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Author's Note: Chapter Six is ready and waiting to be read. I didn't think I was going to finish this one so quickly but I spent all day writing so here it is. For all of you out there wondering about the mysterious Khaji Da and the things It does then you'll get your answer. Be prepared for another cliffhanger at the end though. I'd like to thank djkauf for the wonderful editing and DC Comics for their wonderful characters. PS: Kudos to anyone who figures out who the doctor is.

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Chapter Six:

When I woke, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I didn’t expect to wake so peacefully. I yawned, sat up and stretched. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d ever slept that well before. It was like all my troubles and worries were over with. But of course, as soon as I looked down and saw the two lumps on my chest I knew that to not be the case. I groaned, hoping that by conquering Khaji, it might somehow reverse what had happened to me. But they were still there and they looked a little more perky this morning too. I reached up and poked the left one. It didn’t feel any different but then again I’m not sure how they would feel if they were different.

I rubbed the back of my neck. My hands were still dainty and my neck was still the thin, small one from the last few days. Did stopping Khaji accomplish anything? I slipped out of bed, stumbling over my sneakers. They were a spare pair actually, my original pair were long gone now, incinerated or whatever when I changed into that armor yesterday. For the first time I noticed how small my feet were. They looked a lot smaller than yesterday. Ok, not a lot, but at least I was able to fit into my shoes before I changed. I laid my left foot next to one of my sneaks on the floor. I groaned; there was no way I’d be able to wear them now. I had tiny girl feet. Not that my feet were ever big to begin with---size nines---but they were bigger than they were now.

I tried to ignore my sneakers as I wandered over to my desk and took out my little mirror again. I needed to see if anything else changed. But as I looked at my face, there was a slight knock on the door. I looked to the window first, it was still dark outside. I looked at my clock radio, six thirty in the morning. How could it be morning? Did I really sleep all afternoon and evening? How was that even possible? I yawned again; clearly I was more tired than I thought. I groaned, wondering if it was going to be like this all the time now. There was another knock on my door. I sighed, set down the mirror and wandered over to the door. When I opened it, my mother was standing there. She was wearing a bathrobe, her hair wrapped in a towel turban.

“Morning, honey” she said awkwardly, taking in my disheveled appearance.

I looked down now that I was in proper light. I was wearing one of my shirts and a pair of boxer shorts. The shorts were a bit baggy though. I smiled sheepishly at her. “Morning, Mom, what are you doing up so early?”

“We have a doctor’s appointment in two hours and then I thought maybe you and I could spend the day together.”

I groaned. I had a feeling this was coming eventually. She wanted to drag me about on a mother/daughter shopping spree. It was amazing how quickly things turned around. Yesterday---was it really yesterday---I was a stranger to her and now she was treating me like I’d always been this way. I guess she was trying to make a go of it and I guess I couldn’t really blame her for trying. I smiled at her, realizing how close to each other we were in height now. As a boy, I was a little taller but now we could look each other in the face, eye to eye. What’s worse was how close in body shape we looked, too. Except maybe in the chest department, I think I might have been bigger. I think she caught me looking because she adjusted the front of her robe, turning away slightly.

“Can I get a shower first?”

She nodded. “I’ve got some old clothes that don’t fit anymore. They look like they might fit you; I’ll leave them on the bed.”

I nodded and she left.

“Your mother seems to be in better spirits,” said Khaji, the new female voice was kind of jarring.

I was surprised to hear him…err…her at all. “You’re still with me?”

“I cannot leave. You and I are bonded. Even if I wanted to, there is no way for me to leave you now.”

I nodded and walked out of the room. I’m glad I was the only one who could hear Khaji. I’m still not sure how I’m going to explain to my family about the crazy alien thing inside of me, attached to my spine. I think that’s where he/she is anyway. I looked to make sure that Milagro wasn’t lingering nearby and slipped into the bathroom. I locked the door just to be on the safe side. I wasn’t ready for sisterly love round two. After her insistent babbling yesterday, I couldn’t take anymore. I’m glad she was glad I was like this now but I’m not ready for everything she thinks I am.

