W.I.T.C.H.E.: Evolution

By: Sokai

Disclaimer: I, Sokai, do not claim ownership to the workings of W.I.T.C.H. - I leave that honor up to Elisabetta Gnone. Nor do I own Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's X-Men series franchise (even though this story isn't even really related to the series, at least not super super directly, anyway. Just don't want to hear law suit claims LoL). However, I can and DO claim to own this story and its inspired ideas FROM both series.

Note: Uhhh, hi! Nothing really to note WITHIN this particular note, except to thank you all, again, for your continued interest within this story! And a special hello and thank you to some of my first time readers toward any of my works, full stop. I truly appreciate the interest, and hope you won't be disappointed/bored going forward! =)

With that said, please to enjoy part two of Chapter Nine!

This chapter was created/written in March 2019.

Chapter Nine (Final Part)

Nerissa was in the middle of enjoying another one of her ritualistic, luxurious bubble baths, with a side of red wine and one of the many works of Vivaldi elegantly wafting throughout her decorative master bathroom when she'd heard it.

The rather incessant, rather obnoxious knocking upon her sealed, ivory colored door, successfully interrupting her meditative relaxation, and also shattering her previously good mood.

There certainly wasn't any form of particular fear presently coursing through her veins, the way it might have been the case for any other woman who was previously home alone, and was lying, naked and quite vulnerable within her bathtub.

No.

Beside the obvious fact that she could effortlessly defend herself, courtesy of her quite proficient mutant abilities, Nerissa effortlessly recognized the aggressive, continued rapping against her bathroom door.

She had, for better or worse, raised the offending individual for the better part of fifteen years, after all.

"Could this incredibly irritable intrusion not have waited until after my 'Me Time,' Sienna? And if you break my door, you're purchasing a new one, young lady!" Nerissa queried within her trademark, cool and collected tone as she carefully set down the half empty glass of wine onto the side of her large bathtub, before then promptly reprimanding her continually rowdy adoptive daughter on the other side of her door. "It's unlocked, for Heaven's sake! Just open it, already!"

". . . . Lucky for you that it was, or else it was about to meet the same fate as your front door, which I guess you'll just have to bill me for, then," Sienna grumbled with a brief clicking of her tongue as she obeyed her mother's request and slowly opened the bathroom door a moment later. "Might wanna get your smoke detectors checked out, as well, since I'm honestly surprised that none of them went off after I'd . . . let myself in."

Nerissa immediately raised a soapy hand up to the bridge of her delicate nose upon hearing this news and pinched down upon it deeply.

"Y-You – ! My God, Sienna! I understand that you haven't been back home in quite some time, now, but surely you'd still hold onto your set of the house keys, just the same!"

Sienna merely scoffed at this before waving a dismissive hand toward her now thoroughly unimpressed mother as she continued to stand within the now open doorway.

"Pfft, relax, all right? Yes, I still have them . . . somewhere, and no, I didn't completely destroy the front door, if that's what you're now thinking. Just melted the lock and doorknob, is all," the dyed redhead explained within her defense, folding her arms across her chest before continuing. "And besides, I thought you'd actually want an update on your whole 'Operation: Human Cure' you've dragged me into, or whatever you wanna call it . . . but I can see that yet another Saturday spent home alone with nothing but a long dead composer to keep you company is more important."

If she had to unwillingly return to her childhood home and further interact with the general, ongoing source of her overall ire, then Sienna was certainly going to make the visit every bit of excruciating for Nerissa as it already was for herself.

Cheeks growing surprisingly pink, though more so toward the thoroughly unwanted potshot, rather than the fact that she was continually sitting naked within the foamy bathtub in front of her daughter, Nerissa took a moment to compose herself as she normally would before offering up any sort of retort.

". . . . Alas, it truly pains me to see that not a one of your cello lessons when you were younger – Which I'd paid good money for, mind – has made you appreciate the true classics, my dear. Perhaps if it had, you might not continue to be so . . . uncouth," she delivered within her patented, falsely pleasant sounding voice, lowering her damp hand away from her face in order to share the icy glare the redhead was now bestowing onto her. "At any rate, what have you to report which was so urgent that it could not have warranted at least a telephone call . . . preferably prior to your having apparently committed property damage?"

". . . . You're serious? I mean, putting aside the fact that you'd thrust me into all of this to begin with, you do know that the entire city's currently within a state of frenzy, thanks to 'Bayville Lakeview Amphitheater' being destroyed last night? But hey, don't know why I should be surprised to find you soaking your cares away after such a crazy event, one where hundreds of people could have gotten seriously injured. This is just you being you," Sienna sighed within initial dismay, watching Nerissa's body language only further proving her point as the older woman then slid further down into the vast tub, the deliciously warm water now up to her neck as she carefully leaned her head back and closed her eyes for good measure.

