Update! This one is more of a building chapter again. Next up, I have Logan's point of view. I've already written it so review and I'd post sooner. (Haha, sorry, but I looove reviews.)

Thanks to all those who did review. Actually, I'm falling behind on this story a bit because I've started a new Vampire Diaries fanfiction and I'm so involved in it that I can't think about anything else. Much.

But this one is the first fanfiction that I've written and this one has a special meaning for me that way. So, of course, I make this one my first priority.

Although Ian Somerhalder would always win from Hugh Jackman. Don't you agree? ;)

I'm introducing a new character in this one, as the name suggests. Tell me what you think about him.

Chapter Eight

Leslie Fernandez

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I drove the whole night running away from the hospital, running away from Logan. I didn't want to see him ever ever again. If he thought I cared, I didn't. For me, Logan was dead. I just didn't care what happened to him or the fuckin' X-Men anymore.

I took my duffel bag, which Mystique had brought me last night – to change into when I got discharged – which was the only personal belonging that I had now. Thank God, she brought it to me, or else, I wouldn't even have had a pair of decent clothes to change into from the stupid hospital gown.

My eyes were drooping shut by the time I ended up in the first motel I saw and crashed in it. I didn't have much money left after I paid all my hospital bills. I didn't want Logan or Professor paying them. At least whatever amount of it was left to be paid.

I knew I had to take care of where I spent my money next but I also knew that I couldn't take anymore help than I already had from anybody back at the Mansion, especially Logan.

It was harder than ever getting that car's keys from Logan. He had them in his jeans pocket and with huge efforts did I finally weasel them out of him. I still couldn't exactly get how he never really caught me red-handed. I was half-fearing him grabbing my hand and then having a fight all over with him.

Plus, there are a whole lot of other aspects involved when you are working with someone's jeans' pocket.

I didn't even know where exactly I was. I couldn't see much of where I was going through all my tears, nor did I care much. I just wanted to put as much distance between Logan and myself before he realized that I was gone. And even if Logan found me this time, I knew I wasn't going anywhere with him. Even if he blackmailed me or anything. I just couldn't take any of his bloody face again.

The next morning when I woke up, thankfully, there was no Logan around. God there was never a time each second of the day I wished I'd never see him again. Ever ever again.

I ended up in a diner 'The Diana's' for breakfast. I didn't know what I had ordered until I had the food in front of my face. Even then, I didn't mind much while I was eating. I was mostly gazing out at the people walking by, not tasting what I was eating, feeling like I'd start crying all over again.

I sighed. I never trusted my choices anymore. The only guy I ever truly loved turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life. Not being loved back was one of the worst feelings in the world. It just made you feel lonelier than you already were.

All I needed was somebody to cry all my rants on, somebody to tell what an asshole Logan was, how unfeeling and uncaring he was. Shit, I just needed somebody to listen to me and I had nobody in this whole wide world.

I could always go back to see Remy but I knew I wouldn't be able to cry my heart out in front of him. I needed a girl, I knew. Maybe I should consider calling Jubilee up. I just wanted her to nod and say everything would be alright and this was not the end even though I felt like everything was over for me.

But Jubilee lived in the Mansion and calling her up could again connect me with Logan. After all, it was her phone that Logan called me on. Logan was her former teacher and she couldn't exactly have said a 'no'. And maybe she was probably involved in everything herself. Maybe she wanted Logan to trick me to come back to the Mansion too and thought Logan was the only guy I would ever agree to.

But Jubilee was the only girl who knew how I felt. I had shared everything with her for the past few years and shit, I needed her beside me with an ice–cream tub, ready to lend her shoulder to me.

I gulped again, swallowing down my tears. I wouldn't cry for Logan. It just made everything all the more worse.

Why had I fallen in love with Logan?

Why didn't I ever see for what he really was?

Logan wasn't the guy who could fall in love with anyone like me. He just wanted woman like Jean with long legs and perfect face. Of course he wouldn't want me.

God, I was hopeless.

And, I was jobless.

I was also broke.

And I had no friends.

No love.

And I was terribly miserable.

Suddenly, a guy slipped into my booth.

"Lonely?" He offered as I looked up to him. He was a decent looking guy, wearing a white t–shirt. His eyes were a sharp blue and his lips were curved into half a smirk. "Need somebody to talk to?"

"No," I said, calling the waitress over.

"Let me pay that for you," the guy said, taking out a brown wallet, which looked quite heavy.

"What do you need?" I asked, getting really irritated. I wasn't in mood of…well, anything. "Leave me alone."

