DISCLAIMER: I am not a Canon author.

Chapter Three
Fred got to sleep in his own bed that night and appreciated it. He also appreciated taking a shower by himself rather than having a nurse wash his unburned bits while the water quickly flowed past him in the high tech tub. He had a lot of pent up frustration to release now that he had privacy.

After a good night's sleep he awoke and went down for breakfast, "Hi Sally! It almost seemed weird not talking to you before going to sleep last night but I'm glad we're out of the hospital."

"So am I," she replied. "And if you ever want to chat then you are welcome to come by my room and talk."

Robert said, "You are both scheduled to meet the physical therapist today at 10 a.m."

"Thanks Dad," Fred said.

"He will also be able to check and see if you rate as physically enhanced," Robert added. "If so we can get you tested to see what categories you fall into."

"I'm looking forward to finding out what I can do," Fred replied.

The Physical Therapist specialized in Exemplars, and had a chart of Sally’s abilities before the accident. “Now, normally we wouldn’t even be trying PT for an Exemplar after only two weeks of bedrest, but considering how bad the damage was from the fire, we were worried there was some permanent damage,” She said cheerfully, “So we’re going to get a mobility and strength measurement for both of you, as well as some endurance testing. Since you both healed at Exemplar 3 rates, I’ll be testing you against Exemplar 3 rates.” She smiled, measuring their flexibility, strength, and endurance, taking notes, “Alright, Sally, you’re a little low on strength according to your records, but with your Exemplar abilities, you should be back to your regular strength quickly, Both of you are presenting well for Exemplar 3s who have just been in a major fire. It shouldn’t take you long to get back to your normal. Now, Frederick, Since you just started to present, which is perfectly normal at your age, we don’t know your limits, but a 5 minute jog even at ex 3 speeds is extremely low for Exemplar endurance, so I’d like to work on your stamina for a bit. Your Exemplar status will make the process faster. After some massage and stretching to loosen that tight, newly regrown skin for both of you, we’ll do some work on the recumbent bike and then you can hit the pool.”

The massage felt nice. He felt his muscles, and too tight skin loosen up, and after he stood he headed for the bike eager to see how well his newly enhanced body worked. He was surprised at both his new strength and how quickly he got tired. "Sorry I bent a handle," he told the therapist.

"Don't apologize to me," The Therapist said cheerfully, "Not only is it expected since you're new to your strength but these aren't mine. Your father bought them. Maybe once you're trained you can fix it." She smiled, "Now, let's get changed and hit the pool."

