The Hand You're Dealt

8| Change of Plans

New Paris sat about three hours behind them. The Camry had a full tank of gas, so they weren't in danger of stopping at a gas station anytime soon. Lauren guessed Gambit had recovered from being tased by now, but not a word had been spoken since they left. With the silence, though, her mind continuously replayed what had happened and tried to place blame on her family.

But it wouldn't stick; she'd probably have done the same if they were in trouble. Abby was only trying to help by turning her in—supposedly only for questioning—but it felt like her family had betrayed her. Now they probably do consider her a criminal running off in her mother's vehicle like this.

Lauren wiped away a tear. She had never felt this hurt before.

If she had told them the truth, would they have acted the same? Gambit had said mutants aren't accepted in families, so that's why they kept his secret, but would they have been the exception or shun him like others? Would they have called him a freak or accept him like she has?

"Lauren... amour, don't hate your family for this," Gambit suddenly said. "They only wanted to protect you."

"I know; I don't hate them, I just feel..."

He finished for her. "Letdown by them. I understand."

She looked at him. "Is this another experience all mutants share?"

"Oui; either disappointed by others or by themselves. Learning you have powers... that you're different from everybody else... makes you leery of trusting others. Something different or unknown scares people and fear makes them do desperate things, even forget that the mutant is family. It also works internally, making you scared of harming others."

"Were you scared of you?"

"At first it frightened me that I differed, but it wasn't until I learned the extent of what all I could do that I became scared. How could I trust myself not to take advantage of what I could do? And before you try to say I wouldn't have done anything, remember I was a thief—I stole to survive, to get money, and just to invoke fear."

She had opened her mouth to deny him, but closed it at his admission. It fell quiet in the cabin for a while as she mulled over his words and what they meant.

"Did your parents teach you to be a thief?" she asked.

"Non. My parents abandoned me because of my eyes—the unnaturalness scared them. Though in the hospital ward, I was kidnapped because of them by the New Orleans Thieves' Guild. They thought I was the one prophesied to bring the Thieves' and Assassins' Guilds together. I was given to a gang and learned the ways of thievery.

"When I was about ten, I attempted to pick someone's pocket, but they caught me. That man, Jean-Luc LeBeau, took me into his family and I saw him as a father. Even though I considered them family, I hid my powers from them—scared of how they would react, probably kicking me back out on the streets."

"Did they ever find out?"

"I don't know. They truly cared about me, even after that entire ordeal with Julien; it hurt them to see me excommunicated, but they knew it had to be done. I don't blame them for trying to prevent a war that would've torn New Orleans apart." Gambit remained quiet for a while as he reminisced about his family.

Obviously feeling more-at-ease with talking about his past, he continued. "When I was fifteen, I went with my cousin, Etienne Marceaux, on a 'Tithing'—an initiation test of the Thieves' Guild. It went astray, and we were given to a slave trader known as the Pig. I used my powers for us to escape. We dove into the sea to get away; the Guild rescued me, but he drowned. I gave myself his name as my middle name to honor him."

"I'm sorry, Remy," she said.

He shrugged. "C'est la vie."

He had such a harsh upbringing: having to hide who he really was while dealing with so many traumatizing events. Lauren knew she couldn't have done it and not hold bitterness toward everyone in the past. Gambit had learned to move on; who was to say she couldn't?

"Learn to play with the hand you're dealt, right?"

Gambit turned to her, surprised at her use of his game-analogy. "Oui."

She took a deep breath. "Well, I can do that." She gave him a small smile, then turned her eyes back to the road.

***

They stopped in Bridgeport for gas; Gambit pumped the fuel while she went in to pay for it. The gas station/restaurant was quite busy with people constantly walking in or out through the glass doors, six people in line at the one cashier, and many truck drivers eating in the restaurant. Lauren got into line, hoping to not draw attention to herself.

At the back of the line, she stood near a table at the window with two men eating and talking. One man had long blond handlebars of a mustache and hair tied back in a ponytail; the other wore sunglasses and a blue do-rag. The deep-fried food they munched on looked too greasy for Lauren's taste, but it smelled delicious.

She paid their food more mind than them until the word 'mutants' caught her attention. Lauren stepped over to the two truck drivers.

"What was this I heard about mutants?"

They looked at her. "There's a place up in New York that gives those freaks a place to go—a school, of some sort. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."

Lauren fought to keep her excitement down. "Do you know where in New York that place is?"

"North Salem," the other answered. "Why? You're not one of them, are you?" He eyed her suspiciously.

Time to put her acting skills to use—she sighed in relief, hoping to convince them. "No, I'm glad I'm headed in the opposite direction. I don't want to go near that place."

The truck drivers seemed to relax at hearing the fear she put into her voice. Lauren paid for the gas, waved in farewell to the men, and kept her walk back to the car even. Gambit already sat behind the wheel, watching her exit and monitoring everyone in sight to see if they had been recognized.

As soon as she slid into the passenger's seat, they got back on the highway.

"Remy, we have to go to North Salem in New York," she began.

"Why? What's there?"

"A safe place for mutants."

He looked at her. "Are you sure?"

"That's what some truck drivers said in the station. This Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters has to be able to help in some way... at least for you."

"If they only help because I'm a mutant and ignore you because you're not, we're not going. I'm not getting help if you don't."

"Remy, come on; we're on our own right now! We need any help we can get, even if it is one-sided."

"I'm not saving myself while leaving you to the wolves!" The black sclera of his eyes took on a sharper edge as the red irises blazed—he was furious at the thought of leaving her.

Right now, she just wanted to save him, and this looked like how she could. Lauren was tired of running and constantly looking over her shoulder; she needed this to end. If this Xavier's School would only aid him, so be it—at least he would be safe from Nitall. Avaleyn only wanted her to track down Gambit; with him gone, she would forget about Lauren. Besides, she wasn't worth protecting—she was a nobody with nothing miraculous about her. He had been through enough pain.

She reached over to grab his arm. "You know that Nitall won't stop; this is our only chance of ending this."

Gambit didn't reply for the longest; finally, he sighed. "This 'school' sounds like it's only for young people..." He still looked doubtful.

"We can at least try, right?"