Marco stood looking around, the light from the bar sign flickering on his face. He had on a dirty, hooded sweatshirt, Jeans and sneakers. His hair short and brown, like Scott's. His face was young, about 28 or so, but his dark brown eyes seemed younger.

Turning back to me, his face was creased with worry as he looked at me. "Need some clothes or something?" he asked, pointed to my torn shirt.

Shaking my head I attempted to cover myself with my bag.

"Come on," he said "You can change in my car...." he stuttered slightly. "That is, if you want?"

Smiling, I motioned for him to lead the way. Shoving the rifle into a backpack he was wearing, he walked over to a beat-up Land Rover in the car park and unlocked it. Marco dropped the backpack inside and looked back at me. I stopped a couple of feet away, unsure of whether or not to trust Marco. His kind face reminded me of Logan.

Picturing Logan face, I felt the horrible blood on his hands reached for me and I suddenly felt faint. Feeling my legs fall out from under me, I reached out my hands to find myself being held up by Marco's strong arms. Closing my eyes and banishing all thoughts of Logan, I was lifted off my feet. Hearing a door being opened, I opened my eyes as Marco gently placed me in the back seat of the Land Rover. Leaving the door open, Marco walked around the car, opened the front passenger door and stood searching through a pile of things on the floor.

Due to the dim lighting in the Land Rover, it soon became apparent that he lived in here. Sitting up, I swung my legs out of the side of the Land Rover and looking up at the moon. Forgetting modesty, I slipped off my ripped shirt, pulled another out of my bag and slipped it on. Finding what we wanted, Marco straightened and walked back around the car towards me.

"Food?" he asked, holding up a bag of cookies.

"Great" I said, smiling.

"You want to come with me to somewhere else?" He asked, looking around. "We can't stay here. That guy will be back soon."

I stood up slowly, testing my legs as I didn't want to seem weak and helpless to Marco. Marco sat down in the front driver's seat, the bag of cookies resting on the wheel. Keeping the door open, I slipped into the comfortable bucket seat and reached for the cookies.

I sat looking out the front windscreen, watching the headlights cut through the darkness as we drove down the empty highway. Finishing the bag of cookies, I broke the awkward silence between us.

"So, how old are you?" I asked.

Regan paused, as though he had to think about it.

"About 24, I think." He said turning to face, his voice unemotional. I raised my eyebrow, questioningly

"I stopped counting when I left home" Sighing, he looked back out at the darkness. "What about you, huh? How old are you?"

"20" I said flatly. I couldn't get personal here. Eat his cookies, hitch a ride and then move on. Straight and simple. Never get personal. All it gets you is pain and suffering. Marco opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. Noting his nervousness, I formed another question to ask him.

"Do you live anywhere around here or are you passing through?"

Marco spun his head around to look at me, his eyes surprised. "I have a home. This Land Rover is all I've got." My mouth dropped opened in surprise.

"You are so lucky," I said "I would do anything for that."

Marco regarded my answer as though I had asked him a question. "Are you running from something Marie?"

I stared at him blankly. What could I tell him? What if he didn't like mutants? Could I trust him with that information? "I couldn't stay at home. To much fighting."

He took this explanation without any questions. Pulling over at an abandoned petrol station, he switched off the engine and took off his seat belt.

"Do you need a place to sleep tonight?" he asked, looking around. "It may not be much but you can sleep here or I can take you to the nearest town."

Reminding myself not to get personal, I nodded my head. "And then I can take you as far as New Jersey tomorrow. Alright?"

Smiling at him, I opened my mouth to thank him and he did something I wasn't expecting. He leaned over and moved some hair off my face, accidentally touched my cheek. As I flinching at the rare feeling of another persons touch, Marco pulled his hand away from me, his face staring as his hands, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry" he mumbled. Checking I was still wearing the bracelet, I touched his shoulder gently, showing him I wasn't afraid of him.

"I wasn't expecting it. It's not you," I paused, thinking of an acceptable answer "It's just that guy before..."

I said waving into the darkness. Leaning over his chair, he grabbed a blanket and covered himself with it.

"You can sleep in the back if you want. I'll sleep here."

Climbing over the back, I found a blanket on the floor and curled up across the seats. Listening to the sound of Marcos breathing, I closed my eyes, willing myself to catch up on all the rest that I could get.


I was sitting on the edge of the woods beside the mansion, the wind playing gently on my bare arms. Looking over at the mansion, it was surround by students. Some of them were playing basketball on the courts, others sitting around and talking. Tears filling my eyes, I turned away from the mansion to find the members of the X-men standing in front of me. They all stood smiling at me, Jubilee's eyes dripping with tears. Logan stepped forward, his face unusually happy and his arms reached out for me. Pulling me into his embrace, I stared at the others as they smiled at us. Looking back up at Logan, his face had got gray and he began shaking. My hands. They had been touching his skin. Pushing him away from me, he stumbled backwards into Scott. Lying on the ground, Logan turned red, his eyes now black. From underneath him, blood flowed outwards onto the ground. As the blood flowed outwards and touched the other X-men, each one of them fell to the ground, the blood flowing from them. Logan and the others slowly disappeared into the blood, their final words a collective gurgled scream. Soon, they all disappeared and I was all alone in the woods, the ground was covered in the blood of my friends.

Waking from my dream, I immediately sat up. Staring at my hands in the moonlight, tears sprung to my eyes and rolled down my cheek silently. Marcos breathes steady breathes assured me of his sleeping presence.

Reaching down into my bag, I pulled out a pair of gloves. Slowly pulled them on, I unlocked the door beside me and opened it.

Carefully climbing out, I reached in and pulled out my bag. "Thanks Marco, for everything" I whispered, closing the door.

Walking out to the road, I stuck out my thumb and waited for a car. I stood there watching and waiting as car after car passed me by. Soon, a black Ford Falcon slowed down in front of me and I ran up to meet it.

Opening the back door, I looked into the falcon at the driver. "Remember me?" He said calmly. It was the guy from the bar. Trying to back away, I screamed as two muscled arms grabbed me and pushed me into the car.