Disclaimer: If you recognise it, it's not mine, unless it's Aca, James or Ellie.

Yes, it's the Cells sequel that I said I'd write!

It's my fifth birthday today! So the first thing I do is run into Mummy and Daddy's room and bounce on the bed to get them up. Daddy laughs and hugs me. Mummy mutters something that I should never, ever say and then tugs the quilt over her head. Daddy rolls his eyes.

"Want to wake her up Cat?"

I'm Cat. My real name is Catherine Eleanor Wagner. Mummy named me after Aunty Kitty and Auntie Ellie. I live at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters where my parents teach. Well, Daddy teaches German and Drama and Mummy is the school doctor because Dr McCoy, or Uncle Hank, teaches Science.

I grin and Daddy grins back. Then he starts tickling Mummy, who makes some noise that sounds like 'mmmh' and then I leap on her and start tickling. She sits bolt upright.

"KURT!"

"Good morning Akazie. Have you forgotten it's our daughter's birthday?"

"Cat, it's…four in the morning. You can stay with us, but try not to wake me up."

Mummy doesn't like people waking her up before seven. Aunty Kitty says that Mummy always hated getting up and once slept for two years. I'm not sure how she slept for two years, only that she wasn't in any photos for ages and Daddy looked very upset. I asked Mummy if she was like Sleeping Beauty and Mummy said a very rude word and went off to shout at Aunty Kitty. Mummy says the rude word again now.

"-! I forgot to wrap the present."

Daddy sighs and grins.

"Come on Cat. Let's go back to sleep while Mummy panics about your present."

"Will I like my present?"

"Oh yes."

"What is it?"

"It's a surprise."

Mummy runs out of the room, so sleepy she's forgotten to take the flowers out of her hair. Mummy's a mutant, like almost everyone in the school. She can grow pretty flowers on her hands and hair and arms. When she sleeps, flowers grow on her head. It's funny! Daddy is blue and snuggily and warm. And he has a tail. I got upset when I saw a demon in a picture book and he looked like Daddy. Daddy laughed and said he was blue so he couldn't be a demon, could he? Daddy's very smart like that. I asked if he wasn't a demon, then did that mean Uncle Warren isn't an angel and Mummy muttered something that sounded like 'Warren is the most self-serving angel I've ever met'. Mummy and Uncle Warren aren't very friendly. Daddy said Uncle Warren wasn't a real angel, he just looked like pictures of angels, but angels are of God and so we can't imagine what they look like, because we can't imagine what God looks like. Did I say Daddy was smart? I mean he's smarter than Uncle Hank, and Uncle Hank can answer loads of really difficult questions, like why I get really hyper in bright light (it's to do with clorifil or something) and why Ollie looks like a tree (he's an oh-mega mutant with planty things or something).

Ollie's my baby brother. Everyone says I look like Daddy only I'm dark green not blue, but Ollie's like Mummy. Ollie is all covered in bark and he has leaves for hair. Daddy lets me snuggle up and Mummy comes back and snuggles up on the opposite side of me so I'm nice and warm between them. And I know that they'll always be like that for me. Always!


A.N. Yes, I promised. And here it is. The Cells sequel, even if it isn't through Aca's eyes. So, Cat... Think Aca's stubborness, Kurt's curiosity and both her parents' habits for finding trouble. Squared. I almost feel sorry for Aca and what she's going to have to go through raising Cat...