Warning: Vague reference to medication, otherwise introduction to more canon characters. Italics for previous events.
Rogue wasn't sure how to describe her day.
After leaving the cemetery, she had opted for the most familiar place, Irene's home. Irene was already there when she arrived, having teleported away from her attackers. There was time for a brief shower and a hasty packing session before she was led to the car, where she met Raven Darkholme.
The woman eyed her up and down, disdainfully and whilst Rogue had washed and had tended to her wounds, she had the sensation of being deemed inferior. The woman was well dressed and she had the sense that her confidence bordered on arrogance. She was a woman that didn't care about being considered the enemy. Nor would she suffer fools, whatever that meant.
It was a short journey to the landing strip, where the private plane was waiting. As Rogue went to grab her bags, the woman knocked her hands away.
"Leave it." She hissed.
Rogue was too taken aback to argue. She was ushered to a seat and told not to move, but by the time they were ready to leave, Rogue was fast asleep. Finally, Raven, otherwise known as Mystique, had the chance to assess the girl who had caused so much trouble.
XxX
The phone-call had come roughly eighteen months prior. Irene Adler, known to Mystique as Destiny, had had visions for years of a little girl that would one day, cause great impact on all their lives. Over the years, the visions had been hazy and Mystique had begun to doubt her friend's abilities. There was little reason otherwise for her to keep the woman around. Not that Irene knew this. She was a simple soul, really.
The call came armed with an invitation to see the girl for herself and so Mystique had made the journey to Mississippi. She arrived, mildly surprised by the more manageable temperatures, compared to Bayville. Nevertheless, she was irritated by the journey. She had pre-arranged for a car to take her to Irene's, opting to be driven, rather than drive. It was one of the perks of the job she rarely failed to take advantage of.
It was late when the car pulled up. Her shoes echoed on the pavement and she noticed most of the houselights were turned off. A car drew up and parked outside the neighbour's house. A young girl stepped out to help her friend exit the car. Another passed a crutch through the door. The girl who accepted the crutch gave a wave, before retreating to the house, switching off the porch light as she stepped inside.
Irene was waiting for her when she reached the door.
"Did you see her?"
"The girl on the crutch?" Irene nodded. "You're telling me that that's the girl who will possess the potential to unlimited power?"" Mystique shook her head in disbelief and took shelter indoors, counting down the hours until she could leave.
She waited until they were both seated before asking, "What do you make of her?"
"Well, the mother is so kind, she's a carer but she's always offering to help run errands and..."
"Not the mother, the girl. I didn't fly all this way to hear about the mother."
"Oh." Irene was taken aback by her rudeness, but charitably chalked it down to tiredness. "She's a character. Always on the go. Anna certainly has her hands full. I'm surprised she made curfew."
Mystique frowned. "Why does she have a curfew?"
"I believe its the standard practise for minors."
Mystiques shook her head. No-one had ever dared give her curfews.
XxX
Upon arrival, Rogue tried to take in the obvious grandeur of the house she was going to be living in. Clearly the lady had money to burn. There was only one person in when they walked through the door. He looked to be about her age, but was passed out on the sofa, dressed only in boxers. Mystique reached for the drink on the side table and casually poured it over his head.
He woke quickly, clearly confused and agitated, if the mild earthquake had anything to do with it.
"Rogue, this is Lance Alvers. He also gets called Avalanche. I'll leave it to you to figure out why." Mystique turned to the boy, eyeing him disparaging. "In this house, we wear clothes, Lance. Now clear up this mess, whilst I show our new team-mate her room."
Mystique ushered her upstairs before another word was said and showed her to a moderate sized room with a single bed.
"The bathroom is across the hall. I'm sure you'll feel more comfortable when you've unpacked."
She turned to leave the room.
"Wait, what about meal times and is there a rota or anything?"
"Let me make things very clear to you Rogue. This is my house. You're welcome to stay here but I will not cook for you, nor will I clean up for you. You're sixteen years old now. It's time to grow up."
"But, what do I do about my meds, I'm nearly out..."
"That's not my problem. Now, I have things to do. You'll be in school on Monday. Do you think you can manage that?"
The door closed behind her and it was only when she heard footsteps on the stairs that she could no longer hold back the tears. They followed her long into the night, lulling her to sleep.
