Marked Target ~ Chapter Four ~ by: Danielle Krieger (c) 2011 Lawrence "Lex" McKinley lives about as average a life as one can with metahumans popping up everywhere. Well, as normal as someone who spends their free time as an MMA fighter really can. He's about to get the shock of his life--the punch he never saw coming. In this installment: Finally free of imprisonment, real life sets in. Lex learns who her real friends are. The new body takes a little getting used to. One visit may mean the difference between life and death. Real life ain't all peaches and cream, bub.

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DISCLAIMER :: This is a retroactive continuity. A “ret-con”, if you will. It follows other stories in Lilith Langtree’s “Comics RetCon Universe”. The story is mine, but some of the characters are not. This is a RetCon of X-23, from Marvel Comics’ X-men (with a special guest appearance from Dr. Hank McCoy). Laura Kinney, X-23, and Dr. Henry Philip “Hank” McCoy, Beast, are trademarks of Marvel Comics. All rights reserved. The pic, this time, has been brought to you, again, by the incredibly talented Mike Choi.

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Chapter Four:

“So, let me get this straight: You’ve been in that place this whole time?” Mike asked for clarification.

Feeling a little embarrassed, they had let me into the apartment. I settled onto the couch. Mike was sitting across with his chair turned the wrong way, straddling the back. Steven (don’t call him “Steve”) was standing next to Mike, leaning on another chair. Their apartment was a sparse one-bedroom with a bathroom, tiny kitchen, small dining area, and small living room area. If Mike was totally not the gay stereotype, Steven totally was the gay stereotype. He spoke like a drag queen (because he was one… on the weekends), which had a tendency of weighing on my nerves.

“Yes, unfortunately.” They had been taking turns grilling me. Up to this point, I had explained my perspective of the kidnapping, what had happened to me in the cell, the details of my escape, and the sojourn that brought me to their front door.

“No wonder you look a hot mess, honey. I wouldn’t take that bus if you paid me in penises.” Steven quipped.

I simply rolled my eyes.

Mike shifted a little. “I have to be honest, here. I’m still not convinced that you are actually Lex. Don’t take any offense, though. I mean, he’s a built guy in the Welterweight Division and stands at five-ten. You, sweetie, qualify for cheerleader, but that’s about it. People don’t shrink, age regress, or change sexes. That’s some kind of obscure internet story type of crazy.”

Sighing, my hand shot to my forehead and impacted for a good, old-fashioned facepalm. A moment later, my eyes were back on him. “If I hadn’t watched it happen in a two-way mirror, I’d be saying the same thing.”

“Okay, so you understand, then. Good. I’m gonna ask you a few questions. That cool?”

Again, my eyes rolled. “Fine.”

“Okay, where were you born?”

I took a breath. This would take a minute. “Well, I was supposed to be born at the Falls City Hospital. There were some complications. My mom’s heart started going out, her kidneys started failing, and I was apparently trying to strangle myself with the umbilical cord. It’s the reason why I’m an only child. So, then we were life-flighted to Lincoln. That’s in Nebraska.” I smirked like he should know this, already. “I was also born the same year that Back To The Future came out. Happy?”

Mike was doing his best impression of The Thinker.

“Okay, smart tits,” Steven quipped. “Did you play a sport in high school?”

“Yes. Soccer.”

“Were you any good?”

“Steven, that’s an objective question. From my perspective, I was only as good as my teammates. We won the state championships, went on to take the regional title, but we didn’t place in Nationals. I got a scholarship out of it, though, so I’m not complaining too much.”

“What’s your girlfriend’s full name?” Mike finally spoke.

“Julia Eleanor Langley, but don’t tell her I told you that.” My eyes widened, thinking she might be in the other room ready to pound me for revealing her middle name. Her mother idolized Eleanor Roosevelt, hence the name. “Speaking of which, have you guys heard from her at all?”

Steven reacted first, shaking his head. “Sorry, sugar. Not a peep.”

Mike’s face had much more remorse in it. “No, we haven’t. After Lex… well, you… and Julia went to the club, that night, both of you seemed to drop off the face of the Earth.”

Tears started welling up in my eyes again. What was with all this crying? “I’ve got to find her, Mike. Hell or high water. If I have to go to the ends of the Earth, itself, just to get her back, I will. I just have to know she’s okay.”

He smiled warmly. “We’ll help any way we can. Only the Lex I know would be that devoted to Julia.” He tapped my hand. “It’s good to have you back.”

Steven then did something very odd. His head and neck craned back, then forward again. I’d only ever seen black women and drag queens do it. “What? You mean, you think this little tart is actually telling the truth?”

