So if I havn't scared every potential reader off, let's get on with the story.

That day started off like any other in Sabine's young life. As always, she woke early, before the thought of waking even entered her father's mind, and sliped out of the house on silent feet. She easily picked the way across the immaculate lawn and through the thick brush at the edge of their property, moving towards the creek that was their special place.

Even in the the meager light of the early morning, Sabine's bright green eyes immediately spotted Ellie. Sabine's solemn face lit into a smile and she eagerly moved towards the other girl.

Ellie looked up at the sound of her approach, and her face twisted into an identical smile "hey sis, wha' took yah so long?" she asked jokingly. It was their secret routine. Every morning, the two sisters would sneak out of their rooms, past their sleeping father, and out into the crisp morning air towards their creek. It had been Ellie's idea, an adventure, a secret just between the two of them. Their time by the creek was special to both girls, they were together and could share their dreams and hopes without the fear of their father overhearing.

Most people would have been hard pressed to tell the two girls apart. They both had pretty faces that showed the promise of great beauty, wide green eyes too old for their ages, and most remarkable of all they both had a streak of white hair running through their long brown hair.

But beyond apperances, the sisters were very different. Ellie was almost a years older, and she was daring. Of the two, it was Ellie who had the wild dreams of adventures in faraway places, playing at pirate and slaying dragons with imaginary swords.

Sabine was more withdrawn. She never felt comfortable showing her emotions or leaving herself vulnerable to anyone. Where Ellie was wild, Sabine was sedate. Ellie dreamed of adventures, Sabine dreamed of marriage and children.

And yet, the two sisters loved each other more than anyone else. They were fiercely loyal to each other and both knew that no matter what would happen, they had each other. Together, nothing could beat them.

Sabine dropped down next to her sister, slipping her bare feet into the cool water of the creek. She giggled slightly as the water rushed around her wiggling toes, tickling at them. "What d' yah have there, Ellie?" Sabine questionned as the wad of paper clutched in the other girl's hand caught her attention.

"This," Ellie answered, passing the object over to her sister.

Sabine looked down at it curiously, and smiled when she saw what it was. "Th' adventures of th' flyin' man?" she said dubiously as she looked at the picture of the caped man in a garish blue and orange costume posed majestically among the clouds.

Ellie nodded cheerfully, "yup. Ah know it seems kinda silly t' be readin' this..."

"It ain't silly, Ellie!" Sabine admonished the other girl. She didn't like when Ellie put herself down, even though she knew that she didn't mean it. "Why don' yah tell me 'bout it?"

"Ah don' really know how t' explain it, Sabine," Ellie said thoughtfully, "other than t' say tha' Ah admire him, or at least what it is tha' he does. Even if he isn't real. He may look stupid an' have the corniest lines ya'll could imagine, but he's fightin' fo' something. Ah like tha'."

Sabine nodded, "Ah understand," and she did. She knew how passionate Ellie was, how much she wanted to make a difference in the world.

"Ah want t' be able t' do what he does, Sabine. Ah wan't t' save th' world, make it a better place fo' everybody," Ellie sighed, then laughed, leaping to her feet, "ah would be known as... as... Rogue!"

"Why Rogue?" Sabine asked.

" 'Cause Ah'd be untouchable. No one would evah be able t' hurt me. Ah'd come in an' save th' day, then be off, no one holdin' me back," she looked down at her spellbound sister and grinned, "yah could be mah sidekick, if yah want."

Sabine glared up at Ellie, her lips twisting into a smile despite her best efforts, "sidekick? Ah think not! How 'bout ah'd be yoah wise mentor who save th' day when evah yah get yoahself into trouble?"

"An since when are yah wise, Sabby?" Ellie laughed, "yah can't even figure Cody out."

Sabine blushed at the same of the boy's name. "Ah don' know wha' your talkin' 'bout, Ellie," she said, staring at her hands and hoping Ellie didn't see her flushed face.

" 'Course yah do!" Ellie said serious once again, "he's sweet on yah, an' yoah a fool fo' not doing anythin' 'bout it."

"Ah don' see why Cody would like me. I'm so plain, an' borin'. If he liked anyone it should be you," Sabine answered. It hurt to say that, but it was the truth. She was plain, a nobody. Ellie on the other hand was special, she was full of life and mischief. Sabine could see why any boy, anybody for that matter, would like Ellie.

"Y' aint borin' Sabine!" Ellie sighed, used to her sister's feelings of unworthiness. Sabine would bite off her head if Ellie put herself down, even jokingly, but she would willingly grind away her own self-esteem.

