Since so many people were coming, they took cars.

Wally and Shine spent the first hour or so arguing about where to go.

Shine was not much for mountains, as it turned out, if they were cold and higher than a few thousand feet.

It came out in this argument that she actually had a problem with heights.

"I would not have guessed that about you," Storm commented.

"Heights, closed in spaces, and unsteady surfaces," Shine listed nonchalantly.

"Closed in...do you mean you're claustrophobic?" Storm was incredulous.

"Oh...not like you are," Shine said hastily. "Nothing so bad as that--nothing to really complain of. It's slight sensitivity."

"You seemed fine before," Rogue said.

"A cell like that isn't bad enough," Shine said. "It's really tight, dark places... It's...well, it's actually a world walking thing."

"World...what?"

"That's what they call us," Shine said. "World Walkers--catchy, isn't it? Or Dimension Jumper. We call ourselves DJs for short. You can call us that. My Texan friend calls it Dimension Hopping, but that sounds a bit too much like an insect to me. DJ goes over well with kids."

"I like it," Morph offered.

"But this has something to do with claustrophobia?" Storm pressed.

"I learned this when I met a friend of ours who also has portal powers," Shine said. "I haven't asked Kurt, but I suspect he may have the same problem--he doesn't like to sit still too long. I think heights are fine for him, but...well, you see, our powers involve a lot of spacial awareness. We have to think of it real carefully. We could end up in walls or in the air. After a while, you get really sensitive to small spaces, because they are dangerous, and to heights, because there are less places to land. Often it becomes a sort of phobia because you're so used to it being a problem. The idea of landing on the edge of a cliff terrifies me. I don't even like standing there. If I fell, saving myself would be difficult. I've learned to do it well now... All that training was good for something, I guess. But I still hate it. And closed in spaces, less room to maneuver around, so you see, you feel trapped. But it's not a trauma response or anything."

"I see," Rogue said. "That's good, I guess...I mean, good for you not to be that bothered by it."

"I never used to have that," Wally said. "But it is getting a little worse now... Mostly I'm fine, though. I'm fast enough to not worry about it. 'Course I can't fly, so I don't like heights that much either. But it's fine to climb it."

Shine rolled her eyes.

"Who knew power could come with so many side effects?" Morph said. "I mean...non-mutant ones."

"You really think it wouldn't have side effects?" Shine snorted. "It has more if it's not naturally a part of you, usually."

Rogue bit her lip.

"Well, we'll be considerate of this from now on," Storm said. "Do you prefer to stay lower down, then?"

"I can stand it as long as we stay away from any cliffs," Shine said. "It's fine, but I still say a nice walk through a national park would be a better use of time. They have gift shops."

"We're broke," Wally said.

"Well, they aren't. What if they wanted to get souvenirs?" Shine said.

"Why can't we do both?" Rogue said. "We got a lotta people. We could split up."

"Or do one today and one tomorrow," Storm said.

"Oh, no, see, we plan to do a different terrain every day," Shine said. "Wally and I always do that on our trips. Makes it more fun. But we always argue about what to do first. I like to build up to the hard part and start with something relaxing like the beach or a garden, and Wally thinks you should do the hardest part first and then wind down."

"Just makes sense," Wally said.

"I still say we split up," Rogue said. "That's what we always do when we want to do different things on vacation... 'Course half the time it ends up being a slave island or some lunatic tryin' to take over the world...but, y'know, it's a good plan anyway."

"I guess we have enough people to do that," Shine said.

"Cool," Morph said. "I'm putting in my bid for the zoo, then."

"Why the zoo?" Rogue asked.

"Animals are cool," Morph said.

"Logan would never agree to the zoo," Storm said. "We'd have to split up all right for that. But it doesn't sound so bad to me. I like the idea of a nature walk also."

"Let's decide when we get to the rest stop," Wally said. "Though running would have taken less time."

