Chapter 5

Rose woke with a feeling of empty loss. Some of it was a normal reaction to the day, but there seemed to be something else - something from her dreams.

She experienced the normal part every year. There had been so much build up to the events of the last few days, what with Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and her birthday, and now it was suddenly all over. On top of that, the visit by her Gram was ending. When Rose went to school, she would say goodbye and then not see her again for months.

Another part made sense, as well. The surprise party had effectively put a big, red period to the end of her childhood. For better or worse, her life would be more complicated from then on. She could hold on to parts of it for a little while longer, but the ultimate loss of that part of her life was inevitable.

That thought seemed to go to the heart of some of the largely forgotten dreams, as well. As little as a few weeks earlier, she could never have imagined the things she had seen and done lately. Some of them were good, like her friendship with the little sick girl and her new, older friends. Some was terrible, like the horrific events in the basement. And a lot were just ucky, like all the things she had heard and understood since her change, and the hostility of some of her classmates and teachers.

Parts of her had changed, as well. She was more restrained in her reactions to some taunts and the like, in part due to the influences of Lena and her other new friends. But at the same time, she caught herself imagining doing horrible things - things she would have found unthinkable a few weeks ago - to her tormentors. She was more mature and confident in some ways, but it had cost a large chunk of the cheerful, naive ignorance that had been a hallmark of childhood.

Enough of that. The sooner she got up and dressed, the more time she could spend with her Gram before saying goodbye.

She had no idea that events would soon change her world even more.

When she got down to breakfast, she had recovered a little of her cheer. She had been reminded of all her presents during her shower, when she used the new body wash one of her friends had given her. While she dressed, she imagined wearing her new jewelry to school, or taking the egg with her. Somehow, it struck her as funny, like the times she and Tara had played dress up with their parents' clothes when they were little. Such things were just not a part of her school "career".

Her family were used to her post birthday letdown, and were relieved that she was not as deeply into it as she had been on some years. Still, they added their traditional touches, like playing Christmas music in the background as a "subtle" hint that there were still things to look forward to. And adding festive holiday touches to the meal.

Truth be known, Rose was not the only one going through the letdown. They all had been preparing and participating, with the events of the long weekend acting as a powerful focus. And they didn't even have all those presents to console them. Well, except for Tara, who figured she could borrow some of her sister's haul from time to time.

Rose's father surprised her toward the end of breakfast, by giving her a note to take to school. It said that she would be missing school the next day, due to some MORFS related testing. At her puzzled look, he said he would explain it all that evening.

She tried very hard not to cry when she got to school. Her mother had driven her, along with her sister and her Gram. She would be dropping Tara off next, then would drive Gram to the airport, so this was her time to say goodbye. Despite her newfound maturity, her attempt was not entirely successful - little streams of salty moisture leaked from the corners of her eyes.

She barely noticed the other students as she made her way to the office, to deliver her father's note. Even when her tormentors of the previous week blocked her way. She tried to go around them, and they shifted to stop her. Then it happened.

Missy, their leader, said something particularly vile, which Rose barely noticed. She did notice the malevolent intention behind it, however, as well as the attempt to establish dominance. Without thinking, Rose delivered a counter - perfectly crafted to shatter the other girl, without per se violating any school rules.

The stunned girl, and her companions, stood like statues as Rose made her way around them and toward the office. She wasn't even conscious of what she'd done, until she heard the heart rending sob. A quick glance behind her showed Missy collapsing against her two friends. Rose suddenly understood what she had done, and it made her feel bad. She had sunk to their level and beyond, and had really hurt the other girl. And she had done so without a thought.

Rose gulped down her guilt, and continued to the office to complete her errand. On her way out, she saw the sobbing girl being escorted to the counseling office. She also saw the body language of the nearby dean, who was preparing to gesture at her. She turned to hurry toward her locker, and anything he said was drowned out by the bell. Changing directions, she went directly to her class.

It was only a temporary reprieve.

The class had barely started, and one of the other morfs had already gotten the sharp side of the teacher's tongue. She was just winding up when she was interrupted by a beep from her desk screen. Rose didn't need her powers to see that the gleam in the teacher's eye foreshadowed trouble for some poor student - probably a morf.

