Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men Franchise.

"Haseya has learnt to deal with her gift," began the grandmother. She clutched her cane tightly and signaled them to follow her to the back of the house. Charles prodded a bit further in her thoughts, curious. He blinked a few times. He looked at Erik, who focused on following the old woman. It was strange sometimes, to realize he was the only one who could waltz into somebody's mind without them knowing.

"Of course that wasn't always the case," the trio now stepped outside. They were behind the house and all that laid in front of them was nothing but dirt and a couple of unique palm trees and bent cacti. "But you probably know all about that…seeing as the government likes to know everything about everyone,"

"Well, we don't…as we explained to you earlier, we are not exclusively working for the government," called up Charles from behind. "We are just working for them for a bit, then splitting off,"

The old woman shook her head, disapprovingly. She finally stopped.

"We discovered Haseya's gift on her sixth birthday. It was a small party. Just me, Iina, Haseya's mother, my youngest daughter, and her good for nothing husband," venom laced her voice, "oh, he was a real piece of work. Another reason that just proves how the government is only trash," she paused. Erik and Charles stood behind her, unconsciously leaning in.

"He started drinking during the party. Drank like a fish, that bastard. And my Doli," her voice began to tremble, "she wanted him to stop. Drinking is no good example, especially for a little girl. I don't know what happened. This was back when I could see, and even then, it was a mess. Haseya started to cry. We all ignored her. We were focused on Doli and the bastard. He became violent. Haseya started to scream louder," her voice sounded distant, "she killed her. Haseya. She killed her own mother. Choked to death. I stepped in. I wanted to help. Then, everything turned black. I was screaming. Iina was screaming. Haseya was crying. By then, the bastard had fled."

The grandmother turned around. Tears glistened on her face, gathering in small pools at the corners of her wrinkles. "I hated my granddaughter. Everyone did," Her pale eyes became glassy. "But you can't hate the only thing left of your daughter. It took a long time. Haseya is my blood. She breathes just as Doli did, she laughs just as she did, and," her lower lip trembled. Coughing, the old woman wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. When she spoke again, her voice was harsher,

"Keep walking straight. You'll find her."

Without another word, the old woman began to amble away. The two men watched her, clutching her cane as she wobbled away in a shaky line.

"Should we help her?" finally asked Erik, breaking the silence. Charles shook his head, turning back to the open desert. Somewhere in this open space was their mutant, he thought tiredly.

"She already dislikes us Erik, let's not make her hate us,"

Erik snorted, also turning around, his eyes scanning his surroundings. "What? Like helping an old woman back to her house is going to make her hate us?"

"Pride, Erik. It's all about pride. Something you're quite familiar with, if I'm right," Erik eyes darkened and he threw Charles a glare.

'Low blow,'

Charles simply shrugged his shoulders. Then, he pointed forth, to a dark blob sitting in the distance.

"Onward, then, my friend,"

They walked on. As they neared the dark blob, they noticed it was an odd-shaped shelter. Shaped like a hemisphere, it reminded Erik strongly of an igloo. But instead of the typical ice cubes packed to create an eskimo's home, woven vines and roots made up the founding materials.

"So tell me more," said Erik.

"Tell you more what?" asked Charles.

"Oh you know," Erik put two fingers to his right temple and started to squint his eyes heavily. Charles chuckled.

"Well, from what I gathered, our little mutant's secret has been kept a secret. The death of the mother was blamed on the father, who consequently fled. Don't know where. He worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, if that tickles your interest. She also blinded her grandmother in the process, if I understand correctly. However,…the grandmother assumes her granddaughter doesn't know what happened,-"

"Wait, so the girl doesn't know she murdered her own mother and blinded her own grandmother?"

Charles shrugged, "She was six. She might remember, I don't know. Sometimes, our psyche, when things go bad, consciously ignores it. You know, draws a blank spot. That's what causes nightmares for some. The brain, asleep, lets go, and then it comes back in wisps,"

The look on Erik's face darkened. He would remember something as dark that.

"Now don't do anything stupid, like ask her about it the first time you meet her," patronized Charles, "She was young and had no control. Plus, to activate her abilities at such a young age…" he let out a breath. "She must be a lonely girl, Erik."

"So what is her ability then?"

Charles threw him a grin. "You'll see,"

"Powerful?"

Charles let out another chuckle, then focused on the building in front of him. Strange as it was, it looked very methodically built. Completely organic, as far as he could see, from the vines and roots, thick and thin, twisted and braided into complicated arches. Leaves, in abundant shades of browns and greens, covered the vines.

