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Alpha: Bonfire. Not really wanting to be there.

Molly had spent most of the day after her experience at the beach in her room on her laptop. Now she was doing more than a few things while she was online. She was playing one of her games which was helping to sort of relax her as the game was quite mindless in and of itself. She was also looking for something to help deal with the anxiety she knew was the underlying cause of her problems. Maybe if she could find some way of helping her relax she might actually, well, at least partially, enjoy the vacation. But really, couldn’t they have just sent them on an educational vacation or something? Obviously not as they were here and not somewhere else.

When she heard about the bonfire planned for later Molly made the decision to attend for as long as she could sit and not think of just how close to the shoreline they were. Fortunately she found that she had a few options available to her. The condo had a rather well stocked, or well overstocked, medicine cabinet. After conferring with someone online over those options Molly took two pills about an hour before the scheduled event. The pills would keep her nerves settled as long as no one really tried to get her worked up without turning her into a zombie. She would be alert but kind of mellow. They were worth a shot at least.

At the bonfire Molly managed to get to the section of beach and find a chair closer to the bonfire. It was nice since there was a lot of other things going on that she could focus on instead of where she was. Add to that the mild sedative she took was keeping her nerves settled and Molly could almost relax. Almost. There of course was the underlying anxiety she was feeling but she was able to make herself ignore it for the time being. She was going to be going inside and to bed early though.

Omega: Fires

The afternoon went on rather predictably. There was nothing too exciting to write home about. Not that I have anybody to write home to. She reminded herself as she quietly got ready for the bonfire. This thought left her running her fingers across the adamantium cross molding it back and forth and eventually back to the original form.

Petra made sure to shower to get the sun, grime and sand off of her momentarily. of course they were going to the beach again so that was almost futile. It never hurt to look one's best. She made sure her hair was well groomed, but not overly glamorous. Now was not the time to be a show off. That never was a way to make friends.

Wearing a light blue "boyfriend" shirt over a white bikini, she slid on a pair of shorts and matching sandals. She could have found some slinky sundress to wear, but that seemed counter productive. Some people took her liking high fashion to not being able to be casual and comfortable. The labels on the tags of her clothes said quality but her look almost made her blend with the crowd.

She had no roommate and really didn't bond yet with anybody from the teams. Picking up a pouch like purse (that she had to have after seeing Heidi Klum toss it over her shoulder on Project Runway) she mimicked her idol in her walk down and out towards the beachy bonfire.

"Vell, if I find no friend, bet I can find beach boy with drink," She shrugged looking to see if she saw any Omegas around.

Omega:Catalina – Hop Skip and a Jump to the Bonfire

Jack’s hand on top of her hand, ruffling her hair like she were a child simultaneously sent shivers of delight and anger through Kerrigan’s entire body. On the one hand he was touching her, albeit with the intention of ruffling her feathers, but on the other hand, he was touching her. Swatting at his hand lightly before she made her way down the beach, the redhead fought herself to withhold a glance back in his direction, instead mentally unpacking her suitcase in an attempt to remember what she brought with her. She had caught the tail end of this comments to Bella, and even though she knew that he was just kidding around, a small knot of jealousy formed in the pit of her stomach. Again, she turned her attention to the clothes she had brought with her, forcing herself to change her internal conversation from boys to fashion. Rooming with Cissa for so long meant that she had significantly changed her wardrobe over the last year, making it more feminine, though she was nowhere as obsessed with fashion as her blonde roommate.

It did not take her long to get back to the mansion from the beach, noting that the small group they had going was now dispersed, no doubt heading into trouble somewhere else. She tossed her hair over her shoulders as a sea breeze washed over her, the redhead inhaling deeply to take in the salty air. Every care seemed to wash away in that one breeze, the redhead letting go on the residual anger from dealing with Eli, whom she now knew there would be lingering problems of a personality clash, and the fact that her attempt at helping Cissa relax had utterly failed with the onset of a not-so-funny prank. It would take more time and effort to get the blonde to let this one go, though it seemed that her “assault” on Bella would probably take most of the anger out of her. She got a message from Cissa, telling her that she would be going out and they could catch up at the fire. There was no need to send a reply.

The redhead passed some groups looking at the glass footprints she knew her blonde roomie had left on her way back to the mansion, but the redhead said nothing. They were on vacation, and while most of them were now used to being around others with powers, she knew that the general population was not always as attuned to the experience. It would do them no good to draw attention to themselves, though with so many teenage mutants in one place, there were going to be slip ups no doubt. Hopefully the locals were alright with it. She turned the corner to head into the room she had dropped her bags in when they first arrived, relieved on some level to find that they were untouched. She was not sure if she should go ahead and take them into the room Cissa was occupying, mostly because she wasn’t sure how “heated” she still was from the beach encounter. Undoubtedly, she would end up there eventually, but for now it would be better to wait until asked – it would do no good to force her needed presence on a girl that was working through so much emotional baggage from her experiences in Limbo.

