Editing Character Vignettes

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=='''Hana's Gang I'''==

"Stupid bint!"

Judy could feel the tears starting as the older girl shoved her and she stumbled to the ground. Another day at Bales had just begun, and Carter had started on her already. Why couldn't they just leave her alone?

"Not so smart are you now, Nesmith?" The girl nudged Judy with her foot. "Are you?"

Judy curled up and said nothing. She knew, from frequent experience, that saying anything would only make things worse now. Two of Carter's friends had joined her, and they were laughing darkly.

"I said, not so smart, are you?" The girl's voice was raising, and a scowl of anger distorted her face.


Judy only whimpered, and the Carter's pulled back for a kick... and then felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She turned in irritation, angry words on her lips... and froze.

She was staring into cold, contemptuous eyes, eyes that, despite belonging to a younger girl, had a good two inches on her. Eyes that seemed to burn into her soul. The eyes of Hana Jeong.

Judy looked up at the confrontation and froze. So far, the only good thing that had come out of school was that she'd stayed off of Hana Jeong's radar-- the Korean girl terrified her even more than Carter, more than the teachers, almost more than her father. Hana had already gotten into many fights throughout the year, and she'd won most of them. Even when she'd lost, she never backed down, never gave up. No one got away from a fight with her unmarked. And now she was caught between Carter and Jeong... what if she was the girl's next target?

Hana's voice was cold. "I'd heard you were hard, Carter. That how you got your rep? Pushing girls half your size?"

Carter licked her lips. She had no idea why Jeong was picking a fight with her, and meeting Hana's gaze was harder than she'd ever imagined-- she wanted to run away and hide, and she didn't know why. But everyone was watching. She couldn't back down. Besides, she had two friends with her.

She somehow found her voice. "Back off. This is none of your business, you chi--"

That was when Hana hit her in the mouth, hard enough to leave her senseless for a moment. Her friends, of course, jumped in to defend her. Hana didn't care. She didn't stop swinging until finally teachers arrived to pull the four girls apart, and then only reluctantly.

Afterwards, Judy approached Hana nervously. She had no idea if Hana would lash out at her next, but she ought to do something-- Hana was bruised and bloody on her behalf, after all.

"Th-thank you," she stammered out.

Hana shrugged. "Whatever. It pisses me off, seeing somebody act all tough for picking on somebody smaller than them. That's all."

"You're hurt," said Judy.

"I've had worse," Hana answered, dismissively. A few bruises and cuts weren't important. The important thing was that she hadn't backed down, and that Carter and the other girls would think twice before starting anything with her again.

Judy hesitated, gulping. Hana wasn't mad at her... but Carter would be. But maybe Carter wouldn't say anything if Hana was nearby. So...

"Um, would you mind if I ate lunch with you?"

Hana always ate alone... but, after all, there was nothing wrong with somebody else being there. It was not, of course, that Hana was lonely and would enjoy some company. She didn't need friends. But if Nesmith wanted to, she decided, it would be harmless enough.

"Go ahead," Hana answered, and Judy's eyes shone...

----

Sorcha Burr folded her arms and stared at Hana and Judy, her own followers at her back. Hana had been a thorn in her side, and enough was enough. If she couldn't keep two girls-- both younger than her-- in line, how could she possibly be taken seriously by anyone?

Hana stared back, apparently unconcerned, but Judy was scared. Still, fear was a familiar feeling, and after spending enough time around Hana, it didn't have the bite that it usually did. They were clearly both in trouble, though... She'd known that this confrontation was going to happen, sooner or later, though. And she'd made some preparations to at least try to even the odds a little.

"Here," she whispered to Hana, passing her a scarf. The sash weight she'd sewn into it made one end very heavy. Hana hefted it and grinned.

"Sure you brought enough people, Burr? I think you might need one or two more," she taunted. The odds were seven to two, and Hana knew full well that Judy wasn't anywhere near as good a fighter, but that didn't change anything.

Sorcha snorted and tossed her long red hair. "It's time you learned some respect, Jeong. And it looks like we're going to have to beat it into you."

"Talk while you still have teeth," Hana suggested, swinging the scarf around, getting a feel for it. It would do nicely.

A new voice called out, "Hey, don't start without us!"

Both Hana and Sorcha turned, surprised. A young Pakistani girl, dressed in scanty red clothes, and carrying a heavy stick, was leading two others towards the group.

Judy blinked in surprise. "Malika?"

"Do you know her?" whispered Hana.

"She's my neighbor," Judy whispered back. "I have no idea what she's doing here."

Sorcha was confused as well. "Okay. What the Hell is going on here?"

"We're Hana's gang," anounced Malika.

Judy and Hana exchanged surprised glances, while Sorcha snarled.

"So, boss, we're ready," Malika continued. "Shall we?"

In answer, Sorcha's gang charged, but they were hesitant-- they were less confident with the odds so close.

It ended when the police arrived. Sorcha's gang scattered like the wind, but Hana put a hand on Malika's shoulder as she started to run.

"Are you crazy?" Malika's eyes were wild-- she couldn't let herself be arrested!

Hana tossed the scarf around her neck casually. "We don't back down. That's the rule."

Judy stepped behind Malika. "Drop the stick. Fast! We can talk our way out of this!" she hissed.

Malika nervously complied, and watched as Judy, her eyes full of tears, explained how her multiracial group of friends had been attacked by a gang of racists. She shook her head in amazement as the police left.

"So. You decided you were my gang," said Hana, her voice level and severe.

The other girls looked scared, but Malika, swallowing, nodded defiantly.

"That's right, boss. We are."

Hana sighed. "Fine. But lose the 'boss' business. I'm Hana."

"All right... Hana," answered Malika, relieved. She'd admired Hana from a distance, and her gamble had paid off.

Judy smiled. Granted, she'd had all of Hana's attention before this, but really, Hana needed more friends. She'd realized that Hana was, deep down, lonely. Now there was a solution.

"So... Malika. Do you girls know how to play Hearts...?"

=='''Hana's Gang II'''==


“I don't believe that you shot the moon again!” Malika threw down her cards in disgust. Judy, in response, suppressed a laugh-- the other girls had figured out what Judy was trying several tricks ago, but had been unable to stop her accumulation of hearts.

“Juds has just had a run of good luck,” grinned Hana. Judy had indeed been doing well in the ongoing game of Hearts, but confidence had been a factor, and hers had gained a significant boost lately-- in a dramatic confrontation, her mother had finally been freed of her father, and, as a result, Judy's home life was hundreds of times happier.

Judy started to speak, but then stopped, staring behind Hana's head. Hana, in turn, spun around.

Sorcha Burr, accompanied by three of her girls, had walked up to the table. Moreover, Sorcha had changed her look dramatically-- her long, flowing red hair had been mostly shaved away into a Mohawk, and she now sported a nose ring.

Malika jumped to her feet, followed by several of the other girls. Hana didn't rise, but she fixed Sorcha with the hostile glare that had only grown stronger over the last year.

Sorcha took an involuntary half-step back from Hana's gaze, and raised her hands.

“Hold on there, Jeong. Tone the gaze down. I'm not here for a fight.”

“So what do you want, Burr?” Hana was puzzled-- they'd had many fights over the past year or two, and while Hana had been pulling ahead in the battles of late, the older girl was not to be underestimated under any circumstances.

Sorcha nodded to her girls, and they all sat down at the table together, Malika and the others following Judy's lead in making room for them. Sorcha looked around the table at everyone, and then, making up her mind, shrugged.

“I'm wanting you to deal me in... boss.”

A stunned silence passed around the table. Half of Hana's gang started to talk at once, but Hana cut them off with a gesture.

“'Boss?'”

Sorcha grinned sheepishly, an expression that no one present had seen her with in living memory. “Yeah. See, the problem is that you're crazy. I mean, stand up to me, outnumbered, sure, why not? You're good, and you're brave, and you don't back down. I can respect that, even though I'm gonna fight you over it. But you don't stop there, do you? You really don't care who you're up against. I finally figured it out last Saturday. When the bobbies show up, you never run. That's crazy.”

Hana shrugged. “I don't back down. What's your point?”

Sorcha sighed. “I can't beat that. No matter how tough and crazy I get, I can't beat that. So I give up. You're the toughest girl in Bales. Nothing left to do but go along with you, really. I'd just look a fool if I kept fighting you. I'd rather win by fighting next to you.”

There was another long pause.

“You mean that.”

Sorcha nodded. “Yeah. I do.”

“Fine,” said Hana. “I guess we deal you in, then. Judy, you deal again, I guess...”


----

“...I mean, how can she keep missing that? Jason's practically tripping over himself any time that he sees her,” said Malika, impatiently. “He's got it so bad for her, and he's actually polite, and smart, and he'd treat her well. Why doesn't Judy respond to him? Hasn't she ''noticed?”''

Sorcha shook her head. In the time that she'd gotten to know Hana's family and inner circle, she'd quickly come to understand a great deal of the dynamics.

“Judy knows, Mal. Judy knows all about it. That's why she ignores him. She's not interested-- haven't you noticed? She's got her eye on somebody else-- someone considerably less polite.”

“Who, Dae-Jung?” Malika didn't think that it was true-- Judy certainly didn't pay particular attention to any of Hana's brothers, that she'd seen.

Sorcha laughed. “Oh, Mal... How did you miss this? Judy's not into ''boys.'' She's got a crush on ''Hana.”''

Sitting nearby, a younger girl sat up straight. She casually brushed at a strand of her brightly-dyed hair and leaned backwards slightly, to hear more clearly.

Malika stared for a long moment. “She's a... she's interested in Hana? But... I mean, Hana's not... is she?”

''“They'' aren't,” said Sorcha, firmly. “Hana hasn't noticed. Honestly, I don't think that Hana gets it at all. Have you noticed? Talk about boys with Judy and she'll change the subject, but talk about boys with Hana and she just doesn't get it. Anyway, Juds is in love with Hana, and that's that.”

“But...” Malika didn't understand this at all. Why would Judy be in love with Hana, and not Hana's handsome and clever and nice older brother Jason? “So it doesn't... bother you?”

“Don't be an idiot, Mal. It's the sweetest thing that I've seen in me entire life. I don't know how Hana misses it, and I don't know why she'd pass it up if she did. And,” she continued, firmly, “if I were you, I'd get used to the idea fast, if you're their friend. Judy likes girls. So what? Honestly, I'm not at all sure that it's a bad idea, with most of the boys out there. It doesn't change anything, anyway.”

Malika thought it over for a moment. ''Likes girls... no, I don't see how that works. But... well, I guess Judy's Judy. It's not like she's trying to grope me or anything. And... maybe Sorcha's thinking that way, too. Hm. I guess that's how things are, though.'' A sudden thought made her smile. ''Wait, that means that Jason's got no chance with her. And that means he's up for grabs, really... the more of the girls around that are into girls, the more guys for me. This might be a good thing, after all...''

----

Walking along the street, Judy was talking to Malika in low, urgent tones.

“She's been wearing the same shirt for three days now, Mal.”

Malika glanced over at Emma Fox. Nobody was quite sure at what point, exactly, Emma had become a member of the gang-- the quiet girl had begun hanging out with them several months ago, and since Hana hadn't objected, nobody had chased her off. Since then, she'd accompanied them into not merely card games but fights, acquitting herself with respectable courage and skill. She'd also turned up with bruises that she refused to talk about on several occasions.

“Yeah, I guess she has. What's your point?”

