It was like you were trapped in your own mind, and everyone else's. You couldn't hear their thoughts, but you could feel every single emotion they felt. You couldn't control it, you didn't know how. Charles and Hank found it increasingly difficult to help you after you began to cut away from them. If they couldn't help you then no one could.

     There was no point in trying.

     You sat in an empty class room. Lessons had ended almost two hours ago, but you stayed seated, staring at the small wooden desk in front of you. You were one of the older mutants, maybe just a bit older than Jean and her friends. It was embarrassing. Being one of the only mutants who couldn't control a simple mutation such as emotions.

     You felt like a failure.

     You could hear the ticking of the clock at the front of the classroom. Each tick that went by got louder and louder, it was as if the clock was right next to your ear, taunting you. You couldn't get it out of your head. Staring at the table and trying to block it out didn't work, in fact, if anything, it made you concentrate on it more.

     You couldn't escape it.

     You knew Raven also had the ability of empathy, but it was so embarrassing to ask her for help. Especially as it already felt like she didn't like you. You couldn't read her mind, but the feeling you got from her made you believe that she didn't. It was pathetic and annoying that you could feel every single emotion that every other mutant had felt.

     You couldn't even tell yours from theirs anymore.

     You glanced up at the clock and let out a shaky breath. Maybe a walk would help. You picked up your bag and walked out to the empty corridors. You put your bag in your room, almost being able to avoid everyone. There were a handful of students that walked passed, but none noticed you.

     No one ever noticed you.

     It was almost as if you were never there in the first place. No one would know if you left, no one would care. It not like they turned to you for help, especially for training. You weren't very good at fighting, you could be, you didn't know if you were. All because no one bothered to pair up with you or even bother.

     In fact, you doubted anyone knew your name.

     You placed your bag on your bed, staring at the clock on the side table. Everyone would either be having dinner, outside enjoying what was left of the sun or in the common room. You breathed in deeply, finally making up your mind. You breathed out and emptied the content of your bag onto the bed and filled it with some belongings that you would need.

     You would take more than just a walk.

-

     The sun was almost completely out of the sky by the time you made it to the edge of the forest. The warm colours in the sky began to fade and transform into a cold palette of dark blues. The clouds began to disappear and a few stars made their way to the surface of the sky.

     No one had even noticed you left. Maybe they did, and they just didn't care. But either way, you made it to the top of the road without being stopped. Although, you doubted anyone would stop you. You pushed some of the only people who spoke to you away, you brought this onto yourself.

     Without thinking about it, your legs began to move you towards the hidden tree line and out of sight. Oddly enough, you couldn't feel the emotions and feeling of the other student's way out there. But you felt calm. Maybe that was your feeling. Maybe you were able to actually feel what you felt now.

     Being away from such a large crowd made it easier for you to breathe, for you to finally put your mind at ease. It was like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. Nothing was anchoring you down to that school, not anymore. Your body was finally relaxed for the first time since stepping foot into that school, you liked it. Maybe you'd keep it that way.

     Your hands tightened the straps of your bag on your bad and you trudged your way through the cluster of trees. Your eyes scanned across the forest, it was quiet, it was peaceful, it was one step closer to your happiness. You could feel it. Actually, you weren't sure what you felt.

     But it was nice.

     Your eyes flickered up to the openings between the trees and towards the sky. The stars shone without a care in the world. At that moment, you too felt like one of the stars. Free from the imprisonment of the sun, and out into a place where you belonged, somewhere you were welcomed and were supposed to be.

     You looked back down in front of you. Sometimes you wished you were able to see in the dark, it would have made things a lot easier. Or at least brought a torch with you. For some reason, you decided to neglect the notion that night-time was a dark time. You shook your head, you weren't going to be thinking anything negatively.

     You had been doing that for too long.

     Suddenly, you felt something else. Intrigued, curious, attracted. But to what, you weren't sure.

     You looked around once more, seeing how far you had walked. Behind you stood a never-ending sea of trees. You couldn't even see a dot of light from the mansion, you couldn't see anything. You were lost, maybe this wasn't a good idea. You turned back around after you heard something.

     Now was not the time to be killed.

     You were finally becoming one with yourself.

     Save the killing for someone else.

     You saw a silhouette, something covered in a cloak. Your eyes scanned up until you met brown, almost black, eyes. You gulped and took a step back. His blue skin reflected in the light of the moon. You didn't doubt that he saw the faint purple lines on your skin, almost like a Lichtenberg figure. Small spirals of purple lightning styled lines.

     You stayed quiet.

     He also said nothing.

     He slowly removed his hands from behind the cloak, offering them to you. You stared at him. You weren't scared. But maybe that was because of what he felt.

     "Come with me," he told you gently.

     You didn't say anything.

     "I can make you great," he continued.

     You looked down to his hand.

     "I can make you powerful."

