Marie turned in her bed and looked at the digital clock on her nightstand. It was 3.24 AM. 2 minutes later than last time she looked at the red numbers. She couldn't find rest. Not after all that had happened just a few hours ago. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself, despite how hot it was tonight. It was the only thing she had. The only thing that could make her feel a bit safe. The blanket covered almost all of her skin, except from her face.

Her skin... Her poisonous skin. It had hurt David. She still didn't understand how it had happened. Only a few inches of her skin had touched his... It had just been a soft, little kiss. Her first kiss... Her very first step into sexuality. And now David had ended up in a coma... She could still see the scene before her eyes. How his eyes had been open wide, staring straight ahead, starring at nothing, how he had been gasping for air like he was drowning, how his skin had become cold and pale and his vein... All over his face and bare arms, she had been able to see his veins... She had screamed in fear of the sight and tried to get as far away from him as possible somehow knowing that it was her fault. That she had been the one who had hurt him even though she had just touched him...

She had stayed in her room, as the ambulance had brought David downstairs and out of the house. She had been sitting on her bed where it had happened, trying to calm down, but it was impossible. She simply couldn't process what had happened. She could still feel him inside her head. She was able to feel what he had felt, and hear his thoughts. It was like he was thinking, inside her head. And his thought let her know what kind of person he actually was:

Apparently, he and his friends had known that she had a crush on him. He had made a bet with them that he could take her virginity before summer was over. The kiss had just been the first step...

After the ambulance had left and brought David with it to the hospital, her parents had confronted her, demanding to know what the hell had happened. All she had been able to say was that she had touched him. She didn't feel like telling them about the kiss. Not right now at least. She had started crying again. All of this was simply too much for her.

"Marie, honey," her mother had said, wanting to pull her in for a hug, but she had instantly pulled away, like a frightened animal, who was about to be trapped.

"No! I don't want to hurt you too!" she cried.

"Oh, honey, you won't..."

"Yes she will," her father said.

Marie looked up. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen her father this disappointed.

"Alice. She's one of them."

"Don't say that!" her mother had hissed. Marie had been able to see the salty tears, slowly fill her mother's eyes, as she had started to realize the truth. The truth that she knew her mother didn't want to believe. Marie didn't want to believe it either...

She knew who 'them' were. They were mutants. She had known ever since she was a kid:

She remembered sliding down the slide on the playground when she met a boy on her own age named Franklin. Some older boys had decided to take their boredom out on her, by preventing her from climbing the ladder to the slide. She had told them to move, but they had just laughed at her and pushed her so she felt onto the ground. It was then a boy with red hair had stepped in between them. It had been hard for her to see exactly what he did, but it had made the older boys flee. He had then turned around and reached his hand towards her, with a white shining smile, and sparkling blue eyes. They had played around, having fun. He had asked her if she wanted to see something cool, and made a stone hover from the ground. She had starred at it with big eyes and asked how he could do that. He had just shrugged and told that he could do much more than that. She had asked him to show her, but suddenly her father had grabbed her wrist, so it hurt and pulled her away from the playground, and away from Franklin in haste.

When they had gotten home, he had told her never to play with that boy again. When she wanted to know why he explained to her that there were people out there who were born with special powers. Powers that made them forget about the difference between right and wrong, because they thought that they were better than normal people, and that made them dangerous and untrustworthy. They were people who would do anything for their own survival, no matter who it would hurt. They were rogue people. He wanted her to promise that she would never go near them. If she did, they would hurt her.

Rogue people. That was what he had called them. Every time they heard about them on the news, he would say those words. And every time, it seemed like he grew more and more spiteful towards them. Marie had never understood why. Franklin had seemed so nice to her and she remembered how he had defended her against those boys. But as she grew older, she started to remember the scene differently: She now remembered how the redheaded boy had used his powers against the older boys. She remembered the fear in their eyes as they had fled from the playground. He had been one of the rogue people.

She once again shifted on the bed. And now she was one too... She was one of the rogue people now. The people her father hated and her mother feared.

