in Mutant Politics and might have heard of Lothar - unlike the rest of the world, so it seemed. I sat down on my bed, not realising how tired I had become. I barely noticed the ache sliding into my head, as I laid down and immediately fell into my dreams.

---

Sweat clung to my body as I sat up like a shot. My eyes turned immediately to the clock on the table next to me.

8:47.

I stared at it for a few seconds - then it hit me.

I tore out of bed and into the bathroom. No time to take off yesterday's makeup and replace it, I topped it up as best I could and got dressed into the first clothes I found. Just then Amber came in.

"Oh, you're up then." She smiled at me, then saw my expression.

"No thanks to you." I spat, not caring about my manners right now. "Why the hell didn't you wake me up for breakfast? Now it's only ten...no, five minutes until class and I'm pitching my project to Fulmen - a project I was planning to put together this morning, which..." I continued, snatching up the book off the side. "I wouldn't have had to do if you weren't distracting me yesterday. Thanks a bunch Amber."

I stormed off, leaving Amber open mouthed. Ok, I'd just snapped at my best friend over being late - something I'd never cared about before - but she didn't understand how important this project was to me, no one did. But Fulmen would see.

I was just on time to class, and just in time to hear my name being called. We were pitching in alphabetical order. Another reason to hate my name - I was first up.

The rest of the class were near silent, touching up their notes and silently mouthing their prepared speeches. The room buzzed with concentration, and I felt a pinch of nervousness at how prepared they all seemed to be compared to me. I fingered the notes that stuck out from the book at all angles, and approached Fulmen's desk.

"Please, do talk amongst yourselves." He addressed the rest of the class cheerily. He sat down and motioned for me to sit in the chair opposite the desk. I did so. The noise level bubbled up slightly, and Fulmen smiled at me across the desk.

"How are you enjoying the project Rainbow?"

I was silent for a moment. "Actually, a lot more than I was expecting...um, Professor." So I didn't have a perfectly formed idea - but I did have my gut feeling, and that would have to do. Fulmen raised his eyebrows and smiled, surprised.

"You certainly didn't strike me as one interested in academia Miss Arcus, but perhaps I was wrong - on this subject anyway. Tell me, what is it about the project that interests you?"

I thought for a second. "It's real."

Fulmen's expression flickered. "Who have you chosen as your project centre Rainbow?" He asked, his voice faltering from it's usually cheery tone. What had I said wrong?

"It's someone we haven't actually covered in class Professor, so you might not have even heard of him. There's only one book in the entire library that even mentions him - but he's one of the most important figures in the history of Mutant Rights..."

What had I been worrying about? The words were coming so easily, like they had a life of their own.

"His name, is Adam Wycaster - or Lothar, as he called himself."

Fulmen's eyes widened, and for the first time I could read the expression on his face. The usual buzzing I felt when I looked in his eyes vanished for a second - but even that was a second too long, and I read his fleeting thought.

'No.'

"No." He said aloud, but barely above a whisper.

"Professor?" I ventured.

"No, you must have been mistaken Rainbow. Lothar Wycaster is not a name associated with the MRG, or the Mutant rights movement in general." He spoke quickly, with a harshness in his voice I'd never heard.

"But Professor, it's all here in this book. The real story of the MRG - Lothar is the hero of the modern fight for equality! Look..." I stood up, picking up the book to show him. Fulmen stood up too. He leaned forward on his desk, his voice lower but still full of the same harshness.

"Lothar Wycaster is a dangerous criminal Rainbow, and an insult to mutant-kind. You have no idea what you're dealing with here - Adam's is a dangerous path to follow. I reject this proposal: find someone else to look into Rainbow, I will not allow you to continue this study."

I felt the blood rising to my cheeks, and even the hint of tears threatening to rise to my eyes. I snatched up the book and strode from the room, slamming the door behind me and running up the stairs and down the corridor to my room.

The first time I'd ever cared about a stupid piece of homework - ever cared this much about anything in my life, and he'd shot it down without even hearing me out. I'd thought Professor Fulmen understood me, and I'd thought he'd understand this, but he'd turned out to be just as narrow-minded as the rest of them. Could he not even think, for one second, that just because Lothar was different in his approach, it didn't mean he was wrong? The Headmaster of the most diverse school in the country, and he couldn't accept that someone was different.

