I stared down at the dinner on my plate , letting out a deep sigh as I did so . There was a breaded pork chop , some green beans , and even some mashed potatoes and gravy . This looked very much like the kind of dinner my wife Meg used to make for me , which stirred up a lot of old memories and emotions . Meg had been gone for years now , but I still missed her a great deal , and suspected that I always would . She 'd been my wife , the mother of my children , and the rock that helped keep me steady for two decades . I 'd long since gotten used to her absence , but sometimes , like right now , that ache in my heart just came back to the surface for no apparent reason , and reminded me of what was missing . I looked at Amy , then at Sapphire , who also sat at our table . She too looked concerned . " I 'm fine , " I assured them . " Starbright is still talking behind my back , " I admitted . " And I 'm sure that Drama Queen was using her powers to nudge things along . " I shrugged at that . " It 's all pretty damn frustrating , but that isn 't it . I was just thinking about home … " Or more accurately , I was thinking about the people from back home , and the woman I would never see again . At least not in this life . I gave Sapphire a curious look , remembering our conversation from earlier today . During lunch , Sapphire talked a little about her past , and told me that she 'd actually been born with GSD , and that she 'd been some kind of snake girl until she 'd manifested . In a way , it was hard to imagine her as some kind of GSD snake girl , but on the other , it explained so much . It definitely explained why she always wore that scaled cloak . " Home is … Home , " Sapphire answered with a faint smile . Amy and I gave her curious looks after that vague answer , which made her smile just a little more . " I mean this literally . I come from a small town that we call Home , in Montana . " Sapphire nodded her confirmation . " Once , it was an abandoned ghost town , but then it was claimed by a group of mutants with GSD , including my parents . They built a sanctuary … and a home . That is where I was born . " " Not all , " Sapphire corrected with a wry smile . " But many . Some have normal family and children who live with them . " Then her smile faded and she had a pained look on her face as she admitted , " Some of my neighbors don 't like me anymore . They called me a pretty . " " It 's okay , " Amy said , putting a comforting arm over Sapphire 's shoulder . " You might look different , but you 're still the same person inside . " I had a feeling that Amy was reminding herself of that fact , as much as she was Sapphire . For a moment , I just stared at Sapphire , now having a better understanding of the odd girl . I 'd noticed several times , that she didn 't even flinch at the sight of the most extreme GSD cases on campus , and that she often seemed more comfortable near the GSD kids than the attractive looking ones . The only exception to that , was that snake girl Diamondback , whom I 'd seen Sapphire staring at on several occasions . And now , even that made sense . With all the real emotional stuff out of the way , we ate dinner and continued to talk about Home . From what Sapphire said , the place was really out of the way , and with a population of only a few dozen . And on the few occasions when outsiders came through the town , they had their own version of a ' red flag day ' , where the only residents who went out into the open , were the baseline or normal looking people . The conversation was interesting , but in spite of that , Amy had out a notebook , which she wrote in while eating and talking . When I asked her about it , Amy looked a little self - conscious . " Sorry , " she apologized , as though she might have been offending us by not giving her full attention . " I 've got some ideas for a battery , and I was writing them down before I forgot … " " You 're in devisor mode ? " I asked , suddenly getting a little worried . She 'd been an exemplar this morning , and the only time she changed was either while she 'd been sleeping , or went through a burnout . " Did you have another burnout ? " Amy merely nodded at that . " Lately , I 've been thinking of trying to get some kind of battery to store my essence in , whenever I 'm a mage , so I can save it for later . Well , today , I realized that if I can do that kind of thing for essence , then why can 't I do it for the energy I collect as an energizer . If I get the right kind of battery , I could probably store the energy and use it to power my devises . " " I grew up with a devisor , " Amy pointed out with a wry smile . " I 'm pretty familiar with how a lot of them work . I might not be a devisor right now , but I know enough to write down some basic ideas , and some parts I might need . Once I turn devisor again , I 'll look this all over again , and see what I can make of it … " One of the boys was indeed Gravmax , a spoiled rich punk , who had a hard time understanding the word ' no ' . When we 'd first arrived at Whateley , the punk had tried hitting on Amy , and hadn 't taken her disinterest very well . He actually came after her several times , until Sapphire sprayed him with her venom . Ever since then , he 'd kept his distance from Amy , which was good for him . If he 'd come after her again , I just might have forgotten myself and kicked his ass . The other boy , who was standing beside him , was Iron . Iron was an athletic and clean - cut black boy , who was another spoiled rich kid . I 'd seen him hanging around with Gravmax on a number of occasions , though he seemed to avoid physically bullying people , and tended towards insults and snide comments instead . However , I 'd heard that Iron had flipped out on the first day of school , and had actually attacked a teacher . Of course , I 'd also heard that she kicked his ass , which was probably why he stuck to insults . My eyes went to the green - skinned boy whom I recognized as Ribbit . We shared a couple classes together , so I knew the frog avatar , even if not very well . Sprawled on the ground beside him was a girl named Aquerna , who 'd been introduced to me as a member of Wondercute . Gravmax was clearly using his power to pin both the other kids to the ground . Instead of getting caught up in Amy and Sapphire 's discussion about who was playing what role , I scowled and walked towards the two bullies . Then I put my hands on my hips and demanded , " What do you think you 're doing ? " That had always worked for Meg , but when Gravmax and Iron turned to look at me , they both began to snicker and laugh instead . " Let me go , " Aquerna demanded . " When my friends … " However , her words were cut off with a grunt , as Gravmax increased her gravity even further . Or at least , I assumed that was what he 'd done , since Ribbit was grimacing and gasping for breath . Apparently , he didn 't realize that my purple - haired friend was currently an exemplar 3 . Of course , Sapphire was an exemplar 