Rogue tried to absorb the mysterious Campbell Sainte-Ange in an attempt to absorb the knowledge he had regarding her mother, but nothing happened! Campbell notices how Rogue doesn’t know what to say, so he suggests that, when Rogue remembers it, she can come to him. Campbell is certain that they’ll meet again and goes away.
Rogue tries to stop him and quickly follows Campbell but, as he goes into a street, he’s gone! All Rogue finds are some workmen. Typical, Rogue says. She continues her search in finding Lauren’s family, but has no such luck. She talks to a lot of people, but no one seems to know anything about her. Rogue goes to sit on a bench and talks to an older man about Lauren, but he too doesn’t know her. The man complaints about the heat wave and thinks that Rogue must be sweltering in her getup. Rogue says that she’s fine, as her costume is ventilated.
Rogue thinks for a moment and can’t get Campbell out of her head. He hit a couple of her nerves that Rogue didn’t know she even had. She won’t allow Campbell to simpy say, “we’ll meet again,” and then take off and make her wait for it. Rogue plans to track him down. Suddenly, her cellphone goes off. She looks at it and recognizes Havok’s private number. Rogue realizes he probably wants to arrange a time to send the X-plane back to fetch her. Rogue apologizes, but she has some private business to settle. And, until they are settled, she is going rogue. Rogue throws her cellphone into a trashcan and decides to take the bus. Rogue only wished she didn’t had to ditch on Lauren like that, but she’s certain that she’s in good hands back at the mansion.
The Xavier Institute’s Med bay…
Havok walks into the room, holding his cellphone, and wonders. Beast, setting up his equipment, asks Alex if something’s wrong. Alex says that he’s just having trouble raising Rogue. When Havok asks how it is going with their newbie Lauren, Beast says that he was just getting started. Hank explains that he spend some time putting her at ease before subjecting her to all this machinery. Havok understands and asks Lauren how she is doing. Lauren says that she’s fine. Beast asks Havok if he’s had any luck locating one of their resident telepaths. After all, Hank’s limited to assessing her physical condition.
But Hank would have liked to have at least a surface mindscan, to see if there’s anything about Lauren they ought to know before he begins. Alex says that Emma is out, but Rachel agreed to do the honors and is on her way. While talking, the two X-Men don’t notice that Lauren is staring at them and silently teleports away! Havok apologizes to Beast, asking what they were talking about. Beast says that he doesn’t know, he can’t remember…
Caldecott…
Rogue steps off from the bus and complains about the lack of comfort. She’s just happy to still be in one peace but she has gotten hungry and goes searching for a place to eat. She goes in a restaurant but doesn’t bother to listen to the news there. The news reporter mentions that the heat wave across the state continues, as Caldecott breaks a seventy-five year record with a 9am temperature of 99 degrees. He promises temperatures to top 108 by midday. In other local news, the reporter mentions mysterious outbreaks of violent dementia that continue in pockets of Caldecott and adjoining countries. There are lots of reports about mass hysteria, hallucinations and suicides. Authorities have not ruled out excessive heat as a factor.
After having eaten, Rogue makes it to her former home, where she was raised as a child. Rogue is amazed that, with all the places she has lived since then, she’s still amazed that she still calls this place her home. Rogue finds it funny, being there after all these years and the memories come pushing back on her. Rogue remembers a happy time when she was a kid and her dad pushed her when she sat on a swing and her mom watched. She remembers how happy she was when she got her dog. And she remembers when she was sleeping together with her dad in their hammock. Rogue thought that all those memories were good and buried and is glad that they are not. She thinks that, with all the stolen lives she got into her head over the years, it’s nice to dip into the one she actually lived herself. Rogue doesn’t want to put it off any longer and walks towards her house.
Inside the house, there’s an old woman doing the dishes. She hears a knock on the door and goes to open it. She can’t believe what she sees and doesn’t know what to say when she sees… Anna Marie?! Rogue remembers a time when she was raised by the woman. How the woman told her to come back into the house when she sat on the swing and how she gave her something to eat Rogue didn’t like. And how she was punished by the woman and laid on her knee, being spanked with a hairbrush.
