Here's another Whateley fanfic that's been sitting around while I poke and prod at it, there's more to this one but I already have a chapter or two partitioned off, so here's the first one!

"This is fan fiction for the Whateley Academy series. It may or may not match the timeline, characters, and continuity, but since it's fan fiction, who cares? To see the canon Whateley Stories, check out Whateley Academy at ( http://www.crystalhall.org )"

Kudzu

Chapter 1: Herbology 101

By Angie "kitn" Hughes

-----

This is sort of my story. My dad said I should write this all down, to help me deal with the changes I'm going through. He says his journal really helped him, especially at first.

I guess I should start at the beginning. My name is Alyssa VanBuren, and my dad is Reginald VanBuren, He's not really my biological dad, he and Mom adopted me as a baby, after my birth mother left me at the hospital. But they are my real parents, even though I never got to know Mom, she died when I was two, from ovarian cancer. That's why they had to adopt, they couldn't have kids on their own, but by the time they knew why it was too late. Dad tells me I'm the reason he survived losing her, and sometimes he's still really sad about it.

So, anyway, I'm Alyssa, kind of a mousy girl, with brown hair and freckles, and I could pretty much disappear into any crowd. Look up "average" in the dictionary and you'll find my picture. Well, before anyway. But my dad, he's something special. He's a mage, he does real magic, he makes things that can do magical stuff, and fixes broken things like they'd never been touched. That's his job, he runs an antique restoration and repair service, with clients all over the world. We've always been pretty rich I guess, but I never really thought about it much.

We lived in a big house in the country, in Georgia, surrounded by forests and mountains, it's really beautiful. I had to ride a bus twenty minutes to school every day, but it was worth it to live there. I guess I was pretty normal in middle school and stuff, though I didn't really know a lot of people. I mean, people didn't notice me much, but I was okay with that. I did have a few friends, but I always felt a little distant from them. Maybe because my dad's kinda weird, and well, some people don't like mutants much, I don't really know.

But at home, I could do all sorts of things. Dad made fun stuff for me to play with, all kinds of magic things, but they never seemed to last very long. He thought maybe it was because he had so much magic stuff around the house, that it would get mixed together and kind of come apart or something. He tried to teach me a little bit, since he said everyone could use magic at least a little, but I never could make his spells work.

But best of all, were the forests. I've loved plants ever since I can remember. I used to walk for hours in the forest, and Dad always let me, he said he could find me no matter how I got lost, so I always felt safe. I can't remember how many times I was out until dark, only to find him standing over me with a lantern, ready to take me home. I even had him help me build a greenhouse in the back yard, so I could bring home some of the plants I found and collect them, grow them right there where I could see them any time. But no matter how I tried to take care of them, give them water and soil and plant food, they always died. So I decided to just keep visiting them where they grew.

Dad and I were really close, and I didn't spend all my time exploring the forest. He had friends of his own, more mutant friends, who would visit sometimes, and I got to meet them. He even knew some of the superheroes I saw on TV! I had a collection of autographs, and all of them were really nice to me. One of Dad's friends told him I was destined for something really special, that's when he started trying to teach me magic, but I didn't mind that I couldn't learn, I was happy the way I was.

So of course it all had to change.

It was June thirteenth, and it was really hot and sticky outside, but I went out anyway, because I wanted to explore some more of the forest. The sun shone down through the trees, just enough to be beautiful but still shady, and a slight breeze helped cut the heat some. If it got too hot there were tons of creeks to cool off in, I knew where to find them all.

No matter how many times I went out, I always found new places and things to see. I hadn't gotten lost in years, I could always find my way home, so I was free to go as far as I wanted. I was thirteen, old enough to not need Dad watching over me all the time anymore, but he still always knew how to find me, so I wasn't afraid of missing anything important.

About six miles away from the house, I found this amazing plant. It filled an entire clearing, everywhere the sun touched, with flowers of every color, vines climbing trees and covering the ground like a carpet. As I stepped into it, I could almost feel it filling me up with color, and it smelled so good, but so natural too, like soft moist soil with some sweet smell you can't quite place.

I kneeled down to smell one of the flowers up close, and it tickled the tip of my nose. It was so cool! I decided right then and there it had to be something new, something no one ever found before, because I knew my plants, and this was not one I'd ever read about. It had tiny trefoil leaves and climbing blossoms, and he vines looked like the kind that can grow faster than you'd ever expect, almost fast enough to see. It was like I could feel it growing around me, and it felt so good, so natural, I just tried to take it all in, the smell, the pretty colors, the feel of the leaves, the slight rustling of the wind blowing through everything, I could even almost taste that wonderful smell.

I carefully made sure I could find it again, and started running home to get Dad's camera and a notebook, maybe they'd name the flower after me! My nose was a little itchy, so I scratched it as I ran, but it didn't even occur to me it might be poisonous, I was just too excited. But after a while I was itching all over, and my throat and chest burned, and I couldn't run anymore. I was so scared, I was sure I'd die before making it home. Then just when I couldn't walk any more, I came out of the trees into our big yard. I itched so much, and burned like fire, and I couldn't even scratch. My skin felt like it was crawling all over, and my eyes were blurry, and I couldn't do anything but fall onto the lawn. I wanted to scream, but my throat was all tight and I couldn't breathe, then everything went dark.

-----

When I woke up again, I could still feel the itching, and for a minute I wanted to go back to sleep until it went away, but it wasn't so bad anymore, not really even itching so much as just that crawling feeling you get when you lay down too long. I wasn't entirely sure I wasn't dreaming, because I could see the ceiling even though the lights were off, but I figured if I could see then I could get to the bathroom, after all I just woke up.

Dad was next to me, sitting in a chair, and I realized I was in a hospital room. Everything felt weird, so I figured that plant must have been really poisonous. Dad looked really tired and kind of old, sleeping in the chair, but I didn't want to wake him yet, because he looked like he needed the sleep. He must have been really scared for me, it had to have been really bad then. I quietly sneaked to the bathroom and closed the door, then turned on the light, because it was weird walking around in the dark even if I could see clearly, and I wanted to see if the plant poison left any marks or scars. Then I saw the green girl and screamed a little.

It took me a few seconds to figure out I was looking in the mirror. I reached out to touch the glass, and the green reflection reached back. I was all green, and scaly! I thought, no way, this couldn't be happening, it all had to be a dream, and then Dad pushed the door open.

"Honey? Are you okay?" He looked really scared, like I might be dying or something, so I turned around to face him in my crappy hospital gown that didn't close all the way in the back, and he grabbed me in a big hug.

"Shhhh, it's okay, sweetie. Don't cry, you're alive so everything's okay." And I was crying, I could feel tears running down my face... the face of that green scaly girl in the mirror. I wondered, what had that plant done to me?

"Daddy, what's going on? That vine, it did something to me, it poisoned me or something!" My voice was softer than before, breathier, but it still sounded like me at least.

"Alyssa, you're special. A mutant, like me. Ever since Cassandra told me you were special I thought you might change, and it's okay, honey. Still, I was really scared for a while there, we all thought... Well, I'm just glad you're..." Daddy was crying too, so I hugged him tighter. I don't know how long we stood there, but at least with him holding me, I thought maybe everything would be okay, somehow.

Some time later, Daddy put me back on the bed, he carried me there from the bathroom like I was a baby. I didn't mind at all, it made me feel safe. A man in white knocked before coming in the door, with a clipboard in his hand and one of those things to listen to people's hearts on his neck.

"Hello, Alyssa, I'm Doctor Robert Hudson. You gave us quite a scare there for a while. I'm very glad you're still with us young lady, you very nearly weren't. You've obviously noticed the change in your appearance, and it will take you some time to get used to, but we will do all we can to help you adapt It's been six days since you were admitted, you know. You went through what we call a burn out, do you know what that means?" I shook my head, it didn't sound like a good thing.

It's when your mutant side becomes active, and begins changing your body, but the change occurs too rapidly. Your body heats up very hot, and burns through all of its nutrients very quickly. People can go from healthy to the brink of death in minutes during a burnout. Your father saved your life when he brought you directly here seconds after he found you. This hospital is better equipped to handle burn out better than most, but your case was an unusual one. Halfway through, the nutrient solution we were giving you stopped helping, and we almost lost you before we found out you needed nitrate and potassium solutions instead, basically plant fertilizer." It was weird, I didn't understand much of it at all. Especially why I would need plant fertilizer.

"Can you tell me what happened before you started to change?"

"I... I was out in the forest near our house, about 6 miles southwest of home. I found this clearing with this perfect ivy in it, I think it's an undiscovered species. But maybe it's poisonous or something, because when I smelled the flowers, it made my nose itch, but I didn't think of that, I just ran home to get the camera and stuff. Then I got all itchy and it burned and I passed out near the house." I winced at remembering the itching, it was worse than anything ever.

"And this plant, it had leaves with three sections, and bright flowers in every color?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Great, I thought, not only am I a weird green scaly freak now, but apparently the plant I discovered isn't even a new species, if Doctor Hudson knows about it.

"I think you've turned into the plant, somehow. Why don't you get a better look in the mirror? I don't think you've really seen yourself." Shrugging, I went to the bathroom again to get a better look in the mirror. The green girl was still there, but on closer look the "scales" I'd seen in the quick glance earlier were tiny leaves! Not only that, but they were just like the leaves of the ivy I'd found! And my hair, that wild multicolored hair, was really tiny flowers, tons of them! The flowers trailed all the way down to the middle of my back! I didn't really feel much different, a little in a hard to explain way, but I sure *looked* different! I poked one of the leaves, and it felt just like I was poking myself before. The leaf was soft and smooth, and seemed somehow connected to the leaves around it. It was even warm, and had the faintest feeling of a pulse.

"Weird... Why did this happen to me? Damn it, I don't want to be a plant!" I heard a loud crack and looked down where my hand was gripping the porcelain sink, and several cracks grew quickly outward from my hands. I was so mad, I just squeezed harder, and the thing came apart in my hands. I stared in horrified fascination as little rooted vines writhed back into my hands, from where they'd been destroying the porcelain.

"Oh God... I'm sorry..." Doctor Hudson had come to check on me, followed by Dad, I guess when they heard the crack. "I didn't mean to... I should have left those vines alone."

Before I knew it Daddy was hugging me while I cried some more, all I could think was it was all my fault, and now everyone was going to hate me and be afraid of me because I was a freak.

"Please, God... I'll do anything, just fix this..." I gasped out between sobs, "Just make it all go back... the way it was!" I couldn't stop crying, and Daddy holding me was so warm and comforting, I guess I fell asleep.

-----

I spent several days in that room, not wanting to face anybody. At first I didn't want to open the window or anything, just sit in the dark, but after the first couple of days I started to feel a little sick, and my leaves... God I hated that word then... started to grow brown spots on the edges, so my "skin" looked kind of dirty. Sometimes I would wake up with little creeper vines growing out of me, and just after my leaves started turning brown, some of the vines creeped into the window and pulled open the curtains. After that I started to feel better.

Dad tried to cheer me up too, but I really wanted to wallow in my own depression right then. I mean, all I could think of was how much of a freak I was now and how I'd never fit in anywhere. Doctor Hudson told me to take as much time to adjust as I needed, though then I was pretty sure I'd never be happy again. Still, it turned out he was a pretty good judge of these kind of things, I guess he'd had more than a few mutant patients.

It had been almost a week since I woke up changed, and once again the creeper vines had gone to the window; now there were almost more of them in the room than there was me! I climbed out of the bed and grudgingly moved toward the window, and as I did, the vines crawled back into me. It's kind of a weird sensation at first, like skin crawling, but I guess you can get used to just about anything. When I stood in front of the window, and the sunlight just soaked in, and warmed me up, I just... felt better. I felt like maybe it wasn't so bad. Even if people couldn't accept me, Dad did, and that was always enough before. And dad's friends, the mutants and magic users and other weird people he knew, maybe they would accept me too. It was like turning on a light switch, almost.

Dad was not in the room at the moment, it was just me, so I stepped away from the sunlight, still full of energy, and opened the door. Outside the room, several nurses and doctors went about their work, but one of the nurses who'd checked in on me a few times waved and smiled at me. Then I knew things would be okay.

"Hey, looks like you're feeling a little better today, huh, Alyssa?" The nurse was Mary-Beth Connors, and she had been nice to me while I was moping around, so I figured it was time to start actually making friends.

"Yeah, I let a little sunshine in and I feel a lot better now."

"You sure look it, you look prettier than my garden at the height of the season!" I wasn't sure how to take that, but since I was on a roll with feeling good, I decided it was a compliment.

"Thank you! I'm sorry I've been such a sourpuss this last week, it's just taking some time to get used to." At this point, several doctors and nurses had stopped to pay me attention. They were all smiling at me, and while it felt good, it was starting to get a little overwhelming.

"Do you know where my dad is? I think I want to go home, now that I'm feeling better."

"Sure thing, you just sit tight and I'll give him a call. He said he had a little work to do, but to call him if anything changed. He'll just be tickled pink to know you're feeling better!" I thanked her and went back to my room, which looked much cozier with the sun shining in, and sat down to wait by the window. It still amazes me, how much a little sunshine can brighten my mood.

When Dad opened the door, I jumped a little; the warm sunlight felt so good I'd gone to sleep. A few vines had crept to the window and opened it, and the fresh air felt really nice too.

"Hey, honey, I'm glad you're feeling better. I brought you some of your clothes, if you're ready to go home. Doctor Hudson said you were free to go any time. He did want to see you before you go, though."

"Alright, Dad, thanks for putting up with my mood lately. You've been a big help keeping me cheered up." I took the bag he held out and went to change in the bathroom What's funny is, I hadn't been back in there since I broke the sink. Someone must have come and replaced it while I was sleeping or moping around. Then it occurred to me I hadn't had to *use* the bathroom since the change! At least I'd never have to wait in line for bathroom privileges again, though a shower seemed like a really good idea.

"Give me a little bit, Dad, I need to wash up. I'll be right out!" The shower was warm and the water made my "skin" all tingly. I felt very refreshed and, well, healthy afterward, and I didn't even have to dry off, my leaves just kind of soaked up the extra water. While I was in there, it occurred to me I'd grown a few cup sizes, and a few inches taller. It was kind of weird, but really nothing compared to being turned into a walking flower garden. I took it in stride, and quickly slipped into the panties and jeans, but the bra just wasn't going to work anymore. I tried the t-shirt, one that had been a bit baggy on me before, and now it was a little tight up top, too. Great, I though, no bra and a top that doesn't cover much.

"Ummm, Dad, could I get a sweater or something? My top doesn't fit me right anymore."

"Okay, honey. I'll see what they have in the gift shop." It turns out I was in a new wing of Atlanta General, so what Dad brought back was an oversize sweater with "ATLANTA" in big bold blue letters. At least it wouldn't make me "stick out" any worse than any other ivy-girl with flower hair.

People in the street stared as Dad walked me out to the car. I tried not to let it get to me, but I flinched a little when some kids in the parking lot started laughing at me. It seems Dad used up one of his more powerful items to get me there in a hurry, but the ride back could be at a regular car pace. That was fine with me, I loved watching the countryside coast by while we drove. At least the plants on the side of the road didn't judge me.

It took a couple of hours to reach home, and in that time, I kind of dozed off in the sunlight again. Something about it felt so warm and good. When I woke up, little creeper vines were hanging out the window, over the dashboard, into the back seat, and even onto Dad a little bit. I think that's why he woke me, they were starting to get in the way.

"Honey, can you maybe move your... vines? I can't change gears without damaging them, and I don't want to hurt you."

"Sorry, Dad. They have a mind of their own sometimes. If I'm not paying attention, or if I'm sleeping, they just sort of wander." It was true, they usually wandered to the window in the hospital, for sunlight probably, but they never seemed to sit still. They even did it when I was just daydreaming. Sometimes they didn't want to come back, either, like now. "Ummm, Dad, they're not coming back." One of them twined around the steering wheel, while another tightened on the gearshift.

"Damn, I better pull over." Dad hit the clutch and pushed on the brakes, and the engine roared as a vine pushed the gas. With a sigh he turned off the engine, and we coasted to a stop, but he had to wrestle a vine for the steering wheel to get us off the road.

By that time I was almost in tears. "I'm sorry, Dad, they don't always do what I want them to... I didn't mean to almost get us in a wreck!"

"I know honey. Believe me, it took me a while to get hold of my powers, and the stronger they are, the harder they can be to control. Just take your time, and try to make them behave." Dad was always like that, nothing ever made him lose it. I guess it helped that I always tried to be a good daughter, we never really fought.

"You know what? When we get home, I'm going to start you on some basic magic control exercises. You'd always had the ability for magic, though I can't tell how much potential. But maybe whatever's been blocking you from learning magic is gone now. Maybe the exercises will help you control your vines too. Sound like a plan?"

"Okay, I'll try Dad. But for now..." I slowly pried the vines off the steering wheel and other controls, and stuffed them in the foot area of my seat.

"I think we can go now, as long as I'm watching them they shouldn't bother you, I'll just have to stay awake." At least we were most of the way home.

-----

As soon as we got home, Dad had me lead him to where I found the vines, but when we reached the spot, all we found was a horrible mess that smelled even worse than it looked. The vines had withered up and died, apparently several days before, maybe right after I found them in the first place. They had leaked yellow sap all over everything, and the other plants and trees around them didn't look very healthy either, like they were as nauseated by the mess as Dad and I. I resolved to come back now and then, to be sure that whatever it was didn't spread.

The next couple of weeks were some of my most frustrating ever. Dad was always patient, trying to teach me magic, but for some reason I just couldn't get it. I couldn't even do the simplest spells, though some of the meditation stuff was interesting, and I could almost feel the... well, potential is the closest word I could think of.

It was like a dammed up river, no matter how I tried to go at it, I couldn't do anything with it. Before, there was nothing, but now, I knew it was there, I just couldn't figure out how to use it. Dad said it was progress, I was sure it was just frustration.

And worse, those vines were acting up more than ever. Every morning I woke up with my bedroom destroyed, vines knocking everything over, hanging out the window, even putting roots into the ground outside. My morning wake up ritual had a whole new time-consuming problem, untangling the things from everything! But I found out the hard way it was better to untangle them than to cut or break them off. I got frustrated with some of the vines hanging out the window and refusing to un-root from the dirt and just broke the creepers, and it hurt! Just for a second, it felt like breaking a leg or something. On the other hand, all the vines crawled back in on their own when I did it.

