Disclaimer:
"This is fan fiction for the Whateley Academy series. It may or may not match the timeline, characters, and continuity, but it's fan fiction so I hope it's forgivable.

Vancouver, BC.
November 22, 2007

The next morning we got another limo ride into the city, it was actually cheaper to rent a limo for the day than to get a taxi. Uncle Herb didn't come with us, when he isn't in his official hero garb, which does nothing to disguise his identity but makes people more relaxed when they see the words V.H.C., written in big letters on his armour, he's a big old homebody unless he's shopping for ingredients. We'd gotten up at five, so that we could make our eight o'clock appointment, which was a terrible hour. From living on campus my usual time to wake up was about seven, losing those two hours, plus not actually getting to sleep until after midnight, left me in a terrible mood. I hadn't even bothered with makeup.

While we ate breakfast, Mom had kept badgering me about my powers. Try to move your hand really fast. Step outside and point your hand at the ocean in the distance, try to feel the energy and push. Jump into the air as hard as you can. Lift that car size rock. Cut off a finger and see if it grows back.

Ok that last one didn't happen, but with the lack of ANYTHING happening, I figured it was just a matter of time before she got desperate. Thankfully the limo came and we got on our way before we took such drastic actions. I took the long drive to this Dr. Sharpe guy, as a chance to catch up on my beauty sleep, hugging my stuffed bear, Edward (Yes I still have stuffed animals, deal with it).

Mom gently shook me awake, and I stepped out to see a building that was jointly controlled by the Vancouver Heroes Corp and the R.C.M.P, (Royal Canadian Mounted Police). Like most hero groups in Canada, the team shared a base with the police, for added protection in case of an attack, to share resources, to help the two groups work together, and it helped the more anti-mutant people in the general public think the big bad super humans were under government control. It was a pretty good deal all around.

We went in a separate entrance that was only for Corp business. I'd been in there a few times, so I headed straight to the front desk which was covered in thick bullet proof glass and signed the book for us while Mom explained who we were to meet and why. Mermaid stepped into the lobby before I'd finished writing Mom's name in the digital book.

The long limbed, well built woman had dark, almost ebony skin combined with a very Asian face, especially in her eyes, even for Vancouver she looked exotic. She had on a dark grey and black wet suit that was padded in key spots all over, along with a cowl that covered just enough of her face to obscure her identity. Her face was way too bright and cheery for the early morning hour, but that was Mermaid, she was always happy unless she dried out, which wasn't likely to happen on the Wet Coast. “Evelyn, Estelle! It's great to see you two. Come on up, Dr. Sharpe is waiting for you.”

Once we got into the elevator, she knelt down to face me. “How are you doing, hon?”

“Surviving,” I replied.

“After seeing her eat last night and this morning, we're pretty sure she's an energizer of some kind. But she can't seem to do anything with her powers,” Mom filled in, sounding frustrated.

Mermaid hugged Mom. “Evi, it's going to be ok. Sharpe is the best in Canada, he'll be able to see if there's anything wrong with Estelle, and between all of us, I'm certain we can figure out what her powers are. Once we have that, it's just a matter of training her. You and Steve can do that easily enough.”

“I know. It's just so frustrating, with everything we've... We're just worried.” She wrapped her arm around me, hugging me to her side. I tilted my head so it rested against her shoulder rather than her cheek. I didn't like the cold, but I loved winter, because it gave us excuses to wear heavy clothes without being too hot or looking strange. It made hugs feel a lot better.

We came to our floor, stepping into an anteroom, with three doors. Behind one was an office, the other one was very formal with several comfortable chairs and a couch, the last where we went was a tiled room with several wheelchairs, stretchers and changing rooms.

“Estelle, Dr. Sharpe is getting everything prepped. Go into one of the change rooms and change into the robe, you don't need your underwear,” the superhero told me.

I cringed at the thought of a male doctor looking me over. It was bad enough when I had a woman poking and prodding me, but a man upped the embarrassment by at least a thousand. “Do I really need to do this?”

Mom got down on her knee, taking me by the shoulders. “We need to know if there is something wrong, and this is the quickest, safest way, dear. Please do this for me, and remember the faster you do this, the faster its done.”

My hand ran over her arm, gaining strength from her. “Ok. Let's get this over with.”

