So, another free moment before I hit the hay I thought I'd put this up, at least to push the story up over the 5,000 word count, I know I'm not the only one who won't read a story until it hits a certain length. Um, my brain is fried right now so the AN is pretty crappy, sorry 'bout that. I have a psych test tomorrow, or I guess I should say later tonight, I'm freaking a little, not 'cause I'll do poorly, but 'cause I always freak. Um, anywho, thanks to those who favorited/alerted. And special thanks to thenerdisin for the review, I don't think I actually responded to your review, sorry about that, I promise that I will do so, I've just had a busy week.

Anywho, read, review, enjoy. Tell me what you think, okay? Here's chapter four of Fireproof!

Fireproof

Chapter 4: Mouse Claims A Marble.

Mouse didn't go back to the gym with the freshmen. She'd gotten her placement, so she had been summoned to the office of one Principle Powers to discuss her school career, as she was coming in during her sophomore year. "-help you adjust we're trying something new." The woman in white opened the door and waved someone into the office with her. "This is Warren, he's a junior; he's going to be your guide for the next week or so while you adjust to everything. If you need any help you will come to him first. If you-" Mouse had stopped listening, she was too busy feeling amused by, but trying not to laugh at, the expression on the grumpy junior's face. It was the boy from lunch, the one who'd nearly glared a hole into the back of Will's head. –Luckily, it seemed that, whatever his power was, he did not have laser/heat/etc. vision.-

It was quite clear that he was not doing this of his own free will.

"-any questions?"

Emryn glanced at Principle Powers. "Yes Ma'am, why am I getting shown around by a junior instead of another sophomore?"

"Ah, that's because we've recently started a program pairing experienced Heroes with a younger Hero Support," –Oh look, she actually uses the politically correct term, how fascinating.- "in order to develop a mentor-like relationship and to further develop the skills required in partnerships. The freshman are excluded from this obviously, it is difficult enough for them to adjust to a new environment, so they don't begin until the second semester. This rotation Mr. Peace here is without a partner, making him available to be your guide."

"So, it's basically a program to promote equality, the ability to work with others, and just a general passing around of the tricks of the trade?"

Principle Powers smiled. "That's it exactly."

Her eyebrows lifted and she mumbled under her breath. "Wow, aren't you the idealist." The principle didn't hear of course, but judging by the slightly less angry stare –Not less angry, per say, more… angry and curious.- from Warren, he did.

"Now, do you have any more questions?"

The woman was all smiles, it reminded her of Nancie. "No."

"Oh, well in that case," Powers handed a folder and a slip of paper to Warren, the paper he tucked into his pocket, the folder he held with obvious reluctance. "show her to her locker first, then give her a brief, but thorough, tour of the school. That folder has her schedule, point out which rooms she'll have classes in and then take her to the one going on now. There's a copy in there for you as well, you are to escort her to each class for the next two days-"

Mouse was not happy with this arrangement.

One: Nobody ever asked her if she wanted to have some strange person, that she had never even met, show her around.

Two: The woman had, without thought, handed over a file containing her school information to someone other than herself. –Not okay! That stuff was private!-

Three: Judging by the way said folder was smoking slightly –She unceremoniously rescued the file from him, sending him a glare for good measure.- it was clear that he didn't want to be doing this any more than she wanted him to.

Four: Having him follow her around? Really? 'Cause you know, that's just what she wanted for her first day. Someone stalking her.

Mouse took a deep breath and forced what could quite possibly be the most pathetic fake smile in the history of fake smiles to appear on her face. "Thanks." And before the woman could say anything else to piss her off she grabbed Warren's wrist and pulled him behind her as she fled down the hall. Her mind was clouded with her angry thoughts, without really realizing it they came spewing from her mouth. "Geez, just what I need. Oh sure! I'd love to have someone forced to stalk me. Thanks a ton!" Due to her power, Mouse was completely unaware that Warren's arm was currently on fire –He started with just warming his hand and got progressively hotter with no reaction from her at all.- in an attempt to get her to let go. "It's not like I actually wanted to handle this myself or anything like that. Oh no! That's much too difficult! Why, I might actually get lost once or twice!" Realizing that the fire –He'd have to ask about that.- did no good what-so-ever, he was about to force a stop. Then he realized how amusing her rant actually was and decided to see how long it took her before she remembered he was there. It's not like her short legs made it hard for him to keep up. "And that simply won't do! Why, I might actually be forced to ask some random passerby for directions. How horrifying! And it's not like there's a school map or anything. What? There is? How strange! I've never heard of such a thing! It's not like every other school I've gone to had one too or anything like that, I'm completely unprepared for such a situation! Why, I'm so glad I've been assigned a frickin' babysitter! I-"

"You know, I hear that talking to yourself is a good indicator that you've gone insane." He'd gotten impatient –Shocking, I know.- and decided to interrupt.

Mouse jumped at the sound of his voice, completely startled. She dropped his wrist and spun to face him all in one move; when she realized that he had been there, listening to her rant the entire time, her face went bright red. "Oh! Umm, right… You…"

"Yeah. Me."

The door closed behind Mouse with a quiet thunk and her steps were subdued as she immediately turned towards the stairs to go to her room, the only real indication of her presence to fill the house was the umbrella stand hitting the ground when her backpack caught it. A beautiful brunet stuck her head out of the kitchen and a smile lit her face when she recognized who'd just come in. "Emryn! How was your first day, Dear?"