Oh, and Dad found out a little more about the vine that started the whole thing, too. One of his friends, Sparrow, came to visit. She's a devisor, which means she makes machines that no one else can figure out. She has this cool jetpack that runs on solar energy. Anyway, when I peeked in to find out what the shouting was about, I caught Dad in the middle of a big tirade.

"-can you be so irresponsible?! If you have some magical plant that you've souped up with your devisor lights, how could you just fly around with it? Plants drop seeds, there could be more of those things all over the place! They could change everyone in Georgia into plants! The whole state could be overrun by faerie kudzu!"

"Listen, I'm sorry, I admit that was a stupid move. But I've been trying for weeks, no matter what I do, they die after no more than a week. I just can't keep them alive, faerie plants don't thrive in our soil. And I've gotten their pollen all over me, but I'm not changing. It had to have been something special about Alyssa, some interaction of the magical plant with her own latent powers. But either way, I promise you, I'll destroy all my samples as soon as I get back, and I'll patrol for any sign of them in the forest, if they do start to spread somewhere, I'll catch them. I'm really sorry about Alyssa..." I guess she saw me poking my head in the door because she looked startled for a minute, then waved.

"Oh, hey, Alyssa, didn't see you there at the door. Come on in, how're you feeling?" She seemed worried, but I shrugged.

"I'm okay. These stupid vines are getting into everything though. Is it true, am I really some kind of faerie plant now? I mean, now that I'm kinda used to the idea, well, if I have to be a plant at least I'm a special one, right?" She smiled at me when I said that, and I looked at Dad. He still looked a little mad, but he was settling down some.

"It's not her fault, Dad, if it was just the plant that did this, she'd be like me. It was an accident, and if it weren't for these annoying vines, I think I might kind of like it. But I'm just not getting this magic stuff, I can feel it, but it's like I'm doing something wrong." Sparrow looked at me a little odd, then at Dad.

"Hey, Eric, aren't there a bunch of different ways to do magic? I mean, you're great with magical devices and things, but if I remember right, you had a lot of trouble at first, because regular spells didn't work right for you, or something. Maybe she just has a different way of doing it than you do, you know?"

It still makes me laugh to remember Dad's face, having a basic concept about magic explained to him by someone who didn't know anything about magic. It was even funnier because she was right. His eyes were wide and his mouth just hung open like a fish! I didn't know real people even made faces like that.

"Sparrow, you're completely right. I've been trying to teach her symbols and equations and rituals, but if she's a faerie plant now, she'll probably do a lot better with faerie magic, or nature-based spells, I can't believe that didn't even occur to me! But, Alyssa honey, I don't know the first thing about nature or faerie magic, I'll have to send you to Whateley if you want to learn that. That's the school I went to, when I was your age. They could help you learn to control your powers, too. But it is a boarding school, which means you'd be living there instead of here with me, except summer and holiday vacations." I was a little stunned, I'd never been away from home long.

"Ummm, let me think about it, okay, Dad? I mean, school doesn't start for a couple of weeks yet, and that's a pretty big decision."

"It's a great place, Alyssa, and you'll fit in there, a lot more than any of us could ever fit into a regular public school. If you do decide to go, I want to cover your tuition, since it was my project that caused all this."

-----

I went outside to think about it, walking in the forest. That had changed too, not only did I know Dad was keeping a closer eye on me whenever I went out now, but everything felt different. The smells, the light, the feel of the dirt under my bare feet... It was even better than before, walking in the woods. I found my favorite tree, with a little niche right between its roots just perfect for me to sit in and think.

Did I want to go to Whateley? Dad had told me stories about it, and it seemed a bit crazier than regular public school, but then, if everyone were mutants with special powers, that made sense. Some of the stories he told me *had* to be made up though, no way would teachers allow students to fight! The only really important thing though, was did I want to leave home, for a chance to learn to control my magic, and my vines?

I turned it over and over in my head, as the sun slowly moved across the sky, beams filtering in through the tree canopy to drift across the bark onto my leafy skin. I don't know if I dozed off or just spaced off, thinking about it, but when I became alert again, I realized I had vines climbing around the tree, up it, rooting in its bark, in the ground around me, and generally rooting me to the spot, unable to move.

I struggled for several seconds, desperately willing the damned things back into me, or at least to let go and let me get up, but they didn't budge. It wasn't uncomfortable, but I was starting to think they wanted me to spend the rest of my life there. Life as a rooted plant did *not* seem like much fun.

"Help! Dad! Anybody!!" I screamed at the top of my breathy voice, and in a few short seconds Dad was standing next to me, holding one of his little magical things, it looked kind of like a Rubik's Cube but with weird symbols instead of colors.

"Dad! These stupid vines rooted me to the tree and I can't move!" I was crying by then, it was so damn frustrating! He carefully peeled the vines off of the bark, and as he did the little roots in the bark pulled out, instead of breaking off. At least it didn't hurt. It was, however, horrendously embarrassing,

"Do you really think Whateley can help me... control these stupid vines?" I sniffled and forced out.

"Honey, if anyone can, they can." He hugged me tight, once all the vines were pulled off, and they finally started retreating back into me.

"Okay, I'll go. But you better keep in touch!" He just hugged me more.

-----

It took me a while to pack, I tried to take only the things I needed, but it was hard to tell what I did, anymore. I needed clothes, and shoes and stuff, but most of my tops didn't fit anymore. Dad took me shopping, and let me buy almost a whole new wardrobe, but my color sense was kind of skewed too. I mean, when your skin color goes from fair with freckles to green, it kind of changes the colors you want to wear. Earth tones looked best on me now, though I did get some brightly colored gypsy skirts and blouses. Okay, so I'm no fashion Nazi, but I do like to look good, and they were what worked for my body.

Anyway, Dad said to pack light because I wouldn't likely have a lot of dorm space, and would probably have a roommate. I really hoped it would be someone nice. Dad filled out the paperwork for me, and Sparrow paid for my tuition like she said, but Dad said I should think about a part time job on campus, to help build character. I kind of got it, but I was a little more interested in making some spending money. Yeah, I know, Dad could afford to give me spending money, but if he was suggesting the job, I assumed it meant he probably didn't want to. Still, maybe it was a good idea, and I knew he'd be there for me if I really needed it, so it was worth a shot.

Dad decided to drive me up to Whateley, a twenty hour drive, but I didn't really want to take a train and be alone in a private car for the trip. He wasn't too enthused about me going alone anyway, such a long distance, so he just locked everything up and we left. Dad planned to take a 3 day trip, so that any time I started to feel sleepy, we could ind a place and rest, to keep from causing trouble with my vines again.

It's surprisingly boring, watching the roadside, trying to concentrate to keep my vines from doing anything unhelpful. I counted license plates from twenty three different states, including Alaska, I read most of a fantasy novel I'd packed for the trip, and even spent some time trying to make vines crawl out of my palm and back in, to see if they'd do it (they didn't).

On the plus side, the ride was uneventful, and Dad and I had lots of time to talk, about Whateley and how I was adjusting and his work and stuff. It really helped ass the time and I think Dad and I bonded some more. I love having such a great dad! Anyway, we finally arrived at these big iron gates, with a sign over them proclaiming "Whateley Academy." These two really creepy gargoyles stood over the gate posts; it felt like they were staring at me, even though they didn't have faces!

Dad made a call on his cell phone, letting someone know he was at the gates to bring me for admitting, and the gate swung open. The place looked like every picture of a private school I'd ever seen, with brick buildings, ivy on some of the walls, and carefully tended grounds along the driveway.

I looked around at the place I was to call home for the next nine months, minus vacations. It looked nice enough, not like a chaotic place with fights and armed guards and old magic things. The admitting process was pretty simple, since Dad had already done the paperwork and knew some of the staff apparently. One woman, Mrs. Hart seemed like the always angry type, and I made a note to avoid her, but most of the staff seemed nice.

Dad showed me around, even though he said the official freshmen orientation wouldn't start until Monday afternoon. I'd been assigned to Whitman Cottage, a girls' dorm, on the ground floor. Apparently the upperclassmen were assigned the higher floors, by year, which made little sense to me. I figured the best floor is the ground floor, no walking up and down stairs!

The great thing about being there early was, I got to pick which side of the room was mine, so I claimed the bunk under the window. Hopefully my roommate would be okay with it, but I wanted the sunshine. Dan helped me carry my stuff in, and I unpacked my clothes an things. A few other kids walked around campus, and I could see the school flag and a yellow flag waving on the flagpole outside my window.

The Whitman House Mother, Mrs. Savage, was very friendly. She was big, almost like a wrestler, but just didn't have that threatening attitude some people get. She asked if I needed any special accommodations, but I told her I couldn't think of anything. We had a late lunch/early supper at giant crystal dome building called Crystal Hall (What a creative name!), but I didn't feel very hungry so I mostly just sat with Dad while he ate. That's another thing I've given up since the change, I don't eat, or use the bathroom, and I drink in the shower.

After that, dad had to leave, but it was really hard watching him walk away, I felt like a piece of me was leaving too. I know it sounds sappy, but I always have been very close to him. I spent a little more time walking around campus, and even checked out the library, it was surprisingly big, and I leafed through a few books I found on nature and faerie magic, but I wasn't really paying much attention. All I could think of was that Dad would be back on I-95 right about then, and I didn't know anyone here.

I wandered back to my dorm as the sky darkened, and tried to get some sleep. Several other students had moved in about the same time I did, but not my roommate, and I didn't happen across any of them, so the whole place felt empty. Eventually sleep overtook me.

-----

I hadn't thought to set my alarm, so by the time I woke up Monday morning, the whole school was alive. Kids were moving in, staff were busy, and I, well, I was climbing out my window so I could get my hands on the creepers and uproot them. During the night, they'd opened the window, climbed out and rooted in the dirt outside, as well as the brick wall. There had to be some way to make them stop, I just couldn't spend all year with my window open at night!

Mrs. Savage appeared around the corner of the building and shook her head.

"Miss VanBuren, I see you have a problem here." She joined me to help out, and gently plucked vines from the brick and ground. "We'll have to find some way to control these vines of yours, and you really shouldn't be outside in your nightgown."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Savage, I can't keep them out of trouble when I'm asleep, they want to crawl all over things and out windows. That's why I came here..." She nodded, and smiled at me.

"Have you considered the possibility that maybe they're searching for your sustenance? Plants need water, nutrient-rich soil and sunlight to thrive, and I imagine your vines are no different." It was such an obvious answer, I can't imagine why I didn't think of it myself before then.

"I'll have your bed replaced with something more suitable today, and we'll see how it works. I think you'll find that tonight your vines don't wander so much." I blushed, embarrassed now, because the vines had finally retreated, and I was standing there in nothing but a nightgown, covered with dirt from digging up creepers while my house mother assessed my sleeping habits.

"I better go inside and get a shower and clean clothes. Thank you, Mrs. Savage!" I wonder if I left those speed lines like some of the speedsters do?

-----

The shower was embarrassing, I looked like I'd been rolling in the dirt, and some of the other girls stared at me. It couldn't have been my looks, I mean, yeah I was a plant, but one girl was almost all huge snake! A lot of the other girls looked different than normal humans, but I was definitely drawing attention, so it had to be the dirt caked on.

After the shower, I felt much better, and I decided to start out on a bright note, with one of my multicolor gypsy skirt and blouse combos. I was a little embarrassed because some of the girls were still watching me, but I shrugged it off and hurried back to my room. I arrived just in time to meet my new roommate.

"Oh hi! You must be my roommate! I guess you already picked the spot by the window? That's okay, as long as you don't mind me hanging out by it sometimes, it's a pretty nice view of the quad. My name's Sunny, what's yours?"

"Umm, hi, I'm Alyssa VanBuren. So, you're a freshman too, huh?" Yes, it was a lame bit of small talk, but she seemed like she could carry on the whole conversation by herself anyway. Not that I'd complain, she seemed really nice.

"Yeah, I'm new here. I can kind of control light, it's a pretty wild power, but I also glow like the sun all day and all night. So it's probably best that you get the window bed anyway, I'd just keep people awake. I hope it won't keep you awake. So how about you, can you do anything? I mean, the flower thing is cool, and you smell totally awesome, you could make a killing in the perfume market."

"Really? I mean, I guess I don't notice my flower scent, it's been with me ever since I woke up this way. And I supposedly have magic power, though I haven't been able to use it yet. And I have these vines that grow out of me, but they mostly just get into everything. Mrs. Savage is going to try something she thinks will help with that."

"That's cool, Mrs. Savage seems like a pretty nice, I asked her about my roommate before I met you, and she was all, 'I think you'll like her, she's very distinctive!' and I was like, 'Okay, cool, as long as she's not all pushy and stuff.' Mrs. Savage smiled, so I figure she's not gonna be a bitch like my stepmom. Anyway, I know we'll get along, you're a good listener, and I totally talk too much!"

I couldn't help but laugh at that. We chatted a little longer before Mrs Savage gathered all the freshmen together for orientation. She showed us this vault full of interesting stuff, apparently it was all gifts from people that graduated from Whateley and made it big. It kind of gave me a little more hope the school could really teach me to control my body and magic.

Mrs. Savage also showed us around campus, but I'd seen most of it yesterday when Dad showed me around, so it wasn't really anything new. But it was nice to be reminded where everything was, so I knew I wouldn't get lost. She warned us to stay away from the forest, but I was more curious than worried. It was just a forest right? Sure kids get lost, but I knew how to track myself well enough, and I really missed the forest back home already.

So, since classes wouldn't officially start until Tuesday, Sunny and I, along with maybe half of Whitman Cottage, just settled in and hung out in the large common room. Girls would filter in and out from their rooms or from outside, but I decided to just find a sunny spot next to a window and relax. Sunny was nearby, talking up a storm, and it was kind of like getting sun from both sides even. And surprisingly, a lot of girls came to talk to me.

"Hey, I love the flowers! What kinds of powers do you have? Those flowers smell wonderful! What classes are you in? Ooh, you're in my Magical Theory class! Can you do any magic yet? Do you read Harry Potter? Do you play GEO? How did you get your powers and stuff?" I was starting to get a little embarrassed by the attention, but it felt kind of good, too. No one called me a freak, or laughed at me, and they all seemed to want to know about me!

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't the center of attention really, but it was definitely more attention than I was used to. Not that I minded. I made more friends that first day than I ever had in my old school, and ones I didn't have to keep secrets from. It was a lot of fun, and before I knew it the trees started casting their shadows in the window and everyone began filtering out to the Crystal Hall for supper.

I was a little overwhelmed still, but in a good way, so I didn't follow everyone to supper. Instead I pulled back the vines that had climbed to the window from my shoulder and left for my room. Attention and excitement were great, but I wanted some peace and quiet too.

I spent a moment staring at what had replaced the bed under the window, it looked kind of like a waterbed frame, but inside it was a patch of what looked like potting soil. At first I thought maybe it was a prank, but then I remembered Mrs. Savage suggesting my vines wanted to root and get nutrients for soil, so I just shrugged and accepted it. Still, it seemed like an awful mess come morning.

I sat on my dirt bed and looked through my class schedule. The morning classes were all regular academics: Science, Algebra, History, English, and the like. After lunch came the weird ones: Magic Theory, Powers 101, Martial Arts and Costuming. Tuesday promised to be a whole new school experience.

I decided to go look in the mirror, I had kind of been avoiding it since waking up in the hospital. I know, going weeks without thinking about your appearance is maybe a little crazy, but it was still a bit of a shock, and I wasn't ready to deal with it. But not one person had thought I was a freak yet at Whateley, and I guess I wanted to know if I was as attractive as a lot of the girls seemed to think.

The first thing I noticed were the flowers. They bloomed like hair from my head, in every color I could ever imagine a flower being. Tiny little flowers, similar to foxglove but smaller and brighter. They hung down to the middle of my back, but they didn't look at all crushed from me leaning back on them when I was sitting earlier. My skin was tiny green leaves, three-pointed and fitting together almost like scales. My eyes were some sort of small fruit, sort of like an olive, but white, with green irises. They looked almost like they used to, except with tiny green veins instead of red, and I even had eyebrows, made up of tiny little vines growing like hair, arched higher and thinner than before. My lips were a little fuller than before, but not much, and my cheekbones a little higher. My ears were almost like elf ears, they stuck out from the flowers with high-swept lobes, but it just made me look somehow mystical.

If I'd had the same body shape, back before all this, I would definitely have been a lot more popular in school, no matter how much I pushed people away. I looked like a busty cheerleader, except for the green leafy look and elf ears. And apparently something about the way I smelled was attractive too, though I couldn't really tell. I mean, I knew I had a flowery smell, but I was used to it.

Sunny walked in while I was staring into her mirror, and waved.

"Hey, I didn't see you at supper, I guess you weren't hungry? Hey, neat new bed! Guess you needed a flower bed, huh?" she giggled and I couldn't help but smile, she seemed too friendly to be making fun of me.

"Yeah, well, as long as my vines don't go climbing out the window at night. Might not be much fun come winter. Still, it's gonna mean a lot more work keeping things clean." Sunny nodded then shrugged.

"Yeah, but no big deal. I mean, I'm not a neat freak. We can take turns vacuuming every day. Anyways, you should totally come to Crystal Hall for meals, even if you're not hungry, it's a great place to hang out and stuff. And there was already a fight today too, nobody was hurt or anything, but it was really exciting!"

"It's alright, Sunny, I'm a little worn and just wanted some time to myself. I'm not used to being the life of the party." I grinned at her sheepishly, and she laughed.

"Well, get used to it, you're hot, you smell like *totally* awesome, and you're my roomie, and I *love* to party. We're gonna bring this school to life!"

"I better get some sleep then, if you're gonna keep me that busy!"

