A Letter From the Author:

Hi everyone,

I'm going to start by saying that Book Three is by no means finished. I have the first six chapters pretty much 'ready' after two months of hard work. As I move forward, I'm going to be taking greater care in my writing than I have in the past.

That means that, going forward, chapters will be fewer and farther between as I refine and perfect each one. That can't be helped, but the reason I've decided to go ahead and start posting is that in writing both Book One and Book Two, I've found that interaction drives my creativity as much as anything.

I love interacting with readers. Sometimes someone will see a connection that I never noticed, but that fits so perfectly into the story that I can't not use it after they've pointed it out. Other times someone will see a logical flaw that I can go back and fix, and become a better writer for it :-)

I'm also employing new writing techniques that I've learned. Probably the most 'jarring' change from the past is that I'm going to be skipping ahead more, trying to focus on the more action-oriented points of the story. I'm also cutting back on the narrative a little bit. Anyone who's spent more than five minutes talking to me knows how I tend to ramble ;-)

So with all that said, I'm going to start posting some time today. I need to do a title page first, for which this 'letter' will be the book's preface, but I wanted to post it ahead of time just so we're all on the same page. I hope that my extra effort in trying to polish each chapter comes through.

Love,
~Zoe

~* Take it Easy *~

Chelsea grinned as she hugged me. “Hey you!”

“Oh wow,” Chelsea answered. “So does this mean no more hiding in the coaches’ office?”

Allison giggled as she sat down beside me with a freshly popped bowl of popcorn. “You so don’t have to thank me. You know that.” She smiled broadly. “It’s been fun reconnecting. I can’t believe it’s been a year since you came here.”

“God I know. So much has changed in such a short time.” I had to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Allison started to giggle too. Laughter is contagious.

“I just realized this all started with a hospital visit - granted it was Mom’s. And now a year later... I just can’t believe this is real. I feel like a real girl now.”

Allison shook her head. “You were always a real girl, goober.” She paused and grinned. “But I know what you meant. Kelly was the same way. It was like there was this tension about her that wasn’t there anymore after her surgery. She seemed happier. Part of that could be no more private school though,” she added with a giggle. “God, those ugly uniforms!”

“I couldn’t do it. I’m not shallow or anything, but my sister is a fashionista. It runs in the family. I’d die if I had to limit my wardrobe to the same thing five days a week.”

Allison laughed as she tossed a piece of popcorn at me. “Y’know, that’s one thing I’ve always been secretly jealous about.”

I stared blankly back at her, causing her to giggle.

“I’m talking about your fashion sense. I mean, the heels were a little extreme - of course I don’t wear heels at all because of my damn height. Chelsea’s the same way though, but yeah, you have a talent for finding cute stuff.”

“So that’s why you always drag me along on your shopping adventures, huh?” I teased.

“Darn right. Well, that and you’re great company, of course!”

I took a sip of my soda as a calm silence fell over the room for a moment. “So how are the renovations going?” I finally asked.

“Nikki’s managed to talk Trent into helping with the heavy lifting. He and Laura are both really excited to help out, from what Nikki’s said. But we’re kind of holding off on doing anything major right now. There’s so much that needs to be done that we really need to do a full walk through and evaluate it.”

“Doesn’t your dad have a nice HD camera? It might be easier to either borrow it or ask him to film for us. And I wouldn’t have to physically be there to pitch in ideas.”

“Yeah, but it’d be so dark... Hey, wait a minute. I think it might have a night vision mode! Robin, you’re a genius!” she giggled and hugged me, nearly knocking the popcorn out of her lap.

I had to laugh. “Glad I can help, I think.”

I suddenly and abruptly squealed as I felt a pair of cold hands on my neck. Nicole giggled and leaned over to kiss my cheek, and I reached up to wrap my arms around her as she nuzzled my shoulder. “Hey cutie,” she giggled. “Sorry I’m late. Didn’t the doc tell you not to overdo it?”

“It’s fine. And she did,” I started, pointing at a pair of lightweight aluminum crutches propped against the wall beside the TV, “But I cheated. Plus Ally and Kelly helped.”

“It helps that Robin’s in such great physical shape,” Allison added with a grin.

“I just needed a change of scenery really badly. I wish I could go with you guys to check out the old asylum. I really feel okay to walk - provided I keep my crutches handy, but Jen would kill me.”

“That’s why I’m gonna talk to my dad about using his camera. This way we can all meet back here and talk about what we need to do.”

“Hey, why not video phone conference it?” Nicole asked. “I mean, in addition to doing the HD cam thing, so we can drag Robin along without having to drag her out of the house?”

Allison giggled. “Oh, that could work. Does your phone do video?”

“No, but I have a tablet that does. It doesn’t do HD or anything fancy though, but it does have 4G unlimited.”

“Sounds good to me. Call me when you get there so I can get to my laptop for the link?” I asked

“Sure thing,” Nicole answered. “Need any help getting back to Margie’s?”

I smiled sheepishly. “Um, yeah if you don’t mind. Kelly had to help me down the stairs earlier, but it was so worth it.”

Nicole smiled as she sat down beside me, with Allison on the other side. I wrapped my arms around their shoulders as each put an arm around me. “Count of three - one, two, three,” and we stood together. Allison grabbed my crutches as they helped me upstairs.

“Man what I’d give for an elevator in here,” I giggled as we reached the top of the stairs, and Allison handed me my crutches. “Thanks guys. I’ll be okay from here. Luckily my laptop’s downstairs at Margie’s.”

I had only just gotten in the door when someone knocked. I shook my head. “Guys, you know you don’t ever have to--” I started, but stopped myself after opening the door to find Chelsea and Brittany standing on the other side. Chelsea had on a bright blue tank top from Margie’s teen style collection that she’d modeled awhile back, and carried a large flower arrangement. Brittany had a big plush bear wearing an Alpine Springs-style basketball uniform, with a balloon tied to its wrist that read in big cursive red letters on a white background, “Get Well Soon!”

Chelsea grinned as she hugged me. “Hey you!”

Brittany smiled and hugged me next. “So this is where you’ve been hiding, huh? We heard you were in the hospital. How are you feeling?”

“Sore, but getting better. I um... I had surgery to correct my birth defect,” I answered, blushing softly.

“Oh wow,” Chelsea answered. “So does this mean no more hiding in the coaches’ office?”

“May be,” I replied with a bit of a giggle. “I kind of hope so, but it depends on how the healing process goes. Anyway,” I quickly changed the subject, “Do you guys want to come in? I’ve got fresh iced tea, soda, juice... I’m going to be doing a video conference with Nikki and the others in a bit too. They’re going to tour the haunted asylum to see what kind of work we need to do.”

“What’re you guys interested in that place for?” Brittany asked.

“Well, I was going to let it be a surprise, buuut... The girl scouts are helping renovate it in exchange for permission to put on a haunted house this Halloween. It’s going to be huge! The owners also want to turn it into a general youth center.”

“Oh, that’s so cool,” Chelsea answered. “Sure, we can stay awhile. But may I get the drinks? You look like you can barely stand,” she added with a slight frown.

“That’s fine. The kitchen’s through here. I was over at Allison’s earlier so I’m a little drained. The doctors want me to rest as much as possible, but being stuck inside all day for two weeks straight was getting a little old.”

“Considering how active you were last semester,” Brittany responded dryly, but grinned. “But if it wasn’t for you my dad wouldn’t even know I existed so I can’t really say too much.”

I laughed a little as I sat down on the sofa. “Yeah, well, I’m planning on taking it easy this semester.”

“What did you guys want to drink again?” Chelsea called from the kitchen.

“I just had a soda at Ally’s - just water for me, thanks,” I called.

“Nothing for me,” Brittany added.

“So, um, can I ask you a really personal question?” Brittany asked. I kind of expected this sooner or later, and had already prepared a simple, mostly true response, so I nodded.

“Sure. Go ahead.”

“Are you still trying out for cheer this year? I heard some rumors that … well,” she trailed off. Brittany, the biggest loud mouth on my basketball team, was completely speechless.

“Yeah, I’ll probably try out. I thought about just doing basketball though, and maybe doing volleyball in the Spring.”

“Aw, you should totally try out,” Chelsea answered. “But I know how hard it can be. Just balancing work and cheer has been kind of a challenge for me to be honest. Mostly getting my work schedule set around cheer camps. I’m thinking about quitting basketball.”

Brittany frowned. “Please tell me you’re not serious.”

Chelsea nodded. “I’m burned out, Brit. You and Katelyn would make fine captains - or you, Robin,” she added with a grin.

“Oh, heck no,” I balked and shook my head. I had just finished setting up my laptop to accept the live video feed, and glanced up at her. “I love basketball. It’s so much fun, but I’m not captain material. I think Brit and Katelyn should do it. And you and Sasha for cheer.”

“Speaking of Katelyn, I heard she’s back in town for awhile?” Brittany asked.

“Yeah, she has been for awhile. I think she’s going to stay here when Sarah goes back to Ireland, and then surprise her - but you didn’t hear that from me!”

“It’s weird, how much you’ve affected our lives,” Brittany replied thoughtfully as she lay her hand on my shoulder. When I looked over, she smiled. “Sorry again for how I acted when we first met.”

“Brit, would you stop apologizing? It’s water under the bridge; I mean it. Nothing you, or even Katelyn, said to me was any worse than the crap I went through at my old school. Jason’s the only one I had any real problems with, and even then, I can kind of understand where he was coming from. I mean, you guys know about his parents right?”

“Yeah,” Chelsea answered. “Maria’s one of my best friends. I know all about the rather messy divorce, and his mom getting sick.”

“Wait, divorce?” I asked. Chelsea frowned. “You didn’t know? Crap. Don’t get the wrong idea. They divorced before she found out she was sick. They just couldn’t make it work. Jason took it pretty hard, and then his mom having cancer made it even worse. He told Maria that he even thought about taking his life at one point, before he met her.”

“Wow,” I whispered. Chelsea nodded.

“She really turned his life around.” She paused to smile. “I mean don’t get me wrong, you helped too.”

I giggled. “Honestly I’d rather think that she had everything to do with it. All I did was introduce him to Kenpo, and the girl scouts worked together to get his mom out of her slump and get some help before it was too late. Oh, hey, the video feed’s live. I wonder why they didn’t call-” I started, but my cell phone started to play ‘Kiss the Girl’ from The Little Mermaid - Nicole’s private ringtone.

I quickly answered it, blushing as my houseguests looked over at me, both of them grinning. “Hey vampire.”

“Hiya cutie. Did you get the video feed?” She stepped in front of the camera and waved.

“Yeah, but there’s no sound.”

“Oops! Hang on a sec.” She stepped closer, giving us a nice close-up of the black tank top she had worn that day, as she fiddled with her tablet PC. A moment later we could distinctly hear Trent in the background.

“... the big trash bins you asked me to pick up. I’ve got to go meet Laura, but we’ll be around to help next time, I promise.”

“Hey, before you go say hi to Robin,” Nicole called, pointing the camera at him.

“And Chelsea and Brittany,” I added. Nicole giggled.

“Oh! Hey Chels, Brit!” she responded.

“Hey Nikki!” Chelsea answered.

“Hiya Nikki,” Brittany added.

“So here’s what we’re going to do. Jen, Ally, Kris and me are going to walk through once. We’ve got our flashlights and stuff, and Ally’s got her dad’s camera,” she paused to turn her own camera on Allison, who waved and grinned, “So we’ll have a proper high def video to show you later, but right now you’re seeing what we’re seeing.”

“Also remember,” Kris added, “This place housed criminals as well as mental patients, according to the few records that survived. Some of the old locks will need to have a locksmith look at them, so try not to get locked inside anywhere.”

“Has anyone actually gotten locked in here before?” Allison asked as they began walking down the first hallway. Graffiti lined the walls - everything from pencil marks to spray paint. Papers seemed randomly scattered, and Jennifer nearly tripped over the remnants of what was once a wooden chair, and they’d only gone fifteen yards.

“Actually yeah. Heh. Some dumb kid took on a bet to come in here with his buddies, and they took it a step further. They dared him to crawl into one of the corpse drawers in the morgue, and the door got stuck. Poor kid was locked in there for two hours while firefighters worked to pry the heavy door off.”

“Jesus,” Brittany whispered.

“Yeah, you can say that again,” Chelsea answered.

“Hey Robin, how’s it look on your end?” Jennifer asked.

“Dark,” I answered. Nicole had apparently put me on speaker because I heard my answer follow over the video feed, and Jennifer’s giggle a second later.

“Yeah it’s definitely dark down here. Ally’s got the HD camera in night vision mode using the viewfinder to see - cheater!” she teased. Allison laughed.

“Darn right. This is an expensive piece of gear. I don’t want to trip over a chair and drop it,” she shot back playfully. Suddenly everyone stopped, as a loud banging, like a heavy door being slammed shut, resounded from further inside.

“What was that?” Allison asked at the same time Chelsea and Brittany did.

“Hello?” Kris called, shining his flashlight further down. Allison squealed.

“There’s someone there!”

A moment later, Marry called from the darkness. “Sorry! That was my bad!”

“Marry? Give a girl a heart attack!” Jennifer laughed. “What are you doing back there?”

she held up a flashlight as she approached. “Looking for something. But my batteries went dead so I’ve been stumbling around trying to find my way back out.”

“Sure you weren’t just trying to sneak up on us?” Kris teased causing Marry to laugh and shake her head.

“No, if I was trying to sneak up on you I wouldn’t have walked right into that big ward door.” She had a fresh bruise on her forehead to prove it, too. “Anyway, let’s continue with the tour. I want to show you guys the morgue.”

“Yeah Kris was just telling us about someone getting locked in there,” Nicole answered. “I’d love to set up some kind of cheesy boo scare in there, like someone banging trying to get out, and then anyone who gets too close, there’ll be someone else waiting to jump out at them, maybe dressed like a surgeon in a bloody lab coat.”

“Wielding a dull scalpel,” Allison added.

“And a severed head,” Jennifer concluded.

“... Your friends are so weird,” Brittany responded.

“Aren’t they just the greatest?” I teased, causing her to laugh.

Chelsea and Brittany sat rather enthralled by the video feed and the discussion as we watched my friends tour the asylum. I’d occasionally toss in ideas, but I wanted to wait until I could see the video before getting too deeply - or better yet, seeing the place for myself, once my body healed enough to let me.

A couple of hours had passed since they left, when Allison, Jennifer and Nicole appeared in the doorway. Jennifer approached first, holding something behind her back. She grinned as she produced a Burger King bag and a tall cup. “We brought you something! Actually our burgers are in here too, but we didn’t want to eat without you. Here, this’ yours too - chocolate milkshake!” she announced, handing me the cup.

“Aww. Thanks guys!” I giggled and accepted the cup, as Jennifer opened the bag, passing out burgers.

“Extra pickles no onions, extra lettuce no pickles, double-cheeseburger extra mustard,” she went down the list while Allison hooked up the video camera to my laptop.

“Okay, I had Robin on speakerphone the whole time,” Nicole added around a mouthful of burger, “So her comments should be recorded too. I’m kinda excited because even with our flashlights, we couldn’t see CRAP down there.”

Allison laughed. “Well, you couldn’t see crap. I could see just fine,” she teased, sticking out her tongue.

Jennifer quickly tore open one of those little self-contained packets of mustard and squirted it on Allison’s tongue.

“Ack! Hey!”

“Well you did want extra mustard,” she teased. Allison giggled and threw a french fry at her, which she caught between her teeth and crunched down on with an innocent grin.

The difference between what I saw on webcam and what Allison recorded was literally like night and day. We could see every crack in the drywall, every pencil scratch, and every speck of dust in the air that they had kicked up, and despite knowing it was coming, we still jumped when Marry bumped into that door causing it to slam shut.

“Gawd, I knew it was coming and it still scared me,” Nicole giggled.

“God me too,” Allison added. “I’d SWEAR she did that on purpose if I didn’t see the bruise myself.”

Jennifer rolled her eyes, “Heck, I still think she did it on purpose. There was just too much force behind that sound to be an accident. Plus I know Marry. She can be worse than Nikki about practical jokes like that when she wants to be.”

“Hey!” Nicole laughed, “I’ll have you know I haven’t pulled a prank in...” she paused, counting on her fingers. “Three weeks!”

“There’s so much that needs to be done. We’re definitely going to have to clear out that debris that’s all over the place, clean the walls and floors, and that’s before we can even start talking about setting up the scares.”

“You’re not going anywhere until you’re completely recovered, Missy,” Jennifer replied, but smiled. “We’ll handle the cleaning. This was just to give us an idea what we’re dealing with. Kris says they’ll have the power back on in a week or two, once they can get someone to inspect the wiring and make sure everything’s up to code.”

“I thought about whether we should take down the boards covering the windows,” Nicole added thoughtfully, “But isn’t that part of what gives the place its charm? I mean sure, it’s dark as all Hell without any natural light coming in, but it makes it creepy.”

“I agree. Plus we can start earlier and not have to wait for the sun to go down for a good, proper scare. And once Kris and Marry get the power sitch straight,” Allison reasoned, “We won’t have to think about lighting anyway.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Nicole started as she wrapped an arm around me, “Since we’re going to be renovating the place for our own needs, maybe we can do something to help them after it’s all over too.”

“Like what?” Jennifer asked.

Nicole smiled. “Well, they want to turn it into a youth center, but as it is right now, with all the cell-like rooms and junk, they’re going to have to knock down a lot of walls. Contractors could get expensive.” She turned to look at me. “So Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?”

“I think so, Brain,” I answered without missing a beat, “But how would we get the cows into the space suits?”

Jennifer giggled as Allison threw her arm around me. “God, you guys and your P-and-B references. But I couldn’t agree more. Besides, what’s more relaxing after a stressful day at school than breaking down walls with giant sledgehammers? Oooh, there’s a Freudian metaphor in there somewhere - I just know it!”

Jennifer tossed her wrapper into the Burger King bag and nodded. “It’s a great idea. I mean they’re letting us use their building completely free. We should do something for them besides just cleaning the place. I’ll go talk to Marry about it.”

Nicole grinned. “And I’ve got to see a lady about a car soon. LeAnne knows someone with a 1969 Shelby Mustang. She swears it’s in good condition too.”

“Aww,” Allison frowned. “You’re not getting rid of the one you have are you?”

“My baby?” Nicole balked. “Gawd no. I’ve been looking for a ‘69 for my Dad for his birthday, but the ones I’ve looked at so far were either unsalvageable rust piles, or the owner wanted ten times what it’s actually worth. Money’s not a big deal, but it’s the principle of the thing.”

Allison glanced at me with a grin. “I guess it’s just you and me girl.”

“So, Monopoly?”

Allison fake-groaned. “Oh fine. I guess I can drive you into bankruptcy again.”

“Hey,” I laughed, shooting back, “Don’t forget the game before that where you landed on three of my hotels in a row.”

“Ooh, now you’re so not getting a discount to ride my railroad,” Allison giggled. Jennifer and Nicole looked at each other and started to laugh as they left us to our rivalry.

~* A Daughter's Love *~

“I want to pick up some aromatherapy candles,” Mom replied, rubbing her protruding belly lightly. “I should have known better than to marry a martial arts instructor,” she added, as we walked out to the parking lot.

She giggled. “Because I think one of your siblings just roundhouse kicked my bladder. You go on ahead. I need to go to the bathroom again.”

No, my sense of pride came from finally being able to move about without crutches or a limp. It had been two weeks now since the initial walkthrough on the old asylum, and I felt great!

“I’ve got a great teacher,” I giggled, mopping the sweat from my brow with a soft towel. She shook her head.

“No, I mean it. For someone who’s been laid up for a month, I expected you’d at least need some time to get your groove back, so to speak. I’ve got something harder for you and Jenn, but I’ll save it for tomorrow.”

I nodded as Mom waddled out to us with a tray of lemonade. She was already seven months in, and really starting to show it. Jennifer immediately rushed over to take the heavy tray.

“Here, let me help,” she offered. Mom smiled.

“Really it’s not that heavy!” she insisted.

“Yeah, but you know what your doctor said,” I added. I’d always heard nurses and doctors made the worst patients, but Mom at least relented whenever I reminded her.

“I suppose you’re right. Anyway, how’s practice coming along?” she asked as if she hadn’t just spent the last thirty minutes at her laptop in the kitchen, keeping one eye on us - probably to make sure I didn’t overdo it either.

“We just finished actually,” Alice answered with a warm smile, lifting one of the glasses. “Ohh, this is really good. Linda is this fresh-squeezed?”

Mom grinned. “As if there’s any other kind. Organically grown lemons too.”

“So would you two like to stay for lunch?” I asked, before Mom could. At least this way I could take care of the cooking without her feeling obliged.

Alice smiled as she shook her head. “Wish I could, but I promised my sister I’d go with her to New Haven. I’ll see you tomorrow though?”

“Can’t wait!” I answered, glancing at Jennifer. “What about you, Dances-with-Coconuts?”

Jennifer giggled. “Only sometimes!” she shot back, but nodded. “Sure, I could go for a sandwich maybe. Mind if I dunk my head in your bathroom sink first?”

I had to laugh. “Sure, go ahead. There’s shampoo in there if you need it.”

Jennifer shook her head. “Nah. I just need to cool down a little. That’s why you’ll never hear me complain about a wipeout when I’m out on the waves - even when the wave wins, there’s sweet, cool solace in losing.” She giggled, giving me that zen smile of hers as she bounded off to the bathroom.

“Oh hey, did you hear?” I asked, turning to Mom. “That house on the corner finally sold. I haven’t seen anyone move in yet.”

“It’s about time,” Mom answered and shook her head. “That house has been on the market for as long as we’ve lived here, maybe longer. I just hope the neighbors don’t mind all the noise,” she teased.

“Probably not. We can always tone it down if they do complain though, but I think they’re far enough up the cul de sac to only really hear Nikki’s bass.”

“Well, yes, but in fairness I can hear that over across town here,” she shot back with a teasing grin.

“What’re we talking about?” Jennifer asked as she returned, her long, wavy hair now absolutely dripping with water and matted against her neck and back.

I couldn’t help laughing as I looked up. “Oh um, we’re getting new neighbors over near Margie’s. That big house on the corner finally sold.”

“Wow. Really? That thing’s been empty for four or five years now. I’m kinda surprised you and Ash didn’t buy it, Linda.”

Mom smiled as I got up to start making our sandwiches. “We talked about it, but we like the extra storage space we have here, plus it’s not like we’re on the other side of town anyway.”

“And I can drive now, so it’s even easier,” I added. “Hey Jen, what do you want on yours? Lettuce, tomato, tabasco sauce?”

“Don’t you dare,” Jennifer giggled. “You know I have a tomato allergy!” She tried to keep a straight face, but Mom’s sideways glance caused her to crack up laughing. “Lettuce, tomato, and any kind of cheese you have handy is fine,” she added. I already knew how Mom liked hers. Though with the pregnancy her tastes had certainly changed.

“Ketchup and mayo on whole wheat with extra pickles,” I announced as I passed Mom a saucer with her sandwich. Jennifer wrinkled her nose.

“What, no honey?”

“Oh!” Mom exclaimed. “Honey would be perfect!”

Jennifer and I both giggled, and I set a bottle of honey on the table as I passed Jennifer her sandwich, sitting down between the two. “If there’s any good that can come from me never being able to get pregnant, it’s that I won’t spend my entire adult life regretting nine months of questionable food habits.”

Mom couldn’t help laughing. “Oh, you wouldn’t believe the kinds of cravings I had when I carried you. Honestly it’s a miracle you don’t have a permanent chocolate-covered-pickle craving.”

“I do have a thing for ice cream-covered french fries though now that you mention it.”

“Goofball,” Jennifer laughed, eyed the honey warily, and then picked it up, squirting some on her ham sandwich. “Ooh... Oh wow. That actually is pretty good.”

Mom grinned wide. “See? I’m not completely crazy.” We all laughed.

“Anyway, after lunch I’ve got to get a shower and go see my surgeon. She’s supposed to be flying in for a follow-up again.”

“Again?” Jennifer asked. “They must really be paying her big bucks.”

“Well, it’s partially that, but I also agreed to undergo an experimental procedure. I mean don’t get me wrong; it’s completely sanctioned by the medical community, but they want to know long term effects. On the short term, well,” I trailed off and grinned. “You saw me out there this morning. I feel great.”

“So like, will you be appearing in any medical journals?”

“Nah, nothing like that. The most I’ll get is an anonymous mention in a med student’s research paper I think,” I giggled. “But she seems nice, and I think she’s friends with Sarah’s sister LeAnne.”

“Oh, Michelle?” Jennifer asked, nodding. “Yeah, they’ve been dating a couple of weeks now. Nikki bought that cherry Shelby Mustang off her, remember?”

“Oh yeah! That’s the same person? Wow, talk about spooky.”

“There is no coincidence. Only the Force, there is, young padawan,” Jennifer replied in her best Yoda voice, causing me to crack up again.

“Cupcakes can lead only to the dark side. Well, that and my thighs,” I replied with a giggle as we stood to hug.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, hey?”

“See you then. Tell your Mom I said Hi.”

“Oh I will,” she replied and hugged Mom. “Linda, you take it easy.”

“I’ll try,” Mom answered, smiling teasingly back at her.

“I’m just going to go grab a shower really fast. Did you want to come with me?”

“I’d love to, dear. We can get some mother-daughter bonding in,” she answered. I giggled and hugged her.

“I can’t wait.”

“So, how did it go?” Mom asked as I stepped into the waiting room.

“Doc says everything looks great. There’s still some scar tissue, but she says that should heal with time.”

“Hey, Robin,” Michelle called after me. Michelle was, so far as I knew, a med student, but an incredibly intelligent girl. Despite being my age, she had some amazing insight into transgender treatment and surgical techniques. How she didn’t have her doctorate already was a mystery to me. How she withstood having all those piercings in her ears and navel was an even bigger one.

My appointment had actually been with her though, with my surgeon meeting with us via satellite, since she couldn't make it after all.

I turned back to smile at her. “Did I forget my purse again?” I teased. She laughed and shook her head.

“No, I just forgot to tell you one last thing. You’re officially cleared to start getting active again, if you haven’t already. Just remember not to push yourself too hard, too fast okay?”

I couldn’t help a small giggle. “I actually just had a cheer practice this morning. No acrobatics but we did work on some more athletic ground moves. Hey, how’s Taylor doing by the way?”

“She’s great. Just got her cast off this weekend. The first thing she did when we got home was change into her swimsuit and dive into the pool.” Michelle giggled.

I couldn’t help smiling. “Sounds like she’s really bounced back. She’s as strong as her sister,” I teased, giving Michelle a hug. “Tell LeAnne I said ‘hi’ when you see her.”

“In about thirty minutes,” Michelle answered with a broad grin as we parted ways, and I turned to Mom.

“So, where to now?”

“I want to pick up some aromatherapy candles,” Mom replied, rubbing her protruding belly lightly. “I should have known better than to marry a martial arts instructor,” she added, as we walked out to the parking lot.

“Why’s that?” I asked.

She giggled. “Because I think one of your siblings just roundhouse kicked my bladder. You go on ahead. I need to go to the bathroom again.”

I tried not to laugh as I watched her scurry back inside. On some level I think I felt a little relief that I’d never have to go through all that. I thought about the trade-offs as I sat in the driver’s seat of my car with the top down. A nice, cool breeze picked up, rustling the leaves of a nearby tree, and I smiled as Mom sat down in the passenger seat.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

I slid my amber lens sunglasses down over my eyes, smiled, and nodded. “Great. Just trying to decide if I’m actually lucky that I’ll never have to deal with pregnancy.” I giggled as we pulled away from the hospital. Mom smiled.

“I suppose motherhood is motherhood either way. The morning sickness, the 3am races against the bladder clock, the inability to look in a mirror without feeling like a beached whale... It’s all temporary. And this too shall pass.” She groaned after that, adding, “The sooner the better.”

“What did the doctor say anyway?” I asked as we rolled to a stop at a red light. I’d forgotten how relaxing it could be to just take a day trip to New Haven.

A whole year had passed since her car accident, and in that time I think we both changed a lot. It seemed like life constantly challenged me to be more than myself here, but at the same time getting to transition, to live as the girl I knew I was made me feel more confident to face those challenges.

“Everything looks good. I know everyone’s been worried about lingering side-effects from my accident - especially me,” she added with a sheepish smile, “But so far everything looks great. All my tests have shown a complete recovery.” She paused and squeezed my hand as we pulled away again. “I think a lot of that has to do with my wonderful daughter.”

I couldn’t help giggling. “And after a year, I still never get tired of hearing those words. I love you Mom.”

“I love you too sweetheart,” Mom replied warmly.

I forgot how much fun shopping with Mom could be. We spent the better part of the afternoon just window shopping, exploring New Haven. I did find a really nice present for Nicole though. I had a dinner date with her that evening, and she had apparently just pulled up whenever we got back to Mom and Ash’s house.

“Hey you,” she called as she stepped out of the car. “I’m not too early am I?”

“Never,” I answered cheerfully as we hugged. “Could you help us with the bags? We’ve been shopping.” I grinned. “Oh, but I’ll carry this one,” I added, holding up the bag from Wicked Wicks, the nice little new age bookstore we had stumbled across while we were out.

“Oh Gawd,” Nikki laughed, “You didn’t buy a book of spells did you?”

I giggled. “No. You know I’m not into that sort of weirdness. It’s a present for you.” I grinned at her and gathered a couple of shopping bags. Mom tried to get the rest, but Nikki shook her head.

“I got it, Mom.” She grinned innocently.

“I wondered how long it would take you to finally start calling me that,” Mom giggled, wrapping an arm around each of us as we walked to the door. Nikki and I both paused at the door to let Mom go through first.

“Robin told me to,” she answered honestly, sticking her tongue out at me.

“Well, technically I said you could.”

Mom giggled again. “It’s fine. I like it. Nikki you’re practically part of the family anyway. You and Allison and Jennifer. Now, if you girls will excuse me, I’m going to go soak my ankles before dinner. Just put those things anywhere, and I’ll put them away later.”

“Okay Mom,” we answered in unison, looked at each other, and started giggling.

“So what’d you get me? You better not have spent too much,” Nikki mock-glared.

I held up the plain white bag, and already the strong scent of blackberries wafted under both our noses. She quickly opened the bag to find the large black pillar candle. “Oh my Gawd,” she almost cackled, hugging me. “Robin! You nut! I love it!”

“I thought you would.” I kissed her softly as she hugged me. “When I saw it, I thought of you, and I just had to buy it. So where are you taking me for dinner?”

“I dunno. Where’d you want to go? We can swing by my house if you want to do the ritzy thang, or McDonalds is good too.”

“Ooh, McDonalds sounds good to me. I’ve been craving a chocolate milkshake for a couple of days now. Let me just change my shirt and I’ll be ready. C’mon up with me?”

“You want me to watch?” Nikki teased, tickling my sides.

I couldn’t help the squeal that escaped as I goosed her right back. “No, goof. I want to show you what I’ve been working on with Sarah! But you can watch if you want,” I added teasingly and kissed her cheek.

Upstairs, I had a makeshift storyboard like the ones Margie made for Aria Blade, with pictures drawn by Sarah. They were only black and white, and only some of the conversation bubbles had any text yet, but it was coming together a lot faster than either of us expected.

“Oh wow. Robin these are amazing!” Nikki exclaimed as she admired the different storyboards in the set. I stepped into my walk-in closet, taking down one of my Heedless Despair concert t-shirts.

“Thanks. I’ve had so much time on my hands with my recovery time,” I answered, stepping out into the hall. “Hey, do you mind swinging by Ally’s on the way home? I need to pick up my cat.” I giggled. “Ally’s catsitting for me since I knew I’d be in New Haven today.”

“Awww,” Nikki giggled, adding, “Hey, what’s this?” She pointed to my open notebook.

“Oh, that’s just a poem I’ve been working on. It’s nothing really.”

Though I seek you out eternally
through greater darkness lies,
I find no solace, no respite.
My pain, my struggle,
urging me on,
With no guiding light.

Encompassing shadows,
pulling me toward inevitable fear,
I will slay the macabre death
which longs to stay so near

“Creepy. Is there something you need to tell me?” she frowned.

I giggled. “Oh, God no, it’s not like that! It’s just, I love Heedless Despair’s music, so I wanted to try and write something in that same vein. It’s not anywhere near as good as the stuff they do though.”

“Oh cool!” Nikki practically bubbled. “You should show it to Moira!”

“No way,” I laughed. “It’s really not that good.”

“Yes it is!” she insisted. “I could so see Scarlet singing something like this like, with a Grim Reaper stalking her on the stage. Oh my Gawd that would be so cool!”

“Anyway,” I changed the subject, and she stuck out her tongue.

“At least let me snap a copy on my phone?”

“Sure, go ahead. This is just a hand-written copy. I have another one on my hard drive too that’s a little further along on being edited. I’ll email it to you when we get back,” I replied cheerfully as she snapped a picture of my poem with her phone.

“Yay,” she answered. “Oh, I think it’s my night to buy dinner,” she added as we walked downstairs. “I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I did pay last time too, but you bought me that awesome candle, so don’t even think about trying to pay tonight!”

“Fine fine,” I laughed, “But I’m buying the popcorn at the movie.”

~* Chaos Theory *~

““Eep?” Nikki asked.

“I’m so sorry,” Nikki answered quickly. “It was an accident. I printed off a copy of your lyrics when you emailed them to me, and Moira dropped by unexpected. I couldn’t just lie to her when she asked me who the author was. Please don’t be mad?”

“I brought donuts and coffee,” I called a little louder, figuring that might get their attention. I really had brought donuts and coffee though - I’d just left them in the front seat of my car for now.

“Mumfmfumf,” a male voice said behind me, causing me to jump. I spun around to see Kris with a half-eaten donut in hand. The other half had caused his cheeks to pooch out, and I couldn’t help laughing.
“Shut up,” he said with a half-grin. “I’m hungry!”

“I knew I shouldn’t have left the top down,” I teased. “So where’s everybody?”

“Nikki and Jenn left to get some more supplies. Allison’s gone to track down her boyfriend. He’s got access to three-quarter ton truck for us to haul trash with. Marry’s... Well I’m not actually sure where Marry went.”

“I feel like I should make a lamb joke here since there’s no one else around to, but the second I do she’ll walk up behind me and frog my arm.”

Kris started laughing. I’d never actually seen him laugh before. I mean, in the short time I’d known him, I’d seen him chuckle a few times, and that cool guy smile, but never a full-on gutbusting laugh like what I had just witnessed.

“I can just imagine the look on her face now,” he finally managed to get out.

“Whose face?” Marry asked, stepping around the corner. She glanced at me with an innocent grin, raising her fist. I flinched, and she laughed. “Ah. Two for flinching!” Instead of punching me though, she punched Kris.

“Ow! What did I do?” he asked with a chuckle.

“You laughed,” she replied cheerfully. “Once everyone gets back we can really get down and dirty, metaphorically and literally. Some of the rooms are worse than others, but most of it’s just trash. There’s some old furniture that needs to be taken care of too.”

“Can that stuff be recycled?” I asked thoughtfully.

“You read my mind,” Kris answered. “I mean some of the old desks and stuff are completely useless, but they’re all hardwood so they could probably be salvaged either by a woodworker who’s into that sort of thing, or as sawdust. I’ll post an ad on Craigslist about it. Meantime we can just start piling it up somewhere and throw away anything that’s too far gone.”

As if on cue, two sets of loud, distinct motors outside signified the girls’ returns - Nikki and her Mustang, and what sounded like a diesel engine - probably Josh’s truck.

As I stepped out to greet everyone, I stopped at my car, pulling out the large box of mixed donuts. I held up the thermos of coffee next, calling, “If someone doesn’t mind getting the food, I’ll get the styrofoam cups.”

Ally grinned as she hugged me, taking the box off my hands afterwards. “Robin, you rock in stereo.”

Josh peeked through the clear window of the box. “Oooh, I was gonna pass, but those bear claws look great.”

“So do we have a plan of attack yet?” Jenn asked as I walked alongside her back inside.

“Just a tentative one so far. Kris is going to post on Craigslist for woodworkers interested in salvaging some old hardwood furniture to recycle. Other than that, I think we’re just kind of starting at the front and working our way back.”

“I brought heavy duty gloves for everybody,” Nikki added from my other side. “Plus enough cleaning chemicals to suffocate an elephant, so remember to open a window.”

“Actually the windows don’t open,” Marry advised. “But we do have air conditioning working, so as long as you don’t close the door you should be fine.”

We had only just begun cleaning when a horn honked outside, scaring me about half out of my wits. Nikki and Jenn giggled.

“You okay there?” Jenn asked, completely unable to keep a straight face.

“Peachy,” I answered, setting my broom aside. “I’m going to go see what that was about,” I said, and as I left the room, Marry poked her head out of the next room over.

“I heard a horn and a squeal. Everything okay?”

I didn’t answer. I did stick my tongue out though, causing her to laugh.

“I’m going to see what’s going on. You’re not expecting anyone are you?” I asked. Marry, apparently curious as well, shook her head as she followed.

“No. Just you guys.”

Several new cars sat parked outside, and over half the cheer squad piled out of them, including Chelsea and Sasha. Sasha raced over to hug me.

“Hey girl!” she cheered happily. “God we missed you at cheer camp. How are you feeling?”

“Sasha! What are you guys doing here?”

She giggled. “Can’t let you four have all the fun! When Chelsea told us what you guys were planning we decided to pitch in and help out. I mean, we’re not girl scouts, but we are a team, right?”

Tracy, a cheerleader and fellow senior scout smiled wryly as she waved, even as the others filed inside. “I know this is like, you four’s ‘thing’, but I figured you could use all the help you could get.”

“Our thing?” I asked, confused, and pulled Tracey into a hug. “I hope you didn’t think that just because we’ve been doing a lot of the planning, that we didn’t want any help. There’s no way we can do all this by ourselves. We haven’t really talked about it with the younger girls yet because we wanted to get all the glass and stuff cleaned up first, but we so didn’t mean to exclude you either. Heck, even Trent and Laura are coming out later to help.”

Tracy smiled and returned my hug. A few stray tears rolled down her cheeks. “Thanks. I’m just going through some rough crap right now, and I’m trying not to get in anybody’s way. Sorry for pushing that off on you guys.”

“What’s going on?” I finally asked, realizing we were alone now. She shook her head.

“Don’t want to talk about it,” she answered gruffly, but bit her lip. “Not right now anyway. Maybe later. I just need to get my mind off it.”

I nodded after a moment. “All right - if you’re sure. Want a donut? There’s a few left.”

She laughed a little. “Um, sure. So uh, what is the plan anyway?”

“Well right now we’re just cleaning, but we’re going to start discussing what the owners want to do with the place when we break for lunch, so we can start talking creative ideas for scares. Like there’s a morgue here, so we’re definitely going to do something scary with that, maybe a recording of someone banging, trying to get out.”

“Oh God,” Tracy actually giggled, her eyes and smile brightening noticeably. “You know what we should do? Like if there’s a courtyard or something we can turn it into a swamp. Use dry ice to create mist so nobody knows there’s solid ground underneath it, some paper mache dead trees...”

“Tracy you’re a genius,” I replied as we walked back inside. She shrugged.

“Nah. I’m a theater geek. I live for these kinds of special effects,” she answered casually.

It surprisingly didn’t take long for us to get the worst of the old asylum cleaned up and looking presentable. We still needed to clean off or paint over the graffiti, but by around noon we had a good three fourths of the place trash-free.

Kris and Marry surprised us with a free lunch of pizza from the local pizzaria. We didn’t have any tables, so we piled together a few of the old desks and chairs that weren’t rotted out or covered in dust, and Josh found a stash of metal folding chairs.

While returning with my third slice of supreme, I sat down by Tracy. She smiled up at me around a large bite of pepperoni and sausage.

“How are you holding up?” I asked quietly.

She smiled a little more, staring down at her pizza. “I’m okay. I just had a really big fight with my dad this morning.” She sighed as she raised her styrofoam cup of soda, taking a long, drawn-out sip before finally continuing. “I told you this morning, theater’s what I love. It’s as much a part of who I am as goth is to Laura over there.”

Laura glanced up at hearing her name, and Tracy giggled. “I’m not gossiping about you. Just drawing a comparison.”

Laura giggled as she stood, bringing her chair over and sitting daintily. “What’d I miss?”

“I was just telling Robin what’s been bugging me lately.”

Laura frowned. “That’s not fair. I’ve been trying to get you to talk about it for a week, and then you go and spill your guts to the school’s advice columnist?” She grinned broadly at both of us. “Kidding! Go ahead,” she added, poking Tracy’s arm. I tried not to laugh, not wanting to interrupt.

“It’s just... Ever since Mom died my dad’s had a stick up his ass about me getting a good education. He wants me to go to law school, and he thinks theater’s a waste of tuition.”

“Wow. So not,” Laura answered. Tracy smiled a little.

“I knew a fellow theater geek would understand.” She glanced at me and added, “Theater geeks. heard about your performance of The Raven in Mrs. Ellis’ AP English class.”

I blushed deeply. “I actually thought about trying out for drama, but with everything else I had going on, I just didn’t have any room for it. But if that’s what you want to do, you should go for it. I mean, look at Heedless Despair.” I drew on the only real analogy I could think of. “The kind of performances that they put on isn’t just music, or a concert. It’s like some kind of macabre musical.”

Both Laura and Tracy looked at each other for a moment then started to giggle. “Oh my God,” Laura responded first, “Robin, that’s brilliant. I never even thought of them like that, but I think I just became an even bigger fan.”

Tracy nodded. “I agree. That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Theater is no more ‘dead’ than music or film. It’s my passion. It’s what makes me want to get up in the morning.”

“You should have seen her as Lady MacBeth,” Laura added. “I get chills just thinking about it.”

“Hey, don’t knock your performance in Romeo and Juliet.”

“Even though you played Juliet?” Laura teased, grinning as she leaned over to hug her friend. “You should do what makes you happy though. If your dad can’t understand that, that’s his problem. It’s your life sweetie. You’re the one that has to live it.”

“She’s right,” I heard myself say. I couldn’t believe I had spoken up, but now that I had, I had to find a way to say what was on my mind without exposing myself. Crap. “I mean, I was a nobody at my last school because I was trying so hard to live up to everyone else’s expectations of me, and you know, I was completely and utterly miserable.”