4 , while I was a 6 . I barely even felt it . " You will not do this to me again , " Sapphire hissed . She opened her mouth to spray her venom , even though Gravmax seemed to be out of range . However , before she could release her venom , gravity increased again . Amy and Sapphire both fell flat on the ground under the pressure . " It would be a real shame if anyone found out that you guys got beaten up by a tiny little girl , " I commented in a sweet and innocent voice . " You 'd be the laughingstocks of the school . You 'll never hear the end of it . " Power Theory . This was a class about superpowers and how they worked , which was an exciting subject , or at least , it should have been . Ironically , the class on superpowers , was the most boring one on my schedule , but that had more to do with the teacher than the subject . Dr . Quintain was brilliant , and he 'd literally written the book on the subject . However , his lectures were always delivered in the most boring monotone voice imaginable . I stifled a yawn as I looked over my two notebooks . I was using one notebook to take notes for the class , but my other notebook was where I wrote down my thoughts and ideas about my own powers , and how I might be able to make better use of them . At the moment , I was playing around with ideas for a couple devises , though I wouldn 't know if I could actually build them until I turned into a devisor again . For now , I couldn 't do anything more with my devise ideas , so I began practicing with my esper power . I stretched out my awareness and could feel where everyone in class was located in relation to me , but not much more than that . However , I think that I was getting a little better , because I was pretty sure that I could actually identify who a couple of them were . But then again , that might just have been because I knew where everyone in class was already sitting . Alyss sat beside me with her arms crossed , looking as though she was staying awake from sheer force of will . Sapphire wasn 't even bothering , and was slumped over on her desk . I thought I heard a faint snore from her every once in awhile . The class was so boring , that even Mischief , the girl who could barely sit still for five minutes , looked as though she was falling asleep in her chair . " Thanks , " Mischief said as she took a seat . The blonde girl flashed a grin and said , " Hi , I 'm Melissa . My codename is Mischief , but you probably already know that . " " I 'm George , " said the other newcomer to our lunch , a hairy boy who looked like a cross between a human and a monkey . " But everyone calls me Monkeywrench . " He winked and added with a broad grin , " Even my mom . " Sapphire chuckled lightly . " I was named Sapphire before I had hair … " She ran her fingers through her hair , just a little self - consciously . I imagined that from her perspective , it might still seem a little strange to have hair at all . After all , from what she 'd told me , she hadn 't had real hair until after she 'd manifested and lost the scales . " Well , yeah , " Monkeywrench responded with a grin . " But I have to keep my banana phone close , in case I get an important call . Don 't tell me that you don 't have your phone on you too . " " I have a phone , " Melissa said , reaching into her pocket and pulling it out . " But the only one who calls me on it is my dad … and sometimes Aunt Brandy . Oh , and Imp . She 's called me on it … " Suddenly , someone bumped up against me pretty hard and nearly knocked my face into my food . I snapped around to see who 'd done it and saw one of the largest boys I 'd ever seen . He was big , tall , and muscular , but his upper body was oversized compared to his lower body , almost as though he was some kind of cartoon caricature of a bodybuilder … or a gorilla . My mind raced as I tried to think of how to stop this before it went any further . " You know , " I pointed out . " Security is probably watching this place pretty closely . And there are a LOT of witnesses … " " Let her go , " a boy yelled from the next table over . It took me a moment to realize that it came from Aegis , who was standing up and trying to look tough . " Don 't make me force you … " Unstoppable dropped me , then swung at Aegis . Aegis ' PK shell glowed golden as the large boy hit him , sending him flying back and into a table . Food was flung everywhere , especially on Aegis . However , Unstoppable wasn 't done , and grabbed Aegis to pick him up . Aegis had tried to help me , even if it hadn 't been the smart thing to do , so I couldn 't just sit back while Unstoppable beat him up instead of me . For a moment , I frantically tried to think of what I could do , and then it dawned on me . I didn 't need to beat Unstoppable , merely distract him long enough for Aegis to get away . It had been a long day of classes , and I was glad that it was finally over so I could return to Poe . The classwork itself wasn 't a problem , and most of it was actually pretty easy . Some of it was actually pretty damn interesting too . No , the problem was other students . All through the day , I 'd been forced to deal with people whispering behind my back , and spreading those nonsense rumors . They 'd been doing that to one degree or another since school started , but it seemed to be getting worse . And not only were there the rumors , but also the mocking and patronizing insults that were said to my face . In my old life , I 'd simply kick the ass of anyone who tried to fuck with me , but now , that wasn 't an option . At first , I 'd been able to ignore the rumors , since they were nothing more than words . But over the last couple weeks , it had been getting on my nerves more and more . If I didn 't do something about this soon , then sooner or later , I was going to lose my temper and do something that I 'd regret . " It won 't come to that , " I grimly told myself , remembering what had happened when Rachael went on one of her diedricks rampages . People died . There was absolutely no way that I was going to lose my temper and let that happen with me . There was absolutely no way that I 'd hurt some kids , regardless of whether or not they were brats . " I won 't let it . " I had to deal with this before things got to that point . But how ? When I reached Poe , I started towards my room . I passed Kayda and Chou on the stairs , and gave them each a nod as I passed . Then in my hallway , I gave a similar nod of acknowledgement to Angel and Danny , who were in the middle of a conversation . When I reached my room , I was relieved to see that Martina was still out , because I wanted a little privacy for what came next . I pulled my bottle of bourbon out from the bottom of my dresser , where it had been hidden , and poured myself half a glass . Being a high level exemplar , with regeneration , I couldn 't get drunk like I used to , but going through the motions was still comforting . I just wished that I had some beer instead . Once I 'd downed my drink , I grabbed