Free Spirit-2 by Lynceus Determined to move forward, Cathy decides to confront her past. But can you go home again?

Chapter Five: Small Town Girl

Macomb, Illinois. As I drive into town, I can't say it hasn't changed, because it obviously has. New businesses have sprung up, and old ones I remember are long gone. But at it's core, a small town remains a small town.

I'd driven all night to get here, and I was looking forward to getting some rest; one of the big advantages of my van is that I just need a place to park, and I can crash in the back. It's a late-model Chevy, black and slightly weathered, but she runs just fine. Dream can keep her monster motorcycle, if I ever get a Spiritmobile, I think I'll go with a van.

Maybe it's because I'm tired and hopped up on caffeine, but the idea of a riding around in a van with a patriotic paint job makes me giggle. I pulled into the parking lot of the Hampton Inn, grabbed my bags, and walked in to claim my reservation. I'd only made one modification to the van so far; my shield is stashed in a smuggler's compartment in the back.

Even if it came from Superia, I'm pretty attached to my shield, but it's not the thing you can carry into a hotel without incident. I had to give the staff credit; they had me in my room in under ten minutes. I set my stuff down, got undressed, and crawled into bed.

I was out in minutes. I keep having strange dreams of being weightless, unable to feel anything around me. All those nights spent in Deidre's sensory-deprivation tank, subjected to whatever brainwashing method she'd employed, had left their mark, I suppose. What bothers me the most is that I simply can't remember what went on when I wasn't 'awake'. It's quite literally lost time to me.

Morning comes all too quickly, and I roll out of bed. I'd been following the same routine for so long that I stopped using my alarm clock a year ago. Three hundred push-ups, and my morning kata, as usual. The sonic shower was interesting, but I vastly prefer hot water; and thankfully, the hotel's water heater didn't spazz out on me.

Speaking of the sonic shower, the body hair I'd lost in it still showed no signs of regrowing. I was starting to think maybe it never would, either to some property of the shower's settings, or maybe my mutation. There was definitely something funny going on with my body. In almost every respect, I appear to be a normal human female in superb physical condition.

Except for the fact that I can press about six tons of weight. Yeah, you hear that right. My muscles shouldn't be able to do it, and the caloric burn should be immense, but it isn't really. Doris is convinced that what's going on isn't psionic, however. I need to properly brace myself to apply my strength, and most things that actually weigh six tons aren't designed for a human to lift, even a superstrong one. I remember the first time astronauts on the space shuttle attempted to move a satellite by hand. It wasn't the weight that was the problem, it was the mass.

I'm far from the strongest metahuman, of course, but the stronger ones tend to cheat. Jade has some kind of telekinesis with her ring, and Doris can grow to about 70' tall (and that number is increasing all the time). I'm educated enough to know all of this is impossible, but like the Bumblebee, it flies anyways.

Although in the case of the bee, it's just that the math is wrong. I don't know how I feel about the science itself being wrong in the case of metahumans; I spent too much time learning this stuff for it to be all wrong!

I get a free continental breakfast that leaves me peckish; I don't eat as much as some of my fellow metas, but I do have a healthy appetite. I swipe an extra danish when no one is looking. I know, hardly heroic of me, but who can resist a good cream cheese danish? Not me, that's for sure.

My sister still lives in town, and she's the one I figure I'll try to see first. She and her husband Greg have a realty business that does rather well. I just hoped I could catch her before she left for work! Judging from the pristine state of their front lawn, I guessed they didn't have any kids yet.

To say I felt apprehensive when I walked up to the front door is an understatement. I'd used the ring Jade had given me to change my appearance; now I just looked like a taller, healthier version of my former self. I hated the deception, but this would be a lot harder if Sis didn't even recognize me!

I rang the doorbell, this cold pit of fear forming in my stomach. There were a million ways this could go wrong, and my inner voice was screaming 'Abort! Abort!'. But I'd come too far to back off now.

