Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing at all.

STRENGTH

I guess the stress of exams, alcohol, cheating freinds and secret affairs has finally caught up to me. I'm sick. Very sick.

"Oh stop moaning. You're not dying," Lash instructed.

I stared at him for a minute before redoubling my vocal efforts. It's true. I'm not dying. I have a cold but he's forgotten his purpose here is to comfort me.

"Sorry, I forgot... Oh my darling it pains me to see you so sick!" Lash drawled with over exagerated drama.

"Better," I tell him. But my nose is so blocked it comes out sounding like a grunt.

Lash takes the seat near my bed and holds my hand. "I do actually care you know."

I smile and sniff. Then I use my hand to scratch my nose.

"Ok that was disgusting!

"What?! I was scratching my nose!"

"Whatever!"

"Uh hmm" I cough. "Sympathy remember!"

"You were in the middle of telling a story!" ... Talk about changing the subject.

"Oh yeah." I lay back in bed and pressed the back of my hand to my pounding head. I was telling him about the moment when Magenta and I had found out about Layla's cheating. And the huge twist at the end.

"Are you sure it wasn't Warren and she was just lying?" Lash demanded.

"I think if she was going to lie she could have said it was Will," I observed. Men are just so suspicious some times.

"Good point," Lash conceeded. "But I swear that ryhming idiot Patrick had a thing for you!"

"So did I!" I retorted remembering the kiss we had shared at the party.

"I can't believe Layla and Patrick."

Neither could I. When Layla had told us even Magenta had looked shocked. Aparently Layla had been crying about the situation with Warren and Will and the along came Patrick. According to Layla they were both drunk but I had seen Patrick just moments before and unless he was a really quick drinker he was not drunk when he kissed Layla.

"I'm still confused how it happened. I mean there's a lot of empty space betwen finding Layla crying and the kissing," Lash put his feet up on my bed.

"Don't I know it. It makes no sense what so ever. None!" I hit the bed frustrated. If she had kissed Warren I'd be inclined to forgive her. Cheating is inexcusable but I know how they felt about each other. It would be a painful break up but it would be for some pretty intense feelings. But to jeopardise her relationship over a guy who she hardly knew... now that was weird.

"I mean Patrick is hot." I was interupted by Lash making a sound similar to growling. "Um if you're into, you know, that perfect image!"

"No, I personally hate it. That's why I'm with you!"

Lash earned himself a glare after that comment. Why do men have to be so jealous and angry? It really is such a burden.

Lash sighed. "I don't even like Will but I feel sorry for him. It just doesn't add up!"

"Is there anyone with the power to force them to do that?" I knew the hope on my face was kind of sad and I looked like an eager puppy but anything to rationalise this. Anything at all!

"There are some," Lash sighed, "But probably none lurking around the students at Sky High."

I sighed too.

"To control people like that takes an enomous amount of power that very few people had. It meant over riding free will and most became super villians, unable to cope with the power." Lash stroked the hair of my face.

"It just makes me worry.!"

"I know. But don't get involved in this, ok. It's just going to end badly alright."

"It's hard not to think about it."

"Maybe I could distract you," Lash said with a suggestive glint in his eye.

I sneezed into a tissue.

"or maybe you could just think about," Lash said quickly leaning back in his chair.

"Sorry," I mumbled. I got hit bad by colds. It was just a fact.

"So when are you coming back to school? I miss you, you know."

A big smile spread across my face. "I'll probably be back in a day or two. No one else to pick on with me gone?"

"No there are plenty of people. It's just more fun to pick on you!"

I heard voices on the stair and stomping feet. And Zach's voice.

"It's them. Run!" I instructed Lash. Our secret relationship wasn't entirely secret. Speed knew, Lauren knew, Magenta knew, my mother knew, his mother knew, the post man knew, a few check out chicks knew and the neighbours dog knew. But apart from that it was a big big private relationship.

