I don't own anything from the original X-Men comic or movie franchise as the characters are owned by them not me, this story is just a piece of my imagination that's stands outside of the base story for my own creative outlet. Although if you don't like it then don't blame me, blame the ones who created the original stuff! ;) :P

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His words echoed in my mind as I watched the traffic pass, not really seeing the vehicles as they went by - my mind was racing, as though it had finally been woken up after years of being switched off. It was hard not to reflect on the past few years, how long has it been now? Running from myself was easier to do than expected, choosing to focus on other mutants instead. I'd been hitchhiking between towns following the trail of mutants wherever it took me and not exactly thinking about where I ended up - time simply just flew by without any meaning. Well, looks like time's finally caught up.

A heavy rattling distracted me from my thoughts, I looked for the source of the noise and discovered that it was a clattering horse trailer on the back of a truck heading down a side road to my left. I decided it was time to get out of here and find somewhere to sort my head out - s'about time really. Gingerly getting up from the bench and noticing the stiffness in my limbs I resolved to work on my fitness in the near future.

The trailer wasn't hard to catch up to and I found it parked in the open driveway of a modest ranch-like style house. A middle aged and well dressed man emerged from a gate to the right side of the house pulling a horse, a gorgeous chestnut brown mature stallion. Following them was another man, much older than the first and nowhere near as well presented, in fact he was rather coarse looking with a cigarette hanging from his lips and unidentifiable stains on his supposedly "white" shirt. I moved so that I was mostly hidden from view behind the sparse hedging that defined the perimeter of the lot. It wasn't hard to guess that which of the two were the driver of the truck and the owner of the horse.

Waiting until the stallion was settled in the back and the owner was upfront discussing something with the driver I noiselessly made my way to the trailer. It was easy enough if you got your timing right, and I've certainly had enough practice. The horse whinnied gently at my approach but didn't bristle when I went to brush my fingers through his mane. I took this as a sign of acceptance and stooped to sit in the far corner, using the horse and shaded corners as coverage of my presence. A few minutes passed, the horses gentle noises hiding the sound of my breathing, before the engine stuttered to life. It somehow felt different this time, even though I was just heading off to who knows where again like always, I finally felt as if I'd found some sense of direction.

The driver's music tastes were rather surprising as old country western music had been floating from the front of the truck for the past hour. I'd forgotten how much I'd loved music when I was younger, even listening to it now made my limbs tingle with absence – missing the sensation of dancing and the flow of music as it glides around you. I'd always loved the way music would swirl around you in the air in an array of colours and textures, bright flashes of green mixed with slow trickling hues of oranges and yellows.

The ride was bumpy, jolting me against the side of the trailer on several occasions and I vaguely wondered where we were heading. Any where'll do, I just finally need to get my head sorted. And with that thought I closed my eyes and concentrated, gradually starting to break down the walls that had been up far too long.

It was dark when we stopped and I waited to hear the driver's fading footsteps before stretching my legs out and sitting up just enough look between the gaps in the side of the trailer. Just a service station, great. I debated with making my departure or staying put for the rest of the journey but was interrupted by the horse who had knelt to rest beside me. He'd not been bothered about my joining him for the ride and now simply looked at me with calculating brown eyes. I'd always thought of horses as clever animals, gentle and placid mostly but undoubtedly wise. As the horse assessed me I carefully reached out to place my palm against his cheek and muzzle – on contact my mind was assaulted with a sense of curiosity and sympathy. It was something I'd been very much used to when I was younger – picking up on people's emotions – I was just somehow attuned to them. It always seemed fairly normal being able to sense how someone was feeling and of course physical contact would just make the connection stronger. Only when I started hearing what people were thinking did things feel a little odd. I wouldn't quite say that I could hear people's thoughts, not in the traditional sense; I just seemed to pick up on them if I concentrated on a person for long enough or if their thoughts were strong enough. Obviously this just meant the usual ones that would come through were either in some form of distress or the annoying opposite – overly happy.

