Chapter 37

(Mandy)

Wednesday came and Gwen walked me to school again, I wondered how long she was going to do that. I didn't mind her company so it was OK.

We met Jane at the gate and then Gwen waved me goodbye promising to meet me there at home time. Jane and I walked up to our classroom together.

"I saw D yesterday," said Jane.

"Yeah I saw your flowers they were lovely," I replied.

"It was so hard to see her like that, she's always been so strong to see her in that bed with all those bandages and pipes and bleeping machines."

"I know and with her under all those drugs it's like she's not there, an empty shell."

Jane squeezed my shoulder, "She's still there just sleeping."

I smiled at Jane half heartedly, we got to our class room and sat down. It wasn't long before Mr Griffiths came in but he was very early.

"Everyone down to the main hall, we have an emergency assembly! Leave your bags here it's going to be crowded as it is, chop chop people!" he said and began writing the same on the white board for any late comers.

We followed the rest of our class down to the main hall and joined the general flow of people down the stairs and towards the admin building. We were shepherded by various teachers and we soon found ourselves towards the back of the school hall with what seemed to be the whole school in front of us. We sat on the floor and waited to see what this was about. Teachers lined the sides and acted a bit like guards making sure everyone was in line.

Soon the trickles of late comers died down and Mrs Thomas strode up onto the stage.

"On Monday evening a pupil of this school was very badly wounded to the extent that she was hospitalised. I'm told only swift action by her friend prevented her from dying. This is a terrible thing to have happen, so to discover that this was perpetrated by a gang of pupils from this school makes it even worse. This comes only weeks after another student was hospitalised due to another gang beating," she paused and looked out across the assembled faces, "This has to stop! Anyone involved in this sort of attack against any student MORFS survivor or not will face immediate disciplinary action. Since the problem has obviously gotten out of control we will be forgoing the usual punishments in favour of a three strikes policy one strike detention, two strikes suspension, three strikes expulsion. Anyone being bullied I urge you to report it to your teachers they will take it very seriously, I will not have another student in hospital fighting for their life!"

She nodded to the teachers and they began moving us out a row at a time.

I guess things had finally gotten bad enough that she could issue ultimatums like that without the anti morfs lot stopping her. We moved to head out but a hand stopped me, it was Mrs Thomas she took us to one side.

"How are you two doing?" she asked sympathetically.

"OK I guess," I replied.

"I heard what you did for your friend. I hope she'll be OK."

"She did similar things for me. I hope so too."

"I suppose you know that this was all Mrs Newmans idea."

"What!"

"Well when the governors heard about this crisis they decided to fast track the MORFS applicant so they had their thoughts on how to fix this. I don't think they realised she was also Dorothy's Mother. Still she came up with this three strikes for any bully, and made it clear it would have to apply to all so that people get the message that neither side is getting favouritism."

"I guess that's the best way to make things equal again."

"Yes she's a smart woman, even with what's happened to her daughter a careful well thought out approach to the problem. Well you'd best get off to your lessons."

We nodded and headed off. Joyce hadn't said anything about her being made a governor. I guess she had other things on her mind when I saw her.

We retrieved our bags, Mr Griffiths took a quick register then we were off to science.

We sat at our usual table and got on with the work at hand, our usual three person group now only two made some of the experiments harder than normal. Still we persevered and made it through till morning break.

Kitty and Clare were over the moon that we had delivered our card to D. They were once again very supportive and comforting keeping our spirits up. Sally and Helen also were great keeping our minds from dwelling on D too much.

We went on to French which I was gradually getting the hang of and then it was maths, which was just me on my lonesome. Luckily maths was an unforgiving as ever and the punishing pace left no time for worrying. After that it was lunch and the strains of the day so far had left me feeling pretty hungry.

I met Jane outside and we went in and picked up our lunches. Today was a stew of some description. We were joined by Kitty and Clare, and started to eat our lunch. A short while later some of the Supers came and joined us. They didn't ask and just sat down around the four of us. Predictably Winston sat next to me.

"Amanda, we wanted you to know that we are here for you, for anything you need, be it protection or just a shoulder to cry on," he said gently.

"Hmmpf!" snorted Kitty.

Both Kitty and Clare were glaring at the Supers in general and Winston specifically. I guess after what happened with Trisha they didn't trust the Supers at all.

"Who are your little friends," said Winston seeming to notice them for the first time.

"You have met them before actually, this is Kitty and that is Clare. They are first years," I said, the two of them beamed at me briefly.

"I see I don't remember meeting them before but I meet a lot of people. It's a little ... odd someone of your distinction hanging around with first years."

Kitty glared at him, "Tish rescued us from that psycho meanie Trisha!"

"Yeah!" nodded Clare, "They took her away in irons to a place for evil girls where they keep her in a cage!"

"Indeed," Winston said raising an eyebrow, he seemed slightly amused by Kitty and Clare which only served to further infuriate the two of them.

There was a crunch and further down the table the girl Andi leapt to her feet knocking one of the trays to the floor.

