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---
Chapter 2 – Bayville High
Jean Grey was stunned, and everyone noticed.
"Jean, what happened?" Scott asked, crossing his arms, his tone laced with jealousy. "Why were you staring at the new guy like that?"
"I… I don't know," Jean admitted, still unsettled. "I couldn't read his mind."
"What, he's just empty up there?" Kurt asked, curious.
"No. It was like slamming into a wall," she replied, her brows furrowing. "That's never happened before."
"You think he's a mutant?" Kitty asked, nervous now. "Maybe another telepath? Someone strong enough to block you?"
"We should talk to the Professor," Kitty declared, just as Kurt shouted—
"He's evil! Look—he's sitting next to Rogue!"
---
(Faith +1: a group of people are thinking about you)
The robotic voice echoed in my mind again.
I ignored it and headed for the cafeteria, grabbing my tray and finding an empty table.
"Mind if I sit here?" I asked a goth girl who was clearly Rogue — beautiful, defiant, and radiating danger.
"Do whatever you want," Rogue muttered, rolling her eyes.
"So pretty, yet so moody," I said as I sat down. "I like it."
"Are you seriously hitting on me?" she asked with a growl, waving her hand dismissively. "Not interested. Get lost."
"Nah, just wanted a place to sit," I said with a bright grin. "The bonus is I get to sit beside a hot goth girl."
She rolled her eyes again but turned to glare at me, leaning forward until her face was just inches from mine.
"This hot goth girl can hurt you," she hissed, her voice low and threatening. "If you're not careful."
"The rose has thorns," I answered without flinching, meeting her gaze. "Get any closer, and I'll think you want to kiss me."
"And what if I do?" she purred. "You'd die for that kiss."
"I've survived far worse," I said with a smirk, raising my finger to touch her forehead. "A little kiss won't kill me."
"Don't touch me!" Rogue shouted, jerking back. Her chair scraped loudly. "Respect my boundaries!"
"Alright," I said simply.
---
Not long after that scene, I met the X-Men properly.
"Hey, I'm Jean Grey. We're in the same class," Jean said, smiling politely. Behind her stood the rest of the team.
"Elias Protheus," I replied with casual indifference. "New guy, as you can see."
Her expression carried curiosity — maybe even expectation. That's when I felt another tingle on my forehead.
(Mental intrusion detected. Divine mind incomprehensible to mortal telepaths. Intruder may suffer cerebral death. Should I allow it?)
The robotic voice whispered in my head. My eyes widened.
Cruel… but effective. Now I knew how to deal with telepaths.
Can you create fake thoughts? Surface images? I asked silently.
(Affirmative. False thoughts can be projected.)
Do it, I ordered mentally.
Jean's face turned bright red. She glared at me, both embarrassed and furious.
"You okay?" I asked, feigning innocence as I reached a hand toward her shoulder.
"Pervert!" she nearly shouted, stepping back from my touch.
"But I didn't say anything," I teased, pretending to be surprised. "You can read minds or something? Like those freaks at a circus?"
It was a joke — but one loaded with meaning.
Jean froze, then forced a nervous laugh.
"No, no, I just… got startled, that's all. reacted on accident," she said, her tone shaky, trying to cover her mistake.
"Makes sense. Still, maybe don't shout like that again — people might get the wrong idea," I said with a smirk, walking away.
---
"Damn it! Damn it!" Jean muttered later, kicking at the floor in frustration.
"That bastard! That bastard!"
"What happened?" Scott rushed over a Jean, concern written all over his face. "Did he do something to you?"
"The son of a bitch imagined me wearing a sexy chicken costume, dancing for him!" she shouted, blushing furiously. "That perverted bastard!"
Scott blinked, stunned, while Jean shot him a death glare.
Normally, she wouldn't have been that offended, but the chicken costume detail sent her into a rage she didn't even understand. Something deep inside her — something fiery — seemed to respond with anger of its own.
"Don't even think about it," she growled. Scott immediately raised his hands in surrender.
