A woman looked back at her through the reflection in the mirror. Nothing about this person was recognizable, but it didn’t stop Marie from staring at herself for hours at a time. She willed herself to remember something, some feeling lost within her. Every day was the same. Every day brought her no closer to remembering who she was or the people that surrounded.

Marie touched her face, rubbing it slowly. Her eyes were trained to the movement of her hands, begging for some spark of recognition. She closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh. The frustration grew with each passing day.

She turned, walking towards her bed and laid down on her back. Her eyes stared at the ceiling above her. She could hear the faint voices of people passing by in the hall. They were strangers to her, yet they knew everything about her. When she had awoken two months ago, she was bombarded with questions from those strangers. It was questions she couldn’t even begin to answer.

Again, she tried to test her memory, searching for something, anything. When nothing came, she growled angrily, sitting up in the bed. The movement caused her head to swim with dizziness. She was not fully healed and her body reminded her constantly to take it slow. It wasn’t uncommon to find her passed out on the floor from pushing too hard.

Marie stood, kicking her shoe under the bed in anger. She heard the shoe hit something solid and her face scrunched up in confusion. She bent down, looking underneath in the darkness. She could barley make out a square object. Reaching for it, Marie pulled a purple box from underneath the bed. As with everything, she didn’t recognize it as being hers. As the lid was opened, it was obvious that it was, in fact, hers.

Pictures of her smiling face covered the top of the contents within the box. Marie grabbed them, bringing them out to study them. Maybe something in the pictures would trigger her memory. She stood up, dumping the box on the bed. Tons of pictures and other things poured out in front of her.

She began to pick the pictures up one at a time. The first few were of her and a girl wearing all yellow. She recognized the girl as being Jubilation Lee. In the days after she awake, the girl had insisted that they were as close as sisters. To look at these pictures would prove her claim. Each one, Marie saw herself smiling and some even showed her with a goofy face and Jubilation Lee mirroring her features. It saddened her to see how happy she looked knowing that she couldn’t remember exactly why.

The more she dug through the pictures, the more the pain intensified. Before long, tears blurred her vision, causing it to become difficult to see. There were some of her and Scott Summers, some with Dr. Jean Grey-Summers. There were even a couple with Professor Xavier and yet, it all seemed foreign to her. It was as if she were looking at someone else’s life, not her own.

As a single tear ran down her cheek, she froze on one picture in particular. Marie walked slowly to her window, holding the picture in the sunlight. It was him, the man from the other night. He was looking at her and her at him, both smiling. Marie studied the picture, studied his profile. The both looked so happy, so content. If he was her best friend, how could she have forgotten him and why was he not here with her now?

She began to remember the encounter with the man. The look in his eyes as he watched her was so intense, as if his life depended on her remembering him. The moment their hands touched, she had felt a jolt but nothing more. He had affected her in ways that none of the others had, but no memory of him was found. He was as much a stranger to her as the rest, yet there was something. He said his name was Logan and she had repeated that name over and over since that night, but nothing came to her.

For reasons unknown to her, Marie walked towards the mirror again. Gently, she placed the picture in the corner, hanging it there. She would look at it every day until something happened. For some reason, he had made her feel something other than empty. Though she didn’t remember a single detail about him, there was the jot he had caused within her and that was something to build on.

“Rogue?”

Marie turned to see Storm standing in her doorway. The woman smiled warmly at her, no pity in her eyes. Marie had come to like her very much. She didn’t feel sorry for her like the rest did. She watched the woman’s eyes travel to the picture on the mirror. Something crossed her face, but it was gone too soon.

“I took that picture,” she said quietly.

Marie turned back, staring at it as well. “I looked happy.”

Storm came and stood beside Marie, wrapping one arm around her shoulder.

“You were. Both of you were,” she whispered.

That was all it took for the dam to break open. Before she could stop it, Marie let out a sob. Storm turned her around, wrapping her in a hug. The woman shushed her cries, rubbing the back of her hair like a mother would do to a wounded child. She had not had many outbursts like this, not with anyone around anyway.

