I do not own claim to any of the X-Men or their universe (just my girl Mimik) and I make no money from this. Enjoy!

I open my eyes at the sound of a stick snapping. I stare at the trees where the noise came from. I sit up, moving so my hand is resting on my raised knee, waiting. Another snap sounds right on the other side of a large tree to my left, I tense, ready for an attack.

A woman steps into view and jumps as she sees me, "Oh! I'm sorry, sugar! I didn't think anyone was out here."

She's got an average build, with reddish brown hair with a white streak running down the front of it. She also speaks with a southern accent, from Mississippi or Louisiana probably; it's too muddled to tell.

I glance down at my pale white skin and then look up at her, smiling invitingly, "It's ok, I was just about to get up and head back to the mansion."

She holds her arms with gloved hands, "Really? Well I'll walk with you. I don't know if we met yet, you're one of the new kids who came in last week, right?"

I hesitate, considering telling the truth, but then I smile and nod, "The name's Sarah."

She relaxes a bit and says, "Most people just call me Rogue, but my real name is Marie."

She seems too old to be a student, so maybe she's a teacher. She holds out a gloved hand and I take it, letting her help me up.

I brush off my clothes and push my glasses up on my nose and gesture ahead of me, "Shall we?"

She smiles and we walk back to the mansion. The light becomes stronger as we exit the trees and I squint, taking in the huge building.

She smiles fondly at it and says, "It's really great isn't it? You can be who you are without anyone pickin' or bein' afraid of ya. It's home."

I study her as she speaks of the building like this, "You really like it here?"

She nods happily, "It's the first place I've ever called home."

She rubs her arms and looks down, "So why aren't you in class? As a teacher I'm supposed to tell ya it's not good to skip your classes, but I'm not gunna tell, if you don't."

She smiles kindly at me and I shrug, "I just wanted get outta there for a bit, to clear my head."

She nods her head in understanding, "I know how that is, sugar."

She stops at some sliding glass doors and says, "Well if ya make it to your next class on time, I'll make sure nobody hears 'bout our little walk, kay?"

I nod and she opens the door and says, "See ya round, sugar."

I walk in and she closes it behind me, walking back along the path towards the trees.

I look around to find myself in a small study. Luckily there's no one else here so I slowly walk out of the room and into a hallway.

.

I frown looking from left to right, trying to decide which way to go.

A door opens from farther down the hall to my left and so I hurry off down the right half of the hall.

Reaching the end I spy a set of stairs and hurry up them, sniffing to try and find a scent I'm familiar with. When I reach the top of the stairs I poke my head out into the hallway to find it empty. It looks like another dorm hall, but this one doesn't smell familiar…

I head down the hall hoping to find the large front stairwell from earlier; the grey carpet muffling my normally silent steps as I walk past the dark brown doors.

Behind some of them I hear voices, shouting or squealing and I have an uneasy feeling I'm in the other wing Logan mentioned…

That feeling is confirmed when one of the doors is thrown open and three little girls run out, squealing and giggling as a little boy with green reptile-like scales chases after them sticking out a forked tongue.

I freeze as they run up to me and grab my shirt, hiding behind me. I raise my arms looking at them and then glance at the boy.

He halts, grinning up at me innocently with pointed teeth. "Shouldn't you guys be doing something a little more productive?"

The little girls giggle, gripping my shirt tighter while the little boy just shrugs, "Our class got canceled this morning 'cause Miss Marie didn't feel well."

Miss Marie? Is that the woman I met outside?

"Well I don't think Miss Marie would like hearing that you're terrorizing these girls. So why don't you guys go read a book or play some other game?"

The girls finally let me go and run back into their room.

The little boy looks a little disappointed and so I kneel down in front of him and pat him on the shoulder, "One day you're gunna be quite the charmer kid."

He smiles, "My name is Kyle, but everyone calls me Hiss, like in Jungle Book. The girls said I was slimy so I was trying to show them I wasn't."

"Well my name is Kim and… I believe you."

I shift so my skin looks just like his scales and his face lights up, "Wow! You're just like me!"

I blink, shocked, in sudden déjà vu and then catch myself and smile, "No, not exactly, but just don't feel too bad, kid. Just remember that you're unique, there's no one in the world quite like you."

Confusion goes across his face but he smiles and shrugs saying, "I'm gunna go play my Game Boy, nice to meet you Miss Kim."

I stand and ruffle his lime green hair and he runs off to a room behind me.

I smile at the kid's innocence. I've never had to be nice to one before… The times I can remember ever meeting a small child I was either bringing it in for the Doctor to play with or I was silencing them for good.

I continue to the end of the hallway and take a left rounding the corner and nearly bumping into Logan leaning against the wall.

I jump back startled and he grins mockingly at me, "Thought I'd wait till you were done with the kiddies."

I cross my arms, "You could've helped. I have no idea how to deal normally with kids..."

He shrugs and looks at the floor.

I watch him suspiciously, "You were checking to see if I would hurt them, weren't you?"

