Chapter Two: Destiny

As Kitty woke the next morning, she noticed that Alison was already gone, but Rogue hadn't woken.

After dressing in her normal white shirt and leather jacket, she went over to her dresser and looked at the schedule. She noticed that the classes didn't begin until 10:30. Checking her clock, she saw that it was 8:48.

Knowing it was time for breakfast, she shook Rogue.

"Hey Rogue," she whispered. "Time to get up."

Rogue groaned and opened her eyes. She smiled once she saw that it was Kitty.

"What time is it?" Rogue asked.

"Almost 9. I think they serve breakfast here, so I was gonna go down and see if Alison is there," Kitty said. "Want to come?"

"Sure." Rogue got out of bed a little slowly and put on a plain black shirt and a green jean jacket.

Kitty noticed that both of them wore black boots. But the one thing that was a little different was that Rogue was forced to wear a single black glove because of her mutant ability.

"Kitty," Rogue said.

"Yes?" Kitty asked.

"I'm scared."

"What are you scared of? Me, you, and Alison have the same first class together! No one will think of you as a freak. And besides, even if they do, they're not only really idiotic, because they all have powers of their own, but you've got me to help you." Kitty gave Rogue a very warm smile, which helped Rogue to know how great a friend Kitty was.

They found Alison in the large living room, holding a plate with pancakes and sausage. Kitty could see that there had been eggs, but they'd already been eaten.

"Morning!" greeted Alison. "The food's in the kitchen. Wow, I'm excited to start class!"

Both Kitty and Rogue looked at each other awkwardly, neither having ever been excited about a school class.

"Well, everyone's different," Rogue said as they plopped the pancakes, waffles, and sausage onto their plates.

"True," said Kitty. "But for right now, let's just try to talk to her about what plans she might have this weekend. I wouldn't mind going out somewhere."

"I hate shopping."

"I do, too, but we can still do something else. Maybe the movies or a bookstore?"

Rogue only shrugged, her mind still on the fact that she was there at the school, a school for mutants, where nobody would call her a freak.

Just as they sat down by Alison, Kitty saw Professor X coming over to them.

"Good morning, Kitty," he greeted. "And to you, Rogue and Alison. How did you sleep last night?"

"Well," all three girls said, although Alison's voice was muffled by the large amount of pancake in her mouth.

"Good. When you three are done with your first class, please come to my office. We need to talk."

As he rolled away in his electric wheelchair, Kitty turned to Rogue.

"What do you think that was about?" she asked.

"I don't know," Rogue said. "I guess it's because we're new. I wonder if anyone else will be there."

The three friends stayed silent for another 30 minutes until the bell rang, and so they began making their way to their first class, mutant evolution.

As they entered the room, Rogue noticed the boy with the jacket who'd said he had the power of making ice.

"Hiya," she greeted him. "Nice to meet you again." She saw the empty seat next to him and sat down. Rogue then realized that Kitty and Alison had sat down in front of her and were looking back to see what she was doing.

But before she could say anything, Storm walked into the classroom with large books in her arms.

"Don't worry, none of these books are meant for this class," she told the class. "We will be learning more about each other today. You will need a partner for this. If you cannot find one, then I will help you." She finished with a bright smile. "Oh, and it can't be someone you already know," she added.

Rogue looked over to the boy. "Bobby, would you like to be my partner?" she asked.

"Sure," he said.

They saw Storm hand out papers, and on the paper were 3 questions. They were:

1. What is your partner's name?

2. Where were they born and how old are they?

What kinds of powers are they capable of? Have they used these powers before?

"So what's your name again?" Bobby asked.

"Rogue," she answered. Her mind was suddenly on that question, and could only think of what she'd done to her boyfriend, to Cody. "W-What's yours again? Bobby Drake?"

"Yes. Now, when were you born?"

"In 1996. Now, um..."

Just as he opened his mouth, Kitty turned around and saw how much she was sweating, how bad the fear was in her eyes.

Suddenly Rogue jumped up out of her chair and rushed to the front of the room.

"Um...Professor?" she asked.

"Please, call me Storm," Storm told her.

"Okay. Um...could I please go to the bathroom? Please?"

"Sure...Are you okay?"

But Rogue had run out of the room already. She ran down the hallway, looking for the bathroom. She saw a closet, and threw herself inside, not wanting anybody to see her. She was too ashamed, too scared.

As tears streamed down her face, Rogue thought of how she wished she could cause the past to be erased.

She closed her eyes while still crying, alone in the dark of the closet.

Then came the sudden knocking on the door. Rogue opened her eyes.

"Rogue! Rogue, come on out, you're worrying me!" It was Kitty's voice. Rogue opened the door and saw her friend with a very worried expression. Alison stood behind her. "What happened?"

"I-It was-"

They heard the sounds of an electric wheelchair behind them. The friends turned to see Professor X coming towards them.

"Ah, there you are," he said with a smile. "You were a little late for our meeting, so I wanted to come find you three." He was smiling up to the point where he saw Rogue. "Why, Rogue, what's wrong? Have you been crying?" She nodded slowly. "Why, my poor dear, please come with me. You two should come as well."

The girls followed him to his private office, what looked to be the largest room in the entire mansion other than the living room.

It was lit up, but there was someone over in the corner of the room, smoke trailing from the cigar that they were chomping on.

"Logan, please!" Professor X exclaimed. "We have young girls in here! You don't need to be smoking during this meeting."

