"There you are! I've been searching everywhere for you!"

"You know I don't like parties." I chuckled and pointed at my ears. "Sensitive hearing, remember?"

"You're such a stick in the mud." Jean huffed and sat next to me. "Where's lover boy?"

"Somewhere, hopefully getting me a drink." I waved it off, resting my head on her shoulder. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Time will tell. All I can say is be careful because you get way too attached sometimes."

"Hence why I keep my distance."

"You shouldn't."

"It keeps me safe."

"Says the biggest risk taker on the team."

"Taking risks with my life is one thing, Jean. This is different." I shrugged and she scoffed. "You know I don't do well with feelings."

"But you're not a machine. You deserve to love and be loved." Jean defended and held my hand. "And honestly, I think Scott is the only person crazy enough to do so because you're a handful and snore when you're not howling."

"He's an overgrown boy scout!"

"And you're the poster child for a deranged lunatic! Opposites attract." She laughed and stood up, pulling me with her. "You need to loosen up."

"And you apparently need your screws tightened."

"Oh, just come dance with me."

"I don't dance, red. Random dance parties in our room don't count."

"Hey, I just heard a bunch of kids calling Jean a pheonix." Scott smiled and handed me a drink. "That's pretty awesome!"

"Jeanie, you alright?" I asked, noticing her eyes begin to glow. "Jean, talk to me."

"Stop... please just stop." She mumbled, holding her head and we were all sent flying back by her powers.

"Jean!" Ororo and I yelled, rushing to her unconscious body on the grass.

"Lyla, what the hell-"

"Call the Professor, Scott... now!"

。✯ ＼ ｜ ／✯ 。

"Jean's gonna be fine, Lyla. You're gonna mark the floor with all your pacing."

"I've known her practically all my life it seems... I've never seen her powers like that."

"Hank said the flare made her stronger, remember? She'll be fine." Scott assured as I kept pacing around the kitchen.

"I just have a feeling. Call it instinct." I shrugged as one of the younger students walked in. "The Professor sent all of you to bed, bub."

"Is Jean okay?" She asked, holding her head and I frowned. "I keep hearing voices."

"You're a telepath, aren't you?" I asked, crouching down and she nodded. "The voices get too much sometimes, don't they?"

"Mhm... My mind is scary sometimes."

"I'm no telepath but I can relate. My mind can be a scary place too. But you know what I do?"

"What?"

"I think a happy thought and cling to it. Makes everything seem less scary." I smiled and picked her up before leaving the kitchen with Scott trailing behind. "Do you have a happy thought you want to share with me? Or do you want to keep it to yourself?"

"When I isolated my thoughts and the Professor said he was proud of me." She said, resting her head on my shoulder as I walked up the stairs. "It was very hard and he had to help me."

"It all can seem very overwhelming at first, but you'll get the hang of it."

"He said I was special like the rest of his students."

"All of us are special in our own way. That's why he found us and gave us a home." I said, walking inside her room and set her down on the bed. "You see, I had trouble controlling my abilities too and he helped me... Which is one of the reasons I'm an X-men."

"Do you like fighting the bad guys?" She yawned and I tucked her in. "On the news they seem scary."

"They are... But me and my friends fight so you and your friends can be safe. We fight so that one day we can all have our own place in the world and won't have to hide anymore."

"I want to be an X-men like you when I grow up... I want to be like Jean because she's awesome."

"Who knows, kid? Someday you just might." I chuckled and stood up. "But only if you get some sleep... I'll be awake if you need anything."

"Thank you, Ravager."

"Name's Lyla, bub." I hummed and walked out, closing the door. "And what's you looking like the Cheshire cat?"

"Nothing." Scott sheepishly shrugged and I raised an eyebrow just as the walls started shaking. "Jean..."

We both sprinted down the hall with Ororo and Kurt leaving their rooms and he teleported us to mine and Jean's.

"Are you okay?" I asked, immediately rushing to her bed and helped her sit.

"W-what... What happened?"

"You had an accident and blacked out." Scott explained.

"Did I do that?" Jean whimpered, pointing at the bruise on Scott's cheek and the small cut on Ororo's arm.

"It's okay, Jean." Ororo assured.

"No, it's not."

"It was an accident. Accidents happen."

"I don't know what's happening to me." She cried and stood up. "I can't control it... I can't stay here. I need to go."

"Jean, what are you talking about?" I asked and held her arms. "It was a small slip up. It happens to all of us, myself included."

"I need to see my father, Lyla. He's alive."

"Red, he died in the crash, remember?"

"I'm sorry... I need to go."

"Hang on a moment, Jean." Scott begged as Kurt blocked the door. "We can all talk about this."

"I can't control when it comes... I don't want to hurt any of you."

"We will take that chance." Kurt added and we all nodded.

"But I won't." Jean whispered and the three of them fell unconscious. "Lyla, please. You understand this better than anyone."

"I do understand. But I don't think this is the right way to go, Red... You're acting on impulse and I can tell from personal experience that it never ends well." I sighed and she hugged me tight. "Please, let's just talk and we'll go find him when you're in a better headspace."

"I'm sorry... I hope you'll forgive me."

。✯ ＼ ｜ ／✯ 。

"You're finally awake!"

"I'm gonna beat Jean's ass for knocking me out. I feel horrible." I groaned and sat up only to see I was in the med bay and Charles looking at me in worry. "She left, didn't she?"

"She did. You were unconscious the longest so you couldn't track her." Charles said and placed a hand on my forehead, immediately calming the growing headache. "Are you alright?"

"I feel like a train ran me over a thousand times... Where's-"

"I'm here." Scott assured, reaching out to hold my hand.

"She's searching for her dad, Professor. And she's not thinking straight."

"Reminds me of someone I know." He sighed and I shrugged.

"It happens when someone is scared... And she's terrified of her powers right now. It's worse than the first time she came here."

"Lyla, you know her better than anyone here." Raven said.

"I don't know where she is, okay? I can't track her down because she had enough time to hide her scent... And on top of that, I'm not a dog."

"The Professor can track her." Ororo pointed out.

"Not anymore." Charles sighed. "She's grown too powerful, even for me."

"If she thinks her dad is alive, the first place she'll go is home to see if he's truly there. It's what I would've done if I thought the same thing about Dad... Hell, it's what I did with Alex the first time I went back home!"

"Hank, prepare the jet. We're bringing her home."