“I have a hard time ever believing you weren’t Miss Popularity,” Tracy teased, but smiled.

I laughed. “Are you kidding? I was the biggest loser in school. But here I have friends, two sports that I enjoy-”

“I thought you just played basketball?” Laura teased. “When did you take up another sport?”

Tracy mock-scowled. “You know cheerleading is a sport too!”

Laura cackled. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist. I know I could never do half the crap you two do. Sorry Robin, go ahead,” she added, still giggling.

“What I’m trying to say is, I wasn’t truly happy until I started living my life for me first. Everything else fell into place from there. It hasn’t been easy by any means, but I have something now that I never had back then.”

“What’s that?” Tracy asked, genuinely curious. I smiled brightly as I looked her right in the eye.

“I have a reason to get up in the morning.”

She giggled. “I walked right into that one.”

“Yeah, you did,” Laura shot back with a smile, “But she’s right. The only way you’ll ever be happy is if you life your life for you and only you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a boyfriend to get back to,” she added with a giggle.

Tracy rolled her eyes as Laura stood, but she smiled. “Thanks guys. I really do feel better. I’m not going to be rude about it, but the next time Daddy starts with his ‘You’re not going to get into law school’ speech I’m just going to lay it down and tell him the truth. I’m a senior this year, and I need to start looking at colleges with a good theatrical program.”

“It won’t hurt to have a solid degree under you either,” I added, “But don’t sacrifice your dreams in the process. If you really hate law, why not compromise and find a field of study that does interest you, in addition to theater?”

“Well, I do love working with kids,” she trailed off.

“You’d make a great teacher. You’d make an even better actress, but still.”

Tracy giggled. “I’ll remember to thank you in my awards speech,” she teased, hugging me. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“Hey, it’s what friends are for,” I whispered back.

I had just finished my pizza when my cell phone’s ‘generic incoming call’ ringtone beeped. I checked the caller ID before quickly answering, “Hey Moira, what’s up?”

“Hi Robin!” she answered warmly. “Listen, I know yer busy, but is there any chance you and I could get together sometime? I LOVE your song, and I’d really like ta lay down some music backing.”

“My... song?” I asked a little surprised.

“Yes! Your lyrics are brill! They’re a little rough, but we can work on that. Just let me know when you’re free, aye? I’ll be in touch.”

“Eep?” Nikki asked.

“That was Moira. She said she loved my song and wanted to lay down some music backing.”

“I’m so sorry,” Nikki answered quickly. “It was an accident. I printed off a copy of your lyrics when you emailed them to me, and Moira dropped by unexpected. I couldn’t just lie to her when she asked me who the author was. Please don’t be mad?”

I shook my head and hugged her. “I’m not mad. Just stunned. I really didn’t think it was that good.”

“She called it brill when she saw it,” Nikki giggled. “I told you, it’s good. I think she wants to show it to Jessica.”

“Oh my God,” I whispered slowly. “I think I need to sit down and let that one sink in.”

I didn’t really think anything of the sweet, sweet 50th anniversary Mustang parked in front of Margie’s place when I pulled into the driveway. After all Michelle only lived a short distance away, and our families had become pretty close, with LeAnne and Michelle apparently dating now.

Of course, you can imagine my surprise when I found them in the kitchen laughing at an old family photo album. It never once dawned on me that Michelle and Margie both having the last name ‘Evans’, and Margie moving here from California, had any connection to one another.

“Hi Robin,” Margie called cheerfully as I stepped into the room, carrying my storyboards. I quickly set them aside though as I approached, wrapping a hug around her from behind. She giggled a little and kissed my cheek.

“This is Michelle and me when she was five, before I moved out to San Francisco. I must've been ... twelve or thirteen?” She pointed to a picture of the two, and there was definitely a striking family resemblance. It didn’t hurt that both were dressed in matching Disney Mickey Mouse t-shirts, and both had shoulder-length hair.

“Even back then I wanted to be JUST like Margie,” Michelle laughed.

“Wait a minute, you guys are related?” I blurted, staring blankly.

“We’re cousins,” Michelle answered with a giggle. “On my dad’s side, and Margie’s Mom’s side.”

“That’s so cool. Why didn’t either of you mention it sooner? I mean technically that makes us step-cousins.”

Michelle smiled sheepishly. “That’s why I never mentioned it. I was worried that you might feel weird about your cousin being involved in your GRS procedures. I promise it wasn’t anything sinister or weird,” she added. Margie started to giggle.

“My cousin the mad scientist!” she cackled, causing Michelle to start laughing too.

“You know I was in a pretty dark place back then. Dad throwing me out was the best thing that ever happened to me. My dad’s sister took me in, and she took me to a therapist in New Haven.”

“Doctor Ketz?” I asked. She smiled and shook her head.

“No, but I did meet with a Doctor Ketz for my second opinion on starting hormones. I was lucky I started when I did. The stress of living at home had triggered an early puberty for me.”

“Ouch. I got extremely lucky there,” I answered. “I still don’t know what caused me to hit puberty so late, but I’m happy I did. Oh, I brought the storyboards you wanted,” I added, glancing at Margie. “Sarah’s such an amazing artist. I’m not sure my story’s doing her work justice.”

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short, kiddo,” Margie replied as she stood to kiss my forehead then turned to pick up the poster board pieces. She only flipped through a few of them before Michelle spoke up.

“Wow. You really wrote this yourself?” she asked. I nodded sheepishly.

“I based the characters off Katelyn and Sarah, kind of like how Aria Blade was based off … Err, someone I know,” I caught myself, but Margie giggled.

“It’s okay. Michelle knows I’m the creator of Shadowcraft.”

“It wasn’t really hard to figure out once I saw the autographed poster, ‘Aria Blade’,” Michelle added, grinning at me. “So is Aria Blade going to make another appearance this Halloween?”

“I’ve been talking to the girls about that actually,” I answered. “Our schedule’s going to be pretty tight with school, cheer, and running the haunted house on weekends, but I’m pretty sure we can pull off a visit to the kids’ wing of the hospital this year.”

“Robin, these are amazing. With your permission I’d like to talk to my publisher and show them your and Sarah’s work.”

“What, seriously? I mean we were just going to print a few copies for ourselves to give out. The only reason I brought it up with you is because Shadowcraft is your universe. It’s just something we’ve been working on together while I was recuperating.” I was dumbfounded. I knew Sarah’s art quality was really good, equal to some of the people on Margie’s art team even, but I never dreamed she’d want to take it to her publisher for approval.

She smiled and nodded. “They’ve been pressuring me to consider expanding the Shadowcraft universe, to do another Villain themed comic, or to let another artist take a shot at it. I have exclusive ownership over who can and can’t work on the IP, and I think you and Sarah would be a great addition. Besides, the CEO already knows you because of your modeling experience as Aria Blade.”

She had a point. Check and mate.

“Okay, you can talk to them about it,” I finally relented. Margie giggled and hugged me. “I promise you won’t be under any pressure to finish this until you’re ready. You’re not under contract, so you have all the time you want.”

“Sarah wants to color it in, and I still have a lot of dialogue I need to translate from the original story. We’d love to do this as a full, one-shot graphic novel ideally. Anyway, I’m going to head up to my room and clean out my closet then head over and see if Ally’s home. I’ve got a bunch of stuff that just doesn’t fit anymore so I’m going to donate some of it.”

“We’ll be down here if you need any help,” Margie replied cheerfully. “Kelly’s coming home for lunch so I’m going to fry some hamburgers.”

It was hard for Margie and Kelly to keep the fact that they’d been living together for awhile now a secret from me, now that I’d been spending most of my recovery time at Margie’s. Besides, having a nurse in the house who knew the pain of GRS recovery was really helpful as well.

“Sounds great,” I called, poking my head back around the door from the hallway and grinned at her. “Your burgers are a lot better than when I first moved here,” I teased, causing her to laugh loudly as I headed upstairs.

~* Making Waves *~

“My lawyer advised me that it would be okay if I provided you with all the documentation, since you all are able to independently confirm with the gynecologist that she did indeed file everything.” I reached down, opening the briefcase Max had loaned me, and handed over the documents for the three present to review, as a few more, as well as Principal Rochelle, entered.

I laughed. “Hey, I haven’t been down to your office since Homecoming! I gave up trying to stay out of people’s way though. When you try to be nice to everyone someone inevitably thinks you’re up to something.”

It’s funny how much things had changed in just a year. Back in San Francisco, when I was still masquerading as a boy, I loved to go all out and dress as femininely as I possibly could whenever possible. I dreaded inevitably having to change back to my plain old jeans and oversized t-shirts, knowing it meant a return to ‘Robert’.

Now, here I sat waiting for the school board to convene, and it was probably the first time since Prom that I had worn a dress. I wanted to look nice, but more than that I wanted to present a professional appearance so I’d chosen a simple business-like knee length skirt with a nice, comfortable sleeveless top, since it was still summer, after all, and a low heel.

The funny part to me was, I found myself wishing I’d just worn shorts. I actually couldn’t wait to get back home and change! Talk about a striking difference from a year ago. The school board members seemed to notice as well. At least the ones who had arrived so far had.

“Robin, I barely recognized you,” one of them commented with a respectful smile.

“I can’t believe it’s been a year already,” the other added. “Congratulations on your placement in the cheer competition last Spring.”

“Oh, thank you,” I answered warmly. “You know we were originally going to do a big Martial Arts-themed routine, but one of the judges shot it down. That judge doesn’t work there anymore though,” I added with an innocent grin.

The pair laughed. “Sounds like someone overstepped their boundaries, eh? It wasn’t because of … what this meeting is about, was it?”

I shook my head quickly. “No, they had no idea about me being transgendered. They thought that it went against the spirit of the competition somehow. Alice, my private cheer coach, told me that the school’s going to be receiving a formal letter of apology on the matter.”

“Well, for what it’s worth I don’t think you have much to worry about.”

I smiled at that and nodded. “I hope not. I’m just so tired of having to lie to my friends. I didn’t have this done for them, don’t get me wrong, but it did influence my decision. I was ready to quit basketball, and cheer, and just find a hole to hide in until I graduated. The pressure was getting to a point where I was almost physically sick.”

A third, female voice spoke up behind me. “Well, that’s all I needed to hear. I’d just like to read the affidavit for myself - you know, crossing t’s and dotting i’s,” she added as she stepped closer and sat down across the table from me. I nodded.

“My lawyer advised me that it would be okay if I provided you with all the documentation, since you all are able to independently confirm with the gynecologist that she did indeed file everything.” I reached down, opening the briefcase Max had loaned me, and handed over the documents for the three present to review, as a few more, as well as Principal Rochelle, entered.

The principal smiled and nodded. “Hello Robin. Staying out of trouble?”

I laughed. “Hey, I haven’t been down to your office since Homecoming! I gave up trying to stay out of people’s way though. When you try to be nice to everyone someone inevitably thinks you’re up to something.”

He grinned. “Now that is the story of my life,” he teased. “I’ve heard you and your friends are trying to renovate the old asylum on the outskirts of town. What’s going on with that, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh, yes sir,” I answered warmly. I remembered my first school board meeting, and how incredibly nervous I felt. I was still getting used to presenting full-time, and it felt like these strangers held my future in the palm of their hands. This time though, looking around at each of them, I could see them more as human beings who just had the best interest of the other students at the school in mind. I couldn’t help feeling Principal Rochelle was making a point to remind them of my extracurricular activities, though.

“We’re helping the people who own it to get it cleaned up. In exchange for letting us use it as a haunted house this Halloween, which we’re probably just going to run on weekends through October, we’re going to help them turn it into a youth center. Ultimately it’s going to have its own basketball court, volleyball court, and hopefully a swimming pool, if they can get the zoning in order.”

I noticed one of them gave me a sidelong glance at that comment, but I continued. “What they really want to do is arrange with our local public transit so that they can get a charter bus just for kids, and I’ve got a contact on the police force that I’m going to speak with about arranging for a minor police presence in the area for their protection. After the incident with the guy who tried to kidnap me and my friend last summer...” I trailed off, and Principal Rochelle frowned.

“I’d completely forgotten about that incident.”

“I wish I could,” I sighed. “I still have nightmares about that day sometimes. And I know Allison does as well. She just doesn’t like to talk about it.”

“Well,” one of the school board members finally spoke up, “It looks like everything is in order. Frankly, I see no reason why we should bar this young lady from either using the appropriate facilities, or showering with her teammates.”

“From what I’ve overheard from my daughter over the last year,” the woman added, “It actually sounds like forcing her to do otherwise has been even more of a disruption. I feel that now that her ‘birth defect’ has been corrected, that we’d only be hurting her, and the other students, if we continued to enforce these kinds of limits. She’s obviously an outstanding student.”

“She’s an outstanding girl,” Principal Rochelle responded. “A star athlete and an excellent student. I don’t mind saying that, if she keeps her grades up, she could well be Valedictorian of her class when she graduates.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I quickly shook my head. “I don’t know about that sir. My friend Chelsea is so much more deserving. She’s an even bigger perfectionist than I am, too,” I added, causing the gathered adults to laugh.

“Really, I just want to be able to spend time with my friends. The breaking point for me, was back at the cheer nationals. Sasha asked me to help her with her stage makeup since we had already changed at our hotel. She made the comment that it was nice to finally have me around, and I know she meant it as a compliment, but it still hurt pretty badly.

“I realized that our locker room time is like any other time we spend together. We’re not just a bunch of girls in short skirts. We’re also not just athletes. We’re a team. We spend more time together than I do with my own mother or sister, and almost more time than I spend with my other friends.”

“Or with your girlfriend,” the woman answered with a smile. “I have a teenage daughter. These things get around. But your sexual orientation has no bearing on these proceedings. Besides,” she continued, and I finally remembered where I had seen her before. That was Eleanor Derrick, Katelyn’s mother! I hadn’t seen her in quite awhile, and she had definitely done something new with her hair. I had no idea she was on the school board now.

“You helped me reconnect with my daughter. You’ve been a good influence on her Robin, and I believe you when you say that you have your teammates’ interests at heart. I don’t want to see you quit doing what you love. So with that said,” she looked to the left and to the right, then continued, “I believe I speak for all assembled when I say, permission to use the women’s facilities, and full recognition as a female student are hereby granted.”

Part of me wanted to cry as I stood to shake each member’s hands. “Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.”

Eleanor smiled warmly. “I know you won’t make us regret this decision. Now go enjoy what’s left of your summer.”

“Yes ma’am,” I replied warmly, gathered my briefcase, and turned to leave.

The first day of school was fast approaching, and I still needed supplies. I talked to the girls, and we all agreed that we would hit the Alpine Springs mall together, and if we still needed anything, we could head into New Haven. I had cheer practice with Jenn that morning, but practices ended early since Sasha had a dentist appointment.

After a quick shower, I left Margie’s to head next door and check on Allison. She seemed a bit apprehensive when I called her that morning. Shortly after I knocked on the door, Carol’s smiling face appeared as she opened it.

“Hi Robin!” she said cheerfully. “You’re looking for Allison, right?”

“Yeah, she seemed kind of upset when I called her this morning. Is everything okay?”

“Oh yes, dear. She had another nightmare - first one in quite awhile though. She’s down at the gun range with her father,” Carol continued.

“Gun range?” I asked, confused. She stared blankly back at me for a moment.

“You mean she never told you? Oh dear...” She frowned. “I’m sorry Robin. I assumed you knew. Why don’t you come inside and I’ll pour you a nice, cold glass of your favorite red cream soda, and we can talk about it?”

I smiled and nodded. “Sure, that sounds great. And for what it’s worth I’m not mad or anything. Whatever’s going on I’m sure she has her reasons for not telling me about it.”

I followed Carol inside, and after she poured our drinks, I sat down at the kitchen table with her. She sipped her iced tea thoughtfully for a moment before continuing.

“You know Joe is an ex-Marine, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah, he’s told me a few of his war stories. Before Ash he was the closest thing I’ve ever had to a real father figure,” I added with a smile.

Carol chuckled a little and nodded. “Well, he’s a munitions expert and certified marksman. He’s also a certified trainer. Prior to the … incident a year ago, he hadn’t spent nearly as much time as he wanted to with Allison. He felt so guilty when you girls were attacked, over not spending enough time with her mostly.

“One day, she came up to us and asked if it would be okay for her to learn to shoot. At first I was against the idea, but Joe convinced me that this could be good for her. Not only would it give her a way to channel her frustration, but it would also give them a chance to really bond.”

“That’s so sweet,” I replied, pausing to take a sip of my soda. “So that’s where she goes on Saturdays when I’m doing piano with Katelyn, or when I’m at cheer practice?”

Carol grinned, nodding. “Joe says she’s a natural. I don’t know exactly what they’re doing today, but I saw him carrying the big rifle case.”

“Do they ever go hunting?” I asked. I just couldn’t picture Allison shooting an animal, but I had to ask. Carol smiled and shook her head.

“No. She prefers paper targets.” She chuckled. “I don’t think she’d have it in her to shoot an animal, even if she believed Joe’s talk about it being more humane than letting them starve. I think she’s too much like her mother there,” she added with a soft laugh.

“I still can’t believe I hit that tiny target,” I heard Allison laugh from the foyer as the front door opened. “I swear that old guy’s jaw was going to fall off-” she stopped in her tracks at seeing me. I smiled back at her, she, dressed in a gray t-shirt and cut-off jean shorts with a rifle slung by a strap over her shoulder. Her cheeks turned bright red.

“Hey Ally,” I said casually as I stood and approached, hugging her as though nothing were wrong. “Sorry I’m a little earlier than we planned, but Sasha had a dentist appointment, so we cut practice short today.”

“Oh, um, err,” she fumbled, her cheeks turning even redder. “I’m sorry Robin. I didn’t mean to keep this from you or the others. It’s just I didn’t want you guys to think I was some kind of gun fanatic or something.”

I had to giggle. “You mean like how freaked out I was that you guys might find out I was into comic books?”

She blinked, and started to laugh. “Oh my Gosh. You’re so right. I guess Mom already told you, huh?” she asked, motioning for me to follow her.

“Yeah,” I answered, as we headed toward the stairs. She led me up and to their parents’ bedroom. I hadn’t really noticed it before, but in the far corner, a large gun display case sat. “Like I said, it’s okay. It’s like me and Kenpo. You have to do what you have to do to cope. I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t still affected by what happened last summer.”

She carefully placed her rifle back in the case and closed it again before turning back to pull me into a hug. Tears ran down her face as she held onto me.

“It’s like, literally the one thing that makes me feel secure. When I’m out there on the range, sighting down that barrel, it’s him I see. Does that make me a bad person?” she whispered.

I shook my head. “I see his ugly face every time I snap an oak board in half. Every time I kick the practice dummy. The only time I try not to think about him is when I’m sparring because you’d kick MY butt if I hurt your boyfriend,” I teased, causing her to laugh.

“I love you Robin,” she whispered, hugging me again before wiping her eyes, just as Joe appeared. He smiled at us.

“Don’t mind me; just putting away the 50 cal.” He patted the hard-shell case in his hands and approached us. “Allison’s a natural out there, and that’s not just me being proud papa,” he added, and we both giggled.

“Oh Daddy,” she smiled. “I want to finish my handgun certification. It’s not because I want to carry. I just really want to move on to the bigger guns.”

“You will,” Joe answered, placing his hands on her shoulders before pulling her into a hug. He kissed her forehead. “I’m really proud of you. Now, if you girls will excuse me, I need to get a quick shower.” He smiled, patting my shoulder as he passed. “Good to see you again Robin. You need to stop by more often.”

I giggled. “Yes sir,” and turned back to grab Allison’s hand. “C’mon you. Shopping awaits.”

“Hey, what did the school board say anyway?” Allison asked as we headed back downstairs.

“Oh yeah, I never did tell you guys did I? I guess I just got distracted, what with Moira wanting to work with me on that song and Margie approaching her publisher about the comic.”

Allison giggled. “I thought you were going to take it easy this semester?” she asked, shooting me a grin.

“This is taking it easy,” I shot back and laughed. “If I wanted to push myself I would’ve taken a couple of college credit courses.”

Words could not accurately describe how great it felt to be back in the Dojo again. I hadn’t told anyone, but it was my Kenpo training that allowed me to get back into cheerleading so quickly. As soon as I was able to comfortably stand, I had begun testing my range of motion - carefully - but improving it slowly but surely each day through practicing my kata.

Now, standing in the empty training hall, I finally felt whole again. Ash had some things to take care of in his office, and Nikki had gone to get a bottle of water for me. With no other students arriving yet, I had the place to myself. I noticed Ash had set up his board breaking stand, but I couldn’t have known what he had in mind for my triumphant return to the Arts. Instead I occupied my time practicing with one of the practice dummies.

One of the lessons I took to heart from day one was that the force of a strike was only half the equation. Precision and speed were equally important, and together created a kind of trinity. I wasn’t trying to break the training dummy, after all, so instead focused on the speed of my strikes, the precision, and, since this particular dummy had a swivel motion that allowed to in effect ‘fight back’, on not getting clocked by it as I moved and struck. Granted my speed had nothing on the advanced students. I had a long road ahead of me.

“I never get tired of watching you do that,” Nikki giggled, offering me a towel as I turned back to her.

“You should see Josh,” I laughed. “It’s going to take years before I can even teach. I do want to teach someday though, sort of pass on to others what Ash’s given me.”

Nikki smiled as I wiped the sweat from my brow, offering me the bottle of water in her hand in exchange. “Ally told me you found out her big secret. Well, um, our big secret, sort of.”

“Our?” I asked, giving Nikki ‘The Look’. I couldn’t hold it though, and started to giggle, causing her to laugh too.

“Yeah. Unlike Ally I’m not ‘just’ learning. I’ve known how to shoot since I was a kid. Grandpa taught me, but I hadn’t really thought about it until recently. I didn’t even know Ally was keeping it a secret.”

“It’s hard for her. She doesn’t like to talk about what happened. And I have martial arts to focus my energy. I mean I have to be careful not to get carried away, but the guy’s more of a distant memory to me anymore. Ally bottled it up though. She’s only just starting to cope with it.”

“I know the feeling,” Nikki replied. “It took me years to come to grips with what that monster did to me, and I’m still kinda broken.” She sighed softly, and I wrapped her in a hug. She smiled, resting her head on my shoulder. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you more,” I whispered back, kissing her cheek. “You guys should go to the shooting range together sometime.”

Nikki giggled. “I was actually just thinking about asking if you’d want to go with me and Ally this weekend. I haven’t fired a gun since I was like, ten, but since her dad’s a certified instructor, I’m thinking about talking to him.”

I shook my head, but smiled. “Jenn and I are going to be doing one last focused cheer practice with Alice, but you should go. I think it’d be good for her to know we’re all behind her, that it’s really not a bad thing for her to have a focus for her feelings too.”

“Who are we talking about?” Josh asked, causing us both to jump. Allison giggled.

“You are sooo bad,” she teased as she leaned up to kiss him. He smiled innocently.

“Oh, we were just talking about our plans for this weekend,” Nikki answered, grinning.

“Did she say yes?” Allison asked, looking at me. “I mean I’ll totally understand if you don’t want to, but it’d be so cool.”

“Jenn and I are doing another cheer session with Alice tomorrow morning. That’s usually when you go isn’t it?”

Allison grinned. “Usually. But we’re going in the afternoon tomorrow. I know friends don’t have to do like, everything together, but I knew Nikki used to enjoy it when she was younger, so I wanted to extend the invitation.”

“Actually,” I answered, “It sounds like fun. I mean I’m not big on guns - honestly they terrify me, but I’d love to come and watch you guys, if that’s alright?”

Allison giggled and hugged me happily. “Yay!”

“Looks like a few more people are starting to show,” Nikki said, glancing back over her shoulder. She snuck a quick kiss before stepping over beside Allison. “Good luck tonight,” she added. The pair raced off to the side and sat just as Maria approached them.

Josh grinned as he turned to me. “So, are you ready for your test?”

“My test?” I asked. He nodded.

“Sure. If you’re ready, you can test for your next belt tonight.” He pointed to the board breaking stand, “And we’re going to have some fun tonight in honor of your return.”

“What are you guys up to?” I asked, eyeing Josh. He laughed.

“I wanted to wait until you got back. I’ve been practicing the three board break. I want to try five tonight. They’re pine boards so I think I can do it.”

“That’s sweet, but why wait for me?” I asked, a little confused. His smile brightened.

“Because you’re next,” he replied simply.

“Uhm... This isn’t one of those Wuxia ‘I will destroy you’ things is it?” I asked teasingly, and he started to laugh.

“Oh, God no. I just meant that it’s tradition here for students graduating to Purple belt to test their striking power.” He paused and lowered his voice. “It’s actually a test of how well you listen to instruction. You’ll see what I mean.”

“Ohh.”

“Excellent, Robin,” Ash said proudly as I stood to position and bowed to Josh, my sparring partner. He hadn’t gone easy on me, but as we were both restricted to purple Kata, I managed at least to keep up with him. Josh bowed in return and then stepped away for a moment, handing something to Ash, who stepped forward next, facing me. “Your reward for completing your test: your new belt, and a demonstration.”

We had saved my test for last since I was the only student eligible for advancement at that time, which also meant Josh would have the spotlight for the ‘demonstration’ portion. Unfortunately that also meant anyone who wanted to stick around would get to watch me next.

After tying my belt into place, I carefully folded my old one and offered it to Ash with a proud smile. “Thank you Sensei. Would you honor me by giving this to another student?”

“Robin, are you sure?” he asked. “I know you chose to pay for your belts yourself.”

I nodded. “Yes sir. I know not everyone can afford their gi or belts. Besides, I got a great discount for being the daughter of an instructor,” I added with a grin. He laughed at that.

“Okay, if you’re sure,” he replied. “Now, everyone, gather around for the final demonstrations,” he called, getting everyone’s attention. The myriad students all clustered in a semicircle around Josh and Ash. I tried to join them, but Josh caught my arm and grinned, as Ash set up the five boards.

“Board breaking is a useful tool to gauge one’s progress.” He paused to grin. “It’s also a great recruiting tool.”

A chorus of laughter erupted from the class.

“But at its heart, one must always remember that with strength comes responsibility. Because you can do something, doesn’t mean you always have to, but it also doesn’t mean you should be ashamed. As you know Josh completed his second degree testing last week. Whenever a student completes a belt requirement above Orange, it’s tradition to have them break a number of boards. Can anyone tell me what this represents?”

The students looked at each other and murmured quietly, but no one spoke: at least, not at first. Finally someone asked, “Because it looks so cool?”

Again, a chorus of giggles erupted. Even Ash chuckled. “Not quite. No, the breaking of boards represents you as students, breaking through the challenges set before you. It takes strength, concentration, and precision to make a clean break. These same principles apply to your studies here, and to life.

“Purple belt requirement for example,” he continued, glancing at me now, “Is more than simply the Kata that you learn. You must also demonstrate concentration, coordination, perseverance, precision and timing, and mental discipline. You must be willing to work and to listen, to focus not just on the lesson, but on the meaning behind the lesson. As you progress, the color of your belt means less about what you can do, than about what you’ve learned.”

He turned to Josh and nodded.

“Breaking a single board requires all those things. That’s why we reserve its instruction for Purple and above. You must be able to focus and clear your mind. You must strike with precision, and you must have the coordination and strength to strike repeatedly, but you must also have the foresight, the mental discipline, to recognize where to strike.”

He inhaled, slowly exhaling. Three times, he lowered his closed fist over the same section of the topmost board. On the fourth swing, he let out a mighty shout, and all five boards snapped cleanly. The class erupted in cheers as he bowed to Ash, and then to me, as Ash set up a single board.

“Remember, precision, discipline, focus.” He winked at me, and I nodded and stepped forward.

I stared at the board for a second or two and reflected on what they had both just said. I raised my hand, and set it on the board, feeling the grain beneath my open palm.

“Do you feel the grain beneath your hand?” Ash asked. I nodded, and he continued. “If you fight the grain, you have an uphill battle. Strike with the grain and the board will do half your work for you.”

I raised my hand and closed my fist. I knew where I thought the best spot to strike would be, but I measured it up a couple of times just to be sure. On the third, I brought my fist down with as much force as I could muster. To my surprise, the board shattered cleanly. It definitely hurt a little, but not as much as I expected.

‘Wow!” one student cheered.

“Nice!” called another advanced student.

As they dispersed, Nikki and Allison raced over. Nikki threw her arms around me and giggled. “Robin that was awesome! Did it hurt?”

I giggled and hugged her back. “A little, yeah, but not bad.”

“I keep rebreakable boards on-hand,” Ash commented, “for my advanced students that are interested in practicing. You can develop conditioning that way or against a punching bag.”

“I’d like that,” I answered. “It feels amazing. It’s quite a rush, even with the board doing half the work.”

Ash laughed. “Don’t diminish your own accomplishment though. It still requires proper stance and focus. Oh, are you staying at your sister’s this weekend?”

I nodded. “With school starting Monday, we’re going to be sleeping over at Allison’s. It’s sort of a tradition to pig out on junk food and watch bad horror movies, then pass out around midnight. Plus I’m giving Ally a ride while Nikki continues her search for ‘the car that speaks to her’,” I added, grinning at Nikki.

She giggled. “Hey, matching the right car to the right personality is a fine art. Plus Ally wants to learn to drive stick, so there’s transmission to think about,” she added with a grin.

After I changed back into my street clothes, I walked with Nikki out to her car. “You know, I’m really excited about tomorrow now.”

“About going down to the shooting range?” Nikki asked as she sat. I nodded.

“Yeah. Did you see the look on her face when I said yes?” I giggled. “I imagine she gets the same rush from it that I did tonight breaking that board.”

“Or that one time I filled in for Moira,” Nikki admitted, adding, “Except for the part where I almost got sick all over a security guy on the way to the stage.” She giggled. “But I’m excited too. I haven’t seen Ally this happy in awhile.”

“I think we’re all finally approaching ‘normal’,” I answered and squeezed her hand. “So, where to?”

“Oh, I thought we’d celebrate before I took you home. Milkshakes, on me?”

“Sounds great,” I replied and leaned over to kiss her. “I love you.”

She grinned. “Love you more!” she shot back.

Author's Note:
Some of you might have noticed that Becoming Robin is officially caught up her eon TopShelf. I've been having trouble getting any writing done lately due to massive sleep problems, and an oppressive heat wave that's only just broken today.

That doesn't mean I'm not working on anything though. I should have something new up on Robinverse in the next day or three :-)

~Zoe

~* The 'A's Have It *~

“Robin said she’s never been to a tea party. I think we should have one this afternoon.”

This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend Piper, who's going through some rough stuff. The Robinverse wouldn't be what it is without you, sweetie. :-)

“Mew!” Sunny, my ginger tabby kitten squealed happily as I darted the fuzzy cat toy around in front of him, letting him practice his hunting skills on something other than my toes for a change. I giggled as I batted his little paws playfully, causing him to jump back and take another swing at it before pouncing it, just as someone knocked at the door.

I was expecting Andrea some time that day, but I didn’t know exactly when. I scooped up Sunny in my arms and gave him a playful nuzzle before carrying him to the door with me.

“CUTE!” Andrea squealed as I opened the door.

“Isn’t he?” I answered, hugging her with one arm.

“The pictures just didn’t do him justice,” she answered cheerfully, scratching his ears. “God it’s great to see you again. I wanted to do this sooner, to you know, make up for what happened before-” she tried to apologize, but I shook my head and hugged her again.

“You were hurting, and scared. I’ll be honest - you were the last person I ever expected to see again. I’m glad you came though. Come on inside. I was just getting Sunny his morning exercise.”

Andrea smiled wryly as she picked up her suitcase and followed me inside, setting it by the door as we walked into the living room.

“It’s great to hear you say that. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about that day, and what a stupid decision it was to run away - almost as stupid as...” she trailed off, holding up her arms. The scars were still visible, but much, much less pronounced now.

“I take it the procedure went well?” I asked, adding, “And can I get you something to drink? Tea, soda, juice?”

“Bottled water if you have it. And yeah, they said that I’ll always carry the scars. Medical science’s only come so far, but I can cover them up with good makeup for school stuff. I was going to get into cheer again, but I’m thinking about drama instead.” She paused to giggle. “I guess I’ve caused enough of it that I might as well, right?”

I laughed. I couldn’t believe this was the same girl I knew a year ago. I grabbed a couple of bottles of water, and returned to find Sunny had taken to batting at Andrea’s shoelaces now. She giggled as she watched him. “Everybody makes mistakes. I’m just glad you’ve come through it all okay. I knew there was a good person underneath all that insecurity.”

“I still have problems sometimes, but once I stopped trying to be the queen bee I started really having fun. I’m kind of becoming noticed around school again though. I swear I’m not trying to be popular again.”

“Sometimes it just happens. I sure as heck don’t want to be popular,” I replied, giggling a little. “It just kind of happened. As long as you’re just trying to have fun and get through high school with your GPA intact, you’ll be okay. Hey, what happened with that guy - you know, the...”

“Oh Gawd, him. Um, it didn’t last,” she answered, giggling. “Don’t get me wrong. He’s a nice guy, not like the human bulldozers I used to date, but... Erm, well...” She started blushing.

“He’s gay?” I asked, half-jokingly. She nodded, and I covered my mouth, causing her to laugh.

“It’s okay. There wasn’t really any spark there, and after he finally told me, it was like this huge weight was lifted off my shoulders because I knew it wasn’t something I’d done. We’re actually closer than ever now.”

Sunny clawed his way up the side of the sofa, hopping into Andrea’s lap and nestling down. She laughed and scratched his ears lightly, eliciting a contented purr.

“Just don’t take it as a sign. I was TG before I met you. I’ve known my whole life that I was really a girl, and I’m sure it’s the same with him - um, knowing he was different I mean, not the girl thing.”

She giggled. “Yeah, he’s got decent fashion sense, but I don’t think he’s really a girl. Speaking of which you mentioned in your last email that recovery was going really well. Have you gotten back into cheer yet?”

I nodded. “Practices twice a week, and I’m even doing aerial stunts again. Victoria’s mom is generously letting us use her backyard - and their full-size trampoline even though Victoria’s going to college this fall.”

“Wow, that’s epic. I guess that’s just the kind of place this is though.”

I giggled. “You have no idea. I just found out the other day that the med student who observed my surgery - the one I’ve been working with on follow-ups, is Margie’s cousin. But it finally solves the mystery why Margie moved here after college.”

“Oh wow. Talk about six degrees of separation,” Andrea giggled. “Next you’re going to tell me your next-door neighbor’s related to a pop star.”

“Well... Um, actually-”

“I know,” she answered with a laugh. “I’m just messing with you.”

Suddenly my phone rang, causing me to jump. I reached over to grab my purse, quickly retrieving it.

“Robin’s phone, Robin speaking.”

“Hi Robin,” Angela, my cheer coach, answered cheerfully.

“Oh hi Angela. What’s up?” I asked as Andrea busied herself playing with Sunny.

“I know this is really short notice, but is there any chance I could get you to watch Amanda for a few hours? Steve’s sister is in the hospital, and we’re going to go see her.”

“Oh no. Is everything okay?”

“Oh, she’s fine,” Angela answered happily, almost bubbily. “She’s having a baby, and her husband is deployed overseas for another week. He was supposed to be back before she went into labor, but the baby had other plans.”

“Oh, wow. Sure, I’ll come right over. Is it okay if I bring a friend from out of town?”

“I trust your judgment. Any friend of yours is welcome in our home,” she answered. “Steve’s gone on ahead, but I’ll meet you here. Thanks Robin. I owe you a big one.”

“Everything okay?” Andrea asked, glancing at me as I stood, putting my phone away.

“My cheer coach’s husband’s sister is going into labor, and they need an emergency babysitter for their daughter. Feel like coming with? Amanda’s really well-behaved.”

“Sure! As long as she’s not one of those little hellraisers - you know, the ones like I used to be when I was a kid.”

“Used to be?” I teased, causing her to laugh.

“Hey!” She stuck her tongue out as she carefully lifted my sleeping cat off her lap and set him down. “Will he be okay? Like, he won’t run out the door or something as soon as we try to leave? Because that didn’t go so well for my cat. He was okay thankfully, but it took a fire crew to get him out of that hole.”

“Yeah, he hates going outside for some reason so he’ll be fine until Margie gets back. Wait, fire crew?”

She giggled. “I never told you about that? He was just a kitten, maybe fourteen weeks old at the time...”

Since it was getting close to lunchtime anyway, I called in a pizza order while we waited at a traffic light. We had only just pulled into the driveway when the pizza delivery car rolled to a stop on the curb. I flagged down the driver and, after paying for the pizza plus a hefty tip for getting it there so quickly, headed for the door. I was just about to knock when the door opened, and Amanda’s eyes lit up.

“Pizza!” she giggled.

“Nice to see you too,” I teased, handing her the box. She giggled.

“Sorry. Mommy said we could have pizza if I asked you nicely, but I didn’t know you’d be bringing it!” she paused, looking up at Andrea just as Angela approached us, slinging her purse over her shoulder.

“Robin thank you so much. There’s some money pinned to the refrigerator for pizza, which I see you already took care of,” she added with a soft laugh. “I’ll pay you for your time when I get back since I’m not sure how long I’ll be. But either Steve or myself will try and alternate out so you won’t be here all night.”

“It’s okay. I love spending time with Amanda,” I insisted, and gave Angela a hug. “Besides, this is a family emergency. I couldn’t not help. My mom’s a nurse - and expecting, too. I completely understand.”

“I’ll call you and let you know what’s going on soon, either way.” She turned to Amanda and smiled. “You be good, sweetie.”

“Yes Mommy,” Amanda answered a little drawn-out and giggled, carrying the pizza box into the kitchen.

“Uh oh,” Andrea laughed.

“Nah. She’s a great kid,” I answered as we followed her. “Amanda this is my friend Andrea. She’s from San Francisco like me.”

Amanda paused with a slice of pizza just inches from her mouth, staring at us. “You guys are from San Francisco? That is SO cool! How come you never told me?”

I giggled a little. “I guess I thought you knew. I mean half the girl scout camp knew.”

She paused, wrinkling her forehead just a little. “Oh yeah! I guess I forgot.” She shrugged, and went back to her pizza slice, as Andrea and I sat down to join her.

“So um,” she trailed off. “I um,” she fumbled nervously.

Andrea smiled warmly. “What is it sweetie? I can step out of the room if it’s something you need to ask Robin.”

Amanda shook her head. “No it’s okay. It’s just there’s something I wanted to ask you the next time I saw you. Do you um, do you think tea parties are dumb?” she flinched, as if she expected me to laugh in her face. I shook my head.

“Heck no. I think tea parties are awesome. I never got to do that kind of thing when I was your age.”

Andrea frowned a little. “Did someone tell you they were?”

Amanda nodded sheepishly. “One of my friends said we’re too old for stuff like that.”

“I still have my old dolls,” Andrea replied. “Some of them are in a box, but a lot of them are on a shelf in my room back home. You’re … what, seven? You should enjoy being a kid while you can. I know I wish I had. You know what?” she added, grinning.

“What?” Amanda asked hesitantly.

“Robin said she’s never been to a tea party. I think we should have one this afternoon.”

Amanda’s eyes lit up. “Really?!”

“Absolutely. After lunch I’ll help you set everything up. How’s that sound?”

Amanda practically leapt from her chair to hug Andrea. It caught her a little by surprise, but she laughed and hugged Amanda back. She glanced at me, and the look on her face told me what I already knew: I wanted a little girl just like her, too.

A short while later, I found myself blindfolded and being led, carefully, up a flight of stairs to Amanda’s room. I knew this was just part of the ‘game’ for Amanda’s sake, but part of me felt really excited too. This was after all, my first tea party. I felt like a giddy little girl, and judging by Andrea and Amanda’s giggling on either side of me, I wasn’t alone.

“Okay, you can look now,” Andrea announced, removing my blindfold. I have to admit, I was impressed. A cute miniature tea set sat as the centerpiece to a small table with four chairs - one of which had a big white teddy bear in a pink tutu and oversized floppy hat. Each chair had a little saucer and cup. Amanda led me by the hand to the seat across from the stuffed bear.

“Ms. Robin, this is Mrs. Bear. Mrs. Bear, this is the bestest babysitter in the world, Robin!” she announced with a giggle.

“How do you do, Mrs. Bear?” I asked, giving a little curtsey. Andrea giggled under her breath as we sat down, and Amanda pretended to pour the tea. She picked up a small platter that I hadn’t noticed before, but instead of cookies or other sweets, she had filled it with celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins - ants on a log! She offered it to me, and then to Andrea, though Andrea seemed hesitant to actually try the concoction just yet.

“She says these were your idea?” Andrea asked. I giggled.

“Ants on a log. They’re really good, and easier to make than using apple slices,” I answered, taking a big bite to emphasize the point. Andrea hesitantly took a bite, her eyes widening.

“Oh wow. That is pretty good, especially with the raisins.”

“Told you!” Amanda giggled loudly.

Before long, there was little left of the green snacks. Mrs. Bear hardly touched hers, but Amanda was happy to take care of the leftovers in short order.

As we stood, I bowed graciously. “Well, Ms. Greer, thank you for a lovely tea party.”

She giggled and hugged me. “Thank you Robin - and thank you Andrea for helping me!”

“You’re welcome sweetie,” Andrea answered with a soft grin. “So, what’s next?”

“Can we watch a movie?” she asked. “The Little Mermaid?”

“Sure. I haven’t watched in awhile,” I answered, causing her to giggle again as she gave a delighted cheer, bounding out the door.

Andrea shook her head and giggled. “She is sooo cute.”

“Now you know why I said yes without even thinking to ask you first. Amanda is a doll, and her mom is the second-coolest adult I know. But when you consider that I know a couple of rockstars...” I trailed off, giggling as we headed downstairs after Amanda, and before long the three of us sat nestled on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn between us.

The movie had only just ended when the front door opened and Angela stepped inside.

“Mommy!” Amanda cheered as she leapt from the sofa and raced over. “Andrea helped me throw an amazing tea party!”

“She did, did she?” Angela asked, sounding a little surprised, but extremely enthusiastic. “That’s wonderful honey!”

“How’s your sister-in-law?” I asked as I stood to hug Angela.

