Chapter One Hundred and Eighty One

...

Victor had heard the video two and a half times now, having only caught the last part when Connor had destroyed his cane, and he saw his hands trembling more than felt them. Some of the slurs that Will had thrown at Ry and Craig were similar to things Cara had said to him during their marriage, and hearing them from a teenager's voice didn't lessen the impact or his memories, it seemed.

He didn't know if it was better or worse that he couldn't see any of the teens' colours in Principal Powers' office. Glancing at Craig, he saw the pale colour of his skin, the tear tracks that were still stark on his cheeks, and the bone-white tight grip he had on Adam's hand. Victor forced his own hands to stay still long enough to send an SOS text to Eliza. Despite the Jetstream vs. Gemstone mess that Eliza and her team were probably still resolving, he received an "on my way" response immediately.

"Will is expelled!" Principal Powers' exclamation shook Victor from his thoughts.

"You can't expel him! The amount of money we pay - "

"Has no relevance in this matter! I refuse to let anyone dictate - "

Victor let the argument wash over him for the moment, opening his eyes when there was a firm and decisive knock on the Principal's door. Mrs. Morton could be heard laughing in the background. Confused by the laughter, Linda nodded for Pat to open the door.

Eliza smiled evilly as all gazes fell on her. "I'm here to represent all of my clients. I brought a colleague," she added, stepping inside to reveal Ms. Martin behind her.

Linda sank to her seat, suddenly wishing she didn't have the power repressing beams so that she could shift and fly the hell out of her own office.

As everyone was distracted by the reveal, Eliza moved to Maxwell's side, squeezing his hand gently in an effort to both support him and convey her worry. Maxwell squeezed her hand in return, a touch too tight, and Eliza knew that something was very, very wrong. She'd left as soon as Victor's SOS message had come through, but had no idea what had actually happened, nor how her dear Maxwell was involved. After the comments from Jetstream that morning, as well as the headache she and her team had been dealing with since, Eliza was hoping to cause a lot of long-lasting damage to the Stronghold family. Financially or emotionally suited her just fine.

"Hello. I trust we're here in time to review the evidence before determining the damage," Ms. Martin stated, stepping into Principal Powers' office.

Reluctant for so many reasons, Linda offered Ethan's phone at his curt nod, and could only watch as the lawyers grouped together to see the evidence for themselves.

Victor held onto the back of his chair as he stood to join his colleagues. He couldn't fight, not with his body nor with his superpower, but this was something he could do. He'd argue and litigate and sue until the last breath left his body if it meant helping Craig and his friends feel safe.

...

"Contributing to a toxic environment."

"Verbal abuse and mental harm."

"Endangerment through actions."

"Stalking and bullying."

"Sexual harassment."

"Intimidation tactics."

"Defamation of character."

"Racial discrimination."

"Not to mention, not adhering to the school's own anti-bullying initiative."

"Will didn't agree to that!" Josie snapped, finally fed up with Victor, Eliza, and Ms. Martin going back and forth with their list of her son's supposed crimes. She hadn't even had a chance to talk yet!

Linda clenched her jaw, inhaling and exhaling as she stood up to her full height once more. "Both you and Will agreed to the initiative, Josie. It was sent via email and you signed and returned it."

Josie frowned. "I thought that was just for the PTA!"

"Will also agreed and signed the initiative. Slips were given to all students during their home group with the choice to sign or not, and I have his signed slip in his student folder," Linda said, nodding in the general direction of her filing cabinet that was currently blocked by several people.

Josie shifted on her seat, obviously trying to think of a way to stop Will from being expelled. "I need to talk to our lawyer," she said firmly.

"Tell David we say hello," Eliza said, grinning when Josie startled. "Oh, don't look so surprised. Everyone knows the DA represents the Stronghold family. It's the worst kept secret in Maxville, apart from your alter ego."

"May we go to class now, please, Principal Powers?" Layla asked as Josie dialled her lawyer.

