It was the return after mid semester.
Steven was… not exactly ‘looking forward’ to going back. College, and particularly hers was a tough place for a human… going there like this was practically a death sentence. Well- maybe not ‘quite’ that dramatic, but… not far off.
“Just keep your head down…” It always worked before.
Other teenagers were making their way, half scribbling their homework assignments. Some were lucky enough to take their own cars, though most walked or took the bus.
Steven, of course walked. She had not bothered with shoes, there seemed little point. As much as her mother worked to get ‘something’ for her there her feet were just not human and didn’t seem to need shoes anyway.
The new girl was not yet ready to chance public transport, her instinct needing a place to flee if needed. Walking did give her a chance to sneak in a quick haircut, to shorten the locks she had ended up with. After a few quick snips, her hair had become somewhat boyish, and hid her feminine traits much like the rest of her fur did. It wasn’t like her breasts were that noticeable either and her clothes were baggy.
Xanadu was now a distant place and memory… still pouring out magical creatures, like a sore wound in reality. The more interesting changed people made the news with some growing in fame. A spiderman said he wanted to be a local superhero for his town.
The online world was full of magical items now, though a lot of them were quickly banned and the trade moved underground. Still magic existed now, if one knew where to look. She did wonder how two people ended up turned into mermaids in her own town…
The squirrel girl sighed as she saw the school building. Tall brick walls, that prevented anyone from the outside seeing in… and sturdy gates.
It was… bot that much different to a prison, when looked at with fresh eyes.
Steven’s school was… dreary and drab. Harsh, with very little ‘joy’ in either students or teachers. Wardens and prisoners, Teachers and students… both were inmates vying for power, clout, prestige, or acceptance. Perhaps everyone thought that by rising to the top, they would get some supposed freedom… but most, like Steven just accepted they were completing a sentence. The exams tested if they cracked, more then if they actually learned anything. It was true though, that the better one was the more privilege they attained… and were less likely to go insane.
Before Xanadu, Steven had existed completely outside the whole system. She stayed out of everyone’s way.. they ‘mostly’ stayed out of his. He wasn’t interesting or had any value. His attempts to make friends of his own was always met with disappointment.
…and Steven was now at the very bottom.
She was an animal, locked in a body that had become her prison beyond anything the school could do. Though she had been assured her that her human rights would be honoured, one couldn’t count on others knowing or applying that in day-to-day life.
The idea of a job, having a family, doing anything ‘normal’… that was gone. Surviving school was the main priority.
… if they found out she was a ‘girl’ on top… well… she didn’t want to know what the consequences of ‘that’ could be. She found herself thinking of the pretty girls that managed to climb the social ladder by their natural grace and beauty alone… she found herself feeling jealous. It was… an odd emotion. Not something a guy should feel…
“Well, time to go in…” She slipped into the main entrance; tail bounded behind her. Steven had her usual jacket with the hood up, over the clothes her mother had made for her. Though the jacket was so big it was down to her ankles. She was… short, to say the least, only three feet. Inside, all the attention was focused on her. Bemused, confused expressions…
Just… what was ‘it’.
An animal? Wearing clothes? Someone’s pet?
‘Someone from Xanadu?’
She kept her eyes down cast. There was no point meeting their gazes… no point at all.
“Ah- Steven?” A voice called out. It was a teacher. “You’ve been asked to go to the principal’s office for a quick meeting about your… condition.”
Steven looked up. “Uh- alright…” This sounded like it was going to be trouble.
Charles sat at his desk. His job was quite simple. Organise, respond, store, repeat. E-mails, letters, various actions the company was taking… another E-mail, deal with a quick complaint, send something to the correct department… work... work...
…It would be an easy job if not for an absurdly annoying demon-girl that was constantly getting in his way!
Chandra was floating around the office, talking to him in a distracting manner like she was the great Gazoo... only somehow even more annoying. It seemed she had discovered they held a telepathic link, and thus could talk to each other undisturbed by anyone else. A fortunate discovery, though telepathic communication was still done at regular speed.
“Charlie, we could have sooo much fun together!’ She smiled. “Together, when we’re together… your body is my physical manifestation! You’re the key to me existing properly here!”
Charles ignored Chandra. He was still worried about being caught… the last thing he wanted was to be put on the Metahuman list. They had checked him out and were happy that he was like everyone else… an un-costumed observer of events. Nothing more… of course ‘everyone’ in Xanadu at the time was still recorded as a matter of caution.
The demon-girl was now just six inches, sitting on the spacebar of his keyboard. She crossed her slender legs. ‘Do you think if you put on a costume, you’ll turn into me?’
‘I really hope to hell not’ Charles said annoyed. He was disgusted by her… and the fact he- for the briefest of moments imagined her.
‘Any thoughts on what I am?’ Chandra asked.
‘You said you’re what’s in my heart’ The overworked office worker replied.
‘Yes… I just want to hear it from you. You made me! We’re… well… we’re part of the other! Ying and Yang!’
‘Good and Evil..’
