She returned well after midnight, when things were quiet and everyone was off guard. She found the window easily enough. It was only three windows down from the right end of the building. She flew up to it and observed the bars closely. They would come off easily enough.

Using her magnetic abilities, she called the bars to her, feeling the alloy sing. It was almost like a rush to fell the bars breaking from their hinges, creaking slowly to meet her. She wondered what Owen was thinking right now, wondered if he was as hypnotized by the blissful cold that metal allotted as she was, or completely shocked with fear. She hadn’t told him of any of her abilities, really. He only knew that she could hear his thoughts and that she was going to help him.

She held the bars in her hand for a moment, reveling in their weight and the way the metal seemed to warm to her. She let it float to the ground, using her powers to make it as quiet as possible, before she flew into the room.

Owen was sitting on his bed, wide eyed and afraid.

“Knock it off,” she whispered as she felt her feet touch the ground. “I can do a whole lot more than that.”

“You’ll have to show me sometime,” Owen replied lewdly. She shivered slightly; disgusted by the way he was speaking to her. This was exactly where he needed to be. Either here or prison, anyway. “How are we going to do this?”

“You are going to lay down and shut up. It will be over in a second.” She watched as he did what she told him. She touched him lightly on the forehead, cringing at the feel of his skin. She wished she didn’t have to touch him, but this was the first time she had ever done anything like this, and she hoped that it would work. Maybe, if she got this right, it would get rid of all of her major problems.

Concentrating, she shifted through his memories, observing everything closely. She understood why he was here, understood how it could be. He had watched closely the first year he was here, learning about the other patents and mimicking them. He pretended to be like them, picked up their habits, lied in his therapy sessions about another world he had made up. He did all this so that he could stay, and torment those around him, secretly hurting the men and abusing the women anyway he wanted. He would make the men believe that they were hurting themselves. He would hit them and make them, kick them, leaving bruises in places that could easily be misconstrued as self inflicted. He would make the women believe that this was how they were supposed to be treated as he rapped them and forced them to do things no woman should be forced to do. It was all sick, twisted, and unforgivable. It was a wonder he hadn’t been caught already.

Shifting even further, she found the blocks that Leah had placed so many years ago. They were beginning to weaken and distort, but she was sure they would last for many more years if she was to leave them alone.

She pushed on all of these barriers, bending them until they broke, and she was flooded with a magnitude of memories, all twisted, all painful, all sick. She ignored what she could, only trying to find one thing, one memory that would tell her what she needed to know.

When she founded, it took all of her strength not to kill the man’s mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Her parents were apart of a cult. A group of people who believed in other plains of existence that were better then this one. They believed that there was a way to travel to these worlds, sort of like a path.

Her mother was believed to be that path. She was the only mutant among them, and the other’s believed that she would be the one to lead them, with Owen at her side.

Rogue witnessed fights between the two, how her mother insisted that she didn’t know how, and her father claiming that she had to try, at least. He led her to believe that she wasn’t giving their daughter everything she could unless she could take them to this other world; The Far Banks.

After years of pressure and abuse, Prissy broke. She claimed that they would need a shaman to open the path before she could lead them, never, for once, thinking that anyone would be found. She didn’t think any true shamans existed in this day and age, but, sure enough, she was proven wrong.

An old Native American, claiming to be a spiritual healer, was brought into the picture. He came cheep, too. A thousand dollars and a gallon of moonshine was his fee. He would perform the necessary rituals and open the path.

Priscilla continued to believe that it wouldn’t work, that the man was a con, all the way through the ceremony. But then the path opened, and everyone rejoiced.

Prissy tried to go back on her word, claiming that she was wrong, that she couldn’t do this. That it wasn’t possible and they would have to find someone else. She wanted to stay, and care for her daughter. She pleaded with everyone, asking them to find someone else.

Owen had been humiliated. He claimed that there was no one else as he picked Priscilla up and threw her through the portal. Everyone could hear her cries of agony. Her pleads with god to make it end. No one else went though, not wanting to know what Priscilla had found. Owen washed his hands of his wife, telling everyone to deny ever knowing her. He claimed that no one would listened, anyway, and no one should give a second thought. That was the last time anyone had seen Rogue’s mother.

~*~*~*~*~*~

She felt the tears crawling down her cheeks as she removed her hand from his forehead. He had passed out from the experience, and she thanked who ever was watching over her. He was going to pay for what he had done, and she needed him to stay quiet. She had work to do.

~*~*~*~*~*~

She placed her hand back against his forehead, letting all the anger she felt build up. She went back into his mind, placing blocks along all of the happy memories he had. She built barriers against recent memories, also. Things that he had no business remembering.

She then went to the things that he had done to her, to her mother, and to all over the women that had been forced to endure him for the last few years. She twisted these memories, warping them so that when he awoke, he would remember these things happening, only, in his mind, they happened to him.

