New Beginnings
and yellow fingers hugged the horizon, Jean’s father clasped her hand and gently squeezed it, the familiar callouses and warmth steadying her trembling fingers. She blinked back tears stinging her eyes as he handed her a battered silver suitcase—the final severing of her childhood moorings.
“Do you need help with anything before we leave?” Mr. Anderson asked flatly, his face betraying his emotion.
Jean flashed a slight wisp of a smile. “No, I’m all set.”
Mrs. Anderson’s eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around Jean in a crushing embrace. “I can’t believe how time flew. If you ever need anything, just call. Remember, you can always switch to the community college. It’s so much closer.” She pulled back, hands lingering on Jean’s shoulders.
“Mom, don’t worry. Everything will be alright. I’ll visit so much you’ll get sick of me,” Jean said in a reassuring tone.
Mrs. Anderson tenderly kissed Jean’s forehead, the touch sending a comforting shiver down her spine. “Yeah, well, I worry so much,” her mother replied, her voice filled with both pride and concern. “You’ll always be my little girl. Promise me you’ll take your vitamins every day, study hard, and eat right.”
Jean’s heart swelled with love as she locked eyes with her mother’s. “I promise.”
“Okay, we’ll see you on Thanksgiving, but let me know if you want to come for a visit sooner.”
Nervous energy filled Jean’s entire body as she lugged her last suitcase down the hallway and into her dorm room. She sighed heavily as she opened the door to the small, bland space featuring three loft beds and matching desks lined up against different walls. A pang of uncertainty pierced Jean’s stomach as she surveyed the room and thought about her first day of high school four years ago.
As she entered Mountain Ridge High to begin her freshman year, optimism filled Jean’s heart. New school, new teachers, and hundreds of other students to meet awaited her. She grinned as she glanced at her class schedule. English, Ms. Green, room 103. Dodging crowds of students walking in every direction, Jean scurried down the hallway and entered Ms. Green’s room. Great, I don’t see any of the bullies. She sat at a desk next to a petite, brunette girl who greeted her with a warm, inviting smile. Before long, more students began filing into the room.
“Oh look, it’s Ms. Freak,” Petra shrieked as she entered the classroom.
Jean blinked her eyes and returned her thoughts to the present. Her eyes surveyed the dorm room. It’s time to stop dwelling on the past and start living life in the present. I doubt I’ll ever see those bullies again. Jean let go of her suitcase’s handle as she took a deep inhale of the dust-filled air and her mouth curled into a grin.
The following morning, Jean headed to her campus tour. As she crossed the quad, the hair on the back of her neck prickled. She paused and glanced over her shoulder. A lady standing next to a tree stared at her. Shaking off the uneasy feeling, she hugged her arms around herself and continued walking. When she arrived at the tour meeting spot in the Student Union, she scribbled on a nametag and stood near her assigned guide in a group of fifty students. She suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu as she watched everyone else engaging in introductions and small talk. I should just walk up to someone and introduce myself. Spotting a student standing by herself, Jean strolled toward her. Just as she was about to say “hi,” another student greeted the target and hugged her. Oh, they must be friends from high school. Jean sighed. I guess I’ll stay by myself. It would be rude to interrupt them.
By the end of the tour, most of the other students acted like new best friends after gathering in small groups. In contrast, Jean received polite smiles and diverted glances when she made eye contact with others. She couldn’t wait to meet her roommates. Surely, they would become close friends, living in a small, confined area.
After the campus tour, Jean entered a large auditorium for the session on class registration when a man’s eyes bore into her. As soon as her eyes met with the man’s eyes, he turned and walked away. She shivered. Was it her imagination? The long day filled with campus tours and orientation sessions was exhausting, so she was happy when she could finally return to her dorm room.
“Hey, are you going to the welcome barbecue tonight?” a cheerful voice called out from across the hallway as Jean unlocked her door. She looked up to see a girl with short, spiky, black hair and a circular barbell nose ring leaning against the corridor wall.
“Um, yeah, I was thinking about it,” Jean stammered, trying to sound comfortable despite the pounding in her chest. Jean took a couple of deep breaths to relax her mind and body.
The girl smiled. “Great! Perhaps I’ll see you there. By the way, I’m Laci,” the girl said as she extended her hand.
