The next morning, Storm found Star sitting on the back deck, watching the clouds in the early morning sunlight. Storm watched herfor several minutes before she realized what was unsettling about the young woman. She was absolutely motionless. The only movement discernible was the slight pulse visible in her throat, and the slow, steady rise and fall of her breathe. Her silver eyes stared upward, unblinking.

"Star?" Storm called at last. Star turned toward her.

"Good morning, Storm."

"Did you sleep well, dear?"

"Yes." Storm sat down next to her. "Are those clouds?"

"Yes, child."

"I didn't think they would be so ... big."

"Ours is a wide and wondrous world, Star. And you have much to learn." They sat quietly for a while. At last, Storm stood up.

"Would you care to help me start breakfast? It is an informal meal, but I have found that the faster you feed this crew, the more quickly they become civilized." Star got up and went with Storm into the house.


The kitchen was empty, not surprising considering the hour. Storm instructed Star on how the coffee was made, then started preparing the morning meal. Star helped by bringing Storm the ingredients needed, although she had to be told exactly what they looked like.

"In the third cabinet over are the spices. Would you bring me the Cinnamon, please. Just read the labels, they are in no particular order."

"I don't know how to read, Storm."

"What?"

"I don't know how to read." Star repeated. Storm considered for a moment, knowing a taste of the fury that Wolverine held when considering the "Doctor" who had so mistreated and neglected this child.

"All right, dear. We will take one thing at a time. The Cinnamon is a reddish brown powder. Not the reddish orange powder, that is cayenne pepper, and while Gambit would probably appreciate it in his eggs, most of the others would not." Star turned to the cabinet and brought the proper spice to Storm.

Soon, the odor of fresh coffee and frying bacon brought other X-Men down to the kitchen. Each pitched in where ever their help was needed. Very shortly breakfast was complete and on the table in the large dining room. Storm noticed that Star watched everything very intently, and realized that she had probably not eaten with other people before. A renewed flash of fury took her a moment to suppress.

When she looked up, Jean was watching her. Jean tilted her head in a question. Storm smiled and shook her head.

"Star, are you finished, child?"

"Yes, Storm."

"Then put your plates in the sink and come with me, please." Star did as she was told.

Storm stopped in the hall outside the lab and turned to Star, following almost like an obedient puppy.

"First, child, I want you to understand that you are not a prisoner here. You are not required to do anything you do not wish to do." Storm looked at her intently. "Do you understand?" Star nodded.

"I think so."

"Very well. Now, if you want, but only if you want, we can try to find out more about you. About your body and how you use your powers. Is that all right?"

"All right."

Storm opened the door and stepped in. Star stood frozen in the doorway, staring at the room.

"It is all right, child." Storm said in a quiet voice. "We will not hurt you, and we will stop the tests whenever you say." Star swallowed hard, but stepped into the room.

"Beast?" Storm called.

"Ah, Storm. Just a moment." A voice answered from the back of the room. Beast appeared, wearing a white lab coat.

"Good morning, Star." He said. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." She answered in a small voice.

"Shall we begin?" Star hesitated, then nodded.

"Very well. First, I would like to attach some sensors, do you mind?"

"No."

"This one," Beast said as he and Storm began to connect different sensors to Star's body "is to record your heartbeat, this one your respiration, this...." He spoke softly to her, gradually calming her until all the sensors were attached.

"Would you step up on the scale? Thank you." Beast noted her weight on a chart.

"All right. We are going to test your eyes first, then your ears. OK?" Star nodded again. They quickly determined that she did not use her eyes to see with, or her ears to hear. Her powers supplied substitutes.

"Nearly finished, child." Beast told Star. "Just a few questions. Ready?"

"Yes."

"Do you know the extent of your abilities?"

"No. I know some of the things I can do. The Doctor wasn't finished teaching me. He thought," she swallowed, "he thought I should be stronger, first."

"I see. Well, show us what you do know."

"I can reach into your mind and find something."

"Go ahead, dear." Beast said, bracing himself.

"Your real name is Henry McCoy. You call yourself 'Beast' because of your size and your agility, not because of your fur." Beast looked surprised. "I like your fur, it looks soft."

"I did not feel your touch on my mind, Star. You are quite good. What else?"

"I can take hold of your mind, make you do what I want. But I don't like to do that. It feels ... bad."

"You don't have to, dear. Although the data would be interesting. Can you do this with someone you haven't already touched?"

"Yes."

"Try with me, child." Storm said.

"But I've already..." Star stopped.

"Already what, Star." Beast asked gently.

"I couldn't find the Cinnamon!" Star burst out. "So I, I lifted it from your mind." Storm looked startled. Then laughed.

"All right, dear. We will skip this for now. You said you could move things with your mind. What size object?" In answer, Storm found herself floating several inches above the floor. Beast started to tease her about her lofty position, when he realized that he, too, was being held gently off the floor.

"How many items can you control at once?"

"I don't know."

"Well, look around. I think the only thing bolted down is the electron microscope. It's a very fussy piece of equipment."

