Emma had been out on the streets of New York for almost a month now, her money supply had long gone and she had become an unnoticed street urchin. She had even sunk so low as to have signs saying she would work for food.

"Help" she whispered to her dirty ruffled reflection in the puddle that littered the ground around her while cold chilled her to the bones.

She was walking down an abandoned street that was normally filled with people on a good day, but today was not a good day. Her eyes were turned downwards to look at the puddle decorated ground. Since her eyes were firmly locked on the ground, she didn't see the person dressed in black with a hood covering her face walking towards her until they crashed. Their bodies collided into one another causing them both to fall to the ground.

"I'm so sorry," Emma cried looking up to see the person who she had crashed into.

The hood had fallen back from the other person's face and she could see a girl was the person whom she had hit. The girl looked around Emmas age which was about just over sixteen. The girl matched Emma equally in height and had porcelain features that were invoked by emerald eyes. She had auburn hair with two unnatural looking platinum white streaks that was unbrushed and tossed lazily over her shoulder while she was dressed in black from head to toe.

"I'm Emma" Emma said to the girl, holding out her hand

"Rogue" the black clothed girl replied her eyes darting nervously around her

"Really?" Emma question

"No I'm a runaway" she answered softly

"So what's your real name then?"

"Anna" she answered

"Well Anna, I'm a runaway too" Emma said lightly

"You are?"

"Yeah only I have no home or anything."

"Well then come with me" Anna put in, leading her away down the street

(A/N: Ok I just had to add Rogue into the story but this is before Mystique adopts her and her powers have come out - hence her running away. Also she is not an X-man either (duh) but she has runaway from home (another duh) because her mother has died and her father is abusive (Note: it is so made up). But anyway I explain her past better later and just to let you know she is just a character added in to keep the story moving along and I will also be using her real name too, or at least the one I found out from somewhere.)

Anna stopped outside a large old looking brick building after sometime of walking. Emma followed suit and stopped behind her eyeing the building.

"What is it?" she question

"It's a shelter for homeless people this is where I am staying so I don't starve. Don't worry they're all really nice"

Emma just nodded and followed Anna inside the building. Inside she was met with the sounds of people, the smell of food and the warmth of a blazing fire. Anna pulled her over to one of the, what Emma thought to be senior staff members or whatever they were called. She found herself being listed into the shelter and given a room (shared with Anna. Emma just couldn't bring it to herself to call her Rogue it was so unnatural and it wasn't a proper name) and then made to fill in some forms. Emma found herself giving them a kind of fake name. She turned from Emma Grace Frost to Emma Grace Freedman in a few flicks of the pen. She didn't want them to send her home if they found out who she really was that was the last thing she needed.

"Ok, we're all set" the senior worker said singing the last of the paper work "now you can go"

Her new friend Anna led Emma to her room that they were to share. It was tiny but better than nothing. She collapsed onto the semi-soft surface of the bed and fell into a long awaited sleep.

"Emma" a voice called pulling her out of her half sleep

"Yeah?" she replied sleepily back knowing that the person was Anna

"Why'd ya run away?"

"Why'd ya run away?" she retorted with the same question

Anna hesitated not wanting to tell Emma the reason. Emma look curiously at the other girl.

"I won't tell" she whispered her lips barely moving

"I'm a mutant" Anna murmured, tears forming in her eyes "I hurt someone so I ran. I would have left anyway because of my father, my mutation just made me leave sooner."

"I don't know much about what you went through in your life that made you leave but I do know what its like to be a mutant." She told the girl lightly with a gentle voice

"You're a mutant too?"

"Yeah I have telepathy" she answered "what about you?"

"I have poison skin," Anna said simply

This just simply caused Emma to laugh

"No really" Anna said her voice hinted with annoyance "if I touch someone with skin to skin contact I take their memories and life force and if they're a mutant their powers"

Emma shut up when Anna said that

"So that's why you ran away?"

"Yeah, my powers came out and I hurt one of my friends. Everyone was angry, he was in a coma for three weeks. But I also left because of my father. My mother died when I was seven and he became an alcoholic. He used to always beat me, so my mutation coming out was just the last straw, it pushed me over the edge so I ran"

Emma allowed the words to sink into her, suddenly her life didn't seem quite so bad

"So why'd you run" a voice questioned interrupting her thoughts

"I came from a rich family you know. I was Emma the little rich bitch that everyone only wanted for the money and power. My mother also passed away when I was young but I barely remember her. The worst thing was the replacements. My dad remarried - several times actually and I hated them. Erika was, is the worst. She's the one that I ran from. She was a gold-digger with a fake smile and rules. She ordered me around like I was dirt; I was always second best with her. I just had to get away and make my own life so I ran"

the two sat in silence and their stories mingled together in their minds and they saw how compared with their own story the other always sounded so much worse.

"I'm sorry" Anna whispered in a caring voice and then left the room with uttermost speed.