The next day, the others were going to be gone all day for the conference, up until the teens would return at night.

Apparently they were going to spend their free time looking around Houston.

Mystique was left alone with Kitty and a few other kids who were just too tired to go, including Cindy and Ruthie, and then just Warren.

Even Jean had gone today because Scott was worried by the disturbance of the day before and thought they might need everyone there who could be.

"Just make sure Mystique won't do anything," he told Warren.

"Right," Warren said.

Mystique thought he'd have done better to warn Warren not to harm her. What incentive did she have to cause trouble? It would only hurt her in the long run. Warren, on the other hand, was unpredictable in his moods.

But she avoided him successfully all day. Kitty shadowed her around.

The only improvement in this situation was that Colossus returned mid-afternoon, via portal, because he was also tired...and probably because Scott didn't like only Warren being around to stop Mystique.

Mystique hadn't even bothered anyone the whole time, and Kitty told Colossus this upfront. She already knew how things worked around here.

"She's not even trying to," she said. "Cyclops is paranoid about her."

"He is probably cautious for good reason," Colossus said. "We just do not know what. They are not so cautious with anyone else."

"So how was the whole revival thing today?" Kitty asked dryly. "People getting 'saved' or whatever?"

"I believe some were doing, as they say, 'being saved'," Colossus said. "Was good message this morning. Colossus learn a lot about other mutants' childhoods and how it affects you. Is in Bible too."

"Oh, not you too," Kitty said. "Seriously, is that the only thing anyone around here can talk about? It's in the Bible, it's in the Bible," she mimicked it mockingly. "It's like people and the Torah."

"What is wrong with that?" Colossus said.

"I don't know..." Kitty gestured around. "I guess...what's there for us in that? Mutants are not in the Bible."

"Actually, they talked about how something like our power is in the Bible," Colossus said. "Samson."

"Everyone uses that, but that wasn't a mutation!" Kitty said. "My parents said that too...but Samson didn't mind having his strength... No one hated him over it."

"But 1,000 men try kill him," Colossus said. "Colossus find it very inspiring story. He use jawbone of donkey to kill them... That part not so good, no? But he defeat his enemies. They took his strength later, though."

"Well, there you go," Kitty said.

"But then God give it back," Colossus said. "He die with honor... Is good and bad, no, Little Mouse?"

"Stop it with the mouse," Kitty said. "At least get the animal right. It's cat."

"Should call you a little shadow," Mystique walked by and tossed at her.

Kitty didn't mind this jab, actually, because it almost sounded vaguely affectionate.

"Little Shadow, Little Cat," Colossus said, "or little Shadow Cat--use both."

"Little Shadow Cat? That's the stupidest nickname ever," Kitty said. "Anyway..." She tugged her hair. "Samson didn't have the same problem as us."

"Some way, he have it worse," Colossus said. "Maybe is all how you look at it. Gifts, burdens, is all same thing to some people."

"What good is that book to mutants?" Kitty repeated her earlier problem. "God makes us with these freaky powers--if God is even real. I'm not so sure anymore. Maybe we are evolving..."

"Is possible it's both," Colossus said. [I don't subscribe to that theory, but he might.]

"Both?" Kitty snorted. "It can't be both."

"Is possible. God wants us evolve," Colossus said. "Change, no? Maybe there is purpose for this, and we just do not know it... Colossus never give God much thought, but it give people hope to believe in Him."

"Hope in something that might not be real," Kitty said.

"Maybe not," Colossus said. "But hope is funny like that--it is always in something we are not sure of but we think is important, no?"

Kitty finally looked a little thoughtful.

"I guess that is good point," she said. "My dad always said that the Jews' faith gave them hope, no matter what happened to them. I never really gave it much thought, why that was. Hmm...maybe you're sharper than you look, Colossus."

"Not sharp, steel." Colossus didn't understand.

Kitty chuckled finally. "Nevermind..."

https://youtu.be/wF_XsqEWmzo

["Be Concerned" -- 21 Pilots]

She sighed. "So what's the big theme for tonight?"

"Tonight is talking about purpose of suffering," Colossus said. "Children not so invited to this one. They share more...difficult details."

