"What's wrong with him, 'Ro?" Logan asked as she carefully examined him.

"I'm not sure. He's got signs of long term... well, 'abuse' isn't quite harsh enough, shall we say 'torture'? I mean... he's missing two of his fingers, and these..." Ororo's voice trailed off as she indicated towards the long scars that ran down the boy's stomach and back. "Not to mention that he looks half starved."

"What time is the professor gettin' back?"

"I don't know. Sometime after dinner."

Logan gave her a serious look. "You know as soon as the kid realizes where he is, he's gonna go nuts, right?"

"Logan, look at him!" Ororo snapped. "Can you not see what this child has gone through?"

Logan held his hands up. "Woah, take it easy. I'm just pointin' out the obvious, sweetheart. The kid ran for a reason, and I'd bet solid money he ain't gonna be happy when he finally comes around."

"Well, it would seem that whatever he ran to wasn't what he thought it would be," The mulatto woman said dryly. "And that whatever he ran from here is probably more desirable than what he's running from now."

Logan frowned. "That's what worries me. John could hold his own. If I was on his team, I'd feel better with him at my back. So what did this to him? And how?"

"Magneto?" Ororo suggested quietly.

Logan shook his head vehemently. "No. He wouldn't have been this… messy. He has better ways to make people do what he wants, and not a lot of them involve torturing his own. Plus it wouldn't make sense. Magneto wouldn't want someone who didn't want to be there. It'd be a liability."

"Then who, Logan? We know he left with Magneto. Who else could have done this?"

"I dunno, sweetheart. And that worries me too…"

"Was that really John you brought in?"

"What happened?"

"Is he coming back?"

"What's goin' on?!"

Rogue and Bobby pushed past all of the other students, and into Bobby's bedroom.

It was still just like the day John had left. Bobby hadn't moved any of his one-time best friend's things, so they still lay scattered across the floor, and the bed, just like the pyromaniac had left them.

It had always made Rogue feel a little different. Now, it made her feel sad.

Her and Bobby both stood just inside the door for a minute, staring at the articles of an old life. An easier, care-free life. A time of no worries, no cares other than passing next week's test. At least for them.

"Bobby, Ah…"

"I know, Rogue."

"What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know."

"Ya think they'll let us see him?"

"Probably not."

"Ya gonna try?"

"I don't know if I even want to, Rogue."