X-Hale

Life is long and strange. An oversimplified statement of fact that the longer that time progresses the greater the possibility that unlikely events will come to pass. While there are numerous examples of this concept to draw from, none are as fascinating as the humble day-to-day operations of a school dedicated to the education of gifted youngsters and their unique challenges.

"Hello! My name is Kenna and it's a pleasure to meet you!" Kenna said with an outstretched hand and a smile on her face.

"Hey," said the blue woman. She was sitting on her bed and couldn't even be bothered to remove her eyes from her book. Kenna kept her hand out for a moment longer hoping her new exotic roommate was just getting to a stopping point before meeting her greeting. She never did.

The room they inhabited was sparse, two dressed beds and a sink. The design was new yet old somehow. A blank slate meant to be filled with the inhabitants of those who lived there.

"Whatcha reading?" asked Kenna.

"Farewell to Arms," said the blue woman.

"Oh is it good?"

"It's alright."

"I like the dangly thing on your forehead."

"Thanks?"

"Does it do anything interesting?"

"You're not going to put your arm down till I shake it are you?"

"I thought maybe you just didn't notice it yet."

"I noticed." Kenna lowered her arm, but her cheery disposition never waned.

"Okay that's fine. I get it. You're a mutant. I'm a mutant. We were both sent to this school for mutants. You're probably just as scared as I am."

"You're not a mutant."

"I'm not?"

"Dr. McCoy might have said you were, and you might even have some fancy tricks to show off, but you're not a mutant."

"Please don't tell anybody. They gave me a free ride and I can't afford real college."

"Will you stop talking to me and stay on your side of the room?"

"Yes."

"Your secret is safe with me." The lights went out.

"Is this normal?"

"What did I just say?"

"I feel like something like this is an exception." When the lights came back on, a large metal barrier was covering the window to their room.

"Finally," the blue woman said, turning the page.

"What's going on?"

"Wait for it."

"Attention, please stay calm. There is an incident occurring on the campus. The barriers are for your protection. We will try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience," the speakers crackled.

"How did you?"

"I was awake during the orientation."

"It was long and boring."

"You're not wrong."

"So this is?"

"A scheduled drill."

"Oh good." An hour passed. The barriers still haven't dropped. Kenna tried to keep her pact with the blue woman, but with all of her stuff unpacked and no cell signal the silence had to die. "How did you know I was asleep?"

"And you were doing so well," said the blue woman turning the page.

"How did you know I was asleep during the orientation? You must have been watching me."

"I was, we were sitting behind you."

"We?"

"Me and the other Morlocks."

"Morlocks?"

"The real mutants."

"Mutants?"

"I'm just going to ignore you now."

"No seriously, what are Morlocks?"

"A community of mutants that are shunned by society because of how we look."

"Oh! That's what you meant by that."

"What did you think I meant?"

"That I was normal somehow and just really confused about what was going on with me and I somehow slipped through the cracks and landed here."

"I still think that."

"But you only think that way because I'm not blue."

"That's oversimplifying it, but sure."

"But I am blue."

"No, granted you have a darker complexion, but you're not blue."

"But I am blue under my skin." The blue woman got up and threw her book at Kenna.

"You were not born in shit! You've never had to live in the sewer! You've never stolen anything because your very sight made people panic! No one has ever tried to exterminate you! You can read! You are not a mutant!" Kenna didn't say anything. The blue woman got back in her bed and turned away from her. Another hour passed.

"I'm sorry.," said Kenna,

"It's fine," said the blue woman.

"Do you want your book back?"

"No."

"I didn't know."

"Like I said, it's fine."

"How did you end up here?"

"Prof. Xavier was kind enough to offer sanctuary to the survivors."

"Well that's nice."

"It was, but I'm starting to think it was all elaborate cheese."

"Is it because we've been trapped here for so long?"

"Yes."

"Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only one worried about that."

"It makes sense. You lure disparaged mutants in with false hope, tell them not to panic as the trap goes off, and watch them die to the amusement of others."

"Don't you think that's a bit of an overreaction?" The lights went out, "Well, shit."

"I got it." The end of the dangly skin protruding from her forehead burned with a green light.

"That's so cool."

"I know."

"It's like one of those angler fish lure things. What else can you do?"

"That's pretty much it, just blue and the one light."

"Oh,"

"Is that not enough?"

"No it's fine! You're fine! I just think this stuff is interesting."

