Lions and tigers and bears... Hold it, wrong story there. None of the three would be caught near this place if they have the least bit of survival instinct working. This school has a mix of super powers, magic, and things in between, with a resident demon living in one of the furnaces.
Come visit Whateley Academy just down the road a bit from beautiful Dunwich.
**
March 8th, 2007
Miami, Florida
The mailbox watched the front of the MCO building, noting all the visitors, sending the information back to home base, waiting as only a robot could, for the signal to fly into action. It wished it had a watch to look at or its sensors let it pick up a radio station. Sometimes it wondered if having an MP3 player would break its creators budget, didn't he know keeping workers entertained made them more efficient. With a silent, robotic sigh, it kept scanning as it was programmed to.
An alarm went off in its head. Finally after days of waiting the sensitive sensors picked up the correct signals, happily its primary program kicked into action. A quick scan of the target made it come to a sad realization, the target was not in place for optimal take down. Plan A was scrapped and Plan B formed in its brain. Very slowly and carefully it began changing position.
It gave a robotic sigh, it would probably be several more hours before the target came out. As it continued scanning for possible problems and threats, it once again wished it had a radio.
**
"So, Miss Powerful, can I get the name of your parents in case something happens?” the MCO agent asked, trying to learn her identity for at least the tenth time.
The budding superhero was ready for it, her parents had visited the Miami Crusaders website which told them all about the MCO power testing, and had joined on some pro-mutant forums asking for advice when getting an MID, everyone said she shouldn't give them her or her parents name. Still blinking spots out of her eyes from getting her picture taken for the MID, she smiled at the man as sweetly as possible for an almost thirteen year old girl, and took a second to fix her silver mask. “Like I said, Agent Brown. My parents died when my home planet blew up. I'm actually a princess who has to keep our culture alive and bring peace, unity and love to my adopted planet. So I could tell you their names, but for you to reproduce the words we'd have to split your tongue into four equal pieces.”
"Right,” the agent said, surprisingly unimpressed.
"Are we almost done? My adopted caretaker should be done her coffee anytime now and I can't wait to show her that the first step in my mission of world peace is all done.” Again she gave her sweetest smile.
He handed her the MID and waved her out, clearly ready to be rid of the kid who was bouncing around like she didn't know how to stay still. “Keep this on you at all times, especially if you're going on a trip. If you take a plane you have to present this or you will be arrested.”
"Thanks! This was a lot of fun. Sorry about breaking your treadmill, I didn't mean to jump on it so hard.” With an enthusiastic wave Miss Powerful skipped towards the exit, shoving her MID into her pink purse.
She jumped down the ten steps that lead to the sidewalk, her glittery pink cape flying behind her and landed perfectly, giggling with delight and began dancing in her pink jeans and t-shirt, slowing only to make sure her silver coloured tiara in her long brown hair wasn't about to fall out. Gingerly reaching into her purse she pulled out her phone, desperately trying not to break it. Her parents had told her, after she snapped her second phone in half, that she would have to pay for the next one. Tapping speed dial for her mom, she bounced from one foot to the other barely able to hold in her excitement.
"Hey Mom! I finished early. You're still at Starbucks right?” she said in a rush. Barely waiting for the answer, she kept going, “K, I'll be there in five minutes, I want to call Teri. See ya soon. Love ya.”
Hanging up she hit another number
"Hey cuz!” Teri's voice came over the speaker immediately. “So you made it out of the MCO office alive. What's the official verdict, are you a freak of nature?”
"YES!” she shrieked with delight. “They said I have a PK field and I can bench press like 8000 pounds, isn't that awesome! And they said with practice I might be able to fly! When I jumped across the gym I didn't throw up this time, and it was super impressive. And I could get even stronger since I only manifested like two weeks ago. I can't wait to fly to school and no ones going to bully me anymore! I'm the strongest twelve year old EVER!!!! This is like the best early birthday present in the whole wide world. And guess what, they let me call myself Miss Powerful. I wanted to be called Princess Powerful, but stupid Marvel already has a character called that, and they said since I wasn't a princess for real I couldn't call myself that. So it's MISS POWERFUL TO THE RESCUE!”
"Hey, calm down,” her older and much calmer cousin said. “Remember you can't just go showing off, superheroes have secret identities for a reason.”
"You're no fun! I have a mask, they'll never know its me when I land,” she said. “Anyways, I have to set up that meeting with the Miami Crusaders now. I know I have to wait until I'm eighteen, but do you think they could get me signed up for the Cadet Crusaders in New York? Should I stop a few crimes first? Do you think that will look impressive on my resume. I've never written a resume, can you help me with that? I can't wait to fight beside Lightning Strike. LIGHTNING STRIKE FOR THE WIN!” Miss Powerful shouted, punching the air.
Teri gave a laugh. “I think you'd fit in more with the Bakers Dozen over in Tampa.”
"Those losers! NEVER! It's the Crusaders or nothing,” she declared. “You're just jealous that I'm now like ten times cooler than you are with your boring old genes.”
She stopped walking for a moment to look behind her. A mailbox she could have sworn wasn't there before was sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. “Weird,” she said to herself.
"So how's your mom taking all of this now that it's confirmed,” her cousin asked.
"You know her, she's panicking. Oh no you're a mutant! What will the neighbours say? How will we feed you now that you're eating more than your father? What if H1 comes around? Blah, blah, blah. You'd think it was the end of the wo-” She stopped again, certain she'd heard something banging and clanking behind her. A mailbox was right on her heels, one of its posts raised up as if it was walking. “Um, Teri, is there some art exhibit going on today?”
"No, why?”
"Because I think I'm being followed by a mailbox,” Miss Powerful said, reaching out to rap the top of the box.
"Did your mutation make you crazier than usual?” Teri asked.
"I don't think so. There's a mailbox right behind me that wasn't there a minute ago. Can I squish it?”
There was a pause as her cousin thought about how to answer that. “Nnnnoooo, you can't. Even if your name is Miss Powerful, the police and your mom would frown on that. Just start running and if the mailbox follows you, then you can break it.”
"But it's really strange,” Miss Powerful said, looking in the slot. Inside there was a glowing light. “Teri I think this thi-”
She never finished, a metal ribbon shot out like a bullet, encircling and zapping her with something. There was just enough time to scream before she lost consciousness.
**
"Ow,” Miss Powerful said, trying to rub her aching head. She quickly realized that she was sitting in a very comfy chair, wearing very heavy bracelets and anklets. Lifting her arms was virtually impossible from the weight, something she hadn't thought was possible after running around for twenty minutes while carrying her Dads car over her head. Her ankles couldn't move at all, trapping her in the seat.
"Ah, my wisiter is avake,” someone said. “Thank you for agreeing to participate in my project.”
"What project?” she asked, struggling to see straight. All she could make out was a scrawny grey haired man wearing funny clothes, a white shirt with brown straps over the shoulders like coveralls, another bigger strap over his chest, and a funny brown top hat that was too small for him.
The experiment that will help me create the greatest theme park in the vorld, that vill make me bigger than that hack Walt Disney!” he shouted. With a flourish he pulled a colourful purple sheet away from the wall. “Behold my DREAM!!!”
There was a map of what looked like a park, it was divided into sections with cartoons showing what was what. Blinking hard, she could start making out parts of it. There was a fairy garden, with cute little fairies flying around, a centaur ride, goblin workshop, elven glade, leprechaun meadows, and more. At the very top were the words 'Burgermeister's Enchanted Valley!' with a picture of the man beside it.
"What do I have to do with that?” Miss Powerful demanded, clenching her fists to get some feeling back in her hands and arms.
"Well you see little girl, this is a very complicated thing. I plan on making every mythical creature in my theme park real. No silly robots or holograms or people dressed up in pathetic costumes, it's all one hundred percent real. But to get the creatures I need employees, that's where you come in.”
She frowned in thought. “What happened to your accent?”
"What?! I mean, vhat? Nothink 'as 'appened to my accent. It is perfect. Now if you vill just bask in my greatness for a vhile, I vill varm up de mac'ine.”
"My parents will come looking for me,” she said. “And they'll call the Miami Crusaders! Lightning Strike is going to kick your butt.”
"Ah foolish little girl. I have thought of everythink, they vill never suspect that you are my prisoner. For I am the genius Burgermeister!” he said grandly, thrusting out his pigeon like chest.
"Did you replace me with an evil robot?!” she shouted.
The Burgermeister leaned in closer his eyes wide with shock. “Do you 'ave any idea 'ow much a robot costs?!!! Do I look like I'm made of money?”
Miss Powerful gasped. “You made a clone of my body and killed it so they think I'm dead! YOU MONSTER!”
The mad scientist scratched his chin thoughtfully. “You know that is a very good idea. I should write that down. But no it's far more clever than that!”
"You caused an explosion and made it look like I was in the middle of it!”
He pulled a notepad out of his pocket and started writing. “Kid have you ever thought about becoming a minion? I offer a great dental plan.”
"NEVER! I'm going to be a superhero and send people like you to jail!”
"Ah vell. You vill never guess at how clever a plan I have created, to hide my incredible scheme!”
**
In the Miami suburbs a penguin like bird flew to a house, crashing though a wall as it tried to stop. Shaking it's head it pulled out a pink cellphone and quickly scanned it to make sure it was at the right location. Once it was satisfied, it looked around the pink room with walls that were covered in pictures of superheroes. Hopping onto the bed it opened its beak and spit out a piece of paper. Delicate hands came out of its chest, one of which had a pen. It quickly wrote a short message on the paper.
“Mom and Dad,
I hate you. Nyah!!!
I'm going to join the circus and never come back.
Your loving son.”
Its job completed it placed the letter on the pillow, flapped its wings and crashed through another wall. Satisfied with its work it headed back home on a pillar of flames.
linebreak shadow
"Now little girl, what should I turn you into?” the Burgermeister asked. “Turning you into a goblin vould be a vaste. A dragon? No, you do not 'ave the sophistication to be one of them. A centaur? You are strong.”
Miss Powerful tried to break the bracelets around her wrists, but they were too powerful for her. “Why don't you just hire people to do this?” she asked, growing desperate.
"No, no, no, no, no. Do you have any idea 'ow much 'iring people vould cost? And the legal bills alone vould bankrupt me. Believe me, I tried. But there were all these forms to fill out, and people telling me it was dangerously unsafe, reckless, insane, and other not nice things. And then the lawyers came. Have you ever had to deal with lawyers! Those guys are scary! I had nightmares for weeks. And I've dealt with Dr. Diabolik, Emperor Gizmatic and Dr. Macabre. Villains at least leave you alone after the deals done. But lawyers, they're worse than leeches! They never get enough blood!” he shouted.
He took a few calming breaths. “OK, enough of that. Time for the show, you vill be a beautiful fairy. Von't that be nice?”
Miss Powerful screamed as the chair began moving towards a big metal tube. She started slamming her wrists against the chair, desperation giving her strength.
"Don't ewen think about that, my dear. Those bracelets vere designed for bricks like you, and you will not escape me,” he gloated, tapping away at a keyboard.
"You'll never get away with this!” she shouted. “The heroes always come at the last minute to save the day!”
She managed to drag her arm onto her lap as the door of the tube closed on her. Spreading her legs she let her hand drop between her thighs and squeezed the bracelet as hard as she could. Sweat beaded up on her forehead while the machine began to flash and whine. Electricity arced around her, making her entire body tingle and itch.
With a crunch the bracelet broke, whatever was making it weigh so much disappeared. Her hair stood on end, and she started feeling woozy, barely able to keep her eyes open. She tried to break the other bracelet, but didn't have the strength. Everything was turning black. Looking at the broken bracelet, Miss Powerful did the only thing she was still capable of, she threw it as hard as she could at the side of the machine. The impromptu projectile shattered the plastic and metal, there was a scream of rage and smoke poured out of the hole filling the tube.
Her muscles twisted and cramped, she felt her bones snap under the strain. Despite her best efforts she began to scream. As her muscles jerked and spasmed, her body seemed to erupt in flame. Tears poured down her cheeks. Her screams became frantic gasps of pain, her throat clenched cutting off her breath. Silently she shrieked for help as the machine continued to spark and flash around her.
**
"Hello!” a girl chirped happily in the darkness.
"Huh?” she muttered, not really able to think at all. “Who are you?” she rasped, rubbing her head.
"I'm Rose Blossom. You must be thirsty, here, have a drink.”
Something soft was pressed against her lips, fresh, cool water splashed her skin, her desperately dry mouth opened sucking the sweet water in. The edge of the strangely soft and very large cup tickled her cheeks and forehead. With water in her, she was able to open her eyes and see who was talking. What she saw was strange enough to make her gasp in shock.
The girl, Rose Blossom she guessed, was kneeling beside her, holding a flower as large as her head in her hands. The girl had an odd green and pink tinge to her skin. Her hair was a wild mane of pink, fuzzy pink, bat-like boneless wings came out of her back, and despite having the face of a young teenager, her breasts were enormous. She was smiling happily, her pink eyes glowing with delight. “ Bell Flower, you're awake! And you're OK! Do you want to play with me?!”
Playing sounded like fun. “OK!” she shouted, jumping to her feet and going high up into the sky. She didn't feel afraid even though she knew she should be, somehow flying just felt natural. Rose Blossom flew up beside her, flapping her wings and circling like a bird.
"How can you fly without flapping your wings, Bell Flower?” the fairy, for lack of a better word, asked.
"I don't know. I didn't know I could fly.” She tried to move back and forth, which proved easy enough.
"Of course you can fly, silly!” Rose Blossom said, giving her a playful push. “Every fairy can fly! That's what makes us so great!”
She shook her head knowing something wasn't right. “I'm a fairy?”
"Catch me!” the fairy shouted, throwing herself into the confused girls arms.
She caught her easily and realized for the first time that compared to the plants and flowers all around them that she was as small as a mouse. That wasn't right either. “I'm not a fairy.”
"Yes you are,” her new friend insisted, hugging her tightly. “You're small like a fairy. You have wings like a fairy. You have a body like a fairy. And you're here in the fairy garden. So you are a fairy.”
Looking behind her, she realized that she did have wings, they were big and a couple of different shades of purple in a pretty spotted pattern, they were translucent, like fine silk rather than the velvety look of Rose Blossoms. Her hair was the same colour as her wings, it was also long and wild. None of that was normal. Looking at her hands, she saw that she had small claws, and her skin was dark and tinged with purple. She was tinier than Rose Blossom too, with a much smaller chest and hips, something told her that she should be jealous but she couldn't figure out why. A memory flashed in her mind of a being much larger and not having wings. It quickly passed.
"I'm a fairy! This is so cool!” she cried, and shot towards the brightly lit ceiling with a squeal of glee. Her new best friend held on tight as the wind rushed by. They bounced off the hard steel, flinging themselves at the ground, laughing as leaves, flowers and vines of the miniature jungle tickled their skin.
Bell Flower, over there we have a pool!” Rose Blossom shouted pointing to the far side of the room.
Turning tightly, they flew to the water where she lowered her friend down far enough that her feet were touching the surface and kept flying, creating a rooster tail behind them. They flew and water-skied doing figure 8's, jumps and leaps, until they both plunged headfirst in the cool water, flapping to the surface with their boneless wings.
"That's the most fun I ever had, Bell Flower!” Rose Blossom said, splashing her as they swam to shore.
"I'm not Bell Flower,” she said, sitting on a warm rock to dry off her hair and the sleek shorts and top she was wearing. The top had the back cut out with loops around her neck, shoulders and waist so her wings could move.
"But that's what the nice Burgermeister said your name was.”
She felt herself scowl, even though she didn't know why. “Well that's not my name!” she insisted.
"I'm sorry Be-. What's your name?”
Her scowl turned to a look of concentration. She knew she had a name. It was on the tip of her tongue, she just had to say it and she'd remember it. Part of a name came to her, Princess, Princess... something. She knew that wasn't her name, not really but it was close. Massaging her temples she asked, “Can a fairy be a princess?”
Rose Blossom tapped her chin, pursing her lips in thought. “I don't think so,” she finally said. “We're already awesome as fairies. If we were princesses too, we might be too awesome for the whole world and everyone would get really, really sad because they can't be nearly as awesome as us, and that wouldn't be nice. And you're already more awesome than any fairy I know about, the world, the whole universe might implode because of your awesomeness!”
“Oh, then I guess I'm not Princess,” she said unhappily. Even though it didn't feel right she knew that was close to her name, at least what she wanted her name to be. A memory of someone speaking popped up, 'Teri, is there some art exhibit going on today?' The voice didn't sound like hers, but she was sure that she knew the person. That had to mean they were talking to her, so she was Teri.
"My name is Teri!” she shouted happily.
Rose Blossom frowned and bit her lip. “That's not a very fairy name.”
"Well it's my name, and I wasn't always a fairy. I used to be a girl. In fact I was so special, I was a mutant girl and that's extra extra special,” Teri insisted, not sure how she knew it but certain it was true.
"What's a mutant?”
"It's someone with special powers. I must have been a girl, then I turned into a mutant and my powers made me into an awesomely awesome fairy!” She started doing a happy dance at being so special.
Rose Blossom started to cry. “Oh, I wish I was that special.”
The world seemed to fade away. She was sitting beside an empty dress that moved as if an invisible girl was wearing it.
“So you've got superpowers now?” the dress asked.
"Yep! It happened yesterday," she said. “Isn't it awesome! I can lift ____ car!” Static filled the air for a moment.
Something plucked at the hem of the colourful patchwork dress. “I didn't think my little ______,” the static roared, “would able to beat up supervillains. What am I going to do?”
"Aw, don't be like that. You're still super cool. Now that I'm ____ ________, I'm going to need a sidekick. You want the job? Just think ____ ________ ___ ____” she stopped suddenly, the static slowly fading away. “We're going to need a cool name for you.”
Teri shook her head, returning to reality. Her new bestest friend ever was wiping her eyes with one of her wings. Reaching over she gave the fairy a big hug. “ Aw, don't be like that. You're still super cool. If you weren't, I wouldn't even know I was a fairy and I'd be all alone, that would be no fun. You're the specialist, not mutant fairy around.”
"Really?”
"Really! You can be my sidekick. Every hero needs a sidekick and I'm going to be a great hero one day. Fairy Lightning Strike for the win!”
"Oh you're so nice! I'd love to be your sidekick!” Rose Blossom said, spinning Teri around in a circle.
Falling back to land on some soft moss, Teri looked around curiously. “Are there any more fairies here?”
"No. Burgermeister said more would come soon, when I first woke up, but when you came in he was angry and said it would be a while before anymore came. It was SSSSSOOOOO BBBBOOORRRRRIIIIINNNNGGGG!” She jumped to her feet, dragging Teri up with her. “Oh you have to see this, this is the coolest thing ever!”"
"What?!”
"The window. It shows the outside and it's so neat.” Rose Blossom began to fly, carrying Teri this time.
They came to a tinted window that showed clouds as far as the eye could see. The sun looked like it was setting on the horizon. Teri pressed her face against the glass trying to see everything.
"Where are we?” she asked in a whisper.
"We're in an airship! The Burgermeister says he made it just for us. When the clouds aren't in the way, you can see the whole wide world!”
There was a ping and a sliding sound. “Vhere are you, my little fairies? I 'ave supper for you.”
"YAY FOOD!” Rose Blossom shouted.
"I know that voice!” Teri growled, her purple eyes lighting up.
**
"How is my little Rose Blossom?” Burgermeister asked, putting two tiny bowls carefully on a rock set up like a table. “I have your favourite, mango and bananas in milk.”
"Thank you, Burgermeister, and thank you for giving me my new friend. She's so GREAT! She's a hero and I'm her sidekick!” the fairy shouted before grabbing a tiny spoon to start eating. Burgermeister towered over her, she would easily fit in his hand but she didn't seem to care about the size difference as she smiled up at him.
"I'm glad. Once I get my machine working again, I'll give you lots more friends. And then the children will come and you can play with them all day in Burgermiesters Fantastic Valley.” He got a far away look in his eye and wiped a tear that threatened to drop as he thought about finally turning his dream into reality.
"Isn't it going to be called Burgermiesters Enchanted Valley?” she asked.
"That's what I said, Burgermiesters Enchanted Valley.”
"No you didn't. You called it Fantastic Valley.”
"Rose Blossom, who is the genius?” he asked.
"You,” she said, around a mouthful of bananas.
"And vho is the owner of the Enchanted Walley?”
"You.”
"Correct. So I didn't not call it Fantastic Valley, which is a silly name. I called it the Enchanted Valley,” he explained calmly.
"No you didn't. You called it Fantastic Walley.”
"I said ENCHANTED WALLEY!”
"Fantastic Walley,” she corrected him again.
"Enchanted Walley!” he shouted back.
"Fantastic Walley.”
"Enchanted Walley!”
"Enchanted Walley!” she shouted just as loudly as the Burgermiester.
"It's the Fantastic Walley! It has never had any other name, and I am right because I am the genius and you are the fairy!” he shouted back.
"Ok, it's the Fantastic Walley,” she said with a grin.
"Very good, it's the Fantastic Walley, just like it says on all the ads.” He stopped talking, took his funny hat off and scratched his sparse hair for a moment. “Rose Blossom.”
"Yes?” she asked innocently, sipping her milk.
"What have I told you about playing word games vith me?”
"Don't do it,” she said, not looking up from her food.
"Correct. It isn't very nice to do that with people who don't speak English as their first language,” he said sternly.
"But you told me you're from Idaho.”
"That is not the point. Don't do it again,” he insisted.
"OK, I promise,” she said, hiding her hand under her hair.
"Good. Now vhere is Bell Flower?” Burgermeister asked.
"FAIRY LIGHTNING STRIKE!”
A stone shot out of a bush pegging him right between the eyes. His eyes crossed and he staggered backwards. “What was that for?!” he shouted.
"I don't know,” a tiny voice shouted from the bushes. “But it felt really good!”
Another stone flew out of the bushes, there was a crackle and it fell to the ground an inch away from Burgermeister.
"HA! Forcefield beats rock! You can't hurt me!” he exclaimed, thumping his chest. “Now be a good little fairy and come out here to eat your supper. It's apples, cinnamon and milk.”
There was some rustling in the bushes, it sounded like wings flapping really, really hard. He barely saw the laughing purple blur that erupted from the flowers, grabbed him by the ankle, dragged him through several rose bushes and other thorny flowers before finally dumping him in the shallow pool. While his forcefield was good enough to stop rocks, thorns and bruises, it wasn't watertight. Sloshing and dripping wet, he made his way back to the table, where Rose Blossom and Teri were laughing and talking as they shared their meal.
Spitting out a mouthful of pool water, Burgermeister glared at his newest fairy. “Bell Flower that was very bad.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and bounced an apple chunk off his forehead.
"Burgermeister, her name isn't Bell Flower, it's Teri,” Rose Blossom told him.
"No, it's Bell Flower.” He ducked a thrown banana.
"My name is Teri unless you want to go swimming again!” the crazy new fairy shouted at him.
He sighed, knowing when to give ground was an important part of dealing with children. “All right, I'm sorry, Teri. Can you please behave from now on?”
"No,” Teri said.
"But why not?!”
"Because I don't like you. And you have a stupid hat, so there! Nyah!” she said, sticking her tongue out at him.
"The new brain imprint must have malfunctioned,” he muttered to himself as he left the Fairy Garden. “A few more days and it should successfully override her old personality.”
**
Rose Blossom woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of crying. The darkness didn't bother her since she could see in black and white, but the soft sobbing made her shiver in sympathy. With her pink eyes gently glowing like fireflies she looked at her best friend in the whole wide world who was sleeping beside her on the comfortably warm and soft moss.
"Teri, are you all right?” she asked in a whisper, hugging her friend.
There was no answer. Teri just curled up into a tighter ball, her boneless wings tightly wrapped around her tiny body, crying even louder.
She didn't know what to do. She wanted to call Burgermeister but Teri didn't like him even though he was so nice. Was she supposed to wake Teri up so they could play again? Playing always made her feel better. But it was really late at night, they were supposed to be asleep. If she woke Teri up would that make her happy or make her sadder? She didn't know.
Finally Rose Blossom shifted around, putting the smaller fairy's head on her lap. Stroking the long, curly purple hair, she began to sing a song. She didn't know where the song came from, like a lot of things it just popped up from somewhere in her brain. As she softly sang one lullaby after another, Teri slowly began to relax. The sobbing stopped and her breathing became more relaxed. Using a velvety wing Rose Blossom wiped the tears from her face and kissed her cheek.
"Good night, Teri. I'll make sure you stay happy,” she said in a surprisingly mature voice.
**
The door slid open the next morning letting Burgermeister walk in holding the tray of food and smiling at the thought of spending the morning with his favourite person.
"Breakfast ti- AAAAHHHHH!!!!” he screamed as he tripped over a vine and fell face first to the floor, stunning himself.
"We defeated the giant!” Teri shouted, flying over to give Rose Blossom a high five.
"You're right Teri, that was fun!” her friend laughed. “What do we do now?”
"Tie him up of course. We're eating meat tonight!” she said with a big toothy grin, while Burgermeister screamed in fear.
**
Burgermeister peeked inside, his forcefield set to maximum looking for any traps. The coast looked clear, so he crept in and put the two bowls of food on the table. “Lunch time.”
Rose Blossom came out and sat down at the table. “Thank you Burger Face.”
"It's Burgermeister,” he said, feeling quite insulted. “You know my name.”
"Teri said your face looks like hamburger, so she's calling you Burger Face. It's a lot funnier.”
He pouted. “That's just rude. Doesn't she know you shouldn't call people names?”
I" don't think she cares and she's really funny. You should see what she's doing right now,” Rose Blossom giggled.
"What is she doing?” he asked warily.
She covered her mouth as she giggled. “I can't tell you.”
"Vhy not?”
"It's a surprise, silly,” she explained as if talking to a small child.
"Are you helping her with the surprise?” he asked.
She nodded happily. “I have a very important part.”
"What's that?”
She whispered something.
"Vhat?” he asked, bending over to hear her better.
"I'm the distraction,” Rose Blossom said.
"FORE!” Teri shouted, swinging a small tree she'd ripped out of the ground like a baseball bat at Burgermeisters' butt.
He didn't go very far,” Rose Blossom said.
Teri frowned, she'd been aiming for the pool, but Burgermeister had only gone five feet, head first into the rose bushes. “I think I need a bigger club. Think we can ask him for a steel baseball bat, or a 9 iron?” she asked, sitting down to eat.
**
Burgermeister walked confidently into the garden wearing a suit of oversized power armour. He had to crawl through the doorway because it was so large. A scabbard for a sword was welded to its back, a shield with his face painted on it rested on his arm. The head looked like a knights helmet, colourful yellow and blue feathers stuck out the top. The entire thing looked like a knight of old, clanking along with fake steam coming from the joints as it moved. It could theoretically dismantle an Abrams tank, which might have made it a little drastic but that fairy wasn't normal. Putting the food down, he stiffened his spine and called out, “Teri, Rose Blossom, suppertime!”
He waited but neither fairy came out to eat for several minutes. He called again, but still no one came. “That's strange. Vhere are the fairies?”
"Right here,” Teri said.
"AAAHHHH!” he screamed as both Teri and Rose Blossom appeared in his suit, near his chest. “How did you get in here?!”
"Rose Blossom found the ventilation pipe and knew that it was just big enough for us to crawl in after I ripped off the outer panel,” Teri explained. “Oh this is neat. Rose look at all these lights and buttons.”
"Shiny!” Rose Blossom squealed with delight. “Oh, a rocket pack!” she squealed, excitedly hitting a switch before he could stop her.
There was a roar as the rockets engaged, and the power armour leaped into the air only to clang against the ceiling, falling back to the floor with a loud, bone jarring thud.
"That was fun. What about this one?” Teri shouted, hitting another button. The robot got to its feet and ran forwards, knocking down several trees before hitting the wall hard enough to leave a dent.
"NO! Don't touch anything! You'll break it!” Burgermeister shouted, trying to catch the insane fairies in the tight confines of the suit.
"Rose, let's play a new game, who can hit the most buttons!” Teri said with a mad cackle, easily dodging the big clumsy hands.
"Oh fun,” Rose Blossom yelled. “On three. One, two, three!”
The fairies climbed, ran and jumped hitting every button and switch they could. The suit spun, flipped over, shot missiles, flew into the ground, filled with foam, danced, and ran as Burgermeister tried not to throw up, and the fairies cheered with each new discovery.
Fifteen minutes later, when the dented and smoking power armour finally stopped moving, the fairies crawled out, laughing and hugging each other at the fun, adventure-filled day they had had. A half hour later, after he'd finally extricated himself from his armour, Burgermeister crawled out of the fairy garden, leaving a trail of foam, water, and other less pleasant things behind him.
Reaching his cabin, he crawled into the shower and turned the water on, not bothering to take his clothes off. As the warm water washed over him, he started sobbing, wondering what would happen the next day.
**
"What can we do now, Rose? Beating up Burger Face is getting boring,” Teri asked her friend, watching Burgermeister's pants flutter from a tree in the cooling breeze.
Rose Blossom stopped combing her hair, using the pool as a mirror. “I don't know. I usually just fly around and smell the flowers.”
"Well that's no fun.” She kicked a pebble into the pool. The ripples in the water reminded her of something. Getting to her knees she started drawing a water slide in the sand.
"Whatcha doing?”
"A water slide would be fun. I used to go to one with my... my... some people. There were water slides that went in circles, and a water jet, and a slide that Te- I went down on a mat and it was so fast!” She let out a wistful sigh. “It would be fun to do that.”
Rose Blossom joined her in the sand. “This looks cool. How high up is the slide?”
"I don't know. I just remember that it was fun,” Teri admitted, ripping the petals off of a rose. “Think we can fly out of here and go find a water park?”
The pink fairy didn't answer her, she was too busy muttering to herself while tracing things in the sand. It looked like she was making a blueprint. Teri leaned in closer, only to get shoved backwards onto her butt as Rose Blossom moved over to a clean patch of sand.
"Rose, what are you doing?” she asked.
"I need lots of grass, and thick flower stems, and sticks, and leaves, lots of leaves,” Rose Blossom ordered, her voice focused and intense, far different from the airy way she usually talked.
"Uh, OK,” Teri replied, flying off to get everything.
**
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Teri collapsed onto the huge pile of leaves she'd collected. The small beach was covered in drawings, numbers and symbols. There were five straight twigs off to the side, at some point Rose Blossom had used her sharp claws to trim them to different lengths and made them ruler straight. Some of the little vines and flower stems were torn up, the thick fibres drying under one of the lights, and others were braided together into something like ropes.
"Come on, Teri!” Rose Blossom shouted. “We don't need any stairs for the water slide since we can fly, that will make it easy. We need to dig a bunch of holes, the dirt over there is deep enough.”
Teri looked up at the upside down face of her friend. “What exactly are we doing?”
"Making a water slide. I've got it all worked out, and I even figured out how to get the water flowing.” Grabbing her arm, Rose Blossom pulled Teri up and skipped to a prepared section of the beach. “Come on, this is going to be so much fun.”
Despite being tired from spending over an hour getting everything Rose Blossom had demanded, a water slide sounded too good to ignore. Zipping over to one of several thorns shoved into the ground the two fairies began digging with a vengeance. While Rose Blossom used a sharp stick to loosen the ground first, Teri just plunged her hands into the dirt and pulled out big clumps of soil and pebbles. Even when she ran her hands over sharp stones, it didn't hurt, and just grabbing the edge of a stone or buried stick with two fingers she could pull it out of the ground as if it was a feather. By the time Rose Blossom was done one hole, her stick clanging off the metal beneath, Teri was working on her fourth.
"Lunchtime?” Burgermeister shouted.
"Wow! I didn't think we'd be done this much so quickly,” Rose Blossom said, stamping down the soil around the first post of their water slide.
"I knew we could do it. Now lets get lunch so we can get back to work,” Teri said jumping into the sky and zipping away.
**
Burgermeister was waiting by the door, shaking a little as he held a tray with bowls of fruit and milk on it. Teri didn't bother saying anything to him, or throwing him into the air, or ripping his pants off, for which he was very happy. She simply grabbed the tray from his hands and flew it down to the small rock table.
"Thanks Burger Face,” Rose Blossom said, as she came flying over.
"Vhy are you so dirty?” he asked, staring at their dirt covered clothes and the streaks of mud on their faces and arms.
"We're building a water slide!”
"A-a water slide?”
"Uh-huh,” Teri mumbled around a mouthful of oranges.
"'ow are you building a water slide?”
Rose Blossom beamed with delight. “I made up the plans while Teri got the leaves, sticks and vines. And I made rulers that start at exactly half an inch and go all the way up to five inches. Now we're digging holes and putting in the posts to make the base. It would help if we had hammers and nails, but I think the rope I can make will work. And I found out that my claws are really good for working with wood. So we can carve out holes in the wood and put thorns in, packing them with some clay from the bottom of the pool.”
His jaw dropped. “How do you know all of that?”
"I don't know. I just do.”
Burgermeister glared at Teri for a moment, before getting to his knees, with a look of concern he leaned in close to Rose Blossom. “You shouldn't do things like that Rose Blossom. Thinking like that is too hard for you. You could give yourself a headache.”
"Nope! I started to get one when I saw Teri's picture of a water slide, but as soon as I began drawing and figuring it out, I felt all better.” She jumped up to kiss his nose. “But thank you for caring about me. Can you give us some steel and a welding machine? And a pump? I have an idea how to fill a big bucket with water but it would be easier if we had a pump.”
"I don't t'ink so. No, no, no, definitely not. You vill definitely 'urt yourselves with that. You may build the water slide but nothing else,” he said, sticking out his chest.
"We'll build anything we want, Burger Face. This is the fairy garden, not the stinky old man garden. So there, nyah!” Teri said, sticking out her tongue. Taking to the air she shouted down to Rose Blossom, “I'm going to finish putting up the posts. You can take your time and rest up a little, I know what to do.”
"OK, Teri!” Roe Blossom smiled after her friend. “I like her, she's so much fun.”
"I don't think she is very nice,” Burgermeister said. “You should try to teach her manners.”
"No,” she said firmly.
His eyes widened. “What did you say?”
"I said no,” Rose Blossom said, crossing her arms in front of her. “I promised to make her happy all the time, because she cries at night. And I don't like seeing her cry, so I won't do that. Nyah!”
"Why does she cry?” Burgermeister asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"I don't know. She doesn't talk about it and I don't want to see her cry anymore, so I don't ask.” She pointed at him, her face screwed up into a grimace. “And if you make her cry I'll be very unhappy with you.”
"B-bu-but I don't want to make anyone cry,” he said, looking like he was about to cry himself. “I want everyone to be happy all the time. That's why I'm creating this park. So that everyone will be happy, and I can see their sad, boring lives become bright, safe and full of joy. I don't want to make Teri cry.”
"Good. Then don't try to stop us from making our water slide, and we'll all be happy again.”
"OK,” he agreed. “I von't stop you. And I'll make a nice present for Teri to cheer her up. It might take a vhile, and I want it to be a surprise. So don't tell 'er anything.”
She clapped her hands with glee. “A surprise would be perfect. I can't wait to see her face when she sees it!”
Burgermeister made his way out, in the hallway he leaned up against the wall wiping the sweat from his brow. “How can she be unhappy?” he asked himself. “I've made her into a beautiful fairy who is supposed to be happy and safe all the time. What does she have to be unhappy about?”
His lip curled into a snarl. “That bad little girl, breaking my machine, that's why she's unhappy. I vill just have to make something that will make her happy and carefree like Rose Blossom. And maybe Rose Blossom can use it as well.”
Heading for his workroom, he thought about the problem.
**
It had taken days of hard work, but the water slide was ready. Leaves, glued together using sap and clay, and rubbed smooth with rose hip oil made the slide, tied to the structure from strands of fibre they'd taken from the stems of flowers. The stick frame was wobbly, but looked like it would hold them, there was enough rope wrapped around the joints to tie up a human. And a head sized, watertight basket of woven grass and clay, with a large reed sticking at an angle from the bottom, hung by a dozen thick ropes from a bush above the water slide.
"How do we get the water into the basket?” Teri asked.
"Unhook it from the bush, and fill it up from the pool. You can lift Burger Face, so you're strong enough,” Rose Blossom said.
Teri quickly grabbed it by the ropes, flew to the middle of the pool and filled it up, before returning it to the bush. “Now what?”
"Now we open it up.” Rose Blossom flew up, grabbed a hold of the basket to steady herself and broke the clay covering the end of the reed. A stream of water poured out hitting the wide, angled platform at the top of the slide. The woven grass sides channelled the water onto the slide itself where it made the already slick leaves slippery.
"Oh, it looks FANTASTIC!” Teri cried out with joy. “You go first, Rose Blossom .”
With a giggle, Rose flew up towards the ceiling and dove at the slide. She hit it dead on, creating a wave as she zipped down the slide with a shout of glee. At the bottom she skipped along the water almost hitting the shore before she came to a stop and had to swim.
"My turn,” Teri shouted.
Flying as fast as she could, the slide shook dangerously as she rocketed down. Rose Blossom couldn't keep track of her as she hit the water and bounced into the bushes. There was a loud clang followed by a yelp of pain. By the time Rose Blossom swam to shore, Teri had staggered out of the bushes holding her head.
I shouldn't go that fast again. OW,” she moaned, falling unconscious into the sand.
**
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
"Expanding our base of operations, Burger Face,” Teri said, shifting the wooden hardhat she'd carved out of a piece of wood that was held on by a grass rope.
Burgermeister stared at what had been a beautiful wild garden and now looked like an industrial wasteland with grass being turned into ropes, twigs and small branches cut and stacked up like cordwood, vines and leaves were spread out to dry on the beach. Rose Blossom was muttering to herself pulling on a thick thread made of shredded vines and shaking her head in frustration. A half built Ferris wheel stood in the center of it all
"But... but... I only left you alone for a veek, so I could work on my projects. 'ow have you done all of this?” he asked, putting down a large box he was holding.
Teri ripped a small tree out of the ground by its roots. “We got bored.”
"My poor garden. You're supposed to be fairies! Fairies fly around, singing, dancing and looking pretty. Vhat vill the children think vhen they see t'is?” he asked, looking like he was about to cry.
T"hat we're very smart fairies,” Teri replied, snapping the branches off the tree. “Just wait until we get the Ferris wheel working, that will be something. And then we'll start on a roller coaster.
"NO! NO! NO!” he shouted. “I won't allow it. This has gone too far. I am the boss of this operation. You must obey me!'
Her eyes flared purple. “Make me.”
"Don't make me angry, Teri. 'ou vould not like to see me angry.”
**
Rose Blossom looked up as Teri and Burgermeister argued. She sniffed a few times as tears welled up in her eyes, at seeing the two people she really, really liked fighting, if only she could figure out how to make them like each other. But she was only a little fairy, she was cute and really good at making things that Teri talked about, but she couldn't figure stuff out on her own. She couldn't even make a stretchy enough rope to get the Ferris wheel running. It all snapped when Teri rolled it up instead of storing the energy like it should. If only she could get some metal cables.
Arching her back to work out some kinks, she walked over, determined to stop the argument when her eyes fell on a mechanical box at Burgermeister's feet. Breaking into a grin, curiosity pushing the sadness away, she jumped up and glided to get a closer look.
The metal box was hastily made, the seams were barely sealed, and wiring poked out in great bundles. Something tickled her brain. Reaching out, she ran her hand over it, filling her mind with images. Pictures of wires, soldering, measurements and more appeared before her eyes. She gasped, yanking her hand back to clutch her head.
It didn't make sense.
The symbols, the measurements, the design, it didn't add up. It made as much sense as her breathing water, or a freezing fire. It was wrong. Impossible.
Wincing in anticipation of pain, she touched the impossible machine with her finger. The images came back, hurting her brain. She began to get an idea of what it could do. Her eyes flared, disgust filled her.
Grabbing a bundle of wires, her claws sliced through them. Using all her strength she yanked the broken wires out of the box and crawled into the hole. In the tight confines of the box, Rose Blossom began tearing everything apart.
"ROSE BLOSSOM! NNNNOOOOO!” Burgermeister screamed.
She ignored him, too focused on breaking the bad machine to even realize he was yelling at her.
He screamed again, as the top of the box was ripped open with a squeal of twisting metal. “Rose Blossom, what are you doing?” Teri asked, throwing the piece of metal and wiring away with one hand.
"It's a bad machine,” Rose Blossom said. “It's a good thing Burgermeister brought it here so I could break it.”
"It wasn't a bad machine!” he screamed in fury. “It's to make everyone happy. Rose Blossom, this has gone far enough! I'm going to punish both of you now.”
Rose Blossom climbed out of the machine, in time to see Teri fly up to glare at Burgermeister only an inch away from his nose. “You won't hurt Rose Blossom! She's my sidekick!” the purple fairy said.
"I am the boss here! I am in charge! I will do whatev- AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!” he screamed in panic as Teri grabbed him by the shirt, spun him around and dropped him headfirst into the shallow hole she had made minutes before.
Before Burgermeister could crawl out, the fairy came back with a tree and dropped it on top of him. Rose Blossom looked in horror as robots suddenly burst in, grabbed the mans arms and pulled him out, as Teri giggled with delight. A moment later the robots and Burgermeister were gone.
"That showed him who's boss,” Teri said, rubbing her hands together. “So Rose Blossom is this box really bad?”
"Yeah,” she said.
Picking up the box, Teri flew towards the nearest wall slamming the metal box into it as hard as she could. The metal cracked and broke with an ear piercing snap. She kept hitting it until all that was left were a few pieces of twisted metal and a bundle of broken wires and pieces on the ground.
"All done,” she shouted happily.
"Thank you Teri. It was really bad, I'm glad Burgermeister brought it to us so we could destroy it,” Rose blossom said. She shook her head trying to get the yucky images of the bad machine out of her head.
Teri gave her an odd look, before shrugging and giving her a big hug.
**
Rose Blossom sat by herself on the beach. Her head ached with ideas and plans, she stared at pictures of roller coasters, Ferris wheels, rides and more. She had spent days asking Teri everything she could think of about how they were made, but Teri couldn't say much more than the basic structure. She knew it had a motor, gears and chains but where did they go? How powerful did they have to be? What were they made out of?
She scratched some symbols in the sand, trying to figure it all out. She could see how to build the structure, what she could use to make everything, how big each section was supposed to be, but there were holes, so many holes.
"It's just a case of mind over matter,” she muttered to herself. “My mind is all that matters.”
As she struggled with the problem, she absentmindedly doodled in the sand with a sharp stick. When she finally looked down she saw a car, it was rounded in shape. She KNEW it used kitchen oil to run, the plans appeared in her mind as if by magic. Mentally she took the engine apart, counting each bolt, discovering how it worked, learning where the special filter was placed to keep the oil from damaging the parts, and how the seals increased the fuel efficiency.
This was wrong.
She jerked upright as it sounded like the voice of god was yelling in her head. She screamed in pain clutching her ears.
This was wrong.
She shouldn't be thinking about this.
This was wrong.
It hurt so much. Static filled her skull, drowning out everything. Her brain was going to explode.
This was wrong.
She somehow managed to wipe away the picture with her foot despite barely being able to see.
This was wrong.
The images in her head dissolved into the static. The pain didn't go away, only faded a little, reminding her that this was wrong.
Crying she fell to her knees clutching her head.
This was wrong.
Teri was at her side, landing so hard she showered her in a spray of sand.
This was wrong.
She felt Teri pick her up, placing her on her lap, whispering in her ear, begging her to be all right. Their tears mingled as they held each other as tightly as they could. As the pain finally began to die away, a single faint thought filled Rose Blossom's head, 'this was wrong.'
**
"I'm bored,” Teri said, kicking a flower. “Burger Face hasn't been here in weeks, only sending his robots. And they're no fun. And I'm bored of just doing the same things all the time.”
Rose Blossom looked around at the still not working Ferris wheel, the nearly completed roller coaster, a set of swings, and a few other half completed projects that she'd been able to work on without any problems. “Want to build something else?” she asked.
"No,” Teri said a little hastily, giving her friend a worried look. “We've already torn up a lot of the garden, and I'm tired of building things.” She looked around and remembered doing stuff like playing video games, talking with lots of people on a beach, surfing, boating, riding bikes, and dozens of other fun things. None of which she could do here. “Let's go outside.”
"How? We can't leave the garden,” Rose Blossom said, idly picking some small flowers to braid together.
Looking at the door, Teri realized that she'd never thought about opening it before. She didn't know why that simple idea hadn't occurred to her, it had just been a blank spot. “We can use the door. Come on, let's go explore.”
"There's a door?” the pink haired fairy asked in wonder. “HEY! There's a door!” Rose Blossom flew to the door grabbing the handle which was as large as she was in a bear hug, pulling, pushing, and jerking at it, as she hung on, eyes closed, her face screwed up trying to get it open. The handle didn't even wiggle.
Flying up, Teri grabbed it with both hands and could feel the entire handle as if she were touching it through thick cloth, she could even tell where Rose Blossom was on the handle without looking. With a grunt she shoved the handle down and pushed the door open, revealing a bare metal hallway. There was another door a little ways down on the opposite side of the hall.
Flying towards the new door, Teri stopped for a second turning around to see Rose Blossom still struggling with the handle, her eyes clenched tight as she strained to move the unyielding metal.
"Rose, we're out. Rose, you can stop that now. Hey Rosie!” Flying back to her friend who was now biting on the handle trying to get some extra leverage, she tapped her lightly on the head. “HEY ROSE!”
"What?” the fairy asked, still jerking and twisting on the handle.
"We're out.”
"REALLY?! Wow! I opened the door! I'm amazing!” Rose Blossom shouted doing donuts in the air.
"Yes, you were really amazing,” Teri agreed. “Now come on, lets see what's through door number two.”
They flew to the door hoping that the new place would be more interesting than the boring, boring hallway. Teri opened the door before Rose Blossom could try again, revealing a gravel road, wooden houses, and the sound of carpentry, hammers, and people singing songs. They went in cautiously, holding hands, not sure what to expect.
A cute little green man with bat-like ears and a long nose, wearing baby blue coveralls, came out of a building, holding a pocket watch. “What's going on here? It's not lunchtime yet, and we don't need another delivery for at least three days,” he said in a sing-song voice. He looked around at where most people would be walking and his big cat-like eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Hello!” Teri said, flying down to sit on his bony shoulder. “I'm Teri and that's Rose Blossom, we're fairies! Who are you?”
"Rumpelstiltskin, chief goblin. How- how did you get in here?” he asked.
"We were bored, so we decided to explore. We just opened the door and you were right next door.” Teri looked around at the dozen or so small buildings, which were quickly emptying as more goblins, each one cuter than the last, came out wondering what was going on. Each one had tools of some kind, most were for metal working but there were carpentry tools, and one was dressed like an old fashioned tailor with pins in his hat and a pair of half made pants over his shoulder. Six people who looked like Santa's elves came out behind them, they had scissors, paint brushes and held fabric that looked like black silk.
"How come they can wander around? I haven't visited anywhere except the engine room for months!” a goblin cried.
"Where did you come from?” an elf asked.
"Should we be working or is it break time?” the tailor asked.
Before the questions and grumbling could get worse, Rumpelstiltskin raised his arms. “Everybody take five. We have visitors, let's make them feel at home.”
All the goblins and elves ran around putting down tools, straightening their clothes, polishing their bald heads, getting glasses of juice and water, and falling over themselves at the thought of something new happening. Rose Blossom and Teri giggled watching them, as Rumpelstiltskin put his head in his hands and sighed at it all.
"You guys are funny,” Rose Blossom said. “I like you.”
"We're not used to having guests, give them a few minutes and they'll smarten up,” he muttered.
"I hope they don't, this is almost as much fun as throwing Burger Face in the pool,” Teri chirped.
"Who's Burger Face?”
"It's what we call Burgermeister. His face turns all red when we call him that, it's really funny,” Rose Blossom giggled.
"You throw Burgermeister in the pool! How? He's so big and tough!” the goblin said in awe.
"Teri is super super strong. She's a mutant girl who turned into the most awesome fairy in the whole world. And she doesn't like Burger Face, but she can't remember why. Since she came, we've gotten to throw him into the pool a bunch of times, tied him up, covered him in dirt, dropped a tree on him, and made his big shiny suit dance around. That was lots, and lots, and lots of fun.”
"Oh” Rumpelstiltskin said, his eyes widening in surprise. “You're why we had to fix his power armour. He wouldn't tell us what happened, just that it needed fixing.”
"So what do you guys do here?” Teri asked.
"We're fixers for Burger Fa- uh Burgermeister. We fix a lot of the machines, make clothes, and things like that. The elves are the decorators making sure everything looks pretty. Come on, sit down and tell us about dropping a tree on him.” They all sat down at the long table that had been hastily brought out and was covered in crackers, dried fruits, some buns, and cups which were quickly being filled with a syrupy hot chocolate.
"Do you guys like Burger Face?” Teri asked, taking a sip of the hot chocolate that was more like melted chocolate than a drink.
The goblins suddenly became interested in looking at their feet, drinking their hot chocolate, and looking everywhere but her.
She stood up, tapping her foot feeling more awake than she had since turning into a fairy. “If you don't like him, why don't you tell him to go away?”
Rumpelstiltskin began playing with his ears. “Well you see, it's not so easy. He's so big, and strong, and we just know that we have to do what he says because he's better than we are. What can we do to stop him? And he treats us really nicely. We have our houses, all the food and supplies we need. He gives us lots of interesting challenges. If we were on our own, we'd get bored and we would have to worry about all of the little things that aren't any fun.”
As Teri listened, the goblins and the room disappeared.
She was riding a bike behind a woman with long brown hair tied up in a ponytail. Looking back she saw a big man, she could only make out his smile, everything else was blurry. Two more guys, one with a baby carrier on his bike, their faces blurred so badly it was impossible to see what they looked like, were pedalling along with them. She knew they didn't come back somewhere as much as they wanted, so this was a... a... something.
Static filled the air, making it impossible to make out what people were saying.
“This is a great place!” she shouted.
The static roared in her ears.
They locked the bikes up and she raced to a free spot on the crowded beach. It was her favourite beach in... the city. When the two young men arrived with blankets and a cooler, and a little baby, she put down her pink backpack and took off her shorts, revealing brand new pink bikini bottoms that matched her top. It wasn't the sexy thing she had wanted, but someone had told her that she was too young to wear what she really wanted.
With a whoop she ran into the water and dove under the surface, kicking hard to put distance between her and the shore. Wanting to get deep enough so she could pretend she was a mermaid and never had to head back to land and be ordinary.
She shook her head, noticing that everyone was looking at her. “He's not that big! And it can't be fun working all the time,” Teri shouted, jumping into the air where she began flitting around like a hummingbird on crack, memories rising to the surface of her brain. “I remember things like going to the beach with my friends, skateboarding, going biking with my- my- my.... friends, and, and sleeping in when I wasn't at school. There's lots of fun stuff to do.”
"We've never been to the beach.”
"I remember riding a bike. I got hit by a car.”
"I want to try that skateboarding. But how do you skate on a board? Wouldn't the blades get caught in the wood?”
"I WANT A VACATION!” Someone shouted over the growing noise.
"VACATIONS FOR EVERYONE!” Teri shouted, her face twisting into a manic grin.
The goblins and elves rose to their feet, pumping their fists in the air. “VACATION!”
"FOLLOW ME! FOR VACATIONS! FOR FUN! FOR BEACHES! FOR SKATEBOARDS! FAIRY LIGHTNING STRIKE!!!” she shouted.
The goblins watched in amazement as the fairy seemed to disappear, and the door that they barely noticed most of the time blew outwards as if hit by a bomb. Teri was standing in the hallway, staggering around in a circle holding her head. “For Vacations!” she squeaked, before falling to the floor with a groan.
The workers surged out of their room, Rumpelstiltskin picked Teri up holding her high. “Vacations for everyone!” he shouted, leading his men down the hall, while Rose Blossom checked to make sure that her friend was still breathing.
**
Burgermeister sat in his office developing plans for a new and improved transmographier. After that horrible little girl damaged his old one, he realized that relying on obsolete technology just wouldn't cut it. If he was going to protect the children, he needed to improve his technology, making it stronger and faster. The baseline test subjects had been a good start. He'd need to learn how to change the bodies, while making the minds more pliable, and the resulting goblins and elves had proven useful.
But the mutant children needed to be done with special care to avoid hurting them. Channelling the burnout was no easy task. That's where he'd gone wrong with Teri, she'd damaged the process, so she hadn't gotten her full mind imprint, and her powers hadn't been reduced like they should have been, just changed.
He definitely needed to add armour if he was going to avoid mistakes like Teri.
He would have to use it on Teri and maybe Rose Blossom once it was working. Those fairies were out of control, destroying his mind imprinting machine like that. Why did the world keep him from making everyone safe and happy?
Well, he thought to himself, once he got the transmographier working, getting Teri into it would be easy enough and he could finally fix her mind so she was happy and cheerful all the time instead of being a mean little girl.
An alarm at the side of his desk went off. Pressing a button, a monitor showed the goblins and elves marching towards the bridge, shouting angrily. Rumpelstiltskin was in the lead, holding something in his hand. Zooming in, he saw Teri, who was holding her head, and Rose Blossom.
Biting back a curse, he made sure his PFG was in place and went out to meet them.
**
Teri, who was still trying to make the room stop spinning, stood in the green hand, holding a giant finger to keep her balance. She and Rose Blossom were leading the goblins in the chant, demanding vacations, a trip to the beach, skateboards and chocolate cake. She'd slipped that last one in herself.
She really didn't know where they were going, but the goblins and elves seemed to, so she just went with it. Maybe they'd know the way to an aspirin once the shouting was all done. The hallways all looked the same, and while there were a few doors, the mob completely ignored them, as if they weren't there.
Suddenly the chanting and the mob stopped as if cut with a knife. Burger Face was in front of them glaring as hard as he could, doing his best to look impressive in his funny clothes.
"BURGER FACE!” she shouted, headache forgotten.
"Vhat are you doing out here?” he demanded.
Rumpelstiltskin stepped forward, staring at his feet. “Well, uh, you see, um, sir. We uh, were, maybe, kinda wondering-”
"WE WANT A VACATION!” Teri shouted.
"VACATION!” the mob cheered, now that they weren't the centre of attention.
"What?! Vho told you about vacations?” Burgermeister shouted in disbelief.
"I did, nyah!” Teri said, sticking her tongue out. “We want a vacation, because your ship is boring and smelly. Just like you!”
"Beach! Skateboarding! Video games! Surfing!” they chanted as one.
The man edged away from the increasingly noisy mob, and the scary fairy who was coming ever closer shouting at the top of her lungs.
"QUIET!” he bellowed, there was dead silence as his minions were cowed by his rare display of anger. “Now I know you all want a vacation, but we're at a very critical part of our plan. Just a few more weeks, and we'll be able to take a bit of time off before we start the big work of getting the Enchanted Valley ready. But right now, we're still trying to get more workers, making plans, getting the basic components of everything sorted, we don't have time. I'm very sorry but that's the facts.”
Teri saw the goblins and elves nodding in agreement with Burger Face. That wouldn't do, she had to get their attention in a big way. She zipped away as fast as she could, trying to remember how to get back to the goblins home. It only took her about twenty seconds and she almost missed the broken door she was going so fast. Flying inside, she found what she was looking for. With a grunt she picked it up, and flew more slowly, but still faster than most people could run, back to the goblins.
"- are ve all in agreement that ve double down and then take a vacation once everything is completed?” Burger Face asked.
"I OBJECT!” Teri shouted, flying right at him.
Burgermeister had just enough time to scream in terror before the big, heavy, solid steel anvil hit his face. The PFG saved him from a concussion and dental surgery, but he was still sent sprawling to the floor. Then Teri dropped the anvil on his chest.
"VACATION!” she yelled, raising her fists in the air, as Burgermeister struggled to get out from under the very heavy piece of metal that pinned him to the floor.
"Vacation!” the workers yelled with renewed fury.
Teri looked down from the anvil, smiling at Burger Face. “We want to go to the beach, and eat ice cream. And go surfing. And eat ice cream. And go swimming. And eat ice cream.”
"OK, OK. We will go to the beach tomorrow! JUST GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!”
"HURRAY! VACATION!” they all shouted.
**
"I can't wait to go to the beach,” Teri said sleepily, lying on the soft moss that was their bed, curled up with her back to Rose Blossom.
"I've never been to a beach, is it really fun?” Rose Blossom asked, shifting her wing to cover Teri and herself like a blanket. After being alone at night for so long, she loved having such a good friend. She couldn't imagine being away from Teri anymore.
"It's great. We can build sand castles, swim, go water-skiing, get a nice tan, catch some fish and BBQ them later. It's so much fun.”
Smiling at how happy her friend sounded, Rose Blossom found the courage to ask something she'd been wondering about for a while. “Did you go with your friends?”
Teri stiffened, her eyes flaring slightly in the dark. “I-I-I... I don't remember.”
Wrapping an arm around her, Rose Blossom pulled her close. “Don't worry, Teri. I'm sure you'll remember. You're in the fairy garden, good things always happen here, so if you really want to remember you will. It will just take time.”
Teri scrunched up into a little ball. “Can you sing to me?” she asked in a quiet voice, nothing like her usual loud and excited self.
"You like my singing? I didn't think you were awake.”
"I wake up sometimes and hear you singing to me. It makes the bad dreams go away,” Teri whispered.
Rose Blossom stroked her friends hair and began singing softly. She felt a few tears fall on her arm that Teri was using as a pillow, but the smaller fairy began to relax. After a little while the crying stopped and little snores accompanied her singing.
"Good night, Teri,” Rose Blossom whispered, kissing her hair. Smiling at having cheered up Teri, she closed her eyes and let herself drift off to sleep.
**
The people at the beach had never seen such a sight before, many of them hoped to never see it again. A bus, apparently from the Xavier's School for Disadvantaged Youngsters, pulled up around nine in the morning, and out poured twenty five of the strangest children anyone had ever seen. Most were green and bald, with bat ears, big noses, and big eyes, somehow they were so ugly they had come around from the opposite direction into cuteness. The remaining six could have starred in a Christmas movie as Santa's Elves, with no makeup needed.
They were wearing bathing suits and t-shirts, carrying surfboards, skateboards, one of which strangely had actual skates on the bottom rather than wheels, sun screen, towels and cameras. A few were playing with little toys from several fast food restaurants, and they were all yelling and cheering at going on vacation. Above there heads flew an inner tube from which could be heard two tiny girls shrieking with delight, and making a beeline for the ocean.
An older man, looking ill at ease in his t-shirt which proclaimed him as the Burgermeister of The Enchanted Valley, shorts that were dangerously loose, and a thick application of sunscreen on his balding head, nose and face, edged his way out of the bus. He didn't seem worried so much about the crowd of spectators who were taking photo's and pointing at the odd sight, his eyes were on the inner tube. As soon as it splashed down in the water, and what looked like two giant butterflies sat down on top of it, he breathed a sigh of relief, took his towel and went to find a place in the sand.
**
"Ah, this is the life,” Teri said, lying back on the inner tube enjoying the gentle motion of the waves. Her purple backless bathing suit, pleasantly warm from the sun.
"We should go to the beach more often,” Rose Blossom said.
"You know we could live here. I know that some people live at the beach, they sing songs, jump around and other stuff to make money from people watching them. We can find a nice birdhouse or something to live in high up so people can't bother us, and do nothing but play, sing and relax,” Teri said dreamily.
She walked down the street, sometimes wearing a tiara and a silver mask, sometimes with her hair blowing freely in the wind, holding hands with an older girl whose face seemed to slide away whenever she saw it.
They were holding small shopping bags, she couldn't remember what was in them. One moment she was sure they were funny t-shirts bought from a street vendor, then she thought it was a present for her mo- someones birthday, then she knew it was a piece of cake and they were going somewhere nice to eat.
Music started playing.
No the music had been there all along, and she was finally noticing it.
A small group of musicians were playing a waltz, dressed up in evening clothes, and acting like they were performing in a concert hall. A person dressed the same way was handing out pamphlets. She took one, and read it eagerly, only she couldn't make out the words, they moved around like bugs on the page.
She started to giggle and said something to her companion.
“No ___!” static erupted all around her. “You can't be serious!”
Bowing at the waist, she held out her hands. “Come on ____, it will be fun.”
She saw the blurry face turned brilliant red, but she took her hands. Together they began to dance to the music, much to the delight of the audience. They were both straight faced as if they were professional dancers, and not two young girls putting on an impromptu performance. The music came to an end, and then a quicker song began to play. They picked up the pace with the older girl leading, skipping and hopping in time with the music.
Finally they stopped, and the audience and the musicians clapped loudly. They both bowed, and she blew a kiss to the crowd before turning to the musicians giving them a kiss as well and a big thank you.
Teri realized that her friend hadn't said anything for a while. Just as she was about to mention it again, Rose Blossom spoke in a quiet whisper, “I don't want to leave the garden.”
"Why not?”
"Because it's safe there. Everything is so big and scary outside, I don't know what I'd do if I had to live out here all the time,” she said.
Teri rolled over to look at the pink fairy. “But you said you wanted to come to the beach more often.”
"Yeah, with you. You're strong and really brave and really cool. But if you weren't here, I'd be all alone and that's really scary. There are cats, hawks, cars, big people and all sorts of other things out there, what would happen if one of them came after me?” she asked, wrapping her wings around herself.
Teri hopped over to her and gave her a big hug. “If you want to go back, I'll go with you. I'll always be there to protect you, just call me Little Miss Powerful. If any nasty people come near you I'll beat them up, and no cat can withstand my fairy lightning strike!”
"My hero!”
Teri leaned against her friend. “Rose, do you remember anything from before you woke up in the fairy garden?”
"No, Burger Face said that I was born there from a special flower. He said that we're special and are born knowing everything we need, not like human babies. Why?”
Teri shrugged, playing with her long purple hair. “I just keep getting flashes of memories. I don't know if they're mine or not. I was hoping that maybe you knew what was going on.”
Rose Blossom gave her a big hug. “You could ask Burger Face, he'll tell you. He's a nice man.”
"No he isn't!”
Teri was about to say more when an enormous hand grabbed the inner tube. The tube was large enough that it didn't flip, but the two fairies both took to the air in fright. A young boy looked up at them in wide eyed wonder.
"I told them you were fairies. But they didn't believe me,” he said. “I'm David, what are your names?”
Rose Blossom landed on his head, grabbed a hold of his bangs and leaned down to look at him upside down. “Hi David! I'm Rose Blossom, and that's my best friend Teri. Who didn't believe we were fairies?”
The boy pointed back to shore where some teens were roughhousing in the water. “My brothers, they said fairies aren't real, even though those green kids said they were goblins.”
"WE DON'T EXIST!” Teri cried, feeling a bout of righteous indignation coming on. “David get in the tube, Rose hang on.”
They both did as they were told, and Teri grabbed the rope that was wrapped around the inner tube. Flapping her wings to help get more speed, she surged forward, leaving a large wake behind her, making the two passengers squeal with fright as they went faster than they could believe. She headed straight for the teens, when they were close enough, she let go of the inner tube flying up to land on the oldest boys shoulder. He just stood there with his jaw hanging around his chest.
"Hi, I'm Teri. David said you said I wasn't real. Well I am, so there,” she said, sticking out her tongue.
"Uh, what?” he squeaked like his pants were too tight.
"David said you said I wasn't real. My friend Rose Blossom and I would like to disagree. We're both real and we're both fairies. So I want an apology from you, right now. I'd normally throw you up in the air and maybe catch you, but you're cute, so I'll make an exception today,” she said."
"Right, sorry,” he said quickly. “You're real fairies. We thought you were mutants or something.”
"Well I am a mutant and a fairy. But Rose Blossom is one hundred percent real fairy,” Teri said pointing at Rose Blossom, who took a second to stop wringing the water from her hair and wave.
"Uh, yeah, cool, very cool. Are you with the green guys and Santa's helpers?” the boy asked, pointing at the goblins and elves who were trying to learn how to skateboard.
"Yep. We're taking a day trip to the beach. The guy trying to keep everything organized is Rumplestiltskin, and, oh god, what is he doing?” Teri moaned, covering her eyes as one of the goblins tried to go down a railing on the 'skates' skateboard. From the laughing, it hadn't been successful. “The silly one who might have just killed himself is Hoggle. I just met them yesterday.”
"Right and who's the guy yelling at them all?”
"Burger Face, he's kind of the boss. He looks a little hot doesn't he?”
"A little, is his face usually that red?”
"Usually only when he's talking to me. I think he needs to cool down. Rose Blossom, do you think Burger Face needs to cool down?” she asked.
"Yeah!” her friend agreed quickly.
With a mad cackle Teri launched herself at Burgermeister, landing gently on his shoulder. He instantly stopped trying to bring order to the chaos and looked nervously at Teri. “Hello, are you 'aving a good time?”
"Yep. It's great. Can I bury you in sand?” she asked.
He looked very thoughtfully at her enormous grin that seemed to split her face almost in two. “I vould really, really like it, if you did not bury me in sand. I need to breathe.”
"OK! Can you swim?”
Again he thought for a moment before saying, “Do I 'ave a choice?”
"Well, I could bury you in the sand!”
He held up a finger, silently asking her to wait a moment. She nodded and began humming happily. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a pair of swimming goggles and nose plugs. When they were in place he nodded at Teri. “I'm ready.”
"YIPPEE!” she shouted, picking him up by his shirt, it felt like she had giant invisible hands that reached around his back and chest, picking him up safely and keeping him remarkably stable. Flying very quickly out over the water she let go, sending him plunging into the ocean, not too far from shore. After making sure he really could swim she flew back to the beach laughing.
The teenagers were looking at her nervously. “So, he's your boss?” the first one asked.
"Kind of, it's complicated,” she admitted. “Today I'm being nice to him because he's taking us to the beach and promised us ice cream. I only had to drop an anvil on him to make him agree to it.”
"An anvil, like the big metal things you see in cartoons?”
"Yep. First I hit him in the face with it though. He was talking too much.” She didn't notice how everyone backed away from her as she kept talking. “Hey, do you guys have any music with you? I haven't heard any good songs in I don't remember how long?”
**
The group of goblins, elves, fairies and villain were just finishing lunch and about to begin eating their ice cream when trouble arrived.
"So, I vas vorking with Dr. Diabolic on a ray that vould destroy all inorganic objects,” Burgermeister told the group. “It was to 'elp demilitarize armies and mobs. This was vhen I was much much 'ounger and thought that veapons were the best t'ings since sliced bread. When I accidentally svitched a vire and activated the machine, vhile Dr. Diabolic was in front of it. All I 'eard was a shout of rage and I saw the doctor standing there completely naked from the waist down. For such a big man, he is remarkably small. Vell let me tell you, I never left a job so fast. I never did get my electron microscope he promised me for my work. Anyvays, he- Oh what's t'is?”
A number of cars, vans and trucks pulled up. People rushed out with baseball bats, tire irons, knives and other instruments of pain. H1 pins featured prominently on their wardrobe. As a mob they marched up to the group, some of them yelling curses and demanding they leave.
Burgermeister moved very quickly to get between his charges and the H1 group. Teri looked up from her frozen yogourt, despite her pleading Burgermeister had refused to give her or Rose any real ice cream, as Rose Blossom grabbed her hand.
"What's going on?” she asked, her face dripping with yogurt.
"There are a bunch of scary men yelling at us,” her friend whimpered.
"I'll deal with them,” Teri said, wiping the yogurt from her face. Flying over she landed on a bush just to the side of the mob and waited to see what Burger Face was going to do.
"Vhat seems to be the problem 'ere?” Burgermeister demanded, glaring at the mob.
"We don't want your freaks around our beach. Get the hell out now!” the man in front demanded.
His eyes narrowed dangerously. “This is a public beach. My friends and I will go wherever we want.”
The mob moved forward, raising their weapons menacingly. “We're being nice. Get out now, or you'll be leaving in body bags.”
Burgermeister tapped a ring on his little finger. Energy crackled around him creating the outline of a hulking ogre. “These people are under my protection. If you try to harm them you will have to go over my dead body,” he growled.
Some of the men pulled out guns. Teri burst out of the bushes, grabbing two of the gunmen by their ears, her invisible hands encircling their head so it wasn't too painful, and flew them out over the water, dropping them into it without slowing down. Spinning on a dime she flew back at top speed.
Burgermeister was knocking the H1 goons flying, while the goblins and elves cheered him on. Someone took a shot at him, only to have the bullet drop harmlessly to the ground. Teri grabbed two more gunmen and threw them into the ocean as well.
By the time she got back for another round of dunk the morons, everyone except Burgermeister was lying splayed out on the ground groaning.
Burgermeister turned off his forcefield and looked around, biting his nails. “Um, right. Everyone, grab your ice cream. Time to go 'ome. No dilly dallying. Come on, lets go before the police arrive.”
Teri landed on his shoulder, making him jump and scream with fear. She patted his cheek, “Good work, Burgermeister.”
She flew away to grab hers and Rose Blossoms yogourt, leaving the man absolutely stunned.
**
"If you move these gears over here, and move the pipes through the now open space, it should make it easier to build the steam engine for the children,” Rose Blossom told Rumplestiltskin, drawing on a blueprint that was spread out on a drafting board.
"But this was the design that Burgermeister gave us,” the chief goblin said.
Teri saw her friend blush and hunch down a little, still the pink fairy pointed at the paper with a pencil almost as big as she was. “But it's not very good. How are you guys supposed to get your hands in there to do all the little work? Repairing it will be a pain, you'd have to take it all apart. By moving the gears, you can just open it up and get right into the middle of the engine. It's a case of mind over matter, use your mind properly so nothing else matters.”
Bored out of her mind, Teri flew away from the technical discussion. Rose Blossom really liked working with the goblins and elves, she had been doing it for days and days. Teri had to admit a few of the things were fun, like hitting things with the big hammer on the anvil, but she wanted to get outside and have some real fun. The airship was just too boring.
She'd explored the hallways and the engine room, but almost every door was locked so she couldn't get into any of the rooms, and the engine room was really noisy, so it was just boring, boring hallways and doors. If only she could get into some of the other rooms, she might be able to find something interesting to do. Almost anything would do, a surfboard and a beach, a video game, a bike that was her size, a big tree to climb.
She walked along the beach enjoying the salty smell of the sea, someone would be there soon. She was waiting for someone, but when she tried to think of the person static filled her brain almost painfully loud.,
Up ahead she saw a girl who looked like she was maybe ten years old crying, while an older woman stood beside her dialing on a phone. A broken pet carrier sat at the base of a palm tree. Looking up into the tree she saw a cute cat sitting at the very top.
“This looks like a job for ________ ________,” she whispered to herself.
Walking over, she smiled brightly. “Hi, is that your cat in the tree?” she asked the little girl.
“Y-yeah. Kit's carrier fell and broke open, and now he doesn't want to come down!” the girl sobbed, as her mother turned back to the road looking for help while talking to someone on her phone.
“I can get her for you.”
Without pausing, she grabbed the tree, digging her fingers into the wood just enough to get a good purchase, and began climbing, thankful that she was wearing shorts instead of a skirt. Some people were shouting at her to get down, but she was up the tree so quickly they couldn't do anything. The cat looked at her, wide eyed in fear.
“Come here, Kit,” she said softly, holding her hand out. “Come on, kitty. I'm ________ ________, I'm a superhero here to rescue you.
The frond the cat was sitting on began to sink down. In a panic, the cat launched itself at her, landing right on her face. Unexpectedly getting a face full of claws, fur and scared cat, she shouted in surprise and jerked back, right out of the tree.
Hitting the ground twenty feet below, she realized she wasn't hurt, but even being super tough didn't stop the wind from being knocked out of her
Reaching up, she pulled the frightened cat off of her face and placed it in the waiting arms of the girl. “I saved your cat,” she said.
Getting to her feet she noticed people were taking out cameras, some were already recording her, they were all looking at her with wide eyes.
“Oh boy.” She bolted away, shouting over her shoulder, “Gottago! Getabettercarrierforyourcat!”
Where did that come from?” she asked herself. Ever since they'd gone to the beach she'd been getting more memories like that. No one else seemed to have memories like her, she'd asked the goblins and Rose Blossom, they'd only looked at her funny. She supposed she could ask Burger Face, but even though he'd been helpful beating up the bad men at the beach, she still didn't like him. No matter how good Rose Blossom said he was, something about him just made her want to punch him in the face.
Pushing the memory aside, she looked around for something, anything to do. Her eyes fell on one of the air vents that lined the roof. Cocking her head she realized the opening was a little bigger than she was. Flying up, she grabbed the cover in one hand and gave it a jerk, tearing the screws out of the holes and revealing a vent that she could comfortably walk in, there was even room to spread her wings if she wanted to. Carefully dropping the cover onto the roof of the nearest house, she climbed into the vent and started walking.
The constant breeze was a little cool, so she wrapped her wings around herself like a cloak warming herself up. The dark vent stretched off into the distance, even with her night vision the far end was blurry and indistinct. Realizing that she could get lost in the vents, she began scratching the metal with arrows every few feet, to point the way back. Coming to another vent opening, she looked down hoping to see something interesting, and sighed in disappointment. The room below was dark and full of rocks, the rocks were pretty, looking like jewels and gold, but she really didn't care about that. She wanted to talk to new people and do fun things, not just look at rocks.
She kept walking, taking a couple of turns as they appeared. At every vent she looked down, mostly she saw hallways and storage rooms, but there were some different rooms that she thought could be interesting to show Rose Blossom. One looked like a meadow with horse stalls lining one wall, clover grew everywhere. Another one looked like a jungle, a pine forest filled yet another room. She wondered who would live in those rooms.
Finally after wandering around for almost an hour she saw something that looked really interesting. Breaking the vent she flew down into a room that had a giant window on one side, a couple of panels with lots of shiny buttons, a big purple sheet covered one whole wall, and there was a giant tube with a door in the middle of the room.
"What's this place?” she asked herself.
She started to fly towards the big tube, only to stop in midair, her heart raced, sweat broke out on her forehead, and her hands shook. “I-I-I think I'll look at that later,” she gasped.
Quickly Teri went to what looked like the main control panel. Sitting on top of it, she could see out the window perfectly. Mountains rose up around the airship, the brilliant white snow glittering beautifully in the sun. Just looking at the deep blue sky made a pleasant chill run through her body. Stretching out her wings she flew to the window to get a closer look. Her breath fogged up the glass, and her nose stuck against the cold pane for a moment.
"I wanna build a snowman!” she squealed. A memory clicked into existence.
“I wanna build a snowman!” she shouted, looking out at the snow covered hills.
“You'll get to build one soon, ___. We've got the whole Christmas holiday here,” a deep voice said as if the speaker was underwater. “Just hold your horses.”
“Can we get a snowmobile too? That's just like riding a jet ski isn't it?” she asked, pressing her nose against the window of the SUV.
Teri smiled so widely it looked like her face was about to split in two. “That's a great idea brain. I wonder if Rose Blossom could make me a snowmobile?”
Hopping back to the control panel, she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Now how do I drive this thing?”
Stepping carefully around the buttons and switches, she couldn't make heads or tails out of the colours and letters. She did however see a clear spot that looked like it was covering something. Kneeling on the edge, she drove her fingers into the plastic and ripped off the cover. A joystick as big as she was, slowly rose up.
"HURRAY!!! A video game!” Teri shouted. Grabbing the joystick, she began veering towards the nearest mountain.
"Autopilot off,” a mechanical voice wheezed.
"Cool! Let's set down on the mountain and go skiing.” Pushing the joystick forward as far as it could go the airship tilted dangerously. Alarms began to sound. “Whee!” she shouted.
Burgermeister came running out, soaking wet, wearing a pink bathrobe. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” he screeched.
"We're going to go skiing!” Teri shouted to be heard over the alarms.
"Are you crazy? We're going to crash!”
"I've got it all under control. Trust me,” she said, as red lights began flashing. A robot bird came running into the control room, took one look at the oncoming mountain and ran away squawking in terror.
"Impact imminent!” the mechanical voice said.
"How do we slow down?” Teri asked, suddenly feeling a little nervous.
Burgermeister shoved her to the side, grabbed the joystick and pulled it back, making the airship groan in protest as it began to climb. Teri flew to the window and saw a shaggy white ape stare at them from less than twenty feet away. It ran off shrieking in terror before she could wave at it. There was a grinding sound and snow started rolling down the mountain, pelting the window.
"Oh, can I open the window? I wanna build a snowman,” she shouted.
"NO!” Burgermeister shouted back.
The airship began to level off as it cleared the mountain. The flashing lights and alarms turned off, and Burgermeister slumped down, hitting a button which made the joystick sink back into the console.
"Teri,” he said in a squeaky voice, “did you want us to hit Mount Everest?”
"Nnnnnnooooo... Maybe.... Only a little,” she admitted. “I wanted to get out and go skiing, and build a snowman and make snow cones.”
He began to laugh. “You wanted to make snow cones. Of course, of course. That makes all the sense in the world. Vhere better to make snow cones than the tallest mountain in the vorld. And ve could go skiing, that vould be so much fun. Everyone likes skiing!”
"So can we stop?”
"NNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!!!” he screamed. “You almost got us all killed. I vant you to promise to never drive the airship again!”
She shrunk down a little. “OK. I didn't mean to almost kill everyone,” she said, playing with her long hair.
"Good. Good,” he said, calming down a little. “Now then, I vill take you back to your garden, and ve vill forget all of this ever happened.”
"OK,” she said. Flying beside him she passed near the metal tube and she felt herself tremble. Pointing at the tube she asked, “Burger Face, what's that?”
"That thing. It's a surprise. Vhen it is ready, it will do many fun things. You can try it vhen it is done. You vill really like it,” he said almost dreamily.
"Oh... good,” she said, the joy of having a surprise present warring with a growing fear that made it hard to breathe.
**
"Rose Blossom, can I talk to you?” Teri asked.
"Her friend stopped smelling the roses and dashed over, smiling happily. “What do you want to talk about?”
"I can't remember my Mom and Dad. That's not normal for humans.”
"I didn't know that,” Rose Blossom said. Her smile turned into a deep frown and she moved in quickly to give Teri a hug. “Do you want to ask Burger Face about it?”
"NO!” Teri shouted. “I don't want him to know anything about this.”
"Why not? I don't know why you don't like him so much, but he's a nice man,” Rose Blossom insisted, her lower lip stuck out and she sniffed back some tears.
Teri gave her a hug. “I'm sorry for shouting. Can we just talk without telling Burger Face?”
Rose Blossom's shoulders slumped and her wings rested on the ground.
"We can tell him later, after I start remembering things. OK?”
"You promise?”
"Promise,” Teri said, holding her hand over her heart.
"OK!” Rose Blossom squealed, jumping up and down with joy.
"I want to be a superhero. There's a woman, I think, who I really like. She's the coolest superhero ever. I think... I think I am going to be her partner when I get old enough.” Teri shook her head in frustration. As she tried to think about it, static filled her mind.
“OK! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!” she squealed, hanging up a phone. She ran out of a room that looked like a kitchen, but everything was blurry and mixed together, like a picture that had gotten wet.
“_________ ______, I'm your biggest fan! Can you sign my book!” she shouted in the noisy school gymnasium, holding up a limited edition trivia book of the _____ _________.
The superhero gave her a brilliant smile, her neon yellow hair had a brilliant glow that seemed to light up the room. “Definitely. What's your name?”
She was holding the phone again in the kitchen. “HI! I'm TERI, and I'm a mutant. I talked to _________ ______ last year, and I can lift my bed with one hand, and she told me that I could be a hero if I turned into a mutant. So now I'm a mutant, and I put my finger right through my phone and it didn't hurt! So how can I sign up to become a ________ because I'll do such a good job!” She stopped to gasp for breath.
She was back in the gymnasium, the hero laughed and patted her shoulder. “Keep up that attitude and you'll go far. But remember you have to be an adult to join the _________, and you need to do well in school. What are your grades like?”
“Best day ever!” she murmured to herself, walking away from the superhero holding her book tightly against her chest.
Something was in her hands, it was pressed tight against the book. She could see the book but whatever she was holding was a blank spot. The book was almost as bad, most of the words were gibberish, dancing around the page when she tried to read them, but she could make out some written words. 'To TERI, my biggest fan! Who will be one of the great superheroes one day. Your future partner, _________ ______'
Teri sat down with a little thump, rubbing her aching head. The memories didn't fit together. They were close, she knew they were close, but they didn't make sense. “Who is she?” she asked the air, knowing that the answer would unlock so many of her memories.
Rose Blossom knelt down beside her, hugging her as tightly as she could.
**
"Oh look at all the pretty stones in here!” Rose Blossom exclaimed looking through a grate.
Teri put down the marker she was using to mark out the different rooms and routes in the ventilation system. They'd spent the last few days exploring it and seeing what was what. They'd had to remove some of the filters, and a few places were off limits because the wind was too strong for Rose Blossom, but they had had their own personal hallway for most of the airship.
Grabbing the vent, Teri felt whatever it was that made her so strong flow along the metal, with a push the screws popped out and the grate fell to the ground below. Flying down, she saw that with the light from the window reflected off the jewels that lined the floor. All the glittery lights looked great, and she found herself dancing in the air.
"Come on Rose, dance with me!” she shouted, landing on a particularly wide rock.
Rose Blossom landed beside her, took her hands and looked at their feet as they began dancing. “Dum-de, dum, de-dum, de, dum- de,” Teri said to let her friend find the rhythm.
As they danced the room dissolved around her.
“Please ___!” she pleaded, clutching her hands in front of her.
A sigh came from a mass of long, curly hair. “TERI, those dancing classes are too expensive.”
“But-but ____ is in them. She's having so much fun. I saved up my allowance, I have fifty-four dollars. Will that help?” she asked, holding up a heart shaped piggy bank.
A smile appeared in the air. She felt invisible arms encircle her, a strange perfume she couldn't place made her smile. “You have that much money?”
“Yeah. I didn't buy the posters I wanted or Heroes Weekly Magazine for two whole months,” she explained.
“I'll see what I can do. You may have to drop out of your piano lessons though.”
“Yay!” she squealed. “Uh, I mean, um, aw shucks, I really like playing the piano.”
"Rose,” Teri said as they danced. “Have you had a birthday party?”
"No. Burgermeister never gave me one, and until you came it was only the two of us.” Rose Blossom stumbled as she answered and fell into Teri's arms. “Have you had a birthday party?”
Sitting down in the air with Rose Blossom in her lap, Teri tried to think. “I think so. But it's hard to remember.”
"Could we have a birthday party together?”
"Oh, that's a great idea. We can have chocolate fudge cake with chocolate icing and whipped cream, and chocolate ice cream on the side,” she said, licking her lips. “The goblins and elves can come to. We need to find a stereo and some music, balloons too. Maybe we can go to the beach again and have a beach party?”
"REALLY! HURRAY!” her friend cheered, jumping up to do loop de loops in the air. “Let's go and tell Burgermeister.”
"Well,” Teri said with a frown, “I guess we'll need him to get the stereo and the music. And to land this thing. I don't really know how to do that.”
Flying back into the ventilation shaft, they made their way to the bridge. Teri was forced to break through several metal grates that had been put up by robots, she didn't know why Burger Face bothered anymore, but within two minutes they were at the bridge.
Rose Blossom flew down first, hugging Burgermeister from behind as he worked on the big tube. “Burger Face! Teri and I are going to have a birthday party! Can we go to the beach again?”
"VHAT?!” he shouted in confusion. “Do 'ou 'ave any idea 'ow busy ve are right now?”
"Rose Blossom and I want a birthday party, because she hasn't had one and I don't remember when my birthday is,” Teri said, staying well away from the tube.
"No. I am putting my foot down, you can play around ship, but 'ou will NOT have a beach party. And the others must vork. They have lots of things to do to prepare for the opening of Burgermeisters Enchanted Valley, ve are almost ready to get many new employees.”
"But I wanted a birthday party,” Rose Blossom said, her large eyes somehow becoming bigger, with little tears falling from them.
"No. It vill have to wait.”
"We're going to have a birthday party, Burger Face, no matter what!” Teri shouted, still staying well away from the center of the room.
Burgermeister frowned at her, his innocent and often stunned expression became stern. “There vill be no birthday party. I am done listening to your demands, you can either support my goals or sit down and shut up.”
Teri reared up ready to start shouting, when Rose Blossom landed on Burgermeisters shoulder. “What can we do to help, so we can have a birthday party?” she asked.
He rubbed his chin in thought. “I am almost done vorking on a machine that vill make children so 'appy, but I need to test it. The most important part is ready now, vould you like to try it? It will only make you happy and joyful.”
Teri watched as Rose Blossom got a big smile on her face and started to nod. Without knowing why, she dove down, grabbed the pink fairy by the arm and flew as fast as she could into the ventilation shaft and headed straight for their garden. She couldn't hear Rose Blossom yelling at her over her panicked gasps, the only thing she cared about was getting away as fast as possible. She finally stopped when they were hidden under the thickest bush surrounded by thorns.
"What's wrong Teri?” Rose Blossom asked, rubbing her arm.
She couldn't answer. With her arms wrapped around herself so tightly it hurt, Teri stared straight ahead trying to control her shaking as a girl she didn't know sobbed in her mind.
**
"Rumplestiltskin!” Teri shouted happily the next day. “We're going to have a birthday for Rose Blossom, can you guys help us?”
"It's for Teri too!” Rose Blossom said.
"A birthday? But we're swamped with work,” the head goblin said. From the sounds of construction, shouting orders, and the workers running around it wasn't an exaggeration.
Teri smiled sweetly. “Don't worry, I talked with Burger Face and it's all OK. He said you've done such a good job, we can all take a day off for a party while he has some important business off the ship.”
Rumplestiltskin scratched his bald head. “Business? He didn't tell me anything about it.”
**
“Hey Burgermeister, I heard from the goblins that there are escape pods in this thing,” Teri said, flying down into the control room, the early morning sun shone beautifully through the tinted window.
“Yes, Teri each room has one. Why?” he asked pleasantly, probably surprised that she hadn't insulted him.
“Well,” Teri said, drawing out the word, “no one ever showed me where it is. Don't you like me? Do you really want me getting crushed and killed if we crash? They told me you once had to fight off the US airforce and it was really close.”
He bit his lip, clearly trying to think of the best way to answer her question. Finally, “Of course I like you Teri. Come 'ere I will show you the escape pod.”
She followed him to a circular door outlined in red. “This is the escape pod? How does it work?”
Hitting a red button the door opened for him. “You get in, strap yourself in and pull the red lever. Since you are so small, you vill have to hold on tight, but it is perfectly safe.”
“Thank you Burger Face!” Teri shouted slamming into his back, making him fall into the escape pod with a panicked shout. She grabbed the red lever, yanking it down and zipped out of the pod as the doors closed. With a gust of air and the groan of machinary the pod disconnected from the ship, at which point rockets propelled it down to earth. Judging from the land below, he'd end up somewhere in the Sahara Desert.
“Bye bye, Burger Face,” she said happily. “I'm sorry you'll miss our birthday party!”
**
"Trust me, it was really, really sudden. It caught him totally by surprise,” she assured him. “So we have today to have a party, do you think we could make a big chocolate cake, set up some decorations, make ice cream and get some music?”
"Elves, come on over here!” Rumplestiltskin shouted.
The six elves came running over from where they'd been making banners and painting machines. “What's up?” Twinkles, their foreman asked.
"We've got permission to have a birthday party for Teri and Rose Blossom. Can you make a chocolate cake, some ice cream and decorations? I'll get the goblins to help with the decorations but the cooking is all on you.”
The elf waved his hand airily. “Easy, easy, easy. We made an ice cream machine after the beach party. Is vanilla and chocolate OK?”
"PERFECT!” Teri shouted.
"All right, we're in business,” Rumplestiltskin said. “Twinkles you're in charge, the sooner we get this done the sooner we can relax.”
"What about music?” Rose Blossom asked.
You're on your own for that, none of us know any birthday songs.”
"I've got it covered, Rose,” Teri said. “You help these guys, I'll see what I can do.”
As the group got organized, she once again flew towards the control centre, but instead of getting out in the usual spot she went a bit further to Burgermeister's private cabin. Breaking the grate, she spent a moment relishing being in a forbidden place. The luxurious cabin had a beautiful Persian rug, dark wooden furniture that looked expensive and shelves lined with books. Her eyes went to a display case that held a cheap silver tiara and mask along with something that looked like a license beneath them. An itch at the back of her brain made her want to study them more, but she remembered that she had to get the music playing for the party.
She flew around the cabin until she found a stereo system and an untidy pile of CD's. Going through the pile it was mostly boring music from the fifties and sixties, but there were a few good ones. She pulled out two classical CD's and six big band CD's. A few minutes working with the stereo and she had them in order playing loudly.
Now she just had to figure out how to get the music heard in the workshop. She couldn't take the stereo because it was connected to the wall. She saw a phone hanging from the wall beside the doorway. She suddenly realized that similar phones were at every doorway, even in the fairy garden. Curious, she picked it up and looked at the buttons. There were the usual numbers, but there was another button with 'intercom' written under it.
Pressing the button, she heard the music echoing from the nearby rooms. “WHOO HOO! I did it!” she shouted, doing a happy dance in mid air.
Flying back, she was already licking her lips thinking about how good the cake would taste.
**
"Thank you for getting Burgermeister to let us have this party, Teri,” the elf said.
"Don't thank me, Aurora. You guys did most of the work for the party. That cake smells wonderful, how long until it's ready?” Teri asked.
"I think it will be ten minutes or so. Do you want me to draw a picture of you?”
She looked at the elf's sketchpad, the woman had been sitting quietly in the corner drawing pictures as the elves and goblins danced around and put the finishing touches on the decorations. It was why she had come over to talk. “Actually, I was hoping you could draw something for me. But it will be kind of hard.”
"I like challenges,” Aurora said, pushing a lock of silky blonde hair behind her hair.
"Well I'm going to describe someone, but I can't describe all of her, only parts of her.”
The elf frowned, “OK, that is strange.”
"I know,” Teri agreed. “I have these memories, and I know one of them is my Mom, but I can't get a clear picture of her. I'm hoping you can help me.”
"Oh no! You don't know what your mother looks like? That's horrible.”
"Yeah” she agreed again. “Do you know your mom?”
Aurora looked off into the distance, her eyes becoming glazed for a second. “Nnnnoooo. But elves don't have parents. We're made by magic, when a baby first laughs at having a snowflake land on his or her face.”
"Oooohhhh, that's cool!”
Aurora got her sketchpad ready, her eyes were clear again. “So what's the first thing you can remember?”
"She has long hair, it's curly and dark brown. I think... I think it goes down to the small of her back. And she smiles, she smiles a lot, or she laughs. She has... her lips are-” Teri hit her head in frustration. “I can't remember!”
"Hey, Teri, don't do that,” Aurora said, picking Teri up in her hand. “I can't draw super quick, so the hair, is it really curly, or only a little?”
"I don't know. I'm trying to remember, but sometimes it’s straight, then it’s really curly, then only wavy, and I don't even know if the person is my mom or not,” she said, trying to stop her lip from quivering while biting back a sob.
Tapping her pen against her teeth, Aurora suddenly brightened up. “How about you tell me what you can remember right now?”
"I can try.” Screwing her face up in concentration, she grabbed the first memory that rose up. “It's a party. There are lots of people there.”
“You always have your nose in Shakespeare and math books with your ______, little flower. Go find your ___________, she wants to show you her roses,” a man said, his voice sounded old.
Standing on her tiptoes she gave him a kiss on the cheek and ran off to where a blurry woman was sitting watching the festivities with a large smile.
“_______!” she shouted, giving a very careful hug to the frail woman “_______ said you wanted to show me your roses.”
“I do, the new rainbow rare roses are just starting to blossom. You'll love how they look,” the old woman said. “But first can you get my cane, some of the little ones were playing with it and it somehow got under the picnic table.”
“Sure _______,” she said.
Running over to the picnic table she saw it was right in the middle of it. Rather than getting on her hands and knees, she grabbed the steel bar holding it together, lifted it up above her head, knelt down to grab the cane and stood back up, ready to put the table back down. Then she realized that everything had suddenly gone quiet. Looking around she saw a balding man slapping his forehead, his hand grew large covering his entire face, a woman with no face rubbed her temples as if fighting off a headache, everyone else was watching her in shock.
Very carefully putting the table back down, she shuffled her feet for a moment before saying, “OH LOOK! Chocolate cake!” Grabbing a slice, she walked over to the old woman, gave her the cane and began eating as if nothing had happened.
"OH LOOK!” Rose Blossom shouted, snapping Teri out of her memory. “Chocolate cake!”
Teri looked at the sketchbook, surprised to see that Aurora had roughly sketched out her memory, at least of her hugging an old woman as people milled about. She couldn't remember telling her what she was remembering.
Rose Blossom flew over to grab Teri by the arm. “Come on, lets go eat some cake.”
"Go on, Teri. We can try to draw your picture later,” Aurora said, smiling beautifully.
"Thank you,” she said, giving the elf a kiss on the nose.
Flying to the cake, she and Rose Blossom looked at the huge six-layer cake in amazement, it was like a little mountain to them. As they stared, the goblins and elves broke into Happy Birthday, and Rumplestiltskin lit two candles on the lowest layer. When the song finished, the two fairies flew up and blew out the candles, and the goblins moved in with long knives to cut the cake.
Sitting on two small cushions at the head of the table, they were each given a piece that was almost as big as they were, along with bowls full of ice cream.
"Happy birthday, Rose,” Teri said, leaning over to give her best friend a big hug.
"Thank you, Teri, I didn't even know I could have a birthday,” she said, returning the hug and topping it with a kiss on the cheek.
Picking up their forks they dug in, cramming as much of the delicious cake into their mouths as they could. Teri began drumming her feet, her wings spread out behind her and her eyes lit up. She noticed Rose Blossom dive headfirst into the slice of cake. It felt like pure energy was racing through her body.
"WHEE!” Rose Blossom shouted, taking to the air far faster than she usually moved. The pink fairy began dive bombing the goblins and elves, “YOU'RE ALL SO NICE! I LOVE ALL OF YOU!”
Teri stopped eating, everything seemed so slow. Even Rose Blossom was going in slow motion. She looked around and saw the prettiest yellow buttercups ever beside a house. She flew over, but couldn't stop in time, hitting the corner of the house, shattering the wood and plaster in a tiny explosion. “Oooohhhhh, so pretty!” she said.
As she sniffed the flowers, she noticed how pretty Aurora's blonde hair was. Jumping to the startled elf, Teri didn't notice that she had knocked down ten of the goblins that were running away from Rose Blossom who was busy trying to kiss them.
"Your hair is so pretty!” Teri shouted, wrapping herself in the glorious locks. “OH what's that!”
A second later she flew through the cake, sending pieces of it all around the large room, and came to a stop in front of a mirror. “This isn't me. I don't' have purple hair.” she said, smearing chocolate across her image, covering the hair. “That's better. I have brown hair. And brown eyes.”
Shouting made her look behind her. She saw Rose Blossom tackle an elf and start tickling him. Grinning from ear to ear, Teri flew over to join her whooping with glee.
linebreak shadow
Teri woke up with a terrible headache, Burgermeister glared down at her. Sitting up she saw that the goblins and elves were repairing holes in their houses and removing debris.
"Teri,” Burgermeister said through gritted teeth, “never, ever, throw me in an escape pod again. And don't eat sugar, it supercharges your system and you act crazy... crazier, than normal.”
"Ow,” she replied, holding her head wishing he'd shut up.
**
Burgermeister watched as the robots put the finishing touches on the transmographier. Even though he was still furious with Teri and her insolent behaviour, he was willing to admit to himself that he had overreacted when he'd tried to convince them to go into the devise before it was fully operational. They were his people, under his protection, if he harmed them he'd be no better than the monsters that infested the world.
While he could drug their food and place them in the transmographier now, it was still untested. He would simply need to find a new child to protect and see how they handled the transformation. If it worked, then he could immediately start the process on Teri followed by Rose Blossom. Then they would be a happy family again.
Nodding happily to himself, he went to a control panel and sent out the orders to his collection robots. They'd find him a mutant without an annoying bit, and then he would add one more child to his safe and happy home.
Watching the city of LA far below him, the future looked bright.
**
Teri looked up from her book of Shakespeare she'd gotten from Burger Face's personal library, wondering what she should do next. She'd already visited the elves and goblins who were busy making everything they needed in preparation for the opening of Enchanted Valley, whenever that happened, and she'd just spent two hours reading while looking out the window in the lookout room at the bottom of the airship. Rose Blossom was still working with the elves, helping them come up with new designs and doing some of the detailed work they needed to do, so she wouldn't want to play tag or anything. She wondered if she should bother Burger Face or wait until after supper.
As she watched North American pass by underneath, a fiery rocket caught her attention. Flying to the window she looked closer and saw what looked like an oversized mailbox streak through the sky, slowing down as it neared the ship. A smile came to her lips, this was new.
Flying through the ventilation system she headed for the bridge, following the little marks she and Rose Blossom had made on the metal over the past week. For some reason as she flew onwards, she kept thinking a mailbox was right behind her, she shivered and almost flew face first into the side of the vent because she was looking over her shoulder so much.
Despite the extra strong bolts Burgermeister had put on all the vent covers, she was able to pop out the cover without really trying. No one was in the room yet, there were only the rows of buttons that she had promised never to touch after nearly running into Mount Everest, and the big tube she didn't like, that Burgermeister said he was still working on.
A panel in the wall slid open and a chair holding an unconscious teenage girl slid into the room, a backpack sat beside her. Teri shivered when she saw the girl was strapped to the chair with metal cuffs. Landing on the black girls shoulder, she gently tapped her ear, holding onto her short hair for balance.
"Wha- what's happening?” the girl muttered, shaking her head.
Flying in front of the girl, she waved happily. “Hi! I'm Teri, what's your name?”
Pretty orange eyes looked at her. “Marni. I'm Marni. Where am I?”
"Burgermeister's ship. There are lots of nice people here, even if Burger Face is annoying. Are you a guest?” Teri briefly saw a girl with long brown hair fixing a silver tiara and face mask in a bathroom mirror.
"I-I want to go home. A mailbox attacked me,” Marni said. She tried to move her arms, and started to cry when they didn't move.
"Don't cry! Don't cry! I'll help you!” Landing on the arm of the chair, Teri grabbed the metal cuff and pulled as hard as she could. The metal creaked, but didn't budge. Finally she had to let go, her hands hurt and she wasn't getting anywhere. For a second her arms felt numb and she couldn't move her hands or feet, she heard a girl screaming.
Climbing up onto Marni's shoulder, she stroked her cheek. “I'm sorry I can't open them. But don't worry when Burgermeister gets here, I'll make him let you go. Even if I have to hit him with an anvil again. Don't cry, it's going to be OK. You're parents will come looking for you, and they'll call the Miami Crusaders! The heroes always come at the last minute to save the day!”
Marni kept crying.
"You must be thirsty. Let me get you a drink. Do you have something in your bag?” Teri asked, opening the bag up.
She found a large supply of junk food, protein bars and energy drinks. Getting an energy drink, she punched it open and flew back up holding it so the girl could drink. “Here you go. Take a drink, you'll feel better.”
Even with the can pressed against her lips, Marni didn't drink. The sticky liquid ran down her chin as she cried and twisted her head to get the drink away from her mouth. Teri flew backwards, wracking her brain trying to think of how she could make the girl happy and came up with nothing.
"Vhat is going on here?” Burgermeister demanded.
"Marni wants to go home. I don't think she likes it here, Burger Face,” she told him.
"She vill like it soon enough. Don't you vant a new friend Teri?” he asked. “Just let me talk to her for a little vhile. If she still wants to go home, I vill send her home. But I need some privacy.”
Putting the drink down, Teri looked very carefully at Burgermeister. Nodding once, she gave Marni a big smile. “Just tell him you want to go home and you will. It was nice meeting you. Bye bye.”
The girl started sobbing harder, begging to be let go. It reminded her of another girl crying in fear with electricity surging around her. Her muscles ached. She remembered a door sliding closed on a girl, her name was, her name was... “Powerful,” she whispered.
Her hand stroked the air, in her eyes she was stroking a pink cape, a tiara rested in her hair. Her eyes grew brighter. “Burgermeister,” she said in a low voice, “how did I get here?”
"Teri, I am very busy right now. Go to the garden and play with your friends,” he told her sternly.
She turned slowly in the air. “Burgermeister, let Marni go home right now.” Her voice was low, almost a growl, nothing like her usual excited and happy tone.
The man looked at her nervously. Pressing a button on his watch, Marni's chair zipped towards the tube which opened up revealing a small chamber lit up in electric blue. A forcefield whined into life, blocking Teri off from his half of the room. “Teri, I 'ave been very forgiving of you. But if you do not go away right now, I vill become very angry.”
The anger and determination to get Marni out that had driven Teri just seconds ago, disappeared instantly upon seeing the inside of the tube. Her body hit the floor, her wings covering her face as she whimpered, tears pouring down her face. She fought down a shriek of terror as the chair and the girl on it headed towards the glowing blue chamber.
Her eyes turned pitch black. “Mommy!” she cried, sobbing like a baby.
Every instinct, every fibre of her being, roared at her to fly away as fast as she could. She trembled on the ground, peering out from behind her wings and fingers, her black eyes darted all around looking for safety. Her mind screeched at her to get away. She could see herself fleeing to the furthest corner of the room and hiding, flying back the way she had come through the vents and not stopping until she was safely in the fairy garden, or simply breaking down the door to escape, the images ran through her mind, becoming jumbled together, confusing and frightening her even more. The terror held her as firmly as any chains.
As she huddled on the floor sobbing and screaming through her teeth, praying to whoever would listen that this was all a nightmare and she'd wake up in Roses arms, the electricity reached out for her, crackling with laughter. It encircled her, burning her limbs, twisting her body. She rolled along the floor scratching at her arms, trying to push the electricity away, rising into the air only to fall back down as the world burned around her. Biting her tongue, blood filled her mouth, the shrieking in her mind became so loud she couldn't tell if it was just a memory or her own voice.
"OH GOD! SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE!” Marni screamed.
The cry for help pierced the chaos that filled Teri's head. She heard Burgermiester speaking, “Time for the show, you vill be a beautiful fairy. Von't that be nice?”
Her eyes flared a brilliant purple. “Miss Powerful to the rescue,” she hissed, slowly and shakily getting to her feet, blood dripping from her chin.
The room turned red. The electricity was once more confined in the machine, her muscles tensed, and her clawed fingers spread ready to shred anything that came near her. Bloody lips curled into a feral snarl. Turning away from Marni and Burgermeister, she flew towards the door. The screaming and shaking had stopped, her thoughts and mind were more focused than she could remember. At the door she picked up the phone that linked to the intercom and growled, “This is Teri, Burgermeister is a very bad man. Get to the escape pods, the ship is going down.”
"What are you doing Teri?” Burgermeister asked, backing away from her despite the forcefield between them, while activating his PFG.
"You hurt Rose Blossom. You hurt me. You took us from our families!” she hissed. Her eyes grew brighter as she went to Marni's bag with the open energy drink resting beside it. Picking the can up she drank it all, grabbed another one and drained that as well. Her blood felt like it was on fire, she had too much energy to contain, her body began vibrating so fast it hurt. The snarl turned into a rabid smile. Burgermeister stumbled backwards hitting the wall, his feet kept pushing him backwards sliding across the smooth metal floor. White faced, he began pressing buttons on his watch.
Robots rushed into the room, Teri watched them coming. Her face twisted into a psychotic grin, her eyes glowed, purple spotlights of pure energy. As the robots opened fire, she leapt into the air laughing like she'd heard the greatest joke in the world, her claws leaving grooves in the floor. The nearest robot fell backwards, a baseball size hole cut through its chest.
**
Rose Blossom felt the ship shake. Like everyone else she had heard Teri's message and had thought it was just a new game, but something in Teri's voice made them decide that waiting by the escape pod was a good idea. When the ship seemed to fall a thousand feet before coming to a stop, the elves and goblins rushed into the pod strapping themselves in.
"Come on, Rose Blossom!”Rumpelstiltskin shouted, waving at her.
The fairy started to fly into the pod but stopped as the ship shook again. “I have to get Teri!” she shouted and flew into the air vent. The sound of the escape pod rocketing away echoed in the tiny corridor.
If the ship was going down, Teri was on the bridge, Rose Blossom reasoned. She flew as fast as she could while shaking with fear, and the seemingly impervious vehicle shook and rattled all around her. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. When she finally reached the bridge she almost cried in relief. Then she looked in and gasped.
Robots littered the floor, the control panels with all the pretty buttons were shattered and sparking, and the ventilation grates in the ceiling were torn open. Burgermeister was in a forcefield that glittered like an ogre swatting at Teri who moved in a blur ramming into him again and again. A girl with orange eyes was trying to free her wrist which was strapped to an overturned chair.
Flying down, Rose Blossom ducked the showers of sparks and landed beside the girl. “What's happening?!” she yelled.
"I don't know! Can you help me open this thing?!” the girl yelled.
The both ducked as Burgermeister flew across the room, followed by an enraged fairy swinging a broken kitchen sink.
Rose Blossom looked at the cuff which was cracked and badly damaged, a pattern of the cuff appeared in her mind with numbers and words she didn't recognize but could understand. Reaching inside, wincing when Teri was spiked into the floor like a football, she tried to find a lever that she could push or pull to open the cuff. “I think I can. What's your name?”
There was a crash and the sound of a door breaking. Burgermeister came down beside them, a metal bucket on his head, which Teri was beating like a bell with a mop.
"What?! I'm Marni! Come on! Come on! Come on! Go faster!” the girl pleaded, covering her head as a huge piece of metal fell and almost hit them with loud clang.
"I'M TRYING!” Rose Blossom yelled.
Teri streaked across the room dodging a broom that was trying to whack her out of the air.
"GET OUT OF MY BEDROOM!” Burgermeister screamed, as yet another door was shattered.
"I think I've got it,” she said, feeling something move in her hand. Pulling it as hard as she could there was a click and the cuff opened up.
A pink bathrobe that was cursing loudly, shot through the air and landed with a crunch on what was left of the controls. The airship began to spin like a top.
Marni grabbed hold of Rose Blossom, throwing them both to the ground. The singed and burning robe launched itself out of the wreckage and back into the bedroom. There was the sound of breaking dishes, and a heartbroken wail of grief. “Those were my mothers antique dishes, you monster!”
"How do we get out of here?” Marni demanded.
"The escape pod is over there,” she pointed at the far wall. “It should still work!”
She felt Marni shudder, the girls grip became harder, it was almost like she was touching a live wire. Then the girl moved like a cat, somehow keeping her balance as they ran for the pod, dodging flying debris, even knocking some of the bigger pieces out of the air with her arm. They got inside and the girl strapped herself in.
"TERI!” Rose Blossom shouted, the centrifugal force pushing her so hard into the padded seat she could barely move. Desperately she screamed trying to be heard over the shouting, shattering dishes, and the groaning of metal. “COME ON!”
"We have to go now!” Marni screamed, reaching for a bright red lever.
"But what about Teri?!”
The airship began to tear itself apart as it zipped across the sky at ever greater speeds. The floor ripped open, a battered, bruised and bloody Burgermeister holding a feebly struggling fairy was sucked through the hole with a panicked shriek.
"TERI!” Rose Blossom screamed as Marni pulled the lever, sealing the door before rocketing them away to safety.
**
"Ow!” Teri moaned, rubbing her neck, weakly spitting out a mouthful of blood. It felt like she'd fallen a thousand feet and landed on her head.
Very slowly she got to her feet, trying to figure out where she was and why her arms were covered in scratches. She seemed to be on the roof of a very large building. Rubbing her eyes she saw a big sign, 'GK Grocery Store, Proud Supporter of the Gering Eagles Basketball Team, the best in Nebraska'.
"Nebraska? How did I end up in Nebraska?” she asked.
Staggering to the edge of the building, she wondered how she could sneak in to get some food. And aspirin. Lots and lots of aspirin. Two or three bottles would probably be enough.
Then she realized that something was missing. “Where's Rose Blossom?” she asked, falling to her knees.
To Be Continued
Gering, Nebraska
June 1st, 2007
Late Evening
Teri looked up at the sky desperately searching for the Burgermeisters airship. “Rose Blossom! I've got to find her!”
She jumped into the air, only to fall back onto the roof of the grocery store. Her stomach roared with hunger causing her to double over clutching her sides as pain spread through her body. Her fingers fit between her ribs and her skin felt loose. As the pain slowly subsided, she realized that what remained of her clothes hung from body, they were normally skin tight but were now at least a size too large.
“I need food,” she whispered. “And help. They can call a superhero for me and we'll find Rose Blossom. Everything is going to be OK. Once I find her we can go to the beach, and we'll have so much fun.”
Crawling to the edge of roof, she spread her wings and glided down. She had to fly right in front of the sensor for the automatic doors to open. Inside the small grocery store there weren't many people, and none of them were looking in her direction. Flying over to the cashier who was dealing with a customer, she landed heavily a few feet away.
“Hi, I need help,” she began.
The cashier took one look at her and screamed in terror.
Teri used her last bit of strength, taking to the air and blindly flying away at top speed.
**
“What on earth are you screaming about?” Mrs. Paterson demanded.
Marcus pointed at where the... thing had been. “I-I saw something. But it flew away.” He rubbed his forehead. “I'm sorry about that, I guess I'm more tired than I thought.”
“Right. I hope you get to go home soon and catch up on your sleep,” she said, taking her groceries and leaving rather hurriedly.
Picking up the phone, Marcus switched it for the intercom. “Collin, please come the checkout.”
The red headed teen came strolling up a minute later. “What do you need boss man?”
“A bird or something flew in here, go see if you can find it.”
“A bird?” Collin said. “What about the boxes I need to tear down?”
“Take ten minutes and find the bird for me. Then you can do the boxes,” Marcus said.
“OK, boss man,” the teen replied. “Here birdy, birdy, birdy. Come out wherever you are.”
Rubbing his temples, Marcus wished, not for the first time, that Collin was a bit brighter. The teen was loyal and a hard worker, but couldn't find his way out of a paper bag.
**
Teri hid at the back of a shelf, gnawing on her third rice cake. She knew she shouldn't be eating it, but she was so hungry she couldn't resist. She was already feeling better thanks to her meal, and her ribs weren't quite so visible. Able to think clearly again she thought about the cashier screaming at her.
“I guess I did startle him. Most people don't see fairy's everyday, and I'm a mess,” she said to herself. “And some people are just really jumpy. That was it, I just need to ask him for help again, or someone else, yeah someone else would be better. And I'll apologize for eating the rice cakes. I'm sure they'll understand. And once I find my parents they can pay for the rice cakes. It's all going to be OK.”
She heard footsteps coming down the aisle.
Squeezing through the packages, Teri came to the edge of the shelf and saw a small boy walking well ahead of his mother. Her face broke into a big grin. He was so cute, and a child would be perfect to talk to.
“Hi, I'm Teri. What's your name?” she asked, flying down to wave at the boy.
His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. “You're a fairy!”
“Yeah, I am,” Teri said. “Look, I need your mom's help, can you introduce me to her?”
A bag of granola hit Teri in the face. “Timothy, get away from that bug!” the mother shouted.
“But Mom, she's a fairy. She said she needs help,” the boy said.
“I don't know what type of bug that thing is, it could be poisonous. Come on, lets get out of here.”
Teri held the bag in front of her like a shield and watched the mother drag her son away, casting nervous looks over her shoulder. Tears welled up in her eyes. “What did I do wrong?” she asked.
“Gotcha!”
Teri screamed as enormous hands grabbed her from behind. She took off, flying forward as fast at top speed. Her attacker instinctively gripped her harder and shrieked in terror as his feet left the ground. Reaching the end of the aisle, she turned the corner and headed for the ceiling, whoever was grabbing her was flung off.
Teri hit the cheap ceiling tile and kept going. In the darkness of the ceiling, surrounded by electrical wires, pipes for the sprinkler system, and the metal frames holding everything in place, she felt safe enough to slow down.
Shaking from fear, exhaustion and hunger, she found a place to to sit. Staring into the darkness, Teri wrapped her wings tightly around herself and began to cry.
**
Marcus ran towards the sound of the screams. He didn't know what was happening, but it was his store and whatever happened was his responsibility. A customer dragging her child towards the exit glared at him, “You need to call an exterminator, you have a huge bug problem!”
“I'll be sure to look into it, ma'am,” he replied automatically.
“Mom, I said she was a fairy!” the boy said.
Up ahead he saw Collin lying on the floor, clearly dazed and surrounded by packs of toilet paper. It looked like he'd been thrown into the display, but there was no one around and the woman he'd passed clearly hadn't done it.
“Don't move, Collin,” he said, kneeling down to get a look at the teen. “What happened?”
“I found your bird, boss man,” Collin said. “It's really strong.”
“It threw you?!”
Shaking his head, Collin carefully sat up. “No dude. I grabbed it and it took off like a jet. I tried to stop it, but whoa, it was fast. Like way faster than the time I tied myself to the back of my buddy's car and rode behind him on my skateboard. When it headed for the ceiling I was thrown off. I wonder if I can try that again, but with a skateboard, it was intense.”
“Go sit down in the break room, and when you feel better go home. Don't worry I'll make sure you get your full time,” Marcus told him.
Giving him a thumbs up, the young man staggered towards the back. That done, Marcus went to his office and after closing the door, phoned the MCO.
“Lincoln City MCO, how can I help you?” a bored voice asked.
“Hello, I think I have a mutant in my store,” Marcus said.
The voice became slightly livelier. “Is the mutant causing a disturbance or committing a crime?”
“My employee grabbed it and it,” he tried to remember what Collin had said, “it took of like a jet dragging him behind it. He was flung off into the toilet paper display.”
There was a pause. “You're employee grabbed the mutant, and the mutant ran away.”
“Yes! I think it might still be in the store.”
“Do you have a description of the mutant?”
Finally they were getting somewhere. “It's small, about the size of a song bird. I think it has purple wings. And it's very fast, I think it might be able to teleport as well.”
There was a longer pause. “Have you been drinking or using recreational drugs, sir? You can answer truthfully, we are not the police and the MCO doesn't judge people for their personal habits.”
“What kind of a question is that? I'm the manager of the GK supermarket in Gering. I do not drink at work and I do not use drugs,” Marcus said. “Now I believe this mutant is a danger to my customers and employees.”
“Was your employee hurt after grabbing the mutant?”
“He was shaken up, but he seems all right,” he admitted.
“And why did he grab the mutant?” the person asked.
“Because it's a mutant and shouldn't be here.”
“Sir, do you realize that simply being a mutant is not illegal?”
“But who knows what it was doing? Why was it even in here?” he demanded.
“I'd assume to buy groceries.”
Marcus stared speechlessly at the phone for a moment. “What am I supposed to do about the mutant?”
“Hope it doesn't press charges after your employee grabbed them. If it does come back and commits a crime or a disturbance feel free to call us then. Can I help you with anything else?”
“No, I think that's all,” he replied, slamming down the phone. “It looks like I'll have to deal with this myself.”
**
Midnight
Hunger forced Teri awake. Her head ached and it felt as if her stomach was tearing a hole through her. Lifting up a ceiling tile, she saw that the entire store was dark and deserted. She half fell and half glided down to the produce department, landing with a thud on a pile of apples.
Mechanically she began eating, not thinking, not caring, just trying to fill the emptiness inside of her. When she was finally able to think again, she realized she was gnawing on the apple stem and covered in sticky juice, the rest of the apple was gone.
“Ugh, I'm a mess,” she muttered.
She found a pack of wet wipes and cleaned herself up as best she could. Feeling a bit better, she flew back up into the ceiling and tore a small hole in the roof to slip outside. She didn't want to stay in the horrible store a minute longer than she had to.
Flying to the edge of the roof, she knelt down staring over the dark town and out onto the flat plains in the distance. Where was she supposed to go? She didn't even know where Gering was. More importantly she didn't know where Rose Blossom was. Rubbing her head she tried to remember what had happened.
There had been a girl. Burgermeister had been about to do something really, really bad to her.
“He was going to turn her into a fairy,” she said, staring at her tiny hands.
“That's right, he kidnapped the girl, and me, and Rose Blossom. He... he must have messed with my mind.” Her eyes flared a brilliant purple. “That's why I can't remember my parents or where I live!” Her fingers dug into the metal.
“So I remembered what he did to us. And I said, I said...” She hit her head. Why couldn't she remember?
She began speaking, the words coming to her mouth without conscious thought. “This is Teri, Burgermeister is a very bad man. Get to the escape pods, the ship is going down.”
“OK, that's a start,” she told herself. “What happened next?”
Sounds and images ran through her mind. There was laughing, it wasn't sane or happy, and there was the sound of metal snapping. A vision of an ogre slamming her into the ground appeared in her mind. There was fire and sparks. She heard Rose Blossom screaming her name. And then, then there was a horrible shriek and she was falling. She couldn't fly, she was too weak and tired. She could only spread her wings. She was tumbling in the wind, the ground so far below she couldn't make out any details, and it was cold, bitterly cold. Finally she was lower, with nothing but grass below her. But she'd seen buildings in the distance and tried to fly to them.
“That doesn't really help brain,” Teri muttered to herself.
“So I don't know where I am besides a town name and state. I don't know where the airship was when I broke it. I don't know if Rose Blossom made-” She stopped talking, tears forming in her eyes again. “No! I don't know where Rose Blossom landed. She's OK. She's smart and she can fly. If she didn't make it to an escape pod, she flew out of there, just like me. She's OK. I just need to find her. Then we can go to the beach and have fun, and eat hot dogs and everything will be fun and we'll be happy.”
Looking out over the dark and lonely town, she whispered, “I'm going to need help.”
She violently shook her head. “I tried to get help. They acted like I was a monster. I even asked nicely after they yelled at me.”
Teri fell silent for a long time.
Was everyone going to treat her like a monster?
She couldn't really remember how mutants were treated, just that a lot of people didn't like them even though they were so cool. She knew that there were superheroes and people liked them, but she didn't know how to become a hero.
If she was yelled at, had stuff thrown at her, and got called a bug just for asking for help, how could she learn how to be a superhero so that everyone would like her?
“Maybe I should have stayed with Burgermeister,” she whispered.
She wanted Rose Blossom.
Rose Blossom would sing to her, hug her, make her smile. With Rose Blossom she could be strong and protect her friend against anything. That's what superheroes did, they protected people who couldn't protect themselves.
What was she without anyone to protect?
“A monster.”
Silence reigned.
“I don't want to be a monster,” she finally said.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked up into the sky, wanting to see the big airship, even if it meant she had to fight Burgermeister again.
Was he even still alive? She'd wanted to kill him. She'd wanted to kill him so much that she'd forgotten everything else.
If she was being truthful, she still wanted to.
“He must be alive. I didn't see the body, so he's still alive,” she said.
Burgermeister would come for her. She was one of his people. She was his fairy. He needed her for his plans.
He would know where Rose Blossom was. He'd know where the goblins and elves were too. He'd need all of them to accomplish his mad dreams. He probably had some devise in her that would let him follow her all over the world. Or at least to where she landed. It would fit his paranoid ideas.
She couldn't leave.
She had to stay right where she was so he could find her. Once he found her, she would break every bone in his body until he told her where Rose Blossom was. Then the two of them, and the others if they wanted to, could go somewhere nice and safe, like the beach, where they could sing and dance and play all day long. Best of all she could be a superhero, taking care of her friends.
Maybe they could even find her family. Her family wouldn't call her a bug, or scream at her, or throw thing at her, or grab her. They'd hug her and kiss her and keep her safe, and everyone would be happy.
She just had to wait for Burgermeister to find her.
It wouldn't take long.
Flying towards the hole to go back into the store, she took one last look at the stars in the sky. "I'll find you Rose. I won't let you down again."
**
Teri thought about how to survive until Burgermeister arrived. First of all she needed a place to live. She couldn't sleep on the shelves or anywhere the horrible people could find her. And she couldn't just sleep in the dust of the ceiling.
Flying around the store, she discovered a pile of flattened boxes. A quick search found a box that was a little taller than she was, and very wide. Taking it to a corner of the ceiling, she awkwardly pulled it up, and got to work setting it up, which wasn't easy with it being so much bigger than she was.
That done, she used her claws to make a small hole for a door. It wouldn't keep the dust out, but she had an idea for that.
Heading back downstairs, she grabbed a big pile of soft washcloths and some pins. One washcloth made a door flap, pinned in place with three bent needles, the rest were put in the corner for a bed. Climbing into the pile she allowed herself a small smile at how comfortable it was. It wasn't as nice as warm moss, but it was almost as good.
Next she grabbed some food, granola bars, oranges, apples, bananas, sugar free cookies, juice boxes and a bottle of water. They were piled up opposite her bed for later. A box of crayons, pencils, paper, and some books were next. The books were mostly romance, which made her roll her eyes in disgust, there was always too much kissing in them, but she'd need something to read.
An hour later, she flew along the aisles wondering what else she could need. She didn't know how long it would take for Burgermeister to arrive, and if she was missing something she could get it during the next night, but she felt there was something she should have.
Her eyes lit up as she came to the small toy aisle.
Flying back with her new home, she carefully put her two new possessions in the bed. Getting between them, she smiled at the dark haired Barbie doll and gave it a kiss. "Goodnight, mom." Rolling over, she hugged the Ken doll. "Goodnight dad."
Snuggling down, she wrapped her arms around the two plastic dolls, closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.
**
Lincoln, Nebraska
June 2nd, 2007
Early Morning
The phone was ringing, quite noisily and annoyingly.
From under a mound of pillows and blankets someone groaned. “Go away.”
Instead of going away, the phone quite rudely continued to ring. Groaning more loudly, the mound shifted and moved. Slowly, a hand covered in short black fur, reached out, grabbed the phone and dragged it under the blankets.
“Mouser, superhero and bodyguard, speaking, how can I help you?”
There was a brief moment of silence.
“Bill,” the mound growled, “what time is it?”
There was another moment of silence.
“I got home three hours ago. I've gotten about nine hours of sleep in the last four days. In that time, I managed to get electrocuted in the ass, had an unplanned haircut, had my whiskers burned off, and got yelled at by a flash in the pan pop singer with the common sense of a suicidal lemming and the brains of a meth addicted sponge! This had better be really important or I will get out of bed, hunt you down and gut you like a mouse!”
A longer moment of silence ensued.
“I can't meet them in two hours, they're on the other side of the state. Have you ever even looked at a map?!”
Yet more silence occurred.
“Look, if I get on the road now, I'll end up driving through some farmers cornfield. Let me get another hour,” she paused. “No, five hours of sleep and I'll leave this afternoon. If they're in danger get someone to move them to a hotel, and take it out of my fee. I'll meet them tonight.”
There was short silence.
“I don't know when I'll get there. It depends on how many cops try to pull me over for speeding,” Mouser said. “Now go away and do your thing, while I get some more sleep.”
The mound of blankets were pushed off revealing a very catlike face and ears. Placing the phone back on the nightstand, Mouser glared at the hated sun and hissed in displeasure. “I hate my life sometimes.”
Pulling the blankets back over her, she was snoring seconds later.
**
Early Afternoon
Mouser crawled out of bed, cursing the world in general and Bill in particular. Her long, fluffy tail hung limply behind her, and the titanium bracelets on her wrists and ankles felt heavier then usual.Still mostly asleep she headed for the shower.
Staring at the water, she realized that there wasn't enough time to properly wash and dry her fur. Cursing even more, she closed her eyes and a minute later where a sleek, well muscled, black furred, cat woman, had been standing, was a tall, thin, very human woman with straw blonde hair. The only way to know they were the same person, were the silvery, feather-like brands that ran from her collar bone down to her stomach and the bracelets.
Hopping into the cold shower, Mouser hurriedly washed herself, and more importantly woke up. As soon as that was done and she dried off, she returned to her cat woman form. Heading for the kitchen she turned on the kettle preparing one of her rare cups of coffee. While the water was boiling, she put on a pair of shorts and a crop top. The feeling of clothes over her fur was uncomfortable, so the less she wore the better in her opinion.
A cold piece of steak was all she needed for breakfast, purring happily at the intense, salty flavour. By the time she was done eating, and checking her phone for the details of the new job, the coffee was ready.
“Time for the fun,” she said. She drained the cup in one long gulp, trying to ignore the bitter flavour.
Her heart began to beat rapidly, her limbs shook, her tail stretched straight out behind her, and her pupils widened. She took a slow, deep breath, released it, and did it again. Slowly, her heart beat returned almost to normal and the shaking stopped.
Where she had been exhausted before, she was now wired. Her fingers twitched, wanting to do something, and she began bouncing in place. “OK, that's my caffeine limit for the month!” she said.
Practically bounding around her apartment, she repacked her travel bag with clean clothes, made sure all her gear was charged up and headed for the door, grabbing her motorcycle helmet, modified to keep her large cat ears free, and headed out the door.
No one she passed in the apartment complex gave her a second glance. She'd lived there for years and surprisingly most criminals avoid causing problems where a known hero lives. So almost all of her neighbours were quite happy to have her around. There was one neighbour who gave her dirty looks whenever they had to share an elevator, but that one was allergic to cats, so Mouser gave her a pass.
Strapping her pack onto the back, she hopped onto her motorcycle, a really nice crotch rocket that she'd gotten modified at cost, from an old boyfriend, she peeled out of the parking lot and headed out of town. When she hit the outskirts of the city she pressed a button, causing the motorcycle to roar and the landscape became a blur.
Yowling with glee, Mouser forgot her recent annoyances and focused on the joy of the moment.
**
Late Afternoon
Pulling into a nice looking roadside restaurant, Mouser jumped off of her motorcycle and began stretching the kinks out, enjoying the attention it got her. She finished it off by jumping ten feet into the air, doing a back flip and landing as if it was nothing, which to her it wasn't.
“Now time for food!” she said.
Inside the restaurant almost everyone turned to look at her, She was tempted to make a big display, offer them autographs, hand out some of her business cards, but she was a bit too tired and definitely too hungry to bother with it.
Taking a seat, she waited for the waitress to come, and waited, and waited a bit more. By the looks she was getting from the staff, and the way they were whispering to themselves, she had a fair idea of what was going on. She was about to leave when she heard something interesting from the kitchen. “Call the MCO!”
“Oh boy, this is gonna be fun!” she whispered.
She tilted her ears a little to better hear what was going on.
“Hello, we have a mutant at our restaurant. It's causing a disturbance. It looks like a human cat. Yes, that's right. It has black fur, a long tail, silver tattoos, and-” The woman stopped abruptly. There was over a minute of silence, when she spoke again her voice was full of disbelief. “You want to talk to it? I'm sorry, to her?”
Mouser grinned like the Cheshire Cat as the manager came out holding a phone. The woman was pale and clearly freaked out. “Um, I have a person who would like to talk to you.”
“Oh really? I wonder who it could be.” Taking the phone, she loudly said, “Mouser, superhero and bodyguard speaking, how can I help you?”
“Hello Mouser, are you having any problems?” Larry Meyer, the head of the Lincoln, Nebraska MCO asked.
Seeing the startled look on the womans face, Mouser decided to rub it in. “Well Larry, I've been waiting here for at least ten minutes to place my order but no one will even look at me. And now they're wasting your valuable time to. The service is frankly atrocious, and I need to get back on the road to help out a family that's in trouble halfway across the state. Can you be a dear and help me out?”
Meyer sighed. “Give her the phone back, I'll deal with this.”
“Thank you sweety, I knew I could count on you,” she said. Placing the phone in the stunned womans hand, her grin somehow got bigger. “He wants to talk to you.”
The manager, clearly in a daze, walked back to the kitchen. Two minutes later the waitress hurried over. “I'm very sorry about the wait, your order will be on the house. What can I get for you?”
“I'll have the trucker steak dinner, very rare, and what would you recommend for desert?”
**
Early Evening
Mouser arrived at a small house on the outskirts of a nowhere town. Looking around she didn't see anything out of place, a big transport truck sat outside, beside a good size vegetable garden, her nose twitched at the smell of chickens. The door opened, revealing a heavily built man holding a pistol at his side.
“Hello, Mr. Larson. My names Mouser, I was told you needed some help,” she said, walking up to him.
He stared wide eyed at her for a moment, then shook his head. “Thanks for coming, you can call me Jim. Come inside and we can talk.”
The house was old fashioned, worn and clearly needing a renovation, but it was tidy and well kept. Mrs. Larson was watching her nervously, while a teen sat huddled under a blanket on the couch. She could smell an odd, muddy dampness coming from the teen, and his breathing sounded off, much deeper and slower than regular.
“Hi I'm Betty, can I get you anything,” Mrs. Larson asked.
“A drink, milk if you have it, and if it wouldn't be too much to ask something to eat. I've been driving most of the day and haven't had much,” she replied, not taking her eyes off of the teenager. “So what exactly do you need? All I was told was you needed someone to help you take a long distance trip and you were expecting trouble.”
Jim motioned for her to have a seat. “It's Richard. Our son. He started getting powers a month ago. He could jump really far, and sometimes did it without meaning to. We got him out of school for a bit, doing the homework and take home tests so he'd still pass. We thought give him some time to get his jumping under control over the summer and he could go back next year.”
She nodded at that, pleased that the parents were being sensible and not panicking. When Betty came in with a tall glass of milk, she gratefully took a sip. “And then?”
“But then two weeks ago he started to change.”
Now she knew why they wanted her. “Changing how?”
Richard took off his blanket, and Mouser had to fight hard to keep the surprise from her face. The boy was turning into a frog. His skin was moist and turning a pale green, his eyes were bulging out, his neck had practically vanished, and his mouth looked to be growing wider with the skin on both sides being almost translucent. From the way his legs were positioned, it seemed like they were changing as well. No wonder they were being cautious.
“He can't talk very well anymore, his tongue is too big for his mouth,” Jim said.
She nodded in understanding. “So, what exactly do you need me to do?”
“We can't go to the doctor here, a few too many people don't really like mutants and a handful of them might try something. Betty has a sister up in Canada, and she said that things were better for people like Richard up there, not great, but better.”
Mouser interrupted. “Does he have an MID yet? Or a passport?”
“No, we never thought he'd need a passport, and we don't trust the MCO. We've heard some of the things they do to mutants.” He raised his hand as Mouser opened her mouth. “After talking with my sister-in-law, she got us in touch with some superheroes in Canada. We explained it all, and they pulled some strings so we could meet them at the border and they'd help get everything all set up. So we just need to get there. But it's long drive, and we need to stop regularly to wet down Richards skin and do some other things.”
“And you're worried that someone will see him and you'll either have an H1 hit squad, the MCO or the KOP coming after you?” Mouser said.
“Yeah.”
“I'm going to want the name and number of these superheroes to make sure everything is kosher. And I'd feel a lot better if we drove back to Lincoln and Richard got his MID there.” It was her turn to raise her hand as he started to object. “I know the MCO has a bad reputation, I avoid South Dakota like the plague because of them, but the ones in Lincoln are honestly good guys. Still, if everything checks out, we can ignore that. Where are you suppose to meet them?”
“A dirt road that crosses the border on the Montana-Alberta. They're expecting us in the next few days, we just have to call an hour or two in advance and they'll be waiting for us,” he said.
“Not the worst plan in the world,” she admitted, “at least we'll be able to skip the Dakotas. Can you be ready to go around ten tomorrow?”
He frowned at that. “I thought you'd want to leave earlier than that.”
“Nope. If we leave after nine, most of the people who would care about us will be at work. We can slip away a lot more easily, and be well away from here before anyone notices anything odd,” she explained.
“OK. I figured we can use my truck, it's pretty comfortable in the back of the cab, and it will have enough space for all of us.”
“I'll be riding my bike,” she said. “You will be following a ways back, using one of my radios to keep in constant contact. With your son in the back of the cab, no one will see him while you're driving. I'll stick out and all the attention will be on me. When you need a rest stop, I'll go in first and make sure everyone is looking my way while you guys do your thing as quickly as possible, then get back on the road. As soon as you're out of sight, I'll take off and catch up a few miles down the road.”
“Are you sure? That doesn't seem very safe for you.”
She grinned. “If I wanted to be safe, I wouldn't be a superhero. Now don't worry if anything happens it will be all on me, and I can handle it. This'll be fun.”
**
Gering, Nebraska
Late Evening
Marcus placed his final camera at the end of the aisle, and double checked that it would have a clear view. There were twenty of them, all set up to activate at the slightest movement, if the mutant was still in the store he would catch it on camera.
Most people would assume the mutant had left, but he'd combed over the security cameras from the previous night, and he was sure he'd seen it. It had only been on camera for a second, zipping past the camera, almost too fast to see, but it had been there, with it's creepy wings and too small body.
Once he had concrete proof it was there, he could get help removing it.
**
The door finally slammed shut.
Teri looked down from a crack in the ceiling, she'd been waiting for the horrible man to go away so she could get stuff done. She was tired and grumpy from not sleeping well during the day, and had been tempted to just throw him out of the store a few times, but that wasn't what superheroes did. No matter how nasty he was, he hadn't done anything illegal. So she'd been forced to wait in the dusty, dark ceiling, trying not to be noisy.
Flying down, she had to hold her shirt on with both hands. The fabric was so worn and shredded, she'd ripped it apart while rolling around in her sleep. A few specially placed knots and threads from a washcloth let her avoid going topless, but it wasn't exactly sturdy. Her pants weren't much better.
Going up and down the aisles, she felt and tested every fabric she came across. Most were really rough and scratchy, even the ones that claimed to be extra soft.
“Am I going to have to wear toilet paper?” she asked herself.
Finally, she resorted to ripping open packages and found something that didn't feel like rough canvas. Grabbing the box, she flew up into the ceiling dropping it off just beside her box house, and flew down to grab a pocket sewing kit.
She read the packaging as she cut it open with her claws. “Bamboo sheets. Huh, I didn't know you could make sheets out of that.”
Pulling out a bit of sheet, more than enough to wrap herself up like a mummy, she cut it off and dragged it into her home. Turning on a small flashlight, she spread the fabric out on the floor and began drawing a very basic design on it using crayons.
As she worked her mind wandered.
“Come here, TERI,” an old woman said, her face lost in shadows.
“What do you need, _______?” she asked, putting down her superheroes magazine.
“It's time you learn how to sew.”
Her nose curled up at that. “But it's boring! You didn't make my ________ learn.”
The old woman chuckled. “Yes I did. They learned when they were just a bit older than you. Everyone should know how to sew a little. You shouldn't need to buy a whole new outfit or call for help if you lose a button or need to fix a little hole. Now sit and pay attention.”
“She was a smart, old lady,” Teri said, eyeing the design. “I think she's my Grandma, but she could be an aunt or something. Are you going to give me anymore hints, brain?” Nothing came to her. Shrugging she got down to cutting.
**
Holding up the open back dress, Teri was quite happy with the results. It was a little ragged around the edges, claws weren't the best for neat cuts, and the scissors were far too large for her to use, but it wasn't like many people were going to see her. The stitching was nice and tight. Even though the needle was almost as long as her arm, she had been extra careful with it, she couldn't have it fall apart in the middle of a fight. That would be embarrassing.
Putting the dress on, she found it was a bit loose around chest and stomach, but nice and tight on her hips, while the straps around her shoulders were almost too tight. That was OK, it would keep it from coming off while she flew. It was backless to let her move her wings, and she'd kept the skirt kind of short and loose so she could move her legs freely. It was a little too short for her comfort, since she didn't have any underwear, but it wasn't like she was going to be sitting down in front of anyone. So that was fine.
Now that the work was done, she decided to do something fun.
Taking the box of crayons she began drawing on the wall. She didn't think as she drew, letting her mind go blank. When she snapped back to reality she was looking at a life size drawing of Rose Blossom. It wasn't great art, but it looked pretty good to her.
“Hello, Rose Blossom, look at what I did tonight,” she said, spinning around to show off her dress. “Do you like it? I need to make a few more, and if I can figure out how, I'd like to make some underwear. It's a little drafty right now.”
Sitting down beside the drawing, she closed her eyes and thought of the fairy garden. “I think I need some furniture for around here. The bed is nice, but I need more than just that. What do you think, should I make a chair or a couch? I'd try to make a bean bag chair, but the beans are almost as big as me!”
She kept talking long into the night.
**
Gering, Nebraska
June 3rd, 2007
Early Morning
Taking a large sip of his coffee Marcus watched the videos from his cameras. He'd come in extra early even though it wasn't his shift so he could remove the cameras before anyone found them, and it had paid off.
He watched as the flying menace stole a set of sheets. What it could possibly want with the sheets he had no idea, but it certainly couldn't be good.
“I've got you now, mutant,” he muttered.
**
Western Nebraska
Mid-Morning
“All right, do you have everything you need?” Mouser asked.
They were leaving a little later than planned, but Mouser had been busy on the phone. First she'd checked to make sure the heroes they were meeting, a Paulette Bunyan and Grinder were legitimate, and then going over every little detail with the heroes themselves. Another hour had been used confirming that what they told her was accurate. It was well past ten now, but since they weren't on a strict schedule, Mouser was happy to leave late, if it meant the trade off went smoothly.
Jim handed a cooler full of snacks and drinks up to his wife in the big rig. “We're good to go.”
“Great. You're radio is all set up, it's specially made to prevent any regular eavesdropping. If you need anything, see something odd, or just get a bad feeling, hit the button and start talking. If you can't hit the button, say Mouser and it will connect us.” She'd already gone over the details the night before, but it never hurt to repeat things that could mean life or death. “And if you fall too far behind it will start beeping. I'll be tracking you through my helmet, so you should always be within five miles of me, but pay attention and follow the route we made.”
He nodded. “I've got it memorized and written down. I'll stick to it until you tell me otherwise.”
That made her smile. It was always nice to be guarding someone with a brain, who respected her expertise. “All right. I'll take off now, and in one minute you follow me.”
She checked over her bike, making sure her pack was secure on the back, and her weapons were in their proper sealed slots. Now that she was on the clock Mouser wasn't wearing her usual comfortable clothes, but well padded and armoured motorcycle pants and jacket. They were bright white with pink trim and a roaring big black cat on the back. Putting her helmet on she checked that the tracking system was working on the HUD, and did a quick mic check.
With everything ready, she hit the road at a reasonable speed.
Passing through the town, she made sure not to do anything that would attract attention. She even kept her tail down and somewhat hidden by her bag, not that it mattered much, she only saw a few old people on the street, mostly kids who stared at her motorcycle and the elderly who ignored her. A glance at the tiny display on her helmet showed that the Larson's were right where they should be.
When they were both out of town she said, “Lets keep everything nice and slow and follow the speed limit. Don't want to bother the police today.”
“Ten-four,” Jim said.
With that done Mouser let her thoughts slip away, allowing her instincts to guide her and warn her of any possible dangers.
**
Near La Grange, Wyoming
Afternoon
“Mouser, we need a bathroom break,” Jim said.
“All right,” she said, a quick glance at her HUD showed they'd been driving for about three hours. She frowned at how slow they were going, following the speed limit sucked. “First decent place we come to, I'll pull in and get all eyes on me. Once I give you the all clear you get out, get the job done and get back in the truck ASAP.”
It was the middle of nowhere, so they'd probably end up stopping in the blink and you'll miss it village of La Grange. She'd have preferred avoiding towns, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Picking up a bit of speed she got ready to make an entrance.
Twenty minutes later Mouser pulled into a small gas station that said it had public bathrooms. She filled up her tank at the pump, and then strode into the store, tail held high. She grinned at the teen behind the till, who was trying and failing to not look at her body. This was going to be fun, she thought, as she unzipped her jacket a little and leaned over the counter, enjoying the sight of his jaw dropping.
“I'm wondering,” she said, drawing the words out in a long purr, “do you have any catnip?”
“Uh,” the cashier was momentarily speechless. “No. I don't think you can find catnip in town. It's not exactly,” he gulped, “a big seller.”
“That's a shame. I guess I'll just have to look around and see what you do have,” she said. Turning away from him, she scanned store and looked out the window. No one was around, and the bathrooms were just at the back. Her hands moved suggestively over her hips, pressing a button connected to her radio, signalling the all clear.
As she browsed the limited supply of junk food, the Larson's pulled up outside. Taking two types of jerky she went back to the till, swinging her hips and tail for all they were worth. “Can you help me,” she asked, leaning on the counter. Somehow her jacket had become more unzipped and she was only wearing a sports bra underneath.
“Yeah.”
“I'm not sure which type I should get, hot or hot and spicy.” She held up the two packages and looked deep into his eyes.
The door opened, and Jim came in with Richard, who was wearing a hoodie and using crutches to walk. Jim made sure to stay between the cashier and his son, not that it was going to be a problem considering the cashier was staring at her cleavage.
“I- I'm a fan of the mild kind.” The young man blushed as the words left his mouth.
“I would have thought you were a hot and spicy kind of guy,” she said. Putting the hot jerky back, she went to the freezer and picked out an ice cream cone. Waving to the teen, she unwrapped it, then took a long lick, shivering a little as the cold hit her.
Then the exact thing she didn't want to happen, happened. A Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper pulled up.
Cursing silently, she headed back to the counter. “Can you tell me how much farther it is to Cheyenne?”
The trooper walked in and stopped dead at the sight of her. Pretending to ignore him, she kept her eyes on the teen.
“About an hour, just get on the the 85 and follow the signs,” he told her.
“Thank you. You're such a polite young man,” she said, placing her fingers on his hand for just a moment.
The trooper clearly not approving of what he was seeing, stepped well into her personal space. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.
She licked her ice cream cone and looked up into his eyes. “Just getting a few snacks for the road, officer. Is there a problem?” She heard the toilet flush and wondered just how far she'd need to push things to keep the attention on her.
“Where are you headed?”
“Why? Do you want to come with me?” she asked, looking him up and down while licking her lips.
He scowled. “Just answer the question.”
“Well since you asked so nicely, I'm going to Salt Lake City to see my sister. And if you're interested, I'll be stopping in Cheyenne to meet some friends tonight.” She looked at him suggestively. “Would you like my number, I could use a date?”
Jim and Richard came out of the bathroom, pausing for a moment at the sight of the trooper. Fortunately both of them got moving, giving Mouser and the trooper plenty of space.
The man didn't take his eyes off of her. “What's your name?”
“Samantha Mouser, it's a pleasure to meet you,” she answered.
“Let me see your license.”
Pulling her wallet from her inside pocket, she couldn't resist goading him a little more. “Oh you want to know where I live? Maybe you want to come over for a little weekend party?”
He snatched the license out of her hand. “Wait here.”
While the trooper went to see if she was who she claimed to be, Mouser watched Jim get the big rig onto the road and head out of town. Breathing easier, she turned back to the teen. “So how much do I owe you?”
By the time she'd paid and finished her ice cream, the trooper was back. Handing back her license he didn't look happy. “You can leave,” he said.
“Why thank you, kind sir.” She blew a kiss to the cashier and winked, before heading out. She'd have to hurry to get past the Larson's again.
**
Neal got into his car and glared at the freak as she drove away. He could have made up some charge to bring her in, but at best it would have kept her in a cell overnight, and she might call a lawyer, then it would be his ass on the line. At worst she might be a rager and kill him. Sighing in disgust, he had to admit he wasn't equipped to deal with a mutant.
Getting his cell phone he called the MCO, they'd know what to do about her. And he was willing to bet she wasn't going to Cheyenne.
**
MCO Office, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Late Afternoon
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” MCO Director Susan Brown said, happy to find an excuse to take a break from the dull memo from New York.
“Director, we just got a call about the cat woman passing through Casper,” the agent said.
“So the trooper was right,” she said. “Contact the Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota MCO, and let them know that she may be heading towards them for unknown reasons. The mutant might be doing something in Casper, but she could just be driving through, so we'll send a team to Casper with orders to be ready to move to assist in a nearby state if asked.”
The agent nodded, but paused for a moment. “Director, couldn't this be the real Mouser, from Nebraska?”
“That's unlikely,” she said. “This is clearly a mutant with fake ID. And if by some misfortune it is the real Mouser, I'm sure we can work things out.”
The agent looked uncomfortable for a moment, then nodded and went off to do his job.
The Director smiled to herself. If they played it right, they might be able to get rid of a blight on the MCO ledger.
**
Hardin, Montana
Evening
Mouser curled up happily on the cheap motel bed. They hadn't gotten as far as she would have liked, having to make regular pit stops for Richard, but she was happy with their time. Heading out early they could be at the unofficial border crossing in about seven or eight hours.
Considering their good luck so far, she was feeling pretty optimistic about the rest of the trip.
Closing her eyes she was almost instantly asleep.
**
Gering, Nebraska
Near Midnight
“Mom! Dad! I'm home!” Teri shouted.
She bounded into the house, everything looked familiar. No matter where she looked, memories came back. There was the couch where she'd sat with her newborn niece for the first time. A picture hung on the wall of her in her flower girl dress at her oldest brothers wedding. She could practically see herself making Arroz con leche with her mother and grandmother in the kitchen.
“Mom, Dad! Where are you?” she called. Running up the stairs two at a time, she kept calling out to them.
“Mom! I'm finally back. Dad, I'm here! Where are you?!”
She came to her room. Hers eyes went to the autographed picture of Lightning Strike, it was shredded, with the ragged remnants covered in soot. The pictures of her, her cousin and friends that were taped around her desk were burnt and impossible to make out.
“MOM!” she screamed, tears running down her face.
Opening her photo album, ashes fell from the pages, covering her hands.
The walls and furniture loomed above her. The photo album grew heavier and larger until she had to drop it. She found herself flying in the centre of the room, surrounded by smoke as electricity arced around her.
“WHERE'S MY DAUGHTER?!” A giant, shadowy woman, screamed.
“I'm your daughter,” Teri whimpered. “Mommy, I'm your daughter. I'm-, I'm-”
Who was she?
“You're just a bug! A freak! A monster!” her mother shouted. “Where's my daughter!?”
**
In an old box, hidden in the ceiling surrounded by darkness and dust, a young girl cried in her sleep.
**
Hardin, Montana
June 4th, 2007
Morning
Mouser took her time getting her motorcycle ready, making sure anyone who was passing by or looking out their motel window got a good look at her cat like appearance. Across the parking lot the Larson's loaded their son into the truck and got themselves ready to go.
“Betty, Jim,” she whispered into her mic, “everything good to go?”
“Yeah, just getting Richard settled, his legs are really sore this morning,” Betty said.
Biting back a curse, Mouser didn't allow the frustration to show on her face. If they had to stop for a doctor, not only would it screw up their plans, but it could be dangerous. “If it gets too bad let me know. We'll go a little faster than planned today, and I'll let Paulette and Grinder know so they can set up something with a doctor on their end ASAP.”
“Thank you. We're ready to go when you are.” she said.
“OK, I'm heading out, follow in one minute,” Mouser said, putting her helmet on. Hitting the road, she
kept her eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. She wasn't expecting much, but it wouldn't do to be caught by surprise.
**
Billings, Montana
Morning
“Mouser we need to pull over, Richard is-” Jim was cut off by a pain filled groan. “We need more water, his skin is drying out.”
Mouser cursed, there were a lot more police on the street than usual, and she didn't like the way some of the cops were looking at her. “We're coming up to a couple of gas stations. I'll pull into the first one, you go in the second one. Don't let Richard out, just get the water and go, I'll catch up to you.”
Pulling into the station, she got off her bike and pretended to slowly stretch, taking in the area without looking too obvious about it. Her tail was already attracting a lot of attention, taking her helmet off had every nearby eye on her. Readjusting her bag took more time, allowing her to see Jim pull into the other gas station.
Going into the store, she grabbed a drink, keeping an eye on the window which showed Jim rushing into his own store coming out a minute later with a bag full of water bottles. It wasn't exactly inconspicuous, but it wasn't too obvious and speed right now was important. As soon as Jim was in his truck, Mouser went to the cashier.
The elderly woman had clearly seen everything and barely glanced at her as she rang up her purchase. Stepping out of the store, Mousers stomach dropped. A man and woman in MCO uniforms were walking over to her bike. She discretely tapped the button under her pants three times, a signal for the Larson's to keep going on the preplanned route and stop for nothing.
Faking a smile, she went to her bike, cracked open the drink and took a sip, letting them make the first move.
“Where are you going?” the woman asked, not bothering with introductions.
“Seattle. Is there a problem?” Mouser asked.
“We have a report that you were supposed to be heading for Salt Lake City.”
Mouser suddenly wanted to punch the Wyoming patrolman in the face. “Sorry, I've got no reason to be in Salt Lake City. Been there before, and it was a snoozefest.”
“Why are you going to Seattle?” the man asked.
“Just finished a big job, decided to take a vacation and surprise a few friends. Also its been a while since I went on a road trip, my motorcycle was feeling lonely,” she said, stroking her crotch rocket lovingly.
“Let's see your MID.”
She unzipped her pocket, pulling out her MID, that clearly stated she wasn't a mutant, and a business card. “Certainly, and I'll do you one better, my card. Mouser, superhero and bodyguard, at your service.”
They took their time looking over the ID and her card, moving a little ways off to contact their superior. That suited her perfectly. The longer they focused on her, the further away the Larson's got.
Ten minutes later, after a lot of inane, time wasting questions, that were meant to trip her up, the agents finally seemed satisfied. “You can go, Mouser,” the woman said, looking like she'd taken a bite from a lemon.
“Thank you, it's been a pleasure,” Mouser said, grinning like she'd just eaten a canary. Getting on her bike she squealed out of the parking lot. The tracker on her HUD showed the Larson's had made good time, despite keeping to the speed limit.
“Sorry about the wait, Jim. Had to deal with the MCO,” she said over the radio.
“Are they going to be a problem?” he asked.
“I don't think so, once we get past Great Falls, we should be in the clear. Just be ready to go to plan B if things hit the fan.”
“Ten-four,” he said.
**
Agent Swift took off her headset. “She's with someone called Jim and they're heading for Great Falls. Call it in.”
Their little fishing trip had been more successful than she thought it would be. Their devise had gotten them onto the creatures radio easily enough and now they knew where they could get her. Now the only question was could they use the info.
“They've got it,” her partner said.
“Can we get a team there fast enough?” she asked.
“The Great Falls office is going to be watching for them, and most of the reinforcements should be able to make it there in time. They'll just have to use their sirens to do it,” he told her.
She grinned. “Fantastic. Too bad we can't join them.”
**
Route 89, Outside Great Falls, Montana
Early Afternoon
Mouser slowed to a stop as she came up to a row of stopped cars. “We've got trouble. Jim, try to pass some of the traffic between us and get as close to me as possible, then put your game face on. Betty get in the back with Richard and don't let him make a sound.”
An armoured MCO van, and several cars had set up a road block on the narrow highway. The agents were questioning the drivers and sometimes pulling out everyone to search the vehicle. Since she hadn't heard anything about a mutant criminal on the loose, she had a sinking feeling that they wanted her. Depending on how things went, that wouldn't be too bad, but it could all too easily get ugly.
She breathed a bit easier as she saw the Larson's coming to a stop only three cars behind her. At least she'd be able to keep an eye on them.
When it was her turn to be questioned, they waved her directly to the side of the road, conveniently beside the armoured truck. She took a second to put on her game face before taking her helmet off, this was going to be interesting.
“What the hell is the problem!” she exclaimed. “First you guys interrogate me for half an hour in Billings, and now you want to do it again here! Give me a freaking break!”
She saw several hands go towards their firearms, and heard the whine of an energy weapon being charged up behind the van. She had to be very careful to make sure this didn't end with someone dead. On the plus side, no one was paying attention to the other vehicles.
“Calm down, ma'am. We just want to ask you some questions,” the man in charge said. She noted that his hair was slathered with hair gel, the smell made her nose burn.
“If you'll get your hands off of your guns, I'll show you my MID,” she snapped. “Then you can call the Lincoln, Nebraska office and find out I'm one of the good guys. I'm the one they call in when they've got a situation too hot for baselines to handle.”
The agent who was still focused on the traffic, began waving the vehicles through with only a cursory look and questioning. If there was going to be a fight, they didn't want civilians caught in the crossfire.
The man motioned for his people to back off. “I'm sorry about the inconvenience. I'm Agent McCormick, and don't worry my men won't do anything rash. So if I can have your MID, we can get you back on your way in no time.”
With a lot of grumbling and loud cursing, Mouser fumbled in her pocket to get her MID, ensuring most of the attention remained on her as Jim drove through the stop after showing his license. Mouser kept growling as she slapped the ID into McCormick's hand.
He hopped into the van, letting her get a look at the inside which was completely empty, and closed the door, presumably to call his office.
While she waited, letting off a quiet, predatory growl to keep up appearances, she counted the agents. It looked like a lot to the casual eye, with the cars, the armoured van, and the way the agents moved around. But for the number of vehicles, it wasn't enough. It looked like there was one agent for each car, not the customary two, and the van had brought maybe four agents, despite being able to hold up to twelve heavily armed men.
This was a was a show of force, with very little teeth.
What exactly was going on?
Several minutes later McCormick came back with her MID. “Sorry about that Mouser, we're looking for a fugitive, and can't be too careful. I've let the office know you're passing through, you shouldn't have anymore problems.”
She snorted in disgust. “Yeah, sure.” Taking the card back, she scowled at how greasy it felt. It smelled just like his hair gel, had he run it over his scalp. Wiping it off on her pants, she put in her pocket, and wished she had a wet wipe.
Driving away, she felt a whole swarm of butterflies in her stomach. Getting back on the radio she said, “Jim, unless someone is dying don't stop until you're an hour past the city. I'll be following you this time.”
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“Yeah. I just don't know what.”
**
Great Falls, Montana
Mousers stomach roiled.
She'd already flipped up the visor on her helmet hoping the air would help, but it wasn't working. It felt like she was going to vomit. Pulling off the road at the nearest gas station, she practically raced to the public bathroom. She reached a toilet just in time to empty her stomach.
The taste and smell of half digested gas station food made her vomit again. After what felt like an hour, her stomach was empty and surprisingly she was feeling better. Flushing the mess down the toilet, she made her way to the sink, washing her hands, then splashing water on her face and rinsing her mouth out.
This wasn't normal for her. She wasn't sure if it was something she'd eaten or some plot, but every instinct was telling her something bad was about to happen.
An older woman stepped out of a stall, saw her and headed for the door. Mouser pretended to ignore her, but watched the woman leave from the corner of her eye.
She saw the woman reach into her purse, pull out a knife and slash her arm hard enough to draw blood. The woman screamed and ran outside as if she was being murdered. “HELP!” the woman shrieked.
Mouser hit the radio, “FUBAR! GO! GO! GO!” she shouted.
If the Larson's followed her instructions, they were heading for the alternate route, not waiting for her, and not stopping for anything. They should be able to reach the border safely, since no one had ID'd them. Now she just had to make sure she could get out alive, while leading whoever had set this up in the wrong direction.
Her ears twitched, people in combat boots, and lots of metal were running towards the bathroom. From the sound of it there were at least five of them. Looking around she saw a small frosted window opposite the door. She shook her head, it was too small for her to squeeze through.
Throwing on her helmet, she scrambled up the flimsy walls of the toilets, pushed a ceiling tile out of the way and clambered into the false ceiling. It was dusty, dark, and the few handholds she found creaked and shook ominously, but it was the best she could do. Pushing the tile back in place, she heard the door open and something was thrown inside.
Gritting her teeth, her ears folded back as the flashbang went off.
Her ears rang, and for a few seconds, it was all she could do to just stay in position, as a wave of dizziness washed over her. Fortunately the tiles and simple distance had lessened the impact.
The door slammed open, and men rushed inside. “MCO! Get on the ground now!” they shouted. There was a moment of silence as they looked for her. Someone began kicking the stall doors open.
Mouser held her breath. If she was really lucky, they'd assume she had somehow escape and begin searching the area. That would make getting out of the situation a lot easier.
From down below she heard someone say, “Check the ceiling.”
“Dammit,” she whispered.
Dropping through the fake ceiling, Mouser landed practically in the middle of the group, actually knocking one of them back a little as she came down. Her heightened reflexes had her moving before she hit the ground, swinging the nearest agent into the man covering the door. She followed, clambering over the two as they fell, hoping the others wouldn't risk shooting their companions.
Two seconds after dropping through the ceiling, Mouser was out the door and running for bike.
Unfortunately her bike was being guarded by three heavily armed and armoured agents, and another ten were aiming very large guns in her direction. Mouser leaped towards the nearest car as they opened fire. The car shook and the bullets tore through the frame like it was made of paper.
“SMOKE!” she shouted into her helmet. Special devised gas pellets flew from pockets on her coat and pants, erupting into impossibly large clouds of thick black smoke. Mouser scrambled along the ground, making herself as small a target as possible.
Without a clear target the firing stopped. Even with her ears still ringing, Mouser heard them shouting orders to spread out and encircle her.
Coming out of the smoke, she saw more armed men coming out of the baby blue, armoured trucks. She ran for it, bounding away at over sixty miles an hour, while her attackers tried to get a bead on her. Running across a street, hoping to get lost in the nearby residential area, Mouser slid to a stop, her claws digging into the pavement.
Two suits of MCO power armour came out from cover, firing their guns.
She ran to the side, bullets clipping the fur on her tail. They were quickly forcing her back to the main group of attackers. Since there weren't any civilians running around in terror or gawking at the fight, the MCO had planned the ambush in advance, somehow making her sick enough to pull over in the city. Only her speed and the smoke had kept her alive so far. Now there were too many enemies, and they had her surrounded. If she kept playing on the defence, she was going to die.
Raising her arm at the power armour, she said, “Smoke one.”
There was a pneumatic pop as five gas pellets shot out of her sleeve, they hit near the feet of the power armour and erupted, effectively blinding them. Using the temporary reprieve, Mouser ran straight at the nearest suit, using her sense of hearing to pinpoint it in the inky smoke. Leaping into the blackness, she landed on the armour and dug her claws into the shoulder joints.
Getting her feet braced against the chest plate, she began pulling, yelling as her shoulders threatened to pop out of their sockets. There was a crack, and her fingers burned. The pilot was shouting at her, trying to raise his arms to stop her. The gears popped, an acrid smell filled her nostrils, and the arms dropped down.
The smoke was clearing up, leaping off the now armless armour, she raced for the blurry outline of the second suit who was swinging his gun towards her. Pulling a small pistol from her pants pocket, she ducked low, and threw herself at his legs.
Grabbing a thigh she lifted him up, straining a little at the weight and dropped him on his face. Aiming her pistol at the back of his knee, she fired twice from two inches away, then did the same with his other knee. He screamed in pain, but there was no blood. Stomping on his gun, Mouser nodded in satisfaction, two threats down and no real harm done.
“Motorcycle, come to mama,” she said.
Off in the distance, she heard her bike start, along with startled shouts.
Someone started shooting again. Her arm went numb as one of the lower calibre rounds hit her on the elbow. The armour kept it from doing more than bruising, but it still hurt. Raising both arms, she said, “Smoke, evasion.” Individual gas pellets, flew out of her sleeves in a circle around her, none of it was thick enough to completely hide her, but she was a harder target. Now she just had to make it to her motorcycle, before they surrounded her again, she was all out of smoke.
She took off running towards her bike. As it came down the street, the autopilot slowed a little allowing her to grab the handle bars and jump into the seat. She hit a button causing the engine to roar and sped away, as the MCO ran for their vehicles in the vain hope of catching her.
**
Great Falls, DPA Office
Afternoon
A skinny woman, with messy straw blonde hair, smelling of smoke, and black soot smeared on her face, walked confidently into the modest office of the Department of Paranormal Affairs.
Nancy frowned at the woman who looked like she'd just come from a house fire. Usually her job as a receptionist was very easy, but every once in a while, she got odd situations like this. “Can I help you Ms.?”
“Yes, I need to see the person in charge, immediately,” the woman said, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.
This was getting weirder, fortunately she knew how to deal with weird situations. “I'm sorry, Mr. Williams is rather busy right now. If you tell me why you need to see him, he'll get back to you as soon as possible.”
“The local MCO just tried to kill me, a registered superhero, who has worked with the Lincoln, Nebraska MCO branch. I thought it was safer to come here than risk going to the police,” the woman replied. Her body shifted, black fur erupted from her skin, her ears became catlike, and her face developed a small muzzle. She put a card, wrapped up in baggie on the desk. “I'm Samantha Mouser, here is my MID, don't unwrap it, I'm pretty sure it's covered in poison. All my information is in your systems.”
“Just one moment, Mr. Williams will be right with you,” Nancy said, reaching for the phone.
**
Gering, Nebraska
June 5th, 2007
Early Afternoon
“Listen up class, today we're doing dissections and we have a very special surprise,” the biology teacher said.
Teri hunched down in her seat not looking forward to the class, even if everyone else was grinning at the thought of cutting up some worms or frogs.
“This is a new type of bug, and you're the first class to dissect them. Isn't it exciting?” the teacher said as she passed out the covered trays. “Now remember what we've gone over. Make sure to take detailed notes of everything you find, you'll be marked on how good they are.”
Taking the cover off the tray, Teri looked down to see a pink haired fairy splayed out on the tray. Tiny beads of blood rose from the palm of her hands, feet and wings where pins pierced the fleshed holding her in place.
“Teri,” Rose Blossom whispered. “Help me.”
Picking up the scalpel, Teri silently screamed. Her hand moved on its own, placing the razor sharp blade down just below Rose Blossoms throat.
She tried to wrench her hand away. Rose Blossom screamed all around her as her classmates eagerly went to work. Her scalpel pierced her friends skin. Tears fell from eyes that refused to close.
“You said you'd protect me!” Rose Blossom shrieked.
Teri woke up screaming.
Curling up into a ball she howled into her blanket, begging the dreams to stop.
**
Nighttime
Teri put down the crayon, admiring her picture.
“What do you think Rose Blossom? Is this a good beach or what?” she asked. “It's got a beautiful yellow sun, seashells, great waves, a slide, and look I even put in a hotdog stand!”
She walked along wall, she'd covered the whole thing with her beach, and she was quite proud of her work.
“Oh,” she said, looking at the picture of Rose Blossom on the opposite wall, “you want to go to the beach? Well just wait a bit for my wrists to recover and I'll draw you on it. Do you want to be swimming in the water, sitting under a beach umbrella, or eating a hotdog?
“Well of course you'll be playing with me. I'll be right here and you'll be right there, and we can play as much as you want,” Teri said.
“And we can play whenever you want. I'm not sleeping much anymore, so I can play even when I should be asleep.”
She ran over and hugged the picture of Rose Blossom. “Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I just can't sleep very well without your singing.”
She tilted her head, then waved her hand as if waving away a bug. “I'll be fine. And don't mention Burgermeister, he'll just make you feel bad. When he shows up, I'll be ready and willing to break every bone in his body until he tells me where you are.”
Walking over to a small bear stuffie, she'd gotten the night before, Teri sat down and wrapped its arms around her. “Now what do you want to be doing on the beach?”
**
Gering, Nebraska
June 7th, 2007
Late evening
“Come on in,” Marcus said, waving six members of the local H1!, into the empty store.
He hadn't wanted to use H1!, they weren't professionals and he was worried they'd damage the store, but he had no choice. Even with his videos of the mutant, the MCO and DPA refused to help him, claiming the photo was a prank, or something else that wasn't in their area of concern. And people were starting to complain about strange noises coming from the ceiling, claiming it sounded like crying and screaming. If it kept going, he'd lose business.
“So when does this mutant usually come out?” Brandon asked.
“In about an hour or two, after the store closes. That's why I shut down early, so we could get ready for it.”
“And it comes down from the ceiling?”
Marcus nodded. “It moves the tile a little. A different one each night, so I'm not sure exactly where it's made it's lair.”
“All right, we can deal with that.” Brandon turned to his friends. “You guys, spread out along the aisles, find a nice place to hunker down with a good view of the ceiling, and make sure you don't get into anyones line of fire. We'll treat this like a deer hunt, and if you have a good shot, take it.” The group started taking out their rifles, and discussing with each other where they should set up.
Marcus looked at the weapons a little fearfully. “Um, are you sure you should shoot it?”
“It's small, fast, and strong. We aren't going to catch it with nets,” Brandon said.
“Oh, right. Please don't shoot the shelves.”
“We're professionals, don't worry. Why don't you go to your office, and stay quiet. We don't want you getting hurt by accident.”
Nodding, Marcus headed for his office, praying that everything would work out.
**
Teri watched the men move through the store, through a small hole in the tile. She hadn't slept well and woken up early, so she'd heard everything they were planning. Her eyes were lit up like Christmas lights, and she couldn't stop grinning. She was in a bad mood, and this would definitely make her feel better.
She waited patiently until everyone had found their position. She had to admit, if she hadn't known to look for them, she probably wouldn't notice them at first. They weren't exactly hiding, there weren't really any places to hide when the person was above them, but they were really still and quiet. She might have gone down like usual and gotten shot. That would of been bad.
Looking around, Teri found a spot where they weren't looking right in the corner of the store. Lifting the tile up just enough to slide through, she crawled down the wall, using her claws and keeping her wings curled up close to her back, rather than risk flying.
When she reached the floor, she began flying, staying just an inch or two above the ground. She found the first man, who looked like a grandpa.
“I've got one,” she shouted.
“Yes you do, and it looks like a big one, TERI,” an old man said, his face a ball of light. “Don't jerk the rod now, just bring it back slowly like I taught you. You want to play with it and let it wear itself out.”
She leaned back in her chair, watching the rod jerk and bend. As the fish swam towards the boat, she reeled up the slack, stopping when it swam away from her. “I'm gonna get it! I'm gonna get it!” she squealed.
The butt of a gun slammed into her, pressing her against the shelf. It didn't hurt but it took her a moment to remember where she was.
“I've got her,” the old man shouted, flipping the gun around to point the barrel at her.
Teri flew at the mans leg, knocking it out from under him. He fell face first into the ground, screaming and clutching his jaw.
“Oh! You're hurt!” she shouted, flying up to his head. Blood was dripping from his mouth, pieces of teeth were scattered on the floor and his jaw hung open. “I didn't mean to hurt you like that! I'm sorry!”
“Get away from him! You freak!”
She looked over and saw the others running towards her. She flew away staying low to the ground, fighting back tears.
Behind her someone shouted, “I'll look after Joe. Go kill that monster!”
Crawling between some juice bottles, Teri crouched down trying to stop shaking, her eyes black. There had been so much blood. She covered her ears to shut out the old mans screaming. She'd just wanted to knock him down and break his gun.
“Where the hell is that thing?”
“When I find that fairy I'm going to tear it's wings off!”
Teri's eyes flared to life. “You will not hurt a fairy!”
**
Brandon whipped around, his pistol raised, as someone screamed. Paul came tumbling head over feet into the main aisle. There was a howl of rage and the sound of wood slamming into the ground. Pieces of a rifle flew through the air
Glowing purple lights zipped through the air disappearing behind a shelf. There was a gunshot and the start of a scream. It was cut off with a loud thunk. He saw the gun rise up in the air and slam into the ground.
