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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?

Kendra pulled nervously at the hem of her shirt some more as Xavia had asked why she didn't tell her about being shot.  The truth was, Kendra didn't want her to worry.  It was simple, and it was stupid.  Kendra had seen the lengths her friend would go to protect someone and herself.  Her demons were hungry and had sharp teeth when they came out to play. Kendra found herself a bit embarrassed that she didn't tell her sooner. 

"I guess' I didn't wanta spill ma leftovers on your plate, your plate was full nough with everythang you went through."  Kendra said in her sweet southern way.  She was referring to the night in the club.  It hadn't been that long since that night and Kendra had mostly avoided the conversation of it entirely.  For no reason other than she didn't want to put her friend through the pain of reliving a single moment of that night. 

Kendra was not scared of Xavia.  She was not horrified of the things she did.  The bastard deserved it, though she wasn't sure she would have had the stomach to do it herself had it been her.  Kendra was about to add further when Xavia said that the guy she dated was Artair. 

Kendra's eyes went wide.  Her mouth fell open and she just stared at her friend slack jawed.  Artair was the one who had convinced her to talk to someone about the shooting.  Artair had been the one that she had beared her soul to when she admitted that she couldn't face the trauma alone.  Artair was a good guy.  "Artair?!?"  Kendra blurted.

She didn't mean for it to come out as if she was surprised because he wasn't a good looking guy, but it may have seemed that way at first.  Kendra continued to stare.  Her mind couldn't even put words into sentences let alone coherent thoughts.  "He was wit me when I got shot. He saved ma life." Kendra said quietly. A smile formed on her face after a few moments of staring at the floor.  The thought of Xavia and Artair was kind of awesome.  Artair was a friend, a bit of a hot head and more like a father figure to Kendra in a weird way though he couldn't have been much older than her, but still a friend.  And Xavia.. Well Xavia was Kendra's hero as well.  The thought of them together as a couple made Kendra smile ear to ear.  "Are you gone see him again?!?!?!?"  She aside eagerly.

Kendra jotted a few more things down. She seemed to be busy as a bee writing away in her little notepad. The handwriting was sloppy and doodled in the margins were odd drawings here and there. There was a drawing of a horse galloping through a meadow and a scribble of a cat sliding down a rainbow. Kendra was so, the distractible type. 

Kendra knew the questions would get harder, more personal.  If she wanted to write a good article though she couldn't shy away from painful questions.  It was the questions that hurt the most that had the most meaning.  They were the questions that painted the best picture of who you were as a person.  Kendra didn't want to offend Derek.  She liked Derek.  She also knew that she had to ask him a few things that he may not want to talk about.

Setting her pencil down for a second Kendra grabbed a few mugs from her desk drawer.  Kendra filled them both with coffee and handed one to  Derek.  There was a mini fridge beside her desk she kept creamer in there.  Pulling it out she sweetened her coffee so it wasn't bitter against her sweet pallet.  "Have you ever been discriminated gainst cus'o your mutation?" She asked handing Derek the coffee.

Kendra's face pulled slightly into a frown.  She didn't want to wade through his painful memories.  She didn't want to dig up old wounds and make them fresh again.  She could remember more than a few instances of mutant hatred of her own.  Growing up in the south where god was everywhere and they hated that evolution was even taught in school despite it clearly being real.... After all mutants were real, that was evolution.  God fearing simpletons lashed out against things that didn't fit neatly into their little bubbles. 

Kendra took the warm cup in her hands and blew on it lightly to cool it.  She twitched her nose like a rabbit.  It was a nervous habit she couldn't control when she was anxious  "What made you wanta  come to the mansion and seek out other mutants?  Was it hard for your family to accept your mutation? To accept the fact that you were gay?"  Kendra knew a little about that too.  She had a healthy attraction to both men and women, though she had never shared that with her father.  She didn't need to give him more reason to despise her.  Kendra knew that it was one more controversy that they had to overcome... Coming to terms with a sense of identity.  Being a mutant, being gay.  Just being different in general. 

Kendra followed Xavia out of the bathroom. She was mostly going in to splash some cold water on tired eyes. The shock of finding out that her friend was pregnant as it turned out, was suffient enough surprise to keep her good and awake for the moment. No cold water required.

Kendra walked with Xavia as they talked. They didn't seem to really have a destination in mind. They seemed to be just walking around the mansion and that was ok. It was nice to get some time to talk to Xavia.

 They had classes together, but mostly they had seemed a little distant like they shared a class but after class they went their separate ways. Kendra was trying to be respectful and give her hers space. Kendra didn't see Xavia as the kind of person who wanted people pushing their way into her problems. Kendra figured when she was ready to talk about what happened she would be there for her, and she was there for her whenever she was ready.

Kendra tried her best to answer the question. What had she been up to?  Kendra had became quite involved with a girl in the mansion and a quick romance had blossomed, but due to Kendra's reckless devil may care attitude things were stressful. Her girlfriend wasn't speaking to her much at the moment and Kendra was afraid they could be headed for a break up.

