Prologue

Disclaimer: I am in no way making money off of this story. All characters except for Mouse and Talisman are owned and copyrighted by Marvel Comics. Fell feel to use any and all characters I have made, or reference to my work (I consider that a compliment).

Spoilers: I will not betray anyone and tell you something important fools.

Summery: A mutant with no memory (Talisman) is brought back to the X-Mansion with Rogue and Gambit. It seems to be a conflict with her and Mouse as it would appear that maybe Talisman is a link to the past Mouse is trying to hard to forget.

The Watchers

Prologue

Have to keep fighting. Cannot let them win.

The two boys ran along the stream that followed a cliff. Soon it would lead into a larger body of water, but the boys wouldn't go that far. They had to stay close to their house. Lunch was soon and they were hungry. To ignore their thoughts of starvation they had decided to play tag. The older of the two smacked his younger brother on the shoulder to say he was it and began to run, his younger brother had no chance of catching up to the faster and bigger of the two, but they still played.

Sunny, where was Sunny? She was dead. If I cannot find her, she is dead.

It didn't take long for their game to come to a grueling halt when they found her. She lay there all crumpled up on the rocks by the base of the cliff. Was she sleeping? Was she ok? Was she dead? The drying blood on the rock gave the children the idea to run back home screaming for their mother to help her.

Where was the ground? She was dead.

It didn't take long for their mother to get there and then phone the ambulance. It didn't take long for the family of three to accept the young girl into their house until she regained her memory. Of course everyone was curious as to why it looked like she had been fighting for her life, so many cuts and bruises. She was fine in a couple days. In a week she almost felt like she was at home. She finally understood what home meant.

Don't leave me alone. I am so scared. Blackness.

Book Of Talisman

Talisman. It was the only name she knew, maybe the only thing she knew. She had amnesia and had it for the last few weeks. She knew the name Talisman from a tattoo on her left arm that had 'Talisman' written in gothic letters. A couple of kids had found her at the base of a cliff; she had hit her head on a rock. She had obviously been hiking and tripped on the rock, she couldn't have fallen, and no normal person could survive a fall like that. However, she didn't feel very normal, and when a group of five of the most amazing people she had ever laid eyes on approached her, she had felt special… for a moment.

The five people all wore black trench coats, pants and combat boots, and they all had a different style of shirt on, either a different colour, fabric or design. They also all wore identical pendants around their necks on silver chains and had tattoos and or a piercing on them. To Talisman they didn't look like punks, but of something different altogether, something familiar.

The shortest came up to her, her was a boy taller than her with blond hair and blue eyes, quite attractive. On his forehead was a word was tattooed on, but she couldn't understand it, even thought it was so familiar.

"Talisman," he said with a soft and soothing voice. "You have broken our laws and must come with us."

She paused. They knew her. "I think I should tell the family I'm staying with-"

The man grabbed her wrist with a force causing her to forget what she was going to say and cringe. Suddenly his entire sentence went through her brain, she had zoned out before when he said her name. But he had also said she had broken their laws. What were their laws?

Oh God, she thought. I'm in a gang.

She struggled to get away but his grip only got tighter. She looked around for help and in the distance saw a couple turning the corner. Gaining her courage she screamed out help and kneed the boy holding his wrist right where it counted. He let go and doubled over, but soon he was back on his feet and with the four others they began to chase her.

"Got to reach that couple," she said aloud.

Suddenly she could feel someone grab her legs tackling her to the ground. She tried to get up but their grip was too tight. Another person came over and grabbed her by the waist picking her up. She kicked them in the shins but their grip didn't loosen. She then twisted around and started scratching at his eyes like a cat. He let go.

This time she didn't run, she couldn't. This time she didn't half to either. The couple she had seen was now there. The woman of the two had long red hair with a white streak down the front, she moved like lightening and pushed away the person who was about to attack her next.

Suddenly she felt someone grab her waist again. She screamed but he covered her mouth. Turning into an alley they put her down and she turned around to see whom her attacker was. It was the man from the couple.

"Gambit won't harm you petite," he said with a Cajun accent. "You stay here ok?"

She slowly nodded as the man ran around the corner to join his lady friend.