"So would portalling, but both of us are supposed to be rejuvenating from the other day," Shine reminded him. "You made me swear I would not portal unless it was an emergency. If I don't get to do that, you don't get to run ahead."

"Hon, we gotta talk about this competitive streak of yours," Wally said mock seriously. "You don't always have to be just as fast as everyone else."

"Who ran around the world to prove he was faster than Superman, again?" Shine said. "Was that you or Bizarro?"

"It was for charity!"

"It was a challenge!"

"Well, I am faster!" Wally said. "You know I am. I almost ran into the next life one time."

"Do not remind me of that! Especially if you're trying to talk me into let you run around," Shine said. "Bad strategy."

"I figured you wouldn't change your mind anyway," Wally said. "But the record shows, I am the fastest man alive."

"What about Quicksilver?" Rogue asked, smirking.

"That hack!" Wally scoffed. "Find him. I'll run circles around him. No way is he faster than me!"

"I'm sure I could find an internet debate on that at home," Shine said.

[Please, no one start that right now. I don't want to know that badly.]

"Why does it matter, Mr. West?" Storm said. "Isn't power not that important, in your words?"

"If you're gonna have it, sister, you're gonna own it," Wally said.

Morph turned into Wally and made a face at Rogue. Rogue shrugged. "At least he's havin' fun, right? Wonder how the others are doing in their car?"

* * *

"Gambit know exactly where he going!" Gambit said.

"Yeah, the wrong way!" Logan said. "We're supposed to follow them!"

"Dis a shortcut."

"How could a Cajun even know that? This ain't the bayou," Logan said. 

"Gambit been all over da place," Gambit said.

"Why did I opt to sit in this car?" Mystique grumbled to herself. 

Mostly to avoid Shine, and Morph, whom she didn't want to be around any more than necessary-- and Rogue...who she didn't want to ask her questions.

But listening to these two fight was making her almost think it would have been worth it.

"Ask the blue witch if this is the right way," Logan said.

"How'd she know? She ain't never gone de right way in her life," Gambit said.

"Leave me out of this, Swamp Rat," Mystique said. 

"Wolverine brought it up, and don't call me dat," Gambit said. "Gambit only tolerate it from his friends."

"And your friends will be sending out a search party for us," Mystique shot back. "Wouldn't that be lovely? I could get blamed for that also."

"If that happens, chances are it would be yer fault," Logan said.

Mystique stuck her tongue out at him when he wasn't looking. It wasn't real mature, but she didn't want to push her luck by smarting off to him while he could reach her.

* * *

Finally they all did reach the rest stop and discussed what to do.

Gambit was more in favor of doing something slow paced, but Logan was all about the challenge.

"Climbin' a mountain sounds like an actual vacation thing," he said.

"Right?" Wally said. "I'll race you to the top, and the loser has to pay for the winner's lunch."

"Not fallin' for that," Logan said. "You'll cheat."

"Not if he swore off using his speed," Shine said.

"Shine, help a guy out," Wally said. "I'd get a free lunch out of it."

"No honor in outdoing someone who's got a clear disadvantage to you." Shine was merciless.

"The zoo don't sound so bad," Rogue said. "But I dunno. What do you want to do, Storm?"

"I don't really care," Storm said. "If all of you go to a zoo, I'd come, but if you prefer the national park idea, I'm all right with that."

"A national park is like a zoo," Shine said, "for people as well as animals."

"Why would anyone want to waste time doing either of those two things?" Mystique grumbled.

"You could have stayed home," Shine said.

"Yes, I could have stayed in that dark, musty room and had Cyclops watching me," Mystique said dryly.

"So stop complaining," Wally said. "What do you want to do? Vote or shut up."

Mystique glared at him. "I don't do this kind of thing."

"Well, take a step out of your comfort zone, lady. We need to put you somewhere," Wally said.

"I'm not climbing a mountain for fun," Mystique said. "So whatever the others are doing."

"I guess that settles it," Shine said. "Shall we meet back at..." She peered at their map. "...this town? Looks small enough."

