"Hey."
"Hey, Morgan," I reply, glancing up from the book before noting my page and setting it down on the bedside table.
"Feeling better?" she asks, wandering over to my bed, a stack of clothes in her arms that she sits on the end of the bed.
"Yeah, they've given me some anaesthetic, so I can't feel my shoulder."
"I didn't mean to hurt you that badly; maybe a bruise or a graze, but not broken bones," she says, perching herself carefully on the edge of the bed. "Sorry."
"At least you're honest about it. The others are just saying that you didn't mean to hurt me at all."
Morgan laughs. "Yeah, I would've hurt you a little, but nothing serious. When can you get out of here?"
"I'm think I can leave with you. I'd have to check, but I'm pretty sure I can."
"I hope you two are getting along," Laura says, walking into the room.
"No broken bones yet," Morgan replies.
Laura walks over to Morgan and asks her something too quietly for me to hear, and Morgan nods in reply.
"Darcy, you can leave now if you want. Morgan will help you change, and you can go back up for classes."
Laura helps me out of bed and slides the partition over, then leaves so I can change.
"Change the pants first, it's easier," Morgan says, holding out a pair of thin black track pants. I pull off the trousers I'm already wearing and slip into the pair that Morgan gives me. "Do you want a jacket? It's a bit warmer up there, but…"
"No, I'll be right," I say.
"Alright then. Keep your arm as still as you can." I hold my arm in place with my good arm as she undoes the sling and sits it on the bed while she carefully pulls off my shirt. I know she would've seen the scar, but she doesn't comment on it, just slipping the red racer back tank top over my head and adjusting it around my shoulders before putting the sling back on, pulling the straps tight around my body. "Let's go find Laura and then we're out of here." She slides the partition back into place and I follow her as she looks for Laura. We find her soon enough and she tells us we're free to go, and to be careful. We walk up the stairs, Morgan keeping to my pace patiently, until we get back to our room. She packs the messenger bag Laura gave me, putting in a thick binder book, small pencil case, and a thin jacket.
"Come on, we're late as it is," she says, handing me the bag, which I sling over my good shoulder. "We've got citizenship with Storm and one of the younger ones. Not sure who, 'cause they trade off what they want to teach every week. It's pretty cool, really, seeing what they all think of the subjects."
"Well they'd all have pretty good insight into ethics, wouldn't they?" I say as we head out the door. "We won't get in trouble for being late, will we?" I ask as we walk down the hallway, with me struggling to keep up with her quick, long strides.
She turns for a moment to answer, and I take the opportunity to catch up. "They know where we were, don't worry about that." She slows down a bit after that, and we walk through an open door into one of the classrooms a couple of minutes later.
"Ah, back I see," Storm says as we walk in. "Take your seats quickly, you haven't missed much."
Morgan sits down with her friends from dinner last night, but there isn't a spare seat near them, so I sit in the only spare seat, next to the window. I copy the notes on the board into my book and then start listening to what's being said.
"Family is an important part of anybody's life. But what is ethical in regards to family? What isn't? How does something like death or abuse affect a family?" Storm says, gesturing for us to answer.
Various ideas are tossed around, like kids being taken away from their families, everyone blaming each other, and basically that abuse is wrong, but I decide to give them my own example. I tentatively raise my hand, and Storm calls on me.
"The thing about death is that when it happens accidentally, especially at the hands of a relative, the blame for their death is unbelievably magnified. It can tear a family apart, and if it's a child that's been killed, then everyone will jump to their aid, sometimes even willing to kill the perpetrator. It's human nature to protect those that are unable to defend themselves."
"The elderly are another example of those we protect the most," Storm says, continuing on with other examples, and I listen to the others talk, continuing to take down notes. I glance up when I hear someone moving beside me, and I see Bobby sitting down next to me. He must have been taking the class with Storm, but I didn't notice him.
"How are you feeling?" he asks quietly while Storm talks.
"Like I've been run down by a freight train," I whisper back.
"Pretty tired then?"