Kendra didn't bring it up. It was Kendra's desire to be a vigilante that had started the problems in her relationship. Her reckless clumsy nature had been a contributing factor too. Kendra looked at Xaiva thoughtfully. "Training mostly. Workin on my fighting technique and masterin my abilities." Kendra said finally.

  It wasn't exactly a lie. She had stepped into the danger room with both Juliette and Becca Grey. She had been training, she just didn't say why she was training. She was training so that when she found herself in dangerous situations, like when she vigilanted, or like that situation at the club.... She wouldn't find herself helpless ever again.

Kendra closed her eyes and thought about the first place she could. Quickly her astral body exploded into an invisible mist and she reappeared next to a tree. Her hand felt the rough bark and she looked down and saw her sleeping body in the tall grass just beside her. Kendra looked back up and saw that she had teleported a good distance. A safe distance. Juliette seemed to be handling things now. She was glowing. She seemed to be charging up for.... Whammo! A shot right between the eyes.

Kendra watched for moment in stunned fascination. She couldn't imagine having that range and control over her own abilities. Kendra felt as if she was bumbling through this mission and Juliette was so poised, so confident. Kendra would have never guessed that she was the newest member to the X-Team.  She didn't act like the girl with the least experience. Juliette was a rock star and Kendra had to remind herself that now wasn't the time to get awestruck.

Kendra would have kept standing there watching if it hadn't been for her body in the grass.  Her sleeping body rolled over. Her slender arm flopped over in the roll and the back of her hand hit a rock.  A jab of pain shot through her astral right hand.  Kendra looked down at her hand a moment and her eyes went wide.  It was a simulation, but pain was very much a factor.  She had been standing here gawking like and idiot while Juliette battled the beastie.  One mistake could cost her. 

Kendra looked around for a weapon.  Anything that wasn't a police baton.  She couldn't very well run up to it and whack it on the head and yell "BAD KITTY!" That would be suicidal.  Kendra was looking for something sharp.  She was looking for something deadly.  Her daydreamy mind hadn't considered that she had one dart left in her pocket for her tranq gun.  She hadn't considered that until Juliette suggested it rather urgently.  "Right!"  Kendra said in a fluster.

Kendra started to dig frantically in her pocket until she emerged with the case that held her tranq darts.  She grabbed the last one and loaded it into the gun.  She had to make this one count.  She couldn't blunder again and miss or it could mean something very bad for Juliette. Kendra raised the tranq gun and steadied her aim.  The tiger was fast!  It moved like a blur through the tall grass and Kendra could barely see it from here. 

She looked around and spotted a vantage point.  High up in one of the trees Kendra could get a better shot.  She closed her eyes and imaged a branch on the tree.  She teleported herself up on a branch that wasn't to high, but high enough that she was relatively safe.  She sitting in the tree behind Juliette now.  The tiger had stopped running and now it was slowly stalking her.  Each footfall was a menacing prelude to what came next. Unimaginable pain.  Kendra closed one eye.  Unintentionally her tongue hung out of the corner of her mouth as she lined up a shot.  "Ok Tigger....Naptime." She said as she pulled the trigger.

Kendra fired the dart at the tiger. Just at that moment there was a creaking sound.  Kendra looked at the tree and saw that her weight was causing the branch to snap.  She didn't have time to teleport away as the branch submitted under the bell's weight and she went plummeting to the hard ground below. She wasn't to high up to get seriously hurt, but just enough to know she was in a fall.  Kendra hit a few branches on the way down and landed hard on the earth. 

The wind was driven out of her lungs on impact. "Oafff!" She bellowed as her breath sent dirt skittering everywhere.  Bits of brown earth clung to her wet lips.  Her hair hung wild in her face like angry fire.  For a moment Kendra couldn't do anything but roll on the ground and hold her ribs.  Jesh that hurt!  She thought.  It was the growl from the tiger that got her mind back in the game.  Kendra looked up only hoping that this time her aim was better than the last.

Kendra didn't respond when he said it felt like she died. She didn't feel that way. She felt like she was inside her own personal hell though. For so many nights since she started dream walking she was just terribly lonely. She was shy and awkward when awake, not the best at making friends. When she slept she was invisible, who wants to chat up a ghost. She would spend her nights wandering the city just another lonely shadow quietly creeping down the street.

Kendra would sometimes break into peoples houses and root through their stuff. She never stole anything, she mostly was finding something to slay her curiosity and boredom. Kendra smiled lightly when he told her about how he discovered his power. Just in the nick of time it sounded like.

Kendra walked through the mansion door that he opened for her and tucked a few loose strands of red hair behind a freckled ear. Moving silently through the halls Kendra did her best to make small talk. She asked about the weather or if he had a special someone. She wasn't expecting answers, she was just trying to void the silence.

Heading up the stairs they made it to her room finally. Kendra unlocked the door and showed him in. The room was plain and didn't have many personal affects save for the computer on the desk next to her camera. Kendra directed him to sit on the bed and she sat at the desk and opened the laptop. With a warm smile she leaned over and pressed start on the coffee maker. It was the only other thing in her room besides a phone by the bed and an alarm clock. Kendra swiveled the chair around to Derek as the brew started. Her painful memories behind her where they belonged. "So start at the beginning do you have any other mutants in your family?" The interview portion of the evening had begun.