Allegra lay awake worrying. She worried about a lot of things since coming to Xavier’s, but #1 on the list tonight was her history final tomorrow. She kept telling herself that instead of staying awake worrying about it, she should get up and study.

This would involve two things that Allegra hated; getting out of bed and studying. So she just rolled over and failed to get back to sleep. The cycle continued.

Allegra did enjoy eating, so a little snack might be motivation to get up. The two tiny dogs sleeping on her legs whined in protest. It was 3am. This was sleep time. Disrupting the natural order of things was not allowed.

“Oh, come on you two,” Allegra coaxed. “There's treats involved.”

Both of them knew the ‘T’ word and suddenly they became bundles of energy yipping and yapping loudly. Allegra’s sleeping neighbors were certainly thrilled by this.

Allegra was a diehard fashionista but as far as sleepwear, she veered in the opposite direction. Every time she'd visit a new city she would buy the most touristy oversized T-shirt she could find and that was her sleepwear. Tonight she was wearing a bright red shirt with the golden gate bridge and a streetcar with the words ‘San Francisco’ over the top just in case you couldn’t figure out where the shirt came from. She put on her tacky ragged pink bunny slippers, grabbed her backpack and led the barking dogs down the hall and to the kitchen.

After giving the dogs their favorite Barky Bisuits, she cored an apple and grabbed a jar of creamy peanut butter. Apples and peanut butter was one of her favorite snacks and hopefully it would give her energy.

The living room was empty so she sprawled out on one of the most comfortable couches. The TV loomed temptingly in front of her.

“No, must study,” Allegra told herself. The tiny black dog jumped up to snuggle next to her owner. Allegra opened her history book while the dog licked at the peanut butter.

“Okay, the Seven Years’ War,” Allegra muttered to herself. “All the teachers say that we have to study history so we’re not doomed to repeat it. Well, I can guarantee you that I won’t be picking up a musket and joining the French army anytime soon. Why can’t I just skip this test?”

The black dog nodded in agreement as her tongue made its way around the peanut butter jar. The white dog, on the other had was standing at attention growling at the air.

“Sparkle, stop!” Allegra shouted at the dog. “There is absolutely no one there. You’re disturbing my procrastination so cut it out.”

Allegra’s eyes glazed over her textbook. Maybe she could take a small break before she started studying and watch a little TV.  That is, if the dog would stop barking.

Kendra was cozy and comfortable sleeping in room 206.  Her body was resting nestled between silk sheets with the window open.  A slight breeze pushed through the curtains and blew her hair around her face.  Her astral spirit was downstairs in the kitchen with a magazine in front of her on the table.  Kendra looked up when a beautiful blonde walked into the kitchen.  She said nothing as the young woman went about making a snack. Kendra simply watched her with some interest. 

Kendra was invisible as she sat at the table.  No reason for anyone to think they weren't alone. Her brown eyes narrowed as she watched an apple and peanut butter come out.  Heck, it was even curious enough to get a slight eyebrow raise out of the Georgia bell.  Not the combination she would have gone with.  As meaningless as her choice in snack was, it was enough to at least distract Kendra from her magazine as she followed her into the living room.

Kendra moved quietly.  Her bare feet padding over the plush carpet.  She didn't have any plans on going out tonight.  She was feeling rather lazy so she didn't bother to leave her shoes on when she fell asleep.  Kendra was wearing a tank top and a pair of pajama pants. Over her slender frame she had a lightweight pink hoody, unzipped. It didn't matter what you looked like when no one could see you.  Moving along the back of the couch she couldn't help but peek over the girl's shoulder.  History? Bleck!  She thought.  Not her favorite subject.  Her mind drudged through the monotony of what it was like to still be in school and she frowned. 

With a slight shrug of her shoulders she jumped on the opposite couch landing with a plop.  It might have been heard if it hadn't been for the insistent barking of the little dog.  Kendra stuck her tongue out at the dock in a mocking gesture.  She wasn't even sure if the dog could see her as much as it could sense her.  Perhaps it smelled the strawberry shampoo in her fiery locks.  Kendra laid back on the couch and observed the scene before her.

Everything that was on her person was as invisible as she was.  It wouldn't be long though until the girl smelled the sudden mysterious appearance of cigarette smoke.  Kendra was itching to light one up.  A warm smile pulled across her lips as she thought about having a bit of fun.  Mischievous fun, but still fun none the less.  Kendra slowly rose from her couch and moved over to the little table where the textbook was. 

Kendra waited for a moment when the girl looked away and she quietly closed the textbook.  Kendra grabbed the remote control for the tv and slide it a little closer to the girl.  It was on the edge of the table now, easily within arms reach.  I'm such a bad influence.  She thought trying not to laugh.  Kendra was going to see how much she could really influence her before making herself known. A little suggestion here or there from an unseen fellow procrastinator.  What was the harm in that?

“GRRRRRRRR!” the white dog growled. Sparkle was trying to look as terrifying as a Shih Tzu could which, let’s face it, wasn’t very.

