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Author Note: Please email me at AngelJediGirl (at) gmail (dot) com before posting this story to any other site. Posting to a pay site is prohibited.

Comments and suggestions are also welcome at the above email address.

Chapter 10 of this story contains an homage to Mass Effect, created by Bioware. Part of a backstory includes pieces similar to those written by their plot writers. I want to give them full credit for the ideas, as they are not mine, and thank them for making a wonderful game. No intent to harm or take credit for their work is intended here.

*  *  *
Chapter 9 - A Broken Stem

Two bullets struck Justin directly in the chest. But he was still coming straight at me. The taser rounds didn't seem to have any effect on him.

Scared to death at his oncoming rush, I did the only thing I could think of. I gathered all the strength I felt I could muster, and I pushed my telekinetic power at him.

Immediately, his direction changed. Instead of barreling toward me he was flying back down the hall the other way, arms and legs flailing, trying to catch himself. The shock on his face matched my own.

Justin slammed into the wall at the far end of the hallway, breaking through the drywall and smashing through most of the concrete foundation behind it.

I heard him groan, but before he had a chance to get back up Jay was there and blasted him with a spray of ice, freezing Justin in place in the wall.

"Whoa!" Nikki screamed when she entered the hall behind Jay. She then looked down the hall toward me, a look of shock and awe on her face.

I crossed the distance in the hall and joined Jay and Nikki in looking down at Justin. He was struggling, trying to get out of the ice that he was encased in.

When he saw me looking down at him, he stopped his struggle and smiled evilly at me.

"Impressive strength, Jaz," he sneered. "You would have been an excellent companion. It's really too bad that you have to die."

A vision sprang into my mind of Justin breaking the ice. Instinctively I stepped back just before his foot came smashing through the ice, passing directly through where I had just been standing!

But I was in shock at his ability to break out of the cage Jay had put him in. This shock prevented me from moving the second time, when his leg extended further, and he caught my right leg halfway between my knee and my foot.

The pain was immediate and excruciating! It felt like my leg had been hit by a truck. The crack that accompanied the hit left no doubt that he had broken my leg. I was in agony!

I heard Nikki's screams accompany my own while I fell to the floor. I'd never broken a bone before, and at the moment I was not able to imagine a worse pain.

Justin wasn't ready to stop there. Another kick and a few punches had him shattering the ice like it was paper. Even through the pain I realized that his hit on me and his shattering of the ice were the result of his greater density ability. He had only pretended to struggle until I got close.

He jumped up and took a step toward me, not even thinking about Jay or Nikki to his side. He lifted his foot and prepared to bring it down on my chest. I had no doubt that he would be able to crush all my vital organs in one blow.

Even through the pain I felt his tremendous hatred, and the great pleasure he felt when he started to bring his foot down on my chest.

In utter desperation I pushed back with everything I could, but it felt so weak. I was able to slow his foot but it still hit me with enough force to crack a rib, adding more to the excruciating pain I was already in.

A bright flash nearly blinded me; my shades had fallen off in the scuffle. But Nikki's blast had pushed Justin off of me and farther down the hall, something I would be forever grateful for.

"This isn't over," Justin sneered and I had to strain to see him from where he landed down the hall. He then jumped straight through the ceiling and I felt his presence moving away from the house.

"Watch her!" Jay screamed at Nikki and then took off up the stairs. I heard him pounding through the house and then he was out the front door.

"Are you okay?" Nikki cried frantically while dropping to her knees next to me.

"No!" I cried. Tears were streaming down my face now. "It hurts really bad!"

"Jaz, I'm so sorry! I should have blasted him earlier! I thought he was going to crush you when he stomped on your chest!" Tears were streaming out of her eyes too. She took my left hand in hers and held it. I pushed through the pain and tried to open my mind. I tried to feel my injuries in my chest, and it didn't feel like there was any bleeding. I knew I had a cracked rib.

"It's okay," I managed to reassure her through the pain. "I was able to stop his foot from doing any permanent damage, but he cracked a rib. My leg is killing me though."

"Oh Jaz," she sobbed, looking down at my leg. "It's broken!"

"I know," I whispered back.

Jay returned a few moments later.

"He just left," he was telling someone over the radio. "He was heading in the direction of the warehouse district. You might want to warn the other teams."

He was silent for a moment, listening to whoever was on the other end. "Jaz was injured," he eventually said.

After another quiet moment he continued. "Broken leg for sure. He also stomped on her chest when he was using his greater density power. I don't know how much damage that did."

He looked at me with worry while listening to the other end. I wish I still had my shades, because then I would know what was being said. I didn't know if the shades had the mic and the earphones or whatever allowed me to communicate with them, but it was the interface to listening in on the right channel.

"All right, we'll be waiting," he said and then ended the conversation. "Are you okay, Jaz?"

"Just a lot of pain," I said, gritting my teeth while trying to sit up.

"Don't get up!" he said frantically and tried to force me back down. "You could aggravate any internal injuries."

I laid back down at his insistence, but explained to him what I knew. "I think he just cracked a rib. I was able to slow his foot down quite a bit before he stomped on me. It's not nearly as painful as my leg."

He grimaced. "Nevertheless, lay here until the ambulance arrives. Let them check you out before moving, just in case."

I nodded slightly at him. I didn't have the strength to argue. Jay left us again to wait for the ambulance, leaving Nikki holding my hand and crying.

"It's okay, Nikki," I told her, but that just started her crying more.

We stayed there for nearly five minutes before I heard the sounds of an ambulance pulling up in front of the house. Shortly after that two EMTs appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Agent Campbell?" one of them asked me while kneeling down and taking a quick look at my leg. When he looked back up at my face I nodded at him. "Are you okay?" I nodded again. He returned his attention to my leg while his partner placed her bag down beside me and turned her attention toward my chest.

"I can't see anything with this suit on," the first medic said after a moment. "We're going to have to cut it off."

"No," I moaned at that thought. This was only the second time I had been given the chance to wear it, but I had already garnered an attachment to my suit. "I'm okay, really, no need to cut it off."

He frowned at me, obviously not agreeing with my statement. "We don't have a choice. They said you could have some internal injuries and we'll need to check for problems."

"I'm in pain, but I am okay," I stated again. "I'm pretty sure he only cracked one of my ribs. It's my leg that should be the priority."

He opened his mouth to argue with me but Jay took the opportunity to interject. "The suit is very resistant to cutting and tearing. You won't be able to cut it."

"Can we get it off?" the medic asked Jay.

"Yes, but we'll have to move her to undo it."

The medic sat back on his heels and sighed. He obviously didn't like that option with the injuries that I could have.

"Jay," I said in an even tone. He looked me straight in the eye. I tried to project as much confidence at him as I could when I spoke. "I'm okay."

He nodded at me, hearing my words for the first time.

"All right," he said while turning to the medic. "She'll be fine until we get her to the hospital. Can you get a gurney down here for her?"

"She's NOT fine, sir," the medic told him. I saw the same thought in the face of the woman at my side. She obviously agreed with her partner.

"Yes she is," Jay repeated. "Because I have confidence in her understanding of her injuries. I will assume responsibility for anything that happens by moving her. Please get a gurney."

The medic stared at Jay for a moment trying to decide if he could risk moving me. Finally he decided that it was better to get the gurney, and he went back up the stairs.

"Are you sure you're okay?" the other medic spoke for the first time. Her tone was skeptical, but I felt her feelings improve when I grinned slightly at her and nodded my head.

The first medic arrived with the gurney, pulled a brace off the top and knelt beside me again. Without a word he managed to wrap my leg in the brace, keeping it straight. He then slid an orange plastic board under me, moving me as little as he could. He and his partner then lifted me up and placed me on the gurney, pulling the board out from under me when I was in place.

"Alright," he said. "I'm trusting you, but I don't like it."

"I appreciate that," Jay said and then stepped aside to allow them to wheel me to the end of the hall where they lifted the gurney up the stairs. I was then wheeled back through the house to the front door and out onto the front porch.

As I was wheeled through the door, I noticed that it had been smashed to pieces. Outside Justin's mom was sobbing hard, holding her daughter tightly to her chest. The little girl was crying too. When she saw me another wave of sobs racked her before she stood up and stepped toward me.

"Are you alright?" she asked, the mascara running down her face told me just how much crying she had been doing.

"I'll be fine," I told her with a slight smile.

"I'm sorry," she said and I could feel that she really meant it. "I don't know what's wrong with him. He's been acting so strangely since he came home from that place."

"I know," I told her and reached out to take her hand. The medics stopped pushing the gurney and looked impatiently at me. "The Procedure altered his brain slightly; nothing that some medication can't help with. We just need to find some way to convince him of that."

She continued sobbing while nodding her head at me. I felt so sorry for her at that moment. I didn't know what Justin was like before the Procedure, but his actions since he returned would have been hard for any parent to endure.

"He'll be fine," I told her with a smile. She squeezed my hand and then let go. The medics continued pushing me down the drive and loaded me into the back of the ambulance.

*  *  *

"Female, approximately 20, broken leg and possible internal injuries in the abdomen."

The medic passed me off to a doctor in the ER.

"Cracked rib, broken leg," I stated to the doctor. She actually looked a lot like my mom, which made me feel better in her care. Her brown hair and caring eyes looked down at me, but she seemed skeptical of my diagnosis, just like the EMT had been.

"So she says," the medic said with a sigh. "She's your problem now. Good luck."

He gave us both a small smile and then exited the ER. The doctor turned her attention back to me. Nikki and Jay were forced to take the SUV here. I was desperately wishing they would arrive, because I didn't know what to do or say.

"All the same," the doctor said to me. "We need to get some x-rays done to be sure."

I nodded at her and she turned her attention to my injuries. "We're going to have to cut this suit off to get a look at the injuries. You work in law enforcement?"

I sighed, not knowing how much information I could give away. I couldn't deny my activities; the two guns still strapped around my waist were a dead giveaway. Where was Jay? They were supposed to be right behind me! My leg hurt a lot, and now I didn’t know what to tell the doctor.

"Yes," I finally replied. She looked nervous when I reached up to the small pouch on my belt and pulled out the badge Jay had given me earlier. I gave it to her.

She opened it and looked surprised at the information within. "Agent Jasmine Campbell, of the Department of Homeland Security. What exactly do you do, Agent Campbell?"

