Chapter 1: Seven

"Seven" sighed Hugo Hart. As he contemplated his current circumstances.

Seven days ago it was a regular summer morning, at least it was supposed to be, until he noticed a tiny detail. A number constantly floating in his consciousness. At first he thought it was a smidge of his dreams that managed to bleed into reality, as day dreaming wasn't new to him. But even after many hours of being awake, the number would hover over in his mind, regardless if he closed his eyes or not. Closing them simply made the number more noticeable.

He felt no other difference, the same aches and pains or random bursts of cramps, normal for an adolescent body that didn't care too much for their health.

What was different was the world he lived in— mutants and extraordinary beings aren't uncommon. This only made him anxious to what he could have possible turned into, despite having no changes to his outward appearance. The mere thought of the discrimation and alienation he would experience if he was found out to be a mutant was enough to keep him awake at night. He has had his fair share of experiences with mutants, people enacting said discrimination against them, not like he himself indulged in this act, nonetheless he didn't feel comfortable knowing something similar could happen to him.

These thoughts didn't stop him from figuring out his current situation. Silly as it seemed, he tried many things he thought could trigger supernatural things, taking inspiration from many fictional works. He yelled words that would no doubt get him laughed at by his friends, raised his hands in the air in front of a mirror, or simply sat as he concentrated to levitate forks and spoons on a table.

But none of these worked, instead even more dumbfounding dreams assaulted him. Everyday when he went to sleep after he noticed the hovering number, he experienced or rather lived another life. While he has done this before, dreams not an unknown phenomena, but this was different.

He lived.

He remembered the names of people he interacted with, had such vivid memories of the dreams he had. The taste of the foods he ate, places that mesmerized him that existed in the real world he knew he never visited, and yet, like it was yesterday, the memories clung to him like gum on some one's hair.

This continued for days, another life he never knew until now. Acting like nothing is wrong, he went to school and interacted normally, everyone else unaware of his situation.

Today was the seventh day, and like everyday when he opened his eyes the number increased by one. Seven, the number hovered, seemingly faint and harmless but never gone.

The dreams that night unceasing in it's progress, until his eventual death. Nothing unusual, no cliché like events. He had a family, had problems that everybody had, but he was lucky enough to die with his loved ones on his deathbed. Their tears still glistening in the sunlight as they tried to put up a happy expression in his last moments. Like them he also tried to leave a pleasant last memory for them, even after waking up the tears he had still threatening to fall.

*Knock*

*Knock*

Wiping the tears remaining on his face, he gets up and heads towards the door.

For some reason he feels a foreboding feeling, his body entering a state of anxiousness. An instinctual level of fear that increased each time he stepped closer to the door.

Perhaps it was because he just experienced a pseudo-death he thought, anyone would fear what came afterwards.

Trying to ease his mind and body, he inched closer to the peep hole in his door trying to see who came so early in the morning.

'Its a Saturday and the first day of summer break, everyone should be sleeping in, right?' He thought in his head as the people outside came into view.

His eyes enlarged, his heartbeat accelerated to adrenalin pumping levels, the names of the people outside quickly registering in his head.

'Jean, Scott and Storm.'

"He knows about us." said the girl on the left, her signature red hair and beautiful face clear for Hugo to see through the peep hole.

'Telepathy! She's reading my mind!' screamed Hugo in his head, further confirming his assumptions of who these people are.

'Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.' he panicked, the memories and dreams of another life he's been having not helping to calm his current state.

He knew these people, not from the news or from school, but from the other life he's had. The mere thought that everything else may be true only deepening his anxiety.

His body, as if not already producing extreme amounts of sweat from his pores, continued to produce even more so, his heart threatening to come out of his chest from the massive amount of beat it produced per minute. Goosebumps ran through his arms and spine, bone chilling cold being emitted from his sweat.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" said Jean as she perceived Hugo's state from outside. Many of his thoughts jumbled and blurry, but she captured the first few of him figuring out that she had read his mind.

"He's panicki-" Jean was interrupted just as she was trying to tell her companions Hugo's state.

*Thud*

The sound of a human's body weight hitting the floor, echoed from the other side of the apartment door.

Jean sighing at the current events, "He fainted." she continued, knowing full well she was the cause of his panic. No one liked their thoughts being open to other people, this she knows straight from vivid experiences.

Sending a blast of air towards the door, Storm walked in, followed by Scott and then Jean. In front of them a black haired, average-looking high schooler is sprawled on the floor. His sweat soaking shirt and pajamas, fortunately he didn't manage to piss himself.

"Scott." called Storm, gesturing towards the fainted boy on the floor.

"Oh come on," exaggerated Scott as he looked at Storm straight in the eye.

"You want me or Jean to carry him then?" questioned Storm, her tone not allowing for further conversation.

Sucking it up, Scott picks up the boy from the floor. His face making a myriad of expressions from disgust, hate, and scorn.

Together they leave the apartment, uncaring of the broken door they passed through.

Initiating earth-shaking event's that dwarfed anything they have experienced until now.