     You didn't believe that.

     "I can make you more than you've ever been."

     Something in the back of your mind was telling you to go.

     "I can make you a fighter."

     Your hand twitched.

     "I can make you feared."

     Your jaw tightened.

     "I can make you a queen."

     You reached your hand forwards and grasped his hand in yours. His fingers closed around your smaller hand before a smile settled on his face.

-

     He told you his name was Apocalypse. He had four other people with him, only one of whom you recognised. Although, he seemed to have forgotten you.

     He told you that he had saved you from that 'vile unforsaken place' where you were kept a prisoner. You knew he harnessed more than just a few abilities, which, at first, scared you. But soon became somewhat of a safety blanket.

     He would protect you from almost everything. He knew that you weren't comfortable just yet, and so he took his time to let you get to know him before he did anything drastic. It was a breath of fresh air. No one was treating you the way they did back at the mansion.

     It was like you belonged with him.

     Weirdly enough, the place that was meant to be a safe haven, a place where you could be who you really were, was the place you felt more alone and almost shunned. But here, with Apocalypse and the four horsemen, you finally felt like you belonged. Like you were finally where you were meant to be.

     The place that you called home was an abandoned factory that Apocalypse had turned into a home of some sort. You all had your own room, a place to eat, relax and look out to the stars. This was where you were meant to be.

     The others had left to go train somewhere, leaving you alone with Apocalypse, who still kept his distance. You sat in one of the rooms with sofas and a couple of books on the side table. You scrunched your legs up and you flicked through the pages of the book. The table in front holding the others that you were going to read afterward.

     You noticed that on the table a small rose began to rise from the clear, glass vase. You slowly put the book down on the side table and watched as it gently sifted towards you. You reached out to grab it. As soon as it touched your fingers, it dropped. You caught it and looked around.

     You turned around behind you and saw Apocalypse standing there with a smile.

     "Hi." You smiled at him.

     "Hello." He nodded.

     "What was this for?" You asked him, lifting the rose up slightly.

     "You deserve pretty things," he told you.

     You looked down with a smile, twiddling the rose in your hands before he cleared his throat, you looked back up to him.

     "I have been meaning to ask you something."

     "Okay..." You nodded. "What is it?" You asked quietly.

     "Have you ever wanted to be more than you already are?"

     You tilted your head in confusion. "I don't understand." You shook your head. "What do you mean?"

     "Have you ever wanted to control and harness a stronger ability than you already do?"

     You looked back down to the rose. You put it back in the vase and stood up, he watched as you slowly walked around the sofa to stand in front of him.

     "Why are you asking me this?"

     "Because you can be so much more than you think you already are."

     "I doubt that."

     "Why?"

     "Because Charles-"

     He cut you off. "Charles didn't have faith in you." You looked up at him. "He might have claimed to have faith in you, but someone who truly believes wouldn't give up as easily as he did."

     He wasn't wrong.

     But he also wasn't right.

     "My mutation is hardly a mutation, Apocalypse."

     He shook his head, not believing you.

     "I don't even think I should be allowed to call myself a mutant." You laughed harshly at your own words. "I can't do anything, I was trapped in that place for so long, feeling everything everyone else felt but not what I felt. I couldn't even control that."

     "That because no one taught you how."

     "Charles tried-"

     "He didn't try hard enough."

     "What's your point?"

     "I can help you."

     "No one can help me."

     "You only think that because that's all anyone's ever shown you."

     "I'm nothing more than a mood ring for other people."

     "You're so much more than that," his voice came out as a hushed whisper as he placed his hands gently on your cheeks. His eyes glazed out a milky white. You could feel something inside of you, it was like a switch had been flicked.

     Your body felt like it was heating up, your blood boiling, your skin blistering. Your bones felt like they were cracking, fracturing and pulling apart. Your muscles felt like they were stretching and snapping.

     You grabbed hold on his hands, trying to get him off you before your ears began to hear a high-pitched screech, something so loud you thought it would shatter every single bone in your body and cause your organs to explode. Your veins felt like the blood was clotting, something was making its way up to your head.

     Your brain felt like it was exploding, pushing against the bone of your skull, trying to escape your body. Your mouth opened and let out a scream so loud you were sure it broke every window and travelled all across the globe. Something inside of you snapped and the world felt like it was exploding from all around you, making you shrink.

     You almost dropped to your knees when Apocalypse let go of your face. But he caught you. Your vision soon faded and the last of his words told you that he was going to show you what damage you could really cause with your mutation.

-

     When you finally began to wake up you were in your room. The lights were dim and the curtains were closed. You steadily sat up, bringing a hand to your head as it pounded and throbbed painfully. Your mouth felt dry.

     You weakly pulled the covers off your body, your legs had darker purple lines than before. You looked to your arms and saw they had gone darker as well. You pushed yourself off the bed and stumbled to the mirror or the wall. You stared at your reflection with wide eyes.