my cell phone and made a call . A few seconds later , I greeted my elder daughter , " Hey , Mel . It 's me … " A broad grin formed as I began to chuckle . Melanie sounded so much like her mother , at that moment . " I 'm doing fine with the classes , " I told her , while still smiling . " I 'm still just getting all the basic classes out of the way , so they 're pretty easy . And yes , I am making friends . There are even a couple girls I 've been hanging around with . They 're a couple odd ducks , but I like them . " " That 's good , " Mel responded , and I could almost hear her nodding her head over the phone . " I was a little worried that you 'd have a hard time fitting in , because … Well , you know . " " Yeah , " I agreed . " I don 't really fit in , but the whole school is pretty weird , so by not fitting in , I sort of do … " I chuckled at that , then added , " And did I tell you , they 've got me rooming with a girl , whose mom is a supervillain . She 's a nice kid , and needs people who aren 't going to judge her for what her mom does … " There was a period of silence as we both considered Rachael , and all the pain she 'd inadvertently caused the family . My middle daughter might be a supervillain , with a dangerous mental illness , but she was still my daughter and I loved her . That wouldn 't change . " I 'd love to come over for dinner some night , " I assured my daughter , who 'd just invited me . " We 'll need to find a night that 's good for all of us , and when Rich can play taxi … " Once that was agreed on , I asked , " Can I talk with Kaylie for a bit ? " I had to wait for about half a minute while Melanie went in search of my eldest granddaughter . Kaylie was twelve years old , and not long ago , that sadistic bastard , the Marquis , had said that she was a mutant on the verge of manifesting . Because of that , everyone in the family was keeping a close eye on her , but so far , she 'd yet to show any signs . I was actually thankful for that , because I knew the problems that could come with mutant powers , and some of them , I wouldn 't wish on my worst enemy . I winced at the question , knowing that with her diedricks and body count , there was almost no way she 'd ever be released from prison , much less allowed near kids . " Who knows , " I responded , trying to keep my voice from choking . Then , I quickly added , " Maybe you and Kimberly can come see the school on Parents Day . " " That would be so cool , " Kaylie said . " I just wish I could tell my friends about it … " Then before I could say anything , she added , " But I know I can 't . Your school is a huge secret . " For a moment , I considered the fact that if Kaylie did manifest as a mutant , then Whateley might be a good place for her to get an education as well . If that happened , it would be strange , to actually be going to the same school as my granddaughter . The very idea was enough to make me chuckle again . " There are some girls here who keep giving me a hard time , " I admitted self - consciously . " You know , insulting me , spreading rumors behind my back … That kind of thing . If it was a guy , I could just bust his nose open , but since I can 't do that , I need to figure out another way of dealing with this … " I rolled my eyes at that . " That kind of thing never worked when I was a kid … the first time , and I doubt things have changed that much . Besides , I prefer to deal with my problems myself . " Kaylie and I talked about this for the next ten minutes , and even though she was only twelve , her perspective was still helpful . Eventually though , I said goodbye to her , and chatted with her little sister for a bit . Kimberly was more silly and excitable , but it was still a joy to talk to her . By the time I hung up , I was feeling much better . Talking with my family was always a good thing , but in addition to that , Kaylie gave me a few good ideas for how to deal with my problem . Once I was done with the phone , I put my bottle of bourbon back in the drawer and looked at my box of cigars instead . My supply was dwindling , and looking the way I did now , it wouldn 't be easy to get replacements . Maybe I could talk Rich into making a stop in Cuba for me . I chuckled at the thought . A minute later , I left my room with a cigar and lighter in my pocket . Since I made my own dresses , it didn 't take any effort to design them with a few hidden pockets , just for such occasions . You never knew when you 'd need to have money on hand , or any number of other small objects . This was just one of the lessons that I 'd already picked up from Costume Shop . I briefly considered going upstairs to Hippolyta 's room , to see if she wanted to go out and have a smoke with me , but I didn 't really feel like going that far out of my way at the moment . So instead , I went downstairs and peeked my head into the dayroom instead , since that was on my way . The dayroom was pretty full , but Hippolyta wasn 't there . Several of the Kimbas sat in their corner , doing their homework . Rose and Ricardo were chatting away , though they were speaking in Spanish and I couldn 't quite follow what they were saying , nor did I really try . I wasn 't big on eavesdropping on people . Cindy , Peacock , Jinx , and Downpour were all sitting around a Monopoly board . Downpour looked a little dark and grim , but that was nothing unusual for her . She didn 't have any rain clouds over her head , so that was actually a pretty good sign . It had been a couple weeks since her ' incident ' , and everyone was still keeping an eye on her , just in case . Just like everyone else on our floor , I knew that Jinx didn 't always have strict control over her powers . Even when she wasn 't trying to do anything , people around her tended to have bad luck when she got angry . I suspected , that even if she wasn 't intentionally using her powers , her subconscious was still pushing the odds in her favor . Downpour just looked up at me and let out a sigh . " I 'm losing . Again . " She didn 't really sound bothered by that , but more like she had never expected it to be any other way . Once again , I felt for the girl and wished that there was something I could do to help . I was strong enough that if I really tried to get away from these girls , I could have done so . However , there was something about their enthusiasm that was sort of infectious . Maybe it was because they reminded me of my granddaughters , especially Kimberly . Whatever it was , I ended going with them . Then , when the girls turned to the TV and DVD player , Danny whispered , " Escape while you can . Save yourself . It 's too late for me … " Hamtaro , I quickly learned , was a cartoon about talking hamsters . It seemed kind of silly to me , but the girls all loved it , going ' ooooh ' and ' awwww ' , and ' how kewt ' . But the thing is , I could imagine Kimberly sitting there and watching this same show , and even Kaylie , at least before she decided to do the goth thing . It was over . It had been