“You won’t believe what happened,” she answered. “Steve’s still there, but so is her husband. He managed to get his leave moved up, and he was planning to surprise her. I can only imagine the look on his face when I told him over the phone why the house was empty.”

“Wow. So do you need me to watch Amanda a little longer?”

“Nah, it’s okay now. Thanks so much girls.” She added in a whisper, “And thanks for lifting her spirits. She was pretty upset about what her friends had said.”

Andrea frowned a little. “Let’s just say I know what peer pressure’s like from both ends. And her friends are really missing out because I had a lot of fun today.”

“I did too,” I added, grinning, and shook my head when Angela tried to pay me. “I told you already, you don’t have to pay me. I enjoyed it.”

Angela sighed. “What am I going to do with you?” She smiled and hugged me, and then Andrea. “Thank you both again.”

“It’s no problem, really. I’ll see you at the next cheer practice,” I replied.

Andrea smiled happily as we hopped in my car. “So, now what?” she asked. I giggled.

“Ally’s probably home from the gun range by now if you want to go hang out?”

“Sounds cool - wait, gun range?”

I giggled. “It’s... another long story. I’ll tell you on the way.”

~* The Lighter Side (Of Darkness)*~

Trina nodded. “Like I said before, I’m still not ready for Trina to be exposed to the rest of the school like, officially.” She sighed. “Sometimes it still feels like Trina’s taking over my life.”

“You’re... You weren’t born a... I mean...” she fumbled, utterly shocked. I nodded.

“I see where you’re going with it,” Jessica - AKA the lead singer for Heedless Despair, commented casually as we gathered around Kelly’s piano. She had very generously offered to let Moira and I borrow it for the day, but neither Kelly nor I had any idea Jessica would be turning up that day - that was Moira’s little secret apparently.

“I’m not convinced it’s stage-quality,” I answered honestly. “I mean the music part is great - I wouldn’t expect any less from Moira though, but the lyrics feel... amateur at best. I’d be embarrassed to have someone sing this in front of a small audience let alone on-stage.”

That caused Jessica to laugh outright. “Writing - especially songwriting, is a process. Think of it like a painter or a sculptor. A painter doesn’t just slap on a few colors and call it done, and a sculptor can’t just tap a marble block and make a masterpiece.”

Moira interrupted her there, holding up a finger and grinning. “Technically, SpongeBob can.”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “You and that yellow blockhead.” She grinned now too, causing Moira to laugh out loud.

“Punny, love. Very punny. But y’know she’s a point. It’s a process. That’s why I asked her to stop in and throw in her two quid.”

“My two quid?” Jessica shot back. “I usually charge a lot more than that for my advice.”

I couldn’t help myself and added, “But the girl in the comic strip usually charges a nickel.”

Jessica actually giggled. “Inflation!” she teased as she leaned closer to examine the hand-written sheet music. “The lyrics aren’t actually the problem in this stanza though. See where you’ve got it going da-da-dee-da, maybe elongate this to a quarter note so it sounds more like,” she began to sing, not in the opera-like soprano that I’d become so used to in their music, but as a normal person might - still quite perfectly on pitch as near as I could tell, but without the emphasis, or loudness.

Moira casually nodded as she made a note on a nearby notebook. “That does sound better. It gives it a more haunting quality. I really think this would make an excellent ballad.”

Jessica nodded. “Requiem of a Robin?” she teased, grinning over at me. I quickly shook my head.

“Ohhh no, if you guys want to use a modified version of my poem I’m fine with that, but I don’t want anything out of it, least of all for anyone to know I worked on it.”

Jessica’s face seemed a mix of surprise and contemplation at that, so I decided to change the subject.

“So can I ask why you didn’t sing like you do on-stage? Or does it have something to do with that tea you like?”

She smiled again, which was itself worth the topic shift, I thought. As she continued to scan the sheet music sitting against the piano’s sleek black music stand, she replied, “That’s about the size of it. I have to warm up before I sing very much. If I don’t, I could strain my voice and then we’d all be in the stew pot. That tea you’ve seen me drink helps soothe both before and after a show, too. So now let me ask you something.” She had that “I’m not letting this go” kind of look in her eyes. Moira didn’t seem to notice, or was too engrossed in making changes to the score.

“Um, sure I guess?”

“Why don’t you want anyone to know you worked on a song with us? There’s no ‘wrong’ answer now, mind you, I’m just curious - also bear in mind there’s a reason we keep our real identities quiet, so I think I know the answer already.”

I laughed a little and nodded. “You do. Honestly I’m not that talented. This is the only poem I’ve ever written that I actually liked, and I already put a lot of work into it. I wrote it because I wanted to emulate the amazing work that you all put into your performances. It was actually going to just be a surprise for Nicole, but when she found it I knew trying to hide it would just make things worse, so...”

“So now you’re sitting at a piano with two European rock divas turning it into a song to protect her feelings, aye?” Moira commented with a giggle, wrapping an arm around me. “Yer secret’s safe with us.”

I breathed a relieved sigh and smiled, nodding. “Thanks. That’s the other part of why I don’t want anything. This is my gift to her, one way or another. She’s my best friend, my girlfriend, maybe my lover. We haven’t gotten that far yet.”

Jessica giggled softly under her breath. “You might be too young for that last one, but never let anyone tell you you’re too young for love.”

“Why, Jess, was that an admission of some sordid schoolgirl fling in your distant past?”

Jessica grinned innocently. “Let’s just say when I was a wee lass, I had a … less than savory reputation and leave it at that, shall we?”

“So how did you get into music? I promise not to tell, but it’s something I’ve always wondered. You have such an amazing voice.”

“Probably the only ‘ladylike’ thing I ever did as a child - to hear my parents tell it at any rate - was in my music lessons, primarily piano, but I wanted so much more. I found the classical arts crowd just too stuffy.” She paused and tilted her head. She had that contemplative look cross her lightly painted lips again. “Are you sure you want to hear this? It’s really quite boring.”

Moira laughed, elbowing her lightly. “You love telling this story and you know it!”

I nodded. “I’m interested, really. I know Moira’s story, but the rest of you I don’t know anything about.”

She smiled, satisfied. She idly toyed with a small silver diamond engagement ring on her right finger as she sat down on a small stool next to the piano bench I shared with Moira. “Nice, innit?” she added, holding her hand out. “Took him two years to pop the question. I guess he was intimidated by my success... Or Kristen. Not sure which.” She giggled softly. “Anyway, I went through the motions, rose in the ranks, prestigious awards and all that rot, but I wasn’t happy.”

“I’m guessing this is the part where you ran away from home and joined the circus?” I teased, and both women laughed.

“Yer not far off,” Moira giggled. Jessica rolled her eyes.

“Hush you,” she shot back. “Actually it was a punk band, bunch of Londoners. We were O so creatively called ‘Sin’. S’how I met Kristen though. I’ll let you in on a little secret about Kristen. She’s a damn sight smarter than she acts. She has a Masters’ in Physics and a … Bachelors’?” she asked, glancing at Moira.

“Bachelors’, aye, in sound engineering. Now y’know why our road crew’s so small - security aside.”

Jessica nodded. “Exactly. She does all of our stage magic and pyrotechnics. She doesn’t trust anyone else to do it, and honestly I agree with her.”

“So what happened with ‘Sin’?” I just had to ask.

“Our idiot drummer literally pissed away our entire bank account. The fool nearly died from alcohol poisoning after he nicked the PIN and cleaned us out. It was a regular MTV reality TV special after that, complete with infighting and drama. Finally Kris and I couldn’t take it so we retired. I went to teach music at a London uni, and Kris fell back on her degrees. We swore we’d never do this again.”

Moira laughed. “But that didn’t last long. Performing is like its own kinda drug. It gets into you, gets you hooked, and when you’re away from it too long, that’s when ya really start to miss it.”

“Exactly. So one day out of the blue Kris gives me a ring and says ‘Jessie, are you as tired of the kiddie-bopper trash as I am?’” Jessica paused to laugh at that. “Those were her exact words too. I hadn’t spoken to the woman in two years, and that’s the first thing she says to me. God, I missed her.”

Moira just giggled as Jessica continued.

“She had this great idea to combine the stage theatrics of the old guard from the 60s and 70s with our Punk roots and give it a nice, dark edge, and I suppose the rest is history.”

Moira smiled fondly. “I’m so glad you talked me into coming back Jess.”

“Are you kidding?” Jessica balked. “Do you know how many vampire-wannabes and bass superstars who only knew five notes I had to go through before I found you? I wasn’t about to let you walk away so easily, even if I had to deck that fool PR manager personally.”

“Anyway, I’ve made some changes here,” Moira replied, “So tell me what you think. You too Robin.”

The first day of school was rapidly approaching. I still had some last-minute shopping to do the weekend before. The four of us - that is, Ally, Jenn, Nikki and myself, had just gotten back to Alpine Springs after a day trip to New Haven, and after dropping the other two off, we started back for my house when I noticed a big grand opening sign on the old pawn shop across from the pizza parlor.

Beneath the grand opening banner, a more permanent sign, a light plum in elegant text on a dark background read ‘Annabell’s Secrets’.

Of course, I knew about the old building. It was right across from the most popular teen hangout in Alpine Springs. I had also noticed vehicles parked in front more and more over the last several weeks, including Trent’s car, but I hadn’t given it any further thought until today.

“What’s going on over there?” I asked as we sat at the nearby traffic light. Nikki grinned.

“Remember Annabell, the new girl I’ve been talking your ear off about?”

“Oh yeah. I’ve been looking forward to meeting her. I’ve just been so busy.”

She smiled and nodded. “It’s okay. She’s been pretty busy herself. She had a tidy little nest egg saved up so she bought that old pawn shop and converted it into a goth boutique. See, she makes dresses, and she’s really good at it too. Oh, but don’t worry, her clientele are much different from the stuff Margie sells. Hey, wanna go check it out?”

“I’d love to!” I answered warmly. Sure, I’d been all day shopping, my feet hurt, and I wanted to get home, but my desire to finally meet the apparently openly transgendered girl - according to what Nikki had told me anyway - outweighed all that. Plus she sounded really nice to boot.

As we pulled into the parking lot, I saw a familiar face through the shop window. Trina, dressed in a very cute sleeveless black corset dress, her fiery hair up in twin buns held in place with black ribbons, busied herself putting the finishing touches on a window display centered around what looked like a Victorian style tapered sleeve gown.

“Oh, that’s pretty,” I commented as we stepped out of Nikki’s Mustang. She shot me a grin.

“The Victorian, or the one Trina’s wearing?”

I laughed as I squeezed her hand. “Both. But when did Trina start coming out during the day?”

“Annabell hired her as the new manager, and pays her in cash plus, due to government regulations, a dress a month since she’s under-age and can’t be paid what the full position’s worth yet.”

“Wow. Some of these dresses can get pretty pricey. That’s a heck of a bonus.”

Nikki slooowly glanced at me as we walked around the side of the building toward the entrance. “When did you start looking at stuff like this?”

I giggled. “I wanted to find out how much the dress Laura had given me was worth. I don’t want to repeat the number out loud, but I almost returned it to her the same day when I found out.”

Nikki laughed softly. “Funny you mention that. We were talking about it that day Annabell first bought this place. Laura wanted you to have it though. It meant the world to her that you liked it so much.”

I blinked at her as I pushed the door open. “Really?”

But before Nikki could answer, Trina threw her arms around me, nearly lifting me off my feet as she squeezed me. “Robin! Hey!” she bubbled excitedly. “Hi Nikki!” she added.

“Eek! Trina! Oxygen!” I teased, causing her to laugh, letting me go.

“Doing some last-minute shopping, or just came to say hi?” she asked. “Everything’s discounted in honor of the grand opening, if you see anything you like.”

“Mostly just to say Hi,” I answered, eyeing a really cute tiered ruffle skirt though. “But I just bought a new top today that would look amazing with this. It’s like a mini-vest layered over a black top. I was afraid it made me look too young.”

“Maybe if you put your hair in pigtails it might,” Nikki teased.

Trina laughed. “That’s kind of the idea behind some of this stuff though,” she added. “We sell everything from true Punk, Goth, Industrial, Victorian, and EGL - Elegant Gothic Lolita. As a bonus Annabell’s teaching me her craft - I mean, how to sew and stuff,” she corrected herself and smiled sweetly, which, coupled with that dress, and her hair up in twin buns, just looked so cute. I had to giggle.

“You look amazing. So this is where you’ve been disappearing to after work on the old asylum, huh?” I teased. She nodded happily.

“I’ve so wanted to tell everyone, but I’m just not ready for people outside the ‘scene’ to see me like this yet. But I’m getting there.”

A female, and very English - upper class Posh by my guess anyway - voice called from the back room, “Yes, and when you are making $500 on every dress you make yourself, you’ll be the one laughin’ all the way to the bank. I’ll be right out, ladies,” she added a moment later. “Bloody mannequin!” she barked.

Trina giggled. “Ooh oh. I’d better go help her. Be right back!”

Nikki stepped up beside me, holding up an electric blue A-line dress against me appraisingly and grinning. “Sooo, what do you think of the ‘new’ Trina?” she asked.

“Is it just me or does she seem a lot happier here than when she was working at Hot Topic?”

“Trent hated that place, but it was there or the food court, until Annabell moved here with her sister.” She paused to lower her voice. “Trent is going through a rough patch right now.”

“He reminds me a lot of myself,” I answered softly. “He always has to be honest. The first time I met Trina, once she stopped being nervous, she just... seemed so naturally girly, y’know?”

Nikki nodded gently. “He’s struggling with his identity. He finally called Doc Ketz back for a follow-up though.”

I smiled a little. “Good. If anyone can help him - or her - Barbara can.”

“Barbara can what?” Trina whispered from right beside me, causing me to jump, and her blonde-haired companion to howl with laughter.

“God, how do you sneak up on people in those things?” I asked, pointing at Trina’s 1  ½” platform sneakers. She giggled loudly.

“Practice!” she answered warmly. “And I’m going out on a limb and guess you were talking about Doctor Ketz?” she asked rather open and honestly. I nodded sheepishly.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like we were gossiping about you or anything,” I tried to apologize. Trina shook her head and hugged me again.

“It’s okay. I know everybody’s been walking on eggshells around me lately. Everyone except Annabell. Oh! Hey! Robin this is Annabell!” she grabbed my hand as well as the blonde haired girl’s, pulling them together for us to shake.

Annabell smiled warmly. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you Robin. Nikki’s told me a lot about you. And as far as Trina’s concerned, well, she has my full support, even though I won’t be attending classes regularly. It’s some weird thing with UK to American school transitioning that with my credit hours, I just need one class to graduate over here. So I’ll be ‘round when I can.”

Trina nodded. “Like I said before, I’m still not ready for Trina to be exposed to the rest of the school like, officially.” She sighed. “Sometimes it still feels like Trina’s taking over my life.”

I couldn’t take it anymore, and finally pulled her into a hug. “Trina, there’s something I have to tell you. I know exactly what you’re going through because … Because I went through it last summer. The reason I was out for surgery is … because I was having GRS.” I frowned. Trina’s eyes widened and her jaw slackened. Annabell just smiled a soft, reassuring smile.

“You’re... You weren’t born a... I mean...” she fumbled, utterly shocked. I nodded.

Nikki spoke up, “Do you remember when we first introduced Trina, I told you Robin of all people would understand? I wasn’t talking about her being lesbian. I couldn’t tell you that I was talking about her being transgendered though. It’s a secret I swore to never tell anyone.”

“Although I did figure it out on my own,” Annabell added, “Having been there myself.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. The stress from keeping it a secret, as my social life put more and more pressure on me to be this perfect all-star american teenager, was driving me crazy. I wanted to tell you, and it’s not that I didn’t trust you-”

Trina held up her hand for me to wait. She smiled and hugged me more tightly than she had ever done before, and then she looked at me with tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I know why you didn’t tell me, and I understand. I don’t know if I’m like you and Annabell. Part of me... yes, part of me wants to stay Trina all the time, but I don’t feel ‘that way’ - you know? Wanting to take the steps you and Annabell have taken.”

“Not everyone does,” Annabell answered. “That’s why I’ve been trying to get you involved in a support group, love. I’ve been here … a couple of months now? And already you’re like a second sister to me. I just want you to do what makes you happy, whatever that is. You don’t have to mutilate yourself - and that’s exactly what you would be doing if it wasn’t what you truly wanted.”

“She’s absolutely right,” I added. “I wanted to have the surgery done too. I was going to wait until my eighteenth birthday, but I was going to do it sooner or later. I knew without question that it had to be done. It honestly doesn’t make you any less you if you don’t. I learned a lot about gender from working with Doctor Ketz. That’s the whole reason I suggested her specifically.”

Trina smiled a little as Annabell and I hugged her. “I love you guys,” she whispered. “I don’t know … I don’t know what I feel. Sometimes both... Sometimes neither. But I know that I’m happier when the world sees me as Trina. What does that mean?”

Annabell giggled a little and kissed Trina’s cheek. “That’s a question you’ll have to answer yourself, but I can tell you, your circle of support just increased, right Robin?” she asked, smiling at me. I nodded.

“It’s been killing me inside not being able to share this with you. The worst part has been being on the basketball team and the cheer squad, though. I’m not sure how they’re going to react now that I’ve been cleared by an independent gynecologist to change with the others.”

This time, Annabell reacted with surprise. “Jesus girl. How’d you manage that so soon after surgery?”

“It’s a new experimental technique that’s apparently been in development awhile. I don’t know how it works exactly, but combined with the combination of drugs they have me taking, the scar tissue heals much faster. More importantly I don’t have to... Erm...” I started to blush, and Annabell laughed again. “...as often.”

“Ohh, visit from a little friend, huh?” she asked. I blushed even deeper, nodding. Trina looked confused between the two of us, and Annabell leaned close, whispering in her ear. Her cheeks turned bright red as she covered her mouth.

“Seriously?”

Annabell and I both nodded, the former adding, “It takes getting used to when you prefer the fairer sex, but my girlfriend back home had a fine-”

Nikki cleared her throat.

“What?” Annabell asked. “I was just going to say ‘sense of understanding’.” She grinned innocently.

Trina shook her head. “Well I don’t know about all that... I... I’m having trouble fathoming the idea of surgery. I’m still dealing with the fear of catching hell from people at school.”

“That’s why I’ve been so careful,” I answered. “Not telling anyone but Ally and Nikki - Jenn figured it out on her own. It’s called ‘stealth’ for a reason after all.”

Trina giggled a little. “Besides, it’s not like it’s anyone else’s business. But I don’t have that luxury. If I did this, everyone would know.”

“And they’d know you make a fortune making dresses on commission for me, too. Government can’t take THAT away from you,” Annabell reminded her. “But this seems a pretty understanding community. I know not everyone’s so nice as you all, but even the rabble run for cover when I flash my MI-6 badge.” She laughed.

“Um... MI-6? As in...” I started to ask. She nodded.

“Oh yes. My sister’s an active field agent over here on some... collaborative deal with your Homeland Security. Me? I don’t dare ask what it’s about. I do some work on the side for them, when they need something to look designer-quality on a government military issue budget. I’m not even combat-trained, but nobody else has to know that, y’know?” She grinned innocently.

“Oh,” she added, almost as an afterthought, “if you still want that skirt I’ll knock another 25% off - call it a friends and family discount.”

“Wow. Thank you. I love it. And Trina, if you ever need to talk, please don’t hesitate to call me okay? Nikki, Alli and Jen have been through this with me too.”

Nikki laughed. “Yeah, her getting on hormones was fun. We’ll conference call, or if you really need it we’ll all come over with some ice cream.”

Trina smiled happily as she nodded. “I’ll let you know around October,” she shot back. “I’m planning on wearing one of Annabell’s Halloween costumes to school to kind of see how things go. One day at a time.” She sighed in what at least to me sounded like a happy tone, as she rang up my purchase on her tablet PC. “One day at a time.”

Trina is a very special character for me. I've always said that she's more like me than Robin. I've struggled for years with being TG, questioning my identity and where I "fit in" on the spectrum, and I wanted to shed some light on Trina's struggle.

There's another, unpublished, story Ashleigh and I are working on that deals with Annabell and Trina. In many ways it's a spiritual successor to "Becoming Trina", and it goes over in more detail what Robin's missed while she was out of commission, but hopefully this was enough to whet the appetite in terms of Trina's struggle. Now that Trina knows about Robin, both her, and Robin's, support groups have gotten a little bigger.

NEXT CHAPTER! First day of school, and the long-awaited shower scene ;-)

~* Back to the Salt Mine *~

“Wow. You’re really being considered for Captain?” Nikki asked as she approached me at my locker following second period English. I hadn’t breathed a word of it to her yet since in my mind, I had already decided I wouldn’t accept nomination.

Nikki giggled, wrapping her arm around my waist. I lay my head on her shoulder as we started down the hall together, but she suddenly stopped and whispered. “Hey, who’s the new girl with Jenn?”

The first week of school last year, I had managed to completely embarrass myself on multiple occasions, starting with the first day, when I had completely gone overboard, expecting the same kinds of silly traditions that I’d watched other girls go through back in San Francisco. I thought I had it figured out this year. I wore my favorite pair of comfortable jeans, a cute purple top, and paired the silver ring Nikki gave me with a celtic knotwork pendant on a chain: simple, elegant.

Imagine my surprise when, as Allison and I rolled into the parking lot in my convertible, everyone else looked like they were dressed for school picture day - the girls, at least. Allison giggled as I turned to look at her.

“You started something,” she teased. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

“At least this year I won’t have to deal with anyone calling me-”

“Valley girl!” Brittany called teasingly as she walked up behind me. I turned to face her, and she grinned. At least she hadn’t dressed like she was attending a wedding. “I’m kidding. Jeeze,” she said as she walked with us toward the main building. “So can you do me a solid and talk to Chels? Please?”

“Um, sure, but what about?” I asked. Allison frowned.

“You haven’t heard?” she asked.

I glanced between the two of them, shaking my head after. “The last time I talked to Chelsea was when the cheer squad came out to help work on the asylum.” And then suddenly it hit me. “Oh... So she’s really refusing the Captain position this year?”

“Worse,” Brittany whined. “She’s not even going to play.”

“What?!” Allison and I both asked in unison. She nodded.

“Don’t get me wrong; I think we have a strong team this year, but we need Chelsea’s leadership skills.”

“She’s like the tallest girl in school!” Allison added. “Katelyn’s awesome on D, but Chelsea was the heart of our offense.”

I heaved a sigh as we entered the main building. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw a girl wearing dark sunglasses, struggling with her books, but before I could go talk to her, Brittany exclaimed, “There she is!” and pointed to Chelsea, coming down the opposite hall.

She froze in her tracks and tried to duck into the girls’ bathroom, but Brittany followed her, dragging me along in the process. Allison helplessly followed, trying not to giggle.

Chelsea stood by the mirror, lip gloss in hand, pretending not to know why Brittany had just barged into the room. She smiled brightly. “Hi Brit, Robin. What’s up?”

“Don’t ‘what’s up’ me!” Brittany whined. “I heard from Maria that you’re not playing this year!”

Chelsea blinked, stunned. “What? No, I’m not going out for the VOLLEYBALL team this year.”

Now it was Brittany’s turn to look stunned. Chelsea giggled.

“You didn’t even know we had a volleyball team did you? Tryouts are in the Spring, but since we’re probably going to get invited back to Cheer nationals again this year, I just don’t have time for three sports. Volleyball’s fun, but it’s not my passion.”

I glared at Brittany, but only playfully, before asking Chelsea, “So what about the Captain position?”

Chelsea grinned. “I was thinking of putting your name forward.”

“Me?” I asked, surprised.

“Her?” Brittany asked, just as surprised. “No offense,” she added.

I laughed. “None taken. I’d sooner pick Ally over me, but Maria and Katelyn are our real star players.”

“Katelyn wants to go out for cheerleading this year,” Chelsea replied. “I’ve been talking to her about it, and she doesn’t feel she can keep up with basketball, cheer, and choir plus teaching piano and taking singing lessons. We need to think about who our cheer captains will be this year, too.”

“Don’t. Even. THINK about it,” I replied, causing her to laugh.

“I was thinking about Jenn, or one of the seniors. Maybe Tracy?” Before I could answer, the first bell rang, and she sighed.

“We’ll pick this up later. I really want you to think about the basketball captain position though. If not you, then who you think would be a good captain.”

Allison lay her hand on my shoulder as we walked to our first class together. “Don’t. Even. Think about it,” she echoed my comment with a broad grin. “I love you, but if you tell Coach Wilson to consider me for captain, I will kick your butt.”

“Wow. You’re really being considered for Captain?” Nikki asked as she approached me at my locker following second period English. I hadn’t breathed a word of it to her yet since in my mind, I had already decided I wouldn’t accept nomination.

“Oh, yeah, but it’s just Chelsea. She doesn’t want the Captain slot this year so it’s up in the air,” I answered as I closed my locker and pulled her into a hug.

She grinned. “Mmm. That was nice. What was that for?”

“I need a reason to hug you?” I teased, leaning up to kiss her. “C’mon vampire. Walk me to the gym? You’ve got Chem this hour so it’s on the way.”

Nikki giggled, wrapping her arm around my waist. I lay my head on her shoulder as we started down the hall together, but she suddenly stopped and whispered. “Hey, who’s the new girl with Jenn?”

Jenn was standing by the dark olive-skinned girl wearing sunglasses that I had seen struggling this morning. Curiosity piqued, we walked over to say hi and welcome the new student.

“Hey Jenn,” I called cheerfully. “Who’s the new girl?”

“Speak of the devil! Robin, Nikki, this’ my new friend Shelly,” Jenn answered cheerfully. I hadn’t seen her smiling this much since camp. Something was definitely up, but I decided not to ask. I’d swear the girl was staring daggers at me from behind those dark glasses, though, as she grabbed a white cane from her locker.

“You didn’t come to laugh at me too did you?” she snapped.

“Um, no? Why would we? Just ask Jenn. Outside cheerleading I’m kind of a clutz.”

“Like that time you walked right into your locker door because you forgot to shut it first,” Nikki chimed in, giggling.

“So, are you new here?” I changed the subject. She shrugged.

“Yeah. Just moved here last month.”

“Oh, well if you need anything just ask Jenn or me. I was the new kid last year, but Jenn and my other friends really made me feel welcome, so I try and pass it on.”

“You know I don’t need you to feel sorry for me,” Shelly snapped, scowling at me again.

I didn’t really know what to say to that. I was just trying to be nice, but it seemed this girl just wanted to be insulted. “I’m sorry if it came out like that. It’s just when I transferred here, I was kind of terrified of reliving life like my last school so I try to be nice to new people. Anyway, I’m obviously making you uncomfortable, so I’ll leave you alone, but I meant what I said, if you change your mind.”

Nikki started to say something, but I squeezed her hand and shook my head. Jennifer frowned apologetically as we walked away.

“What a cow,” Nikki growled. “Some people just look for persecution.”

I shrugged, trying not to let it get to me. “Maybe Jenn’ll calm her down. She’s obviously pretty rattled about something.”

“Y’think so?” Nikki asked. “Yeah, maybe I’m just being overprotective.”

I giggled, stopping and turning Nikki around to kiss her again. “Can’t fault you for that,” I teased.

“We’d better get to class before we draw a crowd,” she answered. I looked around at the empty hallway and blinked.

“Oh. Nikki speak?” I asked. She laughed as she pulled me along toward our next class.

“Nikki speak,” she answered. “I haven’t used it in awhile.”

The rest of the day progressed fairly normally. Jennifer apologized for the way Shelly acted. Apparently I was right, that something had rattled her pretty badly. I talked to her at lunch to let her know there were no hard feelings. She was actually a really sweet girl, and Jennifer seemed to like her.

I wasn’t really surprised to see Trent, instead of Trina, at school that day, and I couldn’t help noticing he seemed absolutely miserable. He barely said two words to anyone, but it was a decision that I knew he had to make for himself. All I, all anyone could do, was to support him.

After school, last year’s cheerleaders - those who wanted to be on the squad again this year anyway, met in the gym for an informal meeting to discuss the year’s schedule. If we were going to be attending competitions this year, we wanted to start on our routine as soon as possible.

“Okay, so here’s the deal,” Chelsea stood up in front of the rest of us, gathered on the gym bleachers. On the basketball court, a couple of boys were playing a game of one-on-one. “As you guys all know, we had to scrap our first routine last year due to one egotistical judge.”

Stacey interrupted her, “Who, by the way, is no longer in the employment of ESPN.”

That raised a giggle from all of us as Chelsea nodded. “Yeah. Don’t feel too bad for him though. I heard he’s taken a job reporting for some local news station in Ohio. Anyway, because of that our routine wasn’t as good as it should’ve been. That’s not any of our faults, but this year we need to start early.”

“But isn’t practice before tryouts like, major bad mojo?” Tracy asked.

Chelsea nodded. “Yeah. That’s why we’re moving cheer tryouts to next Monday. In the meantime, we’re going to work on fundamentals during our tumbling class tomorrow night.”

Coach Greer stepped out of her office. Apparently she had been listening the whole time. “By the way, for those of you who haven’t heard, our sister school and former rivals, Sunshine Academy, are finally fielding a full athletics program including cheerleading. I’ve invited them to hold their cheer tryouts here after we have ours so their girls can get a feel for how it’ll go.”

A few girls whispered among themselves, but for the most part the announcement was met with indifference, until I asked, “Who’d they get for their cheer coach?”

A chorus of gasps followed Angela’s response. “Elizabeth Esquirer.” She grinned. “I knew that’d get your attention. If anyone can whip those girls into shape, it’s Liz. Don’t worry. They’re not a direct threat to your chances at going to Nationals. I expect you to treat them as equals. Victoria will also be teaching their tumbling classes, if anyone wants to volunteer to help.”

“Do we get extra credit?” Stacy teased. Before Coach Greer could answer, she held up her hands “It was a joke.”

“Does this mean we can’t practice at Liz’?” Chelsea asked.

“You’ll have to talk to her about it, but I don’t see why it would be a problem. If both squads meet at the same time, you could probably help each other out.”

“Like a mini cheer camp,” Jenn giggled, flashing a grin at me.

“Exactly,” Coach Greer replied cheerfully. “I’m glad you girls are on board for this. Strictly off the record, I’ve been talking to Liz, and she regrets ever leaving for that Platinum’s Gym job. Anyway, unless there’s anything else you girls want to discuss, you’re free to go.”

Chelsea held up her hand before anyone could get up. “Actually there is one thing. We need to discuss Captains. I like the two co-captain system we tried out last year. It worked great for basketball, and even better for cheer.”

Coach Greer nodded. “I agree. I’ll be honest. I don’t want to accept anyone who hasn’t had at least one full year of cheerleading experience for captain, but if you can make a strong enough argument, I’ll take it under advisement.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “That leaves me out.”

“Not necessarily,” Chelsea answered. “She did say ‘strong argument’. I’m pretty sure the fact that you helped me and Victoria with two very different Nationals-level routines counts for something.”

I quickly shook my head. “No, seriously. I’m trying to take it easy this year. I’m taking a bunch of AP classes, including Trig, plus cheer and basketball. I nominate Tracy.”

“Bwah?” Tracy exclaimed, sitting bolt upright. Everyone giggled.

“Yeah, Tracy’s the most experienced girl on the squad,” another girl added.

“I agree,” Chelsea answered, winking at me. “That still leaves one slot open though.”

“What about Jenn?” Tracy asked.

“I nominate Chelsea,” Jennifer shot back. Chelsea shrugged.

“I’m willing to take the position if no one else wants it, but I don’t mind stepping aside either. Like Robin, I’m trying to take it easy this year.”

“Well, we don’t have to decide right now,” Coach Greer replied. “Nominations will be open until next Monday. Remember though, that being captain doesn’t just mean you tell everyone what to do. It means you lead by example in all aspects of your life. I’m looking for girls who can show their confidence in and outside school and in competitions, who can really show the judges something special.”

“Robin,” Tracy answered. I stuck out my tongue at her.

“No,” I shot back, causing another chorus of giggles.

“Hey,” I asked, as we stood to leave. “Anyone seen Sasha?”

Tracy nodded. “Dentist appointment. She checked out at two. I promised I’d let her know what we discussed.”

“Oh, coolness. So, ready to go work on the asylum?” I asked, glancing at Tracy. She grinned.

“You know it girl! I’ll meet you out there. I just need to check on Trent first. If you see Laura, give her a hug, okay? They’re... having problems.”

I frowned, grabbing Tracy’s hand and pulled her into the Coach’s office. I didn’t even notice Coach Wilson sitting at her desk.

“What’s going on? They were at the mall Saturday, and everything seemed fine.”

“You saw Trina at the mall,” Tracy answered with a frown. “Laura’s upset because she acts like a completely different person at school, and it’s starting to scare her because he won’t even talk to her.”

“That’s... not good.” Sure, it was stating the obvious, but I didn’t really know what else to say. I sighed softly. “I’ll talk to Nikki. Maybe she can talk to him and find out what’s going on.”

“Thanks Robin,” Tracy answered, hugging me. “Laura’s like my best friend. Us theater dorks gotta stick together, y’know?” she winked, turning to step out again.

“Everything okay?” Coach Wilson asked, causing me to jump. She laughed. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, just high school drama,” I trailed off, approaching Coach Wilson’s desk and sitting across from her. “You know Trent Scott?”

“Sure. Quiet kid. Great dodgeball arm,” she answered with an amused smile.

“Trent’s … kinda like me.”

“Like you-” she started, but realization dawned, and she nodded. “Oh...”

“Yeah. Trent lives part time as Trina. I think he wants to transition, but if he did, he’d have to deal with the problems that come with it, like everyone knowing who he is already. I had the luxury of stealth.”

“That would be a problem,” she answered quietly. “Does he - sorry, she - have a therapist?”

“The best,” I answered. “And a small circle of support. Everyone in the GLBT student alliance already knows Trent cross-dresses, plus she knows I’m transgendered.”

“Then the best thing you can do for her is continue to be there for her,” she replied with a reassuring smile. “Ultimately it’s Trina’s decision to make, but what you can do is let her know that you’ll shoulder the burden. In the end, it’s which set of consequences she’s willing to live with.”

“At least I won’t have the stress of having to change in the coaches’ offices anymore,” I answered with a wry smile, causing her to laugh.

“Yeah, I read the school board’s report. Personally I thought it was kind of crass for them to ask, but I understand their intentions, trying to protect other students as well as yourself.”

I nodded. “Yeah. I should get going, but thanks for listening, Coach.”

“Anytime,” she answered as I stood. She waited until I got to the door to add, “Do me a favor though?”

“What’s that?” I asked, glancing back.

“Reconsider the Captain position?”

I sighed. “Okay, I’ll THINK about it, but no promises.”

She grinned. “You and Katelyn would make a heck of a team,” she called after me as I left, shaking my head.

“Easy for you to say,” I mumbled, but chuckled quietly as I left the gym, heading out to the parking lot to head home. First day of school, and I already had homework.

Author's Note:
Sorry this took so long to get out. Long story short, I had plans this summer that didn't involve being near a computer, and other drama happened that left me seriously considering just stopping altogether.

But I'm back now :-)

~* Patient Zero *~

“Hey, are you okay?” the contractor suddenly asked me. All three of them were staring at me now. I could feel my cheeks burning as I shook my head.

“Nikki!” Marry shouted. Nikki stepped around the corner, laughing at something, but she suddenly stopped laughing when she saw everyone’s serious expressions. “You need to get Robin to the hospital.”

Work had been progressing really well on the renovations inside. Outside it still looked like an imposing, run-down old building, which was exactly what we wanted it to look like. Inside though, even the owners hardly recognized it.

We had managed to clear out all the old debris, rotted ceiling tiles, and old furniture, and knocked down more than a few walls under the watchful eye of a hired contractor, to ensure we didn’t hit a load-bearing wall.

“Whoever designed this place,” the contractor commented at one point as Marry, Kris and I reentered carrying some supplies, “Didn’t work from any known architectural designs of the period. If I didn’t know better I’d say this place was a prison.”

“You’re not far off, but it was upgraded several times as well,” Kris commented. “The only thing about the building that’s original is the outer facade. Some of the rooms are the same dimensions as the original cells though.”

Marry chimed in, “They tried to sterilize and legitimize the asylum as a hospital back in the 1940s as well. New tile, new room designs, better locks...”

“More toxic paint,” Kris chuckled, holding up his paint scraper.

The man tilted his head slightly. “Yeah, you can say that again. We’re gonna have to get in here with an industrial strength vacuum just to make sure we get all the paint chips. Probably cover the building in plastic and fumigate it too just as a precaution.”

I tried to listen to the conversation, but to tell the truth, my mind was elsewhere. Through most of the day I’d been noticing some mild pain in my abdomen. It seemed to be getting worse though.

“Hey, are you okay?” the contractor suddenly asked me. All three of them were staring at me now. I could feel my cheeks burning as I shook my head.

“I’m not sure. I’m not feeling well,” I trailed off.

“Nikki!” Marry shouted. Nikki stepped around the corner, laughing at something, but she suddenly stopped laughing when she saw everyone’s serious expressions. “You need to get Robin to the hospital.”

“What?” she asked, dumbfounded, as she rushed over to me. I shook my head as Allison and Sasha came running.

“What’s going on?” Allison asked.

“It’s probably nothing,” I tried to reassure them. “But could someone drive me to the hospital and call Michelle?”

“I’ll make the call,” Allison answered. “Nikki, you drive.”

“You should take her car, Allison,” Sasha added as I found myself summarily escorted to the nearest exit. “Even if it is nothing, and she’s able to make it to practice tonight, she’s been working way too hard here. We’ll pick up the slack.”

Allison smiled as she nodded. “Thanks Sasha. We owe you a big one.”

“No you don’t,” Sasha answered seriously, but smiled and hugged me. “Just make sure you’re okay. That’s all that’s important.”

Nikki waited until I was in the passenger seat of her Mustang before asking, “How bad is it?”

“Honestly?” I answered quietly, “Feels like I’m going to pass out. It might be complications from the surgery. It’s in my lower abdomen.”

“What kind of pain? Is it sharp, dull, ache, stabbing?”

“Sharp I think, like a really bad cramp.”

Nikki slammed on the gas as soon as we had left the asylum behind. How she avoided running anyone over, or getting a ticket, I have no idea, but we quickly found ourselves at the hospital.

Michelle and Kelly were waiting with a wheelchair for me, but neither seemed particularly concerned.

“Hi Robin,” Michelle said cheerfully as she helped me to sit. “Don’t worry. This is just for your comfort.”

“My comfort?” I asked, a little stunned by her nonchalantness. She nodded, and I quickly found myself wheeled past the front desk and into an elevator. Kelly stayed behind to wait for Nikki and Ally.

“What’s wrong with me?” I asked. She simply grinned.

“Hopefully, nothing. But we’re going to do an ultrasound to see what’s going on in there.”

“What’s this?” I asked, as Kelly brought me a small paper cup containing two white pills, and a glass of water. Michelle, who had by now changed into a lab coat, looked positively giddy as she replied, “It’s Midol - teen formula. No caffeine.”

“Umm... Why would I need to take Midol?” I asked cautiously. I felt Nikki squeeze my hand as Michelle rotated the ultrasound monitor for me to see the images it had captured.

“Because what you’re experiencing aren’t complications, sweetie. They’re your reproductive organs kickstarting - growing pains, in other words.”

“What?!” I nearly shouted. It wasn’t as though I were upset at all: quite the opposite! I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“With Doctor Ketzowski’s and your mother and step-father’s permission, I’ve had you on a new clinical trial of a drug called Purplaxis. In simple terms, combined with surgical vaginoplasty and the implanting of preprogrammed stem cells, Purplaxis has reprogrammed your body to produce estrogen naturally.”

“But that doesn’t explain the cramps, Doc,” I answered, “Or that... um... patch of... Um...”

Michelle nodded reassuringly. “Uteran growth. If everything goes as planned, we won’t need to bring you in for another surgery. It looks like everything is growing and connecting as it should.”

“Wait a minute,” Nikki interrupted. “Are you telling me that Robin is... becoming a genetic female?!”

Michelle nodded again. “Exactly. Purplaxis isn’t a simple hormone replacement regimen. Scientists in Britain accidentally cracked the gender genome while attempting to develop a treatment for postmenopausal women.

“It’s the Holy Grail of gender research,” Kelly added. “It may be too late for girls like Michelle and I, but this is a whole new era for everyone else.”

I slowly swallowed the two pills, drank down the water, and lay back on the examination table.

“So, wait,” Nikki started again, “Does this mean she can have children? I mean, she could carry to term?”

I felt Michelle squeeze my other hand as Allison lay her hand on my shoulder. “In theory, yes. Robin is essentially patient Zero for human clinical trials, but all signs point to her being indistinguishable from a natal female. There will be some scar tissue inside, but frankly only her gynecologist should ever see it. And even that should heal in time, given her age.”

“I’m … a real girl,” I whispered. Nikki turned, leaning down to kiss me.

“You’ve always been a real girl,” she whispered. “It’s just science’s finally caught up with what we’ve known all along.”

I couldn’t help giggling as I wrapped her in a hug. Tears rolled down both our cheeks as I sat up, hugging her again, more tightly. I grabbed Allison’s hand and pulled her closer as well.

“I’m so happy for you,” she said through tears as she kissed my cheek.

“I can’t believe this is real. I feel like I’m going to just wake up any minute now.”

“This means you’re going to have to get ‘the talk’ from the girls’ perspective though,” Michelle added. I blushed, causing the girls to giggle.

“We’ll handle that,” Nicole answered.

“I always keep spare pads,” Allison added, which for some reason caused me to blush even more deeply.

Michelle smiled as she hugged me. “Take it easy if you can. It’s going to take you some time to adjust to these new feelings, but believe me, it’s something every natal female goes through. It’s just yours is coming a few years later. Luckily you’ve been on HRT long enough that you at least don’t have to go through puberty again,” she added teasingly.

“Thanks Michelle. I’m starting to feel better already. Do you think I’m okay for cheer tonight? It’s just a warm-up class, to gauge athletic levels. I promise to take it easy.” I slid down off the examination table and into Nikki and Allison’s waiting arms. Michelle squeezed my hand, motioning for us to follow her out after.

“You should be just fine. You won’t actually begin menstruation this month, but mark this date on your calendar for next month. I’m going to send you home with a bottle of Midol Teen. Take two in the morning as soon as you get up,” she instructed, as we reached the elevator.

