“Of course you can’t,” she says, scoffing.

  “Who I like are individuals that are willing to do what needs to be done,” he says. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s who I’m teaching, some of them just happen to be a little short at the moment.”

  Her jaw drops slightly before she closes it and smiles. “That is probably the best explanation I’ve ever heard,” she compliments him.

  ***

  “Ginger Hanks?” a black suit says as the scientist walks into the back part of the building. She’s clutching the little card that Nico gave her like a lifeline. The chance of a norm getting into this part of the building is nearly zero unless they’re a black suit. She feels both overwhelmed and highly privileged to be allowed.

  “Um, yes, yes, I’m Ginger Hanks,” she says, fumbling with her purse. “I can show you my license and my resume—”

  “Technico said you’d be coming, ma’am,” the black suit says with a tiny smile. “You’re holding the badge he gave you, correct?”

  “Um, yes, but—”

  “Can you press your thumb to the small shiny spot, please?” he says.

  “Oh, um, on the card?” she says, looking at the card a bit blankly. “Like this?” She presses her thumb to it and a tiny hologram of her appears. “Oh, wow. I didn’t realize it could do that.”

  “Yes, ma’am, just like that,” he says. “If you would follow me, I’ll take you to the ‘Overlord Room,’ as Technico’s dubbed it.”

  “Would it do that for anyone?” she asks, still examining the card as she follows him down the hall.

  “No, ma’am, it only does that to the person it’s programmed for. We all have one like that, now. My kids love it.”

  “So I can show my twins?” she asks. “They’d love it, as well.”

  “Absolutely, but we suggest keeping it to your closest relatives. There are people that might try to copy the technology.”

  “Could they?”

  “It takes a genius to create, but only a really cunning man to replicate,” he says with a shrug. “At least that’s what Technico tells us on a regular basis. There are a few geniuses out there, but there are millions of cunning ones.”

  “True,” she says. “So when do I start?”

  “You’re getting paid to come in three times a week, correct?” he asks.

  “Yes, I am. I offered to do it for free—they’ve done so much to help me. I’ve even gotten a new job, thanks to the Hall,” she says. “I mean, I thought it was more than enough when they saved both me and my children.”

  “They tend to do things up big,” the black suit agrees. “But you being here is important—we have several scientists, but none of them have the experience with cape genetics like you do. I was informed that you were given access to all of the data from the failed experiments, as well, correct?”

  “Yes, I was. I’ve spent the past few weeks looking them over,” she says.

  “Then you should understand what Star Born is doing.” He steps into a large room with monitors covering the walls. They all show a woman in a black uniform lounging on a bed with a magazine in her hands. The black suit walks over to the control monitor, pressing a button next to a mic. “Star Born, your overseer is here. You’ll have one hour access to the chemicals. I suggest you make good use of it.”

  There’s a surprised expression on Star Born’s face, which turns into a slight smile as she gets to her feet. “Duly noted,” she says as she walks over to the laser wall that blocks her from her chemistry set. It comes down and the set slides out in front of her, complete with a sink and eyewash setup. “I’m to find out how to give a failed multi-form shifter back all of his forms, correct?”

  “Exactly,” the black suit says.

  “And where is Technico? I’m just curious, of course,” she says as she starts sorting out the chemicals on the shelves.

  “I’ve been told that he’s doing an interview at the moment, but I’m sure he’ll be checking in, soon.”

  “Then I had best hurry,” Star Born says.

  “She’s all yours,” the black suit says as he steps back from the mic and turns to Ginger. “Your seat.”

  She sits down in the seat he holds out, her eyes glued to the monitors. She’s going to do her best, she promises herself. It’s the least she can do to repay their kindness.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “So this is your school, mm?” Cheval says as we reach the campus. “Well, let’s go on in, then—”

  “You can’t do that,” I say quickly, looking around, and then up. “Hey, Zoe! Hi!” I call, waving to her. She’s sitting on the roof of the building across the street with a pair of headphones on. She tugs them off and stands up, jumping down with a light movement. “Did you hear the good news?” I ask.

