Chapter 9

The concessions area was in good shape. Just the usual low level stuff that the morning wipe down should handle. The storage areas were mostly good.

The key word was "mostly". One case of HealthyBites chips struck her as wrong. When she opened the case and checked a bag, she understood why. It was contaminated. She used her eCom to call Mr. Moore in and started checking other cases more carefully. She found one more bad box of the chips, just as the manager arrived.

She told him about her findings. She said that it was unlikely anyone would actually die from the food poisoning, but they could get pretty sick. He checked the cases and found they were from the same lot number. He used his own eCom to take a picture of the label on the case, and called the corporate office. Normally, he would call the regional chain office that he reported to, but this was urgent.

He was glad it was a weekday, and the full staff would be there. He told them about the problem, and sent them the label picture. He also made it a point to credit Angel for the discovery. That wouldn't exactly hurt his own career, since he was known to be the one who brought her onboard for that purpose.

Word quickly went out to all the company's theaters, throughout the State. And to the offices of other parts of the company. With luck, the cases would be pulled before any were opened or, worse, sold. The good news was that it was part of a shipment that arrived the previous evening, so most would have been safely stored away.

While he knew that the central office would contact the company that made the tainted treats, he decided to call the local distribution company to let them know directly. He was frustrated to have to leave voice mail messages at both of his contact numbers.

While he was doing that, Angel finished her inspection of the supplies and moved on to the theaters themselves. She noticed the traces of mold blowing in through the vents. She also found some problem areas at the front, by the floor. She guessed that the active areas were fed by spilled drinks, etc. flowing downhill over time. She found similar problems in the places where the stadium seating ended, and the flat seating began. Finally, she found several problems around the trash cans just outside the theater doors. The problems were mostly on the walls, making her suspect that the floors were cleaned regularly and relatively well.

She took pictures of everything, transferred them to her tablet, and used the graphics package to enhance and otherwise highlight the problem areas. By the time she was about halfway through the process, the theater had opened and she was working around a stream of early moviegoers. She retreated to the office to finish the graphics and notes, then went looking for the manager.

She waited as he explained some procedure to a ticket seller, involving drink boxes and the kiddy matinee. When he was free, she showed him her findings. He asked her about the danger level from the blowing mold and spores, and she said it probably wasn't too serious. Sensitive people might become uncomfortable, and allergic people might have a reaction. Unlike the tainted chips, it was not an emergency.

He acknowledged the rest, and told her to write up her report and send it to the office. Then he rushed off to investigate an apparently angry young mother.

While she was working on her report, Angel reflected that her job was reminding her more and more of school. And that set off a train of thought, running from school, to the exploitation party, to Robin and the others.

She decided to take a break and call Robin. She was, as usual, at the pool. Angel asked whether she'd like to catch a movie with her at the Chinese in a little bit, after she was done with her work there. Robin happily accepted and, in response to a gentle hint, offered Angel a ride home after the show.

Robin was happy for the free movie and refreshments, but was happier for the invitation. She was afraid that Angel blamed her for the visit from the angry elemental, for getting her in trouble. But the more they talked, the clearer it was that she didn't.

Robin was especially glad that Angel didn't act superior to unchanged people, the way some morfs did. With David changed, she was the only one in their little group who hadn't changed. Yet.

She knew she would. It was inevitable. Her mother had. All her closest friends had. Most of her cousins had. But how would she change? Would she become powerful? An exotic beauty? A boy? She shuddered at that last thought. Even a halfie would be better. Her cousin Lynn had become a halfie. Other than the frequency with which people suggested she do something that was impossible for most people, and the problems with the lines of some clothes, she had adapted well.

But there was Angel, asking what she would want to become if she did change. When she did change. And the only thing she could think to say was "a friend." She was not really a lonely person. She had a lot of school friends, and her little circle of close friends. And unlike some of those friends, she still had both parents. She just ... needed people. Friends, especially.

Angel was a little puzzled by Robin. She was well liked, well to do, and well provided for with looks and brains. But she seemed to have what Angel's mother called "self esteem issues." She just wasn't as sure of herself as she sometimes seemed, or as she deserved.

But Angel knew there were limits to what she could do for people. A point her recent visitor drove home with some force. If anyone could help her, it was Lena. And if Lena hadn't done so, there must be a reason. So the only thing left was to be a good friend. Accepting her, appreciating her, for who and what she was.

When she was dropped off at home, Angel went up to take a shower and get ready for dinner. She really wanted to get out of her work clothes, and into something more comfortable. And a shower sounded wonderful.

