The science fair went about as it was expected when Jack, Miko and Raf presented their projects to the teachers. Azura still could not believe that Ratchet had taken over their projects and create these things. Raf had a massive volcano that was active and almost blew a while through the second level and roof of the school. Miko has a model of Cybertron and it's moon, which Azura found odd because Miko was wanting the solar system of Earth, not Cybertron. And Jack…Azura wasn't even sure what Ratchet even made for him. If it was meant to be a bite, it seemed more like a robotic hammer with the amount that it destroyed.

Needless to say, the three of them didn't get high scores for their projects. Azura felt very bad for them. As for her Amazon model, it was well received. She was able to so a whole speech about the forest itself and the different animals and plants that thrive in the rainforest. Not everyone was interested, but the teachers were impressed and she got an A for her project. She was very happy with the accomplishment.

Azura did do her best to ensure Jack, Miko and Raf did not become the laughingstock of the school simply because of the projects they brought in. She did ask if they had their original projects, but they didn't. Miko could have brought hers in if it didn't get destroyed accidently on the way into town the day before. Which Azura felt even worse for them as she knew that they didn't deserve getting bad grades because of this. There was not much they could do though.

Azura was going through her locker at the end of the day. She was checking off a few things that she had to do in regards with homework. She was looking forward to going home, even though today has been a good day. She hoped that Ratchet won't give the kids a hard time over the fact they got a low grade, even though it was his fault that this happened.

"Hey there, golden."

Azura tensed and looked around before frowning at Vince. "What did you just call me?"

"Oh, don't you like golden?" Vince chuckled softly as he sauntered closer to her and leaned against the locker beside hers. "It suits you with your golden hair."

She grimaced and scrunched up her nose. "Just because my hair looks golden, doesn't mean I appreciate being called that." She looked back into her locker to finish up quickly. "Could you please just leave me alone? I'm busy."

"I would, but after seeing those hideous projects your friends brought in compared to the masterpiece that you made, I had to come and apologize to you." She looked at him in surprise before rolling her eyes and looking back into the locker. "I apologize that you have such weird, terrible friends."

Azura slammed the locker door shut and glared at Vince. "Will you cut the crap already?! You need to lay off your high horse and drive your stupid car into a ditch somewhere." The boy's face changed from a cocky grin to a frown. "I don't like you, I have never liked you. My friends were creative and it didn't go as planned. But they did their best!"

"Clearly it wasn't enough," Vince said with a scoff. "How can you defend those freaks? They're way out of your league!"

"And I am way out of your league! I can't stand you, Vince!" She shouted back at him, which received looks from other students. "You need to leave me alone!"

Vince just smirked at her. "I am sure deep down…"

"Your ego is so unbelievable!" Azura stomped away from Vince angrily. :And I had people like you. Thinking you're all that just because you're captain of the football team and think your car is the best." She turned on her heels and glared at Vince as he was following her. "But you do know once you hit college, your ego will get taken down a notch, right? You'll realize that your attitude will not fly in the real world. Grow up and leave me alone!"

She turned away from him again and stormed away, feeling absolutely furious about having to deal with Vince. She's already had to tell him to leave her friends alone as he and his group of boys and girls tried to mock Jack, Miko and Raf. Azura was not having it at all. She already made sure to film the incident, upload it and now they were being slammed for their bullying behavior online. She knew it was a petty thing to do, but it did make most of them back off since their parents also saw it. But Vince didn't seem to care like the others did, and it was super annoying.

Vince just watched as Azura walked away before he huffed and followed her angrily. "And who do you think you are? You're nothing but a little orphan who got adopted by a military agent!" Azura tensed a little as she hears him following her, but she ignored him as she walked towards the front door. "Hey! I am talking to you!"

"Leave me alone!" Azura shouted back at him. "I don't need you to be ruining the day everyday."

"Oh, you little brat!" Vince shouted angrily. "You should have gone back to that pitiful orphanage that you came from! Or foster home! Whatever, you don't belong here!"

"Lucky for you, Vince, I won't be here for much longer," Azura responded bluntly. "Give it a couple months and we will never have to deal with each other again." She shakes her head in disbelief. "Take your fragile, little, ego and go home! Or go to whatever it is you do."

