Categories > Cartoons > X-Men: Evolution > X-men: Evolution of the Heart
Kurt Wagner
2 reviewsAU on how the X-men came to be. Major Scott/Jean and Kurt/Kitty. Scott, Jean, Kurt, Kitty, Evan, and Rogue have all had horrible lives. See how they ban together and become the future X-men with th...
0Unrated
X-men: Evolution of the Heart
Chapter 4: Kurt Wagner
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AN: This takes coincides directly with the last chapter. So the ages are the same as explained in the last chapter. Scott and Jean are both 16 years old in this part and Kitty is 13 and Kurt is 14.
WARNING! THIS CHAPTER DOES HAVE REFERENCES TO SEXUAL ASSAULT AND CHILD MOLESTATION SO READ WITH CAUTION IF YOU ARE SENSATIVE TO SUCH THINGS!
Also...Please don't hurt me! I adore the fuzzy dude, but this chapter isn't very good to him. Sorry, but it just kinda works in to the story I guess.
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In the dead of night...A young teenage boy sat in his bedroom and looked in to the mirror. His name was Kurt Wagner and he was different...Very different than other people. They called him a demon. However, he couldn't blame them. In all honesty he did look like one. He had a tail, pointed teeth, and a strange physical disposition. In addition to all that his body was completely covered with blue fur.
"No Vunder people think I'm a demon," he said to himself as he looked away from the mirror.
His appearance wasn't the only thing different about him. He had another special ability...One just as strange as his appearance. Kurt had the unnatural ability to disappear from one place and end up in the other, teleportation in other words. Since he was 8 he had struggled to understand this ability and he also tried to control it. However, his lack of knowledge on how gave him limited success. This was because he didn't know what he was...He didn't know why...He didn't know how.
Even though he was only 14 years old, Kurt had already had a very difficult life. He never knew who his real parents were. He did know, however, that a kind family in the heart of rural Germany adopted and raised him. He lived on a small farm for the early years of his life and for the most part his adopted family accepted him. However, others in the area were not so understanding. Some of his earliest memories were of angry mobs coming up to his house and chanting things like "KILL THE DEMON! KILL THE DEMON!" However, he tried not to let that get to him. The only way he could ever go out in public was through the use of a holographic image inducer that was given to him by his adopted grandfather just before he died. While it did allow him to function in public, young Kurt still felt very isolated.
When Kurt was 6, tragedy struck. His foster dad suffered a lethal stroke and died. The small farm that he lived on then went under as debts ultimately cost them everything. Kurt's foster mother died soon afterwards of a heart attack, leaving Kurt orphaned once again. However, it wasn't long before he was taken in by one of the Wagners' family friends. This was an act that Kurt soon came to loath.
"KURT! Kurt I'm home! Where the hell are you, ya little bastard!" came a voice.
Kurt shuddered upon hearing the voice, for he knew who it was. It was her...His foster Aunt Grendel. She was a big, strong German woman with a short temper who grew big from working on farms half her life. She immigrated with Kurt to the United States when he was 7 and they had been living in a small, rickety house outside of Albany, New York. It grew to become a truly miserable existence. Grendel never had much money and for good reason at that. She was a delusional schizophrenic and she hadn't really taken anything in the form of medicine. Kurt knew this because of the way she acted. She was often irrational, paranoid, and violent. And unfortunately, Kurt suffered a great deal because of this.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps near his door.
"Kurt! I know you're in there...Open up!" yelled his Aunt as she started to bang on the door.
He didn't want to let her in. He was afraid of what she would do to him. Over the years her irrational behavior made Kurt the victim of a lot of abuse. She would hit him, insult him for hours, and force him to perform sexual acts that humiliated and hurt him deeply. Day by day it only got worse; it never got better. Grendel wouldn't see a doctor or listen to reason. Kurt tried so many times and failed, now it looked like it was going to happen again.
The knob on the door began to shake...Grendel was picking the lock. Before Kurt could react he heard a sound...The door had been unlocked. Kurt's anxiety grew as he watched the door swing open.
"You know better than to lock me out!" said Grendel in a slurred voice.
"Aunt Grendel...You've been drinking again haven't you?" said Kurt as he smelled the alcohol on her breath.
"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do!" she said in a drunken tone.
Kurt tried to hide his fear as the oversized German lady, whose strength greatly outmatched his, approached.
"Come here!" she bellowed as she grabbed his tail and dragged him out in to the hall.
"No Grendel! Don't..." said Kurt as he struggled to overcome her brute strength, but to no avail.
"SHUT UP!" yelled Grendel in return as she gave Kurt a hard punch in the face.
Kurt's head wouldn't stop spinning after that blow. He became dizzy as Grendel dragged him to her bedroom. There was no reasoning with her anymore. Her sanity had been gone for years since she never sought treatment for her condition. Alcohol made things much worse as it caused her to do violent acts that made Kurt the victim. Kurt had grown weak from constant beatings, neglect, and deprivation so he didn't have a chance against the strong German woman. He briefly considered teleporting, but he couldn't concentrate and since she was holding on to him he would just bring her with him.
Kurt tried to break free from her grasp, but was hit over the head with an empty beer bottle. He stayed conscious, but he wished he hadn't.
"You know the drill Kurt...You know the punishment for locking me out!" said Grendel in her slurred voice.
"Please..." managed Kurt who couldn't fight the throbbing pain in his head from the blow by the bottle. He felt blood trickle down his forehead and soak in to his fur.
"SHUT UP!" said Grendel as she slammed him on the head again with another bottle.