"Miss Reid." the mistress of the classroom pronounced, "you are to gather your things and report to the dean's office. Immediately."

Rose made it a point to drop her homework in the designated basket on her way out - turning it in. She didn't trust the teacher to allow her to do so later without penalty, if at all.

On the way, she tried to call for help. Lena?

Sorry, Rose. You're on your own this time.

How bad is it?

That depends on you. Be honest, and it shouldn't be too bad.

Why didn't you stop me?

You need to get used to doing it yourself. Then she relented. You really didn't give me much of a chance. You barely reacted to the other girls, and you didn't think about it much before you spoke. By the time I was aware of the whole thing, you were regretting that you made her sob like that.

When she got to the deans' office, she was sent right in to see her dean. He looked serious as he waved her to a chair, then went back to viewing something on his screen. From her earlier visit, she assumed he was reviewing recordings of the confrontation.

It seemed she was right.

"Now, Miss Reid. Why don't you tell me what happened this morning."

She started with the sad goodbye in the car, and her distracted trip toward the office. As before, she repeated the conversation word for word, including all the original inflections. The dean nodded from time to time, acknowledging the accuracy of her description.

"Why did you say that to her?"

"I just wanted to get away from them, and get to the office. It was the first thing that came to mind, that wouldn't violate school rules."

"You just happened to come up with something that reduced her to tears - upset her so badly that she had to be sent home?"

"Not deliberately. They wouldn't let me go, and I needed to get to the office and then to class. It was the only way to do that, other than something against the rules."

"Did you intend to hurt her that badly?"

"No. I just wanted to get to the office."

"Did you use any MORFS created powers against her?"

"I don't have any powers like that. I just learn languages easily, and can understand people with speech problems."

"So you are saying that you did not use any such powers against her."

"Yes. I'm saying that."

"What about your friends? You have been keeping company with some very powerful, older students lately. Did any of them do anything to her?"

Rose hadn't thought of that. It seemed out of character, though. "Not that I know of. I'll ask." Lena?

No, none of us did anything to her. It was nothing more than your words.

"None of them did anything to her, either."

"You're certain?"

"They have no reason to lie to me. I trust them." It was true. In spite of everything she had gone through, she trusted them completely.

"Very well. We will notify you - and your parents, if appropriate - of the outcome of this investigation. You may return to class." He handed her a hall pass, then turned to his screen and started typing. The dismissal was clear.

As a practical matter, there was not enough time to get back to her English class. She went to her locker, swapped things around, and headed toward Changes.

While she was eating lunch, Rose got a note that she was to report to the dean's office after school. The fact that she was not being hauled in immediately seemed promising.

She started becoming aware of others around her. Her friends, other students, even faculty and staff members. A lot of them seemed to be noticing her. Her sensitive hearing picked up bits and pieces about the encounter, most exaggerated almost beyond recognition. Some were expressing disapproval. Others, who had been attacked by her "victim" in the past, approved. Others were just cheerfully spreading the scandalous rumor, as something interesting in its own right.

The speculations about what had happened, or would happen, to her as a result made her somewhat less confident. And Lena's continued silence wasn't helping.

When she got to the dean's office that afternoon, she was surprised and a little upset to see her mother there. And it was clear that her mother was not exactly overjoyed to be there, either.

The meeting turned out to be somewhat of a draw. The school wanted her parents to be aware that Missy, and some of her friends, had been harassing Rose of late - more so than their previous pattern. That had become a safety issue for Rose, as far as the school was concerned. Also, he wanted it to be very clear that the school frowned on her actions that morning. Yes, the other girl attacked her first, and no, her actions did not explicitly violate any specific rules. But the effects, on the girl and her friends, and on the school, were disruptive.

While the school would not take any action against Rose for the exchange, she was on notice to watch her behavior. He also advised them that Rose's planned absence the next day would be seen by many as resulting from the confrontation. There was nothing that he could, or at least, would do about that. Her teachers were already aware of the nature of the absence, and that she was not being subjected to any disciplinary measures. This time.

Rose took her cue from her mother, who formally acknowledged the statements. Then she, and Rose, formally thanked the dean for his time and attention and left. On the way home, Rose was treated to a lecture on appearances vs technicalities, and the importance of the former. There was also a short side trip into the importance of maintaining her awareness of her surroundings at school and elsewhere. Throughout both parts, her mother regarded everything she was saying as unquestionably true.

