When Max pulled into the school parking lot, the last period was already
over. Now the school was going to call their houses and say they had
missed classes. Elsie looked around at all the disheartened faces.
"I can change the records. They will only call if the records say you were absent."
"No, we can't ask you to do that," Liz said.
"Why not?" Elsie asked.
"Because..you might get caught," Liz's voice drifted away as she realized that probably wasn't a big deal to Elsie. Elsie was very confused.
"But...they don't...they can't...tell..when I use my powers, can they?"
"What?" Liz asked.
"She's going to use her powers to change the records," Isabel said as she realized it herself, "She won't get caught by humans doing that. Well, normal humans. But...the dangerous people are all gone. At least, we think, they..."
"Isabel, stop worrying yourself," Max said, "Everything's going to be fine. Elsie...what exactly are your powers? Have you used any of them yet? I mean, other than what the consciousness did..."
"I used my powers when I was in my pod. Some of them don't work anymore. I could read the minds of everyone within a five-mile radius when I was in my pod. I could myself and my pod invisible." Elsie still seemed older, but kinder than when the collective consciousness had been inside her.
"Is that why we never saw it?" Maria asked. Elsie nodded.
"Yes. My pod, by some mutation, was invisible when it was first created, but it gained visibility as it learned there was no danger. Then I figured out that I could make it go invisible again." Elsie blushed. "I..I played a game. When you came in the cave, I thought it would be fun not to let you know I was there."
"So," said Michael, getting fed up with this waste of time, "You gonna change those records for us, or what?" It took Elsie a moment to switch gears.
"Yeah." She paused, looking down, thinking. She took a nervous breath. "I'd like to see your school. I've.learned that things are so much more amazing in person."
"Well, let's go," said Alex, "What can it hurt?" He jumped out of the car and so did Elsie. Everyone else hesitantly followed.
"What are you all doing here?" They'd run into a teacher just inside the door.
"I'm new here. These are my friends. They're going to show me around now because it's not so crowded." The teacher looked at them in a very teacher- like I-don't-trust-anyone-under-thirty way.
"Okay." They walked away as non-chalantly (bad spelling; please tell me how to spell this word) as they could.
"Elsie, you really know how to handle yourself in a crisis. I'm sure that was better than what any of us would have said." Everyone agreed.
"As I said, I could read everyone's minds when I was in pod. I've learned.what people want." Everyone stared, waiting for her to say more. "I knew you wouldn't accept me right away. But I had nowhere else to go. And I thought I could work it out. And look at this: It's all worked out. Of course.we had to go through a lot of trouble first. It's too bad." As they passed by the administration office, everyone looked scared. Elsie kept walking, so they all did too.
"Um," whispered Liz, "Are you gonna.?"
"Oh! It's already done."
"Really?" Liz scrunched up her face as she expressed her amazement.
"Yeah," Elsie said obviously. Then she laughed. "I know how amazing my powers are. I'll stop messing with you. . There are some things I haven't explained to you..Do you want to know?"
"Of course," Isabel threw out. Then she looked to Max, afraid she had done something wrong.
"Yeah," Max said. He nodded. "We want to know."
"So let's go to my place," Michael suggested.
"Okay." Elsie reached out and touched them all with the aura of her hands, and they disappeared.
"I can change the records. They will only call if the records say you were absent."
"No, we can't ask you to do that," Liz said.
"Why not?" Elsie asked.
"Because..you might get caught," Liz's voice drifted away as she realized that probably wasn't a big deal to Elsie. Elsie was very confused.
"But...they don't...they can't...tell..when I use my powers, can they?"
"What?" Liz asked.
"She's going to use her powers to change the records," Isabel said as she realized it herself, "She won't get caught by humans doing that. Well, normal humans. But...the dangerous people are all gone. At least, we think, they..."
"Isabel, stop worrying yourself," Max said, "Everything's going to be fine. Elsie...what exactly are your powers? Have you used any of them yet? I mean, other than what the consciousness did..."
"I used my powers when I was in my pod. Some of them don't work anymore. I could read the minds of everyone within a five-mile radius when I was in my pod. I could myself and my pod invisible." Elsie still seemed older, but kinder than when the collective consciousness had been inside her.
"Is that why we never saw it?" Maria asked. Elsie nodded.
"Yes. My pod, by some mutation, was invisible when it was first created, but it gained visibility as it learned there was no danger. Then I figured out that I could make it go invisible again." Elsie blushed. "I..I played a game. When you came in the cave, I thought it would be fun not to let you know I was there."
"So," said Michael, getting fed up with this waste of time, "You gonna change those records for us, or what?" It took Elsie a moment to switch gears.
"Yeah." She paused, looking down, thinking. She took a nervous breath. "I'd like to see your school. I've.learned that things are so much more amazing in person."
"Well, let's go," said Alex, "What can it hurt?" He jumped out of the car and so did Elsie. Everyone else hesitantly followed.
"What are you all doing here?" They'd run into a teacher just inside the door.
"I'm new here. These are my friends. They're going to show me around now because it's not so crowded." The teacher looked at them in a very teacher- like I-don't-trust-anyone-under-thirty way.
"Okay." They walked away as non-chalantly (bad spelling; please tell me how to spell this word) as they could.
"Elsie, you really know how to handle yourself in a crisis. I'm sure that was better than what any of us would have said." Everyone agreed.
"As I said, I could read everyone's minds when I was in pod. I've learned.what people want." Everyone stared, waiting for her to say more. "I knew you wouldn't accept me right away. But I had nowhere else to go. And I thought I could work it out. And look at this: It's all worked out. Of course.we had to go through a lot of trouble first. It's too bad." As they passed by the administration office, everyone looked scared. Elsie kept walking, so they all did too.
"Um," whispered Liz, "Are you gonna.?"
"Oh! It's already done."
"Really?" Liz scrunched up her face as she expressed her amazement.
"Yeah," Elsie said obviously. Then she laughed. "I know how amazing my powers are. I'll stop messing with you. . There are some things I haven't explained to you..Do you want to know?"
"Of course," Isabel threw out. Then she looked to Max, afraid she had done something wrong.
"Yeah," Max said. He nodded. "We want to know."
"So let's go to my place," Michael suggested.
"Okay." Elsie reached out and touched them all with the aura of her hands, and they disappeared.