I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and went pee. I’m not going to bore you with another shower scene but suffice to say it was pretty much like the others. I guess I am some kind of shower perv. I wrapped one of my blue towels around me this time---all Milagro’s pink towels were in the hamper, thanks in part to me. I wrapped another blue towel around my head and went back to my room. I was nearly ambushed by Milagro. She ran down the hall, wrapping her arms around me. She was crying so I’m sure whatever it was, it wasn’t good. She held on to me for quite some time until I finally managed to wiggle her away.

She looked up at me, her cheeks wet with tears. “I thought it was a dream. I thought I dreamed everything and you were still my stupid brother.”

I sighed. I bent down and wrapped her in a hug. I held onto her as long as I could, letting her cry a bit on my shoulder. She finally finished and I did the unthinkable. “Mom and I are going out today; do you want to tag along?”

Her face lit up and she wrapped me in another hug. She let go and raced back into her room as fast as humanly possible. God I hope I’m not going to regret that.

“Children are truly special creatures” Khaji sounded totally different now, she acted different too.

“Are we going to talk about it?”

She didn’t say anything for the longest time and when she spoke again, there was a touch of sadness to her voice. “I came to this planet as a scout for a larger invasion fleet. I ended up crash landing in the place you call Egypt. The Reach is a far superior race, eons ahead of yours, even all those years ago. My kind are infiltrators as I’ve mentioned before but we need a host to be active, otherwise we go into a hibernation mode. I first bonded with a young Egyptian girl and at first; I tried to carry out my mission. But the longer I was bonded with her, the longer I realized that your race was a peaceful and caring one. I was very happy for the first time in a long time. Then tragedy struck and the girl was killed. Only in death can I pass on to the next host and when I did it was the only body available, that of her killer.

“I didn’t know it at the time but he was actually the Pharaoh or would be in a very short time. When one of us bonds with a host, we take on a lot of their attributes. I was much like the girl when I was with her but once bonded to this cruel young man, I started to become like him. He was a very domineering individual. Eventually he became Pharaoh and ruled for many years. After his death, I changed hands many more times but never again was I bonded with a woman. My last Host before the fall of the great Empire was buried in a tomb. I was buried with him. You have no idea how hard it is to live in the ground, for hundreds of years, conscious while the body you possess rots around you. It is something that I would not even wish on my greatest enemy.

“I didn’t see the light of day again until 1939, when an archeologist named Dan Garret and his assistant unearthed the tomb I was buried in. I was so utterly confused that I latched onto Garret immediately. There was a cave-in and I saved both of them. Daniel tried to use me to help people, and become a superhero, but I had other plans. The two of us fought much like you and I and in the end, I was too much for Daniel. After several years of co-habitating his body, he took his own life. I passed on to his son but the boy didn’t have the same potential as his father. When I’m not in a body, I fall into a dormant state. I wasn’t revived from that dormant state until a man named Theodore Kord found me. He was a student of Daniel’s when he taught at the university. He tracked me down and tried his hardest to get me to bond with him. But there was something about him that I didn’t like”

“How did you end up in the garbage?”

She sighed. “I sat on Ted’s desk for many years until the day that Danielle Garrett arrived. She was the granddaughter of Daniel and had heard the family stories. She tried to buy me from Theodore but he was unwilling to sell. So she took matters into her own hands. Late one night she and few others broke into Ted’s office and attempted to steal me. But Ted caught them in the act. They shot at him, wounding him but he grabbed me and managed to escape. He fled into the streets and got as far as the alley but he succumbed to his wounds. Before he died, he tossed me into that lot. That’s where you found me; I’d been there for a few days and was just starting my hibernation cycle when you plucked me from that trash pile. Which I may add I was very thankful for.”

“If you were so thankful then why did you try to kill me?”

“I wasn’t trying to kill you; I was trying to suppress you. Something happened when I started entering hibernation. My systems rebooted themselves and my primary objective came back on-line. I tried to override but it was already too late. My fail-safe computer overran most of my higher functions and my original programming took over. I’ve known for quite some time that the Reach abandoned me on this planet. But due to my initial programming, I could only serve them. I tried to force my way through, to get to you but I was unable to do so. It wasn’t until you overrode the program that I was finally able to break free and for that I am truly grateful.”