Though Rose had seen this side of her mother before - what she called the Executive Mom person - she hadn't really realized how thoroughly that person was her mom. Up to then, she had just been ... well ... Mom. Or Mommy, when Rose was younger. But now Rose began to see that the Mom part was the more limited role. The other woman was who her mother was in the rest of the world. Even among some of the family.

Now that she thought about it, Rose could even remember a number of times when she had been dealing with that other woman. It wasn't some split personality thing or anything. Just her way of facing the world and getting things done.

It made Rose start to wonder about the faces her father wore, when he wasn't with her. She didn't know it yet, but she would soon have the chance to find out.

At dinner that night, he told her what they would be doing tomorrow. "Your experiments gave me an idea. At work, we have some special conference rooms equipped to suppress psionic powers and the like. They are used for certain kinds of sensitive discussions and negotiations, to prevent anyone from gaining an unfair advantage."

"I thought it would be interesting to see how you would do in one of those rooms. Will you still be able to use the new languages? Will you still understand what people mean to say? That sort of thing.

Rose noticed the glaring omission, and the fact that it was intentional. For some reason, it was important to him to know whether she could tell true from false in such a room. The thought made her a little uncomfortable. But this was her father, who loved her as she loved him. He was family, and had never deliberately caused her any harm. Whatever was going on, she would have to go along with it for the time being.

She also found out that she had another appointment with Kiki, to talk about what had happened. Her father would take her there from his office, and make use of some of the services there while he waited. She had heard him talk about the fact that appearance was important in his line of work, so that part didn't particularly surprise her.

She still had one bit of unfinished business to attend to. Lena?

I'm here.

Are you mad at me or something?

No, not mad. I'm a little tired, and a little busy just now. And a little sad for you.

Why?

You're losing bits and pieces of your childhood, just like you were thinking this morning. And there is more to come. It just reminds me of when I went through that, and it makes me a little sad. All I can really advise is to hang on to who you are, and find fun and happiness where you can. If you let yourself get bogged down in the whole maturity thing, it's too easy to lose the joy that makes life worth living.

Oh.

Sorry for the gloom and doom. As I said, I'm kinda tired. And so are you, you know. Make an early night of it. Tomorrow will be a long day. Call me if you really need me, though. I'm here for you, even now.

Good night, Lena. Thanks

You're welcome. Good night.

Lena contemplated her young friend's situation. She was only starting to become aware of her parents as people, rather than as her parents. And Lena, for one, did not find them particularly likable. They loved their daughters unconditionally, and did their best for them. But outside of their somewhat artificial roles as nurturers, they struck Lena as somewhat cold and calculating. Their careers and plans were important to them, and they chased those plans with a single minded determination that seemed to leech the humanity out of them.

And their approach to their daughters future was similarly Machiavellian. Lena had been seriously surprised when Rose's mother asked for her help in weaning Rose from her SE friends, and (eventually) making new, more useful friends. It wasn't until she played the trump card - "I know what is best for my daughter, and I must ask you to respect that." - that Lena agreed to hold her nose and do as she asked.

Even with his love for Rose, her father was planning on making shameless use of her if she was able to function in the suppression fields. And her mother was watching the results, for similar opportunities of her own.

But Rose herself was a whole different matter. She had some of the quirks and self focus typical of her age, but overall she was very nice - a likable girl. And a strong one; the things Rose had gone through recently could have devastated a lesser person. Unfortunately, she would need that strength, and all the help she could get, to make it through the accelerated growing up she would do over the next few months.

Rose took particular care getting ready that morning. She knew how important appearances were to her father, especially at his office. She had been there once before, when she and her mother had stopped by to pick something up. It was a very formal place, with everyone in suits and the like. She almost expected a library-like quiet, but instead there was the hum and buzz of intense activity. No voices were raised, but there did not seem to be any whispers or the like, either.

She hoped she would never work somewhere like that. It seemed the complete opposite of fun.

When they arrived, she found that things were much as she remembered them. Except ... the body language and intentions behind some conversations added a new and troubling dimension.