Greg answered the door. He's not the kind of guy I expected my sister to go for; when she was younger, she always went for the tall, buff guys. Greg is about 5' 9” and wears glasses, making him look a little nerdy. But he's not bad looking at all, with grey eyes that I always compared to Professor Charlotte's, and this brown hair that seemed to naturally resist any attempt to style it for long. He's also one of the sweetest guys I've ever met.

“Hey, can I help you...” He trailed off, taking a good look at me. “Cash?”

“Guilty as charged.” I forced a smile.

“Sweet Jesus..” Oh man, here it came.

Then he hugged me. “You look great! Come on, let's get you inside! You've been working out, huh?”

Greg had always been nice to me, but the hug had taken me completely off guard! Like a zombie, I simply followed his lead. “Honey! Get down here, we have company!”

He turned to me. “Have you had breakfast?”

“Uh, yeah, actually...” My stomach chose that exact moment to growl at me.

He chuckled. “You're as bad as Rose. I'll fix you an omelette, and no, you don't get a choice. Rose likes ham, cheese, green peppers and pineapple, you?”

I licked my lips. “Sounds...strangely good. I'll try it!”

“Get whatever you want to drink out of the fridge.” He put on an apron and busied himself at the stove. Aha, so that's why she married him. He can cook!

I heard footsteps enter the room. “So who's our mystery guest, hon...oh my God.”

I turned and saw Rose for the first time in years. She used to one of those pencil-thin types, but I could tell she'd filled out some. Married life must definitely agree with her. Her facial expression was one of total shock.

“...Cash?” Her voice sounded really young.

I nodded. “Hi Sis.”

“I...I need to sit down.” She reached for a chair and almost fell into it. “You're..”

“Tall! I guess she had a late growth spurt or something.” Greg chimed in, seemingly unfazed by, well, anything.

Rose shook her head, as if to clear it. “...I thought I'd never see you again.”

I sighed and got myself a glass of milk, sitting down. “I know you have a problem accepting me, Sis. I don't blame you, I just...I needed to come home, if only for one last time.”

“I just can't believe it...you really look like a woman!”

“Feels like one, too. Not that I was trying to uh...er...” Greg had this rather perplexed look on his face, and I couldn't help but laugh.

“I'm sorry, it's just...please, don't worry about it!”

Rose giggled. “He's really cute when he does that. Relax hon, I don't think I need to be jealous of my own br...sister.” She paused. “Sister. It seems strange saying it.”

“I'm sorry, Rose.”

She glared at me. “For what? For being who you are? God, not a day hasn't gone by that I don't kick myself for not accepting you! I knew all along that you weren't like other boys. We used to talk about everything, even girl stuff, and you...you...” She started crying.

“Oh man. Rose, please don't cry!” I stood and went to her. It's the one part of being a girl I've never mastered; how to handle a girl when she's crying.

She threw herself into my arms, and I held her tightly. She looks a lot like I used to, I realized. And she was so tiny, only coming up to my chest. Which is probably why she looked up at me with a frown. “Cash. Seriously, you're wearing flats, why are you so damned tall?”

I sighed. “Uh..well..about that. Are you ready for another shock?”

“I...um...no, not really. But I do want to know.”

“How about we let her eat first, hon?” Having recovered from his faux pas, Greg set down our plates.

“Oh! Food is a good idea.” She smiled and we sat down to eat.

-

“Ok, it's weird, but I really like this omelette!”

Rose giggled. “Thanks. Greg teases me about it all the time.”

“I don't! Just some of the time.”

“I can't tell you guys how happy I am that you didn't throw me out on the street.”

Greg waved that off. “That'd be pretty hypocritical of me.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Greg's brother, Frank? He came out of the closet a few months ago. The family wasn't very happy about it. Greg's the only one who accepts him.”

Greg actually looked angry for a moment. “It's not right. He's my brother, damn it! Mom said he was dead to her, can you believe that?!”

I sighed. “Yeah, I can.”

“Oh. Yeah, sorry, I guess you could.” He sighed. “I don't care how he lives his life, he's still my brother.”