"Inventive," he muttered. Then, his eyebrows perked up. "She knows we're here,"

"Wh-, wait, Charles, you just can't-" for once, Charles made the bold action. To what he assumed was the front entrance, Charles raised the vines hanging vertically and waved for Erik to follow. Erik followed suit into the dim globe. He wrinkled his nose. It smelled…earthy. Dark as it was, sun rays seeped through the tight roots that encircled them. Erik looked around, inspecting his surroundings. It was grim. There was nothing on the walls and the only furnishing the room held was the two woven mats on the floor.

"Where is - Argh!" Erik felt the ground beneath him tear open. Suddenly, thick ropes grabbed his legs, coiling around his legs. He tried to move his feet but they were stuck. Quickly, he reached for his pocket, but something grabbed both of his hands. Ropes, once more coiled themselves around his wrists, and, as he tried pulling free, he found that he was trapped. The ropes seemed to be attached to the ground, and no matter how hard he pulled, the ropes wouldn't break free. They seem to tighten in fact, and the harder he fought, the tighter they clasped. Then he froze. A rope had snaked up his back and was now coiled thickly around his neck. He started to breathe heavily, then in a rabid gesture, tried to pull his hands up to relieve his neck of the choking sensations. But it was futile. Erik, in an attempt to call out to Charles, opened his mouth, but the rope wrapped around his mouth too. He felt nauseated. His skin prickled. The rope wasn't stringy and coarse like he expected it to be, but rather, solid and wet…and did he just taste dirt?!

'Calm down, Erik,' called Charles telepathically. But Erik was enraged.

'We are being attacked, Charles! I will not calm down!' Erik focused as he pulled the magnetic fields around his coat, levitating the gun which he kept on his body. It didn't matter if he didn't have his hands. He could still be a threat.

'Where is she Charles? Where is she!'

'No Erik, what you're about to do is out of hand,'

'She's killing us, Charles!'

'She's simply scared,'

Erik's eyes rabidly looked around the room. However, it was so dark that he couldn't see anything.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" roared a voice. Immediately, two bright emerald spots glowed in the corner. At the yell of the angry voice, the ropes around his body tightened even more. Then, something begin to prickle his skin, all over his body. It was as if thousands of thorns were stabbing at him, all at once.

He cocked the gun.

'Erik, stop what you're doing this instant,'

'Not unless you're going to stop what she's doing,'

Erik couldn't breathe. He felt his ribs being crushed. The corner of his eyes began to dim, spots, first a bright yellow, then a somber purple began to appear.

'Erik…,'

Images of Shaw flooded him. Images of his mother, of the bullet, of the blood. The anger. The rage.

'I just can't die right now,'

He pulled the trigger and shot.

My nightmares took form today. The screaming. The darkness. The gasping. I choked back a cry.

'We are not here to hurt you,' reassured the voice. I shook my head. I didn't believe them. They were back. They were back.

"They're back," I whispered to myself. With a gesture of my hands, roots broke through the dry dirt of the desert. They enveloped themselves comfortably around me, forming a small hemisphere of protection. I slumped to the ground. Putting my hands on the ground, I shakily breathed out. Willing the roots to cover me thickly, just as it had done every time I got nightmares, I sat down and curled up into a ball. My fingers clawed the dirt impatiently, willing the roots to thicken.

'Leave,' I pleaded, 'I don't understand how you got in-'

Click - booom!

I jumped. They were attacking me! Once more, roots wrapped themselves around my little hemisphere for thicker protection.

'No, no, no we are not. It's just my partner… Is there any chance you could maybe free us?'

I shook my head, 'No, no. You promised you wouldn't come back,'

I could feel both men struggling under the roots. One, more than the other, was gasping heavily.

'But you're killing us,'

I shut my eyes. I didn't want his voice in my head. Why was he in my head?!

'I'm a telepath - I have special abilities, just like you do. I can read minds. Now, I just need you to calm down. Maybe if you can unwrap us, we could explain to you -'

"CHERLASO KALE WHER!" screamed a voice. The man was close to choking. I could feel his ribs starting to crack under the strength of the roots.

'We are not here to hurt you or to experiment on you,' the voice was now more rushed, 'please, I promise, we just want to help,'

Crack - One rib had cracked. The man howled. I shook my head.

'No, no, no, you promised that last time,'

This time, instead of talking, he responded with images. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep them out, but I couldn't. He showed me a little girl with blue, scaly skin, red hair, and dark yellow eyes. Then the image shifted. The blue girl, she appeared once more, but she looked older. And, she was laughing. Silently, I watched as her skin rippled. In an instant, standing before me, instead of the older blue-skin woman, there stood a beautiful blonde woman.

'That's Raven, my sister. She's a mutant too,' the images shifted once more. Now faster, as if I watching some old camera film, I saw more teens, a girl and some guys. It was fast, but I caught sight of a girl with fairy wings, a boy with big, finger-like feet, and then the pictures faded.