Linda had managed to get their side of the story after she had played the video for Josie, and there wasn't anything else they could do, except possibly exacerbate the situation and make her lose her composure again. "Very well. Ryuu, Will, you can both stay, along with your parents and... representatives," Linda added, glancing at the seven large men again.

They had been silent for the whole time, not even introducing themselves, and she wondered whether Mr. Kemp had decided to bring them as a show of force. Ryuu certainly seemed to know them, currently holding the hands of two of the men, as if to keep them by his side instead of letting them cross her office in one long stride to beat the shit out of Will. The large bald man had a hand resting on Ryuu's shoulder, squeezing in a way that had to be painful, but Ryuu didn't seem to mind or notice.

"David, I need your help at Sky High. How soon can you be here?" Josie demanded, jolting Linda from her musings.

The rest of the students had already left along with Maxwell, she realised. Despite the number of people decreasing, it still felt crowded in her office. Linda resisted the urge to stand and open a window. If she did that, it would be far too tempting to step out and leave this mess behind entirely.

Josie ended her call by hanging up on David, her jaw clenched as she looked at Linda. "My lawyer will be here in half an hour."

"Excellent. We can all take a break. Josie, Will, I'll open the detention room for you both so you can have a discussion in private. I'd like the opportunity to talk to Ryuu on his own, if that's all right with you?" she asked, looking at him and smiling gently.

It really was up to him since the last thing Linda wanted to do was pressure him into staying and talking on top of everything else Ryuu had gone through that day. Maybe she could get the school counsellor in to assist.

Ry squeezed Baby and Killer's hands gently, letting go and nodding in response to Principal Powers' request. "All right. Can I get some water first, please?"

"Of course. I'll escort Josie and Will to the detention room, and meet you back here in a few minutes," Linda said.

"We don't need an escort; we know how to get to the detention room," Josie said, snubbed at the implication. "We won't fly away from this fight, either," she added firmly.

"I am aware of that, Josie. However, there are students in there currently serving detention and I'm the only one who can operate that door. Unless you want to discuss this with your son in front of other students?" Linda offered, raising an eyebrow.

Josie's jaw clenched. "We'll take the escort." There was a long pause and several of the men looked at her incredulously. "Thank you."

Linda doubted she could afford to hire any of the men full time, but wondered if she could afford them for the next PTA meeting at the very least. Standing, she indicated to the office door for Josie and Will to leave.

Josie stood with a sniff, putting her bag over her shoulder and stalking out of the room. She had obviously forgotten that Mrs. Morton was in the waiting area, as she flew back immediately. Without any of her power's control, Josie careened backwards and almost crashed into Principal Powers' very expensive computer, stopped only by Champ's arm shooting out to stop her, and probably winding her in the process.

Ry buried his face against Sport's chest, muffling his laughter.

"Oh, no! Is your computer all right?" Ellie asked, peering into the room.

"It's all right," Linda said in relief, grabbing a handful of tissues to clean her spilled water.

Josie straightened herself and her clothes, her cheeks bright red. "I'm fine, too," she snapped.

"No one asked you. I'll clear out so you can leave," Ellie said. "Is the boy expelled?"

"No," Josie said.

"Yes," Linda said at the same time.

"What?!" Josie asked incredulously.

"Will's expulsion is not negotiable, Josie. Your lawyer's presence is to deal with Ms. Martin, Eliza, and Victor. As I attempted to tell you earlier: Will's expulsion is final and no one will dictate otherwise. You may still use the detention room to deal with your lawyer once the District Attorney arrives," Linda said.

Josie huffed and stormed out of the office, pausing briefly in the doorway to ensure Mrs. Morton had actually left the waiting area first. The second she was out of the doorway, she turned and glared at Will. "We are discussing this as soon as that door closes behind us, understood?"

Will, who finally seemed to realise that he should be quiet, just nodded in response.

The mother and son flew to the detention room. Linda stepped into the waiting area, shifted to a comet, and flew after them.

