Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

What if everything you've heard about all that new age stuff is true? What if there really are such things as telepathy and telekinesis? What if it really is possible to levitate and even fly? Imagine the possibilities. Then imagine what would happen if someone managed to learn how to do all of that and more in the span of just a few weeks. That someone would become incredibly powerful in a very short period of time.

Some people would be tempted to abuse so much power, and many would give in to that temptation without a second thought. Human beings are imperfect after all. But what about the more virtuous among us? Could all of that power corrupt even the purest of heart? With enough pain and anguish, would it be possible to push even the most virtuous person to give in to temptation?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: There are two transgendered characters in this story, one of whom is the main character. The other transgendered character is special. She appears near the end of part one. The main character's gender dysphoria doesn't begin until later in the story. That's when everything really ramps up.

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 1

In an otherworldly land of eternal twilight, a lone figure lounged comfortably on a large rock that was roughly shaped like an Adirondack chair. A thick, hazy smoke hung in the air, obscuring the fleeting shadows that skittered over the dry, rocky soil. Everything looked and behaved normally in that dark place, everything except for a pinpoint of light that slowly approached.

When it got closer, the light became unbearably bright as it resolved into an oblong shape, and then a slender, pale figure wearing a long, white robe. Light from the figure pierced the smoke and burned it away, revealing the dark figure who squirmed and pulled at the waist of his plaid Bermuda shorts, the only thing that he wore besides a pair of black sandals. His long, spiky black hair and the dark gray skin of his angular face, stubby limbs and broad chest contrasted greatly with the pale, white-haired figure who floated several feet above the ground before him.

The dark figure had to shield his eyes from the bright light, and he growled at the glowing intruder. "You're not welcome here, asswipe."

The pale being of light looked somewhat more male than female, and he sadly shook his head at the foul language before he spoke. "Aren't you the least bit curious why I'm here?" He received more growling as a reply and continued anyway.

"My name is Aaron, and I'm here because of the attention you started giving a certain young human named Lester."

The dark being shifted nervously in his seat. "Nosy bastard. Mind your own damn business."

"Ah. Since you refuse to show good manners, I'll dispense with formalities. I know your name, Ash, and I know your game."

"You talk too much, jerkwad. Go to.... Go back to heaven."

Aaron shook his head. "I don't reside in heaven, poor creature. How misinformed you are about my kind. I suppose you think I'm here to try to reform you."

Ash laughed at that, a laugh full of good, honest mirth. Aaron could find and bring out at least a little good in almost anyone. It was his duty.

"No," Ash said, his face grim again. "I can't see you reforming me, dork."

"Ah, yes. As expected. But no matter. I'm here to make you a little wager, if you're bold enough."

The dark being raised an eyebrow, both in interest and irritation at the thinly veiled reverse psychology. He wasn't stupid even though it might have seemed that way with his crude choice of words.

"You don't trust me?" Aaron asked, raising his arms straight out with open hands.

"Pious pissants don't gamble. Why are you really here?"

"Seriously. I don't lie. I'm here to make you a wager. I'm betting that you can't corrupt the soul of good young Lester McHenry."

That confused the dark being. He'd already been trying to do just that. Bringing out the bad in people was his duty as much as it was Aaron's to bring out the good. But Ash kept failing miserably. Lester simply had too much good in him. It didn't stop Ash from trying though. Again, it was his duty. That and he liked the challenge that the teenage boy presented.

"I see your confusion so I'll spell out the terms of the wager. I will allow you to bestow one ability on the teenager, any ability within your power. Then we both sit back for one year and indirectly try to influence his use of your gift for either good, in my case of course, or bad. Meddling directly in family affairs is forbidden but everything else within reason is allowed."

Ash thought about that. He wasn't normally able to give abilities to humans. He didn't really want to. It took a lot out of him. Beings like Aaron usually blocked him anyway, leaving him with few options. All he could do was try little tricks that could only indirectly push the target to turn bad. The more he thought about the wager, the more it bothered him. Something didn't make sense.

"Why?!" he said, raising his voice. "Why make a wager?! With me of all beings?! Shouldn't you be trying to turn me to the side of good?! Isn't gambling against your moral code?!"

Aaron smiled. "It depends on the wager. And please forgive me. I've neglected to tell you what we're wagering for. Sadly, you'll win automatically if Lester does anything bad with your ability. It'll fulfill your duty of corrupting a good young man."

"Which I'm doing anyway, moron."

"You're trying to do, you mean."

"Yeah. Rub it in, bastard. Fine then. What happens if you win?"

"I win if he remains good, and if I win, you become my acolyte."

That shocked the dark being. He sputtered until he managed to spit out, "Like hell I will! I'm not gonna wear a white robe and kiss your pious ass!"

Aaron laughed at the image. "You won't have to wear a robe or kiss me. You just have to stay with me and observe me in my duty. It'll be good for you."

Ash shook his head. "Forget it. I'm not following you around for eternity."

"Ah, yes. That would be unreasonable, but I never meant for our time together to last forever. Let's make it three years. I think that's fair."

"One minute with you is too long, asshole."

"I've been here longer than that and you seem to be somewhat entertained so far."

"Only because I can't get rid of you. I can't force you to leave."

"Fair point. I'll leave now and give you some time to think about the wager. Just speak my name if you decide to accept and I'll return to finalize the deal. Remember, my name is Aaron, and I'll be listening." With that, the floating being of light disappeared in a flash, leaving the surrounding smoke to drift back.

"Your name isn't Aaron," the dark being muttered, "it's Shithead, and I'll be damned if I make a wager with you."

"I heard that!" a disembodied voice shouted. "Don't say my name again unless you agree to the wager or I'll cancel it!"

Aaron's voice startled Ash and he grumbled a little. Surprises didn't agree with him. Still, he couldn't help wondering about abilities that might corrupt someone like Lester. He sat in the dark and happily glowered as he thought about the possibilities.

* * *

A tall, thin boy on the cusp of manhood spent his Sunday afternoon sitting on a creaky wooden chair, watching a neighbor girl through his small bedroom window. He would've considered working up the nerve to go outside and talk to her but his recent long streak of bad luck made him apprehensive about doing anything other than sit and hide in his room. If he stubbed his toe one more time, spilled one more glass of milk or got one more paper cut, he'd beg his parents to pad his room and get him a straight jacket. Another week or two of accidents and he thought he might go crazy.

His mother insisted he was just at an awkward age. Going through a growth spurt had made him a little more uncoordinated for a time, but after nearly two months with multiple injuries and accidents on a daily basis, he felt cursed. Objects seemed to almost jump out at him, getting in his way, tripping or hurting him in some fashion. If he believed in guardian angels, he'd pray to his. Instead, he distracted himself by spying on his attractive neighbor.

Angie stood barefoot in her driveway, washing her father's car, wearing white short shorts and a light blue halter top that showed off her athletic body quite well. She could've easily been a cheerleader, practicing with the squad in the late summer heat, but she preferred to help out at home and avoid any high school cliques.

The boy sighed. He loved everything about her, even the way her pony tail of long, wavy brown hair bobbed while she worked. The girl seemed so beautiful, both inside and out. If only he was a little taller and stronger. If only he had enough self-confidence so he didn't think that he needed to be taller and stronger.

"Lester!" his mother called. "Your lunch is ready!"

He cringed when he heard his name. He hated it. Lester sounded too formal and the common nickname, Les, was even worse. It reminded him of the word "less," making him feel inadequate in so many ways. The only reason he tolerated his name was to honor his parents. They graced him with the name long before he could develop his hatred of it. They couldn't have known.

His chair protested with a loud creak as he got up. Every time he sat on it, he worried it would fall apart.

'Poor old thing,' he thought.

As he turned his back on the chair, he noticed that he wore a male version of Angie's outfit with the colors reversed. He wore blue jean cutoffs and a white tank top, and the similar outfits made him imagine how nice the two of them would look together out on a date at his favorite pizzeria. The thought made him smile until he arrived in the kitchen to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an apple that his mother left for him. He didn't notice the glass of milk until it was too late. He just caught the lip of the glass with his left hand, spilling the contents all over the high, narrow kitchen counter.

"Not again!"

He turned around and lunged for the roll of paper towels to mop up his mess, only to snag his foot on a heavy metal stool by the counter, sending him stumbling across the room. He hit the handle of the cupboard door under the sink and badly bruised his hip. The intense pain made him slightly nauseous and he let himself slump to the floor, curling into a fetal position for a nice, safe break from the implements of torture all around him.

Lester's mother entered the adjoining dining room through the sliding glass door at that moment. The slender woman looked down at her son and slowly shook her head full of long, wavy blonde hair. "Stop being so dramatic, honey," she told him. After hearing milk dripping onto the floor, she added, "And please clean up your mess. I've got to get back out to the garden."

"Yes, Mother," came the muffled reply.

She carefully stepped over her son to get a plastic cup and returned to the sink, filling it with water and quickly downing it before rushing back outside. She loved her garden.

The teen slowly got up and carefully reached for the paper towels. He ripped off several, dampened a couple and returned to the counter to mop up the milk. Moving slowly and carefully, he managed to avoid any further accidents and finished cleaning the counter and floor.

Before too long, he sat on a stool at the kitchen counter with a second glass of milk firmly held in both hands. He knew it looked ridiculous, like a little kid would drink, but he needed the milk if he was to grow big and strong for all of the girls in his fantasies.

He sighed again as he set the glass down against the wall that ran along the back of the counter. He wanted to minimize the chance of tipping the glass again. He left a little to help wash down his meal.

'I'm not going to let this get to me,' he told himself, and that was all he needed. His strong spirit could withstand such trivialities. The bad luck couldn't last. He wouldn't let it.

After successfully finishing his meal, including the remaining milk, he headed back down the hall to his bedroom, where he planned to sit in his trusty chair and resume his girl watching. At least that always promised to be a safe activity.

* * *

Ash had seen enough from his favorite stone chair. He'd been staring at an oval portal to view the Earth using his infernal magic, occasionally scratching his groin whether it itched or not. He'd continued to plague Lester and the boy never faltered, never lashed out at anyone, not even himself for his own apparent clumsiness. The only thing that the dark being had to work with was the boy's lack of self-confidence, but he couldn't do anything physically with that and he couldn't mess with the boy's mind. Either some unknown magic would block him or beings like Aaron would somehow detect his intent and stop him.

He'd already decided to accept Aaron's wager. He'd just wanted to play around with Lester until he'd figured out which ability had the best chance at pushing the boy over to the dark side.

Up to that point, clairvoyance seemed like the best bet with the way that Lester watched the girl next door. If the boy possessed clairvoyance, he could spy on the girl remotely at any time, including when she took a bath or shower. As the dark fiend gave it a little more thought though, he couldn't imagine it happening. The boy showed too much control, too much honor.

"Shit."

The only way he could see himself having a chance was if he could somehow give the boy many abilities, making him very powerful in a short amount of time. He believed that absolute power corrupted absolutely. Given enough power and bad influence, any imperfect being could end up going bad. He just had to work out how a single ability could lead to gaining others, and it didn't take him long to come up with a solution.

"Aaron. I accept your wager."

The being of light slowly faded into view, brightening the area. "You called?" he said.

The dark fiend squinted and held a hand in front of his eyes. "Yes! But could you turn down the brightness first?! I can't see a damn thing!"

"Ah. Sorry about that." Aaron dimmed his light. "There. Is that better?"

Ash slowly lowered his hand. "Yeah. It is."

"And have you decided on which ability you'd like to give our boy?"

"Yeah. I want to give him easy and complete access to the Akashic records."

The being of light narrowed his eyes. The Akashic records existed more as an abstract concept than books in an actual building like a library, but they did exist in their own way, and they contained ethereal records of all past events. Anything and everything could be found if one had the means, and easy access to them could prove dangerous. Knowledge was definitely power.

"What?" the fiend said. "You said any one ability. That's only one. If the boy finds other helpful records to learn other abilities, more power to him." Aaron groaned at the pun but didn't interrupt. "There's a lot of information there. He might not find anything useful."

"Very devious, Ash, but I'm not sure I can agree to that."

"Going back on your word then? That's not a very honorable thing to do."

Aaron gave the fiend a wry grin. "Touché. Very well. You can give him the ability. The wager begins immediately. You've got one year to corrupt the boy. Just remember. No direct or extreme intervention and no attempts to influence family members. I'll be monitoring your progress and giving my own encouragement."

"Hey! How do I know you won't cheat?"

The being of light stared deep into the fiend's eyes, baring his soul while sneaking a peek into the fiend's soul at the same time.

"Right," Ash said. "Never mind. See you around then?"

"Ah, yes. I'll be around for occasional updates... and corrective action if necessary. Until then."

Aaron faded out, leaving the fiend, who had a big smirk on his face.

'Like taking candy from a baby.'

* * *

Lester tossed and turned that night, disturbed by a very vivid dream involving a short, dark man who seemed to be the librarian of an infinitely large library. The short man wore a long, black robe and offered him a brief tour of the library, and when the man tried to hand him a lollipop, he couldn't take any more. He woke up, sweating and vowing to cut down on late night dinners of frozen pizza.

"Lester!" his mother shouted. "Your breakfast is getting cold!"

"Oh, no!"

The boy's radio alarm clock seemed to have been accidentally unplugged and he overslept that Monday morning. He shrugged it off, making a mental note to plug it in and reset the clock after school. Throwing on a shirt and hopping out of his bedroom as he tried to step into his pants kept him too busy to deal with anything other than getting out the door for school as soon as possible. He could hear the front door of the house open and close as his mother left for work so he knew he had to be quite late.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, the teen made it out to the kitchen to find a plate of tepid waffles sitting on the counter. He bravely smeared a thin layer of butter of the waffles and squirted out just enough maple syrup to make them palatable. Once again, he didn't notice the glass of milk, but miracle of miracles, he didn't knock over the glass. He thanked his lucky stars and guzzled the milk after inhaling the waffles. Then he rushed out the door and made it to the bus stop just in time to catch his school bus.

The boy soon sat in a window seat near the middle of the school bus with his small backpack stuffed between his legs on the floor. He thought he could almost feel his luck changing, and he concentrated on the feeling. As he did, the bus and students around him seemed to turn transparent, and beyond them, he thought he could see what looked like shelves of books, stretching out to infinity from the center aisle of the bus.

Lester pinched his eyes shut and vigorously shook his head. When he opened his eyes again, the vision disappeared.

'That is one persistent dream,' he thought.

He couldn't stop thinking about the library, and he almost considered trying to repeat the experience when a familiar face sat down next to him at the next bus stop.

"Hey, Lester," a tall boy said, holding his own smaller backpack in his lap. The boy had black hair and glacier blue eyes so bright they almost seemed to glow.

"Hey, Brian."

"What's happening?"

"Just daydreaming a little."

"Angie again?" the other boy smirked.

"You know me too well. Too bad you aren't a girl."

"Yeah. Yeah. In your dreams."

"Right. In my dreams."

The two boys lapsed into a comfortable silence most of the rest of the way to school.

Just before rolling to a stop in the school bus lane, Lester ran his hands through his short, dark brown hair after realizing that he hadn't combed it, hadn't spared himself more than a glance in the bathroom mirror. His hair matted in clumps and resisted efforts to straighten it, leading him to a sudden daydream of flying at high speed, the wind drying and giving him a perfect windblown look that looked a lot better than his present state. The flying didn't seem likely so he forced his daydream to change to a ride in a convertible sports car with the top down. A sudden light cuff on the back of his head brought the daydreamer back to reality.

"Hey!" Lester protested.

"Time for school, playboy. Let's go."

"Yeah yeah," the shorter boy said. "But it wasn't Angie this time."

"Oh? What's her name then?" Brian smirked.

"It was a car."

"That works. You could name it Angie." The boy laughed.

Lester smiled. "Whatever. But it's too bad neither one of us has a car."

"Yeah. Riding the bus sucks. We must be the only two seniors who don't drive to school."

* * *

The school year started slowly as it often did, but on the Monday of the second week, changes promised to liven things up. The two boys left the bus, going to their respective classes after stopping by their lockers, and Lester soon found himself in his government class, sitting in the middle of the room as he preferred and waiting for the teacher, Mister Little, to show up. The short, loud man normally showed up early, and he was well-liked so the anxious class paid close attention when the principal and a strange man they'd never seen before entered the classroom in place of their teacher.

"Hello class," the principal said. "You're getting a substitute teacher. Mister Little had an accident. He's okay but he's decided to take a sabbatical for the rest of the school year. This is Mister Guile." He gestured to the strange man. "Please give him the same respect you would Mister Little." The principal then left.

Mister Guile stood about five and a half feet tall, with short black hair and lightly tanned skin that didn't have any freckles or blemishes of any kind. He cleared his throat and scanned the room, his gaze lingering on Lester for a little longer than any of the other students. No one noticed, except Lester, who privately wondered about the extra attention. The boy also wondered why the man looked somewhat familiar.

"Hello, class," the substitute said. "As your principal said, I'm Mister Guile, and I'll be trying to teach you about the realities of government. Shall we begin?"

A few students in the back moaned, causing the teacher to smile. He shuffled through some notes that Mister Little had left him and threw them in the trash can. Then he walked around to the front of his desk and launched into a lecture about the history of corruption in government, starting from the Nixon administration. He didn't get far before he suffered his own interruption.

A red-haired girl with striking green eyes and a sprinkling of freckles over the bridge of her nose rushed into the class. With her low heels she stood a few inches taller than the teacher, and she wore a short dark green dress that emphasized her mature feminine curves and complemented the color of her shoulder-length hair perfectly. "I'm sorry I'm late!" she said, sounding a little short of breath. "I didn't realize how long it took to walk...." She stopped herself when she noticed the whole class staring at her.

Mister Guile's reaction was even more extreme. His mouth hung open at first. Then he broke into a hearty laugh that had the whole class wondering about his sanity.

The new girl slowly turned and glared at the substitute teacher. She waited until Mister Guile laughed himself out before turning back to face the class, speaking out in a husky contralto, "My name is Erin MacCloud. I'm a new student here." She slowly moved to take an open seat in the row behind Lester and sat at her desk, dividing her attention between Mister Guile, who she stared daggers at, and Lester, to whom she gave a warm smile.

Lester watched the redhead, not taking his eyes off of her until she sat behind him. He sighed. Angie finally had some competition in his daydreams.

* * *

© 2014 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

Getting to know the new girl

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 2

Changes and surprises continued throughout the day, peaking at lunch. Lester and Brian sat at one of the tables with Brian at the far end and Lester next to him. There was a lot of space between Lester and the next student, more than enough for the new girl to sit.

Erin arrived and placed her tray on the table next to Lester's. The boy faced his friend in conversation and didn't notice her until his friend stopped talking and stared at something behind him. He turned and saw her, the vision of loveliness, the newest angel of his dreams, standing so very close to him.

"Hello, Lester," she said. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

Shock and awe hit the boy, tightening his vocal cords and choking the verbal center of his brain. She knew his name. How could she know his name?

"How...?" he croaked.

"Yes?" she said as she sat down. "Go ahead. I'm not a threat. I just want to make some friends and experience this thing called high school."

"How do you know my name?" he finally squeaked out.

"Oh, that," she said, then paused with the most adorable frown on her face. "They didn't have roll call, did they?"

Lester shook his head no.

"Well," she said with a sly smile, "would you believe that you're actually fairly popular in certain circles?"

Again, Lester shook his head no, as did his friend, Brian, who also stared and listened in shock.

"I'm happy to inform you that you most certainly are popular. You're so kind and honest and morally strong. You're greatly admired and loved where I'm from."

Erin stopped, as if what she said was enough to answer Lester's question. She started picking at her food, wrinkling up her nose at her lunch, as if she didn't like what she selected.

Lester turned to look at Brian, who shrugged his shoulders in confusion. Both boys were utterly out of their depth, and they slowly resumed eating as they tried to process their unbelievable situation. Lester frequently snuck looks at Erin as he ate and couldn't believe his eyes.

The girl continued picking at her food, sampling it and spitting out what she didn't like into her hand. She daintily cleaned her hand with a napkin and wrapped the offending bite of food in that same napkin, placing it by a stack of over a dozen napkins that she had stacked on one end of her tray.

After sampling the six different foods on her tray, she concentrated on the two things that she liked and began chatting away between bites. From that point on, she seemed much like a normal girl, except for the strange fact that she somehow knew an unusually large number of things about Lester. She seemed to know his parents, his taste in books and movies, and even that his last name ultimately derived from an early Germanic name that translated as home-power. Normal girls didn't research the surnames of their classmates.

Erin occasionally asked Lester simple questions that only required one-word answers. She seemed to understand that he wasn't used to having conversations with girls, even if she didn't understand exactly why. A little sympathy went a long way, allowing the boy to get comfortable enough to ask a few questions of his own in a normal voice.

"Seriously, Erin. Why are you sitting here talking to me? You seem to know me pretty well but I know almost nothing about you."

"Did I do something wrong?" she said, looking like she might cry at any second.

"No! I mean, no, not at all. But you're so… so…."

"What are you trying to say?" she asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

"You're very... cute. Okay. You're cute. And this is really awkward." He turned away, blushing.

"I don't understand," she said, the threat of tears diminished by her confusion. "You think I'm cute?" Then she turned away, talking more to herself but still easily heard by both boys. "Oh, dear. I didn't consider that possibility. How did I miss that? I thought it would be easier this way. And why do I feel so emotional? I just want to be friends. Why is this so difficult?"

"Hey," Lester said, facing her again. "I'm sorry. I'll be your friend. I'm happy to try anyway."

She turned to him and graced the boy with the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen. "Thank you, Lester. I guess I'm trying a little too hard. Let's be friends."

And so it went. Lester and Erin became fast friends that day, very fast friends, and Brian became something of a third wheel. Erin couldn't bring herself to show much interest in Lester's friend. She obviously favored Lester over everything and everyone else, something that didn't sit well with Brian as well as several of the more aggressive boys in the school.

* * *

By some quirk of fate, Erin managed to share every class with Lester. She walked with him from class to class, monopolizing his time, with Brian trailing behind when he also happened to share a class with Lester. She even shared the last class, coed Physical Education, where they played mixed team sports.

Lester sympathized with Erin when she had problems running after the soccer ball. She didn't seem comfortable with her large breasts at all, squealing as they bounced out of control. That made him curious as well as a little aroused. He noticed some of the other girls watching the new girl and shaking their heads.

"Try a sports bra," one of the girls told Erin with a hint of envy in her voice.

"Thanks," Erin said, smiling back at the helpful girl. "I will."

The class, and school, ended and Erin found Lester waiting for her. He skipped taking a shower to make sure he caught her.

"Oh! Hi Lester. Were you waiting for me?" She tried squeezing her wet hair and frowned when it didn't help much to dry it.

"Yeah. I thought I'd walk you home." He flashed her a hopeful smile. He normally took the school bus but the bus was long gone by that point.

"I don't think that will work," she said carefully. "I don't... live anywhere near your house."

"Are you sure? I don't mind a little extra walking."

"I'm sure, Lester. I'll see you tomorrow." She started walking and turned to frown at him when he fell into step beside her.

"What?" he said. "You should know I live this way."

She shrugged her shoulders and turned left at the next intersection, leaving the boy continuing straight ahead for his long walk home.

Lester replayed the day's events, trying to understand Erin a little better. But nothing about her made any sense to him. Before he got halfway home, he went back to his strange library daydream, and that led to yet another vision and an important revelation.

He stood on the sidewalk, looking down the long, straight lane, lined with large oak trees and once again saw the infinitely long rows of bookshelves. He also saw who he thought of as the librarian, and he realized why Mister Guile looked familiar. The substitute teacher could easily pass as a slightly lighter-skinned version of the Dark Librarian.

The boy shook his head. 'I haven't had any accidents all day. But I'm still cursed.'

* * *

Lester's week passed by in a blur of mildly interesting classes, pleasant lunches with Erin and occasional brief visions of the strange library. He didn't know it but preparations were being made for arguably the most interesting year of his life, and by the end of the school week, the time had come for a most unusual learning experience to start things off.

Lester made it home that Friday, did some homework, ate dinner and surfed the Internet until bedtime. Once in bed, he daydreamed about Erin for a short time as he drifted off to sleep, and, not long after, he began dreaming of the infinitely large library.

The Dark Librarian silently appeared from the boy's left, wearing a black robe, his arms spread wide in a welcoming gesture.

"Do I know you?" Lester asked him. "You look very much like one of my teachers."

"I know nothing of your life," the man lied. "I exist only to serve you in your quest for knowledge. These are the Akashic records. You can find anything here. Anything you care to learn is at your fingertips."

A strong tremor suddenly shook the dreamscape, making Lester stumble and making the librarian say something a little different than he'd planned.

"I mean to say, that the potential exists to find anything that you care to learn. I can only give you a little initial guidance to show you how things work here." He paused to make sure there were no more tremors. "I detect an interest in flying. Perhaps you'd like to learn to fly?"

Another strong tremor shook the dreamscape.

"Okay!" the Dark Librarian shouted. "Let's start with something simpler. How about levitation?" He cringed when another tremor hit.

"Flying? Levitation?" Lester asked. "What kind of library is this?"

"Ah. I exceed myself. Perhaps we can start with records for the library itself?" He sounded like he was asking for permission, and after several seconds without a tremor, he smiled and added, "You'll definitely understand soon. Now if you'll just follow me."

The Dark Librarian led the boy along an impossibly short path to a particularly dark place, the light far too faint to read any books. It seemed as though time sped up with the sun flying through the sky and setting in the span of a few heartbeats. The apparent shelves of books blurred into a single line of light gray that darkened along with the fading light, and the shelves slowly disappeared when the pair came to a stop.

"I can't see much," the boy complained. "How am I supposed to read the books in the dark?"

"This isn't your typical library, young man. This is a place full of ethereal records that are fed directly into your mind. You access a record and you simply know it. I just have to give you an easy technique for accessing the records and the rest is up to you, except possibly for a little extra guidance."

"I don't get it. Why me? What's going on?"

"You're special, my dear boy. You've got potential and I'm here to help start on your path to greatness. I can't show you much but I can start you on your way."

"Why can't you stay and help me find everything? Isn't that a librarian's job?"

"I'm not allowed to do more than give you nudges in the right direction."

Another tremor shook the dreamscape.

"Damn it!" the dark being gave himself away a little then, but he recovered quickly. "Ah. Please excuse me. I'm being guided myself. Let me rephrase what I said. I can give you a little guidance but that is all, otherwise I might interfere with your natural progression to reach your full potential."

The boy sighed. "This doesn't make any sense, but I suppose it's just as well. This is a dream after all."

"Oh, Lester. This is much more than a dream, and when you see results in the waking world, you'll come back again and again."

"Wait a minute. How do you know my name?"

"I keep telling you, boy. You're special, and really popular in certain circles."

Lester cocked his head. "This is too weird. You sound just like Erin."

The librarian laughed, sounding all too similar to Mister Guile's laugh when Erin entered his classroom. Warning bells sounded in Lester's subconscious but his curiosity kept him rooted to the spot. He wanted to know more about what was going on and he seemed to be in the perfect place to learn.

"Okay," the boy said after the Dark Librarian stopped laughing. "Enough talk. Let's get started."

The librarian helped the boy access information about the Akashic records themselves and waited until Lester suddenly got the hang of reading records. He then had the boy practice by absorbing a second record having to do with the creation of ancient clay tablets and a third record that described an early history of written language. Lester's head spun with new knowledge.

"This is all kind of interesting," the boy said, "but what about things like levitation and flying? Can I actually learn to levitate or do I just read about other people saying they can do it?"

The librarian placed a finger over his lips to ask for silence and beckoned the boy to follow him with a simple hand gesture. He led his Akashic student for what seemed like miles, stopping occasionally to allow for some practice with gaining more random knowledge. The first stop contained records for cooking, the next one described how to build various primitive dwellings, and there were many records to follow but still nothing like levitation or flying. It wasn't until the librarian stopped, said farewell and faded away that Lester obtained one last record for the night. He absorbed everything about levitation that had ever happened. Every thought, every technique, every success with levitation flowed into the boy's head and all he had left to do was to practice whenever he had the time in the waking world.

The wager between dark and light had truly begun, and as Lester reviewed everything that he'd learned that night, he was never more confused. According to the information about the Akashic records themselves, there was no librarian.

* * *

After a weekend of trying to apply what he learned from the Akashic records, Monday morning found Lester sitting in his usual place, alone on the bus to school, but that suited him just fine as he couldn't stop thinking about levitation. After trying all weekend, he finally managed to levitate himself while eating his breakfast that morning. He felt himself rise a couple of inches and drop back onto the stool after his surprising success broke his concentration. Even more surprising, once he did, it suddenly seemed so easy.

Brian gave Lester plenty of room when he got on the bus. His friend looked too preoccupied to be much good for conversation so Brian moved to the back of the bus and sulked, wondering if the two of them would still be friends after being ignored most of yesterday. He understood being ignored in favor of a beautiful girl, but he still didn't like it.

The two boys filtered out of the bus, got to their lockers and made their way to their first class, neither noticing the pleasantly warm day. They had too many things on their minds.

As Lester got closer to the school, his thoughts slowly drifted from levitation to something even stranger. He soon sat in Government class, watching Mister Guile's every move and carefully listening to every word of the man's lecture, measuring it all against what he'd seen of the librarian in his dream. The two men matched up too well in spite of several differences in their appearance and speech. They seemed to be the same height with the same short, spiky black hair, same eyes and same laugh, and the timing seemed suspicious, seeing both on the same day. It was all too much to be a coincidence.

Mister Guile, seemingly oblivious to Lester's scrutiny, turned to write on the white board behind him and muttered an obscenity when he couldn't quite reach the top of the white board. He pulled the cap off the red pen and threw it into the trash can. Then he scribbled roughly, the pen tip squeaking loudly. He wrote out the three branches of the United States government, explaining how they were created with checks and balances in the hopes of preventing an imbalance of power.

"Those poor founding fathers. They underestimated man's potential for corruption. Today's government with all of its money and influence peddling would likely turn their stomachs, and it's too bad really. To me, it seems a waste of time to try to prevent corruption. Corruption seems inevitable, but I'm not a politician so it's just as well."

He continued on, talking about lobbying and special interest groups. His eyes glazed over and a brief smile occasionally appeared on his face. The passion in his voice made it clear that he loved the subject and loved sharing it with young, impressionable minds.

Lester tried to listen and make sense of the lecture. He wanted good grades, expected to go on to a nice university, get a good job and make a difference in the world. The subject of lobbying couldn't be found in the table of contents of his textbook, though there were several pages listed in the index that made a reference to lobbying. The way his teacher spoke, lobbying made up an integral part of government, but the boy couldn't accept it even if it looked to be the truth. It didn't seem right.

He dared a quick glance diagonally back at Erin and saw an even more extreme reaction than his own. The red-haired girl glared at Mister Guile.

If he really thought about it, he might suspect Erin of being involved somehow with the substitute teacher. She showed up on the same day, and she seemed to have caused both the Dark Librarian and Mister Guile to laugh for whatever reason.

'Naw. That's too much of a stretch.'

Lester decided to stick to chasing after links between the two short, black-haired men, when he wasn't distracted by Erin.

The redhead was proving to be the biggest mystery of all, and she was a most pleasant distraction. He felt lucky that she didn't sit in front of him in any of his classes. His grades would likely suffer otherwise.

* * *

Government class ended and Erin walked along with Lester to their next class, but she didn't seem nearly as friendly as she had yesterday. She talked a lot less, only asking a few polite questions that one might ask a family member.

Lester focused on the redhead and the background noise of the other students in the crowded hallway faded to insignificance, yet he still had trouble figuring out what was different about her that morning. It took him a few minutes before he pinpointed the difference. To be fair, he would've thought of it much earlier if he hadn't kept sneaking looks at the girl's long, bare legs, striding beneath a pleated skirt that swung deliciously high above the knee. She stood only two inches shorter than he did and he especially loved tall girls for their legs.

The smitten boy vigorously shook his head and his thoughts finally cleared. "Erin?"

"Yes, Lester?"

"Is anything wrong? You seem a little preoccupied today."

"Oh. I guess I am. I got in a little trouble when I... got home yesterday. I have to be more careful about what I say. I'm new at this."

"New at this? What do you mean?"

Erin stopped the both of them and held her hand in front of her mouth. "Oh, no. I'm doing it again. I really have to be more careful since I'm stuck like this for a year." Her eyes widened in distress and she squeaked out, "I just keep doing it!"

Students flowed around the two stopped teens without disturbing them, though the number of passing students soon slowed to a trickle. It was getting close to the time for the next class to start. The noise levels dropped enough to allow the two of them to talk quietly.

"Hey. It's okay, Erin. Just slow down. You're not making much sense so I wouldn't worry about saying too much." Lester smiled, trying to put her at ease. He really didn't understand half of what she talked about and he didn't care to. He gave up trying to understand girls long ago.

She looked deeply into his eyes sensing only the truth and she visibly relaxed. "Thanks, Lester. I needed that."

The boy smiled back and started them walking again. "You're welcome. Perhaps now you could do me a favor." She'd unintentionally been encouraging him enough that he finally found his courage to pursue her in spite of all of the mixed signals she gave him.

"Oh? Sure! Anything!" the girl gushed.

"Uh, Erin. You shouldn't tease me like that." His eyes sparkled playfully.

"Tease? I'm not teasing you."

"Oh, be still my heart," he said, looking up at the sky. "She promised me anything. Surely she must know better than to promise a boy anything, unless she really means it."

Erin's eyes widened in distress again as she realized what he implied. "I was speaking figuratively!" she said, raising her voice.

The boy laughed. "I know. I'm sorry. I couldn't resist."

"Lester!" she squealed.

Just before they entered their next class, the domain of young Miss Mills, the Advanced Literature teacher, the boy smartly asked his favor. He timed it perfectly, knowing Erin wouldn't make a scene. She'd never disrupt what she said was her favorite class and favorite teacher.

"Erin, would you go out on a date with me?"

The girl's eyes widened in shock. She tried to speak and for the first time ever, her voice failed her.

Lester quickly held his hands up. "You don't have to answer now. Just think about it. Please. You can let me know after class or even after school. I'll wait." He smiled and Erin returned a smile, but hers didn't look quite the same. Her sad little smile didn't give the boy a good feeling.

The redhead turned and quickly made her way to her desk without looking back, followed by the boy, who slowly scuffed his feet to his desk, sitting three rows in front of the girl that reluctantly held the key to his heart.

* * *

Erin and Lester left their last class before lunch, slowly walking to the lunchroom together in silence. All of the other students rushed ahead, leaving the two of them alone. Just before reaching the large double doors, Erin stopped and turned to Lester with a sad look on her face.

"Here it comes," muttered the boy.

"I'm sorry, Lester. I'm so sorry. I like you but I just can't go out on a date with you. It's not just you though. I'm not going to date anyone."

"Ever?" he tried to joke.

Erin just gave him a nervous laugh in response.

"Once again, I don't understand," he told her, not really expecting an explanation.

"Even if I wanted to date, I don't think it'd be a good idea. I still have so much to learn. I don't think I'll ever catch up. Do you have any idea how complicated it is to be a girl? Styling my hair, applying makeup, deciding on an outfit to wear. It's all so complicated! Though I have to confess, it is good fun, and I'm really developing a fondness for shopping."

Lester held up his hands. "T-M-G!"

"T-M-G?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

The boy thought she looked so cute that way. It took a powerful effort of will to focus and answer her question. "I just made that up. T-M-G stands for too much girlishness. You know. It's like T-M-I. Too much information."

Erin frowned. "Huh," she said after a short pause. "Girlishness? Is that even a word?"

Before Lester could look up the word on his smart phone and show it to her, she very briefly got a blank look on her face before blurting out, "Oh! I guess it is a word. I'm sorry for doubting you."

"Wait a minute. How'd you look it up? You told me you don't own a smart phone."

"Yeah. I don't really need one."

"Okay. I don't even want to know. I'll just think of it as one of the mysteries of being a girl. But I still want to go back to something you said earlier. You sound like you're just now getting into being feminine. Did you used to be a tomboy or something?"

She gave him a short, nervous laugh and then hit him with a verbal barrage. "Oh. You could say that. I guess. Uh. Can we change the subject? Let's go eat lunch. I think I'm hungry."

The worlds flew by Lester in a blur. He only picked up her vague agreement that she was a former tomboy and that she might be hungry.

Erin's stomach grumbled, causing her to squeak in surprise.

Lester laughed. "Yep. You're hungry," he said.

She looked down and placed a hand over her stomach. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that," she said quietly.

The boy just shook his head and opened one of the large doors for her. She passed through and he followed. They were still friends. He kept telling himself that would be good enough.

* * *

© 2014 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

Building a superhero foundation

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 3

Erin did very well playing soccer in her coed Physical Education class. Her new sports bra made all the difference. She thanked the girl who suggested it and the two girls even gave each other a high-five after they worked together to score a goal. The goalie of their opposing team didn't stand a chance. They mesmerized him with their beautiful teamwork.

Lester stood on the sidelines and chuckled to himself, thinking he'd be just as easy to score on if he played goalie and the two girls ran towards him with the same looks of mad glee on their faces. He wouldn't be able to stop the daydreams.

Just as he thought about daydreaming, a vision of the infinite library hit him hard. He lost himself in it, absorbing information without really trying. He couldn't help himself.

The boy recalled that the library wasn't actually a library. According to some information that he already absorbed, it was some sort of psychic impression of mystical knowledge that was embedded in the astral plane. The mystical knowledge made up what was called the Akashic records and they contained virtually limitless amounts of information, information that he could effortlessly tap into.

The info dumps started to get annoying, especially since he couldn't control what he learned. The subjects varied from how to perform menial labor to descriptions of all forms of coccus bacteria. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how the Akashic records were organized. Without some sort of index, he didn't see much use for them. He made a mental note to ask the Dark Librarian about an index.

His vision ended and class ended soon thereafter. He walked with Erin for their one block together, until they went their separate ways. They said their goodbyes and Lester's thoughts alternated between Erin and the Akashic records. He saw so much potential in his future. He couldn't wait.

* * *

Lester had a little trouble falling asleep, but not because he was too anxious to contact the Dark Librarian. He had trouble because he couldn't stop thinking about levitation. He'd float up without really trying, startle himself when he realized he was floating and drop back down.

Levitation resulted from the nullification of gravity. It should've been somewhat difficult to achieve but it had become too easy for him, and it prompted him to try a conscious visit back to the area of the Akashic records since he couldn't sleep.

His attempt led to the desired result, with an altered state of consciousness that allowed him access to the Akashic records and hopefully, the faux librarian. The dark man proved himself to be at least somewhat helpful and might still have a few more tricks to teach the boy.

"Librarian!" he shouted, his voice echoing. Lester briefly wondered what might reflect his voice to create the echo but his musings were soon interrupted by a familiar face.

"Welcome back, Lester," the Dark Librarian said. "I'm glad you could make it. I couldn't help notice that you were having some trouble with levitation."

"Yes, well, I wish I had better control over it. I couldn't stop thinking about levitation and I kept levitating in my bed. It's kind of hard to sleep when you keep dropping back down onto your bed."

"Hm. Control. That is a good point. I suppose I could take you to an area of the Akashic records that could help you with your control, otherwise you might develop health problems from lack of sleep."

There were no dreamscape tremors to warn against the idea and Lester soon had the key to control his levitation. It also didn't hurt that his control would help with all paranormal abilities. The groundwork had been laid to start adding abilities with reckless abandon. Ash seemed to be pulling ahead of Aaron in the race for Lester's soul.

* * *

Lester sat in a middle seat of the bus on the way to school, feeling a little empty in spite of his newfound control over levitation. He couldn't bring himself to give up on Erin but he didn't see much hope of dating her anytime soon. He also missed his old friend, and he felt a little guilty about the way he'd been neglecting him lately.

Brian sat in the back of the bus looking forlorn. When he saw Lester looking back at him, he sighed. So far, he'd been leaving his friend alone. He didn't want to talk about Erin, which was the only subject that he imagined would come up, and Lester didn't seem like he wanted to talk to anyone but her anyway.

Both boys were attracted to Erin. Both would love to date her, but Brian waited his turn to ask her out. He had a little more success than Lester when it came to girls, having had two girlfriends while Lester had none, and he liked to be fair about such things. Still, it was difficult not to try. Erin had a strong effect on him, on nearly all of the boys in the school.

As Brian sat and watched the trees pass by the nearest window, he wondered about how his friend was doing. So far, the rumors had Lester and Erin as firm friends. No one had seen them kiss. There was no handholding, not even a hug. He knew Lester was a little shy but there should've been more progress considering how much time they spent together.

As he sat there, lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard his name being shouted at the next bus stop. He saw Lester gesturing for him to come to him, and he went. It looked like it was time for a little support and maybe some advice.

The two boys sat together the rest of the way, talking and laughing like nothing had happened to separate them over the past two days. Good friendships were like that.

The subject of Erin came up soon enough and Lester started the conversation with a sigh. "She doesn't want to date anyone," he said, moping. "But she sticks to me like glue, like I'm her only friend. Her mixed signals are driving me crazy. I just don't understand her."

Brian laughed. "No guys understand girls," he said. "It's impossible."

"Yeah."

Both boys paused a minute to wonder about the fairer sex. Like virtually all heterosexual boys, they concluded that it didn't matter if they understood them. They'd still continue to pursue them. They couldn't help themselves.

Brian gave his friend a wry grin. "So. Still want more time to chase after the fair Erin?"

Lester smiled. "Yeah. Thanks, man."

"No problem, dude. Good luck."

* * *

In Lester's first class, Mister Guile droned on and on about the some of the minor functions of government. Only four of the students paid close attention, two of whom were just concerned about maintaining their high grade point average, one because she had political aspirations, and Erin. There was one thing about the lecture that eventually caught Lester's attention though. The teacher kept emphasizing the same word. The word didn't exactly match up well with the workings of government so it stood out. The word was "healing."

Lester couldn't help thinking about healing as a paranormal ability, and it also reinforced his suspicion that Mister Guile and the Dark Librarian were one in the same.

'So, Dark Librarian. You want me to learn healing. Is that it?'

Mister Guile smiled as soon as the boy formed his thoughts, and the man stopped speaking and went to the white board to draw an odd map consisting of several circles connected by lines. The circles were each identified by a single letter inside the circle. There was one on the far left side of the white board had an "A" and two close circles that he added to the far right side. The second circle had an "L" and the third circle had a "C." He added a fourth between the close pair, connected it to them and gave the new circle an "H." The circles were slightly different sizes along with their letters, giving the diagram a vaguely three-dimensional look. It didn't seem to relate to the lecture and all of the students looked at it with some curiosity.

Lester turned to see Erin staring at it intently with the cutest little frown on her face.

Mister Guile walked over to the windows and leaned back against one of the window sills, watching both Lester and Erin to see their reaction. He saw suspicion on Erin's face and complete confusion on Lester's so he continued speaking.

"This diagram means nothing," he said. "I only drew it to show how easy it is to use deception and tricks to get people's attention. Did it work?"

Most of the students groaned. Lester just kept staring at the letters. There was something about them but he couldn't quite get it.

The teacher went up to erase the first circle with the "A" and right after he did, he sneezed, making it sound very much like he said the word, "Akashic." He continued erasing the board, getting the second and third circles in one smooth, curved stroke of the eraser. After erasing the last circle with the "H," the lecture continued, starting with the word "healing."

"Healing a community after a natural disaster might seem to be the purview of government. It takes a lot of money and resources to get things moving, repairing damage, tending to the injured, learning from what went wrong to reduce the impact of the next natural disaster. Government does help keep communities in good working order. I'll say that much for it. But I question whether government actually heals anything or anyone. People have long memories and what many of them remember is the failing of government to predict and prevent a lot of the devastation in the first place. The money that pours in through government is considered to be more like blood money, paid out of guilt for incompetence."

Both Lester and Erin quickly raised their hands to ask a question, causing Mister Guile to raise an eyebrow. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear Erin's question but he thought he should see if she figured out what he was up to. "Yes, Miss MacCloud?" he said.

"I don't think you're being fair. If the government is of the people, by the people and for the people, isn't it every citizen's responsibility to prepare for and try to minimize the destruction caused by natural disasters?"

"Very good." Mister Guile raised a fist in his imagination to celebrate success. He hadn't gone too far or she would've said something about the diagram. As it was, she only called him on the more obvious content of his lecture. She defended the good citizens, however few there may be. "But what about all of the criticism that normally appears after a natural disaster? Incompetence and corruption always seems to lie at the root of the problem, does it not?"

"No one is perfect, Mister Guile," she said, mentally adding, 'That includes you.'

"I stand by what I said, Miss MacCloud. You're talking about an unrealistic ideal but history speaks for itself."

Lester slowly lowered his hand as teacher and student debated in front of the class. He forgot his question. It wasn't important after he finally realized there was a secret message that was contained in the diagram on the white board. He was sure it was a crude mapping of the Akashic records, and if he was right, the records for paranormal healing should lie roughly between where he learned levitation and control. He couldn't wait to look for the record on healing, and he couldn't wait to confront the Dark Librarian. Mister Guile's latest lecture made it clear that both he and the Dark Librarian were one in the same. The boy looked over to see his substitute teacher looking at him and slowly nodding with a smirk on his face as if to confirm it.

* * *

"Hello Lester." Erin gently set her tray down on the lunch table and slid in next to her friend. The eyes of several jealous boys watched her every move, all of them imagining taking the place of the boy sitting next to her. Brian felt a little jealousy himself, but he still sat at a nearby table to give his friend some space.

"Hi Erin. I still can't get over your little debate with Mister Guile this morning."

"That... man really bothers me. I hope you don't let him disillusion you. Mankind has great potential for good."

"I am a little surprised at how determined he is to show us our dark side. He sees corruption everywhere."

"He's cynical and biased. I don't think he's had a good life."

Lester shrugged and took a bite of his lunch, wanting to change the subject. As he chewed, he looked up right into the eyes of big Jim Boone and shuddered.

Jim mouthed the word, "Die," and Lester shook his head no. That got a reaction out of the large brute. Jim shot up out of his seat and pushed his tray onto the floor. The sudden loud clatter caught everyone's attention and all eyes followed the large boy as he strutted over to confront Lester and separate him from Erin, something he felt should've been done long ago.

The tall, brawny boy soon stood on the opposite side of the table from Lester and Erin. He looked down at them with a sneer, his greasy, messy mop of black hair glistened with gel in the florescent light. His black jeans had a hole in one knee from natural wear and tear and the dark brown color of his rugby jersey concealed several food stains. When he spoke, everyone listened and thanked their lucky stars that they weren't in range of the large boy's breath.

"Lester," he said, making the name sound like a vile insult. "Why don't you get lost?"

"You mean I get a choice?" Lester said, suddenly feeling brave. He wasn't about to show weakness or fear in front of Erin.

"What?" Jim said, not quite understanding the sarcasm. "I said, get lost."

"No, you didn't. You asked why I don't get lost and I'm telling you. I'm not leaving Erin. We like each other."

"Smart ass. Would you like a little lesson in pain?"

"No, thanks."

"Then leave!"

Brian sat up straight, ready to help his friend if necessary, but no one actually moved to help. No one made a sound. That made it easy to hear the main doors open and footsteps click-clack across the linoleum floor, followed by a harsh, familiar voice. "Jim? Do we have a problem?"

"No, Mister Guile. Lester was just leaving and I was going to keep Erin company for the rest of the lunch hour."

"Nice try, Jim. Why don't you get lost instead? Now!"

The large boy scrambled to leave the lunch room, even though he towered over the much shorter teacher. Something about the short man's presence demanded respect and the boy couldn't resist.

"There you go, you two. Try to keep out of trouble. I can't be everywhere at once." The man winked at Erin and slowly walked back the way he came. After the doors shut behind him, the noise levels quickly returned to their normal levels.

Erin and Lester slowly looked at each other, surprise on both of their faces. They shrugged at each other and went back to eating their meals.

* * *

Lester fell asleep easily that night. He drifted into the midst of the Akashic records without any visions and it gave him better control, just as he learned the previous night. Visions equated to limited preconceived notions instead of the pure truth about the ethereal records.

The Dark Librarian was nowhere to be found at first. That left the boy to stumble over a very interesting record. It wasn't about healing but it related to the body. He knew he was close to finding healing, and he'd continue looking after he fully absorbed the information that he found having to do with enhanced strength.

He found a way to increase the efficiency of muscle contractions and could make himself many times stronger, but the ability had one very important caveat. Enhanced strength put a lot of extra strain on tendons and muscles, making them much more likely to tear. He needed to find a way to reinforce his body. He needed a healing ability, and he found it right after he mastered enhanced strength.

The healing he found only dealt with basic physical repairs of the body. Cuts, bruises, sprains, broken bones, torn tendons and muscles were all covered. That meant he could use enhanced strength. He could continuously heal himself as he used enhanced strength. It also meant that he could heal serious physical injuries. It wasn't a cure for diseases but it was a crucial addition to his growing collection of paranormal abilities.

As soon as the boy finished learning his new healing ability, the Dark Librarian made an appearance, gliding towards the boy like an apparition. Lester didn't let the eerie movement unsettle him. He meant to have answers, all answers, and that included why Mister Guile spent his nights skulking about on the astral plane. But before the boy could speak, the Dark Librarian put a finger to his own lips.

The faux librarian looked up at the boy with a wry grin. He pointed first to his right ear and then to Lester as if to say, "Listen to what I say." His next gesture had him cupping his right ear and pointing all around with his left hand as if to say, "Someone might be listening." He finished by shushing the boy with another finger to the lips and slowly faded from sight.

Lester slowly shook his head.

'Mister Guile is a lunatic. But I do want to learn this stuff.'

The boy thought that having enhanced strength would be especially useful in his coming battle with Big Jim. He knew Mister Guile wouldn't always be around to save him and he was determined to be ready and capable of holding his own. No one would separate him from Erin. No one.

* * *

The next morning came late. Lester's radio alarm clock had been unplugged, leaving the boy with little time to get ready for school. He hit the bathroom running, dressed, grabbed a banana to eat on the way and ran to the bus stop just in time.

'I need a better alarm clock.'

He sat in his usual seat on the bus and waved Brian over to him as soon as his friend got on at the next bus stop.

Brian didn't waste any time bringing up the latest big news item at school. "Dude! Are you crazy?! Big Jim is gonna destroy you!"

"Whatever. I think I'll be okay."

Brian stared back at him like he was crazy.

"Seriously. I've been working out."

Brian barked out a cynical laugh.

"I'll be fine." Then he mentally added, 'I think.' He hadn't had time to test his new strength and healing abilities, and he had to be careful. Showing off great strength could bring him some unwanted attention.

"Well, I'll help. I'm not just gonna stand by while he beats you to a pulp."

"No! Please. I don't want any help."

Brian studied his friend for awhile and finally spoke when he realized Lester was serious. "Okay," he said, shrugging. "But if Jim starts doing some heavy damage, I'm going to do something."

"Yeah. That's fair. Thanks, man."

The conversation paused as the bus hit a pot hole. The old bus creaked and bounced but kept moving. It only sounded bad, and it kept Brian thinking about what might happen to his friend.

"I still say it'd be a miracle if Jim doesn't crush you."

"But just think how much it would impress Erin."

"Is that your plan?! You want to win her over by going up against Big Jim?!"

"How else?! I'm stuck in the friend zone. If standing up to Jim doesn't show her I'm boyfriend material than nothing will."

An awkward silence followed until Brian finally said, "You've got it bad, dude."

"Yeah."

Girls had a way of driving boys crazy. Erin did it to Big Jim and she did it to Lester. The smitten boy would try his best to avoid a conflict with Big Jim, and if or when they did butt heads, Lester would try his best not to hurt the poor brute. He didn't know what else to do because there was no way he'd leave Erin alone and unprotected.

* * *

Government class passed by in a blur for Lester. There wasn't enough room in his brain for a lecture that morning. The boy couldn't stop thinking about Erin, Big Jim and his new abilities, wondering how to test them at school without giving himself away. He unknowingly activated his enhanced strength and healing while he picked at his desk, slowly breaking it apart without realizing it.

Mister Guile noticed that Lester was distracted. He flashed the class a dark smile and changed his lecture to leave the boy alone. It wouldn't do to waste clues for finding another ability if those clues wouldn't be noticed.

"Today, class, we're having a special lecture. I want to talk about how the government can stimulate a sluggish economy."

The lecture of the day took nearly everyone by surprise. Lester remained lost in his own little world so it couldn't surprise him. Erin wasn't exactly surprised either. She watched Mister Guile closely, waiting for some hint as to how he'd try to corrupt the class. She no longer thought of just protecting Lester. The whole class seemed to need her protection.

It did seem odd that Mister Guile painted the government in a good light for once. No one knew that he did it because Lester wasn't paying attention, and because he also wanted to confuse Erin. He knew that the class' self-appointed guardian angel would be waiting to see if he'd eventually try to make the government look bad.

The bell rang, startling everyone, even the teacher.

Lester moved to get up and felt bits of something under his shoes. He looked down to see both top corners and part of the leading edge of his desk missing and blushed when he realized that he was responsible. He stayed seated and waited for everyone to leave before slowly shuffling up to the substitute teacher.

"Sorry about the desk, Mister Guile," the boy said. "I'll pay for the damage, of course."

The teacher looked up at the boy's face and smiled. "No need, my boy. No one noticed and no one would believe you did it anyway. Would they?"

"No, I guess not. Still, I'd like to pay for the damage."

That bothered the short man. Lester's decency shone through. "Fine. I'll see that you're billed," he said brusquely. "Now off to your next class."

The boy slowly made his way to the door and briefly stopped as Mister Guile asked, "Should I interfere with Big Jim today?"

"No," he said, still facing away from his teacher. "That's okay. I got it."

The boy continued into the hallway, just able to make out his teacher's last words. "Try not to hurt him... too much."

* * *

© 2014 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

Life of a budding superhero

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 4

Big Jim surprised everyone by keeping quietly to himself at lunch. It was only after school that he made his move.

The first half of Jim's plan seemed pretty decent. He didn't really want to fight Lester since, in his mind, it would be too easy to win. So instead, the large boy would wait until Erin and Lester went their separate ways on the walk home. Then he'd have Erin all to himself, and that's where his plan went astray.

Erin left Lester after walking only a block from school, as usual, and Jim jumped at the chance to get her alone. The eager boy ran to catch up to the girl and startled her as she strolled along the sidewalk. She shrieked, and she was just loud enough for Lester to hear.

Lester soon came running up the road, but he slowed down to a walk and hid behind parked vehicles to keep from being noticed. He wanted to see what would happen. His philosophy was to always give people the benefit of the doubt. If Erin rejected Jim's advances as expected and Jim left, there wouldn't be a problem.

He got just close enough to hear them and stopped to watch and wait.

Jim hadn't said much up to that point other than to introduce himself. He started out with all the same confidence that he'd shown in the lunch room when he confronted Lester. But as he looked at the girl's face, he didn't see any sign of encouragement, any sign of attraction or warmth. It threw him off his game and he stumbled over his words.

"Yeah," Jim told Erin. "I'm really sorry I scared you. I seem to do that a lot. Scare people, that is. But I mean well. Usually. Sort of."

Erin barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes like she'd seen so many girls do with boys. "Okay," she said slowly. "I've got to go home now. I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Really? I mean, that'd be cool. You wanna sit together at lunch then?"

The girl sighed. "I don't think that would be a good idea, Jim. You and Lester don't seem to get along very well."

"That guy again?! Are you two dating?"

"No."

"Are you dating anyone?"

"No," she said again, frowning as she realized where the conversation was heading.

"So, you wanna go out sometime then? I've got my own car and a job."

"That's very nice, Jim, but I don't date. Goodbye." She turned away and started crossing the street, but she didn't get very far.

Jim paused a few seconds to collect the few thoughts that rattled around inside his head. He couldn't understand why someone as beautiful as Erin wouldn't date and it bothered him, enough that he dashed to catch up to the girl and he did something he shouldn't have. He grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Come on," he said. "Give a guy a break. Just go out with me once and see if you like it."

"I don't like it now," she said. His grip was causing her a little pain. She felt sure that she'd get a bruise on her arm from it. "Please let go. You're hurting me."

Lester almost jumped out from behind the gray minivan where he hid. He didn't like how things were getting physical between Erin and Jim. Still, he'd give Jim one more chance to give up on the girl.

"Oh, sorry." Jim let go of her arm. "Damn. You're delicate. But don't worry. I won't do that again. And I promise to be good on our date."

"Please don't make promises that you can't keep. It's not good for the soul."

"Right," Jim said with a leer, getting his confidence back. "How about a free sample then? One kiss and I promise you'll change your mind about going out with me."

Erin's patience wore thin by that point, and she wished that she had access to more than just a very small fraction of her true power. As it was, all she had were words to defend herself. She had to think and she had to do it quickly.

"Please listen carefully, Jim. I don't date. I'm dealing with some serious personal issues and I can't let myself be distracted."

Jim still didn't understand. He just heard that she's not dating anyone. Nothing was said about kissing and having a little fun, and that led him to one last desperate act. He grabbed her again and tried to force a kiss on her.

Erin struggled but the boy's strength far exceeded her own. She couldn't get away and she found herself starting to cry. Since taking on human form, she'd become more and more like a human girl and it scared her.

Lester had finally seen enough. He ducked out from hiding spot and marched along the sidewalk, shouting to try to stop Jim as soon as possible. "Hey! I think she wants you to stop!"

Jim stood up straight but still kept a firm grasp on both of Erin's wrists since he had yet to meet the girl's lips with his own. The frustrated brute turned to see Lester and sneered. "What is this?" he asked. "Some kind of setup or something?"

"No," Lester said as he continued walking. "This isn't a setup. It looks more like a rescue operation. Let go of her. Now." He went past another parked car and slowly angled out into the street.

"Hah!" The brute did let go of Erin, and he waited for Lester to get within range of his massive fists.

Lester stopped short and asked Erin a quick question. "Are you okay?"

She simply nodded and he turned back to Jim. "Didn't your mother teach you how to treat girls?"

"My mother is dead," Jim snarled. "And so are you." The large boy lunged forward, forgetting about his concern of winning a fight too easily. He swung his right fist at Lester's face.

Lester ducked under the punch and pushed at his attacker with all of his enhanced strength, sending the larger boy sprawling across the pavement until he finally skidded to a stop and shook his head.

"Damn it!" Jim shouted before quickly getting to his feet and running at the smaller boy.

Lester didn't know any martial arts but he subconsciously tapped into his recently learned control ability, allowing him to focus solely on the fight. He gained a form of hyper awareness of Big Jim's movement, making the large brute seem like he moved in slow motion. Lester had all the time he needed to decide what to do and then act. With Erin watching safely on the other side of the street, he used a small but significant fraction of his enhanced strength to punch his attacker in the stomach. The flow of time then returned to normal, leaving Jim on his back in the street, gasping for breath.

"Please try not to hurt him!" Erin shouted, not at all surprised that her friend did so well in the fight.

"Only his pride," Lester muttered, looking down at the large boy.

After several minutes, Jim slowly got to his feet, checking out the scrapes he'd gotten on his bare arms as he did so. "Lucky punch," he said before gingerly walking back the way he came, leaving Lester to rush over to Erin.

"I'm so sorry, Lester," she cried. "I wasn't strong enough. I should've been able to protect myself."

The slightly taller boy wrapped her in an embrace, whispering in her ear, "It's okay." He let her cry herself out and backed off, gently rubbing away a tear on her cheek.

"Feel better?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Maybe you should start taking a self-defense class. I don't think Jim is going to give up."

Her eyes widened in fear. "But I don't want to hurt anyone."

"You might have to. You really need to learn some self-defense techniques." He thought a moment and added, "I think we both do."

She slowly shook her head no and started crying again.

"Listen, Erin. I was really lucky to hear you were in trouble. But what if I didn't hear you?"

"I don't want to think about it," she said, shivering in dread.

"There's no reason why you can't defend yourself. I wish all girls would take self-defense classes. There are too many boys like Jim in this world."

That made Erin think, and she soon got a vacant look in her eye. "Wait," she said after a minute. "There is a martial art called aikido. It means 'the way of harmonious spirit' and it's meant to protect an attacker from harm. I think that would work."

"It sounds perfect," Lester said. "For both of us. Shall I look into signing us up for classes after school?"

"Yes, please. I don't ever want to go through something like that again. I keep forgetting how easy it is for boys to give in to their darker nature."

"Ouch," he said.

"Oh! Not you, Lester. You're special." She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled his upper arm with her cheek. Lester was in heaven for a precious dozen seconds. Then Erin released him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks for saving me," she said. "See you tomorrow." She quickly walked away, leaving the boy in a state of joy.

