Chapter 6

Her nap was not as refreshing as she would have liked. She almost attributed the things she heard to dreams, but they were not said "in the language of" her dreams. It was clear that the speakers had no idea they were being overheard - much less by a thirteen year old girl.

The general consensus was that the ogre - her father - had scored a major coup of some sort and was in a position to parlay that into an even bigger score. There were speculations that it involved her and her powers, but few seemed to have any idea what those powers were.

There were even jokes about trying to get a piece of the action - or useful information - by dating her, marrying her, or having one of their sons (or daughters) date her. That talk made her very uncomfortable.

Finally, she gave up and got up. A couple of startled junior executive types hurried out the door, surprising the knot of people talking outside.

In a way, she was sorry to see them all go. A part of her hoped she would hear something that would give a clue about the dangers. No such luck.

There were still a couple of hours before her father would be taking her home, so she decided to get something done. Her classmates would be home ... well, out of school, anyway. After looking up the number, she called Linda to get her English notes.

"Did they really suspend you for just saying something to that nasty cow Missy?" Linda asked.

Rose assured her that she hadn't been suspended at all.

"That's not what a certain teacher said. Or what Missy was saying."

"They're not worth it. The truth is, I came down to my father's office for some more tests of my morf abilities."

Without going into specifics or mentioning the whole negotiation thing, they talked about what a pain in the butt the tests were, and how little she actually learned. Then she got the class information and they said their goodbyes.

A quick check with Lena told her that her friends didn't know anything more about the threats. They would keep an eye out, and let her know when they learned anything.

On the ride home, she watched her father go through a transformation almost as startling as MORFS. She would have sworn she saw him change - right before her eyes - from the Insurance Company Executive back into her father. He even joked with her.

It was unnerving.

As soon as they got home, Rose went up to her room and went online to get her other assignments. For the most part, they were the usual lame busywork. She noticed that, as usual, the English assignment as posted did not match what was given in class. But the assignment for Changes got her attention.

Apparently, someone was mouthing off in class. The teacher was known for tolerance, but there were limits. The outline of the class discussion did not contain the specifics, but she could guess the general direction from the assignment.

They had to write a paper on the challenges facing those with MORFS induced sex changes. And they had to address those who ended up asexual, intersexed, or hermaphroditic, as well. And include a section describing how they, personally, would adapt to becoming each of the four "options" - the opposite sex, no sex at all, part way between the sexes, and fully functionally both sexes.

This was no two page essay. They were to take the issues seriously, and had to get an outline and partial draft in the next day.

Ouch!

She saved that for last, hoping that she could get some leeway because of the official nature of her absence. She did not fool herself that she would be able to get out of it entirely, however.

With the exceptions of English and Changes, she got her homework done before dinner.

After dinner, she got back to work, and was careful to finish her English homework the best she could. Not that it mattered - she was sure she would barely pass, no matter how well she did. It was just a point of personal pride.

Her first thought about the Changes paper was to consult the only such sex-changed morf she knew. But that went against the agreement at her period party, and she really wanted to keep Angel as a friend. So she was back to doing it the old fashioned way: research.

She was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of the available information. She narrowed her focus, and it became more manageable. Still a lot, but manageable. She would never be able to read it all, but sampling bits and pieces gave her enough of a picture to do her outline and start the draft.

Between the stresses at her father's office and the effort she put into her homework, she was too tired to stay up very late. In fact, she was in bed and asleep more than half an hour before she usually started getting ready.

Rose was lost, and frightened. They were after her, and she didn't - couldn't - know who might be one of them, or working with them. People were all around ... strangers, with a different body language than she was used to. And almost all of them were ignoring her. The few who weren't were giving her the creeps - their interest seemed to be sexual, and not in a nice way. People were talking to each other and to their eComs, and she could understand the words but not the conversations. There were signs everywhere, but she couldn't understand the funny squiggles they were written in. They were almost like something out of a cartoon.

She couldn't remember how they had taken her there, or how she had gotten away. She needed help, but there was nowhere to turn. She couldn't even trust the police - some of them might be in on it. Her angels were too far away ... even their powers couldn't help her. She had to keep moving, but she was so tired. After stumbling on a few more steps, she tripped and fell...

Into her own bed. She sat there, shaking, almost afraid to call out in case they were nearby.

It's ok. You're safe now. It was only a dream. Lena's soothing words came into her head, and she started feeling better. I'm here for you. The only people there are your family, and nobody is paying attention to your house. A sense of calm certainty and safety filled her.

Do you want to talk about it? Lena invited.

Unthinkingly, Rose nodded, and thought about the bits and pieces she could remember from the dream. Before she could really "say" anything, Lena was starting to reply.

It seems pretty normal, for a nightmare. The people in the test were oriental, and you knew about the threat that was coming from the test. Your mind put that together with some parts of shows you like to watch, and came up with the dream.