“Why did you turn me into a girl?”

“I’m not sure. I think it had something to do with my first imprint. You remember that girl, the one I first bonded with. Well when I first arrived here, she became a template for imprinting. Whenever I move on to a new host, I imprint on them. But something happened when my system rebooted and the only template I seemed to recognize was a female one. I was convinced that it was in your best interest to become like the Prime Host. There was nothing I could do to stop it. I flooded your body with female hormones and used my nanobots to reconfigure your genetic makeup. I am deeply sorry but there is nothing I can do for you now. You will be like this for the rest of your life. Once you are changed at the molecular level there is no going back.”

I sighed, slumping onto my bed. So there was no going back. I looked at my hands, at my delicate little girly hands and sighed. I wanted to cry but I held it in. My lip quivered a bit but I wasn’t going to let it control me. Just like I beat that twisted part of Khaji, I was going to beat this, too. I may be a girl now but I’m not going to let that stop me from being me. I finished my internal pep talk and turned to look at the clothes my mother had lying on the bed for me. I stared at them for the longest time and let out a huge sigh.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

_____________________________

“You look adorable, honey”

I walked down the stairs, trying my best to look anything but adorable. But how could I not, after all I was wearing a dress. It wasn’t just any dress, though; it was the yellowest dress I have ever seen. I know that’s probably not a word but there’s nothing else to describe how yellow this thing is. Not only that, it was short, way too short. I tugged on the hem as I descended the stairs. Milagro was sitting on the couch, dressed in a pink t-shirt and jeans. Me, I looked like fricking Big Bird. Milagro looked at me and snickered. My mother shot her a look and she quickly shut up. I stuck my tongue out at her and went to take my normal seat.

My mother made breakfast this morning which was a Godsend. We ate in silence. I think the three of us were at a loss as to what to say. I briefly asked where my father was and my Mom grumbled something about him being at work. She sounded angry. Did they have a fight? My parents hardly ever argued unless one of us did something stupid, strike that, unless I did something stupid. I looked at my mother and I could see that the fight had definitely been about me. Our eyes met and then she guiltily looked away. Yep, definitely about me. After that, I ate my bacon, eggs and toast without looking at either of them. I was already embarrassed enough as it was.

Toward the end of breakfast, my mother ran her fingers through my hair. She made a hissing sound. “Sweetheart, who cut your hair?” She then took a sip of her coffee.

“Mario.”

She spit her coffee across the table, gagging as she did so. Milagro broke into a fit of giggles. I’m not sure what was so funny. That’s what barbers do, they cut hair. After my mother was done coughing, she wiped up her mess with a dishtowel. “Well, after the doctor’s, we’re going to Vivian’s and getting it done properly.”

I groaned. Vivian’s was the last place I wanted to get my haircut. It was for women.

“Have you looked in the mirror lately?”

“Zip it, Bug.”

My sister got excited about going shopping. Usually we just went to the shops but Vivian’s was in the actual city, in an actual mall. Milagro didn’t get to go to the city much; it was too busy for my little sister. Not that she didn’t try. My mother didn’t want her to wander off and get lost. Milagro, even though she was nine, liked to wander. Well I guess you’d call it browsing without an adult. She gets preoccupied with something, goes to look at it and doesn’t bother to tell anyone where she’s going. The last time she did it at the mall, one of the security guards had to bring her back.

I was about to make a comment when there was a knock on the door. My mother smiled and finished drinking what was left of her coffee. I looked at the door. It was seven in the morning, who the hell comes around at that time.

“Jaime…hmmm….I guess that’s going to have to change. Anyway can you answer the door please, meho.”

I ignored her comment about my name and got up to answer the door. As soon as I opened it, there was a loud squeal and something flew at me. It took me a few seconds to realize it was a person and they were currently wrapped around me. It took another few seconds to realize the person was Brenda and she was hugging me as tight as humanly possible. It took quite a bit to wiggle free and as soon as I did, she hugged me again. What the hell is it with girls and hugging?

