It was not a good Monday for six year old Siku, and it was still morning.

It started with her dad being out of town. This wasn't the first time this had happened, Hank was often invited to attend lectures in other places, but that didn't mean she liked it. As much as she loved all her aunts and uncles, they just weren't the same as dad.

Second, she'd overslept, having forgotten to set her alarm. That meant Uncle Logan had to drive her to school. Uncle Logan driving her to school wasn't a bad thing, in many ways, it was more fun than the bus, but she was late for school. She hated having to go to the office and explain, then having to go into her class, late. She was noticeable enough without any help, she didn't need to walk in late, while everyone was sitting quietly in their seats, so they could all look up and stare at her.

Third, when she did walk in, the teacher was introducing a new girl to the classroom. The girl was standing in front of the room, smiling. She turned and looked at Siku when she came in, holding her note from the office.

Siku skittered over to the teacher, not knowing quite what to do and handed her the note. The teacher glanced at it briefly and nodded. Siku quickly slipped to her seat.

Several of the kids stared at Siku, some of the giggling. Siku tried to pretend she didn't notice and turned her attention to the teacher and the new girl.

The new girl was pretty. Almost too pretty for a six year old. Tall and thin, with long red-orange hair that fell to her waist. But, unlike most red-haired children, her face wasn't a mass of freckles, instead she had a complexion that mingled between golden and pink. Like peaches and roses, Siku thought to herself. Completely unfair.

The girl stood at the head of the class while the teacher continued to introduce her, looking almost like a butterfly in a room full of moths. Not that all the children in Ms. Cook's first grade class were unattractive, but like most children, they had their awkward traits. Not this new girl though. She was the essence of six-year-old grace.

"As I was saying, before we were interrupted," Ms. Cook said, looking at Siku. Siku had a sudden urge to slide under her desk. "We have a new student joining our class today. Her name is..." the teacher paused to check the paperwork on the new student. She looked over at her. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know how to pronounce your name..."

"See-air-ah," the new girl said, smiling at the teacher as if she was used to these cases of role reversal. "Cierra Miles."

It figures, Siku thought. She has to have an exotic name. No Jessica or Nichole for this girl. She knew these bitter thoughts weren't really fair, after all, Sikudhani wasn't exactly a common name either, but it was a bad day and Siku felt like picking at everything.

"I see," Ms. Cook said, obviously not as comfortable in the role of student as Cierra was in the role of teacher. She turned her attention back to the students.

"Cierra recently moved here from-" she checked the slip again. "Michigan. I'm sure you'll all do your best to make her feel welcome here, and to help her catch up on any work she might be behind with."

"Yes Ms. Cook," the class droned in unison.

Ms. Cook beamed at the students and smiled at Cierra. "Why don't you take a seat, and we'll start class. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

"Ms. Cook, there's an empty seat right behind me," Bethany announced.

"Well, thank you, Bethany," the teacher said. She looked at Cierra.

And so it begins, Siku thought. Bethany has just given the nod to the new girl. Cierra is now a member of the crowd. It was a group Siku wasn't, nor ever felt she would be, a part of. Children could be accepting, but apparently that acceptance didn't quite extend far enough to include girls with blue hair on their head and body, who also happened to be one of the smartest kids in the class.

Doesn't matter, she thought to herself. I've got the neatest family in the world. An a baby cousin. When she gets older, I'll be able to play with her, so who needs a bunch of stuck up girls to be friends with? Not me.

Fortunately, before she could completely drown in self-pity, Ms. Cook announced that the class would begin. "Take out your work books and please turn to page five..."

Siku sighed with relief. Nothing like a little math to take her mind off her troubles... and maybe the rest of the day would go a little better.

The morning passed, but the day didn't improve. During recess Siku watched as Bethany linked arms with Cierra, proving that Cierra was a part of "her" circle. All of Bethany's "crowd" followed near them, while Bethany held court and gave Cierra the low-down. Siku wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying, but she did see Cierra look in her direction at least once. Probably hearing all about the class oddball, she thought.

Before her thoughts could delve deeper into self-pity, Cameron Quinn tapped her on the shoulder and invited her to play a game of kick-ball. Siku might have been odd looking, but she could kick a ball and run faster than most of the kids. Cameron wasn't stupid, he wanted his team to win and with Siku on his side, it was a sure thing.

