Alicia Cameron

Alicia Cameron is an original fictional character who first appeared in New X-Men #5.

Background
Alicia doesn't like to talk much about her past, and has a talent for deflecting any conversation that might stray towards that topic. When she does hazard to mention it, she likes to paint a picture of a American household so typical as to be downright boring. However, it is known to her teachers that she suffered a very troubled upbringing as the only child of drug addict parents.

Learning to cope, at least in Alicia's case, meant learning to be equal parts shrewd and hard-working. The teen has a natural gift for bartering and haggling, and knows how and when to manipulate a deal, or the person with whom she's made a deal, to suit her purposes. Even so, it's a wonder that she's managed to support both herself and her parents all on her own, for so long.

New X-Men
Alicia was one of four North American mutants to turn up on the New X-Men's first Cerebra global scan. Andrea Richmond, herself a powerful telepath, volunteered to approach the troubled teen.

Despite having been aware of her power for weeks, Alicia was reluctant to talk about her powers with a stranger, and seemed largely ignorant of mutant culture, or even current events surrounding the passage of the Mutant Rights Act and the decriminalization of the X-gene. Only by striking a bargain with Andrea would she agree to sit and talk about her mutation over a free lunch, and this in turn resulted in a deal in which she would move into the Xavier Institute and study under the X-Men in exchange for a large sum of cash and a room all to herself.

Powers and Abilities
Alicia is an Alpha-level mutant, and is capable of emitting a telepathic signal which appears to the human eye as a small, but bright flame in her open palm. The flame is not real: it produces no heat and even the silvery light it sheds is false, and is neither able to cast shadows or pierce darkness; and yet, it is unearthly in its beauty and the weak-willed find it captivating. Those who gaze directly into the flame risk becoming fascinated with it, causing them to enter a trance-like state. The full effects of her power are not yet understood.