Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.

---

Warren, Will, Layla, Taylor and the rest helped move all the students to the back of the cafeteria while the painted dog and Ivy's white panther circled each other. Since Ivy had changed, the dog had visibly backed up, and become more timid than before. Warren quietly and quickly explained to Principal Powers what happened, and she began to help move students out of the cafeteria completely. Warren, Jamie Esther, Evelyn, and the gang stayed behind to help Ivy should anything happen, while Boomer and Medulla took control of the students and kept them safe in the gym.

Ivy and the panther smiled down at the African Wild Dog, knowing that they were bigger and much stronger than the skinny little canine. The dog seemed to have gotten smaller after the panther had emerged, but the fact remained that the dog was simply no match for Ivy when she was in Absolute form. Ivy began to back the wild dog into the same corner in which she'd been forced into just moments earlier, and once the dog was completely surrounded by walls and the panthers' massive body weight, it began to whimper and cry. The panther smiled a sick, twisted smile, and the dog attacked.

Ivy was able to see through it's false cries and grabbed the canine by its' neck, tossing it aside, much the same way she had done to Speed, way back when. The dog quickly recovered and attacked Ivy again. Warren began to notice just how similar the panther and Ivy were: never attack first, always patient. He wondered if part of Ivy had leaked into the panthers mind, and it was using the best strategies it knew. He, along with everyone else, was completely unaware that in the past three minutes, Ivy had become one with the cat completely. She was in complete control of the cat, instead of watching from afar. She made the cat move and controlled its every action.

The dog continued to launch itself at Ivy, who was slowly bloodying it, and tearing hunks of skin from its neck and sides. Dara's Absolute was wearing itself thin of energy, and because she was a newly formed Absolute, it didn't take much time to be completely bare of adrenaline. It began to take the dog more and more time to recover after being thrown aside, and finally the dog didn't stand, but lay panting and covered in rich, thick blood. The panther stalked over proudly and cautiously to the fallen dog and bent its neck down to be inches above its muzzle.

"You can't win." The panther growled at the dog, who turned its head upward to stare in shock and disbelief at the panther, who had spoke human words with a hoarse, rough voice that was coated in years of chaos and bloodshed. The dog began to fade and fold back into a bleeding and weak Dara, and the panther stood over her, shielding her body from the bystanders' view.

"I'll kill you for hurting him." She shivered and whispered the words at the white panther, who continued to protect her from the humans' watchful, criticizing glares.

Ivy said nothing in response, but turned carefully, so her back was towards the small girl, still covering her naked body from their prying eyes. Blood and bits of flesh and fur still dripped from the panthers' mouth as Ivy spoke through it. "She needs a blanket. And sugar." No one moved, all shocked by the scene in front of them. "Now." Jamie sprinted from the room, returning moments later with multiple blankets from Nurse Spex office. When Jamie began to carefully approach the two, Ivy snarled to get her back. "Toss them." She growled at a frightened Jamie, who instantly slid them across the floor. Ivy took great care in lifting the blanket so as not to get too much extra blood on it. She tossed it over Dara, who still shivered and remained a sickly shade of pale. Dara could not move, and did not try.

Ivy dragged one of the remaining blankets to the corner that still held her unbloodied clothes. She lay down and let herself fold back to human form. She gathered the blanket around her body, and walked over to where Dara still lay weak and unmoving. Ivy looked down at the girl, not showing a hint of anger or satisfaction, but simply looking.

"Why didn't you hurt me?" Dara looked back up at Ivy with rage piercing her eyes.

Layla shrieked. "What are you talking about why didn't she hurt you! You're covered in bl--" Will put his hand over her mouth to quiet her, but Ivy never took her eyes from Dara.

"You could have killed me. Why didn't you?" Ivy stayed silent and staring. "Answer me!" Dara screamed and tried to sit, failing miserably.

"Because." Everyone was silent as she spoke as her human self. "I already have one haunting me. I don't need two." Ivy turned her back to Dara and went towards her clothes.

"Who." Dara demanded an answer, more than requested one. Ivy picked up her clothes carefully, and silently. "Who! Tell me, dammit!" Dara sat up, and struggled to pull herself to her full height before yelling again. "Tell me!"

"Ivy..." Evelyn took a step forward in protest as Ivy turned around to face the young Absolute. "Ivy, please." Evelyn pleaded as much as she could.

Ivy walked back to Dara, standing inches from her, and inches above her. "My mom." She turned towards the door to leave when Evelyn stood in her path.

"Ivy, don't you dare think that. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have--"

Ivy stared at her aunt, and her pitiful attempts to clear Ivy's conscience. "I killed her, Evelyn."

The room was silent. No one knew what to say, or how to say it, but suddenly Warren understood why she had turned to alcohol after her mother was gone, why she remained silent when she was sober, and why she'd wanted to leave the Super world and live with her uncle.

"Don't say that." Evelyn whispered to her niece and took a step forward.

Ivy took a step back away from Evelyn, and walked around her, never setting her eyes on her friends once.

---

So I know it's been a while since I last updated, so I hope this chapter and the previous one weren't too bad.

Miser... Thoughts? =\