"And what can you do that's so interesting?"

"Mine's not that interesting."

"Tell me anyway."

"I am a sponge."

"You absorb water?"

"Yes."

"And you do what with it?"

"Nothing really."

"You don't shoot it at people or fart a mist or anything?"

"Nope."

"That's kind of lame."

"Hey it's not lame! It's just not that interesting."

"How are you supposed to defend yourself with that?"

"I don't, I mostly use it to clean up spills."

"Lame."

"I also used it once to save somebody from drowning. That was pretty cool."

"Can you use it to drain the moisture out of another body?"

"No?"

"Then it's lame."

"Fine! It's lame! Just like yours!"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" The light went out, "Oh, real mature."

"What?"

"Turn the light back on."

"I thought you said it was lame?"

"You said mine was lame!"

"Mine is more useful than yours."

"Mine would be more useful if you were drowning!"

"No it wouldn't."

"Why not!?"

"Cause I can breathe water."

"But you said you only had the two things! That's a third thing!"

"No I said just blue, the one light, and the gills."

"Are you gaslighting me!?"

"No."

"Can I touch your gills?"

"No."

"Can you turn the light back on?"

"No."

"Can you see in the dark?"

"Now that's just racist." They both broke into a fit of laughter. Until a third person turned on a flashlight.

"Hey guys! Sorry for interrupting," said the intruder. Kenna screamed and threw a pillow at the uniformed woman, but it went right through her. "You're Kenna Knox and Franny Waites right?" she asked, looking at a clipboard.

"Your name's Franny?" Kenna asked.

"Yes," said Franny.

"Why am I just finding out about this now!?"

"It never came up."

"It's like the first thing you should have told me after I told you my name!"

"Which is?" asked the mysterious third party chewing on her pencil.

"I'm so sorry. My name is Kenna, and it's a pleasure to meet you," said Kenna hand outstretched.

"Kenna, great thank you!" she started to phase through the wall.

"Wait!" cried Kenna.

"What?"

"Who are you!? What's going on!?"

"Right, I was supposed to tell you that. Well I'm Kitty. I'm with basically an RA or whatever passes for one around here. And the power is out," Kitty said, still partially through the door.

"Okay, but why?" asked Kenna.

"Oh it's nothing. It's just one of those first day hiccups. It happens every year."

"That's a wordy way of saying nothing," said Franny.

"I know right, are there any other questions I can dodge for you?" asked Kitty.

"How do you do that?"

"What? Phase through walls. I have no idea."

"No, I mean, how do you phase through stuff without phasing through the floor."

"Practice."

"Cool."

"I know right! Bye!" she said as she phased the rest of the way through the wall.

Before the dark could completely encompass their room again Franny turned her light back on. "She seemed nice," said Kenna.

"In a sketchy kind of way," said Franny.

"At least she was honest about lying to us?"

"I suppose."

"And now we know that they're not trying to kill us."

"I'm not convinced."

"Why would they send someone to check up on us if they're trying to kill us?"

"To see if we're dead yet."

"She could have walked in here with a gun and shot both of us no big deal. Why wait?"

"Either way something didn't go as planned."

"Fair enough."

"We need to leave."

"I have concerns."

"Have you even tried the door yet?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I assumed that if they're going to go through the trouble of blocking the window with a large piece of metal they'd lock us in," Franny looked at her, "Fine." She tried the handle and found it unlocked. "Oh!" but behind the door was another large piece of metal blocking their way. "Oh."

"Look around, see if there's anything we can use in here to get that thing open."

"Unless you brought a welding torch I think we're out of luck."

"What did you bring with you?"

"Clothes, coats, toiletries, umbrella, bottled water, coffee, coffee maker, creamer, sugar, and mugs," Franny looked at her, "What?"

"Nothing."

"Would you like some coffee?"

"No, I'm good."

"Have you ever tried it?"

"Yes, I'm not a fan."

"Have you ever tried it the way I make it?"

"Obviously not."

"Would you like to?"

"No."

"Would you if we weren't trapped like rats?"

"Maybe."

"Wait, how did you try coffee in the sewers?"

"That's just where we lived. I made frequent trips to the street level."

"How'd that go?"

"Depends on if anybody saw me."

"What did you do up there?"

"Kill people that saw me."

"Oh."

"I'm, I'm messing with you."

"Please don't do that. I'm very gullible."

"Good to know."