Ry was surrounded by several people at once. Baby hugged him, Champ and Kid joining in on the hug, while Ex and Sport discussed how they could destroy the Stronghold family in the most public and painful way possible (Ex was in favour of testing whether explosives would work on super-strength or not). Killer led Victor to a seat while Buddy hugged Connor firmly, helping him keep together.

"None of this is admissible in court, right?" Ex asked suddenly, looking over at the three lawyers.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ms. Martin said, pointedly scrolling through her phone.

"I haven't been listening, sorry," Victor said, not sounding sorry in the slightest.

"I, on the other hand, have several ideas to contribute," Eliza said, grinning.

There was a knock at the door, which made everyone realise it was still open, and Layla poked her head in with a brief smile. "I saw them leave and wanted to see if Ry was okay," she said, half truth and half lie. "I also brought you your water bottle."

While she'd fully intended on returning to class, Layla's inner vines had been so painful that she'd turned around and returned to Principal Powers' office instead. Warren was waiting around the corner with Ellie, both of them discussing Mrs. Morton's possible corporate takeover of Stronghold Real Estate.

"I'm okay, Lay. Principal Powers wants to talk to me on my own when she comes back."

Layla considered Ry's response for a second, nodded firmly, then grew a daisy in her hand and walked in, tucking it behind his ear and kissing his cheek. "You'll be safe."

Ry hugged her, brief and firm, and took the offered water bottle from her. "Thanks, Lay. Warren's out there?"

"Yeah, plotting with Ellie."

"What sort of plotting?" Connor asked, abrupt and serious enough that his friends looked between him and Layla in confusion.

"The legal and business kind," she said with a bright and sunny smile.

"As opposed to the illegal and non-business kind?" Ex joked.

Layla kept her smile in place, but it no longer looked bright and sunny. "That depends on whether you think Will's slow and painful death is illegal or non-business."

Despite being in a room with power repressing beams, not to mention the cuff Hourglass had given him, Kid swore his instinctual power was going off like a fire alarm in an erupting volcano. "You're the one responsible for my power going off?" he asked, feeling like he should have known by now or at least had some idea of what to say to her beyond an uncertain question. "What on earth are you planning on doing?"

Layla glanced at him briefly. "I don't think this is the time nor place for this discussion."

"Wait, what're you talking about?" Champ asked, looking between the two of them, and then over to Ry and Connor in confusion.

"We can discuss it this weekend at the Hive. Connor, can you bring them after - "

A low whistle sounded and Layla waved goodbye before she slipped out of the office, leaving several people confused behind her. A few seconds later, Principal Powers returned, and with a daisy tucked behind his ear, Ry readied himself to talk to her on his own.

...

"If you're done now, I'm taking Ryuu home; he needs to have time to recoup after the day and abuse he's received. Will being expelled is one step that will help, but I'm still not confident that this school is the best place for my son," Connor said firmly, his arm around Ry's shoulders.

"Are you all right to stop now, Ryuu?" Principal Powers asked.

"Yes. Thank you," Ry said, his voice small and tired.

The school counsellor had to stop his session with Donny early in order to mediate between Josie and Connor, and the lawyers, and then deal with his Uncles who were seething with rage and barely holding it together after almost two hours of this bureaucratic bullshit. Even Baby, who had the patience of a saint, looked ready to throw the flying supers off the edge of the school.

Principal Powers nodded. "Very well. I will organise for your homework to be sent to you at home. I would like to offer my sincere condolences and apologies that this happened to you, Ryuu. I can promise you it won't happen again."

Ry couldn't stop his scoff of disbelief. "Will Stronghold isn't the only one in the world with those sorts of views, Principal Powers. You can't promise that."

She sighed in response. "You're right. I can't and I shouldn't, but I can promise that I will deal with anyone who spouts this sort of filth at or about you here at school. Can you accept that promise?"

"I accept that you believe it. I just want to go home now. Please, Papa?" Ry asked, looking up at Connor.

"Of course. Goodbye, Principal Powers. I truly hope I don't see you again until the next parent-teacher night," Connor said, nodding to her, then turning to leave.

