Midtown High – Morning, 9:43 AM
There are three types of people at Midtown High:
The ones who want to survive high school quietly.
The ones who try way too hard to be cool.
And then there's me: chaos gremlin with delusions of Jedi grandeur.
"Rowan," said Mr. Harrington, the moment I walked into third period, "you're… alive."
I gave him two finger guns and grinned. "You sound disappointed."
Peter groaned. "Please don't make us switch schools again."
"I didn't make us switch," I said. "SHIELD kind of did that on its own."
Ned whispered, "Wasn't there a full-on evacuation last time?"
"I call it character development."
I flopped into my seat. The desk wobbled like it had trauma. Jean Grey sat two rows ahead — pale, stiff, eyes slightly glazed over like she was fighting a migraine from hell. Which, as it turns out, she was.
Because the moment I entered the room?
She flinched.
Hard.
Her pencil snapped in half. Her spine locked upright. And she felt it — the Force inside me, coiling like a sleeping dragon waking up just to hiss at her.
And beneath her skin?
Something ancient stirred.
A whisper of flame.
POV Shift – Jean Grey
Her eyes flicked back toward the new guy — Rowan — the one who strolled in like he owned the room, like the laws of physics didn't apply to him.
She didn't like him.
His presence was loud. Psychically disruptive. Every time he spoke, she could feel the air vibrating, like he was breaking reality in slow motion.
Worse?
The Phoenix stirred whenever he got too close. Not in warning. In agitation.
"That one is false," it whispered in her dreams. "A vessel for a power older than time. Not life. Not death. Something... beyond."
She rubbed her temples.
Rowan called across the room, "Hey, Sansa Stark! You drop your brain again or just vibing with the voices?"
The whole class laughed.
Jean did not.
Strike one.
POV – Rowan (Still a Menace)
I'm not saying I enjoyed messing with her.
Okay, that's a lie. I absolutely did.
Something about her vibes just made my inner Force-goblin do backflips.
Also, she looked like she wanted to vaporize me with her eyes. Which, like… fair.
But also hot.
[Warning: Unknown Psi-Resonance Detected Nearby]
Source: Subject Grey
Threat Level: [Redacted by System]
Suggestion: Stop flirting with telepathic nuclear warheads.
Outside – SHIELD Mobile Surveillance Van, Parked Near Midtown
"Target has re-entered academic environment," said Agent Klein, sipping cold coffee and watching the monitors.
Yu frowned. "And he's in the same class as her."
"You think Xavier's school knows?"
"Bet your ass they do. They're probably tracking him too."
"And if Subject Zero's still after him?"
Yu clicked the comm. "Then we've got ourselves a three-way Cold War under one roof. Great."
Elsewhere on Campus – Rooftop Vent Access
Subject Zero crouched low on the rooftop of the main science wing, dressed in black denim and a hoodie, her eyes scanning the courtyard like a predator stalking prey.
She felt him. He was close.
But the buzzing in her head — the Phoenix — it wasn't him. It was her.
Another flame. A psychic signal so bright it left trails in Subject Zero's vision.
She smiled.
She liked competition.
That's when someone dropped beside her, quiet as a whisper.
Black leather. White hair. Mismatched lenses. Smirk sharp enough to cut glass.
Felicia Hardy.
"Y'know," said Felicia, brushing imaginary dust off her shoulder, "most people breaking into high schools are sadder than you look. What's your deal, stalker?"
Subject Zero blinked. "You're not scared."
"Should I be?"
Zero tilted her head. "Most people would run."
Felicia's grin widened. "Most people don't have claws."
They stared at each other for a moment.
And then, strangely… they both laughed.
POV – Felicia Hardy
This chick was nuts.
But my kind of nuts.
I'd seen obsession before — dealers, freaks, low-level mutants hunting lost power, even a couple of HYDRA relics sniffing around Oscorp tech.
But this one?
She wasn't after power.
She was after a boy.
I could respect that.
Not because I'm sentimental.
But because it's always the weird ones that light the world on fire.
"Tell you what," I said. "You need eyes inside the school? I'm bored. And bored people make terrible decisions."
Subject Zero extended a hand.
Felicia took it.
Back Inside – Rowan's POV
My head pounded like a Wookiee playing drums on my frontal lobe.
