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Kendra wasn't really paying attention. Her mind was off in other places. She was thinking about going for a swim. It was warming up a lot.  The mid afternoon sun was warmer now. The bright beaming rays kissed her skin and made her glow, even despite her pink aura.  Kendra dipped a toe in the water. It was cold. Ice cold. She shuddered a bit as she looked out over the water.

Just because she was a dream right now didn't mean she couldn't feel. She could feel. She could be hurt too. If she cut herself in her dreams she would wake up with a scar. She had to remind herself to be careful. Just because she was invisible to everyone didn't mean that things couldn't happen to her. But she wasn't thinking about that now. She was standing there as Max made his way over. He was whistling. Completely blissfully unaware that she was even there. She looked at him curiously for a moment. She sort of envied him. Just living life, without a care in the world. Kendra saw something that would make a good photo and raised her camera to snap a few photos. When she lowered her camera she was splashed by the bucket of water.

"What the heck?!?!?" Kendra blurted out. Oops.  Who the heck does this guy think he..... Wait.  He can see me?  No.  He didn't know I was in the castle.  Did he?  "Who are you?"  Kendra asked.  He didn't mean to hurt her, at least she didn't think so.  Otherwise he would have done worse than splash her with a little water, but he stood there and before he could react or even answer her questions Kendra snatched the bucket from his hand and scooped up a nice sample of sand and water from where the waves crashed the beach.  It was a nice muddy consistency.  Kendra took this bucket and dumped it on top of his head.  That felt satisfying.

Kendra was still slightly annoyed, but mostly she was excited.  Her heart was racing and after the initial shock wore off.  She was exploding with questions.  No one had ever seen her in her dream walking form.  Was he a dream walker too?  How can he see me?  What does he want?  Questions shot into her mind before she could even take a guess at an answer another question arose.  Kendra stared at him all covered in sandy mud.  She instantly felt bad about her kneejerk reaction.  She reached over and wiped the  muck from his face.  She spoke again.  This time it sounded less like an accusation and more like a genuine question.  "You....you can see me?"

Kendra spent her nights dream walking. She could not turn it off.  And already wandering around that large mansion was making her feel all cooped up. Kendra just wanted to get out and get some air for awhile. She knew the sun would be rising soon judging from the light in the sky.  Kendra found her way off the mansion grounds and just walked.  It wasn't like she was running away.  Her body was back in her room in the mansion.  She didn't have to worry about getting lost because when she woke up she would be back in the mansion.  Back in her bed.  Safe and sound.

She was wearing a pair of pajamas and a spaghetti strap tank top.  She figured it didn't matter what she wore.  No one could see her anyways.  Kendra couldn't be seen by the naked eye.  Though psychics could see her, and she could be seen in reflective surfaces.  Things that Kendra had yet to learn.  She had no friends yet.  She had met a few people since arriving at the mansion, but no one she considered friends.  She felt like the odd man out most of the time.  So it was doing her some good to get out of the mansion for a bit and just explore around New York.  She hadn't gotten a chance to see much of it since she had arrived here a few days ago by train.

Kendra had her camera with her.  It was hanging around her neck.  She would manifest in the dream world with whatever she was wearing when she fell asleep.  Kendra was a photographer and figured if she was going out to see New York might as well do the touristy thing.  By time the sun started to rise she had found her way to a beach.  She found herself wishing that she had fallen asleep in a sweater as the chill morning air gave her a shiver.  Kendra brought the camera to her eye and snapped a few stills of the ocean waves crashing against the shore.  She could feel the soft sand shifting beneath her bare feet.  There wasn't a terribly large amount of people on the beach this early.  None really except for one person that Kendra could see.  Max.  Kendra watched him curiously for a moment.  He was carrying a pile of sticks.  Kendra brought her camera back up and snapped a photo of a gull sitting on the pier with the rising sun in the background.

