My Super-powered Diary Chapter 17 Moving Day By Amethyst When Maddock Ainsley gets involved in a rescue operation with his unit things go horribly wrong and his life is forever changed. Can the newly minted Merida cope with being a girl and a teenage super hero?

I was about to get out of the SUV when Mom held me back. “Merida… Fawn, I would appreciate it if ya didn’t tell the other girls about how well off we really are.”

Fawn quickly nodded, but I couldn’t really be sure that she really understood how money worked anyway, much less just how much Mom had. She seemed content to just forget about the whole bank incident that she had witnessed from the confines of my purse though. “Okay Merida’s Mom.”

“Aye, no’ one word,” I quickly promised before adding, “ya wan’ tae raise us like Mom an’ Da’ right?”

Blair and I had grown up well off with our father being a successful surgeon, but our parents had wanted us to grow up knowing the value of money, and that family was worth far more than it. We had of course had a nice house, all of our basic needs had been met, we had taken yearly vacations, and we had had a somewhat generous allowance compared to other kids, but other than that our parents had been careful not to spoil us. If we really wanted something outside of those basics then we had to work to earn it, usually through some sort of extra chores that our parents had thought up. We never had a maid or anything and Blair and I had been assigned chores to earn our allowances as well. Sure Dad had paid for Blair’s education, and would have paid for mine as well had I wanted to go the university route, but that was only because we would be earning it by studying so hard.

I had already sensed Blair’s desire to do the same with me and my new sisters. For our first clothes shopping trip she had taken us to a regular mall rather than Rodeo Drive, the trust funds would be enough to pay for a good education rather than being too obscenely large, and when she had decided to have us attend Pacific Seaside Academy it was because she wanted us to have a good education and to learn to control our powers in a safe environment. I was pretty sure that the only reason she and Andy had taken the jobs at the school was because they would each be able to do what they loved. Andy would be working with cyber-security and network administration and Blair would be able to work on some amazing and innovative technology in her spare time, while being a doctor devoted to the medical needs of an entire school filled with mutants.

For Blair, it was basically her dream job. Firstly, she loved working with and developing tech, she was a Tinker after all and it was why she had gotten her doctorates in engineering, physics, and applied sciences. More than that though, as a child she had always wanted to be a doctor like our dad, helping people and saving lives. When she had Activated, that dream had evolved right along with her. As the child of a mutant, and a mutant herself, she wanted to understand what made us the way we were and to be able to help other mutants with more than just an “It gets better” speech. So she had decided to become a medical doctor specializing in mutation by getting doctorates in medicine, biotech, comparative Hyper biology, and medical science.

“So if’n yuir wantin’ tae raise us like tha’ why didnae ya jus’ let tha’ nasty woman create the trus’ fund?” I asked, though I figured I knew the answer already.

“Several reasons, and you’ve probably guessed most o’ them,” she replied with a shrug. “First, Mom an' Da’ wanted ya to have tha’ money an’ it was yuirs, tha’ doesn’t change because you’re Merida now instead o’ Maddock. Secondly, the will that the Army doctored up specified tha’ Maddock’s possessions an’ money were yuirs, to do with as ya wished. As executor it was ma legal responsibility to see tha’ done. More importantly though, she was lookin’ down on us from the moment we entered her office because o’ how we were dressed, an’ she outright insulted us. I couldn’t let tha’ go, an’ this should teach her no’ to judge a book by its cover.”

“I thought I’ was somethin’ like tha’,” I admitted. “The look on ‘er face when she saw yuir accoun’ information was fookin’ ‘ilarious though. I’m ‘alf surprised ya didnae offer tae work fer the school fer free though, tha’s like yuir dream job an’ ya seem set fer life e’en after ya take out the money tae produce those suits fer the HAA.”

“Yeah, the look on her face was worth far more than my account balance fer sure,” Mom agreed with a laugh before turning serious. “A person should be paid what they’re worth Merida, I would have been insultin’ both Alana an’ myself if I’d done tha’. To tell the truth though I’m planning on making a large donation to the school since we’re not payin’ fer yuir schoolin’. It’s no’ cheap to run a school like tha’ an’ I figure tha’ maybe a donation or two would be a good investment; maybe two million to help with costs an’ another of a million fer some o’ those ‘scholarships’ tha’ Alana is probably payin’ out o’ her own pocket.”