 
"This is fan fiction for the Whateley Academy series. It may or may not match the timeline, characters, and continuity, but since it's fan fiction, who cares? To see the canon Whateley Stories, check out Whateley Academy at ( http://www.crystalhall.org )"

---

 
Chapter 2: Alyssa in Wonderland
 
 
I woke up feeling brighter and more energetic than ever before. Mrs. Savage was right, the vines never left the window. The soil was full of creepers, and several vines spilled over the side and crawled over to bask in Sunny's light, but the window was closed. A few vines had however pulled the curtains open, and I decided sleeping nude was not likely to be a good idea. Not that I ever did, but definitely not time to start.

Sunny was a little startled at first, waking up to find vines looming over her, in fact her little screech is what woke me up. But they immediately pulled away from her and back into me, sliding under the leaves all over my body, and she settled down.

"Sorry, Sunny, I didn't mean to scare you. They have a mind of their own, and I guess they liked the light."

"Yeah, it's okay, I just wasn't expecting it. Like an old B-movie, you know? But you're totally *not* a movie monster, so no big. But I gotta get ready, I have English first thing. See you later!" With that she was off to the showers, while I carefully dusted all the loose potting soil back into my bed. It wasn't perfect, but it was a big improvement.

I reached the showers just as Sunny was leaving, and today several of the other girls waved and talked while we cleaned up for class. One of them, Melanie (who's power had something to do with tones and sounds) asked if I was sleeping outside in the dirt, but I just laughed and told her, "Something like that." and she laughed too, so apparently it wasn't mean-spirited.

The morning classes were boring, and even seemed a little easier than usual. At lunch time I sat with Sunny and a bunch of other girls, but only to talk with them. It was actually pretty fun, being included in things, though the girls got pretty graphic, talking about boys. I mean, I've talked with girls at school about guys that were hot before, but this was a whole different level, and they just got raunchier and raunchier after a while. Everybody at the table was blushing, I felt like I definitely was, but it didn't stop them. Thankfully they were pretty quiet about it, and in the noise of the cafeteria, I didn't think anyone else could hear.

When the bell rang, I was pretty sure everyone was a little weirded out about it. All of us were almost panting, even me, and I hadn't been contributing to the discussion! Still, it was naughty and exciting stuff, and I guess it got everybody worked up. At least everybody seemed to cool off when we left the Crystal Hall.

My next class was Powers Theory. It was really interesting, the first day we discussed the broad classifications of powers and abilities. I mean, I already knew I was a mage, but there are so many other classifications, and you can be several at once. I figured I was an exemplar, because my body was conforming to a shape I wasn't born with, and that made me wonder if I could regenerate, or had super strength. Those traits tend to go hand in hand with exemplars. I wasn't ready to go hurting myself to see if I heal up fast or anything, but I did break that sink in the hospital right after I changed...

There were also warpers, who can well, warp things, like energy, matter or space. Psychics, whose powers were based on altering physical force by willpower alone or sensing the thoughts and emotions of others. Energizers, who produce energy of some sort from their bodies. Sunny was a pretty good example of that. We didn't have time to go into detail that first day; there were way too many possibilities and unique cases to talk about. Most of the class seemed really excited to try and classify their own powers, and the teacher had to call order several times.

Then came Principles of Magic. Mrs. Ophelia Tenant, also known as Caduceus, taught the class with a bright cheeriness that seemed to grab everyone's attention and hold it. All the boys nearby seemed especially interested in her, the desks did little to hide the fact that several were shifting around in their seats and setting textbooks in their laps as she talked facing the class, her long blonde hair writing notes on the blackboard in chalk. It was funny, watching them squirm, I couldn't blame them, either; she was a very beautiful woman. I tried to pay attention because this was the subject I wanted to learn most, but the hair kept drawing my attention. It seemed almost to have a life completely its own!

Still, Principles was a really good class for magic, we started out with basic ideas, things Dad taught me years before. Magic is simply forcing your will onto the fabric of reality. Really, anyone can learn some magic, we use it every day, simply by believing in things. But to do it intentionally, noticeably and control it, takes a lot of concentration, practice, and usually a certain amount of talent. Some types of magic are actually part of your being, like faerie magic, only those born with it can use those types. According to Dad, I had something like that, and if my body was any example, it was likely something to do with nature, or faerie.

After Principles of Magic came Martial Arts. Not something I'd ever tried, but it was either that or some survival class that Sunny had told me was the same as declaring yourself a victim. The teacher had us call him Sensei Ito, and he was actually nice, in a pinch-faced kind of way. He had us all show him what we know, and I was one of a small few that didn't know anything. I'd never been in a fight at all, but some of the things some of the other kids could do... There were kids dressed up as ninjas, and others who looked like extras on one of those martial arts movies. Most of them moved really fast, and did things I couldn't even see clearly. There was a bouncy black girl who almost nobody could even touch, and this tiny little girl who had to be twelve at the most, who did moves I know would have thrown me around like nothing. It was kind of depressing, because I was way behind most of the class.

Sensei Ito paired up the more experienced kids and told them to spar, and had another teacher start showing us some basic stances and breathing exercises. I did my best to follow along, and the breathing stuff really was pretty relaxing. The class was almost boring, and it seemed to last forever, by the time it was over the other newbies were mostly sweating and breathing hard, but I didn't feel winded or tired at all. Obviously my plant body had different needs, and I started to wonder, what exactly might help me grow. I mean, I knew the science of how to make plants grow, even if they always seemed to die at my hands. Would I need special plant foods, or soil nutrients? I didn't think I'd need pesticides, unlike most plants I could just brush bugs off of me if they bothered me. But still, it was something to think about, as I stood, feet shoulder-width apart, making punching movements, breathing evenly. Of course, by the time the sensei stopped us, I had several creepers crawling across the floor, thankfully none of them had taken root in the wood of the floor, they might have expected me to fix the damage.

After classes, I started walking back to Whitman cottage. Powers Theory and Principles of Magic had already given me a lot to think about, and I really wanted to get the vines under better control. Sometimes they did what I wanted, so there had to be some trick to controlling them. I was so engrossed in thought, I didn't see the big guy in heavy metal armor, like some kind of medieval knight. It didn't exactly hurt when I bounced off him, but it definitely surprised me.

"What manner of creature art thou?" He said it sort of curiously, not with a mean tone, and offered a gauntlet to me, so I let him help me back up.

"Umm, I'm Alyssa." I wasn't about to try and clarify what I was, on the one hand that should be obvious, but on the other hand I wasn't sure of the details myself. Either way, it seemed rude of him to ask.

"Ah, I see." He said it in a voice which plainly told me he did *not* see, but continued. "I am called Ironstar. I apologize for my rudeness just now, I did not mean to be so insensitive. You simply caught me by surprise."

"Don't worry about it. I have to... um, go. Bye!" Okay, so I wasn't exactly a social butterfly. But he was tall, and strong, and had those chiseled features, and I kind of felt like I should be bowing or kissing his ring or something. It was embarrassing and I guess I bolted.

I wasn't really paying much attention where I was going though, just trying to get away before I embarrassed myself any more, and I almost ran into someone else. I think I mumbled something like, "Excuse me" to the tall elf-looking girl, and kept moving. I was almost starting to get used to the fact that a large number of kids around here looked like supermodels, but that girl with the elf ears made even them look plain and boring.

That's when I realized I'd gone completely the wrong way, and was near Poe Cottage. I didn't know much about the other dorms, but I was pretty sure Poe was coed, and I didn't really want to run into any more Adonis types right then. Or supermodel elf-girls, really. So I ducked off the path and into the bushes, then just started walking. My homework would wait, I needed to get away from people for a while, and I could see the trees, looming in front of me just like the ones back home.

The trees seemed almost to part, like they were letting me in, and close up behind me, but the forest back home felt a lot like that too, so I barely noticed. It was wonderful, the smells of the forest, so similar, yet colder, crisper. I could feel it all around me, welcoming me, urging me to explore. I felt none of the confusion other people stirred in me. At least the forest was simple, yet so very alive.

There were flowers, vines, ferns and all sorts of plant life around the bases of the monstrous ancient trees, almost like a carpet, a path laid out to welcome a celebrity. It felt intoxicating, and I think I kind of lost myself for a while. Suddenly I was standing in in front of an especially ancient tree, so huge I felt like an ant in its presence.

I felt a sense of welcome, like finding home again, much more intense than anything before. Almost as if the tree, or the forest itself (it seemed wrong somehow to think of the ideas as separate) were inviting me to stay.

"Are you... talking to me?" It seemed a silly thing to say, but no one was around, so I didn't care. Several branches swayed in the wind, almost as if nodding.

"Did you lead me here? What is this place?" Suddenly I felt overwhelmed by a staggering sense of age, a feeling like watching the first generations of humankind swing in my branches only recently. Then I felt a really nice sensation of welcome, like I was already part of the forest, or the tree, or both.

"You want me to stay here? Well, I'll be going to Whateley nearby, I'd love to come out here every day... I love the feel o..." I trailed off because the feeling slowly changed as I spoke. It was getting more intense, almost suffocating now. I felt like I was drowning in the forest's mind, it was crushing me under the weight of its age. It wanted to keep me forever!

I tried to run, stumbling back the direction I'd come in, but the soft wide path was gone, choked by underbrush so thick I couldn't even see between the leaves. It was like a brick wall!

"I... can't! You can't... keep me here!" It was a struggle to think, to speak with that huge consciousness crushing me. I felt like I was going to black out, but I knew if I did, I'd never wake up, I'd just be another part of the forest, a new vine growing amongst its collective life. I *had* to fight!

Then I felt a weird sort of slithering like my skin was crawling but a hundred times more creepy, and suddenly I could see that huge tree, looming, from every side, like I was all around it. It pushed at me and I squeezed around it. I can't describe the feeling, but thorns grew from me, and they felt like tiny bits of rage, writhing and twisting, digging into the bark of the tree, peeling it back to expose the wood flesh underneath.

The forest crushed down harder, tinged with anger and confusion, and I just squeezed harder, squeezing like I was holding onto the last tuft of grass on the edge of a cliff. My thorns dug further in, twisting and burrowing like tiny drills. It seemed nonsensical, but I was sure those tiny little thorns were actually doing damage!

That crushing weight lifted suddenly, replaced by wariness edged with respect, and as it lifted I stopped squeezing. The thorns seemed to pull back though I could feel them, still wriggling, almost grasping. But now I was pissed off. It was bad enough my entire life being fucked up by turning into a plant, but no way was I going to let some forest try to suck me in forever. It was a violation, and I wanted to make damn sure it wasn't gonna happen again.

"You can't have me! You think you're tough, but I'm fucking kudzu and I'll choke this whole damn forest to death if you try that shit!" The big tree seemed to loom over me, and the path back was still blocked, but the crushing feeling did not return and that sense of respect didn't go away. I noticed at that point I was actually in the air, held up by an explosion of my vines, still wrapped around trees and brush, ready to squeeze again.

The forest was resolute; it wanted something from me, but was asking instead of trying to take this time, though that sense of confusion still lingered. I wasn't sure, but I could kind of guess it didn't understand why I wouldn't want to be part of it forever. But I was way too mad to care about the feelings of the tree-slash-forest. I was just about to ask what the hell it wanted from me, when the image seemed to grow in my mind, a clearing full of my vines, and me walking out of the forest easily.

"I don't know how to give you my vines, and even if I did, you haven't earned *my* respect yet. What do *I* get in return?" Indignation grew all around me, but I just tightened my grip, not squeezing but reminding that I could, and I was pretty sure it was ready to compromise, but I had no idea what it could give me in return. I mean, it was a forest!

Then the welcoming feeling came back, not crushing, but comfortable, like home. A pleasant feeling like thinking about Dad, or maybe a friend, but bigger, filled me. It was offering me a place to call home, and its companionship. First it tried to eat me, now it wanted me to be its friend? Then a thought occurred to me.

"Magic. Can you help me learn to control my vines and unblock my magic? No tricks, no trying to force me into anything, just you help me, and I'll try to give you what you want. Deal?" For several moments nothing happened. Just when I was about to talk again, just to break the stillness, I felt a sort of grudging acceptance. Somehow I was sure it would hold to this deal, that it would help me learn. I cautiously let my vines relax their grip some. I still didn't know why they'd do what I wanted one minute and the opposite a moment later, but for now I was glad they were working with me.

"Now... How do I give you what you want?"

The forest showed me an image, much clearer at this point than a few minutes before, of me walking along a path, once again clear and welcoming, a short distance to a clearing, then, a vine snaking out from under my skin (it's funny, that was the first time I saw that from a perspective other than my own, and it was *creepy*) and taking root in the ground. Then the me in the image reached out and broke off where the vine met my foot. It looked like it would probably hurt a lot.

"Is it going to hurt?" This time there was no image, just the feeling of an old branch, strong with live wood, bending against its natural growth, straightening agonizingly, then breaking off. The feeling hurt, and it *hurt*. Like the pain of losing something truly treasured, like giving up a piece of what makes you, you. The forest was being very clear about what it wanted from me, and apparently it was a lot. And it obviously had no intention of letting me leave without giving it, even if it meant a fight. I may have acted tough before, but I was pretty sure then that the forest was holding back, and I could be crushed in a moment if it really wanted.

The vines gripping the trees and digging into everything around me began to retreat, and I lowered to the ground slowly, as a path grew through the previously impassable forest. My clothes looked like they'd been through a wood chipper, but I tried to pull things together into something resembling modesty, grabbed my backpack off the ground where I'd dropped it, and started along the path.

Shortly I reached the clearing, exactly as the mental image had shown it. I kind of felt invincible at that point, after all, I'd passed the test of an ancient enchanted forest and survived. I was pretty sure I was some kind of serious badass. So, it was kind of disappointing when I tried to will the vine to grow out of me and root in the ground of the open space, and absolutely nothing happened. I felt a little push from the forest around me, guiding my concentration, and then I felt myself pushing, making that small piece of myself extend, feel, feed. Slowly, a vine crept from my right ankle, quested around, and rooted in several places in the clearing, still growing.

Was I sure of this? No. But it was this, or die in this place, and take as much as I could with me. Gritting my teeth, I carefully gripped the vine where it grew from my leafy skin, and broke it off.

It *hurt*.

I felt old, tired, the kind of feeling I imagined it might be like to watch my own children's funerals, the soul-crushing emptiness of total aloneness. There was a hole in my heart, my soul, and I was simply going to leak out of it. Then the forest around me poured in, filling my soul with warm sunshine, life-giving water, and the richness of the earth. A branch dropped a single, way-too-large acorn into my hand, and suddenly it was over.

I picked myself up off the ground where I'd fallen in the agony of that moment with sticky, sappy tears dripping from the leafy skin of my cheeks, and knelt resting against a nearby tree. I don't know how long I knelt there and cried, but by the time I really became aware of things again, the sky filtering through the sparse covering of the clearing was black, with tiny pinpricks of stars here and there between the leaves. I was angry, but it was a hollow sort of anger.

"You... Why didn't you tell me... What did you make me do?" I raged at the trees, and very nearly tried to choke the vegetation into submission, but I just couldn't. It felt like a part of me now. An alien, unfamiliar part, but a part that filled a hole, without which I might just die. I pulled myself up against the tree, and turned away from where a small garden of me was now growing.

The trees parted for me once again, for which I was grateful; I had no idea how to get back to Whateley and if it was already dark, I was probably in trouble that would get worse the longer I stayed out. It seemed like only minutes before I reached the edge of the trees, only a few hundred feet away from Melville Cottage. As I left the trees, I felt a sort of wistfulness coupled with that welcoming feeling, apparently I was welcome to return and visit any time now. I could almost swear I hear the wind whispering in the trees, "Come back soon, daughter..."

Fat chance of that.

Though, judging by the looks of the faces of the thee men with Whateley Security badges and the Native American man who stood waiting at the edge of the forest, I might be a bit less welcome back at Whateley. I was ashamed, I had been warned to stay away from the forest. I was in trouble, and it looked like bad trouble.

"Miss VanBuren, please come with us."
 

*          *          *
 
"So, tell me again why you went into the forest, even after you were warned at orientation that the woods were off limits." The security man seemed to want me to repeat my story several times. I read about this, the more he made me repeat it, the more likely I would slip up if I was lying. So I told the truth. Most of it anyway. I got the feeling Doctor Lodgeman, the Native American teacher, knew more than I was saying, but he didn't say anything.

"Well, okay, I sort of freaked out because I was embarrassed, because I ran into that Ironstar guy, and then I almost ran into some elf girl and she looked surprised and kinda mad, and I just kinda ran for it. I wasn't really thinking, and I used to walk in the forests at home all the time. So I kinda ended up in the trees, and there was this path, so I followed it. Then this huge ancient tree tried to crush my mind like a psychic or something, but I fought back, and it was like it respected that, and it stopped. Turns out all it wanted was a leaf cutting. Please don't kick me out, I know I screwed up, but I'm really sorry..."

"Young lady, I just want you to understand the danger you put yourself into. You would not be the first student to enter those trees and never come out. There are nastier things than trees in there, and if that's all you ran into consider yourself lucky."

"Don't worry. I'm never going back into that place again." Chief Delarose glowered in a way that told me he was sure I was lying, and he didn't like it.

"Well, you're on probation as of now, and you will be watched carefully." I felt my heart jump at the pronouncement, the last thing I wanted was to get in trouble an maybe even get kicked out! Mister Lodgeman stared at me for a moment, then nodded.

"There will be no need for that, Chief Delarose. She entered The Grove and spoke to it, and came back." His stony face never changed through the speech, but I thought maybe he sounded like he respected me; or maybe it was The Grove he respected, the way he said it sounded like it deserved capital letters.

"Alright, Doctor Lodgeman, but I want a full examination of Miss VanBuren, to make sure she is unharmed, and to classify her abilities and establish a baseline so we can watch her for changes."

"Of course. But I think it is safe enough that we can let the girl get some sleep, and attend classes tomorrow."

I almost jumped up and kissed the man, I was so tired I felt like I could die. I barely remember the walk back to Whitman, and I was asleep before I could even settle into the soft soil.
 

*          *          *
 
I woke up the next morning with the sun shining down on my face, warming me and filling me with energy again. Its twin on the opposite side of the room, was busily gently untangling herself from creeper vines, but they withdrew the moment I thought of it.

"I'm sorry... I really will get them under control." I noticed with a glance at Sunny's mirror, I *could* in fact blush, I just turned a somewhat darker shade of green.