"I hope the same, Mr. Kemp," Linda said, then turned her attention to the three lawyers who were still sitting in her office. "You're not going to be at the next parent-teacher night, are you?"

"That all depends on you and your students, Linda. Have a pleasant afternoon," Ms. Martin said, standing and leaving.

Victor accepted Sport's offered hand and stood, thanking Baby for taking his briefcase. "I'll see you there for Craig. Goodbye, Principal Powers."

"I'll be there as emotional support for Maxwell. Bye!" Eliza said over her shoulder cheerfully.

Linda closed the door after the last person's exit and sighed heavily. Some days, there just wasn't enough coffee in the world.

...

Magenta's phone vibrated and she glanced at Mr. Boy before looking at the incoming text, her eyes widening when she saw the message from Will.

Getting expelled. At my locker with Mum.

Magenta had heard the rumours about Will getting expelled but no one knew when or how or why. She hadn't seen him since he'd left the cafeteria abruptly at lunch time and she'd been left sitting alone at a table with no friends and no boyfriend in sight. She'd been annoyed at him leaving, of course, but also annoyed at herself for not taking Layla up on sitting with her at lunch; at least she wouldn't have been alone then. Magenta had texted Will a few times, and then a few hundred more once the rumours had started, and this was the first time he'd replied in nearly three hours.

Raising her hand, Magenta was granted permission to leave, and she didn't hesitate. She ran out of the classroom and straight to Will's locker. She stopped abruptly when she saw him standing there with Josie, his school bag filled with folders and books, and a sullen expression on Will's face as he shoved the rest of his locker's contents into a large black rubbish bag. "Will! Are you okay? What happened? Are you really being expelled?"

Will opened his mouth to respond, but Josie glared at him, then turned her attention to Magenta. "Will has decided to finalise his education at Sky High and work as a hero full time. He has my full support," she added, her voice firm and tone not allowing for argument or discussion.

"Oh. I thought you wanted Will to graduate and go onto university? UM is your alma mater, right?" Magenta asked, confused.

Josie clenched her jaw tightly and turned to her son. "Have you finished clearing your locker yet?"

"Okay. I'm done," Will said, dumping the last of his things in the black rubbish bag he'd stolen from one of the hallway bins.

"What about the top shelf?" Josie asked, flying up slightly to see a box sitting on the otherwise empty shelf.

Remembering the present that Layla and Warren had given him for his birthday, Will swallowed hard. They weren't his friends, not anymore. "That's nothing important. I'll throw it out," he said, taking the box out and crushing it in his hand, throwing it across the hallway to the bin.

"Call me later, Will?" Magenta asked before he flew off.

Will nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll probably start patrolling Westville early today, so I'll call you when I'm done."

"I can patrol with you after school," Magenta offered. "And I can still fight villains, too!"

"Your position will need to be reevaluated, Magenta; it's not practical for Will to have to fly away from a villain just to come pick you up from school," Josie said.

All of Magenta's fears seemed to get stuck on the word 'reevaluated' and she swallowed hard, nodding. "Yes, Josie."

"Well... bye, Maj. I'll talk to you later," Will said, kissing her cheek briefly before flying out of the school with his mother beside him.

Magenta watched until they were both dots in the distance, feeling like a heavy weight had been placed on her chest. Struggling to breathe, Magenta headed back to the classroom slowly, wondering what would happen to her job now.

...

Steve hadn't needed a disguise in a long time, and while the plain buttoned shirt was a smidge too tight and the pants were shorter than he remembered, he was pleased with the moustache and self tan he'd given himself. It almost looked like he'd already been to Hawaii without the vacation itself. Confident in his disguise, Steve shouldered his bag and headed out of the Secret Sanctum via the stairs leading outside rather than upstairs.

Using the back gate to slip out the backyard and into the yard of his neighbour's, Steve headed around the side of their home and through the fence. Pleased with his foresight to include an escape route through their neighbour's yard, Steve gave a jaunty whistle as he headed around the block and walked down to a car covered with plastic sheeting. It was dusty and covered in marks from the rain despite the protective cover, and the thing hadn't been driven in years. In comparison to his and Jetstream's actual car, it was a total bomb of a car, but in situations like these, it would be more than enough.

