I hadn't talked to Evelyn for five days.

Now, that may not sound like a big deal to normal people, but it was to me. Five days of avoiding Evelyn had felt like five eternities of lies, guilt, and utter torture.

And yes I had brought it on myself, I know. But I didn't know what else to do. Now that I'd discovered my feelings for her, I wasn't sure I'd be able to hide them, and if I couldn't, then I'd ruin the greatest and only friendship I had. So I stayed in my room mostly, lying to her whenever she came to my door, telling her I was feeling unwell. And I hated every second of it, but I hoped that with time my feelings would fade. And if they didn't... I don't know what I'd do.

But I did know one thing; I was starving. And rightly so. It was ten past twelve in the afternoon and I hadn't eaten one bite all day.

I slipped on a black hoodie, covering as much as my face with the hood as possible and bamfed into the kitchen, praying that Evelyn wasn't currently eating lunch. Thankfully she was nowhere to be seen, but to my dismay Peter was sitting at the counter making what seemed like flirty small talk to a girl with cat-like eyes.

I quickly went to the fridge and began stuffing my pockets with whatever I could find, hoping that Peter was too engrossed in his own flirtatious wonderland to notice me. Unfortunately I spiked his interest almost instantly and I could feel his eyes burning into my back as I heard the girl he was talking to giggle at whatever he had just said.

I grabbed a plastic container labelled 'Storm' filled with falafel balls and shoved it into my pocket as well, assuming she wouldn't really mind and was about to bamf back to my room when I heard my name being called.

I turned quickly, coming face to face with Peter.

I grunted in surprise. He was too quite and fast for his own good.

"You know you look suspicious as hell right?" He said, looking me up and down.

When I didn't reply he moved in closer, minimising the space between us to mere millimetres. "I haven't seen you around for a couple of days... And by the smell of you, a couple of days is just about the amount of time it's been since you had your last shower." He finished with his eyebrows raised in interest... Or maybe disgust "Trying to avoid someone Kurt?"

I took a step back, feeling the fridge handles brush my back. Why couldn't this guy give me a break?

"Nien I'm just sick." I replied avoiding eye contact. I suppose I could just teleport back to my room but that might make him too interested.

He smirked as he gestured to my full pockets, "If that's how you eat when your sick, I'd hate to see you when your healthy."

I remained silent knowing anything I said would just make him more curious.

"It's your girlfri- Sorry, 'crush' isn't it?" He said as a little grin formed on his face. "What I said last time was right then. Who is she? Who is sheee? Did you confess your undying love? Did she reject you? Come on Kurt you can't just leave me hanging."

I suppressed an annoyed growl that had been creeping up my throat. This was all his fault, he was the one to make me question my feelings and now he thought he had the right to make the situation even worse.

I was about to express my anger in a more physical way when I heard the voice that I equally was needing and dreading to hear.

"Kurt?"

I turned to see Evelyn standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a look of confusion on her face. There was no longer a scarf around her eyes, instead there were a pair of sunglasses and through the dark tinted lenses I could see....

Her opened eyes.

Staring straight back at me.

In the blink of an eye I was back in my room.

Everything felt weak.

I sat down on my bed, millions of questions bashing against my skull. What would she think of me disappearing like that? Will she hate me? Oh God I hope not.

Her eyes were open.. Could she see? Had she seen me? If she had then it would be a disaster. If she knew what I really looked like she may hate me or fear me like most others do. I couldn't handle it if that happened.

I remember Hank telling me about the experiment he was working on to help Evelyn. I hand't understood much, it was all just a jumble of chemistry and biology terms.

But I do remember one thing. He said if he could develop the lenses he wanted to, and Evelyn could manage to put them onto her eyes, then theoretically she would be able to ...

Mein Gott.

I blinked over and over, a few empathetic tears running down my cheeks, as the contact lenses situated themselves over my iris'.

"You did it Evelyn!" Hank exclaimed excitedly. "Okay! Um, hold on, keep your eyes shut for a second while I dim some of the lights. We don't want your eyes..."

