Max's lunch

Max’s POV

When we got to the cafeteria I thought I would stop being impressed, but that turned out to be very very incorrect. The massiveness of the mansion continued to the cafeteria. Absolutely gigantic. It felt less like a cafeteria and more like a food court for a mall.

Ms. Munroe directed me to the line and I joined it promptly. I was actually starving. I piled my plate with a bunch of carbs and meat. Another thing I've noticed since I've turned 18 is my **** appetite. I assume this was also a mutation side effect. Once I finished getting food Ms. Munroe picked me up before I got too far from the line and directed me somewhere else.

“I want to introduce you to some fellow students.” She said.

“Fellow students?” I said.

“Yeah, come on.” And with that she led me to a nearby table.

Sitting there were three girls each with their own trays piled with food. One was a cute Asian girl with black shoulder-length hair. She had a yellow pin in her hair and was wearing a yellow tank top with a black jacket on top. She was on her phone and not paying attention to anything. The next was what looked like a Latina girl currently using her fingernail to pick her teeth. She had long brown hair to her waist and was wearing a black crop top with black jeans. The last of the girls came off as a punk rocker. She was not just white but pale. She had a shaved head and wore ripped blue jeans. She wore a black jacket but the shirt underneath was a complex series of straps connected to a collar. She was very loud and in your face in her appearance.

“Hisako, Laura, Ellie, this is our new student I was talking to you about, Max. I wanted him to get to know some members of the student body before his classes.” Ms. Munroe said. “I'll leave you to mingle amongst yourselves. Max, when you're done eating, wait for me outside the cafeteria. I'll be doing some other work nearby.”

I sat down across from Ellie and next to Laura. They looked me up and down and didn't seem impressed. Laura sniffed around and then made a face. Hisako didn't look up from her phone. I wondered when Ms. Munroe even had time to explain my deal to these girls. I wasn't on the line for very long.

“Hello,” I sputtered out. “I'm Max. But you already knew that.”

“Hey,” Hisako said, not looking up. The other two just stared at me.

“I'll leave you guys to it,” Ms. Munroe said before leaving.

“So, what's the school like?” I asked.

“It's a school,” Ellie said. “Not much to it. We go to classes, we do drills, we have field trips.”

“Drills?” I said, confused. Hisako elbowed Ellie softly.

“Sports drills. Um, we're all on teams.” Ellie said.

“Oh, um, who do you guys play against? Any rivalries?” I asked.

“No place you've ever heard of,” Ellie said.

Hisako looked up from her phone for a sec to stare me down. Her eyes were intense. I pulled out my HUD and started snapping photos. I uploaded the one I grabbed of Hisako to custom girls.

***'More Data Needed. Image Required: Bare Breasts Shot - Minimum 65% Skin Needed.’

Shit. That's a lot. I turned to Laura to see if hers was easier.

***'More Data Needed. Image Required: Complete Foot Shot - Minimum 100% Exposure Needed.’

Huh, that phrasing was slightly different. I hope whoever made this wasn't a foot fetishist. None of the customizations seemed to care about that but a foot wasn't a very sexy or hard to snap body part. Finally I snapped one of Ellie.

***'More Data Needed. Image Required: Upskirt Shot - No Skin Needed.’

Oh this one should be easy! I knocked my fork off the table.

“Oops,” I said. “Let me get that.”

I felt something strike my leg.

“Ow,” I exclaimed.

“Oops,” Hisako said, not sounding very sorry. “I didn't see you there. Here, as an apology I'll get that.” Without a second thought she bent down, reached over, and grabbed the fork. “Here.” She placed the fork on the table. “I'll get you a new one.” She got up and left.

What was that about? Well I no longer had a reason to try and look underneath the table for Ellie’s skirt.

“So, you guys are mutants too?” I asked.

“No, we just go to the mutant school for the cafeteria food,” Ellie said. She loaded some pasta on her fork and took a bite.

“Oh, um, so what are your, you know, abilities.” I said.

“Private,” Laura piped up.

“Yeah, you don't typically ask that,” Ellie added. “I'm not sensitive about it but other people can be. I can see the future. Sometimes. I can't super control it.”

“Oh, I see,” I said. I resisted the urge to ask her when I would die or some party trick like that.

“And you?” She asked.

“Oh. Um.” Shit. Of course turnabout would be fairplay. What do I say that doesn't make it obvious I've been snapping photos of them the entire time? “My brain can connect to the internet. That's basically it. Not super interesting.”

“Ooo, a technopath.” Ellie said. “I'm sure you'll get more interesting abilities with more practice.”

We continued talking about other stuff. I didn't have much in common with the girls. Hisako came back without comment and went back to her phone. Eventually I finished my food and cleaned up.

“Nice meeting you guys,” I said before leaving. I got up and walked to the exit.

“So,” Ms. Munroe said when I met her outside. “How was lunch?”

“It was good, thanks for introducing me to some students,” I said. Ms. Munroe smiled.

“Always happy to get students talking.” She said. “I'll take you to your room now.”

Mystique was livid. It took a pretty penny to pay a hacker to get her to have a single room when she came to this school and now, despite her efforts, she is going to have a roommate. She neglected to hide her disappointment when Storm told her. Mystique's ability to transform was like flexing a muscle, and she was looking forward to unflexing that muscle whenever she was in her room. Now that would no longer be a possibility. She would be always on practically all the time. She took her last few minutes of freedom as she watched the door. When she heard footsteps she flexed those muscles and shifted back into her disguised form.

“Here's your room,” She heard Storm saw, muffled through the door. “213.” Then there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Mystique said in her new voice.

There was a jingling of keys and then the door opened. Two people walked in. Storm and some boy. He looked homely. Very unimpressive. He wore a baggy hoodie and tight jeans. He looked her up and down as she did him.

Mystique's current form was designed to not draw attention. It had shaggy brown hair that was curly and didn't go past her ears. Her skin was pale but not too pale. She was pretty short, at five foot five, and slouched so she looked even shorter. She wore sweatpants and beat up sneakers. To cap it all off she had an oversized tee on.

“Hey, what's up?” She said, looking up from a phone she had quickly pulled out.

“Hello Dominic,” Storm said. “This is the roommate I told you about. His name is Max Lane. Max, this is Dominic Poe.”

Max reached out his hand for Mystique to shake. She took it smoothly and gave it a limp shake.

“Nice to meet you,” Max said.

“Same to you,” Mystique weakly faked a smile. Strong enough to dissuade further prying but not enough to feign interest. “So,” She raised her hands before dropping him down at her sides. “We're roommates.”

“Yeah,” Max said. His eyes were shifty. He was distracted. Like he was looking at something right in front of Mystique but not directly at her. He was using a power. It was obvious to someone as used to it and as analytical as herself. What could it be? Probably not telepathy, he was keeping pace with the conversation without much issue. Telekinesis? Nothing was moving. What could it be?

“Well, top bunk or bottom bunk?” Mystique said to break the tension.

“Oh, um, is top okay?” Max said.

“Sure,” Mystique responded.

“Well, I'm gonna get lunch,” Mystique added. “Make yourself comfortable.” And with that she left.