"Hey, Fuzzball, wanna play?"

"Sure thing, lint breath."

It was their standard way of talking to each other. If one forgot the insults for long, the other would have suspected they were sick. Especially if anyone else was around. Alone, they were friendlier. Siku didn't know why, she just knew it was the way things were.

She threw herself into the kick-ball game, glad for the diversion. Who needs girlfriends anyway? she thought. Cameron Quinn is in the third grade and he and his friends let me play with them.

She knew the difference though, Cameron's friends only liked her for her ability. With the exception of Cam himself, none of them really knew her, or liked her for who she was.

Her team won 8-3, but it didn't make her feel better.

When they returned to class, she felt someone's eyes watching her from the back of the room. It took everything Siku had not to turn her head and see if it was the new girl. It wasn't that she couldn't have done it without Ms. Cook seeing her, all she had to do is wait until the teacher went to write something on the board. Siku just didn't want to give Cierra Miles the satisfaction of knowing her staring was bothering her.

The clock seemed to drag until lunch time. It's got to get better this afternoon, it's just got to.

Finally, lunch time came. Siku filled in to the cafeteria with the other kids, going through the line to buy her milk. She sat down at the end of one of the long tables, assigned to Ms. Cook's class. Until the tables started to fill, she felt very alone.

Who cares? she told herself. But she really did care, too much. She opened her lunch box and started pulling out the contents, pretending it was so interesting that she didn't notice she sat alone. Why can't the classrooms mix? I'm sure Cameron wouldn't mind if I sat with him.. Although that might not be exactly true, it was nice to think it was.

She looked at the containers and foil wrapped contents in front of her, her frown deepening. "No," she muttered. "No, way, I don't believe this."

"Believe what?" someone answered from across the table.

Siku looked up, only to see, her... Cierra Miles.. the new girl standing in front of the table holding her tray, indicating she'd bought lunch rather than brought it from home. Like I should have done, Siku thought. "Uh.. my lunch," Siku mumbled. She looked back down at the table again, waiting for Cierra to move away.

"What's wrong with your lunch?" the new girl asked, placing her tray down across from Siku. "And, d'ya mind if I sit here?"

Siku gulped, her eyes widening. Was she hearing things? "Uh.. sure," she managed to say. She cringed, waiting for the joke... the one where Cierra would laugh, say something mean like, 'yeah, in your dreams' and walk away.

She didn't. Instead Cierra slid into the seat, tossing her long red hair over her shoulder in a casual gesture that reminded Siku of kids in TV commercials. She looked down at her own lunch. "Well, whatever you got... it can't be worse than this," she motioned to her plate, where a lump of lukewarm school spaghetti lay, still in the shape of the ice cream scoop that had plopped it on the plate, and the wilting green beans swimming in a butter-like grease. "What do you have anyway?"

"Watercress sandwiches, cold pasta salad with shrimp, sliced kiwi and strawberries, and a bottle of sparkling water," Siku said.

Cierra's blue-green eyes widened. "That's your lunch?" she asked.

"Yeah," Siku admitted, her lips twisting into a wry grin. "Uncle Warren packed it, I can tell."

Before Cierra could ask who 'Uncle Warren' was, Bethany walked over. "Ci, whatcha doing sitting here?" she asked. "I saved you a seat."

"That's okay," Cierra answered, "I wanna sit here."

Bethany's eyes widened and for a moment, her mouth hung open as if she'd never in a million years dreamed this could ever happen to her. "Are you kidding?" she finally managed to ask.

"No," Cierra answered calmly. "I like this seat." She looked over at Siku and grinned, before turning her attention back to Bethany. "If you want, you can come down here."

"Why would I want to do that?" Bethany asked, looking as if someone had asked her to chew a bug.

"I don't know," Cierra admitted. "Just thought I'd be, polite." She quickly looked over at Siku and rolled her eyes.

Siku wished she had a camera so she could take a picture of Bethany. She'd never seen the girl looking so... perplexed, like her whole world had been turned upside down. It took all Siku had not to giggle.

"Are you sure you wanna sit here?" Bethany finally asked.

"Yup," Cierra responded.

