Hey guys, I hoped you liked the last chapter.. I swear our antagonist will
be revealed in this one! Please review, it gives me inspiration and helps
me get the new ideas out. Thank you for all your support.
Disclaimer-I don't own X-men Evo or any of their characters, k! No suing! Flames are fine, but do not sue!
And if you must flame, be creative.don't give me a simple statement of "this story sucks" tell me what I need to improve upon, and that way I can improve and you won't need to flame me any longer. K?
PS-most of the new characters revealed in the chapter are entirely of my own creation, and belong solely to me, so please don't steal them, and if you wish to use them(though I have no clue why.) Ask my permission first, I'm likely to grant it, just ask first. Extra-Everyone should be meeting up soon (with the exception of Ty of course who is in fact missing)
Chapter Fourteen-Gray Winter
She did not know how long she hung in darkness. It seemed an eternity. With the shadows spinning about her laughing and giggling like children, rhythmically wriggling in a silent beat. Every so often there would be a spasm of white cutting through the darkness and through her. She hung in bursting pain. Continual and endless. She opened cracked lips to scream, a parched throat offering only soundless tones. Finding no strength to fight her captivity, she merely hung. Immune to the pain, and silently screaming, until her strength fled from her, and her consciousness vanished. Allowing the stars to burst around her, and the pain to cut through her. For there was no strength and she had nothing left. She hung in darkness and in unbearable pain. She did not know how long she hung. She hung for eternity. And the world spun by.
"Hey." Cool fingers brushed her cheek. The voice uttering the words was low and hoarse, barely above a whisper. Small abrasions covered the palms of her caretaker and itched Ty's skin. "Wake up." The voice murmured, urgency wound around the tones. "You must wake up."
"Where ahm Ah?" She whispered, pushing herself off of the floor. Brushing back sweat soaked hair, running her fingers over her face, almost unaware of her companion. Fatigue filled her and she face planted into the floor.
A dry laugh answered her. "You're in paradise." The sarcastic words strained to burned ears.
"Here." A kinder voice smiled and callused familiar hands lifted her chin, Ty gazed up at an angular face. "Drink this." A rough cup was placed against her lips and tipped. Sticky sour liquid spilled down an unwilling throat. Sputtering, coughing, Ty tried to break away, the hands were surprisingly firm. "Drink." The order came again.
"Winter is too kind."
"Maybe you're not gentle enough."
"You know he'll beat kindness out of you."
"Hush, there's no need to frighten her."
"Perhaps she should be frightened."
The kind hands of Winter stroked Ty's hair. "Don't listen to them." She murmured softly, her voice a gravel whisper. "He'll leave you alone for now. You're too weak to be of any use."
"Who are yah?" Ty growled, trying to wiggle away from the strange woman. Her body burned with pain, and her eyes hurt in the darkened light. The floor was hard on her sore back, but she could barely move.
Winter smiled, and a chill passed through Ty. She knew this woman. "I am Winter. It's not surprising you don't remember me, Rouge." Opening her eyes, Ty glared at the petite woman. A raggedy gray shirt hung loosely from Winter's figure, and blue jeans worn and torn with age clung to her hips and legs. Her waist was all too thin, and like the rest of her body it was small, just like her child size hands, feet, and ears. It took Ty two glances to comprehend how thin she was. She looked anorexic, and probably was. Her jaw seemed cut to fit her angular face, with a petite mouth and nose, she appeared child-like and weak. And it was impossible to predict her age, for a simple black bandanna covered her eyes. Blonde-white chin length tendrils clung to her jaw, and supported the angular cut of her countenance. Shadows rippled across the creases of her visage, enhanced by the countless slashes and cuts that covered her nose, cheeks, forehead, and chin. "He is impatient." She nodded slightly, her head bobbing. Leaning down she whispered in Ty's ear. "I won't let him hurt you."
'I won't let thahm hurt yah.'
Ty blinked. "Ah know yah." She whispered, the words scratching from her still parched throat. Her healing factor should've healed all the pain she was feeling. Running a limp tongue over her lips she tasted the iron of blood. "Ah know yah." She whispered as darkness greeted her eyes again.
***
They dragged a struggling girl down the metallic corridor, her hair bleached white hung about her chin. She flung herself left and right in a vague attempt to free herself from their hard grip. Dark molten silver footprints remained where she'd stepped, mingling with the blood dripping down her ankles. And the men dressed in organic fabrics. They marched her down, until they stopped in front of a similar gray door. Hitting the button, the soldier laughed. With a whoosh the door opened, and he shoved her inside. "Welcome home."