The boy growled and as Azura walked through the twin doors, she yelped as Vince shoved her suddenly causing her to fall down the stairs. "You little brat!" Azura rolled down the stairs with a groan, but she noticed the impact didn't hurt like they would have been. It seemed like the energon she has been ingesting was making her stronger.

"Azura!" Jack ran over as she stood up and brushed herself off. "Are you okay?"

"Perfectly fine." Azura placed her hands on her hips as she glared at the boy. "If you need to feel like a man by pushing and shoving people, you should look forward to jail. Assaulting people is not the thing to get your own way." She turned on her heel and walked away, glancing around and sighing with relief as she noticed Optimus was not there. "And with plenty of witnesses, I could have you charged."

Vince rolled his eyes at her. "And yet, you seem to not even be hurt." He huffed loudly and shook his head. "You are going to regret rejecting me, little orphan."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Azura was not in the mood as she walked over to Miko and Raf as they stare in disbelief. She looked at them with a smile. "Hey, guys. Don't worry, Vince didn't hurt me. He's just being a jerk again."

"I can't believe he did that," Miko said in a worried tone. "Now Vince is going to start bullying you." Azura shrugged as she sat down, not really caring too much. "And we have been made as the laughingstock of the school because of those stupid projects Ratchet made for us, which is not going to help either."

"Vince is just a teenager who thinks he is all that," The girl said, looking at the children who were still worried about her. "I doubt people are going to remember your projects for too long either. But…" She pulled out her phone and showed them a video. "I made that the internet is aware of how those bullies treat others at school. And they are being hammered online."

Miko stared at the video and smirked a little. "That's good. It was not fun to have a group of people come over to us and make fun of us. I was kind of scared, if I am honest."

"M-Me too." Raf looked at the corner as he was hoping the bots would show up soon. "Do you think the bots will be here soon? I don't really want to be here for too much longer in case they start teasing us again."

"They should be here…" Azura paused as she heard the hum of familiar engines getting closer. "Ah, right on time. They are almost here."

"Are you sure you are okay?" Jack asked gently, making her look at him in surprise. "Vince pushed you pretty hard and you fell down all flights of stairs. You don't seem hurt, but I wanted to make sure you are okay."

"I am fine, Jack." She smiled at him as she appreciated his concern. "You do not need to worry about me. I will not get any bruises or anything." She looked at the corner and smiled as she saw Optimus driving around the bend. "And I would prefer it if you do not mention it to anyone else."

Jack frowned at her. "I am not sure if that is a good idea, Azura. I think they should be informed."

"They cannot meddle with human issues, Jack. And I am not terribly hurt, so there's no problem." She stood up as the truck pulled up in front of her. Miko and Raf ran over to Bulkhead and Bumblebee while Jack watched Azura with a frown. "I will see you back home, Jack."

Jack just sighed and walked over to Arcee to climb on the bike. Azura climbed into the passenger seat and hummed softly as she sat down, closing the door once she was comfortable. "How was your day today, Azura?"

"It was good. The science fair is a very fun day, as I already told you this morning. But it was good. I wish I could say the same thing for Jack, Miko and Raf." She glanced at the side view mirror as Bulkhead and Bumblebee drove by Optimus before he began to drive ahead. "I got a high grade for my project, and I am really happy about it."

"That sounds wonderful, Azura. And what do you mean that the other three did not have a good day?" She groaned a little as she looked out the window as he drove through the small town. "Did they not have a good day?"

"No. They…it wasn't good day. I know people will eventually forget about it, but people were laughing at them the whole day." Azura thought about showing the video, but decided against it. "I felt bad for them. I know Ratchet meant well, but this really should not have happened. It is ridiculous."

"I see. I guess I wasn't expecting that."

"You will find that human children tend to be pretty cruel to other kids if they think they're less then them," Azura explained softly. "I know I did well, but Ratchet never touched my project. He would probably feel your wrath if he did." Optimus chuckled a little as that may or not may not be true, but he didn't say anything about that. "At least today is done and dusted. Tomorrow is Friday…oh! Do we have time today to stop by the aquarium?"

