With having informed Warren and the twins of her choice to change schools, Mary felt loads better. She was still nervous about what her other friends would say, but it wasn't as pressing as the others' reactions had been. Her mom, when told the news on their usual Saturday visit, had been a little disappointed that her oldest daughter wouldn't graduate from her alma matter, but respected her decision and reasons.
"I can't make you follow a path that isn't yours," Trisha had said. "I do admit I would have loved to see you as a Hero, but if you are happier doing something else, then that's all I want you to be; happy."
When Monday rolled around and the twins were off on the bus, Mary was left with Will and Layla. They, of course, noticed something was up.
"You ok?" Will asked. "You look a little nervous."
"There's something I have to tell everyone. It's pretty important and I'm a little unsure of how you're going to react."
Layla reached out and touched her arm. "Are you in trouble? The twins?"
Mary shook her head. "No one's in trouble but it is pretty big and important." The bus pulled up and Mary made her way to the back.
Zach grinned as they dropped into their usual seats. "Hey, dudes. What's shaking?"
"So what's the big news, Mary?" Layla said. This drew the rest of their group in closer.
Mary flipped her braid over her shoulder. "I'm going to transfer out of Sky High and into a trade school."
"What?!"
The bus turned to them at Layla's outburst but turned back around when Will waved them away. "A trade school?" he asked.
"Like for plumbing or something?" Ethan asked.
"You're going to be a plumber instead of a Hero?" Zach added.
"It's a special trade school," Mary said. "They get you ready for a job in a supportive role for Heroes. I'm going to enroll in the support item course and build things."
"So a Hero to the Heroes without doing the heavy Hero lifting," Magenta said. She smirked. "Sounds like a good plan for you." Her head tilted slightly. "Doesn't sound like a bad gig, either."
Zach paled, facing his girlfriend. "You're going to leave us, too?"
Magenta frowned. "I said it sounded interesting. I don't know much about Hero work beyond what Sky High teaches us. It might be a good idea to see what else is out there. And what do you mean, leaving us? It's not like we're not going to hang out anymore. She's going to a different school; not a different state."
"But wasn't the plan for all of us to graduate, get cool Hero gigs, and become one of the greatest Superhero crime fighting teams Maxville's ever seen?"
Magenta raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember discussing that."
"Was there a meeting I didn't know about?" Will asked.
"Though it does sound like a nice idea," Ethan added.
"We can still be a crime fighting team," Layla said.
Mary nodded. "Yeah. I'll just be behind the lines instead of on them. I'm going to learn how to make super gauntlets and surveillance equipment and better costuming fabric–"
"So you'll be our Q!" Zach said, cheering up.
"What?"
"You know how 007 has Q, the guy who makes all of his cool gadgets and stuff for his missions? That's what you're doing, right? You'll be our Q!"
Mary smiled. She hadn't thought about it that way. Yes, she wanted to do the course because it looked the best fit for what she wanted in the future, but hearing her friends view her as their partner– despite her having to graduate from a different school– warmed her heart. These were solid friends; it would take a lot more than this to break them apart.
"When do you start?" Layla asked as the bus started its decent to the school.
"Their new term is January. It's the closest start time." The bus landed and students started to depart. "Principle Kinch –he's in charge of M.A.T.S.– says I should continue with my school work here but he'll be sending me a few things to help me adjust to the course work when I transfer."
Zach winced as they started toward the school. "Extra work on top of homework? That tough, Lamb." He suddenly grinned. "What if we help? Do more study parties and–"
Magenta rolled her eyes. "You just want a chance to goof off with Suzy and Randy."
Zach put a hand to his chest in mock offense. "I am molding the young minds of the next generation."
"Mhm. That's what I'm afraid of."
Mary laughed with the others but stumbled slightly when something knocked into her shoulder. She rightened herself and spotted Emma Whitaker flouncing past, shooting her a cold glare before hiding it behind a pleasant mask for Warren standing by the steps. The pyro ignored her, instead heading toward Mary and the group.
"You good, Pics?"
She nodded. "Don't know what her problem is. Is she still sore about Save the Citizen? She won that."
Warren frowned slightly. "Don't remind me," he mumbled under his breath. Louder, he said, "I think she's got something stuck up her skirt. Someone should remove it before it gives her splinters."
The group laughed, though Layla weakly tried to defend Emma. The bell rang, telling them to get to class, but Mr. Boyle was waiting at the school doors.
"Miss Lamb," he said gently. "Would you mind coming with me? There's some paperwork we need to discuss."