"Fun," Kitty said. "Who wants to hear all this anyway?"

"Apparently, thousands of people," Colossus said. "Was more packed today than yesterday. More mutants also."

"Go figure," Kitty muttered.

* * *

Going around in a group was fun, Trinity thought.

"Still no Kitty today?" she asked.

"No," Jubilee said. "But you're not missing much. That girl is the biggest buzzkill I've ever met."

"She can't be that bad," Trinity said. "I still want to meet her sometime."

"Yeah, but I doubt you'll like her," Ryan said. "Kitty is just...hard to get along with."

"I like Kevin," Trinity said, "and you said I would think he was weird."

"Isn't he weird?" Jubilee said.

"Not that weird," Trinity said, "not to me.... Maybe I'm just weird also."

"Ah, you're not that weird," Caleb said. "My sister is way weirder."

"I heard that, you little dweeb." Nancy glared back at him. "Takes one to know one, I always think."

"That checks out," Brittney snickered.

Caleb turned red.

"Don't worry, Sport," Wally told him in a low voice. "Girls always say that if they like you."

"Not always," Shine said. 

"You said I was weird, didn't you?" Wally said.

"Mostly I just said you were goofy," Shine said. "Which I always assumed was on purpose."

"You know me so well," Wally said. 

"How did you two start dating?" Nancy asked. "You seem so perfect together. I wish I knew your secret."

Both of them laughed.

"It's work sometimes," Shine laughed. "And we're not even out of the easy years yet, honestly. I've told Wally, wait till it's been 10 years and we're not so new at this anymore. See if we still even like each other."

"I can't imagine not liking you," Wally said. "You're too much fun...but maybe the novelty wears off, huh? But I feel like that's better, after a while, with your best friends, so probably with your wife too you'd think, right? I mean, I thought Superman was really cool when we first met and hung out, but now we're really friends. It's not the same, but I wouldn't trade it. You just gotta get to know people well."

"Yeah," Shine agreed. "I think I like my family better now than I did when I was young, honestly. We're so self absorbed as younger people, even when we don't want to be, just because experience is all that cures you of that, usually."

"You think we're self absorbed?" Trinity said.

"Not for your age," Shine said. "And believe me, I hated being told that when I was a teen too...but looking back, it was true. It's fine though. We don't mind it as much from teens. It's when you're 25 and up and still acting like a teen that's the problem."

"Real question," Nancy changed the subject, "you were talking about someone this morning, someone with a hard life, you said--abuse and stuff just for being a mutant... Is that...really that common? I know you said it was, but just how common?"

Shine shrugged. "I wouldn't know the statistics. I doubt anyone cared to find them yet. I know at least 3 or 4 people with some form of it, easy, even for families--and the ones who just grow up without families are usually taken advantage of much more often."

"That is so awful," Nancy said. "You read about that with other minorities of people, but you always think of mutants as people who could defend themselves. Easy to forget they're all kids at one point."

"Some of them never grow out of that too," Wally said. "Even in 80 years."

"Never say never," Shine said.

"Whose story was that?" Jubilee asked. "I didn't recognize it from the team."

"I kept it anonymous for a reason," Shine said. "And I will continue to keep it that way."

"One of the Morlocks, I bet," Ryan hissed to Jubilee. "We don't know that much about them."

"Yeah, I guess." Jubilee didn't think that quite matched up. Shine had said that the mutant in question could live with people but was still an outcast.

Not being familiar with how Mystique talked about herself, Jubilee didn't immediately peg it for her. She thought maybe it was more like Hank or Logan, but she thought Shine would have just said it was them.

"Was Kevin doing okay during the service?" Shine asked Trinity, more apart from the others. "I saw him look a little nervous and grab your arm."

"Oh, yeah, he gets a little nervous with hearing about sad stuff," Trinity said. "But it's probably better to hear it from us, right? We at least try to keep it positive."

"I hope so," Shine said. "I can't think his mother would approve of all this...but at some point you have to do what you think is best to your best judgment."

"I guess," Trinity winced. "Not sure my parents would agree with that."

