She wants to run. It consumes her mind, the need to move. But even as she contemplates the leaving, she knows she is stuck. She imagines herself bound to a post, tied with rough hemp ropes, with no means of escape. She screams, but the only people who hear are in her mind, and taunt her.

~"You can't leave. They won't let you. Now that you are here, in this place, you are trapped."~

That from the man who took her, tried to kill her. She screams back, pleads back, that it isn´t true. That she can leave, that she is free to go anytime she wants.

~"Why would you go? You are safe here, protected. Out there, you are alone, cold, hungry."~

That from a boy she kissed, innocent until the moment he fell backwards onto the bed. She counters, angrily, that she is alone in this school, that they can´t protect her, that the only guardian she had has left her.

Then, another voice, from the depths where she buried the memories, speaks.

~"Leave kid. You took care of yourself for almost a year on the road. You can do it again. You have an edge now. Let me help you."~

That from the man who promised to keep her safe. The man who left only days after saving her life. She is scared now, now that that man is speaking to her. She vainly tries to bury the voice back into the recesses, but now that it has been unleashed, she knows she must ride it out.

~"I can help you escape. The others only dare you to leave, I can help you leave for real."~

Memories start to overwhelm her, images of steel bars, gouges in metal walls, blood at her feet, and she starts to scream, but aloud this time, and people hear.

~"Quiet kid. Shut up, they'll hear you. They'll lock you up again and make you shut up."~

Her own memories now, of when they put her in the soft room, tied her hands so she couldn't cut herself. She stops her screams, praying that the people won't look for her, that they didn't hear the agonized shrieks coming from her room. Instead she backs down, sobbing silently, and tries to clear her mind of all the voices she hears. She knows she can escape, but only when she is calm, centered. She tries to breathe, concentrating on the breaths she is taking.

But what she had hoped for was futile. The people had heard. They start to pound on the door, asking her to open it, to let them in. She tries not to listen, but one of them starts speaking to her.

"Let me in honey. I can help you. I can help you. Please let me in."

That from the woman, the one that the guardian wanted. She doesn't know if she can trust the woman, and backs down, trying to curl around herself.

Another voice now, and more tapping at the door.

"I know you don't want to let us in, but we can help you. Just open the door."

That from the man the guardian dislikes. The one with the glasses. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to concentrate on her breathing still, hoping that will shut out the voices that are around her.

She hears them through the door now, talking to each other.

"I don't know. I can feel her distress. The voices in her head are talking to her again. She doesn't want us in there, and I don´t want to go in there if she doesn't want us to, but..."

"Jean, I think we should anyway. She could hurt herself, even worse than the last time."

"I know Scott, but.... All right, let's get her out of there."

She knows then that the first voice is right. That she is trapped. She knows she has to move, and now.

~"I told you little girl. Now they are going to trap you again. They are going to keep you forever."~

She nods, knowing what she must do. The second voice, the boy, starts to whimper.

~"No, just let them in. They won't hurt you if you do what they want. They just want you to be safe. They can help you."~

She ignores the boy, and goes to her closet. She looks for her jacket, and boots.

~"Good kid. Keep moving, find your gear. Hurry now, they are unlocking the door!"~

She finds her clothes and scrambles to put them on. She moves to the window, hurries to open it. The people are in her room now, trying to make her stay.

"No, Rogue! Please, we can help you. Just walk away from the window."

~"Don't trust her kid. Just a couple of feet and you are free. C'mon, you can do it."~

She glances out the window, and back at the woman and man, now only steps from her. She pauses, only for a second, and the image of the post is back. She puts one foot out the window, and a smile graces her face.

"I'm not your prisoner. I won't be crucified by you."

Both feet are out the window. She pushes back, and suddenly, she is free.

She is not tied to the post anymore. The ropes are broken. The voices have stopped.