Bright morning sunlight shone into Logan's face, causing him to open his eyes only slightly.

Where was he?

As soon as he was fully conscious, the events of the night before came rushing back into his mind. Yawning widely, he gazed down at his lap, expecting to see Sonya laying there, her dark hair curled around her heart-shaped face, her delicate hand resting underneath her chin.

But she wasn't there. His arms were empty. Allowing himself a leisurely stretch, he popped his knuckles and then stood up. He could hear the kids beginning to rise for the day, their hushed conversations slowly growing louder in their enthusiasm. Logan padded out into the hallway, and found Bobby talking with Peter, the tall and somewhat intimidating boy who could change his body into pure organic steel.

"Hey, Bobby. Peter," Logan greeted. The tall boy simply nodded. For such a tough-looking kid, he sure is shy, Logan thought to himself.

"How's Sonya?" Bobby asked, genuinely concerned.

"Actually, that's why I was looking for you. I was gonna ask if you'd seen her."

Bobby frowned and shook his head. "Sorry, no. Have you checked the stables? She likes the horses."

"Nah. I just woke up, and she was gone. Thanks, I'll go check it out."

"No problem." Logan turned to walk away, but Bobby called out, "Hey!"

Logan turned to look over his shoulder.

"If you need help, let me know."

"Will do."

Logan stepped out into the early morning air. Though it was early October, it was still warm enough that he was comfortable in only his jeans and tank-top (which the kids at the school jokingly referred to as a "wife-beater"), and his black plaid shirt tied around his waist. His feet were still bare, and the dew was chilly, but he didn't mind. He could've walked over hot coals at that point and not felt it; all he wanted was to find Sonya, to make sure she was all right.

Logan made his way to the stable, a long, narrow building topped with a metal roof. He pushed one of the heavy doors open just enough to squeeze inside, and then stood just past the doorway, waiting the extra second it took for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. The horses stood at their hay nets, quietly munching their breakfast, occasionally letting out a sneeze or stamping a hoof.

He was about to call out for Sonya when he heard a small noise coming from a stall at the end of the row. It sounded like sniffling to his ears, and when he inhaled, he could smell…was that roses? He wondered.

"What's the matter, kiddo?" Logan asked, finally breaking the silence. It was a long minute before a small voice answered him.

"I don't want…" a sob interrupted her. Logan walked quickly to the stall, and peered inside. Sonya was seated against the back wall of the stable, her knees drawn up to her chest. She still seemed a little pale, but her blue eyes were bright. A little too bright, Logan soon realized, but decided not to speak about it. After a moment, he walked inside and sat down beside her. Sonya rested her head against his broad chest, her tears falling silently down her cheeks.

After a while, Logan took a breath, and then said, "I know how you're feeling, Sonya. Like you don't fit in anywhere anymore. Like no one understands what it's like to be you."

Sonya nodded slowly. "I used to be so…normal."

Logan grunted a small laugh. "Sorry," he apologized when he saw the look of surprise on her upturned face, "it's just…I've never been normal. But we're alike in more ways than one, you know."

"How?"

"Well, for one, neither of us can go home. And to tell the truth, I don't even remember where 'home' is anymore. But that doesn't matter right now. But we both have people who care about us, who accept us the way we are. And they're all right here, at the school."

"I know," Sonya replied. "I just wish that I knew someone else like me. You know, someone who…"

"Has the same abilities as you do?"

Sonya merely nodded. She twirled a piece of hay between her thumb and forefinger.

"What, um…" Logan tried to put his thoughts into the correct words. "What abilities do you have, exactly?"

The girl, who, Logan suddenly realized, was quickly becoming a young woman, shrugged. "So far, all I can do is this."

Sonya stopped twirling the piece of hay, and laid it across her palm. Her gaze concentrated on the hay, and in a matter of moments, it turned green and began to bud. As Logan watched, the bud slowly opened, and the hay turned into a blade of alfalfa that looked like it had just been picked from a field. For some reason, he glanced down and was startled to see that the hay in the entire stall had followed suit; they were both sitting in a soft pile of green grass. When he gazed at Sonya, she simply shrugged her thin shoulders and tossed the blade into the pile.