Rogue recognizes her aunt Carrie and wonders what she is still doing here. Rogue says that she came back to see her dad and asks if he’s around. Carrie gets angry, that Anna Marie dares to come back after all those years, leaving without a word, and when she comes back not even saying any of a warm word to the woman who raised her.
Rogue tries to reason with Carrie and asks if her dad’s around, she needs to see him. Carrie sadistically smiles, denying that he’s there. It’s just her there now. Rogue, surprised, asks if he is dead. Carrie, still smiling, says that she wouldn’t know that, she hasn’t seen the man in ages. Like father, like daughter, Carrie says. He just up and left the place one day, leaving her. Rogue enters the house and doesn’t believe Carrie.
Carrie tells Anna Marie to search all she wants, but not to think that she doesn’t know what’s on her mind. Carrie says that, with Rogue’s dad gone, Anna Marie must think that she inherits the house, doesn’t she. But Carrie tells Rogue to put that out of her head. After her dad left, Carrie let the mortage default and then she bought the house herself at auction. So Rogue has no right to one brick of it.
Rogue runs up the stairs, calling for her dad. Carrie, still smiling, says that he’s been gone for three years now. Carrie tells Rogue that she has waited for this day to come. For Anna Marie or her dad to come crawling back home, to find the woman they wiped their feet on is now the one who owns the place.
Rogue runs out of the house, telling Carrie to shut up. Rogue can’t believe it all, it’s just too much to take in: the house, Aunt Carrie, her dad gone. Rogue simply needs to catch her breath. She goes to sit on a nearby tree, and doesn’t notice that at the back, Campbell is looking at her, smiling. After a while, Rogue goes back inside the house and looks at Carrie, making dinner. She goes to sit on the table with her. Rogue apologizes for the way she flew off like that. She explains to Carrie that the reason why she came back to the house is to learn the truth about her mother.
Carrie gets angry, asking why after all these years. And, Carrie says, what makes her think that there is a truth. Carrie already told her what happened when Anna Marie was young. Rogue tells Carrie that she met a man who said that he knew her and even had a picture of her with him. But she finds it suspicious, because he should have been as young as her when she died. Carrie doesn’t believe one word of what Anna Marie is saying. But Carrie isn’t surprised that Anna Marie would bring up such a lie on her; she always was a rogue - from the first day she moved into the house.
Rogue tries to tell Carrie that it isn’t a lie. She apologizes that she ran away and left her alone here with her dad, without saying a word of good-bye. But Rogue doesn’t understand why Carrie stayed on. Rogue knows that Carrie didn’t take pleasure at all into raising her. Carrie made sure that she knew. Anna Marie wonders, because there was no more obligation after she was gone. Carrie didn’t have to live with a man anymore she couldn’t stand; she was free.
Carrie, angry, says that’s Anna Marie’s answer to anything: just get up and run away. Carrie laughs at the idea that Rogue lectures her about responsibilities and family. Rogue again tries to apologize; she was just young and stupid. And she has done a lot of growing up since than, more than she can even say. Carry says that she can just imagine, looking at the way Rogue’s dressed. Carrie thinks that she’s in some sort of big-city gang.
Rogue tries just to ask what happend to her mom. Carrie walks away from her, saying that she’s got nothing more to tell Anna Marie. Rogue says that she isn’t so sure about that and touches Carrie, absorbing her memories! Rogue learns Carrie’s secrets, and becomes Carrie during the flash-back, with her own face but Carrie’s body.
Rogue is Carrie, when she was 15 years old. Sitting on a bed in her big sister Priscilla’s room, Carrie watched how her beautiful big sister made herself even more bautiful for a date. Carrie adored her, was in awe of her. Carrie watched Priscilla leaving with her boyfriend. Carrie also took care of Priscilla because she doesn’t know how to take care of herself. When Priscilla came home drunk from her date, Carrie made sure she got in the house safe. Carrie didn’t mind, because their parents were dead and Priscilla was the only family she had. Carrie thought it would last forever. But it didn’t. Priscilla’s boyfriend, Owen, came to their door one day, holding flowers in his hands. Carrie found Owen handsome and smooth, and Owen had a rich father. There’s not a thing Carrie could do to stop Owen and Priscilla from getting married.