Finally she got over it and let me go, taking a step back to give me a once over.

“Holy moly” she said with a big smile on her face. “When your Mom called yesterday and told me what happened I was a bit shocked. But seeing you now I’m completely flabbergasted. I mean you looked a bit girly at Paco’s but now…you’re like a whole new person.”

She hugged me again. “Thanks I think”.

She took me by the hand and pulled me out of the kitchen. Milagro tried to follow but my mother grabbed her shoulder, which made her pout. We went into the farthest corner of the living room as far away from my family as possible. She didn’t say anything for the longest time but then she took a deep breath, blowing the air out between her teeth. She only did that when she was really frustrated. So she actually did that a lot with Paco and me. Now though, I wasn’t sure if it was frustration that was causing her to blow air through her teeth or something else.

“Did you tell them about the stone?” she asked her voice barely above a whisper.

I shook my head. “What am I supposed to say? I can’t very well tell them that I found this cool shiny rock in the garbage and oh yeah it’s an alien super intelligence that’s actually turned me into a girl.”

Brenda gave me a look and I bit my lip. Of course, I didn’t tell her about that. God, I’m so stupid. She kept staring at me like I was crazy and I gave her a sheepish grin. She narrowed her eyes and gave me a look. I was about to open my mouth to explain but then my mother came walking into the room. She was tapping her watch. I sighed. Saved by the interruption.

“C’mon girls, we’re going to be late for Jaime’s appointment.’

I groaned. Why did I have to be a girl?

Brenda looped her arm through mine and the two of us walked out to the car. My Mom had the Prius again today. We got in the back while Milagro got into the front. I don’t think she was too happy about that. She wanted to sit in the back with her new sister. She complained all the way down the driveway and half way to the Clinic. That’s right, clinic. We don’t have a real hospital around here and as much as I’d like to go to a regular family doctor, we didn’t have one. My mother liked Grayson Clinic, partly because it was close to home but mostly because of the staff who volunteered there.

Having a paramedic for a mom had its advantages and one of them was that she knew all of the doctors in the area. According to her, Dr. Richards was the best. She was a bigwig but she divided her time between the Clinic and Jameson Queen Memorial Hospital---they named it after him shortly after he died.
The Clinic was only a couple of blocks from our house. It was a squat, single story building, the front of which had large glass windows. We parked in a spot designated for medical staff---my mother sometimes volunteered her services on the weekends. We got in without a problem and didn’t even have to wait. Brenda stayed in the waiting room with Milagro, trying her best to keep my sis company. Here’s something you never do, leave Brenda in a room alone with any kid. She’s not exactly really good with them and doesn’t try. I caught a glimpse of her trying her hardest to ignore Milagro as she was prattling on about some episode of Hannah Montana she watched yesterday.

We met Dr. Richards in Exam Room one. She was a lot prettier than I thought she was going to be. She was blonde, her hair cut to just above her shoulder. She was a little younger than my mother and had a pleasant smile. She ran the usual tests; I’m not going to bore you with the details. You’ve all been to the doctors so you know what they do. Then she took a blood sample. That kind of surprised me. She did it while I wasn’t paying attention, jabbing the needle in my arm while she was complimenting me on my hair. Khaji protested in my head but I told her it was standard operating procedure. How weird is it that I’m now referring to him as a girl and all because he was talking like one now.

After that, we went to her office. It was a standard looking office. It had a desk, a couple of ferns, a bookcase filled with medical books. I looked around the room lazily, my eyes drawn to a picture on her desk. It was of a smiling blonde haired guy in an Air force uniform. At first, I thought it might be her boyfriend but he looked too much like her.

“That’s my brother,” she said, noticing me looking. “He’s a pilot.”

“Dr. Richards, can you tell me what’s wrong with my son?”

She smiled. “Please call me Sue” My mother nodded and then the doc answered her question. “I’m not one hundred percent certain but it’s possible that your daughter might be a Metahuman. Has she shown any strange or unusual gifts since transforming?”

My mother ignored the last part of the question. “Metahuman? Are you sure?”

Dr. Richards shrugged. “It's one possibility. It could explain her rapid gender change for instance. There are a lot of young man all around the country going through similar changes. Most for some reason seem to be turning female.”

