>> "To tell you the truth I have no idea. I finished up my tennis lesson and then she took me inside and told me I was moving here in a week. She didn't even leave it open for discussion. I have no idea why I'm even here. She was so insistent on me being 'safe' that such a move made no scene."

"She sent you away?..." Maya arched an eyebrow "Well... she's right about being safe, at least. I don't think there's another place as good for mutants as this one. So, there's that." she looked at Kate "Is that what the phone call was about?... Do you want to go back to her?"

It made sense to Maya. If Mom was... if she knew where Mom was, no one, no one in the world could have kept her away. She'd spent almost five years without her; it was too long to imagine. Leaving her by her own free will, now that just seemed impossible.

"The call was supposed to be about how I was doing. She told me I needed to make friends and I lost it. I have been waiting for the day that she or Jensen calls me to tell me that I need to come home. That she has had another nervous break down and I need to come fix her." Kate wipped a tear that threatened to fall from her eye as she opened the door to her room.

Her mother had decorated the room ahead of time so it would be ready for her arrival. It was much like her room back home, with it's bright pastels and elegant furnishings. The only thing that could be considered out of place were the 6 portable heaters scattered around the room.

Kate walked over to a wardrobe opening it to reveal that it was full to the brim with jackets. Kate had one in every color and pattern you could think of plus some. On the doors was a collections of scarves and gloves in various matching colors. She was very well prepared for winter.

Kate pulled off her gloves and placed them on the door with the others. She slipped on a new pair of red ones and a gray jacket.

>>"The call was supposed to be about how I was doing. She told me I needed to make friends and I lost it. I have been waiting for the day that she or Jensen calls me to tell me that I need to come home. That she has had another nervous break down and I need to come fix her."

"Well, ouch." Maya muttered "Who's Jensen?"

Nervous breakdowns. Not fun. Not fun at all. Poor kid, half the world away from home, for the first time in her life, probably, and still having to worry about what's going on with her mother. All right, so this might have been better than not having a mother at all. Or might not.

"Whoa." she muttered, looking around the room. It was... girly. Nothing like her room, which was filled with all kinds of stuff, and the furniture the school could provide. No wonder Mirror preferred to hang out in other rooms. "Your room is... very pretty."

She watched as Kate put on more clothes. Maya was wearing cargo pants and a T-shirt, and just the sight of gloves and a jacket made her sweat. "You really feel cold in here, don't you."

>>Well, ouch. Who's Jensen?

"Jensen is our butler and head of household. He has been with our family since my dad was a child. He is the one who is taking care of my mother while I am here."

>>Whoa. Your room is... very pretty.

"Thank you...I think." Kate wasn't sure weather Maya actually thought it was pretty or couldn't think of anything else to say.

>>You really feel cold in here, don't you.

"Indoors isn't so bad. I can get by with a long sleeve shirt if it is warm enough. Most of the time I just have to wear a jumper while inside. Outside on the other hand is very different. I don't' only have to deal with the air temperature, but also wind and humidity. It is never hot enough for me to walk around in a tank top or shorts, but it is comfortable enough."

>>"Jensen is our butler and head of household. He has been with our family since my dad was a child. He is the one who is taking care of my mother while I am here."

A butler. Of course. Who else would he be? With a name like that?
The corner of Maya's lips twitched into a smirk.

>>"Indoors isn't so bad.... Outside on the other hand is very different... It is never hot enough for me to walk around in a tank top or shorts, but it is comfortable enough."

"Comes with the powers, I guess" Maya smiled "Fire's fire, right?" she waited for Kate to get ready; she was not sure what they were going to do next, but she had all the time in the world anyway. "So, is your mother also a mutant?" she asked out of curisoity "How about your dad?... And the butler?"

That just sounded funny. A mutant butler.
Gosh, I'm so childish.

>>So, is your mother also a mutant? How about your dad?... And the butler?

Kate couldn't help but laugh at Maya's enthusiasm, "No, Yes and No. My mother and Jensen aren't mutants. But my father was. He was just like me apparently."

Kate crossed the room and exited with Maya in tow. They would have to come up with a plan on what to do with the ruminates of the piano when they got back to the music room.

>> "No, Yes and No. My mother and Jensen aren't mutants. But my father was. He was just like me apparently."

Maya nodded as they walked; apparently, there was more to the story. A past tense. Past tenses were serious. Whenever past tense came up, people would get sad, or angry, or would just walk away. She knew. She'd tried all of those. Sometimes even against her own reflection. Which kinda sucked, for a mirrorwalker.
Maya turned her attention back to Kate.

"What happened to him?"

"Actually telling you that would probably explain everything." Kate took a deep breath trying to pull out the words she barely knew, "When I was 2 my family went to London to celebrate my birthday and by what I have been told we were going to to the hotel when it happened. I assume since my father had the same powers as me he also had the same restrictions. I have to release energy every 16 hours or so. I can go for longer, but have to be very careful. That's actually what happened today. Well that and anger, but that is irrelevant. My father, he accidentally did what I did and ended up melting a statue in the middle of Piccadilly."