a rough day , more for what had happened during lunch than from anything else , but it was finally done and over with . Classes were done for the day , and even dinner had been finished . Now , there was nothing left to do but hang around my cottage and relax . Well , that and a little something else that I 'd already had planned . At the moment , I was sitting in the dayroom , along with a few other residents . Diz and Frostbite were playing Scrabble in the corner , and of course , Diz was winning again . For a little kid , she sure seemed to be good at that game . Dust and Achoo were arguing over the TV remote , at least until Adore walked up and snatched it out of their hands . All they did was stare at her while she changed the TV to news . And then there was Spoof , who was doing his homework , while pointedly trying to ignore the neon orange ' kitten ' that kept attacking his shoe . " I 'm going to have some interesting stories to tell Kara , the next time I see her , " I mused with a chuckle . I might even have a few to share with Mom and Aunt Beth , though I doubted that I 'd be able to match some of their misadventures . " Probably for the best . " After I 'd been resting on my butt long enough , I finally got up and left the dayroom . It was time to get to work , and I was looking forward to it . Of course , everyone else in the cottage would soon be looking forward to it as well . A minute later , I stepped into the kitchen and began to retrieve some of the ingredients and equipment that I 'd need . However , I quickly discovered that there was more of both than I was expecting . Not only had someone stocked the kitchen with food , but they 'd also bought some new tools , including a high - end knife set . " What the … ? " I asked as I looked into the spices and found saffron . Saffron was the world 's most expensive spice , so it wasn 't the kind of thing that I 'd expect to find in the kitchen , especially in such a large amount . And then as I continued looking at the supplies , I found a few more surprised . " There 's even a truffle in here … " Mrs . Cantrel chuckled at my reaction . " The food was an anonymous donation for the students of this cottage , " she told me with an amused smile . " Feel free to use as much as you want . " " I was just about to do a little baking , " I explained . We walked to the kitchen together . " Someone donated a lot of food , and I have some great ideas for how to use it , but I 've already got some plans for tonight . " " Think devisor coffee , in brownie form , " I said with a grin . " Basically , espresso brownies , with lots of caffeine . I figure that in the next day or two , I 'll probably be a devisor again , and I 'll want to take full advantage of it while I can . I 've got a few things I want to make , so I 'll probably be staying up pretty late . " Just then , I suddenly felt someone coming towards the kitchen door . One of the advantages of being an esper was that it was hard to sneak up on me , if I was paying attention . I wasn 't sure who this was , though I was sure that they felt familiar . However , instead of responding , I just stared at my former roommate in surprise . Alyss had an unusual sense of fashion , doing the whole gothic Lolita thing . However , I 'd never seen her wearing anything quite like what she had on now . It was a purple and black sailor uniform , with a symbol on her chest that looked like a ' cute ' skull with a bow . " So , " Alyss said with a sigh . " Wondercute invited me to one of their cartoon marathons , and by invite , I mean strong - arm . I 've met supervillains who are less intimidating than those girls … " Alyss rolled her eyes . " Anyway , one thing led to another , and the next thing I know , I 'm making them all dresses , and they 've talked me into making that costume for myself . I swear , one of those girls must have a mind control power … " " Danny wasn 't any happier about it than I was , " Alyss said with a shake of her head . " Poor kid . When I last saw him , he was wearing one of those sailor costumes too … " Alyss glared at both of us , but she looked so cute that it was hardly intimidating . In fact , I couldn 't contain my laugher , nor could Sapphire . Alyss responded by flipping us both the bird , which only resulted in more laugher . " So , " Alyss said , obviously trying to change the subject . " I didn 't get to hear the details about what went down at lunch . Spill the beans . " " Let 's see , " I said , thinking about the incident at lunch . " There isn 't really a lot to tell . Sapphire and I were sitting at a table , along with Mischief and Monkeywrench , when some big gorilla named Unstoppable decided to mess with me for some reason . " " The whole situation was a complete and total mess , " I said with a sigh . " And not just the food . Everyone was covered with it , then some kids wearing Power Ranger costumes showed up . " The Wild Pack , or the Betas , as they also seemed to be called , had immediately rushed in and declared everyone present to be ' detained ' for security , though I didn 't know why they thought they had the authority to do that . I also didn 't know why a group of students would wear costumes around school , especially while eating lunch . The whole group just came off as a bunch of pretentious hall monitors , who were overflowing with their own sense of self - importance . " Aegis and Unstoppable got detention for fighting , " I added , thinking that Unstoppable definitely deserved it . Aegis , had tried coming to my rescue , so I actually felt kind of bad for him . " Apparently , Aegis and Mischief are doing their detention here for the next week , and I heard that the gorilla was sent to work in the sewers . " Suddenly , a tray of brownies flew up into the air , courtesy of Miranda 's telekinesis . I leapt for them , but they landed right in Revekah 's hands . Then , without hesitation , all four girls ran for the door . Power Theory was finally over , much to my relief . Dr . Quintain seemed like a nice guy , but damn , the man could put an insomniac to sleep without even trying . I felt sorry for Amy , having to work for him as part of her campus job . Then again , she 'd done that to herself . After showering and changing clothes , I started to lunch with Amy and Sapphire . However , just as we reached Crystal Hall , I saw my roommate Martina . Martina gave me a nod , then smirked and came towards me . " That doesn 't matter , " I said . " The point still stands . " Then I glanced to Martina , who looked like she might be waiting on something . " You guys go ahead , " I told Amy and Sapphire . " I 'll catch up in a couple minutes … " I considered that for a moment before admitting , " A little , but not too much . I 'm on pretty good terms with Hippolyta , so she might be keeping some of the Cape Squad off my back . But it might just be because I 'm so cute and innocent looking … " I gave her my best ' puppy dog ' eyes , an expression that Jade had been trying to teach me