Sorry this chapter took so long. I had finals last week and I promised myself that I wouldn't do any writing outside of that for my essays. But now, SCHOOL'S OUT! Freedom, at last! So, expect more chapters to come by the bucket.
I also want to thank Cloudxinxcrimson and BlondeSquirrel for reviewing my story. You guys are awesome! By the way, C.i.C. – you got the song right! I'll probably add it in at the end of the story. There's a ways to go so I hope you can stick around. And don't worry, all questions will be explained over time. I'm glad I'm getting someone suspensed. Heeheehee . . . okay, that's enough. On with da fic!
DC: Already did it. If you don't believe me, look at chapter 1. Thppb.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Rogue looked nervously into her hand. There was the envelope. It was Thursday, the day the interviews were due, and Rogue still hadn't written hers. She had felt so stupid for not at least attempting to write out an interview. Even if it was completely made up. No one would know. Except Kitty, but she knew her teammate wouldn't rat her out, although she might give her a big lecture on lying on assignments. Rogue had no doubt that Kitty would find out about it. It was one of her greatest talents, being a Yenta. But even if she tried, Rogue knew she wouldn't have come up with anything believable or good. It would have been really lame and cheesy and Mr. Elbert probably would have seen right through it. No, leave that stuff to Bobby or even Remy, but not to her. She was afraid that labeled her as some kind of goody-two-shoes, or just a really bad liar. In truth, she preferred to stick with the latter.
Now she had this thing to turn in. This almost seemed more embarrassing. She was too nervous, or perhaps superstitious, to open the envelope and see what it said. She was worried that maybe if she looked at it, it would end up being something that would only make her situation worse. She still wasn't sure if she could trust Mr. Fenton. How could he have planned some kind of excuse ahead of time anyway?
Just then, Mr. Elbert stood up from his desk and stood right in front of the middle of the blackboard. "Please pass up your interviews to the front. May I remind you that I hope you put a lot of effort into this assignment, because this will be worth a test grade."
A few "awws" and groans went around the room, but not as bad as when a teacher assigns everyone some kind of huge research paper that's due in three weeks. Then there can be a groan they could hear in Guatemala. Fortunately, Rogue sat in the front of her row and didn't have to endure the suspicious glances of others when she passed up her folded up note. When everyone else's assignments reached the front, Rogue ripped open the envelope and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She delicately placed it on top of the pile just as Mr. Elbert was passing by.
When he saw the folded sheet, he gave Rogue a suspicious look. "Miss Darkholme? Is there something you wish to explain?"
Rogue really wished he would speak a bit more softly, as she was certain almost everyone in the room had heard him. "Do you think you could look at my thing really quickly?"
"Why? What is this?" She didn't answer. Mr. Elbert seemed to become a bit more agitated. "Rogue, show me what you have."
I'm dead, she thought to herself as she reluctantly picked up her piece of paper. I'm dead and he's gonna humiliate me in front of the entire class! I just want to vanish right now!
But she didn't. The eyes of the class were on her. She hated it when they did that, as if they were watching her execution. She refused to acknowledge the other people around her, even Kitty who was sitting further in the back a few rows to the right. Too terrified to look at it, she slowly unfolded the paper and pressed against the crease to make it more flat. Then she laid it out for Mr. Elbert to see. A few other students immediately to her sides tried to get a quick look. She managed to keep a straight face throughout the entire process, but she still feared that Mr. Elbert would see through her act.
She focused on his face while he focused on the paper. After a few moments, he picked up the pile. "Alright then, Miss Darkholme. You did the assignment. Try not to be such a drama queen. That's for the acting course."
A wave of relief swept over her. She couldn't believe it. Well, two things actually. The first thing was that she was off the hook. Her butt had been saved from complete and total annihilation. The second was that Mr. Fenton had already done the assignment for her. But how? How did he know she was coming to do an interview, even before she or her class had ever arrived? And why would he think to do such a thing? Did he know that he would distract the person he interviewed from doing what they are supposed to do and decided to be kind enough to write up the interview for them? She couldn't think of anything else for the rest of the class or for the school day. Luckily it had been her class before lunch with only two more classes afterward, so she didn't miss much.
