-New Added Dialogue & Scene -

Chapter Two:
The Gypsy and The Wolverine

I wasn't entirely sure just how long I had been running - felt like forever, dragging on - but I knew that I wanted to stop.

"Don't stop now, Gyps. You're not a quitter - keep running!"

Easy for you to say. You're not the one running, I snapped. "I can't - I can't run anymore," I murmured, feeling dizzy. My chest felt like it was on fire. My sides hurt so badly - I wanted to cry and I had the worst headache, but I suppose that it was what I deserved for being so out of shape. I silently prayed that my legs would get me as far as possible - to safety, hopefully - before they decided to collapse underneath me, which I was sure they would do soon. I made a mental note to join some kind of gym, if ( "When." I was corrected. "Not if." ) I made it out of this mess alive.

"Oh, Caroline," a voice taunted me, and by the sound of his voice, he wasn't too far behind me. "Come on, Caroline - don't be like this!" He shouted, getting closer, moving fast.

A noise, that strangely sounded like a growl, escaped me. "It's Carolina, you bastard!" I shouted back through gritted teeth. I was fully aware of the fact that ( it was really stupid of me to shout at him when he was chasing me) I hadn't gone to school with him for long, but one would think that remembering the correct pronunciation of someone else's name would be… polite… even if they were about to do something that wasn't.

Pushing the thought aside, I concentrated on my running and managed to dodge a tree branch that I hadn't noticed before and jumped over a small log in my path. I stumbled a bit but kept running. From behind me, Ben laughed. My cheeks burned but not from embarrassment. I didn't care though. I didn't care about anything, except getting out of these woods alive, but I still didn't know how.

"He's getting closer. Move faster, come on, Gyps. Move. Make me proud! The roads not too far ahead, if you could just make it out of these woods… I promise - you'll be safe. Someone will come along the moment your feet hit the pavement."

"How can you possibly know that?" I questioned the voice in my head. Questioned everything about it, sometimes. I wasn't really sure what "it" was - my conscious? Or maybe a figment of my twisted imagination? I honestly didn't care. Not anymore. When it spoke - voice tangled and distorted, couldn't really tell if it was male or female - I learned to listen. Somehow, someway it always managed to get me out of tight spot situations, but this time… I felt a little doubtful. "How do you know that I'll be safe?" I shouted, feeling hysterical. "I'm lost!"

"Just keep moving forward. You'll be okay." Voice, or V as I liked to call It on occasions, said, sounding a little annoyed that I was question It again, but still concerned all the same about my well being.

"Oh, come on, Caroline! Come back - I'm not going to hurt you - I promise!" Ben called out after me. I could hear twigs on the ground snapping underneath his shoes as he continued to run - like a predator chasing its prey. He was catching up, of that I was sure, and probably not as tired as I was. He was on the track team after all and it surprised me that he hadn't caught up to me yet. I could feel his adrenaline. It fueled mine, helping me along. He was teasing me, letting me think that I could get away. Letting me dwell on how this whole mess would play out in the end.

I wont let him take me back, I thought darkly. Not alive.

"Hey!" V shouted, voice echoing in my head. "Don't think like that. You're going to make it. Keep going."

"You keep saying that," I coughed, struggling to keep my breathing steady, but it was impossible. "I'm so tired." I narrowed my eyes. It was hard to see in the dark. The only light guiding my way was the moon and the starry sky. Great, I'm freaking poet now. I thought to myself, almost rolling my eyes in annoyance.

Despite being tiredI kept running, but tripped on a tree root. Caught off guard, I cried out in surprise and stretched my arms out in front of me, hoping to catch myself but failed. Clumps of dirt filled my mouth and my hands scraped themselves against the dirt and jagged rocks. I cried out in pain.

"Get up, get up!" V urged frantically.

"I can't. I can't!" I cried, face screwing up. I tried to get up, but couldn't. I cursed underneath my breath. This was not happening to me! I wasn't some stupid bimbo from those horror movies!

In the distance I vaguely heard the sound of an engine and saw bright light beams. Oh - a car!

"Caroline!" Ben shouted and I hesitated.