There was shout of panic from another aisle. It became a cry of pain, Bob ran out, clutching a badly broken arm, his gun nowhere to be seen.
And then Brandon saw the glowing lights coming towards him. He tossed the pistol, raising his arms. “Please don't hurt me,” he begged.
The mutant stopped, it's eyes still glowed like purple flames. It floated in the air, shaking with rage, it's face twisted into a monstrous scowl. “Leave. Take them and go. If you come back, I will kill you.”
He nodded. “We won't come back. We'll leave you alone.” Skirting around the monster, he ran to grab his friends.
**
Teri watched them go, the anger slowly leaving her. Once they were out of sight, she dropped to the ground, barely able to hold herself up.
She began to cry.
**
Near Midnight
Teri huddled under a small pink potted rose bush in the dark greenhouse, desperately trying to stop thinking.
The flowers and warmth reminded her of the fairy garden. If she closed her eyes she could imagine she was back there. Everything was safe, no one was yelling or attacking her, there was no blood or guns either, and Rose Blossom was off doing something fun with the goblins and elves. She was alone because she wanted to be, just relaxing and not thinking of anything, knowing that everything was safe and calm.
Looking up the pink roses she smiled, remembering how nice it was to just sit quietly with Rose Blossom.
“Hey Rose,” she said.
“I don't like it here. Everyone is mean and wants to hurt me, and I don't have anyone to talk too, or play with, or anything.” She blinked back some tears. “How about you? Are you somewhere safe? Are you with the goblins and elves building something fun? Or did you find someone nice who will help you?”
She waited for an answer, hoping that she'd hear Rose Blossoms happy voice.
There was only silence.
“I'm still waiting for Burgermeister to come,” she said. “When I see him I'm going to break every bone in his body until he helps me find you. I'm not sure what to do with him after that. He's a horrible man, he must be a supervillain or something. If we hand him over to the superheroes, do you think they'll help me find my family? We'll be heroes for catching him, won't we? Then people will love me, and want to be with me.” She had to pause to wipe away the tears.
“They will. I know they will. I'll be a superhero then, and everyone loves superheroes.”
Her eyes flared a bright purple. “Or maybe I should just drop him from a thousand feet in the air. I can follow him as he falls and laugh all the way. Maybe I'll catch him before he hits the ground and do it again. He deserves it.”
She reached out to stroke the rose. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't be telling you that. It's too scary, isn't it?”
Giving herself a few minutes to calm down, she finally said, “So after I find you again, and hand Burgermeister over to the superheroes, we're going to find my parents. I'm sure they'll be happy to meet you, and you can stay with us. It's not like they can complain about how much we eat, right?”
She began to smile. “Right, they'll be really happy to see us. And they'll take us to the beach and we can a beach party, those are so much fun. Have you ever been to a beach party? Did you have lots of friends before Burgermeister kidnapped you?”
Teri looked thoughtfully at the rose. “I remember you singing to me. You sounded older then. Are you a big sister? I think you would make a great big sister, you always knew how to make me feel happy even when I had the really bad nightmares. I wish you were here to sing to me now.
“Or maybe you're a mother. Do you have some kids waiting for you at home, wondering where you've gone? Wanting to hear you sing to them again?”
She began drawing a car in the air. “Remember when your head started to hurt really bad beside the pool? I saw the car you drew before you rubbed it out. Burgermeister tried to get rid of all your memories like he did to me, and it worked better on you, right? But the memories are still in your head, just a whole lot deeper than mine. So that car was probably yours. Were you a teenager who had just bought her first car, or did you pick your kids up from school in it?”
Shaking her head, Teri said, “I've been selfish. I've only thought about my own family and meeting them. But you have a family to. So how about this, after I break Burgermeister and find you, we hand him over to the superheroes. Then they can help us look for both of our families. Whichever one we find first, we go to and have a big party, with lots of hugs and kisses and laughing. Then after we find the other family, we can go visit them and have an EVEN BIGGER PARTY! That'll be so much fun! And we can go to the beach too, because the beach makes everything even better. And we'll be safe and happy and have twice as much love as before.”
She stood up to give the rose a kiss. “That is the perfect plan! We'll be heroes, and have our families and each other.”
Her eyes went to her feet. “Um, Rose, I have a question. I know you're not the real Rose Blossom, but you're really pretty and remind me of her. I'm going to find her soon, but I don't know just how long that will take. Do you... Can I take you with me? I live in the ceiling of the grocery store, where it's all dark and lonely, and I get really sad. So I could keep you on the roof during the day so you get lots of sunlight, and I'll water you everyday. Then at night I can take you down with me and we can talk while I do my chores, or play in the empty store.
“And I promise to keep you safe. I won't let anything happen to you,” she said, her eyes flaring.
“So... do you want to come with me? I'll take you with me when I find Rose Blossom. She'll love you to. She really likes flowers. And don't worry, I won't let her use you for one of her projects. I'll take really good care of you, no matter where I go.”
She looked up at the rose, her eyes dark. “Please say yes.”
A moment later she leapt into the air, cheering loudly. “Thank you, Rose! I promise you won't regret this! Just give me a few minutes to rip open a hole big enough for you to come inside. I'll be right back, don't go anywhere!”
**
MCO office, Lincoln, Nebraska
June 8th, 2007
Mid-Afternoon
Mouser leaned back in the comfortable office chair and glad to be dealing with sane people again.
Larry Meyer, head of the Lincoln MCO, handed her a cup of tea and took a seat behind his desk. “So I've read the police report and your statement. Head office is fighting the attempted murder charges, but between you and me, it looks like the Great Falls office is going to need to replace almost every single agent. Can't say I'm sad about that, they were always hard to work with.”
“Couldn't happen to a nicer group,” Mouser said. “But there were a lot more agents there than you'd find at Great Falls, and I'm certain they were looking for me in Billings.”
“So am I. Unfortunately they didn't leave any paper trails. Unless we get a whistle blower, or one of the agents in custody tries to make a deal, the police don't have enough evidence to charge anyone outside of Great Falls.”
Mouser scowled. She knew he was right, but it didn't make her any happier. “Any idea why they came gunning for me?”
“You know why,” Larry said. “The bigots don't like how much we rely on you. No one in this office has a problem with you, but some of our neighbours don't care that you gained your powers through a power stone, or that you've saved at least a few MCO lives over the years. They saw a chance to get rid of you and jumped at it.”
“I was kind of hoping there was a better reason than that.” She shrugged. “At least they never actually worked worked with me. They didn't know how quickly I could recover from their poison, or that I have the reflexes of a speedster, even if I'm not technically one myself.”
“Thank god for small favours. I'd miss you, bad jokes and all.”
“I've gotta admit though, having the woman slice herself and blaming me was smart. If they'd killed me, they would have enough of a reason to avoid jail.”
Larry nodded in agreement. “So what are your plans for the next few days.”
Mouser shrugged. “Not sure, the people I was helping managed to reach their destination with no problems, so I have a decent little payday from them, plus the much nice paycheck from that pop star I told you about. I figure I can relax for a few weeks, let some of my bruises heal, maybe take a vacation.”
“Would you like to come over for dinner next week?”
“Why Larry, I didn't know you thought of me that way,” she said, smiling sweetly. “I'd be delighted.”
“Barbara will be there,” he said.
“Oh, kinky! I'm even more delighted now.”
Shaking his head, Larry couldn't help but smile.
**
Wilderness Park Trails, Lincoln, Nebraska
June 11th, 2007
Mid-Afternoon
Mouser squirted water into her mouth, not slowing down from what would be a fast sprint for most people. Placing her water bottle back on her waist pack, she leapt into the air sailing over the heads of a group of walker that were taking up the entire path, landing about twenty feet ahead of them. Barely slowing down, she found her stride again and smirked at the astonished gasps and shouts.
The weather was perfect for running, and as she breathed in the clean air, Mouser was glad she'd taken the time to drive out to the trail. The trails in the city were OK, but getting out into nature made her feel really alive. Now if only she had someone to go running with. The only person in the city that she knew could actually outrun her, was Stop And Go, a clumsy idiot and a wannabe hero. She'd went out with him once, mostly to see what a speedster was like and hadn't been impressed.
“Maybe it's time I move up in the world?” she said to herself. “I could find more work in a bigger city, and having a few actual heroes to talk shop with would be nice. I wonder if Speed Machine is still interested in having me as his partner? Atlanta's weather sucks, but as long as I have AC I can handle the humidity. And Speedy has a really nice apartment.”
While she was considering her options, her phone buzzed. Slowing down to fast walk, she answered. “Mouser, superhero and bodyguard speaking, how can I help you?”
“Hello, Mouser. I have a question,” the man said in a nervous little voice, “are you a mutant?”
“No sir, I'm not a mutant, just a power stone user,” she said, rolling her eyes. She'd gotten quite a few jobs by 'just' using a power stone, as if that made her better or safer than a mutant. Still if the client was on the up and up, she'd happily take their money, and if they were assholes, she was willing to charge them top dollar for her services.
“Right, good. I have a problem, there's a mutant in my store-”
“Ok, if they're causing a problem that's a job for the MCO, if they can't handle it they'll call me in. And if the mutant isn't causing a problem, I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole,” she said, her thumb moving to end the call right then and there.
“WAIT!” the man begged. “The mutants been here for almost two weeks, hiding in the ceiling, stealing things, and no one will help me. I have video and everything, but the MCO said it was a job for the DPA, the DPA said for pest control, but when I called they said it was a job for the MCO.”
That brought Mouser to a halt. “What exactly does the mutant look like?”
“It's a fairy, the size of my hand, very strong and almost too fast to see.”
Now he had her full attention. “All right, where exactly is your store?”
“Gering, Nebraska, the GK Supermarket.”
She sighed, that was all the way across the state. “OK, here is what I'd like you to do, send me all the video you have of the fairy, along with a detailed list of what you've seen it do, how it acted, and anything you think is important. I'll look it over and get back to you with a basic plan, and my fee. If you can send me the info ASAP, and pay half up front, I can be there tomorrow night after your store is closed and have everything sorted out before dawn.
After they worked out the details, she hung up and began jogging back to her motorcycle. Keeping her phone out, she hit speed dial.
“Lincoln City MCO, how can I help you?”
“Hey Mandy, Mouser here,” she said. “I need some info, do you have anything in your files about a mutant who looks like a fairy.”
“Let me put you on hold for a minute while I look it up.”
**
Mousers Home, Lincoln, Nebraska
Evening
“Damn,” Mouser said, leaning back in her computer chair.
She'd seen some weird things in her life, but seeing what looked like a real live fairy messing with a group of pest control guys, and moving so quickly that most of the time she was a blur, was a new one. The fairy was obviously intelligent, and stronger than it looked. It had also gone out of its way to not hurt anyone.
The MCO had been a bust. There were some fairy like mutants, but they were nowhere near Nebraska, and they were either near human size or shifted between a fairy shape and a baseline human. And none of them looked like a purple haired and winged fairy creature with glowing eyes.
So the question was, why was it holed up in a supermarket?
If the fairy was trying to remain hidden, it should have left soon after being seen the first time. So, was it an extra-dimensional creature that was tied to the spot? Some devisors creation who was guarding the place out of some built in instinct? An entity, mutant or otherwise, waiting for something or someone?
She didn't like going in with so little info, but Marcus had a real problem on his hands.
Opening up her email, she began typing her response to her newest client.
**
Gering, Nebraska
June 13th, 2007
Late Evening
Mouser pulled into the GK Supermarket parking lot, parking her truck close to the store entrance. Taking her work bag and umbrella from the passenger seat, she stepped out into the heavy rain, and walked to the door where Marcus was waiting for her.
“Thank you for coming,” he said, looking curiously at her padded, white and pink motorcycle outfit.
“It's my pleasure, you're problem has me intrigued,” she said.
“So what exactly will you do?”
Placing her umbrella down to dry, Mouser took a second to look around the store. “Well first, I'm going to ask you to leave. The fairy clearly doesn't like you very much, so for your safety and to keep things as calm as possible it would be best if you aren't here. Then I'm going to try to talk to the fairy and see if I can get it to leave peacefully.”
His eyes widened. “You think that will work?”
She shrugged. “I have no idea until I try. But if there's a peaceful solution to this, it will keep your store from getting damaged. If I have to fight it, I really don't know what will happen, but my contract specifically states I am not responsible for any collateral damage that occurs if I can't find a peaceful solution.”
Marcus nodded in understanding. “OK, I'll wait in the parking lot until your done.”
“Don't worry,” she told him, “I can be very persuasive, we'll have everything sorted out soon.”
With Marcus gone, Mouser walked around the dark store, her eyes and ears open for any sign of the fairy.
**
Teri watched the cat woman walk through the store looking for her. Her head hurt and her eyes itched from lack of sleep, but seeing the person gave her a burst of energy.
“She's looks like a superhero,” she whispered to herself. “She has a costume and everything. Maybe I can ask her for help?”
She shook her head. “No! She's working for Marcus, she can't be a good guy. And I have to stay here until Burgermeister shows up. I'll just hide until she goes away.”
“I hear you!” The cat woman said, looking straight at her hiding spot.
Taking flight, Teri flew to the other end of the store, barely breathing and not touching anything. Hovering silently in the dark ceiling, she waited to see what would happen.
The cat woman shouted, “Fairy girl, I don't want to fight. I don't know what you're doing here, but I don't think you've done anything that deserves going to jail for. So my contract is to only get you out of this store, preferably without a fight.”
There was a moment of silence.
“If you have somewhere to go that isn't too far away I can drive you there personally. If its far away like across the country, I can make some arrangements for you and have someone drive or fly you there. No charge, and no strings attached other than you leave peacefully with me.”
Again there was silence as the cat woman let her think about it.
“If you don't have anywhere to go, you can come with me and I'll help you deal with the authorities to get the help you need. I've done it before for runaways, even a few who were wanted by the police. You just need to ask me for help and I'll do whatever I can to help.”
The cat woman waited a full minute.
“OK, you think it over. I'm giving you one hour to either come and talk to me, or to leave of your own free will. After that, I'm going to have to make you leave, I'd really prefer not to do that.”
Teri flew down to the tiles, and very carefully lifted one to look around. She saw the cat woman taking a seat on the floor, shuffling a pack of cards, as she watched the woman began a game of solitaire. Dropping the tile down, she flew to her home and sat down beside the potted rose.
“She said she'd help me,” she whispered, stroking a leaf.
“But where would I go?” she asked. “I don't know where I'm supposed to be, where Rose Blossom is, or where Burgermeister is.”
Her eyes brightened a little. “Maybe she'll help me catch Burgermeister? She looks like a superhero, she'll want to go after the bad guys.”
She shook her head, her eyes going dark. “She'll just call me a monster and try to hurt me. No one wants to help me, I'm just a bug to them. No one will believe me until I capture Burgermeister myself and prove to them that I'm a hero.”
Rubbing away the tears that were forming in her eyes, she kissed the rosebush. “Don't worry Rose, I won't let her hurt you. And I won't go anywhere either. She's just lying so she can catch me.”
**
Mouser glanced at her watch, time was almost up. She'd heard the fairy grabbing things from the shelves, staying out of sight and flying at high speed, going from one end of the store to another in a few seconds. Her speed and size was going to make things tricky if it came down to a fight.
“One last try,” she muttered. “Fairy girl, this is your last chance. One more minute and I come after you, neither of us wants that to happen. How about this, you come out now and I'll give you a bag of cookies for the road. Any type you like?”
Her alarm went off, and the fairy still hadn't shown herself. “Why doesn't anyone ever want the cookies? Cookies are awesome.”
Putting her cards away, she considered her bag. Most of her equipment was made for normal size opponents, tasers, a shock baton, grenade launcher and other things weren't really made for fairy size enemies. There was also a chance they could kill something so small. It was best to keep them as backups. Hitting a button, a forcefield covered the bag, locking it to the floor, she didn't want any of her stuff used against her.
Closing her eyes, she listened for any out of place sounds. There was utter silence.
“So that's how its gonna be,” she said with a sigh.
She counted tiles until she found the general area where she'd heard the fairy talking to someone or something earlier. Leaping up, she broke through the tile and grabbed a hold of a metal girder that held the roof in place. Her eyes began to adjust to the dark, when a very tiny, very hard fist connected with her nose.
Yowling in pain, she fell to the ground, barely able to get her feet under her as she landed. Snarling, she bared her claws and got ready for a fight.
**
Grabbing a bag of catnip she'd stolen earlier, Teri watched the cat woman stalk through the store looking for her. She could tell this was going to be a nasty fight, but she had to win it. She was tempted to get an energy drink and really show the woman who was boss, but she couldn't lose her mind, she didn't want to risk losing Rose Blossom again.
Seeing her chance, she dive bombed the cat woman from behind. “Hey!” she shouted at the last second making her turn around. Releasing the bag, Teri headed for the ceiling again at top speed.
The woman moved inhumanly fast, spinning on her heel and slashing the catnip out of the air. The now shredded bag erupted into a cloud of powder covering her in catnip. Giggling at the now sneezing and cursing cat, Teri grabbed another small bag and dumped its contents directly on her head. The cursing grew louder as chili powder clogged her eyes and nose.
She went to get a bag of pepper, when a clawed hand grabbed her legs.
**
Mouser was not happy.
Her nose and eyes were burning from the chili powder, the catnip was making her feel hot and bothered in other areas of her body, her nose still hurt from being punched, and the fairy was making her look like a complete amateur, but that was about to change. Even half blind, she'd managed to jump and grab a hold of the tiny thing, and she wasn't about to let go.
Planting her feet, she dug her claws into the floor and tensed her muscles to hold onto the fairy.
She felt a moment of joy as the fairy came to a stop, maybe this could end here and now. “I've got you. Now- Oh shiiiiiii-!”
Her feet left the floor, almost losing some claws, as the fairy went from zero to a hundred in about two seconds. Mouser found herself trailing behind the fairy much like the tail of a kite, with absolutely no control over where they were going.
Through her stinging, blurry eyes, she saw they were heading for the soap aisle, and she had maybe a second to avoid hitting the shelves face first. Letting go of her impromptu ride, Mouser raised her arms, managing to catch the top of the shelf with her claws, lifting herself just enough to fly over top of it. She twisted her body, bringing her feet up and crashed through several bags of diapers that lined the top of the next set of shelves instead of crashing into the shelf itself.
That slowed her enough that she was able to grab hold of the next shelf, coming to a stop without hurting herself or knocking everything over.
“Do not grab the freaking fairy,” she said to herself, taking a moment to catch her breath.
**
“That was too close,” Teri said, hiding behind a can of beans so she could catch her breath.
This was looking worse and worse. She'd managed to get in a few good hits, but the cat was almost as quick and agile as she was, and even a face full of chili powder hadn't really slowed her down. She'd been hoping to knock her out early, but it looked like this was going to be a real fight.
“If it's a fight she wants, it's a fight she'll get,” she said, punching her hand.
Her head jerked up at the sound of water splashing on the floor. Flying out of her hiding spot, she saw the cat pouring water over her face. Now was her chance to make the nasty cat go away.
Flying quickly, she got behind the cats back, giving herself plenty of space to gain speed and took off. In the dim lights of the store, she saw the cat like ears twitch. She watched her target spin around, water whipping off her face, a hand rising up to strike.
Teri tried to change course, clawing at the air trying to dodge. She was going too fast, the small change in direction she managed might have let her avoid someone slower, but the cat moved like a viper. An open hand slammed into her side, snapping her neck to the side, sending her into the floor hard enough to chip the tile. Dazed, she bounced along the ground completely out of control.
Rolling to a stop, she managed to get to her knees. Shaking her head, Teri looked around to see where the cat was, while trying to blink away the double vision. Her eyes were filled by a boot coming straight at her. Leaping backwards, she managed to avoid the worst of the kick, catching a glancing blow to the shoulder that sent her flying down the aisle.
Shakily she flew away, trying to find a place to hide and regroup.
**
“Christ!” Mouser swore.
She hadn't meant to hit the fairy so hard or to kick her, but it had been about to take her head off and instinct had taken over in the critical few seconds. The whole job was turning into a complete mess. It was supposed to be a simple case of a mostly harmless entity that needed to be removed, but had rapidly turned into a real fight.
It was her fault for not being more careful at the start. She'd heard the fairy flying around, grabbing things, she should have kept a closer eye on it. That would have at least given her a bit of warning about the catnip and chili powder, she gave a silent thank you to whoever was watching that the fairy hadn't decided to splash some cleaning fluids into her eyes.
“Now where are you?” she muttered.
Closing her eyes, she ignored the burning sensation coming from her nose and eyes, focused solely on her hearing. When the fairy was flying fast she made a whistling sound from the air passing over her wings. Almost no one else would be able to hear it, but to Mousers large ears it was loud and clear. Which was fortunate, considering the fairy's size and speed, that noise was about the only advantage she had.
Glass clinked halfway across the store. Opening her eyes, Mouser sprinted towards the noise, ready for anything.
A bottle flew through the air. She easily dodged it by jumping forward, letting it smash harmlessly behind her. A quick step to the side let her avoid a second bottle, that splashed her pants with olive oil. She jumped to the top of a shelf, catching sight of the fairy grabbing another bottle, and leapt straight for her.
The fairy let out a shriek of fear. But instead of fleeing, it flew towards her, catching her outstretched hand and flipping her in midair.
Mouser let out a yelp of pain as she hit the floor hard. Despite the pain, superhuman reflexes honed through years of fighting and training took over. Her hand lashed out catching the fairy's wing, and whipped her into the floor.
They both lay there gasping for air, taking a moment to let the worst of the pain go away.
“You ready to talk now, fairy,” she asked.
The tiny creature took off, flying into the ceiling.
“Damn it!”
**
Teri huddled in the darkness of the ceiling, clutching her injured shoulder and fighting back tears.
“Why don't they just go away?” she asked. “I'm not hurting anyone.”
Looking around the dark space, trying to think of some way to beat the cat, she kept talking to herself. “I'm sure Burgermeister will come soon, and as soon as he does, I'll leave. Do they think I want to be here? Everyone one is nasty and horrible. I want to be on a beach somewhere safe with Rose Blossom and the elves and goblins. Just give me some time and I'll be gone. They'll never hear from me again.”
Her thoughts were cut off as the cat jumped through the tiles again. Teri's eyes flared with outrage. The horrible thing was almost at her house, it was going to find Rose.
Instead of flying straight at her foe, she hopped along the girders and wires, using her powers to lightly touch the ground before leaping soundlessly three or four feet at a time. The cat seemed to be listening for her, it's ears twitching and moving around while it slowly crawled along the ceiling. Still it didn't react as she got closer. It seemed like it could hear her when she flew, but not when she took it slow.
The long black tail flicked past her, less than a foot away. She took the opening, grabbing it in a bear hug and pulling them straight down.
“GOTCHA!” the cat yelled, as it curled into a ball, grabbing Teri with both hands.
She started to fly away, aiming for the nearest shelves to knock the cat off of her and hopefully end the fight for good.
**
Mouser felt the change of direction. She knew what was about to happen and really hoped her plan would work. Using her much greater mass, she threw herself to the side and downwards, keeping a hold on the fairy.
Instead of hitting the shelf, they hit the ground at a sharp angle. Mouser rolled along the floor, bleeding off momentum. The fairy skipped along the ground, yelling in pain and shock.
Rolling to her feet, she raced to the fairy who had landed in a heap against a display of apples. “It's over, fairy. Give it up and we can still end this peacefully.”
The fairy looked at her, its eyes flared with a bright purple light. Before she could grab it, the tiny thing took off and flew unsteadily back to the ceiling, too fast for Mouser to grab her.
“For the love of god, what is with her?!” she shouted. What could possibly be so important about this place that the fairy would fight so hard just to avoid leaving?
Leaning on a pile of potatoes, Mouser rolled her shoulders and tried to stretch some of the kinks out of her muscles. The fairy was too damn fast and too damn strong, she was hurting her and wearing her out, but it was taking a lot longer than it should.
“Why don't you just go away?!” the fairy shouted at her from somewhere in the ceiling.
Her ears perked up. So the fairy could talk, maybe this was her chance to resolve things without having to beat it unconscious.
“Sorry, you are trespassing and I've been asked to remove you,” she said. “I'm still willing to let you leave, no police or MCO involved.
“NO! I can't leave.”
Her ears twitched at the desperation in the fairy's voice. “Why not? You're not from around here, you're not living with anyone. There are plenty of better places to live. Staying all alone in a ceiling where you aren't wanted isn't be much of a life.”
“I'm waiting for him to find me. If I leave he'll never find me, and without him I can't find Rose Blossom!” the last words came out in a sob.
“Who are you waiting for?” she asked, staying as still as possible, trying to pinpoint the fairy by sound alone.
“The Burgermeister!”
Something in the voice didn't sound right, the fairy had practically snarled the name. It wasn't the sound of someone talking about a friend. “Who's the Burgermeister?”
“He's a horrible person! But he can tell me where Rose Blossom is!” The angry shout ended in more sobbing.
“OK, Mouser, something is very wrong here,” she whispered to herself. Raising her voice she asked, “If he's horrible, why will he come for you?”
“He needs me for his plan. When he gets here, I'll beat him up until he tells me where my Rose Blossom is. Then I can find her and never have to come back here.”
She nodded to herself, there was some real hate there. “You escaped from the Burgermeister?”
There was no answer, but she heard scurrying from the ceiling. Holding her breath, she listened, straining to hear what the fairy was doing.
“Don't worry Rose, I'll protect you. Just wait, I won't lose you again,” the fairy said almost too quietly to be heard.
She realized this could be her best chance at ending things quickly. She leapt at the noise, shattering the ceiling tile. The fairy shouted with rage, and came at her only to be slapped down to the ground. Mouser saw a box and a rosebush seated precariously on the now damaged tiles . Grabbing both, she dropped through the ceiling landing with a crunch on some potato chips, bits of tile fell around her.
The fairy who had been flying towards the ceiling, stopped on a dime, turning on Mouser, tiny claws raised and her expression murderous. Then she saw the rosebush. “PUT HER DOWN!”
“Is this Rose Blossom?” Mouser asked.
“Put her down, NOW! You'll hurt her!” she shouted.
Mouser carefully put the box and the rosebush on the floor at her feet. When the fairy darted in to grab it, she got in the way. “Not yet fairy. First we talk.”
The fairy landed on some vegetables, glaring daggers at her. From the way her wings drooped and her chest heaved, she was running on empty. It was about time.
“OK, good. This isn't Rose Blossom is it?” Mouser asked, motioning at the rose bush.
“No,” the fairy whispered, sniffing loudly.
“It's to remember her?”
That got a jerky, little nod.
“Is Rose Blossom your sister?”
“No. But she's all I have left.” The fairy's lower lip quivered as she said the words, the purple in her eyes faded away, becoming pitch black. Her body began to shake, whether from exhaustion or barely contained tears, Mouser didn't know.
“Do you have any idea where she might be?”
The lost and defeated look on the girls face was answer enough.
Mouser held out her hand like she would to a scared animal. “I'm Samantha Mouser. What's your name?”
“Teri.”
“No last name?”
She shook her head. “I don't remember. Burgermeister stole it.”
“Why did you come here? A grocery store isn't exactly the Hilton.”
“I don't know. I broke Burgermeisters airship and fell for a long time. I woke up here.”
“Why didn't you get some help?”
The fairy, Teri, slumped down, covering her face with her hands, the shaking got worse as tears fell on her lap. “I tried. I wanted to call the police. I asked for help and they yelled at me. I was so tired. I hid. And then they grabbed me and threw things at me, and they attacked me, and I didn't know what to do. And no one would help me. And I don't know if Rose Blossom is alive, or if I killed her. And I don't know where my home is or my parents. And- and- and-” she broke down wailing.
Mouser slowly picked up the rosebush and put it down beside the fairy. “Come on Teri, let's get out of here, this is no place to live. I'll get you a nice meal, and we can go back to my place where we can talk to some people who can help find out where you belong and start looking for Rose Blossom.”
The young girl looked up at her, still crying, but some of the colour returned to her eyes. Mouser smiled as best she could with her body covered in bruises and still sniffling from the chili powder, the kid could definitely use a friendly face. Biting her lip, Teri nodded.
“Now Teri,” she said as nicely as possible, “to avoid any problems I need you to take your rose and fly out the back. Go to the black truck in the parking lot and wait for me, try not to be seen by Marcus. I'll take your things with me. Can you do that?”
The fairy nodded again, gently picked up the rosebush and flying away.
Mouser grabbed her bag and opened up the box. She wasn't surprised to see a small bed made out of wash clothes with two barbie dolls lying in it, a few books, some hand sewn dresses, and three stuffed animals. The inside of the box was covered in childish drawings, people without faces, a beach, lots of roses and pictures of a pink fairy. Carefully she placed the toys into her bag, then folded up the box placing it on top. That done she left the store.
Marcus got out of his car, rushing through the rain to find out what happened.
“Hey Marcus. Next time instead of screaming at someone, ask if they need help. After I finally managed to calm the child down, I got her to leave. Make sure to send me my check by next week,” Mouser said, her tail flicking in anger as she headed for her truck and the young girl who needed her help.
Part 2
A Strange Fairytale
by Domoviye
Gering, Nebraska
June 13th, 2007
Late Evening
Mouser stretched out on the hotel bed, fur still damp from her shower, eyes red and swelling thanks to getting punched and having chili pepper thrown in them earlier that night. Her young companion was in the bathroom cleaning up, while the fairy girl hadn't gotten covered in food, two weeks spent living in the false roof of a grocery store hadn't left her smelling so great.
Taking her phone, she dialed the MCO.
“Hey, Michelle, Mouser here,” she said, “I need to set up a meeting with the boss tomorrow sometime after ten, earlier the better. And I've got a kid who needs power testing for the same time if possible. But put a note in the testing file to not push her mentally or emotionally. She can handle almost anything physically, but in every other way she's fragile as a Ming vase.”
She waited a moment while all of that was typed in. “Also, you've got some research tonight. Get me any files you have on a guy called Burgermeister, pretty sure he's a devisor, mixed bag of stuff, robots, airship, transforming people, power armour and so on. And if you can look for a missing girl, preteen or early teens, first name Teri, probably from the US but add in Canada to make sure, sometime in the last year, it would really help.
Nodding her head, she listened to the woman repeat her instructions.
“Yeah, that's about it. Sorry, I can't really give you anything else, the kid I've got has had her head messed with really badly.” She paused for a moment. “Really badly. After talking with this girl over supper, if I see this Burgermeister guy in person, I'm not going to hold back.”
The water in the bathroom stopped. “Gotta go. We'll head straight for your office when we get into the city tomorrow.”
Teri came flying out of the bathroom a minute later, wearing a simple hand sewn tunic. She didn't look too bad now that she was fed and cleaned up. Watching her devour an entire kids meal, had been an interesting sight. She knew mutants could eat a lot, but the girl had somehow eaten several times her body weight and it barely even showed.
“How ya feeling kid?” Mouser asked.
“Better,” the girl said, looking nervously around the room.
“Where would you like to sleep? I can set up a pillow and stuff for you anywhere you'd like.”
“Can I sleep with you?” Teri asked.
That was unexpected. Mouser had slept with many people of both sexes, but only two of them had been children, her niece and nephew as toddlers. Looking at the tiny girl, who was practically hiding behind her purple hair, arms held protectively in front of her, knees raised like she wanted to hug them, her faintly glowing eyes wide, almost pleading, Mouser quickly made up her mind.
“Sure, it's a big bed and you won't-”
Teri didn't wait to hear the rest, one moment she was on the other side of the room, then she was clinging to Mouser's arm like it was a life preserver on a stormy sea. It didn't hurt, but she could feel the strength behind the grip. Removing her would probably require a crowbar and broken bones. It was strange feeling the doll like body and face pressing into her fur. One wing was draped over her arm, it felt like a very warm, silk handkerchief.
“Did you use to sleep with Rose like this?” she asked.
Teri nodded. “She was- She IS a little bigger than me, and we'd hold each other when we slept. She'd sing to me sometimes to keep the nightmares away.”
With her free arm, Mouser took her phone and set it to record. “You have nightmares? Do remember what they're about?”
“Not really.”
“Can you tell me anything about them?”
“There's usually ashes, and electricity. People are yelling at me. I don't know where I am or who I am. Sometimes there's blood. And since I got away, Rose Blossom is in a lot of them, she's always screaming.”
Mouser felt Teri rub her face into her fur, sniffing and fighting back a sob. Turning off her phone again, she stroked the girls back. “OK, that's enough, thanks for telling me. Let’s get some sleep OK. You must be exhausted.”
Turning off the light, she pulled the cheap blanket over both of them, and stared up at the ceiling as the fairy quickly fell asleep, still not letting go of her arm. A little later the girl started to whimper, Mouser used a finger to stroke her back, whispering that it was all right and she was safe. That seemed to do the trick and Teri settled down.
“Damn, Mouser,” she muttered to herself, “what have you gotten yourself into?”
Lincoln, Nebraska
June 14th, 2007
MCO Office, Mid-Morning
Larry Meyer, head of the Nebraska MCO, placed a thick file in front of Mouser. “Here's everything I can legally show you about the Burgermeister.”
“Legally,” she asked, opening up the file.
“There is some stuff in the system I can't even look at without a signed release from two of my supervisors,” Larry replied. “I vaguely remember hearing about him in the mid and late 90's, usually in very quiet tones.”
“Sounds like he was a big bad, so why isn't he better known,” she asked, skimming over the first page that listed what little was officially known about the supervillain.
“He worked behind the scenes mostly. Anything that caught his eye or would pay for his research he'd do it, black and grey hat stuff. He even did some work with white hat researchers on mutants. It looks like he preferred to avoid fighting and whenever things got hot he'd quietly take his leave. Made a fortune and got a lot of connections.”
Mouser flipped a few pages, stopping on a photograph. It took her a second to realize what she was looking at, she reached for the garbage can as her gorge rose up. She'd never seen so much blood, and it would be days before she could look at hamburger the same way.
“I see you've found the photo's, I'm guessing it's the 1992 Lancashire Massacre,” he said, looking a little pale. “Virtually an entire MCO office slaughtered in a matter of minutes, the sole survivor was given a message by the Burgermeister. 'The MCO will put down their weapons and crawl on their knees to the police, begging forgiveness for all the children they have killed. If they do not, I will continue seeking justice.'”
“How did a guy go from working behinds the scenes to... this?” Mouser asked.
He spread his hands. “I don't know. If the MCO knows, it's classified well above my pay level. What I do know is starting in early 1992, he went around the world attacking and usually slaughtering MCO agents. He was smarter than most who tried similar tricks. He was patient and constantly moving. He'd attack agents who were alone or in small groups, avoiding the public eye. When he made a big attack, he waited for a disaster of some kind, a riot in Lancashire, the 1992 LA Race Riots, the 1994 earthquake near LA. The 1993 Storm of the Century saw him take out MCO posts and agents all along the Atlantic coast from Florida to Canada. He made sure to get in quickly, do some damage and retreat before any real force could arrive to stop him. And each time he left a similar message, either with a single survivor or written in blood.
“He also made it a point to 'free' anyone in MCO custody, whether they were locked up for murder, to deal with an unstable power, or were just there for power testing. He created his own little gang, mostly older teens, who helped him in his crusade. The MCO did its best to keep things quiet so no one else would be inspired by the attacks. Thanks to his own hit and run tactics, the silence campaign was fairly successful.”
“So how was he stopped?” Mouser asked.
“The last bit in the folder, the May 1995, Louisiana Flood. The MCO had set up a task force just for him. When the flood started, they saw their chance to lure him into a trap. They used all their assets, prototype weapons, military grade weapons and explosives, superpowered agents, and put out a story that the MCO was hunting down a mutant who had killed his family after manifesting.”
She flipped to the section, most of the report was blacked out, but there were some photo's of the fight. It was a war zone set in a watery hell.
“The ambush started with fifty MCO agents, four of them superpowered, then several SWAT teams arrived along with a platoon of National Guardsmen who were nearby helping with the evacuation joined in, and finally a local C list superhero team who arrived after after hearing the SWAT teams calling for any possible backup. They fought an hours long battle against Burgermeister, his robots, and his team of eight mutant teenagers. If the area hadn't been cleared out earlier, it would have been another Fools Fight.
“We're not sure who set off the final explosion. Most of Burgermeisters group was already dead or dying, so it's assumed he did it as a suicidal attempt to take everyone with him. Two superheroes, three MCO agents, and a handful of national guardsmen survived.”
“So he somehow survived and after laying low for a decade decided to screw around with mutant children,” Mouser said, flipping through more of the pictures.
“It looks that way. The MCO has very quietly put out the word to every office to be on the watch for the Burgermeister and anything that resembles his former devises or MO. If he gets too noisy, we'll spot him,” Larry said.
Mouser nodded. “Until then, we have to take care of a young girl who was brutalized by him, and he may very well want her back.”
“Seems so.”
“Any luck on finding out who she is?”
He rubbed his hand through his short grey hair. “Nothing. There are several superpowered teens and adults who have gone missing, but none of them are named Teri and none have powers resembling her or her GSD.”
“From her story, she was transformed into her current shape. So her powers might have been warped as well,” she said. “For all we know she went through powers testing, and her powers and body are so FUBAR'd we won't be able to connect the dots,” Mouser said, wanting to spit.
“We're running a DNA test now. Hopefully that will be similar enough to her old DNA to get us a hit. I've done everything I can, you can take the files with you since it looks like you're going to be on the front line if anything happens.” Getting up from his desk, Larry motioned to door. “How about we go watch the power testing? We need to discuss what to do with Teri, but that should wait until she's done testing and talks with the child psychologist I called in.”
“Sure, it's always fun seeing what the kids can do,” she said, leaving the office.
They made their way to the basement testing area, where Teri was currently running on a treadmill. It looked pretty ridiculous, seeing a girl the size of a mouse running as fast as she could on equipment made for a baseline.
The local MCO researcher was watching her and making some notes on his pad, a young woman stood by his side looking over his shoulder.
“David, long time no see. What have you found out so far?” Mouser asked.
The researcher turned around, revealing his badly scarred face, it looked like a grizzly bear had tried to claw off the left side of his face starting at his jaw, and just missed his eye. Despite his scary appearance, Mouser had to admit he always got on well with the teenagers he tested.
“She's a PK superman and a speedster,” he said.
Mouser looked over at the treadmill. “Um... the machine says she's running 10 miles an hour. My four-year-old niece can run that fast.
He looked at her over top of his glasses. “Your niece is probably forty inches tall, Teri is six and a quarter inches tall. Judging by the length of her legs and the speed she's going, with a back of the envelope calculation, if she was average height for a thirteen year old, she'd be running at about a hundred and sixty miles per hour. From what I've seen so far, she's going to laugh at our reflex testing.”
“That would actually explain a few things,” Mouser said quietly.
“I'm curious why she has several bruises on her back and limbs,” David said, his eyes narrowing. “She said you gave them to her.”
“You think she has bruises?!” Mouser said. “You should see my backside! If it wasn't for my fur you'd see the bruise she gave me punching me in the nose, and my tail still hurts where she yanked it!”
The researcher allowed a little smile to show. “She did say you had a bit of a fight.”
“A bit of a fight,” she snorted, “that fairy girl is vicious.”
David nodded. “Well now that you're here, this is as good a time as any.” He went to a desk out of sight of Teri, who was concentrating on running, and pulled out a souped up Nerf gun. Pointing it at the fairy he fired an oversized plastic dart at her.
Teri spun around at the very last second, catching the dart out of the air and threw it back at David. The researcher dodged to the side, barely avoiding getting hit. Looking unfazed he picked up his notepad again and started writing. “Teri how did you know the dart was about to hit you?” he asked.
“I heard it. It was a really faint whistling sound,” she said.
“How the heck did she hear it? I barely heard it,” Mouser said, twitching her large cat ears.
“Teri come over here,” David said, tapping something into his computer.
“Is this going to be fun to?” Teri asked, a big grin on her face. “I really like running and playing catch.”
He shook his head. “Sorry this is just a listening test. Listen to the speaker and tell me when you hear the sound and when you stop hearing it.”
She nodded and knelt on the edge of the desk. Mouser leaned in close to hear as well, as David started the program. She heard a very faint mosquito like whine, and Teri nodded, “I hear it!”
The whine became louder, causing Teri to clap her hands over her ears and scowl. “That hurts,” she said. From the look Larry and David gave her, they could barely hear it, Mouser found it a little annoying, but hardly painful.
The whine grew louder, and Teri stopped holding her ears, as the frequency changed. Then it became deeper, eventually becoming a rumbling bass.
“I can't hear it anymore,” Teri said. “I can kind of feel it in my chest, but I don't hear a thing.”
Mouser and Larry exchanged a look, they could still hear it very clearly.
“What exactly did this show?” Mouser asked.
“Small animals have trouble hearing low frequencies, it seems Teri has the same problem. She can hear high frequencies well above baseline human capabilities as expected, but her ear drums are no longer capable of catching deep bass sounds. Fortunately her hearing is still well within the human vocal range, at worst a very deep voice might sound a little distorted but will still be understandable,” he said.
“So no more dubstep for me?” Teri asked.
“If that's what my son listens to, probably not,” David said.
“All right, that's interesting, but do you think Teri has a danger sense? Because having fought her, I don't think she does,” Mouser said.
David shook his head. “I doubt it. She just has extreme reflexes and hyper vigilance.” He turned to the young woman who had been standing quietly off to the side. “Patricia, can you take Teri to the next test, we'll be there in a minute.”
“Sure, Dad,” the woman said. “Come on Teri, you'll have fun with this test.”
“OH! What is it?!” Teri asked, leaping onto her shoulder as they left they room.
Mouser waited for the door to close, before asking, “So what's the secret you want to keep from Teri?”
“She has PTSD,” he said.
“You sure?”
He nodded. “That hyper vigilance is not something you'd see in a normal teen. Her size and speed make it hard to notice, but if you know what to look for, you'll see she is constantly moving her eyes and head. It's subtle, she probably doesn't even realize she's doing it, still her eyes are looking at reflections around her, as well as watching how other people are acting, and she shifts her head and body to cover blind spots every few seconds. She also listens for any potential danger, likely subconsciously. And when she's surprised she reacts instantly.”
“Is she dangerous?” Larry asked.
“Sorry, above my pay grade,” he said. “I had Patricia startle her while I was doing the physical. Teri jumped back, shouting, it took her a fraction of a second to realize it wasn't an attack and the shout became a squeal of delight and several seconds of an overexcited young girl acting like she'd just met her best friend. You both saw the dart, she threw it back at me, seemingly without a thought, but didn't do anything to follow it up.”
“You're saying she reacts instinctively to keep herself safe and buy some time, and then decides what to do after that,” Mouser said.
“That's what I think,” David said.
“Lovely,” Larry muttered. “This case just keeps getting better and better.”
Teri sat on the table looking worn out after the day of testing. Mouser was surprised at how much energy the tiny girl had, but it seemed like she'd finally reached her limits.
“Come on Teri,” Patricia said, “this is the last test. It's just some chocolate.”
“I told you, you don't want me to eat chocolate or anything really sugary. The Burgermeister said it was bad for me, it supercharges my system. The last time I ate chocolate cake I acted all weird,” Teri said.
“But it didn't hurt you right?”
“It gave me a headache.”
Mouser knelt down. “Teri, we really do need to see what happens when you get supercharged.”
“I don't want to get into trouble,” the fairy said, looking off to the side.
“You won't get into any trouble. We're asking you to do it, and there's nothing in here that's expensive. So you can act as weird as you want,” Mouser said.
“OK,” Teri said, breaking off a piece of the chocolate bar. “But you can't get angry with me about what happens.”
“We won't, I promise.”
“And Patricia and everyone but you has to be outside,” Teri said.
Mouser nodded, and motioned for the baselines to leave. “There we go.”
Teri started chewing on the piece of chocolate. Her eyes began glowing bright enough to show even in the well lit room. The dainty, little bites turned to greedy, mouth cramming gulps. Her body began to blur from shaking.
Mouser stepped back, unsure of what was going on. Her eyes fell on the small chocolate bar beside the fairy, she went to grab it.
“MINE!” Teri shouted, grabbing the chocolate bar and flying away. The fairy began to laugh. It was impossible to tell exactly where the laughter was coming from since she was moving too quickly to keep track of.
“Oh bugger,” Mouser said, as a laughing purple streak flew at her.
Fifteen minutes after closing the door, Mouser crawled out of the testing room. Her clothes were rumpled and wrinkled with tears in several places, her fur was a mess and several small patches were missing.
Rolling onto her back, she looked up at the shocked MCO agents. “Put a warning in big red letters, DO NOT give her sugar. And I never want to dance the salsa again.”
Larry looked through the cracked safety glass. “Is it safe to get her now?”
It had been a long, long day, and Mouser sat in Larry's office nursing a beer. Teri was still in a private office talking with a child psychiatrist, after going over some of the details of what had happened not only on the airship but in the grocery store as well.
“So what's the plan for dealing with the H1! Group?” she asked.
“Not my problem,” Larry said. “There was a report of a group of friends who crashed their truck sending some of them to hospital, that matches the date and injuries, but they clearly said it was a car accident, not a mutant attack. No one died and no reports were filed, I don't see a need to investigate.”
“Glad to hear it. What about that girl she mentioned, the one who set her off on Burgermeisters ship?”
“There at least we have some useful info,” Larry said. “It would help if Teri remembered the name clearly, but the description and what she remembers of the name seems to match a Marni Petty, codename Power-Up. Fourteen year old runaway, from California, she went through power testing and is an energizer who can boost her strength, endurance, reflexes and senses for a limited amount of time. Good parents, but her town ostracized her and her family. She ran away on March 15th and it's believed she's been living in LA, surviving with a small street gang, picking pockets, panhandling and other things.”
“Any idea where she is now?”
“No. I've put out the word through all channels that she is a witness we would like to talk to. I emphasized that she is a witness, not a suspect and is to be treated as gently as possible, since she has information on a dangerous supervillain. I added that she may be with Rose Blossom, who is a human and is to be treated as such.”
She gave him a thumbs up. “I'm not sure how good either of them will be. Marni probably didn't catch much before Teri went ballistic, and Rose Blossom seems to have gotten a full dose of whatever mind warping he tried to give Teri. Still it can't hurt, although those elves and goblins might be a better bet, since they were his actual helpers.”
“Unfortunately they've vanished off the face of the Earth. Don't ask me how they did it, for all we know their escape pod could have exploded on impact and we'll eventually find the wreckage.”
“Getting back to Teri, what did David have to say about her powers?”
“PK three, and energizer three, with a note saying she's a special speedster mostly focused around reflexes. She also has dark vision, extremely dense muscles, very sharp claws, and can fly without her PK field. We also put in bright red letters that when she has stimulants, her PK and energizer abilities increase by at least one rating, while causing short term irrational behaviour, and is to be avoided.”
“No wonder she was so much fun to fight,” Mouser muttered. In a louder voice she asked, “So what's the plan for dealing with her?”
“There are a few options,” Larry said. “None of them really good. Foster care is right out, no foster family could effectively deal with her powers. There's a school she could go to, but I'm not sure if she could handle it with her emotional and mental problems. There simply isn't a good facility for a teenager with her problems, the ones best suited for dealing with her emotional problems are more for criminally insane or patients who don't have much hope of being placed back into society.”
Scowling, Mouser nodded in understanding. “Teri's got problems, but nothing like that.”
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” Larry said.
Before the door had opened more than a few inches, Teri flew in grabbing Mousers chest and buried her face into the fur. The psychiatrist, Dr. Shultz, followed more calmly and took a seat.
“You're all done?” Mouser asked, gingerly patting the fairy that was softly crying into her fur.
“Yes, I'd like to go over the details with both of you,” the psychiatrist said, motioning to her and Larry, “while Teri spends some time with Patricia. But she wanted a few moments with you first.”
Patricia came into the office, and crouched down beside Mouser and Teri. “Hey Teri, I've got a really nice fruit plate, with pineapple, peaches, apples and other things for us to eat in the break room. Mouser can come get you when she's all done talking, OK?”
Mouser gently pried Teri off of her. “She's right, the moment I'm done here I'll go and see you.”
“Promise?” Teri asked, looking up at her with her big purple eyes.
“I promise.”
The fairy jumped to Patricia's shoulder, holding onto her hair to keep her balance. The pair left the office, closing the door behind them.
Mouser and Larry both looked at Dr. Shultz, who took a moment to fix her hair and give her head a shake. “I believe you both realize Teri is a very troubled young girl?”
“I figured that out when she tried to destroy a grocery store using me as a club, because she got it into her head that the Burgermeister was coming for her,” Mouser said, deadpan.
“That's part of it. I want you both to understand this is a very preliminary assessment, and Teri is a special case. Your researcher is correct she is suffering from PTSD, with nightmares, hyper vigilance, impulsive behaviour, avoidance, emotional outbursts, and potentially several more symptoms. On top of that, I believe she has a mental conditioning that is reacting to the PTSD and her original personality. Whatever was done to affect her memories, seems to force her to be more childlike and playful.” She stopped for a moment, pursing her lips like she'd tasted something bad.
“Without more research, I can't say how much this emotional template is affecting Teri, but it is definitely there, and is likely why despite everything she jumps from fear, sadness or anger to happiness and excitement so quickly. And on top of that her old memories are surfacing almost like flashbacks. As we talked, a phrase, question or situation would make her enter something like a disassociative state, where she'd remember something from her past for several seconds to over a minute and become unresponsive to most stimuli.”
“That's a good thing isn't it? She's getting memories back,” Mouser asked.
“The memories are warped. Faces are rubbed out, names, places, anything that would give them real meaning are removed. The pictures in the box she was living in, the faceless ones, those are how she remembers her friends and family,” the psychiatrist explained. “She's learned to handle them by disassociating them from her directly, removing the emotional impact of the memories themselves. She said it hurts less that way.”
Larry took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. “Bottom line, is she a danger?”
“Not to the general public.”
“But?” Mouser asked.
“As I said, this is very preliminary, and I'm only saying this because of her unique situation. From talking to her, she is not so much scared of people attacking her, she'll be hurt emotionally and may flee an unpleasant confrontation, but outside of a few situations she knows she is very strong and is hard to hurt. Instead she sees herself as a protector, seeing people she cares about getting hurt will have her react aggressively. It's likely she'll react similarly to children being harmed. The H1! Hit squad did not make her angry until one of them shouted about hurting fairies, which her mind associated with her friend Rose Blossom. Her attack on the Burgermeister occurred when another girl was going to be transformed. In those situations she will end the threat as quickly as possible. To her credit, it seems she will avoid intentionally using lethal force, but broken bones and destruction of property are all on the table.”
“What if she saw Burgermeister again?”
“With her conditioning broken like it is, I don't know. I will say that I would not want to be in the same room with the two of them, she is as likely to attack him, as she is to flee in a hysterical +panic or to collapse from a panic attack.”
Larry sighed, his fingers tapped a short rhythm on his desk. “OK, we need to know what to do with her. Suggestions?”
Dr. Shultz leaned forward in her chair. “She needs someone she can trust, who is strong enough that she doesn't feel the need to protect them. Then a careful acclimatization back into society, no pressure, just regular everyday experiences, alongside therapy to deal with her PTSD and memory loss.”
Mouser felt two pairs of eyes looking at her. “I'm not really mother material. I'm a good aunt, because I can spoil kids, but caring for a child, not my thing.”
“I hate to say it, but she already considers you a figure she can trust. You saw how she wanted to hug you after a challenging therapy session. You also beat her in a fight, you're tough, she doesn't need to protect you, you can protect yourself and her.”
Larry added his voice to the argument. “I could ask the Lincoln Freedom Squad if they want to help. It's between you and them, there's no one else qualified for the job in the state.”
“The Lincoln Freedom Squad couldn't find its own butt with both hands and a GPS,” Mouser said. Turning to Dr. Shultz she asked “This will help the kid? You're not just trying to shove the problem onto me?”
“I believe it will have the best results for Teri,” the psychiatrist said.
Raising her can of beer in a toast, Mouser said, “Goodbye child free life, hello motherhood!”
Teri sat on the headrest, her nails piercing the fabric to keep her place. “I can really live with you?”
“For the tenth time, yes,” Mouser said. “You need a place to live, and I could use a roommate. It gets a little lonely sometimes not having anyone to talk to. And my niece and nephew will love meeting you.”
Her heart rose in her chest and she felt tears welling up in her eyes at Mousers words. “Can we go to the beach?” she asked.
“On the first nice day we’ll go to Pine Lake Beach. It's a little small, but it's got sand and water, and its right in the city,” Mouser said. “And I'll call my sister and set up a little vacation at the best beach in Nebraska, you'll get to meet my niece and nephew, they're great kids, you'll love them.”
“I won't scare them, will I?” Teri asked, her voice almost a whisper.
“Nah! They think I’m awesome. A sweet little fairy like you, you’ll be bigger than Santa Claus.”
“Maybe they'll like flying?!” she exclaimed, thinking of how fun it was flying with Rose Blossom.
Mousers eyes got very large. “Let's hold off on flying with little kids for a while. I don't want my sister or my brother-in-law having a heart attack.”
“Ready?” she asked
“Are you sure no will come in here?” a girl with no face asked back.
“Yes I’m sure. I asked the gym teacher really nicely to let me use it after school. Although I may have accidentally signed myself up for the end of year talent show. You’re suppose to be teaching me how to dance,” she said.
“You and I only know how to dance with a partner, do you have one?” the faceless girl asked.
“Yeah, not really. That could be a problem,” she admitted. “Anyways, I figured this was a great place to practice some things and I wanted you here to see just how cool this is.”
“And to watch the door right?”
“Would you be so kind?” she asked, giving her best puppy dog impression.
“What are best ______ for?”
She hugged the girl, careful to control her strength so that she didn’t break any ribs or leave bruises. “Thank you! Now I think I might be able to fly, watch me.”
Going to the middle of the gym, she did some stretches, then with a look of concentration ran five steps and jumped. She laughted as she went ten feet into the air and landed almost thirty feet away.
“ISN’T THAT COOL!!!!”
“Wow!”
“OK I’m going to try to reach the other end of the gym now.” Closing her eyes, she tried to visualize herself flying. She thought it would be a lot like swimming, only drier. Filling her lungs with air, she ran as fast as she could and threw herself into the sky. Looking down she saw the ground far below, at which point her every instinct screamed that she was going to fall and break every bone in her body. Her stomach began to churn.
On the ground the faceless girl screamed and ran, barely escaping the foul smelling mess that hit the ground, she followed a second later, landing with a painful thud.
“OW!” she moaned, holding her head which she had cleverly used to help soften her landing.
“Are you alive?” the girl called from the door of the gym office.
“Yes. Ow.”
“OK. I’ll get a mop, while you hit the showers.”
“Ow. Can you help me up?” she asked, holding up a dripping hand.
“Um....” the girl said looking carefully at the foul smelling muck covering the budding superhero. “No. You’re super tough now, you’ll survive.”
“Traitor! You’re no longer my sidekick!”
“Hey,” Mouser said, snapping her fingers, “Earth to Teri.”
“Sorry, just thinking of something,” she said. “Maybe flying on the first day wouldn't be such a good idea.”
“All right, here we are,” Mouser said, pulling into a parking lot. “Your new home. I'll need a few minutes getting a place prepared for you. And we'll need to do some shopping to get things nice and cozy, along with some good clothes, but we'll have it looking like home in no time.”
She followed Mouser inside and up to the apartment, carrying her potted rose, while Mouser carried the rest of their things. The place really wasn't what she expected.
One entire side of the living room was covered in movies and what looked like comic books, with a really nice entertainment centre right in the middle. On the walls were posters of superheroes, supervillains, actors and singers, flying up close, she saw that all of them were autographed, most of them to Mouser.
Three posters had pride of place, Mouser was front and center on them, wearing a shredded chain mail bikini, that hid almost nothing, while tentacles wrapped themselves around her. “Warrior Cat Princess vs. the Tentacle Monsters, Warrior Cat Princess vs. The Alien Octopi, and Warrior Cat Princess vs The Worms that Walk. Starring the American Superhero Mouser and AV Superstar Hentai," Teri read. “You're an actress?”
“Ah, not really,” Mouser said, focusing a bit too much on clearing a place by the balcony for the rosebush. “I just got an offer to star in a Japanese movie and manga series. It was fun, but I'm more suited for being a superhero.”
“Can we watch them?”
“NO!” Mouser said rather quickly. “They're not really for children. Or anyone under eighteen. Look, how about you just sit down on the couch, while I go get a room ready for you. Don't look at the comics, manga or the movies too much until I have a chance to clean them up.”
The cat went to the shelf of books, which didn't look dirty, and began grabbing a few books seemingly at random, until she had an armful, which she put on the couch. “Here, these are good for a young girl to read.”
Flying to the couch, Teri picked up one of them. “Super Sayan Ninja Scouts Are Easy? What's this one about?”
Mouser grabbed it out of her hands. “Whoops, that one is definitely not for you.”
“All right,” she said, giving Mouser a side eye.
Her new caretaker left her in the living room, and went down the hallway, muttering just a little to low to be heard. The next several minutes were filled with the sound of things being moved, thrown and comments like, “So that's where the jackhammer got to,” “I thought I'd burned that,” “Where the heck am I supposed to put Mr. Happy?” and “When the heck did I get this? Is it even legal?”
As Mouser did whatever she had to, Teri curled up on the black couch wondering what was going to happen. She was happy to be with Mouser, living with a superhero would be really cool, and since she was going to be a superhero this would be great training. But despite that, she hoped it wouldn't be for long.
She'd told the MCO and Dr. Shultz everything she could remember about her life before Burgermeister. Everyone said they would look as hard as they could for her family, but their eyes hadn't looked hopeful. And they didn't have any news on Rose Blossom or the goblins and elves. They should have been easy to find, pretty fairies, green goblins and little elves couldn't be that common. It was like they had just vanished off the face of the earth.
Flying to the window, she stroked the pink petals of her rose. “Maybe I shouldn't stay here, Rose Blossom. You're out there somewhere, and I've told them everything I can, so now more people are looking for you. I can travel really fast and look for you too. If I stay here all safe and sound, and if something bad happens to you, I don't know if I could forgive myself.”
She looked at the setting sun. “But they're looking for my family too. If I leave and they find my parents the next day, I wouldn't know it. That would be really mean to them, wouldn't it? They have to be really worried, and to hear that I'm back, only to disappear again wouldn't be fair.”
Sitting in the soil, she rubbed her nose. “And... I don't want to be alone again. I don't like being scared and sad with no one to talk to. I'm sorry, Rose Blossom. As soon as I know where you are, I'll go and get you, but until then I'm going to stay here. I... I'm sorry I'm not strong enough.”
“OK!” Mouser said, coming back to the living room. “I've got a linen closet all cleared out for you. You're small enough it's practically an apartment, the door is solid so you have privacy, and it's in the hallway facing my room if you need anything. Tomorrow, we'll get some stuff to make it more homey and add a few more shelves for you. For tonight you'll have to make do with a pillow, a lamp and a silk shawl.”
“THANK YOU!” Teri shouted, shooting across the room to give Mouser a hug. The soft fur tickled her nose and made her feel all warm and cozy.
“Now, it's time to give you a tour of your new home, and then we can order something for supper. I could really go for a seafood pizza.”
“YAY! Pizza!”
At first Mouser didn't know why she had woken up, it was well past midnight and her room was dark and quiet. Rolling onto her side, a tiny thing shifted and lightly bumped her arm. Blinking to adjust her eyes to the low light, she saw that Teri was fast asleep beside her.
“Good thing I don't have a partner right now, this would be hard to explain,” she said quietly.
Laying her head back down, she tried to put the fairy out of her mind.
Mouser's Home
June 15th, 2007
Teri ate the slice of banana in tiny, lightning fast bites, before reaching for the slice of crispy bacon. She was dressed in her best dress, with the only successful pair of underwear she'd been able to make, they were pretty loose and she had to use a thread as a belt to hold them up, but she wouldn't embarrass herself while flying. Mouser sat across from her eating a bacon and egg sandwich that was made from almost an entire pack of bacon.
“What are we going to do today?” she asked.
“First, we're getting you measured for clothes, and I'll contact a dragon I know in Texas who does custom clothes and things for mutants. We can get him to make you some furniture in your size that work with your wings, so you don't have to keep sitting on pillows or towels.” Mouser cocked her head in thought for a moment, before saying, “Maybe he can figure out a keyboard or something for you that will work too.”
Jumping up, she began dancing in the air. “Yay! New Clothes! I hope they're really cute! I love pink and purple, but blue, red, green and yellow are good too. Maybe a black jumpsuit, so I can be a ninja! And I'll need a superhero suit, should it be bright and eye catching or all dark and brooding? Maybe I can get one like yours, I can be your sidekick.”
“Woah! Woah! Woah!” Mouser said, nearly dropping her sandwich. “No superheroing for you. You have to be eighteen to be a hero, and it's not as easy as you seem to think.”
Teri pouted and looked at the cat with big purple eyes.
“That doesn't work on me. I've got a niece and nephew who try it all the time, I've developed a defense to puppy dog eyes.”
Kicking the air, she tried a different tact. “I could be eighteen.”
That received a very skeptical look. “Really?”
“Yeah. I could. I don't know how old I am, so I could be a cute, awesome, wonderful and adorable eighteen-year-old,” Teri said, sticking out her chin and chest, trying to look mature.
“I don't think so. Neither does the MCO. And once we get your paperwork back from the government, I don't think they'll believe it either,” Mouser said, giving her a small smile. “Now since everyone is in agreement that you're not an adult, this afternoon we have to go to CPS and sign a whole lot of forms. They'll ask you a bunch of questions, and you'll have to do some tests to get an idea of what your education level is.”
“That sounds boring.”
“Very boring. Get used to it. But before that boring stuff, we'll do a bit of shopping so you can start making your room feel like home.”
Teri sank back down and picked up her bacon. “I don't have any money, how can I pay for all of this?”
Mouser waved her hand at that minor problem. “Don't worry about it. I'm your foster parent, the government will be paying me at least six-hundred-fifty a month to take care of you. Since I need to get special items for your size, I might be able to get a bit more. It's all yours, I don't need the money. And because I am a fantastic hero, with a reputation for generosity, kindness, lovable-ility, and general awesomeness, if you happen to go over the budget, I'll be happy to cover it.”
“THANK YOU!” Teri shouted, flying across the table to give the cat a big hug.
“AIR! Need air!” Mouser gasped, trying to tug the fairy away from her throat.
Afternoon
Teri looked over the math question, using a piece of lead wrapped in a bit of sticky tack, to work out the solution before tapping it into the computer. It was slow going, however there was no way a baseline would be able to make out her tiny writing without a magnifying glass, and writing it out big enough for them to see clearly would be a huge pain for her.
She'd been doing pretty well until she'd reached her nemesis, algebra. She recognized some of it, she didn't know where she recognized it from of course, but she had an idea of what she was supposed to do.
“This is hard!” she said.
The invisible girl in a multicoloured dress, that Teri thought was her sister, sighed “You're the one who wanted to learn this stuff early.”
“Yeah, but I didn't think this would be so hard. The other stuff is a lot easier.”
“You can't just do English, history and stuff like that, you've gotta learn the math. Come on it's not that hard. Let's go over it from the beginning again.”
She smiled as the equations started to make sense. With renewed energy she started scribbling down the solution.
Teri sat on Mouser's shoulder watching as the CPS worker looked over the report. The tests had taken up most of Teri's time, while Mouser had been interviewed, questioned, and given a comprehensive list of rules and regulations for being a foster parent.
What should have taken months had been done in a few hours for the sake of expediency and reality. No regular foster family was suitably trained to deal with a mutant like Teri. Since Mouser was a hero in good standing, and had a long letter from the MCO giving their opinion on the matter of caring for a young mutant with severe GSD and emotional problems, things had been rushed through.
Now it was simply a matter of passing on some information, signing some last documents and Teri would officially have a foster parent.
“So, am I genius?” Teri asked, growing tired of the wait.
“From your placement tests, you appear to be at the level of a beginning high school freshman. Your English is quite good, and you did well in the social sciences. Your math and science are a little below average, but some tutoring should allow you to catch up quickly in those areas,” the woman said.
“Aw, nuts! I thought I did really well in the math.”
“So, Ms. Mouser, are you planning on putting Teri into a regular high school setting come September, or homeschooling?”
Mouser took a moment to think before answering. “I think homeschooling would be the best idea. I'll see about getting some tutors for her, and maybe finding some groups or programs that can handle her.”
“You mean I can't show off my awesomeness in class?!” Teri exclaimed.
Mouser and the woman shared a concerned look. Finally, Mouser said, “Teri, I can honestly say, you're probably a bit too awesome for a regular classroom.”
That made her puff up with pride.
“I can give you the contact information for several tutors in various subjects, and some programs that might be able to accommodate Teri,” the worker said. “Now you haven't given me information on an emergency contact, I'll need that soon.”
“Hadn't really thought of that,” Mouser admitted. “This was kind of last minute. I have a few ideas, let me call them tonight, and I'll get back to you as soon as I have someone lined up.”
That got a nod, and the woman placed a paper on the desk. “Very well. If you can sign here, we're done for the day. I'll check in on you in a week for a home visit, to see how things are going.”
Walking out of the building, Teri couldn't help but grin so wide it felt like her face was going to split into two. It wasn't her family, but she now had someone she trusted to help her and take care of her, she felt tears well up in her eyes. “Thank you, Mouser!” she said, kissing the cat on the cheek.
“It's my pleasure, Teri. You're a good kid, helping you out is the least I can do. Now how about we get some supper and sugar free frozen yogurt?”
“YAY!” Teri shouted, hugging Mouser and flying up into the air.
“Air! Can't breathe!” Mouser shouted.
Late Evening
Mouser threw down her phone in disgust, and crossed out another name.
“No luck finding an emergency contact?” Teri asked.
“Nope. Most of my friends aren't exactly child friendly. I could ask Larry or a few others on the MCO, but I'd like to avoid that if possible,” Mouser said.
“Why? They seem nice. I really like Patricia, she's pretty.”
Mouser looked up at the ceiling, then turned to look at her. “The MCO isn't always nice. Some of them are really bad, and a lot of mutants don't trust them. The ones here are pretty good, got a few jerks, but they play by the rules, and the good ones are great. But I'd like you to have a broad range of people to talk to and look to for help, not just MCO agents and me.”
“So what are you going to do?” Teri asked.
“I'm going to bite the bullet and call someone who is really good with kids and would give the shirt off her back to help a child in need.”
Teri looked at Mouser in confusion. “Why didn't you call her first?”
“Because... there were some... misunderstandings, and she kind of, sort of... hates my guts and would happily turn me into a newt,” Mouser admitted, pulling at her collar.
“Oh.”
She watched as Mouser silently psyched herself up, muttering various uplifting phrases to herself, gingerly picked up the phone as if it would explode, and dialed a number.
There was a short wait and then the person answered.
“Hi, Witch Mabel, Mouser here,” the cat said.
Teri jumped as loud, angry shouting came from the phone.
“Hey!” Mouser said. “I didn't know he was your husband when I kissed him. And you should be happy, he turned me down flat. You've got a good man there.”
There was more, even angrier shouting.
“That wasn't my fault. I was at your son’s apartment, how was I supposed to know you had a key and would come walking in without knocking?”
There was a short pause while the other end said something a little more quietly.
“I couldn't exactly cover myself up, I was little tied up at the moment. Your son is very good with knots.”
Teri covered her ears as even louder shouting came from the phone, and Mouser held it at arms length, her large ears folded down.
“I do not accept any blame for that. Your daughter was nineteen and curious. I was simply helping her discover herself in a safe environment. You have to admit she's a lot more confident now.”
Somehow the shouting got even louder.
“Oh no!” Mouser said, sounding insulted. “I will not pay you back. You chose to change the carpet, burn your couch and throw out your dining room table. We didn't do anything that couldn't be cleaned up with some basic cleaners.”
There was a long silence from the phone.
Mouser quietly said, “Hello, are you still there?”
Shrieking erupted from the phone, blasting Mouser's ear.
When it finally ended, Mouser said, almost in an embarrassed tone, “Oh, you didn't know about the table. We cleaned it up after we were done, with bleach.”
Teri facepalmed, for once utterly speechless. Then she was racing for the couch and hiding under a cushion as the shouting seemed to shake the room.
Once there was silence, Teri peeked out, to see Mouser with her ears folded back, cowering in the corner, holding the phone well away from her as if it was a venomous snake.
“So anyways, it's nice that we got to air out that little problem, it's been festering for too long.” Mouser said quietly into the phone, “Now, about why I called you, I have a kid who needs your help.”
Downtown, Lincoln Nebraska,
June 15th, 2007
Teri sat on the cafe table nibbling on a muffin and sipping watered down apple juice, while Mouser sat seemingly at ease drinking some tea. People were watching them, some more openly than others, but Mouser didn't seem to care, so Teri ignored most of them as well. She did smile and wave at many of the little kids who walked by, giggling when their jaws dropped in amazement and they waved back.
“Why were the people in the grocery store so mean, but they seem nice here?” she asked.
“Some people are just as- jerks, you got unlucky and met some big ones. Looking like you do, you will have problems, but not as much as someone who looks big and scary. Little kids will probably love you,” Mouser said. “And I'm here. I'm the biggest superhero in the city, really the only superhero, and I'm big, noisy, fun loving, and always willing to talk. People may not like what I am, but I'm respected enough the haters won't do anything much beyond glare at me.”
Teri thought it over for a minute. “So I really should become a hero, so that everyone will love me and I won't have any problems.”
“Maybe, but being a hero isn't easy,” Mouser said. “You have the spirit for it, but you see some nasty things and you have to keep your head when you want to run and scream. Sometimes it’s really bad and you want to toss the rules and deliver justice personally, but you can't, you need to do things by the book, so you don't become just as bad as the criminals.”
“Oh. What do you do when it's bad?”
“I do what needs to be done, and then I move on. Live for today and enjoy yourself. The past is the past and you can't change it, the future will come when it comes, no point worrying about it. So, I meet the challenges with a bounce in my step, a smile on my lips, and joy in my heart.”
“Live for today. The past is the past,” Teri said, rolling it around on her tongue. She smiled, “I like it!”
An older woman, wearing a long silvery dress, with a matching witches hat and mask, came to their table. She looked at Mouser and scowled, which didn't go well with the laugh lines on her face. Then the woman turned to Teri and smiled.
“Hi!” Teri said, grinning and waving. When she smiled, the woman looked exactly like a stereotypical, friendly grandma.
“Hello, you must be Teri, I'm Witch Mabel,” the woman said.
Mouser waved for her to sit down. “Hey Witch Mabel, it's been too long since we sat and talked. Thanks for coming.”
The witch looked at Mouser much like a hypochondriac with OCD, would look at a sloppy Joe that had been left in the sun for a week, then shoved into a closet under a stack of filthy gym socks and used baby diapers for three months, before finally being unearthed. “Mouser,” she said, in a voice full of loathing.
“Right... Would you like anything?” Mouser asked. “My treat. They've got some really good bagels here.”
“I'm fine,” Witch Mabel said. “Why don't you go and find an alley or a dumpster to hang out in, while I talk to Teri for a bit?”
The cat looked like she was about to say something, but quickly thought better of it. Picking up her tea, Mouser got to her feet. “I'll just find another seat and wait for you two to finish your conversation.”
Teri watched her friend quickly leave the table and sit at a table at the far end of the cafe. She turned to the newcomer and wondered what was about to happen.
“So you're Teri, you have very pretty wings,” Witch Mabel said, sounding far more pleasant.
She blushed at the compliment and rose into air, spreading her wings to show them off better. “Thank you! Are you a superhero?”
“Not really,” the witch said. “I help the Lincoln Freedom Squad, they insist that I wear this silly costume, but I'm too old to be running and jumping around.”
“So, what do you do?”
“I'm a witch. I mix up soups and drinks, and cook tasty foods in my kitchen, and they can do wonderful things. If someone is hurt, they just need to eat a bowl of my chicken soup and they’ll heal right up. When they need to deal with a criminal, they can throw a cup of my herbal tea at them to put them right to sleep, or they can use my taffy and the bad guy will get all tangled up.”
“Wow! That's amazing!”
“Thank you. But you sound pretty amazing yourself, what can you do?”
“I can fly, and I'm really strong! I'm going to be a superhero when I grow up. I even have a codename, Tink!”
Witch Mabel looked at her curiously. “Why did you pick Tink?”
“Well, I wanted Tinkerbell,” she admitted, “but even though I could technically use the name, I was told it would be better if I didn't. So I shortened it. I was thinking of being called Little Princess, or maybe Princess Powerful, but they wouldn't let me call myself Princess, and everything else I thought of was pretty long. ”
“I've found with superheroes that the shorter the name the better. You don't want to be in a fight and have to say, 'hey Captain Magnificent Hair, duck!' By the time you're half done they've already been hit by a truck.”
They both laughed at the joke.
“Now Teri, I've been told you're living with Mouser until you can find your family, is that right?” Witch Mabel asked.
A sad frown replaced the smile. “Yeah. I hope I can find them soon. When I do, we'll go to the beach and have a really big party, and it will be lots and lots of fun. And maybe my friend Rose Blossom will be there too.”
The witch rested her fingers lightly on her back. “I'm sure everyone is looking as hard as they can for your family and your friend. I'm wondering if you would you like to come to my home sometime, we can bake some cookies and cakes together. I used to do that all the time with my kids, but they're all grown up now, so I need a new helper.”
“Can we make arroz con leche?” she asked, jumping up and down.
“I don't believe I know that one. But we can find the recipe and do it together.”
Teri jumped up and gave Witch Mabel a hug, squealing with delight.
“Ack! Too tight!” the witch shouted.
Pine Lake Beach, Lincoln Nebraska,
June 16th, 2007
Wearing her new purple, one piece, open back bathing suit and holding a small colourful inner tube, Teri stared out over the reservoir. “It's not very big.”
“We're in the middle of the prairies, we don't have a lot of big lakes to choose from,” Mouser said. She was wearing a tiny white bikini, and was carrying a beach bag over shoulder along with a cooler of drinks and snacks. “Lets find a spot and relax.”
Spreading a blanket out on the sand, Teri helped Mouser set things up. While they were doing that, Mouser asked. “What do you picture when you think of a beach?”
“I think it's on an ocean,” Teri said. “You can't see the far shore, it smells different, there's lots of people, there are palm trees, and so many things you can do in the water. This is just... small.”
“OK, that definitely sounds like the ocean. Maybe we can take a vacation to the ocean later this summer. But for now, relax, enjoy the water, and get a tan, if you don't mind I'm going to sit here and soak up the sun for a while,” Mouser said, stretching out on the towel and adjusting her sunglasses.
“Will you come in the water later and play with me?”
“Of course, but wet fur stinks. So I'll do it before we leave and we can head home right after. Sound good?”
“OK!” Teri said. Flying to the water, she dropped her inner tube well away from the other swimmers then went high into the sky. Pretending that she was standing on a diving board, she tucked her long hair behind her ears, 'jumped' several times, gaining a bit more height with each jump, then went high into the air, arched her back and swan dived downwards aiming for the tube.
Pushing her power as hard as she could, she gained speed, her wings forming a cape behind her. She adjusting her dive slightly to hit the inner tube dead center, entering the water with a small splash and twisted in the water to kick off from the sandy bottom. Flapping her wings, she swam to the surface and hopped onto the inner tube, grinning broadly.
Lying on her back, she spread her wings out letting the sun warm her up, as she floated contentedly on the water. She knew people were watching her, but they didn't matter, she was enjoying the moment, letting everything else drift away.
“Hi Teri!” a little boy shouted.
Jumping to her feet, she crouched on the inner tube and looked at the six or seven year old boy who was standing in the water up to his neck waving at her. A little ways behind him was an even younger girl who could be his sister, she was waving too. Mouser and an ordinary looking woman with straw blonde hair were standing on the shore watching the two children.
Curious, Teri flew over to the children, dragging her inner tube with her. “Hello! How do you know my name?” she asked, grinning at them.
“Hi! Aunt Mouser told us all about you,” the boy said. “She said you're going to practice with her to become a superhero too.”
“That's right, I'm going to be the toughest and cutest hero EVER!”
“You have pretty wings!” the little girl shouted.
Teri grabbed the little boy and flew to the girl, dragging the boy through the water, much to his delight. “Thank you. What are your names?”
“I'm Sara.”
“I'm David,” the boy said.
Sara looked at her, clearly amazed at her appearance. “Are you a fairy all the time?”
“Yep! I'm the amazing Fairy Tink!”
“Cool,” they both said.
David pointed at Mouser, “Aunt Mouser can turn human when she wants, but she prefers being a cat lady.”
“I don't blame her,” Tink said. “Everyone is special, but being really unique and standing out can be lots of fun.”
“I want to be unique too,” Sara said.
“Maybe when you're older you'll turn out to be a mutant like Mouser.”
David shook his head. “She's not a mutant. She got a special stone that lets her be a cat.”
“COOL! I didn't know that. Maybe she'll let me try it one day and I could be a cat fairy!” Teri said. “Do you two want me to pull you in the water? I can go really fast.”
The siblings cheered and jumped in the water, each one begging to go first.
Teri could barely contain how happy she was after a day of playing with Sara, David, and eventually Mouser and her new Aunt Cynthia. Some of the other kids on the beach had joined in for a while too, almost everyone seemed to think that having a real live fairy was amazing. And the ones who didn't had just avoided her, which was fine with Teri.
Now sitting at picnic table with everyone, having just finished eating a bit of hotdog and hamburger, Teri had to grin. It had been a perfect day.
Mouser pulled some money out of her bag. “Teri how about you get some ice cream for everyone.”
“OK, what would people like?” she asked, taking the money.
Getting the requests, Teri flew off to the vendor who had a fairly long line of people wanting drinks, ice cream, treats and other things. Ignoring the people around her, she danced in the air, feeling completely at peace.
“Don't go too far, TERI,” an older woman said.
“OK, ___,” she said. Running along the beach, clutching her bag of plantain chips, she looked for someone among the crowd.
She spotted two people and headed towards them, waving and jumping to make sure they saw her. She couldn't make out their faces, but could see they were both adults and holding hands. One was a man who looked a little scrawny, the other was a very pregnant woman.
“____! ________! You made it!” she shouted, jumping into the mans arms.
“Of course we did, TERI. We wouldn't miss it for the world,” he said, returning the hug before putting her back down.
“Can I give you hug?” she asked the woman.
“Yes you can,” the woman said, laughing as she spread her arms. “Just don't squeeze too tight.”
Carefully she wrapped her arms around the woman and promptly got kicked in the ribs. “Ow!” She pointed at the belly and said, “You shouldn't kick your ____. Otherwise I won't spoil you once you get out of there.”
She jerked as a cough brought her back to the present. The line had moved along, and she hurriedly moved to catch up to it.
When she finally reached the counter, the clerk scowled. Ignoring it, Teri said, “I'd like a fudge bar, two ice cream sandwiches, a freeze pop, and what type of sugar free ice creams or yogurts do you have?”
“Go away, I've got nothing for you,” the woman said.
“What?” Teri asked.
“I don't serve your kind here.”
For a moment, Teri's eyes began to glow. Then she realized she could easily destroy the entire building, and pushed her anger down. “But I just want to get some ice cream for my friends,” she said.
“I don't care.”
Instead of anger, sadness began to fill her. She'd been having a great day and now this happened. She heard some of the people in line start to mutter and grumble, which made her feel even worse. Her eyes began to water, and she had to sniff back tears.
“Come on get out of here, your holding up the line,” the woman said, waving at her to go away.
The tears came. “I'm supposed to get ice cream for my friends and my foster mom. I'm not doing anything bad,” she bawled.
“Get out of here before I call the MCO,” the woman snarled.
Teri ignored her, and began to wail.
“Mommy why is the fairy crying?” a child asked.
The grumbling from the line got louder.
“HEY! I told you go away, shut up and leave!”
A man behind Teri cursed. “Yo, just give the kid what she wants and stop being such a bi- witch.”
Through her tears, Teri saw the woman look uncertain and unhappy as more potential customers started yelling at her, and several kids pointed and asked their parents what was going on. Finally the woman got the ice cream out, slamming it on the counter.
“Here,” she snapped, and told her the price.
Teri ignored here, still crying and bawling about how she just wanted to have some ice cream.
More people started yelling and a few left, looking disgusted. The woman watched them go and looked ready to spit.
“Fine, just take the ice cream and get out of here!” she almost shouted.
Teri flew down and picked up the ice cream, which wasn't easy with her small arms, and flew away still crying.
When she was out of sight of the mean woman, she stopped crying and began to smile. Reaching the picnic table, she handed out the ice cream, keeping a sugar free yogurt for herself.
“What took so long?” Mouser asked. “Were you crying?”
“A little, but it's OK,” Teri said, wiping her face off with a paper napkin. “I just had to do some negotiating to get the ice cream. Here's your money back, it was on the house.”
“OK. Thanks,” Mouser said, taking the money.
June 20th, 2007
Teri looked through her new clothes, happy to have some properly fitting, stylish clothes to choose from. Of course the large selection brought about the problem of what to wear. “Mouser, do you have any suggestions for what I should bring?” she asked.
“Bring the bathing suit, a nice t-shirt and a button up blouse along with a skirt or shorts, and the skinny jeans and sleeveless white blouse,” Mouser said, putting some of her clothes into a small suitcase.
Now that she knew what to bring, Teri quickly grabbed the clothes, putting them into a change purse that had a strap attached to it, turning it into a large bag for her. “I've never been to a photo shoot before, are you sure you want me in it?”
“Yeah, I talked with the agent, he loves the idea of having you and me doing a shoot together. You won't be in many of them, only five or six, but it'll be a fun experience, and you'll get paid for it. It'll be good to earn your own money.”
Her eyes lit up. “Awesome. I've only ever gotten an allowance before, probably for boring old chores. Now I get to show off how fantastically cute I am AND get paid! WOOHOO!” she shouted, doing backflips in midair.
Mouser headed for the door. “Don't let it get to your head, this is work. You have to listen to the photographer and don't goof off too much.”
Teri 'stood' at attention in the air and saluted. “Yes, Ma'am. I won't let you down, Ma'am.”
“Smart aleck,” Mouser said, but she smiled as she did.
Heading for the truck, Teri tried to imagine what it would be like.
Teri sat perched on Mouser's knee and grinned at the camera, making sure to keep her wings curled up behind her so they wouldn't be seen in the picture.
“Teri, smile without showing your teeth. You're happy, but not excited,” the photographer said.
Closing her lips, she struggled to not move around, despite wanting to bounce with excitement. The camera clicked, and the photographer moved slightly to get another picture.
“Stand still, TERI, and stop playing with your shirt,” a man said.
Unhappily, she took her hands away from her itchy collar, smiled and sat up straight. Her red dress looked pretty but it didn't fit right and the lace was rubbing her skin raw. Two people she thought were her parents stood behind her, resting their hands on her shoulders, two others, both male and dressed in nice clothes, stood on either side. Jingle Bells played in the background.
The camera flashed.
“That's perfect. Now that we have the individual family portraits done, lets get everyone in for the big one.”
A faceless girl sat down beside her, wearing a white dress. She smiled at the girl, wrapping an arm around her best friend.
A finger tapped her on the head. “Earth to Teri, come in Teri,” Mouser said.
“Sorry, just thinking of something.
“Care to share?”
Teri stared at nothing for a moment, getting her thoughts in order. “It was just a memory.”
“Anything really important?” Mouser asked.
She tried to think of any clues that might have been revealed, like her therapist Dr. Schulz had taught her, but nothing came to her. Shrugging her shoulders, she shook her head. “Not really.”
“All right, we'll talk about it tonight after supper. Lets keep going, you need to do a costume change, while I get some more solo shots,” Mouser told her.
Teri dumped the supper take away containers in the garbage, while Mouser pulled out a notebook. Flying to the couch, she sat down with a big sigh.
“Come on, Teri,” Mouser said, “I know you don't like this, but it's doctors orders.”
“It doesn't seem to help. I'm not remembering much,” Teri complained.
Opening up to a new page, Mouser said. “You're actually not doing too badly. We've got a superhero who has lightning powers of some kind. Beaches, palm trees, practically no snow, that special rice pudding arroz con leche, and a bunch more. So we know you used to live in a southern state along the coast. It's still a big list, but it's narrowing down. So what did you remember today?”
“I think I have two older brothers. And the girl I thought might have been my sister is probably a cousin.”
“Two brothers, that will definitely help. Maybe one of them is the one with the pregnant woman. Still no codename or anything?”
Teri rubbed her head, she knew she'd said the name before without thinking about it, and when she attacked Burgermeister, she'd said it as well. But as she tried to remember it, her head filled with static. “No,” she finally said. “It's like trying to remember my last name.”
“Well this is still helpful. Can you describe a bit of the memory, what the place looked like, anything memorable about the people?” Mouser asked, flipping past several sketches to a clean page.
“No. It's just the same, faceless people in regular clothes.” She hopped down and flipped the notebook to a sketch of the faceless girl she liked so much. She knew it wasn't a professional sketch but it still looked really good. Gazing at the picture, she tried to fill in the blank space, nothing came. Scrubbing at her eyes, she decided to change the topic.
“How come you're so good at drawing?”
“I'm not that good, unless I'm drawing jewellery,” Mouser said. “Before I became the hero Mouser, I was a jeweller. Had my own little shop, and specialized in custom made jewellery. Knowing how to draw was pretty important.”
“How did a jeweller become a superhero?”
“A strange client gave me an ugly cats eye gem, along with some very rare metal, and asked me to design a choker. It was not easy, but I got it done, while barely sleeping, practically in a trance most of the time, and having the weirdest dreams you can imagine. Then after I got it all done, he didn't show up again. After six months, I tried it on and ended up looking like this,” Mouser said, waving a hand over her body.
Looking her up and down, Teri said, “So where is the choker? Does it get absorbed into your body when you're using it?”
“Who says I kept it as a choker?” Mouser asked, slyly smiling. “It would be way too easy to lose the gem that way.”
“So that's why you wear the bracelets and anklets? To make sure people can't just grab it and run?”
“Bingo. I've had a few people try to steal my power gem. They've always guessed wrong and I've only lost two bracelets and one anklet in six years of superheroing. No one is getting my gem just because they were good at sleight of hand or sucker punched me and ripped off some jewellery.”
She grinned at Teri. “Remember, always keep them guessing, and never let them see you weak.”
Teri nodded. “Good advice.”
June 22nd, 2007
Sitting in the passenger seat, Teri crossed her arms and pouted. “But Mouser, I could really help you! I could hide in the coat of the client and make sure no one hurts him. I'd be the ultimate secret weapon.”
“Teri, for the last time, you're not helping me be a body guard. Like being a superhero, there is an age limit, and you aren't anywhere close to it. You also don't have the training, and would end up braining an over exuberant fan. And finally the Bushwhacking Boys aren't exactly a good influence for young people,” Mouser said. “So you get to stay here with Witch Mabel.”
“But I don't wanna.”
“You've visited her before, and made that delicious chocolate cake. I don't see what your problem is now.”
“That was only for a few hours, this will be for five whole days. What if you don't come back?” Teri asked.
Mouser pulled into the driveway, and patted Teri's legs. “I promise you, nothing is going to happen. I'm just there to make sure that no fanatical fan does anything stupid while the band has its big publicity push. I've worked with them before, they're loud, kind of stupid, and like to party, but they know how to follow instructions when given by a sexy lady, and no one really wants to hurt them. It's a basic bodyguard job.”
Taking her small bag of clothes and essentials, Teri looked at Mouser with big, pleading eyes. “Promise you'll come back.”
Putting her right hand on her chest, Mouser said, “I promise I'll come back.”
“OK. Stay safe,” she said.
Flying out the open window, she saw Witch Mabel was standing at the door in her civilian clothes, smiling happily, although it was uncertain if that smile was to welcome Teri or because Mouser was leaving. Zipping over to the witch, Teri gave her a big hug, careful not to accidentally strangle her.
“Teri, it's so good to see you again,” Witch Mabel said.
“Thanks for having me,” Teri said.
“You're always welcome here, dear. Now if you'll put your things in the guest room, you can come with me to drop off some supplies at the Lincoln Freedom Squad.”
Teri zipped past the witch, threw her bag into the guest room and was back in about two seconds. “Great! I've heard a lot about them, I can't wait to see them.”
“Oh? What have you heard?”
“That they get curb stomped all the time, that they've never successfully stopped a supervillain, and that they make the Keystone Cops look good.”
There was a long moment of silence, giving Teri time to think over what she'd just said.
“Um. I'm... a... sorry,” she said.
“It's fine, Teri. They aren't as successful as they'd like, but they try their best,” Witch Mabel said.
The Lincoln Freedom Squad's building was in a rather nice building downtown. Teri followed Witch Mabel inside, carrying an enormous cooler full of food and drinks, specially made to stay fresh for weeks. There was no security except for a video camera and an electronic lock.
“I'd have thought a superhero base would have guards and big steel doors and things to protect it,” Teri said.
“Not many supervillains want to attack us,” Witch Mabel said.
Thinking over what Mouser had said about the Squad, Teri had to admit the lack of enemies made sense. They made their way through the base to a large walk in cooler, where Witch Mabel began organizing her supplies.
A handsome man in a dark blue kevra suit, covered in pockets and belt pouches that were all packed to the brim, came into the cooler. “You must be Teri,” he said, “Witch Mabel told me you were coming. It's great to finally meet you. I'm The Analyzer.”
“Hi,” Teri said.
“Hello, Keven,” Witch Mabel said, not looking away from her stocking job. “Would you be a dear and show Teri around, some of the old stock has expired, and this will take a while.”
“Sure thing. So Teri, have you ever been in a real superhero base?” The Analyzer asked.
“No,” she admitted. “But I used to live on an airship. I almost ran it into Mount Everest, and I saw a Yeti.”
There was a long pause, and he looked at her strangely for a moment. “Well... that's interesting.”
Deciding to change the topic, she asked, “Why are you called The Analyzer?”
“That's a very good question. It's because I have a power gem that lets me quickly and accurately spot connections between things and figure out how they should interact, it's so fast and accurate, it's considered a psychic power.”
“Neat.”
“It is. In fact it's how I built the Lincoln Freedom Squad, and keep it funded.”
“What do you mean?” Teri asked.
“Well the city doesn't like paying for superheroes, and Mouser has the MCO wrapped around her little finger. So money for superheroes is kind of tight. But thanks to my analyzing skills, I make more than enough to pay all my team members, rent this building and cover our supplies,” he said proudly.
“Oh, do you invest in stocks and things?”
“Ah, no. I really like sports and regularly gamble on it. It's all legal, since I'm not a mutant and don't always win,” he hastened to add.
That didn't sound nearly as impressive as other ways to make money, but since it was legal, it couldn't be that bad. “Good for you!”
“So anyways, here is our gym, and our resident strongman, Armstrong. He opened a door revealing a room full of gym equipment, and a rather large man lifting heavy looking barbells. “Hey Armstrong, this is Teri, the fairy Mabel has been talking about.”
The man put down his weights, stretched his oversized arm and strode over. “Hey kid.”
“Hey yourself. How much can you lift? The MCO tested me and I can list three-hundred and twelve pounds,” Teri said.
Armstrong stared at her, his eyes wide. “I can deadlift about three-hundred and forty.”
“That's it?”
“Yeah. I'm just a baseline. But I'm a good fighter. I did professional MMA for six years.”
“Oh, maybe you can teach me some cool moves. I mostly just smash into things until they break. Sometimes I use other things to smash harder.”
Flexing his muscles, Armstrong went over to a padded open space on the side of the gym. “Sure, I'm always happy to help kids.”
“Armstrong, that may not be a good-” The Analyzer started to say.
“It'll be fine. I can handle anything,” Armstrong said, hitting his chest.
“Yay!” Teri flew over and hovered in the air facing him.
Armstrong got into position, his arms held in front of him, ready to strike or defend. Teri sloppily copied him. Analyzer pulled out his phone and began typing out a message.
“All right, Teri. We're going to start off simple, so I'm going to come at you, and you try to stop me,” Armstrong said.
“OK!”
He lunged at her, his hands spread to envelope her tiny body. Teri zipped down caught his leg and flew upwards, spinning him around in midair and let go. Armstrong screamed as he fell backwards onto the padded floor. He screamed harder when there was a loud crack from his leg.
“Oh no!” Teri shouted. “You told me to stop you and I did, but I didn't mean to break your leg!”
“Agh! It's fine..” he groaned through his teeth. “I've had worse.”
Analyzer shook his head. “I told you to be careful.”
Witch Mabel hurried in with a thermos. “I've got some chicken noodle soup, who got hurt?”
“Armstrong decided to spar with Teri. It didn't go well.”
Pouring out a cup of steaming chicken soup, she handed it to Armstrong. As soon as he sipped it, the pain left his face. “That hits the spot,” he said.
“Is he going to be all right?” Teri asked.
“He'll be as good as new in an hour,” Witch Mabel said. “It would be even sooner for most people, but he's had so much of my soup it takes a little longer for it to take affect.”
“Thank goodness. I don't like hurting people.”
That Evening
Mabel took the lemon peel and cinnamon stick out of the thick rice pudding, and using a large spoon scooped it into three bowls. “Time for the cinnamon,” she said.
Flying over the bowls, Teri shook the cinnamon shaker gently into each one. It smelled heavenly, she flew down so close her nose was nearly touching the creamy dessert. “Can we try it now?”
“It's still hot, and if we let it sit in the fridge for a little while it will thicken up,” Mabel said. Then she handed Teri a toy spoon and grinned. “Buuut a good cook should always taste the dish to make sure it tastes right.”
Landing on the edge of the bowl, Teri got a big spoonful, blew on it to cool it off, then gingerly took a bite. The sweet milk sauce and cinnamon filled her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes. “This is just like I remember,” she said.
Seeing the tears rolling down Teri's cheeks, Mabel scooped the little girl up and brought her to her shoulder, holding her tightly as the tears flowed.
June 22nd, 2007
Teri hovered over the art desk, drawing a picture of her and Witch Mabel cooking together, while Dr. Schultz sat on a large pillow watching her.
“Do you want to talk about anything, Teri?” the psychiatrist asked.
“No,” Teri replied, dipping the paintbrush that was almost as tall as she was in the brown paint.
“Do you mind if I talk?”
She shrugged. The woman was nice, and the office was full of colourful furniture and art, along with all kinds of toys, but Teri didn't like coming. She always had to think about her memories and Burgermeister, which made her feel bad and wanting to cry.
“Mouser has been away for a few days, how are you feeling?”
“She calls me everyday, so it's fine. And Mabel is really nice, we've made a lot of desserts that I can eat without going crazy.”
“Would you like to look over some pictures and names with me?” Dr. Schultz asked.
“You want me to see if I remember anything?” Teri said.
“It's the best way to find your family.”
Dropping her paintbrush in the water jar, Teri sighed. It wouldn't do any good, but if she didn't go look at the pictures, Mouser would insist she do it later on. Might as well get it over with. “Fine.”
Dr. Schultz put a folder on the ground for her. Flipping it open, Teri looked at the first page, a smiling seventeen year old girl looked back at her. Reading the details, the girl was Brooke A. Thomas, codename Shield Girl, from Texas. There were other pictures of the girl with her family, but nothing struck a chord.
Turning the page revealed eleven year old Chloe Washington, no codename, disappeared heading for powers testing in San Diego.
No.
Fourteen year old Belle Rivera, codename Harmless, Tampa Bay.
No.
Kelly Murphy, codename Peach, Georgia.
No.
Codename Miss Powerful, Miami.
No.
Closing the folder she looked up at the psychiatrist. “None of these girls are called Teri.”
“Have you thought that maybe your transformation also caused you to misremember your name? Maybe Teri is a nickname, or the name of someone close to you, that you deeply care about.”
Could she be wrong about her name?
Her name was all she had. The one thing that she knew was hers. What if it was a lie?
“What if I'm not real?” she whispered.
“What was that Teri?”
What if Burgermeister had just grabbed the memories of a girl, or many girls, and shoved them into a body he made? Maybe the original Teri was dead. Or with her family after disappearing for a few hours one day and then returning home none the worse for wear.
Who knew what he had done to her mind.
She knew that she had said something that could be a codename. When she'd gone to fight Burgermeister she had said, someone 'to the rescue'. Now she couldn't remember it. He could have just erased her name, or given her a whole new one and she'd never know it.
Did she even have a family waiting for her.
Falling to the ground, she began to wail.
June 28th, 2007
Mouser handed Teri an orange slice. “You've been moody for a while, want to talk about it?”
“No,” Teri said, then stopped and thought about it. “Yes. I don't know.”
“How about you start talking and see where your brain leads you.”
“What if I don't want things to change?” she said. “Things are pretty good right now. What happens if things change? Will they get worse? Will they get better? What if it turns out I was a really nasty person before? What if I was in a bad family? What if no wants me? What if someone who is the real me is already there and I'm just some devise?”
Mouser put down her sandwich and looked at Teri, her eyes wide with surprise. “Damn. You've got a lot on your mind.”
She hit her head. “I wish I didn't.”
“I can't tell you what to think, or what will happen,” Mouser said. “The best advice I can give is to take it one day at a time. Focus on the now and live it as best you can.”
“But what if-”
Holding up a finger to quiet her, Mouser said, “Remember what I told you before. Live for today and enjoy yourself. The past is the past and you can't change it, the future will come when it comes, no point worrying about it. If you can't find your family, or if for some insane reason they don't want an awesome, adorable little fairy, you've got me in your corner. I'll do my damnedest to be there for you through thick or thin.”
“Thank you,” Teri whispered.
“Now how about we go over your memories notebook and see if we can add anymore clues to it?”
“OK. If you insist,” she said.
Lincoln Children's Zoo
June 30th, 2007
“Teri,” Mouser said, her tail whipping back and forth, “you can pet the tortoise, not ride it.”
Looking up from her seat on the shell of the tortoise, Teri pouted. “But I'm a cowgirl, and this is my loyal steed.”
The group of children who were watching the tortoise and waiting for their turn to interact with it started to laugh, along with the bemused keeper who didn't seem to know what to do.
“I've seen snails that were faster than your steed. Come on, give the others a chance to play with it.”
Teri flew back to Mouser, but not before giving the large tortoise a scratch on the head. “I don't believe you.”
“What?”
“I don't believe that you've seen a faster snail.”
Mouser smirked. “I have so. Two years ago a biodevisor created a pack of giant snails, they had acidic slime, big sharp teeth, shells that were as strong as five inch titanium plates, and once they got moving they could slide along about as fast as a galloping horse. I lost most of my fur trying to figure out how to deal with them.”
“So how did you finally stop them?”
“A whole lotta salt. Dried them right up.”
“EW! That's gross!” Teri said, making a face.
“It worked. And after they dissolved my clothes and fur, I wasn't exactly in a forgiving mood.” Just then Mousers phone rang. It was a loud piercing ring that Teri had never heard before. Cursing, Mouser answered it far more quickly then she ever had before. “Mouser here, what's the problem?”
There was more cursing as whoever was on the phone spoke. Waving to Teri, Mouser ran for the exit, still talking on the phone.
Teri clung to the seat as Mouser drove like a maniac, a police light had been put on top of the truck, and a police siren was blaring, warning traffic and pedestrians to get out of the way.
“Teri, when we get there, you will NOT interfere, no matter what you see. You will stay behind police lines, you will obey anything the police or the MCO says, and you will not try to fight the supervillain or any minions,” Mouser said.
“But I can help.”
“No you can't. If I had time I'd drop you off at home, or with Witch Mabel, but I don't. So I am trusting you to behave yourself. Can you do that for me?” Mouser asked, not taking her eyes off the road.
“Yes,” Teri said, even though her brain was telling her to help and prove she was a hero.
Turning the corner, Mouser brought the truck to a screeching halt close to a police line. She was out the door and hopping into the truck bed seconds later, opening up a steel box that was welded to the truck, and putting on her superhero outfit. Teri flew out to watch, as Mouser got ready to go to work, strapping several grenades and what looked like a heavily modified sawed off shotgun to her suit.
Teri flew up into the air to get a good look at what was going on. Close to the bank the street was cleared of people, and police had set up a line of cars at both ends of the street to stop traffic. But people were still watching from behind the police lines, even as the cops made them back up. There was a large hole in what had been the front door of a bank, but no sign of who had done it. There was a crowd of people Wishing she had seen something useful, she flew back to Mouser. She'd been told she couldn't help, but she could still listen.
Less than two minutes after pulling up, Mouser was ready for action and walking over to a group of police and MCO agents who looked to be in charge, with Teri following behind. “What's the situation?” Mouser asked.
An older police officer answered. “A person in heavy duty power armour marched into the Citigroup Bank fifteen minutes ago, and ordered everyone except the managers out. He got all the money that wasn't in the vaults and let the managers leave after being shown the locked vault. It was recently heavily reinforced, so we believe it's taking him longer than expected to break through.”
“Damn, I hate power armour,” Mouser said. Turning to the MCO agent, she asked, “Any chance of getting some power armour backup?”
“Sorry, Mouser,” the agent said, “we're still waiting for a stabilizer from head office. We have a laser rifle that might be able to penetrate the armour, depending on how thick it is and the material.”
“You've been waiting for that damn stabilizer for two months now.”
The agent scowled. “We're not considered a high priority office.”
Turning back to the cop, Mouser said, “Please say you have some nice new goody you're just waiting to test out.”
“We have the usual SWAT team and crowd control,” the cop said.
Mouser let out a large sigh. “All right, looks like it's up to me. I'm not about to fight power armour inside a building unless I have to. You guys push the crowd further back, have that laser gun ready to shoot the power armour in the ass or anywhere else it looks fragile. I'll get into position to hit him as soon as he comes-”
There was a crash as a brick wall fell. From the dust a ten foot tall power armour unit stepped out onto the sidewalk. It was big and painted red, the pincer like hands looked capable of lifting up and crushing a car, and there were ominous barrels coming from the wrists. It didn't have an obvious head, just a torso of sloped armour with arms and legs attached to it.
“Damn, this job is never easy,” Mouser muttered. Putting on her helmet, she took her gun from her back and walked towards the power armour.
“Get out of my way hero. My names Demolisher and my armour can handle anything you can throw at it,” the supervillain said, his voice booming from the speakers.
“Sorry. Stopping you is why I get paid the big bucks. I let you go, I don't get paid. You can see my dilemma,” Mouser said. “How about we save some time and you surrender peacefully? It will look good to the judge.”
A massive arm rose and pointed at Mouser. “I don't think so. Last chance hero, do you want to go home tonight or end up in the morgue?”
“No can do. How about we talk about this before someone does something stupid?”
Demolisher, clearly done with talking, opened fire. Mouser dodged, firing her own gun. Teri's eyes watered from the blinding bright light that shot out of the barrel, hitting the armoured leg. The supervillain returned fire, spitting bullets from his arm. Mouser easily stayed ahead of the bullets, leaping behind a parked car.
Unfortunately, the bullets flew down the street hitting the police cars, shattering the bulletproof glass, and sending the police and onlookers to the ground.
Teri looked at the people huddled on the street. Her eyes began to glow. A man was yelling in pain, a child was standing, tears streaming down his face as he called for his mommy. Flying down to the child, as an explosion erupted and more bullets whizzed past, Teri spread her wings out trying to protect as much of the child as she could.
“Where's your mommy?” she asked.
The child pointed at a woman who was lying face down, she saw a tiny stream of blood leaking out from under her.
“Come on, I'm going to get you somewhere safe, and then I'll help your mommy.” Picking up the child,
She flew around the corner, and saw an officer trying to direct the crowd away from the fight. Landing beside him, she put the child down and said, “His mother was shot! She's back there. He needs someone to watch him, and we need an ambulance.”
Teri didn't wait for his response, but flew back looking for anyone else she could help. Taking a moment to look at the fight, Mouser and Demolisher were surrounded in thick smoke. The sound of metal hitting pavement, gun fire, and explosions could clearly be heard even in the distance. Forcing herself to look away, she saw an ambulance pull up, more sirens were quickly coming closer.
Grabbing the shot woman, stretching her PK field as far as it would go to cradle her head and body, Teri flew her to the ambulance. “She was shot and needs help!”
The paramedics threw open the back of the ambulance, directing her to put the woman on a stretcher. As gently as possible she put the woman down, then zipped away to find more injured.
There was cat-like yowl of pain. She spun around and saw Mouser go flying out of the smoke. The cat hit the ground and rolled back to her feet. There was a crack on her helmet, and she was cradling her left arm. Mouser grabbed a grenade from her coat, throwing it into the rapidly thinning smoke. There was a boom and the smoke lifted, revealing the power armour, it's leg was damaged and there was a large dent on its top, where the head would normally be, but it was still moving without any real difficulty.
An MCO agent fired the laser, melting a small section of the armoured leg. Demolisher raised his arm at the agent, preparing to fire.
Teri flew as fast as she could, grabbed the agent and kept going as a small missile blew up not only the laser gun, but the police car the agent had been hiding behind. Shrapnel peppered her back, and the agent yelled in pain. She flew him towards the safety of the ambulances, placing him on the ground, trying not to see the blood dripping from his legs.
Looking around she saw that the injured had all been pulled out of danger. Some people and a lot of the cops were hiding behind cars and in alleyways, not wanting to risk moving unless they had to. Mouser was dodging and weaving the blows of the supervillain, using whatever she could to attack his leg.
“I should be helping,” Teri said.
“Lightning Strike, I'm your biggest fan! Can you sign my book!” she shouted, holding up a limited edition trivia book of the ____ Crusaders.
The superhero gave her a brilliant smile, her neon yellow hair gave off a brilliant glow that seemed to light up the school gymnasium. “Definitely. What's your name?”
“I'm ___!” she squealed. Static erupted around her, covering even the noise of the other students who were talking to the heroes.
“Do you want to become a hero one day?”
She nodded madly. “I'm eleven years old, and I can't wait to become a mutant so I can join the Crusaders! I'm exercising a lot too, and my ____ is teaching me how to fight. I really want to join up because you guys are all so cool!”
Lightning Strike laughed, and patted her shoulder. “Keep up that attitude and you'll go far. But remember you have to be an adult to join the Crusaders, and you need to do well in school. What are your grades like?”
“I'm at the top in most of my classes. My cou___ __ri is a freshman in high school and she lets me do some of her homework with her. Is it true that you got a math degree. I'm not very good at math. I'm really good at English though. I've already read Taming of The Shrew, I liked some of the jokes, but the guys in it were jerks! I'd have punched them if they tried that.”
“Instead of punching them, you should get help. Fighting is only good as a last resort, even I don't like fighting,” the hero said. “And I did get a PhD in physics. You'd be amazed at how it helps me in my superhero career, letting me plan where my lightning bolts will hit, how to fly, and where and how hard to throw a villain so they can't hurt anyone when they land. But English is great too. We always need someone who can speak nicely for the crowd, and knows how to write things down so people understand how we're helping them. Everything can be useful, it just depends on how you use it.”
The hero pulled out a pen that looked a little like a lightning bolt and glowed as she wrote in the book. Handing the book back, she gave her the pen as well. “Keep it, ___. It's not often I meet one of my future partners.”
Mouser yowled in pain as she was punched in the gut.
Teri's eyes flared. “I'm going to be a hero,” she snarled.
Flying at Demolisher, she managed to get in close without being seen and punched the dented leg as hard as she could.
“What the hell?!” the supervillain shouted, spinning around trying to find her.
“Teri! Get the hell out of here!” Mouser shouted.
She ignored the order, zipping around the power armour as fast as she could, punching and kicking him as she went. Her erratic flight keeping him from getting a bead on her, or even predicting where she might be next. Mouser watched, trying to find an opening, but she couldn't do anything either, not without the risk of hitting her.
Then he got lucky.
More by accident then design he managed to slap her with his pincer hard enough to send her crashing into the the pavement. Dazed, she got to her hands and knees, shaking her head, trying to clear it. She didn't see him raise his arm.
Mouser jumped between them. The gun fired, catching the hero in the back.
Teri watched as Mouser flopped to the ground, not moving.
“Thanks kid,” Demolisher said, chuckling. “She was too fast for me to really hit. You were perfect. Now get out of here before I hurt you.”
He turned and walked away.
“Mouser,” Teri whimpered.
With tears pouring down her face, Teri got to her feet and stared at the supervillain. Her eyes began to blaze. Shrieking she flew at Demolisher.
Mouser came too, hearing a girl shriek.
She groaned in pain, her back was on fire, she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming in pain as she looked around. She didn't like what she saw.
Teri was flying around the supervillain, much faster than she could normally fly. The fairy was screaming, hitting the armour hard enough to leave small dents, there was no plan, no strategy, just unthinking rage.
“Jesus Christ, kid!” Demolisher said. “You're not doing much, just denting the armour a little. Give it up.”
Mouser realized that Teri wasn't listening, the girl had checked out. Trying to get to her feet, she fell face first into the pavement, her back spasming. Cursing, she could only lay there, hoping Teri wouldn't get hurt.
She winced as Teri was backhanded away, throwing her through a window into a furniture store. “Stay down, Teri,” she whispered.
Seconds later the window shattered outwards, Teri flew out carrying a washing machine. Demolisher paused, clearly surprised at the bizarre sight. Then he was falling backwards as a hundred and eighty pound washer slammed into him at well over a hundred miles an hour.
Teri didn't gloat or cheer at knocking him down, she flew away with the badly damaged appliance, disappearing from sight.
Demolisher got back to his feet, his arms raised, ready to shoot at the fairy or anything that came close. He backed away down the street towards the police line, his arms sweeping all around him.
He didn't look up.
Teri dropped out of the sky, hammering him with the washing machine. The heavy appliance shattered, even as it drove Demolisher to his knees. A crack opened up along the large dent on top of the armour.
“Where the hell are you?!” he shouted.
There was no answer, Teri had vanished again.
Mouser heard a metallic twang. Looking up she saw Teri come flying out of the sky once more, carrying a stop sign like an oversized axe.
Demolisher saw her as well and opened fire. Teri flew in an insane pattern of twists and impossibly tight turns that would make almost anyone sick. She swung the stop sign into the crack. Sparks flew out of the hole.
Teri flipped the stop sign around and while Demolisher tried to aim at her, his arms moving slower than before, she drove the metal post down like a spear.
Smoke erupted from the machine.
Screaming, Teri drove the sign into it again, and again, and again.
Flames appeared.
A hatch opened up and Demolisher fell out of his burning power armour.
Teri didn't notice, she kept spearing the armour. Eventually her blows slowed down, becoming sluggish, losing the power behind them. She let the sign fall, then flew over to Mouser, dropped down beside her and began to cry.
Evening
Mouser staggered into the condo her tail dragging on the floor while Teri hovered over her worriedly. “Can I get you anything? A hot water bottle, pain killers, something to eat?” she asked.
“Just a bed. A good night sleep... or three or four and I'll be feeling fine,” Mouser answered, walking to her room and collapsing on the bed.
“I'm sorry, I got in the way,” Teri said for at least the hundredth time. “I didn't mean to get you hurt.”
Mouser waved her away. “We'll talk tomorrow about it. The painkillers just make me want to sleep.”
Teri grabbed a blanket and covered Mouser up, her foster mother didn't notice, having already fallen asleep.
Flying to the living room, Teri went to sit beside her rose bush, clutching her knees to her chest and wrapping her wings around herself.
“I screwed up Rose Blossom,” she said. “I nearly killed Mouser because I thought I was a superhero. I just wanted to help people, and I was doing it by moving the injured away. But then I thought I could help Mouser and fight a supervillain. I was an idiot.”
Resting her head on the rose stem, she watched the sun set.
“My stupid memories made me think I could be a hero. I don't even know if they're real, but I listened to them. Some hero I am.”
She wiped tears from her eyes.
“My memories made me fight Burgermeister too, and look at how well that went. I've lost you and the goblins and elves, and I ended up in that horrible grocery store.”
Digging her toe into the soil, she didn't say anything for a while.
“Whenever I think about my past, bad stuff happens. And for all I know they aren't my memories, but someone elses.”
She got to her feet. “I'm happy here. I have Mouser and Witch Mabel, and people like me. I'm making friends, having fun, and I'm going to be getting a tutor and joining classes to learn stuff. Good things are happening. And I promise Rose Blossom, as soon as I learn where you are, I'll come and get you so you can come live here with me.
“It's time I learn to live for today. The past is the past and I can't change it, the future will come when it comes, no point worrying about it. I don't know if the girl in my memories was real, so why should I try to build my life around her, or cry over the things she had. She isn't me. I'm Teri Mouser and that's all I need to be happy.”
Flying to where Mouser kept her notebook of memories, Teri opened it up and cut out the pictures of Rose Blossom and the goblins and elves, she wanted to keep those. They were her real memories.
Using her claws she slowly and methodically shredded the pages full of notes, dreams, and faceless pictures, until there was only a pile of hopelessly mixed up slivers of paper on the floor. Picking them up, she flew outside and went high into the sky, spreading her arms and letting the paper blow away. Smiling happily, she flew back to the apartment, and went to her room.
Changing into her pajamas, she crawled into bed and wrapped herself up in her blanket. The memories tried to come back, rising up in her mind, trying to force her to remember, she pushed them away. That girl was gone.
“I'm Teri Mouser, and the future is out there, not in here,” she said tapping her head.
July 1st, 2007
Mouser crawled out of bed, stiff, sore, and in need of painkillers. Making her way to the kitchen, she saw that Teri had gone out to the nearby bakery and come back with fresh scones, apple fritters, buns, and other goodies.
“Glad to see you're feeling better,” she said.
Teri gave her a big smile. “I just wanted to say sorry, Mom.”
“Mom?” Teri had only called her foster mom once or twice, where had that come from?
“Well you are my foster mom, but that's a mouthful. It's much easier to just call you Mom. Anyways, I want you to take it easy today. If you need anything at all, you ask me, and I'll get it for you. You're not to lift a finger. After breakfast would you like a bath? It will help your back, and I can fill the tub while eat.”
“Teri, are you feeling OK?”
“Yep. I'm great!” the fairy said.
“Well you have a meeting with Dr. Schultz in two hours. So I don't have time for a bath,” she said.
“I don't want to go. I think I've gotten everything I can from her.”
Mouser narrowed her eyes, her concern for Teri turning to real worry. “She thinks she's getting closer to helping you with your memories. That's kind of important.”
“No its not,” Teri said. “The past is the past, I want to live for today. I'm tired of being sad, so I'm going to be happy from now on.”
“All right. I'll call her and let her know what's going on,” Mouser said.
“Great!” Teri said, spinning in a circle. “Since you're on bed rest today, would you like to watch some movies with me, or maybe some anime?”
Death Valley, Nevada
The mailbox slammed its hatch, making a pleasing drumming sound. Beside it a robotic jet propelled bird, cawed, and a long legged robot with a bird beak clapped its wings together like a cymbal. Other robots made their own noise, rattling around, banging things, whistling, hooting, and shrieking.
A tentacled robot sat before them, listening carefully as they all made their individual music. After several minutes, it clapped its tentacles together, bringing silence to the congregation. It pointed at the mailbox, raising and lowering its tentacle three times.
The mail box slammed its hatch open and shut three times.
Another robot was selected and it hooted four times.
The robots went through this several times, each one learning its part.
Finally the tentacled robot seemed satisfied. Raising its tentacles, it began pointing at the various robots.
The maibox listened happily to its musical partners, waiting for its part. Finally it was able to make music. It didn't need a radio after all, it just needed some friends who were as bored as it was. Finally the conductor pointed at it. The mailbox happily opened and slammed its hatch shut just like it had practised.
The music was glorious!
A powerful wind rose up, blowing sand all over the practice orchestra. The mailbox tilted its eye sensors up and saw a large airship coming down from the sky. It wasn't as large as its last home, but it was more than big enough to hold all of the robots who had escaped the crash of their old place.
It landed with a thump. The robots waited silently, unsure what would happen next.
A hatch flipped open, turning into a ramp.
The mailbox sagged, letting out a robotic sigh as the creator stepped out.
“Hello my friends! I'm sorry I was gone for so long, but now I have returned and we have important business to attend to! Come along and get onto the ship, we have lots to do if we're going to make the world a better place, and I need your help to collect our wayward children.”
WHATELEY ACADEMY
Welcome back to Whateley.
Starting this Sunday and continuing each Sunday (with perhaps occasional unscheduled updates), Whateley Academy will have another episode here as long as a posted backlog exists.
Continue following the adventures of Chaka (by Bek D. Corbin), Fey (by Maggie Finson), Jade and Jinn (by Babs Yerunkle) and Tennyo (by Starwolf).
Welcome the new faces to Whateley, as well. Wall Flower and the rest of STAR League Jr (by E.E. Nalley), Carmilla (by Dr. Bender), Bladedancer (by Heather O’Malley) and Fling (by Kristin Darken).
Even new authors are joining in with the fun. Gift (by Hart), Merry (by Renae), Heyoka (by Motley), Hive (by Warren Wheeler) and Caitlin Bardue along with Outcast Corner (by Joe Gunnarson).
Note: not all of the above characters or authors might show up in the mix as yet but, I promise, they are about.
That is a lot of authors, a lot of reading, 69 stories on 3,802 pages, 181,096 lines containing 1,607,337 words. It can be hard to keep track of things but luckily there is a method to the madness (or at least a tentative timeline).
--
Enter The Chaka (Chaka 1) by Bek D. Corbin (Aug 31, 2006 to Sep 3, 2006)
Fey (Fey 1) by Maggie Finson (Sep 15, 2005 to Sep 3, 2006)
Unexpected Consequences (Tennyo 1) by Starwolf (Mar 2, 2006 to Sep 3, 2006)
Coming Out (Jade 1, Jade 2) by Babs Yerunkle (May 18, 2006 to Sep 5, 2006)
Welcome to Poe (Whateley 1)
by Babs Yerunkle, Bek D. Corbin, ScramblerJ, Starwolf, Maggie Finson
Sep 3, 2006 to Sep 4, 2006
Another Day (Tennyo 2) by Starwolf (Sep 3, 2006 to Sep 6, 2006)
Quoth The Ninja, Nevermore! (Whateley 2)
by Maggie Finson, Bek D Corbin, Babs Yerunkle, Starwolf
Sep 6, 2006 to Sep 8, 2006
First Assembly (Whateley 3)
by Babs Yerunkle, Bek D. Corbin, ScramblerJ, Starwolf, Maggie Finson
Sep 7, 2006
--
Baker’s Dozen (Fling 0.1) by Kristen Darken (Oct 10, 2004)
--
Fey: PMS and Other Problems (Fey 2) by Maggie Finson (Sep 7, 2006 to Sep 9, 2006)
Adjustments (Fey 3) by Maggie Finson (Sep 9, 2006 to Sep 11, 2006)
First Day and Other Interesting Things (Tennyo 3) by Starwolf (Sep 7, 2006 to Sep 21, 2006)
Chaka - Dual Damsel (Chaka 2) by Bek D. Corbin (Sep 21, 2006 to Sep 25, 2005)
Jade: Being a Girl (Jade 3) by Babs Yerunkle (Sep 7, 2006 to Sep 24, 2006)
A Simple Game (Sara 1) by Dr. Bender (Sep 17, 2006 to Sep 28, 2006)
Catgirl Madness (Miyet 1) by Heather O'Malley (Jun 11, 2006 to Oct 03, 2006)
Tea and Synergy (Whateley 4) by Bek D. Corbin (Sep 30, 2006)
Bottle a Jinn (Jade 4) by Babs Yerunkle (Sep 25, 2006 to Oct 03, 2006)
It’s Nice to Have Friends (Tennyo 4) by Starwolf (Sep 21, 2006 to Oct 02, 2006)
Toni and the Tiger (Chaka 3) by Bek D. Corbin (Sep 29, 2006)
Transfer Students (STAR League Jr 1) by E.E.Nalley (Sep 30, 2006 to Oct 03, 2006)
Revenge of the Alphas (Whateley 4)
by Maggie Finson, Bek D. Corbin, Starwolf. Babs Yerunkle and Dr. Bender
Oct 05, 2006 to Oct 07, 2006
Redefining Jade (Jade 5) by Babs Yerunkle (Oct 04, 2006 to Oct 09, 2006)
Destiny’s Wave (Bladedancer 1) by Heather O’Malley (Jun 13, 2006 to Oct 07, 2006)
Time for an Unexpected Gift (Gift 1) by Hart (Mar 20, 2004 to Oct 12, 2006)
Epilogue included in this version.
Eat, Drink and be Merry (Merry 1) by Renae (Sep 29, 2006 to Oct 12, 2006)
Bladedancing (Bladedancer 2) by Heather O'Malley (Oct 09, 2006 to Oct 12, 2006)
Boston Brawl (Sara 2) by Dr. Bender (Oct 14, 2006)
Insanity Prerequisite: Status Quo (Sara 3.1) by Dr. Bender (Oct 15, 2006 to Oct 18, 2006)
Insanity Prerequisite: Destabilization (Sara 3.2) by Dr. Bender (Oct 17, 2006 to Oct 21, 2006)
Insanity Prerequisite: Metamorphosis (Sara 3.3) by Dr. Bender (Oct 21, 2006 to Oct 30, 2006)
Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet Again (Merry 2) by Renae (Oct 13, 2006 to Oct 20, 2006)
Reflections In An Evil Eye (Chaka 4) by Bek D. Corvin (Oct 04, 2006 to Oct ??, 2006)
Revelations (Fling 1) by Kristin Darken (Oct 13, 2006 to Oct 20, 2006)
Against Ill Chances (Merry 3) by Renae (Oct 21, 2006 to Oct 23, 2006)
Merry Descent Into Madness (Merry 4) by Renae (Oct 23, 2006 to Oct 25, 2006)
Legacy of Friendship (Gift 2) by Hart (Oct 16, 2006 to Oct 28, 2006)
The More, The Merrier: part 1 (Merry 5.1) by Renae and Dr. Bender (Oct 26, 2006 to Oct 28, 2006)
The More, The Merrier: part 2 (Merry 5.2) by Renae and Dr. Bender (Oct 29, 2006 to Oct 30, 2006)
The More, The Merrier: part 3 (Merry 5.3) by Renae and Dr. Bender (Oct 30, 2006 to Nov 01, 2006)
The More, The Merrier: part 4 (Merry 5.4) by Renae and Dr. Bender (Nov 02, 2006 to Nov 03, 2006)
The More, The Merrier: part 5 (Merry 5.5) by Renae and Dr. Bender (Nov 03, 2006 to Nov 04, 2006)
Lightning Craqshes (Heyoka 1) by Motley (Sep 28, 2006 to Nov 05, 2006)
Panty Raid (Chou 3) by Heather O'Malley (Nov 01, 2006 to Nov 08, 2006)
Eatting Dog (Heyoka 2) by Motley (Nov 01, 2006 to Nov 08, 2006)
What's Buzzing You (Hive 1) by Warren Wheeler (Nov 10, 2006 to Nov 20, 2006)
Being Merry In Spite Of It All: part 1 (Merry 6.1) by Renae, Dr. Bender and Maggie Finson (Nov 05, 2006 to Nov 09, 2006)
Being Merry In Spite Of It All: part 2 (Merry 6.1) by Renae and Dr. Bender (Nov 11, 2006 to Nov 12, 2006)
Dreams and Awakening: part 1 (Jade 6.1) by Babs Yerunkle (Nov 15, 2006)
Dreams and Awakening: part 2 (Jade 6.2) by Babs Yerunkle (Nov 15, 2006 to Nov 18, 2006)
Dreams and Awakening: part 3 (Jade 6.3) by Babs Yerunkle (Nov 18, 2006 to Nov 20, 2006)
Dreams and Awakening: part 4 (Jade 6.4) by Babs Yerunkle (Nov 20, 2006 to Nov 21, 2006)
Dreams and Awakening: part 5 (Jade 6.5) by Babs Yerunkle (Nov 22, 2006)
Dreams and Awakening: part 6 (Jade 6.6) by Babs Yerunkle (Nov 22, 2006 to Nov 23, 2006)
Dreams and Awakening: part 7 (Jade 6.7) by Babs Yerunkle (Nov 23, 2006)
Dreams and Awakening: part 8 (Jade 6.8) by Babs Yerunkle (Nov 24, 2006)
Dreams and Awakening: part 9 (Jade 6.9) by Babs Yerunkle (Nov 24, 2006 to Nov 25, 2006)
Dreams and Awakening: part 10 (Jade 6.10) by Babs Yerunkle (Nov 25, 2006)
Dreams and Awakening: part 11 (Jade 6.11) by Babs Yerunkle (Nov 27, 2006)
Upheaval: Instructor (Eldritch 1.1) by Joe Gunnarson (Nov 14, 2006 to Nov 19, 2006)
Upheaval: Walking Alone (Eldritch 1.2) by Joe Gunnarson (Nov 24, 2006 to Nov 28, 2006)
Upheaval: New Friends, New Problems (Eldritch 1.3) by Joe Gunnarson (Nov 29, 2006 to Dec 01, 2006)
The Play's The Thing (STAR League Jr 2) by E. E. Nalley (Nov 17, 2006 to Nov 23, 2006)
There's An Angel in Father John's Basement: part 1 (Kerry 1.1) by Bek D. Corbin (Nov 08, 2006 to Dec 20, 2006)
There's An Angel in Father John's Basement: part 2 (Kerry 1.2) by Bek D. Corbin (Dec 21, 2006 to Jan 07, 2007)
It's Good To Be The Don (Whateley 6) by Bek D. Corbin (unknown)
(Hive 2) by Warren Wheeler (unknown)
Sweet Dreams (Hive 3) by Warren Wheeler (unknown)
Who Dun It? (Hive 4) by Warren Wheeler (unknown)
Ask Not For Whom Belle Tolls (Belle 1) by Bek D. Corbin (unknown)
--
All of this varied crowd’s posted exploits and hijinks are available at Sapphire’s Place but they will all come here in time so, again…
Welcome back.
-r
Thanks go out to OtherEric for noting points regarding the timeline that I had missed.
These are the stories written by a number of authors working in concert. Definitely not ones to miss as a lot of the most exciting happens when everyone gets together.
-r
A Whateley Academy Tale
Welcome to Poe
(Whateley 1)
by Babs Yerunkle, Bek D. Corvin, ScramblerJ, Starwolf, and Maggie Finson
Well, you've all met the girls, and Hank, plus some rather interesting characters along the way. But how did things go when Team Kimba first met each other?
This story was delayed due to technical problems, but it is advisable to read at least the first stories for Fey, Chaka, Tennyo, Jade, and Ayla to really understand what is going on in this one. Also, It repeats some information already mentioned in other stories. If that bothers you, just skip over the repeated sections, please.
Sunday September 3rd
Dunwich, New Hampshire and
Whateley Academy, outside of Dunwich
The three teenagers getting off the train noted each other immediately. Everyone else, not many, who had gotten off either had people waiting for them, or headed toward the parking lot once they had their luggage. Leaving the kids staring at the now mostly empty platform and each other.
"You guys going to Whateley?" the slender black girl questioned the others with a smile.
"Yes," the cute boy responded with a tentative smile of his own. "I'm Hank Declan, by the way."
"I'm Toni Chandler," the girl answered cheerfully, then turned to the other occupant of the platform, a slender, pretty girl with flame red hair cut in a nape length bob whose violet eyes appeared almost huge in her delicate face. "Are you here for Whateley, too?"
"Yes," the other returned her smile almost hesitantly. "I guess you can call me Fey."
“So...any idea of what we’re supposed to do? Do we wait for someone to come get us, or do we call the school?” Toni asked brightly.
“I’m not sure. How about this - you go ask at the counter, while I watch our stuff,” Hank answered with an expressive shrug.
“A man with a plan. I like that! C’mon, Fey!” Toni strolled into the depot building, not really paying attention as to whether the other girl was following or not. She walked up to the ticket window and gave the desk bell a whack.
A rather sour looking middle-aged man came from out of the back and glowered at her. “Let me guess - you’re here for the Whateley Academy, right?”
“Right!” Toni chirped back at him, refusing to be intimidated in the least.
“The school should be sending a van for you pretty soon. There are a couple of kids already here, waitin’ on ‘em. You can wait in there.” He pointed at a wooden door with a pane of frosted glass in it. “They got a special waitin’ room, just for you Whateley kids, with refreshments an’ everything. You can leave your bags and stuff on the hand-truck out on the landing.”
“Thank You!” Toni sang back at him. She hurried back to Hank with the news. Fey trailed behind, like a dinghy tied to a speedboat.
As they loaded the bags and trunks on the hand truck together, Fey and Toni both noticed that Hank barely struggled with the heavy trunks. 'I know what his power must be,' the redhead thought while watching the guy move things with which grown men had strained.
The ‘special waiting room’ consisted of three ratty plastic covered couches, and couple of even rattier looking plastic covered chairs, a coffee table with magazines that the local dentist had probably thrown out, a pay phone, and some vending machines for hot drinks, soft drinks, candy and snacks. The sole provision for keeping school age kids from dying of boredom was a very old pinball machine, which two boys were busily monopolizing. They were dressed for travelling. Hank found a not too dirty seat and gingerly seated himself while wondering what the pinball wizards had that was sending them to Whateley, too.
One of the other couches was occupied by a lovely Hispanic girl with a strip of scarlet down the center of her dark hair. She looked up from the hardback book she had been leafing through without real interest and gave the newcomers a dazzling if quick smile. Her ice blue eyes were filled with lively interest in both her surroundings and fellow travelers as she greeted them with a velvety voice in a the accents of the west coast. “Hi. You’re for here the Whateley School?”
Toni, of course, was the first to respond with an infectious grin of her own and an enthusiastic nod of her dark head. “Yeah. Any idea of when the bus for the school is due?”
“Well, when I got my travel arrangements, they said that they were expecting me at 4, so I don’t think that they’ll be here much sooner than that.” The girl shrugged.
Glancing at the wall clock, Fey noted that it was 3:15. Wondering what to do with herself for forty-five minutes, she decided to trace the lines in the place and try to determine which was to what, or who. Toni let out a sigh and waved around the room, “Okay crew, grab a seat and settle in, we’re gonna be here for a while.”
“Ooops! My bad! Hank Declan. And that’s Fey.” Toni smiled expectantly at the young Latina while gesturing to Fey.
“My name is Elena Neva Natividad Amicella Lucita Obregon,” the blue eyed girl replied with another of those brief, almost blinding smiles.
“You got extra luggage, just for that name?” Toni questioned with a chuckle.
The other girl smiled faintly, but amusement danced in her eyes. “You can call me Rip.”
“Rip?”
“Short for Riptide!” With a wide grin on her face, ‘Rip’ cupped her hands in front of her, and a mist formed. The mist quickly condensed into water, formed a tiny wave in Rip’s hands, and then dispersed into mist again.
“Hiisst!” Hank hissed at Rip. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to go flaunting our powers, at least not until we’re sure of what the score is around here.”
“Aaahhh...what’s the use of having special powers, if you can’t have any fun with ‘em?” Rip looked at the three of them. “What can you guys do?”
“Well...let’s see what I can do without upsetting the locals...” Toni’s face grew thoughtful. Her attention appeared to center on a row of shabby hardback books on the table with the magazines. There was a gap in the row. “Did you get this book from that table?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Toni took the book and hefted it to get an idea of its weight and balance. “Let me shelve it for you.” With a brisk snap of the wrist, Toni threw the book at the table. The book flew unerringly to the gap and fit exactly in. Okay, the spine stuck out a bit, but what do you want? Toni plopped down on the couch, kicked her feet up, folded her hand behind her head and grinned in a ‘That’s right, I’m BAD!’ pose.
"COOL! How did you DO that?” Rip looked from between the now replaced book and Toni.
Toni gave Rip a thumbnail sketch of her Chi abilities, which was information Fey hadn‘t heard yet, either. The Latina leaned toward Toni with a halfway eager expression on her pretty face. “Y’mean you can do all that ‘Matrix’ stuff, with running along walls, dodging bullets and hanging in mid-air when you’re about to kick the shit out of someone?”
“Uhm, run along walls- Yes; dodge bullets- I dunno; hang in mid-air- Get Real! I can’t stop bullets in mid-air, either.” Toni shrugged.
“Oh well, y’can’t have everything.” Rip turned to the other two. “How about you two?”
Hank looked around. “I don’t see anything that I can do without blowing our cover.”
Rip and Toni looked at Fey, who blushed under the scrutiny. “Me neither, at least not without causing more excitement than this poor old building could take. And probably emptying it out while I did it,” she mumbled.
Another train stopped at 3:30, and disgorged five more students. Long-distance buses also stopped, dropping off a few students. As 4 o’clock rolled around, there were about twenty or so Freshman age kids milling about the waiting room. Most of them looked normal enough; well, except for the chubby kid who wouldn’t take that weird looking knit cap off, or the gangly boy who was at least 6’6” tall and all of ninety pounds, or the girl with weird blue-gray hair that grew up in spiky clumps that sort of crested back along her head. Most of them had obviously never been away from home for very long, and they were either very subdued, or they were enjoying being loose for the first time. Somebody had a boom-box, and Toni, Rip and a curvy black girl named Vanessa were dancing along with the bubblegum pop.
Toni tried to get Fey to join in, but she was far too engrossed in some activity only she was able to follow as the extra people filled the waiting room.
At 4:00 on the dot, a tall Asian woman came in. She walked over to the boom-box and shut off the music. “Okay, listen up! I am Mrs. Shugendo, I’m the Dean of Students at Whateley Academy. There are two shuttles here to take you to the school. I’m going to call off your names alphabetically. When I call out your name, let me know who you are, and then go out to the vans. Now, I know that you have a lot of questions - but, unless it’s an _Emergency_, save it for when we get to the school.”
As their names were called, the kids gathered whatever they were carrying and filed out to the waiting busses. It wasn't exactly done quietly, or even close to as organized as it sounds, but eventually all of them were seated and the vehicles got underway.
The scenery was fantastic, and a few of the teens actually paid attention to it through the windows they were seated by, or at least near. They passed through a smallish town that the drivers informed them was Dunwich and the closest thing to real civilization there was in Whateley Academy's immediate area, but most were unimpressed with the tourist trap the almost sleepy little town appeared to be.
They passed the entrances to several summer camps, and other roads winding through the Presidential Mountains of New Hampshire before turning into one such road that was better maintained than most they had seen.
Shortly following that, the busses passed through a large stone gate in an equally imposing stone wall. A few noticed the bronze plaque announcing that this was Whateley Academy, but all knew they had almost arrived at their destination.
The busses passed a number of colonial style red brick buildings, several which had decidedly un-colonial architecture added on, before pulling to a stop in front of a three story building made of the ever present red brick.
Getting off the busses went without mishap, except for the boy dressed in Gangsta style. He let out a sudden yelp of pain, then glowered at the slight redhead as if he would broil her with nothing more than his eyes. Fey grinned at him for a moment, then gathered her luggage and entered the building without giving him another glance.
A small sign beside the entryway told her this was Poe Cottage, and once inside there was a bust of the old time writer/poet holding a place of honor where all who entered would pass by it.
After getting their luggage inside the entryway, Mrs. Shugendo called them into a large common room. When the kids had arranged themselves on the sofa and chairs, Shugendo called three seventeen-year-old kids wearing school uniforms and a middle aged woman over to her. Then she addressed them all.
"Well! Welcome to Whateley Academy! Now, you’ll get the formal Welcoming speech from the Headmistress along with all the other Freshmen, but this little talk is just for YOU. Now, the reason that you were all told to come here a day ahead of the other Freshmen, and the reason that you’re being put up in this dormitory is that you all have something in common that sets you apart from the other students, even beyond your individual mutations. You are what is currently called ‘Alternative Lifestyle’ types. You are Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered, or so aggressively Bisexual that it is an issue for you. We don’t condemn you for this; you didn’t really have a choice in it, any more than you chose to be mutants. We realize that it’s hard going through adolescence. We realize that it’s even harder when you’re a mutant. You have enough to put up with already, you don’t need the extra aggravation of being branded a -quote- sexual deviant -unquote-.
“Unfortunately, homophobic bias is so deeply ingrained in the American, Canadian and British school systems, and to a lesser extent in the European schools, that letting you go around openly declaring that you’re Gay or Lesbian or Bi or Transgendered is just asking for trouble. So, we have Poe Cottage, a place where you don’t have to worry about the kids down the hall finding out, because they already know about you, and you already know about them.
“Now, while we are very proud of the fact that you were brave and honest enough to admit your... persuasion during on your admittance forms, I’m afraid that we’re going to have to ask you to curb that honesty. I’m afraid that it’s a matter of your continued safety. There are students here who have been victimized quite cruelly. And, unfortunately those who have been hurt that way tend to be the cruelest of all, when they find someone that they can pass that pain onto. And in our society, homosexuals and ‘fellow travelers’ are still considered fair game for that sort of thing. Given the abilities that students at Whateley have, a ‘Gay Bashing’ could turn deadly, even Apocalyptic. It is, simply said, easier for all involved, if it simply doesn’t become an issue. If your sense of pride demands that you come out of the closet, then you have a right to. But please, have consideration for the other people here at Poe, and don’t reveal the overall status here.
“The reason that you were brought here a day before the more... mainstream Freshmen, is twofold- to give you a day to get used to the campus before the others get here, and so that you will sort of be part of the background when they get here. This will give you a certain... credibility that should allow you to make connections more easily Yes? You have a question?” She pointed at the tanned blonde girl Fey had noticed sitting next to Toni on the van.
“Ma’am, you’ve just pointed out that everyone here is queer or something like that. So, how is that gonna affect how we’re paired up when it comes time to choose roomies? I mean, the brochure kept mentioning roommates like it was a given. So, like, are you gonna put us in Boy/Girl- which would make my mother, like, shit, fart and die!- or are is it gonna be Boy/Boy- Girl/Girl, which would be, really, like the same thing, but for real?”
Mrs. Shugendo cleared her throat nervously. “It will be Boy/Boy- Girl/Girl. To have it otherwise would advertise that there was something unusual going on at Poe Cottage to everyone who looked at the roster. However, I must remind you that Carnal Relations involving students, whether between opposite sexes or the same sex, is Strictly Forbidden at Whateley, and any homosexual student caught breaking that rule will be punished as severely as any heterosexual student doing so!” In other words, she knew that they didn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell of really stopping them, but she had to say the words, for form’s sake.
Hank raised a hand. “What are the rules about using your powers openly, like flying for instance?”
“That question, along with many others, will be handled by the Headmistress at her Freshman’s Orientation speech in two days. In the mean time, just try to keep a low profile. If nothing else, it will keep you from tripping into some of the more senior students.”
Shugendo then introduced the middle-aged woman as Mrs. Horton, the ‘house mother’ for Poe. Mrs. Horton said the expected pleasantries, and then explained the layout of the cottage: there were three floors, the bedrooms were built for two, there was a bathroom for each sex at each end of the hallway, there was a community room and a library for studying. There was also kitchen, but meal were to be served at the campus dining room. Food left in the kitchen was more or less open game, but there were ‘studio coolers’ in each room. There was a laundry room, and the students was responsible for their own laundry. “In other words, it’s your own fault if you stink”, she finished up. Mrs. Horton looked like many suburban matrons that Toni had met. And yet, there was something about her impeccably maintained person that suggested that she was completely unfazed by the prospect of keeping an eye on a group of super-powered teenagers.
Mrs. Shugendo took over again. “So, if your heads are quite ready to explode from information overload, let’s get you broken down into groups that we can actually work with. These three-” she indicated the three uniformed teenagers, “are Steve Rossiter, Belle Forbes, and Rosalyn Dekkard. They’ll be your Student Guides for today. You can also go to them for help after today, but you do so at your own risk. They’ll show you around, answer your questions, and get you sorted out as to your sleeping arrangements. And so, I’ll leave you with these words- Don’t destroy anything.”
Steve Rossiter was a buff looking seventeen year old blonde guy who looked like he could audition for the lead in a Captain America movie. Belle Forbes was a svelte seventeen year old girl with sapphire blue eyes and ravens wing black hair pulled back in a high ponytail. Her face was long and angular, with a long straight nose. She might have been harsh looking, if not for a touch of wry humor about the mouth. Rosalyn Dekkard was also seventeen, and had the lush curves of a homecoming queen. Her eyes were emerald green, and her hair was also ravens wing black, but it hung loose in waves past her shoulders down to her waist. Her triangular face also held humor, but it was more of the amusement of a pantheress regarding a flock of tender young lambs.
In turn, they started reading off names from clipboards. Belle Forbes called Fey’s name, sending a thrill of something down her back. She also called out Hank’s, Toni‘s, and names of the girl with odd spiky gray hair, and a girl with short spiky black hair and dark green eyes, who dressed like a punker. She also called a girl who Toni hadn't seen waiting at the depot. The last girl didn’t look like a teenager, she looked to be about 12 or so. She looked Asian, with long straight dark hair, large dark eyes, and a cute upturned nose. The girl with the odd gray hair called herself Billie, the girl with the punker look was called Ayla, and the kid was called Jade. And, Toni did a near double take when Fey answered to Nikki.
The two other groups finished pairing off. Fey and Toni both noticed that all the boys had gone with Steve Rossiter (and were looking up at him like he was a centerfold), and all the girls were clustered worshipfully around Roslyn Dekkard. The division complete, the guides started to shoo their charges off in different directions. Fey saw Rip give Toni a ‘call me later’ hand signal, but didn‘t think much of it. The pair had seemed to hit it off very well from the start, so their wishing to continue the budding friendship came as no real surprise.
Rosalyn took the girls upstairs, Steve took the boys off in one direction, and Belle took her charges off towards the main building. “Very well, Fresh-things,” Belle sang, “Here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to have to discuss some rather personal things, and we don’t want the others listening in, and vice-vicious. So, Rosalyn will show the Dykes in training around the 0cottage, Steve will show his little nancy-boys around the grounds, and I will show you changelings the school buildings.”
Changelings... Each of the gathered teens gave each other a very careful looking over as the meaning of that word sank in.
"You mean we're all...?" The Asian girl called Jade questioned without finishing.
"Ah, the light dawns at last." Belle chuckled with real humor as she nodded. "Yes, each of you is going over to the other side in the ages old battle of the sexes.”
The punker gritted her teeth and grated, “OR, were drafted by the wrong side!”
"That's all in how you look at things." Belle shrugged, then waved her charges along. "Come along, we have a lot to cover in not much time. Don't dawdle, please!"
While Belle guided them in the direction of the Administration building, she assured the punker girl. “Yes, yes, I’m sure that it was all very traumatic. Now keep up, keep up! We ARE on a schedule!”
As they walked, Toni looked over at Hank. “You are getting more feminine?”
<Heh> “Wrong Way.” Hank blushed.
“Y’mean- you’re really a girl?”
Hank reddened even more. “Well... I was born a girl, but right now, I’m what the doctor called a ‘bilateral hermaphrodite’. I sort of have both sets of equipment. But the doctor also says that my female equipment is shutting down.”
“Hey, Dewwwwd! Not to worry! You got the recipe for Studmuffin, and all the makin’s!”
“You’re doing it right, then, Hank.” Fey agreed with a tentative smile that grew into a near dazzling show of even white teeth, then giggled. “And you’re sooo cute when you blush!”
He blushed again, and Fey kicked herself mentally for acting like that. Sheesh! I’m teasing him like I was the girl and he was the boy I’m interested in getting to know better! Gonna have to watch that kind of stuff. I have enough to worry about without throwing in a Boyfriend to complicate things here.
Hank actually grinned back at her, with an endearingly shy look on his face that had Fey worried that he might be getting ideas along the same lines as she had just caught herself thinking along.
The path outside was a winding brick walkway, overhung by stately trees and bracketed every so often by a pair of antique gaslights. They followed the path up a small hill until they came to the top, where another cottage stood, dark and unihabited.
“Melville,” their guide said, scornfully, gesturing at the empty building. “Don’t worry, we’ll be treated to their presence starting tomorrow morning. They fancy themselves to be rather our social superiors. *Everyone’s* social superiors, if it comes down to it.”
From the top of the hill they could now see clearly down into a hollow that held the majority of the campus buildings. The dominant architectural style seemed to be a sort of classical brick, with ivy climbing up the sides in many places. But there were oddities here and there. A wing of one large building was dominated by a glass geodesic dome. And there was a round brick smokestack, or perhaps a tower, attached to another building. Except that the smokestack was capped by a white metal dome. Ignoring all that, though, their guide pointed to two different hills on the far side of the campus. Each of those was crowned by its own large cottage.
“Dickinson and Emerson,” their guide explained. “Which will also be filling tomorrow.” She gave a theatrical sigh. “I suppose the quiet was nice while it lasted.
“There are more cottages behind those, and another out behind us. Basically, it’s like three big arms. The girls-only arm, the boys-only arm, and this one.” She grinned at them. “And face it - you can’t get much more co-ed than our little group, can you?”
That comment elicited a number of groans, giggles, and growls from the small group.
They continued along the pathway until reaching a wider, flagstone paved square in front of the imposing, if strange looking building. There were stone and metal benches scattered all around the square, and a small fountain occupied the center. Fey felt her skin crawling as they passed one of the benches and avoided it.
Looking up, she saw Belle watching her with a speculative expression, then the older girl simply smiled reassuringly at her and tilted her head towards the main building while mouthing. “We’ll talk later.”
“Damn!” Fey thought, that girl didn’t miss much at all, did she? The others in the group hadn’t seemed to notice, though, which was some comfort anyway.
Belle took them up to an old bronze statue in the center of the field. It was some old guy with a beard and long hair, hands resting on a cane, gazing off into the distance.
This is the statue of Noah Whateley, the man who founded this school back in 1878. They only put this thing up because a school is supposed to have a statue of its revered founder. Actually, the school that he founded was mediocre at best- the highest that any graduate of the original school ever reached was a Congressman for Vermont. Anyway, after about eighty years of producing complete non-entities, the original Whateley Academy shut down and was foreclosed on by the bank. Then it was bought by a group of mutant superheroes in 1966, because they wanted a remote place to train emergent mutants in how to use their powers. They kept the name, mostly so that the school would appear to have a long and presumably illustrious history.”
Belle took a long breath and regarded her charges. “Very well, now that we have that tiresome bit of trivia out of the way, let’s get down to it, shall we? First, we’ll tour the Administration and School buildings, so that what we have and do here won’t be a complete shock to you. Also, this will give the girls a chance to get their luggage upstairs and choose their rooms, without tripping over us. After a decent interval of viewing the torture chambers, we will return to Poe, and you will lug all of your stuff up the stairs and pick your cells. When all of that’s settled, we’ll thrust out again, this time to tour the grounds, athletic fields, and the Combat Training Areas.”
Combat Training Areas? The entire group stiffened.
Belle grinned as she savored a direct hit. “Yes, Combat Training Areas. you haven’t been kidnapped by a Mutant Terrorist Cell, or drafted into the military. Whateley’s policy is that the students are left completely to their own devices to make up their minds as to things like politics and philosophy. HOWEVER, given the nature of many mutants powers, the bellicose nature of humanity in general and the viciousness of Anti-Mutant militants in particular, it is quite likely that (whether you want to or not) you will be faced with situations where you will have to fight. And it would be a criminal waste of all this expensive education if we let you graduate, just to let you die a week later because you couldn’t defend yourself.
“And here we come to one of the reasons that we split up as we did. Young ladies, gentleman, we are a group apart. Even more than being a mutant or being *ahem!* of ‘Alternate Sexuality’, we have yet another distinction. Whether as a matter of deep-felt conviction or as a matter of our mutant forcing it on us, we are all changing into members of the sex opposite from that which we were born in. Others, even the Gays and Lesbians, may sympthatize, but they don’t really understand. So, while we’re here, we’re going to have to rely on each other much more heavily than the other students do. I have to admit to you all that having Six transgendered students is a trifle unusual, especially at the beginning of the year. Normally, we only have one or two TGs at the beginning of the year, maybe with one or two showing up later in the year. Still, the rule is that the TGs room together and help each other out. With Six, we have the makings of a nice little team. At least, that’s what we’re going to try for.
“So, while we’re here, out of earshot, I’d like each of you to introduce yourself, tell the others about your background, how you feel about your change, what you want to make of that change, and- Whateley’s version of ‘what’s your major?’- what your mutant power is. Let me start off.
“My name is Kendall Forbes, and I was born in the outskirts of Bristol, Yew Kay. My family was a perfectly respectable Professional class one. And in keeping with sacred tradition, my parents packed me off to a ‘decent Boys’ School’ the first chance they got. What they didn’t realize was that I wanted to be packed off to a decent Girls’ School. At any rate, I was in my Second Form, I started seeing wispy things floating around. I started having nightmares about a ghoul that I called ‘Gnashitty Rippit’, a foul thing with a wide befanged mouth and grasping betaloned hands. Then one night, I woke up in my bed, and Lo And Behold!, there was Gnashitty Rippit, floating over my bed, licking his chops. The demmed thing chased me all over the school before it cornered me. Then I screamed at it to go away. And strike me down, if it didn’t! It turned out that not only did I have complete control over Gnashitty, but I had actually created him, out of that wispy stuff floating around. That ‘stuff’ is called ‘Ectoplasm’, and I have the power to gather it up, mold it into whatever form that I want, and set it to doing things.
“I, being a sane, stable, responsible young man of twelve summers, immediately started one of the most horrific hauntings in the history of England. Severed heads floating down the halls, blood dripping down the walls, gawd-awful screams in the dead of night, horrible things turning up in the Masters’ beds- Lord, it was wonderful! They wound up sending the Gray Wizard, one of Britain’s foremost superheroes (AND a bit of All Right, if I must say so!) in to investigate. It took him a solid week to figure out that it was me! I’ll give him this, he was a sharp one- the only reason that it took him that long was that his scryings indicated that a Girl was behind it all. Y’see, I’d discovered that I could also use the old Ecto to disguise myself-” Belle swept a hand down in front of her, and suddenly turned into Marilyn Monroe, dressed as she was in that scene in ‘The Seven Year Itch’ where the gust from the grating blows her skirt up. ‘Marilyn’ cooed at us, and swept that hand back up, and Belle was grinning at us.
“At any rate, the Wizard took me aside, explained that I was going about it all the wrong way, and set me up with an interview with an agent from Whateley. He even explained it all to the Mums and Dads, which went a LONG way towards me not getting my backside shellacked. When they sent me to the doctor, to see if anything else unexpected was growing in me- you know, forked tail, cloven hooves, unspeakable writhing mass, that sort of thing- the doctor discovered that I was showing the first signs of puberty. A Girl’s puberty. It seems that by disguising myself as a girl, I was affecting my body so that it was conforming to the image that I was projecting. The doctor told me that if I kept disguising myself as a girl, that it could affect the progress of my puberty.
"So, naturally, I started disguising myself twenty-four/seven. They had no choice to enroll me here at Hogwar- I mean, Whateley as a girl at Poe.” Belle finished with a grin.
“Now, just to wrap up, as I said before, I can gather up or generate Ectoplasm- though just gathering the stuff up is a lot easier- and I can mold it into various things and animate them.” To demonstrate, she cupped her hands in front of her. A pale gray mist gathered in her hands and congealed into a white dove. The dove cooed and then spread its wings to take flight. It flew for a few moments, then dispersed back into a gray mist, which faded.
“Now, it’s your turn.” She looked at Hank. “Well, you’re the odd man out- and in this group, that’s saying something!- why don’t we start with you?”
All the others in the group turned to look at Hank, who blushed at bit. Then he stood up straight and squared his shoulders. “Okay, my name is Hank Declan. It used to be Hannah Declan, but that doesn’t really fit anymore. I’m an Army Brat, I was born at the Military Hospital at Fort Dix, and I’ve lived at four different postings. That I can remember. I’m the oldest child-”
“Oh, don’t tell me it’s the old ‘my father always wanted a son’ gag!” The punk girl Ayla interrupted.
“Ahhh, No, Dad was always happy with a daughter. He never saw anything wrong with a girl going out and roughhousing with the boys- especially not with some of the female Non-Coms that he’s served with! As a matter of fact, I didn’t have any real problems with being a girl! It’s just, when my body started changing, and my testicles dropped, it just seemed so... right! Y’know, it was like, of course! That’s the way that it’s supposed to be!”
“How did your parents take it?” Belle prompted.
“Well, they were weirded out, all right. All their ideas of what the rest of my life was gonna be like kind of went out the window. The one that was really weirded out was my little brother. And he really went nuts when it turned out that I could lift five tons without even straining, let alone when I found out that I could fly!”
Billie, the chick with the weird gray hair asked, “You can fly?”
“Yeah. It came in real handy when my little brother went to one of the Sergeants at Bragg who had a hate on for mutants a foot wide a mile long, and told him that a mutant was holding his parents hostage.”
“Your own little brother did that to you?” Toni asked incredulously.
“Well, it was a lot more involved than that. A lot of melodrama went down before that happened. Anyway, Lennox came at me with an entire squad armed with assault rifles and LAWS rockets. I managed to get away, and there was a lot of noise, with Lennox screaming that there was a dangerous mutant terrorist at large, and my Dad screaming back at him that that ‘mutant terrorist’ was his daughter, and Lennox screaming back at my Dad that he was under some kind of weird mutant mind control, and Jay -that’s my brother- backing him up.”
“Dear, that’s two ‘Ands’ too many.” Belle gently corrected.
“Anyway, after a week of dodging Army helicopters, a Ranger team caught up with me and convinced me that Dad had convinced the Colonel that Lennox had his head up his ass, and they brought me in. While they weren’t going to press any charges- I sort of had to wreck a couple of patrol jeeps and a tank getting out of the Camp- it wasn’t a very good idea for me to stay at Bragg. Y’see, while Lennox didn’t exactly follow procedure, he was using proper initiative in a High Risk situation, so he was still on base and he still has his stripes. Then some people from the Academy showed up, and did some weird tests and stuff, and they talked my Dad into signing the papers so’s I could come here.”
“Still too many ‘Ands’, Hank. Remember, Grammar always. You said that you could lift five tonnes and fly. What exactly are your powers?”
“Well, they said that I was a ‘High Level Functioning Non-Ranged Psychokinetic’ or something like that. I sort of generate this telekinetic field. I can lift stuff with it, includin’ myself, and it can stop bullets and things with it. Oh, and they said that I was a ‘Level 3 Exemplar’, whatever that means.”
“Well, you see, Hank,” Belle explained, “There are some terms like ‘Energizer’, ‘Warper’, ‘Shifter’, ‘Deviser’, ‘Wizard’ and of course, ‘Exemplar’ that describe the basic function of what a mutant does. The more powerful or extreme the traits are, the higher the level. This is not necessarily a good thing. You see, the further you stray from the baseline human mean, the higher the likelihood that you will develop gross physical deformities is, and the higher the chance that your mutation will turn lethal.”
“Gross physical deformities?”
“Lethal?”
Belle nodded and said. "I hate to be the one to break it to you children, but being a mutant isn’t all fun and games. The more powerful the mutant ability that you have is, the greater chance that something’s going to go wrong with your body. Last year, five students died during training. Some of them burned out, some of them had seizures during practice. One guy just upped and died in class. Nobody noticed anything until everyone got up at the end of class and he didn’t. The girl who sat next to him had a panic attack that laid her up for a week.”
Their guide waved that morbid topic aside. “Now, where were we? Oh yes- Exemplars. An Exemplar is a mutant who has the power to slowly shape their body according to an ideal that they’ve formed somewhere in their subconscious. They make their bodies stronger, faster, tougher and usually cuter. Hank, when they say that you’re a Level 3 Exemplar, that means that your power pushes your strength, agility and so on to a level that is just above the maximum that a normal, unaugmented human can achieve. Anything more, Hank?”
Hank shook his head. “Very well. Next--- let’s see--- YOU.” She pointed at Toni.
Toni turned to face the group and bounced on the balls of her feet a bit. “Hi! I’m Toni - that’s Toni with an ‘I’- Chandler. I’m fourteen- I’ll be fifteen in February- and I’m from Pleasant Oaks. That’s a suburb of Baltimore. I come from a big family, and I don’t have any really traumatic ‘trigger’ stories or anything. I was practicing at my Aikido dojo, and I was facing off against Danny Mancell, who’s a 14 karat jerk, and he was giving me shit about being a wimp and stuff. Anyway, I was trying to focus my Ki-” Toni gave them all a thumbnail description of Ki and what it does “Anyway, I was trying to focus my Ki like Mister Colliard- he’s my Aikido sensei- told me to, and suddenly *Bang!* I feel this force flowing through my body, and I hit Danny with it, and he goes flying across the Dojo and smacks into the wall on the far side.”
“Too many ‘Ands’, Dear.”
"Sorry. Anyway, at first, I just think that I’m really hot shit with Aikido. But then my eyes changed from plain old Brown to this-” she pointed at her Amber colored eyes, “and they got the clue that something might be up. So, they took me to a doctor, who referred us to another doctor, who referred us to the Academy, and well...”
“So, basically, your shtick is Super-Martial Arts.”
“Well, sorta, but there’s a lot more to it than that. I can see how Ki flows in other people and how it flows through the Earth and the stuff around it-”
“Wait a minute! The Earth doesn’t have Ki!”
“Of course it does. Or at least it has a sort of magnetic field that’s somehow related to Ki. And beside marital arts moves, I can use it to increase my strength and speed and toughness even beyond what being an Exemplar makes me, I can use it to increase my running speed and how far I can jump, and--- well, let’s just say that if you saw it in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I can probably do it.
"And it's all tied in with this Ki you're telling us about? What exactly is that, if you don't mind me asking?"
“Ki? Well, that’s kinda hard to explain. Ki is this real big deal in Asian mysticism. It’s supposed to mean ‘breath’, or ‘strength’, or ‘life’ or a whole bunch’a things. I think that the best word that covers it in English might be ‘Vigor’. It’s sort of this energy that runs up and down your body in currents, like water or electricity. My doctor says that it’s bio-electrical, but my Aikido Sensei, Mister Colliard says it’s a lot more involved than that. It’s sorta like a life force that runs through everything that lives. In China and like that, they’ve been studying how to concentrate that life force into really tight areas, to do stuff like make their arms stronger, or to resist getting stabbed, or to heal their bodies. Only, with most people, they gotta train real hard for years, just to do the tiniest thing. Me? I just do it, like it was second nature.”
Belle nodded then turned to Fey. “Your turn, hon.”
Fey drew in a breath, then started out softly. “Well, my name is Nikki Reilly, That's short for Nichole now, but it used to be Nicholas. I was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and was a pretty normal kid up until recently. My mom is a mid-level executive for The Edwards Cable conglom and makes pretty good money, though we aren’t exactly what anyone would call rich. My dad left when I was ten, moved to Cleveland and took my little brother Andy with him. He works for a company that does R&D for the government, so is pretty well off, too. Between what Mom makes at her job, and the money Dad sends her, we were doing pretty well.”
“Could you speak just a bit louder, dear?” Belle questioned with an encouraging smile. “You have a beautiful voice and shouldn’t be ashamed of it at all. Plus, your grammar is pretty good so far, by the way.”
“Ok.” Fey answered in firmer tones and with more volume. “So my powers are related to Ley lines, the energies of the earth gather into these lines and intersect at various places, sending out secondary lines. Every thing on Earth has these lines in one form or another and I can see them as different colors. One day I just kind of reached out to feel one and got a near electrical shock when I did. I discovered that I was able to tap into these lines for power, energy, whatever you want to call it, and use that energy to kind of weave the lines I wanted to affect into different things.”
“Wow!” Toni grinned. “You can see those lines like I see Ki!”
“Yes I can.” Fey continued with more confidence. “I can also tap into anything natural and use it for power, like flowing water, rain, wind, they’re all lines I can see and use. As I learned all this stuff about what I could do, I started to change. Physically.”
“I never was what anyone would call ’Jock Material’, but I was at least pretty average as a guy. Once the changes started, I got thinner, a little shorter, and started filling out like a girl. My face went from kind of squarish to the oval it is now, my brown hair turned into this Flame red, then got thicker, softer, and lot’s fuller. All my features more or less rearranged themselves to what you see here within a few months.”
“Wow, that was kind of fast.”
“It caused problems for me at school like you wouldn’t believe, or maybe you guys would.” Fey gave another weak grin. “I became a target for bullies, and had promised my Mom that I wouldn’t use my powers to get back at them. Until some guy literally ripped my shirt off in the hall one day.”
“What did you do then?” Jade asked with a serious expression that was also filled with curiosity. “Zap him?”
“Not exactly.” Fey blushed. “I really let loose. But was so angry, and humiliated, that I didn’t really exert any control over the magic. When I don’t control it very carefully the energy kind of takes on a life of its own, the doctors and wizard I got examined by call these pieces of loose energy hobgoblins. These hobgoblins take off when they get created and spread mischief and mayhem that is usually pretty harmless, but annoying.”
“So you ended up turning a batch of these hobgoblins loose in your school?” Belle asked with a grin.
“Uh huh.” Fey actually giggled. “They came out as psychedelic colored squirrels, believe it or not. Two of them crawled up the bully’s pants and started discussing whether they wanted to eat the nuts they found there or take them home for later.”
“Kewl!” Toni was laughing at the picture that brought to mind, and the others were starting to obviously enjoy the story as well.
“The others just kind of scampered off in different directions.” Fey went on. “One shorted out all the equipment in the metal shop, another had the appliances in the kitchen animated and doing really weird stuff. The chief cook ran off when that happened and I don’t know if she’s gone back yet. Another ran into the air conditioning system and that blew up, sort of. At least there was funny colored smoke coming out of the vents when it quit. All the busses parked by the school ended up with flat tires, and several of the hobgoblins took over the office and started singing an old Alice Cooper song into the PA.”
“You mean you shut down the whole school?” Hank questioned with wide eyes.
“I guess I did.” Fey answered with a shrug. “Anyway, I got thrown out of school, but was allowed to finish my school work at home, so did manage to get through my freshman year. My doctors and the wizard contacted Whateley about me, and here I am.
"I am also classed as a wizard, but in a rare sub-class they call Faerie, like the mythological elves of Britain and Europe. I’m a level one exemplar, so am not physically strong or anything, but my powers make up for that most of the time, or will once I learn to control them properly.”
“Oh, I am, obviously, turning into a girl.” The redhead finished with a little moue of resignation. But it’s my power doing it, not any exemplar effect. I’m told that I should be completely, functionally female by the time I’m about seventeen. But as the power changes me I keep getting more and more inhuman in appearance.”
“You look just fine to me, dear.” Belle soothed. “You are going to be an exotic beauty, that’s pretty clear, and the outward physical changes are just about finished up, aren’t they?”
“Except for the part about my body maturing into that of a woman instead of a teenaged girl.” Fey agreed. “Another thing. I wear all these silk, satin, and linen things because I’m allergic to synthetic materials. I break out in a nasty, bumpy rash and turn bright red if I wear any of those and it itches like crazy. As if that isn’t bad enough, for some reason connected to my power, plain iron gives me mild burns, like a sunburn. Steel and other alloys don’t seem to bother me, but don’t expect me to sit on any wrought iron furniture or handle cast iron skillets.
“Well, that sure explains why you call yourself Fey, doesn’t it?” Toni quietly put in, almost subdued for a change.
“You say you weave the lines you see into other things?” Belle was showing interest. “Then make those into something else, like a natural spell caster. You don’t have to use books, diagrams, or anything like a prop to do this, right?”
“That pretty well covers it.” Fey agreed.
“Is there anything else?” The older girl questioned.
“Yes.” With a sigh, Fey nodded her head. “I can hear things. Everything, actually, unless I shut it out. That almost drove me nuts, hearing the walls, trees, and even grass talking, singing, or just droning on and on. But I can pick and chose what I listen to now, thanks to the wizard teaching me how. I also seem to be able to communicate with animals on a very limited basis. It’s more empathic than telepathic, but I get their general moods and feelings, while I’m able to send them mine.”
“Now that’s interesting.” Belle smiled. “I’d say you have lots of potential there, Fey. But you’re going to need to work hard to be able to use it right. Fortunately, we have teachers here at Whateley who can work with you on that kind of thing.”
"That's why I'm here." Fey agreed.
Belle smiled at her and turned towards Ayla. "And now for a few words from our cranky punker girl," Belle said as she locked eyes on Ayla.
Fixing the older girl with a look that promised she would pay for that little remark. No matter how true it might be Ayla started her own story.
Belle just stuck her tongue out at her.
"Well my story isn’t as action packed as Hanks or Nikki's story. But here we go anyway," She started out with. Her voice cracked a little as she spoke. Ayla wasn't used to spilling her guts out to others besides her sister. Hell, she had even given Beth and Daisy the watered down version of her life story. But for some reasons she felt the need to tell them everything.
Well almost everything. Some things just needed to be left alone!
"I was born Trevor James Goodkind.."
"Your not related to THE GOODKINDS are you?" Toni tossed in.
Sighing, Ayla put her left hand behind her head and nodded that she was. Nikki and Toni gave out a low whistle.
"Go on dear," Belle said after a moment of silence. Her tone was no longer teasing. In fact there was a trace of fear in it.
Closing her eyes at the thought of what her family name did to people she decided to go on with her tale.
"Well as you might guess I'm what you call a she-male, but I was born just as male as most of you," She said and heard Hank chuckle.
"Okay, like MOST of us!" She added in a playful voice as she rolled her eyes. She noticed that Toni was sharing her eye rolling at Hank's chuckle.
"Any way about a month and a half ago my powers suddenly appeared. I was heading down the stairs for breakfast and was about to walk by one of the maids when suddenly I got the feeling that I was completely naked..."
She stopped when she noticed everyone looking at her funny. Then she recalled she hadn't told them what her power was. Turning on her power she shifted into her ghost form, taking on a faint blue tint as she became transparent. Ayla often wondered why she took on that strange blue cast when she went into her ghost form. Her sister's doctor and Janet both seemed confused about that one. Nikki's eyes somehow grew to three times their normal size when she looked at her. Then the red head narrowed her eyes and Ayla felt a slight tickle in the back of her head. For a second she saw those weird green and red lines around everything. It was enough for her to loose her hold on her power and shift back into being solid.
"As you can see, I can become transparent at will," She added and saw Hank smile and chuckle even more.
"You walked right out of your clothes!" Toni said in a loud shriek of a voice as she pointed at Ayla and then fell into a fit of giggles.
Ayla's face burned bright red.
"Let her finish," Belle said in a firm tone, but it was clear she wanted to join in on the laughing.
"Bingo!" Ayla said with a smirk on her face as she looked at Toni wipe the tears from her eyes.
"Any way, the maid screamed and started shouting in Spanish as she started to fall down the steps. I reached out to grab her but ended up phasing right through her before I became solid again behind her. We both ended up crashing down the stairs. Me, naked as a jay-bird."