Mouse gave her a blank, tired look as she picked up the knocked over umbrella stand. "Fine. What're you doing Nancie? Where's… Dad?"

"Hmm? Oh, Jo had to work late again, he called to tell me earlier." Nancie, in her natural state of pleasant obliviousness, –How she was related to someone as irritable as Boomer was a complete mystery.- missed the thinning of Mouse's lips at that bit of information. "I was getting dinner ready. How does spaghetti sound? It'll be just us but I figure between the two of us it'll be alright. I'm sure we ca-"

"Not hungry. Thanks anyways." She turned back, going up the stairs before Nancie could say anything else and retreating to her room. She closed the door behind herself, setting her bag down with a heavy sigh. It had been a long day.

Mouse went straight to her desk and started up her laptop, checking her email and bringing up her online classes. She was still working towards a regular high school diploma, one that had real world applications; she didn't want to depend on the SSIPA (Supers' Secret Identities Protection Agency) to help her live in the real world.

She could feel it sitting behind her.

The marble.

She was trying to focus, to distract herself, to think of anything other than that. That damn black and red glass sphere.

That stupid little marble.

But it was sitting there. Right behind her. It was in the backpack by the door. In the first left-side pocket, the one with the broken zipper.

She didn't want to think about it.

About that. Stupid. Marble.

She didn't want to think about that jerk of a pyrokinetic.

Mouse did not have a good day.

A Couple Hours Earlier

Mouse's embarrassment turned quickly to agitation, and she unconsciously crossed her arms. –A natural defense mechanism.- "You can leave now, I've got it handled."

Her abrupt shift surprised him slightly, not that he showed it. Warren smirked at her. "Really?" His voice was dry; Mouse found herself fidgeting under his intense gaze. "So you know where to go next."

His smirk was met with her scowl, which only caused the smirk to widen, she let an irritated hiss slide through her teeth. "If I do or not is no concern of yours. I don't want your help, Peace."

The smirk was wiped from his face faster than Mouse could blink and she suddenly found herself shoved against the lockers with a flaming hand held threateningly close to her face. "Watch how you talk to me." Mouse was frightened, sure she was fireproof, that didn't make it any less scary to be threatened with it. Hell, just having the intense boy snarling in her face was enough to terrify her. –She wouldn't learn until much later that the way she had sneeringly said his last name was what set him off. He was sensitive when it came to his family life and he had perceived mockery in her tone. That it was for him alone, and had nothing to do with his villain father or disgraced hero mother, never even occurred to him.-

She didn't respond except to frown, but her eyes didn't leave his either. When Warren realized that she wasn't going to say anything he let out a growl and let go of her, stepping back out of her space. He turned to leave. "The paper she gave you. What is it?" Her voice was completely calm, if he hadn't seen the fear in her eyes before he released her he would have thought she was completely unfazed by the threat. Instead of answering her he shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled paper, handing it over forcefully.

Silent.

Curious, she flattened the paper, letting out a startled squeak as she caught a small object that came loose when she did so. She instinctively held the object between the tips of the index and middle fingers of her left hand, bringing it to eye level for examination. Her eyes widened in surprise. "I-it's my marble. Where did you get this?" He didn't say anything, all he did was glare at her, so she turned back to her examination, frown deepening. "Man, Boomer's got one hard head, it's cracked." Frown twisting back into a scowl, she turned her attention back to the paper.

It was just a hall pass.

"Like I said," Mouse shoved the paper back at him, slapping it against the t-shirted chest that was still far too close to her for comfort. "I don't need your help. So you can fuck off." And she left, he was too dumbfounded by her response to react to her actions before she disappeared around the corner. –And there was no way he was chasing after her, even if it was to start a fight.-

It wasn't until she had left him far behind that her fear finally overcame her and she stopped to lean against the wall, willing her anxious shakes to stop.

"Emryn?" Nancie opened the door gently, sticking her head into the room, looking around for Mouse. "Oh. Poor thing, it must have been a rough first day." The girl was barely staying in her office chair, her head resting on the desk next to her sleeping laptop. Her breaths were light and shallow due to the way she was slumped over and it was clear she'd been asleep for a while.

Hesitating for a moment, Nancie slowly approached the sleeping girl, afraid that she would wake her. Carefully, the tall woman brushed the dark hair from Mouse's face, her eyes glowing with a compassionate pity that she wouldn't dare to reveal if the girl were awake. As she did she noticed the way Mouse was clenching her left hand into a fist, even in her sleep.

Curious, Nancie gently pried the hand open. It was a marble.

Black and red, a crack running through the center but not far enough to split it.

She stared at it a moment more before setting it on the desk with a shrug, it didn't hold any meaning for her. She turned her gaze back to the girl who she couldn't seem to understand no matter how hard she tried. She sighed.

"Emryn. Emryn, you should at least move to your bed. You'll feel awful tomorrow if you sleep at your desk." The sleepy dark eyes that peered at her from under messy bangs made her smile slightly as she helped the not-really-awake-even-though-she-was girl stumble over to her bed.

As she was snuggling into her pillows Mouse let out a quiet mutter. "Thanks Momma." Nancie drew back as if slapped, a horrified, near-tears expression on her face. Then the look on her face darkened into a furious glare that roamed aimlessly around the room, the target of her anger not present. Her jaw clenched.

She'd have to talk to Joseph when he got home, otherwise she might accidently say something to Mouse. This… this wasn't good.