“I think she's not going home,” explained Judy. “Did you notice? She's finishing off everyone's leftovers like she's not getting food at home. And she never leaves until everyone's gone. I think she must have run away.”

Malika digested this information. “Wow. I'd heard stories about her family, though. Ah... should we tell someone?”

“Who? All they'd do is put her in a home or something, and she'd lose her friends, and probably get treated just as bad,” Judy pointed out. “We can't let her just sleep out in the streets, though.”

Malika thought about it. “Why don't I ask her over tonight? Since my sister got married, we've got a little more space. I think I have some clothes that'd fit her, and mom goes crazy about cooking for company.” Normally, Malika considered her family, especially her mother, far too traditionalistic and embarrassing to expose her friends to, but if it meant that Emma would have a roof over her head, a hot shower, and a full stomach, it was well worth it.

Judy smiled brightly. “Perfect. Thank you, Malika. That's...”

“That's them!”

A few Bales House girls had stepped around a corner. Judy winced at the sight of Carter. Wouldn't she learn? This time, though, something was different.

A large party of older boys were walking with them. They looked at Hana's gang with a cruel contempt.

“So these bitches are the ones who were bothering you?” said the oldest. “They don't look like that big a deal. They should just say they're sorry. How about it girls, want to say you're sorry? We won't be too rough on you. Maybe you'll even learn to like it.” He licked his lips in anticipation-- several of these girls were very pretty.

“Shove off,” answered Hana, simply. She turned a baleful gaze on the boys and Carter, and Carter moved to hide behind one of the boys, who chuckled nervously. But why would he be nervous? It was just a bunch of girls, and they were younger than his crew. Not a danger.

“Hey, everybody! Wait up!”

Everyone turned to look at the newcomer. Whoever she was, she didn't fit in at all. Her bright, colorful hair and clothes, her shiny accessories, the expression on her face, the cat-ear headband she wore, all of these identified her as someone who belonged in a brighter-lit section of town. Immediately.

Nevertheless, she skipped lightly up to Hana and Sorcha.

“Hi! I'm Chloe! Listen, I've been trying to catch up to you guys for a while now. I know this is pretty sudden, but I was wondering if I could hang out with you? You look really cool, and...” She stopped, and looked over Sorcha's shaved skull.

“Have you ever thought about getting some temporary tattoos? You could put them on your scalp, right next to your hair-- they'd look so ''cute'' on you!”

Hana, boggled, could only stare, unable to comprehend this strange visitor. Sorcha, forced to envision this newcomer trying to festoon her head with temporary tattoos-- no doubt ones of cute butterflies and rainbows and kittens-- found herself compelled to speak.

“Are you mad? D'you even know where you are right now? You aren't part of our crowd. Get lost. You don't fit here.”

Chloe's bright smile began to fade slightly, and the older boy walked up behind her and put a possessive hand on her shoulder.

“The bitch is right, girlie. Why don't you come along with us, huh? When we're done with these girls, it's gonna be a party...”

As he spoke, Chloe reached into her purse. Judy vaguely wondered what she could possibly be reaching for. A cell phone? That seemed the most likely-- surely she realized that calling for help was her best option at this point.

The beer bottle took Judy completely by surprise. Even more so when Chloe spun around, broke it over the boy's head, cutting his scalp, and then slashed it at his face. He managed to raise his hand in time to protect his eyes, but his blood spattered Chloe's still-grinning face. Her voice was bright and cheerful as she spoke.

“I think the party starts right here! Paaarty tiiiime...” she continued, in a dreamy, sing-song voice, as she advanced towards the boys.

Hana caught Judy and Sorcha's eyes, and they moved in quickly, followed by the rest of the girls. After an introduction like that, it wouldn't do to be spectators at a fight. And Carter needed to be taught to not hide behind older boys, in any event.

Afterwards, Hana looked at Chloe with a new respect. She'd lost her cat ears, was cut and bruised, had lost her bottle, and had broken several nails when she continued to fight, unarmed... but she had only laughed throughout the entire fight.

“You're mad,” Hana said. “You know that, right?”

Chloe shrugged. “I don't care. Are you sure that I can't hang out with you?”

Hana stared, and then laughed.

“Fine. If you're mad enough to do all that, I'd better just let you stay. Do you play cards?”

“I'll learn!” promised Chloe, her grin broader than ever.

=='''What is Love?'''==

Jason looked out the window and sighed.  There she was again--- Judy Nesmith.  His sister's best friend... and his first love.  He wasn't sure when he'd fallen for her, but, thinking back, it had been a while now.  She'd been so pathetic and sad when she first started staying over at the Jeong residence-- his heart had gone out to her, the more so when he realized how incredibly smart she was.  He'd wanted to help her, to make her smile... to impress her with his kindness and intelligence and ability.  But it had always been in vain.  He'd tried telling her how he felt as best he could, but he could never find the right words.  He'd hoped, as clever as she was, that she could figure out his feelings for her, but it never happened.  No matter what he did, whenever he saw her, she was with Hana, oblivous to his feelings for her.  It didn't help that Hana's gang turned up a little too often, either-- they'd started out by ignoring him or regarding him contemptuously, but lately, it felt like they were deliberately sabotaging his efforts to get closer to Judy.  At least Hana herself wasn't interfering.  He wasn't sure what he could do if she did-- he didn't like to admit how frightening she could be, but she was.  He found himself frequently wishing that Hana would find a boyfriend already, as well-- it might keep her busy, giving him a better chance with Judy.  If he could only get up the courage.

And there was Judy, outside.  With Hana, and several of Hana's hangers-on.  Again.

----

"Goddamn ''bastard!''" snarled Grace as she threw her cell phone down at the ground hard enough to break it.  "After all that, he's ''breaking up'' with me!  What if I really ''am...'' you know..."

Sorcha shook her head.  "You have got the worst luck with men, Grace.  D'you want us to invite Timmy-boy over for a little boot party?"

"No, damnit," Grace groaned.  "No, he's just like the rest of 'em.  One little hint--"

"One broken Trojan--"

"One hint that he might have to take some responsibility for something in his life, and Tim's gone.  Just like every other boy I've gone out with, damnit."  Grace kicked the remains of her phone along the street.

"You've had better luck than me, though," Sorcha pointed out.  "I can't get two dates with one guy."

"Maybe.  But I fall for them more than you do, too.  And they always either play around with other girls, or run out on me!" Grace snarled.  "Damnit, isn't there anything better?"

"Well," Sorcha grinned, "if you was to ask Judy, now..."

"Not an option," said Grace, firmly.  "I like boys.  Period.  And there are no good ones, anywhere."

"You might just be right, there... you might just be right."

----

"All right.  I'll see you at eight," said Blue, closing her phone.

Ruby shook her head.  "We're on our way to meet the others, Blue.  This might run late, and are you really going to go on a date after..."  She glanced around the crowded bus.  ''"Business?''  You won't really have time."

"I'm not," answered Blue firmly.  "I'm standing him up.  His pride needs to take a hit, or he'll think that he's in charge."  As far as Blue was concerned, this was not an option-- if she was dating someone, what she said, went.  

Or if it wasn't going to be that way, whoever she was dating had better damn well stand up for himself.

"If I treated boys the way that you do, Blue, I'd never have a boyfriend," said Ruby.  

"And instead you've got Justin, who is entirely weak and useless," replied Blue.  "Does he ever do anything but what you want?"

"Now wait just a minute, Blue," said Ruby, angrily.  "That's exactly what you're trying to turn John into!"

"A foolish consitency is the hobgoblin of simple minds."

----

Tilly tried to conceal her disappointment as she approached the others.  She shouldn't have been surprised that Judy was already talking to Hana, of course, and she didn't want to get in the way of Judy's feelings, if Hana returned them.  But Hana seemed entirely oblivous to Judy's feelings, just as Judy seemed to not notice Jason's attraction.  

''Really,'' she thought, ''this entire gang is one big soap opera.  Malika likes Jason.  Jason likes Judy.  Judy likes Hana.  I like Hana.  Hana likes... well, I don't know.  Fighting, I guess.  And then there's Blue and her boys, and Grace and ''her'' boys... at least Ruby's been halfway steady with Justin, even if he is a total wimp... and pretty much none of them have noticed when somebody likes them.  I don't see how they miss it.  I'm pretty sure ''I'd'' notice if somebody liked me... maybe I should write a poem about that.  Oh, God-- here comes Chloe... I hope she doesn't...''

----

Malika couldn't help but laugh as Chloe put Tilly in an arm bar.  Chloe's behavior, while erratic, was still pretty funny at times, and she seemed to have latched onto Tilly as the perfect person to torment in strange way, like now, as she tried to force a Hello Kitty temporary tatoo onto Tilly's arm.  ''Well, Tilly really needs to learn to stand up to her better.  At least she's stopped bothering Emma...''  Emma had spent the night with Malika's family again, and was watching Tilly and Chloe wrestle with amusement.

''That's good.  I wonder if...'' Malika looked up at the window to the Hana's apartment.  Sure enough, there was Jason, looking down on him.  ''Jason... he's so nice.''  She waved up at him, and his face disappeared instantly.  ''Shy, too.  And clueless.  Like Hana.''  Malika looked at Hana, who was laughing as she talked to Judy.

''I think I've been friends with Hana longer than anybody but Judy.  I gues I'm kind of clueless, too-- I didn't see what was going on with Judy until Sorcha pointed it out-- but I'm still ahead of her.  I mean, Hana's in a class of her own.  I can see why she'd miss Judy liking her, but there were those two guys, last year, and the year before that.  And she just didn't get it at all.  No matter what they did, she just didn't get it.  Nobody else could have missed it... maybe it runs in her family, though.  I mean, Jason's missed it every time that I've flirted with him, and he's totally missed that Judy likes Hana.''

----

Judy laughed at Hana's joke, and gave her a sad smile as Hana ruffled the hair on Emma's head.  ''Hana... I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell you.  I could stay like this with you forever, really.  As long as you're happy.  Even if you decided that you liked some boy, or even Tilly.  Although you might have some competition if you liked Tilly... but I don't think that's going to happen soon.  And that's fine.  Even if I can't be as close to you as I want, if I can stay by your side.  If you can be happy.''

''That's all that matters.  Because I love you.''

=='''Hana and Judy at the fair'''==

Blake St. John sighed.  He'd taken his new family out to the Doccombe Village Fetê in the hopes that some good, old-fashioned fun would be a good chance for them to bond together.  He was quite fond of his stepdaughter, and would have liked to spend more time with her, as well as to get a chance to get her away from her frankly thuggish pack of friends.  She'd be starting at a new school now-- thankfully, a much better school, away from the gang (and you really had to call it a gang) that she'd been associating with.  

Except that Judy had ''insisted'' that her friend Hana come along.  

To be fair, Hana had been perfectly well-behaved on the trip so far, and even friendly with him (if more familiar than he would have thought appropriate), and, as his new wife had pointed out to him more than once, she'd been Judy's friend through some very bad times in her life, protecting her from her beast of a father.  And he certainly didn't hold Hana's relative poverty against her-- Jeong and Son was a perfectly respectable plumbing business, if small, and, after all, he was very wealthy indeed.  

But... Hana Jeong was another matter.  It was a wonder that the girl hadn't been jailed, really... and, to be honest, she made him... nervous.  Not scared, of course.  A man his age had no reason to be scared of a young girl, no matter her reputation.  It was important that he remember that.  But... nervous.  There was something in her eyes that unnerved him... something predatory.

