※:※:※:※ Chapter- 2 ※:※:※:※
Hiya there guys, I'm back with a fresh chap that's going to reveal more about the future of the story in this one. Just a small explanation- This story is a slow burn and Savi is going to be a part of it till the end. She looks just like Marie but you can imagine her in the ethnic clothes of India, so she's really not an OC, okay?
Killin-time- Glad to know you loved it :-D
Doctor Rose- Glad to hear that you loved the start. Hope you like this one too.
Guest- Oh god yes, finally someone asked me about 1857's revolt :D! Well, Logan isn't going to join it but I'm going to mention it in various spots.
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What kinda Déjà Vu is it?
That was the question that had been bugging Marie for the past half hour since she locked eyes with that Wolverine guy during his match. She didn't know why, but as their eyes met, Marie unexpectedly felt like...she'd seen this man somewhere else before. In spite of being sure that she had never met someone with a funny name like Wolverine before, some strange, blurred visions with him in them had been revolving around her brain since that minute and making her restless.
"You want something new, honey?" her deep contemplation was broken by a rough tone. The bartender took her distant gaze fixed at his 'money jar' in the wrong direction and slid it aside. "Or are you sticking with water?"
Before she could shook her head, the man of her thoughts grabbed the stool next to her. "l'll have a beer."
Their eyes greeted each other again. The hesitant glances were mutual. Being so close to the girl from his dreams felt like a totally different thing. Her Marigolds spiced by nervousness and worry and ignorance filling his lungs. She was a total copy of Savi but what about her skin and hair? Hair could be dyed but how the hell did get so white?
Does she also have that Vitiligo thing that Jackson bub has?
With another cigar Logan shoved into his mouth, Logan suppressed Wolverine's ranting and tried to look careless. He fixed his ears on the news going on the small screen.
"Ellis Island, once the arrival point for American immigrants, is opening its doors again. Preparations are nearly completed for the United Nations World Summit."
Before he could even open his mouth to start a conversation-
"You owe me some money." the hesitant talk of eyes was broken by the bald dude Logan pummeled the shit out of in the ring.
"Stu, let's not do this." his friend tried to make him understand him but the pissed off flatscan shoved him back.
"No man takes a beating like that without a mark to show for it." when Logan paid no attention to the human's loud barks, he took his lips close to his ear and whispered. "I know what you are."
Noticing the fear and worry creeping onto the girl's face, Logan released a menacing snarl. "Ya keep this up, ya lose somethin' else."
The bald guy took the warning lightly and made another foolish mistake.
"Look out!" Marie screamed in great horror as she saw the shining knife coming down to give the dude with horny spikes a deep slash but before he could hurt the chiseled flesh, Logan smelled the upcoming attack, left the stool and spun around with lightning-fast speed —and widening everyone present in the emptied bar— pointed three shining blades that just came out of the space between his knuckles at the bald guy.
Marie watched the rapid reflex with a terrified look on her face.
Suddenly a rifle was pointed at the back of Logan's head. "Get outta my bar, freak!"
Logan let out another pissed off snarl before giving the cocky bartender's rifle an oblique slash that split the heavy metal in two.
He looked back to the girl and found a horrified expression on her face that made him regret his action. His first impression went south horribly. Heavily embarrassed, he hastily pulled back his claws and rushed out of the bar, leaving a dumbfounded Marie behind.
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Flashback
Arre saheb, aap iss daayan ko kaha se utha laye?" (Oh my, why have you brought this witch here, sir?) the eyes of Logan's aged servant widened in mild horror as he opened the door and Logan rushed in with the heavily injured wife of late 'Bade Thakur'. Since the girl had no chunri to hide her face from the old man at the moment, she quickly buried her bloody face against her savior's clothed torso.
"Ye koi daayan nahi hai, samjhe?!" (She's not a witch, understand?) Logan snarled at the old man as he took the severely injured girl stuck to him like a leech to the guest room and carefully placed her on the bed. She quickly retreated and curled up into a ball in the opposite corner of the bed.
"Wo log usse marne wale the, aur mai ye nahi hone de sakta tha." (Those bloody fools were going to kill her, and I could not allow it to happen in my presence.) Logan said with a deep sigh, looking at the trembling mess before him.