As she thought about it, there was a possibility of how he knew that she couldn't get out of her head. She knew it was better not to jump to conclusions, but she still couldn't shake the thought: What if Mr. Fenton was a mutant? What if he had the ability to see into the future and know what would happen to him after that performance? If he did have this power, did that also mean that he knew his little "note" would work on Mr. Elbert?
Hey, it wasn't completely impossible. She herself was and lived in a mansion filled with mutants. For her it was nothing strange or out of the usual. Still, the idea of meeting another mutant without even knowing it sent little chills down her spine. It was kind of exciting. Then she remembered the deal she had made with him: if the note worked, she had to come to the opera on Saturday. She was actually glad to do so, because it meant she would have the chance to talk to him again. Of course, there was the issue of sitting through another opera that she was almost certain she wouldn't enjoy very much. But she believed it was worth it. No matter what, she had to find out the truth about Mr. Erik Fenton.
>>>>>>
It was Friday morning, and the mansion was coming alive once more. The younger teens were running and skipping down the stairs and sliding down the banisters. Most of them had planned to grab food on the go so they could spend time talking with their friends on the way to school rather than in the kitchen or the dining room. The older students were a bit more patient and took the time to eat out in the dining room with the Professor and the other instructors. Scott and Jean had already graduated from Bayville High and didn't need to worry about rushing out the door to get to classes on time. So they usually joined the adults in a relaxing meal. Kitty, Kurt and Rogue were able to join them this morning because it was the first review day for finals the following week and they didn't need to worry about getting to school on the dot. The teachers had become more lenient towards the students due to the vacation at hand. Monday would be the first day of June. Piotr had decided to join them for breakfast too, and was the one to tell them that Remy had some business to take care of outside of town.
Kitty was helping herself to pancakes, Kurt was shoving large spoonfuls of sugar-coated cereal by the minute, and Rogue was buttering a croissant with some jam-covered toast on the side.
"Hey, Rogue? Could you please pass the syrup?" asked Kitty. Rogue tried to grab the pitcher of syrup which was positioned right in the middle of the table in front of her, but she only managed to touch it with her fingertips.
"Ooh! Don't worry! I'll get it!" cried Kurt with his mouth full of mashed-up cereal. He quickly teleported to one of the chandeliers hanging over the table which happened to be right above the syrup. He reached down and grabbed it, and made sure to give his big sis a wink. Then he teleported to the chandelier hanging in front of Kitty, then did the honors of pouring the syrup over her pancakes. Unfortunately, he accidentally poured some of it on her scrambled eggs too.
"Kurt, look out! Aww, look what you did!"
"Kitty, calm down," insisted Rogue. "It's not the end of the world."
"Yeah, I know," said Kitty, who was a bit exasperated. "But still . . ."
"Sorry, Kitty," replied Kurt sheepishly. "I was only trying to help." Then he returned to his seat.
Logan shook his head and turned to Xavier. "Are you still sure you don't want us to get rid of these things?" He pointed to the chandeliers.
Rogue smiled. "You took the words right out of my mouth."
"All for the better," replied Logan in a teasing manner. "Then you didn't have to talk with your mouth full." She replied by sticking her tongue out.
"For the sake of changing the subject," interrupted Xavier, eager to end the dispute before it began, "I just noticed that there is a new opera at that theater your class went to this week, Rogue."
"Hey, I went too!" put in Kitty, although now her mouth was full.
Ororo sighed. Xavier smiled as he heard her comment about the need to give these children some lessons in etiquette. "Yes, I know, Kitty. I merely chose to address Rogue to spare you the embarrassment of speaking with your mouth full."
The girl immediately took the hint and hushed up.
"Anyway," the Professor continued, "I just thought that maybe you would be interested in knowing what it is. I recall that the last opera wasn't too much of a thrill for you."
"Well, maybe it would have been if Mr. Elbert had given us a little insight about the story first," answered Rogue. "It wasn't terrible, but not really that interesting."
"Well, you may want to give that place another try, because I think you will like this opera."
Rogue gave him a puzzled look. "What is it?"
"Der Vampyr by Heinrich Marschner. Sounds like something up your alley, don't you agree?"
She seemed to be in shock for a moment, then receded into deep thought. Logan sat three seats away from her, with Kitty and Kurt in between, but even from there he could see that this strange coincidence had some importance to her.
After a few moments, Xavier spoke up again. "Don't you agree, Rogue?"