last night . I wasn 't sure how well it worked , but Martina chuckled . I snapped around and saw three kids standing there , all of whom looked familiar , since I 'd seen them around the school . Two of them , I immediately recognized as kids whom Aegis had once pointed out as being members of the Bad Seeds , the children of supervillains . The one who 'd spoken was a girl , who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen , and who had white - hair that was similar in color to my own . She was looking at Martina more than me , probably because my apparent age made it difficult for people to take me seriously . Even here at Whateley , where people should know better than to judge by appearances , everyone tended to just think of me as a kid . It was annoying , but I didn 't take it personally . " This is my brother , Mal , " Jadis said , gesturing to a boy who had some kind of cybernetic implant in his eye . That made it difficult not to stare . Then , Jadis gestured to a dark - haired girl , who reminded me of Wednesday , from the old Addams Family TV show . " And this is Kate . " For a moment , I considered correcting the rumor and pointing out that Lady Havoc wasn 't my mother , but that would only result in more awkward questions . It would probably be better to have Rachael being thought of as my mother , than to have everyone knowing she was my daughter instead . Before I could actually decide on my response , Mal suddenly pointed at my hand . " This ? " I asked , raising my hand so everyone could get a better look . At his nod , I answered , " I have no idea . I 've never heard of ebidium . " I removed the bracelets from both wrists , then held them out for Mal to look at . He tried to pick one up out of my hand but only grunted and dropped it . I quickly snatched it back up out of the air . " Heavy , " Mal said with a nod . His eyes , or at least his normal eye , gleamed with excitement . " Ebidium is extremely dense and heavy . That has to be at least twenty pounds worth … " " Nice , " Mal said , his expression turning almost hungry . " Ebidium is hard to come by , even for our dad , and he can make the stuff . Using it as jewelry seems like a bit of a waste … Would you be interested in selling ? " With that , the three members of the Bad Seeds turned and left . Martina and I shared a look , then shook our heads at the same time before going into the lunch line together . A few minutes later , I went in search of Amy and Sapphire , while Martina took off in a different direction . It didn 't take me long to see my friends , but just as I had nearly reached their table , a foot was suddenly stuck out into my path to trip me . However , I 'd already seen Starbright sitting at the table , and wasn 't the least bit surprised . I stepped around her foot , rather than tripping over it like she 'd intended . Starbright jumped to her feet and glared at me , as though I 'd insulted her by dodging both of her attempts to mess with me . " Watch it , little girl , " she exclaimed , stretching herself to her full height and trying to intimidate me with her greater size . She looked so serious about it that I actually burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation . As Kaylie had pointed out , girls like Starbright wanted to push my buttons , and leave me no recourse . It was all a power play . They wanted me to feel angry , frustrated , humiliated , and helpless to do anything about it . No matter how difficult it was , I had to control my temper and avoid falling into their trap . That wouldn 't be easy , because I 'd always had a rather hot temper . Power Lab . This was probably my favorite class , because it changed every day depending on what powers I had at that time . The weekday version of the class was only half as long as the one held on Saturday , and for most of the students , it was actually a little more organized . However , the nature of my powers meant that this class was even more of an individual study period for me , than for most of the other students . Today , I was an exemplar , which was the simplest of my various powers . I was a little stronger , faster , and tougher than normal , plus , I had sharp senses and could also regenerate . None of those things really needed special training or practice , not like my other abilities did . Because of that , all I 'd had to do today , was check in at the classroom , then I was free to go and work on one of my other powers . I went to the devisor labs , where a few people were already present and working . This area was largely dominated by the freshmen and sophomore devisors and gadgeteers , who had yet to acquire a private lab . There were various tables we could check out and use while we worked , and lots of equipment that we had to share . There wasn 't a whole lot of privacy in this space , but there were plenty of opportunities to talk with the other people working , and even get some feedback . " Amy , " Hardwyrd greeted me with a wave . He was sitting at one of the work stations , with a pile of parts in front of him . I had absolutely no idea what he was working on , and didn 't bother to ask . I nodded to Hardwyrd , then to Blackbox , a somewhat chubby gadgeteer , who specialized in making lock boxes , puzzle boxes , and safes of various types . Just the other day , he and Breakdown had gotten into it , because she 'd disassembled one of his prized puzzle boxes and ' cheated ' as he said . Of course , after that , he began dricking out , and became a bit incomprehensible for the rest of his rant . " Not today , " I responded pleasantly . " But I can still do some fabricating , and get things ready for when I am again . Hopefully , if I have everything I need ready and on hand , then I 'll be able to finish my devise pretty quickly . " I shrugged at that . I 'd been working on the parts for this devise over the last week , and was pretty sure that I had everything I needed . Even though I hadn 't been in devisor mode , I knew enough about the technology from my previous work , and from watching my mom , that I was pretty sure of what I was doing anyway . Unfortunately , I still had to wait until I had that special devisor spark , before I 'd be able to put it all together and make it work . If I tried to do so before then , I might as well be making a paperweight instead . About halfway through the class , I finished the last of the fabrication that I needed to do for that project , so I was stuck on it until I turned devisor again . However , there were a couple other projects that I had in mind , so I started on some preliminary fabrication work on those . I might not be a devisor very often , but there were still ways to take advantage of that power , especially if I planned ahead . I 'd barely made it to the surface and started back towards my cottage , when I suddenly found myself face to face with Gravmax . He gave me a look of surprise , which meant that he hadn 't been trying to ambush me . However , his expression immediately