X-Men: Revolution.

Chapter 26: Retaliation.

Vinnie stared blankly at the empty foam cup sitting before her on the table. She inhaled deeply, and exhaled slowly. She continued to stare in silence.

          “You act like you’re trying to move it telepathically.” Jean giggled slightly. “I don’t exactly think you’re capable of doing that.” She smiled softly.

Vinnie just stared forward without uttering an immediate response. The hand that Vinnie had on the table’s surface suddenly clenched into a fist.

          “Vinnie, c’mon. Just calm your mind. You’re thoughts are running wild.” Jean said.

Vinnie just shook her head. “I can’t do it.” She muttered, looking over at Jean.

Jean’s facial expressions were always soft and never threatening. She was probably the sweetest person in the entire mansion. “You can too, Vinnie. Your mind is just too busy. You need to clear it.” She placed a single hand on one of Vinnie’s shoulders for encouragement.

          “Can you just do that for me?” Vinnie sighed heavily.

Jean let out a laugh. “No, I’m sorry. You need to learn to control your mind and your emotions on your own. Having me clear them for you will not teach you anything, silly.” She smiled.

Vinnie rolled her eyes, expecting such an answer. “I’m just worried I’m going to light the mansion on fire. These new powers are really strong, and I have a very hard time controlling them.” Vinnie growled in irritation.

          “And that’s exactly why we’re sitting here. You agreed to the training, so you at least need to try a little.” Jean’s voice was a tad bit stern that time, but Vinnie knew she meant well. “I believe in you.” She gave her a reassuring smile.

Vinnie took in another long breath of air before releasing it slowly. She closed her eyes and concentrated on controlling the millions of thoughts that ran ramped through her mind all at once. She relaxed her body and tried to steady her breathing.

          “Good. Very good.” Jean said quietly. “Now, keep that mind clear as you concentrate only on the hand you have on the table. Let all of your energy conjure up into that one spot, and release it from your palm. Try to feel it all the way down to your fingertips.” She whispered.

Vinnie slowly opened her clenched hand and turned it so her palm was facing upwards. In that moment, a small orange flame appeared in the center of her palm.

Jean smiled brightly. “Okay, that’s a step in the right direction. Now, try to channel that newfound energy into that dancing little flame. Make it bigger… make it hotter… change its color. Then take the flame and singe the foam cup in front of you.” She added as she never took her eyes off of that flame.

Vinnie’s face strained a bit as she tried to concentrate harder. Trying to produce her blue fire ability was a lot harder when she was not under stress. But she pressed on and did not give up. Even though she did not care to finish up the training, she at least wanted to make Jean happy.

The living room fell silent again as Vinnie bit her lower lip as if in frustration. Her face was still strained and she was squeezing her eyes tightly shut. Finally, the orange flame turned a pale blue color as if it were transitioning to her more powerful source. The blue began to turn a little darker, and Vinnie slowly opened one of her eyes to take a peak. When she saw what she had produced, a large grin stretched across her face. Jean was beaming with excitement too, but she did not react so she did not break Vinnie’s concentration.

          “Hey, Vinnie, Jean…” said a familiar voice.

And just like that, the blue flame in Vinnie’s hand vanished just as quickly as it had initially appeared. Jean and Vinnie both frowned and whipped their heads around to see Rogue entering the room.