Priscilla and Owen go off to start a commune with a bunch of their friends. They are going to “get back to nature, live off the land.” Carrie was younger than them, but could already see how childish and naive they are. Carrie wanted to follow them, but was too proud. Carrie was left alone at the age of 17 in the big house. Utterly, desperatly alone. But Priscilla visited whenever she could, when she was running errands for the commune. Everytime Priscilla visited, Carrie could tell that the marriage was a bad one. But Carrie didn’t say a word about it. She didn’t want to make Priscilla mad, hoping that she’d come back. Instead, Priscilla gets pregnant. Carrie thought that Priscilla thought the pregnancy would help her marriage get better. Carrie didn’t say how stupid she thought that idea was. When the pregnant Priscilla visited her again, Carrie offered to come to the commune when Priscilla went into labor and help with the delivery. Priscilla laughed, saying that there were already 8 midwives living at the commune.
But Carrie came anyway. When arriving at the commune, it was as bad as she feared. The commune was filthy, ramshackle, ragtag. But Carrie found that it was worth it. Carrie helped Priscilla with the delivery and was the first to see sweet Anna Marie. After that, Carrie went back home. Priscilla visits taper off, her being a busy mother. But when Priscilla came, it frightened Carrie. Priscilla told Carrie that the commune began falling around with some Native American nonsense. Something about a mystical place called “The Far Banks.” Priscilla explained that the place was some never-never land where all the rules are diffrent and everything’s a dream. Carrie didn’t believe a word of it, knowing that such a place doesn’t exist anywhere. Carrie’s opinion must have shown in her face, because Priscilla walked away angry. As Priscilla drove away in her car, Carrie didn’t hear from her sister in a powerful long time.
When Carrie does hear from Priscilla, it’s by phone. Priscilla sounds excited, with her voice having this quiver in it. Owen and Prisicilla had found an old Indian shaman who was going to help them get to the Far Banks, through a “heitened state of awareness.” Carrie didn’t ask what that meant, because she didn’t want to know. Priscilla told Carrie that they were on the verge of a real breakthrough, saying that she’d report back on what happens. As Carrie hung up, it was only then that she understood the phonecall was a cry for help. But Carrie was too proud to hear it. Instead, she waited. Days, months, passed away, without Carrie hearing from Priscilla. Until the waiting finally ends. On one day, Owen came to the house in his car. Owen got out and told Carrie that he needed her. It was then when Carrie realized that Priscilla was gone. That she would never see her beautiful big sister again.
Something happened. Something terrible. But, as Carrie went back into the house, she was too proud to ask what happened. Owen said that the commune has dispersed. Everybody had went their separate ways and only he stayed. After all, it was his house, bought with his father’s money. Carrie agreed to move in, but not for his sake. Owen, Carrie hated. She did it for Anna Marie. Priscilla went into Owen’s house and said hi to young Anna Marie. Anna Marie, sitting on the stairs, said to Carrie that she wasn’t her momma. Anna Marie wanted her momma. Carrie would live and die twice for Anna Marie.
Rogue stops absorbing Carrie, apologizing, she never knew. Carrie gets back on her feet, asking what Anna Marie did to her. Rogue apologizes, but Carrie tells her to get away from her, calling Anna Marie an unnatural child. A scared Rogue walks out of the house, realizing what a mess she made out of things. Carrie loved her! Rogue says that she never knew it, because Carrie never showed it. Rogue now realizes how bad she treated Carrie, like the way everyone did.
Suddenly, Rogue hears something and knows that she is not alone. She runs to a tree and sees someone spying on her. Rogue grabs a young girl’s arm, but can’t believe what she sees: a young girl that looks exactly like her! The young girl asks Rogue to let her go; she’s hurting her. As Rogue lets go, she doesn’t notice that she is being watched by Campbell Sainte-Ange, who sits in a tree.