“Why didn’t you tell me all this was going to happen before?” I asked. “I was led to believe you were just a med student. Now you tell me you’ve been working on a... a sex change drug?”

Michelle giggled under her breath as we stepped onto the elevator. “I’m sorry for the deception. I AM a med student, technically, but with some massive pharmaceutical backing. Further, Doctor Ketzowski felt that it would be best if you believed you were undergoing a normal operation because you were stressed out enough before. We wanted you to be able to recover in a comfortable, natural environment.”

Allison giggled a little. “Would you honestly have gotten any rest if you knew you had undergone a surgery to become a genetic girl?”

I had to shake my head at that. “Honestly? No, I wouldn’t. I’d have been anxious, excited, and terrified the entire time!”

“Precisely,” said Michelle with a confident smile. “I can’t wait to publish our findings. Of course you’ll still be listed as Patient Zero to protect your identity and stealth status, but as far as the rest of the world is concerned, you’re as genetic as anyone else, with just a birth abnormality.”

I had to laugh. “For the longest time I’ve been telling people I had a birth defect. Now I have a doctor’s backing on that.”

When I arrived at the gym only a few other girls’ cars sat in the parking lot, and none of them were present, so I walked into the locker room to dress out for practice. After pulling on my sports bra and fuchsia gym shorts, I sat down to lace up my sneakers. Nikki gave Allison a ride home, and I called Kris and Marry from the hospital to let them know I was okay, so now I just had to focus on cheer.

Ordinarily I’d worn a loose t-shirt over my sports bra like Katelyn, but I’d begun to notice lately more and more that the other girls, during non-intensive training, preferred to wear just their sports bras. Mine covered more than most bikini tops, and thanks to staying in shape over the last year, my midriff was, while not washboard, at least flat and trim, so I decided to try it without the shirt.

As I stood to leave, the door opened. Sasha, Chelsea, and Stacy stepped through, and all three had serious expressions on their faces until they saw me. I suddenly found myself surrounded as they hugged me and asked me what had happened.

“I’m so glad you’re okay!” Sasha concluded though. “I mean, you are okay right?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m great. It was just, um...” I blushed furiously, but had resolved to tell them the truth. “It was just a really severe menstrual cramp.”

“Oh God, it’s not a cyst is it?” Stacy asked seriously. It was farthest from the response I expected, but somehow made me feel better. At least they didn’t laugh at me for not knowing
what a cramp felt like.

I shook my head. “No. My gyno did an ultrasound to make sure everything was okay.”

“Your gyno?” Sasha asked. “But you said you thought it was complications?”

I nodded again. “Yeah. I had surgery over the summer to correct a birth abnormality that had to do with my ovaries. It’s a long and really gross story. But I’m okay now. She gave me some Midol, and I’m feeling better already.”

It was now or never. I sat back down again as they started to change. At first they didn’t even notice, as Stacy commented, “I’m glad you’re okay. The way Sasha talked, it sounded pretty serious.”

Sasha stuck out her tongue. “Well Marry did tell Nikki to take her to the hospital. I didn’t know her G was there,” she answered with a giggle. She glanced back at me with a sheepish smile, but paused. She was midway through pulling on her sports bra, and I couldn’t help laughing. She pulled her bra into place and sprinted over to sit beside me. “You’re still here!”

“Yes,” I answered, trying to keep a straight face.

“But I thought...”

“Like I said, everything’s okay now,” I answered, and grinned, just waiting for it.

She squealed. “OH MY GOD!” She wrapped me in a hug, giggling loudly as Stacy and Chelsea ran over, apparently only just realizing the same thing.

As if on cue, Jennifer stepped through the door. “Oh, hey Robin,” she commented casually, as though I’d always belonged there, as she began to undress at her locker. “Sorry I couldn’t make it to the asylum tonight, but Ally called and told me what happened. What’d Michelle say?”

My evening progressed pretty normally from there. Jenn and I got some stretching done, and played a couple of rounds of one-on-one while we waited for more girls to arrive. We were right in the middle of helping some girls new to the cheer tumbling program, teaching them to stretch when I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, that Coach Greer seemed to be watching me.

“Excuse me a second?” I asked. The girl quickly nodded. “Just keep practicing that stretch. Hold it for another five-count and then release it slowly, and do the same for the other leg,” I called over my shoulder as I raced over to see what was going on.

“Everything okay?” I asked. Coach Greer smiled as she shook her head.

“I expect you girls to tell me when there’s a problem, Robin.”

I blinked, confused. “Um, problem?”

“You were in the hospital not an hour ago?” she asked, folding her arms, patiently waiting for an answer.

“Oh! That! No, it’s not what it seems. I’m okay, really! I just thought it was something more than it was. I’m okay now, really,” I tried to remain calm, but just that she had asked made me unbelievably nervous.

She grinned. “Yes, I know. Actually I was more impressed with the fact you’re even here. Sasha told me you were nearly doubled over in pain when you left, and then I come here to find you instructing the freshmen?”

“Err, well, she asked for advice so Jenn and I offered to help.”

“You realize what you’re doing is the kind of thing a Captain would do, right?”

I quickly shook my head. “No ma’am. We’re a team. We help each other out. I don’t need a C on my uniform for that.”

“Well, if you change your mind, please let me know, okay? I would love to have you as our co-captain this year, with someone like Chelsea or Stacy, one of the girls who’s been through football season before.” She smiled as she placed her hands on my shoulders and hugged me.

“I know you’re going through a lot though,” she added. “As your Den Mother and as your coach, I won’t ask you to do anything you don’t feel up to doing, but with the renovations on the asylum finished-”

“Wait, finished? When I left we still had to strip off the paint before we could let the younger girls go inside.”

Coach Greer shook her head. She motioned for me to follow her, leading me back to her office. She took her purse from a locked desk drawer, and from that produced a piece of paper. “I took the liberty of having some of the paint chips analyzed. There’s no trace of lead. Apparently the place was repainted one last time before it closed for good.”

I stared, wide-eyed, at the report. “Do Kris and Marry know about this?”

“They do. I called to let them know before coming over here. I only just found out myself, but this means that this weekend we can start decorating ahead of schedule.”

“That’s great!” I cheered happily. “That’s going to be a LOT less stress for me to deal with. I’m thinking of swapping Anatomy and Physiology for AP Chem. If I do that I can get Nikki to take AP chem with me, and we can study together and make even more free time for me.”

“Ew. I honestly could never take A and P when I was in high school. I hear they use a lot of computer models now though.”

“Yeah, but even a simulated dead frog is still gross,” I answered, as we started back for the main gym again.

Coach Greer blew her whistle to get everyone’s attention. Once everyone had settled, and I had taken my place again, she said, “Okay ladies, let’s get started. First year orientation, over here. The rest of you, over there. You’re already warmed up so I’ll join you in a moment. Tracy, Robin, Sasha, you’re with me.”

“Uh... Okay,” I answered, blinking. Sasha and Tracy just shrugged and followed Coach Greer, pulling me along gently in the process.

“That’s what happens when you try too hard,” Sasha whispered playfully. “You show initiative, and you show you know what you’re doing, and you’re rewarded for it.” She winked.

Tracy giggled. “Don’t scare her Sasha. She probably just wants us to demonstrate a stunt.”

After class, I desperately needed a shower. I had never showered with anyone before, and while I really wanted to show my teammates that I was okay, normal, and one of them. Steam billowed from around the tile half-wall leading to the shower area, and I stood just beyond it, wrapped in nothing but a towel.

For all that I really wanted to do this for them, I was terrified. Suddenly I felt a soft hand on my shoulder. It was Claudia, the freshman Jenn and I helped out at the start of practice. She smiled up at me.

“I heard you’ve never showered with others before either?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I had a … birth defect that I was really embarrassed about, but I had it surgically removed. But now I’m terrified of going in there.” I sighed, and I could feel my cheeks burning brightly. Claudia nodded.

“I know how you feel. Everyone in my family has small breasts, and I’m practically flat-chested. I was like, so scared they were going to laugh at me.”

“Were?” I asked. She nodded.

“Yeah. Jenn told me what you’ve been through, how you spent an entire basketball season and then cheer in the Spring, showering alone. It kind of made me feel better about myself though.” She paused to frown. “Don’t... take that the wrong way. I just mean that it made my situation feel a lot less scary.”

“Unite to move forward,” I said thoughtfully.

“Wha?” she asked, blinking.

“Well, the actual proverb is...” As I struggled to remember, Jenn stepped out of the shower with her towel wrapped around her, her wet hair stuck to her back.

“Pupukahi i holomua,” she said casually. “It means that we work together to progress.”

“I like Hakuna Matata better,” Claudia giggled. “Come on, Spirit. We’ll face this together.”

Jennifer giggled. “Truthfully there’s so much steam in there, you can’t see anything anyway. You’ll be fine.”

I nodded, and glanced at Claudia. “May as well get it over with. Try it to end the panic.”

“Another proverb?” Claudia asked, following me. I paused to nod. “Yeah. Jenn’s full of them.”

“E ho'a'o no i pau kuhihewa,” Jenn replied over her shoulder as Claudia and I disappeared into the steam.

~* Momentum *~

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” I said as we hugged. “So I’m not going to lie; I’m way out of my element here,” I teased. Allison giggled as she led me over to where Joe and Jane were standing.

“Oh, I don’t expect you to shoot unless you want to take a gun safety class first,” she said, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “I just wanted you to come down so you wouldn’t worry about me going all gun crazy or anything. Actually, I was hoping to talk to you first, before I talk to Nikki and Jenn. I’m glad Jane’s here too though because I could use her input.”

It had been eight months now since she and Dad were wed. On some level it still felt strange calling my sensei “Dad”, but in other ways it felt very right. I’d come to love him as a father and as a mentor, and I knew he would take care of Mom and me, and the bundles of joy to come.

After breakfast, I sat up in my room at my piano keyboard, waiting for Katelyn. I really looked forward to getting back into my piano lessons again, and naturally when Mom called up the stairs that I had visitors, my first assumption was that Katelyn must have brought Sarah with her.

Imagine my surprise when, halfway down the stairs, on the mid-stair landing, I very nearly literally bumped into Moira and another woman. Moira grinned. “Robin, hey!” she cheered as we hugged.

“Moira! The heck are you doing here? Who’s this?”

The other woman almost cackled. “Oh come now dearie, you don’t remember me?”

“Kristen! I didn’t recognize you without the stage makeup. Can I get you something to drink?”

They glanced briefly at each other and nodded. “Sure. Nothing hard,” Moira teased. Kristen laughed.

“What she said. Tea would be lovely if you have it.”

I nodded as I walked downstairs with the pair, glancing over my shoulder. “What brings you here?” I asked, setting a kettle of water on to boil. Kristen leaned against the island bar. She stared me up and down for a moment before replying, “I was in New Haven visiting Mo.”

Moira interrupted her, “She was going stir crazy back in London so I invited her out.”

Kristen smirked. “She was working on a new song. I thought it was something Jessica wrote, and I was getting ready to yell at her for not telling me so I could start working on the riffs.”

I of course had no idea where this was all going until Moira concluded, “And that’s when I told her who the real author is.”

I could feel my cheeks burning. I shook my head. “It was just supposed to be a gift for Nikki - a poem, originally, but Heedless Despair were my inspiration. Well, that and The Raven.”

As I set out five mugs - three for myself, one for Mom, and one for Katelyn, who I expected any minute - I just had to ask. “What did you think?”

Kristen shrugged thoughtfully. “Like I said, I thought it was one of Jessica’s.”

“She really did. She came in gripin’ about how Jessica never remembers to fax her copies of new pieces.” Moira laughed again as she accepted one of the mugs. “Thank you.”

Kristen added some sugar to hers as she continued, “It’s rough sure, but so’s every song at the beginning. I wanted to ask your permission to start working on a guitar part,” she said matter-of-factly as I picked up two mugs. As if on cue, Katelyn entered the kitchen.

“Hi Moira!” she called warmly. “Who’s your friend?”

I grinned, passing one of the mugs to Katelyn as I stepped into the living room to deliver Mom her tea. She sat with her swollen ankles propped up, smiling up at me.

“Oh, thank you honey. Who was that with Moira?”

I tried hard not to giggle as strains of Katelyn’s excited squeal drifted in through the closed kitchen door..

“That’s Kristen, one of Moira’s band-mates. She plays guitar for Heedless Despair. Katelyn’s now met everyone without their stage makeup, I think. Anyway, she liked my song,” I added, practically bubbling. “They want to work on it. I think they want to use it.”

Mom smiled proudly as she took a slow sip, the steamy black swill fogging her reading glasses just a little bit. “That’s wonderful, sweetheart!”

“I’d better go make sure Katelyn didn’t faint,” I said cheerfully as I stepped back into the kitchen. Katelyn was still upright, but quite giggly.

“-met Jessica when she gave me a ride over to the UK to support Sarah in the big dance contest. Well I mean I met you guys when Nikki subbed for Moira that one time, but never got to really talk to you off-stage.”

“I’m jealous,” Kristen teased. “Mo and Jess get all the awesome adoring fans. I get the thirty somethings who can’t keep their hands to themselves.”

Moira laughed. “Well dear, that’s what you get for making your persona a succubus.”

“Oh shush you. Anyway, I was in town to get fitted for my new stage costume and figured I’d stop by with Mo. I swear, every time we stop here, I’m reminded more and more why she comes back.”

Katelyn giggled, “The nachos right?”

Kristen stared at Katelyn for a second or two, and started laughing. “Damn it. Now I want nachos.”

Moira rolled her eyes. “Hey, Kate, you play piano. What do you think? Lucia thinks the song needs an organ intro. I’m playing an old woman in the final scene, so it would give me a reason to stay stationary until I’m scared off-stage.”

Katelyn and I both looked at each other, confused, and Kristen giggled.

“Well, since it’s Robin’s song that we’re viciously usurping...” She paused to grin, and Moira laughed.

“We’re putting your song to a kind of Little Red Riding Hood theatrics. You can guess who Jessica’s playing.”

Kristen giggled even more. She looked positively giddy. “I get to be the Big Bad Wolf!”

“Wait, so Moira’s Granny? Oh that’s priceless,” Katelyn giggled. “And Robin played a little of what she had so far for me. I love where all this is going. What kind of keyboard are you using?”

“Keyboards,” Moira answered. “I’m usin’ two Rolands stacked on a stage bracket to hit a slightly different tone at the start, and then transfer to a more hollow sound as the ‘story’ progresses. Only instead of a reaper, it’ll be Kris in this amazing wolf costume. She doesn’t look at all herself.”

“We should get going though. We have to be back in London tomorrow to make final preparations for the tour. By then we’ll have your song set though. We work good under pressure like that, aye?”

“One of these days,” Kristen snickered, “We should hire another publicist. I promise not to date the next one either,” she added sheepishly as she wrapped an arm around Moira.

Moira smirked as she shook her head. “I’m just glad Jess talked Regina into being our official tour photographer. Oh that reminds me! Kate, Robin, let us know how many people you want to bring to our last concert, hey?”

“Sure!” we both answered in unison. “It’s October 30th right?”

“Sunday before Halloween, aye,” Moira answered as we hugged. I had to laugh as Kristen offered her hand.

“What, no nug?” I asked, grinning before she could answer. “Just kidding. You take care of Moira. Keep her out of trouble.”

“Oh aye, I’ll keep her on the straight and narrow if only by setting a bad example,” she shot back. They both laughed as they left, and Katelyn shook her head.

“God, girl, you get around don’t you?”

“Technically, this one’s on Nikki,” I answered. “I imagine they’re heading over to her house next.”

“Sure, sure,” she teased. “You’ve been practicing your scales like I told you - at least five minutes a day right?”

“Just before bed,” I answered, as we walked upstairs together.

“You’re working on the haunted house this afternoon right?” she asked as we sat down at my keyboard. “Sarah asked if I’d come help a bit. It sounds like fun.”

“Yeah. I’m hoping Trina makes an appearance. I’m so worried about her.”

Katelyn blinked a couple of times. “Trina? What’s going on?”

“Her relationship with Laura’s getting kind of rocky from what I heard. Trina wants to live full-time as a girl, but she’s scared to death of coming to school as Trina and making ‘official’ what we all know already. She’s much happier as a girl.”

Katelyn nodded somberly. “I can’t begin to imagine. I mean, I’m attracted to guys and girls both, but that’s kind of “tame” in today’s society. Guys especially are bad though; it seems like as soon as someone starts talking about having his parts reshaped, it’s their gut instinct to assume the guy is insane, instead of the more obvious one - that he’s not a guy.”

“Wow. That’s really insightful,” I answered, smiling at her. She shrugged lightly.

“After I accidentally found out about your past, I did some research, talked to people like Sarah’s aunt Zoey. I learned a lot. Trina’s never going to be happy until she accepts herself, and the way I see it, that’s not going to happen until she realizes that Alpine Springs, even if we are a small town, are pretty progressive, especially our school.” She paused in thought for a moment as I started working on my scales.

“For me, it was a matter of being anonymous mostly, but I also learned how to defend myself after that maniac chased Allison and me. I flipped Jason on his ass when he touched me, as a complete reflex. Believe me, if I’d been thinking about it, I wouldn’t have done it.”

Katelyn laughed a little. “Hey, you know what? Maybe all Trina needs is a little self-confidence. Robin don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re freaking beautiful, and you know it. But you also know how to defend yourself. So maybe that’s what you need to show Trina?”

“That she’s beautiful? She’s an absolute doll.”

Katelyn nodded. “She so is. But I meant maybe you should teach her to defend herself. I know she’s not all into martial arts like you and Jason are, but if she had the skills to protect herself, she wouldn’t be so afraid to be herself?”

“That’s a great idea. When I first started taking karate, I was taught a purely defensive throw. Sensei Dad said it was-”

“Wait, ‘Sensei Dad’?” she asked, barely able to keep a straight face.

“Sure. He’s my step-Dad, and my Sensei. Anyway, he taught me a throw to protect myself. Even without any training I was able to pick it up. I don’t know what discipline it’s from, but I could ask him to teach it to Trina.”

“Well, there you go,” Katelyn answered. “Just between us, I’m kind of jealous. She makes those super cute dresses look so good. With my figure I just can’t pull that stuff off.” She laughed as she produced a new piece of sheet music. “Anyway, this week I thought we’d try something a little more advanced...”

Work wasn’t scheduled to continue on the haunted house until the afternoon, but I had plans to meet with Allison down at the gun range, so after Katelyn left, I took a quick shower, made sure Mom didn’t need anything, and hopped in my car.

I’d never fired a gun in my life. It just wasn’t something that crossed my mind, but like Nikki and her Dad, it sounded like Allison and Joe had a real father-daughter bonding thing going. I hated to intrude, but Allison sounded so excited about having me there. Plus, it had to be easier than spending time with Nikki working on her car would be.

Still I had to laugh at myself, as I pulled into the parking lot. Of all my friends, I was probably the most stereotypical in terms of gender roles. I wondered as I locked the door to my convertible, if that would change in time, as I settled into accepting myself completely. This was certainly a good first step.

I didn’t know what to expect at first. I’d only seen shooting ranges on those tacky reality shows on cable, so the fact that the one here in Alpine Springs consisted of both a massive, modern-looking facility and a clearly marked outdoor range surprised me a little. The lawn was well-manicured in front, and while I couldn’t really see the outdoor facility because of the protective barriers to keep people from getting in the line of fire, I could only guess it was as well-kept.

As I stepped inside, a friendly-looking, slightly heavyset woman with light brown hair motioned me over. Behind her, a small radio piped along an upbeat classic rock song at a moderate volume. She reached over to turn off the radio, just as the DJ came across with the local news stories - something about a trial ending in New Haven soon.

“Hi there,” she said cheerfully. “Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for my friend Allison?” I asked, adding a little nervously, “She’s supposed to meet me here with her dad, Joe Jones.”

“Oh, you must be Robin,” she said warmly. “Sure, they’re on the indoor pistol range. Head down that hallway, take your first right, about ten yards down you’ll find the door clearly marked.”

As she spoke she reached under the counter, setting a pair of earplugs and heavy duty safety glasses in front of me.

“Safety first,” she added.

Smiling back at her, I picked up the safety equipment and started down the hall.

The pistol range was surprisingly quiet, save for a single pistol being fired. I put on my earplugs and safety goggles before approaching the shooter - Allison. She and Joe were standing next to a woman with blonde hair that I didn’t quite recognize until Allison stopped shooting and put down her pistol. I had to laugh. It had a really cute pink grip along the back of it, with a small breast cancer awareness ribbon etching.

“Hey Robin!” Allison cheered, and as she raced over, the woman turned her head to smile at us; it was Officer Garrett! Her hair looked different somehow - probably because it wasn’t in a French braid today.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” I said as we hugged. “So I’m not going to lie; I’m way out of my element here,” I teased. Allison giggled as she led me over to where Joe and Jane were standing.

“Oh, I don’t expect you to shoot unless you want to take a gun safety class first,” she said, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “I just wanted you to come down so you wouldn’t worry about me going all gun crazy or anything. Actually, I was hoping to talk to you first, before I talk to Nikki and Jenn. I’m glad Jane’s here too though because I could use her input.”

Jane seemed to have already been forewarned because she hardly moved, waiting for Allison to continue. I nodded. “Sure Ally. You know you can tell me anything. What is it?”

She looked up at Joe, and he gave her a reassuring nod. “I’m thinking about enlisting after graduation, and following in Dad’s footsteps. I still have nightmares even now. I was completely helpless the day that raggedy guy attacked us. I never want to feel that helpless again. If not for you Robin I wouldn’t even be here. That’s why I want - and I need, to do this.”

Jane lay her hand on Allison’s shoulder, but she and Joe both seemed to be waiting for me to say something. I wasn’t really sure what I should say, so I just hugged her again.

“I understand where you’re coming from. For me studying martial arts has been enough. If you’re sure this is the only way you’re going to be free, then I completely support your decision. You’re still going to college though, right?” I added. She laughed.

“Oh! God yes! There’s a Juniors day college fair every year at Yale. I’m hoping to talk to some professors and figure out what I want to study, and make sure enlisted service won’t conflict with that.”

“Well, I think it’s a great idea,” Jane answered as Allison looked up at her. “And hey, if you decide not to enlist in the armed services, I’ll write a personal endorsement for the police academy for you instead - and for your college applications.”

“Awww,” Allison giggled as she hugged Jane. “Thank you. I actually haven’t decided which branch I’d even want to join yet if I did, so becoming a cop is definitely on the table too. I just want to do something with my life where I’m protecting people: where I’m no longer helpless.”

As Joe picked up a large-looking pistol, I had to ask, “So do you have a permit... thing?” I wasn’t sure what the right word was.

Allison shook her head, but waited until Joe had emptied his clip into the approaching paper target before answering, “No, state law prohibits anyone under 21 from carrying - concealed or open - until they’re 21 unless they’re active duty. I get around it by coming here with my dad. Hey, you want to see something really cool?” she added with a broad grin. “Jane, can you break out the big gun? Pleeeease?”

Jane laughed. “The Remington? Sure. I had planned to get some time on the sniper range today anyway. C’mon. It’s in the back of my squad car.”

Sniper range? This I had to see.

Work on the haunted house had really come along well so far. It turned out that Laura, being a drama and theater “nerd” - her words, not mine - came with a keen sense of set design, and when Allison and I arrived after meeting Nicole and Jennifer for lunch, she was already talking to Marry and Kris, with a large art sketch pad in-hand. She seemed really bubbly and excited, which surprised even Nicole.

“Laura?” she asked as we approached. Laura glanced up, a broad grin crossing her lips.

“Hey guys! I was just going over some of the set designs you might want to try out, like I was thinking we could hang a mannequin in the morgue that drops down as a nice ‘boo’ scare.”

Before either of us could ask, Trina snuck up behind us and covered Nicole’s eyes with her hands. She was dressed in a pair of denim overalls with a cute “Grrl Power” t-shirt underneath, and her face was lightly made up.

“Guess who?” she said in an all-too-cheerful tone that easily rivaled Laura’s.

“Ummm, Sarah?” Nicole teased, spinning around to goose Trina’s sides before she could get away.

Trina yelped a little and laughed, hugging Nicole.

“What’s... going on?” I finally asked. Trina giggled again.

“I made a decision this week,” Trina said more seriously now. “I decided that I can’t live a lie anymore, nor should I have to. If people can’t accept me for who I am, that’s on them.”

Laura giggled. “Yeah, but tell them what changed your mind!” she insisted. Trina nodded quickly.

“Oh that’s the best part. You guys know I’ve been working at Annabell’s goth-punk boutique since the summer? Well she’s been teaching me her craft. I mean, she’s been teaching me how to sew. I put together some dress designs that she showed to a client, and they absolutely loved it.”

“Trina sold three dresses at $500 - each!” Laura concluded.

“And I figured, if I’m making that kind of money doing something I love, then what right do I have to worry about what other people think of me? Most of the kids at school don’t know who I am anyway. Trent just kinda blended into the background, so the worst I’ll get as Trina is an odd stare or two.”

“Plus you’ve got all of us in your corner,” Jenn added cheerfully, and Trina nodded again.

“I had a long talk with Mark this morning too. I’m not really at liberty to discuss what it is we talked about, but... Well, we’re a lot closer friends now. Ally, I think he’s going to want to talk to you soon.”

Allison blinked. “Um... Okay?” she answered slowly. “Not sure what ab- Oh... Valentine’s day right?” she asked.

“Yep,” Trina said. “He still feels bad about breaking up with you so close to V-day. I can only tell you that he had your best interest at heart, but I’ll let him explain it.”

“So anyway,” Laura said as she held up her sketch pad, “We need to talk set design. I’m pretty sure I can direct the girls’ creative energy to make any of these work. I just need to know which ones you guys want to use.”

As discussion turned to design, I decided to take a final look around before we started decorating and building. I felt a small chill up my spine as I rounded one corner, and I couldn’t shake the sensation of someone watching me, but when I looked back, there was no one there. Even with full power restored, this place felt very foreboding, which made it the perfect location for our needs, but it was still creepy.

I found myself in a wing of the asylum that I didn’t recognize. I thought I had been all over, but this area, though as clean as any other part, just felt unfamiliar somehow. I felt compelled somehow to stop outside one room with no windows. At the center of the room sat a rickety-looking wooden chair with worn leather straps.

“This is the dentist room,” Marry spoke up behind me, causing me to squeal and jump. She laughed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

I shook my head as I smiled back at her. “It’s okay. This place gives me chills. Why does this look more like an execution chamber without the electrodes?”

She smiled grimly. “Patients who tried to bite staff would have their teeth pulled - usually without any anesthetic. We’re told they continued to practice that until the facility closed, but they at least learned to use nitrus eventually.”

I cringed. “God, that’s gruesome. You know we could have a lot of fun in here though. Have someone in the chair screaming with someone dressed like a dentist coming at them every time a group passes.”

Marry laughed. “I like the way you think. With some dark lighting at the right angle it would really sell the effect too. C’mon, the others are looking for your advice on how to set up the entryway.”

I noticed she gave the room a glance as we walked away, and I felt compelled to hug her. She smiled back at me.

“What was that for?” she asked, but not defensively. I shrugged.

“It seemed like the right thing to do. Just walking through these halls, I get a sense of the kind of pain you and Kris’ relatives must have gone through, and even then I can’t begin to imagine what the reality was like. What you’re doing here, turning this into a youth center after Halloween... I think it honors these people’s memories. It’s like a final ‘screw you’ to the monsters that ran this place.”

Marry laughed again, her smile brightening considerably as she returned my hug. “Like I said before, I love the way you think.”

I smiled back at her as we rejoined the others. I still wanted to offer Trina that self-defense lesson - or rather, offer to talk to my Dad for her, but for now, she seemed happy. I still wanted to get more details about when she wanted to transition, but for now I decided to leave it alone. Trina was happy, and Laura was exceptionally happy.

~* Another Extra Ordinary Day *~

“This is so cool,” Allison giggled. “I’ve always wanted to visit Disney World.”

“Yeah, but I love you anyway,” Nicole teased.

Sunday afternoon was our first monthly meeting since school started, and we had a great deal to talk about, not the least of which being our new members.

“I really want to get more involved,” I said as we sat around, waiting for Coach Greer. Jennifer and Allison sat on the edge of the auditorium stage, Allison lazily kicking her feet back and forth as Jennifer lay back with her hands under her head.

“I know what you mean,” Allison added. “Doing the haunted house is great and a lot of fun, but it feels like as senior scouts we could be doing a lot more.”

Suddenly a pair of hands covered my eyes, and I heard an unfamiliar giggle as Sarah whispered, “Guess who?”

“Moira,” I teased, causing her to laugh as she hugged me from behind.

“Nikki you know Trina’s sister right?”

“Sharon, hey,” Nicole answered cheerfully. “Robin you haven’t met Sharon yet have you?”

I shook my head as I offered my hand to the girl. She definitely bore a strong family resemblance, and she even seemed as outgoing and cheerful as Trina.

“Sharon just joined the Scouts last week,” Sarah continued.

“Yeah, my friend Julie talked me into it. It’s great to finally meet ‘Spirit’,” she bubbled. “By the way have you guys talked to Angela yet? She said she had a big surprise for this week’s meeting.”

We all shook our heads. “I tried to get her to spill,” Jennifer added, “But she said she had to wait until she was absolutely sure about it. It’s probably something about the Girl Scouts 100th anniversary beginning this year.”

As if on cue Angela appeared in the doorway off to our right a moment later carrying a load of papers. “Sorry girls,” she said as she came closer, “I had to make some copies. Now as most of you probably know, I’ve been organizing details on a little surprise for our girl scout field trip.”

“The ski trip last year was epic,” Tracy replied, and giggled, “Even though Nikki got her skis up a tree.”

“Ski POLE thank you very much,” Nicole teased. “Are we doing that again this year?”

Every set of eyes watched Coach Greer, waiting expectantly for an answer. She shook her head.

“No, but the place we’re going does have a surfing wave simulator,” she replied, as she began to hand out stacks of papers in transparent binder folders. Girls began to gasp, whisper, and even squeal as they saw the top page - ‘Girl Scouts of Alpine Springs Disney World Resort Guide’

“Now, before we get too excited, you’ll have to do all the fundraising yourselves. There’s not enough in the treasury to cover airfare and park expenses,” she began, and waited for the chorus of groans to die down, “However! I’ve been in contact with the people at the resort, and they’ve given me some information about special group discounts that we qualify for.”

“So when is this going to happen?” I asked. “Because this is going to cost a lot more than the ski trip did even with discounts.”

“Will we have time to raise the money?” Sarah added.

“We’ll have plenty of time. The trip’s going to be in the second week of February during winter break. You can raise the money however you’d like, but I want to go ahead and mention that a local business owner who wishes to remain anonymous, as generously donated two iPads for raffle.

“I have some permission slips ready now, if anyone wants to get their parents’ permission early. Please show these booklets to them as soon as possible as well. Any questions?”

Amanda raised her hand. “Can non-scouts come too?”

Angela shook her head. “I’m sorry sweetie, but this is officially a Girl Scout event. If you have someone you want to come on the trip they need to join by December 1st. That’s the deadline for confirmation on arrangements. If any of your parents or other adults are interested in chaperoning the trip, please have them contact me. The information is on the last page.”

“This is so cool,” Allison giggled. “I’ve always wanted to visit Disney World.”

“God, me too,” I answered. “I’m like the biggest Disney freak ever.”

“Yeah, but I love you anyway,” Nicole teased.

“So, if there are no other questions, I’m going to go ahead and let you go here in just a second. First I want to give everyone a quick update on the Haunted House project. Robin?” she asked, glancing at me. “You’re up.”

“Sure sure, pick on the girl who hates public speaking,” I teased, causing everyone to giggle as I stood.

“Okay, so as you know we’ve been breaking our backs to get the old asylum cleaned up. We’ve had a lot of outside help too, and I’m really proud of the way everyone’s come together to make this happen. Phase 1 is finished, and the place is practically like new. Construction crews are ready for Phase 2. The owners have basically given us permission to do whatever we want here.”

“Why are they letting us have so much freedom with the place?” Sharon asked. “Aren’t they planning on renovating it themselves?”

I nodded. “Well, that’s actually why we get so much freedom. They’ve decided that the easiest way to renovate it, is to just knock it down and build a brand new facility on the foundation. Our Haunted House will be the last event held in the original building, sort of a fond farewell to those that died there.”

Julie shivered. “That’s morbid. But that’s kind of the point, so... I like it!”

“One last thing,” I continued. I was actually getting a lot better with public speaking ever since I performed “The Raven” for my AP English class last year. I found that if I approached it from the perspective of a performer - just like I did with Cheer, that it became much easier to focus.

“As you guys know, October 30th Heedless Despair will be performing their final Halloween Fright Fest concert in New Haven-”

“Say no more,” Tracy interrupted with a giggle. “I’m going to that concert. I know most of the older girls here are too. The concert starts at 8pm, which means we need to be in New Haven by 7. The Double-H is going to take a lot of work to run especially with school to think about too, so I say we do it two hours a night, from 7 to 9 during the week leading up to it with alternating shifts of volunteers, four hours on Saturday - 5 to 9 with two hour shifts, and then 4 to 6 on Sunday.”

Angela nodded. “We’ll meet again to discuss who can work when, once we’ve worked out how many people we actually need. We can even alternate ‘scares’ so it’s a different experience each night, with different girls, so you can attend as a visitor and scare your friends,” Angela added. She was clearly enjoying this as much as we were.

As we left, Tracy walked up behind us and put her hands on Jennifer’s and my shoulders. “So, cheer tryouts are in two weeks. You two ready?”

“Jenn is,” I answered with a laugh. “Me, not so much.”

Tracy laughed as she patted my shoulder. “You’ll do fine. I thought about not trying out, but Chelsea talked me into it. I swear she’s about to crack though,” she added quietly.

Sarah nodded as she spoke up. “I can’t blame her honestly. I mean I’ve just got school and ballet, and scouting, and I’m stretched pretty thin. Chelsea has, what, cheer, basketball, volleyball, and AP courses?”

“Don’t forget she’s the captain of the debate team,” Nicole chimed in. “She’s dropping out of basketball completely I heard.”

I had to sigh at that. I had hoped she would stay on the team. “We’re losing her as cheer captain too. If you guys see her, just give her a friendly hug. I know she’ll appreciate it.”

“See you guys at the asylum tonight,” Tracy said. As we parted ways I looked back over at Sarah and Sharon.

“You guys need a ride? I’m staying with my sister this weekend so it’s on the way.”

Sarah smiled brightly as she shook her head. “No thank you. Sharon’s Mom is picking us up. We’ll def be at the, what did Tracy call it?” she giggled. “Double-H? This evening.”

As Allison and I sat down in my car, we waited for Jennifer, Shelly, and Nicole to get into her Mustang and pull away before we pulled into traffic to follow them. Allison glanced at me with an amused grin.

“You know it’s funny, hearing you talk about Chelsea trying to do too much.”

I had to laugh, and stuck my tongue out at her playfully before answering, “Yeah, yeah. I almost dropped cheer you know. Tracy and Laura have me really interested in theater, but I just don’t have the time to commit to it. I love playing basketball too much.”

“I know what you mean,” Ally answered. “For me basketball is like, my thing. I’m not as pretty as Jenn or as outgoing as you. I’m not good at music like Nikki, but on the court I can shine.”

“What are you talking about? You’re beautiful. I mean sure, you’re taller than me, but so is Chelsea. I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re very well-proportioned.”

Ally blushed brightly as she slowly glanced back at me. “You really think so?”

“God, yes. I know you think they’re small, but you have a slender frame so they look natural on you.”

“We are talking about my feet right?” Ally teased, causing me to giggle.

“Um, sure, your feet, yeah,” I teased, pulling into the parking lot of Tony’s Pizzeria.

Admittedly I had a lot on my mind. Our cheer tryouts were coming up in just two weeks, and not only did we have to be prepared, but Coach Greer had just asked us last Friday if the current, existing squad would come to a special weekend cheer camp next week, being held at the old private school across town.

On top of that, the haunted house, and gearing up for the upcoming basketball season, I suddenly found myself extremely thankful to have friends like Ally and the girls. I truly felt blessed, as I sat down at our regular booth. Here, I could forget about things for awhile, and just enjoy being an ordinary non-overachieving teenager.

For awhile, anyway.

Author's Note:
This is a long one so bear with me. If you just want to read the story, hit "Ctrl+F" and type ~oOo~

Okay, so I know it's been WAY too long since the last time a BR chapter made its way here. Actually, it was supposed to be unpublished, but the site hiccupped at some point, republished it, and I took that as a sign towork on another chapter.

Back in February of this year, Ashly and I started it, and by April it was finished. But I was moving at the time, and then a couple of months later my dad passed away suddenly, and my whole world kind of got turned upside-down for awhile.

But as some of you might know, it was a Christmas Eve that I finally created an account on TopShelf and started blogging. That night changed my life in SO many ways. I honestly wouldn't be here today without the friends I made through this site, so it seemed fitting to finally post the next chapter of BR, my very first novel, on that anniversary :-)

I can't promise the followup chapters will be quick, but I can tell you we have a good bead on where we want the book to go. I also can't promise that the writing style will be what you remember. Ashly and I have both changed, as writers and as people, in the last seven years. But there won't be any sudden shock changes like Nikki getting pregnant, etc. I promise ♥

Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate, and thanks for being the one home I know I can always come back to no matter how dark the world outside my door gets.
~ Zoe

School had been going pretty well all things considered. I decided to go through with switching out Anatomy and Physiology for AP Chemistry after confirming that we would indeed have to operate on an actual specimen - cats. I almost cried, actually.

But I was much happier in Chemistry even though Nikki and I weren’t assigned as lab partners. It wasn’t anything intentional, though, just random luck of the draw from the big fish bowl of names.

I had just stepped out of the locker rooms after changing into my gym shorts: I actually had the presence of mind to wear a tee shirt over my sports bra today since this was tryouts and not a practice. I stopped to tighten my purple shoe laces on my athletic sneakers, when another pair of sneakers stepped into my field of view.

I looked up, and found Rachel grinning down at me. “Hey Spirit,” she said, giggling.

“Rachel!” I squealed and leapt to my feet to hug her. “What are you doing here?”

“Surprise?” Rachel giggled again. “Natalie and I talked it over, and we’re now renting an apartment here in town. Our parents flipped of course,” she laughed, “But once we explained that we wanted to be closer to our friends here they calmed down. Dad’s even paying half rent so long as we go to college.”

“So,” I had to ask, “Are you guys...”

Rachel laughed and shook her head. “Oh God no. I like boys - no offense,” she teased.

“Hey, none taken. So I guess this means you’re trying out? Can I put your name forward for the Co-captain position?”

“No thank you,” Rachel said. “I’m all in on volunteer work, but I’ve got my hands full with a part time job and school. I’m working at this cool dojo, and Natalie got a job waitressing part time at the pizzeria.”

It was at that point that one of the freshmen approached us. “Um, sorry to interrupt but um,” she said nervously as we turned and smiled back at her. “I know this is totally last minute, but can you run through the drills with me one last time?”

“Sure thing Courtney. Hey, Rachel,” I said, turning to her, “Want to help?”

“Sure,” Rachel grinned. “What do you need me to do?”

I laughed a bit. “Just call. We’ve got another twenty minutes before tryouts start so if you can call out a move, I’ll demonstrate it, and Courtney, you try and copy it okay?”

Courtney gave us a nervous smile, but nodded.

“Don’t worry,” I said as we took our positions on the rolled out gym mats. “I was told we won’t be doing aerial stunts as part of the tryouts, to make the playing field more even.”

“Good,” Courtney sighed, “Cause I’m terrified of heights. In junior cheer we’re not allowed to do aerial stunts anyways,” she added, as Rachel began to call out dance moves and cheer maneuvers at random.

“You can always be a base or a spotter,” I said, trying to reassure her, and keep up with Rachel at the same time. As we progressed, more and more girls joined Courtney in front of me, until it started to look like I was teaching an aerobics class by the end.

Sasha came up beside me, handing me a towel. “What did I tell you about overachieving getting you called on?” she teased and giggled.

“I was just trying to help,” I answered honestly, but laughed a little too. “I still think you and Tracy are our best bets for co-captains though. You have the experience.”

“Thanks,” Sasha said. “Part of me really wants the job, but I’ve never led anyone. I can’t even get my dalmatian to sit,” she giggled out, as Tracy made a playful bark noise at her. “If I do get nominated, will you help me?”

“We all will,” Tracy said.

“Yup,” Chelsea added, grinning. “The ‘C’ is a lot of pressure, yeah, but I’ve never once felt like I was going it alone. I had Victoria to turn to for advice, but I had the support of the squad behind me, too.”

“You know,” Coach Greer said, clearing her throat, “For someone who doesn’t want the position...”

“I know, I know,” I laughed. “It wasn’t my fault. Courtney wanted to run through drills one last time.”

“And the rest of us just thought it looked like a good idea,” Jennifer giggled.

Tryouts went pretty well all things considered. There were the expected bunch who had no idea what they were getting themselves into, but Coach Greer gave them a fair chance, and no one hurt themselves - not even me. It was good for the Sunshine girls to get to see how tryouts progressed as well, though they weren’t as strict about technicals since they were largely new to the whole thing.

I was relaxing with a bottle of water, chatting quietly with some of the girls, when Elizabeth, Victoria’s mother and the woman who was now the Sunshine spirit squad’s coach, sat down with us and grinned.

“So, what do you think so far?”

I stifled a small giggle. “Well you can really tell who’s been practicing. They’re pretty rough, but so was I.”

“Yeah, but you’re like Kung Fu girl,” Chelsea elbowed me playfully. “I think they could make it to state easily though, if they put in the work.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Elizabeth said, “I’d like to bring in some professional help, sort of a cheer boot camp, once a month. Would that be something you girls would be interested in doing too? I’ve already talked to Angela about holding combined practices at my house. She loves the idea, and frankly I do too, but it’s up to you, too.”

“Oh hell yeah,” Tracy said. “We’ve been talking about that too. We didn’t want to step on your toes, or make your squad feel like we were trying to show them up or anything, but if they’re cool with it we would love to hold combined practices.”

“I love helping others,” I said before I could stop myself. Jennifer giggled.