 I kicked my bed in frustration, then sat down on it, my head in my hands. I could feel the anger burning, threatening to spark a fire, but I knew better than to let it rise. Motus had taught me how to calm my emotions, to keep whatever - or whoever - was invading my brain out.

But the anger felt different this time. It wasn't all consuming like usual, rendering me a hopeless mess of flames and emotion, it was more like a fuel, spurring me on, giving me an energy I never usually had. I paced the room, suddenly full of exhilarated movement. Some strange, new part of me wanted to get up and do something...but what?

I didn't go back to sociology that morning. It felt weird, skipping class. I felt like the old me again, and for a moment I realised how much I'd changed. I flung open my wardrobe and groped haphazardly through the rails, not caring as I knocked other clothes off their hangers. The bottom of the wardrobe became littered with items of uniform, some new clothes I'd bought with Amber last weekend, and the skirt I'd borrowed off of Kat for our trip into town. I found what I was looking for, and pulled it on so fast I was surprised I didn't rip through the holes I'd already made in years of use. My favourite hoodie.

I stretched out the sleeves and sunk my hands into them, before wrapping them around my legs as I huddled on my bed, drinking in the scent of old perfume and even older memories.

I was happy here, happier than I'd ever been. But I could never forget where I'd come from.

---

I sidled sheepishly up to Amber in the lunch queue.

"Sorry." There was nothing else to say really. She turned around quickly, startled. Then she saw me.

"Oh. Oh, it's ok Rainbow, I should have woken you up this morning."

"I shouldn't have snapped at you, I really am sorry." And I was. My break from lessons this morning had given me time to think about what a cow I'd been.

"I really wasn't feeling myself." And this was true too. Ever since last night in the library I'd had a strange feeling that I wasn't completely here. When I found myself holding the book yesterday - but didn't remember picking it up. The words that had flown so easily from my mouth today - so fast I hadn't even formed them in my head. But how was I supposed to explain this to A? So, I didn't. She shrugged.

"We've been through worse." She smiled at my pained expression. "Too soon?" She teased.

"Always." I said, half smiling, half guilty. But she was right, we always made it through - that was what best friends did.

Holly, Kat and Joe were already sitting at our usual table when we arrived with our lunch.

"...just can't stop thinking about it. It's just so close now! Which reminds me that we, girls, need to go dress shopping." Holly looked at us pointedly as we sat down.

"Umm, what now?" Amber said, tucking in to her chicken pie.

"The Winter Ball?! It's like, a week away and we still haven't got dresses!" Holly used her arms a lot when she talked, especially when she was excited. Joe was sat next to her, and was copying her movements as she spoke to us. It was too hard to keep a straight face.

"What's so funny?" Holly snapped, when Kat sprayed her lemonade over her lunch after a particularly frivolous arm gesture from Joe. Now both Holly and Joe had their arms crossed, their faces pouting. We all pressed our lips together, trying to keep the laughter within from bursting out. Luckily, Kat aimed a kick at Joe which not only stopped him from mocking Holly, but also knocked him clean out of his chair. Now we all had something to really laugh at.

He got back up quickly, face glowing. When we'd finally stopped laughing, I remembered something.

"We've got another party to think about first Holly." Her eyes widened.

"What?! Who's?! When?!" I could see why she'd been a part of Cassie's clique once - the thought of makeup and dresses and dancing with boys made her act like a ten-year-old. That and her stubbornness was Holly's only weakness.

"Kara and Maria are having a birthday party tomorrow, the 13th, in their dorm. It's top secret though, so don't tell anyone."

"They wanted to make sure you were all invited." Amber said, looking pointedly at Joe, who furrowed his brow. I elbowed her, but Holly hadn't noticed.

"Amazing! Only one day to decide what I'm wearing though...I might have to raid your wardrobe Amber."

"Hols, do you really think you're going to fit into anything I own? You're only about a foot taller than me."

"Oh god I forgot you're a midget." She said biting her nails and looking in the other direction.

"Hey!" Amber retorted, but Holly had stood up. "Still got ten minutes until lunch ends, I need to get planning! See you guys later." She strode off quickly, leaving half her dinner behind.

