You review, therefore I reply:
texasgrrl: Feel free to ramble all you like, makes for interesting reading :) Remy did use his empathy but the technicalities will be explained a lot more in this chapter.
ishandahalf: I think we all wish we could be on Remy's lap...(dreamy sigh) Oh and I also really hate it when people pronounce foyer wrong. I mean, c'mon! It just shows ignorance when you pronounce it as "er".
Silverbell914: Good to know that I provide a break from school :)
Green Bird 2071: Glad to know that some of the confusion's been cleared up but it's also good to know that there's still stuff for you to think about :)
Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: Don't unanswered questions suck? They niggle away at you and don't stop BUGGING YOU! I hope this chapter answers a few :)
Freak87: (stares for hours at the longest review ever before finally getting around to reading it) Have I ever told you I love your reviews? They rock so hard! You really help me to see how my message has been put across and how readers interperate it. Big thank you just for that. Also, you make me laugh :) More thank yous. As for Rogue falling unconcious all the time, that's partly for drama and partly because it's an easy why to end a chapter :D
smiteme: Hey, new reviewer! Welcomes. Good to know I've got your attention :)
Tinanai-adora: Hey, you're new to! Big welcome to you. Glad you're enjoying yourself :)
Silent Doom: Trust me, sneaking out is gonna be a Hell of a lot harder for her now :D
Bubbles1612: Oooo, you're new! Welcome to my story. Thank you for bothering to review for all the seperate chapters all at once :) Glad you're liking everything.
hesquidor: Mmmm, ROMY goodness makes the world go round :)
adin: Greetings new reviewer. Hope the update was quick enough.
Jeanl: Ooooo, new reviewer. Big welcome to you. Good to hear that you like what you're reading :)
Tara: Yay, another new reviewer! Welcomes to you. Who is the mystery person? I could tell you, but that would ruin my joy at causing you annoyance :D
Friend to All: Once again, you're so sweet :) It's reassuring to know everything is going at a good pace and I'm so glad you're still interested and the suspense is coming across :)
Meraculas: Welcome new reviewer. Glad you're enjoying the story :)
Xtreme Nuisance: Welcomes for you new reviewer. Love your name :D. Ah, cliffies. If you're the author, ya gotta love 'em :)
(Screams in pure delight) I'VE GOT OVER 100 REVIEWS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! Once again, thank you all sooooooo much for reviewing :) I mean, I go to check my e-mails the day after I posted the chapter and out of the 26 I had, 14 were reviews! How chuffed was I? You guys always inspire me to keep writing and so far you're all keeping the writer's block away which is always a good thing.
All talkin'. All askin'. All arguin' at the same tahme. None of them will shut up! One asks me a question and then someone else will answer for me. Ah don't care though. Ah'm too tired, too confused. Ah woke up in mah bed. Ah don't know how Ah got there. Everythang was kinda hazy. Ah remember Logan comin' to get me and helping me dahn to see the Professor and the other teachers. Then they all started talkin' all at once. Ah'm not sure what's goin' on anymore. Ah'm so confused...
Ah wish Remy were here...
Concentrating, Rogue focused on the lock on her bedroom door. Bringing Magneto forward, she used his power to slid the lock back. She slowly edged the door open a crack and poked her head around discreetly. Coast was clear, completely empty corridor. She already held her cell phone to her ear and heard the ringing on the other side. She nervously bit her bottom lip, her eyes fixed to the end of the corridor ahead. The ringing stopped;
"Hello?"
"Remy? It's Marie."
"Marie? How'd you get Remy's number?"
"Ah asked head you, but anyway, Ah gotta talk quick. Ah've been grounded for a month. Ah ain't gonna be able to help you save your father."
"Wha'? Why'd dhey ground you?"
"Why'd you think? Strangely enough, teachers are picky abaht knowing where their students are in the middle of the naht. Ah was lucky to only get a month, though Ah think the five days of solitude is goin' a bit far. Ah think they're just worried abaht me though, what with the sudden disappearances and me passing out on them."
