Here's Bridgit you guys. Sorry for the hella long wait- next chapter will be out very, very soon. Comment and vote bb :)
"ALL YOU HAVE TO DO is move that-" Logan pointed to the empty tin can laying on the ground between him and Elenora, "anywhere. Just move it."
"Yeah, just move it," Elenora repeated, rubbing her hands together as she tried to make it seem much less hard than it actually was. Sure, it took me like four months to get the whole invisibility thing down, but this should be easier, right? It should be. I think it should be, anyway.
Shaking her head, Elenora pulled herself back to reality, where Logan was watching her with an expecting expression. So with a sigh, Elenora focused on the can in front of her and thought positively.
I can move this can, she told herself. I can move this can! This can, I'm gonna move it.
But when she peeked up at Logan, it was evident that she had not in fact, moved the can.
"How about you try envisioning it moving," Logan suggested, remembering something he had heard from a conversation with Charles about teaching the new mutants. "If they can see it happen, they can project it," Charles had told him, and maybe it was enough to get Elenora to move it an inch.
But five minutes passed, and the can was still sitting in its upright position, and Elenora was starting to lose faith.
"I'm really not even sure that's a power of mine," she told Logan, who raised an eyebrow. "Really. Maybe it was a joke from a student or maybe it was Professor Jean-"
"Maybe I'd believe that," Logan admitted, taking a step closer to the can, and consequently, Elenora, "but you spent last night complaining of a killer headache and that," he pointed at the girl while his other arm was still across his chest, "is a full-fledged sign of a new power. So move the can, El."
Elenora didn't like that nickname except her own family. It felt almost like cheating allowing someone she barely knew call her that. "Don't call me that."
"What? Don't call you El?" Logan mimicked, taking a step back with his hands raised, and the stupidest smirk resting on his face. Elenora just stared. "Oh, okay, alright, Ellie."
And that's when Elenora really started to lose her patience. If she heard one more nickname leave his mouth, one more anything that reminded her of her family back at the compound, she was gonna-
There was a rattling noise, and Elenora's eyes shot up just to catch a glimpse of the can rolling a few feet forward, stopping right at Logan's boots.
Logan started laughing, and Elenora had to bit back a smile.
"Stop! You're being mean!"
"Sorry, kid, I was just expecting something with a little more 'umph'," he chuckled off, reaching down to reset the cup. But Elenora didn't like being laughed at- not at all. She took one look at his hand nearly clutching the cup and wonder what would happen if it moved away from him.
And surprisingly, instead of just imagining it, Elenora witnessed the can roll two feet away from Logan. Glancing up with a grin, Logan reaches for it again, but a smirk that settle on Elenora's face wanted to can to move a little more.
And it did.
Then Logan stood up.
"Well clearly it's you," he proclaimed, squinting at Elenora who was still staring at the can. "No other kid in the school would bother to piss off a guy with claws," he huffed, leaning forward again to grab the can, that moved an inch before he grabbed it. When he met Elenora's smile, he advised, "Maybe work on your speed before you start messing with the big guns, kid."
"Oh and you're the big guns?" Elenora jested, momentarily forgetting that she had just met this guy a day ago. It was like she had known him longer. "Then I'll take my chances."
Logan sent her an agitated expression that they both knew was just a joke, and but Elenora could say anything else, Logan suggested that she head to class and straighten out her attitude.
"Sure thing Professor Logan! My attitude will be squeaky clean by the time I'm done with history, I promise!"
Elenora was rushing from her last period class to dinner- she had recently learned that if she didn't hurry, some students would be up for seconds at desserts before she'd even reached a decision between a hot dog or salad.
At her side appeared her new best friend, Bridgit.
"Where are you headed so determinedly?" Bridgit asked as she fell into step with Elenora's quick pace as the pair navigated their way through the hallway.
"I'm getting the Oreo pudding," Elenora stages in a matter-of-fact tone, not letting her eyes wander away from the path she was mapping out in front of her. "I will not miss the Oreo Pudding- not this time."
"Are you running to the dining hall?" Bridigit asked, grabbing Elenora's wrist so she didn't lose the girl. "El, we aren't even eating in the dining hall tonight."
Elenora stopped in her tracks, almost getting run over by the herd of 11th graders coming at her, but Bridgit pulled her against the wall before she could get trampled.