Everyone agreed.

"So, Cajun, you goin' with the men or not?" Logan said snidely.

Gambit frowned. "Mountain climbing? Sounds kinda boring."

"Not as fun as following the ladies around, right?" Wally said slyly. None of them were close enough to hear him, of course.

Gambit shrugged.

"Well, Morph would be left all alone," Wally admitted. "Might be kind of awkward. Girls can be kind of viscous to the only guy in the group."

"Whatever," Logan said. "Who needs 'im? He'd just slow us down."

Gambit shot him a dirty look. "Gambit figure you slow down enough with West around, not need anything else make it worse on ya."

"Ya want to prove that?" Logan said snippily.

"Oh, stop it," Wally said. "You're worse than Diana and Shiera when they compete, and they're girls."

They shut up.... That was too embarrassing of a comparison.

Everyone split up and went their separate ways.

The girls, with Morph and Gambit, selected Acadia National park.

It had a lot of trails and horseback riding. Shine apparently was a fan of this.

Storm and Rogue both knew how to ride anyway... The boys didn't.

Mystique, not really surprisingly, did.

"Close enough to a zoo?" Shine asked Morph.

"It's not really the same," he said.

"We can hit one up on our way back," Shine said. "But there's plenty of wildlife to see, and hey, it's not in a cage. I always feel so bad for zoo animals."

"Plenty of mutants are treated like zoo animals," Mystique sniffed. She seemed determined to put a damper on this experience, if she had to be dragged along.

"Why did we bring her, again?" Rogue said.

"Miss Likstar felt sorry for her," Storm said.

Rogue shook her head as she put her helmet on. "Leave it to Miss Shine to feel sorry for someone after they stabbed us in the back again."

"Well...she didn't mean to," Storm said. "I think...it could have been worse. She warned us at least. We must try to overlook. "

"You're takin' this Christian stuff to heart, huh, gal?" Rogue noted.

Storm shrugged. "If I'm going to do something, I'm going to try to do it the right way...but it also just makes sense. What good is treating her coldly going to do us...? Uh, I'm sorry, Rogue. I know the trouble between you is different."

"To be honest, Storm--" Rogue climbed on her horse. "--it's not even that... I just don't know how to act. I split off from her ages ago, and she's ain't even who I thought she was. To find out my Momma was Mystique was not a nice surprise. She done almost turned me into one of Apocalypse's little drones...and why? Just to get me back... Why would you do a thing like that?" She wiped a tear away quickly, trying to hide it from Storm, but Storm saw.

Rogue forced her voice to be more calm as she went on. "Then she hurt all of ya to get to me. I find out the truth, and I just think...maybe Mystique don't know anythin' about really bein' someone's friend."

"This is true," Storm said.

"And I think she never really loved me," Rogue said.

"But...perhaps this is not quite true," Storm said. "Perhaps, she loved you the only way she knew how to. Perhaps to her this is love.... Sad as it is, to use people and to lie to them, it's all she seems to know how to do. But we don't know her story. She reminds me of the Morlocks in a way, hard bitten, mistrusting of anyone, even other mutants, and isolated. But they are like that because no one will accept them. Perhaps she is like that for the same reason."

"I dunno," Rogue said. "She and Kurt talked about it one time. Just one time... He said she was sad...that he felt sad for her. Even if he felt angry also... I dunno, I never felt sad for her at all, just angry."

She clutched a fist around the reins. "I don't belong to her anyway. She can't act like she owns me. I left, end of story."

Storm was quiet. She felt perhaps that Rogue might be missing the point...but she didn't know how to explain it to her or how to put it into words even to herself. She was not so good at that.

"And speakin' of Kurt, I don't like how she ignores him," Rogue sad. "Heck, the only one of her kids who actually wants to be around her, and she treats him like dirt." She frowned. "I'm not gonna just coddle up to her if she's gonna be that way."

"You feel it would be unfair to Kurt?" Storm said.