Mike glared up at his partner. “Yes, dear, I do. She knows too much about him to not be him. Besides, what did they say about that Terra girl? Didn’t she change sex?”

Steven scoffed… very femininely. “What, that little tramp? That’s just a little teeny-bopper with some bad parents that let her go out dressed like that.”

“How about American Dream?”

“A cheerleader from the Fourth of July parade gone mental.”

“Blue Beetle?”

“Bad Power Rangers rerun.”

“Giganta?”

“Nice camera work.”

Mike chuckled. “Oh, so all those news reports are special effects?” He looked back at me. “He’s still a skeptic. No matter what, you can’t prove to him that these ‘metahumans’ exist.”

My right eyebrow raised suggestively. “Really… is that so?” Standing up from the couch, I slipped off my jacket. “Steven, I’d like to show you something.”

That skeptical look crossed his face again. “Yea? What?”

First grimacing, then balling my hand into a fist, SNIKT! Out came the claws. He screamed like a woman and his hand shot to his chest like he was about to have a heart attack. Mike even jumped back and carried an expression of shock. I wasn’t done with them, yet. I held out my arm, took the claws, and raked the metal against my own skin. The two cuts were deep and started bleeding immediately. It seriously hurt, but I had to make the point. Grimacing again, the claws were gone with another snikt.

“Jesus, Lex! What the fuck was that?” Mike wondered, his eyes nearly bulging out of his face.

“Steven,” I stated sweetly, “be a dear and hand me a paper towel over there?” Reluctantly, he passed me one, but he was shaking furiously. I took the towel and wiped my arm off. Once cleared, they both watched as the wounds healed themselves right before their eyes. There was no scar and no other evidence that I had hurt myself, save for the excess blood. “How about now, Steven? Do we exist, yet?”

“H-how d-did you d-do that?” He stuttered.

“I told you guys, I’m a meta. I came out of anesthesia on the table, looked at my hands, and there were these bony claws coming out of them.” I sighed, exhausted from explaining so much.

“But… how’d they get all shiny and metal and sharp like that?” Mike wondered.

All I could do was shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine. They had me knocked out half the time, remember? I don’t even know what the things are made of.”

Mike raised an eyebrow. “Does it hurt?”

“Fuck, yes, it hurts! Every time!” My voice was getting higher in pitch. I plopped down on the couch. “I don’t even know what all of this means. I heal really fast. I can run all day and not get tired until sunset. I can hear people from really far away. I can smell things you really don’t want to smell and pick up the scent from far away. It’s more than a little overwhelming, you know? I mean, besides being turned into a teenage girl. That was almost too much of a shock.”

“Well, can’t you see a doctor about it?” The flushed queen asked, hand still on his chest.

“Oh, and what are they supposed to do, Steven? Make it all go away?”

“Wait… hang on… didn’t you say that lady gave you a business card and told you to find some doctor?” Mike was paying attention.

Turning ever so slightly, I grabbed the coat, fished in the inner pocket, and pulled out the card Dr. Kimura had given me. Before handing it over, I glanced at it. It read simply:

Mike glanced over it when I handed it to him and a contemplative expression crossed his face. “Well, what are your thoughts on that?”

“I can’t make a trip to California!”

“Why not?”

“Because we have to find Julia.”

Mike shook his head. “You leave that to us, buddy. I have a few friends with a few skills. Let me talk to them. In the meantime, you should probably get some rest. It’s been a long day, already.”

As if on cue, my mouth formed a yawn and I stretched through it. “You’re probably right.” My eyes met his. “Thanks, Mike. For everything.” Then, the moved over to his partner. “Sorry for scaring the shit out of you, Steven. I had to prove a point, though.”

He gave me the stink eye. “You better know how to get blood out of the rug or find a way to buy me a new one. Also, before you get your nastiness all over my brand new sofa, get that chubby little tush in the shower and get it cleaned, would you?”

“I smell pretty bad, huh?”

“I’m surprised you can’t smell it–with your new abilities and all that.”

The shower was heaven. When they say “cleanliness is next to godliness” and you don’t remember cleaning yourself for a few months, the feeling is indescribable. While I was locked up, there isn’t a single memory of taking a shower or bath or anything like that. My guess is that someone came in and gave me sponge baths every once in a while or actually set me in a tub while I was unconscious. Now, the feeling of falling warm water on my skin was breathtaking. Of course, with my new skin and sensitivities, it was an education. There was the strange sensation if the water hit my breasts or my empty crotch, but it wasn’t off-putting, for some strange reason. Then, there was the odd sensation of a mass of wet hair on my neck and shoulders. Oddly enough, I happened to prefer the floral scents of Steven’s shampoo, conditioner, and body wash versus using any of Mike’s Axe products. Also, I took it upon myself to shave my legs and armpits. It seemed appropriate.