"Well once the world stopped crashing down around me the maid took off in a run as fast as her heels would carry her, while I tried to figure out how I ended up naked. I looked up at the top of the stairs and saw my older brother David holding my clothes and looking at me with a pale look on his face,” She said and felt tears starting to build in her eyes.
"Then his face turned all dark and he shouted freak and ran down the stairs and passed me. I scrambled to get up the stairs and dressed again before he came back. When he did, David brought my mother with him. He explained what he saw and I watched, as she grew as pale as he had. When I moved to hold her, she backed away and screamed not to touch her. Then she ordered me to my room,"
"Wow,” Hank said in a stunned voice.
"Oh, it gets better," Ayla, snapped her voice getting dark as she tried to hold her tears in, but it was a loosing battle.
"A few hours later my father comes home but he wasn't alone. He brought a doctor from one of the labs he runs. That bastard jabbed me with a needle and I woke up on one of his damn tables a few hours later. Dr. Hammond spent the next day studying me like I was some damn test animal!" She shouted. At the mentioning of Dr. Hammond's name she saw Belle's face darken. It was clear the upper classmen knew about the famous mutant research doctor.
"Thankfully, my other brother Paul made the mistake of calling my sister Gracie. She must have gotten a hold of mom and dad because the next thing I knew I was back at the mansion watching two maids pack me a bag to go stay with Gracie."
"Now Gracie is like me, a she-male, only she isn't a mutant. I hadn't seen or talked to her in nearly six years as my father had disowned her and told us never to mention Greg's name in the house again. Greg was Gracie's male name before she took the drug that made her into a she-male. She took it at the age of 18 just after graduation from college. Gracie had been the heir to the running the family business, but once she became a she-male, father and the others in the family disowned her. Paul was the only one left who would talk to her as far as I knew,"
"Well I didn't know all that so you can guess my surprise when I get off the plane in L. A. to discover my brother is no longer male and is now my sister. I confess that I behaved very badly towards her that first day. Then I learned something more shocking than my mutant power. For some reason every time I phased my body grew more feminine looking. Gracie took me to see a doctor friend of hers and I learned that my power was making me into a girl."
"By the time I was at Gracie's for three days I was going by the name T.J. rather than Trevor as I no longer looked like a boy named Trevor. I was still fighting tooth and nail that I was turning into a girl, but by then I was starting to have small budding breast growing. So it was a losing battle."
"A few days later Gracie got sick of me moaning about changing and hiding in the spare room she and her wife Janet had made up for me. She came into the room and sat me down for about an hour and gave me a piece of her mind. By the end of the day I was in panties, bra and a dress. And hating every second of it. Thankfully Janet went out and got me some jeans for girls and the rest was history. From that moment on I dressed as a girl. Janet even renamed me Ayla to try and help me deal with the changes in my body."
"All that in a few days?" Nikki said with awe in her voice.
"Yep! And it gets better," Ayla said with faint smile before she went on with her story.
"By the end of that first week I had given in to the fact that I was turning into a girl or at least into a she-male like Gracie as her doctor had said it was doubtful I would become a full female. On my tenth day with Gracie she came down to the beach were I was sunbathing with her roommates Tiffany and Amy, two other she-males, when she told me that my parents wanted to talk to me,"
"Now understand by this time I had learned all about Gracie's story and how Dad had disowned her and left her penniless. It was only due to her finding Janet and making her life in the Square that she was able to rebuild her life."
"The Square,” Jade asked.
"Sorry. The Square is where Gracie lives. It is an area of L.A. near the ocean that is home to transgendered males and those that love them,” She explained. Belle offered more info to them by saying it was basically a tiny part of L. A. carved out by the transgender community in the 70's. It was rumored to be the best party zone for she-males in the States.
"It seems my Uncle Theo had talked Dad into seeing that me being a mutant wasn't that bad. Uncle Theo didn't seem to have the dislike of mutants both my parents and other relatives had. Gracie however didn't trust him for some reason. Anyway Gracie talked me into putting on a dress and wig as well as getting a makeover at the salon before we went to met them. I was a little worried how they'd react to seeing me as a girl, but Gracie said they would have to see me at some point as that was what my power was making me become,"
"Well Dad freaked out and started yelling at Gracie about turning me into more of a freak, Uncle Theo tried to calm everyone down but it was no use. Mom, well she freaked out and began crying saying her baby was dead or some crap like that. That was when I missed the needle by Dr. Hammond again. The jerk whisked me out of the room while Dad’s bodyguards restrained Gracie and Janet. I spent the remainder of the day as Hammond's lab rat again. He confirmed that I was becoming a she-male when Dad and Uncle Theo joined him in his lab. Uncle Theo gave me a strange look, but that was beside the point as Gracie came storming in the door with ten lawyers. She and Dad started screaming again while Janet gave me my clothes back. When all was said and done Dad gave Gracie custody of me but not before he made me penniless,"
"You mean you’re broke?" Toni asked while Nikki let off a low whistle.
Ayla smiled.
"Well, I won't say completely broke. Gracie learned her lesson after what Dad did to her, so instead of my 12.5 billion I was to get at the age of 21, she got me 300 million to live off of. So I won't want for much as long as I watch how I spend the cash,” She added with a smile. Then she wiped the tears from her face that she hadn't noticed had fallen as she told her story.
"Is that all, dear?” Belle asked.
"Nope," Ayla said as she thought about her trip back to the Square.
"I was still messed up in the head about what I was and still fighting what I was becoming. To add to my troubles, the second we return to the Square, we get attacked by some loser bitch named Sparkler."
"Oh god, what did Sarah do now," Belle said with a weary sigh at the mentioning of Sparkler. Ayla couldn't help but giggle.
"Well she threw this giant sparkling fireball at me that burnt all my clothes off but my panties and bra. I wasn't sorry to see the dress go, but if I hadn't been standing if front of Gracie she would have been killed."
"Wait a second, Sarah can only create light shows. None of her firecracker effects can do damage," Belle said with a confused look on her face.
"That is what Janet told me later. Regardless of what you know about her, Sparkler got an upgrade to her power somewhere, because she burned three cops and nearly killed the bank teller of the bank she had just robbed. Well I was seeing red by then and began fighting the ditz, which ruined the street we were on."
"Wait a second. How can you turning into a ghost do any damage?" Toni asked in a puzzled tone.
"Oh, I forgot," Ayla, said as her face turned bright red. "I can also increase density to the point that it is diamond hard. When I do that, I also get really strong and can lift about a ton with little effort. Janet thinks that I'll be able to lift more as I get older,"
"Anyway I'm tossing around cars like basketballs while Little Miss Firecracker is making the street explode. After she ruined my bra I ran at her and started hitting her really hard, but her skin was as hard as mine so I did little damage there. Then an idea hit me. Since she was firing those damn fire blast of hers from the gauntlet on her wrist I phased my hand into them and shorted out the circuitry in them. But she was still kicking and managed to clock me in the balls,” Ayla added and saw everyone flinch at the mention of that. It seemed even despite everyone's current form and Hank's limited time as a male, each recalled what that could do to a guy.
"After I was able to see straight again, I ran after her and this time phased my hand into her back. My hand tingled and she went limp in my arms. Janet told me I was lucky that I didn't kill her pulling that stunt without knowing how it works. So after the cops hauled Sparkler away and Gracie talked them into letting me go home, Janet told me about Whateley and informed both me and Gracie, that I was heading here. And since Gracie does whatever Janet tells her and I seem to do whatever Gracie tells me that is how I ended up here," Ayla finished with a shrug.
"No offense but your parents are assholes," Hank quietly put in after she was done.
She just shrugged her shoulders at him and felt her bare shoulders slide out of her shift, Showing her lacy bra straps. She pulled it back up before the others noticed, but Hank raised an eyebrow at her and she couldn't help but blush.
"Thank you, Ayla," Belle says as she turned towards Jade. "Next, we have the kid of the group."
Jade put her hands on her hips and leaned forward to yell, "Hey! I'm as old as the rest of you! I'm fourteen, by two months!" Her mild tone took any sting out of the protest though. "But we're telling everyone about our powers, right? Well, the day I got my powers, my old man was drunk and he..." She trailed off, looking down at the ground and unable to meet their eyes. More quietly, she said, "Well, the details don't really matter, do they? What's important is what I can do." She took a pair of gloves out of her pocket, along with what looked like a quarter, wrapped in aluminum foil.
"Oh, might as well add my jacket." She pulled off a pink vinyl jacket that didn't really match the rest of her outfit. "So anyway, what I do is, I'd guess you'd call it, I bring stuff to life."
She let go of the items but they didn't fall to the ground. The gloves filled out, showing clear evidence that someone's hands were inside. The gloves reached up the jacket and shrugged in into place around an invisible body. The foil-covered quarter floated about where a throat would be, on a visible person.
"How do I look?" the empty clothes asked. The voice was similar to Jade's, perhaps a touch higher and a bit more tinny.
"Is it telekinesis?" Belle asked.
The jacket shrugged, saying "How should I know?" while simultaneously Jade answered "You're the experts." The girl looked at the jacket in embarrassment. "You first," Jade said.
The jacket held out a hand, gesturing. "I'm my own person. The body-me isn't in charge of me-here - not once I'm charged. Oh yeah, 'animated' was the word you used. But we can go our own way, do separate things. I've got a complete life of my own. Well, until my time limit expires. I'm up to just over sixty minutes on a charge. When that happens, or when I let go of the last piece of whatever I was 'charged' into, then *poof*, I'm gone."
As if to demonstrate, the jacket suddenly fell limp. The gloves, still floating as if worn by an invisible person, caught it, then helped Jade put her jacket back on. Then they handed her the foil-covered throat disk, then, one by one, the now empty gloves.
"And as soon as she vanishes - I call her 'Jinn', by the way - her memories are instantly back here." Jade tapped her temple. "It's like I've just been two places at once, and now both of me are back here." She shrugged again, looking at Belle. "So you tell me. Is she 'ectoplasm'? You said you could bring things to life. Or is she more like one of Fey's hobgoblins?"
"I didn't see any ectoplasm about her," Belle said. "For that matter, I didn't *feel* anything, either." She looked toward Fey with a questioning look.
"Hey," Fey said, "I'm still figuring this stuff out, too." She frowned in thought. "I don't really know enough to say whether it is or isn't like a hobgoblin. But when I was looking at it - at her - she seemed to have a thread like a normal person. Only fainter. It was a lot like yours, Jade, only different, if that makes sense. And... I couldn't quite see it, but there was a hint of another thread connecting the two of you."
Jade scrunched up her face. "Huh. Weird. Anyway, I got examined for traditional telekinesis and stuff, and I just charged up Jinn and let her do it all. So the school entered me as a mid-level PK subject with clairvoyance and clairaudience, whatever that is. Level two, I think they said. But they haven't given me any real in-depth examinations yet, like the rest of you guys have had."
Jade finished talking, but Belle continued to look at her.
"What?"
"Were you going to share anything with us about your sexuality, dear?"
Jade was looking at the ground again. "Do I hafta?"
"At least enough to let us know what you'll be becoming. It's only courtesy."
"Nothing!" The vehement outburst was surprising, considering how shy she'd been a moment before. "I'm turning into nothing! I'm just frozen, and I'm probably not even going to have puberty, which is FINE with me, because what if I turned into a boy? But I'm a girl!" Her voice switched to a sudden pleading. "Didn't anyone see me? Could anyone see Jinn? She's a girl! She's me! That's what I am, inside! I -" She had that alarmed deer-in-the-headlights look of someone who suddenly realizes that perhaps they've said too much.
"That's all."
"All right, dear." Belle nodded with an encouraging, sympathetic smile for the girl. "That's all we need this time around, and thank you for sharing it with us. I'm sure that everyone here would be more than willing to help you as you need it. Please remember that all of us are here to help each other whenever and wherever it may be needed."
"Thanks." Jade nodded with a flush of embarrassment. "I sure hope so."
"I know so." Belle answered softly while moving forward to give the smaller girl a hug. "And so do the others here."
That pronouncement was followed by a chorus of agreements and individual hugs for the young looking girl/boy who so desperately wanted to be a real girl.
"Ok, now that we have that part of the introductions over..." Belle waved at the building they stood in front of. "Let's get moving, shall we?"
“What about Tennyo?” asked Jade.
Tennyo stood there, getting a little red in the face.
“Well, Tennyo?, is it?” Said Belle. “I thought your name was Billie?”
“It is. Billie Wilson. I also go by Tennyo. It’s the name my Sensei gave me. Uh, if you don’t mind, I would prefer going by that name most of the time.”
“Okay. Tell us about yourself.”
"Uh, my name was William Wilson and I was the second son of my parents Larry and Cher Wilson. We live in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I have two brothers, Larry jr. and Thadeus. Larry is older and eighteen. TB, as I call him, is eleven. I’m sixteen and was going to be a junior at Cascade High School this year.”
“You’re not going to be a junior here?” Belle asked.
“No. Everyone thinks that, because of all the changes I am going through and the fact that I am going to be training really hard, I should try to take the learning side off a little and concentrate on the important things right now. It will also help keep some people who shouldn’t know where I am from finding out too easily.”
“Someone’s trying to find you?”
“My family has some enemies that have tried to kill me, and I was kidnaped at the same time that this happened to me.”
“They tried to kill and kidnap you?”
“Well, It’s kind of complicated and I hope none of you will tell anyone this, OK?”
Everyone nodded.
“It all started when TB gave me some fudge to make me do what he wanted me to do.”
Toni broke in, “You can be controlled with fudge?”
“Welll... It kind of depends on the fudge.”
“What kind of fudge would it take?”
“It has to be really good stuff. Not the cheep stuff that you usually see in candy stores.”
“And if I got some, I could control you with it?”
Tennyo grinned. “Depends on what you wanted me to do. I might do a lot for the right kind of fudge. Need someone killed?”
“Not right now, but I’ll keep it in mind. So your brother had some fudge that could control you?”
“No, not really. It had a compound in it like a hypnotic. I thought he was trying to make up for being such a brat the last few days, and I never suspected he would do something like that.”
“Anyway, to make a long story short, the compound was not supposed to hurt normal people. It only worked like a hypnotic on them. It has fatal consequences for mutants though. TB figured that since I hadn’t shown any mutant signs up to that time, that it was safe for him to use on me.”
Tennyo shrugged. “He was wrong and I proceeded to burn to a crisp and take our kitchen with it.”
Belle interrupted, “That’s catastrophic burnout and no one survives it. There hasn’t been one like that in years, and you’re obviously alive.”
“Mr. Tanaka,” Fey started a little, “said I was a one in a billion coincidence. My power while very strong, was latent and so I didn’t die immediately when the burnout was triggered. I was already under the hypnotic influence of the compound and TB was trying to embarrass me by making me act like Ryoko from Tenchi Muyo. Mr. Tanaka thinks that my power was a strong mimic like ability.”
“Was?”
“He thinks it burned out when all the power that was being released was diverted into changing me into a copy of Ryoko. The way TB stated his command was for me to become like Ryoko.”
Tennyo pointed to herself. “He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.”
“I’m probably alive now because instead of burning me out, the power surge was used up changing me.”
Fey spoke up. “You mentioned being kidnapped and someone trying to kill you.”
“Yeah, I was still burning up myself and everything around me at first. TB ran to get help. Somehow, after that, the power kicked in and was diverted to changing me. He ran past some guys outside when he ran next door. He saw them run in. When he could get back, the fire was starting to run down and they weren’t there. Neither was I.”
“We have assumed that they took me and tried to blackmail my parents. They took me somewhere that could hold dangerous mutants. When I woke up about a week later, I heard some people talking about killing me or some girl. They disappeared suddenly because they couldn’t find me and thought it might be a trap.”
“That’s when I realized I was a girl. I wrecked the place in my panic. I could suddenly project energy and made a mess of the place. After I calmed down they told me I had become a danger to everyone and was being kept where I was to protect people. They wouldn’t tell me anything else and I let them move me to a new hospital.”
“I wanted my parents but they wouldn’t answer my questions and kept me locked up. A few days of that and suddenly I started to feel kind of sick to my stomach. I yelled until a nurse came and led me to the bathrooms. When I sat down, there was blood everywhere. The nurse followed me into the stall and started laughing.”
“When she started to talk, I realized that she was one of the people who had been talking about killing me before. They had figured out I was a girl and come in to finish me off. They were working for someone else than the ones who kidnapped me and wanted me dead so the others couldn’t use me.”
“She was called Warp and could teleport and kill people with a disruptive touch. When she tried to touch me I somehow blasted her into the wall and ran for the door. It was locked and I didn’t know how to blast it. I was doing things by instinct alone. I suddenly formed a sword that cut through the door and ran out.”
“Her partner, Ripper, was outside dressed as a custodian and tried to stick me with his knife. I blocked with my sword and they both exploded. He got the worst of it and I ran. Between them and the others who were trying to shoot them I got to the roof. I thought they had me there when I found that I could fly.”
“I realized they had been holding me in the State Hospital that was about 20 miles from my house. When I got there I found the house surrounded by police tape and no sign of my family. I then went to the Tanaka’s who helped me contact my family and hid me.”
“How did the Tanaka’s know it was you?”
“Uh, well, I didn’t know it until then, but the Tanaka’s are mutants and Mr. Tanaka can read minds. I don’t know how I could have gotten the help I needed except they were ready to help me all they could after they had found out that it was me.”
"Mrs., Tanaka is my Sensei and was ready to really put some hurt on me before her husband set her straight and they realized they wouldn’t have to get any information of my whereabouts from me. At first, when I flew in, they thought I was someone who knew where I was being held.”
“After they realized it WAS me they took me in and cleaned me up. They got my parents and together figured out what was going on. It seems my parents have been causing grief for some biological terrorists in the area and they were being targeted because someone had leaked information about them.”
“Someone leaked information about them?”
“Like I said, It’s kind of complicated.”
“One group, the one that kidnapped me, was trying to get a sample of the stuff that TB used on me. It seems he intercepted it and the bad guys thought my father had it and were trying to get it from Dad. The two trying to kill me were hired assassins who were told to kill one of us to make a point. They realized that the others had me and decided to kill two birds with one stone.”
“Between them all it was one wild mess. Because no one was expecting what happened to me, it threw all the plans out of whack. Mom, Dad, and the Tanaka’s came up with a plan to get me out of it until I can get trained enough not to burn out again.”
“Burn out? Again?”
“Mr. Tanaka knows about that kind of thing and is pretty certain that if I don’t get properly trained soon I’m going to go up in smoke.”
Jade was looking at Tennyo intently. Belle asked, “What did they do?”
“Oh. They ambushed the murderers and made sure that they wouldn’t bother anyone for a while and made arrangements to get me out of Colorado so I could train without people trying to send me back to the State Hospital.”
“The State Hospital?”
“Yeah, It seems that I've been blamed for all the damage at the State Hospital when I escaped and they are using that to try to get me back.”
“How is your family taking this?” Asked Fey.
“I just found out that they were mutants also. At least I know Mom, Dad, and Larry are and I think TB must be also. Overall, they seem to be taking it OK.”
“They’re all mutants? Your whole family?”
“Yeah, They are.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that before. And, they managed to keep this a secret from you?"
“They wanted me to have a normal life. They thought that I would be better off not knowing. Especially if I wasn’t a mutant. I didn’t show any signs of it until TB gave me the drug.”
“What about the blood?” Asked Jade.
“What?”
“The blood, when you escaped.”
“Oh. That.” Tennyo blushed like mad.
“Well, what was it?” Jade wasn’t going to drop it.
“UH, well, uh, it was, uh, nothing really important.”
“What was it?” Jade was very determined.
“OK, OK, It was my period! Happy?”
“Your period?” Jade got a strange look on her face.
“I had another one just before I headed out this way. I really don’t want to discuss it right now, do you mind?”
Jade just turned away.
Belle had been watching and now asked, “How do you feel about this?”
“About what?”
“About what has happened to you. Becoming a girl and all.”
“Everyone seems to feel that I should be a lot more upset about it than I am. Mr. Tanaka has discovered that until I was nine, I was a hermaphrodite. I was then operated on for appendicitis and everything was removed. I think I feel that I have simply gotten back something I lost a while ago.”
“The fact that the male part burned out at the same time doesn’t really bother me too much. I’m much more concerned about the fact that I am very likely to burn out again if I can’t get trained enough to prevent it from happening.”
“What kind of powers do you have?”
“I’m not entirely sure.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I can fly, levitate, and the like very well. I’m stronger and faster than I was, but I haven’t had a chance to test how much more. I can sometimes do energy blasts and swords but that seems to be when I am under a lot of stress and sometimes it just happens spontaneously when I don’t want it too. I am not aware of anything else right now.”
“You think there might be more?”
“It’s not likely, but I never seem to know what’s going to happen anymore.”
"Well, again, that's what Whateley is here for, to teach you, and all of us how to find things like that out, and to stay in control of our abilities once we do that." Belle smiled, then waved towards the architectural oddity of Schuster Hall. "Let's move on now, shall we?"
* * * *
Once inside the building the kids were again impressed with its size all over again. The entry hall was floored in gleaming hardwood, probably oak from the feel of it to her, and stretched into what almost seemed to be infinity. A grand staircase dominated the center of the huge room, made of gleaming and lovingly cared for mahogany and led to a landing branching off into what looked like more spacious hallways.
There were comfortable looking chairs, couches, desks, tables, tasteful lamps and potted plants scattered apparently at random through the hall, and huge fireplaces dominated each end. Given the location of Whateley, Fey figured those were not only real, but used fairly often in the cold winter months.
“This is the main hall, children.” Belle explained as she led them through it. “Study and quiet gathering area for students and staff. It’s kind of chilly in the wintertime, but the fireplaces are nice. Get a spot close to one if you have the chance during the cold months. It’s a lot warmer and kind of cool sitting by the fire. Especially with the right guy or girl.”
She gave an evil little grin at the expressions on her charge’s faces at the mention of boy or girl friends, then relented a bit. “Not to worry, if you guys aren’t ready for something like that you can just say ‘thanks but no thanks’ and no one will get bent out of shape over it.”
Belle walked over to a wooden door and peeked inside it. “Hiegh-Ho, Mrs. Linford! I’m leading the first wave of Poe Cottage Frosh Orientation Tours. Would you please open up the Homer Gallery?”
“Of course, Belle.” A warm alto voice responded. A moment later, a trim 50ish African-American woman in a green dress came out, flipping through the keys on a ring. She clipped over to a set of double doors with a bust of Homer set into a niche beside the doorway. Mrs. Linford gripped the dome of Homer’s head and pushed back. The bust swung back revealing a lock set into the base of the bust. She inserted the key, and a panel in the door jam swung open, revealing a card slot and a keypad. Linford swiped a card and punched in a combination. There was a sound of bolts being withdrawn, and Mrs. Linford pulled one of the doors open.
“Thenk Yew!”, Belle sang as she shepherded the Freshmen into the gallery. “This is the Homer Gallery, which is where we keep momentos of prominent Alumni. Note, I said ‘prominent’- not ‘famous’ or ‘glorious’, just ‘prominent’. Of course, the very nature of this place requires that we keep it locked off most of the time, just in case anyone not ‘In The Loop’ drops by.
The Gallery was a long room lined with glass cases, with paintings on the wall and statues and free-standing exhibits on the floor. Belle walked up to a wax figure of a heroically built man wearing an odd suit consisting of a royal blue metallic looking armless and legless body sheath with shoulder plates, a wide golden belt with a thunderbolt design on it, white gauntlet gloves, high white boots, a long white cape and a large red triangular ‘C’ on the chest. The tabs holding the cape, and the greaves and bracers over the boots and gauntlets were gold metal matching the belt. “I don’t think that I have to tell anyone that this is a uniform belonging to Champion, the greatest superhero that Chicago has ever seen. This is the outfit worn by Champion during most of the 1970’s and early 1980’s. This really is one of his costumes, one that he wore during several of his battles of that period. This statue was on display at Madame Tassaud’s in Paris; when Champion changed his outfit in 1983, Tassaud’s made a whole new statue, and Champion asked them to deliver this one here.”
Hank raised a hand. “Champion was a student here? I thought that he was around way back before World War II!”
“Okay, this is one that almost everyone gets wrong. It’s a ‘sort of Yes, sort of No’ thing. You see, the original Champion, who was operating in Chicago as early as 1934, was what we now call an ‘Avatar’. An Avatar is a sort of mutant who has a psychic gift of bonding with spirits. Now, most spirits can, and will, try to possess human beings, but it isn’t a very good ‘fit’. The host tries to fight the possession, and if the spirit does manage to completely take over the host, the host is usually so utter wrecked by the struggle that they’re a physical and psychological ruin. You see them sometimes, hanging out with the winos and schizos on various ‘Skid Rows’. But an ‘Avatar’ can successfully fight the spirit, take control of it, and use its magical powers. As I said, the original Champion was an ‘Avatar’, even though he didn’t know it. In the course of his career, he managed to capture and ‘bind’ several spirits within himself. In so doing, he sort of fused all these spirits together into a single, greater spirit that we now call ‘the Champion Force’. But unfortunately for him, he didn’t know what he was really doing, and he came up with some rather bizarre ideas to explain to himself how he was able to do all the things that he did. Some of those ideas wound up costing him his life in 1953.
“But one of the things that the original Champion-” Belle pointed at a LIFE magazine color cover picture of a man in blue tights with a white cape, a hood that showed the lower half of his face, trunks, gloves and boots, with a large red ‘C’ on the chest, standing holding an American flag. “- did right, was to train two Avatars like himself.” She pointed at two figures standing on either side of the original Champion in the picture. To the left was a young blonde girl of maybe 15, wearing a short dress of a blue that matched Champion’s. She also wore a domino face mask, cape, belt, boots, gloves and large hair bow that matched the white of Champion’s trim. To the right was a young man of maybe 17, wearing a costume that was almost exactly like Champion’s except that the blue and white were reversed, and he only wore a blue domino mask, instead of a hood. “They were called Miss Champion and Junior Champion. When the original Champion died, he managed to pass the Champion Force onto Junior Champion, who became the second Champion. Since the original Champion trained him, the second Champion also inherited the original’s rather odd notions of how his powers worked. This caused him no end of troubles during his career.
“It was a very good thing that Champion did train Junior Champion and Miss Champion back in the 1940’s, because in the 1950’s there was a wave of legislation making ‘Kid Sidekicks’ illegal, under the ‘Endangering Minors’ laws. Now, the second Champion wasn’t just an Avatar, he was also a very versatile Kinetic. That’s where his ‘lightning vision,’ ‘polar breath’ and ‘thunder shout’ came from- pyrokinesis, cryokinesis, and psychokinetically created vibration. Mind you, his base kinetic powers probably weren’t that great, but they were most likely amplified by the Champion force. As the 1960’s rolled around, the term ‘Mutant’ entered the popular lexicon, mostly as a synonym for ‘dangerous freak’. As Champion II interacted with mutants of both the superheroic and supervillainous persuasion, he began to suspect that he too might be a mutant, not the rather bogus ‘Olympean’ origin that his mentor had taught him. As the nature of mutant abilities was researched by various fronts for various reasons, Champion II found another Avatar, someone who he could pass the Champion Force onto, if he should fall in combat. But he couldn’t train the boy personally- those ‘Anti-Kid Sidekick’ laws. So, in 1966, Champion II was part of the cabal of mutant superheroes and sympathizers who bought up the bankrupt Whateley Academy and turned it into a refuge for emergent mutants, who needed to be taught how to control their powers. Among the first class, was the young Avatar that Champion had chosen for his successor.
“In 1969, Champion II died, killed by a knife formed of ‘Tartareum’. It was just a piece of volcanic glass that someone had chipped into a knife-” Belle walked over to a glass case, where a crude knife of black glass lay on two brackets. “-but in Champion II’s mind, it was Tartareum, the one substance that could penetrate his defenses. So, it did, and he died. Champion II managed to hold on long enough to pass on the Champion Force to his successor, who was still taking classes at Whateley. The boy waited a year to graduate, and then took up the mantle of the Champion. The first thing that Champion III did was hunt down the vicious bastard who killed Champion II. The idiot had another glass knife- he wanted to go down in history as the ‘Man Who Killed Champion Twice’. Champion III didn’t have the psychological crutches that Champions I & II did, though. The knife broke on Champion III’s skin, and he dragged the scumbag to jail by his heels.
“Ever since then, it’s been understood that Whateley Academy will always be training at least one Avatar at all times- the best, the smartest, the strongest, the bravest Avatar enrolled- who is ready at all times to accept the Champion Force, in case the worst happens. We even have a jet on call at Berlin Airport, just in case.”
Belle walked them across the room. “On the flip side, here we have Lord Paramount, the mutant Prince of Wallachia.” Belle gestured at a large oil portrait. It showed a long view of a trim, athletic man, dressed in a deep purple coat cut in the manner of a Napoleonic Era officer, with a high collar, tails down the back, large cuffs, embroidered silver trim everywhere, and a white lace jabot down the front. He was wearing tight white trousers tucked into black riding boots, bound up with a silver lame sash, and had a white cape thrown over his shoulders. The man was aiming his classic patrician features up at the mantle of a rough-hewn fieldstone fireplace, contemplating a bust of a hawk-faced man with a large mustache. The painting projected an air of ‘the melancholy Byronic nobleman, enduring the majestic loneliness of splendor, meditating on the lessons of a bygone hero’.
Toni took a long look at the painting. “I get the impression that I’m supposed to recognize the bust, but I don’t. Who is it?”
“It’s Vlad Tepes Bessarab, Prince of Wallachia and Moldavia. You may know him better by his nickname- ‘Dracula’. And no, he wasn’t a Vampire. He was a 15th Century nobleman who ruled over much of a region called Transylvania, the border between Hungary and Rumania. While he had a reputation for being harsh, even brutal, he was also known for being even handed, and expecting Nobles to obey the same laws as the Commoners. He’s remembered as something of a romantic hero in Rumania. I rather expect that Lord Paramount is trying to cash in on that perception to help bolster his regime in Wallachia.”
“Why do you keep such a big picture of him here? I mean, if he’s an alumus, I can understand you having something- but this?”
“We gotta- Lord Parry is a big contributor to the school, and a condition of his donations is that we keep this picture here, and show it to all the incoming Freshmen.”
Hank took a long look at the painting. “How the heck did a loon like Lord Paramount wind up being a head of state, even in a backwater like Wallachia?”
“Well, give his Lordship his due, he’s not as loony as he sometimes comes across. While he makes no bones about doing the whole ‘supervillain’ thing, he’s sharp enough to know exactly where the line is, and to play his game right up to that line and no further. Or at least not where anyone will ever catch him at it. Anyway, back in the 1980’s, when the Soviet ‘empire’ crumbled in the space of about three months, some parts of Transylvania, which is traditionally Hungarian, wanted to secede from Rumanian and rejoin with Mother Hungary. Others wanted to become their own Nation. And others wanted to avoid trouble by staying with Rumania. Lord Parry here stepped into this, stirred things up, got a good sized militant group behind him. He used his powers to strategically steal ammunition, fuel, supplies and other essentials, and manipulate the tides of war. Remember, just because Lord Paramount comes across as a posturing git, doesn’t mean that he isn’t a clever dick under it all. For instance, Wallachia has about a dozen different ethnic, religious and political rivalries going. Lord Parry doesn’t waste time and effort trying to stop them- he uses them, and has set himself up as an impartial arbiter of their squabbles, giving each faction just enough to keep them thinking that they can get more from him. He keeps the squabbles down to shouting matches and the odd street fight, and everyone else in the region thanks him for being a peace-bringer. While he has his bullyboys handle most of the ‘peace-keeping’, every so often, he takes off the kid gloves and shows them that he’s equal to an armored column all by himself, just to remind everyone that he can.”
Billie cocked an eyebrow at the brooding figure on the canvas. “What are his powers, again?”
“Well, if memory serves correctly, he’s a level 5 Exemplar- just look at that chin, what else could he be?-, but he’s also a level 4 Kinetic- sort of along the lines of what you do, Hank, but more versatile-, a level 3 Telepath and a level 3 Esper. He’s supposed to be able to lift a good-sized car without straining, and can tip over tanks with some effort. Plays a mean game of Chess too, I hear.”
Belle walked away from the painting, to neat pile of what appeared to be large gold ingots, protected only by a red velvet rope. “Is That....?”
“Yep. Exactly one metric Tonne of 16-karat Gold. It’s a donation from Gabriella Guzman, the Mexican tycoon. She’s an alumna. Her ‘gift’ is some sort of Esper thing, that she uses to manipulate various markets. She started out dirt poor, from peon stock, and attended Whateley on a scholarship, but now she flat out owns Delicias, a major Mexican city in the Chihuahua province, most of the rest of Chihuahua, and good sized holdings in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and El Paso. She donated this on the condition that it’s not be sold, but displayed here. She said that it’s supposed to be a statement. Apparently, either you get it or you don’t. If you get it, no explanation is necessary; if you don’t, you wouldn’t understand the explanation.”
* * * *
Following that little side trip, Bell made sure the doors were closed, locked, and hidden again before turning to her group with a smirk. "We have a major influx of students coming in over the next couple of days. That means parents will be wandering around with their kids. Parents who really aren't aware of all the things we do here, and really don't need or want to. So like I just made sure the Homer Room was all buttoned up, you guys make sure that you keep your powers the same way until the opening day furor dies down. Ok?"
Stopping at a set of large, Oak doors with polished brass fittings, she dramatically paused for a moment before pushing them open with the announcement. “I give you The Crystal Hall, one and all. Cafeteria is to the right, let’s eat!”
The place was very impressive, with an open quality that Fey found more than a little pleasant. The setting sun was framed in the west by real trees, even if they were small ones on the inside. And there was actually grass in parts of the place.
“Wow!” Jade piped up, almost bouncing in her excitement at being in such a place and obviously a part of it. “This is Totally, Completely, Awesome!”
“Cool!” Tennyo echoed, obviously just as impressed as her roomie.
“Nice.” Ayla, the punker agreed with the first grin, or approximation of one anyone had seen on her face. The lack of sullenness actually showed just how pretty she was for brief instant.
“Food!” Toni headed straight towards the cafeteria with a huge grin on her face. Fey was already growing accustomed to her new roomie’s brash, bubbly actions and demeanor. “Let’s eat! I’m starved!”
“What she said.” Fey shrugged, then grinned as she turned to follow the other girl in search of what was making those so enticing aromas wafting to her nose from that direction.
The food was good. Better than that, it was abundant and very well prepared. Fey found herself filling a tray with mostly non-meat items, as she had done since her change had first started. Meat didn’t exactly turn her stomach, but it wasn’t nearly as appetizing for her as it had once been. Still, the collection of pastas, fruits, and crisp steamed vegetables had her mouth literally watering by the time she had gotten her tray filled and obtained a mug of steaming tea liberally laced with lemon and a dab of sugar.
Other students, mostly upperclassmen, and some other new arrivals were scattered around the huge eating area, and Fey noted with a bit of discomfort that just about every hetero male they passed was checking her out as one of the new chicks, and a pretty hot looking one at that.
* * * *
“Well then,” Belle said, “I suppose we’re ready to see some of the highlights down below. Come along.”
Followed by her gaggle of girls (and one guy), the raven-haired junior led them to an elevator. The doors did not inspire confidence, looking as if they had seen better days. And the single black bakelite button was old enough that the word “up” was only barely legible. Belle mashed the button, and after a moment of clunking from behind the doors, they heard a steady hum, interspersed with occasional loud mechanical clicks. Above the doors, a large bronze dial gave a jerk, then the indicator hand began to move from “3”, turning slowly down to “1”. There was a loud “thud.” The doors began to open, paused, then fully opened. Inside was a large but geriatric-looking elevator, finished in mahogany and brass.
“Pile in,” she invited.
The first in was Toni, although she looked a little puzzled. “This only goes to the third floor, and there are stairs right over there -“
“No, we’re going *down*.”
Everyone looked at the brass control panel. In addition to the normal buttons for closing the door and ringing the alarm, there were buttons for floors one through three. Nothing else. Belle reached over and pressed “three.”
The door ground shut. Once they were closed, however, Belle quickly tapped buttons in quick succession: “alarm-close-alarm-close.” Silently, smoothly, and quite rapidly, the elevator began to move downward. It accelerated swiftly, before smoothly braking and slowing to a halt. The doors snapped open with a crisp hiss.
“We’re here,” Belle announced needlessly. “Hurry out quickly, please. The elevator should return to the third floor as soon as possible.”
As the last of them stepped out, the elevator doors slid shut. They could hear the rush of air, as the elevator shot upward again.
“Every elevator in the school works like that,” Belle explained. “They’re slow and clunky on the upper floors. We do everything we can to encourage people to use the stairs. To get to the underground levels, you need to press a normal floor, then hit the pattern I used after the doors close. Don’t worry if you missed it, they’ll explain again when you get this.” From out of her purse she held an item that looked like either a shiny pea or a small green pearl. “This is your secure area pass. You need to have one of these whenever you travel into a restricted area, like the underground complex. Each ID-pinger is tagged with a unique number, so we can restrict who goes where. They can deactivate them, but don’t lose it unless you’re keen to pay a nasty fine. Also, you have to swap it in for a new pinger each semester. Some people make them into jewelry.”
The new students only listened with half an ear. For the most part, they were looking at the huge tunnel they now found themselves in. The tunnel was close to fifteen feet in diameter, but the far edge on each side was taken up with a moving conveyor-belt walkway. The walls of the tunnel seemed to be lightly textured, and were painted a golden color. From the center of the ceiling hung ugly globular institutional chandeliers. Lastly, they noticed that the color scheme changed abruptly at their position, moving from gold to flat yellow. Painted on the wall, and pointing down the gold corridor was an arrow and the word “Hawthorne.” A small plaque next to the gleaming elevator doors announced “Siegel Hall.”
“Alright, everyone!” Belle had to raise her voice significantly to capture their attention. “We are now in the underground portion of the Whateley Academy. These areas are strictly need-to-know, and discussion is therefore restricted to your fellows and the staff. If you are ever in doubt, *shut up*! If you’d like to talk about it, don’t. Remember, you are just freshmen. Blow this secret and the upperclassmen and administration will make your lives miserable for the remainder of your short, miserable stay here.” Turning smartly, she began a brisk walk farther down the tunnel.
“Yes, one more thing,” she announced, turning back. “Anyone down here may be presumed to know what we’re about. Consequently, there’s no need to hide the flash and glitter. If you wish to fly, glide, glow, or what-you-will, feel free.”
After a moment, Tennyo looked cautiously around, then lifted into the air. She didn’t so much fly as float. Tipped forward at a 45-degree angle, she effortlessly slid in whatever direction she wanted. With her arms clasped behind her back, she looked casual and comfortable.
A moment later, Ayla nodded, then she also rose into the air. Her posture was a little stiffer, being posture-perfect upright, with her arms crossed under her small breasts.
The group continued down the disturbingly empty tunnel. Behind them, toward Hawthorne Cottage, the tunnel stretched back straight as an arrow for what seemed like a mile. Ahead of them, it reached another fifty yards before hitting a tee intersection and branching left and right into smaller tunnels. They passed several dark corridors as they walked.
“What’s with that?” Ayla asked from the air, hooking a thumb toward one of the small unlit passageways.
Although she was facing away from them, you could hear the frown in Belle voice. “Old legacy. A lot of this was tunneled out by the classes of ’74 and ’77. They put in a lot of little side rooms. The official story was that they could be club rooms, or storage, or even handle overflow classes if we needed the room. The administration was never going to turn down an offer like that. But Whateley’s never had so many as 600 students, so I’m afraid that most of the rooms sit locked and unused. They aren’t even finished on the inside, just rough carved. Occasionally the board decides to do put in a loo or some such, but mostly it’s just hands off.” After a moment, she added, “Mainly, I suppose, they serve for fans of the matches, whenever there’s an arena event.”
No one could quite figure out that last comment, so they ignored it for the moment. This was because as they turned the corner they could suddenly see an armored-glass gallery looking down upon a fantastic scene. The glass wall in the tunnel’s side looked over and down on a hemispherical room, easily two hundred feet in diameter. The outer walls were lined with bank after bank of complex electronics, blinking and flashing in an arcane exhibition. Small, caterpillar-tracked vehicles surrounded the center. Each vehicle mounted either a large parabolic antenna or a spiral-wound rod. The parabolic dishes projected lambent cones of energy that flickered over the thing in the center. The rods, on the other hand, seemed connected to the central object through crackling streams of arcing electricity. And in the center, in the focus of all that power, was a crimson red whirlpool that narrowed into a black funnel. But no matter how you moved up or down the gallery, the funnel seemed to always point directly away from you.
Moving slowly from machine to machine, tending them and occasionally adjusting, were three figures in silvery blue space suits.
Belle cleared her throat after a moment. “Originally this housed a fairly conventional light water reactor. A team of devisors and manifesters created the armored glass in front of you. Don’t worry, it blocks 99.999% of the radiation, and is as strong as 400 millimeters of hardened steel.”
Her tone became somewhat dryer. “As I said, that was the original design. Every year the ‘power shop’ class reworks things a little. Everyone still calls this ‘The Reactor’, but I suppose that’s a bit of a misnomer, these days. And don’t even think about it. Unless you’re a high-level devisor, you have to be a junior or senior to sign up for power shop. Last I’d heard -“ she shook her head dismissively “there was nothing left of the original reactor. They’d redesigned things to tap into some bloody superstring energy potential.”
The others looked at her, surprised at the bitter tone.
Belle shrugged. “I’m sure the board loves it. Keeps the academy’s power bill nice and low. Doesn’t seem to help tuition costs, though. And it starts to get a little irritating when the cottage’s radiators keep loosing steam in the middle of winter. You can’t help asking - if they can build a secret underground complex with bleeding cosmic energy taps, why can’t they put central air into the cottages?” She grimaced. “Wait until February, and see if you don’t feel the same way.”
With that, Belle turned and moved on. “Right down this way is Arena ’77, the first of those combat training areas I mentioned.”
"This room is, as you can see, very large." Belle informed then quite needlessly. "It has to be for the things that go on here. We train in here, and in some of the other rooms, and through the use of specially designed machinery and holographic projection we can go through just about anything that might happen to us in real life. Specifically, this is a very real danger room, and the things in here can hurt you, and will if you come in and don't pay attention."
"Do you mean to tell us that this place could actually kill someone?" Billie questioned warily as she moved her gaze over the cavernous room.
"Not really." Belle reassured the girl. "There are so many failsafes set up in here, that it would take either a catastrophic systems failure or deliberate sabotage for someone to get really injured, or killed in here. So don't worry about that, please. Stuff in here can hurt you, even break bones. But it will not kill you. It's designed to train you to use your powers, not get rid of you."
"Oh now that's encouraging." Fey put in with an acerbic tone hinting at what the redhead might be like in the years to come at Whateley. "All I have to worry about in a place like this is broken bones. Cool, I can live with that. I think."
Everyone stared at the little redhead for a moment, and she shrugged with a little grin. "Hey! I was always a putz when it came to physical things. I was actually thinking of skipping the classes that go in here until I heard that from Belle."
"Skipping your training sessions wouldn't be a good idea." Belle warned. "You all need the skills and experience you'll get in rooms like these. Just to survive in real life once you graduate. Trust me, the bad guys, or good guys, depending on which direction you decide to go, aren't going to go easy on any of you just because you're new in the world."
"Then I suppose I'd better at least show up." Fey giggled. "And see if I can blow up some of this expensive machinery."
"That's the spirit!" Belle responded with a grin. "A good rule of thumb in these training rooms is that if it moves and you don't recognize it as a friend... Zap it and ask questions later. Once you do, you'll find out where you overreacted, or didn't react soon enough."
"And on that note..." Belle waved back towards the door leading to the elevator. "Why don't we head back to Poe and get you all settled?"
* * * *
As they stepped into their own hallway, the dark-haired boy Hank nervously asked a question. “So, ah, what bathroom does everyone use?”
Belle looked sideways at him. “Well, if we were on the main campus, dressed like that, behaving like that, would you try to go into a girl’s bathroom?”
“Uh, no. Of course not.”
“Right. And in public, none of the girls here would try to go into a men’ bathroom. Well, whatever you’d do in public, you do the same thing here. Which means, whatever you’ve got under your skirt,” she glanced at Hank, “or pants, as the case may be, doesn’t matter. The skirt, or pants do. That’s how you behave here, too. And if you’re in the bathroom here and you see something odd, well, you don’t see it. Understand? Because you can believe, that person has problems and is probably hurting a hell of a lot more than you are. We all stick together here, and we all support each other. No matter what we were, what we are, or what we may someday be. Everyone got it?”
There were general murmurs of assent, and understanding.
“Good enough.” Belle nodded, then launched into another discourse. Now this cottage, like the others, is four floors, a basement, and the attic. First floor is the receiving area, where the parents come to visit, things like that, study areas, and common rooms along with the kitchen and small dining area, as all of you have been told.
The second floor is mostly for freshmen -- sorry Fey, you got stuck here because you’re new to Whateley -- and is probably the worst looking of the bunch. I’m sure, that given a bit of thought you can understand why that is. This floor catches all the newbies, who are still working out how to use their powers...”
“So why repair everything when there’s a good chance some newbie is going to tear it all up when their power gets out of hand?” Toni questioned without needing an answer. Fey noticed Tennyo flinch a bit at that, but could easily see the logic.
“Exactly.” Belle agreed, then pointed out the stairs on one end, the bathroom facilities, and individual rooms to them. Third floor is sophomores and juniors, fourth is Seniors and influential juniors. The attic is reserved for the most influential seniors in the cottage and is most definitely off limits to anyone who doesn’t live in the penthouse unless a specific invitation has been given. Got all that?”
At the nods from her charges, the older girl showed them a panel with colored lights in a spot where it would be visible from the entire hall. This is the safety indicator. Red means there are visitors in the building and absolutely no use of your powers is permitted. Yellow means a stranger is here, but probably ok. Use caution and your own judgment regarding the use of powers. Green, as should be obvious, means it’s all clear and just about anything goes so long as the house isn’t destroyed or another resident here isn’t hurt too badly. And yes, some of the people living here play kind of rough, so get used to the idea. Got that?”
“Sure.” Toni nodded after looking to the others for signs of confusion and seeing none. “I think we all get the idea there.”
“I sure hope so.” Belle went on. “There are smaller panels in each room with switches in color coded strips so you can activate the warning lights all by yourselves, but be sure things are clear before clicking the green one.”
“All right, then.” Belle nodded with a grin. “The flagpoles on campus use the same type of signals to let everyone know the current situation regarding use of their powers. Make real sure you look for one to see what’s expected of you in that regard every time you leave the cottage. Are your brains melting from overload yet?”
“Mine is starting to hurt a little.” Fey grinned while miming a headache.
“Well, that’s it for now, all. Go to your rooms, unpack, and relax. The major bunch of students will begin arriving tomorrow, probably after breakfast, so enjoy the peace and quiet you have now. It won’t last all that long.”
* * * *
Fey watched as Hank effortlessly hoisted on travelling trunk onto his shoulder for the trip up the flight of stairs. But before anyone could get up the stairs, there was a loud *thud!* against the front of the building. “I’d know that thud anywhere,” Belle said dryly.
She walked to the front door and looked outside. Curious, everyone else followed close behind. They followed Belle’s gaze to a blue and white heap on the ground right at the base of the wall. “It wouldn’t have done you any good, anyway, Megs,” Belle drawled. “They’re reassigning rooms, remember? You’re on the Third Floor this year. That is unless you WANT to stay on the Second Floor with the newbies.”
“Oh, go boil your cauldron!” The heap snapped back. With a groan, the heap pulled itself up and resolved itself into a rather nicely put together blonde girl of about 16 wearing a legless blue leotard, with a white belt, gauntlet gloves, buccaneer boots, and cape, and a stylized red ‘M’ on her chest. “Everyone, this is Marty Penn, a.k.a. ‘Mega Girl’, or invariably ‘Megs’. Marty is one year ahead of you, one of Our Crowd, and a card carrying member of the Cape Squad. Megs, this is the Freshmen crew of the Gender Baffled.”
‘Megs’ smiled sweetly, stuck her hand out for Hank to shake, and bubbled out a stream of welcomes and disconnected bits of Sophmore wisdom to the Froshes. A bit of recognition clicked in Toni’s mind and she thought to herself ‘Dear Ghod, somebody went and gave Lizzie McGuire © super powers!’
As Marty’s babbling brook paused for a second, Belle asked innocently, “You flew in from the train station?”
“Sure? Why not? It was getting late, and nobody saw me, and they’ll bring in my luggage with the others-”
“And you’re going to hide the fact that you’re here well ahead of the others with only your super-suit to wear from Mrs. Horton, exactly How?” Belle arched an eyebrow.
Marty’s bellflower blue eyes popped wide open, and she worried her lower lip. “You could.... use your Ectoplasm to disguise me?”
Belle smiled acidly. “No-no-no-no-no- I’ve ‘bibbledy-bobbledy-booed’ you out of trouble for the last time. You can get yourself out of this little mess. I’m going to have my hands full with this lot, thank you very much!” With that, Belle shooed the Froshes back in, and pointedly shut the door behind her.
“Isn’t that a little harsh?” Jade asked worriedly.
“Not to worry- it will take her a bit, but eventually it will occur to her that all she has to do is fly up to the roof and hang out there until the rest of the incoming students come in. She just wanted to get first call on rooms.”
Ayla raised an eyebrow. “When you said that Marty’s ‘one of Our Crowd’, did you mean that she’s here in Poe Cottage, or that she’s---?”
“Transgendered? Most definitely. You see, under that PK shell, Marty is a rather weedy looking young man.”
“You mean, Marty can make himself look like a girl by creating a ‘PK shell’, but under it all, he isn’t changing into a girl?” Jade asked.
“Not quite- you see, Marty IS changing himself in rather the same way that I did, but it’s very slow. She’s going to be switching back and forth for quite a while until he manages to redefine his biological patterns. So, if you see a strange boy walking down the hall in a lacy blue nightgown, and he says that he's Marty, there’s a good chance that he is. Just steer him up to the Third Floor and let them heckle him to death.”
“You said something about ‘the Cape Squad’. What’s a ‘Cape Squad’?” Toni asked.
Belle took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Ah, well, you see, here at Whateley, we have our cliques, the same as everywhere else. We have the usual roster of groups- there’s the Alphas, our resident self-appointed ‘elite’; there’s Venus Inc., the local Fashion Police and Beauty Nazis; there’s the Rat Patrol, the inevitable group of grungy losers, and so on. And we have some groups that could only exist here at Whateley: the Masterminds, the Ninjas, the Robo-Jox, and of course, the Cape Squad. The Cape Squad is basically a bunch of kids who are VERY Up on the notion of being ‘future super-heroes of America’ and all that. If the superhero fan magazines are right, Marty spent a good part of the summer trying to be accepted by the Empire City Guard. Again. Ah well, at least Marty can come back here and try to get Iron Star to get to notice her.”
“_Iron Star_?” Ayla said in a pained tone.
“Well, Yes---” Belle said with an embarrassed grin, “Well, Marty likes him, anyway. He’s sort of the ‘main man’ in the Cape Squad.”
The Wild and Ferocious Cabbit Chase
Toni was ‘helping’ Nikki unpack by shelving her books. From a reclining position on her bed by tossing them onto the bookcase across the room. “ ‘Archetypal Imagery In Folk lore’ by Dr. Tregwaithe Brown, Pd.h.” <Shelf!> “ ‘Universal Concepts In Metaphysical Systems’ by Sylvia Wiggins- I’ll bet that’s a real page-turner!” <Shelf!> “ ‘The Magic Mirror: Medieval Legend And Modern Psychology’ by Dr. Donald Ryecroft. Don’t tell me how it turns out, I want to read it on my own!” <Shelf!> “ ‘The Glory That Was Avalon: An Overview Of Faerie Lore in Europe’ by Jessica Godfrey. I think I’ll wait until the movie comes out.” <Shelf!> “ ‘The Tribe of Oberon: Analytic Comparison of Faerie Concepts in Global Folklore’ by Horace Brigham- jeez, Nikki, are you into this whole ‘Fairy Princess’ concept or what?” <Shelf!>
Nikki sniffed, “Well, unlike some mutant powers, _mine_ require a real understanding of how they work. I can’t just wing it, the way that you do. Besides, you have all those martial arts teachers just panting at the idea of working with you. Me? Real magicians are pretty rare, and they don’t exactly part with their secrets easily. I need every bit of lore that I can scare up!”
Fey began unloading her bags and putting her things into one of the two standing wardrobes meant for the hanging stuff. Though she was a sophomore, being new to the school meant that she was placed on the second floor with the incoming freshmen. Not that it mattered all that much to her. At least she would be surrounded by people she had already met.
“Hey!” Toni was looking over her shoulder at the thing still in the suitcases and trunk, then at what was already hung up in the closet. “You have some really nice things. Real pretty, and even the pants and shirts look feminine. Show’s my roomie has good taste.”
“My Mom, and a friend's idea, mostly.” Fey indicated her clothing with a small grin. “But thanks. I’m getting used to them, especially when I can only wear linen, cotton, or silk pants. Hard to appear even a little masculine in the silk ones, and the others were picked for their feminine cut. Wish I could still wear jeans, though.”
“I bet my folks could find some pure cotton denim for you.” Toni offered. “If I asked them to look.”
“I appreciate that, Toni, I really do.” Fey grinned up at the black girl. “The problem is that I can’t tolerate most of the dyes they use on denim jeans. Unless they are specifically not synthetic based. Which makes the kind I would need very expensive these days. Heck, a real silk dress costs less than a pair of those does.”
“Well, I could have them look around, anyway, if you liked.”
“That would be great, Toni.” Fey told her while carefully placing a colorful assortment of satin and silk underwear in the drawers of the chest that was on her side of the room.
A thump and suddenly expelled “Ack!” from across the hall interrupted any further conversation as both girls went to their door to see what had happened. Something small, and furry, was skittering and sliding down the hallway with the sound of soft feet on the hardwood flooring.
“My cabbit!” Tennyo yelled as she charged out the door and began looking up and down the hall for the thing.
“I didn’t think we could bring pets in here.” Toni answered while pointing in the direction the thing had run.
“It’s a stuffed animal!” Tennyo answered in exasperation then colored a bit as she realized she’d just been had. “My little brother gave it to me before I left.”
“Cool!” Toni stepped out into the hall as Tennyo charged down it in pursuit of the errant stuffed cabbit, barely avoiding being knocked down by the other. She hollered to the hallway in general. “Loose cabbit on the floor! Loose cabbit on the floor! Sound the alarms and round the critter up!”
The cabbit, giggling, slid between Tennyo’s legs on its way back down the hall, leaping over a laughing Jade, then adroitly avoided a grab made by Toni as it charged past her. Fey and Ayla moved to cut it off from the stairs at the end of the hall while a bemused hank watched all the activity from his own door.
“C’mon, Hank!” Toni caroled as she rushed past where the cabbit had just been before it had executed a perfect 180 and ran skittering back the other direction, evidently with the idea of hiding in one of the bathrooms. “Help us round up this wild and dangerous Creature!”
The cabbit, in that space of time, had made it to one of the bathrooms, the boy’s, and pushed open the door, disappearing inside with a sound suspiciously like a raspberry for those chasing it.
Fey was checking to make sure she hadn’t inadvertently caused the stuffed animal’s sudden liveliness by accidentally tapping into her power without controlling it. With a visible sigh of relief, she determined that it wasn’t her fault, and joined in with the chase, which had stalled at the door to the boy’s room.
Sounds of running water, flushing toilets, and paper towel dispensers being suddenly and violently emptied came from the bathroom as Hank finally walked carefully up to the group with an amused look on his face. “A cabbit?”
“Half rabbit, half cat.” Tennyo offered helpfully. “It's in there.”
“I know what one is.” Hank chuckled. “And where this one is. I just can’t figure out why it’s not only hiding in the boy’s room, but running around at all.”
“Who cares?” Toni laughed while pushing him towards the door. “It is, and we need you to go in and get it.”
“Yeah, we are in a school filled with mutants.” Tennyo gave both Jade and Fey a halfway suspicious look. “One of our classmates must have brought it to life.”
“Not mine.” Fey protested. “I haven’t even done any of my stuff since I got here.”
“Who me?” Jade gave her roommate a hurt look.
“Ok, I’m going in.” Hank sighed, reaching to open the door.
The cabbit had been waiting for that. Once the door had opened even a crack, it bounded out of the bathroom, wove a complex path through the gathered kids, and headed for the stairs at top speed.
Toni used her incredible speed to head it off, but the canny cabbit veered into another room before she could grab it. Fey was right outside that one, and ran in to try and catch the thing.
The cabbit pounced when she did, wrapping its stuffed legs around her arm and letting out mock growls while butting its head against the arm and running its blunt feet along it as well. “Bite, claw, claw, bite, claw...”
It stopped for a moment, looking up into Fey’s face with an almost grin before telling her in a female voice. “Hey, you’re being savaged by a wild and ferocious cabbit here! don’t you think a few screams of agony and useless cries for help would be in order?”
“Jinn?!” Fey understood suddenly and started to laugh.
“Come on, play along with me.” the cabbit, or Jinn wheedled. “This is too much fun.”
“Uh, ok. I guess.” The redhead answered.
“Claw, claw, bite, rend, bite, claw, claw, claw, claw!” the cabbit answered, then giggled.
“Oh help me!” Fey hollered out the door. “I’m being savaged by a wild and ferocious cabbit! The pain! Help! Help! Help!”
With that she staggered out the door with the cabbit ferociously ‘mauling’ her arm and fell to the floor with exaggerated motions. “Arrrgh! It’s killing me! Help!”
The cabbit let her go, and ran again as the others closed in. Scampering off to hide itself among the still piled up luggage in the hallway.
“Enjoying yourself, drama queen?” Toni questioned as Fey stood back up.
“Yes.” Fey answered, then laughed. “I haven’t had this kind of simple fun for ages!”
“Me either.” the black girl answered with a giggle, then pointed to a motion among the luggage. “There it is! Get that cabbit!”
The girls, with Hank’s enthusiastic assist, tried to corner it there, but there was too much in the way. It managed to slip by again and headed for the stairs again. Fey and Toni kept it from going downstairs but it succeeded in going up to the next floor.
As all of them reached the third floor, Hank told the others to go after it and he would head it off.
Tennyo giggled at Fey as we headed down the hall. “My cabbit! You hexed my cabbit!”
People on the second floor were starting to poke their heads out of the doors to see what the commotion was.
Fey giggled back. “Wasn’t MY doing! Hey, I’m the one who got mauled! Has that cabbit had its shots?”
Tennyo grinned even wider, this was way too much fun. “You can’t get rabies from a TOY!”
Toni got in on the conversation. “Mighty lively looking toy! How do you know it’s not possessed?”
Tennyo stared for a moment, then let out another giggle “Is possession contagious like rabies? Cause I don’t think its been inoculated against that. I wasn’t expecting a POSSESSION.”
Fey picked right up on that one. “Nobody EXPECTS a POSSESSION!”
They all skidded around the corner right on the cabbit's tail, when Hank stepped out of concealment. “Ha! Outfoxed on the far side. Let’s see you...”
But he never got to finish as Toni yelled, “Hank, LOOK OUT!” And everyone plowed into him.
Suddenly the cabbit took off again, yelling. “I smell carrots! Miya, MIYA!” And headed up to the fourth floor.
Eventually, with the help of some of the other students, they cornered it. After capturing it and trussing it up good, Tennyo thanked everyone for their help and carried the errant toy back to her room.
* * * *
Tennyo poked her head into the door of Toni and Fey’s room with a small grin. “Hey in there? Got room for company?”
“Sure thing.” Toni waved the girl in, giving a suspicious look to the stuffed lion she was carrying. “Is that one going to run away, too?”
“Nope.” The Asian girl widened her grin, showing off an unnerving display of sharp canines when she did. “This is our culprit from Cabbit Chase, though, and she’s here to take her punishment. Feel free to whack away at her.”
"Yeah!” The lion chirped as Nikki stared at it with another funny expression on her face. “Knock the stuffing out of me!”
“Jinn.” Nikki shrugged, then hauled off and gave the lion a solid thwack with her little fist. “I think you’re going to start worrying me one of these times.”
“Ouch! Ouch! Arrgh!” The lion obligingly yelled, then looked up at Nikki and seemed to wink. “For a little thing, you sure do have a good punch there.”
After everyone had a chance to whack the lion, the group retreated to the common room on the second floor to talk a little more. They started learning more little tidbits about each other. It seems both Jade and Toni were really into Aikido.
Neither Fey or Ayla had much exposure to the martial arts. They didn’t seem too interested in them just then either.
Toni began to explain how martial arts had become a very big part of her life and how it was nice to have something in common besides the BIG thing.
Tennyo interjected with, “Big TWO things, don’t forget the mutant powers bit.”
She replied. “That’s what I was talking about. OH! You meant the whole ‘turning into a girl’ bit.” She waved her hand in the air. “You know, it’s like, shit happens. Deal with it and move on.”
Fey wasn’t as enthusiastic about it. “Easy for you to say, maybe you didn’t have your whole life thrown into the toilet. My Dad freaked when he heard what was happening to me, and my little brother just laughed and told me I‘d been a pussy anyway, so what was the difference now?”
Suddenly, Jade jumped up and cried, “It’s just not fair! You’re probably the most beautiful girl in the entire state! Some of us would DIE to look half as pretty as you!” She turned and ran from the room.
The others just stood there and looked at each other in surprise for a moment. Then the lion said, “Girls. Who can figure them. Must be hormones or something.” Everyone took turns whacking her while she muttered, “I deserved that.”
After that was out of their systems, they tried to decide what was wrong with Jade. By careful questioning of Jinn it was decided that Jade must be jealous of the changes the others in the group had happen to them or were going through.
No one was sure exactly how to help her with that one. All agreed to keep their eyes open and see if there was anything that could be done to get the small girl through her difficulty.
Toni changed the awkward subject by asking Tennyo for a demonstration of her powers.
The Anime escapee shrugged. “Well, I don’t think it’s a real good idea to show you guys my energy sword, or blasts, after all, we were told not to destroy anything, weren’t we? But I can show you the thing I am good at controlling.”
With that, she left the floor, rather floated off it, to hover in the air about halfway between the floor and ceiling. “It seems that gravity doesn’t affect me unless I let it. It’s kind of fun seeing the double and triple takes I can get when people walk into a room where I am doing it. They seem to lose a little equilibrium as they try to make sense of my new reality.”
“Bet that is a real riot.” Toni dryly commented.
About then, Jade knocked on the door frame wearing an embarrassed look on her pretty face. She apologized for running out like that. Fey welcomed her back and Tennyo gave her a small wave hello, which she smiled at.
Fey got down to the hard part immediately. “You aren’t really jealous of someone like m -- us, are you?”
She looked at Fey with such a strong need that it made all of them nervous and said, “You are so beautiful. I’d give almost anything to be like you.”
The girls exchanged looks when Jade wasn’t watching, silently agreeing that the smaller girl was going to need careful watching over. It also seemed to dawn on each of them that they actually liked and cared for each other, even after such a short time of being together. None of that was spoken aloud, but everyone got a feeling of satisfaction and warmth at the same time.
Toni gave Fey a narrow eyed look. “Nikki, are you broadcasting? I mean are you an Esper, too?”
“Oops.” The redhead offered a sheepish smile. “Guess I was at that. I’m actually an Empath instead of a mind reader. The wizard who tested me says that I’m a strong level three in that, whatever that means. I didn’t mean to send my feelings to all of you, though, it just kind of leaked out.”
“Hey, not to worry there!” Toni answered while the others agreed. “We all seem to have pretty much the same feelings anyway, you just kind of reinforced them for all of us there. I feel like we’re all sisters here, and that isn’t so bad, is it?”
There was general agreement and hugs passed out all around after that, when Tennyo cleared her throat and got things rolling again. “Well... Hey! I was just telling the girls some of the things I do. I didn’t want to try and show off the energy blasts and stuff, We were warned not to destroy anything. So I showed them some of the other things I do. Next person up was going to be Fey, right?”
Ayla chipped in. “Yeah, We got part of it on the tour. Psychedelic squirrels, Turning into a girl, FORCED to buy cool clothes, and which of us can’t understand that last part? But you never told us how it works.”
Fey looked a little nervous, and then straightened up. “I told you about getting power from ley lines, right?”
Jade shook her head. “I didn’t quite understand that part.”
Fey took a deep breath and started to go into a detailed lecture about how all life is linked by the powers in them. Tennyo appeared a bit skeptical on that part and interrupted, “Do you believe in a god who controls us through these lines of power?”
Fey gave her a surprised look, and when she widened her eyes, it was clear just how alien she was becoming in some respects appearance wise. Then she just stuck her tongue out at the Asian girl and grinned.
Toni joined in, “Yeah, remember Tennyo, hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side.”
“I have to agree in principle to that, although I have always felt that it is a good idea not to anger The Powers That Be if you don’t have to.” Tennyo grinned back.
Rubbing her head, Fey broke in. “Excuse me! I was trying to have an origin here!”
Toni apologized. “Sorry! Please continue.”
“No, no, you’ve ruined the mood. I’ll just cut to the chase.” She proceeded to explain that she didn’t understand it herself. That was why she had come here. It was an attempt to learn what she did and how to control it. She wouldn’t show us because she didn’t want to be the cause of any weirdness herself. She then looked at the stuffed lion and said. “Pardon me, any more than we‘ve already had today.”
The lion replied, “Weird is as weird does.” Toni was the closest and whacked it a good one.
* * * *
Whateley Academy: Mon, Sep 4, 2006
The next day was pretty much spent getting more settled in, getting uniforms squared away, and finding at least tentative class schedules. Nikki emerged from the uniform shop carrying a large number of paper wrapped packages with a small grimace.
Toni finished with her own fittings and not all that comfortable with the idea of actually wearing one of the uniforms gave her roommate a questioning look. “What’s wrong?”
“My Mom -- and Dad.” the redhead let out a sigh. “Mom must have told him that I can’t tolerate synthetics any more, and passed my measurements on to him or something. And he sent all of this stuff to me, care of the uniform shop. With a little note, too.”
“So you don’t have to pay for uniforms, and given your special needs in that regard, it can’t be a bad thing, now can it?” Toni pressed.
“I guess not.” Nikki shook her head and handed the black girl a sheet of paper. “Tell me how you’d take this.”
Dear Nichole,
I still can’t say I’m thrilled over what has happened to you, but since it has, and you’re still my child, I feel responsible for seeing to your needs just like before.
Hope these all fit, you Mother was pretty quick with rolling the measurements off to me on the phone. If you need more of them, my personal tailor has the information and you can contact him at the below address. I’ll cover the expense.
Dad
“Well.” Toni handed the note back to her roommate. “At least he hasn’t disowned you or anything. Give him time and he’ll get used to the idea, and the new you, I think. I mean, looking at you as you are now, what’s not to like? You’re gorgeous.”
“Maybe,” Nikki let out a sigh. “But I used to be his oldest son. Now I’m his daughter, and he’s still freaked, I can tell by the note.”
“Hey, you’re still kind of freaked, too.” Toni gave Nikki a pat on the shoulder. “Just remember that daddies dote on their daughters. You’ll both get used to it eventually.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” The redhead grimaced, then muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “When pigs fly.”
* * * *
“Why do you only have afternoon classes?” Hank asked Nikki as some of the girls, and He gathered in the sun room to compare schedules.
“I was told that I needed the morning time for special classes.” Fey shrugged. “That and lots of testing to see exactly what my powers are, where they sit in the classification ranges for Wizards, and how I’m going to handle them. I’m also going to have some one on one stuff about things like all the ‘voices’ I hear in things, and the changes my body is going through.”
“Oh.” Hank nodded with a glazed look in his eyes.
“Well you asked.” The redhead grinned with a glint of mischief in her large violet eyes.
Further discussion of class schedules and testing was halted in mid voice as Ayla slammed into the room muttering and swearing under her breath followed by a worried looking Tennyo and Jade.
“What?” Toni stared at all three of them.
“Read this.” Tennyo handed a note to Toni with a grimace. “I don’t think Ayla is in any mood for a calm discussion of anything just now.”
“Seems to be a day for notes around here.” Fey grumbled and just waved off the questioning looks Tennyo and Jade gave her.
Missing your family much?
Don’t worry. However far they may be from your heart and mind, rest assured that they aren’t far out of our sights. Particularly that so-called sister of yours. Play things right and we give both you and her a wide berth, and never talk to you again. Play things wrong and the very least that will happen is that those innocent young girls you’re living with will find out that their sorority sister used to look a lot different.
We’re looking for someone else, not related to you. All you have to do is get the name and address of every girl living in Poe Hall. It should be easy. Right now, everyone’s moving in. They all have addresses on their luggage.
Write the information down, fold the paper up, and leave it under the bust of Edgar Allen Poe in the entryway to your cottage. Wednesday, exactly at noon. No tricks. Complete this successfully and we will never again bother you or yours.
Don’t play games with us, Trevor. We mean business.
“Innocent Young girls?” Toni gave everyone a look.
“Guess my note wasn’t so bad after all.” Nikki muttered.
“Well, what do we do about this?” Jade questioned.
I’m going to tear someone apart!” Ayla growled to the room in general. “Once I find out who’s doing this.”
“I can understand that.“ Tennyo nodded. “I’ve been threatened a lot recently, myself, but that just brings us back to Jade’s question. What do we do about it?”
“We?” Ayla looked up and the obvious clouds of rage in her eyes began to fade, and be replaced with puzzlement.
“We.” Toni confirmed, waiting for the others to agree and going on when they did. “We’re all new here at Whateley, we all have gender issues to deal with here, and we’re going to be together for quite a while. So if one of us gets in trouble, the others need to help out if it’s at all possible. That way we have our own support system here.”
“Makes sense to me.” Nikki nodded, then moved to sit with Ayla. “Look, all of us have problems here, some worse than others. And we all need to stick together, it just seems like the right way to do things, doesn’t it?”
“Not only pretty, she’s got a brain.” Toni grinned at Nikki briefly. Nikki stuck her tongue out at the black girl and gave Ayla a quick squeeze.
“So.” Jade piped up. “We thought we might make up a false list, you know use silly names and stuff that might actually be true given where we live right now. Then stick it under the bust and keep watch to see who comes for it.”
“A plan!” Toni agreed with a bounce. “We have a plan now. Let’s do it!”
“Umm, a thought here.” Nikki quietly tapped Tennyo on the shoulder. “Could these people be looking for you? With what you’ve told us I think that might be the case.”
“Damn.” The Asian girl frowned. “I hadn’t thought about it in that light.”
“All the more reason to find out who is behind this.” Toni answered. “So we can figure out what exactly it is that they’re after.”
“Right.” Tennyo’s eyes had taken on a reddish tinge, then returned to her more normal look. “So let’s get started on this fake list, shall we?”
Continued in Quothe The Ninja, Nevermore!
A Whateley Academy Tale
Quoth The Ninja, Nevermore!
(Whateley 2)
by Maggie Finson, Bek D Corbin, Babs Yerunkle, and Starwolf
The kids are finally settled into their rooms in Poe Cottage and are planning a good night's sleep before the start of classes the next day. Then a bunch of black clad burglars steal the bust of Edgar Allen Poe, the cottage's namesake. Who needs sleep? The honor of Poe Cottage is a stake!
Whateley: September 6, 2006
Having been kicked out of the sunroom, five girls and one guy squeezed into a tiny two-person bedroom. To help make room, one of the girls was standing upside down on the ceiling. Even if she hadn’t been, Tennyo would have drawn a double-take. With spiky blue hair that defied gravity (even when she was right-side up), amber cat-slitted eyes, and small fangs that protruded when she smiled, the cocky girl didn’t quite look human. Cute and sexy, yes. But not exactly human — even if you ignored the tail that sometimes swished behind her.
A more subtle brand of non-human came from the girl with flame-red hair sitting cross-legged on one bed. Her eyes were a little too large, a little too slanted. A common reaction was simultaneous attraction and dread. It was as if regular people had an instinctive recognition of her kind; as if they still remembered the terrible beauty and power of the elder race that had once cultivated this garden world. Looking at her, so aptly named "Fey," the eye blinked and the illusion vanished like a popping soap bubble. She was no more than a lost child, young and insecure. Even so, her beauty grabbed you around the throat and clenched. Currently pacing the inadequate floor space was a slender young girl with a tight cap of black hair. She was alternately pulling that hair out in spikes or slamming her fist into her palm. With each slam, there was a sound like a pile driver hitting a post — a crack of displaced air as fist met palm. "They threatened my FAMILY!" she ranted, "I’m going to hurt them so bad!" She turned sharply, stressing her painted-on jeans far past their design goals. "They’ll learn not to mess with a Goodkind! I was learning how to deal with blackmailers and parasites back in second grade! You hear me? Second grade!" Her rant was somewhat spoiled as her tiny scoopnet T-shirt once again slipped off her shoulder, exposing a bit too much of her lacy bra strap. The child of the group said, "Well don’t worry. Jinn’s watching everything. We’ll know as soon as they make a move, so calm down. We have hours." From the ceiling, Tennyo asked, "Did you put Jinn into old Edgar’s head?" "No," the young Japanese girl said. "The ransom note was so clear about us slipping our answer under the bust that I thought they might have it bugged or something. But do you remember the opposite side of the foyer?" The others shook their heads. "Come ON! It’s got a niche, too. Big book. Giant stuffed raven perched over the book. Does any of that ring a bell?" "I was always looking at the bust," Tennyo admitted. The slender (and flat-chested) Japanese girl glared at her better-endowed roommate. "Remember those words, Tennyo. Remember them." "I love you too, Jade." ***** Down in the lobby, an autonomous cloud of mental energy was anchored to a stuffed Raven. It seemed to look through the raven’s eyes, feel with the raven’s taloned feet, move with wings instead of arms. Except… "This thing is stiff as a board," Jinn thought. "Even if I *could* move a wing, it would probably snap off." She grumbled, but kept her "eyes" on the statue opposite: the bronze head of Edgar Allen Poe. ***** "So," Toni asked, terrified of more hours of just waiting. "Anyone up for darts?" "Do you WANT to ruin our walls?" "Against _you_? Are you nuts?" "Where did you find room in here for a dartboard?" The black girl proudly held up her darts and board. The darts were little larger than toothpicks. And while the board had all the conventional fields on it, it was no larger than a half-dollar. "It’s not that bad, guys. If I put it on the far wall, I sometimes miss." The others looked at her in suspicion. "Well, I mean, they aren’t bullseyes. Not exactly." The only boy spread his large hands. "Thanks, but no thanks. You know how clumsy you sometimes feel after a growth spurt? I’m kind of feeling that way, all over." "Don’t worry, Hank," Tony reassured. "The ‘big lug’ style is popular right about now." "Yeah, I wished I believed that," the tall boy said. He cast a quick glance over at the exotic Fey, sitting crossed-legged on her bed. "But sometimes I just feel so out of place." ***** A lonely robin called from its perch. The huge oak overhung a steep drop, overlooking a wide stretch of protected New Hampshire forest. With barely a whisper, a wiry, black-garbed figure seemed to materialize on the tree’s bough. Even its head was covered in a tight black wrap — only a rectangle of grey mesh indicating where the eyes might be. Long black sleeves and tight gloves covered the arms. Looser pants tucked into short boots with padded soles. Again, all black. It was immediately apparent that a … foreign … element had entered the forest. The robin spread its wings to take flight, alarmed at the unexpected intrusion. Before it could even cry out its alarm though, a disk of jagged metal sliced into it — silencing it, and killing it instantly. The black garbed figure crouched to retrieve the shuriken, cleaning the throwing star by wiping it against the feathers of the dead bird. "What was the point of that?" The new figure was nearly identical to the first, but something in his stance spoke of a more noble bearing. He also wore a glass medallion around his neck. "It was good practice. And we must be as silent as the wind. Why are you even talking now?" "Calm down, Mikoshi. We have miles to go, yet. For now we eat and rest, preparing ourselves for the task to come." The noble, medallion-bearing figure suddenly sat, cross-legged. He pulled off his hood to reveal the classically good looks of a long-suffering samurai. "Of course. If *you* say so, Matoi." Following the sarcastic reply, he kicked the dead bird off the branch, then dropped to his knees, sitting seiza. "Oh, and you might as well tell the rest of them to come out. They aren’t fooling anyone." With a blur of motion, three more black clad figures appeared, distinctive even in their black garb. One easily out-massed the first two together. He pulled off his hood to reveal dark, suspicious eyes set into a lumpy round face. "About time," Gissha Gyudon said. The next figure was obviously female. Her black garb accentuated her contours, rather than hiding them. Using one of the many techniques that each ninja must master, her hands flashed like speeding arrows, darting into the folds and pockets of her outfit to retrieve whatever weapon or tool the moment demanded. "Does everyone want rice balls, or should we have the bentos? See? I made a box for each of you!" While the others made their attacks on the bento boxes, the last figure stood alone. Sarumawashi Unagi’s scrawny frame was neither heroic nor intimidating, even in his black garb. His situation was made more comical by a bulky backpack and a network of pockets sewn over his outfit, and the small silvery device his hands quickly assembled from those pockets. When he was done, he held a small hand-held unit with a rotating parabolic dish that ‘ping’ed amusingly. His thoughts were a different matter, though. *Those idiots shouldn’t be allowed to sneak into a supermarket! Now, where is it?* In moments, the comical device in his hands had located the nearest sensor platform — an outlying security device of the Whateley Academy. A few rapid clicks on his hand-held and Sarumawashi had opened a "hole" for them, inserting them into the system as a "security and training exercise." He estimated the sensor network at being able to detect any living creature over 40 kilograms entering the area. He could easily think of a dozen ways to defeat it, this had the advantage of being easiest, and least likely to be messed up by his useless companions. *Once this is done,* he promised himself again, *once I have proven myself, then I go solo. Until then, may the kami grant me the strength not to slay these fools who surround me.* Satisfied for the moment, he reached for his bento. "What --?" "You weren’t eating it!" the large Gissha said, spraying rice as he spoke. "Anyway, I got more muscle than you! I need extra fuel!" Unagi gritted his teeth in frustration, and masterfully refrained from unleashing the deadly ‘Thousand Needles of Death’ technique. ***** As they began to droop, one-by-one the girls quietly prepared for bed. Fey was picking through her nightwear deciding which one of her new nightgowns to wear while thinking it had been a long, but interesting day. "Hey, Nikki!" Toni bounced into the room squeaky clean and wearing a short red satin sleeping shift. "The bathroom’s free now. If you run, you could probably get there before all the hot water is gone." "That sounds good." Fey grinned tiredly while wondering if her roommate ever slowed down to a pace others had a chance of matching. Finally choosing a long, flowing white silk gown, with matching panties she padded barefoot into the hallway on her way to the bathroom and wonderfully inviting idea of hot water, and her scented soap, followed with badly needed sleep. Rolling her violet eyes at the delicately spicy scent of the soap her mother had chosen for her, she started the water and made sure it was at just the right temperature. The first time she had taken a shower after her change the fast, hard stream that she had always liked as Nick nearly had her fainting from shock. Discovering that her skin had become so sensitive to such stuff had just about put her into hysterics. Again. "Ahh, Just right." The warmth and force of the water were perfect, and without a lot of fiddling, fussing, and abortive forays into the steaming flow to make adjustments. Lathering up with the gel soap and gently washing still uncomfortably unfamiliar body parts, she mulled over how her life had changed so much in such a short time. Washing her bright, flame red hair served to remind her again about the differences in her circumstances, as if being at Whateley wasn’t enough. Once her hair had been rinsed, and conditioned -- something both her mother and Jessica had been insistent about to the point of nagging -- she carefully worked a comb through it to make sure all the tangles were out. With a sigh, she reached lightly for a few of the lines she always saw, shut the shower off, and simply sent the water still on her body and in her hair to the shower floor where it went down the drain. Her introspection didn’t last long, as Tennyo wandered in and started another of the showers. At least I’m not dealing with a period. Yet. She thought in relief as she stepped out of her own cubicle and gave the other a friendly smile. "That’s a handy trick to have." Tennyo had noticed her drying technique and gave her a quick grin while saying so. "Bet you never need to take an umbrella with you either, huh?" "Only when I don’t want to attract attention." Fey agreed, then gave her lithe, not entirely human reflection a rueful look with a laugh. "Ok, make that any more attention than usual." "Know what you mean." The Asian-looking girl nodded with a shrug while patting herself dry following her own shower. "I guess we’ll get used to the stares -- eventually." "Oh, probably." Fey agreed as she applied her after-bath lotion, then powder. "But I don’t think it’s going to be any time soon for me. This is going to take a lot of getting used to, if you know what I mean." "You seem to have adjusted pretty well." "Like I have a choice?" The redhead shrugged while getting into her panties and nightgown. Seeing the expression on the other’s face, she instantly went contrite. "Oh, I’m sorry. I know none of us do, and I need to quit moaning about it." "Moan all you like." Tennyo shrugged. "I plan to, once I get the time to do it." "Well feel free to do it at me whenever you do." Fey smiled tentatively. "I won’t yell at you to stop it or anything. I’ll just let you get it out of your system, then moan and groan back at you." "Sounds good to me." The almost blue hair on the Asian-looking girl’s head had gone stubbornly back into the spiky look it had been in earlier as she let out a yawn. "But what I need now is some sleep." "Me too." yawning herself, Fey gathered her things and waved. "Later." "Nite, Nikki." Tennyo called back as she headed down the hall to her own room. "Nice!" Toni complimented as Fey returned to their room. "What?" Fey sleepily questioned. "That nightgown." The black girl answered while indicating the flowing white silk garment her roomie was wearing. "It’s beautiful!" "Thanks." Fey answered with another yawn. "My mom got it for me. Yours is cute, too." "Thank you." Toni beamed, then bounced towards the light switch. "Big day tomorrow, so I guess we’d better try and get some sleep, huh?" "Umm hmmm." Fey mumbled into her pillow before letting out a soft snore. "Sheesh." Shaking her head Toni switched off the light and moved back towards her own bed. "I didn’t think anyone could manage to sound pretty while they snore." ***** The leader of the black-garbed figures rose up above the ridge line and peered through high-power binoculars at the campus ahead of him. "Exactly as intelligence reported," he relayed to his companions waiting beyond the ridge line. "When we hit them, we will prove the superiority of the Yama Dojo. A disorganized rabble of western dilettantes is no match for our discipline and training. They shall learn that we do not fear to match our skills against theirs." Sarumawashi could be heard hissing to himself. "You have a problem with the plan?" "Yes, *esteemed leader*." These last words plainly had to be forced out. "We are _ninja_! We do not ‘match our skills!’ We strike without warning, and vanish before detection." "Still, it’s so… dishonorable. This is a — how do they put it? — a ‘target rich’ environment. Surely, we couldn’t be faulted for testing our training just a bit." Sarumawashi hissed again. "Very well," the leader conceded. "Do not let it be said that I ignore the advice of my inferiors." He surveyed the campus again. "There are three dorms closest to campus. Each sits atop a hill. I dislike the high visibility. Likewise, there are three dorms farthest from campus. Logically, they should be the easiest targets. I distrust them for that reason. Lastly, there is one single dorm which lies in the mid-range. Protected from campus view by an intervening hill. Located mid-way between two others. That is where they will be most over confident. That is where we must strike!" Mikoshi sat, bored by all of this, and relieving his frustration by pitching small daggers at a mouse he had caught. With each flick of his wrist, the mouse jumped. The trick was to not end the game too soon, but to use fright to steer the mouse into position for his final strike. "Let’s hit one of the dorms with girls. That way, if we run into trouble it won’t be anything too tough." "As practical as it is detestable," the leader conceded. "You have the map, Mikoshi. What does it say about the dorm I have chosen." Retrieving his daggers and wiping the blood off, Mikoshi quickly consulted the map. "It’s called ‘Poe Cottage.’ Says it’s ‘co-educational.’" He paused to pull up his face mask, so that he could spit. "Half fems. That should be easy enough." "Hey!" the girl, Mikan, protested. Everyone else ignored her. ***** Jade stumbled downstairs, peering at her watch with drooping eyelids. *Midnight already? Jeez!* Jinn had just "expired" and reappeared in her head. She figured she’d give one more "charge" and watch the bust for another hour. Of course, even if Jinn spotted something, once Jade fell asleep it wouldn’t do much good. And that darned raven hadn’t been much fun. *Why isn’t Ayla watching?* But the answer was obvious. The message had been sent to Ayla — if the blackmailers were keeping an eye on anyone, it would be Ayla. So someone else had to watch for her. Meaning Jade — or Jinn. *Hey, if I go into the lion, I’d have a voice, and I could run upstairs. That means I could wake myself up.* The question was — how suspicious was it to have a stuffed toy lying around in the entry? As she stumbled through the common room, she eyed the entry critically. There were still a few suitcases piled haphazardly. Smiling, she charged her toy lion and tossed it into the pile of luggage. She didn’t even wait to watch the lion drift slowly downward. ***** In the deepest black of night, five ebon figures pressed against the side of the large barracks-like building. They spoke not a word, but signaled to each other in well-practiced command gestures. Their eyes were trained to pierce through the veil of the night’s darkness. The friendly gaslights around the building helped, too. The largest figure detached itself from the group and seemed to melt right into the walls of the building. This was Gyudon, a brute with the mutant ability to alter his very mass — turning either as hard as stone and powerful as a golem, or as insubstantial as mist and able to pass through solid objects. He chose not to pass through the front door — suspecting alarms on an entry, but instead used the wall beside the door. Once inside, he quickly verified the position of the bust — their target of honor. Then, with professional speed he snapped open his kit and began tracing and deactivating the security system — from the inside! ***** On the point of turning upstairs, Jade paused and cast one last glimpse toward the foyer. Only to freeze in shock. There was a figure like Jinn, wrapped entirely in a black bodysuit and nothing more. Only this figure was very large and very male. And it was stepping, ghostlike, *through* the walls! Jade watched just long enough to see it run a covetous hand over the bust. Unnoticed by the intruder, a small stuffed toy moved in closer behind it. The toy turned to face her. For an instant, her eyes met a stitched, fuzzy face. Jade and Jinn both understood. One of them to watch and follow, one to alert the others! She nodded to the toy, then moving as quietly as possible, she made her way upstairs. ***** "Hey! Wake up you two!" The room light came on and Jade rushed into the room. "Stuff’s happening!" "I didn’t know it stayed dark in the morning here." Fey mumbled while struggling to get untangled from her sheets. "It isn’t morning!" The childlike freshman answered impatiently. "The bust! Someone is taking the bust!" "The bust?" Fey nodded with sleep still attempting to drag her back into its at least quiet embrace. "Poe’s bust?" Toni questioned, then nodded as she bounded out of bed. "Of course it’s the bust of Edgar Allen. Give us the details." She paused to pull on a long kimono-style dressing gown. "Big guy, black body suit, hood." Jade announced as she charged out of their room. "I need to wake some of the others up. I got Jinn watching, but hurry!" "Ninja." Toni grumbled as she pulled Fey out into the hallway. "Probably that clique here at school, and I’ll bet they’re looking to score some points at our expense. And I can guarantee that there’s more than one of them. They’re like mosquitoes, you always find a swarm of them." She grinned. "I think it’s time to slap some down, before they get any dumb ideas." "A little late for that." Fey responded grumpily, as she slowly came awake. "Not if we can stop them and get Eddie’s head back!" Toni answered gleefully. "This is a matter of honor for Poe Cottage! We can’t just let them get away with stealing our namesake’s bust right out from under our noses, now can we?" "I think they came for the letter." Jade interrupted as Hank, a scowling Ayla, and a grumbling Tennyo gathered in the hallway still wearing their nightwear. "Nah, it’s just those Nin-jerk wannabes trying to prove something at our expense." Toni waved off the notion that the blackmail letter had anything to do with this. "Let’s go show ‘em what it means to mess with Poe Cottage!" "Like this?" Fey indicated her own nightgown then the other’s sleepwear. "No time to get dressed now!" Toni urged them all towards the stairs, wearing a V-necked red satin shirt that only came down to mid-thigh. "We need to catch them and get that bust back!" They thundered down the stairs, barely noticing that Ayla was actually fully dressed, even wearing a trench coat and boots. "I put Jinn in my stuffed lion." Jade informed them as they reached the commons room on the first floor to find no one there, and the front door standing slightly open. "She must have followed them outside." "Ok, let’s split into pairs and track ‘em down." Toni told them. "Jade, you with me. Hank and Fey. Ayla and Tennyo. That way we all have someone who can move fast, and someone to give them trouble from a distance once we get close enough." Outside, the group took in the situation and headed in different directions almost at once. Hank wearing a pair of boxers and nothing else looked around. "No tracks to follow." "They’re ninjas!" Toni called back in near exasperation. "They wouldn’t leave tracks, now would they? Fey! See if you can track them with your magic while Hank flies you to wherever they are." "I’m already checking." Fey half absently returned while examining the lines and finding five unfamiliar ones that were brighter -- which meant newer -- and pointed the direction out to Hank. "That way." ***** Jinn kept after them, creeping and leaping like a small animal. A small animal that could leap a dozen feet and didn’t actually have to breath or touch the ground, so she could move very stealthily indeed. But apparently not subtly enough. One more leap brought her to a tree branch overlooking the five black figures. And a second later, a thrown dagger punctured her abdomen and pinned her to the branch. It didn’t hurt, of course, but it kept her from following them. She struggled to move, but there was no get a grip on the dagger with her stuffed toy arms. "Mikoshi!" a girl’s voice called, sounding irritated. "Did you just kill that poor animal?" "Be *silent!* Besides, it was following us!" "Oh, I’m sure!" Jinn watched as they pulled away from her. Were they heading for Kane Hall? ***** When the boy grasped her waist to hoist her up, Fey felt an unfamiliar tingling and caught her breath. I am NOT getting excited and all breathless about him just grabbing me by the waist. I am not doing that. She thought with a shiver having nothing at all to do with the chill night air whipping around her as they flew in the way she had indicated. "You smell really nice." Hank added fuel to that fire innocently enough. "Thanks, but…" Fey’s eyes got even wider as she stopped the intended retort and nearly screamed. "WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" A stomach churning swerve and dip managed to avoid that. Barely. "Uh, sorry." "Well watch where we’re going instead of watching me!" Fey retorted with a bit of embarrassment as her loose breasts jiggled, and she realized just where Hank’s eyes had been. "I can’t see in the dark so well." "Oh, right." Fey noted that he seemed to have no trouble watching her breasts and bottom even if things were kind of dark. "Head to your right now." "Hey, isn’t that the observatory at Kane Hall ahead of us?" "Yeah." Fey pointed at five dark figures climbing the ‘chimney’ that supported the observatory dome. "More to the point, look at what’s crawling up its walls." "The ninjas?" "You know of anyone else who might just decide for a relaxing climb up a wall at this time of night?" She retorted. "Around here, you never know." Hank pointed out as he peered at the lighted tower. "But there are five of them, all in black, with hoods and masks." "Yeah, and the bottom one looks to be carrying something that’s about the size of Edgar’s head. So I think we can pretty well say those are our targets, right?" Fey pointed to the ground with a clearing of her throat. "Now could you please set us down so I can do something interesting to them?" "My pleasure, lovely lady." Hank did that, gently, with a wide grin on his face. "How’s that?" "Great, thanks. Umm, you can let go of me now, you know. Since we’re back on the ground and all." "Oh, yeah." Fey felt a small, okay more than small, but still ignorable twinge of loss when his strong hands did release her waist. Shaking that off, and wondering if every guy who touched her was going to cause that kind of problem she turned her attention back to the five people who had now reached the top of the tower. ***** Daikon had Kyuri take point in climbing the observation tower, leaving a line for the others to use while they climbed. Kyuri was the only one who wouldn’t be pulling double duty later, so he was given the hardest position going up. Gyudon was carrying Mikan, who would have the hardest job later, and needed to conserve strength. Unagi would also be helping out with the escape, so he was second. And Daikon relegated the task of carrying the 30 pound plus solid bronze bust to himself. Kyuri made good time to the top of the tower, calling on the Tiger kami that resided within him to literally claw his way up. It was small consolation, this minor concession to the power of the Tiger, considering that, except for the bird and the mouse, he hadn’t got to kill anything on this mission. Once they were all at the top, the highest point on the campus, they assumed the ‘Raven Ascends the Night Sky’ formation- Gyudon was the center of the mass, Unagi hopped on top of him, and Kyuri and Daikon took a firm hold of either hand. Then Gyudon jumped on Mikan’s shoulders, as she used her gravity warping powers to make them all as light a goosedown. Unagi’s hands swiftly began to assemble his Modular Component Harness into its Jetpack configuration. This was the slowest part of the ‘Ascending Raven’ technique and its most vulnerable moment. Daikon thought for a moment about working with Unagi to whittle down the time, but realized that he would only impugn the smaller man’s honor to assume that he wasn’t already working on the problem. ***** Fey watched as the ninjas scrambled into an odd formation that ended with the large one jumping on top of the one that he’d just been carrying. The one on the very top extruded some kind of pipe-ish looking wings and a couple of small fires lit at the ends of them. "They’re going to try and fly off from there." "You sure of that?" "Duh!" Waving him to the side Fey started checking out the lines on and around the tower, then wove a tightly meshed net above the group. Meanwhile, the ninjas atop the tower had finished their strange human pyramid and looked nearly ready. The large one in the center held each of the others, while the small one on the top fiddled with the tube-lattice and rocket assembly. A moment later, three rockets lit with a bright but quiet flame, and the strange structure began to rise from the top of the tower. "See for yourself. Now keep quiet a second, I need to concentrate." "They’re all hanging on to one another… Sorry, I know, you need to concentrate." Hank stared at the ungainly arrangement, temporarily forgetting that he himself could fly. ***** Jade stiffened in Toni’s arms. "Jinn is back with me. The ninjas! They’re climbing the tower on Kane Hall!" "Okay, kicking the afterburners!" Even though she was carrying the smaller girl, Toni sprinted forward, going from a ‘crusing speed’ of roughly 35 MPH to nearly 50 MPH. When Toni and Jade burst into the quad, they could just see the cluster of ninjas as they started to rise up. "Shit!" Toni muttered. No way to get to them. Except--- Toni let Jade down, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She drew energy up from deep in the Earth and let it form in a ball of power inside her lungs. She took another deep breath and filled the air in her lungs with the power that she’d drawn up from the Earth. Then she opened her eyes, spotted the flying group of ninjas and fixed them squarely with her gaze. Aiming her ki at the ninjas she let out a windows rattling, ear-shattering ‘KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII- AI!’ ***** The sound of the ‘kiai’ shout resounded through the campus, set off numerous car alarms and woke up several sleeping members of the faculty. The force of the kiai shout hit the ninjas squarely in the middle of their mass. Gyudon reacted as he always did when he was attacked unawares — he reflexively went desolid. Unfortunately for the rest of the ninjas, if he wasn’t solid, he couldn’t carry them. Daikon and Kyuri immediate slipped from his intangible hands. Nor was Gyudon the only one affected. The secondary force of the kiai shout completely shattered both Mikan and Unagi’s concentration. Mikan was startled and let her gravity powers lapse. Looking down, she was suddenly all too aware of the fact that she was a good hundred feet above the ground, falling fast. Unagi *almost* lost control of his MCH Jetpack when the balances of stress that he’d been carrying suddenly changed. He watched dispassionately as the other members of his team fell silently to the ground. Like the cold professional he was, Unagi quickly reviewed his options- truly, the Way of the Ninja is to seize any and all advantages in order to ensure victory. Or, in this case, to minimize utter defeat. If he dropped and tried to assist his teammates, the odds of their successfully completing the mission were paltry, going on ridiculous. The chances of their being captured were significant. If he allowed himself to be captured, he would also allow the Amerikajin to capture the Modular Component Harness, and its Variable Interface technology. The senseis had made it clear that they regarded it as his Giri to safeguard the Variable Interface technology at all costs. Clearly, his foremost priority was to escape with the MCH. Of course, the fact that Daikon, Kyuri, Gyudon and Mikan would all be disgraced by allowing themselves to be captured, thus relieving him of the onerous burden of picking up the slack for that pack of incompetents, never entered Unagi’s mind. Unagi immediately began calculating contingency plans. Daikon and Kyuri could be trusted to keep silent, but the same could not be said of Gyudon or Mikan. Perhaps he would be part of the team sent to silence them. He smiled to himself. Such is the Way of the Ninja. ***** Fey and Hank’s eardrums were almost shattered by the piercing cry. Ears weren’t the only thing that shattered. Fey’s concentration went flying away as the impact on her own powers stunned her for a moment. The net she had so carefully woven overhead glowed bright blue for an instant, collapsed, then condensed into scores of small objects which rained down on the ninjas below. "Wow." Hank observed almost nonchalantly. "They all managed to land on their feet. But one of them sank into the ground when he landed." "Great." Massaging her still-throbbing temples, Fey finally noticed the small objects moving around the observatory tower. "Oops." "What do you mean ‘Oops’? I don’t like it when you say things in that tone of voice." Hank looked at her warily. "Whatever you did brought them down, right?" "Not exactly," Fey began to hear sharp clicking sounds in the distance and her expression grew even more worried. "I really meant Oops!" "Umm, say," the boy questioned with just a tinge of uncertainty in his voice. "What are all those little things swarming the ninjas?" "You mean those teeth with little feet?" Fey winced as she saw the walking dentures began biting ankles, feet, and started crawling all over the unfortunate ninjas frantically dancing and striking out at their strange assailants. A half-dozen sets of teeth had even rained down on the skinny ninja who was still aloft. They began to swarm over his backpack and lattice, biting and chewing at the bits of exposed wiring. "Yeah, those." "Hobgoblins." "Like the squirrels you told us about at your old school?" "Yeah, kinda." "You know." Hank let out a sigh. "I really think I’m going to learn to hate it whenever I hear you say ‘Oops’ in the future. "Tell me about it." The redhead snorted. ***** Unagi was again busy adjusting his infinitely versatile Modular Component Harness. One more component snapped into place, and the reaction units would achieve full power, to rocket him free. He was gleefully consigning two of his comrades to disgrace and the others to death, when he felt something on the struts of his jetpack. Something that was definitely not a standard component of the MCH. Unagi looked up in alarm to see what appeared to be American joke ‘Chattering Teeth’ swarming over his jetpack, gnawing at the wires and delicate control cables. Before Unagi could completely wrap his head around this absurdity, several of the ‘teeth’ bit into the power leads from the jetpack, sending a furious backlash of energy through the MCH. The fact that the teeth were also vaporized seemed small compensation, as Unagi felt himself suddenly drop. ***** A squad of security guards, rushing to the scene in answer to the flood of alarms and frantic phone calls, stopped short as the night was filled with a deafening shout and then a flare of violet light. At the base of the observatory tower, a company of black-garbed ninjas were wildly beating at their clothes. They appeared to be using martial arts to fight off a small army of chattering teeth joke toys, and their clothing was showing the rips and tears inflicted by those not-so-innocent toys. Franklin Delarose, Chief of night security at Whateley, simply sighed and settled back to monitor the show. Were these ninjas one of the weird campus clubs? A group of outside intruders? Hollywood extras caught in the wrong place at the wrong time? He’d seen it all. In the meantime, he’d learned to settle back and let the chaos settle out, before trying to wade into an unknown situation. And the other side in the conflict certainly *did* seem to be Whateley students. A handful of negligee-clad early-adolescent girls was unlikely to be wandering the wilds of New Hampshire alone. Delarose reached for his hip flask (actually a thermos that he regularly topped off with black coffee) and sat back to watch. Predictably enough, one of the new recruits jostled his elbow (figuratively speaking). "Hey Chief, you want us to step in and stop this?" "Not just yet, boys. Fools rush in, and all that. Best to survey the situation first. Let’s call this your first big exercise. What do you see out there?" The new recruits (with some pointed questions) quickly identified the probable students, also spotting the boxers-clad boy that Frank had missed. No one had any guesses about the ninjas until Tom (the second most senior man) pointed out, "Look at that big ninja. What’s he holding? Looks kind of like a stone head." "Good call, Tom," Frank agreed. "Lesson one, boys. No property damage, no one getting hurt? Then it’s often wise to stand back a bit and let these things sort themselves out. Besides, those girls seem to have it well in hand." "Are those thing *dentures*?" "Damned Magic Users," Tom swore. "The teeth, or whatever they are, are starting to scatter. Those things are going to be all over campus." "Lesson two. You get to do things here that you won’t find in any other job in the world." He smiled as he pocketed his flask. "It’s time to take out the teeth, boys." ***** The ninjas were pulling themselves together from the combined shock of Toni’s Kiai shout and the fall. But Toni had absolutely no intention of letting them find the dropped bust and getting away into the darkness. She shucked her long pale gray kimono dressing gown and did a high arcing leap with a flip to a spot in front of where the ninjas were standing and assumed a stance. When she was absolutely sure that the ninjas were looking at her, she grinned insolently and did the ‘come and get it’ gesture that is in almost every Kung Fu movie ever shot. One of the ninjas — Toni could only tell them apart because this one was wearing some kind of medallion — stepped forward, standing tall, his shoulders square. "Stand back, girl! You face the supreme pinnacle of the Yama Dojo, sent here to ensure your humiliation and defeat! We will —" He stopped abruptly as the girl ninja cuffed him on the side of the head. "Baka! [Translation: You idiot!]" she hissed. "We’re ninjas! We don’t stop to explain ourselves!" The larger man hissed back at her, then turned to face Toni. "I regret that you shall have to suffer, for witnessing my shame." He assumed a stance. "Prepare for your imminent defeat!" He lashed forward with a spear hand aimed for her throat. Toni spun to the side, almost crying out in joy. A martial arts duel! How could she possibly get so lucky? Focusing her ki, she sped up, matching him move-for-move. With a huge grin on her face, she began to move a little faster. ***** Fey watched her roommate. Seeing the slim black girl dancing around the much larger man, Fey’s concern wasn’t so much that Toni would get hurt, instead she wondered whether Toni would let out another one of those insane yells. For the moment, that didn’t seem to be much of a danger. Reassured, Fey decided to take another chance with her magic. She reached out to grip the lines of wind and gravity she could see. Pulling on them and redirecting them allowed her to levitate. A wind sprang up from nowhere whipping wildly against her white silk nightgown, and the eldritch-looking girl rose into the air like a force of nature. ***** Matoi Daikon’s frustration had definitely peaked. He was their leader! But somehow, unpredictable disasters kept striking. The sonic weapon used against them moments after they took flight, the teeth (his mind shied away from the insanity of that incident). And now, this small black girl was dancing around his most focused strikes! She had dodged that kick with a *backflip*! Did she think this was some preposterous MOVIE? And now, his punch, she did a forward roll over it! Was she trying to make him look the fool? It was too much to bear. Knowing that this was overkill, he nevertheless vowed to impress upon these stupid gaijin exactly who they had dared to oppose. "You leave me no choice." He spoke in low, deadly tones. "Your continued annoyance has forced me to use the ultimate strike against you. Cringe in terror as you witness a technique whose legend is passed on in hushed whispers." As he spoke, his hands began to move in the intricate pattern required to build and focus his chi. A pattern that gathered his own energies, while simultaneously entrancing his enemy and preparing them to accept the blow. And indeed, the Amerikajin’s eyes were riveted on his hands, helplessly focused on his intricate movements. "This technique is over one thousand years old, passed in secret from master to pupil and used only in deepest need to eliminate all who stand in our way," the pattern fulfilled, he yelled the final words to stun his foe for the brief moment necessary to strike, "COILING VIPER FANG STRIKE!" Index and middle finger bound together into a deadly-hard "fang", Daikon struck directly for the nerve nexus on the girl’s collarbone, the joining of chi flows and acupuncture meridians that controlled her muscles. She would be frozen, as stiff as stone itself — It took a moment for Daikon to register that he had not actually touched the girl’s shoulder. The impact he had felt had been *her* hand slicing across in a block. He was so stunned that it took a moment to realize that his fingers were dislocated, perhaps broken. "Whoa! Too cool! Okay, okay, let’s see if I’ve got it!" What was she doing? Daikon watched in puzzlement as the girl’s hands wove in an intricate dance. Wait! Wasn’t that the --? "Something something STRIKE!" Her fingers lashed out to jab just under his shoulder. Daikon felt himself grow stiff. He was wide awake, but it was impossible to move! Helplessly, he toppled over. "Oh, a paralyzing nerve strike! Kewl! Thanks! I’ve been trying to figure that out forever!" ***** Life at Whateley taught many lessons not on the official curriculum. Chief among these was, of course, "don’t forget to duck." Slightly lower on the unofficial list came "don’t miss the show," (it was just after, "don’t be seen near massive property damage" and just before the rather inaccurate "if they’re already an enemy, there’s no harm in REALLY pissing them off"). Because of this, a crowd of curious students began to gather, shortly after the car alarms went off. "Who are these kids?" one of the upperclassmen asked. Another older boy shrugged. "Must be freshmen." He gave a sudden cheer as Daikon froze and toppled over. "Hey, the chick with the moves ain’t half bad!" "I recognize the guys in black — they’re that stupid ninja clique." "Hey!" came an aggravated voice from the back. "We aren’t stupid!" He suddenly found the eyes of the crowd on him. "Uh, I mean, I’m sure those guys aren’t any of *our* ninjas. They must be imports." There was a combination of grumbling and muttering at this until the crowd noticed a figure rising into the air — a white-clad apparition with flame red hair. Although the evening air was still and calm, the figure seemed to be rising under the influence of a powerful wind. "Hey, that floating chick is hot!" "Sure is." Not only was the girl clad only in a sheer silk nightgown, but the buffeting winds were showing off her figure in embarrassingly stark detail. "Have to look her up later on." "Good luck, I think she’s a magic user," another told him. "She’s the one who brought the bad guys down out of the air, I’m sure of it." "Won’t hurt to try." "Like I said." ***** With their leader frozen at Toni’s feet in a statue-stiff pose, three of the remaining ninjas converged on the slim black girl. "Heh, I’ll take you all on!" But it was obvious that the challenge was more bravado than genuine confidence. The girl bodily rushed Toni who did a leap-frog hop over her, only to face the oversized mass of Gissha Gyudon, who tried to grapple her in a bear hug. Obviously, the ninjas had trained for team maneuvers. Toni rolled back, dropping onto her back and thrusting her legs into Gissha’s gut to power-flip the large man onto his smaller comrade. Totally wrapped up in the fight, Toni didn’t realize that her acrobatic style of combat made for an overly revealing display, when combined with a sheer nightshirt that only came to mid-thigh in the best of circumstances. Nor did she realize the high contrast afforded by her cream-white panties, against chocolate-dark skin. All she knew was that she would occasionally hear cheers from a distant crowd as she’d flip away from a strike or give a high kick. But as she somersaulted forward to quickly regain her feet, the style of combat suddenly changed. The cruel figure of Mikoshi Kyuri stepped forward, withdrawing something from a sheath on his back. As he faced her, he held a long and deadly ninjato in his hands. It was clearly razor sharp. Mikoshi called upon the Tiger kami. The Tiger spirit responded — not that it really had a choice — and he became quicker and stronger. The ninjto glowed with the subdued feline might of the great cat. Mikoshi slid forward in a graceful motion the proclaimed him an expert with his chosen weapon. "If you look for honor or mercy from a ninja," he told her, in a deadly flat calm, "you will find only death." ***** Tennyo and Ayla had the advantage that both could fly, although Ayla tended to float rather than speedily flying as Tennyo could do. They’d tried having Tennyo hold her hand to pull her, but when Ayla was intangible enough to float she simply passed through solid matter. So the compromise had been for Tennyo to hold the solid Ayla, then fly up high enough to get a good view overhead. Unfortunately, they’d headed off in the exact wrong direction. Fortunately, a loud shout had fixed their directional problems. And while they were making good headway, they were still a ways away, even as they saw a deadly ninja draw a crackling sword and advance on Toni. "Can I drop you?" Tennyo asked in a frenzy. "What? Oh, of course!" Ayla quickly figured it out. "I can float down on my own." Dropping the other girl from two hundred feet up, Tennyo angled into a dive. She still hadn’t practiced this, and she was afraid every time she tried that she was inching that much closer to burnout. But the situation below her was grim. Slapping her hands together, Tennyo focused that special energy into existence between her palms. Drawing her hands dramatically apart, the energy stretched into a line, then a rod which glowed electric blue. And brandishing it like a sword, Tennyo plunged out of the sky wielding a three-foot-long rod of pure energy. ***** Ayla was still angry over the threat to her family. She’d seen the glances from the other girls, as they wondered why she’d bothered to take time to dress (particularly in the cap and trenchcoat). She hadn’t felt like admitting that she’d never UNdressed that evening. She’d been waiting all night to give someone a serious pounding. And even if these were the wrong targets, they would serve well enough for stress relief. Standing upright in mid-air, she descended as if she were inside an invisible elevator. The immediate threats seemed to be the loon with a sword, and the really big guy sneaking up behind Toni. Ayla pulled off her cap and flicked at the largest ninja, to gain his attention. "Hey, ugly," she called. "Think you can handle little ol’ me?" She pulled off her bone-white trench coat, displaying her deceptively thin figure. ***** "And that, boys and girls, is what we call an entrance," one of the upperclassmen stated, with a certain degree of satisfaction. "Which? The screaming nose-dive, or the arrogant float down?" "Either. Both." "Ew, make me sick," said a girl from one side, as the floating figure removed her trench coat. "That girl is practically anorexic. Do they think that boys like that look?" The boys in question weren’t answering. They were wondering how anyone could wear jeans *that* tight, or a top *that* small. "Too bad *she’s* not in a nightgown," one said. "Yeah, but the dive-bomber is." Heads turned to watch. "Oooo!" ***** Toni was burning ki like mad, moving faster and faster to keep ahead of her three assailants. Block the girl at her side, spin, kick the sword away, jump and roll to avoid the grapple. And then it happened. Suddenly she was moving faster than she herself could follow. Legs flashing, arms flailing, body spinning, like a dervish that had suddenly gone completely berserk, or perhaps a top that had suddenly broken down. With a double-kick, back-flip, side-twist under-spin, she landed flat on her back. Still twitching, helpless and uncontrollable, she muttered, "Awww, Man! I hate it when that happens." ***** Her powers now firmly under control, the hovering angel that was Fey descended back toward Hank. "I think Toni just lost her Ki! I need you to throw me to a spot behind them, then get in there and help her!" "Throw you?" The boy questioned almost incredulously. "I can’t move fast enough to get there in time!" She thumped him on the shoulder. "Now get a grip on me and throw!" Facing her, Hank gripped her firmly around the rib cage. It wasn’t his fault that his thumbs circled so nicely under her breasts, was it? Fey thumped him again, this time on the head. "My waist you idiot! Grab me by the waist and throw me!" ***** Finally arriving at the scene, Jade could tell that Toni was in desperate need of help. She pulled out the gloves (she *always* carried a pair of gloves), but then spotted something to add to the package. A white leather trench coat and cap! She recognized them as Ayla’s (it’s hard to forget a white leather trench coat). The clothes were pretty close to the combat zone, but surely she could sneak in for one quick touch! Gloves clutched firmly in one hand, she crept forward as quietly as she could, until she could touch both coat and cap, charging them with the gloves. But it was too close. A human sized figure shot toward her like a rocket! Jade had practiced Aikido for years, but only as a normal human student. Still, it was that training that saved her now. Countless years of "meeting the mat", endless hours of rolling to distribute the impact. It saved her, but it didn’t stop her from screaming like a little girl as a body slammed past her. ***** Gissha was tired of this stupid black jumping girl. He wanted something he could HIT. And now, this slip of a girl came floating down toward him, taunting him. Was she going to just stand there? Alright then. He’d show them just how hard he could hit. The girl had no way of knowing that he had mutant abilities that made him a literal superhuman. Summoning his will, Gissha increased his density a hundredfold. Like this, he could lift small cars. Preparing himself, he strode toward the descending girl, then launched a lightning strike directly into her face! A blow like that would affect her exactly the same way a sledge hammer affects a watermelon! ***** Ayla was really looking forward to giving this clown his comeuppance. As she reached the ground, she suddenly increased her density a hundredfold. This ninja idiot had no way of knowing that punching her would be like punching into a granite boulder! She didn’t even bother to dodge. A moment later, as she hurled backward and shook her head to clear it, she decided that next time, maybe she *would* dodge. She barely noticed as she clipped a small figure, or as the scream rang out. ***** Gissha laughed, long and hard. Maybe he hadn’t splatted the idiot girl, but she wouldn’t be getting up from that one! And she’d screamed like a little girl, right before her head had exploded against that brick building. But then things went sour. The girl was dead, obviously, her head crushed against the wall of a large building. But her discarded hat and coat — they were suddenly stirring as if filled by her vengeful spirit. It was his greatest fear. That one day, someone he killed would not go easily into the dark shadows of the afterlife. That instead, they would linger to pursue him, their killer. There was no way to defend yourself against the angry dead! The pale white coat rose into the air, filled by some invisible spirit. Disembodied gloves slowly inflated, setting a cap firmly in place atop a non-existent head. It had no eyes, so it was impossible to tell where the spirit was glaring, but it began to move directly toward HIM! The lower edge of the coat rippled and billowed in the wind of its unholy motion. The arms stretched toward him, reaching to pull him down into the grave with it. It approached ever closer with its hideous, haunting embrace! "Y-y-yureeeeeiiiiiiii!" [Translation; ‘G-g-Ghoooooost!] Gissha screamed like a little girl, and fled as fast as he could. ***** Mikoshi raised his sword high. The young black girl had shown some good moves, but she was helpless now. That’s exactly how he loved them. Unfortunately, before he could perform the finishing move, a blazing comet plunged out of the sky to block his blow. "Oh no you don’t!" the girl yelled. "Try fighting someone who can fight back, you slug!" In the heat of battle and the glow of her strange sword, she almost looked like the devil-woman Ryoko, from the Tenchi Muyo! TV series. But Mikoshi wasn’t going to let curiosity cloud his blood-lust. Whipping his sword back, he swung and gave a full strength overhand strike against the flying girl! As his ninjato met the glowing blue rod of energy, the two swords locked for a moment. The Tiger spirit warred for a moment with the pure unearthly energy of the devil-girl’s powersword, which put too much strain on the cheap, mass produced ninjato. The sword shattered, exploding in a shower of sparks. The blast flung him a dozen feet backwards. "Hah!" The girl bellowed at him. "That’s for picking on a defenseless victim!" "We’re ninjas!" he hissed back, in reply to her idiocy. "That’s what we do!" "Then get a real job!" She raised her sword and came at him again. Mikoshi considered the many qualities of a good ninja. Sacrificing your life for no reason was not high on the list. He ran as if his life depended on it. ***** Concealed within the blackest pool of shadow, Sarumawashi Unagi worked feverishly to reroute the power leads on his Modular Component Harness. The teeth had done damage, yes, but given time he could fix it. Fix it and escape. There was no longer any question of rescuing his foolish comrades. They had been met with overwhelming force. It had obviously been an ambush. When he learned who had leaked their plans, that traitor would pay with their life. But for now, he must fix his harness. Flying was no longer an option, since the enemy controlled the skies. But with energy to power his cycle-shoes, he could effect an escape on the ground far faster than they could pursue. Only three more connections and he would be ready… ***** Shakatu Mikan was the only one who saw that their fight had taken a terrible toll — injuring a child. Abandoning her position above the helplessly twitching black girl, she moved toward the injured child. As she approached, her heart grew even heavier. Sprawled in a boneless heap was a young Japanese girl, in a long Hello Kitty nightgown. "Oh, no!" she cried, rushing forward. But the girl abruptly sat up, rubbing her head. "Owww! What hit me?" Almost instinctively, Mikan’s arms had gone around the child, cradling her to her bosom the way she someday hoped to comfort her own children. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, just surprised is all." The girl suddenly stiffened in her arms. "Hey, you’re one of them ninjas! We don’t have to fight now, do we?" "I —" She knew her instructors would tell her to take the child hostage, holding a knife to the child’s throat to bargain for her team’s freedom. Her stupid, violent, obsessed team who had ruined any chance she had to be a normal girl. She looked up, at the debacle unfolding before her. "I don’t think we’ll need to fight." "Good," the child said. "Cause I don’t like hurting people." "Neither do I," Mikan truthfully admitted. It brought tears to her eyes, but at least her shame was concealed behind her hood. "Neither do I." ***** Ayla pulled her head out of the wall. A brick façade might as well be made of Styrofoam, compared against her ultra-dense form. She rubbed at growing bruise on her jaw. *Okay, that was stupid.* Her eyes roved over the plaza in front of her. Jade was being hugged by the ninja-girl. She’d have to get that story later. Toni was lying flat on her back, still twitching spasmodically, but there was no one around her. Tennyo and a sword ninja were having some sort of sword-fight — wait, now the ninja was fleeing at high speed. Good choice. Another ninja was still stuck like a statue, lying on the ground. And the big one, the one she owed a re-match, was fleeing from — her overcoat and cap, flying after him? Ayla shook her head before realizing. *Must be Jinn.* She stood, then began to sprint toward the big ninja, increasing her mass and strength as she moved. *Damn, my jaw hurts!* She decided to consider it the first big lesson she’d learned at Whateley, even if it hadn’t come from a classroom: Don’t forget to duck. ***** Hank heaved, with all his considerable might, copping one last feel of Fey’s butt as he did so. Fey, held aloft by magically altered gravity and a powerful though localized wind, soared cleanly over the top of the battle. With her crimson hair and almost luminescent eyes, not to mention her fluttering white gown, she looked like an avenging angel. *Perfect!* she thought. *I should just be able to cut them off!* Then her hand reached back to her behind. *Did he…?* "I’ll get you for that!" she yelled. ***** Hank grinned. He’d never appreciated it before, but there was a definite pleasure to appreciating a fine female form. And Fey was as fine as they came. As for trouble, well, he’d face that when he had to. In the meantime, he metaphorically rolled up his sleeves and gave a shout of pure joy as he FINALLY got his chance to join the fray. He hoped they’d saved something for him… ***** Gissha had a dilemma. The ghost was chasing him, clearly intent on dragging him down into the underworld. His instincts had always told him to become insubstantial when there was danger nearby. In his ghostly form, no object could touch him, nothing could injure him. But becoming as insubstantial as a ghost — would that make it even easier for the ghost to grab him, and drag him away? Consequently, he almost seemed to flicker as he fled — looking slightly transparent one moment, then solid and rock-hard the next. He fled at random, not caring where he went so long as it was away from the terrifying haunt behind him. Then he spotted salvation. His one remaining teammate: scrawny little Sarumawashi. The kid was skinny, but smart. He ought to be able to think of a way out of this. The sound of the wind alerted him. Coming up from behind was something that could only be an angel. An angel of vengeance, beautiful and terrible, with her holy robe fluttering in the wind as she rocketed in pursuit after him. Suddenly her face ignited in wrath. "I’ll get you for that!" she yelled at him. Gissha screamed again, and lumbered forward faster than anything his size ought to go. Utterly terrified, he clenched his eyes firmly shut and turned intangible. ***** *Done!* With a smirk of satisfaction, Unagi snapped shut the last connection on his MCH and activated the cycle-shoes. Wheels extended downward from each foot, and he felt the power capacitors surging to handle the new load. He was seconds away from freedom! Hearing a terrified scream, he looked up. That huge idiot Gissha was lumbering straight toward him! And he had that indefinable quality of almost-transparency which indicated that Gissha had turned intangible — a state that allowed him to pass through nearly any matter, but tended to disrupt electronics. "Stop, you fat idiot!" Before he could blink, before he could move, before the cycle-shoes could speed him away, Gissha had passed through him like a fat fog. A second later, Unagi’s body was covered with sparks and he had to dance to keep himself from catching on fire. "You stupid idiot!" He felt like crying. ***** Fey passed over the last of the combatants and managed to slow herself to land in a small copse of trees just north of the quadrant. Looking around at what she had to work with, the elfin redhead grinned to herself while rubbing her small hands together in anticipation. "Perfect! Now if the others will just run those black pajama jerks in the right direction." She reached for the lines of power around her and began to weave. ***** Gissha ran, eyes clenched closed, passing intangibly through everything in his way. Behind him came Mikoshi, pursued by a flying demon-girl who wielded a glowing blue energy sword. Mikoshi had always been turned on by frightened, cowering girls. He had discovered that madly grinning demon-girls were *not* a turn-on, no matter how cute they might have otherwise been. Last of all came Unagi, still emitting the occasional spark from his backpack. He was desperate to fine some, any, avenue for escape. At the moment, Gissha’s headlong run into the woods seems like the best option. Although Gissha could pass through trees, walls, and other bits of conventional matter, he was stymied by a semi-solid wall of invisible eldritch energy. To call his full-speed collision with said wall a ‘surprise’ would be far too polite. He had no clue what had happened until his nose had been completely flattened by the encounter. Having virtually no mass (at the moment) Gissha rebounded artistically, to land with a solid thump on his backside. Mikoshi had just enough warning to roll with the blow. His more considerable mass struck the barrier, causing it to flicker briefly into revealing a gigantic glowing green fractal pattern, like a psychedelic cross between a spider’s web and the branching filaments of a fern. Mikoshi avoided a broken nose, but still rebounded to land hard on his back. Unagi had the most warning of all and had briefly seen the location of their invisible wall. Having actually paid attention during their training, he treated the force field like a conventional wall, running up against it and exploiting the surface to rapidly reverse his orientation — — just in time to run into a flying, sword wielding Tennyo, a floating white trench coat, a tall man in boxers who looked *far* too confident and… a small skinny girl who ran with a "thud thud thud" sound that shook the ground and left six-inch-deep footprints in the ground. Fortunately the skinny girl ran right past him. She launched herself on the hapless Gissha, who was slowly rising to his feet. "Well hello, big boy," the skinny girl taunted. Although Gissha was still intangible, this proved to be no impediment to the skinny girl. Leading off with a hearty shin kick, she sent the now-blubbering Gissha face-first into (and through) the ground. The skinny girl laughed uproariously, kicking the large goon repeatedly in the butt, driving him deeper and deeper into the ground. Then she planted herself firmly atop his protruding buttocks, and sat down as if she were queen of the world. Unagi looked left, at the maniacal demon-girl and ghostly coat. He looked right at the boxer-clad bruiser who was rubbing his hands together in glee and chanting, "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" With no options left, Unagi spat out, "You will learn NOTHING from me," and triggered the self-defense mechanism on his precious Modular Component Harness. Which… unfortunately exploded in a shower of sparks, accomplishing nothing. "Was that an attack?" the boy asked in confusion. "He won’t get another one!" Unagi’s head snapped back, looking *behind* him, behind the invisible force field. A creature like some half-kami fox spirit was there, with inhuman luminescent eyes. "Hi there!" the thing said, in an incongruously cheerful voice. It gestured, and the plants at Unagi’s feet suddenly erupted out of the ground to twine around his feet and legs. "Sorry I wasn’t able to welcome you before, but I hope you enjoy your visit to Whateley Academy!" It stepped forward from the shadows, suddenly appearing to be almost human, a slight feminine figure in a long white nightgown. It — she gave a radiant smile. "My name is Fey, and I’ll be your greeter and guide while you’re visiting us." Unagi looked around with utter depression. The three of them were firmly bound by the entwined roots. The skinny girl still sat atop Gissha, buried in the ground. Mikoshi was standing, but the flying demon girl held a glowing sword at his neck and looked positively hungry for a chance to run him through. And he himself was being monitored by a floating trench coat. And the boy in boxers was looking more and more frustrated with his late entry to the combat. He was currently squeezing a rock in frustration — no, correct that — he was currently *crushing* a small rock in frustration. Unagi sighed. Why was it necessary that the dishonor fall upon him? "We surrender." ***** Franklin Delarose nodded to the members of the security force that had returned from teeth clean-up. "That’s our cue," he told them. "Boys, you’ll learn to love it when it works out like this. A free show, we make the collar, and we don’t even have to work up a sweat." Just then, one of the rookies came running around the corner, a set of teeth chattering away at his back pocket. "Get ‘em off me! Get ‘em off me! Get ‘em off me!" Frank sighed. "Give him time. He’ll learn." ***** A figure watched from the shadows. In her hands was the response to her blackmail demands. It had once been concealed under the bust. She had retrieved it outside Poe Cottage, after the thundering hoards had passed by. *I don’t even want to know what went wrong,* she decided. *It would just give me a headache.* Perhaps the blackmail plan was a bust (so to speak) and should simply be abandoned. It was no matter. She smiled cruelly to herself. She had time and resources. Trevor — or Ayla as she now called herself — would be dealt with. One way or another. ***** In the bright light of day, the six of them stood beaming, peering into the trophy case. Chief of Security (evening) Franklin Delarose was explaining how the incident has closed out. "The medallion on their leader was clue enough, but we got them to admit to it as well. Well, a couple of them came clean. That Sauruman-sushi guy wouldn’t say a thing. Funny that. He was the scrawniest of the lot, but we couldn’t crack him. "Anyhow, we’ve got a couple of rival schools, sort of. One of ‘em is the Yama Dojo. ‘Yama’ is one of those double meanings that the Japanese love so much — ‘Yama’ normally means ‘mountain’, but in certain circumstances, it also means ‘devil’. Sort of a harkening back to the good old days of assassins, secret police, and the jolly fun of Dr. Fu Manchu. This was a sort of graduation exercise for these guys — steal a bust from one of the cottages. Now that you foiled their crack squad, they might bear a bit of a grudge, so I’d advise you to keep a head’s up, alright?" There was a collective series of gulps as the girls (and one guy) suddenly looked at each other in alarm. All except Toni, whose face lit up and rubbed her hands together in gleeful expectation. *Rematch!* Hank held up a hand. "If the medallion positively identifies ‘em, why would these ninjas be carrying it?" "Well, normally ninja squads are so similar in physique that in their stealth blacks, it’s almost impossible to tell them apart- even to each other. The leader wears the medallion so that the other members of the team instantly know who the leader is, while not being too obvious to other people. The medallion is made out of glass, and if the leader is captured or killed, it’s supposed to be crushed. But, since he was paralyzed, and the others were busy---- "Anyhows, instead of them picking up a bust and displaying or ransoming it back for considerable status, we got this medallion, which gives all the status to us. We’ll eventually let ‘em have all their other stuff back, swords and masks and students and stuff. Well, not the gadgets we took off the skinny kid. It was something called a ‘Modular Component Harness’. Some of the seniors — deviser kids — got one look at it and started talking about a ‘Variable Interface’ or something. Got ‘em real excited. So we’ll give that back too, *eventually* but we’re taking our time about it. We’ll be taking the gizmos apart and putting them back together, piece by piece, before we return it. And the medallion we’re keeping for good, as a trophy." Toni raised her hand. "Aren’t they just going to try to steal it back?" Officer Delarose chuckled. "This looks like a normal trophy case, but everything you see there is actually an optically projected image. It’s done with mirrors and stuff. The genuine articles are down in a vault. And if these yahoos can’t even steal a bust from your front lobby, I don’t think we need to worry about our vault." He raised his camera. "So everyone get into position." As the girls (and guy) clustered around the trophy case, Chief Delarose snapped a picture. "The paper wanted me to ask if you’d picked a team name." "Uh…" Fey began, thinking it was a little silly. "Team KIMBA!" Toni cried. "We all agreed! The toy lion here represents Jade, of course. Good thing we got her stitched up after that dagger she took." Chief Delarose peered at the battered toy with skepticism. Well, he’d heard stranger. "And the lion is kind of me, because of the ki kiai I used. It’s like a roar, see?" "Uh huh." "And Kimba (the cartoon one) is, of course, an anime character, so that gets Tennyo. Sorry girl, I know that still bugs you. And Kimba lives in a harmonious talking animal kingdom, sort of like faerie, so we get Fey —" "Don’t bring me into this!" "And Kimba — I guess we’re going to have to get a real toy now — is white. Ghostly, sort of, like Phase here, right Ayla?" "Whatever." "And lastly, Kimba is a boy, like Hank, but our Kimba has a — well, that is, the spirit… oh, never mind." "Thanks," Hank said. They all group-hugged in front of the trophy case while Toni held up the toy, and the Chief snapped one more picture. ***** "That’s the LAST time we talk to the paper!" Ayla hollered, shaking the school paper. "Let me see!" Jade squealed. She snatched the paper and quickly ruffled through it. "Page three, bottom." "Oh, right. ‘Baddies grab bust, babes bounce back.’ Uh, that makes it sound —" "Oh, it gets better," Ayla muttered. Jade continued reading, holding the paper away from the eager Toni and Fey. Tennyo floated up overhead and read over Jade’s shoulder. "Let’s see… car alarms… historical ninja problems… HEY! Why is everyone so down on Hello Kitty? Oh, here’s something." She quoted, "‘Have you seen these babes?’ Well, obviously he isn’t talking about me." "Keep reading!" Toni prodded. "Oh yeah. ‘Have you seen these babes? If you ask me, they can fight in their nightgowns whenever they want!’" "What!" Fey yelled. "It was an emergency! We didn’t have time to change!" "Uh huh. It goes on. It says that bystanders were competing to name the new and nubile team." She looked up. "Guys, am I nubile?" "Keep reading!" "Right. ‘While the girls themselves —‘" "What am I?" Hank muttered. "Chopped liver?" "‘While the girls themselves chose the inexplicable name ‘Team Kimba,’ bystanders had already provided several superior suggestions for the ‘budding’ young team.’ They’ve got that in quotes. ‘Budding.’ What’s that supposed to mean?" "It means I’m gonna kill me an editor," Ayla growled. "‘Suggestions include the ‘Bedtime Angels,’ ‘Negligee Nightforce,’ and our personal favorite, the ‘Unbound Beauties.’ This last suggestion receives our full … support.’ What the heck is *that* supposed to mean?" "Ayla?" Fey asked, quietly. "Rrrrr!" "Want some help, when you go to kill that editor?" "Count me in, too," Toni promised. Hank smirked and proved that he fully adapted to the psychology of the typical male, who speaks before thinking. "They might have seen them," he said, "but only I got to *hold* them." As the girls descended on him in their wrath, he last audible words were, "Oops. Did I say that out loud?"
(Fin)
A Whateley Academy Tale
First Assembly
(Whateley 3)
by Babs Yerunkle, Bek D. Corvin, ScramblerJ, Starwolf, and Maggie Finson
The kids have battled their own differences, ninjas in the dead of night, but now comes the truly difficult task for them...
The dreaded First Assembly for students.
Whateley Academy September 7, Thursday
You can look forward to it, you can dread it, but no one can escape the First Day of School. Toni woke up feeling pretty good. The night before, Toni and her crew had managed to stop a team of ninjas who had tried to steal Poe Cottage’s mascot bust of Edgar Allen Poe. At the time, they thought that it was some upperclassmen from another cottage trying to score points on Poe. Well, they were partially right, it was a status thing, only it wasn’t from another cottage, it was from another school, some place in Japan. Apparently, one of the things that they do is send in teams to ‘count coup’ on Whateley, and this is the first time that anyone’s ever caught them at it. So, ‘Team Kimba’, as they were gonna call themselves, were off to a pretty good start.
It was early, and most of the cottage wasn’t up yet, so Toni decided to go for a jog around campus. She slipped on her red jogging outfit, slipped some Macy Grey into her DVD player and was out the door before anyone could tell her that she couldn’t do it. It was six-thirty in the morning in early September, high in the Presidential Mountains, so it was pretty nippy and the dew was thick on the ground. In other words, perfect jogging weather.
Now, Toni was not a ‘morning person’, but she had to admit that there’s something weird about going around in the early morning. Nice weird, but still weird. There’s that sense of being all alone, like the entire world is an empty theater. If she hadn’t been tripping on that, no one would have snuck up on her like that.
A guy in a black bomber jacket and chinos popped out of bush. "Chaka!"
She broke out of her stride and reflexively went on guard. "That’s me. And you are?"
"Nobody’s ever caught any of the Yama Dojo teams before."
"Yeah? And?"
"The Devil School isn’t exactly known for a ‘better luck next time’ mentality. And they’re patient. They can wait for years, decades even before they arrange a suitable death."
Okay, a little too ‘bad ninja movie’, Toni said to herself but then the whole ‘breaking in to steal a token prize’ was a tad ‘manga’ as well. If there’s one, there’s sure to be more. She broke out of her stance into a backwards handspring roll, and then broke into a run. She didn’t want to be handling this guy until she had a sense of where his backup was. Then she spotted him: black bomber jacket, chino pants, cheesy sun glasses- and an aluminum suitcase. Somehow, Toni didn’t think that he was carrying the details of a health plan in there. More likely, it was the Yama Dojo’s ace-in-the-hole gizmo, and she didn’t want to find out what it was first hand.
She did a power-leap over him, and ran up the side of the building, across the roof and dropped down to the ground-
-right in front of yet another guy in a black bomber jacket and chinos. He was carrying something that required a portable power generator. "Stop!"
Yeah, right, like that was gonna happen! Toni lit out, and almost ran into the first guy. She did a quick ninety-degree angle turn and discovered that her exit was blocked by the guy with the aluminum suitcase.
It turned into a nasty game of Go, with the three operatives masterfully herding Toni into a covered loading dock. She was penned in, with no way out. The first guy said, "Finally! Now we can get down to business!" He reached for the aluminum suitcase.
Well, Toni hadn’t wanted to get violent, but these bozos weren’t giving her any choices. Before Bozo #1 could open the suitcase, Toni lashed out with a sweeping kick that knocked the first two off their pins. The third guy dropped his gizmo and tried to restrain her, but Toni was too quick for him. For the rest of the fight, Toni kept the three men, who were obviously very well trained in unarmed combat, bouncing off the walls.
Finally, the last guy went down for the count. Toni gave a deep breath to calm herself down. Well, so much for that, she thought. I wonder how they got through security. So, let’s see what laughing boy here was so eager to get to. She carefully opened the case.
*****
"It was what?" Nikki asked incredulously.
"Recruiting materials." Toni passed glossy brochures to the rest of ‘Team Kimba’ as they sat together at breakfast. "It seems that I spent my morning beating up a bunch of recruiters from the CIA." She held up one brochure. "Hmmm... health and dental plan. Yeah, they had materials for their whole ‘sales pitch’ in the suitcase, and the other gizmo was a portable slide projector."
"You know, I thought I saw some guys like that earlier going to and from flight class. But Angel was with me and maybe they didn’t want to try anything with someone else there." Tennyo told the group. Everyone turned and looked at her.
"Hey! Don’t look at me! My parents may be in the CIA, but they told me before I left that it wasn’t the best career choice to make and that if I was approached by anyone to think it over really carefully before agreeing to anything."
"Your own parents said that?" Ayla asked.
"Yeah. Said it was okay if you’re single, but when you want to try and settle down, it can really suck."
"And you want to settle down? Did you have someone in mind?" Asked Jade. Tennyo just blushed as the rest of the group giggled.
Then Beltane walked up. "Morning, Children of the Hour! I understand that you had a busy night last night!" She sang cheerfully. Then she spotted the brochures. "Oh, you’ve been rushed already? My, someone IS on the ball!"
"Rushed?" Ayla asked as she looked up from a brochure that made working for the CIA look like one long James Bond movie
"Rushed into what?" Nikki questioned while peeking around Ayla to see the brochures. "Those look like some kind of sales pamphlets."
"They are." Belle grinned. "The CIA is trying to recruit whoever these were for. This bunch seems to be a little sharper than the team they had sneaking around here last year if they’ve already cornered one of you for that."
Toni shook her head. "Well, they may think twice before trying again. I kinda beat the you-know-what out of them. I thought they were some secret hit squad backing up those Ninjas from last night."
"Not to worry." Belle chuckled. "All that is going to do is make them even more determined to recruit you. Their advance teams are tough because there is always the risk of something like what happened this morning going down. Trust me, your stock with them just went up about twenty points. How many of them did you see?"
"Three."
"Ahh, then one was hiding somewhere to observe in case something like what you did happened. He or she will probably have a great time needling the others about getting beaten up by a freshman girl."
"You mean I can expect them to be jumping out of the bushes at me again?" Toni shook her head.
"Count on it, dear." Belle nodded with a wide grin. "They aren’t allowed to do it openly, like a job fair or something until you’re in the last part of your senior year, so they tend to sneak around and try to pounce on likely prospects early, to get ahead of the competition you know."
"Oh wonderful." Nikki frowned. "We’re still jumpy after last night, and we can expect that kind of thing to happen to all of us?"
"Maybe not all of you, but I’m sure most of you will be RUSHED before too long." Belle answered. "That showing you kids made against the Ninjas is going to impress a lot of people."
Nikki mumbled something that sounded like. "I knew I should have stayed in bed last night."
* * * *
Before the first class, there was the equally inescapable First Assembly. In preparation for this, all the new students were gathered together in each of the cottages and led to the large assembly area in Schuster Hall.
As she juggled her books, Toni asked Nikki, "So, y’wanna sit together?"
Nikki quirked a half smile at her roomie. "What’s this? Little Miss Kung Fu afraid of sitting next to a boy?"
"Nah, I just want someone to play MST3K with."
"MST3K?"
"Y’know ‘Mystery Science Fiction Theater Three Thousand’? The syndicated show where they play crappy old horror movies and the ‘hosts’ heckle them? We could sit together and make snarky comments about the corny ‘we’ll all become one big family’ speech’."
"What makes you think that the speech will be corny?"
"Hey, it’s a school- they do all that doofus cornball crap ‘cause if they don’t, the PTA crawls all over their asses. Hey, it’s a formula- the Headmistress says ‘Hi’, lays some kind of mind game on us where she basically says that if we don’t make lots of friends and get good grades that it’s OUR faults, and then says that everything’ll be peachy as long as we do things Their way."
"Optimist." Nikki favored Toni with a crooked little smile. "Opening day speeches are never good things to sit through and what you just said is something we could at least sleep through. I have the sinking feeling that any speech around here isn’t going to be nearly that simple, or restful."
"Yeah!" Jade piped up. "She’s the Headmistress! And look how much has happened already, and we haven’t even started school yet! I’m sure she’s going to have tons to say! Important stuff, like how to have proper superhero fights and stuff."
"Nah," Ayla groused, "I’ve been to a buncha these schools. They *never* just come out and tell you the really important stuff. The thinking is, if you’re smart enough to understand the really crucial lessons, then you’ll figure it out on your own. If you have to have them spelled out for you, then you’re too dumb to bother with. To be honest, they just throw in the stuff about the sciences and humanities to keep you busy while you’re being trained to be part of the machine."
"Well, I dunno about that," Hank mused, "But Ayla’s got one thing right; ‘getting with the program’ is what they really teach you at boot camp. Everything else is nice, but if you don’t get into the army headspace, the rest is just wasted effort."
"Oh, yeah!" Tennyo sneered, "I can just see what the academy motto probably is: ‘be all the mutant that you can be’! I just hope that she gives us the ‘one big family’ speech, and not the ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ speech."
"Oh, yeah," Ayla agreed, "I’ve heard my share of those, too. Especially at places like Chilton, where they really push the ‘we are the elite’ deal. Oh yeah, at Chilton they were very big on the idea that you had to learn Cato the Elder, so that you’d be better than the unwashed masses."
Toni looked askance at Ayla. "Y’mean, they really think like that?"
Ayla shrugged. "Oh, they never come out and SAY it, but from day one, you know that that’s what they really mean."
Toni needn’t have worried about sitting next to Nikki. The new students filed into the Auditorium by cottages. The Poe Cottage students came in after Twain, Whitman and Hawthorne, but before Melville, Dickinson, and Emerson. This placed the ‘weirdoes’ towards the front of the Auditorium, Toni couldn’t help but wonder out loud.
"Is someone trying to say something about the various cottages?"
"Oh, they probably want the really weird ones up front where they can keep an eye on them." Nikki giggled, blushed at the sound that had escaped her mouth, then shrugged. "Us."
When the last of the Hawthorne students filed in, a line of eight adults mounted the stage. Seven of them took seats behind the podium, as the eighth stepped up to it. She was handsome looking woman in what appeared to be her mid-thirties. She was tallish and appeared fit and trim under the business suit. Long, carefully dressed blonde hair framed a long face with regular features. She took a long look out at the assembled first time students, sighed and started.
"Good morning, students! I am Mrs. Carson, the headmistress here. Welcome to Whateley Academy. Don’t worry, I’m not going to give you the ‘one big happy family’ speech, or the ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ speech, or the ‘learning can be an adventure’ speech."
"Wow!" Toni whispered in an aside to Nikki, "We missed one!"
"I knew we were leaving something out." The redhead whispered back.
"Instead," Mrs. Carson continued, "I’m going to give you the ‘it’s all up to you’ speech. You probably haven’t heard it before. Most schools in North America and Europe tend to run on the ‘assembly line’ principle, where students are moved along a very slow conveyor belt from one class to another, where the teachers regurgitate facts all over them, in the presumption that at least some of the facts will fall into open ears."
Jade shuddered at the picture these words brought to mind.
"Ewww! Gross! I feel like I need a shower!"
Tennyo added, "Ugh! Where are the Q-tips?"
"At least they could supply airsick bags for the teachers." Nikki quipped.
"We can’t afford to do that here."
Jade and Tennyo looked at each other in horror. "No shower?!"
"Or Q-tips?!"
"Or airsick bags? Ewww!"
"The majority of students here, and a good number of the faculty and staff are mutants."
Tennyo grabbed Jade’s arm." I KNEW it! I told you there was something strange about this place!"
Jade grinned. "I thought you said we would fit right in?"
"Well yeah, but it’s still strange."
"Along with the usual classes in the arts and sciences, you will receive training in controlling your individual abilities, physical training, and even some combat training."
Tennyo whined nasally. "But Sensei. When are we going to get to fight with pointed sticks?"
"However, there is only so much that any of our teachers can do. You can’t just sit back and ‘be taught’- you have to actively learn!"
Then Tennyo turned to Toni. "You were right. It IS our fault!"
"Here at Whateley, we won’t try to make you learn, mostly because we know that it’s a waste of time and effort, no matter how well intentioned. We can’t control what you’ll become during your stay here- only YOU can decide that."
"What’re we going to do tonight, Nikki?"
"What we do every night, Tennyo. Plan to take over the WORLD!"
"_But_ there is one very important thing that we WILL demand from you: that you be responsible for your actions. In order to keep operating without having legions of militant mutant-haters storming our gates, we have to keep as low a profile here as possible."
"Sanctuary! Sanctuary!" groaned Tennyo.
"So much for planning to rule the world tonight." Nikki sighed.
"So, we can’t have you flitting around using your mutant powers while there are people who aren’t ‘in the loop’ on campus.
"Hey! I DON’T flit. I FLY.... With STYLE!"
"In order to learn, you and the other students have to feel safe, so you can’t go around threatening everyone with your power, just because they tick you off."
"Well, he WAS a jerk."
"And, while we know that accidents happen, and sometimes your powers can run away from you,"
Hank whispered. "Did I just hear Nikki say Oops!?"
Ayla followed with. "Tennyo! Where’s that cabbit of yours?"
"You have to understand that repairing the damage from using your powers is very expensive. We simply can’t afford to keep rebuilding the cottages every time that someone loses their temper."
"Oh, He..ck!" Jade whispered, sliding lower in her seat. "I knew it! She’s talking about us! It was such a big mistake to blow up campus last night!"
"Hey! Nobody told me that stuff in the balloons was nitro!" Nikki shot back.
"It is dangerous for you and all of us around you if you won’t control the powers and abilities that have been entrusted to you by fate. Please believe me when I say that the damage to our properties is insignificant to the loss we experience when one of you is injured or killed."
"Imagine how WE feel about that."
"As some of you have already found out, there are many enemies, both groups and individuals, who desire, and hope, and work to make your time here and in the future, unpleasant, short, or both. Some do it because they fear you, some because they DON’T fear you. There are those who want you to sacrifice yourselves for their purposes and those who fear that you will block them and the desires that they seek."
"Many of you will be at risk all your lives. Those that are your friends will also be at risk. Simply because they will be a part of what you will be attempting to accomplish in this life. Whether that will be good or bad is not for us to decide. We are here to help you develop the skills that will make it possible for you to make your way in this difficult world. And hopefully, survive to see what you are attempting accomplished."
"Oh good." Nikki whispered. "We can still take over the world. Only later. Ok." "But maybe you think this doesn’t apply to you. You won’t be running any clever plots or fighting for a cause you believe in. Instead, after graduation, you plan to just head out somewhere and mind your own business. You’ll never be bothered by suspicious neighbors, or religious extremists, or simply the common rabble that might see you as a deadly threat to everything they hold dear."
"If that’s the case… FINE. We’ll wish you luck. We honestly want every mutant to lead a successful and fulfilling life."
"But you might want to know that of those that try this approach, over half fail. Their cover is blown, or the unexpected happens, or any of a dozen other things. And then, you may be suddenly wishing that you’d paid a bit more attention in class. If we can take any lesson from the tragic case of Shep Packard, I’d like to think that might be one of them. Shep tried to live the quiet, inoffensive lifestyle. Perhaps… maybe if we’d just tried a little harder, he wouldn’t have been burned at the stake, there in the back hills of Kentucky. A victim of a senseless witch hunt."
Hank whispered, "What do WE do with witches?"
Jade, Toni, Tennyo, and Ayla whispered back, "We BURN witches! Opps! Sorry, Nikki."
"I know, even now, many of you are not taking this seriously."
A group, "Eeeep!", Followed by a short silence.
"We can only hope that learning just how seriously we mean this will not be too severe a lesson for yourselves and your friends. Remember, only YOU can make the decision to learn and accept what we, through long hard experience, have come to place before you."
Then she ran through the ‘Flag Rules’: When they fly a School Flag with a red border, lay low and don’t use your powers openly; when there’s an amber border, watch out before using your powers; when there’s green border, you can use your powers openly, just keep the property damage down.
Then she pulled out something that looked like a rather bulky laptop. "Very well, pay attention- this is a laptop computer that will be issued to each of you. We realize that there are a lot of you that for one reason or another aren’t familiar with these things. Don’t worry, we will have workshops to help you get familiar with them. Also there are some of you who might not be able to use the keyboard for one reason or another." "Like great whopping big fingers." Toni whispered aside. "For you, we can arrange alternate input methods. Now these things were specially made for Whateley. The exterior case is made of a biomimetic ‘clamshell’ ceramet compound- which means that it’s very tough, and fire and shock resistant. But it is NOT INDESTRUCTIBLE! Please, do not try to use it as a shield, or God forbid, a weapon! The interior has been water and shock proofed as best we can. It has ports for most peripherals, and we’re converting them over to wireless. If you didn’t follow all of that, just take the workshop. Now, these things are for schoolwork. If we catch you playing games on it, we will erase that game, and confiscate the discs. These are school property. There is a irremovable ‘Property of Whateley Academy, not for resale’ tag right here on the casing. Also, everyone in Dunwich knows all about these things, and if you try to sell one to them, the first thing that they’ll do is call us. These things are expensive; they are being provided to you free of cost. BUT, if we have to replace the unit that we give you, whether you sell it, lose it, break it or whatever, the cost comes out of your pocket. And they are being issued and registered to YOU personally, so don’t try to cover yourself by swiping someone else’s laptop. And, as I said, these things are expensive. Lastly, when you leave Whateley, we will expect you to turn it in. Most of these units were used by a student who graduated last year. They may have been upgraded, and the students are supposed to wipe their hard-drives clean before they return them, but I’d still suggest that you clear the hard-drive and re-boot the system from scratch. Seniors tend to think that leaving nasty pranks for the incoming Freshmen is a tradition."
"Please learn. And, PLEASE, try not to destroy everything around you as you do this. We wish you the best. And now we recommend that you start this journey by getting to your classes on time. Dismissed!"
As the students started to file out to go to their classes, the group gathered together before heading out.
Jade asked the others. "Do you really think that she was talking about us?"
Tennyo replied. "Naww! Just because just about everything she mentioned could apply to us doesn’t mean a thing."
Toni pitched in. "Yeah! What she was saying could apply to any of the students in there. Don’t you think so, Nikki?"
"Sure. Anyone."
"There! You see, Jade. Nothing to worry about. Now go out there and show them what you are made of. Or maybe not, where Jinn is concerned."
Waving to each other, they each headed out into the new world that was waiting for them.
by
Domoviye
Buffalo, New York
March 2007
Beatrice rubbed more skin cream on her stomach and chest, frowning in disgust. The weird lines weren't going away, in fact they were getting worse. What had been short little lines of slightly redder skin around her breasts, had grown, forming lines from her thighs to her neck and reaching around her back. They weren't all thin lines either, some were as wide as her thumb.
“Mom,” she called, while tossing on a sports bra, “come here.”
The door opened and her mother stepped in. Her hair was a bit of a mess, and her hands were wet from washing dishes. “What's wrong, Bee?” she asked, sounding exasperated.
“You know how you said I was getting stretch marks because of puberty? You were wrong.” She didn't add 'as usual', but the tone of her voice made it clear what she was thinking.
That earned a sigh and her mother rubbed her forehead. “Have you put the cream on like I said?”
“Yes. In the morning and at night. It hasn't done any good. Do you have any useful advice?”
“All right. When I get the time today I'll call the doctor and set up an appointment.” Any further discussion was cut off by the door closing.
Putting a shirt on, Beatrice went to her bed using Moxie, her stuffed kitty, as a pillow. She wished she knew what was going on. She was behind her classmates when it came to puberty, having only really started last year at thirteen years old, so she'd enviously watched the other girls as they'd grown. None of them had anything like this happen to them.
It sucked so much. She constantly wore an undershirt so no one would see her body. Changing for gym was a horror, it was easier to change in the bathroom stall than put up with everyone staring at her like she was diseased. And it wasn't like her parents were helping. They seemed intent on making things actively worse, especially her mother. Everything was broken, and no one would admit it.
“Bee,” a quiet voice said from outside the door.
“Come on in, Petey,” she said, a real smile came as her little brother came into her room.
The six year old, still in his pyjamas, quietly closed the door, then rushed to the bed, jumped on and gave her a big hug. She rubbed his short brown hair, and hugged him back. “You OK?” she asked.
He shook his head, and somehow found the strength to hug her even more tightly.
“What's wrong?”
“Daddy is crying in his office again.”
Kissing his head, she rubbed her brother’s back. “You aren't supposed to eavesdrop.”
“I didn't. I heard as I walked by,” he said. “Why is Mommy making him cry?”
She bit back a groan. How was she supposed to tell a six year old about their mother cheating with her boss, without actually saying it. She could barely understand it. They'd been a happy family, now it was broken all thanks to their mother. “You know what happened. Mom did something bad, and hurt Dad's feelings. They're trying to make things better, but it's going to take time to fix it.”
“Everyone says that, but what did she do?” he demanded.
Screw it, she'd try to make him understand. “There's different types of love. Like... you love Patches, and you love me, but not in the same way, right?”
He screwed up his face, as he thought about his gerbil and her, then he nodded.
“OK. There's a special love that's supposed to only be between a mommy and a daddy. That's why they get married, because they really, really love each other.” It wasn't strictly true, but at least he'd understand it. “Well Mommy loved her old boss the same way as she did with Daddy. And it really hurt him.”
“That wasn't very nice of her,” Petey said.
“I know. So that's why Daddy's sad, and Mommy is acting different.”
“So it wasn't because we did something bad?” he asked.
She bit back a sob, and held him tight. “No, we didn't do anything bad. You've been the best little boy anyone could ask for.”
He tilted his head so he could kiss her cheek. “And you're the best big sister ever in the whole wide world.”
Beatrice was listening to music on her bed, trying to shut out the world, when the world slammed open her door. “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!” her mother demanded.
Taking off her headphones, she scrambled across the bed until her back was against the wall, her heart racing.
“Why did you tell your brother that?”
“What?” she asked, too panicked to think clearly.
“About what happened. What gave you the right to tell him! How do you think that makes me look to Petey?” her mother demanded.
Anger began to rise up. The woman had fucked her boss who knew how many times, gotten caught doing it and ruined their family, leaving only broken fragments of what had been. Now she was angry about being called out for it. Getting to her feet, Beatrice felt powerful, electricity ran through her muscles. “Why shouldn't he know? Do you want him to think all of this is his fault?!”
Her mother strode forward, so they were practically nose to nose. “I expect you to help this family. Not break it apart. Your father and I are working things out, we don't need you fucking it up by turning Petey against me.”
“Maybe I'm tired of lying to him. Why shouldn't he know his mothers a whore, who doesn't give a damn about us?!” she shouted.
The slap came out of nowhere. It was hard enough to send her falling onto the bed, seeing stars. Clutching her stinging cheek, she glared at her mother who was standing there her mouth open in shock. “Feel better now, bitch?” Beatrice asked through her tears.
“You're grounded. You can eat supper in here, and only come out to go to the bathroom and school,” her mother said, slamming the door shut as she left the room
April, 2007
“I'm broken,” Beatrice muttered.
Looking at her arms, the 'stretch marks' had moved quickly over the last few weeks from her torso to her limbs and neck. Her mother had never gotten her the doctor appointment like she'd promised, for all that woman cared, she could be dying of cancer. No one asked why she was always wearing pants and long sleeve shirts, even though it was warm enough to wear lighter clothes. No one cared anymore. Even her friends had mostly given up on her, since she couldn't leave the house or have them over.
She didn't feel sick. If she was being totally honest, physically she felt better than ever. Emotionally, she pictured herself as a cracked and broken porcelain doll, thrown on the floor like garbage. Staring out the window, she dreamed of flying away and never coming back.
The door opened.
“Hey Petey,” she said, not looking around.
He walked over to her and gave her a hug. “I miss Dad,” he said.
“He'll be home tonight after work.”
“No he won't. He'll eat supper and go hide in his office. He's not home anymore.”
Sitting sideways on her chair, she lifted her brother up onto her lap and wrapped him in her arms. “Well I'm here for you. No matter what happens, I'll never leave you alone.”
They cuddled for a while, not talking, not doing anything, just letting each other know they cared and were loved. Beatrice lost track of time, but eventually felt her brother shifting around and playing with her shirt collar.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Looking at your grey skin. Why are you grey?” he asked.
“What?!”
“The back of your shoulder is grey.” He pulled at her collar. “Your whole back is grey and black. Were you painting yourself?”
Getting to her feet, almost throwing Petey to the floor, she rushed to her dresser grabbing her hand mirror and went to her small makeup table. Pulling her shirt collar down, she held the mirror so it would show the back of her shoulder and reflect it into the larger table mirror. Her skin really was grey. It was blotchy at the edges, but an inch or two away from the edge it was mostly smooth grey skin. And there was a pitch black line running through it towards her neck. It looked like a crack.
“OH GOD!” she cried.
Running out of the room, she found her mother in the living room reading a book. “Mom! I need to go to the doctor!”
“Stop shouting. What is going on?” her mother demanded.
“My back, it's black and grey. I-I-I don't know why. It might be cancer, or a super fungus. I don't know. We need to go.” She headed for the door, barely able to think straight.
“Wait a minute! What do you mean your back is grey?”
Lifting her shirt Beatrice turned away to let her mother get a good look at her back. “Petey just saw it today. I don't know how long its been there. Come on! We've gotta go!”
Her mother finally got to her feet. “Did you put Petey up to this? Getting him to paint your back? If you want to act out, fine, I can deal with that, but don't bring your brother into it.”
The panic didn't vanish. Instead it was pushed to the side, crowded out by a red hot fury. She'd barely talked to her mother in a month. She'd done everything she was told. She'd kept Petey from crying and made sure he would go to sleep at night. She was trying to keep things together in the broken remnants of their lives. Electricity flowed through her body.
“You think this is a joke!” she screeched.
The electricity formed a ball between her shoulder blades. Her mother was shouting something, getting closer, hand raised to strike her. Petey was in the hallway screaming with tears streaming down his cheeks.
Beatrice saw the hand moving in slow motion, her mother was going to hit her again. Shrieking with anger, the electricity erupted from her, tearing her shirt apart.
Glowing black energy surrounded her.
She felt a hand strike the energy field. The blow didn't hurt, it had all the strength of a newborn.
Flexing her back, the energy field spread open like a pair of wings. Ignoring her mother who was standing there, mouth agape, clutching her hand, Beatrice looked at the black energy. They were shaped like wings.
Tightening her back muscles, the energy wings flared out to her sides. They weren't solid energy, but broken up into dozens of pieces that looked like individual feathers.
“Bee, you have wings!” Petey said.
“Uh-huh,” she said. They suddenly vanished, leaving her feeling like she'd been running for hours. Collapsing to the floor, she could hear her mother calling 911, while Petey ran towards her calling her name.
May, 2007
Beatrice stared at her MID, trying to shut out the argument going on in the living room.
“I will not have a mutant using my name!” her grandmother shouted.
“Mom, be reasonable,” her Dad said. “It's her name as well. We can't just change it.”
“You can and you will if you want to be in my will,” the woman said for at least the tenth time.
Crawling under her blanket, she wished the world would just end. Mutants were supposed to be powerful, she felt anything but. Her brand new MID told her she wasn't weak, Exemplar 2, Energizer 2, Wizard 3, that should mean something.
When they'd asked for a codename, she couldn't give them a good one. So the MCO agent had called her Broken. It fit, so she'd gone with it.
She was Broken. Her life was Broken. Her family was Broken.
She wasn't Beatrice anymore. She wasn't Bee. The face that looked back at her from the MID was brand new. Grey skinned with black cracks and weird golden eyes. This was the new her, Broken.
Getting out of bed, she went to the living room. Her grandmother recoiled at the sight of her broken face.
Grandma was right, she wasn't Beatrice anymore, she was a broken doll, that somehow walked and talked. Even her parents looked away from her.
“You want the name back,” she said to her grandmother, “it's yours. I never liked it much anyways.”
June, 2007
“Bee,” Petey said.
“I'm not Bee anymore. I'm Mary now,” she said. The name still sounded odd to her, but after three weeks of being called Broken, she had to admit it was better.
“I like Bee more.”
“So did I, but it's not me,” Mary said.
Putting his arms around her, he said, “You'll always be you. That's why I love you.”
Wrapping him in her arms, she picked him up so she could give him a kiss. “Thanks. Now do you want to see something cool?”
“What is it?”
“Magic.” Putting him down, she took out her notebook. She'd found a site on the net that had simple safe spells on it. Most people claimed it was fake, but she'd taken a chance on it anyways and practiced a few of them.
Reading over the instructions again, she waved her hands just so, whispered some unknown words, and pushed her essence into it. The essence felt different from the electricity of her wings, it was a cool gentle wind moving through her. With a lot of practice she'd learned to let some of it out.
The essence turned into a flickering silvery light, that looked like a star on a moonless winter night.
“Awesome,” Petey whispered. Reaching out he poked it with his finger, causing it to pop out of existence.
“Pretty neat huh,” she said, smiling at her achievement.
“Yeah. Can you do anything else?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. But I'm trying to learn how to make it move around. If I can do that I'll never need a flashlight.”
“Suppertime!” their mother called.
Petey got up and walked to the dining room. She remembered when he used to run to the table, there had been a time just months ago where she'd sometimes race him, not anymore. Mary went more slowly, making sure to wash her hands very thoroughly before going to the table. Taking a seat, she kept her head down, ignoring how her parents didn't quite look at her broken face.
The table was silent as they ate the pork chops and rice. It would have been uncomfortable if they hadn't been doing it for months. Since she'd been confirmed a mutant, the silence had simply grown even more oppressive.
Looking at her parents through her hair, she cleared her throat. “Um, I need some more makeup.”
“What happened to the jar I just bought you?” her mother asked.
“You bought it four weeks ago. I used it up.”
Her father looked at her disapprovingly. “You're not going to school, so you don't need it. You can stay inside.”
“All summer?” she asked. She should have been surprised, but very little surprised her anymore when it came to her parents.
“It's not like we're going on any big trips this year. I don't see the problem with it.”
“I want to go to the beach with B- Mary,” Petey said.
“She can't go to the beach,” their mother said.
“But she's cool. I want her to do magic for my friends and watch her go flying again!”
The already cold atmosphere became freezing. Her parents speared her with their eyes. “You've been flying?” her father asked.
Mary looked down at her lap. “Sometimes. At night.”
“YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE FLYING!” he roared.
“And you have to wear your makeup if you go outside!” her mother yelled.
She got to her feet so quickly her chair tipped over. “Why don't you just call the MCO and tell them to arrest me? You want to keep me in prison, you might as well make it official!” she shouted, storming to her room.
July, 2007
Her parents came into her room. “Mary, we have some good news,” her mother said.
She looked at them, refusing to speak. She hadn't spoken to anyone except her brother for almost a month. In fact she'd barely done anything except keep herself clean and play with Petey when their parents weren't watching.
“We found a boarding school that's for mutants, like you, in New Hampshire,” her father said.
“So you've found a way to legally get rid of me. Thank god, when can I leave?” she asked.
Somehow her parents looked insulted. “Next month.”
Sneering, she asked, “Can't it be sooner?”
They left without answering.
A little while later Petey came into her room and crawled onto her bed. “I don't want you to go,” he said, hugging her.
“I don't think I have a choice. I can't stay here,” she said, hugging him back.
“You said you'd always be here for me.”
Kissing his forehead, she fought back tears. “I know. I'm sorry I have to break my promise, but I'll call you every chance I get. And you're learning how to read so fast, I can write you letters every week.”
“Promise,” he asked.
“Pinky promise,” she said, holding out her little finger.
Smiling, he wrapped his pinky around hers.
August, 2007
Mary stepped off the train and saw several other teens who looked as excited and nervous as she felt. The caked on makeup hiding her broken appearance was itchy on the hot day, but there was no way she was going to show her real face.
“This is a new start. Best face forward. Don't let them see how scared you are,” she whispered to herself. Smiling, she went to a group of friendly looking girls who seemed to be hiding certain features behind sunglasses and bulky clothing. “Hi, are you going to Whateley too?” she asked.
The day had been long, exciting, and astounding. She'd never seen anyplace like Whateley, and compared to some of her fellow Whitman cottage mates, she didn't look odd.
Now everyone was going to their room, ready to get organized and prepare for bed. But where every other girl had at least seen their roommate, Mary was still on her own.
“Mary,” Mrs. Savage said, “your roommate seems to be running late. Her luggage arrived while you were touring the campus, so just ignore her things for now and make yourself at home on the right side of the room.”
“OK,” she said.
Going to her room, she took one last look at the pairs of girls in the hallway who were chatting and giggling together, then closed the door. Her luggage was stacked neatly on her side of the room. Her roommates stuff was on the other side, and it was interesting.
On the bed was a huge dollhouse. It wasn't a cheap plastic house, it seemed to be made of fairly solid wood, tiny bricks, and even steel. There was what looked like a detachable water tank on the side, along with a brick box that said 'batteries' on it. Careful to not touch anything she looked it over and didn't see any way to open it up.
“How does she play with it?” she asked herself. “Better question, what teenager still plays with dolls?”
On the nightstand was a small rosebush, with lots of pink roses in full bloom. Checking the soil, it was a little dry. “If she doesn't show up by noon tomorrow, I'll water it for her.”
There was nothing else of interest in the room. She was all alone, with what little she could shove into her two small suitcase. In the silent room she could hear girls talking outside in the hallway. They seemed happy.
Looking around the empty room again, she wished Petey was there to snuggle with her. Taking her stuffed cat out of her luggage, she curled up on her bed, utterly alone, and began to cry.
Scarborough, Greater Toronto Area, Canada
June, 2007
Patrick rode his skateboard down the sidewalk, casually weaving between the pedestrians who were leaving work early. Checking his watch, he was happy to see that he wasn't late to meet his friends. They were to meet up at the Ellesmere Skate Park, and hang out for a while.
At least that was the plan, who would actually show up was a mystery. His Mom was at work at the grocery store until eight, so he didn't have anything better to do. His friends however could be told to do some 'important' chore, be getting yelled at by their parents for some reason, having to look after a younger brother or sister, or just had something come up. It wouldn't be the first time, a big hangout turned out to be him and one or two of his friends, or just him.
Not for the first time, he wished his parents had the money to get him a phone. When he could finally get a job in two years, he'd work his ass off to buy one.
His unhappy thoughts were interrupted by a weird smell. It was unpleasant. Sniffing the air, he could smell sweat, perfume, exhaust, garbage, spices, food, and more. He smelled them everyday in the city, but this was worse, it was like someone had taken them all mixed them into a perfume bottle and sprayed it straight up his nose. He started to gag and had to swallow some vomit.
Holding his breath, he sped up, hoping to escape the smell.
There was an unpleasant whine in his ears, like bad headphones.
A moment later his ears were assaulted by the roar of engines, people shouting in his ears, the stamping of feet, a phone rang hurting his ears. Screaming in pain, he covered his ears, trying to shut out the noise.
The pain and confusion was overpowering. Patrick forgot he was on his skateboard, he didn't realize a road was coming up. He didn't see the car. Brakes screeched as the driver desperately tried to avoid hitting him.
It was almost enough.
The bumper hit Patrick's leg, knocking him off his skateboard and onto the hood of the car. His head smacked against the metal and he slid down to the pavement with a groan.
Patrick lay in his hospital bed, his head sore and his leg itchy. He couldn't do much to fix either problem, since his leg was in a cast thanks to being fractured. His head hurt not only from getting hit by a car, but because everything was so noisy and the air was filled with smells. He thought hospitals were supposed to be quiet, but this one seemed to be made for people who were hard of hearing. Everyone was shouting, the sounds of machines reverberated through the walls and hallways, and the rooms caused annoying echoes that messed with his head.
“Mom, I told you I don't need anything,” he said for the fifth time, hoping she'd either go away or at the very least quiet down. .
“I know, honey, but you had me so worried,” she said. “Are you sure you don't want me to call your father? He's working tonight but he said he could probably get the night off if you need him.”
He winced and covered his ears as she spoke. “You don't have to shout I can hear you just fine.”
“Pat, I'm not shouting,” she said, her voice ringing in his ears. She leaned in closer to get a good look at him.
“Yes you are. And why are you wearing so much perfume?” he asked. Now that she was closer, his nose began to run from the overpowering scent of flowers.
She looked confused. “I'm not wearing perfume. I just put on some deodorant this morning.”
“I can smell it. It's like it's smeared inside my nose.”
The confusion turned to worry. “Just wait here, I'm going to get a doctor,” she said, leaving the room.
It was still noisy and smelly in the room, but it was bearable now with the door closed. Sighing in relief, Patrick closed his eyes, hoping it would help his headache. What he really wanted to do was go home, he'd be more comfortable in his own room, but he wouldn't be allowed to leave until at least noon the next day. They wanted to observe him and make sure his brain was OK after his concussion.
He scowled to himself. If they wanted to make sure he was OK, they could give him a better room that didn't reek of medicine and cleaner. Keeping things to a dull roar would be nice too.