"It's okay, it wasn't such a surprise today. I guess they like the light I give off. Besides, they really do smell great, it's nice to wake up to that." I figured she was right about the light thing, even sleeping she glowed pleasantly. I brushed the worst of the dirt off me again, trying to remember to clean it up after class, and headed for the showers again. Today there weren't very many girls in the showers, so I ignored the odd look here and there and cleaned up.

Classes passed by quickly, I guess because the teachers were keeping things interesting, and keeping me busy. It was surprisingly easier to concentrate, after the night before I'd imagined it would be hard to focus at all. That helped a lot, especially when it came time for Martial Arts.

Sensei Ito noticed right away that I was getting motions and stances right easily, and moved me into the next section of class, with kids who'd been practicing for a year or more. By the time class was over, my arms burned like fire, but maybe even scarier than how hard he was pushing me was how fast I was picking it up. I mean, martial arts can take people years, even whole lifetimes to really learn. But I was in a groove, and I barely had to think about what I wanted to do, only to find myself doing it.

Before I'd even reached the showers my body stopped hurting again, and I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the kids who didn't recover so fast. I was starting to think maybe I was a regenerator. It would make sense, vines grow really fast, so maybe I would heal really fast too. Not that I had any interest in hurting myself to find out. But according to our powers theory class, another sign of regeneration was fast recovery after exercise. The day before I hadn't even gotten winded, and today I'd shrugged off some really heavy work like it was nothing!

After classes, a big guy with a security badge met me outside the gym.

"Alyssa VanBuren, right? I'm supposed to show you to the medical wing for some testing." I'd completely forgotten they wanted to poke and prod at me... Oh well, obviously they weren't going to forget, so it'd be better to just get it over with.

"Oh, yeah, sure thing." He led me to the big medical building, stopping to explain at the front desk, and then led me to a room that looked more like a weightlifting gym than any hospital room. He told me to wait for the doctor, then left me alone in the room. I sat on a bench and waited. It's so annoying the way doctors always make you wait before they show up.

"Ah, Miss VanBuren. I'm Doctor Bellows, I'll be doing the physical portion of your testing today. Professors Caduceus and Lodgeman will be joining us shortly to conduct your magic testing. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to begin." The testing was strange. Some of it was obvious enough, they had me run on a treadmill like forever, and lift a bunch of different weights and stuff, when the weights got really heavy, some vines creeped out and dug into the floor tiles to steady me. The weird part is, every time I thought I couldn't lift any more weight, they added more and I lifted it!

Then Professor Caduceus and Doctor Lodgeman showed up. They'd clearly been talking about me, because the moment they showed up, they stopped talking in spite of the fact that they'd obviously been in the middle of some discussion.

"Okay, what's going on? I mean, I know that I messed up last night, but I'm okay, and I promise I didn't hurt anything out there..." Doctor Lodgeman shook his head, still giving that same stony look.

"Why don't you tell us what really happened in the forest last night? Had you even noticed your new bit of jewelry?" I glanced at my left wrist where he gestured, and there was a simple wooden bracelet! I'd gone through an entire day without noticing it at all! On close inspection, I found it had roots in my arm, it wasn't going anywhere, and I didn't want to pull on it anyway. It felt like it belonged there.

"It's faerie magic, that much I know for sure. The bracelet is a living part of a tree, sapwood, from a very old tree for sure. I think it may be living ironwood. May I see your wrist, dear? I want to examine it." I knew I could trust Professor Tenant, she seemed very natural and kind of motherly, so I didn't resist when her hair reached out and gently pulled my arm closer for her to inspect. Doctor Lodgeman was a little harder to trust, with that expressionless face.

"Yes, definitely ironwood. There is no solid enchantment on it, just a binding connection with you, Alyssa. I can feel it pulsing in time with your heartbeat. The Grove must have given you this, but why? Normally it doesn't just gift people with things, even those it does allow entrance. I'm a little surprised it allowed you, even if you are a creature of nature."

"I don't know why really. I just ran into the woods, and I was there... I really didn't mean to. It's just, I always felt most at home in he forests around my house growing up. And the forest welcomed me, it was even more like going home than going home, you know?" I felt like I was trying to explain that water is wet.

"Yes, The Grove most assuredly welcomed you into its sacred home. Then what happened?" I didn't really want to tell anyone, but for some reason I couldn't resist answering, and it all came pouring out of me like a broken dam.

"The forest... It tried to take me, to turn me into part of itself, but I fought back. My vines were choking the life out of some of the trees around me, thorns digging through bark, roots sucking out life and sap... I could have done some damage to the forest, I think, but it would have swallowed me too. Then I made a deal with it. It wanted part of me so I asked it to help me in return. It was the only way to get away! And it hurt so much, I never thought it would hurt so much..." I'm not sure at what point in that whole rant I fell off the bench, but it seemed like hours later I came back to my senses to find I was crying all over Professor Tenant, getting nasty green sap all over her dress. She didn't seem to mind though, and I was too drained to care.

"It's okay, Alyssa. You did the best you could. Do you want to hear what I think happened?" I didn't trust myself to answer coherently, so I just nodded.

"You must have been drawn to The Grove, probably from the moment you left Whateley campus grounds. Maybe even before. Once there, it tested you in its own way, and asked you to give up... a part of your essence, your soul. It's a terrible thing to go through, losing part of one's soul, and I think if not for that bracelet you would have died. It's not something you just get over, it will take years for you to really understand, but you have survived, and you will recover in time. That bracelet seems to have a portion of the essence of The Grove. I don't pretend to understand all of it, but I think you must not damage that bracelet, it may be that for a time you cannot survive without it. I don't think The Grove would have killed you, you don't seem the type that would try to force your way in or damage the land, but it apparently wanted a strong connection to you."

I'd kind of figured something like that, but hearing it actually put into words somehow made it seem more final, more permanent. Thankfully, Doctor Lodgeman changed the subject.

"So, you managed to fight The Grove to a stalemate. That's quite a feat. You mentioned vines and thorns. Can you show me them?"

I nodded, and concentrated, but nothing happened. Then I remembered how it felt the night before: the questing, probing, feeding feeling, and held on to it, directing it. A creeper slipped out of my ankle beneath the long crinkled tie-dye skirt I had on and across the floor, then lifted up to poke at Doctor Lodgeman's foot. He didn't seem at all concerned, until it twined around his ankle. I could feel it wanting to put out roots, but I didn't think Doctor Lodgeman would like that, so I made it keep to itself, and it slowly pulled away. It was almost like a conversation, the way I had with the tree, but not really the same, the vine was part of me after all. It just seemed to have its own instincts, that I had to control and direct.

"That was... interesting. And the thorns?"

"I... I don't know. They only came out when I was sure I was going to die. They felt weird too, like they wanted to dig in, they felt hungry and angry, but that's not really the right words. I'm not sure, but I think that impressed the forest as much as my vines choking it out."

I trailed off, because Doctor Lodgeman had turned a little pale. It was almost unnoticeable, except he never seemed to change expression, so even a little color change was a pretty big deal. But he didn't say anything, and just nodded. I started to think I'd just imagined the whole thing.

"Very well, but be very careful, that sounds like a dangerous weapon. I don't have to tell you what kind of trouble you could get in for hurting other students, right? Now, moving along, if you'll please follow me, I'll show you to the testing area for magic. We can test for a variety of magic styles, but the nature of magic is such that it can be hard to truly define." Caduceus directed me across the hall and a few doors down, to a room with a circle on the floor, inscribed with a series of runic markings around the inside edge. It looked almost exactly like I imagined a demon summoning circle might, the kind you see in creepy occult movies when some idiot calls up evil things and invariably gets screwed in the deal.

"If you'll kindly step into the protective circle, we can begin the test. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe, it exists only to protect the rest of the building from any magical forces you might bring about. Of course, it's almost never necessary, but better safe than sorry. Now, the various runes inscribed are detection runes of different sorts. They will glow when magic is used inside the circle, which also serves to keep them from reacting to ambient magic from nearby sources."

As Caduceus explained, I cautiously stepped into the circle. It tingled in a sort of creepy way as I stepped over the lines, but nothing else seemed to happen, so I just tried to trust her.

"Alright, now stand in the center please, and we'll try some basic methods used to touch your inner magic."

She ran me through several of the exercises she'd covered in class already, as well as a few I'd read ahead on in my textbook, but none of them seemed to do anything. Most of them didn't make much sense anyway, but I guess that's kind of the point. It *is* magic after all. The closest I came was when I was told to imagine myself a flower, opening up to the rays of the sun, drawing energy from light above and earth below, feeling that energy flowing through me... That made my flowers brighten and bloom, and my vines creep out near my feet and try to put roots into the floor. At the same time, a rune that Caduceus later told me signified natural magics flickered a bit.

"I don't understand. You are a creature of magic, it only makes sense that you'd be able to *use* that magic. Have you noticed any odd happenings around you, that might have been manifestations of your magical ability? Maybe it's something we don't know how to test for."

"Not really. I always kind of felt like I was blocked, you know? I don't know how or why, it's just one of those things about me, like how plants always die when I try to make them grow. I dunno, though, maybe I just don't have any magical ability."

"It's hard to be sure, but I'd be very surprised to find out that was true. You obviously have some natural magic involved with your body, at the very least, and I'm fairly certain you can learn to control your ability and utilize that inherent magical energy. We'll just have to find out what's blocking you and help you overcome it."

"I guess so. It's just, everybody seems to think I have all this magical power, but I can't seem to do anything with it. Which amounts to the same thing as not having any anyway."

"Okay, we have a few more tests to run, also, I believe I can identify the species of faerie plant that you seem to be made up of. I want to look it up first to be sure, and in the meantime, Doctor Bellows will accompany you to the next testing area." Doctor Bellows appeared as if on cue, and led the way back towards the first room, but instead to a room mostly taken up by a large machine with a door in it.

"Alright, Miss VanBuren, this next test will be quick and easy, just step inside and this machine will scan your physical makeup. Don't worry about privacy, these are part of your medical records and will never be publicly available."

I guess most students might be worried about intimate measurements and the like being traded around campus, but I wasn't too concerned. The test was fairly quick, I just stood there while the machine scanned me like on some science fiction movie. When it was over, Caduceus had returned with a book.

"Alyssa, I've found it. Now, I want you to look at this and tell me if it looks familiar." She showed me a page in a book that she'd obviously just pulled from a shelf and tried to dust off, the pages were crackly and yellowish and had old dust clinging to the top of them.

"Hey, it's the creeper vine that turned me into this! Seal-air an Croy? What kind of name is that?"

"It's Sealaire an Chroá­, it translates something like heart-hunter. Your leaves and blooms match the description perfectly, as does what you've said about the thorns you described. It was a very dangerous plant, and very rare, even in the realm of the fae. It has been mostly destroyed, because of the danger it presents. The plant lures unsuspecting creatures to it with pheromones tailored to each creature, then its thorns burrow into the flesh to reach the heart, killing its victims. You were very lucky to have survived meeting such a plant in the wild. In any case, you should be careful, the thorns of this plant are dangerous even to high level regenerators. If you inherited that particular trait with the plant, you could easily end up on the Ultraviolent list." She said all of this with a very matter-of-fact air, but I felt my heart pounding. I could kill someone without even meaning to? By all rights, that plant should have killed me when I first found it? It was terrifying!

"I believe she has already manifested that trait, it is part of what served her in The Grove. Thankfully, there's been no sign of the thorns since. I am going to recommend that security keep an eye out just in case, I understand it can be difficult to learn to control your abilities when they first manifest, and it's best to be safe rather than sorry." Doctor Lodgeman nodded thoughtfully as he sealed my fate.

"Also, I believe you inherited the pheromone trait. Have you noticed other students being drawn to you, or commenting on the... bouquet of your hair?"

"Well, yeah, I guess I have been a little more popular than I expected. I mean, people kind of stare at me, but I thought that was just because I'm green, you know? And Sunny told me I smell really good. So, people will like me more, that's definitely a good thing."

"I'd consider it a mixed blessing, but hopefully it won't cause too many problems. Doctor Bellows, have you found anything of note in the physical examination that should be included in her powers report?"

"Let's see... Her strength maxed out the machines, but with the qualifier that beyond three hundred pounds she began growing vines to help lift. She ran twenty three point two miles in an hour with no sign of exhaustion or stress, and her fastest speed was twenty eight miles per hour. My classification is a tentative Exemplar four, maybe even five with qualifiers, and Regen three I think. I'm not sure how to classify her vine growth, so I'm going to assign her Shifter one because of it." I was surprised, Exemplar four meant I was a lot stronger than I realized.

"Based on my testing of her magical abilities, I would set her at a Wizard one, but I think once she breaks past her block she'll be stronger. Alyssa, you'll want to work on that, it will take time and effort, I'll see if I can't find you a tutor as well." I remembered what I asked of the forest, and thought I should let her know.

"I kind of asked The Grove to help teach me to use my magic and control my abilities. It seemed like it agreed to that."

"Very well then, Alyssa, but you need to let security and myself know beforehand any time you venture into The Grove. It can be a dangerous place, just as any natural force."

"Alright, well, I think we're finished here." Doctor Bellows had already turned and walked halfway to the door as he said this, apparently he had other students to poke and prod today.

"Alyssa, would you mind following me again? Next I'd like to examine your bracelet more thoroughly." Caduceus led me to yet another room, with a few desks and various obscure and arcane-looking things scattered across them. Doctor Lodgeman followed as well, and moved several sticks that could be magic wands and a few books aside with apparent caution. Once the desk was cleared, he had me lay my arm on the table. I sat next to Caduceus as she inspected the bracelet.

"First off, I'm sure it is made of the sapwood of an ancient ironwood tree. It clearly has a very strong bond with you, that much we already know. Now, according to what you told us, my best guess is that the tree that gave this to you, bound it to you as a way to stem the damage when you left a portion of your essence, your soul if you will, to provide life to the vine cutting you severed. Without the bracelet you would likely have died before you could recover. As it stands, you will likely need it for several years before it could even be safely separated from you, if it ever can at all. Life essence is both a fragile and resilient. Up to a certain point, you can recover from nearly anything. Past that point, which is different for each individual, and at any given point in that person's life, the damage can result in a horrible spiral into emptiness and death. One example of this being someone who has lost a loved one and simply stops caring about living, the broken heart syndrome." As she explained, Caduceus ran her hands over the bracelet, and I could kind of feel it. Not physically, but somehow I was sure if I turned my back, I would still know exactly what spot on the bracelet she was probing.

"So, my understanding is that the tree gave of its own essence, a small portion of its own life, but sufficient to make up for the damage caused to your own. It clearly has a life of its own, yet intertwined with yours. You should take care of it for sure. Also, I think it should act like a focus. If you have read ahead in your book, you'll find that a focus works similarly to a lens, instead of focusing light it focuses magical energy, and may help you to concentrate in general. With a strong focus, a practitioner can do much stronger magic than she could otherwise, without becoming as exhausted. I would normally suggest you learn on your own before relying on a focus, but in this case I don't believe that's an option. Are you following all of this? I know it's a lot to take in."

I nodded, "Yeah, my dad told me a lot about this stuff growing up. He makes all sorts of magical things, and I think he made a focus once, but it took him a long time. We had a lot of little magical things around the house, but they never seemed to last long. Magical contamination or something."

"That could be. Very well, I can find nothing malicious about this bracelet, it actually seems to be surprisingly simple, if very strong. Doctor Lodgeman, do you have any other concerns?"

"No, Caduceus, if you say it's safe, then it most likely is. But, Alyssa, be careful nonetheless. Things of The Grove surprise us more often than not."

"I will, Doctor Lodgeman."
 

*          *          *
 
As class passed by the next day, I paid more attention to the people around me. The ones near me all seemed to be fidgeting and blushing, and I was pretty sure that had something to do with those pheromones they told me about during testing. I hoped I wasn't causing too much of a distraction, it hardly seemed fair since I was finding it a lot easier to concentrate than usual myself.

I tried not to worry about it, but now that I was paying attention, it was hard to miss the way people around me kept looking at me, when they thought I wasn't watching. I could feel myself blushing a bit at the attention, so I tried to ignore it and work.

Speaking of working, when martial arts class came around, the instructors once again pushed my group hard enough to make me ache, but it was amazing! I wasn't on a level with the best, but I was already starting to catch up to some of the better fighters.

On the way out of class, the girl I nearly ran into outside of Poe confronted me. She had an angry look, like someone stuck something nasty in her tea, but somehow it just made her look even more beautiful, like a wrathful goddess or something.

"It was you, wasn't it? I saw you take off toward the Grove Wednesday. Were you the one that caused that damage? I felt its pain all the way in my room." With that burning glare on me, I could barely make myself talk.

"Well, y... yeah, but I-" She cut me off with a wave of her slender hand.

"You took something from the Grove. Give it to me. No one will attack that place or steal from it while I live." I tried not to move, but the moment she mentioned taking it, I couldn't help trying to hide the bracelet behind my back. It was terrifying in a way I never expected, if she took it away from me somehow, I would *die*.

"That's it, isn't it? Give me-" suddenly a shadow stretched over my shoulder, cutting her off in midsentence. Another shadow appeared over my other shoulder before I could even look, it was sort of creepy. Not that I wasn't thankful for the save.

"Is this girl bullying you?" I glanced over at the guy who asked, he looked like the kind of supermodel you see in underwear ads, except with clothes on. I turned and on the other side of me was a short, skinny girl, she was pretty but she looked like a stiff breeze might break her.

"You must be Fey. I heard you and your friends were picking on the Alphas last year. We're not gonna stand for that this year, and if you're picking on this girl now, then we're gonna stop it right now." For such a small girl, she sure sounded serious.

"I'm not picking on anybody, and you freshmen aren't going to scare me off. If you Alphas would have left us alone last year would have been a lot easier on everybody. And you, Sealaire an Chroi, I'm watching you." She turned and walked away, every inch the nature goddess. She really thought I attacked the Grove, that I stole from it!

"Don't worry, we're serious about stopping people trashing the Alphas this year. Last year those Kimba girls attacked them at every opportunity. If you want, we can keep an eye out in case she bothers you again. Bullies like her won't pick a fight when there's a group of people." I nodded, the terror settling down a bit now that the threat of death was gone.