"I've been working with kids my entire life," Shine said. "And that's just it--I work with them, not for them. No matter how young you are, you have to be allowed to make some choices for yourself, or you'll never know what you really think. I've seen sheltering kids too much backfire a lot. A little bit is a good thing. But excessively is unwise. You're a smart girl, and you should be smart enough to know your parents are right a lot of the time--but if there is a time when they are not right, and you know you have more experience than them in this area, then as a human being, it is up to you to judge for yourself. We cannot let our parents think for us, even if they love us. Sometimes it's just as delicate a balance to allow yourself to be parented as it is to parent, I think."

"I've never heard anyone put it like that," Trinity said. "But that's about how I feel about it. And you mean Kevin too."

"Kevin chose to join us because he knew his experience was too narrow for him to do well," Shine said. "However inexperienced he is, that's a mature decision. Anyone who can make that decision has some degree of maturity already--I've seen enough to know that. And if you know where they are going, it's easier to put up with someone tripping along the way. But we have to be careful, still, that we don't push Kevin faster than he can go. I'm glad you've become friends--it's been good for him. Just don't feel like you need to carry him or anything. Made that mistake in the past. He can handle himself too."

"I know," Trinity said. "I think he's tougher than the others think he is. There's nothing wrong with being sensitive anyway." She pursed her lips. "It's not weak. It's just noticing a lot. That's...because of his power, isn't it?"

Shine nodded. "It is. That is one reason I just can't understand his mother keeping him alone so much. Imagine your regular sense of people's feelings being dialed to 90, all the time, and never learning to mitigate it or manage it... I say we got him not a second too soon. He's finally stopped freaking out as much over the rest of us in the house. But this whole thing was trial by fire to see if he could handle longer exposure to people. Of course I'd take him home at once if he couldn't...but he's doing well, and I can only assume that is because you're here. The other two do make fun sometimes... I told them not to, but kids will be kids unfortunately. But you've been taught not to do that. You should be grateful for that. I know it seems frustrating at times, but it's good to feel that hurting someone's feelings is something you should avoid."

Trinity nodded. "I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable by being mean to them."

"I suppose I'm trying to say, you really have helped more than you think," Shine said. "I took the long way to say it--I always do...but I know you felt unsure after what happened before, and I know how I felt after events like that. They make you question if you're even on the right track. But trust me, it means you have been on the right track. The enemy does not care for it."

"Thanks, Miss Shine," Trinity said. "Actually, I think...I needed to hear that." She suddenly wiped her eyes. "I guess it bothered me more than I thought it did."

Shine had known this perfectly well, from long experience with "strong" people.

She handed Trinity some tissues. "I'll give you a moment to compose yourself," she said, moving away.

"So did it go well?" Wally asked her.

"I think she'll be okay," Shine said. "I hope she will not bottle up anything about what happened if we make it clear she doesn't have to."

"We might, but you know the others tend to do that," Wally said. "That's why they're all so depressed sometimes, I think."

"True...but baby steps," Shine mused.

"What's wrong?" Kevin asked Trinity, startling her.

"Oh...nothing," Trinity said. "This is the good kind of crying."

"Good kind?" Kevin was puzzled.

He materialized some more tissues in the air and handed them to her.

Trinity smiled. "Thanks."

[Aw...Proteus really can be a sweet kid. Kind of felt like the comics did him dirty in the end, but luckily, that's not canon here.]

* * *

Nighttime came, and the evening service was kind of PG-13 rated, in a way. Which in the 80s, meant something different than it did in Shine's time.

But it did mean they were sending Kevin, Ryan, and Jubilee home.

Jubilee argued that she'd have been fine, but Shine told her it was the recommended rules of the conference and they had to set a good example. Certainly, no other younger people were around.

"We're stuck with Russian Railroad Man," Jubilee griped to Ryan, "and the grumpy angel. You know they won't let us do anything really fun."

"Like what? Sneak out?" Ryan said. "Colossus is cool. I don't mind him watching us. Warren creeps me out a little sometimes though. He's so...serious."

"What about Mystique?" Trinity asked. She'd been sent home with them.

"Oh, don't worry about her," Jubilee said. "She's probably hiding in her room."

