OK, everyone. I'm trying this out again. Something about the last try of this story just didn't work out, so I'm trying once more, and then it's going in the dumpster. Why'd I change it? Well, I just wasn't getting enough reviews after the third chapter, and I wanted to change the POV a bit.

Plus a got a very nasty flame, so I wanted to take the good stuff from that and try to fix this all up, although the flamer mostly got ignored, as she was mostly about hubbub and meanness and all.

This first chapter has only been changed a teeny bit with the POV and with Mystique being toned down a bit. I just portrayed her as being too cruel I though after I read it, you know? So all, give us another shot, eh? *makes pathetic puppy dog face*



Prelude-

It wasn't the way I thought it would be.

It wasn't at all how I wished it could have been.

The setting was perfect: The sky was streaked with pastels, the sun a setting orb on the horizon, the colorful sky above casting a light sheen along the glossy river, the spicy scent of pine wafting around me, the warm feel of his hands on my shoulders.

His eyes were beautiful.

They were so dark, so deep, like they held a vast pool of secrets in them.

He was smiling slightly, his voice coming out as a low, deep hum in my ears.

He gently stroked a stray piece of my hair behind my ear, and I felt his fingers brush my cheek softly.

I blushed, cheeks growing warm, eyes turning quickly to the ground.

He chuckled lightly, making me smile slightly; I loved his laugh.

Then his hand was under my chin, bringing it up, his face leaning in towards mine.

I closed my eyes, heart trilling nervously in my chest, breath starting to come a little faster; this was it.

This was the moment that all girls waited for.

The first kiss.

I'd never really been too anxious about it; I'd always considered myself to be a tomboy, preferring football to flirting and wrestling to kissing.

But now, with my best friend before me, and with his hands cradling my face, and his breath teasing my lips, I just knew that it would be a dream come true.

When our lips touched, a slight spark of electricity scurried through me, leaving me feeling chilled and naïve.

Before long, though, the passion of the moment caught up to me, and any anxiety or fear left my body, replaced with—I could hardly believe—actual love.

I loved this boy.

I smiled as I thought the words, and slowly opened my eyes to see what he was doing.

Immediately, all good feelings disappeared, leaving my blood like ice in my veins and my heart lodged in my throat.

He stood for a minute, face white and lips blue, eyes glued to mine in devastated confusion.

Then he fell back in slow motion, eyes rolling into his head, breath coming out in one last exhale.

I screamed.

That was all I could think to do.

As his head hit the leaf-strewn ground with a light thump, I shrieked loudly, hands clasped at I sides, terror crashing through me.

In an instant, I heard hurried footsteps and worried chatter, and I turned, breathing heavily, eyes wide; they'd kill me.

I'd done it.

I'd touched him...and something had happened.

I could feel him in my head, his presence growing within me, his memories sticking to mine.

My mind was a whirl of color and motion, twisting and turning, making me feel sick.

I tumbled backwards, clasping my hands to my ears as voices began to scream in my head.

I looked around wildly, praying for an escape.

Just as the first person came down the hill towards me, I turned and sped off, shoes kicking up dirt and leaves as I ran.

I ran faster than I'd thought myself capable, faster than I had when I'd raced my next door neighbor, faster than when I'd been caught throwing rocks by grumpy Mrs. Harris, faster even then when I'd been so desperate to catch up with Mommy to go to the store with her.

My legs were soon screaming for relief, and my lungs felt as if they were on fire, but I never stopped, letting my tears roll down my cheeks and my hair be whipped against my face by the wind.

I continued down the street, shoes slapping loudly on the concrete sidewalks, the sun now nearly set beyond the horizon.

The houses lining the street were all empty, every single inhabitant gone on the picnic...which meant everyone knew.

Everyone knew what I'd done.

I sobbed slightly, fighting to keep my balance as I stumbled down the street.

I am Marie—Rogue--and I had never, ever felt so alone and so scared.

Not once had this happened to me, and not a single time had I ever even heard of such a thing.

I'd touched him and absorbed him—his memories, his strengths, weaknesses, talents, personality.

It was driving me insane in only the few moments it had occurred.

I was so confused, even though I was certain of what had occurred.

How could something like that happen?

How could a person take another person's life simply by touching them?

And then a thought occurred to me, and I felt my skin go cold; what if...what if i wasn't just any old person?

What if I wasn't a person at all?

What if I was...a mutant?

It was possible, after all.

My father HAD been one, or so I'd heard.

That was why he'd left me alone with my mother.

I blocked out the thoughts as a sudden realization hit me; no, he hadn't left us.

He'd been killed.

My best friend's father had left his family.

