Tink headed off for lunch after martial arts, not bothering with a shower since she hadn't done enough to work up a sweat. At Crystal Hall she met up with Page, Serena and a few other Whitman girls. They were all talking about their classes, which ranged from the common history, English and science; to the weird, magic, esper and quantum physics; to the holy cow they teach that at school! Which included firearms training and how to shoot a fire accurately at one hundred feet.

“You're not saying much for once Teri, what's up?” Page asked.

“I have homework for Martial Arts, and I'm trying to think,” she admitted.

“What you have to beat up five kids before tomorrow?” Serena joked.

“Ito, said I can't learn what he's teaching, I have to make my own style, since I'm too small. I've thought of a few things, but tying people up, dragging them into the air and dropping them, dive bombing them with things and people, and slashing them to ribbons with my claws won't help me much against bricks and people with forcefields,” she kicked a chicken nugget across her tray.

“You could use a weapon,” a normal looking girl except for her purple skin and constantly shifting hair said.

She frowned, “Thought of that Adira, but I'm too small to get one that would do any real damage. Being small sucks.”

“What about powders or something. Fly in throw a sack of something like pepper spray and they're blind. You don't need a lot of it.” Serena suggested.

“Thanks you guys, but what seems like a little bit to you is a lot to me,” Teri sighed. “I may not feel it weighing me down, but it's not exactly easy to carry things that are the same size as me.”

“So talk to a devisor and get a bag of holding,” Tracy, a perfectly ordinary girl Teri only really knew by name, said.

“A what?”

“My brother told me that a lot of devisors can make a pocket that's bigger on the inside than on the inside, and you don't feel the weight. A purse could hold ten or fifteen books, a belt pouch can carry a bazooka. If you have the money that would be great for you,” she said.

Teri's tray slid across the table as she jumped at Tracy, who gave a little shriek, landed on her shoulder and started kissing her cheek. “THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! YOU'RE MY NEW BEST FRIEND!”

“You're welcome! Now let go!” Tracy shouted trying to push Teri away.

She let go, blushing. “Sorry, I got excited.”

“Ya think!” Tracy said, wiping her cheek with a napkin.

“So... Tracy, my good, wonderful, amazing, fantastic, excellent friend, do you know any devisors?”

**

Teri flew to Costume Shop, twirling and spinning through the air with a silly grin on her face. After much begging and puppy dog eyes, and a promise to never kiss her again, Tracy had agreed to talk to her brother about who Teri should talk to about getting a bag of holding. And Teri was already thinking about what she wanted.

Entering class, she again took a seat at the front of the class, and noticed that over half of the students there were suffering from GSD. Page came in a few minutes later and down beside Teri. “Hey, have you heard anything about this class?”

“Nope. I forgot to ask a sophomore I met this morning,” Teri said. “So are you going to be designing your superhero costume here?”

“Hah, watch out supervillains or I'll write down your most embarrassing thoughts on my face!” Page said in a loud voice. “It doesn't have quite the right ring to it. What do you want to learn? You already have your wild fairy costume.”

Teri straightened her mouse skin dress. “I'm hoping she'll tell me how to move up to cat skin dresses. And make them bullet proof, with a hundred hidden pockets to hold everything I need in them, and a cape so I can glide down out of the sky striking fear in the hearts of onlookers.”

“You don't need a cape to do that. Believe me, just five minutes talking to you ought to strike fear in most people.”

“HAHAHAHA! I love it!” Teri cackled rubbing her hands together.

Page looked around the room. “See just a minute or two of talking and you already have half the class thinking your nuts.”

An old woman who looked like she should be sleeping in a coffin to save everyone time, came walking in, wearing what seemed to be an old table cloth that had been mutilated to form what could kindly be called a dress by a near sighted bat.

“Good afternoon class, I am Mrs. Ryan,” she said in a cracked and wheezy voice.

Teri wrote down the what was expected in class, afraid that if she didn't the zombie teaching them would eat her brains. Even if her brain was tiny, she was very attached to it and would be quite upset if it disappeared down a maw.

Finally the aging vampire asked the class a question. “Who can tell me why you should wear a costume?”

Teri flew up raising her hand.

“Yes, the butterfly girl.”

“To make a statement,” Teri said as loudly as she could. Then she realized what she'd been called. “HEY! I'm no butterfly! I'm a fairy!”

“I'll be sure to remember that,” Mrs. Ryan said. “Thank you for your answer, that is one reason.”