In fact, Mystique was not doing this. She was trying to make herself food...as the fridge had been cleaned out by the Morlocks earlier. They still ate like it might be their last meal.

Kitty was still hanging around, ostensibly to "help", but she didn't even know how to make a lot of food. Apparently her mom had always had her focus on studying more than homemaking skills.

Mystique was handling her interruptions with more patience than most people would have, probably because she was mostly ignoring them.

"So what does this do?" Kitty lifted up a whisk.

"That's a whisk." Mystique didn't even use these, but she knew what it was.

"It looks like a torture device." Kitty swung it--it phased through her hand and landed on the floor.

"Err!" She stamped her feet. "Do powers ever get less annoying?"

"You think yours is so bad?" Mystique didn't sound sympathetic. "A few years and it would be the envy of half the mutants in the world. Not to be able to be shot or held in one place--and to look human the whole time. You will have it far easier than them."

"You think so?" Kitty perked up. "That's right, just a few years and I'll have this nailed."

"Do you mind?" Mystique said, getting past her. "And why do you keep bothering me? I am trying to do something here."

"Are you even supposed to touch the food?" Kitty asked.

"If I'm the only one using it, why would they care if I poison it?" Mystique said.

Kitty thought that was a joke and laughed. Then she saw Mystique's expression. "Oh...huh...would you do that?"

"No," Mystique said. "I'd just shoot someone. Poison is too unpredictable."

"Uh...was that a joke?" Kitty asked.

"Who knows?" Mystique said.

"What is going on in here?" Jubilee walked in.

"Oh, joy, they're back," Kitty said.

That was Mystique's line, Mystique thought.

"Yeah, stupid Shine made us come home," Jubilee said. "Something about the sermon being for adults more. I could have handled it. The others would have let me stay. Why does everyone do what she says now?"

"Because she's scary," Ryan said. "What's for dinner?"

"It's not for you," Mystique said. "Per the rules of my living here, I'm not allowed to feed you."

"Sure, but if you weren't allowed to, then you wouldn't have tampered with it," Ryan said. "Anyway, I thought that was a joke. No one really thinks you'd poison us, do they?"

Silence.

"I bet Scott would," Jubilee said. "He's like that. But it looks like the Morlocks ate the rest of the food, so..."

"I didn't even know you could cook," Ryan said.

"I lived alone for years--why wouldn't I?" Mystique didn't want to talk about it.

"Oh, leave her alone," Kitty said. "It's none of your business anyway. Everyone's always in everyone else's business around here."

"Are we?" Ryan said oddly.

"So none of the X-men returned with you?" Mystique changed the subject.

"Hello, I'm an X-man," Jubilee said. "Why, you got a scheme or something?"

"More like I'm surprised they stuck only two people with all of you," Mystique said.

"Where're the guys?" Ryan asked.

"And can I get a ride to my house?" Trinity asked. "And...uh, hi..." Awkward silence.

"Colossus can drive, right?" Jubilee said. "Or I could drive you. Yeah, I'll just drive you, and we'll get take-out on the way. Ryan, coming with?"

"Sure," Ryan said.

"What about Kevin?" Trinity asked.

"Fine, he can come too, as long as he doesn't turn the car into a boat or something," Jubilee said.

"What about...Kitty?" Trinity looked at her. "Oh, I'm Trinity, by the way. I guess you know my brother, Will Grayson."

"Sounds familiar, but I don't really know," Kitty said. "I'm Kitty Pryde. Katherine, really, but everyone calls me Kitty. Don't call me 'little cat' though."

"I think it's cute when he does that," Jubilee said. "Anyway, he calls all of us little. It's probably just a Russian thing."

"It's more than Russian thing," Mystique commented without thinking. "Many cultures--" She broke off.

"Huh, I didn't think of it that way," Ryan said. "That's not so bad. I thought he was just saying I was short."

"You're not that short," Jubilee said.

Ryan was actually taller than all of the other teens, being one of those teen boys who gets tall and lanky before he fills out.

Kevin had, in fact, only just recently even hit his growth spurt, so he was catching up to Ryan, but neither of his parents were all that tall, so he seemed likely to hit his limit soon anyway.