I nodded in agreement as she spoke about the donations. “Aye, no’ all mutants ‘ave rich parents, an’ a lot prob’ly run away or ‘ave tae live on the streets ‘cause people will no’ accept ‘em, ‘elpin ‘em tae ge’ their lives back an’ learn tae control their powers would be a good thing. I… I’m still a wee bit uncertain aboot goin’ there maself though.”

“You’ll do fine Merida, all o’ ya will, an’ it’ll be a good place fer ya. Now let’s head inside and help the others finish packin’.” With that we exited the vehicle and I helped Mom to carry the sea salt filtration systems and associated materials for Vanessa’s ‘bed’ inside. She wouldn’t be able to start making our beds until the other materials and my bedframes were delivered, but she was hoping to have something ready for us before we left for Costa Verde the next day.

We took the materials into Mom’s lab and then Fawn and I went upstairs to find my sisters and the other Fairies while Mom helped Andy and Kendra finish packing the kitchen. The girls were all up in their rooms packing away all their clothes and what few small personal items they had bought since the day we had been set loose from the base. Except for a change of clothes for the next day and something to wear to bed, we would pack everything else in one of Shu’s portals. Vanessa had been sharing dresser and closet space with Tasha though since she was sleeping in the bathtub for now, so I found her in Tasha’s room gathering the last of their things on the bed to be ready to place in one of Shu’s pocket dimensions. The plan was to get as much as possible packed tonight using my strength and then the next morning we would pack anything that was left.

“Tasha, ‘Nessa, ‘ow’s it comin’ along?” I asked as casually as I could, leaning on the doorframe as Fawn sat upon my shoulder giggling.

“I think we’re about done here,” Vanessa said with a shrug as she gestured to the large pile of clothes on the bed. “It’s not like we had anything when we came here and we haven’t really been here long enough to get much more in the way of clothes and personal items.”

“I dinnae think ya quite go’ e’erythin’ there,” I argued, trying to put a frown on my face. Fawn’s giggling wasn’t helping me look all serious, I could barely keep a straight face as it was. “Anyway, Mom go’ some o’ the stuff fer our beds while we were out so soon ya willnae ‘ave tae sleep in the loo, you’ll ‘ave yer very own fish tank. There’s still some stuff we need tae bring in though, could ya give me a ‘and?”

The mermaid looked confused for a moment, but shrugged and got up to join me as Tasha’s voice slipped into my mind. *What are you up to Merida?*

*Who says I’m up to something?* I inquired innocently. Most people would probably get weirded out speaking mind to mind with someone else, but I kind of liked talking that way with Tasha. She couldn’t really pick up on any thoughts other than what were deliberately sent along the link so it was like a phone call, one where I didn’t have to worry about my accent. Her skill was improving too, and now she could do a sort of mental conference call by creating links to specific people that she was familiar with and then connecting all of us, with herself as a sort of relay point. That would be nice to have in combat situations, though I figured that we might want to have radios or Bluetooth devices as backup.

*You’re not? I don’t need clairvoyance to know that you’re hiding something. You’re not that good of an actress Merida, and what about the giggling Fairy on your shoulder? She’s kind of giving it away. Oh well, if it’s not anything important maybe I should just bring Vanessa in on this conversation…*

*Okay, I got Vanessa the surfboard she was drooling over yesterday,* I replied as I led Vanessa downstairs and toward the front door. *I would have gotten one for you and the twins too, but I figured I’d let you pick your own when and if you’re ready to start learning.*

*Cool. That should cheer her up a bit. She’s a bit down about the whole TSD thing and I guess talking with Kendra this morning brought up a lot of stuff she was keeping buried. She’s also a bit freaked out about living in the dorms until we find a place. You… did know about that right?* The last was sent uncertainly.

*Aye, Mom told me on the way to the bank. We get our own rooms… in the ‘special’ dorm. I’m not looking forward to that much either.* I replied to Tasha, frowning slightly as I opened up the rear door to the SUV. I tried to shake off my glum mood as I turned to Vanessa and grinned as I pointed to one of the two bagged surfboards and maintenance kits. “I think ya should be takin’ tha’ upstairs tae pu’ away wi’ yuir other stuff, aye ‘Nessa?”

“Y… you didn’t?!” Vanessa sputtered looking from the boards in the back of the SUV and then to me with a stunned look on her face.

“She did,” Fawn confirmed giggling like a tiny little maniac on my shoulder.

