Chapter 5: Teachings

Disclaimer: I do not own the X Men; I do own the teachers and students at Rogue's school.

I am on a role today! Two updates in one day, yay for me!

A/N: I've skipped about a year so Rogue's nine now, but it's been a few years for Evan and Ororo, so Evan is ten.

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Marie gulped as she looked around the office of her new school. Her Dad was speaking with the secretary.

"And this is Marie." She looked up at the sound of her name to find herself being scrutinized by the aging secretary. She waved shyly.

"Alright, well Miss Belle will just take her down to her first class." The old woman, whose nameplate stated, 'Mrs. Beckett', went back to her computer.

Logan crouched down next to his daughter, "I don't want any phone calls home on the first day, okay kiddo?"

She nodded and smiled, "Aye aye sir!" he chuckled and ruffled her bangs.

"That's my girl. Have fun." She smiled nervously, fiddling with the necklace he'd given her for her birthday in a nervous gesture, but nodded as Logan left through the office doors and she was approached by a younger woman who she guessed must be the other school secretary.

"Hello hun, I'm Miss Belle."

She smiled, "Marie."

"Well let's just get you to your first class shall we?" Marie followed the woman down the halls of the school to the grade four classrooms.

Miss Belle knocked on the door and a woman with honey coloured hair opened it. "I have your new student."

The woman looked at Rogue and smiled. "Welcome, I'm Mrs. Kale." Marie nodded and smiled a bit as Mrs. Kale motioned for her to come inside.

"Class, may I have your attention." The class quieted and Marie noticed she was getting a few odd looks. Well, seeing as she was wearing a knee length black skirt, black leggings, black runners and a green t-shirt with longer sheer black sleeves and her gloves, not to mention her hair wasn't exactly normal, she guessed that was to be expected.

"We have a new student. Now, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"

She gave Marie a warm smile and Rogue took a calming breath, "Mah name's Marie Diane Logan and Ah live with my Dad. Mah favourite colors are black, green and brown and Ah like watching hockey with mah Dad." She looked to the teacher to see her smiling in approval.

"Welcome Marie, now does anyone have any questions?"

~Why can't I just sit down, I don't like being the center of attention. ~ Marie bit her lip, hoping no one did, but unfortunately, a blonde girl in a pink shirt and jeans raised her hand.

"Yes Jamie?"

The girl smiled, "Do you have a Mom? You only mentioned your Dad."

Marie gave a half smile, "Ah'm adopted, so no, it's just mah Dad and meh." Jamie nodded and most of the class looked confused.

"Mrs. Kale, what's adopted mean?" a boy in the front row asked.

"If you're adopted, it means your parents, or parent," she smiled at Marie, "Aren't related to you by blood, but they are still your parents. Thank you for the question Mike." He nodded and grinned, "Why don't you take a seat next to Carly, Marie. Carly, would you please raise your hand." A black haired girl raised her hand and Marie went over to sit in the desk beside her.

~Well, so far, so good I guess. ~

While the day was uneventful, it became known quite quickly throughout the school that Marie Logan was not very social, and this didn't seem to bother her. Sure some people tried to be friends, and she was nice enough to them, but she wasn't a big talker and preferred to stay out of the light.

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"Evan, get down from there!" Ororo called up to her nephew.

"Aw, come on Aunty O, I'm fine!" she shook her head.

"Come on, I have a few things to teach you now." Evan sighed but climbed down the tree. He dropped to the ground and grinned at his aunt.

"So what's up?"

She smiled. "Follow me." Evan followed his aunt down to the river and sat beside her.

"So…"

"Close your eyes and relax, listen to your surroundings." She stated calmly, following her own advice.

Evan sighed but did so and listened carefully. He could hear the sounds of the farmers from their village, a few animals prowling about. There was laughter as a few of the children swam a ways away from them.

"What am I supposed to be doing?" he heard his Aunt laugh.

"Focus on relaxing so you control those abilities of yours." Evan chuckled nervously; he'd found out recently, that he had the ability to shoot out bone spikes from his body.

"Now, focus on control, you'll learn it eventually, just as I did." To accent the point, the cloudy sky suddenly became clear, the sun bright and warm on their skin.

Evan grinned, "Got it." Slowly, he let several spikes slip form under his skin. Just like always, it only tickled slightly, like an itch he couldn't scratch.

~Focus. ~ He thought and stood, aiming and successfully shooting off two, then one, then three, all hitting their target: a tree across the river.

He turned with a grin to his Aunt who smiled proudly, "Well done my Sun."

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Marie jumped out of the way of an incoming dodge ball. It was gym class, and she was one of the only girls out there that could actually play.

She bent over and picked up one of the balls before whipping it across the gym. She grinned wolfishly when it hit a blonde girl.

No one would ever be stupid enough to say girls couldn't play sports around her, they valued their lives too much for that, but that wouldn't stop some people from bullying her.

In general, Marie ignored it, but hey, she was nine, that girl was driving her insane, they were playing dodge ball in gym class and the blonde was one the opposing team. You do the math.

The whistle blew and everyone dropped the balls.

"Good job, line up the door and wait for the bell."

Marie gathered her books and stood by the door, apart from the rest of her classmates, thanking God it was the last period of the day.

When the bell rang, she was one of the first out and to her locker. She opened the door and grabbed her homework and backpack before racing out of the building to her father's truck. She sighed in relief as she jumped in, tossing her books in the backseat.

"Long day?" he questioned with a laugh.

Marie smirked, "I nailed that girl in gym." She replied. Logan laughed as he put the truck in gear and drove out of the parking lot.

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"Evan? Evan, Sun where are you?" Ororo pushed the curtain dividing Evan's room from hers away to see the room just as it always was.

Looking around, she listened carefully before kneeling down and lying on her stomach to see Evan hiding under his bed. "My little Sun, what are you doing under there?"

He looked to her with big brown eyes, "I was just...I wanted to play, but the other kids wouldn't let me." He cried softly and Ororo reached out to him, she'd had a feeling this would happen sooner or later.

"Come out, little one, I think it's time we talked."

A little while later, Evan was curled up on her lap and they were both silent. She'd just told him why the kids wouldn't let him play, and the reason he was here with her, and not back in America, with his parents.

"Didn't he want me?" Evan asked, he had cried when he'd learned of what happened to his mother and sister, but it had confused him when Ororo told him his father had let her take him.

"Sun, you have to understand that…when someone's heart is broken, they aren't usually the same person afterwards. You're Daddy, well, he loved your Mommy and when she left, he…wasn't the same." It was the nicest way to put it.

"Maybe he's better now! Maybe he'll want me back!" Evan got excited.

"Evan, child…he…Sun, I don't want to lose you."

Evan blinked p at her before moving and hugging her tightly, "I love you Aunty O, you'd never lose me. I'm like the lion cub in that story you always tell. I'll always come back to you."

She smiled down at him and hugged him tightly, "You have so much of your mother in you."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Yes, child, that is a very good thing."

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