“Sparkle! What has gotten into you? Stop!” Allegra shouted.

Her other dog was whimpering and digging herself under Allegra’s arm. “Chocolate? Sweetie what’s wrong?” Allegra asked.

Allegra looked around for whatever could be setting the dogs off but didn’t see anything. “You’re probably just smelling that dog faced mutant boy,” she said. She never stopped to realize that her dogs might be as freaked out by all the mutated folks at the mansion as she was.

“Look, I don’t like him either but I think he’s harmless and if he does anything I’ll smack him across the nose, okay?” Allegra promised her puppies. It didn’t seem to reassure them. Chocolate was still whimpering and Sparkle was still growling at thin air.

“Tomorrow I’ll ask dog-face to get a FURminator, okay?” Allegra said. “If he’s gonna be a mutt mutant, he’s gotta clean up after himself. Now guys. Give it a rest. I need to study. I’m only on page…..”

That’s odd. Allegra could have sworn she had her book open but the book was closed and out of reach. The remote was sitting on the edge of the table beckoning to her.

“Okay, TV break. Just a small one.”

Allegra figured her dog would give up growling soon enough. She flipped to the reality TV channel just in time for a Kardashian marathon.

“Season 4. Awesome!” she exclaimed. “Truly the best season by far. I've kind of lost interest in the show, but this was when it was at it's peak,” she said with the air of a critic or a connoisseur sampling fine wine. Allegra sent the remote down on the table out of sight and prepared to enjoy perhaps some of the finest hours of reality TV ever to be aired.

History happened centuries ago. It could wait.

Ok, so Kendra didn't feel good at all about freaking out the dogs. She loved puppers! At the same time.... Man, those dogs loved to bark. Kendra was tempted to keep toying with the poor girl, that was until the Kardashians came on.  Kendra just stood there staring at her. Her head turned back to the tv, then back to Allegra.  Kendra looked as if she couldn't believe someone would actually watch this.   She was half tempted to drop the ruse and begin lecturing the poor girl about the pitfalls of reality tv.

Then Chloe came on tv and she was about to pull a prank on Kim.  Kendra's head slowly turned to the tv.  Against her will a small smile peeked on the corners of her mouth.  Dont'chu do it!  Dont'chu dare start watching!  Too late!  Kendra turned to face the tv and got sucked into the madness.  Her mind was so easily distracted when she was running on very little sleep.  Kendra's body was resting yes, but since her mind was still active she was constantly tired.  In her state of unrest the Kardashians just became entertainment.  Hell just froze over.  Kendra gave in to her silly mischief and instead sat down next to the couch Allegra was on. 

Kendra got so into the show, she forgot for a moment that she wasn't visible.  The dogs had stopped barking by this point.  Kendra reached over and picked up the remote, which appeared to float on it's own and cut up the television a few notches before setting it back down.  Almost immediately Kendra realized her goof.  Oops.  Maybe she is really into the show too and hadn't noticed it got louder?  No that was just stupid. 

Kendra bit her lower lip and turned to catch a glimpse of the young girl.  Well, cat's out of the bag now more than likely she supposed.  Kendra cleared her throat and in her friendliest non ghostliest voice.... "So.... This is a lil late, but there absolutely is someone here. I'm Kendra." She groaned inwardly at the sheer awkwardness of her social interactions.  It was never 'Hi nice to meet you.' It was always some weird awkward way she was introducing herself to new people.

Kendra turned fully now to face the girl.  She was expecting a freak out.  Most people freak out when a disembodied voice starts talking to you out of the blue.  Then again.  She wasn't most people.  She was here in the mansion because she had gifts too more than likely.  Why else would she be studying here?  Kendra was a teacher's assistant for the biology teacher here. Didn't mean she was mature, just older.  Kendra smiled nervously wondering what the girl's reaction was going to be.

Sparkle’s barks slowly turned to low growls then whimpers then finally silence. She still stood rigid staring at the couch. She was positive something was there and she wasn't going to rest until she figured out what it was.

Chocolate felt safe cradled under Allegra’s arm so she calmed down and eventually forgot what she was afraid of in the first place. Allegra found herself lost in the manufactured drama of her show and everything was back to normal.

Allegra jumped when the volume went up. She couldn’t see the remote and didn’t want to turn around and grab it for fear of disturbing the half sleeping dog in her arms. It was a little freaky, but she had encountered a music playing roomba janitor and a robot classmate, so maybe the TV was somehow alive too. If so, the television had excellent taste. Things were just starting to get steamy and raising the volume just heightened the effect.

"So.... This is a lil late, but there absolutely is someone here. I'm Kendra."

Allegra jumped up from the couch and shrieked. Chocolate burrowed under the covers hoping her owner would protect her from…well, whatever this was.