“And I get a whole new audience to harass with my proverbs,” she said, grinning.

Julie, who was a freshman last year, let out a playful groan, causing Jenn to giggle a second time.

“Well since you like to help,” Elizabeth said, grabbing my hand. “Come on coconut, you and Tracy are up too. I want to show these girls some aerials.”

“Eep.”

Work on the haunted house had really come along nicely. We even had a couple of robotics experts building special, random jump scares for us courtesy of some connections I had made at girl scout camp. It turned out that Alice had some geeky friends in high places.

We were really going to play up the “haunted asylum” aspect, too. It was funny how much work we put into cleaning up the place, only to make it look old and abandoned again, but it was necessary for both guest safety, and our own. We not only had girl scouts volunteering now, but also the entire drama department, courtesy of Laura and Tracy, and all proceeds were going toward the Disney trip next year.

What I didn’t expect though, was just how massive our little project had gotten. When I arrived at the place, there were two rows several vehicles long of cars, trucks, SUVs, and even a pack of motorcycles parked close together at the far end. A large man, standing at least 6 feet, and dressed in a leather jacket was talking to another man in a polo shirt near the entrance. The more clean cut man had short, graying blonde hair

He turned to me as I approached. “Robin, right?” he asked, extending his hand.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Rob Wilson,” he answered, and it hit me that I was shaking the hand of the mayor of Alpine Springs himself. “It’s great to finally meet you.”

“John Walker,” the biker said cordially as he offered his hand next. “Oh,” he added with a laugh, “I’m Tracy’s uncle.”

“Oh!” I said sheepishly. “Nice to meet you,” I said as Tracy poked her head out and giggled.

“I figured, what’s scarier than a bunch of bikers?” she said as she came outside. “Uncle John’s motorcycle club is going to help us with security and some of them volunteered to actively participate in jump scares throughout the attraction.”

“Oh, that’s amazing!” I laughed now.

“We’ve got a ton of people from all over Alpine Springs volunteering,” Tracy continued. “It’s like once word started getting around, anyone with any kind of building experience wanted to help There’s even a professional contractor from New Haven here. Nobody’s fessing up who hired her though.”

Tracy grabbed my hand at that and pulled me inside. I couldn’t believe how much work had already been done. They had put up new drywall and painted it, not a true, pure black, but dark shades of red and blue in different places that, even with the overhead lights on, felt a little disorienting, and the beginnings of static decorations were laying around here and there.

What truly impressed me though, was it seemed like everything was going according to our original design plan. I had hoped to keep it sort of small and low budget so that we could focus on polishing what little we could afford, and still be able to fund our trip, but it seemed our benefactors wanted to scale it up.

Kris was standing near the dental room, watching a technician wire up some kind of sound system when Tracy and I joined him. He glanced at us, and grinned.

“So I’ve been talking with Mary,” he said. “The asylum really is pretty far off the beaten path for a youth center.”

I nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that too. A charter bus is the best I can come up with.”

“Nah,” he said. “We’ve got a better idea actually.” He winked. “You remember how you said converting this place into a haunted attraction would be the ultimate F you to the monsters that ran the place?”

I nodded, and Mary came up behind us. “Well, we decided to leave it as a lasting memorial,” she said, grinning now, too. “It’s going to be one of those year round things. We’re going to hire full time actors and everything, with a portion of proceeds going directly to the Girl Scouts.”

“Of course,” Kris added, “We’re not going to push you out either. We’re only talking hiring full time actors after Halloween. This is your baby. But we figured since we were planning to tear it down before, that you wouldn’t mind too much if we left it up instead.” He winked, and I had to laugh.

“No, that sounds great,” I said. “What about the youth center, though? If you’re not building it here-” Suddenly, a bone chilling howl of pain rang out from the sound system. Tracy and I squealed, and even Mary jumped a little. Kris, who had seen it coming, burst out laughing.

“Sorry,” the technician said, grinning sheepishly. “How does it sound though? I set it up so that the sound should carry in the immediate area, and once Melissa gets the rockwool insulation in place it should be deadened past the first turn.”

“Might be a little shrill,” Kris answered, adding, “Maybe bring it down just a few decibels, but otherwise it’s perfect.” He turned back to me again. “As for the youth center, well, we got an offer we couldn’t refuse.”

Mary spoke up at that. “Ya know that old armory building near Tony’s? Big 3 story brick building, bit of an eyesore really,” she laughed.

“Kind of like this place,” Kris laughed too. “The city’s going to tear it down. There’s going to be a city council meeting to decide what to do with the land, but the mayor and two city council members want to build a youth center there, since it’s close to Tony’s place.”

“Since teens already hang out in the area,” Mary added, “They figure it’ll be more business for Tony rather than competition if we built it way out here, too, so it’s win-win.”

Evin with all the adult volunteers - which made life much easier for us, allowing us time for crazy things like homework and cheer practice - I still did my share of heavy lifting, and I paid for it. My shoulders stung by the time I got back to Margie’s. I still had homework to do, so I headed over to Allison’s to meet up with the girls.

We were sitting at the dining room table rather than taking over the den, and Nikki had just grabbed a bottled water for me, when we seemed to both notice at the same time that Jennifer was staring blankly at a page in her AP Chem textbook. Allison leaned over and poked her. “You okay?”

Jennifer shook her head. “Just trying to figure this out. If there are four laws of thermodynamics, why do they label them zero through three?”

Nikki laughed a little. “Because it sounds smarter,” she answered, grinning. Jenn laughed now too.

“Oh,” she answered. Nikki shrugged.

“That’s probably not far off though. It’s like “new math”. Math hasn’t changed in 3,000 years or whatever, but in the last like ten years they’ve changed how to write it, made it more complicated.”

“Is that to do with the advancement of scientific fields like quantum physics?” Allison asked. ‘I mean I know quantum physics isn’t exactly new.”

“All I know about quantum physics is that Einstein hated it,” I giggled out. “I like the idea though. I mean, according to quantum physics, a particle can exist in two places at once - it can both be, and not be.”

“Schrodinger’s cat makes my head hurt,” Nikki chimed in. “I mean how can a cat be alive and dead?”

Carol surprised us when she spoke up. “It was a thought experiment meant to illustrate the problems with the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics.” She paused as we stared at her, and then laughed. “It’s supposed to give you a headache. He was trying to show that quantum mechanics’ rules break down when you go above the subatomic scale - or at least that’s my understanding of it.”

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s the thing. You can’t apply the rules of quantum mechanics to everything else, but you can’t apply the rules of everything else to things at the subatomic level, either. That’s what makes it so fascinating, to me anyway.”

“She’s been binge watching science documentaries on Netflix,” Nikki teased.

“When do you even find the time?” Carol asked jokingly. I couldn’t help laughing too.

“Before bed usually, I like to unwind listening to something like that while I’m doing my kata. I didn’t know you knew about quantum physics stuff though,” I added, realizing that in fact, I didn’t know much about Allison’s mom at all.

“Oh yes,” she said. “I minored in astrophysics for fun in college, but my major was Psychology. I bet you didn’t know that I write a Psychology blog either?” she asked, grinning.

“Really?” I had to ask. “Why don’t you like have your own practice?”

Carol laughed as she sat down with us now. “I’ve been waiting for one of you to ask me that question for years.”

“Now I’m curious too,” Allison giggled. “I just always took it for granted that you were a stay-at-home mom.”

Carol nodded. “Well, remember your father was a military man. Before he retired, when we still lived on the base, I actually worked as a civilian contractor. They figured that since I was already there, and had passed security clearances, they might as well hire me,” she teased. “But retired life was just too much for him so when he took the job with Bob’s advertising firm, I settled down to raise my two girls. I don’t regret it even for a moment.”

“Just another degree of separation,” Nikki laughed. “Like how Margie and Kelly know each other even though they’re from opposite ends of the country. I mean Margie having family here helps, but it’s still weird.”

Carol laughed. “Kelly just really wanted to get away from New England for awhile. Anyway, if you girls need any help with your homework, now that my little secret’s out, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Yeah, not exactly homework,” Jenn said, “But I got a question. Why are the laws of thermodynamics labeled zeroth through third?”

Author's Note:
Dedicated in loving memory to our brother and our friend, Tim, AKA Zotz Mein, AKA Kagguh, taken from this earth far too soon and too young. We'll miss you more than words.

~ Zoe and Ashleigh

It was never, or at least never intended to be, any secret that I struggled with my spirituality for a long time, and the events leading to my becoming Robin full time made things more chaotic and confusing, not less. Moreover, the only spiritual friend I had was Jenn, whose beliefs were, let’s face it, hard to pin down at the best of times.

Sometimes she was the cool friend full of little quips that just made you smile, and other times, it was like she was someone’s really old grandmother reborn - she knew what you needed to hear before you did. Not gonna lie. She scared me a little on more than one occasion.

I was thinking about death a lot, lately, and what happens when we die. Really, I never stopped thinking about it ever since Mom’s big accident. But I had especially been reflecting on it lately. It was hard not to, knowing how many had died in the very walls we were renovating for our fundraiser haunted house thing.

Most famously, a year ago I helped organize a memorial service for a girl I didn’t know. Everyone asked me at the time, why I put so much energy into it. At the time, I told them that it was to help my fellow campers, but to be brutally honest? I was doing it for selfish reasons, and didn’t want to admit it - not even to myself. I was bracing myself.

I was going through the motions, leaning on Jenn’s traditions and spirituality and trying to cope with the fact that my mom, for all I knew, lay dying in a hospital half a world away, and there was nothing I could do about it. To others it was a memorial, giving them the chance to say goodbye to a girl who had impacted their lives more than she could ever know. For me, it was a practice funeral, and I felt horrible once I realized that. But I didn’t know who to talk to about it.

I brought it up with Dr. Ketz of course. Unlike Jenn, she really was someone’s grandmother. She was also a professional, but somehow her advice just didn’t help me like I had hoped. She told me that it was perfectly natural, that we all develop coping mechanisms when we think we’re faced with death.

That part I understood. That was science: that was brain chemistry. I got brain chemistry, believe me. When your brain and your body are at odds you spend a lot of time learning things on more reliable sites than just Wikipedia.

On some level, the fact that Mom woke up, almost to the hour after that memorial service, shook me to my core, spiritually. A Jedi, if they existed, would say there’s no coincidence, only the Force. That’s the easy answer, in science fantasy or in reality - ghosts did it. But life’s never that easy. It’s easy to ignore, which I had done for a hear and some change.

I worked my butt off, always moving, always doing something, from basketball to cheer to Kempo to volunteering, I was always moving, and no one understood why. I sure didn’t. These were the kinds of things that were increasingly distracting me lately. I didn’t think anyone else noticed. My grades were up, the construction was going by amazingly thanks to all the community outreach.

Ever since we learned that Kris and Mary, the legal owners of the old asylum and descendants of actual residents, were planning to leave our work up and pay professional actors after Halloween, to run the place year-rounds, we made the collective decision to cordon off one small area as a break room.

The younger girls like Amanda and her cousin Danielle painted the walls a pleasant, soothing dark blue color, and we brought in some lovely fake flowers that didn’t really have the desired effect. Coupled with the darkened room and the horrors that awaited on the other side, it almost felt more like a funerary meeting room.

Maybe that was just a side effect of where I was mentally, lately, but I could just picture the folding chairs all in rows for the family rather than the folding tables and padded chairs we had there now, a casket where the coffee counter with donated espresso machine stood. I was getting myself a double shot when I heard the door open behind me.

Jenn walked in, and I laughed a little. She had flecks of red paint on her face and in her hair that looked like blood. I knew it was paint because I had helped her carry two fresh cans into the “red room” an hour ago.

“I know,” she said, grinning. “I look like one of Nikki’s victims.”

“I never understood goth before,” I said. Jennifer giggled.

“You’re dating the high Queen of Darkness, and you never understood it? I’m sensing a ‘but’, though,” she added knowingly as she fired up the espresso maker.

“But I’m beginning to appreciate it,” I answered after a sip of coffee. “I think maybe I always did on some subconscious level.”

“I won’t tell Nikki,” Jenn laughed. “She’ll be measuring you for corsets.”

We sat down at the table, and a comfortable silence fell over us for a moment before Jenn said, “You know it’s weird, but with those flowers, this sort of feels like a funeral visiting room.”

While I sat and wondered how she had so perfectly read my thoughts, Nikki and Allie came in from a donut and bagel run, setting their confectionary treasures near the espresso machine. Nikki brought me a bear claw, no flecks of paint in sight, just some fake blood clinging to the underside of her fingernails.

“I can’t believe this place opens tomorrow night,” Nikki said. She looked over at Allie. “Hey is that thing stocked?” she asked, pointing to the little, diminutive refrigerator in the corner. I hadn’t even noticed it. It wasn’t a true mini fridge, at least not the little square boxes I pictured them being. It stood about 4 feet off the ground with rounded corners.

Jenn spoke up, “I threw some sodas in last night - Pepsi, Coke, Mountain Dew,” she paused to grin and then she and Allie said in unison, “Red cream soda.”

Everyone giggled, even me, as Nikki got up to grab herself one of the laatter. She cracked it open. “I never appreciated these things until I met Robin.”

“Hey,” Allie laughed, “I like them too.”

“Yes,” Nikki teased, “But you like pineapple on your pizza. There’s no accounting for taste.”

“That’s Jenn’s fault,” Allie laughed. Jenn gave her a winning smile.

“I was just telling Robin how the break room feels like a funeral parlor with those new flowers. I guess lilies weren’t the best choice.”

“Yeah,” I said laughing. “I thought it was just me. I’ve had death on my mind a lot lately.”

I suddenly wanted to sink into the floor after I said that because my friends, being my friends, immediately circled the wagons and came closer.

“I don’t mean like that,” I said and shook my head. “I mean... Well for awhile now. Ever since that first girl scout camp, almost losing Mom and everything.” I tried to shrug it off. “It’s just been in the back of my mind.”

“No, I get it,” Nikki said. “That’s kind of what drives a lot of people to go goth, or to “find religion”, for that matter - searching for answers, or for some comfort. For me it was a very real desire for a very long time, to just stop existing. It’s okay to not be okay.”

“Being honest,” I sighed, “I already talked to Dr. Ketz about a lot of this, but it’s just... It doesn’t help, you know? But I don’t think religion can help me either - no offense guys.”

“None taken.” Jenn smiled, “But you should try them out anyway. Maybe you’ll find the answers you’re looking for.”

“Hey, isn’t Maryanne over in the dental room?” Nikki asked, looking at Jenn.

“Oh hey, yeah,” Jenn said. “She was greasing the hydraulics on the mannequin nurse that jumps out at you from the blind corner.”

“Who’s Maryanne?” I asked, glancing between them.

“Reverend Maryanne Sullivan,” Nikki said. “She’s the pastor at a little church near Jenn’s house.”

Jenn nodded. “She’s very down to earth. You’ll like her.”

“Yeah,” Allie spoke up at that, “She’s not the Hellfire and Brimstone type. She subbed my AP biology class a couple of times back in eighth grade, and you’d never even know she was a reverend.”

“I guess it can’t hurt to meet her,” I said hesitantly. If all three of them spoke up for her, how bad could she be? So I went to go talk to her. “Hi.” I spoke up.

“Ah you must be Robin?” a woman in her early to mid twenties asked, I had totally thought she’d have been much older. I half-nervously offered her the peace offering I had brought - an ice cold Mountain Dew from the break room fridge. “Oh, I like you already,” she laughed

I laughed a little. “Jenn’s idea,” I said as I helped her move the nurse mannequin back into position. “You’re Reverend Maryanne right?”

“Yup, and to bust the elephant in the room right now, I’m not one of those you’re going to hell type Reverends.” Maryanne giggled. “Actually you’ll more likely hear someone around here calling me The Professor,” she added jokingly. “I’ve got a Doctorate in Theology, which by the way isn’t the study of christianity mainly, but the study of all religions.”

“And a Masters in Biology,” Trina said as she walked past carrying some empty paint cans. Say what you will, but that girl had amazing hearing.

“That too,” Maryanne laughed. “So, what’s on your mind?”

“Just some questions that I’ve been thinking about, but I’m not sure if Religion can help me..” I sighed. “But I’ll try anything at this point. I’ve been... I don’t know, struggling with things for a long time now.”

Maryanne nodded, and walked over to the door’s wall taking two chairs that were leaning against it, unfolded them as she brought them back over. “Have a seat.” she smiled at me. I took the chair facing away from the creepy mannequin strapped to the dentist chair.

“It really started last summer, after my mom’s car accident left her in a coma,” I said. “I mean, I’ve had other struggles before that obviously, but I’m actually really happy with where my life is right now, with who I am. It’s the other stuff that I’m having trouble coping with now.”

“That’s always a good thing, being happy with who you are and where you’re at in your personal life.” Maryanne spoke. “I’m sorry to have just heard about your mother being in a coma, I hope she’s okay?”

“Oh, yeah,” I nodded. “She’s doing great, except for the swollen ankles,” I giggled out. “She’s expecting.”

“Well that’s a blessing.” Maryanne nodded. “Okay so what about this other stuff that’s bothering you?”

“Okay, so lately I’ve been thinking about death,” I sighed. “Like it’s been something I’ve thought about since Mom’s accident, like I said, but it’s really bugging me lately, y’know?”

“A normal thing to think about, since we humans are mortal after all.” Maryanne winked. “Even at your age it’s normal.”

“Especially in a place like this,” I said. “I talk to the owners a lot about what happened here, getting ideas for the haunted attraction. It really makes you think after a while.”

“Yeah, Mary and Kris are good people.” Maryanne nodded. “Did you know that they both attend my church regularly?”

I shook my head. “Honestly I didn’t even know my friends did until literally five minutes ago. I guess they didn’t want me to feel pressured.”

“Jennifer comes every Sunday.” Maryanne nodded. “Nichole comes every so often, but I see her more at other events. Jennifer’s told me a lot about you.”

“Everything or just a lot?” I asked her.

“Just a lot, she says there’s some things that she can’t tell me about,” Maryanne said, “Which i’m totally cool with. I know you’re dating Nikki, which I’m really happy about. She was so excited after you started dating, it was like she was a totally different, happier person.”

“But if you’re a Reverend, doesn’t the bible say, that a woman and woman and man and man shouldn’t lay together?” I asked.

“The bible says a lot of things,” Maryanne nodded. “Mark Twain famously joked that a man could follow the bible, word for word, and lie, cheat, steal, and murder with impunity. He was right, too,” she laughed. “But as a Reverend, and not a Priest, i’m allowed to interpret the word, I don’t have a pope to tell me how to do it. You see, Robin, I believe in the spirit of the teachings - love your neighbor, that sort of thing. Not just ‘love your white male red meat eating neighbor’.”

I couldn’t help laughing at the ‘love thy neighbor’ thing, which caused her to smile too. “You know how everyone depicts Jesus as a white guy on a cross?” she asked me. “Well, not only is that horribly inaccurate, they didn’t even get the cross right. Archeological evidence has shown it was more likely an X design, like something out of a bad bondage porn movie.”

That was it. I couldn’t hold it in anymore and just burst out laughing. “This is really not what I expected.” I managed to get out finally.

“You expected some 50 year old woman, who was a prude and stuck to everything the bible says?” Maryanne grinned. “I’m also a firm believer that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” she winked. “But I’m really not out to convert the world. Instead, I’m here to help people along. If they find comfort with my church, awesome. If not, I’m happy to help them find where they are comfortable, be that at a church, synagogue, mosque, or a truck stop in New Jersey.”

She looked over at the door and grinned again. “I see your friends waiting to see how our meeting went. Is there anything else I can help you with before they can’t stand it anymore and bust in?” she teased.

“One of the biggest things I remember about church in California, the pastor used to say that transgender people had a special place in hell.” I sighed.

Maryanne shook her head. “The reality is, I believe, that there’s a very special place in hell for those who act as a stumbling block to others in their own blind, foolish pride. Satan, as the story goes, fell because of his pride. I don’t believe that a God who sent his only son to die for our sins, who made us as his image, could hate us for being who we are. God gave us free will so that we wouldn’t have to be perfect, whether transgender, or blind, or Republican,” she teased.

“Thanks Reverend.” I said, laughing again.

“Call me Maryanne.” she said, and I gave her a hug. “If you ever have any questions, Jenn has my private cell phone number, so you can get it from her, “Also the church doors are always open.”

“There was... one other question,” I said as I stopped halfway to the door, turning around. “Trina said you have a Masters in Biology. How do you reconcile what your faith tells you, with what science tells you?”

“Science is part of religion.” Maryanne said. “I also have a masters in Earth Science.”

“Now I know why they wanted me to meet you,” I said with a laugh. “You’re an overachiever, too.”

“I spent my highschool years and my college years in books, yes.” Maryanne laughed. “I was always searching for answers to the questions my parents, my pastor, and my teachers couldn’t answer. I’m still searching, to be honest, but I’m mostly satisfied with what I’ve learned.”

“Thanks again Maryanne.” I smiled and waved turning back to my friends.

“So?” Jenn asked.

“La ti do?” Nikki added.

“So I just learned you’re not some sort of Hawaiian goddess.” I giggled.

Jenn laughed. “Nope. I just have a Hawaiian upbringing, and a religious dad,” she teased. “Hey! You’ve never met my dad have you?” she asked, as if it only just occurred to her.

“Nope.” I shook my head. “I think I’ve only meet your mom once or twice, she seems to be a lot like you though.”

Jenn nodded. “She stays pretty busy. They divorced when I was young, but they’re still good friends. Dad’s a missionary now so I only see him once or twice a year.”

“That’s got to suck. I never meet my real dad, and from what my mom says I don’t want to.” I shrugged. “I kinda do. But he was killed in an oil field accident when I was young, so.”

“Yeah,” Allie said, “I remember you talking about that once. On the bright side he had a huge life insurance policy to take care of you and Margie.”

“Yeah.” I nodded and smiled. In the end, in his own weird way, he did care a little. “Plus I have Sensei Dad now. He’s pretty cool,” I said jokingly.

“Ash is more than cool.” Allie laughed. “So, hey Robin, since we’re on the subject of religion, and I know Nikki would never ask you herself-” Nikki glared at her.

“What?” I laughed.

“You should come with us to one of our meetings.” Allie grinned.

“I wasn’t going to ask you for the same reason we never talk about Maryanne around you,” Nikki laughed. “You’ve got enough shit on your boots. I didn’t want to make it worse. But Allie’s right. If you want another perspective on religion, you’re welcome to come to the grove with us.”

“Grove?” I asked.

“It’s a meeting place, owned by the Priestess.” Allie nodded. “It’s sort of like that sweet little camping spot we use sometimes, only less prone to flooding,” she teased. “But it’s super peaceful there.”

Jenn coughed. “What they’re trying to say, and doing a terrible job at it, is Allie and Nikki are modern pagans.”

“I didn’t know that.” I looked at Allie, “I thought so about Nikki, but not you.”

“I hide it really well,” Allie giggled. “I don’t go around calling myself Lady Lizard Princess or whatever, and chanting at the moon,” she teased, playfully elbowing Nikki.

“Not all NeoPagan or Modern Pagans are goth, or dark, or evil witches, or even wiccans,” Nikki said, nodding. “There’s a huge difference between the two religions as well by the way.” Nikki said, elbowing Allie back. “Wicca was founded in 1954, where Paganism has been around since man’s been capable of higher thought.”

“It gets confusing because there’s so many pantheons,” Allie said. “We follow the Irish pantheon because we both have a little Irish blood, plus the stories are just so cool. Like there’s a dude who turns into a fish for no reason.”

“Our Priestess talks about all of them though. She’s really cool like that,” Nikki nodded. “Even throws in some other religions into our stuff. Her main goal is education and inspiration, letting us interpret it instead of telling us how to interpret it.”

“So, I gotta ask,” I said, “How do you sneak off to these meetings without me ever knowing about it? Between cheer, basketball, and school,” I laughed.

“We go on Fridays when there’s no activities.” Nikki stated. “It helps that your Kempo is on Thursdays now,” she added. “But even then we’d go when you were winding down after school.”

“Did I mention,” Jenn said, “Free refreshments?”

“Sold,” I said jokingly. “Wait, you go too?”

“Sure, but not all the time,” Jenn said. “I’m pretty comfortable in my faith, but it’s nice to worship in nature sometimes, plus I love to support these two.”

“I’m sorry we kept this from you,” Nikki said.

“No it’s okay I totally get it,” I said, “Religion is one of those subjects that can make or break friendships at the best of times.”

“Exactly,” Allie nodded. “When we first met, you were already pretty freaked out over Linda’s accident - totally understandable by the way. Then after awhile, there just... never came a good point to talk about it.”

“Okay, folks and folkets,” Mary’s voice came over the newly fully functional intercom and speaker system, “All work teams have checked in, and we are ready for a test run! Pizza to be catered by Tony’s afterwards.”

Book 1 Starts off in the alternate reality that was created by Mrs. Crowley and goes from there.

Further (Miss)Adventures of Sally and Susan continues the the adventure and we get to see the twins get into more mischief then the original story, and we get to meet new friends along the way!

Issue 1: Enter Aria Blade

When we last left our heroine, she had just escaped the clutches of her apparent nemesis, the dark sorceress Raven Wing. A psychic shockwave disrupted Raven’s focus allowing Aria to slip free, but so wracked with pain was the villainess that she called out, begging the heroine not to abandon her.

Aria Blade bid a hasty retreat, but as the crisp night air washed over her gold-trimmed white costume and her exposed flesh, she turned to stare back at the ruin, Raven Wing’s pleading words echoing in her mind.

This isn't a 100% complete rewrite. I tried to keep true to the original spirit of an alternate-universe Robin/Nikki, and Chapter 1 I feel needed the least amount of work overall, but I did put a lot of work in on it these last few days. This is laying the foundation at this point. :-)

Enjoy!
~Zoe

Staring back into that terrible abyss of a not-so-empty warehouse, I could feel a twinge of guilt. Sure, I saw the report. Everyone who joined Banshee’s taskforce knew why she turned to a life of crime. Why did she target me specifically though, and why did she beg me to stay after trying to kill me moments before?

“Aria Blade, there you are!” Commissioner Williams, our ‘mundane’ liaison to the local authorities’ voice shattered my contemplative silence. “What happened?! Is Raven Wing in there? Did you defeat her?” He barraged me with questions in rapid succession as he stepped closer, the tails of his weathered old trench coat whipping about in the light evening breeze.

I must have been out of my mind. Raven Wing tried to kill me on several occasions now with each mind game or trap more elaborate than the last, yet here I stood, willing to lie to the authorities on her behalf! I turned to face the Commissioner, shaking my head disappointedly. “I’m sorry sir. The tip was a false lead. Raven Wing wasn’t there.”

He frowned, staring over the rim of his coke-bottle glasses, even reaching out to pull at my torn shoulder pad with his free hand. His other held a styrofoam cup of steaming, black coffee. “But you look like you’ve been through Hell, and I was informed Psychic Strike infiltrated the premises to render assistance?”

I numbly nodded. I knew he wouldn’t just take it as being that simple. He had been working with supers for too long, and my costume had indeed been torn in the fight. The hem of my skirt had been ripped, and I broke a heel cleanly off one of my boots. Good thing I could fly, just like Mom.

“She left an arcane trap for me. Psy’s shockwave disrupted the energy flows and allowed me to escape. There’s no way of knowing if the trap’s deactivated though, so on Banshee’s authority, I’m ordering all mundane personnel to stay out of there for their own safety, sir.” That part wasn’t a lie at least. I mean, Raven Wing was disoriented, but now that she’d lost her quarry she was going to be furious.

“Right, then. Let’s pack it in! I’ll expect your report in the morning,” he added crisply. Good old Williams, always by the book. He turned to walk away. I simply nodded. The latex of my mask had begun to itch fiercely while Raven had me entangled, but now it seemed to be worsening. The moment the Commissioner turned his back, I peeled off one of my gloves, running a light-pink fingernail up underneath the offending apparel and scratching that annoying sensation.

Before he could turn back to thank me, I left the ground behind. Banshee would be waiting on a report as well, and unlike the Commissioner, I couldn’t lie to her. Somehow she always stayed one step ahead of me, even without Psy's assistance.

“Hey, Aria,” a deep male voice called out to me seconds after my bare feet met the pristine white tiles. We didn’t have a fancy name for our super-headquarters like the Amazons and their Hall of Hera or anything so awesome. Our team had been cobbled together as a literal taskforce to deal with Raven Wing so we, the mighty Raven-chasers, had a timeshare office.

But I digress. The voice belonged to Tank, the man with titanium skin and buns of steel. You may have just rolled your eyes at that nickname, but he came by it honestly. The dude bench-presses Abrams tanks. In the short time I’d known him, I watched him shrug off sniper bullets like they were peashooters. If something could put Tank down, the rest of us wouldn’t stand a chance, I figured.

Of course his skin wasn’t literally titanium, but thanks to a mad science experiment it may as well have been. His 6’6” form dwarfed me by a foot and then some as he plodded slowly over to me. He had more than usual too, as with my broken boot heel, I stood barefoot on the cold tile floor.

“Hey Tank,” I offered meekly. I knew exactly what he wanted.

“Banshee’s been looking for you. Word of advice? Lure her into the soundproof chamber.” His dark face contorted into a warped grin at his terrible joke, and twists of dreadlocks flew outward as he threw his head back and laughed.

“Oh don’t YOU start too!” I snapped back, but sighed a moment later, offering an apologetic smile. Tank cracked wise all the time. I should have been used to it by now. I certainly didn’t need to be taking my frustrations out on him, of all people. “Sorry. It’s just been one of those nights. I won’t keep Mother waiting.”

He nodded, still chuckling as I passed. “And stop flirting with the enemy for God’s sakes!”

My cheeks turned BRIGHT red at that as all thoughts of forgiving him faded entirely. I had to draw the line somewhere! He was right, though. It’s true that Raven Wing seemed to have developed an obsession with making me blush. The last several times we met, she found new and disturbing ways of, dare I say it, hitting on me! As if I’d be interested! She was kind of cute for a super-villain though.

I frowned, furiously shoving those thoughts from my mind as I meekly padded down the long hallway. By now everyone else had gone home for the night, save a skeleton crew of security. One of the benefits of having your secret base under a timeshare office is it’s so embarrassing, no one would ever believe it to be true.

“Ah, there you are darling,” Mother’s soft, melodic, and calm voice belied the coming storm. She pushed a few strands of silvered hair back behind her ear as she stood from her desk and approached me. I flinched as pale, slender arms embraced me…? Wait, what?

“Mom?” I asked hesitantly. I had expected the butt-chewing of a lifetime for what I had done, rushing in there alone as I had. Instead she simply held me close to her. My knees buckled, and I succumbed to her motherly embrace, burying my itchy face in her shoulder. Despite her slender build, mother held me up easily, stroking my back.

“Aria, I was so scared for you. Why didn’t you wait for backup?”

“The note said to come alone, or else she’d kill the hostages. Mom- I mean Banshee, you know she’s crazy enough to do it!”

“Yes, but that’s why we have a psychic on our side, remember dear?” She waited until I found my balance again then cupped my face in her hands. Her steel gray eyes locked with my jade greens as though searching for something. “She didn’t hurt you did she? I mean… ‘hurt’ you?”

I sighed. “No Mother. For the last time, there’s nothing going on between us! Just because Maria thinks she saw something while crawling around in that psycho’s head, doesn’t mean anything!” I tried to sound demanding and insistent: emphasis on the word ‘tried’.

She smirked to herself, but it quickly faded. “Yes, I suppose,” she trailed off as she released me, turning to cross back to her desk. For all that my mother Banshee was the toughest woman to carry the Banshee moniker in the long line of Banshees, she had a lady-like, delicate grace I couldn’t help admiring, and even envying.

The magic that transformed me into her daughter gave me this gorgeous body, but none of the refinement. That, along with how to run in high heels, I was forced to learn on my own. I reached up to carefully untie the mask, leaving my platinum blonde wig in place for now. Mother abruptly frowned.

“It appears you have a mild latex allergy. I TOLD that fool not to give you a latex mask until you had been properly tested,” she sighed and shook her head slowly.

I of course, had no idea what she was talking about, at least not until I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the polished frame housing her doctorate’s credentials. There in the warped, elongated, golden reflection I saw the beginnings of a rash. I shrieked, quickly covering my mouth before I could do any more damage than knocking a frame off the wall.

“Oh God, it’s hideous!” I whined, poking at it in some desperate, blind hope that it might just magically disappear.

“Now darling, it’s not that bad. You should be thankful it’s just a mild allergy and not a true weakness.”

“Oh yes, I’m sure Raven Wing would have a field day if she found out she could weaken me with rubber.” I sneered sarcastically, causing my mother’s alabaster cheeks to turn just a hint of rosy peach.

“Young lady, I’ll thank you not to even think such things! No daughter of mine is going to be … be …”

“Be what?” I paused for a long moment letting the implications of what I’d just said roll through my mind. I could feel my own cheeks burning now. “MOTHER! Ew! I’m going home now!”

“Not so fast,” she answered, holding up one delicate finger. That was all it took for her to command my attention. Without her, I would be nothing. I loved, respected, and admired her deeply. Besides, we had a psychic on the team. If you thought lying to YOUR mother was hard, try lying to someone with the manipulative skills to convince a psychic to spy on her own daughter.

“I want to know what happened with Raven Wing. Why did you lie to the authorities?”

“How did you…” Of course. “Maria," I frowned.

Psy, still dressed in her purple-with-gold-lightning-bolts super suit meekly faded into view. The beautiful Latina psychic may have become one of my best friends since joining the team, but that wouldn’t get her off the hook. Her devil red lips pursed a moment before breaking her silence. “I’m sorry! She threatened to boot me off the taskforce if I didn’t tell her everything. And you know Raven did have you in a pretty tight spot. If I hadn’t stopped her…”

“We can talk about it later,” I commanded neutrally, “But can I please ask you to step out for a minute, and not sneak back in to eavesdrop? This is kind of personal.”

“Okay,” she offered hesitantly. She stopped beside me, reaching out to place her hand on my shoulder, but I shrank away. The last thing I needed was her mischievous butt trying to sneak a peek. She pouted though, and seemed genuinely hurt by my distrust. I just couldn’t risk it; what I had to say was for Banshee’s ears alone.

“Alright, so what’s so important that you would lie to the authorities and run your own friend out?” Mother asked in a neutral tone. She folded her arms, staring at me expectantly. My breathing slowed as I took a seat across from her and slowly removed my banded, white gloves. I buried my face in my hands, causing the fake blonde bangs to fly forward, tickling my fingers.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” I mumbled, muffled by my own palms. “I know she’s like, evil incarnate, but I… I feel sorry for her.” I slowly shifted my gaze upwards. “It’s not like she wanted what happened to her to happen. What that man did to her was sadistic and monstrous.”

“But that’s never stopped you before. What happened to you down there?”

“She … She begged me, pleaded for me not to abandon her,” I finally exhaled. “It was after Maria psy-bombed her, disrupting her concentration and leaving her a babbling mess on the floor. She grabbed the hem of my skirt… Momma, she was crying, like, bawling. She looked so utterly helpless!”

“Crocodile tears, too, I’m sure. Sweetheart, you must understand, people like her are dangerous, demented lunatics,” she responded with no small amount of skepticism. “I understand now what this is about.”

I let my gaze falter, even as I clamped down on my bottom lip, nearly drawing blood. “Y-you do?”

“Yes. It’s all perfectly clear to me now. Raven Wing chose you to try and turn you against your team. Maria can see past her guile easily, and let’s face it, Tank is too old and too bitter, as am I. And Volcaness is too…”

“Bitchy?”

“… I prefer that you not use such language, but yes. So as of right now, you’re off the case.”

“What?!” I leapt to my feet, my poor bare feet. I forgot I’d taken my boots off after breaking a heel, and the sudden cold shock sent me literally flying upwards.

“Don’t you use that tone with me young lady, and come down from there,” she scolded, but her expression softened as she stood. “This is for your own good. Now get into your civilian clothes and get home. I have some paperwork to file,” she sighed. “I’ll overlook your lying to Williams this time since you at least managed to convince him to keep the area clear.”

That was probably as close to a reprieve as I would be getting. I tried pouting, but she ignored it, and I knew I wouldn’t win by arguing, so I quietly moped out of the room. Maria, waiting outside, immediately threw her arms around me.

“I am so, so sorry!” she began, but I shot her a sad smile, interrupting her pleas.

“No, I’m sorry for throwing you out like that. Friends?”

“Friends, chica, always and forever. So what happened?”

“I’m off the case,” I whined. “She’s probably right though. Raven would’ve used me against you guys, using my naivety to destroy the team. I mean I already lied to the Commissioner, and I would have lied to her too. I’m just going to go change, then head home.”

She offered a solemn nod as she let go of me, and I quietly made my way down the long, sterile hall. As I entered our ‘showers’ locker room to change, I started to reflect on how I became wrapped up in this whole mess to begin with, how I thought I’d be some awesome, muscle-bound hero with sonic abilities, a combination of Mom and Dad’s powers. I had been born powerless, and as an only child Fate had different plans for me. ‘Screaming Freedom’. That’s the name I wanted, but Mother insisted Aria Blade would sound more lady-like.

The weird thing though is being transformed into her successor fulfilled another dream for me; a secret one I’d never told anyone. I smiled a little as I pulled my white tank top down over my head. My naturally black tresses flowed freely without ‘Aria’s’ wig in the way. That, along with my tattered costume, I packed into a discrete, battered old army bag and headed out, without so much as a good night to Maria or the other team. What did it matter now that I was off the taskforce?

For the second time that night, the chill wind whipped at my exposed flesh. I pulled my heavy suede jacket closer as I walked onward. It seemed unseasonably cool, and I suddenly wished I had a cup of coffee. I didn’t want to go home yet, but I didn’t have anywhere else I could go, so I made the arbitrary decision to visit a small park between here and there. Normally a girl in a park at night would just be asking for trouble, but as someone who engaged regularly in Kung Fu battles with masked super villains, I could handle a mugger even without my sonic shriek.

As I passed through the park, I found myself aware of a faint sound, like sobbing. I looked around to see a girl about my age by a small, time-worn fountain. She looked like she’d been in a fight, but in the dim light of the nearby street lamp, I couldn’t get a good look at her face. She pulled her red leather coat more tightly around herself, but as she shifted I caught a glimpse of a purple-and-black plaid miniskirt as well.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked. She rather frantically jumped to her feet. I could now see her stiletto combat boots as well as her fishnet stockings more plainly. She stared uneasily at me, so I held up my hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. You just looked…” I hesitated, and her eyes widened. “Like I feel.”

She breathed a heavy sigh, and slowly she sank to the ground again. She drew her knees close to her chest, setting her forehead against them in silence.

“I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone,” I spoke gently, and buried my hands in the pockets of my jeans as best I could, as I turned to walk away.

“No, wait,” came a soft, barely audible response. “Stay?”

I looked back at her, and nodding slowly, I took a few tentative steps closer, sitting down on the concrete bench beside her. Upon closer inspection, even in the dim light I could see she wasn’t wearing any makeup at all. Her lip looked like it had been busted in a fight or a fall, and she was definitely in some kind of pain.

“Do you need an ambulance?” The superhero in me took over at this point. She quickly shook her head, turning away from me. I sighed to myself. I so did not need this tonight. “Fine, whatever,” I responded, perhaps more coldly than I intended. I didn’t want to take my bad mood out on this weird girl, but she wanted me to stay, but didn’t want to talk. Finally I eased myself down from the bench, bracing my back against the fountain’s base beside her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just got fired from my er… internship. The perfect end to the perfect day.”

Ever so slowly she turned, her hazel eyes locking onto me. She shifted to a kneel and hugged me lightly. I admit I cringed, as I wasn’t expecting the sudden hug. The girl stood and walked away. By the time I could get to my feet though, she had vanished into the shadows.

“Like I said, perfect end to the perfect day,” I grumbled, and turned to head home.

A full two weeks passed after the incident with the strange girl. In that time all sightings of Raven Wing completely died out, as though the sorceress who fought so hard to make so many suffer had dropped off the face of the earth. Psychic Strike and I, on a routine patrol through the streets of New Heathridge City, discussed the disappearance and the disbandance of the taskforce…

“I really didn’t think I hit her that hard,” Maria — sorry, Psychic Strike mused, breaking the silence that had settled between us as we maintained our cruising altitude some fifty yards above street-level. One of the boons of being the daughter of a living ghost, and inheriting her powers, was the ability to fly. Psy, being a telekinetic and telepath, could simply lift herself with her mind.

“I don’t think you did either. It’s like it shook something loose. I can’t get the incident out of my head. I mean it’s getting so bad I’m having trouble sleeping now.”

“You know I could fix that for you,” she teased, grinning an impish little grin.

“No thanks. Volcaness is still gunning for you after you tried that on her,” I chided playfully.

She started to giggle. “What? How was I supposed to know she was a closet lesbian? Just because I go walking around in people’s minds, doesn’t mean I can find out everything about them! If she were into guys that dream would’ve made her never want to wake up!”

“Raven Wing! It’s Raven Wing, run!” shouted a frightened civilian from below. Psy and I looked at each other and immediately swooped down. As we touched down we spotted the shadow sorceress in all her glory, standing almost nonchalantly on the street corner, her namesake wings spread wide, and a wicked grin on her painted lips. Since when did Raven Wing wear makeup?

“Come to me, my pretty pretty!” she cackled and took flight. Psy and I attempted to head her off, but we had to swerve away at the last minute to avoid a mid-air collision with each other.

“Okay playtime’s over. Psy, you go that way and do your weird bend-light-invisi-thing. I’ll try and steer her closer. If you see your shot take it.”

“I CAN hear you, you know?” Raven snidely remarked as she looked back over her shoulder at us. “And no, your little girlfriend won’t save you this time. I have a SPECIAL surprise for her.” She abruptly spun about to face me, cupping her talon-gloved hand to her face. “Ooohhh Mooooon-goooooo!” she sang in an ear-shattering tone that would have made Mother proud.

On its cue, a great, shadowy mist washed over the very sky itself. It began to swirl and churn into a terrible vortex. I stopped mid-air to stare at the frightening spectacle, as the shadows converged into a single, vaguely humanoid entity — a forty foot TALL vaguely humanoid entity of what appeared for all intents and purposes to be pure shadow energy.