"OK." First, microscopes and other table top equipment began to float, then tables, chairs, the autoclave, and everything else in the room, with the exception of Beast's electron microscope, rose majestically into the air and began to circle the room around the three people. Beast watched Star closely and noticed a fine sheen of sweat begin to bead her forehead.

"I think that's enough for today, Star." Slowly, everything returned to its proper place in the lab.

Beast noted her respiration and heartbeat on his chart, then glanced at the temperature reading from the sensor on her skin. Her body temperature had peaked at one hundred and five, but was falling rapidly. In under a minute, it had returned to normal. He disconnected all the sensors, then said,

"Star, would you step onto the scale again, please?" She did as he asked. He checked the weight registered against that he had recorded at the beginning of the session. She had lost several pounds.

"Do you always lose weight like this?" Beast asked her.

"Yes. The Doctor said I was going to have to learn to use an external power source. He set up several different types of power supply, but they always exploded when I tried to use them." She looked down at her hands. "The only thing I've been able to tap so far is people." She looked up and shook her head. "But I don't want to do that. Storm said you wouldn't make me do anything I didn't want to." Her voice held a hint of desperation.

"That is correct. You do not have to." Storm told her soothingly. She gave Beast a warning look.

"The thought to volunteer did cross my mind, Storm. But that's all." He cupped Star's chin gently in his large hand. "Were you reading my mind?"

"I can't help it! You're so loud!" Beast looked startled.

"I've been described in a lot of different ways, but this is the first time the word loud was used." Storm laughed.

"You're not mad." Star said in amazement.

"Heavens, no." Beast answered.

"The Doctor was. He was a loud, too."

"Aloud?"

"No, a Loud. Like you. Storm's a Quiet. So is Gambit, but Rogue's kind of a Medium." She smiled. "Jubilee's a Medium, like Rogue. I like to listen to her, but sometimes she confuses me."

"Sometimes, Jubilee confuses herself. It is part of being a teenager." Storm explained.

"As for myself, I shall endeavor to be more quiet in your presence."

An image of Beast tip-toeing around a room flashed through her mind. Star laughed. Storm looked puzzled and, without thinking, Star projected the image into her mind. Storm laughed with her. Beast just looked at them both.

"Let's get those sensors off, then I think you should have something to eat." Storm said at last. "I believe that Jubilee has planned an outing for you, if she was able to talk someone into going with you."

"The Mall?" Beast asked.

"I believe so."

"Remind me to make myself scarce until they have gone." Storm smiled at him.

"That's got it, Star. There are sandwich meats in the bottom drawer in the refrigerator. Help yourself." Star left Beast and Storm in the lab, and went toward the kitchen.


"Was that image of you tip-toeing around your's or Star's?" Storm asked Beast as soon as Star was out of the room.

"You saw that? No wonder you were laughing." Beast looked thoughtful. "So, she projects as well. Hmm. Let's check the graphs and see if that registered."


Star stood looking at the bewildering array of different foods in the refrigerator, aware of a gnawing emptiness in her stomach. Finally, she chose something at random, closed the refrigerator door and sat down at the table to examine her choice. She puzzled out the packaging and looked doubtfully at the brown substance she found within. Whatever it was had been cut into thick slices. Gingerly, she picked one up and was about to sample it when Jubilee burst into the kitchen.

"You hungry already? Well come on, we can make some sandwiches and you can eat it on the way. Rogue said she'd take us in to town, and I don't want to give her a chance to change her mind." As she talked, she got the bread out and was quickly slapping together several sandwiches. "Do you want mustard or mayonnaise? Shoot, you don't know, do you. Here try 'em." Star sampled contents of the two jars Jubilee held out to her.

"Both are good."

"OK. One of each. Here, hand me that roast beef." Jubilee finished the sandwiches, putting several into plastic bags and handing one to Star.

"Start on that one while I put this stuff up." A moment later. "OK, ready to go? Whoops, you need your shoes. Some of the places at the Mall are fussy about stuff like that. Go get 'em, then meet me in the front room. See ya!" Jubilee was gone as quickly as she had come. Star stared after her, then took a bite of the sandwich and hurried up the stairs to her room. She was still wearing the blouse and leggings she had put on the day before. She slipped into the skirt and grabbed the boots Jubilee had given her and hurried back down stairs.

"Jubilee, the world is not gonna end if you don't get to the mall the minute it opens." Star heard Rogue saying as she moved down the hall toward the front room. "Now you just chill out, sugah, or we ain't goin'."

"Aw, Rogue. How often do I get to go shopping. Especially for somebody else. I mean, she needs everything!"

"And we won't get it all today, either. Storm said we were to take it easy. Which means, if you'll just think about it, that you get to go back. OK?"

"OK." Jubilee answered, almost reluctantly. "Star!" Jubilee said, seeing Star in the doorway. "Ya ready? Lets go! You can put your shoes on in the car." Rogue shook her head, smiling as she said to Star,

"Well, c'mon, sugah. We'd better catch up to her."

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