I own nothing, but I hope you like it!
Everything was perfect for the first time ever, mamma had finally given us some privacy, and Cody was leaning in close whispering endearments, I took a chance meeting him in the middle. Our lips met for the first time, and my heart skipped a beat. It was my first kiss and everything was perfect for that one second.
Cody started shaking, convulsing, I backed away looking at him in shock. He was practically having a seizure on my bed.
"Cody, sugar, what's wrong?!" I yelped at a loss for what to do, momma came rushing in she called the hospital, but I could feel him in my head. Not like before, I wasn't thinking about him, I was thinking as him, I couldn't tell where I ended and he began.
The next few days went by in a blur, mamma was terrified and Daddy hated me once they figured out what was wrong with me, I was a mutant, and everyone in town was scarred of me, like I had the plague. Cody was in a coma, I'd nearly killed him, I was a monster. I packed my back pack with some extra long sleeved clothes and gloves, I didn't deserve to stay, and I couldn't take the whispering any more.
I walked for longer then I could remember, I'd taken the money I had, but it didn't go far, I bought some food, but it didn't last long either. Soon I was hitching, tired, with no food I came to a turn, I thought about going north, but it was cold, and she'd always been a southern gal. So she headed for New Orleans instead.
I caught a ride with a young blond woman. She was so nice she brought me about half way there, we talked, and for the first time since this all started I didn't feel like a freak, and when I got out she came around and hugged me tightly, I was careful not to touch her, but her cheek touched my neck, I felt her in my head, but I couldn't get out of her hug.
I struggled desperately to get away, I could feel her grip loosening, but I cloud also feel her in my head like she was taking over my mind. I finally pushed her away and ran, I didn't even stop to see if she was still alive. I just ran until I couldn't run any more. I ended up walking around the town trying to figure out where I was going to go. I got lost after only a half an hour in the city, and I was crashing into people who were streaming past me.
"Wow, sher, you look a little lost." A tall man with a long brown leather coat, shaggy brown hair, a tight deep purple shirt, and black whites in his red eyes said when I ran into him.
"Sorry, I, I don't really know where I am." I told him looking around at the crowded streets, the odd looking Cajun with the gloves that only covered his two middle fingers smiled flicking a queen of hearts out of his pocket, flicking it around, on the back there was a name of a casino on it.
"Follow me, I'll take you someplace nice, get you something to eat, you're lookin a bit ragged shere." He told her, I wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of going with this total stranger, but I hadn't eaten in almost two days now, and I was starving.
"Sure." I said and he lead her through the crowd to an apartment next to the casino that I'd seen on the back of his card. He held the door for her, the halls were dirty with cracked paint, he lead her up the stairs to a white door with the number 7 on it. He opened that door too, the apartment was actually pretty nice, not fancy, but it was clean, and had a poker table off to the left next to the couch, and a little TV, and to the right was the little kitchen and two closed doors.
I could still feel that woman in my head her name was Clair Redmond, she had a family, a daughter who was only five. I could feel her struggling to surface, like she wanted to control me, I had to stop thinking about her, I was glad this guy was here, he was the only distraction she had.
"Make your self at home sher, I'll get you something to eat, bathrooms, through that door, TV only works if you give it a good smack first. So sher what's your fancy, I got pizza left over, Chinese take out, and ugh not sure what that is. Coke, water, and well most of the rest of it's liqueur. So sher what can ol Gambit get ya?" He asked, was his name really Gambit?
"Um, pizza and a coke for me, is your name really Gambit?" I asked sitting down on the couch, and getting back up when I realized I'd sat on a metal collapsed pole, or pipe,whatever it was, I set it on the floor leaning against to the couch, and sat back down.
"No, you want ice with dis sher?" He asked I looked at him confused about how casual he was about telling her he wasn't telling her his name.
"No thanks." I told him, he came over handing me a paper plate with pizza on it and a can of coke, then he switched on the TV smacking it loudly, it staticed into life, he flipped it to a random channel and flopped down onto the couch.
"So what should I call you sher?" He asked putting his feet up on the makeshift coffee table casually.