If I got up now - he would see me and grab me before my feet even hit the pavement. So, I dragged myself behind a tree, pressed my back against the rough wood and held my breath as best as I could. Footsteps rushed towards the area where I was hiding. They slowed down and heaved a heavy sigh.

"Where the hell did she go?" He asked himself, looking left and right. I pressed myself even further against the tree, scraping my back and winching at the pain in my hands. I closed my eyes, willing the world to stop - it didn't of course, but a girl could hope. "Caroline!" He shouted. I shuddered. "When I find you--" he stopped talking suddenly and took off. I sighed in relief and counted to ten before I checked to see if the coast was clear. He was gone.

Another car passing by caught my attention and I hesitantly moved towards its direction, my heart beating so fast, so hard that I was almost afraid it would pop out of my chest. I was so happy, so relieved --

The wind was knocked out of me as someone from behind tackled me to the ground, forcefully. Shocked by the sudden impact and the rush of emotions - how could someone be so damn proud and excited and impatient about this? - I was temporarily blinded. I closed my eyes and gasped harshly, but could barely breathe. The body on top of mine was crushing me and making it hard for me to breathe. Behind closed lids, I could see a flash of blood, but didn't understand how that could be - my eyes were closed! I quickly brought a hand to my nose. It hurt like it had been broken, maybe the impact had done it, but when I opened my eyes and looked my fingers - they were covered it dirt. There wasn't any blood.

"Not my blood," I realized, blinking.

"And where do you think your going?" Ben asked, cockily and even though I couldn't see his face, I knew he was grinning like a madman. The predator had finally caught his prey - his scared prey. He got off me, suddenly and a gush of air made its way into my lungs. Hands grasped my shoulders and turned me on my back, pinning my arms above my head. I blinked several time, trying to get my vision straight. When I finally did, I saw him staring down at me. "Thought you could get away from me? What did you do to Dan?" He asked, shaking my violently.

I groaned from the pain, too scared to try to free myself from his grip. He was bigger than me, more built. Faster. Stronger. "I - I didn't do anything," I whispered.

"Liar!" He shouted, through clenched teeth. He was angry, scared and confused. It was a bad combination if I ever saw one. People like that were unpredictable. "You did something - he's acting different, afraid. Had to knock him out for a bit…" he trailed off. "I'm not gonna ask again - what the hell did you do to him?"

I ignored his question. "Please, Ben, just leave me alone. If you let me go - I'll leave here and I won't tell anyone what happened," I promised, trying to reason with him.

"Of course you're not going to tell anyone," he said, seeming to consider my proposition for a moment. My spirits lifted a little, but was then stomped to the ground and stepped on when he shook his head. "Don't matter who you tell - they can't do anything about it. You'll be back where you belong and everyone will think that you've just run away from home," he smiled as though he thought the plan was flawless and maybe he was right. Who would truly miss me if I'd gone? Gwen and Owen, came the answer. No, I shook my head. All I cause is trouble… they wouldn't miss me at all. Ben's hand wrapped itself around my neck, but not too tightly. He just wanted my attention. "You know from this angle - you're kinda … cute." His face was so close to mine at this point, I could smell the whiskey on his breath. I felt violently ill when he began to tug at the hem of my shirt.

No! My mind screamed when I realized what he was trying to do. I narrowed my eyes, trying to focus.

"That right, Gyps - concentrate. Don't let him win, but you gotta move fast if you want to survive. Your ticket to safety is approaching fast and unless he sees you - he wont stop."

I pushed back all my emotions and focused on his - the disgust and lust. I would have thought it funny in a different situation. I tried to concentrate, but was too disorientated. My head was pounding. I kicked at him.

"Don't be like that," he soothed, pushing my hair away from my face. "You know, they said that they wanted you alive, but they didn't say anything about in what condition." As he spoke I could hear the sound of fabric ripping. I knew it was from my shirt. I tore my eyes away from his and looked over his shirt, eyes unseeing as he lowered his face to mine. I shut my eyes thinking he was going to kiss me, but when I felt his tongue graze my earlobe I wanted to gag and I began to struggle, though part of me urged to stop and give in. "Don't fight me," he said. "Don't. You may be a freak, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun, huh?" He asked, body covering mine now.