I heard him mumbling something about sensitivity and light exposure but I was too overcome by nervousness and excitement to process what he was telling me. I had finally been able to put the contact lenses in! I was a bit disappointed Kurt wasn't here to experience what would happen next with me but he had been really sick for the last five days, or so he said. Either way if this worked out I'd go show him immediately, I'd bet he'd be as excited as I am no matter how gross he was feeling.

I felt Hank's warm hand slip into mine, allowing me to feel just how excited he was for what would happen next and providing me with a bit of comfort.

"I want you to know, that if these lenses don't work it doesn't mean anything. Ok? These are just a temporary fix, to help you out a bit. I know you are desperate to be able to see again, but you can't go losing hope just because I'm a bad scientist," He laughed.

"Alright," I smiled back. I knew he was right, but I couldn't help feel discouraged at the thought that the lenses may not work. I guess I was about to find out.

"Okay then, open them up when you're ready."

I squeezed his hand a bit tighter as I worked up my courage. And then I did it.

Everything was fuzzy at first. It was all patches of blue and black, but it was something. I blinked a few times as my double vision merged into one, and the outlines of everything in the room became sharp.

It was a weird kind of vision. Quite similar to how an x-ray looks. Everything was outlined in a sharp blue colour and the rest was black. I took a step forward and my vision grew in sharpness and intensity cause me to gasp.

"Careful." I heard Hank say gently, making my vision pulse with intensity again.

I turned to face him, causing me to let out another gasp. I could see his face. Well the basic outline and structure of it at least. I reached my hand up and gently brushed my fingers along his cheek, and then his hair. Everything was exactly where my eyes were telling me they were. I could even touch exactly where the tip of his nose was...

"Boop," I smiled as I tapped his nose. At the sound of my voice my vision sharpened dramatically again.

"How are they?" Hank asked, his excitement evident in his voice.

I looked around the room again. "Amazing. But not what I had expected... Everything's very blue and black. And it sharpness pulses at the sound of our voices."

I heard him laugh softly with relief, "That's why they are only a temporary fix. Instead of giving you sight, I utilised your mutant ability of echolocation and enhanced it as much as I could. The lenses use any sound that they can pick up to form the basic shapes of what surrounds you. So instead of having to click your tongue just to sense an object, with the help of the lenses you will always be able to see what's around you, unless there's no sound around you, but that's impossible unless you're in a vacuum. That's why your vision's intensity with change; the louder your environment the sharper your vision and the more detail you can see and visa versa."

"Whoa..." was all I could mutter. I wanted to hug him and tell him he's the cleverest person I had ever met and to thank him for putting all his time into making these, but all I could manage to say was 'whoa'.

He let go of my hand and walked over to his computer. "And if my calculations are correct, then you'll only have to change the lenses every three months. You can leave them on besides that, even at night. Sorry about the lack of colour though. If the blue becomes too overwhelming then I can probably develop an alternative colour."

"No that's okay." I replied running my hand along a microscope that sat on his desk. "Blue is my favourite colour."

***

I swear I had explored every part of the mansion at least four times by now. I had a bit of a headache due to my senses being overwhelmed but I honestly couldn't care less. Hank had given me a pair of goofy look sunglasses to protect my eyes from the sunlight and by everyones expressions I assumed looked like a complete idiot but my need to explore and to 'see' took top priority.

It was a bit disappointing that I hadn't actually gained my sense of sight for colour and details back, but this was more than I could have ever hoped for. Plus Hank said he was currently working on a serum that will allow me to switch from echolocation vision to normal human vision; colour and all!

I was near Kurt's room, and it was afternoon now so I decided it'd be alright to disturb him. I knocked on his door and waited.

No reply.

I knocked again, hoping I wasn't waking him.

"Kurt? You in there?" I tried.

When there was no reply I turned the handle and poked my head in. The first thing I noticed was how messy his room was, and not just because there were clothes lying everywhere. There was everything lying everywhere. Even his bed mattress was hanging half out of its frame. I couldn't help but smile at this new found characteristic of his personality though. Unfortunately, despite the amount of things in his room, he wasn't anywhere to be found.