Mary turned to her friends. "I'll see you at lunch." They nodded and were on their way. Warren stayed a few extra moments, squeezing her hand for comfort and support before he, too, headed to his first class. Mr. Boyle gestured down the hall and they walked.
"I assume that you enjoyed your tour and it helped you make a decision?" he asked. "The paperwork Principal Kinch sent over said you were interested in building support items. Honestly, I was a bit surprised. I didn't think you'd be interested in working in that field."
"I never would have thought about it if I hadn't met Kimmy. She had such passion for it and it was contagious. Of course, once I was home, the thought stayed with me. It allows me to help Heroes and my friends when they graduate, but I think I might be happy there."
Mr. Boyle gestured to the seat across from his desk when they entered his office. "I'm glad to hear that. I always love hearing people find their path in life." He put a hand on a tall stack of papers. "Now, something I need to stress to you, Miss Lamb, is that M.A.T.S. may be labeled a trade school, but that's only for the specialization of the courses. Everything you learn there will be dense, fast pace, and all practical. They are, after all, getting you ready to go directly into a field that is very intense. You'll still be starting on the bottom of the ladder, so to speak, regardless of where you end up. What M.A.T.S. courses do, however, is give you a leg up on others who may have gone to a high school and then a degree program. People who go to M.A.T.S. know what they want and go for it and so they don't waste a lot of time with extra classes. For example, you'll be doing coding and mechanical principles instead of Hero History or Hero English."
Mary nodded. She'd felt that might be the case when she'd been on her tour. Just seeing the lab with Kimmy had given her that impression. Some of that equipment was top grade; the latest in the field.
Mr. Boyle pushed the pile over. "These are copies of the curriculum for the support item course and some work books for you to try your hand at. Some might come easier to you than others, but there's no need to fret if you don't get the hang of something. This is just to warm you up for the school." Mary stared at the pile. It did look daunting but maybe it wouldn't be so intimidating once she took a look. She'd experienced similar classes back in France; it would just take her a few minutes to fall back into old study habits.
He leaned forward, linking his fingers together. "Now, I'd like to ask how your family feels about your transfer? Were your parents supportive about your choice? Did you talk things over with them?"
Mary paused but smiled politely. "My mom was a little disappointed that I wouldn't be graduating from Sky High, but she understands that this is what I want to do. She's very supportive, but has warned me to be careful with my grades. My younger siblings are thrilled. They're used to Heroes being like The Commander and Jet Stream; punching bad guys and flying in to save the day. They thought it was cool that there were other ways to be Heroes."
"That's good. Having a supportive family behind you can do wonders for you school career. And your father? Was he supportive, too?"
"My father works a lot; usually the long night shift. I'm going to tell him tonight when I get home. But I don't think he'll have a problem with the change." He might even genuinely support it. His daughter wouldn't be a Hero; she'd be tucked safely away from the spotlight. Or he might not care and just ignore her like usual.
Mr. Boyle nodded and slid over a folder. "I'll schedule a few times when you can come in and we can go over how you're progressing with your transition and work. Regular check-ins help with the nerves, if nothing else. But for now, I just need you to fill out this paper work and then you can be on your way to class. I'll write you a note when you're ready."
The paperwork was standard: name, address, previous school records, course interest, past experience in the course she was enrolling in, what her power was, etc. It took her a while and, by the time she was done, lunch was just about to start. She collected the paperwork, thanked Mr. Boyle, and headed down the hall. She made it to the usual table and was reaching into her bag for her lunch when her cell phone rang. The number was unfamiliar but it must be important if they were calling her during school.
"Hello?"
"Is this Mary Lamb?"
"May I ask who's speaking?"
"This is Mr. Kluck, the Vice Principle at Maxville Elementary. I'm afraid we need you to come and pick up your siblings Suzy and Randy."
Mary's heart plunged into her stomach. "Are they ok? Did something happen?"
"They are fine but we need a guardian to come discuss an incident they were involved in. This was the number listed for emergency contact. Is your father available to attend in your place?"
"He's wrapped up in work and won't be able to get away. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Very well. My office is close to the front doors. The secretary will show you back."
Mary flipped her phone closed and pulled the strap of her bag onto her shoulder.
"Mary?" Warren frowned as he approached the table. "What's wrong?"
"The twins' school called. They said I need to come down and get them. There's been an incident but they didn't tell me what."
Warren set his tray down. "Let's go. We'll need Principle Powers' sign off to leave the school."
"What's going on?" Will asked as the others joined them.
"Twins got into trouble at school," Warren said. "We're going to go get them."
"Do you need us to come, too?" Layla asked.
Mary shook her head. "I don't want people skipping school because of me and the twins. Warren's only going because he's stubborn that way."