turned one of contempt and hostility . " Maybe not , " I responded evenly . " But do you see the security cameras there and there . . . ? " I pointed to two random places , having no idea if there were cameras there or not . " Or all the witnesses ? " I gestured around us , where a number of students were walking past . I suddenly felt heavier , but not heavy enough to collapse to the ground . My exemplar strength helped , but I also knew that Gravmax wasn 't pushing too hard , just enough to annoy me . He didn 't dare do anything too obvious , not with so many witnesses . Gravmax glared at me for a moment , then suddenly flashed a fake smile . " I 'm afraid that I don 't have time to waste dealing with someone like you right now . I 'll check my schedule , and if you 're lucky , I 'll find some time for you to squeeze in an appointment . " " Anything to save a bruised ego , " I commented wryly . Was it any wonder that nearly every positive role model in my life had been a woman ? " At least Malfoy is gone for now . " My seizures lasted less than half a minute , though it felt like half an hour . When they were done , I collapsed , feeling spent and exhausted . I 'd probably gone through more burnouts than anyone alive , even if they were only micro - burnouts , and this one was pretty mild . I didn 't even lose consciousness . Darqueheart had some pretty serious GSD , which gave her pure black skin , big horns that grew from her forehead , and a devil 's tail that hung out the back side . She was usually pretty prickly , and downright hostile towards anyone she viewed as a ' pretty ' . However , at that moment , all I saw on her face was a look of pity . " What the hell was that ? " Darqueheart demanded , her expression turning to one of suspicion . I had a feeling that at the moment , this was more of a mask than anything . What did it say about my situation , when even the GSD kids pitied me ? " A burnout , " I said with a grimace . Her eyes widened slightly . I forced a faint smile , then shrugged as though this was no big deal . " I get them a lot . " From her expression , I could tell that this wasn 't really news . Of course , that was no surprise either . After I 'd had a burnout in the Quad , and had then been rushed to Doyle from Hawthorne , rumors had spread around the school . I shook my head . " Naw . It 's done and over with for now . There isn 't anything they can do anyway . " I shrugged at that . " I was just going to head back to Hawthorne . " Poker night was a sacred event , bound in generations of tradition . Grown men would sit around the table , smoking cigars , getting drunk , and complaining about the women in their lives , while bonding in a way that only men could . However , this was not poker night . I held my cards close to my chest , while carefully looking around the table , trying to read any tells . My opponents were Amy , Rose , Voodude , and that really feminine looking guy , Erin . Then , without taking my eyes off the other players , I took a long sip of my drink , a Jack and Coke , minus the Jack . This time , it was Rose who glared at Erin . Over the last couple turns , it had already been made clear that she was all out of green cards , so her options at the moment were limited . However , Amy just smiled , looking rather pleased . That meant she was probably holding onto a couple green cards , and that Erin 's move may have just helped her . " What are you doing here anyway ? " Voodude asked Amy . There was no hostility in the question , merely curiosity . " Did they kick you out of Hawthorne or something ? " " Not much , " Amy said with a scowl . " Last night , I made a batch of devisor brownies … " Then , at the confused looks , she explained , " Think devisor coffee in brownie form . A lot of espresso and caffeine mixed in . " I chuckled at that and shook my head . When everyone looked at me , I explained , " A group of hyperactive little kids stole them … " Then , I added , " Thornie kids at that … " I just shrugged at that . " But I 'm not the one who made the brownies . " Then , I responded the same way my granddaughters would have , by sticking my tongue out at Amy . " That 's pretty interesting and all , " Erin said as we continued playing . " But … Uno . " I looked and saw that Erin was right . He did have only one card left . However , instead of being intimidated , Erin just smiled . " You and what army ? Unless you 're talking about that army of cards you 're holding , in which case , I don 't think they 'll be a lot of help … " In spite of Erin having the lead with only a single card remaining , he didn 't win on his next turn . Instead , over the next couple turns , he was the victim of a skip , a reverse , and a draw two . Before he knew it , his hand was full of cards again , though Voodude managed to get down to two cards in the process . Erin frowned for a moment before commenting , " Everyone is saying that Lady Havoc is your mom … " I let out a sigh of that . Of course Erin would ask about Rachael . She was probably the most notorious supervillain in Pennsylvania , so there was no doubt that he 'd heard of her before . In fact , the only real surprise was that he hadn 't confronted me about this before . However , he didn 't look hostile or confrontational , merely curious . " In spite of the rumors , " I said after a few seconds , " she isn 't my mom . " I took a long drink of my Coke , knowing that Rachael would be laughing at those rumors . " She is a relative , " I admitted to Erin and the others . " Just not my mom . " I scowled at that , feeling a surge of protective anger , though I pushed it back down . Voodude was right , Rachael did have a bit of a reputation , and unfortunately , much of it was well earned . However , she was also my daughter , and even after everything she 'd done , she was still my little girl . " She isn 't the monster that everyone thinks , " I said grimly , fighting back the tears that wanted to come . I took several deep breaths to keep myself calm and stead . " She has a bad case of diedricks and only gets violent when she 's dricking out . When she isn 't , she 's a good person … " My voice was threatening to break at that point , as I quietly added , " She turned herself in , so she couldn 't hurt people anymore … " Amy nodded in understanding and gave me a sympathetic look . " Diedricks is pretty rough . If things had been only a little different , my mom could have gone the same route … " The Freelancers were a group of heroes based out of Pittsburgh , though calling them a ' group ' wasn 't quite accurate . Instead of a group , they were more of a loose - knit alliance of heroes , who cooperated with each other , and sometimes worked together against larger threats . " I 've met them , " I admitted with a nod . " And I 'm on pretty good terms with Pinnacle and Mystery Woman . " " Really ? " Erin asked , suddenly seeming a little more interested than when he 'd asked about Rachael . " I saw a couple of the Freelancers when I was in