The smitten boy sighed and went the opposite direction to enjoy a very long and dreamy walk home.

* * *

Lester got lucky that night with the Akashic records. While dreaming about more romantic endings as a reward for saving Erin from Jim, he stumbled upon telekinesis, absorbing everything about it and using the new, powerful ability in his sleep without thinking about it. A pen, a dirty pair of socks, his wireless mouse, a USB drive, his smart phone and digital radio alarm clock with its power cord all floated above his bed, making out a crude heart shape. It would've been a cute expression of his feelings if his radio alarm clock hadn't pulled free of the electrical outlet and lost power. The lovesick boy overslept again.

"Huh?" he said, looking up at the odd assortment of his possessions floating over his bed. He lost the focus that he had in his dream and everything then fell on the bed. The radio alarm clock bruised his leg slightly, and as he healed his bruise, he noticed that the clock had no power.

"Not again!" he said as he started to get up. He reached for his bed covers but as soon as he thought about pulling them off of himself, they peeled away from him by themselves.

"Whoa," he said quietly. "This is getting seriously weird."

Lester shrugged off the weirdness and rushed to get ready for school in record time. Grabbing a banana and a handful of almonds to eat later, he shot out the front door just in time to catch the bus, causing the bus driver to shake his head.

The nearly late boy found his way to his usual seat in the middle of the bus and promptly went back to fantasizing about Erin until Brian got on at the next stop.

Brian could tell that Lester might prefer to daydream that morning, but his curiosity got the better of him and he sat down next to his friend.

"Morning, Lester. It's nice to see you still in one piece."

"Huh? Oh. Hi Brian. Yeah. I managed to get the best of Jim after school yesterday."

"What?! No way, dude!"

Lester nodded. "Yep. And the fair Erin rewarded me with a hug and kiss."

Brian cocked an eyebrow and got Lester to admit it was only a kiss to the cheek.

"But it was still a kiss!"

"Yeah. Okay. Fine. But I want to hear more about your fight with Jim. I'm not sure I believe it."

Lester went on to tell his friend how he ducked, pushed and apparently got lucky with a vicious punch to Jim's stomach. He felt like he couldn't fail. He wouldn't let himself, not with Erin being so vulnerable.

"Dude. I wish I could've seen it."

"Yeah. And I might just be getting close to the next level with Erin."

"Oh?"

"We're going to be taking a self-defense class together."

Brian laughed.

"What? It's almost like dating."

"All I can say is, good luck, dude. But it still sounds like you're stuck in the friend zone."

Lester sighed and the two friends sat together in silence for the rest of the ride to school.

* * *

Mister Guile carefully watched Lester as he leaned back against the front of his desk and lectured the class about how a bill became a law. Something about the boy looked different but he couldn't figure out exactly what it was. He couldn't devote too much time to it at that moment, but he made up his mind to definitely fish for a clue after class if he couldn't figure it out.

During his lecture, the substitute teacher didn't think to talk about special interest groups, even though they greatly influenced the creation of new laws in the modern era. Instead, he discussed the legislative process as it was originally intended and once again, he had Erin eyeing him more suspiciously than ever.

Erin still tried to protect the class from his words even if she couldn't physically protect herself. The girl had to be content with having Lester play the role of protector for her until she could do a better job herself. She looked forward to learning aikido.

Lester felt Erin's eyes on his back and smiled until he suddenly realized that he hadn't looked up aikido classes. That made him gulp. He wouldn't dare touch his smart phone during class but he'd try to sneak in a few searches between classes so he could be ready to discuss options with Erin during lunch. In the meantime, he had his imagination to keep himself entertained since Mister Guile's dry lecture couldn't hold his interest.

Just as he lost himself in his imagination, he thought he heard his name being called. It sounded like Erin speaking at first. Then it sounded male and made him think of Jim. It wasn't until his shoulder shook that he realized it was his teacher.

"Welcome back, young man," Mister Guile said, looking a little pleased.

The teacher's grin confused the boy. A teacher should be upset when a student didn't pay attention in class.

The short man got serious again. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to bring you back to reality. Better that than dreaming about attaining the impossible." He finally realized why Lester had trouble concentrating that day. Everything was progressing nicely. He especially liked Erin's inadvertent contribution. It put the man in a very good mood.

In accordance with his good mood, the teacher finished his current lecture and started a new one about one of his favorite subjects: war. He walked back to perch on the front of his desk and talked about the American revolutionary war, starting with the reasons behind it before moving on to the Declaration of Independence and eventually the formation of an early version of the government after the States won the war.

Mister Guile looked right at Lester as he spoke his next words. "From the darkness of war came something good, something worth fighting for."

Erin sputtered but didn't say anything. She couldn't find fault with the teacher's words, even though they felt wrong to her.

Lester quickly gave the idea some serious thought and interrupted with, "War itself is never good, and not every struggle for independence requires bloodshed."

The redhead suddenly stood up and shouted, "Mahatma Gandhi!" Then she blushed and quickly sat down.

The two students ruined Mister Guile's good mood. With a sour look on his face, he dismissed the class a couple of minutes early and sat down heavily in his chair to sulk.

* * *

Lester made good on his intention to find aikido classes. He found one being given less than ten miles away from the school. Only a few but important details remained, like what time to take the class and how to get there. Lester didn't have a car and he didn't think Erin had one either, not if she walked to and from school.

The two close friends ended up together in the lunch room, eating and discussing possibilities with Lester starting the conversation. "I'm guessing you don't have a car."

Erin shook her head no as she chewed a bite of her grilled cheese sandwich.

"I don't have one either so that only leaves the 'rents."

"What's a rent?" the girl asked.

The boy laughed and explained that 'rents was short for parents. "I think my mom can take us after dinner twice a week. You could come over for dinner, we could do a little homework and then go. Would that work for you?"

She briefly looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought before she answered, "Yes, I think it would work out nicely."

"My mom could give you a ride home too, if you want."

"I don't think so, Lester. But thanks anyway."

"Are you sure? How will you get home?"

"I'll walk from the class. I won't have far to go."

"How do you know? I haven't told you where the class is yet."

Erin simply smiled and took another bite of her sandwich, leaving the boy to wonder yet again about the mystery of girls.

The two of them talked a little more about their first aikido class and made a point of ignoring the hostile looks that they got from Big Jim. But still, Lester had to ask something important.

"How are you getting home tonight?"

Erin looked a little confused. "The same way I always do. Walk." Just after the last word left her mouth, she understood why he asked. "Oh. You don't think...."

The boy nodded. "I think it might be a good idea if I walked with you at least part way, if that's okay with you."

"Yes, please." She paused before thinking aloud. "I wonder how many aikido classes it will take before I can walk alone again."

"That's a good question. Self-defense isn't something you can learn overnight." He smiled when he suddenly thought about how easily he learned from the Akashic records. He wished physical skills were as easy to learn as the telekinesis that he learned last night.

Telekinesis would likely help deter an attacker, though he thought he should practice a lot before he tried anything. He really didn't want to hurt anyone and he hoped aikido would be easy to learn.

* * *

The weather turned cooler that day as autumn quickly approached. A misty haze hung low over the area, promising fog by next morning.

Lester and Erin had an uneventful walk home that afternoon. They walked several blocks together until the girl said they'd gone far enough. With his head hung a little low, the boy left his friend. He walked several steps and when he turned for a final look back, Erin quickly faded from view into the thickening mist. The boy sighed and continued his extended walk home.

When he got home, he went directly to his bedroom and sat down in his old chair.

"Hello, old friend," he told the chair after it squeaked from his added weight. "I'm sorry for neglecting you. I've been a bit preoccupied."

He shifted slightly and the chair let out a single, faint squeak.

"Yes, I know," he told the chair, as if it was speaking to him. "But I think Erin's worth it."

More movement and another squeak kept the one-sided conversation going.

"Don't worry. Angie will get over it. I never really spoke to her anyway. I doubt she really knows I exist. But Erin is different. She's special."

The boy sighed and lost himself in a daydream, gone from reality until his mother's piercing voice intruded.

"Lester! It's dinner time!"

With another sigh and loud creak from his chair, he told the chair, "Thanks for the company." Then he scuffed his feet all of the way to the kitchen.

* * *

During dinner, Lester talked to his parents about taking aikido classes and they liked the idea. They also grew much more interested and supportive when he asked if it was okay to have a girl join him for homework, dinner and the aikido classes. Their little boy was growing up.

After the mostly quiet meal, Lester returned to his room and remembered his intention to practice telekinesis. He didn't have any homework that night so with his door closed, he devoted the remainder of his time to some serious practice.

He sat cross-legged on his bed and started slowly, using his mind to lift a small beanbag dragon from the top of his dresser. The mostly brown toy rose quickly and stopped just as suddenly, all by the power of Lester's mind. It spun slowly at first and then fast enough to be a blur. Then the fun began.

"Dive, Scorch! Dive!" he told the toy.

The beanbag dragon stopped spinning and dove as directed, with its red-gold iridescent wings spread wide. It dove low over a ratty old floor rug, ruffling some of the rug's fringe as it passed over it.

"Now fly back to the tower and resume guarding the fair Princess Erin."

The dragon flapped its wings and flew up near the ceiling where it briefly paused. It gently descended to the top of the boy's tall dresser and sat still with only its small, red tongue flicking.

"Good boy, Scorch. Good dragon."

The dragon wagged its tail. Whatever Lester imagined, the dragon did. It seemed almost too easy. It was time to increase the difficulty.

The boy looked down at his smart phone next to him on the bed and with a thought, sent it up in the air and held it in place. He then added a couple of pens, various knickknacks and the wireless mouse off of his desk. All of the items floated motionless together for a bit before starting to slowly rotate in a horizontal circle. They moved faster and faster until the circle looked more like a blurry ring. The various items hummed and whistled as they created a breeze that ruffled the edges of some paper on his desk. While keeping the ring spinning, he added Scorch to the mix, having the toy dragon fly up and down through the center of the ring. So far, he kept everything moving with very little effort, as if the objects all had their own autopilot. His confidence soared and he grew bolder.

After another several minutes, every article of furniture hovered a few inches above the hardwood floor and slowly circled the room in the opposite direction of the small ring that still spun in the center of the room. Lester sat on his floating bed and choreographed the telekinetic dance, and he included his night stand so the radio alarm clock had pulled free of the electrical outlet, but the boy didn't care. He lost himself in the magical moment.

After another fifteen minutes, the only thing not moving was the floor rug, but that too was added, creating a magical flying carpet in the boy's mind.

'If only Erin could see this,' he thought at the amazing sight. 'Maybe then she'd date me.'

His concentration lapsed then and everything fell, making no small amount of noise. After several tense seconds, his mother's voice called out from the other side of his bedroom door. "Lester? Are you okay in there?"

She didn't wait for an answer and opened the door. "What?! You're rearranging the furniture at this time of night?"

"Just trying something new, Mom," he said carefully. He didn't want to lie.

"Well, I think that's enough for now. It's getting late."

"Okay, Mom."

She walked over and kissed her son on his forehead. "I'm going to bed soon so good night, honey. I love you."

"Good night, Mom. Love you too."

She left the room, shutting the door behind her, leaving her son to slowly shake his head. He accomplished something very difficult that night. He impressed himself.

After a little more rearranging of furniture, Lester plugged in his radio alarm clock and set the time and his alarm. Then he got ready for bed and crawled into bed. He flicked the light switch off with his telekinesis, and as he slowly fell asleep, he wondered what other paranormal abilities awaited him among the Akashic records.

* * *

© 2014 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

Revealing slips of the tongue

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 5

Wandering through the Akashic records that night led to an unusually helpful collection of knowledge that skirted the edge of athletic training before plowing through medieval weapon fighting techniques and vicious hand-to-hand combat. Lester's martial arts training started early and he wasn't really surprised. He could learn pure knowledge, physical skills and paranormal abilities. Whatever he found in the Akashic records, he could learn.

'Brutal,' he thought, but he realized that the martial arts might save his life someday. Even if he didn't use the techniques himself, knowing them could help him defend himself against them.

As he absorbed his first broadsword lessons, he had the feeling of being watched, and when he concentrated more on that feeling, it developed into something more. He felt like something or someone gently guided him from that point on, and just before waking up, he gained a most useful paranormal ability. He developed enhanced reflexes that were further reinforced by a very short-term view of the future. Detecting an attempted attack a second or two in advance made it much easier to avoid the attack. Lester called it his danger sense and it left him shaking his head in wonder.

'My life is turning into a comic book.'

A loud, feminine voice brought him back from his dream state, but it wasn't his mother as he first thought. The voice came from his radio alarm clock. It was a woman reading the top news headlines. The boy listened until the woman finished and wished he hadn't. He heard nothing but bad news and it saddened him.

A careful use of telekinesis turned off the radio and pulled back the bed covers, leaving Lester to levitate out of bed. He gave himself a gentle telekinetic push and slowly drifted towards his closet. As he floated, it occurred to him that he was basically flying. He could fly! The realization caught him by surprise more than anything. He really was living a comic book life.

Making plans for that evening occupied his thoughts until he left the house that morning. The shortening days would make it easier for some much needed practice outside. Nighttime in a nearby park would provide the necessary cover to practice in secret. He needed to test the range and strength of his telekinesis and he couldn't wait to let loose with some flying.

Lester made it to his bus stop with plenty of time to spare, leading back to daydreams of Erin while he waited for the bus. But his daydreams seemed a little off that morning. The girl of his dreams began to lose a little of her allure. With an unusual clarity of thought that came indirectly from his special control ability, some of the things she'd been saying added up to cause some small measure of suspicion about her. A vague suspicion nagged at him until yet another voice interrupted his thoughts that morning.

"Hey dude," Brian said as he sat next to his friend.

"Oh. Hey Brian."

"Daydreaming about Erin again?"

"Who else?" Lester flashed a brief grin before turning serious. "But it's not what you think. Something about her is bothering me."

"You mean besides not wanting to date you?"

Lester sighed. "Yes, it's not about dating."

"Let me guess," Brian said with annoyingly good cheer. "She seems too perfect, like she's not real. This is all just a dream. Wake up, Lester. Wake up!"

"You can really be a jerk sometimes."

Brian just laughed.

"But you're half right about Erin," Lester said. "It's not that she's perfect. It's more like she's unreal. You remember that first day when we all sat together at lunch. She knew all about me and she picked at her food like she'd never tasted it before."

"Yeah. I have given it a little thought. The thing that really got me was how she didn't realize she was cute. Maybe she was a tomboy before, but she came to school wearing a dress and looking hot. How could she not know she was cute?"

"Now that I think about it, she's said a lot of things that don't make sense. Sometimes she doesn't seem much like a girl."

"Dude!"

"Calm down, Brian. I don't mean physically. Her body is definitely all girl, but sometimes she seems uncomfortable with herself. She says a lot of weird things that don't make sense."

"Yeah. So do all girls."

"I don't mean the usual things. She doesn't talk about boys and shopping and stuff. Everything seems new to her. Everything! It's like she hasn't always been a girl."

"Dude!"

"Yeah. Sometimes I wonder if she's had a sex change."

"No way!"

"Yeah. You're right. That doesn't exactly fit what she's said."

"No, dude. I mean there's no way she was ever a boy."

"I don't think so either but she doesn't act like any girl I've seen. Nothing about her makes sense."

Brian smirked then. "And you're still planning on taking self-defense classes with her?"

"Yeah, I am. We could both use some self-defense. I'd ask you to join us but I don't think Erin would like it. Sorry."

"It's okay. I don't think I need any self-defense. I don't have Big Jim breathing down my neck."

"Yeah. Lucky me."

Brian nodded. "Lucky you. I hope you get to spar with her. Maybe that would thaw her out a little."

Lester laughed a short while until he started imagining himself in his upcoming aikido class, grappling with Erin like he saw two competitors do in an Olympic judo match once. His eyes glazed over and the two friends lapsed into a comfortable silence for the rest of the bus ride to school.

* * *

School was school, ordinary and bland. Mister Guile seemed satisfied with Lester's progress so he delivered a forgettable lecture about the structure of state government. Time passed quickly until lunch time.

Lester sat in his usual spot and paused before taking his first bite. He turned to watch Erin try something new. She stabbed a tater tot with her fork and held it up to her mouth to sample it with the tip of her tongue. The boy laughed when she wrinkled up her nose in distaste and daintily removed the tater tot from her fork. "That's not real food, you know," he told her.

"Why do they serve it then?" she asked, looking genuinely confused.

"Well, they used to serve a lot of junk food. But it has been getting better. Slowly."

"Junk food?"

"Yeah. Something that's basically edible and not really good for you. It tastes good but has little nutritional value."

"That's so sad."

"Yeah. But seriously, Erin. How can you not have heard of junk food? Don't they have junk food where you're from, wherever that is?" He tried to fish for more details about her life.

"No," she said, then stuffed a fork full of cooked carrots into her mouth.

Lester frowned. She continued to be evasive and it bothered him. Still, he changed the subject. He'd patiently wait for her to slip up with another stray info bite about herself. That would be a better time to start a serious interrogation. "My mom called about getting us into that aikido class next Tuesday evening. Is that okay? It doesn't sound very expensive."

He took a bite of his mashed potatoes and waited for an answer.

She soon agreed and the date, such as it was, was set. There was only one other matter that Lester wanted to address.

"Erin?"

"Hm?" she said with a mouthful of carrots.

"Why don't you own a cell phone?"

She looked a little confused and then she got a faraway look on her face. She spent several seconds that way before answering, "Because I don't need one."

"No one really needs one. But they're nice to have. They're really handy for emergencies, looking things up, staying in touch. What if you get stuck somewhere and need a ride or something?"

"That's impossible," she said, then frowned. "I mean it's not likely. I have a set schedule and if I don't keep to it, certain events take effect."

"You mean someone will come looking for you."

"Something like that."

"What if they can't find you?"

"Impossible."

"What? You have a GPS implant or something?"

"GPS?"

"Never mind. I give up... for today. But someday I'll figure you out."

She gave him a sad smile but didn't say anything more about the subject.

The pair of them finished lunch and went through the rest of their classes together, ending with more soccer and a shower.

Erin came out of the girl's locker room with her hair blow dried to perfection. She'd even reapplied what little makeup that she started using only a few days ago.

Lester looked at her fingernails and warned her not to try growing them out or getting fake nails. Long fingernails could easily scratch someone during their self-defense class. Other than that, he liked her increasingly feminine look even if it did drive him to distraction.

The pair walked their usual few blocks together after school with Lester looking over his shoulder soon after they separated. Once again he looked just in time to see his friend fade into the mist. The peculiar mist kept forming even on the clearest fall day and it did nothing but fuel his growing suspicion that Erin wasn't nearly as normal as he first thought.

* * *

Lester distracted himself with homework as soon as he got home from school, anything to keep from thinking about his plans to test his telekinesis and flying later that night. It worked well enough while it lasted but he finished everything an hour before dinner and locked himself away in his bedroom to fine tune his abilities.

His toy dragon, Scorch, flew around the room, chasing after the wireless mouse. The game of cat and mouse got a little out of control and ended when the flying objects knocked his desk lamp onto the floor. It was just as well.

"Lester!" his mother's voice rang out, startling him. "Come and get it!"

Dinner came early that night. He left his room in its slightly messy state and headed for the kitchen, where he inhaled his food, barely remembering what he ate. His mother commented on his table manners at some point and he simply nodded. The boy's thoughts were mostly in the near future, with him flying over the treetops in the dim light of a crescent moon. The pleasant vision called to him and he soon obeyed. With night having fallen during the meal, all he had left to do was throw on a jacket, tell his parents that he was going for a little walk and he was gone. Being Friday night, his parents didn't begrudge him some extra time to himself since he wouldn't have to get up early for school.

The walk to the large park took less time than usual, not because of any running or jogging on his part but because he used a little telekinesis to lighten himself and take longer, gliding steps. He soon found himself on the edge of a thick stand of trees at one end of the park, looking around for targets for his telekinesis. With no detailed plans, it wasn't clear what to do first.

The swing set in the nearby children's play area looked promising, and he soon had all of the swings going in unison. He backed away from it until he was easily a hundred yards away and still kept everything moving. His range was over a hundred yards. With a focus on one swing, he kept backing away until he was out of the park and across the adjacent street before he felt his hold loosening. At that point, he estimated that he was around three hundred yards away. The exact distance didn't matter. He could use the feedback to know when he was getting towards the edge of his range.

He walked back towards the play area and set all of the swings in motion, this time in an undulating pattern. Higher and higher they went until, with a last burst of power, he sent them all swinging hard enough to wrap tightly around the top horizontal bar that they all hung from. It was too easy.

With a sigh, he used his ability to slowly unwind the swings and left them gently swaying before turning his attention to finding his ability's weight limit. After looking around, he found himself drawn back to the street, where several cars were parked on both sides.

'Might as well start with the heaviest things I can find.'

He stayed back in the shadows, made sure no one was around and concentrated on the closest car, a small hatchback, starting with its back wheels. With some significant effort, the back of the car slowly rose until the wheels began to lift off of the pavement, and they kept rising until they were about two feet up. He slowly lowered the car and found himself almost hyperventilating with excitement and a little fear. He estimated that he could easily lift over three times that amount.

His next task had all four wheels of the same car lifting above the ground. He lifted the whole car, and on a playful impulse, spun the car 180 degrees so it faced the opposite direction before he lowered it back down.

Moving on to his next target, a large pickup truck, he immediately began lifting it until all of its wheels floated a foot above the street. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead from the exertion but it felt good, like he could keep at it for quite a long time. Lifting the large truck didn't seem any more strenuous than taking a long walk up a slight incline.

With nothing heavier in the immediate vicinity, Lester lowered the truck and had a sudden thought. He still had yet to test the limits of his enhanced strength. He also wondered how strong he might be if he combined his enhanced strength with his telekinesis. The large playground equipment back in the play area of the park tempted him back and he started by using his enhanced strength along with his healing. He could bend the thinner metal bars without straining too much. The thicker ones wouldn't budge. Using his telekinesis by itself, the thicker ones bent about as easily as the thinner bars did with his enhanced strength. But the real test came when he combined his abilities, and he soon found himself easily mangling even the thickest bars into all different shapes. It felt like shaping clay, and it took a little self-control to stop himself. With a sigh, he returned all of the bent bars to their original, straight lines. He shouldn't have been able to do that. Combining his abilities made him a lot stronger than simply adding one ability to the other. The combination somehow acted like a multiplier.

After staring into space for nearly half an hour, the awestruck boy walked home in a daze. Combining his enhanced strength with telekinesis essentially gave him super strength, again like something out of a comic book. He had no doubt that he could pick up the small hatchback that he first lifted and throw it across the street into the nearest house.

'Now I'm starting to scare myself,' he thought with a shudder.

He forgot all about trying to fly. Instead, he went straight home and immediately headed for the bathroom to brush and floss his teeth, followed by a long, hot shower. After saying good night to his surprised parents, he crawled into bed and quickly fell asleep. He didn't go anywhere near the Akashic records that night, but he did have a wonderful dream which had him flying all over the city.

* * *

The weekend flew by quickly, figuratively and literally as Lester practiced his flying. He started Saturday night, back at the park near his home, with levitation to raise him just above the treetops and telekinesis to propel him around. A short, careful application of telekinesis would send the boy moving horizontally in a straight line. It took more telekinesis to make turns and go up or down, but again, it was all too easy. With his ability to absorb Akashic records, he could master anything he learned. The only thing that slowed him down was his own caution.

After a short, circular flight over the park, it didn't take long before he felt confident enough to gain some serious elevation. He quickly rose several hundred feet and slowly flew away from the city lights, preferring the cover of darkness over the more rural areas. He checked in all directions for jets and airplanes and then took off like a shot to the east. His ability made him immune to the affects of acceleration. There were no g-forces to distort his face and make him pass out. The only thing to annoy him was the rushing wind. He blinked tears out of his eyes until he finally realized that he needed to slow down.

'Maybe I should get some goggles,' he thought at first, until he realized that he could use telekinesis to divert the air in front of him. He tried a flat shield at first but air resistance slowed him down so he changed to a conical shape and once again hit very high speeds, even breaking the sound barrier, though he didn't realize it when it happened. He didn't feel any different at the time. It was only after he heard local news accounts of a mysterious sonic boom that he knew it was caused by his maiden flight.

On Sunday night, Lester lifted several vehicles at the same time with his telekinesis. He included some lighter objects like a few rocks and his house keys along with the vehicles and had no trouble keeping control over everything. He also practiced some slower flying, and again, after he went to sleep that night, he ignored the Akashic records. He didn't even think about learning more abilities, not when he was enjoying his flying and telekinesis so much.

He snuck in a little flying on Monday night but on Tuesday morning, he got excited for an entirely different reason. Later that day, he'd be walking Erin to his house for the first time. They'd study together, have dinner and then take their first aikido lesson.

The excited boy got to the bus stop and couldn't stop thinking about spending the evening with Erin. The bus driver had to honk at him to get him to climb aboard.

Brian got on at his stop, took one look at his friend and almost went to the back of the bus. It hurt him to see his friend so wrapped up in a girl and making no real progress with her. He had another problem too. In spite of the lack of progress, it still made him a little envious that Lester was able to spend so much time with her, and he disgusted himself, so he sat next to his friend and tried to work his way through the envy.

"Hey Lester. Tonight's the night. Hm?"

"Huh? Oh! Hi Brian. Yeah. Erin's coming over tonight for studying and dinner so my mom can drive us both to the aikido dojo. It's gonna be great!"

"I hope so. Good luck, dude."

"Thanks, man. But I doubt anything will happen between us tonight. It's a little too soon I think. I'll be patient but I will keep after her. I know she likes me."

"But you said she doesn't date. That's weird. Is she saving herself for marriage or something?"

"I hope not. How can she ever hope to get married if she never dates?"

Brian cocked his head. "Yeah. That doesn't make sense, does it, unless she doesn't want to get married."

The two of them rode on in companionable silence, only speaking to say goodbye when they reached school and went off to their respective classes.

* * *

Mister Guile took one look at Lester that morning and flashed one of his creepiest smiles ever. It made half the class, including Lester and Erin, shudder in revulsion and turn away so they couldn't see it. It wasn't until several minutes after he started his lecture that they all gave him their full attention.

The faux substitute teacher started talking about state rights versus federal rights, and as he did once before, he started dropping hints about another paranormal ability, this time telepathy, also known as mind reading. He kept using the term "mind reader" in his lecture and as he spoke, he began to draw another diagram with circles and letters. It was supposed to be another crude map of the Akashic records that was meant to help direct Lester to where he could absorb information about telepathy.

"You don't have to be mind reader to know what went through the minds of the founding fathers when they formed the rules about state rights. They wanted to be fair, to make states feel like they could have a little independence. Independence is what it's all about. Mind reader or not, I'd say that's all any of us really want; a little independence."

The man had gotten about halfway done with his diagram when Erin interrupted.

"That's enough Mister Guile," she warned. "I know what you're doing now and you need to stop."

Half the class, including Lester, stared at her. The other half stared at their teacher, who grinned and raised his hands in an innocent gesture. "I don't know what you mean, Miss MacCloud," he said. "I'm not a mind reader after all. Not really."

"Just stop, Mister Guile. Haven't you done enough damage?"

"Damage? I'd say things are working out nicely."

"You know what I mean. One more line on the white board and the wager is off."

The students all mouthed the word "wager" and continued to stare with confused looks on their faces. That included Lester. No one was more confused than Lester.

The short man suddenly looked like a thief caught red-handed, but when he turned to erase the white board, a sly grin briefly spread across his face. He took his time cleaning the white board and wiped the grin from his face before he turned back to the class. "There," he said. "Is that better, Miss MacCloud?"

"Thank you, Mister Guile. I'm sorry for being so… forceful."

"It's quite all right, Miss MacCloud. Rules are rules, even if they aren't always written down. Now may I please continue my lecture?"

She nodded and he resumed his talk, trying to educate a class full of very confused students.

The class bell rang not long after the lecture finished and all of the students filed out with Lester and Erin leaving last.

"What was that about?" Lester whispered loudly to Erin.

Mister Guile overheard and smiled the same creepy smile he started the class with. Mercifully, no one saw it.

The last pair left the class room and were several steps down the hall before Erin spoke. "You mean my exchange with Mister Guile?"

"What else? That was weird. Really weird. It's like you know him."

"Know who?"

"Mister Guile. You don't know him, do you?"

"Why did you have to ask that, Lester?"

"Okay. If you don't want to answer that, then what was that about a wager?"

"Same question. Different form."

Lester narrowed his eyes. "So you do know Mister Guile, and you made a wager with him. Why?! What wager?! You don't seem like the gambling type to me."

"Please stop. You're embarrassing me." Her eyes started tearing up and the boy's heart melted.

"I'm sorry. But it's just so… weird."

"Life is weird, Lester. It's also unfair and quite dark at times. But it can also be good, full of goodness and love. It all depends on your perspective, and yours is nothing but good, Lester. Please don't change. Please." She sounded like she was begging him, and she stopped to grab him in a hug and soak his shoulder with her tears.

"Hey," he said, awkwardly patting her back. "It's okay. It'll be okay." He put the wager and Mister Guile out of his mind for the moment and concentrated on comforting the distraught girl. It took a little encouragement but he got her walking again. They both sat down at their desks just before the bell rang to signal the start of their next class.

Erin hated herself as she dabbed at her eyes. She didn't like being manipulative, didn't like it at all. But her tears were the only thing she could think of to derail Lester.

'Being human is so difficult.'

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

Conversations with an angel

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 6

Most of the leaves on the maple trees that lined the streets still retained a healthy, green color, and the mild, early autumn weather carried no threat of any mysterious mist. Erin walked closely next to Lester after school, well within hand-holding distance, though no contact was made between the pair. Nothing much was said as they continued walking together, well on their way to Lester's home. Plans were still on for homework, dinner and aikido classes.

For the first time since she started school, first time ever actually, Erin wore jeans and a sweatshirt, both in a hunter green, with a purple jacket. The jeans and sweatshirt would be more sensible for cooler weather, especially at night when the temperature dropped even more. They also complemented her features nicely, something that Lester couldn't help notice.

He initially fantasized about holding hands with her but his thoughts turned back to the strange conversation in Government class that morning. It actually made a strange kind of sense that Erin and Mister Guile were connected in some way. His instinct had been screaming it at him ever since they both showed up on the same day in the same class. They both showed an unusual interest in him and they verbally sparred with each other like a brother and sister, and those thoughts led him down a very interesting path. With his special control ability, he concentrated on the link between Mister Guile and the Dark Librarian who showed Lester the Akashic records. Only some otherworldly being could do what Mister Guile, aka the Dark Librarian, did, and if Erin was anything like the Dark Librarian, she would likely be an otherworldly being herself. It all made sense. Everything fell into place. She looked like a beauty queen yet didn't know how to be a girl, not initially anyway. She also knew so much about his life and showed so much interest in him yet she refused to date him or any other boy. That and all of the strange things that slipped out of her mouth could only add up to one conclusion.

He suddenly stopped, leaving Erin to continue walking several steps ahead of him before she realized something was wrong.

"Lester?" she said after stopping and turning around. "Are you okay? You look like you swallowed a tater tot."

He gave her a sickly smile and forced a chuckle. "Funny. You're a funny… one, Erin. Could I just rest here a moment, please?" He didn't wait for her to answer. He slumped down and sat on the curb with his head in his hands.

She cocked her head. "Um, sure." She walked back and gave him a close look. When she made sure he wasn't having any serious health problems, she relaxed and looked around the neighborhood while she waited.

"Erin?" he asked while keeping an eye on an ant that darted between his feet.

"Yes?"

"Are you for real? I mean, really for real?"

She sighed. "Lester, right now, I'm as real as you or anyone else in this world. Can we please just keep walking?"

He slowly got up and stretched, feeling strangely energized and just a little angry. "But are you human?" he asked, looking deep into her beautiful green eyes.

An awkward silence fell between them until a single tear rolled down Erin's cheek.

"I'm sorry, Lester. I won't lie to you but I can't tell you everything. Can you please just let it go?"

"You can't be human," he insisted.

"Lester, for the time being, I'm human. Right now, I'm human. Okay? Now will you please drop the subject?" She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes, emphasizing her humanity.

The boy softened a little. His anger dissipated, diluted and washed away by the girl's tears. "Come on," he said. "It's getting late. We still have a long way to go."

She gave him a tentative smile and they started walking again, side-by-side.

Lester gave his friend some serious thought as they walked. Would it matter if she wasn't human? He didn't think so. He found himself attracted to her as much by her curious and wholesome personality as by her appearance, and he trusted that she didn't lie when she said that she liked him.

More of her words came back to him. He remembered that she once said something about being stuck as she was for a year. He hoped they could remain friends after that year was over, and a part of him still continued to desire something more than friendship.

* * *

Lester's mother, Susan, worked part-time selling cosmetics at a department store so she was already home, and she abruptly opened the front door before Lester could reach the door knob. It startled him a little.

"Mom! Don't do that!"

"Sorry, dear. I couldn't wait to meet your friend." She looked at Erin with an eager smile. "Your description didn't do her justice."

Erin blushed and looked down.

"Mother. Please. Can we come inside for the introductions?"

"Oh! Yes, of course. Please. Come in. Come in."

Lester and Erin shed their light jackets in the entry way, hanging them on a quaint coat hanger stand before moving on to the living room. The boy and girl sat next to each other on a soft, beige couch with Lester's mother sitting in a matching chair across from them.

"Mom," Lester began. "This is Erin. Erin, this is my mother."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. McHenry," Erin said with a tentative smile.

"It's very nice to finally meet you, Erin. Lester's told me a lot about you, all of it good."

"Thanks," the girl said, trying not to blush. "Lester is very kind. But before we continue, may I please have a glass of water? It's a very long walk to your house from school."

Lester's mother looked mildly shocked. "I wondered why it took you two so long to get here. Why didn't you take the bus?!"

"Ug," he said, rolling his eyes. "I didn't even think of that. We've gotten too used to walking home."

"It's really my fault, Mrs. McHenry. It takes me a long time to shower and get ready after our Physical Education class. The bus leaves before I can finish."

"Well, that's okay. Now just a minute and I'll be right back with water for both of you," the woman said, getting up to go to the kitchen.

Lester watched as Erin looked all around the room, taking in the proudly displayed family photos on the walls and in a glass cabinet in the far corner of the room. He sighed as she cutely wrinkled up her nose in distaste at one large photo of his father in military uniform, but other than that display, she seemed very interested, even though she didn't comment or ask any questions. Neither of them talked for the short time it took Lester's mother to bring two tall glasses of chilled water.

"Here you go," the woman said, handing a glass first to Erin and then her son.

"Thank you," Erin said and quickly took several large gulps. She didn't like being thirsty.

"Yeah, thanks, Mom." Lester followed his friend's lead.

Susan smiled and told them that they could use the dining room table to study together while she made dinner. The lighting was better in the dining room, she explained.

"Can I help you with anything?" Erin asked her. "We don't have a lot of homework."

"No. That's okay. I already have everything mostly done. All I have to do is cut up the meat and throw it and the veggies in a wok and stir it. I thought we'd have a nice stir fry tonight if that's okay." She didn't mention how little time it would take to cook. She wouldn't have to start it for a long time, leaving her plenty of time to chaperone her son from a discreet distance.

"It sounds interesting," the girl said, smiling brightly.

Lester stared at her, amazed at how human she seemed. How normal. His mother noticed his behavior and had to say something about it.

"Lester! Stop staring. It's not polite. Why don't you give Erin a little tour of the house and get started with your homework? The sooner you start, the sooner you'll finish."

"Yes, Mother." The boy got up and, after taking their half full glasses of water to the dining room table, he led his schoolmate around the house for a five minute tour.

During the quick tour, Lester retrieved his laptop from his bedroom and the two of them ended up back at the dining room table, sitting very close together. He pulled up the required reading material from their Advanced Literature class and they both began reading four selected sonnets written by William Shakespeare. They'd start with the sonnets and later move on to cover three of the famous bard's plays: A Midsummer Night's Dream, King John and Romeo and Juliet. Their teacher, Miss Mills, liked to expose her students to the sonnets as well as one of each of the three categories of plays to give them a well-rounded education.

Erin finished reading the sonnets and gushed, "I love them all but I think number eighteen is my favorite. It's brilliant." She quoted, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate," then sighed.

"Yeah, it's one of the most famous sonnets. But I like forty three best. I like the contrast of light and dark. The imagery somehow speaks to me."

The girl stared at him and just said, "Interesting."

He felt uncomfortable being stared at, but it took him several awkward seconds to break the spell. "Hey," he finally said. "Do you wanna start on A Midsummer Night's Dream? I've heard a little about that play. It sounds really good. I could use some comedy after all the drama at school lately."

"No, I want to contemplate the sonnets for now, please. They're very moving."

"Okay. Go ahead then. I'll check on dinner." He got up and went to the kitchen, leaving Erin alone for the moment.

"So?" he quietly asked his mother. "What do you think of her?"

"She's a lovely girl."

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"You really like her, don't you."

"Yeah. But we're just friends." He wanted to add something about it being for the best considering that she wasn't actually human but he wisely remained silent on that matter.

"Maybe someday it'll develop into something more," his mother happily told him.

"I already asked her out and got shot down."

Susan frowned. "Oh. That's too bad. But you still never know."

"I know. Erin told me she doesn't date."

"Really? Well, it took ages for me to agree to go out with your father. He asked me out several times before I said yes. I have to admit, his determination bothered me a little at first, but he grew on me. I eventually found it flattering and decided to give him a chance. I'm glad I did." She smiled, trying to give her son some encouragement.

He sighed.

"Aw. Don't worry, Lester. If it's meant to be, it'll happen. Just try to be patient and give it a chance to develop."

"I know," he said, giving her a faint smile. He wasn't sure if he wanted to date Erin. Conflict waged a fierce battle inside of him. If Erin wasn't human like he strongly suspected, any long-term relationship would most likely be doomed to failure, and yet he couldn't help being attracted to her.

"You poor dear," his mother added. "You can't choose who you love. But you're doing the right thing, spending more time with her outside of school. Get to know each other and see what happens."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Any time." She flashed him a brief smile and started puttering about in the kitchen.

Lester took the hint and went back to discuss the finer points of Shakespeare's sonnets with Erin.

* * *

Lester's father arrived just in time for dinner, and he was in a very good mood, even after a sluggish commute and working long hours as a warehouse manager. Meeting a potential daughter-in-law tended to do that to a proud father.

Susan timed the meal with his arrival, of course, having been in sporadic contact with her husband during his commute. The McHenry family sat down at their modest, square dining room table with Erin as their guest. Each of the four sat at one side. Lester faced Erin and his parents faced each other.

The family's guest had helped a little in the end. She and Lester had added the place settings. Then they'd all sat down, and waited.

Erin sat quietly, comparing Lester to his father. The boy had a strong family resemblance to his father, both of them having short brown hair and similar facial features. She wondered if Lester would fill out as much as the slightly taller, well-built man and sighed.

'Where did that come from?' she thought. She didn't understand the sudden attraction she felt towards Lester's father.

After an awkward half a minute or so, Susan finally spoke up. "Please, Erin. Dish up your plate first. You're our guest."

"Oh," the girl said, blushing. "Right. Thanks." She helped herself to a small amount and waited for the rest of the family to get theirs. When they all had something on their plate, she nibbled a pea pod and the corners of her mouth turned slightly upward. She liked it.

Lester watched her for short time and spoke without thinking. "You've never had stir fry before, have you, Erin?"

She shook her head no as she finished the pea pod. "It's very good."

Susan smiled. "Thanks, Erin. It's pretty easy to make and it's healthy. I can show you how to make it sometime if you like."

Erin got a vacant look in her eye as she accessed her own mysterious source of data. "No. That's okay. I know how to make it. But thanks anyway."

Susan frowned, not sure what to make of that.

Lester quickly spoke up. "Erin has something like a photographic memory. She probably saw a stir fry prepared somewhere and just had to think about it. Right, Erin?"

The girl nodded. "Something like that."

Susan shrugged and took a mouthful so she could think about it while she chewed. That left the conversation open for Lester's father, Matthew.

"So, Erin," the man said. "Why don't you tell us a little about your family?"

The girl's eyes widened and she choked a little on her food.

"Are you okay?" Matthew said.

She quickly shook her head no and abruptly got up and left the table.

Lester caught up with her in the entry way as she was putting on her jacket.

"I don't think this was a good idea," she said. "I should go."

"No!" the boy said, raising his voice a little at first. "Please. Stay. I can just explain that you don't have any real family and you got upset. That's the truth. Right?"

She paused and slowly nodded. "I guess so." She had her jacket on but she hadn't zipped it up so Lester continued.

"We can talk about something else. School. Our aikido class. Something. Please?"

"I don't know, Lester." Her hand fingered the zipper.

"You told me that you looked forward to seeing what high school was like. What about outside of school? I have nice parents. Please give them a chance."

"I suppose we could try it again." She started taking off her jacket and Lester breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks," he told her. "I would've missed you in the aikido class." He assumed she wouldn't make it without his mother taking her.

"Oh. I would've met you there anyway. I'm not missing the class."

Lester sputtered a little. "But it's more than ten miles away. How would you get there?"

Erin got that vacant look on her face again and he quickly interrupted.

"Hey. You know what? Never mind. I don't want to know. Let's just go finish eating. Okay?"

She smiled and nodded, then followed him back to the dining room. She sat down, gave a quick apology and immediately started nibbling another pea pod. She loved pea pods.

Lester explained about her not having family and his father apologized profusely. Another several awkward minutes passed before he tried again. "How do you like school, Erin?" he tried.

She paused and swallowed the last pea that she'd been rolling around on her tongue. "I like it a lot so far, except for one of the boys."

"She means Big Jim," Lester quickly added. "I told you about that already."

"Right," Matthew said, nodding and frowning before turning back to Erin. "What's your favorite class?"

"That would have to be Advanced Literature. Lester and I were reading some of Shakespeare's sonnets earlier for that class. The sonnets are wonderful, and I'm looking forward to reading some of Shakespeare's plays. We're covering three of them in class, after we finish with the sonnets."

That was the most Lester had ever heard Erin say at one time and he wondered if she was trying to make up for leaving the table.

Light conversation continued and everything went well. They finished their meal and had some extra time to digest their meals and talk some more until it was time for the aikido class. Lester hurried to his bedroom to change into more casual, loose-fitting clothes for the class and then Susan drove the two of them with yet more conversation, most of it between Erin and his mother. He watched and listened, again marveling at how normal and natural the girl seemed.

He wasn't sure he'd ever actually loved her before that moment. She showered him with attention and he found her attractive but she rarely talked about herself except to give away odd bits of information. He never really knew her all that well so he didn't believe he could've truly fallen in love with her. It wasn't until after watching her interact with his family and finding out how much she loved the work of Shakespeare, pea pods and more that he found himself falling in love.

* * *

Susan dropped Lester and Erin off in front of the aikido dojo with plans to text her when they were ready to be picked up. Then she sped off to a nearby mall for a little shopping.

Lester led his friend through the large front door and entered a small, front room with sounds of exercise in the background. Voices and thuds echoed in a large room beyond. There was no one to greet them so Lester poked his head into the larger room until the teacher noticed and rushed over in his traditional outfit consisting of a white wraparound top tied by large, loose-fitting black pants.

The slender, graceful teacher seemed to glide across the padded floor as he moved, impressing both Lester and Erin before they even started the class.

After introductions, Mister Wilson explained that they'd be expected to wear a uniform called a gi for their next class. They looked at the other students to see loose-fitting white pants and a white wraparound top tied by belts of various colors. The color of the belt determined the student's skill level. The two new students agreed to pick up a gi and wear it for their next class on Thursday. They'd be starting with a white belt.

Mister Wilson, or Sensei when in class, led them to a near corner of the large room and first told them that the goal of their style of aikido was to keep an attacker off-balance and under control using throws, locks and nerve pressure points.

"We don't try to hurt or kill anyone in this dojo," he said.

He also mentioned that they included a healthy mix of theory and practice. Every class emphasized that all techniques and movement should flow naturally without force, and they always spent at least half of the class time practicing self-defense techniques.

The two new students eagerly agreed to join. Lester mentioned that he researched the dojo and it sounded perfect for both of them. That prompted their new sensei to lead them through a series of warm-up and breathing exercises, followed by a couple of stances and footwork exercises. He watched and corrected them for a short time and left them to practice while he attended to other students.

"What do you think, Erin?" Lester soon asked. "Like it so far?"

"Yes," she said while continuing to concentrate on her footwork. "And you're right. This does seem perfect. For both of us."

Lester stopped to watch her, sighing and then mentally chastising himself for poor breathing technique. He quickly resumed his own exercises and worked at them until Sensei returned to give another lesson.

"This is a simple wrist lock," he told Lester, demonstrating by holding the boy's right hand and twisting it around, palm up. Lester had to bend forward and down to relieve the pain and pressure on his wrist, just as intended. Sensei released him and demonstrated next on Erin. She yelped at first, until he gently directed her not to resist.

He had them practice on each other for a short time before calling over an advanced student to give a demonstration of techniques for applying wrist locks in a fight. After seeing Sensei in action, both of them were definitely hooked. They couldn't wait to get their uniforms and start some serious training.

The two new students spent the remaining class time working on stances, footwork and part of their first kata, a series of flowing movements and actions that help to train a student to defend against a variety of attacks, one after another. They only did the footwork and movement for the kata. The arms and rest of the techniques would be taught in their next class.

At the end of class, Sensei encouraged them to practice on their own at home to help reinforce what they've learned and told them goodbye. They both bowed, thanked him and went back into the front room where Lester texted his mother to come and pick him up.

"She's on her way, Erin," the boy said. "I guess you should leave now or she'll insist on taking you home."

"Right," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow at school." With that, she quickly left through the front door, leaving Lester alone with thoughts of aikido swirling around in his head.

He never felt so graceful as when he practiced the aikido footwork. It was a far cry from his months of extreme clumsiness that he experienced not so long ago. He went from cursed to blessed in a scary short period of time and it just kept triggering warning bells in his mind.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

How to train a superhero

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 7

Sleep didn't come easily to Lester that night. He couldn't stop thinking about how much his life had changed in the past month, and how much it seemed related to his new teacher and new friend, Erin. He didn't drift off until well after midnight, and once he did, it didn't take long to feel some insistent nudging through the Akashic records.

"Stop," his dream self said. "Just stop, Mister Guile. I'm going to wander on my own tonight. I need a break from you."

The nudging stopped as suddenly as it began, and Lester began his wandering. He'd recently worked out that the records seemed to form layers according to a rough timeline. Older records seemed lower somehow and he dove down through them, looking for some of the earliest, most primitive paranormal abilities. In spite of Mister Guile's last hint about learning telepathy and the answers that might come from reading minds, he didn't feel ready for something like that.

The boy continued to dive and drift, absorbing skills like hunting mastodons with spears that were tipped with well-crafted stone arrowheads. The knowledge was pretty much useless but he still felt like he was on the right track to something great, something life changing. Intuition guided him in place of Mister Guile, and just before his alarm clock went off, he found a most amazing paranormal ability. He found shapeshifting, and he greedily absorbed everything about it just in time. The smile on his face as he opened his eyes that morning brightened his future like nothing else.

'I had no idea such a thing was possible,' he thought. 'Now I just have to figure out what to do with it.'

He felt tempted to try changing his appearance, just to make sure he could do it, but he resisted. He didn't have time. He had to get ready for school.

The boy wandered into the kitchen and found the house deserted, his mother and father already having left for work. As he sat down to gobble up a large bowl of cold cereal, he didn't notice his control faltering. He thought of his mother's blonde hair and his newly learned ability kicked in, causing his hair to slowly lighten in color. By the time he left his house for the bus stop, his hair had lightened to the same shade of blonde as his mother.

The bus driver didn't seem to notice his new hair color. No one did until Brian got on the bus at his stop.

"Dude. What's up with your hair?"

"Huh?" Lester said, looking up at his friend. "What do you mean?"

"You dyed your hair, dude. What the fuh?!"

Lester tried not to panic, but he quickly turned to see a faint reflection of himself in the bus window and gasped. His hair was definitely blonde. 'I can't leave it like this,' he thought. 'But what do I tell Brian?'

On impulse, he bent over in his seat, trying to cover his hair as much as possible with his hands. "Just a second," he said as his ability kicked in and turned his hair back to his normal brown color. When he sat back up, Brian's eyes bulged in his head.

"Dude!" he hissed in a loud whisper. "I did not just see that."

Lester gave him a wry grin. "You did. I've been going through a lot of weirdness lately and it's past time I filled you in."

No one other than Brian noticed Lester's hair color change on the bus. The bus wasn't very full and no one else sat close to the two friends so it was fairly easy to be secretive.

Lester whispered quietly to Brian, and after a few demonstrations besides the hair color change, he had his friend convinced of the truth. When Brian felt himself rise a couple inches in his seat from telekinesis and slowly lower back down, he gasped and said, "Enough! I believe you!"

"Finally," Lester said quietly. "I needed someone to talk to about this stuff. It's getting to be a bit much to handle by myself."

Brian sulked a little. "Why didn't you tell Erin? You two are certainly close enough."

"Hey. Don't be like that. I told you first. You're my closest friend. Okay?"

"Yeah, dude. Sorry."

Lester decided not to tell Brian his suspicions about Erin and Mister Guile. He still wasn't sure about them himself anyway and he felt that his paranormal abilities were more of a concern for the moment. He didn't know what to do or think about all of his abilities.

Brian gave it some thought and had to say it. "So you got all of them after only a couple weeks?"

Lester nodded.

"And you keep getting more? Like last night?"

Again, Lester nodded.

"Dude. I think we both know where this is going. You're a superhero."

"What?!"

Brian shushed his friend and nervously looked around. The bus driver gave them a sour look but other than that, no one seemed to notice or care.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Super strength. Super healing. Flying. Telekinesis. Danger sense. Shapeshifting. You're a fuckin' superhero, dude."

"Hey," Lester said, mildly upset. "Watch your language, please."

Brian looked a little disgusted. "Definitely a hero. No danger of villainy here."

"Whatever," he responded, then spoke more quietly. "But now that I think of it, you're right. Wow. Cool." Then, more loudly, he added, "Oh! And you know what they say about great power."

"Dude. Please. Don't say it."

"With great power comes great responsibility."

"You're such a geek."

Lester smiled. "Takes one to know one."

"Yeah, dude. You got me."

The two friends had only a little more time to talk before the bus arrived at school. They talked about costumes and secret identities before they left the bus, visited their lockers and continued on to their separate classrooms.

* * *

Mister Guile perched his rear on the front edge of his desk, scowled briefly at Lester and launched into a dull, normal lecture that day. Erin relaxed and Lester daydreamed of being a superhero. It was slight respite after a long string of strange days.

Advanced Literature progressed nicely through the selection of sonnets and moved on to A Midsummer Night's Dream. Lester found the play to be quite amusing, especially when Puck magically transforms Bottom's head into a donkey's head. Poor Bottom doesn't even notice the change and hilarity ensues.

The play put Lester in a good mood, but the mood slowly eroded as lunch time approached. He soon found himself sitting next to Erin at their usual lunch table and speculation about her began to plague him.

"Erin?"

"Hm?" she said, her mouth half full of sweet corn.

"Just where exactly do you live? Another dimension? Another planet? Cloud nine? You never said."

She quickly swallowed her mostly chewed corn and gave him a nervous laugh, but otherwise ignored the question.

"Okay then," he said. "I noticed that you seem to disappear into mist when we separate after school. That's a convenient way to hide where you're going. Why don't you just do it right away? Then you wouldn't have to worry about Big Jim."

She stared at him for several seconds before answering. "I can't do it right away. It takes time. And I also don't want anyone to see it. You weren't supposed to notice."

"Well, I did notice. But I suppose it's too closely related to my first question. I keep trying to ignore the strangeness but it won't let me. You know, like how the more you try not to think of something, the more you end up thinking about it."

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Lester. I really am. But I can't tell you any more. Please." Her eyes pleaded with him.

"I'm sorry too," he told her. "I keep pushing for answers when you made it plain you want to keep secrets."

"Aw. Lester. Don't be that way."

"What way? You mean upset? I think it's perfectly natural to be upset when you know virtually everything about me and I know so little about you. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were stalking me before school started."

"We all have our secrets, Lester. You haven't been telling me about your browsing of the Akashic records."

That stopped him cold. "How do you know about that? How can you even know?"

She squeaked, having let something slip again. "Please pretend you didn't hear that."

"It's too late. I wish I had told you now. I could've used someone to talk to about it. It's getting a little crazy."

"Yes, I know." She quickly took another bite of sweet corn and turned away while she chewed.

"Well, I told Brian. He's going to help me."

Erin squeaked again and shook her head.

"It's too late for that too," he said quietly.

She managed to swallow without choking and speak before too long. "I'd help if I could but I'm not allowed to interfere, not directly. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Erin. Really," he said, getting up from the table before mentally adding, 'I love you anyway.'

* * *

Lester walked Erin partway home after school as usual but they didn't talk at all. Both of them were afraid of having any conversation since their last one in the lunch room had been so awkward. Instead, the boy gently took her hand in his and she let him. They swung their clasped hands together as they walked for the few blocks before they parted, and after they parted, he took half a dozen steps and then turned to watch her disappear into a foggy mist as he had several times before. That's when he got another surprise, even better than holding hands. He saw her looking at him, smiling and waving as she faded away, right before his eyes. His step and mood both lightened after that.

The happy boy got home, blew through his homework, had dinner with his parents and dug up what little money he had so he could buy a gi the next day before his aikido class. In like the first time since forever, he actually looked forward to shopping. That's because Erin asked to come along so she could get her gi.

He tried not to think about how she could come up with with such lovely clothes and yet couldn't seem to handle getting a gi. He tried and failed, all the way to the large park by his home. As he once said, trying not to think about something almost guarantees that you'll think about it, yet in spite of all of his remarkable mental control and clarity of thought, he failed to come to any reasonable conclusions.

'Maybe that's because the truth is unreasonable,' he thought.

His intuition teased him with several versions of the truth - partial truth, half truth, full truth - but he refused to accept any of it, and he didn't have time to debate himself. He had other plans that evening.

Brian met up with Lester in the park, and once there, in the cover of darkness, the two boys were to do some brainstorming for superhero training. But first, Lester had to try out his new ability.

"Dude," Brian said, shining a small LED flashlight in his friend's face. "Not funny."

Lester had changed his face and hair to look exactly like his friend. "What's the matter?" he said, using Brian's voice. "Don't you like having a twin?"

"Really not cool."

Lester laughed.

"Dude. How about changing into a hot girl?"

"You wish."

It was Brian's turn to laugh.

"Keep it up," Lester told him as his face returned to normal, "and I'll change into your mother."

Brian sputtered a bit and quickly shut up. The two of them then got serious about training, starting with some exercises to try and scenarios to think about. A superhero had to be ready for just about anything.

"How about bullets?" Brian asked. "Have you thought about how you'd avoid getting shot? You're not invulnerable. Right?"

"Yeah," Lester agreed. "I have my danger sense to help me avoid them in the first place. And I think my telekinesis is strong enough to block them. If one does still manage to hit me, I have my healing. I think I've got it covered."

Brian shook his head. "I've got one word for you: Machine gun."

"That's two words, dork."

"Whatever. It shoots bullets. Lots of 'em. I don't think you'd be able to avoid all of them and if enough hit you all at once, they could damage you faster than you could heal. Dude. You could die."

"Yeah. Maybe I should wait for more abilities."

Brian shrugged. "You should probably wait before you go out fighting crime. But you can still train with what you've got."

Lester agreed and the training resumed. At one point, the budding superhero created an invisible, telekinetic shield while Brian threw rocks at it and tried to break through by hitting it with a large stick. Nothing penetrated the shield as long as Lester kept it going. That boosted his confidence, especially after he realized he could surround himself with the shield to protect himself from all directions. Not even a sniper with a high-powered rifle could take him out when he had his shield.

Brian shook his head. "Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you are ready to go out in the field. Damn."

Lester flinched at the swearing but didn't say anything. He was too giddy after practicing with his shield. He could protect himself while using more telekinesis to subdue anyone just outside of the shield. And he could fly over in case of land mines or any other kind of trap on the ground. With a spherical shield surrounding him in the air, he could do wonders.

"Wait a minute," Brian said, interrupting Lester's moment. "I thought of something else."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I've got one word for you again: nuclear weapon."

Lester rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Because all criminals have one of those in their back pocket."

Both boys laughed.

"Seriously, dude. You should be a superhero."

"Yeah," Lester said, his eyes glazing over as he thought about all of the wondrous possibilities, all of the people he could help, and perhaps a certain girl he might impress.

* * *

Lester had only four words to say to the Dark Librarian that night. "I want a break." The boy then went on to have some entertaining dreams that involved lots of flying, super strength and flattering newspaper headlines about him. The world's first superhero appeared and no one's life would ever be the same. He thought of it as a dream, but it might just as well have been a preview of things to come.

Most of the time, he saved a certain girl from various villains and natural disasters. The girl looked very much like Erin but she never gave him her name in the dream. Instead, she thanked him with a toe-curling kiss on the lips and left him stunned while she went to get into more trouble, like she wanted to be saved again so she could repeat the kiss.

After waking up, the morning seemed as dull as the dreams were fun. Breakfast, a bus ride and school couldn't compare to saving a beautiful redhead and getting kissed by her, over and over. Brian tried to engage his friend in conversation on the bus but it was hopeless and both friends zoned out for most of the ride to school.

Time dragged all morning and into lunch, as Erin still had little to say to Lester. When the two of them got to the lunch room, they concentrated mostly on eating, especially since Erin dared to try something new again. She seemed fascinated by shredded chicken tacos and Lester simply enjoyed watching her pick them apart and try to decide how best to eat them. He should've suggested that she use her hands but instead he watched with amusement as she insisted on trying to use a knife and fork, with predictable results. The crunchy corn shells broke up and sent bits of lettuce, tomato and chicken in all directions. The inexperienced girl did finally realize that her hands worked better than any silverware but it was obvious that she didn't like it. She didn't like to get her hands dirty.

In a lot ways, Erin made a good, stereotypical girl, just good enough to keep Lester interested, and hoping for a chance, however slim, of moving beyond friendship.

During school, the chemistry between Erin and Lester remained luke warm at best. It wasn't until after school that the mood between the boy and girl heated up. They walked to Lester's house together since they had their aikido class that night, and long before they arrived at their destination, Erin found herself unable to keep from talking about shopping and their upcoming trip to the mall to buy aikido uniforms. She wanted to know all about shopping.

Lester tried not to roll his eyes but at least he appreciated her enthusiasm. One thing kept bothering him however. 'How could she not know anything about shopping?!'

The girl had a lot of very nice, flattering clothes. She wore light make up every day and had her hair done up in many different styles. Either she was rich and had others pamper her, or, like he strongly suspected, she had some magical way of dressing up, like Cinderella and her fairy godmother. Even if it was some sort of alien technology, it could be advanced enough to seem magical. The idea of aliens disturbed the boy somewhat so he leaned towards the truly magical. Magical beings were often much more pleasant than aliens in his mind.

After the zillionth question, since she hadn't been waiting for answers and he hadn't been paying much attention, he finally spoke and interrupted her. "I hope you realize that I know very little about shopping. I'm a boy. We're not supposed to like shopping."

That stopped Erin for a moment. Her eyes glazed over for a moment before she spoke. "Oh. I see. I guess I'll try asking your mother then."

Lester shook his head. "That might not be a good idea. She'll expect you to already know the joys of shopping, especially with that dress you're wearing." He looked her up and down admiringly, causing her to look down and blush.

He laughed at her reaction.

"Hey!" she said. "Don't laugh! Seriously, Lester. I hate to ask this of you, especially after our awkward conversation yesterday, but I'm beginning to appreciate the need to talk things out and I don't have anyone to talk to except you."

The boy's heart melted. "Sorry. Go ahead," he urged.

She gave him a faint smile. "Thanks," she told him and then dove into how emotional she felt herself getting. She cried so easily and couldn't understand why, and that made her want to cry more. Embarrassment also began to bother her.

"Why does my face get so warm?" she asked, referring to when she blushed.

Lester shrugged. "I don't know the exact reason why people blush but I have to say it's cute."

"Oh!" She playfully slapped his arm.

"You might not think so, but you're really getting the hang of being a girl. And girls are known to be very emotional, more so than boys. I don't really understand why. I guess it's just hormones or something."

"I see," she said quietly, trying to mask her disappointment.