Before Elenora could protest, Bridgit offered an explanation, "It's movie night. The entire student body gets pizza in the foyer and Prof X projects a movie on this huge sheet. It's tons of fun."
"Oh," Elenora said plainly. She still had a lot to learn about this school.
Noticing her friend's expression, Bridgit said, "C'mon, lets go get our pillows and blankets and make sure we get some pizza."
Vince was sitting in the left midsection of the foyer with hind, and Elenora and Bridgit navigated their way to him with their own pillows tucked under their arms and blankets wrapped around their shoulders.
"Hey!" he greeted, patting the floor next to him. Bridgit tossed her pillow at Vince's face before unfolding her blanket and laying it down, and the motioned for Elenora to do the same. As she followed Bridgit's lead, Elenora's gaze wandered around the room- half the room was full already, and people were still crowding the entrances.
When Elenora looked up and saw a girl levitating on her blanket like it was Aladdin, she wasn't worried about the space anymore. For the first time, Elenora believed that everything was handled.
"What movie?" Elenora asked, but Bridgit didn't know either.
After they had gotten their pizza, chips, and sodas, Bridgit and Elenora lied back on their pillows and waited. Vince beside them was on his phone, looking stressed. Elenora wanted to ask if he was alright, but figure they won't close enough, to be honest.
Fifteen minutes of chatting with Bridgit passed by before a student shouted, "Guys! Movie's starting!"
Heads all over the room snapped around as a bush blanketed the entire student body. Well, the student body minus Connor- he wasn't sitting near Vince and as far as Elenora could see, he wasn't anywhere else in the room.
Deciding not to think about him, Elenora leaned back, pizza in hand, and did her very, very best to enjoy the movie.
(Which was Divergent- Professor Munroe's pick.)
But it didn't work out so well- before the beginning credits could end, Elenora heard Charles's voice.
Elenora, will you come to my office? It's urgent.
Now, Charles had never done that before to Elenora, and Elenora immediately assumed the worst; were her fathers okay? Had they been hurt?
As if sensing her panic, Charles elaborated,
There's a phone call for you. From your fathers.
Scrambling to get up, Elenora tried not to slip and face plant in front of the entire school. Thankfully, the entire day she spent with Natasha on balance was enough to keep her steady long enough to vine through the students and step into the hallway. After she had made it through the mounds of blankets and sleeping students, Elenora flickered back, and ran, fully visible to Charles' office.
She ran.
Elenora could remember the last time she ran that fast- it was during a training session with Pietro and Peter, and the young Rogers was determined to shave off just five more seconds on her mile. In the end, she was panting and nearly collapsing to the ground, but she had managed to take off seven seconds.
But even with that speed, it didn't feel like Elenora was going fast enough. It was like it was a million years ago that she had spoken with her dads, which was pretty childish, but she honestly couldn't care less.
Her feet pounded against the tile until she finally made it to Charles' door, but before she could go to open it or knock (you know, if she had the patience), a hand gripped her arm and stopped her in her tracks.
It was Connor.
"Dude? What the hell?" Elenora whined, hearing her dad scolding her already- she was spending way to much time with Bridgit. (Not that either of them minded, of course). "Let go!"
Following orders, Connor's hand fell to his side, but his stature still enclosed Elenora by him. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, and Elenora squinted up at him. Was he really asking that? The kid had made fun of her about being related to Charles for a while now, was it that hard to guess?
Still, Elenora answered. "My dads... they're on the phone. I'm going to talk to them."
Connor's face relaxed and hardened again. "Sounds like a great Friday night," he sneered, and Elenora scoffed, taking one step back towards the door.
"Yeah, like lurking in a dark hallway scaring people is any better," Elenora shot back, not even taking another second before opening the door to Charles' office.
Charles, who had been listening to the entire conversation, was not surprised at Elenora's burst in. Judging by his expression, Elenora could tell he knew everything that just took place, but he didn't ask. He didn't say anything, not verbally or physically.
"Hey, Uncle Charles," Elenora greeted breathlessly, shutting the door behind her as if to shut out Connor. "You, uh, called?"
Still, Charles said nothing but motioned to the phone with a small, simple smile on his face. For a moment, Elenora hesitated, but then decided to reach forward and grab the phone from the desk, a "Dads?" escaping her mouth before she could stop it.