“It will come back to you child. Just give it time,” Storm said softly.

“When?” Marie asked through her sobs.

“When your mind is ready.”

For several moments, the women stood in silence until Marie’s tears were dried. Sniffing, she took a step back from Storm feeling foolish. For her part, Storm just smiled her warm smile and squeezed Marie’s shoulders.

“It’s time for your session with Professor Xavier,” Storm said.

Marie shook her head okay and asked for a few moments to get a hold of her emotions. With one final squeeze of her shoulders, Storm turned and walked out. She watched the woman go, feeling none the better for her outburst. Marie turned and looked at the picture once more wondering if she would ever smile like that again.

Once she felt in more control, she walked out of her room into the silent hallway. She walked down the stairs, following the path to Professor Xavier’s office. It had taken her weeks to familiarize herself with the place she called home. The school was so big that it was easy to find yourself lost. On several occasions, it had happened to Marie. When she thought she was headed for the kitchen, she would end up in a closet.

Before she could knock on Professor Xavier’s door, she heard him call her inside. She entered, finding him behind his desk. He looked up at her, smiling warmly. Maries smiled back, thought it didn’t reach her eyes. He pointed towards a chair directly in front of him, asking her to have a seat.

“How are you feeling today, Rogue?” he asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders. She was feeling the same way she had every other day since waking up.

“Lost as usual I guess,” she said sheepishly.

“That is understandable. No one expects you to fee any other way.”

Xavier had spent hours with her, trying to penetrate her mind and find some semblance of a memory. The experience was agonizing, as if feeling your head split open from a horrible migraine, but she was determined to find herself again. Afterwards, it always left her feeling tired and weak. She would sleep for hours at a time after one of their sessions.

“We do not have to start your session today if you don’t want to, Rogue. I will understand.”

She shook her head no. No matter how much pain it caused her, she had to remember something. He pointed towards his couch and she knew that he meant to start the session. She obeyed him, lying on her back. Taking a deep breath, she waited for the pain to begin.

“Are you ready?” he asked quietly beside her.

“Yes.”

The moment his mind touched hers, she gripped the couch tightly. The first moments were always the worse,. As if she felt herself being ripped open. Her eyes squeezed shut, her teeth grinding.

“Just relax, Rogue. I’m not going to hurt you,” he soothed.

She tried with all her strength to relax, but it was easier said than done. She began to count in her mind like he had taught her. It helped to ease the pain a little.

“Good, Rogue, just keep trying to relax.”

She started at twenty and counted down slowly, focusing her attention on each number and away from the prying mind of Professor Xavier. In the darkness, she began to see a light growing and knew it was the Professor. Soon, that light would turn into a figure and Professor Xavier would be standing before her.

“Let’s go for a walk,” Xavier said in her mind.

Through the white light emerged a hand. Marie took it, allowing Xavier to guide her. Suddenly, a body connected with the hand and he was now fully beside her. His smile eased her weariness and she allowed him to proceed.

All around them were black shadows. They danced and moved as if they were alive, yet none took any recognizable shape. Marie knew what would come next and she braced herself. She felt Professor Xavier do the same. His hand squeezed hers more tightly as they moved further into her mind.

“Reach out to them, Rogue. Make them take form,” he whispered, talking about the shadows.

Concentrating on the one closest to her, Marie pushed all of her efforts into making it come alive. It swirled around them, a vapor in the air. She followed it, turning as it turned. Her determination intensified, knowing what was about to come. It happened each time in their sessions and this would be no different. She had only seconds to break through the shadows.

“Rogue, it’s coming,” Xavier said, his voice showing his concern.

She could hear it in the distance, as if were a train heading straight for them. The shadows moved in haste, as if they were aware of the presence approaching. Everything around them began to rapidly speed up. The shadows flew around them, their forms moving too fast to grab a hold of one.

“Professor, I can’t do it!” Marie cried.

“yes you can, concentrate,” he shot back.

One of the shadows flew in too close to Marie and she grabbed it, holding it as it fought against her. The effort was enough to knock her to her knees, breaking her and Xavier’s locked hands. She felt him grab her shoulder, keeping a constant connection.