"I'll put it this way, Storm--he's not even blood related to me, and he's the only kin I have that I like," Rogue said.

"I don't think Kurt would see it as disloyal if you tried to come to an understanding with her," Storm said. "Just, you know, so there would be less tension. She may still be with us for a while. You said yourself--it's safest this way."

"Yeah...well..." Rogue frowned. "I guess I felt a little bad. I mean, Sinister is too awful to wish on anyone. I'm not like her--I'm not gonna push someone off on a creep like that just to get rid of 'em. But I don't have to like her, now, do I?"

"No, you don't have to like her," Storm said. "But wouldn't it be easier if we tried to understand her just a little? To bear her being around?"

Rogue just sped up her horse.

Truthfully she wasn't sure she wanted to try to understand.... She thought it was her anger, but, deep down, she might just have been afraid she'd understand too much.

https://youtu.be/pwLzuOMpkFw

She wasn't the only one thinking along that line. Morph had been thinking non-stop about Sinister and the whole mess since it happened.

One thing about it was he thought of Scott's words about trusting someone who had helped Sinister.... Did anyone else think of him? No one had said anything to him, but...wasn't he just the same there?

Sure Mystique had not been brainwashed...but Morph had less self control than her for that, so how could Scott trust him?

The whole thing had left him shaken up more than he cared to share with them. The very feel of being around Sinister's stuff made him feel contaminated. And he'd had a nightmare about it the night afterward.

But he couldn't share that with them...not now. They might think he was slipping.

Was he slipping? He'd been so sure those days were over...but he felt so unsettled about it.

Was he really that much better than Mystique? One of them did it on purpose, the other didn't, but they both were still doing the same thing.

Shine's rebuke to him had made him wonder if it was stupidity to think he was so much better just because of his reasons. Wasn't he just as susceptible to evil, then? If he could be turned so easily?

Shine noticed he was looking down. They were kind of in the back of the group, having the least experience with riding and the slowest horses because of that.

"Hey...you okay?" Shine asked him.

"Oh, sure," Morph said. "Just...you know, not used to this..."

"Wishing you'd gone with the the guys?" Shine said. "'Course...Gambit doesn't look like he's doing that much better."

Apparently, horse and energy-charging card-wielder didn't mix very well. Even if Gambit could control his power, the horse just seemed to sense it was there and get skittish about it.

"Well, he'll get over it," Morph said. "But it's not that..."

"You're thinking about what happened," Shine said, not like it was a question. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Oh, you're on vacation," Morph said.

"Not from that," Shine said. "I don't believe we can just compartmentalize how people feel like that. I mean, I'm not going out of my way to look for it, but I assure you it will not ruin my day if you're having a problem. I've learned to take my enjoyment when it's there, not when other people are in a good mood. Part of the job. Balancing. So...yeah, if you want to share..."

"It's...well..." Morph supposed she was the only non-X-men there...well, other than Mystique, but that would have been ludicrous.

"You know...Scott keeps talking about Sinister, and it's like he doesn't remember what happened," Morph said. "But..."

"But you do," Shine said. "And Scott's harmless words are not harmless, are they?"

"I know he doesn't mean it like that," Morph said.

"Scott has always been one to ignore things like that," Shine said. "Some people are built that way... I am myself, sometimes. But my friends have told me they don't mind it so much because they know I just think of things differently. I don't think about past mistakes often, if I can possibly help it. I learned not to. But I don't do it because I think it does not matter in someone's value. I don't get the feeling Scott feels that way. It is more like he does not bring it up because he thinks it's unimportant to anyone else, not just to him."

"Yeah...that's kind of it," Morph said. "Like...I mean, you were really direct with me about it."

"I was." Shine didn't apologize.

"But...I sort of liked it," Morph said. "I mean, it stung, but you're not intimidated by the whole thing. And you don't pity me, do you?"

"No."