He looks at me and says, "I just thought it would be funny to see your reaction; didn't think you'd go all soft on em."

"You're lying, I can smell it. Your fears are well placed though so I forgive you."

He grunts and steps forward, away from the wall, "So what do ya wanna do now?"

I shrug, "What is there to around here?"

He starts to walk and I follow him.

"What do you do for fun?"

He is quiet for a few steps and then says, "I normally do some training exercises or go for a run."

"Training sounds good, I need a good workout and I'm not used to going this long without even a push up."

He sighs, "You sure? I mean you don't have to kill yourself to make sure your ready for their missions anymore."

"I know, but truthfully I was the one always requesting training, to help keep myself in top condition just in case…"

We end up back at the large stairwell and I watch the kids running about with backpacks and books. Some of their mutations were physically visible while others were using theirs to show off or get to their next class and there were ones that looked like regular humans.

I twist my mouth and frown at all the voices and smells.

He stops and turns, noticing my grimace, "So you wanna train then huh? It'll be quieter at least… Let's hope Beast is done with my class down there then."

"What is it you teach exactly?"

We walk down the stairs and head down a hall, the kids slowly emptying out, but not without curious and excited stares at me first.

"I usually teach combat training, but since we've been back and got the classes set up, I've had Beast subbing for me."

"Why? Because of me?"

He grunts and I rub my knuckles, "Need someone to make sure I don't go off on the kiddies right?"

He growls, "No, the Professor just thought it would be better if you were to be shown around by someone you're familiar with."

I laughed coldly, "Familiar would mean that I actually knew you. You defended me from the doctors, but you weren't the nicest guy in the world, I got a scar under my neck from when you threatened to slit my throat' cause I wouldn't stop crying."

He stops dead in his tracks, tenses.

"I forgave you though 'cause I knew that what the doctors were gunna do to me was a lot worse."

I hesitantly pat his shoulder and he jumps a little but then I can see him slowly force himself to relax.

He growls, "That will never happen again."

"Nonsense."

He whips his head around, looking at me shocked and confused.

"If I ever happen to go berserk, which I was known to do quite often at that hell hole I expect you to be the one to take me out, permanently if possible."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

He growls, low and dangerous, "I've asked that of others but, never knew how it sounded. I don't think it'll ever have to come to that, kiddo."

I watch him as he takes a deep breath calming himself, his fists relaxing from the tight balls he had them in.

"If it ever does though, I'm hoping I can get out of here, but I lose all control..."

I shrug, "So… training…"

He looks like he wanted to tell me something, but instead he just turns back around and starts walking again.

I wonder where he learned to control himself so well. He mentioned asking others to take him out if he lost it too.

Thanks to the doctors we must have quite a bit more in common than I initially thought.

My control comes and goes, that's why I trained excessively, because it gave me a way to vent instead of randomly flipping out and stabbing a guard; although, that was always much more satisfying…

.

He stops in front of the round elevator that we came up earlier this morning from the med lab. He opens a small panel on the wall and quickly inputs a code that I memorize, never know when it could come in handy.

We step inside when the door slides open and I rub my knuckles absentmindedly in the silence.

When the door opens I see the familiar blue steel and the sterile medical scent drifts to my nose from the right.

He walks out and to the left, leading me past closed steel doors, some of them with key pads or hand print scanners next to them.

The one we stop at is a set of double metals doors with another keypad next to it on the wall. He checks a monitor above the keypad, touching the screen to bring a video feed from inside into view.

There's a group of kids standing in there facing Beast all wearing black uniforms with red, yellow, and blue accents. He's moving his hands around as he talks about something and the kids look like they're either listening intently or ignoring him completely.

Logan frowns and says, "Looks like they're almost done, Hank's boring them with one of his summary lectures."

I cross my arms and watch as Beast keeps talking away happily to the group. They look to be about 15 to 17 years old and their attention spans are visibly waning.

Finally he waves them towards the door, dismissing them.

Logan steps back and I do the same, eyeing the door and ensuring that my temporary guise is still working.

The doors open and a few kids come running out and down the hall, a couple boys walk out after them, one catching my eye as I recognize him.

Iceman grins at Logan when he seems him, "We totally missed you today Wolverine, Beast had us working on evasion today."

The playful mocking tones so different from his scared and wimpy display back at the facility, it's almost like he's a different person.

He eyes me over once and walks away with a dark haired, Asian kid with large headphones around his neck.

Three girls walk out all smiles and giggles, one girl waves happily at Logan and then they all look at me curious.

Suddenly one of the girls is no longer there and the man standing in her place causes me to freeze in horror. Wraith looks at me in confusion and I back up so fast from him I fall on my ass and start to scramble backwards.

He walks towards me with the two girls and asks, "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

Looking at the girls, worried, he says, "Am I doing it again?"

They shrug and he looks back at me, holding out both hands, trying to calm me, "I'm sorry! Hold on a sec, I'll fix it."

I snarl at him, "You're supposed to be dead! I killed you, you son of a bitch!"