How long does it take to get gas? Realising that the driver was most likely not going to return till morning I settled beside the horse, focusing my mind on retracing the familiar patterns of thoughts and emotions as I mentally reached out, gradually opening myself up to the sensations again. I was watching the particles of dust as they drifted in the faint beam of morning light that streamed through slots in the trailer walls when I heard footsteps approach. The horse rose to its feet and I shuffled into the corner as it moved to block me from view, the driver ambled to the back of the trailer throwing in a stack of hay before making his way back into the truck. The engine grumbled to life and once again we were on the road.

Previously these journeys would have been filled with a numbness in which I would simply switch off in order to stop my mind from drifting. But this time I filled the time familiarising myself with all the things I'd neglected; allowing myself to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, listening to the wind as it whipped past the trailer, reaching out to see the road ahead through the driver eye's and picturing the music as it faintly drifted through the truck's open window. When we finally stopped I was filled with an optimism for what would greet me, it was strangely new and I welcomed it gladly. I listened for the driver's greeting to the person destined to take the horse out of his hands and stood up brushing myself off. I patted the horse's muzzle "thanks for the hospitality!" I whispered before heading to make my exit, if only humans would be so accommodating. Climbing out of the trailer was trickier than I had planned and I thanked the drivers need to gossip and digress for covering my escape, having gathered myself from the slightly landing I dashed into the smattering of trees at the side of the road and made my way forward following the sounds of traffic.

Promisingly the roads got busier and I soon found myself on the sidewalk of an street, not dissimilar to last but notably larger and busy, thank god it's not another small town in the middle of nowhere. I scrutinised the surrounding shops hoping to catch sight of somewhere to get a change of clothes, however I was aware that I didn't want to end up in the same mess as I did in the diner. Spotting a man waiting in line at a cash machine a vague plan started forming in my head, well I guess it's worth a shot. I made my way over to him as he stepped up to the machine, plastering a smile on my face I took a deep breath and prayed for the best. "Hey dad! Fancy getting a couple of hundred out for me? I've spotted this gorgeous dress earlier that would be perfect for that party!" His confused expression at my addressing him slowly morphed into a neutral one as I concentrated on his reply.

"Sure honey..." his voice wavered slightly as he complied, most likely not altogether sure why he was doing so. Luckily for me he simply handed the money over, I kissed him on the cheek and headed off to the clothes store across the street. The exhilaration at my success slowly crept through and I smiled to myself - a little rusty, clearly, but not too bad!

The doors slid open and I was greeted by a store assistant "Can I help you?" her smile was just a little too attentive and I remembered the state of my appearance.

"No thanks, just here to pick up a few essentials" I answered, hoping it would be enough to appease her as I made my way into the store.

I saw her blonde ponytail swishing in the corner of my eye as she turned back to whatever she had been doing and I started on the task of stoking up. First was a new bag, a backpack to carry everything and to replace the one I've got – deciding on a patchwork one in a variety of blues I then headed off to get some new shoes. The grey converse I'd been wearing were scuffed beyond recognition and the soles were practically worn to nonexistence. I picked up a replacement pair of lace-ups in black, practical enough. I'd never been too fussed with shopping and it didn't take long before I'd left the store with a bag containing new underwear, several basic t-shirts and vests with varied logos on, a few pairs of shorts and jeans – more lightweight and a little more fitted than my current ones as the weather was starting to improve- and finally a cosy zipped up hoodie to replace to the too small jacket I'd been wearing. Pleased with the purchases and the fact that I had about $30 left I went to find the nearest restroom and swapped over my old stuff for the new, packing whatever was left into my new backpack and bagging up my old clothes for trash. With a renewed confidence I headed out in search of new ways to test my newfound courage.

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Hope you guys are still liking it! Just wanted to give you a little bit more insight into her character without being too philosophical, also thought she needed a change of scene :P sorry it's a little short just felt like a good place to end it, let me know where you want her to go next! Open to ideas of course but won't be deviating too far from Laura's chosen path,

Thanks for reading!

Pandasaurusrexamon xxx