"Rouge." I told him, it seemed appropriate for her at this point, he nodded cracking open a soda of his own. Only a rouge would steal peoples very essence there power from them.
"Rouge, I like it sher. Where you headed?" He asked watching the TV blankly, I pulled my gloves off to eat thinking about it for a minute, and I didn't really know.
"I guess I just wanted to find someplace where no one knew me." I told him, he chuckled taking a long draft of his soda.
"You found it sher, won't find a place wid more strangers, what you runnin from?" He asked, for a guy who hadn't told her a thing about himself he sure had a lot of questions.
"You sure ask a lot of questions sugar." I said instead of answering I couldn't explain my past without talking about Clair. I looked away eating my pizza, it was so delicious, I was so hungry.
"I do." He said plainly, I leaned forward to set my empty plate down, and he reached towards me, and I pulled my hands back scared he might touch my exposed hands. He finished his reach grabbing the cardboard advertisement coaster so he could set his coke down.
"Sorry, I just, I don't like being touched." I told him, pulling my gloves back on hastily, he looked at me with one raised eyebrow and shrugged.
"If you're worried about me sher, you don't have to stay, just don't steal any of my shitty stuff when you go, I'm off to bed. You can take the couch if you stay sher." he told me getting up and slamming down the rest of his soda and going to his bed room. I watched him close the door, and looked at the door to leave, but I didn't have any where to go.
I leaned back trying to get comfortable, the couch was old and it was weird being in some guys apartment, but after a while my eyes drifted closed. I woke up to him coming back into the apartment carrying a box of donuts, and OJ. I was snuggled on the couch under his leather coat, I sat up folding his coat over the arm of the couch.
Clair filled my dreams, I saw her life through her eyes, and at every turn I saw her filled with hate and fear, struggling to escape my mind. She was telling me I'd killed her, telling me I'd stolen her life, taken everything dear to her away with one touch of kindness. She told me any time kindness touched my life I would drain it away until all that was left was emptiness. I was doomed to be alone, and she was right.
"Breakfast sher?" he asked setting the box down for her, and tossing her the milk carton shaped box of juice. I tore open the juice and grabbed a double glazed donut from the box, he sat down next to me.
"Thanks sugar." I told him through a mouth full of food, he laughed putting his feet up.
"No problem ma shere, what you doin today?" He asked taking his own bite, I thought about it for a second.
"I think I might head out again, I don't want to stay in one place for too long." I told him, he looked over at me with his red and black eyes, but he didn't say anything, he just shrugged. I couldn't risk hurting him, the one guy who'd been nice to me here. I ate in silence and got ready to leave, it was kind of weird. I grabbed a quick shower first, and was feeling way better about life, I picked up my bag up, and Gambit was waiting for me.
"See you around Sher." He told her patting her on her exposed shoulder, he stumbled back in shock, and I ran out the door. I could feel his Cajun mind in mine when I pushed the door open it glowed purple and exploded. I ran faster I didn't know what was going on why was everything I touched exploding, wasn't it bad enough she couldn't touch people, now she couldn't touch anything.
I stopped dead in an ally breathing hard, trying hard not to touch anything, a thin curly haired brunette came around the corner looking worried. I'd done it again, I'd ruined everything with one touch.
"Are you okay?" She asked coming closer, I stumbled back scared I'd hurt her.
"Stay back, I, I don't want to hurt you!" I told her, she stopped not looking worried I might hurt her.
"You're a mutant too right, I'm Kitty." She said taking another step towards me, I didn't know what to say to that. This girl, who looked so painfully normal was a mutant too, how was that even possible.
"I'm Rouge." I told her, trying to calm down, she smiled coming closer, I stepped back, accidentally touching, the cover on a trash can. I stumbled away from it in panic, and it exploded after a second.
"Wow, that was way cool, is that what you do?" She asked, I looked at her in shock, she was one weird girl.
"No, I, I don't know, I didn't think so." I told her, she nodded, looking understanding.