Allegra’s eyes bolted around the room looking for something that might be used as a weapon. The nearest thing was her world history book so she grabbed it and held it in front of her; occasionally swinging it at empty air. Allegra tried to put on a confident look that would hopefully convey the idea that she had an extremely thick textbook and she knew how to use it.

Sparkle reacted quite the opposite. Something about the invisible woman’s voice was soothing to her, so she jumped up on the other couch right next to Kendra. Sparkle sniffed at the air then cautiously put a paw on Kendra’s leg. Verifying that this unseen person was indeed real, the dog slowly climbed on Kendra's lap and curled up into a ball.

From Allegra’s vantage point, the dog was resting on thin air right above the couch. “Who are you?” Allegra asked. Someone named Kendra, obviously, but that didn’t tell her a whole lot.

“You’re an invisible mutant aren’t you?” Allegra asked. She hadn’t run into one of those yet. At least she didn’t think she had. For all she knew, unseen people were running all over the mansion. Maybe some of them had stood  in the bathroom watching Allegra shower. Ick! As if Allegra didn’t need yet another reason to be freaked out by her fellow classmates.

However, Sparkle was naturally an excellent judge of character. The dog just seemed to know friend from frenemy from foe. If Carmel trusted this creepy Casper, then maybe she wasn’t all bad. Kendra still had some serious explaining to do.

“How long have you been sitting there?”Allegra asked still holding the third edition of ‘World History and You’ in front of her. “What do you want?”

Sparkle just glanced over at Allegra hoping her owner would just chill out. The tiny dog nuzzled the unseen woman and gently closed her eyes.

Kendra's invisible poltergeist was over.  Now she was just trying to figure out how she was going to explain her unseen snooping.  Plopping casually on the couch she was surprised by a little dog.  The furry little creature crawled right into her lap and made itself comfortable.  Kendra smiled and ran her hand over the soft fur.  Good dog.  She thought.  She wasn't used to dogs being ok with the invisible side of her.

Kendra watched as the defensive stance was taken.  She sat there and giggled a bit as she wielded a mighty.... Textbook. Kendra shook her head lightly as she slowly lowered the book and sat beside her.  Kendra continued to pet the dog on her lap. Such a sweet puppy. 

“Who are you?”

It was so broad for a moment she didn't know how to answer it.  Who was Kendra Dillenger?  Teacher's assistant?  Photographer? Simple, sweet southern gal?  All these things fit.  "Well hun, I'm the biology teacher's teaching assistant."  That should instill at least a little bit of confidence and go a little ways to calming the girl down.  Still there were more questions to be answered. Kendra reached over and grabbed the forgotten jar of peanut butter.  Unscrewing the lid she dipped her finger in it and got the tiniest of tastes of it.

"Well, I'm not really invisible.  More like'a dream.  I'm not really here.  I'm up in room 206 fast'a sleep, what'chur talking to is a dream projection.  An extension of ma'self. When I sleep my astral presence, soul, whatever ya wanna call it travels.  I just sorta roam the grounds looking for somethang to keep ma'self busy til morning." Kendra explained casually.  She explained it as if she knew how everything worked.  To be perfectly honest she still had many questions about her abilities.  She had come to the mansion searching for answers on how to master them herself.  In a way, she was as much of a student here as Allegra.

 "I followed you in from the kitchen to see what'cha were up to.  It's late ya know." Kendra said scooping out a little bit more peanut butter.  This time she used a different finger so she didn't double dip.  It was only polite.  Not that the girl would be able to tell.  "Here...Come over by the tv."  Kendra said standing up and placing the sleeping pup beside her.  She grabbed the remote and stepped up to the screen. Turning off the tv she could be seen inside the reflection on the monitor.  It was hard to make out distinguishing features.  Though, it was enough to let the girl know she wasn't crazy.

Kendra was a prankster by nature.  She just always enjoyed a good joke and had a mischievous side buried within her.  She was never malicious though.  She didn't want to go around terrifying people.  That wasn't funny, that was just mean.  Kendra saw that her joke might have upset the poor girl so she offered up genuine remorse.  "Sorry didn't mean to scare ya.  Let's start over.  I'm Kendra.  People here call me Daydream.  I'm a Dream Walker. What's your name sugar?"

When you're faced with an invisible stalker, all kinds of things run through your head. This person could conceivable be anyone and do anything Allegra felt a sense of impending doom and dread terror.

<<"Well hun, I'm the biology teacher's teaching assistant.">>

Not exactly the harbinger of doom. Allegra wasn’t taking Biology this semester so there wasn’t even the threat of this invisible being giving her an 'F.' This combined with the fact that Sparkle had taken a liking to the invisible T.A. made Allegra feel a little bit safer. She lowered the heavy textbook but still clutched it tightly to her chest. Just in case. Who knows what Kendra would do next?

Next thing Allegra saw was the lid to the peanut butter jar twist and flip over on its side to the table. She then saw a dab of peanut butter fly up from the jar only to disappear. Allegra could only assume Kendra was sticking her finger in the jar and eating the peanut butter. Not sinister or threatening but still gross! It was perfectly okay for the dogs to lick the rim of the jar but people’s fingers had germs!