A minute later I was clutching a thin robe around me, pretending the shivering was just because of the cool air. When we went into the examination room Mom walked right beside me, not quite touching me, Mermaid put her hand around my waist, and gave me some advice. “When you get into the goo bath, take the anesthetics, it's better that way.”

“It's that bad. Uncle Herb said it was comfortable.”

“The first time is the worst. And he's a guy, who's finished changing. The nanites are going to be checking out your insides, and lets just say that its very intimate.” She felt me tensing up. “It's not bad, it's just creepy feeling.”

If I thought I could have made it, I'd have ran for the elevator screaming. A girl who doesn't like skin to skin contact, having something strange crawling all over and inside her, hello nightmares. And then I heard someone start to shout, which just made me feel SO much better.

“I will not help your family learn more about mutants or GSD so you can butcher us! If you contact me again I'll have you charged with harassment. And if I see your personal Doctor Mengele in Canada, he and you WILL regret it.” A phone slammed down so hard I heard the plastic case crack.

A grey haired man with a pronounced limp stalked out of a back room, his face red with rage. “Can you believe the nerve of them?! A Goodkind trying to ask me for help with a Bit problem! The sheer audacity of it all, and forcing a young girl to do it, as if one of their offsprings would make up for what her parents of that inbred family have done! I'd sooner burn all my research than see ANYONE connected to that family get their hands on it.”

He finally noticed me, as I hid behind Mom. The redness left his face, and a broad smile replaced his gargoyle like scowl. “Ah, you must be Estelle. I've heard quite a lot about you over the years, but could never find the time to say hello. Hello!”

“Um, hello,” I squeaked, coming out from behind Mom.

The doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a red sucker. “Here you are. I know children love lollipops, so I took a few from the pediatrics ward yesterday. If you two would please leave us,” he told the other adults, “This will take several hours, and I have to ask questions that no child should answer in front of her mother.”

I turned to face Mom, quickly handing her the sucker, she blew me a kiss and tried to smile as if that would help. Mermaid hugged me, and whispered in my ear that nothing bad would happen, and to remember the anesthetics.

When they left, Dr. Sharpe motioned for me to sit on a chair and pulled out an electronic notepad. “Now, I've read the doctors reports but I have a few questions. Have you had any other cramps since then?”

“Yeah, off and on. Usually just five or ten minutes, every few hours.”

“Has anything else out of the ordinary happened? Please tell me even the smallest detail.”

“I ate about five times what I usually do last night. And I've been itchy... down there. ”

“In the last year have you had sexual intercourse? That includes oral and anal."

“NO!”

The questions went on like that for a while. Finally it was done and I was taken to a room with a door like a bank vault. Inside was something that looked like a Jacuzzi, but instead of water it was full of florescent orange goo. It moved gently as I watched.

“Estelle, this is a devise that I invented five years ago. It will scan your body more accurately than any other devise I know off. It will take several hours, at the very least you will be in until noon, possibly all day depending on the changes you're undergoing.” He pulled out a controller and pressed a button. Speakers and a tv came out from the walls. “Now if you want to stay awake, you can watch virtually any channel in the world while you wait to finish. I will also have a robot bring you in drinks and refreshments as needed. It's quite comfortable, I often slip in it after a long day to relax. Or you can be put to sleep and wake up as fresh as a daisy when its done.”

“Sleep!”

He looked a little disappointed at my decision, sighing as he tapped a button to put the tv away. “Very well, please come here.”

We went to the edge of the devise, where he slipped a mask over mouth and nose. “This will supply the gas and when it scans your head will ensure you keep breathing. Don't worry I've used this devise three hundred times, no one has ever been injured. And I'll be checking your vitals the entire time from the next room.”

I nodded, still very unsure about this thing, but not really having any choice if I wanted to know what was happening to me. They say ignorance is bliss, well, I had just enough knowledge to be terrified. “Alright.”

“As soon as I'm out, disrobe and get into the pool. Just say you're ready and I'll turn on the anesthetics remotely and I won't start the devise until you're asleep, which will be about one minute.” He saw me looking at the walls warily. “Don't worry, don't worry, there are no cameras in the room. All the information comes from the devise. Now hurry up, I can't wait to check you out.”