Tears welled up in my eyes again as I thought of him, and I blinked quickly, dispersing them.

He had been my friend since the time I was a baby, and we'd been competing against and wrestling each other since we could walk.

I hated what I'd done to him, even if it was on accident.

I hated the confused look he'd given me, and the way he'd fallen back so slowly.

I hated the way I'd hurt him.

I hated myself.

The thought struck me hard, and I bit my lip, thinking; that was it.

I did hate myself

The feeling of deep-seated anguish and burning terror was rooted from my self-hatred. I couldn't blame myself; not many girls murdered their best friends and life-long 'crushes' during their first real kiss.

Eventually, my fatigue caught up with me, and I collapsed on the sidewalk, still crying.

After a while, I pulled myself up and sat on the curb, chin in my hands, thoughts running around wildly.



Just down the street, where the shadows of the houses stretched the longest and darkest, a sleek black car inched its way along the sidewalk, the tinted windows letting no one see in, but allowing the attractive blonde- haired woman and her somewhat disfigured driver to see out.

They had been observing Marie for quite some time, and at an order from his mistress, the driver pulled up along the curb a street away from Marie, watching with sweaty palms and trilling heart as the woman got regally out of the car, walking fluidly around the corner to where her prey waited.

Toad sat patiently in the car, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

The only nice way to really describe him was...unique.

With green-tinged skin and spiky emerald hair, he stood out very easily in the crowd. Add to that a sticky, seemingly-endless tongue, crossed eyes, rotting teeth, and a gangly figure, and it isn't hard to figure out why people ran away from him when they saw him.

Toad scowled at his appearance and slammed the mirror away, glancing over his shoulder as he imagined the scene playing out just a block down...



I knew better than to talk to strangers.

I was a very bright girl, and though I oftentimes rebelled against authority and was often known to leap before looking, I knew how important this rule was.

But this time was different.

The lady before me was beautiful, with long shapely legs, a slender form, and pretty blonde hair that framed her very attractive face.

The woman was very nice, kneeling by me like she was and asking me why I was crying, worried about me being alone like I was.

I was trying hard to reassure the woman, glad that the older female didn't know what kind of monster she was talking to, and thankful that she hadn't pushed the issue of why I was crying.

"Where's your mommy?" the woman asked, wiping a stray tear from my cheek.

"She's back at the picnic...with everyone else," I replied softly, "I...just had to get away from the crowd, that's all."

"Does your mom know where you are?"

Slowly, I shook my head.

"I'd better take you back to the park, so you don't get hurt. Is that ok? Do you feel better now?"

I sighed, nodding; I would have to face the town someday.

Slowly, I stood and took the woman's hand, following her down the street without a backwards glance.



Toad saw them both coming towards him: His mistress and the little girl, both chatting nonchalantly, the woman leading the girl by the hand into an invisible death trap.

Toad started the car as they neared and unlocked the doors for the lady.

Then he swallowed the lump of guilt in his throat as the door swung open behind him.

He heard a startled cry as the child was tossed carelessly into the car and winced as a shocking thud sounded behind him.

He saw the girl fall against the door as the woman slid coolly into the seat beside her, slamming the door shut as she ordered, "Drive."

Toad pressed hard on the gas as his gaze flickered over to the lady; she was melting.

Toad blinked and shook his head; no, she was only shifting her shape back to normal.

In the backseat, the woman's tanned skin trickled down from her oval face to her slender neck, down her slim stomach and over her shapely thighs before suddenly evaporating at her feet; in its place was a glistening, blue-bathed skin. The attractive attire shrank into flesh and in some places left behind scale-like patches, leaving the tall mutant completely bare.

Curly blonde hair seemed to burst into dark red flames, writhing until they became a straight, silken mane of deep crimson.

Hazel eyes froze suddenly, leaking out and replaced by bright yellow that scintillated with hatred and wickedness.

Toad nodded slightly, "Hey, Mystique."

Mystique looked up at his reflection in the mirror and smirked, "Close the curtain, Toad."

Reaching back, swallowing a little, he pulled the curtain behind him closed, shutting off the view of Mystique turning to the terrified child.



The darkness of her heart was more than a mere child could interpret.

It was endless and black, wilting into infinite malevolence, marred with pain and hatred that seemed to double with every passing day.

It was like a dark forest; a black sea; a shadowy alley. No light could ever split the waves of black that had long-ago swallowed her soul and had sucked her into a life of endless hate and murder.

To an eight-year-old, she was simply 'scary'.

Someone to avoid at all costs; a monster who hid in your closet and slithered out after everyone but you had fallen asleep; a thing too frightening to speak of; the person that haunted your every nightmare.