Closing the door, the redhead hauled her suitcase up onto the bed, opening it and rummaging around until she found what she was looking for. Laying out her chosen clothes on the bed, she headed into the bathroom to wash the sea salt off of her for the moment, though spending more time on the beach would obviously reapply whatever she washed off. She straightened her hair quickly as well, the residual sea salt making it easier than normal. Hanging her bikini over the shower curtain rod to dry for the moment, she dressed quickly in a pair of dark denim skinny jeans, a burgundy and black lace corset and a loosely-fitted, sleeveless white blouse over that. Slipping her Grecian-style sandals on and grabbing a subtle zebra-print scarf she could use as a wrap, the redhead stood and looked at herself in the mirror, doing a quick turn-around.

It was casual, the corset offering a hint of sex appeal she was sure most of the other girls would be going for as well. After all, who wouldn’t want to impress the irresistibly tan and muscle-bound island buys Catalina had to offer? At least, that was her story – if she saw Lurch there, she wanted to make sure he looked at her. It was an almost sick game they had going on, constantly trying to push each other’s buttons in a way that would garner the biggest reaction. She wanted to tease him with something he could not have, though at this point it wouldn’t take much convincing on his part.

Shaking her head of these thoughts, the redhead turned on her heel and headed out of the room, secretly looking forward to the bonfire ahead. As she walked down the beach, the redhead brought her comm. to her lips, sending a message to all the Omegas to remind them of the bonfire.

“Party time Omegas! See you at the Bonfire on Descanso Beach.”



The blazing fire cast shadows over her form as Kerrigan lounged on a log, drink in hand. It was significantly more difficult to find a drink without alcohol in it at this point, but she made her own, so she knew it was safe. The redhead was not necessarily a drinker, mostly because she didn’t like the empty calories in something that tended to have little effect on her, but tonight she made a slight exception. Her gaze moved swiftly from one dancing group to another, never really settling on one person for too long. She had still not spotted Cissa, though she was not necessarily concerned about that. After all, the blonde was always one to make a grand entrance, and that usually meant arriving fashionably late.

What worried her more was the lack of size and muscles amongst the party-goers, the redhead casually hiding the fact that she was really searching for one person in particular. She was starting to feel stupid in the sense that she had never been this kind of girl; never done the whole crush thing this intensely before. Kerrigan Schwartz was a redhead that was supposed to be stronger than all this, and had grown used to the fact that many boys were intimidated by her in the romantic department. In her own way, she took it as a compliment and ceased to let it bother her. Maybe that was why she felt herself drawn to the biggest, most muscle-bound student to grace the Academy since she started – he wasn’t intimidated by her. This self-realization brought a twinge of a smile to the corners of her glossed lips, the redhead bringing her plastic red cup up for a drink as she looked slightly more relaxed. She could never let him know about her growing feelings, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t annoy the hell out of him, if only to keep his attention.

Alpha: Fires

Before she sat down to join Carlos by the fire, she figured it only was fair and appropriate to tell Bella where the hell she was. There was no way she could get away with being gone this long and not be noticed. Especially by her best friend. Clicking her comm, she sent word to Bella, "Bells, I'll be back at the condo later or in the morning. I'm with Carlos at the moment and I just don't feel right leaving just yet. You know me. I gotta make my rounds and figure everybody out. You know how to get me if you need me."

Truth was, she didn't want to go back at the moment. It was partially curiosity on how things would play out and partially that she just didn't want to. It was hard to put her thumb on it.

Sitting down, the silence didn't bother her. Things were as they were. You never can change actions made or predict the future. All you could worry about what right now. And for right now, she was content watching the fire. This beach, right now, was as close to silence as she was going to find.

Her eyes trailed upward whenever Carlos spoke. She listened and wasn't bothered by what he was telling her. If anything it gave her more clarity and understanding about what one of her oldest friends was going through, "It's okay, 'los. We're all entitled to a break from things. Anybody who says otherwise is a fool. And anybody who says you aren't entitled to feel the way you do is a bigger fool."

She stiffled a small laugh at herself, "You know, I was forced to a break on Muir Island and all I wanted to do was to get back here to the team while I was there. How sad is it about me that I'm now back and all I want to do is sit here in the silence? I felt more like myself beheading Limbo creatures that I do sitting on a beach with my teammates... my friends."