Aside from that, though, the day wasn't going all that badly.  Hana and Judy hadn't done anything illegal, or even really questionable so far, instead playing cards on their trip out, and not even for money.  Now they were at the fair, running around, having fun like two normal young girls... and he could spend more time with his new wife, which wasn't bad at all.

“Come on, Hana!” said Judy, leading her best friend towards a tent.  “Let's check this one out!”  

Hana followed reluctantly.  “Juds,” she said, “why a fortune teller?  You're the smart one.  You know that this stuff is fake, right?”

“It's just for fun, Hana,” Judy answered.  “Come on.  What's it going to hurt?”

“Fine, fine...”

Hana followed Judy into the tent, watching as an old woman had Judy stir loose tea leaves into a cup, stir them, and drink most of the tea.  Judy was then told to swirl the remainder (three times clockwise), and concentrate on a wish while touching the edge of the saucer to the cup, and then turn it upside down into the saucer, and she did, passing the cup to the old woman, who looked at the leaves remaining inside.

“Ah, I see...” she began.  “Do you see here, the axe at the top, away from the handle?  You will face difficulties, but you will be able to overcome them.  This cigar indicates new friends-- several of them, from the stalks placed near it.  The goat, though, warns of enemies, and from the size, you will either face strong ones or many ones.  You will need the help of your friends to overcome them.  This snake warns of the danger you will face, as well-- a subtle danger, as well as the overt one symbolized by the flag.  From danger may come knowledge, though.”

Hana was looking skeptically over Judy's shoulder at the cup.  She couldn't make out any shapes in the blobs that the leaves formed, although at least all this talk of danger and enemies was at least more interesting than the usual rot about journeys and mysterious strangers.  Perhaps the old lady had heard of the Bales School Girls, and knew who she was talking to.

“...and finally, the star on the bottom signifies that your wish will come true, although the rabbit nearby suggests that you will need bravery to make it happen.  Clearly, your life is going to be very interesting.”  Judy glanced at Hana, smiling, and got up.

As they left, Judy gave Hana an amused look.  “You know, Hana, I'm supposed to be the rational one.  Why are you so skeptical?”

“Eh, me whole family is mad for fortune tellers.  They even got some fancy one in all the way from Korea for dad's wedding.  She told 'em that him and ma would have a few kids, and that the oldest would be strong and loyal, and the youngest would be gentle, kind, and studious.  Now, I'm the youngest, and nobody would ever describe me that way,” Hana explained.  “Talk about a waste of money!”

Judy laughed.  “Well, you're really kinder than you give yourself credit for, but you're right.  That's not you at all.  Although...”  She thought about it for a moment.  “It's not a bad description of Jae-Sun, you know.  And the description of Chung-Ho is dead on.”

Hana snorted.  “Where does that leave me, though?  I'm the youngest-- not Jae-Sun.”

“Maybe you're an alien or something,” said Judy, laughing.  “Come on, let's go get something to eat.”

=='''Hana and Judy meet a monster'''==

"We're late, Hana!" called Judy to the back of her fast-moving best friend. That would never do, in her opinion-- Hana should be there on time for meetings with her gang. Besides, being punctual would only do her good at the new school.

"I know-- hold on, Juds. There's a shortcut through the alley, there," answered Hana, pointing.

The alleyway was dark and foreboding, with almost a palpable aura of menace that was instantly clear to everyone but Hana... or if Hana sensed it, she ignored it. Judy shuddered, but she didn't want to admit fear in front of Hana. Besides,with Hana there, she had confidence that nothing would happen-- and if it did, Hana could certainly deal with it. She followed as Hana charged between buildings.

The chill in the air was getting worse, and Judy found herself wishing that she hadn't urged Hana to run so fast; she would have vastly preferred holding on to her best friend's arm at a time like this. But at least at this rate, they'd surely get out of the alley swiftly... but it seemed to go on forever.

Suddenly the lights in the alley began to pop and break, plunging the girls into darkness. There was a dark chuckle, and Hana and Judy looked around, trying to see where it was coming from.

A pair of round, luminous eyes opened, a good seven feet off the ground, and the creature, gaping fangs shining, stepped out into the dim light. It was broad-shouldered and muscular, a smooth slate grey in color. It had no hair or ears, a projecting snout, and long claws on its three-fingered hands and three-toed feet. It laughed again, malevolently, and reached for the girls.

Judy stared in shock, a scream frozen in her throat, but Hana was already in motion, whipping the scarf she always wore out in a deadly arc-- the sash weight sewn into it made it a dangerous weapon.

The creature was clearly surprised by Hana's attack, but unhurt, and it backhanded her with a blow that sent her reeling backwards. Hana's head was spinning-- she could hear Judy calling her name, but she seemed distant. The creature was extending a clawed hand towards her friend...

''You are not going to hurt Judy.'' Hana stood up. ''No one is going to hurt Judy. Not while I'm here.'' She knew that she hadn't hurt the thing, knew that she didn't have a chance of causing it any harm. But that didn't matter. Jeongs did not back down. Hana never backed down from a fight, even one that she couldn't win. But the creature was reaching for Judy... Hana had to get its attention, and protect her friend.

Hana gave a fierce scream, and thrust her fist defiantly into the air. Wind whiped around her, making her hair and clothes flutter wildly.

A silvery-white column of light erupted from the ground, enveloping her, and her dark silhouette was visible inside. A series of blades spiraled down from the sky, surrounding the column of light in a double helix, spinning faster and faster.

Suddenly, the column of light exploded, and Hana was revealed, now dressed in a blue leotard. The blades spiraled in towards her, some of them moving to form her shoulder and forearm guards, her boots, her skirt, and finally the metallic wings on her headband.

Hana pointed at the enemy and grinned. "Let's go, you!"

Hana didn't really understand what had happened to her, but the power flowing through her cleared away all doubts. The creature's eyes seemed to widen as it stared at her, but it was still reaching for Judy... Hana didn't think about how she was going to stop it, but simply made it happen, and a cascade of blades shot out, forming a wall between Judy and the creature. The monster, still in motion, struck the wall with its hand and cried out in pain, pulling back a mangled limb. It looked in shock at the injuries and then at Hana, almost as if it was trying to say something.

Hana grinned and charged, moving at remarkable speeds as she slammed her fist into the monster with incredible force. Now the creature staggered back, and the confusion that had briefly appeared in its eyes vanished. This wasn't supposed to be happening, but it wasn't going to let itself be struck like that. It roared, and the mutilated hand began to repair itself.

Judy watched, her mind racing. ''This didn't make any sense... But so what? I can see what's happening. It must be real. Hana's protecting me, but she'll surely have an easier time if I'm clear and she can focus on the fight. That thing is healing, too. She needs to finish it quickly.''

She pulled back from the wall of whirling blades and called out to Hana. "I'm clear!
Focus on your enemy, Hana, and take it out quickly, before it recovers!"

Hana nodded, and the wall of blades pulled back to her, orbiting around her. ''All right. Let's wrap this up...'' She didn't stop to analyze how her powers worked-- that didn't matter. Later, she would wonder how she knew how to use them, but for now, there was only the fight. That was what mattered. And she knew that she would win.

Her blow had knocked the creature back from her a short distance, but now it was charging her as it healed. ''Fine. Let's go.'' Hana ran at the creature as well, shouting "Ribbon of Blades!" She didn't know where the words came from, but did it matter?

The orbiting blades formed into a compound buzzsaw edge, slashing, and Hana ran past the monster, unconcerned about its reaching arms. She stopped and turned, looking back at it.

The creature stood there, utterly still, for just a moment. Then it began to fall into
pieces, head sliding one direction, shoulders another, chest in a third. Dust poured out of it, and it quickly crumbled away to nothing.

"Hana? Are you all right?"

Hana looked up at Judy and grinned. The armor dissolved away into motes of steely light, but Hana knew that it would return when she wanted it to. She felt alive, and filled with energy in ways that she'd never imagined possible. The thrill of fighting had never felt so good, and fighting monsters, she knew, was perfect. No one would tell her that she shouldn't. No one could lecture her. It was the right thing to do, and she wanted to.

Perfect.

"I'm fine, Juds. You know how you're always saying I should find what I want to do in my life? Well..."

=='''End of an Era'''==

Wiping tears from her eyes, Tilly had steeled herself.  She couldn't face things anymore, and it was clear to her that the hurting would never stop.  Besides, there was no one who would miss her, anyway.  Nobody understood her.  Nobody cared.  Even if anyone who knew her had been there, they surely wouldn't want to stop her.  Closing her eyes, she'd stepped out in front of the speeding truck, confident that she'd be dead instantly.  A final Christmas present to herself.

The strong hand on the back of her jacket that had abruptly yanked her back out of the street had taken her completely by surprise.  It had hurt, of course-- she'd taken the hard pull on her armpits and throat, and felt half choked.  She had turned tear-filled eyes up to her rescuer, expecting an adult.

Instead, it had been the scariest girl her own age that she'd ever seen.  As she tried to catch her breath, she'd realized that there were, in fact, several of them present.  The looks they'd given her were confused, concerned, surprised.  Tilly had no idea how she could explain what had happened, but she hadn't had to.  The tall asian girl, frightening as she was, had just said, "Come on, kid.  We're late for the Christmas party."

It had been the better part of a year since then.  She'd changed her lifestyle to reflect her new outlook, and found herself at home with her new friends.  And especially Hana.  She knew, of course, that Hana didn't feel about her the way she felt about the older girl, but there was always a chance.  

Which is why she was staring in shock at Hana and Judy now.  Judy's transfer to another school, of course, was not a surprise.  She'd moved up in the world, with her mother marrying her former employer.  She now had money, status, success-- and Tilly didn't begrudge her one bit of it.  A girl as smart as Judy really belonged at a school like Ashford, anyway.  And, on some level, Tilly knew that Judy's departure would let her get at least slightly closer to Hana.

But Hana had said, "And Judy's helping me swot up for the tests.  I'm trying to get into Ashford, too."

The rest of the conversation had seemed like a blur.  Hana and Judy would almost certainly be gone after summer.  (Tilly realized that Hana, while not a genius like Judy, was smart enough to get into Ashford-- especially with Judy's help and pull.)  Then what?  The gang would lose its leader.  Most of the girls had already scattered.  Who could take Hana's place?  Sorcha, while skilled, didn't have Hana's sheer force of personality, and the only other likely candidate, Blue, nobody would actually follow.  Who would help take care of Emily?  Who would stand up to Carter?  It was the end of her entire circle of friends.  The end of belonging.  The end of everything.

She'd wandered in a daze for the rest of the day.  Where should she go?  

"Heeeeeey Tilly!"  Tilly jumped as Chloe half-tackled her.  

"Chloe, stop it!"  But Chloe didn't care, and was, instead, trying to force a cat-ear headband on her.  "Chloe!  Cut it out!"

"Aw, come on, Tilly!  You looked so down!  Smiley faces!"

Tilly sighed.  "Everything's falling apart, Chloe.  It won't be the same thing without Hana, at all.  I don't know what to do."

Chloe considered.  Or so it appeared... Tilly was never entirely sure what Chloe was thinking.  Nobody was.

"I know!" she said brightly.  "Why don't we just transfer to Ashford, too?"

Tilly blinked.  The thought hadn't occured to her.

"What?  But..."

"If Hana can get in, we can get in," said Chloe, seriously.  "This is important enough to work hard for, right?  Let's do it.  Besides, Blue was talking about transferring, too.  We can't let her be the only one."