"Hey Roguey, here's another for you to zap." The other called menacingly. "Whatchit girlie, this one's a real monster."
Glancing up, Rogue watched the younger girl stumble in. Her face, arms, torso, and legs coated in sticky rose-colored blood. The frightened creature scrambled on unstable legs to the far corner of the simple cell. To Rogue, she looked like one of the frightened rabbits some of the boys would chase at the Institute, and her heart went out to her. There she hunkered down, burying her blood-soaked white hair into her knees, rocking back and forth. She whimpered softly. Rogue approached her new roommate, one gloved hand outstretched. Though she needn't worry about her skin here, the collar took care of that, Rogue still made a habit of wearing her gloves. "Hey." Rogue whispered, stroking the girl's hair. "Aht's all rahght." Listening to the rattling cries of the petite creature, worries filled the older girl. She didn't know how to care for another. 'Ah'm no good at thahs.' She thought. 'Damn, this ahs the sorta thang Kitty's good at.' "You're gonna be all rahght." Rogue told her softly, patting her head. "You're gonna be all rahgt. Ah won't let 'em hurt yah."
Beneath her hand, the girl shuddered and flinched away from Rogue's touch. An unintelligible mumble escaping into the muffled silence, and blood plip-plopped onto the cold stainless steel floor. Rolling onto one side, the girl continued to cry, leaving Rogue to pat her head in silence.
"Hey Tiger!" An inmate one door over called. "Don't waist your time on that one." Rogue glanced over at the inches thick glass wall, two young men ogled at her. Their hollowed eyes and sallow faces made for a less than cheery sight. She glared at them. "I heard from the boss man that she's incorrigible and their planning on processing her soon." One of the gray eyed men laughed. "Probably gonna strap her down and let ya suck to juices outta her." His eyes grew dreamy. "Yah, thas' what's gonna happen."
"Ah won't let 'em execute another one!" She snarled back. "Keep yer mouth shut Johannson." A mirthless twinkle danced in her gray purple eyes. "How do yah know thaht yah ain't the one their plannin' on usin' next." Rogue turned from him, she wasn't interested in listening to his useless answer. 'That's what most of thah broken mutants are ahn thahs stinkin' place. Broken.' Rogue herself felt nothing like the girl who'd been an X-man at Xavier's institute. 'Ah'll nevah feel safe again.' She thought wistfully of those bright days, existing now only in her mind's eye. Never again, she knew. Glancing back at the painfully slim child, she winced, wondering what their plans were for this innocent creature. 'Ah won't let 'em destroy another lahfe.' She promised herself. "What's yer name?" She asked the child softly.
The girl raised her eyes, what was left of them, Rogue stared into the bloody holes of mashed skin unblinkingly. "You're not afraid." The girl's voice was soft and hoarse, bone chilling as a winter breeze in New York.
The older girl felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped upon her skull. She smiled and shook her head. "Nah." Allowing herself a warm half-chuckle, she said. "Ah've seen injuries ten tahmes worse."
"Oh, then you've seen a girl coated in her life's blood before?" The innocent question forced a real smile onto Rogue's frozen lips. The girl cocked her head, voice hard and lonely, and Rogue was reminded of herself.
'Thas kid's a real loner.' She smiled. "Nah, Ah've nevah seen thaht. But Ah've seen plenty ah thangs that'll make yer skin crawl."
"Doubt it." The girl, turned away from her. "I'm the biggest monstrosity you've probably ever seen."
"Fer starters kid, you ain't a monstrosity. Yer just different, lahke me." Rogue sighed. 'Ah sound lahke Logan.' She thought, trying to recall the words he'd said to her. Because they seemed right for the occasion, his words were always straightforward and honest. Not at all like so many speeches the other instructors often gave. He'd been honest, and he'd been there. Now she was here, and this kid needed her as much as she'd needed Logan. "Ah won't lie to yah, yah ain't pretty, but yer fine so long as yer good on the inside. If yer good there, it won't matter what yah are on the outside. Yah ain't a monster." She hiked a thumb at the door. "Thah men out there, they're monsters. And Ah'll bet yah ain't nothin' lahke 'em."
"How do you know I'm not worse?"
"'Cause." Rogue sighed, pulling her favorite bandanna from it's hiding place beneath the pillow of her sleeping pallet. She wrapped it tightly around the girl's sockets. "Yer in here, an' they're out there."