I arched my back, unintentionally, trying to shove him off - was that what I was doing? - but he barely moved. He let out a throaty moan in my ear. He was aroused. And suddenly, I didn't care what he was doing to me as his hands roamed my body. I really didn't. And, to my horror, I found that - that - that I was enjoying it!

"No!" V shouted, gaining my attention. "It's not you! You're feeling what he feels," V explained and suddenly everything made sense. "You have to snap out of it!"

Shaking my head, I let it loll to the side in shame. I closed my eyes, willing the feeling to go away. It was strong - his want - but I managed to push it down. "Please get off of me," I tried to reason with him. "You don't want to do this."

"And why not?" He asked, voice strangely husky. I shuddered.

Trying to keep my voice steady, I replied - "Bad things will happen if you don't let me go." It was an empty threat - I knew that, maybe he did too - but it was worth a try.

"Thanks for the warning, doll." He said, laughing as he picked his head up from my neck. "But I think I'll take my chances," he pushed himself off of me, but still held me down and begun fumbling with his jeans.

"Please!" I screeched, my head tilting back. He hesitated for a moment and I wondered if I had gotten through to him. He looked down at me, confused and then turned back to what he had been doing before. He was unsure now, though, but he wanted dominance over me - to show he was stronger. Some dangerous mutant…. "Please.," I murmured mournfully.

"Stay focused Gypsy. You have to stay focused. Don't you dare break down on me now! Look, he's barely paying any attention to you; he's too busy trying to get your jeans off - now's your chance!"

With that said, and a quick flash of what I had seen while I had tried to recover after being tackled, I knew what I had to do. When Ben lowered his face close to mine, I lifted my head off the ground and rammed it, hard as I could, against his nose. He groaned loudly, let go of my hands and sat up, still straddling me. He held his bloody nose with his hands. "You stupid, bitch! You broke my nose!" He cried, hands muffling his voice.

Wincing, I brought up my damaged hands and placed them on the sides of his face. I narrowed my eyes, concentrating. "Come on," I urged, waiting for him to react and just when I was about to lose hope, he jerked back, falling on his ass. I followed, kept my hands his face. "I can do more than just break your nose," I told him, darkly.

He removed his hand from his nose; I saw blood trailing down to his mouth. His eyes were shut tightly and he began to twitch and scream out in pain, holding his head. Before I could cause any more damage, I snatched my hand away and stood up, taking off.

"That-a girl!"V cheered. "Now all you have to do is keep walking - you should be safe now."

I nodded, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling creeping up on me. A part of me wanted to run towards the road, but the tackle I had received from Ben had done a lot of damage and I was limping, badly. But it was okay - I could see the road in from where I was standing and smiled, relieved. I'd be okay, now. Everything would be… okay. At least for now. All I had to do was wait for whoever it was that was suppose to save.

So caught up in my excitement, when I reached the center of the road, I hadn't heard the footsteps approaching me from behind me. By the time I did - it was too late. Ben had already grabbed a handful of my brown hair and pulled me roughly towards me. I had never felt so much rage before. I tried to grab his wrist, pull my hair out of his hand, maybe hurt him but he grabbed my wrist and twisted it behind my back, letting go of my hair to wrap his arm around my waist.

"Just what the hell are you?" He demanded to know, twisting my arm back more so that I was leaning forward. "It's what you did to Dan, wasn't it? Huh?" When I didn't respond, he pushed my arm even further and I felt something pop. I cried out. The son-of-a-bitch had broken my arm! "I'm going to have fun breaking you," he said, groin bucking against me. "Fun - you and me."

"V!" I cried out, pitifully. "You said everything would be okay - liar!"

It will - it is… He's coming. Listen.

"Who the hell are you --" Ben stopped speaking abruptly, turning his attention away from me to the road ahead of us. It was quiet at first and then the sound of an engine could be heard approaching. It got louder and louder, until it came into sight - it was a motorcycle.

I felt myself being dragged away, back into the woods. I shook my head. "No!" I shouted, trying to fight back. This was my only chance, V had said, and I wasn't going to let it go. "Let go!" I kicked, ignoring the pain I felt and struggled harder.