Warren nodded and turned to Will. "You mind grabbing our homework from classes? We'll all meet up at Mary's tonight." Will nodded and Warren and Mary hurried to the principle's office.
Principle Powers was sitting behind her desk, filling out paperwork, but looked up at the teens in her doorway. "Mr. Peace, Miss Lamb. Can I help you with something?"
"Sorry to intrude," Mary said. "But we need to leave school. I've just received a call from my brother and sister's school saying they were involved in an incident and I need to come get them. My dad's at work and can't get away, so I'm the only one available right now. Could we get on a bus so we can get them?"
"And why is Mr. Peace joining you?" Powers raised a curious eyebrow.
"Her brother is a pyro who just came into his powers not too long ago," Warren said, keeping eye contact. "I've been helping him control his powers and I want to be there if something happens. My fire can overpower his fire."
Principle Powers slowly nodded and wrote on a piece of paper. "Very well. There are always busses waiting for incidents like this. Take this to one of them and they should take you to where you need to be." She handed over the note. "I expect you to make up any assignments or tests that you miss because of your absence."
"Thank you, Principle Powers" Mary said, taking the note. She and Warren left the office and headed to the busses.
They were in luck. Ron Wilson was washing some of the windows on his bus. He smiled as they approached. "Hey, you two. Aren't you suppose to be in class?"
"We need to get to Maxville Elementary," Mary said, holding out the note. "It's kind of urgent."
Ron scanned the note and nodded. "Hop on. We'll be there in ten minutes."
Mary and Warren took a seat close to the front and held onto the safety bar when it dropped down. Mary more so to control herself. What could the twins have gotten themselves into? Had Randy lost control of his powers? But the vice principle had said they were fine. Was there a different kind of problem? What if they were being expelled?!
Warren's hand wrapped around hers. "I don't think it's as bad as you're thinking," he said softly. She blinked, looking up at him. "Your thoughts are all over your face. You get that way when you're worried about them."
"I've never gotten a call from the school before. Isn't it serious when they do that?"
"Maybe. Or maybe it's something else. Take a deep breath and let it out. You're going to stress yourself out."
Mary nodded, doing as he said. Her grip on the bar loosened and she was significantly calmer by the time they pulled up to the school.
"I can wait for you and drive you back to your bus stop if you want," Ron said as they stepped off.
"Thank you, Ron. Yes, please," Warren said as Mary was staring at the elementary building. Ron nodded and Warren put a hand on the small of Mary's back, gently pushing her toward the front doors.
They were met at the front desk by a kind older woman who brought them back to the vice principle's office when they gave her their names. Suzy and Randy were sitting on a small couch, hands in their laps. They were unharmed as far as Mary could see but were looking fairly guilty and sad.
"Miss Lamb, I assume." Vice Principle Kluck was a stout man with a thin mustache and closely cut hair. He sat behind his desk, not bothering to stand.
"What's happened?"
"Suzy and Randy were in a fight with some of the other children during recess. From what the others have said, Suzy was the the first to react and Randy followed her into the fight. Now, the other children weren't hurt too badly, but we will need to take disciplinary measures. We can't allow our students to start fights."
Mary knelt down in front of the twins. "What happened?" she asked softly. They weren't the type of kids to get into fights.
Randy looked at Warren then to his hands in his lap. Suzy raised her chin. "Those kids were making fun of Randy because he's in dance class. They called him a sissy and weak. I stood up to them, saying my brother was three times better than them. Then they said mean things about Mom and you. I told them to shut up but they kept going." She swallowed hard, tears making her eyes shine. "I may have started the fight but they deserved it! They can't say that stuff about us and get away with it."
Mary took Suzy's hands in hers, squeezing them gently. "I understand how you must have felt when they said those things. It's not very nice and it hurt your feelings. But you can't hit someone because of that."
"I was just so angry," Suzy said, freeing one of her hands to wipe at her wet cheeks. "Randy didn't do anything to them and they've been picking on him for a while. They made fun of him because he's friends with Taylor, because he's in dance, and all kinds of other things. I told them to stop and they just won't listen."
Mary frowned slightly. "Did you tell your teacher about this?"
Suzy nodded. "And she stepped in once or twice but not all the time."
"I'm sorry," Randy said in a small voice. "I didn't want to get anyone in trouble. I thought it would stop on its own."
Suzy grabbed his hand. "You shouldn't have to deal with their stupidness. Their tiny brains can't see how awesome you are and that's on them."
Mary touched Randy's knee, bringing his attention to her. "How long have they been bullying you?"
"Since school started."