Kendra's long flowing locks blew around her face in the gentle breeze.  She reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear as she held her camera and watched the boy plop all the materials down in a single spot.  Was he.... He was building a sand castle?  Kendra smiled and laughed, doing her best to not laugh to loud.  She didn't want to freak him out by some disembodied laughter over his shoulder.  She watched him as he compacted the sand and added this little touch or that.  She was in awe.  Suddenly she felt the urge to help.  She started patting down sand on the other side as he worked.  She didn't want him to know she was helping, but she was working in secret.

It felt like the first truly human thing she had done in awhile.  She was a mutant, but she was also human.  Mutants were still part of the human race in her opinion despite what some activists or protestors would tell you.  And this.... Well, this was the first time she had done something that had simply felt fun in awhile.  It was about noonish before the work was completed.  The sun was high in the sky now and there was a bit of a crowd that watched for awhile before slowly loosing interest and wandering away.  Kendra hadn't fallen asleep until very late last night.  Almost four in the morning in fact.  She'd be sleeping in for awhile.  She decided that she would hang out for awhile. 

Kendra watched as he sat in the archway enjoying the day.  He seemed to not have a care in the world.  She wished she was so innocent.  So totally free of self doubt and constant neurotic overthinking.  Must be freeing.  Kendra was inside the castle.  She was sitting on the sand beside the spiral staircase.  She could still hear the sound of the ocean waves crashing on the shore from inside.  It was truly peaceful.  Then, out of no where Kendra sneezed!  The sound of her sneeze could be heard just behind Max, who was unaware that she was even there.  Great going girl!  Kendra lectured herself inside her head.  She froze for a moment watching Max.  She wasn't sure if he had even heard her.  She hoped he didn't.  She didn't know this boy, but it was fun hanging out on the beach with him building sandcastles.  She didn't want to give up her stress free time on the beach because of a single sneeze.

"Sorry."  Kendra said as little more than a whisper as she looked down. She hadn't noticed the poisonous spines before, but now she saw them.  The spines weren't the poison that hurt her.  It was the venomous bite to his words that had just about slapped her.  She understood why he was upset.  Kendra rubbed her arm absentmindedly, thankfully she was unharmed. 

In her hand she was still holding the book.  She had it by her side.  Her grip on the book was so tight it turned her knuckles white.  Kendra stepped back but she wasn't afraid.  She wasn't afraid that this guy would rip her limb from limb.  He could if he wanted to.  Kendra had no power to stop him.  "Who's to say I wouldn't have killed you first?"  Kendra said in a flippant tone as she bent over pick up the few scattered books.  She didn't want to seem rattled or taken aback by him.  He didn't know what her mutation was.  For all he knew she could shoot radioactive flames from her eyeballs. 

"So..."  Kendra said changing the topic.  "What were you looking for?  This one's not a bad read."  She handed Leon the book on genetics after standing up holding the books in her arms.  She realized that they were completely alone in the library.The wool sleeves of her beige sweater covered up most of her hands as the sleeves were just a little to long.  Her sweater fit her big and Kendra was glad for the loose fitting clothing.  Her sweater's sleeve had a tear in it where it snagged on a spine.  "Dang! I liked this sweater."  She said momentarily sidetracked.  Kendra was optimistic, and a bit naïve.  She was clumsy by nature and  had a tendency to let her mind wander sometimes, like now for instance.  She realized she was rambling again. 

"I'm Kendra.  Kendra Dillenger.  I just got to the mansion a few days ago."  She said cheerfully.  The defiant flippant tone was gone.  She was just the sweet simple country girl who had finally decided to try and connect with someone here.  Leave it to her to want to make friends with the paranoid, antisocial walking porcupine.  Awkward introduction sure, but she was always socially awkward.  It was part of what made her a social outcast.

Kendra was handed the folder of paperwork and her shoulders slumped. Holy cow! That was a lot of paperwork. Kendra barely batted an eye when the man shedded off clones of himself.  It wasn't the craziest thing she had seen at this place so far.  Kendra sat down and began on the paperwork. She dotted the I's and crossed the T's on every last bit of it except the mutation form. 