I watched him hurry out of the room. As soon as the door clanged shut, I put my robe on a hook and hesitantly climbed into the goo. It felt like porridge, warm, gritty porridge. Remembering how Mermaid said it was very intimate, I clenched my legs shut as hard as I could. If this didn't work, I was going to kill Mom for making me go through with this. When I was seated as comfortably as possible up to my neck in the stuff, I said, "Ready!"

Nothing seemed to be happening, I was actually starting to get worried. All of a sudden I heard Dr. Sharpe's voice. “Alright Estelle, we're done here. Please step out, have a shower in the alcove and then come out so we can discuss things.”

“We're done?!”

“Yes, I told you it was quite painless.”

Then I realized my face felt sticky, and my hair was matted together. Taking off the gas mask, I stepped out of the goo feeling quite rested. The goo fell off of me back into the devise as I stood up, leaving just a yucky residue. The shower was surprisingly easy, as soon as the water hit my skin the stickiness dissolved. I still washed myself thoroughly.

Thirty minutes later, with the help of a heat lamp I was dry and feeling really good. Although my stomach was growling fiercely, I wondered how long I'd been asleep for. When I stepped out of the change room Mom was waiting for me. Her hair was damp, probably from having a shower, her face was still flushed, and she was bouncing on the balls of her feet, I had a good idea what she'd been doing while I was asleep. I bit back a sigh and tried to joke, “No horns or fur yet.”

That got a weak smile. “Come on, it's almost suppertime. We have supper ready in the doctors office so he can explain everything as we eat.”

We actually ate in the sitting room, the chairs were comfy and the table was loaded down with gourmet pizza. A holographic projector lit up one side of the room. Dr. Sharpe wasn't smiling but he stared at me with great interest. I almost wished it was sexual, I was used to seeing that when I was back home on the weekends and wandering around town. This was different, it was more like I was a present a five year old was looking at on Christmas morning.

Mom spoke first, I was too busy hiding my discomfort by eating to speak. “Does Estelle have GSD?”

“No, he's changing because of his Bit. It's not my usual area of study but it's a fascinating case, and he will most likely be able to go out in public without any real concern,” Dr. Sharpe said with glee.

The pizza dropped from my hand. “HE?!!!”

The doctor looked really embarrassed. “I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that. I've just been looking over your scan all day and it slipped out.”

Mom was at my side as quickly as I could blink back the tears, her hands wrapped in her sweater sleeves holding me as I tried not to vomit. “What do you mean?” she demanded.

He took a breath to regain his composure as I was losing mine. “Her testosterone is through the roof, estrogen is lower then you'd find in most males her age. The scan shows her ovaries and womb have shrank slightly since Friday. I'm not sure what her clitoris was like before, but its well above average in size. It is apparent that Estelle is becoming male, it's a growing problem for exemplars, still fairly rare, but becoming more common, and fortunately appears relatively stable. So health wise, Estelle has little to worry about and without the social stigma of many GSD cases."

Through a haze of panic, I heard Mom ask how long it should take.

“From the amount of testosterone and other hormones in her body, the rate of change in her reproductive system, I'd say within a year she'll outwardly look like a male boy of her age, except for the penis which will still be forming, and be fully male in two to four years. I can narrow it down after we do a study of his, er, her rate of change over the next few days.”

I ran for it. Screw being hungry, I needed to get out of there. Running down the stairs as fast as I could, barely able to see, I didn't want to be a boy. Sure I liked looking at them, but actually being a boy? They were dirty, covering themselves in aftershave and cheap deodorant rather than taking a decent shower. They only thought about sex. They were violent. Didn't know how to dress properly. Didn't know anything about romance or how to have a conversation that didn't revolve around sports, girls or action movies. And I was going to be one.

I was going to have a penis hanging between my legs! Disgusting!

My foot missed a step and I started going down, the floor rising up to met my face. Screaming I covered my face, trying to stay loose, hoping that I wouldn't break my neck. Something hard grabbed me, twisting me in midair, there was a thud and I was being cradled by Mom, plaster dust raining down on us as she sat on the floor.

My tears soaked her sweater.

**
Vancouver, BC.
November 22, 2007

We drove straight to Uncle Herbs' home after I stopped crying. I knew Mom had been thinking of spending the night at the VHC base if everything went ok so she could spend more time with Eddie. But after how I... possibly overreacted to hearing the news about my unwanted sex change, she decided it was better if I was somewhere I felt safe.