The waitress produced my bill and I paid her the bill and her tip and left as quickly as I could. The guy looked creepy and I was feeling goose-bumps all over due to his smirk.

"Hi," I heard beside me and turned to find the same guy. "I'm Leslie."

"And why are you telling me that?"

"Because I'm a psychic and I know what you're thinking. What a creep, but look–"

That only made me walk faster to my car. "Just back off," I said. The guy was obviously a fluke and I didn't need anymore drama in my life than I already had.

Then, I got into my car, correction, Logan's car, and started it, turning the ignition on. It was a black camaro and quite a classy and fast thing. Soon I was on the highway, driving at high speed.

I surely had to ditch this car. What if Logan tried finding me via it?

Since I had nothing better to do anyway, I took the directions for a nearby junkyard and traded Logan's black camaro for a silver Audi roadster. I didn't listen much to what the make and year of the car was while I zoned out and wondered how miserable I really was. This was obviously a pretty expensive car. Well, I smiled, you deserve this, Logan. I really wanted to crash his car so bad that he wouldn't be able to drive it ever again. Sadly, I was on the verge of going broke, so I couldn't even consider it.

While going back to my motel, I stopped and bought some ice cream. I could always drown in self-pity alone. Anyway, my motel days were soon going to be over. I would have to sleep in the car and though my back would cry desperately for the torture it would experience, I'd have to suffer this or else I'd soon have no money left for my meals.

I checked in and crashed for the day, watching the traffic running out of my window, which sadly was a car in every few minutes.

Shit, I sucked big time.

Before I drifted off into nothingness though, my phone started ringing. It was the same old tune that I had set a while ago and without really noticing it, I realized that until then, I hadn't known that my duffel bag still had my phone.

I picked up the phone on the unknown number, thinking about changing my number the moment I stepped out again. I half feared hearing any voice from anybody I knew. I just didn't want to talk to anybody right now. I neither had the time, nor the patience.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey, Rogue," I heard on the other side in a sweet chiming voice that I knew I had heard somewhere but didn't exactly know where to place.

"Hi, who's this?"

"Um, it's Debbie. From the hospital?"

"Oh, right, Debbie," I said, smiling in spite myself, remembering her face. "How are you?"

"Uh, I'm fine," she said. "And I hope you're fine too. You guys left without checking with the doctor for the final time."

"Yeah, it was an emergency. I'm perfectly fine though. Not dropping into coma or anything," I laughed at the stupid thing I had said, despite realizing it was stupid.

"Yeah, okay," Debbie said, probably realizing I wasn't sane anymore after the coma. "I just uh, wanted to inform you that we have a couple belongings left here at the hospital. It's this golden and silver watch and a pair of earrings."

"Oh," I said, looking out at a silver bug riding outside the window. "Uh, I'm not in town at the moment but uh, I'll come and collect them as soon as possible."

Even though that watch was a personal favorite of mine, I wasn't exactly going to go right back to get it back. My mom gave it to me on my fifteenth birthday. It was one of the few things that I had remaining of them. The earrings, however, were from a thrift store and didn't matter a dime to me.

"Okay," Debbie said, "I hope I'll see you soon."

"Sure thing," I said, smiling and gazing back at the window while disconnecting the call.

I shook my head. How easy was it to lie these days?

Sure thing.

There was a knock on my door and I opened the door, fully awake despite my attempts to sleep, to find none other than my old friend, Leslie.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, really annoyed now. Had this guy just followed me? Creepy much?

"Yes, I'm creepy in a way," he almost answered my thoughts. But it was so obvious that I was thinking that. "Look, I know you are in trouble, so why don't you just let me help you?"

"What kind of trouble?" I asked.

"Some Logan guy ditched you, you are broke and in a desperate condition."

"What?" I gaped at him.

"I'm a mutant and I can read minds," he answered simply, giving me that smirk again.

"And…?" I asked, still not getting what this guy wanted. Sure it was a surprise that I caught the attention of every freaking mutant on my way, which was way weird, but I wasn't getting his point.

"You can live with me."

"What?" I said, all over again, really shocked and irritated at the guy's audacity.

Okay, this guy was definitely a mental–asylum runaway.

"Look, I'm not crazy okay? You can have a room back at my home and I'll ask you nothing in return for it. How does that sound?"

"And why exactly are you doing this?" I still couldn't get it. Was I so miserable it ever showed on my face for random guys to come and try helping me? Correction, random mutant guys.

"Um, because I'm a really handsome nice guy?"

I raised an eye-brow at that.