When I got out, there was a warm towel waiting for me. Without much thought, I wrapped it around my waist like I usually would, but that no longer seemed appropriate. Thus, after some unwrapping, I lifted it up to chest level and stopped before wrapping it over my chest. Instead, I moved over to the mirror. It occurred to me that I hadn’t yet seen myself naked and there was some curiosity about that.

Upon moving in front of the reflective surface, an interesting sight bounced back at me. There she was again, that little black-haired and green-eyed teenage girl. My eyes slowly scanned over her form. The skin was pale as ever, but it didn’t look bad on her. Her skin was taught and had that extra glow of youth to it. Musculature was hidden beneath a layer of subcutaneous fat, but it was aesthetically pleasing. Her shoulders and ribs were rather narrow. Her hips flared out then flowed seamlessly into her thighs. She had a really cute little belly button. Her cute, perky breasts did seem a little large for her frame, but there was a hint that her body would catch up eventually. They weren’t really “huge”, like I had believed. Perspective can be the darnedest thing, sometimes. The more my eyes took in, the more they began to delight in what they saw.

The visual scan was interrupted by a knock on the door. Hurriedly, I wrapped the towel over my chest and bid the person to enter. Oddly enough, Steven came in with another towel in hand. At that moment, an odd scent hit my nose, but I didn’t think it was coming from him.

“Honey, there are a few things I’m going to teach you while you’re here. Namely, you gotta wrap up that mop before you get water all over my house. Bow down and flip your hair over your head.” He instructed.

I gave him a strange look for a moment, but complied. Bowing over, I forcefully moved my head in a manner that created some centrifugal force and flipped my hair over my head. He man-screeched for a second as he got pelted with water droplets, but let out a giggle as he gathered up loose strands that were determined to stick to the back of my neck and upper back. Then, he proceeded to wrap the towel around my head and tie it in a turban around my hair. I’d seen Julia use this technique but never thought my hair would ever be long enough to need it. He tucked some excess towel in the back of the turban and bade me to stand upright again.

“There you go, hon.” He actually smiled.

His smile was returned. “Thanks, Steven. I have a feeling that I’m going to get a crash course in a few subjects before this whole thing can be figured out.”

He sniffed the air. “Did you use my stuff?”

I meekly nodded. “Yea. You don’t really mind, do you? For some reason, I couldn’t justify using Mike’s stuff. I also borrowed a razor and cleaned up my legs.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter, hon. Mi casa es su casa, right?” His eyes traveled down to my legs, then his eyes got wide and a hand shot to his mouth. “Oh my god! Honey, you’re bleeding! I thought you healed?”

Startled, my eyes darted down to my legs to spot a little stream of blood on my damp inner thigh. Moving the towel, I traced the blood to its source. “Oh, fuck all!” I straightened up again and let out a whimper. “Steven, my backpack is in the living room. Could you grab it for me?”

He leaned in to whisper. “You got pads or tampons in there, sweetie?”

With a grimace, I nodded. He got a look on his face that said “Say no more!” and he shimmied out of the bathroom. I put my face in my hands in some measure of embarrassment. In moments, he had returned with the backpack in hand. I started digging through it.

“Let me guess: you don’t really have any idea what you’re doing, do you?” Again, he was whispering. I shook my head as I pulled out the package of maxi pads and the package of panties. “Leave it to me. Apparently, you can’t heal everything and Mother Nature, the fickle bitch, has to have her day.”

Well, at least I now knew what that smell was: blood and placenta. In all my life, if you had told me that I would eventually be having a period and then would immediately be taught how to use a maxi pad by a flaming gay guy, you would have been laughed out of my house because of your sick joke. Reality is so much stranger than fiction. Steven was really patient with me, though, and showed me exactly what he was doing, step-by-step. He had me clean up with a little toilet paper before slipping on the new pair of panties and pressing the maxi pad against my flat crotch. Interestingly enough, I was much more embarrassed than I was disgusted with the whole episode and kept apologizing for troubling him.

“Okay, I have to know: You don’t have the parts, so how did you know how to do this?” I wondered, shimmying into the panties.

He simply grinned and winked at me. “Fag hags, sweetie.”

The next three days weren’t much better than being in that cell. At least, this time there was television. It’s amazing how someone could miss having three hundred channels with nothing to watch. You never appreciate it until it’s not there, right? Most of the time, I was watching Discovery Channel or History Channel. No soap operas for me. Those things were for lonely housewives who needed some mental break from the monotony of their boring, routine lives. Occasionally, I’d flip over to the news stations, but it wasn’t much different from when I had been kidnapped. The only difference was the occasional story about some metahuman saving humanity somewhere, but that was about it.