"Mmm, yes, well . . . I can't honestly say that I believe that you're feeling rather choked up about it, yourself, sweetheart," Nerissa murmured casually, the soothing aroma of her lavender scented bath and dulcet, classical music continually playing within the background already returning her to her previously peaceful state. "No one was reportedly wounded, nor perished, as you said, so no harm done, yes? Though I must admit seeing the event being covered on practically every news channel had given me quite the headache that I just had to unwind in here. That is . . . up until your rude interruption, of course. . . ."

Sienna did her best to steel herself, gruffly blowing out literal smoke from out of her mouth, before then managing to remind herself not to get so worked up over her unbelievably vexing mother . . . although the longer she was back in Bayville, back around her it was honestly already becoming damned near impossible.

All she knew was that that promised future of Nerissa's, that 'cure,' had better turn out to be legit, or else she and Sienna would have a few words.

Strong words, of the cataclysmic variety. . . .

Smartly taking another opportunity to calm her easily triggered temper, Sienna quickly swiped an open palm down her face before stating, "Unbelievable. . . . Anyway, while you clearly believe the whole thing is irrelevant to you, Mother Dearest, I just thought you'd like to know what – Or should I say who caused the accident in the first place. . . ."

"Yes, yes. I already know all about the apparent negligence of those previously employed at that amphitheater, and . . . come again? Did you just say 'who?' . . . . Am I to assume, then, that you're bothering me with this because said 'who' is a mutant, my sweet?" Nerissa exhaled dramatically within continued disinterest toward the overall conversation, as well as her adoptive daughter's overall visit, before then slowly cracking one eye open and smiling within blatant intrigue.

Sienna couldn't help but do the same, as well, smirking broadly as she then made her way toward Nerissa's double sink vanity top and hopped up onto one side in order to take a seat.

"Yeah, thought that'd get your full attention – Finally," she began with a slight nod, leaning forward and kicking the bathroom door closed with her right foot, "but yeah. At least, if what I'd overheard over at 'Hope Park' earlier this morning to be true, anyway. Was in the middle of my usual jog and stopped to get a drink at one of the drinking fountains, when I suddenly start hearing some frantic whispers coming from behind one of the nearby bushes.

"Obviously, at first, I couldn't give a rat's ass to what just sounded like a couple of crying brats, probably about some stupid thing or whatever, and I'm about to continue on with my run. But then . . . just as I finish my drink, I can hear one of them going on and on about how 'I can't believe we caused all that! I can't believe our powers did that!', over and over, while another one is apparently trying to shut the first one up by explaining that 'We don't know that it was actually us which caused the amphitheater to get so wrecked, Kurt! When we bailed the concert last night, it was still in one piece, more or less!' So, thoroughly intrigued by this, I -"

"- Hold on. 'Kurt,' you said? . . . . As in, Kurt van Buren?" Nerissa promptly interrupted her daughter's previously enthusiastic recounting, brows deeply furrowed within thought as Sienna glowered disapprovingly toward her.

"W-Wha – ? How the hell should I know?" she snapped with a shake of her bright red head, just as the gears within Nerissa's own were already frantically beginning to turn. "Now, can I continue, or will you need me to track the other two kids down and get their last names, as well? As I was saying . . . inadvertently eavesdropping upon what's been so far unanimously reported as something cut and dry, I managed to get a little closer without being detected, and heard whom I'm guessing thought he was the ringleader going on some more about how 'One little sweat ball, and a couple of spikes ain't gonna be enough to take out an entire building,' and then how so long as the three of them kept their mouths shut, no one would ever find out the truth. Clearly, they're pretty shitty at being more aware of their surroundings, seeing as they'd never even realized that I was crouched behind a nearby tree that entire time. But then, at the very least, they are apparently far more competent where their mutant powers are concerned. . . ."

". . . . Interesting. Very interesting, indeed," Nerissa declared with a renewed smile as she slowly sat up within her bath and turned her head toward her daughter. "Ignoring your previously ill-mannered outburst, I have to also ask if while you were snooping around these boys, did you happen to catch a . . . tremendous odor of rotting garbage, by any chance?"

Blinking within surprise a moment, Sienna slowly nodded her head within initial response, her nose beginning to wrinkle at the continued memory.

"A-Actually, yeah. God, yeah, which I did admittedly find a bit strange at first, seeing how pretty pristine that park usually is. But then, the longer I continued listening to them talk I began to piece together that clearly a pretty crappy downside to one of their mutant abilities is smelling like a toxic waste dump," she remarked within confirmation, momentarily feeling a tad sympathetic toward the unknown young man, before then swiftly recalling her own ongoing plight. "But, yeah. What do you make of this, that apparently this whole hullabaloo could have been caused by not only fellow mutants, but just a couple of teenagers, at that?"

Nerissa carefully reached out with her right foot in order to put down the drain to her filled bath, before giving her daughter an eerily calm smile.