"So... Are you two Alphas? I haven't really met a lot of people yet, classes and settling in have kept me pretty busy." I felt at the bracelet behind my back, almost like I needed to reassure myself it was still there, even though obviously it was.

"We're not technically Alphas yet, but it's just a matter of initiation really."

"That's pretty cool, my dad was one of the Alphas about 15 years ago, I think. He said they really helped him become the man he is now. Seems like a pretty nice crowd."

"Wait, who is your father? I bet they'd welcome you, as the daughter of an alumnus." The petite girl had a forceful air, the kind of thing you'd expect from a princess or president or something. Not exactly stuck up, but just sort of like she really did deserve only the best.

"Reginald VanBuren. He does restoration work on broken things, especially heirlooms, antiques and magic things."

"How about we let some of our friends know about you, maybe you can get in too. You could be an Alpha, just like your father." The buff guy offered. Then I realized I didn't have the slightest idea who they were.

"I'm sorry, I didn't even ask your names. I'm Alyssa VanBuren, thank you for your help just now."

"It's alright. I'm Eric and this is Sarah Masterson. We're twins. It's very nice to meet you."

"Yes, I'm glad we saw what was going on and came to help."

As the twins walked off, I thought about it. Did I want to join the Alphas? I figured it would make Dad proud, but the Alphas were supposed to be the elite of the elite. Would I even qualify? I couldn't control my vines, my magic seemed to be blocked or nonexistent or something, and I wasn't really even human anymore!

Still, it couldn't hurt to try and find out. Maybe being as good as they had to be, someone could help me learn to control things, and break past my block. That thought led my mind back to the Grove. It was supposed to be helping me learn too, but all it had really helped me do was control my vines long enough to break off a chunk of my soul or something. How far could I trust some trees that wanted part of my soul? Still, it gave me a part of itself in return, that seemed to mean something, though I wasn't entirely sure what.

And that Fey, she was so mad at me, she didn't want to listen at all. And she called me Sealaire an Chroi, the old name for the vine that turned me into plant-girl. She obviously knew about the faerie realm, and probably didn't like me because of the plant I was. Hardly fair of her, I thought.

I was still mulling it over when I realized instead of walking back to my dorm room, I'd managed to get turned around completely and was standing in front of the trees at the edge of the Grove. The path in was soft and inviting with ferns and flowering plants, but I stood there for several moments, unmoving. Did I want to go back? Was it going to test me again, or require something else from me?

I realized I wasn't going to find out standing where I was. If it was going to get me, I'd put up a fight, but it had promised to help me, and I had to take the chance. I managed to take a whole step before a voice called out.

"Miss VanBuren! Before you go traipsing off into restricted areas again, you should return to your room and call Security."

Doctor Lodgeman had appeared out of nowhere and had a firm grip on my arm. It was startling, and with that distraction I decided maybe I shouldn't visit the grove just yet. It was only just the day before it traded bits with me, but the ancient forest drew at me like a magnet. Doctor Lodgeman was right, I should call security any time I wanted to go into the Grove, not just to let them know where I would be, but also to give myself time to be sure I really wanted to go.

"Yes, Doctor Lodgeman. Thank you."

The older man smiled at me, and left again without saying another word. I walked back to my dorm, my mind thick with concern. Would it always draw me like that, insidious and seductive? It struck me that much like all of nature, it was both wonderful and dangerous, brimming with life and conflict.

---

 
To Be Continued...

This is something I wrote a few years ago, but never got around to posting. I have since expanded it greatly, and hopefully will continue to do so. Please read and review!

"This is fan fiction for the Whateley Academy series. It may or may not match the timeline, characters, and continuity, but since it's fan fiction, who cares? To see the canon Whateley Stories, check out Whateley Academy at ( http://www.crystalhall.org )"

Singularity

-*-

Andrew read through his history text, as was the practice every day from two to three in the afternoon. He wasn't particularly interested in the Holy Wars, it kind of upset him to think of people killing each other in general. He read on, however, because it was his History period, and Mother expected him to know this material.

He assumed, naturally, that everyone read books and learned at home between six in the morning and five in the evening, just like him. That children should not be allowed outside on their own. Everyone's parents kept their children safe and controlled, just like him. Sometimes he almost resented the way it felt, the unchanging life in the house, felt himself wanting something more, something he couldn't describe because he had no experience. And each time he felt this, he berated himself for it, after all, his parents loved him and wanted only the best for him.

Why would people attack each other, start holy wars and do terrible things to each other? The books didn't explain very clearly, though there was some mention of heresy and heathens and pagans. But what were those, all he knew is that they were different from people like him and his family. But why kill people for being different, did that make them bad? It didn't make any sense, but then he couldn't remember ever reading about a war that did.

He put such thoughts out of his head for a moment. Today was a special day, his thirteenth birthday, and nothing would keep him down for long. Maybe Mother and Father would get him a new telescope, or an encyclopedia CD for his computer! Maybe he could even go to the park, if it wasn't too busy!

Trips to the park had been few and far between, always monitored and always on days when almost no one else was around. But it felt so good to get out now and then, play in the fresh air and sunlight. Some sunlight filtered in the barred, rippled-glass windows, but it just wasn't the same. He couldn't see anything clearly through the glass, just vague shapes and colors, occasional blobs passing across the gray line through the green of the yard below.

Andrew looked down at his body, tall, skinny, gangly even. He was always knocking things over with his elbows and tripping over things. It only started a few months ago, but it was almost like someone switched off his proprioception, and his arms and legs kept wandering around without letting him know. Dad told him it was just him becoming a man. Andrew hoped not. If being a man meant knocking things over the rest of his life, well he didn't really know what he wanted, but that was definitely not it.

He ran a hand through his short-cropped reddish-brown hair, and rubbed his green eyes before checking the clock. It was almost three; he could put his book away and move on to scripture work. He closed the history text and stood up from his desk, only to knock his chair over. When he bent down to pick it up, he backed into his desk and turned around just in time to see the delicate blown glass apple falling from his desk to the hardwood floor. He dove for it, knowing he'd never catch it in time...

But somehow, he did. The apple seemed to slow in its fall, almost coming to a complete stop, mere inches above the floor, leaving Andrew time to land, his hand cupped under it, before it suddenly finished its tumble into his waiting hand. He lay there on the floor, elbow aching where it bounced on the wood, staring at the apple, for several seconds. That was a close call, Mother would have been mad!

"Andrew, have you started your scriptures yet? After you finish them you can play the spelling game!"

He loved the spelling game; it was his favorite computer game. He could beat even the highest levels, though it became challenging when the time limit grew shorter with each word to spell. After all, even a fast typist takes a moment to type "trapanasomiasis" or "soliterraneous." "Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilico-volcanoconiosis" still stumped him every time though. Spelling it wasn't so hard, but typing it in a single second was just too much to ask.

"Yes, Mom, I'm starting it right now!" Andrew quickly placed the apple where it belonged, everything had to be JUST SO, and started his work.

-*-

The park was so wonderful! The sun shone brightly in the mid-aftenoon sky, and everything looked sharp and colorful. Andrew played catch with Father, with his *new football* while Mother set up a blanket and picnic foods. Maybe this meant he could start going outside more often, since he was getting older. The football wasn't all that exciting in and of itself, but what it might mean was *exhilarating.* Even with all the cars making noise and fouling the air a little with their pollution, Andrew loved going to the park, and maybe this was a sign he would be going more often!

He'd been watching for people to pass nearby, though Father had picked a mostly secluded area of the park to spend time. Still, Andrew caught glimpses, and for the first time in his life, he noticed that some of them were different. One woman that passed by seemed to have brownish-colored skin, as dark as his new ball. Another had metal bits in his eyebrows, and hair in almost scary spikes on top of his head. Green hair! Mother and Father didn't seem to notice; maybe they thought he wouldn't notice. He never had before after all.

"Andrew, pay attention, you have to spread out your fingers on the lacings when you throw. And when you catch, pull the ball into your middle with both hands. See how I'm holding it?"

Andrew tried to pay attention, but today, something was different. Maybe because it was his birthday, maybe because he had caught the apple and still didn't know how, but he was questioning things. Were there some people who normally had brown skin? why would anyone put metal things in their face? Why, there were even two men walking by just now holding hands, what did that mean? Those and a hundred other questions rolled around in Andrew's head as he threw and caught the ball. Well, dropped more often than caught, but he was trying. The afternoon passed slowly, and Andrew let his thoughts drift as he and Father sat down for a light snack.

"Andrew, it's time to go home. Your mother has to make supper and I still have some work to do." Andrew had no idea what Father did, but that was just another question among many today. He walked home with a slight sulk, making sure his parents could not see. After he washed up, he caught Father upstairs in the hall.

"Can I help Mom with supper tonight? Maybe then I can play a little more outside if I help her get it done faster." It seemed perfectly logical, and yet Mother and Father stared at him like he had grown a second head.

"No, Andrew, that's your mother's job. We all have our jobs, and we must each do our own. Now come on, tonight your job will be to clean the gutters." Andrew tried not to hang his head and sigh.

Andrew's family lived in a two level brick building, connected on both sides by more and more of the exact same structure, like eight houses squeezed together under one roof, spanning the length of a block. Cleaning the gutters meant climbing a twenty foot ladder and scooping out the accumulated muck with gloved hands. It was not a pleasant task, and Andrew wondered if maybe it was some sort of punishment. He knew better than to ask to help Mother do her work, he was a boy and wasn't supposed to do the same things Mother did.

Not that Andrew would complain; that never seemed to help things. The punishments would just become steadily worse and worse until he complied without complaint. He had tested that once, long ago, and spent a week with no computer, sitting gently on a bottom red with marks from a thin flexible stick, aching from holding all of his textbooks piled on his outstretched hands for ten minutes without dropping them, having dropped them the previous four tries.

Compared to that, cleaning the gutters wasn't much of a hardship at all. He trudged downstairs to retrieve the ladder from the maintenance closet.

Half an hour later, standing near the top of the ladder, Andrew scooped a handful of brown sticky foul-smelling muck from the aluminum gutter with a scowl. No one could see his face up here, so he didn't bother hiding his mood. *Splat* went the slime on the cement below, he would have to wash that off with the hose after he was finished.

Andrew never had been much for heights, and the wind up here made the aluminum ladder rattle worryingly against the bricks of the wall. Andrew grabbed the gutter to steady himself, then went back to work. He managed to get the job mostly finished, when a gust of wind shook the ladder like a leaf in a storm. Andrew grabbed for the gutter again, but his slimy gloved hands failed to find purchase.

"AAAAHHHH!" He screamed as he toppled from the ladder, the hard cement rushing up to meet him, but something... changed. It felt odd, like the beginning of a headache but without the pain, and he was floating, slowly drifting toward the ground. He settled on the cement like a feather, his eyes wide in confusion, before a gust of wind hit again, and lifted him up into the air again!

He changed something again, this time he was sure it was him, and he was falling again, this time sideways! And not as fast either, just a little faster than the wind was blowing him in the opposite direction. The ground drifted lazily up to meet him as he fell back towards the ladder.

Just then the front door opened, and Andrew stopped whatever it was he was doing. He landed on his rear painfully, right beside the ladder, as Father stepped outside.

"Andrew, are you alright?!" Concern tinged Father's voice, as he looked up at the ladder, now tipping precariously, and steadied it with his hand. "Be more careful, Andrew, had you fallen from higher up, you might really have been hurt!"

"Yes, Father, I'm sorry, I'll be more careful."

"It's supper time, you can put away the ladder and come in. You can finish the gutters tomorrow."

Andrew put his gloves and the ladder away, noting with disgust that he'd landed his rear right in a pile of muck thrown from the gutter.

-*-

It was late, the last hours of Andrew's thirteenth birthday. And what an odd day it had been. He stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. What had happened? Something had changed about him, something not normal. Something different. Did that mean he was different somehow? Bad, or broken, maybe? Did he need to be fixed somehow, to get rid of it? But he didn't want rid of it. That difference saved his life, what if he needed it to happen again, and it wasn't there? He wondered if maybe it wasn't part of becoming a man, but he'd never seen Father do anything like that. He was pretty sure he would have noticed.

If his parents knew he was different, would they still love him? Would they do to him the things the Christians did in the Crusades? And was being different really wrong in the first place? That woman with the brown skin didn't look like she was evil, but then, how could he tell? The man with the metal in his face had looked kind of scary. But he hadn't been doing anything wrong...

Andrew hadn't done anything wrong, or at east he was pretty sure he hadn't. But he sort of thought Mother and Father might not like him doing whatever he did when he fell. Or when he caught the apple! He'd been taught that being different was evil, but he didn't *feel* evil. Maybe if he just tried not to think about it, it wouldn't happen again.

He didn't want it to, did he? The thought wouldn't leave him alone. Was it so wrong? After all, it had come to him naturally, no pacts with the devil or sacrifices or anything. Was it truly so terrible to be different?

That thought rang in his head like the death knell for everything he had ever known. What if he *could* be different? Obviously people were going about being different outside his home every day, if the people at the park were any example. Maybe his parents wouldn't hate him if he were different.

Sleep eventually claimed Andrew, his dreams haunted by visions of a world radically different from his sheltered little home. Fantasies where green women floated around the dark daylight, and men washed dishes and had babies while women fought wars. Andrew himself dreamed of being a girl, looking much like a younger version of his mother but with purple hair, and somehow, this didn't distress him nearly as much as the rest. A tall man in a blue dress leaned out of nowhere and kissed her-

WHOA. What a weird dream! Andrew was so disoriented, he felt like he was floating. A moment later, he realized he was. Less than 6 inches from his ceiling, blankets draping off of his prone body, he hovered in the air. Perhaps he was still dreaming?

He concentrated, and drifted down to his bed. Well, that didn't prove anything, he could do that in a dream, right? He pinched himself. It stung.

"Andrew, it's time to get up! Your English work is waiting on you!" He didn't waste any more time, weird floating abilities aside, his work had to be done or there would be consequences.

-*-

It finally dawned on him as he read about natural forces in his Science book: he was manipulating gravity! It was impossible, but it made more sense than anything else did. He was somehow changing how gravity affected things. He played with it while Mom did laundry, making his pencil float up and then fall down, then fall sideways. With a little practice, he could make it fall, and change direction, and again, and again, until he had it flying in a fast circle.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Mother stood in the doorway. The pencil fell to the desk so hard if left a dent in the wood, and the pencil shattered into splinters and graphite dust.

"Mom! I didn't know you were there! I'm sorry, I won't do it again-" Before he even finished the sentence, she was dragging him by the ear out the door. In minutes, they were in the car on the way to church.

"Don't worry, Andrew, no demon will possess my son! I'll take you to Reverend Marshall and he'll cleanse you of the evil infecting you!" Mother was small, only five feet and three inches tall, but she had the kind of attitude that makes you do *exactly* as you're told, before you realize you're doing it. Andrew inherited his reddish brown hair from her, and his green eyes. Father had gifted him with the thin, lanky frame.

"But Mother, I don't feel possessed! It's just something that happened yesterday." He was crying, he saw what they did to people in his church that were possessed, it looked like it hurt a lot. And worse, it couldn't do any good, he'd read about demons in scriptures, and he'd never seen anything of the sort, so he *couldn't* be possessed!

"It's not normal, only demons can do evil magic like that, so Reverend Marshall will make it go away."

Shortly, they arrived at the church, a small building in a clean, neat section of the city, with a big cross hanging over the door. Andrew imagined it was the Sword of Damocles, hanging over him by a thread, which Reverend Marshall might soon cut.

His Mom rushed inside, dragging him along.

"Reverend, come quick! Andrew is possessed, you have to save him!"

Reverend Marshall rushed out of his office, clad in his ceremonial robes; perhaps he never took them off. He stood an impressive six feet plus tall, and his shape suggested massive muscles under those robes. He hurried over and grabbed Andrew's wrist.

"Hurry, woman, what makes you think he is possessed by devils? Is he speaking in tongues? I do not smell the evil stench of sulfur, and his skin does not burn." Andrew could almost thank the reverend for pointing out so many things against the idea, if not for the fact that it sounded as if he were encouraging Mother to claim these things about Andrew.

"I found him making a pencil fly around his desk! It is black magic, Reverend, you have to get the demons out before they damn my son!"

Reverend Marshall nodded harshly, and carried Andrew to the very same red-draped altar that four days a week became crowded with people from their church's congregation, crying and praying and poking their hands with the sharp nails kept lying on top of it. Reverend Marshall picked him up and set him on it. Andrew couldn't help crying, and started to struggle.

"Hold him still, woman, the demon makes him struggle, and he may become much stronger!" Reverend Marshal went into his office while Mom held me down.

"Mommy, please, I'm not possessed, really! It's nothing, I promise I'll be good, I won't do it again-" Mom just held him down in spite of his struggles, and then something cold splashed on his face.

"In the name of the Holy Trinity, cast off your wicked ways! Any foul demon that infests this child, begone, for this is holy ground! Let the pure water blessed by God wash away the stench of corruption!" Andrew continued struggling and crying, he knew he wasn't possessed, but no one would listen to him! The cold water got in his throat as he cried, and made him cough. He felt like he was going to drown, and the preacher wouldn't stop splashing him from the bottle.

The large, delicate glass bottle suddenly jumped out of the Reverend's hand, flying up to the ceiling to shatter into a hundred pieces, leaving a sizable dent in a roof beam. The water splashed, but upwards, none of it dripped down on Andrew.

Reverend Marshal took this as a sign. "The boy is possessed, see how he fights the cleansing water! But it is not enough, this demon is too powerful. He must be driven out by pain, by the pain our Lord Jesus suffered!"

The Reverend was in a frenzy, and before Andrew knew what was happening, had shoved a nail through each hand, right where the Jesus on the crucifix had been nailed up. Andrew screamed, it stung like nothing he had every felt, and burned, he was sure he could feel the sharp nails rubbing against bone and tendon.

Andrew writhed in pain, trying to move, but Mother held him in place easily. Moments later, the preacher shoved something on his head that hurt too, it scratched his forehead and the scratches burned like barbed wire, but it seemed minor compared to the pain in his hands.