"Um…" I could kill Jay about now! Why would he send me off alone without any instructions? Surely he knew they would be asking questions. "It's classified?" I hadn't meant it to, but the last bit sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Jaz!" I heard Nikki say from behind me, and I saw her and Jay entering the ER. Thank heavens!

"Doctor?" Jay said to get her attention. She looked uncomfortable almost immediately when she realized that they were both wearing tactical suits and their own guns. Jay stretched out his hand. "My name is Jay Johnson. I'm Jaz's commanding officer."

She shook his hand before speaking. "Dr. Amanda Wright - pleased to meet you. We need to get her out of this suit to get some x-rays."

He nodded. "The suit can't be cut. We're going to have to take it off. I also spoke with one of our medical officers on the way here. She'll be here shortly to oversee her care. In the meantime she asked that you set the bone in the leg, but don't worry about pinning it."

"I'm more worried about the possibility of internal injuries," the doctor stated. She clearly wasn’t happy at the thought that someone else would be overseeing her work.

"You're sure it's only a cracked rib?" Jay asked me.

I nodded. "I checked."

That was enough for him to understand how I knew. He knew of my ability to see my surroundings through whatever power helped me use my telekinesis. It was possible that I couldn't detect the damage, or didn't know what to look for, but I didn't think that was the case.

He nodded back to me and then turned to the doctor. "If you show us to a private room, Agent Fox can help her out of the suit. She'll need a hospital gown or something else to wear."

The doctor was distinctly unhappy now. Her job was to diagnose my injuries, but we were telling her exactly what they were. She didn't like that. "We still need to check for other injuries."

"Yes," Jay agreed. "But she is stable enough to take off the suit. Once it is off and safely stored you can run any tests that you want."

The doctor looked more satisfied with Jay’s agreement. She probably thought that the suit was quite expensive and we didn't want it to get damaged. When she saw the situation in that way she could understand it.

"Ok, follow me." She started pushing the gurney I was on down a short hall and into an exam room. She then pulled the blinds closed while Nikki and Jay followed us in. "You can change in here. I'll go get a gown."

She stepped back outside and closed the door behind her.

"Nikki," Jay said. I looked at Nikki and saw that she was still crying. Clearly she blamed herself for my chest injuries, and nothing I had told her seemed to help her think otherwise. She looked up at Jay.

"Nikki," Jay said again. "It's not your fault. Jaz is going to be fine."

She nodded at him, but I could still feel the pain and agony that she felt inside. She did feel responsible. I reached out to her and tried to impress upon her my thanks and happiness. Once she felt this she quickly turned back to me and tensed up.

"Don't you dare mess with my feelings, Jaz!" she said to me sternly.

"Then listen to us," I responded, taking her hand in mine. "I'm not fine but I am alive. You saved my life by knocking him off of me. For that I will always be in your debt. Thank you."

Her emotions took a jolt at my words. She seemed to consider for the first time since it had happened that I would be okay. An understanding that she wasn't to blame crept into her. She just nodded at me, but her tears stopped.

"Nikki," Jay said one more time. "Help her get out of the Tac suit. Jill will be here shortly with the storage box and we need to get her leg set."

Nikki nodded at him and he smiled at the two of us and then left the room to give me my privacy.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nikki asked me when he had closed the door.

"Yes," I told her, trying to keep the smile on my face. The pain in my leg was still very intense and it was hard to keep it calm for her sake.

"Okay." Nikki seemed to accept my answer and started helping me take off the suit.

She unbuckled my holster and removed it. After she had placed it carefully on a chair she turned back to me and helped me sit up. I only winced slightly. The suit had a zipper in the back under a small flap of the Chameleon material, and she was able to unzip it down to the bottom of my back. She then helped me pull my arms out of the suit and we pulled it off the top of my body.

This next part was going to be painful, and we both knew it. Nikki hesitated, not quite sure how to pull my leg out of the suit without causing me more pain or further injuring my leg.

"It's okay," I told her. "I think I can hold my leg together with my powers while you pull the suit off."

She nodded and then started pulling the suit down my back. I pushed myself up with my arms to allow her to pull the suit down past my bottom and then she walked to the end of the gurney.

"Are you ready?" she asked me. I answered with a nod and gritted my teeth.

Reaching out through the pain I held my leg telekinetically and tried to help keep it in the same position it was currently in. Nikki removed the brace and then started pulling on my suit. It hurt, but Nikki had the suit off quickly and I was left laying there in only my underwear, exhausted with the effort I had exerted.

A knock on the door signaled Dr. Wright's return. Nikki let her in and the first thing she did was replace the brace. She then helped Nikki wrap me in the hospital gown she had brought. I was happy to see it was pink.

Over the next couple of hours the doctor took x-rays, ran some tests, and eventually set my leg before returning me to a recovery room where Nikki, Jay, and Jill were waiting for me.

"You were right," Dr. Wright told me when I had been moved to the bed. "You have one cracked rib, another bruised rib, and a clean break of the tibia. The fibula seems to still be intact. Our surgeon wants to put a pin in the leg and get it in a cast, but Agent Johnson thinks that isn't necessary."

If looks could kill, the look Dr. Wright was giving to Jill would have done the job. But Jill did not want Dr. Wright to perform the medical procedures she normally performed, and I didn’t know why.

"I'll be back shortly and we can decide on the next step," she said before exiting the room and closing the door.

"How are you feeling, Jaz?" Jill asked me almost immediately.

"Okay," I replied.

"Good," she told me with a smile. "Ready to fix these bones?"

"Huh?" I asked, not understanding what she meant.

Jay answered my question. "Like Rob, Jill has an ability. She can heal with her touch."

I was awestruck at that information! "Then why am I in the emergency room?"

"I'm not a doctor," Jill told me. "I needed to know what your injuries were before I could heal them, and we needed them to line up your leg bone. Shall we get started?"

I just nodded. She then stepped over to my leg and placed her hand right over the break. I winced at the pain that it caused, but then I saw a small green glow coming from her hand, and the pain eased almost immediately.

When she removed her hand the pain was nearly gone, and my leg almost felt normal! Jill smiled at my wide eyes and then pulled my gown up over my chest, causing Jay to stiffen and turn away from me quickly.

"Sorry," I heard him say while Jill placed her hand over where my injured ribs were. I felt the same pain and then the wonderful feeling as the pain disappeared.

"There," Jill said while pulling my robe back down to protect my modesty. "Good as new. Your leg will probably ache for the next couple of days, but you should be okay to walk, or even dance on it."

Her grin lit up my face when I thought of dancing. I had forgotten that the End of Year Gala was on Saturday! The thought of the Gala led me to an even more urgent need.

"Where's Mark?" I asked expectantly.

Jill's smile grew even wider when she realized I knew what she was talking about. Apparently she approved of our relationship.

"Rob made him stay back at Headquarters," Jill told me. "He felt the last thing you needed right now was a hysterical boyfriend. Once we get you discharged we'll head over there so you can see him."

"Let's go then," the urgency in my voice made her laugh. It was pretty obvious how stricken I was with him and I felt that Nikki and Jill were going to tease me endlessly about it.

"Alright," Jill said. "Step one is to get you on your feet and into some clothes then. Jay?"

Jay turned to her and a knowing look crossed his face as he nodded. "Right, I'll be outside."

After he had exited the room Jill pulled out my sundress, sandals, and the bra I had left behind when we changed for the operation. I smiled at the familiar clothing.

I sat up from the bed and gingerly lifted my right leg. It was slightly sore, but the excruciating pain I had felt before was non-existent. It was absolutely amazing how fast the pain had disappeared!

I slowly swung my legs off the bed and stood up. The pain was very small and I took a few experimental steps to increase my confidence that the leg could support my weight. Nikki and Jill stood by smiling at me until I was ready for the next step.

Nikki handed me my bra and I pulled off the hospital gown and the sports bra I had been wearing and replaced it with the lacy number that matched my panties.

I then slipped the dress Jill was holding over my head and felt happy to be back in my own clothes.

"Ready to go?" Jill asked me.

"Yes," I told her, hardly able to keep her from seeing my anxiousness to see Mark again. He would have been watching us through the cameras and would have seen everything. I was pretty sure he must be in agony right now.

"Alright," Jill said while starting for the door. "Let's find Dr. Wright and get your release papers processed then."

She opened the door, and our search was complete. Dr. Wright had been about to knock.

"What are you doing standing!" she practically screamed when she saw me. "Get back on the bed!"

Jill tried to calm her down. "Don't worry - her leg has been healed. We're ready to sign her release papers."

The doctor just looked at Jill like she was crazy, obviously not buying for a minute the explanation that my leg had been repaired. But I was standing on it with no apparent pain, and that was something that would not have been possible if my leg was still broken.

"How?" she asked, understanding for the first time that we weren't exactly normal government agents.

"I would like to tell you, but I'm afraid that information is classified," Jill told her with regret.

Dr. Wright nodded, but it was obvious she wanted more information than we could give her. "Alright, follow me then."

She led us over to a nursing station where she helped us fill out the forms that were required to release me from the hospital. Within ten minutes we were on our way back to see Mark.

*  *  *
Chapter 10 - A Prick of the Thorn

When we pulled into the parking lot at the temporary headquarters I was surprised to see the other SUV's already there.

"Did they get him?" I asked anyone in the car.

"No," Jay said in a frustrated tone. "He got away."

I felt like crying. I just wanted this Justin business to be over. I wanted my life to continue without the threat that he brought to it.

Nikki reached over and gave me a hug.

"It'll be okay," she said. I didn't know if I had accidently projected my feelings or if she just knew me that well, but it was exactly what I needed at the time.

Her hug was quickly replaced by another when I finally exited the vehicle. I didn't even see Mark before he had me wrapped up in a bear of a hug.

"I'm so glad your okay," he whispered into my ear while he held me. "I was so worried."

"I'm okay," was all I managed to reply before I found myself sobbing in his arms.

I vaguely remembered Jill saying something about coming in for a debriefing, and I did my best to reign in my tears. But I knew my eyes were still red and puffy and there was no doubt that I had been crying when we entered the briefing room and took a seat.

I noticed that nearly every member of B2 was smirking at my condition. Only Stephanie had a concerned look on her face while she watched Mark pull my chair out for me.

