Insert standard disclaimer here: The one that reminds everyone that this is a work of fiction. No one is real and any resemblance to someone who is real is just the reader's imagination. This is also a Fan Fiction set in the Whately Story Universe. No Canon characters were permanently harmed in the making of this story. I hope. :)

** Chapter 25 **

1.5 hours, one 357 page novel later and two more books to go, I almost feel like my old self. I’m sitting on the couch and reading a book. That part is very normal and comforting.

Initially, it was my hair that worked as a constant reminder of my not so normal life.  My long bangs kept falling forward every time I tilted my head down to read.  After about the tenth time that happened, I got tired of trying to keep my hair tucked back behind my pointy ears. So, I just summoned one of my old baseball caps to wear backward with my hair tucked into it.  

No sissy hair band for me! I’m gangsta!

Oh wait, I would have to have my hat off to the side for that. Not happening. Anyway, now that my hair isn’t constantly playing havoc with my reading; it is all of the other odd sensations my alien body is reporting to me that is weirding me out.

Simple things like the sound of my own voice or the sensation of my skin smoothly sliding against any fabric still trip my weird meter. I’m not even going to start with the more obvious boy/girl differences, because the sensations coming from my chest and crotch are more than just “odd”.  I think my shower helped and I will grant that I am starting to get used my new voice, but I’m not there yet.  However, I am a little curious as to why I cannot turn myself into well, myself, inside my virtual space.  I can do anything else that I’ve tried to imagine, but why can’t I be a boy?

Oh well, I’m not going to solve that riddle right now and maybe this virtual me thing will help me get used to my new body.  In here, I can probably dance, run, jump, and practice my katas or any number of simulations that might help me to become more comfortable in my new body. I can’t decide on what to do now.  It’s oh-five hundred and my mom will probably be up any minute now. So, I don’t really want to get started on another book right now.  

Hmmm, what I would look like in Selene’s vampire hunter outfit?

With that thought, I stand and walk over to the mirror.  As I walk over, my outfit changes into a black leather, skin-tight outfit complete with a corset that looks exactly like Selene’s.  I even have a pair of guns sticking out of low slung hip holsters.  I can’t believe that I look so smoking hot.  On top of that, I can’t believe that I just thought of myself as being “smoking hot”.  I perform a few different poses and check myself out from the side and the back. My god, the combination of the corset with the skin tight black leather pants!

Wowser!  Eat your heart out Selene!

 If I decide to become a super hero, this is the outfit that I’m going to wear.  I could probably get a distraction bonus if I’m fighting a dude and a jealousy/rage bonus if it’s another chick.  Rut Roh!  I better watch that.  I might be starting to think of myself as a girl.

With that dose of reality, I get back into character by hissing at the mirror like a vampire as I adopt a gunfighter stance using my fingers as a fake gun.  “Oh yeah, watch out evil vampires.  I’m coming for you with my deadly finger gun!”

I laugh at myself.  Finger gun?  Why am I using my fingers when I have two guns in my hip holsters?  I reach down with both hands and pull out the guns.  They feel so real.

>Weapons Detected...
>IFSFCS Activated
>Searching IFSFCS Weapons DB for match...
>Match found.
>
>Manufacturer: Beretta
>Model: 92FS
>Caliber: 9x19mm
>Capacity: 15
>Fire Modes: Semiautomatic, Full-Auto
>Modifications: Full-Auto Fire Mode, Compensator Fitted
>Maximum Effective Range: 50 m
>
>Weapon 1 Searching for IFSFCS Smart Link...
>Weapon 1 IFSFCS Smart Link Not Found
>Weapon 1 Creating Simulated IFSFCS Smart Link
>Weapon 1 IFSFCS Smart Link: Enabled
>Weapon 1 Ammunition Status: 15 Rounds
>Weapon 2 Searching for IFSFCS Smart Link...
>Weapon 2 IFSFCS Smart Link Not Found
>Weapon 2 Creating Simulated IFSFCS Smart Link
>Weapon 2 IFSFCS Smart Link: Enabled
>Weapon 2 Ammunition Status: 15 Rounds
>
>Engage Tactical Firearms Simulation? Y/n

It is obvious to me that the military loves its acronyms, but what in the heck does that IFSFCS thing stand for?

>Individual Future Soldier Fire-Control System

Fire Control?

I get no further cryptic definitions to help me figure it out, but I assume that it means something with guns and not Smokey the Bear putting out forest fires.  I decide to try “Yes” for the simulation question and as soon as I do that, a new list of options display.

>Select Scenario
>1) Target Practice
>2) Hostage Rescue
>3) Custom

Okay, should I keep it simple or go all out with the “Custom” option? How about if I go middle of the road with the Hostage Rescue?  Decisions, Decision, Decisions...

I think that I will use the K.I.S.S. principle for now. So, I select option number one.

My virtual living room dissolves and I find myself in a shooting range.  I think it is one anyway.  I’ve never actually been in a shooting range, but I’ve seen plenty on TV and I did stay at a secret government lab last night. As I look around, this range looks a little different though.  Instead of a single row of firing stations all facing in one direction, I am in the middle of a room with only one firing station and no other doors or windows.  

I decide that I probably need to be able to see into my real room in case my mom tries to wake me up.  I look around and wonder where I should put the TV to monitor my real room. Hmmm, maybe if I put it on the wall of the firing station so that I can see it using my peripheral vision.  A small LCD TV appears on the wall right where I imagined it and I can see the door of my room displayed on it.  Sweet!

I walk into the yellow painted hazard area that contains a small table that I assume is for setting guns and spare bullets on.  A large dark area for the range lights up and I see a black and white paper human silhouette target hanging 25 meters down the range. I glance to the TV and I am relieved to note that there is still no sign of my mom.  That means that I can play.  

I know that in the movies, dual guns are mostly or even completely fake.  There is no way that someone can really shoot two guns at the same time with any degree of accuracy, but this isn’t real, so I might as well have some fun with it.