Lester could tell she wasn't satisfied so he kept at it. "It's the human condition. You're human so you get to experience emotions as well as being able to see, hear, touch, taste and feel. Right?"

She smiled. "Yes. I suppose that's true. I've enjoyed a lot of the flavors and textures of food."

"I've noticed," he said, smirking. "You've been happy, sad and even a little angry, like when you debate Mister Guile."

She gave him a wry grin and her very human response suddenly triggered a concerning thought in her friend's mind.

"Um," he said, tensing up. "It's been nearly three weeks since you started school. Is that how long you've been… um… around?"

The girl looked a little confused at first but she soon figured out what he meant. "I was around for five days before I started school, you know, to get used to everything, just in case. Why do you ask?"

Lester added the days up in his head and answered. "You do know about periods, right? Please tell me you know about periods."

"Are you teasing me? Of course I know all about punctuation."

The boy groaned. "Check again. Whatever your source is, check again, please."

Her eyes briefly glazed over before she spoke again. "Okay. Do you mean periods of time? Wavelengths?"

He barely managed to suppress the urge to slap his forehead. "There's something else about girls that you need to know. Look up menstruation and please don't ask me what to do about it."

Erin's eyes glazed over again and it wasn't long before her already light skin noticeably paled and she asked, "Am I sexually mature? Am I going to bleed soon?"

The boy looked up at the sky and cried out, "Why me?" He then turned back to the girl, his voice still loud as he spoke to her. "Look at yourself, Erin. Of course you're sexually mature."

"Please, Lester. Don't raise your voice. I'm scared. Will it hurt? I don't want to bleed."

The boy took some deep, calming breaths. "Okay. Look. I know it's your first, but girls a lot younger than you seem to handle their first easily enough. I'm sure you'll be okay."

"Don't they have their mothers to help them through it?" she asked, her voice quavering.

"Well, yeah. But there's no way my mother or anyone else will believe it's your first. We can't ask anyone for help. You're on your own."

She stood there, her lower lip quivering and her eyes threatening tears. "But I've still got you," she told him.

He moved to gently hug her and murmur in her ear. "I'm sorry, Erin, but I just can't relate."

That got a strange reaction from her. She broke up the hug, pushing him back with a look of determination that unsettled the boy. "There is one option that we haven't explored."

"Uh. I don't know if I like the sound of that."

"Please, Lester. I need you to consider using your shapeshifting. I need your help."

"Shapeshifting?!" he said with a squeak.

"I know all about your paranormal abilities. Remember? If you were a girl, you might relate better, and you could come with me into a rest room to help me through it."

"Are you out of your mind?!"

"No," she said, her eyes starting to threaten tears again. "I'm desperate. Scared and desperate. Are you going to help me or not?"

"I don't know, Erin. That's pretty extreme."

"I thought we were friends," she said, turning to face away from him. "I need a friend and I'm asking you for help."

"I still don't know."

"Isn't that what friends do? Help each other?"

"You're asking an awful lot."

"Please! I need your help!" She closed her eyes tightly but it didn't stop the tears from leaking out. She stood there, trembling and crying, and Lester couldn't take it any more.

"Okay!" he said. Then, more quietly, "Okay." He moved over to hug her again and she clung to him with gratitude and relief while she cried herself out.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

The mysterious lives of girls

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 8

The rest of the walk to Lester's house turned unpleasant for the boy. He felt himself descend into a pit of anxiety and dread at the prospect of becoming a girl for any length of time. What made it even worse was how his friend seemed oblivious to his discomfort. Erin's mood lightened after getting him to help her and crying herself out, and she returned to her shopping monolog as if nothing had happened.

'Here I am, a superhero, and I'm still cursed,' he thought.

When Lester finally opened the front door of his house, he bravely plastered a moderately happy look on his face. "Mom! We're here!" he called.

No answer.

He turned to his friend as they hung their coats on the coat rack in the entry way. "Just checking. She said something about working a little late so I didn't expect her yet."

"Good!" Erin said. "That means we have a little time for you to try out a new look."

Lester groaned, and as she stood there, bouncing on her toes and looking at him expectantly, he wondered if he'd end up acting the same way. 'Girls!'

"Okay. Fine. I really have no excuse, do I."

"Nope! None," she said gleefully.

"You needn't be so happy about it," he grumbled.

"Oh, but I do," she said, turning serious. "I have a friend who's sacrificing a lot to help me when I really need it. How can I be anything but happy?"

Lester sighed. He felt so inconsiderate after hearing that.

The girl-to-be threw himself into his new role after that. After moving to his bedroom to shed all of his clothes except a tee shirt and loose boxers, he waited for Erin to get him some clothes to try on. He barely left room for her arm to snake through the slightly open door, grabbed an armful of clothes and shut the door, shouting out, "Where did you get all these clothes?!"

She answered in a singsong voice, "You don't want to know!"

"Whatever!" he called back through the closed door.

He dumped the feminine clothes on his bed and slipped out of his tee shirt and boxers. Then he plucked a pair of black, high-waisted panties off the bed and scowled at them for a few seconds before stepping into them and pulling them up all of the way.

"That wasn't so bad," he said to himself. "I'm still alive. Right?"

He gave himself a nervous laugh and changed the lower half of his body enough that the panties fit more comfortably. The waistline no longer bit into his skin but his genitals still bulged out. He took care of that part too, reaching deep into himself to change his reproductive organs. It felt a little odd and uncomfortable but it didn't hurt at least.

"Except now I can menstruate," the new girl muttered.

"Are you finished yet?" Erin shouted through the door.

"No! Hang on. I'm nearly halfway done," Lester shouted back as she pulled on a pair of tight black jeans. It took a little squirming to get them part way up her thighs so she slimmed her legs down to make it easier. Once the jeans were on, she filled out her thighs again to make them tight like she knew they were meant to be.

"I bet a lot of girls wished they could do that."

The jeans seemed too short and she suddenly realized that she was a little too tall for them. That bothered her until she remembered how she was making Erin happy and continued. She shortened her legs until the bottom of the jeans reached her ankles, and she made her feet smaller while she was at it.

The topless girl then went to work on her chest, shoulders and arms, making them slimmer, and while she did that, she picked up a beige seamless bra and estimated what her breast size should be to fill the cups. She held the bra in her delicate looking hands and shook her head.

"This is so weird."

Without looking at the tags since she didn't want to know the actual bra size, she wrapped it around herself backwards, attached the clasp in front of her and twisted it around with the cups in front. She pulled it up, slipped her arms through the straps and took a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing."

She slowly inflated her breasts until they filled the bra cups. Then she stopped, tugged at the bra here and there, adjusted the straps a little and called it done.

She looked down at the tops of her breasts and sighed. "More than a handful is supposed to be a waste," she complained.

A royal blue, long-sleeved top was next. It had vertical ribbing that nicely emphasized her new curves but the sleeves were too short and the bottom rode too high above her waist. The top was too small so once again, she changed her body, making her arms and torso shorter until everything fit as it should. That also meant pulling up her shirt and shortening her bra straps.

"I wonder where all my extra mass is going," she said and shrugged her petite shoulders.

From the base of her neck down, she was all girl. That only left her neck and head.

"Goodbye old voice," she said, making her neck more slender and a little shorter. She also made her Adam's apple disappear and moved on to her hair, lengthening it to just shy of her shoulders and making it wavy with a light blonde color. Lastly, she shut her eyes, imagining them to be a bright blue color like her mother's, and she made her chin, nose and whole head smaller along with making her face a little shorter and more oval. After flattening her brow and removing all traces of facial hair, she called herself done.

"Okay," she called out and stopped from the sound of her new voice. 'So weird,' she thought and continued speaking. "I'm coming out." She opened the door and faced her friend, who immediately hugged her and squealed in her ear.

"Thank you so much!"

"Yeah. Yeah. Come on. Let go. You're squeezing too hard. I can barely breathe."

"Oh! Sorry." Erin backed off and gave her friend a good look. "Let's see. You're a couple of inches shorter than me, blonde, and you're beautiful!" she gushed. "Quick! Go look in the mirror." The enthusiastic girl grabbed one of her friend's hands and half pulled her into the bathroom.

Lester looked into the mirror and gasped. There was a slight family resemblance to her mother but she saw nothing of her former, male self. "Wow. I really did a good job on myself."

The new girl turned left, then right, giving herself a good look. "I wish I could date myself!" she joked.

Erin playfully slapped her in the arm. "Silly girl." Then she paused and thought a moment.

"What's wrong?" Lester asked.

"Nothing much. Just your name. I think you need a new name."

Both girls were suddenly interrupted and their blood ran cold. Their faces paled and their breath came in short gasping huffs.

"Sarah," Lester's mother said, standing behind them. "That's the name I picked out in case I had a daughter. And I can't wait to hear all about what's been going on."

"Uh," Lester tried and was interrupted.

"Yes, I know who you are. I've been home the whole time. You should've checked for my car in the garage. I felt a little tired so I left work early. I was sleeping in my bed and slowly woke up hearing you two noisy kids. I can hardly believe it but I know you're my son, Lester, and yet, at the same time, I suddenly have a daughter. So, Sarah. Care to tell me all about it?"

The three of them moved to the living room, with Sarah and Erin on the couch and Sarah's mother, Susan, sitting in the matching chair, facing them. After a fairly long discussion about the Akashic records and several follow-up questions, Susan still couldn't bring herself to believe it. Sarah had to briefly change her face back to her male self and use telekinesis to raise her mother to the ceiling before the three of them all cried and joined in a group hug.

Sarah snorted. "You know what I can't believe? I've only been a girl for about an hour and I'm already crying."

That got a few laughs, instantly lightening the mood until Susan asked the one unanswered question that Sarah hoped could be avoided.

"Sarah? Why did you change into a girl? Are you transgender?"

Sarah sighed. She didn't lie but she never said anything about Erin not being human, and nothing was said about Lester becoming a girl to help Erin get through her first period. Up to that point, Susan only thought of the girl as being a good friend to her son.

"Well," she started, looking at Erin, who nodded her approval. "I can't say exactly who or what Erin is, because I don't know, but she hasn't always been human."

Susan snapped her head around to stare at the redhead, who again nodded.

Sarah continued, "She's fully human now though, and she's upset because we believe she's about to have her first period."

That started a long talk about menstruation that the new girl never thought she'd hear and wished she could forget, though she had to admit to herself that she might need the knowledge herself someday. In spite of Erin getting help from Susan and feeling much better about the whole monthly cycle thing, Sarah still felt obligated to stay a girl. She actually looked forward to the experience, hoping it would help her to better understand girls.

After finishing her feminine hygiene talk, Susan sighed, still not fully understanding the situation. "I guess this means you won't have to be a girl any longer," she told Sarah. "Too bad. It would've been great."

Sarah gave her a nervous little laugh. "No, Mom. I said I would do it so I'll still do it. It was basically a promise and you know I don't break my promises. Besides, Erin could still use a girlfriend to relate to and I think the experience would do me good."

That surprised the woman for a brief moment. Then she smiled and shook her head. "I'm so proud of you, honey."

Erin smiled and added, "She really is very special, Mrs. McHenry."

More crying and another group hug followed until Sarah broke away, needing a little reassurance about something. "Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Please don't tell me you've always wanted a daughter."

"Oh, Sarah. Son or daughter, I love you just the same."

"Good answer," the new girl said, giving her mother a quick hug. "Now then. I'll change back for aikido and…." She didn't get to finish.

"No way," Susan said. "We're all going out to eat and then do a bit of shopping. I'm not passing up this opportunity." Then she looked down at her daughter's bare feet. "But aren't you missing something?"

"You mean besides my penis?" the new girl said with a smirk.

Erin politely coughed to get Sarah's attention and pointed to her friend's feet.

"Oh!" Sarah said. "Yes, I could use some shoes and socks."

"How about boots?" the redhead asked.

"Boots?"

The couch stood flush against the far wall of the room but somehow, Erin grabbed soft, black leather boots from behind the couch and reached inside each boot to pull out a black sock. "Here," she said, handing the footwear to her friend. "I had them ready."

"How in the world?" Susan blurted out.

"Don't ask, Mom. Just don't ask."

The boots had two inch heels but Sarah put them on, changed her feet a little for a good fit and got used to walking in them easily enough. Wearing heels bothered her until she realized how much shorter she was. Then she insisted on wearing them. Even with the boots on, she still stood a couple of inches shorter than she was as a boy and she missed the extra height.

Susan noticed how much shorter her new daughter stood and purposely grabbed shoes with a three inch heel to even out their heights. It amused her to think that they were very close to the same height and same size.

"There," she told the two girls. "I'm ready to go out. We just need coats. It's a little cold outside."

"Oh, no," Erin said. "We weren't planning on going out. I don't have a coat ready for Sarah."

Susan smiled. "I hoped that was the case. But don't worry. Sarah can borrow one of mine." She looked her daughter up and down. "We look to be the same size."

Sarah's eyes widened at first, and then quickly narrowed. "Fine. I'll borrow one of your coats. But I'm not making it a habit to share clothes with you. Don't even go there."

Susan laughed. "Oh, daughter. I've already got plans to borrow that blue top you're wearing, and I have some younger styles in the back of my closet that I think would look adorable on you."

"Mother!"

"Resistance is futile, dear."

Erin had been watching the exchange between mother and daughter with interest. The two seemed so natural together. It warmed her heart.

* * *

As Susan drove them all to the mall, she sighed with happiness. She looked forward to some mother-daughter time. It was almost like having two children, something she'd often fantasized about. The only thing that concerned her was the idea of her child having what basically amounted to superpowers. That could only invite trouble.

Sarah never said anything about going out and actively fighting crime but the worried mother knew it was a possibility. She knew her child well. Fighting crime would be too tempting for someone with so much good in them.

'My daughter, the superhero,' she thought and sighed again.

She turned her attention to the two girls in the back and had to suppress a laugh at how Erin talked circles around Sarah. The poor new girl didn't have the social skills to keep up.

It amazed the woman how some non-human being could become a human girl for only a few weeks and be so good at it. She realized that Erin had to be just as special in her own way as Sarah and decided that the redhead could only be a good influence and good friend for her child.

When the conversation turned back to shopping for the umpteenth time, Susan had to ask about something. "Erin? How much money do you have?"

"Money?"

Sarah groaned. "Here we go again," she said. After all the talk about shopping, she wrongly assumed that her friend would have money.

Erin knew what money was but in her haste to experience shopping, she completely forgot that she needed some, and she couldn't simply pull bills out of nowhere like she did clothes. Counterfeiting money would violate her principles. That only left getting a job and she was woefully unprepared for that. After realizing her mistake, she got a little moody until Sarah decided that she'd get a job as her boy self and help her friend out with finances.

Erin protested to no avail. "I'll just keep getting my own clothes the same way," she insisted.

"What about things other than clothes?" Susan asked.

Erin pouted but didn't answer and the woman continued.

"You can't truly experience the joy of shopping unless you go out the stores and buy things. There's no substitute for experience."

"Besides," Sarah told her friend. "Helping you out is the right thing to do." That effectively ended the conversation.

In the meantime, Susan would be paying for most everything, including a gi for Erin and the aikido classes for both Erin and Lester. Sarah only had a little money that she'd saved from her allowance. About the only thing she could afford was a gi for aikido. Her father and mother made a fairly good amount of money, enough to keep them on the upper side of middle-class, but she realized that she was long overdue for a job.

* * *

Before reaching the mall, they first stopped at a drug store to pick up some feminine hygiene supplies including over-the-counter medication for menstrual symptoms. Susan bought enough for both girls much to Sarah's embarrassment. The new girl thought she'd never stop blushing, but she accepted everything graciously.

They soon entered the mall after that, and Susan dropped them in the deep end of the pool by starting with lingerie. The blushing continued and in spite of Susan's earlier warning about it being futile, Sarah started resisting.

"You need some basics, Sarah. Stop fussing. Lingerie isn't something that's shared. You need your own."

"But, Mom!"

"Don't sass me, daughter. We're doing this. Just a single package of panties and a few bras should do it."

Erin piped up, "Don't forget a sports bra!"

Susan turned to the redhead, "Good idea, Erin. Thanks. I was also thinking about getting her a leisure bra for school."

"What?!"

"You can wear it under your regular clothes for when you change at school."

"Change at school?!"

"Yes, but don't worry. We'll get your some androgynous tops too."

"Are you forgetting that I have PE?" Sarah said in a loud whisper. "Do you have any idea what would happen if I undressed in the boys locker room wearing a you-know-what?!"

"Oh, dear! No. That won't do. Sorry. I guess I'm getting a little carried away."

"Yeah," Sarah huffed. She tried folding her arms but rubbing her breasts felt awkward and she quickly stopped. "Anyway, I'm not sure changing at school is a good idea anyway. Where would I do it? What if someone saw me?"

Erin sniffled, suddenly getting the new girl's attention.

"Aw, man. Seriously, Erin? You want me to change at school?"

The redhead slowly nodded. "I'll likely need some support in the rest room at school. Your mother won't be around to help me there."

Sarah sighed. "True. Okay. I guess we'll work something out then."

Erin smiled. "Thanks, Sarah."

"You're welcome. Now let's finish up shopping. I'm getting hungry."

* * *

The shopping continued far longer than Sarah was comfortable with, but she endured it without any more fussing. Her mother got her a large black purse right after the lingerie and the new girl had to admit that a purse made certain things easier to hide as well as carry. When she got her girl starter kit, consisting of a hair brush, bracelet, lip gloss and mascara, she stuffed it all into the deepest, darkest part of her purse along with her tampons. After the accessories, came the clothes, and time lost all meaning. She vaguely noticed Erin's happiness whenever the redhead received a gift from her mother. Her friend ended up with a large, black and white hobo bag, some makeup and a couple articles of clothing. Other than that, she felt numb and distant. It actually surprised Sarah when her mother decided that her daughter had enough shoes and casual clothes for a couple of weeks and declared that it was time to eat.

Sarah wore one of her two new coats - short, purple and nicely warm - as she and her group left the mall, and the three of them soon ended up at a Thai restaurant across the street with some interesting results. Susan and Sarah ordered their favorite dishes and they decided to order several more things after Sarah warned about Erin's lack of experience with food. It was a good thing they ordered so much because Sarah's tastes had changed. Her favorite Thai dish tasted horrible to her and she nearly cried over it. Her mother had to urge her to try a little of everything, just as Erin had been doing, and everything tasted different. The new girl still liked a couple things that she'd liked before, like fried rice, but everything else turned upside down.

"I can already relate to Erin," Sarah remarked. "It's like I'm tasting everything for the first time. My taste buds are all wonky."

Erin gave her a sympathetic smile and touched her friend's arm.

The new girl found the gesture strangely comforting and forged ahead with her unplanned meal, eating more of the things she liked. She didn't eat quickly but with her smaller body, it wasn't long until she was full. All three of them finished at about the same time and they soon got a waiter's attention to box up the leftovers.

"Okay," Susan said, putting her phone in her purse. "Just so you know. I've been texting Matthew and let him know we're eating out. He can fend for himself. He's a big boy."

Erin suddenly blushed but hid it well, keeping her face over her plate with her hair hanging down as she nibbled a few remaining bean sprouts.

"Speaking of Dad," Sarah started, facing her mother. "Should we tell him about me? Do you think he'll take it well?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why not? I didn't mean telling him about my new look… or…." She pointed at Erin. "Just my abilities."

"Oh." Susan thought about it a moment and smiled. "You're right. I think maybe we should tell him that much. Maybe this weekend. But for now, I've got to take you two girls over to the martial arts shop. Your aikido class starts in a little over an hour so we need to get going."

"Um, Mom? Don't forget that it's Lester who's taking the class. It's Lester who needs the gi."

"Oh! Right. You can change in the car on the way. Okay?"

Sarah shook her head. "Not okay. Lester doesn't have any clothes. He didn't think to bring any."

"Oh, dear. Well, we'll just have to estimate Lester's size and he can change in the car after getting the gi. And he can wear the gi home. Problem solved."

"I guess that'll work."

* * *

The Thai restaurant stood directly across from the large east parking lot of the mall with a busy four lane road separating them. The sun hung low to the west, nearly about to set, and the mall cast a long shadow that stretched halfway across the busy road.

In the gloom of the shadowed mall parking lot, something caught Sarah's eye as she left the restaurant. Someone was in big trouble. A gang of several young men seemed hell-bent on harassing and most likely robbing and injuring a lone, young innocent. The light might not have been good enough to see exactly what was going on but the victim's pleas for help were unmistakeable. Without thinking, Sarah launched herself over the road, flying over the cars to reach the scene as quickly as possible.

Erin held Susan back with her hand as the worried mother started to follow. "Let her go," she told the woman. "She needs to do this. It's in her nature."

"But she's just a girl!"

"She's a very powerful girl. She can take care of herself. Believe me. She won't be harmed. If anything, feel sorry for the victim of that gang."

"I still want to go over there."

Erin shook her head. "That's exactly what we shouldn't do. We can't be seen with her now. That would make us targets. If the bad guys couldn't get to her directly, they'd get her indirectly through us. She's on her own now. All we can do is wait."

"There's a lot you don't know about being human but you sure know a lot about how to handle bad guys," Susan said somewhat accusingly.

"I've had a lot of practice fighting bad guys. It's in my nature."

"Why don't you go help my daughter then?"

"She really doesn't need what little help I could give now. I gave up a lot to be human. That's why I'm taking aikido classes. My little incident with Big Jim really frightened me."

That made Susan pause to think. "I can imagine," she said after a moment. "Okay. I guess we'll just have to wait then. But it's not going to be easy."

"Can we wait in the car with the heater on, please? I'm getting cold."

Susan smiled and led the girl to her car to wait, though she did move the car and park as closely as possible to the scene across the street so she could try to keep an eye on her daughter's progress.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

Everyone loves Golden Girl

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 9

As the superheroine got closer, she made out five young men in the gang, all wearing black leather pants and a black tee shirt with dragon skulls emblazoned on the front. One of the men held the victim, an effeminate boy, by the front of the boy's long, black coat, shaking him and laughing at his distress. The other four men in the gang stood back and laughed along with their cohort, until a purple blur suddenly bowled into them. With four of them out of action for the moment, she turned to the fifth member, using telekinesis to pry his hands open and move his arms to his sides.

The man's jaw went slack with shock as he felt his hands and arms being manipulated by some unseen force. But he soon sneered when he turned and saw a blonde teenage girl facing him.

"What are you looking at?" he blustered.

"Nothing," she replied slowly, emphasizing each word. "Absolutely nothing."

With that insult, the young man tried to lunge at her but suddenly felt himself being lifted off the ground. He stopped making forward progress and flailed in the air, yelping with fear.

Thanks to her danger sense, Sarah felt the other men about to ambush her from behind, but she already had her telekinetic shield up around her. The men nearly knocked themselves out cold when they ran into the invisible shield. It stunned them enough that they staggered back, moaning as they held their bruised faces in their hands. The girl let them recuperate for several seconds and then froze them all in place with her telekinesis.

In spite of experiencing the impossible, the first young man saw his fellow gang members being made fools of and he channeled enough anger to overcome his fear. He pulled a gun and shouted, "Okay, freak! Time to die!"

But Sarah didn't die. She used her telekinesis before he could fire, holding the trigger in place as she painfully twisted the deadly weapon out of the man's hand. She moved the gun down to the ground, engaged the safety like her father had taught her long ago, and answered the man's challenge. "No one is going to die here today. Not even you." She appreciated that she didn't have to physically touch the gun. She didn't like them in spite of what she let her father believe.

By that point, three security guards came out of the mall to take control. They didn't have much to do though, other than use plastic zip ties to secure the wrists and ankles of each gang member and pick up the gun. They also tried a little crowd control, as several shoppers suddenly appeared with cell phone cameras clicking away and recording video.

"Move back!" they shouted to no avail.

Sarah gave the guards a quick recap as she held the victim to her, letting him cry on her shoulder. Then she asked, "Would you like me to help you take these men inside? It's getting a little cold out and they're not dressed for it."

One of the guards, a large, strong woman, replied. "Uh, sure? I guess." She still wasn't sure that she believed what she'd seen, but she rolled with it and spoke again with more force, "Good thinking. We don't want to be sued."

The superheroine patted the victim's head and asked, "Are you going to be okay?"

He nodded and sniffled a little before answering. "Yes. I think so. Thanks."

"You're welcome," she told him. Then she picked up the two heaviest gang members, throwing one over each shoulder, and said, "Lead the way."

The three guards gasped, but again, the woman took charge and grabbed one of the remaining men, surprised to find him light as a feather.

"I'm making them lighter and holding them still so they'll be easy to carry," the blonde girl told them. "Now, please. Let's get them inside."

The guards each picked a gang member and easily ferried them inside, followed by the victim and then the blonde superheroine with the two men slung over her shoulders. It made for quite a sight for the onlookers, who raced to post their photos and videos online as soon as humanly possible.

The group quickly got the gang members settled in chairs in a back room of the security office and Sarah made her exit, much to the protests of the guards.

"You can't leave," the woman security guard bellowed. "We need you to make a statement to the police."

"Sorry. But you have the true victim here to make a statement. I just helped out a little."

"More like a lot," the boy said, grinning.

"Bye bye," the blonde girl said, giving them all a little wave as she ducked out the door to the office.

When Sarah got to the mall exit, she was dismayed to see quite a large crowd waiting for her with cell phones in hand. Flashing phones caught her in the waning light of day as she slowly lifted into the air. She rose to about the height of the tallest part of the mall and suddenly shot to the east, with a dull sonic boom sounding from the distance soon thereafter.

"She's so cool," one girl said.

"Did anyone get her name?" a teenage boy asked.

After much muttering and disappointment, they realized that they still had a lot to learn about the new superheroine in their midst. But they didn't have to worry. The world's first superhuman had just begun her work. They'd soon find out more about her.

* * *

Susan sat in the car, blubbering with happiness and relief after having seen her daughter in action. Erin smiled at the display of love.

"She was so… so…." the proud mother began, not sure how to describe it.

"Amazing?" Erin finished for her and the woman simply nodded agreement.

After a few minutes, Susan spoke up again. "So? Where is she? What do we do now?"

"Oh! Sorry. I'm able to keep track of her. She exceeded the speed of sound in her haste to leave and she's returning now at a much slower speed so she doesn't make another sonic boom. She should be here in a few more minutes."

Susan's eyes widened. "That was her?" she asked. "I thought it was thunder or something."

Erin chuckled. "She can be quite fast when she wants to be."

Another long silence passed until someone's knuckles suddenly rapped on the car's driver side window. Susan didn't have to wipe the fogged up window to see who it was. She quickly got out of the car and rushed to hug her daughter, who looked a little bedraggled.

"Please, Mom," Sarah said. "Let me get in the car. I don't want anyone to see me."

Susan and her daughter climbed into their respective seats and the worried mother quickly asked her, "Why didn't you just change your appearance so no one would recognize you?"

Sarah sighed. "It probably wouldn't do much good. My purple and black clothes are very distinctive and I can't change them. I thought it best to just stay hidden and come back when it got dark enough."

The three of them continued talking and found that they arrived at most of the same conclusions. It wasn't safe to be known as a friend or family member of a superheroine so they had be careful from that point on. Sarah didn't particularly like it but she didn't plan on being a girl all that long, at least not until Erin spoke up.

"Sarah? You realize what you've done now, right?"

"Saved someone who needed help?"

Erin sighed. "You unveiled yourself as a girl with a certain set of superpowers, and people took photos and videos of you. They'll expect you to always look the same."

"But I can shapeshift! I can look like a different guy and be a superhero."

"Yes, but should you give away that ability? If you do, it could make it more difficult to hide your true identity. When Sarah no longer shows up and some superhero guy replaces her, someone will figure out you can shapeshift."

"I can still hide my true identity."

"Yes, but it might be more difficult. Some nefarious types will know to look for a boy who fits your profile. That's all I'm saying. You should consider keeping your look as Sarah when you go out saving people."

"That's ridiculous," Sarah huffed. But she was starting to see the logic. When she reviewed her recent rescue in her mind, she remembered how the young men seemed to underestimate her. It could give her a nice advantage. 'Until I battle some deranged super villainess with ninja girl minions,' she thought.

"Please? Think of your family." Erin countered.

"Okay. Okay. I'll consider it," she said. "And speaking of family," she turned to her mother. "I suppose this means we aren't telling Dad."

"I'm sorry, dear. I really don't think it'd be a good idea now."

She sighed. "I don't like hiding something this important from him."

"I don't either. But he has issues." Her daughter snorted at that. She gave the girl a disapproving look and continued. "You know his side of the family. They're not very tolerant. He's gotten a lot better over the years but I don't think he's ready for this. I'm sorry."

"This… this just sucks," Sarah said, raising her voice.

Erin and Susan gasped.

"I'm sorry but it does. Something like this happens and I can't even share it with him. I know we don't have a lot in common but he's still my father. I still have to try, don't I?" She started tearing up.

"Aw, honey. He really can't help it. He can't help the way he was raised. You know that."

"That doesn't make it right."

"No, it doesn't. But think of it this way. Maybe we can see about softening him up and tell him sometime in the not too distant future."

"Yeah. I guess." She wiped her moist eyes, fighting off the tears, and then noticed something important. "Hey. We better get going to that martial arts store. According to the clock there," she pointed to the car's digital clock, "we don't have much time before class."

* * *

Susan raced to the martial arts store and quickly got a gi for both Erin and Lester. With Susan and Erin out of the car, Sarah changed back to her boy self and slipped on the gi, though he had trouble with the white fabric belt. He wasn't sure how to tie it so just did a simple square knot to hold him until his sensei could correct it. He just hoped that no one noticed the black panties that he wore. It was the only underwear he had with him.

After Lester changed his clothes, Susan made it to the aikido dojo with two minutes to spare. She sighed, quickly ushered her son and his friend out of her car in the parking lot and took off back to the mall, leaving the new students to rush into the dojo just in time for warm-ups.

The aikido class started badly for Lester and went mostly downhill from there. He couldn't get the hang of tying his own belt so Sensei did it for him and Lester was sure that the man saw his panties. He blushed profusely and then imagined that everyone would think he was a pervert. It was no wonder he had trouble concentrating.

Having been a girl most of the afternoon and evening didn't help either. His coordination and balance were off. He was too used to being a girl. That upset him. Sensei tried to teach him all of the arm and upper body movements for the kata from the previous class but Lester had the hardest time. He ended up watching Erin go through the movements and just imagined himself following along.

They practiced the same wrist lock again for part of the class time. Lester could handle that well enough, though he didn't seem to make any improvements in his form. It wasn't until the last ten minutes that he got his confidence back, when Sensei gave a lecture on balanced awareness. The boy understood that well enough. He'd already experienced that when he fought against Big Jim, and then again when he trounced the five gang members earlier that same day. He could easily attain a state of relaxed alertness to detect any and all attacks, and he could use extreme focus that seemed to make his attackers move in slow motion. Class ended on a good note and he sighed with relief.

Erin heard him and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Sorry you didn't do well tonight, Sarah… I mean, Lester. Oops."

"It's okay, Erin. Really." He smiled back and then texted his mother to come and pick him up. "Do you want to stay until my mom gets here and say thanks again or something? I don't think she'll insist on taking you home now that she knows about you."

The redhead nodded. "Sure. That sounds like a nice idea."

'Nice must be my middle name,' he thought. 'But it never gets me anywhere.' He still hadn't given up on dating the girl.

Erin went off to change her clothes and Susan showed up only about ten minutes later. She was already on her way after having been at the mall to see how people were reacting to the new Golden Girl as they were calling Sarah for the moment, until they got her real name. So far, most of the world didn't believe Golden Girl was real, but locally, enough people had seen her that they ranted and raved about her greatness. Unfortunately, the only real evidence of her existence were the two mysterious sonic booms that otherwise defied explanation. No one trusted photos and videos any more, considering how easily they could be faked.

Erin stood just outside the front entrance, wearing her coat as Susan approached. "Thanks again, Mrs. McHenry. And good night. I'll see you again next Tuesday."

"You're welcome over anytime, Erin. You could come over and practice with Lester this weekend if you like."

"Oh. Yes. Thank you. I'll think about it. It sounds like a good idea."

The redhead started to walk away and Susan called out to her. "Are you sure you'll be safe going home?"

"Don't worry, Mrs. McHenry. It's night now. I'll be able to go straight home right after you leave."

The girl's reply confused the woman but Lester would sort of explain what it meant on the drive home.

* * *

That night, Lester felt some well-meaning nudges and went in the desired direction among the Akashic records, though he later wished he hadn't. He ended up getting a full education in aikido. It would spoil the fun of learning it in class but he'd go anyway. He could still help Erin along and practice would help keep his skills sharp.

He woke up to his alarm and tried to start Friday on a good note. Seeing his girl clothes hung up neatly in his closet didn't help though. That made him remember that he still needed to be a girlfriend for Erin at school and he almost cursed.

'It must be love,' he thought. 'There's no other way I'd change myself into a girl.'

After throwing on some warm clothes and having a quick breakfast, he used what little extra time he had to brainstorm for ideas about changing into a girl at school. As he walked to the bus stop, the best he could come up with was wearing androgynous clothes covered by a sweat jacket that he'd remove after changing into a girl. He'd basically have one look for when he was a boy and a different one for when he was a girl. The jacket would hide the clothes everywhere except in the boys locker room when he had his PE class, but he figured he could change quickly enough that none of the guys would notice what he wore under the sweat jacket. He'd only change his upper body and he'd keep his bust size small so he wouldn't have to worry about needing a bra. His slender shoulders and arms, feminized face and small breasts would allow him to easily pass as a girl. He just had to make sure that he used a different body and face from his Sarah look. He didn't dare change into Golden Girl at school.

He'd checked the Internet after his class last night and found far too much interest in Golden Girl. The mall where he rescued the boy had turned into a circus soon after he left, with police cars and reporters everywhere, and there were zillions of photos and videos that looked far too authentic for his taste. He'd also noticed that his two sonic booms were used as evidence for his flying ability. Even though it sounded so farfetched, the tide was turning towards a greater belief in Golden Girl. It seemed that the world wanted or even needed a hero, and most people seemed to like it to be a girl. A little anti-feminism cropped up in some blog comments but for the most part, girls looked to Golden Girl as a role model, and predictably, boys preferred a superheroine to fantasize about. It made Lester uncomfortable when he thought about where world opinion was leading him.

With that thought locked in his head, he looked up to see Brian marching right for him on the bus and his discomfort intensified.

"Seriously, dude?!" his friend said, holding his smart phone out with a video of Golden Girl playing as he sat down.

Lester gave him a sickly little laugh. "It just sort of happened. Erin needed a girlfriend and everything went a little sideways. What can I say?"

"Say you'll get me her autograph," Brian said, and then laughed a little too loudly.

"Come on," Lester whispered loudly. "Knock it off. You're attracting attention."

"Oh, Lester. Check out this video."

The smart phone showed Sarah carrying the two gang members on her shoulders and walking with a very feminine sway to her hips.

"That is so hot, dude."

"Will you please stop?!"

Brian stopped the video and turned off his phone, suddenly giving his friend a serious look. "I have to say I'm a little surprised. I didn't think you'd ever do it, not after I joked about it in the park."

"Yeah, I did think about that. But like I said, it was Erin's request and she's hard to say no to."

"I guess. You're sure it wasn't really your idea?"

Lester scowled. "Would it matter if it was?"

"No. Just wonderin', dude. And I was thinking it wasn't too bad an idea. It would make perfect cover."

"Aw. Not you too. I already had this conversation with Erin and my mother."

"Wait. Your mother knows too?"

"Yeah. I was at home and wasn't very careful. But I learned my lesson."

"I hope so," Brian said. Then he paused a short moment before asking, "I take it they agree with me about it being a good idea?"

"Yeah. Yeah. You and most of the world. Everyone loves Golden Girl. I guess there isn't much choice."

"You've always got choices, dude. It's just that most of them are bad."

"Yeah. Thanks for that," Lester said with a little sarcasm.

"Hey, dude?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you could teach me any of that stuff?"

"Not really. I don't even know how I learn it. It just sort of pops into my head and I know it, like I've always known it."

"Weird, dude."

"Yeah."

* * *

Mister Guile had a creepy smirk on his face again that morning. It gave Lester the creeps. It gave everyone in class the creeps except Erin. As usual, the feisty redhead just glared daggers at the man.

The lecture that day mostly kept to the expected content, but when it veered away into the darker side of humanity a couple of times, Erin made sure to get it back on track with a probing question or a sharp counter example to cancel out any of Mister Guile's unpleasant assertions. It kept the two special beings engaged even if it didn't do much for the rest of the class.

Lester daydreamed through the middle half of the class. He couldn't get the idea of being Golden Girl out of his head. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made and yet the more uncomfortable he became. That's why he ended up only using about half of the class time to daydream. It got to the point where he had to stop himself before he flew up and crashed through the ceiling out of frustration.

'Can't do that,' he though sarcastically. 'Not without changing into Golden Girl first.'

He quickly chastised himself for that thought. He found himself becoming more and more sarcastic lately and he didn't like it. Shaking it off for the moment, he concentrated on the rest of the lecture and caught enough content that his grades wouldn't suffer.

The boy's concentration didn't lapse again in spite of another creepy smirk appearing on Mister Guile's face towards the end of class. He slunk out of class with Erin and didn't look back.

'Now it's really getting interesting,' Mister Guile thought.

* * *

Advanced Literature passed by too quickly as the class continued to read from A Midsummer Night's Dream and occasionally paused to analyze what they'd read. Lester enjoyed the distraction, and he continued to chuckle about the play well into lunch time. He almost didn't notice how he came to be sitting at a table, enjoying his lunch until Erin plopped down next to him with her new hobo bag on the bench seat between them.

"You seem to be in a good mood today," she said evenly.

"Yeah. I loved reading A Midsummer Night's Dream in class today."

"It is one of Shakespeare's better ones. I agree."

They both took a bite and paused a moment in thought as they chewed. The lack of conversation lasted through several bites until Erin spoke again. "I'm feeling a little uncomfortable at the moment. I think I'm starting my period."

Lester choked on his food when he heard that. It took a few drinks of soda and a lot of coughing before he could speak again. "Please, Erin. Don't talk about that at lunch." He would've said don't talk about it at all but he forced himself to be sympathetic. It probably wouldn't be too long before he experienced the same thing as Sarah.

The girl looked at him with her eyes tearing up.

"Please, Erin. Hold it together."

"I want Sarah!" she wailed, a little too loudly for comfort.

Lester held his hands out as if to plead for mercy but she was having none of it. She took him by the hand and led him down the hall towards the girls rest room. The surprised boy didn't think to resist until the last minute. He pulled up short to protest. "I can't go in there!"

Erin looked around, and seeing no one in the hall at the moment, she hissed, "You promised!", and yanked him inside.

He immediately noticed a girl in front of the mirror putting on makeup. She stood a good six inches shorter than him with long, silky black hair and a slender build, and luckily, she hadn't noticed him yet. He quickly turned around and bent his head low, immediately changing his face and lengthening his straight brown hair until it hung down a little past his shoulders. With the most obvious part done, he hunched over and made his arms, neck and upper body more slender while giving himself small breasts. He barely had time to finish changing his voice before the girl called out to Erin.

"Is that a boy?!"

Lester, now a different version of Sarah, turned and gave the girl a nervous smile. "Do I look like a boy?" he asked in a very feminine voice.

The other girl gave Sarah a good look. "Your outfit looks like a boy's," she said, smirking and turning back to continue applying makeup. "But I guess you pass."

Sarah looked down at his clothes and sighed. His loose-fitting black jeans and large sweater in several shades of brown looked somewhat androgynous but he could see the girl's point. The drab, baggy clothes did seem more masculine than feminine.

A noise to his right caught his attention and he turned to see Erin, looking forlorn in a nearby stall with the door open. The half girl made shooing motions with his hands but Erin didn't move to close the door. The redhead just kept staring at him, beckoning with her eyes.

Sarah sighed again then, but at least he didn't roll his eyes. He refused to roll his eyes. The half girl walked slowly to the stall and stood just inside the door facing Erin. It was close enough for his friend to grab him once again and yank him all the way into the stall, slamming the door behind them before starting some frantic whispering.

"Are you all girl?!"

Sarah looked shocked and tried shushing his friend.

"Well?! Are you?! Because you better be! I don't want anything popping up in here if you know what I mean." She half growled the last part, implying threats that scared Sarah enough to change his lower body and make himself all girl. His, now her, pants got a little uncomfortable but she compensated by making her hips and thighs small enough to fit. It was only the suddenly large waist of her jeans that didn't fit well.

"There!" the newly complete girl whispered back. "Done! Now can I leave?"

Erin shook her head. "Not yet. Please. Not until I check."

Sarah immediately turned around to face the door and hissed, "Get on with it then."

"I can't. I'm afraid."

"Oh, for heaven's sake. Don't be such a baby. You remember what my mom told us. You're probably only spotting at this point. Just pull your panties down and get it over with."

Just then, the girl at the mirror called out to them. "Are you two okay in there?"

"We're fine!" Sarah replied loudly and blushed.

A few moments later, the sounds of rustling clothes could be heard, then a short, sharp gasp, followed by a sigh. "Yes. I'm spotting."

Sarah did roll her eyes then. "So? You've got your hobo bag full of goodies. Use a pad and let's get out of here!"

More rustling could be heard and before long, in a small voice, Erin said, "I'm done."

Sarah took a step back, opened the stall door just enough to squeeze through and shoot out as quickly as she could, almost running into the counter in front of the mirror to get away. Making a scene like that earned her a funny look from the girl at the mirror. "What?" she told the girl. "It was just a little girl trouble." The girl cocked her head and raised an eyebrow when she heard that. Sarah huffed then, and added, "She's having a difficult period! Okay?!"

"Whatever!" the girl said, putting away her lipstick and marching out of the rest room.

The new girl turned then, and saw Erin standing just out of the stall, looking dejected. She went over to comfort her friend, offering a hug that was gently refused at first.

"I'm sorry, Sarah."

Sarah gave her a faint smile. "I'm sorry too. I was a bit short with you. But we need to be more careful in the future. Okay?"

Erin nodded and then moved forward with open arms to gratefully receive a hug.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

Two daughters and a son in one

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 10

Sarah tweaked a few things and spared a minute to stare at herself in the mirror, committing her new look to memory. Then she had Erin scout outside to see if the coast was clear. It was, and Sarah quickly changed back into Lester and escaped from the girls rest room, much to his relief. Just to be on the safe side, he pulled his sweater off and had his friend stuff it in her hobo bag. The white tee shirt that he wore under his sweater made him look different enough that he didn't think the black-haired girl would suspect anything if she saw him again.

"I hope you don't get too cold wearing just a tee shirt," the redhead told him.

"I'll be okay. I'll probably be blushing for a week after what happened in the rest room. That should keep my face warm at least." He gave her a silly grin.

Erin appreciated the humor and briefly smiled for him until she got a sudden cramp and started fishing around in her bag for her medication. She led the boy to a drinking fountain to wash down a couple pills. "I hope this starts working soon. These cramps are most unpleasant."

'I can't wait to go through that,' he thought sarcastically and sighed. He couldn't seem to stop himself from being sarcastic lately.

The two friends found a secluded spot and had a quick conversation. Lester told his friend about his plans that would allow him to be Sarah more easily at school and Erin approved. She wasn't looking forward to the next several days.

"I wonder if my healing ability can help you," Lester thought out loud.

The redhead shook her beautiful hair. "I don't think that's a good idea. This is a natural process. There's nothing really to heal."

"Seriously? It sounds unnatural to me, but I guess I know what you mean."

The girl playfully swatted his arm and then hooked arms with him as they slowly walked to their next class. "Thanks, Sarah," she whispered.

* * *

After school, Lester walked Erin the usual few blocks from school, and before they parted, she told him that she'd like to visit him Saturday afternoon. She wanted to practice aikido and help him with outfits for Sarah at school. She looked forward to more time with Lester's new girl self to help her get through the weekend.

"What about my mother? She can help you more than I can."

"Perhaps. At first. But I'd rather have you," she said, staring deeply into his eyes.

'More mixed signals,' he thought. He still couldn't read her very well but he could've swore that she just professed her love for him even though she didn't come out and say it; except he suddenly remembered that she was speaking about him as Sarah and he groaned.

"Are you okay, Lester? You're not having cramps too, are you?"

"I'm fine," he said, giving her a sickly smile that made her look at him with concern.

When he didn't say any more, she shrugged. "Okay," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

They said their goodbyes and once again, Lester took his half dozen steps and turned to see her disappear into the mist, that mysterious mist that seemed to devour his friend along with all hope of ever dating her.

* * *

Lester had a long, eventful week, and he looked forward to a nice, relaxing Friday evening. He did his homework right away when he got home from school, had a nice dinner with his parents and settled down in his old squeaky chair for some light reading. It was dark outside but he left his bedroom lamp off, preferring to use his computer monitor as his sole source of light.

As the boy sat at his desk, reading some online web comics, his smart phone suddenly hummed next to his laptop. It was a text from Brian, asking why he was never online to chat.

He texted back, "too busy lately. duh."

And received, "go 2 laptop plz."

"why?"

"easier 2 type. duh."

Lester logged on to his chat program and started typing. He did appreciate being able to touch type. "What's up, Brian?"

"i want to see you-know-who tonight."

Lester rolled his eyes and then realized that the gesture was wasted since his friend couldn't see him. "Seriously? It's been a long week."

"seriously, dude. please?"

"It's kind of hard to get out. You know. Eyes everywhere."

"oh, yeah. disguise?"

"Should we be discussing this here? Like I said - eyes everywhere."

"can I come over?"

"Not tonight. I need some down time. Maybe tomorrow night or Sunday night? I need to get some clothes for Sarah first."

"sarah? you mean you-know-who?"

"No, I mean Sarah. You-know-who already has a wardrobe after a shopping fit with Erin and my Mom. Don't ask."

"so who the hell is sarah?"

"Language!"

"sorry. who is sarah?????"

"Sarah is Erin's new best friend since you-know-who can no longer hang out. You know. It's those pesky eyes again. Being everywhere."

"?????"

"Don't be thick, Brian. Sarah is just a little shorter than I am, with long brown hair. She arrived suddenly in the girls rest room at school today. Erin needed some support."

"lol."

"You are so cruel sometimes. Just be thankful I don't fill you in on the details about what Erin is going through."

"?????"

"Okay. You asked for it. But don't worry. I shall be merciful and quick. Hissss."

"you are such a sci-fi geek sometimes."

"Yeah, but you got the reference."

Brian replied with an emoticon of a winking face.

"Okay. Here are the details I promised you. Two words: Erin's period."

"dude!"

"I warned you!" Lester added an emoticon of a face sticking out its tongue for emphasis.

The two friends agreed to check in with each other over the weekend to find a good time to meet up. Lester told Brian about meeting with Erin both days but the budding superhero, or superherione, promised at least one night with Brian and they signed off.

Lester finished reading his web comics and soon drifted off to sleep for yet another visit to the Akashic records.

* * *

Lester had a long, twisted journey as the Dark Librarian secretly nudged him through the Akashic records that night. He picked up zillions of strange and useless bits of information until he finally discovered the wondrous paranormal ability of clairvoyance. With clairvoyance, he could project his sight over vast distances, effectively working like a super powerful telescope to magnify anything he wished to see. He could read the fine print on a nutritional label from miles away, and he could do even more with the ability. He could direct his vision anywhere, not just line of sight. His projected vision could show him things around corners or even inside buildings. Clairvoyance made a perfect tool for spying, and it unnerved him when he finally realized it.

The boy woke up and without even trying, he immediately projected his vision through his bedroom wall to look throughout his house, seeing his mother cooking breakfast in the kitchen and his father sitting at the dining room table, typing on his smart phone. He looked over his father's shoulder and saw that his father was sending a text to a friend. They were meeting at the shooting range later that day. That was sort of good news. It meant that his father would be gone for hours so he'd be free to be Sarah when Erin came to visit.

He vigorously shook his head, both to help wake up and to cancel his clairvoyance. The closet beckoned to him then but he avoided looking at Golden Girl's clothes. Instead, he threw on his favorite gray sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans; easy enough since he slept in his underwear. Wearing enough clothes to suit him, he padded barefoot to the kitchen in search of breakfast, arriving just in time to see scrambled eggs and bacon, cooked to perfection.

"Smells good, Mom. Got enough for your poor, hungry son or is that all for Dad?"

Susan smiled. "I figured you'd be up soon so I made sure to make enough for both of you. Grab a couple plates and some silverware and I'll bring the food and something to drink. You want the usual orange juice?"

"Sure. But what about something for you?"

"Why, Lester! I do believe that's the first time you've ever asked me that."

"What?!"

His mother laughed and he wrinkled up his nose in annoyance.

"I've already had my breakfast. I'm an early riser, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Okay. It's feedin' time then!" He grabbed everything he needed, including salt and pepper, and joined his father at the dining room table, setting a plate, knife and fork on the table where his father sat.

"Hi Dad."

"Morning, Son," the man said, not looking up from his phone. Lester's father was normally a man of few words and that morning was no exception. The man just kept texting his friend and absently shoveled fluffy scrambled eggs into his mouth after Susan dished him up a plate full. The greasy bacon he'd leave until after he finished his texting.

In spite of his taciturn father, Lester couldn't let an opportunity get away. "Hey Dad. Have you seen anything about Golden Girl yet?"

"Hm? It's a hoax. Has to be." The man still kept his eyes on his phone.

Susan tried to warn her son with her eyes but he didn't notice. He wouldn't have stopped if he did.

"It's not a hoax. We were there. Mom, Erin and I were all there when it happened."

Matthew finally looked up from his phone then. "Is this true, Susan? You saw Golden Girl?"

"Yes, I did. She was amazing."

The man scratched his head and smiled. "Well, that's interesting. She really exists. Huh."

"Yeah, Dad. Wouldn't it be great if she came to visit someday?"

Matthew gave his son a long look. "Are you trying to tell me you know her?"

"No!" he said a little more loudly than he wanted. "I'm just curious what you think about her. She looks to be my age so she might go to my school. It's possible."

"You're not thinking of chasing after her too, are you? I thought you liked Erin."

"I do! I do like Erin. It's just…. meeting a superhero would be so cool."

Susan had been watching the exchange between her husband and son with increasing agitation. Lester seemed to be trying to soften up his father a little sooner than she expected and she decided to intervene before things got too awkward.

"Lester, stop pestering your father about Golden Girl. He's going out soon. Aren't you, dear?"

"Yeah," Matthew said, looking at his wife. "I am." He turned back to his son for some final words of advice. "Remember the bird in the hand, son."

Lester rolled his eyes. "Is worth two in the bush. Yeah, I know."

"Don't give up on Erin, boy. She's a very nice girl, a real girl that you're already friends with."

Both Susan and Lester had to suppress a laugh at the man when he said Erin was real. If only he knew.

Matthew practically inhaled his bacon after informally declaring the conversation to be over. Then he got up from the table, kissed his wife goodbye and ruffled his son's hair before heading out the door.

"Too soon," was all Susan told her son. Then she started clearing off the table.

Lester shrugged. He finished his breakfast and took his dirty tableware out to the kitchen to put in the dishwasher.

"I have a request, Mother," he told her.

"Oh? This should be good. It usually is when you talk so formally." She smiled to show she was teasing him.

He smiled back. "I need more clothes."

"For whom? You or Sarah?"

"Sarah, but not the Sarah you're thinking of."

"Whatever are you talking about, Lester?"

The boy went on to explain the new body he shapeshifted into yesterday at school. When he described the scene in the girls rest room, Susan nearly died laughing in spite of it being such a close call. The boy was lucky he'd shapeshifted quickly enough.

"I'm sorry," she told him, "but that just strikes me as funny. Who was the dark-haired girl?"

"I don't know her name. I think she's a sophomore."

"Ah," Susan said, pausing a moment in thought. "You'll need a new name for Golden Girl if your other girl self is going by Sarah. Have you thought of one?"

"As a matter of fact, I have. I was going to call her Crystal Lynn Dawn."

The woman stared at him a moment. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I've been giving it a lot of thought and I think it fits nicely."

"It sounds a bit corny to me but I do like Crystal as a name."

"Thanks. So can we go shopping soon? I wanted to go in the morning because Erin is planning on coming over this afternoon."

"Don't you want to wait for her so she can come with us?"

"I thought it would be nice if it was just the two of us this time. I was a little overwhelmed when it was all three of us."

"Well," she said, moving to the living room with Lester following. "what are you going to wear to the mall? You told me that Sarah is only about an inch shorter than you. Golden Girl's clothes won't fit you. Wouldn't it be good to see if Erin could get you something to start you out?"

"Ah. Good point. I suppose we could wait then."

* * *

Erin showed up around one o'clock wearing jeans and a sweater, and she'd stuffed her hobo bag with her gi as well as most of her other items from the previous shopping trip. The bag looked overly full so Lester cleared out some space in one of his drawers to store some of her things for her. She looked relieved.

After removing all but the essentials from her bag, the boy explained that he wanted to go shopping for the new Sarah, and the redhead knew what to do. Lester soon stood in just a tee shirt and boxers as Erin visually measured him. Then she had him put his jeans and sweatshirt back on.

"It'll take about an hour or so," the redhead told him. "Sorry for the wait."

"That's okay. How about practicing some aikido while we wait? Is that okay? I have a surprise for you." Neither of them changed into a gi since they'd likely be wearing their normal clothes if they actually had to defend themselves. A gi wasn't necessary for practice. It just made it a little easier to learn new moves by allowing freer movement.

Erin felt a little too uncomfortable from her period to practice katas so she just watched, and after Lester telekinetically cleared some space in the living room, he practiced the first kata that he learned in class and performed flawlessly. Erin noticed but she didn't say anything. When he started showing her a new kata, she did finally say something. "Don't tell me. Akashic records."

He nodded. "It kind of takes the fun out of it but it's still good practice for me. And it means I can help teach you. You should learn a lot more quickly that way."

Erin didn't say anything. Instead, she just hugged him.

* * *

Practicing aikido made the hour pass by quickly. Erin stopped in the middle of a simple, new self-defense technique and suddenly handed Lester some new clothes that she pulled out of nowhere. He soon stood alone in his bedroom, naked with his bed full of girls clothes.

"Here we go again," he said to himself.

He changed his body just as he did at school except he rounded and filled out his, then her, hips a little more while becoming all girl. The dark green corduroy pants once again seemed too snug so she used her shapeshifting ability to temporarily slenderize herself and easily slipped into them. As soon as she fastened the top button of the pants, they fit like a glove.

When she got to the bra, she hesitated. She appreciated that the light green color nearly matched the color of the thin sweater. She'd been schooled about not having her bra show up through her tops. But the cup size seemed much larger than the initial breast size that she gave herself.

She shook her head. 'What is with Erin and large breasts? And the color green for that matter?' But she took it in stride, putting on the bra and enlarging her small breasts to fill the cups. She pulled on a sweater, put on some small sage-colored ankle socks and slipped into forest green leather boots that were several inches shorter than the boots from Golden Girl's first outfit. They came up to about mid-calf and had the same size heel.

"She seems to like boots too," the girl muttered, trying out her new voice. But again, the new girl liked the two inch heels as they made her close to the same height as her boy self.

She opened her bedroom door and peeked both ways, watching for an ambush. When it didn't come, she quickly went into the bathroom to check her face and hair. Her face and hair were consistent with what she'd done to herself in the girls rest room, but she tweaked her eye color from Lester's gray-blue to hazel. It seemed to look a little better with her clothes. And as she thought about it, she changed her hair color to auburn. That looked even better with her clothes.

'I bet girls would love to be able to do that too,' she thought.

"Sarah!" her mother's voice suddenly called, startling her. "Are you ready yet? I want to see you!"

"Coming, Mom!"

She walked to the living room where Erin and her mother waited. They were sitting on the couch together, quietly talking, but as soon as the new girl entered the room, they both shot up and swarmed Sarah in a group hug.

"Welcome back, Sarah," Erin said in her ear.

They separated and Erin immediately noticed some differences. "You changed your hair color. And your eyes!"

Sarah blushed. "They seemed to look better with these clothes."

Her mother laughed. "Spoken like a true girl," she said.

"Mom!"

"Aw. Don't be angry." She paused then to give her daughter a good look. "You could be your own sister. There's a strong family resemblance to your father."

"Yeah. Crystal looks more like you but Sarah looks more like Dad. I didn't plan it that way though."

Erin looked puzzled. "Who's Crystal?"

"That's the name I'm giving Golden Girl since I'm going by Sarah when I look like this. Golden Girl's full name is Crystal Lynn Dawn."

"Oh! I get it. Crystalline dawn. That's beautiful."

"Thanks. I'm glad someone appreciates my creativity."

Susan playfully swatted her daughter. "Come on, you two. We've got some serious shopping to do."

The new girl hesitated. "Uh, remember what I told you earlier about that."

"I'm not having my second daughter go without a decent wardrobe."

"Oh," Erin said. "I didn't think of it that way. You've got three children in one now!"

Susan nodded. "A son and two daughters. I'm a lucky woman."

Sarah sighed. "It's a little expensive, isn't it?"

"Not really. You can cut down on your boy clothes and we can buy relatively few girls clothes. It'll all work out."

"I've got one word for you, Mom: Accessories."

Susan laughed. "You got me, daughter dear. But we're still going shopping."

With that, the happy woman started getting ready to go out. It was nearly time for a grand day of shopping. In the meantime, Erin wanted a little help.

"Before we go, I think I need a new tampon."

"Uh…." Sarah started blushing.

"What?" Erin cocked her head at her friend. "My flow is getting heavy. I want to make sure I don't bleed out while we're shopping."

The new girl started sputtering.

"Hey. Don't be that way. You're all girl at the moment."

"Sorry. I'm still not used to all this."

"Oh. Yes. That's true. But I haven't had that much more experience than you have. This is my first period after all."

Sarah chewed her lower lip and her determination set in. "Right. I said I'd help and I will. Just tell me what you want me to do."

Erin actually squealed, surprising both girls. She led Sarah into the bathroom, shut the door and just had her friend sit on the floor while she went through her ordeal. She talked a little as she worked and then neatly disposed of the used tampon. It wasn't quite as bad as Sarah expected, but it wasn't pleasant by any means. It was just something that girls endured, and sharing the experience did seem to help.

The two girls shared something extra just before they left the bathroom. Erin looked deeply into Sarah's eyes and thanked her. The gesture seemed to be more than simple friendship. It spoke of love, a love of Sarah's soul. Both girls were falling in love with each other, just in different ways, and Sarah was never more confused and frustrated.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

Costuming is tough!

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 11

Conversation filled the car on the drive to the mall, with the main subject being how Sarah could change clothes and bodies from Sarah to Golden Girl and back again without being detected. It was more complicated than expected.

"We need to consider several things," Susan said. "First, the cold weather will require warmer clothing. Second, the significant change in body size will require at least some clothing that can stretch to accommodate both sizes. Third, a safe, secluded place will be needed to change bodies so she isn't seen. And fourth, a safe way of storing some of Sarah's possessions will be needed while she's out as Golden Girl."

"Right, Mom. I can't just wear something like boots and a spandex body stocking. The spandex could stretch to fit both of my girl bodies but I'd likely freeze to death wearing such a skimpy costume."

Erin spoke up then, surprising the other two. "You could wear the body stocking under a coat. The coat could be removed when the weather turned warm again."

"And gloves," added Susan. "Don't forget gloves. You'll want them for the cold and you don't want to scar your pretty knuckles when you beat up a bad guy."

Sarah sighed. "I'm not going to have to get physical with anybody, Mother. I'll most likely get away with just using telekinesis. But your first point is valid. I don't want my hands to get cold." She looked at her long, slender fingers, still trying to get used to them.

Susan summed up the costume, consisting of underwear or thermal underwear with tights under a black spandex body stocking, tall leather boots and a short leather jacket along with leather gloves. "Forget the mask. Everyone's already seen Golden Girl's face and the mask would probably just get in the way at some point."

The girls both nodded but Erin looked a little puzzled and spoke up. "Why all the leather?"

"It'll offer a little more protection. And it looks hot."

"Mother!"

"Well it does! And there's nothing wrong with that. Now we only need to decide on a color scheme and we're finished with the costume."

"Color scheme?" Sarah started getting nervous. She didn't realize how difficult it could be to pick out an outfit, even if it was the world's first true superhero costume.

They talked colors for the next ten minutes. Everything went well with black, making it a difficult decision. When it came down to two choices, they agreed to keep them in the back of their minds and decide later. Sarah leaned towards black and yellow stripes to create a bee look. She liked the idea of being small yet still respected for her sting. The other two pushed for using pink and gray for a more feminine look, something that Sarah didn't feel ready for.