XxX
Despite her exhaustion, she slept poorly and it was then that the idea occurred to her. Rogue had known a lot of changes in these last few weeks and more than a little devastation. It wasn't only the pain of losing her mother, but the security she provided. Even with Carole, there was comfort to be found in routine and regime. She hated to admit that in someways, Mystique was right. It was time to grow up. She had to stop being this pathetic mess and build some semblance of a life. The first step would be looking into the arrangements for her medication. She couldn't risk the damage that could occur, lest she miss even one day.
The next step would be to get washed and ready for the day. For as long as she felt comfortable in her own skin, or gave the illusion, she would be able to face the day. With that in mind, she grabbed her things and checking the coast was clear, rushed across the hall and took the first shower of the day. The water was good and warm and she'd locked the door, feeling safe enough to wash away the grime. She didn't hear the first knock against the door, until it grew progressively louder.
"Yo, Alvers. Let me in, I need to pee."
"I'm almost done."
The door crashed open, bare seconds later, causing Rogue to yell out and reach for her towel as the boy hopped - yes, hopped - over to the toilet and began releasing a steady stream.
She fled the bathroom, and it was only after she'd gone that the boy realised, that hadn't been Lance.
After her set back, she scoured through the cupboards looking for something edible.
"There's no point looking there. We've never got food in."
She looked up to see Lance.
"No? Then how do you survive?"
He shrugged. "We eat on the go. Mystique usually gives us some money each month for incidentals."
That lying bitch, she thought maliciously.
"You'll probably get yours from next week."
Oh, she'd definitely make sure of that!
XxX
With a distinct lack of wheels, Rogue was left with little choice but to walk into town. There was a bus stop, about ten minutes down the road, but Rogue didn't mind the walk. The town itself was bigger than back home and she managed to find a cafe that she recognised from Coldecott. It had plenty of options to satisfy her hunger and she took a leisurely time there.
Afterwards, she mused through the shops, but found nothing special and headed for the supermarket, filling several bags with food and cleaning supplies, before catching the bus back. Her arms were killing her as she reached the house and someone was shouting as she walked through the door. Again, there was that weird, minor earthquake effect as Lance stood in the hallway, blocking her entrance.
"You just let her leave the house?"
"How was I supposed to know that you wanted me to look after her?"
"I thought that was obvious! I should have known you'd let me down."
"Can you guys move? I need to get to the kitchen."
The two turned to look at her as she pushed past them, reaching her destination. The guy from that morning was on the sofa, his eyes following the progress of a fly as it flew too close, only to retreat. This happened twice more, before the fly fatally collided with the boy's tongue, never to buzz again.
Rogue gave her self a shake, before returning to her bags, pulling out the supplies. She emptied the fridge of all the mouldy food, earning a protest from the fly-boy.
"Hey, that was my lunch."
She stared at him for a few moments. "It was mouldy."
He shrugged. "So? Just scrape off the mould and it's fine."
She shivered. "And that's how you get food poisoning."
Lance hovered briefly while she cleaned out the fridge before restocking it, only to turn her attention to the oven. Mystique had made a couple of attempts to yell at her but the girl was too focused on her task to even notice.
It was another couple of hours before Rogue felt satisfied that the kitchen was hygienic and began to prepare a simple chilli, fixing up a batch of corn bread for good measure. When it was ready, she served up her own portion before offering the rest to the others. She thought about ignoring Mystique, wanting to be spiteful. But she forced herself to be the bigger person and knocked at her door.
"What do you want?"
"There's some dinner if you're hungry."
"I'm not. We need to talk."
"Oh?"
"It's not a good idea to wonder the streets on your own, especially after what happened. As such, Lance will escort you until your car arrives. Then, you must promise to tell at least one of us when you are going out, am I clear?"
This was it, her moment to show the bitch just who she was and what she'd taken on. "We're perfectly clear. And whilst we're being candid, if you're so worried about me, you'll make sure I at least have medical insurance, so my pill rotation is not disturbed. Oh and I'll probably need to register with a doctor here. Whilst I may be sixteen, I'm still considered a minor and therefore it's your responsibility to make sure I have everything I need."
Mystique couldn't repute that.
Rogue hesitated briefly at the door. "Lance also told me about the payment. He reckons I'll start getting mine next week. Unless, you have other arrangements?"
She paused briefly. "None at all."
Mystique was left with the vague feeling that she'd met her match.
XxX