There, She did it again. “Um, there’s a knife right over there,” Allegra offered than wished she hadn’t. It was only a butter knife but it’s still not a good idea to offer a knife to an invisible person.

Then the disembodied southern voice explained that she wasn’t really invisible. Allegra wasn’t going for that. “I can’t see you. That means you’re invisible,” Allegra asserted.

There was more explanations about an astral presence and dream projections. To Allegra’s sleep deprived brain it all sounded like ‘blah, blah, blah.’ Still she tried to understand it.

“You’re like a ghost but you’re not dead? Just sleeping?” she asked. This was honestly not the most bizarre thing she had heard since coming here, so she was going with it.

Kendra then slid Sparkle off her lap and got up to give a demonstration. Allegra could now see a hazy reflection in the TV screen. It was kind of freaky. Allegra saw herself standing next to Kendra in the reflected image but couldn’t see Kendra herself. Allegra was actually looking through the woman to see her reflection. How weird was that?

Allegra set down the textbook, dug into her backpack and pulled out her compact. She opened it up and held up the mirror to get a better look at Kendra. She was pretty, especially for a ghost.

“I’m Allegra,” she offered when Kendra introduced herself. “Sorry, I don’t have a fancy title like Dream Walker. I’m just a student. Oh and your new furry friend  over there is Sparkle and that’s Chocolate hiding under the covers there. So, do you do this kind of thing often? Spy on insomniacs without them knowing? That’s kind of creepy, you know.”

Allegra thought about it. This woman apparently never really slept and life had to be pretty boring wandering the mansion alone at night like a ghost. Allegra would cause all kinds of mischief if she had Kendra’s powers. She could already imagine herself messing up Mr. Turner’s perfectly OCD-arranged kitchen. That would be all kinds of fun and that would just be a start.

“Next time, just let me know you’re here, okay?” Allegra requested. “I get insomnia sometimes and could always use some company. Also,I’m always up ungodly early to go running so you are always welcome to join me.”

Allegra felt a little more at ease now so she plopped back down on the couch next to her cowering puppy.

“So tell me. Other than nearly giving new students heart attacks, what else do you like to do for fun?”

Kendra stood there a moment. She felt bad this poor girl's nerves seemed shot. Wasn't the first time.  There really was no good way to announce that an invisible person had entered the room without freaking someone out. Still, it could have been handled better. Kendra wasn't the type to haunt a place. She got into her share of mischief, but it was mostly harmless.

Up in her room her sleeping body rolled around. Soft moans spilled from her lips as she mumbled bits of the conversation she was having downstairs in the living room.  Standing in front of Allegra a ghostly presence Kendra felt the chill of the breeze. She had left the window open upstairs, and she wished she had closed it. She'd probably wake up with a cold that was just great.

She was still standing in front of the tv when Allegra put the book down.  Kendra watched her nervous movements.  "Relax hun, I'm not gone do nothing."  She laughed.  She wondered what this experience would have been like from the other perspective.  Kendra often wondered what it'd be like just to sleep.  She used to sleep.  That was a long time ago.  She couldn't honestly remember what a dream felt like, other than well.... This. 

Her shoulder's slumped and she felt her lips pulling downward in a frown.  She really rattled the poor thing.  She wanted to make it up to her somehow.  She wasn't sure how, but her mind started grinding away at something she could do.  Kendra could teleport.  When she was asleep she could anyways.  She exploded into a mist of pale creamy skin and fiery red hair.  Pink and red invisible hue lingered in the spot she just occupied until she reappeared on the other side of the room.  She reappeared in the doorway to the living room. 

Looking around the hallway she saw that they were pretty much the only ones awake.  They were at least the only ones downstairs for the moment.  Kendra turned to face Allegra when she inquired further about if she were dead or sleeping.  "I can't control it, when I sleep I just become this invisible girl.  Gets kinda lonely you could imgine.  Can't rightly just walk up and say hey how's it going?  You about jumped outta ya skin. So monstly I just sit quietly. I enjoy people's company without them knowing I'm there.  Wasn't sure if I was even gone say hello to you but..."  Kendra's voice trailed off.  "Would you be more comfortable if'n you could see me?" 

Kendra's hand slipped into the pocket of her hoody.  She felt the familiar edges of her cell phone lying inside.  Pulling out the phone and unlocking it her invisible face was cast in a pale glow that no one could see.  Kendra looked back up at Allegra.  "I could call the phone in ma'room.  I'd wake up and I could just come back down.  Officially meet'cha.  Not like sleepin's done me a whole heck'ava lotta good noways."  Kendra figured she'd be more comfortable with someone she could see and touch. 