The new girl growled. "Arg! Colors!"

Her mother smiled. "Isn't it fun?"

"No! It's… difficult. Colors are tough."

"Aw. My poor daughter. The way of the girl can be challenging, yes, but also rewarding. It will get easier, grasshopper."

Sarah giggled and quickly slapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide.

Susan laughed. "Yes, you did just giggle. Just go with it. It comes with the territory."

They moved on to changing looks at school next. Susan liked her daughter's plan to wear a sweat jacket over androgynous clothes to switch between Lester and Sarah, except she suggested that Sarah keep her original eye color and dark brown hair color to make it easier to remember. Then she had a thought. "What about Golden Girl?" she asked.

"Why do you keep calling me Golden Girl?! My name is Crystal." She sulked a little and quickly stopped, mentally chastising herself.

Her mother noticed and tried not to smile. "Golden Girl just sounds better, though it might be safer to use Crystal when we talk in public. Anyway, what about my question? Erin? Do you have any ideas?"

"I was just thinking it's too bad Sarah can't shapeshift clothes."

Sarah snorted. "This isn't like the movies."

"But if you can modify your body, why can't you modify your clothes?"

"That's actually a good question now that I think about it."

Susan's eyes lit up with an idea. "What about clothing with a natural material like cotton?"

"Or silk," Erin added, sighing. "I love the feel of silk."

The other two gave the redhead a curious look.

"Or silk," Susan agreed. "A natural fiber might be affected by your ability since it's organic."

Sarah thought about it and frowned. "But if that's true, it might mean I could change other people."

That led to an experiment with Erin but the redhead's appearance couldn't be changed in any way. She suggested that her unique condition of being stuck as a human might keep her from being changed so Susan became the next guinea pig. Sarah gently touched her mother's ear and concentrated for a full minute, trying to make it pointed.

"Still nothing," the auburn-haired girl said, almost crying with frustration.

"Hey, honey. It's okay. We'll come up with alternatives. And I think we should still see if you can modify an all cotton shirt. Oh, and there's wool too. That might be even better since it's from an animal instead of a plant. It'll be more like changing your hair."

Erin tried one last idea. "Even if you can't change clothes now, you might find a way to do it in the Akashic records."

Sarah shrugged. "I'll try looking but I had to dive deep to find shapeshifting, and once I found it, I got everything about it I could find in the same area. There was nothing about changing anything other than my own body. A shapeshifter would wear an animal skin to help visualize becoming that same animal but the skin wouldn't be part of their animal body. They'd always grow their own fur."

"Wait," Susan said, a little shaken. "You can change into animals too?"

"I haven't tried it yet, but yes, I'm sure I can."

"Wow," the woman slumped down in her car seat, once again amazed at what her daughter could do.

They pulled into the mall's parking lot, ending the conversation. They had some shopping goals in mind and a lot of things to think about. Being a superhero required a lot of work.

* * *

The three of them split into two groups in the mall, just in case, as paranoia crept in a little. They saw eyes watching everywhere, trying to discover the true identify of Golden Girl. It was a healthy paranoia for the most part. They managed to stop themselves short of trying to destroy the mall's video surveillance tapes, though they needn't have worried about them. People are fairly unobservant for the most part. The scrutiny would come later, after Golden Girl established a regular presence.

Susan went off to get the spandex body stocking, along with some things for herself, and the two girls shopped for various other parts of the costume starting with underwear. Sarah never blushed so much.

"Does it ever get easier?" the auburn-haired girl asked her friend.

"Does what get easier?"

"Shopping!"

"Shopping is easy, as long as you have some money." Erin reached in a small pocket of her hobo bag and fingered several twenty dollar bills that Susan had given her.

"Never mind. Let's look for gloves next."

All their talk about colors seemed a fruitless exercise to Sarah. They couldn't find any yellow or pink leather gloves and it didn't seem wise to special order them. That would make it easier to trace the purchases back to Golden Girl. Purple leather gloves seemed fairly easy to come by though, and Erin got an idea.

"You like purple, don't you, Sarah?"

"It's okay."

"Then why not stick with purple and black?"

Sarah paused a moment, slowly nodding and smiling. "Works for me."

The girls went up separately to buy two pairs of purple gloves each, enough to easily last Golden Girl through the colder months for many years. They also got several pairs of purple tights and Sarah tried on a couple different pairs of tall, black leather boots that they'd need more money for. After they got the body stocking and boots, they'd have a complete costume. Golden Girl would continue using the same short purple jacket instead of a black leather one. The purple jacket would be warmer, something Sarah insisted on.

"What's next?" Sarah asked, feeling some relief at making good progress towards one of their goals.

Erin's stomach gurgled and the girls laughed. Lunch time called and they texted Susan to meet up for a little food in the mall. It would slow them down. Sarah still had a lot of shopping to do and they didn't want to take a lot of time for lunch, but they had to eat sometime.

The three of them sat in white plastic chairs in the middle of the food court of the mall, far from anyone else so they could talk more freely. In between sentences, they enjoyed bites of some inauthentic but normally tasty Mexican food, or at least they tried. Erin picked at a couple of new things, like the nachos, but she made sure to get a shredded chicken taco. She knew she liked the tacos having tried them at school. Sarah didn't have as much luck.

"Not again," Sarah complained after taking a bite of nachos. They didn't taste nearly as good as they normally did.

"What's the matter, honey?" Susan asked.

"Different taste buds again. I'm going to have to make a chart to keep track of everything I like and don't like." Erin let her sample the chicken taco and she liked that so the two girls shared it after making a mess breaking it in half. Sarah also got some of her mother's grilled chicken salad. She liked that too.

Once they'd all got a good start on satisfying their hunger, they started reporting on their progress. Susan had picked up three black body stockings, and she liked the idea of sticking with purple and black, especially since she also got a purple scarf and matching ski hat without a ball on top for Sarah. "Accessories," the woman said, smiling at her daughter.

The subject of a black leather jacket came up, starting a heated discussion.

"Sometimes you have to sacrifice comfort to look good, honey. The purple accessories will look better with a black jacket. Otherwise, you'll just be a purple blob with blonde hair and black boots."

"But I hate being cold!" Sarah said.

Susan stopped a moment and smiled. "Okay. How about this? Who said you have to have just one costume?"

They stayed together, getting a short leather jacket for Golden Girl and a long black woolen coat for Sarah. They also ended up getting gloves, tights, a scarf and hat, all in black. The black accessories would be worn with the purple jacket in the coldest weather, and when the weather warmed up enough, the purple accessories would be worn with the black leather jacket. They refused to consider a cape.

"Problem solved," Susan said.

After picking up the two pairs of boots that Sarah wanted, they moved on to shop for a general wardrobe for Sarah as well as perform several shapeshifting experiments on clothes with natural fibers, none of which could be changed. They were stuck with their ideas for limited clothing changes, though they managed to add more ideas as they went. A very stretchy sports bra was a must. Sarah needed a bra that could accommodate her when she changed into Crystal. The cup and band sizes remained about the same but the straps needed to stretch for her shoulders. They also bought a small black backpack to hold a change of clothes and reluctantly had to restrict Golden Girl to nighttime activities. Changing under cover of darkness seemed to be the only safe alternative. Sarah could walk to the park, levitate up through a dense stand of fir trees, change coats, add accessories and fly off, leaving the backpack high in the trees. None of them were happy about it but secrecy came first.

* * *

They got home from the mall and Erin stayed for dinner, taking Matthew's place at the table since he was staying out for an extended night with his buddies. Sarah didn't change back to Lester at her mother's insistence.

"You need to get used to being a girl," she told her daughter.

"Not happening."

"Well, not yet. Give it a chance."

Sarah didn't say any more. She just picked at her food, still trying to get used to her new taste buds, and it wasn't long before the two girls went to Sarah's bedroom to try on everything. Erin got herself a few things and she had fun with them. She'd try something on, run to the bathroom to look in the mirror and run back, giggling.

Sarah just shook her head as she slipped on a pair of her new boots over black tights, muttering, "I still don't get it."

"You need a mirror in your room," the redhead told her friend. "Preferably full-length so you can see everything."

"Yeah. I'll get right on it."

"Aw, Sarah. Don't be such a mope." Then she finally noticed how her friend was dressed. "I see you're wearing the warm weather version of your costume. Turn around for me. Let's see how it looks."

The reluctant girl wore just a body stocking, tights and boots. She turned slowly all the way around and stopped with her arms awkwardly at her sides. "Well?"

"Nice! But it's still missing something." She paused a moment and added, "I think a pair of black fingerless gloves would nicely finish it off. Try on your full gloves a minute."

Sarah did as directed and Erin nodded. "Yes, I'll tell your mother."

"Uh. Thanks. I guess."

"You're not having fun, are you?"

"What was your first clue?"

"Aw. I'm sorry you're still not liking this, Sarah. Maybe tomorrow."

"Maybe."

Sarah didn't try everything for size before she needed a break, and Erin had already finished, not having as many new things. Both girls sat next to each other on Sarah's bed in silence for a few minutes until Sarah abruptly stood up and started shedding all of her clothes.

"What are you doing?" the redhead asked.

"Something that we talked about earlier. I want to try changing into different animals. See what I'm capable of."

Erin didn't say anything. She just stared and waited until her suddenly nude friend quickly changed into a wolf, a she-wolf.

"Wow! You did it! You're a wolf! Can you talk?"

Wolf Sarah shook her head and tried walking around her room. She went to the closed door and tapped a paw to it, as if asking to be let out.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Sarah. You might scare your mother."

Sarah turned back into a girl and agreed with her friend. Then she tried other animals to get an idea of what range of sizes she could achieve. She started with a bobcat and ended up as a little white mouse on her bed.

Erin held out her open hand, palm up, and Mouse Sarah jumped onto it to let her friend get a good look at her. "You're so cute!"

Sarah gave her friend a loud, indignant squeak and Erin placed her back on the bed. "Sorry, little mousie. There you go."

After trying the smaller sizes, she quickly moved to larger animals, including a lion, tiger and black bear. Her last try was an African elephant, though she couldn't increase her size to a full-grown elephant. She seemed to be limited to about half size which was just as well. The ceiling wasn't tall enough to accommodate full size. As an elephant, she stood about six feet tall at the shoulder and her long trunk could easily reach the ceiling. She touched the ceiling once and then trumpeted loudly with glee, startling Erin and causing her mother to come running to the bedroom.

Susan opened the door and shrieked when she saw an elephant.

"It's okay, Mrs. McHenry. It's just Sarah."

The trembling woman slowly walked into the room and approached her daughter, talking softly to her. "Is that really you, Sarah?"

The elephant vigorously bobbed her head up and down, telling her yes.

Susan plopped down on her daughter's bed, half in shock.

It took another fifteen minutes or so for Sarah to rest enough to change back to her girl self. She'd used up too much energy with all of the shapeshifting and extreme changes of mass. During that time, her mother ever so slowly got used to her daughter being an elephant. Susan even stood up at one point and stroked the elephant's very large ears, truly in awe of what Sarah could do.

Life just kept getting more interesting.

* * *

Changing into so many different shapes tired Sarah out, and she begged off any more visiting so she could go to bed. Erin stayed to talk with Susan in the living room for a while and left the tired girl to slip into her bed, wearing only one of her boy tee shirts and panties. Sarah felt too tired to shapeshift back into a boy and was soon fast asleep and wandering through the Akashic records, still looking like a girl.

"Hello Sarah," the Dark Librarian said, appearing suddenly in front of her. "Welcome to the Akashic records."

Sarah looked down at herself and frowned at still being a girl, but she minded her manners. "Hello Mister Guile. Imagine meeting you here."

The man laughed. "Here, I'm simply the Librarian."

"Yeah. I don't suppose Mister Guile is your real name."

He grinned but didn't say anything.

"So," she started.

"So," he parroted.

"Did you mean for this to happen?"

"Mean for what to happen, dear girl?"

"Mean for me to become a superhero? Why else are we here?"

"I never meant for anything to happen other than for you to learn. What you do with what you learn is your business."

Sarah snorted.

"You must have guessed it would happen," she told him.

"Ah. Actually, to be truthful, I expected a different result. But there's still plenty of time for that."

She narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. You must mean that wager that you have with Erin. What exactly is that wager? I know it has something to do with me."

"Oh, no, my dear. That would be telling. Can't do that." He gave her his creepiest grin, making her shiver with dread.

"Okay. If you can't tell me that. What about this? Got anything to help me shapeshift my clothes?"

"I don't think that's possible, my girl," he said. "Or necessary. There are other, better ways to escape detection," he said, suddenly looking down at their feet to get Sarah to do the same.

A wide, glowing yellow line could be seen, hovering just under the transparent surface that passed for the floor on which she stood. It started just under her and stretched out far away into the distance.

"You know what they like to say in Oz," the man said, grinning as he slowly faded away.

"Follow the yellow brick road," Sarah said quietly. And she did. She even skipped a little at one point, just to see what it was like. It didn't last long. So far, there was nothing about being a girl that she could fully appreciate. She resumed walking, and when that seemed to take too long, she imagined herself flying, and she sped along to a most amazing ability that she absorbed without thinking, only to regret it after she realized its potential.

"Oh, dear," she muttered. "Now I've done it."

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

The ultimate spy

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 12

Sarah woke up very early Sunday morning, dressed exactly as she remembered and not surprised to find herself still a girl. As she replaced her panties with boxers, she shapeshifted back into her boy self and started thinking while she, now he, finished dressing.

Mister Guile didn't deny having a wager with Erin, and he said that it had something to do with different expectations about what would happen after Lester learned a lot of powerful abilities. The man seemed to know everything that was happening. He must have some way of spying, just as Lester knew was possible with his clairvoyance. Something smelled fishy and the boy didn't like it one bit, but the pieces of the puzzle were quickly falling into place, and once he had the big picture, he'd confront them both and hopefully put an end to it.

In the meantime, he had to test his new ability. He felt it kick in and confirmed it with a quick look in the bathroom mirror. Then he turned it back off and went to show his mother, who he knew was the only one up after using his clairvoyance.

As usual, his early rising mother sat at the kitchen counter, drinking coffee, while his night owl father slept soundly in the master bedroom. Lester padded barefoot into the kitchen, getting himself a glass of orange juice as he spoke. "Hi Mom."

"Hi… Lester. You're up early."

"Yeah. I fell asleep early, remember? All that shapeshifting tired me out."

"How could I forget the elephant in the room?"

Lester chuckled briefly and turned serious. "I'm not sure how but I can tell you're disappointed that I'm not Sarah this morning."

"It's the girl in you. She's apt to be more perceptive and intuitive."

"Yeah. About that. I'm still not very comfortable being a girl. I'm not sure I ever will be."

"I know. It takes years of practice and you've started very late." She took a sip of coffee and sighed.

"I'm not sure if I'll be continuing as a superhero and a girl. I haven't told you this, but I have a substitute teacher who showed up at school the same day as Erin and I'm sure he's non-human as well. The two of them have a wager of some sort regarding me and it's connected to all of my abilities."

"What are you talking about? I don't understand."

"I don't either, Mom. Neither one of them will explain themselves. But as soon as I figure it out, I'm going to confront them. After that, I have no idea what will happen."

"I thought you liked Erin. She might not be human but you two seem to be good together."

"I do like her. And I'm sure she likes me. But I don't like being a pawn in some game. I'm going to continue being a superhero simply because I can help people. But like I said, as soon as I figure out their game, assuming I do, I'm going to put a stop to it."

"This is getting crazy," Susan said before taking another sip of her coffee.

"No. It's already crazy. I've gotten two new paranormal abilities recently, one of which I used to check up on you and Dad this morning. I can tell where you are and exactly what you're doing without leaving my bedroom."

"Lester!" She blushed.

He blushed too. "Mom! I'd never spy on you that way. Come on. What I wanted to say was that I keep getting more and more abilities and I don't know where it'll stop. The ability that I got last night really rattled me."

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"I'm scared, Mom. I don't know if I can handle it all. It's getting to be too much. No one should have all the power I have."

"What's the ability? Maybe I can help."

"I doubt it. Put your coffee down and stay seated. Then I'll show you."

She did as directed and gasped when he slowly faded from sight. "Lester!" she hissed. "Where are you?!"

"I'm right here in front of you, Mom. I'm invisible."

"What?!"

He shushed her and quickly turned himself visible again. "I don't think I'll have nearly as much of a problem changing bodies and clothes now."

Susan nervously took a large gulp of her coffee before saying, "I think you're right."

* * *

Lester had breakfast with his mother and spent the rest of the morning trying to figure out the mysterious wager while he waited for Erin. He felt like he had enough clues but he couldn't seem to focus, not even when using his uncanny control ability. It was like he had some sort of mental block and he finally had to give up on it. He helped his mother with a little housework instead, surprising both of them.

He got to see his father for all of thirty minutes before the man zipped off to the shooting range again, alone. The man took his shooting skill very seriously, especially since he couldn't seem to get Susan or Lester interested in shooting. Lester didn't understand why some people liked guns so much but he knew his father loved his family and meant well.

When Erin finally arrived late that morning, she didn't seem happy, and she certainly wasn't in the mood to practice aikido. She just wanted to have a nice, slow walk with Sarah and have some light conversation to help ease her through the day, and when they returned, she hinted that hot chocolate would be a very welcome treat.

Lester informed his mother that they were going for a walk before going to his room to change, and he, now she, soon came back as Sarah, dressed in a warm sweater, jeans and running shoes. She slipped on her long, black coat and the two girls left.

Before they got very far down the street, Erin had the presence of mind mention a potential problem. "What about your father? What if he gets back before we do?"

"Oh, that. I wouldn't worry about that. I got a new ability to solve that problem. It'll solve a lot of quick changing problems too."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I can turn invisible."

Erin gasped. "I had no idea that was even possible for humans."

"Neither did I. And now I'm starting to get concerned, especially when I think about how badly the government would love to get their hooks into someone like me. I'd probably disappear, literally, as a lab rat for the rest of my life."

"Oh, Sarah. Please be careful."

"I will. Don't worry. Even if I was caught, I'm pretty sure I could escape. It's still a little scary though."

"Yes. Don't forget about bad guys using your family as leverage. Could you say no to nefarious deeds if they threatened your parents?"

That made Sarah stop and think. "I'm not sure. That's a tough one. I like to think I'd be able to take my parents far away to another country or something. But it would certainly be awkward."

They walked along in silence for another block before Sarah finally had to ask, "How's your period?"

Erin smiled, grateful to be asked without having to prompt her friend. "I'm cramping less but my flow is pretty heavy today. That's why I didn't want to practice aikido."

"I figured as much, and I don't blame you."

"It'll likely take you longer since you're a boy part of the time but you'll get to experience this. I can't wait."

Sarah gave her friend a funny look. "I know you mean well but I'm happy to wait."

"Oh, yes." Erin blushed. "I did mean well. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Perhaps you could make it up to me."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I still haven't given up on figuring out what your wager with Mister Guile is all about. I saw him last night not long before I found invisibility in the Akashic records."

"Oh! That vile man."

"He doesn't seem all bad, but I think you're right not to trust him. He admitted to having a wager with you. He even mentioned something about having certain expectations about what will eventually happen to me as I learn all of these amazing paranormal abilities."

"Really? He said that?"

"Yeah. I don't suppose you know what he meant by it, do you?"

"Oh, Sarah. Please don't ask that. Just let it go. Please."

"I don't know if I can, but I will for now. For you. I'd still like some answers someday though."

"I understand. And thank you."

* * *

The two girls ended up walking in a large loop for about an hour. They got back and still had time for a hot chocolate and a nice long talk with Susan before Matthew finally got home. Sarah turned invisible and went to her bedroom to change just before he entered the house. Invisibility certainly made it easier to hide a secret identity.

Erin seemed to lose interest in conversation after Lester changed back into a boy, and she soon left. Like Lester, she'd completed her homework Friday night, and she didn't feel well enough to practice aikido so she said that she had no reason to stay.

Having her leave abruptly in the early afternoon hurt Lester's feelings a little, but he hid it well, and he had a momentary distraction. Just after shutting his bedroom door and plopping down on his old, squeaky chair, his phone vibrated to announce a text from Brian.

"dude. did u forget me?"

"sorry. meet me in park tonight. 7ish?"

"sure. plz don't forget gg!"

Lester wasn't sure exactly what Brian meant with his last text. That was one of the problems with all of the abbreviations and shortcuts of texting. His friend either neglected to add a comma and was calling him a shortcut version of Golden Girl or he was telling him not to forget to come as Golden Girl. Either way, it was clear that Brian wanted to see Golden Girl. Everyone loved Golden Girl.

That saddened the boy even more, but he accepted his fate with grace, and he devoted some time to thinking about how to find criminals. Fighting crime was one thing. Finding criminals was something else. He got lucky when the gang at the mall acted up while he was around to see it. As he thought about his experiences, what few he'd had, crime played a very small part. The only wrongdoings that he'd witnessed were small-time shoplifting and a little bullying. Things like bank robberies, shootouts and car chases only happened on TV and the movies.

'What then?' he thought. He didn't like the random nature of going out on patrol. It seemed too inefficient, not to mention dull.

Some online research yielded a few interesting results. Police calls could be scanned online or by using a device that would allow more channels. After listening in on an online scanner, Lester thought an actual device would be better. He was about to leave his bedroom to talk to his father about getting a police scanner when he stopped to use his clairvoyance. He found his father in the garage, doing a little woodworking, something else that bored the boy. But using his clairvoyance gave him another idea.

He laid back on his bed and began to extend his clairvoyance into his backyard and beyond. With basically an unlimited range, he could patrol the city without having to use any devices or leave the comfort of his bedroom. With a smile, he spent the afternoon sweeping the area, and it wasn't long before he found trouble.

There was an actual car chase heading south on the I-5 freeway. Lester couldn't believe it, and he scrambled to shapeshift into Crystal and get dressed while he, now she, continued to keep tabs on the chase. She slipped on her boots, then her black gloves and finally her purple jacket from her closet and she was ready to go. It didn't seem cold enough for a hat and scarf.

It took almost three minutes to finish and she worried that she wouldn't be quick enough. She needn't have worried. The police started backing off to try to prevent accidents and the criminal kept driving at a high speed. She had time.

Golden Girl turned invisible and slipped out the back sliding glass door without being noticed. The blonde girl shot up into the sky, careful not to break the sound barrier, and turned towards the car chase, turning visible after having flown several miles from home. She considered staying invisible but that took a lot of energy. She wanted to be in peak condition to do what she planned, something that would also take a lot of energy.

With the car soon in sight, Golden Girl dipped down close just behind the car, and with her telekinesis, she started to lift it and slow it down. At the high speed they were traveling, the car had a lot of momentum. It wasn't easy, but it started working.

The driver, a young man around twenty five, freaked out but that couldn't be helped. When he tried to jump out of the car, he found the door held tightly shut. Not even criminals would be harmed if the superheroine could help it.

The car came to a stop, as did its engine. The car keys turned themselves in the ignition and ejected from the steering column before moving through the suddenly opened window and into Golden Girl's hand, and the man sat pinned to his car seat with telekinesis until the police arrived.

Golden Girl handed the criminal's car keys to the first police officer who got out of his vehicle and flew away before anyone could say anything. It was just as well because the police were all speechless for quite some time.

* * *

Crystal got home and slipped inside, invisible of course. She made it to her bedroom with no trouble and closed her door behind her. It made sense to stay invisible while she undressed and changed back into a boy. Then she, now he, threw on his male clothes and sat on the edge of his bed, nearly bouncing on the bed.

'What a rush!' he thought.

He felt good. Really good. He likely helped save lives that day, including the driver's. It made for a very satisfying and rewarding experience, more so than the gang at the mall because he did it completely on his own, without any mall security or police. The good feeling didn't last long.

The first thing to sabotage his mood was thinking about going out with a house key. He imagined being locked out of his own home, but he soon chastised himself for that when he realized that he could likely use telekinesis to move the lock tumblers and open any locked door. He had to start thinking more like a superhero and make full use of all of his powers.

His mother added to his problems when she barged into his room without knocking.

"Hey!" he cried.

"Don't 'hey' me, young man. What are you doing going out without telling me?"

"What?"

"It's all over the news already. Golden Girl saves the day again."

A news helicopter had been following the chase and got some good footage of the superheroine capturing the car. Several dozen people also added their photos and videos that they took with their phones.

"Oh," he said quietly. "That."

"Yes, that. Well?"

"What am I suppose to do, Mom? I didn't have a lot of time. It was a car chase. The driver could've killed someone."

That made Susan pause. She went over to site next to her son on his bed, wrapping an arm around his waist. "I'm sorry," she said. "I got a little concerned. I can't help it."

"I know, Mom. It's okay. But you'll have to get used to it. I'm going to be doing it a lot more often from now on."

"What do you mean?"

"I have clairvoyance."

"What's that?"

"I sort of mentioned it before. It's an ability that let's me project my vision anywhere I want, kind of like super binoculars. It has virtually unlimited range so I can patrol the city from here and act whenever I see something like the car chase today. I turn invisible and go out to save the world. I'm a superhero, Mom!"

"Yes, Lester, I guess you are. Or should I say, Crystal? I'm so confused."

"Yeah."

Mother and son moved to the kitchen, where Lester helped her make dinner. It helped pass the time and kept them both from thinking about the car chase and the endless speculation on the news. Golden Girl was quickly becoming a global phenomenon.

If the power didn't go to Lester's head, his fame just might. Or it would if he didn't have to be a girl. His gender change helped. He couldn't get too wrapped up in himself when he wasn't really his original self at all. It also didn't help that he still felt extremely uncomfortable as a girl.

* * *

Conversation at dinner centered around Golden Girl that evening, thanks to Matthew, who'd been listening to the radio out in the garage while he worked on making a small cabinet. Lester tried not to blush when his father praised the superheroine.

"This is great!" the man gushed. "Even though you both saw her first appearance, I still wasn't convinced. But now?"

"Now you know," Susan said, a little upset with him for doubting her.

"Yeah," he said. "She flew through the air and stopped a speeding car! I mean, wow! I wonder what else she can do."

Lester slumped in his chair and snorted. "Maybe she'll get interviewed and tell us," he said, somewhat sarcastically.

His father missed the sarcasm. "Funny you should say that. The major news networks are already lining up, begging for interviews."

"Really?" Lester perked up, then slumped again when he realized he'd have to be a girl to do the interviews. It also made him wonder how he'd communicate with the news agencies. He needed a way to contact them without having it traced back to his home. He figured he could go to the library to use the computers there, but he might still have trouble convincing anyone who he was in a chat program where no one could see him, or her, actually.

The boy finished his dinner and excused himself from the table, but not before he told his mother that he was going out. He gave her a look to let her know he'd be going out as Golden Girl and she gave him a subtle nod.

* * *

The park near Lester's house was deserted as usual. The cold and dark of night didn't make for a pleasant experience for anyone or anything except nocturnal animals and a couple of teenagers who wished for a little secrecy.

Brian stood shivering a little as he sat on a swing in the children's playground area, waiting for Golden Girl, who touched down in the sawdust right in front of him. He didn't react right away though, because she was invisible.

"Hello, Brian," she said, still invisible.

"What?! Who?!" the boy sputtered.

Crystal laughed and slowly faded into view, startling the boy.

"Dude! Not cool."

"Sorry, Brian." Then she frowned. "But please. No more calling me dude. Do I look like a dude?" She gestured to herself.

"Well, no. But you're still, you know. It's a little confusing."

"Yeah, but what if someone overheard you? Come on. Think."

Brian looked her up and down and leered just a little. "I'll be happy to treat you like a girl. I was just trying to be nice."

Crystal shivered a little. "Yeah. Don't get carried away." That suddenly gave her an idea. "Or maybe you can get carried away, in a sense."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever wanted to fly over the city at night? It's a beautiful sight."

Brian still wasn't sure what she was getting at until she lifted him up with her telekinesis and pulled him along as she flew up and away. He called her dude once more to show his concern and was instantly cured when she spun him around several times very quickly.

"Okay. Okay. No more dude. Got it."

Per her instructions, they kept quiet and simply enjoyed the view from around a thousand feet above the city as they flew over it. They didn't have to worry about low flying aircraft with no nearby airport but Crystal kept a careful eye around her. She used her balanced awareness to watch for any threats.

When they finally got back to the park, Brian's thoughts remained on his flight and the girl who made it all possible. They both sat on adjacent swings, gently swinging and talking about aikido, the Akashic records, Erin's latest strange behavior and more. Being long-time friends, they had a lot in common and a lot to talk about, and though Brian tried to fight it, it was hopeless. He found himself falling in love with the girl.

After talking for close to an hour, both teens started to get cold. Crystal suddenly swung up and out, nimbly landing on her feet. She turned and told the boy that she had to get home. It was getting late.

"Yeah. See ya tomorrow on the bus, Crystal." He momentarily forgot that he'd actually be seeing Lester.

She waved and slowly faded from view as she turned invisible. Then she flew up and over to her home a short distance away, leaving Brian to sigh and walk home.

* * *

As Lester got ready for bed, he had an uneasy feeling about his time in the park with Brian, but he shrugged it off, mostly oblivious to the effect that he had on his friend. He slipped into bed and into the Akashic records in very little time.

Mister Guile was nowhere to be seen but Lester could still feel the man's presence.

"What's up for tonight?" the boy called.

No answer.

"How about some audio to go with the video?" he joked. But it was no joke.

Lester felt the familiar nudges and soon ended up with clairaudience, the sound equivalent of clairvoyance. With clairaudience, he could hear anything anywhere from any distance. It went well with clairvoyance, and with both of those abilities, he really would get the attention of the government. An agent wouldn't even have to infiltrate a group or sneak in by turning invisible. As long as an agent understood the language, they could read and hear everything, anywhere. It would make for the ultimate spy.

The newly empowered boy woke up, refreshed and ready for school that Monday morning. He had a quick bowl of cold cereal and made it to the bus stop with plenty of time to spare. The zoning out started before the bus stop and lasted until Brian sat down next to him on the bus. He couldn't stop thinking about his abilities.

"Hey," Brian said.

"Hey. Got another one. Clairaudience to go with clairvoyance. My life is a comic book."

"Yeah. I wonder where it's gonna end."

"Me too."

The two boys lapsed into a comfortable silence, with Brian daydreaming about Crystal and Lester moving on, trying to work out the details of the wager between Erin and Mister Guile.

* * *

Mister Guile had another ordinary lecture, much to Erin's relief. But he did have a surprise for her. Immediately after class, he asked her to stay for a moment. She lingered after everyone filed out and Mister Guile magically sealed the door to ensure their privacy.

Lester walked out, not realizing that Erin wasn't with him. When he tried to go back for her, he got a little concerned about her being alone with the teacher with the door closed. He even tried telekinesis on the lock to open the door. The lock seemed to fight him though, so he switched to super strength. When that didn't work, he tried clairvoyance and clairaudience. Not even that worked and he started getting really worried. He stayed out in front of the door, putting his ear up to it to try to overhear the conversation and got nothing but the sounds in the hallway behind him. He'd just have to wait, and worry.

Meanwhile, inside the classroom, a most interesting conversation was taking place. Mister Guile sat perched on the front edge of his desk with Erin standing in front of him.

"Well?" the girl asked. "What did you want? Hurry up, please. I don't want to be late for my next class. I actually like it."

"Oh. Nice sideways insult, my dear. But you needn't worry about being late. I've got time on hold for the moment."

Erin sighed. "Right. I almost forgot you could do that."

"Yes, I imagine it must be tough being human." He laughed, earning a scowl from the girl.

"Whatever. Do please get on with it."

"Yes. I just wanted to make sure the wager was still on."

"What do you mean?"

"You've been a little sloppy handing out clues to the boy."

Erin blushed.

"I've actually taken measures to prevent him from figuring out our wager, and I tested him to make sure those measures work. He's definitely got enough clues but so far, the boy is clueless about the terms of our wager and I want to keep it that way. I want to see this through to the end, and I want to make sure you found that acceptable."

"What did you do to him?"

"Just a little mental block. Nothing harmful."

"I suppose it's okay. But don't forget that I'm still watching you. And I still have friends in high places watching over both Lester and myself."

"Yes," he smirked. "I'm sure of that. I'm being good."

Erin snorted at that. "So are we okay here? I'd like to get to class now."

"We're good. Until tomorrow, my dear."

The way he phrased that made her nervous. She really didn't trust him, but she'd keep her word. She had to. It was in her nature.

Time resumed its normal course and Mister Guile moved to the door and opened it for the girl, who nodded at him and walked out to find Lester looking a little upset.

"What's wrong, Lester?" she asked him.

"You were in there!" He pointed through the door. "Alone! With him! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Lester. He's harmless. Mostly anyway. To me. Let's just go to our next class."

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

How to get a job

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 13

Advanced Literature started with an introduction of Shakespeare's historical play, King John, and the class dove in soon after by reading through and analyzing parts of it, just as they did with A Midsummer Night's Dream. Lester didn't exactly like the play but he dutifully paid attention and tried not to jump ahead to the next and last play that they'd be covering. He looked forward to it in a way, though he had to admit, Romeo and Juliet might prove to be too much for him. He already felt like he was well on his way to living a romantic tragedy.

The class passed by quickly, as did the next two, and the pair found themselves at their usual lunch table, thoughtfully eating their meals.

Erin took a break from her sweet corn to start the conversation. "I saw that Golden Girl stopped another crime yesterday."

"Hm? Yeah. Everyone loves Golden Girl," he said with a frown.

"Aw. You're not happy about it?"

Whisperings of Golden Girl could be heard all around the lunch room. It was all anyone wanted to talk about. Golden Girl with her golden blonde hair was a superheroine; the first in the world. How could one not be impressed by her? Except she wasn't Lester, not really. She was a girl named Crystal who had superpowers.

"I'm not sure what to feel. I found it exciting to stop a serious crime so easily, but it really is getting to be too much."

"Well, I don't think we should talk about it now. But I want to talk about it more after school. Until then, try not to think about it. Just concentrate on school. Maybe that'll help. Okay?"

"Sure. I'll try."

They talked about Advanced Literature, shopping and aikido, and Erin took pity on him and didn't include anything about menstruation. She started feeling better anyway and didn't really need Sarah that day. Her life became more and more comfortable as she got into a natural rhythm. Knowing that she could see Sarah fairly often eased her mind enough to get by, and even though it was getting to be a problem with Lester, she'd still politely ask for Sarah's company on the walk to Lester's house tomorrow. She definitely felt a lot more comfortable around Sarah than she did around Lester. The sexual tension between her and Lester was upsetting her more and more.

* * *

Lester and Erin had a mostly quiet walk for the few blocks they shared. As usual, they resolved nothing during their short walk and Lester didn't even turn around to watch his friend disappear into the mist. He marched all the way home and tried not to think of anything. Once he started thinking, he was doomed.

He got home, did his homework and helped his mother with dinner before his father got home. Cooking became a welcome distraction and something that would benefit him once he was out on his own, alone, with no one to cook for him.

He shook his head, ending that line of thinking. It was sexist anyway. He had two hands. He could cook for himself, just like any girl could.

"Mom?" He tried conversation. He still couldn't trust his thoughts.

"Yes, dear?"

"How did you and Dad meet? You've talked around the subject but you've never really said."

"There's not much to tell. We met in college, or really, he saw me in the cafeteria and tried asking me out. Like I already told you, I didn't say yes the first time. I lost count of the times he asked me before I finally agreed to go out with him."

"Yeah. That doesn't help."

"Well, excuse me!" Susan said, playfully swatting his arm.

"Sorry, Mom. You're helping just by talking with me. But I'm still having problems."

"Such is the life of a teenager."

Lester rolled his eyes. "It's more than that. You know it's much more than that."

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make light of it. I'm just trying to keep you from taking it all too seriously."

"Too seriously?! I've got two non-human beings who made some wager about me and are watching my every move. I can lift… I don't know… a lot…. I can fly, turn invisible, spy on anyone anywhere. And I've got major gender issues. How serious is that?!"

Susan sighed. "I didn't say not to take it seriously. I said, too seriously. Honestly, Sarah."

Lester gasped.

"Oh. Did I just call you…?"

Lester got a pained look on his face and ran off to his room, trying not to cry.

Susan followed after him, intending to barge into her son's room, but she found it blocked. Lester used telekinesis to hold it shut.

"Lester? Come on. Let me in."

"Go away."

"Please, Lester. I won't lie and say I haven't enjoyed having a daughter. Can you blame me after living in a house full of men for so long?"

No answer.

"Does it really kill you to be a girl?"

'No,' he thought, but he wasn't going to confess that out loud.

"I've been enjoying having you help me make dinner. Where did that come from? Has being a girl been having a good influence on you? Could it be expanding your horizons? Helping you to relate to girls?"

'Kind of,' he thought. 'Maybe.'

"Even now, as a boy, you've got those powerful abilities. You can still do everything that Golden Girl can do. Boy or girl, you're still the same person inside. Please, come out. Please? I'm sorry I called you Sarah. I'm sorry."

Susan started crying, loudly enough that Lester didn't need clairaudience to hear her. He relented, releasing the door, and when it didn't open, he used telekinesis to open it and saw his mother slumped on the floor, sobbing. He quickly got up and knelt down to gently hug her, adding tears of his own. He didn't think about how much he'd been crying lately or how good it felt afterward. He just wanted to comfort his mother and find some small comfort for himself by showing a little compassion.

* * *

Lester survived his Monday afternoon meltdown with his mother, absorbed a few new martial arts skills from the Akashic records after going to sleep, and drifted through school the next day. Again, he tried to avoid thinking about anything other than school and he survived.

He'd have more time to talk with Erin on the walk home since it was the day of their aikido class. She'd follow him home to continue the pattern of homework, dinner and martial arts class. Having that to look forward to had helped get him through the day.

As she remembered to do, Erin asked Lester to change into Sarah. They found an empty classroom after school and Lester changed into his normal, tall Sarah persona. His, now her, male clothes prevented a complete transformation but she was close enough for her friend. She kept her hair dark brown and her eyes gray-blue, and she didn't bother with a bra since she could just keep her breasts much smaller to prevent any serious bouncing. All that was left to do after changing her body was to pull her long, black woolen coat out of her backpack and stuff Lester's coat inside. She put on her coat and the two girls were soon walking down the road, deep in conversation.

"How's your period today?" Sarah asked. "I hope you're not going to have any problems in class tonight."

"Oh, no. It shouldn't be a problem. My flow is very light today. I expect it's the last day of my symptoms. I should be fine tonight. Thanks for asking."

"You're welcome."

"How are you doing? You don't sound very happy."

"I'm okay, Erin. I have my good moments and bad, but I'm okay."

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure. I have a wonderful mother to help me. And you. Sometimes."

"Only sometimes? I guess that's fair. Remember I told you that I can't interfere too much in your life."

"Yeah yeah. Something about that wager you have with Mister Guile won't let you. That's fine. I can live with it."

After a brief pause, Erin spoke again, changing the subject. "How's your job hunting going? I remember you saying you wanted to get a job… to help pay for our shopping." She gave her friend a sheepish grin.

"Yeah. Not good. But I have to confess that I haven't been looking. I've been a little preoccupied."

"That's understandable. Do you want to look today at the mall? I remember seeing two…." Her eyes briefly glazed over. "No, three signs in stores at the mall that said they were hiring."

Sarah stopped to look at her friend. "I wish I could do that." She could've used her clairvoyance but it would've taken a lot longer to scan the whole mall. Erin seemed to have nearly instant access to everything.

"Do what?"

"Never mind." They continued walking. "Yeah. I'm not sure it's a good idea to get a job at the mall. I'd be afraid of spending all of my paycheck right away since it would be convenient."

"And easy."

"Yeah. But I should try. I said I would and that's like a promise to me."

"And you always keep your promises."

"Yep."

Erin smiled. "You're so special, Sarah."

"So are you, Erin. So are you."

The conversation paused for several blocks after that, until Sarah thought to ask. "As long as you can remember so well, what kind of jobs are available? Did it say on the signs?"

"No. But maybe you can sort of tell by the store that's hiring."

"Maybe. Please tell me that one of them is a book store. I'd love to work in a book store."

"No. One was in the food court and the other two were in clothing stores."

"Hm. The food court job sounds like minimum wage but the other two sound promising. What kind of clothing do they sell?"

Erin sighed.

"Don't tell me. Women's."

The redhead nodded and nothing was said for the rest of the walk.

* * *

"Mom! We're here!" Sarah called out as she took off her coat in the entry way. She didn't hang it up on the coat hook like Erin did hers though. She took Lester's coat out of his backpack and hung it up instead. She took her coat to her bedroom closet along with her backpack.

Erin followed along and the two girls soon ended up in the kitchen to get some water. Sarah wished she could have orange juice but her different taste buds didn't care for it.

Susan entered the kitchen just as the girls sat down at the dining room table to sip their water. "Hi girls." Then she gave Sarah a good look and had to comment. "You're looking a little flat up top, dear. You might want to change now so you don't forget. Oh, and don't forget to bring your gi and some boy clothes along for class later."

Sarah looked down at her chest and frowned. "Yeah. Right. Thanks for the reminder." She gulped the rest of her water. "I'll change my jeans too while I'm at it." She got up to go to her bedroom, leaving her mother with Erin.

"So," Susan said after her daughter left. "Did Lester tell you about last night? He was pretty upset."

"Not exactly. But I have noticed that he's been quite moody lately. I wish I could help."

"You can help. Why don't you just date him once?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Mrs. McHenry."

"You don't have to do anything, except maybe a goodnight kiss. Where's the harm in that? You can try it and then tell him that there was no chemistry. No attraction."

"I don't want to give him false hope and then dash those hopes. That would be cruel."

Susan sighed. "I suppose so. But don't you feel anything for him?"

"Of course I do. Lester is a very special person, full of goodness and light. He's so pure and virtuous. How can I not feel anything for him?"

"But you can't date him."

"I won't date him. There's a difference."

Susan frowned. She wasn't getting anywhere with the girl. It was time for more drastic measures. "What if I paid you?"

Erin gasped. "Mrs. McHenry!"

"Just kidding! It was a test. You passed. I'm sorry I mentioned it. Just forget it. Please."

The redhead looked sideways at the woman, still not too sure if she was joking or not.

"I'm sorry. Sheesh. But it's too bad, really."

"What's too bad?"

"Well. Just think of all the shopping you could do with the money."

"Mrs. McHenry!" Erin stood up and stormed off to look for Sarah, leaving the chagrined woman to reflect on the error of her ways.

* * *

An awkward drive to the mall followed. Susan tried some friendly conversation to make up with Erin but the redhead wasn't having it. A bewildered Sarah sat next to Erin in the back of the car, directly behind her mother, and tried to figure out the problem but couldn't. Neither Erin nor her mother told her what had happened so she just had to trust in her mother to fix things.

"Erin?" Susan said.

The girl didn't answer. That was a first.

"I'm very sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did. I was wrong. Please forgive me."

There was still no response from Erin and Sarah started fidgeting, making only the slightest of noises.

"Keep still a moment, Sarah. Erin and I are having an important conversation."

Erin still didn't say anything and Sarah wondered just what kind of conversation the two of them were having as her mother continued.

"Now, Erin. You must know a mother will do almost anything for her child." She purposely didn't say daughter. "Please understand. I had to try."

She still got nothing from the redhead. The tension thickened in the car and Sarah struggled to keep herself from fidgeting.

"You should keep in mind that I don't know how you'll react to a little human weakness. I don't know exactly who you are or where you're from. I can probably make a good guess but I don't. I respect your wishes in that regard. Shouldn't I get some credit for that?"

Erin briefly fidgeted a little but quickly stopped herself.

"Okay. I can see you're upset. You're human now, as you said. You're subject to some of our frailties and failings. You know we're not perfect. Please say something."

Erin started to speak. She wanted to speak. But she started crying instead. She leaned over into Sarah and bawled her eyes out.

"Mom? What's going on?"

"Erin and had a little falling out, dear. But don't worry. I think we're good now."

The rest of the drive was uneventful except for Erin having to fix her eye makeup. Susan and Erin had made peace with each other and Sarah remained bewildered about the whole situation.

* * *

The three of them walked up to the mall entrance when Erin finally spoke. "Thanks for bringing us, Mrs. McHenry."

"You're welcome, dear." Then the woman turned to her daughter. "Don't forget to text me around five thirty for dinner."

"Right. But what about Dad?"

"He's going to be late again." She sighed. "We're on our own. So I'll see you later. Have fun!" She wandered off in the direction of the nearest department store, leaving the two girls on their own.

Sarah spoke first. "We've only got about an hour before we meet for dinner and we don't have much money. What do you want to do?"

"Don't you want to know what happened between your mother and me?"

"Um, no. That's between you and her. I can only handle so much and we still have over two hours together as girls. Please be gentle." She smiled to show that she was joking and asked her question again. "So what do you want to do?"

"Get you a job. Don't you remember?"

"Oh, yeah. But I thought I'd get one as Lester."

"Lester had his chance and failed. He's not here now so it's up to you."

"Erin!"

The redhead took her friend to the nearest clothing store that was hiring. The store had loud, modern rock playing inside and sold nothing but designer lingerie. Stepping just inside the entrance almost gave Sarah a nervous breakdown. The poor girl trembled with fear until she was led away.

Erin gave her friend a curious look. "I think that's a little too advanced for you."

Sarah just gave her a nervous little laugh.

They went on to the only other store that was hiring. It was called Fashion Divinity and it didn't have any music playing inside, but it was filled with women's clothing, including lingerie. It also had makeup, perfume and all other manner of feminine accessories. Just the sheer size intimidated Sarah and she froze near the entrance.

"I don't know if I can go in there, Erin."

"Just try it, Sarah. Come on. You can do it."

"No, I can't."

"Should we make a wager then?" Erin teased.

That got Sarah's blood boiling a little. Erin noticed and kept going anyway.

"I bet you can get a job here," the redhead told her friend with a smile.

"You don't have any money!" Sarah hissed. "You can't bet."

"We don't have to use money for a wager."

"Aha!"

"Aha?"

"Yeah. I thought I figured something out about your wager with Mister Guile. Never mind."

Erin stared at Sarah for several awkward seconds until a familiar voice interrupted.

"Hey! Fancy meeting you two here," Susan said, coming out of the store.

"Mom!" Sarah looked a little shaken, as if she was caught doing something wrong.

"Hey. It's okay, honey. Calm down."

Erin sighed. "She was thinking about getting a job here but I think it might be too much for her."

Sarah couldn't find her voice for the moment and simply nodded agreement.

"Nonsense," Her mother said. "I bet she'd do really well here. And I bet she'd get a decent wage too. She might even get an employees discount. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

The daughter snorted and her eyes lit up. "No more betting please," she said, half growling.

"Goodness! It's just a figure of speech. Anyway, Sarah. You're tall and very pretty. You might even pass as a model if you wore some makeup."

Sarah's eyes widened with fear but the seed was planted. Erin and Susan wouldn't be denied. They insisted on getting a makeover for the tall girl and they half dragged her inside the store.

* * *

Sarah's makeover included clothes as well as makeup, and when everything was finished, the very tall girl stood in front of a full-length mirror, gaping at herself wearing a navy blazer, matching skirt and a white tank top with thin, horizontal blue stripes. She stood six feet tall in three inch heels, looking very sophisticated and very, very feminine.

The store manager was fairly tall herself, being only a couple inches shorter than Sarah's current height. The white-haired woman radiated an unearthly confidence and poise and wore a similar outfit in black with a name tag that read, "Stella Godwin." She seemed extremely pleased with the results. "Now all she needs is a little jewelry," she said. "You'll have to take care of that in another store. Later."

The older woman was very sharply dressed, as all of the store employees were, and she insisted that Sarah's clothes match her makeup. She orchestrated the clothing selection after being informed of a most spectacular transformation occurring while Sarah sat in a chair having her face made up. A butterfly was emerging.

"Have you ever considered modeling, my dear?" the manager crooned. "You're a natural. I love that surprised look." She turned to Susan. "Don't tell me this young lady has never modeled."

"She's been quite the tomboy, actually. This is her first real makeover."

The woman turned back to Sarah, giving the girl an appraising look. "Well, I saw her first, and I'd like her to work here."

The girl's eyes widened with surprise. She walked quickly over to her mother, taking short steps to keep from toppling over, and ushered her mother a short distance away for a private conversation.

The store manager watched her walk away and slowly nodded with approval.

"Mother!" she hissed. "This is insane. I can't work here. Look at me!"

Susan smiled. "You're a very beautiful young lady, Sarah. Why couldn't you work here? I bet you'd make a lot of money. You might even have a little fun if you'd just relax."

"Relax?!" She paused a moment, finally remembering one crucial little fact. "Hah! What about identification? I don't have any!"

Just then, Erin slowly approached, handing her friend a small, navy blue leather purse.

"What's this for?" Sarah asked.

"Look inside," the redhead told her.

Opening the purse, the tall girl saw a wallet inside. "So?"

"Take it out and look at it."

Sarah's free hand slowly reached for the wallet but stopped and started trembling.

"Go ahead," Erin urged her. "It won't bite."

The trembling girl placed her left forearm through the purse straps and reached inside to pull out the intimidating item, and when she opened it, she gasped. The wallet had a valid-looking drivers license with a photo of her as a girl. The name on the license read, "Sarah Ann McHenry."

"Open the other compartment," Erin told her. "Go on."

Sarah couldn't seem to move so Erin reached over and did it for her, showing her a social security card with her name and Lester's social security number.

The redhead smiled. "I've been researching what you'd need to get a job so I whipped these up just in case. Isn't that great?"

Sarah couldn't move or speak so Susan answered for her. "It's nice, Erin. But are you sure it's legal? We could get in a lot of trouble if it's not."

"Mrs. McHenry! I thought you knew me better than that. I assure you that it's legal."

The identification was not only legal, it superseded Lester's former identification, something they wouldn't find out until much later since it would be Sarah who would be driving and working.

"I'm sorry for doubting you, dear." The woman turned to her stunned daughter. "Well, Sarah? Ready to enter my world?"

Sarah recovered enough to fill out all of the paperwork, pleasing everybody except herself. She was following in her mother's footsteps, entering the retail job market selling feminine wares, and she was half in shock.

Susan paid for her daughter's new clothes and added a makeup kit. The girl would need them for her new job.

"Thanks, Stella," the proud mother said as they got ready to leave. "I'll be sure that she gets up to speed on clothing styles and makeup."

The older woman smiled and nodded. "And I'll be sure to mentor her on the job. I'm sure she'll do fine."

"You are so lucky," Susan told her daughter as they left the store. "Most jobs aren't handed out like that."

"Yeah," Sarah said, looking glum but still elegant in her new clothes and makeup. "Lucky me."

Susan carried the bags with Sarah's jeans, sweater, shoes and makeup kit. She insisted. She didn't want her daughter to be distracted by anything and she didn't want anything to obstruct the view of such a beautiful young lady.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

All things sugar and spice

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 14

The group continued on to a small store in the mall that sold inexpensive jewelry and hair care accessories. Susan mentioned something about getting Sarah's ears pierced but the girl beat her to it, using her shapeshifting ability to create small holes in her earlobes. All they had to do was pick out earrings.

"No long dangly things," Sarah insisted.

"Don't worry, dear. You're in good hands. I'm a professional, remember?"

The reluctant girl got several pairs of rhinestone stud earrings in several different colors and didn't question it. She'd already received some coaching about color coordinating her jewelry, makeup and clothing, and she'd receive a whole lot more help as time went by.

They went to an upscale jewelry store next and when Susan noticed Erin longing for a necklace with a tiny, delicate silver cross, she bought it for her. The woman smiled when she saw the joy on the redhead's face. "That's a peace offering," she told the girl, who thanked her profusely.

The slightly frustrated mother tried to get her daughter to pick out something but after the girl passed over everything in the store, she bought a small black pearl pendant on a short silver chain. "This should make it easier for you. Black goes with anything."

With little time to spare, Susan rushed the two girls back to the car and on to a nice Greek restaurant for dinner, where Sarah would have more new flavors to try out with her different taste buds. They ordered a large combination platter that had a little of everything to make sure the tall girl would have enough to eat. Erin hadn't had Greek food before either so it was a good experience for her as well.

While they waited for the food to arrive, Susan had one more quick lesson for her daughter. She took her to the rest room so they could both remove their lipstick.

"Why are we doing this again?" Sarah asked.

"So we don't end up eating it. Lipstick does tend to rub off when you eat."

The girl shrugged and followed her mother's lead, wiping off her lipstick and checking herself in the mirror to make sure she got it all.

"And," Susan said. "We get to come back here after we eat and reapply our lipstick."

"I have class to go to, Mother."

"You need the practice."

"I'm not wearing makeup in class."

"Oh. That reminds me. We'll have to stop at the drug store for a little makeup remover."

"What do you mean? The lipstick came off easily enough."

"I've got two words for you, dear: Waterproof mascara."

* * *

After dinner, Susan agreed that they didn't have time for any more makeup lessons. The girls ate too slowly as they picked at their food, trying to decide what they liked, so they practically ran through the corner drug store and Sarah had her makeup quickly removed by her mother. She transformed and put on her, then his, gi only a few minutes before class.

"We've got to get to class earlier," Lester complained once he joined Erin inside the dojo. "These last minute changes are too stressful."

The redhead had changed into her gi using the rest room inside the building. She was ready and eager to start, having already charged ahead to do her warmup exercises.

After both of the newest students had warmed up, their sensei ran them through their first complete kata together. The man was so impressed with how well they did, that he left them alone to practice and promised to come back soon to teach them another kata and some separate self-defense techniques.

By the time class had ended, Lester and Erin were relaxed and happy. They'd received a short anatomy lesson and learned several nerve pressure points to use against attackers. They also breezed through their first kata well enough to be taught a second one. Lester moved through it flawlessly having already learned it from the Akashic records, and Erin did very well with his help.

They impressed Sensei Wilson enough to ask, "Are you sure you haven't taken aikido before? You're both naturals."

They shyly looked down and shook their heads in unison, making the man think he was watching twin girls. "Very strange, those two," he muttered to himself as he walked away.

Erin changed back into her street clothes while Lester texted his mother and waited to be picked up. He didn't bother changing out of his gi. It was easier that way. He expected more lessons in being a young lady when he got home.

"Bye Erin," he called as she left the building.

"Bye Lester. Have fun with your mother." She meant well.

* * *

It took forever for the boy to drop off to sleep that night after having had two straight hours of lessons in all things feminine. He was plagued by daydreams. Visions of women's clothing danced through his head, enticing him to wear them, and small, round mirrors occasionally floated by in mid air to show him as a girl wearing makeup. Only extreme exhaustion finally sent him off to browse the Akashic records, but he didn't get much rest there either.

Various styles and techniques of very violent martial arts kept agitating him as he absorbed their every detail. He didn't want to use such harmful techniques but he knew that his body could act reflexively and still lash out to injure an attacker. And in general, the more severe the attack, the more likely a severe self-defense technique would be used.

He woke up the next morning with the corners of his eyes feeling crusty after all of the yawning he did before he fell asleep. The boy wandered through his house and just barely got ready and left his house in time to catch the bus. He didn't even notice as Brian plopped down in the seat next to him on the bus until the boy spoke quietly to him.

"Dude. Are you okay? You look like hell. You've got dark circles under your eyes."

"Nothing a little concealer couldn't fix," Lester said without thinking.

Brian looked confused. "Concealer? Is that like invisibility?"

Lester snorted. "It's makeup. But never mind. Forget I said it. I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night so I'm not going to be very good company this morning. Sorry."

"It's okay. How did class go last night?"

"Very well, thanks. It's easy after I learned everything about aikido in that weird library."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. What about Erin? Any progress with her?"

"None. But she did help me get a job."

"You got a job?"

Lester nodded. "Selling makeup and women's clothes."

Brian looked confused again for a moment. "I don't get it," he said, and then erupted with laughter, earning him several dirty looks from other students on the bus.

After the boy's laughter died down, Lester filled him in on Sarah's little adventure at the mall, ending with her getting the job.

"At least it's a good paying one," Brian pointed out.

"Thanks," Lester said with a little sarcasm. "Thanks a lot."

"No problem, dude."

* * *

Government class breezed by and ended like it did once before, with the door sealing shut while Mister Guile held a private conference with Erin. It annoyed Lester to no end but he quietly tolerated it, waiting just outside the classroom door.

Mister Guile sat on the front edge of his desk as usual while Erin sat at the nearest desk in front of him.

"What are you up to, Miss MacCloud?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"Getting Lester that job? Really, Miss MacCloud."

"I didn't get any job for him. He got it on his own merit."

"As a girl."

"Yes. As a tall, wonderful, beautiful girl. What's wrong with that?"

"I know you had more to do with it than you're letting on. I know you're getting help. You told me about your friends in high places. Remember?"

"We're just trying to make a little honest money. There's nothing wrong with that. Lester's mother inspired me with her entrepreneurial spirit and I suggested that some of my friends open a store."

"I thought you didn't like greedy businesses."

"We're not greedy," Erin said, holding her head high. "We pay the employees a good wage and give them full benefits. They're all quite happy."

Mister Guile snorted. "Okay. Enough. I was amused when Lester made his public debut as Golden Girl. But I'm not amused by you turning our boy into a sissy." The man snarled as he spoke the last word.

Erin shivered, but she didn't back down. "I don't know what you mean. I haven't forced Lester to do anything."

"You've been with him, guiding him, pushing him into your feminine playground, and I cry foul."

"I saw an opportunity and I took it," she said, glaring at him. "I didn't plan any of this."

"You set him up!" he shouted, glaring back.

"He has free will. Like all humans, he has free will. And I think it's better this way."

"Yes, you do seem to like it. I can see how getting him in touch with his feminine side might make him less likely to go bad. And I guess I can't really do anything about it, can I?"

"Yes, well, your interference hasn't gone unnoticed," she told him.

"I don't know what you mean," he said, looking away.

Erin narrowed her eyes. "Don't worry. I didn't expect a confession."

"I have nothing to confess," he said as he turned back to face her. "I'm keeping to the terms of our wager."

"We both are, and I'm satisfied so far. Lester's been turned into a freak of nature with all of those paranormal abilities and yet he still carries that divine spark. He hasn't been tainted." She sighed.

"I wouldn't be too sure of myself if I were you. He's human and there's still a lot of time left."

"I'm currently human."

The man's eyes glistened with a look of triumph. "And you've been less than perfect, haven't you, my dear."

Erin didn't reply and they both glared at each other for a short time, until the girl finally got up from the desk and walked over to the door, waiting a short moment until it opened on its own. She walked out and joined Lester for a very quiet walk to their Advanced Literature class.

Mister Guile quietly fumed as students filtered in for the next class. In spite of pointing out a serious flaw in Erin's logic and getting the last word, he felt the odds shifting in her favor. He decided it was time to step up his game a little.

* * *

Lester and Erin made it to their lunch hour without much conversation. The boy could see a little anger in her eyes so he waited until they had time to talk about it before he said anything. They plopped down at a lunch table together and he asked if she was okay.

"I'm fine, Lester. Really. It's just that man again."

"Mister Guile."

"Yes. Mister Guile. I think he likes conflict. I have to remind myself not to take his bait but it's difficult."

"Yeah. I can see that."

She playfully swatted his arm but still had a grim look on her face.

"Seriously, Erin. Let it go. He's not all bad."

"What are you talking about?!" she raised her voice, making the boy cringe a little.

"He fended off Big Jim not so long ago." Lester turned away as he added, "And he's been helping me learn a lot."

The redhead snorted at that. "He's got a hidden agenda. Please don't trust him."

"Is this about your wager again?"

"I don't know what you mean," she said, turning away.

"Right. Never mind."

Erin quickly changed the subject. "When do you start your job?" she said with a slight grin.

"This coming Monday."

"And?"

"And what?"

The girl exploded with questions. "Are you ready for it? Did your mother give you some lessons last night? How did they go? Are you looking forward to the job?"

Lester just gave her a steady look that answered all of her questions and she sulked a little, but she didn't give up on the subject.

"I want to see about getting a job at the same store. Wouldn't it be great to work together?"

The boy sighed.

"Come on, Lester. Don't be that way. It'll be great. You'll see."

"You sound like you've already got the job."

"I have my connections," she smiled enigmatically.

"Like how you pulled Sarah's identification out of a hat? I suppose you did the same for yourself."

She looked a little puzzled at first. "It wasn't a hat. It was a purse." She paused and finally said, "Oh!" and then shrugged.

They finished eating their lunches and became mostly quiet again. They went through their remaining classes and soon went their separate ways after school. Lester had more finishing school lessons with his mother, after he changed into Sarah of course. He didn't enjoy the mother-daughter time, but he tolerated it well as usual.