"Well," Rob said after Mark had taken his own seat. "Not exactly the best start to the operation. You're okay, Jaz?"

I wasn't really happy about being put on the spot, especially when it was obvious that I had been crying. I just nodded my head.

"Despite two encounters, Justin remains at large," Rob's face looked grim at this announcement. I did not know that he had been engaged a second time. Rob turned to Jay, "What happened at his parents' house?"

"Justin had rigged his room with a silent alarm." Jay responded. "When Jaz opened the door it sent him a message, and he came quickly. Jaz had barely told us that she had tripped the alarm before he came barreling in the front door and after her."

"The alarm had been going for about five minutes when I realized what it was," I interrupted with a grim look.

"How do you know?" Jay asked me. He didn't look happy about learning this new bit of information.

"When I opened the door, I heard a click. It took me about five minutes to track the wire coming from the door to the computer and then access the computer to find out what it was doing."

"You should have mentioned the click over the comm immediately," Rob told me sternly.

"I know," I said while dropping my head in shame.

"So your stealth expert gets caught by the first silent alarm she encountered," Michael said from the other end of the table. He chuckled at my misfortune and all the other members of B2, other than Stephanie, smiled.

Whether it was because I was tired, because of everything I had gone through, or because I had just had enough of his demeaning attitude toward me, I totally lost it.

"Look!" I practically screamed at him while standing up. I knew that my rage was being projected throughout the room and I saw a number of people recoil from me. "I'm not experienced! I know I need training! I'm sick of you using me to put down, Agent Harris! I'm not a prodigy! I'm just a new recruit who needs training! Any score I've been given on paper has nothing to do with my abilities until I receive that training! Lay off your ‘holier than thou’ attitude and try to work with us as a team!"

I backed down on projecting my rage, but I immediately felt his rage coming my way. Before he had a chance to say anything, Jonothon was on his feet. His rage was turning his face about the same color as the tips of his hair.

"Don't you dare talk that way to us!" he screamed while lifting his arm toward me. Instantly I "felt" he was going to shoot me with something, and the second I saw some kind of projectile leave his hand I pushed it back at him with all the force I could muster. It smashed into his chest and he went flying backwards into the wall, his Tac suit stopping any major damage but not able to completely absorb the impact of the small object I had hurled back at him.

"Stop it!" Rob yelled. He was standing up and glaring at me when I turned to look at him. I knew I was in big trouble, but I didn't care.

Jonothon jumped back up; even while clutching his chest it was apparent he wanted to continue the fight. Perhaps the only reason he didn't attack again was because of the hand Michael laid on his shoulder.

"You've gone too far, Agent Campbell!" Michael yelled at me with a dark, sinister look.

"By protecting myself from his attack?" I screamed back.

"Jaz, sit down!" Rob yelled at me and Mark actually pulled me back down into my chair.

"I'm reporting this incident, Rob," Michael told him. "She'll be out of the program in no time."

"Good!" Rob replied. "Go ahead and report the incident. I think most of the individuals in this room saw your own team leader attack first. We'll see who gets kicked out of the program."

Michael looked around the table. It was obvious through the eyes of the A1 and A2 teams, and even in Stephanie's, that he would not win this battle.

"We're done," he said while standing up. "B2, let's go."

Everyone in the room looked shocked at that announcement, but Jonothon, Heather, and the other guy from B2 I had not been introduced to got up and followed him out of the room.

"I'm sorry," Stephanie said while standing up herself. "I wish I could stay and help."

"It's okay, Stephanie," Jill said to her softly. "It's not your fault."

Stephanie gave us a quick smile and then followed after her teammates.

After we heard their SUV take off Rob turned on me again.

"What were you thinking?" I had never seen him look so mad.

I felt myself sobbing again when I replied. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any training yet. I wasn't even thinking about stealth when I opened that door."

"You still should never confront another team's handler that way!" he continued to yell at me.

"I said I was sorry!" My sobbing wasn't dying down at all. "I was just so sick of him comparing me to my Procedure rating! I'm not a prodigy and I was sick of him treating me that way!"

"That still gave you no right..."

"Quit yelling at her, Rob!" Jill interrupted him with a silencing glare. "We had a major injury on our team today! Our emotions are going to be running high. Don't take it out on her!"

Rob stared at Jill, then nodded and sat back down in his seat.

"I'm sorry," he stated in a much softer tone. "We never should have agreed to work with B2. There's too much bad blood there."

"What happened between you two?" Theresa asked him. Everyone was looking for that answer.

"I can't give all of the specifics," Rob said as he frowned. "We were working together on a mission to capture a VIP who was taking cover in an oil refinery. We split up and then suddenly the whole refinery was being blown to bits. Michael blamed me for blowing his cover which he said required him to blow the refinery."

"Did you?" Rock asked him.

"No," Rob said. "But the blast killed a lot of innocent people. Michael is all about getting the mission completed. How he accomplishes the goal is often not the best way for those around him."

"What do we do now?" Jay asked, bringing us back to the subject at hand.

"There's not much we can do," Rob said. "We have both the warehouse and Justin's parents’ house under surveillance, but it's unlikely he will return to either. A1 will be on call in case we spot him, and we may have you try and sweep the city tomorrow. A2 is off duty until after you graduate. Jaz is right. You need training before we give you another assignment."

"I can still help with the search," Jay told Rob, who nodded.

"Agreed - you've had the training and we could use the help." He looked slightly happier now. "In the meantime I think everyone can use some rest. It's been an emotion-filled day for all of us. Nikki, if you want to change out of your Tac suit we can give Jaz, Mark, and you a ride home."

Nikki nodded and stood up before walking out the door and down the hall to the changing room.

*  *  *

After being dropped off in front of my house, I realized that I wanted nothing more than to crash on my bed. I felt like I could sleep for days.

Unfortunately, Mom was home and she did not look pleased with me.

"The school called," she said when I walked in the front door. I sighed knowing where this was probably going. "They said you missed classes today."

My mom got this call from the school often, but it was almost always because of my brothers.

"I'm sorry," I told her. "Jill came by this morning. She had a mission for us."

The explanation mollified her slightly, but she seemed even more apprehensive about my absence. "A mission? Doing what?"

"Looking for Justin."

She seemed to relax at that thought. I realized then that she was worried about me. I was still her child and she probably didn't like the idea of the harm my new job could put me in.

"Did you find him?" she asked.

"It was more like he found us," I said grimly. Something in the way I said it seemed to shoot warning signals her way, and her concern truly grew.

"What happened?" she asked softly, though she seemed hesitant to know the answer.

I couldn't help it - I started crying again. This whole day had been so emotionally charged that I couldn't escape it any more than I could the previous times.

"Oh!" Mom was startled at my reaction, but immediately wrapped me in a loving hug. "It's okay, you're fine now."

Her words made me cry even harder. She couldn't possibly know how fine I was not.

"I'm not fine, Mom." I told her while sobbing. "He wants me dead. He broke my leg and he broke one of my ribs when he stomped on my chest today."

I had not wanted to tell her that information and I was surprised that I had blurted it. I felt my mother’s horror at what had happened to me.

"But..." she started, not understanding what I had just told her. "You seem fine."

"Physically I’m fine," I said. My crying was starting to wane but my mom still held me in her comforting hug. "Jill was able to heal the damage."

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked me.

"No," was the only thing I could say.

Despite my answer she did do something for me, something that I desperately needed from her at that moment. She held me in that hug.

"It'll be okay, honey," she whispered in my ear while rocking me back and forth slightly. I loved my mom so much at that moment, and I didn't want her to ever let go of me.

Eventually she did though. She looked me in my eyes, and I realized that for the first time in my life she truly saw me. She finally understood why I went through what I did. She gave me a bright, understanding smile for the first time since I had come home.

"Why don't you go lie down for a while. I'll make dinner."

"Ok," I replied and turned toward my room. Within a minute of lying down on my bed, I was asleep, exhausted after the day's events.

*  *  *
Chapter 11 - A Weed in the Garden

Mom awakened me around seven o'clock that evening. My family was eating a late dinner and she wanted to know if I wanted to join them.

I agreed and got out of bed to follow her, pausing shortly in front of my mirror to check my hair and makeup, which of course were perfect because of my power.

My family was already eating when I walked into the kitchen. I got a plate and filled it up before joining them at the dining room table.

Mom and Dad stared at me while I took my seat, and I saw the sadness in their eyes. They were realizing that they could no longer protect me the way they used to because of my new powers and what I was going to be doing for a living.

"Are you doing okay?" my dad asked me, the concern very evident in his voice.

"I will be," I replied softly. I didn't really want to talk about the issue anymore.

Ben sat oblivious to this change, but Cami immediately sat up as she realized that something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" she asked while dropping her fork, showing more concern and worry than my parents had.

"Nothing," I told her. I was afraid that talking about it would cause me to cry again. But the response was obviously not what she wanted to hear.

"Don't you dare start leaving me out of your life! We just got to know each other!"

It was too much - the feelings I had struggled with all day, combined with the sadness I felt about not confiding in my sister. Tears streamed down my face again while I struggled to eat the food hanging on my fork.

"I'm so sorry," my sister said immediately. She got up and walked around the table to give me a hug. The hug definitely felt better, but it also made me cry even more because of the love and support that my family had shown me since I came home.

"I love you guys!" I cried, returning my sister's hug. She squeezed me tighter to let me know she felt the same way.

After I had cried myself out again we returned to eating, and nobody mentioned what had happened today or what was wrong. I was soon back in my room after getting ready for bed early, and wearing a short, lacy pink nightie I drifted off to sleep once again.

*  *  *

A loud crash awoke me. It was still dark outside and a quick glance at my alarm clock showed me it was two in the morning.

Despite the tiredness I had felt after the events during the day I was wide awake because of adrenaline pumping through my system. Someone was in the house!

I immediately jumped out of my bed and I swung open my bedroom door, where I found my dad coming out of his room.

"Stay in your room!" he loudly whispered to me.

But that was something I couldn't do. I shook my head, and he seemed to understand that I was better equipped to handle whoever had come through the plate glass door from the back patio.

Running down the hall I rounded the corner into the kitchen. The dining room on the far side is where the door to the patio was located. Shards of glass were all over the floor, and my worst nightmare was crouched right in the middle of them.