Steve unlocked the door with a physical key, amused at the novelty when his newer car unlocked with a click of a button, and slid into the driver's seat. He had to adjust it quickly - either his legs were larger than the last time he'd been in the car, or Jetstream had been in the car more recently - then let out a small sigh when his legs weren't pressed to his chest. Unlocking the handbrake, Steve put the key in the ignition and turned, then frowned when the car didn't start. Turning the key again, harder this time, he heard a click, the lights on the dashboard displayed for a brief moment, several lights red, then the car died again. Steve rocked the car from side to side, listening intently. There wasn't a sloshing sound from the tank fuel like there should have been, and Steve cursed.

"I told Josie to fill the tank," he muttered, even as he got out of the car.

A jerry can of fuel should be in the back for emergencies, and this was clearly an emergency. Opening the trunk, Steve frowned when he didn't see the jerry can. He moved several items around - why was a pool noodle in the trunk?! - looking for the can beneath boxes and bags and any number of things that weren't meant to be in the car, and gave a cry of triumph as he found the jerry can hidden under four different tarp sheets and a heavy toolbox.

"Ah, there you are!" he said, tugging the jerry can out with his super strength.

It came out far easier than he expected, the momentum swinging him around abruptly, and as Steve steadied both himself and the car, he came to the realisation that the jerry can was empty. The fuel tank was empty, the can was empty, and his plans to set up the bunker were useless without a way to get there.

Throwing the stupid, useless empty jerry can into the stupid, useless trunk, Steve's eyes widened as that impact was enough to start the car rolling forward. He reached out, his shirt buttons popped off at the unexpected strain, and as Steve tried to run after the car, his pants split at the seams, too. Clutching the fabric around his body awkwardly, Steve could only watch as the hill gave the car extra momentum, its speed increasing as the car rolled down the hill and into incoming traffic.

"That's the Commander, I'd recognise those pecs anywhere!"

Journalists swarmed around him, cameras and microphones and voice recorders shoved in his face, questions pouring forth, one after another.

Steve shook his head quickly, the moustache tickling at his lip and reminding him that he was in disguise. "I'm not the Commander; you have the wrong person."

"Steve Stronghold?" one of the journalists asked.

"Yes?" he answered automatically, then winced. "I... I need to go. That car needs to be stopped and I'm - "

Crash.

"I think that building stopped the car."

"Why did you push a citizen's car into oncoming traffic, Commander?"

"Do you hate citizens?"

"Of course not! It's not a citizen's car, it's mine. I, uh, I mean, that is... " he floundered; he didn't even have his outfit as the Commander, the scraps of fabric were fighting to come loose entirely, and he wished he'd never left the house in the first place.

"Why did you push your own car into oncoming traffic, Commander?"

"Is it an insurance scam?"

"What? No, of course not! I'm a law abiding citizen; I wouldn't do something like that!" Steve protested.

"You've stolen from your own company."

"It's just stationery, and Will needed it for school! Besides, we're replacing it all." The journalists didn't seem impressed, and a cold breeze made Steve realise his clothes were still ripped at the seams. "I need to go; uh, Josie, I mean, Jetstream will be releasing a statement later today," he said, backing up and attempting to hold his broken clothes in place.

He tripped over the kerb, fell back onto his ass, and cracked the pavement beneath his body's mass and strength. Journalists immediately started to take photos, asking more questions that he didn't think he should answer, and Steve had a sudden wish to be in the bunker, hidden away from these awful people. Standing, he left at a run, his feet leaving imprints in the concrete behind him.

Barely remembering he'd left through the Secret Sanctum's stairway, Steve headed into his neighbour's backyard once more, only to be met by terrified screams from said neighbour. The journalists weren't far behind, crowding both him and his neighbour. Steve pushed past people physically, not holding back his strength in his desperation to get away. Several people were knocked over like pins, but Steve ignored them all and ran for the secret entrance to the Secret Sanctum. Even as he slammed the door behind him, there were calls of concern from several people, and then higher-pitched calls for an ambulance.