That last blow finally immobilized Kurt and he felt he was no longer able to fight back at the incoherent woman. However, Kurt was still able to make out the blurry images before him. He immediately wished he hadn't as he saw what was happening. Grendel aggressively began to rip Kurt's clothes off in a drunken fit. She then began to touch and prod his private parts. She took a sick pleasure in it and began to run her nails through the young boy's fur. This caused numerous scratches and caused Kurt to bleed. Grendel went on to lick his blood up with her tongue in a sick masochistic manner. The taste of his blood only made her scratch at Kurt more. As more wounds formed, she kept on drinking the blood like a vampire. On and on she went, using the helpless young boy in any perverted way she chose. In Grendel's mind, she was too incoherent and delusional to know what was happening. Part of this only fueled her anger as she continued to take it out on Kurt.
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Groggily, Kurt came to after what seemed like an hour. His head still throbbed, his wounds still hurt, and much of his fur was stained with blood. He still lay on the floor naked, which confirmed his fear about what happened. It wasn't a nightmare like he had hoped; it was real. Tears formed in the young boy's eyes as the events that had just unfolded played back in his head. It was only made worse when he considered that this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. In fact, Grendel had done far worse in the past. But this didn't help one bit.
Slowly, Kurt made his way back to his room. He found some new clothes, for Grendel had ripped the other ones. Kurt then looked in the mirror at the scars left behind. Even though his fur could cover them, he still knew they were there. Once again he couldn't fight back his tears. Soar and out of strength, Kurt Wagner collapsed on his bed...Crying.
"Vhat kind of life is this...Vhy must everything be so painful to deal vith? Vhy?" said Kurt to himself as he tried to shut everything out of his mind.
Suddenly, he heard a knock on his window.
"Kurt...Kurt I need your help. Please open up," said a voice.
Kurt's ears perked up as he instantly recognized it. It was the only thing that kept him alive. It was the only person who knew his darkest secrets. It was his best friend and only friend, Kitty Pryde.
"Kitty? Kitty vhat's wrong?" asked Kurt as he opened up his window, allowing her to crawl in. After she was in he immediately noticed a large black and blue mark on the side of her face. "Mien gott! Vhat happened to you?"
Kitty hesitated. She realized that the blow to the face her father had given her must have left a bruise. She cringed at the memory of it that was still fresh in her mind and soon embraced Kurt tightly for comfort.
"Kurt I...I ran away," said Kitty in a weak voice. "My father he..."
But Kurt didn't let her finish.
"Vait Kitty...I understand," said Kurt who had known all too well the cruelty of Kitty's father. He could only hold her close to him tightly, giving her as much solstice as he could.
More than once, Kitty had come to Kurt after savage beatings from her dad. And more than once, Kurt had come to Kitty after being attacked by Grendel. This occasion was no different, except this time Kitty had done something extreme. Both teens had contemplated running away many times before, but had always talked each other out of it. Now, however, they had both reached their breaking point in terms of abuse. Now, there seemed to be no other option.
"Kurt I...Oh my God your bleeding..." said Kitty after a prolonged silence. She had finally noticed the wounds along his torso. No doubt, this was Grendel's doing. Kitty had known about her treatment of him for years now, but she didn't tell anybody. This was because Kurt never told anybody about her father. It was an unspoken agreement between the two that they faithfully upheld despite the repeated abuse.
"I'll be okay," reassured Kurt.
Kitty softly ran her hand along Kurt's wounds to find that they weren't severe, but they did look painful. He grabbed a shirt as Kitty continued to express worry about his injuries. Suddenly, they heard a loud voice from across the hall.
"KUUURT!"
"Oh no...Grendel!" said Kurt in a worried voice. "Ve have to leave!"
Kurt ran to his closet and picked up an old travel bag and started throwing various clothing in it. Kitty soon helped, for she knew what would happen if Grendel found her. After packing what they could, Kurt grabbed his image inducer from his dresser and put it on. Then, a loud pounding on the door began to echo through the room. Both teens fell back in horror as they heard her picking the lock again.
"I'm coming Kurt! I'm not finished with you!" bellowed Grendel.
"NO!"
Then, Kurt gabbed on to Kitty and closed his eyes. As Grendel forced the door open, the only thing she found was a small cloud of smoke. Outside the house, the two teens appeared in a flash and they stood to catch their breath after the events that they had just witnessed. Kitty had known about Kurt's other 'ability,' but he had never used it with her. In a way, she was relieved. Now she was with somebody that mattered. Kurt felt the same relief as he heart rate finally slowed down. He looked over at Kitty, who had finally given him the strength to do what he should have done so long ago.
"Well, what happens now?" asked Kitty.
Kurt just sighed. "Ve get as far away from here as possible."
As midnight approached Kurt and Kitty had made their way in to downtown Albany. Neither of them spoke much, for they were both still trying to make sense of the events that had just unfolded. They had run away...They had left their homes. Going back wasn't an option; it would just lead to more suffering. They were both tired and hungry...But at least they were together. Kurt and Kitty stayed close to each other's side as they walked the streets of the city; neither one of them felt that they could go on without each other. It gave them a small sense of peace, knowing that they had each other in their darkest hour. Suddenly, they felt a presence following them.
"Well, well, well...What do we have here?" said a threatening voice.
Kurt and Kitty looked behind them to see an oversized street thug approaching them.
"Look...Ve don't vant any trouble," said Kurt.
"I don't think so kiddies. Isn't it a school night? Shouldn't you be at home?" mocked another voice.
Soon, they found out that more thugs surrounded them.
"I'm warning you!" said Kurt as he grew worried for Kitty's safety.
Kitty's concern grew as well. She didn't like where this situation was heading and she didn't want Kurt to hurt himself protecting her. He was all she had now...She couldn't loose him.
"Aww, look at the big wannabe hero! What's the matter? Afraid we'll break one of your girlfriends nails?" said one thug.