I laid on the seat with my head on Moms lap, while she lightly stroked my hair with her soft leather gloves singing a lullaby she would sing all the time when I was younger. I tried not to think about what my body was doing to me. It simply wasn't fair. Mom got turned into a beautiful woman, not some blonde bimbo, but graceful, strong and actually properly proportioned, the only bad thing was her eyes. Dad went from a skinny, sickly nerd to being handsomer then Brad Pitt, and a heck of a lot stronger.

I manifest and it's all hey sucks to be you. Can't wear makeup anymore, forget about having kids, bye bye fashion sense, wasn't going to be treated like a lady and taken out for a fancy evening. Couldn't cry or giggle anymore. I'd have to learn how to punch my friends, and I'd probably have to use my fighting skills. Going window shopping was right out, unless it was for video games. The list went on and on. I hadn't even had a boyfriend. Now if I did I'd be called gay.

Would I start liking girls?

Hugging my bear as if I'd never get another chance to feel his well worn fur, because I knew guys couldn't be caught dead with stuffed animals, I tried not to start crying again.

**
5:30am
Edmonton, Alberta,
November 23rd, 2007

Fly By, more commonly known as Steve Young when at home, sat at his computer struggling to stay awake. He hadn't slept much that night, thinking about his daughter had him too worried. Even with his girlfriend sleeping naked in his bed behind him wasn't helping.

He'd thought a lot of things could happen to Estelle, but turning into a boy? That hadn't even been on the radar. There was no way Estelle could stay in her school for more than a few months. She'd have to leave by the end of the spring term at the latest. And she couldn't really stick around Edmonton, not at first anyways. Too many people would know about her change, she'd need time to get used to it, before she could rebuild her life.

The fact that she was an energizer of some kind was another factor. If she was just an exemplar, she could learn from them how to control her strength. But an energizer could explode all too literally. There was only one boarding school he knew where she had a chance of learning about her powers, building herself back up, and finding people who could comprehend at least a little bit of what she was going through.

But first he had to make sure that she'd be safe at Whateley. He had been a senior there when Force-Bolt had killed his girlfriend Paragon, after he discovered Paragon was actually a boy turning into a girl. His little girl hadn't had an easy life, but he would do whatever he had to to make sure she was as safe as reasonably possible.

Going to his email he started writing a letter.

**

Vancouver, BC
Late Morning

“Come on lazy bones! We've got things to do and you can't spend all day sleeping,” Uncle Herb roared.

Falling out of bed, I slowly got onto my knees. “Ow! Why did you do that?” I asked the furry guy, who was dressed in his going out clothes, baggy shorts and a t-shirt that read feed the bear on it.

“The farmers markets are open, you have the day free, and I feel like cooking tonight. So get dressed, you're going to help me because I hate shopping alone.” As he spoke he dug through my closet, tossing warm leggings, a cute skirt, a tight top and a sweater at me.

I stared at the nice clothes I wouldn't be able to wear in a few months. “I... I don't want to go outside right now.”

“Too bad. You can't spend time mopping, take it from my years of experience. You can get dressed and come with me, or I'll carry you kicking and screaming in your nightshirt and take you downtown anyways.”

One look in his eyes convinced me to get dressed. When I was ten I'd been in a snit over something, and hadn't wanted to get out of bed. He'd carried me outside and I'd spent over an hour wandering around Vancouvers' boutiques and markets in my sneakers and barbie pajamas until he thought I'd learned my lesson and gave me some regular clothes to put on.

Mom was waiting for us in the customized SUV that Uncle Herb used. When I got in the back, she handed me a still warm, homemade BLT. I let them talk, staring out the window at nothing, eating my breakfast.

We got to Herbs favourite place the Winter Farmers Market at Nat Bailey Stadium, which was pretty packed with food vendors, organic and not so organic produce, baked goods, handmade goods, music and more. Some people who were new to Vancouver shouted and even screamed when they saw Uncle Herb, but the vendors knew him very well, they called out greetings, offering him samples, asking what he was going to cook that night, and swearing that their stuff was the best.

A few of them remembered me because they'd see me almost everyday when we visited the summer farmers market. As we wandered through the stalls, I started to loosen up, helping pick out the best salmon, late season berries made sweeter than ever by the chilly temperatures, eating one of the best pulled pork sandwiches ever made, sampling cheeses that you can't find in any supermarket, inhaling the scent of spices, trying to figure out what would be best to cook with. I was even able to sip a little bit of sweet ice wine that was offered to Uncle Herb. It was all I could do not to start eating the apple cobbler we bought, which smelled fresh and buttery having been made that morning.