     Your Lichtenberg's markings were darker, trailing up to your eyes. Your pupils turned to a dark shade of purple, streaks of it flowed through your hair. Your skin was clearer, though, it had more colour. You didn't look like you were fading anymore. You looked towards the door.

     You walked over, each step felt like it was as heavy as the last. Your hand touching the cold metal handle. You opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, turning to walk in the direction of the kitchen to get a glass of water.

     Your hands grazed against the walls, everything felt more textured, more real. Your legs moving you down the stairs and towards the kitchen. Your feet touched the cold tiles. You looked up and saw Ororo and Warren staring at you. Betsy walked in and stopped as soon as she saw you.

     "What happened to you?" You could feel her confusion.

     "Apocalypse," you spoke quietly, fitting the pieces together.

     "What did he do?"

     "He made me stronger."

     Ororo stood up and walked to stand in front of you. "They're darker than before..."

     "Yeah..." You mumbled quietly before turning around to grab a glass of water. You filled the cup with water, turning the tap off. The confusion began to grow strong as another body joined. Erik. You lifted the cup to your lips, finishing the water almost immediately.

     What was there to be confused about?

     It happened to them.

     What made you so different?

     Couldn't they mind their own damn business?

     Your body began to feel warm. You had enough of being looked at as a freak for not being good enough back at the mansion. You weren't going to stand for being looked upon as a freak because you were better here. The glass in your hand smashed from the tightened grip you had.

     "You okay?" Warren asked as he stood up.

     "Shut up," your voice was quiet.

     "What?"

     "Shut up," you muttered a bit louder.

     "What?"

     "I said shut up!" You yelled and threw the broken glass towards the wall.

     "I just asked a question," he snarled back.

     You turned your head to look at him, your body soon turning as well. You glared at him. He should regret that. How dare he yell at you. You gaze almost burned his skin as his face softened and fell into a look of fear. He stepped back as the others watched.

     "What is he doing?" Ororo asked quietly to the others.

     "I don't know." Erik shrugged as he watched carefully.

     "You don't get to treat me like the underdog." You stepped closer to Warren as he stepped back. Hitting the wall.

     "I-I'm sorry."

     "You don't get to talk to me like I'm nothing." He shrunk down to the floor, his arms holding his legs as he stared at you wide eyed.

     "I didn't mean to," he whispered.

     "You should fear me," you growled in a hushed voice.

     Everyone stayed silent as Warren nodded slowly.

     You heard a clap, followed by another, and another. You turned your head to look at the others. Apocalypse stood there with a proud smirk on his face.

     "I need to speak with you." Your fists tightened as you walked towards him. Warren finally breathed out as the girls went towards him. Erik just moved to the fridge.

-

     Apocalypse stood in the training room with you.

     "What did you do to me?"

     "I made you powerful."

     "You made me more purple!" You yelled at you pointed to your face.

     "It shows your strength and ability." You lowered your hand. "It was weak before because you hadn't unleashed your true potential. I awoke your abilities, I made you stronger, I gave you power."

     "Power?" He nodded. "How was making me more purple giving me power?"

     "Warren."

     You tilted your head.

     "You made him fear you." He stepped closer to you. "You tapped into his emotions, his feelings, and you made him fear you."

     "I...What?"

     "You can do so much more now." He cupped your face again. The anger soon left your body. You felt...Admiration? "You are a mutant," he told you softly. "You are no longer in the shadows, you are standing in the light of the sun, the moon and the stars. You are a queen, a goddess," he whispered.

     "A goddess?"

     "My goddess."

     "B-But...Why?"

     "Because I need you by my side, I need the world to see what mutants are capable of. Especially those they ignored and pushed into the dirt. Humans and mutants need to see what true power looks like."

     "What I'm capable of..."

     "Is so much more than you know." He nodded.

     "Why me?" You asked. "You could have picked any other mutant. So, why me?"

     "I've known you for a long time," he explained. "Past lives have shown me what power you can do."

     "Past lives?"

     "I've followed you since the beginning of time."

     "I don't understand."

     "It has always been you. It will always be you. In every life you live, I will always find you. I will always show them what true power you can harness every life. Each time you get stronger. Each time I love you more because you prove to not only them, not only yourself but to me, just how strong you truly are."

     "Each life?"

     "When you die, you are born again, and I scour the Earth to find you, every time."

     "I'm stronger?"

     "More so than you've ever been. You can make people feel what you want them to, their feelings and emotions are held in the palm of your hand. You control them."

     "You...You love me?"

     "Forever." He brought his face closer to yours. His lips pressing against your own, slowly. Your hands moved to cup his face and he moved his hands to your waist. He pulled away, you rested your forehead on his. "Become my queen."

     "I thought I already was." You smirked before pulling him back into a kiss.