"Blue?"  Tilly's head was spinning again.  "But... I thought Blue hated Hana."

Chloe shrugged.  "I think Blue's all ''complicated.''  Anyway, let's be study buddies, OK?"

Tilly took a deep breath.  "All right."

---

Malika approached Sorcha and Grace cautiously.  They were talking, and she had an idea of about what.

"...So I bet we can get the old gang together again, Sor.  Be like old times."

Sorcha shook her head.  "It's not going to be like old times, Grace.  You know it."

"Well, what else are we supposed to do?"

Sorcha said nothing for a moment, so Malika cleared her throat.  Grace and Sorcha both turned to look at her.  

"Um... I wanted to talk to you about what's coming next.  I don't know if I'd fit in with your old crowd, Sorcha.  You know why."

Sorcha nodded.  "Yeah, you and Ruby'd both have trouble, wouldn't you?  I don't know what to do about Emily, either.  This is a mess."

"Without Hana, we'll all have to work a lot harder, too," Malika pointed out.

"I know.  But what are we supposed to do?  There's no way any of us could get into Ashford.  And Hana would tell us not to follow her, anyway."

Malika laughed.  "Sorcha... I just had this idea.  I mean, I never asked Hana if I could follow her before.  What if...?"

---

Jae-Sun frowned as he closed the door, aware of Hana's impatient eyes on him.

"Come on, bro.  I'm not going to be late for this."

"Hana, it's just a meeting."  Jae-Sun had been thrilled when he'd heard that Judy was transferring to Ashford, but discovering that Hana was transferring also left a taste like ashes in his mouth.  Why did she have to do that?  If he was at the same school as Judy, perhaps he could finally tell her how he felt.  Hana's presence would ruin that, he was sure-- whenever Hana was there, Judy just talked to her, not to him.

"I don't care, Jae.  This is me first look at the new school.  Besides, Juds should be right outside by now.  So let's go."

Jae-Sun followed Hana downstairs.  ''Well, at least it'll just be Hana and Judy.  It's not like the rest of her...''  He stopped just in time to not colide with Hana, who stood frozen in the doorway of their building.

Hana was staring, standing stock still.

Judy was waiting for her... surrounded by familiar faces.  So many of them... Sorcha, Malika, Chloe, Ruby, Emily, Grace, Tilly... ''Blue!?''

"What the ''hell'' are you lot doing here?"

Sorcha grinned.  "Party was too good to leave yet, boss!  We decided that you weren't going to be shut of us that easily!"

Hana stood there a long moment longer.  It was '''not,''' of course, that she was deeply touched and even choked up at the sight of her fr... her gang, waiting for her.  She didn't need friends.  There had to be another reason that she waited so long, somehow keeping control of herself, before she stepped out of the doorway, smiling.

She just didn't know what it was.

=='''Runaway'''==

By the time I realized the thing wasn’t chasing me, I had no idea where I was.  I turned into an alley and sat, with my back against the wall, and my exhaustion suddenly caught up to me.  As I slowly recharged, I noticed the graffiti on the opposite wall – I mean, really noticed it, had time to look around, take it in.  The flickering lamplight lent a strange kind of rhythm to my intake.

And I realized that it obviously meant something to whoever made it.  Even though nobody will know them, let alone give them any kind of recognition or reward.  Even though society thinks it’s a nuisance at best, people have the urge to create.  And as I realized that, I realized how beautiful it was.

It was around about then that I noticed there was someone else in the alley.  Tall, lanky – even though I’d been warned not to go into strange places at night, for some reason I didn’t feel like I was in danger from him.  Besides, there wasn’t any place more dangerous than my own home now.

“You look… freaked out.”  He said as he came into the lamplight.

“Yeah.”  I was too exhausted and incoherent to say any more.  He extended his hand to help me to my feet, and I took it.

“From the looks of it, you don’t have anywhere particular in mind to go to, right?”

“Anywhere but home.  Actually, I’m really not sure where I am.”

“Parent troubles, right?” That’s an understatement.  “It’s not all that rare.  Well, luckily, there’s a place to stay not far from here – I’ll show you.  My name’s Scott, by the way.”

“I’m Sara.  And thank you.”

I still hadn’t completely gotten over my initial shock by the time we reached the shelter.  Scott knocked on the door, and I had my first meeting with a certain warmly-smiling woman.  

“Scott, come in.  And I haven’t met you before, have I, dearie?  Come on in, get yourself out o’the cold.  My name’s Alice.”  As I stepped in, she hugged me – she seemed to radiate warmth and kindness, and there didn’t seem to be a single false thing about it.  Despite all the poverty and trouble that goes with us street kids, she always manages to be bright and kind.  Even when someone misbehaves and she scolds them for it, I never get the feeling that she dislikes them.  Anyway, she got me some hot chocolate (from one of the big bulk-buy cans), the got a mattress, pillow and blankets for me and showed me to one of the girls’ dorms.  It wasn’t much bigger than my room at home, but there were about eight girls there, so it was way more cramped.

Tired as I was, it was impossible for me to get to sleep – I lay awake, tossing and turning, afraid that… thing would suddenly appear.  After I-don’t-know-how-long-but-it-felt-like-forever, the girl next to me – Kate - touched my shoulder.

“Can’t sleep?” she whispered.

“I’m too scared.” I replied.  “It was… my dad’s… he changed…” I trailed off – how could anyone ever believe me?

“You mean changed changed?” she asked.  “Like, into a monster?”  

“What?  Monsters?  There’s no such thing, right?” But the lack of conviction in my voice was all the proof she needed.

“You don’t have to pretend.  There’s a bunch of us who have seen monsters.  They’re real, even if nobody else believes people like us.  Well, Alice believes us, so maybe you could talk to her about it.  So, if you can’t get to sleep after something like that, I understand.  Hey, I can stay awake with you if you want, help you keep a lookout?”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.  After all, people like us… friends are about the only thing we have.”


=='''Erin Discovers Science'''==

"Erin? Wanna play together?"

The nine-year old girl looked up. The Turner twins, Ed and Lilly. They were occasional playmates during recess. "Sure, coming!"

"...You didn't want to play this morning," Ed couldn't help but note.

"I hadn't finished the book yet."

While the Turners didn't find that answer very satisfying, they didn't push further. Alex was sick all week long, they wanted a third playmate, and Erin 
was nice most of the time, so why question it?

"All right, I'll be the princess this time," said Lilliy; "you'll be the knights who rescue me again?"

"Yeah!"

"Sure!"

And so the game went as usual.



Later that day, Erin's reading schedule came up in a talk with her father.

"You've finished 'The Hobbit' already? Why am I not surprised?"

"Fun books read fast."

Mr. Watson smiled. "That they do. Anyway, since I expected you to be done with it, I stopped by the library. Here," he handed her a large book with an ornately-illustrated cover, titled 'From the Earth to the Moon'; "I read it when I was a few years older than you, but I think you'll enjoy it."

"Thanks dad!"

"Also...It's not a storybook, but you might want to take a look at this" he showed her another hardcover, titled 'My Very First Science Book'.

She looked at it, puzzled, and took it to her room. On her bed, she looked at the first book. From the cover and title alone, it sounded fun. Hopefully it'd make for a good week-end.

But the other book...She wasn't sure what to make of it. She decided to take a peak...



"So you see, when I put the small block on this end of the ruler, it tips over and pushes up the big block! The big block is heavier of course, but because the fulcrum is so much closer to the big block, it means the small one pushes down a looong way to push the big one up even a little. It's a first-class lever!"

Mrs. Watson smiled with amusement at her daughter's rudimentary science demonstration. She had been rather enthusiastic about such things all week-end.



Come Monday, Alex joined Erin and Ed as the trio of heroic knights set to rescue princess Lilly.

"The evil witch has me imprisoned in the tower!"

"But we'll rescue you - with potential energy!" vowed Erin.

"...With what?"

"Potential energy! See, we'll get big springs, attach them to our shoes, and then jump higher and higher until we reach the top of the tower!"

"Oh. Yeah!"



This was fun enough at first. A week later, however...

"The evil witch is attacking us with spells!"

"I'm OK! I have the sword in the stone, it protects me from magic!"

"And I've figured out a theory of magic and built an anti-magic field generator!"

"You can't do that! It's magic!"

"I can too! My theory works!"

"Nu-huh! It's magic! You can't build machines against it!"

"Sure you can! Science can do anything!"

"Erin, you do this all the time! It's not fun anymore! You're ruining the magic! And you're always taking about energy and electricity and all that boring junk!"

"Science isn't boring!"

"Yes it is!"

"Is not! Is not at all!"



"Erin sweety...How would you like to go to the Turners' this after-noon?"

"Not today, mom. I've got SCIENCE to do!"

"Oh..?"

"Yeah! I've got some copper wire, an electric battery, and a compass. I'm going to redirect the North!"

"Have fun, sweety..."

As Erin went on to her lab/room, Mrs. Watson looked at her husband. "You think we're raising the next Marie Curie?"

He chuckled. "Looks like it. She's so going to the science museum for her birthday."


=='''Erin and Love'''==

"H-hi Erin..."

The ten-year old girl looked up from her book. "Hi Tom."

"Can, can I sit here?"

"Sure." She resumed her reading.

"So...What's your book about?"

"It's 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'. You know King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table?"

"Sure! Of course I know that!"

"Well, in this story, someone from the modern era...Well, almost modern era. Anyway, he gets sent back in time where he meets them."

"Sounds cool!"

"And then he shows all those stupid knights and wizards how to get things done!"

"Er..."

"He blows up Merlin's tower with explosives, shoots the knights with guns, and even builds telegraph lines! It's awesome!"

"...What's a telegraph?"

"Ah...It's what they used before they invented phones. It's the same, except it sends dots and dashes instead of sound, and you use the dots and dashes to make letters."

"Ah."

"You really should read it. It's awesome!"

"OK...But isn't this making fun of the knights?"

"Totally."

"Ah."

"You seem unconvinced."

"I dunno. I'll read it, but...I LIKE adventures and stuff."

"Then you've GOT to read 'Odyssey from River Bend'. Want me to lend it to you?"



Over the next few months, Erin found herself hanging around with Tom on a semi-regular basis - or rather, he hung around with her, approaching her during recess, coming to visit at home. They'd play, they'd talk...A bit like Alex and the Turner twins back then.

But then, as summer approached...

"Erin...You know I'm moving the week after school ends, right?"

"You've mentioned it five or six times, and I have pretty good memory, so, yes."

"Right. It's just that...I...I...I'll really miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Tom. But there's still phones...well, OK, oversee calls are expensive, but there's still letters."

"It's...It's not the same."

"I guess. But don't worry. You'll learn the language quick, and I'm sure you'll make a lot of friends there."

Tom said nothing, but seemed unconvinced. Erin, for herself, started wondering - WOULD she miss him, actually? She didn't feel like she was really missing any older friends, after all...


"Good morning, hon. Getting up a bit late today, aren't we?"

"That's because I went to bed late yesterday, mom." There wasn't really any need for Erin to say it - her parents had authorized her to stay up later than usual to watch the comet with the telescope she had received for her birthday.

"I know, I know. Anyway, there's a letter for you."

"For me?"

"Yes, here you go."

Her curiosity piqued, Erin opened the envelope and reached for the letter inside. "It's from Tom!"

"How nice! He must have sent it right before leaving."

Erin went to her room and began reading. As she did, she blushed deeply. Still blushing, she put the letter down.