Touching the bandanna, the girl smiled. "I like the color."
"What's yer name." Rogue asked softly, finding a comfortable seat in the back wall, becoming ever comfortable with the kid, she was developing an sisterly liking for the girl.
Shaking her head, like the wagging of a dogs tail, she cuddled against the wall. "Don't got one." She whispered. "Nope, nope, I don't got one."
"Why not?" Rogue asked gently, the girl still held a chill about her, and the room felt several degrees colder. "Everybody's got ah name." Except her of course, she made due with Rogue. She was unable to remember her given name.
"I'm a new person now. I'm not the girl I was for the past fifteen years anymore. I'm someone new, and I'm different."
"Bein' a mutant doesn't make yah a new person." Rogue tried. 'Ah wonder what happened.'
"It does if your family sells you to an institute that's supposed to cure your problems. But instead it makes you worse!" She gritted her teeth. "I don't know what to call myself, call me anything you want. I never want to be known by that name again!" She spat, as blood mixed with spittle splattered the floor before her.
'This ahs all too familiar.' Rogue thought staring down at the kid, no the teen, she was hardened and soft all at once. Reminding Rogue of a girl she knew all too well, herself. "Ah'll call yah Winter then."
"Why Winter?" The girl asked.
"'Cause yah remind meh of the cold and lonely winters of Bayville, New York."
***
"Yer thah cold and lonely winters of Bayville." Ty muttered opening her eyes. Winter had moved across the small room, tending to another girl. The blind woman moved agilely, her hands cleaning and bandaging old wounds, and newly opened ones. Rolling onto her stomach, she attempted to rise. "Winter."
"You should stay put." Winter responded calmly. "Your wounds are healing, and without the help of your healing factor, it's going to be a long and slow road."
"What do yah mean?" Ty demanded. "Ah feahl fine." Running her tongue over her lips, she felt the bumps of scabs and faint taste of iron. Where she'd been punched was puffy, and stung when she pressed her cool fingers against it.
Her caretaker chuckled dryly. "That's the result of a painkiller, Dorin makes, mix it with water and you've got some good genuine stuff. I gave you some a few hours ago. It'll wear off in another hour or so, you should get some more sleep." The woman stood, glaring at Ty as she tried to stand. "Doctor's orders."
Collapsing to one knee, Ty heaved a few heavy breaths. Her lungs weighed ten tons in her chest, and they were about to cave in. "Where am Ah?" She asked.
"You ma'am aren't getting' any answers until you sit your butt back down." Winter stated pointedly. "And rest a while." Winter set an example by gracefully sinking into a cross-legged position.
Relieved, though she tried hard not to show it, and kept to regular breathing patterns, Ty sank back resting her back against the steely wall. "Tell meh, where am Ah?"
"Your back in the place you hate."
"Ah'm in Canada!" Ty exclaimed. "Ah'm there."
"Yes, you're here." Winter sighed defeatedly. "Trust me, I hate it as much as you do. But he's got the collars activated again, and the rest of us can't use our powers. There's really no hope of escape." She heaved, a hated acceptance upon her face. "I've tried every way I know, tested every lock. Tried to break the collar." She shook her head. "Doesn't work. It's best to pretend like your going along with him."
"An' who he?" Ty asked. "He calls me 'my love', lahke he know meh. Ah don' remembah."
"He's the Sculpter, as he calls himself. A right old monster. His real name is Adrian Black. Apparently he was an inmate here, and rather fixated on you." She shrugged. "All I know is that his powers are like mine, and he's strong."
"How dahd he get yah?" Ty asked softly.
"Why do you call yourself Ty?" Winter asked suddenly. She sharpened and sat straighter.
"Because so many thangs have happened ta meh, that Ah'm not that girl anymore. Yah of all people understand that." She glanced at her old friend, her protégé of sorts. Winter just laughed, the same gravelly wind- chilling laugh.
"You still look like the Rogue to me. Sound like her too."
"Aren't yah bein' a bit hypocritical?" Ty asked seriously. "Yer thah one who didn' want ta keep her name, yah gave meh thah idea."
"I've reconciled that, it took me five years, but it was well worth it. I can forgive them their transgressions against me. I know my parents have been tortured by their decision, and will be for the rest of their lives. I on the other hand, can walk with a smile and never look back. Because I accepted that it's a part of my life, and it's the past. There's nothing I can do to change it, so I plan on accepting it, and walking on." Giving Ty a warm smile, she walked towards some of the others having their lie down. "You'll always be the Rogue, no matter what name you wear."
