X-Men Evolution: Rogue Evolution

A Day in the Life 3.5

"Factoid! Harriet Beecher Stowe produced what controversial book in 1852?" There was a pause as Mr. McCoy turned from the whiteboard and back to his class. "Any takers?" A goofy smile split his lips. "Come on gang, it's the one book last night's chapter even talked about."

Anna didn't see the hand raise from her new front-row seat, but instead saw Mr. McCoy spot something and then point. "Uncle Tom's Cabin?" Asked a little voice.

"Right on the money, Andrew." McCoy underhand launched something small into the back of the room then faced his board again to fill in the title of the book in thick black marker next to its date and author. "Best-selling book next to the bible. Some even say it was one of the sparks to light the great powder keg that was the Civil War. The plot follows a slave named Uncle Tom as he is 'sold down the river,' the river in question being the great Mississippi River. At the time it was held as a fate worse than death for slaves kept closer to the North. Back then it was common knowledge that the further down South you were taken -"

Anna heard the words her teacher was saying, felt them bounce around in her head, then drip out of her sagging mouth. Her eyes were so glazed over she wondered if she blinked if some sort of newly formed skin would crinkle and fall off her eyeballs. Despite the unyielding - unceasing boredom that was U.S. history, she couldn't quite bring herself to fall into a casual doze like she could in her other classes due to the small marble of hate she felt in her gut.

She wasn't surprised when she turned up to class that day and found Taryn Smith was already there, sitting in her seat by the windows. The fumes alone from the shit-eating grin she gave Anna when she walked in was almost enough to melt the paint off the surrounding walls. Normally, Anna wouldn't pay such an obvious bitch the time of day, it was all just over a stupid seat anyway, but it was the fact the other girl was just so damn smug about it. The bitch had gotten what she wanted. She got in her face and kicked her bag yesterday, and now here she was sitting pretty in the window seat. Anna had faced bullies before plenty of times, but she had something now she didn't have then - powers.

Anna didn't know when or how she would do it to Taryn. Maybe during lunch, while she's holding court over her little clones Anna could just poke her in the back of her head with a bare finger and watch her go lights out into a pile of mashed potatoes. Another idea was to pretend to apologize to her, offer to shake hands, and when they connect watch her go limp in front of everyone. One of her more admittedly sadistic ideas was to graze her as she was going down a set of stairs. Even a little zap from her skin would likely be enough to make the other girl's legs go numb, then Anna could watch Taryn's pretty little face take a tumble between the second and first floors.

Evan Anna had to admit the last of her ideas was a little harsh, but damn if it didn't make her feel good to think about. That, along with a bunch of other scenarios that involved Taryn falling off high places with nothing but one of Anna's faintest touches.

"Anna! How about you?"

Anna blinked, and when no new skin fell from her eye, she saw Mr. McCoy looking back at her expectantly. "Huh?"

"Anna..." McCoy put his hands on his hips. "Come on, girl. You should be paying the most attention. You've got some catching up to do. The Factoid was: 'What did the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850' mean for existing slaves?'"

"Right..." Anna looked down at her textbook, its glossy pages lightly lacquered with a thin puddle of spit. "Uh, fugitive slaves..."

"I can answer, Mr. McCoy!" Anna looked and saw no other than Taryn Smith raising her hand across the room.

"I'm sure you can, Taryn, but let's give Anna a chance. You've answered plenty of 'Factoid' questions today."

"Uh," Anna glanced down at her open textbook. "Fugitive slaves, fugitive slaves -" she mumbled, careful to navigate her finger past the globs of spit that had apparently dribbled out of her mouth and onto the page. "Uhhh"