"Yeah, I just need some sleep, and not from drugs."
"It's just not the same. Listen, Rogue said she needed to talk to you after class. She asked me to take you to her room once you've put your stuff back in your room."
"Sure, I'll be right there."
"I'll meet you in the living room five minutes after class finishes." With that, he leaves my side and returns to the front of the room with Storm. The bell rings twenty minutes later and we all leave, and I head up to my room to get rid of my stuff before I go talk to Rogue. I get there before Morgan does, but run into her on my way out.
"What's your hurry?" she asks nonchalantly as she brushes past me.
"Rogue wants to see me. Don't know what for, but Bobby's taking me to her, and I need to meet him in a minute."
She quickly puts her stuff away and stands in the doorway in front of me, blocking my way.
"Do you mind? I kind of need to go," I say, looking her in the eye.
"Let's just get something straight here first." She pauses for a moment as if to let me catch up. "Just because I didn't mean to hurt you and said I was sorry, doesn't mean we're friends. Got it?"
"I understand. But there is one thing I want."
"Oh? What's that?"
"Mutual respect," I say simply. "I respect your habits, you respect mine. Maybe even saying good morning when we wake up. If you don't want to be friendly towards me, then that's fine. All I ask is that you're courteous, and I'll do the same in return."
She shrugs. "Fine by me. I'll see you later." She steps aside and lets me pass, but grabs my elbow just before I leave. "Feel better soon," she says somewhat reluctantly, her eyes never meeting mine.
"Thanks, Morgan," I say, before leaving for the living room. I find it pretty quickly, a lot of other people heading there, too. I see Bobby almost as soon as I walk in, and he spots me, too. He jerks his head in the direction of the second staircase on the other side of the mansion, the side I've never been in. He patiently keeps to my pace, even though two of my strides matches one of his. We reach Rogue's room pretty soon, the small brass nameplate embedded in the dark stained oak door giving it away.
Bobby knocks twice, softly, opening the door as he does.
"Rogue, babe, I've got her," he says as he enters the room. "Do you need some privacy?"
"If you don't mind," Rogue says in her thick Southern accent as Bobby places a hand around her waist.
"Sure, I'll be waiting outside," he says.
"We shouldn't be too long," she says, placing a gloved hand on his cheek. "I'll meet you out there once we're done here."
They share a tender kiss and Bobby leaves, shutting the door nearly soundlessly behind him. Rogue surveys me for a moment before she sits down in the office chair in front of her desk, gesturing for me to sit in the plain wooden chair on the opposite side of the desk.
"I hope you're feeling better after your run-in with Morgan," she says disinterestedly as I sit down.
"Marginally," I reply, knowing full well that she doesn't really care at all. "You wanted to see me?" I place my folded hands on the desk in front of me.
"I did. It's about your training. You still have to go to your scheduled training, so we need to arrange a time to train your powers."
"Is it really necessary?" I ask quietly, staring at the desk.
"Would you rather the life you live now?" she asks sceptically, eyebrows raised.
"No," I whisper, hanging my head. My eyes flicker upwards when I feel her place her hands over mine.
"I know what it's like," she says softly, genuinely. "I know how you feel. You don't want the pain, but you don't want a life without touch. It's too hard to live with. Heck, you can hardly live with it at all!"
"Why should I believe you?" I ask angrily, rising from the chair. She does the same, striding around the desk to stand no more than a foot away from me. I look up at her, and for the first time I notice our difference in height. She's maybe five or six inches taller than me, and in such close proximity easily intimidates me. She could incapacitate me with a single touch, though not without injury herself. I can almost feel the current on my skin, tingling just under the surface. I feel powerful, almost like I have some sort of control over this, and the ghost of a smile flits across my face.
Rogue glares down at me. "I don't like you, and you don't like me. But you should believe me because I could make things so much worse for you. I can make it painful if you don't listen to me." I can see in her eyes that it's no empty threat. My gaze drops to the floor in resignation.
"So when are we going to do it?" I ask quietly.
