Template:Featured Articles/23-2007

Cecilia Reyes: Cecilia lost her father to an undisclosed illness when she was six years old, and the experience drove her to pursue medicine as a vocation. If anyone asked, she was going to go to school, become a doctor, and save lives. Following that chosen course of action lent her life a bit of comfort, as well as a big swell of confidence when she began actually succeeding at what she set out to do for herself. She was sure of herself, sure of her abilities (thanks to her excellent grades and teachers that downright adored her), and was sure that once she graduated, she'd go on to work in one of New York's hospitals, and get down to the business of saving lives. The discovery that she was a mutant caused a brief, but very real, swell of panic. She hadn't yet graduated high school, and already, her plans were most definitely in jeopardy. She chose to hide her abilities and became incredibly introverted to prevent anyone from getting close enough to find out her secret. During her final year of med school, however, she was 'outed' as a mutant after the Columbia massacre, and wound up on the doorstep of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngstersafter seeing the CNN Special about the school for mutants. Cecilia's time at Xavier's was brief. She arrived days before the Asgard incident and spent most of that particular week trying to calm panicked parents. She attended as part of Red X the clean up after Hurricane Charley and worked in the medlab assisting the doctors and continuing her education, as well as teaching junior first aid. She formed some friendships among the staff and students, including Mạnh Cao Xuân, Madelyn Bartlet, Alison Blaire, Jean-Paul Beaubier and Illyana Rasputin. However, the strangeness of life at the mansion caused her difficulty. She found it hard to understand Sarah's continued presence at the school after the girl's declaration of having killed was collaborated by several people and Haroun's casual revelation of the X-Men gave her concerns for her safety. Psychic powers, such as the telepaths, also disturbed her. It was the supernatural events - S'ym (plot) and the hatching of Lockheed - that proved too much for her and she moved out, finding an apartment in Salem Center and continuing her medical classes at the local community college. Cecilia is capable of forming a shield of force around herself to protect from damage or harsh environmental conditions. She does, however, retain tactile sensation through her shield, so while impacts may not damage her, they do cause pain. She is not yet capable of manifesting her shield consciously, nor has she been able to suppress it when startled or threatened.