...

"You get the front seat, Wendy," Pat said, opening Brie's front door with a flourish.

"I know you're sucking up because I got stuck teaching Mad Science while Mr. Medulla was dealing with all of you and Will, but I'll take it. Keep it coming, the freshmen were jerks," she groaned, sliding into Brie's front seat.

"Good afternoon, Wendy. Would you like to choose this afternoon's music?" Brie offered.

"Hell, yes. Front seat gets to pick the music; back seat gets to shut up about it," Wendy called over her shoulder.

"If you're choosing musical numbers, I have a request," Craig replied, grinning.

"No, we're not listening to the Mulan soundtrack," Donny said with a groan. "I had to go to lunch because the counsellor was called to the office. You do not want to know what half the cafeteria was thinking about. Nasty little goblins."

"Was it sex?" Craig asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Dude, shut up. No one wants to know," Adam said, rolling his eyes and nudging Craig with his elbow.

"Ow. Rude!"

"Do not make me connect to Erin; Mrs. Morton does not like to settle childish squabbles, especially from a different vehicle," Brie warned.

"Geez, I'll shut up."

"Wow, this is awesome! Can I get a ride to school every day?" Terrence asked, grinning as he climbed in the back.

"Brie is Sorcha's car, not mine. So the answer's probably no. But they can change to stretch limos, so I'll see if Nigel's up for the challenge and let you know," Pat offered.

"Hell, yes! Thanks!"

"Where's Ry?" Zach asked, peering into Nigel's backseat, then into Brie's.

"Ma took him home along with Connor, Victor and the lawyers, and the Special Forces guys that showed up. Apparently they're Ryuu's honorary uncles?" Pat mused.

"Aww, I was gonna give him a hug and threaten to blind Will," Zach said in disappointment.

"That's what texting's for, dude," Adam snickered.

"Ooh, good point! I'm going via group text; I've got dibs on blinding!" Zach crowed as he unlocked his phone. "It'll totally work, too; Eth has theories."

"They're theories, Zach. They might not work in practice so don't rely on it," Ethan warned.

Craig sat up abruptly, his face pale and his freckles sticking out. "Aw, fuck! I didn't get a chance to use any of Wendy's plans for Magenta! Goddamn it!"

"I already said we could use them on Magenta at random times for the rest of the year," Wendy called from the front seat.

"You didn't check the messages from Save the Citizen?" Ethan asked curiously.

Craig snorted. "Nah, there were too many. I'll catch up later tonight."

"Better get caught up now, dude. We're about to bombard Ry," Zach snickered, sending three messages in quick succession.

"Ah, shit."

...

Ry was curled up against Killer's chest when his phone started going off with the group chat. Curious, he unlocked his screen and read through the messages, snorting at some of the more inventive ways of killing or incapacitating Will that his friends came up with.

"I'm pretty sure that one's not possible," Killer said, pointing to the most recent one about making Will powerless and throwing him off a skyscraper. "You can't turn a power off; not unless you use a cuff. Right?"

Considering it was Layla who had texted him, Ry didn't doubt that she could turn someone's power off with her vines. "Uhh... right."

"That was convincing," Buddy deadpanned.

Kid raised an eyebrow at Ryuu, feeling like an alarm was going off in his head again. "What's going on with you and your friends, Ry? My power was driving me nuts before Honey gave me this cuff, and I swear it's broken 'cause I can practically hear alarm bells now."

Ry shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing's going on."

"C'mon, guys. This can wait 'til the weekend. Ry's had a stressful day," Connor said firmly, Ry nodding in agreement.

"Good, that means we're getting an explanation, right? 'Cause shit's weird, Gramps," Ex said, frowning.

Connor sighed. "Yeah, I know. Later, it's not up to either of us."

