We eventually parted and I pretended to not be greatly affected by my loss, but deep inside, it hurt. It hurt to know that I had lost my sight. I had waited until Ash left to vent my own feelings, but I was less upset than I had expected to be. Somehow, I had known all along that my eyes were damaged beyond repair.

I wrestled for a short while with how it could have possibly happened, then gave up and filed it away as one of life's imponderables. I let my fingers trace my side and stomach, following the scars David had given me.

There were three of them, perfectly parallel, slanting sideways. I suppose I should be grateful that they slant, seeing as a straight cut, either horizontal or vertical, would have gutted me, or sliced my throat.

I stood, and stretched, determined that now that I could navigate, and knew the extent of my limitations, that I would exercise as I had before I was wounded. I let my body flow naturally into each movement, remembering how these forms had been forcibly taught to me. I hadn't wanted to learn, but Magneto made me. Funny how the very things he taught me for his own ends I would use to destroy him.

Thoughts of my uncle led to thoughts of Sabertooth, which led to Tom. As his face crossed my mind unbidden, I stopped. I coldly examined what I knew of him. I had never let him get close enough to really know me, and hadn't bothered to find out about him either. He was hot, admittedly, and so was I, but it was hardly a relationship that should incite such possessiveness in anyone.

Firmly setting him aside, I came face-to-face with what I had been avoiding: David Logan. He, I knew better than anyone else. Even though we had only been reacquainted in the last month, we had always been close as children. I remembered everything about him, down to his favorite flowers, but I wasn't sure if he still remembered any of that time.

Reviewing his life, I could see that no matter, which way you looked at it, his words and actions that day had been those of someone else. He had been under Tom's control; therefore I could forgive him easily. Tom, not so.

Thoughts of that day were still painfully fresh, and I felt tears in my eyes. Falling to the floor, I cried. "Oh, David, why? Why couldn't we save her? You can't blame yourself, but I should have stopped them...I should have stopped them. I didn't even know her name, and now this! Jessica, Jessie, you deserved a real mother, not a fake."

I could feel my tears, streaming down my face to slip silently back under my skin as my powers automatically conserved fluids. I rose, and, still silently, began to dance. It was one I had learned during my six years on the run. I loved dance, and stopped at a dance school. It offered a dance of lament, as for the death of a loved one, and I practiced it constantly until I knew it by heart. I performed it for a grade in memory of my parents, and left.

Now, my foresight there was proving useful. Listen to you, you idiot. The great Mama Aqua, seeing everything as something that can be turned to your advantage. You're a coward. That's why you didn't move to stop "your" children. That's why even now, you hide here, not bothering to tell the ones who claim to love where you are, or even tell the man who saved your life what you are.

I stopped at that, and argued out loud with my voices. "You're wrong there. I can't. He would hate me. If I found out that he was keeping a secret like this from me, I would be upset, to say the least."

The voice continued nastily. Coward! You just agreed with me. If he finds out your keeping secrets, he will hate you, just as you said.

I sharply shut the voice off, and realized that I was not alone. I looked around, and somehow recognized Ash. I turned and acknowledged him.

He immediately asked me, "What secrets?" I sighed and for a moment more, debated with myself. I wanted Ash to know the truth before I left, but I couldn't face retelling that day yet. I compromised.

"I will tell you my secrets the day I leave. Please, Ash, too much has occurred since then, and it has only been a few days since it happened. It's not enough time for me to come to grips with reality. Give me time; that's all I ask."

He sighed, and told me, "You've been here five weeks now." At my incredulous expressions he explained.

"It took you an entire month to recover. The worst part of it was, I knew you didn't want to come back; that's why I haven't pressed you on the matter. I knew if it was bad enough that you would rather die than face it, that it wasn't worth discussing until you were ready. So I will give you time, but only as long as you can promise me that these secrets will not harm any of us that live here."

I was shocked to discover that it had been an entire month, but agreed. I would face those demons when I had to, and burn the bridges behind me.