This story takes place just after the season 2 episode "the only child".

Not the only child

Mia breathed deeply. She had been fainting more and more often lately and her parents were so worried that she had to be examined at the hospital. Now she was waiting for the results with her mom. The doctor came back and addressed Rosemary:

"We have the results. I'm afraid Mia has Charbak-Minonge disease."

"I'm sorry?"

"It's not too serious", she said reassuringly. "It's an internal ear problem. It can cause fainting, some memory losses and sometimes hallucinations. However, it's very easy to cure. You just need a little surgery and it will be over."

Rosemary sighed.

"I'm so relieved!" she said. "Mia was not herself these days."

"Mom!"

"You know it's true! You've been spending less and less time with your friends. I was wondering what was going on."

Mia nodded. She had been neglecting her friends Sabrina, Ashley and Lily, indeed, and she really, really missed them. But what else could she do? The evil baby was controlling everything.

She woke up in a hospital room a few days later. The surgery had been successful. It was painful but at least it was over.

Her parents went to visit her with the baby in the hospital. He had a name at last: Michael but everyone called him Mikey. He pretended to be a normal baby during the visit but Mia was still a bit afraid of him.

Sabrina visited her too and brought her favorite cookies.

"That's so nice of you!" Mia said. "I… I guess I was a terrible friend."

"It's OK," Sabrina said with a big smile. "You know, I was a bit hurt when you started avoiding us. But now I understand. You didn't want to burden us with your disease!"

Mia felt terrible. Sabrina was such an amazing friend and she was going to disappoint her. Again.

She went back home a few days later. Surprisingly, her three best friends were here.

"Surprise!" Sabrina said with a big smile.

"We're having a big sleepover tonight!" Lily said. Our parents are all OK with this.

"I'm sorry," Mia stuttered. "My baby brother…"

"He'll sleep at aunt Maggie's tonight!" Rosemary said. "Mimi, you're such a great sister and a great daughter. You deserve to have fun, too!"

Mia was a bit worried for aunt Maggie but it seemed that the baby was nice to her. The four friends had a great time together. They ate pizza, Sabrina had brought her homemade cookies, Ashley had brought soda and Lily had brought candy. They watched a funny movie and had fun. The day after, Mia felt incredibly happy, so she waited until she was alone with Mikey.

"I thought about a lot", she said. "I'm not afraid of you anymore. I will never pretend to be your slave again. Understood?"

The baby was staring at her, sucking at his thumb like a normal baby.

"Understood?"

Nothing moved in the room. The only sound was their dad playing guitar. And then she heard it again. Larsen. And Mikey's face was still normal…

She left the room, walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass. She felt her world was falling apart.

"Mimi, are you OK?" her mom asked.

Mia nodded, her face very pale.

"Are you sure?"

"Mom, I've been hallucinating it all along!"

"I'm sorry?"

"It was my disease! I had hallucination! Mikey has always been a regular kid!"

Mia started crying and Rosemary embraced her.

"You know," she said, "after your surgery, the doctor told me about this great psychologist who works at the hospital. She said people often need to talk to a specialist after they recover from a disease. The first six sessions are free. Maybe you should try?"

Mia nodded. She really needed to talk to someone.

Mia had expected an old man with wild hair in a dark, old-fashioned room. Doctor Skye, the hospital shrink, was a friendly-looking woman in her forties and her office was sunny and brightly-colored. Mia sat down and thought about.

"I had Charbak-Minonge disease," she said. "It made me hallucinate and I always had the same hallucinations! I imagined my baby brother was a sadistic creature with superpowers. Am I…"

"No," the doctor said. "The hallucination were not your fault. Tell me."

She told her absolutely everything. Doctor Skye smiled and eventually asked:

"How did you feel when your mom told you about her pregnancy?"

"I was delighted, of course! I knew my mom wanted another baby and I want her to be happy!"

"But how did you feel?"

"I'm telling you, I was happy!"

It took Mia a few sessions before she admitted the truth:

"I knew it was going to be a big change and maybe… maybe I was a bit jealous deep down. Maybe I wanted things to remain the way they were. Oh, it's ridiculous but maybe I was afraid to lose my mom's love!"

"No," the shrink said. "It's not ridiculous. All children want to be loved."

"But… I wanted my mom to be happy! Why was I so selfish?"

"Mia, you're a very brave and selfless girl. That's why you had those hallucinations. It was the only way for you to express those feelings."

Mia wiped a tear. The day before, Mikey had called her 'Mimi'. He loved her. Sometimes she felt she didn't deserve his love.

"What am I?" she asked.

"You're a regular teenager who's currently recovering from a bad disease and I know you'll grow into a wonderful adult."

Mia her last therapy session the following week. When she left the hospital with her mom and her baby brother, she was feeling perfectly happy. She was going to have a great life.

Doctor Skye watched her leave. Then she locked her door and made a phone call:

"Hello, this is agent Skye. The surgery and the therapy worked perfectly: young Mia Tuthill's powers are locked for now and will be unlocked on her eighteen's birthday. Everything is under control."

Then she hung up and thought. She still felt a bit guilty about lying to Mia. But what else could she do? The girl was not ready to learn she had abilities so powerful that only grown-ups could use them effectively.

Maybe she would save the world one day. She certainly had potential. But for now she deserved a normal childhood.

The doctor had a glance through the window. A child was playing on the grass. He (or she?) was wearing a mask that seemed to be made of stone. They stared at her and waved, and she heard someone whistling…

The end!