"You passed ou'! Okay, now Remy wan' details."
"Shh...oot" Logan's comin'. Ah gotta go."
"Marie, wait!"
"Don't worry. Ah'll call you back later. Bah."
Two days had passed since the events which led on from meeting the real life Remy. Two days filled with questions, explanaitions and check-ups. Two out of the five days of solitude she was punished with. Two days down out of the thirty days she was grounded for.
Rogue lay on her bed, completely still except for the slight movement of her right hand which was guiding the floating, bending paperclips above her. She was so bored! Being confined to her room all day except for lessons and meals had seemed like a pretty sweet deal at first. That was, until she found out lessons and meals would be on her own and her CD's were to be taken away. That's when she realised it was definately a punishment. She knew she was in for trouble but she thought Logan would at least stick up for her. Instead, he was the one dealing out the punishments. Solitary confinement for five days, grounded for a month. Although, she reckoned the grounding was simply because he was worried/pissed off with her recent, sudden disappearances. If she was grounded, it meant he and the other teachers had a plausable reason for keeping tabs on her.
This was the first time she'd ever been given any kind of punishment at the school, let alone solitude, so she really wasn't used to it. And it was because she wasn't used to it that she found that she was now completely and utterly bored. She was sick of reading, tired of listening to the tapes she had managed to hide from Logan and her last sketching pencil had snapped earlier the previous day. She had tried calling Remy again a couple of times but his phone had always been off and she couldn't be bothered to leave him a message. She needed to talk to him though. There were things she needed to know. Like, what was he going to do about his father? And if he still had her shopping bags.
With a small sigh, Rogue lifted her right arm and twisted her hand around a few times, one of the paperclips flattening out as she did so. In an attempt to relieve her boredom, Rogue had started practising with the other powers in her mind. She had started out with Pyro's ability and had managed to master it quickly. Head Remy told her it was because it was such a simple power and took less effort and mind control to use. So having mastered that in all but three hours, she decided to move onto Magneot's power. She was getting to be quite good at it although she did get bad headaches if she tried to move something that was too big. At the moment, too big was anything heavier than her clock radio.
Rogue had considered trying to use Logan's abilities. Head Remy had assured her that the inhanced hearing and smelling would be very simple to use and master but in contrast, the healing ability would be very hard to use comfortably for the foreseeable future. That alone had put her off wanting to try using it. She remembered all too well the pain trying to use it had called after the fight in the cafe and she wasn'y overly eager to go through it again. She probably would start practising with it before her grounding was over and it wasn't like there was an immediate need for it. She had more sense than to get herself into such a situation that required instant healing.
A sudden knock on her door broke Rogue's concentration. The paperclips above fell from the atmosphere and bounced a little upon contact with her stomach before coming to a complete rest. She frowned slightly in annoyance and brushed the paperclips off of her stomach and down next to her side so they weren't visible from the door way. The sound of the key turning in the key hole and the door unlocking reached her ears and she took up a casual position; hands under her head and staring up at the ceiling. Eventually, the door opened and Logan came walking in.
"Hey kid." He greeted with a grunt. "How's it goin'?"
"Okay Ah s'pose." Rogue sighed, not bothering to look at him. "Though spendin' mah Saturday locked away in mah room ain't exactly what Ah planned on doin'." She added, her tone turning grumpy.
"Should'a thought of that before you went sneaking off 'til two in the mornin'." Logan replied sternly, giving Rogue the urge to roll her eyes. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that we're leaving for the ice rink now."
Oh yeah, she'd forgotten about that. That month's school outing was to a local ice rink which the Professor had reserved for their private use for the whole afternoon. Of course, part of the punishment was that Rogue wasn't allowed to go. She wasn't too bothered though. Sure, she'd miss out on the fun of seeing Logan ice skating but other than that, she didn't care. It just meant she'd have the run of the entire school to herself.
"Are ya? Kay then, see ya later." She replied casually as she rolled off of her bed and walked up to where Logan was standing just beside the open door way. She continued on to go past him but he moved his arm to block her path. She stopped in her tracks and tilted her head slightly and looked at him.
