A Romy story

Chapter 33

Chapter 33:

In Rouge's Mind:

"Rogue?" Jean asked, confused. As the figure ahead became clearer, it was very obvious that it was Rogue standing in front of them. It was a different Rogue though. It was a Rogue wearing a sleeveless t-shirt, it was a Rogue without gloves, it was Rogue without the strands of white hair.

"Close Jean, but no quahte." The teenager replied, casually strolling over to the two adults. "Ya could say Ah'm Rogue before she became Rogue. Ah'm her, Marie, the second before she had her first kiss, before her mutant ability kicked in for the first tahme."
Both the Professor and Jean gave her uncomprehending looks and the girl paused, wondering how exactly she could explain. She gazed off to the side for a short while before breathing in and attempting the explanation.

"The first tahme Rogue used her powers, it was such a massive shock to her system that it caused some major trauma. Her mahnd was damaged severely, almost totally ripped away from the rest of her brain resultin' in me. Ah'm a completely seperate entity to the rest of her. Basically, lahke this, Ah'm just lahke any other mahnd she's absorbed."
"So, the first time Rogue used her powers, her brain was damaged?" Jean checked, trying to understand.
"No, Ah said her mahnd was damaged, not her brain." Marie corrected. "The mahnd and the brain are two seperate things. The brain is rational; it reacts to electrical impulses and relies on them to act. The mahnd, however, is irrational. The mahnd acts on emotions, on hah we feel. The brain mahght control the body but the mahnd controls the brain. Withaht the mahnd, the brain would still be able to work, it just wouldn't have a reason to. That's basically what had happened to Rogue when you found her in the park Jean. Everything was still workin' fahne and the small part of her mahnd which stayed part of her was able to tell her what to do to a certain extent, there just wasn't enough there and it's hold wasn't strong enough to make her act half-way sane."

"What happened to make this all happen though?" The Professor inquired.
"Erm, it maght be easier to show ya rather than tell ya." Marie mused to herself, glancing off into space before looking at them both again. "Brace yaselves though; it ain't gonna be pretty." She warned, inclining her head forward to instruct the psychics to turn around. The two adults steeled themselves to face the horrors of Rogue's problem before slowly turning around...

Complete, utter chaos was spread ahead of them and deafening noise had suddenly filled the area. However, the anarchy wasn't horrible or gruesome or anything like that. No, it was just very weird. Dotted around the never ending area of white were various fictional characters who were either fighting off other fictional characters or trying to keep the dozen or so doors, which had suddenly appeared from no where, shut.
"All right lads, let's get to work!"
Jean and the Professor directed their gazes over to a scraggy old man with a pointed, light ginger beard and wearing a tattered green coat with a flat black Jewish hat resting on his head. In front of him were around twenty young boys, none older than twelve, all dressed in rough, worn, Victorian clothing. Beside the man stood another boy who was wearing a tattered blue dress coat and a stained top-hat.
"Line up!" The man ordered, his voice tuneful with a very definate British tint to his accent.
"Line up!" The top-hat wearing boy repeated, his voice in similar tone as the other boys got into line and began to march on the spot, their stamping feet creating a beat.
"Single file!
"Single file!"
"Left,"
"Right!"
"Left,"
"Right!"
"Left,"
"Right!"

"Aye, aye!" The other boys chorused together. The, music suddenly started playing and the old man began to sing:
"You can go but be back soon,
You can go but while you're working,
This place I'm pacing round...
Until you're home,
...Safe and sound.
Fare thee well,
But be back soon
Who can tell where danger's lurking?
Do not forget this tune:
Be back soon!"
Then, it was the boys' turn:
"How could we forget,
How could we let,
Our dear old Fagin worry?
We love him so,
We'll come back home,
In, oh such a great big hurry!
It's him that plays the piper,
It's us that pipes his tune.
So long, fare thee well,
Pip! Pip! Cheerio!
We'll be back soon!"
The song went back to the old man who began to march along energetically, the boys following on along behind:
"Cheerio, but be back soon.
I dunno, somehow I'll miss you
I love you, that's why I
Say, "Cheerio"...
Not goodbye.
Don't be gone long
Be back soon.
Give me one long,
Last look...
Bless you.
Remember our old tune...
Be back soon!"
Back to the boys':
"We must disappear,
We'll be back here,
Today...
...Perhaps tomorrow.
We'll miss you too,
It's sad but true,
That parting is such sweet sorrow.
And when we're in the distance,
You'll hear this whispered tune...
So long, fare thee well
Pip! Pip! Cheerio!
We'll be back soon!"