28 Dazzling

After we finished having our fun at the park. I made sure to alter the thugs' memories, so they'll forget about us using powers. The only part they'll remember is being beaten up by two girls. I also made an anonymous call to the police, to make sure these guys don't harm anyone else after they wake up.

We went and got some food, and then got a cab to the venue that was hosting the concert.

The concert was fun we danced and sang along with the songs we knew and just had fun with the ones we didn't. I was seeing another side to Jean tonight, she wasn't cold by any means but I always got the feeling like she was being reserved and guarded.

Like that she was afraid to let go and relax or she'll lose control.

I think part of it is her powers affecting her and the other part is because of the numerous manipulations done on her mind over the years.

Interestingly enough one of the up-and-coming bands, that we came to see tonight were especially eye-catching. The lead singer was a stunning Strawberry haired blonde with blue eyes and an amazing voice.

The band Cats Laughing started to play and as soon as they did, Jean suddenly doubled over holding her head tightly.

Me and Kitty quickly lead her out of the crowd, so she could get some fresh air and gave her a minute to calm down.

" What's wrong Jean are you okay ?" Kitty asked worriedly.

" Yeah what was that? Was it your powers ?" I asked concernedly, secretly worried it's related to the Phoniex.

" No, I am fine now. I just suddenly felt a sharp jolt of pain, I think there's maybe a meta in the crowd " she says after calming down a bit.

" You can detect meta-humans ? " I ask surprised.

" Yeah, it doesn't happen all the time it's usually when they newly awaken their powers or they're actively using it. When a new meta awakens his powers, it usually leaves them in an emotionally heightened state. The professor is the one who usually finds new metas. He can even identify them by their unique telepathic signatures." She explains.

" So what do we do? Should we try and find them, they're probably alone and confused with no one to help them through it " Kitty asks with a concerned tone.

" I don't know if I can find them among all those people. I am not skilled enough to separate all the noise " Jean says with a frustrated look on her face.

" Come on now Jean don't give up so easily. Your powers aren't the answer to everything. Your mind is your strongest asset. Use it and try to figure out a way ." I say encouragingly.

" It's not that easy Doug ? How am I supposed to find them, there are probably hundreds of people in there, it could literally be anyo..." she stops suddenly as a look of realization appears on her face.

" What? What did you figure out " Kitty asks curiously.

" So you figured it out didn't you? " I say with a smirk on my face.

She looks at me and says "The Band!"

I simply nod my head at her deduction as Kitty still looks confused by the situation.

I start explaining it to Kitty by saying " We've been here for a couple of hours already, but Jean only detected the presence of the new meta-human as soon as the new band came out. It could simply be a coincidence, but it gives us someplace to start from and narrow it down " I explained slowly.

" That's brilliant! Even if we're wrong we have nothing to lose and at least have a chance " Kitty said excitedly.

I nod and say " It's worth a shot, but we'll have to wait for them to finish playing backstage. We can't exactly climb up the stage. We don't want to draw too much attention to us ."

They both nod agreeing with what I said. We then easily sneak in backstage, even though there wasn't much sneaking involved. We basically just waltzed in and Jean used her telepathy to let us go unnoticed. All we had to do now is wait.

( Alison POV)

As I was getting ready for my performance my mind went back to the first time I manifested my abilities a few years ago. I was performing at my junior high school dance and almost ended up blinding all of those who were in attendance.

Thankfully it was explained as some kind of accident related to faulty electrical wiring .

For years, I kept my powers a secret especially from my father. My parents had a tense relationship, I guess they were just different kinds of people, there was my mother a free-spirited entertainer who valued her independence , while my father who was a stoic and strict law student preferred a quite boring life.

It eventually led to my mom walking out on us while I was still a toddler. She left me to be raised by him, but Grandma (his mother) ended up the one who took care of me the most, as he was busy most of the time. Grandma told me my Mom leaving had a profound effect on my Dad and that he was never the same after she left .

As I entered my adolescence years and developed dreams of becoming a singer, my father, now a judge, became increasingly intolerant of the idea.

Instead, he tried forcing me to choose a path similar to his own; I would become an academic star and continue on a path to law school. It was at this moment I decided to abandon my father's dream.