The woman was trying to fight off the five people without seriously hurting them, but they didn't seem to get hurt. They'd stop for a second to regain their wits and then attack again. She was beginning to loose her patience.

A blast suddenly came from her left side blowing three of the people away.

"Thanks sugah," she said to him in a Mississippi accent. "But ah was doing fine by mahself."

Turning back tot where the five people were she noticed something crucial, they were gone. Turning back to the Cajun she shrugged. "Must have been scared."

A shaky voice came from the alley. "Uh… Gambit?" Talisman guessed that that was the Cajuns name.

"Oui petite?"

She came around the corner with her hands in her pocket, "thanks."

Gambit looked at the woman, "She look a lot like de other attackers, nes pas chere?"

"I… I think I was a member of their gang… or clan… or whatever," Talisman said shyly, not too sure who these people were but nervous around them because she was so grateful.

"You think?" The woman asked.

"I… I can't remember anything. I hit my head a few weeks back and got amnesia."

"Oh, ah see. Well mah name's Rogue in case ya were wondering. Ah guess you've already met Gambit. Maybe you should get on home now."

"Yeah… makes sense. Thank you," she wanted to stay with them a bit more, but she also just wanted to get home.

"Pas de problem petite."

The couple then turned to leave the way they came. Talisman just stood there watching them for a second smiling. Finally she turned around to go home herself and bumped into someone's chest. A very familiar chest. She looked up only to see the face of the man whose eye she had tried to claw out minutes before.

Before she could scream his hand came up. Weather it was to hit her or to grab her didn't matter. What did was that she was scared. Keeping her eyes on his arm that started to come down on her she tried to scream and instead felt something like an invisible heat come from her eyes directed at his arm. His arm stopped in mid air.

"What the f-!?" The man screamed out but was cut off.

Suddenly the man was in the air being carried by Rogue. She managed a smile before she felt someone hit her head. It had been weeks and the wound was barely there, but something about people touching her head now made her get this feeling of dizziness. Like now, but before she could do something stupid like faint she felt herself being picked up.

After a minute the dizziness passed. She then looked down. This would be noted as the second dumbest thing she had done that day. The first being going out that day to go downtown, but everything happens for a reason. That didn't reassure her at that moment. When she looked down she could see small things going by fast. Not things… buildings. Buildings!? Her surroundings then became clear; Rogue was carrying her and flying. Flying very high.

It was then a strange and a new sense of vertigo hit her.

"PUT ME DOWN!" Talisman started to struggle in Rogue's arms.

Rogue held on to her more tightly. "Calm down sugah. Ah ain't gonna hurt ya, but if you keep struggling like that ya could fall."

She became very stiff at the mention of the word 'fall'. Closing her eyes as tightly as she could and grabbing Rogue as tightly as she could was the only thing she could do to keep from screaming the rest of the way.

Wolverine, Mouse and Nightcrawler walked through the hallway. They had just been in the danger room and now decided to go outside for a bit to cool off. The three had barely made it out the door before they saw Gambit run in almost smashing into Wolverine.

"Watch it Gumbo!" He yelled.

"Sorry mon amie, but I must find Beast."

"Why?" Mouse asked with her curiosity kicking in.

"Me an' Rogue rescued a girl an' Rogue said to get Beast."

With that the Cajun was off down the hallway to the med lab.

"He is whipped nein?" Nightcrawler said trying to make a certain someone laugh.

Mouse looked at him and smiled, "let's go see whom they found."

The three walked out and walked for a few seconds before they saw Rogue standing over a young girl clad in black.

"C'mon sugah, ah promises to never do that again, but please come in," she pleaded with her. " Last time ah had no choice. Ah just had to get ya out of there and it seemed to be the only way.

"I'm never moving again," came the simple reply of a very scared girl. She lay there curled in a ball. Talisman didn't know much about her life, but something was now clear, she was also afraid of heights. She never wanted her head to leave the ground again. She didn't care if they dragged her around.

"C'mon, let's go into the mansion."

Mansion. Why was that so familiar? She knew it was a big house, but there was a familiar feeling. Maybe she lived in one, but it felt important. Maybe she should go in. Talisman slowly moved her head so it faced Rogue. "Ok," she said reluctantly. "But give me a sec."

