There might have been something endearing about the scene had it not been for the expressions on their faces. It was clear there would be no cause for celebration once Bertille's piece had been spoken. The two parents, sitting on the couch and holding each other's hands while their eldest daughter paced the floor in front of them as her younger sister stared at her expectantly.

It had been decided to break the news to their guardians in one fell swoop. Hopefully they wouldn't regret the decision! No one spoke a word. The only sound was the rather loud ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner. "There's no easy way to say this or make it better," she began abruptly.

Adeline didn't know who to watch- her sister or her parents. "I am one of those mutants." Her shoulders slumped in relief. Bertille had said it. Now for the reaction. The two adults stared at the young woman blankly as if what she'd just said required translation.

"Are you sure?" their mother asked. Silence once again as her older sister nodded. Adeline admired Bertille's courage. Would she have been able to say it like that? Probably not. To her credit, their mother only smile.

It was her beloved daughter who was speaking. Gautier on the other hand, looked… very angry. Adeline glared at him as he bit his lip. She could already imagine what was about to come out of his mouth.

"You are NOT to leave this house until further notice. There will be no visitors allowed either." His tone would broke no disobedience. "Adeline, if you so much as think of a word of this outside of these walls, so help me, you will live to regret it. I can't have this right now!"

"Don't worry Gautier, this won't hurt your chances for reelection," Bertille said flatly. "I'll call work and school, tell them I've come down with mono or something. The last thing I want is to hurt anyone. I'll be in my room… until further notice."

Stunned silence followed the announcement. Adeline watched Bertille disappear. As usual, she was trying to do the right thing. Would secluding herself really make things better? Or was it some new and subtle form of manipulation or martyrdom? Whatever it was, her mother and Gautier seemed very relieved. "I'll be in my room too," she said suddenly, unable to take the atmosphere any longer.

She had expected a scene of some kind. The fact that there hadn't really been one didn't bode well. They expected Bertille to clean up the mess somehow and didn't really want to think about. They didn't know what she could do. Adeline did. Even though the sun was still high in the sky and the air was warm, she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.