Pittsburgh , but I didn 't really get a chance to talk with any of them . " Erin looked like he was about to ask me another question , when Voodude announced , " Uno . " That sparked the competitive spirit , and we all turned our focus back to the game , and on trying to win . Just a minute later , the game ended , with Voodude as the winner . After this , everyone began to get up and leave . I stared at the now empty table for a few seconds before letting out a sigh . This little game of Uno had been fun , and reminded me of when my kids had actually been kids , and we 'd play as a family . However , that had been a long time ago . Just like it had been a long time since I 'd had a decent game of poker . Of course , it was hard to play poker anymore , when most of my old poker buddies were with Humanity First . Ever since Rachael manifested , none of them had wanted anything to do with me , and vice versa . I could only imagine what they 'd think if they saw me now . " Do you mind if I hang around a bit longer ? " Amy asked with a wry smile . " I want to kill a little more time before heading back to Hawthorne . " " Or something , " I answered with a chuckle . " Apparently , she didn 't like sharing a room with someone who causes bad luck . I think the incident with her computer crashing and losing all her homework was the last straw . " " You know , " Amy said , " you 've talked about … Rachael a number of times . You said she 's not your mom , but she 's obviously close to you . Is she your aunt , or your older sister ? " Amy chuckled at that , obviously thinking that it was a joke . However , when she noticed that I wasn 't laughing , she stopped and gave me an odd look . I could see the wheels turning in her head . Amy wasn 't stupid , not by any means . I sat down on the edge of my bed and let out a sigh . " I told you that when I manifested … I lost a few years of age . " Then , giving her a self - conscious smile , I added , " It would probably be more accurate to say that I lost a few decades . Four to be exact . " I nodded at that , suddenly wishing that I had a beer to drink while I talked . I didn 't , but I did have some bourbon , so I hopped off my bed , pulled out my bottle , and pulled myself half a glass . I glanced to Amy , then decided that she wouldn 't appreciate the booze . And that wasn 't even taking her age into account . After taking a long sip of my drink , I said , " Rachael is my daughter . My middle - child . " I gave Amy a wry chuckle and added , " I have three children , and two granddaughters . " I took another sip , then closed my eyes for a moment . " Rachael was a good girl , and she had so much potential . Then she manifested as a devisor … and developed diedricks . I tried to help her . I tried every God damn thing I could think of , but it wasn 't enough . Her diedricks took over her life , and drove her to becoming a supervillain . As her father , it broke my heart . " " I was the one who turned her over to the cops , " I admitted grimly . " I even testified at her trial . It was the hardest thing I 'd ever done , but I didn 't have a choice . Then , after she escaped , I didn 't see her again for years . Not until the hospital … " " Cancer , " I said bitterly . " It ate me away to damn near nothing … " I closed my eyes . " I was in the hospital , with only a couple weeks left at most , when Rachael showed up . She said that she 'd invented a cure for cancer , and that she was there to save my life . " I looked down at myself and chuckled . " It worked … but with a few side effects . Turns out , it kick started my own mutant gene complex , and I manifested … " I gestured down myself and gave Amy a wry look . " Rachael saved my life and gave me a second chance . " I shrugged at that . " A small price to pay . Yeah , looking like this is a real pain in the ass , sometimes … pardon the French , but it 's a hell of a lot better than the alternative . And there are other benefits . " " Because I have a second chance , " I answered , not sure that someone as young as Amy could really understand what this meant . " On my first time around , I dropped out of high school , and I 've always regretted it . This time , I want to do things right . This time , I have a damn good reason . " " Diedricks , " I answered grimly . Amy 's eyes widened slightly at that one word answer , and I saw the understanding in them . However , I still continued , " After seeing what diedricks did to Rachael , to my family , I want to do something to help . And in order to do that , I need to get a good education , and learn everything I can about it . " " Carson does , " I admitted . " And a couple other people in admin and security , though I have no idea who . " I shrugged at that . " Hell , for all I know , Horton might know … or she might not . I 'm not gonna bother asking though . " I hugged Amy back , which was strange , yet oddly comforting . I 'd only told her about my real age on an impulse , because at that moment , I trusted her and wanted her to understand . Now , I was thankful that I had , because it felt as though a weight had been taken off my shoulders . Power Lab . Again . Today , I was lucky enough to have woken up as a devisor , which meant that for Power Lab , I was actually spending the class period in one of the devisor labs , putting together the new devise that I 'd been working on for the last week . I was in a good mood as I began the walk back to Hawthorne . I couldn 't wait to test my new devise , and to show it off . However , I hadn 't gone very far when I saw a potential problem . Gravmax had been walking in the direction of the campus store , when he saw me . For a moment , I thought he 'd ignore my presence and simply continue on his way , but I should have known better . I was never that lucky . I 'd brought my little toy to the lab , so I could perform a couple minor tweaks on it while I was there . I still hadn 't installed a video camera , but that didn 't mean I couldn 't bluff again . After all , it had worked on Gravmax before . But suddenly , my floating sphere dropped straight to the ground and smashed . Gravmax hadn 't even given me the chance to bluff , and had targeted the sphere right away . I felt my own weight increased too , but not enough to bring me down , just enough to keep me from trying to run . " Because I won 't like you when you 're mad ? " I asked . " I don 't like you now . " Then , because he was starting to get flustered , I just smiled and pointed out , " You know , there are security cameras … " With that , I quickly pulled out my new weapon , a needle gun , and opened fire , sending a spray of small needle projectiles right at Gravmax . My needle gun , which could also be called a flechette gun , was basically a tiny rail gun , which used electromagnetic fields to fire the needles . It wasn 't nearly as powerful as my rail gun , but it had the advantage of being small enough to carry around campus . Gravmax yelped in pain as three of my needled caught in his