"Where am I supposed to go? Out the window?"

"Good idea."

Lash rolled his eyes and slid behind the cupboard. He literally fit into a space of only inches. I looked at the empty food wrappers from what I consumed and groaned. I didn't have time to contemplate the food issue because in trooped Will, Magenta, Ethan, Zach and Warren. Layla was supiciously absent.

"How are you feeling?" Zach asked in his loud voice. Clearly he didn't understand the protocol of visiting the sick.

"Fine thanks. My ears are bleeding now but good!"

Magenta hit Zach on the shoulder. "Take it down a notch, Zach!"

Ethan sat on the edge of my bed and peered at me. "You don't look that bad anymore."

"I suspect there was a compliment in there somewhere." I said slowly, well aware that Lash was probably laughing behind the cupboard.

"I think there was," Will responed with a genuine smile, "It's good to see you looking healthier."

I forced a smile onto my lips but it trembled. I felt guilty in Will's pressence. Like I was responsible for the predicement that was Layla and Patrick. Nay, the anaomly that they were.

"What, No greeting from you Warren?" I asked only to distract myself.

He turned those big brown eyes to me and I felt a flutter in my stomach. "Hey," he said and sat in the chair that had been occupied by Lash.

"Hey," I breathed out. Then I giggled. I quickly turned it into a hacking cough when I saw Lash's head peak out from the cupboard. It was stretched and flattened but the disaproving gaze was awfully obvious. Interestingly I felt uncomfortable around Warren now too. I knew he cared about Layla as much as Will did. Her betrayal was a double edged sword that would eventually hurt two men, not one.

"So you lucky thing. You get to avoid school!" Zach crowed, leaping onto the bed next to me, completly oblivious to the germs or personal space boundaries.

"Yeah," I couldn't help but grin. Zach was a massive social tragedy but he was just so lovable. I suspected that Magenta had a little thing for him admist all the disdain she reserved for him.

"And you don't have to hang around Lash," Ethan shivered. Ethan had special issues with Lash. It worked both ways though as Ethan had flushed Lash's head down the toilet. Which I found imensely amusing by the way.

"Yeah definte bonus!" I agreed, raising my voice a little.

"He's such an idiot," Zach joined in on the Lash-Bashing.

"Yeah. And here, in the privacy of my room, to which he would never visit, you can let out exactly how you feel about him!" I sugested.

Magenta immediatly started scanning the room, guessing quickly that Lash was in fact here.

"He's stupid," Will offered.

"And silly," Magenta said, smirking.

"He's a bastard," Ethan said. We all paused. Ethan 'never' swore! "And I don't care for him at all." That was more like Ethan

"Yeah unlucky you got stuck with him as a partner," Warren mused.

"One of the many burden I have to bear," I moaned dramatically.

"He also smells," Magenta quips.

"No he doesn't," I repsonded automatically. This time people stared at me. "Um yes he does and he's ugly too!"

I crossed my fingers. Lash was not ugly at all.

Just as Will opened his mouth for a fresh round of insults my mothers head appeared around the door.

"There's some food downstairs, guys if you want some. Mindy, do you feel ok?"

"Yep. You guys go on ahead. I'll get out of my PJs."

As the others went down I closed the door. When I turned around Lash was inches away glaring at me.

"Oh no. You're not gonna pull me into the cupboard are you?"

"No, Minny. But there will be payback!"

"Oh I'm so scared." I said it sarcastically but I was. Lash had a nasty ingenious mind that coupld possibly be unleashed in my direction.

"Just be prepared," He said in a low sinister voice. He ruined the whole performance by kissing me gently on the lips. "Cya at school."

Then he lowered himself out the window. I shook my head. Only I could find a boyfriend who could literally throw hang himself out of a two storey house and use his arms to lower himself to the ground. I grinned. Sky High had it's perks. I remembered his threat of revenge and shurgged. He probbaly wasn't bluffing but how bad could it be. I was his girlfriend after all.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When I finally got back school I was happy to see everyone and be out of the house. Then after an hour of rememering what school was actually like I wished I was back home.