He looks horrified and Logan finally steps in grabbing his shoulder and pulls him back towards the doors.

He growls and tells him, "Calm down, Dani, try to rein it in. Remember what the Professor has taught you."

What the hell is he doing? I watch, wide-eyed and trembling, as the man who I thought was dead takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

Wraith shimmers and then disappears, leaving the young tan, dark haired girl I saw earlier in his place.

I almost cry with relief, he wasn't actually there; it was just some stupid little mutant.

She looks over at me and smiles a little, scared, seeing the look of fear gone.

Beast steps out from the room and looks at me and then at Logan, "What's going on here, Logan?"

Logan pushes the girl towards the hallway, gently, "Go on and get changed and get back upstairs."

The girl looks upset but walks away with the other two girls staring at me as they pass, before whispering wildly about who I was.

I just sit there for a minute trying to recollect myself from that pathetic display.

Logan walks over offering me a hand. I ignore it and stand up on my own, pissed at myself.

He drops his hand, watching me for any more reactions.

Beast scratches his head, "So if I may inquire, what just occurred? And who would you be dear?"

I look at him confused before realizing I still had my cover up.

I shift changing back to my favorite form again.

He bites his blue lips, piecing together what he saw with the knowledge that the terrified girl he saw is me.

Logan looks at him and explains, "She ran into Dani and saw Wraith."

Beasts eyes go wide with understanding, "Ah, well I will see to it that another confrontation be avoided at all costs."

I growl, "You don't have to treat me special, just because I was a fucking idiot and freaked for no reason. Even I could tell that she didn't do it on purpose. I just acted like a little pathetic kid seeing the boogeyman. It WON'T happen again."

Beast nods, "But just the same, for the time being and everyone's safety, I'll have a little chat with her and the Professor. Now I assume you two were going to take a tour of the danger room until lunch?"

Logan nods and Beast smiles at me, "Well then enjoy and I shall see you later."

He walks away and I cross my arms, glaring at Logan, "At least he admits that he's worried about me hurting someone."

He grunts and walks through the doors. I hesitate and then follow him.

.

As I enter the first thing I notice is that it's just an empty room, huge, the size of a football field, but barren of any furniture, or even exercise equipment.

"This is your training facility?"

The doors closed and he says, "This is the Danger Room. It uses a combination of robotics and weaponry with holographic simulations to help produce training scenarios for the students and for the X-men."

"So how's it work?"

I cross my arms and watch as Logan walks into the center of the room and says, "Logan's Run level 5."

I raise an eyebrow at the name, but remain silent, watching in awe as the room suddenly darkens and then I'm in a forest. I turn around looking at the realistic trees surrounding me.

I hear a noise behind me, whipping around, my claws extending, ready to stab the attacker.

I stop inches away from Logan's arm, which was up blocking his face.

He growls, gently and I lower my arm, "So what's the objective?"

He grins, "Stay alive."

He jumps backwards as a laser beam blasts right where he was standing.

I turn, crouching and looking up at where the beam came from. Towering above the trees I can see the metallic red and purple of a monstrous sentinel. I have never seen one this large…

A metal tentacle whips through the tree tops towards me and I flip backwards, slicing it. It sparks, but doesn't fully sever, causing it to whip awkwardly back and forth.

Logan grabs my shoulder and pulls me backwards into the trees.

I turn and run after him, dodging trees and laser blasts.

Suddenly he stops, slipping behind a tree truck and puts a finger up to his lips, silencing me.

I peek around the trees to see the robot's feet stomping through the trunks, towards us.

I tap him on the shoulder and point up the tree and he nods.

Quickly and quietly we scale the tree trunks with our claws, getting as high as we can without losing our hiding spot.

I crouch on a thick branch, waiting for the sentinel to get close enough.

When its legs get within range I jump onto one and deftly climb up to its neck.

I glance down to see Logan climbing up behind me, dodging the tentacles and the large hands trying to grab us.

I quickly stab into the neck and slice through the metal like warm butter. It sparks, causing me to flinch a bit, but I grin as I can feel the machine slowly shut down.

It falls with a slam, dirt and tree debris flying into the air.

I stand up on its back and grin over at Logan, "What's the matter, old man, can't keep up?"

He growls, "Old man is it? Well then, let's make this interesting, how about seeing who can take out the most tin cans before lunch?"

"What does the winner get?"

He shrugs, thinking, "If you win I'll take you to the mall instead of the Cajun, but if I win you have to help me with a training lesson once you get all settled in."

I raise an eyebrow at the prizes, both seeming like uncharacteristic suggestions for the gruff man. Shopping or teaching?

I smile and hold out my hand, "You gotta deal."

He takes the offered hand, suddenly grinning with a look that makes me consider what I just agreed to.

"Duck."

He frowns, confused, "What?"

I point above his head, "Duck."

He drops to his stomach as a tentacle whips right through the spot where he was standing.

I flip, backwards off the metal corpse and charge towards the new threat, grinning as I hear Logan trying to catch up to me.