I bring up my right-hand gun and I see a small red dot appear on the target. “What the!?”  Where did the laser dot come from?  There isn’t a laser scope on this gun.  Oh well, if it’s stupid but it works, than it isn’t stupid.  I put the dot in the middle of the silhouette's head and pull the trigger.

Nothing.  The trigger is stuck. Why won’t it fire?

>Weapon 1 fire mode: Safe

Ah crap. I forgot to take the gun off of ‘safe’.  There is a small button on the hand grip and a lever on top.  I wonder which one is the safety?  I decide to set my left hand gun down on the table so that I can use my other hand to figure this thing out first.

>Weapon 2 IFSFCS Smart Link: Disabled

I push the button on the hand-grip first and the clip falls out.  I catch it before it hits the floor.  Okay, that was the wrong button.  I slide the clip back into the gun with a click.  Next, I slide the little lever on the top and I hear and feel it click once.

>Weapon 1 fire mode: Semi-Automatic

I notice that the lever might have more room to travel, so I push on it. Once again, I hear and feel it click.

>Weapon 1 fire mode: Automatic

I decide to put it back to Semi-Automatic.  Maybe I can play with the Automatic in a little bit.

>Weapon 1 fire mode: Semi-Automatic

With my right hand holding the gun and my left hand helping to support it like I’ve seen on TV, I point my gun at the target and carefully center the red dot on the target’s face.  I feel a little nervous.  I have no idea what is going to happen when I pull the trigger.  My arms are rock steady, so that is a relief.  “No guts, no glory” they say.  I pull the trigger.

CRACK!  

The gun kicks in my hand, but I manage to hold it steady as an empty bullet thing is ejected out of the side of my gun with a small puff of smoke.  Empty bullet thing?  What in the heck do they call that?

>Spent Cartridge
>Brass
>Spent Case

Oh, thanks.  

>Weapon 1 Ammunition Status: 14 Rounds

Oh, that was loud and not at all what I expected it to sound like.  I expected it to be more of a “bang” sound instead of a crisp “crack” sound.  Maybe real bullets sound different than the blanks they shoot on TV? I can even smell the burnt gun powder.  This is a pretty damn realistic simulation. I look at my target and there is now a hole exactly where the red dot was at.  

I know that it is childish, but I put the next red dot to where an eye might be.

CRACK!
>Weapon 1 Ammunition Status: 13 Rounds

Once again, there is now a hole exactly where I put the red dot.  

CRACK!
>Weapon 1 Ammunition Status: 12 Rounds

Another hole.  Now I have two eyes and a nose on my target.  This is more than just fun, this is kick ass fun!  I need to give my target a smiley face.  As I make that decision, a series of six black X’s appear on the target to form a mouth.  Oh, neat.  Now I have a series of aiming points for my smiley face.  

I take deep breath to center myself. I slowly exhale and I feel tension that I didn’t even know I had leave my body with my breath.  Nothing else exists for me except for those six X’s on the target.

CRA-A-A-A-CK!
>Weapon 1 Ammunition Status: 11 Rounds

The first shot surprises me. Not just the fact that I shot, but also the sound of the gun firing.  Unlike the previous shots, this time the sound of the gun firing is long and drawn out.  The first X disappears as a hole appears on the target in its place. I finally figure out why the sound is so different.  I have somehow entered into a super-slow motion mode. The first shell casing appears to be floating lazily in mid-air as it is ejected from the side of my gun.  I watch the solid red dot jerk up and slightly to the left an inch before I calmly drop it back down to center it on the second X. It’s like I have all the time in the world.

CRA-A-A-A-CK!
>Weapon 1 Ammunition Status: 10 Rounds

Another hole appears on the target as a second cartridge is ejected out of the firing chamber with a puff of smoke. Just like the first cartridge, the second follows the same slow motion arcing path on its journey to the floor.  

I finish the remaining four shots and as the final shot echoes and fades, the slow-motion effect ends for me as I hear the first cartridge hitting the floor with a “tiiiing” sound.  After that, the remaining cartridges rapidly fall to the floor with a metallic ting-ting-ting sound that echoes in the room as they bounce off the concrete floor and each other.  

I can’t help feeling immensely satisfied when I see the perfect happy face that I shot into my target. “Holy crap!  This is so cool!  It’s like I am Neo in the Matrix!”  I sound like a giddy school girl, but I’m so jazzed that I don’t care. Yeah, I know that it’s cheesy to shoot a happy face, but it was fun and this is only a simulation so who cares? As I bask in the afterglow of the best gun sim that I’ve ever played, I notice movement on the TV.  It’s my Mom.

“Brianna?”

My internal clock tells me that it’s 0532. That is a bit of a surprise. I shift myself back into the real world and blink my eyes a few times. “Yeah Mom?”

She looks at me with concern mixed in with a little confusion. “Are you okay?  You looked like a statue just sitting there on your bed like that.”

I smile at her. “Oh, sorry.  I was, umm, reading a book and playing a video game while I waited for everyone to get up.”

She looks even more confused now. “A book? A game? Where?”

“I’m sorry.  I was inside my virtual room.” I can see that my explanation isn’t really helping. “You know, like where I was while that re-org of my brain was going on the other day?”

Her confusion clears up and she even smiles a bit. “Oh yeah. I forgot about that. How long have you been up?”  

“Oh, since one am.”

Her eyes widen with concern and surprise. “Why have you been up for so long and why didn’t you just go back to sleep?”

“I dunno.” I say with a shrug of my shoulders. “I woke up after only two hours and I felt like I had just slept for a full eight hours. I tried, but I couldn’t get back to sleep.” I can’t tell if my mom’s reassured by my explanation or not.

“Do you want to take a shower now while I go and get breakfast started?” She asks.