"Naw, she looks too dirty to be that fancy. She must be one of those cheap-ass hookers!"
As the rest of the thugs surrounding them laughed, Kurt's anger reached a boiling point.
"I warned you!" said Kurt as he touched the button on his inducer watch, "LEAVE US ALONE!"
Suddenly, Kurt's real image appeared before the bewildered thugs.
"WHAT THE HELL!"
"WHAT IS THAT?"
Most of them ran, but a few stayed behind. The two teens watched in horror as those that stayed drew guns and aimed it at them.
"RUN!" yelled Kitty as she grabbed Kurt's arm and fled in to a nearby alley. Shots rang out, but Kitty was able to use her abilities to make the bullets pass right through them. She didn't have time to figure out how, but she had to save Kurt.
"What the...I thought we hit em?" said one of the thugs.
"Guess not...AFTER THEM!" yelled another as they regained their composure and pursued the fleeing teens closely.
They ran and they ran through twisting, narrow alleys. Kurt was a little slow and Kitty could sense his ragged breathing from the pain of his wounds that he had suffered earlier.
"Come on Kurt...Come on we have to loose them!" urged Kitty as she tried to help Kurt regain his balance.
"Kitty..." he said through his exhausted voice, however he could get no more words out.
They could still hear the footsteps as they ran, but the two teens soon found themselves at a dead end.
"Oh no...Oh no," said Kitty through her ragged breath as she looked around at the dead end alley.
Kurt was leaning on her for support. She could tell he was dizzy from fatigue. She was too, but she didn't have to deal with bloody wounds like he did. They could hear the footsteps getting closer. They squeezed each other's hand as they awaited the approaching thugs. Suddenly, a door in front of them swung open.
"IN HERE! QUICK!" said an urgent male voice.
Not having any other options, Kurt and Kitty followed the voice and ran in to the door. As soon as they were in, the door was slammed shut. Inside, they were greeted with two unknown figures that signaled for them to be silent until the footsteps passed. For what seemed like an eternity, they waited for the thugs to leave. Finally, the sound of the footsteps faded and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your safe now," said a female voice.
Kurt and Kitty then got their first look at their mysterious saviors. They turned out to be a teenage boy and girl that looked a couple of years older than they were. One was a tall redheaded girl who was wearing raggedy clothing that had definitely seen better days. The other was a boy about the same age who was a bit taller than the girl and had a mysterious white cloth wrapped around his head that completely covered his eyes. From what Kurt and Kitty could tell, they didn't look very threatening at all. They looked dirty and famished. They didn't appear to be very hostile, so the fear of the two younger teens gradually abated.
"Are you two okay? I heard gunshots," said the older boy.
"Yeah...Ve're fine. Thank you," said Kurt as he caught his breath.
"Are you sure...I smell blood," replied the boy.
Kurt and Kitty stood mildly amazed at the boy's acute sense of smell. But they said nothing, for they were still unsure whether or not they could trust these strangers.
"Come on, we'll see if we can help you. Follow me," said the girl.
She grabbed the blind boy's arm and appeared to guide him through a hallway. She briefly looked back at the two teens they had just saved and noticed they hadn't moved.
"Don't worry...We mean no harm," reassured the girl.
After a brief pause, Kurt finally broke the silence, "Aren't you afraid of how I look?"
They both just looked back with no real reaction. The boy didn't seem to be too worried, for he couldn't even see Kurt's appearance. To some extent, this relieved the young teen when he thought about it. There was at least one person now that could get past his physical disposition. It was the girl he was worried about. But she just gave him a reassuring look.
"Don't worry. It doesn't bother me. I promise," replied the girl. "Now come on...It looks like you two need some help."
After those words, Kurt and Kitty followed them. They noticed the girl and the boy standing very close to one another. They too stayed close. Maybe they had found other people that weren't so different from them. This was rare...They had never even known other people like that even existed. It bewildered the young teens to finally see it.
After a brief trek down the stairs of a rickety old office building, they came upon what looked like a living area. There were numerous boxes that appeared to have books in them and there were piles of old newspapers that were made in to makeshift beds. The boy walked over to the side of the room and picked up some small white bed sheets from a box. He then made his way back over to Kurt. It was strange because even though he appeared to be blind, he acted as if he could see perfectly fine.
"Here...You can use these to wrap up your wounds. If they start to get infected, we have some iodine handy," said the older boy as he handed the sheets to Kurt.
The blue mutant reluctantly accepted the sheets and began to wrap them around his torso. "Thank you sir. Ve both owe you big time. I'm Kurt Wagner by the way. And the girl next to me is my best friend, Kitty Pryde."
"Nice to meet you," said Kitty as she and Kurt shook the boy's hand.
Kurt grew nervous when he shook his hand because he knew he would feel his fur, but nothing happened. It was as if the boy knew how he looked all along. He and the girl just smiled back at them.
"I'm Scott...Scott Summers," said the boy.
"And I'm Jean Grey," said the girl as she walked up and sat down near them.
"Well, thanks again for what you did back there. I'd hate to think of what those thugs would have done to us if you hadn't come along," said Kitty who gradually felt a bit more comfortable around the two strangers.
"You're very welcome. And don't worry, we've been in situations like that before," said Jean.
An awkward silence descended over the group. There were still many questions to be answered.
"So...Do you two like, live here or something?" Kitty finally asked.
The expressions on Scott and Jean's faces grew solemn.
"Well kinda," responded Scott. "We...Really don't live anywhere. You see, Jean and I are both...Runaways."
A hint of understanding came over Kurt and Kitty.
"Oh...We're runaways too," responded Kitty.
"Really? Why?" asked Scott.