“I’m Jean,” Jean replied as she shook Laci’s hand. As Laci disappeared back into her own room, Jean turned toward her room. A young lady stood next to her door talking on a cellphone. Is that one of my roommates? When Jean continued walking toward her door, the young lady glanced at Jean and abruptly turned, heading to the nearby staircase.
Jean opened her door. Her roommates had moved in while she was at orientation. Clothes and duffel bags littered one bed, while the other was neatly made up with flowery bedding. Photographs lined the wall next to the neatly made-up bed. Jean perused the photos, wondering what her roommates were like. Will they be friendly and nice? Or will they be like those bullies in school? Thoughts of the torment she endured throughout her school years made Jean’s pulse quicken. During high school, she gave up on developing friendships with her peers and mostly chatted with teachers and school personnel during school hours.
As Jean looked at the smiling faces in the photos, she relaxed. She wasn’t sure which person in the photos was her roommate, but everyone looked nice. All the faces were filled with warm smiles instead of smug expressions. Her roommate also seemed to be adventurous, as there were pictures of people doing things like hiking and skydiving. Jean stooped down and leaned closer to the pictures. The same person appeared in most of them. Hmm, the one with the auburn hair must be my roommate. It looks like she has blonde hair sometimes. Oh, it looks like she also sometimes has black hair. Jean giggled. She must be a cool person.
That evening, as she walked to the barbecue, Jean reminded herself that all freshmen were the same — new students trying to make friends and fit in with others. But as she approached the event, a light orange glow emanated from her fingertips. Oh no, not again. The last time Jean saw the strange glow was on her eighteenth birthday. She had assumed it was from a nearby streetlight, but she was in the middle of the quad surrounded by four tall dorms and there were no streetlights on. Jean quickly shoved her hands into her pockets, hoping no one else had seen it. Standing near the entrance to where the barbecue was located, she tried to decide what to do. Barbecue smoke wafted through the air, flooding her nostrils. This was probably a bad idea. I should leave. Jean turned around to return to her room when she heard a familiar voice.
“Hey, Jean! Over here!”
Jean glanced over her shoulder. Her neighbor Laci was enthusiastically waving her arms in the air.
“Hey, Laci, right?” Jean said, trying to sound more self-assured than she felt.
Laci looked up from her conversation with another girl and smiled at her. “That’s right! I’m glad you made it,” she said warmly. “This is Tessa. Tessa, this is my neighbor, Jean.”
“Hey,” Tessa said, waving.
Jean returned the gesture and grinned, feeling a flicker of hope that she could make friends in college. Crap, I forgot about my glowing hands. Jean lowered her eyes, peeking at her hands. Great! The glow is gone. As she walked closer to Laci and Tessa, Jean glanced at the table of food. “So, what’s good?” Laci and Tessa exchanged glances and giggled.
“Actually, we were just talking about how terrible it is. We might have been better off going to the cafeteria,” Tessa said.
“The burgers aren’t horrible. They’re a little dry and bland, but with ketchup, they aren’t too bad,” Laci said as she chomped into a hamburger.
Jean grabbed a paper plate and topped it with grilled chicken, potato salad, a hot dog, and baked beans. She walked to where Tessa and Laci were sitting and bit into a chicken wing. It was bland and difficult to chew. After scooping up some of the potato salad and sticking it into her mouth, Jean grimaced. “Yeah, this definitely makes me homesick for my mom’s food.”
Tessa and Laci giggled. “If cafeteria food tastes anything like this, we’ll need to have regular pizza nights,” Tessa said.
Jean glanced at her hands. They had a dull glow. Not again! She looked at Tessa and Laci. Hopefully, they didn’t notice anything. She hopped up and set the plate of food on top of her palms. “I think I’ve had enough of this food. I’ll see you guys later. I’m going to head back to my room to finish unpacking.”
Tessa waved. “Don’t forget pizza night. Let me know when you’re interested.”
When Jean arrived back at her room, a girl was unpacking a suitcase and shoving clothes into drawers.
“Howdy! Ya must be Jean!” the girl exclaimed with her voice in a slight southern drawl as she extended her hand for a friendly shake. “Oh my gosh, you are so pretty! I’m Emmie, your new roommate. Did ya meet our other roommate, Carmen?”
