People like us. That's what he said to me that night on the train. That's why I go after him. Anyone will tell you that its because he's gorgeous, because he's dangerous. But they're wrong. It's because of those words.

People like us. He didn't mean mutants. That day I ran because I knew that even among mutants I am alone, dangerous, without control. I am everything mutants try to tell the public that they aren't. I once heard an anti-mutant activist say that mutants will kill everything they touch. And with me it's true.

People like us. When he said that I knew he meant something deeper, something harder to explain than a little DNA quirk. We are untouchable. Not because of my skin or his claws, but because the world gave us a raw deal on life. Something has been taken from both us. His past was stolen, and my present was halted. But we both want to hope for a future.

People like us. That's why I chase him. Even when he leaves for weeks without saying goodbye. Even when he comes home and calls me kid. Even when he flirts with Jean all through dinner. Still I chase him. Because every time he goes I find dog-tags on my bedside table. Because every time he comes home he spends the first night on my bedroom floor asking me what happened while he was away. Because every night he comes to my room after dinner and watches me read.

That's why I love him.

Because people like us, we gotta stick together.