Something clicked against the floor.
Opening his eyes, he looked around and was surprised at the sight of a mangy dog looking up at him, happily wagging its crooked tail.
“Where did you come from?” he asked the mutt. His Mom had closed the door, and he was certain no one had opened it.
The mutt gave a little woof, stood up on its hind legs and placed its paws on his bed, the way it held its head it clearly wanted him to pet it. Patrick took a close look at it, the fur was a patchy mix of brown and a light tan, and was almost a mane around its neck and shoulders. Its right ear had a notch taken out of it, probably from a fight and was folded down at the base, while the other ear folded a little at the top, making him seem unbalanced. It looked clean, just scrawny, and its eyes, one brown and the other blue, were bright. It started to whine.
Carefully he held his hand out, letting the mutt sniff it. It didn't hesitate, licking and nuzzling his fingers, whining nonstop. Patrick began scratching him between the ears, and the whining stopped, its tail began wagging so quickly it was a blur.
“I'm glad you’re friendly,” he said. “But how did you get in here? And why are you in the hospital?” The dog didn't have any tags, despite how friendly it seemed, it didn't look like the type of animal they'd bring to a hospital to cheer up patients. The dog was a mutt, and while it wasn't filthy, it clearly hadn't been taken care of for a while, missing fur in some places, and just giving every impression of being a friendly stray.
The door opened, and his Mom and a doctor came in.
“What are you doing, Patrick?” his Mom asked.
He gave her a confused look, that should be obvious. “I'm petting a-”
The dog had vanished. He'd been petting it, his hand hadn't left the mutts head, and it had disappeared.
“There was a dog here!” he said. “It was right here! I was petting its head when you came in. Where did it go?”
He watched as the adults' expressions turned from confusion to worry.
The Next Day
Patrick gave his Dad a wry look. “How am I feeling? My leg is in a cast, I'm wearing a mask so I don't throw up, and I have to wear headphones so my eardrums aren't blasted. Also I'm apparently a mutant. How's your day?”
That got a chuckle from his old man. “Ask a stupid question, get a smart ass answer. What about the hallucinations?”
“I wasn't hallucinating. There was a dog in the room, it came back a few times last night and was even sleeping on the bed.”
“So where is it now?”
He shrugged, shifting the paper mask the hospital had given him to help keep his insane sense of smell from becoming sickening. “I have no idea. I wish it would come when I called. I'm sick and tired of people thinking I'm crazy.”
His Dad nodded. “Can you try to call it now?”
“OK, but it won't work,” he said. Ready for failure Patrick sat up in his hospital bed and clapped his hands together. “Come here boy. Come on out wherever you are.”
Nothing happened.
They sat in silence for a minute, his Dad looking thoughtful. “When you called him, did you feel anything? Something in your head?”
“Nnnoooo. Why?”
“Close your eyes, and try to ignore everything around you. Focus on your mind and feelings.”
He gave his Dad the side eye. “You're being weird.”
“Trust me.”
Closing his eyes, Patrick tried to shut out the world. It wasn't easy with his increased senses, but taking deep breaths, and focusing on his heartbeat helped.
“Now,” his Dad said softly, “keep concentrating on you, and call the dog.”
“Come here boy.” As he said the words, he felt something in his head. It was like something was suddenly paying attention to him.
He opened his eyes in surprise. “I felt something.”
That got a nod. “All right, that's good. Now give the dog a name.”
“A name?”
“Yeah, it will help it and you, focus.”
“How do you know all of this?” Patrick demanded.
“I'll tell you later, now pick a name.”
“I suck at picking out names.”
His Dad smiled. “It doesn't have to be a good name, just give it a name that isn't an insult.”
He thought about the dog. It wasn't much of one, just a regular looking beat up old mutt. “OK, Mutt. His name is mutt.”
“You really do suck at names,” his Dad said. “But it works. Now concentrate on Mutt and the feeling you have in your head. Picture him in front of you, and call him.”
Closing his eyes again, Patrick thought about the dog. Now that he had an idea of what to feel for, he could sort of sense it, it felt like the dog was wagging its tail in anticipation. “Mutt, come here boy.”
“Damn!” his Dad shouted.
Opening his eyes, he let out a little yell of surprise. The dog was sitting in front of his Dad, who had jumped to his feet. The crooked tail was moving a mile a minute, as it sat there with its mouth open and its long tongue hanging out.
“I knew he was real,” he said.
Gingerly petting Mutt, his Dad nodded. “Yeah, he is.”
“How did you know he would come if I gave him a name?”
“Can you keep a secret?” his Dad asked, giving him a very serious look.
“Yeah.”
“I'm a mutant. A very low level avatar.”
His day just kept getting stranger and stranger. “Seriously?”
His Dad nodded. “When I was about your age I started getting weird sensations, noticing things I shouldn't, able to tell if something dangerous was about to happen, and a sense there was something else in my head. I started calling my spirit Frank, and it seemed to like it, I could sense it more easily and my danger sense got a bit better. I think he's a rodent of some kind.”
“Does Mom know?”
“I never told her or anyone, I didn't even tell the MCO.”
“Isn't that illegal?”
That earned a shrug. “How will they prove it? All I get are hunches and a bit of a nudge about things I should notice. It was a hunch that told me you might be an avatar too.”
“So what do I do now?” he asked.
“Get your MID, you can't exactly hide Mutt as easily as I can hide Frank. Then get used to being a pet owner.” His Dad cocked his head at the spirit dog. “I wonder if he needs food?”
August 2007
Patrick sat on the bus beside his Mom, his hand in his pocket holding his brand new MID. His cast had come off the other day, his minor fracture had healed fairly quickly, so he'd had to head off to the MCO for testing. It wasn't as bad as he'd feared, and his Mom had come along to watch. The most interesting thing was learning that Mutt was made out of ectoplasm.
The MCO researcher had been a bit confused by that, but guessed that the dog spirit had somehow taken over his manifesting power to create its body.
Thinking about it, Patrick wasn't sure if he liked that very much. Being able to create whatever he wanted when he wanted, would have been cool. But having a dog that didn't poop, didn't need to eat, and didn't shed was pretty nice.
He wrinkled his nose as a smelly passenger walked past. He'd gotten used to his supercharged sense of smell and hearing, tuning out the excess so he could go around without a mask or headphones all the time. It still wasn't pleasant.
Pushing the stop button, he got to his feet. “I'm going to Dad's place, I want to talk to him about everything.”
“All right, Fetch” his Mom said, chuckling at his choice in codenames. “You'll be home for supper?”
“Yep. If I'm going to be late, I'll have Dad call you,” he said, before hopping off the bus.
He started walking the block to his Dad's apartment, which wasn't in the nicest neighbourhood. It didn't really bother him, he and his Mom lived close by and it wasn't much better. He was a local and knew how to avoid most trouble.
“Come on Mutt,” he said.
His dog came out from behind a parked car and fell in beside him. The spirit still looked like a knee high old stray, with his floppy ears and crooked tail, but his fur was full and sleek, and he didn't look as scrawny. Taking a dog treat from his pocket, he tossed it in the air, chuckling as the spirit jumped up to catch it. It didn't need to eat, yet it never turned down the chance to get a bit of food. When the dog demanifested, Patrick would need to clean up a pile of dry biscuits, but that beat having to pick up dog poop.
“Where did that dog come from?” a gruff voice demanded.
Turning around, Patrick found himself looking up at a guy who looked to be about twenty and nasty, two others dressed alike stood behind the first guy.
“Don't know, he's some stray who took a liking to me,” Patrick said, careful to not look hostile or challenging, while not being scared.
“That's not what I mean. It came out of thin air. How the hell did you do that?”
Taking a step back, Patrick tried to keep the touch of fear he was feeling out of his voice. “I don't know what you're talking about, dude. He's just an ordinary mutt.”
His ordinary mutt, placed itself between him and the three adults. Patrick noticed that Mutt was now waist high. It began growling.
“Mutt, stop,” he ordered.
One of the guys buddies swore. “That dog is growing.”
Mutt's growl became deeper.
“I think he's a mutant,” the third man said.
Grabbing Mutt's furry neck, Patrick tried to pull him away. “Mutt! Stop. Bad dog!”
The three men pulled out knives. Patrick cursed, he needed to get out of there now. Pulling harder on his spirit, he found the animal wouldn't budge, and it had gotten larger. On all fours, Mutt's head was level with his own. The growling was deep and booming. Passersby stopped what they were doing and hurriedly turned around to avoid them or headed into the nearest shop. People pulled out their phones and began making calls.
“What the hell?!” The three men backed up, holding their knives out, trying to keep the now monstrous size dog away from them.
Mutt kept growing, now the size of a small car. Ignoring Patrick it stepped towards the three, head low, teeth bared, spittle falling from its snarling mouth.
“MUTT! STOP!” he shouted uselessly.
There was a roar of jets and a man in red and white body armour dropped from the sky. He held a broken crystal sword in front of him, he wasn't wearing a mask, his gaunt face was hard and his eyes were emotionless. In the air above him, a woman in a pink and white costume stood on the wing of a devised flying machine, lights sparkled above her hands.
Patrick stepped back at the sight of the superheroes, The Fool and his handler Firecracker. Then he grabbed Mutt's leg, he didn't know what would happen if Mutt got hurt, and The Fool wasn't one to hold back.
“Control your dog,” The Fool said.
“I'm trying! Mutt, go home!” he cried.
The three men who had caused all of the mess took off running. Mutt barked, kicked Patrick off of his leg and jumped over the superhero, to get the trio.
The Fool ducked to avoid getting hit, and raised his broken sword. The air shimmered in the shape of a blade, Mutt leapt through the shimmer and split in two, fading away into nothing.
“What the hell just happened?” Firecracker said.
Patrick felt Mutt in his head, whimpering in pain and fear. The Fool began walking in his direction, the sword raised. He scrambled backwards, not wanting to face the hero.
Mutt appeared again, a little smaller, but still the size of a bear. Patrick felt weak kneed for a moment. His spirit growled at the hero, eyeing the broken sword warily.
The Fool thrust his sword forward, Mutt jerked out of the way and snapped at the hero. Firecracker threw a ball of flame at Mutt, who yelped as it burned his flank. While the dog was distracted, The Fool swung his sword cutting deep into Mutt's front leg.
The wound was pure white for a moment then sealed up. Mutt grew bigger to the size of a truck.
The superheroes backed up. Patrick heard Firecracker talking on her radio calling for backup. He had to stop this now.
Running forward he got between The Fool and Mutt. “BAD DOG!” he shouted, slapping Mutts' muzzle.
Mutt looked confused and hurt for a second, then faded away. In his mind, Patrick felt his spirit whining in betrayal.
Turning to face the heroes, Patrick gulped as The Fool loomed over him.
“This fool would like to know what just happened,” the hero said, his broken sword dangerously close to Patrick's chest.
“I can explain,” he said.
Ministry of Supernatural Affairs (MSA) Office
That night
Patrick sat back trying to take everything in, while his parents looked over several forms and pamphlets, trying comprehend all that had happened to their son in just an hour. His first up close and personal encounter with superheroes had almost ended in a fight, and Mutt was still whining in the back of his head at his betrayal.
“You really think that Patrick is dangerous?” his Mom asked the government agent.
“From the statements, Mrs. Sharpe, Patrick seems like a good kid, his spirit is a problem. What do you think would happen if some bullies started a fight with him at school?” the agent said.
He watched his Mom turn pale at the thought. He'd already thought of it, and looking at his Dad's worried expression he had as well.
“But sending him to this Whateley school. It's so far away and in the US. Isn't there anything closer?” she asked.
“There are some Canadian boarding schools that can accommodate mutants. However, from what The Fool and Firecracker have said, they would have a similar problem with handling your son's spirit as a regular school. We can't force you to send your son to Whateley, but if something goes wrong and a person is injured or killed due to the spirit, Patrick will be held responsible,” the agent said, his mouth twisting like he'd bitten into a lemon.
“That's the stick,” the agent said, “now for the carrot. Due to the nature of your son’s power, and the necessity for proper training, we will provide a scholarship that will significantly lower the admission costs. Depending on your finances, this could be as much as 80% of the costs. There's also the possibility of enrolling him in the Heroes of Tomorrow program.”
“The Ride Along Program?” Patrick asked, using the much more common name for the program.
“Yes. If you enroll in it, you'll get a full ride scholarship, but each summer you'll need to work with a superhero, military, or the police for a few weeks, learning how to best use your powers for society and potential employment as an adult. With your heightened senses and your spirit, placing you with the police, military or the forestry service, focusing on search and rescue and finding contraband, would likely be the most effective way to use your power. However that will all be sorted out if you decide to consider the program.”
His Mom spoke up. “I think we'll enroll him at Whateley, and we'll discuss the Heroes program. But can we have some time to think about it?”
“Of course,” the agent said. “But I must insist that Patrick immediately begin taking a dog obedience program.”
Boston
End of August
Getting on the train, Patrick followed along behind the government agent who was taking him to Whateley. They'd flown to Boston that morning, and it would just be a few more hours before they reached his new school. His minder took a seat, Patrick wanting a bit of privacy took a seat that kept him in eyesight without sitting right beside the man.
Mutt appeared beside him, curling up on the seat with a contented sigh.
“OH DOGGY!” a girl squeaked.
Looking around, Patrick didn't see anyone at first, then he looked up. A purple winged fairy, carrying a small purse that was as big as she was, came flying down the aisle, ignoring the shocked looks and gasps her presence caused.
The tiny six inch tall girl came to a stop in front of Mutt, holding out a hand to his nose. “You're just an adorable little thing aren't you!” she cooed.
Mutt looked up at Patrick, clearly confused, then gingerly licked the fairy's hand.
“You like me! You really like me!” she shrieked, jumping onto Mutts neck, where she proceeded to bury her arms in his fur and begin scratching.
“Uh, hi,” Patrick said.
“Hello. Is this your dog? He's so cute! What's his name?”
“He's Mutt, and I'm Patrick.”
“I'm Teri! You look a little young to be traveling on a train all by yourself.”
He wasn't sure how to take that comment, considering she was as big as his hand and looked like a mini teen girl. “I'm going to school,” he finally said.
“REALLY! So am I!” she said. “I bet we're going to the same school. Maybe we can take the same classes! This is like fate! Me the awesome and adorable Teri, Mutt the cutesy wootsies doggy, and Patrick! We'll rule Whateley with our fantasticness!”
“Uh, I don't think that's a word. And what?”
Mutt and Teri ignored his confusion.
Thunder Bay, Canada
Early August, 2007
“You know rollerblades are lame right?” Lindsey asked, leaning on her bike as she waited for Sandy.
Sandy finished tying up her laces, grabbed her bag that now held her shoes and got to her feet, before responding to her friend. “I don't care. I don't have a car, and the buses suck.”
“You have heard of this little thing called a bike, right?”
“How many times has your bike been stolen?” she asked with a smirk.
Her friend rolled her eyes. “At least I don't have to carry my bike everywhere with me.”
“Well you can keep your bike, until someone steals it, and I'll keep my rollerblades,” she said, patting the bike handle.
As her hand touched the bike it shot away, jerking Lindsey off her feet, before slamming into a nearby brick wall so hard it crumpled. Lindsey laid on the ground for a moment, too stunned to do anything, then she began shrieking, clutching her arm.
Practically throwing herself to the ground, Sandy took a moment to look over her friend. She didn't know what had just happened or why, all that mattered was that Lindsey needed immediate help. Her brain slowed things down, she knew that soon enough she'd be panicking and shaking, but for right now she was calm, collected and focusing all of her attention on her friend. “Hold still, Lindsey,” she said, forcing herself to sound calm and in control, just like she'd learned in her first aid course. “I'm going to look at your arm, and see if I can help, OK?”
Her friend kept screaming, but stopped moving quite so much. Taking it as permission to help, Sandy looked at the injury, the forearm was bent at a ninety degree angle, she saw a piece of bone sticking out of the skin. She breathed a sigh of relief, it was only bleeding lightly, so the artery wasn't cut, or it was pinched off by the bone. Moving to the hand, she gasped, the fingers were a mess, most were either broken or dislocated, but her index finger had been ripped clean off.
A crowd had gathered, a few were taking pictures, others looked concerned or sick. Pointing at a woman who seemed to be taking a video, Sandy yelled at her, “You, call 911, now. We need an ambulance ASAP!”
A teen had a light jacket over his shoulder. Still following her training, she didn't quite shout, “I need your jacket. We need to stop the bleeding and protect her injury.”
The teen came over, his face grew pale as he saw the injuries. She took his jacket and very carefully wrapped it around the arm, going around the exposed bone so it wouldn't move, and would help stop the blood. There didn't seem to be much else she could do for the injuries. The missing finger was bleeding but not nearly as badly as she thought it should be, and trying to wrap up her hand could do more damage to the mangled fingers.
Turning to the teen, who was wincing at the sight of his now bloody jacket, she said, “I'm going to need you to hold her arm. She can't move it or it will get worse. Got it?”
He nodded.
“Lindsey,” she said, looking her friend in they eye, “an ambulance is coming. You're going to be all right, OK. Now I know it hurts, but we're going to hold your arm so it doesn't move. Don't try to fight OK? You can cry and scream, but you need to hold still.”
Lindsey nodded, biting her lip so hard it started to bleed.
Very carefully, she moved the arm so it was resting on her friends stomach and chest. Nodding to the teen, she had him put his hands on Lindsey's wrist and just above the elbow. Then she got to her feet and started scanning the ground.
“Where are you going?” the teen asked.
“I need to find her finger. If we can find it, they can sew it back on,” she said.
A few of the spectators started looking at the ground. Sandy went to the bike, her mind still focused solely on the medical problem, the crumpled metal looked like it had been hit by a train. Flipping it over, she saw a red smear and what looked like a bit of skin on the handle bar. She couldn't find the actual finger.
Going back to Lindsey, she knelt down and started talking, trying to keep her friend awake and focused on her. Afterwards, she had no idea what she had said, the next thing she knew an ambulance had pulled up and paramedics were racing over to them.
The shock began to take control.
Shaking, she backed away to give them space. “Her forearm is badly broken. There's light bleeding. I wrapped it up like I was taught. And she's missing her index finger. I-I couldn't find it. I think, oh god, I think it was crushed. The bike, it just went flying, and she was on the ground. And, and, I did the best I could. I-I-I,” she burst into tears.
In a sterile office, at the largest police station in the city, Sandy sat in an uncomfortable chair hugging herself. Her father, wearing his best suit, sat beside her, holding her hand while facing the detective and an MCO agent.
“I don't know what else you want to hear, my daughter has told you everything she knows. Now I think we can all agree she acted admirably by helping her friend. She should be allowed to go home and rest from the traumatic event,” her father said.
“I'd like to know how a bike slammed into a building hard enough to crush it. This isn't something that normally happens,” the officer said.
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
The MCO agent looked over her notes. “Is your daughter a mutant, Mr. Hawes?”
Her father narrowed his eyes. “Not that I know of, Ms. Gagnon. Why are you asking?”
“Mutant powers would explain how the bike was destroyed,” she said. “We'd like to test her as soon as possible.”
“I'm not up to date on laws concerning the MCO and mutants, but I don't believe you have the authority to demand testing.”
“In the current situation, that is correct,” she replied. “However, if your daughter is a mutant and this was a tragic uncontrolled use of her powers, it would be best for everyone's safety to confirm it as soon as possible.”
Sandy watched her father as he thought it over for several moments. When they'd taken her and her mother from the hospital, she hadn't known what was going on, still in shock her mind had been numb, making everything seem like a dream. Then she'd seen her dad looking like he was about to go to court, and had started to panic. They'd spent over an hour questioning her, with her father interjecting, demanding time to speak with her alone, and refusing to answer certain questions. Now she was exhausted and just wanted to go home.
Her thoughts were interrupted when her father spoke again. “I'll set up an appointment for her.”
“Excellent. We have an opening for tomorrow,” Ms. Gagnon said.
“No, I'll set it up through the Ministry of Supernatural Affairs,” he said, cutting her off, “and we'll do it in Toronto. They have the best resources there, we don't want to miss anything because we went for speed rather than thoroughness.”
Ms. Gagnon didn't scowl, but her eyes showed how unhappy she was at hearing that. “Very well. Thank you for being so cooperative.”
“Now then, as Sandy's father and lawyer, unless you have something of critical importance to ask, I must insist that we end the interview and allow her to rest.”
The detective stood up and motioned to the door. “I think that's enough for today. If we have any more questions we'll give you a call.”
Sandy got to her feet and leaned on her father as they left the office. Her mother was waiting just outside, and immediately moved in to hug her. Clinging to her parents, they made their way to their car, where she practically collapsed into the backseat.
“How did it go?” her mother asked.
“Not well. They think Sandy is a mutant. If she is, and she did cause the accident, they could charge her with several crimes, starting with assault using lethal powers,” he said.
Her mother cursed. “I'll give Mark a call tonight. He owes me for helping with his divorce case.
“Mark?”
“Mark Latimer, an old classmate. He deals with mutant law. Not the best in the country, but he's good, and he lives for these types of case." She looked at her husband. "You really don't remember him, do you?"
"Doesn't ring a bell."
"Early last year when I was flying down to Ottawa practically every other week, I got him a sweetheart deal when his husband divorced him. He's the one who gave us the five thousand dollar bottle of wine at Christmas,” she said.
“Oh, that nice red wine, now I remember," her father said, finally placing the name. "All right, if we need it I'll take all the help I can get.”
Sighing in exasperation, her mother pulled out her phone.
“Did I hurt Lindsey?” Sandy asked quietly.
Her mother turned around in her seat. “No honey. We don't know what happened yet, so don't you dare blame yourself.”
“But what if I am a mutant and my powers did that?”
“Did you mean to do it?”
“No.”
“OK then. We don't blame a person who is doing everything safely but has an accident that hurts someone else. We investigate it, learn what happened and why, and avoid it in the future,” her mother said. “If, and it's a big if. If you do have powers, you need to learn what they are and how to control them, so accidents don't happen.”
“OK,” Sandy said. Sinking down lower into her seat, she stared out the window trying to shut out the memory of her friend's mangled hand.
The Next Day
Sandy was writing in her diary when the pen flew out of her hand, landed on the edge of the desk and rolled off onto the floor.
“What the...” she said.
Picking it up she stared at it and her hand. “Did I do that?” she asked herself.
She hadn't left the house all day. She was exhausted, having barely slept that night thanks to nightmares of snapping bones, blood and screams. Her feelings were all jumbled up and confusing. She was worried about Lindsey, scared at the thought of being arrested, terrified that she'd hurt her friend, and wondering what would happen if she really was a mutant.
Trying to make sense of things, she'd started writing out any strange things that had happened recently that could be a sign of powers. The list was longer than she liked, with things falling out of her hand or suddenly being out of reach when she reached for them, and now this happened.
Holding the pen in her open palm, she thought about making it move. Nothing happened.
“I'm going nuts,” she muttered.
Her mother knocked on the door. “Sandy, I made you some lunch.”
“I'll be there in a minute.” Closing her diary, she took some deep, meditative breaths, trying to calm herself before leaving the safety of her room. Sitting down to a homemade chicken salad, she dug in. She hadn't known how hungry she was until she'd seen the food.
Her mother sat down across from her. “Sandy, I called my friend Mark, and explained everything to him. He isn't too worried about your case. Even if you are a mutant and heaven forbid you caused the accident, it was clearly an accident and you didn't mean for it to happen.”
“So I won't go to prison?”
“It's unlikely.” Her mother gave her a small smile. “It seems the first aid course we made you take really was worth the price. There's a video of you shouting orders and doing your best to help Lindsey, you did everything exactly right. With that, and Mark's help, your Dad will have an easy time dealing with everything.”
The news made her feel a little better. “Thanks Mom.”
“I'm just passing on the news. Right now I wish I practiced criminal law, family law isn't much help.”
“Didn't you say Mark owed you a favour? If we need him, I'm very happy you deal with divorces,” Sandy said.
“Thanks for making me feel better, honey,” her mother said. “Do you want anything else? I have a tub of black cherry ice cream in the freezer.”
“Ice cream in the middle of the day?”
Her mother smiled. “I think you deserve a big bowl of it.”
“Tha-”
Her hand brushed the side of the salad bowl. It streaked across the room, shattering against the fridge. She and her mother screamed in fear and shock.
Sandy sat there, staring at the broken porcelain and scattered salad. “I did it,” she whispered. Guilt and fear washed over her. Her chair suddenly moved sideways, causing her to fall off as it banged into the table leg.
“Sandy!” her mother said. “Calm down. Don't do anything, just stay where you are and don't do anything.”
Trying to clear her mind, Sandy closed her eyes and began counting backwards from one hundred, while her mind replayed the scene of Lindsey shrieking in pain.
Something grabbed her socks and pulled her along the floor until they were ripped from her feet. Her mother ran to her side, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Sandy, focus on me. Look in my eyes, focus only on m-”
Her mother hurtled across the room, slamming hard enough into the wall that she left a crater. Screaming, Sandy got to her feet and ran for the phone.
When the paramedics arrived, they found Sandy holding her knees in the middle of the kitchen staring at her mother who was slumped on the ground.
“Don't touch me. Don't touch me. Don't touch me,” she repeated over and over.
Mid-August
Sandy stepped onto the military plane, heading for the reinforced chair that sat in the middle of the cargo area. The plane was usually used for prisoners, today it would take its passenger to school.
Ms. Gagnon took a seat facing Sandy. The MCO agent didn't look happy at the thought of travelling for several hours watching her. "Horizen," the agent said, "we'll be in the air for a little over two hours. If you need to use the facilities, you will notify us and wait for permission before leaving your seat. You are not to touch anything that could be affected by your power. Your parents have provided you with a music system, it is attached to your chair, you will ask myself or Mr. Parker if you want to use it and we will activate it for you. Do you understand?"
She nodded once, not looking up, just putting on her seatbelt and stared at her lap.
The government agent from the MSA who was also going with them, made sure she was properly buckled in before taking his seat.
Her father was the last one to enter the plane, but he wouldn't be staying. He had to go back to the hospital to look after her mother, who would probably never walk again. “Sandy,” he said, kneeling down beside her, “I want you to know that we still love you. Nothing will ever change that. When you get to Whateley, you train as hard as you can so that you can control your powers. As soon as you do that, your mother and I will fly down there and give you the biggest hug you've ever had.”
He reached out to touch her hand. Sandy jerked away, her eyes wide in terror. “Don't touch me. I can't hurt you too.”
Tears filled her fathers eyes. “I'm sorry. Remember, this wasn't your fault. We'll be here waiting for you.”
Blowing her a kiss, he walked off the plane.
Hawthorne Cottage
Early September
Sandy sat on her bed as the house mother, Mrs. Cantrel, looked over the damage. The bolts holding the desk in place had snapped, so the desk was now a shattered wreck and the steel wall was dented.
“We'll get that fixed up in an hour or two,” the house mother said. “Why don't you come out to the common room while we wait for maintenance?”
“No, I don't want to hurt anyone,” she said, scooting back from the door.
Mrs. Cantrel nodded in understanding. “Your English tutor will be coming this afternoon. She's here for detention, but she's extremely enthusiastic.”
“Can't we do it over the computer? I don't want anyone to get hurt,” she asked.
“Oh don't worry, she won't hurt you. She's a lovely girl.”
She glared at the house mother. “I don't want to hurt her.”
That got a laugh. “There's no need to worry about Teri, she's a tough girl. I'm sure you'll get along with her. Or she'll drive you crazy.”
Toronto, Canada
August
The crowd parted for the severely obese man. No one wanted to get near the sweaty, mean looking, person who had to weigh at least four hundred pounds and was dressed in greasy old clothes that could barely contain his bulk.
The man didn't worry about the looks of disgust he attracted. In fact he wanted people to avoid him, it was why he picked the body. It was safe.
He rubbed his wrist, wincing in pain. There was no bruise or obvious injury, but he still cradled it, keeping it close to his body. His eyes flicked back and forth, watching his fellow pedestrians with a wary eye. If anyone had taken a close look at his pig-like face, they would have seen the terror in his eyes.
Stepping into a convenience store, the man picked up a bottle of water and a bag of chips. He paid for it with a dirty five dollar bill, shoving the change into his pants, missing his pocket by several inches. His hand and the change disappeared momentarily into his clothes. When he pulled his hand out the change was gone.
Taking his snack, he hurried down an alley to a dumpster. Placing his hand against the back of the filthy thing, he shoved it as hard as he could, making a little space behind it. Looking around to make sure no one noticed, he began to shrink. His flesh evaporated into smoke that vanished seconds after. For a moment there was a white humanoid blob, about the size of a ten or eleven year old boy, then it reformed into a young teen who looked perfectly ordinary.
He squirmed in behind the dumpster, getting as far back as he could. As safe as he could be, he opened his chips and hungrily devoured the entire bag. Then he ran his finger around the inside to get every crumb and bit of salt, and licked his finger clean.
His stomach growled at him.
Crawling out of his hiding spot, he grew in size until he was once more an enormous man. Looking around he headed out of the alley. He didn't know where he was going or what he was going to do, just needing to keep moving, hoping no one recognized him.
The soup kitchen was busy. A line of the poor and homeless waited for their chance to get a meal. A man who had once been large and well muscled, but was now sickly, his wide shoulders thin and hunched, his muscles turned to a large paunch, stood near the front, his rummy eyes wide and constantly moving. He jumped when someone bumped into him from behind.
The volunteer waved him and several others inside. Getting a tray, he followed the line, getting a sandwich, a cup of fruit juice and a bowl of vegetable soup. He nodded in thanks to each person, not speaking.
Sitting down, he paused and looked at the food in confusion for a moment. Rubbing his throat, it seemed to shift for a second, a lump went down from his chin to his chest. Breathing in through his mouth, he nodded in satisfaction and began to eat.
“Haven't seen you around here,” his table mate said.
He hunched down, as if afraid he was about to be hit, then gave himself a shake. “Never needed to come here, before,” he said.
His high pitched voice earned him some raised eyebrows. Looking away, he began eating so quickly it looked like he was trying to choke himself. He didn't even seem to swallow, he just pushed the food further down his throat with more food, topping it off by drinking the steaming hot soup straight from the bowl in one long gulp.
Ignoring the many eyes that were now watching him, he got to his feet and hurried out. As soon as he was on the street, he looked around for somewhere to hide. A block away, he saw a pile of garbage bags. Shrinking down to the size of a young teen he crawled under the garbage making sure he was well hidden. Then increased his size to an adult.
Feeling safe from prying eyes, he curled up into a ball, putting his hands up against his mouth. Slowly he began properly eating his supper.
The young man, who was the size of a professional football player, clutched his stomach in pain. People walking past could hear it growling, almost roaring, with hunger. Staggering along the street, he came to a stop outside of a well kept, high tech building. A sign above the door read, 'QUEEN CITY HEROES'.
Going inside he was greeted by several displays, showing the various heroes, past and present, who made up the team, some of their bigger fights, and super villains they'd fought. A small desk with a greeter, was just off to the side.
“Hello, welcome to the Queen City Heroes Center. Feel free to look around and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask,” the greeter said, giving him a big smile.
The young man shrank down a little, he was still big, but was now clearly a teenager. “I-” he started to say, only to stop. Biting his lip, he said, “I need help.”
Firecracker and The Fool, watched the young man finish off his third hamburger.
“Feel better?” Firecracker asked.
“Yes. Thank you,” the young man said.
“Glad to hear it, you sounded hungry.”
“I barely ate anything for four days,” he said.
The hero reached out to pat his hand in sympathy. “How old are you?”
The fear returned to his eyes. Very softly he said, “Thirteen.”
“Where are your parents?”
The heroes jumped back as the young man grew in size, becoming eight feet tall, very thick and covered in muscles. His terrified expression was more eloquent than any words could be.
“OK, calm down,” Firecracker said, softly and gently, while The Fool moved his hand away from his sword. “No one is going to hurt you.”
Very slowly, he shrank back down.
“You ran away from home, right?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Your parents were abusive?”
He was silent for almost a full minute, unconsciously clutching his wrist. When he finally spoke, he was almost too silent to be heard. “They tried to kill me.”
“They attacked you after you manifested?”
“Yes,” he whispered.
“Is this your real face?”
He shook his head. “I woke up like this. It's like a shell. I can't get rid of it.”
“We still don't know your name,” she said, “can you at least tell us your first name?”
“Adam.”
“Thank you for telling us Adam. We're going to call some people who will help you, OK. It will help everyone if you're as honest as you can be. If you don't want to tell us something, just say so, don't lie about it. Can you do that for me?” the hero asked.
He nodded.
Whateley
End of August
Adam Newman headed to Crystal Hall alongside his new roommates Patrick and Mutt. His blond hair, blue eyes, and muscular build drew the eyes of several girls, he smiled shyly at the attention.
“Any idea what classes you'll be taking,” he asked.
Patrick nodded, not seeming to be paying attention. His eyes kept going to the sky, as if he was afraid a bird was going to attack him.
“Something wrong?” Adam asked.
“Just worried a crazy fairy is going to find me. Warn me if you see-”
“MUTT! There you are! I missed you so much!” A tiny purple haired and winged fairy flew out of some bushes straight at the dog, hugging its head and kissing its fur. “Hi Patrick! Who's your friend?”
Patrick facepalmed hard. “Hi Teri. This is my roommate Adam, or Samson if you want his codename.”
The fairy flew up to Adam's head, and looked him up and down. “Wow, you're big! Come on, my roommate and I are about to eat supper, you can sit with us. It will really help your reputations as lady's men by sitting with two gorgeously hot babes on your first day.”
“Uh, what?” Adam asked.
“Let's just go with her. It's easier this way,” Patrick said, with a resigned tone.
Confused, Adam followed the nattering fairy.
Chaka. Masai for "leopard" but Whateley for a kiai shouting martial arts master (in training). These are the adventures set down by Bek D. Corbin but that is not to say she does not throw her hat (or her feet... or her fists...) in other Whateley stories. She was the inspiration... so you can blame the rest of Whateley on Bek, too. -g-
-r
A Whateley Academy Tale
Enter The Chaka
(Chaka 1)
by Bek D. Corbin
She has the strength of Arnold Schwartzeneggar, the reflexes of Jet Li, the beauty of Halle Berry and the common sense of Lizzie MacGwuire! Toni 'Chaka' Chandler could be a great superhero- IF she can pass High School English!
August 31st, Thursday
I woke up, and the first thing that went through my mind was, ‘Finally! Today’s the day!’ I literally flipped out of bed, landing on the balls of my feet in a near perfect gymnast’s dismount, and made for the bathroom.
*****
Vince watched his younger brother zip out the door. ‘Wonderful,’ he thought to himself, ‘the goddam freak is finally leaving.’ Vince pulled himself out of his bed. Vince was in a lousy mood, and for all the world, he didn’t know why. He was finally getting rid of his little brother. No more watching as Tony preened in front of the mirror, checking the progress as his body got more and more feminine. No more worrying whether the kids at school were noticing that his little brother was turning into a freak. No more having to listen as Tony went on and on about his Aikido lessons, and how if he did this, his Ki would do that. No more watching Tony do impossible things like jumping up to a second story window. Nope, no more of that. They’d found a school for freaks like him, and Tony was going there, hopefully to stay. So, why didn’t he feel better?
The thing that really pissed Vince off was that Tony was so fucking happy about it all. He was actually happy that he was turning into a girl! He was actually glad that he was some kind of mutant freak, who’d probably wind up growing claws and fangs and things! Why couldn’t he just stay his little brother and be a normal boy? His life had been perfect until Tony started taking those idiot Aikido lessons and all this fell out of the closet...
*****
I came bounding back into the room, and noticed Vince giving me the cold fish eye. “Well, look at the bright side, Bro! One less person in line for the bathroom!”
“How did you do all that so quickly?”
“Believe me, you don’t wanna know.” I went into my warming up Tai Chi Chu’an routine as Vince climbed into his clothes. With the last bit of the routine done, I stripped out of the pee-jays that I’d slept in, and pulled on a pair of lacy pink panties.
Vince almost tied himself up into a knot doing a wince of revulsion. “Do you HAVE to do that here?”
“Hey, it’s my room, too- for the next hour or so. If you don’t want to see this, why don’t you just go downstairs and wait for someone to cook you breakfast?”
“Why should _I_ leave? It’s MY bedroom!”
“Yeah, and YOU’RE the one getting all weirded out!” I struggled for a bit with a lacy bra that matched the panties, and then tucked my B cup breasts into the cups. That done, I looked into the mirror and bounced a bit. My breasts bounced securely in the cups, and the pink contrasted nicely with the bittersweet chocolate brown of my complexion. I smiled at the effect and saw a lovely picture in the mirror. Y’know someday, I’m going to get used to this; in the mean time, I’m just gonna enjoy!
“Jeezus KRIST, don’t _DO_ that!” Vince spat out.
“Vince, what is your problem? All summer long, you’ve been bitching at me to wear those stupid baggy clothes, even though you know that I HATE those ratty ‘Hip-hop’ things that you’ve been handing down to me for the last five years.” I cannot stand Gangsta Rap, largely because big brother Vince, a.k.a. ‘.44 Mag Vin’ was so heavy (and in a totally whack way) into it. I pulled on a baby blue demi-T with a glittery butterfly decal on the front, and a pair of low-riding blue jeans.
******
Vince curled a lip at Tony. Dressed up like that, Tony made a very pretty young African American girl. Tony was thin, but he wasn’t the scrawny thin that he’d been last year. Now he was a sort of sleek, pantherish thin, with just enough curves to suggest the beginnings of a killer female figure. Tony’s face was heart-shaped with a pointed chin, very high cheekbones, a leonine nose, a large pair of amber colored almond-shaped eyes, and a wide mouth with full lips. The features, set on Tony’s long graceful neck, all joined together to create a rather feline impression. The fact that Tony’s hair was trimmed close to his head didn’t make him seem more masculine- too many girls wore exactly the same style. Even without any jewelry or makeup, Tony made a Stone Cold Babe. Three years ago, Vince would have made a total fool of himself to get next to a girl who looked like that. Vince made a disgusted sound. “Y’know, dressin’ like that still ain’t gonna make you White!”
*****
I shot a hard look at Vince in his jeans that buckled nearly at the knee, ‘muscle T’, flannel over-shirt, big belt buckle, and do-rag. Man, I have been taking this shit for too long. There is no way that I’m gonna leave without letting ‘.44 Mag Vin’ know what I really think. “Yeah, and dressing like that ain’t gonna make you tough. Vince, we do NOT live in a rat-infested tenement in Bed-Sty! We live in Pleasant Oaks, our parents are married and well employed, nobody in this family does drugs- and if you’ve even SEEN crack cocaine, I’m telling Dad!- and the closest that you’ve ever come to being ‘put down by The Man’ is getting pulled over for Driving While Black! You don’t have to go out and pull crimes to support this family, ‘cause Mom and Dad both pull down six-figure a year salaries, plus bennies. You wouldn’t know what to do with a gun even if you found one, and if you ever even suggested to your girlfriend Muriel that she turn tricks, she’d pound the crap out of you! The only _Posse_ that you got are those six shit-head gangsta-wannabe friends of yours, and two of THEM are whiteboy wussoids who are even bigger losers than YOU are! We are well-off! Get used to it.” Even at fourteen, my voice is still smooth and clear, without a hint of cracking, and I can use it like a whip. Of course, it helps that I have all the real ammunition.
“F’ the luvvakrist, why don’t you at least try to be a man, y’fucking sissy?”
“ ‘Be a man’? ‘Sissy’? Hey, _I_ ain’t the one who just stood by while his six loser friends jumped his brother and tried to beat the crap out of him. And then shit in his drawers when that brother wiped up the floor with the aforementioned losers!”
Vince got up in Tony’s face. “Yer a goddamn disgrace to this entire family!”
“Disgrace? Me? Hey, I’M the one who has an all-expenses paid scholarship to an exclusive New England private school! You? You’re a second string athlete on three mediocre teams! And with your grades, you’ll be lucky if Dad can grease you into a college that’s even in the same zip code as an Ivy League school.” I glared up at him, square in the eyes. “What’s really got you pissed off, Vince? That I’m turning into a girl, or that I’m a mutant, or that now I’m stronger, faster, tougher and smarter than you are? Don’t worry, bro- maybe some day, you’ll evolve into a higher life form, too!”
Vince went red in the eye, stepped back, cocked his fist and let fly. Not bothering to move, I calmly caught Vince’s fist in the palm of my hand, and didn’t budge an inch. Vince looked into my eyes, and saw rage there. I have taken so much shit from this chucklehead that I am not about to take any more, especially on this, of all days! He tried to wrestle his fist free from my grip, but couldn’t. I could tell that he could feel something building up in me, something invisible and silent, but still ominously strong.
*****
But before Tony could unleash whatever it was, Valerie Chandler opened up the door to her sons’ room and walked in. “Are you two decent? OH!” She saw Vince and Tony. “And exactly what is THIS?”
Tony let go of Vince’s hand. “Oh, nothing, Mom. Just getting in a little ‘male bonding’ while we still can.”
Valerie looked at her two elder sons, decided that it wasn’t worth the aggravation, and gave that sigh that only a mother can give. “Okay, but come down to the kitchen- I want us all to have a breakfast together as a family. After that, well you know that there’s always something the pops up at the last minute, and we have to be at the train station at eleven. Tony, honey, are you going to be wearing that on the train?”
“Sure!”
“But why are you wearing one of Cindy’s hand-me-downs? We spent most of the weekend buying you girl clothes to wear at Whateley.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t want to waste any of my new stuff on the train. You know, sitting next to the guy who gets motion sickness, the idiot who’s carrying coffee past me just as we hit a rough spot, not to mention the joys of eating on a train.” Besides, it would probably drive Cindy crazy to see Tony wearing her old clothes.
*****
Big Sister Cindy didn’t disappoint. When she came down for breakfast, she took one look at me and shrieked, “Those are MY jeans! And MY baby-tee! What are you doing in MY clothes?”
I just kept chewing peacefully. Cindy is SO EASY. “Eating.”
“You go upstairs and change out of them right now!”
“Cindy, you haven’t worn these things in over a year. And you know the Rule: If you haven’t worn it in a year, it’s handed down. B’sides, they don’t fit you anymore. Though they might if you laid off the Rocky Road.” Y’know, I really shouldn’t enjoy razzing Cindy so much, but I really can’t help it. Even more than Vince, Cindy has me pigeon-holed: I’m the brother than she can get away with ordering around. I’m the one who doesn’t get the grades that she does. I’m the one who isn’t in all the committees and clubs and teams that she is. I’m the one who doesn’t get picked to be the lead in the school play. I’m the one who makes her look even more like the perfect child that she needs to be.
Or at least, I wasn’t. Things have changed.
Twelve-year old Lucy glared at me. <Hmmph!> “I wanted to wear that! By the time that you’re through with it, it’ll be all worn out!”
“Luce, by the time that you’re big enough to fit these, they’ll be way out of date.” I leaned over and whispered, “Besides, if _I_ wear them all out, Mom’ll have to break down and buy you something NEW. And aren’t you sick and tired of wearing Cindy’s hand-me-downs?” Despite their big-time careers, Mom and Dad have FIVE children to pay for in a bad economy. So, they use old-fashioned money-saving tricks like handing clothes down and jumping at the opportunity to send one of their children to a private school for _free_. Indeed, the only reason that Mom had sprung for the new clothes, was that she wanted me to make a good impression up at Whateley.
A calculating look crossed Lucy’s face, and she started complimenting me on how good I looked.
*****
Joel Chandler came down to breakfast, and did a double take when he realized that the lovely young girl sitting at the kitchen table was his son, Tony. “Ahhh... Looking Good, Tony!”
“Thanks, Daddy!”
Joel almost managed to not flinch when Tony called him ‘Daddy’. “So, are you excited about going to Whateley today?”
“You betcherass!”
“Tony!”
“Sorry.”
Nine year old Matt, or ‘Mutt’ as Vince sometimes called him, looked hard at his next-to-eldest brother and tried to figure out why Tony was dressed like that. “Why does Tony have to go to school t’day? School don’t start ‘til next week!”
Valerie put a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of the baby of the family and said, “Well, honey, Tony isn’t going to the same school as Vince this year-”
“Thank you, Jesus!’ Vince intoned with rare sincerity and piety.
Valerie resumed, “Tony’s going to a boarding school that’s up in New Hampshire, and they want all new students to go up there and get used to the place before school starts.”
“Why does he have to go to New Ham’shire? Why can’t he go to school here?”
Lucy smiled widely. “I heard Mom and Dad talking- it’s ‘cause Tony’s got super powers!” She pointed her hands at Tony and made noises like energy discharging. <Sha-Kow!>
“Howcum Tony gets super powers, an’ I don’t?”
“ ‘Cause you aren’t old enough.” Tony replied with the calm certainty of an expert.
“What’s that got t’do with anything?”
“Mutt, I’m what’s called a mutant. I’m born with certain kinds of things that most people aren’t born with.” Tony made a point of ignoring the disgusted noise that Vince made by way of comment. “But they don’t become active, until you hit puberty. Mine kicked in about five months ago, while I was at my Aikido dojo. It took a while for Mom and Dad a while to find the Whateley Academy, and by then, it was summer, and the Academy didn’t want to start me until the beginning of the regular school year.”
“What’s all that got t’do with me not getting super powers?” By the irrefutable logic of a 9-year-old, if one family member got super powers, then so should everyone.
“Matt, it’s not like Mom and Dad got a super power in the mail and decided to give it to ME. You’re either born a mutant, or you’re not. I was born a mutant, and it’s too soon to be sure about you two munchkins.”
Matt perked up. “Y’mean I might still be a mutant?”
Valerie jumped in. “It’s not that simple, Matt. There are a lot of drawbacks to being a Mutant, and one of the reasons that Tony’s going to that school is to learn to deal with them. You should be glad if you don’t turn out to be a mutant.” Naturally, this levelheaded maternal advice went in one 9-year-old ear and out the other. Matt was too hyped on the possibility that he might have super powers.
Further discussion was cut short by the sound of a knocking at the kitchen door. Joel held up a hand and went to the door. “Oh, good. He’s right here.” He opened the door and let in two fourteen-year-old boys.
“Thanks, Mister Chandler.”
*****
It was Scott and Greg, my two best buds. What were they doing here? Dad turned to me. “Tony, you haven’t told Scott or Greg why you’re leaving. I think that you owe them an explanation as to what’s going down.”
Scott and Greg goggled at me in stereo. “Tony? Man, is that YOU?”
I let out a gusty sigh. “Yeah it’s me.” Then I looked around the kitchen at all the focused family attention. “Can we take this into the living room?” Scott and Greg nodded and moved through the kitchen. I glared at those who started to get up from the table, and then joined my friends.
Once we were (reasonably) alone, Scott said, “Tony? What IS this? You goin’ fag on us, or somethin’? And what’s this about you goin’ to some outta state school?”
I held up a hand for silence. “Okay, it’s like this. You guys know that things have been kinda weird for me lately.”
Greg folded his arms across his chest and glared at me. “No shit!”
“Guys, you remember a few weeks back, when I jumped over that ten-foot high fence in a single leap?”
“Yeah- you said that it was something that you learned at that Aikido school that you go to. I been buggin’ my Dad to let me take classes.”
“Well, that wasn’t completely true. I did learn how to do that at the Dojo, but it isn’t anything that Mister Colliard can teach you. Guys, I’m a mutant.”
“A mutant? Y’mean like all those superheroes an’ stuff?”
“Not quite- just ‘cause you’re a mutant doesn’t automatically mean that you put on a cape and tights.”
“What’s being a mutant got t’do with you going away to some school, and looking like a girl?” Scott’s eyes drifted down towards my chest. “Are those real?” He stretched a hand out.
“YES!” I slapped Scott’s hand away. “It matters, ‘cause being a mutant is the reason that I’m wearing these clothes. Guys, I’m turning into a girl.”
“Hunh?”
“Say What?”
“Yer kiddin’! What kind of mutant power turns a guy into a girl?”
<sigh> ‘Sit down, this is gonna take a lot of explaining. Guys, you ever noticed when you read one of those superhero fan magazines that superheroes and super villains- at least the mutant ones- seem to come in one of three basic types? Either they look like Joe Six-Pack in a leotard, or their bodies are all weird an’ twisted lookin’ or they look like they could pose for ads for health clubs.”
“Yeah? So?”
“Stay with me, I’m going somewhere with this. The last kind are called ‘Exemplars’. These are mutants whose power, or some aspect of their power shapes their body, making it stronger, faster and tougher. Somewhere in their mind, everyone has an idea of what the perfect body looks like. Somehow, their power uses that idea- they call it a ‘template’- and molds their body into something that looks like that idea.”
“Yeah? So, howcum you ain’t all buff and stuff, instead of looking like a chick?”
“Well, y’see, you can’t choose what your template looks like, it just sort of happens in your brain. And my template is a girl’s. So, every time that I use my power, it makes my body a little more girlish.”
“So, why don’t you just NOT use your power?”
‘It ain’t that simple, Greg. There’s all sorts of other stuff going on, too. Y’see, my power is that I can manipulate Ki.”
“Ki? Isn’t that that stuff that you were always talkin’ about, that you learned at your Dojo?”
“Yeah. Ki is this bioelectric force that runs through your body. It’s what all those martial arts masters use to do all that weird stuff like you see in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The thing is, most people have to study for years, decades even, in order to control their Ki enough to the slightest thing. Me? I can, just by snapping my fingers, do Ki stuff that Mister Colliard would have to meditate for hours and work up a gallon of sweat to do. I am to Ki what Mozart was to music. Also, I can tap into the Earth’s magnetic field to power my Ki stuff. Thing is, my power is working, even when I’m not thinking about it. My Ki is constantly flowing through my body, making my power change my body. Even if I made a point of not doing any Ki stuff, the doctor says that it’s already affected my body so that it’s producing female hormones, not male hormones.”
“Couldn’t you use your Ki to make your body more, y’know, manly?”
“I don’t know how, nobody I know knows how, and it’d probably be dangerous as hell.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“Well, do you remember about four months ago, when my eyes suddenly changed color?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
<aggravated sigh> “Have you ever noticed that mutants always seem to have these really weird eye colors?”
“Yeah. So?”
“The doctor told me that there’s this gland in your eye, all it does is kick in ONCE, when you’re a baby, and it turns your eye from that kinda dark blue that all babies have, to whatever eye color you get for the rest of your life. BUT, in mutants, when your mutation goes on-line, it kicks in that gland again, and it turns your eyes a new color, and a lot of the times it’s a pretty rare color. It’s one of the classic signs of a person being a mutant. ANYWAY, when my eyes changed color, Mom and Dad took me in to see a doctor ‘cause they thought that something might be going wrong with me, and he referred us to another doctor. He told us that I showed all the signs of being a mutant, and then I started doing all that weird stuff in Aikido class. And I’ve been going to that doctor once a week ever since. And that’s how I know all of this stuff.”
An awkward silence fell over the room. Then Scott looked up uncomfortably. “So, what are you gonna do now?”
“So, now I’m gonna go to this school out of state. The doctor knew someone who knew somebody, and they arranged for me to go to this school, where they teach mutants like me to take control of their powers. I mean, I’ve only lost control of my Ki once or twice, but believe me, you DID NOT want to be there when I did.”
“And, when you come back, you’re gonna be a real girl?”
“Well, eventually, Yeah.”
“Man, you are taking this real well.”
I shrugged. “Well, like my cousin Herb said, back when he was doin’ the Black Muslim thing, ‘When Fate throws a dagger at you, there are two ways to catch it: by the handle or by the blade’.”
“Hunh?”
“That means, you make the best of a situation when it happens to you. The way I see it, if I gotta be a girl, I might as well be a Babe!”
Greg looked me up and down. “Well, at least you got THAT part down!”
I flashed my best Stone Cold Babe smile at him. “Why, thank you!”
Scott looked uncomfortable. “Tony- why are you telling us all this? I mean, what are you gonna do if we start spreading around that you’re turning in to a girl, or that you’re a mutant? Won’t that put your family in danger or sum’thin’?”
“I think that my Dad asked you over ‘cause he thought that you deserved an explanation why I’m suddenly gonna up and split. And, besides, I’m gonna be coming home for Summer and the Holidays.” <amused snort!> “Besides, what are you gonna do? If you go spreading around that I go around wearing dresses, you guys ain’t gonna look too good y’selves. Guilt By Association, and all that.”
Greg shifted his feet nervously. “Uhm- Tony- Exactly how do you feel- y’know- about guys and girls? I mean, you had it real bad for Gail Enderby. How do you feel--- now, that you’re a girl and all, I mean.”
“Hey, I DON’T KNOW! I’ve only been like this for a couple of months! I mean, I’m still getting used to all this! Right now, I’ve got enough to worry about, not freaking out when I go into the Ladies’ Room!”
That pretty much put the capper on the conversation. They made the usual ‘we’ll still be buds’ and ‘well get together and hang out on Summer vacation’ noises, but nobody was fooled. The fact of my mutant powers was like a wall between them and me. And, to be honest, our friendship was largely a matter American srade school social dynamics. In American schools, cliques form along lines of a kind of specific gravity. Out-going, gregarious types only have ‘wacky best friends’ on TV. In real life, A-List types hang out with other A-List types, thugs hang out with thugs, weirdoes hang out with weirdoes, and wimps hang out with wimps. Through grade school and most of middle school, Scott, Greg and me were almost depressingly average kids, and our averageness was the bond that held us together. Now, I was extraordinary, beyond even the A-List types. They might have held onto our friendship, even with me being a mutant, but my becoming a girl made that unlikely. And my becoming a Stone Cold Fox made it impossible. Looking like I do, I’d almost certainly be expected to hang out with the A-List types.
But the thing that put the last nail in our friendship’s coffin was the fact that I was leaving school. Grade school friendships often fall apart in high school, and best friends in high school usually go their own ways when they go to different colleges or they get jobs. And I was going to High School out of state. There was no way that I could stay ‘in the loop’ of Greg and Scott’s lives. There’d be embarrassed, awkward attempts to stay in touch during the Summer vacation, but they all knew that I was already pretty much out of their lives.
There was an embarrassing silence for a long minute. Then there was a yelp from the landing at the top of the stairs, “Hey Tony! Watch me fly!” Little brother Matt hopped onto the top of the banister. Mom gave a panicked shriek from the kitchen doorway. I did a lightning back roll onto the back of the couch and was coiled to spring even as Matt jumped off the railing.
It took a split second for Matt to realize that he wasn’t going to fly, and was beginning to scream as I caught him in mid-air. I tucked Matt into my midsection and rolled to brace against the wall. I rebounded and tried to diminish my speed by caroming off a couple of walls, but didn’t hit one right, and went tumbling down to the ground. I managed to wrap myself around Matt so that I took the brunt of the landing, rather than little brother.
Mom skittered over in a near panic and pulled Matt away from me. She fussed over Matt, who was striving mightily to keep from crying with fear. I pulled myself up and muttered, “S’okay, I’m fine, thanks for askin’.”
Mom glared at me and snapped, “This is ALL YOUR FAULT! If you hadn’t been doing all that freak crap, jumping all over the place, none of this would have happened! You almost killed your little brother!” Then she let loose with what I’ve heard called ‘a blistering stream of the old rancid’ on PBS.
‘Freak’. She said it. For all his homophobic crap, Vince had never said ‘Freak’.
I put up with this for several minutes. When Mom finally ran out of steam, I trudged past a smugly smirking Vince up the stairs. Several minutes later, I came back down wearing a blue denim jacket, a large carrying tote slung over each shoulder and a trunk that must have weighed at least sixty pounds up on my shoulder. But these days I might have been carrying a bag of groceries for all the effort that I had to put into it. At the foot of the stair, I turned to Dad. “Dad, would you drive me to the train station? I might as well wait for the train there.”
Looking at Mom, Dad nodded and went to get his keys.
I went to the door, but stopped in front of Scott and Greg. “Ah, guys- I don’t think that you’ll have to worry about avoiding me, come summer vacation. I don’t think that it’s gonna be an issue.”
I went out to the garage and loaded my luggage into the family SUV. I climbed in the shotgun seat, fighting tears, and tried to pull myself together. Just breathe, let it in, let it out, and breathe from the bottom of your stomach. Dammit, this was supposed to be where it gets GOOD! This is supposed to be one of the best days of my fucking life, and everybody shits all over me, even my own mother! Damn!
I sat and stewed for several minutes. Then Mom came out, wearing her overcoat, and climbed into the driver’s seat of the car.
I looked at her warily. “I thought that Dad was going to drive me to the station.”
“He was.” She started the engine and pulled out of the drive. “We changed our plans.”
We drove for several minutes in complete silence. Then, at a stoplight, Mom said, “Honey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have cut loose on you like that. I know that it isn’t your fault that Matt took some damnfool idea into his head. It’s just...” She grimaced, and you didn’t need super powers to tell that all her feelings and tensions all balled up in her throat, all wanting to be voiced at the same time.
I looked at her. “Mom? What am I supposed to do? I mean, I know what Vince wants. He wants me to pretend that nothing happened and go around wearing baggy clothing that hide my body and maybe go through some sit com shtick about getting me out of Gym class. All so that he can go on living his bullshit suburban gangsta fantasy. I know what Cindy wants- she wants me to shut up and dumb down so that she can still be little Miss Perfect. They want me to crawl back into that neat little pigeonhole that they built for me, and nail myself in. Is that what you want me to do? Maybe you want me to go around wearing weights on my wrists and ankles so I’ll only be able to run as fast and jump as high as ‘normal people’. Is THAT was you want?”
She grated out a “No” through gritting teeth.
“Mom, I’m one of the lucky ones! I got super powers, and I didn’t even have to get bit by a radioactive gerbil or anything! My super power is, mostly, a safe and useful one! There are mutants out there who are growing bug exo-skeletons and bleeding radioactivity! Mom, I already told you that I always felt that I shoulda been born a girl and now, not only am I turning into a girl but I’m turning into a FOX!
“Mom, you always said that it isn’t the cards you’re dealt, it’s how you play them. For the past fourteen years, I’ve been playing the game with a pair of fours- now I got a dealt a new hand, and it’s a freaking ROYAL FLUSH! I am supposed to be ashamed of this? Mom, not only can I do things with Ki that revered Chinese kung fu masters can only dream of doing, not only am I as strong as Arnold Schwarzenegger, not only do I have the reflexes of freaking Jet Li, but I’m actually smarter now! I can remember things right off the bat, now. I can do algebra in my head. When I put my mind to it, I can read an entire 400-page book in an hour. Why shouldn’t I be able enjoy all of that?”
Mom conceded the point with a sigh. “You’re right, you’re right. I know, you’re right. I just got so scared when I saw Matt jump off that stupid railing. And I feel that I’m losing my little boy...” She stopped the car and looked at me pleadingly.
Oh crap- how can you be mad at your own mother for being a mom? “Mom- there’s nothing that anybody can do about it. I’m not going to be male- let alone a boy- for very much longer. But you’ll always be my Mom.”
She did a classic ‘Mom Melt’ and gave me a big hug. Y’know, at fourteen, you’re supposed to think that getting a big hug from your Mom was all smothering. But this was good. Real Good. Good like I really needed. As she started up the car again, she said wryly. “I notice that you didn’t tell your friends that, along with all the other stuff, your IQ went up 40 points.”
I preened a little, and said in my best ‘flighty girl’ voice, “Yeah, well, you know how boys are- they’re always scared off by girls with brains.”
Mom looked over, amazed, and started to snicker. She was barely able to restrain it long enough to pull over and then give way to an all-out laughing jag. The laughter was catching, I found myself laughing along with her. Mom laughed herself out, and all the fear, worry and tension that had been bottled up washed out of her. Letting the last giggles play themselves out, she wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at me. She could see that I’d needed that as much as she had. The air between us was much clearer now. She gave her daughter another big hug.
As we drove along, our conversation shifted from strained confession to all-out girl talk. We agreed that I would spell my name with an ‘I’ from then on, and that Matt would move in with Vince, so that I could have my own room when I came back for vacations.
Mom was telling me what she really thought of her mother-in-law when we pulled up in front of the train station. “Oh dear.”
“What’s the matter, Mom?”
“I just realized- it’s only a little past Nine! The train leaves at Eleven! We went storming out the door so fast, we’re two hours early. I don’t want to hang around a train station for two hours!”
I barely managed to restrain a grin. “Weeellll... You did say that the only reason that you wouldn’t let me get my ears pierced is that it would freak out the menfolk...”
Mom grinned back at her daughter. “We have just enough time- let’s do it!”
*****
Two hours later, the train pulled out as Valerie sadly waved Toni off. Oh well, she’d have a chance to get to know Toni better when she came home for Christmas vacation. And she seemed so much happier now. Tony had always been such a quiet and withdrawn boy. Maybe Toni would genuinely be happier.
*****
Train travel is hardly the most interesting way to travel, and the stretch between Baltimore and Boston is a particularly bleak stretch of urban and suburban blight. But I’m headed somewhere where they don’t know me as Vince’s little brother or Cindy’s dimbulb tagalong. After I switched trains in Boston, the scenery grew more interesting, especially as the train rolled out of Massachusetts and into the wilds of New Hampshire. The local from Concord rolled up into the Mountains region, stopping at more rinky-dink little burgs than I thought a little place like New Hampshire could possibly have. My stop was a place called Dunwich.
The Dunwich train depot (you couldn’t really call it a station) looked like it hadn’t been renovated since the Great Depression, and the only sign of that upgrade was a WPA mural. Two other people got off the train at Dunwich, both of them kids about my age. We all looked at each other warily. One was a foxy-faced white girl with big violet eyes and flaming red hair that barely reached her jawline. The other was a fine-featured white boy with dark hair and strange gray eyes.
Well, they were just standing there, so I decided to take the initiative. “So, are you guys, like, going to Whateley Academy?”
The redheaded girl just nodded shyly. The boy gave a tentative smile. “Yeah. It’s my first year here.”
“Me Too! Kewl! My name’s Toni Chandler! And you are?”
“Hank. Hank Declan.”
The wispy redhead managed to get out. “Fey. Call me Fey.”
“So... any idea of what we’re supposed to do? Do we wait for someone to come get us, or do we call the school?”
“I’m not sure. How about this- you go ask at the counter, while I watch our stuff.”
“A man with a plan. I like that! C’mon, Fay!” I marched into the depot building, walked up to the ticket window and gave the desk bell a whack.
A rather sour looking middle-aged man came from out of the back and glowered at me. “Let me guess- you’re here for the Whateley Academy, right?”
“Right!” I chirped back at him, refusing to be intimidated in the least.
“The school should be sending a van for you pretty soon. There are a couple of kids already here, waitin’ on ‘em. You can wait in there.” He pointed at a wooden door with a pane of frosted glass in it. “They got a special waitin’ room, just for you Whateley kids, with refreshments an’ everything. You can leave your bags and stuff on the hand-truck out on the landing.”
“Thank You!” I sang back at him. As I turned, I almost ran into Fey, who was tagging along after all. We hurried back to Hank with the news.
As we loaded the bags and trunks on the hand truck together, I noticed that Hank barely struggled with the heavy trunks. Well, I guess that I have a good idea of what his mutant power is.
The ‘special waiting room’ consisted of three ratty plastic covered couches, and couple of even rattier looking plastic covered chairs, a coffee table with magazines that the local dentist had probably thrown out, a pay phone, and some vending machines for hot drinks, soft drinks, candy and snacks. The sole provision for keeping school age kids from dying of boredom was a very old pinball machine, which two boys were busy hogging. They were dressed for traveling, so I guessed that they were going to Whateley too.
Sitting on one of the couches, flipping through a hardback book was a Hispanic girl whose classic ‘Aztec princess’ looks were set off by a strip of scarlet hair down the center of her head. She looked up with large ice blue eyes. She gave a hasty smile. “Hi. You’re for the Whateley School?” She had a California accent, with a hint of something else.
“Yeah. Any idea of when the bus for the school is due?”
“Well, when I got my travel arrangements, they said that they were expecting me at 4, so I don’t think that they’ll be here much sooner than that.”
The clock on the wall said 3:15. I sighed, “Okay crew, grab a seat and settle in, we’re gonna be here for a while.”
I plopped down on the sofa. “Hi! I’m Toni Chandler. That’s Hank Delancy.”
“Declan.” He corrected.
“Ooops! My bad! Hank Declan. And that’s Fay.” I smiled expectantly at the young Latina, hoping that she’d take the opening.
“My name is Elena Neva Natividad Amicella Lucita Obregon.”
“You got extra luggage, just for that name?”
“You can call me Rip.”
“Rip?”
“Short for Riptide!” With a wide grin on her face, ‘Rip’ cupped her hands in front of her, and a mist formed. The mist quickly condensed into water, formed a tiny wave in Rip’s hands, and then dispersed into mist again.
“Hiisst!” Hank hissed at Rip. “I don’t think that it’s a good idea for us to go flaunting our powers, at least not until we’re sure of what the score is around here.”
“Aaahhh... what’s the use of having special powers, if you can’t have any fun with ‘em?” Rip looked at the three of us. “What can you guys do?”
Once again, it was up to me to take the initiative. “Well... let’s see what I can do without upsetting the locals...” I noticed a row of shabby hardback books on the table with the magazines. There was a gap in the row. “Did you get this book from that table?”
“Yeah. Why?”
I took the book and hefted it to get an idea of its weight and balance. “Let me shelve it for you.” With a brisk snap of the wrist, I threw the book at the table. The book flew right to the gap and fit in perfectly. Okay the spine stuck out a bit, but what do you want? I plopped down on the couch, kicked my feet up, folded my hands behind my head and grinned in a ‘That’s right, I’m BAD!’ pose. Gawd, I love this!
“COOL! How did you DO that?”
I gave Rip a thumbnail sketch of my Ki abilities. “Y’mean you can do all that ‘Matrix’ stuff, with running along walls, dodging bullets and hanging in mid-air when you’re about to kick the shit out of someone?”
“Uhm, run along walls- Yes; dodge bullets- I dunno; hang in mid-air- Get Real. I can’t stop bullets in mid-air, neither.”
“Oh well, y’can’t have everything.” Rip turned to the other two. “How about you two?”
Hank looked around. “I don’t see anything that I can do without blowing our cover.”
Rip and I looked at Fey, who blushed under the scrutiny. “Me neither”, she mumbled.
Since that fascinating topic seemed to have tanked, I settled in to talk with Rip. Or at least Rip settled in to talk. Period. Rip was from Redondo Beach, which was just outside Los Angeles, she wasn’t exactly sure where Baltimore was, she was the fourth of six children, her older sister Angela was a pain, her parents ran a beachside shop back in Redondo, she was an avid surfer, and her powers over water had almost gotten her lynched. Rip passed along that information in almost exactly the same way as the previous run-on sentence. And people say that _I_ have a motor mouth!
We rambled on, talking about everything and nothing, and I could tell that she didn’t have the slightest idea that I wasn’t a girl. I felt a knot in my stomach that I didn’t even know was there start to untie itself.
Another train stopped at 3:30, and dropped off five more students. Long-distances buses also stopped, dropping off a few students. As 4 o’clock rolled around, there were about twenty or so Freshman age kids milling about the waiting room. Most of them looked normal enough; well except for the chubby kid who wouldn’t take that weird looking knit cap off, or the gangly boy who was at least 6’6” tall and all of ninety pounds, or the girl with weird blue-gray hair that grew up in spiky clumps that sort of crested back along her head. Most of them had obviously never been away from home for very long, and they were either very subdued, or they were enjoying being loose for the first time. Somebody had a boom box, and Rip, a curvy black girl named Vanessa, and I were dancing along with the bubble gum pop. I tried to get Fey to join in, but the she was having a shy-fit and refused to be pulled out of her shell.
At 4:00 on the dot, a tall Asian woman came in. She walked over to the boom box and shut off the music. “Okay, listen up! I am Mrs. Shugendo; I’m the Dean of Students at Whateley Academy. There are two shuttles here to take you to the school. I’m going to call off your names alphabetically. When I call out your name, let me know who you are, and then go out to the vans. Now, I know that you have a lot of questions- but, unless it’s an _emergency_, save it for when we get to the school.”
Mrs. Shugendo called off the names and I found myself crammed in between one of the boys who’d hogged the pinball machine and a very tanned white girl with pale blonde hair piled up on her head. My nose is sharper now than it was before, and I noticed a smell around the girl. It wasn’t a bad smell, just an odd one- the scent sort of reminded me of just after a rainstorm for some reason. I tried to start up a conversation, but the girl was really wrapped up in her personal stereo and pinball boy had an attitude.
I tried to get interested in the scenery. The mountain section of New Hampshire depends heavily on tourism, and you could really tell it. The little town of Dunwich laid on the ‘New England Rustic Charm’ with a trowel, with red brick and fieldstone buildings, high gabled roofs and all that touristy crap. The town was small, maybe three or five long streets crossed by seven or so short ones, and the blocks weren’t exactly densely packed.
But, give ‘em their due, the natural scenery was worth the trip. Dunwich was situated on a good-sized mountain lake, and the woods were really thick. According to the wooden signs that they passed as they left town, there were a couple of summer camps set along the lake, as well as the school itself.
The road wound itself through the hills, following the angles of the Presidential Mountains. After about a half-hour, the vans pulled off the road and went down a private road and through the gate of a high fieldstone wall. On either side of the gate, the posts were ‘guarded’ by a pair of weird lookin’ gargoyles that had baglike wings, but no faces, carved in a slick black stone.
The vans passed by the large red brick buildings that I’d seen in the brochures, and then went past several smaller buildings, and pulled up in front of one of them. Like the other buildings that we’d just passed, it was four stories tall, four if you counted the attic with the dormer windows, and made of dark red brick with white trim in a blend of the Colonial and Federal styles. As the students piled out, I noticed a discrete plaque by the door, saying ‘Poe Cottage’, and, yes indeed, inside the entry there was a bronze bust of Edgar Allen Poe set in a niche.
After getting all the luggage inside the entryway, Mrs. Shugendo called us into a large common room. When we kids had arranged ourselves on the sofa and chairs, Shugendo called three seventeen-year-old kids wearing school uniforms and a middle-aged woman over to her. Then she addressed us all.
“Well! Welcome to Whateley Academy! Now, you’ll get the formal welcoming speech from the Headmistress along with all the other freshmen, but this little talk is just for YOU. Now, the reason that you were all told to come here a day ahead of the other freshmen and the reason that you’re being put up in this dormitory is that you all have something in common that sets you apart from the other students, even beyond your individual mutations. You are what is currently called ‘Alternative Sexuality’ types. You are gay, lesbian, transgendered, or so aggressively bisexual that it is an issue for you. We don’t condemn you for this; you didn’t really have a choice in it, any more than you chose to be mutants. We realize that it’s hard going through adolescence. We realize that it’s even harder when you’re a mutant. You have enough to put up with; you don’t need the extra aggravation of being branded a -quote- sexual deviant —unquote-.
“Unfortunately, homophobic bias is so deeply ingrained in the American, Canadian and British school systems, and to a lesser extent in the European schools, that letting you go around openly declaring that you’re gay or lesbian or bi or transgendered is just asking for trouble. So, we have Poe Cottage, a place where you don’t have to worry about the kids down the hall finding out, because they already know about you, and you already know about them.
“Now, while we are very proud of the fact that you were brave and honest enough to admit your... persuasion during on your admittance forms, I’m afraid that we’re going to have to ask you to curb that honesty. I’m afraid that it’s a matter of your continued safety. There are students here who have been victimized quite cruelly. And, unfortunately those who have been hurt that way tend to be the cruelest of all, when they find someone that they can pass that pain onto. And in our society, homosexuals and ‘fellow travelers’ are still considered fair game for that sort of thing. Given the abilities that students at Whateley have, a ‘Gay Bashing’ could turn deadly, even Apocalyptic. It is, simply said, easier for all involved, if it simply doesn’t become an issue. If your sense of pride demands that you come out of the closet, then you have a right to. But please, have consideration for the other people here at Poe, and don’t reveal the overall status here.
“The reason that you were brought here a day before the more.. mainstream Freshmen, is twofold- to give you a day to get used to the campus before the others get here, and so that you will sort of be part of the background when they get here. This will give you a certain... credibility that should allow you to make connections more easily. Yes? You have a question?” She pointed at the tanned blonde girl who sat next to me on the van.
“Ma’am, you’ve just pointed out that everyone here is queer or something like that. So, how is that gonna affect how we’re paired up when it comes time to choose roomies? I mean, the brochure kept mentioning roommates like it was a given. So, like, are you gonna put us in boy/girl- which would make my mother, like, shit, fart and die!- or are is it gonna be boy/boy- girl/girl, which would be, really, like the same thing, but for real?”
Mrs. Shugendo cleared her throat nervously. “It will be boy/boy- girl/girl. To have it otherwise would advertise that there was something unusual going on at Poe Cottage to everyone who looked at the roster. However, I must remind you that carnal relations involving students, whether between opposite sexes or the same sex, is Strictly Forbidden at Whateley, and any homosexual student caught breaking that rule will be punished as severely as any heterosexual student doing so!” In other words, she knew that they didn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell of really stopping anybody, but she had to say the words, for form’s sake, and don’t embarrass us, kids.
Hank raised a hand. “What are the rules about using your powers openly, like flying for instance?”
“That question, along with many others, will be handled by the Headmistress at her freshman’s Orientation speech in two days. In the mean time, just try to keep a low profile. If nothing else, it will keep you from tripping into some of the more senior students.”
Shugendo then introduced the middle-aged woman as Mrs. Horton, the ‘house mother’ for Poe. Mrs. Horton said the expected pleasantries, and then explained the layout of the cottage: there were three floors, the bedrooms were built for two, there was a bathroom for each sex at each end of the hallway, there was a community room and a library for studying. There was also kitchen, but meals were to be served at the campus dining room. Food left in the kitchen was more or less open game, but there were ‘studio coolers’ in each room. There was an exercise room down in the basement, which was open to everyone. There was a laundry room, and the students were responsible for their own laundry. “In other words, it’s your own fault if you stink”, she finished up. Mrs. Horton looked like any other suburban matron that I’ve ever met. And yet, there was something about her impeccably maintained person that suggested that she was completely unfazed by the prospect of keeping an eye on a group of super-powered teenagers.
Mrs. Shugendo took over again. “So, if your heads are quite ready to explode from information overload, let’s get you broken down into groups that we can actually work with. These three-” she indicated the three uniformed teenagers, “are Steve Rossiter, Belle Forbes, and Rosalyn Dekkard. They’ll be your Student Guides for today. You can also go to them for help after today, but you do so at your own risk. They’ll show you around, answer your questions, and get you sorted out as to your sleeping arrangements. And so, I’ll leave you with these words- Don’t destroy anything.”
Steve Rossiter was a buff looking 17-year-old blonde guy who looked like he could audition for the lead in a Captain America movie. Belle Forbes was a svelte 17-year-old girl with sapphire blue eyes and ravenswing black hair pulled back in a high ponytail. Her face was long and angular, with a long straight nose. She might have been harsh looking, if not for a touch of wry humor about the eyes and mouth. Rosalyn Dekkard was also 17, and had the lush curves of a homecoming queen. Her eyes were emerald green, and her hair was also ravenswing black, but it hung loose in waves past her shoulders down to her waist. Her triangular face also had humor, but it was more of the amusement of a pantheress regarding a flock of tender young lambs.
In turn, they started reading off names from clipboards. Belle Forbes called my name, along with Hank’s, Fay’s, and names of the girl with odd spiky gray hair, and a girl with short spiky black hair and dark green eyes, who dressed like a punker. She also called a girl I hadn't seen waiting at the depot. The last girl didn’t look like a teenager; she looked to be about 12 or so. She looked Asian, with long straight dark hair, large dark eyes, and a cute upturned nose. The girl with the odd gray hair called herself Billie, the girl with the punker look was called Ayla, and the kid was called Jade. And, for some reason, Fay answered to Nikki.
When Fay joined us, I shot a glare at her. “I thot that you said that your name was ‘Fay’.”
“That’s my superhero name. And its ‘Fey’, with an ‘E’, not an ‘A’.”
“What kind of superhero name is ‘Fey’?”
“ ‘Fey’ means ‘touched by magic’.”
“OH-kaayyy...”
Our guide cleared her throat for attention. <Ahem!> “Very well, welcome to Whateley, pleased to meet you and all that jazz- hope you don’t mutate into giant slugs.” Her voice had a merry British accent, the cultured ‘Public School’ kind, with a trace of a lilt that suggested touch of the Irish, delivered with a John Cleese deadpan. “Don’t laugh- it’s happened. I’m Belle Forbes, as those of you with short term memories that exceed 15 seconds should well recall. Just between us,” she added conspiratorially, “My name isn’t Belle, it’s Kendall. But, my ‘code name’ is ‘Beltane’, so everyone’s taken to calling me ‘Belle’. Don’t worry, I won’t eviscerate you if you call me Belle- well, not unless I’m having a really bad day. Don’t want to commit to anything I can’t make good on.”
The two other groups finished pairing off. I noticed that all the boys had gone with Steve Rossiter (and were looking up at him like he was a centerfold), and all the girls were clustered worshipfully around Roslyn Dekkard. The division complete, the guides started to shoo their charges off in different directions. Rip caught my eye and gave me the ‘call me later’ hand jive.
Rosalyn took the girls upstairs, and the other two guides took their charges out of the cottage. Steve took the boys off in one direction, and Belle took us off towards the main building. “Very well, Fresh-things,” Belle sang, “Here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to have to discuss some rather personal things, and we don’t want the others listening in, and vice-vicious. So, Rosalyn will show the dykes in training around the cottage, Steve will show his little nancy-boys around the grounds, and _I_ will show you changelings the school buildings. And then we rotate.”
Changelings? If the gay boys went with Steve, and the lesbian girls went with Rosalyn, then that must mean... They’re like --- Me? I looked at the others, and the others were looking at me and each other. The little one, Jade, had her jaw almost scraping the sidewalk.
Belle smiled acidly. “Ah, the light dawns! Yes, m’lovelies, you are all in this group because you are, one way or another, defecting to the enemy in the War between the Sexes.”
The punker gritted her teeth and grated, “OR, were drafted by the wrong side!” I don’t know what her problem was-- _I_ was dancing on air!
Belle just waved us in the direction of the Administration building. “Yes, yes, I’m sure that it was all very traumatic. Now keep up, keep up! We ARE on a schedule!”
As we walked, I looked over at Hank. “You are getting more feminine?”
<Heh> “Wrong Way.” Hank blushed.
“Y’mean- you’re really a girl?”
Hank reddened even more. “Well... I was born a girl, but right now, I’m what the doctor called a ‘bilateral hermaphrodite’. I sort of have both sets of equipment. But the doctor also says that my female equipment is shutting down.”
“Hey, Dewwwd! Not to worry! You got the recipe for Studmuffin, and all the makin’s!”
* * * *
It was only a short walk to main campus. Poe was at about middle distance, as cottages went. Belle pointed out three cottages farther out from the center and identified them as Hawthorne, Twain, and Whitman. As we passed the others in succession she called out Dickinson, Emerson, and Melville. Around us, the trees were still green, although one or two were showing the first signs of yellow. There were occasional leaves on the ground, but the brick walkway was kept scrupulously clean.
We crested a small hill and saw the campus spread out below them. Near the center was our destination - Schuster Hall. It was a really weird mix of styles, your basic Federal style building, with a huge sparkling glass geodesic dome at the end.
Belle gestured to the large building and the nearly incongruous dome at one end. “That, Fresh Ones, is Schuster Hall, administration, classrooms, and that dome is called The Crystal Hall. It’s where the dining room is and tends to be where most students with free time hang out. We’ll be having dinner in The Dome, then I’ll give you a thumbnail tour of the classroom areas, and show you where to find the offices and important stuff like the restrooms and gaming areas.”
We continued along the pathway until reaching a wider, flagstone-paved square in front of the imposing, if strange looking building. There were stone and metal benches scattered all around the square, and a small fountain occupied the center. Fey looked at the benches as if they were hot griddles.
Belle stopped the group in front of a statue of an old man with longish hair, a beard and deep penetrating eyes. “This is the statue of Noah Whateley, the man who founded this school back in 1878. They only put this thing up because a school is supposed to have a statue of its revered founder. Actually, the school that he founded was mediocre at best- the highest that any graduate of the original school ever reached was a Congressman for Vermont. Anyway, after about eighty years of producing complete non-entities, the original Whateley Academy shut down and was foreclosed on by the bank. Then it was bought by a group of mutant superheroes in 1966, because they wanted a remote place to train emergent mutants in how to use their powers. They kept the name, mostly so that the school would appear to have a long and presumably illustrious history.”
Belle took a long breath and gave us a long measuring look. “Very well, now that we have that tiresome bit of trivia out of the way, let’s get down to it, shall we? First, we’ll tour the Administration and School buildings, so that it won’t be a complete shock to you. Also, this will give the girls a chance to get their luggage upstairs and choose their rooms, without tripping over us. After a decent interval of viewing the torture chambers, we will return to Poe, and you will lug all of your stuff up the stairs and pick your cells. When all of that’s settled, we’ll thrust out again, this time to tour the grounds, athletic fields, and the Combat Training Areas.”
Combat Training Areas? We all stiffened as one
Belle grinned as she savored a direct hit. “Yes, Combat Training Areas. No, you haven’t been kidnapped a Mutant Terrorist Cell, or drafted into the military. Whateley’s policy is that the students are left completely to their own devices to make up their minds as to things like politics and philosophy. HOWEVER, given the nature of many mutants powers, the bellicose nature of humanity in general and the viciousness of Anti-Mutant militants in particular, it is quite likely that (whether you want to or not) you will be faced with situations where you will have to fight. And it would be a criminal waste of all this expensive education if we let you graduate, just to let you die a week later because you couldn’t defend yourself.
“And here we come to one of the reasons that we split up as we did. Young ladies, Gentleman, we are a group apart. Even more than being a mutant or being *ahem!* of ‘Alternate Sexuality’, we are a group apart. Whether as a matter of deep-felt conviction or as a matter of our mutation forcing it on us, we are all changing into members of the sex opposite from that which we were born in. Others, even the gays and lesbians, may sympthatize, but they don’t really understand. So, while we’re here, we’re going to have to rely on each other much more heavily than the other students do. Now, having Six transgendered students is a trifle unusual, especially at the beginning of the year. Normally, we only have one or two TGs at the beginning of the year, maybe with one or two showing up later in the year. Still, the rule is that the TGs room together and help each other out. With six, we have the makings of a nice little team. At least, that’s what we’re going to try for.
“So, while we’re here, out of earshot, I’d like each of you to introduce yourself, tell the others about your background, how you feel about your change, what you want to make of that change, and- Whateley’s version of ‘what’s your major?’- what your mutant power is. Let me start off.
“My name is Kendall Forbes, and I was born in the outskirts of Bristol, Yew Kay. My family was a perfectly respectable Professional class one. And in keeping with sacred tradition, my parents packed me off to a ‘decent Boys’ School’ the first chance they got. What they didn’t realize was that I wanted to be packed off to a decent girls’ school. At any rate, when I was in my second form, I started seeing wispy things floating around. I started having nightmares about a ghoul that I called ‘Gnashitty Rippit’, a foul thing with a wide befanged mouth and grasping betaloned hands. Then one night, I woke up in my bed, and Lo And Behold!, there was Gnashitty Rippit, floating over my bed, licking his chops. The demmed thing chased me all over the school before it cornered me. Then I screamed at it to go away. And strike me down, if it didn’t! It turned out that not only did I have complete control over Gnashitty, but I had actually created him, out of that wispy stuff floating around. That ‘stuff’ is called ‘Ectoplasm’, and I have the power to gather it up, mold it into whatever form that I want, and set it to doing things.
“I, being a sane, stable, responsible young man of twelve summers, immediately started one of the most horrific hauntings in the history of England. Severed heads floating down the halls, blood dripping down the walls, gawd-awful screams in the dead of night, horrible things turning up in the Masters’ beds-” A misty look of nostalgia went over her-“Lord, it was wonderful! They wound up sending the Gray Wizard, one of Britain’s foremost superheroes (AND a bit of All Right, if I must say so!) in to investigate. It took him a solid week to figure out that it was me! I’ll give him this, he is a sharp one- the only reason that it took him that long was that his scryings indicated that a Girl was behind it all. Y’see, I’d discovered that I could also use the old ecto to disguise myself-” Belle swept a hand down in front of her, and suddenly turned into Marilyn Monroe, dressed as she was in that scene in ‘The Seven Year Itch’ where the gust from the grating blows her skirt up. ‘Marilyn’ cooed at us, and swept that hand back up, and Belle was back, grinning evilly.
“At any rate, the Wizard took me aside, explained that I was going about it all the wrong way, and set me up with an interview with an agent from Whateley. He even explained it all to the Mum and Dad, which went a LONG way towards me not getting my backside shellacked. When they sent me to the doctor, to see if anything else unexpected was growing in me- you know, forked tail, cloven hooves, unspeakable writhing mass, that sort of thing- the doctor discovered that I was showing the first signs of puberty. A girl’s puberty. It seems that by disguising myself as a girl, I was affecting my body so that it was conforming to the image that I was projecting. The doctor told me that if I kept disguising myself as a girl, that it could affect the progress of my puberty. So, naturally, I started disguising myself twenty-four/seven. They had no choice but to enroll me here at Hogwar- I mean, Whateley as a girl at Poe.” Belle finished with a grin.
“Now, just to wrap up, as I said before, I can gather up or generate ectoplasm- though just gathering the stuff up is a lot easier- and I can mold it into various things and animate them.” To demonstrate, she cupped her hands in front of her. A pale gray mist gathered in her hands and congealed into a white dove. The dove cooed and then spread its wings to take flight. It flew for a few moments, then dispersed back into a gray mist, which faded.
“Now, it’s your turn.” She looked at Hank. “Well, you’re the odd man out- and in this group, that’s saying something!- why don’t we start with you?”
We all turned to look at Hank, who blushed at bit. He seems to do that a lot. Then he stood up straight and squared his shoulders. “Okay, my name is Hank Declan. It used to be Hannah Declan, but that doesn’t really fit anymore. I’m an Army Brat, I was born at the military hospital at Fort Dix, and I’ve lived at four different postings. That I can remember. I’m the oldest child-”
“Oh, don’t tell me it’s the old ‘my father always wanted a son’ gag!” The punk girl- Ayla, I think her name was- interrupted.
“Ah, No, Dad was always happy with a daughter. Besides, I have a younger brother. Dad never saw anything wrong with a girl going out and rough-housing with the boys- especially not with some of the female non-coms that he’s served with! As a matter of fact, I didn’t have any real problems with being a girl! It’s just, when my body started changing and my testicles dropped, it just seemed so... right! Y’know, it was like, of course! That’s the way that it’s supposed to be!”
“How did your parents take it?” Belle prompted.
“Well, they were weirded out, all right. All their ideas of what the rest of my life was gonna be like kind of went out the window. The one that was really weirded out was my little brother. And he really went nuts when it turned out that I could lift five tons without even straining, let alone when I found out that I could fly!”
Billie, the chick with the weird gray hair asked, “You can fly?”
“Yeah. It came in real handy when my little brother went to one of the Sergeants at Bragg who had a hate on for mutants a foot wide and a mile long, and told him that a mutant was holding his parents hostage.”
“Your own little brother did that to you?” I asked. Jeezus, I’d trust even Vince not to rat me out to the local mutant haters!
“Well, it was a lot more involved than that. A lot of melodrama went down before that happened. Anyway, Sergeant Lennox came at me with an entire squad armed with assault rifles and LAWS rockets. I managed to get away, and there was a lot of noise, with Lennox screaming that there was a dangerous mutant terrorist at large, and my dad screaming back at him that that ‘mutant terrorist’ was his daughter, and Lennox screaming back at my Dad that he was under some kind of weird mutant mind control, and Jay -that’s my brother- backing him up.”
“Dear, that’s two ‘Ands’ too many.” Belle gently corrected.
“Anyway, after a week of dodging Army helicopters, a Ranger team caught up with me and convinced me that Dad had convinced the Colonel that Lennox had his head up his ass, and they brought me in. While they weren’t going to press any charges- I sort of had to wreck a couple of patrol jeeps and a tank getting out of the Camp- it wasn’t a very good idea for me to stay at Bragg. Y’see, while Lennox didn’t exactly follow procedure, he was using proper initiative in a high-risk situation, so he was still on base and he still has his stripes. Then some people from the Academy showed up, and did some weird tests and stuff, and they talked my Dad into signing the papers so’s I could come here.”
“Still too many ‘Ands’, Hank. Remember, grammar always. You said that you could lift five tonnes and fly. What exactly are your powers?”
“Well, they said that I was a ‘High Level Functioning Non-Ranged Psychokinetic’ or something like that. I sort of generate this telekinetic field. I can lift stuff with it, includin’ myself, and I can stop bullets and things with it. Oh, and they said that I was a ‘Level 3 Exemplar’, whatever that means.”
“Well, you see, Hank,” Belle explained, “There are some terms like ‘Energizer’, ‘Warper’, ‘Shifter’, ‘Deviser’, ‘Wizard’ and of course, ‘Exemplar’ that describe the basic function of what a mutant does. The more powerful or extreme the traits are, the higher the level. This is not necessarily a good thing. You see, the further you stray from the baseline human mean, the higher the likelihood that you will develop gross physical deformities is, and the higher the chance that your mutation will turn lethal.”
“Gross physical deformities?”
“Lethal?”
Belle nodded and said, “Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you children, but being a mutant isn’t all fun and games. The more powerful the mutant ability that you have is, the greater chance that something’s going to go wrong with your body. Last year, five students died during training. Some of them burned out, some of them had seizures during practice. One chap just upped and died in class. Nobody noticed anything until everyone got up at the end of class and he didn’t. The girl who sat next to him had a panic attack that laid her up for a week.”
Belle waved that rather morbid topic aside. “Now, where were we? Oh yes- Exemplars. An Exemplar is a mutant who has the power to slowly shape their body according to an ideal that they’ve formed somewhere in their subconscious. They make their bodies stronger, faster, tougher and usually cuter. Hank, when they say that you’re a Level 3 Exemplar, that means that your power pushes your strength, agility and so on to a level that is just above the maximum that a normal, unaugmented human can achieve. Anything more, Hank?”
Hank shook his head. “Very well. Next--- let’s see--- YOU.” She pointed at me.
Well, it’s time to make that all-important first impression! I turned to face the group and bounced on the balls of my feet a bit. “Hi! I’m Toni - that’s Toni with an ‘I’- Chandler. I’m fourteen- I’ll be fifteen in February- and I’m from Pleasant Oaks. That’s a suburb of Baltimore. I come from a big family, and I don’t have any really traumatic ‘trigger’ stories or anything. I was practicing at my Aikido dojo, and I was facing off against Danny Mancell, who’s a 14 karat jerk, and he was giving me shit about being a wimp and stuff. Anyway, I was trying to focus my Ki-” I gave them all a thumbnail description of Ki and what it does. “Anyway, I was trying to focus my Ki like Mister Colliard- he’s my Aikido sensei- told me to, and suddenly *Bam!* I feel this force flowing through my body, and I hit Danny with it, and he goes flying across the Dojo and smacks into the wall on the far side.”
“Too many ‘Ands’, dear.”
“Sorry. Anyway, at first, I just thought that I was really hot shit with Aikido. But then my eyes changed from plain old brown to this-” I pointed at my amber colored eyes, “and they got the clue that something might be up. So, they took me to a doctor, who referred us to another doctor, who referred us to the Academy, and well...”
“So, basically, your shtick is Super-Martial Arts.”
“Well, sorta, but there’s a lot more to it than that. I can see how Ki flows in other people and how it flows through the Earth and the stuff around it-”
“Wait a minute! The Earth doesn’t have Ki!”
“Of course it does. Or at least it has a sort of magnetic field that’s somehow related to Ki. And beside marital arts moves, I can use it to increase my strength and speed and toughness even beyond what being an Exemplar makes me- oh, Yeah, I’m an Exemplar, too-, I can use it to increase my running speed and how far I can jump, and--- well, let’s just say that if you saw it in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I can probably do it.” Belle nodded then turned to Fey. “Your turn, hon.”
*****
From here, the other ‘girls’ each told their tale. If you are interested, you can read their stories in their own introductions.
*****
“Well, that’s everyone. At least until some ten o’clock scholar comes straggling in, in a few months. There’s always at least ONE. Now for the Grand Tour!” She waved them towards the wide white marble steps and large oaken double doors of the Administration Building.
The entry hall was floored in gleaming hardwood, probably oak from the feel of it to her, and stretched into what almost seemed to be infinity. A grand staircase dominated the center of the huge room, made of gleaming and lovingly cared for mahogany and led to a landing branching off into what looked like more spacious hallways.
There were comfortable looking chairs, couches, desks, tables, tasteful lamps and potted plants scattered apparently at random through the hall, and huge fireplaces dominated each end. This isn’t a school, it’s a set for a movie about an English Men’s Club.
“This is the main hall, children.” Belle explained as she led us through it. “Study and quiet gathering area for students and staff. It’s kind of chilly in the wintertime, but the fireplaces are nice. Get a spot close to one if you have the chance during the cold months. It’s a lot warmer and kind of cool sitting by the fire. Especially with the right guy or girl.”
She gave an evil little grin at the expressions on her charge’s faces at the mention of boy or girl friends, then relented a bit. “Not to worry, if you guys aren’t ready for something like that you can just say ‘thanks but no thanks’ and no one will get bent out of shape over it.”
Belle walked over to a wooden door and peeked her head in. “Hiegh-Ho, Mrs. Linford! I’m leading the first wave of Poe Cottage Frosh Orientation Tours. Would you please open up the Homer Gallery?”
“Of course, Belle.” A warm alto voice responded. A moment later, a trim 50ish African-American woman in a green dress came out, flipping through the keys on a ring. She clipped over to a set of double doors with a bust of Homer set into a niche beside the doorway. Mrs. Linford gripped the dome of Homer’s head and pushed back. The bust swung back revealing a lock set into the base of the bust. She inserted the key, and a panel in the doorjamb swung open, revealing a card-slot and a keypad. Linford swiped a card and punched in a combination. There was a sound of bolts being withdrawn, and Mrs. Linford pulled one of the doors open.
“Thenk Yew!”, Belle sang as she shepherded the Freshmen into the gallery. “This is the Homer Gallery, which is where we keep mementos of prominent Alumni. Note, I said ‘prominent’- not ‘famous’ or ‘glorious’, just ‘prominent’. Of course, the very nature of this place requires that we keep it locked off most of the time, just in case anyone not ‘In The Loop’ drops by.”
The Gallery was a long room lined with glass cases, with paintings on the wall and statues and freestanding exhibits on the floor. Belle walked up to a wax figure of a heroically built man wearing an odd suit consisting of a royal blue metallic looking armless and legless body sheath with shoulder plates, a wide golden belt with a thunder-bolt design on it, white gauntlet gloves, high white boots, a long white cape and a large red triangular ‘C’ on the chest. The tabs holding the cape, and the greaves and bracers over the boots and gauntlets were gold metal matching the belt. “I don’t think that I have to tell anyone that this is a uniform belonging to Champion, the greatest superhero that Chicago has ever seen. This is the outfit worn by Champion during most of the 1970’s and early 1980’s. This really is one of his costumes, one that he wore during several of his battles of that period. This statue was on display at Madame Tassaud’s in Paris; when Champion changed his outfit in 1983, Tassaud’s made a whole new statue, and Champion asked them to deliver this one here.”
Hank raised a hand. “Champion was a student here? I thought that he was around way back before World War II!”
“Okay, this is one that almost everyone gets wrong. It’s a ‘sort of Yes, sort of No’ thing. You see, the original Champion, who was operating in Chicago as early as 1934, was what we now call an ‘Avatar’. An Avatar is a sort of mutant who has a psychic gift of bonding with spirits. Now, most spirits can, and will, try to possess human beings, but it isn’t a very good ‘fit’. The host tries to fight the possession, and if the spirit does manage to completely take over the host, the host is usually so utterly wrecked by the struggle that they’re a physical and psychological ruin. You see them sometimes, hanging out with the winos and schizos on various ‘Skid Rows’. But an ‘Avatar’ can successfully fight the spirit, take control of it, and use its magical powers. As I said, the original Champion was an ‘Avatar’, even though he didn’t know it. In the course of his career, he managed to capture and ‘bind’ several spirits within himself. In so doing, he sort of fused all these spirits together into a single, greater spirit that we now call ‘the Champion Force’. But unfortunately for him, he didn’t know what he was really doing, and he came up with some rather bizarre ideas to explain to himself how he was able to do all the things that he did. Some of those ideas wound up costing him his life in 1953.
“But one of the things that the original Champion-” Belle pointed at a LIFE magazine color cover picture of a man in blue tights with a white cape, hood that showed the lower half of his face, trunks, gloves and boots, with a large red ‘C’ on the chest, standing holding an American flag. “- did right, was to train two Avatars like himself.” She pointed at two figures standing on either side of the original Champion in the picture. To the left was a young blonde girl of maybe 15, wearing a short dress of a blue that matched Champion’s. She also wore a domino face mask, cape, belt, boots, gloves and large hair bow that matched the white of Champion’s trim. To the right was a young man of maybe 17, wearing a costume that was almost exactly like Champion’s except that the blue and white were reversed, and he only wore a blue domino mask, instead of a hood. “They were called Miss Champion and Junior Champion. When the original Champion died, he managed to pass the Champion Force onto Junior Champion, who became the second Champion. Since the original Champion trained him, the second Champion also inherited the original’s rather odd notions of how his powers worked. This caused him no end of troubles during his career.
“It was a very good thing that Champion did train Junior Champion and Miss Champion back in the 1940’s, because in the 1950’s there was a wave of legislation making ‘Kid Sidekicks’ illegal, under the ‘Endangering Minors’ laws. Now, the second Champion wasn’t just an Avatar, he was also a very versatile Kinetic. That’s where his ‘lightning vision,’ ‘polar breath’ and ‘thunder shout’ came from- pyrokinesis, cryokinesis, and psychokinetically created vibration. Mind you, his base kinetic powers probably weren’t that great, but the Champion Force most likely amplified them. As the 1960’s rolled around, the term ‘Mutant’ entered the popular lexicon, mostly as a synonym for ‘dangerous freak’. As Champion II interacted with mutants of both the superheroic and supervillainous persuasion, he began to suspect that he too might be a mutant, not the rather bogus ‘Olympian’ origin that his mentor had taught him. As the nature of mutant abilities was researched by various fronts for various reasons, Champion II found another Avatar, someone who he could pass the Champion Force onto, if he should fall in combat. But he couldn’t train the boy personally- those ‘Anti-Kid Sidekick’ laws. So, in 1966, Champion II was part of the cabal of mutant superheroes and sympathizers who bought up the bankrupt Whateley Academy and turned it into a refuge for emergent mutants, who needed to be taught how to control their powers. Among the first class was the young Avatar that Champion had chosen for his successor.
“In 1969, Champion II died, killed by a knife formed of ‘Tartareum’. It was just a piece of volcanic glass that someone had chipped into a knife-” Belle walked over to a glass case, where a crude knife of black glass lay on two brackets. “-but in Champion II’s mind, it was Tartareum, the one substance that could penetrate his defenses. So, it did, and he died. Champion II managed to hold on long enough to pass on the Champion Force to his successor, who was still taking classes at Whateley. The boy waited a year to graduate, and then took up the mantle of the Champion. The first thing that Champion III did was hunt down the vicious bastard who killed Champion II. The idiot had another glass knife- he wanted to go down in history as the ‘Man Who Killed Champion Twice’. Champion III didn’t have the psychological crutches that Champions I & II did, though. The knife broke on Champion III’s skin, and he dragged the scumbag to jail by his heels.
“Ever since then, it’s been understood that Whateley Academy will always be training at least one Avatar at all times- the best, the smartest, the strongest, the bravest Avatar enrolled- who is ready at all times to accept the Champion Force, in case the worst happens. We even have a jet on call at Berlin Airport, just in case.”
Belle walked them across the room. “On the flip side, here we have Lord Paramount, the mutant Prince of Wallachia.” Belle gestured at a large oil portrait. It showed a long view of a trim, athletic man, dressed in a deep purple coat cut in the manner of a Napoleonic Era officer, with a high collar, tails down the back, large cuffs, embroidered silver trim everywhere, and a white lace jabot down the front. He was wearing tight white trousers tucked into black riding boots, bound up with a silver lame sash, and had a white cape thrown over his shoulders. The man was aiming his classic patrician features up at the mantle of a rough-hewn fieldstone fireplace, contemplating a bust of a hawk-faced man with a large mustache. The painting projected an air of ‘the melancholy Byronic noble man, enduring the majestic loneliness of splendor, meditating on the lessons of a bygone hero’.
I took a long look at the painting. “I get the impression that I’m supposed to recognize the bust, but I don’t. Who is it?”
“It’s Vlad Tepes Bessarab, Prince of Wallachia and Moldavia. You may know him better by his nickname- ‘Dracula’. And no, he wasn’t a Vampire. He was a 15th Century nobleman who ruled over much of a region called Transylvania, the border between Hungary and Rumania. While he had a reputation for being harsh, even brutal, he was also known for being even handed, and expecting Nobles to obey the same laws as the Commoners. He’s remembered as something of a romantic hero in Rumania. I rather expect that Lord Paramount is trying to cash in on that perception to help bolster his regime in Wallachia.”
“Why do you keep such a big picture of him here? I mean, if he’s an alumnus, I can understand you having something- but this?”
“We have to- Lord Parry is a big contributor to the school, and a condition of his donations is that we keep this picture here, and show it to all the incoming Freshmen.”
Hank took a long look at the painting. “How the heck did a loon like Lord Paramount wind up being a head of state, even in a backwater like Wallachia?”
“Well, give his Lordship his due, he’s not as daft as he sometimes comes across. While he makes no bones about doing the whole ‘supervillain’ thing, he’s sharp enough to know exactly where the line is, and to play his game right up to that line and no further. Or at least not where anyone will ever catch him at it. Anyway, back in the 1980’s, when the Soviet ‘empire’ crumbled in the space of about three months, some parts of Transylvania, which is traditionally Hungarian, wanted to secede from Rumanian and rejoin with Mother Hungary. Others wanted to become their own Nation. And others wanted to avoid trouble by staying with Rumania. Lord Parry here stepped into this, stirred things up, got a good-sized militant group behind him. He used his powers to strategically steal fuel, ammunition, supplies and other essentials, and manipulate the tides of war. Remember, just because Lord Paramount comes across as a posturing git, doesn’t mean that he isn’t a clever dick under it all. For instance, Wallachia has about a dozen different political, ethnic, and religious rivalries going. Lord Parry doesn’t waste time and effort trying to stop them- he uses them, and has set himself up as an impartial arbiter of their squabbles, giving each faction just enough to keep them thinking that they can get more from him. He keeps the squabbles down to shouting matches and the odd street fight, and everyone else in the region thanks him for being a peace-bringer. While he has his bullyboys handle most of the ‘peace-keeping’, every so often, he takes off the kid gloves and shows them that he’s equal to an armored column all by himself, just to remind everyone that he can.”
Billie cocked an eyebrow at the brooding figure on the canvas. “What are his powers, again?”
“Well, if memory serves correctly, he’s a level 5 Exemplar- just look at that chin, what else could he be?-, but he’s also a level 4 Kinetic- sort of along the lines of what you do, Hank, but more versatile-, a level 3 Telepath and a level 3 Esper. He’s supposed to be able to lift a good-sized car without straining, and can tip over tanks with some effort. Plays a mean game of Chess too, I hear.”
Belle walked away from the painting, to neat pile of what appeared to be large gold ingots, protected only by a red velvet rope. “Is That.?”
“Quite. Exactly one metric Tonne of 16-karat Gold. It’s a donation from Gabriella Guzman, the Mexican tycoon. She’s an alumna. Her ‘gift’ is some sort of Esper thing, that she uses to manipulate various markets. She started out dirt poor, from peon stock, and attended Whateley on a scholarship, but now she flat out owns Delicias, a major Mexican city in the Chihuahua province, most of the rest of Chihuahua, and good-sized holdings in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and El Paso. She donated this on the condition that it’s not be sold, but displayed here. She said that it’s supposed to be a statement. Apparently, either you get it or you don’t. If you get it, no explanation is necessary; if you don’t, you wouldn’t understand the explanation.”
Belle swept her hand around the rest of the large room. The cases were full of odd statuettes, bizarre looking pieces of technology from differing times, bits and pieces of clothing, stuffed animals that couldn’t be real and skulls from impossible beasts, one of which was almost the size of a VW Bug. And there were weapons! Ancient weapons, odd weapons, weapons that looked like they belonged in a Sci-Fi movie. “All these things are mementos and oddments from events in various Alums’ careers. If you really want to, you can ask Missuz Linford, and she’ll let you into to look at them more. That’s why it’s here. Also, there a printed guide to each and every one of these doo-hickeys, to explain exactly what they’re about.”
*****
With dinner out of the way, Belle led us back to Poe. “And so ends the first part of our tour. Now, you get your bags from where they’ve been cluttering, and figure out which cell will be yours.”
Hank effortlessly hoisted one traveling trunk onto his shoulder for the trip up the flight of stairs. But before anyone could get up the stairs, there was a loud *thud!* against the front of the building. “I’d know that thud anywhere,” Belle said dryly.
She walked to the front door and looked outside. Curious, everyone else followed close behind. We followed Belle’s gaze to a blue and white heap on the ground right at the base of the wall. “It wouldn’t have done you any good, anyway, Megs,” Belle drawled. “They’re reassigning rooms, remember? You’re on the third floor this year. That is unless you WANT to stay on the second floor with the newbies.”
“Oh, go boil your cauldron!” The heap snapped back. With a groan, the heap pulled itself up and resolved itself into a rather nicely put together blonde girl of about 16 wearing a legless blue leotard, with a white belt, gauntlet gloves, buccaneer boots, and cape, and a stylized red ‘M’ on her chest. “Everyone, this is Marty Penn, a.k.a. ‘Mega Girl’, or invariably ‘Megs’. Marty is one year ahead of you, one of Our Crowd, and a card-carrying member of the Cape Squad. Megs, this is the Freshmen crew of the Gender Baffled.”
‘Megs’ smiled sweetly, stuck her hand out for Hank to shake, and bubbled out a stream of welcomes and disconnected bits of Sophomore wisdom to us Froshes. A bit of recognition clicked, and I thought to myself ‘Dear Ghod, somebody went and gave Lizzie McGwuire super powers!’
As Marty’s babbling brook paused for a second, Belle asked innocently, “You flew in from the train station?”
“Sure? Why Not? It was getting late, and nobody saw me, and they’ll bring in my luggage with the others-”
“And you’re going to hide the fact that you’re here well ahead of the others with only your super-suit to wear from Mrs. Horton, exactly How?” Belle arched an eyebrow.
Marty’s bellflower blue eyes popped wide open, and she worried her lower lip. “You could.... use your Ectoplasm to disguise me?”
Belle smiled acidly. “No-no-no-no-no- I’ve ‘bibbledy-bobbledy-booed’ you out of trouble for the last time. You can get yourself out of this little mess. I’m going to have my hands full with this lot, thank you very much!” With that, Belle shooed us Froshes back in, and pointedly shut the door behind her.
“Isn’t that a little harsh?” Jade asked worriedly.
“Not to worry- it will take her a bit, but eventually it will occur to her that all she has to do is fly up to the roof and hang out there until the rest of the incoming students come in. She just wanted to get first call on rooms.”
Ayla raised an eyebrow. “When you said that Marty’s ‘one of Our Crowd’, did you mean that she’s here in Poe Cottage, or that she’s---?”
“Transgendered? Most definitely. You see, under that PK shell, Marty is a rather weedy looking young man.”
“You mean, Marty can make himself look like a girl by creating a ‘PK shell’, but under it all, he isn’t changing into a girl?” Jade asked.
“Not quite- you see, Marty IS changing himself in rather the same way that I did, but it’s very slow. She’s going to be switching back and forth for quite a while until she manages to redefine her biological patterns. So, if you see a strange boy walking down the hall in a lacy blue nightgown, and he says that he's Marty, there’s a good chance that he is. Just steer him up to the Third Floor and let them heckle him to death.”
“You said something about ‘the Cape Squad’. What’s a ‘Cape Squad’?” I asked.
Belle took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Ah, well, you see, here at Whateley, we have our cliques, the same as everywhere else. We have the usual roster of groups- there’s the Alphas, our resident self-appointed ‘elite’; there’s Venus Inc., the local Fashion Police and Beauty Nazis; there’s the Rat Patrol, the inevitable group of grungy losers, and so on. And we have some groups that could only exist here at Whateley- the Masterminds, the Ninjas, the Robo-Jox, and of course, the Cape Squad. The Cape Squad is basically a bunch of kids who are VERY up on the notion of being ‘future super-heroes of America’ and all that. If the superhero fan magazines are right, Marty spent a good part of the summer trying to be accepted by the Empire City Guard. Again. Ah well, at least Marty can come back here and try to get Iron Star to get to notice her.”
“_Iron Star_?” Ayla said in a pained tone.
“Well, Yes---” Belle said with an embarrassed grin, “Well, Marty likes him, anyway. He’s sort of the ‘main man’ in the Cape Squad.”
*****
After getting my stuff into my room, I decided to check out the rest of the floor for myself. They had a shower room with four stalls of discretely clouded glass. Oh well, bathtubs were a bit much to hope for, anyway. But the stalls were nicely designed for modesty, at least. As I stepped out into the hall, I almost ran into- or over Rip. “Hey! I thought that your group was supposed to be out doing the Tour!”
“We’re running late. REAL girls do that.”
“And what is THAT supposed to mean?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that you’re really a boy?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that you’re a lesbian?”
“What business is that of yours, and what does it have to do with anything?”
“My point exactly!”
“Hunh?”
“What was I supposed to say, ‘Hi there, I’m Toni Chandler, and don’t let the figure fool you, I’m really a guy’? I mean, I didn’t even know about this ‘Alternative Sexuality’ cottage- after all they don’t exactly print it up in the brochure! And, besides, my body is changing into a girl’s, and I’m already halfway there, so who cares, and why is it any of your business! I mean, it’s not like you were looking for a girlfriend- or- any- omigod.” Rip had gone beet red. “Oh Jeez, I’m sorry, Rip! I didn’t know!”
Rip struggled with anger, embarrassment, heartbreak, and frustration, and sheer exasperation won out. “Arrrggg! WHY does this always happen to me? Every time I meet a great girl who’s fun and really cute, she’s Always into boys! And they ALWAYS get all weirded out, and it gets all sticky and we can’t be friends anymore, and-”
“Who says any of that?”
“You mean that you’re not into boys?”
<Heh> I gave my wide apologetic grin. “Well, t’be honest, I’m not really sure WHAT I’m into, just yet. Y’see, I’ve only been changing like this for a few months and I haven’t really had Time and there was this one girl back home, and I had some real powerful feelings, and like I said, I haven’t really sorted all of this out....”
Rip gave me a long look. Emotions flickered past her face too fast to keep track of. Finally Rip seemed to make up her mind. “So... you’re turning into a girl? The whole works, not just the gazongas?”
“Uhm... Yeah. The doctor said that in the past month or so, my uterus has grown so much that they can see it with normal sonograms and stuff. And the male stuff--- well, it’s still there, but only for the time being. The doctor said that in a few months that I’m gonna have to be laid up, ‘cause they’re gonna have to break my pelvic bone in order to widen it.”
“Why would they HAVE to do that?”
“ ‘Cause if they don’t do it under controlled conditions, there’s a good possibility that the stresses on my body would do it when I fell down or something, and that could lead to all kinds of complications.”
“Eeewww! And I thought that _I_ had it rough! And after that...?”
“Well, it will probably take a couple of years until the transition is complete. Though the doctor admitted that his evaluation was pure educated guesswork, so I’m not making any schedules or anything.”
“And--- you had a real crush on this girl back home?”
“Yeah. Gail Enderby. I made a complete idiot of myself a couple of times, but I don’t think that she ever caught on.”
“And you’re not really sure which way you’re gonna swing, preference-wise?”
“Is anybody, until it sneaks up on them and bites them in the ass?”
“Now I know that you used to be a boy. Well!” Rip slipped her arm through mine. “If you decide that beefcake is your meat, I can cope. BUT, if you’re walking on MY side of the street-” Rip raised her voice so that everyone in the hallway could hear, “I call dibs on the slammin’ black boy-chick!”
A voice wafted out from one of the rooms. “Dibs? You gotta call Dibs? Nobody told me anything about that!"
As Rip leaned her head into the room to play with her victim’s head a little more, I ducked down the stairs, and passed the ground floor down into the basement. The basement was tricked out as sort of an all-purpose mini-gym, including mats, a ballet bar, and an exercise machine that was to your average Nautilus machine what Arnold Schwarzenegger is to Woody Allen. It was Hyuge! The main leverage bar was at least five times as thick, and the whole thing was probably made out of some high strength titanium alloy. Looking at the little sign on the main strut, it said that the main leverage bar weighed fifty pounds all by itself, and the bars that you could add were in increments of 50 pounds, up to Ten Tons! Something like this could only exist at a place like Whateley. They probably had to put it down here in the basement because it would probably come crashing through the floor in they put it up any higher.
Now, you simply can NOT see a machine like this and not want to give it a test spin. I re-set the weights from 8 tons (!) and some odd pounds to 250 pounds, my absolute upper limit on the machine that I used back at my old dojo. That done, I wriggled in under the bar, and settled in for a set of 50 lifts, just enough to get a feel for this machine.
I was at push #34, when I heard a metallic clinking sound from behind me in the machine, and I felt the tension on the bar go weird. Then the leverage bar suddenly became like a thousand times heavier, and came crashing down on my chest, even though it’s supposed to be designed not to do that. I struggled to get the bar off of my chest, which was made harder by the fact that I couldn’t breathe. Then a snarling face came leering down at me, said something that I couldn’t follow- I was too busy trying to breathe- and pushed down even harder on the bar.
Suddenly, there was a blur of movement, the face was gone, and the bar jerked up. More out of pure survival reflex than real thought, I got out from under it before it could drop again.
When I could see straight, I saw Hank grappling with a tall- and I do mean TALL!- woman. The first thing that I noticed was her build, but then you would. Many female body builders sort of fall into a trap of trying for more and more bulk, and wind up looking like men with delicate faces and token bikinis. Mind you, she had bulk, but it had a sleek quality to it that emphasized her feminine curves, and added an element of raw physical power to her sensuality. Damn nice, if you’re into the Masters of the Universe. She had a cap of finger length golden (and I do mean golden! Not blonde, not yellow, it was like gold metal!) curls over a square face with a square chin. She was wearing a tank top and warm-up pants. As Hank and ‘Gigantor’ wrestled, they slammed into the wall of the basement, and made the house shook.
When they finally broke their clinch, I launched myself at Two-Ton Tina. Hey, I had enough of that being bullied crap back in my old school! I am NOT going to get myself get sucker-punched on my first day. With a fierce cry, I landed a Ki punch right in the middle of her breadbasket.
*tink!*
Nuthin!
This woman had abs that could stop a LAWS rocket!
She made a grab at me, and I decided that if hard style wouldn’t do the job, maybe soft style would. I intercepted her grab, reversed it into a throw and sent her flying. She tumbled into a perfect standing recovery and came roaring back. I sent her flying face first into the floor. I’ll give her this; she can really take it! Fast, too; I barely managed to dodge a double fist hammer slam that set the entire foundation of the cottage rocking.
As she recovered from her missed hammer slam, Hank came up behind her, got her in a Full Nelson hold and lifted her up off the ground. Which was a pretty good move, one that denied her leverage to use her super-strength. Pity, someone must have used it before- she pumped her legs back over his head, kicking him backwards, got her feet on the ground and threw him in a backwards cartwheel move.
Then a pie hit her in the face. “Dammit, Hippolyta! If you’re going to pound on freshmen, pick on ones that I’m not responsible for!”
I backtracked the voice to the stairs, where Beltane was standing, glaring at the amazon that I assume was 'Hippolyta’. Beltane cocked a hand back and darkness swirled into being in her hand. “You survived my Banana Cream Pie. Don’t make me use the Double Fudge Custard.”
Hippolyta glowered at Beltane. “Belle- these are yours?”
“Yes! Now, step away from the newbies- you DON’T want me to break out the á‰clairs, now do you?”
Hippolyta glowered at me and downright snarled at Hank (?). Then she fixed her snarl back on me. “Well, tell your little freak here to keep her hands off of MY weight machine!”
“YOUR weight machine?” I yelled back. “Hey, this is a COMMON exercise area!-” Well, if you’ve ever spent any time in a gym, you’ve heard this spat. We were nose to nose, and still screaming at each other at the top of our lungs, me furiously defending my right to get buffed and ripped, and her just as loudly defending what she obviously thought of as her private property.
Our shouting match was suddenly interrupted by a calm, quiet *ahem!* Hippolyta immediately shut up, so I did likewise and turned to see what had put a cork in her bottle.
Mrs. Horton was standing there, very calmly, with one eyebrow arched. “There seems to be a problem?”
I beat Gigantor to the punch. “I was using that Nautilus machine, and this BITCH-” Mrs. Horton fixed me with a reproving glare. <ahem!> “-This person-” Mrs. Horton nodded approvingly,“- jimmied the weights and tried to KILL me! Then she got on top and tried to hurry things up! If Hank hadn’t-”
At this point, Hippolyta interrupted. “This little worm totally messed up my arrangement on the weight machine! I just got it set Just Right-”
“Well then, if you got it just right once, then it shouldn’t be a bother to restore, now should it?” Mrs. Horton interrupted serenely. “Hippolyta, this exercise area and all the equipment in it, is for everyone to use. When I gave my introductory talk, I specifically told everyone to come down here and feel free to use the equipment; that’s what it’s here for.” Then she looked at me. “And, as for you, while I admit that you had cause, it still isn’t a good start if you have a fight on your very first day. And you, young man?”
“Oh, Hank got her off of me and let me get out from under those weights.” I beat him to the punch. Hey, he was there for me, I’ll be there for him.
Mrs. Horton nodded approvingly. “Very good. Hippolyta, Miss Chandler, both of you go to your rooms and stay there until lights out. Scoot!”
Hippolyta trudged off without a word, and I followed her up the stairs. Somehow, challenging Mrs. Horton didn’t seem like a very good idea...
*****
I was ‘helping’ Nikki unpack by shelving her books. From a reclining position on my bed by tossing them onto the bookcase across the room. “ ‘Archetypal Imagery In Folk lore’ by Dr. Tregwaithe Brown, Ph.D.” <Shelf!> “ ‘Universal Concepts In Metaphysical Systems’ by Sylvia Wiggins- I’ll bet that’s a real page-turner!” <Shelf!> “ ‘The Magic Mirror: Medieval Legend And Modern Psychology’ by Dr. Donald Ryecroft. Don’t tell me how it turns out, I want to read it on my own!” <Shelf!> “ ‘The Glory That Was Avalon: An Overview Of Faerie Lore in Europe’ by Jessica Godfrey. I think I’ll wait until the movie comes out.” <Shelf!> “ ‘The Tribe of Oberon: Analytic Comparison of Faerie Concepts in Global Folklore’ by Horace Brigham- jeez, Nikki, are you into this whole ‘Fairy Princess’ concept or what?” <Shelf!>
Nikki sniffed, “Well, unlike some mutant powers, _mine_ require a real understanding of how they work. I can’t just wing it, the way that you do. Besides, you have all those martial arts teachers just panting at the idea of working with you. Me? Real magicians are pretty rare, and they don’t exactly part with their secrets easily. I need every bit of lore that I can scare up!”
< Humph!> “Maybe, but I think that you’re more into this thing than you let on. I mean, what kind of superhero name is ‘Fey’, anyway? I can just see your action figure- ‘The new ‘Fey’ figure, now with Power Limp Wrist!’ ” I waggled a floppy hand at Nikki.
<Humph right back at you! >“And what kind of ‘superhero name’ have you decided for yourself? ‘Mega-Mouth’? ‘Thunder-Thighs’?”
That took me back a bit. “Y’know, I haven’t really given it any thought! From what I get, ‘Code Names’ do seem to be pretty de rigeur around here, don’t they?”
“Weeelll, as a matter of fact, I did read something about students being required to use a code name in their training exercises, for security reasons. Exactly what those security reasons ARE, I dunno.”
I dug out another book and was about to shelve it. When there was a knock on the door. Rip poked her head in. “Hey, are you guys decent?”
“Jeez, the straight lines they throw you here!” I muttered to the air. “Yeah, we’re cool!”
She stepped in. “Hey, I know that it’s asking a lot, but it’s our first day here- would one of you be willing to trade rooms with me?”
“Aahh-- Rip-- in case you forgot-- We’re TGs. There’s no WAY that they’re gonna let us share a room with a genetic girl.”
“Oh, C’Maaawwn! I _gotta_ get out of that room!”
“What’s so bad about it?”
“Oh, you have got to SEE this to believe it!” She grabbed my hand and pulled me off the bed.
“Hey, I’m sort of grounded for the rest of the evening.”
“Oh, who’s gonna know? And you just won’t understand until you see this!”
I looked at Nikki, who shrugged and got up. Rip almost dragged me down the hall to her bedroom. The bedroom was the same size and layout as the one that Nikki and I shared. It was the contents that sort of jumped out at you. Aside from one stripped bed with a couple of suitcases on it, the place was absolutely packed! There were — (one, two, three, five-) SEVEN trunks that were already open and the contents laid around the room. Rabbits! Dozens of stuffed rabbits! All over the place! And eggs! Huge decorated, bejeweled eggs, some of them three feet tall. All over the place! “Look at this room!” Rip wailed. “It looks like Liberace exploded!”
Nikki peered at one of the overblown omelets curiously. “What in world?” She reached over and touched one of the ‘jewels’ on the egg. The ‘jewel’ lit.
“Don’t touch that!”
We turned to the door. A short blonde girl was standing there. She was wearing tight Capri pants that really showed off how well she was rounding out and a blue shirt with white polka dots that was tied off across her tummy. Her hair was done up and two ‘spaniel ears’ that sort of made her wide blue eyes seem all that bigger in her kewpie doll face. Standing next to her was a three-foot tall stuffed rabbit that was carrying yet another trunk. Yes, a three-foot tall stuffed rabbit was carrying what had to be a hundred pound trunk. Do you honestly think that I’d make something like that UP? She said, “I haven’t re-programmed that for unpacking yet!”
Before Blondie could get into the room, the ‘Egg’ sort of exploded as curving panels on the ‘egg’ opened up, making it look more like a really tacky artichoke than an egg. Long thin cables snaked out from behind the panel, started grabbing things, and stowing them away in the trunks. More cables snaked out and moved the egg around so that it could get to the trunks more easily.
“No!” Blondie yelled, “I was just getting settled in!” She rushed in and tried to grab the egg, I guess so that she could shut it off. “Dammit, Hubert, I don’t want to have to unpack all that again!”
‘Hubert’, as I guess she had named the Egg-bot ignored her- I guess that she spaced on giving it voice-recognition programming- and kept stashing things away. Hubert didn’t so much fight her as it pointedly ignored her and avoided her attempts to shut it off.
“Harvey, get in here and help me shut Hubert off!” The big rabbit- she would call it ‘Harvey’- put the trunk down and advanced. Hubert picked it up, detached the head, arms and legs, and stowed it away in a trunk.
The girl kept trying to wrestle with the stupid egg, but wasn’t getting anywhere. Nikki, Rip and I watched in baffled amazement. Nikki turned to me. “Couldn’t you, y’know, throw a pencil at the ‘Off’ switch and turn it off, or something?”
“Sure- IF I knew which dingus was the ‘Off’ switch.”
“Hey, don’t put yourself out on MY account,” Rip muttered, “It’s doing just what I want.”
Blondie was fighting tooth and nail against ‘Hubert’. When it was done with all the ‘eggs’ and plush, it suddenly wrapped its cables around its maker and hauled her off her feet. Blondie gave a shrill squeal of outrage as it tucked her inside one of the trunks and shut it. “Dammit, Hubert, let me OUT of here, so that I can DISMANTLE you!”
‘Hubert’ only retracted its cables, sealed its panels and shut off the light.
“LET ME OUT OF HERE!”, came muffled from the trunk.
I started towards the trunk. Rip grabbed my arm. “Do you have to right away? Couldn’t you just, y’know, sort of wait until I got all of my stuff unpacked?”
Nikki said, “We can’t just leave her in there.” She walked over to the trunk and tried to open it. “It’s locked. And I don’t have the key.” She thumped the trunk. “HEY! We need a key to open this thing! Where is it?”
“It’s in my pocket!”
Nikki shook her head disgustedly, and wiped the metaphorical egg off of her face. She muttered something, and twiddled her fingers as trails of energy traced out from her fingertips. Then she pointed at the lock, which sprung open.
The second the trunk lid was open, the girl fussed at us, until Nikki offered her a hand out. Blondie’s eyes went wide as she got a good look at Nikki. “Wow. You’re cute. I like you. What’s your name?”
Nikki blushed and stammered, “Oh, it’s Nikki, Nikki Reilly.”
“Hi, Nikki! My name’s Bunny Cormick. I’m from Las Vegas.”
“Well THAT explains a lot.” Rip muttered under her breath.
“Gee, I don’t know what happened with Hubert, I didn’t expect him to pack me away like that, I didn’t program him to, by the way how did you get the trunk open, the key was in my pocket, and I didn’t hear you picking the lock, so how did you get it open? You’re not an Energizer, are you, ‘cause I haven’t managed to surge protect my eggs yet. Please, you aren’t an energizer, are you?”
I flickered my eyes over to Rip and mouthed ‘My Condolences’ at her. She just nodded and rolled her eyes.
Nikki blushed and stammered again. “Uhm, well, I’m sort of a magician-”
“A magician? Cool! You do escape artist stuff? Don’t you just love Sigfried and Roy? Too bad about Roy and that tiger, I hope they don’t kill the tiger, Roy doesn’t want them to kill the tiger, he says that it was all a mistake. My daddy works special effects and he works with their support team sometime, and don’t they have the greatest tricks?”
“Oh, ah, not that kind of magician. I’m a Mage.”
Bunny’s eyes snapped open as if she’d just found out that Christmas hadn’t been cancelled after all. “A Mage? You mean that you can do REAL Magic? Oh that is so cool! Would you mind sitting for a spectroscopic examination while you do it?”
Nikki looked like she was going down for the third time, so I jumped in. “So, ah Bunny... what’s your real name?”
Bunny blinked and looked at me. “Bunny _is_ my real name.”
It would be. “What’s with all the heavy tech eggs?”
“Oh, my eggs? Don’t you just love them? They are SO CUTE! Oh, I build all of my projects inside egg-shaped carapaces- square boxes are just SO last century, don’t you think? The egg is the perfect protective shape, and with a little ingenuity, you can fit almost anything inside an egg!”
There was a sort of whoosh-ing sound in the hallway outside, and I caught a glimpse of a whitish streak go by the door.
“So, Bunny, you’re some kind of inventor?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m what they call a ‘Level: 4 Esper/Gadgeteer’, and a ‘Level: 3 Deviser’. I mostly do robotics and electromagnetic field formation effects for hologram and special effects stuff, but I also do other stuff.”
“You said ‘Gadgeteer’ and ‘Deviser’- I thought that ‘Deviser’ and ‘Gadgeteer’ were pretty much the same thing, Mad Scientist stuff.”
“Well, they’re not. They’re similar, but they aren’t the same thing. But you can have both traits in one package. Like me.” She laid a coy hand on her chest by way of demonstration.
“Well, what’s the difference?”
“A Gadgeteer can go to the Patent Office- a Deviser can go anywhere BUT the Patent Office.”
“Hunh?”
“Sorry- tech-head joke. Y’see a ‘Gadgeteer’ is an Esper thing. It’s a kind of Clairvoyance where you know instinctively how to use the tools, equipment and components at hand to do what it is that you want to get done. At the lower levels, it’s just sort of like the guy who is REALLY good at fixing cars or appliances. At the higher levels, you get ground breaking inventors, like me.”
“And a ‘Deviser’?”
“Well, ‘Devisers’ really are the ‘Mad Scientist thing. Y’see there’s this thing called ‘the Schimmlehorn Effect’.”
“The Schimmlehorn Effect?”
“Yeah, they named it after this character in a series of science fiction stories called ‘Papa Schimmlehorn’ who could build almost any kind of machine, no matter how bizarre- time machines, alchemy machines that turn lead into gold, stuff like that, stuff that has no basis in real world physics, chemistry or biology. Some guy called Reginald Bretnor writes these stories. Anyway, they call it the ‘Schimmlehorn Effect’, after ‘Papa Schimmlehorn’, because the effect causes these ‘Mad Scientist’ devices to work in the face of the conventional laws of physics and so forth.”
“You mean like ‘Zergatronic Megadeath Rays’?”
“And giant robots that can tear buildings up off their foundations, when they should barely be able to move, and shrink rays that work and things like that. The basic principle is that the *ahem* ‘Mad Scientist’ first rejects the principles of accepted science, and somehow imposes her own set of rules on a small piece of reality. She sort of makes the principles that her inventions operate on work. Mind you, you can’t patent any of those things, ‘cause they just won’t work if the ‘Mad Scientist’ doesn’t built the device.”
Nikki looked rather worried. “That is uncomfortably close to a lot of theories of how Magic really works- that all the magical principles and procedures are just the Mage imposing their own theory of how magic is supposed to work on the universe. So, Bunny, when you’re working on something, how do you know if what you’re inventing isn’t a ‘Mad Scientist’ gizmo that won’t work for anyone else?”
“Those things are called ‘devises’- with a ‘S’ instead of a ‘C’. And I don’t. I have to finish every project, perfect it, and get someone else to try to build one too. Would you like to see some of my work?” Bunny opened a trunk and pulled out one of her eggs. “This is Eldon. He’s a-”
“Yeah, yeah, very nice!” Rip interrupted, but do you have to stash all of these things in MY room?”
“It’s MY room too!” Bunny squeaked.
There was another ‘Zip’ past the door. “What was that?” I asked.
“What was what?”
“I heard something go past the door.”
“I didn’t see anything.”
“I’m telling you, I heard something.”
“Maybe it was one of Bunny’s stupid rabbit robots.” Rip groused.
“My Rabbits are NOT stupid!” Bunny squeaked back.
“Maybe, maybe not, but you’re cramming them into MY space! Hey, _I_ have stuff too!”
“But I can’t just throw them out! They’re my BABIES!”
“I don’t care what you do with them! But either you find somewhere else to stash ‘em, or you can get a new roommate!”
There was that zipping noise again, and that tanned, blonde girl who had sit next to me on the bus was suddenly there. “You want a new roomie! Kewl! I’d be glad to move in!”
“Oh, no.” Riptide moaned. Bunny and Rip looked at each other.
“Uhm, that’s all right, Jay Jay- I think that Bunny and I can work this out.”
“Oh, it’s no problem!” The girl disappeared with a whoosh! and a heartbeat later, was back with a suitcase. “Which side is mine?”
Bunny smiled apologetically. “No, honestly, we’re just ironing out a minor misunderstanding-”
“Oh, come on! A promise is a promise!”
“I don’t remember making any promises.”
“Oh, I suppose that now you’re going to welsh on your promise to help me with my homework!”
“Jay Jay, I never said that I’d help you with any homework!”
“But you were bragging about being such a genius!”
“You asked me what my IQ was, I answered.”
“Bunny, how are we going to be roommates, if you keep breaking your promises?”
“J.J., I never asked you to be my roommate.”
“But you GOTTA! You wouldn’t believe the weirdo that they got stowed in my room! She-” But before J.J. could go any further, Bunny’s egg ‘Eldon’ erupted in a shower of sparks.
“Get OUT!” Bunny screamed, “You’re an energizer- you’re projecting some kind of electric field and my projects are overloading!” The other egg, ‘Hubert’, exploded its panels and the cables started waving around wildly, and one of the trunks burst open as Bunny’s other projects went haywire.
J.J. left with yet another ‘zip’.
Rip instinctively began forming a thick fog around herself. Seeing things going even worse if that much humidity hit Bunny’s electronics, I grabbed Rip and carried her out of the room. As I cleared the door into the hallway, I heard Bunny wail, “She scrambled my eggs!”
Cradling Rip in my arms, I said to her, “I think that we ought to let Nikki calm Bunny down a little before you go back in there. Who the HECK was That?”
“Oh, that was Jay Jay- Joanne Jackie- Jengle-somethingerother, I forget. Apparently, she’s the Gurlzone freshman superspeedster- everywhere except between her ears.”
“What happened with Bunny’s eggs?”
“Well, if I remember our walk and talk correctly, Jay Jay’s superspeed actually comes from some kind of Energizer trait, and besides moving like the Flash, she also generates this powerful magnetic field.”
“Oh, right- and Bunny said that her eggs weren’t surge protected. So this Jay Jay comes in, generates her magnetic field, and *Kzzaatt!* Bunny’s eggs go kablooey.”
“That pretty much covers it. So, are you going to put me down, or are you going to carry me over the threshold into your room?”
Then I noticed that I was still carrying Rip cradled in my arms. “Opps.” I gave her an apologetic grin and put her down. “Sorry.”
“Hey, not to worry! You might get to like it!” She sashayed into my room. Amazing, a girl whose figure is only starting and already she can sashay.
She plopped down onto Nikki’s bed and looked around. “So, you two are still unpacking, I see. Man, for guys who only turned into girls recently, you got a LOT of clothes!”
“Hey, my Mom and I tried the bonding thing while shopping.”
“Hmmm... did it take?”
“Yeah. Not over shopping but I think that I’m gonna have a whole new kind of relationship with my Mom when I go back home.”
“Like, Whaow! Your roomie must be loaded! I don’t see anything here that isn’t 100% silk or 100% cotton or 100% wool! What, is she allergic to blends or something?”
“Well, as a matter of fact, she is.”
“Hanh?”
“Well, apparently, she’s allergic to synthetics- rayon, dacron, spandex, like that.”
“Ooogg- that is gonna be MURDER when summer rolls around, and she’s gotta find a bathing suit!”
“Oh, it gets worse- it seems that she gets a nasty rash whenever she touches wrought iron.”
“Yer kiddin’.”
“Well, I don’t know how much to take seriously and how much is just in her head. But I gotta empathize- I gotta watch what I eat, so her allergies don’t seem that off the wall to me.”
“Watch what you eat? Why? You got a great figure!”
“Well, it’s a start anyway. No, it’s not my weight.”
“You got allergies, too?”
“Nope- it’s like this- my metabolism is too finely tuned. For instance, I can’t drink soft drinks, ‘cause most of ‘em have caffeine, and almost all of ‘em have some kind of really concentrated sweetener. If I drink a Coke ©, I get all wired and start bouncing off the walls.”
“Yeah, well, so does my brother Ernesto.”
“No, I mean, I start literally bouncing off the walls. Hyperactive overdrive. I can eat fruits, and drink most fruit juices, but I gotta be careful of stuff from concentrates.”
“Let me guess- refined sugar sweeteners.”
“Bingo.”
“Not even chocolate?” Rip asked mournfully.
“Not unless I wanna get incredibly horny.”
Rip started patting herself down. “Ah, maann, what a time not t’have a Hershey © bar on me!” She gave me a speculative look. “So, what’s your roomie like?”
“Oh, Nikki? She’s a little on the quiet side, but after listening to _your_ roomie and that whacko with the twinkle toes, I’m beginning to think that’s a bonus!”
“Nikki? I thought that her name was Fay?”
“It is, sorta. That’s her superhero name.”
“Her superhero name is ‘Fay’? I knew a girl named Fay back in Redondo!”
“Not ‘Fay’- ‘Fey’ with an ‘E’. It means ‘touched by magic’, or sum’thin’.”
Rip gave me a hard look.
“Hey, don’t lookit me- _I_ didn’t come up with it.”
She leaned forward on the bed, folding her hands on her crossed knee and gave me a sly smile. “And so, what’s YOUR ‘superhero’ name gonna be? I think that ‘Vixen’ is taken.”
“Actually, Nikki and I were just talking about that. I haven’t really decided.”
Her eyes popped open wide and began to sparkle. “REALLY? Kewl! Lessee now, what would fit you? You’re this big Ki muck-a-muck- so how about ‘Black Dragon’?”
“Sorry, I’d look crappy in a chiamsong, smoking with a long cigarette holder.”
“Nngg... How about ‘Dragon Princess’?”
“What? And have to mix it up with the Powerpuff Girls?”
“How about ‘Doctor Ki’?”
“Sounds like a Hong Kong Dentist.”
“How about ‘Dragonfist’?”
“Naahh- it’d be too easy to twist into ‘Dragonbreath’.”
“Humpf! Okay, let’s dump the whole ‘Dragon’ thing.”
“Fine by me!”
“Okay, something ‘hunterish’- how about ‘Stalker’?”
“Great! And if that’s taken, I can try ‘Mugger’ or ‘Serial Killer’.”
“Hmm- good point. Okay, let’s face it, you got this whole ‘feline’ thing goin’ down.”
I curled up on my bed and ‘mewed’ at her.
“Panther?”
“Too ‘Huey Newton’.”
“Okay, how about ‘Tigress’?”
“NO WAY! Toni the ‘Tigress’? I get enough ‘The’re Gr-r-r-r-r-EAT!’ jokes as is!”
“Aahhh- how about ‘Simba’, as in ‘Lion’?”
“Already covered this with Jade- ‘Simba’ is a GUY lion. And I don’t wanna go back there!”
“Good for you, sweetie. Then how about ‘Nala’?”
“Nala? What’s a ‘Nala’?”
“It’s the name of Simba’s girlfriend in The Lion King.”
“WHAT? And take on Disney? Are you crazy?”
“Oh god, you’re right! I never even said that!” She worried her lip a little and then inspiration seemed to strike her. “I got it! Chaka!”
“Chaka? Y’mean like Chaka Khan, the R&B singer?”
“No, I mean ‘Chaka’ as in the Masai name for the Leopard!”
“I thought that ‘Chaka’ meant ‘warrior’ or something.”
“No, that’s ‘Shaka’, which is Zulu, and a completely different language. And y’gotta admit, even if the words sorta blend t’gether, it still works for you!”
“How do you know all of this?”
“I used to sit next to a girl in Junior High who was REAL BIG on ‘African Heritage’. Y’hadda stuff a sock in her mouth to get her to shut up about it. She went on about it so much that some just sort of seeped in and stayed there.”
Chaka? Either a leopard or a warrior, depending on who you were talking to? “Y’know, I remember reading in a book called ‘Jungle Kitabu’ by some Belgian guy, that he believed that the lion didn’t deserve to be called the ‘King of the Jungle’, because first of all, lions don’t live in the rain forest. Secondly, he claims that, pound for pound, the leopard is the deadliest of the great cats, and is so has a better claim to the title. Also, if I remember my African Studies, while warriors can wear lion’s manes as part of their war-stuff, only a Chief can wear a leopard’s skin.”
Rip spread her arms in a ‘Well, there you are!’ gesture.
Chaka? I like it! It sort of brought into focus that I wasn’t Tony Chandler, Vince and Cindy’s nebbishy little brother anymore! I was-
-well, for one thing, I was somebody who wasn’t dumb enough to let a golden opportunity slip through her fingers!
I turned to Rip and advanced on her with my most slinky feline walk. Giving her a catlike smile, I looked her over and leaned over her, gently pushing her down to mattress.
She looked up at me with dancing eyes, as if a dearly beloved fantasy was finally coming true.
With my best Eartha Kitt purr, I said, “I am CHAKA, hear me roar!”, and mashed my lips against hers.
FINI
(stub page for now, lack of creativity -sheep-)
-r
A Whateley Academy Tale
“Nick?” His mother’s voice penetrated his misery, barely. “What’s the matter, honey?”
“I dunno, flu maybe.” The boy managed to answer between bouts of nausea and stabbing pains that made him feel worse than he ever remembered in his thirteen years of life. “All I know is that everything hurts and I feel like my stomach is trying to crawl up my throat and find somewhere else to live until it’s over with.”
“I haven’t heard of any flu going around.” His mother worriedly answered while resting a hand on his forehead. “But you’re burning up. Go back to bed and I’ll call the school to let them know you won’t be going today.”
“Thanks, mom.” Nick staggered back to his room, making sure that a trash can was close to his bed, just in case he needed to puke again and couldn‘t make it back to the bathroom in time. He was asleep before even registering that his mom had followed, making sure that he was covered and feeling his forehead again.
* * * *
Nick dreamed while he slept. A woman, at least the figure had a female shape, approached him through a moil of shifting colors, flashes of dim to blindingly bright light, and the sound of wind. Her large violet eyes bored into him with an intensity that he couldn’t bear up to, but she held his gaze as if chained to him. Flame red hair flapping in a wind he couldn’t feel framed a heart shaped face of a beauty that was inhuman as it was breathtaking. The figure said nothing, simply watched him, and he felt as if she was seeing right into him, down to the core of his being and beyond.
“Ahhh.” The vision nodded sharply with a soft, but still chilling smile while speaking in a voice that sounded of harps and birdsong. “You fear me, child? There is no need, I bring you no harm, only change. Great change and a chance that the last one I chose threw away. I would have preferred another, but you are the special one, the Thousandth of my kind to reenter the world of men. And I will be there to guide you through all the travails you will meet on the way to your destiny.”
“I am Aunghadhail, and have other names that will be made known in time.” The inhuman beauty gave him another, warmer smile as she reached out to touch his fevered face. “The change comes upon you even now, child of Man. At my touch we are bound, you and I, for eternity and beyond.”
Nick woke up screaming, and didn’t even recall the nightmare that had started him doing so.
* * * *
A look into the bathroom mirror nearly brought those memories back. His eyes had changed! Instead of the soft brown he was used to seeing, the orbs peering back at him from the mirror were a deep violet, and the shape of his eyes had altered. Now they were nearly almond shaped, and seemed much larger than he was used to seeing in the mirror.
“Mom!” He almost screamed once he had seen that.
* * * *
“I’m taking you to see Dr. Travis.” His mother firmly told Nick the next week. Not only had his eyes changed, but the whole shape of his face had followed. Going from the squarish oval he had gotten used to seeing in the mirror to a near heart shape. Plus his facial features had become finer and more, well, feminine.
Worse, his body seemed to be following suit. It had slimmed down, not that he had ever been even close to jock material, with a noticeable widening of the hips proportionately to the rest of his body and the beginnings of what had to be small breasts on his thin chest.
“Ok, mom.” Nick was past arguing about much of anything after the past week. He hadn’t been sleeping well, and when he did, the sleep was filled with really weird dreams and images. Plus, the changes in his body and face were really scaring him.
What frightened him most of all, though, was that his once mousy brown hair had thickened and turned to a bright flame red. Like an image he couldn’t quite identify, but knew better than he wished to. Every time he looked into a mirror, he saw an image that wasn’t himself, but something -- someone -- he had been seeing all too frequently in his restless dreams.
* * * *
“Well one thing I can tell you for certain,” Dr. Martin Travis told the worried mother and frightened boy. “From your description of what is going on I did some quick research and came to the tentative conclusion that Nick is a mutant, and showing the typical changes that hit such people at puberty. The distinctive eye color is a trademark of the mutations humans go through.”
“A mutant?” Nick’s mother questioned, not in fear, but in concern. “What kind of Mutant?”
“It’s really too early to tell that with any accuracy.” Dr. Travis answered slowly. “And I’m not really qualified to administer all the proper tests that would be required to discover what, exactly, this whole thing might entail. We need to send to him to experts in the field in order to find out much of anything beyond the obvious physical changes that I‘ve noted in this examination.”
“Are you sure about this?” Mrs. Reilly questioned, though from the tone of her voice and expression on her lovely face, she already knew the answer to that one.
“Very sure, Lucy.” Dr. Travis let out a long sigh. “And so are you, if you’d just let yourself admit it. Look at him, look closely, and tell me what you see.”
“My son.” Lucinda Reilly answered firmly, then added. “Who is changing into someone else in front of my eyes.”
“That’s right.” Dr. Travis nodded with a sad look. “I’ve been your personal physician since before you were married, Lucy. And I’ve watched Nick grow from a fairly boisterous infant into the intelligent young man he was up to a week or so ago. Now I’m seeing him grow into something else altogether and without proper testing or evaluation, it may be fatal to him. You do understand that don’t you?”
“Yes, I do, Martin.” Lucy replied with a heavy sigh. “Do you know of anyone in the area here who might be able to evaluate Nick?”
“I can find out by tomorrow.” Dr. Travis answered, then gave the boy another long look. “There is one more thing that should be fairly obvious in this change, too.”
“What?” Nick asked, though the itching in his chest, and other changes that had already become very evident made that question almost needless. “I’m turning into a girl, right?”
“Well, in a word, yes.” The doctor nodded with a grimace. “Your blood work came back with a fairly normal hormone level -- for a thirteen year old girl -- sex changes aren’t all that common in mutations as I understand it, but they do happen. Given the rate of change in your appearance over the past week or so, I’d say that you’ll look completely like a teenaged girl within several months, and would likely become fully female as early as age sixteen or seventeen. I can’t be sure of all that without running more tests, which I recommend, but that is my best guess based on what I’ve seen and on your development so far.”
“Great, just great.” Nick grumbled then let out a shuddering sigh of his own. “But I don’t WANT to be a girl.”
“I don’t think you have a lot of choice here, Nick.” Dr. Travis gently told him. “In the cases I looked up that involve changes of sex -- only a few, I didn’t have time for any real in depth study of the phenomenon -- not one of the cases responded at all to hormone therapy to restore either the loss of masculine or feminine traits the mutation triggers.
“Well if it has to be, I suppose we may as well make the best of things, right Nick?” His mother said with a shake of her head and a small smile. “I’ll be here to help you adjust all I can, I promise.”
“Oh, that really makes me feel better about all this.” The boy grumped, crossing his arms across his chest and immediately dropping them as he encountered an unaccustomed softness there. Also, he knew from experience how his mother was when she decided that something was going to happen. Woe to anyone or anything, including forces of nature, that dared to oppose her once her mind was made up about something.
“I’ll make some calls and get back to you by tomorrow with the referrals to the specialists, Lucy.” Dr. Travis gave Nick’s shoulder an encouraging pat. “We’ll get your problems figured out and find a way for you to deal with them in everyday life, Nick. That’s a promise from me.”
“What’s Dad going to say about this?” Nick questioned no one in particular. “I can pretty well make book on the fact that he isn’t going to be happy when he hears that his oldest son is going to be his daughter pretty soon.”
“You leave your Father to me.” Lucy gave him a hug. “He’ll come around to the idea eventually. It’s not as if this is your fault, dear.”
“That one I’ll let you take.”
“I just want to make sure that you get the best testing and whatever else you need to become well adjusted to what you’re going to be in the future.”
“Umm, Dr. Travis?” Nick looked at the physician. “Would any of those specialists maybe be a shrink or something? I’ve got the feeling I’m going to need one really badly here, and soon.”
“Counseling will come with the rest of the evaluation procedures, yes.” The doctor gave Nick a long, searching look. “Is there something you would like to tell me now? Anything you’re feeling that is giving you problems? It could help a lot when I call to get your referrals set up.”
“Well...” Nick hesitated for a moment, worry clearly showing in his face and now very expressive violet eyes. “Not something I feel so much as hear. Everything around me has this low buzz, or makes a sound of some kind. It’s driving me nuts, I can’t even get a decent night’s sleep with all of it.”
“Everything?”
“Ummm, yeah. Everything.” Nick waved at their surroundings. “I hear the walls, the floor, all the stuff in here, in fact. And don’t even get me around a lot of plants and stuff. If I’m not crazy now, all that is going to make me that way. Plugging my ears and closing my eyes doesn’t help at all; I still hear the stuff.”
“Is it causing you any pain, or giving you anything other than the mental anguish you’ve described to me here?”
“No, not really, it doesn’t seem to be connected to my ears at all. It’s all in my head, like my brain is some kind of super radio receiver or something.”
“Do you hear other people in your head?”
“No, just things, plants, animals, stuff like that, but no, no people.” Nick decided that telling the doctor and his mother about the strange red haired woman he had seen the first day, and still heard off and on, wouldn’t be a very wise thing to do if he wished to remain reasonably free and not locked up in some loony ward.
“I’ll get you something to help with that a little.” Dr. Travis nodded while scribbling something on a prescription pad. “That information will also make the preliminary evaluations by the specialists much more helpful for you. Is there anything else you can tell me about what’s happening to you now?”
“Well, yeah, I suppose, but you’ll probably think I’ve already gone around the bend to the left field bleachers and kept on going once I got there.”
“I don’t think that is going to happen to you, Nick.” The doctor said quietly. “What else are you experiencing with this change?”
“I see lines.” The boy shook his head as if at a loss to describe what he was seeing any better. “On the ground in places, running from one thing to another, and I can sort of feel them too. Like a string someone plucks, you know.”
“Hmm. I can see that we need to get you into that evaluation as soon as possible.” Dr. Travis nodded. “Is that interfering with your normal vision at all?”
“No, it’s just kind of like faint colors laid over everything I see.”
“All right. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?”
“No, that’s all.”
“Ok, I’ll get on those referrals right away, then.” Travis handed the prescription form to Lucy. “Get that filled at the pharmacy here in the building, and have him take one right away, it‘s a very mild sedative is all. He may get a little sleepy with it at first, but at least it ought to help him rest properly for a change.”
Unhappy Camper
Nick had a hard time with even thinking about what was happening to him for the rest of the day, and night that for once wasn’t filled with restless dreams.
Not that he didn’t worry about what the doctor had told him, or actively worked at NOT thinking about his now uncertain future. The boy was still in more than a little shock over what had been confirmed during his doctor’s appointment, and shied away from what it all meant. As if trying to ignore it all would just make it go away. But that didn’t last long, Nick was too intelligent to just let it go on it’s own and really didn’t want any MORE surprises involved with his mutation than absolutely necessary.
So, what kind of mutant was he becoming? And why did the mutation insist that he become a girl?
And the most often asked question of teenagers through all time... “Why ME?”
There just weren’t any answers to those questions yet, and Nick needed a way to deal with them SOON. Before worrying about them drove him nuts.
“Well, I suppose I have to do this.” he muttered, moving towards the bathroom to wash the night’s sleep out of his eyes and brush his teeth. “Wonder what I look like this morning.”
He really did his best not to look squarely into the mirror over the sink, washed his face with closed eyes (with the excuse of not wanting to get soap in them) and tried brushing his teeth the same way. It didn’t work out too well. Finally, giving in to morbid curiosity, and necessity, he slowly opened his eyes.
“Awww, maaan.” His face had changed more overnight. The violet eyes had enlarged, not really all that much, but he was certain they had, and now possessed a definite upward tilt at the outside corners. There was no epicanthic fold, as in the eyes of an Asian; these were actually tilted a bit in his skull. His chin had definitely narrowed, giving his face a distinct heart shape instead of the oval it had been the day before... With his thicker, actually shining, flame red hair framing his face as it did he showed a delicacy of feature that could never be taken for a male’s face even with a beard and crew cut. Especially set atop his slimmer neck that had lost all traces of the nascent Adams Apple he had been showing only days earlier. In spite of the short hair, the image in the mirror already just about screamed girl! in his mind and he knew how his classmates would see it with a shudder.
“God, I can’t just can’t face the world like this. How am I going to show this face to the kids and teachers at school? Or anyone else who knows me?”
In the kitchen, Lucy took a look at her son’s downcast face and closed her eyes, privately asking any Powers That Be why they were putting her boy through such a painful experience. Outwardly she remained calm and almost cheerful even if inside she wished she could scream her own anguish for her child.
“Morning, honey.” She said while being very careful not to stare at the lovely, but inhuman face her son now wore, or the way his clothing seemed to drape in slightly oversized folds over his form. “Did you sleep well last night?”
“I guess so.” Nick nodded tiredly. “That stuff Doc Travis prescribed for me puts me out like a switch was thrown. No bad dreams, no waking up in the middle of the night with more twinges and pains...”
“But?”
“But what?” He asked with a little frown that she didn’t dare tell him was really cute. “Mom! I’m only turning into a FREAKING girl right in front of your eyes and the changes are worse every time I look in a mirror. And the girl I’m starting to see is a babe! But I don’t think she’s even human from the way she looks. Why in the world would a little something like THAT ever bother me?”
“I know it has to be hard on you, dear.” Lucy moved to give her son a tight hug. “But there isn’t much of anything we can do about it from what I’ve been told, other than to make the best of it and get you through it with a minimum of difficulty.”
“Hard?” he fought back tears, something he hadn’t had to do since he was seven and his Dad and brother had moved to Cleveland after the separation agreement had been reached prior to the divorce. “I wasn’t the biggest, most buff guy around, or any kind of a jock, but I was starting to get some size and bulk at last. Then this happens to me. I don’t think I can take it. I’m a guy, Mom! I don’t want to be a girl!”
“Well there doesn’t seem to be anything you can do to stop that from happening honey.” Lucy tried to soothe the upset boy as best she could. “Being a girl isn’t such a bad thing, really. I’ve gotten along just fine as one all my life.”
“Yeah, but you were born that way.” Nick sullenly answered.
“Well, there is that.” Lucy said quietly, then stared into his startling violet eyes for a moment with determination in her own. “But you are just going to need to adjust to the idea of being one yourself. You were never a whiner, Nick, and even though this attitude you have is understandable, it needs to stop. I’ll help you every way I can, either personally, or through others. You have to help me help you, though or none of it will do any good, okay?”
“Sure Mom.” His answer was far from enthusiastic, or even close to convinced.
“I know you’re worried, honey, so am I.” His mother said as she gathered him into a hug. “We’ll get through this one too. I promise.”
“How?” his voice broke for a moment and the shine of tears filled his eyes.
“One step at a time, honey.” She whispered into his ear, noting with a small thrill of fear that it came to a small point at the top. “We’ll just have to handle things as they come up then move on.”
* * * *
“Mooommm!” Nick protested once he saw the garment she was holding out to him. “I’m still a guy! I can’t wear that thing! I’d never be able to show my face in public if I did.
“You need it Nick.” Lucy Reilly insisted as she held out the nylon bra she had purchased earlier in the day. “Otherwise you’re going to jiggle and shake all the time, and people will really notice that you’re growing breasts. Now, come on and let’s see how this fits you.”
“Oh, all riiight.” Nick hung his head, then glanced at the other package his mother hadn’t opened yet. “But do I really have to wear panties, too?”
“Have a look for yourself.” His mother answered while pointing to the full length mirror hanging in her bedroom where she had pulled him for this fitting. “I think they’d be a lot more comfortable for you, at least physically. Just try these things, would you?”
Giving a reluctant look into the mirror, Nick again saw his small breasts rather prominently showing through his thin T-shirt, especially the arrogantly pert nipples that tipped them. The breast weren’t huge by any stretch of the imagination, an A cup if that much according to his mom, but they did a lot of shifting, bouncing, and other uncomfortable things whenever he moved. “Oh all right, but I still don’t like it.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
“That’s what worries me.”
“Now quit fidgeting and get that shirt off so we can get this on you.”
“Okay, okay. Just give me a minute here, this is really embarrassing you know.”
“A first bra is almost always embarrassing dear.” His mother said with a small smile. “I remember how mortified I was when my mother had me wear one for the first time. And don’t start with that ‘But you were a girl’ stuff either. You need this, and I won’t have a child of mine flopping around like some teenaged hooker everywhere she -- umm, he goes. Now get with it.”
As the bra touched his skin, he felt a distinct crawling sensation, that gradually grew into an itch. “This doesn’t feel too good, mom.”
“I imagine it is kind of strange for a first time.” Lucy soothed.
“No, I mean it really itches!” Nick squirmed uncomfortably as the itch grew, and began to scratch his shoulders where the straps went.
“Don‘t be such a baby about it, Nick.”
“Its bad, mom. Really!” Nick told her with tears starting to form in his eyes. For once he didn’t get upset about that. “It feels like I’m being burned here! Honest!”
“Let me see -- Oh, dear. Take it off, hon, and I’ll give Dr. Travis a call.”
It turned out that he was allergic to synthetics. All except plastics for some reason. So wearing nylon and Lycra was definitely something he wouldn’t be doing at all in the future. Though that gave him only a short respite from the lingerie. Following careful experimentation he had a selection of silk, satin, and pure cotton underwear in his drawers. Underwear that his mother not only expected him to wear, but insisted on.
Trying to handle a cast iron skillet was an equal disaster. Another allergic reaction, but this one gave him something like a mild burn when he held it. Steel was okay, as were other metals, even if they contained iron. But plain iron was added to the list of things Nick wasn’t able to touch.
* * * *
Nick Stood outside the doors leading into his High school and just stared for a few seconds before working up the nerve to enter. He hadn’t been to classes at all for the past week or so, and really wasn’t going back yet, but needed to pick up his assignments, and have a new student ID card done since his appearance had changed so drastically.
It wasn’t something he either wanted to do or was at all looking forward to. But his psychologist, Dr. Elaine Redmond had just about insisted that he at least do that much, as a way to face up to the changes he was going through. Fortunately, the physical changes had slowed their pace enough that he wasn’t changing into someone unrecognizable on a daily basis any longer. Unfortunately, they were still happening, just in places where most people wouldn’t see them.
The silk bra and panties he was wearing made him even more self conscious, though with the dark shirt and sweater he was wearing no one should notice those necessary additions to his underwear drawer. The bra because his breasts, though still small at an A cup, were large enough to be uncomfortable if he didn’t wear one. The panties just fit his slightly altered shape below his narrowed waist better than the boy’s briefs he had worn before all the changes set in.
He’d initially protested about the lingerie, loudly, until getting a look at himself in a shirt without a bra, and feeling how uncomfortably his old briefs and boxers sat around his hips and bottom. With a shudder he also idly scratched a still red welt across his shoulder that had come from trying a nylon bra first. That had been an absolute disaster.
He got a few curious looks while walking towards the office, and was sure some of the guys were actually checking him out. Closing his eyes for a moment, he steeled himself, then pulled open the office door to enter.
“Can I help you, miss?” The secretary asked as he hesitantly went up to the desk.
“Yes, I’m here to pick up the assignments for Nick Reilly, and to have a new photo ID made up for when I come back to class.”
She did a slight double take, then to her credit nodded while turning to collect a pile of papers. “Your mother and doctor contacted us about the changes you were going through, Nick. I have to admit, though, what they told us didn’t prepare me for actually seeing you. Sorry for the staring.”
“I’m kind of getting used to it by now.” Nick answered with a nervous grin. “But only just. It’s still a shock for me to look in a mirror and see this.”
“I suppose it would be.” The secretary answered sympathetically. “Would you like for someone to go get your books from your locker wile I get the photo for your new ID taken?”
“No, I can do it. But thanks for the offer. My psychologist says I need to start facing the different things my changes are going to cause when I interact with other people, and this is one of my assignments from her to do that.”
“Well, I hope this turns out okay for you, dea.. Umm Nick.”
“Me too, and thanks.” Nick glanced around the office and moved towards the area where the background and camera for the IDs waited and seated himself on the small stool. “I’m ready, I guess.“
“You look fine.“ The secretary, he remembered that her name was Mrs. Kent, assured him while getting the camera set up. “All right then, smile for the camera, hon.“
Nick did, and tried to not frown when he realized Mrs. Kent was talking to him as if he was a teenaged girl instead of a guy. He shrugged inwardly while thinking unhappily, May as well get used to it, HON. You’re going to BE a girl soon enough if Dr. Travis is right.
A few minutes later he left the office with a wave he forced to be cheerful, his new student ID and class assignments list in hand.
His hearing had improved a lot through the changes, and he faintly heard the woman letting out a sigh and saying. “Poor kid. He really looks more like a girl than a boy, and he makes a really pretty one, too.”
“Gee, thanks.” He muttered while making his way to his locker. “Like I really needed to hear that.”
Since it was during classes, he managed to retrieve his books, and the other things he would need to complete his class work without running into too many other students.
What Kind of Name is Leon for a Wizard?
On his way back to the car where his mother was waiting to take him to the appointment with a wizard, of all things, Nick again noticed how the boys hanging out around the school were staring at him. Their expressions held more than simple curiosity, and the boy started sensing things about his watchers.
Every one of them, older boys, was staring at him and feeling... Well broadcasting desire, and even worse emotions in his direction. Nick shuddered at the sudden onslaught, and nearly staggered from the impact. They all wanted him, with the hunger a boy shows for a pretty girl he sees. He was sure enough of that simply because he’d felt much the same things while watching a pretty girl before his changes took him way too close to the other side of the gender fence for comfort.
Stopping in near mid-stride, he glared at the offending boys for a moment, only to get another, stronger dose of the raw emotion he’d felt earlier coming from them.
Just as he was about to turn and run for the car, a soft but powerful voice in his head said. Enough of this! I will not be gaped at like some half-breed cross between a shellycoat and Ban Sidhe! How DARE they demean me and my host in such a manner?
Something directed Nick to reach out with his mind to grasp the faint lines he saw running just about everywhere, and he began weaving them together into something entirely different than what they had been. Something that was to be aimed at the offending boys.
“Ugghh!” The sound worked its way out of his mouth, more shocked surprise than pain, since the experience was far from painful. In fact it was wonderful. Nick felt like he was brimming over with energy, and actually felt better than he had in weeks. Then realized that he was doing something really strange, and something he’d never thought of before the unsettling changes had started in and brought that strange, softly lilting voice with them. The threads of Magic, for he knew that was what the things he was weaving were, unraveled.
But didn’t go away. Instead, they coalesced into small balls of purple fur with ridiculous looking chicken legs and feet. The things hit the ground running, scattered, and incidentally managed to run over the boys who had been staring and broadcasting such powerfully raw emotions his way.
The boys ran, as any halfway bright person would have done seeing those silly purple balls of fur open incredibly huge mouths filled with jagged teeth aimed in their directions.
Skittering after them, the now gnashing teethed balls of fur suddenly stopped their near manic pursuit, hesitated a moment, then disappeared in small puffs of purple smoke.
“What were those things Nick?” His mother reached him and stopped in front of him with an amazed, half fearful expression on her face.
“I don’t know.” Bemused, the boy could only shrug. “I was feeling things from all those boys, and getting really upset about it.”
“Feeling, feeling what?”
“I don’t know, desire, lust, wanting me.” Nick shuddered at the memory. “Then something inside of me reached out and grabbed those lines I’ve told you I can see.”
“You caused those, those things to show up?”
“Uhh, I think so.” Was all the answer he could manage at the time. “I lost my grip on the lines and then they showed up.”
“Oh, Nick.” Lucy hugged her shaking son, then led him back to the car. “Maybe seeing this wizard isn’t such a bad idea after all.”
“After this I kind of think it would be a good idea, Mom.”
“Then let’s get over there.” His mother began hustling him away from the schoolyard and gathering of staring, whispering students who had seen the incident. “The sooner the better.”
“Yeah.” Nick nodded wincing as an internal sense of satisfaction filled him, accompanied by that voice that was his, but not him. Not bad for a first time. Not bad at all.
* * * *
“Are you sure this is the right address?” Nick questioned while giving a very dubious look at the very mundane ranch style house with its well tended lawn and shrubs. “It sure isn’t my idea of where a wizard would live.”
“What?” A rich tenor voice reached him as a totally unremarkable looking man in appearing to be in his early thirties walked easily out to the car. “You were expecting a dark tower in some forbidding forest or on a mountain top?”
“I don’t really know. I never met a wizard before.” Nick said quietly in response.
“Well, that’s a good start.” The man smiled and waved towards the house. “My name is Leon Maynard, I’m the wizard you’re supposed to see. If you’re Nick Reilly, that is.”
“I am.” Nick answered, then stopped as the man grinned while holding up a hand to stop the next question before it came out of the boy’s mouth.
“Before you ask, my name is Leon, I like that name, I’m used to it, and that’s that.” The guy grinned. “Satisfied?”
“Umm, yeah, I guess so.” Nick found himself smiling back. “Are you a mind reader or something?”
“Not really.” Leon grinned. “I just get asked that question a lot. Actually I’m what people call a diviner. I look at things, or people, and am able to tell them what they are, what they do, and what they might be able to do.”
“Oh.” Nick wasn’t sure he really understood, but nodded anyway. “Okay.”
“Come on in to my office.” Leon gestured towards a door in the side of the house. “And we’ll get started on figuring you out, kid.”
“Can my Mom come too?” Nick questioned watching his mother take in the conversation with a concerned expression on her face. “She’s awfully worried about me, and I just did something a little while ago that has us both kind of up in the air right now.”
“Of course your mother is welcome, Nick.” Leon nodded while giving Lucy a pleasant smile. “In fact, I would have insisted on her being with us anyway. Now what is this about you doing something? Never mind, tell me once we get inside and I can get my books, computer, and other stuff working on the problem.”
Once inside the man’s office, which looked pretty much like any other office a slightly disappointed Nick noted, he went back over how things had changed for him over the past weeks, finishing up with the incident in the school yard earlier that day.
“Well, to begin with.” The Wizard picked up an intricately carved stick and held it in front of Nick. “This is a divining rod, of sorts. It will help me find out a little more about you, the mutation you’re going through, and give me a rough idea of where to look for more information. Do you mind if I check you with it?”
“That’s what I came here for, isn’t it?” Nick grumbled as he gave the rod a wary look. “Go ahead, I don’t mind.”
“It’s the nature of the magic, Nick.” Leon replied with a smile. “I have to have your permission to look at things as closely as I need to here. Otherwise the results might be skewed a little, or completely wrong. I also need your permission, Mrs. Reilly, for it to work the way it really should.”
“You have it, Mr. Maynard.” Lucy agreed with a wan smile. “Just please find out what’s happening to and with my boy. That’s all I ask.”
“Call me Leon.” The wizard nodded as he closed his eyes and began making passes in the air around, and over Nick. “Ummm, this is interesting.”
“What?” Lucy gave her son, and the still entranced wizard a worried look. Interesting when connected to Nick or what was happening to him was a word that made her nervous by then.
“Just a minute, nothing to really worry yourself about...” Leon waved the question aside while passing the rod in an outline around Nick. “I’ll have it in another few seconds... Ahh! Got the basics here now.”
“Umm, what did you find out?” Nick questioned anxiously. An emotion mirrored in his mother’s pretty face.
“Well for starters, even though from your appearance it may seem obvious, you’re mutating into a Faerie type, definitely one of the Higher orders of The Sidhe, I would think, just from the way your features are shaping up.”
“I’m turning into a Fairy?” Nick grimaced at the thought. “Like Tinkerbelle?”
“Definitely NOT like Tinkerbelle, Nick.” Leon gave the boy an encouraging smile. “I said Faerie F A E R I E. Magically powerful beings who are thought to have once ruled a large part of the world.”