"He's had a crush on me all along? And he never said anything?"

And why hadn't she noticed? Was she THAT oblivious? In hindsight, there had been quite a few clues.

But if she HAD known...THEN what? Would she have wanted him to be her boyfriend? Tom was nice and all, but...

For the first time since kindergarten, it dawned on Erin that she had a peculiar lack of interest in romance. She wasn't interested in Tom THAT way. She wasn't interested in ANYONE that way, and had never been. Well, surely some people valued friendship over romance...

...but did she value friendship? Tom had practically been her only friend in those last months of elementary school. Now he was gone, and she didn't care. She wasn't feeling lonely. She had no friend in the world, and she wasn't feeling lonely.

That realization sent a cold chill down her spine. Slowly, she headed back to the living room.

"...Mom?"

"Yes, hon?"

"Mom, am I...am I normal?"

This caused her mother to pause. "Normal? In what way, sweety? And what brought this on anyway?"

"I...I..." Erin hesitated, suddenly feeling really awkward. "...I have no friends. Tom was the last one I had, and now he's on the other side of the sea."

"Aw." Her mother hugged her. "Erin, you are a very bright girl. Brighter than anyone your age I know. You are also sweet, helpful, and as nice as it gets. I'm sure you can make as many friends as you want to. But as to your question...Erin, you are not, and never will be, normal. You are EXTRAORDINARY."

While this didn't really answer Erin's concerns, she decided not to push further.

Later that day, as she lay in her bed, Erin pondered the matter again. Was there anything wrong with her? She didn't think so...But, it was hardly an exact science now, was it?

"That's what they ought to invent," she whispered to herself before drifting to sleep, "a machine for figuring people out..."


=='''Erin and Astrology'''==

The two 11 year-old girls were making their way through the mall. One had medium-length blond hair and practical clothes; the other, a redhead, obviously invested far more in looking good (to the extent someone her age could master the concept).

"...was hoping Bobby would be in my class this year, but it looks like he went to a different school. A shame, since he's soooo cute."

"Uh-huh."

"Erin?"

"Huh? Uh, yes, Chloe?"

"Am I boring you? You never seem very interested when I talk about boys."

"I dunno, Chloe. I guess I don't really care that much about romance."

"Your loss, cousin.

Anyway, I'm telling you, this place is great. So many shops...It's almost like being in a big city!"

"I can't wait to see their bookstore. I've been looking for 'The Strange Case of Mrs. Hudson's Cat' everywhere!"

"...Right."

As the two cousins walked through between the stores, they passed near an aged woman, who looked like she had fallen on rather hard times. The poor lady was handing out papers.

Curious, Erin got closer. "What are these?"

"Horoscopes, dearie" the lady gave a pleading smile.

"Ooh!" Chloe seemed interested. "To tell the future?"

"Why yes. Just go by your astrological sign, and you'll read your fortune."

"Neat!" Chloe turned to Erin, but found her cousin to be far less enthusiastic.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Erin protested. "Come on. You know it can't work."

"Why not?"

"So, so many reasons. First, those things were designed based on constellations, and there's no way for the stars to affect our destinies in any meaningful way. Second, the constellations and astronomical signs were chosen randomly. Some Greek guy made them all up. Other cultures have completely different constellations and astrology. Third, your astrological sign is based on the position of the relevant constellation at the time of your birth - but due to the movements of the solar system in the last couple thousand years, those positions have shifted, so horoscopes the world over actually give you the wrong astrological sign to begin with. Fourth, if it worked, everybody who had the same astrological sign would have the same destiny, which obviously isn't happening. Fifth, if it worked, governments across the world would be incorporating it into how they did things. Sixth, even if you COULD see the future, just seeing it would change the way you acted, so making a prediction would automatically make it false anyway. It's all bunk."

The old woman's smile had mostly faded, and she seemed ready to go away, but Erin then proceeded to pull out her wallet, and hand her one pound. "Good luck. Have a good day."

"Bless you" said the woman, smiling, but slightly confused.

As the two girls walked away, Chloe voiced her own confusion. "Wait, if this astrology stuff pisses you off so much, why did you give her money anyway?"

"Just because she's using something dumb to make money, doesn't mean she didn't need help."

"Yeah, but...don't you think the whole reason she was selling horoscopes was so that she WOULDN'T have to beg?"

"You mean, so that she wouldn't feel like she was asking for something for free?"

"Yeah, that."

"Well, that's too bad. I'm willing to help. I'm not willing to pretend I believe in this bull."

"Even so. You didn't have to make such a big deal out of it. It doesn't hurt anyone if they believe in it."

"But it's stupid! And, and false!"

"Big deal. It's FUN, believing in weird stuff. If no-one gets hurt, why ruin it?"

Erin was now getting agitated. "It MATTERS! First, mistakes CAN hurt you. But even if they couldn't, the truth MATTERS. If you don't fight for the truth, it DIES."

"Oh geez. Don't be such a drama queen. It's not the end of the world if people want to make reality a bit less boring."

"But it's not boring!"

"Sure, if you're the biggest science nerd in England. "

"That doesn't...Oh, here's the bookstore!"


=='''Erin's Quarrel'''==

"Look, I'm concerned for you, OK? I've asked around, and Kenny always dumps his girlfriends as soon as he gets bored with them" said Erin.

Chloe, annoyed, dismissed her. "You're just jealous."

"Not even remotely. It's just that Kenny is the biggest asshole in school. It's like coming up with new ways to humiliate everybody is his hobby or something."

"Don't take it so seriously. So he loves pranks. Big freaking deal. Nobody's dead."

"That's hardly a significant standard for..."

"Oh, ZIP IT already!"

As Chloe angrily stormed off, Erin sighed. Why was it that people just ignored what they didn't want to see?

Oh well. Fights with Chloe happened from time to time.


A few days later, though, as Erin walked through the school grounds, she noticed a lot of snickers that seemed aimed at her - and even a rather puzzling "nice costume, girl!".

The explanation came in the form of printed pictures that she quickly discovered were being circulated all over school - more precisely, a picture from the costumed party that had been thrown for Chloe's birthday four years earlier. A picture showing Erin (poorly) disguised as R2-D2.

It was a rather furious Erin who marched toward Chloe, finding her with her boyfriend and glaring as she handed her one of the pictures.

"Should. I. Assume. You did this."

"Geez, Erin, go easy on the words."

"Unless you say anything to the contrary, I'm going to take that as a YES."

"You weren't kidding!" Kenny chuckled, "She really DOES sound like a talking dictionary!" Chloe gave what Erin thought was a really dumb-sounding giggle.

"The term you're looking for is 'thesaurus'. And WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! This is going to TRIPLE how much people tease me!"

"You weren't kidding either when you said she can't take a joke," said Kenny. "It's just a funny picture, kiddo. Live with it."

"I take it that YOU put her up to this."

"Hey, YOU badmouthed ME. Fair's fair."

"Go to hell," she replied before turning away and storming off.


The teasing at school got pretty bad for a while, but Erin could handle it. At times, not depending on people was a blessing. Really, she felt more upset about Chloe's actions than anything else. They'd gotten along reasonably well for all those years. Chloe wasn't, generally, a bad person. But with puberty kicking in, she'd suddenly gotten boy-crazy. Erin herself had started noticing boys a bit more, but Chloe seemed to be taking it to another order of magnitude - not to mention stupidity. It was as if she was willing to go to any length to get boys she liked to pay attention to her.

And then, predictably enough, Kenny broke up with her. Being somewhat disconnected from the rumor mill, Erin only learned it by overhearing a conversation between their respective parents, when Chloe's mother mentioned how she had been spending the days sulking in her room, depressed.


Chloe sat still on her bed. She wasn't crying anymore...The break-up, ugly and humiliating as it was, had been several days ago. She was still unable to do anything but mope around, though.

Being alone with her thoughts wasn't too pleasant. Now that she wasn't drowning all other thoughts with her inner "I've got a cute and cool boyfriend!" song, it as dawning on her that she had been an utter bitch these past few weeks. So many bridges burned...Several good friends who would never want to talk to her again. How could she be so stupid?!

There was a sudden knock on her window. Looking up, she saw a rather unusual sight: A two-feet-wide balloon, attached to a mechanism comprising two small propellers and a stick. The latter part was what was knocking.

Then she remembered the remote-controlled dirigible Erin had been talking about for months - one of her latest mechanical projects.

Bemused, she opened the window. The propellers activated, and the clunky contraption slowly entered her room before stopping.

As it did, she noticed a large envelope was taped to it. Curious, she opened it, finding inside three smaller envelopes, as well as a letter.

''Dear Chloe,
''I've heard about your depression. Now, I'm aware that in theory, I should be basking in schadenfreude or something, since you hurt me and all...but, screw that noise. I've given it a lot of thoughts over the last two days, and rationally, holding grudges makes no sense. So, I decided to forgive you, and I hope we can be friends again. And since I wasn't sure if it would be enough to pull you out of your funk, I've talked to some of your friends who were also upset, and convinced them to forgive you too - check the attached letters.
''Love, Erin.''


Of course, Erin had needed to be in the backyard to remote-control the dirigible. Minutes later, she was in Chloe's room, having a heartfelt talk with her.

"You...You're really not upset anymore?"

"I never said that. I'm just...letting go. It happened, and it hurt, but staying angry over it...It just wouldn't make any sense."

"You're forgiving me because you think it makes more SENSE?"

"Hey, I gotta be me."

"OK...but, seriously: A DIRIGIBLE?!" Chloe let out a relieved laugh.

"Well I needed to get your attention now, didn't I?"

They had a good laugh out of that, and of a few other things. For Chloe, it was an immense relief.

"God, I'm so...I'm sorry I acted so stupid."

"Everybody's stupid in some way, I think."

"So...I'm boy-stupid?"

"Something like that."

"Sigh...I don't suppose there's a cure."

"Sure there is. Just think about math class whenever you're around a boy you like."

"And thus, Erin Watson proves once again that the cure is worse than the disease."

"Don't make me poke you with my dirigible."



=='''Erin and the Crystal'''==

It was a bit late to be out, but Erin needed to return that library book. For a certain value of "needed", that is.

The library wasn't far from home...And yet, she managed to encounter something quite extraordinary on her way. Something that would change her life.

As she passed near a small alee, she noticed both light and loud sounds coming from it. Looking in, she went bug-eyed as she saw a scene straight out of a fantasy movie: A large, shifting mass of utter blackness, shrieking as it fought a young woman in a beautiful, elaborate green and blue dress.

The fight probably didn't last more than thirty seconds, but Erin lost notion of time as she watched the surrealistic scene. The dark entity, whatever it was, seemed to be repelling light somehow. The woman, by contrast, seemed to be fighting it with luminous blasts, while making incredible leaps that led Erin to wonder if she might actually be flying.

Finally, the woman pointed her finger at the entity, and, with a look of strong determination, shouted out: "It ends here, foulest of fiends! EVIL-SMITING SPIRAL!" As she did, a spiral of multicolored light burst from her finger and struck the creature, which shrieked even louder than before as it dissolved. The woman then rushed toward someone lying on the ground (whom Erin had failed to notice earlier, too transfixed by the battle). "Tommy? Are you alright?" She pleaded as she gently shook the person. The latter slowly got up, inquiring first about the woman's well-being, then about the "nihl", as he called it. She confirmed the first, and said the latter had been destroyed. Reassured, the two left.