  “I did!” she says. “I’m so happy for you, Lance! I told your siblings—I hope you don’t mind. Oh, and Jack dragged Sandra into the apartments again. I think he was threatening to eat her gingerbread man, or something.”

  “That’s fine,” I say. “She’s doing better with them than she does with us, anyway.”

  “So… you won’t mind if she gets adopted?” she asks.

  I give her a smile. “I’d be happy. She’ll be an AMAZING Liberty.”

  “Sandra is that rock mimic girl, right?” Cheval says with a slight frown on her face. I wonder what’s wrong. “She’s probably from the Avalanche line.”

  “Um… well…” Zoe says, looking nervous.

  “That means she would be Diamond Dust’s girl,” Cheval says. She’s not asking. “I watched Dusty grow up. Has she said anything about someone adopting her daughter?”

  “She’s—” Zoe says, looking over and stopping. I turn, seeing Sandra, who’s standing right outside the apartments with a confused expression on her face. “She… talked with Ken.”

  “So you know my mother?” Sandra asks. “And no one told me who she was?”

  “Sandra, we weren’t—” Zoe says.

  “No,” Sandra says. “Don’t give me that line. If you knew something about my past—about my FAMILY—I shouldn’t be learning it from random strangers! I thought you were my friend, Zoe!”

  “Sandra, she wasn’t ready for you to know!” Zoe says. “We were waiting until she decided that she was ready! And we knew it would hurt you if—if you knew that she was out there, and just…”

  “Abandoned me?” Sandra says. “You think?”

  “She had her reasons!” Zoe says. “It isn’t easy raising a normal child, especially if you’re a rock mimic. And until you were thirteen, you were normal!”

  “I was never normal, I just looked that way,” Sandra says coldly before turning and running away.

  “I—” Zoe says, starting after her.

  “You show Cheval around, I’ll go talk with Sandra,” I say, shifting and chasing after her. Maybe I can calm her down. I just hope I can reach her before she does something stupid. She’s heading straight towards civilization.

  ***

  So what? The question just pops into Sandra’s mind as she reaches the place where norms live. So what if her mom knew about her? She HAD to have known about her, she’s the one that had her, right? It’s still better than Lance’s family. It seemed like his entire family was screwed up in one way or another. His mom preferred feathers to skin, his granddad was a real jerk, and his uncle kept trying to kill him, right? So having a mom that’s talked to someone that wants to adopt her daughter isn’t nearly as bad.

  She sighs, wondering why she had been so bothered. It was pretty obvious that at least one of her parents was super—everyone knows that it’s usually inherited. And it’s not like she’s even surprised that her mom is known by other capes, either. It’s pretty hard to hide rock mimicry without an illusion watch. She heads for the nearest bench, sitting down on it, only to wince as it groans with her weight. Nobody seems to notice, though, so she lets out a sigh of relief and leans back slowly.

  It’s a bus stop, she realizes a second later as a bus pulls to a stop in front of her. The door swings open and a woman and two children get off. The woman doesn’t even notice her until one of the two little girls refuses to follow her. She’s too busy staring at Sandra with a confused expression.

  “What?” Sandra asks.

  “Are you getting on the bus, or not?” the bus driver asks.

  “No, I’m not,” Sandra says, looking at him. The door swings closed and the bus drives off, leaving both of the little girls now staring at her and the mother trying to urge them along.

  “Mama,” the younger girl says, pointing at Sandra. “Her bracelet is glowing.”

  “That’s nice, honey, but we really need to get home—”

  “She’s all alone,” the older one whispers, a little too loudly. “She shouldn’t be all alone.”

  “I think she’s a super,” the first says.

  “Girls, she’s old enough to ride the bus on her own—” the mother says, sounding frustrated. Sandra looks at her, watching as the woman gives up. “Sweetie, are you lost?” she asks, heading closer.

  “I’m not lost,” Sandra says. She sees the woman jerk at the sound of her voice, clearly not expecting it from a face so normal looking.