"Well... if you want to..." Bethany began walking away, backwards at first, as if waiting for Cierra to come to her senses, and join her, begging Bethany for forgiveness for ever dreaming of sitting with Sikudhani McCoy.

When she'd finally walked out of earshot, Siku giggled, unable to keep it in any longer. "You just shook her world!"

"She needed it," Cierra said, rolling her eyes. "She's so stuck up she's gotta be careful low flyin' planes don't hit her nose."

Siku's giggle turned into a burst of laughter. She wasn't used to other kids coming out with sarcastic remarks, especially about Bethany. "Ohh, that was mean!"

"Yeah," Cierra's eyes narrowed briefly, looking as if she enjoyed being mean, at least when it came to Bethany and girls like her. Then she smiled brightly. "Is it true what they say 'bout you?"

Now Siku's eyes narrowed. "What do they say?" Here it comes.. something mean about me... like; your mother was a bigfoot.

"That you're the smartest kid in the class," Cierra said. "That you probably could skip a grade, but you haven't."

"Uh, yeah," Siku admitted. "M-my dad is real smart... he taught me to read when I was four. I could have gone right into second grade, but he thought it was best if I waited awhile before skipping."

"That's great." Cierra nodded. "I'm dumb."

"No you're not," Siku disagreed, a faint grin coming to her face. "Nobody dumb could humiliate Bethany like you just did."

Cierra returned the grin. "Yeah, that was pretty good." Her expression changed to one more serious. "But really, I'm kinda dumb. It's not that I don't have the brains, but.. sometimes I just don't like to think about school stuff. It bores me." She made these confessions cheerfully, as if they were nothing to be ashamed of.

"Uh.. well, it isn't that bad," Siku said, cautiously. "I-I could help you with your school work, if you want."

"Really?" Cierra's eyes lit up. "That would be great! I've been so worried, coming to a new school and all, that I'd be hopelessly behind."

So, this is what it is, Siku thought. She doesn't really want to be my friend, she wants me to help her with her school work. I should've known.

"Maybe you can come to my place after school sometimes," Cierra went on to say. "You know, hang out, and help me study."

"A-all right."

"Good!" Cierra breathed a sigh of relief. "This takes a load off my mind you know. I was so scared this morning... new school and all. I almost threw up when my mother drove me here. But now it's all okay. I'm going to catch up with the class, and I have a friend!"

"Really? Who?" Siku asked.

"You, silly!" Cierra laughed.

"Me?" Siku's sandwich stopped it's journey to her mouth at the half way point and hung from her hands.

"Of course," Cierra said, with an air of one who knows just about everything. "If you're going to help me with my studying, don't you think we should be friends? I mean, maybe we don't have to be, but it would be so much nicer!"

"I-I guess," Siku admitted, not knowing quite what to say.

"Good, then it's settled. We're friends." With a dismissive wave of her hands, Cierra picked up her fork and began eating her lunch.

Siku tried not to stare at this unusual, almost exotic looking girl who offered her friendship so easily. Siku came from a household where friendship was a valuable thing. The X-Men might be family with each other and the extended members of the team, but with outsiders, they were more than a bit cautious. Polite and friendly, perhaps, but Siku knew there was a big difference between being friends and being friendly. Still, a promise of friendship, even if handed out so easily, was better than she had. Might as well check it out further. Who knows? Maybe they could be friends.

When they finished eating, or perhaps to be more accurate, picking at, their lunch, Cierra suggested they go out to the playground. Siku agreed.

Once outside, Cierra linked arms with her, a public way of announcing friendship. "So, do you like school?" she asked.

"It's okay," Siku admitted.

Cierra nodded. "I'm not crazy about it. I might like it more if I was as smart as you. Is it true what they say about your father?"

Siku shook her head, a bit startled at this girl's way of changing subjects so fast. "What do they say about him?" she asked, immediately on guard.

"That he looks like you," Cierra said. "That he's blue and furry too."

"Well, he is blue and furry," Siku admitted. "But, he's kinda... well..." she paused, searching for the right words to describe Hank McCoy, "...he's bigger."

"Of course he's bigger!" Cierra giggled. "He's an adult!"

"Yeah, but he's... bigger in other ways," Siku said, searching her brain for the right words. "He's... Stocky"

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know, 'xactly," Siku confessed. "I just know that my dad is. He says that I've got long, lean muscles and he's got... wider.. more powerful ones. He's built for strength an' I'm built for speed." The last bit came out sounding more proud than she intended.