And then she did something she wasn’t sure would work. She pushed harder, forcing everything inside of him. He would hear it, feel it. He would always be reminded of the pain he had caused, and relive it everyday. She pushed memories of Erik’s torture, of Logan’s nightmares. She would always remember them, also. But they would haunt him, also. And then she gave him something else, something darker and more dangerous to him than anything she had given before. She pushed again, and she felt her mind release. He now had the personality of Phoenix lodged inside his mind. She was caged tight enough to never be released, even by himself, but she would always be there, whispering her hatred and loathing. Only, he would never have any of the powers she once possessed. No, Rogue would keep those within herself. This man would live the rest of his long life in the shadows of insanity.

She left him then, still sleeping. He was probably already starting to remember, through his dreams. She could only wonder about the monsters that were beginning to plague his sweetest fantasies.

~*~*~*~*~*~

She returned the next morning, just as visiting hours were starting. She was happy to see that Anna wasn’t sitting behind the greeting desk this time, and that another woman, a bit younger, was there.

“Can I help you?” The woman asked, a bit perky. She smiled brightly, but Rogue could see the ghosts behind her eyes.

“I’m here to see my father, Owen Ellett?”


“Oh yes, you must be Marie. Anna said you might be stopping by today.” The woman’s smile grew brighter. Rogue glanced at her badge quickly. She didn’t want to seem rude.

“Yes, Gwen. Is he up for visitor’s today? I’m heading home after I leave here. I just want to see him before I go. I don’t know when I will find the time to come back.” Rogue sweet talked the young woman easily, relying on Erik’s charm and Jean’s sense of propriety. Although she still had on the same jeans from the day before, she had been fortune enough to find an outlet store that was open at eight in the morning on a Sunday. She had found a shirt that seemed to fit nicely, and had ditched the other. It now stunk of her father, and she had a feeling that no matter how many times she washed it, that wretched odor would rear it’s head every time she saw it.

“Alright,” Gwen said quickly, “let me just get in contact with Nurse Brenton. He would know what’s going on.”

She typed something into the computer, and Rogue assumed that it was the same system that Anna had used the day before. It was probably going to a radio or phone as a text message.

Gwen made small talk as they waited to hear back from Brenton. Rogue couldn’t help the ball of led that seemed to be developing in her stomach. Did she screw it up? Was her father remembering everything? Were her little gifts a success?

The phone rang seconds later. Rogue could hear a frantic voice on the other end. She knew everything before Gwen placed the receiver back on the hook.

“It seems that your father isn’t having a good day right now,” Gwen replied quickly. “His doctor is on his way out to see you right now, to explain further. He asked that you wait here, and he will be with you as soon as possible.”

Rogue wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but she had to act the part of the caring daughter, so she took a seat on one of couches along the wall.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A half hour later, a man in his early thirties walked down toward her. She stood quickly when it became apparent that he was there to see her.

“Ms. Ellett?” He asked quickly as he extended his hand.

“D’Ancanto, actually,” Rogue smiled. “I was adopted just before my father was brought here. How is he?”

“I’m Dr. Thornton. Why don’t we go into my office and discuss your father’s case?” The good doctor smiled brightly at her, and Rogue had a feeling that she already knew what he had to tell her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“It seems, Ms D’Ancanto…”

“Marie, please. No one call’s me miss.” Rogue smiled at him sweetly.

“Marie. Your father seems to have experienced a psychological break down,” he stated as soon as he was comfortably in his chair. “He’s hearing voices. He’s claiming to be able to remember things, but its things that he has no physical way of knowing. To be perfectly honest with you, until this morning, I had made plans of releasing him. Part of me wants to believe that he is doing this on purpose.”

“I really wouldn’t know about that, Doctor.”

“Call me James,” he replied with a smile.

“You see, James, I only just recently found out that I am adoptive. I really didn’t remember anything about before hand. The only reason I’m here is because I thought it was my responsibility. As far as I know, I’m the only family he has,” Rogue said quickly, establishing her place in the situation. “Do you believe that he is too unstable to leave this place after what happened today?”

“No. I’ll have to reevaluate him and see where we stand. On a medical stand point, I believe that he has been lying about his state of mind for so long, he’s began to believe his own illness. I wish I had started here sooner. I might have caught on to it. Unfortunately, I have only been here for a few weeks,” James explained with a shrug. “I am sorry to say that we may have lost your father.”

“Thank you, James. Here’s my number. Call me in case something happens, please.” She handed him her card before turning to leave. "I have a plane to catch. Let me know if there is any change."

There was nothing more for her to do. It was finally time to head home.
Chapter End Notes:
Very soon now.....
You must login (register) to review.