“I already took one.  Do you want some help?”  I’m starting to feel a little bad for my mom.  I’m not normally this ahead of schedule at this un-godly hour in the morning.

Her expression drops back to confused, “What?  You already took one? I never heard you.”

I smile at her.  She just can’t get a break with all the surprises this morning. I try to go for a no-big-deal tone of voice. “Yeah.  Nikki cast a privacy ward in the bathroom so I could take a shower and dry my hair without waking everyone up.”

“Ookaay.” She says, casting a glance toward the peacefully sleeping Nikki. “But, I am surprised that we haven’t waked her up with all our talking or does she have one of those ward things around her too?”

I nod affirmatively and smile fondly at the peacefully sleeping Nikki. “Oh yeah, she did one around herself so I wouldn’t accidentally wake her up again.”

I think my “nothing to see here” tone of voice is helping her.  She sighs. “Do you want to wake up Nikki then?  See if she wants to take a shower.”  

“Sure! She’ll probably like that.” I say, grinning.  “Well, the shower part.”

She casts another quick glance toward Nikki. “Okay. I guess I could use some help getting things ready in the kitchen.  Why don’t you put on some clothes and come on down when you’re ready?”

That reminds me about the clothes issue. I am a little worried about what to wear, but I force myself to smile and be happy for my mom anyway.  On the other-hand, I am glad that I can do something to help and it will be much easier on my sanity if I’m not in the room while Nikki is getting ready. “Sure thing!” I say, enthusiastically.

My mom just shakes her head with bemusement and smiles at me as she closes my door.

I head over to wake up Nikki, but stop before I reach her.  I wonder if I can see her ward. I will my magical vision to activate again. Unlike my other vision modes, this one doesn’t have the nifty status notification, but I am still delighted when her privacy ward springs to life around her.

As I study Nikki’s ward, it goes from a solid glowing orb and becomes something that looks like a large and complex net woven around her.  I see line of magic that drops down from the top of the orb and connects to Nikki’s head.  Based on that, I guess is that if I cross into the ward, she will be alerted. I wonder what would happen if I tried to sneak through it like Whisper?

I reach for one of the lines that make up the net like pattern and I can feel a slight tingle of magical energy.  I press against that line with my hand, willing it to move like I would’ve done in order to get past a GEO ward as Whisper.  

It moves!

Oh crap. In my excitement, I lose my concentration, which causes my hand to pass through the line. Even messing up is pretty cool.  I watch a pulse of magic shoot from where my hand passed through her ward. Almost too fast to follow, the pulse traces its way through the weave of her ward and shoots down the strand that is attached to her head.

Her eyes slowly open and she smiles at me. Her ward flickers and disappears. “Is it time to get up?”

My heart flutters at the sight of her snuggled under the covers. She looks so huggable, but I resist the hug urge and smile at her instead. “Morning, Nikki. My mom just headed downstairs to get some breakfast started. Do you wanna take a shower now?”

Nikki stretches and yawns before she absently props herself up and slides out from under the covers. “Oh, yeah. Thanks Bree, that would be great!”

Her glamour must be hitting me, because I can’t stop myself from blushing when I notice that her flimsy gown has ridden up on her hips and I can see almost every inch of her body.  She’s so damn beautiful.  Maybe it’s not her glamour. I’m pretty sure that I would’ve felt the exact same thing just a few days ago.  Actually, I would have been completely tongue tied and tripping over myself like an idiot.  My girl bits begin to tingle; I force myself to turn away before I further embarrass myself. “There are towels in the bathroom.  I’ll get ready while you’re in the bathroom. Meet you downstairs?”

I hear Nikki as she slides out of her bed. “Sure! Sounds great. Just lemme grab some clothes.”

I can’t help myself.  I turn around and struggle not to stare at her as she carefully looks through her suitcase for some fresh clothes.  She is just so relaxed with herself. Her casual and relaxed attitude helps to calm the funny sensations inside of me and gives me hope that someday, I too will be that comfortable in my own body.  Thankfully, it only takes her a few seconds of looking before she grabs a few things and heads out of my room with a cheerful smile.  

After she leaves, I let out a huge breath of air. I didn’t even realize that I was holding in that much air, but with her gone, I feel myself relax. I double-check my door to make sure that it is closed and turn on the lights before I strip out of my pajamas.  It’s still mostly dark outside and I want to be able to see in color when I put my clothes on.  It would be embarrassing to walk downstairs wearing mismatched socks, shoes or even worse, a lightish red t-shirt because I thought it was some other color.  

I open my underwear door to get a fresh bra and the brilliant colors of the silk panties draw my eyes.  Okay, there is a downside to color vision. “Grrr!” I grab the first bra that I can find. With my hands full of bra, not that a bra should be that hard to hold, but I am kind of new at this, I decide to bump my drawer shut with my hips.  Instead of a gentle bump, I end up slamming the drawer shut and rocking my dresser a bit. I didn’t expect to put that much English into the bump, but I guess that comes with having bigger hips now. For my troubles, I end up with a black bra, but it doesn’t really matter. I will be wearing a shirt over it.

Wonder of all wonders, I manage to put the bra on without too much trouble.  I just do the clasp it in the front, spin and slip my arms through the straps.  It pinches me a little bit until I adjust my girls with my hands.  That feels...weird. This is easy, but there has got to be a better way to put on a bra.

I follow that up by slipping on a pair of jeans and a pair of the flimsy girl socks.  I don’t like that the socks only come up to mid-calf, but I guess I will just have to suffer until I can get to a store.

I open my closet and grab a plain,  ¾ long sleeved white shirt.  I pull it on over my head and check myself out in the mirror. The neck drops a lot more then my boy t-shirts. I can see the delicate shape of my collar bones.  I am ashamed to admit it, but except for the neckline, the shirt does fit me better than the old boy t-shirt I wore last night.