Ellie knew why though. It was their father. Byrant Wilkes, one of the wealthiest men in Caldecott county, not a hard feat all considered, and a hopeless drunk. He didn't care one whit about either of his daughters, and wasn't shy to tell them so. They had been hearing how worthless they were since the day they were born. Her father's attittude had only served to make Ellie tougher, she knew that no matter what he said that she had worth. Sabine, on the other hand, too easily believed their father's harsh and hateful words.

"Yoah a sweet, wonderful, charming, pretty, all around terrific person, Sabine! And anyone who can't see tha' is a damned fool!" Ellie dropped down next to her sister and grabbed Sabine's chin, forcing her face around until two pairs of green eyes locked onto each other, "Do yah thin' Ah'd put up with yah if yah weren't?"

" 'Course yah would, yoah mah sister."

"Ya well, Ah'd think th' same o' yah even if Ah wasn't. Now how 'bout yah accept Cody's offer an' meet him here tonight? An if he does anythin' t' hurt yah, Ah'll beat him up fo' yah 'til he's beggin' fo' mercy."

"How'd yah know 'bout tha'?" Sabine asked in surprise.

"Wha', him beggin' foah mercy if he hurts yah?"

"Yah know wha' Ah mean, Ellie," Sabine replied with a grin as she envisionned Ellie advancing on a terrified Cody. That wouldn't be too far from the truth either, everyone knew Ellie's reputation of being quick to fight and her long list of victories.

"Mah secret. So wha' d' yah say?"

Sabine hesitated a moment, "Ah... Ah suppose Ah will."

"Good girl! Now let's get goin', Ah hear Mary callin' us."

That settled, the two girls stood up, their arms interlocking and headed back home.

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Mary Evers Wilkes looked at the two girls seated on the bed in Sabine's room and smiled a bittersweet smile at the memories they evoked. She was eighteen years old, not much older that the sisters, and their step mother.

Mary was a pale, silent beauty. She had been a shy, charming child and had grown up into a shy, charming young woman. She was a friendly woman, caring and giving. Every body had loved her. Mary had her choice of boyfriends, and any one of them would have been more than pleased to call her his wife. So no one had understood why the reserved, lovely young woman had married Byrant Wilkes. Sometimes Mary didn't even know herself.

She had learned quickly after their marriage that her sweet dreams of love and marriage were not to be fullfilled. Instead of poetry and romance, Mary kept the yard and house precisely as Byrant ordered, cooked and cleaned, and offered no complaints when he came home late smelling of cheap whiskey.

"Need any help girls?" Mary offered shyly, wanting to pretend, at least for a while, that she was still a child. She wanted to feel as if she belonged.

Sabine looked up in surprise, her bright green eyes meeting Mary's sorrowful blue ones. Slowly she nodded, "Sure Mary, Ah'd be happy t' have yah help."

Mary grinned in childlike delight and moved into the room, settling onto the bed with the sisters. "Wha' are yah gettin' ready fo', Sabine?"

Ellie glanced at Sabine then Mary with a eager grin, "She's goin' out with Cody! It's her first date an' we wan't her t' look so good tha' Cody won't believe his eyes!"

"Yoah first date, honey?" Mary cooed, "how sweet!"

Ellie nodded while Sabine blushed slightly, "Isn't it? But Sabby's just a bit nervouse 'bout it."

Mary smiled reassuringly "don't worry 'bout it none, Sabine, Ah'm sure tha' this will be th' most special night o' your life."

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Sabine stood before her father, shaking and sobbing, backed into a corner. She couldn't believe that this was happening to her.

Only a few hours ago she had been with Cody, staring out over the gentle waters as the trees gently rustled around them. And then, he had gently turned her around so that they stood face to face, mere inches apart, and him lips had moved down towards hers. For a moment, it had been magic, everything a first kiss was supposed to be. But it hadn't lasted long.

She had felt strange all of a sudden, and had tried to pull back. By then it had been to late. Cody had let out a startled cry, and Sabine had felt a disorienting rush. And suddenly she wasn't herself. She was seeing things, feeling things, that weren't a part of her, and Cody was slumped at her feet. Sabine had frantically shaken him, trying to make him wake up, trying to make him take his thoughts out of her head. All he had done was fall back, unconscious.

Sabine coud remeber thinking that he was dead, tears pouring down her pale cheecks as she started to scream in horror. And then she did the only thing she could, she had run. She had killed Cody, and her father was going to kill her.

She had run until she could no longer run. And when she could run no longer, she had crawled on hands and knees until she was hidden from sight. Sabine had curled up as tight as she could, her head resting on her knees, trembling arms wrapped around her legs. And she had remained their, silent sobs racking her body as the search for her began.

It had only been a matter of time before she was found and brought back to her father, but Sabine had prayed that moment would never come. Of course, it had, and she found herself facing her enraged, drunken father.

"Daddy, please!" Sabine sobbed as her father brought his thick leather belt down on her.

