You're running after something
That you'll never kill
If this is what you want

"That's how you form an R!" Claire said triumphantly.

Rumor grinned indulgently down at her daughter. In her first grade class they had started teaching sign language to the children and Claire, in the manner of first graders, decided to teach it to her mother. Rumor was making slow progress but she was only really doing it to humor Claire. Rumor got along just fine with her notepad anyway.

A car drove up and Rumor sighed. After Patrick had gotten full custody rights she was allowed to see her daughter once a week or twice if he was feeling generous. But even the time she was given was often cut short by Patrick's 'busy schedule'. Picking Claire up at five o'clock in the winter time was particular trouble. It was cold out and Patrick was often late. Taking her notepad out of her pocket she quickly wrote;

"Looks like it's time for you to go."

Clair frowned.

"But I don't wanna!" she said, "Uncle hasn't taken me to the Moon yet!"

Smiling Rumor shook her head and wrote;

"He says maybe when you're older."

"I wanna go now!" pouted Claire.

Patrick was already out of the car and tapping his foot impatiently. His girlfriend what's-her-name was a mirror image. She was blonde. How terribly stereotypical.

"I'll talk to him," she wrote down, "Dad's waiting for you."

Claire quickly hugged her mother around the knees. Rumor patted her head affectionately before the child skipped off. Clicking the pen closed she put it in her pocket. What she would give to have her voice back. Things would be so much easier Looking up she saw to her surprise that the car was still there. What's-her-name and Claire were gone, probably in the car, but Patrick was walking towards her. Rolling her eyes she took her pen out again.

"You shouldn't put stupid ideas like the moon in her head," he cautioned, "You're filling her head with fantasies that she'll find out are empty."

"They're not empty," she wrote, "You know I could get her to go if she wanted to. My brother actually does have a base on the moon you know."

"I wouldn't bring up your family too much if I were you," said Patrick coldly, "That was what lost you custody rights in the first place, wasn't it?"

Rumor flushed in anger. She'd been written off as having a questionable background when they were fighting over Claire. If saving the world was questionable then she wondered what was unquestionable. Sitting at home doing nothing all day like he did? She wrote down her sentiments but Patrick ignored the notepad.

"Our marriage might've lasted longer if you'd been mute then too," he said thoughtfully.

She was about to write something down about his mouth being big enough for the two of them when he took the notepad out of her hands.

"You should pay more attention when people are talking to you," he snapped, but the look in his eyes showed that he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Rumor was getting ready to break his jaw when she heard a voice say;

"I think that'll do."

Out of the corner of her eye Rumor say Vanya standing behind her. Her eyes narrowed fractionally but Vanya ignored that. Instead she said to Patrick;

"If you were smart you'd give that back and go," she said.

Patrick's jaw was set and Rumor could practically see the wheels working in his head.

"You're the one without powers right? The useless one?" he said, inflating with borrowed bravery.

Vanya's polite smile was so brittle you could break your teeth on it.

"Yes," she said, "But Space was wondering what was taking Allison so long. He's in a pretty bad mood I'd say. You know the one who stopped the genocidal invasion of aliens single handedly?"

Allison saw the information click into place. Patrick threw the notepad on the ground before he walked away and got into the car. The corners of Vanya's mouth turned up slightly as he drove away. Rumor bent down and picked up her notepad. Taking her pen out she wrote furiously;

"I don't need to be rescued. Just leave me alone!"

She practically shoved the note in Vanya's face. It took a minute for Vanya to read it. When she did her pleased expression disappeared and an odd look crossed her eyes.

"Of course you don't," Vanya said coldly, "Because you were doing an excellent job back there. Excuse me for trying to help."

At this Vanya turned on her heel and walked away, back towards the house. On the way out she was momentarily stopped by Spaceboy. Vanya motioned towards Rumor with her head before continuing. Spaceboy sighed as he reached Rumor. Neither of them said anything. Finally Spaceboy said;

"She is trying. You can't blame her for getting frustrated."

Clicking her pen open she wrote;

"And why the hell do you care?"

"Believe it or not it wasn't her fault," he said slowly, trying to figure out the right words, "We can either keep our grudges or try to rebuild and move on. In the end I value keeping the family together more then revenge."

In reply Rumor wrote;

"Stoic and corny. Shut up."

"Weren't you two close when you were younger?" he asked, frustrated.

The look Rumor gave him was so laced with meaning that he immediately figured it out.

"You rumored her, didn't you?"

Rumor nodded irritably.

"I wonder why it didn't stick?" Space speculated out-loud.

Rumor didn't say anything. However she knew exactly why it ended. She had gotten greedy. She'd decided to try it on Kraken too. Rumor probably should've known that that would've ruined everything. For starters she had been dealing with Kraken of all people. Secondly she hadn't known that Vanya was down the hall, within hearing range. If she had then she might not have done it. But she'd gone up to Kraken and said;

"I heard a rumor that-"

Kraken had quickly interrupted her by saying;

"Don't try that hocus-pocus shit on me," he said, using his knife to clean his nails a little more forcefully then before.

"Hocus-pocus?"

Sweat had started to accumulate at her forehead when she heard Vanya ask that. Kraken's head had snapped up and he'd said;

"Yeah Vanya. When she tells lies they come true. Why, did she try to get you to do something?"

For a moment Vanya had just stared at him. Then she'd looked angrily at Rumor.

"She did," Vanya said, biting her lower lip, "But I'm not doing it anymore!"

Then Vanya had run down the hallway and slammed the door to her room. Kraken had glared at Rumor before running after Vanya. Ever since then she had half resented Kraken and Vanya, Kraken for telling and Vanya for getting upset.

It wasn't that she still didn't resent Vanya. Not only had she taken her voice but she'd also found someone who cared more for her then anything. Rumor had been divorced from Patrick for little more then a year and the last thing she needed to see was 'young love.' Every day Vanya and Kraken were together grated against her nerves, not that she would ever admit to being jealous.

"We all live in the same house," said Space speculatively, "You're going to have to figure out how to live with her eventually."

"We never did when we were younger," she wrote.

Space's face tightened and Rumor could tell that he was getting irritated.

"Do you remember how I said I'd help with your sign language?" he asked.

Puzzled Rumor nodded.

"Vanya's doing it now," said Space.

Furiously Rumor wrote;

"No."

"If you want to show Claire that you're paying attention then you will," replied Spaceboy.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" she wrote, "You're not our leader anymore!"

Spaceboy shook his head before he turned away and walked off. Rumor would stand there fuming for another twenty minutes before she followed him.