"And I'm desperately in need of some company?"

I still looked at the creepy guy unconvinced. Who was he and what did he want?

"What's the catch?" I asked again.

"Okay, I study mutants."

"You what?" Really, this guy was weird.

"I'm a scientist for a want of a better word," he said, scratching his head. "I'm studying mutants. I study their behavior and well, I help them increase their powers their abilities. Practice and everything. And then, um, we compete in this championship."

"A championship?" Whoa, there was a championship where mutants fought? Weird. And… well, unheard of.

"Yeah," he said, looking sheepish and leaning against the door frame. "Only mutants know about it and very few ones at that. It was started by my father. He was exceptionally good at and he wanted some sort way to bring mutants together for entertainment. It's pretty fun actually."

"And you want me to what… fight?" I asked, raising my eye-brows.

"Well, you can't exactly fight since your powers have become dormant for the time being. I'm sure they'll come back and uh, your powers are very unique. You could easily defeat many people by uh, merely touching," he said, giving his trademark smirk to me again, "them, which is surprisingly easy."

"Wow." What? There was nothing else to say.

"Wow indeed," he smiled. "I have at least half a dozen more mutants back home who have volunteered. And their powers have remarkably increased since they joined me."

So what? He did tests or something on mutants?

"No, I don't," he answered my thoughts, "I just study their normal behavior. Don't worry, I won't strap you to a chair and poke you around with syringes. I detest syringes myself."

"And why would I believe you?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Uh, I've got a friend of mine to show you who uh… could make you believe that I am not as crazy as I sound." Then Leslie nodded to the left somewhere, outside my room at someone. In a couple seconds, a girl came into my view who had at least five different shade of pink in her strawberry blonde hair. She had a pretty face, was short and sweet looking.

"Meet Eve," Leslie said, motioning over to her, "She's a mutant just like you."

Eve smiled at me and before I could respond, suddenly, I was pinned to the wall behind me on the opposite side of my room, a couple feet in the air. Before I could even move again, I dropped down the floor and hit my back pretty badly.

"Ouch," I cried, rubbing my back.

"Eve," Leslie said, in a frustrated voice, "I told you not to do that to random people."

"Well, its fun," she said, turning around and walking away, disappearing from my view, as I stared at both of them. "And you don't let us have any. You're paying me Fernandez, or else by now, I would have thrown you down some valley for fun."

Leslie came and helped me get up. "You still don't look like any kind of scientist," I said, getting up, imagining Einstein, who was the first scientist who popped up into my head. Then, nodding at my door, I said, "And I don't like her."

Leslie smiled. "Pretty handsome compared to the messed up grey-haired Einstein, huh?"

I smiled, shaking my head. "Also," I looked meaningfully at him, "You've got to stop reading my thoughts."

He smiled, nodding. "I'll try. It's a second nature. But I'll try." Then, walking back to the door, he said, "You're staying here the night or uh, do you want to go see my humble abode?"

"Uh," I said, picking up my car keys from my bed-side table while shrugging, "I just have nothing better to do. Plus, I'm broke as you pointed out. So let's go."

SSS

"Why do people with huge mansions for homes, call them home humble abodes again?" I asked, getting finally to the room that was supposed to be mine.

Leslie smiled sheepishly, "It's my father's and I sort of… acquired his habit?"

"Oh," I said, sitting down into a big chair a few feet from the foot of my bed, while looking around the room. Leslie's house was really colossal. There were at least a dozen bedrooms, twice as many bathrooms and two huge kitchens, not to forget the largest living room I had ever seen. The entire place was decorated with tapestries, paintings and curtains along with great furniture and a whole lot of servants, not to forget the butler who had opened the door for us.

"So, uh, I'll leave you now, if you want. But if you don't want that, no worries. I can always stay the night," Leslie said smiling, still standing at my door.

I smiled. In the past couple of hours, I had learned that Leslie just talked that way. And it was quite a relief from all the growling, believe me.

"Even though I'm highly honored, I'd have to decline that offer," I said, smiling genuinely the first time in… I don't know when.

"I'm hurt," He said, a hand on his heart, smiling, "Goodnight then, Rogue."

"Good night," I replied, not still remembering when exactly I had told Leslie my name.

I also realized that by the end of the day

I wasn't jobless.

I was broke but I guess I wouldn't be one in the near future.

I wasn't exactly friendless, if you could call good company friendship.

And, I wasn't feeling as miserable as I felt in the morning.

I smiled bitterly. Quite a day. Then, I switched off the lights on my way to my bed.

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