She hadn't spoken to her parents, since that conversation.

But she had been able to hear their conversation. For some reason, she had felt like she had to leave her room, and say something to her parents'... She had barely walked out the door before she could hear her mother's desperate voice from downstairs:

"Maybe we can take her to the doctor?"

"The doctor?" Her father's voice had sounded like thunder. "Alice, when will you ever stop being this naïve?! She is not sick! This is nothing a doctor can change! And what kind of doctor do you think would touch, after she has become one of them?!"

Marie felt her father's words stab her like a dagger in the heart.

"John, please, stop saying that!" her mother had begged, with a trembling voice, like she barely believed her own words. "It's your daughter. It's our little girl…"

"She is no longer my little girl."

Marie turned around and ran back into her room, slamming the door behind her. She fell to her knees, with the tears streaming from her eyes, like blood from the invisible wound her parents had given her.

Even if she hadn't heard their conversation, she would still have known exactly what they thought.

Her father's eyes had been filled with anger and disappointment. John D'Ancanto's daughter, a mutant, a monster. And not only that, she had also used her newfound powers to hurt and almost killed, his colleague's son. It would only be a question about hours before the whole company knew, what she was. Her father would never be able to forgive her for this. She knew that she wouldn't be able to go one day, without his look, reminding her of what she had done.

She could be begging on bended knees for forgiveness, telling him that she didn't do it on purpose, but her father would never believe that. In his eyes, the mutation was a choice of living, something you choose to use. And she had believed that that was true... But now, she wasn't so sure... She hadn't done this on purpose... she had no idea before today, that she was a mutant...

She let her hand out from under the blanket and stared at it. Starred at the skin. Franklin had been able to control his mutations, and he was just a little boy back then. So were the mutants she had seen on TV... But this... this was different. Somehow she knew, that she would never be able to control this... Tears filled her eyes as the truth became real for her: She would never be able to touch anyone ever again. She would never be able to shake hands with new people she would meet, never be able to hug her mother and never be able to kiss anyone again. Her first kiss had been her last...

But why? Why did this happen to her? According to her teacher, the mutation was genetic, something she had inherited. Well, in that case, she had inherited a curse. She knew that other mutants were able to teleport, read mind, control the element or everything else with their minds... Why hadn't she got a mutation, that could make her do something like that or at least something she could control? She would have been able to live with that, but this... This was a curse! A disease that would change everything forever... make her it's slave.

Was it something she had done? Were the mutations given to the person, based on its choices in life? Had she really done something that awful, that she deserved to be robbed ability of touch? It had started when she had kissed David. A kiss couldn't be that bad, could it? No people kissed all the time, that couldn't be it... but what was it then? Maybe it was punishment for her being so naïve? She didn't have the answer right now, even though she wished that she did. Who even decided this? Was it some kind of god who wanted to punish her? She had never been very religious, but right now, she felt like anything was possible. Except for this being a horrible nightmare, which she would do anything to wake up from...

Not that it would change anything, regardless of her suddenly believing in a god or not. Nothing could change this. She was forever bounded to be untouchable. Forever bounded to hide her skin under her cloth. She reached over and grabbed the brown pair of glows, which were lying on the nightstand beside the clock. Her mother had given them to her. She had come back into her room, about half an hour later, after the conversation.

Her mother hadn't said anything. She had just laid the glows carefully on the bed, beside her. It didn't matter, that her mother didn't speak. Her eyes told Marie everything she needed to know. The eyes, which always had been filled with love, were now sparkling with fear and sorrow. Marie had met them in a few painful seconds before her mother had turned away and left her room. Marie had never seen her mother like that, never seen her this scared. The woman who had given birth to her, who had been part of her life from the very beginning. The woman, who had always shown her nothing but love, was now scared of her. Scared of her very own daughter.

Marie knew this would be the way her parents would see her from now on. They could try it hide it all wanted, but she would still be able to see it. She would no longer be the same in their eyes. She would no longer be their little Marie. From now on, she would be a mutant, in their eyes. A rogue. Someone they couldn't trust and would fear...