Neither of them had noticed Erin, who, shell-shocked, remained motionless for another good minute, trying to process what she had just seen. Actually...Had she seen anything? Had she just imagined it? Was she going insane? It...warranted investigation, to the very least.
Searching the area, Erin noticed that none the attacks of the woman had seemed to damage the surroundings. It was practically as if no battle had taken place...Save for one thing: A black crystal, repelling the light around it like the creature earlier. In fact, it seemed to lie at approximately the spot where the creature had disintegrated - probably its only remains.

As she left the scene, Erin clutched the crystal. It was, after all, her only evidence that what she had witnessed had been real.


''Research journal, entry #43: I've begun experimenting on the crystal.''

''This thing is more than a little unusual. When I touch it, I can perceive some thoughts it seems to be having. How this works, I have no idea; the scientific implications are staggering.''

''I've looked up known types of crystals, but nothing matches this. I don't dare run tests to determine its chemical composition; if this thing can think by itself, as I suspect it can, then I might inadvertently kill it by doing so.''


''Research journal, entry #46: The crystal seems to be reacting to my own thoughts with its own. I think it's trying to calibrate something, in order to be able to communicate with me.''


And eventually, it did.

"So...what exactly ARE you?"

"The term is 'void crystal'. I exist to manipulate magical energies."

"Magical? But magic doesn't..." she remembered the scene that had led to her finding the crystal. "All right, we'll call it magic for convenience's sake. What is it, really?"

"I cannot give a meaningful answer to this question. I have very little knowledge not directly pertinent to my function."

"Ah. Well...what about your origins? Where you come from? Who or what created you? I remember you mentioning the name 'Shao' at some point..."

"Miscommunication."

"Ah. Then what about that girl in green and blue you were fighting?"

"Insufficient information. I was attacked without warning for reasons I am not aware of. It is clear, however, that she was using magic."

"Sigh...That doesn't give me many leads."

"You wish to know more about magic?"

"Well, yeah."

"That fits my purpose. I can teach you how to use magic yourself."

A yet-undiscovered field of scientific research. How could she refuse?


The Watsons's garage had de facto become Erin's lab years ago. That she was spending even more time there than usual did not particularly worry her parents at the time. If they had only known...

"Looks like I have fine control now," said Erin, observing how the beam generated by her laser pointer was curving around her finger. Manipulating space itself was proving to be her forté.

"That you do, but this remains only very basic magic," said the crystal. "Our research is progressing slowly."

"I know, I know" Erin sighed. "The stuff I can already do is very interesting, and I'm really grateful for your lessons, but I just can't seem to do any of the advanced stuff."

"You are not magical by nature. It may be impossible for you as is."

"As is?"

"It ought to be possible to change that."

"Please explain."

"There exists a procedure for void crystals to fully empower humans with magic."

"Isn't that what you've been doing for the last two months?"

"No. I've only allowed you to channel some of the energies I create. The operation I speak of would fully empower you, giving you abilities as advanced as my own."

"Whoa. Any reasons NOT to do it?"

"The process requires a lot of energy on my part. I will need a few days to recuperate."

"Oh. Is that...a problem?"

"You are a good student. I believe it is worth the effort."


And so, they prepared the operation. As the void crystal explained, it involved creating a direct mental link between their minds, which would allow it to unlock her own abilities.

Finally, they were ready, and began the ritual. Erin could feel the mental link forming, and the thoughts of the void crystal becoming clearer and clearer.

Then, suddenly, something began to feel really wrong. Hate. Suffering. Despair. And this horrible, horrible world all around her that had to be DESTROYED at all costs!

Which...didn't really feel like her.

"What...what's going on?"

"Oh, that is simply void crystal possession kicking in."

"Wait, possession?"

"Why yes, you foolish, foolish girl." Foolish. Worthless. Those thoughts assaulted her mind. "A full mental link means I can override your thoughts with my own. Really, I have been quite lucky - not only did that brightly-colored imbecile fail to realize she had to destroy the crystal to truly destroy me, 
I was found almost immediately by an easy-to-manipulate host! Well, you may take solace in knowing that, for once in your wretched life, you've actually accomplished anything worthwhile!"

That last part felt like it was making far more sense than it normally would. "You're...being...more colorful than usual..."

"Oh yes. I've felt it would be better to display no personality while manipulating you. No need for that now, of course."

"You were...lying to me all along? How much was true?"

"Only what I had no reason to lie about. Not that it matters. All that you need to know now is the following:

The universe is a blight."

It was. Such a horrible thing. It filled her with disgust.

"Oblivion is the only true path."

Very true. It would be so much better, with this horrible, awful universe gone.

"Reality must be destroyed."

Yes. Burn it to the ground! Unmake every atom! Erase space and time!

"The Nihls must triumph."

The Nihls. Beings of non-being. The inevitable destroyers of reality. She would smash the world for them.

"There is nothing but the Nihls' quest for oblivion."

Nothing else mattered. It was all she existed for. Yes...

No. Those thoughts weren't natural. "That's...That's just mind-control. You're making me think those things."

"Doesn't make them any less true."

Of course. The crystal was right...

NO! The crystal was WRONG! "This is all lies! All of it! Truth is based on reason, on facts and deduction, not on...on FORCING someone to think something!"

"Poor, poor deluded human. There IS no truth. Only oblivion."

"Now you're not even making any sense! If there's no truth - and there IS - then what YOU'RE saying isn't true either!"

"Shush, human child. That's enough from you. Accept your new goal - your only goal - as my host in the war against existence.

Yes. NO! "Get bent! The universe DESERVES to exist!"

"It most certainly doesn't. It deserves to be erased, leaving only glorious void for the Nihls."

"Bullshit! This universe...It's...It's...Magnificent!" Breathing deeply, she went on, trying to summon every bit of mental and emotional strength at her disposal as she struggled to remember all that made the world worthy of existing. "You don't understand, you stupid little piece of rock! You just fail to see the beauty of it all! How such simple physical rules can form the fractal of reality! How everything, through every order and scale, fits together! How it all connects! How it all makes perfect sense!"

"Futilities! All of it is abhorrent!"

"All of it is FREAKING AWESOME! You see...You take the world. Then, you start doing things. And other things happen as a result, and at first, you don't know why.

Then you come up with an idea that could explain why. But you don't know if it's true yet. But if it's true...then it would imply that other things should happen. So you run tests. And your idea was right...those other things WILL happen. Because that's how the universe works: By being consistent. By making perfect sense."

"Rubbish, all of it! It doesn't matter if it all fits together - none of it should exist in the first place!"

"And then," she ignored the interruption, "once you have an idea of how things are...You can start figuring out how to use those rules in your favor. That's how you create technology out of science. And again, it works. Because that's how reality rolls."

"You think that impresses me, imbecile?!"

"It impresses ME. And I've barely started."


Indeed, she barely had. The mental tug-of-war last for quite a long time, as the void crystal kept trying to force the Nihls' ideology onto her mind, and she kept countering by poking holes at its logic, and reassuring herself that if the crystal's ideas made no sense, they couldn't possibly be true.

The crystal tried to force her to betray all she stood for. She explained how trust made logical sense, and kept society working. It pushed her to destroy the world. She went on a long tirade about the worth of human life; she praised happiness for the sake of happiness; she called the crystal's campaign against both nonsensical. The crystal would make her hate the world. She would make herself love it again by remembering all the bits that she had previously found so wondrous.

And it worked. She believed - to the very bottom of her soul - in the primacy of logic and reason. And she clung to that as she resisted the crystal's mind-control, countering every attack with hearty arguments in favor of the world. It got easier and easier - in fact, she could distinctly feel the crystal weakening.

"You are...such an idiot" the crystal pressed on. "You think your puny reason and science triumph over all? What makes you think the world makes sense in the first place?! What makes you think it's not all random?!"

"Nothing."

"Nothing at all! Wait. What?"

"I do NOT, in fact, know that the universe makes sense. I just choose to work on that assumption."

"Wha...but..."

"Again, this is only logical. If the world makes sense, then we must treat it as if it makes sense. If it does not, then there is no meaning to anything we do or think at all. Under the assumption that it makes no sense, there is no point in anything...So, pragmatically, one must assume that logic does, indeed, reign supreme."

"But you don't know that! And since you don't..."

"Your mind-control has gotten a lot weaker. You're relying more and more on arguments."

"I..."

"And all of those arguments - every single one - requires logic and reason in order to work AT ALL."

"..."

"Schroedinger's cat got your tongue?"

"Shut up! I am a void crystal! I serve the Nihls' campaign of oblivion! Your words are meaningless to me!"

"So, destroying the world is the meaning of your life?"

"YES! And..."

"But you keep insisting that there's NO meaning to anything. No purpose."

"But..."

"Don't you see the contradiction? You seek purpose in the very destruction of all purpose!"

"I seek nothingness!"

"For no good reason! You're not serving nothingness - you're just doing all you do for NOTHING! None of what you say has any worth or substance whatsoever! Even when you say you want to destroy the world, you're still operating under the basic rules of cause and effect!

So come on! I DARE you to say something, ANYTHING, that doesn't require reason in order to work!"

"I...I am...I am..."

There was a crash. For the first time since the battle had begun, Erin noticed she had been surrounded by utter darkness - which was suddenly receding as the void crystal shattered into thousands of pieces and evaporated before her very eyes.

Erin caught her breath and looked around. She was still in her lab...the garage that is. Slowly, she walked through the door and into the living room.

"Hey sweetie."

She looked at her parents. Everything seemed normal.

"Sweetie? Are you all right?"

She paused for a moment. "Yeah. Everything is all right. Everything is all right."


=='''Erin Watson, The Soul Of Science'''==

Three months had passed since Erin's battle with the void crystal. She reflected upon it for the thousandth time as she made her way to Chloe's house.

The first couple of days after the fight had been filled with worries. She had seen the crystal destroyed, but was it really the end of it? What if she went to sleep one day, and woke up the next as a nihilistic monster?

Those worries quickly gave way to wonder, however: The powers of the crystal had not been lost. They were now hers, and far superior to the little parlor tricks she had been taught previously. Exploring and analyzing them had been the most amazing experience of her life so far. Matter creation! Spatial manipulation! Pocket dimensions! She had created an extra-dimensional castle from scratch, and designed her own magitech, for crying out loud! She was making those incredible scientific breakthroughs, and creating an entirely new branch of technology! This was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Buuuuut...That months-long high had been slowly giving way to practical concerns. The crystal had revealed the existence of the "Nihls" - and while Erin's information was far from complete, she knew enough to understand the Nihls were a threat to the universe at large. The mind boggled at the concept. She'd been trying to come up with offensive and defensive forms of magic, but that wasn't enough. Witht he world at stake, surely she shouldn't be taking all of it on her shoulders? Shouldn't large organizations be devoted to this? Armies, governments...Perhaps she ought to go directly to Parliament and give a demonstration...

"Fire!"

...Or perhaps she could just now notice the burning house three blocks away from her.

There was already a large crowd gathered in front of it, and at least two people had cell phones, so she figured the firemen must already be on the way...But she heard no sirens, so it could take a few minutes. There could be people inside...And she had her Genesis Pen on her...

A dark alee was all she needed. "To make sense of it all: The Scion of Science!" A lightshow later, and she was ready. Warping space to get past the crowd, waving her pen to generate tons of water, cuttig a path through the flames...It was almost easy. Soon enough, she found a group of people trapped inside the house. Some water, some space twisting, and they were out. The crowd seemed wowed.

Then one of them took a step forward. "Who the heck are YOU, lady?"