The gleam in his eyes had a malevolent tinge to it. He slowly raised himself from the crouch he had been in, glaring at me with a murderous intent I did not want to deal with when my family was nearby.

"Dad," I said softly but clearly, knowing that he was standing directly behind me. "Get my phone and call Jill. Tell her that Justin's here."

Justin's mouth broke into a nefarious grin at my words, and the hint of teeth behind the smile made him look more sinister than I had ever seen before. He laughed loudly.

"They can't help you, Jaz," he told me. "You and your family will be dead before any of them can arrive."

The fear I felt at having him here in my home, in the one place I thought was safe, was compounded by the fear I felt at his threat to my family. My fear intensified tenfold when I saw my brother Adam slowly ascending the stairs behind Justin. I knew my brother, and I knew that he was going to try to take Justin down. That was something that I could NOT let happen! Adam would never stand a chance against him!

Justin saw me look away, and he spun around at the same time Adam leaped for him.

Although I gasped, I was already in motion. Instead of stepping straight into the high kick that Justin was in the middle of, Adam slammed into the wall behind where he had been standing. I felt bad about pushing him out of the way so roughly, but I couldn't let him be a part of this fight.

Justin then went flying back out the shattered door and onto our patio. I didn't want him causing any more damage inside the house.

I quickly ran to the patio door, bypassing the sharded glass to the best of my ability. Justin was getting back up when I stepped out onto the patio. His fury had only increased with my attempts to fight back.

"This is your own fault, Jaz!" he screamed at me. "Your family would have lived through this if you had not visited mine! They have nothing to do with this!"

"We were only looking for you, Justin!" I yelled back at him. I was hoping that I could talk some sense into him but I doubted he would listen. "It doesn't have to be this way. We can help you."

He just screamed and charged straight at me. I knew that if I stepped to the side he would be running back into the house, and directly toward my family, who had gathered behind me. I could not permit that!

Instead of allowing him to run right through me I was able to "push" him at the last second with my powers, turning him slightly to the side. His surprise at the new trajectory prevented him from seeing the kick I placed straight into his chest.

I was afraid that my kick would feel like I was hitting a concrete wall if he had increased the density of his body. To help counter his power I enhanced my kick with as much telekinetic energy that I could create.

My short nighty rose while I twirled into the kick. But despite any embarrassment I felt at flashing my panties to my family, I landed the kick solidly on his chest. He had increased the density of his body, but the telekinetic energy surrounding my leg absorbed the extra impact, protecting my leg from breaking and extending the power of my kick.

I heard my family gasp behind me when Justin fell backward, clutching his chest. He was having difficulty breathing. I hoped that I had cracked a rib to make up for what he had done to me this morning, but I didn't think I would be that lucky.

"Don't do this, Justin!" I yelled at him while he struggled to catch his breath. I took a step toward him, ready to do anything needed to protect my family.

He struggled to his knees, gasping the entire time.

"You'll pay for that!" he wheezed. Clearly he wasn't going to back down. He stared up at me, obviously trying to figure out what to try next while struggling to get enough air into his lungs to attempt whatever he came up with.

For the first time during our encounters I felt a different emotion from him. He was concerned! He was starting to realize that I wasn't the weakling that he believed me to be. I could fight back.

I decided to try a new tactic. Maybe I could calm him down enough to reason with him. I opened up to Justin, and I tried to send him soothing and calming feelings. It even looked like it was working.

"I can help you, Justin," I told him softly, adding a small bit of love to the emotional cocktail I was sending his way.

That was a mistake. Justin had been calming down, and the tactic seemed to be working. But once he felt love from me, he became enraged. With a loud roar he jumped to his feet, quickly narrowing the gap between us and swinging at me with a punch.

I felt time slow down around me like it had when I entered the flag room back at the Complex. I was receiving so much sensory input from my new powers that I could analyze everything so fast that it seemed like slow motion.

It was easy to dodge right to avoid his first punch, and my own fist enhanced with my own telekinetic abilities swung around and caught him on his right cheek.

Although I was physically weaker than either Nikki or Justin, I still had a lot of power to my punches. Between my enhanced body and my telekinetic powers, my punch was strong enough to cause Justin to step back, hand to his bloody mouth.

He raged even more at the sight of his own blood and doubled his efforts. Despite the power I was able to put into my punches, I knew they were no match for Justin's punches. One shot from him could kill me.

We melded into a fluid fight. I did my best to avoid his fists, and he did his best to land them. I knew that we both could keep this up for a while and that I wasn't going to be able to tire him out easily. But I hoped to buy enough time for the others to arrive and help me.

I was doing well. I'd managed to punch or kick him back a couple of times, but they were generally ineffective. He'd fall back slightly but then come on harder because of the slight pain I had inflicted. We'd been circling each other for nearly five minutes before it happened.

I saw an opening, and felt that I should take it. As I brought my leg around to land the kick, I sensed the trap I had fallen into. I immediately knew that his leg was coming around, and that I needed to get out of the way. But I was off center. My leg was in the air and I had no way to step away from it.

I braced myself, trying to push against his leg to slow the kick much like I had when he stomped on me earlier that morning. I could only hope that I had slowed it enough.

His kick connected with my side. This time it was not strong enough to break a rib, but the pain was nearly as excruciating.

I collapsed to my knees, clutching my side. But Justin wasn't finished. I knew that a second kick was coming straight for my head.

"Jaz!" Mom screamed from behind me. Her worry made me realize that they would be next if I let Justin get the upper hand!

I knew that I would not be able to stop his kick, and it was probably too late to try to slow it down. But I had another option. I pushed out with my mind, and I heard Justin swear when his other leg went flying out from underneath him. It wasn't enough to stop the kick, but his loss of balance meant that I significantly reduced the power of his kick, and I was able to absorb the impact with my shoulder instead of taking a direct hit to my head.

He did not cause any permanent damage to me when his foot connected with my shoulder, but he seemed to twist his other ankle when he came crashing down on top of me.

I pushed him off of me, struggling to get up to meet any more attacks. But he was struggling nearly as much as I was. Attempting to stand on his hurt ankle nearly caused him to collapse again, and instead of turning back toward me for a second attack he turned and hobbled through our back fence. He was slowly retreating, but it was a retreat. My family was safe for the time being.

"Jaz!" I heard someone scream a second before I was wrapped in a tight hug that shot pain throughout my shoulder.

I winced, and I moaned slightly, because my sister let go immediately. "I'm sorry!"

I smiled at her before returning her hug. "It's okay - it just surprised me."

Mom and Dad were next, wrapping me in hugs while trying to prevent squeezing my shoulder. They now knew that they could no longer protect me, and the dangers I faced were immense. I returned their hugs, projecting how much I loved and cared for them. I didn't want them to worry as much as they were.

"You need to go change," Mom whispered to me when she let go of her hug. I had forgotten that I was still in my nightie. As I looked down I saw that it had been torn on the right side, and from a certain angle my bare breast was visible through the tear.

I turned red immediately, and hoped that my dad and my brothers hadn't seen anything I didn't want them to see.

I nodded to my mom. While clutching the tear closed I headed for the steps back into the house. I could still feel Justin slowly moving away, and I was pretty sure we were safe for the time being.

My brothers were staring at me when I passed back into the house, and I was suddenly nervous that they had seen through the tear.

"That was awesome!" Ben said to me while I stepped back around the shards of glass. "You're like a ninja!"

I just smiled at him. If my brothers had seen my breast, it wasn't what they were focused on. Adam smiled at me, nodding agreement with Ben. He looked disappointed that he didn't get to help, but it appeared he realized now that it wasn't a fight he was going to win.

"Well," I heard Adam say while I closed the door to my room. "I think that proves that she really is a girl."

I blushed furiously when I heard Ben laugh.

*  *  *

Rob, Jill, Jay, the A1 team and Nikki had all arrived while I was changing into black yoga pants and a pink tee. My family was filling them in on what had happened when I walked into the living room.

"She was amazing!" I heard my sister saying. She blushed when she realized that I had heard her. She was also beaming with pride at what I had done. I just smiled at her.

"Are you okay, Jaz?" Nikki asked me. She stood up from where she had been sitting and gave me a quick hug.

"Yeah," I replied after she had let go. I took a seat between her and Cami on one of the couches. "I've got a bruise on my shoulder and side, but nothing like this morning."

Cami and my parents winced at the reminder of what I had gone through yesterday. Mom must have filled Cami in after I had gone to bed.

"I can take care of the bruising if you'd like," Jill told me, and I nodded at her.

"Before we separate," Rob interrupted before we could stand up. He looked at me and my parents when he spoke. "I just wanted to let you know that we will be watching your house round the clock. If Justin returns, there will be at least one of us here to confront him, even if Jaz is not home."

"Thank you," I told him. I didn't need my powers to explain to him just how grateful I was. I knew that he could see it in my eyes.

Rob started talking to my parents about the details while Jill, Nikki, and my sister followed me back to my room.

"How are you doing, Jaz?" Jill asked when we were alone. I knew that she was asking as my therapist now.

"I'm tired but fine," I told her weakly. "I just never thought he would show up here."

"We should have anticipated this move, especially after this morning. I'm sorry we weren't able to get here faster."

I smiled at her to alleviate the guilt that she was feeling. "It wasn't your fault, and I'm glad that I learned I can hold him off, for the most part."

She smiled back at me. I felt some of her guilt dissipate, but it didn't go away completely. "Take off your shirt and let's see what we can do about those bruises."

I pulled my shirt over my head. Even after nearly two weeks I still felt slightly uncomfortable standing there in front of them while only wearing a bra. I wondered if I would ever get used to doing so, but then realized that most women probably have the same apprehension.

"It doesn't look too bad," Jill said after examining my shoulder and side. She then placed one of her hands over both locations and the green glow was washing over my wounds once again.

"Wow!" my sister gasped when Jill had removed her hands. The bruises had still been forming, but they had been visible. Now I had clear skin. I could understand her amazement at seeing Jill's powers at work.

"Thank you, Jill," I told her while putting my shirt back on.

She smiled. "You're welcome. I think you guys need to get some sleep if you’re going to do well on your finals."

Finals - just great. If I hadn't had enough to worry about already, I now had to start my finals. Did I ever mention how much I hate tests?