Mike and Steven were really good to me, but I couldn’t help feeling that I was using them, somehow. Sure, they were good friends and I really needed that. However, I had worked my ass off for everything I had previously. Now, I had nothing and was sitting on the couch with a sports bra and panties with my Punisher T-shirt covering the whole thing while doing next to nothing. Steven even cooked for us all. I volunteered to clean up the kitchen, do the dishes, and clean up the bathroom, but was plotting what my next move was going to be the whole time. There was still ninety-five percent of the two grand left over. I thought about using it to hire a private investigator to help track down Julia because I didn’t have the slightest idea where to start. Mike quickly shot down that idea, telling me he had it handled.

At the very least, my period was over after those three days. I took another shower because I just felt disgusting, for some reason. It was still early morning. Steven had already left for work and Mike had the day off. I was hoping we could do something fun and maybe get me out of the house for a while. He shrugged me off, telling me he had something else planned. At the tail end of my shower, the doorbell rang. I heard footsteps and very muffled conversation, but couldn’t make out any of the words. When I got out, the conversation stopped. Patting myself dry and wrapping up my hair turban like Steven had shown me, I wondered about that. Then, once opening the door and stepping into the apartment, my eyes threatened to bulge out of my face.

“Oh, wow. You weren’t kidding, Mike. She’s adorable!” It was Rachel from work. Like an idiot, I just stood there staring. She spun around to Mike. “You didn’t tell her I was coming? You asshole!”

He chuckled as she smacked him. “Hey, she’s been talking about getting out of the house all day and I told her I had other plans. I thought it would be a surprise.”

My eyes rapidly blinked, bringing me out of my trance. “Uh, guys, still in the room, here. And, still a guy… current dilemma aside.”

Rachel blushed. “Sorry, Lex.” She stepped closer and started examining me. “Is it really still you in there?”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, for the love of Pete!”

Mike nodded. “I’m pretty damn sure it’s still Lex. Go ahead, ask a question only Lex would know.”

Rachel straightened up to ponder, wrinkling her nose as she did so. “Okay, what’s the one thing on your desk at Orion that stands out?”

Letting out a sigh, I played the game. “Would you mean my picture frame of Julia in the upper right corner or my twelve-inch, limited edition statuette of Shae Vizla right next to it?” One eyebrow stretched towards the sky. “Furthermore, I never told you how attractive I found you because it would feel like a betrayal to Julia, still does. Even given that, I’ve always liked how cute you look when you’re thinking and your nose is wrinkled like that. Besides those things, you’re a genius with watercolors and always will be, in my eyes.”

She staggered back a step or two. “Holy shit, she is Lex!”

“Told you. Why do people doubt me?” Mike quipped.

My response was a simple facepalm as I turned back into the bathroom to get dressed. They had a lively conversation in my absence, but included me as soon as I returned fully clothed. The whole story of abduction, imprisonment, manifestation, and escape was relayed again. Mike guided the conversation, mostly. I would add in a detail or two that he missed. Rachel listened attentively enough, but she kept looking at me strangely–so much so that I had to clarify something.

“Okay, seriously, why are you looking at me like that?”

She shrugged. “Oh, nothing really. Just making an observation.”

“And, that would be…?”

“Your voice might be that of a woman’s–well, a teenage girl’s, really–but you certainly don’t talk like one.”

Mike furrowed his brow in contemplation. “What do you mean by that?”

Rachel let out a sigh. She glanced at me with remorse in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Lex, but I couldn’t really be totally sure it was you. I mean, the story is pretty fantastic and sounds like something out of a movie. Even with some of the other metas on TV and what not, it’s still a pretty fantastical notion for a guy, especially one as built as you were, to end up like you are, now.”

“Yea, and I can’t really explain how I know it’s him.” Mike admitted. “I just do.”

I was a little sullen. “Okay, so what changed your mind, Rachel?”

“Watching your movements and hearing you speak. You might have some pretty nice assets, but you don’t carry yourself like a woman would. Your speech is almost a dead give away. You don’t talk like a girl. Women have a habit of bouncing around different pitches when they talk. You stay pretty monotone, like a man. To express emotion, women raise their pitch. You just raise your volume, like a man would.” She approached and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry if this is making you feel like you’re being put on the spot, but it’s an observation.”

I had to scoff. “What? I should feel put off by the fact you’re pointing out that I really am a guy? Please, don’t feel sorry about that.”