Kendra could reach out and touch her now.  Allegra would be able to feel her soft hand on her shoulder, though it might not be the best for her frayed nerves.  Kendra pulled out a cigarette and lit it up in the doorway across the room. The sound of the lighter flicking cut through the silence between them.  The smell of smoke filled the air as Kendra blew the smoke out into the other room.  She was leaning on the doorframe.  Her free hand slunk back into her pocket still holding her phone.  "If'n you'd like that, I could show you what I like to do for fun. Much easier to show you in person." 

Allegra felt embarrassed for being so freaked out. You’d think after being at Mutant High for a couple weeks she would have gotten used to it, but she hadn’t. Each new mutation was a scary freak show for her. She had to remind herself that Kendra hadn’t really done anything wrong. It had to be really lonely walking the halls alone.

Allegra kept that thought in mind when Kendra teleported. She stifled a scream though her two dogs yipped loudly. This place took a lot of getting used to for them too.

“I guess I’d be more comfortable if I could see you,” Allegra admitted. “But don’t worry about it. I’m cool with it as long as I know where you are.”

Sparkle hopped off the couch and, tail wagging, walked over to Kendra. “See, everything’s fine,” Allegra smiled. Chocolate was still whimpering and hiding under the covers. Allegra stood in front of the frightened dog so Kendra couldn’t see her. “No, you don’t have to wake yourself up,” Allegra said. “You need your sleep, right?”

Allegra had heard that people’s dreams are an important way for them to process thoughts and information. They basically kept people from going crazy. What was it like for this girl to be awake 24 hours a day? “What is it like not to ever dream?” she asked. There was some natural curiosity in the question but also a bit of fear. Kendra seemed normal, but could dream deprivation make her a raging lunatic.

With that unsettling thought in mind, Allegra flinched when Kendra touched her shoulder. She backed away then was greeted by the smell of smoke. Allegra coughed a bit. It wasn’t a pleasant smell but at least Kendra had the courtesy to blow it out into the other room.

"If' you'd like that, I could show you what I like to do for fun. Much easier to show you in person."

Allegra was still nervous about hanging out with this woman but there was something about her that allayed those fears. Also, Sparkle liked her and that said a lot. The Shih Tzu was an excellent judge of character.

But as much as she'd like to go on an adventure, Allegra had to study. She slumped back down on the couch and reached for her textbook.

“I’d love to but I can’t,” Allegra said. “I’ve got a test today and I'll need a small cat nap. Rain check?”

Allegra opened her thick textbook. She was still on the same page she was on when she got down here. Actually, she was on the same paragraph. There was no way she was going to get any studying done and she was too hyped up to go back to sleep.

“Changed my mind. Let’s do it,” Allegra relented. “If I'm gonna procrastinate, I might as well have fun doing it. What should I wear?”

Kendra never stopped to consider how her powers might seem to other people.  She never had to.  She wasn't that thoughtful.  It was hard enough to make simple choices like what to have for lunch.  Her mind was always exhausted no matter how long she slept.  She never really fell into deep sleep.  She could rest for 9 hours and wake up feeling like she never went to bed. "Hold that thought."  Kendra said and vanished. 

Kendra teleported away.  She reappeared in a subway station a few blocks from the mansion.  The roar of a passing subway blew her hair around as she stood dangerously close to the tracks.  Kendra didn't flinch, she came here sometimes at night to think.  This was her sanctuary away from the mansion.  Kendra put her cigarette out on  a steel support beam and flicked the but onto the tracks. All around her were random people going about their nights.  Not one of them suspected the invisible bombshell standing by the tracks. 

Kendra looked around the florescent subway.  It wasn't the most safe looking place, but it was quiet at night.  Most nights anyways. Reaching in her pocket she took out a case that had breathe mints in it.  Popping a few in her mouth she chewed them up.  Kendra sighed taking one last look at her secret escape, and teleported back into the mansion.  She reappeared in the living room.  She was just behind the couch now.  Kendra leaned over the couch, still pushing bits of mint around with her tongue.  "I'll try not'ta move round to much."  She said playfully. 

Kendra supposed she was a bit of a showoff at times.  It was in fact her sleep deprived nature that altered her personality at times.  Ordinarily Kendra was quite mousy and shy.  She acted tougher than she was with the way she dressed; the way she carried herself... Though, Kendra was just a quiet southern girl that struggled with the most basic of social interactions due to her shyness.  Other times Kendra was quite brash, cocky even.  Kendra could be a bit of a mischief maker and that's when she got herself into trouble.  When Kendra was truly tired she let herself go.  She fully embraced every wild impulse no matter how reckless and stupid.  It was as much a part of her personality as anything else and it wasn't something she had an on/off switch for. 

Kendra stood behind the couch now with a cheery smile.   She paused a moment when Allegra surprised her with a question.  Honestly it was a question no one had ever asked her.  She supposed no one really cared enough to ask, but the question stunned her a bit none the less.

So What's it like not to ever dream?