Hey bhagwan! Ye aapne thik nahi kiya, saheb. Iske devar, Chhote Thakur apne gaanv ke sabse bade jameedar hain, bahot maan-samman hai unka. Wah aapko Iss maha paap ke liye kabhi shama nahi karenge!" (Oh lord! Sorry to say sir, but you've made a terrible mistake this time. Her brother-in-law, 'Chhote Thakur' is the biggest landlord of his village, he's a prestigious name among his people. He will never forgive you for this great sin!) the old man expressed his deep worry for his master.
"Mujhe parwah nahi wo koun hai!" (I do not care who he is!) Logan almost snarled at the other man. "Aur tum bhi chinta mat karo Ramlal, tum bas abhi Jaao aur iske ghaavon pe lagane ke liye kuch lekar aao." (And you also don't need to worry about anything, Ramlal. You just go and fetch something to apply on her wounds.)
With a helpless sigh, the senile man turned around to head for the kitchen. "Thik hai saheb, hum abhi haldi wala lep lekar aate hain uske liye." (Alright, sir. I'll just bring the turmeric paste for her.)
Ramlal rapidly returned with the paste and handed it to his master. Logan dipped his middle finger into the remedy and extended it toward the girl but she flinched back in lenient fright. All her fear, shame and hesitancy had returned when she felt an different environment around her.
Logan quickly attempted to assuage her. "Arre daro nahi, ye to bas haldi hai, tumhari choton ke liye." (Oh don't worry, it's just turmeric, for your wounds.) when he realized that the girl was afraid of letting an unknown man touch her, he sighed and extended the bowl toward her.
"Lo, khud laga lo." (Take it, apply it yourself.) she slowly and hesitantly took the small bowl from him.
As the tip of her finger dipped in the yellow paste touched the first cut on her left cheek, a loud hiss escaped her lips and a couple of tears formed in her reddened eyes. Logan sighed again and gave her another advice.
"Apni aankhein band karo lo, tab kam jalega." (Just close your eyes, it won't hurt that much then.)
The girl absorbed the admonishment and did as he said.
A relieved smile touched Logan's lips this time. "Accha, to ab tum yahi aaram karo, mai tumhare liye kuch naye kapdon ka intezaam karta hun." (Good. Now you please take some rest here while I get some new clothes for you.)
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Logan had barely crossed five kilometers that his nose caught a familiar scent wafting from the back of his truck. It was the damned teen again.
Still very pissed about that the girl had seen the side of his he tried to hide from everyone, he stopped the truck and hopped out. He reached behind and pulled the shabby cover off the the little hitchhiker stowing away in his trailer.
"Hey! What the hell are ya doin'?"
Greatly embarrassed, Marie quickly apologized. "I-I'm sorry. I need a ride, I thought you could help me. I...I don't have any money. Could you give me a lift to the next town or-"
Logan's heart skipped a beat when her sweet voice entered his ears. Totally different from the scream she let out in that bar, the honey-dipped tone reminded him of the girl from his nightmares again.
The little distraction was broken by another infuriating thought. She now knew who he actually was. A goddamn animal!
He cut her off with his raised thumb that said "Get out!"
"B-But we're in the middle of nowhere!" Marie made a desperate attempt to stop him from pulling her out. "Where am I supposed to go?"
Logan gave a fake shrug. "I don't know."
The Southern girl's expression bittered at once. "Yah don't know, or yah don't care?"
In spite of being affected by her pleading brown pools, Logan still tried to maintain an unsympathetic tone. "Pick one."
"B-But l saved your life!"
"No, you didn't."
And with that Logan left the damsel from his dreams on a lonely road and decided to move on because perhaps, that was what would be the best for both of them. So what if she looked like someone from he had seen in his dreams? The girl's words had already cleared that she didn't know him at all.
That means she can't be Savi.
But for some fucking reason, all the excuses he was giving in the defense of his decision seemed to crumble because he just couldn't stop watching her shrinking image in the wing mirror. desperation was clearly written on her beautiful face and that desperation was poking something inside him again and again. With a loud huff, he rolled his eyes and stopped the truck.
A bright smile touched Marie's lips as that Wolverine guy stopped for her. She rapidly picked up her bags and rushed to him. She quickly jumped in and closed the door.
"You don't have anything to eat, do you?" she asked softly.