* * *

Lester laid on his bed late that night, his head swimming with new feminine knowledge.

'It's almost like the Akashic library,' he thought.

He tried zoning out for awhile but when that didn't prevent him from having feminine thoughts, he used his clairvoyance to check out the city, and what he saw appalled him. A gang of young men wandered through one alley after another, knocking over every dumpster they came across, mugging the occasional citizen and generally making a big nuisance of themselves. They very cleverly avoided the police and the boy, soon girl, couldn't let it go.

Crystal got dressed in record time, deciding on her black leather jacket look for the evening. The chill in the air didn't bother her all that much when her blood boiled with anger so she didn't consider wearing her purple jacket or even a hat. Her only purple accessories were her tights and gloves.

After turning invisible and leaving the house, she zipped through the air and took some deep, calming breaths. She had to make sure that she didn't hurt anyone in anger, no matter how much they seemed to ask for it. When she thought back to her first encounter with a gang, she realized that she got lucky that she didn't hurt any of them. She flew directly into four of them, slowing down at the last second to try preventing any injury. Still, it was hard to predict what would happen.

'No plan survives contact with the enemy,' her father often said, and truer words were never spoken.

When she arrived at the scene of the latest criminal activity, she hovered directly over the six young men, trying to decide what to do. None of the young gang members thought to look up so they didn't see her. She didn't need to be invisible. Simply stopping them with telekinesis wasn't an option. She couldn't hold them all night. She needed a plan.

Finding the nearest police car wasn't too difficult. She hovered next to the driver's side window of the parked car and rapped on the window to get the officer's attention. The startled woman quickly rolled down her window and sputtered a little.

"Hello officer. I'd like to report a crime. Several crimes, actually."

"Golden Girl! Hey Mike! It's Golden Girl!"

The policeman in the passenger seat looked over and gave the girl a big grin.

She waved to the man and continued. "Please. Call me Crystal. My name is Crystal."

The man frowned then. "You shouldn't tell us your real name, miss."

She smiled. "Don't worry. No one will find me."

The policewoman interrupted. "Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You mentioned crimes?"

"Oh! Yes. Please follow me." The girl flew slowly ahead of the car and waited for it to follow her. Using clairvoyance, she tracked down the gang's latest whereabouts and led the car to them, pacing herself to catch them in the act of tipping over a dumpster.

The policewoman tooted the siren to get the gang's attention and got out of the car. "Okay, you miscreants. Either put that dumpster back the way you found it, or I'm going to arrest you."

Golden Girl hadn't escaped the notice of the gang. They ignored the police for the moment and stared at the floating girl. One of them pointed at her and they all leered.

"Hey little super girl," the leader said. "How about a super blow job?" The man stood near the back, directing his fellow members to tip the dumpster back up and put all of the trash back into it. He silently appreciated that the girl wore a black leather jacket like he did, but he wasn't going to tell her that, especially since his jacket was stolen from someone earlier that night.

"That'll never happen," she said. "How about confessing to all of your crimes?"

The man laughed. "I'll confess to anything if it'll get me that blow job."

She scowled at the man and then turned to the policewoman. "These men have been committing crimes all evening, officer. They need to be locked up."

The woman sighed. "Do you have any proof? Any video? If not, then it's just your word against yours and I can't do anything."

The frustrated girl growled and paused a moment. She then thought to use her clairvoyance to inspect the men's clothes and found that four of them carried weapons. "They're carrying guns, officer, and I bet they're not legal."

The policeman started to get out of the car when he heard that, and the other officer reached to pull her gun but she wasn't fast enough. The gang leader had his gun out as soon as he heard Golden Girl start to give him away. A shot rang out and the superheroine barely deflected the bullet in time, guiding it just enough to graze the policewoman's jacket without harming her.

"No more guns!" the girl shouted. She telekinetically grabbed all of the illegal guns, made sure the safeties were engaged and slammed them all hard on the pavement at the feet of the gang members.

The men started to run after that, but they didn't get far before Golden Girl froze them in place. The girl continued to float a couple of feet off the ground and waited while the two police officers called for a van to take the men off to jail. The van arrived within minutes and after the gang members were all safely incarcerated, the policewoman addressed the superherione.

"You might consider taking some law enforcement classes. You haven't given me a lot of confidence in how you helped us apprehend the criminals."

"I'm new at this," she said as she slowly rose in the air. "But I'll consider your suggestion. Thanks!" With that, she flew off to the east, quickly accelerating until she created what was becoming her signature sonic boom.

* * *

Crystal got back home very late, sneaked inside invisibly and closed her bedroom door behind her. Her mother was already asleep and her father watched TV in the living room. After spying on him with her clairvoyance, she could tell he wouldn't be up much longer. His head started nodding. She felt safe to turn visible and change clothes.

She changed her clothes and shapeshifted, but out of habit, she became Sarah instead of Lester. The girl felt too low on energy to shapeshift again so she shrugged into one of her longer boy tee shirts, a pair of panties and slipped into bed. The girl's thoughts briefly turned to Golden Girl's unimpressive results and she vowed to do better next time as she quickly fell asleep.

"You again," the Dark Librarian said, a scowl on his face and his hands on his hips.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sarah asked, nonplussed.

"Nothing. It means next to nothing in this whole humongous universe. We're all just dust motes flitting about inside an infinitely large barn full of shit."

"Hey. Watch your language, please. And where's that attitude coming from?"

The librarian snorted. "I'll speak as I please, dear girl. Now are you ready to learn something new or am I just wasting my time? There are still many paranormal abilities you have yet to discover."

"I don't know," she said. "I haven't thought about it, really. Haven't I already learned enough?"

"Your performance this evening could use some improvement," he said, then added, "Yes. I noticed," when he saw her puzzled look.

"Fine. What do you recommend?"

"Ah. I don't normally recommend anything. It's not allowed, remember?" His eyes warily flicked left and right several times.

"What about those nudges of yours?" she asked.

"Never mind that. Better left unsaid. But back to what I said about learning something new. Do you remember about a certain lecture that got interrupted by the fair Erin? There was talk about a wager and dire consequences of some sort if the lecture continued."

"I remember. What about it?"

"Do you remember the subject of the secret message? Use your special control ability if you have to."

Sarah paused to think and did retrieve the full memory. "I still don't think I'm ready for mind reading. Is that what you're up to tonight?"

"I'm not up to anything, dear girl. I'm just a poor handcuffed librarian. But since you brought up the subject of mind reading, just think how that could help you apprehend all of those nasty criminals in the world."

"What are you talking about?"

"If you could read the thoughts of criminals, it would make it easier to gather evidence against them. Don't you think?"

"I think that would be an especially bad idea. I don't want to get inside any criminal's head. Yuck. Just… yuck."

The dark man swore to himself. "Do as you will then. Until next time." He faded away, leaving the girl to wander on her own. She stayed at the highest, most recent levels of human history in an attempt to avoid anything paranormal, and simply by chance, came across enough makeup techniques to pursue a career as a professional makeup artist if she wanted.

'It'll come in handy for work at least,' she thought, trying to put a positive spin on it.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

Interview with a superhero

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 15

The rest of the week passed by quickly. It couldn't be called uneventful but it was becoming the new normal for Lester. Conversations with Erin never strayed far from makeup and fashion. Lessons in feminine deportment as well as aikido continued. Brian remained obsessed with Golden Girl and criminals started coming out of the woodwork. Lester spent more of his free time as a girl than he did as a boy.

As Crystal, she went out every night, separating vandals from their hammers, baseball bats and cans of spray paint, not bothering to turn them in. They weren't worth the trouble and it was too hard to prove their guilt anyway. She hogtied petty thieves with duct tape and dropped them off at the nearest police station with all of the necessary evidence to make a conviction. Reading about criminal cases on the Internet helped. So did the duct tape. The tape came in handy so she made sure she always carried a roll of it with her in a little belt pouch. She appreciated that most criminals didn't appear in gangs. They mostly went solo and were easily dispatched, and there weren't all that many. She hadn't even used up her first roll of duct tape.

Sarah's sudden mastery of makeup impressed her mother, who had to ask about it that Friday night. Matthew spent that time woodworking in the garage so it was safe to talk. Lester sat on the couch with his mother, half watching the TV with the sound turned down very low.

"I got it the same way I got telekinesis and everything else," was all the boy said. "I still need more help with clothing though. Please."

Susan never felt more needed and fulfilled. She only hoped that her part-time daughter could appreciate it all someday. The reluctant girl left no doubt that she didn't enjoy the lessons in femininity.

Mother and son sat in companionable silence until the news came on, leading with yet another story about Golden Girl. The newscasters practically begged the girl for an interview. The whole world wanted to know more about her. Even if they couldn't realistically expect her to fight crime in every city, they wanted to know if there might possibly be more like her to fill the crime fighting void.

Susan sighed. "What are you going to to about that?" she asked her son.

"What? You mean an interview or finding a way to clone myself?"

She laughed. "Let's just start with the interview."

"I don't know, Mom. I've been a little busy, but I have given it a little thought. I have to be careful about contacting anyone. I can't do it from home or it'll be traced here. That would be bad. Very bad."

She paused a moment and asked, "Why don't you just fly to the local news building while they're live and give a live interview?"

"Mother! That's brilliant!"

The woman smiled. "Just trying to help. And if you leave right now, it might not be too late."

"What?!"

"Just saying, Lester. But may I suggest a little makeup for Crystal? Since she'll be on live television."

Lester let out a very feminine squeak and ran to his bedroom to get ready. He cheated a little, using telekinesis to help remove his clothes and select more at the same time, all while he shapeshifted to become a girl. The new girl dressed, carefully applied a touch of mascara and lip gloss, gave her mother a quick hug and shot out the back, well clear of her father.

Susan went back to the television and anxiously watched as everyone at the television station soon went a little crazy.

"This just in," the woman news anchor said with a slight twinge of excitement in her voice. "A sonic boom was heard and we have reports that Golden Girl has just landed on the roof of this building. We suspect that we're about to get an unscheduled live interview with the world's first and, so far, only superhero."

Less than a minute later, Golden Girl herself came walking into the studio, wearing her black leather jacket outfit. She'd taken off her gloves and held them together in front of her with her hands clasped.

"Golden Girl!" the woman news anchor shouted. "Welcome! Please. Have a seat."

The girl looked around but didn't notice a chair. The studio wasn't set up to interview guests so she improvised, levitating cross-legged to one side of the anchorwoman's desk.

"Someone get her a chair!" the woman shouted.

"Don't bother. I'm good."

"Actually, I think it might be better this way. Wow. You're here. You're actually here."

"Don't go all fan girl on me now," Golden Girl said, smiling to show that she was joking.

"Right! Right." The woman's professionalism kicked in. "I don't have anything prepared but I'm ready. I'll just ask you the same questions that have been on everyone's lips since you first appeared. If that's okay."

"Sure. But before we get started, I'd just like to say something."

"Go ahead. The world is listening."

"Hi Mom!"

Back home, Susan blushed and cried proud, happy tears.

The world watched, and although other local television stations seethed with envy, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Everyone got the confirmation they needed. Golden Girl was very real, very down to earth and very American.

The interview went by quickly. It lasted about thirty minutes with Golden Girl divulging only a limited set of her powers, and it ended a little awkwardly when the subject of the girl's personal life came up.

"I know I'm not supposed to divulge my secret identity, and I'm not, not really, but I wanted to be known by a name besides Golden Girl."

"Okay," the news anchor prompted.

"Everyone? Please call me Crystal Lynn Dawn, or just Crystal for short."

The woman pursed her lips. "Seriously, honey? I have to tell you that I don't think it'll stick. I think the world is going to keep calling you Golden Girl. But good luck."

Crystal sighed and the woman added a few last quick questions.

"Are there any more like you out there?"

"I don't think so. Not to my knowledge. But I suppose it's possible. Keep an eye to the sky because you just never know."

The news anchor pasted on her best fake smile then. "Are you going to help out in any other cities? At the speed you fly, you should be able to help out elsewhere easily enough."

The girl paused a second before replying. "That's a good idea, except I've been keeping a little too busy here lately. Perhaps after all the criminals are locked up."

"Oh, honey. You are so precious. That's never going to happen but I like your idealism."

The atmosphere cooled after Crystal gave her name. She didn't like the woman's change of attitude, but she kept quiet about it.

The woman had one last question. "Are you or will you be working with the government?"

Crystal's eyes widened with surprise. "I'm not. I don't think that would be a good idea." She turned to the camera. "Sorry, Uncle Sam."

The news anchor took that moment to wrap things up. Golden Girl said her goodbyes and flew out of the room, anxious to be away from it all. She didn't have a good feeling, not after the government was mentioned. Thanks to Mister Guile, government never left a good taste in her mouth.

* * *

Crystal purposely changed into Sarah when she got home. She laid in bed and let her mother tuck her in.

"I'm sorry, Mom. That interview didn't end very well."

"It's okay, Sarah. I thought it was great. You made me very proud."

"I don't think the news woman liked me."

"She probably doesn't like anyone, not even herself. I wouldn't worry about it."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Good night, dear." Susan kissed her part-time daughter on the forehead and got up to leave.

Sarah turned the light off with her telekinesis and said one more thing before her mother left and closed the bedroom door. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, daughters and son," she said back. "Sweet dreams."

Sarah's dreams were sweet that night, perhaps too sweet, full of pink kittens and lavender puppies, with everyone singing Christmas songs even though it wasn't even Halloween yet. If most boys had dreams like that, the dreams would've been considered to be nightmares. As it was, she wasn't all boy, neither inside nor out. She actually thought the dreams were refreshingly cute after fighting crime most of the week.

One good side effect of the dreams was that the Dark Librarian stayed away. Sarah didn't feel like dealing with him. However, she was in the mood to learn something. She wandered through the Akashic records again that night, veering near and around the makeup techniques to look for women's fashion. The curious girl didn't find a lot about fashion but every little bit helped and would be gratefully used in her new job. She only had the weekend left to learn all she could before starting her job on Monday.

* * *

Saturday morning came early with incessant buzzing coming from Lester's phone, signaling a phone call from Brian. But Lester wasn't exactly home. It was Sarah who got up and answered without thinking.

"Hello?" she said.

"What?!"

"I said, hello," the girl said, getting a little annoyed.

"Is this Golden Girl?!"

"Shut up, Brian." She finally noticed her feminine voice and corrected him. "It's Sarah."

"Sarah? Oh, yeah. Hi, um, Sarah. Where's Lester?"

"Just talk to me, idiot."

"Dude!"

"What did I tell you about calling me dude?" she half growled the last word.

"You're confusing me. What do you expect?"

"Just go by the voice, Brian. Girls aren't dudes. Okay? Now why are you calling?"

"I saw the interview last night."

"Oh, that."

"It was cool until the end. I didn't like that news woman but I loved the, 'Hi Mom!' That was nice."

"Thanks. Is that all?"

"Well…."

"Don't tell me. You want to see Crystal."

"Who?"

"Golden Girl!"

"Heh. Yeah."

"You are such an idiot." She hung up on him then but he didn't take the hint and texted her immediately afterward.

"sorry. can't help it. forgive me?" he texted.

"ok," she texted back.

"thx. so?"

"what?"

"can gg come out and play?" He added a heart emoticon to the end of the text.

Sarah did growl then. "Everyone loves Golden Girl," she complained. "Except maybe that news woman last night." She would've added the criminals that she caught, all of whom were young men, but instead she shivered when she thought back to the looks of lust on their faces. "Men," she said with disgust.

She texted back that Golden Girl might make an appearance later that night if Brian was a good boy. 'Or an especially bad boy,' she suddenly thought and giggled. She slapped a hand over her mouth and sighed.

After using clairvoyance to see that her father and his car were gone, she dressed as her girl self and went out to join her mother in the dining room.

"Hi Mom."

"Morning, Sarah. It's nice to see another friendly feminine face."

The girl grunted and went to the kitchen for a small glass of cranberry-cherry juice to try since her current girl self didn't like orange juice. She sipped it and smiled, returning to the dining room with a full glass of the juice.

"I miss my usual orange juice but this stuff is pretty good. It'll do."

"Oh," Susan said. "I'll have to remember to buy more of it then. Your father really loves that juice."

Sarah smiled. "Like father, like daughter."

"So. Ready for more clothing lessons? Your father won't be back for several hours."

The girl groaned.

"Sorry!" Susan said, feeling a little hurt.

"No, I'm sorry, Mom. Let's do it. I'm ready. I am in girl mode after all."

Susan smiled and Sarah suddenly noticed how beautiful her mother's smile looked. The whole room seemed to light up. 'Why haven't I ever noticed that before?'

Mother and daughter had more quality time together, bonding like never before. The surprised girl found herself starting to enjoy herself and found herself smiling more and more. Giggling and laughter came along as well and they were welcomed with open arms by both of them.

Susan had a last project for her daughter with the hour they had left before Matthew was due home. She had the girl remove all of her makeup and then told her to pick out a work outfit, complete with makeup and accessories, all on her own. "You can't wear the outfit that you wore out of the store but everything else is fair game. You've got an hour to get dressed. Go!"

Sarah took her task seriously and put together the best outfit she could. It took her several tries before she was satisfied though. That surprised her until she thought about how often she heard women say how difficult it was to choose what to wear. There were so many combinations, so many choices, and she wanted her first outfit to make a bold statement. She was serious about doing a good job.

With three minutes of the allotted hour to spare, the girl spritzed a light cloud of perfume in front of her and walked through it wearing a dark green and black peplum dress. The perfume had been an afterthought during her last shopping trip but when she applied a little to her wrist, it smelled divine. She couldn't stop herself from begging her mother to buy her a small bottle of the expensive perfume. She couldn't afford it or she would've bought it herself.

Her mother looked at her daughter and gasped. "It's a day early, daughter dear, but I'd say it's time."

"Time for what?" Sarah asked.

"Your graduation. With that awesome display of feminine prowess, you've become a cultured young lady. Happy graduation day, daughter dear!"

Sarah blushed but it was difficult to tell with her makeup. "Thanks, Mom. I couldn't have done it without you." The girl took a long, last look in the mirror at herself and sighed. After all that work, it seemed a shame to go back to being a boy. Her mother noticed her daughter's sadness and had the same thought.

"Hey. Why don't we go out to eat to celebrate? Maybe we could even do a little shopping afterward. Just let me add a little makeup so you don't outshine me too much."

Sarah liked the idea, though she tried not to seem too eager. Her inner boy still felt uncomfortable about it. She agreed and Susan rushed off to get ready.

A few minutes later, knocking at the front door startled the girl, so much so that she didn't think to use her clairvoyance. She thought it was Brian and started building up a little rage to chew him out, but when she opened the door, she saw Erin, looking a little startled herself.

"Sarah?" the redhead asked. "I almost didn't recognize you. You look beautiful!"

"Hi Erin. Thanks. Sorry if I startled you. I didn't expect you. I thought it might have been Brian. He was bugging me earlier."

"Let me guess. He wants to see Golden Girl."

"Her name is Crystal."

"Right. I'm sorry."

Sarah sighed. "Anyway, yes. I think he's falling for her and I'm a little concerned about it."

"Why? Love is beautiful in all it's forms."

"Because she's not real? She's just a persona, a part I play."

"She's you, Sarah. Brian loves you. Accept it. Enjoy it. Return it."

"Okay. That's not happening. This conversation isn't happening." The tall girl started getting a little upset.

Erin looked at her friend with a little sadness. "I'm sorry if it's too much for you, Sarah." She paused and finally realized something. "Oh. I didn't tell you why I showed up unannounced."

Sarah shook her head no, trying not to cry. She didn't want to mess up her makeup.

"I could sense great love coming from your household and I wanted to come and share in it, if I may."

The upset girl fought the tears back but still couldn't bring herself to talk. Susan could speak though. She arrived just at that moment.

"We'd love to have you along, Erin. We were just leaving to celebrate Sarah's graduation to womanhood. Let's go."

The three of them piled into Susan's car and she drove them off to a nice little Chinese restaurant for a late lunch and a pleasant afternoon of shopping afterward. Sarah recovered her composure, though she still found some of the conversation to be a challenge. Some parts of her might never adjust to being a girl, not as long as she had a male brain.

* * *

The three of them stayed out late enough for a late dinner. Susan texted her husband who gave her the green light. He wanted to see a buddy of his anyway.

"We're good to go," Susan told the girls. "Ready for a little supper and another few stores?"

"I am!" Erin shouted, surprising herself.

"Sure," Sarah said, a lot more reserved but sincere. As long as she got a dessert with some chocolate, she'd follow the other two anywhere. She found that her current taste buds developed an instant addiction to chocolate.

After ordering light meals at a conveniently located Vietnamese restaurant, Sarah got a text from Brian. It threatened to spoil her mood.

"hey. i'm w8ing @ the park. still no gg. so cold." The boy added a frowning emoticon.

Sarah almost slapped her forehead in frustration. "Boys!" she cried out.

"What is it, dear?" Susan asked. "What's wrong?"

"Brian wants to meet at the park. I completely forgot about him."

"Did you promise him you'd meet him there tonight?"

"No, I distinctly remember saying that I might meet up with him."

"But he's there now?"

"Yeah," Sarah said. "He's being an idiot. Again."

Susan barely suppressed a smile. "Perhaps we should cut our night short."

"No! I mean, no," she said more quietly. "I'm actually having fun. I'd much rather be here than have Brian moon over me."

"Wait. My daughter did not just tell me that some boy has a crush on her."

Sarah sighed.

"It sure didn't take long, but I did expect it. You're a very pretty young lady."

"Actually, Mom. It's not exactly me that he's crushing on. It's you-know-who."

Susan rolled her eyes. "Could this get any more complicated? Text him and tell him you'll meet him tomorrow night. Problem solved."

"Right," the frustrated girl said. "I'm on it." She texted Brian, telling him to go home and get warm, and that she'd meet him for sure tomorrow night.

The meals were brought to their table and while they ate, Susan couldn't resist prying.

"What exactly do Brian and Crystal get up to in the park at night?" she asked her daughter between bites.

Sarah blushed. "Nothing! All we… they did was fly over the city. The view was awesome." The girl spared Erin a glance as she spoke and noticed a sad, faraway look in her friend's eyes. It made her wonder about something that she'd bring up when they got home later that evening. In the meantime, they had a light meal to eat and a chocolate dessert to get somewhere else after they finished. Sarah called chocolate her rocket fuel and she planned to channel its energy into finding the perfect scarf for Erin. Unbeknownst to the redhead, Sarah had a date planned with her for later that night.

'Even if it's a date as a girl, I'll take it,' Sarah thought.

* * *

Susan drove them all back to the McHenry residence. Sarah insisted that Erin come along, teasing her that her new perfect scarf would come in handy for something and the teasing worked. It kept Erin just curious enough to extend her evening instead of going off to wherever she called home.

A quick check with clairvoyance showed the house to be clear of Matthew and as soon as the got the car in the garage, Sarah dragged Erin towards her bedroom. "Bring your coat and that scarf. We'll be going out just as soon as I can change into you-know-who."

The redhead looked confused. "That's the second time I've heard you mention this you-know-who person. Just who exactly is it?"

Sarah smiled. "It's me! You said it was me and you were right."

"You mean Golden Girl?"

"Her… my name is Crystal!" she said, closing her bedroom door behind them.

The tall girl changed her body into the shorter blonde girl before changing clothes. With telekinesis, she finished the job of undressing until she was wearing only lingerie, and she carefully watched Erin for any reaction to her body while she adjusted her bra straps. There didn't seem to be any. With a sigh, she dressed in her warmer, purple jacket outfit, grabbed her purple hat and gave her friend instructions to meet her out front.

"I'll be invisible, walking right beside you to the park. I have something I want to show you. I think you'll like it."

Erin cocked her head. "Okay. But do you have to be so mysterious?"

"Yep! See you, or not, out front," Crystal said, opening the door to her room. "Don't forget your scarf!"

Erin continued looking confused and Crystal couldn't help laughing. The blonde girl gave her friend a playful swat on the butt, hugged her mother and then turned invisible, slipping out the back door.

"Mrs. McHenry?"

"Yes, Erin?"

"Do you know what's going on?"

"I have my suspicions but I think it'll be better if I keep quiet. You'll be okay. Just go ahead and get to the park."

"Humans!" Erin muttered as she put her coat back on and tied her scarf around her neck. She went out front and walked to the sidewalk, waiting until a voice whispered in her ear.

"I'm here. Let's go."

"Which way?"

"Left."

Erin turned around and started walking the wrong direction.

"Your other left!" Crystal hissed.

"Fine!" Erin reversed direction and the two girls headed towards the park.

"You don't much care for surprises, do you," Crystal whispered next to her.

"I like them well enough, but this one has been going on too long. You've been teasing me ever since you gave me the scarf."

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I've never teased a non-human before. Forgive me?"

Erin smiled. "Yes, of course I do. I'm all about forgiveness."

"And love. Don't forget the love."

"I'll never forget that. It's impossible."

The two girls walked in silence the rest of the way to the park. Crystal whispered directions to lead her friend along a narrow paved path until they got near a small stand of fir trees, far from any light.

"Go over to the trees, Erin. That's where the fun starts."

"This isn't some pagan ritual, is it?"

"No! Please. Humor me."

The redhead marched over to the trees and Crystal made herself visible.

"This is good enough," the superheroine said. "Now then. I brought you here to take you on a little flight over the city. I couldn't help noticing your reaction when I talked about taking Brian for a flight."

"What? Really?" Erin shyly looked away. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why not? If I can take Brian, I can certainly take you. Now would you like to get started?"

"Yes, please."

The redhead couldn't hide the eagerness in her voice and Crystal smiled as she lifted them both up with her telekinesis. She shielded them both from the wind very well, just as she did with Brian, and they slowly headed towards the bright lights of the city.

Erin looked a little nervous at first, but she soon relaxed and stretched out her arms as if she was an airplane. A large smile spread across her face with her eyes half closed as she simply said a long, drawn out, "Ah."

Sarah took them for a long, lazy circle around and just above the skyscrapers of downtown. Being relatively late, light traffic only half filled the streets below, with an occasional honking horn echoing up to them in the mostly quiet night.

"This is wonderful, Crystal," Erin gushed. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Erin. I thought you'd like it."

The redhead quietly added, "It's almost like being myself again."

Crystal heard her and smiled. She finally had what she considered to be a date with Erin, even if the sentiment wasn't shared.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

Golden Girl is so cool

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 16

Lester had next to no homework that weekend so he planned to spend most of his Sunday patrolling the city for danger and crime. It didn't take long for something to get his attention. He started sweeping the alleys with his clairvoyance and clairaudience just after breakfast and he found a runaway girl huddled next to a dumpster, shivering and obviously hungry. The girl had long, greasy brown hair and wore dirty blue jeans under a long, tattered wool coat. She could've have been more than fourteen and his heart went out to her. With practiced ease, he used his telekinesis to remove his clothes and grab his purple jacket outfit while he shapeshifted into Crystal. The new girl quickly dressed, turned invisible and flew directly to the runaway, making sure to keep her speed below the sound barrier. She turned visible and touched down just in front of the girl, who stared at her with huge, round eyes.

"Hello, I'm Crystal. Would you like to grab a bite to eat or something?"

"Golden Girl!" the runaway shouted. She tried to get up quickly but had a little trouble. She'd gotten a little stiff from the cold and weak from hunger. Crystal helped her a little with telekinesis and the girl squealed with fear.

"Hey. It's okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." The concerned superheroine hugged the young runaway, who started crying at the attention.

"There, there. Can you tell me your name?"

"My… name… is… Lizzy," she said between sobs. "Please… don't take me… home."

"Don't worry. I suspect you have a good reason for running away."

The girl nodded against Crystal's shoulder.

"We won't talk about it any more. Now let's see what to do about you. We can't have you living out here in the cold."

Against her better judgment, Golden Girl gave Lizzy a brief warning and flew them both back towards her house. She didn't have to cover the younger girl's eyes to prevent her from seeing where she lived. The frightened girl tightly hugged the superheroine and pressed her face into the purple coat with her eyes slammed shut. She couldn't see a thing.

When Crystal got home, she checked on her father and found him gone, most likely at the shooting range. That left her free to touch down in front of her house and walk Lizzy up to the front door. "The woman who lives here is married with a son but she's alone right now. She can take you in, clean you up and feed you for the day but she'll have to take you to a shelter of some sort later."

"Please don't leave me, Golden Girl!" Lizzy cried. "Please!"

Crystal sighed, and she was about to knock on the door when Susan suddenly flung it open. "What's going on out here?!"

"It's me, Golden Girl," she gave her mother a very subtle shake of her head. "I'm bringing this runaway girl to you for help. She was ill-treated in her home and she could use some food and cleaning up. Will you help her, please?"

"Of course, uh… Golden Girl. Let's get her inside."

Crystal followed Lizzy and her mother inside and shut the door behind her, shaking her head. 'I'm still cursed,' she thought.

After quick introductions using only first names and a tall glass of water for the runaway, Susan took Lizzy to the bathroom and immediately stripped her down while she drew a hot bath. She didn't know what to think about the situation. Given all the talk about the importance of keeping a secret identity, it didn't seem wise to bring a teenage runaway home. It upset her a little but then again, she couldn't help feeling some compassion for the poor runaway, and she also couldn't miss the element of humor.

The young teen insisted that Golden Girl stay near her so Crystal did. The blonde girl stood in the doorway, blushing as she looked down the hall, anywhere but at the nude teenage girl getting into the bathtub.

"Oh!" the girl said suddenly, astride the edge of the tub. "Can I charge my phone?"

"Where is it, dear?" Susan asked. She spared a glance at her blushing daughter and had to suppress a laugh.

"In my coat pocket. I've got the charger too."

"Sure."

After Lizzy got herself settled in with loads of suds to help conceal her body, Crystal came in and sat on the floor while Susan went off to wash Lizzy's clothes.

"Thank you so much for all of this, Golden Girl," Lizzy said, blinking away tears.

"You're welcome, Lizzy," she said, looking off to one side of the girl. "I'm happy to help."

The runaway studied the superheroine for a moment. "You're much shorter than I imagined."

Crystal shrugged. "I hear television makes you look taller."

"And you blush easily."

"I'm not used to all of the attention," she said, not exactly lying but not telling the full truth. She wasn't comfortable with the way the conversation was going.

"Yeah. I saw your interview. You could use some practice."

"Thanks for the suggestion, Lizzy. I'm not really used to speaking in public. I just want to quietly help people and fight crime. I only went to the television studio on impulse. It was totally unplanned."

The younger girl nodded. "You should plan your next one."

"I don't know if there'll be a next one. I didn't like the way the first one ended."

"But you need good public relations."

"I do?"

"Uh huh," Lizzy nodded. "It's important for someone in the public eye. Don't you think?"

"I don't really know what to think. This," she gestured vaguely to her body, "all happened rather suddenly and I'm still trying to get used to it. Figure everything out."

"Well, think about it. Okay?"

Crystal smiled. "I will. Thanks."

The conversation stalled and Lizzy splashed around a bit as she cleaned herself. It wasn't long before Crystal got embarrassed again though.

"Will you wash my back, Golden Girl?"

The older girl blushed a little but hid it well enough as she replied. "Sure. But only if you call me Crystal."

"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry. I keep forgetting your name. Everyone calls you Golden Girl."

"I know. But I prefer Crystal, at least privately, like now. Okay?"

"Sure, Crystal. Now how about my back?"

After more blushing and back scrubbing, Lizzy finished up and Crystal quickly left the bathroom to give the younger girl some privacy to dry herself. It wasn't long before the runaway girl emerged wearing just a towel, and it was only minutes after that when Matthew got home, carrying his favorite handgun in plain sight and scaring Lizzy half to death.

The runaway girl shrieked and Crystal had to wrap her in a hug and soothe her. "It's just the man of the house. He lives here. He's cool. It's okay."

"Susan!" Matthew called. "What are these two girls doing here?"

"Oh!" his wife suddenly appeared next to the girls. "You're home. Hello dear."

"Don't 'Hello dear' me. Why are these girls here?" He tried not to look at the two teenage girls too closely with one of them wearing nothing but a towel, so he hadn't yet recognized the superheroine.

"We're just helping out a runaway. She has nowhere else to go."

"We? Who's we?"

"Golden Girl and I."

Matthew looked back at the girls and finally took a good look at the older blonde girl, wearing a black body stocking, tights and boots, and still hugging Lizzy. "No way," he said quietly.

"Way," Crystal said, giving him a faint smile.

The stunned man looked back at his wife and slowly said, "Okay. Next question. Why?"

"Honestly, Matthew. Enough with the twenty questions. We're helping the poor girl because she had some problems at home. It's the right thing to do."

Crystal spoke up then. "Excuse me, sir. You're scaring Lizzy. May we please have a little privacy?"

"Privacy?! You want privacy in my home?!"

"Matthew! Can't you see you're scaring Lizzy?!"

The poor runaway girl trembled and her eyes were wide with fear.

"Please, sir," Crystal added.

"Okay, fine," Matthew huffed. "I'm sorry, Lizzy. I'll go back out to my man cave and leave you ladies alone." With that, he stomped out to the garage and got into his SUV to listen to his car stereo.

Susan stroked the frightened girl's back. "I'm sorry about that, Lizzy."

The girl clung to Crystal as she was led to the third bedroom in the house. The McHenry family sometimes used the room as a spare bedroom for guests and visiting family members as well as for storage and hobbies. It wasn't very warm yet so Susan turned up the thermostat of the electric baseboard heater and went to get one of her bath robes, slippers and a blanket to provide more warmth until the room heated up.

Crystal started to follow her mother but stopped when she felt Lizzy still holding on to her arm.

"Please stay with me," the trembling girl pleaded.

The blonde stayed with the younger girl, quietly sitting next to her on the twin bed until Susan returned to temporarily clothe the girl. The woman also dropped off a banana, celery and carrot sticks and then quickly left again to give the two girls some privacy.

Lizzy started the conversation, trying not to talk with her mouth full. "Do you think we could maybe exchange phone numbers? You know. For texting or something? That would be so cool!"

"I don't have a phone," Crystal said without thinking.

Lizzy gasped, having heard the unthinkable. The idea of not having a phone upset the girl more than anything else that day. "That's terrible!"

The blonde shrugged. "It's for the best. I can't afford to be tracked or traced. You know. Secret identity and all that."

"Oh, yeah. I didn't think of that. Still, it must be terrible."

Crystal smiled. "Actually, my alter ego has a phone. Don't worry."

The younger girl smiled back and they eased into pleasant, light conversation until Lizzy's clothes were washed and dried.

After getting Lizzy dressed in her cleaned clothes and feeding her a hot meal, they searched online and found a social service agency for runaways in the city. It was time for the girl to leave.

The grateful young teen thanked them and agreed to forget all about the husband and wife who helped her that day. Golden Girl flew her back downtown with the girl's eyes tightly shut. She gave the social services people a brief, vague explanation about finding Lizzy and getting her cleaned up and left the girl in good hands.

* * *

Crystal returned home feeling pretty good about herself. Helping Lizzy had to be the nicest, most satisfying thing she'd accomplished since getting her paranormal abilities. They almost made it worth the dread that she felt when she thought about the conversations that she'd soon be having with her parents, as Lester of course.

She turned invisible, slipped into the house and into her bedroom with no trouble. Matthew could easily be heard working on some project in the garage so she turned visible and changed back into her, then his, normal, fully clothed self.

Lester's first stop was his mother, who sat on her bed, waiting for him. Her hands trembled and it was obvious to him that she'd been crying.

"Mom! I'm so sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to scare you."

She bent forward and he hugged her as she cried a little more. When her sobs reduced to an occasional sniffle, she finally started talking. "Don't ever do that again, Lester. You should know better! Now we have to explain your connection to Golden Girl and everything. It's going to end in disaster. I just know it."

"No, Mom. I think it'll be fine. Remember the talk I had with Dad about Golden Girl?"

"How could I forget? He made it sound like you were trying to start a harem."

Lester cringed. "Yeah. Well, just let me handle it. Okay?"

"Sure, dear. Just be careful. Okay?"

The boy nodded and went to the garage to find his father, hard at work on a small, corner kitchen cabinet.

"Lookin' good, Dad."

"Lester! There you are, you sly dog."

"Sly dog?"

"Never mind. Before your time, I guess. Anyway, Golden Girl was here."

"Yeah. Mom told me."

"Why didn't you tell me you knew her?"

"I was trying to tell you when she first showed up but we sort of got sidetracked."

"That's right," he said, recalling their previous conversation.

"Yeah, Dad. She's the real thing and she helped that runaway girl today. She truly is a superhero."

"Does she go to your school then?"

"Technically, she does."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing. Never mind. She doesn't want anyone to know too much about her. It could be dangerous for her family. Can't give away her secret identity."

"But you know who she really is?"

Lester blushed. "Yeah."

"Wait a minute. Don't tell me." The man paused.

Lester started getting scared, but his father soon finished his thought.

"Son, are you dating her?"

The boy slapped his forehead. "No! Why does everyone have to be dating?!"

Matthew looked confused. "So what are you trying to tell me then?"

"That you might be seeing her around the house now and then. She needs help sometimes."

"Like with that runaway."

"Yeah."

"Okay. That's cool, son. So what about Erin?"

"What about her?"

"Are you dating her yet?"

"Actually, we sort of did have our first date just last night. It was nice."

"Nice?! I take it you didn't kiss her then."

"Dad!"

"That's okay, son. It's not good to kiss and tell anyway." He paused a moment, giving the boy a good, long look before adding. "Good luck."

"Thanks, Dad."

The boy left his father, who shook his head and smiled. His little boy was growing up.

* * *

Lester found his mother in the kitchen and gave her a smile to tell her everything was okay. She nodded and smiled back, leaving him to return to his bedroom for some patrolling. He laid out on his bed, extended his vision and hearing and scanned the city for trouble. It gave him plenty of time to think.

He didn't know where he'd find enough time to patrol once he started working. If the criminal activities didn't die down soon, his sleep could suffer. That made him wonder if a paranormal ability existed to help reduce the need for sleep. He made a mental note to do a little online research after he patrolled.

On his third pass through the downtown area of the city, something finally caught his eye that he wished he didn't see. A young man had strapped what looked like a bomb around him and held up a sign that read, "Come and get me, Golden Girl!" The man sat on top of a large billboard that overlooked one of the busier streets.

Lester sighed. He checked out the inside of the bomb with his clairvoyance and determined that it was fake like he suspected. The police and onlookers didn't know that though. It was still a crime so off he, then she, went. She got dressed in her black leather jacket outfit, turned invisible and slipped out the back on her way to the big city, and in only a couple of minutes, she arrived at the scene.

Several police stood around their patrol cars near the base of the billboard where the young man sat. One of the officers talked through a megaphone, to talk to the young bomber as well as for a little crowd control. The news media had an even larger presence than the police. Evidently, it was a slow news day.

"Okay!" Crystal told the young bomber, hovering in front of him. She talked loudly enough that the nearest police and reporters could hear her. "We both know the bomb is fake so I'm just going to remove it and lower you to the police. And just for the record, this doesn't count as a date."

The young man looked crestfallen. His head bowed and his shoulders drooped.

"Hey," she said so only he could hear. "I'll make you a deal. If you promise not to do anything like this again, I'll autograph your sign. It'll be my first autograph."

"Really?!" he said, his eyes lighting up.

"Really. Do you have a pen?"

The man fished around and pulled out a large felt pen that he'd used to write the message on his sign. He held it out to her and she took it and the sign. She gave the man her autograph and handed everything back to him after he made his promise. Then she removed the bomb and lowered it and the man to the waiting police.

Everyone cheered except for a few police officers and most of the reporters. The reporters were too interested in getting a statement from Golden Girl. They stuck microphones in her face and peppered her with questions.

"Do you ever get tired? Do you sleep? Are you dating anyone? Are you an alien?"

Crystal suppressed a sigh and gave a short statement. "I do want to say one thing. I won't be making a habit out of giving my autograph for this type of behavior. This is a serious crime and anyone who commits it will be punished to the full extent of the law. That's all I have to say. Until next time." With that, she rose up into the air and shot off to the east, followed soon by her signature sonic boom.

"She's so cool," the young bomber said with a look of awe on his face.

* * *

Crystal got back home and quickly changed back to Lester, who tried not to think about what just happened. The boy just started getting comfortable on his bed when his mother knocked lightly on his door.

"Come in, Mom."

She opened the door and peeked in. "You're back. Good. I couldn't wait." She came in and closed the door behind her before sitting on the end of the bed.

"Couldn't wait for what?"

"To tell you how adorable you were with that bomber," she said with a silly grin.

"What?! You already heard about it?! But it just happened!"

His mother spoke in as deep a voice as she could manage, "We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a special Golden Girl report. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera."

"Golden Girl report?"

"Yes. You've got your own newsfeed and everything."

Lester groaned.

"Aw. Don't be that way, dear. I think it's cute."

"I don't want to be cute," he said with a pout.

Susan smiled. "Too late," she told him.

"Come on, Mom. Give me a break. I'm going to suffer more tonight as it is."

"Oh! That's right. You're meeting Brian tonight."

"Yeah."

"Please tell him hello for me. He hasn't been over for a long time. You should invite him over for dinner soon."

"I don't want to encourage him."

"No, I'm serious, Lester. Invite him over as a boy. Remind him to think of you as a boy."

"Hey. That's actually not a bad idea. Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome." She started to get up to leave and paused. "Want to help me make dinner?"

"Yeah, actually, I do. It seems to be a slow news day. I think I can take a break."

Mother and son went out to the kitchen where Lester practiced the fine art of chopping vegetables while talking with his mother. They continued their conversation while everything cooked, and they left the radio and television off so they wouldn't be distracted by any further reports on Golden Girl.

* * *

Lester had a relaxing and fairly quiet dinner. His father hadn't heard anything about Golden Girl's adventure that day so the subject never came up. The man was never one for words anyway. The boy finished, politely excused himself and went to his room to prepare for his outing.

As soon as he got in his room, his phone vibrated on his desk. It was a text from Brian.

"gg! where r u?"

"hang on," Lester texted back. "leaving in a sec."

"i'm saved!"

Lester rolled his eyes and then started the transformation, this time wearing his, now her, purple jacket outfit. Crystal turned invisible and slipped out the back, her father none the wiser. Her mother watched the sliding glass door open on its own though.

"Have fun!" she called out.

"Who are you talking to?" Matthew asked her, his back to the open door.

"Oh. Just Lester. He's going out."

"What? Now?" He turned and just missed the door closing.

Golden Girl was on her way to the park to meet with her best buddy, Brian, and she couldn't help wonder why she agreed to it in the first place. She met him once already and started something that she didn't want to finish. But she already promised, and she wouldn't break a promise.

* * *

Crystal touched down, this time visibly in front of Brian, who sat on one of the swings in the children's playground area.

"So predictable," she told him with a slight grin. She moved to sit on the swing next to him, hanging on to the chains and swinging gently forward and back.

"Just wanting to make sure you found me."

"I've got 'powers.' I'm not going to miss you."

"You missed me last night."

"I told you I might not show up. And I texted you!"

Brian laughed. "Yeah. Yeah. I'm just messin' with you."

Crystal stuck out her tongue at him.

"You're such a girl."

"Keep it up and I'll tie you in a knot."

"Oh! Promise?"

"Ugh! Never mind. Can we talk about something else, please?"

Brian smirked.

"Not that either," she said, her eyes narrowing.

"What?! I didn't say anything."

"Your smirk said it all. Please don't bring up that bomber today."

"Yeah. I was going to mention that. But I also wanted to say how nice it was to see you rescuing runaways. That girl… what was her name?"

"Lizzy."

"Right. Lizzy adores you. Did you know she joined your fan club?"

"I've got a fan club?" She paused and thought out loud, "I wonder who started that?"

"I did," Brian said proudly.

"You?!"

"Yep. You needed one so I started a website."

"Why?! How could you do that to me?!" she cried.

"Hey. If not me, someone else would've done it. You're too famous not to have one."

She groaned.

"Hey. Don't be that way. Come on. It's cool!"

"Please tell me you didn't list all of my abilities."

"No way! I let the members do it. I made the list from their observations. The only one they noticed that you might not like is invisibility."

She sighed. "No. I expected that. It's not like they can use it against me. I can show up anywhere at any time."

"Yeah! That's a great idea. It might make guys think twice before doing anything wrong."

"Except for idiots like that bomber today."

Brian laughed. "Sorry. That was just too funny." He quickly turned serious and added. "But hey. Do you have any idea how much your autograph is going for?"

"What?! That guy is selling it?!"

"Auctioning it, you mean. Yeah. It's up into the thousands of dollars already."

Crystal groaned, holding her face in her hands. "It just keeps getting better," she said, and then thought to ask. "What all do you have on the website?"

"Just some of your abilities and a list of all of your activities. Oh, and some photos and videos of course."

"Of course," she said. "Just please don't list all of my abilities. I especially don't want anyone to know about the shapeshifting."

"Right. I understand."

She watched him watching her out of the corner of her eye. He wasn't trying to hide his staring and it started bothering her. "What about my name?" she said, trying to distract him. "What's Golden Girl's real name?"

Brian panicked a little then. He forgot to add that to the website. "Um…," he stalled as long as he possibly good and finally retrieved the memory with a look of triumph. "Crystal! Right?"

"Very good. What about my middle and last names?"

"You got me. I'm sorry. I don't remember those."

"Crystal Lynn Dawn. Add that to the website and I might just let you take some nice photos of me."

"Seriously?!"

"Seriously."

After an awkward minute or so of silence, she continued her gentle swinging but she subconsciously gave herself a telekinetic nudge to one side and suddenly found herself knocking Brian off of his swing.

"Oh!" she said. "Sorry about that!"

He laughed as he got up, brushing sawdust off of himself. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. I could've seriously hurt you."

"Well, if you feel guilty about it, you can make it up to me."

"You want another flight?"

"I was hoping for something more personal, actually."

"Like what?"

He hung his head low and said in a quiet voice, "I'm afraid I've got bad news."

"What? What is it? You're not sick, are you?"

"No, not exactly. It's just that, I got it bad."

"It?"

"Yeah. It. You know. Please don't make me say it."

Crystal slapped her forehead. "Seriously?! I was hoping I was imagining it, but no. You really did have to go and crush on me."

Brian gave her a silly grin to confirm it.

'Boys!' she thought. "I think I should go now," she told him.

"Aw. So no kissing?"

"Definitely no kissing. Hello! Remember Erin?"

"Oh, dude. That would be so hot." He imagined Crystal and Erin kissing and he couldn't help getting a little aroused.

She growled at that. "Good night, Brian," she told him and quickly launched herself into the air, shooting off to the east, followed soon after by a sonic boom.

Brian looked up in the direction she flew. "You're so cool," he said. He knew she probably didn't hear him but with her clairaudience, the possibility was there. It was enough.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

First day on the job

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 17

Lester made it through the night with more than enough sleep and no extra abilities. He felt nudges all night but they seemed to just lead him in circles. He finally got fed up and went off in a random direction to pick up techniques for working with horses and dogs. He instantly became a dog and horse whisperer.

"That's interesting," he said as he woke up.

He got dressed and as he sat in the kitchen, having a quick bowl of cold cereal, thoughts of Brian intruded. He didn't look forward to his bus ride to school. He would've considered walking to school if it didn't take him so long. There wasn't enough time.

"Unless I turn invisible and fly," he said quietly. But no, that felt like an abuse of power. He would never abuse his power, though it did disturb him that he even thought of the idea.

"I must be desperate to avoid Brian," he muttered. "Best get this over with."

He finished up, grabbed a coat and headed out to the bus stop, waiting in the rain and getting absolutely soaked since he wasn't prepared for it. He didn't even wear a hat so his wet hair clung to his head and sent rivulets of water running down his forehead into his eyes. He could've used telekinesis to help deflect the rain or at least keep the water out of his eyes but he didn't. He wanted the coolness of the water to remind himself to keep a cool head when he confronted his friend.

An all too short ride later, Brian stepped onto the bus looking distracted. He came over and sat next to Lester but he didn't look at him. The boy just kept looking straight ahead with barely two quiet words out of his mouth. "Mornin', Lester."

"Mornin', Brian. You're looking awfully uptight this morning."

"Dude!" He seemed more angry than anything else, at first. Then his hand flew to his mouth as if he said a dirty word in a convent. "Dude?" he tried.

Lester smiled at him. "Dude," he confirmed.

Brian visibly relaxed and the words finally started leaking out. "Sorry about last night. I guess I really do have it bad."

"No worries. I can relate. I have it bad for Erin and still haven't kissed her so we're even."

Brian gave him a nervous laugh. "You must think I'm an idiot."

"No comment."

"Dude!"

Lester laughed. "I think it's okay to like Crystal."

"Who?"

"Golden Girl!"

"Oh. Right. Sorry. Yeah. Crystal is…."

"You can say it, Brian. I agree. She's hot. It's perfectly normal to be attracted to her."

"This is really awkward, dude."

"Yeah, it is. But we need to talk it through."

"I don't know what else to say. I can't help how I feel."

"Yeah. Sorry. But you know she can't return your feelings. Right?"

"Yeah." He bowed his head and sighed.

* * *

Mister Guile ignored Lester that morning. The substitute teacher rambled on with a lecture that he obviously had no interest in whatsoever. Every time Lester sneaked a peak at Erin, he saw her yawning. The class finished and the students couldn't escape the room fast enough.

Once in the hall, Lester and Erin walked slowly to their favorite class together. The boy thought about taking her hand like he had once before but he hesitated, especially since she was so quiet that morning.

"Erin?"

"Yes, Lester?"

"Please let me know if you'd ever like a repeat of Saturday night."

"What?"

"You know. The flight? I'd be happy to take you again. It'll probably have to be on a weekend though."

"Oh. Yes. That'd be nice," she said without much emotion.

"Is something on your mind?"

"Yes."

"Well?" he prompted.

"We can talk more at lunch. Let's just get through our next few classes first."

He sighed and said no more. Instead, his thoughts moved ahead to his upcoming Advanced Literature class. They were starting to study Romeo and Juliet that week and he couldn't wait. Lester suddenly found himself wanting to embrace romance and he loved the feeling. He knew that the occasional high doses of feminine hormones soaking his male brain had something to do with his new attitude but he didn't care, not if it could help him better understand the fairer sex. He only wished he could embrace and understand everything about femininity. The romance made sense. Boys could appreciate the many benefits of a romantic setting. It was just too bad that so many other feminine things didn't seem nearly as pleasant.

Erin didn't normally have too much trouble staying in a good mood, but on that particular Monday, she wanted nothing more than to hide away from school. She wasn't looking forward to reading scenes from Romeo and Juliet. She didn't want to encourage the feelings that she felt starting to bubble up from her heart. Feelings like hers could only end in disaster. She couldn't predict the future but her intuition held a dark view of the coming weeks, perhaps months. For the first time since she became a human, she started to regret her wager.

'But I meant well,' she thought.

* * *

By lunch time, Erin's mood improved. She still had some unwanted feelings to eventually deal with, but she also had good news that she wanted to share. She joined Lester and the two of them headed for their usual lunch table, sitting side by side and immediately launching into a conversation.

"I guess you could tell I've been distracted today," Erin told him.

"Well, yeah. So what's up? Are you okay?"

"I have a couple things going on but I do have some good news. I got a job."

"What? That was sudden."

"Not really, Lester. I told you before I wanted a job and I got one."

The boy sighed. "Oh. Don't tell me. You're working at the same place Sarah is, and you work the same hours on the same days."

The redhead nodded with a big smile on her face.

"Well, at least we can drive together. My mom is letting me, uh, Sarah, borrow her car."

Erin squealed, surprising neither of them that time. They both began to feel very comfortable expressing their emotions. "That's great!" she said. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

Lester smiled. "We can also take the bus together after school. It'll save time getting ready at my house."

"Right!"

"I still have some of your things in my drawer at home. You might consider bringing more of your things so you have everything you need to get ready."

"Or I can borrow some of Sarah's things."

"As long as it's not makeup. You're not supposed to share that."

"Oh. No, I was thinking more about those accessories that she talked about with your mother. I like accessories."

Lester laughed. The girl's enthusiasm was infectious. "Yeah. That would work."

They continued talking about their new jobs and about how much money they'd be making for shopping. Lester liked that. He had to admit that shopping was growing on him. He couldn't be dishonest with himself any more than he could be with someone else.

The conversation steered clear of Erin's unmentioned problems and the boy forgot to ask about them. They both just looked ahead to their new job. They were both anxious about it, just in different ways. Lester was still uncomfortable about it, but at least he felt ready, and Erin was more than ready.

"Do you know what Sarah will be wearing for work?" the redhead asked.

"I think so. I think it'll be that same outfit that she wore out of the store after her makeover."

"No! She can't wear that. Ms. Godwin just put that together as a lesson for her."

"What?"

"She should wear what she wore for her graduation party."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely. I'm sure it'll impress Ms. Godwin and show her that you're ready for the job."

"Okay. Yeah. I can see that. Thanks."

"You're welcome." The redhead beamed at him, and she couldn't help staring into his eyes, the window to his soul. She couldn't get enough of his soul.

* * *

Sarah stood just behind her mother's car in the garage, dressed very nicely for work and having no problem walking in her three inch heels. It was the outfit that Erin had suggested, the same green and black peplum dress that she wore for her graduation to womanhood, and she had mixed feelings about it. She kind of liked how nice she looked. It was the idea of the graduation that she had a problem with.

Erin looked equally nice in her navy blue blazer and matching skirt. The clicking of her heels on concrete echoed in the two car garage as she walked to the passenger side of Susan's car and opened the door.

"You know how to get in a car wearing a dress, don't you, Sarah?" Erin asked her friend before getting in, showing how it was done.

Sarah had never seen her friend wear such dramatic makeup and she had no trouble keeping her eyes on her friend to see the technique of getting in the car. She copied it perfectly, but her mother had her make one adjustment before leaving so she rolled down the window for a last lesson.

"Please take your heels off for driving to the mall. Driving in heels can take some getting used to and you don't have a lot of time to practice now. You can practice in the mall parking lot after work tonight. Okay?"

"Sure, Mom. Thanks for the advice."

"Oh, sweetie. I wish I could come with you."

"We both know that's a bad idea, Mother. I'll have Ms. Godwin to help me."

"And me!" Erin added as she bounced a little on the seat.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry."

Susan pouted and Sarah had to laugh.

The automatic garage door opened behind the car and the tall part-time girl drove off with her enthusiastic friend, ready, or nearly so, for the retail world of women's fashion.

* * *

Sarah had to fight herself to keep from rolling her eyes as she drove to the mall. Her verbally hyperactive friend came far too close to driving her crazy.

"Please, Erin. Have a little mercy. I'm trying to relax before we have to work."

The redhead looked confused. "But this job is like a dream come true."

"How can you know that? We haven't even started our first day yet?"

"Is that a trick question? We're going to be fully immersed in a world of femininity. How can it not be great?"

"I don't get it," Sarah said. "You haven't even been a human girl for two months and you're already addicted to this stuff?"

"Calling it an addiction is a little strong. I prefer to think of it as a strong appreciation."

"Whatever, Erin. How did you learn to appreciate it so much in such a short time?"

"I don't know. It just… happened."

"Have you always been so flexible and adaptable then?"

The redhead paused to think. "Actually, no. This is truly a first. Why do you suppose that is?"

Sarah laughed. "That's what I've been asking you!"

"And I'm telling you I don't know. What does it matter? I've learned to like it and I accept that I like it. I'm enjoying myself, enjoying life. It's something I've never had before."

"Ah, that might explain things. You don't have any male baggage…." She paused when Erin snickered at the unintentional pun. "You haven't been male before. You don't have any experience to compare to."

"Actually, I identified more as a male before now. I went by male pronouns and I used a male spelling of my first name."

"Really?"

Erin nodded.

"I don't have an answer then. I give up. At least for now." Sarah pulled into a parking space and slipped her shoes back on. "Anyway, we're here and it's time to work. Let's do this. After our talk, I think I can handle just about anything."

They were brave words but the part-time girl still had a problem. She had to focus on the sights and sounds around the parking lot and in the mall, car horns, background music, the staccato clicking of her heels, anything to distract her from the growing dread she felt as she got ever closer to Fashion Divinity. Having a job shouldn't have made her so nervous. It had to be the type of job along with her current appearance.

The tall, nervous girl had to stop and take some deep breaths.

"Are you okay?" Erin asked her.

She vigorously shook her head no as she continued taking deep breaths.

"You'll do fine. Come on. Please? We don't want to be late on our first day."

Sarah started walking again and tried a little conversation. "How do you know so much about makeup and fashion?" she asked her friend.

Erin smiled. "Observation and practice. What else? I've been watching you and your mother, the other girls at school, all women and teenage girls everywhere I go. It's been a good learning experience." She leaned a little closer as she added, "I've also watched a few makeup tutorials on the Internet. They're awesome."

The nervous girl sighed. "I guess that makes sense. Now if we can just bottle your enthusiasm for it, I'd be very grateful."

"Aw. I'm sorry, Sarah. Maybe you'll grow to like it more while we work." Her look quickly changed from concerned to excited. "I still can't believe we're working together. It'll be great!"

Erin bounced a little on her toes and Sarah couldn't help smiling at her.

"Come on, you. We've got a job to start."

Sarah marched quickly forward and the happy redhead followed along behind, giggling as she went.

* * *

Stella, their new boss, stood looking them over in the back room. She circled them twice and soon nodded her approval while praising both of them for their good fashion sense. After a quick tour to show the location of the break room and toilet, she launched into a description of their job duties.

"Your first two tasks are to memorize the store layout and the merchandise that can be found in each section. Once you somewhat familiarize yourselves with everything, I'll have you both shadow a different employee. Before we get started, do either of you have any preferences for which department you'd like to work in?"

Erin blurted out, "Makeup please, Ms. Godwin!"

Sarah just shrugged.

Stella smiled. "I wish I could have you both work in makeup. Both of your faces are flawless."

The redhead beamed at the compliment and again, the slightly taller girl shrugged again.

The woman gave Sarah a look of concern as she handed them each a small rectangle of plastic in the store colors of scarlet red with white lettering. "Here are your name tags. Wear them proudly because it's time to start work. Congratulations, girls."

"Thank you, Ms. Godwin," they said in unison. They each pinned their name tag over their left breast and left the quiet back room to enter the busy store.

* * *

Three hours into the job found Erin comfortably selling things on her own in the cosmetics department. The girl was a natural. She used voice and body language to full advantage, becoming instant friends with nearly every customer, and as such, she sold a lot of makeup.

Sarah, on the other hand, became quiet and withdrawn in the leather goods department. She continued to shadow her temporary mentor and so far, had only sold a purse and two belts. The cash register didn't take long to master but the art of selling things eluded her, even with her natural good looks drawing plenty of attention. Women flocked to her, hoping for some beauty by association yet mostly leaving with a bitter taste of ennui instead.

Stella quietly made her way over to Erin for a private conversation as they both observed the reluctant girl. "She's not getting into it like we'd hoped," she told Erin.

The redhead sighed. "I know. I had such high hopes."

"There's still more time."

"But it doesn't look good. I know."

The woman gave the redhead a thoughtful look. "I wish I knew how you took to it so well."

"I've been giving it some thought. It might have something to do with giving myself the brain structure of an average human girl. Sarah's got the hormones but she still has the brain of a boy. Apparently, it takes more than just hormones to become comfortable with one's gender."

"Apparently," the woman agreed.

They watched Sarah a bit longer, seeing her listlessly handling some of the merchandise and shaking her head. It was heartbreaking and Stella couldn't stand it.

"I think I'll go try giving her a little pep talk," said the woman.

"I don't think it'll work."

"Still. I have to try."

The concerned store manager wove her way through the jungle of accessories and over to Sarah with practiced ease. The woman had only started the store two weeks ago but she had some experience with the world of women's fashion, having been a human woman in a recent past life. She approached the reluctant girl with a broad smile, hoping that it didn't look fake.

"Sarah, my dear. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, Ms. Godwin. I think."

"Maybe you need a dinner break. A little food might be just what you need to perk you right up."

"Maybe. I suppose a little chocolate would be nice. It always puts me in a good mood."

"That's the spirit, dear. I do wish you the best, though I couldn't help noticing that you haven't sold very much so far."

"Yeah. I'm not nearly as good as Erin."

They both turned to see the redhead happily selling makeup to yet another customer.

"Well, dear. You're not as bubbly as she is, but you've got a quiet confidence about you that I find promising. I'm not giving up on you."