"Stop it!" He snarled, tightening his grip. "Stop moving!"

As I stalled for the motorcyclist, I began to wonder whether the person driving would stop. What if they didn't, what if they kept on going without a second thought? Some people were like that - they didn't care so long as they were safe. But then the person stopped a few feet away from us, turned the engine off but left the light beam on. "What're you kids doin' out here so late?" He asked, voice loud and rough. He stepped off his bike, putting on the brakes as he did. "It's not safe to be out here this time of night." He put his hands on his hip and looked between Ben and me, oddly.

"Please, help me!" I cried trying to move towards him, but Ben twisted my arm again to stop me.

My head jerked back as I stood on my toes.

"Mind your own business, old man," Ben spoke up, despite his nervousness. He wasn't going to let some old geezer put a cramp in his plans. "This doesn't concern you. Just get on your bike and go."

"Let the girl go," the stranger demanded, sounding strangely calm. He moved closer, stepping out of the shadows and into the light coming from his bike. He was tall with strange dark hair that curled up rather than down and was well built, though it was hard to tell because of his leather jacket. He was good-looking in a rough sort of way.

"And if I say no?" Ben asked, mocking the older man. He let go of arm and move it to my neck.

"That wouldn't be very smart of ya." The strange man cocked his head to the side, looking as though he really didn't have time for this bullshit. "Look, kid, I don't want to get rough with ya - it's cute that you think you're all big and bad, but I'll give you to three to let her go."

"What are you gonna do if I don't?" He asked, pressing me harder against him as if for protection. I let out a long sigh when he released my neck, but stiffened when his arm returned and I felt something cool against my neck - a knife.

My eyes widened and I felt sick again.

"One-" the man began counting.

Ben pressed the tip of the blade against the side of my neck and made a small cut. I winced. "Don't come any closer or she's dead." I kept my gaze on a tree in front of me.

"Two-" the man continued, I could hear him walking. Then I heard another sound I couldn't really register, but it sort of sounded like knives clashing against each other.

"Oh shit," Ben cursed softly in my ear, panicked. "Y-you're one of them. He didn't tell me that I had to deal with more!" He let go of me, pushing me forward so roughly, I lost my balance and landed on my arm. I let out a cry and rolled over onto my back, cradling my arm with the other. "I'm out of here," he said, taking off like a scared animal. And the predator loses his prey. For now.

"You'll be okay now, Carolina. Relax, everything will be fine. He'll take care of you."

I sniffed, trying to fight off the wave of tears that were building up behind my eyes. This is so fucked up, I thought, licking my chapped lips. My throat felt dry all of a sudden and the ache I had felt before returned. My head was pounding, hands throbbed - my whole body did! - and I felt dirty all over for more reasons than one.

"Hey, kid," the stranger called out as he approached me. I had almost forgotten that he was there. "You all right?" He bent down, one knee on the ground and, from the corner of my eye I saw him, reaching out to touch me.

"No - wait!" I cried out, scrambling away from him, head snapping towards his direction and my jaw almost dropped at what I saw. They looked like knives, curved at the very tip, giving them a claw like appearance, but they were connected to his knuckles. My eyes widened. Oh, wow.

His eyes narrowed as he followed my gaze. With a grunt, the knives on his knuckles began to shrink, slowly disappearing where they had come from. I watched in a child like fascination and suddenly jumped when he raised his hands in the air. "I ain't gonna hurt ya, kid," he said, quietly, voice firm.

I wanted to tell him that I already knew that. V wouldn't have put me in the newcomer's path if he were a danger to me. I trusted the embodied voice in my head with all my life, now. Despite my constant questioning, I knew that I would be safe… or at least hoped I would be.

"Y-you're a mutant," I pointed out the obvious, stuttering like an idiot.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Look if that's a problem--"

"No, no, no, no, no!" I said in a rush, trying to ignore the look he was giving me - I wasn't crazy, pal! "It's just… I - I mean, you - I'm - me too. Me too," I finally said, frustrated at not being able to come out to him in smoother matter. It felt strange to openly admit it, but it felt so good too. It was freeing. It meant that I didn't have to hide from him. I waited for him to say something. He didn't, so I tried to change the subject. "D-do I look as bad as I feel?"