"Sorry about that," the man named Logan said from the shadows. He finally came out into the sunlight. His dark brown hair was crazy. His skin was tanned, and he wore a plain white shirt and blue jeans.

He looked happily at the three girls. "Hi there," he greeted with a smile. "I'll be glad to know you all."

"Ladies, this is Logan," Professor X explained. "He is also known as the Wolverine. He will be your mentor from now on."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Kitty.

"I know of the powers you three are capable of," he answered. "You didn't realize there are cameras in these rooms just in case, now did you?"

"No, not at all," Alison said. "Why are they there?"

"In case something gets out of hand and you need help," Logan told them.

"So we won't be having normal classes anymore?" Rogue asked.

"You will have some, yes, but you will have something new that will take up more time," Professor X explained simply. "I believe you three are ready to become members of the X-Men. It is an honor, because you three will be the youngest X-Men, so long as we completely accept you. Now, before I go on, please explain to Logan what your powers are. Kitty, please be the first one."

Kitty gulped, and then started explaining. "I can phase through almost anything. It does sometimes take concentration, but I'm able to do it now real easily. If someone holds on to me, I can even take them through the walls or floors I go through."

"Interesting," Logan said.

"Alison, you next," Professor X said.

"I'm able to convert sonic vibrations from one form into another, which cause all these kinds of lights to be around me," she said. "When it first happened, people thought it was all technology."

And then, "Rogue, it's your turn."

Rogue didn't know what to do. She thought of what she had done, and what had happened when Bobby had asked her the question, how she'd run off.

"Okay," she said softly. "I can take the life force from humans. That's my guess, because it happened when I kissed my boyfriend."

Professor X nodded simply at her, seeing what her emotions were. He knew she was ready to leave.

"Rogue, you, Kitty, and Alison may go. I want to think these things through. We will get back to you three by tomorrow." He gave them a smile.

As the girls left the room, Kitty patted Rogue's back. "It's alright," she comforted. "You don't need to worry about what's coming. You have friends to help you."

"I know," said Rogue. "But it's still hard for me to go through everything. They all probably think I'm a freak in that class. I ran off to a cleaning closet and left myself in. I'm nothing but a freak now."

"You're not a freak!" Alison exclaimed. "We're all different, that's what you need to remember! Me and Kitty are on your side no matter what, and if you think we're going to leave you alone, then stop right there!"

"Rogue," Kitty began, "you're like a sister to me already. My own sister hates me, and that's only because she wanted to be an only child, and I was born 6 years after her. You don't need to doubt yourself in what you're capable of. You may have these powers, but that doesn't mean you're any different than the rest of us."

She hugged Rogue tightly, to which Rogue smiled and hugged her back.

"What should we do now?" Alison asked. "I'm pretty sure it's not the best idea to go back to class for right now, you know?"

"Let's get back to our room. I'll be able to think a little better in there," Kitty said. "I just need some sleep."

When they finally arrived at their room, Rogue looked at Kitty. She saw that the small girl was battling against something in her mind, but didn't know what it was.

"What's the matter, Kitty?" Rogue asked, a little concerned.

"I'm having a headache right now," she answered. "I get them a lot, although it's less frequent now. There's no need to worry about me."

Rogue nodded, and then began thinking to herself.

I wonder what Professor X and Wolverine are talking about, she thought. Maybe they're saying how different I am from all the others, how unlike I am from Kitty and Alison. I just hope they don't think of me as a freak...No, don't think that! Just remember Kitty's words: You're not different from any of the rest of the mutants here at this school! Just keep a clear mind right now, because that's what will be helping you most, Rogue. You need to keep your mind clean, and keep your friends close. Kitty is the best friend I've had, and mostly one of the first I've had, and I don't want to push her and Alison away from me. I need them to stay my friends for as long as I can, because it'll help with everything else I must face in this world.

There was a sudden knock at the door. Kitty opened it and saw Logan standing there, Professor X next to him.

"We've made our decision," Professor X told them. "You three will now be part of the X-Men. Your powers are amazing, and you will do well during it all. Tomorrow I will give you your code-names. Every member here needs one so that the public will not know our true names. The last thing I must say before I leave is that Wolverine here will be mentoring only Kitty. For you, Rogue, we will have Jean Grey, and Storm will be your mentor, Alison. I am glad to have you three as part of the team. I hope you all have a great rest of the day, and I also hope to see you at dinner."

With one last large smile, he left them there, with only Logan remaining. He was looking at all three of the girls.

"Well, one thing is for sure, none of you are ugly," he said. "Now Kitty, since I'm your mentor, you will do as I say. Of course, that'll probably real easy for you. Tomorrow we will begin training. Once you pass every test, you will go out on your first mission. Meet me at the bottom of the stairs at around noon tomorrow, and I will take you to where we train everyone."

Logan left them to their selves.

"Wow," Kitty said. "This is all a big surprise right now. I never thought this would be coming true!"

"It doesn't surprise me about you guys. But I am surprised that I was chosen for this," Rogue said. "I know I shouldn't be saying this, but-" A smile came across her face. "Ah, it doesn't matter. Let's just be happy for the rest of today!"

Kitty gave her another hug, which Rogue returned and which Alison joined in on. They knew that this was their destiny, and that with every destiny, there was a journey that came along with it. The girls were ready for their journey towards their destiny, and nothing could stand in the way of it.