Unfortunately, I can see the black bra through the thin fabric.  Damn it.  Why does the shirt fabric have to be so thin?  Isn’t this a long sleeve shirt?  Aren’t long sleeve shirts supposed to be warm and thus made out of thicker fabric?  The fabric on this thing is thinner than my regular short sleeved t-shirts.  

From my ogling days, I know that my girls aren’t “that” big.  Maybe I can try going without a bra?  That idea is shot down as soon as I remember the sight of Amanda Fredricks when she tried to go bra-less last year.  I think that her, umm boobs were the same size as mine are now. I can call her boobs, boobs, because they aren’t my boobs. I mean “my girls”.  Oh man, I think my head is going to explode over this boob issue.  Back to the bra-less idea, Amanda’s accidental show-and-tell reminds me of the many secret glances and debates in the boy’s locker room that the sight of her “headlights” spawned every time the A/C kicked on.  She seemed pretty embarrassed by all the extra attention that day too.

“Okay, I’ll change my bra...” I say, defeated by the girl clothes.

I really am starting to hate opening my underwear drawer.  The bright colors of damn silk panties keep grabbing my attention, but I push that troubling thought aside and swap my black bra for the white one. Once again, I pinch my girls when I put the bra on and once again, I feel like a perv as I adjust them with my fingers.  They just feel so soft and well, nice.

Okay, I put my shirt on...again and check myself out in the mirror to make sure I’m not committing some huge fashion faux pas. Son of a... Now I can see the white one contrasting against my skin and the fabric.  What in the hell is up with that?  White and White, they match, right?  Well, it’s not as bad as the black bra, but it is still visible.  There is one more bra in the drawer.  It’s a light brown colored one.  Maybe it’s “tan” or “flesh tone”? I don’t know, but I am sure that women have some special name for this exact shade of brown. I wonder if that color will work better?  

Once again, silk panties, pretty colors, “stay on target,” ignore, remove the white bra, put on the light brown bra and finally, pull my shirt back on for the third time now.  I check the mirror and wonder of all wonders!  We have a match.  

I think that I won this round of dressing the girl, but I still feel more than a little frustrated by the experience, “Finally! It ONLY took 16 minutes!” I say, grumbling under my breath.

Thankfully, I can’t think of anything else that I need to do with my clothes. I exit my room and zip down the stairs. I can smell the coffee brewing as soon as I reach the bottom of the stairs. As I enter the kitchen, I spot my mom standing in front of the stove. “Hey Mom, whatcha cooking?”

She looks over her shoulder and smiles at me. “Oh, hi Brianna.  I’m just starting to cook the bacon.”

“Oh, okay.  Sounds good to me.  What else are we having?”

She turns back to the frying pan in front of her as I hear the bacon start to sizzle. “Scrambled eggs, toast and pancakes.”

I can’t help myself. I smile at the thought of all that good standard home-cooked breakfast, until the smell of the cooking bacon hits my nose. It isn’t the yummy good “it’s bacon!” smell that I recall from just a few days ago. I feel the smile disappear from my face as my mom turns back around.

“Is something wrong,         Brianna?”

I sigh and struggle to contain my disappointment. “No. It’s not important.  I just don’t think that I’ll have any bacon this morning.”

My mom looks at me with sympathy as she walks over and gives me a hug. “I’m sorry honey.  I know that it’s not easy for you, but things will get easier.  Just gotta give it a little time.”

“Thanks Mom. I know, but it still su...stinks.”

She kisses my forehead. “None of that,now.” She says as she takes a step back and looks at me affectionately. “Nice top Brianna.  Did you pick that out yourself or did Nikki help you?”

I am surprised at the sudden conversation shift. “I picked it out, but the bra gave me fits by showing through until I tried the light brown one.”

She gently corrects me. “Beige.”

Oh, so that’s the official girl color for this light brown and sorta tan color.  I file that color name away for future use. “Is there anything that I can help you with?” 

She studies me for another second before she turns back to her cooking. “Sure.  Could you set the table?”

I know that she is probably wondering why I am so eager to help her.  Usually, I’d still be dead to the world right now and the thought of helping my mom in the kitchen would be the last thing on my mind, but I find that the sight of my mom cooking in the kitchen feels so normal and comforting to me.  I just want to spend as much time as possible doing normal things and feeling normal when so much of my life isn’t normal.

I’m able to ignore the bacon smell, but it does seem to act as a summoning agent for Barry and Barb.  The two of them arrive at the kitchen just as I am putting the final couple of juice glasses on the table.  I can’t stop myself from giggling as the two of them pretend to be zombies and moan, “coffeeeee!” as they grab some mugs and start pouring the life giving elixir into their mugs.

I watch and struggle to contain my amusement as they chat with my mom.  She is a little disappointed to learn that the two of them will be flying back home this afternoon.  “Thank you so much for coming Barb, and you too Barry.  I know that we didn’t get to spend a lot of time together, but just knowing that you two were here made me feel so much better.”

Barb looks at my mom and smiles. “No problem Jen.  It was nice to get out of the big city and take a break. Plus, Barry needed to get out of his nerd cave anyway!”

Barry tries to look hurt. “Hey!  It’s not ‘The Nerd Cave’!  It’s the bat cave!  Get it right!”

My mom and Barb look at each other and smile while I find myself struggling to not giggle. My mom turns to me with a grin still on her face. “Well, breakfast is almost ready. Why don’t you all sit at the table and I will bring out the food?  Brianna?  Can you take the pitcher of OJ out of the fridge and put it on the table, please?” 

I turn around to grab the pitcher from the fridge. “Sure thing Mom.”

My mom is just bringing out some of the serving bowls and plates when Nikki joins us at the table.  She smiles at the sight of the plate of pancakes. “Morning, Mrs. Peters, Barb and Barry.  The pancakes look and smell dee-lish!”