'Please release my partner and I - we will be able to explain to you more,'

I hesitated. I put my hand on the dirt, feeling. The man who was struggling the most, the one with the broken rib, was hurting. I could tell by the waning life force. I bit my lip. I willed for the roots to loosen a bit.

'Please stop hiding. We want to help. We truly do. And not by getting rid or experimenting on your powers - we just want to help you control them,'

The roots around me unraveled. I looked up. Two blue piercing eyes stared me down.

I slowly cocked my head to the right. But I could control them, I could control my powers. That's what I had been doing for the past ten years of my life. Controlling them.

'Yes, but can you control them without emotions ruling your actions?' His blue eyes focused to his partner who was breathing heavily. He looked like the god the Christians worshiped, the Jesus (I think they called him) crucified; his arms were stretched out, as were his legs, due to my roots. They were wrapped around his legs and arms, stretching him out in every angle, like a spineless doll.

I bit my lip.

But the man had shot me! I eyed the gun floating in the air wearily.

'You provoked him, Haseya,' reminded the voice.

I bit my lip. With a wave of my hand the roots retreated. They slithered back deep into the ground.

The man gasped. The gun floating in the air dropped to the ground. With one hand he clutched his chest, with the other, he clutched his head. Unceremoniously, he dropped to his knees.

"Charles," he growled hoarsely. Charles, who was also released from my imprisonment, precipitated to him.

"Erik, you need medical attention," I listened as Charles bent over Erik, scouring the cuts and the probable broken rib.

"N-no," he hissed. Erik fixated his own blue eyes on me. I felt the hairs on my skin prickle. His looked at me with pure anger.

"She," he raised a shaking finger at me, but he was cut short.

"Stop it Erik, stop it. She was scared. It's not like you never attacked anyone before either," the glare that followed Charles's warning was vicious. If looks could kill…

"Haseya," I focused my attention back on Charles. Though it was hard to tell in the dark, he had slightly longer hair than Erik. Hm.. Was he a hippie? But he looked rather well-dressed. I squinted my eyes. It was hard to tell in the dark. Hmm…I had never seen a hippie before. I had heard Iina talk about them. Bumbling, babbling idiots, was what she called them.

"This bumbling, babbling idiot would like to know if you have any first aid?" I blushed deeply. Right, telepath. He could read thoughts.

"I try my best not to. Really do. But, it's a bit hard," the telepath now stood in front of me. I took a few steps back, still unsure about him. He offered me a kind smile and put out his hand which I accepted slowly, "Charles Xavier. Nice to finally make your acquaintance Haseya. Now," he hurried back over to Erik, "if we could get some light in here,"

I looked around. The sun rays seeping through the vines were few. Visibility was harsh; even I couldn't tell where those two men were without their face facing me. Both of their blue eyes were illuminating.

I raised my right arm in front of me. As if I was tracing a rainbow out of the air, I willed the vines and roots around me to undo. In seconds, the dome melted back into the ground. I squinted under the glare of the desert sun, adjusting to the sudden, harsh light. I watched Charles straighten, staring at the ground in disbelief.

"Incredible," he whispered, "So that's you're power? Plant manipulation?"

I shrugged, not really wanting to explain it. It still unnerved me to see two other people…so similar to me.

And they were two old white men. Personally, I was hoping to see someone from my tribe, or any tribe really, since I thought these powers were more…exclusive. I crossed my arms.

Huh. How incredibly…racist? Arrogant?

"Thoughtless?" added Charles. I blushed once more. "I understand though. Many of us didn't even know there were others. Though, may I argue that I am not actually that old. Actually, I'm the youngest professor in my college you see,-"

"CHARLES!" roared Erik, now laying on the ground. The hand on his head was now shielding his eyes from the blinding sun. "No one gives a shit about your age!"

Charles looked down at his friend.

"I'm defending us! She thinks we're old!"

"Yea? Was she also thinking about choking me half to death? How 'bout cracking a few ribs while she's at it?"

I blushed even harder. "One rib," I muttered, looking at the ground. At least I had the decency to look ashamed. And I mean, I didn't even mean to hurt him that badly. He was the one who trespassed!

"Wrong dear, I actually was," piped up Charles. "And led him here…"

"If only the roles were reversed," murmured Erik darkly.

"Well, good news pal. I don't think your rib is broken…maybe fractured?" Erik moaned. Charles gave him a small smile, patting him on the shoulder. Then he turned towards me.

"So, what about that first aid kit?"

Phew, this one was long. I hope I didn't make Erik too OOC. He's a bit hard to pinpoint (as well as Charles).

Hope you guys enjoyed this one! Big thanks to all those who reviewed and f/f! Really puts a smile on my face!

The next update might not be for another couple of days...I have to finish up some school essays T_T

Anywhoooo, please review! I love feedback!