"You just got you're powers hu, you should totally come with me back to Xavier's School for the Gifted. It's like this place where you can go to learn how to live with your powers and be with a whole bunch of kids just like you. It's pretty cool too." She told me, I'd never heard of the place, but if they could help me, maybe I should go.
"Um, okay, I just can't touch anything okay." I told her, she nodded leading me out of the ally, she stayed a safe distance away so I didn't freak out.
"So when did you get you're powers?" She asked as she lead me to a parking structure. I thought back with a cringe.
"Not too long ago." I told her, not really feeling like sharing, at this point, the walked up to a big black SUV.
"Who's you're friend Kitty?" A man in red sun glasses asked, I took a step back shocked by this stranger.
"Oh, this is Rouge, Rouge, this is Scott. He's a teacher at the school, he's pretty cool. Rouge is a mutant like us, she's new, and she wanted to come back to the school with us, do you think professer X would be cool with that?" She asked, Scott smiled nodding.
"Ya, I think he will be, it's nice to meet you." He said reaching out and taking my hand to shake it, and since I'd blown my gloves off, he fell back, I stumbled back terrified I'd put him in a coma too. Before I could even ask Kitty if he was okay, my vision turned red and the roof of the parking structure blew off.
'See you ruin everything you touch!' Clair's voice told me flooding my mind with her pain, why did this have to happen to me, how could I ever learn to live like this.
"Close your eyes!" I heard Scott yell, so I did, falling back painfully my eyes squeezed shut, I heard him rummage through there car, and then felt him put something in my hand. "Put those on, it'll help." He told me, they felt like glasses, I slipped them on trying not to touch the lenses. "You can open your eyes now, it should be okay." He told me, I opened my eyes, everything was red, I could feel his mind, but not like Remy, or Cody, wait, Remy, Gambit, I guess I got a little more then feelings from him.
"Wow, you must like suck up peoples powers and stuff, the glasses didn't explode like the trash can." Kitty said, I touched them gingerly. She was right they hadn't, did that men that Remy, or Gambit or whatever was a mutant too. How many of them were there.
"I, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, y'all just..." I started, scared they would look at me the way my Daddy did when he found out about my power. he shook his head still looking a lot dazed by what I'd done.
"Don't worry about it, it was my bad, I should have asked first. I really should know better. Come on let's head home." Scott said, opening the doors for them, they climbed in, Rouge grabbed new gloves out of her bag, when she pulled them out a card fell onto the seat.
Rouge put her gloves on and picked it up, buckling up so Scott could drive. It was the queen of hearts with a number written in the margins and a note paper clipped to it. I slid the card into the front pocket carefully.
"No good at goodbyes Sher, I hope you find what you're looking for. This is my lucky lady, take care of her, sher, and if you ever need me, my numbers on the bottom, Gambit, won't let you down." It read in careful hand writing, I couldn't help but smile, he was an odd one. He was a good guy at heart, I'd felt that much from him. He made me forget for a second about Cody, and Clair, and how her family and friends had looked at her.
I tucked the note away with the card where it would be safe and I leaned back it was so weird that I'd met all these people, I mean before I'd become a mutant, I'd never met a single mutant, but I'd never left my home town either. I zoned out on Kitty's insentient yapping, and stared out the window, before I knew it I was drifting off.
I woke up with a start when from my nightmares of Clair and we were parked in front of a huge brick boarding school looking place with huge fenced in area, like it was some kind of mansion, whoever Xavier was he had to be filthy rich.
"Hey, come on in and I can introduce you to some cool people, oh, and Scott will talk to the professor for you." Kitty told me, I got out of the car to go with her, I guess this was better then hitching.
"Okay, so that's Logan, he got here just before you, he can heal himself he's pretty cool for an old guy, Oh, hey Mr. MaCoy, he's a teacher, he's way cool I guess you can sorta tell what his deal is. Hey Jean, she's way cool, she's Scott's girl friend oh and telepathic. That's Petra, she moves rocks and stuff. Oh there's storm I think her name's pretty self explanatory. Hey guys come meet Rouge, this is Bobby, he's the Ice man, and Kurt, he teleports, guys this is Rouge she takes powers through touch." She told them as the cute sandy haired guy and a blue guy with a tail came over to meet her, I looked at my shoes embarrassed.