"Untouched food on Holly Browning's plate? Well this is a first." Joe said, smiling after her.

"Maria has a crush on you!" Amber suddenly blurted out. I turned to stare at her. She had her hand clapped over her mouth. She mouthed a quick, 'sorry' at me.

"What?" Said Joe a second later, only just catching on. I sighed.

"What happened to keeping out of other people's relationships A?" Amber looked smug.

"Oh lighten up Rainbow, this is totally different. Do you think you like her back Joe? Or, is there someone else..."

"I know you're talking about Holly." Joe said bluntly, taking us by surprise.

"Uh...no, I..." Amber stuttured. It was Kat who interupted her, breaking the silence she'd been keeping.

"You're really unsubtle about it guys. Joe's known you've been trying to get it out of him for ages." There was a moment of silence.

"You told Kat, but not us?!" Amber said quietly, clearly hurt. I was a bit hurt too. Sure, Kat was part of the group now, but Amber and I, especially Amber, had been closer to Joe for longer. Didn't he trust us?

"Don't you trust us?" Amber took the words out of my mouth.

"Of course I do, I just knew if I told you guys..."

"Told us what?" Amber smiled coyly. Joe frowned.

"What we've just been talking about?"

"I know I just want to hear you say it!" Amber smiled with a wicked grin.

"Just humour her." I said to an exasperated looking Joe, who sighed heavily.

"I'm madly in love with Holly." He said dryly, but you could feel the real emotion behind his words. Amber bobbed up and down in her seat with excitement.

"I've waited so long to hear that!!" She squealed. Joe rolled his eyes.

"You are such a girl sometimes." But he was smiling. It was obvious how pleased he was to finally have his feelings out in the open.

"So you think Maria likes Joe?" Kat asked, trying to keep the thread of the conversation. I nodded.

"Kara let it slip when they invited us to the party." Joe looked thoughtful.

"Maria's a lovely girl, but..." He trailed off.

"Holly?" All three of us chorused. He nodded.

"Holly."

---

Even after these long few weeks, there was still a gaping hole where my Spanish lessons should be.

We'd heard nothing of Professor Moñento since her disappearance. No threats, no ransom, no news at all. Somehow, that was worse. Everyone had been affected by her disappearance. Everyone that is, except Motus. The woman seemed immune to emotion, and I still hadn't forgotten the phone call I'd overheard the night I tried to run.

"...that sort of thing doesn't exactly go unnoticed - in case you thought Moñento had quietly disappeared into the dark..."

The more I thought about it, the more sure I was - Motus had been involved in Moñento's disappearance, and was in contact with the kidnappers. My Personal Development sessions were the best chance I had to investigate her further, but so far she'd been...well, normal. Normal for a controlling sociopath, anyway.

I'd spent my free period in place of Spanish class in the library, pouring over my book on Lothar. The headache I seemed to get everytime I did my research was becoming second nature. Clearly I wasn't used to all these words in front of me - I'd never sat down and read a book so thoroughly in my life. The headache continued as I left the library for my next class - PD with Professor Motus.

For once, I was actually glad it was her and not Fulmen. I was still reeling from Sociology this morning. I'd never seen Fulmen act like that - even when Moñento disappeared, he kept his emotions hidden. It was the first time he'd ever dropped his guard enough to let the barrier in front of his mind slip. I'd only read one word, but one word was enough to tell me everything - Fulmen discarded Lothar as much as the rest of them. He didn't understand me at all. He thought he could tell me no, and that would be it. But he'd only spurred me on further, and I was more interested in Lothar Wycaster than ever.

I approached the door to Motus' office, and rapped three times as she requested. I heard the usual sharp tone snap,

"Come in."

I entered.

 The sight of the office was a familiar one now, but it still made me nervous. I much preferred Fulmen's office, with his huge bay window, dusty bookshelves and the somehow comforting pop-fizzle sound of the lightening spheres. Professor Motus' room was at the top of the West Tower - where the ravens nested. There was something disconcerting about their constant caw-cawing. Alongside the cramped room, filled with ornate black iron furniture, and Motus herself, I couldn't help but feel I'd walked into the home of a wicked witch from a fairytale. I half expected to see a bubbling cauldron in one corner, or perhaps an enchanted spell book. There was a black cat though, a fierce, scrawny thing which hissed at me whenever I came in, back arched.