"I do believe that we may have found the very first inductees to join our Collective. . . ."

Even though their parents had strongly advised that they stay at home that day, there was absolutely no way.

It was a Saturday, for God's sake.

Not to mention that both Courtney and Bess were now basically celebrities, all thanks to having given such riveting interviews to the press earlier that day regarding the admittedly traumatic disaster at Bayville Lakeview Amphitheater the previous evening.

Truth be told, what the twins had recounted had been one gigantic fabrication, as they honestly couldn't, for the life of them, readily recall much of anything on their own.

Each girl did remember that they had dates who'd invited them to go to Karmilla's rock concert that night, which wasn't really all that surprising, considering their dual status as already pretty favorable Junior Varsity Cheerleaders.

After all, majority of the boys at Bayville High School simply couldn't resist their charm, though Courtney personally believed herself to be the much prettier sister, which Bess would obviously habitually deny, the poor thing.

Either way, that Friday night was meant to have become incredibly epic, and one their young social group would be talking about for quite a while . . . and now, they all were, except only for very, very different reasons.

Who knew that one little earthquake from earlier on within the week could have caused such an explosion?

At least, that's what everyone and their mother kept talking about by now, anyway, including themselves, initially . . . that is, until the news van which had apparently been parked religiously in front of the entrance to the now thoroughly destroyed amphitheater had piqued Courtney's interest earlier that morning.

Practically possessing a master's degree when it came to sneaking out of their house, undetected, both sisters were already well on their way to the mall for a bit of therapeutic shopping when Courtney had spotted the vehicle, and what appeared to be live coverage being conducted.

What soon followed was truly masterful, as not only did both girls manage to weasel their way onto the air by being interviewed, but had, in effect, woven a fantastic folktale for the ages:

"S-So there we were, just minding our own business and rocking out to Karmilla's fantastic music with our dates – We're big fans and love your band, by the way, Karmilla – and then the next, everything's coming complete undone! And Bess and I are completely freaked out, of course, and naturally head for the exits with our guys! B-But . . . I'm sorry. It just still really gets us right here to even think about," Courtney had laid the false emotions on incredibly thick, both she and Bess honest professionals when it came to summoning up the water works on cue, "but . . . e-even though we'd made it out of there in one piece, we knew that we couldn't just abandon everyone else like that! Especially not any of our friends who'd also gone to the concert, or like . . . feeble people, you know? So Bess and I, scared out of our minds, race back to the scene and start helping out as many people as we can, before finally leaving for good before things got too insane! 'Cause, you know, like, that's what it means to be brave, right? You're still afraid, but you do the right thing anyway. And that's . . . t-that's exactly what we d-did. . . ."

Both Courtney and Bess could have honestly gone on for hours if they'd been allowed to, they were loving the spotlight that much.

Seeing not only the newscaster, but the slowly growing crowd building around them undeniably hanging on their every word, and while on live television to boot, was simply phenomenal.

It was infinitely better than all the attention they'd get at school from their peers, bar none.

It was also like collectively taking all of the school plays Courtney had participated in during the past few years, and multiplying the sheer adulation she'd always feel upon each completion by a thousand.

Yep.

There was absolutely no doubt within her mind that she was totally going to pursue an acting career upon graduating from high school.

Then she'd definitely never be without a steady stream of adoring fans, companionship or attention.

Until then, however, both she and Bess would simply have to settle on having the focus of half the city, instead.

After having very nearly shopped until they dropped that early afternoon, the Grumper Twins had both agreed to take a very much needed break within the mall's food court, where a lot of their schoolmates were perfectly also already there and eagerly motioned for the girls to join them.

In between 'humbly' retelling their heroic story already shared on the news, snapping Selfies and actually giving a few autographs to a few of the much younger crowd, Courtney and Bess had graciously accepted the generous offer of having their lunch be bought for them.

"I mean, it's the least we could do, after hearing how brave you two were back there last night! Thank you!" another fellow redhead, one neither girl honestly even knew, had stated eagerly, prior to getting on line at the nearby hamburger restaurant with an apparent friend in order to purchase the meal.

And after a few extra moments of allowing their obvious fan base to continually fawn over them, the girls' grumbling stomachs had unfortunately won out, forcing them to put a pin within the ongoing worship in order to search for a good spot to eat their food while it was still hot and not be distracted.

As the sisters were making their way toward an empty booth straight ahead of them, they immediately looked to their left as an impressively loud shriek suddenly pierced through the already pretty bustling area.

"A-Ahh! A s . . . spider! Sitting on top of my burger!" the unfamiliar brunette cried out within continued fright as she immediately sprang to her feet and away from the table she'd previously been sat, rather peacefully, with two other unknown girls. "I-I'm serious, you guys! It was right there, the biggest, hairiest, most disgusting black spider I've ever seen in my life! A-And I almost ate the thing!"