Fred was half hoping Sally would wear a bikini but instead she wore a sturdy, dark blue one piece. He was soon too busy with therapy to worry about that.

~~~

After PT Fred said, "I'm going to lay out in the sun for a while. It's been a while since I exercised and I'm too wiped to do much else."

"I may join you later but first I'm going to call a few contacts," Sally said as she left.

Fred tried not to be obvious as he watched her leave in her one piece bathing suit. He rested and drank water until he felt a bit less tired. Then he went up to his second floor bedroom for his Kindle. "Despite how tired I feel, I know I definitely picked up more stamina than I had before," he said to himself. With a smile he walked back out to the pool behind the house. He flopped into a chair, and settled in to listen to Dune by Frank Herbert.

"Trying to finish it without me huh?" Sally said.

Fred was startled awake, "Oh, I didn't think of that." He shrugged, "And I missed a lot myself falling asleep like I did. I can rewind back and we can pick up where we left off."

"I was just teasing," Sally replied. "If you drifted off and want to rewind because of that go ahead but don't do it just for me."

Fred reset the audiobook to where it had been but didn't start it, "So what did your contacts say?"

"They said that there is a ritual to move a spirit but it's not guaranteed," she told him. "It depends on a lot of factors. So we can try if we need it but hopefully we won't."

"Sure, thanks," he said. "You said only some avatars change? Do you know why some don't?"

"It depends on the strength of the avatar and the strength of the spirit," she said.

"So I need power testing first to see where I stand?" he said.

"If your spirit wakes up soon she might be able to tell you as well," she said. "If she's done this before that is."

"Still no comments from my internal peanut gallery," Fred said.

"Well then I guess we just soak up sunshine and listen to the book to hear what the Corrino emperor is up to," Sally said. "Maybe your father will have news at dinner."

At dinner Fred's father, Robert, said, "I've scheduled you both to get tested at the local DPA office building next week. Be glad these aren't the 90's or early 2000's when you'd have to visit an MCO center or try to find a team with proper facilities."

"I'm very glad of that," Fred said. "But why Sally too?"

"Just in case she does that ritual she's been mentioning," Robert replied.

"I can do it this weekend if I can get all the ingredients," Sally said.

"Pass me your list and you'll have it by Friday night," Robert said. "I do want to see a copy of it though."

"No problem," Sally said. "I will go print out a hard copy of both after dinner. You'll be in your den?"

Robert nodded, "Yes, thank you."

"Thank you for helping," she replied.

Fred and Sally spent Thursday and Friday morning in Physical Therapy. The afternoons were spent in the sun by the pool. All the ingredients for the ritual arrived on Friday and it was planned for Saturday morning after breakfast.

At breakfast Robert said, "We have cleared a gym for you and I will have guards outside to ensure your privacy during the ritual. Do you mind cameras? No one but me will see any recordings unless something goes very wrong."

Sally said, "I don't mind. I know you'd be worrying otherwise."

After breakfast Fred went to the gym, "Uh, do we have to strip?"

"Only down to your underwear," Sally said. She winked, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone whether you wear boxers or briefs."

He blushed, remembering dressing at the hospital. Then he remembered it officially didn't happen. "Thanks," he said, then went into the men's changing room and stripped to his underwear. When he left he saw her in a sports bra and boy shorts, both in white, "So what next?"

Sally held up a marker, "I draw runes on the floor, then I double check the words and give a chant while we sit in the design."

"Okay, I'm ready," Fred said.

Soon they were sitting cross legged in a design on the floor and Sally took a deep breath, "Here we go."

She started chanting and soon Fred started feeling a pressure coming from inside. It built up and up until he almost felt like he would explode. Then he passed out.

He woke up Sunday morning and could feel he still had his passenger but she still wasn't responding in words. He got up, stretched and took a shower. Then he dressed and looked at his phone, "Not quite nine a.m. Sunday. Looks like I missed most of a day. I guess I'm stuck with my passenger but it still beats being burned to death by a wide margin." He left the room and headed for the dining room. Hoping his father would still be there.

His father was there waiting, "I wanted to see you before I left and make sure you were alright. I'm sorry I can't stay with you but even on a Sunday I have business I need to take care of."

"It's okay dad," Fred said. "I'm okay. Still got my passenger but otherwise I'm fine. I'll take it easy today and tomorrow's visit to the DPA should answer some questions. Thanks for everything you did to help."

His father, Robert, hugged him, "I love you." Then he left the room.

As he sat to eat he saw Sally come in then did a double take, "Sally? Is that you?" Sally looked like a teenage version of herself and seemed an inch or two shorter.

She sighed and sat down, "Yeah, minus about ten years. I used the ritual to open myself to spirits trying to coax your spirit into me but she resisted and instead called another to enter me. I tried to close myself back off once I realized but it was too late." She poured herself some coffee, "Idunn also used to be worshiped as a goddess of the same pantheon at around the same time. She was only recently escaped and much more full of power since she hadn't been wandering the world looking for over a year. She changed me as I lay unconscious and we only came to an agreement after I woke. Even if I were to expel her I will remain this biological age and she has agreed to provide a significant boost in return for my hosting her spirit so I will not try to expel her and she will let my body age at least until physical maturity."

"Wow," he said. "Looks like I got lucky. I still look like me."

Sally said, "Well your spirit was already tired when she found you it sounds like and then she empowered you which probably took most of what she had left. What she did during the ritual probably consumed a fair bit as well. So she probably hasn't been anywhere near full power since you made the deal."

"Meaning we can't know how powerful she will become until it happens," he said and sighed. "Maybe the people at the DPA will know."

She nodded, "Maybe. Today is for shopping."

"What?" he said. "Why?"