"Where d'ya think you're goin'?" He asked gruffly.
"To the kitchen." She answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Last time I checked, you still had three more days of solitary to go." He pointed out.
"Well yeah, but ya'll are goin' aht anyway. Does it really matter if Ah go dahn a few minutes before ya go? Most people are already on the coach. Ah ain't gonna talk to anyone." She pointed out.
"Since when were you allowed to leave the room?" Logan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, it's not like you can stop me." Rogue said with a small, playful laugh. "Ah mean, what ya gonna do? Keep me locked in the room even while ya'll are all aht?" Rogue laughed a little more at her intended joke but when she noticed Logan wasn't even smiling, her laughter died away to be replaced by grim realisation. "You're not...You're gonna lock me in here while ya'll go aht!" She cried indignantly.
"No priveledges." He replied simply.
"But it's a total health and safety violation! If there's a fahre Ah'm trapped!" She reminded him angrily.
"The school's fire system is state of the art. It would act the second anything happened. A fire would be put out long before it reached the upper floor." He assured while frowning a little at her tone.
"And what if it started upstairs? In the room raht next to me? Skin maht not like touching me but Ah'm sure as Hell fahre won't have a problem!" She yelled.
"Ever heard of stop, drop and roll?" Logan grunted as he turned to leave the room. It didn't take a psychic to know that if the conversation continued, it'd quickly blow up into a massive arguement. Now, usually, arguing with Rogue wasn't too bad. They'd ignore each other for a few days but then they'd make up. They'd apologose, they'd hug, he'd take her out somewhere, usually for ice cream. At this moment in time however, he couldn't afford to get in her bad books for even a day. She was being secretive enough as it was. He didn't want her to have the excuse of being mad at him as a reason for not talking to him as well.
Rogue crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at the carpeted floor as the door clicked shut and the key was turned, sliding the lock back into place. She couldn't believe he was going to keep her locked in her room while absolutely everyone was out! What was she? A bird? A hamster? Her eyes still fixed in a glare, she went over to her window and looked down to see the last few people, including Logan, boarding the hired coach. The door of the coach slid shut moments before the engine started. Seconds later, the coach had driven off and everything around was silent and still.
Slouching against the wall beside her window and desk, Rogue gave a huff and considered her options. She could go out, but she had no money so there was no point. She could stay in her room but she was already un-bearably bored in there. She could leave her room and mooch around the school but...She couldn't be bothered to think of a downside to that; she knew that's what she was going to end up doing. She gently pushed herself off of the wall and walked straight towards the door. She vanished from the room in wispy smoke after only a few steps.
Forty-seven noisy mutant teenagers in one coach. Paper aeroplanes flew in all directions as did fireworks and little exploding balls. Every so often, one of the girls would scream in surprise. The scream would be followed by laughter, mostly from the boys. The laughter would change into cries as whoever it was who screamed got their revenge. Then, the process would repeat. Had it been any other day, Logan would've sorted them all out long ago. He was too distracted with his own thoughts to be bothered with what was going on around him though.
Maybe he shouldn't have left Rogue alone...He probably should've stayed with her. That way, he could have tried to talk to her again. He had tried to talk to her the moment she had woken up the day after she had left without telling anyone and promptly fainted upon her return. She had been too out of it though. He had, had to pratically carry her down the stairs so she could meet with the Professor and the other teachers. That meeting had been less than productive. They had all ended up arguing amongst themselves, while Rogue sat silently at the side, after he had started on Hank who had brought up Rogue possibly being schizophrenic again.
Schizophrenic...That word sent a shiver through him now. He didn't want Rogue to be mentally ill because that would mean she was suffering in a way he couldn't heal. He doubted his healing factor would do any good on a mental condition. He wanted to believe she was all right. He so badly wanted to believe that she wasn't ill, but it was getting harder to find explanations for her strange behaviour. He found himself very worried and he didn't like it. When a guy like himself started to worry instead of keeping cool and calm, it was an un-deniably bad situation.
