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'No' for watching football,possibly negative points. Saying you don't like the Bears, approved. Twyla mentally winced--not that she thought Gawain was a big football fan but still...maybe a Nate prep course would have been a good idea. Too late for flash cards, her friend and her...something would be on their own in the mine field that meeting her brother had turned into.

"Nothing to do on Sunday besides--" Twyla and Nate chimed together."Chores, church, and whatever Mom wants you to do." They looked at each other and smirked a smirk that was almost identical. "And then it's time for football." Nate added for clarification.

"I really don't know what his deal is." Twyla muttered to Henrietta. "He's being a freak." She left it at that and frantically searched from something that would halt the interrogation for the time being. A light bulb went off in the girl's head and she suddenly grabbed her brother by the arm. "Let's go on a tour, Nate. I'll show you my room." It took some pulling but she got him to follow behind her as she headed for the stairs. "So obviously this is the foyer, and those are the stairs that go up to the bedrooms. Henri's room is right across from mine in the girls hall..." She was babbling now, trying to detract away from anymore awkward questions.

Apparently Nate was determined not to be distracted because as they climbed the stairs he turned around to ask: "Where's your room, Morris?" Twyla sighed and turned to her older brother. "What? It's not like I'm down the hall anymore...I can't--" The man bumped into the girl when she stopped walking and tuned to face him. "Can't what? Guard me from my friends? You're starting to weird me out Nate. So stop it, just stop it." Her face was red, Twyla was really in a huff now.

Nate recognized the look on her face and stopped to hug her. "I'm sorry, Shy-Twy. It's just I'm not here to keep you safe. I don't know what you do out here and that makes me worried--back home I knew how you spent your weekends and with who. I don't want you to get hurt." His tone was quiet but commanding and the hug lasted until the girl's breathing slowed. He obviously wasn't embarrassed that he'd just had a family moment in the middle of a school in front of to strangers and he smiled as he took the lead, bounding up the rest of the stairs in two long strides. He stopped in front of a door. "Number two right? Open away, I want to see how nasty your room is here." The man chuckled as he leaned against the door frame, the picture of patient expectation.

"It's not that bad..." Twyla muttered as she unlocked her door.

Actually, it wasn't alright. Even if that's what Gawain was telling her. They were in some kind of nutty house and Twyla had just--she'd just...the zombie...and...it was all just too much. She was an idiot for going there. A trembling, scared, idiot. The desk was all that was keeping Twyla Ashby from sinking to the floor. She jumped when she heard the unfamiliar voice. What the heck is going on here?......What did I just... The lights shot back on and the girl's eyes instantly fell to the carpet. There was no zombie. Had there ever been one? Did she make it disappear? No, that was an easy one to answer. Something Else had control in the house and that Something Else had made the zombie that had chased her and whatever it was that had been chasing Gawain.

Suddenly the desk was not the only thing keeping Twyla's jelly legs molded--Gawain had crossed the room and pulled her to him in a hug. She resisted the urge to tell him that it wasn't okay, but instead she just took all the comfort she could from being close to someone safe. The girl smothered her face into the boy's chest and let him hold her. Keep breathing. You're going to be fine...Just breathe. One deep breath and then another and the jello legs had hardened into something more substantial. Just in time too because a familiar voice echoed in the little room and Twyla's head whipped around to see Emerald standing in the doorway of the study.

It seemed like everything actually was going to be okay--until it was noted that the wolf girl was bleeding. When Gawain let her go Twyla followed him over to Emerald. When the boy lifted up her shirt she saw the gashes. They weren't too bad. Not too good either...but she'd be fine after she got them looked at. "I have..." She was about to say: 'Some band-aides and disinfectant' but then Twyla realized that she didn't have her backpack, it was somewhere upstairs. There was no way she was going back up there, no freakin' way. "Yeah, let's get--"

And then their band of three was turned into a band of four. Throw in a dog and they could be like the kids on Scooby-Doo. Or just add one more person and let Emerald go into her wolf form...that worked too. The girl that made her appearance in the study had apparently been running from something too--based on the way she slammed the door and something on the other side made a yelping noise. She was panting when she spoke. "Some kind of freaky, telepathic mutants." Twyla added, still not totally understanding what she had just witnessed. It was all too much to process at one time. All she knew was that they needed to get out.