"We may have to burn the demons out, they are very strong. Hold him still, I'll have to pierce his ribs with a hot iron." Andrew couldn't see very well through his tears, but his Mom never once relaxed her grip.

Andrew was so scared he couldn't think, but then something happened in his head, just like when he fell from the ladder. All the pews, the altar, Mother and the Reverend fell up. Andrew watched in surprised as the world turned upside down for a moment, then back again, and everything was lying on the floor again, except in total disarray. The Reverend and Mom lay in a heap on the floor, and Andrew was floating again.

He yanked the nails out of his hands, one at a time, screaming in pain again both times. Then he pulled the scratchy thing from his head, it scratched his hands too, and at a glance he identified it as thorny branches wrapped several times in a circle. His hands felt slippery with blood, and something warm dripped into his face, but he tried to ignore it. He couldn't go through this. He wasn't a demon; he was the same person he'd always been! His parents had to have been wrong. Maybe about everything. He started running, not caring where, just running as fast as he could. He heard shouts behind him, and drove himself to run faster, shoving past people on the sidewalks, faster than he had ever moved in his life.

-*-

Everything looked scary. Neon signs advertised live nude dancers, people in strange black outfits with chains and leather and motorcycles seemed to be everywhere, girls dressed in almost nothing... He was going to be killed walking around here!

One girl wearing a see-through top and a skirt that didn't even cover the bottom curves of her rear caught his eye for a moment, and in his distraction he bumped into someone and bounced hard enough to land on his own rear.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He stood up again, trying to hide his hands and turned to run, when a strong arm caught him by the shoulder.

"Hold on kid, I ain't gonna hurt ya. Are you okay? What happened to your hands? Your face is all scratched up too!" It was a woman's voice, and she sounded concerned, not angry, so Andrew stopped trying to run and turned to look.

Big was the first word that came to mind. She stood perhaps five inches taller than him, and he could see muscles rippling in her arms as she held his shoulder and dusted him off. The next thing he noticed was the vast array of metal stabbed through her face. Little rings hung from her eyebrows, a spike from her lower lip and more rings from the upper, even rings in her nose! She cupped his hands tenderly.

"Who did this to you, kid? Fuck. Don't worry, I'll help you, you gotta clean this up before it gets infected. God damn, kid, someone did a number on you. How they missed the bones and ligaments I don't even know."

"Andrew, ma'am, my name is Andrew Harding. Thank you for your concern, but I don't want to impose, I-" He was kind of scared, the woman was even scarier when she was angry. But she had an authoritative way about her he had trouble resisting.

"No way, you're comin' with me, you look scared shitless and I wouldn't feel right leavin' you hurt and scared alone in the street. My shop's right over there. So, who you runnin' from, Andrew? Your parents, the police?"

"No, Ma'am, umm, well... I'm not possessed!" Andrew cried, his hands hurt, and he didn't want this woman to think he was possessed too, she might take him back for the exorcism...

"Never said you were, kid. And stop calling me ma'am, it makes me feel old. Name's Deb." She led him to a store called "Pin and Ink," he thought it must be a stationery store, but the name was misspelled.

"Okay, kid, don't worry, I see a lot of this kinda thing." She smiled like she was telling a joke, but Andrew didn't understand, so he just nodded. "Now, this may sting a little, but it will keep those wounds from getting infected. Looks like someone tried to start you out with an eight gauge needle, huh?"

Andrew stared at her like she was speaking in tongues.

"No, the preacher poked nails into my hands. He was trying to drive out the demons, but I'm not possessed. I can just, do things."

"Oh, you can do something unusual and your church thinks you're evil, huh? Well, listen, ain't nobody gonna stick you with anything here 'less you ask 'em to." She wrapped gauze around his hands gently and taped it in place. "Listen, I don't wanna freak you out or nothin', but if you need a place to lay low, I got a spare bedroom in the back. Kid like you could get in real trouble wandering the street. Now, what about your parents, if you go home, will they take you back to that church?"

"Mother's the one that took me this afternoon. She would take me back. Father... He would take me back too. I can't go home..." Andrew felt the weight of what he was saying, he couldn't go home. Everything he knew was gone. But if he did go back, they would hurt him more, stab him, burn him, maybe until he died. That had happened before in the church, everybody had been very sad but it didn't change anything.

"Do you mean it? Can I stay here? I... I have no where else to go."

-*-

"So, this is your shop? Pin and Ink, I thought it was a stationery store. This looks more like an art studio. Do you sell art?" Deb stared at Andrew for a moment like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Andrew, this is a tattoo parlor. I do tattoos and piercings, and even some scarification and branding." Andrew returned the stare, as the meaning of those words slowly became clear to him.

"You mean, you draw pictures with ink on people, permanently? And... stab things into them? And they PAY for that?"

"Hey, now, don't you even start judging me or my clients, kid. You don't got the slightest clue. Don't knock it till you try it."

Andrew waved at his hands, still wrapped in gauze, with little red spots right in the middle.

"Yeah, well, it ain't like that, Andrew. For one, I would NEVER do a piercing or tattoo or anything on someone who didn't WANT it. It can be really exciting and... pleasant when you do it right."

"I don't know, I can't imagine it feeling good to be stabbed, but as long as you're not gonna do it to me, I guess it's not a problem." Andrew wasn't all that sure, but frankly, given the options, he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"So, what are you gonna do? You can stay here as long as you need, sort things out an' all. You ain't the first runaway I've kept safe. You got a plan?"

"Well, I haven't had much time, I just kinda ran without thinking. But, well, maybe I can learn to use my abilities or something. And I need to finish my education, I've been home schooled up until now, but I'll probably have to go to a public school now."

"Well, nobody's gonna force you, but it is a good idea. Kids that drop out around here usually end up walkin' the streets."

"What? Like living out there with no place to sleep?"

"Kid, I'm talkin' about prostitution. There's always dirty old men that'll pay to have sex with a young boy, and around here, too many of them find out it's the only way to survive."

Andrew grimaced at the thought, what a terrible way to live! How could anyone do something so degrading!

"Why don't they finish school, so they can get a real job?"

"It isn't that easy, Andrew. Everything costs money, food, a place to live, even school. And for whatever reason, these kids end up alone out there, no money. Young kids can't exactly get legal jobs, so they do what they have to ta survive."

"Is that why you took me in? To keep me from ending up like that? Thank you, that means a lot to me. I know it's not legal to shelter a minor runaway."

"Eh, it ain't illegal unless you get caught, and you and other kids like you deserve a chance, 't's all there is to it. All I ask is that you help keep the shop clean, and you keep an open mind, 'cuz we get all types in here, and I don't want you judgin' my customers. You do that kid, maybe you'll learn enough to survive on your own."

"Yes, Deb, that sounds more than fair."

-*-

The shop had an interesting business, Andrew decided. He watched people come and go, businessmen who wanted to try something new, people in leather with piercings in places that looked very painful... None of them paid him much attention, so he was able to observe and learn as he worked. Everything had to be clean, even cleaner than back at home. Tools had to be kept sterile and well maintained, and messes had to be cleaned up quickly and thoroughly.

He watched as one man entered the shop for a nipple piercing, he seemed scared and nervous at first, but Deb quickly calmed him, she was very good at making people feel at ease. Then, when she pushed the needle through his nipple, the look on his face was a strange mixture of wince and smile, like he was in pain, but felt good, too. Andrew blushed and hid when he saw that the man had an erection. To his surprise, he did too. Why was piercing so exciting?

-*-

The next day, Deb took Andrew shopping. She drove him in her beat up old brown Buick Regal to a second hand store and had him pick out a week's worth of clothes. They didn't seem to have the pressed button-down shirts and black slacks he was used to, so he asked Deb for help.

"Why don't you just get jeans and tee-shirts for now, they're comfortable, and those clothes kind of make you stick out anyway. Trust me, you'll like these better."

Andrew picked out a small assortment of jeans, and some tee-shirts, and Deb nodded and paid for it all.

"I'll pay you back, Deb, you've already done so much for me-"

"Don't worry about it, it's not that much money. And I'm gonna give you an allowance, for helping keep the shop clean. I can't pay a lot, but you deserve to be paid for your work and you'll need the money."

-*-

A few weeks passed, and Andrew grew accustomed to his new way of life. The customers were each unique, and Deb always showed them respect. He was learning a lot too, Deb was teaching him the kinds of things one needed to know to survive on the real streets, things not to say or do, things to watch out for. A lot of it seemed strange, but Deb was willing to explain, in detail, why each odd custom was necessary. Andrew realized that his parents had really kept him from seeing what a good thing diversity was, in trying to keep him from having to deal with some of the harsher bits of reality. He decided that maybe it was okay to have special powers, and started practicing using them.

The shop gave him plenty of chances to use his abilities in small ways, picking things up, cleaning up messes... He tried to hide what he was doing, but he was pretty sure Deb had seen him a couple of times. She never said anything about it though, so he didn't bring it up.

He was getting pretty good at control, by changing the direction things fell, and the strength with which they were pulled, he could make things fly around pretty much however he wanted. He could make objects attract each other and repel, as gravity affects any object that has mass, and affects energies too! The more he thought about it, the applications for the power seemed endless, if he learned what to do with it!

However, he was often interrupted in his concentration by other things. He paid careful attention to his work, and liked watching the customers too; he was learning so much from them!

One customer in particular caught his eye, a pretty girl wearing skimpy clothes. She had a tight tube top on, with nothing underneath it; he could see the bumps of her nipples through the fabric. She was also wearing a plaid skirt, like a school uniform but much shorter, exposing the lower curves of her rear in a way that was apparently rather popular with the girls that walked the streets around here. He even caught a glimpse of her panties, red satiny ones. Below that were fishnet tights with a few little rips in them, going into ankle-height high heels. He couldn't stop staring, she was so daring, and the clothes looked so naughty, but fun...

"Excuse me, but I wanted to get some piercings done." She asked Deb at the counter.

"Sure thing, what were you thinking of?"

The girl stuck out her tongue, grinning brazenly. "I want my tongue done, and a belly button ring."

"Alright, let's take a look at the hoops and barbells, then, huh?" Deb guided the girl to look at the jewelry case, and Andrew couldn't help watching her rear as she bent to look at them. After she made her selection, Deb led her back to the counter. She glanced at Andrew and winked, and he immediately blushed to his toes, and hid around the corner in the hallway.

"Okay, now that's done, let's get you up on the chair. Is this your first piercing?" Deb chatted with her the same as always: open, friendly and disarming.

"Yeah, but I think it'll really help my look. The men love tongue piercings, the other girls tell me it makes them go crazy, and they pay more. The belly button ring is just for me though, I think it's gonna look so great!"

Andrew inched around the corner and watched as Deb readied her tools.

"Yeah, I hear ya. Well, you just be careful, don't let 'em go too crazy, huh? Now this is gonna sting a little, but don't fight it, if ya relax it kinda feels good. Are ya ready?"

The girl was breathing heavy, her tube top stretching with every breath, then nodded. Deb placed her tongue in between some pliers-like tool, and slowly, carefully, inserted a needle in the opening. The girl winced, then sighed softly as it went into place.

"All done, that was the hard one. Now, are ya ready for yer navel ring, or do ya need a minute?" The girl nodded, apparently she wasn't quite ready to talk yet, maybe getting used to the piece of metal in her tongue. Deb took a moment to set up for the next piercing, slowly.

"Okay, here we go with the navel." Deb leaned over her and again slowly inserted a fresh sterile needle, Andrew could clearly see from his position across from Deb. Then he noticed something that made him gasp, just at the same time as the girl sighed again.

She had an erection.

He ducked back around the corner, confused and embarrassed, and excited too. She was a boy? But she was so pretty, very definitely a girl! And she talked about being a prostitute, too! She had to be the most interesting person Andrew had seen come into the shop, ever!

-*-

"Deb, that girl that was just in here... Was she a boy?"

"Oh, so ya noticed. Andrew, th' answer is more compl'cated than just yes 'er no. She's a girl, but she's a boy in some ways too."

"I don't understand." Andrew wanted badly to understand this, for some reason it was very important to him.

"Well, I don' understand entirely either, but I do know that some boys wanna be girls. Or maybe they are, on the inside, the way they think and feel. Some girls wanna be boys, same way."

"How can that be? I mean, you're either born a girl, or a boy, right?"

"Well, most a' the time, yeah. But sometimes, babies're born somewhere in between. And sometimes, they're born with the body of one, and the mind of another. She's not the only transgender client I got, but I hafta admit she's prolly the prettiest."

"But, how do you know then, whether you're a boy or a girl? I mean, really know?"

"Andrew, that's somethin' everyone has ta figger out for themselves. No one can tell ya who you are but you."

Andrew thought about this as he cleaned up the shop. There was something fundamental about that, something that made more sense than anything he had ever heard.

-*-

For the next week, Andrew researched. Deb had a computer in the back of the shop, and he searched the internet (What a wonderful way to find information!) for everything he could find on the subject. Much of what he found he discarded, he wasn't interested in pornography (well, not right at the moment anyway) but he wanted to know everything he could about what it meant to be transgendered. It was a driving need, one strong enough even to overcome thoughts of his unusual ability over gravity.

He kept seeing, over and over again, his mental image of that girl, so feminine, so natural, how could she be a boy when she was so obviously a girl?

In the end, what Andrew realized is that she wasn't a boy. That part, the penis, didn't define her as a person, and so it simply wasn't important. What was important was what she felt.

And he started to wonder if he might feel the same way.

-*-

"Deb, can you take me shopping again? I want to get some clothes."

"Sure, Andrew, I'm just closin' up the shop anyway. You after anythin' special?" Deb knew what Andrew was thinking, she'd seen him researching after that girl came in, but she wanted him to tell her in his own time, his own way.

"Yeah, I want to try some girl clothes. I'm not sure, but I think I might be transgendered." He was shaking, clearly he was trying to be brave and honest, but the idea scared him half to death!

"Well, that's just fine, I think it's a great idea to explore who you are. Have ya thought about this much?"

"Deb, I can't stop thinking about it. Before that girl, I didn't know that this kind of thing was even possible. But now, it's... it's all I can think about. I have to try and figure it out or it's going to drive me insane."

"Well, don't worry, I'm behind ya one hundred percent. No matter whatcha decide. Now let's go get you some clothes." Andrew felt somehow bolstered; if Deb was on his side, no one could stop him... Or maybe her.

They drove to the same second hand store again, and Andrew picked out an assortment of clothes. Skirts, tops, shoes, all chosen for their cut, color and most importantly for the simple fact that they were unmistakably feminine.

It was exhilarating, he found himself holding items up in front of himself to check for a likely fit, and whether or not it might look good on him. For over two hours he compared looks and arranged outfits, and if a few people stared, he didn't care; Deb said it was okay, so it was. Andrew spent most of the money he had saved working for Deb, but he never once worried it might not be well spent.

"Thank you Deb, that was so wonderful, I can't believe how much great stuff I found!"

"Sure thing, kid. I'm gonna take ya to a shop down the street a bit, you're gonna need the right underwear to go with that, and some makeup."

"I'm almost out of money, Deb, I don't think I can-"

"Call it an advance on yer pay. It's important, an' I think if you're gonna do this, you should do it right, don't you? Speakin' of which, you picked out a name yet?"

"Yes, actually... I was thinking Andrea, Andie for short. I want to keep as much of my name as I can, because I'm still the same person I've always been... Just maybe more real." Andie felt like she was walking on air, it was so wonderful to feel like maybe she was finding her real self!

"Umm, Andie, ya know, usually when people walk their feet touch the ground. You might wanna try it."

-*-

Andie suddenly had a lot more to do. She had her duties cleaning and maintaining the shop, as well as finding time to practice her gravity-controlling powers, and now also she spent time each day practicing with her makeup, hair, speech patterns and walk. Deb helped her with this, and she found resources on the internet to help guide her.

She found herself wondering sometimes if she was doing the right thing. After all, if she really was a girl inside, shouldn't some of this stuff just come naturally to her? It was tough, learning how to talk as a girl would, walk, and act... Even learning to control gravity was going easier, that seemed almost completely instinctive, the only real difficulty finding what her limits were. She confessed her confusion to Deb.

"Deb, why is all this so hard? If I'm a girl shouldn't this all come naturally to me?"

"Andie, all of this is stuff girls grow up learnin'. It's hard because yer crammin' years and years of practice into days and weeks and months. It's okay to have doubts, and if you decide this is wrong, that's okay. Just don't give up because it's hard, alright?"

Andie nodded and hugged Deb.

"Thank you, I can't tell you how much this all means to me. You're everything a mother should be, to me." Tears worked past her tightly closed eyes, and Andie didn't bother to wipe them away. It was okay for her to cry. She was so happy; for the first time in her life, she felt real. She felt whole.

-*-

As busy as Andie was now, practicing her gravity powers, practicing her feminine skills, and cleaning around the shop, time passed quickly. She didn't have very much time to go outside, but she made time every now and then, just to remind herself she was no longer confined like a prisoner. She walked around the area, there was even a park not too far away from the shop, though it took a little while to walk there. She would spend the occasional hour in the park, swinging slowly, just enjoying the breeze, the sunshine, and watching the people pass by.

Andie wondered about her parents, they must be worried sick; they did love her, she was certain of that, but she couldn't live with their beliefs and way of life, and she was pretty sure they wouldn't approve of hers anymore, either. It hurt, knowing that she might never see her parents again, that if she did, they probably wouldn't recognize her. If they did, they might do even worse than they already had, trying to "save" her. Her hands ached with the memory; two small circular scars in her hands a permanent reminder of why that scenario was undesirable.

She was practiced enough now, that not even a thorough inspection would give away the fact that she was transsexual, as long as she kept her panties on. She was grateful that she hadn't gotten far into puberty yet, her voice unbroken, and very little hair growth on her body. She hoped to begin hormone therapy, even if she couldn't legally do so, there were some online pharmacies that would "fill prescriptions" without actually seeing any such prescription, but Deb was making her wait a few more months. It was after all, a pretty big step. She didn't dare try to change her name legally, if she appeared at a government office she would surely be returned to her parents as a runaway.