"Ah'm not your daddy!" he roared drunkenly, his arm raising and falling rythmically, his daughter's pained cries barely reaching him, "no daugher o' mine is a mutie!"

"Ah didn't mean too! Ah didn't mean too!" she was sobbing hysterically, as much from the shock of what had happened with Cody as the beating her father was giving her. It hurt, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of draining another person's mind. It was her, there was no doubt about that in her mind any longer. She had also drained the energy of one of the search party when he had grabbed her. Sabine knew at that moment, that she would never again be able to touch anybody, she would never have the life she had dreamed of.

Through her cries, Sabine distantly heard the door bursting open. "Stop tha' now! Yah leave her alone!" Ellie screamed in rage at the sight of her father beating a huddled and defeated Sabine.

"Yah keep out o' this, yah hear, Ellie!" he snarled, readying another strike towards Sabine's bloody back.

"Keep away from her, yah drunken bastard!" Ellie hissed, launching herself across the room. She grabbed the belt Byrant held and ripped it from his hand. He stared at her in disbelief, and was still staring when Ellie landed a punch to his face. He grunted and stumbled away from them.

"Come on, Sabby," Ellie whispered lovingly, "Ah'm gettin' yah outta here."

"No! Don' touch me, Ellie! Ah'll hurt yah!" Sabine gasped as Ellie's hands descended towards her bare arms. She stared up in shock as their bare flesh met and nothing happend.

"Don' worry, sugah," her sister replied reassuringly, "ah'm fine, and ah'm goin' t' get yah outta here." Ellie smiled briefly, the twist of her lips not hiding the fury she was feeling. *He had no right to do this to her!* Ellie thought as she helped Sabine to her feet *no one has the right to hurt another person like this. No one!*

"Just lean on me, Sabby."

"Ellie! Sabine! Watch out!" Mary's terrified scream came from the doorway. Ellie twisted around to see Byrant lunging towards them.

"Run, Sabby!" Ellie yelled as she pushed the girl out of the way. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to escape him herself. Ellie grunted in pain as his fist smashed into her jaw, sending her reeling into the wall. *I will not give this bastard the satisfaction of screamin'* she thought, struggling to her feet.

"After all Ah've done for yah, how dare yah turn on me, yah ungrateful bitch!" he was towering over her, his eyes showing no mercy, and very little sanity.

"Byrant, honey, calm down," Mary begged fearfully from where she cowered in the doorway. She looked like a ghost, with her pale blue eyes filled with tears and her frightened, ahsen face.

"Yah keep outta this!" the enraged man snarled, moving forward menacingly.

Desperately, Ellie dodged out of his way, smiling in grim satisfaction as his fist connected solidly with the brick wall. "Let's go Sabine!" she screamed, motionning her stunned sister to move.

Ellie never saw her father coming, but Sabine did. And she saw what happened next. It was something that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"Ellie!" Sabine screamed in warning, forcing her name out through a constricted throat. But it wasn't enough.

Drunk and dangerously enraged, Byrant Wilkes had picked up an overturned chair, and without thought brought it down on the back of his daughter's head. At that moment, he didn't know which girl it was, and he didn't care.

Ellie never screamed as the solid wooden chair met the base of her skull, nor did she when she tumbled towards the ground, her temple hitting the edge of a coffee table. It was in perfect silence that she fell to the ground, only to be broken by the sound of her head smashing into the floor.

Sabine knew without a doubt that her sister, her only friend, her only comfort in a harsh uncaring world, was dead. The sound of Ellie's fall, the sight of her open, unseeing eyes, burned themself into Sabine's memory. And her heart shattered.

"Oh mah gawd..." Mary moaned, dropping to her knees, one pale hand covering her quivering mouth.

Sabine didn't notice her, and if she had, she would not have cared. Her vision was filled only with the sight of her sister. "Yah killed her!" the words started as a mere whisper but built to a screech as she faced Ellie's murderer.

Byrant did not react for a moment, he didn't seem to grasp the enormity of what he had just done. And then, for an instant, he knew. But it was too much for him to handle, and his mind rebelled, he could not, would not accept this. "This is all yoah fault, yah mutie! Ah did nothin' it was all yah!"

Sabine stared at him with hate filled eyes, her fists clenched so tightly that her nails drew blood. She hated that man more than she had ever hated anyone in her life. There was nothing more that she wanted to do than throw herself at him, and rip him to pieces. She wanted him to pay.

*Run, Sabby!* her sister's words echoed through Sabine's mind and as there was nothing else to do, she did.

She ran, her back burning in agony, her eys filled with tears, and her heart aching in loss. Sabine Wilkes did not leave with her, but Rogue did. Just like Ellie, she was untouchable. And so she would remain.