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.