"Don't you speak about Trisha that way you little punks!" she shouted her face a mask of rage.

Kitty and Clare both simultaneously stuck their tongues out at Andi, which infuriated the girl even more. She slammed her fists down into the table.

"Andi," Winston cautioned.

Flames burst out of her hands licking at the table and she moved as if to throw fire at Kitty and Clare who squealed and clutched each other in fear.

Without thinking I gestured and extinguished Andi's flames. She stood their waving her hand for a few seconds no longer ablaze. She looked down in shock and anger at her hands. I felt her try and call more flames but I stopped it at it's source. I couldn't stop her using her powers but I could use my own to counteract them, fight fire with fire I guess. So long as I had more power than her she couldn't do anything.

She cried out in anger and frustration, "What did you do!"

"Interesting," said Winston looking speculatively at me, "You are full of surprises my dear."

I ignored him and waited for Andi to make the next move.

"Let me go!" she cried some desperation starting to creep into her voice.

"No! I won't let you harm my friends," I said defiantly some of the anger at what had happened to D surfacing again.

"I'm sure Andi wasn't going to hurt your little friends," Winston said smoothly.

"Sure I was just playing ... tell her to let me go Win!" Andi said more panicky now. I wondered if she had felt the addictive qualities of the fire and had gotten more into it than me and now she needed a fix.

Winston looked at her dismissively making no move to make me let Andi go seeming not to care.

"Whether she was playing or not is beside the point. She threatened my friends and Kitty and Clare have experience more than enough bullying and pain from members of this gang!" I said angrily.

"We wouldn't harm them," Winston started I could tell he felt uncomfortable with that because he didn't believe it. His emotions pointed it out not as a lie but something more grey like leaving out bits of the truth. I guess he knew some of his gang would terrorise the two of them in a heart beat, they were smart enough not to do any permanent damage but anything else was fair game.

"See that you don't," I said coldly finding myself on my feet somehow, "You lot have been almost as bad as Pures who tried to kill D. Terrorising others just for kicks, you're nothing but a bunch of stupid bullies!"

"Well I..."

"Shut up! You flaunt your power like it makes you better than everyone else but then by your actions you prove you are the lowest of the low!"

"I think you should calm..." Winston stood up I shoved him roughly back into his seat he looked very shocked like no one had ever done something like that to him before. I guess maybe they hadn't.

"Don't tell me what to do, you came here offering protection and friendship but then almost straight away one of your friends threatens my good friends Kitty and Clare. You make out you're the paragon of MORFS survivors and that you hate the Pures who discriminate against us but then you let people among you bully other weaker MORFS survivors for kicks making you no better than the Pures. You lead this band of self described superior beings why not set an example for once!"

By now most of their group was glaring at me angrily, I probably should have stopped but by that point I was too worked up for that.

"You lot claim you're sorry for what happened to D but you are just as bad as the bastards that tried to kill her. I'm through talking to you clowns," I jabbed a finger at Winston, "and you straighten up your act if you want me to give you the time of day again. Come on guys let's go to the library."

Jane Kitty and Clare all stood up and followed me out with dazed shocked expressions on there faces.

When we got out of sight of Winston and his gang Kitty and Clare took my hands and began jumping up and down, "Wowwie!" the two of them cried attracting confused looks from all the passers-by.

"That was ... I mean, I guess ... what they said," said Jane at a loss for words, "There's just one thing ... they've going to kill you!"

"I know, I couldn't help it though. I guess I was so worked up and angry for what has happened to D I just kind of boiled over," I said wincing as I imagined what would happen to me now I had pissed off the Supers. Kitty and Clare were now dancing round me like maypole doing circles and changing direction as we made our way to the library.

"Well I must admit I was jealous, I've wanted to put those stuck up SOB's in their place for years." Jane giggled then joined in the dance round me for a turn laughing the whole time.

We got to the library and Jane Kitty and Clare had to calm down a bit after nearly knocking over a bookcase with their antics and receiving a stern glare from Miss Gordon. We sat down before they wreaked the place.

I got out some work and tried to get back on track with things I had gotten very behind with things. Kitty and Clare chatted away happily my status as their protector seemed to be more ingrained than ever. I hoped I didn't let them down.

I managed to get a fair amount of work done before it started to bore me a little and I decided to take a break. I stood up and stretched and saw Helen over in the corner. I decided to go over and say hello.

She was very involved with something so she didn't notice me as I came over. As I got closer I saw she was drawing something, I walked behind her to take a look. It was a very detailed pencil sketch of a girl writing something in a work book. From the distinctive scales on her face and hands it was clearly me. I often had trouble spotting myself in things due to not being used to my own reflection but I could see it was a very good likeness.

"That's really good," I said from behind her.

She jumped in her seat and dropped her pencil and stared at me a panicked look in her eyes.

"It is me right?" I asked.

She stared at me a deep blush on her face and her emotions were squirming like I had caught her doing something really embarrassing. She looked away and nodded slightly.