"Cool, welcome to Xaver's school for freaks." Bobby said with a nod of a greeting, Kurt smiled with a wave.
"Um thanks, yall seem nice here." I said, Kurt laughed.
"Ya, this is the only place I've ever fit in." He told me, that made me feel pretty good. Maybe I wasn't such a freak here.
"Rouge, this is the professor." Scott said coming up next to us with a stuffy looking bald guy in a wheel chair.
"Um hey." I said with a little wave, he had one of those friendly grandfather type smiles, like he knew everything. Bobby and Kurt left to do whatever it was they'd been doing.
"It's lovely to meet you Rouge, we've gotten you a room, and your class schedule is on the desk there, with everything you'll need here, I trust Kitty has been showing you around." He said in one of them rich guy voices. I nodded. "Good, we're here to help you learn, most of our students go on to be a normal part of society, others stay on to teach or work with what the students affectionately call the X-men, but if ever you feel uncomfortable here we are more then willing to help you get home this isn't an obligation. Now Kitty why don't you show her to her room I'm sure she'd like to get settled in, maybe make a call." He told us, I looked at him wide eyed, I'd just been thinking I should call Gambit, how did he know.
"Sure thing, he's pretty cool hu, he can read minds, but it's cool he doesn't do it most of the time." Kitty told me which was kind of unsettling, Kitty took me up an elevator to this big room with a desk and a huge bed, it was like my own dorm.
"Bathroom is right down the hall, it's got a sign, the kitchen's downstairs and if you get lost pretty much anyone will help you out so it's cool, K I'm off. I'll see ya around." She said with way too much pep, I still didn't know what she could do.
I flopped down on my new bed tossing my bag down with me, it was way comfy, I snatched up the phone from the desk and fished the queen of hearts out of my bag dialing the number on it nervously.
"Hello." a male voice on the other end said with a Cajun lilt after a few rings.
"Hey, is this Gambit?" I asked, there was a bit of a pause, and I was worried it was the wrong number.
"Maybe, who's dis?" He asked, Rouge sighed in relief.
"Rouge." I told him. He made a sound of recognition. "I just wanted to apologies and make sure you were okay." I told him, now I was worried he was mad.
"For what Cher, you said you didn't like being touched, ol' Gambit should a listened." He told me, I smiled, glad he was okay, and not mad.
"Well, I didn't do it on purpose, and also I think I blew up your door, so sorry, I still can't control my power. I just want it to go away really." I told him, he laughed.
"I know how you feel Cher, when I first got my power I couldn't even get dressed wid out blowing up my clothes, but dat's what makes you special Cher, it's part a you now so don't ignore it learn to use it." He told her, I didn't think I could, but I guess if this was a school, maybe she'd try to learn how.
"You really blew up your clothes?" I asked him, he laughed on the other end sounding rather amused.
"Blew up everything I touched for weeks before I got enough control to get dressed mon Shere, you should have been dere pettie a pretty thing like you, I'm sure we could a figured out something to do wid our time." He teased, I laughed shaking my head at his vulgarity.
"You wish swamp rat." I told him, he laughed again.
"So sher, where did you end up?" He asked, sounding muffled for a moment, like he was getting undressed, I had to shake that thought of my head.
"I'm at some school in Westchester, New York Graymalkin lane or something, it's this huge mutant school mansion thing, it's pretty cool I guess. I'm sure it's not as nice as you're dump though sugar." I joked happy for the distraction he provided.
"Sure is a long way to go for schoolin ma Cherie." He told me, he had a point there.
"Ya, I guess so sugar, but I guess there aint no distance a gal won't go to fit in." I told him, there was a knock on the door.
"If you say so Cher, I hope it works out for you." He told me, I looked to the door in frustration.
"I gotta go Sugar, some one's at the door, I'll talk to yall later." I told him.
"Sure thing Cher, see you around." He told me, I hung the phone up and went and answered the door. Scott and Jean were standing there when I opened the door.