Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of X-Men I only claim ownership of Tara.

TARA:

I followed Charles as he and Moira led me to this weird white place filled with people in long white coats.

"W-Where are we?" I asked looking up at him.

"We're at the infirmary. We need t know how healthy you are after…" I nodded before he was finished. I didn't want to go back down memory lane. I was nervous though. I had never been t something like this before and I didn't know what to expect but what I did think of was scary.

"I'll be outside the entire time." Charles said to calm me as they led me into a room. They had me sit on a table and started doing all these weird things that I didn't understand and don't want to go through. As they kept examining my bruises though tears came into my eyes because I remembered how I got them.

CHARLES:

I wanted to go in there and comfort the small child. She was near to crying her eyes out. I don't want her to go through this. I felt the same way I do Raven with her but it's more…fatherly. In the span of maybe one day I felt as if the small child was my daughter. Stranger things have happened I suppose. All of a sudden they brought Tara back out. I went over to her and hugged her.

"Good job Tara…" I said kindly. She was still crying. She knew that we would be told of all her injuries.

"Now Charles and Erik won't want me anymore…" she thought and I shushed her, patting her head. Then the doctor came in but she was in tears.

"What the…" Erik mumbled seeing that she was crying.

"I have her diagnostics…she is severely malnourished at 54 pounds...she has many broken bones that thankfully healed properly but were never medicated for…she had a broken wrist that didn't heal properly...and there are bruises in the shape of hands…" she said excusing herself. Tara was now sobbing into my shirt. Erik looked ready to kill.

"I'm here, they won't hurt you." I told her.

"I couldn't stop him…I couldn't fight him I-""You shouldn't have had to fight." I thought interrupting her. She nodded and I let her go only for her to cling onto me again. I then picked her up and began to carry her back to the others.

"Do you need my help?" asked Erik. I shook my head and continued on. All the while I had gone into Tara's mind and made her go to sleep. It'll help her.

TARA:

The next day no one mentioned what happened last night and for that I was thankful. I really didn't want to talk about it. Our punishment was that we couldn't go to Russia with Charles, Erik, and Moira. I don't think Moira liked me that much anyway.

"Tara can you hand me my Edgar Allen Poe book?" Hank said and I froze. H-How was I suppose to read what the books say? I still nodded and went over to the books. I tried reading what they said, I really did.

"Tara?" Raven said, walking over and picking out the book. I looked to the ground.

"Do you not know how to read…or write?" she asked looking at me. I could feel everyone staring at me as I nodded.

"I'm sorry…" I murmured. She picked my head up and made me look her in the eye. "That is something you should never be sorry about." She said and I nodded and gave her a soft smile.

"I can teach you." Hank said. I looked over to him wide-eyed.

"R-Really?" I asked with a wide grin on my face. He smiled, nodded and took out some sheets of paper and a pen. I ran over and sat beside him as he began to teach me. Soon I could write the alphabet and other things including my name!

RAVEN:

I was talking with Angel as Tara ran over to me and showed me a piece of paper.

"Look! Look! Look!" she yelled in excitement. I smiled and took the paper. On it was Tara Johnson in print and in pretty cursive.

"This is great Tara." I said hugging her. She hugged back tightly. She was a really sweet kid; you just had to give her a chance.

The whole day Hank helped Tara and soon Darwin and Alex snatched her to teach her how to play pinball. There were a lot of things she didn't know how to do and that worried me.

TARA:

After dinner things started to get bad. As we were talking two guards came up and started to talk.

"I didn't know the freak show was in town!" one exclaimed as the other laughed. I tried to ignore then.

"Hey! Do a little-"the first guy said then tried to flap his arms like Angel did with her wings.

"And pinkie! Show a little…" the second guy said and shooting his arms to the ground like I did with my lightning. I didn't like this. I already had enough of this through my father.

"What about the foot?" The first one said talking to Hank. Hank did get up and they got excited only for Hank to close the curtain on the fools. The damage was done though. Tears were in my eyes and Darwin handed me a tissue. I thanked him and began to wipe my eyes.

"They're just guys being stupid." Raven said to Angel. Angel looked royally pissed off.

"Guys being stupid I can handle. I've handled that my whole life…but I'd rather have a bunch of guys stare at me with my clothes off then the way these guys do." She said.

"Don't say things like that…" I said in vain.

"Get real Tara. The humans, no matter what we do, they will always think of us as freaks." She said. I got up and walked over to the corner. That reminded me of what my father said every day. I rubbed my arms from the memories.

"Go away…" I muttered trying to get the past to leave me. I was in a better place now I don't need to be thinking of the past.

"Tara!" I heard Alex yell. I turned around and went wide-eyed when I saw I had done. I had made tings float in the air including all the boys. I set them all down rubbing my head.

"What you said…reminded me of what he said…" I told them looking to the ground.

"He, who?" Raven asked walking over to me. I backed up a bit and she stopped.

"What did they do to you Tara?" she asked looking at me in worry.

As she was about to put a hand on my head I heard a thump from outside…then another…and another.

"Something's wrong…" I said looking at the covered window.