Other students shouted out more obvious answers, from staying hidden, to freedom of movement, to protection and more. Then she asked for a volunteer who felt they stood out, and wanted to fit in a bit more.

Teri once more flew into the air with her hand raised, actually getting to within a foot of the evil ghost made flesh. In fact up close, she realized that the teacher looked almost exactly like Ms. Bitters from Invader Zim. “Oh! Oh! PICK ME PLEASE!”

“Very well, you will do nicely,” Mrs. Ryan said. “What is your name please?”

“Teri Mouser!”

“Teri, why aren't you wearing a standard school uniform?” she asked.

“This is my costume and a costume of my fairy heritage,” she said.

The teacher eyed her carefully. “As far as I know, and I have studied extensively, there is not and in the course of human history, never has been a fairy culture.”

“We're rather new, but going strong,” Teri said proudly. She noticed that half the class was trying not to laugh, a quarter of the class was laughing, and the rest were staring in amazement.

“...Right. How do you think wearing a skinned mouse makes you fit in?”

Teri cleared her throat preparing to speak loudly enough so that everyone could hear her. “I don't look human and never will. If I try to look normal people will assume I'm a mutant. If I look like this, they'll think I'm a cute fairy or something. Children love the look, and if worst comes to worst, people will call the police, not the MCO.”

“So you're making a statement that you're so different, you could come from a fairy tale and people don't have to worry about you?” she asked.

“Yes!”

Mrs. Ryan turned to the class. “What are some clothes she could wear to try to fit into society safely?”

“She could dress like a policeman,” someone said.

“I have a costume for that,” Teri said.

A girl shouted, “What about looking like a nurse?”

“Got that to.”

“A scientist oufit!”

“I have three.”

A business suit!”

“I have six of those,”

“Teri,” Mrs. Ryan said, “you actually have all of those outfits?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding her head happily.

“Why?”

“I model clothes for dolls, and I get the clothes when we're done. Would you like to see them?” she asked.

“Yes actually, if you could bring some in tomorrow we can discuss how different looks get different reactions.” Turning to the class, “Now, why are those costumes that were mentioned useful for fitting in?”

**

“I can't believe you got away with that,” Page said after class.

“Got away with what?” Teri asked.

“Saying that your dress is part of your culture,” her friend said as if it was obvious.

“Well it is. As long as I'm the only fairy in the world, I make up the culture. I can't help it if I'm all alone in this cruel world.” She glanced at her schedule, “I have Calculus now, what about you?”

“Physics, joy.”

“Have fun. I'll see you at supper,” Teri said flying off.

The rest of the day passed normally, if in a rather boring way. Even detention at Hawthorne was merely helping clean things up. By the time it was lights out, Teri was actually wishing something interesting would happen.

**

Teri flew to the table with a cereal box ripped open at the top and the plastic bag holding the cereal full of milk, there were some glares from people who had wanted the cereal, but she ignored all of them.

“What on earth is that?” Thad asked, while Serena, Page and Sap looked at her in amazement.

“A short time offer of Sugar Coated Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs, with extra frosting. The breakfast of champions!” she shouted. Stripping out of her mouse dress, revealing a bathing suit, Teri grabbed a spoon flew to the top of the box and proceeded to eat enough sugar in five minutes to cause a sugar overdose in an entire kindergarten class.

“SOWHO'SUPFORDOINGSOMELAPSBEFORECLASS?ORCLIMBINGCRYSTALHALLANDMOONINGTHETHIRDFLOORELITE?” she asked.

Everyone edged away from the twitching fairy girl, wondering who would be the first target of a super powered hug, kiss or some other bout of insanity, and wondering if an attempt at a fast getaway would make them the focus of Teri's attention.

“Teri, how about you start run- er, flying and we'll catch up to you after breakfast,” Serena suggested, speaking slowly and calmly.

“OKTHATSOUNDSLIKEAREALLYGOODIDEA!!!BYEBYE!!!” and she took off, pulling an impressive 0 to 40 in three seconds. The doors being made of an extremely hard crystal, survived the impact although the metal frames did flex dangerously before returning to their original shape and the hinges smoked for a few seconds afterwards.

“So who's going to give Teri her dress back when she calms down?” Thad asked.

**

Teri flew around the campus like an out of control ping pong ball, following whatever caught her attention. This led to several strange experiences for students and teachers making their way to classes and breakfast.