She shook her head. “You know what? Forget about it. I was told there was something of an emergency in the clothing department that needed my expert insight?”

Mike nodded. “Yea, there is. All she has is that Punisher T-shirt that looks like she stole it from her brother. Other than that, she’s got one pair of jeans that are so ill fitting that they look like she stole them from her sister. She refuses mine or Steven’s help in that department, saying she’s got two grand on hand. I’d loan her some clothes, but they’d drape on her like a tent, worse than that shirt is now.”

Her glance darted between Mike and I. “So, we’re going shopping, then?”

My only response was a shrug. “I just want to go back to being me again and wearing my own clothes, thanks.”

“Well, like it or not, honey, you have a female body, now.” Rachel half-smirked. “Your old clothes aren’t going to fit you at all. People are going to have certain expectations when they see you, now, and it would be best if your clothes actually fit. Not to mention, what if those guys that took you come looking for you, again? From the story you told me, they seem like the type who wouldn’t want to loose their prize plaything. You’re going to be able to defend yourself with clothes tenting off of you? I’m no fighting expert, but I think that would put you at more of a disadvantage than you already have.”

Now, Mike stood. “You know, she’s got a real point, there. Remember those two guys who wanted to wear the flashy pants during their fights to show off for the cameras?”

Chuckling, I nodded. “Yea, they got their asses handed to them because the were impeded by all the extra fabric.”

Mike reciprocated the nod. “Exactly.” He glanced at Rachel. “You know, for a painter, you’ve got a fighter’s sense. You ever wanna get in the ring…”

She violently shook her head. “Oh, no! Not gonna happen! I like my job as a concept artist, thanks. I’m not quitting that day job to moonlight as a girl fighter.” Her glance landed on me. “Get dressed, hon. We’ve got a lot to do and we’re going to run out of daylight.”

Okay, so the mall towards the end of summer wasn’t bad. It was insane! There were people all around and hundreds of them. Teenagers ran around to different shops and had basically taken over the food court. The girls ran in packs, doing their prep work for the last part of summer. The guys seemed to follow them around like hungry wolves. The adult women seemed to be running around on a mission with several shopping bags in tow and their ears attached to their cell phones. If there were any adult men, they were in the arms of their wives/girlfriends and being led from store to store. I couldn’t help but think ‘Don’t any of these people have jobs or school?’

Thankfully, Rachel was pretty protective. When we first arrived, there was a flock of guys that looked right at me, then proceeded to immediately start wolf whistling and making catcalls. It was kind of humiliating. I made a mental note to apologize to every single woman that I ever could have done that to. It almost made me feel less than human–like more of a piece of meat. Like Mike had deduced, they called to me asking why I was wearing my brother’s shirt and my sister’s jeans.

Rachel leaned in and whispered in my ear. “See what I mean?”

In response, my eyes rolled and we decided it best to just keep moving. Okay, so she had a point. We kept moving through the crowd and she ducked into a store, dragging me along. As soon as I got a look at the place I froze. There was only one other time that I had ever stepped foot in Victoria’s Secret and that was only because I wanted to buy Julia a little negligée as a present. My mind began to formulate the real reason why Rachel had dragged me in here.

“Why are we in here?” I fiercely whispered.

“Don’t worry. It’s not what you think. Don’t you trust me?” She whispered back.

I started to respond, but she drug me further into the store. We headed into the back, near the dressing rooms. We were greeted by the smile of a rather pretty brunette sales girl.

“Hello, there, ladies. How can we help you, today?” She asked, her eyes darting from Rachel to me and back again.

Rachel returned the smile. “We have a little problem. You see, my niece, here, just went through a growth spurt. Her mom, single mother, dropped her off at my place this morning because she had to rush down to the hospital on an emergency–she’s a nurse. Worse part is, the poor dear doesn’t have anything to wear and I don’t have the slightest idea what her size is. Think you could help us out?”

The sales girl waved us toward the dressing rooms. “You guys go in there and I’ll be there in a minute.” Her gaze landed on me and she whispered. “Take everything off but your panties, hon, and we’ll work out all your measurements.” She actually winked at me?

To say I was a little nervous when Rachel started dragging me to the dressing room was an understatement. I hadn’t been mostly naked in front of anyone but myself since my escape. Though she was being a good friend, the thought of being almost completely nude in front of Rachel did fill me with a little trepidation. Once we were in the room, she saw the look on my face and smiled. She took my hand in hers.

“Don’t worry about it, Lex. They can’t take measurements with your clothes on and I’ve seen everything you’ve got a million times over. There’s no need to be nervous.” She smiled warmly.

“I have to take the bra off?” There was a whimper in my voice.