Rogue was quickly brought back to reality and replied, "Well, yeah. Actually, I was planning to go back to the opera anyway on Saturday."
Logan raised his eyebrows and looked at Xavier. They both had the same thought. That was quite a coincidence. In the week that Rogue makes her first two visits to the opera, there is a dramatic change in productions, and the newer one is a genre that Rogue is in love with.
Logan looked at Xavier again. "Does it say how this change came about?"
The Professor looked down at the article. "Only that 'in the best interest of the Bayville community, we will present a production of a more contemporary style, to expand our opera expertise for all audiences to see and enjoy.'"
"Weird," noted Kitty. "Who would think more people would go to see a vampire opera than a Mozart opera?"
"Lots of people," retaliated Rogue in a defensive tone. She hadn't meant to snap at Kitty like that. In reality, she wasn't trying to defend herself.
"Sheesh, sorry," said Kitty, now put off by Rogue's outburst.
"I must admit, it's a very unusual subject for an opera," said Xavier. "Not for a rock opera, but for classical music it seems a bit out of place."
"Well, we shouldn't jump to conclusions," said Rogue, much more calmly this time. "It may be good."
"I'm not saying it won't be good, Rogue," explained Xavier, "but it seems nonetheless a bit odd. Certainly not something I would expect this opera company to produce. I can only imagine who put them up to it."
"They'd have to be pretty good persuaders in order to get that show on their stage," commented Logan, who was sneaking a few subtle glances at the Goth. She no longer looked at anyone else, but was greatly engrossed in the dimensions of her croissant as she stared at it endlessly.
>>>>>>
After breakfast the rest of the students that were still in school were taking off. Although school was over for Scott and Jean, they still enjoyed giving rides to anybody who wanted one. In fact, most of the students insisted that they take them. Rogue was considering whether she would catch a ride with them or take her bike, when somebody caught her by the arm.
"Hey, Stripes," greeted Logan. "I was just wondering – would you mind if I drove you to school today?"
She was very surprised by the question. "Why?"
"I just want to talk a little. You've been busy with studying for exams and all, and I thought since you would be gone for most of tomorrow and Sunday, I figured this would probably the best time to have a little chat. Whaddaya say?"
Rogue was a little hesitant for a moment. She figured that there was something specific he wanted to talk to her about, and she couldn't help but be a little worried over that. She was reluctant to answer any questions, even to Logan. However, perhaps it might have been better if she had someone to talk to at least a little about it. It might end up making her feel a little better. And hey, it was Logan. While he is world-famous, or at least mansion-famous, for his lectures; but he was understanding towards her. He knew about a lot of the things she was going through, and he was a great confidant. Finally she gave him a small smile and said, "Sure. Why not?"
Logan smiled back and walked with her to the X-Van. He hadn't realized how much he missed their conversations. He had forced himself to accept it, since she was just a kid and he was an adult. And yet he didn't think of it that way. Or at least, he didn't see it as being that simple. Rogue had been through a lot in her life, more than most kids her age should ever have to be through. She had to adjust herself to a life without any physical intimacy since she was little. She had learned to obtain a level of maturity a bit above that of most other kids. Somehow she didn't really seem like just another kid. Of course, she still was a teen physically, and there are certain things about teens that can never be changed. But she was quickly ascending from that level. Everyday she was growing a little stronger and little more confident. She still needed support from those she considered her friends, but who doesn't? He was proud of her, in a way. He didn't doubt that she was going to become a very strong and powerful woman and X-Man. Still, he worried about her sometimes.
As they got into the car and he started the engine, he tried to figure out how he would approach her with the topic in his mind in a gentle, non-threatening or prying way. Yeah, like that was an easy task. Sometimes it was really hard to talk to Rogue in just the right way, especially about things she didn't want to hear. But if someone like Logan knew her well enough, they could try to communicate with her with minimal head-biting. For a few minutes neither of them spoke. The silence was alright for a little while, since it gave Logan some time to think. But before too long, he knew he needed to get the conversation going. "So, you and your class went to the opera on Monday, huh? Whaddya think?"
Rogue shrugged. "It was so-so. Like I said to the Prof, I kind of wish we had had a chance to learn about the opera before we went to see it."
"I think you also had some kind of assignment for the trip. Am I right?"
"Yeah. We had to interview someone from the cast, crew, of orchestra."