"Er...Soul. The Soul of Reason!" She replied hastily with the first thing that came to mind, then, in a slight panic, teleported away to Castle Nexus.

Minutes later, as Erin Watson, magical girl, reached her cousin's home...She was vaguely aware that things would be very different for her from now on.

=='''A Moonlit Night in Birmingham'''==

It was a strange night under the full moon in Birmingham. That is to say, it was a strange night for two people in Birmingham. I don't mean to imply that every single inhabitant of Birmingham was finding themselves in bizarre circumstances. Most people were sleeping peacefully in their beds, and even those that were awake were not aware of the strange scene being played out in a dark and quiet alley. Of course, it is only strange in a relative sense. It was not necessarily unusual or strange for the beast itself to be attacking someone. It was probably quite natural and matter of course for the monster to attack people with little to no provocation. On the other hand, it was certainly strange, unusual, and atypical for Mary Kirk to be assaulted by an inhuman monster on her way home, but then Mary was a very typical, normal, and ordinary girl.

The astute observer might have noticed that I said it was a strange night for two people, but have only indicated the presence of two beings, the monster and Mary, and might be wondering if I intend to grant the monster the status of "person". Sadly, I'm not quite that charitable; perhaps I'd been a more decent chap if I could find the empathy to attribute human status to such a being, but usually the most I can do with a monster is to hit it until it turns into dust. Forgive me if that makes me seem uncouth; I assure you that in my day to day affairs I'm much more gentle.

Anyway, we're on a bit of a tangent here, so let's refocus. We have the alley, with Mary backed up against the wall and looking quite afraid, and the monster approaching at a leisurely pace, apparently savoring her fear and in no hurry to make this quick. To satisfy the earlier quota of 2 people having an oddball night, I suppose I had better mention that I was there. Of course, I wasn't exactly in my normal attire. You see, it was a strange night for me, but it was a strangeness that's novelty was beginning to decay a bit. Oh, alright, I won't pretend that I'm at ease with the idea or actuality of running around cities at night dressed up like the Great Gatsby fighting monsters with a walking stick, but I was beginning to adjust to the concept. A bit.

The observer might also note that I have a tendency to try to be funny or witty. I beg the observer's forgiveness, as it seems to be a habit I can't quite shake.

Alright, I'll stop neglecting the narrative. Mary was up against one wall, backed up and desperately looking for a way out. I knew Mary from school; she was a nice enough girl, certainly amiable enough. The monster was approaching her; like most of the things I fought during my night ventures in Birmingham, it was a confusing creature. In general form it seemed to resemble a greyhound, but there was quite a bit off with it. The skin was loose, saggy, and yellowish in color; instead of a snout it had a beak made of some bony material that looked slick and slimy. The throat was adorned with a beard of hanging tendrils that twisted and writhed, glistening with the same slime that marked the beak. Instead of paws, it seemed to have fleshy pads that slapped as it moved along the ground. All and all, it was quite repulsive and ghastly.

In comparison, Mary was quite lovely. Dirty blond hair, vivid blue eyes... I suppose the audience will forgive me if this seems a bit lecherous to mention, but the girl had a wonderful figure. Such a slim waist. I have to admit, I was a bit jealous of my friend Nick, whom Mary was sweet on. Still am, come to think of it, but the audience is probably tired of this line of thought, so I'll just get on with it.

Now, most people's response to seeing a pretty girl threatened by some kind of aberrant horror would probably be between paralyzed with fear and running to get the police. Maybe a few would pick a bat or a rake or something and tried to fend the thing off, so really, my response of jumping right in between Mary and the thing isn't that odd, is it?

I'll admit that my attire might have added an element of surreality to me that might cause one to question my sanity. If the monster was a thing out of a nightmare, then I was... well, I was the product of a different kind of altered state of mind, which I will allude to only out of a motive of politeness. My point is, despite my dress, I was only doing what any decent fellow would have done. What kind of person wouldn't try to protect a someone in danger, especially someone as endearing as Mary?

The astute observer might counter that I doth protest too much, and that I'm attempting to make myself seem humble to heighten the heroism of my action. To counter, I'll neatly dodge the question and just continue telling my story.

So, I'd had the good fortune to arrive on the scene just as the thing was coming at Mary. It was giving off a sort of low hooting as it came on, head low and feet smacking against the pavement. Alice was against the wall, probably doubting her sanity. I was standing in between the two, cane in one hand, hat in the other, tensed and waiting.

People familiar with me and my capabilities as in my suit wearing iteration might be surprised when I say I lashed out at the thing with my cane as it came close. They might ask why I didn't use the sword sheathed inside the cane to cut the thing apart, to which I make this reply: Why does everyone seem to think that the sword part is the only dangerous bit of the stick? Have you lifted this thing? It's surprisingly heavy, and that knob that forms the sword hilt is solid metal. Add my augmented strength in my spiffed up guise, and I'm quite easily just as dangerous hitting people with the stick as I am cutting them with the sword.

Sorry, that's a pet peeve of mine. I mean, I've been given this power for a reason, right? I honestly can't say why me in particular, or for what reason. It's just, whenever someone needs someone else to look out for them, someone to watch their back, help them up, and hey, if needed, save them, I like to be that guy. And now, whenever I feel like some thing precious to me is in danger, or someone needs me to protect them, I end up in spats and a three piece suit with the power to protect that which I hold dear. And not only the power, but the knowledge and the skills necessary to use that power. I may not know how to throw a punch in my normal form, but whenever I'm putting on the Ritz, I just know. So, really, I don't think I can get much better taking pointers from someone else, particularly an audience without any experience in these matters.

That clear? Good. Anyway, I hit the thing with my cane. It was a pretty good hit, in my estimation at least, and the thing kind of tripped up, crashed into the ground, and immediately began to turn to dust.

If you're thinking that that was a bit anti-climatic, then yeah, I'd agree. I was a bit perplexed myself. Most of the time, the things were tougher than that. I'd fought monsters before, and while most seemed to buy the farm after 2 or 3 good hits, I'd never one hit KO'ed one before.

I'll freely admit that my pride was a bit stoked at my evident prowess, and I turned to the still freaking out Mary in a rather cheeky mood. I forget what I said exactly, and whatever it was it wasn't that clever anyway, but I had no sooner finished than I felt a sharp pain in my back. A glance over my right shoulder yielded a most disconcerting sight. Two long, barbed hooks of slime covered bone were lodged in my left shoulder. They were connected to two taut ropes of bunched muscle, twitching sinew, and red flesh that led into a corner of darkness I hadn't seen before. Two great big yellow eyes were glowing, set at about a height of 6 feet.

The audience should be able to appreciate and understand the fact that I was more than bit frightened to find myself caught off guard. Before I could react, the muscles in the flesh ropes flexed, tearing me off my feet and jerking me back into the darkness.

The thing, whatever it was, was huge. The eyes were apparently set in the chest, as its overall height was easily a story tall. It had multiple sets of arms, most ending in pincers or pointed stingers. The largest set of limbs was a pair of great scythe bladed talons. It's exterior was like the hardened carapace or exoskeleton of an insect, segmented in many places. Its head, set low in the chest, was a knobby protrusion of unarmored flesh with practically no neck. A massive beard of twisting feelers hung from the chin, slapping against my face as the pincers held me in vice like grip.

So, yeah, I was more than a little freaked out. The scything talons tensed for what I instinctively knew was a decapitating strike and I finally pulled myself together. I managed to get my foot up and give the thing a solid enough kick that I could wrench myself free of the pincers.  I'd lost my hat in the abrupt flight to the creature's waiting grapsers, but had managed to keep my cane. The scythe limbs swept downward, the bony edges of the blades whipping up a wind that rustled my hair as they missed my scalp by inches. I drew my sword and stabbed for the thing's head.

Now, the audience might ask why I wasn't trying to get out of the reach of the thing's scythe talons or why I was still fighting it. In the first place, I'm a better fighter up close than I am far away. In the second, If I backed up it would just hook me again and drag me back to it. In the third, if I backed off, it might have gone after Mary. The power that I've been given seems to have made me strangely resistant to harm, but those hooks could have seriously injured a normal person, and the rest of that thing's arsenal would tear them to pieces.

Now, you might not believe me, but that last reason was the only real important one. Even if I could have gained a significant advantage by backing off, I could never do so if it exposed someone to harm like that. I'm being serious here. I wasn't given these powers so that I could save my own hide. I was given them so that I could stand unwavering in the defense of others. That's honestly what I think, and that's how I'm going to play it from here till the day I fall.

So I stood there and tried to give as good as I got. I won't bore you with all the details of the fight; I think it went on for a minute or two before I finally got the better of the thing.

With a sweep of my sword, I severed both of its fighting talons. It actually let out a strange hoot similar to the first creature - maybe they were related, somehow? - and then I drove my sword through the soft head and into the thing's body. It gave up the ghost and turned to dust as I staggered out of the alley and looked for my hat.

Mary was still there, which honestly surprised me. I wasn't worried about her recognizing me; no one seems to when I'm transformed. I remember her thanking me profusely, and my replying with the same old "it was nothing" responses that are so typical of such a scene. I told her to get on home and be careful from now on, and she finally left after hugging me, actually. I followed her a bit, just to make sure she got home safe, and then turned back towards my own home. A quite swipe of my handy dandy magic handkerchief, and the worst and most obvious of the injuries were gone. Just a couple bruises left, and easy enough to explain away as the result of messing around with the guys.

So yeah, that's a night in the life of Simon Hunt. It's not the best way to live.

Well, I've got to admit, it's getting better.

=='''He Had A Hat'''==

This one is pretty much just me gobbing about my normal life, so if that sounds dull to you, you can get out now.
 
If you asked me how I viewed my life, or at least how I understood it, I'd probably respond with a little story like this:
 
Now, I don't know if this actually a story or a joke I once heard somewhere, but here goes. A woman and her son go to the beach on a sunny day. The boy is playing in the waves when a big wave sweeps him out to sea. His mother gets down and prays to God, saying, "Lord, please return my son to me." Lo and behold, another wave brings the boy back to the shore, safe and sound. The woman goes to her son, looks him over, looks up to heaven and says, "He had a hat!"
 
You might be wondering what I mean exactly by trying to relate this story to my out look on life. Well, like the woman in the story, I manage to find something to complain about despite being miraculously favored and compensated.
 
You're probably thinking right now that the story relates to the point only tangentially, sounds rather forced, and all and all is more an attempt to work in a cheap joke rather than a meaningful example to help you understand my position.
 
To that, I'll say that you're a rather perceptive lot. Where did the dumb audience go?
 
When you get right down to it, I don't have that much to complain about, and I have a lot to be thankful for, and yet I still manage to feel unsatisfied with the way things are. I know it makes me sound like a spoiled brat, but that's honestly how I feel. Am I supposed to lie about that sort of stuff? I endeavor to keep the complaining under wraps, and to not try to bother other people with it too much, but it still kind of bugs me.
 
I'm about as fortunate as the come, when you look at it. My parents are both very successful. I don't lack for much, and have quite a number of natural gifts that I did jack all to deserve. There's very little I can honestly find wanting.
 
And yet there is a quiet about the dinner table that I have never quite gotten used to.
 
My parents, you see, are very rational and logical people. Dad is an industrialist, mother is in politics. They are both very good at what they do. Good at talking to people. Good at working things out. Good at compromise. 
 
You see, my parents were once very much in love. I believe that completely. Heck, I know it. I can remember a time, when I was young, when there was genuine warmth between them.
 