Neither of them said anything. They didn't want to dwell on the pain of their memories from back home. Scott and Jean were quick to recognize those looks.
"Vell, let's just say...Home became to much for us and..." Kurt paused again trying not to get too upset, "I really don't vant to talk about it."
"That's okay...We understand. That's why we ran away," said Jean.
"Home became too bad for us as well. Let me guess...Too many beatings, too many abuses?" said Scott.
Kurt and Kitty shook their heads as the painful memories started to show themselves again.
"Well...Welcome to the club," said Scott.
A slow smile spread across the two younger teens' face. As they looked at Scott and Jean the felt a little better knowing that they weren't alone.
As the night wore on Kurt and Kitty grew more comfortable around their new friends. They were kind and gave them what little food they had to help stave off their growling stomachs. They even helped with some of the bruises that they had sustained earlier. Even though they didn't have much, their friendship and hospitality was enough for the moment. As they continued to talk, the subject of their 'abilities' came up as Jean questioned Kurt's appearance. Despite some hesitation, Kurt felt that his new friends deserved to know.
"So...What's the deal with your appearance if you don't me asking?" said Jean.
"Vell...I vas born this vay. I don't know vhy, but I vas. And my appearance isn't the only thing..."
"What do you mean?" replied Scott curiously.
Then, Kurt used his power to teleport to the other side of the room and back.
"Whoa..." said a bewildered Jean.
Scott too had sensed something happen, but he didn't have a clear idea what.
"Although I'm not sure how...I have found out in recent years that I can make myself disappear from one place and reappear in another," explained Kurt.
"You mean teleportation?" asked Scott.
"Ja, I think that's vhat it is called," said Kurt.
The two older teens were mildly amazed by their new friends so far, but it wasn't over.
"I have a strange ability too," said Kitty.
"Really? What can you do?" asked Jean.
"I can pass through solid objects."
Kitty then closed her eyes and stuck her hand in to the floor beneath her as if it wasn't even there. Despite Scott and Jean's surprise, they weren't very afraid of them much to Kurt and Kitty's amazement. They were the first to not be scared as far as they were concerned.
"That's pretty neat," commented Jean.
"You're...You're not afraid of us?" asked Kitty still in disbelief at their friendly views towards them.
"Well...You're not the only one with strange powers," said Scott.
He could then sense feelings of confusion overcome their new friends. In response Scott decided to demonstrate. He took an empty can that was lying on the floor, threw it up in to the air, and shot it with the beams from his eyes in to a twisted array of smoldering metal.
Before Kurt and Kitty could respond, Jean started to show them her powers. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Suddenly, a small wooden box off to the side began to shake violently by some unseen force. Then, they watched in amazement as it floated off the ground...And slammed in to the wall behind them, shattering on impact.
"Vow, so ve all have strange abilities," said Kurt.
"Yeah," said Scott in a low voice, "That's why we haven't been able to find a home. Nobody has been willing to take care of kids they consider freaks."
His words didn't raise Kurt and Kitty's hopes very much.
"So...How long have you been, like, on the streets if you don't mind me asking?" said Kitty wearily.
"Four years," replied Jean, "Well...Six for Scott."
"Really? That long?" said a befuddled Kurt.
"Yeah..." replied Scott. "It's hard. Hunger, poverty, and drifting have become a way of life for us. It's a miserable existence...But it's better than going back to a broken home."
A heavy silence came over the four teens. Scott's words may not have been pretty, but they were the cold hard truth. There was no turning back for them now. They could not...And would not go back.
"Will things get better?" asked Kitty who was growing increasingly tired from the traumatic day she had just had.
"We can only hope that it will," replied Jean.
"And that's why we have to stick together," added Scott. "We know you don't know us very well, but if you want...You can stay with us. We can help you...If you just help us."
"But vhat could ve possibly help you vith?" asked Kurt.
Scott and Jean just looked back at the two exhausted teens. In them, they could see themselves in a sense. They were scared, alone, and full of despair.
"You could just help us not feel so alone..." replied Scott in a sincere tone.
A faint smile came upon the group's face.
"Thank you..." said Kurt.
"Yeah...Thank you for helping us," added Kitty.
Scott and Jean just smiled back as they lay back against the pile of newspapers behind them. Kitty leaned against Kurt for support and soon they both started to nod off to sleep. Scott and Jean soon followed, for they too had grown tired from the day they had just had. Now, they had new friends in their fight for constant survival. Even though the times ahead would only grow more difficult, the four teens knew they would have to stick together if they were to make it.
As the young group stirred restlessly in the darkness of the abandon building, Scott grabbed his guitar and started to play. He hoped to calm his new friends down. As Jean still lay against Scott's side already asleep, Scott began to play a soft tune. Kurt held Kitty closer and she just held him back. They had a new life now. It wasn't going to be an easy one, but it was better than any alternative. As Kurt and Kitty heard the song and its lyrics...They finally felt at peace...For the moment.
Yeah I'm fadin'
And I call out
No one hears me
Never been, never felt, never thought I'd say a wordY
Weighed down
Say it now...
You're naked inside your fear
Can't take back all those years
Shots in the dark from empty guns
Never heard by anyone
Never heard by anyone...
Yeah I'm hiding
In the fallout
Now I'm wasted
They don't need me, don't want me, don't hear a word I say...
Weighed down
Say it now
You're naked inside your fear
Can't take back all those years
Shots in the dark from empty guns
Never heard by anyone
Never heard by anyone...
Inside your head
No one's there
And I don't think I'll ever be
And I don't care
You're naked inside your fear
Can't take back all those years
Shots in the dark from empty guns
Never heard by anyone
Never heard by anyone...By anyone...By anyone
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AN: Well, that's it for this part. Please don't forget to REVIEW! Post them on or send them to me at Stay tuned for the next chapter as I introduce Evan Daniels. Until next time, best wishes to you all.