*  *  *
Chapter 12 - Finals Bloom

When my alarm went off the next morning, I really, really wanted to hit the snooze button. I wasn't ready for the first day of finals, but they were waiting for me anyway.

I managed to drag myself out of bed and get ready for the morning. Wearing dark jeans and a beautiful red top, I walked into the kitchen where my mom had made french toast for breakfast.

It was odd to see the plastic tarp covering the area where the sliding glass door to the patio had been, but at least the glass had been cleaned up. It also reinforced the point that I would have to be alert at all times until Justin was caught.

"Morning, honey," Mom said while putting two slices of french toast on a plate for me. "Sleep well?"

I chuckled in response, and the smile on her face was enough to let me know that she was trying to cheer me up. It worked.

"I'm sorry about last night, Mom," I said. "I never thought that going through this would put you guys at risk."

"It's not your fault, honey," she replied. "We don't blame you for last night."

I was happy to hear her say that, and I took a seat and enjoyed the wonderful breakfast she had made.

Once I had finished eating and walked out the front door I found Theresa climbing out of a van on the other side of the cul-de-sac from my house. She smiled at me while we both approached my car that was parked on the road.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"Good," I replied. "Your turn for watch duty?"

She nodded, making her red hair look like it was on fire. "I'm on until noon."

"Thank you for doing this. I didn't think that going through the Procedure would put my family in a situation like this."

She frowned before she replied. "I know what you mean. I would hate to have my family targeted like yours was last night."

"I'm just glad I was able to hold him off."

She nodded her head again. "You're much more powerful than you think you are, Jaz. I wouldn't want to get into a fight with you. When you’ve completed your training and your powers are fully developed, you will be a formidable opponent."

I smiled slightly, even if I totally didn't believe her. "Thanks," I told her.

"Anyway," she said. "I just wanted to wish you luck on your finals."

"Ugh," I sighed. "I just wish they were over."

She smiled at my distress and let me get in the car. I waved at her while backing out and driving away.

*  *  *

Nikki felt about the same way I did - she was not looking forward to any of her finals. I had picked her up on the way into school, and we both were wishing we could drive somewhere else.

"I'll see you at lunch," she told me when we had walked in the doors. I nodded to her and started walking down the hall to my first class.

The school spread the finals across four days. Each day was a half-day class for one of the four periods usually held that day. Today I had to take my math and biology finals. Tomorrow I would take my English and French finals, Monday I would have my P.E. and history finals, and Tuesday I would finish with my photography and computer science finals.

I was worried about how to explain my presence in the computer science class. I no longer looked like the typical student who took those types of classes, but I had been taking them since my sophomore year. It was the one class that I had not yet attended. We never went to our final period because of Justin's attack at school on Tuesday. Now I would be showing up for the first time to take the final.

I didn't know it when I walked into Mr. Compton's math class, but I was going to learn another lesson about being a girl.

Immediately I could feel the hatred and jealousy in the room, and it was directed straight at me. I nearly panicked, but a quick check revealed that Justin was not in the room.

Instead, I realized that these feelings were coming from Susan. Just great, the last thing I wanted to do was piss off the head cheerleader and have to worry about it for the last week of school.

Susan was staring daggers at me while I crossed the room toward my desk. I didn't know what she was so mad about, but there was no denying that she was very, very upset with me. Maybe I had messed up the status quo in same way. I had heard that can be a very bad thing for a high school girl to do. But I couldn't think of anything that I had done.

She wasn't in my French class, so she probably wasn't mad about Justin barging in there. She was probably glad to get out of school early. In fact, nobody seemed to be blaming me for the incident. I realized that this was my first time back to school since then, but nobody was looking at me any differently. Granted, I hadn't seen anyone from my French class yet though.

"Hi," I said to her with a smile while sliding into my seat next to her. I even tried to send her positive emotions, but it didn't seem to phase her mood. She continued to glare at me while I sat there. I think she was trying to intimidate me with her look, but it was more annoying than anything else.

"Something wrong?" I asked her innocently. Her scowl only deepened.

"Oh, you know what you did. Don't try to play innocent with me." Her statement just confused me even more. What could I have possibly done?

We now had a small audience watching what was happening. Mr. Compton had not yet entered the classroom, and everyone could feel the tension in the air.

I gave her a slight frown, "I'm sorry, but I honestly don't know what I did to make you mad at me." Her face turned red, and her anger spiked even higher. That was obviously the wrong thing to say.

"I know you're new here, Jaz," she said in a calm voice that belied her true feelings. "But you can't just move into a new territory and expect to take someone's guy without a fight."

Ohhhh! She was mad about Mark and me! As I began to think about it, I realized that there were rumors around school before I left for the Procedure that she was hoping to get Mark to ask her to the Gala. I had inadvertently put myself into a very dicey situation.

"Well, I'm not going to apologize for that." I was on a roll, because that was also the wrong thing to say, even if it was the truth. She stood up, and she was going to do something about it, but Mr. Compton entered, and Susan stopped immediately. I knew she wouldn't want to risk any type of detention. That would be bad for her reputation.

"This isn't over," she said to me while sitting back into her seat, and I knew she meant it.

Mr. Compton, oblivious to the tension the rest of us were feeling, got us all settled and ready for our final.

Fortunately as finals go, this first one was quite easy. Because I had access to all of the memories and information that I needed to understand how to solve the problems, it was just ‘busy work’ after that. If the rest of my classes were like this, I had a good shot at finishing the year strong.

I finished much earlier than my classmates, and Mr. Compton looked at me strangely when I walked up to his desk to hand him my test packet.

"Are you sure you don't want more time to go over your answers?" he asked me.

Shaking my head slightly I said, "No, I already double checked them. I don't think there's much more I can do with it."

I realized while walking back to my desk that I may have finished too early. While I knew that I didn't cheat, being able to answer the questions and double check the answers in the timeframe that I had done it in would be hard for a normal person to do. The only benefit I had on my side was that Mr. Compton did not have other scores upon which to base my performance. I hoped that I didn't cause any problems for myself, but I did feel that I could prove my ability if they questioned it.

After I returned to my desk, I pulled my biology book and notes out of my bag and reviewed them for my next final after lunch.

When the bell rang I calmly replaced my book and notes back in my bag and stood up to leave. I was worried about Susan, but she rushed out of the room quickly. Whatever she planned to do, it would be outside of the classroom. Once out the door I was even more relieved to see that she was nowhere in sight.

*  *  *

Nikki and I were sitting together in the cafeteria. Her history final was much like my math final had been. She also had a photographic memory, and answers to questions popped into her head before she even finished reading the question. She was worried that her teachers would think she was cheating because of her increased ability, just as I was concerned.

We were sitting there discussing our mornings when a shadow fell over us. At first I flinched slightly because I thought that Susan may be finally making her move. However, I was more than happy to spot Mark standing above me.

With a broad smile he asked, "Is this seat taken?"

"Not at all," I replied, returning his smile while he sat down next to me. He leaned over and gave me a kiss, which I was hoping would last longer than etiquette would allow for a lunch-time cafeteria.

He quickly joined us in our conversation, and it was apparent that he wasn't having quite the success at his finals as we had been.

"I wish I'd already gone through the Procedure," he mentioned when he learned how easy our finals had been. "I struggled through my Spanish class. I couldn't seem to remember anything."

The advantage with having a Precog power, I realized moments later, was that reliance on it could sometimes be detrimental to those around me. Without even realizing what I had done, I found myself leaning into Mark quite a bit. If I hadn't done so, I probably would have been wearing the large piece of Jello that went flying past my shoulder, nearly hitting a shocked Nikki, and landing on a football player sitting at the next table.

Shocked, we all turned to see where it had come from. Two tables away sat Susan with a number of other cheerleaders. The rage on her face at missing me almost immediately turned to embarrassment when she realized the miss had caused her to hit Dave Larsen, the starting quarterback for the football team. He did not look pleased.

Susan rushed up to him with a couple of napkins, and tried to help him clean up the mess she had made.

"I'm so sorry!" she said over and over. Hitting the new girl was one thing, but hitting Dave Larsen was a blow to her reputation.

"What were you doing?!" he screamed back at her. Dave's family was pretty well off, and it looked like the clothes he was wearing were expensive.

"I'm sorry," she began to explain. "I was aiming for Jasmine," she glared at me. "But she moved at the last second!"

"Why were you throwing food at anyone?!" he screamed even louder.

"Because she..." Susan started, but it was apparent her answer would only seem catty to everyone looking on. "Just because!"

"Not good enough!" Dave retorted. "You better have a good excuse for causing me this dry cleaning bill!"

He stood there glaring at Susan. Susan was apparently at war with herself. It was obvious that her reputation was damaged more than she wanted, and telling Dave the real reason would only increase that. But not answering Dave could cause other problems for her.

"Well?" Dave asked after her silence continued for a number of seconds. "I'm waiting!"

"It's just that," Susan started before pausing again. "It's, well...she stole Mark from me!"

I actually heard Mark choke on his breath next to me before he was able to respond.

"What?!?" he said, clearly not agreeing with her.

"You were supposed to ask me to the Gala!" Susan turned on him. "Not this new tramp!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Mark said while standing up and placing his arms on my shoulder protectively. "Jaz is definitely not a tramp! And, why would you think I would ask you?"

The look on Susan's face at that moment was priceless, but being able to feel the emotions running through her at the same time truly made me feel sorry for her. She was clearly a jerk, but no one should have to feel embarrassed that way.

Without another word Susan turned on her heels and ran out of the cafeteria, leaving her fellow cheerleaders behind in shock.

I wanted to go find Susan and apologize to her. Nikki couldn't understand why I would want to go looking for her, and even after explaining what I had felt she still didn't quite understand. She refused to let me go look for her though, claiming that my own increasing reputation would be damaged. I didn't believe it would, and frankly I didn't care, but I relented. Nevertheless, I planned to stop by her house later.

The events during lunch did have a positive impact though. It reminded me that I still had to go shopping for a Gala dress, and Nikki was more than happy to accompany me later that evening.

I was happy to have Mark at my side throughout lunch and when he walked with Nikki and me to our biology final. I felt safe when he was around, even though I knew I could protect him more than he could protect me at the current time. It was a feeling that I had never felt before. But he felt so right I couldn't deny the attraction that we had for each other.

