ISSUE #4

It took a good two weeks before anything else of importance happened. I spent most of my time outside of class working with Mr. McCoy in the danger room exploring my powers and trying to come up with new and inventive ways to use them. I must admit, Mr. McCoy is a genius. His way of approaching things seemed so complex yet so simple. I'm glad I had someone like him helping me with this. Thanks to him, I no longer need the power dampener to control myself. I can stay physical now without much worry.

But we did go over the possibilities that being able to scatter myself, as Mr. McCoy puts it, would give me in a fight. His idea was that by concentrating on my body I could allow attacks to pass through me, like that bus did. It was an interesting idea, but one I'm not in a hurry to test, with the possibility of death and all of that.

I also spent more time with Irina. She's probably the one real friend I have here. The Stepford sisters treat me nice, but everyone pretty much just goes on about their business. Which isn't a problem. I'm not gonna complain, I've got everything I need to get by.

" There she goes again. That's exactly the sort of thing we're talking about you. You see?" I recognize those four voices. I round the corner and see four of the stepford sisters. " She's kissing him now. That practically makes her a slut." Whoa that was out of left field. I stayed close and listened in on the ladies before making my presence known.

" Really girls! Who is this boy? Is he some fresh addition to our grisly cast of misfits?" I heard the voice of one Ice Queen Emma frost.

" We have absolutely no idea. He's from Japan. He has 3-D recall. Whatever that's supposed to mean. We think he's completely taken over Esme's mind." Damn what a monologue by the Stepfords.

" Well, the first blush of young love can often feel exactly like the invasion of the body snatchers... But treasure those feelings girls! It all turns sour soon enough." Emma spoke.

" We're the Stepford Cuckoos, miss frost. Combined we're a single, brilliant, super mind. Without Esme, we're just four smart blondes. Actually, if you really want to know, we think it's a plot of some kind. It's not like her to do this." The stepfords explained.

" Perhaps not previously... But for now, he is her Dante, she his Beatrice. Think Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde... Tom and bloody Jerry. She'll grow out of it and her diary will be filled with regrets. That's the tragedy behind all cupids twanging, girls." Emma explained.

" I wouldn't say that Miss Frost." I told the woman.

Miss Frost and the girls all turned to me as I walked towards them.

" Ah, Mister Lance. Spying, are we?" Emma asked.

" No. No. No!" I told the woman with a wave of my hand. " All, I'm doing." I started picking roses from the bush in the garden and walked over to the stepford sisters. " Is picking roses for four very beautiful, very smart, very powerful, and four very brave ladies." I carefully placed all of the roses neatly in the Stepford sisters' hair.

" My, hitting on all of my daughters in front of me? have you no shame?" Emma asked. The playfulness in her voice was apparent.

Honestly, I didn't dislike Emma, yeah, she could be rude and mean-spirited at some times but ignore her and avoid her and you'll have no problems. Her daughters are much nicer and much more pleasant to speak with.

" Oh, I'm the rude one." Emma spoke

My eyes widened in shock. I forgot these girls are all telepaths, meaning anything I think they'll know. Maybe that's why the stepfords aren't tearing in to me as well.

" What? I was just giving the girls a compliment. Nothing wrong with that right? Besides you're very beautiful too, Miss Frost." I playfully raised my hands in defeat as Emma glared at me.

" Oh, thank you. How considerate of you to recognize true beauty." Emma stated proudly.

I rolled my eyes; this woman was just so full of herself.

" Don't worry about Miss Frost, so much. She's always like that." One of the sisters spoke.

" Thanks, Irma." It wasn't hard to tell which sister it was Irma or Mindee, she goes by both really, is the nicest one of the sisters.

" Thank you." Irma replied.

Oh yeah, I forgot telepaths.

" How do you know it was Irma? How do you know which of us is which?" Another one asked. This one more aggressive, meaning it was celeste the second sister. All of the girls seemed to be intrigued by the question and all of them looked at me inquisitively.

" Well, this is just from my observations. But check my reasoning here. See." I walked to the first sister, the one I knew was Sophie. " Sophie, acts the role of the eldest sister, despite you all being the same age, she takes the lead in all action you guys take. Oppositely, Esme, is the rebellious teen of the group. She prefers to stray away from the rest of you. Choosing to do things herself rather than together with the rest of you. Celeste is more like Emma than any of you. In regard to her being the most aggressive sister anyway. I've already explained Irma, and that leaves Phoebe, she follows behind the rest of you the most and speaks the least. She's not as mean as Celeste but not as nice as Irma." I explained to the girls. " When I think about you all like that it's pretty easy to tell you apart."

" How nice of you to know my daughters so well." Emma glared at me, and her eyes started glowing. ' You keep your hands off my girls got it? Or I'll make you think you're a girl for the rest of the school year.'

I gulped heavily and wiped my forehead. Message received loud and clear crazy lady.

" Good." Emma spoke. " Mister Lance, Girls, if you would excuse me, I have to prepare for the media coming. Make sure to treat my girls right, Mister Lance or remember the rest of the year." Emma spoke. Her voice nice and kind yet uneasy and threatening.

I felt a very shrewd chill run up my spine as I remembered Emma's threat.

" Yes, Ma'am!" I shouted.

" Good. I will see you all later."

I felt my heartbeat slowing down as Emma slowly disappeared among the crowd of students. And a very human chill.