"O-Ooh, too gross! Looks like it got away, though, since you'd unfortunately dropped your food tray on the floor from all your screaming. . . . C'mon! Let's go see if we can't get a refund!"

"Yeah, totally! That place should be shut down, serving tainted food like this!"

Heaving a deep, purposefully dramatic sigh upon further zeroing in upon the escalating commotion, Courtney then silently motioned with her head toward the now abandoned table in order for her sister to follow, before both girls casually took a seat at the empty table right next to it.

". . . . Think you've had enough fun scaring the wits out of unsuspecting humans, Miranda? I mean, tch. It's not as though a lot of them have much to begin with," Courtney discreetly murmured against her purposefully raised cup of soda, her pale green colored eyes downcast and peering toward the food riddled floor, where a lone, black house spider was quickly scurrying away from the scene.

Bess, in between plainly amused chuckles, also watched alongside her twin as the offending invertebrate managed to vanish inside the nearby planter pot situated next to their table, just in time before having been seen by anyone else.

"Well, to be fair, Sis, Miranda does make a pretty nasty spider. I'm just glad it was those chicks this time and not us – God, I hate whenever we'll also get spooked by her icky spider form," she managed to whisper quietly upon calming down, before then taking a leisurely bite from the plate of French fries she'd chosen as part of her meal. "And I'm sure that when she changes back, she'll probably come back over and 'apologize,' like always, anyway, so. . . . Hey, mind if I nick one of your chicken tenders?"

Courtney playfully rolled her eyes at her sister's habitually more voracious appetite than that of her own, and nodded within consent.

If she didn't know her as intimately as she obviously did, Courtney would honestly wonder where all the various foods she'd witness Bess eat over the years actually went, especially since she continued to remain the same size no matter what.

But then, the same could certainly be said of herself, as such was the apparent 'perk,' as well as drawback to the twins' replicating abilities as mutants.

"A car can't go anywhere without first filling it up with gas, after all. So always be sure never to ignore what your bodies tell you, particularly after prolonged use of your powers, girls," was one of the first nuggets of advice their parents had imparted onto them, shortly after their daughters' mutant powers had initially manifested a few years ago.

Although 'forewarned' since before they'd even attended grade school that there was a very strong chance that at least one, if not the both of them would one day develop mutant abilities of their own, just like their parents, Bess and Courtney both still ended up becoming quite blindsided, all the same.

After all, it wasn't exactly a fun first day of middle school when the admittedly once insecure and reclusive Courtney, who'd desperately wished to be anywhere else but on that school bus on the way to her new school, suddenly found that she was inexplicably seated next to herself.

Thank goodness the bus still had been relatively empty at the time, or else there was no doubt that she'd still be trying to explain the incident away, especially considering Bess had to go and 'conveniently' recover from her flu the week before.

Otherwise, Courtney would have honestly just lied and passed her unexpected clone as her actually existing twin.

Still, Courtney's debut as an 'official' mutant absolutely paled in comparison to that of Bess's about two weeks later, when she'd ended up accidentally breaking Brian Tucci's leg during gym class, after suddenly knowing how to perform the very same, and perfectly executed take down wrestling move both girls had witnessed being used by their older cousin Danny during his actual wrestling match the night before.

All Bess had initially intended was to 'politely' tell Brian to stop skeeving on Cornelia, whom they had met during their second day of school, and had been their acquaintance-quickly-turned-good-friend after that day.

Neither twin, and certainly not Brian had ever imagined that the naturally small framed preteen at the time, who was barely over one-hundred pounds back then, would not only be able to hold herself well against the far more athletic kid in general, but also would have done so with such unexpected, sheer force which ultimately caused his right leg to mercilessly snap.

Needless to say, both sets of 'First time as a mutant' stories had never really been favorites for the sisters, especially considering Courtney had ended up with both a nosebleed, as well as splitting headache during her aftermath, while Bess's heart nearly burst from all the intense adrenaline . . . in addition to regrettably receiving an unjust week of detention for 'inciting violence upon another student.'

And then, of course, there had been their mutual desire to eat nearly everything in sight, and that was only after a few moments of having utilized their respective powers.

Nowadays, however, thanks to having become far more seasoned mutants, coupled with their shared extracurricular activity as cheerleaders, both Courtney and Bess had learned to better build up and sustain their overall stamina throughout the years . . . even though the occasional need to consume majority of their refrigerator's contents would still arise every now and again.

Still, although both siblings were very proud of being mutants, thinking about moments of 'yesteryear' was something Courtney generally tried not to do, as it would usually completely tank her mood and cause her to wish unspeakable vengeance upon a certain Goody Two-Shoes blonde. . . .

After all, Bess and Courtney had only been able to share one glorious year, technically one and a half, becoming thick as thieves with Cornelia, before that irritating little whelp Elyon had to go and come between all of them.

Between Courtney and Cornelia.