"It's really that redheaded girl? Layla? You're taking orders from a kid, Gramps?" Kid asked.

"I said later, Kid," Connor said firmly.

Realising how tense Ry was beside him, Kid nodded and sighed. "Right. Sorry for pushing."

"Uncle Andy's pissed he couldn't go to Sky High with you all. He's at the Sanctuary now," Ry said, reading the text he'd received and wincing. "He's not angry at me, is he?"

"Of course not, Ry. I sent the video to him, so he's definitely and completely angry at that Stronghold kid, not you."

"Oh, good."

"We are landing. Please hold on," Erin informed them politely, the limo touching down on the incomplete freeway a minute later.

"This is so much smoother than the bus. I totally want one when I can drive," Ry said.

"You want your first car to be a limo? Imagine trying to park it during your driver's test," Connor teased, grinning when Ry snickered.

Ellie glanced from the group in the back to Erin's dashboard, making a note to send to herself and Honey. She just had a brilliant idea of how to help speed up one of the many corporate takeovers they were planning.

...

Magenta pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the pounding and hammering beat so similar to her tiny guinea pig heart's erratic beating. She wanted to shift but she couldn't breathe. All afternoon she'd been stuck thinking about Josie's words. Reevaluate her position?!

The weight on her chest felt like it was burrowing down into her body and filling her with liquid lead. She couldn't breathe, she could barely move, she couldn't concentrate or think about anything else. Forcing herself to shift was never pleasant, but Magenta figured it had to feel better than this awful feeling she was feeling right now.

Your position will need to be reevaluated.

Hiccuping loudly as she struggled to breathe, a noise cut through the sound of her blood pounding in her ears: her phone. Grabbing her phone like a dying person grabbing a life ring, Magenta unlocked the screen to see who had messaged. Maybe it was Will saying it was all a mistake and she still had her job?

Disappointment was almost as crushing as the anchor feeling, but she opened the message from Layla anyway.

Layla: Hope you're having a great afternoon. Sorry we didn't get to catch up today! Tomorrow?

Completely ignoring the fact that she was the one who'd rejected Layla's offer that morning, Magenta only focused on the fact that she wouldn't be alone tomorrow. She could sit with Layla and the rest of her friends tomorrow because Will wouldn't be there to pout and glare and complain. Then Magenta felt awful all over again for thinking that about her boyfriend and the crushing feeling in her chest was worse than before. Maybe they knew why Will had been expelled?

Magenta: sure, sounds good. See you tomorrow!

She followed the text with a long string of emojis that made it look as though she was fine: hearts and smiley faces and then adding a cookie and cake just for good measure. Lying through emoji wasn't really lying, was it?

Deciding not to think about it, Magenta put her phone aside and focused on shifting. She needed to run in a hamster wheel for a few hours and forget about her human emotions.

...

Connor wasn't entirely surprised that Ry practically collapsed when they'd finally made it home. Half of the apartment was in boxes, which made navigating difficult, even without carrying an exhausted teen in his arms. Still, he managed to get Ry to his room and in bed, tucking a blanket around him. Figuring he'd need the extra comfort, Connor took the plushie of Karate Dog off the nearby shelf (he can't be packed yet, he can't breathe in there, Papa! Ryuu had protested when he was younger, and it was now a tradition for Karate Dog to be packed last and unpacked first), and tucked the plushie into the curve of his son's arm. Ry held Karate Dog tighter and kept sleeping.

Connor left the door ajar and headed back into the apartment. They'd left the lounge area for last since it was mostly big furniture and to keep a place clear for their yoga mats. He started on a few stretches, trying to ease his muscles and emotions at the same time. He'd probably have to have an emergency session with Doc sooner rather than later, but this would help for the moment. He'd call Doc later when Ry was awake, since he needed his rest.

As he continued with his stretches, Connor saw a car turn into the street. It was familiar, but he couldn't place how or why. As the car crawled down the street, he saw that they had tinted windows. He had a bad feeling about that car, but it wasn't just because they were going down the street so slowly that Victor could have out-walked them even without his cane. His shoulder ached, the pain sudden enough that Connor looked at the vine and fire brand on his skin, and he remembered.