"Who did you interview?"
Rogue was quiet for a moment. She remembered that she technically didn't interview Mr. Fenton, but he did write an interview for her which was supposedly by her about him. So, saying that she had interviewed him would not have been completely incorrect.
"A violinist. Erik Fenton, I think."
"What did you learn about him? Was he interesting?"
"Oh yeah, he was interesting. I don't really remember anything about him personally . . ." She hadn't had time to look at exactly what the interview said.
"But if he really was interesting, how come you don't remember anything about him?"
"It really wasn't important. I found him interesting just by talking to him." She was becoming just a little nervous about that subject, afraid to give something away when she had no idea what she was supposed to hide.
"Well, what was he like?" Logan could tell she was trying to avoid the issue. He knew that the thing she was avoiding was the thing he needed to know more about.
"Alright. Kind of mysterious, grim, but not in a negative way. Rather . . . it made him unique. An enigma." As she remembered him, the feelings of part wonder, part curiosity, and part suspicion were provoked again. "He certainly wasn't what I was expecting from a musician."
Logan took a moment to imbibe this information. Rogue clearly seemed drawn to this man in some strange way, whether from attraction or pure curiosity he couldn't tell yet. Perhaps he wouldn't be able to understand her feelings until he met the man himself. Ever since Gambit, Logan had become cautious about the men that Rogue formed relationships with. He was just worried about her well being, in his mind. Xavier was beginning to believe it was something else, but he ignored it.
"Is he the reason you're going back to the opera tomorrow?"
Rogue could hear the concern and apprehensiveness in his voice now. "He asked me to come." After a pause, she continued. "Look, I know that you think I shouldn't trust this man that I just met. He did seem dark and strange, but I didn't sense any harmful aura about him or anything. I don't think he has any reason to hurt me." As she spoke, butterflies began fluttering in her stomach. She wanted to trust Mr. Fenton. For some reason she really wanted to trust him. And yet she knew she was feeling almost the exact same feelings as Logan was. Sometimes with certain people you just can't tell. Mr. Fenton seemed to realize her concern and tried to convince her that he meant no harm, and he had spoken with such sincerity. If she sensed that it was just an act, she would have been a lot more suspicious of him. But she felt a need to trust him, despite the risk. The worst part was she couldn't tell if it was her instinct or something else that was making her feel this way. She let out a quiet sigh and rested her head against the window. It was a much smoother ride than the school bus, and it helped her to feel more at ease.
Logan wondered if the long silence and the final sigh meant that Rogue was thinking over her opinion about this musician. He didn't want to put her on the spot, but he did believe it was better to make her think twice. Finally, he said, "Are you going alone?"
"No. Kurt and Kitty are coming."
He felt a great relief in that. At least there wasn't much of a chance that the violinist would try to do some kind of harm. Perhaps it was wrong to think of a man he hadn't even met in such terms, but that was Logan. He hardly trusted anybody. He certainly preferred Rogue to be safe than sorry, at least until she learned more about the man. And perhaps after he met him. But that would have to wait, since Logan didn't think he was going to be visiting the opera any time soon.
"I just want you to be careful, okay? And if you need any help, just call me." His voice was slightly shaky as he spoke, and he wanted to kick himself. But Rogue just smiled.
"Don't worry. I'm an X-Man, remember? If I can survive Apocalypse and your Danger Room sessions, I can survive anything."
Logan let himself smile again. "Well, that's what training is for. By the way, we're here."
Rogue looked out, and sure enough they were in front of the school. "Well, thanks." She opened the door and stepped out. Before she walked away, she turned to Logan. "Hey, are you doing anything this afternoon?"
He thought about it. "No. Don't think so."
She paused a moment, tapping her fingers on the window frame (since the window was down). When she looked up at him, her dark lips turned up into another graceful smile, the third one that day. Must be a record, Logan thought. But this one was a little different. It had some strange enchantment behind it.
"Do you think you could pick me up after school? Out here, right in front?"
Logan was slightly surprised, but he smirked and answered, "Sure thing."
Still wearing that same smile, Rogue pulled the strap of her backpack up to her left shoulder, then turned and walked up the steps to the school.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Yay. So, what do you think? Let me know, pweeeeeeaaaasssseee! Yeah, I bet this gets really annoying after a while. Well, if you don't like it, REVIEW: )