upper thigh . I scowled at that , since the range and accuracy of my new weapon , weren 't nearly as good as I 'd hoped . However , I had more important things to worry about at the moment . I chuckled as well , now knowing what they were talking about , even though I hadn 't been there to see it myself . Yesterday , Aegis had been in Hawthorne for his detention , and Mrs . Cantrel had given him the task of changing out the curtain around Sapphire 's bed . Apparently , he 'd forgotten to put on his gloves , because he came out of her room a few minutes later , complaining that he couldn 't feel his hands . With that , I held out my new needle gun . It looked sort of like a high tech pistol , the kind that you 'd expect to shoot energy beams or something . Instead , it just fired small needles . It was small , easy to carry around school , and non - lethal . Just what I needed to protect myself around the school . " Talk to Slapdash , " Caitlin told me . " He does railguns like no one on campus today . He might have a few pointers to make it better . " She paused for a moment before adding , " Just not if he 's dricking . " I nodded again . " I was thinking of having Breakdown take a look at it , and see if she saw anything I could improve . But as it is , I 've already got a few ideas . " " Oh yeah , " I responded with a grin . A few of my ideas were a little out of the box , and would need time to arrange . However , there was one thing I could take care of right now . " So , " I said to Sapphire . " We 're neighbors , so would it be possible to borrow a cup of your venom ? " " Why ? " Sapphire started to ask , until I held up my needle gun and grinned . Her eyes went wide in understanding , then she grinned back . " That wouldn 't be a problem . " " Not bad , " Caitlin told me with a grin and a nod of approval . " Not bad at all . However , you 're still gonna need to take firearm safety before you 'll be allowed to carry that around on campus . " A few seconds later , Sapphire got up and left the dayroom , probably to get me some of her venom . I looked over at Caitlin , who was the only one in there with me . She had a look on her face , as though she wanted to say something but wasn 't sure how . Caitlin gave me a flat look . " Be careful , you might not always be talking to another changeling when you say ' mother and son ' . Make sure that if someone finds out , it 's because you told them intentionally , not because you slipped . " My eyes widened at that . Caitlin gave me a friendly nod , then left the day room . For a moment , I just remained where I was , considering her words . I 'd damn near told her about my being a changeling , and hadn 't even realized it . But just as surprising , was her revelation that she was a changeling too . " Then why isn 't she in Poe ? " I mused . Perhaps for the same reason I wasn 't . I 'd heard that she used to have some weird issues with her powers , so that must be it . It was strange , I considered , just how many people around Whateley seemed to have secrets . Sapphire , Alyss , and now Caitlin , all had secrets that they 'd confided in me . And of course , I had my own secret , that I was a changeling , though I was realizing that it wasn 't as big a deal as I would have imagined . Then with a smile , I picked up my ruined sphere , and my needle gun , and started back to my room . The sphere would need to be rebuilt , even more than when Breakdown had torn it apart , which was annoying . But my needle gun would only need a few tweaks and additions , and it would be ready for use . Even though I looked like a sweet and innocent girl , I still had the heart and soul of an old fart . I just hoped that this old dog was able to learn a few new tricks . In fact , I was counting on it , or there was no reason for me to come to Whateley in the first place . I 'd come to the conclusion that in order to help people with diedricks , then I 'd need to become a doctor , and not just a doctor . I needed to become a neurologist , and who knew what else . With that in mind , I 'd picked up a couple books on the subject , which would hopefully , get me another step closer . I hadn 't gone far from the library when I caught sight of Gravmax . He was walking towards Melville , but was doing so with a noticeable limp . I didn 't know what had happened to him , unless one of his would be victims had kicked him in the ankle or something . I just hoped he decided not to start anything with me , because I was in too good a mood to deal with any of his crap today . A short time later , I reached Poe without any problems , and immediately went into the dayroom . Breakdown , Cindy , and Downpour were sitting there , munching on a plate of cookies . Even Downpour looked sort of happy at that moment . " So , " Breakdown asked me with a grin . " When are you going to get Amy back in Poe ? We need her to start cooking for us the way she is for the Thornies … " All three of the girls looked sad for a moment , as they considered Amy 's problem . I tried not to think of it myself , because she 'd become one of my closest friends , and I hated to see her going through so many burnouts . One of these days , she might not be able to simply shake one off , and we all knew it . After this , I accepted a cookie , which really was pretty good , then I settled down to read . I 'd found one book in the library on diedricks , and was really looking forward to that one . As it was , I 'd been tempted to read it right there at the library . I 'd only finished three of the books in my stack , when suddenly , a whirlwind of rainbows , unicorns , glitter , and bubbly excitement burst into the dayroom . Wondercute had arrived . Or at least , four of them had . I stared at Jade and the others , scowling slightly as I did so . After raising two daughters of my own , and having two granddaughters , I could recognize the signs of girls having their fingers crossed behind their backs , even if only on a metaphorical level . These girls had absolutely no intention of leaving me alone . Then , I turned my attention back to Wondercute and let out a sigh . These girls were so filled with bubbly enthusiasm , that it was enough to make my teeth hurt . But on the other hand , they reminded me of my granddaughters , especially of Kimberly . " Why not ? " I finally answered , making Cindy and Breakdown choke in surprise . I chuckled at that . " I don 't have anything better going on today . " If you liked this post , you can leave a comment and / or a kudos ! Click the Thumbs Up ! button below to leave the author a kudos : up104 users have voted . And please , remember to comment , too ! Thanks . This story is 18630 words long . Printer - friendly versionLog in or register to post comments Love this story so far . . . well . . I love Ribbon in particular . Ribbon is one of my favorite Whateley characters from Morpheus , Roulette , not so much . So I 'm getting sort of a Yay ! . . . . Awww . . . Yay ! . . Awww . . . Yay ! feeling from this story .