"Alright sugah."

Get up! She yelled in her mind over and over. She could walk; she'd just been doing it. She never had to fly or go higher than a meter off the ground… or less… if she didn't want to. All she had to do was go to the mansion and maybe she'd find something or someone there that she recognized. She'd get her memory back; she just needed to get up.

She got onto her knees still keeping her head close to the ground when she felt a hand take her arm. "Let me help you up," a man said in a sophisticated voice.

Talisman looked at the people around her once she was standing. Two blue people, Rogue, Gambit, some guy with black hair, and a girl. The girl shocked her the most. She was wearing what she was, so to speak. Same coat, pants and boots, different shirt. Talisman's was black and covering all her stomach, while hers was blue and showed her belly button. Her pendant. Same as the five that attacked her. Same as hers.

"Do I know you?"

"Would explain the resemblance non?" Gambit said but Talisman ignored him keeping her focus on the mouse.

"I have never seen you in my life," she answered and Talisman showed her disappointment in her eyes.

She nodded and let the blue sophisticated man lead her into the mansion and into the med lab. Once there she took off her coat and sat on a bed.

"So why am I here?"

"Rogue says she has reason to believe you are a mutant."

"A mutant eh?" She knew what it meant, a person who was born 'differently' and able to do 'amazing' things. The people she had been staying with her very prejudice against them. "Why does she think that?"

"You stopped a man from hitting you without touching him."

She paused, the heat, the power she had felt. She could move things with her mind? "Wow," was all she was able to say.

"We have been getting many visitors it seems lately, at least Kurt is not here anymore," the man smiled. "My name is Hank McCoy, call me Hank."

Nightcrawler then stuck his head in the room. "Just checking to see if she was alright," Hank growled at him and Kurt smiled evilly and left.

Hank smiled again, "I was worried for a second."

"My name's Talisman… I think. I have amnesia and it's my tattoo. Maybe it's a nickname or my actual name."

"Or a pet's perhaps?"

"Uh… maybe."

"You are wearing almost the identical outfit as Mouse yet she denies knowing you. Strange."

"Well she's not the only person I've met wearing that today, maybe it's a new fashion wave."

"Perhaps. May I see your pendant?"

"Yeah."

Hank reached out and gently took the pendant in his large hand, just like Mouse's on one side had a dragon with Ra's eye's and on the other the word 'Weisheit".

"Ah, just as I thought."

"What?"

"The pendants are identical. I think perhaps I was right after all."

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

"I think that perhaps these pendants are connected to a clan or gang of some sort."

"Actually, so do I. The people that attacked me were wearing the same things as me… and they said I broke their laws."

"Interesting. Maybe this is the past Mouse is hiding from us. Maybe you two were in a gang."

"I'm really getting the feeling that I should have stayed in bed today."

Hank smiled again. Talisman was absolutely in love with his smile all of the sudden. This man was so nice, everyone here was, and maybe she had found some friends that could help.

"Thank you Hank," she said hugging him.

"Whatever for?"

She drew back, "for being here to talk to."

Mouse stood over the sleeping body of Talisman. Her past had finally caught up with her. Why as she here? Finally life is going so good, she had finally gotten her out of her mind. And now she was here. It didn't matter that she was alive at all. She didn't care anymore. She wanted her past to go away, so she would have to make her go away. But then again, she had no memory. Maybe if she could just keep the past from her…

She reached down and looked at Talisman's neck. She could see the chain no one else had discovered. It seemed like Talisman hadn't read it, or she would be going by a different name. She unclasped the dog tags and pocketed them. She needed the dog tags more than her.

"Sorry… but I cannot let them find me."

With that she was out of the room and walking down the hall towards her own room. Maybe she could convince Talisman that this wasn't the place for her, but how much did she need to hide her past? Did she have to maybe even ruin someone else's life? She'd soon find out.

They stood in front of everyone. Accusing eyes at all sides. I am sorry. Nobody was on their die. We are the dammed. I am sorry. Let me live. I am not different. But I am. We are. Leave and die, stay and die. It is the law. But the law must be broken. Survival. Only one penalty for breaking the law…

"I love you."

