Remy turned a corner sharply on his red and black bike and felt Rogue slide slowly to the right. He cursed and sped up considerably. He soon pulled up to a spindly black gate and roared through it, Storm was obviously already home, home being Xavier's institute for gifted students, or mutants, to be exact. A feminine voice floated through Gambit's mind.
"Remy? Is that you? Please bring the mutant Ororo told us of to Hank's lab immediately." Jean Summers sounded very grim.
"Oui Jeannie." Gambit sighed.
The other mutants at the institute had a grudge against Remy. He was a thief and a bit of a loner. Storm was really the only other person he could trust.
Gambit lifted Rogue and carried her down to the basement where Hank's lab was. Jean ran swiftly to him and she and Professor Xavier helped him take Rogue out of Gambit's arms. Ororo came up behind him and her eyes crinkled in sympathy toward the thief.
"Don't worry Gambit, they'll get used to you eventually." She said softly.
"I don't care if they don't like me, I just don't want Rogue to be shunned like I was." Remy's voice came out harsh and cold. He ran to his room and climbed out of his window. He sat on his roof for the rest of the evening and thought of the mysterious young woman down in the lab. Ororo closed her eyes and slowly counted to ten, Remy was like a brother to her in every possible way, he was always there for her, he listened to her and he was a pain in the backside.
Professor Xavier leaned over the new mutant and sighed in annoyance.
"Her head is all messed up, I cannot reach into her mind." He said angrily.
Jean looked upon the raggedy girl in disgust.
"Must she stay? She looks… dangerous." Jean spat.
Xavier gave her a sharp look and wheeled away slowly. He paused and called back to her.
"Give her a chance Jean. She is alone and scared, much like you were when you first came here, if it weren't for Scott, you would not have prevailed from you erratic state of mind."
Jean flicked her red hair and her green eyes softened a little when they cast upon the mutant named Rogue who was sleeping fitfully. Jean then crossed her arms and left. To her, newcomers were not welcome. Rogue opened one green eye cautiously and felt a singular tear fall down her cheek like a liquid diamond.
Bobby Drake a.k.a Iceman and Kurt Wagner a.k.a Nightcrawler were currently annoying the hell out of Gambit. Bobby threw countless snowballs at him while Nightcrawler continuously bamfed in his face.
"Who's the new girl huh Gambito? Your girlfriend? Bobby sneered.
Gambit continued to walk briskly down to the lab to check on Rogue, trying not to throw a kinetically charged ace of spades in their faces. Iceman threw another snowball at Remy but he dodged it rapidly and it flew over his head.
A woman's high scream issued from behind the three teenagers and Bobby, Kurt and Remy all whipped around only to be greeted with an ice covered Rogue.
"Merde! What do you t'ink you are doin' Bobby!" Remy ran to the freezing girl.
Bobby came up to Rogue and looked at her shyly, she was very pretty.
"I'm sorry. My name's Bobby Drake, and yours would be?"
Rogue gave him a terror struck glance and backed away. Her torn clothes clung to her body and a whimper escaped her throat.
"Please… don't touch me!" Rogue screamed as Bobby grabbed her bare arm.
Bobby fell to the floor and screamed violently. Pain like no other was ripping through his body and he felt his energy flow into Rogue's bare skin. Rogue cried in dread as icicles flew from her hands uncontrollably and Nightcrawler's yellow eyes grew wide with shock. Remy held Rogue up as she fell to the ground, her body covered in ice.
More unfamiliar memories coursed into Rogue's mind, she could not stop it.
"Why won't you accept me? I'm not different!" Rogue screamed.
It was not really her screaming though, it was Bobby screaming to his parents who had cast him away. She could faintly hear Gambit trying to calm her but his only answer was more snow and ice flying in every direction. He could not reach her tortured mind.
Ororo tended carefully to her beloved flowers and brushed back her white hair. It was so peaceful in the mansion. There were only ten students in the institute right now, including Rogue. Professor Xavier, Jean Summers, Scott Summers, Remy, Bobby, Kurt, Kitty Pryde, Wolverine, Jubilee and herself. Hank was at the hospital.
Storm was dragged from her musings when the all too familiar scream of Rogue once again ripped through her eardrums. Bobby's screams were evident too.
"By the goddess!" Ororo uttered.
She flew out of her door and down to the basement where the screams of pain occurred. Xavier, Jean, Scott, Wolverine, Kitty and Jubilee met her on the way down.
"Chuck, you've got some explaining to do!" Wolverine growled.
Rogue, Bobby, Kurt and Remy came into view. Rogue was flying in circles clutching her head and screaming in pain. Gambit and Nightcrawler stood helplessly over the unconscious Iceman.
"What happened?" Xavier said shocked.
"She…she touched him…" Kurt stuttered.
Xavier and Jean frowned, they had no choice but to probe Rogue's mind, even if it meant harming her. Her mysterious nature had to be revealed. They clasped hands and a soft ray of purple emitted from their foreheads; it was time to enter the mind of the Rogue.
The two psychics walked slowly through fields of green grass and onto a clearing next to a lake. Jean and Xavier were in Rogue's mind. Jean pointed ahead to two figures only five yards away. They floated closer and a blonde boy held the hand of a younger Rogue. The moon glistened delicately.
"You ever been kissed girl?" the boy questioned.
"Why no Cody, ah haven't." Rogue fluttered her eyelashes.
Cody leaned down on her and kissed her lightly. Rogue squeezed his hand and Cody's body grew rigid, he slumped to the ground in an unconscious heap.
"Cody! Cody what's wrong?" Rogue lay in tears.
The scenery changed to a wooden cabin and Rogue lay sprawled on the floor in front of an older man. Jean looked on in wonder, her mind was so tortured.
"Daddy! Daddy no! Don't you love me?" Rogue shielded her face.
"I won't have no daughter of mine being a stinking mutant!" The man thundered.
The rest of the images consisted mainly of Rogue living on the streets in poor health. The last image was of Gambit's smiling face.
Jean caught Rogue as she fell to the ground. The rest of the mutants stared at Professor Xavier expectantly; he turned to them and sighed.
"Rogue is incapable of skin contact. Her life has been full of loneliness. We must help her in every way possible."
Gambit fell to his knees and stared at the unconscious Iceman in Wolverine's arms. There was no doubt about it, Rogue was definitely a rogue.