“Now, Rogue, now!” he screamed at her.

Marie’s hold tightened on the shadow, it’s need to move away from her growing more strong. She wouldn’t let it go, not this time. This was the first that she had ever been this close to one of the shadows and it gave her a hope that built into strength.

“Show yourself to me!” she screamed at the shadow.

All at once, she was thrown into a darkened room. Xavier was gone, leaving her alone. She looked around her, noticing that the room looked familiar. It reminded her of her own room at Xavier’s. It was the dead of night. The moon’s shadows bathed the floor with its brilliant light.

Marie turned slowly, trying to recognize where she was. She had been here before, but when? Suddenly, her eyes fell upon a bed. It looked exactly like the one in her room, but she knew that it was different. Somehow, she knew that this was not her room.

She heard a groaning sound coming from underneath the covers and with an unsteady breath, she stepped closer. Silence fell around her, making the groaning sound intensify.

“No,” she heard a voice call out.

It was familiar and she realized it was a man’s voice. She walked closer and closer until she was standing over a figure. He was tossing and turning, the sheets trapping him in the bed. Marie felt as though she needed to help him. His cries were rising in volume and he sounded as though he was being hurt.

She lowered her face, trying to see who it was. She was mere inches from him and suddenly, she recognized the man. It was him, Logan. He was struggling against something only he could see and she could feel his terror. She reached out to him, but something stopped her from touching him. It was as if an invisible force was between them. She would have to call to him to wake him up.

“Logan,” she said softly.

For her efforts, she received more groans. It did nothing to wake him.

“Logan,” she said louder.

He jumped, as if he had heard her, but sleep still held him captive. Marie began to feel herself panic. He was in trouble and she needed to help him, but she didn’t know how.

“Logan, you gotta wake up,” she said even louder.

It happened so fast, but to her it was as if it was in slow motion. Logan’s head jerked and his eyes came open. He looked like a wild animal that had been caught in a trap and was desperate to get out. She watched as his mouth came open and from within it came a blood-curdling scream. Before she knew it, Marie met his screams with one of her own. She was helpless to stop him as he rose up suddenly.

She heard, rather than felt, something go through her. It was the sound of knives slicing meat. After that, it was all pain. She looked down, seeing something penetrate through her chest. Whatever it was, it was coming form Logan’s hand.

Slowly, she looked up at his eyes and saw fear, terror, anger and hatred. She watched as a small drop of perspiration traveled down his brow to his curled lips. The breath was knocked from her and she felt the blood fill her lungs. No matter how hard she tried, she could not breathe.

Again, her eyes traveled back to her chest and she missed what Logan said. His voice was but a fog in her mind as the pain grabbed her. It hit her that he had thrust what seemed like claws into her. She wanted to laugh, thinking the thought foolish.

As fast as they were there, they disappeared back into Logan’s hand. Marie stumbled away, feeling herself grow light. She knew she was dying but for what reason, she didn’t know. All she had been trying to do was to help him and he had killed her for it. He was screaming now, but she couldn’t make out his words. Her eyes watched as the blood began to seep through the fabric of her nightgown. It was too much blood and in a matter of moments she would bleed to death. There was something she needed to do, but she couldn’t remember. It was something that would save her, but her mind was fuzzy.

“Rogue, let go of the memory. I need you to let go.”

It was Xavier’s voice. He sounded as though he were in a tunnel. Marie looked up at Logan, her eyes begging for an explanation. The last thing she saw was wide, hazel eyes.

The room around her fell away, bringing her back into darkness. Logan became a shadow again, struggling against her. The pressure on her shoulder was back, but she didn’t turn to look at Professor Xavier.

“It’s coming,” Xavier said.

As if his voice willed it, Marie saw it fast approaching. She was in shock at what she had jut remembered. It was an actual memory, but it was one that caused her more questions that answers.

The shadow broke from her hold, flying away as fast as it could. She let it go, her wide eyes following its movements. The sounds around her grew louder, causing her to grab her ears and slam her eyes shut.