We were in a class to practise powers. I was with Magenta and Warren. I was lying with my head on Magenta's thigh and my legs over Warren's lap. I had hold of Warren's arm and was trying to manipulate the flame. Warren was the best peron to practice on because if I made the fire hot, it didn't hurt him because his powers allowed him to tolerate the heat. We were trying to actually draw the fire out of the tattoo now.

Will was doing weights, Ethan was trying to melt objects and Zach was having an argument with coach Boomer. Layla was outside up a tree she had grown. Lash was off traumatising some poor new kid in the first year and i had given up my feeble attempts to make him stop. If it turned violent I'd intervene. Until then I wasn't moving from my very comfortable position.

Magenta was supposed to be trying to shape shift into something other than a guinea pig but she had given up completly to watch my lack luster attempts.

Then Patrick walked in.

"Hey!" He said, all bright and charming.

We responded in sielnce. Magenta and I because we knew the truth and Warren, well, because silent and brooding was his thing.

Patrick shifted for a bit. "How's life?" He kept his sentences short to avoid ryhming.

"Fine." I mumbled.

"Ok." Magneta agreed.

"Ok," Patrick said. "Well I have prinicpal Powers to find. About some books I left behind."

"Ok," We said again. "Bye."

Patrick left.

"Ok. I'm no expert but that was weird," Warren stated.

Magenta and I made eye contact but didn't say anything.

"This may be the first and last time I say this but please speak."

"Just had an incident with him at the party," I answered. It was partially true.

"And now the golden boy is out of favour?"

"In a manner of speaking," Magenta said.

"Could we focus on what we're supposed to be doing!" I asked curtly. I didn't want to think about the Layla/Patrick incident ever again.

Warren shurgged and held his arm out to me. I focused on the flames but I couldn't concentrate. I was just so angry about the whole situation. How calm Patrick had looked. With a small cry of frustration I tried to draw the fire out of the tattoo.

There was a burning light and something shot into my body. It flew through my veins and my body tensed. My hands were flung out and there in the centre of my plam was a glowing shining light. Fire. And Warren's arm was bare.

My mouth dropped open as I stared at the burning light. Magenta and Warren scrambled to their feet leaving me sitting there nursing a hand of fire.

I had amassed a crowd around me.

"Minny," Lash breathed, "You did it."

Boomer was kneeling by my side. "Are you ok?"

I nodded mutely.

"Ok. Now take it easy. A sudden manifestation of power like this can cause shock. Let's take it slow."

I nodded again wordlessly. I passed my hand through the flames. I felt a tickling sensation but apart from that, nothing. I wanted it to burn and be hot.

The flames were suddenly hot in my hand and they were burning me. I yelped in pain. "Hot!" I cried. Warren reacted instantly and scooped the flames out of my hand with his own.

Boomer examined my hand. "The nurse will have to look at that. Obviously you can affect the tattoos and control them but your own body will be affected by the result."

Warren was passing the fire from one hand to the other. "I can't extinguish it."

I looked at the fire and thought about it being comfortably warm. With my unharmed hand I reclaimed the fire. There was a gasp from the people.

"Mindy be careful," Ethan said.

This time it sat comfortably in my hand. Under Boomer supervision I carefully directed the flame, first back to Warrens hand, then up and down. It was stiring and I could not move it very far. Finally I instructed it to go back to Warrens arm.

"That was insane," Lash said as he came over to help me into a seat. My limbs were shaking from the effort but I beamed up at him.

"My powers are getting better," I gushed.

"Yes Minny, they are."

AN: Sorry it took so long. I moved to another country. Plus we don't have english spell check so i apologise for any speeling or grammatical errors that slipped past me in the process. Please please review. I need inspiration in this foreign country.

MD666