The agents at the Hive, the rose trawling through grass to the parking area, the seed added to the car so Layla could find them later. Was her power so sensitive that she could feel a seed through his brand, even months later?!

Connor swallowed hard and grabbed his phone to text Layla and check his suspicions were correct. She confirmed the seed was near his apartment before the car had left the street, and Connor felt a trickle of fear and worry creeping up his spine. Deciding to forgo his exercise, Connor headed to the kitchen to keep packing. The sooner they moved out, the sooner he could add his own security measures to Victor's home.

Speaking of Victor, he remembered that he'd broken Victor's cane and needed to replace it. A walking cane was easy to find, of course, even corner stores sold them nowadays, but Connor was hoping for something far more secure than a civilian's cane. Unlocking his phone, he navigated through to the group chat to put in a request to the kids.

Terrence: I have allllll the ideas! How do you feel about tasers?

Connor: Better when I'm not the one being tasered.

Terrence: duh, that's what the dummies are for.

Adam: GPS is a given, right?

Terrence: Sure! :D

Ethan: Can I provide input as well? There's a few additional features that may be useful.

Craig: I have ideas, too!

Zach: we're not covering a cane in decorative flames, Cee

Craig: you suck

Zach: what about a flamethrower in the cane instead?

Craig: you no longer suck

Setting his phone down and letting the rest of them argue over ideas, Connor continued to pack.

...

Magenta only stopped running when she heard a knock on her bedroom door. She panted, made her way over to the water dispenser in her cage, and over the noise of her own hammering heart, heard her brother call her for dinner.

"Coming!" she squeaked, obviously loudly enough in response as Cyan continued downstairs without calling her for a second time.

Magenta was about to shift back to her human form when a smell wafted over to her. The berries she'd unceremoniously shoved into her bag earlier that day had been squished and juice stained her bag. It was red like the berries but smelled delicious. The smell was sweet like cookies and after her workout, Magenta was starving.

She could have the berries as a pre-dinner snack, and they wouldn't spoil her appetite like something bigger would, so no one would ever have to know. Her decision made, she practically flung herself into her bag, nose twitching as she located the berries - one branch squished entirely beneath a book, but another still edible - and munched happily, red juice staining her mouth.

"Magenta, dinner!"

Startled, Magenta shifted abruptly, cursing as her human-sized head got stuck in her bag. Books and her pencil case spilled out around her, but Magenta ignored the mess as she wiped off the evidence from her mouth. Knowing her mother would come into her room and berate her for keeping food in there, Magenta threw the last of the berries out the window, then hurried downstairs to have dinner with her family.

She was finishing her bowl of chilli con carne when her stomach gurgled unpleasantly.

"You want more, querida?" her mother asked, obviously hearing the noise herself. She didn't wait for an answer before spooning more food into Magenta's bowl.

"I can't eat that much, Mami! I have to reduce my calorie intake - "

"Because your purple suit makes you look like an eggplant on TV," Cyan sneered.

He was still pissed off that his girlfriend had dumped him, and jealous that Magenta had an actual job, but that didn't mean she liked being called an eggplant. "Shut up, jerk-face!"

"Magenta, don't talk to your brother like that!" Mrs. Yolanda snapped.

"But Mami - "

"Children, listen to Mami," Mr. Yolanda said sternly.

The protests died and Magenta looked down at her bowl, wishing it was the spice or heat that was making her eyes blur. If she cried at the table, she'd never live it down. Or worse, it would be blamed on her period, she thought, clenching her hands in her lap and trying to calm down.

Her stomach gurgled again, and this time Magenta recognised the sensation for what it was. Her eyes widened and she ran for the bathroom for a night of unpleasant odours, stomach cramps, and a whole lot of pain.

What on earth had her mother put in that chilli?!

...

End of the hundred and eighty-first chapter.

Thanks for reading; I hope you liked it!