After lunch I march into the newsroom with a broad grin on my face. I got something new. Something I really like. It makes me feel older (I am 15 now), stronger, and maybe just a little bit rebellious. I so love the way it came out. It's, by far, the most awesome thing I've ever done. That's saying a lot by the way. Jimmy notices it first.

"Nice streak Nori." "Yeah I like it too."

I got an ocean blue and purple streak in my hair. Ocean blue's my favorite color but I wanted to add purple too. I sit down at my desk, still grinning. Pa notices it and his eyes widen at first.

"I see you did something to your hair." "You like it?" "Well..." "Because I like to think of it as saying I'm not that little anymore." "I know you're not." I'm 5 feet 2 inches now. "This is me, yeah me. And...I love rock and roll!"

I hear him mutter.

"Joan Jett. What would Ma and Pa say to Nori now?"

I grin and point to my ear, telling him that I heard what he said. I've got really good hearing. Of course, it's even better when I'm in Otter form. But I can't shift here. My secret identity's not the only one that would be blown out of the water.

So instead, I check my desk for assignments. I find a letter from Jimmy but, for now, that's the only piece of paper on my desk. I read it in my head.

"Nori,
I see you've got a good taste in music. Rock on.
Jimmy"

I grab a piece of paper to write my response.

"Jimmy,
I intend to rock on. Just look at the streak in my hair. I'm sure that will tell you all you need to hear.
Nori"

I place the paper on Jimmy's desk with a grin still on my face. He's a good friend. I find myself humming the song I Love Rock and Roll on the way back to my desk. I do like rock and roll. The first song I ever heard was Jimmy Eat World's The Middle. I still like that song but I liked it a lot more when I was younger. It really helped with my fears. Though the only fear related thing I have now is claustrophobia.

It's not as bad as it used to be but the reason I have it is because small spaces bring up rally bad memories. Memories of my Mom and the hell she put me through.

When I was 12, Clark Kent, my Pa, found me with four broken ribs and a cut on each front limb. I was in Otter form. Those are the wounds my Mom left me with. She's dead now but I don't like remembering her. I still have nightmares every now and then.

Because of my otter's tail, she hated me. I still have scars on my back. Though, for a time, I hid them from Pa. If it wasn't for the fact that my old house caught on fire and I got trapped inside, he probably never would've seen them. I somehow managed to hide all 12 of them, despite the fact he's Superman. His cousin, who I call Aunt Linda, is Supergirl. I'm a hero too. I go by Ottergirl but I'm thinking about changing that name.

Shouldn't be too hard given the fact that I have an I.Q. of 175. I graduated from high school before Pa found me. I've considered taking college classes but my job keeps me pretty busy. Besides my hero career, I'm a junior reporter. I've been trying to get Chief to promote me to a full fledged reporter. I feel ready for it, even if he doesn't seem to think so. I'll settle for him calling me Nori.

I named myself when I was 7 because Mom would call me Freak and other stuff like that. Sometimes I'll still look around. It's a nervous habit that I haven't been able to completely break yet.

What else should I tell you about myself? Oh.

I love sushi, especially shrimp, and being in water, especially when I'm in Otter form. I'm a big reader and writer. Though, given who my Pa is, the latter one makes complete sense, doesn't it? I keep a journal even though I don't find the time to write in it every day.

My favorite thing to read is the log that Pa keeps on me. Before you say that sounds conceited, I think it's awesome read about myself through Pa's eyes.

I've taught him and Aunt Linda Otter language which I can understand and speak fluently. They can speak it as well as I can and I find that comforting. It's all I can speak when I'm in Otter form anyway. My grandparents can't speak it but I don't mind. They're two of the nicest people I know. I don't know that many people though. Given what I've been through, I'm a little shy. I am working on it however.

Flash is my first friend. Yeah, I've (obviously) been to the Watchtower. I'm a junior member of the Justice League. Apparently, I'll be made an official member when I'm older. Much to my chagrin. I snap out of my reverie at the sight of a letter from Jimmy.

"Nori,
The streak in your hair does say a lot. I think it's awesome. I saw Clark's eyes widen. Makes me wonder what he'd say if you got your ears pierced.
Jimmy"

The letter that I send him says this.

"Jimmy,
He'd probably just stand there with his mouth open for a while. Of course, his eyes would be widened and his eyebrows raised above his glasses...I don't know when I'll be ready to get my ears pierced though. To be honest, it sounds kind of painful and pain doesn't get along that well with me.
Nori"

Jimmy knows some details about what my Mom put me through. I've, kind of hesitantly, been telling him more and more about it. I like talking to Jimmy but I find it...difficult telling him about that particular subject. It's not exactly something I'm good at talking about even though I've know him for 3 years. I don't think I'll ever find talking about that easy. Can you blame me for that?

Before Jimmy can send me a response, it's time to go home. Time seems to go fast here. You could even say that it flies. However, this is Metropolis. In this city, time's not the only thing that flies. You can see that just by looking up in the sky.

After Pa and I arrive at home with the door closed, I let out my tail. That's better. I don't like keeping it cooped up for long periods of time. I told Pa once that's because the otter in me's claustrophobic too. He didn't seem sure what to make of that explanation and I can't say I blame him. He did see me hyperventilating as an otter once. So that explanation makes sense.

I don't hyperventilate as often as I used to. However, I am hypervigilant. My hypervigilance helps a lot with my hero career. One time Flash jokingly referred to it as my Otter Sense. The term stuck. He does know the reason behind why I have it. I notice Pa with a familiar look on his face. Something's wrong.

"You want backup?"

Soon, Superman and Ottergirl are on the scene. I discover the source of the trouble instantly. A sinking ship. I was looking forward to a swim today.

Since my senses tend to be more acute as an otter, I shift, then do what I can for this my way. On a day as warm as this one, the water feels so good. It's not too long before we're done. I look up in the sky and see Supergirl.

"You guys didn't save anything for me?" "[It's not my fault you got here late.]" "Very funny [Nori.]"

I can't help but smile. Later, after I shift back into a girl, Jimmy takes a photo of all 3 of us. I'm glad he got that photo. It will make a good addition to the scrapbook that Grandma keeps.

My secret identity won't be blown out of the water though. There are plenty of girls that have hair like mine. I wouldn't have gotten the streak if that weren't the case.