Rose looked down. “I...it got me to thinking a lot about you, Ca...Cathy.”

“Wow. You actually said it.”

She looked up at me, more than a little bashful. “I'm so sorry, Cathy. I treated you so badly.”

“It's ok. You took it better than Mom did.”

“I know this is hard for you to believe, but she really regrets that. Right around the same time Frank came out, the pastor at our old church had this sermon about gays...and Mom walked out. She hasn't been back since.”

“Woah. Mom not go to church?” I'd never known her to miss Mass, even when she was sick!

“I know! The end times are here or something. Are you going to see her?”

I nodded. “I want to. I need to talk to Dad, too.”

Her eyes bugged out. “Dad?! Are you crazy?”

“I'm not afraid of him anymore. I've met people a lot scarier than he is, and I've stood up to them. Funny, it took losing my balls to get me to man up.”

Greg laughed at that. “You got more guts than I do! I couldn't go through with that, and I know I'd make a damn pretty girl.”

“Oh yeah, you'd be a real cutie.” I smiled.

“Ha, you see? I told you!” He grinned at Rose triumphantly.

“Fine, fine, you win. But I like you the way you are.”

“Don't worry, babe, not planning on changing a thing. Unlike Frank, I'm perfectly happy liking women.” He got a funny look on his face. “I did it again, didn't I?”

“It's ok, Greg. You're not out of line. Honestly..I've been so afraid of being with someone that I never really figured out if I'm into guys or girls.”

“Oh Cathy, what are you afraid of? You're beautiful!” Rose seemed shocked by my statement.

I sighed. “Well, the surgeon did a very good job, but it leaves scars. Ones that are hard to explain.”

She got up and hugged me. “My poor sister, that's not fair! Isn't there something you can do?”

“Uh...well, yeah. There was.” I frowned. “I guess I can't put this off any longer.” I removed my disguise.

“Woah.” Greg had a kind of awed expression on his face.

Rose gasped and took a step back. “You...but...how?!”

“Sit down Sis, I have a story to tell.”

-

“That's incredible. A metahuman? Cathy, you look so young!”

I nodded. “Yeah, I know. I'm sorry for not being honest.”

“Are you kidding? If you'd showed up looking like that, I'd have tried to buy some Thin Mints off of you!” Greg winked at me. I was really happy for Sis; Greg was definitely a keeper!

Rose giggled. “Oh, couldn't you just see her in a Girl Scout uniform?”

I held up my hand and showed off the ring. “Watch this!” I changed into a scout uniform. I was a little mature for it, I thought, but I had no doubt I looked pretty hot in it.

“Oh man, and I thought you schoolgirl outfit was sexy.” Greg grinned at Rose.

“Greg!” Rose giggled. “So you can change into any kind of clothing you want?”

I nodded as I shifted into a French Maid outfit. “Of course, Mistress.”

Rose laughed so much she snorted, holding her sides. “Oh I want one of those!”

“I wish I could give you one, but this came from Jade. The Green Lantern.”

Greg raised an eyebrow. “You're one of the new heroes, then?”

“Technically. I haven't done anything heroic yet. I...needed to face my past.”

“I get it, to move on. So can we see your hero costume at least?”

I nodded and changed.

Rose blinked. “Don't they already have an American heroine?”

“American Dream, yeah. I know people will probably confuse us, but...” I shrugged.

“It's alright, I think you look awesome. So what do you call yourself?” My sister smiled.

“Free Spirit.”

“Oh, I like that. It does suit you. My sister, the superhero.”

“...it doesn't bother you that I might be doing something dangerous?”

She got up and put her arms around me. “It probably will, but right now, I feel very proud.”

-

We talked for a bit longer, until Greg gently reminded her that they did have work to do. I promised them I'd come back later that night for dinner, and Rose kissed me on the cheek as we left. I got into my van and drove off, only to park a few blocks away. Tears came that wouldn't before. I never imagined that I'd get my sister back. I wept, but with joy.

My ring glowed softly just then. “Yes?”