WAIT, REIVEW! STOP...GO DOWN...AND SUBMIT YOUR REVIEW PLEASE!
Chapter 4: Kurt Wagner
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AN: This takes coincides directly with the last chapter. So the ages are the same as explained in the last chapter. Scott and Jean are both 16 years old in this part and Kitty is 13 and Kurt is 14.
WARNING! THIS CHAPTER DOES HAVE REFERENCES TO SEXUAL ASSAULT AND CHILD MOLESTATION SO READ WITH CAUTION IF YOU ARE SENSATIVE TO SUCH THINGS!
Also...Please don't hurt me! I adore the fuzzy dude, but this chapter isn't very good to him. Sorry, but it just kinda works in to the story I guess.
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In the dead of night...A young teenage boy sat in his bedroom and looked in to the mirror. His name was Kurt Wagner and he was different...Very different than other people. They called him a demon. However, he couldn't blame them. In all honesty he did look like one. He had a tail, pointed teeth, and a strange physical disposition. In addition to all that his body was completely covered with blue fur.
"No Vunder people think I'm a demon," he said to himself as he looked away from the mirror.
His appearance wasn't the only thing different about him. He had another special ability...One just as strange as his appearance. Kurt had the unnatural ability to disappear from one place and end up in the other, teleportation in other words. Since he was 8 he had struggled to understand this ability and he also tried to control it. However, his lack of knowledge on how gave him limited success. This was because he didn't know what he was...He didn't know why...He didn't know how.
Even though he was only 14 years old, Kurt had already had a very difficult life. He never knew who his real parents were. He did know, however, that a kind family in the heart of rural Germany adopted and raised him. He lived on a small farm for the early years of his life and for the most part his adopted family accepted him. However, others in the area were not so understanding. Some of his earliest memories were of angry mobs coming up to his house and chanting things like "KILL THE DEMON! KILL THE DEMON!" However, he tried not to let that get to him. The only way he could ever go out in public was through the use of a holographic image inducer that was given to him by his adopted grandfather just before he died. While it did allow him to function in public, young Kurt still felt very isolated.
When Kurt was 6, tragedy struck. His foster dad suffered a lethal stroke and died. The small farm that he lived on then went under as debts ultimately cost them everything. Kurt's foster mother died soon afterwards of a heart attack, leaving Kurt orphaned once again. However, it wasn't long before he was taken in by one of the Wagners' family friends. This was an act that Kurt soon came to loath.
"KURT! Kurt I'm home! Where the hell are you, ya little bastard!" came a voice.
Kurt shuddered upon hearing the voice, for he knew who it was. It was her...His foster Aunt Grendel. She was a big, strong German woman with a short temper who grew big from working on farms half her life. She immigrated with Kurt to the United States when he was 7 and they had been living in a small, rickety house outside of Albany, New York. It grew to become a truly miserable existence. Grendel never had much money and for good reason at that. She was a delusional schizophrenic and she hadn't really taken anything in the form of medicine. Kurt knew this because of the way she acted. She was often irrational, paranoid, and violent. And unfortunately, Kurt suffered a great deal because of this.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps near his door.
"Kurt! I know you're in there...Open up!" yelled his Aunt as she started to bang on the door.
He didn't want to let her in. He was afraid of what she would do to him. Over the years her irrational behavior made Kurt the victim of a lot of abuse. She would hit him, insult him for hours, and force him to perform sexual acts that humiliated and hurt him deeply. Day by day it only got worse; it never got better. Grendel wouldn't see a doctor or listen to reason. Kurt tried so many times and failed, now it looked like it was going to happen again.
The knob on the door began to shake...Grendel was picking the lock. Before Kurt could react he heard a sound...The door had been unlocked. Kurt's anxiety grew as he watched the door swing open.
"You know better than to lock me out!" said Grendel in a slurred voice.
"Aunt Grendel...You've been drinking again haven't you?" said Kurt as he smelled the alcohol on her breath.
"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do!" she said in a drunken tone.
Kurt tried to hide his fear as the oversized German lady, whose strength greatly outmatched his, approached.
"Come here!" she bellowed as she grabbed his tail and dragged him out in to the hall.
"No Grendel! Don't..." said Kurt as he struggled to overcome her brute strength, but to no avail.
"SHUT UP!" yelled Grendel in return as she gave Kurt a hard punch in the face.
Kurt's head wouldn't stop spinning after that blow. He became dizzy as Grendel dragged him to her bedroom. There was no reasoning with her anymore. Her sanity had been gone for years since she never sought treatment for her condition. Alcohol made things much worse as it caused her to do violent acts that made Kurt the victim. Kurt had grown weak from constant beatings, neglect, and deprivation so he didn't have a chance against the strong German woman. He briefly considered teleporting, but he couldn't concentrate and since she was holding on to him he would just bring her with him.
Kurt tried to break free from her grasp, but was hit over the head with an empty beer bottle. He stayed conscious, but he wished he hadn't.
"You know the drill Kurt...You know the punishment for locking me out!" said Grendel in her slurred voice.
"Please..." managed Kurt who couldn't fight the throbbing pain in his head from the blow by the bottle. He felt blood trickle down his forehead and soak in to his fur.
"SHUT UP!" said Grendel as she slammed him on the head again with another bottle.