Mary looked over her shoulder at Mr. Kluck. "Were you aware of this situation?"
"His teacher informed me that there were a few altercations. She assured me she was handling it."
"Would you mind calling her here so I may talk with her?"
"Miss Lamb, please calm down. I can't bother a teacher to leave her classroom unattended because of a simple fight."
Mary frowned, standing and turning to him fully. "My brother has been bullied since the first day of school, has notified a responsible adult so that it can be handled, and yet nothing was done to prevent this fight from happening. You can understand my concern."
"Of course. Unfortunately, we've had experience with children from your type of background and–"
"My type of background?" Mary stiffened, eyes hardening.
"Miss Lamb, we understand that your mother is not in the picture due to her past actions. We expect a bit of rebellion and trouble from these kinds of households, but it does not excuse the outbursts–"
"I understand your concern, Mr. Kluck," she said sharply. "But if you knew anything about my siblings, they do not cause serious trouble or jump into fights easily. From what I've read of their teacher's notes sent home, they are well behaved in school. And the outburst you're talking about are the result of other students who have demonstrated a pattern of bullying my brother, who has not been retaliating, by the way. And if there was an issue of bullying brought to your attention, why was I not informed? Were the parents of the children informed about their behavior?"
"We didn't think it was an issue at the time but this escalation must be dealt with."
"I agree. I'd like to speak to the parents of the other children involved in this fight."
"Miss Lamb–"
"Mr. Kluck, you have stated that you were aware of the situation and took no steps to address it. I am not condoning the fight. But if you wish to handle the situation so there is no repeat, would it not make sense to sit down with everyone involved work this out?"
He frowned. "Miss Lamb, your siblings have caused a fight. Student were hurt. Suzy and Randy will face disciplinary actions."
"And the children who taunted my brother and sister? Will they face disciplinary action, as well?"
Mr. Kluck's fingers flexed. "Miss Lamb, I feel as if you are over reacting–"
"Mr. Kluck, let me be perfectly frank. It is obvious that you are using our mother's status as a villain to give my siblings the full blame on this fight."
"Miss Lamb!"
"In the course of this meeting, you have brought up 'my type' of background, my mother's incarceration, and when I ask for resolution that is quite reasonable, you refuse to take any steps towards it, and are even displaying many signs of stonewalling me in the hopes that I will drop the matter. My only conclusion is that you are taking things out on my siblings because of who their mother is. I have already established that I do not condone the fight but I do want to take steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. But if you're intention is to throw blame onto my siblings– which you already have, by the way; don't think I didn't miss that part– then I must question your dedication to your position as an educator and an adult that is meant to be thinking of the welfare of the children placed under your care." Mary drew herself up to her tallest height, leveling her hardest look at him. "If you are not careful, Mr. Kluck, you just might end up being a number of future villain's origin story." Her lips pulled up into a slightly menacing smile. "And wouldn't that make you one of the biggest jokes out there?" She turned to Suzy and Randy, who had been watching with wide eyes. "Collect your things, I'm taking you home for the rest of the day." She turned back to the vice principle, who was starting to go red. "And in the future, Mr. Kluck, if you want to spout your prejudice thoughts and beliefs, please do so in a letter home. I want to be kept abreast of any incidences in the future." She turned on her heal without another word and guided her siblings out of the office.
They made it back to the front, where the secretary was staring with surprise on her features, and back to the bus. Ron thankfully didn't say anything as they climbed inside and he started to drive off. Their group was silent for a few moments before Warren laughed. It made Suzy and Randy jump but Mary only turned her head to look at him.
"Mary Lamb, Defender of the Villain's Kids," he said.
A slight smile tugged at her lips. "I may have gone overboard a bit." Warren raised one eyebrow. "Okay. I was dramatic." The smile fell. "But I've seen administrators like that. You can't let them walk all over you."
Suzy looked up at her. "Mary, are you mad at me?"
She shook her head, pulling her into her side. "No. I'm not mad at you. I'm a little disappointed that you got into a fight, but I understand why you did. You were defending your brother." Mary looked to Randy, who was sitting next to Warren on the seat across the aisle. He was clutching his backpack to his chest, leaning against Warren as the pyro put an arm around his shoulders. "Randy," she said. He hesitated in looking over. "I'm not mad at you, either. I'm not happy that you didn't tell me about the bullying, but you did the right thing in telling a teacher and not rising to the bullies' bait. I'm proud of you." She stroked Suzy's hair. "I'm proud of both of you."
Randy and Suzy both relaxed a little. They'd been worried at her reaction, weren't they? Had she become unapproachable that they couldn't tell her that they were being bullied? Well, she had been a bit dramatic back in that office.