As Steve answered, "Hey, sweetie," and Bucky exclaimed, "El!" Charles made a motion to excuse himself from the room, and Elenora, through her excitement, managed to mouth, "Thank you".
"Dad? How are you?" she interrogated, needing to hear his voice again.
"I'm good, Ellie. Both of us are good."
"Yeah, real good, kid, but gosh, do we miss ya."
"How are you?"
"I miss you guys too," Elenora mumbled, homesickness washing over her. She had never felt that before, and she shuddered at the new emotion. "And it's good! So cool. And you won't believe what happened."
"Well don't keep us in suspense, Kiddo," Bucky urged, and Elenora didn't hold back. She had been waiting to tell her dads about it since she was in the training room with Jean, Logan, and Charles.
So Elenora rambled. And she rambled hard. "I have this super cool kinda-new kinda-old power thing, and guys, its epic. I do this total Star Wars thing with the force-"
"Oh my gosh, Stevie, are we talking to El or spider-boy right now? Because I sure can't tell."
"Dad," Elenora whined, earning a laugh from both Bucky and Steve.
"He's just messing with you, El, he was once a nerd too," Steve told her, and Elenora could hear the thud of Bucky's hand hitting Steve. "Went to all sorts of nerdy shows."
Bucky defended, "It wasn't nerdy, Steven! It was a friggin' scientific breakthrough, okay, and I only went to the expo to pick up some dames!"
"Yeah? How'd that work out for you?"
"Can you- can we just, let's focus on Elenora, alright Stevie? The last thing I need is you bugging me about my past. Fell in love with a lesbian, you did."
"Peggy Carter was straight, James!"
But Bucky had already abandoned that conversation. "Make any friends over there, kiddo?"
"Yeah, actually," Elenora confirmed, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Her name's Bridgit. She was in the foster system until she found the school."
Steve was not sure how to respond. With Elenora, that was a feeling he got quite often. Thankfully, Bucky was much more smooth."That must've been cool to meet her then," Bucky guess, and Elenora nodded, forgetting for a moment that he couldn't see her.
"It was," she admitted. "We are really alike. And she's pretty cool."
"Someone Peter Parker should be worried about?" Elenora choked for a moment, did Bucky just imply that she was romantically attracted to Bridgit? Did he just try to nonchalantly ask if she was into girls? But then Bucky followed it up with, "Y'know, for the title of best friend."
Phew.
But maybe this question was even worse. "It's not like that dad," she explained. "They're two different people. Super nice. Super nerdy in their own respects. Both my favorite people. Next to you guys, of course. Oh, and Aunt Tasha."
Steve was the one to talk this time. "You think you're gonna keep in touch with her after you come home?"
Elenora hadn't even though of that. Was it even possible? Kids at the institute were not allowed their own phones- hence the phone call in Charles' office- so how could Bridgit talk to her? Would she ever come to visit Elenora and her dads?
Like he always could, Bucky read his daughter's mind. "You could always invite her over to the house for a while, El, we'd love to meet her."
"Really?" Elenora checked- she had never had a sleepover before. This could be very very interesting.
Steve reassured her. "Of course, doll. We'd love to have her over."
Elenora smiled sheepishly, and besides being miles and miles away, Bucky and Steve could still see it. "Dads? Can I talk to blonde dad for a minute?"
Bucky, though he didn't want to, took the hint. Taking a step backward, Bucky called, "Sure thing sweetheart," before walking to his room. Steve watched him go before saying, "I haven't asked yet."
"You need to hop on that," Elenora directed him. "I'm coming home soon. Mail is slow here, and I expect an invitation."
"And you'll get one," Steve reiterated. "It's just difficult. I have tried, El, really. "
"Have you thought about Coney Island?"
There was a pause. "No," Steve said. "But that's- that's a really smart idea kid. I'm gonna try that."
"Thanks, pops," Elenora joked, and Bucky's voice came back in the ring.
"Alright that's enough alone time," Bucky announced, clapping his hands together. "I'd like to speak to my girl too if you don't mind Steven."
"Be my guest," Steve said, and Elenora could hear the phone being shuffled over.
"So kiddo, these new powers, giving you any trouble?"
"Just a few headaches when I overuse them or something. But otherwise, they're much easier than my whole disappearing act."
"So tell me, does this mean the next time me and your pops are fighting for the remote, you can just telepathically slide it over to me?"