True, it had been Bess to have initiated what would very quickly become a tightly formed friendship with the wealthy blonde, especially upon later discovering that she, too, was also a mutant . . . but it had always been with Courtney whom Cornelia had resonated more profoundly.

Or, so Courtney had thought. . . .

It had really been a friendship made in Heaven to her as, besides Bess, of course, Cornelia had been the only real companion Courtney had had at the time.

And as a fellow eldest sibling, there were just certain things which Cornelia had been able to better relate to, as Courtney used to convey them to her within secret whenever Bess wasn't around.

She'd confided practically everything with Cornelia, including how overwhelming growing up as a soon-to-be teenager was at the time, knowing how much Bess would lean on her as the older twin a lot of the time and was just expected to always have all the answers . . . and now, the added bonus of figuring out exactly how to get a better handle on their budding mutant abilities as a bonus.

It had certainly been a lot to deal with back then, but Courtney was incredibly thankful to have found almost a kindred spirit of sorts within Cornelia, whom not only had been an ear to listen, but had become someone she could look toward for strength.

A role model, almost, the way that Bess had always secretly viewed Courtney.

In fact, it was honestly because of Cornelia, really, that Courtney and, to a lesser extent, Bess, were both the fiercely confident, in-your-face and popular teenagers they were today.

Courtney had been rather tired of feeling so . . . uncertain all the time growing up, and being that her mutant abilities stemmed from being able to replicate herself, she'd figured why couldn't she have done the same where her personality was concerned?

Why couldn't she just emulate someone who seemed to have it far more together, certainly more than she did at the time, anyway, and didn't seem to stand for any sort of nonsense?

Plus, with the added bonus of both sets of parents, the Grumpers and the Hales also having become quite chummy over time while also agreeing wholeheartedly within the unanimous belief that humans were positively inferior next to mutants, and Courtney and Cornelia's former friendship would have honestly been one for the history books.

That is, of course, until the Hales had to go and stupidly decide to enroll their oldest daughter within the prestigious Kandrakar's School for Gifted Youngsters alongside her continued attendance at Bayville Middle School . . . and all because they just had to be super rich, and believed that Cornelia should get ahead not only within her studies, but also within her ongoing mutant development. . . .

Although, to be fair, the Hale Family being far more well off than that of Courtney's hadn't all that much to do with it, as it had turned out that enrollment at Professor Kandrakar's institute, even though it was a fully loaded private school, wasn't terribly pricey, surprisingly.

In fact, upon learning about the school, what it was really about and that their daughters' friend was also now a student there, both Courtney and Bess's parents had also entertained the idea, alongside having curiously already been approached by the school's headmaster, himself, a few days afterward.

Frankly, it had honestly surprised Courtney, personally, that any one of them, including Cornelia, would have agreed to be associated with such a school, given both families firm stance upon mutant supremacy, while Kandrakar's School for Gifted Youngsters was very clearly all about the opposite of that.

Mostly, however, it did naturally worry her a bit that by attending two schools, in fact, living at one of them from now on, Cornelia would inevitably gravitated away from her as her friend.

But, according to Cornelia, and indeed her parents when asked, Cornelia was merely going there as a way to better hone her Geokinetic abilities, within ways her mom and dad could never have possibly taught her, themselves, as neither possessed nature based powers.

That was all.

And in the meantime, Cornelia and her family would continue to feel all mutants were better than everyone else, all while she'd remain one of Courtney's closest companions. . . .

Sometimes, whenever Courtney couldn't stop herself from thinking about 'how it all went wrong,' much as she was presently, she'd even go as far as to wonder if the two girls, the three of them including Bess would somehow be friends today, even with Cornelia being a continued resident at the institute and was surrounded by all its bloated teachings of equality . . . if only she had never met that damned Elyon!

Because honestly, it was more like Cornelia was like an undercover spy, or something along those lines when she'd first started living at that school, the way she'd seemed perfectly unaffected by the 'Hippie Peace talks,' as she used to refer to them whenever coming back to Bayville Middle School the following day and ranting about how utterly boring the lectures all were.

"Outside of the thankfully posh surroundings and the classes where we actually get to showcase our powers – O-Or, excuse me. 'Gifts,' as they all refer to them over there – that place is positively insufferable!" Cornelia had dramatically informed both twins one day during lunchtime, while thankfully back within her clearly more preferred school. "I wonder if I can get Daddy to somehow convince Headmaster Kandrakar to let me graduate much, much earlier than originally outlined. Like, preferably within a year or so, seeing as my powers are already pretty strong before I'd even got there! Well . . . certainly stronger than a lot of the people there, anyway, although I will admit – And only to you guys, because you're my absolute best friends – that there's this one girl there whom basically everyone claims is meant to be this über powerful chick.

