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A Stranger With My Face

Serena looked around her. She didn't have any idea where she was. She was in a dark, gloomy place. She squinted through the dark trying to see. She was on a long, twisted pathway hovering above jagged rocks and stalagmites. She searched around and saw there was no where else to go. Seeing there was no point in just standing there, she started walking down the narrow pathway, her footsteps echoing in the eerie silence.

Ahead of her she saw a circle of light that illuminate a figure sitting on a rock. "Hey!" Serena called out. The resonance of her voice called back to her but the figure didn't. They just continued to sit there. Serena could feel her heart beating. Half of her wanted to know who the person was, the other half wanted to just leave well enough alone. She made up her mind and started running towards the person.

Serena had finally reached the space filled with light. She stopped just short of the edge of the circle and saw the person inside the ring of light. It was a girl with long dark hair, so dark anyone would easily mistake it for being black, her face concealed by a shadow. Serena slowly edged closer her heart pounding. She stopped just a foot away from the person. Then finally the person lifted her head bringing her face into the light. Serena screamed. If it had been some sort of monster or a disturbing relic of someone she might've been able to handle it. But nothing could have prepared her for what she saw in front of her.

She was staring into the face of herself. The girl with her face curved her lips up into a small grin. It was almost like looking into a mirror except you were standing while the reflection sat, you recoiled while it stayed still, your face holding a look of absolute terror while its face held a slight smile. The girl with her face leered at her through the light and the dark. Even though she had Serena's face, she wasn't Serena. She was a replica.

"Who are you?" Serena asked.

The replica smirked. "As if you don't know."

"No I don't know that's why I'm asking you." Serena said irritated.

The replica tilted her head a bit letting her long hair hang a bit. "Look at me and ask yourself does this face look familiar?"

"Of course it does you're wearing my face."

Her face grew mischievous. "How do you know you're not wearing mine?"

Serena looked at her and it started coming back to her. "I've seen you in a dream before."

The replica shook her head. "That was no dream. That was real."

"You're lying. You're nothing but an illusion."

"You've been growing up with me for three years, yet you still can't tell if I'm real or an

illusion?" She asked. "You really are pathetic."

"Shut up." Serena growled.

The replica made a sad face. "Aww, what's wrong?" She said in a baby voice. "Can't stand the truth?"

"Why are you like this?" Serena asked.

Her expression suddenly grew cold. "It's your fault I'm the way I am."

"What are you talking about?" Serena said incredulously.

"As the years progressed your emotions segregated into me." She explained. "Unfortunately I took on most of your negative feelings. Anger, hatred, jealousy, while you got all the enjoyable feelings I got stuck with the horrible ones."

"That's not true." Serena said.

"Isn't it? Tell me can you hate somebody? Can you be angry at them?"

"Of course I can." Serena snapped.

"Then go ahead and try. Remember the Brotherhood? Remember how they treated you? How they used and manipulated you? Doesn't that make you feel angry?" As Serena heard this she didn't feel angry. Instead she felt an empty feeling that she couldn't explain, as if something was missing. "You can't can you?" She sneered.

"But I get angry all the time." Serena said confused.

"No you don't." She argued. "You only become irritated, and irritation leads to anger. And that's when I take control."

Serena didn't understand any of this. This was getting to be too much. She didn't know what to believe. It was bad enough that she was having problems but this was just too weird. How could any of this even be possible?

"I'm not understanding."

"Let me put it this way." She said. "We are two people in one body, like Yin and Yang if you will, vying for control. One side good the other wicked."

"So you're evil." Serena implied

The replica pointed a finger at Serena. "Only because you made me that way."

"I didn't make you into anything I didn't even know about this!" Serena argued. "I didn't know about you! How are you here?"

The replica chuckled to herself. "Not even I know that. I just somehow became alive." She gazed down at her hands. "I wasn't able to speak, to move, to do anything. I merely existed." She looked up smiling. "But now I am starting to come out. I got to experience the motivational power of emotions. I crave new sensations."

"But why do hurt me?" Serena croaked.

"Me hurt you?" The replica snickered. "I can't hurt you. But I've noticed everyone else has. The Brotherhood, the X-Men," she laughed, "Toad?"

Serena's fists tightened at her sides. "How dare you?"

"What I don't really get is what you saw in him. I mean he's just a little, dirty, worthless punk."

"Don't you ever call him that!" Serena shouted.

She gave a snort of contempt "Why not? It's true. And then you fell for that blue Nightworm."

"You shut up about him!"

"Why should you care?" The replica asked. "Although you're probably mad that I was the one who took that swing at him and not you huh?"

Serena's eyes widened. "Why would you do that?"

Serena sensed something from the replica. It wasn't pain, it was anger. The replica's face once more grew cold. "For three years you got to experience happiness while I experienced anger and hatred. I can't even love anybody," she closed her eyes, "and I hate you for that."

"But how is it my fault?" Serena asked. "I never wanted this."

She opened her eyes to look at Serena. "Do you really think I care what you want? We all want things in life and you know we just don't get them."

Serena glared at her. "You're a real jerk you know that?"

"Duh. When you can't love, when you can't forgive, you kind of turn out like that. But it's not all bad for me. I don't have to experience that petty emotion called guilt."

Serena was shocked at what she heard. "But not being able to love that's…"

"Serena, you are not the only one who's been through hell." The replica stared straight into her eyes. "You've been sharing it with me."

"Look I'm sorry for whatever you've been through," Serena said, "but why take it out on me?"

"Who says I'm taking anything out on you?" The replica asked. "I'm only craving for what you had that I never did. You have something that I want."

"And what would that be?" Serena asked.

She smiled once more. "A body."

Serena startled. "Wh-what?"

"That's right Serena." The replica's grin grew wider. "We may share the same body, but always have the control. Well I'm taking control now."

Serena shook her head vigorously. "No you're not."

"You can't keep me inside forever Serena. Your control will wane slowly but surely just like it has been. And when it's done I will finally have the body I want. But don't worry," she said and her eyes flashed with delight, "I'll make sure that all of those who caused you pain, who caused us pain, suffer."

"No, you can't." Serena said in a small voice.

The replica's smile was now more wider and wicked than ever. "Oh I can, and I will. I will show you just how much your so-called friends care for you."

"No! I won't let you!" Serena said defiantly.

The replica was still smiling as she stood up. "It's time for you to wake up now Serena." She reached out and grabbed Serena's shoulder.

Serena's eyes snapped open. "No!" She sat up in her bed breathing hard as the hand that grabbed her had withdrawn. She saw Rogue standing there looking a little surprised.

"If you don't feel like getting up you can stay in bed if you want." She said in a shocked voice. Serena just sat there staring at her wondering if everything she had just seen, everything she heard that thing say, was true.