Is it true that you might not be able to reach me somewhere like that? Rose asked, not sure she really wanted the answer.

Most of us. David, Rose felt a trace of an alien emotion, or rather a combination of emotions that she hadn't experienced. There were elements of lust, of love, and of things outside her experience. She knew Lena and David were a couple, so she assumed that was where it was coming from.

Oops ... sorry. Lena apologized. It sort of slipped out when I was thinking about him. Us. Her mental tone became more businesslike. David can probably reach you anywhere in the world, or even in orbit. If he can find you. He doesn't think I know, they both chuckled at the absurdity of keeping a major secret from a telepathic girlfriend. But he has even reached the Moon with it. He couldn't do much that far away, but he looked around with his telesense and created a small illusion before he came back.

What about you, and Robin, and Angel?

Angel, you already know. Her range is almost limited to touch. My own range is around fifty or sixty miles, give or take. Robin can go somewhere between five hundred and a thousand miles, but only under certain circumstances. And you know about your own range.

Rose hadn't thought about her own abilities in terms of distance. Now that she thought about it, she realized that she had to be relatively close to learn a language. Not really close - she had done it from twenty yards or so away - but relatively close. The rest was just limited by her ability to see and/or hear the speakers. But all that raised another question.

Will it always be that way? The mental overtones carried the meaning of the question more than the words themselves.

Probably not. From now until we become adults, our range and strength will probably grow. Especially if we exercise it and work on it. Angel will never be very far - probably no more than a couple of inches. But I should be able to reach a good deal of the world, and some parts of near Earth orbit. Robin's range will probably be greater than mine, even then. I sort of doubt that David will be able to reach beyond the Moon, but he will be able to do more where he can reach. I have no idea what your abilities will do.

The prospect should have excited Rose. It did, in an intellectual way. But mostly she was becoming acutely aware of how tired she was, and found herself gently drifting back to sleep.

'Night, Lena. she barely got out.

Pretty dreams, Rose.

At school, Rose's day did not start out well. After she turned in both sets of English homework, she saw the teacher going through the stack. She recognized her earlier assignment, the one that had been due the day before.

"This was due yesterday." The teacher sniffed, haughtily, then dropped the assignment in the trash. She looked Rose in the eyes, as though she was daring her to react. It took all of Rose's strength to deny her that reaction.

"At this rate," she thought, "I'll be lucky if I even pass the class."

Don't worry. Came the familiar mental voice, with overtones of humor. You'll pass. You won't like the grade, but you'll pass.

Won't that screw me up for the rest of school?

That's the deep, dark secret. Your grades there don't mean all that much. When you get here, it's another story. But there ... as long as you pass, you're all good.

Thanks. I needed that. Rose saw the suspicion on the teacher's face, as though she was aware of the conversation. Or was guessing the truth. She dropped her eyes to her book and notes, and prepared to pay attention.

After surviving English, she expected to relax somewhat in Changes.

No such luck.

She learned that the paper she (like the rest of the class) was working on could account for as much as 30% of her final grade in the class. And they would be expected to keep up with the rest of their assignments in the meantime. The final paper would be due the day before Winter Break, which didn't give her much time.

In the hallway between classes, she had another run-in with Missy and her crew. Rose just fixed her with her eyes, and gave her a smile. A confident, but not entirely pleasant smile, which spoke volumes about their new relative social positions. Missy sort of shrank at the implied challenge, and walked by without overtly acknowledging her.

That was fine with Rose.

Don't get too confident. Lena warned. Sooner or later, she will challenge you at a time and place of her choosing. She wants her status back, and you really don't want it yourself.

I don't? Rose was genuinely puzzled.

No, you don't. Status is not that important to you to begin with, and the stresses of maintaining the position would tear you apart. Besides... Lena went in for the kill. you really don't want to be that lonely.

Lonely? Rose was even more confused. She has people around her all the time.

As far as she knows, they are there for the status, not the person. Without the status, she fears that they might drop her. Or worse, actively turn against her. Lena seemed to sigh. Sadly, she is not too far off in some cases. So, no - you don't want the status. Or at least, you don't want what comes with it.

With a shrug, both physical and mental, Rose hurried to Spanish.

The rest of the school day was largely uneventful. She understood why her homework load was building so much: the semester would end soon, and it was time to prepare for the finals and finish projects and the like.

She understood it, but she didn't have to like it.

Her only consolation was that Tara was going through the same thing. And that the longer term projects were not a part of the battle for the vid remote.

At dinner, her father surprised her by giving her another note to take in to school. He explained that she would be missing school the first part of the week, and helping him at the office again. And again, it was being justified as a test and exercise of her morf abilities.