Thankfully - according to Nikki - we weren't acting like love-struck teenagers anymore. While our attraction was just as strong, she seemed to be happy that we didn't fall over each other every time we saw each other. I hadn't realized that we had been doing that.

We took our seats and Mr. Bailey started handing out the finals. As I sat there waiting for my copy of the exam, I remembered so clearly that the entire chain of events, including this whole ordeal with Justin, began because of a test in this class. I was now coming to the end. Hopefully the rest of the school year would go well and I could continue on with a normal life, albeit as a young woman now.

The good thing about this biology final was that Mr. Bailey knew all about us. He wouldn't be suspicious of our good grades like the other teachers might have been. He knew of our improved abilities, and perhaps he would vouch for us if problems arose.

Just like the math final this morning, I had no problem with the biology test. Everything I had learned before the Procedure was just as clear as the material I had reviewed this morning. My goal was to beat Nikki, and I managed to turn in my final five minutes before she was finished. I saw her frown when I stood up, and I could feel her defeat while I walked up to Mr. Bailey. Obviously, she'd had the same idea.

Mr. Bailey just smiled as I approached his desk. He seemed surprised that I had finished as quickly as I had, but he didn't seem to be as wary as my math teacher had been. He didn't say anything to me when I handed him my paper and returned to my seat.

I glanced over at Mark. He was struggling through his test. I knew that he was a smart guy, but he had confided to me that he hated taking tests. The added stress always seemed to make him forget things.

I sent soothing feelings his way, and I watched his face go from the contorted struggle I'd originally seen, to a more serene, thoughtful gaze. He glanced at me, and I smiled at him. He smiled back before his pencil started filling in the bubbles quickly. It was the least I could do for him.

I then pulled my book out of my bag and settled in to read for the rest of the school day. I had plenty of time.

*  *  *

"Thank you," Mark said just before he kissed me again. "I wish I could take you to all of my classes. That was the best test I've ever taken!"

"No problem," I said, laughing. "You looked so frustrated that I had to do something."

"I love you, Jaz," he said with a gleam in his eye.

I smiled. It wasn't the first time he'd said the words, but it still made my heart flutter. "I love you too, Mark."

"Please," Nikki interrupted us. "Get a room."

We chuckled, but more importantly, for her at least, we turned and continued to walk toward the parking lot.

"What are your plans for tonight?" I asked Mark. I'd love to hang out with him some more.

"I'm going with my dad to work on some real estate stuff," he replied, but he sounded sad about it now. He realized that I was offering him the chance to hang out more, and he would rather hang out with me than with his dad.

"Oh," I replied in a downcast tone.

"That's okay," Nikki interrupted. "We need to go dress shopping, remember?"

"Oh! I forgot about that!" I said again, but this one had a positive beat to it. Shopping for a dress would be fun.

Mark laughed at my renewed excitement. "I guess you'll be fine without me," he said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay," I replied, just before he gave me another kiss.

*  *  *
Chapter 13 - Adornments

"What about this one?" Nikki asked me while holding a dress in front of herself. The dress was light pink, and it was very pretty, but...

"My mom would never let me wear that," I told her. I might be new to being a girl, but I'd seen what Mom would let Cami wear, and this was definitely out.

"Why?" she asked.

"It's strapless!" I replied. "Even if my mom would let me wear something like that, I doubt I would even be prepared for it."

"But you like it," she said, reading my expression.

"Yeah," I said before smiling broadly. I did like the dress.

"Try it on," she said while pushing the dress at me.

"Nooooo!!" I immediately replied. No matter how much I liked the dress, I...I just couldn't wear it yet.

"Come on," she whined, trying to shove the dress into my arms again.

"No!" I stated firmly.

*  *  *

"Wow," Nikki said nearly an hour later. "I think that's the one."

"I think you're right," I told her. I was staring in awe at my image in the mirror just outside of the dressing room.

I was wearing a white dress. I had only put it on to humor Nikki, but now I was in love with it. I'd originally thought that it looked too much like something I would wear on my wedding day, but somehow it didn't look the same way once I had it on. The dress was fitted from the waist up, but hung loose from there down to just below my knees, showing off my new legs. It looked light and airy, but still managed to cover everything that shouldn't be on display.

There was only one way to describe it. It looked angelic.

However, the price tag was a completely different story. This dress was going to clean out the rest of the wardrobe fund that I had been given.

"It's expensive," I voiced my concern to Nikki. She grabbed the tag that was hanging near my left shoulder and looked at it.

"Wow!" she said. "Would your wardrobe funds cover it?"

"Just barely," I replied. The dress was beautiful, but I still didn't know if it was worth the cost.

"Get it," she said without any other thought. "You'll be grateful that you did later."

"Are you sure?" I wasn't completely convinced that spending that much money on one dress would ever be worth it.

"Yes," she replied before turning me around and pushing me back into the dressing room.

*  *  *

"What are we doing here?" Nikki asked incredulously when I arrived in front of Susan's house. I hadn't told Nikki about my plan to come by and make sure Susan was okay.

"I'm going to check on Susan," I told her while turning off the car and reaching for the door handle. "Are you going to come with me?"

"Jaz, no! She's a jerk, and she deserves this."

"No she doesn't, Nikki," I told her. "Nobody should ever feel the despair that she was feeling at lunch. Granted, it was probably about the wrong things, and she shouldn't care that much about her image, but nobody should ever feel that way. I won't let her suffer through that alone, not after I felt how much it hurt her."

"Please don't," she tried again, but she knew I wouldn't back down.

"I HAVE to do this, Nikki," I said. She looked at me for a moment before nodding and reaching for her own door.

Susan lived in a nice house. It wasn't luxurious by any means, but it was well-maintained and cared for. It was a lot like my own house. We climbed up the few stairs to her porch and I rang the doorbell.

I still wasn't sure what I was going to tell her, but I knew that I needed to do something.

The door opened, and a young girl peered up at us. She could have been seven or eight years old.

"Hi," I said when she just stared at us. "Is Susan home?"

The girl nodded before turning to run up the staircase that was next to the door. Nikki and I waited outside the front door. I assumed that she was going to get Susan, and I didn't want to invite myself in. I was already on her bad side. I didn't need to make it worse by coming in uninvited.

I "felt" the scowl on Susan's face before I ever saw her descending the stairs. I knew she wasn't going to be happy to see me.

"What do you want?" she said coldly when she reached our level. She stepped toward the door, and I knew it wouldn't take much for her to close it on us.

"I wanted to apologize," I told her. She recoiled slightly at those words. Her surprise was apparent on her face. She didn't expect me to apologize. I really didn't think I had done anything wrong, but I wanted to be the better person.

"Why?" she asked warily. I could feel her mistrust of me.

"Because," I replied. "I know how you feel, and nobody should ever have to feel that way. I'm sorry about Mark. I didn't plan to get involved with anyone."

She snorted. It seemed like she believed I had planned the whole thing from the beginning.

"Look," Nikki interrupted. "I don't like you, Susan. All I know is that Jaz feels bad about what happened at lunch. But she definitely didn't plan on falling in love with anyone. I've known her long enough to know that."

"Whatever," Susan said and stepped closer. She now had her hand on the door, and it looked like she was ready to close it.

"I'm sorry," I said again to stop her. "I've never felt this way about somebody before. I didn't mean to steal him from you - it just kind of happened."

Susan grimaced. "Thank you for stopping by," she said, and some of the hatred I had been feeling seemed to evaporate from around her. "I appreciate the attempt, but perhaps it would be best if we stayed away from each other until the end of the school year."

"If that's what you want," I told her.

"It is," she stated. "I'll let you have Mark, but please, stay away from me."

"Okay," I replied. I smiled at her. "I'm sorry, Susan. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

"There isn't anything you can do," she said. "Please just go."

"Bye, Susan," I said, and she closed the door on us. I turned around and started heading back to my car.

"That went well," Nikki stated when we had pulled away from the curb.

"Yeah, it did," I replied sincerely.

"I was being sarcastic, Jaz," she smirked.

"I know," I said. "But it really did go well. She might not have shown it, but she was happy I came by. She doesn't hate me anymore. She doesn’t like me either, but I couldn't have asked for a better result."

"If you say so," Nikki said. Obviously, she hadn't been able to feel the shift in Susan's feelings.

*  *  *

"You went dress shopping without me?!" Cami exclaimed when she saw me carrying in the dress bag from my car. She'd been sitting in our front room, apparently waiting for me to come home.

"Um…" I replied. I seemed to be making everyone mad at me today. "Yes?"

My questioning response didn't go over very well with her. She was upset, and I knew why. She wanted to be a part of my life, and I hadn't included her. But the truth was she couldn't be a part of my life all the time. I needed her support, but I needed to be able to do things on my own too.

"I'm sorry, Cami," I told her. "We just stopped at the mall on the way home."

"Whatever," she said, before storming out of the room and down the hall toward her own room. I knew that she was crying before she ever got there.

I sighed. I'd dropped Nikki off at home not too long ago, but now I wished she was here. I was new to this girl thing, and I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do now. I felt that I should go talk to Cami about this, but once again I didn't know what to say.

I walked down the hall to my own room, and dropped the dress, wrapped in a protective sleeve, on my bed. Then I stepped back out and took the two steps required to reach Cami's door. I could hear her sobbing on the other side. I knocked lightly.

"Go away!" she screamed through the door. I sighed once again. This was the last thing I wanted to do to my sister.

I tried the doorknob, but she had locked the door. But it wasn't going to stop me. I "reached" out and unlocked the door with my powers. I hoped she wouldn't hate me for this.

"Cami?" I asked quietly after opening her door.

"I said go away!" she yelled back at me, and then threw a pillow at my head. I caught it and stepped over to where she had sunk down on her bed, and replaced the pillow where it belonged.

"I'm sorry," I told her again. I'd been saying that a lot lately, it seemed. "I was hoping to go out with Mark tonight, but he was busy. Nikki pulled me to the mall to take my mind off him. I..." I almost told her I had forgotten about her. That would have been the wrong thing to say, even if it was the truth.

"I didn't mean to leave you out," I said instead. That was also the truth. If I had remembered, I definitely would have invited her along.

