"NO!" he'd bellowed in rage, "This isn't the end of it! I will get your son, eventually. I'll get your son!"

After the initial shock had worn off, they'd joked about how he should have checked better. 'Son' wasn't quite right. Now, fifteen years later. Jaqueline 'Jackie' Parr had been drilled the same rules on the regular, and first day of high school was no different.

"What do we do?" Helen asked, pulling her daughter away from the door with an outstretched arm.

"Mom I know this I-" Jackie complained, but was cut off immediately by her mother.

"What do we do?"

"We don't talk to strangers," Jackie sighed, beginning to turn back around.

"AH buh buh! What else do we do?" Helen stepped forward, folding her arms.

"We don't hesitate to use our powers-"

"-as long as no one's watching," they finished together.

"Mom, I'm gonna miss the bus," Jackie hesitated a moment, "I love you!"

"Love you too honey!" Helen tried to sound cheerful as the door slammed. Towards the beginning, Bob wouldn't even let her out of his sight. Years passed and Syndrome still hadn't made good on his word, so Helen took matters into her own hands. They'd shouted back and forth for weeks. When Jackie was six she'd asked if it was because she was a girl, because 16 year old Dash could go out alone and she couldn't. Bob finally relented. She had powers, and at least a basic idea of how to use them. Frozone took her out to practice every Sunday, and she'd even been on a couple missions by age 10.

It hadn't even been an issue at first. Two weeks after the Metroville incident, Syndrome had still been officially deceased. It wasn't until a week after that that there'd been a sighting in Peru. And then another Columbia a week after that. Suddenly it wasn't safe.

Helen hung her apron up, wiping her hands on her pants. Had Metroville really been fifteen years ago? It seemed impossible. The government offered to relocate them but Bob refused, pig-headed as ever. At least this time he'd been thinking of Dash and Violet, not just himself.

Dash had just graduated MU on a sports scholarship, and Violet was engaged to her high school sweetheart. Everything was calm and perfect. All she worried about was tonight.

While it might not be hard being home alone for the weekend for Jackie, it was definitely hard for Helen and Bob. Usually when a mission came up Dash could drive down, or she could stay with Lucius. Even go on the mission if it wasn't too dangerous.

Except Lucius and Honey were in Mali investigating a string of artificial earthquakes, Dash was up in Maine on government business, and neither Bob nor Helen considered fighting mutated wildcats in Ontario a 'child safe environment'. The door would be locked, a line directly to Mr. Dicker would be open the whole time, and yet Helen was still worried.

-X-

Jackie hugged her books closer to her chest, club pamphlets and textbooks weighing down her previously raised expectations. High School was supposed to be a nonstop party, with football games and dances… not Algebra I and Chemistry.

One of the flyers fluttered onto the ground, and as she moved to retrieve it, she walked right into a wall of boy. He hurriedly bent down to help her with her things, handing her the loose Super-Human Alliance leaflets. He laughed good-naturedly, offering her a hand up.

"I'm Roy."

"Jackie. Jackie Parr," she shifted to shake his hand almost losing her belongings again, but luckily he jumped to her aid.

"I think we have English together," he offered, tucking the last loose paper into her arms.

"Oh yeah- with Mrs. O'Connor's!" she remembered.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," he smiled, waving as he disappeared down the hall. She smiled back. Maybe it wouldn't be all bad.

"Ms. Parr!" a nasally voice called behind her. Mr. Kropp or 'The Dinosaur' as his class affectionately called him (not to his face of course) stomped down the hall, "Of the Dashiell Parr's? I'd like to have a word with you!"

"Oh no," she moaned, quickly turning the corner. What sounded vaguely like "you get back here missy" followed closely behind. A room labeled 'Janitor's Closet' loomed ahead, and with no other options she tried the handle in vain. Making a split second decision she made sure no one was around before phasing through the door. A pleasantly cool sensation enveloped her and everything was dark. Hard footsteps paraded outside, and Mr. Kropp's unmistakable voice echoed across the hall, muffled through the door.

"Bernie, what are you doing?" it sounded like Principal Walker.

"Don't you Bernie me! There was a Parr kid here! I saw her! With my own two eyes!"

"Yes, Jaqueline Parr has enrolled this year."

"See! See I told you!"

"And?"

"…And?"

The two men quickly departed, and Jackie peaked through the door. The hall empty she tumbled out, coughing and wiping dust off her clothes and long blonde hair. Running outside her shoulders slumped as the last bus pulled out of the lot. It was going to be a long walk home…

Please review and tell me what you think! This is my second Incredibles fic, so if you like this one, check out 'The Replacement', which revolves my OC Allison, Jack Jack's babysitter and her encounters with Syndrome. Anyway, until next chapter.