“What are you wearing?”

“A sports bra.”

She nodded. “Oh, yea. Those really squish everything in and she won’t be able to measure you accurately. I’m right here, though, okay?”

Smiling meekly, I began to disrobe. Probably longer than it should have taken, I was down to the requested garments and my cheeks were really warm. Rachel smiled supportively. The knock came to the door, the sales girl smiled, and then showed me her tape measure. She started to explain everything she was doing while she did it. I have to admit, a lot of it made perfect sense. She measured pretty quickly, too. She measured over the top of my breasts, just under them, my little natural waistline, my hips, and just at the tops of my thighs. Each time, she wrote the results on her little notepad. When she was finished, she turned to Rachel and handed her the little sheet she’d taken her notes on.

“Okay, so I’ve got everything. She’s about a 34 C in the bust, but her ribs will probably catch up and be an average 36 later. It all boiled down to 34-24-35. So, she could get away with medium tops and her dress size is about a 4 or a 5. Four is about the right fit, but five if she wants things a little loose.” She glanced at me with a sly grin. “If you wanted to get dangerous and show off a bit, you might be able to get away with a 2, but it’ll be pretty tight.”

My head shook violently. “Not gonna happen!”

She winked. “Good girl. You’re really too young, anyway.” Then, her gaze returned to Rachel. “I could go and grab a few bras so she can try them on, if you’d like?”

Rachel nodded, causing the sales girl to bounce out of the room. I just stood there and stared at her in abject horror. For the next hour or so, I can’t count how many bras I ended up putting on just to take off again. They were in all shapes and sizes, which only served to further my confusion. They lost me somewhere between “T-shirt” and “plunge”. There are a lot of names in women’s fashion and we hadn’t even gotten to the outer clothing, yet. Rachel even tutored me in the proper way to put a bra on and “adjust the girls” inside the cups. In the end, I bought the six bras that fit perfectly–Rachel advised me to buy four “T-shirt” and two “plunge”. I could barely contain my relief when we made to leave.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something from my college. Stopping and turning my head, it was confirmed. They had clothing here with University of Washington colors and mascots, the Huskies, all over them. They were tucked away in the “Love Pink” section. I still had some old school pride, so I glanced at a few things while Rachel advised me on sizes that might work. When we finally left, I had two new pairs of sweatpants, a hoodie, and a tank top decked out in my school colors. That made me feel pretty good after the bra torture.

Once we stepped outside, Rachel’s eyes darted from one way to another. Her nose was wrinkled. She was deep in thought, but I didn’t have the slightest clue what the subject matter could have been. Following her lead, I glanced up and down the corridor. There were many stores with many names I didn’t recognize. Save for one.

“Jackpot!” Grabbing Rachel’s hand, I made a beeline for my target.

“What? Where are you…?” Then, she saw the sign. “Hot Topic? Are you kidding me?”

Once inside, I spun around to face her. “Rachel, the whole Goth thing is kind of a defense mechanism. Given the circumstances, I think I could use a little slack on this. Besides, I’ve already got the black hair and the pale skin. Humor me?”

She shrugged. “Okay, fine. Let’s do this.”

Okay, so Hot Topic isn’t where real Goths shop. It used to be, then they went mainstream. A pity, really, because they used to be the best. However, I wasn’t going to let Rachel talk me into H&M or Forever 21 at a time like this. So, the decision was simple.

My eyes started darting about the display racks. Thankfully, this location was a lot bigger than the hole-in-the-wall locations at other malls I’d seen. It was about the same size as the Victoria’s Secret. So, I got right down to it. At first, I was thumbing through the clothes looking disinterested. With a little nudge from Rachel here and there, I starting to find things I actually liked. As we really got into the shopping, I was surprised at my choices. Some of them were downright girly and, I dare say, one or two squeaks of glee escaped my lips. In response, Rachel held up a skirt and I glared at her.

“I am so not there, yet.” My tone was telling enough. She looked deflated.

After getting loaded down with T-shirts, tank tops, a few pairs of jeans, and some “bondage” pants, I was about ready to pay for things and leave the place. Rachel presented a couple more hoodies and a messenger bag I actually liked. They were added to the pile. We made our way to the dressing rooms. Rachel insisted. When I finally got inside, Rachel darted off with an idea in her head.

“What’s your shoe size?”

Picking up one of the shoes Dr. Kimura had given me that fit perfectly and glancing at it, I was actually able to answer that question confidently. “Seven and a half?”

She tore back the curtain. Thankfully, I was not in a state of undress. “Your feet are smaller than mine? Bitch!”