“Oh, you mean like the Elves in Tolkien? The Lord of The Rings?” Nick asked with some interest.
“Not exactly.” Leon put the carved rod down and moved to his computer. “The Sidhe were powerful, but not all that friendly with humanity. Oh there was more than a little interaction, but the human ability to breed so fast unnerved the Sidhe. So they tended to keep their distance from humans when possible. When it wasn’t, they would either help or harm, depending upon their mood at the time. Sometimes they managed to do things that accomplished both at once.”
“So how does that affect Nick?” Lucy asked point blank.
“That’s what I’m working out now.” Leon absently replied while bringing up window after window on his screen. “Now this is interesting.”
“Umm, not to seem like I’m ungrateful or anything...” Nick put in quietly, then raised his voice slightly. “But do you think you could be a little more specific about interesting? I’m starting to really hate that word lately.”
“Well for one thing, Nick, you appear to be the one thousandth Faerie mutant recorded in modern history. For that purpose, modern history runs from around the early sixteen hundreds to now.”
“So what does that mean?”
“I don’t really know.” Leon shrugged apologetically. “Just that it was considered to be an important number and milestone for the Race of Faerie in our time.”
“I’m a milestone?”
“Your coming is supposed to be.” Leon nodded with a half smile. “It may have nothing to do with you personally beyond that. One Thousand was thought to have been a rather special number by the ancient Celts, who were the tribe of Humanity closest to the Sidhe. The number was important to the Sidhe themselves according to legends passed down from the times when they were more numerous.”
“I understand. I think.” Nick drew in a breath, then asked. “But why am I turning into a girl?”
“Well, Nick, and Mrs. Reilly.” Leon reached into an open drawer of his desk to remove a sheaf of printed papers that he handed to Nick. “Each mutation that comes has what is called a Template -- a design for the body it needs to hold it. That handout I just gave you Nick explains it in more detail, and you can go over it as much and as slowly as you need to. Evidently, in your case, the mutation has a female template, so your body is becoming more female the further this mutation progresses.”
“Is there a way to change this thing, this template so I don’t change into a girl?”
“No one has been able to do that yet, Nick.” The wizard shook his head. “I wouldn’t rule out the possibility completely, there are always new abilities appearing, but any attempts to do that so far have failed. More than a few of them in what are called catastrophic failures, meaning the person died. So I wouldn’t advise trying it.
“Wow.” Nick said. “Either I die of embarrassment, or from trying to change this stupid template thing that’s turning me into a girl. Wonderful.”
“That sums it up as neatly as I’ve ever heard it.” Leon chuckled at the boy‘s acerbic response, then gave Nick a sympathetic look. “On the plus side, Faerie types are generally very robust. Meaning that they are seldom if ever ill, and their life spans are very long. So you’ll be looking at a long, healthy lifetime.”
“As a female.”
“Afraid so, Nick.” The man agreed with a shrug. “As a rule, the template helps the person it is changing to adjust, so in time you’ll get used to it.”
“Oh, now that’s encouraging.” Nick replied. “I’m turning into a female here, and one that I think is going to look pretty good, but that’s okay because I’ll get USED to it. Plus from what you say I‘ll have a LONG time to get used to it.”
“Just how long could he live?” Lucy Reilly questioned, mostly to deflect the direction her son’s responses were heading.
“Well, the oldest Faerie type recorded since these things were kept track of changed in 1695 and is still alive, healthy, and showing no visible signs of aging today.”
“Oh my god...” Lucy trailed off, turning a bit pale herself while Nick looked like he was swallowing something lumpy and full of sharp edges in his throat.
“The handout I gave you there gives you a list of reference materials, books, articles, things like that which should give you at least a basic idea of what this mutation means to Nick, and what exactly the Sidhe were in the distant past and are in the present. I’d strongly suggest that you get at least some of those on the list and read them. There is a lot of documentation on Faerie types in general, and more speculation. The definitive texts are underlined in green, the iffy ones in yellow, and the purely speculative ones in red.”
Nick silently handed the papers to his mother then asked. “Ok, I’ll have to deal with whatever happens with this template, I understand that all right. But WHAT is it that I do?”
“Why don’t you explain to me what exactly you’ve been feeling, seeing and hearing since you began changing?” Leon suggested. “I’ll likely be able to tell you more after hearing that.”
Nick drew in a breath then detailed everything he could think of, up to and including the purple fur balls he had seemingly brought out of nowhere.
“Umm hmm. Well for starters, those broad lines you see are called Ley Lines. They are connected to the magnetic fields of Earth and are generally considered to be conduits of Power for anyone who is able to see and use them.”
“Like electric wires?”
“Good analogy, far as it goes, Nick.” Leon nodded. “But with Ley lines the person who taps into them doesn’t need to be at one end or the other to get to the power, and these lines crisscross the Earth without ever really ending, so that’s a good thing. Being able to see them is a pretty normal ability for Faerie Type mutants. The ability to tap directly into them, which you seem to be able to do, isn’t. You’re a Wizard yourself, a magic user if you want to call it that.”
“Is that what happened to me at the school?” Nick asked in something like fear. “I used magic?”
“That’s exactly what happened.” Leon agreed quietly. “You drew on the Lines around you and created something from the energy you got. Then you lost your concentration, didn’t you?”
“Uh huh.”
“Well, those purple balls of fur were what is called Hobgoblins. They come from uncontrolled magic, and are actually alive for as long as they last. Are you sure that all of them disappeared?”
“Yeah. I felt them go away when I saw them go up in puffs of smoke.”
“Good.” Leon grinned. “I absolutely hate chasing down loose hobgoblins. The magical energy that creates them runs out after a while, like I said, but they tend to seek out ways to last longer. They’re more of a nuisance than actually dangerous, but getting rid of a flock of them can be a real pain, believe me.”
“Ok, I’ll try not to make any more of those.” Nick promised, then grimaced. “What about these voices I hear all the time?”
“Well, that is a very good confirmation that you’re a Faerie Mage, with strong connections to the Earth. Everything you hear came out of the earth, whether it is, was at one time, or never was alive.” Seeing the confusion on the boy’s face, the wizard tapped his desk. “This desk came from a combination of trees, and ores that were all rooted into the earth at one time. They never really lose that connection, and you’re reading those connections. Those are the voices you keep hearing. I can help you shut them out, selectively, or completely, if you want.”
“If?” Nick nearly bounced out of his chair. “They’ve been driving me crazy! I have to take pills just to get a halfway decent few hours of sleep at night.”
“That isn’t good.”
“Tell me about it.” Nick grumbled.
“All right, I’ll show you a fairly simple technique to shut them out right now, and you can try it here. Ok?”
“You bet it is.” Nick fervently nodded. “That part of things is even worse than turning into a girl!”
“Then I want you to close your eyes, and try seeing the source of these voices you hear.” Leon waited while Nick did that then asked. “What do you see?”
“Colors, and little thread-like lines of stuff running away from me to things all over the place.”
“Very good. Now I want you to picture a solid silver ball around you, one that deflects all those threads. Can you do that?”
“Sure, I have the silver ball up now... Hey! The voices are GONE!”
“Try holding that ball around yourself now while you open your eyes.”
“Ok.” The boy’s eyes opened slowly, almost hesitantly, and he grinned once they were open completely. “It still works! This is great!”
“Well, it’s going to take practice to keep it up, and to be able to open little doorways to reach the threads you want, but you got the basic technique down more quickly than anyone I‘ve ever seen, Nick. Very good!” Leon actually did seem impressed with the accomplishment. “I think you’re going to be a pretty strong wizard, Nick. You need training I couldn’t give you, I know that much.”
“Where could he get that kind of training?” Lucy questioned while watching her changeling son actually appearing to be almost comfortable for the first time in weeks.
“There are several places that come to mind right off.” The wizard answered carefully. “All of them are boarding type schools that teach the gifted kids they take in how to make use of their abilities with at least some safety for themselves and the ones around them. Whateley Academy in Dunwich, New Hampshire is very highly thought of, and the first choice I’d recommend to anyone.”
“In New Hampshire?” Lucy closed her eyes. “I suppose the tuition is pretty steep there?”
“Regrettably, yes it is.” Leon shrugged, then brightened. “But they do offer full scholarships, and work programs to deserving kids. If you need it, I’m sure they’d work something out for Nick here to help defray the expenses. I went to Whateley myself, and can tell you it’s the best there is among those kinds of schools.”
“Well it is something to consider.” Lucy agreed half-heartedly. “I don’t think the expense would be much of a problem for his father, or me if we really need to send him there.”
“I’ll get you their brochures, and you can take them home with you.” The wizard gently answered, knowing that the woman was not anxious to send her child halfway across the country for schooling. “You can look them over at your leisure, and talk it over with your husband. I do stress the need for proper training for Nick’s abilities, but won’t push you into anything you don’t really feel that you want to do.”
Lucy Reilly took the offered brochures, and put them in her purse with the other information the wizard had given her. “Okay. I’ll give it serious consideration.”
“Please do that. I can’t give him the kind of training he really needs, the abilities Nick is already showing are different enough from my own that all I could do at best is be a guiding hand with suggestions that he try this or that. He needs a real teacher, Mrs. Reilly.”
“I understand.” She said quietly.
“Good. It’s never easy telling parents things like this about their children, but I have to be honest with you. Now is there anything else you’d like to talk about today?”
“Welll...” Nick nodded slowly. “I told you I can sort of know how other people are feeling, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well right now, I get the idea that you’re sad about having to tell mom the things you did, but excited about me. Mom is worried, scared, and sad, too. What is that? Is it part of the magic?”
“No, it’s called empathic talent, and is actually a form of ESP.” Leon answered carefully while adding something to the notes he had already made. “Can you make other people feel what you do?”
“I don’t know, I never tried.”
“Would you mind trying it with me right now?”
“Ok, here goes...”
“Whoa!” Leon sat back and watched the boy with something like astonishment on his face. “I caught fear, frustration, anger, and even a little excitement of your own in that. Is that what you’re feeling, Nick?”
“Yeah, mostly. I shut it off really fast. Doing that really bothers most people, and then I catch their feelings, and...”
“No need to explain, I get the idea.” The wizard nodded. “Do you hear other people’s thoughts?”
“No, I just kind of know what they’re feeling, and can pass along what I feel to them.”
“Well, that would put you down as a receiving and projective Empath. Someone who can read the emotions of others and pass their own along.”
“Sheesh. Faerie. Girl. Wizard. Girl. Hobgoblins. Girl. Special School. Girl. Empath.” Nick counted items off on his fingers, looked up and shook his head. “This is getting complicated, you know.”
“I know.” Leon answered. “I’ll help you along as much as I can. If you’re willing to come see me at least once a week until I can’t show you any more. Would that be doable?”
“I think so.” Lucy thoughtfully nodded. “I’ll have to check with my insurance company about the fees first.”
“I’ll waive all but a token fee on this one.” Leon told her. “Money really isn’t a problem for someone who can walk down a wooded path and find valuable stuff. Which I do, and I also make a bundle on consulting. So let’s say I charge you a flat hundred dollars for this visit and not charge you for the rest of them, would that work?”
“We can afford to pay you.” Lucy responded with a little heat.
“I’m sure you can.” Leon nodded then showed a wide, almost childishly happy smile. “But to be honest, I’d do this one for free. So pay me whatever you think it’s worth, and I won’t argue, just don’t stress out your bank accounts to do it, okay?”
“All right.”
“Hey!” Nick stood up and glowered at both of the adults. “Did either of you think of asking me if I want to come back here every week?”
Actually the idea thrilled him. But he wasn’t about to let the grownups know that without wringing some concessions out of them.
School's out!
Nicholas Reilly negotiated the crowded hallway carefully, headed for the first class of what he expected to be yet another miserable day in a life that had gone from pretty good to absolute crap in a matter of months, then back to at least halfway bearable. Most of the time. At least he could almost ignore the whispers that followed him everywhere, the laughs and giggles, and most of the taunts his fellow students threw his way. Almost.
“Hey girly boy!” Alan Hastings, and his three stooges, Frank Stodge, Les Chang, and Bobby Christian were suddenly blocking his way and showed no signs of moving. Or of letting him simply turn around and find another way to class. Alan proved that assumption true by poking Nick in his sensitive chest and announcing. “Hey freako, I’m talking to you.”
Letting out a small sigh of resignation, but for some reason determined not to be the victim that time Nick looked up at the bigger boy and quietly answered. “What? Can‘t you just let me get to class in peace?”
“Now is that any way to act when all I wanted to do was ask you a question?” Alan grinned nastily while eyeing the visible swellings at the smaller boy’s chest. “Me’n the guys were just wondering if you’d gotten out of training bras yet is all.”
There was general laughter in the hallway, and a few gasps as other students started gathering to watch the spectacle they knew was brewing and hoping something interesting would manage to happen before a teacher interrupted it.
“I don’t really think that’s any of your business, Alan.” Nick answered, reddening with anger he had been holding in check for months. “Do you think I like being this way? That I did all this to myself on purpose?”
“Do you?” Alan questioned, reaching forward to grip Nick’s shirt and pulling on it. “Like it , I mean? I bet you do, Nikki, and that you wear those weird contact lenses and dyed your hair to go with the girlie look you’ve taken to showing all the time.”
“Let go of me,” Nick told the other boy through gritted teeth as his vision went all strange. There were colors everywhere, on -- no -- in everything he could see. And lines holding those colors together or apart. Even the faint movement of the air had a hazy light blue shade that he could follow without straining. More, he had the absolute certainty and experience to know, that if he reached out -- just so -- he could not only touch those colors, but make them do things.
“Come on sweety,” Alan coaxed in a sugary voice while pulling harder at Nick’s shirt “Let us see your bra.”
Too late, Nick realized that instead of pulling him towards the larger boy, the motion was upwards and his shirt went over his head before he could do anything other than scream in outrage. The result of that was to leave his pale upper body bare, from his narrow waist to his thin chest and shoulders. Well, almost bare. The black silk bra that held the embarrassing mounds of flesh from shaking and distracting him even more than they already did was still in place. And showing an amount of cleavage with 32A cups that many girls his age in school would have envied.
Nick would have happily let any one of those girls have all of it, if he could have gotten rid of the things. But they just kept growing, and insisting on the kinds of attention a real girl’s breasts would need. Like the bra he was wearing. It was silk because nylon irritated his newly sensitive skin.
“Ohhh, pretty!” Alan jibed, staring at the exposed girlish flesh of Nick’s chest and the expanding nipples because of the cold air in the hallway. “Nice set you have there Nikki. How come you’ve been hiding them away from us? Must’ve taken a lot of hormones to get ‘em that size.”
“Give me my shirt back!” Nick yelled, reaching for the item in question and missing since Alan continued to hold it out of his reach.
“Bounce nice, too, sweety.” Alan laughed, unaware of the gathering cloud of color forming behind him. “How about a feel?”
Some of the other students did notice, however, and began edging away from the show with nervous expressions on their faces. Stodge gave Alan a light poke on the shoulder while nervously telling the bully. “Uh, give him his shirt back, Alan. This is gross, and it isn’t funny any longer.”
In desperation, Nick reached again. With more than his small hand. The swirl of colors behind Alan began to take on a cohesive shape, of sorts. The cloud evolved into a mass of chittering, multi-hued squirrels all intent on one thing. Getting as far away from where they had sprung into being as possible with all the haste they could manage.
Two of those, one a bright hot pink the other a vivid lavender decided in unison that Alan’s baggy jacket and shirt looked like a fine hiding place. But to get there they first had to climb his legs. Alan dropped Nick’s shirt, along with any thoughts of further tormenting the other boy as the psychedelic squirrels frantically crawled up his baggy pants -- on the inside.
The sudden, and noisy, squirrel explosion had the remaining students, along with a pair of teachers coming to break up the disturbance, running in all directions. Those few who did stay were pressed tightly against lockers, or pounding on classroom doors those already inside of were holding tightly shut.
“Ohhh nuts!” a high pitched voice squeaked from somewhere in the vicinity of the bigger boy’s crotch as one of the lumps in his pants reached that point.
Alan’s eyes widened, and his hands began to frantically claw at his clothing, pulling at his pants while working to dislodge the suddenly very active bulge in their crotch. “Get them off me!”
A fluffy pink tail emerged from his pants as the boy danced from one foot to the other while he tried to get the things now tormenting him loose. To Nick, who stood transfixed by the spectacle, it looked like an obscene parody of what some called a trouser snake.
“They’re licking me!” Alan wailed in rising panic as the speed of his gyrations increased.
“Goooood.” Another squeaky little voice piped from the region of the unfortunate boy’s pants. “Eat here or take home?”
“Gahhhh!” Alan’s dance got even more frantic as both his pants and the bright red boxers he was wearing under them came off and flew in different directions, with the offending rodents. The last Nick saw of the bully was his butt cheeks churning with the effort of running while two very perturbed squirrels gave chase.
The other squirrels had taken full advantage of the distraction their companions had created to scatter throughout the school. The disasters that followed them before they finally disappeared were of themselves minor, but taken as a whole, would provide an unexpected holiday for the student body and more work for the maintenance staff.
A brightly glowing acid green one streaked through the metal shop, causing every piece of equipment in the room to short out. Which threw the breakers, which caused the lights to go off. In the dim emergency lighting augmented by the flickering flames from a number of now completely Kaboshed student projects, Richard Stearn, the shop teacher looked at his metal desk, now welded shut by an errant arc welder one of his clumsier students had dropped as the thing ran through.
That student, a chunky geek with thick glasses looked at the desk, then at his teacher, back at the desk, then let out a long suffering sigh of his own. “Gee, sir. I hope your lunch wasn’t in there.”
Another squirrel, this one a blazing fire engine red, caromed through the kitchen and cafeteria before finding a window and getting out. But the damage had been done. Covered in the remnants of the dough she had been forming into cinnamon rolls to go with the chili (what better way to hide mystery meat than in equally mysterious chili? Besides you could hide the off taste with spices in chili.) the chief cook watched various appliances begin to act as if they had minds of their own, all intent on destroying each other. As a hand mixer crawled closer to a toaster with evil intent, she threw up her hands, let out a scream, and used the same window the red squirrel had.
Alice Cooper’s rendition of ‘School’s Out” echoed through the halls, classrooms, and offices, but in highly pitched, squeaky little voices that seemed to chitter with insane laughter between words.
Every bus in the adjacent parking lot suddenly developed flat tires as a purple, squirrel shaped streak ran under them.
As all that happened, the actual cause stood shivering in the cold draft of the miraculously still functioning air conditioning until that too gave out with a choked off wheeze and puffs of colored smoke emerged from the vents.
“Uh, Nick?” A quiet, cautious, girls voice interrupted the boy as he listened to the sounds things made. Not living things, or even things that normally made noises, but the actual tiles of the floor, the walls, the metal of the lockers.
The dazed boy shook himself out of the near trance he had fallen into to see a light blue satiny top dangling in front of him. “I don’t know what happened to your shirt, but you really should put something on. I got this out of my locker. Hope you don’t mind, it’s all I could find.”
Pulling the top on and noting the scooped neckline and lack of sleeves with a mental shrug, Nick turned to find who his benefactress was. “Thanks Jessie.”
Jessie Tanaka, one of the cool girls in school, but one who had never participated in the teasing Nick had endured since all the changes in his body had started with his eyes going from light brown to the rather vivid violet they now were, stood looking at him with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” Nick returned honestly. “What happened?”
“Weird stuff, but that jerk Alan got what he deserved.” The girl giggled while smoothing her black hair back into a semblance of its normal stylish little flip. “The whole school is falling apart. Did you do that?”
“I think I may have. Sort of.” Nick responded with a sigh.
“Cool!” the girl grinned and gave him a hug.
“Aren’t you freaked out, too?” Nick allowed the tension to drain from his small form and noted without real surprise that he was even shorter than the petite Asian girl who had just hugged him. Heck, just about everyone he knew, including his little brother, who now lived with his father, were taller than he was.
“Hey, I was at first,” Jessie shrugged then grinned. “But the only person the squirrels were actually doing anything to was Alan. They were squirrels, right?”
“Kind of.” Nick nodded, then explained more. “They were actually what are called hobgoblins -- unattached magical force that sort of takes on a life of its own. The wizard teaching me says those are usually mischievous, but not really too harmful. They usually show up when someone doesn’t have real good control of the magic they’re trying to use.”
“Magic?” Jessie widened her almond shaped brown eyes as her grin widened. “You mean you actually use real magic?”
“Not very well.” Nick looked around at the chaos that some of the braver souls in school were beginning to pick their ways through. “I only learned I could do it about five months ago. Just before I turned fourteen. And promised my Mom I wouldn‘t use it. My Dad, well he just freaked, but he lives in Cleveland now, so I only have to deal with that when he calls us. But Alan just wouldn‘t leave me alone!”
“Well, just a word of advice, hon?” Jessie, still grinning, leaned closer to whisper into his ear. “A well aimed knee to the crotch works, too, and isn’t nearly so -- umm -- exciting to be close to. Keep that in mind next time some bully is trying to have fun at your expense, ok?”
“I’ll try.”
“Good. It’s also quieter if you know what I mean?” the girl gave him a friendly pat to the shoulder and giggled. “But I bet it’s nowhere near as much fun to watch!”
“Okay, point taken.” Nick grinned back, finally able to quit shivering as his jangled nerves began to ease back into his skin and act like normal, polite ones do all the time. “But you never did tell me how come you didn’t freak out over what happened like everyone else.”
“Oh, well...” the girl leaned forward again to whisper again and Nick realized they looked just like a pair of young girls sharing naughty secrets. “My older sister is a mutant; she could smash things into splinters with a look when she got upset. So psychedelic squirrels aren’t so bad, really. She got sent to some special school in Vermont or New Hampshire to learn how to control that.”
“The Whately Academy in Dunwich, New Hampshire?” He asked.
“Yeah, that’s the place.”
“My mom has talked with Doc Travis about the place, and Leon, the wizard I’m seeing to get at least a grip on what I do now, gave her a brochure that we‘ve looked at.” Nick nodded with a small frown. “All three of them have told me to think about going there. Especially with some of the weirder stuff I‘m going through right now.”
"What kind of stuff?" Jessie asked with a wary look in her eyes. "You aren't talking about getting more girly in the looks department here, are you?"
"No, not that." Nick agreed with a grimace. "Even if that is kind of hard to handle just now. No, I hear things. Lots of things. Like the walls, the floor, trees, flowers, everything has a voice of some kind that I can hear for some reason. Until Leon taught me to shut them out, I really thought I was going crazy."
"Wow!" Jessie shook her head, then gave him a tight hug. "Poor thing. I can imagine how hard all this must have been for you, having seen what my sister went through. Besides, if you do end up getting sent to Whateley it isn’t so bad from what Kate tells me when she’s home for vacations. She likes it there, most of the time.”
“I don’t want to go.” the boy quietly told her, then shrugged. “But know I’d better before I get any more out of control. I might end up actually hurting someone next time I lose it and use the magic, or whatever it is I can do.”
“If you do go, look up Katerina Tanaka and tell her I said hi, would you?” Jessie asked, giving him someone who might be a link from home in a strange place with a wink. “I’m sure she’d be happy to show you the ropes once she decides that you really do know me.”
“Thanks.” Looking down the hall, Nick caught sight of Principal Fletcher bearing down on them with thunderclouds (not literally) hovering over her head. “Uh oh. I think you’d better get clear, old Thunder Puss is heading this way and she doesn’t look a bit happy.”
“Ok, give me a call later, maybe we can hang out or something.” Jessie handed Nick a slip of notebook paper with a phone number on it. “Or just talk on the phone if you can’t go anywhere.”
“Oh, I don’t think I need to worry about getting grounded or anything.” Nick closed his eyes and grimaced at that thought. “My Mom is going to kill me.”
Do I Have To Do All This?
“You promised!” Lucy Reilly nearly exploded once they were in the car and headed home following a stormy meeting in Principal Fletcher‘s office. “You promised your father and I that you wouldn’t do something like this again. And what happens? I get pulled out of an important meeting, dragged into an unpleasant confrontation with that bitch of a principal, and told we’re lucky the school board isn’t going to press charges or sue us for damages! How could you let this happen?”
“It was kind of an accident, Mom...”
“Nicky.” His mother let out a long-suffering sigh, then offered him a wan smile. “We both know accidents with you and these, these abilities of yours happen way too often. How did it happen?”
Nick went over the events leading to the catastrophe, slowly and carefully, sure to leave no detail out but just as careful not to embellish things. His mother seemed uncannily able to see through any excuses or hidden facts of any incident no matter how minor or important it was. He just figured it was one of those mysterious ‘mother things’ and found it easier, and generally safer to tell the simple truth when things went wrong for him.
“That boy should be charged with assault at the very least.” Lucy was fuming again, but at least not about the de facto expulsion of her son from school for the rest of the year. “If you were really a girl...”
“Mom!” Nick winced at that track, hoping he could at least divert it into something not quite so uncomfortable for him to think about. Since he had first started showing his strange new abilities, he had started to look much more like a girl than the boy he was, and it got worse every day.
“You have to face it sooner or later, honey.” his mother soothed. “Dr. Travis has explained it to you several times already.”
“I know.” Nick fumed inwardly, then gave that up as useless. He knew, intellectually that the testosterone levels in his body were below even those in a normal girl of his age, the magic -- or whatever -- drank the male hormones from his body like a bone dry alcoholic who had fallen into a vat of new whiskey. While escalating the female hormone content in his system. He had finally, just, given in and started wearing a bra and panties because his changing body needed the former and the latter simply fit better the week before. His -- powers -- had a body image of their own in mind for him and were going to make very sure he fit it completely. Ultrasound and sonograms had shown him beyond a shadow of doubt that the proper -- to his insanely determined powers, anyway -- internal equipment was already forming while his male sex organs just kind of shrank into useless little pieces of flesh.
Dr Travis had tried to be kind, but honestly projected that Nick would be a complete, and fully functional, girl by the time he was eighteen. Nick privately thought that estimate was too long but couldn‘t help hoping it would never happen. Even though he knew that was not in the realm of conceivable possibilities given his peculiar physical problems.
“At least you can finish the school year out at home.” His mom changed the subject upon noticing the introspective look on her child’s elfin face. “So you won’t have to repeat your freshman year.”
“Yeah, that was really nice of Principal Fletcher, wasn’t it?” He answered dryly. “I don’t think I could survive another freshman year, anyway. Not if it’s like this one has been.”
“That’s a pretty top you’re wearing.” She offered him a smile of reassurance while saying that. “I didn’t think you had any girly stuff for outerwear yet.”
“I guess that’s going to change, Mom.” Nick replied quietly. “A girl at school loaned it to me after Alan -- uh -- tore my shirt.”
“Well it looks nice on you.” She answered with a long sigh of her own. It wasn’t easy seeing her little boy growing into a very pretty young woman, but for his sake she rarely showed her own distress at what was happening. Unlike his father, who was thankfully hundreds of miles and two years of separation away. Nicholas Reilly Sr. would never accept what was happening to his oldest son if God Himself were to descend and Tell the man that was how things were going to be. Better that the man was gone, she thought.
“Thanks, it does kind of feel nice against my skin.” Nick admitted a bit sheepishly.
“Are those hip-huggers you’re wearing?” she questioned after giving his jeans a critical look, especially at how they sat on his rounded hips and bottom.
“No, Mom.” The boy shook his head in resignation. “My waist is too small for my pants now. All of them fit like this.”
“Then maybe we should get you some that fit properly.”
“I can hardly wait.” He muttered to himself
“What was that honey?” His mom displayed another talent that Nick was sure had to count as mutant in some way, though all moms seemed to have it, by overhearing him.
“I said that would be great.”
“Well then, we’ll get home, unload your school stuff, and go to the mall.”
“Oh, boy.”
“It’ll be fun, honey, you’ll see.” His mom promised with a smile.
“Sure Mom.” Closing his eyes he pictured his mother in full shopping frenzy, with himself as the reason. He just knew she was going to make him get some dresses. Repressing a shudder, he steeled himself for the ordeal by telling himself that she did love him, and was only doing what she thought was in his best interests.
Now if only he could survive her good intentions...
* * * *
The trip to the mall hadn’t been a complete disaster, anyway. The salon had been something he could have done without, especially the part about getting his ears pierced and fitted with small silver hoops. After that indignity, the hair styling, makeup, perfume, and manicure had kind of been anticlimactic. But his mother was like a force of nature when she decided something was going to happen, and she had quite obviously made up her mind that Nick was going to become Nikki whether he kicked and screamed or not. He did have to admit, grudgingly, that the new clothes they had purchased did fit and feel better.
Staring into his bedroom mirror in fascination at the narrow chinned, delicately featured girl with the almond shaped violet eyes that stood out even more with the tastefully applied liner and shadow he sighed. This person, ok -- girl -- was far from ugly, just a jolting long ways away from the squarish faced, brown haired, blue eyed boy he recalled seeing not so many months ago in that same mirror. The sleekly curving bob that her thick, glossy flame red hair had been styled into curled gently under at the nape of her neck and bounced quite prettily when she moved her head.
High cheek bones with lots of definition without being stark, small pert nose, thin arcs of eyebrows (painfully plucked to get that look) and her pale red cupid’s bow of a mouth all added up to one thing. Fox! Stone cold, guy attention getting, fox. Nick turned away from that slightly exciting, slightly disturbing image and immediately wished he hadn’t.
All the things they’d purchased after the salon ordeal were arrayed on his bed, chair, and desk awaiting his attention and being put away. Moving to do that with a sigh, he told himself. “At least she didn’t make me wear one of the dresses or skirts home.”
* * * *
The following few months were so busy that the reluctantly transitioning boy hardly realized they were gone. He completed his school work within a month, just to keep from having to go out much, he admitted to himself whenever he thought about it, and did well enough to not only pass, but make the honor roll.
He also spent a lot of time learning about the care and feeding of his more and more feminine body. Putting on makeup, doing his own hair, and getting dressed without looking like someone the fashion police would lock up for their own good had consumed a great deal of his free time. But he had enthusiastic -- sometimes too enthusiastic -- help from both his Mom and Jessie Tanaka. The girl seemed just as determined as his mom was about getting him to accept his incipient girlhood, and had become a very close friend in the process.
“The Irish call people like you Fey, you know.” Jessie told him with a grin.
“Fay?” he asked, wondering where this conversation was going, but with Jessie that was often revealed only after much giggling and talking.
“No, hon, F E Y Fey, with an e.” she answered, handing him a book on Irish mythology she had been looking through. “When someone was considered strange, not like the others, they were called Fey, meaning magical, or other worldly. You’re kind of like a changeling in the old legends, too.”
“You mean someone who doesn’t fit in, right?” He returned, brushing his hair off his forehead with a hand that was more delicate than it had been even a month earlier. “And I know what a changeling was. A faerie infant exchanged for a human child by the Fairies. Right?”
“Yes, I suppose that’s close enough.” Jessie grinned. “You sure fit either description now. You’re beautiful! Exotic and beautiful.”
“Uh thanks, I think.” Nick, who now generally accepted being called Nikki, or even Nichole when he was in trouble with his Mom, nodded. “But what’s all that got to do with me going to the Whateley Academy?”
“Well...” pursing her lips in mock thought, the Asian girl shrugged. “You’re going to need a working name when you become a superhero, right?”
“And you think Fey or Changeling is good for that, if it happens at all?”
“It will happen, honey, trust me. You’re just too unconscious with that power for it not to. Of course you could turn out to be a really cool super villain, too, I suppose. Hey!”
The last was because Nick had thrown a pillow at her. The book, and superhero names were forgotten in the ensuing giggling, screaming pillow fight.
Leaving Home
Nick was crying like a girl, well why not, he certainly looked like one, and was wearing a pretty yellow sundress with a white floral print , a pristine white silk jacket and heeled sandals. Besides, he felt like crying. “I don’t want to leave you, Mom.”
“I know, honey.” Margaret answered through her own tears as she hugged him tightly. “But you need to go. It’s best for everyone, especially for you. You really need to learn to control what you do, and the Whately Academy is the best place in the country for you to do that. You’ll be back for vacations, after all, and can call me whenever you like.”
“I -- I guess so, but I’m going to miss you. A lot!”
“I’ll miss you, too, sweetie.” His mom gave him a peck on the cheek then held him at arm’s length for one last critical looking over. “You’re so pretty now. Be careful, and learn all you can at the Academy, ok?”
“I will, Mom, and thanks. I mean that, about me being pretty. Guess I’m finally getting used to this girl thing, kind of.”
“You’re doing a good job of faking it if you aren’t, dear.”
“I can’t fake it, Mom, it kind of jumps right out at me every time I move or look at my reflection, especially in this outfit.”
“You want to make a good impression once you arrive, don’t you?”
“Sure, Mom, you know I do.” Nick sighed then gave her a sad smile. “I’ll be fine, I’m just worried about you.”
“Just take care of yourself, and don’t forget where home is once you’ve learned how to make good use of your powers, sweety.”
“Never, Mom, I won’t ever forget that. Promise.” he hugged her tightly, then looked up as someone else called his feminine name.
“It looks like someone else has come to say goodbye, dear.” Margaret smiled at the petite Asian girl running up the platform waving and jumping as she did.
“Yeah, it does.” Nick grinned, and waited beside his mom for the girl to reach them.
“Hi Nikki, I thought I was going to miss you.” Jessie panted and hugged Nick at the same time. “I’m so glad I made it.”
“Me too, Jessie.” Nick answered with a giggle. “But the train doesn’t leave for another half an hour. So catch your breath, ok? I don’t want to remember you as the girl who hyperventilated and passed out at the train station when I left.”
Several seconds passed while she did take time to breathe, then started giggling at the vision that her friend had brought to mind. Then she really looked at Nick and her smile grew even wider. “Wow, you look great!”
“Mom’s idea.” Nick shrugged, then returned the smile. “But thanks.”
“I’ve already warned Kate to keep a watch on you.” Jessie told him with an evil little smirk. “Since you obviously need someone to prod you into looking like someone who has at least a little fashion sense.”
“Gee, thanks.” Nick laughed. “I wanted to wear my black jeans and crop top, you know, the ones I bought last week?”
“And look like some geeky Goth girl?” Jessie put on a horrified look, then turned to Margaret. “Good thing you put a stop to that, Mrs. Reilly.”
“I sure thought so.” His mom agreed. “My daughter is at least going to make a good impression when she gets to New Hampshire. I got her to promise me that much, at least.”
“Good for you.” Giving his mom a wink that made Nick sure the two had conspired over the whole ‘traveling outfit thing’ Jessie nodded and reaffirmed her original assessment. “You look way better in this outfit, anyway. It shows off your curves really nicely.”
“Yeah, like I’m ready to hang out a sign that reads ‘Hey Boys! Here I am, come and get it!’ or put out an ad in the papers.” Nick grumbled. “No way am I ready for a boyfriend. Trust me on that.”
“You’ll have one anyway,” Jessie promised, or threatened, depending on which way the comment was looked at. “With your exotic good looks, you’re going to be a regular guy magnet.”
“Oh joy, oh joy.” Nick responded without enthusiasm.
“Hey, I almost forgot this.” Jessie rummaged in her capacious purse and triumphantly came up with a wisp of light blue satiny material. “Remember?”
“Yeah, it’s the top you loaned me after that mess at school.” Nick answered, taking the offered garment with a small smile.
“It always did look better on you than on me.” Jessie told him with a grin. “So I wanted you to have it, kind of a going away present and a way to remember me when you’re away.”
“I’d remember you without this, Jessie.” Giving the girl a hug that was tighter than he’d intended, Nick told her. “How could I forget about my best friend?”
“Just make sure you don’t, ok?” the girl wiped a tear away from her eye, starting the waterworks running in the other two all over again.
“Well, it’s time for you to get aboard, honey.” Margaret told him, reluctantly letting loose of the hug she had somehow given both young people and gently pushing him towards the train. “You be good, and do the best you can there.”
“I’ll make you proud, Mom.” Nick answered quietly.
“I know you will, sweetie.” With another peck to his cheek she again pushed him towards the train. “Now get going.”
Nick watched the waving pair until the train rounded a bend and began picking up speed away from the Kansas City Station. Then kept watching until he lost even the station in the city haze.
* * * *
The trip was, if anything, uneventful to the point of absolute boredom. Nick was not really interested in the scenery passing by the window of his sleeper compartment, or in the steady progress east and north as the train wended it’s way towards New Hampshire.
Instead he worried about the future, his Mom, his one real friend back home, and what his Dad was going to say next time he had to go for a visit. Not to mention how things would be in a school where everyone was different from the normal people he was used to being around. Truthfully the idea frightened him more than he cared to admit even to himself.
Smoothing the silvery gray skirt of the dress he had decided to wear instead of pants and a top for his arrival in Dunwich, and making sure his hair and makeup were presentable, Nick alighted from the train with the uncomfortable feeling most people get when facing something unknown. There were others getting off at the depot, it hardly rated being called a station with the single platform, old fashioned hand trolleys for baggage, and the small stone building that served as the station house.
Seeing they were all about his own age, he surmised that they were going to be fellow students at Whateley Academy. Correctly, it turned out. A pretty, and lively black girl with short hair grinned hugely as she noticed Nick watching her.
“So, are you guys, like, going to Whateley Academy?” the black girl questioned with more energy than Nick thought he could muster in week.
He just nodded shyly. The boy gave a tentative smile. “Yeah. It’s my first year here.”
“Me Too! Kewl! My name’s Toni Chandler! And you are?”
“Hank. Hank Declan.”
Nick gave it some thought, declined to use Nikki just yet, and answered with a hesitancy that had him wishing for a bit of the confidence Toni was showing. “Fey. You can call me Fey.”
Once those introductions were finished, the black girl, Toni, almost dragged Nick into the station itself. After questioning the stationmaster and getting some response that satisfied her, Toni then continued pulling, not quite literally, Nick along. He felt like a piece of driftwood caught in the wake of a very fast boat the way he was being more or less propelled along by the force of the other's personality and actions. He did notice a pair of boys playing an old fashioned pinball machine with a great deal of concentration as they entered the room.
"Well, let's sit down and get comfortable." Toni suggested, much to Nick's relief. He found an open couch and carefully smoothed his skirt, also checking to make sure there was nothing on the cushions that would stain his clothes, then sat down with a sigh of near relief.
The pinball wizards were talking to each other, with all the nudges and sneaked looks any boys would give newcomers and were obviously making comments to one another about each of them. Not that Nick really cared about that. At first.
With a start of near surprise, Nick realized one of the boys had actually lost one of his balls in the game because he had been checking out the redhead who had just come in -- him. Then sighed with relief as he turned his attention to the almost annoyingly ebullient Toni.
But the guy kept sneaking looks in Nick’s direction, and even nudged his partner again and pointed out the foxy redhead in the silver dress and heels sitting so demurely in the waiting room. Closing his large violet eyes, he just hoped they would leave him alone until their ride got there.
Fortunately, for the depot, at least, they soon returned their attention to the pinball machine. A potential nexus hovering behind Fey that he hadn’t really been aware of on a conscious level faded away with a sound much like a disappointed sigh. No one else in the room appeared to notice either.
Fey leaned gingerly back into the questionable looking softness of the couch back with another sigh of muted pleasure. Seating on the train hadn’t been uncomfortable, but this couch wasn’t moving or sending even the faint clacking of steel wheels on rails, which was a very nice change.
Toni announced that they may as well all take seats and plopped onto the couch beside a Hispanic girl she had been talking with.
“No kidding.” Fey muttered, then found herself grinning at the take-charge attitude of the black girl without being all that worried about it. Someone had to be the person who prodded and pushed, and it sure looked as if Toni would fill that slot admirably.
Toni plopped down on the couch next to the Hispanic girl. “Hi! I’m Toni Chandler. That’s Hank Delancy.”
“Declan.” Hank corrected without more than a slight grimace at her getting his name wrong and smiled at the other girl.
The more Fey noticed about him the cuter he seemed to her. Which was territory she most certainly did not want to explore just then. Even worse, though inevitable, Fey was beginning to think of himself as a she instead of a he with weird, mutant generated physical problems. Granted, the former was a lot shorter and simpler on the surface, but the latter was something that Fey still clung to her old male identity without any real hope of ever going back to even looking like a guy. With an internal sigh he shifted to she with no little twinge of loss while muttering. “Maybe I should just give in and go with it now; I’ll have plenty of other stuff to deal with at Whateley.”
Toni talked with Rip, the Hispanic girl who claimed she had control over water, while Hank sat back and listened. Fey gave part of her attention to the conversation and part to checking out the lines of magic and power in the waiting room. There were a lot of them, most old, and connected to living beings who had once been in the place, she noted. Lines from living creatures held a lot of yellow and gold, she had learned, and the yellow slowly leached out as the creatures ranged upwards in intelligence.
Additional lines from individuals were just that -- individual. Rip’s were a deep, cool blue with bright silvery highlights. Probably something to do with her control over water, Fey decided. Toni’s were an almost incandescent orange and positively vibrated with barely suppressed energy. Hank’s were a strong, but muted brown and simply radiated quiet strength waiting to be called up. The pinball wizards were predominantly light green and pale purple respectively, both shot through with threads of bright pink, which was curious, but not that disturbing.
Rip was from Redondo Beach, which was just outside Los Angeles, she wasn’t exactly sure where Baltimore was, she was the fourth of six children, her older sister Angela was a pain, her parents ran a beachside shop back in Redondo, she was an avid surfer, and her powers over water had almost gotten her lynched. Rip passed along that information in almost exactly the same way as the previous run-on sentence.
A woman entered the waiting room and introduced herself as Mrs. Shugenda, then waved all the gathered students outside where a number of vans were waiting.
Mrs. Shugenda glanced at a clipboard and started calling out the names of the new students. Fey ended up sharing a seat with chunky, but pretty white girl who seemed content to watch the passing scenery without speaking, probably because a guy with the knitted cap almost stapled to his head was sharing the seat with them and felt like someone Fey wasn’t at all anxious to know that well. Evidently, Evvie, her other seatmate, felt the same way. Gerald, the kid with the cap, gave them both a half sour once over then put on a set of headphones. Faint sounds of Gangsta Rap escaped from them as he started tapping one hand on his leg in time with it.
So Fey paid careful attention to the passing scenery. The Mountain section of New Hampshire depends heavily on tourism, and you could really tell it. The little town of Dunwich worked a little too hard to show quaint and Rustic New England Charm. Fey thought the place looked more like something in a stylized Christmas card. All that seemed to be missing was snow, a frozen pond, and a bunch of ice skaters. With an internal chuckle, she decided that those would probably show up on a seasonal basis.
Red brick and fieldstone buildings, high gabled roofs, and lot’s of nice little shops aimed at visitors were in evidence as they passed through the town. Dunwich was actually tiny, with a few long streets crossed by a number of shorter ones. The visible buildings and houses didn’t look to be all that crowded together, either.
The natural beauty of the area was well worth the trip. Dunwich was situated on a good sized mountain lake and as surrounded with thick, old looking woods that teemed with life that Fey could not only sense, but actually feel. It was almost as if a fresh, warm breeze was caressing her skin as she took in the sensations. Many city kids would have found those stands of trees a bit threatening and foreign. Fey liked them right away. They almost thrummed with the energy and power of living things in harmony with soil and stone when she used her new senses to check.
Wooden signs that they passed as they left town announced the presence of several summer camps set along the lake, as well as the School itself. Fey watched the roadside as they wound their way through the mountains for about half an hour. Which time she used just soaking in the peace in the woods around them.
Finally, the vans pulled off the road and went down a private road and through the gate of a high fieldstone wall. On either side of the gate, the posts were ‘guarded’ by odd gargoyles that had batlike wings, but no faces, carved in a slick black stone. Fey got a faint impression that those gargoyles were more than simple appearance suggested, but had no time to delve further as the van passed them by.
Fey watched as they passed a group of large buildings made of sturdy red brick that she recognized from the brochure for Whateley as the main school and administration buildings. Smaller buildings came into view as the vans continued on until pulling up in front of one. Three stories tall, with an attic that probably had rooms in it, too judging by the dormer windows there, the place looked pretty much identical to the other smaller ones they had passed. The only real difference Fey noted was that this one seemed to be where they were stopping.
Getting out of the van without getting jostled, bumped, or in one case, actually groped by a teenaged hand of indeterminate gender was a trick all on its own. The unidentified owner of the hand on her backside yanked it back with a muffled yelp as Fey grabbed a little bit of power from the lamp post nearby and sent a discreet amount of sparking electricity into the offending member while innocently moving towards the building.
Gerald, the gangsta wannabe with the tightly pulled on knit cap glared at her briefly, and Fey returned his look with a sweet smile while giggling internally.
Mrs. Shugenda had them all gather in a central commons room and gave them a non-standard speech about the gathering's sexuality and problems that could cause with other students at the school. She strongly advised all of them to more or less keep their leanings to themselves or among the residents of Poe Cottage. Which was the name of the building they were in.
The woman then called three older appearing students forward and introduced them to the group.
Fey had been listening to the welcome speech, and the introductions with half her attention, but found herself checking out the people Mrs. Shugenda had just introduced. Not just their surface appearance, but the lines of them. One in particular caught her immediate attention, but she withdrew her magical sense when that one seemed to notice her gentle probing.
Steve Rossiter, the only guy in the trio was quite a good looking young man, and radiated confidence along with that trace of Macho that most teenaged males tend to show. Rosalyn Dekkard looked like some fugitive from a movie about Prom Queens or something, and regarded the milling newcomers with amusement that seemed almost predatory.
Belle Forbes, though. She was the one who had noticed Fey's light probing, and was still carefully watching Nikki without trying to make it too obvious to anyone else. Her brilliant blue eyes would flick towards Fey, then move away, but kept coming back to her. It almost made Fey uncomfortable, but there was no hostility in the glances, just curiosity and interest.
Belle lifted a clipboard and began reading off names for the group she would be handling. Hank moved towards her when his name was called, as did Toni. A girl with really strange, Bluish grey hair answered to the name of Billie, a punker looking girl with spiky black hair sauntered forward when Belle called the name Ayla, and an almost tiny Asian girl who looked to be around twelve or thirteen answered to Jade. When Belle called her name, Fey felt a thrill of excitement that had nothing to do with being among at least a few people she already knew.
When Fey joined them, Toni fixed her with a glare. “I thot that you said that your name was ‘Fay’.”
“That’s my code name.” Fey shrugged with a little twitch of her mouth denoting both chagrin at not telling the girl sooner and slight amusement as she corrected. “And it’s ‘Fey’, with an ‘E’, not an ‘A’.”
“What kind of superhero name is ‘Fey’?” Toni gave her a puzzled look, but Belle’s eyes flashed with understanding.
“ ‘Fey’ means ‘touched by magic’.”
“OH-kaayyy...” With that pronouncement, Toni gave her an odd look, and shook her head in near disbelief.
Their guide cleared her throat for attention. “Very well, welcome to Whateley, and all that jazz- hope you don’t mutate into giant slugs.” Her voice had a merry British accent, the cultured ‘Public School’ kind, with a trace of a lilt that suggested a Gaelic influence, delivered with a John Cleese deadpan. “Don’t laugh- it’s happened. I’m Belle Forbes, as those of you with short term memories that exceed 15 seconds should well recall. Just between us,” she added conspiratorially, “My name isn’t Belle, it’s Kendall. But, my ‘code name’ is ‘Beltane’, so everyone’s taken to calling me ‘Belle’. Don’t worry, I won’t eviscerate you if you call me Belle- well, not unless I’m having a really bad day. Don’t want to commit to anything I can’t make good on.”
As the other groups arranged themselves and headed different directions, Belle grinned and told them the girls were lesbians, the boys gay, and called her own group changelings.
Changelings? The light began to dawn on Fey. Pinkish threads in the guys, that silvery blue in the girls... She gave the others in her group a long, slow looking over for any identifying traits that would betray them. Boys went with Steve, girls with Rosalyn, then that meant the ones with Belle were...
The little one, Jade, had her jaw almost scraping the floor.
Belle smiled acidly. “Ah, the light dawns! Yes, m’lovelies, you are all in this group because you are, one way or another, defecting to the enemy in the War between the Sexes.”
Sparing a quick glance to a red faced Hank and privately thinking that her attraction to him wasn’t so bad after all, but still not ready to do anything about it, Fey watched the expressions on the other’s faces go from dumbfounded shock to reluctant belief, then into a kind of a relieved peace.
Belle observed the reactions of her charges with an almost tender amusement. “So you see, none of you are really quite as alone with your umm-special problems as you once thought you were.”
With the tinkling, silvery laugh that had been such an embarrassment when it had suddenly issued from her changed mouth months earlier, Fey said the first thing since meeting Toni and Hank at the station that hadn’t been nearly dragged out of her. “Kewl!”
Belle led them out of the cottage, pointing out features of interest and importance, like the other cottages and their names, plus the main Quad with it's central square. They got a quick tour of the flagstoned square, with Fey giving the wrought iron benches a wide berth, she had a peculiar allergy to plain iron. It burned her, kind of like getting a mild sunburn and the first time she had discovered that, as well as her allergies to synthetic materials, she had nearly lost it completely.
Each of them introduced themselves to the others, and Fey was surprised to learn that Jade, the little one, was actually fourteen and not twelve or so. In her turn she gave all the details of her abilities -- or liabilities as they seemed to manifest themselves currently -- the retrospectively hilarious events that got her kicked out of her old school, and her odd allergies.
Belle nodded in understanding while the others winced as she described the nasty rashes Synthetic materials gave her, and her reaction to plain old iron.
She actually felt sorry for Tennyo, once the Blue haired girl had told her story, but the anime character come to life didn't seem to have all that much trouble with the idea of what she'd become. There were too many other problems she was dealing with. One thing did especially pique Fey's interest. Billie, or Tennyo as the girl asked them to call her knew a family of Tanakas, too. She wondered if the two were related and made a mental note to ask the other girl about that once things settled down a little for all of them.
The main building was kind of interesting, with the almost stuffy common area and its enormous fireplaces. A gallery of super-beings, both good and bad had been well hidden and taken more keys, codes, and machinations to enter than a Swiss bank vault. Belle explained that it had to be hidden from the normals who visited Whateley as she opened it up.
Then there was the huge geodesic crystal dome. Fey loved it right away, for the space, the living plants that were actually inside it. They actually had real trees and grass in there she discovered to her delight.
Crystal Hall as the place was called, also contained the cafeteria and dining areas. All of them stuffed themselves with really great food in there. Fey found that her slight aversion to meat was still present, even if the meats served there were succulent and many of them covered in sauces that had her mouth watering. Still, the fresh fruits, crisp steamed vegetables, pastas, and plethora of offered gravies managed to satisfy her hunger quite well.
The place had hardly been close to filled with people, but those who were there, especially the males -- staff, custodial staff, and upperclassmen who had arrived early-- appeared to be taking an uncomfortable interest in her.
“C’mon, Fey,” Toni chided as she noted her companion’s embarrassment. It’s all part of being a girl, especially a cute one. And trust me, you go way beyond just cute.”
“So I’m a guy magnet.” Fey grumbled, then gave the black girl a sly little grin. “You wouldn’t happen to have a really big stick you aren’t using at the moment, would you?”
“Sweetie, looking like you do...” Hank put in half innocently. “A stick won’t do it. You need something like, oh maybe a submachine gun and a couple of mean guard dogs. Even then some of the guys won’t take the hint.”
Seeing Fey’s expression go from shocked to horrified to resignation all within a few seconds at that comment, Toni actually blew the soda she had been drinking out her nose and made small choking sounds that alarmed Fey at first. Until the choking sounds were replaced with a cute little giggle that grew into peals of laughter.
Jade gave them a puzzled look, then enthusiastically joined in on pounding Toni’s back until the girl quit both choking and laughing.
Belle gathered them back into a coherent group after everyone had managed to eat their fill. Fey noted with some amazement that Hank just seemed like a bottomless stomach. He had gone back for more three times, and was a little disappointed when Belle had gently suggested that he finish up so they could get on with the tour.
"I don't know why it is." He offered in a kind of apology. "But since my change I just can't ever seem to get enough to eat when there's food around. My dad kept kidding me about breaking his and Mom's bank account just to feed me."
"You strongman, or girl, types use up a lot of energy when you use your powers." Belle answered with a chuckle. "So you all eat a lot when you can, just to store up the energy you use."
"Oh, ok." Hank mumbled through a mouthful of roast beef. "That 'splains it, then."
"Once you finish that platter we'll carry on." Belle chuckled as the boy stuffed the remaining meat into his mouth then started gathering up the mountain of empty plates and dishes that had grown up around him in a startlingly short amount of time.
"Ready to go." He announced, balancing the mass of tableware on one tray with an ease that would have had a professional juggler turning acid green with envy.
"Ok, then deposit those in the proper place and follow me." Belle grinned. "Our first stop will be the classrooms on the second floor here."
The group was led up the imposing, and beautiful staircase and down one of the spacious hallways. Fey noted the hall was lined with lockers, which helped make the place seem more like a school than an English gentleman's idea of heaven which the common room below gave the impression of being.
“Like I mentioned earlier, classrooms are here on the second floor.” Belle told them all once they were all gathered around her. “There really isn’t much to see right now except empty rooms filled with desks, but go ahead and wander a little. Meet me back here in about fifteen minutes. Mathematics, English, and non-science classes are on this floor. Labs and stuff are on the third floor. Gymnasium is in the basement, and I’ll show that to you once you’re done nosing around up here.”
As the other scattered, the older girl gestured for Fey to stay behind. “There really isn’t all that much to look at just now. But letting them wander is a good way for us to have a few minutes to talk.”
“Okay.” Fey nodded, nervous about what the conversation might involve, but knowing the other girl was also a magic user. She needed all the help, and friends in that discipline she could find.
“First off, you’re obviously a magic type. With the codename, and your looks.” Belle began. “And I have to ask you a question here. You don’t have to answer, but it might help if you do.”
“Ask.” The redhead nodded, feeling a familiar rush of fear about revealing what she was and could do with that. “I’ll do my best to answer you.”
“Ok, if you’re so upset about guys going after you why are you wearing a glamour?”
“A Glamour?!” Fey responded with shock. “What kind of glamour are you talking about?”
“The one that enhances your femininity, grace of movement, and overall - umm - sexiness.”
“You have got to be kidding me!” Fey almost screamed, her eyes wide with shock. “I wouldn’t do a thing like that. I couldn’t.”
“Well you obviously can do it.” Belle returned calmly. “And are. I like guys not girls, that’s not that I’m real excited about the idea myself just yet, but even so, I can feel the attraction you radiate like I’m standing next to a furnace. Guys will go absolutely gaga over you without that. With it, you're going to be a real heartbreaker around here.”
“Oh great.” Fey closed her eyes trying to sense any trace of the so-called Glamour and was unable to do it. “Just wonderful. I sure can’t feel it, I’m not even aware of it when I actively look for it.”
“I believe you, dear.” Belle gave her a friendly smile and a light pat on the shoulder. “It has to be part of your change, something that you just do. Though being able to turn it off once in awhile would sure make life easier on you. Unless you really like the idea of all that male attention you’re going to be getting.”
“How can I turn off something I can’t even find?” The redhead almost wailed, looking around in near panic as if the lockers lining the hall would suddenly burst open and disgorge a horde of boys, all intent on trying to seduce her.
“We can work on that later, Nikki.” Belle chuckled. “I just wanted to make sure that it was something unconscious and not deliberate. Some T-Girls go to great lengths to make themselves more attractive to the guys. You say you aren’t doing it on purpose, and I believe you. Now close that pretty mouth and quit drooling like a maniac looking for an axe, ok?”
“Sure.” Nikki nodded, then let out a shaky little laugh. “But having a big, nasty axe might be a help in the next few weeks.”
“Nah, the administration really frowns on students killing each other, hon.” Belle grinned. “Although there are a few here I wouldn’t mind using that axe on too.”
“Is there anything else?” Fey was anxious to change the subject.
“Not just now.” Belle smiled again. “We can maybe pick up the conversation later on, though if you’d like.”
“I sure hope so.” Fey told her with real interest. “Anything that can help me with what I’m turning into, and controlling the stuff that goes with it will be very welcome.”
“Oh, yeah, just a warning.” Belle thoughtfully told her. “Steer clear of the Goths here at Whateley. They actually try to use magic that they don’t have and some of them are jealous enough of those who do have it that once in a while they do stupid stuff trying to steal it. Not all of them, are like that, most of them are just goofy kids playing at being witches and such. But a few aren’t playing, ok?”
“Avoid the Goths.” Fey nodded with a small frown. “I have a glamour on me that positively radiates, and I’m supposed to avoid wannabe magic users? How do I manage that? With my luck, they’ll invite me to join their group and go to a black Sabbath or something else equally weird .”
“Well don’t.” Belle advised. “Real magic users avoid them like the plague. Probably because some of them are as dangerous as the disease that wiped out half of Europe and they don’t really know what they’re doing or messing around with. Remember the old saw about ‘a little knowledge’ and you’ll be ok.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.” Fey answered faintly.
The others trickled back, chattering about this classroom or another, but Nikki paid little attention to that. The downstairs part of the tour went past in a haze of self-examination for any trace of that stupid glamour. She still couldn’t see it, or even notice it’s existence.
After the tour, the girls returned to their own floor. Jade seemed to have either a bad case of infatuation with Tennyo or an equally bad dose of hero worship. The almost hungry look the smaller girl was giving the fugitive from some Anime epic was almost funny. If it hadn’t been so intense.
* * * *
Fey began unloading her bags and putting her things into one of the two standing wardrobes meant for the hanging stuff. Though she was a sophomore, being new to the school meant that she was placed on the second floor with the incoming freshmen. Not that it mattered all that much to her. At least she would be surrounded by people she had already met.
“Hey!” Toni was looking over her shoulder at the things still in the suitcases and trunk, then at what was already hung up in the closet. “You have some really nice things. Real pretty, and even the pants and shirts look feminine. Show’s my roomie has good taste.”
“My Mom, and a friend's idea, mostly.” Nikki indicated her clothing with a small grin. “But thanks. I’m getting used to them, especially when I can only wear linen, cotton, or silk pants. Hard to appear even a little masculine in the silk ones, and the others were picked for their feminine cut. Wish I could still wear jeans, though.”
“I bet my folks could find some pure cotton denim for you.” Toni offered. “If I asked them to look.”
“I appreciate that, Toni, I really do.” Nikki grinned up at the black girl. “The problem is that I can’t tolerate most of the dyes they use on denim jeans. Unless they are specifically not synthetic based. Which makes the kind I would need very expensive these days. Heck, a real silk dress costs less than a pair of those does.”
“Well, I could have them look around, anyway, if you liked.”
“That would be great, Toni.” Fey told her while carefully placing a colorful assortment of satin and silk underwear in the drawers of the chest that was on her side of the room.
A thump and suddenly expelled “Ack!” from across the hall interrupted any further conversation as both girls went to their door to see what had happened. Something small, and furry, was skittering and sliding down the hallway with the sound of soft feet on the hardwood flooring.
“My cabbit!” Tennyo yelled as she charged out the door and began looking up and down the hall for the thing.
“I didn’t think we could bring pets in here.” Toni answered while pointing in the direction the thing had run.
“It’s a stuffed animal!” Tennyo answered in exasperation then colored a bit as she realized she’d just been had. “My little brother gave it to me before I left.”
“Cool!” Toni stepped out into the hall as Tennyo charged down it in pursuit of the errant stuffed cabbit, barely avoiding being knocked down by the other. She hollered to the hallway in general. “Loose cabbit on the floor! Loose cabbit on the floor! Sound the alarms and round the critter up!”
The cabbit, giggling, slid between Tennyo’s legs on its way back down the hall, adroitly avoided a grab made by Toni as it charged past her. Fey and Ayla moved to cut it off from the stairs at the end of the hall while a bemused Hank watched all the activity from his own door.
“C’mon, Hank!” Toni caroled as she rushed past where the cabbit had just been before it had executed a perfect 180 and ran skittering back the other direction, evidently with the idea of hiding in one of the bathrooms. “Help us round up this wild and dangerous Creature!”
The cabbit, in that space of time, had made it to one of the bathrooms, the boy’s, and pushed open the door, disappearing inside with a sound suspiciously like a raspberry for those chasing it.
Fey was checking to make sure she hadn’t inadvertently caused the stuffed animal’s sudden liveliness by accidentally tapping into her power without controlling it. With a visible sigh of relief, she determined that it wasn’t her fault, and joined in with the chase, which had stalled at the door to the boy’s room.
Sounds of running water, flushing toilets, and paper towel dispensers being suddenly and violently emptied came from the bathroom as Hank finally walked carefully up to the group with an amused look on his face. “A cabbit?”
“Half rabbit, half cat.” Tennyo offered helpfully. “It's in there.”
“I know what one is.” Hank chuckled. “And where this one is. I just can’t figure out why it’s not only hiding in the boy’s room, but running around at all.”
“Who cares?” Toni laughed while pushing him towards the door. “It is, and we need you to go in and get it.”
“Yeah, we are in a school filled with mutants.” Tennyo gave Nikki a halfway suspicious look. “One of our classmates must have brought it to life.”
“Not mine.” Fey protested. “I haven’t even done any of my stuff since I got here.”
“Ok, I’m going in.” Hank sighed, reaching to open the door.
The cabbit had been waiting for that. Once the door had opened even a crack, it bounded out of the bathroom, wove a complex path through the gathered kids, and headed for the stairs at top speed.
Toni used her incredible speed to head it off, but the canny cabbit veered into another room before she could grab it. Nikki was right outside that one, and ran in to try and catch the thing.
The cabbit pounced when she did, wrapping its stuffed legs around her arm and letting out mock growls while butting its head against the arm and running its blunt feet along it as well. “Bite, claw, claw, bite, claw...”
It stopped for a moment, looking up into Nikki's face with an almost grin before telling her in a female voice. “Hey, you’re being savaged by a wild and ferocious cabbit here! don’t you think a few screams of agony and useless cries for help would be in order?”
“Jinn?!” Fey understood it was Jade's alter ego suddenly and started to laugh.
“Aw c'mon, play along with me.” the cabbit, or Jinn wheedled. “This is a lot of fun, you know.”
“Uh, ok. I guess.” The redhead answered.
“Claw, claw, bite, rend, bite, claw, claw, claw, claw!” the cabbit answered, then giggled.
“Oh help me!” Nikki hollered out the door. “I’m being savaged by a wild and ferocious cabbit! The pain! Help! Help! Help!”
With that she staggered out the door with the cabbit ferociously ‘mauling’ her arm and fell to the floor with exaggerated motions. “Arrrgh! It’s killing me! Help!”
The cabbit let her go, and ran again as the others closed in. Scampering off to hide itself among the still piled up luggage in the hallway.
“Enjoying yourself drama queen?” Toni questioned as Nikki stood back up.
“Yes.” The redhead answered, then laughed. “I haven’t had this kind of simple fun for ages!”
“Me either.” the black girl answered with a giggle, then pointed to a motion among the luggage. “There it is! Get that cabbit!”
Spotted, the stuffed animal dodged them again, this time actually making it to the stairs leading up before anyone could intercept it. It took some doing, but the group did manage to corral the little critter before it made it onto the forbidden fourth floor. They all wandered back down the stairs giggling, or in Hank's case, laughing, and headed for their own rooms. Tennyo, Nikki noted with amusement, had a very firm grip on the still squirming cabbit.
She also noticed, in passing, that the very fine line that did connect Jade and Jinn was now leading from the cabbit into the room the little Asian shared with Tennyo.
With another smile, to herself mostly, she waved to the now captured toy and returned to her room.
Bunny
Back in the relative peace and quiet of their room, Toni and Nikki exchanged views on the Cabbit chase, with a lot of giggles over the whole thing. Then they sparred verbally regarding Code names. Toni dug out another of Nikki’s books and was about to shelve it. When there was a knock on the door. Rip poked her head in. “Hey, are you guys decent?”
Nikki shrugged, and waved the girl in as Toni spouted something about 'striaght lines.
She stepped in. “Hey, I know that it’s asking a lot, but it’s our first day here- would one of you be willing to trade rooms with me?”
“Why?” Nikki asked, then added. “I don’t think that would be such a great idea just now, you know?”
“Aahh-- Rip-- in case you forgot-- We’re TGs. There’s no WAY that they’re gonna let us share a room with a genetic girl.”
“Oh, C’Maaawwn! I _gotta_ get out of that room!” Rip almost wailed.
“What’s so bad about it?” Toni looked at Nikki with a what’s going on here NOW? expression. The redhead only shrugged.
“Oh, you have got to SEE this to believe it!” She grabbed Toni’s hand pulling her off the bed.
“Hey, I’m sort of grounded for the rest of the evening.”
“Oh, who’s gonna know? And you just won’t understand until you see this!”
Toni looked at Nikki, who shrugged again and got up. Rip almost dragged Toni down the hall to her bedroom. The bedroom was the same size and layout as the one that Nikki and Toni shared. It was the contents that sort of jumped out at you. There were more trunks in there than Nikki thought could have been squeezed into that amount of space, then there were the stuffed rabbits and Easter Eggs? The eggs were in many sizes and all colors, some of which clashed horribly. Rip was muttering something to Toni about Liberace as Nikki simply stared at things in amazement.
Nikki peered at one of the giant sized Easter eggs curiously. “What in world?” She reached over and touched one of the ‘jewels’ on the egg. The ‘jewel’ lit.
“Don’t touch that!”
“Uhh, too late.” Nikki winced at the tone of the order, and the buzzing that began coming from the egg. “Sorry.”
The girls turned to the door. A short blonde girl was standing there. A really cute, and well formed blonde girl. With a three foot rabbit behind her that was carrying another large trunk. She was wearing tight Capri pants that really showed off how well she was rounding out and a blue shirt with white polka-dots that was tied off across her tummy. Her hair was done up and two ‘spaniel ears’ that sort of made her wide blue eyes seem all that bigger in her kewpie doll face. . Nikki stared in something close to amazement, first at the girl, then at the trunk carrying rabbit. The newcomer almost wailed, “I haven’t re-programmed that one for unpacking yet!”
The ‘Egg’ Nikki had touched literally exploded as curving panels on it opened up, making it look more like a really spoiled artichoke than an egg. Long thin cables whipped around, grabbing things and putting them into the emptied out trunks that nearly filled the room's floor.
“No!” Blondie yelled, “I was just getting settled in!” She rushed in frantically trying to reach some switch that would shut the thing off while screaming something about 'just having gotten settled'. Nikki could only watch in bemused, half admiring silence as the blonde girl's antics showed a lot more of her ample charms. That she called the whipping thing that had been an egg by a name barely registered through all that.
‘Hubert’, the insanely thrashing and stowing egg, absolutely ignored the girl, going on with packing things away as if nothing and no one was trying to interfere.
“Harvey, get in here and help me shut Hubert off!” The big rabbit- ‘Harvey’? Nikki groaned internally at that - put the trunk down and advanced. Hubert picked it up, detached the head, arms and legs, and stowed it away in a trunk. The girl kept trying to wrestle with the stupid egg, but wasn’t getting anywhere. Nikki, Rip and Toni all watched in baffled amazement. Nikki turned to her own roommate. “Couldn’t you, y’know, throw a pencil at the ‘Off’ switch and turn it off, or something?”
“Sure- IF I knew which dingus was the ‘Off’ switch.”
“Oh, right.” The redhead nodded with a sigh while continuing to watch the one-sided wrestling match between the egg -- Hubert, or whatever it was called -- and the blonde girl.
Rip murmured something about the thing doing what she wanted as the blonde girl continued in her losing battle to stop the egg, or whatever it really was.
Worse, the egg finally noticed the blonde girl, grabbed her, and shut her inside one of the trunks. An act that was accompanied by muffled screams and threats from the girl. The egg ignored that and finally just turned itself off.
“Well at least it quit.” Nikki offered a bit weakly, also quite happy it hadn’t decided to put her away, too.
“LET ME OUT OF HERE!”, came muffled from the trunk.
Toni started towards the trunk but Rip grabbed her arm and said something an amused, and bemused Nikki didn't quite catch. Then she moved towards the bouncing trunk with a shake of her head. “We can’t just leave her in there.”
She walked over to the trunk and tried to open it.
“It’s locked. And I don’t have the key.” She thumped the trunk. “HEY! We need a key to open this thing! Where is it?”
“It’s in my pocket!”
Nikki shook her head disgustedly, calling herself an idiot for walking right into that one. She muttered something halfway obscene under her breath, found the lines she needed to manipulate and sent streamers of energy traced from her fingertips. With another grumbled aside no one could quite hear, she pointed at the lock which obligingly popped open.
The second the trunk lid was open, the girl fussed and fumed until Nikki offered her a hand out. Blondie’s eyes went wide as she got a good look at Nikki. “Wow. You’re cute. I like you. What’s your name?”
Nikki blushed and stammered, taken aback at a reaction that mirrore her own towards the still unintroduced Blonde.“Oh, it’s Nikki, Nikki Reilly.”
“Hi, Nikki! My name’s Bunny Cormick. I’m from Las Vegas.”
Rip muttered something else under her breath.
“Gee, I don’t know what happened with Hubert, I didn’t expect him to pack me away like that, I didn’t program him to, by the way how did you get the trunk open, the key was in my pocket, and I didn’t hear you picking the lock, so how did you get it open? You’re not an Energizer, are you, ‘cause I haven’t managed to surge protect my eggs yet. Please, you aren’t an energizer, are you?”
Toni gave Rip a sympathetic look and mouthed something that had the other girl nodding with a quiet sigh.
Nikki blushed and stammered again. “Uhm, no I’m not an energizer. I’m actually, well, I’m sort of a magician-”
“A magician? Cool! You do Escape Artist stuff? Don’t you just love Sigfried and Roy? Too bad about Roy and that tiger, I hope they don’t kill the tiger, Roy doesn’t want them to kill the tiger, he says that it was all a mistake. My daddy works special effects and he works with their support team sometime, and don’t they have the greatest tricks?”
The little redhead closed her eyes for a moment, as if summoning courage, patience, or both, then gave up with a shrug and a small grin as she corrected the blonde vocal dynamo disguised as a girl. “Oh, ah, not that kind of magician. I’m a Mage.”
Bunny’s eyes snapped open as if she’d just found out that Christmas hadn’t been cancelled after all. “A Mage? You mean that you can do REAL Magic? Oh that is so cool! Would you mind sitting for a spectroscopic examination while you do it?”
“Uhh, well... I...” Nikki stammered under that intense, blue eyed regard and excitement it expressed.
Nikki felt as if she was drowning in a flood of words and desires until Toni jumped in. “So, ah Bunny... what’s your real name?”
Bunny blinked and looked at the black girl. “Bunny _is_ my real name.”
Toni and Nikki exchanged quick glances and rolling of eyes then Toni waved towards the over decorated ovoids strung all over the room. “What’s with all the heavy tech eggs?”
“Oh, my eggs?" Bunny gushed about those for a while, but Nikki was too distracted to really catch much of it. Her
sensitive ears picked up sudden rush of air in the hallway outside, and she noted a whitish blur go by the door as she did.
“So, Bunny, you’re some kind of inventor?” Toni questioned as the blonde began giving Nikki the eye again.
“Oh, yeah, I’m what they call a ‘Level: 4 Esper/Gadgeteer’, and a ‘Level: 3 Deviser’. I mostly do robotics and electromagnetic field formation effects for hologram and Special Effects stuff, but I also do other stuff.”
“You said ‘Gadgeteer’ and ‘Deviser’- I thought that ‘Deviser’ and ‘Gadgeteer’ were pretty much the same thing, Mad Scientist stuff.” Toni continued distracting the girl from a still nonplussed Nikki.
“Well, they’re not. They’re similar, but they aren’t the same thing. But you can have both traits in one package. Like Me.” She laid a coquettish hand on her chest by way of demonstration. Nikki drew in a sharp little breath as that happened, then blushed all over again.
“Well, what’s the difference?” Toni prodded.
Nikki was having problems keeping up with the conversation at that point, still focused on the physical effect Bunny had on her.
Nikki watched with interest as the blonde rushed on about something to do with her abilities.
Some of the conversation did penetrate, though, and the similarities to what she did were almost unsettling.
That part had Nikki narrowing her violet eyes with a rather worried expression on her face. “That is uncomfortably close to a lot of theories of how Magic really works- that all the magical principles and procedures are just the Mage imposing their own theory of how magic is supposed to work on the universe. So, Bunny, when you’re working on something, how do you know if what you’re inventing isn’t a ‘Mad Scientist’ gizmo that won’t work for anyone else?”
“Those things are called ‘devises’- with a ‘S’ instead of a ‘C’. And I don’t. I have to finish every project, perfect it, and get someone else to try to build one too. Would you like to see some of my work?” Bunny opened a trunk and pulled out one of her eggs. “This is Eldon. He’s a-”
Which started another argument between Bunny and Rip about the crowding in the room and who would get how much room in it.
There was another ‘Zip’ past the door. “What was that?” Toni asked.
“What was what?” Rip looked puzzled.
Nikki was just happy that someone else had noticed it too.
“I heard something go past the door.”
“I didn’t see anything.”
“I’m telling you, I heard something.” Toni insisted, while Nikki nodded her agreement.
“Maybe it was one of Bunny’s stupid rabbit robots.” Rip groused.
“My Rabbits are NOT stupid!” Bunny squeaked back.
“Maybe, maybe not, but you’re cramming them into MY space! Hey, _I_ have stuff too!”
“But I can’t just throw them out! They’re my BABIES!”
“I don’t care what you do with them! But either you find somewhere else to stash ‘em, or you can get a new roommate!”
There was that zipping noise again, and a tanned, blonde girl was suddenly there. “You want a new roomie! Kewl! I’d be glad to move in!”
“Oh, No.” Riptide moaned. Bunny and Rip looked at each other.
“Uhm, that’s all right, J. J. - I think that Bunny and I can work this out.”
“Oh, it’s no problem!” The girl disappeared with a whoosh! and a heartbeat later, was back with a suitcase. “Which side is mine?”
Bunny smiled apologetically. “No, honestly, we’re just ironing out a minor misunderstanding-”
“Oh, come on! A promise is a promise!”
“I don’t remember making any promises to you, J.J.” Bunny shook her head.
“Oh, I suppose that now you’re going to welsh on your promise to help me with my homework!”
“J.J., I never said that I’d help you with any homework!” The blonde was beginning to get that puzzled, half perturbed look on her beautiful face that presaged outright anger.
“But you were bragging about being such a genius!” The newcomer, J.J. retorted. “Of course you’re going to help me with my homework and stuff!”
“You asked me what my IQ was, I answered.” Bunny put one hand on each hip and glared. “I did not promise you anything at all.”
“Bunny, how are we going to be roommates, if you keep breaking your promises?”
“J.J.” Bunny quietly said. “When did I never ask you to be my roommate? I sure don‘t remember doing that.”
“But you GOTTA! You wouldn’t believe the weirdo that they got stowed in my room! She-” But before J.J. could go any further, Bunny’s egg ‘Eldon’ erupted in a shower of sparks.
“Get OUT!” Bunny screamed, “You’re an energizer- you’re projecting some kind of electric field and my projects are overloading!” The other egg ‘Hubert’ exploded its panels and the cables started waving around wildly, and one of the trunks burst open as Bunny’s other projects went haywire.
Nikki watched in bemusement for a few seconds before deciding that ducking for cover would be a pretty good idea. She dove behind one of the trunks that seemed to have less sparks flying around it.
J.J. left with yet another ‘zip’.
Rip instinctively began forming a thick fog around herself. Toni noted that would be a bad thing under the circumstances and literally dragged the other girl out of the room while a very upset Bunny wailed about the damage.
Waving a hand to clear the air around her head, Nikki saw the girl start to cry, and it wrenched her heart. The sparking and hissing were gone, leaving the room filled with acrid electrical smoke. With a thought she wasn’t even aware of having, she waved again and the smoke vanished. In the cleared air, the disconsolate Bunny appeared even more pathetic.
“My eggs, all my beautiful, so-cool Eggs!” The blonde cried. “Ruined.”
“Hey, it isn’t that bad.” Nikki softly interrupted the other girl’s wailing as she stood, then moved to hug her. “You can make more, right? And fix the ones that got wrecked?”
“I -- I suppose I can.” Bunny sniffled, turning in Nikki’s arms so her Bright blue eyes were staring straight into Nikki’s violet ones. “Buh - but you just don’t know what it’s like! I finally had stuff that really worked the way I’d planned it!”
“Oh, I think I can understand that better than you might think.” Nikki hugged the still sobbing girl again.
“No you don’t” The blonde sighed loudly. “So many of my earlier projects went blooey! that people started calling me BUGS!”
“Bugs?”
“Yeah, you know, like ‘Hey it’s Bugs Bunny herself! Duck now and save yourself the trouble later when things go crazy!’ and I am soooo sick of it! I was going to show them all how good I really am! Now this had to happen.”
“Bugs Bunny?” Nikki grinned in spite of the other girl’s distress, then had a real brainstorm hit just in time as Bunny started sobbing even harder. “Wait a minute, hon. They’ve been complimenting you all along, even if they didn’t realize it.”
“How?” Bunny stopped sobbing long enough to show her interest in the tack her cute companion had taken. “How is being compared to a cartoon character a compliment?”
“Uh, please don’t say things like that too loudly around Tennyo.” Nikki shook her head at the other’s puzzled expression. “Never mind, you’ll meet her soon enough. Now back to what I was saying originally.”
“Ok, I’m all ears.”
“Nikki hid a wince at the choice of words, given the other’s name and favorite stuffed toys. “Well, think about it for a minute. Bugs Bunny is SMART. Really smart. Right?”
“Well, yeah, I suppose so.”
“Ok, with that for a start, when have you ever seen anyone or anything get the upper hand on good ol’ Bugs?”
“Come to think of it...” Bunny trailed off then brightened as that occurred to her. “Never!”
“Right.” Nikki drove her point home. “Bugs Bunny always gets the upper hand, always outsmarts his foes, and NEVER lets what Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, or anyone else calls him get him down. Does he?”
“Hey, that’s right!” Bunny squealed in delight.
“And he always WINS.” Nikki finished with a broad smile.
“Umm. See?” Nikki found herself wrapped in Bunny’s arms and staring back into those wide, teary blue eyes. “Now it really isn’t so bad after all, is it? Why don’t I help you clean up in here and get unpacked.”
“I have a better idea.” Bunny grinned and pressed her mouth against Nikki’s.
“Urmmph!”
* * * *
Later, a rumpled Nikki walked back into the room she shared to see a very smug and satisfied looking Toni lounging on her bed. “Hi.”
“Hi yourself.” The black girl took in Nikki’s appearance, and the faint lipstick marks on her cheeks. “I take it you were consoling Bunny?”
“Yeah, sort of.” Nikki nodded slowly with a silly little grin. “You and Rip have fun while I was umm, busy?”
“Oh yeah.” Toni grinned lazily. “Oh yeah...”
“What an interesting day we’ve had.”
“You can say that one again, Nikki, my friend.”
Jade
by Babs Yerunkle
Jade
1 - Coming Out
Jade 1 — Coming Out
A Whately Academy Tale
By Babs Yerunkle
1: Pop goes the weasel
Topeka, Kansas May 18, Thursday
“I’ve had it with you!”
The shove practically threw Jared across the room, slamming him against the wall. Snapshots and cheap posters rained down. Jared looked for somewhere to run, but he was already backed into the far corner of his room.
He was used to running from his father. ‘Trouble prevention’, as he preferred to think of it; giving father time to cool off. He was often the target of his father’s anger, but this time was worse than any he could remember. Well, worse than anything since the crash that had killed his mother, three years ago did. That had resulted in a DUI conviction for his father, and a beating for him sufficient to keep him out of school for a week.
And if Jared couldn’t think of some way to escape, there’d be another fatality tonight.
“You got any idea how much it’s gonna cost me to get the grill and radiator fixed?”
With a quick backhand the man slapped him into the wall. It wasn’t a hard hit — a few more cracks, some of the yellowing paint chipped off to expose the bare drywall underneath, Jared’s bookcase fell over. Not that his father cared about books. Jared himself rolled from the blow, softening the impact. After bouncing off the wall, he tried to scramble away, out of the man’s way. His fingers clutched at the debris of books and magazines, as if they might provide some sort of shield.
“I wasn’t even there! I didn’t do anything!” His protests sounded feeble even to his own ears.
“Gawd, you probably don’t even understand why I got to get out of this place! Surrounded all day long by my stupid pussy of a son. At least Mike’s has some real men! When are you gonna grow into something a man can be proud of? Not some runty little weakling!”
Jared had years of Aikido training. All the same, he knew he’d never have the confidence to strike back at his father. He could train all he wanted, but when he faced his father, body and mind both seemed to freeze. Even if, somehow, he had miraculously managed to defend himself, he father would only beat him worse for ‘cheating’ and using ‘pajama-fighting tricks’.
His hands scrabbled in the debris, searching for something, anything. He felt the boxing gloves his father had given him four years ago, for his tenth birthday (“So you can learn to fight like a real man”). He knew they still fit. That seemed to be the only thing the old man respected. The stupidest form of fighting on the planet. Oddly enough, that’s what he really wanted to do sometimes — to punch his father’s smelly face in!
“You make me sick,” the man said, unleashing a swift kick to his gut. “How dare you hold those gloves? Look at you! Stupid little runt, with your skinny girl arms! You never even tried that weight set, did you?”
He used it, at least once a day. Sometimes twice. But he never seemed to add any bulk.
“Look at you! You’re no son of mine!” His father reached down to grab the padded training headgear and threw it into his face, hard enough to bruise. Then the old man straightened, as if in sudden realization. “That’s it. That’s the only answer. She musta cheated on me. You aren’t half-Irish. You’re a full-nip bastard! You never even WERE my son!”
And he suddenly knew for a fact that his father was going to kill him. Clutching the gloves and boxing headgear, if felt like his head exploded — before the first punch was even thrown.
*****
He shook his head, disoriented. He felt different. Fundamentally different, but there was no chance to think about it.
What had he been thinking? Lying there, curled in on himself, waiting for his father to beat him to death? After all that practice in the dojo, why did he always freeze when confronted by him father? This time, he resolved, he would finally face this conflict. He would master the fear that had dominated him.
Despite the clear need, he hadn’t been taking Aikido to defend himself. He’d started if for the grace, for the harmony. A school of fighting that believed in non-violence first and foremost, with movement that sometimes seemed more like a graceful dance. Sometimes, when he was practicing, that’s what it felt like — like he was dancing. It was the complete opposite of the boxing gloves that he’d been laced into. How had he gotten here? Had he taken a blow to the head already? Is that why he was so confused?
He must have taken a hit. His vision was swimming. He wasn’t even seeing in color. Everything was gray, but he could see edges, transitions, and surfaces. There were no shadows anywhere, and he couldn’t even see the patch of sunlight that had been coming through the window a moment ago. He’d been hoping to blind his father for a moment, so he could make a run for it. And now his eyes weren’t even working right. He didn’t remember being hit, but there was no time for distraction, not in the middle of a fight. He reached for his ki and sought his center.
The discovery was devastating.
He didn’t have any ki! He didn’t even have any breath! In fact, he had no sense of his body or energy in any way. It was like there was nothing but the gloves in front of him.
Even more impossibly, he had no center, no hara! No matter how he moved his feet, his footing was sound and solid. No matter how he leaned over, he was still in balance. Except that there was no balance! It was almost as if gravity and inertia had vanished. The only components to his balance were, again, the gloves in front of him. Oh yes, and the headgear he wore for protection.
The discovery of perpetually good footing and perfect balance might have seemed a gift to others, but not to him. Him training was devoted to issues of balance and movement. It was devoted to proper breathing and awareness of him body. How could he use that awareness when he had no breathing, and so far as he could tell, had no body?
Utterly confused, he glanced down for a second. His body was there, but it was a mist of silvery sparkles. And he could see right through himself.
And then he understood. His father had finally hit him too hard, and he’d died. He was his own ghost, somehow haunting these idiotic boxing gloves — the last thing he’d held in life.
His father seemed to come to a decision. He threw a punch at Jared’s chest. Reacting instantly, Jared moved to perform a simple oji waza — even with the gloves on, he should be able to block the blow, and then lock his father’s arms.
Of course, his father’s arms went though his without slowing. Fortunately, the punch also passed harmlessly through him. It was hard to forget his old reflexes, but it seemed it was impossible to hurt a ghost by punching it.
Jared chanced another quick look. Now that he thought of it, he didn’t have to turn his head to look — he seemed to be able to see in every direction. But his thinking was still trying to catch up. He might be able to see in every direction, but so far, he was only noticing in the direction he concentrated on. He quickly glanced down at his body. It was still a mist, but his skin seemed to be firming up and forming a surface, rather than the wispy cloud of a moment ago. More important was the fact that Jared was standing in the middle of his bed. That is, his legs passed through the bed to reach the floor.
He saw his first flash of color then, in his father’s face. For a moment, as Jared watched, his father’s face had glowed with an amber color. Not golden, more of a banana tint. Now his anger was rising again, turning his eyes crimson and filling his mouth with the glow of a blast furnace. Jared could see it filling his father’s head and chest, and to a lesser extent lighting the rest of his body.
Jared wondered again. Were ghosts made up of ki? But, whatever he was, it didn’t feel like ki. Just twice in class, he’d felt some glimmering of something. His ki had been a feeling that united the swirling air in his lungs and the heat that filled his muscles. Now, he had neither air nor muscles, and absolutely none of that ki feeling.
“You’re doing this, aren’t you?” his father bellowed. “This is one of them achy-dough tricks, isn’t it? It’s not going to save you, bastard!” With that, the man struck for Jared’s face. He shifted him head and moved to enter inside his father’s arms followed by a quick hip throw. Again, his lack of a body thwarted him. And without the block his arm would have provided, his father managed to hit him square in the nose.
Except that the fist went through his nose without pain or resistance. When it struck the back of his headpiece, though, it pulled uncomfortably. The man grabbed onto the headgear, trying to rip it from Jared’s ghostly head. Jared screamed in pain before somehow, instinctually, “releasing” the headgear. It slipped away, removing the pain and leaving his head feeling lighter.
What kind of move could he use when all he had were boxing gloves? He hated atemi — the striking blows. He’d always avoided those except for the minimum needed for competency in the art. It was part of the reason he fit so well with Aikido.
He stepped back to consider, only belatedly realizing that he’d stepped back into the wall. His face and hands were still in the room, but his body was in the wall.
His father turned from him and looked down at the object at him feet. Jared glanced down and saw a boy’s body, curled around its belly. He was only slightly disconcerted to recognize his own body. Then he saw the small boy move, and he was astonished. That was him! That was his body! It was not only alive, it was glowing in a mixture of colors — the banana yellow he’d seen in his father, a sparkling blue in the eyes and the top of his head, and an almost ultra-violet from deep within the skull.
But if he was a ghost — if he was here — how was his body moving?
Further speculation was halted by the need to take action. His father lashed out with a kick at the cringing boy. Jared instinctively stepped forward to block, sweeping his leg aside and around, but his legs were so much vapor. Instead, his father’s steel-toed boot connected with the boy’s stomach in a sickening thud, and Jared watched as his body was slammed up against the wall and slumped down unconscious. As his father prepared to unleash more kicks, Jared found his dislike of atemi suddenly vanishing. He erupted in a fury.
A chudan-zuki connected in his father’s stomach, surprising the man but doing relatively little damage. But the wild return strike did absolutely nothing to Jared. Another strike, an oi-zuki hit, but without a physical body he was unable to add any momentum.
His father, unable to land a blow, seized his left glove and twisted. To Jared’s surprise, it was as if he weighed nothing. He spun upside down. Even here, he still had perfect footing and no trouble with his balance. It was disturbing. It seemed less like he had flipped, and more like the entire world had flipped over while he remained still. And with his father upside-down with legs spread wide for balance, Jared had a perfect target.
Normally a low blow like this would have been even more distasteful than a strike for the express purposes of harming someone. But he’d seen those steel-toed boots at work. He’d seen his father kick his body. Another kick and there might be two ghosts in the room (although Jared couldn’t understand who was in his body). So he struck. A perfect gedan-zuki, right to his most vital spot. With a moist cry, him father folded forward, slumping against the shelves that held Jared’s free weights.
Jared watched, not quite understanding, still trying to spin himself right side up, as one of the weights rolled off the shelf and then toppled (upward, from him perspective) to strike his father on the back of his head.
It only took a thought and he revolved in place, spinning about his center like a pinwheel. Except that he had no hara.
His father and … his own body… both had muted grayish colors compared to a moment ago. The red glow had vanished from his father. Instead, there was a blackish tinge radiating out from the back of his head, where the weight had struck.
He was definitely unconscious. Maybe worse.
He turned to his own body next. That was also a grayish glow, with a blackish-purple blossoming from the stomach. The bright colors in the face and head were gone. He debated about trying to move his body, but decided against it.
It made a little more sense for his spirit — his soul? — to be here if his body was unconscious, but for a while they’d both been awake. He was sure of that. And when the body finally woke up again, would he go back? He wasn’t sure he wanted to. In his spirit form like this, he felt better than he ever had in the flesh. His body had never “fit” quite right. He wasn’t sure how to describe it. But now, in this spirit form, he felt the difference. For the first time ever, he felt right. He had no ki, no breath, no center, and no body. And despite that, everything was correct in a way that had never been true before. Perhaps he’d achieved a state of grace, being one step closer to the afterlife.
But there was no time for philosophizing. He needed to call an ambulance, and fast! He tried to strip off his right glove, but couldn’t figure out how. His teeth didn’t seem to affect the laces. Now that he looked, the gloves weren’t actually tied. Somehow, the act of wanting it allowed him to slip out of the right glove and drop it on the floor. He reached for himself — his body — trying to feel a pulse or anything. He could feel plenty. He could feel the fading panic in his body, the life-filled flutter of its weak and irregular pulse, but he couldn’t seem to move anything.
Panicking now, he raced into the kitchen. He reached for the phone, but no matter how he tried to grab it, or kick it, or move it, he couldn’t. Him body had as much effect on the physical world as so much fog. The only thing that moved real objects was the stupid boxing glove, still on him left hand. Desperately, he raced back to him room and tried to re-don the right glove, but for some reason, that failed too.
He knew he was running out of time. He moved back to the kitchen and searched quickly for a tool — and spotted the butter knife. Carefully using the clumsy glove, he scooted it partway over the edge of the counter. Finally, he could grab it, clutching it with him “thumb.” Using that, he flipped the phone receiver off the hook and used the knife to punch 9-1-1.
“Hello? This is Jared Reilley!” At least, he’d intended to say that. No sound came out.
The operator spoke on the other end, demanding an answer. Finally they threatened to send a patrol car if no one answered.
Jared’s last action was to use the butter knife to unlatch the chain on the door. He placed the knife back on the edge of the counter, then used the glove to carefully twist the knob of the front door, pulling it open. That would be a sure invitation to the police to come in. Then he “let go” of the glove. He might not be able to touch anything for a while, but at least he’d be able to silently watch. But as he released it, consciousness abruptly winked out.
*****
He knew his father was going to kill him. Clutching the gloves and boxing headgear, if felt like his head exploded — before the first punch was even thrown.
A moment later, the boxing equipment was pulled out of his hands. But then, no punches landed. He looked up, expecting to see his father ready to unleash kicks or punches. Instead, his father was facing... the boxing gloves and headgear, which floated mysteriously in the air. It was almost like an invisible boxer was wearing the gloves and headgear.
As he watched, his father made a jab for the boxer’s chest. That did nothing. It would have hit a real person, but it struck only air. At the same time, the gloves spun through circular arcs. It almost looked like some type of oji waza move. If so, the gloves may have had physical substance, but the invisible boxer didn’t.
He felt a stab of terror as his father snapped a quick glance at him. “You’re doing this, aren’t you? This is one of them achy-dough tricks, isn’t it? It’s not going to save you, bastard!” With that, his father snapped a quick jab straight into the face of the invisible boxer. It passed through the non-existent head, but got caught in the back of the head guard. The padded headpiece seemed to resist, slowly stretching away. Jared could almost imagine sparks or something going off, as the headpiece was suddenly ripped free.
That must have disturbed the boxer, because it backed right up to the wall, so that the gloves almost seemed to have been glued onto the wall like an ornament. The wall over his head!
His father shifted his targeting gaze from the mysterious gloves down to the lump on the floor. The big man gave a nasty grin.
Jared felt a moment of sheer terror as the foot flashed forward, then he felt it rip through his gut and slam him against the wall. Then it went black.
*****
When he woke, he was in a recovery ward in the hospital. The bed was an old enamel-coated metal frame, and the room looked like it had once been white, before the paint had yellowed. Perhaps it had been yellow, and faded over time. The room held nine other beds, but only his was occupied.
As he came awake, he remembered both. He had been lying on the floor as his father kicked him. But he’d also been an invisible boxer. The same scene, the same moments, but he remembered them from two very different perspectives.
He didn’t doubt it. He didn’t think it was a dream or hallucination. It was some sort of miracle, and it had saved his life, he was sure of that. But it had really only postponed the inevitable. Hospital bills on top of everything else would make his father more furious than ever. When Jared finally went home, he knew what would happen. Broken bones, hits that didn’t break the skin but left him bleeding on the inside, and then he’d die.
He knew it, as surely as he knew anything. When he went home, he would die.
The thought terrified him more and more, as he lay in the bed clutching the sheet.
And then the miracle happened again. Something flashed in his head, and suddenly, the sheet was moving as if it was alive. It suddenly slipped free of the bed, bumping the blanket off and then sliding off like some sort of magic carpet.
“Are you me in there?” he asked in wonder.
The blanket paused, then turned and seemed to nod to him. It flew up and wrapped a corner of itself around his hand.
Jared smiled. Despite the massive danger that awaited, he couldn’t help marveling at the antics of this strange, animated piece of fabric.
Eventually, the sheet came back and settled on top of him. There was a sort-of a “pop” feeling, and he suddenly had two sets of memories in his head. There was him-in-bed, which he had definitely been a moment ago, and there was him-in-sheet, which was just as real, and just as immediate. Somehow, for a time, there had been two of him — both as real, as honestly him as the other. Well, that wasn’t quite true. The him-in-sheet had somehow felt truer, more correct, and more real that the version of him left behind in the body. It wasn’t like his soul had been removed — it felt more real than he felt now. It was like the spirit-form, or whatever he should call it, was higher, or better, or improved in some way.
Another thing was becoming clear. Somehow, the spirit-form was connected to material objects — the boxing glove, the sheet. When it “dropped” the last object, it vanished like a popping soap bubble. And that’s when the memories re-appeared in his head.
Could he do it again?
He clutched the sheet and tried to duplicate the feeling he’d had. It wasn’t exactly a push, but it was hard to do —
*****
And he was free again. There was a difference. He wasn’t sure whether it was just as he’d been pushed out, or whether it was him doing it, as he flowed into a form. It was hard to tell, since the intention and direction had been his, and just at the beginning it was hard to tell the difference between the thoughts of him-in-body and him-in-spirit.
Last time, he had flowed into the sheet. He had taken its form and shape, although he provided the life and movement. This time, he’d had more of a sense of himself, and he’d formed a body and pulled the sheet to him. This was the way it had been that first time, with the boxing gloves.
*****
Jared watched as the sheet swirled up. It seemed to be forming a wrap. A toga? No, more of a skin-tight wrap, winding around the body of the invisible spirit-self. He could see the outlines of the body. A corner of the sheet slid up the back of the neck and sat almost like hair on the top of the head.
He suddenly realized something. “Wait a minute — you can’t be me. You’re too tall!”
This had been a sore point for years. He’d always been one of the shorter kids in class, but the last couple of years it seemed like he hadn’t grown at all. Meanwhile, all his classmates were suddenly hitting growth spurts. One of the girls had started the year at his height and was now the third-tallest kid in class.
But not Jared. He didn’t seem to grow a bit. He’d been four-foot-nine for years it seemed.
Yes, the ghost was definitely taller than he was. The spirit, or whatever it was, was as tall as most of his classmates. About middling height, he thought. The height I would have been, if I’d kept growing.
The thought took him by surprise. “Hey, come back! I just thought of something.”
Obligingly, the sheet unwrapped. It was like invisible hands were holding one edge. The invisible hands could be almost be seen by the effect they left, as they moved on the far side of the sheet. Wrapping the sheet around his hands, the invisible spirit used the sheet like gloves, grabbing the blanket and pulling it off. Next, it flipped the sheet out neatly, covering him.
“Yeah? So how are you going to get the blanket back up here, smart guy?”
The fingers trailed along one edge of the sheet, then down to a lower corner. This served as a glove again, grabbing the blanket and flipping it up and over. It took a couple more straightening efforts, but soon the bed was back to normal. Then, there was a rush like wind, and the memories of his other self were back with him.
No, not his other self. His inner self. That was what he’d realized that he had to share. It was the height difference. The spirit was him as he was supposed to be. The height he’d be now, if he’d kept growing. That’s why it felt so right when he was pure spirit. The spirit was him as he was meant to be, not him as he was, in his stunted body. Everyone kept thinking he was eleven or twelve, but he’d just turned fourteen.
Now he had to know for real. How tall was he? Or actually, how tall was he supposed to be?
The first step to finding out was to get a tape measure. He looked at the box of disposable rubber gloves left on the tray beside him. He had a plan for that…
*****
In spirit form, he flowed through the space in the ceiling. Beyond the hanging tiles, there was a fascinating world of pipes and wires. There wasn’t enough space for a person to fit in here, despite what he read in Spiderman comics. But there was plenty of space for a pair of latex gloves and an intangible spirit.
He discovered that he couldn’t poke his ghost-head down through a tile and see into that room. A little of the material that was him had to go into the room before his perception followed. Either that, or a tile had to be moved out of the way so he could see into the room.
He carefully lifted another tile and spotted it: he’d finally found the supply room. And sure enough, here’s where he found several measuring tapes. It was a moment’s work for the gloves to float down and grab the tape. They were as dexterous as human hands, and more sensitive than hands wearing the gloves. It seemed that his sense of touch was on the outer surface of whatever material he inhabited. Not on the inside, as with a normal person just wearing the gloves.
After that, it was a quick trip back above the ceiling tiles.
*****
The next step was getting dressed better. As gloves, he floated over to where they’d laid out his clothes for him. A long-sleeve T-shirt, briefs, and socks. He could keep the gloves for hands. What about his head? He finally settled for a small towel. He could cover his head and let the rest drape down the back. And with a pencil, he could make a subtle mark against the wall and measure himself. He carried the pile back to the bed, so that he could return, and then get re-cast back into the full set of clothes.
It was odd that he couldn’t pick up an object and “add” it to the collection he inhabited, but it was one of the strange limitations of his form.
It was also interesting that, in his physical body, it took effort to pull out his “inner self” — it was like something was suddenly missing. But as soon as spirit-form rejoined physical-form, everything was fine again. He could be cast back out again immediately.
So he dropped the clothes on his body’s chest, then dropped the gloves on top and vanished.
*****
Jared watched as the clothes seemed to inflate. It was definitely like watching an Invisible Man movie — one with great special effects. The towel on the head gave a good indication of height, and his inner self was definitely taller than he was. He was a bit surprised to see that, despite the height growth, his arms hadn’t really gotten much larger. And then he noticed.
At first, it was such an impossibility that he couldn’t believe it. He stared at the invisible figure in underwear and T-shirt, watching the way it walked, bent over, and used the pencil.
Now that he could see it, he couldn’t understand how he missed it before. Everything about the figure made it obvious.
The figure picked up the tape measure and used it against the wall, and held one spot to demonstrate the answer: five-foot-three, a good six inches taller than him.
“Uh huh,” he answered, from his daze. “But I can’t believe you missed the most important part: You’re a girl.”
*****
He’d returned and then been re-cast, over and over. It was coming up on fifteen times now. Every result had been the same. He could be the object, or he could be a girl. Not a boy, not a man, always a girl. He hadn’t believed it. But looking down (or turning his attention downward), the slight mounds of his breasts could be seen. They were small, barely swelling in the front of his T-shirt, but they were undeniable. His gigantic nipples were the most obvious part. Well, maybe not gigantic, but compared to his boy-body…
This time, he was wearing briefs, T-shirt, and gloves only, so he could crawl into bed for a closer check. Jared-physical wanted to examine the outside, and he was extremely curious about what that would feel like on the inside.
So while Jared-physical held the sheets up, he climbed into bed. The sheets came down, covering them both.
He was almost trembling with a mix of anticipation and fear. After all — the other person was just him. He was touching himself, really. There was certainly nothing wrong with that. But still… somehow the idea of a boy touching him there, anyone touching him there…
Jared-physical’s hands slid over his shirt, feeling his narrower waist, wider hips. He could tell, from the inside. The way his hips flared out a bit. Was his butt larger than it was as a boy? It seemed like it. Then the hands moved up to his chest. The fingers traced over him. He could definitely feel the difference. Above and below, there was little skin covering his ribs. It was odd to feel that, since he was an empty shirt. But he could feel the structure of his invisible body, and he knew that to his physical counterpart it felt exactly as if there were a girl in bed, wearing nothing more than a thin T-shirt and boy’s briefs.
The fingers traced again, confirming the presence of his ribs, then moving up to those twin swells of padding, confirming their softness and shape, hands gently cupping his young mounds. He felt his large nipples pressing into the palms. Compared to the boy-body, his girl-nipples consistently stunned him. They were so large!
And oddly, throughout it all, he felt no thrill. No special tingles. Neither pleasure nor pain, as the physical hands grew more bold, poking, tweaking, pinching. He’d been planning to use the gloves to restrain his other self whenever it went too far. But there was nothing. He felt pressure, definitely. He felt his physical body, as it was squeezed and massaged. At least, it seemed like he was feeling a physical body. And he felt texture. Good lord, did he feel texture! It was like his nerve endings were wired straight to the surface of the T-shirt. When boy-Jared rubbed fingers over his nipples, he practically shot out of the bed. It still wasn’t pleasure or pain or interest or irritation. But he could feel so much texture, it was amazing.
He was starting to figure out that he seemed to have more nerve endings in some parts of his “body” than others. For example, the skin of his legs had enough nerves to detect touch, but didn’t seem to have much detailed feeling. On the other hand, the skin of his fingertips was so sensitive that he could gauge fine textures and identify objects by touch. The skin of his nipples seemed to have almost as many nerves as his fingertips, which was a total surprise. His boy-body didn’t have so many nerves there.
Another thing that took him by surprise was how good this made him feel. It wasn’t stimulation from the touching; it was a psychological thing. With every stroke or squeeze, it was confirmed anew that he had breasts. Every time one of boy-Jared’s hands passed up his waist or over his rear, it was clear that he was a girl. And that made him extremely happy. It was a sort of shy pride. It made him want to quietly nuzzle his partner. Which was impossible at the moment, since he had no face.
Why should he feel such happiness and satisfaction in being female? It didn’t make any sense. He was a boy, wasn’t he? But right now, he wasn’t physical-Jared at all; he was his inner self — the way he was meant to be. And that seemed to be a girl. There were implications there, but he wasn’t ready to look too closely at them just yet.
In fact, he wasn’t able to think about much of anything. Boy-Jared was finally moving the target of his explorations. The hands were straying down to his belly, noting the subtle differences from his boy-stomach. Now the hands were touching his briefs.
He knew that he’d scream (or want to, at least) if there was any hint of the ugly boy parts down there. But he wasn’t really sure of what girls were like. What did a girl have?
The fingers teased through the thick cotton, stroking, patting, and feeling. No boy parts, thank goodness. Instead, he seemed to have an elegant smooth contour, which just wrapped smoothly under and came up on his butt. The hand stroked between his legs, feeling, passing from the flat front, smoothly under, and coming out with five fingers spread wide over his butt cheeks.
But… there was a little more detail he could see. As his hand passed down the smooth front, he could feel a bony ridge inside. Then the fingers turned, and passed under him. The hands made another pass. There was a flattish hump on his front side, a small raised area. Just enough to provide a sort of squishy mound. It felt like fat, or extra flesh. And just where the fingers went under, there was more structure there, too. There was a slit that he could feel. He pulled his legs open wider, to give boy-Jared more room to explore.
He knew that girls had some sort of slit there. Everyone knew that! But he hadn’t quite understood the details. Now it seemed like just above his thighs, there were two ridges of flesh. Except that “ridges” made them sound hard. These were soft. Soft, cushiony, fleshy lips that nestled together under his hips, between his legs. When his legs were closed, the lips closed, and all he could feel was a slit running between the closed lips. Like closing your mouth and feeling where the mouth would open. Again, the cushiony sponginess was surprising. Girls had padding in the oddest places. And when he pulled his knees apart, the lips opened, exposing all of him that was hidden inside that innocuous slit.
He couldn’t tell what all of it was. Not with the cotton underpants. But there was a line of flesh down his very middle, and that seemed to split open, too. And there were all sorts of complicated bits down there. The nerve endings were just as dense as on his fingertips or his nipples. He was fascinated by it, and he loved the exploration. Once again, all he could feel was pressure and texture, but he could feel his body. His illusionary, invisible body, but it felt real to him.
And he realized something that he’d been avoiding for a long time. He was a girl. This latest test proved it. He shouldn’t be thinking of himself as a boy in a girl’s body. He was a girl, in a girl’s body.
And he liked it. He — she — he wasn’t sure how to think of himself. He wanted to snuggle in with his partner and keep touching and stroking forever. And another thing — he didn’t want to go back! Boy-Jared was trapped in that stupid boy body. He’d always felt a bit uncomfortable there, a bit off. He’d never known why until now. The answer was here. He felt completely right as a girl. Happy, joyful, quietly proud of herself, delighting in what she was and the shape she wore. He felt good as a girl. Why should he go back to being a boy?
*****
After a half-hour, Jared was startled when the clothes suddenly collapsed. The memories were back. And while he’d been fascinated with the chance to explore a girl’s body, it was nothing compared to the feelings, memories, and emotions that she had felt. It was impossible to think of her in any other way. His inner self — the version of him that was everything he was supposed to be — was a girl. And for no reason he could understand, she’d suddenly evaporated.
Terrified, he tried casting her back into the clothes. He breathed a sigh of relief when the clothes inflated, but he also felt a tinge of jealousy now, too. She got to be the girl, while he was stuck in this dumb boy-body. He hadn’t thought of it like that before, but now the idea wouldn’t leave his mind.
*****
He pretended to be sleeping whenever they looked in on him. He was definitely in no hurry to be released. The last thing he wanted was to go home with his father. So he “slept” and experimented.
He discovered that he couldn’t cast her without “charging up” a physical object. He couldn’t understand why. Perhaps the physical object anchored her spirit form. And she was connected to the anchors — she could move them around. But as soon as she dropped the last anchor, she snapped back into his head. The “charge” lasted about a half-hour, although he could touch her and re-charge, to give more time. Using that trick she stayed out for four hours once, without coming back into his head.
He was also figuring out about his nerves. They got pulled through the entire structure of an “anchor”. When Jared first “charged up”, he could push his self into the anchor (or anchors). If Jared charged himself into a pen, then picked up the pen, his girl-self felt the touch against the barrel of the pen as if someone was stroking her skin and squeezing her, as they wrote with her ballpoint. But it wasn’t like his hand nerves were spread over one part of the pen, while his intimate bits were in another part. Instead, he was the pen. It was hard to describe, but a part of him was the outside barrel, a part was the spring. Several parts of him were the clicker. He could feel all his parts, and feel how they all fit together. He could hold the ball still, so it didn’t roll and no ink came out. Or he could squeeze the ink, so that it out shot out in a blot. He could use himself to write, although his handwriting wasn’t as good as when he was in girl-form. As a pen he could fly around the room as a missile, or unscrew and take himself apart.
As a piece of tubing, he could coil and twist like a snake. As a sheet, he could flap around as a living sheet, unconstrained by human shape and limitations. He could turn into a flying carpet, becoming solid enough for his physical body to sit on, while he flew around the room. He discovered that as a spirit, he was a little stronger than he was in his physical body. And as a spirit, he never got tired.
If he didn’t actively push himself into the object, he tended to form in girl-shape. In that case, he had a body of silvery sparkles (or so it looked to his spirit-vision), all his nerves were in the normal location, and the anchor objects were pulled to his body and wrapped around him like clothes. His nerves seemed to get pulled through the object, so that it felt like the surface of his skin was along the surface of the object. His dexterity was very good in this form — he could thread a needle, write legibly, and do anything that he could as a normal person. And from the outside, it felt like there were a real girl inside the clothes. She was invisible, but you could feel the structure of her body — bony elbows, soft breasts, muscular belly — everything felt normal.
No matter what he did, he couldn’t pick up, or transfer to, or slip into a new anchor-object. It had to be there when was being “charged up.” He could “drop” anything, at any time, but dropping the last anchor always sent him back to his body. He could use gloves to handle normal objects, but he was merely holding them. He had no special connection to them.
He broadened his experiments. If he charged into a pillow, he could be the pillow. If there was a hole in the pillow, he could control every feather (although it became progressively more difficult to keep track of them all).
But he had limitations, too.
First was the fact that the different “parts” of him all had to be within about six feet of each other. His spirit-body wasn’t able to stretch farther than that. And if some piece was pulled out of the six-foot zone, it hurt worse and worse until it broke free from him, or he dropped it. This was the only way he’d found of causing pain for his spirit-form.
Second was his half-hour time limit. It didn’t matter if his physical body fell asleep in the meantime, and he didn’t seem to have a distance limitation (he’d animated a dead fly, and by hopping from doctor to visitor to car to train, he’d managed to get over twenty miles away before the half-hour had passed).
One thing Jared never did, though, was to allow anyone else to know about his “inner self.” Soon enough, he’d have to leave the hospital. When that happened, he intended to use his miraculous secret to help him escape. He was going to run away from home, and never come back. His father wouldn’t be able to find him, and he’d finally be safe.
2: Refuge
Topeka, Kansas May 22, Monday
“…so everything looks good,” the doctor reassured him. “We’re always concerned when there’s internal hemorrhaging, and you were bleeding inside, in your tummy.” For some reason, adults always spoke to him as if he was some sort of half-witted child. “But that seems to be healing on its own. Fortunately there’s no sign of infection or secondary effects. We’d like to keep you overnight tonight for observation, but tomorrow you’ll finally be able to get out of here.”
He nodded quietly, not showing any emotion. Inside, he was already planning to eat the biggest meal he could. He’d sneak out around midnight, right after the nurse checked up on him.
“How’s my father?”
“Well, Miss Baker is here to talk to you about that. She’s a social worker with CPS. Have you heard of that?”
Jared bit his lip. This would complicate things. “Uh, you’re the government group that … takes,” his father had said steals, “children from their families.”
The woman smiled. “Not exactly.” She was a cheerfully plump brunette, not much taller than his girl-form. “CPS is the Child Protective Service, and you and I both know how you got hurt, don’t we?”
Jared didn’t say a word; he just stared at her, waiting for her to continue.
“We step in when parents are hurting their children. We’re here to protect children. Doesn’t that sound like a good thing?”
Again, he was non-committal.
“If you’re in a place where you’re being hurt, we move you for a while to a new house, where people can watch over you and protect you, and where you won’t be hurt any more. Doesn’t that sound like a good thing?” No reaction. “It would help a lot if you could talk to us. Especially if you talked to a judge.”
He knew exactly how well that would go over. His father had beaten him several times about what would happen to him if he ever talked. On the other hand, he was already planning to run away. And since his father seemed to have decided that Jared wasn’t his biological son, any restraint he had once had would be gone. Going home was a death sentence whether he talked or not.
“I think you’d like it.”
“Look,” he finally said. “I’m fourteen, not ten or eleven, or whatever you’re thinking. And I’ll agree to talk to the judge, but only if you can guarantee that I never, and I mean NEVER, go back to live with that man. I don’t even want to see him again.”
She seemed taken aback by that. “I’ll have to talk to the judge, first.”
He reached out, offering to shake her hand. “Let me know.”
As she shook his hand, he make contact with the sleeve of her silk blouse. Should he…? He did.
*****
She came alive. Jared was only touching the cuff of the blouse, but somehow she flowed into all the clothes connecting to that. It seemed to be most of the non-living material touching Miss Baker. Not the hair or surface skin cells, but she flowed smoothly through the garments and purse — blouse, bra, skirt, panties, pantyhose, and onward.
She reeled back, metaphorically. This was way more than she’d wanted! As quickly as she could, she dropped everything, skipping back down until all she still clung to was a single broach on Miss Baker’s chest.
That, she could handle. She smiled grimly to herself. Talk about ‘too much information’!
Miss Baker was just speaking to the doctor.
“How serious was it really?”
“Not too bad. We were lucky. There was no intestinal rupture; the organs appear to be fine. Blows like that are tricky. A weightlifter or boxer has the musculature to take something like that without even blinking. A child is a very different thing. And from the way he was talking, not only is this not the first time, but I think he’s terrified of what might happen next time.”
The woman spoke in a quiet fury. “I just can’t understand the kind of monster that would do that to a — a child!” Finally, she asked, “How’s the father?”
“Still unconscious. We’ve stabilized his head, but there was internal bleeding. It’s too early to tell whether there will be noticeable brain damage. I wouldn’t expect him to wake for another day or two. Even when he does, it may be weeks before he remembers the day of the accident, and he’ll probably never get back the incident itself. Head wounds are like that. You can expect to permanently lose anything from minutes to hours immediately preceding the wound.”
“That will give us time to arrange foster care then.”
“I should think so.”
“Can you keep him here for an extra night, if we need to?”
“One night. As you saw, that ward was empty. I’ll have problems with more than that, though.”
Jared had heard what she needed. No escape tonight. And if things worked out, she might not have to run at all.
3: Facing fears
Topeka, Kansas June 28, Wednesday
Upon hearing the alarm, he moved through the usual motions. Still half asleep, he slapped the alarm off, then slapped the gloves, “charging” Jinn, as they now called the process. It was hard to compare to a physical exhaustion, since it wasn’t exactly, but it felt about as tiring as running up and down the stairs a couple of times. Not bad, but more than a few times in quick succession would wear him out for a bit.
That done, he swung his feet to the ground and rubbed his eyes.
*****
Jinn flexed her fingers in the gloves, ensuring a good fit, then rose up toward the closet. They had quickly realized that gravity had no meaning to her. She didn’t have a body, really, only silvery mist. She could stand upside-down on the ceiling, stand sideways on the wall, stand through the bed and his body, or stand happily in mid-air. She was only constrained by her own imagination. And now that her mind was opening to the possibilities, she was learning to fly. Well, to glide.
It was a heady experience. Admittedly, it didn’t feel any different. There was no wind (not at the modest gliding speed she’d been able to attain). But to be able to glide up high in the sky and look down on the world, to hover at cloud height, or see a bird’s nest from just above, these experiences were fascinating.
Right now she was after a more material form of treasure. Pulling open the closet, she rose up to the ceiling, at the front left corner. A piece of plaster lifted away, revealing a nine-inch hole. The material of her gloves slipped through into the attic proper. No one had been up here since the house had been built. It was here that she kept the small footlocker, filled with her girl clothes, her body stocking, wigs, and all the other vital items she’d been able to collect. This time she’d be bringing down extra clothes.
*****
Jared watched, half-eager, half-afraid, as she came back down with today’s supplies. One brown plastic grocery bag filled with items from the footlocker. The gloves dumped the collection on the bed and the invisible girl began sorting through it. He hesitated, shivering as the floating gloves picked a set of panties with triple frills on the front, handing it to him.
It was the logical extension of what had been happening.
His inner self — they’d named her “Jinn” — was definitely a girl. She was glad to be a girl; it made her feel whole and complete and right in a way that Jared had never felt. She hated going back to his “boy body.” One of the things she liked was dressing up. Skirts, blouses, bras, panties, anything feminine at all seemed to make her happy.
And she’d finally gotten the idea that if she was a girl, and if she was Jared’s inner self and perfect form, then he must also be a girl. Inside. It’s just that his body had gotten things wrong, somehow. And although the ideas made plenty of sense when he was Jinn, once he was back in his body again, he kept hearing objections. Well, mostly he heard the imaginary voice of his father, and the kids in his class mocking him. His father would be so humiliated that he would take the belt and —
But the truth was, he wanted to try on the panties. They were very pretty. He could wear them, and imagine that he was a girl for real. It was getting harder and harder to cope, each time he came back to his physical body. He could wear the panties and they’d never know at the club. If he were honest, he’d admit that he wanted to wear a bra, too, but they’d spot that at the club.
Carefully, he slipped on the panties. They were snug, and fit just right. He had to tuck his boy parts back between his legs. He’d be just as happy if those parts just withered up and fell off.
He’d been letting his hair grow. It wasn’t much yet, but there were other Japanese girls around. Most of them had pretty short hair. Unable to hold back, he grabbed Jinn’s bra and put it on. It was too big for him, of course, since it was an A-cup. But he tried to comb his hair forward a little, hiding some of the more boyish features in his face. He looked at himself in the mirror and tried to imagine he was a girl.
There was a knock on the door that nearly caused him to drop dead from heart failure.
“Jared? Are you about ready? You don’t have much time for breakfast, if you still plan to leave early.” It was Mrs. Lasater.
He dove toward the bed, grabbing the gloves and charging them. As Jinn was flying to hold the door closed, he yelled, “I’m getting dressed! I’ll be right there.”
“Alright. Your breakfast is already on the table.”
Pulling off the bra, he practically jumped into his ugly boy clothes. Checkered polyester pants — no combination could possibly be more hideous. Loafers. A tan polo shirt. Ugg. It wasn’t just that they were such boy clothes. He suspected that even if he liked boy clothes, he would have been made ill by this selection.
With his adrenaline still granting extra speed, he was dressed in a few moments. The gloves floated back, moving around him and synchronized with him, pulling up his socks, zipping his pants, and running a quick comb through his hair. He and she weren’t perfectly coordinated, but they were working on it.
Abruptly, his mind filled with Jinn’s memories as she fell back into him. From the corner of his eye he saw the gloves drop to the bed.
He stepped back to the bed, gathered the clothes and items in his hands, and then charged her again. Before she formed up, he tossed the package out his window, to the ground of the first floor below. Then he walked downstairs to eat with his ‘parents.’
He still wore the panties, and he was very aware of them.
The Lasaters weren’t bad. Certainly better than his own father. But they kept the relationship cool and professional. There was no chance of a real bond forming; they made very sure that he knew they were only foster parents, paid to do a job, and purely temporary.
“Afraid you’ll miss the bus?” Jerry asked, sipping his coffee. “It’s a bit early.”
“Um, I’m going to meet Jinn at the bus stop.” It was true enough. “Don’t want to be late.”
“Are you ever going to introduce us to this girlfriend of yours?” Anna asked. “You’ve been seeing her, what, almost since you moved in with us.”
“Just about,” Jerry agreed. “Over a month now.”
“Uh… it’s kind of up to her. She’s kind of weird.” Like, for example, she had no body, and spent half her time living in his head.
“We’d still like to meet her,” Anna insisted.
“I’ll try to convince her,” Jared promised, stuffing the last of his toast into his mouth.
“You’re probably catching lunch at the club. Back for dinner, as usual?”
“Uh huh. Maybe a little late. I’m going to hit the mall.”
“How late?” He’d heard this tone from Jerry before. Despite the sound of it, it wasn’t so much that Jerry was concerned for him, as that Jerry wanted to scrupulously obey the proper behavior of a foster parent. He did an excellent job. Jared sometimes wished the man had a little more warmth, but he was usually distracted by his own problems.
“Uh, nine thirty. That’s the last bus. That okay?”
“No later than that.”
“Okay.” And he hurried out the door.
*****
He stepped to the bed, gathered the clothes and items in his hands, and then charged her again. There was a moment of disorientation, and then he realized he was standing through the bed, connected to all the items in the bag.
As always, when he came alive as Jinn there was the thrill of realizing the he was a she — that he wasn’t Jared (for the moment), she was Jinn. She might not have a physical body, but she was definitely a girl in this form. Somehow, there was never any doubt of that.
She held her pieces together, but remained passive as she fell to the ground. Once there, she lifted the bag en mass, and quickly glided into the ring of trees at the back of the public playground across the street. Slightly screened, she allowed herself to flow fully into the black, full-body leotard. It immediately inflated, filling out with her form. She ran a quick hand check over the manikin head, blonde wig, oversized straw hat, gloves, socks, and shoes. She “released” her grip on the turtleneck sweater and skirt, letting them settle and drape over her leotard-clad form. It looked more natural that way. She cleared her throat (that’s the way she thought of it) to make sure the speaker was in place below her neck. There was a five-inch speaker today — although with the practice she’d devoted, she could sound almost as good using far cheaper materials. Then she took her seat on the swing and slowly swung back and forth, while she waited for Jared to come out.
She’d managed to scavenge a good collection from the trash bins in the mall. The expired clothes were slated for destruction. The mall rent-a-cops kept people away from the trash rooms, but they never seemed to notice a pair of gloves floating through, sorting, collecting. Slipping through the spaces in the ceiling worked as well as it had back in the hospital. She liked to think she’d remained on the proper side of the moral line, even if she wasn’t strictly inside the law. Everything she’d taken was intended for either the dump or the incinerator. The chipped manikin head, the three wigs, the skirts, sweaters, and blouses. Even the underwear that Jared was wearing.
She swung again, admiring the swish of her skirt as she thought about her problems.
Everything had seemed so wonderful until that first leotard. Jared’s exploration of her body in the leotard had been pleasant for her, and bittersweet for him. More and more, he was thinking of how he didn’t want to touch her; he wanted to be her. And from her perspective, she was beginning to wonder how all of this would feel to a real flesh-and-blood girl. Which left them with the same problem and the same solution. Somehow, Jared had to become a girl for real.
It was so obvious when she was in spirit form. As Jared, she kept remembering words like “impossible.” That was one of the reasons it had taken this long to get him out in public with a simple pair of panties on. But she and Jared were the same person. And they were coming to realize that they liked being a girl, and they didn’t much like being a guy. The feeling was only growing stronger over time. In fact, she sometimes worried that the pressure was getting too strong. She had an outlet, but Jared didn’t. She thought that dressing might help relieve that psychological pressure.
And maybe if she could do more as a real girl — but she wasn’t ready for public scrutiny yet. Her voice was pretty normal sounding now. But once people got closer than about ten feet, they noticed the manikin head and kind of freaked out. She could see it in the precise moment when their auras suddenly flashed into banana yellow or pea green. The large hat wasn’t exactly proper fashion, but it kept her face in the shade. That helped a little, getting her as close as ten feet to normal people. She’d tried both a veil and a surgical mask. The mask might have worked in Japan, but not here in America. The best she could manage was dark sunglasses, Audrey Hepburn style, combined with a black veil and the hat over her head. That worked up to about four feet, unless she really had to interact with someone. Then they always freaked. And she’d have to duck around a corner, drop everything but her gloves, and stuff her ‘body’ away in her purse to hide the evidence before someone could catch her in the act.
Well, if today worked out, she’d solve that problem, too.
She spotted Jared hurrying out with a tinge of orange for his embarrassment at wearing his caddy clothes in public. There weren’t many jobs available for a fourteen-year-old (who looked twelve) and was living in foster care. Being a caddy paid best of all the choices she’d seen.
*****
He immediately saw Jinn swinging on the swings while she waited, like usual. He passed an admiring eye over her. Why couldn’t he look like that? Okay, the veil was weird, but the black bodysuit under her clothes maybe implied some sort of Goth thing. Most people seemed to accept it. He noticed that she still couldn’t swing and make it look natural. The chain hung loosely, as if the swing was holding a weight of only a few pounds — such as some clothes and a pair of shoes. She was going to have to figure out how to be “heavy” when she needed to be.
He ran up to her, and gave her a new “charge” as they touched. Immediately, they both adjusted the bezel on their diver’s watches. Constant practice had increased Jinn’s time to 43 minutes on a single charge. But he’d been keeping her going almost constantly, ever since discovering the power. It had become an obsession with him. She was his innermost self, his better half. So long as she was active, he was walking the world as a real girl somewhere. Perhaps a disembodied ghost-girl, but he needed to get in as much girl time as he could. That was one reason they rode the bus together despite the added expense. The empty bus was a chance for her to “get out in the real world” and feel like she was actually taking part in it. Those experiences were still rare enough to be treasured, and were well worth the cost of bus fare.
Reaching out, he took her hand and rudely yanked her out of the swing.
“Hey! What was that for?”
Despite her tone, he knew she had a tough time staying angry with himself. All he had to do was wait for the end of the bus ride, when they’d merge again.
“Heavy, remember? Real girls don’t float to the ground when they’re yanked out of their seat.”
“Yeah, yeah. You sure I can’t just fly, instead?” She drifted up horizontal, as if lying on an invisible bed.
“NO! Normal weight. Remember that.”
“Slave driver.”
*****
The caddy room was empty, so he ushered her in. She’d gotten the change ‘n’ stash routine down to ten seconds. It was actually kind of disturbing to watch, since the gloves were the last things to go. She pulled off her shoes (and feet, it looked like), socks, hat, hair, head. As she went, the pile of neatly folded clothes quickly grew, but it looked as if she were dismembering herself. Finally, her bodysuit deflated and the gloves folded the leotard, then dropped to the top of the stack and he felt her memories falling into him again.
He quickly hurried outside to set up Mr. Cavendale. Once he knew which ball the man was using, he charged Jinn into it.
*****
Being a golf ball was good training. She’d tried it a couple of different ways. Being in her ghost body, while she ‘held’ the ball in her hand. She’d decided that she preferred just being bonded to the golf ball, so that it became her body. Even without her ethereal body, she was still completely female.
She still wasn’t sure how a ghostly spirit could have a gender, but she definitely had one. Whether in her ethereal spirit-form, or just bound entirely into an object — she still felt distinctly female. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she did.
And that was exactly what Jared was beginning to fear. When they were in his physical body, he had learned enough to sense that same feminine spirit — only encased in male flesh.
If she’d only ever been Jared, it might have taken her much longer to figure it out. Instead, she had felt her spirit in dozens, hundred of different situations. On the inside, she now recognized that she was the same everywhere. The same girl. But the outside…
She gave herself different names, for convenience. ‘Jared’ for when she was stuck in her physical body, and ‘Jinn’ for when she was out, when she could be a complete girl.
Jared was scared of the idea. He knew that doctors could do something, but that was a pretty big thing to be facing. So as Jared he did his best to deny it, and as Jinn she fumed at her own indecisiveness.
But for now, she stopped her perennial grumbling and concentrated on her training. In this case it required her to be perfectly passive. The first time she’d tried this had been Miss Baker’s clothes. But she’d made some goofs with the golf balls. People tended to stare if your golf ball was whacked into the sky, only to suddenly pause and hang there, before belatedly dropping straight to the ground.
Now she had so much experience with being passive that she could do it in her sleep (if she could sleep in this state, which didn’t seem to be possible). The her-plus-golf-ball always went exactly where it was whacked, and nowhere else. Okay, maybe she’d nudged an occasional putt or pushed a ball to the edge of the rough, but that didn’t really count.
And despite the startling surprise of being suddenly whacked from the tee (it didn’t really hurt), the view as she sailed over the golf course was just killer!
*****
“You ready?” he asked, as he changed out of the atrocious golf pants into cutoffs and a T-shirt.
“Believe it,” squeaked the stuffed kitten that clung to his hair. People looked strangely at a boy with such a toy on his shoulder, but he didn’t care.
*****
“Absolutely the best, most lifelike Madonna mask you can buy.” The man laid it on the counter with care. “If you really want to use it, you’re going to need the spirit gum to apply it. And it should be properly applied, too, blending in the lips and eyelids. I don’t guarantee quality, if a buncha you school kids want to use it for some prank.”
“I’ll take it just like this, thanks.” He carefully counted out the precious cash from his tips.
The mask was magnificent. It looked just like real skin. It moved and shifted, but was nice and thick. It seemed sturdy.
He wasn’t really worried about the eyelids. So what if she was slightly wide-eyed and never blinked? The lips were more of a problem, but the mask had enough to cover the outside of the mouth. For the inside, he had a fake tongue from a gag shop, and dentures liberated from a dentist’s trash bin.
Reverently, he took his new possession with him, going only as far as the nearest handicap restroom. He locked the door to the private room. Whereupon the stuffed animal leapt off his shoulder and glided into his backpack. A flash of memories later, and he took the bag holding Jinn’s clothes, added the mask on top, then charged her into it.
There was the swirl of activity that he’d grown used to, as all the pieces floated up and into place. Teeth, speaker behind the mouth, fake tongue, face in place, black hood outlining the rest of the head, the long blonde wig above that. The masterpiece was the pair of novelty plastic eyeballs. They were oversized, with huge irises that gave her a touch of animé character appearance. It didn’t hurt that the irises were more-than-mutant exotic in color, alternating purple and gold streaks.
She gave the appropriate tugs, as her sweater and skirt dropped into place, falling from her ‘grasp’ as she released her TK hold on them.
Jared stared at her. She was wide-eyed perfection. Not a hint of his own Asiatic eye shape. Impossibly long blonde hair, perfectly managed but loose and wind-blown. Those impossible eyes. She was missing eyelashes on top, but he didn’t care. She opened her mouth to speak. He could see her teeth, her tongue moving in her mouth. It all looked normal and correct.
“You’re beautiful!” he said, in a voice barely above a whisper. She was a fourteen-year-old bombshell. Wide-eyed innocence with her first curves just beginning to show. She was much taller than him — 5’ 3”, and unlike him, she sure didn’t look twelve. She looked fifteen. That was due to the face, which looked so much older than the rest of the body.
“Beautiful?” Her voice was half-joyful, and half-disbelieving. “Really? Ready for the street?” She bent over to retrieve her hat.
“You won’t even need the hat. But I think you will want the sunglasses. Unless you want everyone to stare at you.”
She smiled at him, and her lips actually moved. They stretched — naturally — into the proper shape. The rest of her face responded correctly, looking perfectly natural. This is much better than the manikin head, he thought.
“Yeah,” he repeated. “You’re ready.”
*****
They walked the mall together. She was a real girl, an attractive blonde (that thought still blew her mind). With her was a twelve-year-old boy in cutoffs and a Pokémon T-shirt. They didn’t look quite like boyfriend and girlfriend. At fifteen and twelve, it didn’t quite work. It would have been sister and brother, but her blonde self had no resemblance to Jared.
Still, they managed.
Guys kept coming up to her, saying she looked familiar and asking what her name was. She kept telling them she was new in town, and didn’t know them.
They stopped for a snack in the food court. Jinn didn’t need anything, of course, but Jared had a hot dog.
He looked at her with a wistful look of longing on his face. Under that, she could see the shiny green of envy. She knew that everyone who saw them probably thought he was in love with her, but his want and envy had a very different source.
They looked at a few more shops, and then she spotted something odd. There was a man following them. He was a fair distance back, and she wouldn’t have seen him if she hadn’t been able to see out of the back of her head. This all-around vision took some getting used to, but with the month of practice she’d had, she was now regularly watching in every direction. This fellow has the rosy tint of interest to his aura, but he also had a disturbing silvery sheen to the aura. He had a baseball cap that he kept pulled down, so she hadn’t been able to spot his face.
She leaned over and told Jared what she’d seen.
“Should we look for a security guard?”
“What would we tell him?”
So they decided to get a little cleverer. The first trick was to get Jinn packed away back in the backpack. With someone suspicious following, that left out any plans where Jared doubled-back to pick things up. He might run straight into his follower. His next thought was to use the bathrooms, but he might get cornered there. Finally the spotted a garden store. It seemed likely to be less concerned with shoplifters and less suspicious of teenagers. It also had a number of tall displays that Jinn could hide behind.
They walked in together. Jared casually dropped his backpack on the floor behind a tall rack of fertilizer products. He’d already unzipped it. Jinn stayed with the pack while Jared continued at his same pace.
Jinn didn’t bother folding herself, she virtually stuffed herself into the backpack, keeping the gloves until the last second, when Jared walked back around. A bodiless glove picked up the pack and handed it to him, so that he didn’t even pause in his walk. Then the gloves tucked themselves into his pocket, and she vanished.
*****
Now that Jinn was back, he had a lot more options. It was sometimes handy to have two people, but Jinn’s powers helped her, not him. Now that she was back and he could cast her when he needed her, he had a lot more flexibility.
First he wanted to get a good look at his follower. Was it someone he recognized? Were there more of them, maybe a team? Was the follower being followed? He picked a penny out of his pocket and charged it, then tucked it into the waistband of his pants. The penny slid down his leg inconspicuously, out of sight of the crowd. It lay on the floor, ignored by everyone that passed.
Jared continued on straight, allowing his pursuer to follow in his footsteps.
Jinn returned barely a minute later, quicker than he’d expected. The news was bad: It was his father!
That told him everything he needed to know. He father would either be dragging him home (by force) or just looking to unload some frustration. Probably the first so that he could do the second in private. Either way, it was bad news.
He could probably get help if he went to a mall guard — but all sorts of details might come out. Like his current address. If that happened, he knew his old man would find out somehow and tracking him down. It was better just to avoid any problem in the first place.
He could run for it. That would be his last-ditch plan, because even if he stayed ahead of his father, it wouldn’t do much good to beat the man to the bus stop by 50 feet. But he might get away clean if he used Jinn. He thought as he walked. Jinn could slow his father down somehow — tangle him up or trip him or cause some kind of trouble. Maybe push a heavy box on his head — he certainly deserved it!
Or… Jinn could help him fly! He could cast her into his clothes and shoes, and she could lift him right off the ground. He could jump up someplace impossibly high, or jump down — maybe from the second level to the first level, bypassing the stairs and elevators.
He formed a quick plan. First, he walked halfway down the mall, looking for likely hiding spots. The exit nearest the bus stop had a joke and novelty store. He’d purchased eyeballs, a rubber tongue, and other useful items here. This time, he bought three dozen realistic plastic flies. They were bigger than he really wanted, but it was the best he could do. He put the bag in his backpack, but took a handful for his pocket. Then he headed back in the opposite direction, directly away from the bus-stop exit.
A quick check in the reflective glass of a storefront showed the follower still behind him, five stores back. He could have used Jinn to check, but the whole charge-look-pop-back thing was a little inconvenient. In fact, his plan relied on Jinn keeping tabs on his father. The biggest problem was that if he and Jinn were separated, she wouldn’t know when she needed to come back to him. What if he needed her, but she was off in a different part of the mall?
He thought through his plan again, trying to figure the timing and coordination. Finally, he thought he had it.
The store ahead of him sold fine furniture. Expensive sofas and chairs, dining room tables, beds, and bookcases. It also had the advantage of being a “pass through” store — it was in the middle section of the mall, and its near and far walls opened onto different hallways.
For once, Jared blessed his small stature. He walked up to a table, set with decorative candleholders in the middle. He touched one and charged — putting Jinn into the candleholder, his clothes, shoes, and backpack. She could straddle it all, provided that he stayed close to the candlestick holder.
The salesman looked into the hallway, and Jared ducked under the table. Instantly, Jinn lifted him up. His feet turned out to the sides, to remain flatter. One hand tucked into his backpack. Belatedly, he stuck the other into his pocket. Now Jinn held up everything but his head. He turned that to the side, pressing his ear to the flat underside of the table. His head was flatter that way.
It was up to Jinn, now. That’s why he’d touched the candlestick holder. With part of her “self” up above the table, she’d be able to keep watch.
Quicker than he expected, he spotted the shoes and pants of his pursuer. They walked forward briskly, then paused by his table! Jared tried to breathe as shallowly as he could.
“Looking for anything in particular?” It was the salesman. He touched something on the table, and Jared could hear him readjusting the candlestick holder. If the man pulled it more than a few feet away, it would break free of Jinn and she’d have no way to watch, above. Worse, her concentration might falter for a second, dropping him.
He pressed tighter, trying to hide behind the wood framing that edged the underside of the table. It provided a four-inch lip that further sheltered him.
Both sets of feet moved on. A moment later, Jared floated to the ground. He quickly scrambled to his feet. Doubling back, he headed out the original door. At the same time, he withdrew a black plastic fly, charged it, and flicked it toward the far exit — the exit his father had taken. He set the bezel on his watch — to count seconds, this time. Jinn was to follow for 30 seconds. If she couldn’t find him, she’d pop back.
“You! Kid! Where’d you come from?”
Jared gave a start. He hadn’t expected the salesman to care about a young kid. “What are you talking about? I’ve just been looking.”
He made his way out of the store and past the salesman. He was careful to walk in the wrong direction initially. After a moment, the salesman shrugged and went back to work.
Jinn reported back a minute later. She’d been a “fly on the wall,” sticking close to the ceiling while she followed her father. He was headed in the wrong direction, moving slowly as he tried to inconspicuously look into near-by stores.
Jared charged another fly, and sent it after the first. This time, she had three minutes to find her father. If she couldn’t, she’d come back. He figured he could do without her powers for that long — they were still in public.
For his part, he made his way along he pre-planned route, moving as quickly as he could without attracting notice. Two minutes later, he was outside and heading for the bus stop. Ten minutes later, Jinn still hadn’t returned, which was good news. After thirty minutes, he was on the bus and headed home. That’s when he felt the flush, as Jinn’s memories washed into him. It was hard not to smile.
She’d found her father fairly quickly. He’d still been moving from store to store. She’d flown down, doing her best to emulate the unpredictable flight path of a fly, and lighted atop of her father’s baseball cap. From this vantage, she’d ridden along, perfectly tracking her quarry as he moved from store to store, slowly increasing in frustration. After ten minutes, he’d gone back to prowling the main walkways, hoping to get lucky again. He’d never even thought to look outside.
It was good news that they’d been able to get away so easily. The bad news was that next time his father found him, he probably wouldn’t wait. Given this failure of the subtle approach, if his father spotted him again he’d probably move in immediately to grab his “property.”
But that was a problem for another day.
4: Dressing up
Topeka, Kansas July 25, Tuesday
It had taken nearly than a month. A month of urging Jared to try the bra, see how this blouse felt, try the skirt, let’s do your hair. A month of her being a girl, him wanting it desperately, and going into denial. A month of pointing out how useful the disguise would be, for avoiding his father. And despite their very different opinions on the matter, they were the same person.
The entire difference seemed to be that there were major biological components to emotion and thought. A perfect example was facing up to their father. Jared froze, she didn’t. But they were the same person. Nearly any emotion was richer for him than it was for her.
When it came down to it, he was scared and she wasn’t.
They both knew how much he wanted to do this. She’d had the clothes ready for weeks. But when push came to shove, he chickened out. Well, not today. After waking, the plan had come to her. She’d packed the extra clothes. Of course, he knew that as soon as they merged, but he hadn’t unpacked them.
So she worked on him.
“Look, ever since the bit with your father, we’ve hit random malls, right? And this one is, what, twenty-three miles? There’s no way anyone we know will be there. It’s Tuesday, so the crowd’s light. I’m a brunette now, so your father shouldn’t recognize me. If you’re a girl, he won’t be able to recognize you, either.
He’d finally uttered the fateful words. “I’ll try.”
*****
Jinn studied the new girl with a critical eye. Girl-Jared was wearing her favorite panties with the triple frill. Despite her fears, you could see how happy ‘she’d’ been to slide on the half-slip, to fasten on the small training bra. Each and every step moved her a little closer to being the girl she needed to be. Now Jinn stepped back to examine the entire effect.
The girl wore a light green sleeveless blouse that didn’t quite reach her waist. A glimpse of belly button showed through. Her tube skirt came to mid thigh, and she wore open-toed sandals. There was no way she’d ever pass as a more grown-up girl, not at 4’ 9”, but she looked fine as a precocious pre-adolescent girl — perhaps eleven or twelve. A twelve that looked definitely eager for sixteen. But it was nice to know that the hair worked. They’d been letting Jared’s hair grow out for a couple of months now. It was just long enough for the boy to keep it in a pony tail, low on his neck. The girl wore it loose, brushed out, reaching to almost her shoulders. It hung almost straight, except that it tended to curl in slightly at the bottom. Overall, it tended to emphasize the oval shape of ‘her’ face. It also seemed to hide her, slightly. When ‘he’ had it pulled back, his face was completely exposed. But ‘she’ was almost surrounded by her hair. When she tipped her head forward or looked at her feet, the oval of hair fell in around her face, hiding her.
Like much of his looks, Jared had inherited the hair from his now-departed mother. A complexion that looked slightly tan, a modest Asian cast to the eyes, and that beautiful straight, sable-black hair. Jinn cocked her head, studying the new girl. To be honest, the slightly flatter face made it look like she still had a bit of baby fat (even more emphasized by the shape of her face). The small nose looked good, especially on a young girl.
“You pass,” Jinn decided. “How do you feel?”
They’d carefully picked a name for the new girl. She was “Jade.” It had implications of China more than Japan, but they both like it a lot. “Jade” came out of the stall and looked in the mirror. Suddenly her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. “It feels really good,” she said quietly.
“Ready to admit it? That this is what you want for real and forever?”
“Ji-inn! I haven’t even been out in public yet.”
The taller, older-seeming brunette took the hand of the shorter, Asian girl. “Then come on, girlfriend. We’re finally going to get those ears pierced.”
*****
He walked through the mall as if he were walking the streets of heaven itself. He kept thinking to himself, I am JADE. A girl. I’m not a boy any more. And it worked! People looked, but they gave him normal looks.
His feelings were hardly a surprise, more confirmation. Was this was who he wanted to be? Could he become “Jade” for real? Could he leave “Jared” behind forever?
But it all came down to small steps. Dressing, walking in public like this was something he’d worked up to for weeks. Getting ‘her’ ears pierced made for a pretty big second step.
When the jewelry counter had an unexpected line, ‘Jade’ took a seat and picked up a copy of Seventeen to read. Someday... she thought to herself, daring to dream about being a real girl, and growing up female.
“Shall I hang with you?” Jinn asked her.
Jade shook her head, more than content to be out in public, dressed as she was. “I’d like you back here to hold my hand… when it happens. But my appointment doesn’t come up for thirty minutes. You want to wander, don’t you?”
“And how!”
“Okay, let me -” but Jinn was already extending a hand for a quick charge. Both girls twisted the dials on their watches to mark off 50 minutes from now.
*****
She prowled. She walked the mall, like any normal person. People still gave her occasional odd looks. Many of them would recognize something familiar in her Madonna-mask face. It was a lot easier now that she’d abandoned the blonde wig. So the people would shrug and move on. They usually attributed it to her eclectic clothing selection. Who could follow teen fashions these days? And there was no shortage of oddly dressed fifteen-year-old girls in the mall. So she had a thing for electric blue, or Hello Kitty, or leggings and sandals. Partly it was a mix she was experimenting with, partly it was because she was colorblind, and partly because she was limited in what she could acquire from the incinerator bins.
She came to the makeup counter, but quickly moved on. It was interesting, but she couldn’t let them examine her face too closely. What would they do if they realized it wasn’t skin? So she moved on, perpetually trying to copy the walk and mannerisms of the other girls her age.
The next shop was a bank outlet, where there appeared to be a robbery in progress. After that was the figurines and collectibles store.
She stopped and looked back into the bank. Yep. Every single person with a glassy-eyed stare, except for the man in the tailored pinstripe suite, who seemed to be directing them.
Unsure quite what to do, she stepped in. There was an alarm panic button on the far wall. She began to stride forward.
“Oh Miss!” It was Mr. Pinstripe, calling out to her. His voice was silky and rich. “Miss, don’t you care at all what I say? I’d really like just a moment of your time. I’m sure we’d both be happier if you helped me out here.”
“Yeah, right,” she muttered, heading faster for the switch.
“Stop her!” Pinstripe shouted, and immediately a wall of men and women stepped forward. Before she knew what to do, they had grabbed her by the upper arms and spun her around to face Mr. Pinstripe.
She struggled for a moment. She figured she now had her father beat for strength — but four adults holding her was too much. She still might have gotten clear if she’d dropped everything but her gloves, but there was no way she was going to abandon her face mask.
“Odd. Perhaps it’s the glasses.” He reached forward to remove her glasses, then stopped when he got a look at her over-sized eyes, with the impossibly colorful irises.
She was forced to stare back into his eyes. To her unusual vision his irises glowed ultra-violet. But his pupils — those were harsh, bright points of ultra-violet flame.
“Wow, nice eyes, mister.”
“I should say the same for you, young lady. Well, I suppose that explains it. What kind of mutant are you?”
“Why? You planning to shoot me now? What did you do, hypnotize them all?”
He waved a hand negligently. “They apparently found themselves entranced by the sound of my voice. I admit, it’s a gift I have. As for shooting people — please! I may be a trifle lax about ideas of property and ownership, but I like to think I have some style.” He looked at the wooden populace in the bank office and then shrugged sheepishly. “Well, I was running short, you know. Needed a little withdrawal.” Then he looked back at her. “So young. You aren’t even sixteen, are you?”
That stopped her. “Uh… beg pardon?”
But he was already lost in reminiscence. “Ah, high school. You wouldn’t believe some of the stunts we pulled back then. They wanted me to go pro, of course. Too much trouble, really. I’m happy enough with a nice standard of living. But kids these days? They’ve got no style, no understanding. They get a couple of new powers and they think they can suddenly smash everything in their way.”
He wasn’t making a bit of sense. “Uh, right. Gosh, it’s been really great catching up, but I have to be going…”
He turned back to stare into her face. “Nothing at all. You have a nice resistance, if nothing else. Could you at least blink?”
She shrugged. “Sorry, I can’t. It’s sort of… part of my condition.”
He stared at her again, blinking his own eyes several times. “How very disconcerting.” Then, collecting himself, “well, I must say, you’ve been quite polite — for one of the younger generation, that is.” He leaned close to peer at her again. “Say, you aren’t getting some sort of mentoring, are you? No, ah, older mutants near-by, showing you the ropes?”
“…older mutants?” The thought collided with his earlier comment about her being a mutant. She’d passed it off before, thinking that her fake eyes had fooled him. But it gradually dawned on her that she was a mutant. That is, in her Jared body. “There are other mutants out there, aren’t there?”
The man in pinstripe was scribbling on the back of a card. “Indeed there are, although it’s nice to know that Topeka remains delightfully free of the scourge. Ourselves excepted, of course.” He quietly added, “And this might get rid of you, too.” Then, reaching over, he pressed the card into her hand. “You might give these people a call. It’s worth checking into, at least. Eyes like that.”
Then, collecting a set of money sacks from a pair of helpful tellers and an eager-to-please branch manager, the man in pinstripes sauntered away.
“Ta-ta! Let me know how it works out. Leave a note for me at the alumni association!”
*****
Jared — rather, ‘Jade’ — was still waiting when a breathless Jinn returned.
She doesn’t even breathe. How can she be breathless? He wondered. He didn’t say anything, just raised one eyebrow. They knew each other’s body language.
She sat next to him and leaned close to whisper.
“Mutant! Robbed the bank! I tried to stop him. Somehow, people heard his voice and just did whatever he said. Didn’t work on me, though.”
“Did he hurt you?” Could she even be hurt? He reached over and gave her a quick charge-up, then re-adjusted his watch.
“No. He had them hold me. Said we were the only two mutants in Topeka.” It dawned on Jared that he was a mutant. It was the only explanation for his strange ability to summon Jinn. And he knew there were plenty of other mutants out there -
“That’s not all,” Jinn whispered. “He gave me this!”
She held up the card so Jared could see it:
Whateley Academy
Dunwich, New Hampshire
(505) 666-7777
On the back was scrawled, “Melodious Silvertongue, class of ‘87.”
They looked at it in puzzlement.
“Jade? You’re next, honey.”
Jinn held her hand as she walked gleefully forward. This was now her second step on the road toward becoming a woman.
*****
“Whateley Academy. How may I help you?” The woman on the other end sounded like a typical bored clerk.
“I — I’m not sure. I met this man in a mall, and he said something about mentoring and other people-” his voice dropped “-like me.”
The voice on the other end almost drawled her boredom. “Ah, let me guess. A teenager new to her powers, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” He was calling with the Lasaters’ phone. He’d asked permission a week ago, then waited until they were both out of the house for the evening. He was just sure he was going to have to mention words like ‘powers’ and ‘mutant’, and he didn’t want them to overhear.
“Well, honey, we get applicants from all over. I can send you the forms, no charge. You’re advised to be discreet with the material. If that checks out, and I’m not saying it will ‘cause we get lots more asking than actually get in, you hear what I’m saying? But if it does check out they’ll want to give you testing in person for both your academics and so-called powers. And if they find out you’re cheating on any of that, well, more than a few people have been plenty sorry.
“So, you still interested?”
“Uh, yes. Please.”
“Alright. Give me your name and address. The packet should arrive in two to three business days.”
*****
It actually took a full week before it arrived. When the thick package did finally show up, he was so excited that he wanted to read everything at once.
“Here you go, Jared.” Jerry was polite to him, as always. Distant, but polite. “It looks like it’s from that private school you were talking about.”
“Thanks!” He grabbed it out of the older man’s hands and tore up the stairs.
“I don’t want to be a stick-in-the-mud, but you do realize that you’re currently a ward of the state, don’t you? You’d need your caseworker’s approval. And the state isn’t going to be providing tuition for any expensive private schools, much less out-of-state -”
The door slamming cut off the annoying voice. Jared instantly slapped the gloves-and-speaker, charging Jinn into them. That way, he could look through things twice as fast. He ripped open the package while the gloves floated anxiously beside him.
“I’m taking the brochure,” he told her. “You couldn’t see the pictures in color anyway. Why don’t you look over the admission form?”
At first, he was scared. The brochure looked completely ordinary. The front was dominated by a picture of ivy-covered brick buildings, set against a backdrop of stately oak and maple with the riotous reds and yellows of a New England fall. In the foreground a collection of well-to-do students was walking, and seemed to be discussing some academic subject. Three students wore what appeared to be a school uniform, while a fourth wore casual prep-style clothing. One of the students was female, one black. It looked as ‘ivy league’ as you could imagine. He opened the brochure, expecting a discourse on how attendance would improve his chances of entering Harvard.
The interior immediately dispelled his doubts. On the left, a caped figure floated in mid-air, holding a helpless young woman and using his own body to shield her from the incoming rain of gunfire. On the opposite page, a man in a tailored suit held a crown and scepter, while draped negligently over a royal throne. At his feet, supplicants kneeled in homage, amidst a wealth of loosely scattered coins.
Jared’s eyes bugged out and he began to read.
*****
“Okay, listen to this,” Jinn said. “ ‘I can regularly and reliably use the following powers.’ It’s got a check off list. And listen to some of these: ‘Disintegration, Domination, Elemental affinity, Flight, Invisibility, Resurrection (with entries for self or other), Superhuman strength, Time control, Transmutation…’ “
“Anything that applies to us?”
“Hmmm, maybe. Telekinesis?”
“Well, yeah, sort of.”
“Okay. How about astral projection?”
He scrunched his face up. “I don’t think so. Not really. Can’t people like that fly to the other side of the world, just by thinking of it? And they pass through walls and stuff.”
“Okay, no check. How about clairvoyance?”
“Yeah, I guess. That’s probably as close as anything.”
*****
“Here’s something,” he said.
“Who’s the guy in the picture?” she asked, floating in over his shoulder. “I can’t quite make it out.”
The picture was of a gigantic man — probably seven feet tall — hovering angrily above an enraged mob.
“Heinrich Harnhold.”
“The áœbermensch of Berlin?”
“Yeah. The caption says the shot is from 1943, when Germany’s ‘Theme Operatives’ reached their peak.”
“Whoa.”
“It fits. Listen: ‘The Academy exists to prepare new mutants and other students of power to exist successfully in a world of normal men. A world that outnumbers us a million to one. A world that we may choose to protect or exploit depending on our own calling, but a world that we must always respect. For history teaches that when the powerful war against the normal, both sides are devastated.’ “
*****
“We’re going,” she said abruptly. “I don’t care how. We’re going.”
“What? Why?” He tried to look at the admission form she was working on, but it seemed to be about a hundred pages thick.
“Okay, I was filling this out. Listen to this. ‘Sex: Male Female Complicated’ “
“Complicated? What the hell does that mean?”
He got the sense she was staring at him, as in perfect synchronization they said, “Think alike.”
“Okay,” she continued. “So the ‘complicated’ entry cross-references sexual preference on page fourteen, but that sent me on to fill out the following on page sixty-two. ‘Please fill in as closely as possible:’
‘My powers or incidents associated with them, are/have transformed me:
‘to have no gender’
‘to become more masculine’
‘to become more feminine’
‘to exhibit characteristics of multiple genders’ “
They both focused on the second to the last line. It took a moment for Jared to realize what this meant. It was so common that they had a check box on the entry form!
“You’re right,” he agreed. “We’re going.”
*****
Once the reply had come through, it had taken him a week and a half to earn round-trip bus fare to Kansas City. Now he was sitting in a Kansas City police station in a sealed, soundproof interrogation room across from “Sergeant Everest.” This was his “powers” interview. The sergeant was seven feet tall, four feet wide, and looked tough enough to enjoy a diet of nails and bricks. It didn’t help that the interrogation room had a low-level stench of fear, from the thousands of interrogations performed here.
“Okay, this is first of all to make sure you really got the juice,” the sergeant rumbled in a nearly subsonic bass, “and to give a first stab at classifying you. I’m no expert on that, but I can give a starting point. Also, something to keep in mind is that a lot of the stuff on the entry packet is deliberately made up. It weeds out the loonies, and helps in case that info is released to the public. I mean, like anyone’s going to be talking to me, after they’re practiced ‘creating anti-matter’. Yeah, right. So, don’t rely on any of that junk, but use your own words to tell me what you do.”
Jared had been too scared to dress as a girl for this, and now he was almost regretting it. Dressing as a girl always made him a little more comfortable and confident. Of course, being Jinn made him downright cocky. Still, he gathered his courage. He wanted to be completely honest, since this was so important.
“Well, I can sort of ‘charge’ things up. Like gloves. Or whole outfits even. Or just objects like a paintbrush and paint can. And while things are ‘charged’ it’s like I’m two people. The charge lasts for almost 55 minutes these days. Anyway, when I’m her — I call myself ‘Jinn’ when I’m charged into something, it’s like I’m a regular person, but the only way I can touch the real world is through the things I was charged into — if that makes sense. So, if I like charged a pair of gloves, then it’s like my hands are in the gloves. But no matter how I try, I can’t shift the charge into some other object. But I can pick things up with my gloves. Do you understand?”
The sergeant made some rapid notes on his pad. He picked up a thick leather reference book, but Jared couldn’t spot the title. After quickly flipping to an appropriate section, the sergeant asked several more questions.
“Okay, how far away can you be while this is going on?”
Jared shrugged. “Which me? In the physical body you mean? I haven’t really found a limit yet. We got up to twenty miles once, before the time limit ran out.”
“Oh, so you’re awake while all this is happening? Eh, strange. Okay, what happens when the TK construct fades?”
Jared shrugged and smiled. “Then I suddenly remember both of my experiences. Physical and non-physical.” He’d almost said, ‘in this flesh and as her.’
“Okay. Well, let’s get a strength test.” The sergeant gestured at a rack of weights. “Do your thing and let’s see how much you can lift.”
Jared pulled out the pair of gloves that he always carried with him. He decided to add the speaker as well. He charged them, and watched the speaker float into position about where Jinn’s mouth should be.
“Okay,” she said. “I’m ready.”
The huge policeman motioned to the rack of free weights. “Start at the bottom and work your way up. Let me know when you reach your limit.”
Jared already knew reasonably well, but he was pleased that Jinn followed the instructions. He wondered if she was bending down or just sinking into the floor to get the lower weights. Finally, she began to collect combinations.
“It’s getting kind of awkward to hold in one hand,” she admitted. “But it looks like about 180 pounds.”
“Hmm,” the sergeant made a note. “And if you use both hands?”
“You know, it’s odd. I’ve noticed that too, but it doesn’t seem to make any difference whether I use one hand or both hands.”
“Right. How about reps? Can you lift and lower them several times?”
The gloves holding the weights began to bob up and down. “All day long. Or at least, until I run out of charge. I don’t get tired. Of course, ‘exercise’ doesn’t seem to make me any stronger, either.”
“Right. Now a couple of fine tests.” He handed the gloves a pen and piece of paper. “Write ‘Peter Piper.’ You know, the whole thing.”
Jared watched as Jinn put the page on the desk and neatly wrote out the requested sentence. He’d always been proud of his handwriting.
“Okay, same pen, do this maze.” She did. “Good. Now, look through this microscope. You’ll see some tiny beads on that slide. Sort the red ones to the left and the yellow ones to the right.”
The gloves spread in apology. “Do you have a needle or something I can use? And the microscope is just in the way. I don’t see with light.”
“Here.” The sergeant handed her a toothpick.
Jinn fumbled with it for a minute, but was no better than Jared would have been in her place. In other words, not too successful. It wasn’t until much later that he realized that he could have charged up the slide and beads.
The sergeant flipped back and forth in the book, before finally copying some results over to a complex form. “Right. I’ve got your telekinesis down. You’re classed as a TK-2d. Good dexterity, approximately human strength. Let’s look at the Espec side, now.” He peered at Jared. “You can be in the other room, right?”
“Yeah. I mean, she can do whatever she wants, even if I go into the other room.”
“Okay. Step outside. I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”
Jared nodded and stepped outside. It wasn’t very comfortable sitting on a bench, watching sleazy suspects come and go as they were herded around for interrogation. At least they were all escorted. After about five minutes, the door opened and Sergeant Everest called him back in.
“Okay,” the big man rumbled, “what did you see?”
“Uh, sir, I can’t tell you that until Jinn over there lets go and comes back to me.”
“Do it.”
And he remembered. “Oh, yeah. Well, you had us read from that book — Power Classification, Testing, and Limitations. Is Whateley Press connected with the Academy?”
“Uh huh. Keep going.”
“You had me look at the nine of clubs inside that dark box, proving I could see in the dark. I described your aura colors as you tried to make yourself happy and sad. You suddenly lashed out and hit me,” Jared rubbed his left hand, “not that it hurt or anything, and you had me look at some super-tiny etching, but I couldn’t see it.”
“Right. I make that,” again he consulted the book, “An Esper-3 (clairvoyant/aura reader) unlimited range. And for the weird part,” he scribbled on the complex form again, “I’m tentatively putting you down as a manifestor, with a second astral body.” He flipped through the book once more. “Or should that be as a wizard with one spell, or an avatar: disconnected? Damn this new system!”
While the sergeant wrote, Jared collected the gloves and speaker from where they’d fallen.
He finally finished writing. “Well, that’s that. I’ve already seen your academics. Above average, but nothing to write home about. Still, they’ll probably offer you a hardship scholarship.”
Jared couldn’t believe his ears. “What, you mean I’m in? I was able to lift enough?”
“Naw. Your TK’s no great shakes, but who knows, you might develop. The esper-3 is a bit more unusual, particularly with your mobility. Man, we could use you in the department starting today. The perfect spy, undetectable except to specific types of other mutants. It’s the reliability that’s always the hard part, and you’ve got that cold.”
“I’m in…?”
The sergeant slid a sealed packet across the desk to him. “Here’s the final entry forms. I’ll be sending off my evaluation separately. You’ll want to get those in the mail pretty quickly. The new year starts in just over four weeks. If you want to arrange for a scholarship and forms, that’s cutting it pretty close — especially since I see you’re a ward of the state. That means an extra round of paperwork.”
The huge man nodded to himself, then added more quietly, “They told me you were a Category Three. I don’t care about why, although I’m guessing it has something to do with the ward of the state business. You’ll have to give the admissions office your real and assumed names, but for all public activity, you’ll use the new name. Details are inside. Don’t feel bad about it, lots of folks use it. Protecting their families, some types of body change.” He gestured at himself. “It means that you can make up your own handle and identity when you finish the application. Don’t worry. You can choose an official tag later, in your senior year. But this lets you pick one for use with the other students.”
*****
And so it was that Jared found himself on a train speeding toward New Hampshire. He’d gotten a lot more experience dressing. He’d been a girl for almost a day at the time as he wandered malls and meandered though the city with his “big sister.”
It was excruciating and delightful, all at the same time. Delightful as he let himself believe that this was real, that he really was a girl, that he would be this way forevermore. Delightful in being able to act and behave in ways which were finally allowing the real person inside to emerge. He wasn’t sure exactly who she was yet, but he desperately wanted to find out.
He’d read the information through, fifteen different times. The rules seemed to allow it; his unique circumstances qualified him. He was allowed entry under the name, race, culture, gender, and species of his choice, with the rights and responsibilities to dress, act, and in all ways behave appropriate to his assumed identity.
He shrank at the danger and the audacity, but Jinn’s confidence pushed him forward. His entry into Whateley would be his only big opportunity for years to come. Could he pull of the disguise, the lie, in a full-time boarding school? And what if he finally entered puberty? He had a wild idea that the reason he still looked twelve was that his body simply refused to go through puberty as a boy. And while he didn’t want to be twelve forever, that was a ton better than turning into a boy. But… living as a girl, full time? That meant rooming with other girls, sleepovers, maybe they could teach her fashion and makeup. It meant sharing secrets, trying new clothes, and learning how to be pretty. His mind was filled with the wonder that seemed almost within reach. But it also probably meant eternal hatred and being completely ostracized from his school, his friends, and everyone that he’d grown close to if his lie was discovered. It might well mean that he’d be beaten to a pulp or killed, as anger turned to rage. He knew things like that happened.
Oddly enough, the danger didn’t seem to matter as much as betraying the friends. That would be the hardest part.
But the opportunity!
So, with Jinn pushing on one side, and his experience and happiness with dressing pushing on the other side, he ignored his fears. He listed his circumstances (as best he could in the spaces they had on their forms). In his registration, he deliberately gave a new name and gender. “She” was now registered as “Jade Sinclair.” There was a delicious shiver as Jared contemplated that “she” would have to think of herself as a girl, full-time now. She would never more be “Jared.”
Which brought her back to the train she was now on. She had a small suitcase filled with feminine clothing — there wasn’t a stitch of ugly boys’ clothes. This would be all or nothing. Her pierced ears proudly displayed a pair of small Jade balls, to match her new name.
She was about to enter high school, not as the abused son of a drunken widower father, but as the orphaned daughter with a hidden and mysterious past, who had gained an inexplicable ability.
Beside her on the seat, a toy stuffed lion danced and cavorted, as if it were feeling as gleeful as she was. She glanced around, ensuring that it was out of sight of the other passengers, then smiled indulgently.
She couldn’t wait to begin her freshman year!
5: The Dunwich Furor
En route August 31, Thursday
By the second full day on the train, it was less of an adventure. She would have preferred taking a sleeper car, but they were so much more expensive. Her travel allowance didn’t cover it, and she didn’t have the money herself to make up the difference. Instead, she stayed in hotels near the train depot. It had sounded like a good idea when she started out, but Pittsburgh had firmly destroyed that idea.
Having Jinn (as a person) on the train would have cost an extra ticket, but Jade made sure that everywhere else she went, her big sister Jinn went with her. Two girls were far safer than one alone. If worse came to worst, they planned that Jinn would do whatever was necessary while Jade ran for it.
The second night, they stayed in a cheap hotel, a half-mile from famous Penn Station. Penn Station had been a bit of a disappointment, looking more like a 1920’s brick office building than a bustling hive of commerce. Despite hoofing it a half-mile to find a cheaper hotel, she was still set back a hundred bucks. And the neighborhood had seen better days — about six decades ago. Jade had been concerned enough to grab food at a convenience store and run back to her room to eat it there. Just a cheap pre-made sandwich and a coke, but it was filling enough for the night.
She left Jinn on guard (for the first hour, until she ran out of charge), and huddled in the strange, squeaky, lumpy bed to fall into a nervous sleep.
For her part, Jinn turned off the lights and read a sci-fi adventure in the dark (at least, she assumed it was dark). Jinn found that she enjoyed reading — perhaps even more in this state. There was never an issue with lighting or eyestrain, and her reading speed was considerably faster. Comic books, on the other hand, were no fun at all. The colors turned into random blends of gray. Even worse, the colors and shading were all based on fine patterns of dots. In her spirit-form, her perceptions were different. She couldn’t stop seeing the dots. They never blended into an even shade.
So, although she’d picked up a good stack of comics for the trip, she could really only enjoy them as Jade.
She read until her watch indicated that she only had a minute left. Then she undressed, removing the clothes of her “body” and folding them neatly in a pile. The gloves were last, of course. She stood for those final seconds, a naked astral form with only gloves on. They’d managed to get her endurance up to sixty-five minutes. She watched the second hand — yes, she’d definitely gotten a few extra seconds this time! Ten, eleven -
Abruptly the gloves fell to the table, landing atop the folded pile. Jade got a new burst of memories, but didn’t wake. She just rolled over in her sleep.
Her alarm woke her at 4 AM. She needed to catch the red-eye at 5:13, and nothing, absolutely nothing was going to make her miss that train. She planned to wait in the station lobby for at least a half-hour, to make sure she wasn’t late. Her first ritual, as always, was to touch the gloves left by her alarm and charge them. Then, with both of them working, Jade could take her time getting up. Yawning, taking her shower, getting dressed.
She spent a moment to model her training bra in the mirror. It was strange that a stupid piece of fabric made her feel so good about herself, but it did. She took it off and peered at her reflection. Was the bra pushing her into shape, maybe? Giving her a bit of definition? Encouraging a teeny bit of early breast growth? As always, she remained as flat as a board. As flat as a boy (she tried not to dwell on that thought). But there was always tomorrow morning.
Almost done, she managed to fit all her vital supplies in the suitcase. The backpack was for her comics (she could re-read them), her book, room for Jinn’s clothes, her stuffed lion, and room for some sandwiches that she’d buy later. She checked out with the night clerk, and headed for the train station.
As she walked alone through the street, she marveled at how relatively busy this big city was, even at 4:30 in the morning. There wasn’t a lot of traffic, but Topeka would have been dead. She liked the morning’s quiet better than the evening’s chaos. For the moment (she glanced to her side) Jinn was perfect company. Jinn helped her feel less small and alone, in this strange city.
The hot dog restaurant wasn’t open yet, but the sub shop was. Jade hefted her backpack and suitcase into a more comfortable hold, and reached for her money.
“One ham and cheese, two turkey.” The man wrapped the sandwiches — which would have to do for lunch as well — and then counted out her change.
“I’ll take them.” Jinn, in dark glasses again, stepped forward and accepted the sandwiches. She zipped them into the backpack so that Jade wouldn’t need to take it off.
“I could carry things, we know,” she told Jade.
“Running,” Jade said back, in their abbreviated code. Meaning, Remember? If I need to run for it, we’ll need our stuff. You need to worry about keeping us safe.
“Agreed,” Jinn answered back. “But…” I never get tired.
They stepped out of the shop and headed for the train station, now only three blocks away. This street had no traffic at all. No traffic, and no people.
