Ye Olde Authors' Note: Sorry for not updating, I completely forgot due to school and the holidays. Now, I know the date for this story might seem abit far fetched because of the technology or clothing used, but I didn't know when this film was supposed to be set. If anyone knows, let me know and I'll try and change it.
Please review.
The hours passed quickly as Rouge waited for the time to come. Her parents had arrived home a few minutes ago and probably in the middle of preparing a nice family dinner, while Rouge waited for her happy home life to end. After tracing the map again and explaining her route to Cody as she had done in the previous lifetime, apprehension twisted in her stomach forming a knot she laid down beside Cody.
The knot in her stomach turned to lead when Cody leaned in closer, bringing his face to a stop only millimetres from hers. The lead in her stomach had paralysed her, making Rouge unable to move even if she wanted to. Fear was now a prominent emotion and she could not help comparing this time to the last time her and Cody had attempted to kiss. The first time she was sacred as well, but for an entirely different reason. She had been anxious and waited desperately for Cody to push his face closer, filling in the small gap between them. Now she just wanted him to stay back. Their breaths mixed together as Cody waited for her to push him away. Still paralysed by fear of harming Cody and filled with apprehension, Rouge could not do more than shake her head softy.
Unfortunately, this motion went unnoticed by Cody. He closed his eyes and moved closer, pressing his lips firmly against Rouge's.
After no more than a few seconds of contact, Rouge felt it. The cold rush that started from her head, and continued down to the rest of her body, making her shiver slightly as it coated her skin. It was as if someone had drenched her in freezing cold water, pouring it onto her head and watching as it glided down the rest of her body, soaking into her skin, the excess dripping onto the carpet and saturating her clothes as it went before it pooled onto the floor, unexplainably leaving her completely dry. In the first timeline, Rouge believed it to be nothing more than a reaction to her first kiss. The thrill of finally experiencing something that most girls in her school had experienced a long time ago.
Now she knew better.
Focusing her mind, she concentrated on the icy rush. Slowly, bit by bit, she managed to drag it back before closing it behind the extravagant door in her mental hallway. The fact that her mediation and preparations had worked, elicited a small gasp of amazement to escape Rouge. Taking advantage of this fact, Cody slipped his tongue past her lips deepening the kiss. Still caught up in being able to manage her Mutation on the first go, Rouge was only too eager to comply.
After an intense make-out session, Rouge was startled back to reality when Cody started to drag her closer. Pulling her to his side, Cody gently rolled over her, hovering over her and using his arms on either side on her head to keep his full weight off of her. Feeling the panic take over her, Rouge opened her eyes. She was not ready. Cody was too preoccupied to notice Rouge was not responding anymore.
With a feeling of regret from hurting her friend yet slight relief, she allowed her Mutation to sweep over her once again. She knew the moment the Mutation took effect as Cody immediately stiffened and stopped kissing her.
And she felt it.
She felt it as her Mutation was released, blanketing her skin in a protective force field. Her skin tingled and seemed to hum when her Mutation swept over it. She felt his life force, soul, whatever you want to call it drain from him, slowly at first. She felt it as it flowed into her, filling up her head with his thoughts and feelings, which she immediately categorised and shoved behind a wooden door in her mind. And she liked it. It felt natural, right, to be draining someone. To be stealing their private memories and feelings. Because it was her. It was her power, and therefore was apart of her.
Her power - nor anyone else's - was not evil, as she had once led herself to believe. It was specifically hers. And it is her actions that determine whether or not this power will be used for evil or good.
With great power comes great responsibility.
She knew what side she wanted to fight on. Knew it from the very start that she did not want to harm anyone with her Mutation, and so she had exiled herself. Running away from even the possibility of hurting someone else. Sure, almost everyone in her town was ignoring her, but that is not why she left. She left for the safety of others.
And she was annoyed at herself because of it. Instead of facing up to her powers, to her self, she ran.
Not this time. She would be leaving, yes, but not because of other people. She would leave when she's ready.
Coming back into the present with a new sense of resolve, she stopped her Mutation. Pausing it in it's tracks with enough ease to make it seem like an art form, she pulled it back, locking it behind the decorated doors within her mind.
She felt a stab of worry tinged with regret as she watched Cody fall in a heap on top of her a mass of limbs. She hadn't meant to use her powers too long, she was just lost in thought and had forgotten all about the world outside her head. Eyes wide in horror, she quickly placed her fingers on the pulse point on his neck. She had taken numerous courses during her free time to make sure she would be prepared to live on the streets, and had even taken dance classes - mainly hip-hop - down at the local community centre to help her stay fit and have the upper hand during a fight. All this was done without her parents knowledge of course.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the thrum of a slightly weakened pulse below her fingers. Pushing Cody off her, she prepared her self to play the role of a confused and distraught teenager. Screaming, she crouched herself down in the corner much like she had done last timeline. She heard the pound of footsteps stampeding upstairs as her parents rushed towards their daughter.
She watched from the sidelines studiously whilst still playing her role, and could probably tell you the exact moment when her parents realised she was a Mutant as they frantically tried to wake the unconscious boy lying on her bed. The disgusted and resentful look from her father was hard to miss. Although, she found herself wishing she had.
Following the events from her previous timeline, Rouge shut down. She didn't respond to any questions, or touches. She just looked straight ahead, and allowed the inevitable to happen.