The bus came to a stop. They collected their things and departed. Mary paused on the steps, turning to Ron. "Thank you for driving us." He nodded, looking a bit unsure of what else to say. When she stepped onto the curb, the doors closed and Ron drove away.
Mary turned to her siblings. "I'm sorry if you felt you couldn't come to me with your problems," she said. "I never wanted you to think I won't be there for you."
"We didn't want to add to your problems," Randy said quickly. Suzy shushed him but he shook his head. "No, I don't want to hide this anymore." He turned to Mary. "We know you took on a lot of responsibility when we moved back here. You have school, us, chores, all kinds of stuff. We didn't want to add to it so we kept quiet about the bullying. You don't need to worry about us."
Mary's chest constricted. They'd picked up on all of that? Of course they did; kids picked up on a lot of things without others knowing. She knelt down and reached out to them, pulling them closer to her. She met their eyes. "I will always worry about you two. I love you both and that comes with worrying about you. I'll worry if you're sleeping enough or eating well, if you're getting along with you friends, or you're doing your homework. But I'll worry even more if you feel you can't come to me if there's something wrong." She gave a soft smile. "I'm your big sister. Looking after you is in the job description. Right there next to embarrassing you in front of your friends." Her thumbs came up to wipe away the tears on their cheeks. "So let me be there for you, ok?"
The twins sniffled, nodded, and latched onto her. Mary pulled them in close. Their embrace lasted a few minutes but the twins eventually pulled away. They each took one of Mary's hands and, with Warren holding their backpacks, they all headed home. Once there, everyone pitched in to make lunch and Randy and Suzy finally told her everything about the bullying. It had started small, with just making fun of Randy and Suzy's last name; similar to Randy making fun of Mandy Barker's last name. But it hadn't gone away like Randy's had after he'd apologized to Mandy and they'd made amends. Apparently, the kids then moved on to him making friends with Taylor and then onto him taking dance. The fight today seemed to the final blow up.
This was all repeated– along with the interaction between Mary and Mr. Kluck– to Will, Layla, Zach, Ethan, and Magenta when they came over that afternoon.
"It's mostly their leader," Suzy said as they sat in the living room with their hot chocolate. "I don't know what his deal it, but he takes every chance he can get to come at us."
"Who is this kid?" Zach cracked his knuckles. "I just want to talk."
Magenta smacked his shoulder. "You are not fighting a 6 year old."
"His name's Bryan Whitaker," Randy said.
Ethan looked at Mary. "Whitaker. That's the name of that girl you fought in Save the Citizen."
"Yeah," Layla said. "She's been giving you hard looks, too. Didn't she bump into once?"
"Makes sense in a way," Magenta said. The group looked to her. "I mean, she's the daughter of David Whitaker." No reaction. "His Hero name is The Dreamer. He's the one who put your mom in jail."
Mary frowned. "So she and her brother are going after us because their dad took down our mom?"
Warren gritted his teeth. "Pathetic."
Layla raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you go after Will because of his dad taking down your dad?"
Will shifted a bit in his seat but Warren shook his head. "That's different. The Commander took my dad down and put him away and I was angry at him for that. But Whitaker put Mrs. Lamb away; the Hero put the Villain away. Why would the Hero's kids go after the villain's kids if the hero came out on top? Either they're just prejudicial pricks, which I wouldn't put past them, or there's something else going on that we're not seeing."
"So a conspiracy against the Lambs," Zach said, tapping his chin.
"It's possible," Ethan said. "We don't really know a lot about the inner politics of the Hero world just yet. I mean, we just found out that there's an entire other school out there dedicated to working in the background. What else are we missing?"
There was a slight pause as the question hung in the air. Will met Mary's eyes. "I'll ask my mom and dad about it; maybe they know or can find something."
Mary smiled. "I'd appreciate it, Will. Thanks."
"Me, too," Layla said. "My mom might be able to pick something up from the animals? She has a pretty good information ring with the small animals running around the city. Maybe they've heard something."
"I'll ask my dad," Zach said. "There has to be something, right?"
Mary looked to each of them. "You guys the best friends anyone could have. Thank you."
The grinned back. Suzy and Randy relaxed, too. Warren's hand folded over Mary's, squeezing it slightly.
Zach broke the moment, of course, by asking, "Is no one going to make the joke about Layla's mom's ability? Really? A Disney princess one? Or maybe a mob one where 'a little bird told me' or how someone really did rat them out? Come on, people. Prime humor!" The laughter that followed, along with Magenta's slightly proud eye roll, made things a bit better.