It took three hours to work our way through the market, with Uncle Herb talking to almost everyone. He also posed for pictures with people who asked politely, and pointedly turned away from people who didn't ask or were rude about it. A handful of people saw him and glared or walked away with a disgusted look on their face. We ignored them, the bigots were just par for the course and we had to deal with them everywhere. As long as they didn't get in Herbs or my Mom's face, we ignored them.

Heading back home, Uncle Herb and I discussed how best to prepare the piles of food that filled the back. Mom stayed out of it, she could cook pretty decent food, but it was never her favourite thing so she and Dad split the job, or ate out, and on weekends I'd do a lot of the cooking. I'd learned to cook from Uncle Herb and loved every minute of it, even if I sometimes experimented with things I shouldn't, we'd all agreed to never talk about the chocolate covered rice balls I'd made when I was eleven.

We spent a few hours cooking, Mom acted as go-for for Uncle Herb and I. The dishes didn't match each other, there was no style, no overarching theme, and we didn't care, it was just fun, and I needed that. I went to bed early, with a very full stomach. And surrounded by my toys, I managed to fall asleep.

**

November 24th, 2006

The good mood from the day before died away as I was driven into town for another meeting with Dr. Sharpe. This time Uncle Herb drove us, I felt a little guilty, he was only doing this because he wanted to protect me, even if it was protecting me from myself. I wasn't about to turn him away however, I couldn't tell my regular friends about what was happening to me, and they were hundreds of kilometers away. There was just Mom and Uncle Herb, so I'd lean on them as much as I could.

When we got to the doctors office, Mom stayed with me until it was time to climb into the devise. I opted to go to sleep again. Again there was the strange sensation of not actually feeling myself going to sleep or waking up.

This time it only took until lunch time. In the sitting room there were sandwiches from one of the best deli's in town. Doctor Sharpe tried and failed to make small talk while we ate before he told us the important news.

“I have an estimate on how long it will take you to change, Estelle.” He looked away almost ashamed. “At your current rate of progression, you'll lose your breasts no later than December, next year. By then your waist will be nearly identical to a boys with only a slight curve. You should increase in height by anywhere from 10 to 14 centimeters. Also this summer you should have a penis that is functional for urinating, but will be quite small. At the current rate of growth, it will be two to three years before it is of average size and functional for sexual purposes. In that same amount of time, you're pelvis will have become identical to a males, and your shoulders should reach their full width. Within one year of achieving that, your ovaries will have fully transformed into testes, and you'll be a fully functional male.”

“Can we slow it down?” I asked, using a napkin to wipe my eyes.

He shook his head. “Not with anything I'd be willing to risk. If it was a severe health risk, or deadly, there are some new devisor drugs I'd be willing to try. However in your case... it's not deadly. From early trials, you'd have a 40 to 60 percent chance of suffering burn out, resulting in death, a more severe change, or actually speeding up the process. If you aren't lucky, you'd die painfully.”

Uncle Herb picked me up and placed me on his lap like I was a child, so he could hug me. Mom patted my back telling me not to give up hope. With my face buried in pink fur, I couldn't tell what the doctor was doing, I didn't care, he'd only brought me bad news since I met him.

“Estelle,” Sharpe said timidly. “Estelle, I have a friend who has gone through something similar to you. She's a mutant as well, and she lives in Seattle. If I ask her, she could talk to you. It might help you.”

“That would be appreciated,” Mom answered for me. “Thank you.”

“It's the least I can do.”

We left soon after, Uncle Herb went home so that Mom and I could have a girls day out. We wouldn't be getting many more of them. We went to a spa, got our nails done, a massage, facials, and our hair styled, after supper we saw a chick flick and headed off to bed. If it hadn't felt so much like a last hurrah it might have helped draw me out of my stupor. But as I looked at my purple nails, I couldn't help thinking what I would say if I saw a boy with long coloured nails, and thinking what the bullies would do to him.

The next day went the same way. A day out with Mom, clothes shopping and trying to relax, which I appreciated. I don't get enough days with just Mom and I, so I learned to treasure the moments we could just seem normal. I smiled, laughed and joked, but I knew she saw the sadness and growing desperation building up beneath the surface. I felt like a volcano, rumbling away, apparently peaceful, but waiting to erupt in fury.