Jean was still ignoring me, which meant I was winning.
The Force buzzed like a mosquito in my ear, and my Gamer's Mind was working overtime trying to process what felt like two different psychic bombs going off nearby.
"Peter," I whispered. "There's a disturbance in the Force."
He looked up from his notes. "What kind?"
"The sexy, potentially homicidal kind."
"You're goanna die, aren't you?"
"Probably."
[System Notification – Warning: Two Female Chaos Entities Have Crossed Paths]
Predictive Threat Projection: [Redacted]
Advice: You should really consider dating someone normal.
…Just kidding. You don't have that option.
You know that feeling when the Force slaps you across the face and screams, "Run!"?
Yeah. That was me the second she walked onto campus.
She had the walk of someone who thought they were the main character. Long legs. Black boots. Gray skirt, tie loosened just enough to scream "rules are for other people." Her hair was darker than I remembered — dyed now — and she wore mirrored shades like she was trying to blend in with a rock band.
But I knew that walk.
The Force screamed it at me like a broken fire alarm.
Anastasia.
Except she wasn't going by Subject Zero anymore.
She was walking up to Peter and Ned.
Smiling.
I didn't even have time to throw myself into a bush and scream internally before I heard her say the most cursed sentence in human history:
"Hi. I'm Rowan's sister."
[System Alert: LIE DETECTED]
Anastasia – Alias Activated
Current Cover Identity: Rowan's Long-Lost Sibling
Emotional Reaction: ✅ Horror
Logical Threat Assessment: ✅ Nuclear
Suggested Action: Run. Just run.
"Hey, guys," she said, like she hadn't spent the last week trying to forcibly fuse our souls in a Force-bond. "Mind if I sit?"
Ned blinked. "Wait… Rowan has a sister?"
"Oh, he doesn't talk about me much. It's complicated. We were… separated."
You don't say.
Peter looked at her, squinting. "You're new, right? Transfer?"
She smiled sweetly. "Let's just say… I'm keeping an eye on someone."
I swear my sandwich tried to crawl out of my lunchbox to escape the awkward tension.
POV – Anastasia
He was watching her.
From across the quad.
Frozen.
Tense.
The Force between them pulled tight like a tether humming with power.
She grinned.
He was so easy to rile up. So easy to unravel.
And now?
She had infiltrated his safe space. His normal life.
All it took was a fake name and a forged enrolment file.
Of course Felicia had helped. Back to Rowan – Damage Control Time
I stomped across the grass, dropped my tray on the table like a dramatic plot device, and said, "Ned. Peter. New rule. No talking to random goth girls claiming to be my relatives."
Peter blinked. "She said she's your sister."
"She's not."
"Is she your cousin?"
"Nope."
"Adopted sibling? Half-sibling? Step-sibling?"
"would you believe me if I said she is Technically my evil female clone."
Anastasia tilted her head and smiled at me like a cat that knew exactly how much it annoyed the dog. "That's not very polite, big brother."
I looked directly at the sky.
"Hey, writers, Lord Tom? Can I get a reboot? Or at least a DLC that doesn't come with trauma and stalker siblings? If you do I'll give you a cookie."
[New Quest: "Family Drama – High School Edition"]
Objective: Prevent Clone Faux-Girlfriend From Breaking Reality
Bonus Objective: Don't Let Peter Or Ned Find Out You're A Force-Wielding Reality Bomb
Status: Ongoing
Failure Consequence: Probably the apocalypse.
Ned looked between us. "So… are you guys like… royalty or something?"
Peter nodded slowly. "They do kind of give off weird space prince vibes."
"Technically," I muttered, "I'm a genetically engineered demi-god infused with ancient galactic energy."
Anastasia beamed. "And I'm his other half."
"Not helping!"
POV Shift – SHIELD Van Nearby
Agent Yu frowned. "We've got her. Subject Zero. She's on campus."
"Pull her out?" Klein asked.
Yu shook his head. "No She could cause complications and The boy doesn't seem afraid.."
Klein tapped a few keys. "Weirdest high school surveillance we've ever done."
"Speak for yourself. I once tailed Loki posing as a lunch lady in Iowa."
