Disclaimer: I'm nearly always broke and so sueing me would acheive nothing. Well, nothing except a lengthy court battle, and who wants that? Even so, I dont own the x-men, nor do I own any song lyrics that might turn up in this story.
Authors Note: Yes, I'm back, after a really very short hiatus, and I have a trashy summery fic for you! I have writers block so no sequel for my last story is being written like it should be so instead I've written something that doesn't actually have a proper plot. Thinking isnt really required with this...
Footprints in the Sand
Chapter One
-Summers coming and I hope I feel better by the time it does. Then I can leave my room, my cocoon, find a door and walk out to the sun-'summer'-Charlotte Hatherley-
God she was bored. What made it even worse was the thought that she had weeks of this torture left, it was going to be one long summer. Summer usually had such a positive affect on people, lifting them up and making them happy, but not Rogue. She didn't like summer much at all. She liked the sunshine just fine though; it reminded her of the balmy summers spent in Caldecott County, before she had mutant powers or a care in the world.
Now all the summer brought was misery due to the combination of being stuck in the mansion on her own for weeks whilst everyone else went away and having to take extra care with her skin. People wore fewer clothes in the summer due to the heat and so Rogue was forced to compensate. Usually though, she just avoided people more, it was easier this way.
She had spent what seemed like hours just lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling and studying the curly patterns made by the cracks in the white paint. She could hear the rest of the students outside, splashing around in the swimming pool. Rogue contemplated joining them, but then thought better of it, someone would only end up accidentally touching her skin if she did.
Sleep, now that was an option. Rolling onto her side and closing her eyes, she tried her hardest to block out the sounds of the students outside and get some rest; she figured she might as well. No matter how hard she tried though, she couldn't stop herself from being disturbed and distracted by what was going on outside. Suddenly, Kitty practically burst through the door creating even more noise. She was dripping wet from the pool.
"What d'ya want Kit?" Rogue almost snapped.
"Just my like, t-shirt," Kitty answered her innocently.
"Fahne."
"Y'know, you should like, totally come outside and join us, you'd have fun!"
'No' Rogue thought, 'No Ah wouldn't.' "Thanks for tha offa, but Ah don't think so," she told Kitty instead, prompting a slightly crestfallen look from the younger girl who thought she was going to be the one to break Rogue's summer induced hibernation.
"Sure? Its like, not the same without you."
"Yeah Ah'm sure, Ah was gonna try an' get some shuteye anyway."
"Ok, maybe later then..."
Rogue laughed internally, knowing there was no way she would be down later.
Kitty picked up a pale pink t-shirt from off her bed and then went back outside, trying to close the wooden door behind her as quietly as she could.
In the end, curiosity got the better for her and she left her room and her cosy bed and walked quietly down the corridor to a small window at one end that directly overlooked the pool.
Many of the students had already left the mansion, mostly the people who were catching planes and spending the summer overseas. Kurt had already gone back to Germany and Scott had left this morning for Hawaii to spend the summer with his younger brother, Alex. Over the next couple of days, everyone was going and when Kitty left on Friday to go to her parents in Illinois, Rogue would be the only student left. Oh she was not looking forward to that. She had had a couple of offers to go and spend the summer with other peoples families, namely Kitty and Kurt, and although she had been considering taking them up on the offer for a while, she didn't like the thought that she was intruding. Either way, there was no winning in this situation.
She could see everyone outside now. Kitty and Jubilee were shrieking, being chased by Bobby around the pool. Bobby being Bobby, he had even tried to ice over parts of the water to stop them getting away. Ororo sat by the side of the pool on a sun lounger, talking with Hank McCoy. The Professor was nowhere to be seen, still cooped up in his office Rogue guessed, sifting through all the applications there had been for new students for the upcoming term. Logan had taken off too, though that was nothing out of the ordinary.
Feeling just as disheartened as before, Rogue turned around and started back to her room. She did not get half the way down the corridor however before she was stopped in her tracks by an odd feeling at the base of her head.
--Rogue, would you mind coming down to my office please. --
Not wanting to keep the Professor waiting and not having anything better to do at the moment, she quickly made her way down the main staircase and along the corridor towards his office.
Quietly knocking, she let herself in to find the Professor sat behind his desk, going through some paperwork. On hearing the door open, he looked up and smiled at his visitor.
"Ah, Rogue, please take a seat." Rogue did as she was asked.
"I understand you are a little...unhappy about the summer holidays."
"Its just that Ah'm gonna be stuck here on mah own for weeks...."
"I see, well I may be able to offer you a solution to that particular problem."
"What? How?"
"Well I have a small, summer house on the West coast that I very rarely use. I was thinking of selling it on, but its there if you feel like getting away for the season, as long as you're responsible and back in time for the start of the new school year."
Rogue was singing inside. True, she would still be on her own, but she didn't mind. Anywhere was better than Bayville in the summer.
"Really? That would be great..."
"Well in that case, you can leave when you wish. Give me ten minutes and I will find you the keys and address."
"Thank ya Professor, Ah'm actually lookin' forward ta this."
The Professor smiled, "My pleasure Rogue. A holiday should do you the world of good."
Rogue left the study and wandered back up to her room, thinking about the Professors offer. Oh yes, summer was definitely looking up...
See, its already shaping up like something you might buy at an airport. Oh well, there will be happy plotless fluff sooner or later. I should probably write something with actual substance shouldn't I? ;-)
Reviews of any kind would be lovely, but my hopes aren't high with this one...