Even Uncle Herb couldn't do anything to reach me, and he tried. We went on a hike through the woods that evening, he got me to practice my Krav Maga, and set up his basement so I could work off some energy dancing alone to my favourite music. When I finally went to bed at midnight, I was still too full of angry energy.

When I woke up at seven the next morning, I discovered I'd ripped my stuffed kitten to shreds in my sleep. After a good cry in the shower, I was barely ready to meet the day, which involved going to the school presentation I'd agreed to see along with Mom and Uncle Herb on Saturday when everything had made sense.

I skipped breakfast so I could make my makeup perfect and chose my girliest outfit. If I wasn't going to be able to dress up much longer, I was going to flaunt it while I could.

**

For some reason I wasn't very hungry as we drove to the assembly. Maybe it was the fact that I wasn't using my power, whatever it was, but I seemed to just need one huge meal a day and two normal ones. Whatever it was at least I didn't have to worry about stuffing my face constantly.

Wait, I was going to a boy soon. I could shovel food into my mouth and no one would care.

So one good thing out of a hundred bad.

Looking at my compact, I tried to smile. The ruby red lipstick was beautiful against my pale skin, a touch of glitter under the eyes helped to further hide the black rings that were already covered by concealer. My dark bangs were low on the left side of my face, giving me a bit of mystery, and the french braid hung over my shoulder. My turtle neck sparkling dark purple sweater hugged the curves I was so proud of developing. Black tights clung to my legs and hips with a tanned faux leather mini-skirt, and knee high, black boots on three inch heels. Silver earrings and matching hair clips topped everything.

I'd always thought I'd be beautiful when I got older, and would picture myself wearing something like this or better, at a dance with everyone watching me as I walked in with the movie star or singer of the month. Now if I was lucky, the girls would be watching me with lust and the boys would be looking at me to see who was top dog.

Shudder.

We got to the auditorium, school buses had already arrived dropping off hordes of kids from grade 1 to grade 6. There were going to be over two thousand kids there, listening to special speakers all morning telling them what they could achieve if they tried, how they should be proud of themselves and other uplifting themes. If I was suppose to be there all morning I'd have died of boredom, but since I'd only be there for the cool stuff of watching superheroes it wasn't too bad.

We were met by a police officer when we parked in the place reserved for us. Mom and Uncle Herb were already in costume. Moms' dark red, yellow and gold costume which covered her entire body even her eyes, was eye catching, although if that was from her choice of colours or her figure was up for debate depending on if you were a guy or a girl. The hot pink metal armour Uncle Herb wore was eye catching and had probably made more than one criminal surrender just to escape having to look at it for any longer then necessary.

The officer led us in the back way where Mo Shu Shi was waiting for us. The Chinese-Canadian wizard looked properly mysterious in his long flowing robes, no mask concealed his face, but every time you looked at him his face looked different. “Hi, Estelle,” he said smiling broadly, with no accent. “I'm glad to see you are doing so well.”

I shrugged. “Thanks, Mo. So what are you planning to do to wow the crowd?”

He waved a hand through the air, creating a small illusion of a supervillain being defeated by the VHC. “I was thinking I would show them how turning to the path of crime was a good way to end up in jail. They'll like seeing the fight and while the message is rather blunt, sometimes the hammer works best.”

“That's what I like about you Mo,” Mom said, her hand resting on the crowbar hanging from her belt. “Unlike most hocus pocus types, you know when to drop the pretenses.”

He gave her a grin. “Sometimes you need to be mysterious, other times you need the crowbar. It's foolish to believe only one method works.”

A weedy looking man came over, eyeing the heroes nervously. “Excuse me,” he said in a nasally voice, “I'm suppose to show someone their reserved seat.”

“That would be me. Knock em dead guys,” I said, smiling at each of them equally so that no one would be able to say that I cared more about one then another.

While we wandered back stage, the guy looked at me oddly. “How come you came with the capes?”

“Can you keep a secret?” I asked, looking around nervously.

“Of course, no problem! I swear!”

“One of them is my mother,” I whispered.

His eyes went wide. “REALLY!”