With something very close to a growl, his hand reached across into the glove compartment and handed her something to eat. She looked down at the packet in her hand. Beef Jerky, okay, Beggars can't be choosers.
"I'm Rogue." Marie murmured around her first mouthful. She'd always been a maverick spirit, and now with this dangerous ability of hers she was sure that this name suited her perfectly.
She looked across the seat to look at him and spotted a dog tag around his neck.
"Were you in the army?" she slightly hesitated at his questioning scowl. "Doesn't...doesn't that mean you were in the army?"
When there was no response, she awkwardly stopped talking and looked around the rusted vehicle.
"Wow." that was a sarcastic thanks to God.
"What?"
She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Um-nothing, It's just that, suddenly my life doesn't look that bad."
The man with horny spikes snorted. "Well, if you prefer the road-"
"No, no, it looks great." she said quickly to make him happy. "It looks...cozy."
They both went quiet after that. She began to rub her cold hands together. Logan noticed it and turned on the heater. "Put your hands on the heater." He suddenly reached for her hand but Marie pulled back in mild dread. She just hated to be touched without her permission.
Logan took her flinch in the wrong direction. "Look, I'm not gonna hurt you kid."
Marie shook her head and put back on her gloves. "It's nothing personal. It's just that...when people touch my skin...something happens."
"What?"
"I don't know," she shrugged. "They just get hurt."
Logan contemplated her face for a long minute. "Fair enough."
Marie's gaze was now fixed at his knuckles. "When they come out...does it hurt?"
Logan took a long minute before replying. "Every time. So, what kind of name is Rogue?"
"I don't know. What kind of name is Wolverine?"
A small smile crossed the handsome face. "My name is Logan."
The girl also smiled back. "Marie."
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Flashback
"Jimmy? Jimmy!"
The girl rapidly slid into the furtherest corner of the bed as she heard someone slamming open the door of her room. It was the other white man who had come to rescue her with her saviour.
Smelling like a barrel of Whiskey, Victor's slightly drunk eyes leered at the shoulder peeking out of her torn blouse. When the damsel's nervous glances notice the ogle, she quickly covered her shoulder with the blanket lying near her.
"Jimmy, mera bhai, kahan hai wo?" (Jimmy, my brother, where is he?) he growled harshly.
Presuming that Jimmy is the name of her rescuer, the girl lowered her gaze again and stuttered nervously. "W-Wo hamare liye k-kapde lene gaye hain." (H-He's gone to bring some c-clothes for me.)
Victor leered at the girl again. Since Ramlal'd left for home and Jimmy wasn't here at the moment, he decided to take advantage of the golden chance. He suddenly seized a large portion of the bed and crooked an index finger at the girl.
"Idhar aao." (Come here.)
The girl sensed the wild lust hidden behind his calm words and shook her head vigorously. "N-Nahi, hum nahi aayenge." (N-No, I won't.)
The defiance of this human wench infuriated the feral man. He abruptly grasped her wrist and attempted to pull her against his chest. "Tune suna nahi maine kya kaha?!" (Did you not hear what I just said?!)
The girl had to begin another fight to save her dignity. The fear of getting hurt again increased the level of adrenaline. It made the girl fight tooth and Nail, surprising both Victor and herself.
"D-Dur rahiye, hamse!" (S-Stay away from me!)
The next pounce from the girl unexpectedly lacerated Victor's left cheek, enraging him immensely. The human girl's eyes widened in pure shock when she saw the bloody scratch knit back together. Victor had lost all his self-control this time. Prodding out his claws within a scary second, he bared his protruding canines at the girl, broadening her eyes in great fright.
"You bloody bitch, you're going to pay for-"
"VICTOR!"
Before his clawed hand could come down and slash the terrified girl's face, Logan burst in and caught it in the mid-air. "How dare you touch her?!"
"Easy, little brother," Victor had a panting smirk as he took a drunk step back. "I was just playin' with the doll."
"She's not a toy, Victor!" Logan snarled. The loud sobs from the disheveled girl increasing his anger even more. "She's a human being, like the rest of-"
Their heated argument was interrupted by a knock on the half-open door. It was one of the new sepoys.
Logan's raised eyebrow silently asked him about his purpose for being here at this time. The human comprehended the mute question and replied.