Disclaimer-I don't own X-men Evo or any of their characters, k! No suing! Flames are fine, but do not sue!
And if you must flame, be creative.don't give me a simple statement of "this story sucks" tell me what I need to improve upon, and that way I can improve and you won't need to flame me any longer. K?
PS-most of the new characters revealed in the chapter are entirely of my own creation, and belong solely to me, so please don't steal them, and if you wish to use them(though I have no clue why.) Ask my permission first, I'm likely to grant it, just ask first. Extra-Everyone should be meeting up soon (with the exception of Ty of course who is in fact missing)
Chapter Fourteen-Gray Winter
She did not know how long she hung in darkness. It seemed an eternity. With the shadows spinning about her laughing and giggling like children, rhythmically wriggling in a silent beat. Every so often there would be a spasm of white cutting through the darkness and through her. She hung in bursting pain. Continual and endless. She opened cracked lips to scream, a parched throat offering only soundless tones. Finding no strength to fight her captivity, she merely hung. Immune to the pain, and silently screaming, until her strength fled from her, and her consciousness vanished. Allowing the stars to burst around her, and the pain to cut through her. For there was no strength and she had nothing left. She hung in darkness and in unbearable pain. She did not know how long she hung. She hung for eternity. And the world spun by.
"Hey." Cool fingers brushed her cheek. The voice uttering the words was low and hoarse, barely above a whisper. Small abrasions covered the palms of her caretaker and itched Ty's skin. "Wake up." The voice murmured, urgency wound around the tones. "You must wake up."
"Where ahm Ah?" She whispered, pushing herself off of the floor. Brushing back sweat soaked hair, running her fingers over her face, almost unaware of her companion. Fatigue filled her and she face planted into the floor.
A dry laugh answered her. "You're in paradise." The sarcastic words strained to burned ears.
"Here." A kinder voice smiled and callused familiar hands lifted her chin, Ty gazed up at an angular face. "Drink this." A rough cup was placed against her lips and tipped. Sticky sour liquid spilled down an unwilling throat. Sputtering, coughing, Ty tried to break away, the hands were surprisingly firm. "Drink." The order came again.
"Winter is too kind."
"Maybe you're not gentle enough."
"You know he'll beat kindness out of you."
"Hush, there's no need to frighten her."
"Perhaps she should be frightened."
The kind hands of Winter stroked Ty's hair. "Don't listen to them." She murmured softly, her voice a gravel whisper. "He'll leave you alone for now. You're too weak to be of any use."
"Who are yah?" Ty growled, trying to wiggle away from the strange woman. Her body burned with pain, and her eyes hurt in the darkened light. The floor was hard on her sore back, but she could barely move.
Winter smiled, and a chill passed through Ty. She knew this woman. "I am Winter. It's not surprising you don't remember me, Rouge." Opening her eyes, Ty glared at the petite woman. A raggedy gray shirt hung loosely from Winter's figure, and blue jeans worn and torn with age clung to her hips and legs. Her waist was all too thin, and like the rest of her body it was small, just like her child size hands, feet, and ears. It took Ty two glances to comprehend how thin she was. She looked anorexic, and probably was. Her jaw seemed cut to fit her angular face, with a petite mouth and nose, she appeared child-like and weak. And it was impossible to predict her age, for a simple black bandanna covered her eyes. Blonde-white chin length tendrils clung to her jaw, and supported the angular cut of her countenance. Shadows rippled across the creases of her visage, enhanced by the countless slashes and cuts that covered her nose, cheeks, forehead, and chin. "He is impatient." She nodded slightly, her head bobbing. Leaning down she whispered in Ty's ear. "I won't let him hurt you."
'I won't let thahm hurt yah.'
Ty blinked. "Ah know yah." She whispered, the words scratching from her still parched throat. Her healing factor should've healed all the pain she was feeling. Running a limp tongue over her lips she tasted the iron of blood. "Ah know yah." She whispered as darkness greeted her eyes again.
***
They dragged a struggling girl down the metallic corridor, her hair bleached white hung about her chin. She flung herself left and right in a vague attempt to free herself from their hard grip. Dark molten silver footprints remained where she'd stepped, mingling with the blood dripping down her ankles. And the men dressed in organic fabrics. They marched her down, until they stopped in front of a similar gray door. Hitting the button, the soldier laughed. With a whoosh the door opened, and he shoved her inside. "Welcome home."