While she was finishing her shower, the water pressure dropped. She figured that her mother had gotten home with the same idea. She quickly finished and shut off the shower.

She dried off and dressed. Then she went downstairs and played a game on her tablet. When her mother got there a few minutes later, she had a large envelope in her hands.

She gave it to Angel, saying "Here is your class schedule and some things you'll need for your orientation on Monday. If you have any questions, Lena and your other friends can probably answer them. You will have a chance to change your schedule after the orientation, but the classes are pretty full."

Before Angel could reply, her father walked in. She was happy that he would make it to the dinner, and even happier that she noticed him coming in. That made it more likely that the other day was a fluke.

He had more good news. He had the entire weekend off. He finally had things running well enough that the weekend staff could handle almost anything that would come up, and the on call staff could handle virtually anything else.

Virtually.

The way things had been going the last couple of weeks, that one little word made Angel nervous.

Paranoid much? Lena teased.

Just realistic. Whacha up to?

Frantic last minute cleaning. We have some important guests coming to dinner tonight, and Mom wants to make a good impression.

Need any help?

That would kinda defeat the purpose, y'know?

Good point. See ya soon.

"Darn it!" Angel's mother seemed only mildly upset, but she decided to investigate anyway.

"What's the problem?"

"It's these new wrinkles. I still haven't gotten the hang of compensating for them when I do my makeup."

"You know," Angel began. "I could get rid of them for you."

"What?"

"I can get rid of your wrinkles. I can fix any part of your skin that you want. You want the skin of a teenager, I can give it to you."

"Uh, no thanks! At my age, the last thing I need is to battle acne again."

"Ok, early twenties. And no acne. What do you think?"

"Can you get everything?"

"No. You have some stuff going on with your facial muscles, and I can't reach those. But I can do your skin. Just take a minute or two. Want me to do it?"

She was tempted. She hated the things age did to her skin, and couldn't afford the high end treatments to do something about it. "Ok. If it won't be too much strain."

Angel snorted. "Hardly. I've done a lot more and barely noticed it. You might want to take your makeup off first, so you can see what it looks like."

Taking a wipe sheet in hand, her mother cleaned her face with practiced ease. Without her makeup, the face in the mirror looked middle aged and worn. And a little plain. Angel had her close her eyes and lean her head back a little. As she ran her hands slowly over her face and down her neck, she felt a warm tingling, and a sort of flutter. Before she really had a handle on the feeling, Angel was asking her to open her eyes.

The change was dramatic. It was clearly her face, but different. The lines were gone, her skin was tighter in a good way, and her face seemed to glow. There were still some signs of the aging, in the slight sag of some muscles, but the effect was still remarkable.

When she put her hand up to her face, the contrast was remarkable. She started to frown, then quickly caught herself. Just a fraction too late.

"You know, I could do your hands and arms, too. No extra charge." Angel grinned.

"In for a penny, I guess. Are you sure?"

Angel took that hand and ran her own over it, front and back. Then she moved up her arm, cupping her hands into a sort of cuff to get all sides at once. Soon she was at her shoulder. She let her compare hands and arms. Again, the difference was striking. Without comment, she smiled and held out her other hand.

While she was working on it, Angel got a mischievous gleam in her eye. "You know, mom, I could do your whole body. Give Daddy a thrill."

Her mother gulped. "I ... I think we'd best take this a little at a time." She never quite got rid of the stretch marks from carrying Angel, and from nursing him. She was always a little self conscious about that. And a few unsightly scars she picked up through the years. But did she really want to get rid of them? They told the story of her motherhood, and of exciting events in her younger days. She would have to think about that.

"Thank you, Angel. That was a wonderful thing to do. How are you doing?"

"That was nothing. Once I got the right feel, it took almost no effort. I really could do your entire body and hardly notice it. When I gave Lena her full body tan, it mostly took a little effort because I was fixing a sunburn and a lot of longer term skin damage. And even then, it didn't take much. I only overextended myself when I was healing Robin's scar, and that was because I tried to go too deep."

"What about the little girl?"

"Different problem. Normally, when I'm healing, I draw partly from my own energy and partly from the other person's. With her, I had to be careful not to do that. I was more exhausted from the effort of keeping myself away from her energy than from the healing itself."

"That's good to know. Thank you again, but now I need to get ready to go."

Angel went back downstairs, to join her father in front of the tube.

"Everything all right up there?" he asked.

"Fine. Just arranging a little surprise." she grinned.

She surreptitiously studied his face. Now that she was looking, she could easily see the effects of age on his face. It would be trivial for her to fix it. But for men, such aging is not so much of a bad thing. In his position at work, he was an authority figure. He directed and coordinated the efforts of a number of other people, who sometimes didn't get along very well. His age helped give him that air of authority. She would have to be careful.