POV – Jean Grey, Watching from Across the Courtyard
The new girl unsettled her.
Worse than Rowan did.
Which said something.
The Phoenix pulsed in her skull, red light trickling down the backs of her eyes.
She could hear thoughts that weren't hers.
She calls herself Anastasia.
She's not lying. But she's not human either.
And she wants Rowan like a black hole wants stars and will do anything to get him, including but not limited to, Genocide, Destruction of earth, or just blowing up the multiverse
Jean narrowed her eyes.
And for the first time in years, she felt true fear.
" Um I'll just leave you guys to it"
"You'll see it soon," Anastasia whispered. "What's coming. What you are."
I pushed her mind away with mine — hard. She gasped.
Her smile faltered.
Good.
"Stay out of my head, Anastasia."
"I'll try," she said.
But she wouldn't.
We both knew it.
It was a sunny afternoon. School lunch still clinging to the air like the ghost of questionable chicken. Beakers clinking. Bunsen burners hissing softly in the background.
And me?
Stuck in a lab group with the most emotionally radioactive person in the building.
Jean Grey.
Not that I requested it. In fact, I'm 90% sure the teacher is either a sadist or telepathic, because I literally drew the name "Jean Grey" from a basket full of other options like Ned, Peter, and literally anyone without a cosmic murder-bird inside them.
Which brings us to now.
Two minutes into this pairing, and Jean hasn't made eye contact once.
"I can pour the solvent," I offered helpfully, waving the flask like it was a potion from Skyrim.
"You'll probably explode it," Jean muttered.
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Just do the titration."
I stared at her.
"You're mad."
"No, Skywalker. I'm focused. Something you wouldn't understand."
"Oh, Sansa, don't be like that—"
Clink.
Her stirring rod snapped in half.
Oh.
That did it.
"You keep calling me that," she said, turning slowly. "who is 'Sansa' anyway do you even now who this person is?"
I leaned on the table. "Sure. Redhead. Fire. Sarcastic. Big destiny. Daddy issues. Princess vibes. Weird trauma arc. annnd a cheating Boyfriend. Sound familiar?"
Jean's jaw clenched.
The lights flickered.
Okay, now we were getting somewhere.
"Or maybe it's the whole 'barely concealed cosmic rage' thing," I added with a smile. "Seriously, I think your aura tried to Sigma punch me, aha well you are a Beta after all."
[System Warning: Proximity to Hostile Cosmic Entity]
Threat Level: Jean Grey – [Waking Phoenix]
Suggested Action: Retreat. Flee. Feign unconsciousness.
Or double down, you lunatic.
So naturally, I doubled down.
"Look," I said, "I get it. I annoy you. But maybe instead of plotting my murder with your mental barbeque bird, we could just be unwilling lab partners for, like, ten minutes without setting the school on fire?"
Jean's eyes flashed.
Literally.
A gold flicker ran across her irises.
And, predicably the Force flared in response.
"Shit"
Suddenly the air got heavy. Like the gravity turned up. Bottles rattled on nearby shelves. My heartbeat synced with something ancient. And her energy — the Phoenix — surged against the Force inside me like two storms trying to occupy the same sky.
"You're not normal," Jean said, voice low. "I don't know what you are, but the second you walked into this school, I haven't been able to think straight."
[Internal Sync Disrupted – Cosmic Hostile Resonance Detected]
Force Entity: "Rowan Skywalker"
Phoenix Host: "Jean Grey"
Result: Psychic Static. Soul Bleed. Emotional Turbulence.
Resolution: TBD
Suggestion: Maybe don't flirt with the embodiment of fiery death?
"I didn't choose to be this way," I said "But " I said dramatically " I do enjoy it "
Jean blinked, totally nonplussed.
For a moment, the tension dipped.
Then the classroom door opened.
And then everything got worse.
Enter: Anastasia.
New uniform. Black ribbon tied loosely at her collar. Perfect smile. The same girl who once tried to trap me in a Force-bond now walking into chemistry like she was about to drop a mixtape.
"Oh, sorry," she said sweetly. "Wrong room?"
"Oh no," Jean said aloud.
"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered.
Peter peeked through the door and whispered, "Is this a love triangle or a horror movie?"
"Both?" Ned replied.