"Hey Roguey, here's another for you to zap." The other called menacingly. "Whatchit girlie, this one's a real monster."
Glancing up, Rogue watched the younger girl stumble in. Her face, arms, torso, and legs coated in sticky rose-colored blood. The frightened creature scrambled on unstable legs to the far corner of the simple cell. To Rogue, she looked like one of the frightened rabbits some of the boys would chase at the Institute, and her heart went out to her. There she hunkered down, burying her blood-soaked white hair into her knees, rocking back and forth. She whimpered softly. Rogue approached her new roommate, one gloved hand outstretched. Though she needn't worry about her skin here, the collar took care of that, Rogue still made a habit of wearing her gloves. "Hey." Rogue whispered, stroking the girl's hair. "Aht's all rahght." Listening to the rattling cries of the petite creature, worries filled the older girl. She didn't know how to care for another. 'Ah'm no good at thahs.' She thought. 'Damn, this ahs the sorta thang Kitty's good at.' "You're gonna be all rahght." Rogue told her softly, patting her head. "You're gonna be all rahgt. Ah won't let 'em hurt yah."
Beneath her hand, the girl shuddered and flinched away from Rogue's touch. An unintelligible mumble escaping into the muffled silence, and blood plip-plopped onto the cold stainless steel floor. Rolling onto one side, the girl continued to cry, leaving Rogue to pat her head in silence.
"Hey Tiger!" An inmate one door over called. "Don't waist your time on that one." Rogue glanced over at the inches thick glass wall, two young men ogled at her. Their hollowed eyes and sallow faces made for a less than cheery sight. She glared at them. "I heard from the boss man that she's incorrigible and their planning on processing her soon." One of the gray eyed men laughed. "Probably gonna strap her down and let ya suck to juices outta her." His eyes grew dreamy. "Yah, thas' what's gonna happen."
"Ah won't let 'em execute another one!" She snarled back. "Keep yer mouth shut Johannson." A mirthless twinkle danced in her gray purple eyes. "How do yah know thaht yah ain't the one their plannin' on usin' next." Rogue turned from him, she wasn't interested in listening to his useless answer. 'That's what most of thah broken mutants are ahn thahs stinkin' place. Broken.' Rogue herself felt nothing like the girl who'd been an X-man at Xavier's institute. 'Ah'll nevah feel safe again.' She thought wistfully of those bright days, existing now only in her mind's eye. Never again, she knew. Glancing back at the painfully slim child, she winced, wondering what their plans were for this innocent creature. 'Ah won't let 'em destroy another lahfe.' She promised herself. "What's yer name?" She asked the child softly.
The girl raised her eyes, what was left of them, Rogue stared into the bloody holes of mashed skin unblinkingly. "You're not afraid." The girl's voice was soft and hoarse, bone chilling as a winter breeze in New York.
The older girl felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped upon her skull. She smiled and shook her head. "Nah." Allowing herself a warm half-chuckle, she said. "Ah've seen injuries ten tahmes worse."
"Oh, then you've seen a girl coated in her life's blood before?" The innocent question forced a real smile onto Rogue's frozen lips. The girl cocked her head, voice hard and lonely, and Rogue was reminded of herself.
'Thas kid's a real loner.' She smiled. "Nah, Ah've nevah seen thaht. But Ah've seen plenty ah thangs that'll make yer skin crawl."
"Doubt it." The girl, turned away from her. "I'm the biggest monstrosity you've probably ever seen."
"Fer starters kid, you ain't a monstrosity. Yer just different, lahke me." Rogue sighed. 'Ah sound lahke Logan.' She thought, trying to recall the words he'd said to her. Because they seemed right for the occasion, his words were always straightforward and honest. Not at all like so many speeches the other instructors often gave. He'd been honest, and he'd been there. Now she was here, and this kid needed her as much as she'd needed Logan. "Ah won't lie to yah, yah ain't pretty, but yer fine so long as yer good on the inside. If yer good there, it won't matter what yah are on the outside. Yah ain't a monster." She hiked a thumb at the door. "Thah men out there, they're monsters. And Ah'll bet yah ain't nothin' lahke 'em."
"How do you know I'm not worse?"
"'Cause." Rogue sighed, pulling her favorite bandanna from it's hiding place beneath the pillow of her sleeping pallet. She wrapped it tightly around the girl's sockets. "Yer in here, an' they're out there."
Touching the bandanna, the girl smiled. "I like the color."