"Thanks, Ms. Godwin. I'm not giving up on me either." The girl gave the woman a faint smile that didn't quite feel genuine.

"Okay. Enough talk. Wait for Erin to finish her current sale and then go take her out with you for a little bite to eat."

"Thanks. I'll do that." Sarah started walking over to Erin.

"Don't forget to have something chocolaty for dessert!" Stella called out to her, getting a genuine smile out of the girl that time.

* * *

The girls had a fairly pleasant Tex-Mex dinner together in the food court, making sure to remove their lipstick before eating. They didn't have to fend off any obnoxious boys. They only had to suffer a bit of staring from a mostly harmless assortment of passing males. Sarah scored a chocolate eclair from another restaurant in the food court and the infusion of chocolate seemed to invigorate her. She enthusiastically reapplied her lipstick and went back to work, selling half a dozen purses and several other leather accessories before the store closed for the night.

"You've both done a splendid job tonight, girls," the woman gushed, not mentioning how much more money Erin had made for the store. "Keep it up and you'll go far wherever life takes you."

"Thank you, Ms. Godwin," they said in unison, causing the woman to blink in surprise.

"However do you do that?" Stella wondered aloud.

They both shrugged and giggled together as they removed their name tags and slipped them into their purses. They walked out of the store entrance and helped pull down the protective sliding door, waiting for Ms. Godwin to lock it and then said their goodbyes, again in unison, and turned to leave.

"See you on Wednesday!" the woman called out to them.

Both girls turned to give her a finger wave before continuing on to the parking lot.

"You did a lot better after dinner," Erin told her friend. "Did you enjoy any of it?"

"I'm not sure. I think it was more just a grim determination. I don't like to fail."

The redhead sighed.

Sarah took pity on her and added, "I'm sure the chocolate helped. I should have some before we start work next time."

Erin gave her a faint smile. "Yes, I think you should."

They walked together in silence, with Sarah having to suppress an urge to hold her friend's hand as they went. She found that she seemed to crave and appreciate physical contact more as a girl. 'Weird,' she thought.

* * *

The rest of the week nearly exhausted Lester. He worked hard in his two aikido classes in spite of knowing the moves so well. He helped Erin a lot and still practiced moving through his solo katas at a very fast pace. His job continued to improve in slow increments, with Lester, as Sarah, selling a little more each night, but the part-time girl found it to be mentally exhausting. The work still didn't feel right to her. On top of all that, Golden Girl insisted on making time to patrol, stopping several minor crimes and righting a few social wrongs that she detected with her clairvoyance and clairaudience. The poor boy could never quite get enough sleep. He couldn't wait for the weekend so he could sleep in and catch up on his beauty rest.

'Where did that come from?' he wondered, shaking his head whenever a stray feminine thought entered his head.

His classes and homework didn't really tire him out, physically or mentally, but they took a lot of hours out of the day. He almost wished the year would hurry along so he could graduate, as a high school senior boy instead of a girl, and hopefully have a lot more free time in the summer before entering college.

He didn't even want to think about college. He pretty much decided to attend the closest public university in the state. With his high grades, he'd most likely be accepted. Starting classes was just a formality. But what about Erin?

He didn't want to think about the redhead leaving his life. He had many months to go before that happened and he set his jaw, determined to make the most of the time that he had left with her.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

Superhero public relations

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 18

His job as Sarah bothered him but the worst part of the week had to be his nighttime wanderings through the Akashic records. The circular nudging continued every night, and it got old, especially after Lester figured out what the Dark Librarian was trying to do. It wasn't until Friday night that the boy had enough.

"Give it up!" he shouted into the darkness. "I don't want to learn telepathy!"

The nudging abruptly stopped.

"Isn't there some other helpful paranormal ability I could learn?"

He felt himself suddenly pushed sharply from behind and started moving forward, only occasionally having his direction corrected along the way. After a feeling of having traveled down through the ages, he was jerked to a stop, and there, he learned many amazing techniques of advanced healing along with complete knowledge of human anatomy. He could easily heal even the most serious injuries like compound fractures and crushed vertebrae, and all but a few of the most fast acting diseases and conditions could be cured in a matter of minutes. Combined with telekinesis and clairvoyance to look inside the body, any type of surgery could be performed, and combined with shapeshifting, his new ability could make permanent cosmetic and structural changes to all parts of the body, even the brain. It staggered his imagination.

"Wow," he said, half in shock, half in awe. "Thanks."

Lester woke up late Saturday morning, happy and well-rested, but his dreamy good mood ended when his phone buzzed on his desk with a text from Brian. He rolled out of bed, knowing that he'd regret it.

"gg? i want 2 propose 2 u!"

The boy groaned and texted back. "no marriage!"

"lol. sucker. i have proposal 4 u." Brian added an emoticon of a face with its tongue sticking out.

"ok. come over and talk."

"better if u come here. gg?" The hopeful boy added a smiley face emoticon.

Lester put a stop to the silly texting and called his friend, who told him about the huge demand for Golden Girl to join a chat room and chat with her zillions of fans. They talked about how to verify her authenticity, since no one would be able to see her, and they talked about security. She certainly couldn't chat from home or Brian's house. They knew she could be traced all too easily.

"This has been an interesting thought experiment but how is she supposed to find the time for this?"

"Dude! It wouldn't be all that often, just, let's say, once a month. That wouldn't be too bad."

"I guess not." Lester found his resolve weakening. "But no more about it over the phone. I'll meet you in the park after I have breakfast. We can discuss the details then."

"Sure. But isn't that Golden Girl's prime patrol time?"

Lester sighed. "Yeah. Sarah will meet you in the park just in case she needs a quick change into you-know-who."

"Sarah?"

"Come on. I've told you about her. She's Erin's friend and now workmate."

"What about… Crystal?"

"I don't think she'd want the chance of someone recognizing her in the park. And it wouldn't be safe for you to associate with her. We talked about this. Remember?"

Brian sighed. "Yeah. I remember. This sucks."

"Get over it. You'll still get to talk with a nice girl."

"It's not the same, dude."

"We'll see."

* * *

Lester had a quick but nutritious breakfast washed down with a glass of orange juice, checked to make sure his father was gone, as usual, and changed into Sarah, donning Golden Girl's purple jacket outfit and then mostly covering it with her long black coat. The sleeves of the purple jacket were too short but she was still slender enough to wear it. She had her hand on the doorknob of the front door when her mother caught her.

"You're not going out like that, are you?" Susan asked.

"What? My coat hides everything well enough."

"I meant no makeup. Silly girl."

"Oh, yeah." Sarah reluctantly went back to her room and applied a little mascara, a touch of eye liner and a subtle shade of lipstick using her new large mirror on her desk. Then she hurried outside for the short walk to the park.

Brian waited in the usual place on a swing. With the cold weather, no one else was in the park.

"Hello Brian. I'm Sarah."

The boy didn't look at her as he replied. "Hey."

"Come on," she said, sitting on the swing next to him. "At least look at me."

He turned to give her a quick look and turned away again. "You look too much like Lester."

Sarah frowned. "You mean I look like Lester's sister. I'm all girl, you know."

"I wouldn't know."

"Because you won't look at me!" She took some deep breaths to calm down, telling herself that he couldn't help being attracted to Crystal. Still, she found it vaguely insulting to not be at least given a chance.

Sarah gave the boy a good look, suddenly curious to see if she had any attraction to him. 'Nope. Nothing. Nada. Good! Then we're even.'

"Okay," she said, still trying to get on his good side. "Do you want to do this chat thing now?"

"Yeah," Brian said, looking down at his feet. "We could try the public library."

"Good idea! It's not far and it wouldn't matter if anyone traced us there."

"Nope."

They got up and Brian momentarily surprised her, standing a good three inches taller than her even with the two inch heels of her boots. She hadn't really noticed how tall he was. They walked without any conversation in the direction of the library, both trying not to think about the possibility of a relationship developing between them. But they couldn't help thinking about a certain question that confounded teenagers around the world: Could a boy and girl ever truly be just friends?

* * *

Sarah and Brian sat at adjacent computers in a large rectangular room of the public library. A series of tables along a windowless wall held all of the computers, and on the opposite side of the room stood two dozen shelves filled with books and magazines. The shelves were full and the aisles were empty. Virtually everyone preferred the Internet over paper.

The library limited them to thirty minutes of computer time but that worked out better for Sarah. She wasn't crazy about the idea of chatting with a bunch of Golden Girl fans for any length of time so the shorter, the better. She started resenting the attention that Golden Girl was getting.

'I'm getting jealous of myself,' she thought. 'How crazy is that?'

Brian logged into the chat room that was associated with the Golden Girl fan club website that he set up. He saw that there were a couple of dozen users logged in at the moment, discussing various topics about Golden Girl, and he gave Sarah a smile and gestured for her to log in using the Golden Girl user name and password that he gave her.

Brian started out the chat with a short introduction.

KingFanDude: "hey dudes. Golden Girl is here! all bow before her glory!"

SuperFan318: "seriously?"

SuperGirl7014: "where?"

GoldenGirl: "Here I am. Hi everybody."

SuperFan318: "no way!"

KingFanDude: "way."

SuperGirl7014: "prove it? please?"

GoldenGirl: "We thought of a way to prove it - at least to some of you. I can use clairvoyance to see and describe you. You can add that to my list of abilities."

Stranger67: "interesting. but how will you find us?"

GoldenGirl: "Give me an idea of where you are and I'll check you out and describe your appearance here in the chat room."

SuperGirl7014: "me first! please? i'm at home in springfield illinois. i live just across from southwind park. do you need my address?"

KingFanDude: "no addresses people! wait. this isn't going to work."

GoldenGirl: "Yes, it will. I only need a general idea of your location to find you. I found the park. @SuperGirl7014: Go to a window facing the park and wave."

SuperGirl7014: "ok"

GoldenGirl: "Got ya. You look to be about 10 with long, straight, light brown hair. I see a white tee shirt with Hello Kitty on it."

SuperGirl7014: "that's me! it's you! i mean you really are golden girl!"

Stranger67: "lucky guess. my turn?"

GoldenGirl: "Sure, Stranger."

Stranger67: "i live in grant's pass, oregon, just across the rogue river from riverside park. i'm at the window, waving at the park."

GoldenGirl: "Got ya. You're using a netbook? Seriously?"

Stranger67: "hey. it's cheap. but what else? that could still be a lucky guess."

GoldenGirl: "Your long, greasy blonde hair could use washing. Sorry. You've got light blue eyes and you're wearing a tee shirt that says 'Simon says….' There's no way I'm typing the rest of that."

Stranger67: "wow. you got me. i believe you. what about everyone else? are you going to have a peek at all of us?"

GoldenGirl: "Just one more should do it, I think."

SuperFan318: "i'm ready!"

GoldenGirl: "Okay, SuperFan. Go ahead."

SuperFan318: "i'm just north of tampa, florida. i live on the east side of lake magdalene. I'm at my sliding glass door. waving at the lake now."

GoldenGirl: "Got ya. You…. Oh, yuck! Just yuck."

KingFanDude: "what is it? what's wrong?"

GoldenGirl: "He's not wearing any clothes and he's got 'I heart GG' written in ketchup on his chest."

SuperFan318: "lol"

GoldenGirl: "I knew this was a bad idea. Sorry everyone but I think I should go now."

SuperGirl7014: "no! please don't go!"

GoldenGirl: "I'm chatting when I should be out fighting crime."

SuperGirl7014: "please?"

GoldenGirl: "@SuperGirl7014: How about I come to visit you instead? I've been thinking about checking out other cities. Crime is everywhere."

SuperFan318: "You can visit me!"

GoldenGirl: "I'm going now. @SuperGirl7014: Watch for me. Soon. Bye bye everyone."

KingFanDude: "and there she goes. this didn't go as well as I hoped. sorry. I'll see you later."

Brian and Sarah logged off, both of them breathing a sigh of relief.

"That wasn't your best idea," Sarah told her friend.

"No, but it'll definitely give your fans something to talk about."

The girl reluctantly nodded agreement.

"What about that girl? Are you really going to visit her in Illinois?"

"I said I would and you know I always follow through on what I say."

"How about saying I can have a date with Crystal?"

"Sorry, Brian. That's not going to happen. Nice try, though."

The two of them left the library and quietly walked back to the park. When they got there, they ended up on the same swings, still not talking to each other and both looking down at their feet.

Sarah wanted to give her friend a chance to talk a little more to her. She hoped he would, and while she waited, she used her clairvoyance to scan the downtown area for trouble.

"This is weird," Brian finally said after Sarah's second pass over the city.

"I'm still me," she said. "Why can't we talk like we do on the bus or phone?"

"It's not the same, dude."

Sarah growled.

"Sorry!"

The girl suddenly looked pensive. "I'll forgive you on one condition. I just noticed that you haven't once said my name. Tell me my name and I'll forgive you."

Brian snorted. "Is that a trick question? Too easy."

"Is it? Is it really? You've had trouble before."

Brian turned to look at her with a serious look on his face. "You haven't made it easy, but right now, right this minute, your name is Sarah."

She smiled at him. "Correct. You're forgiven, King Fan Dude."

Brian laughed. "Geek," he called her.

"Dork," she retorted, then added. "Hey. You know what? There's nothing happening in the city. I think I'll go visit that girl now. Wanna do me a favor?"

Brian's eyes lit up.

"Easy there," she said, giving him a wary eye. "I just want you to take my coat home for me. Will you? Please? Oh, and please tell my mother where I've gone so she doesn't worry."

"Sure!" He quickly agreed since he thought he'd get to see Golden Girl. But he was soon disappointed.

Sarah went over to the little rest room building in the park with Brian following her like a lost puppy. She went inside, handed her coat out to him, transformed into Crystal and then came out. The door opened wider but Brian didn't see her. He couldn't because she was invisible.

"Hey! Are you still in there?"

"Nope," she said back, startling him. "I'm invisible. Like I've told you, we can't be seen together."

"Dude!" he said, then his eyes went wide with fear.

"Don't worry. You're still forgiven," she said. "Thanks for taking Sarah's coat home for me and telling my mom where I'm going. Bye bye!"

She flew up into the air and shot to the east. The dull sound of her sonic boom soon followed, leaving the boy to slowly walk to her house to deliver her coat and message.

* * *

Crystal had a nice, quiet visit with the girl from the chat room. The girl's name was Vanessa and she wisely didn't tell anyone about the promised visit. There were no news reporters lying in ambush, no autograph hounds, no crazy fans of any sort, just a sweet ten-year-old girl who couldn't believe her eyes.

The visit surprised Vanessa's parents but they were warm and welcoming, and they were nice enough not to call anyone over to share in the visit. That could too easily snowball into an awkward crowd as friends and family called more friends and family. They simply sat around a small dining room table drinking various beverages and talking. Crystal and Vanessa both enjoyed hot chocolate. It warmed their bodies and their moods.

When it was time to leave, Crystal advised the family to keep the meeting a secret, except perhaps in the Golden Girl chat room and among close friends and family members. It would be hard to prove anyway, even with the few photos that Vanessa's parents took of Golden Girl with their daughter. There were already far too many fake photos of Golden Girl on the Internet. The superheroine and family parted on good terms. It was a feel good moment for all of them.

Before Golden Girl flew back to her home state, she had a quick look around Springfield. She wanted to establish her presence there, just in case Vanessa's family needed a little extra evidence of their meeting. She knew that the family would likely tell a few other family members at the very least.

The flying girl stopped someone from trying to steal a car. The young man screamed obscenities and ran off. She let him go since he hadn't managed to complete the crime. She didn't know the location of the nearest police station anyway, and a criminal wouldn't likely volunteer the information.

When she came across a cat stuck high in a tree, she couldn't resist, especially since the cat's owner, a young girl around seven, stood under the tree, calling to the cat. With the cold weather, the tree had only a few leaves left, making it easy to spot the stranded feline.

"Mister Meow! Please come down! Please!" She drew out the last word, making the flying girl cringe.

Golden Girl very slowly flew to the cat, speaking softly to him, and when he appeared ready to trust her, she reached out to him and plucked him from the tree branch and lowered him gently into the girl's arms.

The girl just stared.

"Hello. I've met Mister Meow. What would your name be?"

The shocked girl's cat squirmed in her arms. She absently let the cat jump to the ground and scamper off while she stood there, still staring at the superheroine.

Crystal smiled and reached out to lightly tap the girl's right shoulder. "I'm real and you're not dreaming. Shall I try to guess your name?"

"Cindy," she said in a quiet voice.

"Nice to meet you, Cindy. My name is Crystal."

The little girl slowly shook her head. "Nuh uh. You're Golden Girl."

"Yes, I'm Golden Girl. But you can call me Crystal."

The little girl shook her head no again, just as her parents arrived.

"There you are, Cindy. You had me worried sick!"

"She's okay," Golden Girl said. "She was just waiting for me to rescue her cat out of a tree."

The little girl's mother looked at the superheroine and cocked her head. "Golden Girl? Here?"

"That's me." She turned to the little girl. "It was nice meeting you, Cindy. Try keeping Mister Meow out of the trees. Bye bye."

The superheroine flew up and away while Cindy and her parents all slowly waved with shocked looks on their faces. They were soon joined by several neighbors, also waving and looking shocked.

Golden Girl made a few more passes through the city before she rushed home to get ready for work. Just to be sure that she was officially noticed, she made a last, quick stop, peering into the building of a local news station from outside, several stories up, and waving at the startled employees. She waited just long enough for a news camera to take a short video of her. Everyone seemed to appreciate that.

* * *

Hidden in plain sight somewhere within the suburban sprawl north of Chicago, stood a plain-looking four story building. On the top floor of that building, three strong looking men dressed in dark gray suits sat around an oval table, discussing the latest intel on a potential threat to national security. They felt secure enough to discuss any options because they sat in a sound-proofed conference room with no windows and a locked door.

The leader of the three men started the meeting. He was the tallest and oldest of the three, with thinning hair and a thickened waist. "What's the latest on subject Goldbrick?"

Man number two, the shortest and brawniest of the three, spoke. "The clairvoyance has been confirmed. All three of the identified subjects were located and they all matched their descriptions."

Man number three, the youngest of the three, played devil's advocate for the group. "It still could've been faked. They could've emailed photos or descriptions beforehand."

"Lying is inconsistent with the subject's profile," the short man countered. "And besides, why fake an ability?"

"I don't know. To get more attention?"

"Again, that's inconsistent with the subject's profile."

"Gentlemen," the leader interrupted. "Get on with the report."

The short man continued. "We haven't learned any more about the strength of the telekinesis but we can make an estimate of the minimum strength based on flying speed. According to satellite videos, the subject has exceeded mach four on at least three occasions."

"Mach four?!" the young man blurted.

"Compose yourself, agent," the leader growled.

The young man straightened his tie and held his tongue.

The short man shook his head. "Based on telekinetic flying speed and the subject's estimated weight, we believe the subject can lift a minimum of two tons. That would be consistent with the car chase incident, where the subject used telekinesis to lift a speeding car."

Beads of sweat formed on the young man's forehead. "Have we determined how these abilities manifest? I mean, how is this even possible?!"

The leader growled and glared at the man. "Get a grip, agent."

The short man suppressed a sigh. He had an answer for the young man. "They're all established paranormal abilities, except they're all at the extreme high end of what we thought to be possible. The subject is a dangerous anomaly. Combining clairvoyance, invisibility, flying and telekinesis into a single package would make for the perfect spy, and regardless of past good behavior, it's my opinion that the subject should be terminated."

"Terminated?" the leader asked.

The short man confirmed with a curt nod. "If the subject ever fell into the wrong hands or went bad, it could cause irreparable damage."

The leader turned to the youngest. "What's your conclusion?"

The young man frowned at the idea of termination. "According to the subject's profile and history," he said. "there is no threat and no reason to believe that a threat is imminent."

The other man snorted. "Short-term, perhaps. What about long-term?"

"Conjecture. We'd need at least six months of study to form any reliable long-term forecast."

"Conjecture, my ass," the short man said, glaring at the younger man.

"Gentlemen," the leader said. "Control yourselves."

Both subordinate men looked contrite for a brief moment before the short man spoke up again. "I stand by my recommendation for termination."

"Very well," the leader said. "Anything else?"

The young man looked shocked. "Has anyone considered containment?"

"Not possible," the short man said.

"We have electromagnetic and psychotropic weapons that could control anyone, even subject Goldbrick. And my team could create a containment room within two weeks to permanently hold the subject for study. If we could isolate the paranormal abilities and replicate a single ability in a test subject, we could create an army of improved spies. Restricting agents to a single ability would minimize any threat to our own national security."

For the first time since the meeting began, the leader smiled, and it bothered the short man. "You techies and your toys," he spat. "You're all soft."

The young man shrugged and held his high ground. He could tell that he had the leader's support. Operation Gold Fever just became a reality.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

How to understand girls

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 19

Work went well on Saturday. As Sarah did each day during the week, she broke her previous sales record. Erin and Stella seemed pleased, and Sarah simply endured it. She took Stella's advice to heart, trying to keep her quiet confidence turned to full. She even smiled at virtually all of her potential customers. Every little bit helped.

Lester used Sunday to rest and relax after his hectic week. He mostly stayed in his bedroom, checking on news about Golden Girl. He paid the fan website a visit and noticed Vanessa's photos. She was one happy girl, and she created a huge demand for further visits to other members. Envy and hope fought for equal ground in the chat room. It was hard for him to handle so he didn't stay long.

He moved on to Springfield news to see how his general visit to the city went. Overall, citizens of the city held a positive view of Golden Girl. They only wished that she'd stayed longer.

Dozens of hopeful mayors extended invitations to the superheroine, more to help boost their own public image than anything else. Lester did plan on visiting other cities, but he'd skip the ones that sent out the invitations. He figured once a week was often enough for visits. He needed rest more than anything else that day.

The boy had to fend off an aggressive series of text messages from Brian around noon but his friend finally had mercy and backed off. That only left Erin.

His red-haired friend showed up mid afternoon, looking for some time with Sarah. Lester's father worked in the garage at the time but the boy didn't want to chance it. He didn't want to be a girl that day anyway. He needed some boy time as well as rest. Erin ended up talking more with Susan and left after only an hour. That satisfied him well enough. He didn't feel like wrestling with unrequited love.

Sleep sneaked up on him that night. He started nodding off in his old chair while he was surfing the Internet. After prying his eyelids open long enough to clean his teeth and undress, he crawled into bed and had a good, long dreamless sleep.

* * *

Monday morning came too early, even after a good night's sleep. Nothing came easy. The boy had to drag himself out of bed and force himself to do everything, even eat.

The bus ride to school was nice. He didn't have to do anything except zone out the entire way. Brian helped him out by not talking or even looking at him. His friend still had an infatuation problem with a certain girl.

Lester sighed but left his friend alone. He didn't know what to say except that he could relate. Both boys had girls they liked, girls who wouldn't like them back. It had to be the strangest love triangle ever. He thought about the problem all of the rest of the way to school and all he could do was slowly shake his head. A solution seemed impossible.

As soon as he stepped off the bus, he felt something in the air. The weather suddenly grew colder. Clouds loomed lower. A stiff gust of wind hit a few scattered dry leaves, sending them skittering over the pavement. Lester shivered with cold and dread all of the way into the school and into his first class where Mister Guile sat, perched on the front of his desk like a vulture, waiting for him.

The man's dead, dark eyes stared into his own and he motioned to Lester to come over. The boy obeyed, leaning forward so the man could speak quietly in his ear. Lester was to remain after class for a little talk.

Amazingly enough, the class wasn't boring or chock-full of examples of government corruption. It was about the architecture of many of the buildings of the nation's capitol. The stark beauty of white marble filled much of Washington D.C. and Mister Guile presented a slide show to prove it. The students loved the change of subject, even those who didn't exactly appreciate architecture.

Lester completely forgot about the passage of time. It wasn't until the lights turned on and everyone filed out that he remembered the private talk after class. He stayed in his seat, waiting for it.

The door to classroom slowly shut on its own, sealing teacher and student inside, alone. Time had no meaning then. It was exactly the same as when Mister Guile had his private conferences with Erin. Now it was Lester's turn.

"What am I going to do with you, boy?" the man said, shaking his head. "It's come down to this. I'm endangering the wager for this, boy. I hope you appreciate it."

"I don't even know what your stupid wager is about! How can I appreciate it?!"

Mister Guile laughed. "Such passion," he muttered. "I have such high hopes for you."

"What is this about? Please tell me it's not about telepathy."

The man sighed. "That's exactly what it's about."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I don't want it! Now can I go?"

"Not quite yet. Not until you've heard what you've done."

"What I've done? What are you talking about?"

"You try so hard. You humans all try so hard. And you fail so easily. I'm talking about your little chat room session on Saturday, Lester."

The boy blushed. "Yeah. The chat didn't go so well. That idiot in Florida had to get naked and spoil it for everyone else."

Mister Guile snorted. "You still don't get it. This isn't about some idiot nudist. It's about another idiot. Or couple of idiots who thought it would be a good idea to give away the fact that you possess clairvoyance as well as invisibility and telekinesis. Do you have any idea how much the government pays attention to such things?"

"So that's it. I don't pick up telepathy and you punish me with a private lecture about government corruption. Great. Thanks a lot. May I please go now?"

"No, you may not." The man's eyes fairly glowed with malice, causing Lester to get a little nervous and back away in his seat. "I'm not done yet. There are such things as shadow organizations in government, and those organizations don't like it when they're outgunned and outclassed. They can get very nervous and very dangerous."

"I suppose that's true. But I haven't done anything wrong. They can't do anything."

Mister Guile laughed. "I don't believe you sometimes. You're so naive." Then he turned serious, grim even. "They're coming after you, Lester, and they're not going to be playing around. I'm not sure you can fend them off, not without telepathy to read their thoughts so you can block or evade their attempts to capture you."

Lester didn't like being called naive, and he didn't like threats. He didn't take the news well so he didn't react as he should've. He thrust his lower lip out for a major pout, earning the man's scorn.

"You've been a girl too much, boy. It's making you soft."

"Fine then, Mister Guile. Tell me what I should do short of learning telepathy. Because I'm not going to learn it." He stubbornly held his ground.

The man leaned forward, emphasizing every word as he spoke. "If they can't capture you, they'll try to kill you, and I doubt even you could evade them if they try hard and long enough."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the warning. May I go now?"

"Fine. I think you'll be able to evade their first attempt, thanks to my warning. When you see how serious they are and how good they are, maybe then you'll be more receptive to telepathy."

The classroom door slowly opened and Lester bounced up out of his seat and practically ran through door. He almost ran into Erin, who waited for him out in the hall.

"Are you okay, Lester?" she asked him. "You look a little freaked."

"Freaked," he said with a nervous little laugh. "That's a good word for it. Great word. Let's get to our next class. I need some fine literature to wash the bad taste out of my mouth. Too bad we're done with Romeo and Juliet. I could use a little romantic tragedy to cheer me up about now."

They quickly walked down the hall, with Erin giving her friend a questioning look and Lester keeping his mouth firmly shut. 'Note to self,' he thought. 'Keep my telekinetic shield active and my danger sense on full whenever I go out as Golden Girl.'

* * *

Lester kept quiet about his private talk with Mister Guile, and to distract Erin and keep her from prying, he actually considered talking about clothes and makeup. By the time lunch rolled around, he ended up compromising by having a conversation about work.

"Can you give me some tips for working with customers?" he asked, giving her a faint smile.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Okay, Lester. Be evasive. I suppose it's only fair."

The redhead launched into her personal sales philosophy, all the while wondering if she should ask Mister Guile about the private talk with Lester. She could guess what it was about, and she had her friends in high places who'd likely know, but she'd rather hear it from Lester. She didn't like him keeping her in the dark.

The two of them made it through lunch and spent the remaining school day off in their own little worlds. They played badminton in their P.E. class and didn't have to worry about showering. They didn't play hard enough to work up a sweat. That gave them plenty of time to catch the bus, change clothes at Lester's house and get to the mall in plenty of time for work. The day passed harmlessly with nary a secret agent in sight.

* * *

Monday afternoon skipped into Tuesday afternoon, with Erin again following Lester home. They had homework they could do together since they shared all the same classes and they had aikido class later that evening. The girl stayed for dinner, enchanting Matthew and Lester with more talk about some of her favorite things, including her newest favorite: She loved being passionate about her favorite things. Her logic left the men's heads spinning, but they loved listening to her talk. They loved her passion.

The dinner conversation amused Susan. She kept silent and let their guest talk, simply enjoying the expressions on the faces of her husband and son.

Lester appreciated having his father home and gathering for a family dinner. It meant that he could stay a boy and have Erin's attention the whole evening. It worked well for his latest plan, a plan that he'd execute that very evening. He'd give it his all, and it would either work out or it wouldn't. He couldn't take another day of not knowing.

With dinner and a little after dinner conversation over, Susan drove Erin and Lester to their aikido class. They made it early for once and had plenty of time to put on their uniforms and warm up.

Lester performed exceptionally well that evening. All of his moves were perfect and very fast. With so many paranormal abilities in his hip pocket, he felt on top of the world. He felt invincible.

Sensei Wilson noticed the boy and couldn't take his eyes off of him. Imagine the man's surprise when the boy and girl were practicing a kata together and Lester seemed to stumble, sending Erin to the mat with him landing on top of her. The boy braced himself so he didn't hurt the girl, but he didn't get up right away. His face moved over hers and lingered there. His eyes bored into hers and he slowly lowered his lips to hers. She lightly flinched once and he paused, but he soon continued and pressed his lips against hers. They kissed, slowly and ever so gently, and Erin found her body responding against her wishes. Her hands moved to his shoulders and she firmly pushed him up.

"No, Lester," she said, gasping.

"Yes, Erin. Oh, yes." He tried to move in for another kiss but she pushed at his shoulders again.

"Just stop. It won't work. This won't work. It can't. We're from two different worlds. Please. Let it go."

"It didn't stop Romeo and Juliet."

"Yes, but look how that story ended," she said, giving him a sad little smile.

"We don't have to end that way."

"No. Instead, when my year is up I lose my humanity. When I say two different worlds, I mean two different worlds."

"So keep your humanity."

"I can't!"

"Why not?!"

"Because it's not my nature! Now let me up! Please."

"Fine." He got up, and as is practiced in martial arts dojos, he didn't offer her a hand to help her up. He wouldn't anyway. He was afraid he'd pull her to him and never let her go. Why was it so difficult to let her go?

"Aw. Please don't be that way, Lester. You should be happy. We are soul mates. I've realized that much."

"What do you mean? How can we be soul mates if we can't kiss?"

"We can't share a physical love. Not really. But we can share a spiritual love."

"I don't even know what that means," he said, walking away. He got dressed and walked out front without his coat, using the evening chill to cool his ardor for a girl that he couldn't have.

Erin had been paying her own way through class with the money that she made from work. She felt free enough to skip class and try to talk to Lester if she wanted, but she wisely left him alone to work things out. She'd already said enough. It was up to him now.

* * *

The next couple of weeks had Lester on edge. He kept waiting for the shadow agency to pounce on him as Golden Girl, work kept him drowning in an ocean of women's fashion, and he still had Erin around him, constantly reminding him of what he desired but couldn't have.

When Halloween arrived, he nearly had a mental breakdown. Seeing so many little girls dressed in Golden Girl costumes didn't help. Neither did Sarah's first period. It took Sarah longer to menstruate since she could only be a girl part of the time but her monthly cycle wouldn't be denied.

To get through it more quickly, she kept her female reproductive organs even when she appeared as a boy. Only her medication kept her sane, but just barely. She found herself always referring to herself with female pronouns and nearly cried.

Halloween was the worst. It fell on a Friday night so she had to work, and it just happened to coincide with some of her worst menstrual symptoms. It was all she could do not to bite the heads off the customers. She finally took Erin with her to the break room for a little girl talk.

"How can you stand this?!" she cried. "It's awful!"

Erin gave her a sympathetic smile. "My first wasn't easy. But I had a good friend to help me through it. Remember?"

Karma paid Sarah back in full that evening. Once again, a burden shared was much easier to bear and Sarah made it through her shift. If anything, her discomfort with her period distracted her from her general discomfort of working in an ultra feminine workplace. She thought she just might be starting to understand what a spiritual soul mate was all about and she almost smiled. Almost.

* * *

Sarah stayed her girl self Halloween night. She parked in the garage and went straight to her room, completely forgetting about her father, who camped out in the living room watching bad, late night television programs. Normally, the girl would use invisibility and some stealth to avoid her father, but not that night. She focused solely on the discomfort of her body and didn't feel like shapeshifting back into her boy self, not even partially like she'd been doing. She removed her makeup and changed into one of her longer boy tee shirts, using it as a sleep shirt. The dazed girl crawled into bed muttering about survival of the fittest and fell fast asleep. Luckily, her father didn't notice.

The Dark Librarian knew enough to leave her alone. He was happy to wait for the shadow agency to attempt to capture her as Golden Girl. Until that happened, he wasn't going to deal with her. Only Erin and Sarah's mother were brave enough to deal with Sarah over the weekend.

The girl woke up Saturday morning feeling, in her words, yucky. She did have the presence of mind to check for her father with clairvoyance. Seeing that he was gone to the shooting range as usual, she crept out of her bedroom for some water to wash down some medication. Just as she reached for a glass in the kitchen cupboard, her mother surprised her, though it was unintentional.

"Good morning, Sarah. How are you feeling?"

The girl let out a squeak and almost dropped her glass. "Don't do that!" she snarled.

"My. Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Sorry, Mom. I'm not a happy camper without my meds." She filled the glass with water and slurped down two tablets. "Ah. I can almost feel them working already."

Susan laughed at the joke. "That's better."

"I wish," the girl said, giving her mother a wry smile.

"Well, it'll get better. Easier, I mean."

"I don't want it to get easier. I didn't mean for it to get this far. I didn't mean to be a girl, Mom!" She started crying.

Susan went to hug her daughter but the girl avoided her, moving to the living room and flopping down in the big, soft beige chair, making it difficult to be hugged. All the sympathetic mother could do was to sit on the couch across from the distraught girl and talk.

"You'll get through this, honey. And you'll be richer for the experience."

Sarah snorted.

"Hey. Remember that you wanted this. You wanted to relate to girls better and there's no better way than being one."

The girl corrected her. "I really only wanted to better understand Erin. I thought I was falling in love with her. But now I'm not so sure."

"Why do you say that?"

"My stupid plan. That's why. I faked some clumsiness in aikido class a couple weeks ago. I thought I was being clever."

"I don't understand. What happened?"

"I pretended to fall on top of Erin, and I took advantage of our positions to kiss her. I kissed her, Mom. I finally kissed her, and I'd swear she liked it. But she rejected me." Tears rolled down her face but she faced her mother. Her need for her mother's love outweighed any shame she felt from crying.

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. But we talked about this before. Remember? We can't help who we love and we can't control who loves us back."

"I know. I know all that, Mom. But it doesn't make it any less painful."

"No, dear. It doesn't. I'm sorry."

"Thanks, Mom. I guess it's better this way. I couldn't stand not knowing so I forced the issue. Now I know for sure it's never going to happen. I can move on." She bent her head down on her knees and balled her eyes out then.

Susan went over and kneeled on the floor next to the chair, stroking her daughter's back and offering quiet, soothing words to comfort the poor girl.

* * *

Erin came over a little later that day and she, along with Susan, dragged Sarah to the mall. They thought a little shopping might help. They meant well, but once again, they underestimated Sarah's discomfort. The reluctant girl still didn't understand the joys of shopping and she still felt yucky from her period in spite of her medication. The cranky girl's mood worsened until the other two finally conceded defeat and went out for a little dessert. Only chocolate could help the cranky girl.

"Thanks, you two," Sarah said after finishing her dessert. "I needed that."

"You're welcome, dear."

Erin smiled back at her friend. "Yes, Sarah. You're very welcome."

"As long as we're all out and about, is there anywhere you two want to go?"

"Shopping!" they both said at the same time.

The three of them laughed, and Sarah followed along behind them, trying to enjoy the experience through their eyes. She still didn't understand the attraction of shopping, at least not clothes shopping, but she could appreciate the gleam in their eye when they saw a good deal or the perfect accessory for an outfit.

* * *

When the three of them got home, Matthew was already there, having lunch at the kitchen counter. There was no way Sarah could sneak by him to her room so Susan had to go inside on her own and smuggle some of Lester's clothes out to him in the car. He changed clothes and then shapeshifted in the garage while Erin and Susan stood guard, and when the boy came in, he stopped to say hello to his father. It was an innocent mistake.

Erin, Susan and Matthew all suddenly noticed that Lester wore makeup. Susan never let him leave the house without at least a little makeup as Sarah, and Lester still wore Sarah's makeup. His lashes were full with mascara. Eyeliner defined the outer corners of his eyes and his lips stood out in light pink. Never mind the foundation. It wasn't nearly as noticeable.

"Lester?" the man said, trying very hard to restrain himself.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Why are you wearing makeup?" Matthew spoke slowly to show his displeasure.

Lester's hand went up to his lips. He could feel the waxy texture of lipstick on his lips and he squeaked like he normally did as Sarah.

Susan, Erin and Lester all answered at once, saying different things and getting an angry growl from the man of the house. "Never mind! Just go take it off and we can discuss it later. No son of mine is wearing makeup in my house."

Lester gave him a nervous laugh and ran to his room to find some makeup remover in his purse. He was still a girl where it counted. He was still experiencing the monthly bleeding of a sexually mature girl, again so he could get through it as quickly as possible. He wasn't exactly his father's son, wearing makeup. But he got the gist of his father's message.

Susan stayed to talk with Matthew and silently motioned to Erin to go talk to Lester.

The redhead hurried out of the kitchen to find her friend in the bathroom, trying to remove his eye makeup before his tears could ruin it.

"I'm in for it now, Erin. You should probably go. Things could get ugly."

"He won't try to hurt you, will he?"

"Erin! He's not that bad. At least I'm fairly sure he isn't. But he's not the most tolerant. He's going to scream a bit I think. Lots of screaming, actually. I'd rather you didn't hear it. He isn't as careful with his language when he screams."

Erin looked down at the floor. "Oh. Okay. I'm sorry for all of this, Lester."

"It's not your fault."

"It is. In a way. Your mother and I dragged you out and we weren't careful about getting you changed when we got back."

"It was me who wasn't careful, Erin. And now I get to take the consequences."

"What are you going to tell him?"

"It might be best to just tell him everything. Don't you think?"

"Truth is always best."

"The truth shall set you free? Is that it?"

Erin gave a nervous laugh.

"Goodbye, Erin. I'll see you later at work. I'm assuming you can get there on your own."

"Yes, I can get to work. Goodbye, Lester, and good luck."

She gave him a quick one-armed hug and sneaked in the back bedroom of the house, going back to wherever she went when no one was looking.

Lester finished removing his makeup and went back to his bedroom. He made sure all of his girl clothes and accessories were put away where they couldn't be seen. Then he laid back on his bed.

He had to resist the urge to scan the city for trouble with his clairvoyance. He didn't have the time. He had to start getting ready for work in another hour. There was no telling how that would work out. His father had yet to know about his job, or that his job required him to wear makeup. At least he wouldn't be his father's son when he applied the makeup. He'd be all Sarah and he wondered how his father would react to suddenly having a daughter. Somehow, he didn't expect a warm welcome.

* * *

When Susan entered Lester's bedroom, it was Sarah who sat in the squeaky old chair at Lester's desk. The girl absently stared out the window towards the neighbor's house to see Angie, her former dream girl just coming out of the girl's house, holding hands with a college age man and then kissing him very passionately goodbye. The young man was tall, dark and handsome, everything a girl could want in a man, and Sarah just couldn't wrap her mind around it. She couldn't, not with a heterosexual boy's brain.

All of the stress that day finally made something snap inside Sarah's mind. Having a period, reopening the wound of Erin's rejection, getting dragged through the mall, work looming on the horizon, her father's discovery of her makeup, and then seeing Angie kiss her boyfriend all combined to trigger a subconscious restructuring of her brain. Her shapeshifting and advanced healing abilities thoughtfully gave her the brain structure of the average heterosexual teenage girl. They meant well.

Sarah collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Her mother would have to call in sick for her. She wouldn't be going to work that day.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

The shadow agency strikes!

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 20

Seeing a girl in place of his son shocked Matthew to his core. Susan prepared him for it but words were one thing, seeing another. Still, it was good for him. He needed to be knocked out of his bigoted comfort zone.

Lester's, or actually, Sarah's worried parents didn't know what to do about their unconscious child. They didn't think they could take their part-time daughter to the hospital. They didn't trust the lack of medical history for the girl. All they could do was helplessly watch and wait.

In an encouraging display of paternal instinct, Matthew lifted the girl up and gently placed her in her bed before being shooed out of the room. Susan partially undressed the girl and tucked her into bed, then kept watch over her, sitting next to the bed in the tired, old desk chair. The worried mother held her daughter's hand and hummed songs to pass the time.

Sarah's father continued to play a proper role, bringing in water and snacks for his wife. He even took a turn keeping vigil while Susan went out to take care of a few things, including calling in sick for her daughter. The concerned man didn't hold his daughter's hand or hum any tunes, but he did talk to her a little. He'd heard that people in comas could sometimes hear when people talked to them.

"I'm sorry, Lester. Or Sarah. Whoever you are right now. I've been a bit of a jerk. I don't always like myself but I can't seem to help it sometimes. Anyway, I hope you're okay. Please be okay. I… I love you."

Sarah smiled in her sleep but didn't otherwise stir. Her reaction was enough to ease her father's tortured soul though. He sighed and quietly waited.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Susan talked to Stella on the phone. The store manager sounded very concerned. She knew that Sarah was also Golden Girl so she knew it wasn't likely that anything bad could happen to the girl, at least not when it came to her health. Any maladies should've been healed before they became a problem.

The older woman decided it was time to tell Susan how she was involved so she could offer some relief. She said that she'd consult with Erin and call her back in a few minutes. Susan gratefully accepted the help and anxiously picked up the phone before it could finish its first ring.

"Hello? Stella?"

"Yes, it's me. I'm sending Erin over with someone who might be able to help. We have friends in high places who have some experience with this sort of thing."

"Thank you, Stella. I'm worried sick."

"I know, dear. But if anything can be done for Sarah, I'm sure Erin and our friend will make sure it happens."

"When can I expect them?"

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Stella chuckled. "I believe that's them at your door. I'll let you go now. Bye bye."

An amazed Susan hung up and rushed to the front door to find Erin and a tall young man with blonde hair and the most amazing blue eyes. The man seemed to radiate a strange energy and Susan suddenly felt energized and ever so relaxed at the same time. She smiled and welcomed the two of them into the house, slowly leading the way to Lester's bedroom.

Matthew quickly stood up when Erin and the strange man entered the bedroom. "Hello. I'm Matthew," he said to the man, holding his hand out to shake.

The other man smiled and Matthew slowly lowered his hand. "I am Michael," the man said. "Thank you for welcoming me into your home."

Matthew joined his wife in the hallway just outside the bedroom, watching through the doorway with smiles on their faces. They were lost in the ethereal beauty of the moment.

Erin thoughtfully moved the old chair back to the desk to make room. Then she and Michael knelt by the bed, with Michael silently examining the stricken girl in her bed.

A significant amount of time passed but no one seemed to notice. Sarah's parents didn't. They didn't seem to notice much of anything. It wasn't until Michael and Erin slowly rose to their feet that Susan finally roused herself and asked, "How's my baby girl? Is she going to be okay?"

"I believe so," Michael said. "But there have been changes."

"Changes?"

"She's all girl now."

"I don't understand," Susan cocked her head. "I can see she's a girl."

"I mean all girl in body and spirit. She's no longer a boy in any respect. Please treat her accordingly. I can see that you will but your husband isn't ready."

"Yes, I know. He wasn't raised very well."

"That can be a problem, I know. But with guidance and patience, I believe you will do well."

Erin and Michael left the family in the bedroom and moved down the hallway before pausing in the entry way. Michael turned to Erin, looking her up and down before asking, "Why?"

Erin blushed. "I thought it was a good idea at the time."

Michael slowly shook his head as the pair slowly faded out. Erin's voice faded along with their bodies, saying "Hey. We can't exactly predict the future. Come on. Give me a break…."

Matthew snapped out of his relaxed stupor and moved to join his wife by Sarah's bedside, looking down at the girl.

"You heard?" Susan asked him.

"I heard. Am I really that bad?"

"Sometimes. But I love you anyway."

The concerned parents held hands and looked with love at their daughter, who'd sleep peacefully from that point on until early Sunday morning. The girl dreamed of fluffy baby animals, clothes shopping and handsome teenage boys, and she thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.

* * *

Sarah woke up Sunday morning feeling completely refreshed and ready for the day. She slipped on her favorite fuzzy lavender bath robe and matching slippers and went out to find her mother already at the dining room table, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Mom."

"Sarah! Hi! Good morning! How are you feeling?"

"Easy, Mom. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You don't remember collapsing last night? I was so worried about you! So was your father."

The girl smiled at the attention, but she soon frowned. "Daddy was worried about me? Somehow, that doesn't sound right."

"He loves you, Sarah. Why wouldn't he be worried?"

"Yeah. I know he loves me." She smiled at a recent but still vague memory, but the smile soon left her face. "But I'm confused about something. I remember him yelling at me yesterday for wearing makeup. Since when can't I wear makeup?"

Susan looked concerned and shook her head.

"What's wrong? What is it?"

"Oh, Sarah. You've changed, dear. Something happened and you changed. Erin and one of her special friends came by and told us that you're all girl, in body and spirit."

"Yeah. So?"

"So? That doesn't surprise you?"

"I don't understand. Why would it surprise me? I've always been a girl."

Susan groaned. Apparently, some of Sarah's memories changed along with her brain structure and the concerned mother would have to explain an unpleasant truth. Sarah went to the kitchen to grab a glass of cranberry-cherry juice and returned for a long, difficult talk.

During the talk, Sarah's eyebrows quirked several times but she let her mother continue without interruption. She didn't feel much like talking because it all sounded too fantastic.

When the talk finished, Sarah finally spoke. "I don't believe it. That's crazy."

"What?" Susan asked. "That you're Golden Girl? You don't remember being Golden Girl?"

"No. That's pretty crazy too, but in a good way. I meant that I was ever a boy. I don't believe it."

Susan sighed. "It's true. Think about it. Why else would your father have a fit about you wearing makeup? You were wearing it as your boy self and he couldn't handle it."

"Seriously?!"

"Seriously."

"So. What's my boy self's name? You didn't say."

"Lester."

"Lester? Yuck."

"Hey! Lester is a fine name."

"If you insist. At least I won't have to worry about it now."

Susan's internal warning bells sounded again. "Why do you say that? You still have to go to school as a boy."

Sarah's eyes went wide with shock. "What?! Why?!"

"All the school records say you're a boy. The school system thinks you're a boy. You have to go to school as a boy."

"That's stupid. I'm a girl, Mom. I'm a girl!"

"I know, honey. We'll work something out." She added, muttering more to herself, "We'll have to."

* * *

The new school plan devastated Sarah. She'd still have to go to school as a boy and slowly let everyone know that she was really a girl, trapped in a boy's body. She'd have to pretend to be a trans-girl and would slowly, agonizingly slowly, transition into her real girl self.

By that point, they realized Lester's old identification was no longer valid. Only her identification as Sarah could be used so she could drive and work as Sarah, but she still had to present as a boy at school for the time being. Everyone at school knew her as a boy.

At least she'd be able to get a waiver to get out of her P.E. class. She didn't really need the class to graduate, although she'd miss Erin, unless Erin could also find a way to skip it. She'd have to ask the redhead about it but she was sure it would be easy enough to do.

Skipping P.E. would allow her to keep her girl bits. That helped. She wouldn't have to take hormones or anything. Her own body would slowly feminize her boy parts, and she could occasionally cheat with shapeshifting, replacing any persistent masculine features with their feminine equivalent. She'd have the most complete transition ever and it couldn't happen fast enough for her.

She'd still be able to be herself at home and on the weekends with her shapeshifting ability. Her parents gave her permission to be all girl as long as she wasn't at school. That left her free to shop with Erin and do anything else she pleased as a girl.

She hadn't decided what to do about aikido class. She didn't really need it after learning aikido from the Akashic records. The only reason to go would be to practice with Erin, though there wasn't as much need for Erin to learn since the two girls could stay together after school. Sarah could protect her friend from Big Jim and any other bad boy. She'd have to ask the redhead about that too.

One thing she couldn't ask anyone about was her new gender identity as female. She didn't consciously cause it and had no idea exactly how it happened. Stress obviously played a part in triggering it but she couldn't reproduce the stress and she couldn't figure out how to change back even if she wanted to, and wanting to was definitely not happening. Ever. The girl was stuck as a true girl and didn't care because she couldn't remember being anything but a girl. Sarah only had to get through the rest of high school as a partial boy and she'd be free. But those last several months of high school wouldn't be fun. 'I'm still cursed,' she thought, remembering her apparent curse of clumsiness, even if it was as a girl instead of a boy.

* * *

Erin came over early Sunday afternoon and Sarah begged her mother to borrow the car for some girl time at the mall.

Susan smiled and readily agreed.

Sarah changed clothes, making sure to wear her basic Golden Girl body outfit underneath her clothes, just in case. She applied some makeup at her vanity mirror and the two girls were off to the mall. It was a good day to shop. Both of them had wallets full of money having received a paycheck the Friday before.

As Sarah drove, Erin kept studying her. It started to get bothersome.

"What, Erin?"

"You've changed."

"Duh. I thought you knew everything. I'm all girl now when apparently, I was a boy before. Yuck."

"Yes, Sarah. I can't see any boy in you any more. Interesting."

The driver blushed then. "Does that mean we're not spiritual soul mates any more?"

"You remember that? I'm not sure what you remember from your time as a boy. It's all so confusing."

"I pretty much remember everything except I was a girl instead of a boy in my memories. Everyone else remembers me as a boy but in my head, I was a girl."

"That is so strange."

"I know. Right. But it's true, and I still feel linked to you, Erin. I feel like we have an especially strong bond. It's more than just being like a best friend forever. It's beyond love. It transcends love." Sarah sighed. Describing it seemed an impossible task, but she did a good enough job.

"Do you remember kissing me?" Erin asked.

Sarah blushed.

"I take it that's a yes. Do you remember why you kissed me?"

"I can guess why my boy self would kiss you. You're hot. But me? I was just being playful, and maybe, just maybe, a wee bit bi-curious. I mean, how do you know if you don't try, right?"

The redhead smiled back at her. "I wouldn't know, but I have one last thing to say on the subject. All that I'll say is yes, we're spiritual soul mates and we always will be, now and forever."

Sarah turned on the radio to a station that played the latest dance mixes and the girls spent the rest of the trip letting the music wash over their bodies. They both imagined themselves dancing together to it, and after Sarah parked the car, they stared deeply into each other's eyes, sharing a soul stirring moment.

* * *

After scoring a couple articles of clothing at the mall, the girls settled in at the food court. Sarah considered engaging in conversation with Erin but instead, she couldn't stop her eyes from roaming. She inspected virtually every teenage boy who walked past, testing her attraction to each one.

"Oh, Erin! Look at him." She pointed with her eyes at a tall young man with short, spiky black hair and a brown leather jacket as he walked by. "Isn't he gorgeous?"

Erin looked in the indicated direction but just as quickly looked back her friend, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah. You're not exactly into the physical. Sorry. It's easy to forget. I'm still a slave to my humanity." The playful girl stuck her tongue out at her friend and laughed.

Erin rolled her eyes and shook her head, keeping her thoughts to herself. 'Humans!'

Both of them engaged in light conversation while Sarah continued checking out the boys. They finished picking at their food and headed back to the stores.

"Hey, Erin. Let's stop by Fashion Divinity as long as we're here. I heard Ms. Godwin had something to do with helping me yesterday and I want to thank her."

"Sure, Sarah. Let's. That would be a very nice thing to do."

The girls went off to their place of work, all the while keeping an eye out for a good deal or a pretty dress. It wasn't exactly part of their nature. It was a learned response, but it was one that they enjoyed. It was a good day to shop.

* * *

At Erin's request, Sarah let her stay and talk with Ms. Godwin. That left the superheroine free to go home and patrol from the safety of her bed. She extended her vision with clairvoyance and started her patrol. She also included her clairaudience so she could listen for anything loud and suspicious. The possibility of a shadow agency strike remained in the back of her mind, keeping her ever vigilant.

After her second pass around the city, she noticed a tiny electronics store on fifth street and saw something on most of the television screens in the store that horrified her. A hostage crisis in north Chicago held everyone's attention, including hers. Several armed men dressed all in black held over twenty hostages in a bank. The men appeared to be bank robbers but strangely enough, they didn't make any demands and didn't seem to be too interested in escaping with loads of money. The girl knew a trap when she saw one.

She shapeshifted into her Crystal persona and quickly donned her purple jacket and matching gloves, but she left her hat. It didn't feel quite cold enough for a hat.

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad! I'm off to Chicago to right a wrong!" she called and turned invisible before they could see her off. They arrived in the dining room not long after that, soon enough to get a ghostly hug and see the sliding glass door open, seemingly by itself.

"Be safe, Sarah," her mother told her.

"Ditto," her dad said.

"Thanks. Love you!" her voice told them.

"Love you too!" they shouted back.

The sliding glass door closed and the two parents suddenly turned to each other, both mouthing the same thing. "Chicago?" Then they jumped when the sliding glass door rattled from their daughter's sonic boom.

"To the television!" Susan shouted as she ran to the living room with her husband hot on her heels. They sat together on the couch and turned on the TV. The hostage crisis in Chicago was showing on all of the major news networks so it was easy enough to figure out what got Golden Girl's attention. They held hands to comfort each other and watched the situation unfold. It didn't take long before their daughter arrived.

Matthew's jaw fell open.

"Wow!" Susan said, beaming. "She got to Chicago in less than fifteen minutes. I wonder how fast she was going."

"Too fast," the worried father said, shaking his head.

They turned up the volume and listened as Golden Girl addressed the crowd, floating a dozen feet above them. "I don't believe these men are bank robbers!" she shouted. "I believe they only want to capture me and they might be playing with innocent lives to do so."

Back home, Susan and Matthew gasped while their daughter continued.

"They might be too powerful to keep in jail but I have to put a stop to this nonsense since they might be endangering lives. Please excuse me while I get to work."

The girl floated down to a police officer while taking off her purple jacket and gloves. She asked that he hold them for her and he silently nodded, taking them from her and watching as she moved almost faster than the eye could see up to the bank's front double doors, where she paused.

"I'm coming in!" she shouted. "Shoot anyone at your peril!"

With her telekinetic shield on and her danger sense active, she opened the door and immediately ducked, deflecting several darts that embedded into the glass door. She noted that they were tranquilizer darts, confirming her suspicion.

"That includes me," she said, following up on her warning.

The cameras couldn't record her after that. The world would have to wait to see how it all ended.

The girl, dressed all in black after shedding her purple clothes, kept moving, never giving the men a stationary target. She flew around inside, taking advantage of the tall ceiling to make her movements more unpredictable. The superheroine moved to each man, hitting him hard enough in the stomach to knock the wind out of him and take his weapon. The men were left gasping but without any duct tape to restrain them. The girl figured that they'd have a knife to cut themselves free and she didn't have enough time to spend on any one man to completely disarm him. She wanted to keep moving to keep them all off balance.

Once all of the tranquilizer guns were taken from the men and destroyed, Golden Girl stopped near a front window, standing as a silhouette against the bright sunlight that streamed into the room. She stood there to be close enough for the cameras outside to see that she was okay. She also wanted a good vantage to look for hostages, but, seeing none, she stayed put, waiting to see what was next because she knew there'd be more.

The men didn't disappoint her. They pulled guns out of every nook and cranny and let fly with a hail of rubber bullets, trying to overwhelm her with quantity. The girl almost laughed.

Almost as soon as the shooting started, the bullets slowed down and hovered in mid air like they were frozen in time. They weren't frozen though. They were held in place by telekinesis for a brief moment until they were released to bounce harmlessly on the floor.

The superheroine stood in place, letting the men shoot for a short time while she stopped the bullets. Then she decided to end it, but instead of going around to each man, she reached out with her telekinesis. In a subtle show of strength, she warped the firing pins, making the guns unusable.

The men threw their guns down in disgust, leaving them with their last and most dangerous option. But they had to wait for their leader to give the order to use it.

"Brain scramblers!" a man shouted. "Use the damn brain scramblers, you idiots!"

She didn't like the sound of that. It sounded like something that she couldn't stop with her telekinesis and it almost made her wish that she could read their violent little minds so she could better stop them.

Without waiting to be shot at, she flew up and used her last option. Her danger sense activated to full, giving her wide avenues of escape at first, but soon dwindling to large windows and then narrow crawlspaces as the men better aimed their strange, electromagnetic weapons.

Golden Girl had to go on the defensive, yanking the door off the stairwell with her telekinesis and flying up the stairs to avoid the men.

"Where'd she go?!" the leader shouted.

"South stairwell," a man answered.

"Well?! Go after her!"

"Yes, sir!" several men shouted back before running over to the stairs. The first man over to the doorway peeked in to make sure the coast was clear and then led a team of four men up the stairs.

Golden Girl sat five floors up, using her clairvoyance and clairaudience to spy on the situation below. "Only four men? I was hoping for more. Oh, well." Being well within range of her telekinesis, she used it to slam each of the men into the wall, knocking them out. She made sure they were all breathing and then moved down the stairs so she could easily reach out for more men with her telekinesis. She grabbed each of them one at a time, pulling them into and up the stairwell. When she was sure that she didn't have the leader, she'd knock the man out and go on to the next.

"What the hell is happening?! You morons are getting beaten by a little girl!"

She heard the leader with her clairaudience and finally spotted him with her clairvoyance. The older man cowered behind the front counter of the bank, thinking he was safe, but he yelped like a little boy when she grabbed him with her telekinesis. She picked him up and as she drew him towards the stairwell, she removed every weapon and device on him. She considered removing all of his clothes to make sure but that idea kind of grossed her out.

"Maybe if he wasn't so old," she mused out loud, then giggled.

She moved up another two floors to give her a little privacy and pulled the man up to her to have a little talk. No one followed the man up the stairs but she left her clairvoyance and clairaudience at the base of the stairs just in case.

"Hello there," she said to him. "I believe you know who I am. Care to tell me who you are?"

The man glowered at her and she got a better look at him in the light of the stairwell. His gray hair and weathered face made him look quite a bit older than her father. That surprised her. She didn't expect someone that old working as a field agent.

"I suppose you won't tell me who you work for either," she tried.

More glowering and she finally had enough. She held him a few inches above the current landing and reached all over him with her telekinesis, trying to find where he might be ticklish. When she got the least little reaction, she concentrated on the spot and soon had him crying with laughter.

"Stop! Stop it! This is ridiculous!" he shouted as he laughed.

"Will you talk?"

"Never!"

She considered tickling him some more but she grew bored. "I know you work for the government in some shadow agency. I guess that's good enough for now."

"Good guess," he said, still glowering.

"Oh, it's not a guess. I have sources that would make your head spin and your nose hair curl."

The man raised an eyebrow.

"Too much?" she asked, then giggled. "Well I do have my sources, and they can find out anything and everything about you and your organization."

The man snorted. "You're just an amateur."

"Yeah. That's fair. I haven't been at this very long. So do you mind telling me why you're after me?"

"You're a threat to national security. Why else?"

"Why are such big, strong men so easily threatened? I've been doing nothing but good!"

"You could go bad or something. Then we'd all be up shit creek."

"Ugh. Language! Please. And what is this something you speak of?" she mocked.

"Agents better than you have been broken and made to work for the other side."

"You're actually afraid of little old me?"

"Don't patronize me, Golden Girl, Crystal, whoever you are."

"Right. I've been trying to be good and fair. I got a little rough but I wasn't trying to hurt any of you. I was only defending myself. If you want to keep coming after me, I can't guarantee your safety."

"And I can't guarantee yours."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If we can't capture you, we'll have to kill you."

Crystal sighed. "My sources warned me about that, and they want to make me even stronger than I already am to better defend myself. Is that what you want? A paranormal arms race?"

The man actually smiled, even if it was a little creepy. "You know what. I'm actually starting to like you. You do seem like a good kid so take my advice. Go home and forget all about this superhero crap. Fade back into your regular life and we'll eventually give up on you, assuming we can't find you."

"I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

"I have a responsibility to use my abilities to help people. I can't look the other way while people commit crimes or get into trouble."

"You sound like a comic book."

"I'm not going to argue with you. As long as I have these abilities, I'm going to help people. End of story."