"I shouldn't have told you that, should I?"

"No."

"What did you bring?"

"Not a welding torch."

"Can I see?"

"I have nothing that can help us get out of here."

"You're not going to show me anything you have are you?"

"There's no point."

"Come on."

"It's garbage."

"Like literal garbage?"

"That's offensive."

"I'm sorry!"

"And accurate."

"Why?"

"Personal property is a bit of a fluid concept in our community so we would passionately hide anything we got our hands on. Which was often garbage."

"What you are describing is a treasure horde. You brought your treasure horde here to make sure nobody else would take it!"

"You know, when you say it like that, it's the saddest thing I've ever heard."

"Oh my goodness you're the little mermaid!"

"The what?"

"A creature that dwells beneath the surface that collects things and dreams and sings about living up there!"

"I don't sing."

"Have you tried!?"

"I am not going to sing right now!"

"If we weren't trapped like rats would you!?"

"No! What is wrong with you!? How is any of this going to help us to escape?"

"I think I know a way!"

"You do?"

"But only if you sing a little mermaid song!"

"Is that really where your priorities are right now!?"

"I don't think I'll ever get another opportunity like this!"

"I don't even know the words!"

"You don't have to! There's a part in the movie where Ariel sings to a sea witch and she kind of just does notes! It's a really good part!"

"Why was she singing to a sea witch?"

"She was giving her voice to her in exchange for legs!"

"Are you trying to steal my voice!? Are you secretly a sea witch!?"

"No! What? No."

"That's exactly what a sea witch would say!"

"Nobody is stealing anything! It was an exchange of goods and services! And just as Ariel gave her voice for legs you are going to give me your voice for freedom! So sing with me dammit!"

Kenna began to sing the notes gently but aggressively gesturing for Franny to do the same. Franny rolled her eyes and attempted to harmonize with her. There was no confidence in her voice, but as Kenna sang louder she answered her intensity. "Keep singing!" Kenna yelled dramatically standing up. Franny stood as well as if to meet her challenge. Her voice echoed through the room alone as her magnificent green light brightened with the crescendo. "Holy shit." Franny snapped out of it. "Holy shit! That was awesome!" Franny slapped Kenna. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Tell me how to get out of here!" Kenna felt something running down her face. It was blood and Franny had not slapped her that hard.

"We need to start a fire."

"How's that going to help!?"

"I know it sounds bad, but assuming this room is here to keep us alive it might release us if it detects a fire."

"If you're wrong we die!"

"In that case we would have escaped in a different sense."

"Even if you're right the power is out! It wouldn't work!"

"I think they're lying about that."

"Explain!"

"We're still breathing. Air has to be getting here somehow."

"I can't believe I sang for this crap!"

"I can't believe your nails are that sharp! Ow!"

"And how would you even start this fire!?"

"I don't know! But dorm fires happen all the time, surely it can't be that hard!"

"How do they happen!?"

"Usually unattended personal heaters, microwaves, hot plates-,"

"Coffee makers?"

"Coffee makers, discarded cigarettes, makeshift branding equipment, makeshift lighter flamethrowers."

"Coffee maker."

"The light yourself on fire challenge, scented candles, indoor campfires, Christmas tree decorations, indoor fried turkeys, poorly made jack-o-lanterns, Fourth of July indoor fireworks party."

"We're using your coffee maker."

"What!? No! What!?" she asked, cradling her coffee maker.

"Don't get wrong. It's a dumb idea, but I don't have anything and this might be our only chance."

"Or! Or we can be cool and wait until they let us out."

"This is happening."

"I could make us some coffee! We could have a coffee party! It's like a tea party with more yelling! You love yelling!" Franny popped her claws. They were black and protruded from under her fingernails.

"Give me the coffee maker."

"But? You said."

"Four things."

"You're just a Swiss army knife of a mutant aren't you!?"

"Yes! I am kind of a big deal! Now give it!"

"I will fight you!"

"Wow, in the deepest darkest sewers I have never faced such courage. I'm immediately backing down because you stood up to me and my scary claws."

"Really?"

"No." Franny's light went out.

"Franny?" Kenna climbed on top of her bed, "Franny you're going to feel really stupid when that door opens up any minute now." Deafening silence filled the room for longer than Kenna cared for, "Come on Franny! This kind of stuff is exactly why people are scared of us! We need to be above this kind of thing!"