Kendra stood there mulling it over.  She crinkled her nose like a rabbit.  It was a nervous habit she did when she was flustered or thinking hard.  It was really hard to put into words.  Kendra sighed and hopped over the couch.  She slunk down in the seat beside Allegra and grabbed a couch pillow.  Covering her lap with the pillow she chewed on her lip, trying to figure the best way to answer.  "It's like your slowly loosing your mind." She said finally.  Her voice took on a thoughtful quiet tone. It was almost sad sounding.  "Minutes bleed into hours, hours into days, weeks, MONTHS! Your body feels tired, but your mind feels like it's crawling at the inside of it's skull begging for relief. Sometimes I feel like I might go completely bonkers if'n it weren't for all the coffee. I could sleep all night long and wake up dead tired.  I wouldn't wish'it on anyone honestly." 

Kendra was being truthful.  She wasn't crazy.  Her mind wasn't really deteriorating.  Truth was she felt things less in her dream walking state.  Pain was a little less painful. The cold was a little less chilling.  She felt less tired when she was walking around in a dream than she did when she was awake.  Kendra tossed the pillow at Allegra.  She was up for adventure. She was ready for.... Then Allegra cut her thoughts short and said she had to study.  Kendra frowned.  She was ready to leave the girl to her work when she changed her mind. 

A mischievous smile washed over the southern bell's pale features.  She had a few ideas.  They could sneak into the danger room and goof off. Kendra could get in there with a simple teleport and open the doors from the inside.  She was fairly certain that she could figure out how to run the simulation she had been through the danger room a few times.  Or they could head outside and try and make it through the hedge maze.  That sounded lest fun, but it was still on her bucket list. "Well.... Depends on what we're doing.  Have you ever been in the danger room?"  Kendra asked inquisitively.  Then it dawned on her she wasn't even sure if this girl had a mutation.  "Forgive me for askin, but you're a mutant right?"  She asked with genuine curiosity in her voice.

Kendra told Allegra to hold that thought then vanished. “Hello?” Allegra called out. She held out her compact mirror moving it so it could reflect all over the room but no sign of Kendra. Even the cigarette smoke was gone.

“Where are you?" Allegra asked.  "I told you I didn’t need you to wake yourself up.” She was getting a little creeped out and confused by all this.

Chocolate slowly lifted her head out from under the covers sensing the unseen ‘predator’ was gone. Then Kendra reappeared behind the couch and the little dog went crazy. With a shrill ‘Yip’ Chocolate jumped up and scurried to hide behind her owner.

“Kendra?” Allegra asked. She swung her compact mirror around the room to face the couch where she finally 'found' the girl. Kendra was like ADD on steroids.

“Don’t do that!” Allegra pleaded. Where had she vanished to? Upstairs for some breath mints to cover up the hideous nicotine smell. Allegra sighed as she plopped back down on the couch. “Look, if we’re gonna be friends, you can’t go around scaring my puppies like that.”

Chocolate was still whimpering. Sparkle on the other hand, just yawned. This was no big thing to her.

Kendra confirmed Allegra’s suspicions. She was slowly losing her mind. Allegra felt more sorry for her than scared. The way she described it sounded like living hell. It sounded like living your life in a fog but a fog you could see through perfectly. Every single day. Day after day after day.

“Listen, if you ever feel like you’re going crazy, just wake me up and I’ll keep you company, okay?” Allegra offered. “I can’t know what you’re going through but I’m here to listen if you need it. Maybe we can try some meditations or something. We always do that right before and after yoga class. It helps calm me down. Maybe it’ll help you. No matter what, I'm here for you.”

Allegra wanted to hug the poor girl but seeing as she wasn’t quite sure where she was, that might be awkward. Allegra then got a face full of couch pillow and it seemed like Kendra’s mood had lightened.

“No, I haven’t been to the Danger Room yet,” Allegra answered. There had been scheduling problems in getting someone to accompany her. She was still untangling the schedule Ruddy made for her and Allegra hadn’t pushed the Danger Room issue. She was skittish enough around mutants. A room named Danger wasn’t high on her list.

But what was it that Abby had told her? The Danger Room was just a big gym with holograms. People even brought their dates there. It might be kind of fun. Right now the only thing Allegra was in danger of was falling asleep studying history, so why not?

“Yes, I’m a mutant,” Allegra said. Her voice was laced with shame and she stared down at the floor when she answered. “Isn’t everyone here a mutant?” she asked. Allegra certainly wouldn’t be ten miles from this place if she wasn’t a freakazoid mutie.

“So, Danger Room it is,” she declared. At the very least, it would be something for Kendra to do other than walking the halls aimlessly. And Allegra had been kind of intrigued by the whole idea. Might as well go for it.

Allegra was a sweet girl. She really was. Kendra smiled when she said that she was there for her, but she said nothing back. She instead changed the topic. "Well, guessin you best get changed. Can't go into the danger room in your jam jams. Wear something easy to move around in.  Something comfortable." Kendra changed the topic because it wasn't an easy subject for her. She struggled with her mutation enough, she didn't want to dump her problems on this poor girl's plate. It was a nice offer, but it was more than she would have bargained for.