Elenora reminded him, "Switzerland, dad. I'm a full-time Switzerland."
"No fun," Bucky pouted, and as he started on the next topic, there was a knock on the door and a message in Elenora's head.
"Uh, guys, I gotta go," she told them sheepishly- she really, really didn't want to. "I'm really sorry."
"Don't be, doll," Bucky reassured her. "We know there's a movie goin' on, sorry to pull you away from that."
"I'd much rather be talking to you than watching Divergent again."
Steve contributed, "Oh, Loki's Midgardian obsession movie?"
"Yep, that's the one. I could practically hear him yelling at the knife throwing scene."
Steve said, "Well, goodnight kiddo. Enjoy the movie, alright?"
"We love you, Elenora."
"Love you too, dads."
Before she could hang up the phone, Steve connected a few dots that Elenora wasn't expecting him to. "Wait a second- those pajamas you wrote us about, they're not for you, are they? They're for your friend?"
Elenora was quiet- she didn't know what to say.
"It's okay, Doll, if it is. I just want to know if I should be sending a pair of yours or getting a couple of new pairs."
Elenora confessed. "Yeah, uh, it's not for me really."
"Got it. Have a good time, you hear us, kid?"
"Yeah dads, Definitely."
"Good night, I love you."
"Love you, sweetie."
"Night, dads," Elenora concluded, putting the phone back on the ringer with the most hesitation she'd had in months.
For a little while, she stood there, alone in the silent room, hearing the echo of her dads voices in her head. It was weird, yeah, a little, but it made Elenora feel remembered. Made her feel like she wasn't forgotten again.
Like she wasn't invisible.
To Charles, she never was invisible, and ex not after that night. Charles was growing a stronger defense against Elenora's thoughts, but her fears trumphed his attempts to be respectful- she was his neice. His sister's daughter. Though he wished that he didn't hear it, Charles was glad he did.
Because his sister once felt the same. And he couldn't help her.
But things were different now.
***
Elenora did eventually return to the movie, but by that point the lead's mother had died and some pop indie song was playing, and the young girl guess the movie was nearing it's end. Looking down at her spot, Elenora saw a stretched out Bridgit with her mouth ajar, in dead sleep on Elenora's favorite blanket. Readjusting to her friend's past out body, Elenora curled herself into a ball right next to Bridgit, and even with only twenty minutes left, both El and Bridgit were out like lights.
There are many, but one of the most prominent is that the two of them slept like the dead.
And Bucky and Steve could atest for Elenora- after writing and editing an essay in one night, Elenora managed to sleep through a lockdown drill at the compound, and Tony isn't the kind of guy to go light on the alarms.
And Erik Lehnsherr, a professor that Elenora would soon meet, could back up Bridgit's claim- he was sent one night to wake her for a small task Charles needed help with, and it took him twenty minutes to realize he'd have to bring a baseball bat to her head.
But the thing about Elenora and Bridgit was that they were extremely sensitive to touch. Elenora, of course, had been raised without the regular hugs and kisses and affections, and it took her a long time to adjust to physical affection. Hell, she still got jittery at it. The same thing goes for Bridgit; she wasn't raised with it. So all Bucky and Steve had to do was touch her shoulder and Elenora bolted awake, and the same for Bridgit, except, well, Bucky and Steve didn't almost get punched in the nose.
(Erik was not happy.)
So the foyer had cleared out completely- Vince too tired to notice that his friend's were still when he mumbled "goodnight"- but Elenora and Bridgit stayed in their curled up postions, fully asleep.
It was Logan who first spotted them- Logan who nudged Charles who had to stifle back a chuckle. It was Logan who Charles suggested woke them up.
It didn't seem like the best idea in the world- a big, brooding man waking up two girls with trust issues, but Charles knew what it would do. Waking Elenora and Bridgit would force Logan to interact with students. It would force him to see Elenora.
Which Logan didn't know he wanted.
Which Charles, of course, did.
When he bent down to shake them awake, Logan took a big huff and a glance up at Charles, who nodded for him to carry on.
Bridgit was the first to react- her eyes went wide with fear, and as if sensing her friend's distress, Elenora blinked awake. Imeddiately, Bridgit swung a fist, and Elenora was fast to follow, kicking her foot at the attacker's ankle, readying herself to turn invisible.