Kate paused remembering the sounds of the guns. She remembered the smell of her mothers perfume and the feel of the wool coat on her face. The yells of the shocked onlookers and the cries of her mother. She had never really understood what happened in that moment.

It took her a second to return from far off in London, but eventually she did, "Um... There were police officers there and they thought he was doing something threatening. Really they were just scared. When he tried to raise his hands in surrender they thought he was trying to attack again and shot him. That's why my mother kept us secluded in Kirby Hall for so long. She was afraid of them."

"Whoa." Maya muttered, looking at Kate as she told the story. It was a sad one, and it really sucked, that on the other side of the world it was all the same with people who were scared, and confused, and willing to shoot mutants just ecause they thought it would keep them safe.
No one is ever safe.

"That's terrible, Kate." she muttered "I'm sorry." she paused "I should prolly know better than to bring up things like this. Most of us have some kind of baggage. That... also comes with the powers." she noted, as they arrived back to the door of the music room. No one seemed to have noticed the smoke, or the noise. Good.
Now they just had to figure out how to get rid of the corpse.

"I think that was my mother's point. If I didn't grow up in the real world I wouldn't see the real world problems. And honestly it's not that bad," Kate perked up pretending to be fine, "I don't' even remember my father. All I know of him is pictures and what my mother and Jensen have told me."

Kate looked at the pile of wood and then looked out the window her smile fading. The sun was going down over the trees in the expansive back yard of the mansion. How in the world were they going to get this outside?

>>"I think that was my mother's point. If I didn't grow up in the real world I wouldn't see the real world problems. And honestly it's not that bad. I don't' even remember my father. All I know of him is pictures and what my mother and Jensen have told me."

"I didn't know my father either" Maya nodded "Mom never talked about him. He was gone before I was born, so." she glanced at Kate "I can imagine your mom wanted to keep you safe. It must have been hard for her... Mother sometimes go over the top with keeping us safe." she added with a small smile. Mom certainly did that a lot. She invented Maya and Gawain. Among other things.

Closing the door behind herself, Maya walked over to the wreck of the piano, hands on her hips. "So... any suggestions?"

Kate starred at the pile again, "I haven't got a clue. I have never had to clean up a fire before anyone found out."

Kate glanced back at the window, "You know the windows are big enough that we could pass them through."

She looked at the piano worried that some of the pieces may be to big for them to lift let alone get out a window, but really the fire had done its job, "This thing really went up didn't it? I really have no idea how we are going to dispose of this without anyone noticing. Or get a new piano in for that matter."

>>"You know the windows are big enough that we could pass them through. This thing really went up didn't it? I really have no idea how we are going to dispose of this without anyone noticing. Or get a new piano in for that matter."

"Well, if it makes you feel better" Maya smirked as she walked around the wreck "I don't think most people here even know we have a piano. I doubt many would notice if it went missing. We rarely ever have music lessons since Raina left."

Walking to the window, she looked out. "We could get, y'know, empty boxes and garbage bags. And put the smaller pieces into them. As for the bigger pieces... well. Can't you, y'know, make them smaller?"

Or ash? Ash would work too.

>>Well, if it makes you feel better. I don't think most people here even know we have a piano. I doubt many would notice if it went missing. We rarely ever have music lessons since Raina left. We could get, y'know, empty boxes and garbage bags. And put the smaller pieces into them. As for the bigger pieces... well. Can't you, y'know, make them smaller?

"To tell you the truth that really doesn't make me feel better. It is a little sad that whoever this Raina person was, she was the only person keeping music alive in this school. I am going to have to have a little talk with Mr. Johnson about that one." music was such a big part why Kate wasn't as crazy as her mother and if Mirror was correct about the amount children that grew up in similar situations, it wouldn't hurt for them to have a little music in their lives either.

"Now, as for making the pieces smaller, I'm not sure I want to start a fire intentionally. I suppose it would work but how do we go about not burning down the rest of the school or setting off a fire alarm?"

>>"To tell you the truth that really doesn't make me feel better. It is a little sad that whoever this Raina person was, she was the only person keeping music alive in this school. I am going to have to have a little talk with Mr. Johnson about that one."

"Suit yourself" Maya grinned, poking a piece of burnt wood with ther foot "I think his musical taste ranges from AC/DC to... whatever." she smirked "But you are right. Music lessons would be fun."

>>"Now, as for making the pieces smaller, I'm not sure I want to start a fire intentionally. I suppose it would work but how do we go about not burning down the rest of the school or setting off a fire alarm?"

"All right. Let's get some boxes and bags from the storage room and clean up what we can, and we'll go from there." Maya nodded. That was, at least, a start. "You don't have to use your powers if you don't want to." she added with a friendly smile. She didn't care about being caught as long as it was safer for Kate.