Chapter One: The First Day of School
Five years after the doctors openly suggested Kim and Veronica pull the plug on their newborn daughter, Veronica smiled as she heard that same girl getting ready for her first day of Kindergarten while Veronica cooked breakfast for the family. Kim smiled and kissed the green-skinned woman good morning from behind. "It's been a long road, dear." Kim said with a smile that conflicted with her sad tone. Shego smiled. "Surgery, medication, and home therapy in addition to the normal stresses of children; I'll say it has." Veronica turned away from the bacon she was frying and hugged Kim gently. "Katie will be fine. She's as tough and as stubborn as you while smart and hotheaded like me. Nobody will mess with her at school." Kim nodded and looked over to see Jasmine and Katie walk into the kitchen.
"Get a room, you two!" Jasmine said with a grin as Katie "gently" tapped Jasmine's ankle with her left crutch and a small glare. Jasmine yelped. "You let them be happy." Katie demanded as Kim put her hands on her hips. "…says the girl who tried to suck her boyfriend Billy's face off while 'watching' a movie." Jasmine blushed and tried to come up with a retort, but both of them busted into fits of laughter as Katie and Veronica shook their heads at the pair.
Katie was a strong girl. Her black hair with natural red highlights made her look like a vampire, but her warm flesh tone and smile quickly would get rid of the idea for anyone. Katie's eyes were bright green just like her parents, but due to the strength of her right side over her left, her left eye always lagged. That same strength gave the girl a slightly awkward posture and made her lean toward her dominant side almost always unless Katie consciously sat straight. Her pink forearm crutches started with a grey plastic cuff about two centimeters below her elbow. From there, a pink rod went down from the back of the cuff while at her hands, a handle extended from the shaft. Then, the crutches terminated at rubber grips that met the floor. "Good morning…" Katie said with a smile as she found a seat and used her right crutch to leverage the chair out from under the table and slowly sat.
Veronica looked at Katie as she laid a plate of bacon, grits, and sausage in front of the girl. Katie smiled at the breakfast but knew something was up. "You know the deal. Use crutches at home and walker at school." Veronica told her as Katie looked at her Momma with distaste. "I hate that clunky piece of junk!" Katie protested. "I know," Kim interjected as she put a hand on her daughter's. "Honey, you aren't that steady on your crutches." Veronica nodded. "Those jerks will knock you down without a second thought. It's not that you can't…" Kim kissed Katie's forehead and finished her wife's thought. "…we just don't want you to get hurt." Jasmine turned to the screeching of air brakes. "Sounds like your bus." Katie nodded and grudging got into her walker.
Outside, Katie's stomach wretched when she saw the bus aid operating the wheelchair lift to take her into the short cheese wagon. "Fat chance…" Katie growled as she glared at the steps of the bus like a predator would prey. Katie dragged her aluminum pink roll cage to the door and glared at the driver who opened the door with a puzzled look. Without a word, Katie grabbed the railing and pulled up until her feet were on the first step. From there, Katie confidently worked her way up until she made it to the seats. Her legs burned with fatigue, but it was satisfying still once she found her seat and sat. After waving, Katie let herself calm down and felt a smile form on her face. Victory is mine! The girl thought as the grin widened.
The ride to school was interesting to say the least. Katie was not the only one on the bus. There was a boy she quickly identified as having Down's syndrome and a girl who was severely Autistic at the next two stops. Then, Katie sighed and mentally dug through the different disabilities she read about in books Kim got her. There was also a deaf girl who seemed frightened as she got on the bus. Katie smiled at the girl and offered the girl the seat next to her. "Hi, I'm Katie Possible." Katie introduced herself as best she could in ASL she learned from her Mom and sister with her hindered hands. Seeing Katie sign, the girl giggled. "I'm Heather." The girl signed back. Katie smiled, and the girls had a silent conversation on the rest of the way to school. This clearly irritated the aid, so when Katie and disembarked after Heather, she turned to the aid. "Heather is deaf and was frightened. I would think you would have more kindness towards her, but then again, you rarely have anyone break from being passive. From now on, I want you to see us as humans, not some pets you're forced to care for!" With that, Katie stormed off the bus as her walker waited at the bottom of the steps. "Back to the cage…" Katie groaned as she walked inside the school.
School wasn't much better. It turned out all the SpEd (Special Education) kids were isolated from main population in a room that made Katie cringe. It was decorated more like a nursery than a classroom, and Heather and Katie shared a look of horror at the room as they walked in. This wasn't going to fly. "Come on…" Katie signed. "…I'm not going back until we talk to the principal." Heather nodded and followed her.
The principal's office wasn't too far away from the room. Katie walked in first and Heather after. The receptionist looked at the girls and shook her head. "We need to talk to the principal." Katie said calmly as the receptionist pointed. Katie nodded her thanks and walked into the room. The principal was an older man in his early to mid fifties. His hair was nonexistent and the man had a frown on his face. "He doesn't look too nice." Heather signed with shaking hands. Katie smiled at her. Then, she glared at the old man. He looked up and smiled. "You must have wandered into the wrong room. Let me help you get back." Katie sighed and steadied herself. Her anger at the man's ignorance caused Katie's hand to sear an impression of her hand into the wood. The man gulped. "Heather and I have one question: can we not be treated like sub-humans?" He sweated profusely. "Miss, I need to have a conference with your Mom and Dad first." Katie gripped the bridge of her nose. "Momma is going to live this." She said with a dark smile. "I'm Katie Possible." At the name "Possible", the man fell over. "That's right." Katie said. "My mom is Kim Possible." Heather smiled at the man's predicament. "Come on, Heather. Let's go to class."
After school, Katie relayed what happened. To her surprise, Kim AND Veronica were seething in anger. "We'll fix the misunderstanding." Kim said as she looked at Shego. "Tomorrow, you and Heather will join the rest of the school." Veronica promised. After Katie shifted back to her crutches and walked to her room, Kim and Veronica discussed the situation. "Principal Strickland always hated me, and he swore my children would pay for it." Kim gripped Veronica's hand. "From what Katie said, he didn't expect her to be my kid. She takes after you more than we thought then. She doesn't take any crap from anyone, even adults, and we will stand with her and Heather."
Read and Review. Seriously though, what do you think of Katie?