"You promised you wouldn't leave me out!" she yelled at me, and softly hit me a couple of times. I let her vent her frustrations. She needed to let out the pent up emotions that she had been building while she waited for me to get home.

"I'm sorry," I told her again when she stopped and sunk back down onto her bed. I also wrapped her in a hug. "It won't ever happen again."

We sat there for a few more minutes. I poured love her way, letting her know that I cared for her while she worked to dry her tears. I'd made a big mistake, and I knew it. But I didn't want her to suffer for it.

Eventually, she sat up and looked at me. "I'm sorry," she said this time. "I know that I can't always go. I know that you won't be around a lot. But I really wanted to help you pick out your Gala dress."

"I know, Cami," I told her. "I wasn't thinking straight. Mark has my brain all scrambled, and I completely forgot to call you first."

"You've really fallen for him, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah," I sighed and sank down next to her on her bed. "I never expected to fall in love with someone so soon. But, he completes me somehow. The only time I feel safe anymore is when he's there. I know he couldn't do anything to protect me from Justin, but...I don't know. I've never felt this way before."

"Oh, Jaz," Cami said while she sank down next to me. "I wish I had someone like that."

"You'll find somebody, Cami," I told her. "I promise."

"Thanks, Jaz," she smiled back at me.

I was so happy to have my sister in my life.

*  *  *
Chapter 14 - Family Time

The following morning brought on another day of final exams. It started with an English final that was just like the other finals I had taken. I had never been able to remember all of the grammar rules before the Procedure. Now however, it was all second nature to me.

After the final, I was able to spend lunch with Mark. Nikki was there too, of course, but Mark was my main focus. I knew Nikki was upset with me for not paying as much attention to her, but I didn't care.

"Do you want to come over to my house this afternoon?" Mark asked me while he walked me to my French class. He was feeling nervous, and I guessed that either his family was asking about me, or he really wanted to introduce me to them.

"Sure," I said smiling, as I looked at him. He returned my smile with one of his own.

"My mom really wants to meet you," he explained, but he looked embarrassed about it.

"I'd like to meet your family," I smiled back, removing his unease.

"Thank you," he said. I just nodded.

When we reached my French class, I stopped suddenly outside the door. The last time I had been in that classroom, Justin had attacked me. I had no idea if the other students in my class would be upset if I went in.

"It's okay," Mark said. He knew me too well already. "It won't happen again."

"Maybe," I partially agreed. "But I still don't know what to tell the others."

"Don't tell them anything," he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It really isn't any of their business."

"Mark!" I exclaimed. "Justin showed up with a gun and tried to kill me! I don't think they're going to be very happy about that!"

"Well," he said with a wry smile. "I'm sure you'll think of something then."

I laughed and hit him softly on the shoulder. He seemed to have a way of putting me at ease.

"I'll see you after school, okay?" he asked.

"Alright," I replied before turning and stepping into the classroom.

The wonderful feelings in the air instantly ended when I walked into the classroom. From the anticipation and love I felt from Mark, I promptly felt nervousness and fear as I entered my French class.

Most people were staring at me, and most of them weren't happy to see me. I doubted anyone blamed me for what happened, but it was obvious that they knew Justin had come for me. Apparently, some of them harbored ill feelings to the part I played in the scare that befell the class earlier in the week. I was a reminder of the terror they felt that day.

I decided to ignore the elephant in the room, and walked over to my desk and sat down. Nobody said anything to me and after the bell rang the teacher passed out our exams and the rest of the day was spent in silence.

*  *  *

"The sundress," Cami replied when I asked her if I should wear a white sundress with a pink floral design or jeans and a top over to meet Mark's family. I was nervous at the prospect of meeting his family, and I wanted to make a good impression.

"Are you sure?" I asked her. I honestly didn't have any idea what would be appropriate.

"Yes, definitely," she replied. "Hurry! Get changed."

"Yes, mistress," I teased her and stuck my tongue out before going back to my room and putting on the dress. She just laughed and went back to the show she was watching.

I'd told Mark that I needed to go home and change. He then agreed to pick me up, because I wanted to reciprocate the favor and introduce him to my own family. I didn't have much time before he would arrive.

I glanced into the mirror and changed my makeup slightly to better compliment the dress. Before I could do anything else, the doorbell rang.

I rushed out of my room, narrowly beating Cami to the front door. When I opened it, Mark was standing there, and my heart swooned again.

"Hi," I told him, giving him a large smile in the process.

"Hi," he replied, returning my smile.

"Come on in," I told him and stepped back to let him enter the door. He stepped inside and I turned toward the hallway leading out of the front room.

"Mom!" I yelled. "Mark is here!"

"Oh!" I heard a muffled reply from the kitchen, and then sounds of cookware moving around before she appeared in the doorway. Mark and I had left too quickly on Wednesday night for him to meet my mom, and she was excited to meet the boy who had captured my heart.

She walked into the room with a large smile on her face.

"Mom, this is Mark. Mark, my mom," I introduced them.

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Campbell," Mark said.

"Oh the pleasure is all mine," Mom replied, her smile turned into a sly grin as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. "I've heard so many good things. It's nice to finally meet you."

I didn't think it could happen, but Mark actually blushed at my mom's words! I smiled at his reaction.

"Your daughter is amazing," he was finally able to reply after a moment, but he turned and smiled at me the whole time.

Cami cleared her throat, and I turned toward her. "And this is my sister, Cami," I told him.

"Hi, Cami," Mark replied with another smile.

"Do I get a hug too?" she asked. The smile on her face was big, but I knew she was messing with him.

"Sure," Mark replied and then surprised her with a big bear hug. Her smile was even wider when he let her go, and I detected a bit of jealousy in her eyes when he let go.

Nobody else was home, but we talked for a bit to let everyone get to know each other better. Then we left to do the same thing at Mark's house, which would be followed by dinner. This time Mark was driving his truck, so I just lifted myself up with my powers so I didn’t have to worry about how to stay decent while climbing into the tall vehicle. Mark laughed at my move, but he still seemed impressed with my powers so he didn't say anything else.

I was nervous when we pulled into his driveway. I knew that his dad was angry at him, because Mark decided to undergo the Procedure instead of going to football camp and accepting a scholarship at a university that had expressed interest in him. His dad had been a football player in college and even played in the pros for a few years, and he had the same aspirations for Mark. I also knew that his dad was aware that I had been an influence in that decision, and I was afraid of what he would think about me.

"There's nothing to worry about," he told me as I awkwardly climbed down from his truck. Some of his neighbors were out in their yards so I couldn't use my powers to get down. "They'll love you as much as I do."

"I hope so," I replied as he took my hand and led me up the front porch to the door. His parents' house was much larger than my family's. Perhaps that was expected of someone who spent his entire day working with real estate, but it only served to intimidate me more.

Mark opened the door to reveal a spacious great room. Hardwood flooring ran the length of the small entryway to the kitchen that set off to the far left. A small dining area was immediately to our left and a large TV flanked by some very soft looking couches sat to our right. Further back was another small sitting area with some bookshelves, a stairway leading up to the second floor, and a hallway that led further into the house.

All activity in the room stopped as we entered. Mark's mom was cooking in the kitchen. A sister was helping her. Two younger boys, perhaps 12 and 10 years old, were playing video games in the small den area. Even Mark's father appeared from somewhere down the hall. It was immediately apparent that they had been expecting me.

They all quickly approached the entrance to the house, where I was nervously waiting for something to happen. They were all staring, and the emotions that were floating around in the air showed some of the shock and delight his family had at seeing me for the first time.

"Everyone," Mark finally spoke. "This is Jasmine. Jasmine, this is my family."

"Hello," I said and gave them a small wave.

"That's my mom, Laura," Mark pointed at his mother. "My sister, Katherine, my brothers Peter and Trent, and my dad, Christopher."

"She's so small!" the youngest brother, Trent said. His comment broke the ice and all of us began laughing. Sadly, it was true too. I knew I was small, but the fact that Mark's youngest brother was just as tall as me was somewhat annoying. Being small would certainly help me be stealthier, but I sometimes felt like my 5' stature was a disadvantage.

"She needs a stepladder just to kiss him," Katherine said, which kept us laughing. Despite the fact that their comments could be demeaning by themselves, I knew they weren't trying to be mean. I also knew that they had already signed their own confidentiality agreements, so I could do what I did next.

"Who needs a ladder?" I asked. The laughter quickly turned into gasps as I rose off the ground and planted a kiss on Mark's cheek. I knew I had made my point as I slowly lowered myself until my feet were back on the floor.

With the ice broken, I quickly learned that Mark had a wonderful family. His mother had been a model when she was younger, and still had the looks that had given her the opportunity. But she was very down to earth and had a wicked sense of humor that kept all of us laughing all night. It had obviously been passed down to her children, as they were just as quick to reciprocate. Katherine was a spitting image of her mother, and already had aspirations to follow in her footsteps. The two boys were already accomplished in more than one sport, just like Mark and their father. It appeared that they were as in love with me as Mark was. Mark's father was a very distinguished looking man. His dark hair had a hint of gray to it that showed his authority in the house, but it was apparent that he rarely had to ask his children to do anything that wasn't already expected of them. My own family was nowhere near as well-mannered as Mark's was.

Each of them gave me a warm welcome. Mark's father was a bit distant at first, and I could feel some resentment from him. But as the night wore on he started to warm up to me, and it seemed he realized why his son had given up the chance to play football. Even if he still felt like Mark was only doing this for a girl, it began to dawn on him how interesting the idea of gaining powers could be for anyone. They all certainly expressed an interest in having their own powers when I demonstrated some of what I could do.

After dinner we talked a lot about the Procedure. All of them were worried about what it meant for Mark, and I was happy to provide them with information about nearly everything I had undergone. By the time Mark and I left for the drive back to my home, they all seemed more at ease with Mark's decision to undergo the Procedure.

"You have a wonderful family," I told Mark as we stood outside the front door of my house, his truck idling in the driveway.

"I know," he replied smugly. "But yours isn't too shabby either."

I laughed and hit him softly on the chest. He retaliated by pulling me close and kissing me.

I didn't complain.

*  *  *
Chapter 15 - Flower Dance

Nikki and Cami were determined to give me the whole experience for the only school dance I would ever attend after the Procedure. Unbeknownst to me they had enlisted Jill, who seemed to have way too many contacts! The result was that we spent the morning getting what the three of them called "The Treatment" at a local beauty spa: hair, makeup, manicure, and pedicure. If it was offered then we had it done.