"Quiet, Bastet." Motus called, not looking at the creature, who slunk away, eyeing me cautiously. She didn't like me, and I didn't like her either. It was well known that the scratches and missing patches of fur that Amber-Rose sometimes found on Magic, were the work of Bastet.

I sat down, and Motus suddenly looked up from whatever she was doing, peering at me, for just a second, like I'd just been dragged in off of the street, and was ruining the dust placement on her favourite wrought iron throne. Then she smiled a sickeningly sweet smile, with all the warmth and appeal of a bucket of ice. I felt it wash over me, and shivered.

"So, back to old habits are we Miss Arcus?" Perfect white teeth gleamed.

"Uh..what?" The shiny white smile had caught me off guard. Motus rearranged her desk, smiling dryly to herself as she did so.

"Arguing with teachers, skipping classes - I should be surprised to see you here." I thought hard about what to say next.

"But, you're not?" I kept my eyes level with hers. She looked up at me.

"No. You want to share something with me, don't you?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but she continued.

"I didn't need to sense your thoughts to know that Miss Arcus, turning back to old habits after all this time, clearly something is going on. Something we need to discuss."

As much as I hated her, I knew she was right.

"I just feel so...angry. But not how I normally feel angry, this is different it's..." I faltered. Motus was looking at me intently.

"Yes?" she said, more urgently than I was expecting.

"I don't know..." I scrambled for a word. "...deeper."

"Deeper?" She repeated.

"Yeah, uh yes. It's like...it's coming from somewhere I didn't even know was within me, making me want to get up and do something, but I don't know exactly what."

"What does it tell you?"

"I...I don't know."

"Don't think Rainbow, feel..."

"Feel?"

"Feel the anger, let it reveal it's purpose."

I had taken my eyes off Motus', and they were fixed on a corner of her desk. I'd been so focused on articulating my deepest feelings, I'd barely noticed them wander. They swivelled back over to her again. She was leaning slightly forward, hands on her desk, just like Fulmen had been this morning. She looked like she was about to leap out of her chair.

I'd barely noticed the ache in my head quietly creep back in, but I noticed it now. It flared for a second, causing me to clutch at one side of my head. I noticed Motus quaver, on the edge of her seat. Her eyes were wide.

Then I heard it again, for the first time since I'd collapsed in the city. A cold, bitter laugh.

Then a voice, his voice. Barely audible, but becoming louder.

"I can hear someone!" I said, or maybe shouted, everything going on outside of my own head was being lost in the din. I heard Motus speak back, but I didn't hear what she said. The whispering voice was becoming louder.

"It's her. It's here." The words rang in my ears.

"Who are you?!" This time I knew I was shouting. Motus shouted too.

"Can you hear him Rainbow? My dark king, speak to me! Leave the girl and speak to me, I will listen, I will hear you too!" I turned my heavy head to see her, standing up out of her chair, arms stretched upwards to the high ceiling. Her eyes were full of maleficence, full of hunger. My head was full of red fog, whirring and whispering that filled my ears. It was unbearable. I screamed.

The voice screamed.

Motus cried out.

"No! No you stupid girl! Listen to him!"

But I wanted anything but to hear that horrible voice in my ears. Last time I'd blacked out, but this time I wouldn't let myself.

"Leave. Me. Alone." My voice was loud, but steady as a rock. I couldn't let the fear and confusion cloud it, the last time I panicked the voice only grew stronger. I remembered feeling like whole parts of my head were out of my control. Not this time.

I concentrated so hard, I felt the sweat beginning to appear on my forehead. I thought about my life, I thought about all the things that made me happy. Amber and Holly and Joe and Kat, friends, laughing, playing stupid jokes on eachother, Sam. The last one took me by surprise, but I felt a rush of coldness and the voice was dwindling, the scream blurring and dying into an echoing hiss.

I opened my eyes slowly. Motus was looking at me, her hair hanging limp and her eyes wide. The shield was down, and here was the real Motus, exposed and just as vulnerable as the rest of us. Maybe she wasn't made of iron after all.