Kendra sat down with the final form and thought about it long and hard. She wrote that she had little control over her power but she was completely harmless to anyone and everyone. The most she could do was play pranks on people in her dream state. She wasn't a threat to anyone. Kendra didn't realize how powerful she actually was. She didn't realize that her potential was locked away.  Kendra didn't know that she had powers she hadn't even realized yet and she was more than capable of combat. Not now mind you, but down the road some day.  She would discover new abilities within herself that would be helpful to the X-men. Still, she wanted to be on this team.

"Is there a form I can fill out to join the X-men?"  Kendra didn't know what she was asking for.  She didn't know what exactly the X-men did on their missions, she only knew she wanted to help.  Her whole life she had been afraid.  Afraid of people, afraid of standing up for herself or others who needed help.  She didn't want to be afraid anymore.  She didn't have much in the way of fighting style but she wanted to learn.  She wanted to learn to control her power and learn to stand up for what was right. 

Kendra finished filling out the mutation form that said she was a Dream Walker.  The form stated that she could move things and speak to those in the waking world.  She could have her uses on the team.  She could slip into places unnoticed to retrieve important thing and bring them back.  Anything she was holding upon walking up would instantly transport back to her body.  She could wear an earpiece to communicate with her team and tell them in her disembodied voice when to wake her up.  Kendra could be an asset to the X-men and a unique one.

Kendra turned in the final form.  She looked between Ghost and the man who clones himself with a shy smile.  Kendra would like to make her stay at the mansion more than just a stop along the way.  Oddly enough, this place felt like home.  "I'm willing to do whatever you need me to.  I just want to help."  Kendra said as she set the pen down on the desk and waited for a response.

Kendra had settled into the mansion. It was odd feeling welcomed, accepted. No one batted an eye at her for her differences.  They all just accepted her. Everyone she had met so far was kind and polite, though she hadn't met everyone. This was still just her first day here. Kendra closed the door to her room and sat down on the bed. The window was cracked and a light breezed blew through the billowy curtains. Kendra was exhausted. She was always exhausted. She never slept and felt well rested, but when she didn't sleep she felt as if she was on the brink of death.

"You're safe here."  Kendra said to herself as she pulled her feet up into the bed and slipped beneath the covers.  She always had trouble sleeping in new places.  She assumed this place would be no different.  Only, Kendra was fast asleep moments after she laid down.  Her body had settled into the softness of the comforter and all of her anxiety had just slipped away. 

Kendra drew in a sharp breathe.  Looking down she could see herself sleeping.  She looked sad, lonely.  Kendra was surrounded by her own kind and yet she still felt alone.  A frown tugged at her lips as she sighed and moved over to the open window.  Kendra closed the window and slipped out into the hall.  Her body was slightly transparent.  A light pink glow enveloped her body as she moved through the hall.  She moved past a few people who were laughing and talking.  None of them even knew she was there.

Kendra had turned Ghost down for a tour earlier.  She knew that she would be dream walking tonight.  She hadn't figured out how to not dream walk when she slept.  She knew she'd spent the night wandering aimlessly through the halls of this place.  Who needs a tour when you're going to be exploring later anyways?  Kendra saw the living room and started to look around.  She looked at pictures on the walls of faces she hadn't come to know.  Her fingertips gliding over the edges of the table as she absentmindedly looked at this or that.  She sighed again.  Picking up a picture and studying it closely. 

Kendra didn't hear someone come in.  She didn't hear that someone else was in the room. She was so wrapped up in the picture of a youngish looking man.  Kendra wondered who he was.  HE was smiling in the photo, but for some reason to her he also looked a bit sad. 

"And who is this handsome fella?"  Kendra said quietly to herself.  Her voice travelled through the room.  Though it was quiet as her voice was soft and filled with quiet curiousity.  She was exploring after all.  She set the picture down.  The picture would have seemed as if it was floating in mid air all on it's own for a moment before she set it down. Kendra sometimes forgot that she couldn't be physically seen in this world even though she took up space and could easily bump into someone.  Kendra was about to meet some new in the mansion.  Whoever it was who entered the room.