"I think we do," Optimus responded thoughtfully as he slowed down and turned the corner to drive towards the aquarium. "I hope you know that the kids may want to see the tanks. But hopefully we can convince them otherwise."

"I hope for that too." Azura was not ready to tell them, and she knew it. She sighed deeply as she watched the buildings roll by them as Optimus drove through the town. "But…I know it would look strange, so hopefully they will be a bit too busy thinking about something else to really care. I know Jack probably will."

"Do you still suspect he might know you are my daughter?" Optimus asked curiously.

"He certainly seems to give away signs that he does know. He seems to be more understanding than he was before. Plus, Jack is observing the two of us a little more closely." She glanced at the side view mirror and rolled her eyes. "And I see he's following us. Now we probably shouldn't go to the aquarium."

"Is it really that bad that he knows, Azura?" Optimus asked gently, making her frown and fold her arms defiantly. "If he knows, that is not a bad thing. He seems to be respectful of the fact that you aren't ready to say anything, and to me he's a really good friend." She groaned a little, even though she did agree with his observation. "You should at least know that he accepts it."

"Maybe." Azura still didn't know if she should tell him or not, but she wasn't going to argue. "When I am ready, I will tell him, Optimus. It isn't really a bad thing, because I do like Jack as a friend. He has been my best friend…next to Cliff of course." She looked at the mirror again before spotting the aquarium building ahead of them. She smiled as she looked at the building. "I will…consider when a good time will be to tell him. As for Miko and Raf…no idea. I think Raf will accept it, but Miko…well, Miko is Miko."

"I think we should give Miko more credit, Azura," Optimus said gently. "Miko may come across rash and in a hurry to do things, but I know she genuinely cares. She just has a different personality to the rest of you."

"She definitely does." Azura hummed happily as Optimus pulled into the parking space and she grabbed her bag. "Uh…I forgot to bring the box for the fish…" She shrugged a little. "Oh well, they should have one so I can put the fish in here and they should not fall."

"It will be fine, Azura. Go and pick the fish you want for your new tanks," Optimus said as Azura opened the door and climbed down. "I look forward to seeing more coloful fish in your room and to look after. I made sure to check on them today, even though they were fine this morning."

She giggled softly as she closed the door and walked towards the entrance. She turned her head and saw Jack removing his helmet as Arcee had parked in the lot. She raised an eyebrow at him. "I would have thought you would have gone back to the base. Why did you decide to follow Optimus and I to the aquarium?"

"Well, we were surprised you had changed direction, so we thought we would follow and Arcee mentioned to me that you have some aquariums set up for fish." Azura grimaced a little because she didn't want Jack to know, but Arcee had told him anyway it would seem. "You haven't showed them to us yet."

"Because I keep the tanks in my room, so that's why you haven't seen them." Azura walked towards the front and Jack ran over to her to follow. "And you haven't exactly been in my room yet."

"That's because I do not wish to intrude on your space," The boy responded gently with a smile. "I know it is probably a place you don't want us to see, so you will probably take the fish into your room when we get back to the base. But I think it will be fun to see what you pick out. I know nothing about owning aquariums."

She smiled at him, even though she had expected Jack to say that he wanted to see her room. "Aquariums can be complicated, but they're easy to maintain once you learn how to look after fish and understand what you need to do to maintain the tank itself. And besides, as it is the only animal Ratchet will allow in the base, I do enjoy looking after something."

Jack chuckled softly. "I can kind of picture what it would be like if there was a dog or a cat around."

"Oof, that would not go so well." Azura chuckled as she walked into the store and looked around with a smile. "I think the autobots would accidently step on a dog or cat because of how unpredictable they can be. Birds can be too loud, and Ratchet would not be pleased about a parrot talking to him."

"He would not." Jack looked around at the many items and fish tanks in the store. This store had tanks with goldfish, cold water fish and tropical fish. And there was a large amount of tanks, accessories, filters, heaters and gravel for people to buy and take home. He did wonder how many people came here to buy fish, but it has been operating a long time, so he guessed a lot. "Wow…there is a lot." He looked around curiously as Azura walked over to grab some fish food and a couple accessories for her tanks. She picked some rock formations, a couple fake plants and a sunken treasure chest and sunken ship. "I guess your tanks are big?"

