I'd like to thank TGee for the review. I'm still really nervous to be posting something I've written up for the whole world to see, but it is helpful to hear a few kind words about this story. Hopefully I can continue to be decent.
Jane stares at herself in the mirror after her shower. Her cornflower blue eyes peer out at her pale skin; tracking the few scattered freckles on her face. Her mother told her once when she was little that freckles are angel kisses. Going on that logic, she muses to herself that the angels must not like her very much; but, also that there is at least one out there that does love her, and it graces her with a new freckle whenever it's proud of her. Jane hopes this angel will guard her in the decision she is trying to make. Her aptitude score have already drawn the attention of the alliance, and she has been approached more than once at school by recruiters from the local garrison. No doubt they hope to get her early on since most of the kids on Mindoir will probably be staying home to take over the family farms. True there are more than a few from her grade and the next one up who are being targeted, but they're still the vast minority.
Jane's main concerns focus on going into medical school. She's not sure still what she wants to focus on, but she does know she'll have a hard time making it through all the schooling she thinks she'll need without some sort of additional funding. And the Alliance seems like the most reliable source she can think of. Of course her parents have saved for her eventual college career, but if she ends up somewhere in the xenobiology field, then it will take longer than normal. She doesn't want to be that kind of burden on her parents.
She sighs as she ties her hair up in a ponytail.
There's also the other thing. The thing she's managed to be able to hide from everyone. She's a biotic. It's not that she's afraid her parent's won't love her any more if they found out. It's that she knows that because of their sense of loyalty to the Alliance that they would ship her off to be studied, trained, and turned into some sort of living weapon. Granted, she was afraid and ashamed the first time she'd manifested that blue glue that accompanies most all biotics. But she'd been a smart child even at six and instead of telling anyone she just looked it up on the extranet. She might not be incredibly tech savvy per say, but she's good at researching things. Lucky for her all asari have biotics and it wasn't difficult to find information on it.
Now however, it's becoming harder to keep a secret. She's stopped growing taller, topped out at 5'6", but she still eats like she's in the middle of a growth spurt. And the growing attention from the neighbor boys makes it difficult to hide away in the barn and try to train herself without an amp. This leaves her with all kinds of excess energy that threatens to explode along her skin when she gets to frustrated. She knows an amp would help her keep things in better check, but if she can hold on for just another 2 years; then maybe she can just join the Alliance and say something then...
'How do you even bring something like that up? Hey mom and dad, would you be angry if I told you I've been hiding my biotics from you for the past 10 years?' Jane thinks to herself with a snort. "Right, cuz that would go over real well." She mutters to herself while applying her eyeliner. She prefers to only wear eye makeup; hoping all the time that her angel will give her another kiss, and keeps other make up out of the way so there's a clear space for one. Today however, she puts on some clear gloss on her lips. Just because she isn't kissing up to her teacher, doesn't mean she shouldn't look decent when she brings him his present.
"Do you even hear yourself? You sound like a stupid girl, mooning over your science teacher like this." Just then there's a knock at the bathroom door, making Jane jump, and she's mortified when she hears her father's voice.
"Jane dear, you're going to be late if you don't hurry. Wouldn't want to have to rush through giving Mr. Ractis his food would you?" the teasing in his voice is thick and she swears she can hear him chuckling over the sudden rush of blood in her ears.
"I'll be right out!" She calls back, hoping that she sounds like she doesn't care about her father's teasing. The blush staining her cheeks tells another story however, so she wills her embarrassment away before stepping out of the bathroom. Her father is waiting for her in the hallway with a smile plastered across his face and his arms are crossed over his chest while he leans against the wall. "Dad, I don't have time for more of your teasing." Jane mirrors his stance, but with a frown on her face.
"Now, now. Calm down. I have a couple of presents for you." He says as his smile turns bright and toothy. "For all your hard work. Your mom doesn't think we should get you your own one of these till you graduate, but I don't seem the harm in giving you one of mine. It's not as new and fancy as some of the ones people are walking around with today, but it's reliable and I tweaked it a bit to more of your style. Now we can play our game anywhere on the colony." Her father pulls her hand free and slips a thin bracelet over it that hugs snug to her wrist, giving her a little wink. Jane just blinks at it, her mouth agape with surprise.
"Dad, is this you're old Cipher omni-tool?" She keeps her voice hushed, not wanting her mom to hear, but the gratitude is there, in her eyes.
"Yeah. Figured since you're about to ace yet another test you deserved a treat." Her father chuckles when she flings herself at him, hugging him tight around the neck.
Thank you dad, I love it." And she does. Anything higher tech than this old model Cipher would be wasted on her, but now she can learn on it and get better and she appreciates that her father knows her well enough to know that's what she really cares about.
"Ah you're welcome Jane, but I have something else for you." He pulls her away from him a bit. "Don't think I haven't noticed all the attention the boys around here have been paying you the last year or so. Even if your own attentions seem focused elsewhere, no matter that it's currently fruitless and mildly inappropriate." She as about to make a retort to his comments about them being unfair, but he stops her with a look and she just listens. She thinks mildly to herself that she'll make a pretty good marine if she can keep her moth shut like this. "So," he continues, "I got you that scope mod you've been wanting for your striker." His broad smile is back when his daughter's face lights up like a flare. She's practically jumping up and down while he continues to talk. "It's all ready and on your pistol, safely tucked away under the drivers' seat of the car."
Jane can barely contain the volume of the happy noise that escapes her as she hugs her father again. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You're the best daddy in the whole galaxy!"
John Shepard laughs then. "Of course I am! All anyone would need for confirmation on that fact is look at you. Ah, I love you Jane, and I'm so proud of you."
"I love you too dad." She gives him a big kiss on the cheek just as her mother calls down the hall.
"Not that you're through arming our daughter to the point of legal limitation, it's time for you to go to school Jane. If you're still wanting time to give Mr. Ractis his present anyway."
Jane is too elated to react to her mother's jibe and rushes down the hall to the kitchen to grab the packaged food and kiss her mother on the cheek. "Bye mom! Bye dad! See you after school!"