"Uh huh," Cierra murmured, then lapsed into silence.

They walked around the school yard together, neither saying anything for a few moments. Siku started to feel uncomfortable. Is she like Bethany? she thought. Does she think my father an' I are freaks now or something?

Finally, Cierra broke the silence. "Can I ask you something?"

"Okay," Siku said, cautiously, afraid of the question.

"D-does your dad hug you a lot?"

Siku looked shocked. "Of course he does!" She didn't understand why Cierra was asking her this, it seemed like such an odd question. "Doesn't your dad hug you?"

"I don't have one," Cierra said.

"Oh." Siku sucked her lower lip into her mouth and bit down on it. She had no idea what she should say to this. "Uh... well... I don't have a mom," she finally confessed, thinking that maybe Cierra was jealous that she, Siku had a dad, while Cierra didn't. She decided not to tell her that even if she didn't have a mom, she had lots of aunts who felt it their job to give her motherly affection.

Cierra's only response to Siku's confession was, "Oh."

More silence. But Siku didn't sense Cierra was unhappy about anything, instead she had the feeling Cierra wanted to say something, but didn't know how to say it. Cierra broke the last silence. I guess it's my turn "S-something on your mind?" she asked, trying to sound warm and concerned, like her father did when he asked her the same question.

"Yes," Cierra said quickly. "I-I want to ask you a question, but I'm afraid you'll think I'm being rude... but I just gotta ask-"

If Cierra Miles had any mean thoughts about Sikudhani McCoy and her father, this would be the time they'd come out. Siku braced herself for the worst.

"-is.. is..." Cierra began, then stopped.

"Oh, just ask it!" Siku said, sounding more cross than she intended.

"Is hugging your dad like hugging a big teddy bear?" Cierra finally blurted out.

Siku forgot she was walking and tripped in the grass. She would have fallen, but Cierra steadied her. "I'm sorry, I said something mean, didn't I?" Her eyes widened anxiously.

"No!" Siku shook her head. "No, that wasn't mean. I guess I just wasn't expecting you to ask that. Nobody ever has before."

"Why not?" Cierra looked puzzled. "When Bethany told me your father is blue and furry like you, that's the first thing I thought. He must be like a big teddy bear. I wanted to come over and ask you, but I thought you might think I was making fun of you." Her eyes were large saucers of concern. "And well, now that we're friends, I thought it was all right to ask you. I-Is he?"

"Yeah, kinda," Siku said, a slow grin spreading across her face. "But better. Teddy bears aren't warm. Teddy bears don't hug back. Daddy does."

"I didn't think of that!"

Cierra looked at her with an expression Siku had never seen on a girl her own age before. She'd seen it with Cameron and some of his friends before, after she climbed a tree quickly, or kicked the ball clear over the fence. It took a moment for Siku to figure it out what it was--envy. Not an all consuming jealousy that could revert to hatred in an instant, but envy. Cierra Miles, the new girl, who Bethany wanted to make a part of her crowd was envious of her.

The fear Siku had, the feelings that she didn't measure up to Cierra Miles or any of the kids in class seemed to vanish, at least for now. Daddy, Aunty Jean, and all the rest of her extended family might tell her she was just as good as anyone, but hearing it from people who loved you no matter what you did, and seeing open envy in the eyes of a girl who could be the most popular girl in school if she tried, was another. If she was something special to Cierra, just because she had a great daddy, then what did Siku have herself that was special?

"Oh, I'm so glad you moved here, Cierra!" she exclaimed, not caring if it sounded silly or not.

Cierra grinned. "You know what? So am I!"

The bell rang, announcing lunch was over, and the two girls ran back to their class together.

When Siku came home from school that afternoon, Hank greeted her at the door, having returned from his lecture earlier. Siku flung herself into his arms. "Daddy, you're home!"

"Why, yes, I believe I am," Hank agreed, folding his arms around her tightly. "I can gather, from this display of affection, you're glad to see me."

"Of course," Siku agreed, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Hank said, as they drew apart. "So, how was your day?"

Siku looked up at him, eyes shinning. "Oh, Daddy, it was... the best day of my life!"

The End.