"I noticed it a few days ago, when I was in here with Cupid, the brown horse in the first stall. I was just sitting with him, and then picked up a piece of hay.

"I was missing my mom again, and the next thing I knew, the grass all around me was green again. Some of it even grew purple flowers on it."

Logan only nodded. "Have you talked to anyone else about it?"

"No. I…" she stopped again for a moment, "I don't have many friends here. I like being alone, most of the time."

"We're alike in that way, too," Logan replied. "But sometimes, it helps to have another person's perspective on things."

Sonya looked up into his brown eyes. "Who do you talk to, Logan?"

He stretched out his legs, bracing himself by spreading his hands out behind him. "I used to talk to the Professor. But now, I usually go and find Storm. She's a good listener, but she won't just tell you what you want to hear. She tells the truth, which is rare nowadays, I've noticed. She might be able to help you more than I can, since she's…well, she's a woman, so…" he let himself trail off.

Sonya was silent for a while. When Logan looked down at her again, the expression in her blue eyes was one he hadn't seen before. To be perfectly honest, it made him uncomfortable, but not in an altogether bad way. He just didn't know how to react to it. Afraid to turn away, he continued to gaze at her, until she looked down.

"Logan?" She asked so quietly that had he not had such sensitive hearing, he would've missed it.

"Yeah?"

"There's something else. Something else I can do, but I don't want to."

Logan took her hand in his, and he realized that her skin was cool. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "What's that, kiddo?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he hadn't spoken at all. The girl beside him began to cry. She hid her face against his shirt, and her shoulders shook with her sobs. Logan didn't know what to do, so her wrapped his arms around her and held her gently to himself.

"It's okay," he murmured into her dark hair. He desperately wanted to know what was wrong, but he was resolved not to push her. She would tell him if she wanted to.

Her voice was muffled as she spoke. "You're hurting. Deep inside, I mean, where no one can see. You pretend not to think about it, but every day, you remember. You remember her, and it hurts you."

Logan was stunned. "Who? Jean?" He asked.

Sonya shook her head emphatically against his chest. "No. The woman with long brown hair. She had freckles on her shoulders, and dark brown eyes."

For a moment, Logan couldn't speak.

"How…?" He finally managed.

Sonya sat up and gazed at him uneasily, as if she were afraid that he would be angry with her. "I saw her in my dream last night. You were playing a game with her, chasing each other. You were happy then."

He could only nod; the lump in his throat made it impossible to speak.

"What happened to her?"

"I don't know. I can't remember," Logan whispered, all his emotions rushing back at once.

"It's not just you, you know."

He was puzzled, and it must've showed on his face, because she went on to explain. "I can see other people's thoughts. But with you, they're stronger, somehow. Like they're amplified or something."

Suddenly, he recalled last night, when he had awakened to see her in his room. Understanding dawned in his eyes. "So last night when you said you had a nightmare, it wasn't exactly your nightmare, was it?"

"Nope," she replied. Then, before he could open his mouth to speak, she added, "it started about two weeks ago."

Two weeks ago, Logan realized, was when he had come into the dining hall and found a few of the other girls making mean comments to Sonya. Apparently, because she had no powers to speak of, they didn't feel that she belonged at the school. They had backed her into a corner, and she was so afraid that her slender body was shaking violently. As soon as the girls noticed Logan coming, they immediately scattered, leaving the terrified girl where she stood, fearful and embarrassed tears streaming down her cheeks. The girls who had been teasing her were rounded up by Storm, who had been beside Logan when he'd walked in, and Logan took Sonya by the hand and led her out of the room. When she'd calmed down, he got the whole story from her, and from what he could see, she seemed to be all right.

Clearly, she really wasn't.

Logan stood up, and helped Sonya to her feet as well. Then, he lifted her chin gently so he could see her bright blue eyes. "We'll figure this all out. Okay?"

"Okay," she replied, somewhat uncertain. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Logan."

"You're welcome, kiddo."