I still questioned the need to have my hair and makeup done, since I could easily recreate something spectacular using my powers. I knew I wasn't looking forward to the extra time it would take to remove the makeup and nail polish later this evening. But Nikki insisted that I needed to know how 'mere mortals' lived, and I was glad she did. By the time I returned to my house to finish getting ready I truly felt pampered.

Nikki had conveniently been asked to go to the End of Year Gala by one of Mark's friends, so we turned it into a double date. Nikki had returned to her house to finish getting dressed, because her mom insisted on being able to help her and take pictures. That left Cami and Mom to help me.

I had never expected to have an experience like this in my life! As the two of them finished helping me get into my dress, all I felt was their love and excitement. I couldn't help but return the feelings, and I felt myself tear up more than once. The school year was coming to an end too quickly, and with it came the approaching date of our return to the Alpha Complex. Jill had assured me that I would still be able to see my family often, but I knew that it wouldn't be often enough. I wanted to cherish moments like this.

When the doorbell rang my nervousness shot through the roof! Even though I fully trusted Mark I was nervous about what this night would have in store for me.

I knew that my dad was there to answer the door, and I hoped he went easy on Mark. Mom and Cami made me wait in the room for far too long, so that my dad got to know Mark before they would let me join him in the front room. But when I saw Mark's smile for the first time all of my nervousness evaporated.

"Hi Mark," I said after he couldn't find any words. "You clean up pretty well."

"Wow! You look like an angel," he finally found his voice. I smiled warmly and he came over and took my hand. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," I replied, unable to remove my gaze from his eyes. They were pulling me in just like they had all week.

"Not before pictures!" Mom interrupted quickly. She emphasized her point by snapping a photo. The flash broke me out of wherever I had been and I turned to pose with Mark for a bit. She took picture after picture so that I was beginning to wonder if I would ever make it out of the house. Then, when we finally made it outside and Mom saw that Nikki and her date were waiting in the limo, we had to start in on the group shots.

Eventually I was able to climb into the limo and it pulled away from my house.

"I'm exhausted!" I claimed, which caused the rest of them to laugh. Mom had certainly been more enthusiastic than any other time I had gone to a dance. I knew it had to do with everything that had happened to me over the last few weeks. She had only snapped a few shots of Adam and his date when they left this evening, but she had gone all out for me.

Before we went to the Gala we went to Mark's family restaurant for dinner. With four of us the setting was less romantic than the night I had been here alone with Mark, but the extra attention from Nikki and her date, George, didn't detract from the evening at all. In fact George turned out to be a great guy who could have easily been someone I could see myself with if Mark wasn't the focus of my existence.

After dinner, we returned to the limousine which whisked us away to the Gala, which was being held in the school gym. Yet it was hard to recognize the gym; so many decorations had been used to convert it into what could almost pass for an elegant ballroom. Somehow they had even hung some fake chandeliers from the ceiling to give it an air of opulence.

A hush spread around us as we arrived. As we moved through the crowd to find a table where we could place our purses and sit, everyone else looked at us silently and with a mixture of awe and apprehension. I felt bits and pieces of amazement and fear from everyone’s emotions, which confused me. It was apparent that the four of us looked really good together, but something had them on edge. I feared that Justin was around, but a quick glance around proved that we were safe from him for the time being.

It wasn't until after we had been dancing for a while and we returned to our table that I understood why everyone was afraid. I had just taken a seat when I felt her presence coming toward us.

"Hello Susan," I greeted her as she approached from behind me. I felt her mild shock that I was able to identify her without even turning around. Nevertheless she continued forward until she was standing next to me.

"That dress looks amazing on you, Jasmine," she said when I had turned around and stood up to confront her, which caused a mild shock of my own. I certainly hadn't been expecting a compliment from her! But her tone and her feelings told me that it truly was a compliment.

"Thank you," I replied, taking in what she was wearing. She too looked splendid in a red dress that bordered on being too sexy without crossing the line. I reckoned that Susan had a future as a model if she wanted it, based on how amazing she looked. I could even feel Mark and George "appreciating" her look too, much to my chagrin. "Wow, you look...wow!" The words escaped my lips, but the smile that spread across her face told me that she understood what I meant.

"I wanted to apologize," she continued, surprising me once more. "I was overly harsh when I found out that Mark had asked you to the Gala. I did some things that I regret. But I was really impressed with how much you cared about me. I got to thinking after you left my house the other day, and while I'm not entirely sure I can call you a friend, I want you to know that I have no ill will toward you anymore."

I stood there, mouth agape for a moment! I didn’t know how to respond to her genuine statements! I had known Susan for a long time, even if she still thought I was the new girl in the school. I had never seen her do anything like this before! The 'Queen' was not acting like herself!

I nodded, which seemed to be enough of a communication for her, and her smile actually widened. "Have a good evening," she said, before she grabbed the hand of the star basketball player and let him lead her back toward the dance floor. She looked back once more and smiled, and I returned my own smile just as genuinely.

The fear that had been wafting around the gymnasium all evening cleared up almost instantly as news of our reconciliation spread throughout the Gala. The confrontation that everyone had expected had not led to a cat fight or altercation, and everyone resumed enjoying the evening once more. I smiled to myself, grabbed Mark by the hand, and pulled him toward the dance floor.

*  *  *

The night was starting to wind down when I finally realized that I was tiring out Mark. The Procedure had left me with stamina much greater than his, but he was trying to keep up with me. Without a word I patted him on the shoulder and felt the gratitude that he returned as we started to make our way back toward the table, where Nikki and George were sitting. It had been a magical night. It felt like a Disney movie. Everything had been so perfect all night, and I couldn't imagine anything greater than spending the night in the arms of Mark. I cuddled into him as we walked, not wanting to leave the warmth of his embrace.

"Going somewhere, Jaz?" The question cut through everything I had been feeling and froze my heart immediately! I stopped walking instantly, and fear spread throughout the room like wildfire, no doubt spurred on by my own powers as I struggled to contain what I was feeling.

"Justin," I stated before I had even turned around. Slowly I turned in place until I was looking at the center of the room. The music abruptly stopped and the multitude of couples quickly retreated from the area, revealing the one person who epitomized my hatred in this world. Somehow, the area around him seemed to be lit better than the rest of the gym, highlighting his scowling features and letting everyone know that he shouldn't be messed with.

I took a step toward him. Mark held on, trying to prevent me from getting any closer.

"I see you've found a lover boy already," Justin stated, stabbing me with the fear that he would make a move against the defenseless Mark. I felt my jaw clench, as I promised myself that no harm would come to Mark or anyone else in this room tonight. I knew Nikki would already be on the phone with Jill, and I knew it was only a matter of time before reinforcements arrived. Theresa and Jay were waiting outside in case something like this happened, but it would still take them a few minutes before they would be able to provide any assistance. A lot could happen before they could help.

"Leave him alone," I growled at Justin, which only caused him to cackle.

"Oh, I assure you that I will do nothing of the sort," Justin said, with a glint in his eye which told me he was telling me the truth. "In fact, I think that I'll let you watch him die before I kill you."

I took another step forward. Mark tugged on my arm to prevent me from going once again. I broke free of his grip and pushed him back with my powers; Mark was sliding back toward the table and Nikki's safety while I continued to confront Justin. I didn't need Mark’s presence complicating things.

"Mark Williams," Justin commented as I approached him. "I must admit, I never saw that coming. Who would have thought that you would be so in love two weeks after you became a girl."

The horror I felt at his words shocked the onlookers and dampened the mood in the gymnasium even further. One of my worst fears was that my fellow students would find out the truth about me, and now Justin had told them! I took a step forward, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me once again. I didn't have to take my gaze away from Justin to know that Mark had rushed back toward me the moment I had stopped pushing him toward the table.

"That's right, Mark," Justin informed him. "You are dating Brett Campbell. You are dating another boy."

"You're wrong, Justin," Mark replied. "Jasmine is not a boy. She never was."

Confusion crossed Justin's face for a brief moment. It was obvious that he had expected Mark to recoil from me at finding out the truth. But Justin didn’t know that Mark already knew and didn't care. Nevertheless, the shock I felt from the other attendees of the Gala proved that the secret was out now. There was no way I could hide it anymore. Enough people had suspected, and now it had been confirmed!

"Mark," Justin continued. "I'm surprised. I never would have figured you had a thing for boys. I always thought that you were a jock." Justin pointed at me. "I guess that just goes to show that anyone can be corrupted by his influence now."

Blood rushed to my head. I knew I was turning red with rage, but I didn't care.

"I!" I screamed at him! "AM!" I yelled while balling my hands into fists! "A!" I shouted as I focused all of my willpower on Justin. "GIRL!"

The fear that engulfed Justin's face as I took hold of him with my telekinesis and threw him into the air gave me a pleasure that perhaps I shouldn't relish in. As he went up I could feel his weight lighten as he decreased his density, and I knew that he was worried about what I was going to do with him. But it was in vain.

I slammed Justin down head first into the middle of the basketball court, and even his own power wasn't enough to overcome the force of my power from knocking him out. A shockwave went flying throughout the room, followed by splinters and chunks of debris that had been kicked up by the crater that formed where Justin struck.

Anger and rage were still pouring from me when I noticed Theresa and Jay reach the edge of the crater. They looked at me with fear and awe for a moment before they turned their attention to securing the unconscious Justin to prevent him from escaping again. Their presence near him was the only thing that kept me from picking him up and slamming him down again; this time, with his power inactive, I would have likely killed him.

Only Mark's embrace was enough to break the rage I felt and bring me back to normal. Tears started to stream down my face as he hugged me tighter than he ever had before. I was a sobbing mess when I realized it was over. Justin was in custody. Mark was safe. No one else was hurt. True happiness started to creep in for the first time since the end of the Procedure. It was over.

But that happiness was short-lived as I realized that I now had to contend with my classmates knowing the truth about me. As I glanced around the room, I saw fear, revulsion, curiosity, and even hatred on the eyes of some of the other students and faculty in the room. I also felt these emotions pouring out of them.

Not even Mark's embrace was enough to keep the chill from engulfing my heart.

*  *  *