“Is isn’t very smart for a pair of little girls to be out walking the streets alone.” His hand came out of the shadows, revealing a small gun. “I can offer you a little protection, for the right fee.”
One of the best things she’d ever learned from Aikido class was the planning. Every move, every situation. Plan for your actions. How to attack, how to escape. Fallback plans. The encounter a few weeks back with her father had only underscored what happened when they got lax. So they shifted smoothly into Plan A. Jade ran. As she did, she tried to dodge side-to-side, brokenly. Endless discussions on the low accuracy of handguns came back to her. She was forty feet, now fifty feet away, and she shifted to a sprint.
Meanwhile, Jinn immediately stepped forward, as if she had no fear at all of the gun. The man was obviously caught off guard by the unexpected rush from a slight girl in her early teens. Before he could figure out whether or not to pull the trigger, Jinn was inside his guard. She moved in fast, as if she’d practiced a hundred times. (It was actually closer to five hundred.) The move went just like in practice. Inside his guard, her right leg hooked behind his, her arms trapping his in a hold that just happened to move the weapon arm up and away. Instantly tighten and twist and — a man almost a foot taller than her had been tripped backward. Not just tripped, but practically thrown. His gun went flying to the side; she heard a crack from his arm. His head struck the edge of the doorframe with a meaty crunch and Jinn could instantly see the colors in his aura mute, as black blossomed at the back of his skull. From growing experience, she knew he was unconscious, but he probably didn’t have a serious concussion. Then she looked at her arm.
“Damn!”
Not only did he have a gun; he had small stiletto knives protruding from the toes of his shoes. As he’d fallen, he’d flailed upward with one shoe and ripped open the fabric of her arm. She’d flipped him a bit harder than she’d intended.
She looked at it. The rip was on the underside of her right forearm, and was a good six inches long. She could probably sew it up, but she didn’t have a sewing kit. Just one more thing to buy.
She looked at the unconscious man before going after Jade, who was now alone.
It’s his fault I have to buy the sewing kit…
A moment later, she was flipping through his wallet. Twenty, forty, fifty… seven. She tossed the empty wallet back on his chest and hurried after Jade. She paused only long enough to grab the gun, which she disassembled as she ran. One piece flung that way, another piece dropped into a dumpster.
There were two many guns in the world.
*****
There was another train change at Manchester. This train was much older, but it had individual seats that faced each other, four seats around a central table. For Manchester to Concord, the train was full. She thought she wouldn’t be able to let Jinn out, which was a shame. It would be nice if at least one of them could have a good time.
Fortunately, the service was better. A stewardess (Jade wasn’t sure what you called the girl on a train) offered them magazines. The only thing left by the time they got to her, though, was Cosmopolitan. With a sigh, she took it.
“I’m not sure your parents would approve of you reading something like that,” the man across from her said. He looked close to her father’s age.
“Don’t have any. Anyway, I’m older than you think.”
He raised an eyebrow in doubt.
“I am. I’m fourteen.”
“Well, you’re right about one thing. That’s older than I think you are.”
She looked down again, but she was smiling to herself. She got bothered about her age a lot. But no one ever seemed to think she was anything other than a girl. And if Whateley works out, soon I’ll be one.
*****
She put the Cosmopolitan down in alarm. She wanted to be a girl, but there was NO WAY she was ever going to do THAT. Ugh! She couldn’t believe that grownups were allowed to write stuff like that! Had they been serious? She started reading again, to double-check.
*****
She took another break, stunned anew. If this was a regular magazine, then what was pornography? This time, she needed a break for real. If only she could let Jinn out.
Hmmm, just how small can something be, and still hold a charge? She’d charged a fly once. She reached up and plucked out an eyebrow hair (she had too many anyway). Nope — nothing happened. Okay, what was smaller than a fly, but bigger than an eyelash? She looked around for some paper to rip into shreds. Maybe one of these advertisements in that slutty magazine.
Or maybe she was going about it wrong. What if it wasn’t size, but weight? She had the window seat, where…? There was a small crack, with a fine collection of grit in it. She carefully picked out a single speck of grit and peered at it. It was a teeny for a rock, but large for grit — almost the size of a pinhead. She concentrated on it -
There was a wash of fatigue, and she realized she’d succeeded. With a sly glance to make sure no one was watching, she flicked the grit up in the air. She didn’t worry. It wouldn’t be coming down again.
Satisfied, she settled down to study the magazine again. She knew about periods, of course. Heck, if she succeeded in turning into a girl, she’d be having them. In a way, she almost wanted one — icky as they were. It was sort of like a badge of honor that all girls shared. But this sounded like the extreme sports version of periods. She decided she’d better read up on it, so she could be prepared. It was hard, because the author seemed to assume that you already knew what she was talking about….
*****
She had chosen to be the speck. That is, she wasn’t a full-sized ghost pinching a piece of grit; she was a teeny spec. She’d noticed that her hearing was better the larger she was, and her vision got more distance, sharpness, and depth as she got larger. Even as a spec, though, she could hear decently well, and see okay.
It felt like flying, as she zoomed through the overhead shelf, dodging briefcases and carry-ons. After a while, she rolled to the edge of the shelf so that she could people-watch. Well, all right, spy on people. The colors were so interesting. Many people had the light blue that she was coming to associate with contentment, or repose, or perhaps boredom. Someone over there had the very deep blue of depression. And over at the head of the car — was someone very unusual.
The small girl virtually glowed in ultra-violet. Jinn had only seen that particular color a couple of times before. She (Jade, that is) had that glow, buried deep inside her skull. The mutant bank robber had shown this color in his eyes. And this girl — it looked like her entire nervous system was laid out in ultra-violet lines.
This demanded investigation.
The question was: cautious or bold? What if the girl spotted her? After all she knew nothing about mutants, and next to nothing about her own powers. Would the girl spot her? Could mutants see her? She was invisible to Jade, but that might not prove anything. On the other hand, old Melodious the bank robber had thought that she was a flesh-and-blood girl, and he’d had mutant eyes.
She decided to risk it. She lifted up and flew along the upper shelf until she reached the front of the car, the rolled over the edge and hung, as if glued to the ceiling fabric above the strange girl’s head.
The girl was reading a magazine. On second thought, she was just flipping through it. Hmmm, Track and Field. The girl was almost insanely hyperactive. One foot tapping. Pausing to look out the window every few seconds. Flip the pages. Surely she couldn’t be reading that fast?
*****
Jade was engrossed in an article on breast cancer. It wasn’t fair! She didn’t even have breasts yet, and this author was trying to scare her that they’d get taken away again. Or worse.
Suddenly, a wash of new memories came into her mind. Without intending to, she looked up toward the head of the car. Another mutant? She dug out another spec of grit, while wondering if she dared go up to her in person.
*****
After Concord, the train cleared up significantly. The next two stops emptied it further. Then they settled in for the long haul through the mountains. Just two more hours.
Jade looked around the cabin and debated with herself. Literally, in this case, since the last three rows were empty, except for her.
“She’s all alone up there,” she pointed out needlessly, since Jinn had given the information to her before this latest charge.
“What if she doesn’t want to talk?”
“Then leave again,” the little stuffed lion said, quietly. Jinn didn’t want her squeaky voice to be overheard, but the clack-clack-clack of the rails was enough to cover quiet conversation.
“Will you stand lookout for me?”
The lion hung her head. “Duh!”
Jade poked her toy in the nose. “I hope you don’t mind being put into a boy lion,” she teased. “But he was so much cuter.”
The lion bit her fingertip with a soft fuzzy mouth.
Jade giggled back. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
She scooped her stuff back into the backpack, plopped the toy lion on top, and then grabbed her suitcase. Mustering her courage, she headed to the front of the cab. At the halfway point, she passed the last other passenger, a middle age farmer who was catching up on his sleep.
The hyperactive Hispanic girl had obviously seen her coming.
“Uh,” Jade began eloquently, “you wouldn’t mind if I… that is, you’re not busy or anything?”
From this perspective (rather than clinging to the ceiling) she could tell that the girl was even shorter than Jinn was (everyone was taller than Jade), but built! The hyperactive girl had to be several years older than her.
“Heading for the academy?”
“Um,” dammit, what was she supposed to say? “Whateley?”
“Yeah.” The other girl seemed to unwind a little. She thrust her hand out. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Juanita Havier. My tag is — never mind. I think I’m going to be changing it.”
“What?”
The other girl scowled. “Last year, everyone was calling me ‘Quickie.’ I thought it was cute. Wasn’t ‘till summer break that I figured out why they were all snickering all the time. Like, thanks a lot! You’re supposed to be my friends!”
Jade shook the hand. Or rather, had it shaken for her, much the same as she’d been swept away by the narrative. “Jade Sinclair.”
“Jade. Nice name. Hi. What are you, seventh grade? We don’t get a lot that young. Most don’t show any sign until a little later. I guess they let junior high come early, huh? Funny, ‘cause I thought the only ones coming today were going to be… well, that’s probably not important.”
Jade shook her head, trying to figure it all out. She set her lion on the back of the chair to act as lookout, then set her stuff down.
“Setting up a lookout, huh? Clever plan!”
Jade peered at her suspiciously. Maybe this girl could see Jinn. “Yeah, his name’s Kimba, even though he isn’t white.”
“Don’t’ you mean ‘Simba’?”
“No, that came lots later. This is from old comic books my mom used to read to me, when I was just a kid.” Her voice turned wistful. “I didn’t even remember until a little while ago. Now it’s all coming back.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. A lot of things change on you. So… if you don’t mind my asking, and you don’t have to answer, you know, ‘cause sometimes it’s kind of personal, but if it’s no problem, what do you do?”
How to explain it? She didn’t want to go into all the details. What could she say? This was obviously the first practice for what would become a commonplace event. Should she reel out the letters and numbers of the classification the Sergeant had given her?
“Cause just to show you I don’t mean anything by it, I’m a speedster. You know? ‘She runs as fast as ten fast men,’ get it?”
“Huh?”
“Sorry, private joke. We put out our own comic, as a joke. We even tell people it’s ‘New England Comics’ but they still don’t figure it out. It hasn’t picked up so big outside the academy, though.”
Jade ignored the babble and concentrated on what she could figure out. First, that there were all sorts of interesting things going on at the academy. Second…
“You’re a speedster? You mean, you run? Like super fast?”
The short girl folded her arms over her ample chest and smirked. “Faster than this train, honey. And if you’re a speedster too, enjoy it while you can. Let me tell you, you’ll have a real love/hate relationship with your means of support, if you get my drift.”
Jade didn’t. But, “You mean, you could out-race this train? All the way from Concord to the academy?”
“Yep. Actually, endurance is a big factor too. I got the speed, but my endurance poops out just short of ninety miles. I’m going to work on that this year.”
“Oh.” It was suddenly hitting her. She was sitting across from an honest-to-God superhero! “Well, if you can do that, why don’t you?”
The Hispanic girl smirked. After having watching her restlessly struggle with the magazine, she’d obviously been waiting to get back into something social. And she was certainly proving to be a font of information. “First, like I said, there’s the whole distance thing. Second, and a lot of people don’t give this proper attention, we don’t really want to draw too much attention to the academy. So zooming along the highway is a no-no. And as for zooming along the tracks — do you have any idea how filthy these things are? I mean, really, they dump stuff RIGHT out of the train sometimes. Yech!”
Jade was overwhelmed. “Oh, I never thought -”
“Uh huh. The luggage. That’s the main reason. I can do 89.7 flat out. But not carrying no steamer trunk. I can barely lift that thing, with the clothing allowance Mom gave me this year!”
It continued on in this vein for a few minutes, as Jade was rapidly dragged from topic to topic.
“But I never did hear your answer, if you don’t mind that is, about what YOU do.”
“Oh.” She’d had an idea, a bit back. Maybe this would work for most everyone. She reached up and picked up Kimba, stroking his furry body. She knew how good that felt. She looked down at the toy that was now in her lap. “I, well, I bring things to life.”
“Uh huh. How does that work?”
Jade gave a little smile. “Kimba -”
But Jinn was ahead of her. The small toy sudden rose from Jade’s lap and gave a bouncy hop-hop-hop up onto the table and over to stare Juanita in the face.
“Hi, Juanita!” Jinn squeaked. “You’re pretty neat!”
“Oh my GOD!” the other girl practically shouted it out. “Oops, sorry!”
Jade looked back over her shoulder. The farmer looked at them for a moment, then went back to sleep. Maybe he figured it was just two girls talking…
That thought gave Jade a warm glow inside.
“You weren’t kidding, were you?” she said in a lower voice. “That is SO COOL! Well, I mean, it’s probably not so good for fighting evil masterminds, but it’s just like so COMPLETELY great!” She peered at the toy lion. “Hi, little fella.”
“I’m not a little fellow,” Jinn squeaked. “I’m a girl. It isn’t my fault that someone over there forgot that little detail when she was picking out an animal to bring along.”
“Oh, wow. Can you make hundreds of these? Do they last forever? Can you sell them? Everyone will want one!”
“Uh, hold on,” Jade and Jinn said simultaneously. They were blanching at the thought of Jinn being sold into permanent toy-slavery. Being kept away from your other half forever. “It’s only one at a time, and she only lasts for a little while.”
“Still, I’ve got to show Angel. We wrote over the summer. She should be connecting in Lancaster. You wouldn’t believe the strings we had to pull to get to come in today, with the freshmen, but Angel’s a special case.” She leaned in confidentially. “Real family trouble. Anyway, we had to deliberately forgo the very best rooms, and agree to act help out in the cleaning and opening things up. Most of the upperclassmen will be taking their time, coming in. It’s really only the freshmen that are supposed to show up today. But tomorrow, watch out! Rooms are first come, first serve, and well, early bird catches the worm, you know?”
And with the ice broken, Juanita played with Jinn while happily spilling out disconnected tidbits about the wonderful and sometimes disturbing life at the Whateley Academy.
*****
The Lancaster stop lasted for about fifteen minutes. Near the end, a tall girl in a trench coat came on board. Jade thought that the weather was still too warm for a heavy coat, and she would have worn her backpack outside the coat, but it wasn’t any of her business. Juanita hopped up though. Jade realized the Hispanic girl was probably no more than five feet tall.
“Angel! Over here!”
The trench coated girl came toward them and took a seat, without removing her coat.
“You still up for it?” Juanita asked.
The trench coat girl nodded. “I’d like that, if you don’t mind.”
“Mind? Girl, half the cottage would love to have you as a roomie. Not as many of them would put up with the ‘motor mouth.’ And don’t deny it. I’ve heard it often enough.”
Jade studied their new companion. Blonde, lightly curly hair that fell to her hips, deep blue eyes. A beautiful face with a flawless complexion. And it looked like the coat hid a nearly perfect figure.
“I see why they named you Angel.”
A brief frown passed over the blonde’s face. “That’s just my handle. My real name is Mary Goodhope.”
Jade gave a brief laugh, thinking of the conservative televangelist. “Quite a coincidence. I mean, if Reverend Goodhope ever found out that someone who shared his name was also a mutant -”
“He’s my father.”
That stopped Jade dead in her tracks. Oh, she thought stupidly so that’s what she meant by ‘family trouble.’
“You’ve heard the ‘body image’ concept?” the blonde continued.
Jade shook her head. “I don’t think so…”
“Many mutants have a sort of template in their head, an image of perfection. And mine…” She opened up her coat enough to reveal the large white wings folded against her back. “It’s just that Daddy was always talking about… and I guess I thought…”
“Another bad summer?”
“Yeah. He’s on this whole ‘intervention’ kick. You’ve heard of it? Get the person and confront them with their sin, the whole deprogramming thing, then force them to face ‘God’s way’ — which means they’d be pretty much forcing me to…. I don’t even want to think what would happen. At best I’d just be puking my guts out. At worst —“
Juanita moved forward, hugging the much taller girl.
“At worst he’d kill me. And sometimes I think he’d rather have a dead martyr than a live daughter.”
After a moment, Jade responded to Juanita’s not-so-subtle beckoning head motion. She moved in as well to hug the tall blonde.
“Thank you.” Angel reached out, delicately stroking Jade’s face. She seemed calmed by the action. “I’m sorry you had to see that, but some of us have real problems at home.”
Emboldened by the intimacy, Jade dared to ask, “But… you really do look like an angel. Does he hold that against you?”
Angel’s face took on a cynical look for a moment. It didn’t fit well on her face. “It isn’t that. He’d love to use me in his broadcasts. He’d exploit me as much as he could. But there’s one other thing. I think my mutation must have just crystallized it and made it more powerful.”
Jade waited patiently.
“I can touch a girl or woman with no problem at all,” she said, stroking Jade’s cheek gently. “I think it must be psychic. Some sort of resonance. When I touch a man, even a boy, I just start shaking. I get ill, sick to my stomach. I’ve never really liked boys, but this -”
She started to sniffle and Juanita moved in again.
“That’s why her father hates her. His daughter is gay.”
Jade couldn’t move. But she touched my cheek. Does that mean — Is she wrong? Or am I really a girl inside, despite my body?
“Hey, enough of that. You need to help me think up a new name to replace ‘Quickie.’ And I haven’t finished introducing you to Jade yet. Wait’ll you see her power! She’s going to be starting seventh grade.”
“Not seventh grade,” Jinn squeaked out. “Freshman! We’re going to be freshmen!”
Angle goggled, tears forgotten. “Did that toy just —?”
“Yeah, isn’t it wild? C’mere Simba!”
*****
When they finally arrived at Dunwich station, Jade barely had time to notice the ratty little train stop. She, Angel, and Juanita got off together, talking quietly amongst themselves. Angel was holding Jinn just inside her coat. Jinn, for her part, was preening under the attention. Jade couldn’t wait till later, when she’d remember that, too.
Angel barely managed to get her three trunks off the train before it pulled out. Jade was almost glad that she only had a small suitcase and a backpack.
By then, the buses were arriving and the crowd began to grow considerably. Someone had set up a boom box, making it hard to hear Angel.
“Don’t worry about a thing,” the tall girl was saying. “We’ll keep an eye out for our little sister. We’ll make sure you get settled in properly.”
“I’m not sure,” Jade responded. “I think I’m in some sort of special dorm.”
“It’s a ‘cottage.’” Juanita corrected. “Poe cottage. You were supposed to show up today, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Then you’re a new little sister.”
“I don’t know…”
“Hey, Angel, what room did you ask for?” Juanita asked her companion.
“Three-oh-two. It’s not the fourth floor, but at least it’s not one of those freezing north-side rooms, either. We’ll get some sun. And 302 is close enough to the bathroom. And not in the corner. I don’t know if you ever visited Becky before she graduated. Remember? That corner room. I swear, the insulation must have been terrible, because that room was always ten degrees colder than anywhere else in the cottage.”
Jade was about to ask what they were talking about when Angel noticed something.
“I think our time’s up. Look, we won’t be on the van with you froshes, so we’ll have to catch up with you later. Take care of yourself, Li’l Sis.”
Jinn squirmed free and leapt to Jade’s shoulder. Jade caught the toy and looked around, but most people seemed to be focused on the chaos of the moment.
The two girls both gave her a quick hug and began to move toward the back of the crowd.
As they left, it hit her again what she was doing. She was hoping to spend an entire year, dressing, and acting, and being a girl, until she herself was convinced of it. She would probably have a roommate — someone who would hate her if she ever learned the truth. Hell, all the girls would hate her, if they figured the truth out.
And somehow she had to manage the girls’ bathroom, and sleeping, and who knows what else. Gym class! How could she have forgotten about gym class?
This was her last chance to back out. She was dressed oddly for a guy, but she could probably recover from that embarrassment. Did she really need to do this? To spend the rest of her life living a lie, just so that she could try to become a girl, somehow? Was it even possible, or was she fooling herself more than anyone else?
Shaking inside, she looked at all the kids milling around her. There seemed to be about twenty of them. She knew, somehow, that these were the students that she’d be sharing her life with. Could they possibly understand what drove her — why she HAD to be a girl? Probably not. Most of them looked fairly normal. A couple of black girls, a couple of super-attractive girls. More girls than boys. One or two that looked a little odd, but it was hard to imagine that any of them had problems like hers.
She gulped, and smoothed down her dress one last time. She had to believe. Somehow, it was possible for her to become a girl for real. Somehow, she would do it. And until then — she was going to be as much of a girl as she could be.
So maybe disaster would strike and she’d be exposed. She’d face that when it happened. Until then, she would be true to herself.
The loud music abruptly shut off. Like everyone else in the dingy train station, Jade looked over toward the boom box. There was an adult standing there, a Japanese woman in an expensive business dress.
Jade was happy to see another Asian there. It made her feel like less of a minority. It was odd to think that she could be a minority in the middle of a crowd of mutants, but for the most part the kids seemed to reflect the standard American ethnic mix.
The woman herded them into a set of vans. Jade had been worried that they might call her by her boy’s name, but the name called was “Jade Sinclair.”
The first van was already filled, so she moved to the second van, where people were still jockeying for space. She ended up sitting next to a girl who looked Asian at first glance, except for her exceptionally large eyes, big ears, and blue-gray hair. The hair was combed back in a set of not-quite-punk spikes. It was a neat effect. From a distance, Jade had thought it would be stiff or hard, like the girl had used way too much gel or mousse. But up close she could see that each individual strand was soft and free. The girl’s hair just naturally fell… upward. Up and back really. It was really tempting to touch it, to see how soft it was.
The girl glared at her and Jade turned guiltily away, unable to even meet the girl’s eyes. “Sorry.”
“What, you never seen hair that looked like this before?” Whoever this girl was, she had a voice that could cut into you like a buzzsaw.
Feeling worse than ever, Jade leaned forward so that her own hair concealed her face. Then she peered through the screen at the other girl. She also felt Jinn squirming into position to get a good look. “Um, no, not really. I mean, not in real life.” The other girl seemed taken aback by that, so Jade plowed on before she could lose her nerve. Maybe if the girl knew she meant well... “How do you do it? It’s really cool! I saw you in the station, and I thought you’d just used a ton of mousse or something. It’s almost like …” She trailed off, suddenly embarrassed.
“What? Go ahead, I’ve heard it all.”
“Well, it’s like animé hair. Only in real life. You know, animation, uh, Japanese cartoons?”
That was met by a resounding silence.
“Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
The blue-haired girl waved a hand negligently, as if it were nothing. “Naw, don’t get yer panties in a bunch. I’ve heard lots worse, believe me.” She settled back with a smirk. “Animé, huh? So… if I were an animé character, which one would I be? Which of ‘em has this kind of hair?”
“That kind of hair?” She thought for a moment. “Well, of course, the absolute best, and most popular too —” the blue-haired girl leaned eagerly forward at this “— would have to be Tetsuan Atom.”
Jade was never quite sure if it was in reaction to her statement, or the bump in the road, but the other girl suddenly tipped forward to hit the seat in front of her, face first.
“Wow! If this were an animé, I’d call that a — well, I guess they call it a ‘face fault’ in this country. You see that all the time in animé.”
“I know,” the other girl said, around a mouthful of seat. “It hurts, too.” She seemed to pop right back, though, and rounded on Jade. “Tetsuan Atom?”
“Uh, you know, Astro Boy?”
“I know that!” the other girl hollered. Seeing the looks she was getting, she suddenly toned down the volume, but she was still intense. “How can you compare me to some ancient old wimpy robot?”
“He’s not wimpy!” Jade loved Atom even more than Kimba. “He’s got 100,000 horsepower! Besides, he’s the noblest! And he’s not ancient. They started the remake a couple of years ago. I think it’s still on, some places.”
“Look, just forget it, okay? Different conversation. Spiky hair, gorgeous body, and you were talking about who I reminded you of.”
“Oh yeah.” Jade paused in thought.
“Come on, you must have some idea!”
“Sure, but there’s just so many of them. Hey, you okay? You’re looking sort of twitchy.” The other girl didn’t respond, so Jade just continued on. “Well, if you had a tail, you could be a saiyan, but I don’t think I’ve seen any female ones. And the color would make you a perfect Ryoko, except she’s got cat eyes, and come to think of it, you’d need a tail to be her, too. But you’ve got the attitude just right. On the other hand, if the color was black —”
“Alright! Enough already! Just drop it, okay?” She abruptly folded her arms and turned visibly away to watch the scenery.
“Sorry.”
*****
They drove for miles up into the hills. At one point, they passed across a classic New England covered bridge and through a small town.
“Do you really think I have the attitude right?”
“Huh?” Jade looked toward her seatmate.
“Ryoko. You said I had the attitude right.”
“Well, yeah. I mean, we’ve just met and everything. But so far, you could do a pretty good job. Hey, we never actually introduced ourselves, did we? I’m Jade. Jade Sinclair.”
“You can call me Tennyo.”
“Sure! Hey, that’s a funny coincidence! I mean, you look sort of like Ryoko, who’s from Tenchi Muyo! And if you contracted that you’d get —” It took a moment for her mind to catch up with her over-enthusiastic jaw. When it did, her mouth just hung open as she stared at the other girl in shock. The other girl didn’t just have golden eyes; they were eyes with an impossibly oval pupil, stretched vertically to hold the cat-slit irises.
Tennyo stared back, gradually assuming a smirk as Jade goggled at her.
“It isn’t a coincidence, is it?”
Tennyo shook her head. She had a strange look on her face. Proud and arrogant, but it was a fragile look that could just as easily turn to tears at a moment’s notice.
Jade blinked, trying to figure it out. If she looks like Ryoko and it isn’t an accident, which means that she has somehow done this on purpose! Or maybe on accident. But… This is terrific! Less than an hour and I’ve already found someone who changed her appearance. Now if I could only find someone who’d changed their gender, too, I’d be set! If I could find out how they did it… Gradually her mind came back to where she was, and the girl watching her reaction.
Jade looked up with wonder in her eyes. “That is SO COOL! Are you still changing? I mean, are you going to get a tail and the whole bit? And what about all those cool powers! Naw, that would be too much, wouldn’t it? But if you could — wow! Hey, what were people like in the train station? How did they react to your hair? Did you do this on purpose? Please, can you teach me how? Not to look like Ryoko, of course, one’s enough, right? Well, aside from Minagi. But I mean, picking someone and then becoming them — wow! That is the coolest thing ever!”
“Whoa, settle down. Besides,” Tennyo said, pointing to a large rectangular brick building. “I think we’re here.”
6: Ushered into Poe
Whateley Academy September 3, Sunday evening
She’d had the “Welcome to Whateley” introductory tour. The experience left Jade gaping in astonishment. Mutants, powers, even Champion! And more! The death of Champion and how his successors were chosen! The hall of heroes (and villains)! Underground reactors and secret training halls. It was everything she could have expected from an elite secret school for mutants.
But all of that paled, next to the revelations that mattered most. Five other freshmen, four girls and one guy, who were in the process of transitioning from one gender to another! Including her accidental seatmate from the van, Tennyo! Some of them were willing, some were bitter; Tennyo didn’t seem particularly bothered. And she’d had to tell them about herself! Well, she hadn’t exactly blurted out all the details. She hadn’t come right out and told them she was still a boy.
It gave her a glow that she couldn’t even begin to describe. Every single one of them (even Ayla) was transitioning to become a beautiful young girl. And while Hank was going the wrong way, he seemed happy enough about it, so she was happy for him, too.
Thinking back on it, she had mentioned (fairly strongly) that she wasn’t transitioning or changing at all — her loud cries of ‘I'm turning into nothing! I'm just frozen!’ were probably pretty strong clues on that. And given what she’d said, they might have guessed that she was physically still a boy. She wasn’t going to push it, because she wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize their acceptance.
But between the revelations about the school and the upheavals in her private life, Jade’s mind was reeling by the time they finally got back to Poe. So she felt perfectly justified in staggering through the entryway. She barely noticed Edgar’s bust on the one side. She hardly glanced at the clever scene on the opposite wall of a stuffed raven perched over an ancient book. She barely glanced at the luggage piled haphazardly in the entry. She just staggered into the common room and collapsed on the couch.
She felt, rather than saw, her fellow initiates collapsing around her.
“Come, come,” Belle chided them. “It wasn’t that bad. Buck up. You still have to pick rooms. After that, I’ll leave you be for the rest of the evening.”
Jade blearily raised her head. Toni and Fey were already talking to Belle. Well, that was fine with her. Then her mind kicked into gear.
I didn’t exactly tell them the whole ugly truth, she realized, but they must suspect that I’m physically pretty boyish. And they’re all in the middle of changing… She looked up at the remaining members of their tour. Ayla, the sometimes surly punk-girl; Tennyo, forced to mimic an animé character; and Hank, the newly made boy. Including her there were four of them. Two per room. Obviously neither of the girls would room with Hank, which meant…
Her eyes snapped wide in alarm. They COULDN’T! They WOULDN’T!
She was suddenly terrified that they would. She didn’t want to room with a boy. She didn’t want to BE a boy. She wasn’t going to be! Somehow, she was going to be a girl! She didn’t care what it took, she was going to become a girl!
The first thing to do was to make sure that she didn’t room with Hank. He was nice enough, in a dopey-old-puppy sort of way. But she wasn’t going to dress and undress in the same room as him. She wasn’t going to SLEEP in the same room as him!
Forcing herself not to hyperventilate, she quickly looked at the other two girls. Ayla — there were interesting things going on with that girl. Jade really needed to have a long talk with her, but for right now, the girl was a little scary. Tennyo, on the other hand — Tennyo was sometimes sweet, and sometimes gruff. Probably dangerous (particularly the way she’d said that her energy blasts went off spontaneously, or when she was under stress). But Jade could see something in the other girl’s incredible cat-eyes. Someone she could trust. Someone that, maybe, she might be able to confess the truth to. Someone who could help her, and be her friend.
She realized that she hadn’t had a real friend since her mother had died. The closest had been the other members of the dojo.
She looked at Tennyo again and her heart felt a yearning. Not sexual or romantic (she thought — she wasn’t really sure what those emotions felt like). This was like she suddenly had an opportunity to have… a sister. There was one chance, but she had to move fast. She stood up.
Ayla was already standing, looking around in thought.
Jade found herself drawn almost magnetically to Tennyo. She couldn’t look up to meet the taller girl’s face.
“Tennyo-san,” she said, tentatively and formally. “Would you allow me to be your roommate?”
“Huh? Me?” The blue-haired girl reach back to rub the back of her neck. Jade recognized the embarrassment-gesture; it could have come from the streets of downtown Tokyo. “Well, yeah, I guess. But you might want to know, I sometimes have a little problem with energy blasts. I still have a tendency to blow things up a little, you know? I’m not so sure you want to be rooming with someone who might accidentally kill you.”
Jade’s heart was hammering. She’d just moved from disaster to triumph. She knew the other girl was serious about the danger, but Jade wasn’t the least bit worried. The need inside her, the chance for a sister, the chance for a real life as a girl, they all demanded this. A little danger was nothing in the face of her dreams.
“Please. I understand the danger. May I be your roommate?”
“Well, if you’re sure.” Tennyo slapped her on the back, in an obviously male fashion. “Glad to have you on board, kid.”
Jade couldn’t talk, so instead she just reached out and hugged the girl. Tennyo was a bit stiff for a moment, then seemed to relax. Jade held the hug for a second longer, then stepped away.
“Thank you,” was all she could say before her throat choked up. To cover up her emotional outburst, Jade turned toward the foyer. “Maybe we should get our bags and get a room.”
The beautiful cat-eyed girl nodded and followed her. Of course, Jade’s pink suitcase was under a pair of large steamer trunks. She tried tugging it out before Tennyo stepped in.
“Let me help.”
The blue-haired girl reached down with one hand to lever up the two trunks, allowing Jade to slip out her suitcase.
“You sure got Ryoko’s strength.”
The other girl scowled. “Look, can we drop the whole ‘Ryoko’ thing? I mean, I know what’s happening to me, but it’s a lot to deal with, you know? I need some time to learn how to be Tennyo, before I spend too much time walking in someone else’s shadow.”
“Yes, Tennyo-san.”
“And that’s another thing! What’s with all this ‘san’ business? You don’t have any accent. Are you really Japanese?”
Jade laughed. “My mother was. But me? This is actually the first time I’ve been out of Kansas. But ever since my powers arrived, it’s like my memory has been getting better and better.” At least, when she was Jinn. And Jinn’s memories carried over to Jade. “And I’m remembering more and more of Okasan. It seems like a way to honor her, to try to become a little more of what she was. But you’re right. I’m not really Japanese. Technically, I’m Nisei, but culturally I’m more like Sansei or worse. I guess I’m trying to capture a little bit of my lost culture back.”
“Nisei? Sansei?”
“Second-generation and third-generation Japanese. And since my father wasn’t Japanese, I’m not sure exactly where I’d fall.”
The other girl scratched behind an ear, thinking this over. “Yeah, okay.” She plucked up a carry-on. “Shall we pick a room?”
Jade grabbed her backpack. She felt a bit under-equipped with just one backpack and a small pink suitcase. But Tennyo was even worse off, with nothing but a carry-on. “Is that all you have?”
The older girl shrugged, as if it were no big deal. “I have more on the way, but they messed up my bags at the airport in Concord. They’ll probably get here sometime tomorrow.”
Chatting comfortably, they headed toward Beltane, who waited with a clipboard.
“You’re down to two choices,” their guide informed them. “Two-sixteen, the corner room on the north, and two-thirteen, in the middle on the north. You’ll probably be bordering Boystown with that one.”
Jade suddenly remembered the conversation she’d overheard between Juanita and Angel.
“Nothing on the south?”
“Nope. Last one was two-oh-two. That went to Ayla, as a single. But I just put her there because it was first on the list. She said she didn’t care.”
Jade reached for Tennyo’s hand. “Come on! Maybe we can change her mind!”
“If you do,” Belle called after them, “let me know. For now, I’m going to list you in two-sixteen, next to Toni and Fey.”
“What’s the big deal?” Tennyo called, as they raced up the stairs.
Jade spoke quickly. “Do you want a good room on the south, where we can get some sun, or a cold room on the north?”
Tennyo looked at her. “From the way you’re describing it, a good room, with sun.”
“And the corner rooms are supposed to be extra cold.”
“No thanks, but I don’t really want to stick it to poor Ayla. She looks like she’s already had a rough ride. What’s your plan?”
Jade was being pushed to desperation moves. It was regrettable, but, “I think” she decided, “we’re going to have to ask her.”
*****
“So you want to switch rooms?” the punk girl asked. “Why?”
“You’ll be right next to Toni and Fey,” Jade pleaded. “A corner room, with no neighbors to bother you on one side.”
“Yeah, I see the advantages just fine.” Ayla sounded surprisingly competent. Jade had been hoping to win her over with a blitz, but it suddenly felt like she was talking to a master negotiator. “What I want to know is: if it’s so good, why do you want to trade?”
“I —” She looked to Tennyo.
“Sorry, you’re on your own.”
“I —” What could she say? “I — nothing.” She admitted it. “Nothing at all. It’s cold, and dark, and doesn’t get any sun, like this room.” She sniffed. “I’m sorry.”
“Ah, what the fuck.” Jade was surprised to feel the other girl’s hand on her shoulders. “Sure, I’ll trade.”
“Huh? Really?”
The punk girl shrugged, looking for all the world as if she could care less. “Sun’s over-rated. Too much glare, wakes you up too early. Besides,” she stuck her hand through one of the wardrobes, as intangible as a ghost, “there might be some advantages to the corner.”
Before she could help herself, Jade found herself hugging the other girl. “Thank you!” she whispered.
“No big deal. I haven’t even gotten my stuff yet.” And with that, the girl simply sauntered out.
*****
As they would soon discover, room 202 was just like every room on the second floor. The walls were a sort of ochre yellow. Not a very attractive color, but it was a competent paint job. Nothing was peeling or blistering. The room had wood up to about waist height, and the wood had vertical lines on it. The wood was painted a darker green. A piece of molding ran around the room where the wood met the painted wall, at waist height. There was another sort of molding-shelf about six feet up. The ceiling had a single domed light fixture in the center.
There weren’t built-in closets. Instead, there were freestanding wardrobes, one for each girl. The wardrobes also had dresser drawers in the lower half. Each girl also had a bed, chair, and desk that doubled as a night table. The wood furniture was painted a dark brown. Jade unpacked her backpack on the bed first, getting out the bag that held Jinn’s body suit. She wasn’t quite ready to explain about the rubber Madonna mask, so she tossed her jacket over it. She put her stuffed lion on the desk for now. She was just putting her first dress on a hanger, when she saw Ayla ambling past. The girl had a steamer trunk in each hand, carrying them as if they were made of bulky Styrofoam. There seemed to be something very … solid … about her.
Once she was past, Tennyo said, “You know, I think I’m glad we didn’t end up tricking her out of her room. I get the feeling that she could make an unpleasant enemy.”
Jade just cocked her head and thought about it.
“Hey, Ayla,” Tennyo called. “Need help? You got any more luggage downstairs?”
Jade looked at her one small suitcase and backpack. “She just walked by with two full steamer trunks. How much more could she have?”
“Sure, thanks!” came the shout from across the hall. “There’s two more trunks in the foyer, both tagged ‘Ayla Goodkind.’”
Jade sighed. She decided to rearrange her seven changes of clothes one more time, to see if it took up more space this time.
Not too long after that, Tennyo went walking past, carrying two steamer trunks as easily as Ayla. Jade decided that it would probably be a good idea to stay friends with both girls.
Then she noticed something new. There was a stuffed cabbit, casually tossed onto the pillow of Tennyo’s bed. Jade recognized the toy from the Tenchi Muyo! Animé series. Half cat, half rabbit, the cabbit has been more like Ryoko’s sibling, psychically bonded to her. If she recalled, the cabbit could take three forms, the cat-rabbit shown in the toy, a sort of cat-girl, and a gigantic crystalline spaceship. But hadn’t Tennyo said she was trying to forget about the whole Ryoko thing?
I shouldn’t, she told herself. But she slipped a speaker disk underneath it and charged them both. She had no set plans, but she’d know when the time came.
*****
“I want to look up the friends I met on the train,” she explained to Tennyo. “They definitely have a south-facing room, but I’m not sure whether it was on floor three or four. Want to come?”
The spiky-haired girl scratched her scalp. “No, I’ve got a couple of things I want to ask Fey. Maybe later.”
“Okay.” She decided it was only fair to give warning, though. “Just be careful what you say while I’m gone. The walls have ears, you know!”
“Huh?”
*****
To get to the stairs, she had to negotiate past two rooms with other girls setting up, and four rooms filled with boys (more, if you counted the north corridor). Some of them looked as young as she usually felt. She waved to a couple of boys tentatively as she walked past, but neither side seemed inclined to break the ice yet.
It triggered a disturbing thought in her mind. Was she any different from those gay boys? She didn’t know much about gay boys — what they liked, what they wanted, what they believed. Physically (though it hurt to admit it) she was a boy. But here she was, dressed like a girl, acting like a girl. She hadn’t really thought things through to their true logical conclusion, but she’d casually assumed that she’d eventually end up with a boyfriend, just like any other ordinary girl.
Did that mean that she was gay?
It was a disturbing thought. It wasn’t that she was afraid of being gay. It really seemed like just another label. It was the thought that she’d have to leave the girls’ area, and move down here with the (ugh) boys. The other gay boys.
Maybe when she was a little surer of herself, she could talk to someone about this. But not today. Definitely not today.
She climbed up the stairs, and quickly made her way to the third floor. The southern exposure would be the left hall. She assumed there would be, once again, boys for the first four rooms. But the third floor seemed mostly deserted. There were only a couple of people present. Almost at the end of the floor, she came across an open door and heard Juanita’s voice inside. It was room 302, directly above her own.
“Um, hello?”
“Little Jade!” Juanita cried. “See? I told you that you were a little sister!”
She pouted and drew herself up to her full height. “Little? I’m only a couple of inches shorter than you!”
“Yes. Great in stature, but perhaps still lacking in maturity, no? What room are you in?”
“202, right under your room!”
Angel turned away from her position at the open window. It was Jade’s first chance to see her without the trench coat. With the soft white tunic the girl was wearing and the cascade of curly golden hair, she really did look like an angel. Her smile made her look even more angelic. “I must have missed you, when the tour came through.”
“Uh, I wasn’t on that tour. My group saw the campus.”
For a moment, Angel drew back in shock. “One of the TGs? Don’t tell me a pretty young girl like you is changing into a guy?” Fearful, she drew her hand back.
Juanita whapped her roommate softly. “No, dummy. She’s right under us. She’s a girl.”
“Of course. I remember touching her before.” Once again, she stroked a fine, soft hand across Jade’s cheek. “You must be quite far along. When I touch you, I feel nothing but gentle feminine warmth.”
“I…” Jade’s eyes started to tremble. “Not as far as I want,” she admitted.
“Don’t cry, little sister.” Angel stepped forward, enfolding her first in arms, then in clean-smelling soft wings, as well. “With a soul as feminine as yours, strong enough to shine through the errors of flesh, I can’t help but know that things will turn out correctly.”
Jade said nothing; she just gloried in the incredible embrace. Once more, accepted, she though. It was too good to be true.
*****
Toni and Ayla took desk chairs, Fey dropped down on Tennyo’s bed, and Tennyo floated in mid-air.
“Pretty incredible, isn’t it?” Toni asked. “I mean, from the outside it’s just some dumpy old private school, stuck up here in the middle of nowhere.”
“Not really dumpy,” Ayla corrected. “It’s a pretty sharp looking prep school, even without the dome or that observatory.” She sniffed disdainfully. “Talk about your definition of ‘over the top’.”
“Hey, Fey,” Tennyo called, “we never did get a demo of your powers.”
“Consider yourself lucky. I can’t exactly control them yet, and the results when I do use them are sometimes really weird —” she paused to stare at Tennyo’s stuffed animal in extreme suspicion.
“Case in point,” Ayla mentioned.
“I’m just not sure I’m ready to go to school as a girl,” Tennyo admitted.
“TELL me about it,” Ayla groused.
Toni just smirked. “So whadya wanna do tomorrow?”
Fey groaned, falling back on the bed. She poked the stuffed toy a couple of times, but nothing seemed to happen. “I still haven’t finished unpacking.”
Ayla tore her hair out. “Don’t even mention that! I still have three trunks to go.”
Toni and Fey stared at her. “Three trunks left?”
“And have you seen how small these rooms are? Where am I supposed to put everything?”
Tennyo snickered. “That’s an awful lot of clothes for a person who sometimes sounds like she doesn’t want to be a girl.”
Ayla hung her head. “I know. Sometimes I scare myself. But… somehow, that lingerie just makes me feel so…wicked! It’s like I can’t help myself.” She smacked her head on the desk. “I am SO messed up…”
Toni stood up, stretching. “I’d better finish unpacking, too.” She looked around the room. “Hey, how’d you two finish so fast?”
“I don’t think Jade has very much,” Tennyo explained. “And the stupid airlines sent my bags to Nairobi or someplace. Heck. Maybe I’ll explore a little.”
*****
All four girls stepped out of the room. Jinn thought she could still hear Tennyo right outside, though. Quietly she let out a sound. “Nuts!” she said. “Gotta find someplace to hide all these nuts!”
Sure enough, Tennyo came right back in, looking around suspiciously. Jinn held herself completely passive. It had been hard, earlier, when Fey had been poking at her. The girl had obviously seen something that tipped her off, but she was probably unsure enough of her powers that she hadn’t fully trusted what she saw.
Tennyo turned around to leave again.
“Eat the nuts, or hide them?”
Tennyo snapped back around, stalking into the room. Jinn took the opportunity to admire the spiky-haired girl. She really did look exactly like Ryoko in the animation. She sometimes even had that same little smirk, with little fangs that poked out sometimes. And that hair was fantastic. It was as if each hair was floating on its own. To Jinn, it looked like the silkiest, softest thing she could possibly imagine.
Slowly, the girl approached the bed, looking around for anything unusual. She even leaned toward her stuffed toy, to poke it gently.
Jinn waited…
Tennyo grunted, “Hmm,” as she gave the toy a poke.
At that exact moment, Jinn let out a loud, “AAAAH!” She jumped off the bed and hit the floor running. She discovered in the first half-second that cloth feet don’t get the best traction on hardwood floors, then kicked in her flying ability so that it only looked like she was running. Behind her, she heard Tennyo falling to the floor with a muffled “Ack!”
The chase was on!
*****
“So where’s your little pet?” Juanita asked.
Jade laughed. “I’d better keep her away from you! It feels way too good when you pet me.”
Angel made a strange expression. “I think you messed up your sentence or something.”
“Naw, whenever we merge back together we both become just me. It’s not like I spend half my life living as a toy or something.”
At that moment, there was a cry from down the hall.
“My cabbit! You hexed my cabbit!”
“Wasn’t MY doing! Hey, I’m the one who got mauled! Has that cabbit had its shots?”
The three of them looked out the doorway to see a brown stuffed animal go racing by, cornering sharply to curve around the girls’ bathroom. A moment later, three girls came pounding past.
“You can’t get rabies from a TOY!”
“Mighty lively looking toy! How do we know it’s not possessed?”
The girls rounded the corner in pursuit. Then a guy’s voice sounded out.
“Ha! Outfoxed on the far side. Let’s see you —”
“Hank, LOOK OUT!”
There was a sound like many bodies piling into each other, then a squeaky cry of, “I smell carrots! Miya, MIYA!”
In the room, Juanita and Angel stared out their open doorway.
“Heh, heh.” Jade tried, unsuccessfully to control her blush. “My, ah, roommate. Apparently chasing her stuffed, ah, animal.”
Juanita was quick with the question. “I thought you said you didn’t spend your life being a stuffed animal?”
Jade looked up at her sheepishly. “Only when it’s funny?”
Angel was listening to the chaos as it receded down the hallway. “I’m almost tempted to join the chase myself.”
“You’d better be careful to stay out of the attic,” Juanita warned.
“Are the seniors here yet?”
“I don’t know and I’m not going to check, cause you can be sure they’ll find out if you do.”
Jade gulped. “Then I hope I don’t go up there.”
“Wow, you really are two separate people, aren’t you?”
Jade nodded. “All of a sudden, there’s two of me. Actually, I think I’m a little more self-confident as Jinn. But one second it’s just me, the next second, I’m both of me standing next to the other me. Later on we join back up, and we’re just plain me again, but I remember both of us.”
Juanita rubbed her head. “Too much of that and you’ll give me a headache.”
“Well, that’s part of the reason I came up here. See, I think I’d like to take double classes, if I can.”
“That’s it! Full-blown headache!”
“I’m just not sure if they’ll let me, or how to arrange it, or anything.”
“Hmm, you know, I might have an angle on this,” Angel said. “You remember two years ago, when that Twain kid tried to enroll the robot he’d built?”
“Yeah, but that was a fake.”
“Sure, but they didn’t know it at the time. You could use the same arguments here.”
“I don’t know. Won’t they want to charge double tuition?”
“Not if she’s on a scholarship. Almost half the student body is.”
Jade nodded.
“Okay,” Angel decided. “First I’d run the plan by Zenith. She was a T-girl like you, Jade, but she had the good taste to go lesbian. I think she got fourth floor this year, but I haven’t seen her yet. She should get in sometime over the next two days.”
“She can help me?”
“She might trade some chores over it. Get in early, while you can. She’s the best fixer in the cottage.”
“Fixer?”
“Yeah. Rules, legal stuff, loopholes, favors, trades. On her own she’s plenty sharp, but she can tap into extra skills sometimes….”
7: Kindred Spirits
Whateley Academy September 3, Sunday evening
Jade was cautious when she returned to the freshman floor. Things seemed relatively quiet. “Relatively” being the operative word. The third door on her hallway was open, and pounding music was coming out. Inside was a literal pile of young guys. About a quarter of them were touching, some rather intimately. Two in immediate sight were playing tongue games with each other.
Half curious, half neighborly, and half confused (mostly at her math skills), Jade paused and peeked in the doorway.
“Hi, kid!” one of the tongue-swappers called, amiably. “Come to see if there’s anything you like here?”
“Um… no?” she squeaked.
“Heck, don’t let him get you all flustered, Jade. He’s not nearly as dangerous as he’d like to be.”
She turned to the familiar voice and then goggled. “HANK?”
He lifted his bottle of root beer in a mock salute. “You missed all the fun, earlier.”
“Er… yeah. What are you doing in here?”
He looked around. “Well, my room is next door. Party. Male bonding. You know.”
Jade couldn’t help making a quick glance at the tongue twins, who seemed quite caught up in their ‘male bonding.’ “What I meant was….”
A fairly young looking guy came over and casually draped his arm around Hank’s shoulders. “What she’s trying to say, Hank old bud, is why aren’t you with the other TG dudes, doing whatever it is that they do, instead of hanging around at the gay party?”
Hank nodded sagely. “Ah. That would be because there aren’t any other ‘TG dudes.’ Just me. But at least it’s enough distinction to get me a single.”
Another boy, this one with porcupine hair that shot out horizontally to both sides, joined their impromptu discussion. “This brings up a good point, Hank. Presuming that in your previous life you had — how can I put it inoffensively? —conventional tastes, we might reasonably assume you’d join our band of brothers, as it were.”
Hank was finally starting to show a little blush. “Just pencil me in as ‘confused’ and leave it at that.”
Porcupine-hair turned his attention to her. “How about you, sweet thing? Are you a sister-in-arms, or a T-girl?”
Confused, she looked back and forth between the boys facing her. “I — well —”
Hank shrugged and gave her a smile. “The only reason the network hasn’t pegged us all, already, is that the girls up in Gurlzone haven’t started dropping by yet. From what I gather, the gossip channels are pretty thick around here.”
Porcupine-hair nodded. “It’s a defense mechanism, really.” He gestured into the party. “Most of these guys, they’ve never seen so many like-minded young lads in one spot. It’s a real eye-opener. Of course,” he nodded toward the tongue-donors “there are exceptions. And despite my looks, I’m actually a junior. I just wanted to be on hand to help steer things in the right direction, these first few days. Part of that is letting people know about the network. Don’t expect to keep too many secrets from your friends here in Poe. It’s a bit of a game, really. On the other hand, we expect Poe’s secrets to stay inside these walls. No one gets outted, and we don’t trash other Poes while we’re outside. Inside, when it’s green,” he pointed to the LED above the door, “then this is OUR world.” He made a sweeping gesture. “Welcome in. I’m Rafael Eagan. Junior. Mutant deviser. Gay. How do you do?” He held out his hand.
Jade smiled at him. “Hi.” She shook the hand, gently. “Jade Sinclair. Freshman, uh, weird telekinetic sort of, and I guess… T-girl?”
Raphael nodded. “Transgendered-girl. Becoming a girl. Correct? Almost a shame, since you must have been a cute boy.”
There seemed no threat in his words, and she was pleased by his implicit assumption that she was no longer a boy. “No. I have to be a girl! You don’t understand. I have to!”
His smile was gentle. “That’s part of what this party is about. I understand quite well. You’ll find that all of us here in Poe understand. We all have something burning inside us, something that’s forcing us to feel or act or be a certain way. According to society it isn’t ‘normal’. Just the same, we can’t deny it. Could you force yourself not to be a girl?”
It was still a nightmare she often had. “No,” she admitted. “I mean, maybe I could, but it would kill me.”
“Just so. Far too many boys have forced themselves down that path, desperately trying to be straight. And some of them, it does kill. I just want you to know, whatever their gender, there will be a lot of people in Poe who understand you.”
*****
She was feeling pretty good as she wandered back toward her new room. What had the boys called it? “Girls’ own” or something? She’d thought they would be dividing up into three hostile camps, but this was really a lot friendlier. With a smile on her lips, she turned into her room —
Tennyo was smiling cruelly, smacking some sort of heavy wooden cudgel in her hand. In front of her was a cloth balloon, tied down to a chair. On second look, Jade realized that it wasn’t a balloon, but a stuffed cabbit, wrapped up like a mummy. Even its muzzle was tied shut. There were just little eyes that seemed to glitter at her. Upon seeing her, the cabbit tried to squirm some more.
“Well, well, well,” Tennyo said in a tone that promised pain to someone. “If it isn’t Jade.”
“I–” she looked around desperately for some sort of distraction “surely you don’t think that I had anything to do with…”
At that unfortunate moment, the charge expired. The floating cabbit suddenly dropped to the floor, and Jade staggered at the influx of memories. She didn’t want to, she tried not to, but she couldn’t help snickering. Then she started to laugh.
“Oh, dear. That was a bit much, wasn’t it? At least we didn’t go up to the top floor.”
A growling sound came from Tennyo. “And how am I supposed to unload my frustrations?”
“Um…” Jade looked at her desk and suddenly had an idea. After all, he wasn’t white, and she didn’t really like him all that much. She quickly snatched a speaker disk and slapped it on the belly of her stuffed lion, which she proceeded to charge up. “Here!” She held the lion up. “Here’s the culprit! Knock the stuffing out of her!”
Tennyo suddenly deflated. “Aw, I couldn’t do that. Not for real.”
Jade put a hand to her mouth and spoke conspiratorially. “Jinn can’t actually feel pain, and it’s not like she’s got anything solid that you could hurt anyway. But she’ll put up a good show.”
Tennyo seemed to think about it. “Really?”
“Trust me. If anything did happen, she could always just let go and instantly pop back into me.”
Tennyo took the stuffed lion. “You don’t mind?”
Jade shook her head. The lion said, “Do your worst!” in Jinn’s voice.
Tennyo bopped the lion on the head.
“Ow!”
Startled, Tennyo stepped back.
“Sucker.”
“Why you!” Suddenly grabbing up the cudgel, Tennyo swung at the stuffed lion that had hopped onto her bed. Direct hit! She almost flattened the lion.
“OoooOOoo,” came from under the cudgel.
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Tennyo pulled the flattened toy off the bed.
With an almost audible “pop”, the lion puffed back out to normal. “Not bad. Pretty good hit.”
Holding her cudgel in one hand and dangling the lion from his tail in the other hand, Tennyo said, “This is too good to keep to myself. Time to share the pain.”
“Am I going to regret this?” the lion asked, swinging by its tail.
*****
Everyone was feeling much better, once Toni, Fey, and Ayla had also played “whack a lion.” Some girls from next door had stopped over to investigate the commotion. They looked oddly at everyone beating the stuffed toy, until the lion sprang up and said, “It’s okay, I deserved it!” only to get whacked down again. The girls left quickly.
The five of them seemed to naturally gravitate in toward Toni and Fey. The black girl was just too outgoing and friendly. Her roommate was more cautious, but she was obviously having a tough time adjusting to her transformation. And considering how stunningly beautiful she was becoming, she’d have a lot to adjust to.
The room was a little cramped, until they moved into the next-door sunroom. None of the other freshmen seemed to have realized what a haven they had at the end of the hallway. The sunroom was long and thin — seven feet wide and twenty-six feet long. There was a TV at one end, reading chairs at the other, and couches in the middle. Toni and Fey flopped down on a couch. Jade was starting to feel how late it was, so she stretched out on another. Ayla and Tennyo floated overhead, not taking up floor space, but bringing the group closer together.
In between bouts of “whack a lion”, Toni kept the fledgling conversation alive, almost bouncing off the walls in her enthusiasm. Fey, the fox-faced girl, also seemed somewhat fox-like in her caution. She was obviously still feeling things out, unable to commit herself quite yet. And Tennyo — she alternated between enthusiasm and weird stops, as if she suddenly became aware of what she was saying, and wasn’t sure about it.
“So I’m still a little puzzled on powers,” Toni was saying, as she strangled the toy. “But then, mine are pretty straightforward. Super martial arts.”
“Can you show us a quick demo?” Tennyo said. She was floating at about eye level, as if she were lying down.
Toni shrugged. Her eyes flickered to the curtains covering the windows and the green LED above the doorway. “Well, you know, just really good punches —”
Saying that, Toni spun and with her left hand cocked back, her right hand seemed to flicker forward and back in a blur. There was a sound like a card in the spokes of a bicycle, as the air itself seemed to crack. In a dojo, you’d try to get that ‘snap’ sound in the sleeve of your gi, but Toni was wearing a half-length blue T-shirt that didn’t have any sleeves. Jade was pretty sure that Toni’s punches were somehow compressing the air in front of her fist to give that sound.
“— and maybe some flips —”
From her standing position, without any apparent preparation, she did a forward flip up over Tennyo (putting a hand down briefly on the floating girl’s back as a pivot as she passed by), and landed six feet away facing back toward them.
“Stuff like that, basically.”
There was a pause while the rest of them pulled their eyes back into their eye sockets.
“You know, ordinary martial arts, maybe with a little extra.” She seemed to be suddenly interested in examining the quality of her nail polish.
“Wow,” Jade said, barely breathing. “What do you even call that? Taisabaki waza, or something like that?”
Toni looked at her in surprise. “You practice Aikido?”
“Hai, sempai. But I only have four and a half years of study. But I’ve never even seen a technique like that. Where’d you learn it? What rank are you?”
Toni laughed nervously. “Actually, only gokyu. I started advancing pretty fast, but they stopped when they realized it was all because of ki focusing. I still haven’t finished mastering the basics. What school are you?”
Jade smiled. “Nakamura sensei taught aikikai. He wouldn’t even late me pay, these last few years. He said it was something he owed my mother. How about you?”
“Tomiki-ryu,” Toni answered easily.
“Oh,” Jade said, nodding. “I would have figured you for shin-shin toitsu, with your ki skills. Hey, I heard that tomiki-ryu has actual competitions, and you guys are really focused on kata.”
“Uh huh.” Toni nodded. “That seems to be the major branch out in my area. I never see any of the other schools at any of the competitions —”
“Excuse me!” Tennyo broke in. “Could we return to a language we all speak?”
“Sorry,” Jade said. “But I just discovered that sempai studies the art.”
Toni was looking a little embarrassed. “You can quit with the ‘sempai’ business. I got that at the dojo, too. Look, I’ve got ki to burn, but I might not be so good at showing you the forms, okay?”
“Yes, sempai.”
“Anyway,” Tennyo said, “it’s probably best to maintain a little flexibility on schools and styles. For the next four years we’ll all be attending whatever Whateley provides. So whether it’s Aikido, or Judo, or even one of the hard styles like karate, we’ll be limited to what they offer.”
Toni’s eyebrows went up as she looked slyly toward Tennyo. “You study the art?”
“Yeah, well, maybe I’ve picked up a few throws and stuff, here and there.”
The girls’ eyes met and there was an almost visible crackle of challenge between them.
Fey broke in. “Am I the only one here who isn’t obsessed over some form of martial arts?”
“No,” Ayla said. “I was never that fond of boxing or punching people in the face either.”
“We don’t punch people in the face,” Jade protested, “we let them meet the mat.”
The two non-martial girls shared a glance. “Uh huh.”
Toni shrugged and grinned, her smile eradicating any chance for hard feelings. “Sorry, it’s just that martial arts have kind of taken over my life, lately. And it’s nice to discover that we have something in common beside the, you know, the big thing.”
“Big TWO things,” Tennyo said. “Don’t forget the whole mutant powers bit.”
“That’s what I was talking about,” Toni said. “OH! You meant the whole ‘turning into a girl’ bit.” She waved a hand in the air. “You know, it’s like, ‘shit happens.’ Deal with it and move on.”
“Easy enough for you to say,” Fey muttered. “Maybe you didn’t have your whole life thrown in the toilet.”
“That’s just not fair!” Jade cried out. “You’re probably the most beautiful girl in the entire state! Some of us would die to look half as pretty as you!” Abruptly she turned and ran out of the room.
Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Finally, from underneath Tennyo’s cudgel, the lion squeaked, “Girls. Who can figure ‘em? Must be hormones or something.”
All four remaining girls took turns whacking the toy this time.
“I deserved that.”
*****
Back in her room, Jade wrapped herself around her pillow and cried. What if you have to change when you first get your power? she thought. After all, that’s almost what happened to her. One instant, she’s a guy with confused and suppressed feelings. The next minute, POW, she’s standing there in her spirit-form. What if that was her transformation? What if there was never any more? Only… she couldn’t really believe that her inner spirit, or soul, or whatever had changed in that moment. She’d always been a girl inside; she just hadn’t realized it.
But what if that had been her only chance?
No! She refused to believe that. If all of those beautiful girls had once been guys, there had to be a way that she could do it, too! There had to be!
Now if she could just make up for the fact that she’d made a total fool of herself.
She yawned, realizing how late it was. It was probably past time for bed. Which meant, past time to change into her nightgown.
That thought brought a sudden chill. She knew the other girls were well along in their transitions. While she was not so far along yet (to put it mildly). What if Tennyo spotted her, while she was changing? What would the real girl say? Tennyo even had periods! What would she think? Better to change now, when there was no one in the room.
She quickly changed panties, making sure to carefully tuck herself back. She didn’t have that many clothes, so she decided to user her bottom drawer for dirty clothes. Then, in panties and nightgown, she was ready to head back. She felt a little exposed and didn’t have a robe, so she pulled the blanket off her bed and wrapped it around herself.
*****
She knocked on the sill of the open door. “Hi.” The other girls stopped talking as they noticed her. “I’m — I’m sorry I freaked out like that.”
In the room, it seemed like Tennyo was the focus of attention. The blue-haired girl was upside down, standing on the ceiling. Even so, her hair still fell in its own preferred direction, as if gravity were of no consequence.
Fey looked up at the returning member. “Hi,” she said. “Come on in.”
Jade smiled at Tennyo. Standing on the ceiling was a cool trick the first few times she’d seen it. Of course, she did it often enough herself.
With an odd catch in her voice, Fey asked, “You aren’t really jealous of someone like m-us, are you?”
Jade looked up at her. Looking into those violet, almost-alien eyes she said, “You are so beautiful. I’d give almost anything to be like you.”
The other girls seemed suddenly uncomfortable with the naked need in her voice.
“Well… hey!” Tennyo said. “I was just telling the girls some of the things I do. Didn’t want to show off any energy blasts, of course. That lady did warn us not to destroy anything. I think we were about to hear from Fey, right?”
“Yeah,” Ayla agreed. “We got part of it on the tour — psychedelic squirrels, turning into a girl, forced to buy cool clothes. And which of us can’t get behind that last part? But you never really told us how it works.”
“I told you about getting power from ley lines, right?”
Jade shook her head. “I didn’t quite understand that part.”
“The spirit of the world, all the life in it, all the material of it, are all bound together and interrelated. The combined energies of that collection are conducted along lines of mystic force called ‘ley lines.’”
There was silence for a moment before Tennyo said, “Kid, I’ve been from one side of this country to the other. I’ve seen a lot of strange things. But I’ve never seen anything to make me believe there’s one all-powerful force controlling everything. There’s no mystical energy field that controls my destiny.”
Fey just stuck her tongue out at the upside-down girl.
Toni added, “Yeah, remember Fey, hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side.”
Fey massaged her temple. “Excuse me! I was trying to have an origin here!”
Toni held up her hands. “Sorry! Please continue.”
“No, no, you’ve ruined the mood. I’ll just cut to the chase.” She turned her hands upward and shrugged. “I don’t really understand it. That’s why I’m here. Mostly, I just grab a bunch of energy and weave it together. I don’t really know what I might eventually be able to do, and I’m sure not going to chance an outbreak of weirdness tonight.” She glared at the stuffed lion. “Pardon me. ANOTHER outbreak.”
“Weird is as weird does,” the lion squeaked, getting whacked for her troubles.
Jade yawned. How late was it? “Anyone mind if I lie down for a while?”
“Knock yourself out, kid.” Ayla snickered at the joke.
“Can I have the troublemaker back?” she reached for the toy lion.
Fey handed it over, then said, “Wait a minute. You said you were the same person. That means you’re BOTH troublemakers!”
Jade and the lion looked at one another. “No, we’re completely different!” they said in unison.
Everyone glared at Jade. Sheepishly she offered up the lion. “Uh, more scapegoat, anyone?”
Toni laughed. “Get to bed. There’s plenty of couches in here.” But as Jade pulled off the blanket to shake it loose, Toni stared in alarm.
Jade paused. All three girls were staring at her. Had they spotted… something? Was she showing, somehow? Suddenly terrified, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
Tennyo gasped it out first. “…Hello Kitty?” She said it with a tone of horror.
“Hey, beggars can’t be choosers, you know? Besides, I always thought Hello Kitty was cute.”
Fey shook her head. “You really are Japanese, aren’t you?”
Toni shot a sideways glance at Fey. “We can’t all be fashion goddesses.” She tried, unsuccessfully, to keep from peeking back at the horrid emblem on Jade’s nightshirt.
Jade felt the wash of memories as Jinn came back into her. She wished she could lay down in mid-air like Tennyo. Then, realizing that she could, she shook out the blanket, pushed the speaker disk onto the corner, and charged them both. Then she hugged the (now normal) stuffed animal, as the blanket flattened itself out in mid-air, about three feet off the ground. It slowly flowed up to Jade and up her side. She let herself fall over into the soft embrace. Once she was resting horizontally, the blanket folded itself over her. One part lifted up under her head like a pillow, while the other end folded over her feet. Then it floated up to just over head height, where she could participate in the conversation without being in the way.
“Flying carpets, too,” Fey said in admiration. “Versatile power. And I thought I was the one who could do magic.”
“I’m not all that strong,” Jinn’s voice said from the foot corner of the blanket. “Last time I tested, I could only lift about 180 pounds, but since I don’t get tired I can hold that entire weight until I fade.”
“There’s one part I still don’t get,” Toni said, staring at the floating blanket. “Which one are you? I mean, which of you is you?”
“Both” the blanket said. A second later, the drowsy girl echoed, “both.”
“When I’m like this,” the blanket continued, “I’m separate. There’s two of me — one in my body, and one in the object. The whatever-it-is that we’ve charged up. We’re like separate people. I mean, we don’t have telepathy or anything like that, we’re really separate. A minute ago we were the same, but now we’re in two places, get it? And when I fade, we’ll all of a sudden remember both of ‘us’. I mean, the only one of me then is the me-in-my-body, and then I remember both. Does that make sense?”
Fey looked puzzled, but she nodded. “No weirder than magic, I guess.” She snorted. “You know, together I’ll bet we could put on a hell of a magic show.”
“Yeah,” Tennyo broke in, “I could be the levitating lady.”
“That’s nothing,” the blanket said. “I can be the lady that you saw in half. Literally.”
Toni fingered one edge of the blanket, which slapped back at her fingers. “Uh, no offense, but you kind of have to be a ‘lady’ first. No one’s impressed with the ‘saw the blanket in half’ trick.”
“Oh, yeah,” the blanket said. “I guess I haven’t shown you that part yet. Well remember the jacket-and-gloves, from when we talked by the statue? If I put on a bodysuit, gloves, hood, wig, and a really good rubber facemask, I look good enough to pass as a real person. It feels kind of like I’m actually wearing the clothes, and if you grabbed my arm it would feel like there was a person inside. Well, for pressure and shape. I don’t give off any warmth. Blankets and stuffed animals are okay, but I really do prefer to be in girl-shape. I go around that way whenever I can. Then I can be Jinn for real. No one’s really spotted anything unusual.”
Toni leaned forward. “Really? Could you show us?”
“Maybe tomorrow,” the blanket said. “Only Jade can charge me into something, and she’s just fallen asleep.”
As if in response to this, soft snores could now be heard from the other end of the blanket.
“You call yourself Djin?” Fey repeated. “Makes sense.” She’d begun researching magic ever since she came into her powers.
“Oh, what time is it?” the blanket asked. “I forgot to look when I charged up. I only last for about sixty minutes.”
Tennyo looked at her watch. “Seven forty-five.”
“Ouch. We still haven’t finished unpacking, Fey.”
“Yeah. It’s not so bad for me, though. I woke up in a later time zone.”
“Still, it was a big day.”
Tennyo reluctantly agreed. “I guess we’d better take off.” She looked at the blanket. “C’mon, cabbit.”
“I’m not a cabbit now,” the blanket protested. “Besides, you don’t have any carrots. Why should I follow you?”
“‘Cause I’ll lock the door if you don’t. You might be able to slip underneath, but sleeping beauty there won’t be so lucky.”
The two of them drifted in mid-air down the hallway.
“Waaa! My evil roommate is threatening me!”
“Shut up, you! Laundry gets no special rights in this dorm!”
As they disappeared into their own room, Toni gave Fey a sideways glance.
“Enough to make you feel almost normal, isn’t it?”
The fox-faced girl gave a wan smile in return. “For a while. For a while.”
*****
Morning presented Jade with a disturbing problem. She’d have to shower in the girls’ restroom. And although the showers themselves were individual and screened off, there was only a single shared changing room. So how was she supposed to get in and out of the shower without “showing”?
She’d just returned from going to the bathroom. At least the stalls had doors, thank goodness. That still left her somewhat terrified. But it was one of the things she’d have to get over. If she couldn’t stand to use the bathroom here, among other transgendered girls and (presumably) supportive gay friends in Poe, how was she going to cope on campus?
But, of course, that was the problem. She wasn’t transgendered. Not yet. She was just a stupid boy, with a hope and a desperate need.
No! She was GOING to do this. She COULD do it. She wasn’t going to let anything stop her from becoming a girl. If she had to do this, then by God, she’d figure out how to do it right. Let’s see…
First off, she needed her training bra. Or rather, as a boy, she didn’t need it at all. Which was precisely why she did need it — to cover up what she didn’t have. Even more, she needed her panties, to cover up what she did have but didn’t want.
It was lucky that Tennyo had just gone off to the shower. Jade stood and looked at herself, wearing only bra-and-panties, in the mirror on the back of their door.
“Not too bad,” Jinn said beside her. Jinn was currently gloves-and-speaker.
“What do you know?” Jade berated her. “You can’t even see right.”
“I know I can see a small bulge at the bottom of our panties,” the gloves said.
“Yeah,” Jade agreed. “How am I supposed to keep myself tucked in, without walking like a dweeb?”
“Maybe the towel will hide everything,” the gloves suggested.
Jade had retrieved an oversized white towel while she was in the bathroom. She wrapped it around herself, then looked in the mirror.
“Hmmm. The bra straps have to go,” she decided.
“Don’t worry. The towel covers everything.”
They obviously both got the same idea at the same time. If they could trust the towel to stay on, and strategically positioned…
“The towel!” Jinn, in the gloves, said.
But Jade had already had an even better idea. She held out one finger, dangling a pair of small cotton underpants. “The problem isn’t the towel,” she said, “it’s the tuck. So if you —”
“Oh, no!” the gloves said, held up in protest. “No way! You aren’t putting me into a pair of panties again!”
——-
Well, it could be worse, she grumbled to herself. There were all sorts of objects that would be worse to inhabit. And the idea had worked. As a set of panties with a mind of their own, levitation capabilities, and enough strength to lift the girl off the ground, she was able to perform a very good tuck, indeed. Last time she’d done this had been a few embarrassing seconds with Miss Baker. This time, she was actually able to use her TK. Jade had looked into the mirror and announced that she looked just about perfect. In fact, there’d been a touch of wonder in her other self’s voice.
And the way Jade kept running a hand down the smooth front of her panties… it was easily as good as being petted when she was a stuffed animal. Quite pleasant, in fact. She spent a moment wondering how it was that stroking could feel nice, when she had no erogenous zones in girl-shape. After a moment, she decided that it wasn’t quite the same thing. The pets and stroking weren’t really directly pleasurable, but they were nice. It was mostly psychological. Attention, stimulus, a caring touch. It didn’t need to feel sensual in order to be appreciated.
The only problems was that, while she could keep her contours perfect in front, if someone were to look up her skirt (so to speak) they would see the panties clearly wrapped around something that shouldn’t be there. So maybe next time, she’d add a minipad to the crotch. That way, she could hold things in place while still giving a proper appearance from outside.
Jinn figuratively slapped herself. She was getting way too carried away with this.
*****
Jade was beaming, as she boldly walked down the hallway, clad only in towel-and-panties. The image in the mirror had been perfect, absolutely perfect! She couldn’t help but touch herself, stroking the beautiful flat contours of the panties. This is what she’d dreamed of looking like!
Well, she’d dreamed of a little more up top, and maybe a figure. And a face that was a bit cuter, and a lot of things. But she felt like she was making real progress here!
The towel was wrapped just below her armpits (as if she had an actual chest to conceal) and hung down to nearly her knees. But even if it fell away, she’d still look perfectly realistic!
She entered the girls’ bathroom, turned right past the stalls and sinks, and stepped into the common changing area. Tennyo was still toweling off after her shower. Jade could feel her face turning bright red. She used to be a guy? Before she’d forced her eyes to look away, she’d seen enough to know that Tennyo had naturally blue hair, and that there wasn’t the slightest trace of anything male remaining.
There were two other freshmen getting ready. The first was a redhead (although it was hard to think of anyone else as a true redhead after seeing Fey’s flame-red locks). The second was a blonde, about six-foot-one. She had the body of a weightlifter, but managed to look feminine at the same time. Small breasts, sculpted pecs, and she shaved everywhere. Jade deliberately didn’t look.
She was extra careful in the shower. She climbed in and closed the curtain, before carefully reaching through to hang her panties and towel outside.
*****
Back in their room, Jade held her towel in place and tried to figure out what to wear.
Tennyo was wearing tennis shoes, very tight jeans, and a tank top.
Jade wasn’t going to say anything, but she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. “No bra?”
Tennyo looked down. “Why hide perfection?” She grinned. “Seriously, I don’t have a bra that works with this tank top.”
“Go ahead,” Jade said, with her head stuck into her wardrobe, “make me even more jealous.”
“Well it’s not like I asked for this. It was all my stupid brother’s fault. I still feel like strangling him.”
She finished pulling on a yellow sweatshirt and pleated gray skirt. As soon as the skirt was in place, she felt Jinn returning to her head.
The rush of memories was briefly disorienting. Being a pair of panties had certainly been different. And (as she’d spent much of the morning considering) if only it weren’t so intimate, it would have excellent prank potential. Of course, she also thought she could give new meaning to the ancient phrase “living bra.”
Shaking her head at the truly astounding new ideas that had suddenly come to her, she realized that she’d been in the middle of something.
“Hey do you mind —”
There was a knock on the door. Tennyo opened it to see Fey, Toni, and Ayla, dressed and looking ready to go out. “Interested in breakfast?” they asked.
“Ravenous,” Tennyo answered, immediately.
Jade looked up from her packet on the bed. “I was about to ask if anyone minded if I brought Jinn along, too?”
Toni said, “Actually, we were hoping to meet her.”
Jade nodded. “That’s right. I promised you last night.”
“You need to invent some new pronouns,” Ayla grumbled.
Jade reached over to charge the bundle of clothes. In what had by now become rather routine to her, the clothes lifted up into the air, coming into proper position and then suddenly snapping into an “inflated” appearance, as Jinn filled them.
“Sorry,” the other girl said, rubbing her hands against the mask. “Let me just get my face on.”
“You know,” Fey said, “back in the olden days that meant something very different.”
*****
The walk to campus seemed shorter in the bright morning light. Around them, the trees were still green, although one or two were showing the first signs of yellow. There were occasional leaves on the ground, but the brick walkway was kept scrupulously clean.
As Belle had predicted the night before, there was plenty of activity from Melville Cottage, as parents and students worked on moving in.
The girls crested O. Henry Hill and saw the campus spread out below them. Near the center was their destination — Schuster Hall. In an amazing marriage of styles, the ancient concert hall that had once occupied the south end had been replaced with a sparkling glass geodesic dome. That dome (or “Crystal Hall” as it was sometimes called) was the school’s cafeteria and central hangout spot.
“What do you want to do after breakfast?” Toni asked.
Tennyo looked back over her shoulder. “Why, you interested in trying a little sparring?” She was carefully walking on the ground, not displaying any unusual abilities.
“Well, since you bring it up —”
Fey broke in. “How about uniforms? Has anyone bought their school uniform yet?”
Four puzzled looks greeted her question.
“Didn’t any of you read the introductory packet?”
“Well, of course,” Jade said. “But there’s plenty of time —”
“Nope. Best selection and fit is always available on the first day. And remember, they may not be required, but they are highly recommended for official functions and all special events. To me, that sounds like, ‘You’d better have a uniform!’”
“Well,” Tennyo admitted, “I am pretty short on clothes.”
*****
“I just realized,” Tennyo said, unlocking their door, “if you’d been smart you two could have been roommates. Then you wouldn’t have to share a room.”
Jade and Jinn answered in accidental unison. “But we want to share a room with you.”
“Huh. Psychic twins. Figures.” She spotted something on the floor. “What’s this?”
An envelope had been slid under the door. The only notation on the outside was a hastily scrawled name that looked like “T-eyor.”
“Do you suppose they meant to write ‘Tennyo’?” Jinn asked.
The blue-haired girl shrugged. “Beats me. Let’s see what it says.”
She ripped open the envelope, then scanned the message. Her large eyes were expressive as she displayed shock, then fear, then an almost wry disbelief.
“Well, what do you know. Only our first day here, and already we’re getting death threats. Only, not from very competent foes.” She handed the letter over, so that Jade and Jinn could both read it:
Missing your family much?
Don’t worry. However far they may be from your heart and mind, rest assured that they aren’t far out of our sights. Particularly that so-called sister of yours. Play things right and we give both you and her a wide berth, and never talk to you again. Play things wrong and the very least that will happen is that those innocent young girls you’re living with will find out that their sorority sister used to look a lot different.
We’re looking for someone else, not related to you. All you have to do is get the name and home address of every girl living in Poe Hall. It should be easy. Right now, everyone’s moving in. They all have addresses on their luggage.
Write the information down, fold the paper up, and leave it under the bust of Edgar Allen Poe in the entryway to your cottage. Tomorrow night, before 7 PM. No tricks. Complete this successfully and we will never again bother you or yours.
Don’t play games with us, Trevor. We mean business.
Jinn frowned. “But Trevor is Ayla’s old name, so this note was meant for Ayla. Why’d they send it to us?”
Tennyo slapped her head. “I forgot! We didn’t change our room assignments with Belle after we exchanged with Ayla. Whoever sent the note must be using the old information.”
That didn’t make any sense to Jade. “But we already know about Ayla. Do they really think this is a threat?”
Tennyo mused aloud. “If we were the innocent girls the blackmailers think we are, it might hurt Ayla if we were turned against her.” She seemed troubled. “I think we’re going to have to warn Ayla and get some help. But how?”
Jinn immediately headed for the door. “Let’s go find her!”
“Hold on!” Jade ordered. “We’ve got some crook watching for anything out of the ordinary, maybe getting ready to do something drastic. Parents on every floor. I think you look pretty good, but can we take a chance? Particularly if you start spying on people?”
Tennyo nodded. “Good point. The mask isn’t bad, but those eyes… Anyway, I know where we can find more manpower. Or rather, girl power.”
Jade got that immediately and nodded. “Of course! Duh!”
Jinn looked resigned. “What about me? Lookout?”
Jade nodded. She took a small piece of paper from her desk and quickly folded it into a tiny paper airplane — almost a dart — while Jinn folded herself up and packed herself away. As Jinn removed her face, Tennyo said, “Ugh. That’s just creepy. So how are you going to do lookout work?”
Feeling Jinn’s return, Jade turned to see the gloves drop, then took them and tucked them into her purse. She shook her head, as if that would help settle the memories, and immediately charged Jinn into the small paper dart. With a toss, the plane glided in a perfect circle around the room, almost as if guided. “See?” she explained to Tennyo. “Paper airplane. Perfectly innocent to unsuspecting parents.”
“Nice throw. What’s her job?”
“She lodges somewhere near the ceiling and watches. If she sees anything, she comes back to me immediately.”
“Cool! She can keep an eye out for us while we get the others together and decide what we can do about this. Why don’t you go and get Ayla? Bring her over to Toni’s and Fey’s room. I’ll meet you there and we can pool our resources.”
*****
“Who’s ‘Tievor’?” Fey asked.
“I think it’s supposed to say ‘Treyon’,” Toni offered.
Tennyo and Jade were looking at Ayla, who began to shake in rage as she read the note.
Jade whispered quietly, “It’s just bad handwriting, and it was supposed to say, ‘Trevor.’”
“Trevor Goodkind,” Ayla confirmed, hooking a thumb back at herself. “And someone is going to pay for this!”
8: Highs and Lows
Whateley Academy September 4, Monday
Jade studied the ‘introductory packet’ again. It was better than listening to Ayla rant. That girl could go on and on about how she’d been a target her entire life, and how tired she was of it. Now, as a mutant, she’d find she was a different kind of target. But it was up to Ayla how she wanted to handle the blackmail note, and whatever the skinny girl decided, the rest of them wouldn’t get in on the action until Wednesday night.
So Jade went back to her room, stretched out on her bed, and studied the packet. Details on receiving visitors, visiting the near-by town, restrictions on handling the campus newspaper, when costumes were permissible, open display of powers. She studied this last part again. It seemed like just a repeat of the whole flag discussion, but she finally came across a worthwhile nugget:
“No restriction is imposed on powers which will not be noticed by ordinary visitors. Consult with your councilor for additional details.”
That sounded promising. Her appointment was for tomorrow morning; she decided to take Jinn with her.
*****
That night featured the first “Poe Party” presided over by Mrs. Horton, Poe’s “house mother.” They had video games and ping pong downstairs, as well as punch and dancing. Of course, being Poe, most of the dances were girl-girl and guy-guy. Despite that, Jade was still surprised when an older girl asked her to dance.
“I’m not sure I’m very good,” she admitted, biting her lip.
“Then you’ll have to let me teach you!”
The pretty brunette looked about sixteen, and was at least three inches taller than her. The music launched into a fast-paced romp. It was interesting to have the other girl holding her and leading her around, giving her tips on how to move her hips and arms. And although the dancing was fun, Jade found she couldn’t stop looking at her dance partner. She couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky the other girl was to be a real girl. The jealousy was like a razor-sharp stab in her heart. It’s so unfair!
So after three different dances and an ever-increasing depression, she decided to skip out of the dance and headed for the discussion rooms. The sunroom lounges on each floor had been made over into theme discussion rooms. On the second floor, almost right next to her room, the discussion was “Welcome to Whateley.” Which was interesting, but she decided to check out the other discussions first. Next floor up the topic was “being a sexual minority.” Finally, up on the senior floor, everyone was talking about graduation, careers, and the legacy (whatever that was). There was far too much to keep track of, so Jade pulled out the body suit and had Jinn circulate as a real person.
And, as usual, Jade fell asleep long before Jinn, giving one last charge before flopping down on her bed, a pillow over her head to keep out the noise.
*****
Jinn had planned to sit in on the discussions, but found herself gravitating back to the dance floor. She had no weight and no mass — could she dance convincingly? She’d found the trick to be “thinking herself heavy.” She had to draw on her experience in a physical body, and move the way she expected to move. It was all simulated, but it gave a reasonably good impression of a girl subject to gravity and inertia — even if those effects were entirely simulated through TK.
She met the pretty brunette again (who, of course, didn’t recognize her behind the Madonna mask and brunette wig). This time she had a lot more fun. As Jinn, she WAS a girl. There was no question about it. So she felt none of the jealousy or longing that she’d felt in her physical body. On the other hand, there were many other emotional issues — desire, lust, need, fear — that weren’t much of an issue for Jinn. Then again, the whole lust thing was still more of an intellectual curiosity to both of them. She assumed there’d be more developing with that, once she went through puberty.
After a particularly fast dance, the brunette (her name was Tammy) came back with some punch for Jade.
“Wow! I can’t believe you haven’t even broken a sweat!”
Jinn looked down at the glass of punch in her hand. What am I supposed to do with this? “Yeah, well, I’m afraid I’m going to have to pack it up for the night.” She checked her watch. “I only have another five minutes before I evaporate.”
Tammy laughed. “Pretty funny. Honestly — you can sleep in tomorrow. Classes don’t start until Thursday.”
“No, you don’t understand. I really will evaporate.”
“Yeah, right. What’s your power, gaseous form or something?”
Jinn frowned. “Well, promise you won’t freak on me?” She grabbed her left glove and pulled it out of position, to display her empty sleeve.
“Ohmygawd! You’re her! The stuffed animal girl that Quickie was talking about!”
“Quickie?”
“Oh, sorry. Juanita Havier. She was telling us about you.” Something else connected for the brunette. “Oh, and that means you must be the cute little Asian girl I was dancing with before.”
“Well, yeah.”
“Hey, you were getting kind of depressed earlier. Glad you came back.”
Jinn glanced at her watch, frowning. “Jeez, I really want to keep talking to you, but in three minutes I turn into a pile of clothes.”
Tammy giggled. “Only at Whateley! Hey, there’s another party tomorrow night, too. Maybe we can finish then.”
Jinn nodded, heading upstairs to pack her clothes away.
*****
Next morning, Tennyo seemed to be in a fairly good mood. When she left to take her shower, Jade quickly charged up Jinn (in full body suit) to run down and get a glass of orange juice from the fridge on the first floor. She took the opportunity to make Tennyo’s bed and clean up the other girl’s extra laundry. She cleaned up the rest of the room, and laid out all her own clothes for the shower.
Jinn returned, and Jade quickly re-absorbed her, then put Jinn back into her panties for the perilous walk to the showers. She knew it would be more crowded today, and even worse tomorrow, so it was a good thing she was getting her techniques down ahead of time. This time she’d remembered to use a panty liner. It would probably be best to buy a box of them. The thought gave her a happy smile. It was an activity that was just so darned feminine. It still felt a bit odd to sit when she was all tucked up, but anything was better than being a boy.
So she stood there, towel wrapped around her slim frame and panties squirming her into the perfect tuck, waiting for Tennyo to come back.
She picked up the orange juice and held it for her roommate. It was strange. Lately, her mannerisms had been growing to echo those of her mother more and more. And her mother had been a first generation Japanese immigrant. Jade was certainly not. She was pure middle American in culture, but for some reason, it just felt right to behave the way her mother had: feminine, deferential, and demure. She didn’t act like this when she was Jinn, but then, Jinn didn’t have anything to prove.
Jade knew that she was desperate for anything that could make her more feminine. Emulating her mother was just one small way to do that. It made her wonder — once she achieved her dream, once she became a girl for real, would she still act so insecure? She really wanted to know.
Eventually, the door popped open and Tennyo came striding in, her hair already dry.
“Hey, Jade, what’s up?”
Jade waited for Tennyo to close the door, then bowed and offered the other girl the glass of orange juice. “Good morning. I hope you showered well. Would you care for some juice this morning?”
“Uh, yeah, I guess.” Tennyo started to dress, tossing her towel casually onto the bed. She stood there in naked glory, looking curiously at the glass that had just been handed to her. “Uh, what’s up?”
Jade bowed again. “Tennyo-san…” She had to force herself not to say “sama”, but that would probably be insulting under the circumstances. “Your accident… you said it was a million-to-one chance. Please, I don’t mean to bother you with this, but when you became…” she gestured at Tennyo’s currently-naked body “…as you are, when you became a girl, was it because of the drug, or because of your powers?”
“Oh, that.” The blue-haired girl took a chug of juice and set the glass down on her desk. “My accident, huh?” She started rooting through her dresser looking for clothes. With an odd look of skepticism she pulled out a bra. “I suppose I should wear one, even if I don’t really need it,” she muttered to herself. Then she used one of those unconsciously sexy moves that genuine girls performed so easily. She slipped the bra on, automatically arching her back to thrust her chest out, as she limberly fastened the hooks behind her back.
“Well, I can tell you it sure wasn’t the drug. That stuff was pure poison. I’m convinced that any other mutant that tried the stuff would end up dead, and it sure never changed anyone like this before.” She was sorting through panties now. “I think I’d have to chalk it up to my mimic powers, or rather, the mimic powers I used to have before they burned out. That, and the fact that I was apparently a hermaphrodite. Or a semi-hermaphrodite, or whatever. Nothing that really sounds too useful to anyone else. Sorry.” She was now pulling her panties into place, making sure they were tight and snug. “Hope it’s not too disappointing.”
“No. Thank you for your time, Tennyo-san.” Jade bowed again, then left for her shower.
As she left, she heard Tennyo saying, “Did you make my bed? You didn’t have to do that.”
Jade sighed.
After hearing Tennyo’s story, she’d pretty much expected this. But she was going to trace down every single possibility. Somehow, some way, she would achieve her dream.
*****
Her councilor was a middle-aged woman named Terri Larson. Jade had stayed behind, outside the door. Jinn went in for the interview instead. Terri rose to greet her, and Jinn briefly took Ms. Larson’s hand.
“Always nice to meet the entering freshmen,” Ms. Larson said. “You should be aware that, like any other high school student, you’ll need to load up on the required classes for your first few years here. I know that some of the electives must look awfully tempting, but we need to get those requirements out of the way. So, let’s get to first things first. Perhaps you can tell me why you’re wearing that costume, why you look like that, and why you aren’t the Japanese girl that your file told me to expect?”
Jinn gave a sheepish smile. “Busted. I was hoping to convince you to let me take double classes.”
Ms. Larson’s eyebrows rose. “Most of the students want to take less classes, not more.”
Jinn nodded. “Let me bring in my other half, first.” After receiving a nod of approval, she rose and opened the door. “Come on in. We’re busted.”
Jade came in, looking insecure as always. It sometimes bugged Jinn how deferential and meek she looked in her real body.
“I’m sorry,” Jade said miserably. “I just wanted to convince you that I could pass without too much notice, even on ‘red’ days.”
“I’m not sure I understand. Are you two related?” She peered at Jade’s charts. “Your chart says something about manifesting a second astral body, but I shook hands with you.”
Jinn said, “Perhaps a demonstration would be in order.” With that, she released her hold on her current body and ceased to exist.
*****
Jade explained as she gathered up the clothes. “…so it’s only when we re-join that I pick up my memories as Jinn. Well, as that time of Jinn. The two of us are usually only an hour out of sync.” She considered. “Well, no, I’ve gone longer, if I keep recharging her.”
“So only Jinn can use your TK, and only to move herself.” Jade nodded. “But if you attend classes separately, won’t she become the expert on English, while you become the expert on math?”
Jade shook her head. “No, there’s really just me. When I join up again, everything comes together. Then when I split off Jinn, we both have our combined memories up to that point. This just lets me be in two places at once.”
Her councilor looked upward. “I never get the easy ones. Never a simple flyer or super-strong hunk.” With a sigh, she returned to the chart in front of her. “Okay, I’ll have to think about this. Just to help my thinking, can you bring her back — this other self?”
Jade charged the clothes again. It was moderately amusing to watch her Ms. Larson’s expressions as the clothes inflated, and as Jinn ‘put on her face.’
“No way, no how, are you ever going to display that on even an amber day. I don’t know.” She looked between the two of them. “But let’s see what you were planning to take, on this double schedule.”
*****
“No, you’re still too heavy on electives. ‘Flying 1’ is usually a sophomore class. And do you really need it?”
Jinn lifted into the air. “I do fly, sort of. The description said the class would help on all aspects — speed, maneuverability, fine control. I need the fine control, because I’m really flying even when I just walk.”
“Well, I don’t think it will fit in for your first semester. But you definitely need to take ‘Costume shop 1’.”
Jinn nodded. “To help on my disguise?”
“Exactly. Now, Intro to Superpowers has both a theory and a practical. Or Powers Theory and Powers Lab, as we tend to call them. They’re electives, but if you can pull double classes, I think you should take both. But we can’t forget the basics. Even if this double-class idea fails, I want you in for Beginning English, Algebra I, one of the sciences, Civics, and a PE.” She smiled. “Apparently, at normal schools they have problems getting kids into PE.”
“I don’t think normal schools give martial arts as a PE option,” Jade suggested.
“True. I’d also like you to take a language as one of your main line — the classes you’ll keep, even if the double-booking fails.”
Jade had already looked over the list. “You don’t have Japanese?”
“We’re a pretty small school. But we do have Chinese, you’ll notice.”
“Not exactly the same thing,” she grumbled. “If I take Chinese, everyone is going to think I’m Chinese.”
“Surely there’s some overlap? There is with the romance languages.”
“Not quite the same thing,” Jinn said, nearly repeating Jade’s line. “Still… it’s better than nothing.”
“Okay,” Jade agreed. “So on the main line, I have Beginning English, Algebra I, Bio, an hour for lunch, Civics, Chinese, and I end with Martial Arts.”
Ms. Larson nodded. “A good freshman line-up.”
“And on the second track,” Jinn added, “I’ll be taking Costume I, Powers Theory I, and Powers Lab I in the afternoon. Which leaves me with three open slots.”
The counselor nodded. “May I recommend Physics? A lot of TK types find it useful, and it would help satisfy your fundamentals.”
“Okay.” Jinn penciled it in on her schedule. “And I’ll want to take Martial Arts again for my last class.”
“Aren’t you taking that already in your primary line-up?”
“Different body,” Jinn explained. “Different rules. I really need to be completely retrained.”
“For your last class, may I suggest ‘word processing.’ Even if you’ve done some computer work, most students get a lot out of the class. These are tools that you’ll use for a long time to come.”
Jinn sighed. Or rather, she emitted the sound of someone sighing. “It sounds great, but I can’t see a computer screen. If it was a straight typing class…”
“Can’t see the screen?”
Jinn nodded. “I see matter density or something like that. Material types. Not light. So I can’t even tell if a computer screen is turned on.”
“Hmmm,” Ms. Larson considered. “Well, if Jade took the computer class, and you took Chinese…”
The girls nodded in unison.
“Okay, the biggest trick will be putting everything under the single transcript of ‘Jade Sinclair.’ But we’ve dealt with odder things…” She worked on her computer for a few minutes before finally sounding satisfied.
Jade and Jinn both waited in silence. They weren’t about to disturb her. She’d gone from “I’ll think about it” to “let me set it up” in less than an hour. They weren’t going to jeopardize this.
“Anything else? It’s almost time for my next appointment.”
“Well…” Jade was naturally embarrassed to bring it up.
“Money,” Jinn said, putting it in the open. “I was getting measured for my uniform, and they said I needed to check my student account.”
“Excellent,” the councilor said. “You’d be surprised how many students try to ignore that until they’re in deep trouble.
“Yes, your scholarship requires a part-time job for personal expenses and some supplemental fees. We have a variety connected with the school, or you could commute to the local town of Dunwich. They aren’t bothered by the strange, far from it, but they really prefer that everything look normal. So flying into town isn’t really an option. For now, I’d think that wouldn’t be the best job.”
“What does the school have?” Jinn leaned forward eagerly, until she realized the information was on a computer screen.
“Pretty much the standard for young girls your age is cafeteria work. We also have office assistant. Then there are a wide variety of other jobs, not all that suitable for young girls.” She spun the monitor around.
Jade looked at the list and thought. “I could really use some cash as soon as possible. How soon could I start on this one?”
The councilor looked to make sure. “Give me a moment to call.”
After speaking quietly on the phone, she said, “Would this afternoon be too soon?”
For the first time, Ms. Larson looked disturbed. “Are you sure about this?”
“It sure pays better than cafeteria work.”
*****
She met them at the southwest corner of the library. Both wore overalls, of course. The larger, rounder once stuck out a hand. “Good to meet you! Morrie Goldberg,” he said, smiling. Then he turned to the smaller, thin one. “This is my esteemed associate, Stan Lipscowycz. He’s a Polack, but don’t hold it against him.”
Stan shook his head. “Morrie’s got a mouth on him. Don’t let it throw you. So, you both going to the school?”
Jade and Jinn nodded in unison.
“Well, might as well tell us what your powers are. If it can help on the job, we need to know.”
Jade looked at them both, but it was Jinn who spoke. “You cleared for all this? And how can we show you? It’s a ‘red’ day.”
Stan looked disconcerted. “Right. Not like we’ve got powers or anything, but they still yell at us when we aren’t careful enough.”
Morrie grunted and scratched the stubble under his throat. “Good catch, but I guess you super-whatzit types gotta think about crap like that, don’t you? Okay, follow me. We’ll do it in the maintenance area. That’s off-limits to anyone else.”
He walked around to the side of the Beck Library. A small set of narrow concrete steps led down to a basement-level metal door. Morrie fumbled with his keys, then the door smoothly opened. Jade had expected a creak, based on her estimate of the door’s age.
For a moment, she felt a tinge of fear at following two grown men into a secret locked room. Both of them were larger and stronger than her. She kicked herself, thinking that Mr. Larson knew where she was. There were telepaths on campus. She was sure that she didn’t have to worry about rapist co-workers. Besides, she was going to be working with these men.
Her mind did a double take, as she realized the tenor of her thoughts. She was thinking exactly what a girl would think, and that briefly gave her a happy glow. She noticed Jinn looking at her oddly. Her other side was no doubt wondering about her spike of happiness. Well, Jinn would find out soon enough.
Once Morrie closed the door, he said, “Okay, do your stuff.”
Jinn floated up in the air. “I can fly. I can also see in the dark. In fact, I don’t see regularly at all — I don’t see with light, so I’m no good with colors. Oh, and I don’t have a sense of smell. I guess I’m pretty much invulnerable, and I don’t mind getting incredibly dirty, so long as you supply the clothes.”
Morrie nodded. “Yeah, that’s definitely a plus. I can almost see why you picked this job. And how ‘bout your friend, the little chink girl?”
Jade glared at him. Morrie certainly did have a mouth on him. “I’m not Chinese, I’m Japanese! Big difference. Anyway, I don’t have any powers of my own, except…” She looked at Jinn. “Come back.”
Jinn nodded, then collapsed into an empty pile of clothes.
“That’s why I don’t mind getting dirty when I’m Jinn,” she explained. “No body. I’m just an ‘autonomous telekinetic construct’, but I have to be charged into something real. Clothes, a mop, whatever. I can only use my TK to touch and move that object. But if it’s gloves, I can feel things, pick them up like normal hands. When I’m done, I ‘let go’ of that thing and I’m gone. No dirt, no fuss.”
“Well, that’s not too bad,” Morrie agreed, “but since there’s really only one of you, we’ll only be able to give you single pay.”
Jade clenched her teeth. She hated confrontations like this. Jinn did fine, but Jinn wasn’t here right now. So for the moment, SHE had to be Jinn. Aloud she said, “Well, darn. I guess I’ll have to go then. I really need that double salary. And it’ll be more than fair, since I’ll give you at least double productivity.” She began to walk toward the door. “It’s a real shame, though. The reason I did this was because of a move I came up with, a while back.”
While she was talking, she pulled out a broken-off end of a pocketknife, and charged Jinn into it. “I found this in some trash a couple of weeks ago.” The knife blade lifted into the air. “See, I was thinking of self-defense, but I’m pretty squeamish about hurting people. But I love the old kung fu movies, so I got an idea. What if Jinn could make the knife spin?”
And the floating knife began to spin so fast that it became a blur. A propeller. And it remained hovering in mid-air.
“And I thought — what can I do with this? Kill people? Ugh. Mix cakes? Don’t think so. There are machines that do it better. But I realized that I could travel almost anywhere like this. And I could see in the dark, and maneuver however I wanted to.”
The silvery disk rose up to the bare-bulb fixture, orbited around it twice, then descended to a large piece of plastic pipe, about four inches in diameter. It entered the pipe and flew down the bore, spinning all the while.
“And I suddenly thought about this clogged toilet…”
The light dawned in Stan’s eye. It was like he was looking at the Holy Grail. “My GOD! We’ll never have to fix a clog, ever again!”
Jade held up a hand and the knife zoomed out of the pipe and slapped into her palm. It ceased spinning at the last moment, so that she wouldn’t get cut. Jade tucked the broken blade away in a special envelope in her purse.
“But, I’d need the double salary. Oh well.” She turned back toward the door.
“Not bad, kid,” Morrie said. “But to get double salary, you’re going to have to do like us. Down into the sewer pipes, up in the harness, washing top floor windows. And both of youse definitely earn your keep!”
She stared at him. “Anything YOU can do, I can do!”
Morrie smiled thinly. It wasn’t a cruel or nasty smile; it was more like he really enjoyed the game. “Overalls are over there. Don’t think we’ve got a pair small enough for you, but see what you can find.”
*****
“Okay, let me know if the height is too much for you!” Stan called from below.
Jade hung up on the fourth story, suspended by a rope that connected to a small trolley affair in the eaves. She was wearing a set of straps and harnesses that connected to the rope.
“You’re lucky you’re a girl,” Morrie told her from the next window over. “Us guys kinda get bunched up with the crotch straps.”
Speak for yourself, she thought. While both straps technically wrapped around the top of her thighs, between the harness and her clothes she was feeling an awful lot of pressure in the crotch region. Five minutes ago, she had been uncomfortably reminded of the physical differences between her and a real girl. Now that entire region had mostly gone numb. That didn’t seem like a good sign.
“Do I really have to bother with the ropes?” Jinn asked, from her other side.
“Stupid!” Morrie hollered. “You know what color it is today! What are people going to think, if they see you doin’ whatever you want?”
“Yeah, yeah. No need to get nasty about it.”
“Maybe you got a problem with my mouth?”
“No, forget it.”
Jade didn’t join any of the banter. It would definitely take her a while to get used to Morrie. She’d spotted him trying to hold himself back from some particularly vile comment, once or twice. She figured he was trying to act nice on her behalf. She wondered what he’d be like when he really got going. But so far, his language seemed to be more of a game than something that really upset him.
“Okay, both of youse,” he hollered. “Watch the technique.” Morrie kicked his legs up against the sill. “First, you get out of the way of drips. Then you take your bucket — that’s why we’ve got one, and you take the brush. You’ll notice that it’s on a lanyard. Believe me, you’ll need it. Now, you examines the target. See that big spot of bird crap? Fuggin’ pigeons all got perpetual diarrhea or somethin’.”
Morrie proceeded to instruct them in the finer points of window washing. Jinn picked it up immediately, but Jade wasn’t quite so fast. It wasn’t that she was scared, exactly, but hanging from a rope four stories up had a real way of riveting your attention. It seemed even worse, being so close to a building. Hanging in mid-air, or being on a bridge wouldn’t have felt so high, somehow. But here, just on the wrong side of the window, it was impossible not to look down, not to see the three stories that plunged straight down, right between her feet. And she didn’t have the knack with the ropes yet, or much real confidence in them. Still, she forced herself to pick up the heavy brush, reach down into that heavy bucket of cleaning solution, and slop-wipe around the window. She tried not to notice the drops, as they plunged to the ground, so far below. She tried not to notice how each movement made her tip and sway. She just did her best to work the squeegee, and clean the windows completely.
By the time she was done, Morrie was four windows away and Jinn was two.
It was going to be a long day.
*****
Her legs were shaking so badly she could barely stand.
“Not bad, kid.” Morrie clapped her on the shoulder. Behind him, Stan was grinning. “You passed the height test. Pretty good for your first day. Don’t worry. Nothing too high, tomorrow.” Morrie paused, as if to savor the anticipation. “Naw. And later this week we’ll go down under.”
“Don’t forget your nose clip!” Stan said, waving cheerily.
Jade gulped, wondering if they were joking.
*****
The crew were their usual excited selves that evening, looking forward to the party, talking about school or clothes or town, or (in one case) muttering darkly about blackmailers. Jade wasn’t up for it. What she really wanted was an hour-long bath, but the cottages didn’t have any bathtubs. Perhaps that was one of the grand luxuries up in the penthouse.
Not that it mattered. With her little problem, she wasn’t about to take a bath in the middle of a girls’ dorm. Instead, she took a quick evening shower and staggered downstairs to watch the party. She’d turn in early, but she was still getting used to the cottage and she wanted to get a feel for people she’d be living with. And there were more of them tonight, since people were still moving in.
She paused long enough to charge Jinn into her normal bodysuit before they headed downstairs together.
*****
Jinn, on the other hand, felt fine. Physical fatigue? What was that? Likewise, she never seemed to get sleepy. She wondered if she even could sleep in this form.
Hearing the pounding of music from the floor below, she headed down the stairs, hips swinging to the beat. Music and dancing didn’t have quite the visceral impact in this form, but there were compensations. She could dance forever without getting the least bit tired. Whenever she wanted, she was very light on her feet. Lastly, to her spirit-vision, the people of the dance floor were a riotous rainbow of color, golds and bright greens mixing with the more subdued white and sky blue.
There was more variety tonight. She saw Angel on the dance floor, her wings unfurled for the only time Jinn had ever seen in public, dancing with a tall curly-haired girl. And Juanita was almost as easy to spot. She was (oddly enough) dancing with a guy, but he was a speedster, too, and they were doing something that looked more like aerobics for hyped-out bumblebees than normal dancing. Everywhere the air sparkled with the ultra-violet glow of mutant energies, and there were even people flying, which allowed them to pack even more people into the cramped space of the common room.
There was more room to the sides — the kitchen and dining room had smaller groups trying for conversation amidst the rumble from the common room. The library, as always, was only sparsely populated.
There didn’t seem to be any prohibition against it, so Jinn lifted into the air. She spotted a busty blonde in a blue leotard and white cape, sitting cross-legged in mid-air. Jinn floated over next to her.
“Hi! I’m Jinn,” she opened. “And you’re ‘Megs’, right? I think we met on Sunday.” It was hard not to stare at the other girl. Her leotard was legless, and sitting cross-legged as she was, the girl was not entirely modest. There was nothing inappropriate or vulgar, but Jinn was more than aware of the other girl’s femininity and lush contours. She eyed Marty’s breasts with a bit of envy. Those whoppers had to be at least D-cup, and they looked as perky as Tennyo’s.
“Hi!” The other girl slid sideways toward her, so they could speak more confidentially. “Sorry if you’re looking for a girlfriend. It seems like everyone is trying to hook up in the first couple of days. I’m not really in the market, and besides,” her voice dropped a little, “I’m probably not quite what you’re thinking.”
Jinn held up her hands. “No, no, no. I was with Beltane’s group. What did she call us? The ‘gender baffled.’ She told us all about you. Uh, what should I call you? Megs? Marty? Do you have some other name?”
The blonde scrutinized her. “‘Megs’ is fine. I don’t remember seeing you in the crew.”
Jinn shook her head. “No, I’m the small Japanese girl.”
“Pardon my straight lines, but you don’t look Japanese.”
Jinn thought for a moment. “Oh, right. Uh, lemme see. From what Belle said, you create a PK shell, right?” She eyed Mega-Girl. That’s one hell of a shell.
Megs nodded.
“Well, imagine if the shell had a mind of her own, and could exist independently. So you’ve got pretty much no powers, except the ability to create the shell. And the shell is a full girl, only she doesn’t really have a body. And after an hour, she evaporates, and suddenly you have both sets of memories.”
Megs’ eyes lit up. “Are you the one Quickie was talking about? The girl that brings stuffed toys to life?”
“That’s me! Actually, now that I think about it, we have a lot in common.” She leaned closer to whisper quietly. “Only, maybe since my ‘shell’ is independent, it doesn’t seem to be affecting me the way yours is. And let me tell you, I am so jealous! Are there any hints you can give me? I’m sort of stuck in the — you know — starting state.”
The blonde frowned, before finally getting it. “Hey, don’t go pushing things too fast. The transition is nothing to sneeze at. In fact, it’s driving me nuts! It’s like my skin gets all itchy if I don’t wear the right clothes, but I look like an idiot if I’m not ‘babed-out’ like now.”
“At least you’ve got something happening. For me — zip. It’s been driving me nuts!”
“Uh huh. How long have you been ‘suffering’?”
Jinn thought back. “Uh, coming up on four months.”
“Puh-leeze! Come back to me when you’ve been flip-flopping between pink and blue for a couple of years, and maybe I’ll have some sympathy!”
Jinn pouted. “Somehow I thought you’d be a little more understanding.”
“Aw, jeez! Sorry, kid.” The busty blonde reached out to enfold her in a hug. Then, while they were wrapped up in each other (floating above the dance crowd for everyone to see), Megs blurted out, “Hey, this better not be some cheesy attempt to get a girlfriend. ‘Cause I’m sort of, well, not taken, but there’s this thing…”
Jinn giggled. “As if! Honestly, I don’t know what I’m even going after yet. I figure I might get a clue once I start puberty.”
The caped girl looked pointedly at Jinn’s form-fitting black leotard. “Uh, from here it looks like you’ve certainly started.”
Jinn snuggled in the pleasant embrace. “PK shell, remember? My body hasn’t started a thing. No hormones at all.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding donor hormones. I swear! Poe must have more hormones than the other six cottages put together. So, uh, you want to find your ‘real body’ and talk about things?”
“Yeah!”
Just then, there was a loud buzz.
“Down to the floor!” Megs said in her ear. “And try to look normal. No gay stuff.”
“What’s going on?”
They found room near the library. Mega-Girl pointed through the common room to the entry. “See the red light? We’re about to get ‘normal’ visitors. That’s what the buzz was, to alert us. Low profile.”
Jinn didn’t bother to explain about her vision.
The crowd had broken up and was completely re-arranging itself. Jinn and Marty found themselves talking to an extremely tall, attractive … man? He was quite androgynous, and had straight white hair that fell down his back to waist height.
At that moment, the front doors slammed open. “Open up! We have a court order!”
The crowd parted, giving Jinn a clear view. There were a pair of men in dark blue suits. They were clean-cut, and looked to be in their twenties. One was holding some sort of legal paper before him, as if it were a holy talisman.
“Please be calm,” the taller man said. “We’ve been sent here under court order. We’re here to remove a vile serpent from your midst.”
The shorter man took up the speech, as the stepped forward. Not toward Jinn, but toward the center of the crowd. “One of your fellows conceals a loathsome secret! Turning away from the Ordained Course, she has forsaken God’s ways to lust after her own sex!” He licked his lips as he said it. “But we will save you, Mary!” He and the other man had stepped forward to grab the arms of the winged girl, Angel. “We are Holy G.H.O.S.T.! This is an intervention, Mary!”
And before anyone could move, a bubble of ultra-violet light exploded around them.
Beside her, Mega-Girl was blinking.
“What happened, Megs, why isn’t anyone doing anything?”
“They — they vanished! It must be a teleport! One of them must have been a warper! They won’t get away with this! The entire cottage will track them down if it takes every last one of us!”
Exactly as she said, the room had practically exploded into a flurry of activity. Two speedsters had already zoomed out the still-open door. There were people clutching their heads and frowning in fierce concentration. Others were making strange gestures with their hands, while the flying types were picking up people, ready to zoom off to somewhere useful.
“Megs,” Jinn said in exasperation, “what are you talking about? They’re right there!” She pointed to where the two men were dragging an unconscious winged girl, not four feet in front of them.
Mega-Girl looked around in confusion. “What are you talking about? There’s nothing there!”
“What? Can’t you see —” And Jinn suddenly realized that everyone else probably saw with light. Perhaps that explained the sphere of ultra-violet energy surrounding the trio. “Of course! Megs, they’re invisible! Four feet ahead, right there!”
Suddenly sporting a grim smile, the blonde bombshell cracked the knuckles of a white-gauntleted hand. She stepped forward, reaching and feeling about, blindly. “Where, here?” Her hand suddenly fastened around a neck.
Jinn saw the ultra-violet sphere pop, like a soap bubble. Megs had the shorter man around the throat. The taller man was still dragging an unconscious Mary. He looked up in alarm. The entire cottage had gone suddenly silent. Everyone was staring at him.
“Oh, Lord!” He suddenly vanished, leaving Mary and his comrade behind.
“He’s gone for real, this time,” Jinn shouted.
“We’ll get him!” promised dozens of voices.
*****
The party was over for the moment, while everyone finished comforting Mary. The boys were careful not to touch her, but they were giving her both silent and vocal reassurances. The girls were being much more touchy, hugging the winged girl, stroking her hair or wings, or giving her kisses — mostly pecks on the cheek.
“So as near as we can figure, the smaller man, Keller, had a highly limited psychic power. It influenced the brain on a physical level into completely ignoring him. That’s why the psychics and even those with enhanced senses couldn’t track him.” One of the seniors stood on a chair as he explained to the crowd, while they comforted Mary. “The taller fellow, Foyle, was a warper. He could warp light, to achieve visual invisibility, or he could transport himself up to 200 feet away. He must have hoped that would let him get away. Apparently, they could transport a group several miles away, but that took preparation and concentration, which is why they were moving into the library and away from the crowd.”
“What was that whole ‘Holy Ghost’ business?” someone called from the crowd.
Mary finally rose to her feet. She was still shaky, recovering from the drug on the needle they’d stabbed her with. “I…I guess it’s time to reveal my dark secret,” she said in a trembling voice. “My father is the ‘Reverend’ Theodore Goodhope. Those of you who haven’t seen God’s Hour have probably at least heard of him. He strongly believes in ‘deprogramming’, particularly for the ‘sin’ of homosexuality. He thinks it’s caused by exposure to lewdness and immoral scenes in TV and movies. Those men were part of his intervention team: Good Hope’s Own Salvation Team, or Holy G.H.O.S.T. But I never dreamed…!”
Everyone could hear the apology in her voice, and with their hands and voices, they made sure that she knew she was accepted. No one there blamed her for her father’s teachings.
“So what about his thugs?” another student called.
As this point, the crowd suddenly quieted. Mrs. Horton, Poe’s HouseMother stepped forward. She approached the senior on the chair.
“I don’t really approve of standing on chairs like this, but I suppose this is a special occasion.” She held a hand out, and the senior lifted her up, abandoning his pedestal in favor of Mrs. Horton.
She cleared her throat and then spoke to the suddenly-quiet audience. “Well, this seems like a good time to address a topic that you older students have heard me mention before. First, about those two uncouth men who entered previously. Our senior telepaths,” one boy and one girl nodded in the background, “tell me that their minds have been erased of anything that happened today. They’ve been given an extremely powerful compulsion against ever returning to Whateley, and left with a strong impulse to at least examine more tolerant variations of their faith.”
She frowned, and the crowd grew even quieter. “As for the beatings, well, I suppose I can understand. Given what so many have suffered at hands like theirs.” She didn’t say anything at this moment, but for an instant Jinn saw something like a black hole in Mrs. Horton’s aura. It was a sorrow and loss so profound that Jinn had never seen its like. But the housemother continued, with barely a missed beat. “So I suppose you can be forgiven, and they did rather ask for it. And — once their bones heal — there will be no permanent damage. So perhaps we should simply forget about that unfortunate little incident. I won’t feel compelled to mention anything to security.”
Jinn distinctly heard several people letting their breath out in relief.
“But I don’t think we should forget about the good things we have learned here. Those of you who are older students have heard this before, and you will hear it again. All of us here in Poe are a family. A very special family. And like any family, we have our differences.”
Jinn couldn’t be sure, but she thought Mrs. Horton’s roving eye might have rested briefly on Toni and Hippolyta, among others.
“We’ll have our little fights and arguments. But we are a family! We stick together! Remember today, and remember the dangers the outside world can sometimes hold, for any of us. For any of you, because of whom you are. No matter how powerful, no matter how innocent. When you are threatened for who you are, and you know what I’m speaking of here, I want you all to know that all of Poe stands with you. All of us! In this, we are a family, and we are unbreakable! Remember the men who invaded our house tonight. Those foolish, foolish men who thought they could threaten us in our own house. It will be like that for everyone who threatens Poe. Within these walls, you are safe. Safe to be yourself, and safe to rest easily, knowing that you have a haven.”
She paused for a moment, and then seemed to laugh at herself. “Perhaps it’s still a bit confusing for you freshmen and other entering students. This is Whateley, and some of you will find yourself in fights or brawls that sprawl across campus. Please don’t expect us to loom behind you like some rude motorcycle gang. But we all know what makes Poe special. The academy’s board has decreed that Poe’s secret shall remain a secret. Perhaps that is wise. But let me just state it plainly, so that no one can mistake me. No one will be allowed to threaten you because of your sexuality. Whether gay, lesbian, bi, asexual, transsexual, multisexual, or anything else. Anyone attempting such abuse will be dealt with as we saw earlier this evening. And I hope that if you witness such discrimination, on campus or anywhere else, that you will step forward to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”
Then, slowly and carefully, she climbed down from the chair.
“Well? Weren’t you having a party?” And as the music started up again, Mrs. Horton vanished into the crowd once more.
*****
Jade lay in bed, her mind awhirl with the many things she’d seen today.
It seemed to her that she’d started a journey last spring. It was a quest to become who she truly was, to explore the person who’d been hidden inside her. To become that girl.
Here at Whateley, she’s seen the proof that it could be done. She was watching it happen, in a dozen different ways. Somehow, she knew she’d find an answer that worked for her. She was certain of it.
But on the way, she’d found something she hadn’t even been looking for. A home. She hadn’t had a home for almost four years now. She was meeting people who accepted her. Even knowing her weird needs and mixed up sexuality, they accepted her. They might even become friends. Tennyo was becoming a friend. She thought that Toni, Nikki, and Hank were too. Even Ayla, with the bleak and gruff face she put on, was becoming her friend. And the people she’d met — Megs and Juanita and Angel and Beltane and … it went on and on.
Mrs. Horton told her that she’d be safe here, inside the walls of Poe. Jade knew it was more complex than that — there would always be villains and foes that could attack without warning. But despite that, she felt happy. She did feel safe.
And for the first time in years, she felt appreciated. Perhaps even … loved.
She fell asleep with a smile on her face.
Contributor:
Maggie Finson
Permission:
I am the author and I grant permission to post this story on BigCloset
I don't usually give warnings for my stories. So when I say this story is dark and leans heavily into psychological horror, you know it's serious. Check the cautions I ticked off and be ready with some tissues, you're going to need them.
Slipping Away
by
Domoviye
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
October 5th, 2016
“Remember to pick up a present for your brother after school, Ada.”
“Yes, Mom,” Adavia Taylor said, rolling her eyes. As if she would forget that, her parents had been going on about her three year old brothers birthday all month. She loved the little guy, but it was getting a bit annoying.
“I'll pick you up from the main entrance of the mall at four thirty. That will be plenty of time to get a good present and spend some time with your friends,” her Mom said, putting the last of the breakfast dishes into the washing machine.
“Yes, Mom,” she said, putting her homework into her book bag.
“Did you remember your homework?”
“Yes, Mom,” she said, putting on her shoes.
“And you studied for that math quiz today?”
“Yes, Mom,” she said, running a hand through her long red hair to make sure it was nice.
“And you have to take the shark for a walk tonight.”
“Yes, Mom. Wait, what?” she asked in confusion, as her morning routine came to a crashing halt.
Laughing, her Mom asked, “Were you listening to a thing I told you?”
“Present. Mall four thirty. Homework. Math quiz. Right?”
“All right, you were listening. But if you could change your stock answer I'd appreciate it. You sounded like a broken record.”
“Yes, Mom,” she replied with a smirk.
“Brat.”
Giving her Mom a hug and a kiss on the cheek, Ada hurried out to the driveway, where her Dad was helping her little brother get into the car. Climbing into the front seat, she pulled out her math notes, might as well get some extra studying done.
“Ada! We're gonna have pizza and cake tomorrow!” her brother shouted.
“Yeah, Felix! And all your friends are going to come over to,” she said, turning so he could see her grin. Her job of being an enthusiastic big sister done, she turned back to her notes.
“We're getting a bouncy house too!”
“YAY!” she replied, not paying much attention. “What was the equation for question five?” she mumbled to herself.
The ride to daycare was noisy, as Felix kept talking about his birthday party. She was used to it, saying the appropriate things at the right time while studying, and was feeling pretty confident about her quiz by the time her brother was safely handed over.
Her Dad pulled out of the parking lot, heading for her high school. “So the Halloween dance is coming up, will you be going?”
“I'm going with Chloe and Isla, we'll be meeting a couple of friends there.”
“Will there be any boys?”
For the second time that morning she rolled her eyes. “Dad it's a grade nine dance, of course there will be boys.”
“Will there be any boys you want to dance with?” he asked.
“Maybe. If a cute boy asks I won't say no.”
“And what do you do if he does something you don't like?”
“Knee or fist to the crotch, stomp on the foot, and maybe a right hook before getting outta of there,” she said.
He nodded, taking his eyes off the road long enough to smile at her. “Good girl. Any idea what you want to go as?”
“I've got a pattern for a cute nurse outfit. Don't worry, I ran it by Mom first,” she hastily added. “I'm going to pick up the fabric today, Mom and I will start working on it tomorrow.”
“Nice. You ready for the math quiz?”
“I am so dead!” Ada moaned, leaning on her friend's shoulder as they walked through the mall.
“You always say that, and you always pass with at least an eighty,” Isla said, patting her back.
“I know. But I know I screwed this one up.”
Chloe poked her. “You'd better hope you didn't. Micheal was talking about you today.”
Spinning around, she grabbed Chloe's shoulders. “What did he say?”
“Something about the Halloween dance and who might be going.”
“Oh!” Isla squealed “That's so cool. You have to wear something really sexy.”
She snorted. “My parents would flip if I tried. I can do cute, but that's it.”
“Cute is good,” Isla sad. “You're the second hottest girl in class. After me.”
“Hey! What about me?” Chloe demanded.
“Third, maybe fourth.”
“I'm not that good looking. May is a lot hotter than me,” Ada said.
“Stop putting yourself down so much. May is a dog.”
“Yeah,” Chloe agreed. “If you wanted to, you could date any boy in our grade.”
Ada blushed, her pale skin turning so red it could light up a dark room. “Here we are!” she said, pointing at a toy store. “I need to get something for Felix before I get the fabric.”
“Can't you just get him a gift card like everyone else does?” Isla asked.
“NO! He'll be four, he wouldn't know what to do with it.”
Chloe face palmed. “No wonder your family never goes to family reunions.”
“What? Gifts cards are awesome, and not as tacky as money.”
The ceiling exploded above them.
One second everything was normal, the next debris was raining down on their heads.
Blood splattered on Ada's cheek. Turning she looked at Isla, who was standing motionless, half her face torn away, her shoulder slumped unnaturally. Her mouth moved, her remaining eye was wide open, looking scared.
“Isla,” Ada said, reaching out to grab her friend.
The girl fell to the ground, landing on the chunk of debris that had killed her. Ada saw a pinkish grey lump of meat slide out of her friends skull into a quickly growing puddle of blood.
People started to scream. The sound of running feet reached her ears. Someone was pulling on her arm.
Isla,” she said again. Then she began to shriek.
A wave of heat scorched her skin. She couldn't move. Her friends blood reached her shoes, the dark red liquid stained the clean white sneakers. She screamed so loudly it hurt her throat. Someone shouted in her ear, pulling at her arm.
She needed to help Isla. CPR, that would keep her alive.
She needed to plug her friends nose and blow air into her mouth. She knew that much.
She just had to find her friends nose. It had to be somewhere nearby.
A man in a blue and white costume hit the floor beside her. The tiles cracked and shattered from the impact, pieces flew through the air like shrapnel. She was knocked off her feet, her leg burned.
Ada looked around. Chloe had grabbed her under the arms and was dragging her towards the toy shop. Blood was leaking out of her thigh, a piece of tile stuck out like a knife. A black dragon stood in the middle of the mall, fire poured out of its mouth like water. Bodies, burnt to charcoal, lay around it. It's horned head twisted to look at them.
The sight of the dragon was enough to break through her shock. Her legs pushed against the floor, trying to help Chloe who was screaming in her ear, still trying to pull her to safety. The tile sliced her flesh, more blood welled up, soaking her pants. She could feel it moving and sawing at her leg, but the pain wasn't there.
The dragon opened its mouth, the flames built up into a ball.
They were going to die.
The costumed man flew through the air, punching the dragon in the jaw. The impact sounded like thunder, knocking the massive head upwards, and caused the ball of fire to hit the ceiling. Flames began to spread along the ceiling. Sprinklers opened up, trying in vain to slow the spread of superheated flames.
Somehow Ada and Chloe reached the toy store,. Ducking behind a display, Chloe collapsed, rubbing her shaking arms. Ada grabbed her leg, crying as the pain made itself known. Dark red blood coated her hands, dripping to the floor, forming a puddle in the water. She began to whimper, the image of her dead friend filling her eyes.
“We have to get out of here,” Chloe said.
The mall shook.
Looking out though the falling water, the dragon was lying on its back, the costumed man stood on its broad chest, punching it as hard as he could. Thick scales broke under the impossibly strong blows. She recognized the superhero now, Fearless. He was supposed to be the strongest person in the city.
The dragon roared, spitting flame at Fearless. The man screamed in pain, as fire washed over him, hiding him from view. Ada flinched back from the heat that scorched her body.
A moment later the flames stopped. Fearless, his costume melted to his skin, the flesh of his face blackened and falling away in strips, was still kneeling on the dragon, somehow still pounding the dragon. Every blow causing blood to erupt around him.
Roaring, the dragon once more tried to rise. It's bulk heaved and shook, it's tail flailed crashing into a pillar, snapping it in half. The damaged ceiling began to crumble.
“Come on!” Chloe screamed. “We need to go.”
Ada tried to move, her injured leg refused to cooperate. The blood flowing from her wound started to spurt out. Spots appeared in her eyes. It felt like she was trying to move through jelly. She was floating away. “Go,” she said trying to shout. Her voice was weak, barely a whisper. “Can't move.”
“No. No. No.”
She pushed her friends hand away, lying down in the cool water. It felt good against her dry skin. Her body was so heavy.
“HELP!” Chloe screamed.
Fearless looked at them, his burnt face a mix of dead black flesh and bright pink muscle. The dragon took the momentary respite to hit him with its enormous clawed foot. The superhero flew through the air, crashing into a wall.
The dragon heaved itself to its feet, blood gushing from its chest. It placed a hand over its wound, hissed something that hurt Ada's ears, and the blood stopped flowing. It's wings began to beat and it took to the air, crashing through the ceiling.
Ada watched the mall start to collapse. She knew she should be scared, but she was too tired. Chloe was still screaming for help, trying to drag her away. Flames and smoke filled the air. Debris fell all around them.
Cracks appeared in the ceiling.
“Go,” she mouthed, trying to push Chloe away before they were both crushed. Her arm moved so slowly, like a nightmare where she was in slow motion. Falling water washed away the tears that feel from her eyes.
She watched a slab of concrete fall towards them.
Then a large man was on top of her, his bare chest pressed against her face. Ada twisted her neck and saw that Chloe was lying on the floor safely out of the way.
“Hold on,” the man said, blood dripping from his mouth. “I've got you.”
“OK,” she whispered.
Her stomach hurt.
Looking down, she saw a piece of rebar had pierced her and the man. They were pinned through the stomach, like a butterfly on display. She began to laugh, she should be a butterfly for Halloween.
Watching the blood drip down the metal, still laughing, she lost consciousness.
Kingston General Hospital
Sitting in the hospital waiting room, Neal Taylor held his wife, Rebecca, in his arms. The room was packed with people looking just as lost and scared as they were. The supervillain fight at the mall had left dozens injured and dead, his daughter was one of them.
A nurse came and called out a name. A young man, who couldn't be over twenty-five stepped up. They went down the hall, a minute later a heart broken wail echoed in the noisy corridor.
Rebecca wrapped her arms around him, her nails digging into his back. “It's going to be OK,” he said, kissing her forehead.
“Mr and Mrs. Taylor,” a nurse said.
They jumped to their feet, hurrying over to her.
“Come with me please,” the nurse said, her face unreadable.
Clutching each other, they followed her down the hall to a room that had a sign on the door, it read 'Biohazard risk'.
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“You need to speak to Dr. Wong, he'll explain everything,” she said, opening the door.
Stepping inside, there was a young Asian man wearing a suit, standing beside the bed where Ada was sleeping, hooked up to a number of IV's and machines. Neal forced himself to breathe. Ada was alive, that was what mattered most.
“Hello Neal, Rebecca, I'm Dr. Wong,” the man said. “I'm from the Ministry of Supernatural Affairs, and a doctor of mutant physiology.”
“Ada's not a mutant,” Neal said.
Dr. Wong nodded. “True, but Fearless is, and he's a high level regenerator. Have you ever heard of regen cloning?”
Neal shook his head. “I've heard of it, but only the name.”
“Oh god!” Rebecca gasped. “Not that, please.”
“I'm sorry,” the doctor said. “During the fight, Fearless protected Ada from being crushed, using his body to block a heavy piece of debris. He and Ada were pierced by rebar, mixing their blood. She is showing signs of regeneration.”
Neal had to catch Rebecca as she fainted. Dr. Wong hit a button, then helped him put her in a chair. He watched helplessly as the doctor examined his wife. His eyes kept going from Rebecca to Ada, his instincts telling him to help them, but knowing he was utterly helpless.
A few minutes later, a nurse had taken Rebecca away on a gurney to rest in another room, leaving Neal, Dr. Wong and the unconscious Ada alone.
“So what exactly is regen cloning?” Neal asked.
“If blood is shared between a high level regenerator and someone who is physically a baseline, a normal human, there is a high chance the regenerators blood will start rewriting the persons DNA, creating a physical and potentially mental clone,” Dr. Wong said.
The world spun, Neal stumbled to the bed, leaning against it, trying not to fall. Staring at his beautiful daughter, he struggled to hold back his tears. “Will she be OK?”
“I'm not going to lie or sugar coat things. With most regen clones there is a high risk of insanity, mind wipe, or a complete overwriting of the original personality. There is also the chance of regen cancer. The best we can hope for is a physical shift to a younger version of Fearless, while Ada's memories and personality remain largely unchanged.”
Stroking Ada's cheek, he tried to memorize her face. “She won't be my daughter anymore.”
Dr. Wong put a hand on his shoulder. “We won't know until she wakes up and we have a chance to test her. The ministry has a therapist you can talk to, I can set up an appointment for you and your wife.”
“I'd like that. Can I have some time alone?” Neal asked.
“Sure. If you need anything just press the button.”
Alone with his daughter, Neal bowed his head and cried.
“Ada.”
Darkness surrounded her, holding her down. It shifted and writhed, twisting her stomach, making her want to vomit.
The voice called her name again. Focusing on it she moved through the oily substance, struggling to free herself.
She felt someone holding her hand. It was warm and soft.
Opening her eyes, she saw Chloe standing beside her. Her friend looked terrible, a cast on her arm, a bandage wrapped around her head, her black hair cut short, and bruises covered her face. She tried to say something, only a weak groan came out.
“Do you want a drink?” Chloe asked.
Ada nodded.
Her friend opened a bottle of water that was sitting on the bedside table. She opened her lips a little, letting Chloe drip some of the warm water into her mouth. Her mouth and throat didn't want to work at first, letting the water dribble down her chin, but after a moment she was able to swallow.
“Thanks,” she croaked.
“I'm so glad you're OK,” Chloe said, wiping tears from her eyes. “You were bleeding so badly, I was afraid you'd died.”
Blurry memories of flames, pain, and blood came to her. “Is Isla really...”
“They haven't found her body yet, but I-” Chloe bit back a sob. “ Yeah, she didn't make it. Listen I can't talk long. I shouldn't even be here, I snuck out of my room and had to wait for your parents to go eat. I just had to make sure your OK.”
“Thanks. For everything. You saved my life.”
Chloe bent down, wrapping her in a hug. “What are friends for? I'm supposed to go home tomorrow afternoon, they're a bit worried about my concussion. But I'll visit before I go, if they'll let me.”
Ada returned the hug. They both began to cry, thinking of their friend and how close they'd come to dying.
Her friend smelled good, like flowers. Her skin was so soft. His hand went down her back, his pulse quickened. Who was the girl again? He saw black hair, it was Katherine, his girlfriend.
Why was he in the hospital?
It didn't matter, Katherine was here and no one else was. Sitting up, he cradled her in his arms. “It's going to be OK,” he whispered in her ear. Twisting his head, he kissed her cheek. Katherine froze. He took a chance, kissing her soft lips, while his hand caressed her back.
“Whoa!” Chloe said, jumping back. “Ada, are you OK?”
“I- Katherine?” Ada shook her head, trying to clear it. “Chloe! What? I- I'm sorry. I don't know what that was. I- I-”
Her friend looked at her, eyes wide with confusion. “It's OK. You're just confused, from the medicine and stuff. Get some sleep, you'll feel better tomorrow. I've gotta go. Bye.”
“Bye. Love you,” she said.
Watching Chloe leave, Ada couldn't help but watch her cute body. The purple pajama pants were a bit tight and showed off Katherine's, no, she corrected herself, Chloe's butt and hips perfectly.
Memories rose up, she remembered seeing that body naked. They were in his car, making out after a school dance. They'd climbed into the back seat, he'd slowly taken off her clothes. Katherine had been even more nervous then him.
Reaching under the blankets, she spread her legs. For a moment her hand searched for something that seemed to be missing. Then she touched herself. To memories of his first time, she moaned in pleasure.
Kingston General Hospital
October 6th, 2016
“Mom! Dad!” Ada shouted.
“She's doing fine physically. Dr. Wong will be here in a few minutes,” the nurse who had just examined her said before leaving.
Her parents came over to her. They looked scared and sad, her Mom's eyes were puffy like she'd been crying, and her Dad looked like he hadn't slept.
“How are you doing, honey?” her Mom asked.
“I feel fine. A little tingly all over, but I think I'm healthy enough to go home. I can't wait to see Felix and Andrea. How are they doing?”
Her parents exchanged a worried look.
“Who's Andrea?” her Dad asked.
It was her turn to look worried. “Andrea, my younger sister. Twelve years old. annoying brat sometimes. Yellow feathers for hair. No wait, brown hair.” She shook her head. “Weird, I can't quite remember what she looks like. I must have hit my head pretty hard yesterday.”
Her Mom started crying. Not just a few little tears, full on bawling. Before Ada could ask what as wrong, her Mom practically lunged at her, hugging her so tightly it hurt.
“Mom, it's OK. I'm fine. Just a concussion or something,” she said, hugging her. “Wait. Did something happen to Andrea? I don't remember her being at the mall yesterday. Is she OK?
“Ada,” her Dad said, coming over to stroke her hair, “you don't have a sister. There's only Felix.”
“No. Andrea is real. Her birthday is on July 18th. She's always saying I'm the best brother in the whole wide world. She got an A on her English test last week. Wait, last month. In November. It's almost Christmas, isn't it? Why is everything so fuzzy?”
He kissed her forehead. “Let's wait for Dr. Wong to come. He can help explain things better then we can.”
Hugging her Mom, she started to shiver. “Am I going to be OK?”
He kept stroking her hair. “Just- Please don't ask any questions until the doctor is here.”
Trying to keep from crying as fear washed over her, she waited for the unknown doctor to arrive. Her Mom stopped crying, but didn't stop hugging her. Her Dad hovered protectively over both of them, his face looked like it was set in stone, refusing to show any emotion.
Eventually there was a knock on the door and a man in a nice suit stepped in.
“Hi Stephen,” she said.
Her parents looked at her strangely. Stephen paused in mid stride, then smiled and kept coming. “Hello Ada. Do you remember meeting me?”
That was a weird question. “Of course, Stephen, we met- I'm sure we last saw... We had a beer-”
Why did she think she'd had a beer with the doctor. Rubbing her head hard enough to hurt, she asked, “What's wrong with me?”
The doctor pulled a chair over to her bed, his face was emotionless. “Do you remember what happened yesterday?”
“I was at the mall with my friends, Kather- Chloe. It was Chloe, and Isla.” She fought back the tears that threatened to well up. “There was a superhero fight. I got hurt, but I feel better now.”
“That's right, you got badly hurt. Fearless, the superhero, protected you from being crushed. He saved your life, but your blood was mixed.”
The way he said the words made her shiver. “Is he sick with something? Did he give it to me?”
Stephen shook his head. “No. He is very healthy, too healthy. He's a regenerator. When his blood got into you, it started to alter your body, changing your DNA.”
“So I'm going to have superpowers?”
He nodded. “You will.”
“Well that's good, right? I mean, healing is great. Don't have to worry about getting hurt now. And he has superstrength too. That would be cool. Maybe I can become a superhero. That would be cool. Right? Never thought I'd be a superhero. We had a DNA test done when I was younger to check some things, and I don't have the mutant gene. So I never thought I'd get any powers. I'm going to be stronger than you Dad.” She realized she was babbling, but couldn't stop herself.
“Ada,” her Dad said, “please, just listen.”
Biting her lip so hard she tasted blood, she forced herself to stop.
“You are suffering from regen cloning,” Stephen said. “Your DNA is changing. That means your body is changing to match Fearless.”
“But I don't want to be a boy.”
“It's worse than that. Your brain is being rewritten. You know my first name, and think you've had a beer with me, because Fearless is my friend. You're getting his memories.”
The shaking returned with a vengeance, she suddenly felt bitterly cold. “What about my memories?” she whispered, tears started to roll down her cheeks.
“We don't know yet. If you're lucky, you'll keep most or all of them. If you aren't, they'll be entirely replaced. I'm very sorry.”
“I'll be dead,” she said. Clutching her Mom she began to cry.
“Hello whoever you are,” Ada said to the camera.
“Dr. Wong, said that I should tell you about things that are important to me. Memories, things I like, things I don't like, to help make things easier for you, and to help me process that I'm going to die in a few days. Sure my body will still be around, but it won't be mine, and you won't be me.
“I have a little brother, Felix. He-, he's four. He turned four today. He was supposed to have a birthday party, there was going to be pizza and cake, and a bouncy house. Since I'm three years older th- GAH! I want my memories! Not yours!”
She punched the bed, trying to calm herself down.
“I'm fourteen years old. I was thinking of becoming a fashion designer, or maybe something in business so I could work in the fashion industry. I was supposed to be making a Halloween costume after the party. I was going to be a nurse, and I'd heard that Micheal might be ready to ask me out or want to dance with me at a party.
“Now I'm dying. I didn't do anything wrong, but you're going to come in and take over my life, destroying everything that made me, me. I wish I'd died quickly like Isla.”
“I should talk to her, or at least her parents. Maybe I can help,” Warren said.
Warren, also known as Fearless, was pacing in the spare office his friend had commandeered from the hospital. He felt like hell, and looked worse. His body was still trying to recover from being badly burned, too many internal injuries to count, and being impaled. Worse than that was the guilt he felt, which had kept him awake most of the night.
Dr. Wong, shook his head. “Warren, will that help them, or you?”
Placing his hand on his face, he forced himself to think before speaking. “I don't know. I understand I couldn't protect most of those people. Those murders and injuries were done by Odiyan, but this girl, Adavia, that's on me. It's my blood that's transforming her. That's killing her.”
“Have you talked to Celine?”
“Just by phone. She was off work when I got home, and I didn't want to spoil her evening. I've got an appointment set up with her in two hours.”
“You should have seen her first thing this morning, or last night. You have priority.”
He shook his head. “She's got patients who need her more than I do. I knew what I was getting into when I put on the costume, I can handle this.”
Dr. Wong stepped up to him, putting his hands on his shoulders. “Warren, I know you're tough. You're one of the toughest people I know. But you are not invincible. You're human just like everyone else.”
“I can have third degree burns over my entire body and my lungs burned to cinder, and still be stabilized in less than a minute. I'm hardly human.”
“Don't start thinking like that, Warren. I don't want to take you off the street, but if I think you're becoming a danger to yourself or others, I'll do it.”
Looking into the eyes of his friend, Warren realized it was a serious threat. “Sorry. This has just hit me hard. I've already been put on leave for the rest of the month, to help me recover. Andrea is coming up for a visit, she told me she'd be staying for at least a week.”
“Good. Let her pamper you for a few days, take it easy, and talk to Celine.”
He allowed himself a little smile. “Doctors orders?”
“No, just good advice from your best friend.”
“All right.”
“Now, go home, have a shower and then get to your appointment. We can meet up on Saturday for wings and beer night, my treat.”
“OK. That'll be good,” Warren said.
Leaving the office, he spotted a red headed woman walking down the hall holding a well worn stuffed bear in her arms. She looked utterly lost and broken. Resisting the urge to go and talk to Mrs. Taylor, he turned and left, guilt roiling his stomach.
Ada clutched Prince Pooky to her chest, rubbing her cheek against the soft, well worn fur of the bear. Her Mom was sitting beside her, half dozing on a chair after a long sleepless night. Her stomach roiled and her muscles kept twitching, forcing her to think about how she was changing. Her throat was sore from talking for hours into a camera, trying to get her thoughts and memories out while they were still hers.
There was a knock on the door and Chloe came in.
“Kath-” She stopped, forcing her mind to recognize her best friend. They'd been friends since, she couldn't remember. She knew she should, but the memory was gone.
“Chloe, thanks for coming,” she said.
“Who's Katherine?” her friend asked.
“Mom,” she said, seeing her mother was awake again. “Can you give me and K- Chloe a few minutes.”
“OK, I'll just be outside if you need anything,” her Mom said. She reached over and hugged her, a little more tightly than normal, as if afraid it would be for the last time.
Chloe watched everything nervously. “What's going on? Your mom's acting like you're dying, and why do you keep calling me Katherine?”
“I'm dying,” Ada said.
Her friend rushed over to hug her. “NO! You look great. Yesterday, yeah I was afraid you were dead, but now you look healthier than me.”
“You know how Fearless kept me from being crushed. Well his blood got into me, and it's changing me into him.”
“What are you talking about?”
“His blood is changing my body and mind. I'm getting his memories and losing mine. That's why I keep calling you Katherine. You look a lot like a girlfriend I had in high school.”
Tears fell on her cheek.
“You can't be dying. I can't lose you to, not after Isla. There has to be a way to save you.”
She shook her head. “There isn't. Maybe if I was a mutant, it would help me keep my memories. They have a few cases like that, but there's nothing they can do with me. They're surprised I'm even awake. Almost every other person like me has slept through it, waking up as someone else, not remembering who they used to be.”
Chloe hugged her more tightly, as if it would help keep her around. “How long do you have?”
“We don't know, a few days, maybe a week if I'm lucky. I can feel my memories changing. Remembering people I've never met, forgetting people I should remember.”
“Can I do anything?”
She nodded. “Can you make a video talking about me. So that whoever I am when this is all done, will remember me. I don't want to be forgotten.”
“Yeah. I'll do that. I'll say everything I remember, even the embarrassing stuff. And I'll tell them about Isla to, she'd like that.”
Ada started to cry. “Thank you.”
“Is there anything else I can do?”
“Just talk to me for a while, Katherine. I don't want to be alone. Maybe if you remind me how we met and the good times we had, I'll remember them.”
Finally letting Ada go, Chloe climbed up on the bed, putting an arm over her shoulder. “Sure. We met on the first day of grade five. You and Isla were already friends, and I was the nervous new girl.”
“Ada. Wake up Ada.”
She could see a light, the voice was coming from it. Trying to reach it was hard. Swimming through the darkness, it seemed to go on forever. Voices and images surrounded her. Some were fading away, others were becoming brighter, louder.
“Felix?” she asked, looking at the little boy. He looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.
“Yeah. I'm here. I didn't have my party today. I'm going to wait until you can be there,” her brother said.
“Thanks. I'm glad you're here. Where's Andrea?”
Her parents tensed up, somehow their sad expressions became even sadder. “You don't have a sister, Ada,” her Mom said.
“Who's Andrea?” Felix asked.
“We'll explain later. For now just talk to Ada.”
“They said you won't come home. They said you're really sick,” her brother said. Putting a hand on her forehead, he pulled it back. “You're hot.”
“Yeah. I'm sick. And I won't be coming home.”
“Are they giving you medicine? Medicine makes me feel better.”
Their Dad picked Felix up, placing him on the bed. “We told you already Felix, there's no medicine for this.”
His face twisted into a scowl. “I want you to come home. I won't have a party until you're home, no matter what.”
Ada sat up and pulled him onto her lap, finding it surprisingly easy to do. “Felix, can you tell me all the fun things we've done? I'd really like that, and Mom and Dad can record it.”
“OK,” he said. Curling up on her, his head on her shoulder, he started talking. “This summer you took me swimming. That was really fun. I dumped water over your head and made you scream. That was funny.”
She nodded along, forcing herself to smile for his sake, unable to remember any of the things he was talking about.
Odiyan grimaced and forced himself out of bed. Every breath and movement was agony on his ribs, his healing magic had barely begun knitting them together. The magic had mostly been used up repairing his heart and lungs, along with replenishing his lost blood. Fearless had nearly killed him in the fight, and it would be at least a week before he would be on his feet.
Staggering out of the hotel bedroom, he went to the ample office that was part of the suite. Civilians always expected supervillains to stay in secret bases, old buildings or dives, even a lot of police and heroes fell into the type of thinking. He'd found that paying top rates for a good room at a luxury hotel was well worth the cost, the staff was discrete, it was comfortable, and room service was excellent.
Waving his left hand, he removed the illusions that hid his collection from sight. Bones, furs, scales, ancient artifacts, old books, scrolls and clay tablets filled the walls. Archaeologists, biologists, historians, and esoteric scholars would kill to get their hands on his collection. It came from all around the world, and a few pieces were from other dimensions.
He went to look at what had been the pride of his collection, a genuine dragon skull. It had been in pristine condition, now it was a pitted and cracked thanks to that superhero. If he used it to transform again, it would break apart.
“Damn heroes,” he muttered. Not only had he lost his strongest weapon, he hadn't managed to collect his prize.
Collecting the yeti hide from a private collector who hadn't been willing to sell, should have been easy. Instead the superhero had shown up almost immediately and rather than letting him escape cleanly, the idiot had kept attacking him.
Touching the skull, he hissed as a piece of bone the size of his thumbnail fell to the floor. He needed to fix the dragon skull, and get the yeti skin before he left. But to do that he'd need time to heal and ingredients that wouldn't be easy to get. He couldn't even leave the city until he got the most vital ingredient, the blood of the hero who nearly killed him.
Waking up was difficult.
He really wanted to wake up just to get away from the dreams. Usually he didn't remember his dreams, but now he was dreaming of people he didn't know, going to a strange school, having a period, trips to places he'd never visited. They all felt so real at first, only to fade away as he tried to hold onto them.
His head throbbed, and his body ached. Thousands of insects were biting into him, feasting on his flesh, hollowing him out, making room for something else.
Moaning, he heard a strange woman say, “Can't we give her something for the pain?”
“No. The regeneration will nullify it in a minute or two. I've ordered a devised medicine that should help, it should be here tomorrow.”
He knew that voice. Stephen. His friend. He must have been in a fight and gotten hurt. He was in a hospital. Everything would be all right once his regeneration kicked in.
Opening his eyes, he saw three people, Stephen and two people he didn't know. They were a couple from how they were holding each other. Why were they here? Why did they seem so familiar?
Trying to sit up, he felt something on his chest shift.
Looking down he saw breasts, small ones, but breasts.
He screamed.
“Ada. Calm down. You're safe,” the woman said. The others joined in, insisting that everything was fine.
Looking at her parents, Ada remembered who she was.
“I'm Ada. Still Ada. I'm not Warren. This is still my body,” she said, hugging herself. She realized she was shaking like a leaf.
Her parents leaned down, holding her, trying to give her some comfort. Slowly the shaking stopped. Looking around the room, she realized it was nighttime.
“I guess the annoyance has gone home,” she said, trying to take her mind off of her situation.
“Felix fell asleep after you did. We sent him to stay with a friend,” her father said.
“Who's Felix? I meant Andrea.”
Kingston General Hospital
Early Morning
October 6th, 2016
Ada looked over at her parents who were asleep in the uncomfortable looking chairs. She felt better now, her body was still tingling, but it didn't hurt. She silently got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror she didn't recognize herself. Her face was blockier, her red hair was black at the roots, her eyes had gone from blue to brown, her nose was bigger, and her skin was darker. Raising her arms, she realized they'd become thicker, with visible muscle.
Looking at herself, she couldn't tell if she was a boy or a girl.
Gripping the edge of the vanity, she tried to remember her life. Her memories and the new ones were all jumbled together. The trip to Niagara Falls in the summer, was that her or Warren? A math quiz she was sure she had failed, did she do that? Pushing a young girl on a swing, who was that? Her first kiss at a school dance, that probably wasn't her, but she couldn't tell.
There was a crack of wood. Looking down, she gasped at seeing her fingers had driven through the vanity and left divots in the metal sink.
“So I've got superpowers now. Too bad I won't get to enjoy them,” she said.
Anger welled up inside of her. This wasn't fair. What had she done to deserve having her memories erased?
Making a fist she almost brought it down on the sink.
“No. I'm not going to destroy the hospital,” she told herself. Very slowly her fist opened up.
Going back into the private room, she looked at her parents. She knew she loved them, but she couldn't really remember why. The good and bad memories were vanishing.
Leaving the room, she started walking down the deserted hallway. She didn't know where she was going, she just needed to go.
“Miss, where are you going?” a nurse asked.
Looking down, Ada realized she was barefoot in her pajamas. “Just need to go for a walk,” she said.
The nurse came over, putting a hand on her arm. “It's past midnight, you should go back to your room and rest.”
“NO! I don't want to!”
Wrenching her arm free, she started running. She'd never run so fast in her life, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. She leapt down the stairs, not bothering with the steps. The emergency exit practically exploded as she ran outside.
She didn't slow down. Her body moved on autopilot down the street, while her mind desperately clung to the memories she knew where hers.
The sound of a door shattering made Warren jump out of bed. He was in the hallway before he really woke up, and came to a stop in his living room ready for a fight a second later.
A long haired teenager wearing poorly fitting pajamas was standing in his doorway, looking around with a lost expression.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“I don't know anymore,” the teen said. “I wanted to go home, but I don't remember where that is. My memories told me this is my home, but I think- I know, I know, I know, this isn't it.”
He heard his sister come down the hall. There was a faint whine, probably from her PFG being activated. “Warren, what's going on?” she asked.
“You're Andrea,” the teen said, looking at her with sad, confused eyes. “I remember you. Sometimes you have brown hair, sometimes yellow feathers. The feathers look good on you. I've forgotten my own brother. But I remember you. You replaced him.”
Andrea gasped. “You're Ada.”
“Am I? I don't remember most of my life.” She started to sob. “I remember losing my virginity in the back of a car I never owned. I remember pushing you on a swing. I remember this address. I remember us going to grandma and grandpa's house on Manitoulin Island every summer. But those aren't from my life. They aren't mine. So am I Ada, or am I Warren?”
Warren held his hands up, not making any quick moves. The girl had destroyed his door, she was gaining his powers. Was she going to attack him? Most regen clones went insane, some of them dangerously insane. A few attacked the person who had caused it, either out of anger or believing if they killed the original they could take over.
“Ada, I'm going to call the hospital. They can help you,” he said, speaking calmly and slowly, like she was a dangerous animal.
“Why didn't you let me die?” she asked, tears streaming down her face. “It would have been kinder. A quick death. Barely any time to realize what was happening. Everything fades to black. No more worries. No more pain. I'd be dying as me.”
“I'm so sorry,” Warren said, feeling his own tears welling up. “I tried my best, it wasn't good enough. If I could do anything to make this better I would.”
“I'm fourteen years old. I like to sew. I think... I wanted to do something in fashion. I have a little brother. I'm told he's a great kid. It was his birthday today. I don't remember how old he is, his name or what he looks like. I have a best friend. She looks like Katherine. I kissed her last night, thinking she was my girlfriend. I can't even remember what her name is. I know a good friend of mine died yesterday. I don't remember who she is. I try, and I try, and I try to remember her name, or what she looked like, or a single thing we did together, and there's nothing.”
“I-”
“You're what? Sorry? Do you think that makes things all better?” Ada demanded. “I'm dying. I'm going to vanish when the last of my memories get replaced by yours, and you're sorry! I looked at my parents before I left and I barely recognized them. And you're sorry!”
She turned away from him, her hands bunched up into fists. Her body was shaking so hard, Warren was almost afraid she was having a seizure.
“I could fight you. I'd lose, I'm not as strong as you. But I could make you kill me with your bare hands instead of like this. Expose your identity. Let the world know what you did to me,” she said, spitting the words out through gritted teeth, still turned away from him.
“I heard my parents talking. Regen clones usually go nuts. I understand why. You have no idea how this feels. No one does. The confusion. Feeling your memories vanish, one after the other. Being nibbled away by ants. Getting replaced by fake ones. I know they're fake, but they feel so real, and they're the only thing I can grab onto. My body is changing, getting hollowed out, replaced with yours. It's itchy and it hurts, and there's nothing I can do to make it stop. I just want to scream at the world, make it know that I existed. Or shatter it so it knows what it's like. I want to know that I didn't go without leaving a mark.”
He shifted his feet, preparing for a fight, desperately hoping there wouldn't be one.
“But there's a little voice. I'm sure it's mine. Saying that I can't. That I can't become a monster.” She fell to her knees crying. “I don't want to die.”
Andrea rushed past, tossing her phone at him as she did. Kneeling down beside Ada, she cradled the crying girl, whispering something in her ear. Leaving the room, he looked at the screen and saw she'd been texting Stephen.
'Ada's calmed down. Come and get her,' he typed.
Leaning against the wall, he tried to think of a way he could make it all better.
Nothing came to him.
Neal clutched his daughters hand. She didn't look like herself, even her eyes were different. He didn't care, he refused to let go. His wife was on the opposite side of the bed, holding Ada's other hand.
Looking up at them with confused, tired eyes, Ada tried to smile.
“I'm still me. I'm Adavia Taylor. I love you. Goodbye,” she said.
Dr. Wong put a needle into Ada's arm, injecting a clear fluid into her vein. A moment later she closed her eyes, her hand went limp in his. For the last time Neal watched his daughter go to sleep.
“She'll sleep for at least the next several hours. When she wakes up the mental changes will be complete,” Dr. Wong said.
“Thank you, doctor,” he said, voice tight and cracking.
The doctor left the room, closing the door silently behind him. Alone, Neal and Rebecca mourned their lost daughter.
Kingston General Hospital
October 9th, 2016
Everything felt soft and fuzzy.
Vaguely Warren knew he was in bed. It was warm and comforting. At the back of his mind he felt fear and sadness slowly fade away, like waking up from a barely remembered nightmare. The peace that filled him as it passed was so nice. He didn't want to wake up. Staying like this forever would be paradise.
He heard footsteps coming towards him.
Grimacing, he tried to ignore them. If he pretended to be asleep maybe the person would leave him alone.
“Did you sleep well?” Stephen asked.
Dammit, he couldn't ignore this. Stephen wasn't just his best friend, but a coworker. Who did Stephen work for? They worked for the same people, but he couldn't for the life of him remember what company it was or what he did.
Something to do with fighting?
He'd been doing it for years. He should remember.
It had definitely involved fighting. Maybe he'd gotten a bad head injury. Trying to think was difficult. His memories shifted, coming in and out of focus like a psychedelic kaleidoscope on a mushroom bender.
Stephen would be able to tell him, they'd been friends since graduating college.
Opening his eyes, he smiled at his friend. “Hey, I feel like crap. Did I get hit by a bus?”
“No. Before I tell you what happened I need to ask you some questions, is that OK?” Stephen asked.
“Yeah, sure. Gotta make sure my brain works, right?” he joked, trying to hide his growing concern.
Stephen smiled and nodded. “What's your name?”
“Warren Micheal Hansley. Try a harder one next time.”
“How old are you?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. The number that popped up wasn't right. He wasn't a teenager. He'd gone to college, he and Stephen went out for beer practically every week. He had a home, a car and a job.
“I- I want to say fourteen, but I can't be that young.”
“Don't worry, this was expected. Everything is OK,” his friend said.
“How was this expected? And why is my hair so long?” he asked, finally noticing that his hair was hanging over his shoulders and halfway down his back.
“I'll explain everything after the questions. Can you name your immediate family and how old are they?”
“My sister Andrea. She's... eleven. Gah! That's not right, she's an engineer.” He shook his head, trying once more to get his thoughts in order.
“What about your parents?”
“Dad is Christopher Hansley, he's forty-five and died in 2010. Mom is Mary Hansley, she's seventy-one.” His brain realized what he'd just said. “What? This doesn't make any sense.”
“What are your powers?”
“Regeneration six. Internal energizer four.”
“Good. What's the last thing you remember before waking up?”
“I was in the hospital, maybe in this room. It was terrifying. My body wasn't mine. I think, Katherine my first girlfriend was there, she looked just like she did when we were dating in high school.” Warren forced himself to grin. “We were hugging and kissing each other. Sorry you asked for a memory not a dream, but that's what I remember.”
“That's fine,” his friend said.
He knew it wasn't fine. Stephen wasn't showing any emotion, keeping the perfect neutral expression they taught in medical school. Something was desperately wrong.
“Do you remember why you're in the hospital?”
“No. I think there might have been a fight, but my memories are all over the place and not making much sense.”
“Do you remember what regen cloning is?”
His stomach dropped. “Oh god no! Please don't tell me I made someone go through that. Are they all right?”
“I'm sorry Warren. There was a regen cloning accident, and you are the person affected.”
Warren lunged to the side of the bed, reaching for a bucket or something to throw up in. He bounced off a forcefield, falling back onto the mattress. His empty stomach roiled, forcing bitter tasting bile up his throat and onto the sheets. Retching and spitting, he tried to clear his mouth and throat, gulping for air hoping it would ease the burning sensation.
Stephen handed him a glass of water.
He drained it at once, and held it out. “More,” he gasped.
Several cups later, he still had the horrible taste in his mouth, but the burning was gone. Feeling a little better he took a moment to get his thoughts in order. Sitting up he moved to the edge of the bed, well away from the mess he'd made, and looked at the man he had thought was his friend. “What was with the forcefield?” he asked, deciding to ask the easy question first.
“We didn't know if you would be violent or not. It's standard procedure to confine a regen clone until we're sure, and a forcefield was gentler than restraints. Sorry about not taking it down in time, I hadn't expected you to throw up like that.”
That did make sense. Now time for the hard question. “So I'm a fake. Who was the poor bastard that I took?”
Stephen shook his head. “I think we should wait a few days before opening that wound. You're going to talk to a therapist first, and you can work out a plan with them.”
Rubbing his hairless chin, he looked at his hands. “I think I'm fourteen. I don't need to shave, and I'm smaller than you. The person was a teenager, weren't they?”
“Warren, please stop. You are in a fragile state right now, don't press too hard. I will say that the adult Warren, tried to save the person and was badly injured doing so. It was bad luck, and the only way he could have prevented it would have been letting the person die.”
“Adult Warren? Shouldn't we call him the real Warren.”
“You're real too.”
He snorted in disgust. “Yeah right. I stole a persons body, and I'm stealing someones memories. Pinocchio was more real than I am.”
“Would you like to speak to the therapist now?” Stephen asked. “We thought it would be easier for you if you spoke with me first, but he's just outside the door if you want to talk.”
“No. I'm good for now. Can I get some food? I'm starving.” He sniffed himself, wrinkling his nose. “And a shower. Food first, then a shower.”
“We can do that. I thought you'd be hungry when you woke up so we've got a lot of protein and carbs ready for you.” Stephen went to the door, knocked and waited for it to be unlocked from the outside. Opening the door, the doctor grabbed a waiting cart and wheeled it over to the bed.
Warren started to drool and his stomach growled noisily at the smell and sight of the food. There was a large deluxe pizza, a couple of cheeseburgers piled high with onions, pickles, lettuce and tomato slices, a fruit smoothie in a large pitcher, heaps of crackers and cheese, and a tray of brownies with thick chocolate icing. He realized he could eat almost all of it.
Pouring himself a drink, he crammed a slice of pizza in his mouth. If he was too busy eating, he wouldn't have to talk. He didn't really know what to say anymore. What could you say when you found out your memories were a lie and you were a murderer?
Lying in bed, Warren looked out at the night sky. Despite only waking up a few hours ago, and doing nothing except eating and answering some questions, he was exhausted. Stephen had told him it was a side affect of his changes, his body was still weak from the extensive changes. Still, he couldn't sleep.
He'd spent hours going over his memories. Trying to make some sense out of his existence, looking for meaning or stability within his own mind.
He couldn't find any.
A memory of playing on the beach with Andrea when he was nine years old seemed normal at first. Then he realized Andrea, who was his little sister, was in her twenties.
The memory of a philosophy presentation from university, he didn't know what year it was, had him wearing his Fearless superhero uniform. Warren was pretty sure that was wrong.
There was another one of him visiting a school for mutants. He couldn't tell if the glittering dome and the students in costume were real or not. He knew that he'd decided not to go, entering a boarding school in Canada instead. He didn't know if he'd made the decision because a werewolf got into a fight with a dinosaur and people had fled as blood and flesh spattered on the grass, or if there was another, saner reason for his decision.
That had happened again, and again, and again.
“Is this real, or is this another stolen memory?” he asked the darkness.
“So Warren, you've stolen someones body and life. You've stolen the real Warren's memories. What are you going to do for an encore?”
Who was the person he'd murdered? What was their family going through? What about their friends? Would they want to talk to him? Would they call him out for murder? Could he somehow make things right with them?
And what was the real Warren doing now? Was he hiding? Hoping it would all blow over? Was he trying to make up for his mistake? How would he react when they met?
The questions kept coming. He wished they'd stop. He wanted some peace, even for just a few minutes.
“What do I do now?” he asked himself.
He was a new person. He wasn't his memories. He wasn't the person he'd murdered. He wasn't the real Warren, despite having the same name.
The name was wrong. He could at least fix that.
“Pinocchio would be a good name. I'm not really real, fake body, fake memories, fake life. I've got to find a way to become real.”
Finally feeling like he'd gained some control, he turned away from the window. Slowly sleep overtook him.
Kingston General Hospital
October 10th, 2016
Pino saw Andrea waiting by his hospital room door, doing something on a tablet. The yellow feathers she had in place of hair drew some odd looks by the people passing by, which she completely ignored.
“Hi, Andrea,” he said, not sure how he was supposed to act around his not-sister.
“Hey Warren,” she said, putting the tablet into her bag. “So how do you want to do this? Hugs, handshakes, fist bumps, grunts?”
She was just like his fake memories of Andrea, joking and smiling no matter what. Even her clothes were on the funny side, she was wearing a bright, patchwork skirt and a t-shirt that read 'Sarcasm is my native language'.
“I don't know. Whatever you want, I guess,” he said, nervously playing with his black and red ponytail.
Grinning, she swept him up in a hug, resting her chin on his shoulder. “You look like you need a hug.”
Almost unwillingly, he wrapped his arms around her, letting out a shuddering sigh. A moment later he realized he was crying. “Can we get out of the hallway,” he whispered.
Letting him go, she opened the door to his room and ushered him inside. “So how did your talking session go?”
He looked at her in confusion.
“The therapy session.”
He shrugged, taking a seat by the window. “I got a psych evaluation. Apparently I'm sane enough to not be watched all the time. Dr. Huxley doesn't like my new name.”
Andrea took a seat across from him, tilting her head in question.
“I'm not Warren. I'm not anybody,” he explained. “So I decided to call myself Pinocchio. Dr. Huxley convinced me that it would give me the wrong mindset. So I'm going by Pino until I find a name that fits me better.”
“Pino's OK, it's unique at least. Do you know what you like to do? There are some restrictions on what you can and can't do, but I can get you some things for this afternoon to keep you entertained.”
His eyes went to the yellow nail polish she was wearing. It looked really good on her. “Can I get some nail polish, maybe some makeup?”
Her eyes widened. “OK. Any particular colour or would you like to experiment?”
“I don't know. I don't think I've ever worn makeup before.”
“It'll be lunchtime soon, and you're allowed out with supervision. How about we go out for lunch and after that we can pick up some makeup supplies, maybe drop by a few stores and see if anything else catches your eye.”
He gave her a tiny smile. Somehow talking to Andrea was easier and more relaxing than talking to Stephen or his therapist. “Thanks, I'd like that. So what am I not allowed to do?”
“No smart phone, and no tablet with net access. Sorry, not my decision, the docs don't want you digging into what happened until you've had a chance to get your balance. No beer since you're fourteen. And if you leave the hospital you have to be with an approved adult.”
“This is going to take a while to get used to.”
His not-sister reached over to pat his knee and smiled reassuringly. “Tell me about it. But I'm here for you, I've got a month of paid vacation to help you.”
“What about Warren?”
“He's on paid leave to recover. This isn't easy on him either.”
“When will I see him?”
Her smile became a frown. “I don't know. It will depend on Dr. Huxley, they don't want to stress you out too quickly. He would like to meet you, and he'll help out any way he can. But he agrees with the docs, and won't come until he gets the all clear.”
“I could go and see him myself, I know where he lives,” Pino said.
Andrea's face turned pale and her hands clenched her skirt. “Please don't try that, it won't help you or Warren. And anyways he's moved from there.”
“The regen cloning happened at his apartment?” he asked, taking an educated guess.
“No digging for information, Pino. If everything goes well, you'll learn everything in a week or two. Now do you want to go for lunch? We can go anywhere in the city, I've been working on my car and it's got some pretty sweet upgrades I want to show off.”
“Fine, no more digging, for now. But only if you take me to a nice steakhouse.”
She grinned. “Sure. This is all on the governments dime, lets get the good stuff.”
Feeling very full, Pino sat in the passenger seat of Andrea's souped up car. He didn't know the car model, he felt like he should, but apparently that memory hadn't come through properly, still he knew it was an expensive one. As the seat massaged his butt, and music surrounded him making it seem like he was at a concert, he wondered what else his not-sister had added to it. It must be nice being a gadgeteer, he thought.
“So where are we going?” he asked.
“You want makeup, so we're going to Sephora to get good stuff. And they'll help you pick out the best shades and teach you how to apply it,” Andrea said.
The thought of putting on makeup filled Pino with mixed emotions. None of his memories had him wearing makeup, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. He felt almost naked without it. An unpleasant idea came to mind.
“The girl I was before went to Warren's apartment, didn't she?”
The car swerved, luckily the road wasn't that busy so they didn't get into an accident. “How do you know that?!” Andrea demanded once she got the car back in the proper lane.
“I want makeup, Warren never wore any. My red hair is pretty feminine. And when I mentioned going to his apartment you got scared. You saw her before she... died. At his home.”
“What did I tell you about digging?”
“I need to know something,” he said. “It's like I'm stranded in the middle of an ocean, trying to grab onto something that will help keep me from drowning. I know I seem pretty calm right now, but I'm just too busy looking for anything to hold onto to properly freak out. If I don't find something soon, I-I... I don't know.”
His not-sister sighed, looked up at the sky as if searching for an answer, then shrugged. “OK. Yeah, she came to the apartment, broke the door doing it too. She didn't know her own strength and wasn't in any condition to care. I thought she was about to fight Warren, a suicide by cop situation. She kept control of herself, said her piece, and cried on my shoulder until an ambulance arrived. She was pretty far gone by that point.”
“Can I meet her parents?”
There was another sigh. “I don't know. The ministry is still talking with them, along with one of our therapists. If they're willing, and your therapist OK's it, it might happen. Don't push it, and don't go searching for them. They're in a bad place right now, let them mourn in peace.”
“OK. I'm not even sure if I want to meet them or not. What can I say? Sorry for killing and replacing your daughter?”
“You didn't kill her. You weren't alive until after she passed. Listen, you've got a lot on your plate already, don't go adding more grief on top of it,” Andrea told him, reaching over to pat his shoulder.
He nodded, understanding that it was good advice, but knowing he couldn't follow it. “Once I get out of the hospital, what will happen to me?”