Chandra rolled her eyes. ‘A poor assessment. Not all demons are like that. At least ‘I’m’ not like that. I’m YOUR demon, not… well… you know. True Evil is… hard to exist in this world for any length of time, as much as the Good cannot take form either. Even I would be called upon to deal with Evil. I can promise you that much. I’m something else. Chaos?’
Charles stopped working. He looked down with annoyance… this ‘thing’ was so annoying! He had to get rid of her. ‘You can be chaos somewhere else Chandra… I have work to do.’
Chandra looked hurt. ‘Hey come on… you really don’t want to…’ He was serious? He wanted to get rid of her. Her?! The demon glared slightly at him.
“I’m busy… I have things to do. Just… do whatever you want, away from me.” He didn’t want to get mixed up with ‘any’ of this.
Chandra drew in a deep breath. She wasn’t sure what this ‘feeling’ was. She felt rejected… rejected by the very mind that created her. It wasn’t her fault that she existed! This ‘human’ made her! A part of him… a part of her… Yet here she was, being cut away.
What to do? “…Fine.” She sighed. “I’ll… go. But… I’ll be back. When you most want me…” She then vanished.
Charles paused working again feeling… odd. A strange feeling… was he too hard on her? She acted like such a spoilt brat. ‘No- what am I thinking… I have to act completely normal… she was just some weird girl I dreamed of and she’s of no consequence whatsoever…’
Steven looked at her phone. “Where are you Miku…” She was standing outside the principal’s office, her large tail leaning against the wall… and her own body leaned on top of that fluffy mess. It was weird how comfortable being like this was. She really could use a pep talk from someone. A friendly face… but for some reason Miku wasn’t on her phone at the moment.
The Principal walked down the corridor with a fain smile. Ah… come in.” He was a man in his fifties, a little large but people regarded him as ‘friendly’.. for the most part He wasn’t really what one would call very ‘authoritative’ even if he was the final authority. Frankly, Steven wondered if he liked his job like everyone else here.
“Yes.. Mister Bell.” Steven glanced around. Like most students, he had rarely seen the principal.
Principal Bell sat down awkwardly shuffling some papers on his desk. “Well, let’s get to it then. Please… sit down.” Steven did so as Principal Bell spoke. “Some of the students have… expressed concerns,” he said softly.
“Huh…” Steven didn’t know how to take that. Concerns? “About what?”
The principal nodded. “There’s been a lot of talk about how ‘dangerous’ the people from Xanadu are… the politicians have already refurbished the old bunker shelter underneath the school in case of metahuman attacks… we’ve even had some Super-sciency upgrades on it. Don’t ask me how it works,” he said with a shrug.
‘Bunker shelter?’ Steven wondered what good that will do… if a superman were serious, he’s getting in… there wasn’t much anyone can do. Though what would ‘super science’ upgrades do? “I… see.” The squirrel girl nodded.
“Yes. However, I’ve been assured you are just a D-class….”
‘Just a D-class…’ Steven hated that label.
“Yes, so you’re nothing anyone need be afraid of. But… I just had to remind you to stay within the rules of the school. Try not to do anything nutty- uh-”
Steven’s ears flattened at that. “…right.” She said softly. “Got it.” She rubbed her paw like hands. She was just being given a caution before she had even done anything wrong. Which meant… they probably expected something to go wrong very soon.
“Wonderful! Just say out of trouble and I’m sure we’ll all get along just fine. Out you go now.”
Steven had left quickly. With the chimes played, it was time to go to homeroom. She dreaded it, as she went up the flight of stairs, younger students being curious of her… wondering why someone that was smaller then them, was going up with all the older students.
“I’m drawing too much attention…” She had to play this cool. ‘Somehow’… until a cure is found, she was stuck with this body. Walking down the corridors she found the homeroom. She had spent her day here first and last as was scheduled… and normally everyone would talk among themselves.
All thirty students inside, just stopped ‘everything’ they were doing.
Silence.
Steven paused as they all stared at her, briefly caught like a deer in headlights. It was worse than wearing the wrong shoes… well- he wasn’t wearing any shoes. The stares were almost… predatory In nature. She shook her head quickly of that instinct. She knew it was just humans being curious… just… curiosity. The disguised animal-girl quietly made her way towards her desk.
Everyone watched every step she took… every motion… their breathing slow… barely making a sound. They were holding in their laughter… Maybe a bet on who was going to laugh last?
The students in her class were made of all the typical groups you might find. Steven wondered if there was some kind of ‘personality test’ to put everyone together like that. It wasn’t like you got a class full of jocks after all. The jocks tended to group together on the right, while the more ‘nerdish’ students to the left, closer to the teacher… the middle area, which housed those who didn’t really stand out and didn’t even want to stand out. Steven’s desk was- of course- right in the middle. She pulled back her chair.
This simple act caused a cacophony of laughter to suddenly erupt from the students. It rippled like an infection, with everyone knowing what the joke was. Steven… tried to ignore it as she clambered up on her chair, though her expression of annoyance was very clear.
‘He needs some baby steps,’ One student whispered chuckling.
‘Maybe a baby chair- like from a car. We could go get one!’
‘What is he anyway… like a little bear?’