“Hi Cathy, is this a bad time, I just wanted to check on you.” It was Alena, which I hadn't expected.

“Oh, Alena, um...I'm fine, but thank you.”

“Are you sure, you sound like you've been crying.”

“I have, but they're good tears.” I told her everything. I don't know what compelled me to share my life with a fifteen year-old girl, but Alena listened patiently, not speaking until I was done.

“I'm so happy for you, Cathy! I'm glad that you were able to reconcile with your sister. As much as she teases me, I wouldn't trade Alison for the world, so I understand how you must feel.”

“Thank you, Alena. I...it's just so overwhelming. But now...I have to confront my Mother.”

“I got lucky. My Mom accepted me as a girl right away. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that.”

I blinked. “Wait, you used to be a boy? Are all metahumans transgendered?”

“Not all, but a lot of us are, for one reason or another. Even Doris can't explain why, what makes us change is different from person to person. Although I don't think I'm really a metahuman. I'd love to tell you the story, if you don't mind listening, but maybe it can wait for now. You have important things to do.”

“Yeah, I do. Thank you for calling...it means a lot to me.”

“Hey no problem. I'd like it if we could be friends.”

I smiled wide, even though she couldn't see it. “I could use a good friend.”

“Then you have one. Call me later if you need someone to talk to...or just to give me an update, ok?”

I wished I could hug the younger girl. Definitely, the next time I saw her. “I will.”

-

I couldn't get over how mature and thoughtful Alena was for her age. It gave me a new perspective into how Doris and Lena's relationship could work. Being an adult may have less to do with physical age than I'd previously thought.

I put the van into gear and I headed for the bank where Mom worked, making sure to re-disguise myself as 'The Old Cathy', or as close as I could be to her. According to Rose, Mom had recently become the bank manager, and I really wanted to congratulate her. If I got a chance to.

I heard an alarm as I rolled into the parking lot behind the bank. I heard police sirens in the distance, and I realized with horror that it was being robbed! I ducked into the back and got out my shield, transforming into Free Spirit.

Yeah, I know, the odds of the bank being robbed exactly as I showed up are pretty outrageous. But just then, I didn't really have the time to question it. People were in danger!

Mom had worked at the bank for years, and I knew the layout very well. I forced the rear door open (it was pretty sturdy, but it couldn't even begin to stand up to my strength) and entered the building. There were three robbers, all armed with guns, and they had the customers and employees on the floor. Henry, the security guard, was laying on the ground, bleeding. One of the young tellers was trying to help him, only to get slapped for her trouble.

“Leave him, he's dead al...” Whatever else the thug was going to say was ended by his sudden yelp of pain as I hit him with my shield, knocking him over. The other two criminals just gaped in shock as I stepped into view.

“Put your weapons down, and nobody gets hurt!” I tried to sound brave, but I knew this was a bad situation. They had guns, and hostages, and I'd just thrown away my only weapon!

“Holy fuck, it's American Dream!” Sigh.

Like morons, they both raised their guns and fired at me. Despite the fact that Dream is bulletproof. I'm not, by the way, so I was forced to move quickly to avoid being riddled with holes. I actually tripped on the carpet (something about the boots the ring made, I later realized. They don't seem to have the traction you'd expect), but as I fell forward, I did a handspring, and performed a series of forward flips, dodging the weapons fire.

If you saw the feed from the security cameras, you might think I did that on purpose. I didn't, I just got lucky; I hadn't done any serious gymnastics in years!

As luck would have it (I bet you're starting to see a trend), I ended up within reach of my shield. Grabbing it, I held it in front of me to deflect weapons fire. The bullets, thankfully, didn't hurt anyone as they ricocheted off the titanium alloy surface.

“I warned you!” I advanced on the thugs. One of them tried reaching for a hostage, but I threw my shield at him. It struck him in the arm, and then, to my amazement, bounced off and struck his partner in the head!

Both of them went down, groaning in pain. How the hell had I done that?

“Ok, that was impressive, I'll grant.” I looked ahead and saw a well-dressed man wearing a mask. He was next to the vault, holding a woman hostage, his gun aimed at her head.