Kurt and Kitty arrived at that exact moment.
"What's going on?" Kurt asked, curious.
"The new guy imagined Jean in a sexy chicken outfit, dancing for him," Scott said, chuckling.
Kitty burst out laughing. "Seriously? A chicken?"
"So he's not a mutant, then?" Kurt tilted his head. "Just evil?"
"He's sitting with Rogue again," Kurt added, pointing. "See? He's with her right now!"
Everyone looked.
Sure enough, there I was, sitting beside Rogue again — and she was smiling.
"She never smiles," Scott muttered, stunned. "He's… good."
"He's just a pervert," Jean snapped, glaring at me. "A pervert who goes after pretty girls."
---
"Look who it is — my favorite goth," I said, sitting beside Rogue again, smiling. "What's up?"
"Get lost," she said flatly. "I'm not in the mood."
"Can't a man admire beauty?" I teased, leaning back. "You've got this whole dark, brooding thing going on. Love it."
"If you're after easy sex," she said, nodding toward a group of cheerleaders, "try them. You'll have better luck."
"I like a challenge," I replied, grinning. "Easy's boring."
"With me, it'll be impossible," she said, standing up, annoyed.
"I like impossible," I countered instantly, smirking as I looked up at her.
"I can't be touched," Rogue said with a dark little smile. "So what now?"
"Virtual sex is amazing," I said, pretending to think seriously, then looked her over. "But honestly, just seeing you is worth it."
"Pervert," she muttered, blushing. She swung at me playfully, but I caught her hand mid-air, worried she might hurt herself against my unbreakable skin.
(Interference detected. Eliminating interference...)
Crap. I'd forgotten about that. I released her hand quickly and stood.
"Sorry," I said, backing off. "I crossed a line. Won't bother you again."
I bolted before she could say anything. Panic clawed at my chest. She can't have noticed. She can't know. I got too confident.
---
He touched me.
He actually touched me.
That thought echoed endlessly in Rogue's head.
She couldn't believe it. No one could touch her — her power drained the life out of anyone she came into contact with. But he… he touched her.
She'd felt his warmth — his skin.
The human warmth she hadn't felt in so long. It was intoxicating. Sweet. Addictive.
She needed to know. Was he immune to her touch… or was it all in her head?
For the first time in years, Rogue felt something she'd long buried — hope.
---
That night, as the students went home, the X-Men gathered before Professor Xavier.
"So, you think there's a new mutant at school?" the Professor asked calmly. "Cerebro hasn't detected anyone new."
"Because he's not a mutant," Jean said, still red with embarrassment. "He's just a pervert."
"What happened between you two?" Xavier asked, puzzled.
"Jean couldn't read his mind," Scott explained, smirking. "When she finally did, she saw an image of herself dressed like a chicken, dancing seductively."
"Oooh," the Professor grimaced. "Then he might be a powerful telepath."
"What?" Kurt looked utterly confused. "Isn't he just a creep?"
"Possibly both," Xavier said. "Jean, try reading my mind."
She did — and instantly gasped. "Why am I dressed like a chicken again?!"
She shouted, mortified.
"That's how it works," Xavier said patiently. "When powerful telepaths realize someone's probing their mind, they create surface thoughts — false images — to block access."
Jean blinked, impressed despite herself. "Why didn't you ever teach me that?"
"Because you don't need it," Xavier replied gently. "You already have strong mental barriers."
"But I fell for two mental tricks!" she protested.
"You're not used to being deceived," he said calmly. "Anyway, keep observing the boy. Let's see if he really is a telepath — or just a pervert."
---
That night, I went home exhausted.
As I lay down, the voice returned.
(+1 Faith Point: a group of people are discussing you)
Great. Just what I needed.
(+1 Faith Point: one person has been thinking about you for hours)
Damn it. I was becoming important to people.
It was good — faith made me stronger — but dangerous, too.
If Zeus sensed my growing power, I'd end up just like the original Prometheus.
I closed my eyes and drifted into sleep, consumed by the eternal flame that defined my existence.
---