"Not really. I have two tanks to fill." Jack was surprised, but he said nothing as Azura placed the items into a basket she had grabbed from the front and walked over to the tanks to look at the fish. "Ooh! They have congo tetras!" She walked over to the tank with the small, orange striped, silver green fish in it. "These are definitely new. I already came here last week, and they weren't here."

Jack looked at the fish curiously and shrugged. "They're very nice. How many fish do you think you'll put in the tanks?"

"They're fifty litres each, so I can put a bit in there. But too many is bad." Azura hummed softly to herself and thought about it. "I'll probably get ten of these guys with a bristlenose catfish. And maybe…" She paused as she looked at the other tanks. "And probably the green neons with the cardinal and bloodfin tetras as well. They're small enough to have quite a few in the tanks."

"Are both going to just have tetras?" Jack asked curiously.

"No. I'll probably put something else in the other. I'll probably get some corydoras too." Azura hummed as she looked at the different tropical fish. "I might get a few angelfish and dwarf gouramis. I'll keep them separate from the tetras."

The boy just nodded, even though he wasn't sure of the reason. "Right. I guess we should find someone to catch the fish for you."

Azura nodded as she went to look for a staff member to catch the fish for her into separate bags. It took a bit of time, as Jack quickly realized how fast fish were when someone was trying to catch them. And Azura just watch patiently as the person caught the fish for them. She did not mind waiting as she knew removing fish from tanks was a task that was done when cleaning had to be done to the tank as well. Though the fish in these tanks had less room to swim, so it was easier for the worker to catch them.

Once they were eventually caught and bagged, Azura paid for everything and put the fish into a box to make sure they would not roll around while Optimus drove back to the base. She knew he would not move side-to-side violently, but as she knows, while he makes a turn, the gravity can cause the fish to fall over, and she did not want to do that. With that, she made her way back to Optimus with a happy expression.

Jack helped her load the items into the truck and she climbed into the truck once that was done. "Alright, I will see you at the base," Jack said with a smile. "And I hope that you will be very happy with those fish."

"I already am," Azura said enthusiastically, closing the door as Jack nodded and walked away. "I am very happy right now." She looked at the fish in the box. "Just make sure you don't turn too sharply, Optimus. We need to make sure these little guys make it to the base."

"I promise I will not cause them harm." He started his engine before rolling away from the aquarium. "I am very happy you got some fish. What kind of fish did you buy? Did you get some more rainbowfish?"

She chuckled softly. "Nah. I got some green neon tetras, cardinal tetras, congo tetras, bloodfin tetras, a couple bristlenose catfish, corydoras, angelfish and dwarf gouramis. And I am looking forward to getting them all settled in their new home. And hopefully they will survive."

"With the amount of love and care that the fish get from you, I am sure they will do just fine," Optimus said in a confident tone. "If I was able to keep the older fish alive for three years, I am sure these ones will do just fine."

She chuckled at Optimus's comment. "Well, that is true. But that tank will be different to the other two tanks these guys will go into. So I'll just have the task of keeping a closer eye on them." She looked ahead with a smile as Optimus made his way out of the town towards the base. "Especially as I don't know if these guys will end up sick or riddled with parasites. That's the main thing. But they seem okay, but that's why the first month will be important."

"I see. Now I understand." Optimus didn't really think about illness in the fish and parasites. But the tanks were pretty good, so the fish were healthy enough to thrive in the tank. "If you tell me more on these illnesses and parasites, I might be able to help on keeping an eye on the fish with you so they will be alive and well after the first month."

"I definitely will." She lifts her hand to grab the necklace from around her neck. It has been a while since she has even held the crystal in her hand, but she still refused to take if off except for when she has a bath. "Are we going to go a tropical island this weekend, Optimus? Now that my back isn't irritating me and the burn is almost practically gone?"

"I believe that we can. Ratchet will probably want to check before we even go." Azura groaned a little as she knew that Ratchet would want to make sure she could go. But it was necessary, and she knew that. "I know it can get tiresome that Ratchet keeps checking, but he does care about you, Azura. He cares as much as I do. But I am confident we will be given the greenlight." She smiled as she listened to him. "I have seen the injury heal, so I know it will be fine."