Kendra pet the doggies as an apology. "They'll get used to me." She said picking on one of the puppies and snuggling it lightly, before putting it back down. She knew where the danger room was. Kendra could teleport herself into  the locked rooms and open it from the inside. She was fairly certain she could whip up something fun for them to do.

She still had no idea what this girl's mutation entailed though. Could she melt things with her mind? What if she could create living creatures out of spare things lying around. What if a pile of couch pillows, tv remotes and other random items melded together to create a misshapen sentient monster that she controlled with her mind?!? Kendra allowed her thoughts to run away with her for a moment while she imagined the possibilities. 

Kendra was off in her own thoughts until she realized that Allegra was still sitting there. "Well go'on now get, off ya go.  Quick like'a bunny."  Kendra was going to clap her hands as she spoke to emphasize the urgency, but she refrained.  She didn't want to send the pups into another barking frenzy.  "Thank you can leave your pups in the room?  Cute as they are, I don't thank a place called the danger room's a good place for them little darlins to be." 

Kendra reached over and scratched chocolate behind it's ear as she spoke.  Looking back at Allegra she found herself wishing she had something to keep her insight.  She remembered it was so difficult for Juliette to keep track of her movements in the danger room.  Then she spotted some kids forgotten baseball cap on one of the couches.  Obviously left here by some student. Kendra picked it up and looked at the name written in the hat. .  "Might make thangs a little easier for you.  Don't worry I'll return it to Toby Nelson later."  She placed it on her head. Pulling the brim of the hat down so it was right over her eyes.  The hat floated where her head should be making the invisible girl just a little bit more visible. "Meet'cha by the library in 15?"

Without warning she exploded into a fine mist of pale and fire hue.  The pale creamy color of her skin and the vibrant flame of her hair.  Kendra poofed into invisible smoke as she teleported away.  She left Allegra to get ready for the adventure they were about to embark on, and the trouble they were going to get into.  Kendra teleported up to her room to grab a few last minute things herself before making her way to the meeting place.

Allegra had been diagnosed with ADD, but this girl was really all over the place. It was kind of understandable. After 24 hours a day of pure tedium, Kendra most likely naturally focused her attention on the next exciting thing or she’d truly die of boredom. Even for Attention Deficit Allegra, Kendra was hard to follow teleporting from here and there and changing conversations on a dime.

Still, it was part of Kendra’s charm. She was full of life and it was contagious. Plus, Sparkle let her pick her up. The Shih Tzu wouldn’t let anyone near if they weren’t a good person.

“It takes Chocolate a while to get used to anyone but Sparkle loves you already,” Allegra smiled. “Okay girls. Let’s go. See you in 15, Kendra.”

It was actually more than half an hour. Allegra reapplied her makeup because if she died in the Danger Room, she had to at least look good. Then she had to pick out a suitable workout outfit. After all the agonizing, she just chose one of the few that was somewhat clean. A basic pair of capri leggings, a sports bra and a crop tank that said ‘I Heart My Rescue Dog.’

Speaking of the rescue dog(s), they were going crazy barking when Allegra told her she had to go. It was still at least an hour before Allegra normally woke up and she was supposed to be cuddling with them until then. They did not like having any deviations from their predictable schedules.

Allegra bribed them with copious amounts of doggie treats before tying her hair back and running out the door. Chocolate and Sparkle yipped loudly until dawn. Allegra’s neighbors were sure to love that.

Allegra had only been to the library once. She avoided libraries at all costs. She wasn’t a fan of forced silence or studying.

“Hey, sorry about that,” Allegra apologized to the floating baseball cap. Perhaps she should explain that she was NEVER on time.  “It took me a while to find the library. You look great in that cap, though I’m not sure it’s your color,” Allegra joked. “So, Danger Time?”

Kendra made it up to her room. She hurriedly got a few things done quickly.  She didn't want Allegra downstairs waiting for her wondering if she'd show up.  Kendra closed her bedroom window to keep the draft out.  She pulled the covers up over her sleeping body.  Kendra took an extra moment or so to stare at her body sleeping in the bed.  She seemed so peaceful, so rested.  A frown pulled at her face as she thought about how tired she was going to feel tomorrow morning. 

Kendra shook her head lightly and grabbed her police baton and tucked it into her pocket.  It was collapsible it fit in her pocket well. She was still bare foot, so she slipped on a pair of boots.  They looked like combat boots.  Kendra left the laces untied, she was decidedly in a hurry.  She was visible now, by the floating hat and a pair of black boots that now adorned her feet.  The police baton was hidden away inside the invisible pocket, yet somehow that made it invisible too. 

Kendra looked at the clock and picked up the pace.  Putting a hitch in her giddeyup she moved along much quicker now.  She turned on her coffee pot and set an alarm for it to brew a fresh pot in a few hours.  She loved her coffee pot.  The fact that she woke up to the smell of fresh coffee every morning was simply amazing.  She couldn't understate how much that helped shake her from the groggy grip of sleepless sleep.