"What, did you do." She spoke slowly, her voice shaking slightly.

"Who was that?" I demanded, trying to sound assertive, but my voice crackled and sounded strange to my ears. Motus was staring past me, breathing heavily. She was leaning on the desk, her fists clenched, just about holding her upright. She blinked, then stood up straight.

"I deeply suspect it was little more than the product of a vexed and stressed mind. Have you not been listening to my emotional control techniques these past few weeks? Really Miss Arcus, that episode was so bad, I imagine you even began hallucinating things." The shield was back, the iron heart was locked up tight again and Motus was acting her usual collected and controlling self.

"No way was I 'hallucinating', Professor. That voice, that man, you..." My voice sounded pathetic, compared to Motus' now barking tone.

"I what? I was simply trying to draw the voice out a little, trying to gage some perspective on the intruder, in order to understand what is going on in that little head of yours - isn't that what these sessions are about?" She looked at me with hard, glass-covered eyes, eyebrows slightly raised. There was no way in hell I was believing that bullshit.

"I understand, Professor." I said simply. She smiled a sugar-filled smile.

"Good." She said too slowly, and brushed her red hair behind her ears. "I think you should leave now, don't you?"

I nodded dumbly. "Yes, Professor."

"Run along then girl."

I did.

Once the door was closed, I curled my fists. I knew what she'd been trying to do. Her persuasiveness wasn't all down to her quicksilver tongue, it was clear she'd trained the little psychic power she possessed in one direction only,

She didn't know that I was immune to her power, because I'd let her believe that I wasn't. Slowly, I'd been picking up on every slip she'd tried to cover, trying to put the pieces together to prove that she was upto something.

And now I'd just seen everything I'd suspected. Whoever was trying to get inside my head - Motus knew him. Not only knew him, but practically worshipped him. I was sure it was all connected - Moñento's kidnapping, the overheard phone-call, and now the mutant trying to take over my mind. Motus was the traitor Fulmen had spoke of.

I opened my bedroom door with all the force I had in me. Amber, Holly, Joe and Kat jumped from where they were sitting in a circle on the floor.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost!" Holly said. "...you haven't, have you?" she added.

"Motus is up to something. She knows who kidnapped Moñento, she knows who's trying to get in my head, and she's on their side." I was still stood in the doorway, not moving.

"You think they're the same person?" Amber ventured nervously.

"Who?" I said, my head was still hazy. I decided to shut the door and sit down on my bed to steady myself.

"Moñento's kidnapper and your brain invader?" Kat clarified. I nodded, and told them what had just happened.

"And you've really been able to act like she can control you, this whole time?" Amber was impressed. "Rainbow, no offence, but you definitely didn't take to drama class like a natural."

"Where are you going with this R?" Holly said cautiously.

"I just need your help, just to..." but I was stopped by a sudden chorus of voices.

"No."

"But..."

"Rainbow, last time you just needed our help with something, our entire friendship group was nearly shattered into a million pieces - do you really want that again?" Amber was serious, dead serious. I could tell even without looking into her eyes.

"This is completely different! It's not about one or two people, it's about the entire academy - hell, it might even be about the entire mutant race! Who knows how far this goes!" But I could tell I was fighting a losing battle. Four faces stayed resolutely stern.

"We can't just jump into every single drama we see, what happened last time is not happening again. Have you even spoken to Sam since that night?" Amber raised her eyebrows at me. Oh, she did not just play the Sam card.

"You can't use that against me! Sam's..."

"We're just a bunch of kids Rainbow." Joe stood up. "It was different, playing a trick on Cassie. She's, I quote Holly, a sneaky class-A cow from hell, and she deserved what she got. But other people got hurt in the process, people who you didn't mean to hurt, but you did. I'm not blaming you, I'm just saying, we shouldn't mess in things we don't fully understand, and this is one of them."

 I refused to let my face reveal my inner fire. Instead I smiled slightly, mocking realization, and nodded in agreement. "You're right." was all I said. I decided the best cure here, was distraction.

"Is it time for dinner yet?" I asked, beaming at my friends.

But inside, I was burning.