Yet another chapter for you all to enjoy. But don't get to use to the mushy stuff. I got big plans in the works over the next few chapters.
Chapter 4: Hope
Rogue did not enjoy the ride away from New Orlines, it will always hold a special place in her heart now. But she rode on in her personal quest. Stopping at different places along the way the promise to teach her control, but all are lies or people trying to manipulate mutants to take advantage of their powers or destroy them.
Rogue was beginning to get good at telling which are real and which the fake ones are. The fakes she would let Remy know about, how in turn got the x-men to do something about them. She still calls him every day and misses him. But she has hope now. She found out about another school like Xavier's then have helped many mutants control their touch base powers and telepathy. It is based in San Francisco.
By the time Rogue reached San Fran, it was about a month before Mardi Gras. Rogue could not help but to smile every time she thought about her last Mardi Gras. Unconsciously she reached up to hold the card pendent that lies around her neck. The only bad thing about that night was it caused her to pick up smoking, which she loves the taste of now.
Rogue pulls up in front of the institute and laughs slightly. It reminds her a lot of the Xavier Institute. The mansion sits on a cliff just outside of the city. It has a nice overlook of the bay. The gate where much fancier then Xavier's and didn't have a bunch of kids running around. The whole place felt more like a school, which it was.
Through her investigating of this place she found out who it was she needed to talk to. She reaches out and hits the call button. An sweet and very proper voice answers the call, "Hello Rogue. You can come on in. I'll meet you out front."
Rogue was confused how this woman knows who she was. She didn't call ahead or anything. Then a familiar feeling of someone speaking into her mind, "I'm sorry for the intrusion, but I had to make sure you would not harm my students. I'm a telepath Rogue."
Rogue shakes her head as she drives up to the front steps. She gets off her bike and sees the telepath walking towards her. She was young, probably early twenties, a little taller than Rogue but mostly legs, and she was blond wearing a light blue lipstick. The woman wore a blazer jacket with a what Rogue would call a corset the left her mid drift exposed and a pair of dress paints that fit close to her legs, all of which was white. She smiles warmly at Rogue. Rogue smiles back and can see a few boys all but drooling over this woman. And Rogue had to admit; even she thought this woman was beautiful.
She stopped in front of Rogue and reached out her hand. "Hello, I'm Emma Frost. I'm the head mistress of this institute."
Rogue reaches out and shakes her hand. "Nice meetin' ya, Miss Frost."
Emma laughs, "Please its Ms Frost, but you can call me Emma. You are not a student here." Emma leads the way back inside to her office where they both sit down. Emma breaks the silence first.
"So, you are looking for some help on controlling your powers. And I can help with that." Emma smiles as she can see the frustration in Rogue's face at having her mind read.
"Would ya get outa my head? That isn't a nice thing ta be doing, ya know." Rogue stares at the woman and then makes to get up.
"I'm sorry. But I do want to help you Rogue. I have many students here who I have helped. Many who can touch people again without fear of harming them. I know you professor was trying, but let me help." Emma looks at Rogue and she knows this woman does want to help her.
Rogue settles back down into her chair and looks at Emma. "Just ask for my permission before ya go diving into my head for now on and we'll be fine."
"Done. Now then shale we find you a room?" Emma smiles brightly and Rogue and not help to smile back.
"Lead the way." Rogue says as she stands up and picks up her bag from where she dropped it.
"Right this way dear." Emma walks past her and leads her out the door and down the hall to the living quarters. Rogue was expecting to have to share a room with another student like she did before, but to her surprise, Emma leads her away from the students. Rogue laughs as she speaks, "What are the boys and girls separated by the rest of this place."
"No it is separated by floor for the students, faculty is not though." Emma smiles as she turn a corner and goes to the end of the hall. "Charles called me about you and well while you are here, you are going to be the self defense trainer."
"What? But how did…" Then she thought about it for a moment. Leave it to the professor to know she would end up here. Rogue shakes her head. "But ah don't know how to teach."
"All you have to do, my dear, is to show them how to defend themselves. We have a full gym in the basement where you can show them." Emma smiles as she opens a door to a large room. "This is your room. Mine is right there if you need anything." She points to a set of double doors in the end of the hall right next to Rogue's door.
"Actually, ah will need to pick up some new clothing." She looks at her bag that has six changes of clothing in it. None of which will be good for teaching self defense. "And money ta get them."
"Well you are in luck then, I was about to go out anyways. Care to join me?" Emma smiles brightly. She has a look in her eyes that Rogue know all too well. It was the same look Kitty would get when she wanted to go shopping.
Rogue sighed, "Let me get cleaned up and what little ah have put away and sure ah'll go."
Emma laughs, "You thought I was ready now? I need to shower myself and put on something different. I'll meet you out front in say two hours?"
Rogue had no idea why Emma needed two hours, not even Kitty took two hours to get ready, but she was not going to complain right now. "That sounds good to me." And with that Rogue walks in and shuts her door.
Her room was twice as big as the one at Xavier's and she didn't have to share. The bed was twice as big too. Rogue tossed her bag onto her bed and picked out her clean clothing and walked into her bathroom. Her own bathroom. This is almost as good as her last night with Remy. She hoped into the shower and was done with everything she needed to do in a little under an hour.
She lets her hair dry naturally which makes it seem the same length as it was when she left the mansion, but is actually is about five inches longer now. The natural curl in her hair pulls it up that much. But she did like it this way now. She puts on her normal dark eye shadow and lipstick.
She decides to lie down on her bed for just a couple of minutes, but wakes up to Emma knocking on her door. She opens it slowly, "You ok in here Rogue?"
Rogue smiles as she gets up out of the bed, "Ah'm fine. Just dosed off for a bit. Ya ready ta go?"
Emma smiles then shakes her head, "Not with you looking like that." She laughs and pulls Rogue out and into her room and straight into the bathroom. "Look at your hair."
Rogue could not blame Emma for laughing, it was a complete mess. "Ah look like I'm straight out of the eighties." Rogue then starts to laugh as well.
"Well let's get you looking good then my dear." Emma grabs her brush and some other thing in the bathroom. "And can I try something that is not gothic make up?"
Rogue laughs harder now. No one has ever tried to get her to change that. "Ah don't think so. I like my makeup."
"Just give me a chance. I know you would like it." Emma smiles.
Rogue could tell Emma was not going to let is drop. She is a lot like Kitty. "Maybe next time. Ah just want to get some new clothing."
"Ok then when you have your big date with you boyfriend next month." Emma laughs as she sees Rogue's face.
"How did ya know about that?"
"You are able to keep your mind closed pretty well, but when it comes to who ever gave you that," Emma points into the mirror to the pendent Rogue had in her hand, "You are an open book."
Rogue blushes, "And Ah suppose ya are goin ta want to hear all about him?"
"But of course my dear." Emma smiles yet again. Rogue could not stop thinking how alike Emma and Kitty are. Rogue likes this woman.