Mom!

“However, unless you lay down on the floor, your hands on your head, I'll kill this woman. Can you live with that, I wonder?”

Damn it! As soon as I did that, he'd kill me anyways! But I had no choice. “Okay, just don't hurt anyone else.” I got down to my knees, and he turned his gun to aim it at me.

“Catch!” I jerked my head to the right; the young bank teller had gotten Henry's gun out of it's holster and threw it at me. The angle was all wrong, the weapon wasn't balanced for throwing. I would need a miracle! I leaped into the air, diving for it, and...I caught it! Without even worrying about the fact I was still in mid-air, I aimed the weapon and fired it at the man olding my Mother hostage. The bullet struck him in the hand, and he dropped his gun, screaming.

My Mom didn't waste any time, she knocked the man over and got his gun. “Alright everyone, please remain calm, this robbery is over! Trisha, the first aid kit is in the break room, Meg, apply pressure to the wound, the police are on their way!”

I had landed on the floor, surprisingly unhurt. As I got up, my Mother walked up to me and held out her hand. “I'm Dana Webster, and I can't thank you enough. That was an amazing shot, young lady.”

My hand started shaking in her grasp. “I...I've never fired a gun before. I could have...”

She looked up at me, her eyes kind. “Shh. You could have, but you didn't. We don't always succeed at what we set out to do...”

I smiled, and without thinking, finished her favorite saying. “...but as long as we try, we never really fail.”

She blinked at me. “Who..?”

And then the police arrived. “Freeze!”

Mom sighed and looked at the lead cop. “Steve Rogers, you lunkhead! It's over, thanks to this young lady.”

I blinked. That was Steve Rogers?! When I'd known him in high school, he'd been skinny as a rail, picked on for being weak! Wow, had he gotten seriously buff! Blonde hair, blue eyes, and those muscles...I found myself licking my lips thinking about it.

Ok, I admit it. I find both guys and girls attractive. It just makes my life that much more complicated.

“Oh, well, um, thank you, Miss. Say, aren't you American Dream?”

I had to bite my tongue not to groan.

-

I agreed to go to the station to give my statement to the police. Everyone seemed really surprised to find a superhero in their midst. Technically, what I'd done was vigilantism, but the police didn't seem to mind. Lucky me! Steve was a perfect gentleman, and unless I missed my guess, he was seriously attracted to me. I couldn't remember the last time a guy had shown an interest in me, so I admit it, I did flirt with him a little.

God, he was so dreamy, I could just eat him up! Down girl, down! He had to have a girlfriend, and I really couldn't afford a relationship at this time in my life.

He also apologized for mistaking me for American Dream. Which, really, I can't blame him for; the only time Free Spirit had seen action before now was as a villain!

When I finally got out of the police station, I found Greg and Rose waiting for me outside...and Mom!

She shook her head. “We really need to talk.”

I shot a look to Rose. “You told her?”

Rose looked away. “I...I had to.”

I sighed. “Ok, let's go.”

-

I rode with Greg, not quite ready to deal with the female members of my family just yet. Once we were away from any witnesses, I changed out of my costume into something more casual. I didn't bother assuming my old appearance. The cat was out of the bag, after all.

“Hey. Don't be mad at her. It was my fault.”

I turned to look at Greg. “How do you figure?”

“She wasn't going to tell you Mom anything, you know how stubborn they both are. But the healing has to start somewhere. I apologize if this goes badly, but...Cathy, you deserve so much better than you've gotten.”

I wanted to be mad at him, but I just couldn't. It's like being mad at a puppy. Or a stuffed animal. That's also a puppy. I sighed. “I appreciate that you tried, Greg. It's my own fault anyways.”

“Hey! You saved people today! No matter what happens, I know Rose is proud of you, and so am I. We never had a chance to get to know each other before, Cathy. But you're my damn sister-in-law, and I want to see you happy. Because if you're happy, then Rose is happy. And if Rose is happy, she'll get dressed up for me.” He grinned.

