The second I walk into my bedroom, I was immediately transported to Vage's featureless room.

"I trust you have recovered?" She asks me, her head cocked to the side as she does when she talks to me.

"Yes, thank you," I reply, vaguely remembering the white light going yellow when l'd collapsed last night.

The memory of what had caused me to collapse returns as well, and I almost make the switch that I think will get her to have s*x with me, but I back off.

After the threesome with Tina and Nancy, I'm exhausted. I did make the switch tho, thinking it's harder to make a switch than to move it, and at least it will be there when I'm ready to sow my seed in her...

"Good. I am glad to see you exercising your ability. Have you tried using it on a large group yet?"

I curse myself for a fool. The party last night would have been the perfect place to see how many switches I can make at once. Even when l'd been kidnapped, I made all the switches one by one. Luckily I can work at the speed of my imagination, but I still need to know if I can make more than one at a time, or one switch to cover many.

"No," | told her, feeling dejected.

"You still have time left. Keep practicing." Her tone is level, without any rebuke, and that somehow makes me feel worse.

"Maybe you should find someone else," I say. I don't know if I can do this, and the pressure to save the entire human race is pretty intense.

"Maybe," she tells me, and there is no emotion in her dual toned voice, "but right now, you're all your planet has got."

Great, I think. No pressure at all!!!…..

....Next Day….

Today seems like any other day, except for the whispers I receive as I walk around the campus. In one way it's an improvement, no one is calling me a dweeb, or nerd, but it's also a little disturbing.

Did someone discover my ability? Did Tina tell someone? I remember Linda saying that I'm the talk of the campus, and that had been before I'd told Tina, so I doubt she'd told anyone. I walk towards a group of guys talking, to see what's up, but when they see me coming, they flee. In consternation, I stare after them, wondering what in the world is going on.

No one seems willing to talk to me about it, and those that are willing to talk to me, don't know anything.

The whole thing is starting to give me an headache. And the headache makes me remember old Mrs. Stiles( the school nurse) I walk into her office, and find her sitting behind her desk, a faint smile on her face. I told her my head hurts, and just need some head medicine. I examine her as she moves around. It seems like she is moving faster, but that may be my hopeful thinking. I'm certain the roots of her hair are darker, not gray, but there isn't enough there to tell what color her hair was yet. Her cheeks sag a little on her face, but there looks to be fewer wrinkles and better coloring to her skin tone.

Checking her switches, I turn up the elasticity of her skin, as well as her metabolism, but leave her other two switches alone for now. I thank her for the pain reliever, and leave her office. I'll try to remind myself to check up on her after Winter Break and see the progress she makes.

Standing right outside Mrs Stile's office, is Richard Dice. By the look he was giving me, I know he's been waiting for me. I decided that running isn't an option, and besides, I should be able to handle him as I'm feeling well rested.

As I walk up to the big jock, I notice his eyes looked haggard and sad. He looks like a man that's been to hell and back, only he'd brought hell with him. For a moment I feel sorry for the role l'd played in that, until I remember all the bullying I'd received at his hands.

"What's up, Richard?" I ask, trying to sound unconcerned.

The big man examines me for a bit, arms folded across his large chest, and his brow furrowed.

"You been working out?"

I almost laugh. Can THAT have been what all the stares been are about? Tho I still can't see a difference in myself, but I do notice things seem lighter than they used to be. As I think about it, even my shirt seems a bit smaller when l'd put it on this morning. Despite this, all I says to Richard was,

"Maybe."

Then he said, "I don't know why l'm doing this. Maybe | feel sorry about what l've done to you, but you don't seem to be hurting from it." He looks me over some more, and I know he is looking for the bruises. Bruises Vage had healed for me.

"For some reason I feel like I owe you, so I'm warning you." He takes a deep breath, and I tense. What is he going to do, threaten me some more? Try to beat me up?

"Dan means to pay you back, and make you hurt. It's all over the campus. He seems to have it in for you."

Before I can say anything in response, he turns and walks away.

THAT must be why everyone was looking at me.

They don't want to get caught up in whatever Dan has planned for me. I wonder if they're also supposed to keep me in the dark or if that is just an unintended side effect. Did Richard just cross some clique boundary to help me out? I resolve to keep my ability in reserve, so that I can use it if I need to on a moment's notice. I don't want to get caught unawares, or weak.

Then an idea occurs to me, and I recall that I can sense my switches. I walk to a quiet spot, and cast my mind out, feeling for the switches that I know are Dan's. If he is anywhere close, I will know. I'm shocked to find him on the other side of campus.

Not shocked because he is far from me, but because I can feel his switches from so far away.

My ability truly is growing. I also find Tina off to my left, not as far, and Richard moving further away. I feel others too, but I concentrate on Dan.

If he is over there, I'm safe.

My phone rings then, and my mind comes back to here and now. Stephanie is on the other end.

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