Chapter 1. Do You Believe In Reincarnation?
We were going to help sort out a riot that had started against some kid. It was that simple. Just save the kid and if she wanted to she could come an join us. We sure as hell didn't expect to find what we found.
We landed the jet and that seemed to startle the crowd that was gathered around something that was on the ground. It took me a second to realize that what they were gathered around was the kid. That got me angry. I told Scott to let me out so I could take care of the crowd, but he said we were gonna try to handle this peacefully. Peacefully my ass. Nothing made me more angry than when people attacked innocent kids just cus they were born different. We got out an Scott commanded everyone to move away from the girl in that leader-like tone. They listened and moved. Too bad, I thought.
I saw the lifeless body lying on the ground an I could smell blood, a lot of it, emanating from the body. I also noticed that some of the people we passed were bleeding and looking like they just had the crap beaten outta them. What the hell was this girl's power?
Scott and Henry knelt over her as I walked up as they turned her over to face them I saw their faces change. A look of pure shock. I walked over to what the blazes they were gaping at when the girl needed help. When I saw her I gasped. I said the one word that I'm sure was on all three of our minds:
"Jean?" I said uncertainly and both Scott and Hank's heads snapped up to look at me. But I was staring at her.
She looked exactly the same as Jean. Same face, same long flame hair, same lips, same nose- well you get it. She even had the same slight indentation on her jaw.
But she couldn't be Jean. For one Jean was dead. Two she looked much too young to be her. This girl had to be in her early twenties. But a thought came to me: reincarnation.
Before I could even think anymore, the girl stirred. Which was impossible due to the amount of blood she had lost., and the fact her head was practically bashed in. But now that I looked at it, it seemed to be already partially healed. How could that be?
All three of us stared into those unmistakable emerald eyes. They were exactly like Jean's.
"Who the hell are you?" the girl snapped her eyes flaring with annoyance
"I think we should be asking you that question." Hank muttered
"We are the X-men." Scott said
"Yeah well I don't need your help. I can handle these idiots on my own, k?" she snarled
"Yeah that's why you were bleeding, unconscious and face down." I said angrily
"We need to examine you, you have lost major amounts of blood." Hank said to her
"I heal fast." She said as she got up and brushed herself off.
That was when we all noticed the birth marks.
On her forearms and from what we could see of her chest, were birth marks, in the shape of the Phoenix emblem that Jean had worn on her chest.
"Jean? Is that you?" Scott finally said, transfixed on the girl's face.
"Jean? Who are you talking about?" she said confused
"Listen miss- what is your name?" Hank asked
"Sam, Sam Ember." She said with a shifty glance between the three of us. Like she didn't know if she could trust us.
"Sam, does the word Phoenix mean anything to you?" Hank said and the girl- Sam's eyes widened, but then she returned to her angry state.
"No" she spat out
"If you would please just come with us for a while, I would like to run some tests-" Hank started but she raised her hand to cut him off.
"I don't do medical tests, k." she said
Just then Emma excited the jet, she had been influencing the crowd to leave so we were now alone, when she saw Sam she said:
"Jean?"
"Who the hell is this Jean person you seemed to have me confused with?!" Sam said exasperated
"Who is she?" Emma asked
"She says her name is Sam Ember." Scott answered
"I say that because that is my name." she growled "Now, this has been fun, really it has, but I gotta go." She said sarcastically and started to walk past us. She got a few feet ahead when she stopped and looked down like she was thinking real hard about something.
"Where am I going?" she muttered, confused, after a moment of apparent thinking she turned back to face us. She addressed Emma:
"You're a telepath, right, Em?" she said
"How did you know that?" Emma asked
"Cus I'm one too, I can't seem to remember some pretty important stuff, like where I live, anything recent is a blur. Think you can help?" she asked in a very brave tone
"I can try, but that means you have to come with us." Emma said, Sam seemed to think it over a minute and then nodded.
"Okay, I'll go with ya, but I swear to you I ain't this Jean person you're thinking of." She said and we all walked back to the jet.
She sat in one of the seats and looked uncomfortable. I sat next to her.
"Don't like flying?" I asked
"Oh no, I can fly, I just don't like planes." She said shaking her head
"What you got wings under there." I gestured to her back
"No, you don't need wings to fly. It's part of my powers." She said and smile a little that was when I noticed something about her teeth.
"Are those fangs?" I asked astounded
"Yeah, 'nother part of my powers." She said defensively closing her mouth
"Telepathic, can fly, fangs, you a vampire?" I asked
"No." She said but she laughed
At that moment the plane started to take off. An she stopped talking. She started rubbing her temples as the flight progressed. I couldn't seem to take my eyes off her.
She may not be Jean but she definitely made me feel the same way Jean did.