"You're not wrong," Franny said from the ceiling above her.

"This is happening isn't it?" said Kenna, not even bothering to look up.

"Yes." Franny dropped down on her. They fought each other tooth and claw tossing and breaking things until Kenna collapsed from exhaustion. Franny turned her light back on. Kenna was covered in claw marks and bleeding from an eye. Franny was a little worse for wear, but quite tired.

"Was sticking your fucking claw in my eye really necessary?" asked Kenna.

"You were biting into my arm!" she said plugging in the coffee maker.

"I don't have claws! What was I supposed to do!?"

"Give up sooner!" she said, placing the book in the pot.

"I haven't given up! We're still fighting! I'm just taking a break."

"I'd stay down if I were you. I've killed for less," Franny sat down across from her, "I'll give you this though, you're way heavier than you look."

"And now you're calling me fat."

"And you don't whine as much for a person I just stabbed in the eye. Usually it's all 'My eye! You just stabbed me in the eye!' stuff."

"It's no biggie, really. They always go for the eyes first," she said standing back up on shaky legs. Franny paused for a moment digesting what she just said.

"Who is the 'they' in that sentence?" she asked, watching Kenna shuffle to the sink. As the water washed over her skin hot steam shot out of her wounds closing them.

"Everybody, I mean, it makes sense," she wiped the blood out of her newly formed eye, "It's a very useful way to escape."

"You lied to me."

"No I didn't."

"You said you didn't do anything with the water!"

"I don't! I have no control over what my body does with it."

"Semantics!"

"I should be the mad one here!"

"How can I trust you after this!?"

"You've been lying to me the entire time!"

"I thought we were friends!"

"We were!? Whatever, I'm turning off the coffee maker."

"Don't do it."

"What are you going to do?"

"Stop you."

"How?"

"Easily." A second set of eye-lids slid over her eyes. They were transparent but much darker helping her see while her light grew unreasonably brighter. Kenna closed her eyes.

"Okay this is annoying, for sure, but I think 'easily' is a bit of a stretch." She walked towards where the coffee maker was sitting. It wasn't there. "Franny, where's my coffee maker?"

"I moved it."

"Where?"

"To the outlet next to your bed." Kenna turned to face where her bed was.

"This is a trap isn't it?"

"Yup."

"If I go for the coffee maker you're going to do something to me."

"Most likely."

"But the longer I wait the more time my coffee maker has to catch on fire."

"Are you going to turn it off or not?"

"I'm thinking!"

"About what?"

"I don't know! Since I can't see this is all just mind games right now!"

"Maybe!"

"Which means you're maybe not confident on actually stopping me."

"You're overthinking this now."

"Nah I got you figured out Franny Waites!" Kenna walked towards her bed only to be knocked onto it and sandwiched between both beds.

"It was never under my bed was it?" a muffled Kenna asked.

"Nope," said Franny, dimming her lights.

"It's where your bed used to be."

"Or is it?"

"You won, can you just give me this?"

"Yeah it's over there."

"So what, you're just going to keep me here until a fire breaks out."

"Pretty much."

"I hate you!" Another hour passed.

"Your coffee maker is taking its sweet time catching fire," she proclaimed sitting atop her throne of beds.

"It doesn't want to die."

"Or you broke it."

"Why don't you release me so I can find out?"

"I'm going to pretend that wasn't a serious question."

"Why are you being so mean!?"

"Because I have been trying to save our lives this entire time and you've been nothing but unhelpful!"

"I gave you the plan!"

"And you've fought me every step of the way!"

"There was only one step!"

"And you sat your fat ass on it and said no!"

"You're killing my friend!"

"It's a coffee maker! I will steal you a new one when we get out of here!"

"It's irreplaceable!"

"Is it magic or something?"

"No my sister gave it to me."

"Before she died?"

"For my birthday. Which is a day we give each other gifts on the anniversary of the day we were birthed."

"I know what a birthday is!"

"Well you can't read so it's hard to gauge what you know and don't know!"

"I will tell you if I don't know something!"

"Good! I want you to succeed and will help you in any way I can!"

"That's very thoughtful of you! I didn't expect that!"

"Was it thoughtful enough to let the coffee maker live?"

"No, she'll just have something else to give you on your next one."

"Huh, you know, I didn't think of it like that."

"And I'm sure she'd be okay with you using it like this if it was a life or death situation."

"That actually makes a lot of sense."

