A Legend is Born

Jean flipped through the latest issue of Teen People. This was proving to be one of the most boring nights in her life. She put it back on the shelf and started to the door. Someone was coming in at the same time. They collided. She fell to the floor. "Sorry, I-. Jean?!" She looked up and almost screamed. Matt Murdock, one of her best friends from her old high school. She jumped up. "Oh my gosh. I can`t believe it`s you," she exclaimed. "We should hang out," she practically demanded. "Okay," he said, with a smile.

The two of them walked around for hours talking. Jean glanced at her watch, after a while. "Oh my gosh, it`s after midnight. The Professor is gonna kill me," she moaned. "Okay now, I feel guilty," he said.

Just then a horn blared. Both looked to see what was going on. A little girl was in the middle of the road with her kitten while a semi barreled towards them. Jean used her powers with out thinking. That was before she knew Matt had run out to try to rescue the girl. She put her hands over her mouth in shock as the truck toppled over. Then she lost sight of Matt. She ran over to find him.  He was crouching and covering his eyes, reminding her of Scott. "Matt," she said softly. "Jean, something happened to me. My eyes. They`re really burning," he said, sounding hysterical. She yelled at some one to call 911 and walked over to him. He grabbed her arm as if he somehow sensed her. "Jean, please don`t go," he pleaded. "I won`t,” she assured him.

Taryn put her purse on the floor next to the chair where Jean was. Jean had her face buried in her hands. “What have I done,” she mumbled. “Oh come on, you know, what happened had nothing to do with you,” Taryn told her. “I could’ve done something. I could’ve stopped him. I could’ve saved the girl myself,” Jean told her. “Then you would be blind. Instead of Matt,” Taren told her. “Right,” Jean sighed.

Scott came up to them and asked Taren to leave so he could talk to Jean alone. She left. “I used my powers, Scott. I used them without thinking. And now because of that, he’s never going to see me or you or anything or anyone ever again,” she said. “Jean, you didn’t know. You had no way of knowing so stop beating yourself up about this,” he told her. “He’s going to hate me now,” she said.

Sometime later Jean mustered enough courage to visit Matt. He was still in the hospital. He was lying in his bed not moving except for the rise and fall of his chest. Bandages covered his eyes concealing the damage done. The damage she had caused. His life was ruined and it was all her fault. She was going to leave when out of the blue he said, “Jean, is that you?” “How did you know someone was here,” she asked a little surprised. “You’re the only person I know that wears Clinque Happy,” he said. “Oh, um the nurse said that you can leave in the morning. Why don’t we hang out,” she asked him. “That’d be great. And this time I’ll try not to throw myself in front of oncoming traffic,” he said with a laugh.