Jubilee hadn't grown in two years and was becoming resigned to being short.

Trinity was still growing herself, possibly.

[Some people can still grow even into their late teens, though it's rare, but I have it in my family. Can be a result of premature birth, I think, for some people. Delayed growth.]

"Do you have a license?" Mystique asked Jubilee.

"Uh, yeah," Jubilee said. "Are you going to tell me I need a licensed driver in the car who's over 18?"

"No," Mystique said. "I was going to say don't get pulled over. They'll know who you are, then."

Jubilee gave her a weird look.

Kitty laughed. "Because you're a mutant, duh. Actually that's good advice. Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Oh, I fly the plane--I can drive a car!" Jubilee snapped. "Come on, gang, before someone else tries to tell us what we can't do because we're kids."

They headed out.

Mystique was glad to be left alone finally...until...

Cindy, Ruthie, Leech, Billy, and the other 3 Morlock kids, Sammy, Dennis, and Rat (he had gotten this nickname, apparently, for his skills at squeezing in and out of small places, whether or not it was his mutation to do so) all came in saying they were hungry.

Mystique told them to find food, since they'd eaten it all already. Which only got her whining from them.

Colossus came in the same time and told them it was all right--they'd fix up something...

An argument ensued about whether or not Mystique was making enough for all of them, and if it was okay for her to even do so, and if Colossus could handle cooking himself.

And wishing, both of them, that Jean or Gambit was around to solve this for them...

Warren finally came in, probably hoping not to find Mystique there, and joined in the argument, saying the Morlocks should have just not eaten so much earlier and it was irresponsible.

The whole thing was so stupid that the adult Morlocks came around just to listen to it and laugh.

Finally, they just threw in the towel and did their best with what they had.

No one complained after all that.

"I can't believe no one else came home to help us," Warren said. "Even those other kids..."

* * *

"I can't believe you left your purse at our house," Jubilee said to Trinity.

"I just put it down. I didn't think about it," Trinity said. "I usually do. I'll just run in and get it. I'm sorry for making you drive twice."

"Oh, I don't mind the driving, I just know I'll get crap for it," Jubilee said.

"Can I get out, then?" Kitty said. "Your hairpin turns are about to give me a heart attack."

"Be our guest." Jubilee unlocked the doors.

She pulled up to the house. "Now--"

Suddenly the car skidded to stop without her wanting it to...

"It feels like we stuck in some kind of mud... I don't remember seeing any out here," Jubilee said. "Ah, I bet one of the kids ran the hose again. Our water bill has skyrocketed since they moved in."

"You sound like a grown up," Ryan snickered.

"It's not water." Kevin was looking over the edge of the car by making a hole in it-- "It's something else."

Suddenly something hit him, and he tumbled out of the car.

"Kevin!" Trinity said.

"What happened?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know," Trinity said.

She opened the car door.

Someone grabbed her and yanked her out.

"Ahh!" Trinity screamed, before they covered her mouth.

"What's this?" Someone was standing on top of the car.

Someone in pink and purple.

"She's not a mutant," the woman said. "We don't need to worry about her. And the other boy has a useless mutation. Just get the girl."

Trinity struggled and kicked at the person who was holding her.

"Jewels!" she finally managed to yell. "It's a trap!"

Jubilee looked up as a laser sliced into the hood of the car.

She yelled and jumped out of it and fell into the mud...or goo...

Psylocke, for of course it was Psylocke, jumped down and lashed her by the feet and dragged her closer.

"Help!" Jubilee screamed. "Colossus!"

Psylocke used some kind of psionic blast to stun her into slumping.

She turned her whip back into a sword.

"What's...what's going on?" Ryan was out of the car now, and a different mutant, who looked like he was part rock had grabbed a hold of him.

"A little message, that's all," Psylocke said. "Xavier isn't home--I can tell from here. Magneto was right, it's just a handful of them, and most of them would be powerless against us...but..." She narrowed her eyes. "...she's here. Well...I never expected that. Of course she came crawling back to them, once she couldn't go anywhere else. And here I thought Mystique could not surprise me further by how low she could go."