That last blow finally immobilized Kurt and he felt he was no longer able to fight back at the incoherent woman. However, Kurt was still able to make out the blurry images before him. He immediately wished he hadn't as he saw what was happening. Grendel aggressively began to rip Kurt's clothes off in a drunken fit. She then began to touch and prod his private parts. She took a sick pleasure in it and began to run her nails through the young boy's fur. This caused numerous scratches and caused Kurt to bleed. Grendel went on to lick his blood up with her tongue in a sick masochistic manner. The taste of his blood only made her scratch at Kurt more. As more wounds formed, she kept on drinking the blood like a vampire. On and on she went, using the helpless young boy in any perverted way she chose. In Grendel's mind, she was too incoherent and delusional to know what was happening. Part of this only fueled her anger as she continued to take it out on Kurt.
***************************
Groggily, Kurt came to after what seemed like an hour. His head still throbbed, his wounds still hurt, and much of his fur was stained with blood. He still lay on the floor naked, which confirmed his fear about what happened. It wasn't a nightmare like he had hoped; it was real. Tears formed in the young boy's eyes as the events that had just unfolded played back in his head. It was only made worse when he considered that this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. In fact, Grendel had done far worse in the past. But this didn't help one bit.
Slowly, Kurt made his way back to his room. He found some new clothes, for Grendel had ripped the other ones. Kurt then looked in the mirror at the scars left behind. Even though his fur could cover them, he still knew they were there. Once again he couldn't fight back his tears. Soar and out of strength, Kurt Wagner collapsed on his bed...Crying.
"Vhat kind of life is this...Vhy must everything be so painful to deal vith? Vhy?" said Kurt to himself as he tried to shut everything out of his mind.
Suddenly, he heard a knock on his window.
"Kurt...Kurt I need your help. Please open up," said a voice.
Kurt's ears perked up as he instantly recognized it. It was the only thing that kept him alive. It was the only person who knew his darkest secrets. It was his best friend and only friend, Kitty Pryde.
"Kitty? Kitty vhat's wrong?" asked Kurt as he opened up his window, allowing her to crawl in. After she was in he immediately noticed a large black and blue mark on the side of her face. "Mien gott! Vhat happened to you?"
Kitty hesitated. She realized that the blow to the face her father had given her must have left a bruise. She cringed at the memory of it that was still fresh in her mind and soon embraced Kurt tightly for comfort.
"Kurt I...I ran away," said Kitty in a weak voice. "My father he..."
But Kurt didn't let her finish.
"Vait Kitty...I understand," said Kurt who had known all too well the cruelty of Kitty's father. He could only hold her close to him tightly, giving her as much solstice as he could.
More than once, Kitty had come to Kurt after savage beatings from her dad. And more than once, Kurt had come to Kitty after being attacked by Grendel. This occasion was no different, except this time Kitty had done something extreme. Both teens had contemplated running away many times before, but had always talked each other out of it. Now, however, they had both reached their breaking point in terms of abuse. Now, there seemed to be no other option.
"Kurt I...Oh my God your bleeding..." said Kitty after a prolonged silence. She had finally noticed the wounds along his torso. No doubt, this was Grendel's doing. Kitty had known about her treatment of him for years now, but she didn't tell anybody. This was because Kurt never told anybody about her father. It was an unspoken agreement between the two that they faithfully upheld despite the repeated abuse.
"I'll be okay," reassured Kurt.
Kitty softly ran her hand along Kurt's wounds to find that they weren't severe, but they did look painful. He grabbed a shirt as Kitty continued to express worry about his injuries. Suddenly, they heard a loud voice from across the hall.
"KUUURT!"
"Oh no...Grendel!" said Kurt in a worried voice. "Ve have to leave!"
Kurt ran to his closet and picked up an old travel bag and started throwing various clothing in it. Kitty soon helped, for she knew what would happen if Grendel found her. After packing what they could, Kurt grabbed his image inducer from his dresser and put it on. Then, a loud pounding on the door began to echo through the room. Both teens fell back in horror as they heard her picking the lock again.
"I'm coming Kurt! I'm not finished with you!" bellowed Grendel.
"NO!"
Then, Kurt gabbed on to Kitty and closed his eyes. As Grendel forced the door open, the only thing she found was a small cloud of smoke. Outside the house, the two teens appeared in a flash and they stood to catch their breath after the events that they had just witnessed. Kitty had known about Kurt's other 'ability,' but he had never used it with her. In a way, she was relieved. Now she was with somebody that mattered. Kurt felt the same relief as he heart rate finally slowed down. He looked over at Kitty, who had finally given him the strength to do what he should have done so long ago.
"Well, what happens now?" asked Kitty.
Kurt just sighed. "Ve get as far away from here as possible."
As midnight approached Kurt and Kitty had made their way in to downtown Albany. Neither of them spoke much, for they were both still trying to make sense of the events that had just unfolded. They had run away...They had left their homes. Going back wasn't an option; it would just lead to more suffering. They were both tired and hungry...But at least they were together. Kurt and Kitty stayed close to each other's side as they walked the streets of the city; neither one of them felt that they could go on without each other. It gave them a small sense of peace, knowing that they had each other in their darkest hour. Suddenly, they felt a presence following them.
"Well, well, well...What do we have here?" said a threatening voice.
Kurt and Kitty looked behind them to see an oversized street thug approaching them.
"Look...Ve don't vant any trouble," said Kurt.
"I don't think so kiddies. Isn't it a school night? Shouldn't you be at home?" mocked another voice.
Soon, they found out that more thugs surrounded them.
"I'm warning you!" said Kurt as he grew worried for Kitty's safety.
Kitty's concern grew as well. She didn't like where this situation was heading and she didn't want Kurt to hurt himself protecting her. He was all she had now...She couldn't loose him.
"Aww, look at the big wannabe hero! What's the matter? Afraid we'll break one of your girlfriends nails?" said one thug.
"Naw, she looks too dirty to be that fancy. She must be one of those cheap-ass hookers!"