"I'm only twenty and I would rather be at war than trying to counteract my healing ability and get loaded on the beach. We all have our issues and dramas. It's a matter of how we deal with them."

Digging her feet into the sand she looked at the fish that he was serving up. The taste was pretty good... and she was generally picky about what was good food... you know, having a super sensitive palate. Smiling and nodding as she swallowed the bite she complimented the chef, "If you're this good on this beach, I'd love to see how well you cook on your home turf. And I don't throw my cooking compliments around too much. You can't imagine the stuff I can taste on food sometimes..." She made a face knowing her statement was truth. She didn't need a badge to tell when a restaurant would fail health code violation.

Maddy had kicked off her sandals and let her feet sink into the sand as she walked. It had certainly cooled down from this afternoon. The girls eyes were set off over the horizon, on the darkness that might have been twinged with purple, the waves still coming steadily in from the deeper waters.

She was humming to herself some old folk song she couldn't remember half the lyrics too when a familiar voice popped her little daydream bubble. The fall back too reality wasn't so bad, though. At least she had company in Vallon. She'd been hoping he'd show his face here. She knew Narcissa's order for he Omegas well enough, but didn't know what the Alpha's were up too. She had made it rather clear to the boy that he should come, didn't she? They needed to get alone to talk or something, though. About what she didn't know. Was he the chatty type? Would he go on about boxing...?

"Hail the conquering hero," she said, with a smirk, an eye on the food he had in tow. "Well of course, good sir. Let us away to a more preferable spot, free of spots," she said, waving her hand at the masses of beach bums around their fires.

And so she led on with a high step, he eyes scanning now for a good spot. Not too far off from the main fire she came upon a smaller pit that still had a bit of flame going still. There were sticks piled next too it along with empty bottles of the alcoholic kind. She would just assume that whoever had built it had run off to do some more gallivanting. 'Finders keepers,' Maddy thought as she pushed the lit sticks around with another. She yanked the boy by the arm downward as she say, crossing her legs.

Omega: Metal Man

Petra gladly mingled with some of the beach natives because they were pouring the drinks. She held out a red plastic cup and accepted her stereotype and waited for the vodka to flow. One of the boys made a comment as such and she tipped her glass in thanks. Looking over her shoulder as she walked away, she commented, "Da but I will be standing when bottle is done."

She knew how to hold her own. It got cold in the Russian winters. Her and her friends got bored so sneaking vodka out of the house is what they did to get warm and to have fun. Stereotypes were there for a reason. Walking out of the crowd with the cup she started to look for other X-men to see what they were up to. Those who were there seemed to be doing their own thing or sulking around.

She thumbed at the chain on her neck tempted to meld the metal back and forth but knew better in this crowd. Kicking off her sandals she stepped onto the ground and her forehead wrinkled. There was a metal feeling near her that she could pick up through the ground. Very specific. Her files on the way over didn't mention any mutants with metal powers. She put her hand on the ground to get a better sense. This power wasn't perfect. She only got a feeling of what was near her.

"Wish I paid attention in class, maybe I would be able to see," She muttered to herself knowing she had more to learn about her skill. Looking around she saw the source of the metal and walked towards Gideon. He was in the files but why did Ms. Frost not mention he had a high metal content.

"You.... Gideon. Metal man, yes?" Petra kept her voice on the low side already knowing she was correct. With her feet grounded, she could feel the metallic source quite well. The fact, though, that she could tell that his pull on it was greater than her pull made her question just what kind of metal it was.

Realizing she probably sounded slightly insane she corrected herself and put her hand out for a shake, "Apologies. Petra Morozov, new eh, Omega. I... bend metal, sense it. Strong with you. What kind if I can ask?" She hated that term but her classmates had taught her it and so it was how she described her power.

Alpha: Getting My Party On

Bella smiled happily as she joined the group that was dancing around the largest bonfire—It was high, changing colors between green and yellow because of the dried driftwood they used to keep going bright. The salt in the wood made all the difference. She remembered when she never went a day without dancing… And dancing in the still warm sand in front of a fire reminded her more of Columbia than anything else. She was home sick—That was for sure.

She twisted and turned, having already, quickly, downed something she was quite sure had raspberry absolute in it, and pink lemonade. Bella wasn’t intoxicated, but it was just enough to take some of the prim and proper nature out of her. To take her worries, and her fears, and lock them in a small box in the back of her mind… At least for a few hours. Getting completely wasted in a public place for her was generally a bad idea… Any much worse than she’d been at prom and she didn’t realize how loud she was talking. Loud, meaning with the force of a sub sonic wave.