“We don't know yet. There are a couple of options, one of the ones we're considering is you living with me. We're not sure about that because I live in a small apartment, and I'm away at work a lot. But I can always move to a bigger place, and I've been told I need to spend less time in the shop, they're getting sick of paying for all my overtime.”
“What about living with Warren?”
She shook her head. “That is not on the table. I've heard the docs say it would be unhealthy for both of you at least at first. Visiting is fine, and they're hoping if you two talk it will help both of you. But Warren has been going through hell over this. And they're afraid if you stay with him, you won't be able to properly break away and become your own person.”
“What if I don't want to live with you? What if I want to get as far away from my memories as possible?”
“Putting you into the foster system is being considered. The ministry is actually looking around for potential foster parents right now, mostly in the mutant community. You could also be sent to Whateley.”
The name clicked in his mind. “That's a big mutant school in the US?”
“Yeah. Warren almost went there, but decided he wanted to stay close to home. You remember it?”
“I've got a memory of visiting it. Didn't know the name until you said it.”
“Warren and I had the chance to go there, but I wanted to follow in my big brothers footsteps. After I visited the place last year on government business, I really wish I had gone. They've dealt with homeless and orphaned mutants before, and have some great facilities.”
She gave his shoulder a squeeze. “So anyways, we've got some options for you, and you've got at least a few weeks to decide what you want to do. And remember if you decide you made the wrong choice, you give the word and we'll try something else. Everyone knows this is a crappy situation, so we're doing what we can to make it easier for you.”
“Thanks, Andrea. It's nice to know I'm not alone.”
“As far as I'm concerned, you're family, and I don't abandon family. You can call me big sister, aunt, or just Andrea, whatever you're comfortable with.”
For the first time in his very short life, Pino had a real smile.
Kingston General Hospital
October 11th, 2016
Pino looked in the mirror, admiring the results. Andrea and a makeup artist had spent most of the previous afternoon teaching him how to put on makeup, which he'd picked it up surprisingly quickly. This morning was the first time he'd done it by himself and the results were pretty good.
He hadn't wanted to be garish with the makeup, the brighter colours hadn't felt right when they'd put it on. Instead he'd gone for a more subdued look, covering his blemishes and bringing out his features. With his carefully trimmed eyebrows, full lips, big brown eyes, and smooth skin, he could be a singer in a boy band. The pink nail polish looked out of place, but he didn't care, it felt right.
His hair was different too. Andrea had taken him to a hair salon where he'd had most of his hair cut off. It was still long for a boy, reaching almost to his shoulders, but was made to look like a messy surfer style. He'd also dyed it red. Seeing the red hair being cut away had made him want to cry, so Andrea and the stylist had recommended getting it coloured.
He wasn't sure if he liked it or not, but it felt better than his black hair.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Come in,” he said, wondering who it was.
“Hey, Pino,” Andrea said. She whistled when she saw his face. “Damn, you look good. I'm going to need to buy a baseball bat to keep the girls off of you.”
“Thanks. I know it's weird, but I feel better like this.”
“Nothing weird about it. You're figuring out what you like, and developing your own personal style. All teens do it at some point.”
“I'm not exactly a teen,” he said.
She gave him a hug. “Ask anyone who sees you what they think, they'll all say you're a teenager. Sometimes you want to go your own way, and sometimes it's good to go with the flow. In this case, go with the flow.”
He nodded, wanting to keep the peace. “So I've had my morning talking session. This afternoon I'm supposed to do a bunch of tests to see what I need to learn... Relearn? That's going to really suck. I hate tests. But I don't know what's supposed to happen until then, I was just told I'd have a visitor.”
“Yeah, you did really well yesterday, so we're pushing up your schedule a little. Would you like to talk to Warren now? You can say no, and do it later or never. And it ends when you say so, or I think it's getting too stressful.”
A painful lump formed in his throat. Trying to breathe through it made his jaw tense up. Closing his eyes, he tried to calm himself. He wanted to talk to Warren. He didn't know what he would say, but he knew he had to say something.
“I want to talk,” he croaked.
“OK. But remember if you need a break, if you get too upset or angry, just say you want it to end, or even just say stop, and it's over. You're in control,” Andrea said.
He nodded.
His not-sister went to the door and poked her head out. Then she stepped aside and turned back to him, smiling nervously, while the feathers on her head puffed out a little. The door opened revealing Warren, wearing jeans and a black sweatshirt.
Pino looked at him, studying his face and eyes. Warren looked different from his memories, skinnier, sunken cheeks and eyes, like he hadn't been eating properly. His black hair was too short to need combing, but it looked a little greasy. It was still clearly the same face from his fake memories, and what he would look like in the future.
He tried to say something. The lump was back in his throat. His heart was beating a mile a minute. For a moment he was lightheaded and the room began to spin.
“Hey, Pino. Take it easy and breathe,” Andrea said, walking quickly to his side and kneeling down beside his chair.
The lump eased enough that he could take a breath.
“Should I come back later?” Warren asked, his voice so soft it was hard to hear.
“No,” he said, his voice cracking. “I can do this.”
The original stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. “So... I'm sure you have questions. I'll answer anything I can,” he said, looking at him briefly before staring at the floor.
“How did you let this happen?” Pino asked in a whisper.
“I thought you'd ask that,” he said, frowning as he took a seat.
“There was a report of a break in. I got to the scene and saw a supervillain called Odiyan trying to steal an animal fur. I found out later it's supposed to be the skin of a yeti. I went to stop him when he turned into a dragon. We fought, he tried to escape, I kept going after him.” Warren's hands started to shake, his eyes got a far away look.
“After a fight in the air, we crashed into a mall. He didn't care about the people inside, burned a lot of them into ash, crushed several more. We fought more, destroying the mall and setting it on fire. I was knocked through a wall and he flew away.”
Stopping, Warren took a seat, breathing heavily. Andrea went to him, putting her arm around his shoulder.
“The mall was already collapsing, Odiyan did even more damage in his escape. I saw two girls about to be crushed. I jumped at them, knocking one of them away, and braced myself over the other girl keeping a part of the roof from crushing her. A piece of rebar speared us both.”
Pino watched the hero cry, unsure how he should feel.
“I keep replaying it in my mind, trying to think of what I could have done to save more people. To save Ada,” Warren sobbed.
Ada. He finally had a name for the person he'd murdered. He wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse.
He didn't know how to feel about Warren either. If the hero had been cold, saying he did what needed to be done and Ada was just a necessary casualty, it would have been easy to hate him. If he'd made excuses, saying why it wasn't his fault, calling him a coward would be appropriate. Even a stoic appearance, accepting the blame and apologizing, probably would have struck him the wrong way, too formal and insincere.
The sobbing, guilt ridden man in front of him, he didn't know how to deal with him.
“Thanks. Maybe we can talk more tomorrow,” he finally said.
Warren nodded. “Yeah. I'd like that.”
Andrea gave him a thankful smile, then led her brother out of the room. Alone again, Pino tried to understand the feelings roiling through him.
linebreak shadow
Odiyan watched Fearless leave the hospital room. The broken hero didn't spare him a second glance, to all eyes he was merely a nurse going about her duties, not a threat to anyone. He hadn't been able to hear everything from the room, but what he had overheard was enough.
A speared girl who was now a boy. More research would be needed, but if what he believed was true, his task would be so much easier.
The blood of a clone would be just as effective as the blood of the original.
With a skip in his step, he headed for the exit. He still needed some time to recover, but that would also give him time to plan.
Kingston General Hospital
October 14th, 2016
'In June I went to my grade eight graduation dance. I went with Kat- CHLOE! I went with Chloe and- and Isla. I think I wore a pretty red dress and a pair of high heels. It took Mom over a week to teach me how to dance in them without falling on my face. Andrea thought. NO! Felix, my brother Felix. Felix thought it was hilarious.
We met with some boys, Mark, Saiphan and, who was he? Mark, Saiphan and Marcel. I danced with Marcel, the first time I'd really danced with a boy, and afterwards we kissed. That was my first kiss. It wasn't anything big, just a quick kiss on the lips, but it was nice. If he hadn't moved in the summer, I might have asked to go on an actual date with him when we started high school.'
Pino was curled up beside Andrea, watching yet another recording from Ada. Seeing the girl becoming more forgetful, alongside the growing fear and confusion in her eyes was hard to handle. He'd had to stop three times already to take a break and get some air.
He wasn't going to stop for long though. He'd murdered the girl, so the least he could do was remember who she was and what she thought was important.
There were many more videos he needed to watch, a few more hours of Ada, almost as many from her parents and Felix, and a few from her friend Chloe. She'd wanted to be remembered, and her family and closest friend had done their best. He almost wished he could meet them.
“I need to get some air,” he said, pausing the video.
“Want some company?” Andrea asked.
“No, I'll just go get some snacks and come back,” he said.
Heading downstairs to the coffee shop, he took the stairs, wanting to use up a little bit of the nervous energy. He couldn't wait to be out of the hospital. Just a few more tests to make sure he wouldn't go nuts, and he'd move to a hotel suite with Andrea. From there he'd have a few more weeks to think about things and get some more therapy sessions, then he'd make a decision about where he wanted to permanently live.
He'd probably choose to live with Andrea. He got along with his sister, and she seemed to like him. She was stable and secure. Something he desperately needed. She also lived in Toronto, it would probably be a good idea to leave the city, and make a clean break for himself.
Opening the stairway door, he froze.
Ada was looking at him.
He'd studied her face in the videos, he knew every line and freckle of it. The girl standing before him couldn't be anyone else.
She stared at him, her mouth opened in a silent gasp, terror etched into her face. Then she was running like the wind. For a moment he just watched her go around a corner, then he took off after her.
Turning the corner, he almost ran into a nurse.
“No running in the hospital!” she told him.
“There was a girl. Ada. She was running this way,” he stammered.
They both looked around, there was no sign of any girl, or a runner. “I didn't see anyone. Are you sure you saw her go this way?”
“I- I don't know.” He didn't even know if she had been real.
Kingston
October 16th, 2016
“What do you think of Julian? It means youth,” Andrea asked.
Sitting on a big recliner in the hotel suite he shared with his older sister, Pino put down the stuffed bear he was currently sewing and wrote it down. “It's OK. But it makes me think of julienne fries. Maybe Kit. it means hope, and 'Bearing Christ', in Greek.”
“Short and sweet. I'd put that on your short list.”
He wrote it down, putting a little heart beside it, and started sewing again. He and Andrea had spent the last hour going over potential names, trying to find one that suited him better than Pinocchio. So far none of them had jumped out at him as a great name. Most of them were too similar to ones from his, from Warrens memories. The ones that weren't, were usually old fashioned or from a completely different culture and would sound odd on him.
He wondered if new parents had this much trouble thinking of a name for their kid.
At least he was out of the hospital. A comfortable hospital room was still a hospital room, with all the unpleasant thoughts and feelings that came with it. Now he had a room where he could lock the door and not worry about a nurse or someone walking in on him.
He could also use the internet now, and even had a nice smart phone, gifts from Andrea and Warren. A large government settlement had bought him a closet full of clothes, a gaming laptop, and the nice sewing kit he was currently using. When he'd asked for it, Andrea had made a joke about getting him to sew her a dress, but she'd gone along with it, buying a few hundred dollars worth of fabric as well.
He'd started working on a teddy bear almost immediately. His fake memories didn't help him much, he just instinctively knew what to do. In several of Ada's videos, she'd talked about sewing. It made him feel a little better that at least something of her still existed.
Andrea's phone beeped.
“Time to go,” she said, straightening her blazer. She was dressed up in her fancy clothes in preparation to meet the Taylor's.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked.
“I think it will help you. So do the therapists. You and the Taylor's need to find some kind of closure, and maybe something else can come out of this. Just remember, you have control. If you want to end it, you don't even have to give the word, just leave,” she reminded him.
He nodded, not sure if could trust himself to speak.
Grabbing his jacket, they took the elevator down and got into Andrea's car. As he did up his seat belt, he saw a girl with red hair walking down the sidewalk. She turned to glare at him with hate filled eyes. He'd seen Ada several times in the last few days. Always a brief glimpse, and he never had a chance to talk to her or touch her to see if she was real.
Closing his eyes, he told himself she wasn't real.
When he looked at where she should be, no one was there.
Sighing in relief, he silently stared out the window while Andrea drove them to the therapist's office. He hadn't told anyone about his hallucinations, they were all afraid he was nuts or would go nuts. He didn't want to end up in a hospital for the rest of his life.
All too soon they arrived at their destination. Dr. Huxley met them at the door, and started going over the rules of the meeting. Either one of them could cancel the meeting at a moments notice, don't expect any immediate breakthroughs, be honest but don't attack. He nodded in all the appropriate areas.
Andrea knocked on the door before opening it. She entered first, then ushered Pino in, her arm around his shoulder, almost guiding him to the chair across from Mr. And Mrs. Taylor.
He kept his head down, barely looking at Ada's parents. They were holding each other, providing each other support. Their eyes were red and puffy, it looked like they hadn't slept well.
They looked at each other in silence for what felt like hours.
Finally Mrs. Taylor broke the silence. “Hello, Pino, how have you been?”
He shrugged. “I don't know. Confused.”
Silently he cursed himself, they needed, no they deserved more than that. “I've been trying to make sense of everything. The videos you made have helped.”
“We're glad to hear that. Do you- Do you remember anything of you- of Ada?”
Andrea squeezed his shoulder, letting him know she was there for him.
“No. I'm sorry. I have things that I think come from her, like wanting to wear makeup, sewing, wanting to dye my hair red. It just feels right and helps me calm down. But that's it. I'm sorry.”
He watched in shame as Mrs. Taylor wiped tears from her eyes. Mr. Taylor was so stiff he could have been carved from granite. He desperately wished he knew what to say to make things better, to give them some comfort.
“You don't need to apologize,” Mr. Taylor said. “Nothing that happened was your fault.”
He started crying, holding his face in his hands. “People keep telling me that, but if it wasn't for me, she'd still be here. I murdered her so I could exist, even if I didn't want to do it.”
Andrea got to her feet. “I'm sorry, but I think we should end this here and set up another meeting next week.”
“No,” Pino said. “I need to say this. I'm sorry. If I could do anything to give you Ada back I would. It isn't fair that I murdered her, just so I could exist.”
His sister grabbed him to her chest, saying something he couldn't hear over his sobbing. Another hand touched his shoulder, looking up he saw Mrs. Taylor standing beside him. She used a tissue to wipe his face. His sobs died down a little.
“What happened to Ada was a tragedy,” Mrs. Taylor told him, “but you had nothing to do with it. Don't call yourself a murderer, and don't hurt yourself for existing. You have nothing to be sorry for, but if it helps, I want you know that I forgive you.”
He flinched as the grieving mother embraced him. Then he hugged her back, crying even harder.
Ministry of Supernatural Affairs Building
October 18th, 2016
The small gym was empty except for Pino and Warren, who were both wearing shorts and shirts. It was the second time they'd met in person and their first time alone.
“Andrea's told me you've been pretty careful with your strength,” Warren said.
“Yeah. I know what I'm not supposed to do, and haven't tried to push myself at all. I don't want to risk hurting someone,” Pino replied.
The superhero nodded. “Good, but you'll need to learn to use your strength properly or mistakes will happen when you need it most.”
“I've watched some videos of you, will I be able to throw trucks and punch through power armour?”
He shook his head. “No. My suit is specially made for me. It has a devised exoskeleton that increases my strength by a factor of five, and when I really need to it will inject special drugs into my system that push my muscles well past their limits. Only my regeneration keeps it from killing me, and I still feel terrible for hours after using it.”
“So what can I do?”
You're a brick. Getting hurt won't be easy, you'll need to be hit by a car to really get knocked down. You can throw a motorcycle around like it's a toy. And if you punch a regular car door, you'll probably put your fist through it. You can also jump up to the roof of a four story building and land on your feet from a six story building, you may get a sprained ankle but it will heal in a second or two.”
“I'd prefer flying,” Pino said.
“Sorry, wings were too expensive, I could only afford jumping. Maybe you can ask Andrea for a jet pack,” Warren said, smiling for the first time.
“What are we going to practice first?”
Warren got two eggs from a pack he'd brought with him. “Do you know how to juggle?”
“I think so. I remember you practicing it lots of times.” He felt bad about how he'd worded it, when he saw the superhero wince.
“Right. Let's see how you do.” Warren gently tossed the eggs at him.
Catching the eggs was easy enough, his reflexes were fantastic. Taking a moment to remember how Warren had been taught, he started juggling, trying to copy the instructions and movements in his head. It was shaky at first, but soon enough he had the two eggs moving smoothly through the air.
“Catch!”
Another egg was lobbed at him. For a moment he was afraid he was going to drop them all, but instinct took over and he not only caught the egg, he fit it in between the other two. Smiling, he raised his leg and tossed the eggs under it.
“Nice. Very nice,” Warren said, clapping his hands. “I think we can move on to the next part.”
“OK,” he said. He kept juggling the eggs.
“You can stop now.”
“I don't know how!”
Pino finished wiping the last of the egg yolk out of his hair at the same time Warren put away the mop.
“OK, you've got the reflexes, just need to practice some more at home. We'll pick up some balls before I drop you off,” Warren said. “Now I want you to do a standing long jump. Try to reach the other side of the gym and land on your feet.”
Nodding, Pino threw the towel in the bag and got into position. He knew he wouldn't be able to jump that far, but he should be able to make it at least halfway.
“You want to go for distance, not height. And don't worry if you fall, you'll heal before you feel anything.”
“Yeah. Got it.”
Bending his knees, he raised his arms behind him. Focusing on the far end of the gym, he jumped as hard as he could. As soon as his feet left the floor, he knew he'd screwed up. He rose into the air and saw the ceiling coming towards him.
He came to an abrupt halt. Pain erupted on his forehead and he saw stars. Then he landed painfully on his back, cracking his head a second time, this time on the back of his skull.
“Ow!” The pain went away before he'd finished moaning, but the memory of it was still there, and the room was still spinning.
Warren laughed, adding insult to injury. Not that he could blame the guy, it had to have looked hilarious, and it wasn't like he was going to get a concussion.
Sitting up, he rubbed his head. His hand was slick with something. Looking at his hand, he saw it was coated in blood.
He started shrieking in terror.
“It's OK, Pino,” Warren said for the hundredth time. “I bleached it all and wiped it up.”
He smelled of bleach and his skin tingled. Clutching his his knees with one hand, Pino stared at the hand that had gotten his blood on it. It was spotless, he'd scrubbed it with bleach and a towel until it was raw. Then he'd done the same to his forehead, while Warren cleaned up the blood on the floor. The towel he'd used was sitting in a bucket of bleach.
“I don't know what happened. I've seen blood on TV, and it wasn't a problem. But I saw mine and- and I freaked.” His voice shook as he spoke.
“My blood caused all of this. Yours has the same regeneration. It's understandable that you'd be afraid of it. You can talk to your therapist about it tomorrow,” Warren said. “For now, go have a shower and clean up. I'll put all this stuff away and then we can go catch a movie or something to relax.”
Nodding, he got up and jogged to the locker room. The thought that he might have more blood in his hair was nearly enough to make him have another panic attack. Throwing off his clothes, he started the shower and squirted almost half a bottle of shampoo onto his scalp. Scrubbing so hard it hurt, he made sure his hair was coated before putting his head under the spray.
“You don't deserve to live.”
He jumped at the voice. Looking around shampoo burned his eyes. He could see a girl a few feet away. “Who are you?” he demanded.
“You stole my body. My life,” the girl said. “Why does a fake like you get to live?”
Backing away from Ada, still half blind, he began to whimper. “You're not real. You're not real. You're not real.”
“I'm not real? I was real. More real than you, murderer,” Ada hissed. “What did it feel like, hugging my mother? I won't be able to do that again because of you!”
“I'm sorry,” he cried.
“If you're sorry, you should kill yourself. It's not like you're real. No one will care that a murdering fake killed itself.”
“Pino, you OK in there?” Warren called.
Looking up, he saw that Ada had vanished. “I- I'm fine,” he shouted. “Just give me a few more minutes.”
Trembling, he began scrubbing himself off. The water hiding his tears.
October 19th, 2016
Pino looked up from his tablet when Andrea came out of the therapists office. She looked at him sadly and put her arm around his shoulder when he stood up. Silently they walked to the car and got in.
“Why did you wait so long before telling us about seeing Ada?” she asked.
He shrugged, looking away.
“Look, I know this is a hard time for you. I also understand wanting to keep things to yourself, but this is serious. And the only way you're going to better is if you tell us what's wrong.”
“I don't want people thinking I'm crazy,” he said, still looking away from her.
“You're under a lot of stress right now, no one will think you're crazy for this.”
“Regen clones go crazy. I feel crazy sometimes with my memories. I don't want to be locked up or have people being afraid of me.”
She reached over, placing her hand on his chin, making him turn to face her. “Not all clones go crazy. Back in 2007, there were two regen clones about your age. They were able to go to school and didn't show any signs of mental illness. They were perfectly ordinary students.”
“Did they stay sane after leaving school?”
“The medical reports didn't go beyond 2007 for privacy reasons. But if they did slip, that would have been included in them,” she explained. “You're situation is a bit worse than theirs, and we're going to have to work on the hallucinations. But it's probably due to guilt and stress, like a waking nightmare. So you're going to go to therapy everyday, not just three times a week, and we're going to try to get you relaxed.”
“How are we going to do that?”
“Well first we need to get you a routine. You're going to start being tutored, so you can go to school next term. You're also going to take an evening class in something, sewing, art, music, a science camp, cooking, anything you'd like. It will help you socialize and hobbies are good for you.”
That didn't sound too bad. “OK.”
“Good. Now for the rest of the day you need to relax, doctors orders. Where would you like to go?”
“How about a movie? I've seen trailers for a romantic comedy that looks pretty good.”
His sister grinned. “Great, I haven't gone out for a movie in way too long.”
Still grinning from the movie, Pino took a quick trip to the washroom and Andrea did the same. Going into a stall, he started doing his business.
There was a knock on the door.
“Um, occupied,” he said.
The person knocked again.
“I'm in here, go away,” he said a little louder.
“I want my body back,” Ada said.
He froze in terror. “Not real. Not real,” he said. He began humming to himself, focusing on the noise rather than the hallucination.
“I'm not going away. You have my body. I'll never go away as long as you're alive. The only way to get rid of me is if you die. You know you deserve to die. You murdered me, so it's only justice that you die too. Think about it. I'll be back soon.”
Listening to the footsteps leave the washroom, he started sobbing.
October 26th, 2016
Andrea knocked on the door to Pino's room. There was no response from him. “Pino, I have something to tell you. I'm coming in.”
There was still no response. Sighing, she opened the door and stepped into the dark room. Her little brother was curled up in his blanket, staring at his phone. His eyes were dark and sunken in. She wanted to help him, but he seemed to be slipping further and further away, suffering from horrible hallucinations whenever he was outside and alone for more than a few seconds.
“Hey, I might have some good news for you,” she said.
He looked at her, not speaking.
“The Taylor's have offered to be your foster parents. They talked it over with the therapists and everyone thinks it could be good.”
“Do I have to go with them. It was her home.”
The way he said 'her' was so full of fear and sadness, she had to look away to hide the pain she felt. He'd always sounded sad when talking about Ada, now he couldn't even mention her name. “Maybe it will help you, like facing your demons. But no, you don't have to go. You still have time to make up your mind, and the offers to live with me or with another foster family is still open.”
“I don't know what to do. Does it even matter?” he asked.
She sat down on the bed, enveloping him in a hug. “Yes it does matter. You matter to me and Warren and the Taylor's. You're real, and you have a future. And we want you to have the best life possible.”
“I'll think about it,” he said. His voice had all the emotion of a corpse.
October 30th, 2016
Odiyan glared at the cracked dragon skull. He had worked for over two weeks on the boy, but the clone hadn't killed himself yet. All he did was stay in his room, hiding from the world.
He needed the blood to be freely given if the spell was too work. Just killing the child wouldn't work. Taking the dead girls hairbrush, he studied the cracked and pitted plastic. It reeked of burnt hair, the bristles were melted and the hair was almost gone. He could transform himself once more with it, and then it would become useless.
One last chance and it would have to be good. Otherwise he'd have to take a riskier and more violent option.
October 31st, 2016
Andrea came into the bedroom, Pino stared at her, not feeling like talking. He just clutched the teddy bear he'd made to his chest waiting for her to talk.
“Pino, I just got a call. I need to go and fix a suit of power armour I made. It's important and they don't have anyone else who can do it as quickly as I can,” she said. “Warren will be here in a few minutes, so you won't be alone.”
He nodded.
He almost said that he didn't need anyone to watch over him. He was just a murderer and a fake. It would be best for everyone to leave him alone, but that would take too much effort. Instead he rolled over so she wouldn't have to look at him.
She sighed. “I'll be back as soon as I can.”
The door clicked shut, leaving him alone.
A minute or two later he heard Andrea leave. He wasn't too worried. Ada never bothered him in the hotel room, only when he was alone outside. The room was safe. Not that he deserved to be safe.
The front door opened. Warren had arrived.
Footsteps came to his door, and then Warren let himself in without so much as a knock. Why couldn't they leave him alone?
“The murderer is all alone,” Ada said.
He couldn't look at her. He threw his blanket over his head, trying to shut her out.
“No more hiding, fake. It's time you face your crimes.” The blanket was yanked off, Ada was standing over him, her face twisted with anger.
“No! Please go away!” he shouted.
“Not until you pay for murdering me,” she said. Pulling a knife from her belt, she held it out to him. “A single slice and justice will be done. A single slice and the pain will end.”
Jumping off the bed Pino ran to the corner cowering in fear. Where was Warren?
Ada stalked towards him. “You're existence has only caused pain and suffering to everyone. You're a blight on this world. You don't deserve to live for what you've done.”
She hissed words he couldn't understand. The sounds burned his ears, echoing in his mind. The room twisted sickeningly. The world changed. He found himself in a dark, dusty room, surrounded by rotten furniture.
“This is what you cause, death, darkness, corruption, and rot!” she shouted in his face.
Curling into a ball, his hands covered his face. His body convulsed as he cried.
She grabbed his hair, yanking his head up, forcing him to look at her. “Why do you get to live? Why did you kill me?!”
He tried to beg for forgiveness, beg her to leave him alone, scream for help. The words were jumbled together, hopelessly tangled from terror and grief.
“You want this to end, murderer? One slice, that's all it takes.” Ada held up her hand, showing her wrist. Grinning, she ran the knife along it. Blood welled up, dripping down her arm, staining her sleeve.
She shoved her bloody hand into his face, smearing his lips with blood.
“Come on, fake. You'll need to do it along your throat, but it's just the same. Do it to end your pain. Do it for justice. Do it for me.” She threw the knife down, spearing his leg.
Pino screamed in pain. Then he saw his blood.
Odiyan stepped back, smiling wickedly at his work. The clone was terrified and broken. At most he'd just need a tiny push to drive him over the edge. He mentally prepared a spell to absorb the blood.
The clone shrieked, staring dumbfounded at the blade.
Suddenly the boy surged to his feet, grabbing the knife and throwing it at the wall so hard it left a hole in the rotten wood. Odiyan shouted in surprise as he was body checked to the side. He managed, barely, to stay on his feet, but the clone was out the door, blindly running down the hallway still screaming, before he could react.
“Dammit!” he shouted.
Removing the shapeshifting spell, he reached into his pocket and took out an ogres tooth. If he couldn't do this the easy way, he'd break the boy until he begged for death.
Warren picked up his phone, wondering who would call him this late in the evening. “Hello?”
“Hey Warren, are you with Pino yet?” Andrea asked.
“Why would I be with Pino?”
There was a pause. “I just called you ten minutes ago about coming over to watch Pino. I have to do an emergency repair on Blizzards power armour.”
“You didn't call me.”
He heard the screeching of tires and horns honking, followed by the roar of an engine and a siren. “I'm going back to the hotel, something is wrong. The hallucinations. Someone messing with your phone, so I'd leave Pino alone. I don't like this.”
“Phone me back if he's missing,” he said, going to his closet.
“Will do.”
Pushing his clothes out of the way, he hit a concealed button. The back of the closet opened up, revealing his suit.
Ignoring the shakes and his racing heart, Warren began stripping. If Andrea was right, and someone was after Pino, he had to be ready. There could be no mistakes this time.
Slamming through the front door of abandoned house, Pino started to regain control of himself. Staggering into the street, he tried to figure out where he was. The houses and buildings were run down, and the street was deserted. He had no idea what neighbourhood he was in, or where to go to get help.
Gasping for air, trying to calm himself, he tried to think as he picked a direction at random and started walking.
Wood splintered behind him and a roar forced him to cover his ears.
Looking back, he saw a massive, tusked ogre-like thing running towards him. Screaming he took off, running as fast as he could.
He didn't make it far. An impossibly large hand grabbed his leg, shattering bones from the pressure. He was lifted into the air and slammed down face first into the pavement. He felt his ribs snap, and heard the crunch of bone from his skull.
Dazed, he tried to crawl away. Tiny whimpers came with every agonizing breath, as his bones popped back into place and healed. He got to his hands and knees, still seeing stars, trying to move in a straight line.
The ogre stomped up to him, brought its foot back and kicked him in the side.
Pino flew through the air, coming to an abrupt stop when his back connected to a light post. Sliding to the sidewalk, he couldn't feel his legs.
“What do you want?” he gasped.
“I need you to kill yourself. Until you do, I'm going to break every bone in your body, again, and again, and again,” the ogre said, in a voice that sounded like rocks being ground together.
The hand reached for him. Making a fist he punched it as hard as he could. There was a snap of bones and the ogre roared, shaking its hand in pain. Standing up, his back and legs still tingling as the nerves repaired themselves, he threw himself at the ogre.
Fearless paced in his living room, waiting for a call from Andrea, while listening to his police radio. There were no reports of anything more than some speeders, Halloween vandalism and noise complaints.
He hoped Andrea was being paranoid.
“We have a report of a 10-81, Caution H, in Rideau Heights,” the radio blared.
Violent altercation involving something not human. It might not be Pino, but it was something he should check out. Activating the radio and phone in his cowl, he opened his window and jumped to the top of the building across the street.
Racing over the tiles, he pushed his fears away. This wasn't the time for self-doubt.
Pino crashed into a car, leaving a crater in the door.
The ogre had some large bruises on its naked body, but for every hit it took, it gave Pino five. Only his regeneration kept him in the fight. He was trying to remember how to fight, searching his stolen memories for anything that could help. But remembering doing something wasn't the same as actually physically doing them.
Driving his fingers into the car door, he braced his foot against the side and wrenched it off. Spinning around, he managed to use it to block the ogres blow. He was still knocked off his feet and went sliding across the pavement on his back, but this time nothing was broken.
The ogre stomped towards him, fist raised.
Rolling to his feet, Pino threw the car door like a frisbee. It caught the monster in the knee, knocking it down. Rather than risk getting in close and being beaten again, he turned and jumped as far as he could. The houses became a blur, and he leaned forward, unsure of what he was doing.
Hitting the ground, he lost his balance and landed face first, sliding along the street once more. Grimacing in pain, he kept his eyes closed, knowing he would see his blood if he looked. His skin crawled as it grew back. Blindly he sprinted forward, only opening his eyes after running several feet.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw the ogre shrink. A moment later there was flash of light and a massive horse with a horn on its head was charging down the street.
He fled, shouting for help as he went.
The sound of hooves came closer.
Driving his hand into the hood of a car, he changed direction running onto an overgrown lawn. His hand ripped open when he pulled it loose, but the unicorn whinnied in anger as it went past him.
Not slowing down, he jumped the fence and ran through the back yard. He was about to jump the next fence, when the unicorn smashed through some shrubs at a gallop. He hesitated a moment, not sure what to do, the monster didn’t.
He felt the horn pierce his stomach and come out his back. His feet left the ground and then he was shoved through a fence. The unicorn kept running, hitting fences, shrubs and garden furniture, using him as a battering ram.
They came out on a street. Pino was barely conscious, struggling to get off the horn. His hands were slick with blood and guts. He was too dazed and in agony to notice.
The unicorn lowered its head and shook him, making him slide down. A hoof hit his pelvis pushing him off the horn, then grinding him into the pavement until he felt his hip crack. Writhing in pain, he couldn't stop the hoof that came down on his knee, crushing it.
Shrieking, he tried to crawl away. A hoof flattened his hand.
After healing so much damage, even his regeneration was slowing down. He felt his wounds knitting themselves together, but it wasn't fast enough. Curling up into a ball, he wished the pain would end.
“So clone, do you want the pain to stop? I can do this all night,” a man said.
He couldn't say anything, the pain in his gut was too much.
Police sirens came down the street. The man scowled, grabbing something from his pocket he threw it on the ground. A sparkling dome covered them. “My shield will keep them out for at least an hour. An hour where I'll be making your life a living hell.”
Pino watched in horror as the man took a knife from his belt. He moaned when the knife cut into the skin of his arm. The moan became a scream, as his skin was peeled off by the razor sharp blade.
The dome shook, thunder shook the ground.
Looking up, Pino saw Warren in his costume, pulling back his broken fist.
“Let him go, Odiyan, and I'll give you a chance to surrender,” Fearless snarled.
Fearless hit the dome again. His hand shattered, he didn't care. The devisor chemicals were running through his system, not only increasing his strength but numbing the pain. Bringing his fist back again, the damage already healed, he punched the dome a third time, making it flicker.
A few more hits and it should break.
Odiyan sneered at him, dropping the knife.
Punching the dome again, he saw the wizard pull a bone from his pocket. His body shifted, getting smaller and brighter. It only took a moment and Odiyan had become a flaming bird of prey.
The dome fell.
Fearless lunged forward, not sure what the magician was about to do, knowing he had to put him down immediately.
The phoenix waved its wings and a wall of flame roared to life.
Shrieking, every nerve in his body screaming, Fearless burned. He passed through the flames quickly enough that his lungs didn't turn to ash. Still he rolled to the ground, suffering from second and third degree burns. His suit was melted in places, increasing his agony.
Odiyan flew into the sky, circled and dove towards him, flames surrounding his body.
Gutting the pain, Fearless threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding being burned alive a second time. He scrambled away as fire erupted around him. Getting to his feet, he tried to see the wizard through the flames.
Lawns began to burn from the heat. He dodged and ran, trying to avoid the flames that came from the sky and exploded from the street.
The phoenix cried, flames flew into the sky as it prepared to burn him alive.
Taking a deep breath, Fearless leaped into the flames. His eyeballs melted from the heat, his costume burned away. His hands collided with something. Grabbing it, he squeezed as hard as he could, feeling thin bones snap and turn to powder.
He hit the ground, blinded, trembling, barely able to move, but he couldn't feel any pain. His nerves had been burned to ash. He didn't know if he was still holding the phoenix. He didn't know if he still had hands or if they'd been incinerated.
Willing himself to heal, he struggled to get to his feet.
Pino watched the flame erupting all along the street. He couldn't see anything through the fire. Still hurting, he got to his knees. He needed to get away.
Holding his stomach, his eyes were drawn to the knife the wizard had dropped. He recognized it. It was the same one Ada had shown him.
It took a moment for his pain addled mind to put it all together, but when it did, he saw red.
He heard a bird cry in pain. Fearless flew out of the fire, horribly burned, holding a phoenix in his hands. They hit the ground in a boneless heap. The hero, trembling and screaming, tried to stand, pushing himself up on blackened stumps. The bird tried to fly away, but its wings were shattered.
The bird shifted back to a human form. His arms hung limp and twisted at his side, his face was twisted in pain.
Getting to his feet, Pino staggered towards the man, his body ached, and his knee barely worked, but he could move.
The wizard started a spell, his eyes closed in concentration and pain. His arms cracked as they straightened.
Pino ran at the wizard. Punching as hard as he could, his fist shattered the mans jaw, sending him to the ground.
“You pretended to be Ada,” he growled. “You made me think I was insane.”
Raising his fist, he stared down at the unconscious man. He wanted to kill him. He wanted to shatter every bone his body to punish him.
He lowered his hand.
No matter what he felt, he wasn't a murderer.
Walking over to Fearless, he fell to his knees. “We got him, Warren,” he said. “He's not going anywhere.”
“Good job, Pino,” Fearless croaked.
“I don't want to be Pino anymore. I don't like the name.”
“Neither did I. Help me up, Andrea's on her way. She's worried about you.”
Kingston, Ontario
November 10th
Kit Ada Hansley stood by himself, watching a video on his phone.
'This is the last video. I don't trust my memories enough to tell you anything else,' Ada said.
'So I need you to do something important, and you can't say no. You're taking my life, so you owe me. I know it isn't your fault and this isn't fair of me, but in the last day I've learned that life isn't fair. So I want you do something good with your life. I don't know what, maybe become a doctor, invent something to end world hunger, become a multimillionaire and put most of it into charity, it's up to you. But do something that makes my death worthwhile. If you become a supervillain, or some lazy asshole who just plays video games, binging on snacks and whining about how much your life has sucks, than what was the point of my dying so you could live?
'So yeah, do something worthwhile, something that will make people remember you. Do what I never got the chance to do.'
Putting the phone away, he knelt in front of Ada's gravestone, putting a bouquet of blue forget-me-nots, on it.
“OK, Ada. I don't know what I'll do yet, but I'll make sure it's good,” he said.
'Adavia Harriet Taylor
2002-2016
Gone but never forgotten.
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
August 2017
Kit put his suitcases into the trunk and went to say goodbye to the people he considered his family.
Felix ran up to give him a hug, followed by Mrs. Taylor. “Be careful at Whateley, we want a lot of emails from you,” she said. “And we expect you to come for Thanksgiving, even if it's just the American one.”
“Yes, Aunt Rebecca,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. He hadn't taken them up on the foster parent offer, but he'd visited them so often they'd pretty much given him the guest room.
Mr. Taylor came over, patting him on the back. “If you need anything let us know. We'll always be here to help you out.”
“I will. And thanks, that means a lot,” he said, wiping his eyes.
Warren was next. “Don't let anyone push you around. High school is tough, especially when you're different, but you're tough to. So take the martial arts class, and keep the holdouts I gave you handy.”
“It's school, how tough can it be?”
“You've only been home schooled, actual school is totally different.”
“Fine, I'll be careful,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“If we want to get there tonight, we'd better get on the road,” Andrea said.
Waving to everyone, Kit got into the car.
As they drove away, Andrea patted him on the shoulder. “I'm going to miss having my roommate.”
“You'll miss my cooking you mean,” he said.
“True. Your french toast is great, and you can make pretty good burgers. But I'll miss you too, so when you send emails to Rebecca, send some my way too,” his sister said.
“I will. I won't forget anyone.”
(still stub page, still no creativity)
-r
A Whateley Academy Tale
Unexpected Consequences
(Tennyo 1)
by Starwolf
Billy ate the brownie his brother offered. Not a good idea. What followed was a wild mess of transformation, kidnapping, escapes, mass destruction, and hiding out. Also, what's a teenaged boy doing having a period?!
I
INTO THE SUNSET
New Hampshire: September 2, 2005
The lowering, red, fall sun slanted into the small bus station, making it difficult to focus on the bus that was the final leg of my trip to my new life. This bus was the shuttle that would take me to my new school, the Whateley Academy, and if my parents were right, I would also begin a new life free from the complications of my previous life. Not that I had anything to be guilty of. I think, maybe, it was more so I could start my new life free of everyone else and their outdated expectations. They’re right, I know that, but I still have a hard time not feeling a little uncomfortable about their method of solving the problem.
Have you ever noticed how bus stations always smell and sound the same. It wasn’t helping my mood in the least. That combination of diesel, disinfectant, and a smell that means change and separations. Muted conversations and noises, occasionally interrupted by announcements and buses, and in this case, trains, coming and going. It can be exciting, but for me it was just depressing. This was an adventure waiting to happen, whether I wanted it to happen or not.
I’d always expected to have adventures one day. But, they were always comfortably in the future and I would always be prepared for them. Reading about them could give me a sense of the excitement without the fear of loneliness and failure that comes with the real thing. If things got too intense I could always put it down and go get a cool drink or something to eat. I wouldn’t have to worry about the butterflies just throwing it all back up. All I wanted to do now was take any other bus away from here. Run away to some other less threatening place, maybe even home.
Just walk away.
Everyone said I lived too much in my books and comics, but I have more than enough common sense than to think I could get anywhere on my own. This wasn’t my side of the mountain and my parents would figure it out quickly enough. They had more than enough resources to track me down and bring me back or send me somewhere else.
I really don’t want to blow a good chance to show them how I can be trusted on my own either. This was my chance to prove to them and myself that I could do this and anything else I needed to do in the future. Dad had always said that we had to learn to make our own way in the world. And, that we would have to do it on our own with only a little, if any, help from anyone else.
But, I really would have preferred to put that decision off for a few more years. Finishing high school while living with my family was high on my list of wishes that simply weren’t going to come true. Happily looking forward to the adventure of heading out on my own under much more auspicious circumstances. But then, a small miscalculation, and my life came apart and could never be put back together the same way again. After what happened in the summer I don’t think that things could have worked out at all. There was too much of my past and too much of my new future to overcome at the same time.
If only things had worked out a little differently, I wouldn’t be here now. I’d have been looking forward to starting my junior year at my old school. Concerned with what I would be studying during the year, and even more importantly, when and how I could get the next issue of Ninja High School and the next book by the Eddings, Wrede, or Mckinley. It’s funny how things can change so quickly.
I was William Meredith Wilson. I am the second son of Larry Wilson and Cherry Lee Wilson-Clymer. Don’t ever call Mom by that name though, not if you want to leave with a whole skin. She goes by Mrs. Wilson or sometimes Cher if you are a close enough friend of the family. I am 16 years old and was not so eagerly looking forward to my junior year at Cascade High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m an A student and an important member of our cross country and track teams. But it would have been another year of, “Oh! You’re Larry’s brother. Where is he going to college? Do you think he will continue to do as well in sports and school as he is now?” Larry is my older brother. An honor student, President of the senior class, All State Football and Basketball, yadda, yadda, etc. It’s disgusting. He is the all-American boy. Tall, smart, witty, handsome, and too good to be true. Except he is, and I had the dubious honor of standing squarely in his shadow.
That’s easy enough to do as he stands six feet two inches and I towered a grand five feet six inches with a lot of promise to one day reach as high as maybe five nine. He never looks down on anyone and was always encouraging me and TB to do even better. You can’t even hate him because you knew he really meant it and expected it of you.
TB is my younger brother, eleven years old, and a real Dexter, genius, pain in the butt. I could swear that he has a hidden lab somewhere but have never been able to find it. According to my parents, Thadeus Bartlett was an accident. I couldn’t agree more, especially as I was the designated watcher over all that he could destroy. I don’t know how I could be held responsible for all the havoc he could and did wreck in his day to day rampages. Just because everyone else was too busy I always seemed to be stuck with him.
II
A SURPRISE FOR DAD
Colorado: March 2, 2006
Even with all of my experience with him I didn’t expect what happened that Fourth of July. I had actually gotten free of him by finally putting up enough of a fight with Mom to get a chance to watch the fireworks with my friends Gordon and Chris without him hanging on to me. For some reason he took it very personally and spent the next week making my life as miserable as he could.
Then things settled down and got quiet. Too quiet. I should have gotten a hint when this happened, but was so relieved after the last week that I ignored the warning signs. Besides, Mrs. Tanaka, my martial arts teacher was promising me a surprise in the near future, and I was certain she was going to allow me to try for my brown belt in Judo.
Mrs. Aimee Tanaka was the sensei that my parents sent us to train with. She ran her own dojo not too far from where we lived. I could ride my bike to practices and Mom and Dad really respected her. She was over sixty years old but could take any of us down without any apparent effort if she wanted to. Even Larry respected her, which was saying a lot because he was very good himself.
I have to admit that while I had no real experience with girls, being incredibly shy and not knowing in the least about how to relate to them, I still had a bit of a crush on her. She was the only girl I knew besides my mother who I could relax around and not feel a complete fool. I could talk to her about anything and she would give me good advice without being too threatening. Something I couldn’t do so well with my parents as I was too intimidated by them most of the time.
I had just gotten back from Judo and was going to my room to watch my new Tenchi Forever DVD again. Since I had discovered Anime on the Cartoon Network I had found another addiction similar to my books and comics. They seemed to combine a lot of what I liked in both the other addictions of mine. One especially got my attention. Tenchi Muyo.
Oddly enough, while I liked all the characters in the show, the one that I seemed to identify with most closely was Ryoko. Something about her just seemed to be so easy to identify with. I could watch her for hours, and feel almost like I was watching someone like myself. I didn’t understand it but didn’t care anyway. I had even gotten some posters on E-Bay to hang in my room. Larry and TB were always making fun of me by saying I was in love with her.
Anyway, I was looking forward to spending a little more time trying to figure out if Tenchi was going to make up his mind and decide who he wanted to be with. Of course I had my own ideas about who he should pick, but not knowing for sure was at least half the fun. Then TB accosted me as I was passing his room.
“Bill! Could you please help me?”
With a resigned sigh I turned to him. I just wanted to get to my DVD, but he had used the magic word, and Mom would kill me if she found out I ignored it. “What can I do for you TB?” He frowned at me. “You know Mom doesn’t want you to call me that!”
“What?”
“TB!”
“So?”
“I know what it means and you better stop it. Mom won’t let you keep doing it if she finds out!”
“OK, TB. I’ll stop.”
“You better!”
“What did you need?”
“I need your opinion on something I made to surprise Dad.” Dads’ birthday was in four days and we were all trying to think of something to surprise him with. I admit to being somewhat intrigued by what Thad had come up with. He really was a genius and could be trusted to have some really good surprises up his sleeve.
“Sure, lead the way Dr. Frankenstein.”
“Mom better not catch you calling me that either.”
“Sure, sure. Just lead the way.”
“You just want to get back to your giirrrl friend.”
“I’m not that hard up, shrimp, and I’ll be taking off if you can’t get to the point soon.” I was a little embarrassed that he was so close to the truth, but didn’t want him to see it.
He grinned and lead the way to the kitchen. He reached into the fridge and pulled out some milk and then pulled a tray out of the microwave. The incredible smell of chocolate assailed my nose. I like chocolate a lot and consider myself something of an expert on it and something about this smell promised to be exceptional. “What do you have there Thad?”
“Something really special.” He said with a grin.
“And you want me to?”
“Give me an opinion on the taste and if you think Dad will like it.”
“Well, if the smell is anything close to the truth, you will have succeeded far beyond expectations.”
“I think I have managed to concentrate the essence of chocolate into a form that will be irresistible to anyone with a hint of a sweet tooth and a desire to use it.” He said with an evil grin and presented me with a small square of brown material that I recognized as fudge of a superior texture, and as I placed it in my mouth a wonderful taste assailed my tongue.
“Here, have some milk with that.” He handed a glass to me and the addition of cold milk only improved the sensations tenfold. Oddly enough, the sensations just kept getting better. I almost seemed to be drifting in a cloud of wonderful sensations.
I became slowly aware that I seemed to be lying on the floor and nothing seemed to be stable and kept moving around me. Slowly Thad’s face came into view. If I had been more aware, I might have been afraid of the look I could see in his eyes. I knew something wasn’t right, but couldn’t find the will power to do anything about it. “You shouldn’t have broken your promise you know. It really made me mad and I wasn’t able to do what I had been planning to do all year. “ Nothing he was saying seemed to make any sense to me and the more I listened the more he seemed to be fading in and out and making less and less sense. I was also starting to feel uncomfortable and somewhat sick to my stomach. Something that he said caught my attention. “The serum I just gave you will make sure you don’t do that to me again. It won’t harm a normal human but will make the suggestions I am going to make seem a lot more reasonable. Let’s see, how can I test it?” I was starting to feel really sick now and the room seemed to be spinning more and more. “Don’t worry Bill, This won’t hurt you at all. It’s totally safe for normal people. You won’t remember a thing after we are done and you won’t make a mistake like that again.”
He giggled. “You like Ryoko a lot, don’t you? Think about her. I want to hear you talk like her. How much can you be like her if you try?”
Suddenly, I felt a pain so intense I couldn’t even scream. I wanted to so bad. Anything to release the horrible pain and instability. The world wouldn’t hold still and fire rushed through my soul and body. One of the last clear memories of this moment was a picture of Thad’s face. It was a queer mixture of horror, fascination, and surprise. He seemed to be trying to say something and was shaking his head. I couldn’t hear a thing though and the world was becoming a blinding flare of pain and fire.
I needed someone to help me. I was completely disoriented and in terrible fear. I wanted my mother and father to come and get me. I think I screamed for them but they never came and the pain got worse somehow.
Then I saw a face in the fire. It seemed impossibly far away but I reached for it and it seemed to be pulled closer. A form reached for me through the flames and I knew someone had come for me. As the form touched me I could feel a small relief from the pain and the world seemed to stabilize a little. I clung to the shape desperately and I knew she was protecting me and I pulled myself closer still.
With her, came a sense of power and control over what was happening to me. She was security, protection, stability. Comfort, peace, and a friend that I could trust with anything. I suddenly realized that I had never felt so at peace with myself. It was as if something I had been looking for as long as I could remember in my books and comics and other mediums was suddenly there.
The more complete and comforted I felt, the more the pain seemed to fade and a terrible exhaustion set in. Try as I would I couldn’t hold on to consciousness. Everything grayed out and faded away. But I still could feel the comfort and peace that had enveloped me and I somehow knew that everything would be alright in the end.
I don’t remember much after that. Every now and then I would become aware that someone was talking near me, but I couldn’t seem to understand what was being said and it would quickly fade away. Sometimes, I was aware of movement, but again it would fade away into nothingness.
III
The Hospital
Finally I could feel a drawing away from the nothingness. I didn’t want to go. The memories of the pain had me struggling to return to the darkness that was free from the horror I had felt. Slowly it dawned on me that I no longer felt any pain. In fact, I was not sure if I had ever felt this good. Somehow a great sense of well-being seemed to permeate me. Slowly I was becoming more aware of what was going on around me.
I was lying in a bed. There was the unmistakable smell of a hospital. That peculiar sterile smell that you only find in medical establishments. I became aware of a conversation near me. It was whispered but I could make it out.
A hushed female voice was saying, “We’ve got the wrong room. There has to have been a mistake. This isn’t him.”
She was answered by a voice that made my hair try to stand on end. Something about its guttural growl made me sure that I didn’t ever want to meet the one using it. “How could we be wrong? This is the only patient admitted in the last week. I was sure that we could get in, kill that Wilson brat, and collect our fee with plenty of time to make it to San Bernardino to meet Slicer before he gets impatient.”
She answered, “They must have pulled a switcheroo and left a false trail here to distract us. This has the feeling of a trap. Let’s get out of here.”
“What about her? Should we off the bitch to show them?
I could sense a cold dread in my gut as I heard movement and wondered if I could somehow alert someone before these goons killed the person they were talking about.
“No! Like I said, I think this is a trap. Let’s not draw attention to ourselves. If we don’t do anything now, they will not know we have been here, and they might get careless about where he is being kept. That won’t happen if they think we are hanging around here looking for him.”
I let out an inaudible sigh and nearly screamed when he said, “What was that?” I swear I could feel him coming towards me and I almost sprang up to run when she spoke again.
“Forget it Ripper! Let’s move out now before we’re compromised!
“But Warp...”
“Now! Move it or I’ll leave you behind!” I heard unintelligible muttering as he moved off and suddenly I felt a tug that faded away and I felt alone once more. After a few seconds my heart started to beat again and I got the courage to try to look around. I felt an odd tugging on my scalp as I moved my head. Maybe there was something attached to me. As I reached up to check my head I became aware of many more differences that were becoming more obvious the longer I was aware of them.
To make a long story short, I became quickly aware that I wasn’t myself anymore. What was going through my mind at that time is not easy to describe. I did manage to totally destroy everything in the room and if the room hadn’t been as strong as it was I probably would have made an even larger mess of the area.
Eventually, I tired out enough so that they could get my attention and make it clear to me that I was in a hospital room equipped to handle the more unusual cases that came in. Especially the dangerous ones who might hurt others. By this time I had gathered enough evidence to believe that I fell into that category.
Somehow, in my rage, I had been able to reach out and grab something around me that I could then release with explosive results. Fortunately, the room had screening that diverted the majority of the power safely away.
When they finally got me settled down enough to understand what they were telling me, they lead me to another area of the hospital and cleaned me up. I was in shock at this time and allowed them to lead me around without any protest.
Eventually they moved me to an ambulance. After a long trip they pulled into another hospital with many security points that we had to be passed through until we reached a room they locked me into. It was a small, plain, padded room with only a bed bolted to the floor. I immediately fell into the bed and became dead to the world for an uncertain time.
IV
THE NEXT HOSPITAL
For the next two days, (if the meals I was fed and the pattern of the lights being on and off were a good indicator), I was able to get a better grip on what had happened to me and was now very interested in figuring out how it had come about. I was also desperately trying to find out what had happened to my family.
No one would talk to me and they wouldn’t let me talk to them. I had a nurse who would escort me to my meals and to the bathroom when I needed to go and clean up a little, but I wasn’t able to do more than sponge off as there was no shower or bathtub.
It was during this time that I noticed that I could see almost as well in the dark as when the lights were on. I was aware that I seemed to be somewhat smaller than I was accustomed to being. At least everyone I met seemed a lot bigger. I had no way to measure myself and mirrors were a no-no in someone’s twisted book of rules. I was dressed, if you could call it that, in a flimsy blue hospital gown that was open to the back. What little I could see and feel of myself left me in no doubt that I was female, and probably fairly good looking at that.
My skin was soft and fair and my hair appeared to be some improbable near-blue gray color that crested back from my forehead in angry spiky locks. Some of them extended all the way to the small of my back, except for one on each side that fell down in front of my ears. They seemed to stay that way even when I was wet. My ears were large and extended straight out from my head and I was sure must have looked somewhat comical. I could also tell that my teeth were definitely sharper and longer than I remembered them being. If I smiled widely enough I was sure I would show fangs.
I wasn’t about to give the voyeurs that I was sure were watching me a chance to see me doing much. So I kept my explorations pretty tame.
My voice was something else again. It was most definitely female, but not what you would call maidenly. If you wanted a female drill instructor’s voice this would be it. I found that I could easily put a very rough edge on it. It definitely reminded me of someone, but for the life of me I couldn’t remember who.
Things might have gone on like this indefinitely except another aspect of my new existence intruded in a very rude and uncomfortable way. Two things actually.
Most of the second day I had been growing more uncomfortable. My stomach ached and I began to feel somewhat out of sorts. A mixture of uncertainty, fear, and anxiousness seemed to dog me all the day. As the lights were turning down before going completely off, I suddenly experienced an extreme desire to go to the bathroom.
I managed to communicate this need to a less than helpful nurse who appeared to escorted me to the bathroom. As soon as I was there I immediately ran into a stall and sat down. It was amazing to me how quickly I had acclimated to this new form and its demands.
Then, to my horror, I proceeded to leak blood. I must have made some kind of noise, because my nurse immediately rushed in to see what was happening. I thought that she would call a doctor and an emergency team in. But, as soon as she could see what was happening, she started to laugh!
I’d had too much. I lost it and jumped up and screamed at her that it wasn’t funny.
“Life isn’t funny bitch, but I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that for long.” She said with a nasty grin.
This was the first time any of my keepers had talked to me and I suddenly recognized this voice as belonging to the person that Ripper had called Warp.
She reached for me with a sickly, green, glowing hand that I just knew I didn’t want to touch me. So I did what any well raised person would do when their life is threatened, and totally panicked. I sent a brilliant burst of red energy towards her that sent her flying to the other side of the room, and partially into the wall. Alarms began to go off and I heard the bolts in the door slam shut as I ran towards it. I couldn’t open it when I reached it and when I looked back I could see Warp starting to get up and she didn’t look in the least bit happy with me.
“You’re goin’ to die real slowly for that!” she snarled, and I thought I could see some of that sick green color in her eyes.
I knew it would take more than a blast to open the door. I needed something stronger. Suddenly I could feel power being drawn into my hand. It was different from the times I had gathered energy for blasts. It seemed more intense and harder to hold. A spot of red light formed in my palm. When I grabbed it, it became a red, glowing rod about two and a half feet long.
Looking back at Warp, who had stopped and was watching me warily, I then swung the rod at the door bolts. The rod sheared straight through them with very little trouble and the door swung open. “Ripper! Get her! She’s getting away!” As I ran out of the room, A large man dressed in white coveralls came at me from the right side. In his hand he held a blue blade that he struck at me with. Reflexively blocking it with my rod, I leaped to the left to get out of his way.
When the rod and the blade collided, there was an intense and painful burst of light and both of us screamed. As my eyes cleared I could see that his hand had gotten the worst of the encounter. He collapsed to his knees, and wrapped himself around his mangled hand.
Just then Warp came rushing out and plowed into her partner and they both tumbled into the wall.
I did the smart thing and ran down the corridor. At the end was a door with an exit and stair sign.
I could hear cursing behind me. “Stop her you fool!” yelled Warp.
“Stop her yourself, Bitch! Where the hell did she get that sword? It’s almost taken my damn hand off!”
“You’ll heal! Come on and get her before she gets away again!”
I looked behind and saw her pulling him up off the ground and heading my way. I slammed through the door and paused to decide which way to go. There were stairs going up and down. Down bellow I could hear several someones yelling and coming up the stairs. I decided that I didn’t want to trust anyone just yet and started to run up the stairs.
I was moving fast and had gotten two flights up when I heard the door below slam open.
Someone from below that I didn’t recognize yelled, “FREEZE!”. There followed a sound like aluminum foil ripping, followed by a pained ,”SHIT!”, from the same person. Someone else yelled, “LOOK OUT!”, followed by a burst of gunfire. Bullets started to ricochet up the stairwell and I took off further up the stairs. I lost count of how many flights I went up. I was afraid to stop because I could hear someone behind me. I finally came to the end of the stairs and burst out onto a roof. A quick look around showed that there was a tall fence around the edge and that it was topped with barbed wire. I could see a gate to one side and I headed for that.
When I reached it, I realized that it was padlocked. My sword had disappeared when I hit the blue blade and I didn’t know how to get it back. I wasn’t sure I could blast it either. They couldn’t be far behind me and I was running out of options.
There was a fire escape on the other side of the gate, but I didn’t think I could get over the fence before they caught me. I was going to head back to the stairs when I saw the door start to open. I spun around and leapt towards the top of the gate. As I did this, I felt as if some force grabbed me and I kept on going . Over the gate and into the night.
I looked back and could see two figures standing together looking around the roof. I was getting farther and farther away but could still see them as they dashed around to see the whole roof. They moved up to the gate but seemed unable to see me in the darkness.
I could hear them arguing and was pretty sure it was the two who had tried to kill me earlier. I couldn’t make out what they were saying at this distance and didn’t want to draw attention to myself by getting closer.
Just then, the door slammed open and armed men came out onto the roof. Warp grabbed Ripper and they seemed to ripple and fade away. As they did this I felt the drawing sensation that I felt before in my first hospital room. The armed men hurried towards the area where they had been moments before but I knew they weren’t there anymore. I continued to move away. I didn’t trust anyone at this time and wasn’t about to tempt fate by approaching nervous, armed men.
V
GOING HOME
Somehow, I not only had been turned into a girl, but a girl who could fire energy blasts and make swords that cut through doors like butter. I could also fly now. I wasn’t sure what was going on and I wanted answers and my family and my life.
As I looked around I suddenly realized that I knew where I was. The year before we had gone to a Halloween fun house at the State Hospital. There is something really creepy about real, insane people putting on something like that. We had been planning to go again this year because it was such a thrill and the entry fees went to help the hospital.
Now that I knew where I was I also knew that my home was only twenty miles away. This high up, even at night, it was easy to see where I had to go to get home. I just thought about which direction I wanted to go and I started to accelerate in that direction.
It was odd. I was moving fairly fast, I was dressed in a flimsy hospital gown, and I didn’t seem to be uncomfortable or even feel the breeze all that much. It didn’t take me long to reach where I lived with my family. I knew I was in the right area but wasn’t entirely sure where I needed to go.
As I looked around I saw several police cars on one street below me. I could see where my house was now, but could also see that there was a lot of police tape around it. There didn’t seem to be anyone there and the lights were out. Some officers were looking around with flashlights. I couldn’t hear what they were saying so I carefully moved closer. Soon, I could hear enough to get the impression that they had been told to look for someone in this area. I had a pretty good idea that it might be me they were looking for.
I was really worried now. I wasn’t sure how long I had been gone and couldn’t be certain that my family was OK. Something had obviously happened at my house and I couldn’t get close enough to see what it was. After a while, most of the police left. But, a squad car with two officers had been left behind to keep an eye on the house.
I rose higher into the sky to look around and try to get an idea of what I could do next. After the attempts on my life I wasn’t about to trust the police. They might mean well, but, I was certain that they would only give my position away and not be able to protect me from the strange couple who seemed to be after me.
They had figured out that I had become a girl and where I was after the first time they had come looking for me. Only the fact that they didn’t know I was a girl now had kept them from trying to kill me that first time. I had to find a safe place to stay and somehow find out what had happened to my family. I also had to find a place to clean up and get some clothes. I now knew I had started my period, and wasn’t worried about bleeding to death. Something about someone trying to kill me had rearranged my priorities a little, but I was still a bloody, uncomfortable mess and the thought of getting cleaned up was starting to take on greater importance. As I looked around, I could see the whole community. A small, green, neon sign caught my eye. It was the sign over the door to Mrs. Tanaka’s Dojo. Suddenly, I felt a bit of hope. If anyone outside my family could help me I was sure it would be her. I flew in that direction as I considered how I could get in.
VI
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Mrs. Tanaka’s Mountain Dojo was a series of buildings, taking up nearly a whole block. The dojo was several houses joined together in a square around the block. The interior was a large open garden area where I remembered spending much time learning to meditate. It had been made to copy a Japanese garden with a small fountain and pond. Several large open rooms opened off of the garden. These rooms were used as classrooms for the training of the various students that would come to learn the mysterious arts of combat and mental control that was taught in this school.
Mrs. Aimee Tanaka ruled over students and teachers with and iron fist. Nothing went on in the dojo that she didn’t seem to be aware of. It was almost like magic the way she could appear when she was needed to settle disputes and give advice and encouragement.
An energetic woman of over 60 years, she had helped found the school with her husband back in the sixties. The couple had a fair amount of money and never seemed to be in need of more. They had bought this block after a fire had damaged most of the houses and no one had wanted to try and do anything with them after that. They rebuilt it into a wonderful school that I had many wonderful memories of.
Mom and Dad apparently knew of the Tanakas and we kids had been welcomed into the school and allowed to participate in the classes that were appropriate for them.
Mr. Eric Tanaka did not participate often, though it was obvious that he was very skilled. His wife was the true leader of the school and decisions of how it was run were left to her. They loved each other greatly and no one could remember a time when they weren’t seen together, happily helping each other with a clear disregard to other people’s concerns about them.
I felt that they were much like my parents and had always wondered if I would ever become a part of couple like them in the future. At this time I was still too uncertain of how to deal with other people to feel comfortable with the idea. The closest I came was reading fantasy and science fiction and wondering if I would ever find someone in the adventures I was sure to have when I was older.
As I looked down I decided that my best bet was to fly down into the garden. From there I could try to figure out how to find the Tanakas and get their help. I was sure that they would know how to find my family and then I could find out what was going on. I settled into the center near the pond and became even more aware of how unpleasant my new crotch area had now become.
There were tears, rips, and stains on the gown and an odd pungent odor became apparent when I stopped moving. My feet were also bare and I moved gingerly towards the Tanakas residence area.
There was a light in the corridor that lead to the residential area and moved quietly towards it.
I stopped and my hair almost stood straight up when I heard Mrs. Tanaka address me in a voice I had never heard her use before. There was a VERY definite threat in the low voiced warning that had me convinced that if I tried anything I would regret it later, if there was a later.
“That’s far enough, young lady. Who are you, and what are you doing trespassing on our property? And how did you get past the gates without setting off the alarms?”
“M-mrs, T-tanak-ka? It’s me!” My heart almost stopped as I realized that Mrs. Tanaka would have no idea who I was and would probably not be able to accept the fact that the grungy girl in front of her was really Billie, (she always called me Billie, long after everyone else stopped doing so), Wilson, who spent so much time over here. She wouldn’t know that she was probably one of the last people to see Bill Wilson, the sixteen year old boy, in my old form.
“Oh? And just WHO is me? And, what are you doing here, again?”
I couldn’t stop now. I had to try. It was my only chance, but a deep sense of helplessness settled on me as I realized how unlikely a favorable outcome would be.
“B-b-billie. Billie W-wilson. Please you’ve got to believe me! I don’t know how I got this way, but it IS me!”
“You don’t look in the least like the Billie I know and if you know anything about where he is you had better tell me now or you will regret ever being born!” Somehow the threat in her voice had become much more substantial and I was beginning to think that I had made a crucial error in approaching Mrs. Tanaka. It sounded like she meant business and was ready to put some serious hurt on the person she thought might have information on my where-a-bouts. It was nice to know she cared that much but it was starting to look as if I was going to have to fly out of here if I could. She might be only 5’ 4” and 130 pounds, but no one messed with Mrs. T when she was ticked off.
“Stop!” Another voice I had known most of my life came from the shadows to my right. Mr. Eric Tanaka appeared out of nowhere to and moved towards me. He was 5’ 5” and weighed 160 pounds. I realized that I had seen neither of them until they started talking and this was unusual considering my new eyesight.
“Dear? But why? She may have some idea where Billie is being held. We can’t let her go!”
“It’s OK Dear. He--SHE, is telling the truth. Her mind is hard to focus on, but the way she is projecting right now, I can't miss it.”
“WHAT!?!” I don’t think I had ever seen Mrs. Tanaka surprised and I probably never will again. But I was too surprised myself to really appreciate it at the time. Mr. Tanaka actually believed me! I didn’t know how, but the relief I felt at that time was so great I wanted to run up to him and hug and kiss him.
“I wouldn’t do that young lady if I were you.” He said with a smile. “My wife is the jealous type and I don’t think either of us want to face that right now.”
Then it hit me. He was reading my mind! As I stared at him, the object of his conversation got control of herself and started asking questions.
“How can that be? She doesn’t look at all like Billie!”
“Dear, I have known Billie all his life and I am NOT mistaken in this. This person is him, uh, her.” He was approaching closer and inspecting me more closely as he came.
Mrs. Tanaka was also beginning to come closer, although I don’t think she was relaxing just yet. If I made a wrong move now I’m sure she would do something about it. “What could have happened to change him so quickly? It’s only been nine days since he disappeared.” She asked.
I had disappeared nine days ago?
Just then they both got close enough to get a good look at me and a good whif. Mrs. T started in on the questions. “Is that blood? Billie are you all right!? Are you hurt?” I love this woman’s priorities, but I was uncertain how I could tell her what was happening to me. I stood there speechless as I tried to think of some way to express my feelings on that particular subject.
Mr. Tanaka came to my rescue. “Uhm, dear? I don’t think this is a life threatening problem at this time and it IS a very personal thing that the two of you need to discuss. Why don’t you take her in and help her get cleaned up while I check the grounds and make sure everything is under control.”
“Are you sure of this, Eric?”
“Quite sure. Why don’t you take Billie in now and you can discuss it while she cleans up?”
She gave him an odd look and then turned to me. “Ohhh, I see! Come along then. I can imagine how uncomfortable this must be for you.” As she led me into the lighted area, I don’t think she was surprised again, but something about me seemed to get her attention. “Hmmm... Let’s get you cleaned up a bit and see what can be done for you.”
She then proceeded to lead me into the family area and through that into the back rooms where the bathrooms were. She directed me into the shower and headed off to find something for me to wear. I took a quick shower, even though it felt like heaven, and stood there in a towel waiting for her to come back. The mirrors were misted over and I made no move to wipe them off.
I think she was just waiting for the shower to stop because she came in soon after I had covered my self with the towel. “Didn’t you wash your hair? She asked when she came in.
“Yes, ma’am! I did but my hair seems to stay this way no matter what.”
“That could be a useful trick if you could patent it.” Grinning, she handed a soft pad to me and a pair of light blue panties. She showed me how to put the pad in the panties and then told me to put them on. While I was doing this she pulled out a bathrobe looking kind of garment that was also blue with a yellow sash. After I had put the panties on she helped me into the robe, which I realized must be some kind of kimono. “I couldn’t find anything else on short notice, but this should do nicely. My you do look lovely! Let’s get a better look at you.” And she led me into the other room where I could look at myself in a full-size three-part mirror.
I came as close to fainting as I ever have at that moment . All I could do was stare. I now knew exactly what I looked like and I even recognized WHO I looked like.
About the same height as Mrs. T, the spikey, blueish hair with the two spikes falling in front of my large ears that stood out away from my head, the very large eyes with vertical, oval, golden irises and cat-like slit pupils, the high cheek bones. the small nose, and the hint of canines behind the thin lips. My pale skin went well with the blue of the kimono. My voice, and, I certainly had the young but mature body of my favorite anime character, Ryoko!
My face was made to show emotions and the one on it right now was completely comical. If I hadn’t been the one wearing it I think I would have been rolling on the ground laughing my head off. As it was I have never understood how Mrs. T had enough self control to do no more than smile.
“Someone you recognize, dear?” She asked. All I could do was nod my head.
After a few moments I managed to pull myself together and turn to her. “Ryoko. How did he turn me into Ryoko?”
“Who, dear?”
“Thad.”
“Your brother?”
“Yeah, he gave me something that made me sick and I can remember him talking about Ryoko. Somehow he did this to me!” I had become certain that somehow Thad was at the bottom of what had happened to me. This brought my mind back to one of my major concerns. “What happened to my family?”
“Well, we didn’t hear anything except that there had been a fire at your house and that you were missing and presumed to be kidnaped. Everyone was moved to a safe place while the police searched the house for clues and tried to discover where you were. I can probably get hold of them easily enough. Why are you worried?”
I started to tell her about the couple that tried to kill me and she told me to wait until her husband got back. When he did they sat me down and had me tell them everything. They then asked me several questions that brought many more details to mind than I thought possible for me to remember. I think Mr. Tanaka had something to do with that also.
He then asked me several questions about my family and past. He got very interested when I told him about my appendectomy when I was nine. Up until now, I had an eight inch scar to show for that. It was gone now of course. I wondered for a moment if I had an appendix again.
Mrs. Tanaka spoke up after he was done questioning me. “It is so similar. Do you think there is a connection? And if there is, how did he survive?
Mr. T shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m going to have to talk to them and get more details. It’s hard to imagine that they would keep him so in the dark about the whole thing. And there are some other details that I need to look into before I can be sure.” He shuddered and a haunted look similar to that on his wife’s face made me think he and she knew a lot more about this than I would have thought possible. He looked at me. “YOU need to go to bed and rest. We will talk more in the morning.” Suddenly I felt very sleepy.
“Come with me, dear.” Mrs. T led me to the back of the house and into a small bedroom. “I’m sure Colly won’t mind lending you her room for a little while.” I fell into the twin bed and didn’t become aware again until sometime later.
“Laid it on a little thick, didn’t you, dear?” That was Mrs. T.
“No. I think that the stress she has been under has finally caught up with her and she is simply resting. She should be waking up any minute.”
“Well, you better get out of here for a few minutes then.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. There are a few things we are going to have to take care of before we can continue.”
“OH! Yes, I’d better get going. They said they would try to make it by 10 o’clock. I’d better get ready for them.”
“You do that, dear.” I could hear him move out of the room. “It’s OK, dear. He’s gone.”
I opened my eyes, squinting against the morning sun and asked the most important question first. “Where is the bathroom?”
“Over there.” Pointing towards a door to the left of the bed. “Everything you need will be there.”
I leapt from the bed and dashed to the toilet. I proceeded to do what was necessary and found everything that I needed there with me. I had to ask for help with the tampons but got into the new panties with no problem. Mrs. T proceeded to instruct me in the proper care and hygiene I was going to need to know for the time being.
We measured and weighed me. I was 5’ 3”, 32” bust, 22.5” waist, and 32.5” thighs. I weighed 120 lbs. And had what Mrs. T figured as B cup breasts. I would have to take her word for that as I didn’t have a clue. She then supplied me with a light blue sports bra that she felt would fit me well enough for now. I was then dressed in a brown plaid shirt and feminine jeans with white socks and tennis shoes. Mrs. T said that Colly wouldn’t mind my borrowing them for the time being as this was something of an emergency.
She explained when I asked that Colly (Columbine) was her youngest grand daughter and had just headed off to collage at Arizona State. She apparently had been staying with her grand parents for a while and I had never been aware of it. She also appears to have been similar to me in my new build and size. At least her clothes seemed to fit me well.
“Now let’s go and meet your parents.”
“They’re here?”
“Yes, dear. Now don’t you worry. We have already explained what has happened and they know what to expect.”
She hesitated for a moment and then said. “You need to know a few things first though. I am going to tell you a little now so it won’t be a complete surprise as we go over it with them. We did a little follow up on the two assassins who tried to kill you. They are contract assassins out of California and considered top in their profession. You have been extremely lucky so far but we shouldn’t take any more chances. Word is that they were to target any of your family that got separated from the rest.
Apparently, your parents are involved in trying to oust some dirty politicians in this area who have some connections to terrorists and the like. They are playing hardball and it looks like they are trying to use a threat to you and your brothers as leverage. They seem to think that if they kill you they will have made a point to your parents and the others that they are working with. You need to know this because, well... The best answer to this problem may be for you and the assassins to disappear. We don’t think that the assassins have reported to anyone yet. So they are the only ones that know about your current condition. If we can take them out, you will have a much better chance of hiding until this can be resolved.”
“You mean like this?” I indicated my new body. She also seemed really confident that taking out some talented professional killers wasn’t going to be a problem. All I could do was stare at her and wonder what I had gotten into.
“Yes. You have to admit that they probably won’t recognize you now.” She hesitated again.
“We also think that it wouldn’t be a good idea to stay in this area either. There seems to be a lookout for you by the local authorities. It seems that a dangerous girl escaped from the local State Hospital.” Mrs. T grinned. “It also seems that she bears a startling resemblance to a cartoon character.”
“There were heavily armed guards there. Not to mention two nasty killers. Anyone happen to mention looking for some dangerous, armed goons?”
“No. That seems to have slipped their minds.”
“This sounds suspiciously like some kind of cover-up. The kind you see on The X-Files.”
“Your parents can probably tell you more about that.” When I looked in surprise at her she shrugged. “That is something they will have to go over with you. It’s not my place to say.” She held up her hand when I started to protest. “This is really something they have to tell you.”
Looking me right in the eye she then asked, “How do you feel about what has happened to you?” Something in the way she was looking at me made me sure that she wanted the truth and wouldn’t stop until she got the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
“I don’t really know. I feel like I should be a lot more upset. Everyone else seems to think so anyway. But somehow I just don’t feel that I am. I feel perfectly normal, except I don’t know the first thing about being a girl. Other than that, I really don’t have a problem with it. It’s not like the family name is in jeopardy or anything like that. I’ve never had anything to do with girls, so there isn’t anyone to feel upset about there. I felt perfectly normal as a boy also. It’s not like I wanted to be a girl or anything. At least I don’t remember anything like that. I don’t know how to explain it.
The only other thing I am worried about right now is that I might blow off a power blast at any time. I know that I did at least once while I was in the State Hospital. It wasn’t much but it did blow my covers off the bed. It took a while to get a replacement for the shredded covers because they didn’t want to open the door to let me get more.”
“I’ve seen the little sparks popping around you. It’s one of the things that makes us think we know how it might have happened to you. Eric is the expert on that, though, and I think he is still looking up some information. If it is what we think, then you will begin to get more control over time. But, I don’t think that anyone will be able to reverse the process.” She put a hand on my shoulder. “I thought you ought to know that. I didn’t want you to get any false hopes up.”
I just looked at her for a moment, not knowing how to act.
With a small smile, she said, “It is customary for girls to give each other a hug now, straighten up their clothes , and go out and meet their doom.”
I hesitated for a moment, giggled with her, and gave her a hug. “Let’s go out and face the music then. It can’t be much worse than it already has been.”
“Child, you don’t know what you speak of, but waiting for something else rarely works. Eventually the music searches you out anyway. Let’s go meet your parents.” And she escorted me out to their living room where my parents and brothers were waiting.
VII
MEET THE PARENTS
I’m not sure who was the more nervous of us. Me, my family, or the Tanaka’s. I wasn’t sure how I would be received, they probably weren’t sure about what I was like now, and the Tanaka’s were risking their living room. So, of course, I had to break the ice.
“YOU! You rat! You blight on the face of humanity! What have you done to me?” This was all directed at my younger brother, who seemed to be having some small success disappearing into the cushions of the sofa he was sitting in. I didn’t know it at the time, but apparently when I get upset like this, my eyes go crimson.
Along with the sparks that started to fly off me, I must have been pretty impressive. Mom has had a lot of experience averting mayhem and acted in the one way sure to put the kibosh on my intended homicide.
“WILLIAM MEREDITH WILSON!!! Sit down and behave civilly this instant!” She had popped up and I could swear that sparks were flying off her also. I did the only sane thing any child will do when faced with instant eradication by the most powerful being in his or her world.
I immediately sat down in a chair facing them, pointed at the offending sibling, and whined, “But, Mom. He did this to me!”
“That will be quite enough! You will sit and be civil and when WE decide what is to be done you will continue to behave or I WILL know why! DO you understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“And YOU!” Swinging her deathly gaze over to my brother, while everyone else moved out of the line of fire. You will be quiet and answer the questions we ask. They will be short, correct, and totally truthful. Do you understand?” He could only nod helplessly. Pinned to the couch by the glare of her eyes.
“Now where do we start?”
Mr. Tanaka suggested that we start with my story and they all settled in to hear my version. After I had finished, with only one aborted attempt by Thad to interrupt, we heard his side of the story.
He was obviously miserable and I think he had been living in terror because he didn’t know what had happened to me and he knew it was his fault. Telling us probably did more good for his long term mental health than a ton of prescriptions and doctors.
The little rat believed that I had promised to help him with a huge Fourth of July fireworks project that probably would have spelled doom for a large part of the metropolitan area. My inconsiderate escape with my friends stopped him. He needed someone to drive him up into the mountains and didn’t understand that I couldn’t take him alone with just my learners permit.
I HAD promised to take him for a ride when I could, but that would have to wait until an adult with a license could go or I got my license in about two years. An adult or Larry (who had his license) would have stopped him as well as my not driving. Anyway, in his sulk and attempts to make me pay, he came across a package that had been sent to my father. It had been partially opened in transit and he couldn’t resist the chance to check it out.
In it, he had found a package of a chemical that initial investigations had shown could influence normal people like a hypnotic, making them susceptible to suggestions for a short while and disappearing without a trace soon afterwards. No ill affects could be found on normal people but, tests on mutant animals indicated that it would have fatal consequences if administered to someone with a mutant gift. This was the last of the chemical which had been found in an old laboratory in Canada and was being sent to a lab in San Francisco to see if it could somehow be reproduced.
Attempts to reproduce it so far had proved useless as the method of producing it seemed way in advance of current technology. Some kind of process that combined several types of amino acids into a compact molecule-like substance that had a mind of its own and would perform amazing feats of transformation in living cells. The purpose was unknown and retro-engineering hadn’t helped to find the purpose yet. Bill’s father was to help move this dangerous item safely to its destination. It was thought that no one would be looking for it if they used normal mail and got it to Bill’s father who was going to San Francisco on his normal rounds and would be able to deliver it more safely that way. There was some reason to fear that if they tried to move it in a more secure way that those seeking to use it as a weapon might be able to track it to where they were sending it.
A secure diversion was to be used to test this theory. All this had been explained in the message with the chemical. Thad had been unable to resist this opportunity to get back at me. He took the package with the intension of using a small amount to exact his revenge and returning the remaining amount secretly to his father. The damage to the package could be explained by the rough handling of the mail service.
Unfortunately, It took all the remaining substance to make the fudge he determined to use as bait for his trap. He reasoned that no one would get hurt as he was destroying the last and no evil person could get their hands on it. My snort of derision went unanswered as the rest of his story fit with mine up until I literally burst into flames on the floor and he panicked and ran. He had seen some men outside the house as he ran next door to get help. They had ignored him and run into the house. When he got a neighbor to call the fire department and returned he couldn’t see the men anywhere and the kitchen flames were already starting to smolder out. The fire department showed up and finished putting out the flames. The men and I were nowhere to be found. He made a story to cover his own part in it and now there was a search being carried out to find me and the men assumed to have taken me and starting the fire.
I held my peace as I knew that Thad was going to be in a world of hurt because of the theft and even more importantly, what he had done to me and, then LYING about it. He was soooo dead.
Mr. Tanaka then turned to my father. “And why would you be receiving such dangerous mail my friend?” Dad looked embarrassed and looked at Mom. She nodded and he turned back to us. “We might as well tell the children now. Larry already knows the truth, but we have been holding back telling the other two so as to let them lead more normal lives. We were hoping that this would all blow over and that we could get back to our retirement plans.”
“Both Cher and I are specially trained, talented operatives for the CIA. By talented, we mean mutants. Cher is code named Flashlight. She can use light powers and has limited telekinesis. She is very good at illusions and security systems. She is even better at locks than I am. I am code named Weasel. I am strong, fast, and able to shape and contort my body in all sorts of ways. I think I can safely say that I am one of the best second story men in the world.”
“We met years ago in Europe while assigned to tracking down a missing nuke. We make an incredible team if I do say so myself. It was love at first fight. I thought she needed my help and she thought I needed her help. Together we put a lot of hurt on those smugglers. I had never met someone like her. Beautiful, fast, smart. The list goes on and on. Anyway, we became an item and soon learned why it is not a good idea to mix work and relationships.”
“It was killing us trying to stay together and get our jobs done. I’m afraid that our work suffered during this time and I am not certain how it would have turned out , except we got a real break. Things had slowed down a bit and the Agency needed to place operatives stateside to track and counter terrorists operating out of the states.”
“It was perfect for us. We got married and settled down here and started a family. We ended up becoming a part of the community and have been able to monitor the activities of terrorists operating out of the US in this area. They usually don’t do anything that can be prosecuted here but if we are aware of what they are doing we can usually catch them before they can get very far elsewhere.”
“Recently, there has been an increase in activity in this area and we think some of the local manufacturers are trying to increase their slowing sales by selling biological weapons. We have some good leads now, but I think someone has released some of our more sensitive information and it is putting us in danger. I think that the men Thad saw were trying to obtain the chemical Thad stole. They found Bill instead and took him for a hostage.”
“We have received some messages that have lead us to believe that this is what they were trying to do. Of course, since we didn’t have the package we had no idea what they were hinting at. I’m not sure they ever intended to return Bill even if we had complied with their demands. They never mentioned that he was now a girl. Their resources make me think we may be dealing with a rogue part of our government though. They know so much about us. It still doesn’t explain how Bill got changed into a girl.”
“Well. We might be able to help with that.” Said Mr. Tanaka. We all turned to look at him and he shrugged. “I will need a little more information before I can be sure. Can you get me this information safely?”
“It would depend on what you needed. But I am at a point where I might try anything to get to the bottom of this. What do you think Cher?”
“I’m just about at the end of my rope Dear. Lets find out what he needs and go from there.”
Dad turned to Mr. T. “What do you need?”
“I’ll need to know where the laboratory was and I will need to see the medical report on your son’s appendectomy.”
Both Mom and Dad were surprised at this request. They looked at each other and then asked together. “Is that all?”
“Yes, that is all I will need to complete my research. Please understand that if this is what we think it is, we already have more information than you do.”
“If that is all you need I can probably get the information by this afternoon. How soon do you think we can get answers after that?”
“Within minutes if the information is what I think it will be.” The T’s didn’t seem too happy about the subject and I started to dread what they were going to find.
“What can we do with Bill now?” Larry asked. He had been staring at me the whole time and I was starting to get a little uncomfortable under his stare.
“I think she will have to stay with us for the moment. We can keep her out of sight for now. Soon we will have to find another solution. The men who are looking for her will eventually think to look here as well. We have some options available to us, but it will take a few weeks to get plans finalized. Billie, I’m afraid that it will not be possible to keep you near here. You will eventually have to go somewhere else. At least for a while.”
“What do you mean?”
“We have connections with a school in New Hampshire.”
“A school?”
“Yes, a school designed to help talented people such as yourself.”
“What about my family?”
“This school is a boarding school. You would stay there and your family will stay here.”
Mom and Dad were looking at each other. Then Dad turned back to us. “I think you are talking about Whateley, aren’t you? Would he-uh-she be safe there?”
“She will be safer there than anywhere else. There are defenses and a general agreement that no one is to interfere directly. They also have the facilities to help train her to use her abilities and control them. You do realize that she is coming into these powers much more quickly than normal? If these powers that are manifesting are this strong now, it is possible for her to burn out if she can’t control them.”
They had my attention now. “What do you mean by burnout?”
Mr. T answered. “It is possible, if a talent develops too quickly, for it to draw on the energy of the person so fast that they can’t recover quickly enough and they can be killed or crippled as a result. The results can be much more unpleasant than that in some rare cases, as you already know.” When he said that he was looking right at me. For a brief moment, the memory came back to me of the time I had been on fire and I couldn’t help shuddering at the memory.
Dad asked, “Can this be prevented?”
“With proper training, it is possible to channel the energies in such a way as to prevent the less desirable outcomes. Billie will have to train hard and I am afraid that it may take several years to reach a point where she could be certain of her safety.”
“It doesn’t sound like I have much of a choice does it? Why can’t I train here?”
“You are a wanted person here. It will be difficult keeping you safe from the searchers and trying to train you at the same time. At Whateley, you will be able to pursue your training uninterrupted by the constant need to hide. To truly master your powers, you will have to use them full out. You couldn’t possibly do so here without drawing too much attention and possibly destroying things you don’t want to.”
“I’m afraid that your options are very limited in this respect. I do want you to understand that burnout is not certain. I would want you to train as if it was though. You never can be certain in these things but if you can start now you will have a much better chance than if you don’t. I also want you to know that I feel moderately sure that you WILL have to face this problem. Your powers are developing so much faster than normal that I am certain you are courting disaster if you don’t do something about it.” “I don’t like the idea of separating you from your family at this point in your life but I think the consequences are too terrible to not take the risk.”
Dad spoke up again. “I must admit that we aren’t too happy about this either. You seem to be fairly certain about your information though. I’ve heard about burnout, but the last confirmed case that I am aware of was over forty years ago. How is it that you know so much about this?”
Mr. T got that haunted look in his eyes again. “I am Dr. Eric Tanaka, PhD, MD. I was the person who was treating the last case that you are speaking of.” Mrs. T reached over and touched his hand. “She was a very good friend of ours and I couldn’t do a thing for her. I don’t want that to happen, ever again.” They were both obviously remembering something unpleasant and were squeezing each others hands tightly.
Dad spoke again. “That last person was Sherry Henderson, also known as Cirque. She was a part of a group of talented vigilantes called The Mystic Six. They were well known in the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. There were reports of them into the 60’s. They disappeared after the death of Cirque. You are telling me that you are a contemporary to Cirque and that you know something about a technology far in advance of what we have now. Would you mind explaining? It’s not that I don’t trust you but we are putting the life of our s-daughter in your hands.”
Mr. T sighed. “OK. But you will have to promise to be careful with this secret. And I mean with everyone, including your CIA.”
Dad and Mom looked at each other and then us. We all nodded our heads and turned back to the Tanaka’s.
“Very well. Our story starts in 1877. That was when a Dr. Cory Fielding began to gather children from all over the North Americas. I believe that, through his connections, he managed to take over a thousand children and move them to a compound in upstate New York. There he conducted experiments using some compounds that only he could manufacture. I believe he was a mutant whose abilities seemed to be the manipulation of organic molecules on a level undreamed of at the time. I also believe, that is why your scientists have been unable to decipher the problem of how that compound was made.” Mom gasped. “That’s horrible! How could he do that?”
Mr. T continued. “It was easy at that time. There was not the social structure at that time that exists today. Child exploitation was normal, and if the families involved had neither money or influence, nothing much could or would happen.”
“To make a long story short, Dr. Fielding had a particular goal in mind. He wanted to make an elixir of life. Something to make him immortal or at least longer lived. He believed he had found the answer. When tested on animals, he managed to produce a compound that increased the health and life span of the animals incredibly. Sure he was on the right track he increased the potency to its limits.”
“He called the compound Ultra-X-Amine. Then, to be sure, he administered it to the few adults that he could as well as all of the children. The majority of them, being normal suffered only the effects listed in the report you had. The rest, ones we can assume were mutants, self combusted.” The haunted look in their eyes was much worse now and I was sure that Mrs. T was trying to conceal tears.
“Please understand. Some of those that died that way were our families. Only six of us survived the process. Aimee, I, Sherry, Charlie, Nathan, and Lisa. We were all under five years of age. I believe that is why we survived. We did have mutant abilities, but they were still totally undeveloped. When the compound activated the more developed abilities of the others it simply burned them to death. Ours developed slowly enough so that it didn’t kill us.” He smiled at me. “It is not something I would look forward to experiencing again.”
“You’ve got that right!” I said. Somehow I was becoming even more convinced that this compound was the same and was linked to what had happened to me. If what I experienced was anything like what they had gone through then I had to agree that a repeat was not on my priority list. Avoiding it was.
He continued. “Dr. Fielding was somewhat upset by the results of his experiment. It had failed to produce the expected elixir. We didn’t know it at the time, but he was heavily in debt to some who were outside the law. They were also unhappy with the results. The doctor did not survive the reaction to his failure.
Several armed men showed up and proceeded to kill everyone and raze the place. We escaped, due to the fact that our powers allowed us to avoid the searchers sent after us. Aimee and I both had some family near San Francisco and we managed to go back to there. Fortunately, Lisa could teleport and could also see a target area in our minds. A trip that would have been impossible for such young people and would take weeks or months was accomplished in mere moments.
“Our relatives realized that our abilities would be useful and decided not to sell us off again.”
This brought another look of horror to Mom’s face.
Mrs. T spoke up for her benefit. “Things were not the same then. Life was much tougher and the old ways were still in force. People may not think so, but things are better now, at least to some degree.”
Continuing, Mr. T said. “When the inconsistency of our powers began to trouble them, our relatives arranged for us to be trained by various masters who taught us to use and control our powers. We then spent many more years working for them.”
“Eventually we found out that Dr. Fielding had succeeded without knowing it. We continued to be young and healthy while everyone around us grew old and died. About 1915, someone tried to do something about it. Many of our friends died but we survived. We used our abilities to disappear and establish a fortune to support us.”
“We then embarked on a life to make up for what had been done to us. We became The Mystic Six.” Mom and Dad both sat up straight at this statement. Obviously it meant something to them.
“After about two decades of that we began to go our separate ways. Aimee and I got married and started to look for a place to settle down. The others had paired up also. Charlie married Sherry and Nathan married Lisa. We went our separate ways and established our own families. That is when we discovered another aspect of our longevity that didn’t work well.”
“WE are long lived and healthy. Our children tended to be normal in that respect though. We have had to learn to “pass on” and allow them to live their lives unencumbered by us.”
“You are getting older now though, aren’t you?”
The T’s looked at each other and smiled. Then Mr. T got rapidly older and Mrs. T got quickly younger. We were now looking at an old man of ninety or so and a young girl of about twelve. They then both returned to the age we were used to seeing them as.
“We are not sure. We seem to have the ability to be whatever age it is convenient to be at the time.”
Mom was looking at them and then at me and back. There was a look of extreme worry that I didn’t understand at the time. “Are you sure it is the same for her?”
Mr. T shook his head. “There are some differences that I don’t understand yet. There may not be any connection and we could be wrong. Only time will tell.”
Mom turned to us and said in a voice that I had only heard a few times in my life. The one that promises that there will be no escaping punishment in this life or the next if it is not heeded. “You, none of you, will ever say anything about this, EVER!” Dad was nodding also and I was sure that he was in complete agreement. I still was not sure why, but I wasn’t fool enough to go against them in this either. And, I didn’t want to get the T’s in trouble either.
“That makes you...”
“About 130 years old at this time. We have had the opportunity to do a great many things and study more than most. At one time I was a respected Doctor and researcher.” Larry asked. “What happened to the one that died?”
Mr. T sighed. “Sherry was trying to find a cure for the process that made us the way we are, or failing that, a way to allow people to live as we do.”
“You have to understand. It isn’t at all easy to watch people you care for deeply, grow old and or sick and die. It makes it harder to form attachments that you know will wither away in time or might even lead to jealousy and envy. Sherry wanted to fix it if she could. Her power was similar to Dr. Fielding’s in that she could manipulate living organisms into what she needed. She came closest to understanding what he had managed to do. If we’d had more to work with she might have succeeded.”
“We knew that Dr. Fielding made his compound somewhere other than where he tested it. We had never been able to find his lab though. Sherry went ahead anyway. She was sure she had found a solution. In a way she did. The compound she created had similar properties to the one tested on us. She then did something foolish. She tested it on herself. All it managed to do was destabilize her control of her power. Shortly after that she lost all control and burned up.” With tears in their eyes the T’s held each other.
“There was nothing we could do. Charlie went into seclusion and we have only recently heard from him. He is now a teacher at Whateley and we think he will be able to help train you. Stoney, that’s Nathan, can help supply the necessary paperwork and back ground to get you into school without too many questions.”
“Billie?”
“Yes?”
“You must not tell Charlie how you came to be like this. I don’t think he has recovered enough from the loss of Sherry and I am afraid that a reminder like that couldn’t be good for him. Promise me that you won’t hurt him like that?
“I promise.”
“Thank you.”
The questions continued for a little longer but we didn’t make much more headway at that time. Dad arranged to get the information to Mr. T and then we had an uncomfortable few minutes while we worked out a few more details. I would stay hidden in the basement for the next month or so and then head out to the school where I would continue my high school training and my training to control my powers.
While I was here I would also begin meditation training and some attempts at learning how to use what I had. There would be limited opportunities to see and be with my family and I wasn’t to happy about that, but everyone was certain that if we changed our schedules it would become obvious where I was.
We had a tearful farewell and they left to start up their own lives again and I began my new life by moving down into a small room in the basement that had a concealed door that I could hide in when people came looking for me. It was also soundproofed to help keep people from knowing that someone with occasional load accompaniments was hiding there.
Other than the occasional bed being blown apart I was doing OK. I was feeling pretty homesick at this time and was dreading the time when I would no longer get to see Mom or Dad even occasionally. I was fairly neutral about Larry. I could live with or without him and I wasn’t too upset about not seeing TB.
VIII
LIFE IN THE BASEMENT
The T’s saw to it that I was kept busy learning to control my new body by constant training in martial arts. We concentrated mostly on judo and similar small person techniques.
One thing to be said about the change, “That which doesn’t kill you will make you stronger”, held true for me. I was much stronger and faster than I had been before. The T’s still wanted me to concentrate on control though and I really didn’t get to see what I was truly capable of doing. I never seemed to get to sore either. I recovered a lot faster than I remembered from hard workouts.
Female training was at a minimum, however. No one seemed to have the time to go over the basics with me and I was forced to get what I could out of some of the magazines they kept in their offices. Somehow I didn’t think I was going to get what I needed from them, but at least it was a start, and you never knew when, “Knowing When He Is Hot For You!”, will come in handy.
Mr. T took two weeks to figure out for sure that he was right about the compound that started this. The lab had been completely destroyed in a warehouse fire in Toronto. Only some of the compound which had been stored in especially heavy containers had survived. A little more research revealed that at one time the building had been rented by Dr. Fielding.
During this time my parents, the T’s, and some friends arranged an ambush for the assassins. No one on our side was hurt and Larry, who got to be there as part of the training he was getting from my parents, (the lucky dog), says that I don’t EVER want to see what Mom and Dad can do when they get really upset with someone.
He said that the T’s weren’t someone to mess with either, and that he thinks two of the other people were the two friends, Nathan and Lisa. They never gave the assassins a chance and he thinks that they got sent to somewhere in California where someone with a grudge was going to hold them for a while. At least until the current situation calmed down.
Then they would be turned over to the police. There was a bounty on them also, that the others were hoping to collect afterward.
Larry seemed to feel that vigilantes had some advantages over regular law enforcement and I think Mom and Dad are going to have a talk with him on that subject. By the way, did I tell you that Larry is a mutant, also? It seems his abilities allow him to augment whatever he is doing at that time. That is one of the reasons he does so well in school, etc. It’s not as exciting as my abilities, but then, he doesn’t have to hide and go off to another school either.
Mr. T learned that I should be dead also. He thinks that he knows why I survived too. It seems that my talent may have been as a mimic. He thinks that if my talent, and he thinks it would have been a strong one, had ever become un-latent, under other circumstances, I would have had the ability to mimic other powers.
The Ultra-X-Amine compound when I received it, triggered my latent power and proceeded to burn me out. The fact that my power was latent slowed the process down enough to allow the other part of the drugs effect to take place first.
The way TB had worded his suggestion triggered the mimic ability and it tried to comply. There was no one there like that for it to mimic so it started to use the template I had in my brain from watching the show. The drug was giving me such a surge of power that my ability went into overdrive and proceeded to totally overwrite me completely.
All the power that, uncontrolled, would have consumed me, suddenly was diverted into making me over into the image in my mind. In the process the ability to mimic was burned out but enough of the power was used so that I didn’t die. I was left with the body of a girl who looked like Ryoko and had some of the abilities, or at least some analog of them put together from mutant abilities related to those possibly like my mother’s and father’s.
This shouldn’t have worked though. The template of Ryoko would have had to be built on a female template for this to work the way it did. How could this template exist if I wasn’t transgendered in the first place, and there was moderately good evidence that I was not. At least I had never shown any and couldn’t remember any either.
Thus we found ourselves in a predicament. Either this was the same substance and I shouldn’t be alive, much less a girl, or the substance was different in some way and may have contributed to the change. But why wasn’t I having more trouble with the change either? It didn’t add up.
Then Mr. T found an answer. It was the one he had suspected from the first. The appendectomy I had gotten when I was nine turned out to be, under closer scrutiny, somewhat different than one might think.
While some parts of the report were lost, Mr. T found a report in the insurance files stating that the company should not pay for such an operation on a young girl. Further research turned up the surgeons’ report. It seems that when they opened me up to remove my inflamed appendix, they found ovaries and a uterus with no opening to the outside. Following the accepted practices of the day and since I was already established as a boy they simply preformed a hysterectomy, cleaned me out, and sewed me up. They then told everyone that it took longer than normal because of unexplained difficulties, and promptly filed it all away.
Thus a template already existed and it would also explain why I was comfortable the way I was. This pretty much finished up what we needed to know about the situation as it existed now. The next step would be to start my new life and training at Whateley.
IX
AN UNEVENTFUL TRIP
I wasn’t able to take much with me. I had two sets of jeans and shirts, that I had inherited from Colly, and some sport bras and panties that Mom had been able to buy on the sly as gifts for a cousin. I had my toiletries and these in my carry on. I had a sleeping bag, some camping equipment, and other supplies in some luggage that would travel separately.
The T’s were supplying the admission fees and spending money for books, etc. My parents would pay them back when things settled down. Overall things were going pretty good. The only problem was that I was already missing my parents. They seemed to take the changes pretty well. Of course, Larry said that they were taking their frustrations out on the bad guys.
He said it was very unhealthy to be in the business of supplying terrorists in this area. Accidents seemed to keep happening all over the place. Of course that kind of business has its risks. Safety becomes secondary. It could simply be a run of bad luck for them. There was some indication that the white flags might be flying sometime in the future.
I had a conversation with TB before I left also. It seems that his experiences have taught him a little wisdom and he might survive into his teens at this rate. I made a point of letting him know that I would be watching out for him and if he ever tried a lame stunt like that again I would see to it that Hell would be more pleasant.
Hey, I’m the big sister now. I have some privileges where torturing my younger brother comes in. He even gave me a gift before I left. I’m taking it with me out of sentiment. I’m not sure why. I have a feeling that I may regret it, yet I can’t seem to cut my ties with my past that easily.
There has got to be somewhere I can put it where it won’t draw too much attention. I’m carrying it in my carry-on now. I don’t want someone to find it by accident. Of course, lots of teenage girls have stuffed animals. It just so happens that mine is a cabbit. Lots of young girls have those don’t they?
Anyway, after a painful farewell in the basement, where I tried miserably to be brave and confident, Mr. T took me to the airport. I shook hands with him and set out into the cruel world and onto a U.S. Air jet to Pittsburg and from there to Concord, NH. From there I got a chance to ride a train, of all things, into the Town of Dunwich. A picturesque place just made for postcards and little else from what I could see.
There seemed to be a few people there that I thought might be going to Whateley also. I might have tried to get to know them better but I was too busy arguing with the station master over where in creation my luggage had gotten to.
After having a difficult time getting it through his thick and uncooperative skull that I needed to find out where it was, he finally called down the line to find that my bags had been delayed at the airport in Concord. They would be following me in the morning.- So sorry about the delay but you know how it is and stop bothering us as we have more important things to do than to argue with a girl thank you very much and goodbye!-
They were saved by the bus, or more correctly, by the arrival of Mrs. Shugendo and the vans that were to take us to Whateley. I wasn’t paying too much attention to the people around me at the time. I was still steaming about the way I had been treated by the travel people and trying to use the meditation techniques that Mrs. T taught me to keep from setting off a serious breach of etiquette and wrecking the bus.
A Whateley Academy Tale
Another Day
(Tennyo 2)
by Starwolf
Billie keeps learning more and more about her strange powers as Tennyo. As she begins to move through the twisted maze of Whateley's Student Services. And that's just to go back to the station to get her luggage.
This is the properly edited and ordered version of the story.
WHATELEY AND POE: Sunday, September 3rd
I was trying to concentrate on calming down when I became aware of the girl next to me. She looked to be about 12 years old and was staring at me and I was starting to become a bit nervous. She seemed to be paying a lot of attention to my hair. Our eyes met and suddenly she dropped her eyes.
“Sorry.”
“What, you’ve never seen hair that looked like this before?”
She squirmed a little and peeked up at me through her hair. “Um, no, not really. I mean, not in real life.”
I started to get a little more nervous. Maybe she just knew about anime and possibly Tenchi and was just curious or maybe she was part of something more sinister. Of course, maybe it was just because I had been living in a basement for several weeks and was just being paranoid.
“How do you do it? It’s really cool! I saw you in the station, and I thought you’d just used a ton of mousse or something. It’s almost like ...”
Maybe she was trying to find out if I was the escapee from Colorado. Some people were still looking for me. If I encouraged her maybe I could find out more. “What? Go ahead, I’ve heard it all.”
“Well, it’s like anime hair. Only real life. You know, animation, uh, Japanese cartoons?”
I just stared at her. Maybe she was just interested in anime.
“Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Deciding that she probably was only curious about my hair, but not giving up quite yet, I decided to try for more information. “Naw, don’t get your panties in a bunch. I’ve heard lots worse, believe me.” I tried to smile at her.
“Anime, huh?” Maybe I could get her to admit who I looked like. “So... if I were an anime character, which one would I be? Which of ‘em has this kind of hair?” Not subtle, but it should get a response that would get me an idea just how much she knew.
She perked up a bit. “That kind of hair?” Her eyes lost focus for a moment. “Well, of course, the absolute best, and most popular too —“ I really wanted to hear this. “— would have to be Tetsuan Atom.”
What!? Who was Tetsuan Atom? It sounded kind of familiar but I wasn’t sure why. In my confusion I twisted forward and the bus hit a bump. I ended up face first in the back of the seat in front of me. Owww! How embarrassing...
She seemed to have nothing but admiration for my graceful actions and immediately let me know how much she appreciated them. “Wow! If this *were* an anime, I’d call that a - well, I guess they call it a ‘face fault’ in this country. You see that all the time in anime.”
Oh! Is that what we call this? I disengaged my face from the seat while trying to wow her with my insight. “I know. It hurts too!” I mumbled while trying to remove seat from my mouth. I then had to ask. “Tetsuan Atom?”
She looked a little uncertain. “Uh, you know, Astro Boy?”
Oh, sure, Astro Boy. I think the combination of my predicament and the feeling of ‘Oh, why didn’t I think of that!’ made me answer her look of confusion at my actions a little more vehemently than I intended. “I KNOW THAT!” I shut up as I realized that everyone else was looking at me. I then tried to communicate my confusion a little more quietly. “How can you compare me to some ancient old wimpy robot?”
She snapped back with some intensity. “He’s not wimpy! He’s got 100,000 horsepower! Besides, he’s the noblest!”
Uh oh! I think I better change this subject a little. “Look, let’s just forget the ancient past, okay? I think we were talking about the present, weren’t we? Spiky hair, gorgeous body, and you were talking about who I reminded you of.”
“Oh yeah.” She paused in thought.
“Come on, you must have *some* idea!”
“Sure, but there’s just so many of them. Hey, you okay? You’re looking sort of twitchy.”
Me!? Twitchy?
“Well, if you had a tail, you could be a Saiyan, but I don’t think I’ve seen any female ones.”
A Saiyan?! From Dragonball?
“And the color would make you a perfect Ryoko, except she’s got cat eyes and a tail too.”
I didn’t have the tail but she must not be looking close at my eyes. There was just no way I was going to win this one.
“But you’ve got the attitude just right. On the other hand, if the color was black -“
It was time to make an end of this fiasco. “Alright! Enough already! Just drop it, okay? I folded my arms and turned to the window.
She got the hint, “Sorry.”
I started to feel guilty. Here I was, expecting someone to guess who I looked like and disappointed if they couldn’t quite be sure. And, being rude to someone who didn’t deserve it. When I was the one who really started it.
At the same time I was pretty sure I didn’t want to be Ryoko. I didn’t need to be in the shadow of anyone again. Not even someone I admired like her. The thought startled me a bit.
Did I want to be like Ryoko? Maybe not her, but someone like her maybe? After all, I think that one of the things I liked about her was her certainty and willingness to do things. Maybe I really wanted that? Glancing back at the girl, I could see that she seemed to be concentrating on something else. I wanted to make sure about her and maybe make up for my rudeness. Turning back to her I asked.
“Do you really think I have the attitude right?”
She looked up startled. “Huh?”
“Ryoko. You said I had the attitude right.”
“Well, yeah. I mean, we’ve just met and everything. But so far, you could do a pretty good job. Hey, we never actually introduced ourselves, did we? I’m Jade. Jade Sinclair.”
I was a little like Ryoko? And she wanted to introduce herself. Well, the T’s and I had discussed this a little. I would be entering the school officially as Billie Wilson, but they thought I would be better off having a more individual name. Mrs. T had suggested that I could use Tennyo. She said it was Japanese for heavenly maiden or angel. I kind of liked it and thought it would make a great name.
“You can call me Tennyo.”
“Sure! Hey, that’s a funny coincidence! I mean, you look sort of like Ryoko, who’s from Tenchi Muyo!- and if you contracted that you’d get -“ Suddenly her mouth stopped and stayed open as she looked at me. She was looking right into my eyes. I think that she finally started to put some of the pieces together and the look on her face made me smile a bit. She almost squeaked her next question.
“It* isn’t* a coincidence, is it?”
She was really focusing on me now and I started to get a little nervous about it. It almost seemed like she was a little hurt. I didn’t understand what about me would make her feel that way. I shook my head to let her know that she was right about who I looked like. I was really beginning to like her and I didn’t want to do anything to stop her now.
I hadn’t realized how lonely I’d become. Having someone I could talk to started to mean a lot more to me than it had earlier. She suddenly seemed to brighten up even more than before, as if she had suddenly had a nice thought. Suddenly an avid look replaced the other and she started a machine gun round of statements and questions.
“That is SO COOL! Are you still changing? I mean, are you going to grow a tail and the whole bit? And what about all those cool powers!? Naw, that would be too much, wouldn’t it. But if you could - WOW! Hey, what were people like in the train station? How did they react to your hair? Did you do this on *purpose*? Please, can you teach me how? Not to look like Ryoko, of course, one’s enough, right? Well, aside from Minagi. But I mean, picking someone and then becoming them - wow! That is the coolest thing ever!”
She was getting a little too excited and close to the truth at the same time. I fortunately had an excuse to slow her down and distract her. “Whoa, settle down. Besides, I think we’re here.” I pointed to the large brick building we had pulled up in front of.
I’d finally calmed down a bit while we approached the school. Talking to Jade had helped. I don’t think she really wanted to know what I thought of the people at the station right now, anyway.
Even the conversation hadn’t distracted me from the differences in this area from home. Things looked a lot different here than in Colorado. It was greener and the air smelled different. Probably the different trees. Things looked a little older. The buildings were not the more modern styles I was used to.
At least there seemed to be some open areas. I had been afraid that out east here it would be wall to wall people. It looked like there might be someplace to get away and enjoy the outdoors a little. The streams even looked like they might have fish. I wondered what it would take to get a pole and license.
I also wondered if I would be able to get out and try my metal detector and do some bottle hunting. While I thought of this and talked to Jade, we’d approached the school. After heading down a small side road and past a gate with gargoyles, we passed some large buildings and proceeded to some smaller ones.
We had pulled up in front of a large, red brick building that looked to be three stories tall. It kind of looked like some of the old houses I had seen in Colorado Springs that had been turned into apartment buildings. I guessed this was where we were going to stay.
Because my luggage had stayed behind, I didn’t have too much trouble getting out of the van. Being able to levitate a little as I did helped. I could fly and levitate reliably now. It was one of the things that I could practice in the basement and I had gotten pretty good at it. People probably would never notice if I used it occasionally to help out and Mrs. T said that it would help my fine control to do it that way. I could even sit on the wall or stand on the ceiling if I wanted to, because, for some reason gravity didn’t seem to have any effect on my body or hair when I was doing it.
Someone else was having more of a problem. I heard someone yelp like they had hurt something and felt a slight jolt, but when I looked all I could see was a kind of ugly boy and a cute girl. He might have been the one who hurt himself or had his hand stepped on. He seemed to be glaring at the cool looking red headed girl who just smiled at him. She reminded me of an elf.
There was a small sign at the entryway that said Poe Cottage. Inside was a bust of Mr. Poe by the entryway. We got into the larger room inside with sofas and chairs. Mrs. Shugendo called three other students over and welcomed us to Whateley Academy.
She then proceeded to tell us that we had been brought to the school a day earlier than the other freshmen because all of us had gender issues. I looked around in surprise. I knew that I was going to have a hard time adjusting because I didn’t have a clue as how to be a girl and I was hoping to learn as I went . It looked like I might be better off than I thought. At least some of the others might be willing to help me learn what I needed to know.
I started to look more closely at the others, trying to guess who might be able to help me without making too much of a fool of myself.
Mrs. Shugendo proceeded to tell us to be very careful how we acted so as not to get ourselves or others here into trouble. Mom and Dad had warned me about revealing what had happened to me. They even went so far as to say that it might be better to lie. I didn’t feel at all comfortable about that and was hoping I could avoid that option if at all possible. I could agree that keeping this quiet would be better and didn’t have any problems with that.
Someone asked about how we were going to be assigned to roommates. I started to worry about this. I wasn’t sure how I would handle a roommate. I had had my own room for a while and I still tended to cause disruptions on occasion. Especially when I was stressed.
She added something about no Carnal Relations (With Capitals!). It took me a moment to figure out what she met. Then I blushed, (I’m sure that when I blush you can see it for MILES). I just hoped no one was watching too closely, and if they were inclined to do so, they would suffer some kind of momentary blindness.
Then a nice looking boy asked about showing our powers. Apparently we were to try to keep them quiet. I hoped I could manage that. At this moment the stress was so bad I thought I might let loose with something at any moment. I couldn’t stop and meditate either, or I was going to miss important information.
She then introduced the house mother, Mrs. Horton who let us know about how the place was arranged and where to find the bathrooms, etc. She seemed to know what she was doing. After she was done, they proceeded to split us into smaller groups with each of the students that Mrs. Shugendo had called over. She then told us not to destroy anything. Easy for her to say. I was hoping I wouldn’t destroy too much!
After that, I was assigned to a group being lead around by Belle Forbes. With me were the cute red head called Nikki, the nice looking guy called Hank, a happy energetic girl called Toni, a punk rock looking girl called Ayla, and Jade was also included in our group.
Belle started out joking about us turning into giant slugs. At least I hope she is joking about that. She had a very proper accent which made me think of the Northeast like Boston or maybe even England. She also told us that her real name was Kendall but her codename,(whatever that was), was Beltane and that the name Belle stuck. She seems to have a good sense of humor about it.
She then started us towards the main buildings and started to fill us in on what was going on. It seems that the girls that went with the girl Rosalyn where lesbians, the boys that went with the boy Steve were gay, and that left us who appeared to be what Belle called Changelings. It then occurred to me what she was saying.
I looked a little more closely at them to see if I could figure out more about them while feeling a lot of relief. I might just make it through this without disgracing myself or killing someone by mistake. The cute red head suddenly let out a happy, “KEWL!” and I felt much better about my situation
XI
THE GRAND TOUR: September 3rd
We started towards the main buildings while I tried to figure out what was going on. I knew I was OK with what was happening to me. I just felt that it was completely unfair that I didn’t have a clue as to how to be a girl.
Some of the others must be becoming guys and Hank was probably becoming a girl. At least I had already taken care of, or had taken care of for me, the change bit. I wondered what it must be like for someone to find themselves slowly converting over. Maybe Hank and I could trade knowledge with the others on how to be boys and girls.
It wasn’t far to the main campus. Belle pointed out the other cottages and told us their names. As we crested a small hill, Belle pointed out and named the main campus buildings. Siegel Hall appeared to be our destination. It was a large building with many different styles and periods of buildings joined together. The oddest was a large geodesic dome on its south end called the Crystal Hall.
We continued on the pathway until we reached a wider area with a statue of the school’s founder. Belle proceeded to tell us a basic history of the school.
Founded in 1878 by Noah Whateley, it struggled along for about 80 years. When it folded and was foreclosed by the bank, a group of mutant superheroes bought it in 1966. They wanted a remote place to train emerging mutants how to control and use their powers. The name of the school remained the same to add some history and respectability to it.
After she finished telling us that, Belle explained that we would be touring the main buildings while giving the girls a chance to get their rooms and get organized. By the time we finished doing our tour the girls should already be settled and we would be able to move into our rooms. We would then tour the overall grounds, athletic fields, and the combat training areas.
Everyone seemed to snap to attention when the combat training areas were mentioned. I already knew that there were some here because the T’s had told me that a large part of my training would take place there. Apparently, this wasn’t general knowledge. Belle gleefully explained that we would all be receiving training in self protection for our own good and so as not to waste the money that was being spent on our education.
I was beginning to wonder what my parents and the Tanaka’s were actually paying to have me here. I hoped it wasn’t quite as much as it sounded. I would hate to go up in flames and waste all that money as well as my life. Nobody had said anything about how much this was costing and I really hadn’t paid any attention to it until now.
I’d also heard about people being violently against mutants, but Mom and Dad would never have permitted us to ever participate in any kind of prejudicial activity. I remembered the one time Larry had joked with some of his friends about a nigger they had seen when Mom could hear them. I think he really thought she was going to kill or send him to a foster house or something. I made some friends that I might not have otherwise and learned that we all had something in common. Namely, nobody wanted to risk my parents’ wrath on that subject.
Hey! I wasn’t stupid either. There were a lot of people on both sides who couldn’t seem to learn these lessons well. I had always known that I would be on the side of tolerance and had gotten into a few scrapes over it. Mom and Dad never punished me for it though, even when I got sent home once for causing a disturbance. That was when I thought my family was normal. I didn’t know then why they were so much against it. Now I knew, and was even more for tolerance from a very personal perspective.
There wasn’t much chance to get all maudlin over these old memories. Belle then got down to the real reason that we had been brought out separate from the others. We were even more different than the others in Poe and we could at least understand what was happening to each other. Nobody else was going to be able to see things from our viewpoint as well as we could and that should allow us to become a good team.
The fact that there were now six of us, made for an unusual opportunity to get started right off. It sounded like a really good thing to me and I was all for it. Someone here should at least be able to help me learn how to dress. I didn’t think I could keep up the tomboy routine much longer without causing more problems than I needed on top of the ones I already had.
Belle then asked us to tell everyone there something about ourselves. Namely, a little about where we came from, how we felt about what was happening to us, what we were here for, and what we could do.
She then explained that she was Kendall Forbes, and was from Bristol, UK, wherever in England that was, and belonged to a decent family who packed him off to some boys school. Apparently this was some kind of tradition. No one knew at that time that Kendall would prefer going to a girls school.
Kendall had been in her second form (grade?) when she started seeing things. Then she started having nightmares about some Gnashitty Rippet, some kind of horrible goblin or something. She woke up one night and it chased her all over before she realized that she had made it and could control it. Apparently, the stuff she was seeing was ectoplasm and she could control it and make things out of it.
After that, and I couldn’t help grinning and feeling that I liked her already, she had gone on a rampage of haunting in the school. She did such a good job of it that a professional was called in to help out. He was called the Gray Wizard and was really good at this. It still took him a while to find her because he was looking for a girl and Belle didn’t look like a girl then. She showed how good she was at that kind of thing by doing a really good impression of Marilyn Monroe.
Anyway, after he caught her, he told her that she was going about it the wrong way and arranged for her to come to Whateley to learn how to properly control her powers. I think he just really admired her and wanted to be sure she wouldn’t get into too much trouble. They did all sorts of tests to see if she was going to have any unexpected problems and that made me wonder if some of the tests Mr. T had done were to detect those things also. Other than burnout, he never explained much of what he was testing for.
By disguising himself as a girl, he had started to turn into a girl. After he -she learned this there was no stopping her, and she became a girl all the time. That way they had to let her into Whateley as a girl when she was accepted. She also started to refer to Whateley as Hogwarts. I’m not so sure that she is far from the mark. They had a lot in common.
Wrapping up she showed us a little of what she could do. She then turned to Hank and told him he was next.
Hank Declan, used to be Hannah, was a daughter of someone in the Army. He had been living on Army bases all his life and apparently, his parents didn’t have any problems with having a tomboy for a daughter. They did have a little trouble with her becoming a him, but apparently, he wasn’t the only one to have some problems with a little bother, uh, I mean brother. Hank wasn’t having any problems with the change, but his little brother went wild when he learned that Hank could lift really heavy things and fly.
“You can fly?” I couldn’t resist interrupting.
He explained that it helped him escape from the soldiers who attacked him when his little brother tricked them into thinking he was holding his family hostage. Toni seemed to be surprised that his brother would do that. Maybe she didn’t have one.
Anyway, they chased him all over the place and he wrecked a few things before someone got wise and called off the hunt. They then sent some Rangers to tell him it was okay and he could come back. Then someone from the Academy showed up and convinced him and his family that it would be a good idea for him to become scarce around Fort Bragg and go to Whateley.
After correcting his grammar, I bet she will be an English teacher some day, Belle asked him to be a little more specific as to what his powers were.
Hank is what they call a, “High Level Functioning Non-Ranged Psychokinetic,” and a, “Level 3 Exemplar.” Which means he’s really strong, can fly, and bounce bullets off of himself. Belle explained that as a Level 3 Exemplar, Hank was stronger, faster, etc, and was able to change his form to that which he was comfortable with. In this case she was becoming a boy.
She then went on to explain a little about how mutants were categorized and powers measured. I started to get more worried when she explained that the farther you went from human norm the likelier you were to have unpleasant and or lethal problems. This was way to close for comfort to my situation. From what Mr. T had said I was a real likely prospect for something like this, although he seemed to think that if it happened to me, it might involve a wider area than just myself.
Still, he seemed pretty sure that my problems could be controlled with the right training. I sure hoped he was right.
Belle then singled out Toni and had her go next. Toni was from Baltimore and was some kind of martial arts genius or something. She can also see energy she calls Ki around things and people and it helps her know more about them. She is an exemplar also and is turning into a girl.
Fey was next, and I think Belle was more interested in her than any of the rest of us. It seems that she used to be Nicholas Reilly and now goes by Nikki or Fey. Code names are kind of like hero names and I guess Tennyo will be mine. Fey is a magic user or wizard and that may be why Belle is more interested in her. They are both similar.
Her family is somewhat like mine and fairly well off. They are from Kansas City, Missouri. Her parents are separated though and her father lives in Cleveland with her little brother.
She can see power lines in the earth and things and use that power like a wizard to do things. She calls them ley lines. It seems that when she uses her power she becomes more female and elflike. Her hair became the bright red it is now and she started to look like a good looking female elf. It took a few months though. Everyone seems to think that was kind of fast. I wonder what they will think of my change?
It caused her some trouble though and I am beginning to see why my parents want me to start somewhere other than my old school. Fey is here because of the trouble caused when some idiots assaulted her. It was pretty harmless, but I hate to think what would have happened if I lost control in a situation like that. As it was, I managed to hurt two professional killers and get away with my life. If they had been normals, I would probably be in jail for murder.
I think I like Fey also. She is turning into someone not completely human like me. And, if the way her magic works is any indication, she must have a good sense of humor also. I had to cover my mouth to not laugh out loud as she described the affects of the hobgoblins. I had to giggle when she told us what happened to the bully. To think they threw her out of the school for a little fun like that.
She says that she expects to be completely female by the time she’s seventeen. And, an exotic beauty, as Belle puts it, too. Iron seems to cause her problems also. This seems very much like the stories I read all the time. I wonder if a lot of them are based on mutants in the past with the same or similar manifestations? Synthetics cause problems too. That would explain the clothes she is wearing. Good looking silks and the like.
Belle confirmed that Fey didn’t need anything to work her magic. Fey is a natural mage and can also hear everything around her. Even inanimate objects like walls, trees, etc, even animals to some extent. Belle was certain that there were teachers here that could help her control it before it drives her insane.
Ayla was next. It seems that she is related to the famous Goodkinds who, if you ask me, don’t seem to have all that much good to them if they are going to treat their children like that. Her name used to be Trevor James Goodkind. Now it seems that she is exiled from her family, along with her older sister.
It seems Gracie, her older brother who turned into her sister when she took some kind of drug, helped her out when her family turned against her. Maybe this girl change is some kind of family thing? Anyway, it sounds as if her sister is one of the few I would like to meet in her family. She managed to rescue Ayla from their family and arranged to have her sent here to help her develop her new powers.
Her power had changed her into a she-male, someone who has features of both a male and female. She can apparently change her density from being able to pass through things up to a heavy diamond hardness with great strength. She used this while fighting a super villain called Sparkler that Belle seemed to know. Belle was surprised that this girl was as powerful as she was. Apparently she hadn’t been as strong when she was here.
After fighting her for a while, Ayla figured out a way to use her phasing powers to disrupt Sparklers technical assists and defeated her. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders. I hope we can be friends.
It’s odd, but I get the feeling that there is more to her story about her sister Gracie and her friends in California. I have to agree with Hank about her parents though. I haven’t heard their side of the story, but I get the definite feeling that they are assholes. Imagine, leaving her destitute with only 300 million. What’s the world coming to?
Jade was the next to give us a little information. I hadn’t realized it but she is older than she looks. She also comes from a bad situation in her family. I think I could really dislike her father given the chance. She then proceeded to animate some clothing. It was kind of weird, but not as upsetting as it might have been. I already liked Jade and Jinn seems to be nice also.
She had both Fey and Belle a little confused too. They are of the opinion, and I think I agree, that Jinn seems to be a separate person and at the same time, not. Confusing, no? She’s also touchy about the fact that she is stuck where she is now. She seems to be a girl to me and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t be happy any other way. I hope someone here can help her.
I was starting to realize how lucky I was where my family was concerned. At least my family was somewhat accepting of my situation. I knew when the problems with the bad guys were over, I’d have a home to return to.
I think they had forgotten me for a moment. Belle was going to start on the tour when Jade reminded them about me. They were curious about my name and code name. It was kind of embarrassing, but they had been trusting of me, so I decided to trust them. I told them the cut down version of what happened to me that the Tanakas thought would be okay for most people to know.
Jade was very interested in the fact that I had my first period at the time I escaped from my kidnapers.
I also gave everyone a description of my powers and what I knew about them.
Belle then lead us towards the admin building. It was quite impressive. The security vault and the mementos and history behind them were even more so. I felt somewhat better after that. At least I wasn’t an avatar. Something I could do without I’m sure. The classrooms and underground areas are really cool. We will be able to go to the more secure areas when we get our school Ids. For now, Belle was giving us the tour and she got us into the lower areas.
The really impressive part had to be the Crystal Hall. Being able to eat in a cafeteria that allowed you to see the outdoors all around and next to you was really kind of fun. It made me think of the eating hall in Hogwarts. Not as crowded, but still open above. It was easy to imagine it lighted by candles hanging in the air.
After we ate, and the food was surprisingly good, we headed back to get our rooms. One thing I found to be a help for me was the fact that Fey seemed to draw everyone’s attention to her. I don’t think anyone was paying any attention to me at all as long as she was near. There was a moment when I thought three guys at one of the tables were going to burst their eyes out of their skulls when they saw me. Then they saw Fey and apparently lost all interest in me.
I was sitting at a table next to the one Fey, Belle, Hank, Jade, and Toni were sitting at when Hank said something and Toni acted as if she got some of her soda down the wrong tube. She then started to laugh. It took a few minutes to get her straightened out and able to breath normally again. I wondered what I had missed.
Finishing up, Hank and Belle got into an interesting discussion about how some people needed lots of energy for their powers and tended to eat a lot to get it. I wondered a little about that, because I seemed to be able to eat and never get full either. I wasn’t a powerhouse like Hank though, and probably half his size, if that.
After that, Belle gathered us together again and headed us back into the main buildings. I’m certain a few of the people there followed us out. Including the three I had seen earlier. I wondered what it was all about.
Belle showed us where the various classrooms were and where we would have to get some of the things we would need there. Whateley had its own on campus store where we could get most of the things that we would need for our classes. She assured us that what we couldn’t get here could be found in town. In fact, except for basic or unique things, we were encouraged to shop in Dunwich for most things so as to help the local economy.
As we got back from exploring, I could see that Belle and Fey had been talking. Fey seemed a little upset about something and Belle was reassuring her. I still got the occasional feeling of being watched and was sure that someone was trailing after us. No one else seemed to notice it though, so I didn’t say anything.
XII
ROOMMATES: September 3rd
I was still wondering about this when we got back. I then realized that I would have to choose a room. I expected that they would make me take a room by myself. I didn’t think anyone would want to room with someone like me.
Then, I felt someone trying to get my attention. It was Jade. I couldn’t tell for a moment if she was shy or just embarrassed.
“Tennyo-san. Would you allow me to be your roommate?” I was surprised to find that it meant a lot to me even as I realized that she was only shy. I liked her and was amazed that she would be willing to be my roommate.
“Huh? Me?” I started to rub the back of my neck. I must be blushing like mad. Strangely, I didn’t want to have to warn her about how difficult it would be rooming with me. I was just getting used to the idea that I might not have to face this all on my own. And, that person would understand the difficulties I was having.
Of course, I didn’t know why someone would want to room with me. She probably didn’t realize how dangerous it would be around me and since we had talked on the van I might be the only person she felt she knew well enough to ask. That probably was it. It saddened me a little that she wouldn’t want to if she had a choice. I had to warn her even as I really just wanted to hug her for giving me the opportunity.
“Well, yeah, I guess.” No point in burning bridges. I had to give her the chance and hope for the best. “But you might want to know, I sometimes have a little problem with energy blasts. I still have a tendency to blow things up a little, you know. I’m not so sure you want to be rooming with someone who might accidentally blow up all of a sudden on you.”
Instead of making her nervous or afraid, the warning and tentative acceptance seemed to make her incredibly happy.
“Please. I understand the danger. May I be your roommate?”
“Well, if you’re sure.” I slapped her on the back in an encouraging fashion. “Glad to have you on board, kid.” The relief I felt at that time was amazing to me. I had been alone for several weeks and the idea of having someone close-by who I could actually talk to made me almost giddy.
I almost panicked when she hugged me though. Then I realized that girls did this all the time and relaxed. I still had a long way to go before I was going to be comfortable with all this.
“Thank you,” she said in a choked up voice. She then turned towards the foyer.
“Maybe we should get our bags and get a room.”
I just nodded and followed her into the foyer to get our things. My carry-on was right on top and her pack was off to the side, but her suitcase was stuck under two big trunks. She couldn’t seem to get it loose from them. I said, “Let me help,” and lifted them up so she could get it.
Jade was impressed by the fact that I could now lift them easily with one hand.
“You sure have Ryoko’s strength.”
Talking about Ryoko made me nervous for some reason.
“Look, can we drop the whole , ‘Ryoko’, thing? I mean, I know what’s happening to me, but it’s a lot to deal with, you know? I need some time to learn how to be Tennyo, before I spend too much time walking in someone else’s shadow.”
“Yes, Tennyo-san.”
“And that’s another thing! What’s all this, ‘san’, business? You don’t have any accent. Are you really Japanese?”
She laughed. “My mother was. But me? This is actually the first time I’ve been out of Kansas. But ever since my powers arrived, it’s like my memory has been getting better and better.” I felt a bit of sadness as I realized that she had lost her mother. I was separated from mine, but at least she was still alive.
“And I am remembering more and more of Okasan. It seems like a way to honor her, to try to become a little more of what she was. But you’re right. I’m not *really* Japanese. Technically, I’m nisei, but culturally I’m more like sansei or worse. I guess I’m trying to capture a little bit of my lost culture back.”
“Nesei? Sansei?”
“Second generation and third generation Japanese. And since my father wasn’t Japanese, I’m not sure exactly where I’d fall.”
I remembered some of my counts for my katas- ichi, ni, san, shee, etc. One, two, three , four, and it made sense of a sort.
“Yeah, okay.” I picked up my carry-on. “Shall we pick a room?”
She picked up her backpack and suitcase, looked at me and said, “Is that all you have?”
I shrugged, “I have more on the way, but they messed up my bags at the airport in Concord. They’ll probably get here sometime tomorrow.”
We shared a little of our feelings on travel and its problems as we approached Belle to see what room we could get.
“You have two choices, two-sixteen, the corner room on the north, and two-thirteen, in the middle on the north. You’ll probably be bordering on Boystown with that one.”
Jade got a faraway look for a moment and asked, “Nothing on the south?”
“Nope. Last one was two-oh-two. That went to Ayla, as a single. But I just put her there because it was the first on the list. She said she didn’t care.”
Jade took my hand and headed toward the stairs. “Come on! Maybe we can change her mind!”
Belle called after us to tell her if we did. She was listing us in two-sixteen until then.
As Jade dragged me up the stairs, I asked her what the big deal was. “Look, do you want a good room on the south, where we can get some sun, or a cold room on the north?”
I could sense her urgency and it was clear which choice she had made already. “From the way you’re describing it, a good room with sun.”
“And the corner rooms are supposed to be extra cold.” I wondered where she had gotten this information. It obviously meant a lot to her, but I had a few doubts about our course of action.
“No thanks, but I really don’t want to stick it to poor Ayla. She looks like she’s already had a rough ride. What’s your plan?”
She got a determined but worried look on her face. “I think, we’re going to have to ask her.”
We found Ayla in two-oh-two.
“So you want to switch rooms? Why?”
Jade was giving it her best and doing a good job of it. “You’ll be next to Toni and Fey. A corner room, with no neighbors to bother you on one side.”
“Yeah, I see the advantages just fine. What I want to know is: if it’s so good, why do you want to trade?” Ayla was confident and not going to be diverted easily. She obviously was well versed in how to get all the information before making a decision.
Jade looked at me for support. But I knew that there wasn’t anything I could add. I wasn’t about to lie over something like this and I wasn’t going to encourage Jade to either. “Sorry, you’re on your own.”
She struggled to find a better answer. “I, I - nothing. Nothing at all. It’s cold, and dark, and doesn’t get any sun, like this room.” She sniffed and looked down. “I’m sorry.”
Such is the power of truth and a helpless looking child. I could see that Ayla had a soft spot for kids. She reached out and put her hands on Jade’s shoulders. “Ah, what the fuck. Sure, I’ll trade.”
The surprise and hope in Jade’s face would have made much more difficult decisions easy. “Huh? Really?” This little girl is really going to be dangerous when she gets older.
Ayla shrugged as if she could care less. “Sun’s over-rated. Too much glare, wakes you up too early. Besides, there might be some advantages to the corner.” She said this as she passed her hand through one of her wardrobes, intangible as a ghost.
I was surprised when Jade jumped forward and hugged Ayla and thanked her. I think Ayla was favorably impressed even though she said, ”No big deal. I haven’t even gotten my stuff yet,” and walked out.
I started to pull everything out of my carry-on. It wasn’t much, but it should be enough to get started. I laid my two sets of spare clothing on the bed and put my spare undergarments on top of the dresser with the few toiletries that I had.
Until I got my trunk this would be all that I had. I was hoping someone would be able to help me find a suitable wardrobe soon. I had no idea where to start and was hoping one of the girls could get me going in the right direction. It wasn’t much, but it should do the job for now though. Oh, a final touch, I put the cabbit at the head of the bed.
Then I looked around to see how Jade was doing. She was moving much more carefully. She was sorting out her clothes and was just starting to put some of them on hangers, after putting her stuffed lion on the desk first.
Just then, Ayla walked by carrying two trunks as if they didn’t weigh much at all.
She must have some kind of density control. She seemed more solid now. “You know,” I told Jade, “I think I’m glad we didn’t end up tricking her out of her room. I get the feeling that she would make an unpleasant enemy.”
While Jade thought about what I just said, I saw a chance to do a little more to prevent that from happening. I called out, “Hey, Ayla, Need help? You got any more luggage downstairs?” Jade looked over and said, “She just walked by with two full steamer trunks. How much more could she have?”
“Sure, thanks!” Came her shout from across the hall. “There’s two more trunks in the foyer, both tagged ‘Ayla Goodkind.”
“Two trunks? Sure, I’ll just go get them.” It didn’t take long to find her trunks. They matched the ones she had been carrying. I found that as bulky as they were I could still carry both. I took them upstairs quickly and found her in room 216.
“Here are your trunks. Anything else I can help with? She looked up and seemed a little surprised when I walked in with both. “Uh, no thank you. Just put them down there while I try to figure out where to put them.”
I put them down, smiled and said, “Just let us know if you need anything, it’s the least we can do, seeing how you let us have the room we wanted.”
She seemed a little uncomfortable. “Don’t mention it, I didn’t really care which room I got.”
“It was a nice thing to do anyway. Please let us help if you need anything. See you!”
“See you.”
I headed back to our room and met Jade coming out. “Going somewhere?”
“I want to look up the friends I met on the train. They definitely have a south facing room, but I’m not sure whether it was on floor three or four. Want to come?”
I wanted to, but I had a few things to finish up first. “No, I’ve got a couple of things I want to ask Fey. Maybe later.”
“Okay. Just be careful what you say while I’m gone. The walls have ears, you know!”
“Huh?” She just waved as she headed towards the stairs. It occurred to me after she left that she might invite them down to visit us. Well, we could do that later. Now, I wanted to get the others over and get to know them a little better. We were going to be working together and I needed to find out, if I could, if they would be able to help me learn more of what I needed to know to be a girl.
XIII
INTERMISSION: September 3rd
I did a quick tour of the common areas, kitchen, and laundry facilities. We had been instructed that we would be expected to maintain them as there would be limited custodial help. We would also be expected to keep our rooms neat and clean also. Each floor was responsible for their own bathrooms and it was hinted that anyone interested in some special privileges might approach the upper class-men about handling the chores on the upper floors.
There was a small library, probably cast offs from former residents, and storage areas down in the basement. One of the rooms had once been a hot tub but was being used for storage now. There was a multipurpose room, fitted out for martial arts and DANCE! And a weight room also.
XIV
THE GREAT CABBIT CAPER: September 3rd
Back in our room I finally had a chance to settle in a little. Jade was still out so I concentrated on straightening things out. Contrary to popular belief, some young men are raised in such a way as to know how to straighten their rooms and keep them that way. Neither Mom or Mrs. T could bear to put up with untidiness. They ran ship shape houses and expected everyone to help out. And I had never been able to keep Mom or Dad out, no matter what locks I put up.
I didn’t have a lot to begin with, and with my luggage somewhere between here and Concord, I had still less. I decided to hang my two sets of slacks and shirts. Then I proceeded to organize what few undergarments and toiletries I had, into my dresser.
Fortunately I had a towel and face cloth with me and was looking forward to trying to shower before going to bed. I thought I might check out the bathrooms first before I got too committed to that plan of action.
There were a few more bits of clothing in my trunk, but I was going to have to rely heavily on what I could find and or buy here. I had a fair amount of money set aside for this, but was afraid that it wouldn’t be nearly enough.
I heard someone out in the hallway and glanced out. Fey and Toni were coming from the bathrooms and Ayla had just stepped out of her room.
I stepped out into the hallway. This would be a good chance to get to know them better. “Hi! Uh, would you guys like to come in and see our room?” They stopped, looked at each other, and shrugged. Toni said, “Sure!” She motioned to the others, and stepped into the room.
When they were in, Toni and Ayla took the desk chairs and Fey settled on my bed. I looked around for a moment and then just pulled my legs up into a tailor’s sitting position in the air.
“Thanks for coming over. Jade is out visiting some girls she met on the train, and I was hoping to get a chance to talk... Uh, you know, about the school a bit...?”
“Pretty incredible, isn’t it? I mean , from the outside it’s just some ratty old private school, stuck up here in the middle of nowhere.” Toni spoke up.
Ayla corrected her. “Not really ratty, it’s a pretty sharp looking prep school, even without the dome or the observatory. Talk about your definition of ‘over the top’.”
I didn’t want any arguments about how the school looked and asked Fey a question I had been holding for the right time.
“Hey, Fey. We never got a demo of your powers.”
She seemed somewhat distracted by the cabbit at the head of my bed as she answered, “Consider yourself lucky. I can’t exactly control them yet, and sometimes really weird...” Her conversation just trailed off as she continued to stare at the cabbit.
“Case in point,” Ayla said.
I decided to lay it on the line and hope for the best. “I’m just not sure that I’m ready to go to school as a girl.”
Ayla replied emphatically, “Tell me about it.”
“So, what do you want to do tomorrow?” Toni smirked. She seemed to be taking this a lot better than the rest of us. She might be the one I would need to be approach with questions about how to act as a girl. I think Ayla might be the one to approach about clothes though. Or maybe Fey. She obviously had good taste in clothes too.
Fey groaned and poked the cabbit a few times. “I still haven’t finished unpacking.”
Alya grabbed her hair. “Don’t even mention that! I still have three trunks to go.”
Toni and Fey stared at each other and then her. “Three trunks *left*?”
She continued, “and have you seen how small these rooms are? Where am I supposed to put everything?”
“There is storage area in the basement.” I spoke up. “I saw it while exploring earlier.” I couldn’t help asking, “But that’s an awful lot of clothes for a person who sometimes sounds like she doesn’t want to be a girl.”
Ayla hung her head. “I know. Sometimes I scare myself. But, somehow, that lingerie just makes me feel so...wicked! It’s like I can’t help myself.” She thumped her head on the desk. “I am so messed up.”
Something in the way she said it made me feel uncomfortable. Like there was something I was missing in what she was saying. I couldn’t explain the feeling, but I began to be a little worried about how she was handling this.
Toni broke the uncomfortable silence. “I’d better finish unpacking too..” She looked around the room. “Hey, how’d you two finish so fast?”
“I don’t think Jade has very much, and the stupid airlines sent my bags to Nairobi or someplace else first. Not that I have a lot in my baggage anyway. I was hoping to get a chance to buy some here and maybe get some school uniforms also, to fill in. Since I already have what I have here taken care of, maybe I can explore some more.”
After escorting everyone out, I sat down to decide what I was going to do next. It looked like my best bet was to explore as much of the building as I could. You never knew when knowledge like that would come in handy.
I had almost closed the door when I heard someone say something in my room. I opened the door and looked in. I couldn’t see anyone and was wondering if maybe my ears were playing tricks on me and I was hearing an echo from somewhere else. I had closed the door again when I heard a muffled voice again. I decided to look into it more thoroughly and carefully began to search the room.
I got as far as the head of my bed. Then I remembered Fey poking and looking at my cabbit. Maybe there was something about it that drew her attention to it. I better check it out. I reached for it to pick it up.
The cabbit moved! I proceeded to say something suspiciously like a loud, “ACK!!” and landed on the ceiling. I have pretty good reflexes if I do say so myself.
The cabbit hit the floor running and spun out on the slick hardwood for a moment before shooting out our partially opened door.
Realizing that the cabbit must be animated by some outside force, I dived to the door yelling, “Hey! That’s my cabbit!” When I got the door all the way open I could see Toni and Fey looking out their door at me.
As I looked around for my wayward toy, Toni pointed down the hallway and said, “I didn’t think we could bring pets in here.”
“It’s a stuffed animal! My little brother gave it to me before I left.” I couldn’t help blushing as I admitted that the toy was mine. I probably wouldn’t live this down for a long time.
Toni stepped into the hallway as I tried to head after the cabbit and I barely missed her. As I headed after the animal I heard her shout, “Loose cabbit on the floor! Loose cabbit on the floor! Sound the alarms and round the critter up!”
The thing could really move and I swear I could hear it giggling as it ran by me again. It leapt past me on the way back and dodged Toni. Fey and Ayla managed to block the stairs and Hank came out of his room and watched.
The cabbit made a dash to the bathrooms. “C’mon, Hank! Help us round up this wild and dangerous creature!” Toni called.
It made it to the bathrooms and as it disappeared into the men’s room, I was sure I heard something like a raspberry from it. I almost went in after it when I remembered that it wouldn’t be a good idea now. I blushed some more when I realized how close I had come. I hope everyone just thinks I’m a little flushed from running.
As we gathered around the door, I could hear the sinks running, the toilets flushing, and the paper towel dispensers being emptied. Hank came up behind us and asked, “A cabbit?”
“Half rabbit, half cat. It’s in there.” I offered and pointed to the door.
Hank chuckled. “I know what one is. And I know where this one is. I just can’t figure out why it’s not only hiding in the boy’s room, but running around at all.”
“Who cares?” Laughed Toni and pushed him towards the door. “It is and we need you to go in and get it.”
“Yeah, we’re in a school of mutants.” I said as I scanned our group to see if any of them were acting suspicious, especially Fey. “One of our classmates must have brought it to life.”
“Not me!” Said Fey. “I haven’t even done any of my stuff since I got here.”
For a moment we all stood there looking at each other. Then Hank sighed and said,
“Ok, I’m going in.” He started to open the door and the cabbit came rocketing out and through our legs. It was headed towards the stairs, but Toni managed to leap in front of it and block it’s escape. It changed course and dived into a room next to Fey.
She dived after it. A moment later she laughed. Then she staggered from the room, the cabbit attached to her arm. “Oh help me!” She yelled. “I’m being savaged by a wild and ferocious cabbit! The pain! Help! Help! Help!” All this while the cabbit seemed to be mumbling something about, “claw, claw, bite, bite”, etc. while attached to Fey’s arm. Both of them seemed to be giggling also.
Fey threw herself to the floor while trying to say, “Arrrrgh! It’s killing me! Help!”, but the giggles weren’t helping much.
The cabbit sprang free as we closed in and headed for the piles of luggage still piled in the hall.
Toni helped Fey up and they both were laughing. Then Toni spotted the cabbit again near the luggage and cried, “There it is! Get that cabbit!”
We tried to corner it there, but there was too much in the way. It managed to slip by again and headed for the stairs again. Fey and Toni kept it from going downstairs but it succeeded in going up to the next floor.
As we all got to the third floor, Hank told us to go after it and he would head it off.
I couldn’t help giggling at Fey as we headed down the hall.
“My cabbit! You hexed my cabbit!”
People on this floor were starting to poke their heads out of the doors to see what the commotion was.
Fey giggled back. “Wasn’t my doing! Hey, I’m the one who got mauled! Has that cabbit had its shots?”
I had to grin, this was way too much fun. “You can’t get rabies from a toy!”
Toni got in on the conversation. “Mighty lively looking toy! How do you know it’s not possessed?”
To which I had to reply, “Is possession contagious like rabies? Cause I don’t think its been inoculated against that. I wasn’t expecting a POSSESSION.”
Fey picked right up on that one. “Nobody EXPECTS a POSSESSION!”
We rounded the corner right on the cabbits tail, when Hank stepped out of concealment. “Ha! Outfoxed on the far side. Let’s see you...”
But he never got to finish as Toni yelled, “Hank, LOOK OUT!” And we plowed into him.
Suddenly the cabbit took off again, yelling. “I smell carrots! Miya, MIYA!” And headed up to the fourth floor.
Eventually, with the help of some of the other students, we cornered it. After capturing it and trussing it up good, I thanked everyone for their help and brought it back to my room. I had a pretty good idea what had just happened and thought I knew a way to get some sure answers.
I tied the cabbit to a chair by a short length of rope. It started to float like a balloon. The last occupants of the room had left a baseball bat in the room. I picked that up and waited for my roommate to show up.
When she came in I stood up and started to slap the bat into my hand. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Jade.”
She looked around desperately. I think she may have thought I was really upset. “I...Surely you don’t think I had anything to do with...” At that moment the cabbit dropped into the chair and Jade’s eyes got big. Then she started giggling. Then she started to laugh. I was having a hard time keeping up the upset and stern look.
“Oh, dear. That was a bit much, wasn’t it? At least we didn’t go up to the top floor.”
I was having a really hard time keeping a straight face, so I growled, “And how am I supposed to live this down?”
Jade suddenly realized that there might be more to it than just a gag and I think she got a little worried how I would react. She grabbed the stuffed lion she had been carrying with her when she arrived at the school. She attached something to it, and handed it to me.
“Here! Here’s the culprit! Knock the stuffing out of her!”
Enough was enough. I really had a pretty good time and I think everyone else did too. “I couldn’t do that. Not for real.”
Jade continued, “Jinn can’t actually feel pain, and there’s really nothing there that you can do real damage to. But she’ll put up a good show.”
This might have some potential and I didn’t want Jade to be afraid of how I would react in the future. “Really?”
“Trust me. If anything did happen, she could always just let go and instantly pop back into me.”
I picked up the lion and asked it, “You don’t mind?’
The lion answered in Jinn’s voice. “Do your worst!”
So I dropped it on the bed and bopped it on the head.
“OW!”
I was afraid for a moment that I had really hurt her. Then she said, “Sucker!”
Realizing that she had been kidding, I hauled off and really let her have it. The lion flattened right out and groaned.
Thinking I had gone too far again, I picked her up and apologized. She popped back into hape and said, “Not bad. Pretty good hit.”
This gave me a wonderful idea. “This is too good to keep to myself. Heh, heh...Time to share the pain.”
As I headed out the door with the bat and the lion, I heard the lion say, “Am I going to regret this?”
XV
COMMON GROUNDS: September 3rd
After everyone had a chance to whack the lion, we retreated to the common room on our floor to talk a little more. We learned some more about each other. It seems both Jade and Toni are really into Aikido.
I’ve wanted to study it for a while as well as Tai-chi. Mrs. Tanaka had us studying Ishin-ryu Karate, Judo, some of the weapons, etc. Her motto was that it didn’t mater where it came from, if it worked for you, it was right. She had us going to wrestling and boxing matches to see if we could learn anything from them.
Neither Fey or Ayla had much exposure to the martial arts. They didn’t seem too interested in them at this time either.
Toni began to explain how martial arts had become a very big part of her life and how it was nice to have something in common besides the big thing.
I figured that she meant the sex change and had to say, “Big two things, don’t forget the mutant powers bit.”
She replied. “That’s what I was talking about. OH! You meant the whole ‘turning into a girl’ bit.” She waved her hand in the air. “You know, it’s like, shit happens. Deal with it and move on.”
Fey wasn’t as enthusiastic about it. “Easy for you to say, maybe you didn’t have your whole life thrown into the toilet.” Apparently not everyone was having an easy time accepting the changes. My life had been pretty messed up too, but at least my family hadn’t totally freaked. I could tell I was a lot luckier than some.
Suddenly, Jade jumped up and cried, “It’s just not fair! You’re probably the most beautiful girl in the entire state! Some of us would die to look half as pretty as you!” She turned and ran from the room.
We just stood there and looked at each other for a moment. Then the lion said, “Girls, Who can figure them. Must be hormones or something.” We then all took turns whacking her while she muttered, “I deserved that.”
After we worked that out of our systems, we tried to decide what was wrong with Jade. By careful questioning of Jinn we determined that Jade must be jealous of the changes we had or were going through.
We also weren’t sure exactly how we were going to be able to help her. The decision was reached that we would keep or eyes open and see if there was anything that could be done.
To get off the uncomfortable subject, Toni asked me if I could give a demonstration of my powers. I didn’t feel that energy blasts and swords would be a good thing to try. Especially since I had so little control of them. So I showed them what I was good at. I flew around the room and then stood on the ceiling.
It seems that gravity doesn’t affect me unless I let it. It’s kind of fun seeing the double and triple takes I can get when people walk into a room where I am doing it. They seem to lose a little equilibrium as they try to make sense of my new reality.
About then, Jade knocked on the door frame to get our attention. She apologized for running out like that. Fey welcomed her back and I gave her a small wave hello, which she smiled at.
Fey got down to the hard part immediately. “You aren’t really jealous of someone like m... us, are you?”
She looked at Fey with such a strong need that it made me nervous and said, “You are so beautiful. I’d give almost anything to be like you.”
I realized that I was going to have to keep a close watch on her in the future. Something like that could get her and us into real trouble. I also realized that I was beginning to care for these people around me.
We had a lot in common and I felt that they were the only ones who might really understand what I was going through. I’d never had sisters before. Now I did, and another brother. I made me feel a bit better. I hadn’t lost my family, I’d found some more.
I felt the need to break up the silence. “Well... Hey! I was just telling the girls some of the things I do. I didn’t want to try and show off the energy blasts and stuff, We were warned not to destroy anything. So I showed them some of the other things I do. Next person up was going to be Fey, right?”
Ayla chipped in. “Yeah, We got part of it on the tour. Psychedelic squirrels, Turning into a girl, Forced to buy cool clothes, and which of us can’t understand that last part? But you never told us how it works.”
Fey looked a little nervous, and then straightened up. “I told you about getting power from ley lines, right?”
Jade shook her head. “I didn’t quite understand that part.”
Fey took a deep breath and started to go into a detailed lecture about how all life is linked by the powers in them. While I agree to some extent, and do believe that here is a God, Who made it all, I still believe that we are expected to make our own decisions and accept the consequences.
I had to say something and a line from Star Wars popped into my head and out my mouth.
“Kid, I’ve been from one side of this galaxy to the other. I’ve seen a lot of strange things. But I’ve never seen anything to make me believe there’s one all powerful force controlling everything. There’s no mystical energy field that controls my destiny.”
I think I hit a nerve where Fey is concerned. She just stuck her tongue out at me.
Toni caught on and joined in, “Yeah, remember, Tennyo, hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side.”
“I have to agree in principle to that, although I have always felt that it is a good idea not to anger the powers that be if you don’t have to.” I grinned back.
Rubbing her head, Fey broke in. “Excuse me! I was trying to have an origin here!”
Toni apologized for us. “Sorry! Please continue.”
“No, no, you’ve ruined the mood. I’ll just cut to the chase.” She proceeded to explain that she didn’t understand it herself. That was why she had come here. It was an attempt to learn what she did and how to control it. She wouldn’t show us because she didn’t want to be the cause of any weirdness herself. She then looked at the stuffed lion and said. “Pardon me. Another weirdness outbreak.”
The lion replied, “Weird is as weird does.” Toni was the closest and whacked it a good one.
We proceeded to come to the agreement, that if we didn’t quite understand the relationship between Jade and Jinn, they were both troublemakers. After having a little fun with this Jade became tired and demonstrated how her power could make a blanket levitate her while she rested. Jinn, who now was the blanket, continued to talk to us until we decided to go back to our rooms and get ready for bed.
“I guess we’d better take off.” I looked at the blanket carrying Jade. “C’mon, cabbit.”
“I’m not a cabbit now, “ the blanket protested. “Besides, you don’t have any carrots. Why should I follow you?”
“Cause I’ll lock the door if you don’t. You might be able to slip underneath, but sleeping beauty there won’t be so lucky.” We drifted down the hall to our room.
“Waaaa! My evil roommate is threatening me!”
“Shut up, you! Laundry gets no special rights in this dorm!” I could feel the others staring at us as we went into our room and wondered what kind of thoughts they had about us.
XVI
QUIET NIGHT: September 3rd
I finally had a chance to go and get a shower after we tucked Jade in. I was a little nervous, but if Jade could wear ‘Hello Kitty,’ I could manage a public bathroom. It was a little strange, but not so different from the boys sports locker rooms. Just a different kind of person doing the same things. I tried not to stare and I think with a little practice I will be able to ignore the differences entirely. At least, I hope so.
While I was drying off, Toni and Fey came in. There wasn’t anyone else in at that time and I was able to ask an embarrassing question that had been bothering me from when I first came into the showers.
Looking around to make sure no one else was there, I asked them. “Uh... this is kind of embarrassing, but can you tell me why everyone but me has a shower cap?”
They both stared at me for a moment, then Fey asked, “A shower cap?”
“Yeah, everyone else was using one. I thought that maybe it was something girls do, you know, something I’m just not aware of and should be?”
“Did you wash your hair? Toni asked.
“Uh huh, I always do.”
“It doesn’t stay wet?”
“Just a little while, then it’s dry again.”
“Just like that?”
“Yep.”
“I’m sooo jealous!” said Fey. “It takes hours for my hair to dry unless I use a dryer or help it out with a spell.”
“Me too.” Said Toni. “Has it always been that way?”
“Ever since I changed. My hair stays this way no matter what. When we first thought of disguising me, we tried to cut and dye it. The scissors just got dull and the dyes wouldn’t even try to stick.”
Toni sighed with relief, “Well, I guess there has to be a cloud behind every silver lining.”
“Yeah.” Said Fey. “Don’t get us wrong, Tennyo, your hair looks great on you, you don’t need to change a thing. But, most of us have to go through a great deal of trouble to keep our hair anywhere near presentable.”
“If it gets wet we might have to work on it for hours to straighten it out. We use shower caps for those times we don’t want to have to do that. You just came in at a time when everyone just wanted to clean up and go to bed. You might get one if you want to look a little more normal, but it doesn’t sound like you really need one.”
“Thank you. I really didn’t know. There is so much I need to learn and I was afraid that I was going to be too obvious, and that it would cause trouble.”
“Just don’t let on how easy it is for you to manage your hair and you should be safe from the others most of the time.” Toni said with a grin.
“Thanks again. I really appreciate this. I’ll get one tomorrow. See you in the morning!” With that I headed back to my room and hopefully a good nights sleep.
It would be nice to say that was all and I went to sleep and woke up bright and early. But I didn’t. I couldn’t sleep. Everything was so strange. After a while it got quiet in the hall. My alarm clock was still with my luggage. Eventually, I checked my watch and saw that it was after twelve.
I decided that I needed to go to the bathroom again. Putting on my running sweats, I headed out to the bathrooms. On the way there I decided to check downstairs first. I wasn’t sure why. It just seemed like something to do.
When I got to the common room, I looked around. I was looking for something, I wasn’t sure what. Finally I looked up. This part of the hall was over two stories high. Large rafters loomed above. Suddenly, on impulse, I rose into the air and into the rafters.
It was oddly comforting. I finally felt as if I wasn’t under constant observation. For the moment I could relax. There didn’t seem to be any dust here so I settled down on one of the rafters and leaned against another. Then I cried. Just quiet tears that expressed my frustration over not being able to control what was happening to me. Not knowing what was expected of me. Not having a family with me.
I was homesick and hadn’t even known it. After I finally finished that up, I also realized that I was very tired. Somehow the tears had cleared up a lot of the problems I had been having with myself. I finally felt a little more comfortable with the situation.
I don’t remember going back to my room. Only settling into my bed and drifting off to sleep.
XVII
ANOTHER DAY, WE WERE GOING WHERE?: Monday, September 4th
I woke up to the sun shining in the window. Ayla had something when she talked about the sun being overrated. With a sigh I rolled over and realized that I hadn’t gotten out of my sweats before going to sleep. It was time to go and shower again and hopefully wake up enough to get going. There was a lot I needed to get done.
This time the showers were more crowded. Many of the girls were actually washing their hair. I watched what everyone was doing as carefully as possible without, hopefully, letting on that I was. Some were putting towels around their hair before going back to their rooms to work on it. I decided that this would work for me now.
Jade came in while I was drying off. I thought at first, that she was embarrassed by showering with the girls. I then saw that she had noticed some of the differences and not completely female bodies of some of the girls. She seemed to get over it fast. So I didn’t worry about it too much.
When I got back, I had to decide what to wear. This wasn’t difficult. I had two pairs of clean jeans. A plaid shirt, a white blouse, and a light blue, long sleeved, polo shirt. Deciding that the polo shirt went best with the rest of my wardrobe and topped off with my only pair of white tennis shoes I was ready. Yes indeed, The very height of fashion. And we teased Jade about ‘Hello Kitty’.
Jade came in shortly after that. She stared at me for a moment, hesitated, and then said, “No bra?”
Her look worried me for a moment before she said that. Kind of like the feeling I would get when I couldn’t remember if I had zipped my fly. Then I looked down and realized that she was right. It did kind of show. But I didn’t want to admit that I didn’t have a clean bra until we could do laundry though.
“Why hide perfection?” I grinned and then decided to be more open with her. “Seriously, I don’t have a clean bra, and this is kind of personal, I don’t really need one. Maybe it’s a side effect of the whole levitation ability, but gravity doesn’t really seem to affect me, you know?”
“Go ahead, make me even more jealous.” She made a point of looking through her clothing.
“Well it’s not like I asked for this. It was my stupid brother’s fault. I still feel like strangling him.”
She continued dressing. She was obviously thinking of something else for the moment. Maybe I could ask her to help me buy some clothes. She seemed to know what to wear. Besides the ‘Hello Kitty,’ anyway. She then shook her head, “Hey, do you mind...”
There was a knock on the door and I opened it. Ayla, Toni, and Fey were outside waiting for us. “Interested in breakfast?” Toni asked.
I answered, “I’m ravenous. How about you, Jade?”
Jade was near her bed and a bundle of clothes was on it. “I was about to ask if anyone minded if I brought Jinn along, too?”
“Actually, we were hoping to meet her.” said Toni.
“That’s right. I promised you last night.” Jade turned back to the bundle of clothes and touched them.
Ayla said something about inventing some new pronouns as the clothes rose into the air and formed into Jinn.
Jinn started to rearrange her face. “Sorry, let me just get my face on.”
Fey commented on how that used to mean something completely different. I couldn’t agree more.
After that, we were able to head for the Crystal Hall and breakfast. There was a lot more activity at the other halls as students and parents showed up. There was not so much activity at the more remote halls as many of those students had already arrived. There were still a few coming in, however, and the red lights and flags were up.
We made some plans for the rest of the day as we walked to breakfast. I would be pretty busy for the first part of the day trying to get my errant luggage and finding out what my schedule was going to be like.
I was a little jealous, everyone seems to have gotten some kind of introductory packet. Somehow, mine seems to have been forgotten. I didn’t want to display more ignorance than necessary, too, and just went along with the others. Maybe I could find one or borrow Jade’s later. And I was hoping for a chance to get together with Toni later to try out our martial arts also.
What worried me most at this time was the fact that I wouldn’t have a chance until the afternoon to try to get some uniforms. From what Fey was saying, I would miss out on the best opportunities to get some good ones. Hopefully, some would be left for me.
After breakfast I had to excuse myself and head for admin to see about getting a ride into the station to get my luggage.
XVIII
INTO ALL LIVES SOME BUTTHEADS MUST FALL: September 4th
Admin was total confusion. I had to go from line to line in an attempt to find the person in charge of the transportation to and from the station. There were several vans coming and going. But they weren’t accepting any rides into town at this time. Only someone with a pass signed by the Assistant to the Administrator could get a ride into town.
I was finally directed to the office of Ms. Amelia Hartford, Assistant to the Administer. She didn’t actually have an office. It was more like a semi private desk. But you weren’t allowed to speak to her until she indicated to the secretary that she could see you.
She had me wait fifteen minutes while she did nothing but work on her computer. Finally, she sent a message over an intercom, I watched her do it. The secretary then told me I could see her. As I approached I could see her glaring at me and then her terminal.
“Who are you and why are you bothering me at this time, can’t you see we are busy?” She barked as I approached. I didn’t like her attitude one bit, but decided I would get more by being polite.
Ms Hartford was dressed in a dark business suit with a calf length skirt. She probably stood about 5' 8", really slender, blonde hair tied into a severe bun, and dark plastic, rectangular glasses. She had a large, stylized, gold A on her lapel. I would learn later that she was an alumnus of the Academy and a former member of the Alphas of that time.
“I’m Billie Wilson, ma’am, and I have come to see you about getting a pass into town to get my luggage.”
“We are very busy now and space on the vans is in great demand right now. Why, if you are here now, is your luggage not with you?” I had seen several vans leave with no one but their driver, and somehow she was making it sound as if I had deliberately arranged this to interfere with her work, whatever that was.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but my luggage was delayed and didn’t arrive with me yesterday. It’s supposed to be at the station today.”
“So, your going into town dressed and looking like that, too, are you? Don’t you realize what a bad impression you are giving to everyone?”
I just stood there self consciously. I didn’t have a clue what she meant. It’s got to be one of those things I didn’t know yet. Well, I still had to do something.
“No, ma’am, I wasn’t aware of that. But until I can buy some...”
She didn’t give me a chance to finish. “This is your first year here? I don’t remember seeing you before. And where is your chaperon?”
Chaperon? What does she mean by a chaperon? I didn’t need any just to pick up my luggage. If my parents can trust me to cross half the continent on my own, why would I need a chaperon now?
She must have interpreted my silence at least somewhat correctly. “You can’t expect us to just let you wander around without an escort, can you? What would your parents say?”
Very reasonable and under other circumstances a true thing to say. But, she managed to put so much evil enjoyment into it that all I wanted to do was wipe the smile off her face.
“Until you can get an escort, and bring them here to prove that you have one we can trust to keep you out of trouble, I’m afraid I cannot in good conscience give you a pass.” She knew she was screwing me over and was enjoying every moment of it.
“And don’t try anything on your own, either.” She might have been reading my mind as I considered flying into town. “There are severe punishments for those who don’t obey our rules.” I was sure she enjoyed enforcing those rules way too much.
“I can’t imagine what the superintendent’s are thinking, letting poor, uneducated, uncultured, little urchins like...”
“I would imagine that we Superintendents are trying to raise the standards of our students to a new and better level, wouldn’t you think?”
This was delivered by a strong, cultured, sarcastic, manly voice that almost made me jump to the ceiling again. I think that if she had been able to, Ms. Hartford would have joined me. Neither of us had seen or heard him approach.
Standing next to the desk was a man of American Indian ancestry, standing about 5' 6", maybe 30 years old, a stocky, muscular build, and short cropped black hair. There was a definite air of challenge to him and he seemed to tower over the desk without trying to. He was dressed in traditional western dress, jeans, cowboy boots, plaid shirt, but no hat. He was clean shaven and something about him hinted at a sense of humor.
After recovering from her start, a very angry Ms. Hartford spoke to the gentleman who had just interrupted her play. “Mr. Lodgeman! How dare you interrupt our discussion! How are we ever going to teach these...these...”
“I believe the correct word would be students.” He supplied.
“Students. Correct behavior and respect for their superiors...”
“Don’t you think that ‘superiors’ has the wrong connotations Ms. Hartford?”
This was obviously a long standing and bitter disagreement that Mr. Lodge... wait, hadn’t Mr. Tanaka mentioned that Charlie Lodgeman was his old friend that I was supposed to contact. He was a superintendent? No wonder he was able to get me in. He and Ms. Hartford didn’t get along very well and being a friend of Mr. Tanaka helped me to like him right off. His more laid back attitude suited me much better.
“I’ll use whatever word suits the situation, thank you very much!” Ms. Hartman was flustered and not ready for this confrontation with someone ready and willing to mix it up with her.
“If you want to teach our young and impressionable students, maybe you should put more thought into what you are saying, so as not to give them the wrong ideas about the advisability of listening to us in the future. We wouldn’t want to give them the wrong impressions about how we feel about our responsibilities, would we?”
Realizing that she couldn’t win this she changed the subject. “Mr. Lodgeman, you surely have more important things to do than interfere with my duties. What brings you here.”
“I was supposed to have received an important message some days ago. I have been informed that you received it, but I haven’t seen it yet. You wouldn’t have any idea where it might have gotten to, would you?”
“A message?”
“Yes. Is it not part of your duties to route messages to the various staff members?”
“As you know, I can’t be responsible for incorrectly addressed mail. If you could give me some idea of who sent it I might be able to find it for you.” She said this with a nasty smile.
“If you were aware that it was incorrectly addressed, you probably had a good idea where it should go anyway. Why wouldn’t you follow up to make sure?”
“We are ‘VERY BUSY’ at this time of year. It is an unfortunate possibility that we didn’t have time to follow up on all the messages that were initially mis-routed.”
“Could you possibly find time in your onerous schedule to find this message, please?”
She turned to her console, and after sorting through some files, she turned back, “You probably will find the message you are looking for in the mail room. I believe Nicholas has it, if anyone does. Does that make you happy?”
“That and the location of a student who probably arrived yesterday. A Billie Wilson, if I am not mistaken.”
I almost jumped up then. I was certain that I was right and this was the Charlie Lodgeman I was supposed to contact.
“Why would you need to know where a student was staying?”
“Her parents wanted me to check up on her and make sure she’s alright. They’re friends of the family.” I could see the wheels turning in her head and was sure that she would look into this more carefully. I thought this might cause problems in the future.
Turning back to her console she looked through more files. “She is listed as staying in...” She glanced at me, an odd look on her face, and I wondered how much she knew or guessed. “Uh… two-sixteen... in Poe Hall.” I noticed that she hadn’t indicated that I was there with them.
“Poe, huh? Well, I will look her up as soon as I get my message. Thank you so much for your help.”
“Anytime, Mr. Lodgeman, anytime.” He walked away and she turned back to me. I was sure she wanted to take some of her obvious ire for him out on me. I decided to head her off before she got a chance.
“I know, I know... I need a chaperon to go into town. I’ll go get one now. Have a nice day! Bye!”
“Miss Wilson! I am not finished with you!”
“Sorry, VERY BUSY, you know how it is. Too many things to do! Not enough time to do them!” I gave her a wave as I headed out of the room. If looks could kill, I might have ended up in the morgue.
I noticed that the secretary was having some kind of problem and dropped something on the floor where she immediately ducked down to look for it.
