Prologue

Two sets of footsteps could be heard running down a long metal corridor. A woman and a child, fleeing for their lives, were sprinting as they were chased by a floating black cloaked figure through a maze of hallways. As they ran the walls around them began to twist and turn, breaking away from where they had stood for so long in an attempt to cage the two escapees before they could get away.

The louder set of footsteps belonged to the woman. Tall and athletic with medium length red hair. She had been through these hallways many times before and had no doubt that she was running for the exit. She found it easy to run for her life as she had done so many times before, even in her high heeled boots. Normally she enjoyed the chase, slowing down on purpose just to give into the excitement for a little longer. This time however she had a reason to run as fast as she can, this time she had a reason to be afraid of getting caught. That reason was the girl running beside her, whose wrist she was clenching and who was slowing them both down. The girl was 13 and had no idea the situation she was in. Her life had just turned upside down and in the space of 3 days she had completely lost herself and didn't know who she was anymore. All she knew now was that she should trust the woman who was holding onto her arm, and fear the man who was chasing them.

All around them the walls of metal were vibrating and wiggling free from each other. The master of magnetism was not about to let them go easily. He glided through his own corridors easily, following the echoing footsteps of the runners.

Eventually they ran out of floor space and the two females reached the exit and ran straight for the woods that surrounded the hidden base. They were safe when they were away from metal. The canopies of the trees would hide them for long enough.

"You can't keep her away from me Mystique. I'll find you both eventually!" Magneto's words were simple but deadly.

Mystique knew she would have to stay on the run if she was ever to keep her life. The girl would prove useful at least in the future, she could think of many ways to use her for her own personal gain, not just as a way to piss Magneto off. The only thing that would be difficult would be keeping her hidden.

After hours of running the girl began to protest. "where are ya takin' meh?" she cried, slamming her heals into the ground, forcing Mystique to stop.

The tall blue woman looked down on the small child, her golden eyes narrowing. "I am taking you to a place where he will never find you. You're mine now and you will do as I tell you, now keep moving girl." She spat as she took hold of her wrist again and began to move.

"Ah have a name you know, it's Anna, not girl" she stated clearly, beginning to not like the woman who was in control.

"Your name is not important. In fact i want you to forget it. Forget everything you are! If you're going to hide then you will have to hide well and to do so you will have to change your identity."

Anna scowled behind the woman. She didn't like that. Her life had become mayhem and now she had to forget the only thing she knew was real? She hated that she was a mutant, she hated that her parents were dead. She hated that she was all alone and slowly loosing herself second by second. What was going to happen to her? She had so many questions to ask, but she knew she would get no answers, so instead she kept her thoughts to herself and kept on running into the night.

A few hours after running nonstop, the two found themselves on a street. On this street a long black car awaited them at the side of the road. Mystique dove into the back seat, pulling the girl behind her. Waiting for them in the car was another woman. This one was older; more aged, and wore sunglasses. Anna guessed she was blind as she also carried a stick in the right hand.

"This is the girl?" she asked Mystique, not bothering to move to her direction.

"Yes Irene, this is her. I need you to take care of her for me and keep her away from Eric."

Anna just sat in the seat, happy to not be running anymore. She was tired and worn out. Occasionally she would listen to the two other woman talk as the car drove through a town and into a city. She had worked out that Mystique would be leaving and that she would be left in the care of this Irene woman. She also heard that she would not be alone. There is a household of mutants who she will be living with, a group that call themselves the brotherhood. This concerned her, as it meant there would be more people that she might come into skin contact with.

Anna's mutation had appeared only a few days ago, when she was kissed by her childhood sweetheart Cody. It was at that moment that she changed and the skin to skin contact leads her to absorb the boy's life force. This had scared her so much that she ran away from the foster home in Mississippi and straight into the hands of Magneto and Mystique. After that, a fight had broken out between the two which had lead to their running. What the fight was about she does not know, but she can only think that it must have been serious for them to run for their lives. Now Anna has been left with no family or home and can never touch another person again. She was beginning to think that it might not be worth running for her life, if her life was not going to be worth living. Now all she could do was focus on the positives like living with Irene, at least it was a roof over her head, and hoping that at some point she would learn to control her mutation.

The black car pulled up at a large house hidden up a long driveway, covered by trees. The house was big and classical, with large bay windows and gothic wooden features. Standing in the door were three figures, all differently shaped. One was tall and muscular, the most ordinary looking out of the three with his long brown hair tied into a ponytail at the back of his neck. The second was huge. Tall and fat. It amused Anna to think of him actually being able to fit through the door, but this particular person was someone she thought she should be scared of, and so she was. The third of the three was very odd looking. Hunched over and squatting in his position. His hair was messed up and Anna could swear she could see flies flying around him.

Irene and Mystique walked her up the pathway to the door, only stopping for introductions.

"This is Lance, Fred and Toad. They will be your new house mates." Mystique stated. She gave them no name for her, part of the no identity thing. The three nodded and grunted as Anna walked past and into the house. So this was going to be her new life.