“Go get help! I’ll hold it off!” Psychic Strike shouted at me as she entered within range, lashing out with psionic energy at the creature. I’d almost swear I heard it laughing at her as it swatted her aside.

I suddenly felt a sharp pain across my head though, and the sensation of falling. I couldn’t even find the energy to shriek. I shut my eyes waiting for the inevitable, when I suddenly felt a set of arms around me.

My ears rang and I felt lightheaded and weak, but I could hear the flapping of wings. I opened my eyes just long enough to see Raven Wing smiling softly down at me. Oh God.

Blackness followed.

Issue 2: Raven's Broken Wing

“Just stop it. Whatever your game is, I refuse to participate any further. You’ve won. You’ve beaten me, and I am in no shape to defend myself, so just… finish me off and be done with it!”

“OW! What… Why did you slap me?!” I shouted in surprise.

“No!” I yelped as I sat bolt upright. This was my first mistake, as the sudden rush of blood to my already sore head caused the pounding to intensify. I groaned, falling backwards again. A soft down pillow wrapped in a silk pillowcase caught my fall. Was it all I dream? No, not a dream. This wasn’t my bed. Okay Aria, one eye at a time.

I slid one eye open, even as I reached a hand up to touch my face. I still had my mask and wig at least, but why? If Raven wanted to unmask me she could have done so. No shadowy chains bound me like the last time she tried to trap me. I removed my gloves and rubbed my eyes gently, blinking and letting my surroundings finally come into focus. The walls of the chamber seemed like stonework, with no windows that I could see.

A single white candle rested on a crude wooden table beside the bed where I had been lying. The amount of wax melted away suggested I’d been out for awhile, but without my wrist watch, which I so brilliantly left in my purse at home, I had no way of knowing the actual time.

Continuing to scan my surroundings, a heavy old door, wrought with iron ominously taunted me from the other side of the otherwise barren chamber. I knew it would be locked, but I had to try anyway. I warily stood, stumbling to the door with one hand still on my aching, throbbing cranium.

To my great surprise, the door shifted and opened with ease. “What is going on here?”

“You’re finally awake?” I didn’t think I hit you THAT hard…” the familiar voice called out from the shadows. I spun around, again, a big mistake. With a groan, I sank to my knees.

I found myself swept up in her arms. She nervously smiled as she helped me back to the windowless cell where she eased me down onto the bed. I stared blankly at her. Was this the monster, the Scourge of shadow-casting that I had been warned so often about? This couldn’t be the same sorceress with whom I’d locked horns so many times, but it had to be. This must have been another trick!

She smiled nervously back at me as she rose, turning to leave. Without her shadowy wings or her dark attire, she didn’t seem so scary, but I kept a wary eye on her nonetheless. Halfway across the room again, she paused, looking back at me.

“Your mother will be worried about you. I won’t keep you here long. I only wanted to ... to talk. But I’ve already kept you here too long.”

“Worried is an understatement,” I bit back bitterlyas I lay back on the bed. I could worry about whether she had done anything to me while I was asleep later. Right now, this blasted headache…

She turned fully around and stared at me. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but silence followed. I sighed. I couldn’t take any more of her mind games.

“Just stop it. Whatever your game is, I refuse to participate any further. You’ve won. You’ve beaten me, and I am in no shape to defend myself, so just… finish me off and be done with it!”

She slowly approached, a new, yet familiar anger on her face. I watched as she balled her fists. A torrent of shadows washed over her form, and I shut my eyes tightly waiting for the finishing blow.

SMACK!

“OW! What… Why did you slap me?!” I shouted in surprise. That hurt! As I rubbed my sore cheek, she sobbed.

“Because you’re being a jerk! All I wanted was to talk, but I knew you wouldn’t accept an open invitation after last time so I set a trap to distract your psychic friend so I could bring you here. But just go. Just leave me alone! Everyone else does!”

A wave of utter shock washed over me as she stormed out, sobbing bitterly. What in the name of the Banshee’s Curse just happened here? How did I become the villain?! I mean come on, who kidnapped who?!

I exhaled an irritated sigh and sat up, this time more slowly. Either the pain of her strike or the exasperation of the situation had at least managed to distract me from the headache. God, I needed an aspirin.

I snatched the candle from the table, letting out a startled yelp as hot wax dribbled onto my finger. I shook it dry and instinctively slid my fingertip between my lips as I left the stonework chamber behind, entering into a similarly-hewn hallway. The candle’s light pierced the shadows, but only barely.

It almost seemed as though outside my cell, supernatural shadows permeated everything, and the further away I travelled, the dimmer the candle’s light became. Left at one point in total darkness, I felt my way along the walls until, suddenly, the shadows parted along a single path.

Raven stepped from the shadows, still scowling, as she pointed. “There. Just leave!”

“Just hold on a minute! You KIDNAPPED me, and now you’re throwing me out?”

She sighed, glaring at me. “I TOLD you before, I wanted to talk. Would you honestly have come if I had just said,” her tone shifted to a sarcastically innocent sweetness that seemed so natural, and yet so hideously wrong coming from those dark lips, “Dear Aria Blade, please come talk to me. I promise not to try and beat you senseless if you promise the same, love Raven Wing!’? Now go!”

Emphasizing the word ‘go’, a rush of shadows lifted me off my feet, throwing me several feet down the stone corridor. I flinched as my backside unceremoniously met stone. Raven meanwhile, had already gotten a head-start the other way. The sounds of her boots rapping against the floor grew rapidly more distant and faint.

Whatever her game was, I wanted no more part of it, and continued to follow the path of light-amid-the-shadows. I looked back once or twice, long enough to see that as I continued, the shadows seemed to recede back into place behind me. I wouldn’t be able to find her again if I wanted to, which I supposed would be for the best.

Finally, after what felt like an hour of walking, I found myself in an old, abandoned subway tunnel. I left the ground behind, flying as fast as I could possibly manage for the bright light ahead.

“Oh my God, it’s Aria Blade!” a young male voice called from just beyond the source of the light. I had to shield my eyes until he turned the bright flashlight away. “There’s a huge reward for information about you.” He paused briefly, pursing his lips nervously. “Ms. Blade?”

“Look, just lead me to the surface and I promise you’ll get a reward for finding me okay? What are you doing down here anyway?”

The boy smiled wryly as he turned to start walking the other way, “Urban Exploration. I love these old condemned places like this! Hey guys, look who I found!” He shouted, running up the tunnel ahead. I had returned to walking by now, as flying took more energy than I had in me at that point.

The high school students that I met led me to the surface. Outside, night had fallen, and I still had no idea of how long I had been out. Could it really have only been a few hours since the encounter with the shadow creature?

“Aria Blade!” Banshee, dressed in civilian attire, called out as she rushed into the small, empty office where I now sat. I envied her. I wanted to get out of this costume and never put it on again. Rather than risk further danger to either myself, my secret identity, or, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, Raven Wing, I asked the group that found me to bring me to the nearest police station. Officer Jane Carlisle had already taken me aside in private for a debriefing of sorts, and now all that was left was to face my mother.

I smiled weakly and gave her a neutral hug. “Ma’am, thank you for coming to debrief me personally,” I paused, waiting for the guard to close the door behind him, then immediately ripped off my mask and threw my arms around her more tightly.

“I was so scared!” she breathlessly whispered, barely containing a sob. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. She said she just wanted to talk. It’s like… It’s like she was a completely different person.”

“Wait, what? … Well what did she want to talk about?”

I shook my head slowly, “I … I dunno. I yelled at her for kidnapping me, and told her I wouldn’t play her mind games anymore, so she slapped me and ran off crying. After that I tried to follow her, but she told me how to get out of her lair, and literally threw me out while she ran the other way. Mom, I think I’ve done something terrible.”

Mom shook her head slowly. “No, dear, you can’t blame yourself. You can’t play into her games like this.”

“But this isn’t a game anymore. I think I hurt her. As dangerous as she was when she was crazy, Hell has no fury like a woman scorned.”

Mom’s face turned a shade more pale, which I honestly did not believe possible before now. She slowly nodded. “I think it’s time to get you somewhere safe. I’ll phone your grandmother in Belfast.”

“Yes mother,” I offered meekly as I returned my mask. A week ago I would’ve hated giving up crime-fighting, but now, with this mess with Raven, there was no telling what she might be capable of.

Part of me felt incredibly guilty. As Mom walked me out to her car, I thought back to how this could have all started. I replayed everything from that last fight, and the aftermath, being thrown off the case, and then… The girl!

“Oh my God…”

“What?” Mom asked, concerned, as I dove over the seat into the back. As Mom pulled away from the police precinct I set about changing into the civilian clothes she’d brought me. I didn’t even care that she had selected a pale pink top and white jeans. I had bigger matters on my mind.

“Remember the last big fight, how Maria did her psionic explodey-thing to disrupt Raven’s concentration?” I crawled back over the seat, eliciting a grunt from her as I accidentally elbowed her jaw in the process.

“Yes. What about it?”

“Later that night I met a girl at the park…”

“Young lady, you know I disapprove of you going out alone after dark in civilian clothing. Superhero or no, if you were to use your powers in self-defense your identity would’ve been blown!”

“Mother please, focus! This girl looked like she’d been roughed up pretty badly. We talked for a few minutes, and when I told her I’d just gotten fired from my ‘summer internship’, she hugged me and ran off.”

Mom slammed on the brakes. The car skidded sideways on the wet pavement. She turned and stared at me. “Are you saying Maria might have ‘affected’ her?”

“Yes! Now imagine a perfectly sane, vengeful, recently wounded Raven Wing with the kind of power she controls. I have to stay. I have to find her, and I have to confront her, before she hurts someone.”

“I have a better idea,” she answered with a stern clip in her tone. She backed the car up enough to continue on our way.

For the next week we plotted and planned. Well, I say ‘we’, but I had little say or input in the matter. In that time, Raven Wing never revealed herself. Truly, it seemed as though she had once more fallen off the face of the earth. Or was she simply plotting her ultimate revenge? Mother had her own plan to trap Raven Wing though.

Mother reluctantly agreed to use me as bait for the trap, with the caveat that an anti-magic barrier be prepared. It felt odd for her to exercise such concern for me.

She often believed that the ends justified the means at least to some degree. it was one of many points upon which we clashed. We let rumor spread that ‘Aria Blade’ would be reassigned across the Atlantic, and that she would be traveling incognito as a civilian.

The fateful day finally arrived. My bags were packed, and I was ready to go, standing outside my door as I waited for my taxi. I breathed an uneasy sigh. I really did not like this. I asked several times what they planned to do with her once they captured her, but everyone avoided the subject.

As I sat on the front steps and stared off into space, the big yellow cab pulled into the driveway. The loud horn brought me back to reality. I opened the door, piling my bags inside and sitting down.

“New Heathridge City airport,” I mumbled as I leaned back into the seat. The cab driver, a tall and shapely woman with fiery red hair adjusted her mirror before winking at me, then turning about to carefully back out of the driveway.

“Yes ma’am.” She mumbled under her breath, “Gonna kill Tank for stiffing me with this babysitting crap.” That was Volcaness for you. I’d never met such a combination of rage and alcoholism. At least she was on our side. At least, I think she was.

As we rolled on toward the airport, I suddenly saw a flash of shadow off to one side. It lasted only a moment, but it was enough to catch my attention, directing my gaze toward the park where I saw the girl that first night.

“Stop the car!” I demanded, though it practically came out as a yelp. Apparently my insistent tone was sufficient not to get an immediate back-handing from my incognito escort.

She abruptly slammed on the brakes, but before she could ask what was going on, I’d already bolted from the vehicle, sprinting down the sidewalk and into the park.

To my great dismay, she wasn’t there. I sighed as I sat with my back against the fountain. Volcaness slowly came strolling up to me, glowering as usual, but to my surprise she placed a hand on my shoulder, sitting beside me.

“Look kid, I don’t know what your deal with Raven Wing is, but if you like her, just tell her!”

“What?! I-I-I,” I stammered. She stared flatly at me, pulling a cigarette from her jacket pocket. She stuck her finger to the tip to light it, taking a long drag, which she at least had the decency to tilt her head away to blow off in another direction.

“You-you-you have been moping around for a month, ever since Maria saved your whiny butt. Doesn’t matter if she’s a ‘villain’ or not. She’s human, just like you. Remember that next time you go rushing in shooting your mouth off.”

I wanted to scowl at her for the scolding, but the literal fire in her eyes terrified me. My gaze fell, and I sighed.

“What was I supposed to do?”

“She was hurt pretty bad by someone who should’ve loved her, then she turned to you and you yelled at her.” Volcaness answered flatly. She really did not have the best way with words. Finally shaking her head, she looked right at me.

“Look, kid. I’m no expert on this crap. I light people on fire that break the law, and my remedy for all life’s problems is at the bottom of a whiskey bottle. All I’m saying is, the next time you see her, keep your mouth shut and your head down until you know what’s what, alright?”

She stood, took about five steps, then looked back at me with a grim smirk. “Oh, and hope you see her before I do because Banshee’s orders were clear this time.”

She flicked her cigarette into the fountain and turned to walk away, burying her hands in her pockets.

I sat in absolute silence. What could I say to that? Was she right, or was Mom? Why couldn’t being a superhero be as easy as it is in the comics? Beat up bad guy, save city, everybody’s happy.

As if things needed to be any more complex, I felt a sudden, brief shift in the wind. The black-haired girl suddenly sat beside me, as though one moment she wasn’t there, then the next, she was. She pressed her finger to my lips and smiled.

“Ah-ah. Before you say anything, I heard the whole thing.”

“But… How?” I stammered, still in shock at her suddenly-thereness.

“You should know that shadows are as metaphorical as they are real, when it comes to magic. And everyone has shadowy reaches in their minds. It’s a simple thing to give a little pull here, a little tug there,” she paused, her painted lips curling into a smug smirk as she twirled her finger symbolically.

“...and suddenly they only know you’re there if you want them to know. Just ask your psychic friend. Look, Aria, I’m not stupid.” She paused, letting the gravity of using my hero name sink in.

“I know your little Banshee set a trap for me. What I want to know is why did you stop here?” I turned my gaze away, developing a sudden and intense fascination with the concrete.

Her smirk broadened into a proud grin. She squeezed my hand, which I reflexively pulled away at first, but reluctantly returned a moment later.

“It’s just us here. All these people passing by? I’ve shielded us from their minds, and your little psychic friend won’t dare peek into my head after what I showed her the last time, so I can keep this up all day if I have to," she explained.

“All I want is one, simple answer.”

I nervously stared back at her. “Why me?”

“Because,” she stated matter-of-factly as she stood. “Because you’re… different. That’s all you’re getting until you answer MY question.”

She patiently sat on the edge of the fountain and crossed her legs. I couldn’t help noticing, as she dangled one of them by my face in the process, that she wore the cutest black jeans today. What? Gah! I did not just think that!

“I… I don’t know.”

“Liar,” she immediately shot back, still smiling smugly. I exhaled slowly and stood.

“I wanted to warn you okay?”

She patted my head patronizingly. “See, that wasn’t so hard was it? Now, why did you want to warn me?”

“Hey, no fair! You said if I answered your question you’d let me go.”

“I never said you were a prisoner either.” She grinned impishly. I couldn’t decide if her enjoyment was from getting back at me for yelling at her the other day, or if she was always like this. “I merely stated that, right now, in this place, we are invisible.”

She had a point.

“Fair enough. But I get a question in return.”

“Deal. So?”

“So… I wanted to warn you because I … I want to help you.”

“But why? If they do catch me they’ll just throw me in prison. I’d escape within a week after performing favors for the right people.”

“No, not this time.”

“What are you saying?” Her tone shifted more seriously as she stared at me.

“What happened to my question?”

“FINE. What do you want to know?”

“Why did you hug me?”

“Because you looked so helpless. It was cute. It made me feel a little less vulnerable knowing you didn’t come out of that scrap much better. Now, answer my freaking question.”

“Banshee’s furious. You didn’t just kidnap one of her team. You kidnapped her daugh-” I had to cut myself off at that. Raven’s eyes went deer-in-headlights wide.

“You’re Banshee’s daughter?!”

I nodded softly. “Now you get it. I reluctantly agreed to be the bait, b-but the more I thought about it, the less I liked the outcome, the fact that nobody would tell me what they would do with you. The rendezvous point has an anti-magic barrier in place-”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m here and not there,” she shot back, rubbing her temples. “So does this mean we have to go back to fighting?”

“My question first.”

“Grr!” she scowled.

“Hey, you started it,” I responded neutrally, trying not to smile. She was kind of cute when she was angry.

She sighed, waving her hand irritatedly.

“Alright. What do you remember about the night everything changed? And don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

She flinched at my question. For several seconds, she stared at me in silence, then finally she turned to face me and wrapped her arms around me, whispering, “Tell your mom I’m sorry, and… that you’re lucky to have her.”

She kissed me, a brief, soft kiss, and I felt as though the entire world had just melted away, with only the two of us. Then just like that, she was gone, leaving me stunned silent and alone by the fountain.

As I slowly plodded back down the path to where Volcaness had parked, I pulled out my cell phone and hit speed-dial.

“Banshee, this is Aria Blade,” I half-heartedly gave the final word on our plan. “Abort, security code seven five six alpha. I’m sorry Mom. I failed.”

Issue 3: Blood, Rage, and Tears

Enroute to the subway tunnel where the urban explorers found me awhile ago, we met up with Psychic Strike. She had her hand outstretched, holding a pair of zombies about ten feet off the ground. She glanced back at us with an all-too-serious stare, letting gravity do its work.

“We’re not sure. Sil says they just appeared out of nowhere. I think Raven Wing’s involved. Volcaness is meeting us outside Raven’s lair.”

Author's Note:
I was going to put off posting this one a bit longer to help draw out my posting habits a little (and not clog up the front page so much :-)), but given that when I wrote the original, I was in a very bad place mentally, and I've been going through a lot this week, I decided to go ahead and post it.

~Zoe

Halloween would be upon us soon, and since I couldn’t attend the Mayor’s annual ball as Aria Blade as I'd been dreaming since June, I’d be free to go to a party as myself. The irony of that one never really stopped stinging. I found myself sinking deeper and deeper into depression of late the more I thought about Raven Wing. Nothing made sense. Why did she kiss me? Why did I warn her? What’s wrong with me? Is this because of the magic that twisted my body?

I wasn’t always the beautiful bombshell of a teen-aged superhero known as Aria Blade. Once upon a time I was just plain Robert, the first male born in a long, long line of females dating back a thousand years, when the first Banshee wailed in grief at the loss of her beloved.

Legends say her cries were so mournful and so loud that a spirit took pity and gave her the power to avenge her murdered lover, but at a large cost. The women of my family aren’t quite ‘alive’, but not exactly dead. Some believe we are for whom the Celtic legends of wailing spirits speak, but Mother says the Banshee of each generation take our name from those legends, so who knows.

As for myself, my entire life I dreamed of being the next Banshee in the long line. Traditionally the bearer of the title would train her daughter from a very young age, and then on her 21st birthday she would take up the mantle of the new Banshee, except that I didn’t actually get my powers until a few months ago.

As I sat on a park bench, staring off into space, Raven’s voice, soft and distant, reached out to me. It was not the Raven Wing with which I had done battle so many times, nor even the calm and confident girl that kissed me a month ago. No, this was the desperate and fearful cry for me to stay, not to abandon her that I heard in her tone.

“Aria … Help!” the voice cried in a fade, as though the entire cosmos stood between us.

“Raven?” I responded as I sat up and looked around. I could see no one else nearby, nor even a hint of shadows flickering. The longer I listened, the more I became acutely aware of a sound, at first like a whisper, but growing steadily to an intense, terrified roar. I turned in time to see the source, even as the sky turned as red as blood.

Hundreds of what I can only describe as walking corpses clamored through the nearby streets, chasing innocent civilians, even as our city’s heroes fought desperately to push them back.

“You, girl!” a distinctly female voice shouted. I knew that voice. I turned in time to come face to silver power-armored chest, with a human-sized blonde hair-topped head poking out. I’d have known that reflective visor anywhere: Silver Sentinel! I didn’t even know she had returned to the city. Sil and my mother were practically sisters growing up, but Sil took a job across the Atlantic, so I hardly ever saw her.

“Aunt Sil! What’s going on?!”

“’Aunt’ Sil?” she asked, confused, as she stared. Did Mom not tell her about my little magical ‘mishap’? She pointed her gauntleted glove at an encroaching wave of zombies, sending a blast of blue energy jolting the lot of them off into the distance, and vaporizing two in the process. “Come on, this is no place for civilians! Grab onto me and don’t let go!”

Sure, I could fly, but Mother would kill me if I broke rule number one — never, ever reveal your secret identity in public, ‘even during a zombie apocalypse’. Yes, that really was a special clause. I reluctantly wrapped my arms around her neck, and seconds later we left the ground behind courtesy of her jet-propelled boots. As she raced me toward the nearest barricaded checkpoint, she spoke candidly.

“For someone who’s just been plucked from the jaws of undeath by a flying tin can, you sure are taking this well. And more importantly, why’d you call me ‘Aunt Sil’? Only one person ever called me that, and you’re sure as Hera not him.” I blushed a little, shifting my gaze toward the distant ground below.

“… It’s me, Aunt Sil — Robert. Well, Robin slash Aria Blade now. It’s a long story.”

“… Robert?!” she exclaimed. She faltered which caused me to squeal just a little and let go of her. I managed to catch myself, floating mid-air for only a second before grabbing onto her again. It’s not as though anyone down below would have noticed a flying civilian with the waves of undead crawling all over the city but still.

“Yeah. Long story short, I tampered with powers beyond my comprehension and accidentally turned myself into Banshee’s daughter and successor. I’m ‘grounded’ right now, but under the circumstances I think I can be forgiven if I take up my armor again. Can you drop me off at home?”

With an abrupt course-change, she nodded. As she raced me to my house, I explained the abridged version of what’s been happening since June, for now leaving out the part about botching the attempt to capture Raven. In return she explained the situation with the zombies. Unfortunately no one knew exactly where they were coming from, or for that matter, why. The more I thought about it, the more I started to wonder. This started not long after Raven Wing contacted me. Could there be a connection?

“I think I might know who’s responsible,” I offered uneasily even as I changed into my battle armor. The new pieces had been commissioned and finished for a few weeks now, molded and sculpted to fit snugly to my body, but rigid enough to offer better protection. I also received a hand-made all-natural leather mask from, of all people, Volcaness, although she did give me a hard time about the latex allergy.

“There are innocent people dying out there. If you know who’s responsible, then tell me so we can put a stop to it!” Aunt Sil insisted.

“Well I’m not sure exactly, but I heard Raven Wing calling out to me just before this whole thing started. Either she’s done something … Or she’s in very serious danger. Either way, we have to go to her lair.”

I paused as I tied my mask into place, expertly pinning down my ‘Aria Blade’ wig. Mother warned me that my black hair would fade to silver with time, just like hers, but until the day I could take up the Banshee title, and until I had full control of my powers, I had to play by her rules, including keeping my mundane identity quiet like this.

“It’s the only lead we have,” she answered.

Enroute to the subway tunnel where the urban explorers found me awhile ago, we met up with Psychic Strike. She had her hand outstretched, holding a pair of zombies about ten feet off the ground. She glanced back at us with an all-too-serious stare, letting gravity do its work.

“Man am I glad to see you chica! What in the name of the Holy Mother is going on?! Oh, hi there.” She glanced toward Silver Sentinel with a brief smile, returning her attention to me.

“We’re not sure. Sil says they just appeared out of nowhere. I think Raven Wing’s involved. Volcaness is meeting us outside Raven’s lair.”

“What makes you think Raven’s involved? She’s been silent ever since she kissed you.” I shot her a glare that could have cut diamonds at that comment, causing her to bite her bottom lip even as Sil presumably glared at me. I say presumably because it’s kind of hard to tell with that bulky visor of hers. “… Sorry.”

“We can talk about that later,” Sil responded. “For the moment, Aria believes Raven Wing is either involved, or in trouble, because she called out to her.”

“Yeah. It was like she was in pain or scared, or something. It was like when you first psy-bombed her awhile ago, when she cried and begged me not to abandon her.”

“It could be a trap,” Psychic Strike offered with unease as we landed outside the tunnel. A brilliant flash of light shot past us, exploding ahead amid a united scream of now-flaming undead. The creatures flailed about as they collapsed to the ground, writhing and clawing at the ground, and at one another.

“That’s why I’m here,” Volcaness, dressed in her full, metallic red body armor, stated flatly as she moved past us with determination. Unlike the three of us, Volcaness couldn’t fly, either by natural ability or technology, but her tricked-out titanium-frame motorcycle got the job done just fine.

After another fiery explosion she turned back to us with a grin, tucking a lit cigarette between her lips. “I love killing zombies. I can go all out and nobody gets prissy about ‘abuse of power’.” She giggled gleefully. I couldn’t decide if it was her comment, or her giggle, that unnerved me more. One thing was for sure, when Volcaness laughed you did NOT want to be in her line of fire, so to speak.

“Just remember we’re not here to kill Raven unless she attacks us,” I added, trying to sound authoritative.

“Yeah, yeah, no roasting the brat’s girlfriend. Got it. Can we go now?” she answered dryly.

Psychic Strike peered further into the subway tunnel, narrowing her gaze. “How are we gonna find her anyway? I sure am not going fishing around for her thoughts.”

“Actually, Psy, that’s exactly what I need you to do. Look, I know what you saw the last time shook you up, but if this isn’t a trap, and if she’s genuinely in trouble, you’re the only one who can reliably reach out to her. Here,” I removed my glove, offering her my hand. “Draw on my strength if you need to, but find her, please!”

She stared reluctantly at me for what felt like an eternity, though only a few seconds passed before she sighed and accepted my hand. I braced myself as, like a psychic vampire she drew upon a touch of my own life force in order to bolster herself against whatever lay beyond. She brought her free hand to her temple as she shut her eyes.

“Aria!” Raven’s voice called out to me more clearly and distinctly. It hadn’t lost its terrified edge though.

“Raven! Where are you? What’s going on?”

“Aria! Please help me! I screwed up and now I’m in trouble! I’ll light the path for you, but please hur–“

“Ungh!” Psychic Strike shrieked as she abruptly let go of my hand, collapsing backwards. Volcaness swooped closer to catch her. She glared at me.

“That’s it. I’m goin’ in blazing and ain’t nobody gonna stop me!”

“Wait!” I shouted back. “Raven contacted me through Psychic Strike. I think she’s in serious trouble. If we can help her, she might be able to help us put a stop to this!”

Psychic Strike, blinking a couple of times, finally nodded, staggering back to her feet. “She’s right. That … wasn’t Raven that assaulted me and severed our telepathic bond. It was something else. Something darker. It was like touching the face of evil itself.” She shuddered violently, quickly shaking her head. “Something terrible is waiting for us. You guys go on ahead. I have to get something. Don’t worry, I’ll catch up!”

As Psychic Strike’s form faded from sight, I led the other two down the tunnel to the off-shoot point where I recalled emerging the last time. As promised, Raven’s shadows parted, giving us a distinct path to follow. Unlike last time, they didn’t recede behind us either. Barely a hundred yards into the tunnel, the familiar groan of undead, and an unfamiliar shriek caught our attention.

As if on cue, a trio of zombies, and something else, larger and covered in uneven, cracked red scales rushed us. These zombies though, seemed different. Unlike the mindless rotting corpses we faced outside, these creatures seemed unnaturally more powerful, larger and faster.

Volcaness directed a narrow, controlled line of fire at the demon creature, and Silver Sentinel sent a quick, firm blast of energy at the first zombie. Both creatures shrugged off the blasts as though they were in a water gun fight! I did the only thing I could think of, and began to sing.

I still had difficulty directing my sonic blasts in tight corridors like this. One false note, so to speak, could reverberate out of control, so I instead diverted my efforts to setting up a resonant frequency reverberation in an attempt to bolster and shield us.

The red creature, realizing what I was attempting to do, rushed forward. I lost my focus and shrieked as a mighty obsidian claw fell mere inches from my face, stopped only by Silver Sentinel’s power gauntlet. She gripped its hand tightly, coursing directed energy through her gauntlet and causing the creature to howl in pain, even as Volcaness then blasted it point-blank in the face.

I stumbled backwards, crawling along the floor to get behind my protectors. I had no choice but to start attacking. I contorted my lips as Mother had taught me, and uttered an ear-shattering screech. The nearest super-zombie groaned, stumbling and collapsing.

The creature broke free of Sil’s grasp and fled, but we still had two more hulking, angry undead to dispatch. Now free to set up my shield, I rose to my knees and began to sing again. Sil fired her rocket boots, propelling her forward, her gauntleted fists punching right through the chest of the second zombie.

Meanwhile Volcaness, not to be outdone by my adopted aunt, barreled into the third, grabbing the creature in a bear hug. Seconds later, both she and it were one gigantic ball of flames. The creature howled and clawed at her, but she somehow managed to avoid the worst of its strikes as she reduced it to a pile of ash.

We were left only with silence. Volcaness ripped off her crimson, mirrored sunglasses and turned to stare at us. “Okay, I’ve seen a lot of weird crap in my time, but I’ve never seen ANYTHING like that. What the Hell was that thing?!”

“I don’t know. It might have been the creature that severed the telepathic link,” I offered, uncertain, as I pressed forward.

Sil added as she followed, “We’ll have to keep an eye out for it. It knows we’re here, and it knows we’re not afraid of it, which means it’s probably going to try and sneak up on us once the odds are in its favor again.”

The waves of undead seemed almost endless, as we fought our way further into Raven Wing’s lair, and I continued to wonder, the closer we came, if perhaps this really was all one huge, elaborate trap. The shadow creature turned out to be just an illusion to throw us off while she captured me, but maybe she found a way to create or summon an endless supply of walking dead to soften us up?

But then, I heard it. A sound so soft it barely registered: a distant cry, but unlike before, this seemed real, not a telepathic projection. As the sound grew more distinct and clear, I put a direction and tangible source to the sound, like the sobbing of a little girl.

Volcaness heard it too, it seemed, as she stopped in her tracks to look around. A pair of bloody shoe-prints, about the size a small child’s Mary Jane shoes might leave, appeared in front of us on the stonework floor. The shadows receded completely, and footfalls followed new footsteps, despite no readily apparent, visible source.

Click … Click … Click. Slowly, the footfalls and their bloody footprints moved forward as the disembodied voice sobbed. The other two warily stayed back and watched, but I followed the footsteps. They turned, and disappeared into the wall.

I stopped where they had vanished, and pressed my hands against the wall, searching for some kind of loose brick or switch that might activate a secret door or panel. With no success, I stepped back, accidentally planting my foot on one of the bloody footprints. A metallic click resounded, so I put my other foot on the other print in the ‘set’. The wall slid to the side.

The chamber beyond looked like something only a madman could devise. A stone slab in one corner with bloodied straps, hooks hanging from the ceiling in another area, and in one corner, a translucent little girl sat sobbing. She couldn’t have been more than five or six. She stopped sobbing as we entered, but stared at us as though we were the ghosts.

“Stay away!” she shrieked, covering her little, ghostly face. “He’s coming!”

“Who’s coming, sweetie?” I cooed, trying to reassure this little spirit. Raven answered, as she stepped from the shadows.

“My father.” She knelt beside the little girl, and wrapped her arms around her as though she were actual flesh and blood. The child faded into Raven’s form, and she stood again, turning to approach us. “I’m sorry Aria. I’m so sorry. Please, please help me put this right!”

I stepped back. “Raven, what’s going on? And what is this place?”

She looked around with a forlorn sadness in her eyes, and then returned her gaze to me. “Do you really want me to answer that question? Please, just help me. I’m responsible for the zombies, but for Goddess’ sake, I’m trying to set it right. This isn’t how it was supposed to happen!”

She had a sincerity in her voice that tugged at me, begging me to give her another chance. I nodded. “Alright, I’ll help you, but if you try anything, Volcaness will roast you, understood?”

She nodded solemnly, without hesitation. “This way!” she insisted, reaching for my hand. A shiver ran right down my spine as she clutched it, tugging me along, even as the other two followed behind us.

“My father was a terrible man, Aria. You must understand this above all. That’s why I did what I did to him. I made him suffer like he made me suffer, and then I turned my rage on the rest of the world.”

She led us down a long hallway to another chamber, where shards of red crystal lay scattered across the chamber. A large chunk of it sat on its side at the center, amid arcane runes and circles drawn into the floor. What was this place?

“We have to lure him back here, so I can put him back in,” she explained, pointing to the crystal. “The demon who taught me to trap him didn’t tell me what he would become. I had no way of knowing, of seeing the true metamorphosis until it was too late.”

“Ah, but it is too late…” a deep, raspy voice hissed from beyond the shadows. Sheer, abject terror filled Raven Wing’s eyes as she turned toward the source. The red creature we had fought earlier stepped out. Though still nursing its battlescars from earlier, it smiled cruelly at her. “You will accept your destiny, my daughter. You will become like me. Sacrifice these fools and accept true power!”

“Never!” she shrieked, sending a blast of eldritch shadow energy at him. He batted it aside with a cruel laugh.

“Then I shall transform HER instead! Useless whelp. Remember the fun we had in our ‘special place’?” He grinned a cruel, demonic smirk as the tears rolled down her cheeks. The shadows seemed to ebb and flow like an intelligent liquid as they drew from throughout the labyrinth, coalescing and enveloping her.

“Yes, YES!” the creature cackled. I watched helplessly as the torrent of shadows began to swirl like a dark, mystical storm around her. Not sure what else I could do, I grabbed her hand, and the rest of the world seemed to fall away from us. Blackness surrounded me, and I found myself not holding the hand of Raven Wing, but of a little girl, about five or six. I slowly looked around at the emptiness that surrounded us, and then turned my attention to her.

“What … where are we?”

The little girl spoke eloquently and plainly, despite her child-like voice. “This is Raven’s soul. Shattered, broken, polluted as it is. This is what he has done to her.”

“How did I get here? What’s going on?” I insisted. I had no desire to be in Raven’s mind, let alone her soul!

The girl smiled forlornly. “When you touched her hand, I pulled you here. Had I not, you would have died immediately. What was it you sought to do, exactly? One does not simply reach into the void without purpose, or without price.”

“I-I thought maybe I could anchor her, remind her that she’s still human, that I … that I want to help her,” I babbled. I didn’t know what I was thinking, myself. I just couldn’t stand idly and watch her destroy herself!

Either the little girl floated upwards, or I sank, as I found myself staring into her precious blue-gray eyes. “You love her, but can you care for her, and protect her? Can you guide her from darkness?”

“I … I don’t know. But I want to help.”

“The path to destruction is paved with good intentions. We shall see what happens.”

“Who are you?”

She grinned. “Ah, now that would be telling. Right now, I am her inner child, her innocence lost. What I become, now that is up to her, and to you.”

The world around me blurred and faded back into view. I suddenly found myself clutched by the throat by the red creature, cackling maniacally in my ear. I struggled in vain against his clawed hand, his firm grip choking the life out of me. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t do anything.

Just as I began to feel my life fading, I heard Psychic Strike’s voice shouting from one side. “I strike you back to the void from which you came, creature of shadow! BE GONE from this place!”

Gravity taking its cue, I found myself unceremoniously landing on the ground even as bright light filled the room. The creature shrieked, and I managed to roll onto my side just long enough to see Psy holding the source of the light out defiantly in front of her, but I couldn’t make out what it was, exactly. Raven appeared next to me and knelt, but I could barely make out her voice.

“A…a? Aria sp…k t.. me… …y som…ing…” She looked frightened as she turned her gaze presumably towards the others, and I suddenly felt very, very tired.

The next thing I remembered, I awoke in what I could only assume was the infirmary of our new, permanent headquarters. After much debate and discussion on the subject, we had decided to join forces as a more permanent team since, despite our differences, we did work well together.

I tilted my head from one side to the other, searching for some sign or other of human contact. A woman in her twenties with long, blonde hair, dressed in pink nurse’s scrubs smiled warmly as she approached my bed.

“Hey there,” she offered cheerily. “I didn’t think you’d be awake so soon. How do you feel?”

I groaned. “Throat hurts.” She poured a fresh glass of iced water, tilting the bendy straw toward me as she offered it. I thirstily gulped down the entire glass, causing her to giggle.

“Careful now. Do you remember anything?”

“I remember,” I paused, frowning at her. “Where’s Raven?”

“Your friend is being interrogated, but don’t worry. Silver Sentinel personally told me to tell you that she’ll vouch for her, but for everyone’s safety, they’re keeping her in a power nullification chamber until all this is sorted out.”

“Can I see her?” I asked, practically begging. I felt my cheeks burn as I realized how insistent I sounded.

“I’m not sure that’s such a-” she began, but Mother’s voice interrupted her.

“Aria, you’re finally awake!” She rushed to my side. My apparent nurse smiled respectfully.

“I was just about to call you, ma’am. I’ll just give you two a minute alone.”

Mother glanced at the nurse, nodding. “Go find Volcaness. Ask her to escort ‘the prisoner’ up here.”

“But-” she started to protest, and then sighed. “Yes ma’am.” She turned to disappear off into heaven knows where, while Psychic Strike, now in casual civilian clothing slowly approached in her place.

“I was so worried about you,” Mother spoke softly as she squeezed me. “What happened to you? The others said you had a glazed look in your eyes, and then that monster grabbed you.”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I laughed weakly. “But I’m okay. Mom, please don’t hate Raven.”

“I don’t ‘hate’ anyone, dear. Mistrust? Very much so. Maria,” she turned around, jumping slightly at seeing the psychic had already entered. “Ah, yes, I want you to observe. We’ll see how sincere Ms. Raven is when she thinks she’s alone.”

“Yes ma’am,” Maria offered me a wry, apologetic smile as she approached the far corner and faded from view. After a few minutes, Volcaness appeared, toting Raven along by a pair of arcane-etched handcuffs. Mother smiled approvingly, but shook her head.

“Those won’t be necessary. Let her go, and then give them a moment. I trust my daughter to behave herself.” She gave me a brief warning glance, which I assumed to mean not to warn Raven about Maria’s presence, and stepped out. Volcaness simply rolled her shoulders, removing the arcane manacles. She looked Raven Wing in the eye and smiled that dark, creepy ‘I want to roast someone’ smile of hers. She turned to follow mother, closing the door behind her.

Raven rubbed her wrists as she hesitantly approached my bed. She sat on the edge next to me, staring at me in silence. I smiled weakly at her, waiting for her to say something, and finally she sighed.

“Things got weird, didn’t they?”

“I’d call a zombie invasion and your demon father trying to kill me weird, yeah.” I managed a quiet laugh, but she frowned.

“You know what I mean. You saw ‘her’. Nobody ever sees her. I didn’t even know she’d shown you that terrible chamber until she told me so herself. You-” Tears rolled down her cheek as she turned away from me. “You weren’t supposed to see that terrible place. No one was. Never again.” She turned back to me sharply and scowled. “And why did you grab my hand like that? You could’ve been killed!”

“’She’ saved me,” I offered softly. “She told me she took me into your soul.”

“She WHAT?!” She raised her voice as she stood, then quickly looked around to be sure she didn’t just alert half the building’s security to descend on her, sitting down again.

“Well that changes things,” she grumbled.

“Raven, listen…” She glanced back at me, tucking a few stray bangs behind her ear. I reached for her hand, which she initially pulled back, but then reached back in return. I squeezed it lightly, continuing. “You’re right. Things got weird. We can’t go back to being Aria and Raven, mortal enemies constantly at each others’ throats: not anymore. I’ve seen too much, and you and I both know we don’t want to fight each other anymore.”

“So what happens now?” she asked uneasily.

“That’s up to you. What exactly were you trying to do down there in the first place?”

She frowned. “I told you before that this was my fault, but that I was trying to fix it, right? Well,” she paused briefly, turning her gaze toward the floor. “The shadow demon that bestowed my powers on me laid a trap for me, apparently. I … was trying to be like you. I wanted to set things right and release my father from that prison, to let him face real justice, you know, court system and all that crap.”

As she stood, she paced away from me, but turned back again with a renewed sadness in her expression. “But as you saw, that prison warped him, turning him into some kind of terrible monster. If you hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve ended up just like him. That’s what he wanted all along, but I would have done it if it meant protecting you,” she admitted softly.

After a moment, she sighed, turning away again. “What am I even doing here? I’m a villain; a ‘monster’. I can never make up for all the people I’ve hurt.”

“Is it true you even killed someone?”

“Yes,” she whimpered, turning and stepping closer. She sat down again, taking my hand in hers as she looked down at me. “But that was an accident. I had only just gotten my powers. Someone tried to mug me, and I freaked out. I was an abused kid who’d just been given more power than any mortal’s supposed to have.” She seemed remorseful for what had happened. I sat up a little.

“C’mere.”

“What?” She stared back at me. I smiled, motioning for her to move closer. She finally leaned close enough for me to hug her. I wrapped my arms around her, even kissing her forehead softly. I needed her to know, without question, that I wouldn’t judge her, and this was the only way I could think to do that.

“I can’t change the past, but you and I both know you’re not the insane villain you used to be,” I insisted.

She managed a weak smile as she nodded. “You asked me once before about the night your psychic friend hit me with her backlash wave. The little girl you met was ‘born’ that night, as nearly as I can tell. That’s when she first appeared, and I first felt … ‘normal’, if you can call this normal,” she added, shaking her head slowly.

“It’s like she separated from me. I found myself thinking clearly for the first time in years. She’s still a part of me, yet she carries the bulk of my pain. I can’t explain how or why it works; I just know it does, and it allows me to talk to you like this.”

Her voice grew more tense, insistent, and even afraid. “But I’m afraid for you. I’m afraid for both of us. She needs me right now because if I lose her, then I lose myself. I lose this … person I want to be. I’m sorry Aria.”

She leaned over my bed, and kissed me, and for an instant the world melted away, with only us, but an instant later, she was gone. Maria slowly faded into view, approaching my bed. She squeezed my hand, and I smiled a little.

“It’s a start,” I offered.

“Yeah. Banshee’s not gonna believe this.”

I had to laugh. “We say that a lot lately.”

Issue 4: Changing of the Guard

She glowered, but this time not at me. “I know who’s responsible for this, and I’ll take care of it, but for now we need to put this thing down.”

