Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.
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Three and a half months had passed since the discovery of Dara's Absolute, the real reason behind Christine Stone's death, and Ivy's final change to become one with the panther, instead of separate entities sharing half a body. She then began to understand why she was the strongest, and why the Coven wanted her gone; because she could control it and they couldn't. She wondered why the changes had been so staggered, but she knew better than to question the world of Supers or Absolutes at this point.
It was now mid-April, and Ivy had been teaching Dara to control her Absolute, instead of letting the Absolute control her.
After their battle in the cafeteria in January, Dara hadn't returned to school for over a week. Principal Powers had agreed to let her come back, so long as she agreed to be coached by Ivy until she knew her animal side as well as she knew her human one. Dara had agreed, with much reluctance, and after much persuasion. Before school, during school, and after school Ivy worked with Dara teaching her how to change, how to change back, and how to respond to "Cane" as a safe-word, much the way she used to need to respond to "Stone".
Dara had never mentioned that she and Ivy went to the same school and had contact to Dylan. She never mentioned her fight with Ivy, and she never mentioned the lessons, either. She would never admit it, but she was scared for her brother; for what he might do to Ivy, and for what Ivy might do to him. Dara had witnessed first-hand what it was like to be on the receiving end of the panther, and she could only imagine how much worse it had been for Dylan. She didn't want him to have any reason to go after her again, and have even worse repercussions than the last time. Permanent burns and scars and claw marks covering his body was probably not enough to keep him away from her, and Dara knew it. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Literally.
Ivy had begun to grow a soft-spot for the arrogant girl. At first, they didn't speak much, an unmentioned tension still lingering between them, but the times they spent together while Ivy trained her, was enough to know that one day Dara would be strong. Not just physically, but in every way. She had the capability, and if Ivy could only push the arrogance away, Dara could be such a better Super. Such a better hero. And such a good hope for the Absolute clan.
As time passed, Ivy and Dara spent more and more time together, training, but also becoming something close to friends. Small, baby steps first: a few minutes of talking about homework, Ivy helping Dara with her English essays, then a "Hello" and smile during lunch periods. By the first week in April, Dara sat with Ivy and the others almost daily, and spent most of her weekends busy with them, too. She'd often spend her afternoons at Ivy's apartment, or in the Paper Lantern with Lash, Layla and Will waiting for Warren to get off work. Trent had developed a most obvious crush on the freshman, but she had seemed to not notice; her sights were set on none other than Warren.
Ivy and Warren still hadn't had a chance to speak about their one night together. And when they did have the chance, they were either interrupted, or neither knew how to approach the topic so it was left alone. They had become friends much as they had been before any of the problems had started, but there were many times when their goodbye hug was just a moment too long, or one would lose concentration on the task at hand because they were looking at the other. But no one other than the two of them ever noticed.
Lash had finally finished his portrait of Ivy, and started the rest of his portfolio. He and Warren had also become quite close, which was still requiring much adjusting from Will's end; he hadn't quite gotten used to it just yet. Taylor and Speed remained in a happy, care-free relationship, while Zach and Magenta had decided to reevaluate theirs. They had discussed it over and over again, and had finally settled on an unofficial dating-habit. Neither of them were quite sure just what they wanted from the other anymore, but somehow through the awkwardness of it, they remained best friends able to laugh and joke just as they always had. No one understood that. Especially not them.
But more than any of the training, or relationships, or anything else in Ivy's life, her friends had never once asked what really happened with her mother. She didn't know if it was because they were afraid to bring it up, or if it was because they had put two and two together, and made an educated guess as to what the answer was. Whatever their reasons, Ivy never complained, and never brought it up. It was not something she wished to openly discuss, other than to admit she did it.
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Short, but I've had heeeella stuff to do so I haven't had much time to update anything. Hope it was ok!