"General Hearsey sarkar ne aapko turant bulaya hai, Captaan saheb." (General Hearsey has demanded your presence immediately, Captain.)
A mutually tensed look crossed the brother's face immediately.
"Of course she's not a toy, Jimmy," Victor looked back to his younger sibling and pointed an accusing finger at him. "She's only a bloody catastrophe ya have brought to our heads!"
With that the elder feral stormed out of the room, leaving James to take care of the sobbing mess.
After dismissing the messenger, Logan turned around to comfort the poor girl but the extending hands pulled a sudden flinch out of her. Realizing his mistake, Logan straightened and pulled his napkin out of his pocket and offered it to her.
"Ye lo, aansoo ponchh lo." (Take it, wipe your tears.)
When the girl hesitantly accepted the offered piece of cloth, he twirled to leave. "Uh-tum yahi ruko, mai abhi aata hun." (Uh-you just wait here, I'll come back in a minute.)
the abrupt panic that just rose from the girl made him turn to her. "Daro mat, mai darwaze par tala laga kar jaunga." (Don't worry, I'll lock the door this time.)
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Finally sick and tired of the awkwardly long silence between them, Marie decided to contemplate her gruff helper's profile. The guy with the old-fashioned sideburns looked like those badass goons of old gangster movies. The old leather was hiding a bulky frame ready to crush bones behind it. The thick cigar between his lips and his penetrative gaze fixed on the road presented the image of a typical truck driver. Her wandering gaze finally stopped on the unused seat belt.
"You know," she muttered softly. "You should wear your seat belt."
A teenager's advice on safe driving infuriated the feral dude. "Look, kid, l don't need your advice on-"
His growl was interrupted by a lethal accident when their truck crashed into a falling tree. The terrible encounter caused Logan to fly through the windshield.
It took a trembling Marie a long stunned minute to realize what the heck just happened but when she did, she found herself stuck in her seat and Logan's unconscious frame on the snowy ground. Her eyes widened in pure shock when Logan abruptly shot back to his feet and the biggest shocker, the long cut on his forehead healed within a damned second.
He snapped his neck. "Ya all right?"
When there was no response, he almost shouted this time. "Kid, are you all right?"
Marie finally spoke this time. "I-l'm stuck!"
As Logan stepped toward his wrecked truck to save her, a strangely familiar scent hit at his nose out of nowhere. The blades instinctively jumped out. His nostrils twitched to take more of this smell in while his eyes scanned the area.
"Logan, watch out!" Marie screamed in horror as a giant man attacked Logan from behind.
The man grinned in Logan's ear evilly before snatching his dogtags off his neck. "Long time, no see, Jimmy boy."
With the malicious line, the giant picked a birch trunk from the ground and used it like a Baseball bat to threw Logan away. The lower man landed on the hood of his truck.
After taking care of the obstacle with horny hair, the mountainous man now turned his glare to his purpose for being here, Marie. The furious flames rising from leaked fuel tank sent Marie into Panic Mode. She started streaming louder and struggling against the jammed seat as she that monstrous man come near her. As he reached near the truck, his eyes narrowed when he recognized both the horrified girl's scent and her face. He couldn't believe it was really her.
"Savi?"
The man was too dumbstruck by the sight of the shocking presence before him to realize that his enemies'd also reached there to save the girl. His shocked contemplation was broken by the snow storm rising from behind. As he spun around, a dark-skinned woman with white hair used her little voodoo and the storm picked him up in the air like a dry leaf before her partner, a pretty boy touched his strange red goggles released a red beam from his eyes that made a hole in the giant animal's chest. The critter hit the ground with a loud snarl.
The white-haired witch now looked to her partner. "Now time to save the girl and her friend."
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Chunri- A long rectangular piece of cloth used to cover your head and hide your face from your elders. My mom also uses it.
The Turmeric Paste- In India the Turmeric paste is an age old home remedy to heal wounds as it has antiseptic properties and kills all infections in your body and skin. It also relieves inflammation and helps wounds to heal faster.
Captaan- A rural slang for Captain.
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Sorry if you find Savi too shy or afraid here. We are talking about the women of Victorian Era, people. Women's condition wasn't very good that time. Especially, a woman from a slave country.
Hope I'm going in the right direction about this one. It's totally different from all other Rogans of mine and I need a lot of encouragement here so please don't forget to review :-}