"You leave me no choice then," he told her. "I'll try to put in a good word for you and see if we've learned enough today to try to capture you again. Better that than go straight for the kill."

"Oh? I suppose I should be grateful but I'm not. I don't appreciate threats. I only wish I could thaw your heart completely. You might pass for a human being."

The man went back to glowering.

"Sorry. That sounded bad but I was actually being somewhat serious. I know at least one naughty non-human being who makes you look like a common criminal."

"One of your sources?"

"I really can't say. And I really have to go now." Her clairvoyance spotted a man in black cautiously approaching the stairwell. She grabbed the man with her telekinesis and yanked him hard up the stairs, making him cry out in pain as he bounced hard off the walls. When she got him up to her level, she kept him and the leader in the air and pulled out her duct tape, taping the men together before gently lowering them to the landing.

"See ya next time, Ace."

She flew back down the stairs, over to the doors and out of the building, not believing there ever were any hostages. The police could mop up after her at any rate. She had enough of stupid men and their stupid games.

The disgusted superheroine went to retrieve her coat and gloves from the policeman she left them with and while she was at it, she gave him a quick status report, telling him that it was safe to go in. Then she thanked him and flew up and away. Her signature sonic boom soon followed to the thrill of the crowd.

As she flew home, she wondered about her performance. She thought that her attitude needed a little mellowing but other than that, she felt satisfied and guiltless about everything she did. She wouldn't let her power corrupt her, not like it apparently did to her country's government.

She tried not to think about it the rest of the way. She got home to two worried, proud and emotionally drained parents and ended up consoling them more than they consoled her. It had been a long day and the girl wanted nothing more than to have a nice, hot bubble bath and relax.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

When everyone has a cranky day

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 21

The nudging returned Sunday night in the Akashic records. It wasn't appreciated.

"Drop dead, Mister Guile," Sarah said.

The nudging stopped abruptly and the girl wandered on her own. She made a shallow dive into the records as an experiment, looking for an earlier time when paranormal activities enjoyed more popularity.

Seances were easy to find, but most of them were fake according to the records. It disappointed her but didn't surprise her. Ever since her Government class started, her eyes had been rudely opened to the darkness within human beings.

"I hope you're happy, Mister Guile," she said aloud, not expecting an answer but getting one anyway. She received what felt like a pat on her rear and she growled.

The night ended without any new abilities but she liked the run through recent history, and she'd return over the next several nights. A strong surge of intuition told her she came close to finding something that she'd soon find useful.

"Nothing better than feminine intuition," she said as she woke up to her radio alarm playing dance music.

After a nice, long stretch, she peeled her covers off with her telekinesis and finally noticed her room decor. The dark, dull colors and posters of fighter jets screamed boy. Except for her vanity mirror and a few bits of makeup on her desk, everything about her room reeked of boy and she cringed.

"I gotta fix my room." She sighed. "Later."

All of her free time would be needed to get ready for school so she got up, threw on her bath robe and got to it.

Juice and cold cereal seemed a little ordinary but at least it had flavors that she liked and enough nutrition to make her mom happy.

The girl smiled. She felt so happy, sitting at the dining room table, being a girl, all girl. Too bad it couldn't last. She had to go to school. As a boy!

She went back to her room and shapeshifted her face and hair first, then worked her way down, except for her breasts. She'd leave her breasts for last. Parting with them was pure torture. At least she imagined it would be. This was to be her first voyage into boyhood as far as she remembered.

'I wish Mom was here,' she thought to herself, trying not to cry.

She finished shapeshifting and dressing in Lester's clothes, then went to the mirror to verify her image, comparing herself to a photo of Lester.

"I look like I could be my own brother," she said, frowning.

As planned, she kept her girl bits. They'd carry on to slowly feminize her. That would keep her from crying all day at least. She'd always refer to herself as a she, and she expected the rest of the world to soon follow suit. She'd be a part-time trans-girl for the next several months and it wouldn't be easy for her.

"Time to go," she told the house in a deep voice. She put on a long, warm coat from the old coat hook in the entry way and added an umbrella before locking the door behind her and walking off to the bus stop.

A strong, gusting wind drove the rain into her jeans, soaking them. That annoyed her. She pulled the umbrella down closer to her head and kept it in a tight grip. Using telekinesis to deflect the rain wasn't really an option. Not any more. She couldn't afford to use any ability in public where it might be seen. The shadow organization would likely detect it and come after her.

'Still cursed?' she mentally asked herself. 'Still cursed.'

Waiting at the bus stop turned into an eternity of wind and rain. The bus always seemed to be late when it rained, but it eventually arrived, like a faithful old dog. She stepped up and went back to take her usual seat, counting the seconds until her cute friend popped on and sat next to her.

'At least that's something to look forward to.'

Brian soon stepped onto the bus, and as he walked down the aisle towards Sarah, her eyes lit up.

"Hi Bri guy!" she said with a huge smile.

"Uh. Dude?" her friend said as he sat next to her.

"No more dude, Brian. Seriously. That's no way to treat a girl."

Brian gave his friend a nervous laugh.

"I'll need your support over the coming months."

"Why?"

"I'm a girl, Brian."

"Dude. You're scaring me."

"No more dude! Please, Brian. Something's happened to me. I don't know how I did it but I changed my brain. I'm a girl and I'm going to be transitioning into a girl at school. At home I can be myself of course, but school is going to be torture. That's why I'll need your support."

The boy looked her up and down and shook his head. "Not funny…." He was about to call her a dude again but stopped when he saw the fire in her eyes.

"I have paperwork here to prove it." She pulled a form out of her small backpack and waved it in his face. "But if you're not going to believe me, then I'm not going to talk to you. I'll just sit here and appreciate your broad shoulders and your eyes, your big beautiful blue eyes."

Brian sighed.

"Oh. I do have one more thing to say."

"What," he said, sounding a little reluctant to hear it.

"Don't put any more abilities on the website. They've attracted some unwanted attention."

"Yeah. I was going to ask you about Chicago but you kind of threw me a curve."

She sighed. She wanted to throw him curves all right, her real body's curves. "Some shadow agency is after Golden Girl," she told him, interrupting her daydream. "She had a heart-to-heart talk with the leader of the fake bank robbers and he said they were trying to capture her, but if they can't capture her, they'll kill her. Can you believe that?!"

"I can believe it. I should've known. I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot."

"Well, at least you're a good looking idiot."

"Will you stop?!"

She shook her head no as she stared at him. His jawline held her fascination for the longest time. She kept staring until he snapped his fingers in front of her eyes.

"Down… girl. We're here. Time for school." The boy hurried out of the bus ahead of his amorous friend.

'You'll see,' she thought as she followed his rear end with her eyes. 'I'm all girl and I'm gonna steal your heart.'

* * *

Sarah went to the main office before class to drop off some paperwork and declare her intention to transition into a girl. After working out some of the details like rest room usage and the waiver for P.E., she hurried to her first class.

Sarah, as Lester, entered the classroom just behind Erin. They briefly hugged each other and moved to their seats. When they finally tore their eyes from each other, they turned to see a very angry looking Mister Guile.

Their teacher fumed through his lecture and Sarah swore she could see steam coming out his ears. 'Must be a non-human being thing,' she thought, and giggled.

The lecture didn't cover anything interesting or even relevant to the class. It went over the Hundred Years' War.

"Excuse me, Mister Guile," Erin said. She'd raised her hand for at least five minutes and finally interrupted when it was clear that she wouldn't be called on. "Why are you covering the Hundred Year's War? This isn't a history class."

"I'm trying to make a point, my dear Miss MacCloud."

"But the war didn't even happen in this country. How is it relevant?"

The man nearly snarled but held himself in check. "I'm trying to illustrate what happens when there's no decisive victory in a war. It just goes on and on without end. Where's the exit strategy? When will it all end?!" His voice kept getting louder and he raised his arms as he spoke, waving them wildly. He was desperate to get Sarah to learn telepathy to keep her from being captured or killed.

"Hey. It's okay. Take it easy."

Mister Guile stopped and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. Erin was right. He needed to calm down. But he had too much invested in their wager and he didn't want to lose. He hated to lose. That's what he kept telling himself anyway. It couldn't be that he actually cared for Sarah because that's not what infernal beings do. They don't care.

The man looked up at the clock. With only five minutes to go in the class, he felt it pointless to continue the lecture so he dismissed everyone early. All of the students except two eagerly exited. It was just Erin, Sarah and Mister Guile. They all stared at each other as the door slowly closed on its own and sealed shut. It was time for another private conference.

"This whole thing is crazy," Erin started.

Mister Guild scowled. "I'm not willing to cancel the wager."

"You don't have a choice."

"Don't I? Things might be crazy as you say, but you have to admit it's gotten interesting."

Sarah just kept looking back and forth between the other two as they spoke. She kept waiting, hoping for one of them to let slip something more about the wager but they were too careful. Eventually, she'd heard enough. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"No!" the man shouted.

"Sorry, Sarah," Erin told her. "This is just between Mister Guile and me."

"Then why am I here?"

"Yes, Miss MacCloud. Why is Lester here?" He sneered when he said the girl's former boy name.

Sarah's eyes flashed. "I'm no longer Lester and you know it. Please don't insult me."

"Yes, yes. Sorry, my dear. We all know you're a girl now." He laughed at his cruel joke, knowing she didn't look anything like a girl at the moment.

The girl turned away from him and started to cry.

Erin couldn't take any more. "Now look what you did! You made her cry."

"I couldn't resist. So sue me."

"How about I just cancel the wager instead?"

"You can't!"

"I can and I will."

"Give it a chance," he said. "It's just getting warmed up."

"Why should I?"

"You came to me with this wager. Remember? You must have had a good reason, one you haven't mentioned. Are you going to give up so easily?"

"Easily?!" she squeaked, her face flushed with anger.

"Okay. Since you insist on being difficult. I'm playing my trump card. I'm holding you to your word. You started the wager and I'm not willing to end it. The terms of the wager haven't been violated. Therefore, it's going to continue. Am I clear?"

Erin was speechless. He called her on the one thing that she couldn't refuse: Her honor as a higher being. She didn't see it coming and she had no answer.

"Fine," she said. She got up and walked towards the door as it slowly opened on its own. "Come on, Sarah. Time to go."

Sarah popped up out of her seat and ran after her friend. She didn't spare Mister Guile a glance but if she did, she would've seen a creepy grin on his face.

* * *

Sarah wasn't sure what to say to Erin. She tagged along behind to their classes until lunch. The confused girl needed time to think about what she'd heard. The only thing that she managed to do was hand out paperwork to her teachers, explaining her transgender status. It took the teachers by surprise but they went with it. They had to since it was official. One of the teachers announced Sarah to the class, but no one seemed upset by it. School went on. Lunch was another story.

The redhead and her soon to be girlfriend sat down together at their usual table in the lunch room. Erin took one bite and Sarah pounced.

"Okay. I get it. You and Mister Guile aren't going to tell me what your wager is all about. But can you at least tell me one thing? You know. So I can maybe keep my sanity?"

Erin almost choked on a large piece of lettuce. She had to wash it down with a large gulp of water before she could speak. "I will if I can."

"Okay. I kept going over what you and Mister Guile said this morning after class and I have to ask. Do you really have some ulterior motive for starting the wager? You must because I can't imagine you normally making wagers."

"Yes, but I don't know if I should tell you. I don't want it getting back to him."

"You don't expect me to tell him, do you?"

"No, of course not. But the walls have ears. He might hear."

"Yeah." Sarah sulked. "I guess I'll just have to be satisfied to know you have your reasons." She paused a moment in thought, using her control ability and feminine intuition without even thinking about it and something occurred to her. She gave her friend a questioning look and mouthed one word. "Reform?"

Erin's eyes went wide. She nervously looked around and looked back at Sarah, slowly nodding.

Sarah laughed. "Good luck," she said, then finally started eating her lunch.

The redhead sighed but she didn't feel like eating after that. She just picked at her food and daydreamed about flying. She'd have to ask Golden Girl for another flight soon or she was afraid she'd have a nervous breakdown.

* * *

Back in the suburbs north of Chicago, three men from a certain shadow agency once again locked themselves in their windowless, sound-proofed conference room, ready to give reports and discuss options. But first, the leader of the men needed to deal with a little problem.

The tall, older man scowled and screamed a few expletives before calming down enough to officially start the meeting. "Your task force was an embarrassment to this agency," he told the youngest man of the group. "Why shouldn't I just authorize the kill order on subject Goldbrick?"

The young man sighed. "We knew going in that we didn't know enough about the subject. It was an intelligence gathering operation with a secondary objective of trying to capture the subject if possible."

"Yes, it turned out that it wasn't possible. So what intelligence did you gather?"

"The subject's telekinesis is a lot stronger than initial estimates," he glared at the third, shortest man, the one who gave the initial estimates during their last meeting. "And using satellite videos of the subject's most recent flight, the subject's speed was estimated to be over mach ten."

"Mach ten?!" the short man blurted. "Impossible!"

"Agent!" the leader said with a growl. "Compose yourself!" He turned to the young man. "What about the subject's home? Did you get any closer to finding it?"

"No. As usual, the subject turns invisible well before reaching the city."

"Damn it! I want her found!" The leader was having a bad day, and it kept getting worse. It was a rare slip up to refer to Golden Girl with a feminine pronoun. He normally referred to her as a test subject, a specimen kept in a jar to be studied and eventually killed. He'd done it to insects as a boy all the time. Dehumanizing the enemy was a common tactic, and Golden Girl was his enemy. The idea of a super strong young woman pissed him off like nothing else. It sent the wrong message to a world ruled by men, men like him.

The young man sighed. "We don't need to find the subject. We can bring the subject to us easily enough. All we need is another high profile incident."

"Fine," the leader said. "Proceed with your intel."

The report mentioned how the teenage girl easily deflected and evaded the tranquilizer darts and handled the huge quantity of rubber bullets. The only thing she had any trouble with was the brain scrambler weapons, but she had an easy answer for them as well. The report continued with the extended range of Golden Girl's telekinesis and how it was effectively used with clairvoyance to pick off the task force, one by one. She made the men look like amateurs, and as the leader listened, a vein on his forehead pulsed with anger and stress.

When the report finished, the short man asked, "Should I proceed with the kill?" He restrained his voice but his eyes glistened with eagerness.

The leader looked at both men. "That depends. Did we learn enough to contain the subject?"

The young man spoke up. "I believe we did, sir. We'll box the subject in and use the brain scramblers from long range."

"You've got one more chance," the tired older man told him. "Don't fuck this up."

So ended the latest status meeting of Operation Gold Fever.

* * *

Sarah drove to work with an unusually subdued Erin sitting in the passenger seat. Both girls looked great, with professional, feminine outfits and beautiful makeup. The only thing missing from what would've been an otherwise perfect drive was light conversation.

"Penny for your thoughts, Erin," Sarah said as she pulled into a parking space at the mall.

"Oh, it'll cost you more than that," her friend said with a faint smile.

'It already has,' the brown-haired girl thought, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

The two of them walked to their workplace in silence, but with a lighter mood after exchanging a few words. Sarah felt it important to go into work with the right mood. She remembered being quite dull at work and she vowed to make up for it.

They soon reached the front doors of Fashion Divinity and Sarah paused a moment, blocking Erin.

"Hey!" the redhead complained. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. This is the turning point and I just wanted to savor the moment. Tonight, I'll pass you in sales to become the queen of retail."

"Are you serious?"

"Entirely. Yes, I can remember being hopeless, but I know that was my boy self, before I became super sales girl." She laughed.

Erin laughed with her and they entered the store, ready to do battle with shoppers, tempting them with wondrous merchandise and making them part with their money.

Sarah laughed at her imagined battles in the store and suddenly turned serious, wondering if Golden Girl might need a vacation.

Stella smiled as the girls approached her private office, ready for what became a little ritualized game before starting work. "Name tags?" she said.

"Check!" they replied together as they retrieved said item from their purses and pinned them to their lapels.

"Smiles?"

"Check!" they said, lighting up the office with their best smiles.

"Attitude?"

"Check!" Erin said, then looked at Sarah, who she noticed didn't respond.

"Checkmate!" Sarah said, then laughed, finishing their little game with an unexpected variation.

The girls went out on the sales floor and gave it their best. Erin had a better start but Sarah went with her quiet confidence technique and slowly overtook her friend in sales. The taller brown-haired girl occasionally watched her redheaded friend and noticed how consistent Erin was. The bubbly redhead worked the same way with all of her potential customers and didn't seem to notice when it disagreed with one, an admittedly small yet still significant occurrence. Not every customer likes concentrated exuberance. Sarah learned and adapted to each and every woman she encountered. It made the difference.

At the end of the night, sales numbers were added up and Sarah wasn't crowned queen but she did end up as princess. She came in second, only behind a veteran in the shoe department. Erin came in fourth.

"No fair," Sarah mock complained. "Shoes are too easy."

Her friend smiled. "Maybe next time," she said and giggled.

The sales princess playfully stuck her tongue out at her friend and the two of them got on with helping Stella close the store.

Stella briefly took the newly complete girl aside. "Being close to Erin, I know all about your little accident but I have to say, I like how it turned out. You make an absolutely wonderful girl."

They hugged and Sarah had to fight back a tear. "Thanks, Ms. Godwin." The girl knew about Stella's involvement the day that she became all girl. She heard all about it from her mother; how a mysterious stranger came over with Erin, checked her out and charmed her parents. It was an interesting day for everyone, but it was just one in a string of many that would continue well into the next year.

* * *

Autumn rolled on to the last Friday of November, the start of the holiday season. Sarah hadn't feminized nearly enough to satisfy her, Brian was still oblivious to her charms and the shadow agency seemed overdue to strike. Stress lingered in the air but what bothered Sarah the most had to be her second period. She thought she'd be used to them by now but then laughed when she realized it was actually only the second of her life.

It surprised her how little bullying she got at school for being perceived as transgender, with nothing except an occasional one-word insult. Rumors spread faster than mach ten at her school. Everyone knew her as a budding trans-girl, but no one bullied her much. It might have been that she still looked too much like her original boy self. She didn't dress very differently than she had before. She didn't have the curves. Yet. Whatever the reason, she was grateful for the minimal drama. It kept her stress manageable.

Her current stress levels didn't come close to what triggered her brain change. It would take a lot more to cause something like that again. In other words, she was stuck as a girl and of course she didn't care. She was a girl, all girl, and couldn't be happier. Being a superheroine with a good job, good family and a potentially good boyfriend greatly outweighed any problems in her mind.

Mister Guile didn't pester her nearly as much about learning telepathy from the Akashic records. Instead, he nudged her into areas of knowledge such as paramilitary tactics that might help her deal with the shadow agency. She appreciated that. He also managed to give her one more paranormal ability. She got something called psychometry. It allowed her to find out things about people through their former interactions with an object. A person left an energy signature of sorts with all objects that they touched. She had to touch the object herself to read it but it worked well enough to find a dangerous criminal for the police.

The Mad Bomber, aka Harvey Stemwell, lived in Portland, Oregon before he was stopped thanks to Golden Girl. She flew to Portland and used her psychometry to "read" his gloating, taunting letters to the Portland police department, tracing them back through all of the people who touched them, namely the police, the postal service and the bomber himself. She found enough information for them to easily catch the disturbed old man, who was currently held in an institution for the criminally insane.

Sarah didn't have the heart to give in to Harvey Stemwell's request to have Golden Girl visit him, even though psychologists encouraged her to go, saying it might help him recover his sanity. She feared that she'd have to truthfully tell him that he was probably the easiest criminal that she ever caught. He did a lot of damage and even killed three people with several bombs before she helped, but all she did was go to the police station and use her ability on the bomber's letters. She didn't imagine it would sit well with his tremendous ego.

One good thing about the past month was that Erin and Lester, really Sarah, quit their aikido class. Sarah didn't need it and she could teach Erin. They'd save money and time so they had more of both for more shopping. It was a no-brainer.

As Sarah sat with Erin in the food court after some casual Black Friday shopping at the mall, she mentally stuck her tongue out at Fate and hummed old musical tunes, one of her favorites being "Goodnight, My Someone" from The Music Man. She hummed while indulging in her appreciation of the hunkier sex as they wandered by, but a sudden cramp stopped her cold.

"Ugh," the pained girl said.

"Are you okay?" Erin asked.

"Do I look okay?" Sarah snapped. "Oh. Sorry. You know. That time of the month."

Erin gave her a sympathetic smile. "Yes. I can relate. Did you take your medicine?"

Sarah nodded and went back to picking at her food, waiting until the time was right to begin another round of shopping. But something had been bothering her over the past week and she needed to get it out. "I've been wondering something."

"Oh?"

"I'm sitting here, basking in the glow of girlhood after having been a boy for most of my life. How is that possible?"

Erin shrugged as she chased a kernel of corn around her plate with her fork.

"Did you know this would happen? How could you not know?" Sarah didn't mean to sound accusing, but she wasn't in the best of moods.

"I'm not omniscient, Sarah. And I don't have visions of the future."

Sarah huffed.

That irritated the redhead a little. "Look, you haven't been forced to do anything against your will. What happened wasn't exactly your fault but your decisions led up to it. Everything you've done has been your choice. Humans still have free will."

"Okay. Sorry but I had to ask. You've kept a lot of secrets from me and it bothers me."

"I'm sorry too, Sarah."

They gave each other a faint smile. Sarah went back to humming and boy watching. Erin sighed and gave up on the last few corn kernels on her plate. She hated keeping secrets.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

The shadow agency strikes again!

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 22

Sarah placed third in sales at work that Black Friday night, following behind Princess Erin who placed second. She blamed her period for her slight drop in performance and moved on. She had bigger fish to fry, fish that swam in small, shadowy pools full of paranoia and self-importance.

After she got home for a little patrolling, her clairvoyance alerted her to a major crime and her intuition pinged her with warning signals. Her favorite source of crime alerts, the television screens in the tiny electronics store on fifth street, displayed yet another hostage situation in northern Chicago, this time in an underground parking garage under a building that was owned by an insurance company that she never heard of.

'How original of them,' she thought with sarcasm.

As she dressed in Golden Girl's purple outfit, she extended her clairvoyance forward to Chicago to scout the scene. She didn't want any surprises.

Only a single hostage was held, a little girl who looked to be around five-years-old, and she almost lost her composure. That was low, even for a bunch of men with questionable morals. The men had chained the girl to the metal floor at the end of a long hallway, with metal walls, no doors and no exit at the far end. It was so obviously a trap, but it was a well-made trap. Being underground, the walls would be virtually impossible to breach. She'd have to go down the hall to rescue the girl.

Sarah, now Crystal, dressed as Golden Girl, listened to the girl with her clairaudience and gasped. Quiet whimpering could be heard from the little girl but the girl didn't seem to be moving. That seemed odd so she had a closer look, and what she saw made her breathe a sigh of relief. The girl wasn't really a girl. It was a very authentic-looking dummy.

Golden Girl almost didn't make an appearance after that, but the general public didn't know about the dummy. The news media only reported a girl hostage. There was no fact checking, no way to verify. The superheroine couldn't disappoint the public, and she didn't want to disappoint the men of the shadow agency, not until after she showed them the error of their ways.

Before she left her house, Crystal informed her parents. Her mother gave her a faint smile but her father didn't look happy at all, and he didn't say anything to her except to half growl, "Just go!" He knew he couldn't stop her, and it ate at his male ego and worried him at the same time. He also mourned the loss of his son. He considered Lester to be dead and that hurt most of all.

Golden Girl hugged them both goodbye, turned invisible and left the house. Another loud sonic boom soon rattled the sliding glass door as she quickly accelerated to full speed on her way to Chicago.

Keeping her clairvoyance active as she flew, she moved it backwards from the other end of the metal hallway, and there, set into the back walls of the parking garage, directly across the open end of the hall, she found the expected brain scrambler weapons. The men hoped to be beyond the range of her telekinesis so they could stun her. She also suspected the dummy to be booby-trapped as a backup in case the brain scramblers didn't work.

If she could've seen the feral smile on her face, she would've cringed. Her paranormal intel gave her a distinct advantage and the men wouldn't know what hit them. She only hoped that the same older lead man was there. She hoped he might give her a little advanced warning about how they'd intend to kill her since they wouldn't be able to capture her.

She flew on to her destination, once again arriving in less than fifteen minutes, and Golden Girl addressed the news media as she floated just above them. "Hello everyone. They're at it again. Men in a shadow agency of our government have set up a fake hostage situation. I really wish they could be prosecuted. This is getting tiresome but I want to see if I can reason with them. I refuse to give up anyone. Maybe they'll eventually understand that I'm not a threat to national security."

She thanked the media and kept her coat and gloves as she shot past the police lines to enter the cold, dark parking garage, a dull gray, concrete monstrosity with huge round pillars for support. She wasted no time, heading straight for the brain scramblers. The wary girl kept out of the line of fire and reached out with her telekinesis, slamming each gunner's head into the wall to knock him out and crushing each weapon. She hit them all, one after another, and she did it so fast, they couldn't retaliate.

After the last man along the back wall dropped to the ground, men suddenly appeared out from behind cars and the concrete pillars. They also wielded brain scramblers, something she didn't see coming, but she didn't hesitate. She went for the weakest link, the men themselves, hitting them all at once. She violently twisted their hands so they couldn't fire the weapons. They couldn't do anything except scream as the bones in their hands shattered.

The upset superheroine didn't like breaking bones and she made a mental note to see if she might have an opportunity to heal them afterward. She slammed the men to the ground to knock them out and moved on to look for the next threat. When no more men showed themselves, she scanned the area with clairvoyance and the feeling of being watched suddenly made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She knew it wasn't over yet.

The sound of heavy steel startled her as huge, thick doors slid down to seal off the garage level. Then the sound of hissing air got her attention. She saw clouds of pale, pink gas flow into the garage and she immediately moved to the steel door that was farthest from any gas. She tried lifting it with the full strength of her telekinesis and could barely budge it. She might eventually lift it with more fine control but not before the gas would get to her.

Panic threatened to unnerve her then, but she had one more thing to try. As she'd tried once before in the park by her home, she combined her enhanced strength, healing ability and telekinesis to achieve her true maximum power level. The door didn't stand a chance. She jammed her hands into the concrete to break it up and give her access to the bottom edge of the door. Then she curled her super fingers under the door and lifted it like it was made of cardboard. The slightly angry girl ducked under the door and let it clang shut behind her as she flew up to the first security camera that she found. Using a combination of clairvoyance and psychometry, she traced the signal back to the security office that monitored the camera and found an open path to it. Once again, she wasted no time.

When she got to the security office, a small, square room with a row of several security monitors, she found four surprised men standing together, including the older gray-haired leader that she'd talked with during the previous phase of Operation Gold Fever. She slammed the other three men to the ground, knocking them out so she could have a private conversation.

"Hello Ace. You failed again. Got any more free advice before I duct tape you to your friends?"

The man flashed her a grim smile and pulled his handgun.

Golden Girl was disappointed in his reaction, but she was also ready. The firing pin, springs and every other small bit of metal in the gun were already bent. The safety was also switched back on. The gun didn't fire and the frustrated man threw it at her. It got halfway across the room before it slowly lowered to the ground.

"Does no one in your group have a sense of humor? What, do they breed it out of you or something?"

"Just get on with it, bitch." the man said with a sneer.

"You seemed a lot more civil last time. What happened? Did you boss scold you or something?"

"Yeah. Something like that. Now how about just knocking me out like the rest of my men? I really don't like being duct taped."

"Ah. I thought the duct tape was a nice touch. I thought it might show you that I don't mean any harm."

"I saw what you did to some of my men. You mangled their hands good."

"They threatened me and I did what I had to. They're still alive, and I'd even heal them if I could. It's not likely now considering they're all sealed in the garage. I hope the gas doesn't hurt them."

"Naw. They'll sleep like babies for a couple of days."

She sighed. "Yeah. Babies. I know you used a dummy instead of a real girl for a hostage but that still wasn't very nice."

The man chuckled. "Tough shit."

Crystal narrowed her eyes. "I really don't like your language but I guess it shows you're not about to give up on me."

"You got that right. But it won't be me coming to get you next time. It'll be some real badasses, and they're not going to try to take you alive. That's the only warning you'll get from me."

"Yes. You mentioned that before. Nothing new for me then? What kind of guns will they use? Or will they just try to blow me up?"

The man shook his head. "You know what? I'd like to see you last at least a little while. Give 'em some trouble like you did my group."

"Yes?"

The man started by describing armor piercing bullets and quickly moved up to the rocket-propelled grenades and beyond. He gave her a thorough list of the more conventional weaponry and only kept the more modern electronic weapons to himself. He couldn't give it all away. He wanted to see her eventually taken down. The man was somewhat of an immoral scumbag at heart. He had to be to get as far as he did in the shadow agency. That didn't mean he was beyond hope though.

"Hey," she told him. "You've been helpful so I'm going to give you a little break in return."

She then proceeded to duct tape the man, though not to the other men. She just taped his hands and arms tightly together and the moved to tape his legs, and as she did so, she started crying. The man couldn't help but notice.

"What the hell?! You clean our clocks and cry about it?!"

"It upsets me to see people do bad things. Okay?" She sniffed a couple times.

The man shook his head. "I don't believe you. You're so naive."

"You sound like my Government teacher. I think you two would get along great."

"Still going to high school then?" the man probed.

"I didn't say what kind of school it was, did I? But I'm obviously young enough to still be going to some school."

"Good girl. Maybe you're not so naive after all."

"I try my best," she gave him a wry grin. Then she tore off a large piece of duct tape and pressed it firmly over his mouth. "I guess we won't be meeting again so please just wish me good luck. Goodbye, Ace."

She tried to make it sound like she'd be waiting around for the next group to come after her, but she had other plans. She'd had enough. It was time to take the offensive. She flew home to debrief and console her parents and ask her father for advice. His military experience would likely prove valuable and she meant to explore all options in her little battle. She meant to win and put a stop to it all.

* * *

Her father wasn't much help in her battle with the shadow agency. The only thing he did was plead with her to give up being a superheroine. He didn't like the attention she started getting from the government. In his mind, it was a hopeless fight, one she'd never win. She didn't have the resources they did. They wouldn't give up until she was either dead or they all were, and he knew she wouldn't kill them.

Sarah hated to see her father in such a state so she grabbed her long, warm coat and left the house, taking her phone with her to aid her in her search for a friendly face and a shoulder to cry on. The sad girl walked to the park near her home and sat in the dark on a swing. She didn't have any way to contact Erin, but she did have a certain handsome someone's number in her contact list. She texted Brian.

"hey. need a friend. you around?"

He texted back almost immediately. "gg?"

Sarah started crying then. She couldn't wait. The tears rolled down her face as she gently swung forward and back from the subconscious use of her telekinesis. She kept swinging and crying for close to ten minutes before Brian came running up to her, apologizing profusely as he gasped for breath.

"You should exercise more often," she told him, secretly pleased at his quick response.

"Yeah," he said, gasping the word out between breaths. It took a couple of minutes before he could continue.

While she waited, Sarah smiled inwardly and tried to encourage him with her eyes.

"Okay," he finally said. "I'm sorry about the text. You just caught me by surprise."

"Sure I did, Brian. What were you doing?"

"Uh. Nothing. It was a boy thing."

Sarah laughed. "I almost wish I could remember being a boy so I knew what you were talking about. I think I can guess though."

"Please don't," he warned.

"Okay. I'll just thank you instead. Thanks for coming. I had a bit of trouble earlier today."

"Yeah. I saw the news. You looked pissed. Is that what this is about?"

"Kind of. Yeah. I'm having trouble with that stupid agency and I tried to get some advice from my dad. He kind of freaked out though. And here I am." She sighed.

"Wow. So what happened? It wasn't clear on the news."

"Oh. Right." She gave him a quick summary and repeated what the old leader told her.

Brian whistled. "You really know how to get into trouble."

"Yeah."

"I don't really know how to help you either but I bet someone on your fan club website does."

"Oh! Really? You really think so?"

"Yeah. You've got like thousands of fans. One of 'em is bound to know something. I'll check in with them tonight and let you know what they come up with tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Brian. You're a life saver."

Before the two teens split up to go to their respective houses for the night, the boy had one request. He didn't make it a requirement in exchange for the help. He just wanted her to consider chatting again sometime that weekend as Golden Girl.

Sarah agreed right away. She felt it was the least she could do for her fans. A little guilt had been creeping in that she'd only chatted once up to that point. The idiot super fan in Florida made her regret that first session but who's to say it would happen again? She'd most likely get help from her fans - her intuition told her so - and she'd thank them in a chat session.

'A superhero getting help from her fans,' she thought. 'Who would've guessed?'

She went home, kissed her parents on the cheek, told them good night and went to bed. She expected and even looked forward to a visit from Mister Guile in the Akashic records. The more help she could get, the better.

* * *

"Hello Mister Guile."

"Sarah," he replied. He dropped all pretense of being a librarian for the Akashic records and just appeared as himself, his real self, the short, squat dark being who'd made a wager with a higher being over a boy who turned into a girl. Things were complicated enough. They didn't need to add to it.

"I'm sure you know that shadow agency is out to kill me now."

"Just as I'm sure you won't accept telepathy."

She nodded. "Do you understand why yet?"

He sighed. "Do I have to?"

"It might help get you to give up and stop wasting your time."

"What if I like a challenge?"

"What if you're just stubborn for no good reason?"

Mister Guile shook his head. "I give up for now. I can't promise that I won't try again."

"That's fair."

The odd pair went back to discussing the shadow agency and what might possibly be done to fend them off it not stop them outright. The problem seemed insurmountable. At least that's what Mister Guile told her, but she knew he was just trying to indirectly push his own agenda, and she began to wonder if he wasn't truly starting to care about her.

"Okay," he said, getting frustrated. "Perhaps a better understanding of weapons and explosives would help."

Sarah nodded. "I've been disarming them so far, but yeah, I think that's a good idea. I'd like to see what's out there." She pointed in a random direction as she said it.

Seeing her point at the Akashic records suddenly sparked an idea and Mister Guile got a glint in his eye. It unnerved the girl but she held his gaze and quirked an eyebrow. He smiled back, a warm, genuine smile that didn't creep her out at all. Then he spoke. "I'm fading out now, gone but not forgotten. Look for me in the shadows and listen for me on the wind. Sail on through the night."

She shook her head. 'Dark beings are so silly,' she thought. But she didn't hesitate when a strong gust of wind blew into her from behind. She followed the wind on to a most amazing part of the Akashic records, surfing along the surface of the top level and hitting the spray of all the most recent happenings in the world as they happened. Traffic accidents, bank account transactions, house cleaning and more. All of the mundane actions of the current present flowed from the real world to the Akashic records, and Sarah tapped into it.

At first she didn't understand why Mister Guile had nudged her on her current course. It took until she hit a certain region of the astral plane - where the Akashic records were held - that corresponded to Chicago to know what the dark being intended. Her scary, feral smile returned then, getting bigger as she moved north through the Windy City. And after finishing her skimming of some very useful information off the top of the Akashic records, Sarah thanked her benefactor and returned to the real world, ready to do battle. But first, she had one of her golden promises to keep.

* * *

Saturday morning found Sarah bright-eyed and ready to face the day. She didn't even flinch when her phone buzzed.

Brian texted her, asking to meet at the public library at noon. He said there wasn't much help but Sarah didn't mind. How could she not feel great with all of the generosity of her fans around the world? Even if they couldn't help her, they were trying. That warmed her heart. So did Mister Guile for that matter.

The gold mine of information that she uncovered last night more than made up for any potential disappointments. She finally felt some optimism about solving her problem with the shadow agency. First though, she had some chatting to do. She also still wanted to see if someone could help her with the final piece of the puzzle. Her intuition told her she was close, so close.

Her parents didn't exactly share her optimism when she told them. She was confident that they'd come around though.

She met Brian on the steps outside of the library for a little talk before going inside. He told her that no one could crack the shadow agency's security. It was likely their network wasn't connected to the Internet. In that case, it would be virtually impossible to find out anything. But again, she didn't mind. She teased him that she'd have a big reveal towards the end of her chat session and left it at that.

They went inside and Sarah found herself sitting next to Brian, both of them using a separate computer. She logged in as Golden Girl and proceeded to chat with over three dozen of her fans. She only had to prove herself to two of them and everyone believed. That was refreshing. So was the subdued appreciation of her abilities. Everyone behaved. Everyone was civil. It gave her back some of her lost faith in humanity, lost thanks mostly to the shadow agency.

After chatting for twenty minutes or so, she finished by asking for help with her problem.

GoldenGirl: "I have one more thing I'd like to discuss with everyone here. I need some advice."

Stranger67: "i'd be happy to help if i can. how refreshing that a superhero needs help from her fans."

SuperGirl7014: "i'd like to help too!"

GoldenGirl: "Thanks. As most if not all of you probably know, I've been having trouble with a shadowy government agency."

SuperGirl7014: "not cool! bad men! bad! no biscuit!"

GoldenGirl: "Thanks, V. I like your sense of humor. But I need to be serious here. These men mean business. They're likely going to try to kill me the next time we meet."

SuperGirl7014: "nooooo!"

BiggestFan127: "seriously? no way!"

KingFanDude: "way."

GoldenGirl: "Not helping, Kingie. Anyway, for some stupid reason, this agency considers me to be a possible threat to security. I stress the word 'possible'. I'm trying to think of a way to get them to leave me alone to fight crime and help people. That's all I want to do as Golden Girl."

SuperGirl12370: "u r 2 cool!"

GoldenGirl: "Thanks, SuperGirl12370. I have one important more thing to say. I now have information about the leader and all of his underlings in this agency. I know their full names, social security numbers, birthdays, addresses, phone numbers and more. I can trace all financial transactions they've made. In other words, I can shine a bright light on all of their skullduggery. So, should I just do it? Or should I just threaten to do it?"

Copper167: "Wow! Yes. This needs careful consideration. If you give them away to the press, Congress, whatever, they might still find a way to retaliate, especially if they actually believe themselves to be a force for good."

GoldenGirl. "Right, Copper167. I have no doubt that at least some of them believe they're helping keep the country safe. If I take them down, they'll see me as the enemy for sure. It sort of contradicts my message."

Stranger67: "i don't see you as the threatening kind either. it's blackmail. isn't that illegal? you know what they say about two wrongs."

GoldenGirl: "Exactly, Stranger67. So what do I do with the information? How can I use it to keep them from killing me? There must be something I can do."

SuperGirl7014: "why not help them?"

GoldenGirl: "What?!"

SuperGirl7014: "seriously. if they're really doing some good things (LIKE NOT KILLING YOU!) then help them do more good things."

GoldenGirl: "V! I could kiss you! That's perfect! Thanks!!"

SuperGirl7014: "how about another visit?"

GoldenGirl: "You got it, V. After I make some plans to take care of my problem."

KingFanDude: "what about visiting someone else here too? just to be fair."

GoldenGirl: "Kingie speaks wisely this time. But who should I visit? I think Stranger67 is the next logical choice. How about it Stranger67?"

Stranger67: "Thanks, but I don't think so. I'm not the fan guy type."

SuperFan318: "what about me? i was next after Stranger67!"

GoldenGirl: "I remember you, SuperFan318. You were a very naughty boy. I don't think you deserve a visit."

SuperFan318: "please? i apologize for my earlier, juvenile behavior. i'll be good."

GoldenGirl: "Well, if you promise, I'll consider it. I hate to disappoint any of my fans. You've all been very good to me. Thanks and goodbye."

KingFanDude: "and there she goes. until next time, gg! i'm off too. things to do. ttfn"

The two teens stood up and stretched.

Sarah sneaked a peek at her friend and sighed. "That went much better. Thanks for getting me in the chat room. It helped." She impulsively hugged him, surprising both of them. They separated and both of them blushed.

"Any time," the boy muttered, not sure exactly what he was referring to.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

The least of all evils

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 23

Later that same Saturday, Golden Girl floated about a thousand feet above Springfield, Illinois. She'd just visited Vanessa and was using a throwaway phone that she picked up in the city below. Actually, a young man with red hair and a face full of freckles had let her borrow one from the store where he worked and she eagerly accepted, saying that she'd bring it back very soon. She entered a local, seven digit phone number and the call connected after only one ring.

"Who is this?!" the man on the phone bellowed.

Crystal had to suppress a giggle. "It's me, fearless leader. Golden Girl. I have a proposition for you."

"How did you get this number?! Who gave it to you?!"

"I have my sources. Didn't Ace, I mean agent Derek Johnson tell you? Yes, I know all of your names, Mister Wells. But don't get your undies in a twist over it. I keep telling you that I'm one of the good guys."

"Impossible! No one can hack our network! This is impossible! Someone told you!"

"Will you please stop yelling? You're going to have a stroke or something. No one told me. I promise."

"Wait," he said. "You promise?" He remembered how honest the girl had proven to be. In spite of being a possible threat to national security, she was honest if nothing else, and her promises were better than ironclad agreements.

"I promise. And you should know my promises are gold. I've read your files on me. I must say, I don't much like being referred to as subject Goldbrick. Yuck."

The man growled but at least he respected her honesty. "Okay then. What do you want? You mentioned a proposition."

"Yes, well, you should know that I don't make threats. I'm not going to blackmail you with my information about your agency. And goodness knows I don't want to interfere with your ability to protect the nation. I'm not going to out you and your agency."

"Just tell me your… hang on. Where are you?!"

"You traced me that quickly? I'm impressed. If you tracked me to about a thousand feet above Springfield then give yourself a gold star." She giggled. "I really am there. Oh. Please don't invade the store where I got this phone. I'm just borrowing it from a very nice employee."

"Okay. I'll be serious. You're in a lot of trouble, young lady. Turn yourself in now and…."

"And what?!" she interrupted. "You want to capture or kill me! Forget that. I am not expendable, I'm not stupid, and I'm not going." She giggled at her sci-fi reference. She couldn't help herself, but it didn't help her cause.

"I'm telling you to turn yourself in!"

"And I'm telling you that I'm not a test subject for your lab, Mister Wells. But if you want agents with my abilities, why not just use me? I'll gladly cooperate if it'll get you off my back. I'd really like to stop Operation Gold Fever before someone gets killed."

The man sighed. "How do I know you'll cooperate?"

"Because I'll promise if you will. And I can hold you to your promise so I'm not worried about that."

"What do you mean?" he blustered.

"I mean, I can tell exactly what all of you are up to any time of day. You fart and I'll know it. And don't think I don't know all about your intense dislike of women. I don't much care for you, but I'll work for your agency if it'll both do some good for the country and stop you from using me as a lab rat or killing me."

"How could you possibly know that about me?! Do you read minds now?!" he said, sounding a little nervous.

"No, I don't read minds. That would be unethical. I can track you another way, and since this concerns me, I think I'm justified in seeing everything about you and your agency that can help me defend myself. I've seen your profile, Mister Wells, and I can tell you that your boss knows all about your personality quirks."

"I don't have a boss! I'm my own boss!"

"You answer to highly placed government officials who shall remain nameless. It's no secret to me. Was it a secret to you?"

The man sputtered on the phone and Crystal worried that he might actually be having a stroke. But he soon regained his composure. "Okay. Fine. You've got me. We'll cut a deal. Just come into the office and…."

"Forget that. It's not that I don't trust you, but I don't trust you. Give me a public place to work from and supply me with a smart phone and maybe some spy gadgets. We'll leave the phone in a protected but public place like a storage locker or something. It'll be like my office or something. I'll help you but I'm not giving up my secret identity and I'm not working directly from your office. I also won't accept any payment. I'm volunteering for the good of the country. Deal?"

The man went silent for nearly thirty seconds before he finally responded. "What about other agents? Will you work with other agents?"

"Sure."

"Okay. That might work. Just a minute. Let me think about it."

She sighed. "I'll give you a day. In the meantime, here's some incentive for you. Agent Johnson and I have exchanged intel for our mutual benefit. He's a bit crude but he's still a good agent and deserves a raise. Agent Birdwell? Not so much. That man has been skimming money from your transportation funds. He needs to be stopped and prosecuted."

"What?!"

"Who watches the watchers?" she asked, then hung up on him. She took the phone back to the red-haired young man at the phone store, thanked him and took off for home. She only hoped senior agent Wells would accept her proposal because she didn't like the alternatives.

'You've always got choices,' she mentally quoted Brian. 'It's just that most of them are bad.'

* * *

That same night at work, Sarah didn't do so well. Too many things competed for her attention. Besides, no one was taking the sales crown from Ms. Cranston in the shoe department. The woman was a shoe selling machine, and shoes were so easy to sell anyway. There were better goals to aspire to than becoming sales queen at work.

Sarah took Erin home with her after work and changed into Golden Girl. They briefly split up while Crystal turned invisible, met up at the park and launched into the night sky. Both girls needed a nice, relaxing flight together over the city. It was something they started doing fairly regularly to unwind and bond. They liked to keep close together and occasionally stare into each other's eyes for what they called a soul cuddle.

On the way back to the park, Golden Girl updated her friend about the shadow agency and Erin wished her good luck with them. There was nothing else to do on that front except wait and hope. Luckily, Sarah didn't have long to wait.

After seeing Erin off and finally getting to bed, she did finally learn from the Akashic records that the kill order was canceled and Operation Golden Fleece had begun. It should've been a time to celebrate but she felt numb. It shouldn't be so difficult to be on the side of good. She shouldn't have the so-called good guys after her when she was good herself.

She woke up Sunday morning and told her mother the good news. Her mother cheered enough for both of them. Her father was off at the shooting range as usual, taking his frustrations out by killing as many target sheets as he could. The poor man had never been more stressed but at least he'd get a little relief when he finally got home and learned the news. Golden Girl was safe - from the government at least - and the whole world would breathe a sigh of relief.

The only problem was that she now had two jobs, one of which she wasn't getting paid for. She hoped her super secret job didn't require too much time. That could wait for the moment though. Mister Wells could wait. She had her priorities.

Sarah texted Brian as soon as possible. "meet me in park in ten? got good news! SARAH!"

He texted back almost immediately. "k," followed by a smiley face emoticon.

She imagined the smiley face having Brian's black hair and piercing blue eyes. She had it bad. 'I'm chasing Brian, he's chasing Golden Girl and Golden Girl is me. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.'

She applied a little daytime makeup, dressed for the cold weather, grabbed her favorite long black coat and headed out to the park. The short, brisk walk and cold air livened her up enough that she thought she could handle the oblivious boy. She hadn't given up on him.

When she arrived in the playground area of the park, Brian surprised her by already sitting on his usual swing, waiting for her.

"Hey. Been exercising," was all he said.

"Hey," she said back as she walked to the swings across the frozen sawdust crunching underfoot. She sat on her usual swing next to him and made a decision at that moment. She felt her luck turning. The time seemed right and she decided to go for it. "I think I love you," she said, looking sideways at him, not quite daring to face him.

"What?! Where the hell did that come from?!"

He turned to face her and she saw a look of shock on his face that disappointed her, but she wasn't ready to give up, not by a long shot. "Language!" she shouted, then giggled. "Okay. Let me spell it out for you. You're infatuated with you-know-who. Right?"

He nodded, though he still looked confused.

His reaction was so cute that it was all she could do not to rough up his hair and kiss him silly. Somehow she focused back on her original train of thought. "Well, I'm you-know-who. We're the same person. And boy or girl, you and I have been good friends since like forever. We know each other very well. We get along great and we owe it to each other to explore the possibility of a relationship. It really is that easy."

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you ready for the next level, Brian?"

"No! I mean, no, I'm not sure I'm interested. Call me shallow but…."

"Shallow," she interrupted, not liking where the conversation was headed.

"Right. You're right. You're the same person, and maybe I'm a little too fixated on looks, but it's more than that. She's a super hero and I strongly associate her appearance with her super hero abilities. You? You're just a friend. In fact, right now, you still look too much like Lester."

A tear ran down her cheek as she stared back at him.

He noticed. "I'm sorry. I guess I still have a problem with who you used to be. It wasn't that long ago! I miss him. You. Whatever! I see you on the bus in the morning. I see you at lunch. You look like Lester, but you're not, and you're slowly changing. It won't be long before you look more like a girl than Lester at school." He paused to sigh. "This is all so confusing."

"So you're putting me in the friend zone. I can't believe you're putting me in the friend zone."

"Yeah."

"Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to try a movie. Hang out at the mall. Something."

"You know what?" he said, raising his voice. "I would've said yes before you went and used the 'L' word on me."

"Silly me," she said quietly, with little emotion. Her luck abandoned her and she felt worse than numb. She felt empty. No boyfriend. No love, not the kind she craved anyway. Just work and an otherworldly spiritual soul mate who could never satisfy her physical needs. She needed a strong shoulder to cry on, lips to kiss, a warm body to embrace. She needed more than soul cuddles.

Brian slowly got up off the swing and started to walk away but she stopped him.

"I haven't given you the good news yet."

"What? I thought your declaration of love was the good news."

"No. That was just bad timing."

"Give up, Sarah."

"Never."

Brian sighed. "What's the good news?"

She stood up and told him all about how she dealt with the shadow agency and now worked for them. It was more of an uneasy truce but she'd take that over a kill order any day.

Brian agreed, and he even got a little worked up and forgot himself. He hugged her, lifting her up off the ground and spinning in a little half circle before he caught himself and slowly set her back down.

She gave him a coy smile and kept her thoughts to herself, at least for the time being. Her mother would've told her she was moving too fast but she was just being herself, moving at her own pace. She watched him as he finally turned and walked away after an awkward moment of staring at each other. 'I'll never give up on you.'

* * *

Sarah came home to find her father, sitting on the couch, staring at the blank television screen. He held the remote in his hand but hadn't bothered to use it. That was a bad sign.

She plopped down next to him. "Hi Dad."

"Hi... Sarah."

The pause hurt. A little. But it was understandable. He still missed having a son. "How'd the shooting go?" she asked him.

"Fine. Shot the center out of seventeen targets before someone suggested I stop."

"Oh. So? Wanna talk? I've got good news. The shadow agency shouldn't be a problem any more."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." She'd already told him about digging up information about the agency, including some things that weren't exactly legal. She could've stopped them cold, except they also did some good. They started with good intentions and she wanted to hold them to it. She only had one thing to tell him that he hadn't heard yet. "I guess I'll sort of be working with them now."

"What?!"

"Don't worry! I'll be careful. I'm not even going into their building. I'll be working with an agent outside, in a public place."

"I don't know, Sarah. I'm not sure I like it."

"If it keeps them from trying to kill me, isn't it worth it?"

"I don't want them corrupting you."

"More like I'm keeping them honest. I already pointed out an agent who's been stealing from them."

Matthew sighed. "I still don't like it."

"I'm sorry, Dad. But I don't have a lot of choices here."

He buried his face in his hands and Sarah got up, telling him one last thing. "I'm leaving soon to accept their offer. I won't accept any money from them and they're not getting my secret identity. They'll have nothing to hold over me."

Her father didn't say anything. He didn't move.

"It's the right thing to do," she said.

She left him on the couch to think things out, hoping he'd eventually find a way to handle it, and went to find her mother, sitting at the dining room table, sipping coffee.

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"I'm going to Chicago now to accept their offer."

"Have you finished your homework?"

She rolled her eyes a little. "Yes, Mom. Oh, and I told Dad."

Susan frowned.

"Yeah. He's not taking it well. Talk to him?"

Her mother nodded and the girl hurried to her room to change. In spite of the cold, she decided to wear her black leather jacket outfit. It seemed more appropriate for spy work. She did make sure to wear thermal underwear underneath though. No use freezing her cute little derrière.

She finished dressing, turned invisible and quietly left out the sliding glass door. All was eerily quiet until her sonic boom rattled the sliding glass door of the house.

* * *

Golden Girl once again floated high over Springfield, Illinois. She held the same phone that she got from the same red-haired boy for her previous call to the shadow agency, only this time she paid for the use of the phone. She didn't want to take advantage of the nice boy.

Mister Wells picked up after two rings. "Hello Golden Girl."

"Hello Mister Wells. I accept."

"What?"

"I accept your offer to work with you. You know. Operation…."

"Okay! Stop. Don't mention the name. Not on this unsecured line."

"Right. I guess I have a little learning to do about security."

The man sighed. "How did you find out so quickly?"

"About the offer? I told you. I have sources. They're very good sources."

"Yes, I'm sure. Can you meet with an agent today? We'd like to get started as soon as possible. We have an ongoing crisis that could use your talents."

Crystal agreed, returned the phone to the store and flew to the appointed rendezvous in Chicago, a public self-storage company. It was public enough for her and offered enough privacy for the agency. It was a good choice.

The superheroine touched down out front of the building when she saw a familiar face. "Hello Ace. Or can I call you agent Johnson?"

"What? Oh. Right. I've been briefed on your latest status. So you know all of our names?"

"Yep."

"And more?"

"Yep."

The man sighed. "Should I ask exactly what you know?"

"Nope. I don't think I should tell you anyway. Your bosses might get upset."

"Right. Strictly need to know."

She nodded. "Shall we go inside and begin Operation Golden Fleece then?"

"You…. Right. Of course you know the name of the operation."

At agent Johnson's request, Golden Girl turned invisible and they entered the facility, with the agent leading the way to a small storage unit around a corner at the end of a long hall. He left the door open and went inside, where the superheroine turned visible again.

They spent nearly an hour talking in the storage unit, where they discussed her availability and protocols for contacting her. She knew better than to accept anything to take home with her. It would be too easy to slip in something that could track her location. Only one way communication would be acceptable, and the best way to achieve that would be for her to use her clairvoyance. The agency could set up a white board just for her and leave her messages on it. They wouldn't have to worry about encoding the message or encryption or anything. It wouldn't be connected to the Internet or any computer network so it'd be impossible to hack. She'd periodically check the white board for messages and respond by changing into Golden Girl and hitting mach speed as soon as possible. The agency would listen for the telltale sonic boom to know when to expect her.

Confident that she had all the contact details worked out, Crystal asked about her first mission. "Mister Wells said something about a crisis. Shall we get started?"

Agent Johnson shook his head. "You're so eager. That's nice to see."

"Well, I am new at this, and I'm kind of excited to be helping out."

"As long as you don't duct tape me ever again," he said, chuckling.

She took out her roll of duct tape and shook it at him with a stern look at her face before breaking down and having a few giggles. Then they got to work.

Agent Johnson had a quick question for her first though. "Do you know any foreign languages?"

She shook her head. "But I can see about learning some. It probably wouldn't take long. Which ones would you like me to know?"

He shook his head in disbelief. "Arabic, Korean and Russian would be a nice start," he suggested. "Maybe Mandarin and Cantonese as well. I'll check."

"Okay. I'll start with them. Now let's do this."

The mission consisted solely of some reconnaissance in northern England, where a small terrorist cell was dangerously close to obtaining a working tactical nuclear weapon. She used her clairvoyance and clairaudience, dictating what she heard to agent Johnson, who took notes. When they'd learned enough, Golden Girl thanked agent Johnson for the opportunity, turned invisible and left to go to her next destination. She wasn't ready to go home yet.

The mission seemed a little dull - very important though still dull - but it was a lot better than having a kill order hanging over her head. Her next mission would be much more satisfying at least. Last night in the Akashic records, she'd looked for and found the private hospital that was used by the agency. She wanted to heal the men whose hands she twisted and broke, and since the hospital was nearby, she dropped in, turning visible and startling a nurse, a tall, slender young man with large brown eyes that brimmed with compassion.

"Hello, I'm here to heal some hands that I broke. Please take me to all the men with broken hands."

The nurse smiled. "Sure. Right this way, Golden Girl." He led the girl through a maze of corridors and up three floors to a large ward with a long row of beds. As agent Johnson had said, the men were still fast asleep from being gassed.

Golden Girl went from one bed to the next, carefully removing their casts and holding each man's hand, healing it within a matter of a few minutes.

The nurse watched, amazed at not only her ability but the speed at which she worked. "I wish I could to that," he said, more to himself than her.

"I wish everyone could," she said.

When she finished, she said goodbye to the nurse, turned invisible and found the nearest exit. She didn't have to heal the men but she felt it was the right thing to do. It also might be considered an act of goodwill. She hoped that the agency and the men whose hands she healed appreciated it. Golden Girl would always try to be a force for good. Always.

* * *

Sunday night in the Akashic records had Sarah learning several foreign languages, starting with Korean, Arabic and Russian as requested. She found and added Hindi as well before she woke up Monday morning.

Getting out of bed proved a little difficult that morning. Learning the languages took a lot of mental energy, which seemed backward to her. Paranormal abilities seemed like they should be more difficult to learn, but somehow, they weren't. Gaining an ability was more about adding and rewiring mental pathways. It involved using parts of the brain that normally weren't used, and gaining an ability as quickly as she did was only possible because of her first unusual ability of hyper learning from the Akashic records. It was Mister Guile's gift, a gift that was intended more for gaining paranormal abilities, since that's all he was interested in. Learning other things was just an added bonus. Normal skills and knowledge were more just facts to memorize, with language fluency taking more time and brain power to learn than most of her other skills. Learning four languages in a night seemed impossible. It was like she'd gone through years of schooling in one night and it nearly exhausted her brain.

She dragged herself through her morning routine and forced herself to shapeshift into her mostly boy self. She looked at herself in the mirror before getting dressed and nodded with approval. Her face looked softer and rounder, her hair was much longer, and she already got rid of all of her facial hair. That was a bit of a cheat but there was no way she'd suffer through electrolysis if she didn't have to. She'd have to be a masochist to do that.

When Brian showed up on her school bus, so many things went through her mind. At first, the idea of giving him the silent treatment popped into her head. She shook that one off though. Then her intuition kicked in and she smiled. She spoke to him, greeting him in Russian along with an authentic accent, and she kept speaking to him in Russian the whole way to school. Accents often seemed to attract attention from the opposite sex so she thought she'd see how Brian reacted.

The boy laughed at first, followed by him shaking his head. But she noticed that he kept his eyes on her for most of the trip to school.

'Operation Boyfriend has begun,' she thought with a coy smile.

As soon as they left the bus, Brian tried to tickle her into speaking English and she ran to try to escape. But she didn't try very hard. She wanted him to tickle her, wanted him to touch her wherever he wanted. In their fun, they lost track of time and were almost late for class. They hit their lockers and flew to their first classes with only seconds to spare.

The girl flopped down at her desk in Government class and looked up to see Mister Guile shaking his head before launching into a normal lecture. She didn't remember any of it, not with her brain still tired. She could handle the physical activity with Brian but the words of the lecture were just white noise, and the bell to signify the end of class surprised her, adding just enough volume and higher pitches to mentally wake her up.

She waited for everyone to leave ahead of her. Running with the herd didn't appeal to her. But when she finally stood up, she watched as the door swung shut and sealed her inside with Erin and Mister Guile. Time for another private conference.

She sighed and sat back down, not expecting to be part of the conversation.

"What the hell is she thinking?!" the teacher stood much closer to Erin, shouting down at the redhead in her desk seat. "Does she think she can turn the whole world into a bunch of goody-goodies? Because it ain't gonna happen!"

Sarah cocked her head, not quite understanding what he meant. Erin knew though.

"She's special. I keep trying to tell you that."

"Ah, yes. The wager."

Erin tried to shush him.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to give the game away." He looked over at Sarah and smirked. "She's not really able to understand much at the moment anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"She kept quite busy learning four languages last night. A little greedy in my opinion."

"Four languages?!"

Sarah snorted. "I'm right here you know. And I'm following most of your conversation. But by all means, say whatever you want."

Mister Guile moved over to Sarah and stared down at her. "I was so close. You should've learned telepathy."

The mentally tired girl gave him a grim look, moving her eyes up without tipping her head back. It should've been a warning to the man but he kept after her.

"I'll give you one more chance to explain yourself, Miss McHenry. But if you can't, I'm going to step up my game."

"Mister Guile," Erin warned. "Keep to the rules."

He glanced over at the redhead. "Oh, I will, dear Miss MacCloud. I will. I'll keep within the lines. Barely." He looked back to Sarah. "I'm waiting," he told her.

"Do you understand ethics?" she asked him. "Is it even possible for you to understand? I think it might be possible for you someday but I'm not sure about right now."

"Nothing wrong with a little mental hanky-panky," he said with a smirk.

"It wouldn't be ethical to listen in on someone's private thoughts without their consent. It's like an unreasonable search and seizure. I don't know how to make it any clearer than that."

He shook his head. "You'll have to do better than that."

"Whatever, Mister Guile. Do your worst. I really don't care."

The dark being didn't say anything to that. He just flashed his creepiest grin and both girls hurried out of the room as soon as the door began opening. They were out into the hall before the door could even swing fully open.

When they were over halfway to their next class, Erin stopped Sarah for a little talk. "How could you provoke him like that?! Please! Don't provoke him. You don't know what he's capable of."