[New Subplot Unlocked – Fire vs Force vs Feral]
Current Mood: Spiraling.
Current Ship: Sinking.
Suggested Response: Pretend this is a dream and hope for a reboot.
To Be Continued…
Next:
Felicia gets involved, and it gets worse (of course).
SHIELD picks up the Phoenix-Force spike and nearly storms the school.
Rowan has to choose: keep dodging the truth… or tell Jean why she can't read him.
Rowan vs. Jean in full Force–Phoenix chaos
Felicia instigating from the sidelines
Anastasia going full yandere
SHIELD and the X-Men arriving
And our mysterious Stan Lee-esque figure casually hijacking the school's PA system to narrate the carnage like it's his favorite sitcom
The beaker exploded.
Not cracked.
Not tipped.
Exploded.
Steam and Force-light roared out of the shattered glass as my energy surged in one direction and Jean's Phoenix fire met it head-on. The world slowed. Static licked the walls. The metal on our desks bent like foil under the pressure.
"Oh, come on, Sansa, this is a chemistry lab. You wanna set fire to a textbook, take it up with the kids."
"You're not funny," she hissed, hands clenched at her sides.
"Tell that to the multiverse Sansa," I shot back.
That's when it really started.
Her aura flared gold. My own Force signature turned deep blue, crackling with dark-side static. We weren't just two overpowered teenagers bickering anymore.
We were cosmic forces colliding.
Glass shattered across the room. Students screamed. One poor kid's phone levitated and burst into flame.
Peter ducked under a desk. "Is this… is this flirting?!"
"Nope," Ned said, dragging him back. "This is mutual attempted murder with sparks."
Jean's voice trembled. "I know what you are."
"Really? Because I'm still figuring it out. Wanna swap backstories?"
She raised a hand, psychic fire dancing across her fingers.
"I could tear you apart."
"And I could turn you into Force-flavored Kool-Aid," I snapped. "But here we are. Having our very first group project meltdown instead."
[System Notification – Force Clash Detected]
Warning: Cosmic Resonance Escalating
Threat Level: Jeansaster Prime
Recommendation: Shut. Up.
Just then—
The school PA system crackled to life.
And a voice, old and amused, echoed through every speaker in Midtown High.
"Well, folks, it looks like recess came early today. In one corner: the fiery redhead with enough bottled rage to barbecue a star system! And in the other: our plucky, sarcastic protagonist with unresolved trauma and the worst luck in the galaxy!"
I blinked. "Is that—?"
Anastasia muttered, "Oh no."
"I'm your host — let's just say I've seen a lot of superhero fights, but this one? This one's got flavor. Popcorn-worthy chaos, truly."
From the office window three floors up, a silver-haired man in sunglasses — perfectly calm, absurdly casual — leaned back in a swivel chair, munching from a comically large red-and-white striped bucket of popcorn.
He winked at me.
And gave a thumbs up.
"Who is that guy?" Peter gasped.
"well God, possibly that is"
Meanwhile, Outside Midtown
SHIELD vans screeched to a halt across the street.
Hill jumped out first, barking orders. "Everyone on me! Psi-flare's coming from the second floor. Get inside!"
Talos (still disguised) muttered, "This is escalating fast. Should we—"
And then a jet screamed overhead.
The SHIELD agents all looked up.
So did so did Rowan.
Because dropping out of the sky, in full jet-black leather, were the X-Men.
Cue: Xavier's School Bus of Doom
Cyclops ( AKA the Milklander). Storm. Iceman. Nightcrawler.
And of course the psychic nuke on legs:
Jean Grey (AKA Sansa Stark )
"Jean!" Cyclops yelled, landing with a roll. "What's happening?!"
"She started it," I said immediately, pointing.
Jean snapped, "He provoked me!"
Rowan shrugged. "It's not my fault you can't handle a little divine sarcasm."
Cyclops aimed his visor at Rowan. "Stand. Down."
Rowan held up both hands and turned to the mic. "Hi, welcome to Rowan's Existential Breakdown chapter 16. Today's episode features: psychic warfare, family drama, and a guy with laser eyes threatening a teenager."
"Ooh!" said the voice from the PA. "Now this is a crossover episode."
Anastasia stepped between them, sliding like a blade.
