I haven't managed to change myself back yet. Jamie and Rachel and Shana and Albert are all working on it. Allistaire is studying the whole phenomenon. Here marks the end of the angst (sort of) and the begining of the humour.
"So what'll we do for the little brats?" Cal asked. She and Talia had been refering to the younger residents of the institute as brats all day and I was starting to get lost.
"They're only children aren't they?" I asked. Talia took my hand as a concerned parent would when teaching their child to cross the street.
"Let me show you the little brats." She said. She led me to another wing of the school which I had never been in. At first I heard silence. Talia edged in like she was stepping into a room full of sleeping rabid dogs on nothing but a fraying rope.
"I don't see what you find so wrong here." The words were no sooner out of my mouth then a water balloon hit me in the face exploding. Electricity surged through me and I knew something had short circuted. Thanks to years of training, I didn't panic. Thanks to those same years however, I did get extremely angry.
"Are you okay?" Talia asked. She knew I was deathly afraid of water. My power kept me alive, but it also made it difficult to stand in the rain.
"I'm okay, I just need some new parts." I replied. Talia smiled at our little inside joke. Meanwhile one of the kids in the wing swung from the ceiling on a telekinetic rope. Talia grabbed her out of the air and set her down.
"Not today Mini-me." She said setting the little girl down. The girl promtly ran off sounding like a wild animal.
"Are they all like that?" I asked.
"She's a huntress. She grew up in the jungle and the best she can do with any human language is a few words to get her point across." Talia explained.
"She can talk to animals though." I said.
"Yes she can. They help her a lot, and with a little training, she could end up on our team in a few years." Talia replied.
We continued on our journey and still more seemed to crawl out of the wood work. A little boy named Cypher very nearly made us forget who and what we were. Another little girl named Plasma caused the hall to go completely dark and a bright light to flash in our eyes.
Gaea was who Talia was looking for and she found her alone in a small play room manipulating a racing game of some kind so that she could play four players at once.
"Daddy's mad at me." She said pointedly, presumably to Talia.
"I'm sorry." She replied. "I didn't want to get you in trouble."
"I got in it anyway." She said. She quit her game and dug in her little kit bag. Extracting a little envelope she gave it to Talia.
"I got the pictuwes fow you." Gaea was a more than a little sad. She was only four and already she was starting to get angry with the world.
"Gaea, you have no idea how much this means to me, and I'm sorry I got you in trouble. I got in trouble too if it makes you feel any better." Talia said. The younger girl had tears starting to bead in her eyes which Talia didn't seem to notice. She walked out with the pictures.
"Are you okay?" I asked Gaea, knowing full well the answer. She sniffled.
"Daddy's mad at me and Mommy hasn't come home yet." She said.
"Do you know why?" I asked. This was more serious than just getting caught for something all kids are bound to do.
"Daddy said Mommy had to go away for a while. He says it's because Mommy doesn't wuv him any more." Gaea replied. I sat against a wall and she crawled into my lap.
"But your mommy still loves you doesn't she?" I asked. She sniffled again.
"I-" She choked a little and started to cry as only little kids can. She sat there for quite some time and the most I could do was just to hug her and try to soothe her as best I could. The thing is, I'm a firm believer in 'If you're happy smile, if you're sad cry.'
Eventually she stopped and a box of tissues appeared out of thin air. I took the cue and dried her eyes. She sniffled again and hugged me.
"You'd be a good mommy." She said.
Aww! Yup, you may now cower in fear of the excessive amounts of sap. Man, hundreds of trees must have come down to coat this chapter in so much. Next we will see the pictures and we will start planning the party.
"So what'll we do for the little brats?" Cal asked. She and Talia had been refering to the younger residents of the institute as brats all day and I was starting to get lost.
"They're only children aren't they?" I asked. Talia took my hand as a concerned parent would when teaching their child to cross the street.
"Let me show you the little brats." She said. She led me to another wing of the school which I had never been in. At first I heard silence. Talia edged in like she was stepping into a room full of sleeping rabid dogs on nothing but a fraying rope.
"I don't see what you find so wrong here." The words were no sooner out of my mouth then a water balloon hit me in the face exploding. Electricity surged through me and I knew something had short circuted. Thanks to years of training, I didn't panic. Thanks to those same years however, I did get extremely angry.
"Are you okay?" Talia asked. She knew I was deathly afraid of water. My power kept me alive, but it also made it difficult to stand in the rain.
"I'm okay, I just need some new parts." I replied. Talia smiled at our little inside joke. Meanwhile one of the kids in the wing swung from the ceiling on a telekinetic rope. Talia grabbed her out of the air and set her down.
"Not today Mini-me." She said setting the little girl down. The girl promtly ran off sounding like a wild animal.
"Are they all like that?" I asked.
"She's a huntress. She grew up in the jungle and the best she can do with any human language is a few words to get her point across." Talia explained.
"She can talk to animals though." I said.
"Yes she can. They help her a lot, and with a little training, she could end up on our team in a few years." Talia replied.
We continued on our journey and still more seemed to crawl out of the wood work. A little boy named Cypher very nearly made us forget who and what we were. Another little girl named Plasma caused the hall to go completely dark and a bright light to flash in our eyes.
Gaea was who Talia was looking for and she found her alone in a small play room manipulating a racing game of some kind so that she could play four players at once.
"Daddy's mad at me." She said pointedly, presumably to Talia.
"I'm sorry." She replied. "I didn't want to get you in trouble."
"I got in it anyway." She said. She quit her game and dug in her little kit bag. Extracting a little envelope she gave it to Talia.
"I got the pictuwes fow you." Gaea was a more than a little sad. She was only four and already she was starting to get angry with the world.
"Gaea, you have no idea how much this means to me, and I'm sorry I got you in trouble. I got in trouble too if it makes you feel any better." Talia said. The younger girl had tears starting to bead in her eyes which Talia didn't seem to notice. She walked out with the pictures.
"Are you okay?" I asked Gaea, knowing full well the answer. She sniffled.
"Daddy's mad at me and Mommy hasn't come home yet." She said.
"Do you know why?" I asked. This was more serious than just getting caught for something all kids are bound to do.
"Daddy said Mommy had to go away for a while. He says it's because Mommy doesn't wuv him any more." Gaea replied. I sat against a wall and she crawled into my lap.
"But your mommy still loves you doesn't she?" I asked. She sniffled again.
"I-" She choked a little and started to cry as only little kids can. She sat there for quite some time and the most I could do was just to hug her and try to soothe her as best I could. The thing is, I'm a firm believer in 'If you're happy smile, if you're sad cry.'
Eventually she stopped and a box of tissues appeared out of thin air. I took the cue and dried her eyes. She sniffled again and hugged me.
"You'd be a good mommy." She said.
Aww! Yup, you may now cower in fear of the excessive amounts of sap. Man, hundreds of trees must have come down to coat this chapter in so much. Next we will see the pictures and we will start planning the party.