It's safe to come over now. came the amused thought.

We'll be there in a few. Angel replied. "Mom! It's about time to go!"

"You two ready to go?" came the answer.

Angel looked at her father. He shrugged. He was just as happy going over there in his work clothes. He had already washed his face and hands. And he had been there before, without changing.

"Looks like it." he called up to her. Then he noticed she was coming downstairs. She saw him, and shook her head in one of her "what am I going to do with you?" gestures, then shrugged and smiled.

He saw the look she gave him, then did a double take. There was something different about her. About her face and hands, and even her arms. His confusion must have shown, because his wife and daughter broke into a brief spate of laughter. Then they turned to leave.

On the way to the door, Angel grabbed the envelope with her schedule in it. She wanted to go over it with Lena before Monday.

They were exuberantly greeted at the door by Lena's mom. Once they were inside, they were introduced to her father. He was a pleasant man, a little younger than Angel's father, with thinning brown and gray hair and just the beginnings of a beer belly. Like Angel's father, he was dressed in a working suit. Unlike Angel's father, he had the jacket unbuttoned and was without a tie. In fact, the top button of his shirt was undone.

"I see I'm overdressed," Angel's father joked. He took off his tie, and put it in a pocket of his coat. From the others' reactions, the scene was not uncommon. And they were quite comfortable with it.

While the adults talked over appetizers and drinks, Angel pulled out her schedule to show Lena.

"Any advice?"

"Actually, it looks pretty good. Were you really in all that AP stuff back at your other school?"

Angel just nodded and shrugged.

"Mrs. Veng is one of those teachers you really like or really don't. She is a tough grader, but scrupulously fair. And she generally allows some extra credit. The rest are ok, from what I've seen. None of them have a thing for or against morfs, except for things like the extra work they have to do when I'm in their class."

Angel put away her papers, then took up the conversation mentally. How's David doing?

"David's doing well," Lena replied out loud. "He needs to work on control, and he was getting frustrated with his attempts to micromanage his powers. I told him about your dream."

They were called in to dinner. As they walked in to the dining room, Angel asked "Which one?"

"The centipede," she replied, pulling out a chair for Angel.

Dinner was nice. Angel's parents had brought a bottle of wine as a traditional house gift, and the adults were all having some with dinner. The girls were not. Angel wasn't all that upset about that. She had tried a little again after her transformation. She didn't like it any more than she had before the change. If anything, she liked it a little less.

The wine inspired talk among the adults about drunken antics. That set Angel to wondering: with her power, could she neutralize the effects of alcohol in her system? It would probably take concentration, which would be impaired unless she could keep it from affecting her in the first place.

That would be pretty cool, though. Lena thought at her. No worries about some guy trying to get you drunk to get into your pants.

Angel couldn't help herself. Too late. A guy already got into my pants.

Lena looked startled, then caught on. Your former self doesn't count!

"Lena! You know it's rude to have mental conversations at the table. Especially with company." her father gently scolded.

"Sorry, dad." Lena turned back to Angel. "So, did the Midol help?" she asked, with mock concern.

"Not as much as I would have liked. But I'm going to see if I can use my powers to make it shorter or something." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lena's father shake his head, smiling.

Angel's mother didn't bat an eye. "If you succeed, dear, don't mention it to the other girls. It could make you very unpopular. Especially among the girls who are on when you say it."

The other adults laughed in agreement.

Oh, well. It was worth a try. Lena grinned.

"So, seen any good movies lately?" Angel asked, changing the subject pointedly. She wondered if she was the only one actually embarrassed by the unsuccessful attempt to throw their parents.

Over dessert, the subject of age and youth in the workplace came up. Lena's mother laughed that she didn't have to worry about it. She "and a couple of other wrinkled old bats" ran an online business, selling camping accessories. Her husband, who was in marketing at the company Angel's father worked for, complained that the men in his department were more youth oriented - and vain - than the women. And that he had already seen younger looking men get promoted over older looking ones, independent of their actual ages. It was supposed to be illegal and against company policy, but it happened anyway.

His wife commented that maybe Angel's mother could share her secret. She had dropped years in a couple of days.

"Er ... that would be me." Angel volunteered. She described using her elemental powers to restore her mother's skin, and the way she'd fixed Lena's skin. She saw a conflicted look grow on Lena's father's face.

He really wants it, but it's not that simple for him. It would be a violation of hospitality to ask, and he's afraid of looking vain.