Kendra watched as the gate swung open and waited before taking that first step. It was as if her first step on the grounds was an important milestone in her life. Even though she wasn't entirely sure why she was here. Kendra was socially awkward, even before she realized she was a mutant. She didn't look like a mutant, but she was in fact a mutant. Kendra was a dream walker and could interact with the world while she was asleep the same way she could as if she were awake.

Kendra's heart fluttered a bit as she stepped inside.  The palms of her hands became itchy.  She adjusted her messenger back on her shoulder.  There was nothing inside it except a few changes of clothes and a few well worn books.  Everything she owned practically except for the high quality camera hanging around her neck.   Kendra could see others walking the grounds now.  The thought that everyone one of them were mutants almost floored her.  She was in awe that such a place existed.  How had she never heard of it before?

"I'm new to the city.  I came in by train.  I'm a photographer, most of my work is just emailed in.  So yes I have job.  I just don't have a place to go...."

Kendra's voice was soft and quiet.  She was looking around, taking in the sights of the mansion's grounds.  She didn't realize she was just spouting out ramblings and stating things "mater-of-factly"  She blushed and allowed her shoulders to slump a little.  Somewhere off on the grounds birds were chirping happily in the trees.  The sounds of laughter drifted across the grounds and the warm sun beaming down on the bright green grass painted a picture of peace and civility.  Not a sight you'd be used to as a native New Yorker, she mused quietly.  Kendra grew up in Georgia.  She tried to hide the country twang in her voice.  She didn't want to be viewed as some country bumpkin.  Though, Ghost seemed perfectly pleasant and welcoming thusfar.

"I dream.  And when I dream it's like ..... It's like I can move through the world and interact with things sort of like I'm a....."

Kendra blushed harder for a moment.  She was about to say Ghost.  She thought it might have been offensive for a moment, even though the girl had introduced herself as GHOST.  Though, she wasn't sure.  It wasn't exactly like being a ghost, but it kind of was.  No one could see Kendra when she used her power.  She was often so bland and unimpressive that no one usually saw her when she was awake either.  Not really.  She just faded into the background. 

"Sort of like I'm not even there I guess."  Kendra finished her sentence.  Her words spilled from her mouth like soft tears, filled with sorrow and bringing up bad memories.  She lingered on it for a moment before her eyes moved back up to Ghost's face.  Kendra was smiling.  She didn't know that Ghost couldn't see that, but she wanted Ghost to know that she was glad to be here. 

Am I really sure about this?  Kendra thought as she stood in front of a large iron gate.  Before her was a large sprawling mansion.  She could hear the sound of voices carrying just beyond the gate.  Kendra couldn't actually see anyone though.  It made her nervous.  People in general made her nervous.  Kendra had heard about this place from some mutant she met.  He had told her of a safe place for mutants.  He said it was a place where mutants learned and worked together.  Teamwork.  That wasn't really her strong suit, but then again what was these days?  Kendra stood outside the gate trying to decide weather or not to just turn around and walk away.  Her hair blew around her face in the light breeze as she readjusted her bag on her shoulder.

Kendra needed a place.  Through a series of freak coincidences her landlord had figured out she was a mutant and she was promptly evicted.   Was it right?  Hell no, but what was she going to do about it?  Kendra had been sleeping on a bench in the park until she heard about this place.  That was the only place she could really afford.  A pipedream?  That's the best you can do girl?  She asked herself sarcastically in her head.  She was still debating what to do when she noticed a security camera above the gate turning to follow her movements.  Kendra stared at the camera a moment.  Big brother is watching.  Then she noticed for the first time the glowing light on the gate.  An intercom.

Kendra hesitantly pressed down the button and spoke into the intercom.  She never took her eyes off the camera that was still following her with subtle adjustments to it's positioning.  "Um..... Hello? Sorry I don't mean to bother anyone, but I heard this place was safe?"

Kendra let go of the button and bit her lip nervously.  Biting her lip was a bad habit she had for as long as she could remember.  You could always tell how anxious she was by how chewed up her lips were.  This is it.  Guess we're about to find out if that guy was telling the truth about this place, though the camera studying her made her think about mutants being experimented on in the basement.