"So are we on the same page now?"

"Yeah I think we are. See we could have just talked this out the entire time."

"So if I let you go you're not going to freak out or anything?"

"Nah, we're cool."

"Okay, I'm going to get off of you now. Be cool." The moment Kenna had any freedom she picked the bed up and sandwiched Franny against the wall. "What did I just say!?" Franny pushed back. They went back and forth with the bed knocking and hitting everything in the room in an attempt to pin the other.

"Wait!"

"What!?"

"What's that noise?"

"It's the sound of your lying ass getting pinned!" Franny yelled, finally managing to get Kenna against the wall.

"Oh no no no, you need to let me go right now."

"Yeah fuck that!"

"We busted a pipe! Can't you hear that?"

"Are you still worried about the coffee maker!? I'm pretty sure we broke it along with everything else in this room if it makes you feel any better!"

"You don't understand I can't touch water again."

"Or what you'll explode?"

"Something like that, yes!"

"This I wanna see!"

"Seriously! No games! This is bad!"

"For you maybe!"

"Jab your claws into me!"

"What!?"

"Dig your meaty claws into my ribs! it might save us some time!"

"That could kill you."

"It's either you or me at this point."

"I am not comfortable with this!"

"Either get comfortable or let go, it's touching my foot!" Franny let go to the amusement of Kenna clambering things together to get as high off the ground as possible.

"What's your problem? Doesn't it heal you or something?"

"It does! But it's what it does to me when there's nothing to heal that's the problem!"

"Which is?"

"It uh, it makes more of me."

"One's bad enough."

"No, not like that. It uh, it adds more to me."

"Like extra appendages?"

"It makes me bigger!"

"Oh! Oh," said Franny, looking at the floor.

"Yeah!"

"How much bigger?"

"Are you really playing twenty questions with me right now?"

"If you'd stop being so coy about it I wouldn't have to!"

"Big enough to kill you and everybody else under us!"

"Is your strength proportional to your size?"

"Yes! Whose isn't?!"

"A guy I know."

"Really?"

"Why haven't you gone Hulk and bust down the door sooner!?"

"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about that earlier, many times, but I'd outgrow the room before I could do something like that!"

"Not if you lay on the floor."

"I don't follow."

"Instead of brute forcing it you use the wall as leverage to pop the door out."

"That still sounds like I'm brute forcing it."

"Yes but in a better, not everybody is going to die, kind of way."

"Even then I still wouldn't be able to get out."

"But I would, at which point I'd run to shut off the water."

"Do you even know how to do that?"

"Yes," Kenna looked at her in disbelief, "If I can't figure it out I'll find somebody who can."

"This is such a bad plan."

"So was the coffee maker thing." Kenna looked at the water anxiously.

"Well!?"

"I'm thinking!"

"It's going to be worse the longer you wait."

"Okay! Okay! Just turn the lights off please," she said, climbing down from her perch.

"Trust me, I was planning on it." Kenna gingerly stepped into the pooling water. Her skin drank deep from the flooding floor sending a warm stimulating sensation throughout her entire body.

"Could you stop that?"

"Stop What?"

"You're breathing very loudly."

"Sorry."

"Does it hurt?"

"No, but there is definitely an intensity to it."

"I bet. I can only imagine how delicate your whole thing is."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well I imagine if it works the way you said it works then if any part of you grew slower or faster than the other at any given time you'd die horribly."

"What!?" Kenna said breathing even faster.

"Wasn't that obvious?"

"No!?"

"Well what do I know!? I'm just a fish monster!"

"Am I going to die if I keep doing this!?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"That's it, I'm done! I'm getting back on the bed!" The two beds piled together groaned in agony as they were crushed into the floor, "Fuck!"

"That horrible noise was our beds wasn't it?"

"Yes! Ow!" yelled Kenna.

"And that was your head hitting the ceiling wasn't it."

"Yes! Fuck! This is why I didn't want to do your stupid plan!"

"Just calm down."

"No! I wanted to wait! It would have taken so long for this room to fill up! We would have been fine!"

"Sit you're ass on the floor and shut the fuck up!" Kenna obliged with a thud, "Are you in position? Are you on your back with your feet facing the door?"

"Yes," she said, annoyed.

"Good," Franny took a deep breath, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"You're obviously flustered about something."

"It's nothing, I'm fine."

"You're not, and we only have till that door comes down for you to work through it. So you should start talking now."