"Your shirts are too tight and your pants are showing your ankles," she said. "So you need new clothes to go with the larger, more muscular frame." She sighed, "I need clothes as well. I was a few inches shorter as a teen and until I get them back I need different clothes." She filled her plate from the side table, "We leave at 10 a.m. make sure you're showered and dressed in something that won't shred off if you move wrong."

He nodded, "I'm hungry and I've already showered so I'll just grab seconds. Does your spirit know who mine is? And come to think of it, what's her name? Maybe we can research legends of her from when she was worshiped."

Sally nodded, "My spirit said she was Idunn and yours is Freya."

"We can google them after breakfast," he said. "I hope what we find is close to accurate."

They were driven to the mall after breakfast. Along the way they googled the two names they were given.

Fred started. "Mine says, In Norse mythology, Freya is a goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seidr, a type of magic. Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a chariot pulled by two cats, is accompanied by the boar Hildisvíni, and possesses a cloak of falcon feathers. Along with her twin brother Freyr, her father Njörðr, and her mother, unnamed in sources, she is a member of the Vanir. Freya rules over her heavenly field, Fólkvangr, where she receives half of those who die in battle. The other half go to the god Odin's hall, Valhalla. Within Fólkvangr lies her hall, Sessrúmnir.

Sally then read off hers, "In Norse mythology, Idunn is a goddess associated with apples and youth. Idunn is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In both sources, she is described as the wife of the skaldic god Bragi, and in the Prose Edda, also as a keeper of apples and granter of eternal youthfulness."

"So that's why she made you younger?" Fred said. "It's kinda her main thing?"

"Yeah, she thought I'd be happy with it," Sally said. "Now that she knows what age is considered adult she will let me age until I'm clearly an adult then stop."

"That sounds very useful," Fred said. They both added to their wardrobes at the mall, then came back for lunch.

"Want to listen to the last of the current Dune audiobooks by the pool?" Fred said. "Nothing's planned until tomorrow."

Sally shrugged, "Sure, why not."

The next morning they went to the DPA office for testing. Sally is now rated Avatar 1 as well as Exemplar. With the avatar spirit boosting her, Sally can act as if Exemplar 5 instead of 3 although for how long is unknown. It is at least an hour though. Fred's assessment was as Avatar level 3, and they were considering him something they called a Faux Exemplar. That meant he had the physical abilities of an Exempla Three but the source was his spirit so he wasn't a true Exemplar. They also decided he had a Wiz trait but they weren't sure how strong it was. The tests they gave him showed him as Wiz 3 but it was subject to change after he got to Whateley.

"How about a run around the borders of the estate?" Sally said after they returned. "We can work up an appetite for lunch."

"Sure," Fred replied. "If you'll lay by the pool with me afterward. We can rest and digest and you get to pick the audiobook."

"You know, Florida is one of the few states where you can do that in January and be comfortable," Sally said.

"We are pretty lucky to be here," Fred said. "Are we starting at the front gate?"

"Yeah," she replied. She started off for the gate to the Nilsen Estate and Fred followed her.

At dinner that night Fred told his father the results of the testing, "It wasn't bad except for the testing suit. That thing was very tight and had sensors attached all over. It was very uncomfortable. I don't know how heroes wear stuff like that all the time."

"Well most hero costumes don't have as many sensor packages stuck to them," Sally said. "Tight costumes are traditional but aside from that most costumes are close to the body to avoid giving an opponent anything to grab onto. The fabrics are usually chosen for durability and some count as light armor. Some of the less sturdy sorts add external body armor. They also want to be easily identified as a hero so when they land in the middle of an emergency they aren't mistaken for a villain or bystander by the supers already onsite."

"Hence the bright, primary colors?" Fred asked.

"Yes," Sally replied. "And the villains are usually trying for intimidation, fear, and respect so they follow a different path." She shrugged, 'It's like the black suits the agents wore or the lab coats the scientists wore. It shows which group you belong to."

"But you have years before you need to worry about that," Fred's father, Robert, said. "You'll be a student for quite a while yet. You can decide whether you want to be a superhero before becoming a CEO once you've learned the basics of both business and heroing. So I expect you to not neglect your studies. Even if it's a superhero school, it's still a school and you should do the best you can to learn everything they can teach you."

"The teachers will be the first to remind you that it's a school first and they are studiously neutral about whether or how you use your powers once you graduate," Sally said.

"It seems you'll be joining the Fall semester," Robert said. "Barring any unforeseen situations at least. Your previous school states you were far enough ahead that they expect you to have no problem staying home this spring but I don't want you to test out of the year and then just loaf around until September."

He gestured toward both his son and the newly young Sally, "I will be hiring tutors to come by every weekday morning and make sure you are up to date on both class material and those portions of law that apply to supers. For Sally these are optional since she has passed them once already but there have been changes in the years since she graduated so she might find some of those lessons useful. In the afternoon you will have other classes. I know you have had self defense training son, but you are now more of a target being a mutant. You both have changed enough that more practice at martial arts will be beneficial. Three afternoons a week you will have Martial Arts instruction and the other two weekdays will be instruction in firearms safety and use. I hope you never need to use a gun of any sort to defend yourself but I want you to be able to do so just in case."

Fred winced at that reminder then nodded, "Sounds like useful knowledge to have. Thank you for arranging all of that."

"You're welcome," Robert said. "You should still have plenty of time to enjoy being young without picking up bad habits or becoming bored."