  “Are you a super?” the younger girl asks, boldly. “You sound like a super.”

  “She’s not a super, she’s a girl,” the older girl says.

  “There are girl supers,” Sandra has to point out. “What about Hypersonic Rainboom, or whatever her name is?”

  “But you’re not talking fast, like she does,” the older girl points out. “You sound mean. There aren’t any MEAN girl supers. They’re all nice and cute and—”

  Sandra touches her bracelet and the illusion falls. The mother gasps and the second girl hides behind her. It’s only the first that stares up at Sandra with something close to rapture.

  “You’re AMAZING!” she says. The older girl peeks out, looking worried as the younger one moves closer. “I bet you can beat up BOYS!”

  “Well, yeah,” Sandra says, a bit off-guard, especially as the girl touches her hand.

  “You couldn’t beat up Kid Liberty!” the older girl says, coming out to argue.

  “Well… no,” Sandra admits, “but I’m going to get stronger. You like Kid Liberty?”

  “I’m going to MARRY him,” the older girl says, dramatically. “He is one fine looking man!”

  “You are not! He’s already GOT a girlfriend,” her little sister says bossily, her hand still on Sandra’s, absently rubbing it. “I want to be YOUR fan! Do you got a name?” She looks up at Sandra so expectantly, and her hand wraps around one of Sandra’s rocky fingers. “You got posters? I want you to sign one! Then I’ll sell it when you’re rich and famous, and I’LL be rich!”

  “Melody—” her mother says, looking torn between several emotions, but resigned amusement seems to be taking over. They live in KC, after all—supers are everywhere. Both girls are standing right in front of Sandra, now, touching her skin.

  “I don’t have a name, yet,” Sandra says. “I’m still in school.”

  “Ooooh! She’s from that Cape High place that Technico runs!” the older girl says, knowingly. “She’s gonna be in Central, I bet. That means we’ll get to see her all the time just like we do Firefly and Star Spangled!”

  “Do you know Firefly and Star Spangled?” Melody asks, excitement making her voice high-pitched.

  “Um, yeah,” Sandra says.

  “Can you get me their autographs??”

  “I don’t know?” Sandra says. “You can probably get them from the Hall.”

  “Is there… are you having problems at the school?” the mother asks, sitting on the bench a few feet away. “Do we need to take you somewhere? Would Mastermental help you?”

  “No, I’m just…” Sandra sighs, running a hand over her face. “I’m just dealing with some stuff, like being ugly.”

  “You aren’t ugly!” Melody says angrily. “Ugly is a bad word! You’re amazing! And I’m your BIGGEST fan!”

  “Already?” Sandra asks, trying not to laugh.

  “ALREADY!” she says, her tiny hands clenched into fists.

  “I think I want to be her biggest fan,” her sister says.

  “You got Kid Liberty, I’m taking this one!”

  “Mom! She’s not sharing!”

  “Melody, you and Dawn can BOTH be her biggest fan,” their mother says absently before asking Sandra, “Sweetie, are you sure there’s nothing we can do?”

  “Nah,” Sandra says, giving in to the urge to smile. “Well, you know, other than sticking up for me when I do debut, okay?” She looks at the two girls who nod and give her brilliant grins.

  “But there can only be one biggest fan,” Melody points out to her sister.

  “MOOOOM!”

  “Melody, behave yourself, Dawn, your little sister’s right about you being Kid Liberty’s fan. Oh, look at the time. Sweetie, are you going to be okay here, on your own?”

  “Do I look like I wouldn’t be?” Sandra asks dryly.

  “Well, be careful, anyway. There are all sorts of strange people in this world, you know!” she says. “Come on, girls, it’s almost time for your dance class.”

  “Bye, Sweetie!” Melody says.

  “Bye!” Dawn chimes in. The three of them walk off, leaving Sandra alone… until Lance drops down next to her.

  “How long were you there?” she asks.

  “Long enough to see your two biggest fans,” he says, moving so his back is against her shoulder. “Sweetie,” he adds, teasingly.