But something changed. I don't know what; but it happened. Both of them just kind of drifted away from one another. They just got caught up in other things. They had to pick between the demands of life and each other, and they did something I don't think will ever quite sit right with me. They compromised. They compromised until they'd given everything away, until they had no right to claim each other.
 
Now, maybe I'm being irrational about this. Maybe the fact that they could compromise, that they could and would and did sacrifice their connection, their relationship, for other things, maybe that proves that their bond wasn't as strong or true as I like to pretend.
 
It wasn't violent. There was no anger, no sense of betrayal, no pain, really. I guess that might be unusual in of itself, but that's how it went down. The two managed to work something out. They're still married, technically. They stayed together "for the kids," I believe. 
 
Sometimes, I wish they had gotten mad. I wish they had thrown things and yelled and made a fuss. I wish they'd acted like it mattered, like they cared.

Yeah, I know. Compared to some people, that's nothing. I know that in the big scheme of things, it's nothing.

But it still bugs me.

=='''Nevermind'''==

Simon and Nick were walking home, laughing all the way.

"So, tell me one more time." Nick wiped at his eyes.

"Alright, alright." Simon tried to stop laughing to catch his breath, attempting to adopt a straight face. He kept breaking into snickering, though, and Nick got impatient.

"Come on, then. I really only got half of it the first time because you kept cracking up. I want all the details. This is something I'm going to remember forever."

"Right. I won't crack up this time. So, we're at James place. He's dipped into his dad's alcohol stash just a bit too much, and he's lying on the couch. It was me, Jack, and... Thomas, I think."

"Yeah, it was Thomas. Go on."

"Alright. So James is drunk, and Jack tries to get him worked up. He gets James talking about his old girl friends. Now, little does he know, Evie, Jack's girl, has invited Mary over. Now, Mary's new in town, so she doesn't know about James."

"But James had asked her out."

"Right, he had, and it had apparently gone fairly smooth. I have no idea how she'd got along with him for so long without hearing something about it, but there you go."

"Go on."

"So Mary comes in, and James is on the couch, saying things about what Jasmine had done to him and he had done to her and what all."

"Right, she comes in, and then she..."

"She walks right up to him and demands to know what the hell he thinks he's doing. He slurs back something about having a good time."

"And then she clocks him."

"Clean across the face. James sits up and starts blubbering while she storms out. The look on his face..." Simon lost his composure remembering. "Let me tell you, seeing that sod put in his place, that made my day..."

The conversation drifted to a stop while Simon and Nick walked a bit further.

"Hey, Simon?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I've got a shot with Mary?"

Simon looked at his friend. Nick filled the silence with his rational.

"I mean, she's obviously not with James anymore, and she's a really nice girl. I figure, why not, you know?"

Simon had been keeping quiet because he had kinda wanted to go after Mary too. She was an awfully nice girl. Personally, Simon had been rather impressed that she'd been willing to put James in his place.

"I don't know, Nick. You see..."

"Yeah?"

"You know what? Nevermind. Go for it." Simon slapped his friend on the back. "If she doesn't fall head over heels for you right away, she's probably not good enough for you, anyway."

Nick snorted. "I'll be happy enough if she talks to me."

______________

A few months later, Simon, Nick, and Mary were walking home, laughing all the way.

"I can't believe she said that." Simon wiped at his chin; he'd been laughing so hard he'd begun to drool a bit.

"I wonder if it's true." Nick threw a backward glance at the house they'd just left.

"With James, who can tell?" Mary smiled at Nick. Nick smiled back.

Simon watched as Nick and Mary naturally moved a bit closer to one another as they walked home. He'd been watching them for a long time now. First, with a bit of jealousy. Yes, jealousy. He watched Nick and Mary slowly become comfortable with one another. Then, as Nick and Mary really hit it off, as it became obvious that they were good for each other, he gradually became happy for them. And now? Now he envied them. Not their specific situation. He didn't envy Nick for having Mary. He envied Nick for having someone.
 
They came to Mary's door, and Nick held her close as they kissed goodbye. A sudden thought occurred to Simon as Nick rejoined him.

"Hey, Nick, this is like that one time..."

"What?"

"You know, that one night, the day that Mary hit James, and we were walking home..."

Simon stopped. Nick as looking at him funny.

"I don't remember that."

"You... don't?"

"Nah. I don't."

Simon was quiet for a bit. "Oh. Alright then. Nevermind."

=='''Wish You Were Here'''==

Simon knew he shouldn't. He'd promised, after all. But he just couldn't help himself. He'd picked up the phone and was dialing before the guilt even really hit him.
 
Simon listened to the phone ring. She'd probably angry, or at least annoyed. She might not even answer the phone.
 
Simon heard the phone pick up on the other end, and then a sigh.
 
"You promised you'd wait."
 
"I know."
 
"I've been gone all of three hours."
 
"I know. How are you doing?"
 
"I'm fine."
 
"How's Paris?"
 
She paused for a second. "It's nice. Simon, you're-"
 
"Being really clingy, I know."
 
She sighed. "And shamelessly, as usual."
 
"I'm just worried about you."
 
"I know, Simon."
 
"Look, I'm sorry I bothered you."
 
"It's alright. Goodbye, Simon."
 
"Hey, sis?"
 
"Yeah?"
 
"Wish you were here, sis."
 
She hung up. Simon set the phone down and sat back in his chair. ''Am I really that bad? I just...''
Simon looked over at his father, sitting at the living room desk. ''It's supposed to be one of the worst things that can happen to a couple. And they don't care. They just accept it and move on. They never tried to prevent it or fix it or anything. It's like they don't miss it at all.
 
If they could lose that, why couldn't they lose their love for us? Their love for her? Couldn't they just wake up one day, realize that they don't give a damn about their own children, and just accept it?
 
Well, I'm never going to be like that. That's why I bother you so much, sis. Because I love you. And you need to know that. And I'm going to try to make sure nobody ever hurts you. Because what our parents have done... what our parents could do, that's worse than you ever deserve.
'' 
''So, please, sis, tolerate me.'' 
 
Simon's father cleared his throat. "You shouldn't pester your sister so much. She's not that little anymore."
 
"I know, dad."
 
Simon got up. "I'm going to step out for a bit of fresh air."
 
His father looked up from his work. "A bit late for a walk."
 
"Don't worry, I'll be careful." ''I think it's a lovely evening to put on the ritz..''


=='''A Warrior Named Phillipi'''==

The sound of swords clashed in the training field as the young Spartan warriors sparred with each other.  All of the trainers eyes were on a certain match..  Parathias was a solid fighter but it was the new recruit who was getting all of the attention.  This recruit was named Phillipi.  He had excelled in his Krypteia and killed many helots.  He was a rising star.

''Clang, clang!'' The sound of the swords became more violent as Parathias and Phillipi faced off.  Phillipi was calm as Parathias lunged in with a clumsy move.

''This fool thinks he can win?'', Phillipi thought this as he parried the blow easily.  Phillipi continued to force the sword downwards.  He looked into Parathias' eyes and then, with his opponent's sword trapped, hit him with a devastating backhand.  Parathias stumbled backwards and dropped his sword.  Phillipi gave no respite as he dashed forward with uncanny speed and struck his target with the hilt of his sword right in the gut.  Parathias doubled over on his knees, the ability to breathe escaped him for a moment.  

"Stop!"  The command came as Phillipt's sword was a mere wisp away from Parathias' throat.  The trainer was not going to let Parathias die today.  His father was an ephor and he had earned the right to die in glorious battle. Not to mention the political power his father wielded. Phillipi though, his skills were almost god-like. It was like watching Hercules himself!  

"Against me, you will always die." Phillipi said flatly as he extended his hand to the man.  Parathias brushed aside his hand and stood with his own power.

"We will see about that!", said Parathias, "Do not be overconfident."

It was true though.  At the age of eighteen, Phillipi was better than soldiers who have served for years.  Parathias would never stand a chance but his Spartan pride would not let him submit.  Phillipi needed a challenge.  Killing helots was easy sport to him.  He did not want easy, he wanted to fight to the death.  The sound of the trainer's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Phillipi!  Come with me son.  Parathias, go get some rest.  It was a good match boys.  You both are fine Spartans"

"Yes sir!" The two responded at the same time. Phillipi looked at pathetic Parathias as he walked towards the trainer.

''Fine Spartan indeed.  By the blood of Hercules, you hardly make a good sparing partner.  You'll be dead soon enough.'' He didn't even think about what the trainer could want with him as the left the field.

=='''Tamaa'''==
''Africa''
''A long time ago''

What was left of my tribe huddled together at the base of the cliffs. The sun was falling low in the sky, and when the daylight faded, doom would arrive. The monsters always attacked at night – our warriors had fought bravely, but they were no match for these creatures. Now, we had no warriors left – women and young boys and old men carried spears, but they stood even less chance. If they wanted too, the monsters could have taken us all at once, but they didn’t. Instead, they took a few of us every night – it seemed as though the fear and despair those remaining felt.

I hated seeing everyone feel that way. I had to do something. I jumped onto a rock and spoke to the rest of the tribe.

“Everyone, we traveled many nights to reach this place, didn’t we? They say the spirits live here! Surely, they will protect us!”

But the rest of the tribe no longer believed the spirits would save them. They simply waited for the night to fall, and the monsters to come again, and take more of us. Mother dragged me away from the rock, to my screams of protest. Well, if nobody else was going to try to contact the spirits, then it was up to me. I closed my eyes, and began my prayer.

When I opened them again, I was looking straight at a cave that I hadn’t seen before. I remember the elders telling the children that we should avoid strange caves, for they may be gates to the spirit world. But wasn’t that exactly what I needed, now? I started into the cave.

As I walked deeper in, an odd feeling came over me – it was as if the fear and sorrow I had felt since the monsters first came were being gently lifted away from me. I saw strange shapes on the walls, and odd lights sparkled like stars around me, eventually cascading into the shape of a man.

“Who are you, child? Why are you here?” I should have been afraid – the elders say that the spirits can do terrible things if angered. Maybe I was just so desperate to save my tribe that it didn’t matter to me.

“My name is Nika. I beg of you, spirit, please save my tribe! The monsters will come again at nightfall, and the whole tribe has lost hope that they will be saved.”

“Not the whole tribe, Nika. You have not lost hope. What strength you have, child.”

“So you will save my tribe?”

“No, Nika. You are the one who shall save them.” The strange shapes on the walls began to glow, and then, one after another, I understood what they meant, and how to make them. “Nika, I bestow upon you the title of Tamaa, Hope. With that power, you shall save your tribe, and others.”

Suddenly, I found myself outside, with my tribe again. The last rays of sunlight were fading, and my tribe huddled in terror as the monsters’ shadowy shapes became visible.

But they would take no more of my people.

I traced a pattern in the air, and a circle of glowing light appeared around the tribe. Once again, I leaped onto the rock I had stood on before.

“Do not despair!” I cried, light glowing from my body, forcing the monsters to back away. “The Spirit of Creation has answered! I promise, these creatures will take no more of us!”

I traced a different symbol in the air, and the monsters froze where they were standing. Yet another, and they were consumed by that brilliant light.

''Thank you, Spirit of Creation,'' I prayed silently. ''From now on, I, and my descendants, will walk in places where there is no hope, and the people are defenseless. And in those places, with your aid, I will protect the people who are helpless, and light once again the flame of hope. My name is Tamaa-Nika, and this I swear.''