As the rest of the thugs surrounding them laughed, Kurt's anger reached a boiling point.
"I warned you!" said Kurt as he touched the button on his inducer watch, "LEAVE US ALONE!"
Suddenly, Kurt's real image appeared before the bewildered thugs.
"WHAT THE HELL!"
"WHAT IS THAT?"
Most of them ran, but a few stayed behind. The two teens watched in horror as those that stayed drew guns and aimed it at them.
"RUN!" yelled Kitty as she grabbed Kurt's arm and fled in to a nearby alley. Shots rang out, but Kitty was able to use her abilities to make the bullets pass right through them. She didn't have time to figure out how, but she had to save Kurt.
"What the...I thought we hit em?" said one of the thugs.
"Guess not...AFTER THEM!" yelled another as they regained their composure and pursued the fleeing teens closely.
They ran and they ran through twisting, narrow alleys. Kurt was a little slow and Kitty could sense his ragged breathing from the pain of his wounds that he had suffered earlier.
"Come on Kurt...Come on we have to loose them!" urged Kitty as she tried to help Kurt regain his balance.
"Kitty..." he said through his exhausted voice, however he could get no more words out.
They could still hear the footsteps as they ran, but the two teens soon found themselves at a dead end.
"Oh no...Oh no," said Kitty through her ragged breath as she looked around at the dead end alley.
Kurt was leaning on her for support. She could tell he was dizzy from fatigue. She was too, but she didn't have to deal with bloody wounds like he did. They could hear the footsteps getting closer. They squeezed each other's hand as they awaited the approaching thugs. Suddenly, a door in front of them swung open.
"IN HERE! QUICK!" said an urgent male voice.
Not having any other options, Kurt and Kitty followed the voice and ran in to the door. As soon as they were in, the door was slammed shut. Inside, they were greeted with two unknown figures that signaled for them to be silent until the footsteps passed. For what seemed like an eternity, they waited for the thugs to leave. Finally, the sound of the footsteps faded and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your safe now," said a female voice.
Kurt and Kitty then got their first look at their mysterious saviors. They turned out to be a teenage boy and girl that looked a couple of years older than they were. One was a tall redheaded girl who was wearing raggedy clothing that had definitely seen better days. The other was a boy about the same age who was a bit taller than the girl and had a mysterious white cloth wrapped around his head that completely covered his eyes. From what Kurt and Kitty could tell, they didn't look very threatening at all. They looked dirty and famished. They didn't appear to be very hostile, so the fear of the two younger teens gradually abated.
"Are you two okay? I heard gunshots," said the older boy.
"Yeah...Ve're fine. Thank you," said Kurt as he caught his breath.
"Are you sure...I smell blood," replied the boy.
Kurt and Kitty stood mildly amazed at the boy's acute sense of smell. But they said nothing, for they were still unsure whether or not they could trust these strangers.
"Come on, we'll see if we can help you. Follow me," said the girl.
She grabbed the blind boy's arm and appeared to guide him through a hallway. She briefly looked back at the two teens they had just saved and noticed they hadn't moved.
"Don't worry...We mean no harm," reassured the girl.
After a brief pause, Kurt finally broke the silence, "Aren't you afraid of how I look?"
They both just looked back with no real reaction. The boy didn't seem to be too worried, for he couldn't even see Kurt's appearance. To some extent, this relieved the young teen when he thought about it. There was at least one person now that could get past his physical disposition. It was the girl he was worried about. But she just gave him a reassuring look.
"Don't worry. It doesn't bother me. I promise," replied the girl. "Now come on...It looks like you two need some help."
After those words, Kurt and Kitty followed them. They noticed the girl and the boy standing very close to one another. They too stayed close. Maybe they had found other people that weren't so different from them. This was rare...They had never even known other people like that even existed. It bewildered the young teens to finally see it.
After a brief trek down the stairs of a rickety old office building, they came upon what looked like a living area. There were numerous boxes that appeared to have books in them and there were piles of old newspapers that were made in to makeshift beds. The boy walked over to the side of the room and picked up some small white bed sheets from a box. He then made his way back over to Kurt. It was strange because even though he appeared to be blind, he acted as if he could see perfectly fine.
"Here...You can use these to wrap up your wounds. If they start to get infected, we have some iodine handy," said the older boy as he handed the sheets to Kurt.
The blue mutant reluctantly accepted the sheets and began to wrap them around his torso. "Thank you sir. Ve both owe you big time. I'm Kurt Wagner by the way. And the girl next to me is my best friend, Kitty Pryde."
"Nice to meet you," said Kitty as she and Kurt shook the boy's hand.
Kurt grew nervous when he shook his hand because he knew he would feel his fur, but nothing happened. It was as if the boy knew how he looked all along. He and the girl just smiled back at them.
"I'm Scott...Scott Summers," said the boy.
"And I'm Jean Grey," said the girl as she walked up and sat down near them.
"Well, thanks again for what you did back there. I'd hate to think of what those thugs would have done to us if you hadn't come along," said Kitty who gradually felt a bit more comfortable around the two strangers.
"You're very welcome. And don't worry, we've been in situations like that before," said Jean.
An awkward silence descended over the group. There were still many questions to be answered.
"So...Do you two like, live here or something?" Kitty finally asked.
The expressions on Scott and Jean's faces grew solemn.
"Well kinda," responded Scott. "We...Really don't live anywhere. You see, Jean and I are both...Runaways."
A hint of understanding came over Kurt and Kitty.
"Oh...We're runaways too," responded Kitty.
"Really? Why?" asked Scott.
Neither of them said anything. They didn't want to dwell on the pain of their memories from back home. Scott and Jean were quick to recognize those looks.