**

Earth Mother and Eliza Grimes were on there way to Kirby Hall discussing some of the more intriguing new freshmen, when Earth Mother stumbled forward a shocked expression on her face.

“BEHOLD MY NEW JUNGLE KINGDOM!” a squeaky voice shouted from the general area of Earth Mothers' vine covered lower back. “I CLAIM THIS LAND IN THE NAME OF THE FAIRIES!”

Before either woman could get over their shock, the voice shouted again. “OH DOGGIE!!”

There was an eruption of leaves and flowers and a streak of colour could barely be seen flying towards a werewolf looking boy.

“What was that?” Grimes and Earth Mother asked in stereo.

**

Generator was just telling everyone in Team Kimba about how interesting Japanese class was as they went to get breakfast, when something grabbed her shirt spinning her around. It had been moving so fast she hadn't seen it moving until the last second, and before she had stopped spinning her Kitty Compact was flying with the blades out, while the rest of the team ready for action.

“HI GENERATOR!” Teri yelled, not realizing how closely she had come to pain. “DO YOU HAVE YOUR FAIRIES FOR JAPANESE CLASS?! I CAN'T WAIT TO TALK TO- RYOKO!!!!!!” the fairy girl screamed in delight upon seeing Tennyo.

Tennyo fell backwards as she was hugged by a fairy no bigger than her hand, who didn't seem to know how to shut up, as it gushed about how cool her Tenchi Muyo was.

“Jade! What is this thing?!” she finally managed to get out.

Before Jade could say anything, Teri was off and flying, screaming something about pretty flowers.

“Um,” Jade said at once for a loss of words.

**

The Outcasts stopped to watch as a group of freshmen screamed and scattered from something. Jericho discretely tried to zoom in with the spy camera he'd created and attached to his clothes where it wasn't really noticeable.

He saw a bird or something stop in midair, take one look at Razorback and begin to fly towards them like a miniature guided missile. His hand instinctively went to the sonic weapon in case the thing attacked Razor and set him off. There wasn't enough time to do more than that when the fairy stopped just over ten feet away, looked at Jericho's trendy and colourful outfit, screamed in terror and flew straight up still screaming.

'What the hell?' Razorback signed.

“I don't know,” Jericho said.

Eldritch was shaking her head and muttering something about crazy fairies.

***

Chief Delarose sat in his office going over security reports from that night as he drank his herbal tea. There was a knock on his door, and Sam came in. “Chief, we have a lot of strange reports of a talking bird assaulting students and faculty, then fleeing at high speed. No reports of injuries yet.”

“A bird?”

“Well the reports vary, but they all say it is small, has wings, talks and flies at high speeds,” Sam said.

“I think I have an idea of who it is. Just give me a minute,” Delarose said. Picking up his desk phone he hit a button for the PA system. “Tink please come to the security office. I repeat, TINK, please come to the security office immediately.”

“Where was the last reported sighting?” he asked Sam.

“By Dickinson, the student, I'm assuming, was playing with some squirrels feeding them a granola bar she had stolen from a girl.”

There was a shout from the hallway and Sam ducked just in time as a fairy girl wearing a bathing suit, came flying in and splatted against the wall behind Chief Delarose's desk. Delarose gave a long suffering sigh as he heard the girl fall to the ground.

“I'm ok. I'm ok,” Tink said. Jumping onto his desk, she stumbled over the security reports for a few seconds before falling on her back. “Hi Chief, you called me? I came as fast as I could,” she said still lying on her back.

“Ms. Mouser, what are you doing?” he asked.

“Talking to the most interesting people,” she replied.

“Why are you wearing a bathing suit?”

She raised her head high enough to look at her body. “...I don't know.”

Speaking slowly and distinctly, Delarose asked. “Do you remember what you were doing before you started flying around?”

“... Not really. There was milk... and chocolate... and I think sugar... and then things get blurry.”

He rubbed his forehead fighting off a headache. “Since you already have three weeks worth of detention, I don't want to add anymore to it. You're getting your powers tested today, so that we can, hopefully, avoid this happening again in the future. Sam can you please escort Tink to the testing lab.”

The two left, Sam carrying Tink to make sure she didn't fly away if she saw something colourful. As he tried to get back to work on the security reports, his phone rang. Sighing again he picked it up.

“Chief why am I getting calls from several faculty members about being attacked on their way to class?” Carson asked.

He rubbed his forehead again, today was going to be one of those days.