Sarah sighed. "I have a pretty good idea. Dark beings, light beings and your games with human beings. Are we really just playthings to you?"

Erin gasped. "Don't say that! You're not a plaything."

"I'm sorry. I've been through a lot lately. I feel like I barely got the best of that shadow agency. It took a lot of work and it had me pretty worried."

Erin frowned and single tear rolled down her cheek.

Sarah reached out to dab the tear, giving the redhead a faint smile as she did so. "I think you mean well. I don't have anything against you so don't worry. Let's just go to class. Okay?"

Erin nodded and they walked slowly the rest of the way to Advanced Literature.

Sarah wasn't sure what they'd be covering but it had to be better than the private conference she just finished.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

Visting, interviewing and escalation

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 24

The rest of Monday passed by easily enough, gently pushed aside by Tuesday which proved to be a little more eventful. Since the girls no longer had aikido class, they had more free time.

After school, Sarah begged off shopping, causing Erin some concern. They'd both taken the bus to Sarah's stop as part of their new routine but Sarah wanted to go off on her own.

"You worry too much, Erin. I'm just doing something that I promised I'd do. You know me and promises."

The redhead smiled and nodded. "Okay. See you tomorrow at school then?"

"Yeah. See ya later."

Erin did her disappearing mist trick in the park near Sarah's house and Sarah changed into Golden Girl. She wore her black leather outfit without the thermal underwear and took off at full speed. Florida was a long way away, and it was still fairly warm that time of year. She actually looked forward to it, even if she didn't fully trust SuperFan318.

The trip over and down to Florida took longer than expected, with occasional strong headwinds, having to go around mountain ranges to keep from freezing at higher elevations, and a brief but annoying fighter jet escort over eastern Texas when she slowed down too much. She realized her error too late. She kept her route too straight and predictable. That was easily fixed with a burst of speed to the northeast. Nothing man-made could keep up with her top speed and she soon lost her escort and ended up north of her destination. That was fine because she didn't feel like taking a shortcut over the Gulf of Mexico for a more direct line to Tampa.

Thirty five minutes after she took off from home, the superheroine landed near Lake Magdalene north of Tampa, Florida. She spotted the house where SuperFan318 lived and landed to knock on the front door.

She knew he'd be home since she checked ahead of time with her clairvoyance. There was no surprise from her perspective, but she didn't check in with him first. He seemed shocked when he opened the door. He couldn't even say her name, but at least he was eventually able to say his own. It was easy since it was only one syllable.

"Hello Super Fan. Is it safe? Will you behave if I come in?"

He quickly nodded.

"Well? Are you going to invite me in?"

He quickly backed away and gestured for her to enter. She followed him into his small living room with a short, comfortable looking couch and a single, metal folding chair. She sat on the folding chair after she shed her leather jacket and hung it on the back of the chair.

With her legs crossed and the young man behaving himself so far, she relaxed. "And last but not least, do you have a real name?"

"Kyle," he said quietly.

"Well, Kyle, do you have anything to drink? I'm a little thirsty. I flew a long way to get here and it's a little warmer outside than I expected."

"Sure," he said. He got up, raced to the kitchen and just as quickly returned empty-handed. "What would you like?"

"What've ya got?"

He looked confused.

"Don't you know?"

"Sure. But you seem… different."

It was Crystal's turn to look confused. "How so?"

"You're dressed all in black and you seem so… informal."

"Oh, Kyle. How can you not know? I wear different outfits depending on the weather."

He cocked his head. "I guess that makes sense."

"And about being informal. I've been through a lot in the past couple months. I started out a little uptight and I'm just now starting to get used to it all. I'm just starting to be able to relax. I hope that doesn't ruin your expectations."

"Oh! No. It's okay. It's good. I guess that shadow agency gave you some trouble."

"Yeah. Too much trouble. Now about that drink?"

"Oh! Yeah. I've got… uh… water, milk, grape juice, vodka and root beer."

"Vodka? Aren't you a little young for alcohol?"

"What? No! I'm twenty two."

"Ah. Good. I'd hate to have to arrest you," she half joked.

Kyle paled and she took pity on him. "Just kidding. I'll take some grape juice, please. I'm a little too young for alcohol." She smiled.

"Right," he said, looking at her a little warily. He left the living room for a couple minutes and returned with her grape juice and a root beer for himself. He knew better than to drink too much alcohol. He'd been a little drunk when he chatted with her the first time and hadn't stopped regretting it. Other Golden Girl fans still teased him about getting naked.

"Thanks," she said when he handed her the glass.

He went over to the couch, sighed and sat down, taking a sip of root beer and setting it on a coaster on his coffee table in front of the couch. "You said you're too young for alcohol. How old are you?"

"Ah. I don't think I should tell you. Sorry but I don't want anyone to know too many personal details about me."

"Right. Sorry. Your secret identity."

She nodded.

"What can you tell me? Your favorite color?"

She laughed. "Sure. It's blue."

He smiled for the first time since she arrived. "What shade of blue?"

She cocked her head and smiled. "That's an interesting question. I didn't know men could tell one shade of color from another."

"Ha ha," he said with a little sarcasm. "Baby blue? Powder blue? Cerulean? Cornflower? Royal blue? Navy blue? Am I getting warmer?"

"Cornflower blue," she said, smiling again. She was starting to like the young man. "What are you? A fashion designer or something?"

Kyle laughed. "Nothing like that. But I'm into art. I like to paint so I know lots of colors."

"Really? How about showing me some of your paintings?"

He took her to a small room overflowing with the smell of paint and turpentine. The room had a tarp for a floor covering and a small square table full of paintbrushes and little tubes half full of paint. He had several of his works hanging on the wall and several more on the floor. Two partly finished paintings sat on separate easels. All of the paintings were done in a realism style and a couple of landscape paintings having forested hills with snow kissed trees looked especially nice if out of place in Florida. Crystal told him how much she liked his paintings and the young artist blushed.

When they went back out to the living room, he confessed that he knew she was coming to visit him. He heard her sonic boom, and he tried to prepare himself mentally but he didn't believe she'd ever trust him enough to visit.

"You seem like a nice guy. I don't understand why you'd… you know… during our chat."

"I was drunk. And stupid. And I didn't believe you could do everything you said you could. Can we please change the subject now?" He pleaded with his eyes and his voice.

"Yeah." She looked around for something to inspire a change of subject and noticed the television set in the far corner of the room. That made her wonder about something.

"What's your favorite local television station here in Tampa?"

"What? Why would you ask that?"

"Because I think it's time I gave another interview. I'm not very happy with my first one and I want another try."

He gave her the call letters of the station he liked and they looked up its location in Tampa on his computer. She used clairvoyance to scout the city and found it. Then it was time for goodbyes. She drained her glass of grape juice, thanked Kyle for his hospitality, wished him good luck with his art and took off south for Tampa. It was time to nail an interview.

* * *

Golden Girl quietly arrived at the television station in downtown Tampa. She flew to the front doors of the building and floated inside, hovering about a foot off the ground as she asked random people if they might like to interview her. It took an unbelievable fifteen minutes before she was taken seriously and another ten minutes after that before the station manager had the superheroine in her office. The television crew wanted to wait for the top of the hour so they could give their viewers a little advanced notice of the interview. In the meantime, they had about twenty minutes to kill so Crystal and the manager had a little warmup chat.

The newsroom sprawled across the whole tenth floor of the building and consisted mostly of open space. Only the manager's office had walls, though they were glass. Her corner office had two glass walls that she could use to keep a watchful eye on everyone.

The station manager leaned forward in her comfortable black leather chair and owlishly stared at the girl through her bifocals. Her moderately overweight body mostly filled a white blouse and gray slacks. Her gray hair had been tied back in a bun, giving her a decidedly matronly look.

Crystal sat in the good guest chair - the only one of three that was comfortable - on the other side of the desk. She liked the woman immediately. The woman could be her grandmother in another life and she felt like she could tell her almost anything.

"So, dear," the woman began. "Who are you?"

"Excuse me, Ma'am?"

"So formal. I like that. I mean, who are you really? Are you for real?"

"I'm not sure I know how to answer that. I'm a human being, just like you or anyone else, except…."

"Yes? Go on. Except what?"

"I guess I'm special in a certain way. I'm not sure how though. I don't feel special."

The woman quirked an eyebrow.

"I mean I didn't feel special before I got all of these paranormal abilities."

"Is that what they are? Paranormal?"

Crystal nodded. "I guess they are unusual. But they're not why I'm special. I got them because I'm special."

"Come again?"

"Okay. This might sound hard to believe…."

The woman quirked an eyebrow again.

"Right. Everything about me seems hard to believe. Anyway, because I'm special in a certain unknown way, I attracted the attention of two otherworldly beings who made a wager about me. I don't know what the wager is but it has something to do with me being special. They made the wager and they've been helping me and trying to influence me in subtle and not so subtle ways to win their wager, whatever it is. Does any of this make sense? Please tell me it makes sense. Just when I think I understand it, it slips away from me. It's been so frustrating sometimes."

The woman shook her head. "Just when I think I've heard it all."

"You do believe me, don't you?"

"I'm not a psychologist, my dear. It doesn't matter whether or not I believe you. You sound like you believe yourself. You seem very sane. That's the important thing. One thing is certain though. You have amazing abilities, powers if you will. No one can argue with that."

Crystal sighed. "Yeah."

"I take it one or both of these beings you mentioned gave you your abilities?"

"Yes, of course. There's no way anyone can learn so many abilities without help." The girl started crying. She'd told everything to her parents and her future boyfriend, but for some reason, it felt better to confess to a kindly stranger, and she cried tears of relief.

The concerned woman got up and moved around to comfort the girl, starting with a pat on the shoulder. Crystal wasn't satisfied with that so she stood up and hugged the woman, and as the two of them stood there hugging, the manager looked over Crystal's shoulder through the glass walls of her office and winced. Virtually everyone in the newsroom appeared to be brainstorming over questions to ask Golden Girl and it looked like a feeding frenzy of sharks. "Shit," the manager said.

Crystal gasped and gently pushed away.

"Sorry, my dear. It's the nature of my business to push the boundaries of good taste from time to time. Please forgive me."

The girl nodded, and an awkward minute passed between them until the station manager spoke.

"I think I know what makes you special," she quietly told the girl.

"You do?"

The woman nodded. "You must've been told by your friends and family but I don't think it registers with you. I'm sure that's part of what makes you special."

"I don't understand."

"Just, please. Don't ever change."

"That's what one of the otherworldly beings told me."

The woman gave the girl a warm smile. Then she sighed. "I'm going to have to throw you to the wolves soon. Sorry about that. But I have a little advice that I urge you to take."

Crystal gave a faint smile and encouraged the woman to continue with a look.

"Please don't tell your interviewers anything that you just told me. I don't think the world would handle it very well."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Now let's go get you some makeup. I'm afraid you've cried away most of yours."

The girl let out a little squeak and tried to hide her face as she followed the woman to the floor with the television studio and makeup room.

The interview started too soon after that, with the anchors giving a long introduction for their guest. They had to stall to give the girl enough time to finish her makeup. Two minutes into the broadcast, the blonde girl walked in front of the camera and turned to give the viewers a radiant smile. Then, as in her first interview, she levitated a few feet above the floor next to the desk where the two news anchors sat. She sat in a lotus position, floating in mid air to the delight of everyone in the studio.

"Hello," the girl said with much enthusiasm. "Thanks for taking the time to interview me."

The closest anchor to her, a young blonde woman chosen for her good looks, smiled. "Thanks for giving us this interview. This is only your second one. Am I right?"

Crystal nodded. "Yes. I've been a little busy. I haven't had time to give a lot of interviews."

"Yes," the woman continued. "We've all seen your latest escapades. Care to elaborate on what's been going on in Chicago?"

The girl blushed. "Oh. No. I really shouldn't talk about that except to say that it turned out as well as can be expected."

"There won't be any more hostages then?"

"Not by the same men. Can we please change the subject?"

The woman almost frowned but caught herself. "Can you tell us what brings you to Tampa?"

"Oh. Yes. Sure. I came to visit one of my fans. He lives just a little north of here."

"And what is this fan's name?"

"His name is Kyle. He's a very nice young man. He just needs to be careful how much alcohol he consumes."

The anchorwoman shook her head and changed tactics. "Do you have a boyfriend? Is it Kyle?"

"No. Kyle is a just a fan who I met on my fan club website."

"You have a website?"

"Yes. Didn't you know? I didn't actually create the website but I chat with fans once a month or so. I'll be having the website owner add more photos of me along with some personal information, like my favorite color."

The woman had a sour look that she didn't even try to hide. "Are you for real?"

"Why does everyone ask me that?!"

"You seem too good to be true. Literally. Are you even human?!"

Groaning by the crew could be heard in the background. The interview diverged from the planned questions and headed into unknown territory.

"Yes! I'm a human being. I just… I don't know. I don't really want to get into it because I don't exactly understand it myself. I just want to help. I have all of these amazing abilities and I want to help make the world a better place. I feel obligated to use my power to help people."

The other news anchor who sat at the desk, an older man with graying hair cut in. "Excuse me, if I may?"

The blonde anchor gestured for him to continue. She'd already had enough. She was looking for dirt or anything of interest but she couldn't find any flaws in the girl and it frustrated her.

The man gave the girl a warm smile and said, "With great power, comes great responsibility. Is that it?"

"Exactly! I take it you read comics?"

"No. I just do a lot of research." He looked at his partner with disappointment and continued. "Do you read comics then?"

"Occasionally. I do like them. I find some of the superheroes to be good role models. And I admit that I sometimes like the escapism. Real life kind of depresses me sometimes."

"Ah, yes. You've captured a lot of criminals. But you've also helped a lot of innocent people as well. That must be satisfying."

She nodded enthusiastically. "One of my favorite moments was when I rescued a cat named Mister Meow from a tree."

The anchorwoman hid her face in her hands and tried to resist the urge to bang her head on the desk. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. But she didn't interrupt and the camera avoided her.

The man chuckled. "That sounds nice, though I have to agree with my partner here. You almost seem too good to be true. I got that you're human, but as long as we're talking about comic books and the fantastic, I have to ask this. Are you from the future?"

"No," Crystal said slowly. "I'm not." She was clearly uncomfortable with the topic and the sensitive man noticed.

"I'm sorry. It's just that we've all been trying to figure out where you come from and we've got nothing. Can you tell us anything to help us understand your past?"

"Well, I'm not sure if everyone knows this. I only got my superpowers a few months ago and some of that time was spent in training. That's why I didn't appear until recently. I'm not sure why or how I was chosen to receive my powers but as long as I have them, I'm going to use them for good. I don't lie if I can help it and I try my very best to keep all of my promises. That's about all I can tell you."

"Very honorable," the man said. "Very honorable indeed. Since you already mentioned your website, would you like to give out the address?"

She did so and then asked to say one more thing. The anchorman gave her the go-ahead.

"Hi Dad. I love you." She blew the camera a kiss and smiled.

The television station immediately cut to a commercial and everyone in the studio either sighed with relief or gave a little, "Aw." Golden Girl's last words moved at least some of them. Being a father, the anchorman appreciated the sentiment.

* * *

Weeks rolled by and Golden Girl flew between Chicago and her home several times for more reconnaissance missions. Saving the world bored her a little but she found it satisfying, and once she learned several more languages, it kept getting more interesting. She spied on all different parts of the world and saw tiny cross sections of lots of different cultures. The people were all different, with different hair, different personalities, just different.

Trying to understand the reasoning and motivations of such extreme criminals was impossible and that saddened her. All she could do was help to stop it and save potential victims. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't save the criminals. She couldn't save everyone.

The only time she said no to senior agent Wells was around Christmas when a nasty scandal erupted in the nation's Capitol. Golden Girl insisted on having time off to be with her family. Just in case things got too bad, she did agree to check her personal billboard in the agency's office, asking for simple latitude and longitude coordinates and a short note to tell her what to look for. They agreed.

Her third chat session went smoothly, and she added a kind word for SuperFan318, known by her as Kyle, or just K in the chat room. It got other fans to stop teasing him about his first chat session. More importantly, since she shared the chat session in the library with Brian as usual, she got to spend more time with him after the session, chipping away at his stubborn denial of his obvious feelings for her. She knew they'd be good together. Why couldn't he see it? It perplexed and frustrated her to no end but she could see cracks in his emotional armor. The end was near.

One thing concerned Sarah more than anything else. Her father couldn't free himself from his bigoted past and it was killing him. He'd put on an unhealthy amount of weight and looked like he'd aged several years over the past few months.

Susan tried talking to her stressed husband to no avail. No one could stop his slide into his own personal hell. The only things he managed well were his career and his guns. His warped priorities made him think they were the most important way to take care of his family. If only he would let himself talk through his issues with them. Talking to a psychologist wasn't an option. He couldn't risk giving away Golden Girl's secret identity. His only hope was to open up to his family.

Sarah tried talking to him several times. She made sure that he saw the end of her second interview when she gave him a personal message on TV. That only pushed him farther away and she was out of ideas. She needed a man's perspective.

Saturday morning arrived. Time to call Brian.

"Hi Sarah. 'sup?"

"Can you come over?"

"To your house?" He sounded nervous. She'd been coming on strong and he still stubbornly mooned for Golden Girl.

"It's too cold for the park. Come on."

"Is your mom home?"

She sighed. "I'm not going to bite."

"But is she home?"

"No. She's out shopping and you know where my dad is."

"Yeah." Brian knew about her father's worsening obsession with guns.

"Please come over. I need to talk to you about my dad. I want a guy's opinion."

"So ask me now."

She barely suppressed a growl. "It'll be easier in person. Please?"

"I don't know, Sarah."

"I said please!"

"Okay! I'll be over in fifteen minutes or so."

"Thank you."

"Yeah."

The cautious boy hurried over to Sarah's house after changing into some sweaty workout clothes. He thought it would help to fend off the amorous girl. He didn't realize that she loved his natural scent. There was really nothing that she didn't love about him, and he was only starting to understand.

Before he could knock on the front door, Sarah opened it, waited impatiently for him to hang his coat on the coat rack in the entry way and ushered him in to the living room. She pushed him down on the couch and started pacing in front of him, thinking about how to best start the conversation. She tried to focus on her father but the boy was driving her crazy.

Brian watched her closely for over a minute before he startled her with a question. "I understand why you won't let me see Crystal, but could you at least wean me off slowly?"

"I asked you here to help me with my father, not to feed your obsession with Golden Girl."

"What if I said please?"

Her eyes flashed a little anger. "That's playing dirty."

"I can't help how I feel."

"I know." She quickly softened. She was all too aware of his feelings. She had the same problem so she could sympathize. "Tell ya what. You help me with my dad and I'll take you flying tonight. Deal?"

"Can Crystal take me instead?"

"I am Crystal! We're the same person!"

"Oh! Right. Yeah. Deal." He paused for a minute while Sarah went back to pacing and couldn't help asking, "What about changing into Crystal now?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Brian. I want you to focus."

He sighed. "Yeah. Okay. Let's get to it then."

He smiled at her and melted her heart. She had to use her paranormal control ability to stick to the matter at hand. She needed Brian but her father needed her. She had to try.

The two of them threw ideas back and forth to no avail. It always came back to getting Matthew to talk. He wouldn't do that and they couldn't force him. All they could do was watch. It was like watching a train wreck, a horrible chain reaction. They couldn't look away and they couldn't help until the train came to a dead stop. Only then could they move in and try to fix the broken pieces.

She ended their talk by sitting next to him on the couch. They were both perched on the edge of the cushion with her crying on his shoulder while he gently rubbed her back. A small sigh escaped her lips. She wanted to continue to concentrate on helping her father but she couldn't help thinking about Operation Boyfriend.

* * *

Sarah practiced aikido with Erin in the living room on weekends while Matthew was at the shooting range. The gifted girl used her telekinesis to move furniture and clear enough room to practice katas and self-defense. Sarah emphasized stand-alone self-defense techniques. She wanted the practice herself after an incident at school caused her to have to defend herself. A bully went after her, calling her all sorts of vile names and when the names didn't provoke a reaction, he resorted to physical violence.

Bullies were at their worst when she was in a very awkward point of her transition, halfway between boy and girl but not androgynous. Androgynous would be safer than her condition of having a mix of boy and girl features. She could defend herself but it hurt her more than it did the bully who attacked her. All she did to him was keep him in a simple wrist lock and walk him to the principal's office. The boy didn't receive any injuries. She, on the other hand, had the memories of the insults and the intent to harm her. Her faith in humanity continued to waver.

Her previous two television interviews hadn't been planned and hadn't gone as well as she'd liked. She vowed to never have another one and hoped she could stick to that. Promises to herself were the hardest to keep. There wasn't more she could think of to say so interviews would be pointless anyway.

After her one physical altercation with a bully and with her uncomfortable interviews far behind her, Sarah fell into a mostly comfortable routine, doing well at work, making lots of money for shopping, saving some money for college with the help of her mother, who took a cut and socked it away in an undisclosed bank account. Golden Girl could easily find the account but Susan got the girl to make a promise to leave the money alone. It wasn't difficult to get the promise.

Golden Girl's innate goodness did more to influence people for the better than anything else. She was slowly saving the world simply by existing, and it started to upset the forces of darkness. Good and evil were out of balance. Something had to be done, and it was. Six months into the otherworldly wager, Sarah's super life began to fall apart.

* * *

Spring had nearly sprung and Sarah's virtues shined more brightly than ever before. They rubbed off on everyone around her and it drove Mister Guile crazy. After the smitten girl gave Brian a memorable birthday that included a long nighttime flight over the city, the dark being couldn't take it any more.

He found it more and more difficult to contain his anger. He threw everything he had into corrupting every bad seed in Sarah's city, tempting them to commit every crime on the books. If he couldn't get her to learn telepathy, he'd try exhausting her enough to slip up and do something stupid. She was just a girl. Why was it so difficult to corrupt her? He couldn't understand it, just as he couldn't understand why he couldn't get her to learn telepathy. Whenever he tried nudging her to the area of the Akashic records with telepathy, she'd resist. She somehow knew and resisted. It drove him crazy and he ended up leaving her to wander aimlessly through the records on her own. He had to rely on alternative plans to keep himself happy. Unfortunately, none of his earlier plans worked. He was down to two last things to try, one of which he'd already started. That didn't seem to be working either.

As fast as criminals popped up, Golden Girl arrived to stop them and save the day. She also seemed to find time to help runaways, save cats from treetops and more. It literally drove him crazy.

She seemed to bring out the good in everyone, even that shadow agency full of idiots. She genuinely cared for everyone and they all fell for her charms. He couldn't understand any of it. He tried replaying all of their conversations and interactions in his memory and it even seemed like she might care about him. That enraged him more than anything.

"How dare she?!" he fumed while lounging in his dark domain. "I'll show her! I'll teach her to care for a dark being!"

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

The big battle

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 25

Sarah sat with Erin eating lunch and chatting about shopping, their work, fashion tips, the usual things girls talk about, except for boys. Erin always drew the line at boys. As they chatted, the brown-haired girl used her clairvoyance to secretly spy on a nearby table, watching as Big Jim sneaked peeks at both of them. He seemed just as creepy as ever but he kept his distance, more so since she used aikido on a transphobic bully.

She had to wonder if Jim might be attracted to her. She'd shapeshifted her formerly boyish face a little, grew her hair longer and filled out nicely with feminine curves by that point, enough that the bullies stopped insulting her and joined the increasing number of boys who considered asking her out on a date. It stroked her ego nicely, giving her the confidence she needed to continue her pursuit of Brian.

The two girls ate their lunch with one of them doing a little spying, but they were unaware that someone had been watching them throughout the morning. A certain dark being did watch them earlier and then changed his focus to something a lot more dangerous than any of the criminals that he'd been influencing.

On that day, the day of the vernal equinox, the start of Spring, a day of power for certain otherworldly beings, the dark being sealed his classroom, drew a magic pentagram on the floor and began chanting. He drew a wide, complicated pentagram with a felt pen after scooting all of the desks and chairs to one side, and in his haste, he failed to notice that the new moon also coincided on that day, adding to his dark power. Considering how angry he was, he probably wouldn't have cared. He only wanted to play his last card, his ace in the hole, in a desperate attempt to push Sarah over the edge.

As his chanting increased in volume, energies focused in the magic pentagram and a portal to another realm opened. The chanting changed slightly then, becoming a call, an offer that couldn't be refused for whatever heard the call. Within a few minutes, a non-human head, with short, black fur, black horns and glowing yellow eyes, rose up through the floor, moving through the portal from the other realm and into the classroom, where it stood seven and a half feet tall from the bottom of its hooves to the tip of its long, slender horns. Mister Guile had summoned a demon, a very powerful demon, more powerful than he realized.

Demons existed just as various beings of light and dark existed. Mister Guile might have been considered to be a demon, except for the fact that he was once human. He'd been corrupted ages ago, and he'd gained enough power to do a lot of damage, but it paled in comparison to the power of the demon that stood before him.

The demon outclassed the dark being who summoned it, yet the dark being's moon-amplified magic still controlled it. Mister Guile gave it a single command, "Destroy!" and it tore through the outer wall of the classroom, heading for the parking lot where lots of large, shiny toys waited to be demolished.

* * *

Sarah's fork poised just in front of her mouth when the first explosion went off, followed by dozens of car alarms. She dropped her fork and looked to Erin, who stared back with a worried look. A loud roar followed the other noises, causing the hair on the back of Sarah's neck to stand on end. It sounded like a job for Golden Girl.

An announcement suddenly crackled over the PA system, telling everyone to evacuate to the back of the school immediately. Erin raised an eyebrow and Sarah nodded. Erin herded the panicked mass of bodies out of the lunchroom but didn't follow them. She ran off in the direction of her Government classroom, leaving her friend alone to duck into an empty classroom for a quick change.

With the large increase in crime over the past several weeks, Sarah's intuition kept her on high alert. She was ready at all times, wearing her stretchy body stocking and tights under her clothes, ready to change into Golden Girl at any moment. This was that moment. The superheroine turned invisible, slipped out of her school clothes and shapeshifted. She flew to her locker, where she tucked her clothes inside and grabbed her black leather jacket to top off her Golden Girl look. Another explosion sent a tremor through the school and she took off to put a stop to it, any way she could.

Still invisible, she blasted the front doors with telekinesis - 'Sorry, Principal Olason' - and shot out to see the large, rectangular parking lot in a horrible state. Crushed and broken cars littered the area. Most of them still sat in the parking lot, but several were also scattered across the grass and one was embedded in the side of the gymnasium that sat adjacent to the parking lot. A couple of burning cars had obviously exploded, having a spray of plastic and twisted metal surrounding them. One burning car, upside down on the front grass, looked relatively intact and ready to explode. Crystal readied herself to extend her telekinetic shield if necessary.

Still not seeing the cause of the disaster, she drifted farther along towards the gymnasium. When she got closer, she heard some grunting coming from the far side of the building, and as she rounded the corner, she saw the impossible sight of a huge, black-furred creature with its back to her, picking apart a car. It pulled a large section of the driver's side window out and started chewing on the glass. The sight made her gasp.

The demon heard her and turned to look right at her. She moved up to the right and its eyes followed her. It could see her, even though she was invisible. There went plan A. She turned visible to save energy and tried speaking to it in as calm a voice as she could manage.

"Who are you? Why are you destroying our cars? Please stop this at once."

It cocked its head for a moment, like it didn't understand her. Then its face twisted with rage and it moved at her with incredible speed, taking her by surprise. A large, meaty fist hit her telekinetic shield, shattering it like glass. The girl flew up and away from the impact, momentarily knocked senseless.

In mid flight, Crystal regained enough of her senses to perform a quick healing of some slight bruising, and she easily caught herself before she fell. She hadn't had her telekinetic shield at full strength but she wouldn't make that mistake again. Actually, she didn't want to get close enough for another hit. She didn't have much of a choice though.

The demon kept after her, half running, half hopping, using its beastly legs with their backward bending knees as it chased behind, matching her speed. It obviously expected her to hit the ground and it hoped to pounce on her.

"Sorry to disappoint you," she told it, suddenly shooting straight up in the air.

The surprised demon bellowed a challenge and leaped straight up after her. It had no wings but it could jump, and it could jump extremely high.

Crystal ducked to one side just in time. The monster just missed her and roared.

"Now it's my turn, you poor, ugly thing."

As the demon reached its apex and began falling back to earth, she reached out with her telekinesis, turning the thing upside down and accelerating its fall. It only took a couple of seconds and the demon slammed into the ground, throwing up a large cloud of dust and debris.

She moved down closer to get a better look, and when the dust cleared, she could see the beast slowly moving. It rolled over from its side onto its back and let out a noise that sounded very much like laughter. It was laughing at her!

"So," she said. "That tickled you, did it?"

The superheroine reached out with her telekinesis again as an experiment. She tried holding it fast at low power and it easily broke her grip. She increased her power and still it shook free, though it seemed to have a little difficulty. Using her ability at full strength, the demon roared and did a quick double twist, again breaking her grip. It was too strong. She couldn't hold it, and she didn't know what else to do. If she got close enough to try her super strength on it, it might break her like an egg. She floated up and well away from it with her danger sense on full while she plotted her next move.

* * *

When Erin reached Mister Guile's classroom, she found the door closed but unsealed. The demon broke the time seal on the room after breaking out. She cautiously opened the door to find the dark being perched on the front of his desk as if ready to give a lecture.

"Mister Guile," she said in a quiet, stern voice. "You've been very naughty."

He didn't reply. He looked as if he was in shock.

"Mister Guile?" She walked up to him and lightly poked him in his upper arm with her index finger.

He flinched and whipped his head around to look at her. "I didn't mean it!" he said, sounding on the edge of hysteria.

"What?! You didn't mean to summon a demon?!" She turned to look at the floor, seeing the pentagram. "How do you accidentally draw a pentagram and summon a demon?! How?!"

The man threw his hands up. "That's not what I meant!"

"It doesn't matter," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Just un-summon it. Banish it. Whatever. It's being a nuisance."

He shook his head. "I can't," he said in a quiet voice.

"What?! What do you mean, you can't?!"

"It's too strong."

Erin got her faraway look as she consulted her otherworldly sources of information. She regained focus and sighed. "You didn't notice the new moon on the day of the vernal equinox? How old are you again?"

"I was angry! Sarah this and Sarah that. Everything is about Sarah and her pure little soul. I'm sick of it!"

The redhead sadly shook her head. "I think it's time to call off the wager."

"No! You can't! She just needs to kill something. Then you'll see. Once she gets a taste of murder, she'll go bad." His eyes glistened with a hint of madness.

"Will she be able to kill it? I thought it wasn't actually possible to kill a demon."

"You know what I mean. Yes. Technically, they're destroyed and their spirit is sent back to the nether realms. Whatever. She'll kill its current body and I'll win. You'll see."

"Oh, Mister Guile. You've been working too hard. I should've called off this wager long ago."

He suddenly glared at her.

"But I can't. I don't dare. Not until the demon is killed." She mentally added, 'Or it kills her.' She didn't know what she'd do if Golden Girl couldn't win.

* * *

Matthew sat at his desk in his warehouse office, working through his lunch hour as usual. He'd just finished eating and he felt stuffed. His large belly pushed into the front of his desk. 'When did I get so fat? I must've put on well over thirty pounds, ever since….' He didn't finish the thought. Whenever he thought about his daughter, he got stressed, and when he got stressed, he ate. Obviously, he'd been stressed too much lately.

He had the radio on at a low volume as he usually did. It was the only way to endure the burden of all of the paperwork that piled high on his desk. As he filled out a form, the radio station interrupted their normal programming for a news alert. Golden Girl was in trouble, fighting a large creature that could only be described as a demon.

The man's stomach gurgled and his left arm suddenly went numb. The gurgling was all too common but the numbness wasn't. It'd just started happening last week. He didn't seem too concerned about his health though. His attention was fixed on the news bulletin. Things didn't look like they were going well for his daughter and he did what any good, well-armed father would do. He grabbed his favorite pistol out of his top right desk drawer along with some extra clips of ammunition and a package of string cheese that he'd been saving for an after lunch snack. He half ran, half waddled to his SUV and peeled out of the parking lot on his way to his child's high school, the car radio blaring with Golden Girl updates.

'Good thing I shoot with my right,' he thought, the numbness continuing in his left arm.

* * *

The scene beyond the perimeter of the cordoned off school looked as chaotic as the front of the school. Reporters, television cameras, fire, police, ambulances and hundreds of concerned citizens flooded the area. The police gave up on crowd control, hoping the serious nature of the ongoing situation would appeal to everyone's common sense.

Golden Girl sighed as she watched the scene develop. She only gave everyone passing glances since she had a much bigger thing to worry about, but the large number of people concerned her and made her job more difficult. Keeping the demon's attention became nearly impossible. She frantically waved her arms and spared a quick shout to the police after they enthusiastically tried shooting it.

"Please! Stop shooting! The bullets aren't affecting it. They're just bouncing off and endangering lives!"

Sometimes she wished she had a megaphone. Her voice didn't carry well, but between some observant police officers and the few who didn't shoot, her message got through. They reluctantly stopped and waited to see what Golden Girl could do.

Shouting certainly got the demon's, but not before it had already thrown cars or pieces of cars at the crowd. The paramedics kept busy. Several people had been hurt, some of them seriously, but so far, there were no deaths. They could all be healed, right after a certain problem was dealt with.

Golden Girl taunted the demon as much as she could, shouting gibberish at it since it didn't seem to understand English. That worked fairly well. It focused mostly on her, throwing whatever it could at her.

She kept her telekinetic shield on maximum, deflecting everything that the demon threw at her. But she did have some trouble when the demon threw a large pickup truck at her. She deflected it but didn't account for the weight of the truck. The large force pushed her back into the wall of the gymnasium, causing her to scrape her face on the rough brickwork.

The wounded girl spared some energy to heal herself and rubbed her face with the back of her wrist, smearing blood and making her look worse than she was. The television cameras ate it up, and the world gasped. Their one and only superhero was in big trouble and no one could help her.

So she played a game of cat and mouse with the demon, and as unaccustomed as she was to playing the part of the mouse, she started getting a little frustrated.

* * *

Matthew listened to the updates about his daughter with growing agitation, and his ignored health issue grew steadily worse. He started sweating and had trouble breathing. The worst part was the pain in his chest. It quickly became a major problem, making it difficult to concentrate on driving. But he did concentrate. He forced himself with the will of a worried father, fighting to save his child.

When he heard about bullets bouncing off the creature, he made a mental note to eject his current clip when he got to the school. His gun only contained normal bullets. But he came prepared for anything, and he debated whether to go with exploding bullets or the armor piercing kind. It gave him something to focus on besides the pain in his chest.

When the news reported blood visible on Golden Girl's face, he accelerated until he was well past the speed limit, and he almost swerved off the road several times. Curves were not his friend.

He continued driving well above the speed limit and his health deteriorated. Nothing could save him from his path of self-destruction. His only hope was his daughter. She had to survive her battle, and he had to get to her. Only she could save him. He was well past the ability of modern medicine to heal what was developing into a major heart attack. He thought he was racing to save his daughter when he was really racing to save himself.

* * *

Erin left Mister Guile alone to wallow in self-pity and went to see about supporting her friend. She couldn't really do much to help but she'd send good thoughts. She also contemplated performing a last, desperate act if needed, but only under the right circumstances. It was the least a higher being could do for her spiritual soul mate.

The redhead went outside and gasped at the chaos, and she gasped again when she saw a bloody-faced superheroine, hovering over behind the gym with the demon eyeing her friend like a piece of meat. Her fear soon turned to wonder and love though, as she watched Golden Girl, Sarah, try everything to stop the demon. She watched as a long section of chain link fence uprooted and wrapped around the demon. That didn't last long. The demon tore through it like it was tissue paper. Then came the blunt force trauma technique. The plan was to have two large rocks smash into the demon from both sides at the same time, trying to crush it, but the rocks moved too slowly. The large creature swatted them aside like flies. It even grabbed one of the rocks and threw it at a nearby news van, crushing the side of the van and ultimately sending several people to the hospital. Golden Girl stopped using large, heavy objects after that. She'd rather handicap herself than endanger innocent lives. It forced her to get more creative.

The superheroine next used telekinesis to siphon gasoline from several vehicles and spray it on the demon. She used some of the gas as a fuse from the nearest burning car and torched the large creature. It didn't do anything except give the demon an opportunity to get creative, as it sucked up the burning gas and breathed it out at Golden Girl. She felt the heat when she deflected the gas, creating a large puddle of flames on the asphalt just below her. No more of that!

She hated to try her next plan. She loved nature but she was running out of ideas and running out of energy. She splintered a large tree with telekinesis and tried skewing the demon with wooden spears of all sizes. That worked better than anything else she'd tried. The demon couldn't block all of them and a few of them penetrated its tough skin. Blood the color of yellow ochre oozed from the wounds. It had drawn first blood but she was ahead on points. Unfortunately, the damage didn't slow it down at all, and the wounds closed up within seconds. She'd have to do a lot better than that.

Looking around to see what metal she could use as a makeshift animated sword, a loud crash distracted her and nearly everyone else, even the demon. She saw a familiar looking SUV that had ran into a telephone pole and panic set in. Using her clairvoyance, she saw the pale, puffy face of her father in the driver seat with a lap full of a deflated air bag. His head lolled back against the seat and he didn't appear to be breathing.

"No!" she screamed. But as upset as she was, she still had the presence of mind to look back down at the demon.

The demon had been looking in the direction of the crash but when she screamed, it looked back at her and grinned with a partly open mouth of needle-like teeth. Its grin was creepier than anything she saw on Mister Guile's face and she shivered. Between the demon's grin and her father, she settled down to a clear patch of grass and froze, half in shock. All the demon had to do was leap on her and it would all be over.

The demon flexed its leg muscles, only hesitating to pounce on the dazed superheroine because it thought she might be trying to play a trick of some kind. It couldn't know about her father. It only knew tricks and pain and suffering, and it wanted very much to inflict some pain and suffering on the girl.

Erin saw everything, and she saw her friend in trouble. It was time for her last desperate act. She ran towards the demon, screaming at it.

Crystal watched in horror as her friend ran at the demon. "No," she whispered. "Not you too."

One of the many television camera crews on the scene had a parabolic microphone aimed at the superheroine, along with a camera. The girl noticed and turned towards the camera, looking very grim as she spoke, "I'm not really sure if I can kill this thing. But I have to try. I'm sorry, Mom. I love you."

She hated herself then as she took full advantage of Erin's distraction. She knew what her friend was doing and she hoped to stop the demon before Erin got too close. She started powering up, using her enhanced strength and healing factor with the full force of her telekinesis in reserve. Just in case, she also kept her danger sense at full power as well. Within seconds, she had everything ready, but it wasn't soon enough.

The demon backhanded Erin, sending the redhead flying into the gymnasium wall with a squishy sounding thud. The body of the girl slumped to the ground, dead. Her spirit lived on as a higher being but Crystal couldn't see that. The distraught girl only saw the body of her friend, lying dead on the ground.

With no time to lose, no time to mourn, Golden Girl shot straight for the demon while its attention was still on Erin. The demon appeared to be taking a moment to appreciate its kill. It turned its head to look over at its victim and that left it vulnerable enough for one last try.

She aimed for the demon's chest, and just as she got within the its reach, its supernatural reflexes came very close to blocking her, as it pushed straight out at her with its hands. If her danger sense didn't warn her in time, the result would've been very different. Instead, she abruptly moved up and over the demon's arms to her real target: Its head. She grabbed its slender horns, one in each hand, as close to its head as possible and used a martial arts technique. She jerked hard to the right and reacted when the demon's reflexes kicked in to resist the motion. She used her full super strength to push down and suddenly reversed direction, spinning her whole body to the left in a blur. The demon didn't have time to adjust. It couldn't do anything as its head twisted clean off of its body. The upset girl spiked the head into the ground with a dull, squishy splat and turned invisible. She didn't stick around long enough to watch as the body and head caught fire and quickly turned to dust, or listen as the world cheered her victory.

Crystal rushed back into the school to shapeshift, exchange coats and stop by the rest room to wash her face. She also reapplied a little makeup out of reflex. She simply went through the motions and slowly emerged from the school as Sarah, wearing her long, black coat and looking exhausted. The tired girl wandered in the general direction of where she'd seen her father's SUV, wrapped around a telephone pole, and when she finally got close, she used some subtle telekinesis to get past the police who tried to give her the bad news as soon as they realized the dead man in the vehicle was her father. The confused police backed off and gave her a little privacy.

She used some enhanced strength and healing to yank open the passenger side door and she climbed inside the SUV. Another long look confirmed that the man in the driver's seat was her father and wasn't breathing. She held his cold, clammy right hand in both of hers and spoke quietly to herself. "What good is being a superhero when you can't even save your own father?" She bent over and hugged her father, crying her eyes out.

After several minutes of crying, the police came back just as Sarah felt an odd tingling. She was losing her paranormal abilities, one by one, and she didn't care. "They're gone," she said, after losing her last one, but she felt empty long before that moment.

The police looked at each other and shrugged at the odd choice of words. They thought that she might have meant that both her father and the redheaded girl were dead and left it at that.

There were too many deaths that day. First her father, then Erin, and then Golden Girl herself, in a figurative way. But it was just as well that the superheroine was no more. Not even Golden Girl had the power to bring someone back from the dead.

* * *

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.

Shortcuts

A paranormal superhero story with a supernatural twist

Tissue alert: Beware of crying jags

Comments have been blocked for this story but kudos and private messages are always welcome. Even highly critical private messages are welcome. I don't mind criticism when it's private.

Shortcuts
by Terry Volkirch

Chapter 26

While Sarah had been crying over her father, Erin's spirit, Aaron, paid a visit to Mister Guile, who was still leaning back against his desk in the classroom, shivering a little from the cold air that came through the large hole in the wall.

"The wager is canceled," Aaron said.

Mister Guile slowly nodded.

"I don't mean to sound like I'm gloating but I would've won the wager. You wouldn't have been able to corrupt Sarah."

The dark being, in human form, turned to look at Aaron with tired eyes. "You can't know that."

"I've seen her soul. I'm sure."

"What about some of the damage she caused? She didn't pay to fix it all."

"At least not yet. She fully intends to though. She's still waiting for the shadow agency to bill her for the stairwell door that she tore off. They won't do it though. They consider it paid in full after all she's done for them and the country."

The dark being grumbled but didn't have a response. There was nothing he could say because Aaron was right. Sarah was pure of heart and always would be.

As the two of them stood near each other, neither looking at the other, Aaron took the time to remove the paranormal abilities from Sarah. He did leave her with a gift though. He let her keep all of the knowledge and physical skills that she accumulated. She'd still be fluent in seven languages besides English. She'd have her makeup skills, her self-defense skills, and even her dog whisperer knowledge. The higher being actually considered it to be payment for all that she did for him, showing him what it meant to be human as well as pure of spirit. Sarah would always be his spiritual soul mate and he'd never forget her.

* * *

Susan waited in her car, only half listening to the radio. She'd heard the news updates about her daughter and drove to the school, wisely parking a couple of blocks away. As soon as Golden Girl defeated the demon, she calmly got out of her car and walked to the school, zigzagging through a maze of news vans, emergency vehicles and pieces of broken up cars.

In the chaos that followed, the battle, school administrators led the students and teachers back to the lunch room to await worried parents. They tried to be at least a little orderly, announcing parents as they arrived to match up with their children.

When Susan had her turn to be announced, no one answered. Sarah wasn't in the lunch room and no one knew what to do. The mother knew, or thought she did. She believed her daughter to be flying somewhere as Golden Girl, looking for a safe place to clean up and turn back into Sarah. The woman still had no idea what had happened to her husband.

She went back outside and saw a few camera crews wrapping up their reports. She also saw the fire department dealing with the burned out wreckage of several cars. Luckily, she was spared the sight of Erin's lifeless body being quietly taken away, the only death from the battle. Nothing much else was going on so she wandered around the school grounds. She felt restless for some reason and didn't feel like waiting inside the school.

A concerned police officer noticed her after she'd been walking for more than thirty minutes. She seemed a little cold and almost in shock. He didn't realize that she was mostly just emotionally numb. It wasn't the first time she'd had to endure the real possibility of losing her daughter. The shadow agency caused more than a little concern early on and she dealt with all the trouble fairly well. The only thing that truly concerned her was the increasing frequency of criminal activity that led up to the major battle. She couldn't help wondering what was next. The battle was a grim reminder of just how dangerous it could be for a superhero. Superpowers seemed to invite super problems.

'It's all fun and games,' she thought, 'until someone gets hurt.'

"Excuse me, ma'am," the concerned policeman said as he slowly approached the woman. "Can I help you? You seem a little lost."

"Oh, no, officer. I'm just waiting for my daughter. She's a senior here."

The man looked a little sick then.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah. Sure. Your daughter doesn't have red hair, does she?"

Susan shook her head no. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh," he breathed a sigh of relief. "One of the girls was… attacked by the creature."

"Is she okay?"

"I… I don't think so, ma'am."

Susan frowned, hoping it wasn't who she thought it was. Erin immediately came to mind, having red hair and having been so close to her daughter and Golden Girl. It wouldn't surprise to learn that the redhead had tried to help her daughter. "I'm sorry to hear that," she finally said quietly, not knowing what else to say.

"What's your name? I can check for information on your daughter if you like. There were no other fatalities from the incident, unless you count the heart attack victim, so she should be okay."

"Somebody had a heart attack? What happened?"

"I don't really know, ma'am. Now about your name?"

"Oh. Yes. My name is Susan McHenry. My daughter's name is Sarah McHenry."

The man immediately looked sick again. "Your husband's name wouldn't be Matthew, would it?"

Susan's eyes went wide. "My husband?! My husband had the heart attack?! Where is he?! I want to see him! Matthew! Matthew!!" She started getting hysterical. First her daughter battling a monster, then hearing about Erin and now her husband. It was too much for her.

The policeman worried for the woman's safety so he quickly grabbed her in a hug to restrain her. He tried whispering soothing words in her ear to calm her down but it didn't work very well. She cried for over fifteen minutes before she calmed down enough for the man to release her. He quietly led her to his squad car and drove her to the hospital.

* * *

Susan was reunited with her daughter at the hospital where they'd taken her husband, who was pronounced dead on arrival. Sarah led her mother to the room with the man's body and left her alone to say goodbye. It was a long forty five minutes.

The upset woman came out of the room with red, moist eyes, stopping to stand next to her daughter who sat nearby in a chair.

Sarah noticed her mother but didn't get up. She looked at her mother's feet as she spoke, "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry."

Susan looked down at her daughter and placed her hand on the girl's head. "It's not your fault, dear. He did this to himself."

"But he wouldn't have died if…."

Her mother shushed her. "We tried talking to him but nothing worked. He did it to himself," she said firmly.

Sarah sniffed back a tear. "I could've saved him if I got to him soon enough."

Susan remembered about her daughter's healing power and shook her head. "You were busy. Please. Don't do this. Not here."

The distraught girl broke down and cried then, with her mother standing next to her, the woman's hand still on her daughter's head. The woman didn't cry. She was all out of tears. She just needed to stand by her daughter and show that there was nothing to forgive. Matthew's death wasn't the girl's fault.

* * *

Spring vacation had been moved up to the week after Golden Girl's major battle. It gave time for repairs, both to the school and to the emotional health of the students. No one but Sarah had been close to Erin so it didn't take a lot of time for an emotional recovery. The schedule change was more a convenience for the school.

Students returned to the school after the break to find nothing had really changed other than one student being gone. Sarah had transitioned far enough before the incident that no one noticed she'd become one hundred percent girl after it. Not even the teaching staff changed. That surprised Sarah when she showed up to her Government class.

Mister Guile gave the girl a wink and launched into a normal lecture. She'd eventually have a private talk with him and find out that he felt responsible for some reason. He didn't explain why but she suspected that he actually did care about the students and liked teaching. He just wouldn't admit it.

Sarah didn't know it but she'd been as much of a good influence on the dark being as she had with everyone else in her life. She actually cared about him, and having someone care for him made it hard for him not to care back.

One other unusual thing occurred not long after the battle with the demon, but it was only unusual for Sarah. A mysterious man named Michael showed up claiming to be Erin's guardian. He came to make arrangements for the redhead's funeral and offer some of Erin's possessions to Sarah.

Michael told the girl that she could keep everything that was stored in her drawer at home and she gratefully accepted. That still left a lot of other clothes and accessories but the only other thing of Erin's that Sarah would accept was the redhead's large, black and white hobo bag. Erin took the bag everywhere with her. If any part of Erin still existed in the physical world, it would be tied to her hobo bag. Sarah would always think of the bag as belonging to Erin. She was just keeping it for her, and using it a little since it held so much. Nothing wrong with that.

* * *

Michael had Erin's funeral inside a small, non-denominational church on a cold, rainy day. Only four people showed up to pay their respects to the deceased girl. That didn't surprise Sarah, but it did sadden her. She felt that Erin deserved a bigger and better funeral. There should've been more friends and relatives. It took her a little while to remind herself that Erin wasn't really human.

The redhead didn't have any real family, not on Earth. And she didn't have any friends except for Sarah and possibly Sarah's mother. Susan had interacted enough with Erin to feel close to her in spite of the little bit of friction between them.

Besides Sarah and her mother, Mister Guile showed up along with Michael of course. The pastor had everyone stand while he read a single bible passage and then a poem that was inspired by the Buddhist philosophy on death. That was it. The funeral was over barely after it began. Sarah felt it should be longer. There should be more to the funeral than two short readings. She had to look at Michael's beatific smile to once again be reminded of Erin's true status.

Almost immediately after the pastor finished and left, Michael moved over in front of Susan and took both of her hands in his. He continued smiling but didn't say anything to her. Sarah thought her mother would start crying but the woman just smiled dreamily back at the man. He next moved to Sarah, briefly hugged her and pulled back. "Please. Don't ever change," he told her. The girl shyly looked down at his feet and blushed. She didn't see him greet Mister Guile with a very subtle nod and follow after the pastor.

Mister Guile cleared his throat to get Sarah's attention. It was his turn to leave, and just before he did so, he smiled at her and it didn't creep her out at all. It was warm and kind and she didn't know what to do with it. It didn't make sense. Everyone smiled. There should be crying, lots of crying. Why wasn't anyone crying?

Sarah cried then. She cried for her loss. She'd miss her redheaded friend terribly. Erin would be okay. Sarah knew that, but she was human and humans could be selfish, especially when it came to the death of loved ones. She moved to sit on the front pew and cried her eyes out. It was the least she could do to mourn the loss of her spiritual soul mate.

* * *

The McHenry family held Matthew's funeral outside two weeks after Golden Girl's last battle on a cool, cloudy day. It was a small, somber affair that was mostly attended by close family members and Matthew's gun buddies. It also included two men from the military, who showed up to offer a folded American flag to Susan. The grieving wife took the flag with grace and handed it off to her daughter to tuck away in Erin's hobo bag.

Sarah stayed glued to her mother's side throughout most of the funeral, barely saying a word to anyone. Not even Brian could get her to talk. He couldn't even get her to look at him. The concerned boy vowed to keep an eye on her after that.

Several days before the funeral, Brian found out enough from Susan to know that Sarah no longer had any paranormal abilities. She could be vulnerable and he wanted to help protect her. He knew she was still a martial arts master but everyone had their limits. Her martial arts couldn't protect her from depression.

Sarah was surprised to see Mister Guile at the funeral. Her otherworldly Government teacher stood next to a strange man with very light skin and blonde hair that was so pale it was nearly white. The pale man stood a lot taller than Mister Guile, taller than Sarah with her three inch heels, and though he wore a long, black coat like most everyone else, he made quite a contrast to the short, dark man next to him. She didn't feel like going near Mister Guile but something about the pale man seemed to call to her, and she couldn't resist. She excused herself from her mother and went over to see the two men.

As she approached, she kept her eyes fixed on the tall man. His eyes caught hers and they shared a moment. She thought she recognized something in his eyes and couldn't look away for the longest time. It felt like a soul cuddle.

'That's ridiculous,' she thought. 'This is so not happening.'

She tried to talk herself out of thinking that the pale man could be Erin, but she couldn't help herself. On impulse, she hugged him, and something told her that Erin would be okay, wherever she ended up.

After breaking away from the hug, she turned to Mister Guile. The dark little man looked up and away from her as if to say that he didn't expect or even want a hug. She hugged him anyway. It didn't last nearly as long as the hug she gave the pale man but it was genuine. She could forgive and forget anything.

"Thank you both for coming," she told them before she went back to her mother's side. It was the only thing she said the whole day.

* * *

Fashion Divinity literally faded away after Erin's death. The store disappeared from the mall and everyone who worked at the mall barely remembered its existence. It was almost like it never existed.

Sarah knew it'd existed though, and she remembered her sales experience and everything that Stella had taught her. She'd need those skills to get another job, and she started looking for that next, perfect job right away after her father's funeral. She and her mother needed the money. Her father didn't have a very good life insurance policy.

It hurt her but she decided to avoid Brian for the time being. He radiated grief about Golden Girl and she had enough grief of her own. She also still had strong feelings for him and didn't need the distraction. Her family needed money and she needed a job. Job hunting was her number one priority for the near future and she went at it with a vengeance.

The mall that she used to work at was an obvious choice. She started looking there, and when no opportunities presented themselves, she ended up going to other malls. She targeted the nicer, high-end women's clothing stores because that's what she was best at and it was what she wanted to do. The determined girl also hit all of the women's departments in the large department stores. She really wanted a job, and it wasn't long before she got one.

Getting a job proved difficult with her lack of references. The disappearance of her previous workplace meant that she couldn't use it as a reference so she had to prove herself. She had to be creative. All she needed was a chance, and she got her chance when she interviewed with the store manager of an upscale boutique. She developed a good rapport very soon into the interview and ran with it.

The manager's first name was Mary, and in spite of dressing formally, Mary insisted on using first names. The woman encouraged a casual working relationship between employees to balance the expected formal relationship with customers. She was slender and average height with blonde hair and blue eyes. She reminded Sarah of her Crystal persona and Sarah hoped to use that to her advantage. The former superheroine had some good practice selecting outfits that looked good on a shorter, slender blonde woman.

Mary soon asked the right question to give Sarah the chance she needed. She asked the job seeker about the best way to start the new job and Sarah had a good answer.

"First, I'd get to know the store layout and become familiar with all of the merchandise, which I've already done for this store. I gave everything a good look and committed it to memory before the interview."

Mary nodded. "Impressive. And I like your drive. But why should I hire you over someone else with more experience? I mean, your hair and makeup are gorgeous and your outfit is very professional but according to your resume you don't have a lot of experience."

"I have some personal experience with friends and family, and just to show you I have a good eye for fashion, I'll tell you that there's a banana-colored belt here in your store that would look fantastic with that outfit you're wearing. I can show you which one I mean if you like."

Mary's interest was piqued, and Sarah soon led her to the yellow belt. As soon as the store manager saw it, her eyes lit up. She tried it on immediately and quickly checked herself out in the nearest full-length mirror. The belt complemented her outfit beautifully. She bought the belt, of course, and hired Sarah on the spot, laughing at being sold an item out of her own store.

The lack of a makeup department disappointed the newly hired girl since she could be considered a professional makeup artist, but she needed the job and experience. She'd do her best and work for at least a year before she'd consider looking for another job, assuming it was even necessary. Her new job had good potential.

* * *

Brian occasionally shadowed Sarah when she went job hunting, and he checked in on her after she found a job. He really did feel a need to protect her. He meant well.

The boy couldn't decide what to do about the Golden Girl fan club website. He didn't think it would be a good idea to relay messages from Sarah to keep the website going. Desperate and dangerous people might try to get to Golden Girl through him. They might not accept an apparent early retirement and they might rightly guess that he would know how to find her. Best to cut the world off and go cold turkey. He knew that much. But he wondered if the website might make a nice type of memorial and give fans a place to exchange stories and mourn together. It didn't seem right to shut it down. It would be difficult for him anyway. He mourned Golden Girl's passing more than anyone.

He kept thinking about Golden Girl as he followed Sarah, wondering if he'd ever see the blonde girl again. It didn't seem likely. The superheroine really was too good to be true. Seeing her in action was a dream come true. The time that he spent with her already felt more like a dream than a memory.

For the most part, Brian followed after Sarah and didn't normally get a good look at her face and her beautiful makeup. He didn't dare because seeing her face would mean that she had a chance of seeing him. He was trying to be discreet. That and he feared her martial arts skills. His imagination ran away with him sometimes, leading him to believe she might get angry if she caught him. She might get him in a vicious wrist lock or something. So he followed and hid, and he didn't realize that he'd been spending more and more time looking after her.

Some might consider his behavior to be stalking, though it was really more like hide-and-seek with himself. He was seeking something that he couldn't seem to find, and it wasn't until many hours of careful observation that the light finally dawned on him. Sarah was beautiful. He did eventually see her face but it wasn't just the girl's makeup and clothes that attracted him. The poise and quiet confidence that she showed at work shined through. That and her playful nature that often pounced on him when they got together. He thought back to some of their conversations and realized that she'd always been a good friend, mostly the same friend that she'd been as Lester except now in a very attractive package. He didn't understand why he couldn't see it before. Sarah would've playfully punched him in the arm and called him an idiot at that moment if she could've read his thoughts. He had been an idiot.

Sarah walked out of the store for her dinner break one evening to find Brian sitting on a bench across from the boutique. The boy had a big smile and a bouquet of flowers waiting for her and she smiled back at him.

"Hi Bri," she said with a playful grin. "Did you get a girlfriend or something? Those are beautiful flowers."

"What? No! They're for you." He held them out to her.

She took them and sighed. They were beautiful, and they smelled wonderful, but they were a little bit of an inconvenience. She held up a finger to Brian, telling him to wait, and trotted back inside to the break room to take care of the flowers.

A coworker came in and grinned at her. "Is that your boyfriend out front? He's a hunk!"

Sarah nodded. "He certainly is. And it looks like we're going to have dinner together. Wish me luck!"

The other young woman looked puzzled. "Luck for what?" She shook her head when she didn't receive an answer. The girl was already gone.

Brian stood up and Sarah took his arm in hers. They walked off to dinner to reaffirm their close friendship and start something new. They couldn't imagine being with anyone other than each other.

* * *

Sarah's room had long since been redecorated in a color scheme of lavender with sage green walls. She managed to afford a nice, new dresser and a small, separate vanity in a matching style. Her boy clothes had been given away and her room finally suited her feminine tastes and held only feminine things except for one tired, old exception.

She sat on the old chair in her bedroom, very still so as not to provoke a squeak. She wanted the silence to sit and think. The loss of her paranormal abilities didn't really affect her much and she wondered about that. She missed not being able to fly and not having her ability to control her focus. Noises really bothered her now. They were hard to tune out. She also missed helping people, but she didn't miss her self-obligation to deal with criminals. Better to avoid the whole deal. She couldn't have one without the other.

The former superheroine still had master level knowledge of aikido and other martial arts. Self-defense would never be a problem. Her knowledge of paramilitary tactics stuck around, though she couldn't imagine ever using it. She retained a lot of knowledge actually, much of it useless. Ancient types of nomadic housing and the making of stone tools wouldn't benefit anyone except perhaps an anthropologist, and while her dog and horse whisperer information interested her, she had no interest in working with animals. She could see herself buying a dog someday. Then it might come in handy.

She smiled. There was one bit of knowledge that she happily kept. She used it everyday, making it an obvious favorite. It was her makeup skill, or perhaps art was a better word to describe it. Applying makeup was as much an art form as it was a skill. She loved it. Her boyfriend seemed to appreciate it too. He appreciated the results anyway.

The knowledge she kept helped a lot to make up for the loss of her paranormal abilities, but she did still miss those abilities, and if she had to choose her biggest reason to miss them, it would have to be how they gave the world hope. She had sympathy for the rest of the world. Golden Girl was no more. The superheroine hadn't been seen in months and the world mourned. Virtually everyone mourned for one reason or another, not all of them exactly good. The good reasons were fairly obvious. The bad ones were best not mentioned.

A very large number of people missed the amazing displays of power and kindness in how that power was used. Golden Girl had given them proof that the human race could achieve great things, yet without seeing those regular displays of greatness, future generations would slowly forget or even believe that Golden Girl ever existed. It was just too fantastic. Unless one or more others could elevate themselves to a much higher level, Golden Girl would slowly become a legend and move on to myth status, and it was hard to aspire to be a myth. Humans might eventually reach for the stars, and they just might light their hair on fire. Maybe, someday. But not today.

Goodbye Golden Girl.

The End

© 2015 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.