I take that as my cue for what to start with.  I ignore the bacon, but I do add some of the scrambled eggs to my plate.  They need some ketchup to give them that little something, but they are edible. The pancakes with some butter and maple syrup, those I love and I can almost forgive the bacon for turning traitor on me.  I think that I should just ask Nikki what foods she loves, what foods she hates and start from there.  

Breakfast goes pretty fast.  My dad and a very sleepy Lindsay join us about half-way through. She manages to mumble, “Good morning…” to everyone and give me a shy smile as she sits down to eat. Lindsay is normally a little more chipper in the morning, but I guess that our early morning hair styling session in the bathroom interrupted her sleep. I want to ask her how she slept after I tucked her in, but my mom reminds everyone that we are on a schedule and that we need to get upstairs to pack for the trip.

I help my mom pack my suitcase while Nikki just re-organizes her monster.  Actually, my mom packs my suitcase.  I help her by not helping, but since I have so few clothes, my suitcase doesn’t take that long.  We are all packed and ready to walk out the door fifteen minutes early.  I am reminded to not forget my purse. Crap.  Dare I open Pandora’s box?  Umm, nope.  It’s too perilous and I might find a feminine hygiene product in there.  
 

The good-byes are a little harder than I expected.  My dad gives me a hug and a kiss on my forehead. “You be good, Sport, and listen to your mom.” He says, affection causing his voice to choke up a little at the end.

That causes my eyes to get a little moist, but I manage to control the tears this time. “I will, Dad.” I say, giving him a hug that causes him to fight for breath.

“Whoa, careful there!  You’re a bit stronger than you look.”  My dad smiles down at me as I hastily let him go.

Lindsay surprises me by rushing in and giving me a hug. “You better not get into any more trouble, Sis!”  She says into my ear before she leans back with a mischievous grin.  “I expect you back here in a few days so that we can go shopping!”

I find that idea a little scary. “Umm, so if I get into trouble, I won’t have to go shopping?”  I ask, tilting my head to the side while pretending to be confused by the idea.

Lindsay just laughs and gives me another hug. “Love ya Bree!  You be safe now! Don’t make me come after you!”

“Love you too Liddy.  I’ll try…”  I say, returning her hug.

“There is no try, only do.” Lindsay says, completely out of character. 

I never expected her to say something corny like that to me.  “Hey!  That’s my line!”  We both end up laughing as we break apart.  My spirits are pretty high as we get into the car for the long ride back to the labs. I can’t stop myself from feeling a little sad as I look back and wave goodbye to Lindsay and my dad standing in the driveway.  My mom just looks back and smiles fondly at me before returning her eyes to the road as we pull out of our neighborhood for what feels like the last time for me.

The ride back to the labs goes pretty smoothly this time and, for the record, having a TV in your head is pretty darn cool.  With the purse in the “con” column, I think I can safely add TV in my head to my “pro” column on the girlhood chart.  I just got to be careful about that chart now.  I can’t have more pros than cons; that would be against the rules.  The TV lets me sneak in some Saturday morning cartoon watching along the way. I create a “picture-in-picture” display with my vision and that allows me also join in the conversation a bit more, enough to satisfy my mom anyway.  I discover that I can pause live TV and even record it for later.  My own personal DVR.  

Damnit!  One more for the “pro” column.  Maybe I should make a new chart for mutant-hood to keep all the cool stuff off the girlhood chart?

After we arrive, I gladly hand Dr. Edmundson the plastic bag that contains all my urine samples.  I sure hope that he doesn’t find anything in them.  Going to the bathroom is bad enough as it is without having to pee into a cup every time too. Yeah, sitting down to pee and urine samples add two more in the “con” column. I would add the period thing to the chart, but I think that I will save that in case I need a tie breaker on the chart.  I also think that the period thing should count as more than one “con”, but I will work that out when I get there.

Dr. Edmundson performs another quick physical examination and pronounces me perfectly healthy.  My medical system agrees with his assessment.  I get bored during all the examinations and ask it for a report.  The report lists almost every organ in my body with a green lettered status of “OK”. I think that I could just touch a printer and print it off for Dr. Edmundson, but with Nikki’s warning about the computer stuff, I decide that showing off could cause me even more trouble.  

 
In spite of all the other issues I have to deal with right now, I am glad that both Dr. Edmundson and my snazzy new on-board medical system agree that I am healthy. Damn it! Another girlhood pro item. Oh well, the con column is still pretty long.  No danger of me liking this girl stuff anytime soon.

The session with Sir Wallace and Nikki is very interesting.  He complains that we don’t really have enough time to more than a basic assessment. Based upon that assessment, he feels that he will be able to recommend some exercises that will help me learn how to control my new magic power.  I can’t tell if he is surprised when Nikki, I mean Fey, tells him about me almost casting a spell last night.  “Hmmm, interesting…” is all he says about it.

Sir Wallace leads me into an empty room and once again, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. There must be some pretty strong magic inside this room. I activate my magic vision and the wards in room almost blind me with how strong they are. Using GEO as a guide, I see what appears to be a protection ward and a privacy ward woven around the room.  I ask him about the wards and his only response is a raised eyebrow as he explains that the protection ward is there to prevent damage to the room in case I lose control.  

I don’t think that it’s super funny that he’s more worried about the room than me, but he does ask me to stand in the middle of some chalk circle he has drawn on the floor in the middle of the room. Sir Wallace explains that once he activates the circle, he can use it to help keep an eye on me and dampen any magic that might harm me if it gets out of control.  

Oh. Well, that’s better.

He goes on to explain that the circle will also keep me inside until he deactivates it and that I should never allow anyone that I don’t completely trust to put me inside of a circle.  

Okaaay, not better!  I am a little uncomfortable with that idea.

Once I am in the center of the circle, I anxiously watch as the ward springs to life around me.  It is actually very cool to watch, but I am reminded that I need to concentrate on what Sir Wallace is saying. He starts by asking me to try and remember what I did last night to start the possible invisibility spell.  