I lightly punched him in the arm. “You're such a jerk!”

“A loveable jerk, though.”

I nodded. “Very much so. I'm happy that Rose found a good man.”

“Me too.”

-

Mom and Rose were in the kitchen when we arrived. Mom looked ready to say something harsh, but Greg held up a hand. “Hold it right there. I don't often invoke my rights, but my house, my rules. If you're going to say something hurtful to Cathy, you can leave right now and never come back, Mother-in-law or not.”

I swear, both Mom and Rose got this funny look on their faces, like Greg had just grown a second head or something! I had all-new respect for him, that man has balls of steel!

Mom suddenly looked very ashamed, unable to look me in the eye. “Maybe I should go, then.”

“Can't you even look at me?” God, my voice sounded so young!

She looked up, something unreadable in her eyes.

“I know I'm not the son you wanted! I know I've been a disappointment to you! But I came here, hoping that we could try to move past that! I've cut myself off from people for so long, I don't even know who I am! I don't care if you can't accept me, or you hate me, but at least acknowledge that I exist!”

“Oh Cash...I could never hate you. Please, listen to an old, bitter woman for a moment. I've always been proud of you, you were never a disappointment. You were such a bright child, so loving. When you told me...I...I blamed myself. I thought that I had done this. That I hadn't encouraged you enough, or that I should have stood up to your father more. I...I couldn't help but think I was losing my son forever. And then I pushed you away. When I saw you earlier today, I couldn't help but think...'what an incredible young woman, her mother must be so proud!'...I'm so sorry!”

I just stood there in shock, unsure what to do. Greg gave me a little push, and whispered. “Hug her, stupid.”

I walked up to Mom and kneeled next to her, and we clung to each other. Rose joined us, and I don't know about them, but I cried for a long time.

-

Rather than cook dinner, Greg had just ordered a pizza. Mom sat on the couch, and I was on the floor at her feet. She kept playing idly with my hair. The physical contact felt really good. “I really wanted to yell at you for taking such a big risk with that gun, young lady.”

I shivered. That still scared me. Dream is the firearms expert, I'm just a girl who got lucky. Really lucky. “I'm sorry...I just...”

“Shh, oh honey, don't. I would have done the same thing, at least, back when I was young and athletic.”

“You're not that old, Mom.” Which was true, she was only 52, and looked younger.

“Thank you, dear. Oh, why was I so blind! I should have realized that I never had a son, instead, I had two beautiful daughters.”

Rose snorted. “I can think of a good reason why. He's about 6' 1”, short grey hair, and the attitude of a starving bear.”

Mom sighed. “Yes, I know. I always turned a blind eye to his faults, because I love him so much. I know he's an impossible, stubborn old bastard. But he has some good qualities.”

“I need to see him.”

I felt her fingers clench in my hair, but she immediately relaxed her grip. “I understand. But I don't think he can accept you, honey.”

“I know. That's not why. I spent my whole childhood living in fear of this distant father-figure that only rarely showed any kind of affection. I tried everything I could to get his approval, even denied what I really was. And nothing was ever good enough. I didn't run away from you guys, I ran from him.”

“I'm sorry I wasn't a better parent...Cathy.”

I turned to look up at her.

“It's your name, isn't it? I may be a fool, but I can learn from my mistakes. You're a beautiful, intelligent, and brave young woman, and maybe you always were one. I just couldn't let myself see that. If you can forgive me...I'd like to be proud of my daughter again.”

-

I didn't get back to my hotel room until late. My mind was in a daze, and I felt exhausted. Between the emotional rollercoaster of dealing with my estranged family, to the sheer terror of dealing with the bank robbers, I couldn't take any more. I needed sleep.

But one thing kept nagging at the back of my mind. The way everything had fallen into place for me today was simply unreal! The more I thought about it, the more impossible it sounded, like this was some weird dream, and I'd wake up any minute.

Was it possible for someone to have mutant luck powers?! I'd have to ask Doris...later....but right now...

To be continued...