While at my graduation ceremony, I informed my father that I would not be attending the law school he had selected for me and instead would pursue a life as a singer.

He certainly didn't like that and I was further alienated by him.

By the time I reached university, I began to explore both my powers and my musical ability. I eventually came out with a stage name "Dazzler".

The name was certainly fitting due to how my powers worked.

I used my light-based powers as a draw for my performances. Using my ability I was able to take the sound of the music and convert it into dazzling displays of color. I tried marketing my light shows as a "technological secret".

It drew enough attention to jump start my career land me gigs at several New York clubs and got me on the map.

Luckily I was able to bypass critical speculation. At least enough to fool the club managers and others in my life. I knew I had to keep it a secret as I suspected it wouldn't end well for me if I was ever discovered to be on of those "Mutants".

(POV end)

We kept waiting backstage and after watching the band play song after song. I began to suspect who the new meta-human was.

The lead singer surrounded by a light show. At a glance the lights that surround her looked like slightly advanced stage lights. They were certainly colorful and eye catching, but after scanning the stage and even the whole venue, Sophie wasn't able to detect any kind of device being used or where the lights are coming from.

From there it wasn't that hard to guess, that it's probably a meta ability. I then asked Jean if she could discretly scan the lead singer and even a few other members of the band. She gave me a nod and started scanning them one by one.

" I am not certain, but I think I am getting something from the lead singer. The rest of the band feels normal" she says after a few minutes.

"It's fine we'll make certain after we talk to her. I was getting some weird vibes from her too. I don't think she's normal" I say in a contemplative tone.

The Show finally ended, and the band started to head backstage.

" Man, that was totally awesome. We were on fire tonight ! " one of the band members exclaimed.

"You were great tonight guys. I just got a call and they just booked you guys again for tomorrow night's show " a man in a suit said as he walked up to them. They all get excited at the good news and the man who can be assumed to be their manager started giving them comments and some feedback on their performance.

" Johnny, great work on the drums tonight and Tyler I know you like your guitar solos, but next time try to keep it short. Alison you were a star tonight, you.." as their manager droned on and kept talking.

Alison eventually noticed a young man with two beautiful girls was standing a distance away from her and the band, but they seemed to be staring at her intensely . At first she thought they were probably fans who managed to sneak in, but it started to feel uncomfortable, so she went up to them to find out why they're here.

" Excuse me, I don't think you're supposed to be here. Did you sneak in to get an autograph or something ?" she asked.

" No, we aren't exactly fans, we're here to talk to you about something important though . Did you by any chance start to notice something different or weird happening around you, any strange abilities or powers " I asked her bluntly .

Alison froze as soon as she heard the question, and thoughts of her being discovered went through her mind.

She quickly became wary and suspicious of the people talking to her, but before she could begin to refute or deny any knowledge of what they're talking about, she suddenly heard a voice in her mind that said " Don't worry, we're not here to hurt you or capture you. We're mutants like you, we were here at the concert and I noticed you using your powers while performing , so we waited backstage for you so we could talk." Jean explained trying to calm her down.

Alison's eyes suddenly widened at hearing a voice in her mind. She turns her head to the redhead who was talking to her telepathically and says " How.. "

Before she could talk, I cut her off and said

"Maybe this isn't the best place to talk, let's go somewhere more private." I say as I pointedly look towards her band who had by now stopped talking and were looking at us.

" Fine, let's go to my changing room, it should give us somewhere more private to talk. " she says hurriedly.

We start following her to her room, and we arrive after a few minutes.

We were standing behind her as she opened the door to her room, when suddenly she stops and we hear

" Who are you and what are you doing in my room ? " she asks with a cold tone.

" Alison Blaire I presume ?" the voice asks in return. The voice continues without stopping and says.

"My name is Emma Frost and I am here on behalf of the hellfire club." she states in a haughty, but elegant tone.

( Chapter End )

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Yooo, the ice queen is in the house. Emma frost is here y'all. She's one of my favorite characters to be honest. I hope I do her justice. Let me know what you guys think in the comments and I hope you are enjoying the story.

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I already have 8 advanced chapters ready for those who wish to read ahead on my

pat-reon/AnubisCreationz.

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" No man speaks to Doom this way. Even Captain America."

-- Victor Von Doom (Earth-616)