Twyla wished that they were just dealing with ghosts--ghosts didn't exist so all their problems would be solved. Or they wouldn't have had problems at all to begin with. That was a much happier scenario.

Ahhh! In the flurry of my little brother’s birthday I forgot that I wanted to post a nomination...

I think Andrea should get MoTM because she’s a good player and her threads make me smile.

A few that I’ve found randomly and found myself reading:
Nice Bumping into you!
Finding Ones Inner Romantic

Oh, and her cbox names make me happy! ;D


P.S. Thanks Lenna and Henri, for the nom

Twyla stuck out her tongue. "Um, only a lot. Don't worry, he has that affect on people...well, girls and a small population of males anyway. It'll wear off after you talk to him and find out what a dink he is." Twyla giggled as she whispered into Henri's ear but that giggle barely hid her more pressing worries. Does this mean he doesn't like him? Why doesn't Nate like Gawain? Why wouldn't he like him? Does he think I shouldn't like him? A slight panic was building up like a balloon inside the blond as she watched her brother and her...something shake hands. "Yeah..." She agreed with Henri's suggestion but she didn't move, just looked at her brother and his unreadable expression.

The big man studied the smaller boy for a moment, and then the grin spread wider and reached his eyes. From what Twyla could see he was back to Old Nate again. She still squeaked though, when she saw her brother roughly pull Gawain to his chest with their still locked hands and reached his free hand up as if to strike him on the back. "Nnn--" And then the assumed assault turned into a pat on the back. It was just a one armed hug. Normal, friendly, guy stuff. Nate released the boy a second later and laughed as he said: "You should hear how much she talks about you." There was an eyebrow wag that followed this and a knowing glance at Twyla. Yep. Same old annoying, stupid, jerk, sister embarrassing, Nate. He'd pay for that one later.

Twyla's cheeks were a bit pink as she grabbed Henri by the wrist and dragged her over to the boys. Pushing the girl in front of her, she said a bit too loud: "Nate, this is Henrietta. She's my best gal pal here." This time her brother took a longer look at the girl with the long, brown hair. "Nice to meet you." He was polite but only momentarily distracted. His gaze wasn't as hard as it had been before but there was something in it that the blond still didn't recognize. Turning back to Gawain he asked: "So do you play any sports, Morris?"

And then she understood and the balloon popped.

Nate was giving Gawain the First Degree. This was some kind of messed up game of 20 Questions that wasn't as much about the questions as it was about the answers. Nate was trying to figure 'the Morris kid' out for some twisted, older brother reason. His younger sister had never seen him act like this before--but she'd never really liked anyone so much before. In his own way, Nate was trying to protect her from what he considered the unknown (or something)--although his opinions on things didn't exactly match up with hers. Of course he'd ask about sports--sports were what he did in high school. Football, Wrestling, Power Lifting, Baseball, and a little FFA were what defined Nathan Ashby for four years--hopefully he wouldn't hold Twyla's...something to his own standards.

In the back of her mind Twyla decided that she really needed to get on labeling her whatever it was she was doing with Maya/Gawain, to clear things up in her thoughts.

"Oh, I get it..." If it was part of his mutation she couldn't really hold it against him so she told the man: "It's all good." It was still a bit weird and more than a bit disconcerting but Twyla could deal, she'd dealt with more before. She'd have to be a bit more careful with her thoughts from there on out, considering the fact that despite any good he'd done for her nightmares--Brian was still a total stranger. His powers were a bit scary when Twyla got down to thinking about it and she realized that in the wrong hands they could have disastrous effects.