"Here, let me show you what I mean." Angel offered. She got up and moved behind him. "May I?" she asked him. He looked at his wife, who smiled encouragingly, then he nodded.

She went over his face and neck, describing what she was doing. First, she just did the skin. Then she went through and rejuvenated the hair follicles of his beard. Finally, she went over his scalp, rejuvenating his hair there, as well. Then she moved to his hands and arms. She made sure to ask about his scars, but he didn't want to keep them. When she was done, he looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties.

She thanked him for his help, and he thanked her. He commented that a lot of people in marketing and entertainment would pay a small fortune for such treatments. That got Angel wondering.

"Lena, when you morfed, did a lot of people suggest ways you could make a lot of money or build a career?"

"They still do. Legitimate ones, like law enforcement and private security or psychotherapy, and less legal ones like insider trading and blackmail. I think a lot of us get that."

"You have to decide what you want to do with your life." Lena's mother put in. "You have a lot of options. But so do most reasonably healthy and intelligent people your age. In your case, you can choose to use your powers to make a living. Or you can use them on the side and do something unrelated. A lot of morfs do things completely unrelated to their powers."

"One option you both have," Angel's father added. "Is to use your powers to help pay your way through college. A good education will go a long way toward helping you get where you want to go. Even if you want to follow a career based on your powers."

That conversation hit Angel where she lived. When she was a boy, she had just started thinking about what she wanted to do. She took it for granted that she would go to college, but had no idea about a major. Much less a career. Over the summer, her goals were just to learn to be a girl, and to build her control of her elemental abilities. She hadn't really thought past the beginning of school.

They're talking to you.

Angel shook herself. "Sorry," she blushed. "I just got lost in some thoughts."

Her mother smiled. "We were just saying that you didn't really have to make up your mind right away. It's just something to think about. But you should choose some shorter term goals. They can help you choose among the opportunities you have."

The girls cleared the table while the adults moved to the living room for more talk. At first, Lena's mother didn't want Angel to help - she was a guest, after all. But she gave in when Angel pointed out it would give them a chance to talk in relative privacy.

The two girls agreed that they had no idea what they wanted to do with their lives. But that didn't stop them from throwing around outrageous ideas. They debated which of them would make the best prostitute. They decided it was Lena, but Angel would be a close second. They agreed that neither of them wanted to run the country, much less the world.

It was silly, fun, and relaxing. Angel was almost sorry to go home. But she had work in the morning, so she needed her sleep. Especially given the fact that she would be facing the manager she thought of as the martinet. And would be doing so without Lena.

Wanting to do some shopping, Angel's mother drove her to the theater. She asked Angel to call her on her "plain, ordinary cell" when she was ready to be picked up. Angel had a good chuckle over her mother's overacting, but promised to call using her using her "fancy, high tech eCom."

When Angel arrived at the theater, she struck a balance. She was polite, but not deferential. She treated him as a peer, but one worthy of human respect. And one with whom she was not personally close. She had done it as a boy, but she found it more difficult as a girl.

Mostly, she concentrated on what she was there for.

While he didn't try to dominate her for more than a few moments, he did hover over her shoulder. It made her uncomfortable, and she suspected that was deliberate.

"Since the office wants more details, I work a little differently now. I'll take pictures of the problem areas, enhance them to indicate the affected areas, then send you the results. That frees you up for your other duties while I work."

When he didn't take the hint, she decided that, too, was deliberate. If he wanted head games, she would give him head games.

The problem areas she had found before were well scrubbed and disinfected. He might be a pain in the ass, she thought, but he does take such things seriously.

She decided to return the mind game favor, and started taking a lot of pictures. She also muttered things like "oh, my," and "Hmmm." When he tried asking what she saw, she just said it would be in the report.

Eventually, the stress seemed to get to him and he wandered away. She finished her reinspection, finding nothing more than the routine stuff. Aside from a few shots she decided she liked for artistic reasons, she deleted most of the pictures she had taken.

She moved on to the store rooms. She noted that none of the suspect lot of cases were there, and again found little to concern her. There was a bloom in one corner that could indicate some sort of leak above the room or behind the wall, so she got a good picture of it. Looking in the other areas, she was impressed. Even the employee refrigerator was clean.

In the theaters themselves, she found some of the same problems as at the Chinese. She suspected he hadn't had time to read or react to those reports. She documented the problems, and got on with her work.

When she finished her rounds, she took a seat in the break room. She downloaded the pictures to her tablet, then enhanced them. Putting the pictures together in a report, she made it a point to praise his effectiveness in dealing with the earlier problems. Then she added her notes about the new problems, saved the report, and sent it to his computer.