"Vell, let's just say...Home became to much for us and..." Kurt paused again trying not to get too upset, "I really don't vant to talk about it."
"That's okay...We understand. That's why we ran away," said Jean.
"Home became too bad for us as well. Let me guess...Too many beatings, too many abuses?" said Scott.
Kurt and Kitty shook their heads as the painful memories started to show themselves again.
"Well...Welcome to the club," said Scott.
A slow smile spread across the two younger teens' face. As they looked at Scott and Jean the felt a little better knowing that they weren't alone.
As the night wore on Kurt and Kitty grew more comfortable around their new friends. They were kind and gave them what little food they had to help stave off their growling stomachs. They even helped with some of the bruises that they had sustained earlier. Even though they didn't have much, their friendship and hospitality was enough for the moment. As they continued to talk, the subject of their 'abilities' came up as Jean questioned Kurt's appearance. Despite some hesitation, Kurt felt that his new friends deserved to know.
"So...What's the deal with your appearance if you don't me asking?" said Jean.
"Vell...I vas born this vay. I don't know vhy, but I vas. And my appearance isn't the only thing..."
"What do you mean?" replied Scott curiously.
Then, Kurt used his power to teleport to the other side of the room and back.
"Whoa..." said a bewildered Jean.
Scott too had sensed something happen, but he didn't have a clear idea what.
"Although I'm not sure how...I have found out in recent years that I can make myself disappear from one place and reappear in another," explained Kurt.
"You mean teleportation?" asked Scott.
"Ja, I think that's vhat it is called," said Kurt.
The two older teens were mildly amazed by their new friends so far, but it wasn't over.
"I have a strange ability too," said Kitty.
"Really? What can you do?" asked Jean.
"I can pass through solid objects."
Kitty then closed her eyes and stuck her hand in to the floor beneath her as if it wasn't even there. Despite Scott and Jean's surprise, they weren't very afraid of them much to Kurt and Kitty's amazement. They were the first to not be scared as far as they were concerned.
"That's pretty neat," commented Jean.
"You're...You're not afraid of us?" asked Kitty still in disbelief at their friendly views towards them.
"Well...You're not the only one with strange powers," said Scott.
He could then sense feelings of confusion overcome their new friends. In response Scott decided to demonstrate. He took an empty can that was lying on the floor, threw it up in to the air, and shot it with the beams from his eyes in to a twisted array of smoldering metal.
Before Kurt and Kitty could respond, Jean started to show them her powers. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Suddenly, a small wooden box off to the side began to shake violently by some unseen force. Then, they watched in amazement as it floated off the ground...And slammed in to the wall behind them, shattering on impact.
"Vow, so ve all have strange abilities," said Kurt.
"Yeah," said Scott in a low voice, "That's why we haven't been able to find a home. Nobody has been willing to take care of kids they consider freaks."
His words didn't raise Kurt and Kitty's hopes very much.
"So...How long have you been, like, on the streets if you don't mind me asking?" said Kitty wearily.
"Four years," replied Jean, "Well...Six for Scott."
"Really? That long?" said a befuddled Kurt.
"Yeah..." replied Scott. "It's hard. Hunger, poverty, and drifting have become a way of life for us. It's a miserable existence...But it's better than going back to a broken home."
A heavy silence came over the four teens. Scott's words may not have been pretty, but they were the cold hard truth. There was no turning back for them now. They could not...And would not go back.
"Will things get better?" asked Kitty who was growing increasingly tired from the traumatic day she had just had.
"We can only hope that it will," replied Jean.
"And that's why we have to stick together," added Scott. "We know you don't know us very well, but if you want...You can stay with us. We can help you...If you just help us."
"But vhat could ve possibly help you vith?" asked Kurt.
Scott and Jean just looked back at the two exhausted teens. In them, they could see themselves in a sense. They were scared, alone, and full of despair.
"You could just help us not feel so alone..." replied Scott in a sincere tone.
A faint smile came upon the group's face.
"Thank you..." said Kurt.
"Yeah...Thank you for helping us," added Kitty.
Scott and Jean just smiled back as they lay back against the pile of newspapers behind them. Kitty leaned against Kurt for support and soon they both started to nod off to sleep. Scott and Jean soon followed, for they too had grown tired from the day they had just had. Now, they had new friends in their fight for constant survival. Even though the times ahead would only grow more difficult, the four teens knew they would have to stick together if they were to make it.
As the young group stirred restlessly in the darkness of the abandon building, Scott grabbed his guitar and started to play. He hoped to calm his new friends down. As Jean still lay against Scott's side already asleep, Scott began to play a soft tune. Kurt held Kitty closer and she just held him back. They had a new life now. It wasn't going to be an easy one, but it was better than any alternative. As Kurt and Kitty heard the song and its lyrics...They finally felt at peace...For the moment.
Yeah I'm fadin'
And I call out
No one hears me
Never been, never felt, never thought I'd say a wordY
Weighed down
Say it now...
You're naked inside your fear
Can't take back all those years
Shots in the dark from empty guns
Never heard by anyone
Never heard by anyone...
Yeah I'm hiding
In the fallout
Now I'm wasted
They don't need me, don't want me, don't hear a word I say...
Weighed down
Say it now
You're naked inside your fear
Can't take back all those years
Shots in the dark from empty guns
Never heard by anyone
Never heard by anyone...
Inside your head
No one's there
And I don't think I'll ever be
And I don't care
You're naked inside your fear
Can't take back all those years
Shots in the dark from empty guns
Never heard by anyone
Never heard by anyone...By anyone...By anyone
***************************
AN: Well, that's it for this part. Please don't forget to REVIEW! Post them on or send them to me at Stay tuned for the next chapter as I introduce Evan Daniels. Until next time, best wishes to you all.
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