Darkness. Helplessness. No hope. Only fear.

I don't know what's happening. Everything's dark. I can smell dust. I hear people. I don't want to open my eyes.

I don't know how I got here. I was in the woods. Trying to cool down. I hate him. He's never around when you need him. When things get too tough, he just leaves. I hate him.

A cold knot hits my stomach when I remember coming to the road. That's the last thing I remember. I came to the road, and then everything was dark. There was dark, fear, my heart was racing… and I was moving. I remember voices. I don't know what they were saying… just voices.

I was taken.

I took a slow breath and cracked my eyes open. The darkness lifted enough to see boxes. Dust, boxes… and stairs. I sat up and looked around. A boy was sitting on a chair. I don't think he can see me. A banister surrounded the stairs that led up through the middle of the floor, boxes stacked around the banister, up against the walls, dust coating them. The ceiling slanted up, coming to a sun roof. A small amount of light was filtering though. It was still so dark.

Something darted through the boxes. The boy didn't notice.

I pushed myself to my feet and moved slowly toward the stairs.

"What's your name?" He asked. I froze. I couldn't remember. I don't know my own name. I don't know who I am, where I am, or who he is. Fear knotted its self in my stomach, cold and uninvited.

"You don't remember, do you?" He asked, standing up and crossing the dusty floor to me. "Girls aren't allowed to have names here. Not unless you're a daughter."

I tilted my head in confusion. That didn't seem right. I remember people calling my name before I was taken… but I can't grasp what it was.

"You're a mutant." He stated, blinking his eyes at me. They were dark. I don't like dark.

"Mutant?" I asked, my voice sounded so far away. Fear grew in my stomach.

The boy didn't say anything. He just reached out and touched something behind me. I could feel it. Turning my head I saw white feathers. Feathers… I had wings. Why did I have wings?

"You're a mutant." He repeated. Something darted between the boxes again. It didn't touch the ground, it floated.

"Why am I here?" I asked. I still sounded so far away, so small.

"You shouldn't talk. Girls aren't supposed to talk, not unless they're a daughter. You're not a daughter, you're a mutant."

My wings folded sharply behind me.

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and I turned to see what was going on. A man was climbing the stairs. He didn't seem right. His hair was combed in a side sweep, and a plastic smile was on his face.

"Ah, so you're awake…. Catch it." He instructed.

"Who're you?" I asked, my voice growing stronger.

He was across the room before I knew it. The darkness made my sight slow. His hand connected with my face, sending me to the floor.

"Do not speak!" He hissed, grabbing my wing and jerking me to my feet. I bit back a cry of pain. I don't like it when he touches my wings.

"Catch it!" He growled, shoving me toward the floating figure.

I ran. I tried to run to the stairs, but he was faster than me. The man shoved me to the ground, then jerked me up by my wings again. "Don't try and escape. You can go downstairs once you've caught it!"

I didn't want him grabbing my wings anymore, so I chased after it. He laughed along with the boy. I ran around the banister of the stairs, chasing the thing. I didn't want to touch it, but I did. I caught it!

I didn't have enough time to look at it before it bit my hand. I released it.

The thing floated over to the man and changed shape into another boy. He spit and wiped furiously at his body as though trying to get rid of the feel of my hands on him. The man patted his head, smiling fondly. "Good." He said with a grin, crossing the room and grabbing my arm, forcing me down the stairs with him. It wasn't dark downstairs. It was light. My wings fluttered at that.

"She can catch it. She'll be good for us."

I wanted to ask what it was, where I was, who I was, but I didn't want him to hit me again. My arms were purple from where he'd drug me, and my wings and face stung from him hitting me and grabbing my wings.

Another woman was in the room, sitting calmly and drinking something. I was pushed into a chair.

They kept talking as though I wasn't there. I was scared. I held as still as I could, trying not to move. If I didn't move, they mighty not notice me. My wrings hung from either side of the chair.

A girl came in the room. Her blonde hair fell in lose straggly curls around her face. The skin from her jaw fell loosely, but she looked to be about the same age as me, late teens, maybe early twenties. She stepped on my wing, and I quickly vacated the chair, standing behind it.

"Don't sit in the chair when she's in here." The man said sternly before turning back to the conversation.

"Why is it dressed like that?" The girl asked. Her voice was nasally and grating.

I looked down at myself. My feet were bare, and I wore jeans and a tank top. I didn't understand why this was inappropriate.

"She just got here." The man explained.

"Well make her cover up, daddy! I don't like her!"

"I'll get her changed later." He assured, glaring at me. I wasn't sure what I did that time.

"Glinda, make sure this servant lasts ok? It's risky for us to keep going out and taking outsiders for you." The mother said as though talking to a child.

"It's not my fault they're all so frail." Glinda protested, crossing her arms and leaning back in the chair.

Servant… I was here to be a servant.

~x~x~

"Is Elana back yet?" Logan asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

Rogue didn't answer his question, she just pushed herself up from the counter and left the room.

"Well at least she didn't run off, too." Logan sighed, leaning against the sink.

"You can't really fault Elana for leaving. You're the one that brought her here." Hank pointed out, "She really trusts you, and you're leaving."

"She'll be back." Logan dismissed, pushing a large hand through his hair. Every time he'd leave, Rogue would get pissed at him, and now Elana was doing the same thing.

Logan shook his head, trying to get rid of the uneasy feeling in his stomach. Elana went off a lot, going out and flying, or just hanging out in the woods… but she'd never been gone for more than a day.

"She's never been gone this long, Logan." Hank pointed out, almost like he knew what Logan was thinking. "Something may have happened."

"Fine. I'll wait until she gets back to leave."

He always waited until she got back before he left.