Swinging in the park, she contemplated these problems, totally oblivious to the gang of Latino men creeping up behind her. The park was mostly empty, this being the time of day where most children were at school, or napping at home, and most adults had their own business to attend to.

"Hey, Rico, look at the sweet chica on the swings! Ain't that just a sweet picture?" The voice behind her was smooth, almost pleasant if not for the context of what was being said.

"Yeah, man, I bet she tastes as sweet as sugar. I wanna take a taste." This voice, presumably Rico, was nowhere near as pleasant, and Andie was already slowing her swinging, enough to climb out of the seat, but it was too late, a group of six older guys, maybe 5 years older than herself and much bigger, had surrounded her.

"Come on, chica, be nice and it'll be fun for you too. We just wanna play a little." One guy to her left reached toward her, slowly, like one might try to calm an unfamiliar dog. She was not impressed; the group was closing around her. She looked for a way to run, but they were already too close.

The one directly in front of her drew a large, nasty-looking knife from his belt, clearly they weren't going to listen to threats from one thirteen-year-old girl.

"One way or another, we're gonna get what we want. I don't wanna have to cut you, girl, but I will if you don't play nice." That smooth voice sounded totally incongruent with the obvious threat. They were within grabbing distance, too close already, and Andie knew she was about to be raped. In her building terror, she totally forgot the things she had been practicing, totally forgot she had any abilities. She was about to scream when the man with the knife pressed it to her neck.

"No screaming, chica, keep quiet." His hand cupped one of her breasts, surely he could tell it was nothing more than a rolled up sock. He was going to kill her, because she wasn't what he expected, he might rape her anyway first, she couldn't fight back, she just wished they'd all GO AWAY!

And then they did. The man with the knife flew one way, the others all flew other ways, directly away from her, as if launched by a huge slingshot. One impacted a tree and lay still. The others flew maybe twenty or thirty feet away before tumbling to the ground. Andie just stared. She didn't know she could do that. The swingset she'd been on was bent upwards, bowed away from her, the swing itself ripped free and plastered to the ground, the grass flattened under and around her as she floated above it. It was like being cocooned in a bubble of inviolate personal space.

Andie had to wrestle for control of her fear to make it go away, she couldn't touch the ground, so she couldn't move. After a moment, she finally managed to make herself let it go, and when it went away, she stumbled to her knees. Then she stood up and shakily started walking home. The gang members made no move to stop her, though most of them moved and moaned in apparent pain.

She managed to get in the door before collapsing in tears, Deb rushing to comfort her and find out what was wrong.

-*-

After her run-in with the gang, Andie started concentrating more on her powers. She didn't give up on her transition from boy to girl, but she knew she had to be more prepared. She needed to know what she could and couldn't do. But Deb just didn't have the resources for her to train. The weight bench in Deb's bedroom went up to three hundred pounds, but Andie quickly found that she could make it weigh nothing. She was afraid to try and make it weigh more than three hundred; it might damage the floor or the bench. She practiced her control on small objects, and found that as long as she knew where an object was, she could affect how gravity acted on it. It took more concentration if she couldn't see it, but she could manage, and once given a new gravitational acceleration in a specific direction, it continued that way (or if none at all, it continued floating) on its own, until something else interacted with it, or she adjusted it again. She also found that she could only change one thing at a time, though the changes were as fast as thought, so could be very rapid.

She also found that after extended use of her powers, she usually began to develop a headache. One time she kept practicing even after her head hurt, but in a matter of minutes, her head hurt so much it was impossible to concentrate on anything. She spent most of an afternoon resting in her room after that one. Deb never asked about her ability, though clearly she knew, she had seen Andie floating. Floating...

Andie thought about it, she could affect her own gravity! Maybe even fly, though it would be more like free falling in a direction she chose. She would have to practice that, preferably on a night bright enough to see where she was going, but dark enough that she would be hard to spot. That decided, she continued her cleaning.

-*-

Throughout all of this, Andie had been searching. If she had special powers, maybe she wasn't the only one. Internet searches turned up stories of "mutants," people born with fundamental genetic differences from the average human genome. Some of them were said to develop special abilities: psychic abilities, enhanced physical abilities, super high intelligence and the like. She thought maybe she was a mutant, one with psychic abilities of some kind, but she kept coming up blank on searches for places where such mutants existed, or perhaps came together. She was looking for a place where she might fit in, but either mutants were so uncommon that they had not come together at all, or any reference to places of mutant gathering were being blocked from the public domain. It was frustrating, how was she supposed to contact anyone like herself, if they were all in hiding?

"Deb, can I talk to you for a while?" She walked into the front of the shop just in time to see the very same girl that inspired her to find herself, getting a tattoo of a butterfly on her left shoulder.

"Oh, hi!" Andie blushed, would the girl recognize her?

"Hi ya! You're that girl I saw last time I was here, right? Good idea, giving up the tomboy act - ouch! - it really didn't look good on you. Hey, you should get some piercings, you know? You'd be totally hot with some eyebrow metal and maybe a nose ring, it draws attention to your eyes and you have such deep pretty eyes..." She trailed off as Andie blushed deeper and deeper.

"Umm, hi, I'm Andie. What's your name?"

"Whatta ya want it to be?" The girl giggled and Andie couldn't help but join in.

"Sit still or you'll mess up the drawing, kid." Deb cautioned, but she seemed on the verge of laughing too.

"Sorry, just something I remembered from an old movie. I'm Amethyst, Amie for short. Nice ta meetcha. So, whatta ya think, wanna get a piercing? It only hurts a little." Andie didn't know how to answer, but she did kind of want to try it, it was so exciting, kind of naughty and at the same time, it seemed almost primal, like native tribes she'd read about in far away places of the world.

"I don't know, maybe? So, do you live around here?" Andie tried to change the subject, not sure what to talk about.

"Kinda. My favorite hangout spot is a few blocks from here, and I can generally find a place to sleep. It ain't a great way to live, maybe, but I get by okay, and I got plans. Besides, I hate paying rent on public property. Fuckin' gangs around here cause too much trouble. Someone trashed a few guys last week and they've been harder on us working girls ever since.

"Oh, ummm, I think that might be my fault..." Andie confessed, she didn't realize she'd made Amie's life harder!

Deb yanked the tattoo gun away just in time as Amie sat up in the chair like she'd been stabbed.

"No way, you're the one that tossed six guys around like nothin'? I thought they must be talkin' about some drugged up bodybuilder! You'd have ta be some kinda ninja or some shit to pull that off!" She clearly didn't believe Andie, and Andie decided after causing this girl so much trouble, she deserved the truth.

"No, just some kinda mutant." She looked at the display case of body jewelry, and it lifted up into the air, moved sideways, then back, and settled back almost in the same place it came from. Deb gave Andie a harsh look that said 'Leave the merchandise alone!'

"Sorry, Deb, I just wanted to prove my point. Anyway, Amie, I'm a mutant, I can somehow alter how gravity affects things."

"Wow... You're like my sister!" Amie blurted out, then clapped her hands over her mouth. She looked like she wished she could take it back, too.

"Your sister can control gravity too?" Andie asked before really thinking about it.

"No... I guess you're okay, since you're a mutant too... My sister could make stuff appear out of the air. Our parents found out, and threw her out. I couldn't stay after they treated her like that, so I ran away. And now you know my life story, so drop it." Amie was sitting back in her chair again, and Deb was working on her tattoo again. Andie just watched in silence for a few minutes.

"Look, I'm sorry I blew up at ya, okay? Stop sulking. It's just a touchy subject, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. My mom went overboard when she found out about me, too... She tried to have me exorcised."

Amie laughed, "What'd she have a priest chanting at you and sprinkling holy water on you?"

Andie shook her head and held up her hands. "Mom held me down while the Reverend pushed big nails through my hands. Then he tried holy water, and when that didn't work, they were going to burn me with hot irons to drive the devils out. That's when I ran."

"Whoa, that's fucked up..." Amie looked impressed, and a little sympathetic.

"I know she thought she was doing what was right, but... I can't go back, so here I am." Amie nodded; she could clearly appreciate the sentiment.

"You know Amie, any time you need a place to sleep, if it's okay with Deb, you can share my room. You can even use my bed, I don't mind. No obligations or strings attached." Andie looked over at Deb, who nodded in agreement. Andie still felt guilty over making Amie's life harder.

"Just don't bring any johns around, I'll give you kids any help I can, but that kinda trouble I don't need. Andie was embarrassed at the mention of "johns" but Amie just nodded.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that... Honestly, I don't wanna go out there again. I've had enough of bein' the gangs' bitch. If it weren't for those fuckers I..." She trailed off again, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

"Please do, Amie... You're the first friend I've ever had, aside from Deb, and she's more like a surrogate mother to me..." Deb put the tattoo gun down, having finished her work, and wiped her eyes a little.

"Listen, Amie, if you're gonna stay here, why don't you and Andie go chill out in the back. Andie, you can show her around. I'll clean up out here now that I'm finished." Andie knew Deb didn't like for people to see her get emotional, so she steered Amie to her room and started showing her around.

-*-

That night, Andie and Amie both curled up in separate blankets on the floor and talked. Andie decided having a friend was just about the most wonderful thing in the world.

"So... What was your sister like? I never had a sister."

"She was cool, it's been a year since I saw her though. She's sixteen now, two years older than me. She was tall, and nicer than a lot of my old friends' older sisters. She picked on me sometimes, but she wasn't mean about it, you know? I really miss her, but at least I know she stayed in school. When Mom and Dad kicked her out, I sneaked a booklet about a private school from her stuff before they threw it out. It looked pretty cool, and she always seemed to have everything figured out, not like me."

"Your parents didn't kick you out though?"

"Nope, I ran away a week later. I just couldn't forgive them you know? Stephanie's my big sister and they treated her like she was trash. I couldn't forgive them, and I couldn't stand to stay in the same house with them, so I ran away. I've been through a lot because of that, but I won't ever go back, not unless they take Stephanie back. Maybe not then."

"I'm sorry... I can't imagine what it must have been like... I got lucky, Deb found me before anyone bad could. She's taken care of me like a daughter ever since."

"Does she make you dress like a girl?" Andie choked for a minute before answering.

"No! I didn't even realize I was a girl inside until I saw you the first time... I didn't know it was possible to transition, it was completely outside my experience."

"So, she's helping you then? That's cool, I started dressing up after I ran away, to avoid the cops, after all, they were looking for a boy. But it was kinda fun you know, like a game? Until that stupid fucking gang caught me and found out..." Amie got really angry at that, and Andie had a vague idea why. She wondered if it was the same gang that attacked her, but decided it didn't matter.

"They made me their bitch for over a week. It was so fucked up, but I learned to distance myself from it, and then it seemed like a good way to make money." Amie sighed, "I don't even know why I'm telling you all this, I try not to think about it."

"It's okay, Amie, I'm not going to judge you, I promise. That's something Deb taught me, everyone does what they have to do to get by. But if you want, I can help you get away from that way of life. Since you don't seem happy with it."

"Hell no, it's disgusting. But what else can I do? Nobody wants a fourteen-year-old ex-whore to work for them, and I'm not old enough to get a real job. Besides, I quit school when I ran away."

"I can tutor you, Amie, I'm actually a few years ahead of a normal high school freshman, from what I've read when I was looking into continuing school. Then you can go back to school when I do."

"That's great an' all, but it costs money. I have some saved up, but I can't go back to school around here, they'll take me back to my parents for sure. Besides, I have to go visit my sister, that's what I'm really saving for."

"Well, why not go to school where your sister is then? Maybe you can even move in with her or something."

"I can't go to the school she goes to, it's for mutants only. And she lives at the school, so I doubt I could live there either. I don't wanna get her in trouble if she's doing good. And she prolly wouldn't recognize me anyway."

"Do you like dressing up as a girl?" Andie asked a question that had been nagging her ever since Amie mentioned that it was just a disguise to escape her parents.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I am a girl, on the inside. It took me a while to realize it, but the disguise thing was just an excuse. It's part of why I ran away, too, I mean, if they can't accept my sister as a mutant, my parents would never accept me as a girl."

"Wow... Where did your sister go to?" Amie looked around reflexively - even in safe surroundings some habits were best to keep - and dug a worn, bent up pamphlet from her boot.

"It's a place called Whateley Academy. Maybe you could go there too, since you're a mutant. Anyway, it's all the way down in a place called New Hampshire."

Andie carefully took the pamphlet, clearly it was one of Amie's treasured possessions, and opened it up. Inside there were pictures of kids doing amazing things, clearly it was a school for mutants. Andie handed it back, carefully.

"No, keep it here, safe, for me okay? It's my only chance of finding my sister again, and I don't want it lost..." Andie nodded and tucked it gently into her nightstand.

"I promise I won't lose it."

"So, what about you, what are you gonna do? I think you should go to Whateley. Maybe you can meet Stephanie there!"

"That sounds great! Tell you what, we'll both go."

"Really? But what then? I mean, I could meet my sister again finally, find out if she's okay, but what about after?"

"Well, the booklet said it was right near a small town called Dunwich. No one there knows your past, so maybe you could make a living there, you know? And then you could see Stephanie and me any time, right? I mean, what have you got to lose? Maybe you can even finish school there, and even go to college!" Andie was getting excited, this was a chance for Amie to get a new start, and she really wanted to help the girl out. Not only that, but it would be a place Andie could find more people like herself and fit in, and finish high school! It was perfect!

"I don't know, Andie, what if I can't make it there on my own? At least here, I know what I can do to make money to survive on, but I don't think I could do that in a small town."

"Do you really want to keep doing it here? Besides, you won't be alone; Stephanie and I will be there for you. I promise I will be. Just give me a little time to save up for train tickets for us both, and this could be your way out! I'll miss Deb, but I can keep in touch with her, and maybe she can help somebody else who needs it if I can start making my own way."

"It's a wonderful dream, Andie, but I just can't rely on it yet."

-*-

The next day, Andie approached Deb, her curiosity finally winning out.

"Deb, can I get a piercing? I wanna know what it's like, I've watched a lot of people get them now and curiosity is getting to me."

"Well, sure, Andie, if yer sure it's whatcha want. You got somethin' in particular in mind?"

"I thought I'd try a small navel ring. I like the way Amie's accents her tummy."

"Alright, which one do ya want?" Deb led Andie to the display case, though she was pretty sure which one Andie wanted, since she'd been eyeing it all morning.

"The little silver one there, with the ball on it."

A few minutes later, Andie sat in the comfortable leather barber's style chair Deb had for the purpose. She was a little nervous and scared, but very excited. Amie stood next to her, holding her hand.

"Don't worry, Andie, it's fun. There's a little sting, but it's really exciting, and there's something about it that's just... Well, it's intense." Amie offered, trying to keep Andie's courage up. Andie, for her part, kept thinking of the barbed wire crown and the nails in her hands. But she wanted to get past this fear, she didn't want it to rule her. She winced as the cold piercing pliers gently took a small amount of flesh at the top of her bellybutton.

"Okay, you ready Andie?" Deb's voice was soothing, Andie knew she could trust Deb, so she nodded.

It stung, more than she expected but less than she was afraid it would. There was pressure, and sort of a pulling sensation. But it was really exciting too, naughty and primal and sexual in a way. It felt good even though it still hurt, and then it was done.

"Wow... I didn't expect that..." Andie looked down at the little metal ring with the little ball on it, lodged in her navel. There was a tiny drop of blood, but Deb placed a sterile cotton ball on it gently.

"Now you know how to take care of it, just keep it extra clean and let me know if it gets infected, okay?" Deb smiled, she knew exactly what kind of effect piercings could have. Maybe she would get another herself...

"Thanks, Deb, this is great, and it really catches the eye too!" Andie couldn't help playing with it, even though it still ached a little. Amie watched with a little smile.

"See, I told you it was awesome. You should get an eyebrow ring too, and maybe a tongue ring. You'd look totally hot with more metal!"

"I think I might, Amie, but not today. I wanna get used to this one first." Andie smiled, she knew she was going to get more, and soon. Trust made ALL the difference.

-*-

Several days passed, with Amie and Andie taking turns working at the Pin and Ink. One afternoon, Andie had the day off while Amie worked, and she wanted to get out again. She couldn't get enough of being outside, and Deb encouraged it, unlike her birth parents. She loved watching all the different people, delighting in their differences. Every one was unique, and Andie loved being reminded of that. She jogged around several blocks, simply exploring and exercising, watching people pass by.

That's when she saw him. The same guy that had threatened her with a knife. That same fear came back a little, so she steered clear of him at first... Then she saw the girl. He was holding her by the throat, pinned against a wall, all she could do was kick weakly. Andie was torn, she was afraid of this man, but it wouldn't be right not to help the other girl. Andie didn't recognize her, but she might be one of Amie's friends, and no one deserved to be treated like that.

"Hey, you! Why don't you let her go?" The guy casually flipped Andie the bird without even looking at her.

"Fuck off bitch, or you'll be next." Andie felt herself getting mad, this guy had no respect for anyone! All he wanted to do was hurt people.

"I said let her go, asshole!" That's what Deb had called the gang that attacked her in the park, and the word seemed to fit. It certainly got his attention, as he turned around and pulled out that same damned knife.

"Okay, chica, I warned you-" he cut off as soon as he saw Andie, recognition dawning. "You're the little bitch that almost killed Rico! We been lookin' fer you!" He dropped the knife and pulled out a gun. Andie was stunned, but she barely even noticed the gun.

The words "killed Rico" kept echoing in her mind. She almost killed someone! She COULD kill someone with her powers, easily. A ball of liquid fire sprang into being in her stomach, and she leaned over to vomit.

Which is why the bullet only grazed her arm, instead of passing through her midsection and several vital organs.

"Fuckin' bitch, die!" The situation came back to Andie as suddenly as she had spaced it off. He had a gun. He shot her. He was going to kill her.

"NO!" She screamed as loud as she could, and lashed out with her power. The man and his gun fell to the ground instantly, she thought she heard bones break. Her arm hurt, and she could see that the guy was having trouble breathing. The girl he'd been trying to hurt was long gone, and the guy wasn't hurting anyone anymore, but she almost didn't let up on the immense gravity pulling him down. Part of her wanted to kill him.