I fell over onto the floor from laughing so hard. She joined in. It was the first good laugh I’d had in quite a while. She closed the curtain again and I began to try everything on. She told me she was taking off for a minute and would be right back. Not knowing what that meant, I continued with my work. Amazingly, everything I tried on fit me like a glove and was incredibly comfortable. On the way up to the counter, my eyes spotted some elbow-length fingerless gloves, which gave me an idea. I bought those, too. Finally arriving at shoes, I opted for the two pairs of “Don’t fuck with me!” boots in lieu of the “Please fuck me.” styles. At that point, Rachel was back and everything got paid for. She helped me carry all the different bags and we headed straight for the exit. Shopping done. I found out later that Rachel had hit Lady Footlocker and gifted me three yoga tops, two pairs of yoga pants, some sport socks, two pairs of tennis shoes, and a giant duffel bag.

When we got back to Mike and Steven’s apartment, I counted my money again. Everything totaled up, it astounded me to contemplate that $1,100 had been spent in one day. Never again.

Over the course of the next day or so, Mike and Steven wanted to see the whole haul. I was not about to do a fashion show, but they got the idea. They even gave me some plastic organizer containers to put away all the clothes so that they weren’t stuffed away in a bag or strewn all over the apartment. Rachel was now coming over after work just to hang out. For the life of me, the reason why I’d never really considered her one of my core friends escaped me. She was good people, after all–not to mention really helpful and incredibly supportive. Without meaning to, I was starting to get on Mike’s nerves, though. At every available opportunity, I would try to grill him on the status of the search for Julia. It was something of an obsession, now.

One morning when I woke up, he told me to get dressed in one of the yoga outfits that Rachel had given me. He had a surprise for me. Sensing ulterior motives, I was a little apprehensive, but compliant. Slipping the outfit on and donning the hoodie with Jack Skellington’s face on the back, I pulled my hair into a ponytail with a scrunchie Rachel had gifted to me then put my shoes on as he grabbed a jacket. We piled into his car and I tried to ask him where we were going for about half the trip. He was stoic and refused to answer. Then, I saw familiar surroundings of the International District and I began to wonder why I hadn’t thought of this first. Finding parking at nine in the morning was, thankfully, easy. Acting as escort, he walked me to the front doors of the Hao Lai Academy. He stopped and turned to me at the door.

“Okay, Lex. I’m coming inside with you to help out with your master, or whatever they’re called in Chinese. I think it’ll be good for you to get back into your martial studies. The guys who took you might be coming after you as we speak and you need to be prepared for that. Besides, it’ll give you something to occupy your mind while we find Julia.” He explained. “I’m your friend and I care. This isn’t a tactic to just get you out of my hair, okay?”

He made sense, so I nodded and gave him a smile. “Thanks, Mike.”

Reciprocating the nod, he opened the door and ushered me inside. From across the street, I could already hear that a class was being taught. Thus, when we entered, Mike and I sat in the spectator’s area and watched until the class was finished. They seemed to be a group of skilled young kids just at the apex between childhood and adolescence. It was good to see the young taking an interest in the humble arts of Kung Fu. Once the class was finished, they all bowed to their teacher, who was not my Shifu, and their parents cheered them on. Then, everyone began to shuffle about and move out the doors. Mike and I stayed seated. Our business would be discussed once the class was gone. However, a young Asian woman that looked to be in her early twenties approached us. Oddly enough, I didn’t recognize her and I’d been at the academy for seven years. She bore a cordial smile.

“Hello, there. You seem to be new. Is this your first time here?” She asked us.

“Yes.” Mike answered. “No.” I answered. It sounded a little jumbled since we responded simultaneously.

The confusion was apparent on the woman’s face for a moment, but she shook it off and moved on. “How nice to see a father bringing his daughter in for instruction.” Another smile.

Mike and I exchanged surprised expressions, then focused back on the woman.

“No,” Mike began first. “She’s not my daughter. She’s actually… a cousin.” He looked sheepish.

The woman nodded, anyway. “Oh, okay. Well, welcome to Hao Lai Academy. Is there anything we can help you with, today?”

I got straight to the point. A blank expression graced my face. “We need to see Shifu. Could you inform him that it’s very important?”

She blinked rapidly. “Oh, well, he is very busy…”

No change in my demeanor. “Please, just tell him. He will understand.”

She seemed very confused. Not many were awarded an audience with Shifu. Only his most advanced students had the honor of one-on-one instruction with him. I had been one of the lucky ones, once. Still, she stood and moved to honor the request. “I’ll be right back.”

When she had moved far enough away, I glanced accusingly at Mike. “Your cousin?”