“Psy this is serious! Get something to lob at its eye sensor. While it’s distracted Raven and I will move in for the-”

“Hey, I heard we’re getting a new squad member,” Volcaness casually commented even as she melted the head off an encroaching security robot The insane creation’s laser blasts had, until that point, handily kept me pinned behind some crates.

“Thanks,” I exhaled. We were investigating a supposedly abandoned warehouse in the downtown area where these security droids weren’t even supposed to be active. I nervously peeked around the corner, Volcaness rolling her eyes at me and laughing.

“Still a rookie.”

“Um, yeah. Unlike you I-” I started to say something I’d regret, but Tank cleared his throat, that deep baritone catching both our attention.

“Unlike Volc, you ain’t earned your stripes yet. Remember why we got stuck with this squad’s got less to do with going after Raven Wing now that she’s behaving, and more about keepin’ your scrawny hide intact.”

“Glorified babysitting,” Volcaness grumbled annoyedly. She turned to stare down a long row of shelves, almost reflexively shooting a blast of fire at a security droid that had just rounded the corner. “Let’s just get this over with so I can finish nursing my hangover,” she groaned.

A fresh wave of the droids came marching our direction, seemingly from nowhere. It’d been a couple of weeks since the zombie incident now, and while we were forced to make a token effort to search for Raven Wing, our search turned up nothing.

Raven’s old lair, the stone library, had been completely obliterated. It wasn’t a thing done with conventional weapons though. It was more like someone just phased the entire area out of reality. It simply no longer existed, leaving a gaping, unstable hole in its place.

The resulting sinkhole a few days ago caused only a single fatality in a stray cow that wandered into the field following the disappearing act, but no human casualties. A blaster round sailing inches from my face brought my thoughts back to the present rather quickly.

I curled my lips using a new, more advanced technique Mother had recently shown me. The resulting shockwave cleaved the droid’s upper half backwards, even as its legs rather comically ran around in circles for a moment, tripping up its ‘squad’.

Volcaness, now laughing hysterically, took advantage of the abrupt chaos, unleashing a veritable maelstrom of flame that melted the rest of them to slag in a mighty inferno that, to my great surprise, somehow didn’t set the entire warehouse ablaze.

She collapsed to her knees after the terrible blast though, bringing her hand quickly to her temples. “Mother of God that HURT!” she cursed under her breath, but Tank just shook his head.

“Remind me to stay on your good side. Now, what was that about a new squad member?” Tank asked rather casually even as he ripped the head off a stray droid that had ducked behind a crate to evade the fiery demise.

“Yeah, some new brat with plant powers: something about a science fair project going wrong. HellifIknow.” She shrugged. I offered her my hand, but she swatted it away, staggering to her feet. “Don’t need help. Letting loose that much energy at once just takes a lot out of me.”

I recoiled and nodded softly. Tank grunted. He crumpled the recently-detached robot’s head like an aluminum beer can against his cranium, chucking it across the length of the large room and sighed. “Just what we need. ANOTHER brat to keep an eye on. I think I’m gonna turn in my resignation.” He stated it simply and seriously.

Volcaness laughed dryly. “Good luck with that. Some of us don’t have that luxury.” She mused, striding forward.

“Whaddaya mean by that? Aren’t you here by choice too?”

“Hell no. Not unless by ‘choice’ you mean ‘little bitch here’s mother manipulated me into service’. My choice is serve or spend the rest of my life in cryo,” she shot back rather bitterly.

“Christ, Volc. No wonder you’re always so pissy.”

“It ain’t the company. Well, not JUST the company.” She glared at me. I just frowned. Why would mother do something like that? What did Volcaness do that would be so terrible to warrant cryo-stasis, but not terrible enough that she could serve the team and even protect me? There had to be a method to mother’s madness, but I resolved not to ask about it, instead pulling out my PDA.

“That’s the control room up ahead,” I tried to be helpful. Tank cracked his knuckles.

“Right, here’s the plan. I rip the door off, and you two blast anything that moves.”

Volcaness smirked, responding in what I could swear was a line from Jack Sparrow himself. “I like it. Simple and easy to remember.”

Later that afternoon, I found myself back in medbay, dressed in a skimpy hospital gown. I hadn’t been injured in the battle or anything so dramatic, but rather had to return for a follow-up to be sure there were no lasting effects from contact with Raven’s demon father.

While I waited for the blonde-haired nurse to tend to the scanners, Psychic Strike stepped through the door, nodding to said nurse.

“Mind if I come in?”

“Just don’t touch anything,” the nurse responded in a teasing tone, but motioned her over just the same.

“I’m just running some tests on Aria to be sure she’s not going to vanish like the Stone Library. Up until a few days ago I had no reservations about the deal I struck with Banshee,” she trailed off. She seemed to have bitten her tongue.

I poked my head around the monitor between me and the nurse. “You made a deal with Banshee too? Please tell me you’re not here against your will?”

The nurse laughed. “You’ve been talking to the firestarter haven’t you? No, I’m here by my choice. My deal with your mother was for my sister’s sake. I signed on and agreed to work exclusively here in medical in exchange for Banshee financing and looking after my little sister, Coronal Rose.”

“Whoa, that was your sister?” Psychic Strike responded, surprised. “I talked to her earlier while Aria and the others were out on that warehouse job. Hey, how did that go anyway?”

“Volcaness turned ‘em all to slag, but no sign of who or what switched all the robots’ attack parameters. Only weird thing about the entire place was this big raven in the rafters watching us.”

Psychic Strike and the nurse both stared at me, the former adding, “And you don’t think that’s an odd coincidence given your recent history?”

“No, not really. I know what you’re thinking, but Raven’s only been that subtle with others. She’s always just come right out and approached me even if she had to kidnap me to do it. This was something else.”

“Well, we’re finished here if you girls want to go and meet your new teamma-” the nurse cut herself off as the base alarm sounded. I glanced at Psychic Strike, who nodded, racing off to find out what was going on.

With the nurse’s help I slipped into my battle armor, afterward racing down the hall to the nearest elevator. While I waited, because despite our resources we couldn’t afford anything faster, I patched my earbud communicator into our scrambled base frequency.

“Aria checking in; what’s happening?”

“Giant robot’s on a rampage downtown,” Tank responded candidly.

Volcaness quickly added, “Aria get your butt up here. I’ve been volunteered to carry the new meat into battle, and I want you by my side doing that shielding thing you do.”

A new female voice, maybe fifteen or sixteen, spoke up, “Thanks Volcaness.”

Volcaness responded smugly, “The shield’s not for you; it’s for my bike. I’m dropping you in the hot zone, and if I get so much as a scratch on that bad boy I’m holding you responsible.”

Same old Volcaness. Still I could shield the newcomer too, at least until we got into the hot zone where I’d have to focus my attention on staying alive. One does not simply fly up to a giant robot without expecting it to try and knock one into the outer stratosphere.

“So any idea who sent this thing?” I asked as I stepped into the elevator.

“Banshee’s friend’s lookin’ into it,” Tank commented. Did he mean Silver Sentinel? He added a moment later, “If she can hack its AI and shut it down we might not have to fight it.” He definitely meant Sil. If anyone could hack an AI in the middle of a firefight it was her.

“But where’s the fun in that?” Volcaness added in a disappointed tone as I stepped outside. I couldn’t see her passenger’s face for the flame-streaked helmet that Volcaness herself never wore, but the alabaster skin combined with the hunter green costume gave Rose away easily. She nodded toward me as I waved. Over the comm. link, I heard her voice.

“Sorry we’re not meeting under better circumstances.”

“You can talk about boys after this is over. Or girls in Aria’s case,” Volcaness chided with a broad grin. I think she secretly reveled in the fact we both seemed to prefer girls.

At least in my case, it was only one, specific girl though, and I still hadn’t sorted out how I felt about her. I mean, I had only been a real girl for a few months now myself, and with superhero work getting in the way of trying to sort out what all THAT even meant…

“Earth to Aria: you coming?!” Volcaness practically shouted over the link as she sped away. I lofted myself off the ground and raced to catch up with her.

We didn’t have to travel far to see the telltale path of destruction the robot had left. Parts of buildings had been disintegrated or torn down, cars had been crushed completely flat, and parts of underground pipe and conduits left exposed.

As I glanced at the ground, for just a moment I saw the shadow silhouette of a bird in flight traveling alongside us. I looked up, but could see no sign of it, and when I looked back down again, the shadow had disappeared.

“There it is, and it’s a big’un!” Tank yelled across the comm. channel. “It’s gotta be fifty feet tall. This is gonna be fun.”

As Volcaness rolled to an abrupt stop Rose peeled off the borrowed motorcycle helmet to reveal striking red hair framing a full green mask-covered face. Only her mouth and part of her chin had been left exposed. I didn’t have time to admire her ornately designed armor, as for the moment, we had a rampaging monster to stop.

Volcaness sped away, leaving the two of us plus Tank close by. Psychic Strike was already in the air, dodging the thing’s gigantic fists, though with its lack of a brain to affect, she looked more like a mosquito fighting an elephant. To her credit, she had managed to use her telekinetic abilities to hoist a sizable chunk of debris from a crumbling building nearby, which she was using to beat it about the ‘head’.

“Alright, I’m going to help Psy. Tank, Rose, you guys be careful!”

“Worry about yourself runt!” Tank bellowed as he lifted a nearby SUV, flinging it at the robot’s midsection. The fiery explosion that followed caused the mechanical monster to turn around and afforded us a good look at its ‘head’. A single, central eye-like sensor, blazing red, settled on us.

“I think you pissed it off!” Rose commented, as I lifted off the ground and sped toward the creature, shrieking a shockwave at it. It had little effect beyond earning me a swat. I yelped as its heavy arm sent me flying. Fortunately I was able to recover. I caught sight of Volcaness on the ground racing back as vines seemed to sprout from between the cracks in the ground that the monster had created, lashing out at its feet.

I rushed forward firing off another quick, short burst of sonic energy at the the monster’s optical sensor as it stomped the ground attempting to snuff out Volcaness. She rolled to the side, and though I couldn’t see it from my vantage point at the time, the stomp exposed more pipes and conduits, fracturing two of them.

“Hey cutie. Need a hand?” I suddenly heard Raven’s voice behind me. I spun about. She had gotten an upgrade in terms of appearance. The new armor shimmered like some kind of black glass, and she had replaced her wings with a raven-feather cloak. I had to barrel roll to narrowly dodge being knocked from the sky by the robot at the distraction.

“Raven!? I don’t know what you’re doing here, but we need all the help we can get!”

She laughed dryly, “Yeah, well, it’s kinda hard to miss the giant freaking robot terrorizing the city. Besides I could use some brownie points with your Mom after that whole … kidnap you while making a fool of half your squad thing awhile ago.” She grinned and launched herself right at the robot like some kind of sentient shadow missile.

She raced toward the metal behemoth, dark energy coursing and ebbing around her fists, and slammed squarely into its chest. What I can only call an explosion of liquefied shadow followed, though it barely left a dent. She woozily flew back to my side as Psychic Strike moved in, shooting her levitated steel beam like a javelin for the dent. Raven shook her head vigorously.

“What’s this thing MADE of?!”

“Well, at least now I know you’re not behind this,” I commented as I shook my head. She practically glared at me, looking more than a little hurt by that statement, so I quickly explained, “I’ve been seeing ravens all day. First at the warehouse where a bunch of security droids went bonkers, then on the way here, and now you show up.”

She glowered, but this time not at me. “I know who’s responsible for this, and I’ll take care of it, but for now we need to put this thing down.”

“Let’s do this,” I responded, taking her hand in mine. Psy floated closer and grinned.

“Can I play too?” she chided. I could feel my cheeks burn.

“Psy this is serious! Get something to lob at its eye sensor. While it’s distracted Raven and I will move in for the-”

A sudden explosion, followed by an enormous fireball, caught the three of us off-guard. The shockwave sent me flying one way, Raven another. The last thing I saw before I felt myself slam against a nearby building was three jagged pieces of a formerly fifty foot tall robot sailing off into the distance.

I nearly blacked out from the building’s impact, hurtling toward the ground. Psychic Strike swooped in to catch me, but with the momentum of the fall, she only managed to slow our descent.

On the ground a massive inferno raged where the giant robot had broken the street earlier. Rose huddled behind an overturned cab, and Tank held his bleeding arm aloft beside her. He shouted, “Get down! It broke a gas main!”

“Where’s Volcaness?!” I asked frantically as we raced to their sides. Raven descended cautiously toward the ground a few feet back. Tank shook his head slowly.

“We’ve got a meat wagon comin’ to pick up me and Rose. Kid’s okay, but I took some shrapnel.”

“Where’s Volcaness?” I repeated myself. Again, he shook his head, but Psychic Strike and I both brightened a little as we heard her coughing deeply over the sound of the heavy blaze nearby. She staggered closer, her face blackened, but not too badly burned.

“I’m a living volcano, remember?” She coughed hard, collapsing to her knees. “But I ain’t got long. Tell Banshee … Tell her I’m sorry.”

“No, Volc, you can tell her yourself!” I insisted as I raced to her side.

Raven frowned, but before she could speak, I heard a familiar, small voice. Our surroundings melted into shadows. Even Tank and Rose seemed to fade from view, leaving only Raven, Volcaness, and myself. “This is not how it was supposed to happen…” the voice whispered.

“Yeah, well,” Volcaness started, and coughed deeply, spitting blood at the ground beside her. “I ain’t one for prophecies or the whims of disembodied voices.”

“I can’t cure you. I’m sorry,” it continued, barely above a whisper now, “But I can pass your powers to another if you wish.”

“I squandered my power, my … ‘gift’. Maybe the next Volcaness’ll do better. Here,” she wheezed as she held out her hand, dangling a small tiki figurine on a simple, leather cord. I always wondered what was on the end of that cord around her neck, but she kept it hidden until now.

The tiki charm seemed to suspend in mid-air, and Volcaness lay back with a low groan. “Aria,” she called quietly. I moved closer, and she took my hand, smiling. “I’m proud of you kid. Always … was.”

As the world returned to normal, the fires had ceased. Another pair of supers, late to the party, had put out and plugged the leak while we were lost in the blackness. I hadn’t had time, what with Volcaness dying at my side, to really process what the spirit that had previously called herself Raven’s inner child meant by ‘this wasn’t supposed to happen like this’.

I had more important things on my mind. I hadn’t even noticed that Raven was long gone. I removed my cape and draped it over the fallen hero’s form, and I stayed silently by her side while we waited for transport.

Back at the base, Psychic Strike managed to pry me away, and along with Rose, now both unmasked, led me to one of the base’s lounge areas. I sat in silence between the two of them for several long minutes. Stunned, shocked, I had no words. I just wanted to curl up and cry. We saved the city, but at a terrible cost.

“I guess she finally got what she wanted,” I spoke softly as I untied my mask, peeling it away from my face. I stared at it, Volcaness’ gift to me. Psychic Strike hugged me, as Rose watched helplessly. “She said she didn’t have a choice, that it was work for us, protecting me, or a cryo cell. She never even told me her real name.”

“Jennifer,” a female teen-aged voice answered from the door. We all looked up in surprise to see someone who, at least superficially, looked like Volcaness. She had to be twenty years younger, and her skin, once as pale as Rose’s, was now a rich, dark olive. Instead of fiery red hair she had dark chestnut cascades down her shoulders and back. Her features were unmistakably Volcaness.

“Who… are you?” I stood, approaching the new girl. “You look like Volcaness, but much as she hated men, you couldn’t be her daughter.” As I reached up to touch her cheek, she laughed quite cheerfully and swatted my hand away.

“It’s me you dork. At least, I carry her memories. I guess the tiki gods decided to honor my sacrifice and give me a second chance.” She rolled her shoulders. “I don’t get it myself, but I’m not going to complain. And as far as not liking guys, well, that was the old me. We’ll have to see about the new me.”

Psychic Strike, still as shocked as me judging by the look on her face, slowly stood and approached us. “There’s only one way to be sure it’s really her.”

The girl immediately glared at her. “Step inside my head and I’ll break your neck. I haven’t forgotten that dream you so helpfully ‘loaned’ me.” She grinned broadly.

Psychic Strike cackled like a madwoman, “Ohhh yeah, that’s her.”

Volcaness glanced at Rose, now sitting by herself and watching us. She motioned for the new girl to approach. Rose stood slowly and walked over to us. “Volcaness, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry; I-”

She quickly shook her head, “No. No apologies. I chose to sacrifice myself to protect you, and I was rewarded for it. In a way, I owe you.” She motioned her head back toward the door.

“Come on, pizza’s on me. I may have the body of a teenager now, but I still have the savings account of a single thirty-five year old.” She beamed, turning to lead the others out.

I stayed behind a moment, slowly moving to the nearest chair to sit. What in the name of the Banshee just happened? As I sat trying to make sense of the events of the past hour, I felt a soft, small hand take mine. The little girl slowly materialized in front of me, staring up at me. I frowned down at her.

“Haven’t you caused enough trouble for one day?”

“I suppose I deserved that,” she responded sarcastically as she crawled into my lap. “But everything is as it should be now, and better, in some ways. I tried to convince Raven to deliver this message herself, but she is afraid you’ll hate her because of my involvement.”

“I don’t hate her. I could never hate her!” I quickly shot back, causing the girl to smile and kiss my cheek lightly. “What exactly was supposed to happen?”

“No spoilers,” she responded with a positively impish smile. “There are greater things than you at play, child of fate.”

“Wait, didn’t you say you were going to pass Volcaness’ power to someone else?”

“I did. That girl isn’t a bitter, self-serving alcoholic on a path to self-destruction is she?”

“No, but isn’t just handing her a second chance the same thing as what happened to me?”

“How so?” she asked innocently, tilting her head curiously, which caused her ringlet-laden pigtails to bounce.

“When I received my power, my wish granted, it was … instantaneous. I had no prior knowledge of how to be a girl, let alone a hero. I had it all just handed to me at once, and turned loose.”

She chuckled, “Yes, what was done to you was done as a lesson in being mindful of what you wish for. But she was already a hero.” She paused to let those words sink in then continued. “All I’ve done is bargained with the powers that be for her to … redeem herself, to rewrite her life with the knowledge and experience of what could be if she chooses not to change.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Consider it a balancing act, an atonement for my role in events. Until we meet again.”

“Hey, wait!”

“We ARE waiting,” Volcaness called back from beyond the door. I blinked, finding myself alone in the room once more. I shook my head slowly and stood, hurrying to catch up.

“Right, um, just give me a minute to change,” I sheepishly called back. We still had to do the debriefing, but I had had enough of being a hero for one day. I cast a quick last glance over the empty lounge then hurried out to catch up to the others.

Issue 5: Birds of a Feather

“Maybe something came up?” she offered in a soothing tone.

“What?” I asked, turning to look at her. She wasn’t there anymore. In her place was another black feather.

~Zoe

I was correct in my suspicion that Volcaness / Jennifer had come to find us before even letting anyone else know she was alive. Perhaps all the more disturbing, her ‘old’ body still lay lifeless in the morgue. Banshee exhausted her with questions while we all sat at the big conference table. Tank, despite his amazing survivability, had to be taken to med bay for treatment, but we’d tell him the good news later.

Mother stood from her place at the head of the conference table, slowly paced around it to stop next to the now Polynesian girl. She bent down next to her, and I could hear her ask softly but sternly, “One final question. Only the real Volcaness can answer this truthfully. What was it Volcaness learned that got her into the situation that led to her death?”

Without hesitation, Jennifer reached out to pull Mother closer, whispering something in her ear. Mother’s eyes widened. For the first time in my life, I watched as her unshakable and immutable confident façade had not just cracked, but shattered. She took a shaky step back, speaking in a quivering tone.

“That will be all. Volca–JENNIFER,” she corrected herself, “I will personally take care of your affairs. Officially you’ll be listed as Volcaness’ daughter and successor because mundane authorities will never believe any of this, but unofficially, I have no doubt who you truly are.”

Jennifer smiled smugly. “The body is different. It’s going to take some getting used to the height change too.” She paused, frowning. “I guess this means I can’t drink anymore?”

“You most certainly may not!” Mother shot back protectively, but paused. “At least not until we have had time to run a full battery of tests to see just how deeply these changes run. For all we know you may be in puberty again.”

Jennifer groaned. “Dear God. Once was enough!” she whined, as the thought of a second puberty had apparently not crossed her mind until now. “I’m gonna strangle that little girl if I find her, just for that.” Despite her harsh words, her smile betrayed her.

She turned to me and reached for my hand. “I guess it’s what I deserve for giving you such a hard time all this time.” I took her hand as I stood, pulling her up into a friendly hug. At first, she flinched, but hesitantly she returned the gesture.

“The next few weeks are going to be rough on you; even if you don’t have to re-learn your gender or your powers, you still have to learn what it means to be a teenager again.” Rose gave us both a funny look when I said that. Maria, Volcaness, and especially Mother all knew, but Rose? Apparently she didn’t get the debriefing about me. “But we’ll help you get through it.”

“Thanks. This wasn’t exactly what I meant when I said you had a good heart, but I’m not going to complain either.” She glanced at Mother with a knowing smile. “Hey, um, since my finances are still in my ‘mother’s’ name and haven’t been transferred yet, can I borrow twenty bucks?”

Mother glowered at her at first, and I had to giggle, interrupting whatever she was about to say. “It’s okay. She promised to take us out for pizza, but she forgot about the financial situation.”

Accepting that answer with a neutral nod, she answered crisply, “Very well. Bill it to Alpine Industries and I’ll write it off as a business lunch. Dismissed. Jennifer, I want a word with you in private before you go.”

Maria, Rose and I quickly made ourselves scarce. Even Maria knew better than to eavesdrop on these private conversations, but that didn’t stop me from trying to listen at the door. I could only barely make out the muffled conversation, though, and that was before Rose blindsided me with the million dollar question.

“What was all that stuff about re-learning everything?” she asked innocently. I answered with another question.

“Do you trust psychics?”

“Do I what?”

“Psychics — telepaths, though people who can see the future are lumped into that category too.”

“I guess? I’ve never met one before today, but if you’re talking about Maria--”

Maria cleared her throat. “Guys? I’m right here. I think what she’s getting at is it’d be easier to show you. I knew Aria Blade, if briefly, before she became Aria Blade. I’m going to give you an imprint of a memory of what she was like before and after as well as the emotions tied to the memory. This won’t hurt at all, but it’s going to itch like crazy,” she teased and winked playfully.

She removed her purple gloves and offered them to me to hold, and turning back to face Rose, she reached out, placing two fingers gently against her temples. She slowly settled her palms against Rose’s cheeks. “Don’t fight it,” she whispered. Rose seemed to relax a little, and within a few seconds, Maria stepped back again, reclaiming her gloves.

Rose slowly opened her eyes and turned to look at me, confusion etched on her face. “I don’t get it. You were a tomboy or something?”

Maria and I both giggled. “Something like that.” Before I could continue, the doors opened abruptly, causing me to jump. Mother stared at me a moment and chuckled, turning to continue down the hall. Jennifer emerged next.

“What was that about?” I asked, as I’m sure the other two were wondering the same thing. Jennifer laughed.

“I’m free. Remember that thing I told you this morning, about how I didn’t work for Banshee by choice? She felt guilty about me giving my life to save one of you, and she figured since I’m a teenager now, not only is our contract no longer binding, but she thinks it would be better if I joined as a full member. Tank turned in his resignation this morning right before the giant robot fiasco so it would just be the four of us.”

“Wait, Tank what? I thought he was just joking about leaving?” I felt hurt. Tank was an ass sometimes, but he went above and beyond to put himself between me and whatever threat we faced, usually Raven Wing, in the past at least. Speaking of Raven Wing…

Jennifer rolled her shoulders. “Banshee wouldn’t give me the full story. I think my little ‘accident’ shook her up. C’mon, let’s go see the big guy.”

I only managed to get a few feet down the hall before I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder. Where I stopped, I could already see Raven Wing’s reflection in the plate glass and metal fixtures. Rather than the new armor I’d seen her wearing earlier, she stood dressed in a simple black tank top and jeans, and the stiletto-heeled combat boots I’d seen her wearing when we met in the park. That day felt like an eternity ago. The others turned around, Rose stating the obvious. “Uhh, guys? Where’s Aria?”

Maria frowned. “She’s still here. I can feel her presence, as well as…” she trailed off, her eyes widening. “Let’s go check on Tank. Aria’s a big girl. She’ll be fine.” She raced off without another word. Raven Wing giggled as I turned to face her.

“What did you do to her?” I asked bluntly. She smiled as she rolled her shoulders.

“Not a thing this time, I swear.” Her tone shifted to a more somber and serious edge. “I wanted to apologize for what happened to Volcaness. I told you once that I only ever killed one person, and that was an accident.”

She hesitated. For a moment she looked like she would cry so I pulled her into a hug. She smiled and rested her head against my shoulder, closing her eyes. “Now I feel like this is my fault because the brat was feeling mischievous.” She turned to the wall, edging away from my embrace and slowly tilting her head forward to rest her forehead against it. She breathed a long, depressed sigh.

“Raven, it’s okay. I don’t know what the little girl did, but… Well, that girl you just saw — the Hawaiian girl that ran off with Maria and Rose? That WAS Volcaness.”

“You mean that was her successor?” She turned to stare at me, utterly confused.

“No, I mean the powers that be, whoever or whatever it was that gave her her powers to start with, gave her a second chance at life. They made her our age. Your little ‘friend’ bargained with them and got her that second chance as repayment for her part in her death.”

“So that’s why… She kept saying things like ‘Go talk to her. You know she’ll understand.’ or ‘she doesn’t hate you.’ so I finally came, just to shut her up.” She laughed. “I guess I should go though, before Banshee finds out. I can evade the human mind, but as soon as someone actually looks at security cameras they’ll see me as plainly as they would you.”

“Wait!” I begged her. She paused, staring into my eyes. I stared back, perhaps a little longingly. I threw my arms around her and I kissed her cheek. “Please… Please stay.”

“W-what?” she stammered.

“Please don’t leave. Jennifer’s taking us out for pizza. Mother’s footing the bill even. Please come with us. It’ll just be five normal, average, everyday teenagers going out for pizza. I haven’t had a normal, average, everyday teenage girl moment in my entire life. Please?” I begged. I needed this so badly right now.

She slowly rested her forehead against mine as she closed her eyes. “I guess that makes two of us. It would be kind of nice just to see what it feels like to be ‘normal’ … to have normal friends and just be a normal girl. I guess you’ve had your powers hanging over you all that time too?”

“Not … exactly. I’m not ready to talk about that yet.”

“Hey, kid!” Tank bellowed from further down the hall. “I thought I told you to quit flirtin’ with the enemy!”

I felt my cheeks burn. “I thought you said no one could see us?”

She giggled. “You asked me to stay, so I stayed. We can’t very well go out for pizza if your friends can’t see us.”

Grabbing Raven Wing’s hand, I gently led her along, approaching Tank. He grinned down at me, and as I let go of Raven’s hand, placing his massive meat-hooks on my shoulders surprisingly gently. “Listen, I gotta take off for awhile. I got some news that’s gotta be dealt with.”

“You’re not going to stay gone are you?”

He laughed. “Maybe, maybe not. You’ll be fine without me. Now that Volc’s been turned into a kid though stuff’s just gettin’ too weird around here. Besides, what I gotta take care of, it’s real personal stuff. Gotta visit an old friend I thought died a long time ago.”

He turned to slowly plod down the hallway. I glanced back to find Raven Wing suddenly gone. It wasn’t as though she faded from view, or that she’d run off. She simply was no longer there. I spotted, as I sank to my knees, a single black feather where she had stood. I knelt and picked it up and stared at it, turning it over in my hands.

“You okay, chica?” Maria asked as she stepped closer, offering her hand. She’d had time to change, now wearing a pink t-shirt and jeans, and her trademark and ever-stylish hand wraps. It wasn’t that Maria was incapable of physical human contact, but whenever she made contact with someone, it opened a door.

Sometimes it gave her more information from a simple handshake than she honestly wanted to know, but if the subject had a strong will, it could backlash and hurt her, so she wrapped her hands, mainly her palms, to prevent intrusive contact. She continued to hold out her hand until I accepted it, pulling myself up again.
“Yeah … Raven…” I mumbled almost incoherently and sighed, leaving the feather in her hand. “Nothing, never mind,” I said sadly as I walked past them. “You guys go on without me.”

“Hey, if this is about what Tank said-” Volcaness started, but when I glanced back to see why she stopped, I saw Maria’s hand on her shoulder. She smiled weakly at me. Apparently Maria saw something in the feather, or in my touch. I learned on a subconscious level not to fight her some time ago. It was just easier to avoid contact when I didn’t want to be ‘read’ than to risk hurting her accidentally.

I left them standing there, wondering, as I walked down that long and lonely hall. After changing into my civilian clothes, I sat for some time in the locker and shower area, just thinking, wondering. Why did she act so interested, only to just run off the second I turned my back? Why did life have to be so complicated?

As I stood to leave, a gentle knock at the door caught my attention: so gently that I thought the little mischievous brat calling itself Raven Wing’s inner child might be on the other side. “Come,” I barked, sitting again. “But no games. I’m not in the mood-” I abruptly stopped, seeing Aunt Sil standing in the doorway, sans power armor. She smiled a little.

“Everything okay?” She stepped further inside, and as I bit my lip she sat down beside me, wrapping me in a much-needed hug. “I’m so sorry about today. I don’t know what happened. It was like someone was actively trying to keep me from interfering.”

“It’s not about that, Aunt Sil.” I rested my head on her shoulder. “Jennifer’s okay and she even got a second chance out of it, so it all worked out.”

“So what is it? You know you can tell me or your Mom anything.”

“That’s just it. I can’t tell her because she wouldn’t understand. She’s always looking for some angle to use against others, or she’s looking for the strings others are trying to use against her. She can’t accept that Raven Wing and I are…”

“Are… together?”

“No!” I shot back, a little more defensively than I intended. She chuckled to herself. “No, that we’re innocent. At least, I thought we were. I thought she was.”

“Sweetheart, what happened?” she asked as she turned to face me.

“I … Raven stood me up,” I finally stated. “One second she was there, and we were talking about going to lunch together and ... and for once in both our lives just being normal teenagers. Tank even saw her this time. But when I turned around after he left, she was gone!” I sniffed, burying my face in my hands as I tried not to lose it.

“Maybe something came up?” she offered in a soothing tone.

“Over the course of the twenty seconds it took me to talk to Tank? I doubt it.”

“It’s up to you to decide how to proceed. Do you want to trust her, and risk having your heart broken, or do you want to not trust her, and risk breaking hers?”

“What?” I asked, turning to look at her. She wasn’t there anymore. In her place was another black feather. I scowled, storming out of the room. I could see Aunt Sil approaching, still in her power armor. She smiled and waved, but I stomped right past her. I wouldn’t be fooled twice.

With her following behind, asking me repeatedly what was going on, or what was wrong, I threw the front doors open and raced out. She didn’t follow me, and before long I found myself in that old, familiar park again. Something felt different though. The place was silent as the grave itself. No people passed by, no birds sang. I could no longer hear the traffic on the street. It was as though everything had just stopped: everything, but the sound of sobbing.

I slowly, cautiously approached the fountain where even the water seemed frozen, suspended silently, not so much in mid-air, but like someone had simply shut it off. As I drew closer, the sound grew louder. I peeked cautiously around the edge to see a familiar mop of disheveled, black hair cascading over obsidian-like body armor on the other side. I took the feather left behind in the locker room, and I held it out, letting it drop into her lap.

She jumped, looking from side to side, then up at me. She scrambled to her feet, backing up slowly. “How did you… How can you… What are you doing here?!”

“Why don’t you tell me?” I snapped back, even as I tried in vain to contain my anger.

“I don’t know what you’re talking … about…” she trailed off, pointing a slender finger behind me as she took a step back. “Aria… Wh-what the hell is that?” I turned, and jumped when I came face-to-face with the ‘Raven Wing’ I met in the hall earlier, the one that stood me up for lunch. This Raven Wing giggled, smiling sweetly.

“Relax, child of fate,” she spoke in Raven Wing’s voice. I backed away, bumping into the apparent real Raven Wing in the process. “I could not bring her to you, but I knew if I pushed the right buttons, that you would inevitably come here, to her.” The figure shrank down to the size and form of the little girl, still smiling creepily at us both. “What is it about this place that fascinates you both so, I wonder?” She tilted her head slightly to one side as if to emphasize her own curiosity. She shook her head. “No matter.”

The armored Raven Wing glowered at the shapeshifter. “What do you want from me? At first I thought you were some kind of miracle, but the longer you’re here, the more of a curse you become!”

“If you want, I can return your pain to you, let you become the madwoman who seeks to destroy her,” she nodded toward me with a positively impish, dark smile.

“No! No…” she responded, shaking her head vigorously.

“Then we’ll continue to play this game to its final end. For now, I believe you both have something to say to each other. Don’t be shy. I’ll give you some privacy.” The little girl giggled, turning to skip away. I turned back to Raven Wing.

“There’s something you have to know about Volcaness, but first, I need to know if this is the real you and not another illusion.”

Raven Wing turned back to me, and leaning over, she very, very lightly kissed me. “What do you think?”

I stared, dumbfounded, but smiled a little. “Volcaness is alive.”

“What? How?!”

“Your little friend claims to have bargained for her to have a second chance. She was reborn our age, but she has all the memories of the real Volcaness, including things only she and Mother knew.”

“Like what?” she asked, still looking as dumbstruck as I felt when I heard the news myself.

“I’m not sure. It has something to do with the deal they struck for her to become my bodyguard after I became Aria Blade.”

“Ah that’s right. She doesn’t know that yet,” the little girl giggled, reappearing standing on the fountain behind us: so much for privacy. “She doesn’t know how you became Aria. So do you trust her, and risk getting your heart broken, or do you not trust her, and risk breaking her heart?”

Raven Wing slowly looked between the both of us. “What IS she talking about?”

I heaved a slow sigh, turning to walk the short distance between the fountain and one of its many matched, poured cement benches. “You may want to sit down. What I’m about to tell you is one of Banshee’s best-kept secrets.”

She sat beside me, and as I took her hand, I explained to her how I ‘became’ Aria Blade. I told her everything, how I bargained with an entity I summoned because I wanted to be a superhuman like mother. I emphasized the ‘like mother’ part especially.

“I-I used to be a boy.”

“You’re … you’re joking right? This is a joke?”

I shook my head slowly. “I tampered with mystical powers, and I got what I wished for. I became ‘like Mother’.”

“That’s no-ot the whole-truth!” the little girl responded in a sing-song tone. “But you can’t HANDLE the truth,” she cackled fiendishly, bounding off the fountain and running off.

“I think I need to talk to Mother,” I sighed. “There’s something, some big secret I’m missing here. I think Jennifer — Volcaness, knows it, that little brat knows it. I’m sorry I blamed you for all this. When ‘she’ you appeared to me, I opened up to her. I-” I flinched, shifting my gaze right to the ground. I felt so humiliated trusting that little brat.

“You what?” she asked, leaning forward. She reached a hand out, cupping my chin lightly and turning my gaze back toward her.

“I begged her to stay … asked her to come eat lunch with us because I’d never had a normal teen-aged girl moment like going out for pizza with friends, and this is why. Up until a few months ago I was a quiet, abnormal teen-aged boy who, well, wished he was a teen-aged girl. I thought maybe if I were a hero, a real ‘man’s man’, that my feelings would change. I thought maybe I wouldn’t feel so… out of place anymore.”

Without giving her the chance to respond to all that, I stood to leave. I felt her hand sharply grab mine, keeping me from moving away from her. She stood, spinning me around to face her. “You asked my doppelganger on a date.” She giggled, causing me to blush.

“Yeah, kind of. It would’ve been the five of us though.”

“But still! That’s so sweet. And under different, better circumstances I would have said yes. But right now-”

“No, please don’t’ say it. I’ve already been toyed with twice today. I don’t think I can handle another rejection,” I pleaded.

“Let me finish. Right now, we need to find out what’s going on with this entity, and how we can win its game. If it’s powerful enough to resurrect Volcaness, then I don’t want to think about what happens if we … if I lose.”

“We. We’re in this together,” I offered softly. Her eyes lit up for a moment as I continued. “It seems to be obsessed with truth. Honestly it’s like a deific version of my mother.”

“Don’t even joke,” she laughed, squeezing my hand. “But we should talk to her. Whether it likes it or not, it tied itself to me, and that link works both ways.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, I can shut it out for short periods. I’ve done it before, and it didn’t react, so I think it’s one of the rules of the ‘game’.”

As if on cue, all sound, movement, time itself seemed to return to normal at once. We could hear a girlish giggle echoing on the breeze, but nothing more. Raven Wing smiled a reserved smile. I squeezed her hand, leading her out of the park. As we drew closer to our headquarters, she spoke softly.

“Thanks for trusting me. I know I put you through a lot these last several months, and I’m the last person to deserve that kind of faith. I could very well still turn on you, and this could all just be one huge, elaborate plot.”

I stopped, turning back to face her. “That’s the risk I have to take. It’s the risk that someone should have taken ten years ago. Nobody ever stopped to ask you why you tormented others. They simply assumed you were too far gone because of the source of your power. Whatever’s going on here, I feel like we have a chance to … to save you.”

“That’s what this is all about? You’re trying to save me?”

“Well… yeah. I want to help you.”

“Thanks,” she responded softly. It almost seemed there was a twinge of pain in her voice.

“Raven, I-”

“No. We can talk about it when this is all over.”

“I think I love you,” I blurted. Again the world seemed to stop, though this time through no magical effects or the interference of a sneaky little girl. She stared silently, leaned forward to give me a simple hug then kept walking. I moved to catch up, continuing the rest of the way in silence.

We found both Mother and Aunt Sil in her office. Both seemed surprised to see me back so soon, and more so that I had Raven Wing with me. I approached Aunt Sil, having changed out of her power armor by now, and immediately leaned down to hug her tightly. “I’m sorry. There’s something going on, and I thought you were someone else. It’s a long story.”

“Aria, if you’re in trouble,” Mother began, staring at my companion as she spoke, “you know you can ask us for help.”

I straightened up again, turning to Mother. “We’re both in trouble, and we both need your help. Momma,” I emphasized that word. I normally called her ‘Banshee’ or ‘Mother’. “I need to ask you something. What was it Volcaness found out that upset you so?” She hesitated, again staring at Raven Wing. I shook my head.

“No, this concerns her too. I already told her the truth about me, about who I used to be. Look, there’s a powerful entity moving, playing with both of us. It leaves raven feathers in its wake, and it told us that unless we play the game, it would return Raven Wing’s pain to her, returning her to the psychopath she was a few short months ago.

I hesitated before biting my lip. I put an arm around Raven Wing's waist. I needed Mother to see for herself that I trusted her. “We think that its obsession with exposing secrets is the key to beating it, so whatever’s going on, I need to know. I can’t have anymore secrets being turned against us.”

Mother breathed a long, slow sigh as she paced around the desk, stopping in front of me. “I always knew this day would come, but I had hoped I’d have more time.” She leaned back, sitting on the edge of her desk. Sil stood, wrapping her in a supportive, sisterly hug, which caused Mother to smile, returning the gesture.

“Aria, up until the transformation that made you who you are now, you … weren’t my child, biologically.”

“What?” I gasped. I couldn’t believe my ears!

“I loved you like my own. I raised you, cared for you, but the story about your father was a lie. There was a man I loved once, but he left me when I learned I could never have children of my own. So I adopted a child. I never dreamed that you would one day continue the thousand year old prophecy and become my daughter, but there is no question that you are indeed, my daughter.” She smiled as she stepped closer, wrapping me in a hug and kissing my forehead.

Raven Wing, still standing off to the side, lowered her head. She whispered in a broken tone, “I told you Aria, you’re lucky to have her.” She stepped closer, putting an arm around my waist as she stood before Banshee.

“I know what you think of me, which is why it’s so hard for me to even be here. But Aria’s life is in danger, and not from me. As I told her, we need to figure out what this creature is so we can beat its game. If it has the power to resurrect someone, we don’t want to know what will happen if we should lose.” Mother wrinkled her nose slightly. As she thought quietly, it was aunt Sil who spoke up.

“I seem to remember something about a raven in lore. One of the Norse gods used them as messengers I believe.”

Maria spoke up from the entrance. “Not just in Norse lore. In the traditions of many Native American tribes, Raven is a Creator and Trickster god.” She smiled, waving. “We decided to wait until Aria could join us for lunch. What did I miss?”

Raven Wing turned back to Maria, which caused the psychic to jump slightly. “Trickster god? So I have a trickster god living in me? So how do I beat it?”

Maria stepped closer, staring the raven-haired girl in the face for several seconds before responding. “I had to be sure it was really you this time. In stories, Raven is sometimes seen as benevolent, but always, a trickster. What did he say to you?”

Raven Wing shifted her gaze to her armored boots. “She said that if we didn’t play the game, she would return my pain to me, and return me to my madness.” She glanced up again. “I’ve found one of the rules of the game is that I can temporarily block her out without any repercussions, but I’m running out of time. Do what you can to learn more. I’ll keep her occupied as much as I can.”

She turned back to the rest of us. “I’m trusting you all because I have no one else to turn to. Ironically my arch foe is the closest thing I have to a friend right now.”

As she turned to leave, I shifted back to Mother’s side, burying myself in her embrace. “So all this time… All this over-protectiveness you’ve shown me since becoming Aria…”

“It’s because I love you. I have always loved you, but I know how scary the world can be for a girl, especially one who doesn’t know the first thing about being a girl.”

“About that,” I began more softly, “There’s still more we need to talk about, and then we can get to this trickster god business.”

Issue 6: Unfinished Business

She giggled vapidly. “Of course it’s about me. It’s ALL been about me. The sooner you understand that, the closer you’ll be to winning, silly goose! But if you want me to wake her, you’ll have to answer my riddle.”

~Zoe

“Rose here. Aria. You’d better get down here. I-it’s Banshee,” she stammered in a quivering, uneasy tone.

I sat bolt upright, heedless of my heavy covers as I dove from the bed. “I’ll be right there!”

I didn’t want or need to know anymore of the situation until I got there. My mother was as tough as they came. If something severe enough happened to her… If that Raven god had anything to do with this, I didn’t care if he WAS a creator, I’d wring him dry personally!