"Touch him," she told the X-Men, "and I'll start tearing off limbs."
Cyclops scoffed. "And you are?"
She smiled sweetly. "His sister."
Rowan facepalmed. "She's not my sister."
Felicia strolled in late, sipping a soda, and looked between all of us.
"Wow," she said. "You guys need couples therapy and fire extinguishers."
The air cracked.
(Rowan's POV)
The Force boiled in my chest. The Phoenix screamed in Jean's head. A psychic ripple shot out in all directions, knocking over desks, shattering windows, and hurling backpacks into orbit.
"Aaaaand that's our cue to cut to commercial!" said the PA system. "But don't worry — I'll be back after this brief intermission where someone probably loses an eyebrow!"
R
The building groaned.
I don't mean creaked.
I mean the walls actually warped. The ground rumbled. And the lights above flickered and popped as the psychic tension between me and Jean hit critical levels. Her Phoenix fire pulsed gold. My Force energy went deep blue with licks of darkness.
Reality twitched.
Time stuttered.
People ran.
I didn't even notice the windows blowing out.
But I did notice him.
"Enough."
A voice — not shouted, not spoken — but projected.
Inside every single head in the school.
Students froze. SHIELD agents dropped. Even Anastasia winced.
The mental presence behind it was like a calm tsunami — steady, overwhelming, and impossibly old.
Professor Charles Xavier.
I fell to one knee, clutching my head pretending to be as affected as every one else. Jean dropped to the floor too, hands shaking.
"Rowan Skywalker," Xavier's voice echoed in my mind, "you are not ready."
"No kidding," I faux-wheezed.
"Jean Grey is a vessel. A flame. You… are something else."
I opened my eyes.
I saw him then — through the window, across the courtyard — sitting quietly in his hoverchair, a thousand thoughts running behind his tired eyes.
He looked at me the way one looks at a loaded weapon left on a playground.
[System Alert – Force Resonance Contained Temporarily]
Psychic Overload: Suppressed
Warning: Professor Charles Xavier has tagged you as a Reality Threat.
Recommendation: Stop calling Jean "Sansa."
…or don't. We both know you won't.
Jean stared at me, sweat beading down her temple. "What… are you?"
I grinned. "Still figuring that out BB."
She blinked. "Stop. Smiling."
"Can't. It's in the contract."
Meanwhile – Somewhere in a Dimly Lit Studio
A red "LIVE" symbol blinked on a monitor.
Across the globe, millions of TVs, streaming sites, even digital billboards in Times Square all lit up at once.
The feed: Midtown High School. Carnage. Flying desks. Cracks in the sky.
A camera zoomed in on my face, then panned to Jean, then to Anastasia yelling threats at Iceman.
And in front of the camera?
Two old men in comfy chairs.
One wore aviators and held a bucket of popcorn. The other had a flannel shirt, white beard, and a smug little smile.
Stan Lee and George Lucas.
Or… not really.
But close enough.
"Welcome, true believers," said Stan, chomping popcorn, "to the most expensive crossover since that time we gave Spider-Man a mech suit."
"This kid's got power," George said. "But also trauma. Real Skywalker vibes. Probably should've called it 'Attack of the Hormones.'"
"I like him," Stan said, pointing at me. "Very punchable. But like, lovable punchable."
"And the redhead's gonna blow up a planet someday."
"If they don't kill each other first."
Across the world, people watched.
In Times Square, tourists screamed.
In Wakanda, Shuri raised an eyebrow.
In a hidden temple in Nepal, Wong slowly put down his tea.
Even in deep space, someone in a golden chair clicked a button.
Back in the Science Lab
The energy finally snapped — not outward, but inward.
Like a collapsing star.
Xavier's presence cradled us both like a net. His voice returned:
"You must learn to coexist… or the consequences will be worse than anything we've seen before."
Jean passed out.
I stayed conscious, for after all I am a god, he and the X-Men are, all of them, are beneath me! I am a god, you dull readers, and I will not be bullied by- um sorry went to full Loki there.
(on Thanos's space rock)
Loki sneezed
"Why do i fell like someone has stolen my lines"
But before I fell asleep from sheer boredom, I looked up at the speakers and whispered:
"Excelsior, you magnificent bastard."