Maybe he was feeling better. Now where would Kurt go if he was feeling better and it was early afternoon?

I smiled as I shut his door and headed straight to the kitchen.

As I neared it I could hear someones voice, it wasn't Kurt's though.

"-You can't just leave me hanging." I heard them say as I stepped into the kitchen.

There were three people that I could see. One girl sat at the counter and two guys standing over near the fridge. I stepped a bit closer knowing as soon as I saw his face hiding under his hood it was him (The tail emerging from the top of his track pants may have been a bit of a give away). I also could see that he looked very ... Annoyed?

"Kurt?" I asked quietly.

Our eyes met for a second then he was gone, leaving a faint smell of sulfur behind.

What the hell?

The idea that he may have been avoiding me for the last few days had occurred to me, but I had never thought it could be true. What had I done? The last time we had hung out was when he cooked us both pancakes and we had a picnic. I thought it had gone fine, I don't remember saying anything that could have made him mad or annoyed at me. So what was going on?

I can't believe he could just disappear on me like that. Does he hate me? Oh no he can't hate me, I can't be left all alone again.

My breathing began to speed up and become loud as I became a upset at my thoughts. My lenses began to pick up the volume of my rapid breathing and my vision grew very sharp, infuriating my headache.

"Ow," I whined as I grabbed my head, trying to calm myself. I hadn't had a panic attack since I last saw my mum, but this sure was beginning to feel like one.

Don't be stupid, I told myself. Calm down, I tried. But my breathing just sped up in protest, and everything around my became loud and suffocating. My vision was now bursting with sharp blue, stinging my eyes. I shut them tight, the darkness causing me to feel claustrophobic.

I heard a voice calling, but it was too blurred to make out. I felt faint because of my rapid breathing.

He can't hate me. He probably does't hate me, I didn't do anything hurtful. But what if I did? What if I'm all alone again - Darkness

***

My legs felt cold and my back was aching as I re-merged into consciousness. I was sitting on the kitchen floor my back up against a wall not far from where I had been standing before (Rhyming game strong). No one seemed to be left in the kitchen except me. My head was throbbing but I felt much calmer, although I could still sense a flicker of panic within my chest, but it was easy enough to ignore.

"I can see why he likes you."

I turned my head towards the voice to find that next to me, on the floor, sat the guy who was talking to Kurt from before (Rhyming game strong x2). His expression, as I could make it out, looked rather bored but I could hear a glint of curiosity in his voice.

What did he mean? He can see why who likes me?

"You're weird like he is," He said with a smirk, confusing me even more.

His hair was longer than Kurt's, sitting just above his shoulders and held in place by a pair of goggles strapped around his head. He wore a leather jacket covering a T-shirt with the words 'Pink Floyd', I think, printed on it and he was fiddling with what looked like an old Walkman. And he had the hide to call me weird.

"You can say that about me, but if you're attending this school then you can't exactly call yourself normal," I stated, attempting to stand up. My legs were still weak with panic and they gave way, causing me crumple back towards the ground. Before I knew it he was in front of me, arms around my waist, supporting me so I could gain my balance. Another teleporter?

"Touché." He replied, smiling down on me, his body way too close to mine. "I'm Peter by the way."

I shot him a sarcastic smile before moving away to get a glass of water. My head was still pounding. I felt a burst of air before seeing Peter already at the sink filling up a glass with water. In another second he was directly in front of me. Oh, so he wasn't a teleporter, he was just really fast.

"Thanks," I replied offhandedly, taking the glass and going to sit on a bench near the window. I felt another burst of air and was less-than-impressed to see Peter already sitting on the bench with a large boyish smile on his face.

"I've heard a lot about you," he stated confidently, patting the cushion next to him as an invitation.

No matter how much this guy was getting on my nerves, I got the idea he new something about Kurt's weird behaviour that I didn't, so I gave in, sitting beside him.