The sudden realisation that everyone on the coach was moving forced Logan to cut his thoughts off. His focus returning to what was going on around him, he noticed that the coach had stopped and everyone was getting off. He quickly got up from his seat and followed on behind the last few students onto the street. They began to file into the sports centre where the ice rink was located but Logan was pulled aside by Jean and Scott before he could enter the building. One glance at them told him something was wrong.
"What?" He said simply, trying to keep the anxiety and fear he felt out of his voice.
"Something's happening back at the school." Jean told him in a hushed voice so she wasn't overheard. "I think there's someone in there besides Rogue."
Rogue reappeared in the corridor on the other side of her bedroom door. She casually strolled down the corridor until she reached the stairs where upon she paused and seemed to consider something. Grinning in anticipation, she leaned to her side and let herself topple over the side of the banister. The sensation of falling lasted only a few seconds before she vanished in smoke. She re-entered the world neatly, with her feet on the ground. She gave a breath of satisfaction and stretched. There was something about the sensation of falling that she loved. When she had fallen out of the jet before, sure she had been terrified of dying but she had also ot a strange kind of buzz from it. Obviously, she wasn't suicidal and she wasn't about to go jumping out of planes or anything, but now she had mastered teleportation, she could take a few more risks, have a bit more fun.
Rogue slouched against the side of the stairs and contemplated what she could do, her eyes focused on her feet which she wiggled playfully. A sudden indistinguishable noise to her side made Rogue pause her thoughts though. She looked up casually in the direction the noise had come from and wasn't surprised when she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. It had probably just been the house creeking. She shook her head dismissively and moved into the kitchen, promptly beginning to search through the many cuboards in there. She gathered various, random jars of stuff and set them down on the counter. She went over to the fridge to grab the butter while she used Magneto's power to open the drawer with the cutlery in it, just for practise.
Another noise reached her ears which sounded a little like a dor softly closing. Rogue's head shot up and she frowned in suspicion. She shut the fridge door and moved to the doorway so she could stick her head around the edge. The corridor in front of her was completely empty. She looked behind herself and still found nothing and nobody. Her fornw deepened with added confusion and she reluctantly returned to the kitchen, getting some bread on her way back to where the jars rested.
Rogue held her right hand up and a butter knife floated up from the cutlery drawer and over to her. After plucking the the knife from the air, she proceeded in the task of making herself a sandwich. Buttered the two slices of bread then covered one slice in crunchy peanut butter and the other in chocolate spread. One slice was placed on top of the other as a large, sharp knife floated into Rogue's out-stretched hand. Just as she was about to cut the sandwich, a loud bump came from the dining room.
Rogue whipped around and stared suspiciously at the door which led into the dining room on the opposite side of the kitchen. Still holding the sharp knife, she hurried over to the door. She reached out for the door knob but instead of taking hold of it, she let her hand hover over the brass handle in hesitation. Rogue suddenly shook her head and huffed in irritation, annoyed by her own apprehension. Without further procrastination, she flung the door open and...
...Found nothing. The dining room was empty of anything un-usual. Letting out a relieved sigh, Rogue backed back into the kitchen, pulling the dining room door shut as she did so. She turned back to her sandwich but found that it was no longer on the counter top where she had left it. Her heart rate increased ten fold as fear gripped her. The missing sandwich was definate proof that something funny was going on.
The sudden sensation of eyes on her from behind caused Rogue to freeze momentarily, too frightened to dare moving. It was only for a few moments though because in the blink of an eye, she had lifted her arms and raised all the knives, forks and spoons out of the still open cutlery drawer. She spun around harshly and sent the wall of cutlery shooting in the direction of whoever it was behind her...
Oooooo, cliff hanger! I can just hear the groans of frustration )
So, I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry the update took a while. Lots of stuff going on at the moment; school work, hamster with cancer, school work, helping my friend to move into her first apartment, school work, day trip to Camden Market, did I mention school work? )
Catch ya'll next time.
Hugs
Wings of a Dream