Jean grinned. It was the first time someone other than her parents called her pretty. “Thanks for the compliment. No, I haven’t met her yet. Is she here?”
“Yeah, but she went out to eat with her family.”
“Oh, okay,” Jean replied, trying to hide her nervousness. Emmie had already decorated her side of the room with photos adorning the wall, a small, colorful rug in front of her desk, and a blue recycling bin. Jean set her plate on her desk and started unpacking her suitcase.
“Ya need help with anything?” Emmie asked. “I have some extra hangers if you need ’em.”
“No, thank you. I don’t need any.” Jean glanced at her hands to see if the strange glow was still coming from them. Fortunately, it was gone. The sun must have hit them a certain way. No one has hands that glow. Wait, there wasn’t any sun. Jean re-directed her attention to Emmie. “I like your pictures. You must be real adventurous.”
Emmie tossed her wavy auburn hair to the side. “Yeah, I guess ya could say that. So, tell me about yourself, roomie. Do ya have any interesting hobbies? Have ya decided on a major? What are your life goals?”
Jean chuckled. “Well, I don’t have any interesting hobbies unless you consider watching cheesy romance movies to be a hobby. I haven’t decided on a major, but I’m considering genealogy, history, or biology. Life goals. Let’s see. I guess my number one life goal is to find my parents.”
Emmie’s eyes widened as she gasped. “You lost your parents?”
“Oh, no. I mean my birth parents. I’m adopted. I love my adoptive parents and they’re great, but I would like to know who my biological parents are.”
“Well, in that case, I hope ya find your parents. Have you ever thought about doing one of those DNA tests to find them? I signed up for a family history class that has a DNA test as a class assignment.”
“I signed up for that class, too. We can study together.”
A lock clicked, and the door swung open. A young woman with flowing blonde hair sauntered into the room with two middle-aged adults and a young girl. “Hi,” she muttered.
“Howdy, Carmen and family. This is our roommate, Jean. We were just getting to know each other,” Emmie exclaimed with a wide grin.
Carmen gave a curt nod toward Jean and directed her attention to her family. She muttered something to her parents and gave them a brusque hug.
Carmen’s mother kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll call to check up on you later tonight.”
“Well, you better hurry if you want to beat traffic,” Carmen said, glancing at her watch as she opened the door for her family to leave. “Bye.”
Jean’s shoulders tensed as Carmen slammed the door. Hopefully, she’s just tired. She doesn’t seem nearly as friendly as Emmie. Jean chuckled to herself. This will be interesting. They seem like polar opposites. Emmie has more of a grunge vibe while Carmen is a high fashion princess. And me, I am … well, I don’t know what I am. I guess I’m somewhere in the middle. I wonder which part of the roommate questionnaire caused them to put us together.
After her parents left, Carmen grabbed her chair and dragged it near Jean and Emmie. “So, what did I miss?” She slid a small mirror out of her pocket and held in front of her face, smoothing her hair.
“Well,” Emmie said with excitement in her voice, “she’s adopted, and guess what? We just found out that we’re both enrolled in the same family history class.”
“Cool,” Carmen replied, slipping the mirror back into her pocket. “Is family history supposed to be interesting? I still have to choose two more classes.”
Emmie’s voice filled with delight as she squealed, “Ooh, you should definitely join us! We can study together, and trust me, it’ll be an easy A.”
After a brief pause, Carmen shrugged. “Maybe I will,” she said, her voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty.
“So, are you guys gonna join any clubs or pledge a sorority?” Emmie asked.
“I’m pledging my mom’s sorority,” Carmen said, tossing and fluffing her hair.
Jean tilted her head. Hmm, a club might be a good idea. It would be a great way to meet people. “I haven’t looked at the list. Are there any interesting clubs?”
Emmie’s eyes lit up as she scrolled through the club descriptions on her laptop. “Ya name it, there’s a club for it. Archery, dance, drama, figure skating. Ya’ll, there’s even a UFO watcher’s club,” she said, chuckling. “Ooh, there’s an environmental club, too. I’m definitely gonna join that.” Emmie hopped up and headed to her closet. “Speaking of which, I’ve noticed far too many plastic bags coming into this room.” She emerged with two cotton canvas bags and handed one to Jean and Carmen. “My gift to you. Take it whenever you go shopping, so you won’t need to use a plastic bag.”