I knew all about that. I had a lot of pictures of them on my walls. Terra was probably the most famous. She used to be a guy like me and instead of hiding it; she told the whole world what happened to her. It was kind of cool but there was no way I was a Meta. But I couldn’t very well come out and say that the only reason I changed into a girl was because of the alien scarab thing secured to my back. They’d lock me and throw away the key. So instead, I sat there quietly as the good doc continued to explain all about Metas and how most lived a productive lifestyle.

But all I could think about of course was Posse and something else, too. There was a story on the radio on the drive over. I paid little attention at the time but it was about a Meta kid. Apparently, she disappeared on her way home from school or something. The police thought she was a runaway but her parents were worried sick.

I listened to my mom and the doc talk for a little while longer. The conversation shifted from Metas onto more solid topics. My mother was concerned about how I was going to function in the world. She was very concerned about my identity and how I was going to live now that I was no longer her son. The Doc seemed to think that even if I wasn’t Meta that the government would step in and help. They were already starting some kind of incentive program for families with Meta children. I kind of tuned out on the discussion and occupied my time looking out the window. There was a little park next to the Clinic. My mother used to take me there when I was younger. There used to be this swing that I particularly loved. Most of the old equipment was long gone now, replaced with newer and shinier stuff. But my swing was still there. I kept staring at it, wondering what it might feel like to be out there again swinging on it. That’s when I saw her; it was a girl in black. I didn’t think anything of it at first. I thought she was just some one there with the numerous kids running about. But there was something about her. It was the way she just stood there and seemed to stare right at me that creeped me out.

“That’s the same one from yesterday” said Khaji “she’s got a prying eye.”

“What does that mean?”

“The sunglasses, they’re hiding something.”

I was about to ask what but my mother interrupted me by putting a hand on my shoulder. I jumped, startled. “You ready to go?”

I nodded and smiled at her. When I turned back to look at the park the girl in black was gone.

_____________________________________

“That’s freaky,” said Brenda as the two of us walked a few steps behind Mom and Milagro.

I’d just finished telling her about the doctor’s office and seeing the girl on the playground.

The mall was huge, bigger than most places that my family dared to tread. I know that sounds ominous but we don’t leave home much, unless it’s to go to church. My parents go to work of course and I go to school but that’s about it. So going to the mall was a big deal for us. When we arrived, it took us a long time driving about the parking garage, looking for a spot. After we found it, Milagro grabbed my hand and held it the whole time we were in the elevator. She’d still be holding it now if it weren’t for my Mom. She was able to talk the little annoyance into allowing us---Brenda and me---some time to ourselves.

“So who do you think she is?”

“Khaji thinks she’s hiding something. I saw her at the alley the yesterday.”

Brenda gave me a look and I groaned again. Why is it that I think I tell people things but I don’t? It’s starting to become a habit, isn’t it? She kept staring at me, wondering if I was nuts or something. She was about to ask me a bunch of questions but I silenced her with a hand over her mouth. She tried to pull it away but I shook my head. Then I told my Mom we were going to the bathroom. I didn’t wait for to say anything. I grabbed Brenda’s wrist and dragged her to the nearest one. I paused only a second at the doors, remembering I had to go into the one with the dress now. When we were inside, I locked it behind us.

“Now can you tell me what’s going on?”

I sighed. I suppose it was inevitable. “Khaji is the blue stone. She’s an alien sent to the Earth thousands of years ago to conquer it. But her people abandoned her and now she’s with me.”

“You’re screwing with me.”

I shook my head. “She’s like a symbiote, you know like Dax in Star Trek.”

Brenda groaned and I realized I wasn’t talking to Paco. He and I were the sci-fi nuts; she just found it all ridiculous. So I quickly gave her a rundown on what I was talking about. She nodded and followed along I think. When I was done with that, I quickly explained everything that happened to me yesterday. There was a little protesting from Khaji but I ignored her. There was no way I was doing this alone. I even told her about the jackasses in the alley and how I defended myself. This caused her eyes to widen. When I was done, she hugged me. I’m never going to get used to that.