“Aye,” I agreed with the Fairy. “One o’ them is mine o’ course since yuir goin’ tae be teachin’ me an’ all, bu’ I think tha’ was the one ya were droolin’ o’er yesterday. I figured tha’ if Costa Verde an’ our new school are on the ocean we’d best be prepared.” I had also figured that she could have never afforded it with what little money we had left from that first shopping trip, especially after buying birthday gifts for me and the twins and helping with my new punk clothes.

Vanessa almost squeezed the life out of me with the hug she wrapped me in. “Thankyouthankyou thankyou Mer!” Then she unzipped both bags and looked over the boards. “Yes! That’s the one I wanted to buy and you picked out a nice one for yourself too.”

“I’m glad ya like it,” I told her. “They didnae ‘ave any Fairy sized boards though so I guess Fawn is goin’ tae ‘ave tae ride on ma shoulder or sumthin’.”

“We would have to be careful,” Fawn advised. “I’m not a water-talent Fairy and I won’t be able to fly if my wings get too wet.

“Well if’n tha’ ‘appens I’ll jus’ turn ma force field on Fawn. Ya may no’ be able tae control when it turns off an’ on bu’ a’ leas’ ya kin manipulate it when it is on, or ya prob’ly wouldnae be able tae move a’ all. So Mom thinks ya should be able tae fly, wi’out havin’ tae use yuir wings tae stabilize ya, an’ ge’ the same strength an’ speed boosts I do while it’s on. We’ll ‘ave tae practice tha’ together.”

“I never thought of flying without using pixie dust and my wings before, but things have been different since I came to the mainland.” the Fairy said thoughtfully as Vanessa and I zipped up the board bags again. “I have you now, and your force field, and I don’t even need to go to the great tree for pixie dust anymore.”

Vanessa and I took the boards and related gear from the SUV and I closed the back door as I answered my Fairy friend. “Aye, Mei seems tae wan’ tae make things easier fer you an’ the other Fairies when she brings ya ‘ere. Seems tha’ ya make yuir own pixie dust now, an’ ya got the copy o’ ma force field tae keep ya safe, an’ the heat doesnae bother Peri.”

“Mei is such a nice girl, always thinking of others. She would make a great animal Fairy,” Fawn agreed as we headed back for the front door to the house and she landed on my shoulder again.

“Merida’s like that too,” Vanessa said giving me a friendly elbow as we reached the door and I opened it.

“I know!” Fawn replied enthusiastically. “I couldn’t ask for a better best friend. I’ve already decided to make her an honorary Animal Fairy. I’ll need to start teaching her all the animal languages and everything else we do.” This pronouncement was met with a burst of giggling from Vanessa, but thankfully she didn’t say whatever it was that had crossed her mind as we headed upstairs.

It didn’t take long for me to gather up all my belongings and bedroom furniture together and put them in the small pocket dimension that Shu had created for my personal use. She figured that it would make moving easier by having us each have one assigned for our bedrooms and then creating separate ones for each room of the house. She had been improving with her abilities and had figured out how to make the portals to those pocket dimensions visible and traversable by people other than just herself, she just needed to be focusing on the person or people in question at the time.

With direct access to that dimension I just kept the clothes that I hadn’t set aside in my dresser, laid out any that were hanging in the closet on top and then powered up my force field to lift it and put it inside. Footwear was all placed in a large shopping bag except for the combat boots I was currently wearing and then that and the rest of my bedroom furniture joined the dresser so that Shu could close the portal until I needed to put my new beds inside later. Once I had cleaned up the shrapnel that was all that remained of the cot I had been sleeping on the night before and disposed of it I went to lend my strength to the others so that their rooms could be completely packed away as well.

By the time dinnertime rolled around over half of the house was packed away and I was starving and feeling really weak. I had noticed that the more I used my powers the more that I needed to eat, but I guess that all that energy my powers were producing had to come from somewhere, probably my own metabolism. Fawn looked as hungry and tired as I was, since we had been going non-stop with the force fields since we had started with my bedroom nearly three hours earlier. I had also been training her how to fly, using the field rather than her wings, and to use the increased speed and strength that the field could provide that whole time.

Dinner turned out to be pizza and I was glad that Andy had listened when I asked him to order a lot. Fawn had easily eaten three times as much as the other Fairies and I polished of two extra-large meat lovers by myself, plus a good half of a deluxe as well. “Hungry much Mer? Vanessa teased as I reached for a slice of Hawaiian as well

I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. “I’ve been usin ma powers a lo’ today.”