"But, tch! I'm like, so sure, right? Since I've been there, anyway, anytime I run into her, she can barely form together a coherent sentence, let alone drudge up any strength to display the so called super powerful Telekinesis she supposedly possesses. But, whatever, right? You guys know me and how admittedly competitive I can be! After school – Today, in fact, I'm gonna so totally confront this Elyon girl and show her what true power really is! Ugh . . . 'Elyon.' Even her name screams 'weakling. . . .'"

And little did any girl know that that lunchtime conversation had honestly been the beginning of the end of the old Cornelia, the better Cornelia. . . .

Now all that was left were two insufferable blondes who walked around their high school's campus as though their shit didn't stink.

And all this because Elyon had to go and brainwash Cornelia into believing that everyone, both mutant and humans, should be given a fair shake within equal measure, and that possessing abilities in the first place didn't really set them above anyone else at all.

True, the girls' falling out really had become a far deeper wound than Courtney had ever expected, nor would ever openly admit possessing, not even to Bess (despite the fact that both sisters were fully aware that Bess was fully aware, regardless) . . . but Courtney did her best to hold her head high with the newfound confidence and iron resolve which Cornelia had bestowed upon her as an unintentional, and lasting parting gift.

As far as both Grumper Sisters were concerned, Cornelia was now simply a speck of insignificant dust.

Still . . . what Courtney wouldn't give to settle a few lasting, and unresolved scores with that bitch, Elyon, if only to finally close that chapter of her life away for good. . . .

Courtney didn't think she'd ever before felt so thankful to have her thoughts be interrupted as they were moments later by the casually approaching Miranda, who'd clearly successfully completed shapeshifting back into her human form.

"Awww, you guys didn't need to buy me lunch like this, but thanks!" the half-Asian, half-Caucasian teenager chirped within her usual tone of grossly vast sweetness, as she then took a seat directly across a now lightly frowning Bess.

There weren't honestly a whole lot of people who truly knew Miranda Senka at her core, both twins included.

And it honestly wasn't due to the fact that she could literally become basically whatever she wanted, courtesy of her own mutant abilities, either.

It was, simply put, that Miranda was a textbook psychopath.

Or . . . sociopath.

Whichever one, it didn't matter, as Courtney usually had a hard time differentiating between the two, anyway.

The point was, for as long as both she and Bess had known her, Miranda appeared to truly take pleasure manipulating other people, and really pretty much doing her own thing, overall . . . which usually also involved some heavy duty lying along the way, as well.

And, of course, it didn't help that she was a bonafide shapeshifter, adding to her already chameleon like personality, either.

Majority of their teachers, and even a lot of their own schoolmates appeared to all believe that Miranda was just some really quiet, introverted, yet well meaning and sweet young woman . . . when in fact, behind the mask was a rather complex, rather selfish and, at times, downright creepy individual. . . .

It was quite honestly a wonder how the three girls were actually fairly good friends, regardless, and had been ever since Miranda and her family had moved back to Bayville from California during their final year of middle school.

Perhaps it was her sheer desire to somehow fill the gaping hole Cornelia had created upon ditching her for Elyon that initially made Courtney then gravitate toward the honestly mysterious, and generally aloof Miranda once she'd rolled back into town.

Maybe it was because she was honestly the complete opposite of Cornelia at the time (and now, as well, if Courtney was perfectly frank), and she'd just wished to wipe away all memory of her as best she could back then that Miranda had even been given a chance.

She wasn't really the type of person neither Courtney, nor Bess would have normally hung out with, after all . . . certainly not with someone who clearly hadn't any initial interest within entertaining even an inkling of forming some type friendship, as well.

But then, one day during their shared study hall, Miranda had casually revealed some rather interesting news:

She, too, was aware of Elyon. . . .

In fact, before having moved away, both Miranda and Elyon had attended the same elementary school together, and had even lived within the same neighborhood.

Although the two had never honestly been all that close, Miranda had described their relationship as 'friendly-ish,' to the point of even going as far as having shared several play dates together growing up.

It hadn't been until a tragic fire which had consumed Elyon's childhood home, as well as taken both her parents' lives that Miranda explained the two had gone their separate ways, as Miranda's folks had then deemed the incident far too traumatizing for their only child, and thus ultimately moved away.

That is, until Miranda's father had finally managed to reassure her overly protective mother that it really was all right to come back to their hometown years later, especially once their 'little Miranda' had eventually earned the ability to change into pretty much anything she could think of and thus, escape a potentially harrowing situation, if need be.

Or, at least, on paper.

And while neither Grumper sibling had honestly ever been made aware that Elyon was an orphan prior to Miranda informing them of such news, Courtney surprisingly found that she couldn't have cared less by that point, as her sheer hatred and jealousy toward the girl had evidently grown to immeasurable lengths by then.

She was more interested within learning whatever knowledge Miranda still possessed about her foe, however admittedly limited it had naturally become over the years, and somehow using it to her advantage in some sort of way.