“Yeah, Super Bear is my Mom. We like to keep it on the down low for obvious reasons. It's a little embarrassing and involves cloning, mad science and a really messed up devisor.” I almost fell over from laughing, as he looked at me with disgust, followed by anger. As if I'd tell him the truth.

He quickened his pace, and showed me to a chair just off the stage, placed so I could see a fair bit, and hear everything. At the moment, some hockey player from the Vancouver Canucks was talking about perseverance and giving it your all. I followed hockey sometimes, mostly with Dad, but I was a Oilers girl, the Canucks could go jump in the Pacific for all I cared. So I watched what the stage crew was doing, it was a lot more interesting.

People were rushing around, making sure their costumes were in place, shouting orders about who was going to be up next, asking what was going on with certain cameras, and double checking that everything was ready. And of course there were the police. With the mayor, several celebrities and of course so many kids, it was a tempting target for supervillains, which was why they had the heroes already there, along with so many police officers. Sure Mom and the other two weren't going to talk for long, but they weren't going to leave once they were done their hour. They'd just wait behind the scenes while others did their thing.

After half an hour of listening to the hockey player, followed by a music video about hope and dreams, it was time for the good stuff. Mo Shu Shi, appeared on the stage in a flash of light, his robes blew in a wind that only affected him. Uncle Herb, jumped down from the rafters with a roar, an anti-grav pack stopped him from breaking the stage at the last second, he shook his head, letting everyone get a look at his sharp horns. Mom came last, running so fast it was impossible to focus on her properly. She stopped at one person, saying hi to the shocked boy, became a blur and was giving a little girl a hug on the other side of the auditorium, she did that five times, signing hats and other things as she did, before getting on stage.

I clapped as loudly as anyone when the kids got over their shock.

Mom spoke first, giving a short speech about believing in yourself, and how love, friends and family could help you overcome any problems. It was a good speech, even if I didn't believe it. Maybe it was the fact that I still couldn't touch my parents properly after they struggled to find a cure for fourteen years, and was changing into a freak, but I wasn't exactly on board the look on the bright side of life train.

Then Mo Shu Shi did his speech, which was a lot more interesting. Seeing a superhero group fighting a supervillain in 3D, while in the safety of a comfortable seat is cool. However halfway through the show, Mom tilted her head covering her ear to listen to her ear bud. Five seconds later she was gone leaving only a gust of wind behind her. Whatever the heroes were worried about must have been going down.

The light show ended, and then Mo did a vanishing act leaving Super Bear to pass on the message and then start his own speech. He was doing well, no one who didn't know him well would have known he was agitated. I however knew him very well, and saw how rigidly he held his devil tail to keep it from waving around like an angry cat. Nervously I left my seat and went to find the bathroom.

I left the ladies room, wiping my hands when I heard some shouting. Walking down the wide hall, I saw three police men facing a group of people wearing dark black clothes with red symbols stitched into the cloth, each one had a white porcelain mask. One of the police officers was speaking into his radio when the masked men raised raised their staves, electricity shot out of it hitting the three officers, flinging them back and filling the hall with the smell of cooked meat.

My parents and various Krav Maga instructors had made sure that I would react quickly when facing threats. I turned and bolted down the hallway yelling for help as loudly as I could. My hair stood on end as they shot their electricity at me, but since they didn't hit me and I could still run I just put on more speed. This was not easy since I was wearing high heeled boots, but somehow I stayed on my feet.

Even with my shouting, I heard the sound of gunshots and what sounded like thunder. Kids were screaming, so were a lot of adults but those deeper screams more often ended with frightening finality. I saw the stage in front of me, it was absolute chaos. Uncle Herb had pulled out his laser rifle, sniping at dozens of attackers who were trying to get close to the stage by hiding among the audience. Electricity and energy flared against his personal forcefield.

He saw me, and turned firing as he did so. I couldn't see the beam of light, but it was so close, it actually burned my cheek. There was a scream of agony behind me, and then the world turned electric blue. My body spasmed as my nerves burned, I hit the floor and couldn't move, I could see a little at least so I knew I wasn't dead.

There was an animalistic cry, Uncle Herb dropped his laser gun, and pulled out his plasma pistol. Energy roared and it felt like I was in an oven. A pink paw came into view, a man screamed in agony, and blood hit my face. People were yelling for everyone to stop moving, while others screamed for reinforcements.