“Thanks. Isn’t there something in a couple of days where the clubs set up tables with information? I’ll probably stop by there to see if anything interests me,” Jean said.
“Cool, I’ll go with you. Wanna join us, Carmen?”
“Sure, I’m down for checking it out,” Carmen said, pulling a hand mirror out of her purse. “So, where is everyone from? I’ll start. I’m from Los Angeles.”
“That’s a good question. My parents were military, so I spent a lot of time in different countries. I lived in various states as well. Texas, Virginia, Alabama. We spent the last two years in Montana, so I guess that’s where I’m from now,” Emmie said.
Jean hesitated, her eyes downcast, and her shoulders slumped. “I lived in Montana my entire life,” she muttered, rubbing her arm as she leaned back in her chair.
“Cool. I love, love, love Montana. Off topic, but I just noticed something. Jean, what color are your eyes?” Emmie asked.
“Brown, why?”
“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it. They’re beautiful, but your pupils suddenly started looking closer to yellow. I don’t know. It might be the lighting,” Emmie said.
Jean shuddered and scrunched her face up in worry. There seemed to be something strange happening to her eyes in the past, but she could never figure out what it was. She often thought she was imagining things or that the lighting affected her eye color. “I think my eyes might look a little different in different lightings,” she said as she bounced her leg up and down. I’m not sure what’s up with my eyes. People keep mentioning my eyes changing colors. Perhaps it’s time to invest in some color contact lenses. At least then my eyes will stay one color. But what will I do about the glow in my hands? I can’t wear gloves every day. She hopped up. “Hey, guys, I’m going to run to the bathroom.”
As Jean cautiously walked down the dimly lit hallway, a sudden surge of fiery tingles erupted on her delicate skin, sending shivers down her spine. Panic gripped her, desperately pleading for this not to happen now, not in this moment. Yet, an otherworldly glow emanated from her trembling hands, gradually creeping up her arms like ethereal vines. Just a few steps away from reaching the sanctuary of the bathroom, her vision faltered, blurring the world around her. The floor seemed to lunge toward her, ruthlessly pulling her down as her body collapsed, trembling uncontrollably.
Amidst the chaos, a cacophony of voices swirled around Jean. “Someone call an ambulance!” one voice cried out, its tone laced with alarm. “What’s on her arms?” another voice questioned, the curiosity tinged with fear. “Is she breathing?” echoed a voice laden with worry. Faces etched with distress encircled her fragile form. Dark tendrils of unconsciousness enveloped Jean, dragging her deeper into its enigmatic realm.
Jean peeled open her heavy lids, her eyes met by the piercing gaze of emergency medical technicians. The sterile scent of antiseptic filled her nostrils, mingling with the scent of fear hanging in the air. “I’m sorry,” she uttered, her voice filled with a mix of vulnerability and determination, as she gingerly sat up. Taking a deep inhale, she tried to calm her racing heart. “I’m fine,” she reassured everyone, her words carrying a hint of defiance.
One of the EMTs offered, “We can transport you to the hospital.”
“No, that’s okay. I’m fine.”
A flicker of doubt passed through his eyes, the uncertainty clear in his tone. “Are you sure?”
With a nod and a faint smile, Jean replied, her voice steady, “Yeah.” As she strolled back to her room, her mind spun, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Moments ago, a fiery rash had erupted down her arms, its eerie glow preceding a wave of weakness that felled her. Now, her skin was perfectly smooth, the episode almost like a faded nightmare.
Her thoughts drifted back to her high school biology class. A lecture on axolotl salamanders stuck in her mind. Her teacher had described their extraordinary ability to regenerate damaged tissue at a phenomenal rate, unlike any other animal. She had leaned forward, enraptured by accounts of the amphibians regrowing severed limbs with an embryonic-like power, unleashing mysterious cellular factors to heal without scarring within weeks.
Jean couldn’t ignore the parallel or the reality she may harbor her own internal reservoir, allowing tissue regrowth and self-repair beyond normal human constraints. Perhaps a quirk of genetics or long-buried evolutionary legacy had flipped that switch for her. More questions than answers remained. But she was determined to unravel the biological secrets behind this strange gift and whether its origins held deeper truths about her yet-unknown lineage. It was no longer about wanting to discover information about her biological family. It was now about needing to find it.