Similis - There's no such thing as normal

Chapter 05 - Flame on

"Mutant freak, eh?" Yash asked. "Wait, does that mean Bo is actually Storm?"

"Ha! "Bo retorted. "Then that makes Madison Colossus!"

"Oh shut up, Storm!" Madison shot back, although she couldn't quite help a smile.

"Alright, everyone," Ms. Molpe interrupted the X-Men discussion, "today, we're going to work on honing your abilities and improving your control. Remember, your powers are part of who you are, and it's essential to harness them responsibly. Now, let's start with a simple exercise."

Ms. Molpe turned to Yash. "Yash, we'll begin with you. Show us how you can control the intensity of your phoenix flames."

"A PHOENIX FLAME?!'' Jen's internal voice screamed in a high pitch.

Yash nodded, his fiery red and yellow hair standing out in contrast to the dimly lit room. He stepped forward and extended his hand, palm up. With a focused look, he ignited a small flame in his hand, like a tiny bonfire dancing in his palm. The room was filled with a warm, orange glow as everyone watched in awe.

"Now, let's make it dance a bit," Ms. Molpe challenged.

Yash closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The flame in his hand flickered, dimming down to a mere ember, then flared up again, brighter and hotter. Jen's mental voice had no more words, as she watched him repeated this a couple of times.

"Excellent, Yash," Ms. Molpe praised. "You're getting better every week."

Yash smiled and took a step back, passing the metaphorical torch to Bo, who was up next. Bo had a playful gleam in his icy blue eyes as he waited for Ms Molpe's challenge.

"Bo, can you show us how you manipulate those beautiful snowflakes?" Ms. Molpe inquired.

Bo grinned and held out his hand. Once again, the snowflakes began to form above his palm, swirling gracefully in the air. With a subtle gesture, he directed the snowflakes to form a miniature snowstorm in the middle of the room.

As everyone marvelled at the display, Bo gradually reined in the snowstorm's intensity until it dissipated entirely, leaving nothing but a chill in the air.

"Fantastic, Bo!" Ms. Molpe applauded. "You have a real talent for precision control."

Bo beamed with pride, but Madison patted him on the back, teasing, "Let it go, Bo. Let it go"

Next up was Madison. Ms Molpe asked her to stand in the middle of the room. She held out her hand, looked at Yash, and nodded. Yash held out his palm under Madison't hand, and brought back the flame. It wasn't bigger than a candle at first, the top of the flame hardly touching the bottom of Madison's hand.

Under the light of the flame, her skin seemed to be shimmering with a subtle, scale-like texture, Jen thought.

Madison smiled at Yash, "I'm good, turn it up!"

Yash didn't hesitate, and he clearly didn't joke around either. The next moment, Madison's entire arm was engulfed in flames.

Jen jumped back from the sudden heat in surprise. This should have scorched Madison's skin right off her bones. But she was still standing there, smiling. Her arm was now completely covered in rough, rock-like scales, glowing red and purple in the heat.

"Bravo, Madison!" Ms. Molpe exclaimed. Yash killed the flame with a quick flick of his wrist.

Madison looked at her arm, still glowing faintly red in the dark, clearly pleased with herself.

"Can I skip today, Ms M? Seriously, I used up all my mojo to get rid of Brian. I'm spent." KJ said before Ms Molpe could even turn her head towards them.

"For sure, dear!" Ms Molpe agreed without a hint of protest.

That meant it was Jen's turn now. She had been watching in awe as each the others had showcased their unique powers. The feeling of inadequacy grew within her as she realised the magnitude of her own inability to control whatever power she had.

Ms. Molpe turned to Jen with a warm smile and put a can of Coke on the floor in front of her. "Jen, it's your turn. Can you try to move this can, please? From where you are standing?"

Jen took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't quite sure how to go about this. She'd never tried to move anything with her mind, on purpose. Was there a certain move she was supposed to do? Words that need to be spoken or thought?

She decided to go with the only source of information she had, the movies. She extended her hand toward the can, focusing all her energy on it. She tried to will it to move, but nothing happened. The can remained stubbornly in place.

She tried again, this time straining harder, her brow furrowing in concentration. Still, the can refused to budge.

"I can't do it," Jen admitted, her voice filled with disappointment. "Maybe I don't belong here after all."

She slumped back on her bar stool, feeling defeated and dejected. Her uncle had sent her here with hope, but now she felt like a failure. As Jen lamented her apparent inability to use her ability, the room fell silent. Everyone exchanged concerned glances, their empathy palpable.

"Oh stop feeling sorry for me." Jen felt their eyes on her, and her mood suddenly shifted. "I don't even know what I'm fucking doing here. My world was fine, but then somehow shit started flying around, and now it's all messed up and I'm in a bloody basement with the fucking poor man's version of the X-Men. I don't know what I did before, what happened to me, how I did it, or if I even did it all. And one thing's for fucking sure, I can't move that stupid can off the floor." She threw both her hands in the direction of the can and stared at it in frustration. The room was silent. Suddenly, the can started to tremble. A little, then a little more. And then it slowly lifted off the floor, hovering in mid-air.

Jen's eyes widened in astonishment, and she stumbled back, almost falling over her stool. She hadn't consciously willed it to move, or consciously done anything at all, but there it was, floating before her.

The others in the room erupted into applause. Ms. Molpe wore a delighted grin.

"Jen, you did it!" Yash exclaimed. "You made it float!"

Jen looked at her trembling hand and the hovering can of coke, still processing what had just happened. She still wasn't sure how she'd done it. Maybe the movies were right? Or maybe swearing her ass off had done the trick?

As she took in the moment, Jen realised that there might be a slight chance that she did belonged here, with these other mutant freaks, after all.