I love you too.

"Leave now."

I do not want to.

"Leave!"

Pain, so much pain.

Talisman woke up and started crying. She got these dreams every night, always the same confusing pain. It meant something tonight though. What the five people had said, she had broken their laws. That's what the dream said. They broke the law to survive. But what law? And who was we? C. R. Hanes. It was a name she knew… but it wasn't hers. She had no idea who's dog tags they were, only that they hadn't belonged to her. Nobody was in the military around her age… whatever it was. She guessed young. Maybe it was a parent's. That's what she thought. So was her last name Hanes? Didn't sound right.

453 694 440

CR HANES

ACC A/RH/N

CND FRCES CND

Her or the person this belonged to was Canadian. That's all she knew. She put her hand to her neck and looked for it now to comfort her. She only found her pendant. Beginning to worry she started to look on her desk on the floor and finally started throwing things around. How could this happen? She must have lost it in the fight.

"No!" She fell to her knees and banged on the floor. She was so mad. How could she have been so stupid!?

The door flew open and Rogue and a girl with purple hair walked in. She jumped at Rogue and started shaking her clothed shoulders.

"I can't find it!"

"Whoa sugah, calm down. Can't find what?"

"My dog chains!"

"I must have lost them in the fight! We have to go find them!"

"Now just one second. It's two in the mornin' and you want to go look for some necklace downtown.

"Don't you get it!? All I have is what I wear! That 'necklace' is a key to my past which I can't remember!"

She pushed her hands off her shoulders. "Ah understand sugah, but maybe ya should wait for the morning."

"Wait," the other woman said.

"What is it Psylocke?"

"Someone was in here?"

"Someone stole it? Can ya tell who?"

"No, their traces were covered. It's a mental block."

"Maybe someone can smell it out."

"I'll try to contact Mouse."

"Why would someone steal it?" Talisman asked almost shocked.

"Ah have no clue."

"Would anybody here steal things?"

"Well… ah do admit we have a thief here… but he wouldn't steal a necklace… wait. Was it valuable?"

"It was a dog chain, I doubt it. But it was valuable to me."

"I doubt he stole it then."

"Who's 'he'?"

Before Rogue could answer Mouse stepped into the room looking quite irritated in her tired mood. She walked over to Psylocke and looked deep into her eyes.

"You summoned your purple hair-ness?" she asked in the most sarcastic voice she could muster.

"What do you smell?"

"You," she started to get annoyed.

"No, what people. Her necklace was stolen for some reason and we're hoping to find out who so we can all get some sleep."

Mouse looked around at the three other people. She was that close to being caught. Maybe she should have hidden her trace better. It didn't matter, she could lie her way out of this. But was that right? Maybe she could just get away with this one lie and then they could go back to their normal lives… or at least what she felt was normal.

"I only smell you guys. Nothing else. Whoever was here left a while ago. Sorry Talisman."

She then turned and left followed by the also very tired Psylocke. Rogue went to Talisman and put her hand on her shoulder. "It's ok sugah, ah know that necklace meant somethin' to ya, but it's gone and maybe you should just forget it."

Talisman nodded, it was all she could do. She wasn't sad really. Just confused. She had thought the X-Men so nice and then one of them steals her necklace? Maybe there was more to it than this. She went back to her bed in an attempt to sleep, but she never could get back to sleep after she woke up. Hopefully neither was Rogue, Psylocke or Mouse.

Talisman wandered into the danger room. Hank had told her to go wandering around the mansion saying nobody would care. He had mentioned the danger room and how she should stay away from it until she was ready. But one thing was for sure; there was no end to her curiosity.

She had pressed some buttons on the control panel and walked into it. There was nothing in the room. Finally she saw however at the corner a rack of something. Going closer she saw what they were. Swords. She had never seen a sword in the life she remembers, never heard of them. But it was the most familiar thing she had seen in this life of hers.

Picking it up it felt so right in her hand. It belonged there. She twirled it around in the air for a while trying to remember something, but nothing came. This was pointless; maybe the rest of the mansion was more fun. Before she could turn she heard a voice.

"Are you sure you should be here mein freund?"