Kendra didn't teleport this time.  Instead she walked out of the room.  Taking one final look at her sleeping form she closed the door.  Kendra hurried down the hall and down the stairs.  She found herself outside the library with time to spare.  Looking around the mansion Kendra realized how dull the place was when everyone was asleep.  It was a shame that more people weren't night owls around here.  You had to figure there'd be at least one or two.

Kendra waited for Allegra to show up.  After some time, she was beginning to think the girl flaked on her.  It wouldn't be surprising.  Kendra had pretty much terrorized the poor thing and her dogs too.  Kendra had to work on not being so..... Kendra around people.  She always had to remind herself that the teleporting thing wasn't normal for most people.  It freaked some people out to not know where you were, especially when you're invisible and can be anywhere at any moment.  For Kendra it wasn't even something she really thought about anymore.  She teleported as easily as she walked by this point.

Kendra made a conscious effort not to teleport when around Allegra.  She would use her own two unreliable feet.  When she teleported she was graceful and smooth, walking around on her god given feet she was a clumsy uncoordinated mess.  Kendra could trip over air.  She was not the most light on her feet.  She was accident prone and reckless.  Kendra looked up at a clock in the hall.  How long has it been she wondered.

In actuality Allegra wasn't running that late, a few minutes by this point. Kendra just had trouble keeping track of time.  Her mind couldn't concentrate on things as tedious as time anymore.  Kendra, like her name implied allowed her mind to daydream.  She started thinking about her first trek through the danger room.  That had been quite the adventure....Kendra's daydreams had a tendency to span either minutes or hours.  She could get lost on a thought and fall down a rabbit hole and loose huge chunks of time if someone didn't snap her out of it.  Luckily Allegra snapped her out of her daydream.

"Hey sorry about that."

Kendra looked up startled.  She almost let out a small scream.  For once it had been Allegra who startled her.  She looked at the clock realizing she had been daydreaming.  She couldn't remember how long she had been standing there.  The frown was pulling at her lips again.  "Don'tchu worry your pretty lil head bout it hun.  You ready to go?  Heeeey spiffy outfit." She said, trying to sound less freaked out than she felt. Kendra admired the wardrobe and found herself glad that Allegra couldn't see her still dawning her jammies.  She hadn't thought to change her clothes. 

Kendra reached out a ghostly hand and tucked unseen fiery locks behind her ear.  She wasn't sure if Allegra knew where the danger room was but at least she could follow her movements now.  After some time they found themselves at the doors to the danger room.  It was locked from the inside.  "Wait here a second."  Kendra said.  The door was locked.  Kendra teleported on the other side of the door and opened it from the inside.  "Welcome to the danger room Ms. Allegra!" Kendra said triumphantly.  She was sure they were both going to walk away with a few bumps and bruises, but Docprofessor could heal them up.  Kendra, being clumsy and reckless had quickly come to know Doc as her lifeline in this place.

"Well, before we program any kind'o simulations.... Maybe you should fill me in one what exactly you can do with'chur mutation.  I don't rightly know and it could help me choose something that's both fun and challenging."  Kendra said.  She knew that the simulation was voice activated.  She just had to call it out when she was ready.  Kendra shifted her weight to her back foot and crossed her arms across her chest.  She watched Allegra waiting to hear what gifts she hid under the surface.

Allegra was used to being the startled, not the startler. “Kendra, I’m sorry,” she said. Kendra seemed deep in thought. Allegra could relate. She’d get so lost in daydreams that she’d get jolted by the smallest thing.

“Thank you,” Allegra said when Kendra complimented her outfit. “It’s something I just threw together.” Allegra said that many times, but this time it was actually the truth.

Allegra had no idea where the Danger Room was. She didn’t seek out danger in a room or anywhere else. So she followed the floating hat and the untied combat boots. They came to the doors which seemed like they could hold the contents of Fort Knox. Better safe than sorry when keeping kids away from danger, she guessed. Allegra had more reservations now. Maybe her first trip to the Danger Room should be a little more supervised. Was she going to be safe with a half woken daydreamer who didn’t even notice her shoes were untied?

The thick doors opened ominously and Allegra entered the room. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting but it certainly wasn’t a vast room full of nothing.

Allegra danced into the room spinning around a few times to show she wasn’t afraid. “So, there’s nothing here til you turn on the holograms?” she asked.

Kendra asked Allegra about her mutant power. Allegra hated answering that. She felt like she was in an 12 step meeting having to admit her deepest shame. Hello, my name is Allegra and I’m a big fat freak.

“Docprof says that I can create secondary mutations in mutants,” Allegra answered. “But it’s totally random and kind of scary. I turned one guy into a human volcano and then I killed Derek and brought him back to life as a girl. I wish I could have something fun and useful like flying or seeing the future so I could play Lotto. As far as powers go, mine really suck.”