"What exactly have you 'heard' about me?" I asked Peter, trying to keep the desperate curiosity out of my voice.

"Absolutely nothing actually," he said looking a bit disappointed. "But I'm hoping you could tell me a thing or two." He finished, in a mischievous tone.

What an ass. I had just fainted in front of him and I was clearly troubled and here he was trying to flirt with me! I wasn't in the mood.

I stood up and began walking away when I heard him call, "Wait! Wait, I'm sorry, I was just being stupid. Come sit, tell me your name at least, please?"

I looked back, not being able to make out his expression, but he sounded genuine enough.

"My name is Evelyn. I saw that you were talking to Kurt before," I started, re-situating myself on the cushion.

"I was," Peter replied with what looked to be a deadpan expression, giving nothing away.

"Did he maybe, I don't know... Mention me?" I silently scolded myself at how obvious I was being.

He let out a short sigh, removing his goggles from his head and ruffing his hair a bit, then said "Okay Evelyn. I'm going to be straight forward with you, cause honestly I don't know what else to do."

I felt the once flicker of panic in my chest begin to explode like fireworks on New Years. "Okay..." I answered cautiously.

"From what I know, Kurt has an immense crush on you."

What? That made no sense. A crush... on me? Funny. Besides, if he had a crush on me, then why avoid me?

"You're lying," I stated, causing Peter to look confused. "I mean, first of all, there's no way he could 'like' me in that way. And even if he did, why wouldn't he just tell me? Why would he be avoiding me? It makes no logical sense."

Peter smirked at that, over dramatically stating that, "Love never does make sense."

I grunted in annoyance at his sarcasm which just made his smirk grow even larger.

"Okay, let me break this down for you," He said, beginning to look oddly serious. "Kurt is... 'different'. Well at least he likes to think he is. He had a tough time before he came here, I've heard rumours about a 'freak' show and abuse, and all that jazz. Either way, something happened to him that made him less trusting... Of everyone."

I recalled him saying that he was different from everyone else, and I never did hear of him hanging around with anyone other than me.

Peter continued, "He believes that everyone thinks he's a monster. And sure people looked at him a bit weird when he first came here, but it's different now. I try to be friendly towards him, but even at the best of times I can come off a bit," he stopped, searching for the right word. "Annoying." He said shrugging his shoulders.

"I think I understand what you're saying but... What does this have anything to do with him liking me?" I asked, honestly confused.

"I've never seen him so happy with anyone before," He said simply. "I've seen you guys hanging out together a whole lot since I got back from the missions. Not like I watch you in a creepy way, just when I'm speeding past on my way to something. But yeah, he really does like you, he feels comfortable with you. Well, that was until..." he faded off, rubbing the back his neck sheepishly.

"Until?" I urged him on.

"Well I may have said something to him about a crush he had. And he may have taken it very seriously."

"Peter!" I exclaimed, anger bubbling in my stomach. So this was his fault! I should've guessed.

"I'm sorry!" He exclaimed back, adding, "My mouth is too fast for my brain sometimes."

I let out a small huff. "So what you're saying is that he worked out he had feelings for me and now he's avoiding me because..."

"Because he's afraid you'll find out and hate him, like everyone else 'supposedly' does." Peter finished.

Wow. I never would've guessed that this whole mess was the reason behind Kurt's behaviour. I can't believe that he actually has a crush on me. Him with his cute accent and funny laugh and bubbly personality... likes me?

"So," Peter said interrupting my thoughts. "Do you like him in that way too?"

Do I? Everything had been so quick paced and overwhelming since I came to the mansion that I hadn't really had time to even sort out my life, let alone consider a relationship with someone. Now that I think about it though... He was always there for me, to make me laugh. Always joking around about my outfits, and listening when I needed him to. Did I like Kurt?

"I'm not sure, but I would like to find out," I stated, feeling relieved and also excited. "But how can I show him that I won't ever hate him? How can I show him that I might, maybe, like him back?"