And she was certain that Miranda, whom by then hadn't really made it much of a secret how much she'd revel within messing with others (especially through the use of her powers, as doing so made it that much harder for most people to figure out she was even involved), was more than happy to hop on board . . . even if all of that had been years ago, now.

Presently, however, the trio generally hung out with one another off and on whenever the twins' naturally busy schedules didn't interfere, or whenever Miranda honestly felt like it.

It was a relationship, a friendship, even (for the most part, at least), where said arrangement appeared to suit all parties just fine.

And today, it seemed, was one of those days when Miranda actually wanted active companionship.

"Nuh uh, no way! We'll share a little bit, but you can go and get your own food! Or, hell, why not shift back into a spider or some other animal – Like a pretty little bird, how 'bout – and just eat the slices of pizza and burgers you made those other girls drop on the floor, there?" Courtney listened to Bess object as she playfully slapped away Miranda's already outstretched hand.

Miranda's traditionally calm, and unassuming facial expression melted into one of feigned sadness, before lightly pouting for good measure.

"D'aww, but you know how much my Shifting can build up a pretty good appetite, Bessie! C'mon, pwetty pweassse? Lemme have your burger now, and I'll buy you two on Monday at school once I have my wallet on me, again," she pleaded with clasped hands now placed in front of her, before Bess gruffly exhaled within consent.

"Eww, I've told you not to call me 'Bessie!' Makes me sound like a damned cow. . . . But, fine! You can have my burger, only because I know if I don't say yes, you'll never shut up about it and will just ruin my lunch, completely," she stated with a sharp click of her tongue as she was forced to slide her tray toward the now triumphantly grinning Miranda sat before her. "And anyway, I wonder if they'll even let us go to back to school on Monday, what with that crazy explosion or whatever happened to the amphitheater last night. First that freaking earthquake, and now this. Talk about bad omens."

"True, but hey, remember, Sis: If nothing else, we got to be on live television, and now the media can totally attach a face to our overall peer group," Courtney remarked with a nod, a slow smile forming upon her face as her previous good mood was thankfully returning. "I mean, other news stations will probably be contacting us pretty soon, too, to hear more of what happened. And then, next you know, if we play our cards right, we'll be approached to star within our own reality series!"

Miranda, who was merely half listening to the admittedly boring gossip, abruptly stopped tucking into Bess's reluctantly donated hamburger in order to stare blankly at both redheads.

". . . . You really believe that you'd be given your own reality show just because you apparently gave a random interview about some equally random accident?" she asked, rather bluntly, as her lime green eyes practically bore holes into each twin's head.

Feeling admittedly sheepish by the notion a moment, Courtney instead doubled down and firmly nodded before stating, "Uhhh, yeah? Other people out there become famous for far less intriguing, even outright stupid reasons than our interview! You clearly didn't see it yet, or else you'd at least agree that Bess and I gave a pretty convincing performance, really selling the whole 'We were scared out of our gourds' angle!"

"Y-Yeah, I mean, even though we honestly were, since it really was pretty terrifying last night," Bess agreed before resuming eating what now remained of her lunch. "You are so totally lucky you didn't come with us, Miranda, seriously! As much as we enjoy Karmilla, nearly dying – Literally – just to see the band is so not worth it, sorry! . . . . And anyway, I'd have thought this sort of thing would be right up your alley. I mean, 'cause you're always complaining that nothing ever really happens around here, which is partly why you're always doing some type of prank, or whatever."

"Totally, like 'Uriah and His Merry Men of Grossness,'" Courtney smirked with rolled eyes, the smile upon her face deepening within continued amusement as both sisters watched as Miranda appeared to take genuine offense to something for a change.

"Those morons, are you serious? I'd hardly compare what they do to the sheer marvel which is lit-er-a-lly becoming anything . . . and anyone, and just positively mind warp you that way," she rebutted, her voice somehow becoming that much more quiet, at the same time that she slowly flashed her two friends a haunting sort of smile as the rest of her facial expression darkened.

Not wishing to grow further entangled within their companion's clearly menacing psychopathy, especially upon further realizing that neither girl truly knew the full extent of the other girl's abilities, both Bess and Courtney instead simultaneously waved their hands in front of themselves within relent.

"O-Okay, okay! So you're not like those guys, sorry!" Courtney swiftly apologized, forcing a smile onto her freckled face as she made a point to gingerly push over her own tray toward Miranda in order to offer up some of her own food by way of a peace offering.

Her mood was already previously shot once today, thanks to the unexpected trip down memory lane; she didn't need potentially becoming Miranda's next unsuspecting target to become the icing on the cake. . . .

Thankfully, however, the gesture appeared to appease Miranda, as her overall demeanor promptly returned to one of previous ease, before silently claiming Courtney's barely touched meal as her own.