"That depends," he began, rubbing the back of his neck. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit."

For some reason I was disappointed when he didn't laugh at my attempt at sick humor. I suddenly felt an urge to find acceptance in him. "Well, then that's your answer." He paused for a moment. He looked as if he were debating something in his head. "What's your name, kid?"

I paused for a moment, debating on which name I should give him. "Gypsy," I decided. He raised an eyebrow, giving me a pointed look and I realized why. "My name's Carolina," I sighed, trying to sit up but the pain in my hands stopped me short. When I began to fall back, he immediately placed his hand on my back, trying to keep me steady. I suddenly felt a dull jolt run up my spine and into the back of my head, making it snap back.

Oh, he was so angry… lost - why do you feel lost? Don't you have a home? - and worried at the same time. I shook myself and tried to play it off as if it had been something else that caused my head to snap back. I looked at him, "What's yours?" I asked, trying to ignore the emotions he was sending out unknowingly.

"Wolverine," he replied without hesitation. It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "But you can call me Logan." He sighed heavily, looking out into the distance. "Sun's about to rise soon…. You're parents are probably worried about you right now."

I looked at him in bewilderment, not knowing whether to laugh hysterically or cry by what he'd just said. Gwen. Owen. I shoved the thought aside and shook my head, sadly. "I… I ran away from home." It wasn't a lie, I had run away and for a good reason. Sighing, I lowered my gaze to my hands, they looked horrible and hurt like hell. My whole arm did.

He grabbed my wrists in his hands and looked at my palms, examining them. I tried to pull them away - the pain in my arm was killing me and his pulling on it wasn't helping at all. He seemed to notice my discomfort and placed his hand on my shoulder, the one that was hurt and lightly touched it with his fingers. I winched, sucking in air through my teeth. He nodded, "Maybe I should get you to the hospital--"

"No!" I cut him off, shaking my head and looking at him desperately. "No hospitals. Please!"

He blinked. "Look, I ain't a doctor…" he trailed off sighing and looked away for a moment. "I know a place, know someone, people who can help…. You just have to trust me, okay?" I nodded, torn between feeling grateful and suspicious. I wasn't too entirely fond of doctors

"Okay."

"You're arm - it's dislocated," he informed me. "Like I said, kid, I ain't a doctor, but I can pop it back into to place for ya, pain'll be a lot less worse."

I blinked. "Is - is it gonna hurt?" I asked him, eyes going wide before I even gave the question any consideration. "Duh, stupid question," I laughed nervously, tilting my head back. "Of course it's gonna hurt…. Okay," I finally said, looking back at him, fearfully. I wasn't very good with pain, but I knew that if I left it the way it was it would be bad. "Do it."

He stared at me, hard. "I'm gonna count to three - okay?" He gently grabbed my shoulder with one hand and held my forearm with the other. I shut my eyes tightly, gritting my teeth as I shook. "It's gonna hurt," he said. "But I'll be quick."

"Just do it," I told him, turning my head away. I kept my eyes closed, not wanting to see. This wasn't going to be a pretty site.

"One--"

Pop.

"Ugh - sonavabitch!" I cried out in shock. I hadn't expected that - the rush of pain and relief. I gritted my teeth at the throbbing pain, inhaled and exhaled harshly through my teeth as I fell forward. Mr. Logan caught me before I even touched the ground and I buried my head in his chest as I cried. "Liar - you said you'd wait until three!" I shouted, hitting him in the shoulder with a closed fist. "God, that hurt like a bitch!" What I wouldn't give for some painkillers….

"Yeah," he finally said, breaking his silence. I pushed myself away from him, face feeling awfully swollen. "Better?" I nodded, pathetically. The pain in my shoulder had dulled down somewhat. It still hurt, though. "Good. Come on." He stood up, pulling me along with him and helped me to his bike and then took out a bottle of water to handed it to me.

I used it to clean myself. "Where are we going?" I asked him when I was done and he had gotten on the bike. He had told me that I would have to grab hold of him if I didn't want to fall off.

The motorcycle roared to life - "Charles Xavier's school for the gifted youngsters."