She asked how long it would last, and he couldn't really say. And in that, he was telling the truth. He doubted it would be more than a few days, but there was no real way to tell.

After dinner, it was back to the homework. If she was going to miss even more school, she needed to get as much stuff done and turned in as she could. Especially if her English teacher was going to refuse late work for excused absences.

It just wasn't fair! How could she get away with that kind of thing?

Get used to it. You'll face it for the rest of your life.

"Yaaa!" Rose jumped. She'd been so wrapped up in her self pity that Lena's response startled her. But that didn't stop her.

It's not fair! Rose complained. She shouldn't be able to screw us over like that.

Of course it's not fair. Lena came back. Life isn't fair. And the sooner you find a way to live with that unfairness, the happier you'll be.

But...

I'm serious, Rose. In a way, she is doing you a very big favor.

A favor? I can do without favors like that!

Think about it. Yes, your grade will be the pits. But you are not really in any danger from her. She won't physically attack any of you, or anything like that. She will insult you, maybe even try to humiliate you, and torpedo your grade ... but that's about it. And you can survive all of that. There are others who, if given the chance, would do things that you might not survive.

... Rose was stunned at the unvarnished, almost brutal truth of the statements.

You have resources. You have family, friends, and faculty and staff at the school who will protect you in limited ways. You have your powers. You have your brain ... you're not exactly stupid.

Gee, thanks ... I think

Lena ignored the reply. You need training, and you need strategies. And you need them now. How can you use what you have to get what you need?

It was clear that Lena expected an answer. It would have been clear even without her abilities with language.

Ummm... Rose was getting tired of learning new limitations on her abilities. If there was nothing in the other person's language (past or present), bearing, or situation that would give her any good clues, she could be as stuck as the next girl.

Besides, the question was too broad.

Ok, let's narrow it down. Rose had forgotten - again - that Lena could understand her thoughts at least as well as she could.

One problem at a time. Your English assignments for the next week or so. Rose could almost see Lena ticking off points on her fingers. First, how do you get them turned in in a way that she can't ignore or reject them? Next, how can you get those assignments in a way that would keep her from claiming they were something else?

You could...

Don't even think it. If any of us get in the middle of all that, it will just get worse for you and for us. We can't give you that kind of help.

A passing fantasy of things that the angels - and some of the other morfs she knew - could do to the teacher flitted through her mind. But she knew she could never be a party to such a thing. Even after the things that happened in that basement. Especially after the things that happened there.

Lena had mentioned some of her resources, then specifically asked Rose how she could use those resources to solve the problem. Her friends couldn't help - not for something this limited. Her family could stand by her, and could maybe apply a little useful pressure where it would do the most good. And her father was an experienced negotiator.

The adults at school were less absolute. If they could be convinced to help her in some direct manner, it could go a long way toward limiting the teacher's available responses.

Put them together, and she had a possibility. If her parents could convince the dean to get her assignments while she was gone, and to accept and turn them in for her, the teacher's options would be limited.

That could work.

It might. It's gotta be better than just butting heads with The English Teacher From Hell, Dun Dun Duuun.

Rose could feel the forced sense of melodrama and the humor behind it. She had to admit it took some of the sting out of thinking about She Who Will Never Be Named.

Lena was relieved to see that Rose was relaxing again. Things were likely to get worse before they got better, and the more perspective and humor Rose could summon up, the more likely she would be to get through it relatively unscathed.

In some ways, the dangers from her "outing" were the least of her problems. She would have to learn a delicate balancing act in order to make and keep friends - even casual ones. She would see unbelievable flaws - even ugliness - just under the surface of people she was close to, people she looked up to, and people she wanted to get close to. She would find things everywhere that would frighten her, disappoint her, and even disgust her.

Everywhere.

If she didn't learn to deal with it - as well as the dangers and rejection - soon, she would lead a very lonely and unhappy life. And Lena was all too aware of how close she had come to the same fate. If it hadn't been for her parents, and her mentor ... well, she didn't want to think where she would have ended up. Anything she could do to help Rose get past the more painful parts of the learning process intact, she would do.

Rose went down to speak with her father. It was easier than she expected, and in a matter of minutes she was on her way back up to her room. And her homework.

Somewhat refreshed, Rose dove into her homework. By the time she needed to get ready for bed, she had it as good as it was going to get.

Sleep was not long in coming.

The next morning, she didn't remember any dreams. All told, she decided it was probably just as well. After getting washed and ready for school, she went down to breakfast.

She was surprised to see her father at the kitchen table.

He was dressed for the office, so she decided to go for the obviously wrong guess. "Taking the day off?"

"In a manner of speaking. I will be picking you up after school to take care of some formalities. Meet me in front as soon after class as you can." That said, he took a last gulp of his coffee, wished the three ladies of his life a good day, and left for work.