Looking around, I could see Mr. Lodgeman heading rapidly down the hall. I hurried after him. I caught up with him as he entered the Post Office which was located in the admin building near the Book Store.
“Mr. Lodgeman! Please wait up!”
He turned and looked at me curiously. Then he recognized me. “How can I help you Miss?
“Uh... Are you by any chance Mr. Charlie Lodgeman?”
I had his full attention now. “Why do you want to know?”
“Mr. Tanaka told me to contact a Mr. Charlie Lodgeman when I got here. Oh! I’m Billie Wilson! But, I prefer to be called Tennyo.”
I was kind of nervous and babbling. I wasn’t sure how he would react to me and I really wanted to make a good impression. I knew I was going to be needing his help and I didn’t want to screw it up.
He stared at me for a moment. Then he smiled, “I was expecting someone a little taller.”
“What!?”
“Sorry, an old joke.”
I blushed and dropped my eyes.
“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you in there.” He pointed down the hall.
“Not at all. If anything, you saved me. I don’t think she feels fulfilled until she has ruined at least one person’s day in some way.”
“Really, you figured that out that quickly?”
“I think it had something to do with the smell of brimstone and the little horns on her head.”
He chuckled. “That obvious huh?”
I smiled, “She would need a sandwich board sign with, ‘Super Bitch,’ on it to be more obvious.”
“You would be surprised to know how many people can’t see the obvious. Even with someone like her.”
“My Mom didn’t raise her boy to be an idiot.” I suddenly realized what I just said and almost panicked.
He took me by the shoulders before I could run. “It’s okay. Eric told me about your little problem. Just try to be a little more cautious in the future. Okay?”
I nodded. I didn’t trust myself to talk just yet. It would probably come out as a squeak. I couldn’t believe I had said that. I was so embarrassed.
“I need to get my message. I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”
He went into the Post Office and I waited for him in the hall.
A few minutes later he came out and I almost ran. I don’t think I’d seen somebody so mad in a long time.
“Those idiots! Can’t they understand how important this is!”
He turned to me, “I’m sorry, I have to head down to the station right now. Maybe we can get together later.” He then spun around and headed towards the doors out.
“Wait! Please take me with you!”
He turned to me. “What? Why?”
“I need to get my luggage. It was delayed and is at the station. That was why I was trying to see Ms. Hartford. I needed a pass to use the shuttle, but she said I couldn’t get one without a trusted chaperon.”
“And you think I can fill the position?”
“Well, I don’t think you fit the trusted part as far as she is concerned, but I think you fit the bill better than anyone else at this late date. Please let me come.”
“Okay. But we have to hurry. The train will be arriving any time now and I need to be there to greet Harry. If we don’t, there could be trouble.”
“Harry?”
“Yeah. Harry Wolfe.”
“Harry Wolfe?” I had to wonder about the perversity of some parents.
“It’s a long story. Come on, we need to get going.”
XIX
LUGGAGE AND TALL STRANGERS: September 4th
We went out to the parking lot where Mr. Lodgeman had an old AMC Wagoneer. I hadn’t seen one in ages, but this one seemed in top condition.
“You restore old cars?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, these new-fangled things always seem to get the best of me. But Harry is an absolute genius. Even I can’t keep these broken when he’s around. I have to admit, it’s one of the reasons I pushed so hard to get him to come here. He would never reach his full potential hiding in the sticks fixing old cars and the like.”
“So, you know Harry?” We were climbing in as we talked. I noticed he hadn’t locked the doors. He obviously felt safe here.
“His family and I go back a long way. I’ve been trying to help them with a little problem for years. Sherry could have done a better job...” His words trailed off and for a moment I saw an old pain in his face.
“Well, anyway. I’m hoping that some of the others here will have better insight into what can be done for him and his family. And, it will give him a chance to study more complex machinery. Along with the physical problems, the curse on his family has given him an incredible rapport and ability to control and modify machinery.”
“Curse?”
He looked at me for a moment and went back to his driving. “This won’t go any further than here, right?”
I nodded.
“Okay. I’m going to trust you with this. About eighty years ago, Harry’s grandfather stirred up the ire of a local witch when he chose to marry some other girl rather than her daughter. We really don’t have the details, but it seems that the witch’s daughter was somewhat homely and took it kind of personal.”
“She convinced her mother to put a curse on his family. The stipulation was that when Harry’s grandfather could overcome his aversion for the homely girl, and marry her the curse would end. No one took the curse too seriously and the witch and girl left the area. Harry’s grandfather and grandmother simply ignored the curse.”
“Not to many months passed and nature took its course. They had a truly beautiful daughter. They then proceeded to have five others. All incredibly beautiful. Some people started to figure that the curse was that they would never have a son. The seventh child was a boy. Have you seen The Howling?”
I was lost for a moment before I realized he was talking about the movie about werewolves and a news reporter. I nodded back at him.
“Alright, then I can tell you that Red looked just like one of the werewolves.”
“Red?” I couldn’t help wincing a little as I said it.
“Yep. His hair, uh fur, oh whatever! It was kind of reddish in color. So they named him Red.”
“And Harry?” I could feel my eyebrows trying to climb off my face.
“Hey, there’s no accounting for the perverseness of some parents. Maybe it’s something about the curse also.” I was somewhat amazed at how closely we were thinking on that subject.
Taking my silence as a cue to continue he started into the story again. “Anyway, they decided to not have any more children after that. Red grew up healthy and strong. He also had a knack with plants. It was like he could talk to them and make them do what he wanted them to do. It really is amazing. He has a topiary garden you wouldn’t believe.”
“To make a long story short, they tried to find the witch, but she was long gone. So was her daughter. They came to me because I was living in the mountains nearby as a hermit and they thought I might be able to help. It was what finally got me over... my wife.” That pain was back, but it faded as he continued his story.
“I don’t know why I got involved, it just seemed like the right thing to do. But I couldn’t do anything for them. Red took it well and became the best farmer imaginable. He even found a wife. She wasn’t put off by his looks and finally cornered him into agreeing to marry her. They are about the happiest couple I’ve ever met.”
“Anyway, they proceeded to have six beautiful daughters. Nothing odd about them at all except for their incredible good looks. Sixteen years ago they had Harry. A grayer color, but pretty much like his father. As you know, Harry has a knack with machines. I couldn’t do anything about the curse, but his talent is being wasted out in the boonies. He needs to expand his horizons.”
“I finally convinced his parents to let me train him here by promising to take good care of him. I figure that it will also help him to know that there are others like him in the world.”
“He was supposed to be here a week ago, but there was a delay. The message that I didn’t receive until now was telling me the alternate arrangements that had to be made. Somehow, Ms. Hartford managed to lose it until I tracked it down just now. I didn’t think she would stoop so low as to possibly hurt an innocent and the school. Shows how easy it is to underestimate the lengths someone will go to try and make a point.”
“He’ll be coming in on the train today and we need to get him to school as quietly as possible. He will be kind of hard to miss. He’s about six eight. Hopefully he has managed to cover himself up a bit. Otherwise it’s going to be a little difficult for us. If only I had time to prepare.”
“I should have asked you earlier. Will you be okay with this?” He hurried on before I could answer, “He won’t hurt anyone. He is a true gentleman and wouldn’t cause any trouble if he can help it, but he can be pretty scary if you don’t understand him like I do.”
“I’ll be fine! He can’t be any scarier than my brothers.” I grinned as I said this.
He grinned back. “Eric did say you were remarkable. I’m beginning to see what he meant.”
I don’t know why, but I must have blushed a deep crimson.
He chuckled a little and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll do just fine!” We drove into the parking lot at the station just then. He quickly found a parking spot and we climbed out.
“Why don’t you see if you can find your bags and I will see if I can find Harry. It looks as if the train has already arrived. We’ll meet back here as quickly as possible, okay?”
“Okay!”
He headed towards the passenger area and I headed for the baggage area. As I approached I recognized the station master and headed towards him. I think he would have avoided me if he could, but I can move fast when I want to. I caught him before he could reach his office.
“Is my luggage here yet?” I asked as I approached.
“Y-yes, they are. Do you have your ticket stubs?” He seemed very nervous.
“Right here!” And I handed them to him.
He looked around and said, “Okay I will get them for you. Please stay right here.” He then rushed into his office. I was really beginning to wonder if something was wrong.
Another thing about my change. These large ears are really sensitive. You would be amazed by what I can hear. I had looked around and noticed that there didn’t seem to be anyone else here. That seemed a little strange. Then I caught the sound of someone taunting someone else. It seemed to waver in and out of my hearing and I think if my ears weren’t so good I would have missed it entirely. It was coming from behind the station masters office.
This was strange and I couldn’t resist the chance to explore it a little. Ignoring the Station Masters admonition, I proceeded around the corner.
As soon as I turned the corner I could see three kids about my age or maybe a little older gathered around and shoving a person draped in a monk like robe and hood. This person towered over them and I had a pretty good idea that he must be Harry. The sounds that I could almost make out before suddenly got louder as I approached.
The three boys were very well dressed in suits that I believed were school uniforms. They all looked like football players. Over six feet tall and muscled with crew cuts. The one doing most of the talking, and the one I believed to be the leader, had pure white hair. The other two had blonde hair. They all had grins on their faces and were obviously looking for a fight.
“What’s a rat faced, poor trash, hick like you expect to get out of going to school? Get back on the train before they call in a lynch mob and burn you at the stake!” All the time they kept moving into position to push and try to trip whoever was in the robe.
“Leave me alone! I don’t want any trouble. I was asked to come here.” The voice was an incredibly deep rumble, almost a growl.
“Where are they then? I bet that’s just a story you’re using to try and get into the school. I bet you’re hoping as soon as you get there that they’ll take you in out of pity.”
“Mr. Lodgeman invited me. He was supposed to meet me here. Let me alone and I will go and see if I can find him.”
“I have a better idea, freak!” Said the leader. “Why don’t you just get on the train and go back to where you belong! Here, to show you we have no bad feelings, we even paid for your ticket home.” He waved what looked like a set of tickets in the face of the robed person.
“No. I am to meet Mr. Lodgeman here.” The robed guy was being pushed up against a concrete warehouse wall. Things looked like they were going to get out of hand any moment.
“Listen freak! You are getting back on that train now, whether you like it or not!” They were starting to close in, but they hadn’t noticed me yet.
“HARRY!” I yelled. I think they all jumped about three feet into the air. “There you are! C’mon, Mr. Lodgeman is waiting for us. I put a big smile on my face as I approached. They spun to face me and the look of confusion on their faces would inspire many a chuckle in the future when I remembered them and this moment.
One of the blondes turned to the other, at this range it was easy to see their family resemblance, “Hey, I thought you were keeping everyone away?” The other had a look of confusion on his face. He replied, “I don’t understand, nobody should be paying any attention to us.”
I used this moment to step past them and grab Harry’s elbow. Still with a smile on my face, I pulled on his arm and started to pull him away with me. “C’mon! We’re going to be late!”
Just then the leader of their little group stepped forward into our path. “Hold on, you freaks. You’re not going anywhere but away on that train.” He looked at me with disdain. “You might as well join him. We don’t need any of your kind around here either.” He reached for me and I was preparing a surprise for him, when Harry stepped forward and blocked him.
“Leave her alone! And apologize for your rudeness!” His growl had become much more threatening. I felt the hair on my neck lifting. Harry had gone from being polite and trying to avoid conflict, to actively pursuing it. White hair backed up quickly. Looking somewhat confused at the sudden change in Harry’s attitude.
The other two got over their confusion and started to move in. White hair started to get his confidence back. I could see ice starting to form around his hands. I was starting to get mad myself. I could feel a deadness around me now and for a moment I felt weak. Then I felt a burst of heat strangely familiar and frightening to me, and my strength came back with a rush and then some.
Blonde number one was coming in from the left and I moved to intercept him. He saw me coming and tried to backhand me. I saw it coming from a mile away, and just rotated down and away. At the same time I pivoted on my hips and snapped my right leg forward. The tip of my foot connecting solidly with a physically sensitive area of his anatomy. He folded up, just like Sensei said he would.
I turned back to the others. Harry had turned on Blonde number two who had quickly retreated. I can’t say as I can blame him. Harry’s hood had fallen back and he really did look like one of the werewolves from the Howling. White hair was obviously preparing some kind of blast that I assumed was of the colder nature.
“Don’t!” He looked in my direction and took in the many dots of energy forming and circling around us. He then looked at Blonde number two. “Your supposed to be blocking her!” He said.
Blonde number two shrugged while backing out of the way. “She’s different! I can’t seem to touch her power!”
He looked back at me and sweat broke out on his face. I think at that time he realized that I meant to blast him if he tried anything. Maybe it was my eyes. Harry told me later that they had started to glow crimson.
“Take your friend and get out of here!” I growled myself, motioning to Blonde One, who was still wrapped around himself. It was at this time I noticed the stylized A that each had on his suit. I began to wonder if this was even more complicated than I thought.
They knew when they were beaten. They grabbed their friend and dragged him away. After I was certain they had left, I relaxed a little and felt the heat and energy fade away. The little dots disappeared and normal sound came back.
Harry pulled his hood back over his face and came towards me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Who were those jerks.”
“I don’t know. I arrived here and was heading over to the station offices to find out if anyone was waiting for me or left a message. Suddenly, everyone else just walked away and those three came out of the office and pushed me back here. They kept telling me to leave. And I think they were going to try to beat me up when you showed up.”
He looked at me. “Who are you anyway? I don’t think we’ve ever met, but you seem to know who I am.”
“I came here with Mr. Lodgeman to pick you up. I’m sorry, but the message telling him you would be delayed and when you would be getting here was misdirected and he didn’t get it until just now.” I was beginning to wonder if someone had read it and tried to keep anyone from being there when Harry showed up. I was going to have to talk to Mr. Lodgeman about this later.
“Mr. Lodgeman is here?”
“Yes. He went to look for you while I came to get my luggage.”
“Your luggage?”
“Yeah. My luggage was delayed and I had to come back to get it today. Oh! I’m Billie Wilson, but my friends call me Tennyo.” I stuck out my hand to shake.
He hesitated for a moment and then extended his hand. It was huge! Mine disappeared in his and he gave it a tentative shake. “Uh... Am I a friend?”
“Do you want to be?” I couldn’t help but smile at him.
“Is it healthy not to be?” I think he was grinning also, but couldn’t be sure because of the hood.
“Of course not. But you have to make your own decisions in these matters.”
“Then, may I call you Tennyo?”
“If that’s what you want to do. I won’t bite your head off if you do.”
“Okay, Tennyo. What do we do now?”
“Well, let’s finish getting our luggage. You do have luggage?” He nodded yes.
“Then we go and find Mr. Lodgeman, and blow this popsicle stand.”
“Okay, lead the way, oh mighty maiden.”
“I prefer Tennyo, thank you.”
“Certainly, Mighty Miss.”
“Your cruisin’ for a bruisin’, my friend.” And then spoiled it by giggling.
By this time we reached the front of the building. The Station Master was looking around desperately. My trunk and duffle bag were on a cart next to him. When he saw us, his face went white. I had a sneaky suspicion that maybe he knew more of what was going on. But I couldn’t think of a good way to get the info from him.
“Where have you been?” His voice almost squeaked.
“Just around the corner, meeting my friend here. Sorry to worry you. Thank you for getting my stuff.” I smiled at him. Any moment I expected him to maybe run or faint. “Could you please help us find my friends luggage also?”
“Uh... wasn’t he leaving, I mean I was told he would be leaving. Uh.. We were just going to load them back on the train.”
“Who told you that?”
“S-someone from the school.”
“Who?”
“I-I don’t know, they didn’t give me a name. But they were wearing the school uniform. I was sure that they were here to help.”
I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice as I replied, “Well, there’s been a change of plans, Mr. Wolfe will be leaving with us. Please arrange to have his luggage brought here... now!”
He turned and ran off.
“They were sure I was going to be leaving, weren’t they? Said Harry.
“Yeah. It sure looks like it. I wonder who is behind it and why?”
“Harry!” Mr. Lodgeman was approaching from the parking lot.
“Mr. Lodgeman! It’s good to see you again. Harry was nervously twisting his sleeves.
“You had me worried. I couldn’t find you and for some reason nobody seemed to remember seeing you at all. Hi Billie! It seems you have had more success in finding our wandering student. Anything exciting happening? You haven’t been seen by anyone have you Harry?
“Only Tennyo here. And three boys who were trying to send me back home.”
“What!?” He looked closely at both of us. “And by the way, you should use proper names when away from the school.”
We looked at each other and back at him. “We didn’t know, sorry.” I said.
“It’s all in the introductory packet. Didn’t you read it?”
Harry and I looked at each other again, turned back to him and asked in unison, “What packet?”
“Neither of you have received the packet?” He looked confused for a moment. “What’s going on here? And what have you two been up to?” He was staring right at me when he said it, and I was feeling strangely embarrassed.
“Maybe we should start at the beginning. Harry, you first.”
Harry told him about his trip here and how when he arrived he was cornered by the three boys. He then told an incredible story about my just showing up and driving them off with an amazing display of martial arts and power. Mr. Lodgeman turned to me and I tried to correct some of the more obvious errors of Harry’s story, but I don’t think he was listening closely to what I was saying.
“I know the boys you’re talking about. They are usually a nasty group to tangle with. I wonder who put them up to this? You were both luckier than you know.”
Just then, the Station Master arrived with Harry’s luggage. He seemed to be in a hurry to get us out of there and insisted on helping us load the trunks in the truck. I think he was more in the way than anything else. Harry had two trunks and a large tool box. Mr. Lodgeman looked at that and then at Harry.
Harry shrugged and said, “I couldn’t leave them at home. Everyone else would just lose them, and I’d have to break in a new set.” Mr. Lodgeman just turned away, muttering something about mechanics and their tools.
I had to stand aside while they wrestled with the luggage. I could have handled it all easily but they insisted and I couldn’t very well display my strength out in the open for everyone to see. I was able to distract the Station Master long enough for the other two to get the heavier stuff loaded behind his back.
XX
THE INCREDIBLE MISS ROGERS: September 4th
After we got everything loaded we piled into the cab. We pulled out of the station and headed into town rather than towards the school.
“We need to make a stop before we return.” Said Mr. Lodgeman. He proceeded to drive into the business district and pulled up in front of a store called ‘Rogers Fabric Boutique’.
“Come in, both of you.” The door was an old glass fronted type with a bell that rang when we opened it. There was the unmistakable smell of fabrics and the front was brighter than you would think from looking inside.
Mr. Lodgeman called out, “Cecilia! We’re here! Now be very polite you two. Miss Rogers is possibly the best seamstress in the world and she has had unique experience with difficult projects. We are probably going to need her help and she is very particular about who she associates with. Rub her the wrong way and you will be lucky if you ever see her again.”
Given this warning, I was expecting an older lady. Much to my surprise, a woman who looked to be in her mid twenties came out from the back. She looked just like a model. She had long brunette hair pulled back into a pony tail, white blouse and slacks, and a sleeveless shop coat with many pockets and several items I assumed were for her business.
“Charlie! It’s a pleasure as always!” Her smile was stunning and I didn’t think there could be many people as graceful as her. She just glided towards us. “And who have you brought me today?” She moved up to Harry. “Is this the young man you said would need my help? My, you are a tall one. Now, step back into my more private area and take the robe off.”
She took his arm and led him into the rear of the boutique. “Fortunately, no one else is here now. That will make this much easier.”
The back area had many sewing manikins and a large booth with a privacy screen. Standing next to that and connected by several large wires was a robot looking thing. The wires were connected to a platform that the robot thing stood on. I vaguely noticed that the several manikins had clothing of many types draped on them, but I was paying more attention to Harry. He seemed mesmerized by the contraption in the rear.
“Young man?” Miss Rogers was trying to get Harry’s attention. Mr. Lodgeman was grinning as he watched. Harry drifted towards the machine.
“What is it?” He murmured, reaching out to stroke the contraption.
“Harry! Miss Rogers needs you to get out of your cloak!” Mr. Lodgeman’s voice cut through Harry’s daze enough to get his attention and he turned away from the machine.
“What?” He still didn’t seem to be in the same room with us.
“Your cloak! Get out of your cloak!” Said Mr. Lodgeman.
Obeying slowly, Harry stripped his cloak off and dropped it on the floor. Underneath he was wearing some cut off jeans and a sleeveless, buttoned down jean vest.
“Wow!” I couldn’t help myself. I just had to say something. He really did look like one of those werewolves. You could also see the odd curve of his legs and long arms. Both which ended in long claws.
For some odd reason, he seemed to hear what I said more than he had heard the others. Then he replied, and I felt a touch of guilt as I also heard an old pain in his voice.
“You think this is impressive?” He stood up straight and tall. “How does it feel to be in the presence of a monster!”
The guilt I was feeling for making him feel that way with my carelessness also made me somewhat angry, and I replied, as I rose to his face level, with a little heat of my own. “Well, how does it feel to be in the presence of the Galaxy Police’s Most Wanted Space Pirate!”
We were face to face and I suddenly realized that everyone in the room, including Harry, was looking at me with surprised and blank looks of incomprehension. I started to blush as I realized what I had just said, and started to rub the back of my neck again.
“Uh, you guys don’t watch much anime, do you? You know, Tenchi Muyo and... other... uh... stuff?” As I slowly wound down, I could have sworn I could here crickets chirping.
“I think I heard something about it.” Said Harry quietly.
I looked at him again. I think he was trying to grin a little.
I blushed some more. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.” I hurried on. “It’s just that you look so cool.”
He seemed really startled by my response. “You think I look cool?’
“Uh, yeah! I think you’re pretty neat.”
I could probably have knocked him down with a feather. He might have been blushing and his jaw had dropped wide open.
“Ahem! Children!” Said Miss Rogers. “Harry, please move into my cabinet.” She indicated the booth in the back of the room. Harry stood still a moment looking at me while I blushed under his scrutiny. He then quickly moved into the booth. It had to be about eight feet tall and five feet on a side. She then pushed a button on a pad she was holding.
The door closed. Shortly after that I could barely hear some kind of noise that sounded like a voice coming from inside.
I was concentrating so hard, I almost missed Mr. Lodgeman’s attempt to get my notice. “Billie, public displays of powers is also frowned upon if you don’t have good reason to.”
I suddenly realized I was floating about two feet off the floor. “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me there.” I said as I drifted back to the ground.
Miss Rogers was watching me closely. “Please come over here dear.”
I glanced over at Mr. Lodgeman. He nodded and said’ “Go ahead, she doesn’t bite without good reason.” and grinned.
“Hush Charlie. Can’t you see she is terribly confused? You aren’t helping at all. Come on, I’m not going to hurt you.” I moved cautiously closer until she motioned me to stop. She then paced around me, examining me from head to foot.
“Now dear...”
“Billie, please, my name is Billie.”
“Very well, Billie. Now as I was going to ask, do you dress like this all the time?”
“Uh, do you mean like this?” I indicated what I was wearing right now.
“Yes, dear... I mean Billie. Like that.”
“Well, it’s the only clothes that I have right now you see. Uh, I was intending to buy more when I could. I just haven’t had a chance to. I’m not really good at this kind of thing, and...”
“And you need some help?”
“Uh, yes, ma’am. I do, uh, I’m... not very good at this ...and...”
“You have no idea where to start, is that it?”
I was blushing like mad and staring at the floor. Very quietly I replied, “Yes, ma’am.”
“How long have you been a girl?”
When she said that, I was almost ready to die. I hadn’t believed it was so obvious. Then Harry, who had poked his head out of the booth exclaimed.
“How long has she been a... girl?!?”
I must have gone as red as a fire hydrant, and was trying to find a crack in the floor to crawl into. Miss Rogers spoke in a low but very menacing voice.
“Young man! If you so much as say a single thing about this, you will wish you were dead a thousand times over and that is only what I will do to you. I will also tell your parents, whom I have been assured, will deal with you in a timely and prompt manner!” The force and promise of that statement by Miss Rogers made Harry’s head disappear with amazing suddenness.
A muffled sorry came from the now closed booth.
“You will continue with the program until I tell you to stop. Do you understand”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Shortly after that, the noises started up again.
Miss Rogers turned to me again. “I want to hear your story now.” It was said pleasantly but with the force of iron behind it.
I gave her the modified version that the Tanaka’s had given me. I’m sure she was not totally convinced, but she wasn’t going to argue at this time either.
“So, you’ve been a girl for about six weeks?”
I nodded.
She stared at me for a few moments. Then turned to the booth. “Harry, you can come out now.”
He emerged very carefully, ready to retreat at a moments notice.
“What did you hear?”
“Uh....”
“How good are those ears?”
“Pretty good.”
“So you heard....?”
“E..everything?” He looked around desperately for a moment, “I promise not to tell anyone, cross my heart!”
“Very well. If you can keep this to yourself, I won’t have to do anything unpleasant. Do ou understand?”
“Yes Ma’am!”
“You!” I almost jumped through the ceiling.
“Uh, yes ma’am?”
“Go into the booth now.”
“Uh...”
“Now, dear.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
When I entered the booth, I found myself in a cubicle, approximately eight feet tall by five feet deep and wide. A mechanical voice told me to strip out of my clothes and place them in a container that came out of the back wall.
After I did this. I was told to take various positions like sitting, standing, arms out to my sides , etc. While I did this beams of light washed over me. After a while, this stopped and my clothes were returned to me and I was instructed to dress. The door opened after I was dressed and I carefully moved back into the room.
“We’re almost done here dear. Please be patient and I will be with you shortly.” Miss Rogers was working on something on the robot like thing. As I looked closer I could see that it was clothing of some sort. I looked closer and realized that it must be the same kind of uniform I had seen the three boys wearing at the station. Except that it was larger.
As I turned to look around I got another shock. Harry was standing there. In a school uniform. And it fit! There was a hood/helmet arrangement that would help hide his head, gloves, shoes, and the cut of it helped hide the more obvious differences. It would cover up many of the differences and still managed to look good on him. He was standing back and was obviously very nervous.
I didn’t know what to say. I was sure that now that he knew about me, he probably wouldn’t want anything to do with me. I was saddened and afraid to look him in the eye. I felt him move closer to me.
“Are you really a Space Pirate?”
Not expecting that at all. I looked up into his face and saw him grinning down at me.
I couldn’t help myself and grinned back. “Are you really a Hairy Monster Werewolf?”
“I won’t tell if you don’t.” He said.
“Deal! Our secrets are safe!” And I extended my hand to him.
He took my hand and we shook on it.
“Good! Now that you have worked that out, we can get to work on other things.” Miss Rogers said as she came forward with another suit similar to the one Harry was already wearing, except, this one was gabardine green and not grey. It was on a hanger and covered with plastic to keep it clean. “Here you go Harry, This should hold you until I can get the others finished.” She handed him the suit and turned to me.
“Now for you young lady. Come up here with me.” We moved onto the platform. The robot like shape was shrinking down from its almost seven foot height to my size even as I moved up. It started to take a definitely female shape. Streams of fabric started to flow from shelves around us.
Right before my eyes, there formed a white bra and panties set on the now definitely female manikin. A silk like slip then formed over them and a calf length school uniform blouse and skirt formed over them. The skirt was black with white trim. A school jacket, with the same color scheme as the skirt then formed. It had the Whateley crest on the left breast. Knee length white socks and a set of black loafers with a low heel then formed. This all happened in a matter of moments.
They then lifted off the manikin, folded up and presented themselves to me. As I grasped them, they went limp in my hands.
Pointing to a dressing room that was now visible from the platform Miss Rogers told me to go and get properly dressed. It probably took me fifteen minutes to figure out the proper way to dress myself in these new clothes. A carrying bag was provided to help hold my old clothes, which I placed in it.
By the time I returned from the dressing room, she had prepared another identical suit and a similar suit with a floor length skirt and long sleeves for formal occasions. This one also had white ruffles around the neck, arms, and legs.
“I will be making a complete set for you, but this should get you through until I can complete the set.” Miss Rogers looked at me carefully and then smiled. “Some of my best work, I’m sure. Take a good look at yourself.” She motioned towards some mirrors.
I felt like everyone was staring at me . When I looked around, I realized everyone in the room was. Mr. Lodgeman and Harry seemed surprised and Miss Rogers was amused. I moved over to the mirrors and got one of the biggest surprises of my short life.
Looking back at me was a girl. I had known this since I woke up in the hospital the first time. But I really hadn’t seen myself. I was finally coming to terms with the idea that I looked like Ryoko, an imaginary being. Since I had seen myself in the kimono I’d accepted that.
But since that time I’d been dressing like a boy. Now I was looking at me in the mirror and it was a girl, in a girls uniform, looking back at me. I could look past the face and hair and see the body covered by clothing meant for a female. Clothing that fit it well.
“Wow!” Said Harry.
I turned so red I’m surprised that meteorologists in the area didn’t note the unusually rosy sky.
Mr. Lodgeman and Miss Rogers just grinned and smiled respectively
“You look really good in that.”
“Thank you Harry. One does ones best.” Said Miss Rogers.
I just stood there and looked at myself and Miss Rogers, wondering at the sudden transformation.
“Don’t worry Billie. You’ll get used to it soon. It’s about time you came out of that cocoon you’ve been in.” Miss Rogers turned to Mr. Lodgeman. “I expect to see her at least once more before classes. You will see to it?”
“If you feel that it is necessary, I will certainly make sure it is done.” He smiled and gave her a small bow.
“I think it will be necessary if we are to get her properly attired for this season. I would also like to talk to her a little without so many prying ears around.” She was looking at Harry when she said this and he had the decency to look embarrassed.
“How long do you think it will take to get their wardrobes ready?” Mr. Lodgeman asked.
“I will have them ready in two days. Will you be able to pick them up then?”
“I should be able to bring Billie in with me and pick up Harry’s as well at that time.” He then changed the subject. “ Are you going to be helping with the dance classes this year?”
“You know I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Are you going to be following the same schedule this year?”
“Yep. The modern steps in the morning and classical ballroom in the evening. Same times as before.”
“Will you get enough signed up for the ballroom dancing?”
“As soon as the students realize that there are going to be some formal balls during the year that they have to attend, we can expect to have more than enough participation.” He said with a grin.
Harry shifted uncomfortably, “Everyone?”
“Of course! We can’t allow anyone to back out. It wouldn’t be fair. Besides, everyone should know how to dance at formal occasions. You never know when you are going to have to make a good impression and one the best ways is on the dance floor.”
“Who would be willing to dance with someone like me?” Harry asked with a challenging tone.
Both Miss Rogers and I spoke up at the same time. “I would!” We looked at each other for a moment and she indicated that I should continue.
“Come on Harry. Dancing can be lots of fun, especially if both partners know how to.” I looked at Mr. Lodgeman. “Can I take the ballroom class? I’m not too interested in most of the modern stuff, but I really like ballroom.” I looked over at Harry. “Hey! We could take the class together. I’ll help you with it.”
I looked back at Mr. Lodgeman. He was looking back, “Do you know ballroom?”
“Uh huh. I was able to take a few classes at the dojo. Mrs. Tanaka taught it, but she would only teach ballroom. I learned to like it more than the more modern stuff.”
“Ah, someone after my own heart. What about it, Harry? If we can insure a partner for you, will you join us?”
“Do I have a choice?” He asked in an uncertain voice.
“No!” All three of us said at the same time. Then grinned at each other.
“Then, I guess you’ll be seeing me in class.” He shrugged and grinned back at us.
“Yeah!” I jumped up and down and clapped my hands. I suddenly realized what I was doing and looked around embarrassed.
“We better be going now. Billie and Harry, get your stuff together. It’s been a pleasure Cecilia, as always.”
“Please come again soon. And be sure to bring Billie with you.” She gave me a smile and a small wave.
“Okay. See you soon.”
XXI
ON THE ROAD HOME: September 4th
We gathered together the clothes that were wrapped in plastic and our old stuff in bags, and headed out. After putting the packages into the back of the cab, we climbed into the front.
Suddenly, I found myself very conscious of the fact that I was sitting between the two of them. I wasn’t sure what to make of my reaction, so I just ducked my head and stared at my clasped hands and feet.
Mr. Lodgeman noticed. “You all right, Billie?”
“Uh... Yes sir. I’m fine.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No. Nothings wrong. It’s just that ... Uh.. “ I had a burst of inspiration. “I was wondering how much this was going to cost!”
He looked closely at me for a moment. “Don’t worry, Eric has seen to it that you will be well supplied with all the money you need. Which brings me to a question I’ve been meaning to ask.”
My heart speeded up and I was starting to get nervous. I wasn’t sure how much Mr. Lodgeman knew about my origins, but I was sure that Mr. T hadn’t informed him of everything and I was afraid that if I talked too much I would say something I shouldn’t.
“Are you related to the Tanakas?”
This was getting too close for my comfort but I had to say something and I didn’t want to lie either.
“Uh... no. We are just good friends of the family. Mom and Dad got to know them before I was born. You could say that they are like my godparents. I spent a lot of time at the dojo for as long as I can remember.”
“That could explain it then. They usually don’t show this kind of interest in anyone but family or really close friends.”
“Yeah, I don’t know where I would be now if they hadn’t helped out.” I said with heartfelt appreciation. If it hadn’t been for them I might never have been able to prove who I was to my family.
“They must like you a lot.” He reached over and mussed my hair. “Can’t say as I can blame them. I’m beginning to like you, too What about you, Harry?”
I realized then that Harry had plastered himself to the door as if he was afraid to touch me and that he had been silent during the trip.
“Uh... Yeah.. A lot.” If I wasn’t mistaken he was blushing.
I just couldn’t help myself. I grabbed his arm and pulled myself a little closer. “You do like me don’t you Harry?” I looked up into his face and gave him a series of large blinks.
For a moment I thought he might jump from the truck. Then he relaxed a little and put an arm around my shoulders and gave me a hug. Now it was my time to squirm a little. I wondered if maybe I had gone too far and if this might cause some trouble for us.
“You like me too, don’t you, Billie?”
“Oh. Sure...I like you too...” Just then I looked up and realized he was grinning.
We both started to giggle and he gave me another hug. It made me feel a little odd. Not bad...just a little...different.
“All right you two. Break it up. I am your chaperone after all.” Mr. Lodgeman was grinning at us also. I felt my face go hot. I’m sure that as he released me, that Harry was blushing also. You just couldn’t see it under the fur.
“You’d better cover up Harry. We’re almost there. Let’s drop Billie off first and then we will get you checked into Twain Hall.”
Harry was looking very nervous again. “Twain Hall?”
“Yes. Twain Hall is where people like yourself can stay without feeling self conscious about your looks. Lots of the people there are moderately different from the norm. The rooms can also be modified to some extent to accommodate different physiological types. Longer or shorter beds, etc.”
“You already have a room assigned to you that has been modified to be more comfortable for you. Like most rooms in Twain, you will have a room to yourself. Your room is 208. There are some other aspects of the hall that you will be informed of as you check in.”
I asked a question to give Harry a chance to assimilate the information. “Do all first years get assigned to the second floor?”
“Usually. In some rare circumstances we have to modify that rule, but that’s fairly unusual.”
“Are you in Twain, Billie?” Harry was very hesitant as he asked me that and I realized that he was even lonelier than me. At least I had some acquaintances when I got there.
“Sorry, Harry. I’m in Poe Hall in room 202. But don’t worry. I made some friends right off and I’m sure you will too.” Harry still wasn’t looking too sure yet and I felt bad for him.
Mr. Lodgeman was looking a little confused. “I thought you were in room 216?”
“Ayla traded with Jade and me. She’s in 216. Jade and me are in 202. I guess the paperwork hasn’t caught up to Ms. Hartford yet.” A little light went on in my head as I realized I might be able to use this in my future dealings with Ms. Hartford. She obviously trusted her computer too much.
“Well, that explains that. Don’t let it bother you Harry. Billie’s right, you’ll be making new friends faster than you’d believe. Your not the only one far from home and alone right now.”
XXII
LUNCH BREAK: September 4th
We pulled up in front of Poe Hall just then and proceeded to argue over who would carry my stuff up to my room. I could have done it easily but they insisted on doing it instead. Men! They took each end of my trunk and tossed my duffle on top. Then had me lead the way and hold the doors.
Mrs. Horton intercepted us on the way to the stairs. Fortunately, she knew Mr. Lodgeman and was willing to let them up to the second floor as long as we were escorted by her. As soon as they dropped the stuff off in my room, she promptly escorted them down again. I went as far as the front door with them.
Harry didn’t want me to follow them any further at this time. We promised to see each other soon and discuss our new experiences. They headed out to the truck and I went looking for someone I knew. No one had been in their rooms when we were up there, so I assumed that they must be out checking out the school.
I didn’t find anyone at Poe and decided to head for the Crystal Hall for lunch. On the way there I became aware of some guy who seemed to be following me. He might have been one of the guys who had been looking me over yesterday at supper.
Maybe I was getting paranoid because of my new wardrobe. I was definitely drawing some looks. Even some double takes. It made me feel a little funny. Good and nervous at the same time.
When I got to Crystal Hall I looked around to see if I could recognize anyone. I finally spotted Jade and Jinn at a table by themselves.
I went through the line and piled as much as I could on my plate. I may have been getting as many or more stares for the amount of food on my plate as anything else. But I was hungry and didn’t really care anymore.
As I approached the table I don’t think that they recognized me right off. It wasn’t until I asked if there was room for another at the table that they really looked at me. Then Jade’s eyes got big.
“Tennyo? Is that you?”
“Yep! It’s me and I’m starving. Mind if I sit down?”
“Where did you get those clothes?”
“I’ll tell you if you let me sit. Did I mention how hungry I am?”
Jinn spoke up. “Sit! Sit down and let us in on your secret. Am I dreaming, or do those fit you perfectly?”
“Thank you!” I promptly sat down and proceeded to stuff my face. In-between bites I told them of my adventures in town and about my meeting with Miss Rogers.
“She put those together that fast? That’s incredible! She must be some kind of genius and talented too.” Jade just stared at me while Jinn kept up the conversation.
“I think it had something to do with that cubicle and robot thing it was attached to.” I said through a mouthful of food. “I think it helped her fit me as quickly as she did.” About this time I got the definite feeling of being watched.
When I looked around, I caught the eye of the guy I had seen earlier. He was sitting at a table about fifteen feet away and staring at me. “What!?! You’ve never seen someone eat before?”
He jumped a bit when I yelled at him and then turned away in obvious embarrassment.
I turned back and saw Jade still looking at me. “What’s your problem?”
“It’s not fair.” She mumbled.
“Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not.” She put her head between her hands and stared at her plate. “I think I’m getting a headache.”
I looked over at Jinn and she just shrugged at me.
“Can I help?” I was trying to get her to tell me what was wrong. For a moment she looked up at me and I thought for a moment she would say something.
Then she shook her head. “Maybe we should go back to our room.”
I had finished my plate of food and was kind of thinking that I might want seconds. But the edge was off my hunger and I was worried about Jade. “Okay, lets go back. I’ll have to unpack soon anyway.”
With a final glare at the guy who had been staring at me earlier, I took my plate and dishes up to be cleaned. We then headed back to our room. Jade seemed to perk up a bit as we walked. Jinn and Jade were walking together and as I watched them I could see how similar they looked as they talked together.
I couldn’t help asking now that we were away from prying ears. “Hey Jinn, if you needed a rubber mask for a face, wouldn’t almost anyone other than Madonna have worked better?”
Jinn grinned at me. “Yeah, I agree. But I didn’t have much money, and... well, she was cheap.”
“Oh? The Material Girl was cheap?”
It’s to bad that rubber can’t blush, but she bounced back quickly. She did a twirl and ended facing me. “We Material Girls like to have fun too!”
“Somehow, I have a hard time picturing you as the ‘Material’ girl Jinn.”
She seemed to be thinking of something else for a moment, then grinned back at me. “Maybe someday I will be, material that is. But one Madonna is more than enough, don’t you think?”
“Yeah. I think I know exactly how you feel about that.” At that moment I was sure I had seen that guy again behind us. But, when I turned to look more closely, he was gone.
“Is something wrong?” Asked Jade.
“I don’t know. Do either of you feel like you're being followed?" I could swear that I keep seeing the same guy following and staring at us.”
“What guy?”
“The one I told to mind his own business at lunch.”
“Oh, him.” They both looked around. “Nope. We don’t see him. But we will keep our eyes open and if we see him we will let you know.”
Watching and listening to the two of them do that together was a little disconcerting. But then I had another idea.
“Say Jinn. Do you have any idea what you really look like?”
“Of course I do! I see myself all the time.” As if to prove it, Jade and Jinn pointedly stared at each other.
“No.” I explained. “I mean, you. The face under the mask. The real you.”
There was sudden silence as they both stared at me in shock. Then they answered at the same time. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. How could we find out?”
It made me kind of sad to think that what I’d just said was one of the kindest things ever said to her. She deserved better. She was a great person. Both of them.
They looked at each other, then Jade said, “We never thought about it until now, but now that you bring up the idea, I really want to know. But how could I find out?”
I had one idea that might work. “Well, maybe something like that blow plastic for bubbles. You know, the stuff you put on the end of a tube and blow up. Maybe you could take a tube of that and spread it over your body. We might be able to get a better idea what you look like. Without the masks.”
Jinn asked, “Do you think it would work?”
“Won’t know until we try. I’ll keep my eyes open and see if we can find some to experiment with.”
Both Jinn and Jade were pondering something for the rest of the way back. I kept myself busy trying to spot the guy I thought might be following us. But, either he was imaginary, or had gotten better at concealing himself. I didn’t see him again at that time.
XXIII
NASTY NOTES: September 4th
We got to our room and I had to look through the new bag I had to carry everything in, now that I didn’t have any pockets. As I unlocked our door and looked up at the two of them an idea occurred to me.
“I just realized, if you’d been smart, you two could have been roommates. Then you wouldn’t have to share a room.”
They answered in unison. “But we want to share a room with you!”
That made me feel good even as I shook my head, smiled, and said, “Huh. Psychic twins. Figures.” It was nice to know I had friends here.
As we went in I saw an envelope on the floor that looked as if it had been slid under the door. There was scribbled writing on it that looked like, “T-eyor.”
As we all looked at it, Jinn spoke up, “Do you suppose they meant to write ‘Tennyo’?”
“Beats me. Let’s see what it says.” I shrugged and tore the letter open. Inside was a piece of folded paper. I opened that and read the message.
My face must have looked odd as I read it. Both Jinn and Jade were staring at me as I read the message. As the nature of the message became apparent I felt some fear. I was sure it was from someone who was trying to find me. Then, as I thought about it, I wasn’t so sure.
“What is it?” Asked Jade.
“Well, what do you know. Only our first day here, and already we’re getting death threats.” Both of them looked a little shocked when I said that. To reassure them I added, “But I don’t think they are from very competent foes.” I handed the note over to them to read.
Missing your family much?
Don’t worry. However far they may be from your heart and mind, rest assured that they aren’t far out of our sights. Particularly that so-called sister of yours. Play things right and we give both you and her a wide berth, and never talk to you again. Play things wrong and the very least that will happen is that those innocent young girls you’re living with will find out that their sorority sister used to look a lot different.
We’re looking for someone else, not related to you. All you have to do is get the name and address of every girl living in Poe Hall. It should be easy. Right now, everyone’s moving in. They all have addresses on their luggage.
Write the information down, fold the paper up, and leave it under the bust of Edgar Allen Poe in the entryway to your cottage. Wednesday, exactly at noon. No tricks. Complete this successfully and we will never again bother you or yours.
Don’t play games with us, Trevor. We mean business.
“Trevor is Ayla’s old name, so this note was meant for Ayla. Why did they send it to us?” Asked Jinn.
I slapped my head. “Oh! I forgot. We didn’t change our room assignments with Belle after we exchanged with Ayla. Whoever sent the note must be using that out of date information.”
If not for a mistake on the part of these blackmailers, I might never have known about this possible attempt to find me. Of course, there might be some other person they were after, or some other reason for the note. But I was feeling very paranoid for some reason. Then something else occurred to me.
“One thing’s for sure,” I said. “Whoever sent this note doesn’t have any idea what Poe Hall is all about.” I grabbed the note back and read a part out load. “-those innocent young girls you’re living with will find out that their sorority sister used to look a lot different.- What does that sound like to you?”
Jinn turned and looked at Jade. “Wrong dorm, maybe? Somewhere that has some innocent young girls?”
The implications of that statement should really worry me, but I had other things on my mind at the time. I was getting kind of excited about the idea of tracking these people down. I was getting really tired of being afraid and not being able to do anything about it.
“NO!” I realized how loud I was getting and lowered my voice. “Someone who obviously doesn’t know about the nature of us here at Poe is trying to blackmail Ayla with the threat of telling us about her.”
Jade looked a little confused for a moment. “But we already know about Ayla. What would that accomplish?”
“If we were the innocent girls the blackmailers think we are it might hurt her if we were turned against her.” The implications of THAT statement should worry me also. But the hunt was up, and the time had come for us to make our move. “I think we are going to have to warn Ayla and get some help. But how?”
“Let’s go find her!” Said Jinn, heading for the door.
“Hold on!” Said Jade. “We’ve got some crook watching for anything out of the ordinary, maybe getting ready to do something drastic. Parents on every floor. I think you look pretty good, but I don’t think we’re ready for that level of scrutiny. Particularly if you start wandering around asking questions.”
She had a point. “Good point. The mask isn’t bad, but those eyes... Anyway, I know where we can find more manpower. Or rather, girl power.”
Jade got that immediately and nodded. “Of course! Duh!”
Jinn looked resigned, “What about me? Paper airplane again?”
I was wondering what Jinn meant as Jade nodded again and Jinn started putting herself away. She put away her shoes, folded up her legs, started to pack away her head... I had to look away. It was pretty creepy to watch. “Ugg. That’s just creepy. What’s this paper airplane thing?”
Jade finished putting Jinn away by closing the drawer her gloves had dropped into. She then shook her head and picked up a small paper airplane off the desk. She then threw it and it circled around the room and returned to her hand. “See? Paper airplane. Perfectly innocent to unsuspecting parents.”
“Nice throw. What’s her job?”
“She lodges somewhere near the ceiling and watches. If she sees anything, she comes back to me immediately.”
“Cool! She can keep an eye out for us while we get the others together and decide what we can do about this. Why don’t you go and get Ayla. Bring her over to Toni’s and Fey’s room. I’ll meet you there and we can pool our resources.”
We headed out. I saw Jade flick the airplane into the air. It shot to the ceiling and stuck there somehow. Jade proceeded to Ayla’s room and I headed over to Toni’s and Fey’s room.
I tapped on their door. Toni answered it. It took her a moment to recognize me in my new suit.
“Tennyo! Is that you?”
“Yep! Can I please come in? It’s kind of urgent.”
I stepped in quickly and saw the look of surprise on Fey’s face when she saw me. I gave a quick twirl in front of them. “Like it?” I asked with a grin.
“You look great. Where did you get that? I didn’t see anything that good over at the store,” said Fey. “They didn’t have anything I could wear, either.” She said with no little chagrin.
“Yeah,” said Toni. “You would think that they would have better stuff there.” She shook her head. “I didn’t see anything I wanted to be caught in.”
“I got this and some others in town at, ‘Rogers Fabric Boutique’. You know Fey, I bet she could make you some good uniforms in materials you could wear. She’s a total genius and has some kind of ability with cloth. She made these from scratch in a matter of minutes.”
I turned to Toni. “I bet she can put some together that you would like also.”
Both of them were looking at me and before they could speak I continued, “OH! The reason I came over is this. Please read it. Jade will be bringing Ayla over soon.” I handed the note to Toni and she took it over to where they both could read it.
While they were reading the note there was a knock on the door. It was Ayla and Jade.
“Where is the note!” Ayla was not in a good mood. I pointed to the others. She stepped up to them and pulled the note away to read it herself.
Soon we had all had a chance to read the note. Ayla was very upset and I can’t really blame her. I don’t like the idea of people threatening my family or self either. After we got her calmed down, we started to plan.
We decided to learn how many people were in Poe Hall at the time and make up false names and addresses for them. We would then place this information in the foyer as directed. Then we would watch it to see if we could catch them. Even if they managed to get the information, it would do them no good.
XXIV
PRELUDE TO NIGHT: September 4th
The rest of the afternoon for me was very hectic. Between trying to come up with different names, addresses, and trying to get the necessary information to get the classes I needed and wanted to take, I was running around like mad.
At supper, the guy who had been following me before was back. And he had a few others with him. They staked out a table near me and spent supper watching me. Even glaring at them directly didn’t seem to phase them very much. Then Fey showed up and distracted them enough for me to slip away.
I finally had a chance to unpack the things that had come in the duffle and trunk. There were a few more jeans, slacks, and shirts. I found myself strangely unwilling to put them on again at this time.
Something about wearing clothing that made me look better and more feminine had made me uncomfortable about going back to my old style of dressing. What had Miss Rogers said? Something about coming out of my cocoon. Had I been denying my new reality until I could actually accept it?
I carefully folded them and put them away. There would be times in the future that I would need them and want them. But not now.
The other things in the trunk and duffle meant more to me now. There was my fishing equipment, my metal detector, and my shinai, boku, and katana. I also had a wood and metal set of ton-fa.
With them was a compact clock, radio, cd player with headphones and a collection of my favorite cds. Some of them I had put together myself on a cd burner, so as to have some of my favorite music together. I could hardly wait for a chance to relax by listening to some of them.
I also had a large supply of feminine products for my periods. Never wanting to not have them available again, I’d made a point of always having some with me wherever I went. There was also a number of medications for the discomfort of the periods, but none of them seemed to work on me.
Dr. Tanaka thought that my new physiology was too strong for over the counter medications. He also wasn’t certain how my new system would react with these drugs or even prescription drugs and warned me to be careful how I used them. Still, when your hormones are bouncing all over the place and you feel miserable, anything that might help is welcome.
I had a few personal items, but not much else. With only a few minutes to relax, I took a good look at what I now had. Hopefully, Miss Rogers could come up with enough to fill the large gaps in my clothing. I could hardly wait to see what she was preparing.
XXV
SETTLING IN: September 4th
At about 7 PM, we were called together by Mrs. Horton. She informed us that there would be a house party starting soon where we could get a chance to know each other in the cottage better. Some refreshments would be provided and some discussion groups would be held.
One discussion group would cover Whateley, another would cover how being in a sexually oriented minority would affect us, and the last would revolve around graduation and what was beyond that. There would also be some discussion of something called a legacy.
There would also be some dancing. This interested me the most and I was looking forward to seeing what kind of dancing would be available.
After it started, I quickly realized that the majority of the students were pairing up girl/girl and boy/boy. The music and atmosphere was also not conducive to ballroom style dancing and I was quickly losing interest in what was happening.
I did manage to get a dance with Hank. I’m not sure, but I think he may have tried to cop a few feels in the process. I didn’t know if I should be insulted or complimented. It produced so many complicated feelings that I had decided to give up on it for the time being.
I had just about decided to go back to my room when I saw a girl that Jade had mentioned in passing as being very nice and someone I should meet. Jade said that her name was Angel and that she had wings. She was keeping them covered, but when I looked closely I could see them. She caught me staring at her and I decided to put a bold face on the situation and waved and approached her.
“Hi! My name is Billie Wilson, but if you want to, you can call me Tennyo.” I offered my hand to shake hers.
For a moment she looked uncertain, then she smiled and shook my hand with a firm grip. “You must be Jade’s and Jinn’s roommate then. I’m glad to meet you. My name is Angel.”
“I’m glad to meet you too. She has a lot of good things to say about you. You really impressed her.” I smiled. Somehow I had a good feeling about her. There was something trustworthy and comfortable about how she acted and spoke.
“I really haven’t known her for long.” She blushed a little.
“She’s good at knowing people quickly. I trust her judgement. I think it has something to do with her honest nature.” I smiled as I said this. It was something that I had just realized about my new roommate.
“Glad you feel that way. Uh...I’m waiting for a friend to come over and I’m afraid that she won’t until she’s certain she isn’t interrupting us.” She glanced over towards the refreshments and I realized that there was another girl holding two drinks and looking at us nervously.
“Okay. I don’t want to interrupt what you’re doing. Just wanted to say hello. Maybe we can get together again sometime with Jade and swap stories.”
I beat a retreat and waved as she said, “Sounds good to me. I’ll look forward to meeting you later.” After that, I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted to do at that time. I also couldn’t fly up into the rafters with so many people around. So I returned to my room.
Jade was already asleep and I was tired enough to follow her quickly into rest. I chose to skip a shower tonight as there was too much else going on right now. I set my alarm for 5:30 and was soon asleep myself.
XXVI
EVERY MORNING IS A NEW BEGINNING: Tuesday, September 5th
I woke up to Enya’s ‘A Day Without Rain’. It was my alarm. I checked it to be sure it wasn’t malfunctioning and that it really was the morning and not some part of the night. Worse luck, it was the morning and time to get started.
There is a purpose to getting up early. My brother Larry had suggested that if I wanted to get a hot shower in the morning I had better be the early bird. His experiences away from home had given him this wisdom that he passed on to me when I was leaving. I’m not sure how good the hot water heaters are here but I’m not taking any chances. I need my shower in the morning.
And I was the first one in. It took a minute for the water to heat up, but it was wonderfully hot after that. I just relaxed for now. My schedule for today had me meeting with my counselor after lunch at one.
Later today I was to meet a Dr. Alfred E. Bellows. We would be discussing what I would be doing this semester. The name sounded familiar but I couldn’t quite place it.
Some other students were starting to come in as I dried off and headed back to our room. I got a few strange looks and wondered what I had done or was doing to get them. Jade was up and straightening up. Both of us looked around helplessly as we tried to find a place to put our laundry.
“I’ll get us a laundry pail today, if you don’t mind?” I asked Jade.
“Where do we put this now?”
“How about in my bottom drawer? I’m not using it now and I can have the hamper here after breakfast. I’m sure that it won’t hurt anything for that short a period. I can get some soap to wash them with also. I’m sure I saw some at the store. Do you have a preference in color?”
“It’s your money, get what you want.” She said.
“It’s our room and I would appreciate some input here.” Something was bothering her but I wasn’t sure what it was. “C’mon Jade.” I weedled. “We’re buds aren’t we? Let’s get some communication going here, okay?”
“..........”
“C’mon, louder so I can hear you.” She was almost in tears and mumbling.
“I don’t have much money.”
Oh, so that was the problem. I knew she had a lot of pride and I didn’t want to make her feel worse. Then I got an idea that would work for us both.
“Tell you what. I’ll get the hamper, detergent, and anything else you think we need for the room and you can do the laundry for the next month. Okay?”
She brightened right up. “Sure, I can do that. I’ll be glad to do it all the time.”
“You don’t have to do it all the time. Besides, I have to keep in practice too you know. Now, what do we need to get? Broom, dust pan, cleaner or do they supply that here?”
“I think they have some in the closet down the hall, but they didn’t seem to be in good shape. Maybe we should get the broom and dust pan. When we need a mop, we can use what they have in the closet. We ought to see what kind of cleaners they have and if we will want to get our own.”
Now that she had something to do and an out for her pride she was right into it. All her energy came out and she just shone with purpose. “What else can we do with the room?”
“I think we are going to have to ask Mrs. Horton what we are allowed to do, but I would like to put up some hangers so I can hang my stuff and swords out of the way and not stack them in the corner. It’s just not right to treat them like that.”
“Yeah, and maybe when I get a job, we can paint it.” Just like Jade to be planning something like that.
I had to grin and she grinned back. Nothing like making something better, or at least planning to, to get your spirits up.
“You better get your shower now or there won’t be any hot water for you. I’ll finish straightening up the room now and when you get back we can go to breakfast.”
“Okay!” She gathered her stuff and headed out while I finished straightening the room and tossing the laundry into the drawer. We would need to use the laundry real soon at this rate.
When she got back and dressed, we did a final straightening and headed to breakfast. We were so busy planning that I pretty much ignored the guys who seemed to be following me.
After we ate, Jade headed off to meet with her counselor and I headed back to find Mrs. Horton and find out what we could do with our room.
When I found her, she said that it would be okay for us to hang things if we signed a waiver being responsible for damages and we could paint the room also as long as it was approved in advance by her. We were expected to keep things neat and shouldn’t bring in too much furniture and over crowd the room.
After that I headed over to the campus store and found the various things we would need to get started. I would have to go into town to get good hangers, but I found everything else we needed. Even a white hamper for our clothes and some laundry bags to go in it. I also learned that we could bring dry cleaning here and they could send it into town. I could probably go to a hardware store tomorrow when I went to see Miss Rogers.
After I dropped that stuff off at our room, I decided to tour the campus some more and get a better idea of where everything was. As I walked around I suddenly realized that I was approaching Twain Cottage.
It looked pretty much like Poe on the outside. I wondered how Harry was getting along. Maybe I could drop in and find out. Hopefully he was there and not doing something else right now.
I decided that the best way to find out would be to go on in. Even if he wasn’t there, I could probably find out when he would be there.
I walked in and became the total center of attention in about five seconds. The entryway was just like Poe, except the bust was of Mark Twain. Oddly enough, it looked like this entrance was not very used. It was almost completely blocked off by a sofa and some chairs. There were a number of boys scattered around the common room. They were all staring at me.
“Hello.” I smiled and waved. “Can anyone tell me if Harry Wolfe is here?”
“Girl on the floor. GIRL ON THE FLOOR!” The call started out quietly and quickly grew.
I saw many of them run for the stairs and some others start to come down them. It wasn’t long before I was facing a semi circle of amazed young men. One of them, looking like a huge blonde sasquatch, moved forward and said, “What are you doing here?” in a very un-welcoming voice.
“Well, I thought I had already made that clear when I asked if Harry Wolfe was here.” I wasn’t about to back down in a situation like this. “Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time.”
“By the way, my name is Tennyo.” No need to get too confrontational, at least not yet. I extended my hand in an offer to shake his. “And you are?”
“They call me Montana as if it’s any of your business. Girls aren’t supposed to come in here.” He still seemed to be projecting a lot of attitude and he ignored my hand.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I still would like to know if Harry is here and how I might be able to contact him.”
A really snakey looking kid hissed, “C’monnn, Moontty, llleett uupp oon hherr. Iitt’sss nnott llikke wweee ccann’t llett hherr iinnttoo tthhee coommmonn rrrooommm.”
“Shut up, Links. I’m in charge here and I don’t think we should just let her come in.”
“You don’t think we should let any pretty girls on the campus at all, Monty. And who put you in charge anyway?” This from a disturbingly black boy shape, whose exposed flesh was so black that it felt like light was being sucked up around him.
“You shut up, too, Blot. I’m the oldest student here and until someone else older comes along, I’m in charge.” No one else seemed inclined to argue with him and he turned back to me. “Now, why are you still here?”
“Like I said. I’m here looking for Harry Wolfe, who I’m pretty sure is staying here. And I may not have been here long, but I know I am allowed to come in this far at least and ask. So, can I ask what your problem is and why someone can’t tell me where Harry is?”
He was towering over me now and it was taking a lot of self control to keep myself on the ground and not rise up to meet him eye to eye.
“Your type are nothing but trouble. You should really leave now.” He was bent over me and looking straight down. I wasn’t about to back off and he was either going to have to start something or trip over me if he didn’t let up soon.
“Hey! What’s going on down there?”
I recognized that voice and stepped around Monty before he could move.
“Harry! It’s good to see you again!” I stood on my tip toes and waved over everyone’s heads at Harry who was coming down the stairs.
“Billie! I heard someone say that a girl was down here looking for me and from the description I was sure it was you.” He was grinning from ear to ear, which on his face went a long way. He jumped over the rail and dropped the rest of the way to the floor and landed very lightly.
The others parted to let me through and I started towards him to shake his hand and say hello. Just then I felt a very large hand slam onto my left shoulder and my reflexes took over. I grabbed the thumb of his left hand which he had grabbed me with, spun down, forward, and to my left while twisting his thumb further to the left. I took his left pinky with my right hand at this time and stepping back, applied even more torque to his hand. He followed me and landed on his face as I levered his arm behind his back.
As I said before, I’m a lot stronger than I was before and combined with my new speed, strength, and flying ability, I can do a lot more than you would think. Everyone else was still staring at me standing on Monty when another voice I didn’t know spoke up. “WHAT’S GOING ON HERE!?”
Another large boy was coming down the stairs. He was six feet something and where you could see his skin, he was silvery. He looked a lot like a larger version of the T2 terminator. He also had a lot more authority than anyone else here. There was going to be real trouble if I didn’t think fast.
“Oh! Hi there!” I said with a big smile. “Monty was just letting me show some of the newer people here how to do an arm bar on someone bigger than yourself. You know, part of our self defense training?” As I said this, I was lifting Monty up and dusting him off as he rubbed his shoulder and arm and glared at me. He started to say something.
I was certain that he was about to say something stupid and ruin it, so I stepped on his toe to distract him. Link and Blot both caught on quickly and started to agree with me loudly as they stepped up to help me hold him up. I think Monty was still going to say something when Blot put an elbow in his ribs.
“You see everyone?” I turned as I said this and allowed the other two to hold Monty. “It’s just as Monty said. It doesn’t matter how big the other guy is if you are prepared and use good technique.” They were all grinning and nodding now.
T2 stood there glaring at me and then looking around at the others. “Monty said that?” He was looking at me more closely and I just smiled back. I hope he wasn’t a mind reader.
“Monty?” Monty was staring back at him, but was also aware that he probably wouldn’t get a chance to say anything. So he just nodded.
“Well, you’ve managed to surprise me. Good idea, but you are not allowed to do such things here and without proper supervision. I don’t want this to happen again. Am I clear?” As he said this he was looking around the room.
“Sure thing, Mirror.” said Blot. Everyone else nodded. Mirror proceeded up the stairs and out of sight. There was a collective sigh of relief and I turned to Monty.
“I don’t want any trouble Monty, but if you ever try something like that again, I’m going to rip that arm off and make you eat it. Do you understand me?”
“You can’t do this to me.” He was obviously not getting the idea and for some reason he seemed to be taking this all too personally.
Harry stepped up. “C’mon, Monty, I know how you feel about some girls, but Billie here is alright. And you really don’t want to get her mad. You should’ve seen what she did to Hamper yesterday.”
“This is the girl who kicked Hamper in the balls? Wow, Monty, you’re luckier than you know. I understand that he still can’t walk too good.” Blot was smiling as he said this and I got the feeling that no one here felt too bad for Hamper, who had to be Blondie Number One.
He just glared at us and stomped upstairs.
“Sorry about that.” Said Blot. “I’m afraid that when Monty first got here, some of the Alpha girls played some really cruel games on him. He’s had a hard time with girls ever since. By the way, my name is Richard Henry. Most people call me Blot. The skinny, scally guy here is Slim Martin but we call him Link It seems that you already met Harry here.”
“Pleased to meet you all. I’m Billie Wilson, but you can all call me Tennyo. Right Harry?”
“Sorry Bil... I mean Tennyo. I got so used to calling you Billie in town that I just forgot.”
“That’s okay. I just really stopped by to see how you were doing and if you were settling in.”
“I’m fine. You were right. I met some really good guys, like Blot and Link here, right off and they helped me get set up.”
“Aw shucks! Twern’t nothing.” Grinned Blot.
“Glad to hear that you are doing so well, Harry. Are you having a good time?”
“Sure am!” He was still grinning. “For the first time in my life I have a lot of friends who don’t care what I look like. It’s really nice to be able to relax and have fun.”
“Learning anything new yet?”
“Now don’t get him started on that again.” Said Blot. “We had to work for hours to peel him off the perpetual motion machine that someone set up in the basement a few years back.”
“Yesss, iitt wassss mmosstt diiffiiculltt.” Link was shaking his head.
“But guys, I’m sure that I can figure it out. It will just take a little more study is all. Hey! Tennyo. Do you want to see it?” As he said this he was grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the cellar steps.
“No! Harry! Wait!” Both Blot and Link leaped forward and grabbed his arms. “You can’t! Remember the rules? No one but Twain’s are allowed down there.”
“Oh. Yes. I forgot. Sorry Tennyo, but only guys from Twain are allowed down there.” He was obviously embarrassed and worried that I would take it personally.
“Don’t worry guys. I understand. We have rules over at Poe too.” That last statement seemed to make Blot and Link a little nervous for some reason. Harry just looked relieved. I wondered what the other two had heard about Poe.
Moving on to more neutral subjects, “What do you guys have planned for today?”
Harry looked embarrassed again. “Uh, I almost forgot. You see, I have to meet my counselor again, and after lunch, I’m going to be starting my new job.”
“You already have a job?”
“Yeah, Mr. Lodgeman arranged it for me before I got here. It seems they are always needing workers over at the motor pool. With my background, he thought that I’d fit in very well and maybe stick around longer than some of the others.”
“Tough job?”
“Moderately tough, but it’s Mr. Ballentine who makes people leave from what I have been told.”
“That’s right.” Said Blot. “He’s got to be one of the worst people to work for in the world. He loves all of his vehicles and heaven help the person who so much as smudges one of them. He is such a perfectionist that he will hold a person back for hours making sure that everything is perfect.”
“He may be tough to work for, but I hear he is one of the best teachers in the world if you can put up with him. I’m willing to give it a try anyway. I only hope that it is worth it and that I will make enough money to get by on.” Said Harry.
I could hear the determination in his voice and was sure that he would be able to work with this Mr. Ballentine or die trying.
“So, I guess I better get going and let you guys get back to what you were doing then.”
Harry looked a little disappointed for a moment and then brightened a little. “Do you think we could get together for lunch tomorrow? They are going to start letting us eat in the cafeteria after tonight and the parents are gone.”
“I don’t see why not. As far as I know I have nothing else planned for that time. I’ll let you know if my plans change though. How about we meet near the red maple towards the north end. You guys going to be there?”
Both Blot and Link looked even more nervous and shook their heads. “Sorry, I don’t think we will be able to. We better be going now. We still have to get our classes finalized. Bye.” They both waved and headed down into the cellar.
“Is it something I said?” I was a little confused about their sudden departure.
Harry looked a bit embarrassed for his friends. “I think it has something to do with some of the stories we were told about Poe Cottage.”
“Stories?”
“Uh, it’s nothing really. I’m sure that it’s just some kind of misunderstanding. I’m sure that you guys have similar stories about us.” The grin was fading from his face. The look I was giving him may have had something to do with it.
“Harry.”
“Uh, yes?”
“You aren’t adding to any of these stories are you?”
He got a hurt look on his face. “No! You know I would never do anything like that!”
I felt a little guilty for doubting him. “Sorry Harry, I didn’t mean to insult you. I’m afraid I’m a little sensitive on that subject though.”
“It’s okay. I probably would be pretty sensitive about it myself, but don’t worry, I’d actually forgotten about that.” He was looking even more embarrassed.
“Well! I don’t know if I should be insulted or complimented by that.” I was trying not too successfully to keep a straight face as I said that.
“Please. Be complimented!” It was my turn to start blushing as he took my hand and gave it a squeeze.
I took a deep breath. “Okay Harry, you win. But please, do me a favor, and keep your ears open to who is spreading those stories and if they might be trying to do more than a little innocent bashing. I’ll understand if you don’t want to get involved in this kind of thing...”
“Don’t worry Tennyo. I’ll let you know if this starts to get out of hand. What I’ve heard so far isn’t like anything you need to worry about.”
“If it starts to cause problems for people like Blot and Link, then it could get worse fast.”
“What can we do about it?”
“I don’t know. Just keep your ears open and I will check on my end to see what we can do. It might be best to just ignore it. Especially if this is just kidding around.”
“Yeah. I hope so. Well, I better be going now. See you at lunch tomorrow, okay?”
“Sure. I wouldn’t want to miss it. I want to find out what classes you will be taking.”
“We probably won’t be sharing much in the way of classes. They are going to be putting me in mostly basic beginners courses because I haven’t had any public schooling before.”
“Will you be testing out of any of these?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you know that you can test out of some of these classes so you don’t have to take them?”
“No. Nobody had said anything about that.”
“Well, if your counselor doesn’t bring it up, you probably should do it yourself.”
“Okay. Any other sage words of advice?”
“Don’t forget the dance class. I’ll be looking for you.”
“I was kind of hoping you’d forgotten that.”
“Not on your life, buster! Don’t you dare forget it. Dance isn’t any fun without someone to have fun with.”
He seemed surprised by my answer. “You think it will be fun?”
“If you’re there, I’m sure it will be.” That seemed to embarrass him even more.
“I better be going now. See you soon.”
“Okay.” We just stood there for a moment before he turned and headed back up the stairs.
He turned at the top of the stairs and waved. I waved back and turned and headed out the door. Somehow this whole experience just confused me more. At the same time, I found myself looking forward to the next time I would meet with him.
I didn’t pay too much attention to the rest of my tour. Even my shadow didn’t bother me much. I started to look forward to meeting my counselor. I wanted to see which classes would be available. I wonder what classes Harry is going to take? Wasn’t it lunch time yet? I was starting to get hungry.
There wasn’t anyone I recognized and wanted to talk to at lunch. I decided to head out of there when they started to look at me strangely after my third large helping. Hey. I was hungry. What can I say. Even that didn’t fill me up completely. But, at least I was comfortable again.
Maybe I could get in with my counselor early? With as much time as I had to spare there wasn’t a need to hurry but it might be nice to get it out of the way. I headed to where his office was.
XXVII
KEEP YOUR HEAD ON STRAIGHT: September 5th
The sign on the door read, Dr. Alfred E. Bellows MD Phd.
I wondered why I was assigned a doctor for my counselor. It would be just my luck if I was assigned to some kind of mad scientist for a mentor.
I really couldn’t put it off any longer. I thought it was kind of odd that I was so nervous all of a sudden. There was nothing to be nervous about. All I had to do was find out what classes I would be taking and when.
I took a deep breath and knocked. It seemed like he must have been waiting for me. I almost jumped out of my skin as his door opened even as I was knocking.
Before me stood a man who looked strangely familiar. He must have been in his late forties or early fifties. A broad face that was very expressive and his hair was beginning to thin out on top. He also radiated health well above what you would expect from someone his age.
“Please come in. You must be Billie Wilson. I’m Alfred Bellows.” He directed me into his room and towards a chair that was facing his desk He closed the door and moved around his desk. “Please be seated.”
“Yes, sir.” I settled into the chair and found it to be very comfortable. He sat in his own chair, facing me across his desk.
“Relax. I’m not going to hurt you. In fact, I’m here to help you.”He smiled and I found myself relaxing. There was something about him that was comfortable and not threatening at all. I took a moment to look around and realized that his office was very informal and well lit. Everything about it was low key and not... distracting.
Except for a vase or bottle about twelve inches tall on a shelf by itself on the wall. Wide at the bottom and tapering to a narrow spout with what looked like a glass stopper. It seemed much more ornate than it should be to blend in. Almost like it was set out to draw attention to it.
“Okay,” I turned my attention back to him. “How are you supposed to help me?”
“I’m going to help you decide which classes you should take and I can also help you find work to help you develop your talents.”
“My talents?”
He held up a manila file. “Yes, your record here is far from complete, but there is enough here to start with. You have many talents, some of them are not obvious. Others are. Part of my job here is to help you find and develop them.”
“You don’t... My record isn’t complete?”
“No. As I said, your record is far from complete.” He seemed to be a bit irritated by this fact. “There are a number of tests that are supposed to be administered before you enter this school that either were not done or have been misplaced. There are gaps in the history that I have been given that you could drive a semi through.”
“Uh, like what?”
“I’m pretty sure that the story I have been given about how you changed and got your powers isn’t complete.” I felt a jolt of nervousness and fear as he said that. I had promised not to tell the whole story in case Mr. Lodgeman might get hold of it.
He was staring at me intently and after a moment he continued. “I also need to get a get a better idea of how you are adjusting to your new sex.” I felt some irritation at this. Why is it that everyone keeps coming back to this? It’s not like I can do anything about it anyway.
He suddenly smiled. “But enough of that for now. We will have many opportunities in the future to go over those issues. I’ll expect to meet with you at least once a week for the next few weeks. Maybe more or less as we get to know your needs better.”
“Uh, Mr. Bellows?”
“Yes Billie?”
“I was wondering if I had been assigned to you for a reason?”
“You mean because I am a doctor?”
“Uh, yes.”
“Don’t worry about that. I was assigned to you because Charlie Lodgeman and I are friends. There are people still looking for you. We felt that it would be better if I was your counselor because it would give me the ability block any attempts to access your records.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Any requests for information on you must come through me first as your counselor. We thought that it would be safer this way.”
That made me feel a little better. “Okay, that makes sense.”
“You were worried it had to do with something else maybe?” He was back to staring at me intently.
I was getting more nervous. I didn’t know how much Dr. Bellows knew about what was going on and how much I could or should tell him.
“Billie.” I brought my attention back to him. “I’m aware of the changes that you recently went through. In many cases, these changes can cause problems that you may not even be aware of. If you do find yourself with questions, please feel free to talk to me.”
“Okay. Uh... How about my class schedule?” He continued to stare at me for a few moments. Then he smiled.
“Are you familiar with the class schedules?”
“No.”
He seemed surprised. “It’s in the introductory package. Haven’t you read it?”
I felt another burst of irritation at this. “I keep telling everyone, I never got an introductory package. I have no idea what you are talking about!”
I was really starting to get a little more irritated now. No one had yet given me an introductory package. But everyone seemed to expect me to have one and already know what was in it.
“Calm down. I wasn’t aware that you hadn’t received one.” He thought for a moment. “I will see to it that you receive one immediately. It will be delivered to your room tomorrow. You are in room 216, right?”
“Uh, no. Actually I am in room 202. Jade and I switched with Ayla. I guess the changes haven’t gotten to you yet.”
“And who are Jade and Ayla?”
“Jade is my roommate and Ayla is another girl who moved into Poe on the same day as us.”
“What is it like having a roommate? Do you like her?”
I wasn’t sure what he was asking and why. “Well, It’s the first time I’ve had a roommate and it hasn’t been for very long. I like Jade a lot. She’s pretty cool.”
“Cool?”
“Yeah. She’s a very nice person and I think we can get along just fine. She’s also smart and easy to talk to.”
“She’s easy to talk to?” He seemed very interested in this.
“Uh, yeah. We just seem to understand each other. We can talk and it’s easy. Not hard at all.”
“Have you ever been able to talk to anyone else like that?”
I just sat there staring at him. Thinking about what he had just said.
“Billie?”
“No.”
“What?”
“No. I haven’t talked to others like that.” I was surprised to realize this fact about myself. Why was it so much easier to talk to the others I had just met? I couldn’t be this relaxed and open with people I had known my whole life.
He kept looking at me for a few more moments. “Okay Billie. We can get back to this at a later date. For now, I would like you to tell me in your own words what happened to you and your feelings about it.”
It took him a bit longer to get me to go over my story again, but he was persistent and he was a good listener who didn’t interrupt. I gave him the modified version. I wasn’t too certain how much I could trust him yet. After I was done he sat back and thought about what I had said for about a minute.
“Well, that is very interesting. I can understand if you don’t want to share everything with me. I hope that you can learn to trust me more soon though.” I was sure that he knew I was holding some back, but at least he wasn’t pushing the issue. Maybe later, if he could be trusted, I could tell him more.
“Okay. Since you haven’t received the information yet, let’s give you a little introduction now. Classes will be Monday through Friday, with six hour long blocks each day, split into three in the morning and three in the afternoon. You will note that there is plenty of time after that for study and extracurricular activities.”
“Breakfast starts at 7 AM. Lunch is between classes and starts at 11:30 AM, and supper will start at 6:45 PM.”
“You are expected to not only take classes that will give you a well rounded general education, but some others that will help you cope with your abilities and society at the same time. You need to accept the fact that you are not just like everyone else, but you will need to live with them just the same.”
“Besides the standard classes in English, math, social studies etc., we also have accelerated learning classes in those same fields that allow for the learning of college level credits.” This got my attention. I had been worried that I might be getting bored here. But it looked like I was going to be able to study more interesting things than the usual boring pablum I usually got.
I had to interrupt him at this point. “Mr. Bellows?”
“Yes?”
“What do I have to do to qualify for those advanced classes?” My worst memories of school, besides avoiding some of the troglodytes they let in, was the terrible boredom.
“We have tests for you to take that will allow us to evaluate where you stand in your educational progress. In fact, I have those tests with me right now. Combined with your past school records, we can get a good idea of what you will need to take.”
I almost fell out of my seat. “Tests? Now?”
“Yes. Now. I have found that we get much more realistic results if we can administer these tests without any advance notice. We get a better idea of what you really know, rather than what you just crammed into your head.” He was smiling as he said this. Funny how it actually seemed to make sense.
“I am going to have to ask you to never reveal this secret to anyone. It wouldn’t be fair. Promise?”
I nodded my agreement and he handed me the first test. Three hours later I had finished. All the tests had been essay except for the test for math. They had seemed very general and for the most part not very difficult. Except for the math. I really suck at any math beyond addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. I have those down pat. Everything else seems like a foreign language.
“How long will it take to get the results?”
“Oh, I’ve been working with these as we went. Give me a few more minutes and I’ll have all the answers we will need.”
It seemed like a very long few minutes as I fidgeted and fretted and waited for him to finish with his notes.
“Very interesting.” I almost jumped. I hadn’t realized how tense I was becoming. “It seems that you are well in advance of where you normally would be in your knowledge of History, English, and the biological sciences. You are probably being held back in some of those by your barely passable math skills though.”
“I’ve been reading since I was very young. I think that might be why I did okay with the History and English. And I’ve always had a knack for the biological stuff. I’m afraid that my understanding of math seems to end after I get past the basics. Anything beyond that seems like a foreign language.”
“That is consistent with what information I have from your school records and the test results we just got. I believe that we have enough information now to make up a tentative schedule for you.”
“Let’s play to your strengths and weaknesses first. We have an excellent advanced genetics course that I think you are ready for now. Dr. Reynolds is desperate for students that might be able to understand some of his new approaches to the subject. The class is held in the first period.”
“The next period is Dr. Winslow’s remedial mathematics course. He is one of the best I’ve ever encountered at explaining math in a way that can be understood.”
“He’s never had to teach me.” Dr. Bellows just smiled and continued.
“Next, we need to address your special needs.”
“My special needs?”
“According to the information I have now, you have two very pressing problems. The first is to help you understand and control your powers so as to avoid burnout. You really are developing at an incredible rate. I have to agree with Dr. Tanaka on this. It’s your major priority now.”
“And the second?”
“You are going to need help making a transition into your new life. You can’t honestly tell me you feel ready for what you are going through right now can you?”
He had me there. There was no way I felt ready for a lot of what I was going through right now.
“What can I do?”
“For some of the most basic and important lessons I can only recommend that you approach your friends in Poe. They will be a great help and support for you if you let them help you. I can also recommend some classes that will help you cope and prepare you for some of what you can expect in the future.”
“Like what?”
“We have classes called Powers Theory that deal with understanding yours and others powers. They will help you rate and understand these powers. You never know when understanding this will help, both yourself and others. I am recommending that you take Powers Theory 1 for your third period before lunch. There is a lab class, where you do more hands on study that goes with it, called Powers Theory Lab that is held during the fifth period.”
“There is a lot of demand for this class, but given your circumstances and risk of burnout I’m sure that you will have priority. Along with this I will also recommend that you take the sixth period Advanced Martial Arts class. This one is very tough and they have a lot of people hurt in it.
“You have the option of taking regular classes, but I will recommend this one because it will deal with the situation you have found yourself in. Not even most of the students and staff here have had to deal with contract assassins. This class goes a lot more into the practical aspects of using your brain and avoiding or taking the advantage in these situations.”
“These sound interesting and I’ve been hurt before.” I was confident that I could handle anything they threw at me. The Tanakas had believed that a person needed to be trained well in self defense. I never felt that they were pulling their punches any more than they had to in the classes I had taken.
“I don’t think you have ever been hurt like this before. I wouldn’t be too confident about that. Anyway, you will have the option of transferring in the first week if you don’t like it. I will put in your application for the class and the two power classes.”
I was a little irritated by his statement. I had experienced a lot of pain in the last few weeks and I was pretty sure that I would be able to deal with what was coming. Then I remembered something else.
“What about the fourth period class? Do you have something planned for that?”
“I don’t want you to be too overconfident about the classes I am arranging for you.” He was being very serious. “All of our classes are very demanding and we will fail anyone who doesn’t measure up to our standards. Your previous schooling and efforts in academics has allowed you to progress to more demanding classes and we expect you to make every effort to excel at them.”
“I am saying this so you won’t blow off the next suggestion I am going to make.”
What could he suggest that I might back out of? He had my full attention now. I was beginning to wonder if I would be able to train like I was being told I would have to or if I was going to spend all my time studying to keep up.
He looked me right in the eye. “The fourth period class should help you adjusting to your new life separated from your family. The lessons you will learn in this one should be usable through the rest of your life.”
I was a little nervous now. What kind of class could help me adjust to my new circumstances and be useful for the rest of my life?
“I’m recommending that you take our Home Economics class in the fourth period.”
I just looked at him in confusion. It took a moment to realize what he was saying.
“Home Economics?” I couldn’t understand why he felt this would be an important class for me. Then some of the implications occurred to me.
“You think I should take the class because I’m a girl!” That kind of chauvinistic attitude just didn’t sit right with me.
He looked me in the eye and I realized that he felt insulted that I had thought that of him.
“No. I recommend this class to all of our students. You would be amazed how unprepared most of our students, even the girls, are for life in a real world.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I understand how you could confuse what I am suggesting. But, you might want to rethink how you are accepting your change in light of this.”
I had thought that I was over all that. I realized now that maybe I had been ignoring some aspects of my change. It worried me a bit. What else was I missing?
“Billie.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t take it so hard. In my opinion you are doing a very good job of adjusting. In fact, the fact that you consider yourself a girl now is a very good sign. You just need to be aware that it is going to take some time to learn a lot of things that others take for granted. I also don’t want you to fall into stereotype behavior. You need to be yourself or you will never be happy.”
“You think so? That I consider myself to be a girl? Most people who know about this seem to think I shouldn't.”
“Yes, I really think so. You just said so yourself when you thought I was trying to put you in a class, 'just because you were a girl'.” He smiled and that made me feel better.
“You think that this class will really help?”
“I’m certain of it! Everyone who takes this class will learn things that will help them throughout their lives. Real life is not a constant deluge of world shaking events. Most of your waking life will be spent solving what the next meal is going to be and how to get the laundry done.”
“Besides, most students who take it enjoy it a lot. There is a great deal of hands on practical lessons which makes for a nice change from the other classes. We even offer more advanced classes for those who feel that they want to do more.”
“Advanced Home Ec? What would that cover?”
“More of the same. Just more detail and complications.”
“Oh. Well, sign me up then.”
“Good. I think you’ll really like it. It’s a good class to have after lunch anyway. Not as much stress or physical activity as some of our classes. Any more questions?”
I suddenly remembered something else. “What about Ballroom Dancing?” I was worried that I might not be able to take it if my other classes got in the way.
“Oh yes. Charlie did mention that you might be interested. Ballroom Dancing is an elective that you can take from 8 PM to 9 PM Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I take it that you want to be signed up for it?”
“Yes!”
“Okay. You do realize that this might interfere with some of the jobs you might apply for?”
“Jobs?”
“Yes. We encourage all our students to work part time to help cover the costs of their education and get spending money for themselves. It’s very important in the development of self esteem and reliance.”
“Uh.. Can I think about that for a bit? And, can I have a list of jobs I can apply for?
“Sure. There isn’t a big rush for you. Students on scholarship must start as soon as possible. But your already paid, and your account seems to have adequate funds at this time.”
“My account?” I could kick myself. I had been so busy just getting to know the place and new people that I hadn’t given where my money was coming from any thought.
“Yes. Every student has an account that funds are put into and drawn from. You can get personal cash by going to the admin building and drawing from your account. Or, in most cases, the funds are drawn directly by using you student pass card.”
I remembered that I had to present the card that I received the first time Belle had taken us to Admin and showed us around. Whenever I ate at the cafeteria and shopped at the book store I could present the card and not have to pay out of pocket.
“Can I get some idea what’s in it?”
“You don’t know?”
“Uh, no... It was set up for me and no one has told me yet.”
He stared at me. “Hmmmm.. I will have a statement sent to you. You should receive it with the introductory packet tomorrow.”
That made me feel a little better. I was going to have to start thinking more carefully about what I was spending. It would help a lot if I knew what I had to work with. I thought of some thing else.
“Do I have to get a job on campus?”
He looked a little embarrassed. “I’m afraid that we may have to limit you there.”
“Oh?”
“It’s your appearance.” He was blushing a little.
“What’s wrong with my appearance?” I was feeling a little touchy all of a sudden. Was this another of those girl things I didn’t know about?
He was uncomfortable, but he pressed on. “You have to admit that you don’t quite blend into the crowd.”
I realized what he was talking about. I did look a little unusual. “Would that cause problems in town?”
“We try to keep a low profile. Occasional trips to town won’t be a problem, but rubbing it in their faces most every day might be pushing it a little far.”
“Okay. Campus it is.”
He seemed relieved. “You will be getting a job then?”
“I think so, I’ll have to see what I have to work with before making up my mind.”
“Don’t take too long. The good jobs go fast.”
“Okay.”
“Good. Well, I think I have taken enough of your time for now. You probably want to get ready for supper.” When he said that I suddenly became aware of how hungry I was getting and how much time had passed. My stomach gave out a loud growl.
Blushing, I nodded, “Yeah, maybe I should.”
“One more thing before you go.” I settled back into my seat and waited for what he was going to say.
“Your schedule won’t permit you to take the regular Flight classes but it would be a good idea for you to take it.”
“There's a class for flying?”
“Yes Billie. Some of our students don’t seem to catch on as quickly as you have and a little training goes a long way to help prevent accidents. There is also the fact that most fliers can do even better with the right training and experience.”
“You think I’ll need some help?”
“I don’t know. What I do know is that it will give you a chance to really see what you can do in that area of your expertise.”
“Okay. Sounds good to me. When will the classes be and how will I fit it into my schedule?”
“Like I said, we can’t fit it into your normal schedule. But, there has been such great demand recently that we have set up two alternate choices. One is 5:45 AM to 6:45 AM Monday through Friday, with a lab from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM on alternate Saturdays. The other is from 3:45 PM to 4:45 PM Mondays through Fridays, with a lab from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on alternate Saturdays also.”
“There is that much demand?”
“Well, even non fliers can benefit from this class. You would be surprised just how many apply for this course. Fliers do get preference though, so don’t worry about getting it if you want to.”
“How does it help non fliers?”
“Knowing how fliers operate can only help, even land-bound types, and there is the fact that you will be expected to obtain a small aircraft pilots license as part of your training.”
“A pilot license? Am I old enough?”
“You can get a permit that will be upgraded much the same as your learner’s permit for driving.”
“And why a pilots license? I can already fly.” I admit that I had forgotten that I would have to get my learners permit to drive, again, and that it would take another year more, to get my license, thanks to my new identity.
The fact that I was legally a year younger than I actually was, didn’t help matters at all.
“You people aren’t the only ones up there. We feel that it will be much safer for all of us if you know what everyone else should be doing up there at any given time and make it clear to you that you are expected to follow at least some of those rules yourselves.”
“Remember, even a drunk on a bike is still dangerous. That’s why he can still be arrested for drunk driving while riding a bike.”
“Drunk fliers?”
“You’d be surprised. There was this dragon once...”
“A dragon?”
“It’s a long story. Maybe I’ll tell it to you sometime. Now however, I think we need to get you to supper. Do you want to take this class and do you have a preference?”
“Yeah. I think I do. Let’s try the morning one. That will leave my afternoons freer.”
“Good choice. Not many are willing to get up that early. You will have a smaller class and you will get better training I’m sure.” He wrote a few notes and then reached into his desk. “I’ll send a confirmed schedule to you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
He pulled a book out of his desk and opened it to a calender. “How about we meet again next Tuesday at around 5 PM?”
“Sounds okay to me.”
He made out an appointment card and handed it to me. He then escorted me to his door.
“It’s been a pleasure talking to you Billie.” He said smiling as he opened the door. “I look forward to meeting you again.” For the first time he offered his hand to shake.
“Sure, thank you for your...” I took his hand as I replied and suddenly he went white and for a moment I felt the flames around me again. I let go of his hand and staggered back.
He looked confused for a moment and then asked, “What was that?”
“T-that was w-what happened w-when I-I changed. What did you do?” I was shaken. It was just too close for comfort. I realized that it was only the memory and not the real thing but I was still shaken up. It still hurt!
“I’m sorry, that has never happened before. Somehow you triggered a part of my talent that allows me to pick up a little of what has happened in the past. Let me think this through and I will be able to tell you more later.”
“Okay. But no more shaking hands. Okay?”
“Sounds good to me. I really don’t want a repeat of that.”
“You're telling me.”
“Well, see you later. Take care.”
“Goodbye.” I waved and moved down the hall. I could feel his eyes on me until I turned the corner.
The experience shook me up a little. And, I began to wonder what Mr. Bellows talent was that had something to do with seeing stuff from the past. I hope he isn’t a mind reader of some sort. I would have to ask him the next time I saw him. If he was hiding a secret like that I wasn’t sure I could trust him after all.
Supper was uneventful, except it seemed that the number of guys and some girls who were watching me had grown to about eight. They went back to looking elsewhere every time I glared at them. After my third helping I decided to head out again. I think three of them followed me but I had something else I needed to do so I ignored them.
When I got back I found Jade already getting ready for bed. It seems her new job is very demanding and she was worn out. I have to admit I was getting tired also, but I had something I had to do first.
The second get to know everyone party was getting started. It took a while but I finally found Belle. I related what had happened at Twain and asked if there was something more that needed to be done. She told me that this was not unusual but to keep my eyes and ears open. I agreed and decided that I needed to get more rest and headed back to our room.
I would have a lot to do tomorrow. I just hoped that things would settle down soon. I wanted a chance to get back up in the rafters and I hadn’t had a chance to work out in days. Now I needed to rest.
XXVIII
THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM: Wednesday, September 6th
I actually woke up before the alarm went off. I was feeling pretty good this morning and was looking forward to wandering around the campus and getting a better idea of the total layout. Jade woke up right after as I headed for a much needed shower.
When I got back she was standing there with a towel around her and a glass of orange juice for me.”Hey Jade. What’s up?”
She bowed and offered the glass of OJ to me. “Good morning. I hope you showered well. Would you care for some juice this morning?” It seemed a little formal to me but it also meant a lot to her.
I accepted the glass after tossing my towel on my bed. “Uh, what’s up?” I asked again.
She seemed a little nervous. “Tennyo-san... Your accident... you said it was a million to one chance. Please, I don’t mean to bother you with this, but when you became...” The need in her eyes gave me a pretty good idea of what she wanted to ask me as she indicated my body. “As you are, when you became a girl. Was it because of the drug, or because of your powers?”
“Oh, that.” I wasn’t sure how I could answer her. I wanted to help her, but I wouldn’t subject my worst enemy to what I went through. Certainly not on the very slight chance that it might help her become a girl. “My accident, huh?” I delayed a little by drinking some of my juice and starting to look for the clothes I was going to wear today.
I pulled out a bra and muttered to myself. “I suppose I should wear one, even if I don’t really need it.” It’s a good thing I’m more flexible now. It makes it possible for me to put on and fasten the bras in a way I would never have been able to before.
I decided to give it to her straight. “Well, I can tell you it sure wasn’t the drug. That stuff was pure poison. I’m convinced that any other mutant that tried the stuff would end up dead, and it sure never changed anyone like this before.” I continued to dress as I continued trying to express how I felt about the situation.
“I think I’d have to chalk it up to my mimic powers, or rather, the mimic powers that I used to have before they burned out. That, and the fact that I was apparently a hermaphrodite, or semi-hermaphrodite, or whatever. Nothing that really sounds too useful to anyone else. Sorry.” I felt bad because there was little I could do for her. “Hope it’s not too disappointing.”
She bowed and headed for the showers. “No. Thank you for your time, Tennyo-san.”
It was obvious that she was disappointed. I also realized that she had straightened and made my bed while I was at the showers. “Did you make my bed?” I called after her. “You didn’t have to do that.”
She continued towards the showers and I was left wondering if there was anything I could do for her as I dressed and tried to decide what I would do today. I decided to get breakfast first, then worry about it. I made sure the room was in good order and waited for Jade to get back.
When Jade got back, she dressed in the grubbiest clothing she had and explained that she was going to be working in the storm drains today. Maybe I could get a job doing some of what she was doing. Yesterday, she had been doing windows. I’m pretty good with heights.
As we headed out Mrs. Horton called out to me and told me to check my box. We had been assigned mail boxes after we had gotten our rooms. For a moment I wondered who would be sending me anything yet. Even my parents probably didn’t have my new address yet. They would be sending messages through Mr. Lodgeman.
Then I remembered that Mr. Bellows was sending me the introductory packet. I told Jade to go on and I would catch up. In my box I found that I had two items. One was a large manilla envelope. The other was a small letter addressed to me with an on campus post mark.
The large envelope was what I thought it was and then some. It had the introductory package, a current statement of my account, and a confirmed schedule for my classes. I was relieved to see that I wasn’t going to have to change anything now. There was too much going on and I felt like I was behind already.
The small letter was from Mr. Lodgeman letting me know that I should meet him right after breakfast in front of the admin building. Apparently Miss Rogers had my uniforms ready and we were going to go get them. I ran back up to our room and shoved the stuff into a drawer. Then I headed out to catch up with Jade and get breakfast.
I was only being tailed by one person now. He had to hurry a bit to keep up with me, so he was pretty obvious. I wondered if they gave classes on espionage and related subjects here. I don’t think my tail had a clue. He was way too obvious.
I found Jade in the cafeteria and we had a quick breakfast. I only went back once for seconds. She headed off to work and I headed out to meet Mr. Lodgeman in the parking lot.
XXIX
THE SECOND TRIP: September 6th
He was waiting in his truck, reading a paper and drinking coffee from a covered mug. When he saw me he smiled, put the paper down, and put his mug in a holder near the dash.
“Glad you are so punctual Billie. This shouldn’t take long, but I like to get an early start.”
“I’m pretty excited. I really want to see what Miss Rogers has for me.” I really wanted to see what I had paid so much for. It had been the biggest debit to date by a long way on my statement.
“You won’t be disappointed. Cecelia has an incredible talent for getting things just right.”
“I hope so. I really don’t have a clue.”
“You’ll do just fine. By the way, both you and Harry are signed up for Ballroom. I have to admit that I wasn’t sure he would do it. He’s sure to get a little ribbing for it.”
“He’ll survive. Besides, after I reminded him yesterday, he better be there.”
“Yes. I imagine he will. Especially with your encouragement.”
He hesitated for a moment. “Uh, Billie?”
Something in his tone made me sit up straighter and pay better attention.
“Please give me a detailed recounting of what happened yesterday. I’m hearing some disturbing reports about you.”
“What did I do?”
“The report indicates that you attacked someone at Twain. I haven’t been able to confer with anyone who was there and it could have serious consequences if it is true.”
“I didn’t ‘attack’ anyone. A jerk called Montana tried to muscle me and I only showed him that it wouldn’t be a good idea.” I was starting to get a little defensive. I didn’t like the sound of this at all.
“If I had wanted to push the matter, I could’ve accused him of attacking me and got him into all sorts of trouble.”
“Settle down, Billie. It’s not as serious as I may have made it sound... Yet.” He gave me a moment to catch my breath and then continued.
“There is no official complaint. This is only rumor as yet. I would like to know what happened and who I can talk to. I’m coming to you first.”
I took some deep breaths and then described the event from my perspective. After I was done he was silent for a few moments.
“Okay, I’m pretty sure that there won’t be any trouble from this. There are plenty of witnesses and you showed real restraint in handling the situation.” He suddenly got very serious.
“Billie.”
“Yes, sir?”
“You are going to have to be more careful in the future.”
“What do you mean?” I wasn’t sure what he was getting at. It almost sounded like he was blaming me for what had happened!
He seemed embarrassed but continued to talk. “Billie... How can I say this? Uh... You’re a girl now.”
“So? I can take care of myself!”
“That isn’t the issue here. It’s the fact that people aren’t going to see that aspect of you right off. They are going to assume that you are just a girl and treat you in that fashion.”
“You are going to find it demeaning sometimes but you may find that it will be safer for you and them if you can keep a lower profile and not put yourself in a situation that your skills in combat will be needed.”
“Just a girl?” I was starting to get a little irritated.
“Their viewpoint, not mine, or a particularly reasonable one in reality, but it is still there and you have to be aware of it and ready to defuse it at any time. I think you will find as you become more familiar with your new circumstances and with how girls handle them that you will not have as much trouble in the future.”
“But, I can take care of myself. Why should I run from these jerks just because it wouldn’t look good for them to get a justifiable ass kicking from a girl? Should I let them paw at me just because most girls can’t make them stop or regret doing it.?”
“Many of them can do just what you are suggesting. Most of them still manage to avoid the confrontations that cause so much trouble through experience and training. That is the point. Please try to keep a lower profile until you can get the experience and training that you will need to be more effective at avoiding these situations.”
I didn’t like the sound of this at all. But, what made it worse, was that I could see what he was getting at. It definitely was one of those girl things that I was becoming more aware of and starting to despair at ever getting right
“What can I do?”
“I understand that this isn’t going to be easy or fast. All I’m asking is that you try to be more aware of the problems your new circumstances can cause and try to act a little more girl like in the future.”
I wasn’t sure I could do this. But, what choice did I have.
“Okay, I’ll try. But, I can’t promise anything. I hope you understand.”
“That’s all I can ask. I’m sorry to have to bring it up, but I am responsible for you and this school and the students in it.”
“I’m that dangerous huh?”
“Billie, you said it yourself. You were holding back. It’s another aspect of your condition. Many are going to underestimate you and cause problems because they assume they can get away with it.”
“Alright, I understand, I will try hard to keep out of trouble.”
“Good.”
The talk had taken most of the trip. We were quiet for the remainder. He spoke as we parked out front.
“I need to run a few other errands before we head back. Why don’t you go in and see what Cecelia has for you. When I get back we can load everything and get back before lunch. How does that sound?”
This must be the way Miss Rogers arranged to talk with me alone. That was fine with me.
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you soon.” I hopped out and waved as he drove off. Many of the people around me took some notice but most just made a point of ignoring me.
I moved over to the door and stepped inside to the ringing of bells.
I heard Miss Rogers call out from the back room. “I’ll be out soon, please feel free to look around or have a seat.”
I moved over to the small table with two chairs and some magazines. They were fashion magazines and I sat and leafed through them. I tried to imagine what I would look like wearing some of the dresses and such shown in them.
Not to long after I started doing that I heard movement in the doorway and Miss Rogers came out with a lady who looked to be in her sixties.
“Thank you Cecelia. I’m so glad to have you here. You can’t imagine how hard it was to find a good seamstress before you came to town. I would have to travel all the way to Concord, and the quality still wasn’t always very good. I can’t imagine what it would be like now that I am getting on.”
“That’s quite all right Mrs. Potter. You make it a pleasure to do business here. If you don’t mind, I’ll just put this on your bill, and save us the bother of writing all this down at this time.”
“Thank you again dear. You are always so considerate.” They continued to ignore me and talk about various things going on in the community that I had no interest in. A few minutes later, a cab pulled up outside and honked.
“There’s your cab now. Let me help you with these bundles.” Miss Rogers was trying to pick up several bundles and keep Mrs. Potter from doing the same.
My innate sense of chivalry prompted me to come over and help out. I hesitated only a moment as I tried to decide if that would be appropriate behavior for a girl. Then I decided that I didn’t care. I was going to do it anyway because I felt it was right and anyone who didn’t think so could go and kick themselves.
“Hello! Can I help?”
Miss Rogers gave me a pleased glance. “Yes dear. Please take this hat box and these two dresses. Be careful to not drag them on the ground.”
“Yes, ma’am! Do you want me to get the door?” Miss Rogers was holding up four more dresses and had her hands full.”
Mrs. Potter shuffled over to the door. “No, no! I’ll get it. It’s the least I can do.” She managed to get the door open and hold it for us as we maneuvered through without stepping on or dragging the dresses.
“Thank you, ma’am!”
“Think nothing of it, young lady. It is a wonder and a pleasure to see that all the young people haven’t lost sight of how important civility and service are.”
I didn’t know how to reply to that so I just said, “Yes maam! It’s a pleasure to help out.” As I carefully moved my load out the door and over to the cab.
The driver, an older gentleman in an old fashioned suit, moved quickly to open his trunk and place what looked like a clean drop cloth in it.
“Here young lady, let me help you.” He then proceeded to take each item from me and Miss Rogers and carefully stow them in the trunk. When he had placed all of them in, he carefully pulled the edges over everything and closed the trunk quietly.
Then he opened the door for Mrs. Potter while I helped her get in. When she was settled and before I could pull back she took my arm in a firm grip.
“Now don’t fret too much dear. Things always look worse at first. As long as you and your friends hang together you will pull through fabulously.” I was looking into her eyes as she said this and for a moment it felt as if I was looking into some vast area behind her eyes.
Then she dropped her eyes, patted me on the cheek and let go. I backed out, wondering what had just happened. The cab driver gave me a smile and a nod. He then got in and I heard Mrs. Potter direct him to the IGA store.
As they drove away. Miss Rogers gave my shoulder a squeeze. “You must have really impressed her. She won’t give most people the time of day. She says that the majority of people aren’t interesting enough to bother with.”
“What was that she was talking about?”
“I don’t know, but don’t just blow it off either. She seems to have some talent for predicting the future and I don’t think she has ever been wrong. At least no one I know has heard of a time she was.”
I shuddered a little. It seemed my life was going to be filled with interesting people and I might end up being one of them.
“Now Billie, let’s go in and we can get down to business.” We headed in and she closed and locked the door. Then she put out a sign that said, BE BACK SOON.
“There. Now we shouldn’t be interrupted. Let’s go in back and I can show you what I have done.”
“There’s going to be more?”
“I have to do more research, but I do have some ideas I would like to try on you.”
“Me?”
“Yes dear. Don’t take this wrong, but you represent a rare opportunity for me to really stretch my talents.”
“Oh?”
She stopped, turned to me, took me by the shoulders, and looked me in the eye. “You are a very beautiful young lady. I know that it may be hard for you to understand right now, but the more beautiful the woman, the harder it is to properly compliment that beauty and make it shine more. This is the kind of challenge I live for.”
“You haven’t met Fey yet.”
“Who?”
“Nikki Reilly, we just call her Fey. You want to talk about beautiful, you should meet her. She is in the room across from Jade and me. She is turning into an elf from the looks of it. A really beautiful one. Whenever I have to lose someone tailing me, all I have to do is arrange to walk near her. Everyone gets so busy watching her that it is easy to duck out of sight and away.”
“Sounds like quite the character.”
“She’s a wonderful person and is taking the changes she is going through really well. You would like to meet her. She should meet you too.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. She can only wear non artificial stuff. Anything else will break her out into a rash. I bet she could really use your help.”
“She sounds fascinating. Maybe you can introduce us one of these days.”
“I will. It’s just that we are all so busy getting settled in right now. We hardly have time to think. Much less get around off of campus. It’s only because Mr. Lodgeman is bringing me that I can come now.”
“Well, if that is what is holding you back, here is my card. Give me a call when you girls need to come down and I will come out and get you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Believe me Billie. It’s not all altruistic. It sounds as if I might be able to make a fair amount of money on this if I can get some of that business. I am always looking for chances to increase my bottom line and if I can have a bit of fun while I’m doing it then that is frosting on the cake.” She grinned as she said this and I had to grin back.
We were now in front of a rack of clothing that was so tall that it had to be for Harry. Next to it was what looked to be five more uniforms for me and three more casual suits of clothing. There were two skirt and blouse combinations. One was a navy blue with white trim and the other was a white with blue trim. Both followed a sailor type design. The third was a ballroom gown in Whateley colors.
“This is for me?”
“Yes, dear. These should help you get started. And I am hoping to see you at the formal dances this year in this gown. Please be sure to tell everyone where you got it. It is some of my best work if I do say so myself.”
“Wow! They’re beautiful!” I just had to touch the gown. It was the kind you only saw occasionally in competitions.
“Do you want to try it on?”
“Can I?”
“You paid for it. It’s yours. Use the dressing room over there.” She was obviously proud of her creation.
I took it down and hurried over to the dressing room. It took me about fifteen minutes to figure out the best way to wear it. After I had it properly arranged, it balanced on me perfectly. I started to realize that I might actually be able to look good in something like this.
When I stepped out I realized that we were no longer alone. Mr. Lodgeman and Miss Rogers were talking quietly over near the door.
“Why is she taking such an interest in Billie? It worries me when I can’t get any better idea of what is going on.”
“Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure that she means well. Oh. Look, here is Billie now!” They both had the guilty look of someone caught doing something they shouldn’t. Then that changed as they got a better look at me.
Mr. Lodgeman’s eyes got bigger. “Wow! Is that you, Billie? You look incredible! Cecelia, you have really out done yourself this time!”
I think both of us were blushing at this.
“Yes. I have, haven’t I.”
They moved towards me. “Let’s get a better look at you.” I stood still as they moved around me.
“Cecelia, if you would do the honors.” He had moved in front of me. Then he bowed. Miss Rogers started up some waltz music over some kind of intercom. I started to bow in return and then tried to curtsy as I realized my new position.
Fortunately, I can levitate, or I would have landed on my face. Or, maybe Mr. Lodgeman might have caught me. As it was I caught myself and then he caught me. I wasn’t sure why, but I got a thrill out of that.
“Want to try that again?”
“Uh, sure.” I felt really hot all at once. I know that I will have to relearn a lot of how to dance and that I might be clumsy for a while as I relearned the right reflexes. For some reason, being this close to him was making me a lot more aware of my failings.
“Relax Billie. You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I thought you might like to practice a little though.”
“P-please. I’d like to . Really.”
He smiled, and held out his hands.
We danced for the next hour. I was surprised how quickly I could relax. And even more surprised how easy it was to fall into my new role in the dance. It was as much or more fun than I remembered.
Afterwards I changed back into my uniform and carefully packed the gown into a carrying bag that Miss Rogers provided. I then went out to help load everything.
“You’re a natural at this Billie. I expect to see you in this gown at our first class Friday.”
“Why?”
“I need to show the less willing that there are excellent reasons to stick it out and what they are working for.”
“Me?”
He had the decency to blush a little. “Well, I wouldn’t put it that way. But I imagine that you will inspire a few of them to try.”
“That, or give up on the spot.” Miss Rogers had turned off the music, and was watching us from over by the rack of clothes.
“Cecelia! I’m sure that she will only inspire them.”
“The question is whether to greater heights or despair. Now come help with these. I have a business to run you know.”
“You enjoyed it too!”
“Yes. I did. But it won’t pay my way. Now I have to get back to work.”
“Okay, Okay, I have a space cleared in my truck. We can put it in there.”
“It’s a good thing I have these wrapped in plastic.”
“I keep my truck clean.” He sounded a little hurt by her insinuation.
“I’m sure you do. But I don’t believe in taking chances.”
It took several trips to load things properly. After she was satisfied that her creations would probably survive the trip unharmed she gave me a hug.
“You will do fine. Don’t let your guard down though. I’m sure that trouble is coming this way. Be on the lookout, okay?”
“Okay.”
“See you Friday. Good luck.”
“Thank you for everything!”
We waved and headed back to school.
XXX
LUNCH MATES: September 6th
Mr. Lodgeman helped me with my uniforms and other clothes. He then took off to deliver Harry’s. I asked to help out, but he thought that might not be a good idea. He wanted to ask a few questions also and felt that my presence might not help.
After he headed out I spent the rest of the morning putting my new clothes away and reviewing the information in the introductory packet. On a whim, I decided to try the navy sailor suit. I decided to wear it to lunch. I found myself wondering what Harry would think of it.
We didn’t have much in the way of a mirror, but I thought I might look good in it. By the time lunch rolled around I was starting to get nervous again. I wasn’t sure why though. It didn’t make sense. I was just going to discuss our class schedules. It wasn’t as if we were going on a date or anything.
What made me think of that? I suddenly found myself getting warm again. What was going on? I seemed to be bouncing around on an emotional roller coaster. Everything seemed magnified and out of proportion. Maybe this was that hormone thing I’d heard others talking about. I hoped I could get over it soon.
Well, no point in putting it off. Time to head out and see if Harry was going to even be there. For a moment I wondered where Jade was. Then I remembered that she was working down in the storm drains today. I wished I could talk to her but she wasn’t here now. Maybe I could find her at lunch!
With that encouraging thought I headed out. Hoping to find Jade and get some moral support before I made a fool of myself.
When I got there I found that it was much more crowded that it had been before. Now that everyone could come out they all seemed to feel the need to gather in the more public areas and enjoy the new freedom.
I couldn’t spot anyone that I knew right off so I headed to the area I had told Harry we could meet. I was glad we had made this arrangement as I was pretty sure that we would have had a hard time finding each other if we hadn’t.
I finally found him near the red maple and made my way over to him. He had staked out a table and kept a clear area for me.
“Harry!” I had to raise my voice to be heard over the din. He heard me and smiled and waved me over. I made my way through the crowd, sat down next to him, and took hold of his hand.
“Thanks, Harry! I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t held a spot for me. I’ve never seen it so crowded!”
He seemed a little surprised by my holding his hand and for a moment I thought he would pull away. Then he smiled.
“Glad to be of some assistance! Now, how does a hungry boy get any food around here?”
“You go over there and let them scan your student card. Then you grab a tray and help yourself. It’s like a buffet. It’s not home cooking, but at least it can fill you up if you get enough. I’ll hold our spot until you get back and then get my own. Okay?”
“Okay! I’ll be right back!” He headed over to where the line started. Things went smoothly for about five minutes and then a good looking boy tried to sit in Harry’s seat.
“Pardon me! That seat is Harry’s. He went to get some food and is going to be right back.”
“You snooze you lose. Possession is nine tenths of the law babe. Why hang out with some loser when you can be with me anyway?” He smiled in a way that gives a leer a good name as he said that.
“I’m saving this seat for him, thank you. Please leave.” I was holding my temper in check as I had promised Mr. Lodgeman I would. I was trying to be polite but I wasn’t going to back down either.
“Hey hey, babe. Chill a little. I’m here and not planning on leaving anytime soon.” He reached over and took my hand. “Give me a chance, I’m sure you’ll get to like me so much that this Harry of yours will just become a bad memory.” He still hadn’t lost that smile and I wanted to wipe my hand off.
I pulled my hand away firmly even as he tried to hold on.
“These are our chairs and the only chance I’m going to give you right now is the chance to get up and leave before I have to assist you on your way. Small sparks had started to pop around me and I could feel the now familiar flow of energy around me.
“Is there a problem here?”
This was said by an tall good looking Indian boy who I suddenly noticed was standing next to us. He seemed to be paying a lot of attention to the rude boy who didn’t seem to appreciate the attention he was getting.
“Hey, Adam. No need for you around here. Don’t you have some bank robbers to chase or something?” Rude boy was obviously not on good terms with Adam, which made Adam okay in my book for now.
“There won’t be a problem if this jerk will just move on so my friend can have this seat that I was saving for him back.” I could actually feel my power pull back a little as the situation started to look like I might not have to do anything. I actually started to wonder if I could just let this new guy handle it for me.
Harry showed up at that time and was trying to size up the situation before saying anything. I had to admire his control and thoughtfulness, but I felt I better get him involved sooner rather than later. I didn’t want any confusion over who I was here with.
“C’mon! Move out so Harry can sit down. I was saving this seat for him.” I motioned Harry over as I said this.
“They were here first?”
“The seat was empty. I have a right to sit don’t I?”
“Not if it’s already taken and you are not welcome.”
Adam seemed to be getting bigger somehow, and I could feel a bit of energy building up.
Rude boy got the message and got up. “Now that I see what was sitting here, I don’t want it anyway.” He swaggered off. He might not have had so easy a time of it if Adam hadn’t somehow held me in place with the hand he put on my shoulder.
“Don’t. He isn’t worth the trouble you would get in.” He did this all while looking relaxed and at peace with the world. I wondered where he had learned that and if I could learn it too.
Harry stood there with a large platter of food, wondering what he should do. I waved him to his seat.
“Sit down Harry, before some other jerk tries to.”
He was splitting his attention between me, Adam, and the Jerk.
“Oh! Harry, meet Adam, Adam, meet Harry. I don’t want to have anything to do with that jerk who just left, so I won’t bother trying to introduce you to him.”
Harry put down his tray and shook Adam’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, I’m Harry Wolfe.”
“Adam Ironknife. I’m pleased to meet you too.” He had a great smile too. I bet most girls must find him incredibly attractive. I had to admit with a little surprise that I found myself thinking of him that way also.
I stood up. “I’m Billie Wilson.” I shook his hand also. “Thank you for your help. I was starting to think I was going to have to do something drastic there.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s all part of my duties as a Peacekeeper.”
“Peacekeeper?”
“Yes. Some of us volunteer to help Security on occasion. We are called Peacekeepers and we are expected to help keep things quite as possible when we can. Not that I wouldn’t have liked to see old Darren get some of what he has coming to him, but I can’t risk the collateral damage.”
He said this with a smile and I got the feeling that he really meant it.
“Um... I better go and get my lunch too. I’ll be back soon.” I thanked him again and headed towards the food line. When I looked back I could see him and Harry talking and I wondered what they thought of the situation. I would have to ask when I got back.
I also took a lesson from Harry’s book and grabbed a large platter and used it for my plate. I was able to fit a lot more on it and for once I could probably only have to make one trip for food, maybe.
When I got back, Adam was gone and Harry was waiting impatiently to eat.
“Where’s Adam?”
“He had to go. He said to give his apologies, but he had an appointment to get to.”
“What were you talking about?”
“Nothing much, I just wanted to know how he became a Peacekeeper.”
“Oh? How did he do it?”
“He had to be asked. Apparently he caught the eye of a Peacekeeper on one of the field trips he was on and they decided that he would make a good one after they checked up on him.”
“They checked up on him?”
“Yeah, apparently they are sticklers on that kind of thing.”
“Oh.” Well, that probably left me out.
“You didn’t have to get any more for me.” It took me a moment to realize that he was talking about the food I had brought.
“This? I’m afraid that I only got this for me. If you need more I’ll go get another plate.”
He looked at me with some disbelief. “This, I’ve got to see.”
I glared at him and started in on the food. He stared at me for a moment and then started in on his own. He might be able to eat faster than me, but I think I can eat more. One of these days we will have to have a face off and find out.
I think most of the people around us were in awe. At least they were quieter in our immediate vicinity. We finished fairly quickly and I was thinking of going back for seconds when Harry suggested that we go somewhere else a little quieter.
We headed to the library and found a table to sit at and compare our class schedules. I would be taking Flight class while Harry would be taking a Martial Arts course in the early morning. In the first standard schedule class I would be taking Advanced Genetics and he would be taking Advanced Physics.
“Your good at math then, Harry?”
“Seems to come naturally to me. You seem kind of like my Dad. He’s got plant biology down to an art.”
“Yeah. I can’t seem to get higher math much at all, but I get the bio stuff and most writing related stuff easy.”
We then found that I would be taking remedial mathematics in the next class and he would be taking the Beginning English course.
“Maybe you can help me with my Math?”
“Maybe you can help me with my English?”
“Sounds like a deal to me!” We grinned as we said this together. Maybe we could give Jade and Jinn a run for their money.
To my delight, we would be taking Powers Theory 1 together in third period. And then go to lunch.
After lunch, I would be taking Home Ec and he would take Beginning History. We would both be in Powers Theory Lab for fifth period and He would finish the second block with Advanced Design Concepts while I would be taking Martial Arts.
We would both be taking Ballroom Dance Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after Supper. Our first classes would be tomorrow and the dance class would start Friday. My Saturday Flight Lab would start the following week.
We also had a chance to tell each other a bit about ourselves. I learned that he was from Maine, way out in the middle of nowhere and I already knew that he had six older sisters and his dad looked kind of like Harry but redder and had incredible skill with plants. His mother and sisters looked completely normal.
In fact we talked so long that it was approaching Supper when we stopped. We were on the way to becoming pretty good friends and I felt a little sadness when we had to stop and head back to our respective cottages. I figured we could talk again in Powers Theory.
I got back just in time to get ready for Supper. Ayla was getting a little impatient. I had forgotten about the note until now. Tonight we would set a trap. The excitement almost put me off my feed. I only ate one platter of food.
After we got back, Ayla put the note under the bust of Poe. And Jade set up a watch using Jinn. For a little while, the excitement kept me on edge, but I had a long day behind me and school was going to start tomorrow. I decided to take a shower and get some rest.
I met Fey while I was there. We both had a chance to vent a little. The changes that we are going through are more than a little stressful and having someone to talk to about it who isn’t going to just blow you off or criticize you is worth more than you know until your in that situation. Fey seems kind of sad. I hope she knows that we will be there for her if she needs it.
XXXI
NINJA MADNESS: September 6th/7th
I finally got to sleep when the next thing I know, I’m peeling myself off the ceiling. I must be more stressed out than I knew. Jade had just burst in with the news that someone was at the bust. I grabbed my bathrobe while she went to get the others.
We met outside Fey’s room and after hearing what Jade had for us we decided to pursue the guys who had taken the bust. Jinn had gone ahead as Simba to keep tabs on them. We teamed up, Ayla with me, Jade with Toni, and Hank with Fey.
Since we didn’t know which way they’d gone, we split up and spread out in order to find them. Unfortunately, Ayla and I headed the wrong way at first. Then we heard Toni’s Ki yell and knew the action was towards Kane Hall.
By the time we got there a lot had already happened. Toni’s Ki yell had stopped whatever they had originally planned and Fey had attacked them with some kind of chattering teeth goblins. They had been slowed down and then Toni got into the fight and was showing them how martial arts is done.
At this time, Ayla and I were above and coming down. Then something happened to Toni and she collapsed after some weird stunts. But, not until she had taken one of them out with some unknown technique. There were five ninja types. One was out, three were moving in on Toni, and one was off away from the fighting and avoiding everyone.
Then one of them pulled out a power sword and advanced on the helpless Toni. Ayla assured me that she would be fine and could get down on her own. I power dived the coward and found that I could make my own sword to fight him.
Ignoring the crowd that seemed to be forming but not helping, I confronted the ninja with the sword. I was going to have to let the others handle the other three.
Maybe they should call me Blade Bane. It seems I have a rough way with other peoples bladed weapons. For the second time in my life I crossed blades with someone trying to kill me. For the second time, their blade came out second best.
This time I had a better idea of what to expect and even had some time to put in a few well placed put downs as I did it. I funneled more power into my blade before they hit each other and I also put some effort into holding the blade together. This time, instead of being red, my blade was an interesting blue.
Our blades came together, and he was lucky that he was the one swinging and I was blocking. His blade sparked and gave up the ghost and he was left wide open for some more comments on how inadequate he was.
This made him a little angry, but not enough to stick around and get his tail whupped. He took off running with the others and I was left trying to catch up. Not long after that he and his friends ran into a welcoming wall Fey had set up. She can really look impressive when she puts her mind to it. Even in bed gear.
After that, the fight just went out of them. I think the one that had tried to stay out of the way was almost in tears. They were having a really bad day. Served them right. All I wanted was to go back to bed. Then I found out I couldn’t just cancel my sword and had to launch it into the air where it made an impressive flash and bang.
Finally, we answered all the questions we had to and they let us head back to the cottage. We collected Simba on the way back. Fortunately, he would be easy to repair.
Matters hadn’t been helped much by the fact that Toni’s Ki yell had woken just about everyone up, Fey’s hobgoblins had wrecked a little havoc, and my finale with the exploding sword had woken everyone up who hadn’t already been roused by the ruckus.
It was kind of depressing to consider how far I had to go still to control my powers.
To top it all off, the note had disappeared during the confusion. Boy, am I glad I pushed for the false names routine. Ayla was furious. I think she felt that she had missed the best parts of the fight and hadn’t had a chance to work off some of the steam the note had raised. Can’t say as I can blame her. At least I had a chance to get into the fight.
I didn’t think I would get to sleep that night, but as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out. Too much excitement I guess.
Continued
The Last Freak Show
by
Domoviye
Austin, Texas
Early August, 2016
Tuesday, Afternoon
It always amused me, most people put on makeup to look prettier or more exotic, I put it on to make myself look more normal and drab.
Foundation over my face, chest and arms to hide my yellow skin. Eyeliner and shadow to make my glittering green eyes and eyelids look like they're an elaborate costume. Makeup around my cheekbones, hiding the sharpness of them, while concealing the blue-green scales. Blood red lipstick, emphasizing the predatory fangs, once again making them look like a costume. A faint line on each ear made it look like the pointy tips are glued on rather than real. More makeup along my jawline, have to cover those scales too.
Looking myself over, I had to smile at the image, I appeared to be a baseline ready for Halloween or an exotic costume party. My ass length, pitch black hair, black leather corset and skin tight black pants that looked painted on and didn't restrict my movements, and most important of all a black leather choker with a small diamond engagement ring hanging from it, gave me the perfect look, a beautiful woman trying to look a little like a seductive demoness.
My looks gave me my stage name Lilith. And to be honest, I preferred going by Lilith in my daily life. I hadn't looked like an Esther since I was thirteen, which quite frankly was no great loss, I'd always hated that name. The only people who still called me Esther were my parents and grandparents, I gave them a pass on that, since they were mostly cool about everything else.
Leaving the bathroom, Trevor was waiting for me, he'd gotten home from work while I was getting ready and had taken all of five minutes to get ready to go out again. He had a much easier job than I did, he got to wear shorts and a t-shirt without having to spend an hour on makeup, it really wasn't fair.
“How do I look?” I asked, slowly spinning around so he could get a good look at me.
“Good enough to eat,” he said, coming in for a kiss.
Laughing, I put my fingers on his lips and pushed him away. “Later,” I said, practically purring. “Right now, we have work to do.”
Like the gentleman he was, Trevor got my bag of supplies while I got my sunglasses, and led the way out of our tiny apartment. It was late enough in the afternoon that it wasn't blistering hot, still neither of us wasted any time getting into our shared car and the blessed AC it offered. Two weeks in the city and I still wasn't used to the heat after the cool climate of New Hampshire. Despite looking like a demon, I liked cold weather.
“How was your day?” I asked. While I'd been at home all day hiding from the heat, my fiance had been out waiting tables and collecting tips. He was handsome and very friendly, so plenty of women, and a decent number of men were happy to leave him huge tips, which helped pay the bills.
“Same old, same old,” he said, pulling out of the parking lot.
“You've worked there for a week, how can it be the same old thing?” I demanded.
“I'm a waiter, there isn't much to tell. Had a girl grab my ass and a guy gave me his number along with a big tip. Neither one was my type,” he said.
Gently clutching his arm so I wouldn't mess with his driving, I beamed up at him. “Good, you're all mine. Who else would let me throw knives at them?”
“And who else could make you squeal in such a cute way at night.”
“Exactly. No one can replace you, so if anyone gets too touchy feely, just tell them your fiance likes playing with knives.” We'd been engaged ever since graduating high school in June, but I still got butterflies in my stomach whenever I thought about it. It was easily the best night of my life.
Parking at a nearby park that was slowly filling up with people, I mentally judged the crowd trying to decide if this would be a good or bad night. It wasn't quite time for the show to begin, so we went to a food van that sold really good burgers and fries for supper. Trevor had to pay, I was flat broke at the moment. In my line of work money was a case of feast and famine, and right now it was most definitely a famine. But that would be changing soon, I was about to get my chance to hit the big leagues, and then my troubles would be over.
We sat on a bench and people watched as we ate, not saying anything, just enjoying the sights and sounds. We'd known each other for four years, and been dating for three of them, so comfortable silences were the norm. I still vividly remembered the first time we met, when he kicked my ass in basic martial arts. It was an important lesson about not underestimating someone, especially when they have a forcefield. Of course finding myself pinned with him sitting on my pelvis and holding my wrists, hadn't exactly been unpleasant.
Finishing supper, we strolled hand in hand through the park, stopping to listen and watch some of the buskers. Most of them were playing music, usually on a guitar, a few were really good, others... really should have found a new profession. We listened to one old man play a great blues song on his saxophone, Trevor gave him a five, just because he was so good. A woman in a tuxedo was doing sleight of hand tricks, I could see how she did them thanks to my talents, but she was still really good, and no one else was able to keep up.
It was finally time to begin. Taking my bag from Trevor I wandered just a little further away. There was a really good spot beside a fountain that was free at the moment. Taking off my sunglasses, I opened my bag up and marked out a space around me with black rope, then I placed two of the most important tools of my trade on the ground, a stereo and a hat. Finally I took out four of my knives.
I'd already started getting a bit of a crowd, Trevor was standing off to the side looking like an interested passerby.
Tossing one of my knives into the air, I began.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen,” I said, in my most alluring voice while catching the knife as it fell behind my back. I started casually juggling the knives as I spoke. “I am the beautiful Lilith. Tonight it is your honour to watch me perform.”
Still juggling the knives, I raised my leg until my foot was just above my head. The crowd really enjoyed that, especially the men. Trevor tossed several bills into my hat. “Thank you very much,” I said.
“If you see anything you like,” I said, slowly and very carefully twisting my foot so I turned in place, letting everyone get a good look at my legs, crotch and extremely tight pants, “please clap.”
Lowering my leg, I began tossing the knives in a more complicated pattern. Two went behind my back, while the other two stayed in front, my hands moved quickly between the blades ensuring none went lower than my waist. It wasn't anything superhuman, a well trained baseline could do the same trick, but it sure looked good.
“It's a little cool for me, I'm used to much hotter climes,” I smiled, revealing my sharp, inhuman teeth. “I think I'll heat things up a little.” I hit a button in my shoe. Instantly ominous music began playing from my stereo, a sweet little gadget my roommate had given me as a present on the last day of school. And my knives lit on fire.
The applause was huge, and more people came over to watch the show. Even better, several people dropped money in my hat, I blew them a kiss in thanks.
“Who would like to help with my first trick? I need two volunteers. I promise you your souls will be safe, and your bodies should stay intact.”
There were plenty of volunteers, most of them men, but also a cute girl. Still juggling, keeping it to a basic pattern for now, I walked along the edge of my rope, which marked out the safe area. Switching the flaming knives to one hand, I stretched out my arm and ran my finger over a cute guys chest. The knives stayed well away from him, stabbing or lighting a volunteer on fire was generally a bad thing in show business. “You'll be perfect, handsome,” I purred.
Still keeping the knives far from the audience, I went around the safe area again, stopping at the girl. Smiling very suggestively, I beckoned her forward with a finger. “What a pretty little thing. I may bring you home with me after we're done,” I said, playing up the ever popular, sexy lesbian act, making her blush.
“What are your names?” I asked them.
“May,” the girl said.
“Tim,” the man replied.
“Can we have a warm welcome for my two sacrifices, sorry, volunteers, May and Tim?” I asked the crowd.
There was the expected laughter and applause. Catching the knives, I blew on them, while pressing the button to turn the flame off. “Now Tim, if you could stand here,” I directed him to a spot in the middle of my safe area, “and stay very still. As long as you don't move, the worst that should happen is you get a haircut. If you squirm or move around you might lose an ear, then I'd have to cut off the other one to make you symmetrical, and that would just be messy.”
He started laughing, but looked a little nervous.
“And for you May, you'll stand right here.” I put her about ten feet behind Tim. “Now take this,” I started handing her one of my knives, and suddenly stopped. “How good are you with knives?”
“Not good enough to throw them,” she replied, eyes wide.
Letting out a big, theatrical sigh, I pulled the knife back. “Well I don't want to have to deal with another dead body today. I guess we'll go with the safer option.”
Walking to my bag, I put my knives down and pulled out two glittering silver, rubber balls. I did a little act of rolling them along my arm, over my shoulder and down my other arm, then bounced them off my feet as I walked back to May. The crowd oohed and aahed at the trick, more money went into my hat, earning yet more ‘thank you's’ from me.
“Now, May, I'm going to stand in front of Tim and start juggling my knives. I want you to toss one of the balls underhanded high in the air, so they go over Tim and come down somewhere close to me. Then count to five and throw the next one. Whatever you do, don't hit Tim, he's too cute to bruise.”
Picking up my knives, I began juggling them as I got into position. Starting the flames again, I took a few seconds to prepare myself. This was actually a pretty risky trick, if May was a terrible thrower the balls could end up flying too far away to catch. But that just added to the suspense, if I pulled it off, it would look awesome. As ready as I'd ever be I said, “Whenever you're ready May.”
The first ball came in an arc several feet in front of me. Trying not to look concerned, I moved forward catching the ball and threw it up so it joined the knives, with only the slightest wobble. The next ball however was way off to the side.
Moving as quickly as I dared with the knives and ball still flying through the air, I moved to catch it, but it was just too far away. Taking a chance, I stretched my leg out as far as it could go, catching the ball on my toes and gave it the lightest possible tap back towards me. If I wasn't an exemplar, there would have been no chance of pulling it off, I simply didn't have the technical skills, but with my reflexes and agility I just barely managed it.
I almost dropped two of my knives catching the wayward ball, and it took several long seconds to get everything under control, but I succeeded in keeping everything moving. The audience erupted in cheers and applause. I took the opportunity to stop juggling and thank my volunteers, while catching my breath.
The rest of the show wasn't quite as eventful, fortunately, but it was entertaining for my audience.
“So how did you do?” Trevor asked, as we drove home two hours later.
I was exhausted. Being an exemplar gave me lots of endurance and muscle, but I'd still spent a little over two hours doing two physically intensive acts, and two much easier ones, with only three short breaks, while dealing with the public. Still counting out the earnings was important. “Not counting the loose change, one hundred thirty six. With the change, somewhere around one fifty,” I said. Despite my weary muscles, I had to smile. That was a great haul for a weekday evening. “It's a nice start to paying my half of the bills this month.”
“Do that twice a week and with The Last Freak Show gig, we'll actually be able to start saving some money.”
“That'll be good. I don't need a big wedding, but a fun family and friends event and an even better honeymoon would nice,” I said, thinking of how pretty I'd look in a white dress. “You work tomorrow right?”
“Ten to three. What are you going to do while I'm gone?”
“Run some errands, and practice for The Last Freak Show debut. You're ready for it right? We need to be perfect.”
He nodded. “I've got the easy job, I just have to stand there looking scared as you throw knives at me. Piece of cake.”
“Don't forget the whipping. That'll be fun,” I said, licking my lips in fake anticipation.
“If only I'd known you were so violent before I asked you out,” he muttered.
“You'd have asked me out even sooner.”
“True,” he admitted. “I'm still glad I have a forcefield.”
Even though I was joking about it, a whole swarm of butterflies were flying around my stomach. Out of hundreds of potential acts, somehow mine had caught the attention of The Last Freak Show. People with years of experience performing for a real audience, not just fellow high school students, were turned down. And here I was, literally just out of high school, having been given a chance to audition at the last minute, thanks to the Whateley Job Fair, getting a contract. If I was an actress, this would be like landing an important role in a blockbuster movie on my first try, it happens, but you have to be damn lucky.
It wasn't all roses of course.
I only had an initial six week contract, with two evening shows on Monday and Thursday, and three shows each night on Friday and Saturday. If I did well then I could sign on for a year, and get a chance to perform more often. I also wasn't going on the road tour, where the real money was. Instead I was to perform at the year round theatre, where new acts got tested, alongside performers who didn't want to spend three-quarters of the year on the road. There was no shame in it, but it was a clear sign I had some kinks to work out before I'd be a real part of the show.
My nerves had to be showing, Trevor reached over to pat my thigh. “When we get home, I'll help you out of your clothes and you can take a long hot shower. I'll light up some incense, put on music and give you a massage when you're out.”
“You just want to see me naked,” I teased.
“To make things fair, I'll be naked too.”
I had to grin. “Deal.”
Wednesday, Morning
While I sipped my blueberry tea and nibbled on my second buttery egg scone sandwich, Trevor drained his vile brew, that was almost as bad as Devisor coffee. Watching the tired look in his eyes fade away as the caffeine woke him up, made up for the wretched smell that I'd been forced to endure while making it.
Properly awake, he began eating the first of two huge egg and spam sandwiches and the big plate of home fries I'd made for him. He needed to eat a lot at breakfast, so he wouldn't freak out anyone at his job by eating enough for three people during his break. It was a good thing I liked to cook. Too bad I had a larger than normal appetite as well, making our grocery bill one of our biggest expenses, right behind rent. I had never realized just how spoiled for food we'd been at Whateley.
“I'm getting groceries today, do you want anything special that isn't on the list?” I asked.
He shook his head. “You're the cook, you make it, I'll eat it,” he said. “Want me to bring something home from work for supper?”
“Two bowls of coleslaw, it'll go well with the chicken legs.”
Nodding he turned back to his breakfast.
I had to smile at the scene. A few bitches and assholes from high school and elsewhere, had tried to make me believe that this happy domestic scene would be impossible for me. I was too different from the norm, I'd have to be a supervillain, clearly a demon couldn't be a hero,to make a living. Possibly even worse, when they found out I wanted to be a performer, they automatically assumed pornstar. And the possibility of getting a cute husband, who didn't have a mutant fetish, that respected and supported me? HAH! Keep dreaming, freak.
I'd almost believed them.
Fortunately I was naturally stubborn, had some very good friends and Trevor had come along. So I hadn't fallen into that trap of thinking I had to conform, either to those who thought I was a freak to be feared, or worse, a freak who needed to be pitied.
Leaning back in my dining room chair, picked up for a dollar from an online ad, my smile turned into a grin. Sure none of our furniture matched, most of our things came from thrift stores or virtual garage sales, and at least for the next few months we'd be living paycheck to paycheck, but Trevor and I had a plan, a roof over our heads, we were doing honest work that we enjoyed, and we were a team. Pretty damn good for two kids just out of high school, if I do say so myself.
“What are you so happy about?” Trevor asked.
“Life,” I said, blowing him a kiss.
Shaking his head, he grinned back before taking a big bite of the home fries. My grin got bigger, somehow seeing him so happy eating my food was almost as good as hearing the audience applause last night. That had been exhilarating, way better than the few times I'd drank or tried something handed around at a party by the Dylans. This was calmer, more warm and cozy, than exhilarating. Getting to experience both was the greatest thing in the world.
As I relaxed, Trevor loaded up the dishwasher that had come with the apartment, and left for work. Then I got dressed and tidied up the rest of the house, listening to some Crüxshadows as I worked. It wasn't much work, we didn't have enough stuff to be very messy, and since I spent the most time at home, I kept things neat so I wouldn't have to clean up a big mess.
The little bit of work done, it was time to practice.
I pulled a large piece of thick plywood out from under the bed and placed it against the living room wall. The wood was covered in small holes and splinters. It was almost time to sand it smooth again. Taking a pack of stickers I put tiny X's all over the board, some as low as my ankles, others were above my head.
For the next hour I threw knives at the board, at first they were just normal throws. After warming up I started doing it while standing sideways to the target, then over my shoulder, lying on my back, doing a one arm handstand and finally while doing forward rolls. The living room was too small to do anything really fancy without risking our damage deposit, so this was just a basic practice routine.
That done, I carefully put ten small black dots in a roundish pattern on the board, and placed a light at the top of it. Then I put ten of my throwing knives into an open box and went back to the other side of the room.
Placing my big toe on a small piece of tape I'd put on the floor the first week we'd moved in, I put the box on the ground beside me. Taking a knife out, I snapped my fingers.
The light flashed green, my arm snapped forward. The knife left my hand and I immediately grabbed a second one. One second later, the light flashed green again, I threw the next knife. Grabbing another knife, not even looking to see if the first knives had hit their target, my eyes completely focused on the green light, I let it fly. Every second it flashed and a knife was thrown. At the tenth it beeped, letting me know I was done.
Looking at the board, I saw that eight of the knives had hit their targets dead on. Two of them were off by less than a quarter of an inch.
“Dammit!” I swore.
It wasn't good enough. Gathering my knives, I got back in position. This was going to take all morning.
Braving the heat, with a blister on my thumb, I made my way through the hot and humid streets of Austin. It was well past lunchtime, I'd forgotten to eat because I was too busy practicing, and I didn't want to cook, so I needed to get some food. I had a loose, long sleeve blouse and ankle length gypsy cotton skirt on, to keep the sun off my skin while letting the air flow freely. My favourite, colourful rag purse hung over my shoulder with my essentials. My choker was hot against my neck, but there was no way I was going to take it off. I didn't want to risk damaging the engagement ring on it by wearing it while I performed, and taking it on and off the choker would be annoying, so it was my one constant fashion accessory. A few cold packs were discretely taped to my legs, back and ribs, so I didn't melt. A big sun hat protected my head and kept my makeup from melting, revealing my not quite human skin colour. I also had two knives strapped to my legs, well out of sight thanks to the skirt. Call me paranoid, but after dealing with highschool at Whateley I like to be ready for anything
Annoyingly I was also wearing contacts, which made my eyes a little itchy, and my dental veneers. The veneers were fake teeth that fit over my real teeth, making them look baseline. I could do anything with them that my normal teeth could, like eating, talking, and things with Trevor where razor sharp teeth are not advised, but they felt weird in my mouth. Unfortunately it was part of the price of being inconspicuous.
I also had a backpack on. It didn't match my clothes, but I needed to get the groceries home somehow, and I didn't want to call a cab or Uber. It was important to stay fit and save money, walking, especially in this heat would help keep me nice and trim for the act.
Ten minutes of walking and I was at a nice little bakery and sandwich shop. With a huge amount of relief, I slipped into the air conditioned building. The smell of baked bread, sweet pastries and spices filled the air. Taking a moment to just take in the scent and enjoy the cool air, I made my way to the counter.
“Hey Lilith, how are you?” the cashier asked.
“Hey Kelly. Now that I'm out of that heat, I can't complain. But I would love to get a ham sandwich with the works. Anything new with you?” I asked. I wouldn't call Kelly a friend, but between getting the apartment set up, going over details at The Last Freak Show, and trying to deal with the heat, meeting people had been depressingly low on my priorities, so it was nice having a friendly person to chat with.
“I asked some friends about The Last Freak Show, and checked their website,” she said as she cut the bread for my sandwich. “I'm not sure if it's really my thing. I'm more for country music and romcoms.”
The mousy young woman really didn't look like she was ready for the counterculture scene. I'd taken a chance telling her that I was a new performer there, it's good to try to get some publicity, even if it did risk outing me. “It's not for everyone, especially the evening shows. But if you want to give it a chance, I can take you and a friend to the tamer Sunday matinee, my treat, and it'll be a house seat.”
“House seat?”
“A seat for a friend of the cast, they're some of the best in the theatre. I just need to give them a few days' warning. And the matinee is for family, kind of creepy, but nothing straight out of a horror movie.”
“That... sounds interesting. But you don't know any of my friends,” she said, handing me my sandwich.
Shrugging, I waved off that little problem. “I'm new to the city, for the last two weeks I've only had my fiance and you, to have an actual friendly non-work related chat with. I'm kind of desperate for a girls day out. Pick a friend you think would like the show, and we'll see how it goes.”
She seemed a bit taken aback at how blunt I was being, I'd never been one to beat around the bush or let shyness get in the way of things. Fortunately she nodded. “It's a date. I'll ask around and see who wants to go.”
“Thank you, I'm sure you'll like it. And if it goes well, maybe the week after we go as a group to a country bar or something, I’m pretty good with a lasso.” Sitting down at the counter, I took a bite of the sandwich, it was almost as good as one from Crystal Hall.
The bakery was empty, since it was after the lunch rush, so Kelly came over to keep talking. “I heard that The Last Freak Show was all mutants. Is that true?”
“Mostly,” I said. “Some of the acts are baseline, or have a mutant and a baseline.”
“So are you a mutant?”
From how Kelly had acted so far I was hopeful about how things would go, but it was now the moment of truth, would she freak out, become a lot less friendly, get a little nervous, get very interested or act normal?
“Yep,” I admitted, pulling up my sleeve, revealing my yellowish skin. “I was a bit too interested in horror stories when I was a kid, and ended up looking a little odd one morning. So now I'm here doing my part to keep Austin weird.”
Her eyes went a little wide. “I've never met a mutant before. Is it polite to ask what your powers are?”
I giggled, I couldn't help it, it was nice finding someone who didn't get weird learning that I was a mutant. “You can ask, but you'll be disappointed. I don't have any flashy powers, just REALLY good reflexes and agility. Everything else is just what a strong baseline can do.”
Kelly looked disappointed, so I decided to show off a little. Getting to my feet I took some coins from the 'Need a penny, take a penny,' bowl and began to juggle with them.
“Oh wow!” she exclaimed.
“Toss me five coins,” I said.
She hesitated for a moment, but then went to get them. “All of them at the same time?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
Throwing the coins together, they separated in the air, making me have to move quickly to get them. It wasn't nearly as hard as the night before, mostly because I didn't have to worry about stabbing or burning myself. She gasped in shock as I caught the coins and began juggling them. Then, because I was still hungry, I tossed each one back into the bowl without looking at it.
“Ta-da!” I said, taking a bow.
The applause was wonderful.
Walking home was not nearly as fun as the rest of the day had been. I had a backpack, plus two cloth bags, full of food, and it seemed to be even hotter than before. The sweat was dripping off me, making my nose and breasts itch, and likely ruining my makeup.
“Just think of this as endurance training,” I muttered to myself.
I had one more block to go and I'd be home in my beautiful air conditioned apartment where the nasty heat couldn't get me. I could do this. And as soon as we had enough money we were getting a second car.
Trying not to collapse from heat stroke, while resisting the urge to rip off my too hot and soaking wet bra, I didn't hear the purse snatcher until he was right on top of me. There was the sound of running feet, a tug on my shoulder, and then the purse snatcher was past me with my rag purse.
Instinct and training took over, and I kicked the would-be thief in the knee, sending him sprawling. He didn't stay down however, rolling to his feet he was up and running, with a limp, as I was still trying to comprehend exactly what was happening.
I wasn't a superhero and didn't want to be, however defending myself and my property was high on my list of priorities. The thief had my phone, wallet, ID, MID, and some personal knickknacks that couldn't be replaced. Dropping the groceries, I took off after him.
It wasn't much of a chase, he turned down an alley and I was right behind him. A hard shove sent him sprawling to the ground. Again he rolled to his feet, turning to glare at me with hate in his eyes, his fists raised for a fight.
“Oh crap,” I said as I got a good look at his elephant-like face.
He had big floppy ears that were barely visible under his mop of brown hair. His nose had to be at least a foot long and moved like a worm, tiny tusks jutted out of his oversized mouth, and his fists were as big as my head. This was not good, but he was limping from my kick, so he wasn't a brick.
“Give me my bag and I'll let you go,” I said, using my stage voice to hide the fear I was feeling.
“Go to hell,” he said, taking a swing at me.
Dodging was child's play, he was slow, so slow I suspected he was just trying to scare me. I still needed my purse, so I kicked him in the knee again, even as I ducked under the fist.
He bellowed in pain, and swung at me again, much faster this time. He was getting serious, and followed up his punch with two more, forcing me to duck and weave. Dropping my backpack as I moved, I waited for an opening and kicked him in the face. I was hoping to get his nose, it was probably sensitive, but only caught him in the cheek. He roared again.
His hand glowed black. I had no idea what that would do to his punch and I did not want to find out. With a speed that was almost equal to mine, he swung his open hand at my chest. I wasn't expecting that, and barely avoided it. The edge of the energy field caught my blouse, there was a faint hiss and my shirt had a five inch long gash in it.
The bit of fear grew to alarm. This wasn't a simple robbery anymore.
I spun and drove my foot into his thigh. While my leg was extended, I pulled out the knife strapped to my shin. Elephant man took a step back at the sight of the knife, I forced him further back with a snap kick from my other leg. Having some space, I grabbed my second knife.
“Look,” I said, holding the knives between us, “I don't have the money to replace all the ID in there, and I need my phone. Drop the bag, and this doesn't have to go any further.”
“You're a mutant,” he said, looking at the yellow skin that was clearly visible through the hole in my blouse.
“I am. So how about showing some mutant solidarity and dropping my bag?”
“You a new supervillain?” he asked.
“No,” I said, actually offended. “I'm a performer.”
He grinned, showing me his big blocky teeth, and grabbed his crotch. “Oh a porn star. Haven't seen you before. You new to the trade?”
His leer made me feel dirty. “Fuck you! I'm not a-”
The fist coming for my head cut off my retort. I could feel the black energy field tingle painfully against my cheek as I scrambled backwards. Silently I cursed my luck, this type of thing was supposed to stop after graduating Whateley. I was a former Whitmaniac, it was the Poesies like Trevor who were the trouble magnets.
Seeing elephant man was off balance, I ducked down and leapt forward, my blade slicing his knee. I skidded to a stop behind him and tried to slice the back of his knee, but he was spinning on his good leg. Rolling backwards I got to see his fist form a crater where I'd been a half second before.
“Where are the police when you need them?” I muttered.
Going over my options, I didn't like any of them. I could try to run, but the elephant man was pissed, turning my back on him was not a good idea. I also really needed my phone, it had contact info for potential jobs and important people I didn't want to lose. I didn't want to kill him, if I didn't have to either. So my best option seemed to be taking out his knee.
The next several seconds were a blur.
Elephant man charged me, both fists completely hidden by the pure black energy. I threw a knife at his chest. He lifted his hands to block it, causing the blade to disintegrate. Seeing my opening, I threw myself at him, using all my skills and agility to move like greased lightning just above the pavement. I slid between his legs, and jammed my last knife into the back of his knee.
He fell, shrieking in pain. Ignoring his screams, I kept going, grabbing my bag that had fallen during the fight and ran to the mouth of the alley. With shaking hands I called 911, I didn't want to risk the criminal hurting anyone, and my fingerprints were on the knife. It was best to make sure they knew I was defending myself.
Trevor came rushing over, as I stepped into the police department lobby with my bags of groceries. “Are you OK?” he asked, hugging me so tightly it hurt my ribs.
“I'm OK. Just some scrapes from rolling on the pavement,” I said, hugging him back as hard as I could burying my face in his chest. “But we need to get groceries again. The cold stuff is ruined, sorry,” I said stupidly. My brain was letting the shock take over now that everything was over and I had Trevor to lean on.
He started to laugh in relief, kissing the top of my head. “Don't worry, I think we can survive without milk tonight. I'm just glad you're OK.”
I let him lead me to the car, and help me get in. His eyes lingered on the blood that covered my sleeve, I'd tried to wash it off at the station, but my blouse was completely ruined. My purse was OK though, I just had to repair the strap which had been sliced neatly in two by the crook.
“So want to tell me what happened?” Trevor asked.
“Trunk, the thief, is some low level thug,” I said, repeating what I'd been told by the police. “He hit some hard times and started purse snatching and mugging people. He thought I was an easy target.”
Holding my hand, he said, “From what I heard, he went way beyond just purse snatching.”
“He was afraid of losing his rep by getting beaten up by me. When I told him I was just a performer he decided I needed to be beaten, and then he tried to kill me. The MCO has him, the police made sure I went with them so I could give a statement.” My voice was completely devoid of emotion as I spoke, it was like there was a glass wall between me and my feelings.
Kissing my hand, Trevor pulled into our parking spot. Helping me out of the car, he grabbed my bags and walked me up to our apartment. I sat down on the couch, looking around the room with a newfound appreciation of what we had.
Sitting down, Trevor put me on his lap and cradled me, while I wrapped my arms around him. “That could have been us.” I said.
“What?”
“We could have turned out like Trunk. Using our powers to commit crimes, thinking we have to hurt people to survive.” Tears welled up in my eyes.
Kissing my forehead, Trevor shook his head. “You're too nice to do that. You'd find some other way to survive.”
“But what if I didn't think there was another way? What if it was that or starve?” I asked.
“Don't go down the ‘what if’ road. What if I'd gotten you pregnant at sixteen? What if your parents had been bad? What if you'd never been a mutant? They didn't happen, and you don't know what might have happened. Be happy with what you've got and what you've accomplished so far.” His hand stroked my back. “Everyday I wake up, I'm grateful that I've got you. You're funny, talented, beautiful and caring. You're one of the hardest workers I've ever met, and whatever you set your mind to, I know you'll accomplish it.”
Curling up in his lap, I held him even tighter. He was right. I needed to focus on reality, and right now all I needed to know was that I was loved by one of the greatest guys around.
“When you're ready, I'll order in some food, and we can call your parents to let them know what happened. After that, we'll spend all night relaxing, and sleep in late tomorrow.”
“But we have the act tomorrow.”
“That's why we'll sleep in. We don't have to be there until after the matinee, taking a few hours to relax will be good for you,” Trevor said.
“OK,” I said. Focusing on his beating heart, I tried to relax.
The Last Freak Show Theatre
The Next Day
Noise filled the theatre. Performers were practicing their acts, technicians tested equipment, designers put the finishing touches on sets and costumes, and more. At the moment my attention was split between Lady Naga, currently in her heavily tattooed, baseline form, singing a Hindi pop song, and a tiny cat girl squealing in fear as a werewolf chased her around an elaborate jungle gym. It was wonderfully chaotic. And after the 'fun' I'd had the day before, the sights, sounds and nervous energy were a welcome relief.
Trevor and I had arrived a few hours before, shortly after the matinee show, testing out our rig, making sure my props were in order, talking with the Ringmaster and the technicians, and doing a run through of our six minute act. In some ways, this was easier than busking, since I only had two six minute shows tonight, with several hours in between, and it wasn't nearly as physically taxing as what I'd done the night before. In other ways it was much harder, because the audience was bigger, real pro's were watching, and if I screwed up, it would cost me my big chance and set me back years.
Being an obvious mutant in the entertainment industry wasn't exactly easy. Things were getting better thanks to organizations like the Unique Entertainers Association, which helped mutants find jobs, work out contracts, and provided some benefits, but it was a niche market. The Last Freak Show was made up almost entirely of mutants and was currently the best employer I could possibly find. If I made a name here just out of the gate, I'd be able to go to practically any city or festival and get on a stage.
Because of that, The Last Freak Show expected only the best. You couldn't just go up on stage and rely on your looks, even the most 'grotesque' GSD case had to have an act. There were three important reasons for that. First there are actual state laws against exhibiting abnormalities for entertainment purposes. It was perfectly fine getting the audience in the doors with the promise of the weird and freakish, but there had to be more to it than that. Second, with the net, just having a pretty insect girl sitting on stage waving and smiling would not draw an audience, people demanded more. And third, it was a matter of dignity.
I had nothing against using my looks to get attention and work. I'd decided early on that if I was going to have people staring at me, I might as well get something out of it, after all that's how most actors and every single model pay their bills. But I didn't want them just to look at me and simply think freak or exotic beauty, I wanted them to be awed and amazed. The Last Freak Show thought the same way. So if you wanted to appear on their stage, you had better bring something amazing.
As the name implied, The Last Freak Show wasn't exactly for the faint of heart. They started off going for shock entertainment, some of their longest running acts could have come straight out of a horror flick. Years later most of their acts were still on the mature side, which suited me perfectly, considering my sultry demoness routine. However as they'd grown, first getting their own small theatre, then upgrading to their latest massive theatre and becoming a big tourist attraction for the city, they got some more mellow acts for their matinee shows. Little children would still regularly leave crying, but for teens and braver kids, it was good, creepy fun.
While I watched the magic happen, waiting for Trevor to come back with supper, a very pregnant cat lady sat down next to me. “Hi Lilith, I'm Susan. I haven't had a chance to say hello yet, so I thought now was as good a time as ever.”
I'd seen worse GSD cases at school, my roommate and best friend for one, but for cat women, Susan was more catlike than most. She didn't just have the tail and ears of a cat, but the muzzle, whiskers and long white fur covering her entire body, she made my odd skin colour, scales and weird eyes look boring in comparison.
“Oh wow! It's an honour to meet you,” I said, trying to think of what to say, that wouldn't make me sound too fangirly.
Susan and her husband, Jerome, a werewolf mutant, were one of the longer running acts, under the stage name Alley Cat and Rex. They'd started off doing a very risque tumbling and acrobatics act that involved a lot of torn clothes, exposed flesh and physical appeal. Like the show, they'd toned it down over the years, relying more on skill and physical humour, rather than pure sex appeal as they'd gotten older and started having kids. She and her husband were stars among mutant performers.
She purred at my compliment. “Thanks, but you don't need to act all star struck. We're all performers here, and right now, you're more of a performer than I am,” she said, patting her massive stomach.
“Do you mind telling me how far along you are?” I asked.
“Six months.”
My eyes went wide, she looked to be nine months and ready to pop.
“I've got triplets. I not only look like a cat, but I get litters,” she said a little proudly.
“Congratulations,” I said. My eyes went back to the werewolf and the cat girl who were still scrambling after each other in a mock chase. “I noticed Rex practicing with a little cat girl, is that your daughter?”
Susan's eyes lit up with pride. “Yep. Susie is seven, and out of her three brothers and one sister she's the best at tumbling. So with me being on the sidelines, she's been filling in the evening shows for me, while her twin brother does the matinee.”
“I didn't know kids could be born with GSD.”
“It happens. She and her twin are both just like me, with the agility to go with it. Her sister is more baseline, only having the cat ears and tail. And her last two brothers are baseline, they're hoping to turn into werewolves like their dad when they get old enough to manifest.”
Without thinking my hand went to my stomach. I didn't want kids soon, but Trevor and I did want them eventually. I'd figured any child of mine would look baseline, but what if they looked like a little demon?
My thoughts must have shown, because Susan put an arm around my shoulder. “Don't worry about it, you're still too young. And it seems to happen only to those of us with really weird BITS.”
“Thanks, but I'm not that young,” I said, pointing at the ring on my choker.
“Your handsome assistant?” she asked.
I blushed at that. “Yeah. Trevor proposed when we graduated in June.”
“Congrats. It's great that you can work together.” She got a more serious look. “So I watched a video of your audition, it was really good.”
“Seriously! I, uh, I mean, thank you so much! Coming from you that means a lot. When I was signed up for here instead of on the road I was worried that I'd done something wrong,” I admitted.
“Nah, you did great. They just don't want to take a chance on a completely new act. Think of this as your grace period, a chance to get used to how we run, practice some new things, and make some mistakes without blowing the show.” She got to her feet and dragged me up with her. “Come on, I'll show you around and introduce you to some of the acts. You'll meet everyone at the between shows festivities, but I know a few people who are interested in seeing you now.”
I couldn't keep the stupid grin off my face as we headed into the chaos.
The theatre seats weren’t even half full, but by my quick head count there were over five hundred people in the audience. I'd never performed for anywhere close to this number before. This was the type of audience numbers they'd have at a Broadway show. Unlike Broadway, our audience heavily leaned towards men and the pretty young, ranging from older teens to thirty-somethings. There was also a decent size group of older people, mostly covered in old tattoos, either with long hair or balding, and wearing shirts with old punk and rock band names.
At the moment they were rocking out to Lady Naga, in her half-snake half-human form, and the house band who were doing a damn good cover of Highway to Hell by AC/DC. She was the opening act, letting people know what to expect. Soon enough it would be my turn to be on stage, I really wanted a drink.
Trevor massaged my shoulders, he was dressed up in a skin tight white t-shirt and blue jeans, that showed off his well toned body. I was wearing much less, just a dark red leather corset with big brass buckles, that barely covered my breasts and left most of my stomach bare. Below that I had a matching garter belt and thigh high stockings that accentuated my muscular legs, and a thong to protect my decency. For shoes, I was wearing dark red stilettos that were so sharp they could punch a hole through a plank of wood. If I'd been in public the police would definitely be wanting to talk to me about public indecency, but for this audience, it was perfect.
My clothes weren't the highlight of my costume however. Unlike the other night, this time I'd done my makeup to look truly exotic. My yellow skin was covered in a special oil paint that gave it a faint red glitter effect, making it seem to glow with hellfire when the lights hit me just right. The delicate blue-green scales on my sharp cheekbones and jawline were oiled to reflect the light, and outlined with makeup to really make them pop. My sparkling eyes and eyelids had the same treatment, so in anything but total darkness I seemed to glow. Adding to the hellfire look, my black hair was now streaked with reflective red and gold dye. My lips and nails were pitch black, so whenever I opened my mouth, my sharp brilliantly white teeth were easy to see. I really looked like a sex demoness, my whip and knives only helped add to the look.
Lady Naga's song came to an end. She reared up on her tail, reaching an impressive twenty feet in height, and took a bow. Then the curtains came down and the Ringmaster took the stage.
“Welcome my friends, to THE LAST FREAK SHOW!” he shouted, using his siren powers to amplify his voice.
As he went through his spiel about the performances they would see, his ringmaster outfit which looked normal, almost stereotypical, began to change. The red coat darkened, gaining spots and streaks that were almost black, his top hat grew ragged and crooked. Healthy pink cheeks began to turn greyish green as the fat melted away. The neat brown hair slowly twisted into a wild mane covering his eyes, turning grey as it trailed down his back. Worst of all his body lengthened, arms and legs became stick-like, his torso impossibly thin, bending and weaving in a non-existent wind.
The curtains rose as he slowly faded from sight.
“LET THE SHOW BEGIN!” he shrieked.
From behind the scenes, I watched the first act, The Marionette and Chew Toy.
On stage a marionette was slumped in an awkward pile, its limbs twisted around each other and its body. It was the size and shape of an adult woman, with an angelic face of painted porcelain and a tiny smile, strings hung from its wooden limbs and head. A man with a broom walked onstage, sweeping up imaginary dust. Behind his back the marionette began to move, her strings rising up into the air, disappearing in the darkness. With jerky, inhuman movements, she rose to her feet.
The man saw her moving, letting out a shriek of terror. He turned to run only to stop as the marionette raised a finger and a thin beam of light hit him. Walking around him, seeming to float rather than actually walk across the floor, more beams of light came from her fingers spearing his limbs and head. His face twisted in pain and his muscles visibly tensed as they were hit.
Blank faced, the marionette twisted her hand, causing the man’s arms to twist painfully and unnaturally behind his back. Moving her other hand, he fell backwards to the floor. He shrieked as his body convulsed, arching his back, he was forced to rise up into a backwards arch, only his fingers and toes touching the stage.
For the next five minutes the marionette danced around the stage, her frozen face smiling eerily, watching her victim. The man contorted and writhed, walking on his fingertips, twisting his head 180 degrees, his arms and legs bending in ways that shouldn't be possible. Finally the marionette collapsed in a heap, leaving the man sobbing his limbs limp and seemingly broken.
The curtains came down and Marionette rose to her feet, walking over to her partner who was rubbing his shoulder and grimacing in pain.
“I told you to take it slower tonight,” The Marionette said, her face still immobile.
“Nothing that a little bit of ice won't fix,” Chew Toy replied.
“If you keep this up, I'll need to make you a cybernetic arm,” she chided him.
As they made their way backstage, mechanical drones prepared the stage for the next show and the Ringmaster kept the crowd occupied. Rex and Susie came to the stage, Susan was with them whispering something to the little cat girl, she gave her husband and daughter a quick kiss for luck and hurried away.
The curtain rose revealing what looked like a city alley that had a surprising number of fire escapes, clothes lines, old boxes and a dumpster. Rex came out in an old fashion white suit, looking something like an ice cream man, his big tail wagging happily behind him, pushing a cart with an ice cream cone painted on the side.
There was a loud giggle, and Susie's head appeared from the rafters, her long black and white fur done up in tiny pigtails. In an amazing series of jumps and tumbles, she made her way down from the rafters. She was wearing old and heavily patched coveralls and her feet were bare.
The little cat girl landed on the edge of the cart, making Rex jump away in surprise. Reaching in she pulled out an ice cream bar, holding it up like it was the greatest thing in the world.
Rex, looking stern, held out his hand for payment.
Susie made a big show of checking her non-existent pockets, smiled sweetly, and promptly scrambled away. Rex, shouting and growling, chased after her. It became an amazing chase with Susie staying just a few feet in front of her father, tightrope walking, jumping from balcony to balcony, tumbling down ladders and stairs, dropping flower pots and paint cans on his head, and finally cutting a clothesline dropping the unfortunate Rex straight into the dumpster.
The crowd loved the cartoon like insanity. As they went off stage, Susan rushed over and gave them both a big hug. I had to smile at the sight, if everything worked out that could be Trevor and I in a few years.
More acts performed, there was the Undead Magician and his zombie assistants, Harold the Five Man Solo Show, the birdlike Phoenix who did a risque feather dance, the Mesmerizing Fire Dancers, and finally it was my turn. They'd placed me safely in the middle of the show, no big expectations, and if I screwed up the acts that came after would help cover up my mistakes.
Walking to the middle of the stage, whip in hand, my heart was racing, while the drones set up the last of my set, which included a forcefield protecting the audience and the backstage. As the curtains rose, the Ringmaster said, “From the very pits of Hell, I'm proud to introduce our newest act, LILITH!”
Smoke surrounded me.
Flicking a switch, my whip was covered in blue flame. I whipped the air, the cracking of the whip filled the theatre, seemingly dispelling the smoke. I stood before the crowd, a demon of hell, looking for a soul. This was what I'd dreamed of, all eyes on me, ready to be amazed.
Music began to play.
Striding forwards, I cracked the fiery whip, flames erupted hanging in the air. I danced to the music, the whip moved like a snake around me, my skin and eyes glittered in the light. Tossing the whip high into the air, I cartwheeled forward and held my hand out allowing the whip to land in my palm.
First part successfully accomplish
Turning away from the audience, I walked to the side of the stage, snapping the whip with every step. Coming to a stop, hand on my hip, I said, “Come here!” cracking the whip once more for emphasis.
Trevor stumbled on stage as if he'd been thrown. Scrambling to his feet he tried to run away. My whip lashed out, striking his back, making him shout in pain, his shirt smoked from the blow. I struck the ground in front of his face, sending him scrambling backwards. We kept this up for several seconds, the whip usually missing him by an inch or two, but sometimes hitting his back or legs, burning his clothes and leaving long cuts that revealed his muscular body.
Leering to the crowd, I made my way to Trevor who cowered before me. Gripping his hair, I wrenched him to his feet, running my hand seductively over his chest and stomach, before shoving him backwards.
I said a phrase in Classical Hebrew, and there was a puff of red smoke and a box appeared beside him. I pointed at the box, only to have Trevor stare dumbly at me. The whip cracked again, just missing his ear. He opened the box and took out a handful of small plates.
Fearfully Trevor held up one of the plates. I made a big show of waving the whip around my body, then in a blindingly fast movement the plate shattered and the crack filled the theatre. The after image of the flames was like a line connecting my fiance and I.
Trevor held the next plate up just above his head. It shattered as well.
The next one was thrown into the air. The plate had barely left his hand when I destroyed it.
With the last plate, Trevor whipped it as hard as he could into the air. There was no chance for me to hit it.
Dropping my whip I pulled out a throwing knife that had been hidden in the back of my corset. Squeezing the handle, it lit on fire, a split second later it flew through the air catching the plate dead centre.
Meanwhile Trevor pretended to run away. I took the second throwing knife from its hiding spot, lit it on fire and sent it after my wayward assistant. It grazed his cheek and impaled itself on a post, making him stop dead in his tracks.
Snarling in anger, letting the audience see my teeth, I stalked over to him, grabbed his arm and pretended to toss him back to the centre of the stage. Then I grabbed my knife and twirled around, discretely grabbing several more that were waiting just out of sight.
To the audience it looked like I'd just turned one knife into six.
Shouting a bit of Classical Hebrew, smoke erupted just behind Trevor and a weird contraption that looked like a cross between a torture device and a gyroscope appeared.
For show, and a convenient place to keep the knives while my hands were busy, I tossed them one after the other at Trevor, creating a circle around him.
Stalking over, I gripped his face in one hand, forcing him to his feet and headed to the gyroscope. Trevor struggled with me as moved, turning the movement into something like a dance. We made sure to press our bodies close together and I'd playfully let him throw me around, showing off my legs and ass as he did, before handily taking back control with an evil laugh. Pushing him into the gyroscope, I crawled over his body, hanging on each limb after it was strapped down to prove he couldn't get away. With my victim secure, I went back to my knives.
These knives were different from my other throwing blades. My usual knives only had a sharp point, these blades had razor sharp edges, letting them cut through cloth or flesh, no sane knife thrower would use these blades in their acts.
Taking my first knife, I did a little dance with it, running the blade over my body and licking the blade, careful to not slice open my tongue, before tossing it over my shoulder at Trevor. It hit exactly where I'd planned, right under his left arm pit, so close it cut his shirt.
The next knife hit his right armpit. The two after that cut the waistband of his jeans. I didn't look at him as I threw the knives, we'd practiced this until my fingers had bled. It was still incredibly dangerous, I wouldn't even dream of doing this act with someone who didn't have a forcefield, but damn did it look good to the audience.
Turning to face him, I threw the last two blades at the same time. They landed on each side of his neck, touching his skin.
Smirking for the crowd, I walked up to him like I was the queen of the world. Running my nail around his neck I got in close as if I was about to kiss him. With our bodies blocking my hand from the audience, I palmed yet another knife that was concealed in the prop. Then Trevor spit on me.
I roared in anger, as he looked proudly defiant.
The palmed knife came out, lighting on fire as it appeared. I drove the knife towards his crotch, actually slicing into his pants as it slammed into the concealed padding that would hold it in place. The fire wasn't hot, but the audience didn't know that.
Wiping the spittle from my cheek, I let the audience get a good look at the knives around Trevor, who was groaning and screaming in pain. The flaming crotch made many of them wince. Speaking in angry sounding Classical Hebrew I gave the gyroscope an angry shove, it began moving. The silent gadgeteered motor inside started up, making it pick up speed. Within seconds Trevor was a blur, spinning around in two different directions at the same time.
Yet more angry Classical Hebrew and I had a box full of knives, and was ready for the big finale.
Taking a moment to centre myself I took the first knife. The music had stopped, the audience was utterly silent, I could have heard a pin drop.
A faint green light that only I could see appeared. I threw the knife.
A moment later I had the next knife ready to throw. Again the green light flashed. The second knife flew home.
In the space of ten seconds, ten knives flew at Trevor as he whipped around in a blur.
When the last one left my hand, I clapped and shouted again in Classical Hebrew. Slowly the gyroscope came to a stop, leaving Trevor hanging limply, facing the audience. Knives formed an outline around him, touching his flesh but not piercing it.
I undid the straps, and he fell face first to the floor. His shirt and pants remained pinned to the gyroscope. Shakily Trevor got to his feet, standing naked, except for tight black underwear and his shoes.
The crowd went wild.
Wanna join the fun? Fanfiction set in the Whately Academy Universe!
Whateley Academy Fanfiction
by kitn (Angie Hughes)
• Catalyst 1
• Kudzu 1
• Kudzu 2
• Singularity