Twyla watched transfixed as the man in the jacket transformed some of the funny colored leaves into yellow birds. No matter how dangerous it could be it was still a decidedly cool power and the girl wondered how much concentration it took for him to manipulate other people's dreams. It looked very easy but she assumed parts of it could be complicated. He looked back at her to answer her question. Images from geography class flooded the girl's mind. She knew where Belgium was, even if she'd never been there. She'd never actually been out of the country before. A giggle escaped her lips after a second. it was ironic, in a way that he was in her dream and he'd just said something about the American dream. "I'm so sorry, I'm not laughing at you!" The girl fought for control of herself and then added in a more normal tone: "So you're from Belgium, that's pretty cool."

He told her to calm down and not to worry about Cthulhu. It was comforting to know that at least for a while she'd be able to sleep a bit better. Twyla appreciated it and that appreciation showed in the smile she gave to the blond man.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." The girl hopped of the bench and walked towards the door that suddenly appeared. Thinking for a moment, she concentrated on a long room with creaky floorboards and a glass-less window that was pouring in light. When she pushed open the door she was no longer in the park but in the loft of her barn back home. There were bales of straw stacked as high as the ceiling in some places but in others the bales had been moved to make what looked like tunnels and a fort. In the center of the room there was clear area and a stack of horse blankets. It was just how Twyla remembered it--complete with the soft mooing of the cows in their stalls beneath the barn. The girl smiled as she breathed in the scent of her old life.

"That is a wicked sweet power, hands down." She said after a moment and turning back to look at the dreamwalker.

Twyla smiled again when the fox girl that was a fox spoke and assured her that it was no big deal that she'd picked her up. It seemed like every time Twyla met one of the Lupin sisters in their animal form she felt the need to pet. It was an urge or an instinct that she'd have to work on controlling--even if they were okay with it it was still rude to randomly lift someone off the ground or pet their head.

When Henri mentioned that she thought it would be a cool power Twyla instantly got the image of her brother and her father going out hunting. What if she had turned into some kind of animal? They could have killed her if they caught her. Nope, no way did Twyla Ashby want to turn into a furry animal that could be shot at, trapped, or turned into roadkill in a single moment. Yes, Ruby was adorable and yes, Emerald was b.a. in her wolf form but that didn't change the fact that if her family had found out about her mutation like that then Twyla probably wouldn't be in New York City, she'd be dead. "Yeah, she's really cute..." Her tone was distracted as she finally replied.

"I wish I was fast..." Twyla mumbled in her sleepy tone. Suddenly sitting up she reached for the remote on the coffee table. If she was watching the news she wouldn't have to feel guilty about not going to the Y quite as earl as she and Henrietta had planned. When she clicked on the TV images of a burning wreck and the words: Anti Mutant Riot in Florida flashing across the bottom. "Never mind.' The girl muttered, angrily turning the television back off.

The day had finally arrived. It was the end of February, time for her older brother's birthday. Nate would be spending the week of his 20th birthday not at home with his friends but in New York City with his little sister Twyla. The sister in question had been waiting for this day ever since she'd found about his visit on the phone. They'd spoken a few times since then (she just had to tell him something important too) and both parties seemed to be intensely excited to see each other for the first time in a few years. Out of all the Ashby siblings Nate and Twyla had always been the closest. Sure, the older girls were in the same age group but their tastes differed sharply. Nate and Twyla had always fit together like a hand in a glove--he was quiet and she was shy, he played hard and she played like the boys, he got crazy and she went along with him. They were good for each other and when they were younger and covered in mud sometimes it was hard to tell them apart (this probably was due to Twyla's boyish hair cuts that her mother did herself while she was in elementary school).

Twyla was intensely excited for days before his arrival. So excited that she forgot about her troubles sleeping and all the confusing things she was dealing with. All that mattered was that family was coming and that family was one of the most important people in her life. Tall, honest, smart, strong Nate. Hooray for big brothers!

--

The man that walked through the gate of Xavier's Sister School looked young. His jaw was square and despite the strong angles in his face you could tell he wasn't anywhere near twenty-five. He had brown eyes that twinkled a bit when he smiled and he was smiling as he walked towards the door. His hair was dirty blond and he was tall and stocky and anyone looking at him would probably say that he was decently attractive. Plenty girls in his class had called him 'hot', although those comments made him blush. Anyone looking at him that knew a certain young, female mutant would also say that he looked like he could be Twyla Ashby's brother--but that was because he was Twyla Ashby's brother, her older, football playing, wrestler, farm boy brother Nate.