It only took me a few seconds to don my new armor. Aunt Sil had made some special modifications to the design to make it easier to put on and wear without extra assistance, as well as not rooting me to one place in battle. Within a few minutes of the call, I left my little house in the suburbs behind, flying as fast as I could manage.

I hadn’t done much flying lately, focusing all my attention on researching the Native American raven god that had apparently decided to possess my would-be ally. I couldn’t call Raven Wing more than that, not knowing where she stood. Was I fooling myself? Could she even be capable of ‘love’ for all she’d been through? My mind started to wander. I had to blink back the tears as I touched down and rushed inside, and not just from the immediate threat.

Maria met me at the door, wrapping me in a hug even as the two of us sprinted down the sterile hall together. It disturbed me deeply, in retrospect, how perfect, how pristine everything felt. My mind wandered further. This was why I didn’t ask for any details. I’d rather have let my thoughts travel to such silly things rather than focusing on whatever had happened.

“There you are,” our resident blonde-haired nurse stated seriously as we appeared in the doorway to the medical bay. She quickly ushered us inside.

“What happened?” I asked as I tried to catch my breath. She simply shook her head.

“Frankly, I’m not sure. This is … beyond my expertise. Silver Sentinel found her unconscious in her office. Someone, or something, overpowered her, but the security cameras show only static. The security guys are looking into what happened.”

Maria and I looked at each other, and I scowled. “Raven. I’ll kill him!” I shrieked.

“Wait, there’s more!” the nurse called, reaching out to catch my shoulder. I spun around, staring expectantly.

“I said this was beyond my expertise because, medically, there’s nothing I can see that would cause her to not have woken up yet. I’m running scans, but It’s like she just has no energy.”

The blood began to leave Maria’s face, her jaw slackening. “I can’t believe I didn’t sense it sooner. I… I should have realized it. Oh gods, Aria I’m so sorry.”

“What?”

She brought her fingers to her temples and slowly began to massage them. “There are certain individuals who have the power to … to siphon off the life energy of others.”

“You mean vampires?” the nurse asked. “You’ve fought those before haven’t you?”

I nodded, trying to calm myself down and focus on the situation at-hand. “Yes, there was a vampire hiding in the hospital morgue recently.”

Maria shook her head quickly. “No, not like vampires. These beings are psionic in nature, like me. They’re our dirty little secret. Psionic adepts don’t like to talk about, or admit, that these monsters, these soul-devourers exist.”

“WHAT?!” I shrieked. I couldn’t believe my ears. “You mean something… ATE her soul?!”

“Well, yes and no. Look, it’s a long story and we don’t have time for me to tell you the long version. Just get everyone together.” She hesitated before adding, “If you have a way to contact Raven Wing I’d do it because this probably concerns her too. You’ve been waiting for another puzzle piece to fall into place, and this could be it.”

“Alright, but what are you going to do?”

She turned to the nurse, responding to my question in a determined tone, “I’m going into Banshee’s mind, and I pray to Santa Maria she forgives me when she wakes up, but I’ve got no choice. I have to see what she saw. I have to know what we’re dealing with.”

I still didn’t understand exactly what she was going on about, but I decided not to argue. Leaving her to her work, I ran back out of the room, barreling past two surprised security personnel in the process (and causing one of them to spill her coffee) as I raced for the communications relay room. I found Rose standing numbly at the comm. control, her arms folded as she stared blankly at the security monitors. Static and snow still covered the glass screens.

“Rose?” I whispered as I placed my hand on her shoulder. She slowly glanced back at me, wrapping me in a hug.

“Aria, I’m sorry. The alarm never went off. None of us knew anything was wrong until it was too late.”

“It’s okay. We’re going to get her back, and we’re going to get whatever did this to her. Right now we need to get Volcaness here, and I need to call Raven Wing. Will you handle Volcaness for me?”

She managed a weak laugh. “Sure, give me the hard job. Yeah, no problem.”

I planted myself in one of the office chairs at the control panel, picking up the phone and dialing the number Raven Wing had given me to relay any information on her raven god situation. Rather than Raven Wing, though, the child answered.

“Hello child of fate.”

“Don’t screw with me you little brat.” I snapped back. “I need to talk to Raven Wing, and no, it’s not about you this time.”

She giggled vapidly. “Of course it’s about me. It’s ALL been about me. The sooner you understand that, the closer you’ll be to winning, silly goose! But if you want me to wake her, you’ll have to answer my riddle.”

I groaned, exhaling slowly. “Fine. What’s your damned riddle?”

“Ooh, goodie!” she squealed with joy. “Okay, here goes. Why is a raven like a writing desk?”

“What?”

“Why is a raven like a writing desk?”

“That’s not funny!”

“It is too! Just answer the question!” she insisted. I could almost picture her pouting on the other end.

I sighed, defeated. “Fine. I don’t know.”

“Exactly,” the voice responded in a profoundly sage tone. A moment later, Raven Wing yawned.

“Hello?”

“Raven Wing! Thank God. Listen, I need your help.”

“Errf, Aria? What time is it?” she mumbled.

“It’s half-past two I think. I don’t have time to explain right now, but Banshee’s in trouble. Maria thinks you might be connected — or more specifically, your little ‘friend’. She asked me to call you. We’re about to go vampire hunting.”

“… If ANYONE else had called me at this hour and told me that, I’d be staking them instead. I’ll be right there.”

I exhaled slowly as I hung up the phone, Rose glancing at me with a sympathetic smile. “This is so messed up. Just once, just ONCE I’d like things to be simple.”

She chuckled quietly. “Yeah no kidding. Capes ought to come with an instruction manual. But I’m kind of glad I’m here, too. I know this whole situation with Banshee is horrible, but it makes me feel better knowing I can help you. I promise I’ll do whatever I can.”

“Thanks Rose,” I offered almost timidly as I stood, and in a moment of weakness, found myself collapsing into her arms. I sobbed into her shoulder as she comforted me. “She’s all I have… She’s all I’ve ever had. The idea of losing her…” I bit my lip, but Rose smiled as she pushed a few tresses of fake blonde hair back behind my ear.

“Hey… We’re not going to lose her, alright? We’ll get whatever did this to her, and she’ll be as good as new. C’mon, let’s go meet Volcaness and Raven Wing.” She smiled, turning to lead me toward the door. I inhaled deeply, holding it in for a moment to try and get my emotions under control again, slowly exhaling as we stepped into the hall.

Volcaness arrived first, bursting through the doors with a small trail of flames in her wake. She rushed over to us, and I could swear I saw bright blazes leaping in her irises as she spoke. “Banshee’s been true to her word through everything that’s happened to me. She didn’t have to help me after what I did to her, but she did. I swear to you, Aria, I will make whoever did this BURN for it.”

“Assuming it can burn,” Raven Wing’s voice called from behind us, standing in her full battle armor. A pair of wispy black wings protruding from her back settled against her form for only a moment before dissipating completely. She stepped closer, but kept a foot or two of distance between herself and the others. I however immediately moved to embrace her, causing her to smile a little.

“What, no test to prove it’s me?”

I smiled, kissing her lightly. She blinked several times in surprise, but before she could respond, I turned back to the others, stepping back to stand by Raven Wing’s side. “We can’t discount that this is another part of the Trickster’s game. That’s why Raven Wing’s here; there might be another clue in all this. We’ll see.” I tried to sound authoritative. With Mother absent, Silver Sentinel would handle the running of our base, but I had to assume the role of leadership: a concept that made my stomach turn.

“Right. Where’s Maria? I want to get to some head-busting,” Volcaness responded impatiently. I rolled my shoulders slightly.

“She’s with Mom right now. She said something about getting an imprint, but I didn’t quite follow it all.”

A disembodied, girlish giggle echoed through the hall. Volcaness and Rose’s expressions suggested that it wasn’t just me that heard it, either. The voice of the child-form the raven god so enjoyed teasing us with followed. “Oh, my dear Child of Fate, you cannot see what is as plain as the nose on your lover’s face?”

Raven Wing’s cheeks began to burn profusely. Rose sloooowly looked between the two of us, blinking once. Volcaness leaned over and whispered something in her ear, but I was more occupied with our tormentor.

“What exactly are you getting at?”

“For what it’s worth, my fingerprints are all over this, but as well, I am innocent.”

“What? YOU did this?!” I rushed forward, but she vanished, reappearing behind me.

“Temper temper, Child of Fate.” She giggled innocently. “I told you, I am innocent.”

Raven Wing frowned. “You set something in motion that caused this, didn’t you?”

The child smiled a knowing smile, her eyes sparkling with wisdom far beyond her current form’s years. “I knew I chose well when I selected the two of you.” She vanished, leaving Raven Wing and me staring at each other in surprise.

Maria came running up a few brief seconds later, out of breath. “I have the information we need-” she paused, staring at us. “… What did I miss?”

Volcaness smirked. “Oh, nothing much. Just more insane riddles from an apparently insane raven god.”

“Ah, okay. You’ll have to fill me in later. Right now I think I know where our creature is hiding. In my vision I saw a sea of lifeless trees. The trees were covered in a thin blanket of white snow, and it was very cold. In other words, a cold place with a lot of dead people.”

“The city morgue,” I responded immediately. She nodded.

“Exactly. I tried to call, but there was no answer.”

“That’s not good. Alright, let’s move. Maria, Raven, you’re with me. Rose, Volcaness, we’ll meet you there. Do NOT engage until we’re all together.”

Volcaness gave me a surprised glance, but she smiled approvingly. “We’ll follow your lead.”

Things seemed quiet outside the morgue: far, far too quiet. I tried to open the front doors, but they were locked tight. Raven placed her hand on my shoulder and smiled, stepping forward. She knelt in front of the lock, hovering her armored palm over it. Tiny threadlike tendrils of shadow shot forward and into the keyhole. A few short clicks followed, and she stood, pushing it open.

“That’s amazing. How did you do that?” Rose gasped.

Raven Wing giggled a little. “Oh, I didn’t pick it; I broke it from the inside.” She smiled proudly. We rushed inside, confirming our fears. Slumped over the front desk was a man in a white uniform. The desk, in disarray, showed some limited signs of a struggle. We crept further inside, but the sound of the front door being ripped off its hinges caught us by surprise. Volcaness lit up like a bonfire, illuminating our would-be assailant. Tank grunted.

“Jeeze, Volc! Amp down the flames! What the hell’re you kids doin’ here anyway?!”

“Tank?!” Volcaness responded in surprise. “Jesus, I nearly roasted you. We’re here to kill the creature that attacked Banshee. What are YOU doing here?!”

“Attacked Banshee?! … Son of a- Look, I’m partly responsible for this, and I’m sorry, but I’m here to fix things. Just stay outta the way so you don’t get hurt awright?”

“What do you mean ‘partly responsible’?” I asked, utterly confused. He sighed as he stepped closer, placing his massive hands gently on my shoulders.

“Aria, the freak that’s holed up in here was a legacy of the people that experimented on me. I went to bust up the lab, but one of ‘em escaped with a dose of the revised serum, shot his self up real good, and took the train right to crazytown, screamin’ about takin’ revenge for somethin’ that happened twenty years ago. Hell’f I know what he meant, but this’ my mess, and I gotta clean it up.”

“Tank, let us help you. This is my Mom we’re talking about.”

“No. He’s hurt too many people already. Ain’t puttin’ you at risk too. You know what he did to Banshee, and you know what a tough old battleaxe she is. Think what he’d do to you?”

Volcaness growled. “Oh for God’s sakes, Tank, quit with macho bull already! We’re going and that’s final.”

He sighed reluctantly, staring at her. “God damit, Volc. You may have the body of a kid now, but you’re as stubborn as ever. FINE, come along, but if he lunges at you, for God’s sakes, turn into a fireball or somethin’.” He grumbled, stomping past us. We stayed close behind.

The first examination room looked like something out of a horror film with dismembered body parts strewn about, though thankfully it looked like they all belonged to the morgue’s resident population. At least, none of them seemed to have any clothing or other personal effects attached, not that it gave my stomach any comfort. Tank sneered.

“This ain’t right.”

As if on cue, a maniacal, male giggle — or perhaps more like a cackle, echoed throughout the room. Volcaness brightened her aura of flame to illuminate the room, and in the far corner, a twisted, rail-thin figure in the tattered remains of a lab coat knelt, its back to us as though examining something. It stood and turned, opening its mouth to reveal razor-like teeth. Its twisted claw-like hands stretched, and in an instant it lunged for Tank.

He yelled out in surprise, spinning to the side and connecting with its jaw. I shrieked, literally and power-wise as Rose and Maria leapt back. Volcaness though, strode right up to the creature. “You… I’ll kill you!” she bellowed, igniting the creature. It screamed in tortured agony, rolling around on the floor, but the harder it tried to put out the flames, the more intense they became.

Tank grabbed Volcaness by the shoulder, forcing her around to face him even despite the fact that he had essentially just shoved his hand into a furnace. “Volc, this ain’t him! Calm it down a notch before ya roast us!”

She blinked, letting both the flames surrounding her and the flames now flat-out blackening the corpse dissipate. She frowned, poking at the crispy critter with her boot. “… Sorry Tank. It’s just… Banshee’s been like the Mom I never had ever since the change, y’know? Anyway, what WAS that thing?”

“Damn if I know,” he responded, turning to continue.

I suddenly realized one member was conspicuously missing, and started looking around. In all the chaos, I’d lost sight of Raven Wing.

“Guys? Where’s Raven?”

Tank grunted, Volcaness shaking her head. Rose hesitantly spoke up. “I… I thought I saw someone heading further in.”

“Damit!” I shouted, rushing past Tank to try and find Raven Wing. I burst through a pair of wooden, swinging doors, not unlike a hospital ward door, entering into a long hallway. Further in, I caught a glimpse of Raven Wing just as she rounded a corner into a room. I raced after her, but the door wouldn’t open.

“She doesn’t want you to see,” the little girl whispered in my ear as I pounded on the door.

“See what?” I practically demanded. She giggled.

“See what she’s going to do to this poor creature.”

“… What do you mean?” I stopped trying to get the door open, knowing Tank could rip it open once he caught up.

“You haven’t figured it out yet? Come now, Child of Fate… She envies you for having a mother like Banshee. This creature hurt Banshee. She doesn’t want you to see the monster she’s about to become in order to even the score.”

“… What?! RAVEN! Damit!” I cried out as I slammed my fists against the hardwood as, in my rage, I couldn’t focus and direct my powers. Raven Wing told me once before that I saved her from herself. I almost lost her once. I would not lose her again, but the door refused to budge.

Tank easily pushed me aside, slamming his shoulder hard into the door. Not only did it splinter and shatter, he also took a sizable portion of the wall with him. Raven Wing, surrounded by shifting clouds of shadow, abruptly spun around. The shadows faded, and Tank sprinted right past her, planting his fist firmly in the slightly more human-looking figure further in.

“I’ll rip out your throat!” he bellowed as he punched the figure in the stomach. It somehow managed to worm its way loose from Tank’s grasp, sprinting at an ungodly speed right for Raven Wing as it cackled.

“I’ll take her with me!” it shrieked. It stopped dead in its tracks when the inconspicuous potted plant in the corner of the room abruptly grew to twenty times’ its length to lash out. Its thickening stem grew hard and thorny, encasing his legs and rooting him firmly.

Tank stepped up behind him, knocking him off his feet with the help of the plant’s sudden growth, and Volcaness, Raven Wing, Psychic Strike and I made short work of his now prone form, in a brilliant flurry of fire and shadows.

Volcaness breathed heavily as the carnage came to an end. “Was THAT him?” she asked as she leaned against a filing cabinet to catch her breath.

“Yeah, that was him. Cremate his ass, and I mean as hot as you can get it without roastin’ the room. I don’t wanna take no chances.”

Volcaness nodded, outstretching her hand, even as Tank stepped over the burning body, walking right past us. I moved to follow him.

“Hey, wait, where are you going?”

He paused, turning to stare down at me. “Told ya, kid, this was my fault. I’m gonna take responsibility for it. Turnin’ myself in for lettin’ this freak loose.”

“Tank… This isn’t your fault. You’re…” I paused, blinking. “… Innocent.” I could hear that faint, disembodied giggle in my ear as those words sank in. “Look, this guy got what he deserved for what he did to you and the others. I mean sure, he attacked Mot- I mean Banshee, but you couldn’t have known or helped that. And YOU!” I continued, turning to Raven Wing and throwing my arms around her.

“Don’t you dare ever do that again. I don’t care what kind of power you’re capable of summoning up, if it’s at the cost of losing you, I don’t want you to do it, even for Mom, alright?”

She blinked in surprise, and started to say something, but paused, a quiet smile crossing her lips. I had to wonder if perhaps the Trickster might be whispering something to her, now, too? She exhaled slowly. “Let’s… get you out of here.”

Maria nodded. “Good idea. Tank, come back to headquarters with us.”

“S’where I was headin’ anyway. I’ll meet y’all back there.”

As the five of us followed Tank back out, I found myself reflecting on everything the raven god had said to me. What was he leading to? There had to be something I was missing. I bit my lip, glancing at Raven Wing. “Why is a raven like a writing desk?”

“I don’t know,” she responded immediately.

“Exactly,” I replied.

“… Wait, what?”

“That’s one of the clues to ‘the game’.”

Maria chuckled to herself. “Admitting you know nothing is the first step on the path to enlightenment in many philosophical traditions, most notably Buddhism.”

“So… Enlightenment, cause and effect, secrets… I still don’t get it.”

“I think we’re getting closer. What I want to know is what he gets out of this,” Raven Wing replied dryly. “Even if we do win, he has to be setting us up for something.”

“Indeed I am,” came the whispered response. Raven Wing growled and seemed to focus for a moment.

“There. I was saving my shut-it-up time for you and me to have some alone time after the dust settled, but if it means not having his-her voice in my head until we get you safely home, it’s almost worth the sacrifice.”

“Well, at least we have the morgue,” I teased. She rolled her eyes, giving me a light squeeze as we slowly stepped out into the crisp night air. One thing bothered me though. Exactly how was the raven god involved in all this? Did he set something in motion to cause that horrible monster to do those things to Tank, or did he simply tip the big guy off as to the whereabouts of the new lab?

I resolved to ask him later, once we were back at Headquarters, but for now, I had another phone call to make to the local authorities. With Banshee out, responsibilities now fell to me, at least in the field. That, perhaps more than this madman, more than the thought of losing to the Trickster Raven, terrified me greatly.

Issue 7: The Last Dance

“What is love?”

We increasingly spent time together though most of that time we invested in research. Still, the surrealness of having my ‘arch foe’ at arm’s length and on speed dial had finally worn off. More and more I began to consider her a dear friend, and perhaps more. I couldn’t deny my feelings for her, but at the same time we had more important problems. The media, of course, had a field day when the story broke. It didn’t help that Mother ‘mysteriously disappeared’, as one reporter put it. I had to lie and tell them she was on a sabbatical in Ireland and couldn’t be disturbed.

I was at my wit’s end with the situation with Mother, though. I couldn’t even pass by her office without breaking down. Our med bay nurse did everything she could to keep her condition stable, perhaps more than could be asked of anyone, but her condition simply would not improve, and I was getting desperate.

I began getting in touch with doctors the world over, quietly bringing them in to examine her, or sending them the relevant data on her condition, but her condition baffled them. This morning I had met with three different doctors, two medical technicians, and an acupuncturist. Mother’s physiology, like mine, is so far out of the ‘norm’ though that I think I heard one of them mumbling about consulting an exorcist instead.

“Excuse me, young lady,” an older male voice roused me from my somber reflection. A half-empty pizza box sat on the conference table before me, but I had only taken a few nibbles off one slice, Volcaness and Rose having doing most of the damage prior to an emergency calling them away. When I looked up, my gaze met his. Stormy grey eyes stared back at me.

He had an odd sort of smile. His long, gray hair rested about his shoulders, his face weathered and rough with age. His darkened, reddish skin gave away his nationality immediately, though more than that, I couldn’t have placed even with the amount of time I had invested in Native American lore lately. I managed a weak smile as I motioned for him to come closer.

“Yes, can I help you?” I tried to sound cordial. He looked down at the book in my hands, a leather bound hardback edition of a guide to ancient spirits, as a slow smile crept across his lips.

“Actually I am here to help you.” I stared at him for another moment. Something about him felt so familiar, but wrong somehow. It was then that I noticed it. He had a single raven’s feather braided into his hair just at the back. He chuckled to himself and smiled, shaking his head. “I am not who you think.”

I stood, slowly stepping around the conference table. I had thought to put forth some sort of air of authority or intimidation, but when I stopped in front of the man, and I looked up, realizing just how much his tall form dwarfed mine, I just couldn’t go through with it. I could no more be Mother than Raven Wing could be her father.

“I’m sorry, but my Mother’s life is too important for these games.”

“Then it is more serious than I thought,” he answered solemnly. “As I have said, I am not who you believe me to be. I know what torments you, Aria Blade, the Child of Fate. I come bearing a gift of wisdom.”

“What… What are you talking about?” I stammered, even more confused. I was certain this was the Trickster playing yet another of his games. The old man’s lips curled into a more curious smile.

“If you win, or if you lose is not important.”

“Of course it’s important! Raven Wing’s life is-”

Suddenly, my earbud communicator sprang to life with the excited voice of our nurse. “Aria get down here, quickly! She’s awake! I don’t know how, but she’s awake!”

My eyes widened. I looked up at my nameless guest, and he smiled back at me. He winked then stepped aside, motioning toward the door. “Do not let me keep you.”

I dumbly nodded. What else could I do? I raced past him, slamming right into Maria in the process. She groaned as she stumbled backwards, but laughed. She quickly reached out to help me up. “Sorry chica. I heard the news and came running.”

“It’s okay,” I managed, the shock shaking me from my stunned silence. “Hey why don’t you-” I began, turning back to the old man. He was gone.

“Uh, you okay?” Maria asked, peering over my shoulder into the empty room.

“The old man… He was just here a second ago.”

“I’ve been here all afternoon. Nobody’s come or gone without my knowing about it, and I definitely didn’t sense anyone new. C’mon, let’s get down to med bay. You can fill me in on the way.”

As we stepped off the elevator together, Maria shook her head. “I’m telling you, it sounds like there’s more going on here than we realized. Old men and little girls who come and go as they please, science-spawned psionic monsters. What else did he say to you?”

“It’s really weird, Psy. He… said that winning and losing aren’t what’s important.”

She shook her head slowly, furrowing her brow. “More cryptic riddles. I’m a certified genius and even I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean. How can winning make no difference when the stakes are so high?”

“Welcome to my world,” I whined, burying my head in her shoulder for just a moment. She smiled and planted a light kiss on the top of my head.

“Poor baby. You know your friends are here for you. Now come on, Banshee’s going to want to see you as much as you wanna see her.”

I nodded. As we rounded the corner into Medical, the nurse met us at the door. She looked exactly the way I felt, as though a ten ton weight had just been lifted off our shoulders.

“I don’t know how it happened,” she offered, shaking her head. “I was just going over the latest test results, getting ready to fax a copy to Doctor Lang over at the University Medical Center when the motion sensor went haywire. I thought it was Tank coming to check on her again without warning me, until he came barreling through the door wanting to know what was going on.” She chuckled as she led us further into the medical bay, down an off-shoot hall to the private room where Mother had been resting.

Tank was sitting by the bed which had been inclined to let Mother sit up. Despite the chill winter outside, he wore only a sleeveless white t-shirt and ragged, faded jeans. He had his head down, holding Mother’s hand. She smiled as she waved us over. Tank looked up, quickly clearing his throat and standing.

“Hey, there you are. I been fillin’ Banshee in on what went down after she was attacked, and how you took charge in her absence. I’ll juss’ give you some privacy.” He gave Mother a lazy two-fingered salute, which caused her to genuinely chuckle.

I stepped closer, a little cautiously, but she smiled. “It’s alright, I’m not going to break,” she spoke in a motherly tone. I felt my knees buckle as I reached her side. Somehow she managed to catch me, pulling me into her arms. I lay like that for what felt like an eternity, crying into her shoulder.

“I was so scared. I thought I had lost you forever!” I wept. She pulled away my blonde wig, stroking the black tresses that had been hidden beneath. She let my hair fall naturally around my shoulders before cupping my face in her hands and lifting my chin. She smiled.

“I am so very proud of you. You are everything I could have ever asked for in a daughter, and so much more.” Her smile brightened, and we embraced again. Maria tentatively stepped closer.

“Banshee, I … I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. When you were attacked, I had to go inside your mind to find out what happened. Your thoughts were unshielded. You have my absolute word that I won’t tell another living soul what I saw in there. I didn’t even mean, or want, to see anything. It’s just, I…” Maria stammered.

Mother shook her head. “You did what was necessary. I would have ordered you to do the same with any other member if it meant saving them. I’m sure Silver Sentinel will be as understanding. After all, that was twenty years ago,” she answered simply.

I slowly looked between the two of them. More secrets, but at least this, whatever ‘this’ was, happened before I was born. Maria shook her head ‘no’, and Mother remained stone-faced, so I instead changed the subject.

“What was it like? Do you remember anything?”

“It was as close to death as I can imagine death being. I felt as though my body and my spirit were in two different places. I can’t describe it, and I didn’t know how much time had passed. For me it felt both instantaneous, and like an eternity. I suddenly heard a voice calling out to me. It told me my role was played out, and that I could return. I awoke to Tank standing over me, apologizing profusely.” She chuckled lightly.

“It wasn’t… an older male voice was it?”

“No,” she answered, shaking her head. “More like a small child: a little girl.”

Maria and I stared at each other. “Do you think the old man works for the Trickster?” Maria asked. I just shook my head.

“None of this makes any sense. I need to let Raven Wing know you’re okay though. I don’t know if Tank mentioned her to you, but she almost sacrificed everything to avenge you.”

“She… what?” Mother asked, utterly stunned. She looked between Maria and me, then back at Maria. The psychic nodded.

“I saw it with my own eyes. She was doing the same ritual Aria Blade stopped the first time, when she tried to destroy her demonic father. She would’ve given up who she was to avenge you, ma’am.”

Mother took that bit of news in silence. She glanced away for a moment. I stood, bending down to hug her one more time before turning to follow Maria out. She needed her rest, and we had just bombarded her with quite a bit of information.

“I don’t get it,” I spoke up again as we left the med bay. “You said that you thought that monster stole her life force, right?”

“Emphasis on ‘thought’,” Maria offered sheepishly. “We’re dealing with powers beyond my understanding. If I had to guess, knowing what I know now? I’d say your Trickster probably saved her life. The psycho probably thought he killed her, when in reality the Raven god snatched her away, like what happened to you when you tried to take Raven Wing’s hand that first time, you know, to mess with your head some more.”

“I’m going to kill him,” I grumbled. Maria giggled.

“Hold your horses. Jumping to conclusions is what got me in trouble, remember?” She gave me a sisterly smile. “Remember, he’s sometimes seen as benevolent in lore. His games benefit some and punish others. Maybe there’s more to this than what we can see.”

“So what do you suggest?” I asked, trying to maintain my calm.

“Well, he’s obsessed with truth, at least in this ‘game’. Have you tried asking him directly what he wants?”

I blinked. I stopped in my tracks and turned to stare at her. That was the single craziest thing I had heard all week, and yet she might have been right. Neither Raven Wing nor I had actually stopped to ask what he/she wanted from us.

“Where is he now?” I asked hesitantly. We stood beneath a very large, very old oak tree on a small hilltop, in the New Heathridge City Cemetery. Raven Wing sat on the recently placed tombstone of a young woman that rested beneath the ancient branches, as though disrespect for the dead were a completely foreign concept. I cringed, causing her to shoot a concerned glance my way.

“What is it?” she asked, confused. “And to answer your question, I really don’t know. I haven’t heard from the little girl in three days now. It’s almost creepier NOT having her constantly invading my thoughts.”

“So why did you want to meet in a place like this anyway?” I asked, trying to ignore her continued desecration. She smiled and rolled her shoulders.

“You don’t like graveyards? Look at that sunset. It’s so peaceful here. The dead don’t say much, and the ones that do are usually fun to talk to.” I shot her a glare, causing her to giggle. “Would you relax? She’s not here. What was so important anyway?”

“Mother’s back. But it’s the way she returned that has me worried.”

“Uh oh.” She hopped off the tombstone and stepped closer, looking me in the eye now. “Aria, what happened?”

“I had a visitor today. He looked like a medicine man right out of an old west movie or something. He had a message for us about the Trickster.” I proceeded to explain to her everything that had happened. I even told her about Mother’s reaction to her nearly sacrificing herself to avenge her. When I finished, Raven Wing slowly shook her head. She placed her hand to her forehead as she sat beneath the tree, lightly rubbing the bridge of her nose.

“That makes no sense. So what does matter then?”

“This gave Maria a headache too,” I offered. Raven Wing laughed.

“Oh good, it’s not just me. Um, one question. You said Banshee heard a voice calling her back. Was it the old man who disappeared?”

“No, that’s the weirdest part. It was … well, it was a young girl’s.”

“What?” she stated, more than asked, as she stared up at me.

“Maria thinks that the Trickster stole mother’s spirit in order to make the madman think he killed her,” I began. She picked up on it immediately.

“So that he would leave about his business, just in time for us to converge with Tank and beat him senseless. But if that’s true, then the vision she received…”

“Would have been planted there by the Trickster,” I continued her thought this time. “Yeah, that was her thought as well. Raven, I’ve been thinking,”

I moved to kneel by her side. “This … thing is obviously interested in both of us. Why?”

“I have no idea,” she answered honestly, and with less bite in her tone than I expected.

“Exactly,” I offered. She stared blankly back at me. “Truth. It’s obsessed with truth. Maybe we should ask, and see what happens?”

As if on cue, the sound of leaves and grass crunching beneath small feet caught our attention. The small girl, dressed in an adorable red velvet holiday dress, skipped over to us. The high gloss of her Mary Jane shoes reflected the setting sun as she curtseyed deeply.

“So why don’t you ask?” the little girl echoed with an enigmatic smile.

Raven Wing stared silently at her. It was as though she suddenly found herself frozen in time. Finally, she closed her eyes. “What is it that you want with us? Why did you choose us?”

“Ah-ah,” the girl answered. “One question. That was the game you chose to play with Aria that first day, isn’t it?” she teased. “For your first question, I want to play. Isn’t that obvious?”

Raven Wing and I stared blankly at each other. When we returned our gaze to her, her grin had broadened. Her little dimpled cheeks almost seemed to glow with childlike joy. Knowing an ancient deity of charm and pranks lie in wait behind those innocent eyes made the whole surreal experience all the more unsettling.

“So do you want to ask us something in return?” I asked. She grinned.

“You just used up your question, but yes. I do.” Raven Wing elbowed me lightly, causing me to flinch. I settled on the ground beside her, waiting for the spirit’s response.

“What is love?”

“What?” Raven Wing stammered.

“Love is a willingness to sacrifice yourself for the good of another, whether or not they know it. Love is bearing your soul willingly even knowing you could get hurt. Love is trusting that you won’t.”

Raven Wing slowly turned to stare at me. “Love is a kiss between friends who have every reason to hate each other.”

The spirit giggled. “So cute! Okay, Ms. Wing, your next question is…?”

“I stand by my original question. Why did you choose us?”

“I didn’t,” the spirit answered simply. “You chose her.” She nodded toward me. Again Raven Wing and I stared at each other.

“What do you mean she chose me?” I asked, turning back to the spirit. She giggled.

“You still don’t get it, do you?”

Raven Wing grinned. “And you just used your question.”

The spirit looked, for a moment, to be completely shocked by Raven Wing’s comment. She stared baffled back at her, and then started to giggle. “So what is the answer?”

“No, I don’t get ‘it’. I don’t know what ‘it’ is.”

Raven Wing though, had a calculating smile creeping across her lips. “Why do you call Aria Blade ‘Child of fate’?”

The spirit practically cackled with glee as she clapped her hands together. “Because that’s exactly what she is. Yes, she was ‘born’ of mortal parents, once upon a time…”

“Wait a minute,” Raven Wing continued, turning back to me. “Remember what Banshee said? When you became a girl, you also became her daughter! Come on, Aria, don’t tell me you don’t see it too!” She had begun to sound like the Trickster now, but I could see where she was going with this.

“So I’m a demigod?” I asked. The little girl slapped her palm to her face, shaking her head.

“So close! My turn, my turn!” She stepped closer, looking Raven Wing in the eye. “Why do you love her?” She tilted her head curiously, her tone sounding as though she were asking Raven Wing’s favorite flavor of ice cream.

Raven Wing’s cheeks turned bright red. “I… she’s different. I can’t explain it.” She slowly turned to face me. “Even when we were fighting, part of me wanted to just reach out and embrace you, and never let you go.”

“Why didn’t you say anything? Why did you keep trying to kill me?”

Raven Wing giggled as she shook her head. “If I wanted you dead, you would’ve been a long time ago. I was trying to get your attention. That’s all. When this…” she paused, nodding toward the child, who smiled innocently back at us, “little brat came into my life though, things changed. I suddenly didn’t hurt anymore. Not as much. I saw the world, for the first time, clearly, and I realized that what I was doing to you was … “wrong”.”

“So you see, Child of Fate,” the little girl continued, “My gift to her was empathy.”

“Um… Whose turn is it again?” Raven Wing asked, apparently trying to change the subject. The spirit giggled.

“Hers,” she nodded toward me. I knew what I wanted to ask.

“Why did you become involved with us in the first place?”

The spirit gave a sage nod, and a wry smile. “Because you asked me to. Did you not even realize who it was you invoked, when you so brazenly sought empowerment?”

“I-I thought I was invoking the ancient Banshee.”

The girl giggled loudly. “You actually believed that silly legend?”

Raven Wing grinned. “Sorry, only one question per turn,” she teased. I high-fived Raven Wing. The spirit seemed less amused this time. It was slipping, which could be either good, or bad. I wasn’t sure which, just yet.

“Very well. Ask your question.” The spirit nodded toward Raven Wing, who smiled smugly, clearly enjoying the reversal of fortune.

“What did the other spirit mean when he said that winning doesn’t matter?”

The girl furrowed her brow, genuinely surprised. “Wait, hold on a moment. WHAT other spirit?”

“Setting our little game aside a moment,” I offered, “The old man who came to see me shortly before you freed Mother.”

Again, she shook her head, confused. I stood, holding my hand up. “He was about this tall with gray hair and silver-ish eyes. He looked like some sort of shaman or medicine man.”

“I see… What was he wearing?”

“The only thing that really stood out was that he had a raven feather braided into his hair, a bit like those you sometimes leave behind.”

She scowled outright. “That is why I did not know.” Her tone shifted, becoming more serious and foreboding. “What did he say to you? It is vital that I know, word for word, what it is that he said.”

“Not so fast,” Raven Wing answered, standing. “You’ve been teasing and screwing with us for months now, and now you expect Aria Blade to just be completely honest with you? Why should she trust you?”

The spirit exhaled slowly. “You are right. You have no reason to trust me, so I will give you one.”

The spirit stepped closer. She took my hand, placing it in Raven Wing’s. “I have been testing you, ‘teasing’ as you put it because I wanted to see where your potential lies. I wanted to know if you, Raven Wing, were truly worthy of my name.” She smiled up at Raven Wing. “You have bested me at my game, and in exchange I will give you a small portion of my power. Now, do you believe me? Will you trust me?”

Raven Wing hesitated. She turned her gaze to me. “What about Aria? What does she get out of all this?”

The girl laughed. “I thought we already went over this. She had her wish granted, though not exactly in the way she desired.” The girl winked playfully at me, then turned back to Raven Wing. “But does she not also have you? … Do you not love her?”

I smiled wryly. “She’s right, you know. Whatever your feelings for me, you were willing to sacrifice yourself for my mother, and for me.”

Raven Wing slowly turned to face me. She stared in silence back at me for several seconds. “You very nearly got yourself killed trying to save me too, you know.”

I turned back to the little girl and knelt. “The old man said that he had come to help me.” I closed my eyes, thinking back to the conversation earlier that day. I could almost hear his voice in my thoughts as I recited it. I felt Raven Wing’s hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to look up at her.

She was pointing at something. I stood to see the old man standing a mere few feet from us, his arms folded, and a crooked smile on his lips. He brought his hands together slowly, methodically applauding.

“And the last piece falls into place. So this is where you have been hiding yourself, old man, behind the face of an innocent. I knew if I waited long enough, these fools would lure you into the open.” He smiled smugly.

“It is time to stop all this foolishness and leave these mortals to their well-earned fate. You and I have unfinished business!” I felt my body suddenly wracked with pain. I fell to my knees.

“STOP IT!” the little girl shrieked. A clap of thunder echoed across the horizon as a sudden gust of wind knocked the old man backwards.

“You will pay for that!” he barked, staggering to his feet again. He hesitated, smirking. “You wear that form well: fragile and useless.”

I could barely move, but Raven Wing somehow seemed unaffected. She raced forward, slamming a shadowy fist into the old man’s jaw, which sent him reeling. Before he could recover, she began a rapid barrage of punches in his stomach. As he keeled over, she raised her knee to his face, sending him flying backwards. He landed with such force that the earth shook beneath us.

“Give it up old man. It’s over!” she sneered. He stumbled to his feet and began to laugh.

“Over? Oh I think not; it’s only just begun.” As he spoke, his voice shifted, darkening. He stomped closer and snatched up the little girl. “Useless, pathetic whelp. Die with your little mortal pawns!” he shouted, flinging her to the ground. To my surprise, she cried out in pain as she collapsed at my side.

My energy was almost spent, but I reached over and pulled her into my arms. I held her close, and I began to sing, attempting vainly to shield her, to shield us both. Raven Wing shook her head slowly.

“You disgust me. You’re just like my father — a coward who only shows any real initiative when picking on little girls.”

“Little girl?” the old man’s voice echoed as he laughed a dark, bone-chilling chortle. “Your father was a weakling, unworthy of my gift, even after all that time in the stone prison. You, though. You could have been so much more. You could have been a Princess among demons, and you chose this path instead?”

He outstretched his arms and at once, the sky turned red. He grew taller, and his form began to shift. His muscles bulged and contorted, tearing his clothing to shreds and leaving a large scaled demon in its place, two giant, bony horns jutting from his forehead. His scaly hide blackened, his eyes burning with hatred. He glowered at her, showing his teeth, now each sharpened to a fine point, as he parted his lips to speak. The little girl turned to look at me. She smiled, winked, and fell unconscious in my arms.

“I gave you your power. I can take it away again, and then you will be left with nothing. I give you one final chance. Submit, or die.”

Raven Wing turned to look down at me. She smiled, and turned back to our assailant.

“I would gladly sacrifice myself to save the life of the one I love, but I will not become the monster you want me to be. Take my power and kill me if you must. Leave her out of this.”

The creature snorted with disdain. “I hate it when you mortals grow a spine. Fine.” He stomped closer, clutching her entire face in his massive, clawed hand. I watched helplessly as he transferred shadowy motes of energy from her back into himself. He attempted to throw her aside though, and found that he could neither move her, nor pull his hand away. I looked down to see the girl I was sheltering had disappeared. In her place, a single black feather rested on the ground before me.

“What is THIS?!” the demon shrieked angrily. The little girl’s giggle lilted on the breeze.

“Justice,” she whispered. Bright light began to radiate from Raven Wing as the demon howled in pain. He struggled vainly to free himself, even attempting to bite off his own arm, but he was stuck fast and helpless. A full thirty seconds passed before the demon exploded in a brilliant flash of light, leaving nothing behind but shreds of clothing.

Raven Wing staggered back a step then immediately turned to me. “Oh my God, Aria,” she yelped, scooping me into her arms. “Please say something!”

I smiled weakly. “I’m alive. I can barely move, but I’m alive.”

She breathed a deep, relieved sigh at that, shaking her head. “Don’t ever scare me like that again! What just happened anyway?”

“I… think you just became the champion of a god,” I offered, uncertain. The only confirmation we received was a lilted giggle on the wind.

“We can figure it out later. Right now let’s get you back to med bay. I don’t know what that freak did to you, but it sounded painful.”

“It was,” I managed a weak groan. “Raven, I…”

“Aria, I love you,” she whispered as we left the ground behind. I smiled up at her, using the last bit of energy I could muster to lean up and kiss her cheek.

I had lost consciousness. That was all I could be certain about. Was it all a dream? Did any of it really happen? Raven Wing? Where was Raven Wing? I slowly sat up to take stock of my surroundings. I found myself back in my bedroom at home. I glanced down to see I was dressed in a white nightgown. I was still Aria Blade, at least. In my dizzy state, I couldn’t take anything for granted.

“Oooh,” I groaned. My head throbbed. I heard a familiar voice close by.

“Hey, you’re finally awake,” Raven Wing whispered. She squeezed my hand as she sat on the edge of my bed. “The demon did a number on you, but you’re going to be okay. How much do you remember?”

“I remember you saying you loved me,” I offered meekly. She laughed and leaned down to kiss me.

“I do. You showed me what real love is. I’m ready to take you up on that pizza date whenever you’re feeling better.”

Pizza date? … The trickster! “Hey, what happened with the raven god?”

She smiled and glanced at the door, where a little girl with her hair in pigtails peeked around the corner at me. She stepped further into the room, carrying a pitcher of ice water and a small glass with a drinking straw on a silver tray.

“It seems I’ve adopted a little sister, at least for awhile.” She mused. The girl giggled.

“The demon was right that this form suits my purposes well. I am familiar to you like this, and someone must teach Raven Wing the extent of her new abilities.”

“Remember that shadow trap I used against you when she first appeared?” She asked even as she reached over to pour me a glass of water. As she offered it to me, she continued, “Apparently she took the idea and turned it against the demon. She used me as a trap to take him out. In return, she’s given me some of her … well, ‘his’, I guess, power.”

“What happens now?” I asked.

“What do you mean ‘what happens now’?” she responded, confused.

“You’re not going to leave again are you?”

She laughed, shaking her head. “Wild ravens couldn’t keep me away from you.” She paused, glancing at the little girl, patting her head lightly. “Not even this one.”

In book one Taylor finds himself a herself, his or should we say her life turned upside down, a Brother that is now his or again should we say her sister, Her life story had some minor changes thanks to some melding old ladies and the Universe whose on her side.

Book 1