"You two really are sweethearts, I swear!" she giggled cheerfully, tucking a stray strand of her shoulder length and bone straight black hair behind her left ear before continuing. "Anyway, you're right, Bess . . . ie. When I woke up this morning and saw the news coverage about everything, I honestly was elated. I mean, sure, you poor, poor dears and all that obligatory concern, but seeing as it appears that no one was really injured it's okay to feel that way, right? After all, besides the earthquake, like you also pointed out, I can't honestly remember the last time anything this exciting happened around here! Well, I mean . . . not since that whole fire which killed Elyon's parents years ago, anyway. Oh. Right. Tragedy, that, as well, yeah. . . ."

Courtney did her best to hide her utter surprise at this, although more so that her friend had unexpectedly read her mind from earlier by bringing that particular incident up, versus the feigned concern she was poorly displaying.

That part about her, at least, was par for the course, and was just something both Grumper siblings had come to expect over the years.

The girl was clearly emotionally damaged, after all.

Right now, though, it was all Courtney could do to stop herself from creating a clone of herself right then and there, and having it march right up to that stupid, precious institute, find Elyon and absolutely rip out her throat. . . .

Sensing her sister's mounting upset at the now open reference to their nemesis, Bess quickly rested a reassuring hand upon Courtney's shoulder and gently squeezed, before an idea suddenly sprang to mind.

". . . . H-Hey! I know of a way to kill two birds with one stone, which'll make you both pretty happy," she declared with an honestly devilish looking smirk of her own, causing both Miranda and Courtney to gaze at her with slightly raised eyebrows. "No, I'm serious! Trust me: Once you listen to the idea I just got, you won't be starved for entertainment anymore, Miranda, and you will be laughing all the way to the bank, dear Sis. . . ."

- End of Chapter Nine

(A.N. Y'know, while I was writing up both Nerissa and Miranda's scenes, I honestly just now realized that they're basically twin crazy bitches. Like, seriously. LoL I haven't watched the series in ages but still remember majority of the episodes pretty vividly, so thinking back I'm now like, "Mmmhm. Yep. Yep. Need a DNA test, here, because Miranda is just Nerissa's 'Mini Me.'" =p

And then, I'd ALSO realized that I honestly don't enjoy writing for Miranda. LoL Well, no, I mean, I 'do,' in the general enjoyment I get from writing, obviously. But WOW, if she really wasn't/isn't effed up, both canon and, I guess, now, within my story. Jeebus... LoL

And THEN then, I just kept thinking about Angel from the Borderlands series, and every time she'd say "Executing Phase Shift..." whenever utilizing her Siren powers, any time I'd write about Miranda's own 'Shifting.' Like we need to mix a good, honestly sympathetic character with one who'd sooner hack you into fish bait than even dare think of saving your life in any way, right? Bleh. =)

ANYWAY! Yayyy, I did it! Basically FINALLY established all the main key players going forward, with obviously anyone/thing else safely tucked away for the time being...mwa ha ha haaaa... =p

Also, don't think she had a last name, or at least I obviously never knew it, so I just gave Miranda her made up dad's surname of 'Senka,' since it evidently means "shadow" which, clearly, fits her.

Or, at least it does to me. Whatever. LoL

And speaking of names, probably going to stick with referring to Nerissa's soon-to-be fighting team 'The Collective' rather than 'The Brotherhood.' Wasn't honestly going to refer to Cornelia and her crew 'X-Men' originally, either, but once I'd started incorporating some of the canon characters within this world as well, and THEY'LL clearly one day also become fellow 'X-Men,' themselves, I just said screw it. LoL

Anyhow!

Didn't/don't really like actively citing a character's cultural background, etc, within my stories unless it's actually integral to the plot within some sort of fashion, because personally, who really cares, yeah? Butttttt, seeing as 'no one really knows' if Miranda is actually human, but can just shapeshift into that disgustingly massive spider, ORRRR, she's actually a spider mostly, but can just kinda take on that 'little girl' form, apparently her wiki states she's Asian. Honestly, I never viewed her ANY sort of way while watching the show...except as a crazy bitch, of course. LoL

But I figured, hey. Let's try to make things a bit more diverse within this story, and...yeah. That's really all that was.

Plus, since I do love spiders, I, for now, I guess, turned her into a teeny, tiny, adorable one, instead.

MOOOOVING on...cough. =)

What else, what else... Can't REALLY think of anything, except that I did, again, wish to go further, but thought that whole mall scene was a good place to end, especially since that will most probably be the conclusion to everyone's weekend, before Monday rolls back around.

Maybe.

Might briefly skip to Sunday next chapter, if only to feature a bit more character bonding, blah blah. =) And besides! 11 pages, this one was. Not as long as the previous, but also still pretty 'meaty,' yeah? Hope so!

Anyway! Hope you all enjoyed/reviewed, had fun, AND enjoy your Easter Sunday coming up, if you acknowledge it! Mwa!)