He didn't make it past the first step in front of the school before a girl threw herself out the door and latched herself onto him, wrapping arms and legs around the hulking figure. "I missed you!" The words were simultaneous and said with the same cadence (and accent) by brother and sister. "So much." The girl added, smothering her face into the man's camouflaged jacket. A moment later she was crying and her legs were once again on the ground, even if she was on tiptoes. "Shhh." A large hand patted her back and the deep voice had an emotional crack in it. "Jesus Twyla, it's cold out here." Nate chuckled as he pushed and half carried his sister through the still open door and into the warm foyer. With a free hand he shoved it closed behind him. He held the hug for a moment later and then gently pushed the girl away to look at her and the room they were in.

"Damn, this place is swank. I like the hair by the way, very 'new Jeanie'." He said, easing the emotion out of the situation. To which Twyla promptly his him in the chest. "I know, right? On both counts." She added a second later, giggling and patting her blond and pink locks.The tears on her cheeks were crying and she hurriedly wiped at her face to erase any mascara trails. "Well, are you gonna take my coat or what, twerp?" The man was pulling off the green and brown jacket as he got socked once again in the chest. "Take your own damn coat." Siblings do bring out the best in each other, don't they?

The jacket found it's way onto a rack, revealing the man's plaid button down shirt that was open over a green and yellow John Deere tee shirt. "Sorry I was late, I couldn't find a place to park my tractor." The smile was charming, at least it would have been if it wasn't lost on the man's sister. "That reminds me of a song..." And just like that, Twyla Ashby was a totally different girl than New York had ever seen her. She was acountry girl that had spent all her summers riding around dusty roads in the back of a pick up truck, screaming the lyrics to classics over the sound of the old motor. When Nate said he was thinking of a song she knew exactly which one he was talking about. "In John Deere green, on a hot summer night--" The pair sang and harmonized in an overly nasally tone that was loud and not one bit ashamed of the racket it was making. "He wrote Billy Bob loves Charlene, letters three foot high. And the whole town said that he shoulda used red but it looked good to Charlene. In John Deere green..." They trailed off in their fit of laughter and Twyla's slight blush. Did I really just sing country in the Mansion?

"I missed you." They both said in unison again. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, not looking at each other or anything else in particular. Finally, Nate broke the silence, a wicked grin playing on his face as he spoke. "So are you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?" A second later he added. "or girlfriend?" A depper blush and several punches received this. "Thanks Nate, I'm glad to see you too. D-bag....And he's not my boyfriend, or girlfriend. We're...I don't know what, but he's not my boyfriend."

"I love you so much that I want to take a vested interest in whoever it is you associate yourself with. How could you not see my love shining through the smile, Shy-Twy?" He dodged the swatting this time, smirking the whole time. "But seriously, I think I need to meet the Morris kid." There was something dead serious in Nate's brown eyes that could have been Twyla's minus her thick lashes. Twyla couldn't place the look as she had never seen it in his face before. "Right. Well, 'the Morris kid' and my friend Henri are gonna be down in a few to meet you, so I guess you're in luck."

"Good." Was the instant reply. What the heck? The girl looked to the stiars that led to the bedroom in anticipation of her friends' arrivals and in the moment that her attention was diverted there were hands around her middle and she was suddenly no longer touching the ground. Nate had decided to pick her up liked he'd done a few times at home. He called it 'training' and more than once he'd one it to her while she was napping on the couch or talking on the phone. "What are they feeding you girl? You're wasting away." Twyla had time to squeak her disapproval before she was redeposited on the ground, after which there was pokings and proddings from her brother's large hands. When she attacked the hands they became shoves and light hits and then her feet got involved and somehow managed to throw the bigger man off balance--sending him crashing to the floor. Arms flew up to pull her down as well and soon the pair were rolling, wrestling, and crawling around on the foyer carpet like the little kids they'd been together.

Yes, out of all the Ashby siblings, Nate and Twyla got along best--and it showed.