"It's just a minor inconvenience I suppose." She hummed a little as she looked out the window before looking back at the dash. "And I was thinking you could start teaching me Cybertronian tomorrow after school."

Optimus was amused as they had spoken about her wanting to learn Cybertronian from him in the morning. He was more than happy to oblige to her request. "I will see if we can fit it in tomorrow, Azura. I know you'll want to spend time with Jack, Miko and Rafael. And as it will be a Friday night, I do expect them to want to stay up later than normal."

She nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that will likely happen. I think we might have a movie night or something. There are a lot of movies I want to see, but never got to see them. That's why my current favorite movie is Brother Bear. I am sure I will find a new favorite soon."

"I am not aware of how many movies there are in the world, but I understand that there are a lot. Humans are very creative with their story telling." Optimus was also curious about what movies Azura wanted to see. He may not have seen any human movie yet, but he was aware of what they were and if Azura wanted to see something, he would likely watch it with her. "You should be able to buy more movies to enjoy, Azura."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I just am not as super interested in watching a movie as some humans are." She shrugged and saw they were getting closer to the base as she could see the rock formation ahead of them. "I prefer to read. That's my go to entertain."

"Did you want me to create a bookshelf for you?" Optimus offered gently.

She shakes her head. "I think my hands will just get too big to hold a book. There are book series that I want to read and enjoy, but I may not get to read them because of that. Unless the books can be scanned and I can read them on a tablet or something."

"I think we can do that. You shouldn't have to miss out because of your growth. That would be unfair." She was happy to hear that and her smile widened as the auto door opened before them as Optimus drove into the driveway tunnel. "Yay! We're home!" She looked at the fish and looked ahead. "It won't be long and these guys will be in their new home."

Optimus was happy to hear her excitement as he drove into the lobby. Jack and Miko were on the platform with angry expressions, with Ratchet seemingly annoyed. It seemed they had been telling Ratchet all about their day today, and the medic wasn't too happy about it. Azura got out of the truck one Optimus came to a stop, and she grabbed out the box to hold the fish.

Ratchet smiled as he spotted the fish and walked closer as Optimus transformed. "I see you finally got some new fish." She nodded happily and turned to walk to the hallway to take the fish to her room. "How wonderful!"

"You have fish?!" Miko exclaimed in surprised before smiling. "I guess it would be the only pet you can have." She chuckled softly as Ratchet rolled his optics at her. "You have to show us the tanks, Azura."

"Maybe some other time," Azura responded quickly as she knew she did not want the kids to see her room just yet. "This will just be the boring stage, anyway. It will be better when the fish aren't stressed and have settled into their new home."

Jack nodded in agreement, even if he still did not know how to care for fish. "She's right. It's the boring part. She'll show us soon."

"That's fine, I wanted to show Bulkhead something on TV shortly anyway." Miko turned away from the railing and walked towards the TV with a big grin. Bulkhead was intrigued and walked to stand by the platform to see what Miko wanted to show him.

Optimus walked behind Azura as she carried the box to her room. She did check behind her a few times to make sure no one was following, even though she had noticed Jack watching her walk away. She knew she should not have to feel paranoid, but she did. Jack wasn't forcing her to say the truth at least, but he was showing that he definitely knew the truth.

Once she reached her room, she placed the bags to sit in the tank so the water would change to the temperature of the tank, which gave Azura time to put the plants and other accessories into the two tanks. She checked the temperature, added some ammonia detoxifier. She would add someone else to help eliminate any bacterial issues the fish could have. She knew they may not, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Azura did get to talk about what to watch for in regards to illness in the fish to Optimus. She knew it might be difficult for him to notice, but she told him anyway. And she told him what exactly to use in the tanks if he sees this is the case, or how to mercifully deal with fish if they cannot be saved. Optimus listened intently and he learned a lot from her, and he knew he could take care of the fish very well. Once Azura did release the fish into their new home, she simply watched them for a little bit before returning to the lobby to spend the last bit of the day with her friends.