"It's me! Woah, it's just me!" Logan huffed, dodging Elenora's foot and catching Bridgit's hit in his fist. "What the hell? I'm just trying to wake you up!"
"You could have tried calling our names first," Bridgit shot back, but Elenora wasn't sure if it was annoyance or her lack of sleep talking. "Instead of trying to scare us to death."
Logan, who was fully standing by then, crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah? You think thay would have woken you up? Entire school left this room, and neither of you bothered to budge."
Bridgit started to form some sort of disagreement that Elenora couldn't hear, instead, she rubbed her eyes and glanced at her uncle.
"Hi," she murmered, pulling her pillow to her chest and gathering her blanket up. "Sorry for not waking up. Guess I was really tired."
Charles reassured her, "No need to be sorry, Elenora. I understand the day you've had. Must have taken a lot out of you. Let's get you to bed then, hm?"
Nodding, Elenora grabbed at the air behind her until Bridgit's hand was in hers. "C'mon, let's just go," she urged, tugging her friend who was still arguing with Logan.
"Yeah, one sec- all I'm saying, Professor, is that you could have-"
"Can it kid. Next time I'll let you get mulled over by the breakfast rush-"
"At least they don't have clammy hands-"
Charles shared a knowing look with Elenora, and the two of them realized they always seemed to be the calm friend in their duos. Elenora tugged Bridgit away after a few more seconds, and the two of them trudged back to their room, their beds, and their secluded comfort.
(Back with Charles, Logan was grumbling about teens and how he didn't like these brats.)
(Two which Charles responded with, "if that was true, would you still be here?")
(That sure shut Logan up.)
***
The next morning, Bridigit had her own session of training to attend, leaving Elenora to venture alone to her classes. More realistically, it left Elenora to deal with Connor alone.
It may not be a shock, but Connor was more annoying this day then ever- within the first four minutes of LA, he had managed to crumple Elenora's essay rubric, frizz up her hair, and knock her pencil off her table six times.
She tried to keep her cool- Elenora really did. She was doing this for Charles. She was doing this for her dads. She was doing this for her.
And that got Elenora through the first two days, but it could not, however, hold her through the third.
DAY ONE
Elenora had three major responsibilities: meet Charles at 5:40 PM for a quick chat, write her letters to her father, and restablish how she knew Spider-Man with Bridget at about 7:00.
And Connor managed to ruin all of the above.
First off, he had tailed Elenora from their last period class to the library, and spent the whole time blowing cold air on Elenora's fingers so she had to repeatedly take breaks from finishing her assignments to warm her fingers in her pockets. That was for about an hour until Elenora decided that she was through, and went to finish studying in her room. Also following her there, Connor somehow jammed her door so she couldn't get it open. For thirty minutes, Elenora banged her fists on the door, and it was at 6:00 when Logan finally busted open the door, releasing a very agitated Elenora.
Understandably, she was late to her meeting.
DAY TWO
This time, Elenora would not leave a room without Bridget- she was always with her. Elenora figured if Bridget was there, Connor would keep his distance.
Yeah- well, Elenora wished.
To Connor, it was a game: trying to trick Elenora with our Bridget noticing.
And not wanting to seem whiney, Elenora kept her mouth shut through the repeatative breezes hitting her neck, the pelting eraser bits, and the overall annoying prescense of Connor. But then it was:
DAY THREE
And Elenora could not handle it anymore- she had shut her mouth around Charles. Kept her anger in from Bridget. Saved all her aggression for self training in the courtyard.
But then, in the midst of torturing Elenora for her teacher's pet act, Connor grabbed Elenora's wrist, and a million memories flooded Elenora's thought process, a million and ten fears, and she lost it.
Elenora Rogers punched Connor Peltra in the nose, and for a moment, it felt good.
But that moment passed, and Connor jumped to hit her back, but Elenora ducked, and Connor, still shocked, stumbled forward.
By this point, Elenora was in full action mode- pivoting on her heel, Elenora blocked another hit from Connor, this time she caught it in her own hand and used the momentum to push his hand to the side, forcing his stance to shift again.
More confident now, more prepared to let Connor get what he deserved, Elenora uncharacteristically went for another hit, but stopped when her arms were tugged behind her back, another pair linked with hers.
Logan's gruff voice boomed, "What the hell is going on here?"