"That's better," she says, never removing her steely gaze from me. "Tuesdays and Thursdays after classes?"
"Whatever you want," I say dejectedly, not meeting her gaze again.
"Three thirty until five thirty?"
"Whatever's fine with you," I reply, directing my gaze at the grain in the floorboards, wishing I could sink into them right now.
Rogue takes a step back, her eyes still on me, scrutinising my every move. "You can go now."
I can still feel the tingling on my skin, no, more like in my skin, and while she speaks I focus on trying to manipulate it, making it stronger to the point that it's almost painful, and trying to lessen it. That's much harder, but at one point, for a couple of seconds, I can't feel it at all.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Rogue says civilly, heading back to her seat. I make a move to leave, but my curiosity is too great at this point. I take a deep breath and turn back to face her.
"Can I, um… May I try something before I leave?" I ask hesitantly. The look that crosses her face is some strange mixture of confusion, annoyance and curiosity, but I think the curiosity wins over, and she stands back up, walking quickly towards me, coming to a stop at her usual metre distance.
"What brought on this change in behaviour?" she asks, peeling off one glove, laying it on the desk. I pull off one of mine and stuff it in the pocket of my trousers.
"While you were talking, something happened. It felt like I had… I don't really know. It almost felt like control."
"And you wanted to see if it was real," she says, nodding. She holds out her hand, the fingertips merely centimetres from mine, and her hand is perfectly steady. "Go ahead when you're ready."
The tingling is still there, and I focus solely on lessening the sensation. After maybe a minute, with Rogue still standing patiently, the sensation is gone, and I straighten my arm, my fingertips crossing the gap and meeting hers, and I am met with the sweet absence of pain. I smile to myself after a couple of seconds of blissful non-painful touch, but then jerk my hand away as I lose control, and feel the stinging radiating from the point of contact. I hiss in pain, shaking my hand until the pain dissipates.
I look up at Rogue and see the ghost of a smile vanishing from her face.
"Hm. It seems you just need a little motivation," she says with a wry smile. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, in the room we were in before. Don't be late," she adds, her eyes flashing dangerously.
"Of course not," I reply courteously. I give her a small nod and leave, pulling on my glove as I do. It's on before I reach the door, and I shut it behind me as I leave.
I head straight back to my room, a small smile plastered on my face. I sit on my bed and stare out the window until Morgan comes back in. She flops down on her bed with a huff, before turning to me with curious eyes.
"What'd Rogue want?" she asks, eyeing me suspiciously, propping herself up on her elbows.
I shrug, glancing back at her before directing my gaze out the window again. "We needed to arrange a time for her to train me."
"To control your powers?" she asks.
"Yeah," I reply, nodding slowly and turning around to look at her. "If I'm lucky, I might be able to touch someone within ten years."
Morgan lets out a little snicker, which turns into a laugh. Her dark eyes sparkle when she laughs, and she sits up. "Sounds promising," she says in between laughs.
I can't help myself; I start laughing, too. "One thing at a time. I want this sling off, first."
"Not feeling too bad, is it?" she asks, serious now.
"Nah, not too bad, just a bit stiff and uncomfortable."
We sit in awkward silence for a minute until Morgan looks up again.
"Hey, you never told me where you're from. I know the accent; you're Australian, aren't you?"
"Yeah, down near Mount Cameron. That's where I ran after, you know…"
"Come on, let's go down to dinner, you look like you need it," she says quickly, probably trying to break the uneasy silence between us now.
"Yep, I'm starving."
We walk out together, and sit together with the girls we did last night. We all go back to one of their rooms to chat, and snack on popcorn and cola stashed around the room. When Kitty comes around to send us all back to our own rooms, she gives us a disapproving look, but accepts our 'peace offering' of food as we go. She playfully ruffles Morgan's hair as we leave, and gives me a pat on my good shoulder.
Kitty comes into our room to check on us after we've turned our light off, and I can see her through my half-closed eyes, smiling as she stands in the doorway.
