A/N: Aww, you reiviewer guys are the bestest:

Jujube111: Thank you so much! Don't be confused, be happy! Okay, Maureen is a character from the musical Rent, if you care.

Toxic-Beetle: Thanks to you too! Wicked is a really good play, if you care. Emma is my middle name.

A/N 2: I have PMS and a chocolate bar that's telling me to eat it, so expect some good angst. Hormones. I need a brownie! Gimme a brownie! (Starts crying, disrupting all the people in her study hall). Sniffle.

Disclaimer: I, of course, do not own the X-Men. If I did, I'd take either Bobby or Pyro to the prom (they'd both look really good in a tux).

Chapter Seven: Hell is for Children

Germany, 1984

Kurt quietly slid the screen door open, and shivered as a burst of December air blew against him, seeping in through every hole in his jacket and pants, biting hard at his bare face and fingers. He wouldn't be able to stay outside for long, it was too cold, but it was his last chance to get out of the house for another day.

Ever since Raven had left, he'd been feeling a sort of emptiness inside of himself. They'd never been close, he knew that, but the half hour he'd had with her that last day had made him forget all about it. The only feeling he had left now was a vast loneliness.

Caroline had hit him last week, and he hadn't even reacted. No wincing. No screaming. No pleading. No tears. Nothing. He could have cared less if she'd taken a drill bit to his head. Because, he thought sadly, wrapping his jacket even tighter around his skinny arms, Raven had left because he cried too much, because he was too much to handle. Right?

Now he'd never know.

This thought had resulted in Kurt's present vacuous lifestyle. What was the point, he asked himself as he pulled a book off of the shelf one day an hour after Caroline had left, of anything? Nothing ever stayed. And he'd pushed the book back into place, hating it for the first time in his life.

Kurt leaned against the side of the house and sank down into the frozen ground. He tucked his knees underneath his shirt and hugged them to his chest, grateful for any warmth. He'd been going outside every night since the middle of December, after he had realized Raven had left. It had been the first time he'd gone outside as long as he could recall.

The bright moon smiling in the sky was completely foreign to him, as was the dry crunchy fall grass and leaves on the ground. The air was sharp and cold and fresh, harder feeling than he'd thought it would be. The trees further out back were tall, and the bark felt rough and jagged against his fingers. Kurt had almost panicked, this was so much space, so different from the little house he lived in, that he'd sprinted back in as fast as possible, waking up Caroline when he slammed the door and provoking an angry attack; she hated being aroused from sleep in the middle of the night, and she proved it enthusiastically with her fists. She'd smacked him full in the eye, and made it swell almost shut. Then she'd laughed, because she knew Raven couldn't do anything about it. Kurt had done nothing but press his hand against his face and walk back to his room.

But he'd still come out again, this time staying for a bit longer. Now he was lying down next to the house for hours at a time, never falling asleep, but resting from his little rug. It was risky, but he didn't care what happened anymore.

Kurt snuggled against the doorstep, curling into a ball and twisting his tail around his waist unhappily. He felt his eyelids sink down of their own accord, and snapped them open before he could fall asleep. There'd be trouble if Caroline or Rolanda found him here in the morning. Rolanda was nice enough, but she mostly ignored him and Kurt preferred it that way. He wasn't in any mood for contact right now or ever.

His lids sank down again, and this time he left them closed.

what is this place? too dark too big too quiet no one is here no one is here. alone alone alone someone help me. a book comes out of nowhere and smacks him in the eye and laughs and sits in front of him and opens itself. he reaches out for it to read it why did it hurt him if he can read it he will find out. but when he touches it it snaps over his fingers and jumps away. he tries again and the same thing happens come back i wanna find out! tell tell tell its too empty in this place he needs to feel someones hand or heartbeat something to grab onto anything will do. suddenly a figure comes out from the darkness shes holding a small light and he can make out her face. ravens in front of him, smiling and holding out her hand she does want him she does she does and a small ray of sun comes through out of nothing as he reaches to close around her warm fingers he wont be cold anymore. but when he touches her palm she makes a fist and slams it into his stomach and when he looks up shes caroline and she laughs and laughs and laughs raven caroline raven caroline raven-

"CAROLINE!"

Kurt jumped awake at the sound of the angry shout. He spent a minute trying to decipher dream from reality and stood up, rubbing his eyes. How long had he been asleep? It was still nighttime, so it probably hadn't been too long.

He heard another shout from inside, and immediately flattened himself against the wall of the house. Rolanda was screaming at Caroline, why? It was revealed a moment later when voices came out from the kitchen. Kurt felt a shiver travel up his spine, there was no possible way this could mean anything good.

The window a few feet away was lit up suddenly, and throwing common sense away, Kurt walked over as quietly as possible and peeked in.

Caroline was sitting at the table, wearing nothing but a night shirt and her underwear. Rolanda stood above her, alternating screaming in German and some other language he couldn't understand, but he thought sounded like English. And next to her daughter was a man Kurt had never seen before. He wasn't wearing much more than Caroline, just some boxers and a T-shirt. He looked nervous, and was trying to play it off, but wasn't succeeding. Caroline herself looked angry, as she yelled in English. Kurt had no idea what was going on.

"...and if you think," Rolanda said, switching to German again, "that I wouldn't find out, you're wrong! How could you? After all I've done for you-"

"You didn't do anything for me!" Caroline jumped up and pushed her face near her mother's. "I'm an adult, Mother, I can do what I want. I'm moving back to America when I finish school, and Emmett and I are gonna get married, and you can't stop us!" She threw her fist in the air to punctuate that last word. Kurt frowned, get married?

"Get married? For God's sakes, you're eighteen! You can't make this decision and possibly think it's a good one. You're too young to get married, let alone-" she faltered suddenly, and waved her hand helplessly at Emmett, who turned red and stood up next to Caroline, slipping his arm around her waist. She let it rest there, and glared smugly at her mother.

"We love each other, Mother. Unlike you and Dad. And we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, no matter what you think!" She inhaled in sharply, breathless from the argument.

Rolanda's face burned a bright shade of red, almost magenta. She pressed her lips together, looking furious, then, without warning, fell down and didn't move.

Caroline's anger faded away, and she knelt down. "Mother?"

She didn't move.

"Mother?"

Nothing.

"Mother!"

A/N: Hahahahaha. Another cliff hanger, any nasty names you'd like to call me, please leave in your review. Oh yeah, please review.

Next chapter: Find out who was screaming and why. Yay!

Gotta go, byebye.