Kendra laughed and reached over to pat me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry Merida, that’s a common issue for Energy Manipulators and Generators. A lot of you use insane amounts of physical energy to fuel your powers and once you start using those powers regularly your metabolisms become hyper accelerated to generate all of that energy and add to your powers’ energy reserves, in addition to what it’s already producing to fuel your body’s regular functions. You’re likely going to be eating a lot more now that that’s kicked in, but on the upside it’s going to be impossible for you to gain weight, other than perhaps muscle. If you add in that you’re still a growing girl as well, you’re going to need a lot of calories to keep up that metabolism.”

“Aye, ye’ another reason tae be ‘appy aboot havin’ super powers,” I grumbled while rolling my eyes. I made a mental note to start eating more and that Fawn probably should as well. I thought that it may be a good idea to start carrying around energy bars or other snacks, and maybe some drinks as well, just to be safe.

“Don’t worry too much,” our new counsellor tried to reassure me, “the people of Costa Verde have gotten used to it so you won’t stand out too much there. A lot of the restaurants, particularly the fast food places have meals in regular size, super-size and Hyper-size and the Conservatory serves its meals buffet style with large portion sizes in mind.”

“What’s the Conservatory?” Mei and Shu asked simultaneously.

“That’s what we call the cafeteria at PSA, you’ll understand when you get there,” she explained without really explaining.

Once we had finished dinner we got back to work while Kendra had to leave to return to the school to prepare for our arrival and Mom and Andy went to her lab to try and finish at least one bed each for both me and Vanessa. The supplies had arrived almost back to back, less than an hour before dinner, and Mom had a lot of work ahead of her, even with Andy there to assist. All that really needed packing was the garage, Mom and Andy’s room, the living room and Mom’s lab, every other room was already empty. Shu, Peri, Fawn, and I decided to finish the packing while the other girls went on to giving all of the now-empty rooms a good cleaning. Shu would be needed for storage, and she and the two Fairies could also help with small things, while I acted as the muscle.

It was nearly midnight by the time that everything was packed, stored, and put away, including Mom’s lab and the prototypes for the new bed frames for Vanessa and me. We planned to leave first thing in the morning, so except for Vanessa, who would be in the bathtub again, we would all be camping out on the floor tonight on the four “mattresses” that Mom had produced for the new “beds” for me and Vanessa. The mattresses were made of some sort of foam gel that Mom had developed that was resistant to water, extreme heat, and concussive force and felt like resting on a cloud. Each mattress also had two pillows made of the same substance that would be going with our beds.

The mattress that Fawn I were using had been set up with the temporary energy shield emitters from my room on the floor around it and the last emitter/energy scanner on the ceiling above us. The mattress itself had also been covered in sheets and pillowcases of a sturdy and stretchy material that Mom called Mithrilex. It was something that she had been working on with my powers in mind, since I would eventually need a costume that wouldn’t turn to ash or be shredded in an explosion if I had to go all out with my powers. It was basically designed to withstand the full heat and concussive force of a nuclear bomb, while being bullet resistant, comfortable, and insulating.

As it turned out, both the material and mattress worked as advertised and damn was that mattress comfortable, Mom really needed to patent that shit. They didn’t stop me from waking up screaming from the nightmares, but when I had lashed out with my powers while doing so the only damage seemed to be to the frayed nerves of my family members. That’s to be expected though when you wake up to explosions, and once Fawn had managed to calm me down I apologized profusely to everyone, both ashamed and embarrassed. Then I busied myself with getting dressed, packing the mattresses, and putting them away.

When I was finished we made one last sweep of our temporary home to make sure we hadn’t missed anything and then piled into the SUV to do a few things before we left Los Angeles. First, a not-so-quick breakfast at Ihop, where I managed to put away four breakfast samplers before feeling full. Fawn did have a little of mine while sitting somewhat hidden in the booth beside me (she loved the pancakes), but it was not much more than a bite or two for us humans. The waitress was staring at me by the time I had finished off the last and she had come to collect the plates and deliver the bill. Andy merely said, “Growth spurt,” to explain it. Then Mom and Andy had to drop the keys to the house off with the owner, after which we made our way to the freeway and were off to our new home.