  “I already told you that I don’t date pretty boys,” she says, letting out a laugh. “I don’t think I’ll be as hated as I thought.”

  “Are you kidding me? You’ll be loved by every girl in the world; probably by most of the guys out there, as well.”

  “Now you’re just lying,” Sandra says.

  “I’m not. But I would, if I needed to,” he says. “You being out of your room has helped me more than you can imagine. I’m not going to let you go hide again, not if I can help it. Do you want to go find your real mother? I’ll go with you.”

  “Don’t you have enough mother problems on your own?” she asks.

  “Yeah, but that just means I can sort of understand.”

  “I was really thinking about becoming a Liberty,” she says, looking down at her hands. “They’re so nice… and they’ve got a really cool dog.”

  “Maybe after you’ve seen and talked to your mom, face to face, you still can,” he says. “Nothing is set in stone.”

  “Hah,” she says.

  “That was a decent pun, you have to admit it,” he says.

  “I admit nothing,” she says. Another bus pulls to a stop in front of them, and people start pouring out, surrounding them with excited expressions. “It looks like I’m outed.”

  “Yep.”

  “So are you,” she points out.

  “Maybe I’ll be one of those that wear glasses as a disguise.”

  “That’s worse than the stone joke,” she says.

  “There you are!” They both look up, seeing America’s Son heading straight for them. “We need to talk—”

  “If you ask me, we should have ‘talked’ when you first found out,” Sandra says. There’s no anger in her voice, though, just irritation. “Is this really the place?” She nods towards their audience.

  “No, no, it’s not,” Ken says, looking around. “If you would all excuse us, we’ll just be going, now.” He holds out his hand and the crowd gingerly creates a path. The three of them walk through, with Ken pausing to shake everyone’s hands. “Lance? You’ve got a visitor back at the apartments. You’ll probably want to come in with us.”

  “Who’s the visitor?” Lance asks.

  “Your mom.”

  ***

  The walk back to the dorms is quiet, and I can practically hear Ken think of how to deal with Sandra’s problem. I only half pay attention. My heart is pounding and I’m daring to have hope. My mom is back. She came right after we did—maybe she even left before we actually got to a mirror. I jerk as I see people standing in front of the apartments. The entire Liberty family is waiting for us.

  “Oh, Sandra,” Jeanie says, running to us and wrapping her arms around Sandra’s shoulders. “We need to sit down and have a very serious talk.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Sandra asks. “I was right there, frosting your stupid over-sized gingerbread men, you could have just—”

  “Said what, ‘By the way we know your mom and she doesn’t want to meet you just yet’?” Jack interrupts. “I never met my real ma, and honestly, I don’t really care what she thought about me bein’ adopted by the Liberty family. In fact, it’s probably better that she doesn’t know—if she’s even still alive.”

  “Well, yeah, but—”

  “Sandra, your mother had her reasons for what she did,” Jeanie says. “They were extremely good reasons, too. You see, you were born without your powers. Your mother is—”

  “She’s a rock mimic, isn’t she?” Sandra says.

  “Yes, she is,” Ken says.

  Sandra looks at her hands, a bit thoughtfully. “Yeah…”

  “But that doesn’t stop you from going to meet her, now!” I burst out. “I mean, now you’re alike. She can’t accidentally hurt you, right? Maybe—”

  “I’m fifteen,” Sandra says. “It’ll be like meeting a stranger. And she obviously feels the same—”

  “I think you should give her time,” Ken says. “She’s a good woman, Sandra, just one who’s had some tough choices to make. But if you really feel the need to meet her… well, I’ll make some calls.”

  “I think I need some time, too,” Sandra says.

  “What about—” Trent says, motioning to the family. She stares at him for a moment.

  “I’ll… think about it,” she says before heading towards the campus.

  “So… um… my mom?” I ask, looking around.

  “She’s with Sunny and Summer,” Jeanie says, with a small smile. “I think they’re coming to an agreement.”

 

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