Marie knew that she wouldn't be able to live with that. And there was nothing she could do to prevent it. She couldn't change her parents' view on her skin, their view on her. She once again looked at her hand, that didn't hold the glows. In the darkness, she could see her veins in her wrist vaguely... It would be easy. A single cut would be enough, to escape. She would never have to face the pain that way...

But... If she did that, she would just inflict her mother even more pain. She knew that her mother would blame herself, for not being able to hide her true feelings, and not being able to help her child. Marie neither would nor could do that to her...

She had to find another way...

She could run away. She could go on that road-trip she had been planning with David. She had been planning it for months, dreaming about how they would be out there, on their own adventure, before they would have to return to the normal life and go to college.

It wouldn't be quite as exciting to do it alone, but anything would be better than staying here... It was not like someone could hurt her while she was on the road... Maybe she could even find a place where she belonged?

She pulled the blanket away and got out of bed. Her parents wouldn't get up before 7.00 AM. That gave her time.

She quickly the found the largest bag she had and filled it with clothing. She got dressed but hesitated when she came to the glows. She slowly put them one by one. She watched her pink skin getting covered by the brown fabricant. She turned the covered hands in front of her. She rarely wore glows, and it was almost weird to see it now. Well, it seemed like she would just have to get used to the sight. At least she wouldn't have to worry about if her nail looked good.

She then snuck out to the bathroom, where she found her hairbrush, toothbrush, and toothpaste.

She looked up and stared at the girl in the mirror. She looked just like the girl she had seen yesterday morning. She looked so normal on the surface. If anyone else saw her, they wouldn't be able to tell what she was. She was the only one who could see the change.

She turned away from the girl in the mirror and went back to her room. She closed the bag with a sight. She knew that she was doing the best for everyone, but it was anything but easy.

She found a pen and a blank piece paper. She felt like she couldn't just leave without letting them know. Her mother had always left little notes for her if she came home to an empty house. There were many things she could write. She could tell them, that she was sorry, that she wished that this had never happened. She could tell them, that it wasn't their fault, that she hoped that they could forgive her. But her shaking hand didn't write any of those words.

She left the note on her bed before she picked up her bag. Despite that, it only contained some cloth, a little money and bathroom items, it felt so heavy. Almost as heavy as her heart did, when she glanced at her room one last time before she closed the door.

As quiet as possible she let her shadow glide over the door as she sneaked past her parents' bedroom, where she could hear her father snoring. She remembered how she used to run into their bedroom, when she had had a nightmare, back when she was a little girl. Her father would hug her and tell her that there was nothing to be scared of, but it had always ended with them letting her sleep in their bed, where she would lie between them and feel protected. Like nothing would be able to hurt her, as long as they were there. It was kind of ironic.

She tiptoed down the stairs, holding her hand on the banister. The same banister she used to slide down whenever she could get to do it. Her mother had scolded her every time (at least the times she knew of) and told her that she could end up getting hurt, but Marie refused to listen because it was so much faster and so much more fun than walking down the stairs. Of course, her mother had been right, but Marie hadn't realized that before the day she had fallen down and broken her arm…

Marie smiled at the memories, but the tears started to fall when she put on her green jacket. It felt like the doorknob was burning her gloved hand, as she opened the door and walked outside.

She stopped and looked back inside the house. This was where she grew up. She had childhood memories form every little inch of the house that had been her home. But she was no longer a child. And this house was no longer her home. It had been Marie D'Ancanto's home. But she was no longer Marie. She was the Rogue.

She closed the door, leaving everything she knew behind in the past, and took the first step towards her future.

A future with more adventures that she could dream of, with both new friends, and true love from an unsuspected source, who would claw his way past her skin, and into her heart.

The next morning tears ran from both her mother and fathers eyes when they found the letter.

Dear mom and dad

Everything is going to change now, and we all know that it will be best for everyone if I leave.

Thank you for all you have done for me

I love you

Rogue