Then she let up. He gasped air like a fish dropped out of its bowl, but she was pretty sure he would live. Just to be sure, she found a pay phone nearby and dialed nine-one-one and asked for an ambulance to come and help him, but she didn't give her name or information. The police would definitely return her to her parents and she couldn't let that happen. She left the phone hanging and ran back to Deb's, this time she ran in and went back to her room, sitting on the bed and staring at the wall.

She had to get control of her powers, or she WOULD kill someone. When Deb and Amie rushed in, she was still staring at the wall, tears dripping from her cheeks, the sleeve of her tee-shirt reddish brown with dried blood.

-*-

"This is the second time I could have killed someone... I can't stay here longer, I'll get you in trouble, Deb."

"Kid, you know I don't care about that, and I know you didn't mean to hurt anybody. It's not your nature. So don't go off half-cocked-"

"Deb, I need to go somewhere they can teach me to control this power. Next time I might kill someone! Part of me... wanted to kill that guy today." Amie just hugged her while Deb shook her head, still holding the washcloth over Andie's shoulder. It was just a little scratch, it wouldn't even need stitches.

"Andie, no one blames you for that. Guy shot at me, I'd take him down however I could and if that meant him dyin', better him than me." Amie nodded as she hugged Andie.

"Yeah, Andie, you can't just let someone kill you. It's self defense." Amie had a point, logically, but it still didn't make Andie feel better.

"I just... I can't help thinking I'm a danger to you both right now, I have to get this under better control. And thanks to Amie, I know where I can go to do that. I love you Deb, you've been a Mom to me and a friend too. But I have to do this, for my own peace of mind."

"Well, I can understand that, Andie. I ain't holdin' you against your will, you have every right to make your own way. Just... don't forget me, you know? Keep in touch."

"Of course, Deb, no way would I forget you. So what about you, Amie? Are you coming as well? We could visit your sister, and I just know we could work something out for you there. And if not, well, there's always coming back here, right Deb?"

"Sure thing, Amie, you're a good kid, and I'd be glad to offer you a place to stay and work in my shop."

Andie nodded gratefully to Deb, "So, you have a safety net, wanna go see your sister? I've almost got enough for both of us to go, and it'll be just in time for the start of classes, I think."

Amie just stood there in the back room of the shop, looking at Andie and Deb wonderingly. Then she nodded, tears dripping down her cheeks, and hugged them both.

*****

---

 
 
Bishop Allan O'Toole sat at his beautifully appointed heavy mahogany desk and stared unseeing at a bottle of expensive Cabernet. It sat there unmoving, as it had for several minutes past, it had yet to offer an answer. A glass of Cabernet each day at this time had become something of a tradition for Allan, but today he just couldn't relax for it.

The Talks, as he called them, had started when he was a young man, three days after his sixteenth birthday. Nothing more than the vaguest whisper at first, he hardly even realized it was more than his own thought. But the Talks grew stronger as time passed, the whispers and images growing into speech, then commands laden with so much power, what else could it be but the voice of God? God's voice told him of his duty, his destiny: seek out the sinners and the devils, and show them the Light. Some were saved, others destroyed, but always the evil must be overcome. Everything God told him came to pass, further proving His Divinity. Following God's Plan brought him wealth and influence, power over his flock.

But Something Went Wrong.

God spoke to him of three angels who would enforce His law among mankind, under Bishop Allan's guidance. They were to carry the Holy Fire, The Light of Grace, and the Force of His Will. The Fire and the Light had already been found, children among the Bishop's flock, born to faithful and devout parents and brought to him by his leaders, Reverends Abernathy and Cordell from the eastern and northern branches of the Fellowship of the Voice. But the third angel, known by the name Andrew Cartwright, escaped thanks to the bumbling of Reverend Marshall from the western branch. Marshall was dealt with quickly and quietly, and Bishop O'Toole started a citywide manhunt, with missing child posters and flyers, newspaper listings and media alerts. For weeks no sign of the child angel could be found, and time was growing short. A quiet but deadly cancer was growing in Bishop O'Toole's pancreas, and God's Voice told him nine months ago that he had to finish His work in one year or all would be lost. The pancreas was his timer, and it was ticking down.

He put the bottle of wine away. It was time to do something he'd never done before... It was time for him to address the Voice, call on the Vision. He had to ask God for help.
 

*          *          *
 
Perseus stepped out of the office of His Holiness the Bishop, dialing the number to reach his brother, Cain as he passed the line of supplicants to His Holiness. They shied away as one from Perseus, clearly awed by his power and righteousness. He paid them no attention as his brother angel answered.

"Yes."

"Cain, we have God's work to do. Our brother angel has deserted the fold, and must be returned. He is Fallen, and it is our duty to help bring him back to the path of righteousness, or stop him before he can corrupt the world."

"Ten minutes." Perseus hung up, knowing Cain had used up his allotment of words for the day, and collected his vestments and bible. This day, the city of Topeka would see the Light and feel the Fire. The Force would be led back to the path of righteousness.
 

*          *          *
 
Deb packed the three small suitcases into the rear hatch, while Amie and Andie talked about the upcoming train ride. Andie was so excited she could hardly keep from jumping around.

"The trip's going to take a long time, so I kept out a few books we can study some on the way, and some light reading for fun."

"Andie, you're such a nerd! I'm gonna sleep the whole way, unless there's a hottie in our car to flirt with."

"Just watch your feet, people might stare if you start walking on air again."

"Hey, that only happened once!" Andie defended as they climbed into Deb's old but well-kept Subaru station wagon.

"Omigawd, seriously? That must have been hilarious! You should have got a picture, Deb! But, how are we gonna get on the train? I thought they didn't usually let kids travel on trains alone without their parents." Amie couldn't help poking fun at Andie, but quickly moved on to the question that had been gnawing at her curiosity button for a while. Deb started the car and pulled out into the light traffic before answering.

"Oh, ol' Deb has her ways. I got a friend at the station, security guard who checks that kinda thing. I made a deal with him to let you guys on and 'assume' I'm yer guardian." Andie was stunned, what kind of thing would make a security guard let things by?

"You're blackmailing him?" Amie seemed to have the answer clear enough.

"Oh, I dunno I'd call it that. I jus' let him know I wasn't the kind to tell his girlfriend about his other girlfriend, or vice versa." Deb smirked.

"Yup, that's how blackmail works." Amie laughed and Deb joined in, as she finished loading up.

"I guess it is, at that, huh?" Deb smiled good-naturedly at the kids, though it was obvious to the girls that she was sad to see them go. She went back into the shop to lock up, and Amie followed to grab her purse while Andie watched the car. The last thing they needed was to be robbed before the trip.

As they drove, Andie did some people-watching. It was still one of her favorite pastimes. She felt bemused about the whole thing, it was harmless, and helped them out. Deb always did have a handle on things, something Andie really looked up to about her. In fact, she worried a little about this whole thing, going out on her own with Amie, without Deb to take care of things. For the first time in her life she felt like she had a real family, and letting go of any of it seemed crazy. But she needed to learn to control her power, and learn all the other things school could teach. She needed to know what it was like to be normal in at least some small way, go to school, make friends, be a girl, instead of a runaway or a victim.

When they pulled into the train station parking lot, Andie noticed two boys getting out of a stretch limousine at the entrance. The car caught her eye by dint of being so large, but its occupants seemed creepily familiar. They were wearing matching white trenchcoats with thread-of-gold and black leather collars, plain white pants and sandals. One had short, spiky-blonde hair and a big black book with a silver cross set in it. He was wearing some sort of designer sunglasses with metallic frames and very dark lenses. The other was nearly twice the blonde boy's size, with light brown straight hair and a ridiculously large silver cross on a chain around his neck. Something about the larger boy reminded Andie of the various Latino gang members she always tried to stay away from. Passersby gave them both a wide berth, which Andie could understand well. The pair just radiated danger. Before she could look away, the blonde turned and made direct eye contact with her and she shivered from his eyes, they burned with a cold yet consuming zealotry that made her think of Reverend Marshall.

And yet, just as she braced herself to run or fight, he turned away, apparently unconcerned, and started dialing on a cell phone. She watched, but the two boys in white simply walked into the terminal, the one talking calmly on the phone while the other followed.

"Hellooo, Andie, you in there? Hey, you're white as a sheet, you okay?" Amie poked Andie and she jumped in her seat.

"Uh, yeah, just a little nervous."

"Well, suck it up, cuz we're here. Grab your suitcase, Deb's gonna be busy getting us on, and our train leaves in an hour. Should be plenty of time, but if you're all scared someone might think something's up, and stop us from boarding, so get a grip."

"Okay, yeah, I'll be alright." Andie grabbed her things and followed Deb toward the station.
 

*          *          *
 
The building was a madhouse, people moving in every direction. Some carried bags, others suitcases or boxes or even big carts full of luggage. Lines of people stretched across the way from one platform to another in a chaotic jumble. Andie couldn't imagine how anyone made sense of the whole mess. Before she ran away, the biggest crowd she'd ever seen was church on Sundays, and even that was nothing compared to the throngs in this building.

"Feelin' a bit overwhelmed, Andie?" Deb tapped her on the shoulder and smiled comfortingly.

"Yes... It is a bit disconcerting."

"Pssht, you think this is bad? Try an airport. Or a concert! I snuck in to a club to see Green Day like six months ago, there was barely room to stand, you couldn't take two steps without running into someone or getting groped. It was great though, the music was so loud!"

"I'll... take your word for it. I don't think I could get used to that kind of crowd though. This place is crazy enough!"

"Okay, girls, park it over here on these seats, I'm gonna go chat up my friend an' getcha squared away."

As Deb walked away, Amie let a little of her own worry show.

"You really think this is a good idea? I mean, it's a small town, there's no guarantee I can find a place to live, or any kind of a job. And just showing up at a secretive mutant school unannounced? I got to say, you got serious steel.

Andie gulped nervously, she couldn't stop going over some of the same worries herself.

"Well, it can't be any worse for you than it was before, right? And you'll be closer to Stephanie. I checked a map, Boston's not too far away. And we have Deb's number, so if everything goes to hell, we can always come back, right? But... I have to do something, I have to get better control of my powers, before I kill someone. I mean, I can do some stuff well when I concentrate, but when I get scared or mad, really weird stuff keeps happening, dangerous stuff. Who knows what I could do if I got really scared? Kill someone? Collapse a building? Or worse! What if it you or Deb got hurt."

"Yeah, I kinda know what you mean. And I really want to see my sister."

Andie turned to give Amie a reassuring hug, but stopped cold. Her heart started hammering and her stomach dropped to somewhere in the vicinity of her knees.

"Andie?! What's wrong?" Amie sounded scared too, but Andie didn't turn to look.

"We have to get out of here, right now." Andie whispered softly staring across the station, her eyes once again locked with the blonde boy in the white trenchcoat. The hair on the back of her neck was standing straight up and she knew without a doubt that boy and his friend were there for her, and their intentions were anything but friendly. Then she realized why the two had seemed so familiar when she saw them outside. About a year before, her parents had taken her to the main branch of their church for a special service. The blonde boy was Perseus, some major deal in the church like a saint or something. So was the bigger boy. She didn't remember very well because she hadn't really paid much attention, the sermon was pretty much the same thing Reverend Marshall always said.

"Andie, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

"Just trust me. We have to find Deb and make a run for it." Amie nodded in the corner of Andie's vision, just as the blonde boy Andie was staring at mouthed something she couldn't hear across the crowd. She slowly started to back away, dragging her suitcase with one hand and Amie with the other. Not once did she take her eyes off the blonde boy. Amie didn't resist, though she gave Andie an odd look.

"Who would pull something here? There's witnesses everywhere." Andie ignored her to concentrate on where she was going. Deb had gone this way to meet her friend, she just had to get to Deb and get them out before things got bad. She knew it couldn't be done, not staring into those impossibly cold blue eyes. It felt like he was freezing her with his stare, her fingers and toes felt like they were going numb and the air felt as thick as gelatin. Still she fought the terror and glanced away for just a moment, certain he would be right on top of her when she looked back. There was Deb, in animated discussion with a security guard. It seemed like either he wasn't going for the whole blackmail thing or maybe they were just working out the finer points. Right that moment Andie didn't care, getting out was the highest priority. If the church found her again, who knew how far they would go!

Looking back again, she found the blonde boy exactly where she left him but now he was talking on a cell phone. Instead of staring her down he was scanning the crowd calmly. Then with a cold smile, his eyes once again settled on her.

"Andrew Cartwright, Fallen One, you face the Angel of Redemption! Repent and rejoin the fold, and you will be saved. Run and I shall be forced to strike you down!" His voice rang loud and clear over the noise of the station. Several people nearby turned to look at the boy in white, but he seemed entirely oblivious. His lips quirked in a smirk; he was clearly quite certain he had her trapped. The mind numbing terror she'd struggled against every time she met his eyes sharpened to a white hot spike in her head.

Andie dropped her suitcase, dropped Amie's hand, and bolted. Her need to escape those cold cold eyes eclipsed all else, though her stomach churned with revulsion at herself for leaving Deb and Amie behind. She felt almost like she was running down the side of a cliff, her feet barely touching the floor as she fell toward the exit slipping past confused people.

"Cain! The door!" That clear voice rang out again, and the glass double doors leading to the parking lot burst into searing blue flames. The glass melted out of them instantly, splashing onto the carpet as the aluminum doorframe sagged and dripped in the heat. Andie threw her hands in front of her and backpedaled from area that suddenly poured out painful heat some ten feet in front of her. The falling sensation reversed sickeningly, but pulled her thankfully away from the fire. Screams filled the air as people shrank away from the fire.

Scanning for another exit, her eyes gravitated toward the boy again. The hand not holding a big black bible held instead light, leaking out between his fingers from a tightly gripped fist. The milling chaos parted around him as scared people shoved away from him, pouring out of the area around them both.

"Will you not renounce Satan's influence and turn to God's Holy Light to save you from the very jaws of sin? Will you instead walk the wide, easy path to hell's gates? Nay, for I, Persueus, am the Angel who bears the Light of His Way and will guide you to the path of righteousness, cleansing you of the taint of wicked ways! Look into the Light, and become the Force of His Will!"

Andie broke eye contact just in time to throw herself to the side, barely avoiding the searing burst of light that accompanied his punch. Stars filled her vision for a moment and she thought maybe he had connected, but the heat of his light only burned her cheek. Somehow he had closed the distance while talking, and she hadn't even noticed. She stumbled backwards still stunned from the blindingly bright light and only barely registered the crash of the ball of light passing through a newsstand and wall explosively behind her.

The boy, Perseus, grabbed her by the shoulder in some sort of nerve hold that flashed agony down her arm. While she was busy with the pain, his leg caught hers and dropped her spinning to her knees as his arm snaked around her neck. She felt him do something with the bible but had no chance to do anything but catch herself short of falling on her face before his other arm caught around her shoulder in some sort of lock. She was completely trapped, and they were going to take her back to Reverend Marshall for more torture in the name of exorcism. Utter desolation creeped in and she felt a tugging in her stomach, an otherworldly sucking sensation pulling her in.

Until a loud popping sound distracted her. She didn't know what she'd been close to doing, but she knew it would have been Bad. The gripping arms loosened, but did not release.

"Let go of her you motherfucker or I'll pop your head like a fucking melon!" That was Deb's voice. Andie was suddenly terrified for her; the woman was brave, but these people would kill her.

"Cain!" The arms loosened further as Perseus called out the name again. Andie took advantage and slipped free, though Perseus did manage to keep a hold of her skirt. Dropping upward enough to reach her feet in an instant, Andie turned just in time to see Deb jump screaming from another blue fire just as it sprouted up. She was obviously burned, and Andie had no idea how badly. Terror melted into rage.

"Sinner repent, for you have felt the Flame of His Wra-URK!" A maelstrom of loose objects flew at very high speeds to impact Perseus as he spoke. Suitcases, portable electronic devices, and assorted detritus slapped and stuck to him.

"Don't you TOUCH HER!" Andie focused on Cain. He wasn't hard to find, being the only other person in the whole building wearing a white trenchcoat. He raised his hand to point at her but in an instant fell to his knees. The fireball obviously meant for her instead hit the floor under him, setting the area ablaze. She focused on him with all her rage and he slumped flat, but before she could crush him a blast of searing hot agony knocked her over. She stood up to refocus on Perseus, dimly noting her right arm wouldn't move and something hot was dripping down it.

Another blinding bolt flashed, but simply bent around her to blast another hole in the wall behind her. Perseus stared wildly at her and launched another and another in vain, they slipped around her again. She took a slow step toward him, but before she could act, a new voice boomed out.

"Cease and desist by order of A.R.M.O.R. Midwest!" Andie looked up at the voice, her left hand still pointed at Perseus. Three figures in gold and silver hovered above, little jets of flame spouting from belts at their hips.

"Cain! Withdraw!" A flash of light accompanied Perseus' command and he sprouted wings of light, as a flash at his feet propelled him forward and out one of the holes his light blew in the wall. Cain, having gotten to his feet, sprouted a halo of fire and ran incredibly fast after him. Two of the three flying figures zoomed off in pursuit, as the third drifted slowly down to point some sort of high-tech bracelet at the lingering blue fires. A spray of foam coated each in turn, and they guttered out hissing and smoking nastily.

"Okay, everybody, please remain calm. Is anyone hurt?" Andie stared at the man in what looked like armored tights. It was a surreal moment, she'd read about these things on the internet over the last few weeks but it was nothing compared to the real thing. Amie's voice calling out over the crowd spurred her brain back into function.

"My friends are! Deb's burned and Andie got shot by that guy with the light!" The words brought back the reality of the pain in her arm, and Andie gasped. Her head throbbed in counterpoint to the shoulder, and she could feel blood dripping down her arm and hand. Just as worryingly, she could taste it on her lips.

"This is A.R.M.O.R. calling in an emergency, I need police, fire, and at least two paramedic teams at the train station. Situation secure, Starbeam and Escapist in pursuit of two unknown mutant suspects, Shieldman on location to secure." The station began to dim as Andie listened to the real live superhero. "One mutant on site, wounded, not resisting. It's okay, Miss, you can relax, we have everything under control. Do you under-whoa!" Strong arms caught her as the darkness crept in.

---

 
To Be Continued...