She turned around in shock almost dropping the sword.

"Don't do that! I've been so on edge lately it's not funny."

"Sorry," Nightcrawler apologized. "Maybe you shouldn't be here though. If you are so 'on edge' lately."

"I was just wandering around… this place looked interesting. I was just about to-"

"Do you know how to use that?" He asked cutting her off.

"Uh… I'm not sure. Feels familiar."

"Well let's see just how good you are."

Nightcrawler walked over to the rack and picked up the sword in the middle. He then turned to Talisman and after a couple of seconds came at her. She immediately blocked the attack and he backed off.

"Nice move Talisman, let's see if you can keep it up," and then he attacked again.

Wolverine wandered into the control room of the danger room to see if it was free. To his displeasure it wasn't. As he looked into the danger room he could see Nightcrawler and someone else sparing. But who with? Looking closer he could see Talisman.

What was she doing in here? Shouldn't she wait a bit before going in there? But then again what could a harmless sparing game do to anyone. So Wolverine decided to watch with interest.

Nightcrawler brought the sword down just missing her left arm before she did a 180 and swung her sword at his legs. He jumped up and she only hit air. To both their surprises she was better than they expected. So far Nightcrawler had been playing the offensive and her the defense, but in a change of attitude she came on him stronger pushing him back.

"Kurt," he thought to himself. "You're loosing."

Their swords clashed hard making a perfected metal sound. Nightcrawler's shoulder hit the wall and took him by surprise; he was so far back already. Talisman put all her force in the next blow and it sent his sword flying. But he wasn't ready to quit yet. Before Talisman could hit him again he flipped into the air and landed by his sword.

"I didn't know you could do that," she said in awe.

"You didn't ask mein freund," he said picking his sword up and coming at her again.

Again their swords clashed only this time nobody play offense or defense. They both took their turns blocking and throwing all they had to the other opponent. It seemed they were equally good.

Wolverine sat in the control room quite impressed. He wished someone were here to bet with. But whom would he pick? He's known Kirk longer, so most likely him. But she seemed to be his match.

The two blades clashed and held as they both tried to push the other's sword away… or into the other for that matter. Sweat was running down their faces and they were starting to get tired. It was obvious the only way someone would win was if the other one got tired faster.

Talisman brought her sword back in an unexpected movement and managed to flip Nightcrawler over her as she fell on her back. She got back up with grace and went after the fallen opponent only to find him missing. She looked around for a sec until she heard a 'BAMF' to her right. Without thinking she swung her sword in that direction. The blade stopped as Nightcrawler blocked it but she still heard a small yelp, as she turned to him she saw that she had almost killed his manhood.

He flipped over the sword and was ready to take her off guard when suddenly he couldn't move.

"You use your powers, I use mine."

She began to swing her sword at him when it suddenly disappeared and she fell off balance. Nightcrawler was able to move now and pined her.

Her had a growl under his breath, "you were not playing fair mein freund."

"Hey, you were disappearing, that wasn't fair. Besides, I wasn't actually gonna hurt you. I was just… playing around."

After a moment Nightcrawler rolled over and lay on his back, "you are a good fighter in any case mein freund."

"Thanks, you're not too shabby yourself," she began to smile to herself when she suddenly heard clapping coming from the door.

"Bravo," Wolverine said in a pleasing voice. "Looks like Nightcrawler met his match… so to speak. Lucky I was here to save him.

"I was wondering why the sword disappeared," Talisman said standing up. "I think I'm gonna get back to my walk. See you guys later."

Wolverine walked over to Nightcrawler and helped him up as she left. "Well there, couldn't handle a girl eh bud?"

"She's stronger than she looks," Nightcrawler said.

"Yeah I know, wonder what Mouse has against her."

Nightcrawler looked at Wolverine confused. "What do you mean mein freund?"

"When she first showed up Mouse got all quiet for the rest of the day, she looked mad… kinda sad actually."

"Maybe she beat her in a sparing match."

"I can see that. But no, has to be something deeper."