Suddenly, she and Xavier were thrown backwards. All of the shadows disappeared around her, hiding behind a brick wall. Its impact on her was much harder this time, as if it were angered that she had penetrated a memory. It did not hold back its blow as it came in contact with her and Xavier. She heard the breath being knocked out of the man as his hold on her slipped away. They fell on the ground with a thud, their bodies feeling the weigh of the blow.

Marie sat up, her scream on the end of her lips. Her breath was coming out in puffs as her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her wide eyes looked around her, the familiarity of the room not sinking in yet. Beside her, she heard Xavier take a deep breath, calming his own nerves. She remembered everything, from the shadows to the memory to the brick wall that always stopped her from learning who she truly was.

“Oh my God,” she whispered in terror.

“Rogue, you saw something didn’t you?” Xavier asked in an unsteady voice.

She slowly moved her eyes to look at the man beside her. Hurt and anger filled her before she could stop it. Yes, she had remembered something but it was a horrible memory, one that she didn’t understand.

“Rogue?” Xavier asked confused, seeing the anger in her eyes.

Without a word, she jumped from the couch. Before she took a step, Marie had to catch herself on the end of the couch. Her head was pounding, causing her to see black spots. She felt as if she was going to pass out, but she fought against it using all of the anger she could muster. Through her blurred vision, she stumbled towards the door.

“Rogue, wait! We need to discuss what you saw,” Xavier called out behind her.

Marie leaned against the door, her strength all but faded from her body. It was the only memory that she had and it was horrible. She felt the bile rise in her stomach, traveling towards her throat.

“What I saw?” she said in a hoarse whisper. “You lied to me, Professor. He tried to kill me and you allowed me to think he was a friend.”

She watched Professor Xavier’s face grow in confusion. He stared at her, not quite understanding her meaning. It only made her anger grow. He was acting as if he didn’t know. What kind of game was he playing? What kind of game were they all playing?

“Did you take me to see him the other night so he could finish the job!” she yelled.

Xavier’s eyes shown understanding. “Logan,” he breathed.

“How dare you! How dare you take me to a man that tried to kill me and act as if he was a friend!”

Tears filled her eyes, tears of anger. She had trusted this man. She had trusted all of them and now her trust was crushed under the weight of lies. Marie grabbed the door handle, jerking it open.

“Rogue, please don’t leave. Whatever you saw, it wasn’t what it looked like. Logan would never harm you, I swear it!” Xavier called out.

Marie froze out in the hall. For a moment, she just stood there, the tears flowing down her face. Even now, after she knew the truth, Professor Xavier was still lying to her. She slowly turned, her body wound in tension.

“No more lies! These sessions are over and my trust in you and these people are done. Leave…me…alone! I’ll leave before I’m subjected to more of your lies!” she seethed.

Marie didn’t give the Professor time to respond before she stormed off. The kids in the halls gave her a wide berth as she passed them, her anger clear for all to see. She saw Scott and Storm walking around a corner, their smiles only making her anger stronger. Were they laughing at her? Were they laughing at the fact that she had met a man that tried to kill her and pretended only to be her friend?

“Hey Rogue,” Scott called out when he saw her.

She never stopped to acknowledge him, but kept moving towards the stairs leading to the second floor. She desperately wanted to get inside her room and lock everyone else out. Her head continued to pound, mocking the rhythm of her heavy footsteps. Again, her vision blurred and she had to catch herself on the wall. This time, the world around her began to spin. She knew what was about to happen and this time she couldn’t fight it.

She crawled, more than she did walk, up the stairs. Behind her, a worried Scott and Storm called out for her to stop. Once up on the second floor, Marie pushed herself down the wall, holding on to the last light of consciousness. Her room was only a few feet away. It grew in and out of focus.

Marie threw the door open, stumbling inside. She it her dresser hard, causing pain to shoot up her leg. Before her stood the full length mirror and the picture of a smiling Logan. She cried out, feeling the fear that she had felt when his claws had penetrated her chest. With one final act of strength, she thrust her hand out, grabbing the picture. It was the last thing she did before passing out onto the floor.