I’m not 100% sure.  I was a bit panicked at the time, but at his suggestion, I force myself to relax and find my center.  Now that I am concentrating and paying attention to what is happening, I can feel the magic that the spell needs.  It is all around and there is even a pool of it inside of me. The protective ward that I am standing in makes the magic in the room harder to sense and use. I feel like I could use that magic, but when I try to visualize myself grabbing it, I feel it sliding away from me instead.  I guess that the ward is blocking my access.

Instead, I look for what I feel inside of me and try to use that. It takes a lot of concentration, but I do manage to pull everything together and complete the pattern this time.  It’s exhausting.

I am rewarded when I hear Sir Wallace. “Oh, my.  I may have to revise my Wizard power level estimate for her already.” He says, sounding a little pleased by his observation.

 
It takes a lot of my concentration to maintain the pattern, but it feels like it might be like a muscle.  The more I practice and exercise, the easier it might get for me to do.  I open my eyes and look at Sir Wallace and Nikki.  “How do I look?”

Nikki glances to Sir Wallace before she looks back to me. “Invisible?” She asks with a shrug.

“Cool!” I say as Nikki struggles to contain a giggle. I manage to keep it active for four minutes before I finally lose my concentration and the spell drops.  I might have been able to go for a few more minutes, but the sight or should I say the non-sight of my arm when I held it up to look at was a bit distracting.

Holy cow!  I was invisible! Okay, now that is cool.  Damn it, another item for the “pro” girlhood column.  

Sir Wallace studies me once again. “What did you use to cast that spell?”

“Well, I tried to use the magic I can see in the room, but this…” I point to the ward surrounding me. “…made it hard to grab a hold of that magic, so I used what I have inside of me.”

He frowns as he considers my statement. “So, you are saying that you have a pool of essence that you can tap into?”

“I guess so?” I say, tentatively since I never considered that “essence” existed outside of GEO.

“I see.” He pauses for a second. “How did you know how to cast an invisibility spell?”

“Umm, I’m not sure, exactly.”

He cocks his head to one side with a questioning look. “Exactly?”

“Yes sir.  It might sound kind of strange, but I used the icon for Whisper’s invisibility spell.”

His expression turns more serious. “GEO?”

“Yes sir. Is that bad?” I ask, feeling like I might be doing something wrong.

“Not really, lass, and I am sorry if I gave you a fright just then, but more and more it seems as if this GEO game needs a bit of investigating.”  Sir Wallace smiles at me before he continues. “Regardless of what you use to help focus your energies, magic is partially based upon the intent of the caster.  It could be that using the GEO icon is helping to focus your intent.”

I feel a little bit better about that now that I know that Sir Wallace isn’t upset with me for using the GEO icon for the spell.  It does make me wonder why it works so well, but maybe it really is like he is telling me.

Intent.

I intended to turn invisible and the GEO icon for the invisibility spell just helped me cast the spell? I wonder if I can cast some of Whisper’s other spells. “Should I try another spell?”

Sir Wallace looks to Nikki and nods. “Feel free.  What spell do you intend to cast this time?”

“Well, I was thinking that I might try to cast Whisper’s blur spell since it was lower level than the invisibility spell and that should make it easier to cast.”

He nods in agreement at me. “That may be true, lass, but did Whisper have any offensive spells?”

“No sir, she only did illusions and I never got her high enough level to learn the Phantom Killer spell.”

“Phantom Killer?” He asks, looking concerned.

“Yes, sir. From what I learned when I looked up the GEO illusionist spells on the Internet, the Phantom Killer spell would create an illusionary creature that would attack the spell’s target.”

He looks even more concerned now. “Ahh, yes.  That would be bad.  Did you perchance see the icon for that spell during your research?”

“Yes, but like I said, it was too high level for Whisper to cast.”

Sir Wallace bends over and whispers something into Nikki’s ear.  She looks back at me before turning to him, “I think that it would be best to defer that line of research until we can get her to Whateley where it will be safer for us to experiment.”  I think that Aunt Aung surfaced there for a second.

He nods his head in agreement as he studies me. “Why don’t you try that blur spell you mentioned earlier?”

I’m not sure what it was that he was thinking about, but I guess that it can wait. “Okay, here goes nothing!”

I pull up the GEO pattern for the Blur spell and tap into the power at my core.  It only takes a tiny amount of magical energy to complete the pattern.  Compared to the invisibility spell, the blur spell is hardly any effort at all to cast.  It still requires me to concentrate on maintaining the pattern, but it is easier to do this time.  I wonder how long I would be able to keep this spell going for.

This spell casting power is pretty cool and I can see a lot of potential with it.  I can think of a ton of uses for invisibility and that is only one of Whisper’s spells.  Hmm, the disguise-self spell could be VERY handy.  Maybe things are starting to look up and this could be one power that I don’t have to hide from everyone.  I know that I shouldn’t go bragging to everyone, but it’s not a power that will cause the CIA to flip out like they might for the computer thing.

After five minutes of me just standing there all blurry, Sir Wallace clears his throat to get my attention. “That spell looks like it could be helpful in combat.  How long do you think that you could keep it up?”

“Umm, I’m not sure.” I say, frowning with concentration. “It doesn’t seem that hard to keep it going.  In GEO, the spell duration was an hour, unless I canceled it.”

“Very interesting.  I like the effect.”  Sir Wallace confers with Nikki again. “So, what do you think?” He asks her.

Nikki smiles at me. “I think that Bree here will keep the Magical Studies teachers at Whateley on their toes and I can’t wait for her to get there.”

He smirks at that idea. “Yes, I do believe you are correct, but I wonder if you would mind much if I offered to mentor her, too?”

Nikki looks back to Sir Wallace with shock. “Really?!  You would be willing to take on another student?”