"No...and I needed to hear that maybe," Morph said. "I know I did. I was being a jerk.... I don't know why, I just...I guess I felt like if I was better than her, then, I was still...you know..."

"Still a good person," Shine said.

"Yeah...I guess. But we're not that different, are we...? At least not when it comes to Sinister."

"No, you're shockingly similar," Shine admitted. "Sinister is really one note, isn't he? But men like him usually are. You know...it's not a shame to be played by an evil person, Morph. Only to seek it out. To put yourself in that position on purpose."

"Like Mystique."

"I don't know that she really did," Shine said. "She said so little about it, but I got the feeling it wasn't on purpose. She should never have made a deal with him, but back then, she didn't know us. I can't really take that as a personal insult, can I? I try to be rational about it."

"Miss Likstar, you'd be shocked how few people will do that," Morph said.

"Morph, I know people well enough. I would not be shocked," Shine said. "Walking a mile in someone else's shoes is not something most people are willing to do, and don't I know it. Once, I wasn't either. But I find it really does help me not stay angry at them for so long when I do it. And I hate being angry all the time."

"I like that," Morph said. "I mean...I wish I was like that."

"Aren't you? Your power almost makes it easy," Shine said. "You don't strike me as that judgmental of a person."

"Maybe I didn't used to be, but ever since Sinister messed with me head, I have this dark side," Morph said in a lower voice. "I thought it was gone...but I think he's still there...at the edge of my mind. Maybe never enough to take over again, but whispering..."

Shine shrugged. "We all have that. Yours manifested in a physical form. You're not the first person I've known like that, but you're not any worse of a person for it. I don't say that to flatter you. I'm serious. We all try to hide it, but we all have inner temptations. And some of us are not able to hide it so well. I think those people are lucky."

"Lucky?" Morph said.

"Lucky--they know when it's happening," Shine said. "Of all the people I've taught over the years, it was always the people who have the most dark turns of mood, and the most angry, who were the fastest to start changing. They wear their problems on their sleeves, and so they get help fast. The nice ones? The ones who never slip up...? Oh, it's so hard with them, Morph. They crush themselves under burdens of being perfect. Jesus said, 'I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.' I was a good church girl, you know. That pressure can be stifling...but I have learned to take comfort in this thought: Even if I made all the worst choice I possibly could have, Jesus would have still saved me and loved me just as much. I had enough sins of my own that I regret, but to the world I look like a good girl. Even a great one."

"You do come off that way," Morph said. "I mean...really nice...a little salty, but nice."

"Thanks, but, you see, I was raised right," Shine said. "But Jesus doesn't care about that. Our righteousness is as filthy rags--that's what the Word says. My good, and anyone else's bad, they all amount to the same thing. One sin is enough to separate us from God forever. It always spreads. Good kids go crazy often enough. You've heard of it, I'm sure. Pastor's kids are infamous for doing it. You see, the pressure with being raised right is that all the pressure to be good comes from the outside. And you snap under it. Once no one can stop you, you act out. You've never learned to appreciate forgiveness and grace for yourself, never having done anything bad enough to feel you needed it. So you go nuts. And when fire doesn't strike you from heaven, you assume that means God doesn't care...but God knows we're foolish, stupid people, prone to rebellion. So He lets us try it, lets us run away from Him and see how it leads to suffering. Those kids often come back later in life, like the prodigal son, realizing they had it better with the rules, because there was love. This is not your problem, personally, but still, you were good, you were turned, and now you feel different. Let me set your mind at ease--this is always what you were, deep down, you just became unable to control it or hide it."

Morph looked at her, aghast. "You think so?"