She moved with the fluidity of water, where her bones and joints began and ended were always a mystery. Her motions were inclusive, and some of the girls, strangely not ones she knew started trying to mimic her. Bella smiled kindly and slowed down so they could follow. It made her happy to see others having fun. Hands and wrists twisting delicately above her head, her torso rolled from top to her hips—Her bare feet moving in time with the song being played.

The music wasn’t anything too modern, being blasted loudly from eight large speakers that had cables running back towards the resort not far from them. It was heavy on the bass, holding a kind of urban tropical appeal. It wasn’t like there was a xylophone, more guitar and drums. Bella could deal with that, any music really caught her attention.

It was harder to dance in sand than she remembered—But she still pulled it off flawlessly. This was her element… Some people could swim like champions, some could play chess, some could run and do marathons—She could sing and dance.

She blinked, thrown off slightly however when someone grabbed her hand, and tugged in a way that would have pulled her forward—If she hadn’t caught herself. Her jade eyes shot up sharply, apprehensive. It was no one she knew… But there was nothing wrong with an honest dance. So long as he didn’t try to do the bump and grind American foot shuffle with her. To her surprise, the young man seemed to have some skill, and she was prepared this time when he tugged on her arm—And she spun rapidly under his arm and to the other side.

It was a good time, so far.

Hearing something through the seven to ten body deep crowd around her, she recognized the sound as being Gideon—The sound of metal and muscle moving in harmony. She had on the occasion mistaken him for Logan on sound alone… How embarrassing that had been. Especially when she feared that because he was a clone of Logan, that because she really loved Gideon, it meant that she loved Logan like that in someway too. The mere thought had made her green and dizzy for months. But since Logan was on the other side of the world with another team--- She knew without a doubt who it was. She couldn’t help but eavesdrop slightly on his general conversation with the way her hearing automatically homed in on him… But she tried not to think of it. She recognized the girl he spoke to, barely. Her name was Petra...But that was all Bella could recall from the beach earlier.

As annoyed as she was with him about Narcissa…She couldn’t stay mad. Still, she wouldn’t be the one to break first… He would find her eventually, she knew. He always did.

She still wanted a s'more.

Alpha-Frightened in an Alley

Sophia twisted her fingers in front of her nervously as they walked.

Her hands clenched when Shandra walked away from them. Why would she separate? Dividing their forces just didn’t sound like a good idea.

She couldn’t remember the other girls powers specifically enough to wonder if perhaps that was why she moved away. But she liked, and trusted Shandra enough not to question her aloud. She was the more experienced out of all of them, except for maybe Antonio. She would trust that she knew best.

Christian’s hand on her shoulder, she relaxed, just slightly—But the muscles through her back were tense and tight as she felt for the bond that connected her to the earth. Well, to the living things that grew from the earth—Not the dirt itself. She felt roots under the path…Interconnected, thick and strong. It would destroy the pavement to bring them fourth…But there were some dirt area’s they could spring from. Things didn’t grow so well in the sand…But thankfully, that didn’t mean things didn’t grow beneath the sand.

The vegetation here wasn’t used to her, the way it was at home…They were confused by her mind touching them—Speaking. Asking for help. Giving them free reign to protect her. To protect them. Luckily for her, plants generally seemed to like her—Only the one’s in Limbo had been undecided. They wouldn’t fight her.

She heard the snickers towards Shandra’s warning and swallowed hard as more men stepped out of the adjacent alley. There were so many twists and turns—If they ran it would only be too easy to get separated. In the darkness of the alley, she couldn’t determine how many men were really looking at them. She noticed three edging towards Shandra—More than that edging towards herself and Christian.

She felt a whimper coming up the back of her throat when she saw something glint in the dim lighting…Was it a knife? She backed up unintentionally into Christian’s form, feeling the ground beneath her feet give a tremor as the roots beneath the pavement moved in response to her fear. The men didn’t notice.

They laughed, and laughed more when Christian asked them if they needed a phone. Why wouldn’t they say anything else? Other than to snicker at them, and jeer… It was stupid.

“Please…What do all of you want? We don’t want any trouble…”

“We don’t want any trouble..”, someone mimicked back at her, someone else whining in a high pitched tone…“Whaa—Please.”

She bristled like an angry kitten, her cheeks flushing—Her lips parting, about to retort… Her anger giving her confidence when she suddenly deflated. She remained silent... Eyes averting from the back of the group coming towards them. There was something... Someone, behind them. She'd only seen a flicker of gold... But it was enough. She knew that the group of thugs hadn't noticed at all an interloper in their midst.