‘No don’t you see the tail? It’s so big! It’s squished up behind him!’
‘Do you think he has magic?’
Steven… started to hate how acute her hearing was. On the plus side they had not realised she was a girl… She also started to realise that her class was full of morons. Though this knowledge wouldn’t serve her well at all. It was best to ignore them… much as they had ignored her, up to now. This school wasn’t exactly ‘kind’ if you stood out… unless…. Well… you stood out by being very popular. She glanced at the popular group, not entirely show ‘how’ it worked.
“Man that is hilarious… Those Xani-freaks!” Jason Blake was a ‘very’ popular student. Well ‘popular’ didn’t even describe it. All the girls loved him, all the guys envied him. He honestly had it all. With short blonde hair, standing over six feet tall, he was smart, and physically imposing. His parents had decent wealth, and he always wore the best clothes. He was one of those people that had sheer talent at just about everything. He also did a lot to make sure everyone else was under him… those he elevated… always knew it was down to him and made sure to show him appropriate respect. He was the king that elevated dukes… the strongest student…
Of course, what was a King without a Queen? That would be Stacy Jacqueline-Marie. She complemented Jason in almost every way. She was… beautiful. Perfect. A young woman with a personality that was as cold as ice… and yet everyone wanted that icing. She had a light Californian accent and knew how to dress ‘just’ enough to be within the rules of the school yet be within the range to cause excitement in those around her.
The young girl delighted in making the boys- and some girls follow her, like moth to a flame. Much to that image, she had red hair and pale white skin. She had built an army of followers, using a number of tactics… joining clubs, providing sticks and carrots until she got her way and there was nothing left for anyone else…
As the school was a prison, these two were the most powerful prisoners… not by nature of a special relationship with the wardens, but the fact that their talents were so useful… they got all the benefits. They could pretty much do anything they wanted…
…that confidence and certainty made them treat others like complete dirt.
“Urgh, don’t tell me it’s part of our class,” Stacy rolled her eyes. “Any chance we can call the exterminator? I don’t want that thing near us, eating in our cafeteria… are we supposed to go to gym with it? Urgh…”
“Heh, I’m sure we can get it to another class…” Jason replied quietly.
Steven gulped. Yep… it wasn’t as if they hadn’t done this before. She recalled how Stacy once destroyed the ‘electronics club’ to get rid of one nerd that had upset her. The popular girl had a scorch Earth policy… she destroyed everyone. Jason on the other hand, tended to just use the threat of force. If Steven had a choice, she’d rather be beaten up by Jason. It would hurt her body… but Stacy destroyed your life. ‘Heh… but I don’t have any friends for her to turn against me…’ she idly thought. Though… Stacy always found a way to destroy you if she wanted to.
“Alright class,” The teacher arrived. Miss Jane… she had curly blonde hair and was in her late thirties. Perhaps somewhat pretty, but like most teachers but had little love of her job. She had been given some warning about Steven and glanced briefly at her… though it looked like she had been told to treat him as normal… it was probably the correct advice, how else to treat an animal-girl in her classroom?
Steven glanced around. Every time she caught the eye of one of her classmates, they either laughed or looked away. They didn’t want to associate with her… She pulled down her hood… and that laughter continued.
The Morning announcements came from the principal on the public address system, broadcasted to all the students.
“Ah Good Morning students. Now as you are aware, a strange event happened in Xanadu… so you may see some odd students… please treat them as you would anyone else.”
‘I’m so dead.” Steven face planted on her desk.
The agent had to follow up with the strange event. Two people, transformed into mermaids. They were conducting a house search to look for anything that came from Xanadu.
The two people themselves had changed back to normal. Though apparently, they would turn back to their mermaid forms (and swap genders) When splashed with water. Once dry… they reverted.
“Nothing found…” He grimaced. “Okay, tell me again… what happened when you transformed?”
Thomas Silvers gritted his teeth. “I was driving with my babe. There was this stupid car in the way- I swerved a bit… didn’t think much of it. The next thing I know, I can’t control the car because I grew freakin fins!” He folded his arms annoyed. “My girlfriend became a guy- it was horrible!”
“Uh…huh…” He didn’t want to mention that he also turned into a girl during those events. However the fact that he was nearly in an accident was intriguing. “Can you give me any details of the car you nearly crashed into?”
“No… was driven by some old geezer…um… didn’t really think of it much…” He shook his head. “Look, I haven’t bought anything from Xanadu. I don’t get mixed up with that shit.”
The agent scribbled a few notes. “Well, something affected you… what happened exactly when you changed?”
“Uh… the sunroof to my car suddenly opened… then it rained… and… yeah- I thought I… heard something?” He frowned. “Well- it was quick… I don’t know.”
The agent nodded again. “I see. Well… we are getting some Xanadu-detecting gear soon. We’ll sweep your house in case something turns up… but in the mean time, we’ll work under the premise you bought something or drank something from there… somehow it got to you.”
“You- You don’t think we got cursed do you?”
The agent frowned. “Son, I really hope not… because then we’d be dealing with the first meta-human crime…”
