"So what's wrong with your power?" Rogue asked as she sat down on her bed and indicated for Callie to sit next to her. Callie just stood at the door and looked around the room like a trapped rat. "You're not claustrophobic, are you?" Rogue gave her a concerned look and stood up to stand next to her.
"No…" Callie mumbled, then she thought better of it and looked up at Rogue. "No." She repeated more firmly. "I… I'm kinda people-phobic."
"So… You and me being alone in this room is making you feel uncomfortable?" Rogue slid her hand onto the door handle. "Do you want to go somewhere where there are more people?"
"No, its okay." Callie placed he4r hand on top of Rogue's. "I'm sure that if you can overcome your fear, then I can, too. I'll stay here with you just as long as you promise that you'll face whatever fear you get from your power."
"Yeah, okay, it's a deal." Rogue removed her hand from the handle and held it out for Callie to shake. "We'll face our fears." Callie shook her hand slowly. "What is it about your power that makes you scared of being alone in a room with someone anyway?" Callie moved further in to the room and sat on Rogue's bed.
"You tell me why you wear those gloves and are afraid of touching people first." She said. Rogue wrung her gloved hands nervously.
"Well…" She began as she moved over and sat next to Callie. "When I touch people – I don't really know how this works – but when I touch people I absorb their energy. When my bare skin touches other mutants, I absorb their power as well. It's kind of like sucking the life out of them."
"Is that why you left home?"
"I put my boyfriend in a coma before I could pull away from his kiss." Callie stayed silent for a minute before beginning her story.
"When I'm alone with someone, I see their future." She said slowly. "It's… it isn't always good. Mostly, in their future I can see their death."
"And you can't control it?" Callie shook her head. "Can you see my future right now?"
"Rogue, I'm purposely not trying to look."
"But I thought we were going to face our fears."
"Well then, you take off your gloves and hold onto my hand." Callie dared her as she held out her hand. "I don't want to see your death, Rogue."
"But you don't know that you'll see my death." Rogue said softly. "It might be-"
"It might be the evil that's coming, the one you are going to fight." Callie stood up and moved quickly over to the door. "Jean saw it, and it scared her enough to take the chance of bringing you here. I'm sorry, Rogue, I shouldn't be here with you." She said hastily as she almost ran out of the door, leaving Rogue staring out into the hallway blankly. It took a moment for the enormity of what Callie had said to hit her. Could she fight an enemy so powerful that it scared Jean? Rogue lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. It was almost 2pm, but she was so emotionally exhausted that she fell asleep.
Sorry to end it there, this chapter is so short, but I thought that if I wrote any more of it then I would kinda wreck the meaning of what Rogue is going through. I'll try to post a new chapter really soon.
Eyliena