Talisman sat under a tree in the front yard. She had finished her tour of the mansion and finally went outside to read some. She had met a boy named Bobby Drake who had decided to help her on the tour even though she repeatedly told him to go away (as nicely as possible of course). Despite how annoying he was, he did try to make her laugh, he got brownie points for that. But if she ever had to put up with that again… gods have mercy on his soul. She had taken the first book she could find and was getting into it. The book was called "The Hobbit", even though she seemed to know what would happen next she loved it. Maybe she had read it in her past life, as she liked to call it.

She knew about how Wolverine had his amnesia since before they had found him. Would she be like that? Never knowing what had happened before she got here? Always trying to figure it out and getting to the point where she recognized everything and yet she still knew nothing… she hoped not. Either way she felt like her life had begun again.

The fight with Nightcrawler yesterday had been interesting. It seemed she had more control over her power than she thought… and she could swordfight very well. Maybe her parents had been rich or something and had singed her up for sword lessons. That would explain why the mansion was so familiar. It wouldn't explain her lip, eyebrow ring and tattoo though. Maybe she had run away and joined the gang. That made sense. So why'd she run away? If her parents were rich would they be in the army? Were they a high rank? She was so confused.

She finished the book and put it down. The sun was so bright. She should go in. Although she didn't mind getting tanned, getting so tanned you were pretty much orange, or worse getting burnt didn't appeal to her. She picked up her book and began to walk back to the mansion. She had put her clothes away and was wearing something Rogue had lent her. Short blue jean shorts and a dark purple tank top. It was odd for her to have something like this when she heard of her powers and how scared she was of using them.

But she didn't explain, it was nice to not look like those attackers… or Mouse for that matter. She still wore her Pendant and many earrings because they were after all just jewelry. She had five piercing in each ear. She also had a tattoo by her right eye. It was so small she had actually never noticed until she was changing today. The tattoo was imitating Egyptian makeup. At the edge of her eye were two lines about a cm long, the bottom one going straight and the other curling up. It was so pale that she also borrowed some black eyeliner from Rogue and traced over it. It gave a certain feature to her face that told anyone there was a mystery about her, and well there was.

She walked into the mansion and found the bookshelf where she had found the book in the first place; beside it were the three sequels. She'd have to read those later, maybe even tomorrow. Right now she needed some lunch. She hadn't eaten all day.

A knock suddenly came at the door but she kept going to the kitchen. She heard another nock. Where was everybody? She sighed and turned around to go answer the door. Maybe everyone had gone out shopping, that was a lot of people then. Maybe they were on one of those missions everyone talked so much about. Or maybe just is school. That is what this place was.

Opening the door Talisman saw a girl standing there looking like she was going to cry. She had long purple hair just past her shoulders. She also had the most alluring green eyes. It was a pity to see them glazed over with tears. She stood at about 5'4", just a little shorter than her. She finally turned to look at her after what seemed like an eternity.

She stood there in shock and suddenly she didn't look so sad anymore.

"Petra!" She yelled and rapped her arms around her.

Talisman stood there for a second and finally hugged her back. She was wearing the same thing as her only she had an army green shirt on. Did she know her? Was she her friend? The smell of roses slowly came to her. It was the girl who smelt like roses, it was such a nice name.

Roses. They were so familiar.

Roses…

"Alexis?"

(Hey, this is my formal apology to everyone who's ever read this story or has begun reading it now. 'Book Of Mouse' and 'Book Of Talisman' were written over the course of two days sometime around the middle of August 2000. Now, they were posted on several X-Sites as soon as finished (so they didn't get edited 'till now). Now, the day after we wrote these and posted them, me and Sonya went of on a little cross-Canada trip *shoots herself*. It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life. Now 'Book Of Thorn' was conceived on one of the many train trips. We had a very cool out-line and such, Sonya has this out-line. The point is, only have of it ever got written out, and now a year later I still haven't convinced Sonya to get off her lazy ass and help me write the stupid thing (SONYA IF YOU'RE READING THIS, I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE AND I'VE SEEN WHERE YOU SLEEP!!!). So, it will get finished, I have every intention to get it finished, but it may take a while, that's all I'm saying. E-m Sonya (sony_mouse@hotmail.com) and bug her to write it J. Oh yeah, I know Psylocke's hair is black, but half the time they colour it purple so there. Cao. )