"I know so," Shine laughed. "And that's fine. All of us are that way. We're all horrible. We all hate people who love us the most, sometimes. And we hurt them. But God redeems us all, if we want. You found it out the hard way. I think you should be happy. Jesus said that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. Sometimes you can't really hunger until you've been deprived of it for a time. You wanted it back badly after you lost it, didn't you? So I think you'll get it, and you'll get it more for realizing how valuable it is and that you have to fight to keep it. You can't just be part of a team and that's enough. Be grateful that you did not do lasting damage, by the grace of God, and move on." She straightened a little. "But...bear this in mind--you must remember that what happened to you quickly is only what happens to most people over time. For some of us, it's a chip and mad scientist, but for most, it's the hatred and bitterness of the people around us who never teach us any better. And it wears us down. The world will always do that. People make each other wicked, Morph. We can raise each other to new heights too, but that is a conscious choice, one I try to make every day. But on our own, we drag each other down. So, learn the lesson of what happened to you, and I think you'll do fine."

"You're talking about Mystique again, " Morph said.

"I can't tell you what to do about that," Shine said. "I only know that I don't see myself as better than her. I have been bitter before. Sometimes I still am. I've acted to save myself. But then, I was surrounded by people who would stop me. What must it be like to be alone, able to know people only through false versions of yourself? To have very little direction in your life anymore...? She doesn't shock me by being how she is. I am actually more shocked she is not worse. Call it cynical, but I've often been more surprised to find any goodness left in people who've never had anyone teach them what's right than I am to find no trace of it in crazy people like Sinister. That is the natural end of humans who ignore God, and I have no illusions about it. But the work of God's grace in people who don't know Him to leave them with some traits that are still like Him, that is what amazes me--and has amazed people all across time. Evil is no shock, Morph. Evil is easy. But a moment of self sacrifice, a single decision to do something unselfish...that is a shock."

She shrugged again. "I said before that you can't forgive yourself if you can't forgive her. And I meant it. So for your sake, I think you should take it easier on her."

Morph nodded. "You might be right. I've thought about it since you said that before...but I don't know how to do better. I kind of just...you know..."

"I know she makes it hard," she said. "But Logan went after you. I won't say you need to be that committed--it's not like you're friends...but if someone would do that for you, then it can't be too much to ask for a little kindness, can it?"

"Why do you want me to so badly?" Morph asked. "I mean...out of everyone?"

"I want them all to, but my pleas are falling on deaf ears with everyone who thinks they've never screwed up as bad as her. I had hoped I might get to you. I always encourage people to be nicer to each other if at all possible. I find it's the ones who've seen how they screwed up who are willing to listen to me. I hate it when others bully someone for making mistakes. Makes me sick." She frowned. "But I can't stop everyone. Humility is a huge part of hope, however, as well as healing. So we try."

"It'd be nice if she thanked you even once," Morph couldn't help but say.

"It'd be nice if any of you did." Shine was sharp. "But I'm not going to wait for that to be as good as I can be anyway."

Ouch...

"All right, you win," Morph said. "I'll try to ease up. But what do I do about myself?"

"For yourself? This is the best thing you could do," Shine said. "We heal the fastest when we become interested in helping others on their way. I've healed much more doing this job than I ever did thinking about myself all the time. Why do you think Kurt and I encouraged you to stick around? Sure, it's hard, but it works."

"You guys are just a little too sneaky," Morph said. "Do you just plan all of this beforehand?"

"No, it's just common sense," Shine said. "That's all. You know, I've found that wisdom seems like precognition to the person who doesn't try to use it."

With that savage line she managed to pull a little ahead.

Morph shook his head. 

"Starting to see why Logan is getting hooked on this..." he muttered to himself. "Somehow, she really does make you feel like it's possible to pull it off...doesn't make it easy though. I should have just stayed on Muir Island for that."

[Well, Morph, welcome to humanity.]

Notes about Acadia Park if anyone's interested in the setting of the chapter more:

["Starting at the top of the East Coast, Acadia National Park is one of the most stunning in the whole country and packs a big punch. There's much to love here, including serene lakes, verdant forests, sandy beaches, and dramatic cliff faces. 

"For half of the year, this New England gem sees the first light of day in all of the US – and the sunrises here are truly breathtaking." 

https://journeyz.co/all-national-parks-on-the-east-coast/]