My muscles stopped spasming, I looked up to see a woman and man in white robes slit the throat of the mayor, letting his blood pour over a crystal and onto a thick mat that looked like ancient leather. Super Bear was being shot at from all sides, his horns were covered in blood, and the hand that wasn't shooting the pistol was dripping with gore. The demon tail circled around an attackers throat, crushing it in a single smooth motion.

A few police officers were still fighting, but they were being surrounded and cut down. Crawling, I tried to find somewhere to hide, my body felt hot, crackling with every move, sparks appeared in my eyes, and I was shivering and shaking uncontrollably. Even as I saw the bloodshed around me, I panicked at the thought of burning out, there was no other reason for what was happening to me.

Someone grabbed me, dragging me towards the stage, where Uncle Herbs' forcefield was faltering, letting the magical energy finally start hitting him. His fur burned, and his firing became erratic. I screeched as he fell with a boneless thud.

“-the first sacrifices quickly. The shield is holding, but the newcomer is already outside trying to get in,” the woman in white said to someone I couldn't see. “Make sure the hero is secure, we'll need him later.”

I was carried over to an enormous silk sheet covered in runes and symbols that made my sore eyes water. Thrown carelessly to the ground, my body kept jerking uncontrollably. Fifty kids walked onto the stage, looking dazed, moving like zombies. They were directed onto the silk sheet and stood their patiently, a few were crying, more looked scared, but none of them seemed able to do anything.

Ten people in black began chanting, I crawled towards edge of the sheet, which took me towards the back of the group. I probably, definitely couldn't do anything to the cultists, but if I could damage the runes on the sheet, it might spoil the ceremony. I'd probably die, but it was better then letting them sacrifice me without a fight.

As I crawled on hands and knees, my body burned. I wondered why the silk wasn't burning under my hands. Finally I reached one of the runes, the cultists were too busy chanting, finishing off the last of the opposition, and doing whatever they were doing keeping the kids in line, to pay attention to me. Feebly my hands clutched the fabric, trying to rip it, damage it, scratch the ink off, something. Nothing happened, the material was too strong, and the dark red dye wasn't about to be wiped away. I shoved my finger down my throat, maybe covering it in vomit would do something.

My stomach heaved, but nothing came out. I hadn't had breakfast, so there was nothing to bring up except some water. The chanting was getting louder, and I was feeling worse. My skin was too tight, my hands shook so much I thought I could hear them humming, more sparks danced in front of me. Staggering to my feet, I lurched forward, if I couldn't damage the thing, I could at least try to distract them.

As I moved towards the nearest cultist, I slammed into a wall. Energy flowed around me, pouring into my body. My skin began to split, every atom in my body was buzzing. I opened my mouth to scream, it felt as if I was in the heart of a star.

Energy poured out of my mouth. I saw the cultists in front of me turn to shadows and fade away. There were screams and the sound of walls collapsing. Seconds seemed to be hours, as the energy escaped, cooling my body, leaving me weak and exhausted but feeling alive.

The wave of energy turned into a trickle, through the spots that danced in my vision, a blur appeared. Cultists fell, their limbs and chests crushed before they could blink. A cultist flew through the air with a cry of fear, followed by the sound of shattering metal. A bear roared in fury.

The leaders tried to rally their followers. They didn't get very far when they were surrounded by smoke, Mo Shu Shi floated in the air chanting and throwing rice paper into the cloud. Dark energy flew back at him, forcing the hero to dodge and weave, breaking his concentration. Uncle Herb ended the stand off by shooting his plasma pistol into the cloud several times.

Mom finished breaking the last of the cultists and then she was holding me in her arms.

As I felt her hard body, I realized I was pretty much naked.

Mo floated over to me, seeing that I was less than dressed, he took off his long outer coat, draping it over my body. Uncle Herb limped over, the metal shackles on his wrists and ankles clanking noisily, his body slowly but steadily healing. His big brown eyes looked me over making sure I was alive, then he sat down with a groan, the pistol falling from his hand.

Police and paramedics came running in, which was fortunate, whatever had kept the kids under control was wearing off, their cries and screams steadily getting louder.

Clinging to Mom, she carried me out of the growing chaos. “Burnout. Was... so hot,” I gasped, shivering with cold now.

She cursed, ignoring the police and paramedics who were coming towards us, and began to run. Mom shouted something into her radio as I passed out.