"What's yer name." Rogue asked softly, finding a comfortable seat in the back wall, becoming ever comfortable with the kid, she was developing an sisterly liking for the girl.
Shaking her head, like the wagging of a dogs tail, she cuddled against the wall. "Don't got one." She whispered. "Nope, nope, I don't got one."
"Why not?" Rogue asked gently, the girl still held a chill about her, and the room felt several degrees colder. "Everybody's got ah name." Except her of course, she made due with Rogue. She was unable to remember her given name.
"I'm a new person now. I'm not the girl I was for the past fifteen years anymore. I'm someone new, and I'm different."
"Bein' a mutant doesn't make yah a new person." Rogue tried. 'Ah wonder what happened.'
"It does if your family sells you to an institute that's supposed to cure your problems. But instead it makes you worse!" She gritted her teeth. "I don't know what to call myself, call me anything you want. I never want to be known by that name again!" She spat, as blood mixed with spittle splattered the floor before her.
'This ahs all too familiar.' Rogue thought staring down at the kid, no the teen, she was hardened and soft all at once. Reminding Rogue of a girl she knew all too well, herself. "Ah'll call yah Winter then."
"Why Winter?" The girl asked.
"'Cause yah remind meh of the cold and lonely winters of Bayville, New York."
***
"Yer thah cold and lonely winters of Bayville." Ty muttered opening her eyes. Winter had moved across the small room, tending to another girl. The blind woman moved agilely, her hands cleaning and bandaging old wounds, and newly opened ones. Rolling onto her stomach, she attempted to rise. "Winter."
"You should stay put." Winter responded calmly. "Your wounds are healing, and without the help of your healing factor, it's going to be a long and slow road."
"What do yah mean?" Ty demanded. "Ah feahl fine." Running her tongue over her lips, she felt the bumps of scabs and faint taste of iron. Where she'd been punched was puffy, and stung when she pressed her cool fingers against it.
Her caretaker chuckled dryly. "That's the result of a painkiller, Dorin makes, mix it with water and you've got some good genuine stuff. I gave you some a few hours ago. It'll wear off in another hour or so, you should get some more sleep." The woman stood, glaring at Ty as she tried to stand. "Doctor's orders."
Collapsing to one knee, Ty heaved a few heavy breaths. Her lungs weighed ten tons in her chest, and they were about to cave in. "Where am Ah?" She asked.
"You ma'am aren't getting' any answers until you sit your butt back down." Winter stated pointedly. "And rest a while." Winter set an example by gracefully sinking into a cross-legged position.
Relieved, though she tried hard not to show it, and kept to regular breathing patterns, Ty sank back resting her back against the steely wall. "Tell meh, where am Ah?"
"Your back in the place you hate."
"Ah'm in Canada!" Ty exclaimed. "Ah'm there."
"Yes, you're here." Winter sighed defeatedly. "Trust me, I hate it as much as you do. But he's got the collars activated again, and the rest of us can't use our powers. There's really no hope of escape." She heaved, a hated acceptance upon her face. "I've tried every way I know, tested every lock. Tried to break the collar." She shook her head. "Doesn't work. It's best to pretend like your going along with him."
"An' who he?" Ty asked. "He calls me 'my love', lahke he know meh. Ah don' remembah."
"He's the Sculpter, as he calls himself. A right old monster. His real name is Adrian Black. Apparently he was an inmate here, and rather fixated on you." She shrugged. "All I know is that his powers are like mine, and he's strong."
"How dahd he get yah?" Ty asked softly.
"Why do you call yourself Ty?" Winter asked suddenly. She sharpened and sat straighter.
"Because so many thangs have happened ta meh, that Ah'm not that girl anymore. Yah of all people understand that." She glanced at her old friend, her protégé of sorts. Winter just laughed, the same gravelly wind- chilling laugh.
"You still look like the Rogue to me. Sound like her too."
"Aren't yah bein' a bit hypocritical?" Ty asked seriously. "Yer thah one who didn' want ta keep her name, yah gave meh thah idea."
"I've reconciled that, it took me five years, but it was well worth it. I can forgive them their transgressions against me. I know my parents have been tortured by their decision, and will be for the rest of their lives. I on the other hand, can walk with a smile and never look back. Because I accepted that it's a part of my life, and it's the past. There's nothing I can do to change it, so I plan on accepting it, and walking on." Giving Ty a warm smile, she walked towards some of the others having their lie down. "You'll always be the Rogue, no matter what name you wear."