He tips his head to her and smiles. “Why, yes.  I agree with your assessment and I too cannot wait for her to join us at Whateley.”  His expression turns serious. “However, I am curious what you think that her Wizard rating might be.”

Nikki looks back to me and it looks like she is weighing things in her head. “Well, I think that it is safe to say that she is at least a three right now, but with practice and training, she could end up higher.  Maybe even a five?”

He smiles at her with pride. “Very good, Nikki.  I agree with your assessment, but I think that she might be closer to a four right now.  She is showing uncanny control for someone who has never cast a spell before.” He pauses for a second and glances at his watch before turning back to look at me. “None the less, I think that we should stop now and defer further research until we can test my hypothesis in a safer environment.”

I am still inside the protective circle and it sounds like he is going to end the testing. I am very curious about this circle and I want to try something before he cancels it. “Is it safe to touch the magical barrier?”

He blinks with surprise. “Yes, quite safe, lass.”

I touch it and it feels like I am touching a cool pane of glass.  I try to push against the barrier and I can see magical energy arcing off where my hand is pressing, but it doesn’t move.  I reach for my center again and concentrate on pushing against the barrier.  Sir Wallace’s eyes grow wide with surprise, but my hand still does not move. However, the magical energy flares considerably where my hand is pressing and I can see the start of a pattern in the energy flares.

I didn’t think that would work, but I want to test my idea.  I crouch down and study the lines on the floor that the magical barrier is using to power it.  I remember what I was able to do with Nikki’s ward earlier this morning.  I think that if I can keep my focus, I might be able to lift the ward like Whisper does in GEO.  I know that GEO is just a game and this is real, but so far, GEO mechanics has worked.

I decide to cancel the blur spell. I want to have 100% of my concentration available for what I thinking about trying.

Okay, focus...  

Inhale, Exhale.  

I clear my mind of all distractions and reach for the source of the barrier.  My vision changes again.  I lose sight of the floor and everything else in the room.  I can only see the magic of the circle.  It appears like a complex ever shifting pattern that looks like it could be alive as it weaves its way around me.  I look up and I can see the pattern forming an elongated sphere above me. Looking down, the pattern extends below me as well. Without the floor, it looks like I am floating in the middle of a magical soap bubble.

I can see a distinct line that runs completely around the equator of the sphere that contains me.  I drop to my knees and bring my face closer to the equator as I focus on that line. I can see three distinct threads that are tightly woven together.  The tightly woven threads are what are generating the protective pattern of the sphere.  I take another deep breath and focus all of my attention on the magical threads.  The threads zoom in and I can see how they are wrapped tightly together to form what looks like an unbreakable steel cable around me.  

I reach for that cable with my right hand.  My finger tips touch the cable and initially, it feels completely smooth to my touch. I slide my hand from left to right and I feel a bump or scratch on the surface.  I look to where my fingers are touching and I don’t see anything that could the imperfection that I felt.  I move my fingers back and forth over that spot and yes, I can feel it.  

There! An imperfection.

I exhale and look for what my fingers are reporting, and I spot it.  There is a small twist in the weave.  I dig at the twist with my index finger and I feel it slide into a space between the weave. My finger is expanding the imperfection!  I reach over with my other hand and push a finger into the gap. Once I feel like my fingertip has a good enough grip, I pull up with that finger while I pull down with the other.  The gap is growing and I can see a small opening to the outside forming.  At first, the opening is only the size of a dime, but as I pull harder, the gap slowly grows until it is the size and shape of a football.  It is very hard to pull the threads apart.  The dime sized hole was pretty easy, but by the time I have the opening to the football size, I am really feeling the strain.  The weave is fighting me and it wants to repair itself.  I give it one more heave and manage to pull it open to about the size of a basketball before I feel my arms beginning to shake from the strain.  I slowly relax my arms and allow the weave to pull itself back together until it is back to a dime sized opening. I withdraw my fingers and the visible break disappears.

I rock backwards before I collapse onto my back. I’m soaked with sweat and I feel like I just finished a match against Sensei Rogers, but I’m also very satisfied with myself.  I know that I didn’t defeat the circle this time, but I think that with a little practice, I might be able to.  The magic powering the circle winks out as Sir Wallace deactivates his ward. I’m still panting from the exertion, but I can’t contain my smile as I sit up and look at Sir Wallace and Nikki.  

Both of their faces are difficult to read.  I kind of expected them to congratulate me or at least say something like, “Good job!”, but nope.  I look back and forth between the two of them with increasing nervousness as they continue to just silently stare at me.

Sir Wallace is the first to break the silence. “Well, that was certainly unexpected. Fey, what does Aunghadhail think about this demonstration?”

“She believes that Brianna should return to Whateley with the two of us.” Nikki says after a moment’s hesitation.

Now, I’m worried. “Umm, did I do something wrong, again?” I ask, looking at Nikki.

Once again, I feel the surge of magical energy from Nikki that  tells me that Aunghadhail has risen to the surface. “No child, but what you just did could cause many practitioners of magic to be very concerned.  Some of those might be more than just “concerned” since they rely on the belief that their circles cannot be breached without a great deal of power.” She stops in thought, absently rubbing the knuckle of her index finger on her lips before she continues, “Which begs the question, just how did you do what you just showed us?”

“Umm, I’m not sure?” I search her eyes for some hint of the answer she is looking for.

“Go ahead child, you can tell us.  You’re not in trouble.” Aunghadhail says with a patient smile.

I feel relieved as I exhale a lung full of air. “Well, I saw the magic that made the circle and when I touched the lines, I could feel a small bump.”  I look back and forth between the two of them as I sit up and wipe the sweat off my forehead with my sleeve. “So, I just expanded the bump with my fingers and that opened up the threads that made up the magic in the lines.”

Sir Wallace frowns, “Hmm, what do you think, Aunghadhail, The Rule of the Essential Flaw?”

