" YOUR MOM!" sputtered Gambit.

Clara looked at him dangerously and nodded.

" She's not my biological mom," she said sarcastically, " But she did raise me. If you can call it that."

" Why? What happened?" pushed Rogue softly.

Clara looked up at her and sighed. Stretching across the bed she pondered how to answer the question.

Finally she replied, " I've been running so long I forgot that sometimes you need to talk to someone.

Sitting up she continued, " Well, she's not really my mom. She just wanted me to call her that. My real parents left me to her care when my...powers showed up."

" NO," Gambit started.

" Wait, Remy," Clara interupted, " It's not like that. They sent me to 'work' for her, you know like a summer job, hoping I would learn how to ahem control my powers."

Clara paused for a second trying to collect her thoughts. Rogue could see she was mentally shaken.

" It went fine for a while," she continued, " She, um, harbored a lot of other mutants. One's with powers stronger then mine. She taught me how to use my powers to protect myself. She always paired me up with Perion. That's how I got the black wings. It should have clued me in on the fact that something was up. Why have me go against one mutant when I could learn from them all. Back then though, I was stupid. I didn't have the common sense to know better. Anyway as the summer went on things grew increasingly wierder and I mean wierder than they can be here. A lot of the other mutants seemed colder to me. At first I thought it was because I had a home to go to and all. But then Perion seemed to grow distant. He and I were close, too. No, Remy, not like boy girl close, more like friends close. AnywayI had enough and I was starting to ask my parents if I could go somewhere else. They said they's think about it which always means no, but I still felt better. Then one night," Clara paused.

Taking in a deep breath she said, " One night when I got back late I...I found the front door open. When I walked in the house was empty. Completely! I searched all the rooms and found everything gone. I started calling out for my parents but I couldn't find them. Scared I went to the only other place I knew," Rogue took in a breath of anticipation, " I went to that woman's farm. I went over to the door and knocked. Perion answered the door. He let me in and that's when I saw it..."

" What?' pushed Rogue.

" I saw that woman with the newest mutant, doing what she did to Bobby. I must have shrieked or something because it threw off her concentration and the mutant fell to the floor convulsing. It felt like forever to calm him and in that time I found out what she was all about. She was a mutant to, and she believed in this human/ mutant war. She felt that if a mutant wouldn't fight she was there to make them. She told me I was next as her new recruits. When I demanded her to tell me what she did to my parents she said they had taken a leave of absence. She began to approach me and before I could run someone grabbed me from behind.I struggled but she grasped my face. I started to feel dizzy and it felt like my head was on fire. I don't know why but I started to scream, and it helped. She started to release her hold and I felt my limbs again. I pushed against her with my legs. It knocked her off, but it created the worst feeling. I thought for a second I was going to pass out or fall into something. I kicked at whoever was holding me though and concentrated on Perion's wings. I flew out of the house and never looked back. She's been after me ever since."

" But what does she want with you?"

" I don't know. But from what happened last night I don't think it's about me anymore."

" Then," whispered Rogue, " Who is it about?"

" I don't know," replied Clara honestly, " I think it may be about new recruits."

Gambit stared at Clara for a second. Suddenly he jumped to his feet with a card in hand. Clara did not seem startled but Rogue was.

" GAMBIT, what are you DOing?" she yelled jumping to her feet.

" Who says we can trust her?" demanded Gambit anger seething in his voice, " She claims that this woman chased her. What if she chased her, petite? What if being chased here wasn't an accident?"

Rogue looked him in the face. Suddenly it dawned on her what she was accusing Clara of.

Turning to face the other girl she said, " Is he right?"

Clara turned back to face her and said, " About chasing me here? Probably. I'm sure when she saw this place though I jumped out of her mind completely. About it being intentional? no."

Rogue looked back at her. She studied her face to see if she was lying but hit only granite stone.

" I believe you," she said.

" Rogue!" exclaimed Gambit.

" No, Remy, we owe her our trust. At least for now."

Gambit looked her in the eye. For a second Rogue felt a little fearful under his almost paralyzing glare.

" Fare enough, petite," he replied discharging the card, " But what are we going to do about this?"

Clara looked at him ponderously.

" Maybe..." she started.

Suddenly the door fell to heavy blows. Clara jumped up and the three listened started as the door handle began to move.