"What...what do you want?" Trinity said, trembling. "What did you do to Kevin?"

"Oh, just a little knock out drug," Psylocke said. "Magneto didn't want us to hurt that one--he's quite powerful--but couldn't have him doing to us what he did to Sabretooth. Eh, Sabretooth?"

To Trinity's horror, she saw Sabretooth lumber out of the trees.

"But...you...were imprisoned," she said.

"Prisons are nothing for Magneto," Psylocke said. "Now remember, Sabretooth, you only get to reenter our camp if you prove your worth. Don't let us be mistaken about breaking you out. The police will look here soon enough. You don't want to be here when they arrive."

"Just tell me who's head needs crackin' and I'll do it," Sabretooth said.

"Our orders were only to harm people who wouldn't be of any use to us," Psylocke said, "if they refused to come with us. The human girl we can just kill, I suppose."

"Why are you doing this?" Trinity asked. "No one did anything to you. Didn't you come yesterday? Some of you...you heard what all this was about. You're hurting people who are trying to help mutants, why?"

"Because we don't need this kind of help." Psylocke jumped in front of her and grabbed her by the chin, looking at her coldly. "The last thing we need is a bunch of humans thinking they can convert mutants and use them as poster kids for their righteous cause. You're another one, aren't you? Thinking we need you and your religion. That's worse than the enslavement. At least they admit they only care about mutants for their abilities, not trying to dress it up in something else."

"We do care," Trinity said, struggling. "Honestly...no one cares about their abilities.... What does that have to do with our faith?"

"Hmm..." Psylocke squinted at her. "You actually believe that. Interesting. You're a fool, little Christian...and to show you how much, let's not kill her right away. I want her to see what we do to people who think they can change us."

She smiled. "In fact, I think it might be a more permanent message if we left her alive to tell them what happened...once we're gone."

"You sure about that?" the one holding Trinity said.

"What can she do about us? She's got no power," Psylocke said. "Makes more sense this way. Bring her. Let's go."

She yanked Jubilee up and dragged her. "We'll need bait. Bring them, but put the other boy in our ship. We have use for him."

"What? No!" Trinity gasped. It would destroy Kevin's confidence to be kidnapped...and he'd probably destroy their camp if he was.

"Oh, no, I'm a telepath," Psylocke said. "And we'll get other ones too. We'll keep him under control. Don't think so loud next time, girl."

Trinity started praying silently.

She wasn't sure whether to hope Kevin woke up or to hope he'd stay out for this whole thing, and someone else got to them first.

* * *

Mystique was trying to eat in peace when, suddenly, Leech and Dennis both looked up.

"I heard something." Dennis had enhanced hearing along with his outward mutation of looking somewhat like a fish. "Strange voices."

"Leech also think he hear something odd," Leech said.

Mystique tensed.

Suddenly, Kitty came out of the floor and scared them half to death.

"Oh my gosh..." She collapsed onto the floor, gasping. "I thought I was going to fall and fall and fall, but somehow I didn't. Training paid off...but...there's people--outside. They have the others! I was outside the car. I barely had time to jump through a tree before they saw me.... Someone with a pink sword and these big guys--"

"Psylocke!" Mystique's blood just about froze. "I knew it. I knew they would come for us here sooner or later...and where no one else is around...even Jean..."

"They're coming closer," Dennis squeaked.

"Turn off the lights, now," Mystique said.

Leech reached up and turned off the lights.

Dennis ran and turned off more.

Some of the kids could see in the dark fairly well. Dennis and Billy both could.

The girls couldn't. They started to whimper.

"Quiet!" Mystique's tone left nothing but obedience in their minds. "All of you. This won't fool Psylocke...but there is one thing that might hide us from her. Kitty, take all of us to the basement, now."

"All of you? But I barely--" Kitty said.

"Just try!" Mystique said.

Kitty reached out.

The kids ran and grabbed them. They knew how her power worked okay.

All of them sank through the floor and hit the basement floor with a painful thump.

Kitty gasped again. "That was hard..."

"We have minutes at most." Mystique was already up. "Run, get to the Danger Room."