She nods at Sir Wallace with agreement before turning back to me. “You have just shown us that it might actually take very little raw power to breach a circle of protection.  If I hadn’t been watching, I doubt that I would have even noticed you breaching the circle.”

I am about to say something when she holds up her hand to stop me. “But once again, this talent of yours is something I would caution you about showing to others.  It could alarm the people who depend upon wards and circles functioning as they currently expect them too.”

Oh great! All the cool things I can do just get me into more trouble. “Okay, so this is one more thing that I can’t let anyone know about, right?” I ask, feeling a little bummed.

Sir Wallace looks to Aunghadhail. “What else is there about this lass that has you concerned about her well-being?” He asks with a raised eyebrow.

She pauses as she glances to look at the room’s camera. “I don’t believe that we anticipated this...” She says as she points to the camera. “…when we constructed our privacy wards.  Brianna, would be so kind as to check the room’s camera to see if it is recording our session?”

“Sure.” I say before I walk over to one of the chairs, drag it over to the wall below the room’s camera and using the chair as a step stool, I stand on it and touch the camera.  During this time, Sir Wallace patiently waits for the purpose of Aunghadhail’s unusual request to be revealed to him.  Once again, I feel a tingle inside my head as I feel the circuits inside the camera.  The chips that control the camera don’t have any power in them, but something feels wrong. It’s not just turned off.  I trace the circuits and once I spot the problem, I sigh with relief.  

“It’s broken Aunt Aung.” I say, without thinking.

“Broken?” I hear her ask after a moment’s pause.

“Yes, there is a capacitor burnt out in the camera’s power module.” I say, still a little absently as I keep my focus on the camera’s internals.

“Aunt Aung?” I hear Sir Wallace whisper to Aunghadhail with an amused tone. I snap my attention back to Aunghadhail and Sir Wallace.  Rut roh!  I hope that I’m not in trouble with her now.  

I must look rather pathetic as I am standing on the chair and looking like the kid who just got caught stealing cookies out of the cookie jar, because “Aunt Aung” just laughs with genuine amusement.  “Please Brianna, come on down from that chair while I explain our relationship to the ever curious Sir Wallace of Westmont.”

Relieved that she is laughing about it, I cautiously step down. “Oookay...” I say, gingerly.  I don’t want to take any chances.

She smiles at me before she turns back to Sir Wallace. “Since she is Sidhe and has performed a service on our behalf, we felt it would be easier if we just adopted her into our court.  Plus, Nikki likes her and thinks of her as a relative anyway.”

Sir Wallace ponders the revelation, “I see.  I suppose that makes a bit of sense considering things.” He snaps his fingers. “I shan’t make an issue of it and I think it bodes well for my young and soon to be student.”  He turns to me and gives me a slight bow. “Welcome to the Sidhe court my dear.”

I’m not sure how I should take that. “Umm, thanks? I think.”
 

Sir Wallace looks back to Nikki.  “So, I assume the demonstration with the camera has something to do with you earlier statement of concern.”

“Yes. To put it mildly, it appears that one of Brianna’s powers allows her some measure of control over computers and electronics.” Aunt Aung says.

Sir Wallace ponders that revelation and my demonstration for a moment. “I see.  Yes, that could cause some additional problems and I can see why you might be concerned for her.”  He turns back to me with a gentle smile. “Well, I do believe that we have accomplished more than we intended.  Perhaps it is time for us to retire to the cafeteria for some lunch before we leave for the airport?”

The mention of lunch causes my stomach to growl. “Yes, I do believe you are correct young Watson.” I say with my best fake British accent and snob expression.  Sir Wallace’s surprised look causes both me and Nikki to break out into giggles.

He huffs in what I assume is mock annoyance before patiently dispelling the wards in the room.  As we enter the cafeteria, I spot my mom sitting at a table with Mr. Reilly and Dr. Edmundson. I wave to her as we approach their table and I find myself smiling with a mixture of pride at what I accomplished with my magic and delight at seeing my mom smile at me smiling at her.  It’s a total feedback loop we have going on here.  If it keeps up, we both might explode from deadly smile overload, or something.

“How did your magic session with Sir Wallace and Fey go Brianna?” My mom asks, while Mr. Reilly and Dr. Edmundson turn to look at us.

“Oh, it went pretty well.  I even managed to cast a spell.”  I’m feeling pretty proud of that and I wonder if it would be okay to show off my blur spell. I turn to Sir Wallace and practice my pleading puppy dog eyes that Lindsay tries to use all the time on my parents. “Would it be okay to show my mom my blur spell real fast, pleeaase?”  

I don’t think he falls for it or I need to work on the “look” a bit more, because he just glances around the cafeteria with an expression that tells me that he thinks that it would be a bad idea with all of the people in here as witnesses.  I sigh with defeat. “Fine, you’re right.  It can wait.”  I turn back to my mom. “I should get some food before we need to leave.”

She looks at me sympathetically. “That’s okay honey.  You can tell me about it and maybe you can show me later, if Sir Wallace thinks it’s safe.” She says with a glance to Sir Wallace.

I look back to Sir Wallace and he surprises me with a grin and a tip of his head. “Patience young Grasshopper, when you can take the pebble from my hand, than it will be time.” He says with a horrible oriental accent.

All I can do is stand there looking and feeling confused. “Grasshopper?  Pebble?”

I look to my mom for some support, but all she can do is stare at me with bemusement while Mr. Reilly and even Dr. Edmundson can’t stop looking amused.  Nikki looks just as lost as I do and that only encourages the “responsible” adults to start laughing.

I really don’t understand what is so funny about this “Grasshopper” thing. I cross my arms over my chest, ignore the weird sensation of my arms pressing against my breasts and adopt the most disdainful look I can manage. “Hmmmpphh! Bloody peasants!” I say with my fake British accent as I spin and march over to the lunch line.  I guess I will just have to JFG it as soon as I can, but I can’t stop myself from smiling at the sound of laughter behind me.