Mystique knew she was all of these things to most people...and she was filled with undeniable pride because of it.

She smiled slightly as the girl huddled closer to the other door, hands scrabbling at the door handle, pulling desperately, only then to stop as she realized they were child-proof; that they could only be opened from the outside.

Mystique raised her eyebrows, impressed when the girl then scrambled for the window 'opener'; it was jammed.

Then the child began banging on the glass, gasping with fear, tiny fists pelting the window.

Mystique sat back a little more into her seat, legs crossed regally, hands resting on her knees, a twisted smile on her lips as the girl finally slid down in her seat, staring at her shoes.

She was defeated now; Mystique grinned devilishly, starting to reach out to grab the kid...but wait a minute.

The girl was feverishly ripping one of her shoes off, gripping it firmly, holding it above her head...

WHAM!

The shoe hit the window with surprising force.

The child smashed the glass again and again, until there was the slightest of spider web cracks...

Mystique reached out and clasped the child's wrist.

With unfathomable speed, she twisted, hard, and the girl dropped her shoe, crying out in pain.

Mystique pulled the girl's arm, dragging her closer, reaching out and gripping her chin with her free hand, tilting her head up to eye-level, "Behave yourself, Sweetheart, or I'll have to punish you..."

She tightened her grip on the child's wrist and twisted a little harder during her last words, relishing the exhale of pain that escaped the girl's lips.

Obediently, trembling slightly in fear, the child sat back against the seat, blinking back tears, looking at the ground with a defeated look on her face.

"That's better." Mystique reached over the girl and snapped her seatbelt on, pulling it until it was almost too tight for the child to breathe.

Then she leaned forward, pushing a strand of the child's hair behind her ear.

"You're name is Marie, isn't it?" she whispered.



I felt my body go rigid as the woman stroked my cheek.

Slowly, I swallowed, heart trilling against my ribs, tears pooling in my eyes, "Y-yes."

I closed my eyes, feeling sick, as a hand moved up to my chin, turning it slightly so I was face-to-face with the lady.

"Well, Marie, didn't your mommy ever tell you not to talk to strangers?"

It was a question not meant to be answered, but only to be taken as punishment; to be heard as a harsh mockery.

"But then...your mommy mustn't be very happy with you right now anyway, right Marie? You just hurt a little boy, didn't you? Maybe even killed him. That wasn't nice, Marie. I don't think your mommy will be very happy when she sees you."

I felt a wail rising in my throat and I swallowed hard, fighting to stay in control.

"I know what happened with him, Marie. All he did was kiss you, so you killed him. You're a very mean girl."

I nodded in agreement, tears stinging my eyes.

"Your mommy doesn't want you any more, Marie. She told me to come and get you and take you away from her. She hates you."

The tears trickled slowly down my cheeks as I hung my head, ashamed; the words broke my heart.

"So I'm here to take you away, to bring you to a place where naughty girls go, so you won't hurt anymore harmless little boys."

In an instant she had me pinned down in her lap with one arm and she was filling a syringe with her hands, eyes focused on the needle as she spoke to me, "I'm going to take care of you now, Marie. You're just a very sick little girl. This is for your own good..."

I saw the needle and started to panic, squirming under her shocking strength and starting to whimper in fear; I had always hated pain, although I pretended not to in front of others.

I started screaming for help, struggling to sit up and escape, panic starting to overhwlem my entire demeanor.

IN th4 front seat, Toad turned the music up louder and started singing along as he drove.

Mystique finished filling the plunger and pressed the air bubbles out, watching the clear liquid trickle seamlessly out of the needle, "This will only hurt for a second, I promise..."

Then one hand was holding my head down and to the side, the side of my neck and causing me to shriek louder with fear and tug desperately at her arm with my hands, begging her not to hurt me.

There was the slightest, fiery prick of pain in my flesh and I cried out louder as the medicine flowed through my blood and to my mind.

Already starting to feel dozy as the needle finally left my skin, I lay limply for a few minutes, the drone of the engine and the hum of music beginning to echo strangely.

Mystique stroked my brow in an almost motherly fashion, looking down at me with a fondness that seemed to have something of a price tag attached to it.

Eventually, my eyes slid closed and I sighed sleepily, slipping into dreamless sleep.



Eventually, I forgot about the later parts of the day when I put my best friend into a coma.

I forgot about my kidnapping, and how my name went from 'Marie' to 'Rogue'.

I forgot about the news reports or the posters hanging around town that featured my face and asked if anyone had seen me.

I forgot any past family I'd ever had before Mystique.

But I never forgot the look in my best friend's eyes as he fell away from me.

And I never forgot that I was a monster.