“So you were that blue girl they were talking about on TV?” she asked after she was done squeezing the life out of me again.

I nodded. “It's some kind of defensive armor.”

“That is so freaking cool.”

I sighed and nodded. I filled her in about the rest, ending with the creepy girl in black. She was creepy too. Was it possible that she was following me? I mean what are the odds that she just happens to pop up in the same two places that I am.

"So what are you going to do?”

“About her?” Brenda nodded and I shrugged. “I don’t even know who she is or what she wants.”

Brenda looked a little worried. She wouldn’t look at me. She looked at the floor. Clearly, she knew more than I did. I was about to ask her what when there was a knock on the door. I groaned and unlocked. An elderly woman with blue hair glared at me and huffed her way inside. Brenda and I suppressed laughs then high tailed it out of there. My Mom and Milagro were waiting on a nearby bench. Milagro was pouting again but lit up when she saw me. That girl has a serious “sister worship” problem. We walked over to them and this time there was nothing my mother could do to keep Milagro from latching on to me. I let it slide because it seemed to make little sis happy.

We went en masse to Vivian’s. I’m not going to bore you with the details of the hair salon. Suffice to say every employee and woman present had an opinion about my hair when I walked in. They all thought that it was cute but too boyish. I groaned but I let them do their thing. When they were done, I couldn’t see a difference other than a little color that Vivian added to it. But apparently, they did a lot, who knew. After the salon, we browsed the shops. I never realized how tedious clothes shopping was until I was dragged from one store to the next.

We went bra shopping first. That was the most embarrassing thing in the world. I’m a C cup by the way, which kind of made both my mother and Brenda a little jealous. We bought a bunch of different bras and I wasn’t allowed to offer my opinion on any. How crazy is that. We bought underwear too, lots of that. Brenda wanted to buy me a baby doll to sleep in but I put my foot down there. I got some pajamas instead. After that they dragged me through a multitude of clothing stores, too many to even count. Did you know that girls try on clothes but don’t always buy them? How crazy is that? We bought a lot, though. Most of them were jeans and t-shirts but my mother got a dress or two in and Brenda was able to weasel in a few skirts---not that I’m ever going to wear them.

Shoes came next. I’m a size six now, doesn’t that suck. I got some Nikes with a pink swoosh and some sandals. I drew the line at heels but that didn’t stop them from making me try them on. Everyone in the store had an opinion on that too. In fact, there were opinions in every store we went too. You’d think that people would mind their own damn business but apparently not. A lot of the clerks who helped us were surprised that I didn’t know this or that. My mother explained it away by saying I was a tomboy coming out of her shell. That seemed to work but it also turned me into some kind of Barbie Doll. As soon as that came out, the clerks were only too happy to help. I think their commissions had something to do with it of course.

After shoe shopping, we hit the food court. Brenda and I got pizza, my mother and Milagro went to Burger King. While they were loading down with fast food junk, Brenda led me over to a lone table. The food court was surprisingly empty but then again it was a Monday afternoon. The two of us should have been in school but Brenda was taking a sick day and well you know why I’m not there. I’m not sure how Milagro got out of it but my mother seemed to be on top of that.

“So where are you going to go to school?” asked Brenda as she picked off one of her pieces of pepperoni.

Who doesn’t like pepperoni? I shrugged. “Definitely not the old place that’s for sure. It would be like blood in the water there.”

She smiled. “I don’t know. I think you’d be surprised by how they treat you now.”

“What’s that supposed to be mean?”

She smiled again. “You’re kind of a babe.”

I blushed. I hadn’t really noticed. Ok, I did a little but I didn’t think I was a knock out. I was cute and while some people liked that, I wasn’t in the mood to attract any kind of attention. Especially from the male variety. Yep, I decided, I’m a lesbian. Ok I don’t know for sure but the thought of kissing some guy sent shivers down my spine. Even if I somehow found myself attracted to them, there was no way I was going anywhere near them.

“It doesn’t work that way,” said Khaji, chiming in after being silent all day.

I wonder if she sleeps. “It does for me.”