He shrugged. We waited for what seemed like an hour or so. It was no secret that the man really had a tight schedule. From instructing his more advanced students to tending to the day-to-day business affairs, he didn’t have a lot of free time. Mike and I stood, walked out of the seating area, removed our shoes, and stepped onto the central mat. When Mr. Xiao Min appeared from somewhere in the back, Mike turned and nodded to him. I was much more respectful.

Bowing deeply with my feet together and my right fist encased in my left hand, I spoke to a man I’d not seen in more than six months. “Zhi yi [Greetings], Shifu.”

He stopped and raised an eyebrow at me. “Your Mandarin is sloppy and heavily laced with your American accent. If you wish to show proper respect, perhaps you should get a copy of Rosetta Stone.”

I straightened up again, but lowered my head after being shamed. “Apologies, Shifu.”

He shook his head and glanced over at Mike. “I am Mr. Xiao Min, the ‘Headmaster’ of this Academy, if you will. What can I do for you?”

Mike extended his hand to the man, who returned the gesture, and motioned to me with a jerk of his head. “Well, I’m Mike Deutsch, but I’m not the one that’s here to see you. She is.”

Shifu’s eyes glanced from me and back to Mike. “And, she would be whom?”

Mike looked sheepish. “Maybe you should let her explain it.”

I swallowed hard. This whole thing of explaining who I really was had to come to the point of getting really old. Taking a breath, I considered everything that had happened and the discussion he and I had before the kidnapping. There was only one way to proceed from here. “I have an answer to your question, Shifu.”

He appeared interested and folded his arms over his chest. “Oh? And what would that be?”

Another hard swallow. “Your wisdom has been considered. The reason I participated in those tournaments was to prove something. There was a need to prove that I truly was a man. From very young, I was not convinced. The tournaments were a way of convincing myself and toughening myself up. You always said to expect the unexpected. Well, the unexpected has happened, Shifu, and I’m not prepared for it. I have returned to you with my answer.”

His arms loosened. “So, a prodigal child had returned. What is your name, young one?”

My eyes met his. “You would call me ‘Lewen’, Shifu.”

A smirk creased his lips. “Well, given the sight before my eyes, I should think it more appropriate to call you Lei Wen, now.” It hit my ears as “lay-when”; it was a rather common Mandarin woman’s name. “May I ask how this happened?”

“I am a metahuman, Shifu. When my abilities manifested, this happened.” With my hands, I displayed my new body like some kind of Vanna White.

“Well, I should think this occasion would involve the telling of a tale.” He motioned to both Mike and I. “Please, sit.” Afterwards, he wasted no time in sitting on the mat.

Immediately following his request, I honored it by sitting. Mike took a minute longer, but obeyed. Oddly, Shifu objected to the way I was sitting. My position was with my legs folded in a pretzel, as always. However, he instructed me to kneel down and then sit on my feet. It stuck me as odd, but I followed his instructions. Later, I would come to find out that this is the manner in which women were expected to sit. It was proper female etiquette, apparently. Over the next hour or so, Mike and I took turns conveying the whole story from kidnap to escape. Through the whole thing, Shifu’s expression changed twice, but only briefly. When we were done, he had a contemplative look on his face that made me a little nervous.

After a few moments, he finally spoke. “So, I am led to believe that your mind knows what to do, but this new form does not have the muscle memory needed.” Pausing again, contemplation crossed his face again. “I could be persuaded to instruct you, one-on-one.”

My face lit up. “I would like that, Shifu, but I do not have the means to compensate you.”

“I do and it would be no trouble.” Mike offered.

Shifu shook his head. “No, I cannot allow someone to pay another’s debts.” His eyes met mine. “Lei Wen, you will work here at the academy when we are not training. This situation requires complete dedication and you would be expected to be here from sunrise to sunset, every day. If you cannot meet these requirements, then I cannot teach you.”

Mike and I exchanged glances before he chuckled, “Well, there goes your television habits.”

After glaring at him, my eyes returned to Shifu. “I would be willing to cooperate with those terms. These people are probably after me and it’s humiliating that all my time and dedication means nothing if I can’t defend myself. On top of that, I may need to rescue Julia and would make a fool of myself if I tried now.”

A grin crossed the man’s face. “Very astute observation. We will begin tomorrow. If you are not here when the sun rises, then you will forfeit this opportunity. Dong ma? [Understand?]”

Both Mike and I stood, then I bowed again. “Xie Xie, Shifu.” [“sheh-sheh” means “Thank you”]

He rolled his eyes. “Again, your Mandarin is terrible. Buy Rosetta Stone.” Then, he smiled. “But, you are welcome. See you tomorrow.”