1¹ | Dexter ▷ Scott Summers | ✓

F I V E

Ruth had no idea why everyone was so worked up over a guy with a clean shave and nice eyes. It took her a minute to realize who he was.

"You're the metal dude! Magnetism! Magnet-Man! I'm close, right?" She tended to ramble when she was afraid. Ramble or close up, but closing up wasn't an option with two telepaths in the room.

The man—Erik—blinked. "Magneto...Charles, where did you find this one?"

Charles pursed his lips, shaking his head, a smile playing on the corners of his lips.

"Why're you here, bro?" Peter asked, standing, "I thought you bounced once everything was all ice like how you jammed it the last time. You stayin'?"

Erik blinked again. "I have no idea what he just said, Charles, care to explain?"

Charles laughed. "He wants to why you're back, old friend, and if you're staying."

"Oh. Well, why didn't he just say that?" Erik asked, turning to look at Peter who waved, stuffing some chips into his mouth.

Ruth looked around. Everyone seemed tense as Erik and Peter had a little stare-off. She probably missed another memo. She was really jumpy, why was she so jumpy? Her leg was bouncing and she tried to stop because Kurt probably didn't like it, but she couldn't stop and she was just really jumpy and—

"Jean, what did you do to the drinks?" she blurted out. She clapped a hand over her mouth, shutting her eyes. That was not how she wanted that to come out.

Jean frowned, tilting her head. "It's just soda. Why, what's going on?"

Ruth shrugged. "I dunno. It's probably nothing. So, Erik, person, instead of having a really intense silent conversation with Peter that is probably going nowhere, can you say why you're here so I can leave and probably never come back?"

What was happening?

Scott started to stand. "You alright?"

She nodded quickly and couldn't seem to stop. "Yeah, it's just a little hot in here. Wow, it is really hot in here, is it hot for everyone, or is it just me? I'm really starting to burn up, wow do we have a swimming pool or something, it's really hot."

Charles looked at Erik, sharing a worried look. "Ruth...have you been working on controlling your mutation today?"

She nodded with new vigor, grinning madly. "Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Hank and Alex were telling me all about how you helped Alex with his mutation and how Raven came up with all your codenames and then they were telling me that when I got angry to focus it going to my hand instead of my hair and then there was a flame in my hand, but it went away when I closed my hand and I couldn't bring it back. Except I did bring it back! Scott called me 'Matchstick' and then I nearly burned his face, it was great!"

She was still grinning when she looked at everyone else and realized they were all staring at her, similar looks of fear, worry, and confusion etched on their faces.

"That was terrifying," Peter said, "I didn't think she could talk so much."

"Or so fast," Jean added. "Ruth, what's going on?"

Ruth shook her head, stopping only because it hurt too much to keep doing it. "I don't know. I'm flipping out!" She didn't say anything more after that.

Ororo walked over and bent down, feeling her forehead. She pulled back quickly, turning to look at the others. "She is burning." She turned back to Ruth. "Have you been feeling sick?"

Ruth shook her head. "No, not really. Can I talk to Hank, I think he'd want to know about me nearly killing Scott."

"What about nearly killing Scott?"