My mother and sister came over after that. They were both carrying trays, kind of in a rush. Milagro didn’t look happy and my mother looked tired. They sat down at the table, Milagro huffing. She started to pout, which seemed to be her only expression all day. I didn’t bother to ask because my mother filled us in as soon as she sat down.

“I got called in” she explained. “I’m sorry to cut this day so short, girls but I’m afraid we have to go as soon as we’re finished eating lunch.”

“That’s not fair” huffed Milagro. “You said we could spend the whole day here.”

“I’m sorry honey, but Henry’s son broke his arm on that damn skateboard of his. They need someone to fill in.”

Milagro looked like she was about to cry. My mother reached over to grasp her hand but she pulled it away. I sighed. I wanted to comfort her too but I’m not sure how. Instead, it was Brenda who came to the rescue.

“I can get us a ride home, Mrs. R,” she said as she reached into her purse and took out a sparkling new iPhone. I guess it pays when your aunt is a gazillionaire. “I can send for a car as soon as we’re done here. The three of us can continue to hang out in the mall and you can go to work.”

Milagro’s face lit up. “Can we, Mom!”

My mother nodded. Milagro nearly jumped out of her seat. She was beaming at Brenda.

My mother ate lunch in a rush and she ended up taking half with her. She said her goodbyes and left the three of us to finish ours. We took our time. Brenda and I ate slowly but Milagro devoured hers. After that, she started to rattle off all the places she wanted to go. Apparently, my mother wasn’t one to let my sister run amok. Now I think she was taking advantage of us. We both rolled our eyes as she talked. But I’m not one of those bastards who don’t give little girls what they want. So as soon as we were done eating, we took her where she wanted to go.

I’ve never been in more crazy shops in my entire life. First, it was a couple of toy stores, then it was a Build-a-Bear workshop. She didn’t have any money but Brenda paid for the bear. It was a pink bear in a tutu and Milagro loved it. She managed to talk Brenda into paying for other things too. I became second fiddle after that which was fine by me. Milagro switched from my hand to hers and talked to her as if she was the greatest thing in the world. Me, I busied myself by looking in all the storefronts. We were passing by a video game store when I saw the poster. They were having free demos of the new Halo game that came out a few months ago. I started salivating and stopped.

“That looks like Reach Shock trooper,” said Khaji as I stared at the poster.

“It’s a video game poster.”

“I know what it is. I have access to your memories. I was just informing you what I thought it looked like.”

I groaned. I’m not sure I liked the idea of her poking around in my memories. I was about to tell her so when Brenda and Milagro came walking up beside me. “I need to go to the bank,” said Brenda as she pointed behind me. “Your sister cleaned me out.”

I nodded. “I was going to hop in there and play.”

“I’m not going in there,” groaned Milagro.

Brenda rolled her eyes at me. “You can come with me sweetie. After the bank, I’ll get us some pretzels. If I know her and I do, she’s going to be in there for some time now.”

I ignored the comment. Brenda took Milagro’s hand and the two of them walked off to the bank. I went into the store, there were a couple guys there my age but it was mostly deserted. The station with Halo was vacant so I sidled up to it. As soon as I picked up the controller, all the eyes in the room were on me. At first, I thought I was doing something wrong and then I realized that I was. I was a girl in a video game store; it was kind of a taboo. Everyone there, including the pimple-faced dweeb behind the counter, were staring at me. I blushed crimson and tried to ignore them. I blocked them out and concentrated on the game. I tore into it, losing all track of time.

I was kicking serious ass when I heard it. When the screams started, I thought it was in the game. Then the dweebs who were watching me rushed to the entrance of the store. Curious, I abandoned the game and followed. What I saw drained all the color from me. There was a crowd of people running, most of them away from the bank. Outside the bank, I saw three or four security guards with their guns drawn. I couldn’t see inside the bank but I didn’t have to to know what was going on.

Someone’s robbing the bank. I scanned the running crowd, my blue vision snapping in without me even realizing it. But Brenda and Milagro were not there. Ok, so someone was robbing the bank and my loved ones were still inside. My heart starting pounding like a drum and then I felt it.

It was the telltale sign of the armor being activated.