Aunt Tia sent a friend to come and get me.
I had seen her a couple of times, but I didn’t know her very well. She helped me gather some things I would need. Before we went off, I went back to the back and used my new powers to decompose Mom, mostly with fungi, the worms and beetles will come later. The flowers will mostly cover up the scent. I kept the gun.
The lady let me take a shower and crash at her place for the night, telling me we’d be leaving early in the morning to go to my aunt’s. Sleep didn’t come easy that night. When we got to my aunt’s, she hugged me tightly and I broke down into tears in her arms. She basically carried me inside and had me lie down in bed and she told me to rest, but how could I when I had done something so awful?
I was stuck in bed for a while. I would’ve been in bed longer if it wasn’t for Tia basically dragging me out of it. To go shopping. She helped me get ready, put on the pretty clothing and makeup Mom had found. Seeing myself look like me did make me feel a little better, but not entirely. We shopped for some stuff to decorate my new room and we shopped for some more clothes since I had a rotation of 4 outfits, including pajamas. When we were done, we went out to eat. It was basically becoming a tradition. We were back in her car and it was pretty much quiet, not for long though.
“How’d she find out?” I was hesitant, but she’s my aunt, it’s okay to tell her.
“She snooped through my closet,” my voice was quiet and she nodded her head.
“Typical, she never knew personal space. How angry was she?” I furrowed my eyebrows.
“Very…” I paused, “She went complete psycho. Like actually. She woke me up in the middle of the night, acting all sweet. I knew something was up. Then she just got so angry and she-” I stopped and so did my Tia. She had a stern look on her face.
“What did she do.” I could remember that night as clear as day.
“She tried to..kill..me. I didn’t think she would ever stoop that low, I’m her kid! Sure, she may not like who I truly am, but gosh, you don’t try to kill your kid because they do something you don’t like!” I was angry. How could she do that? I was slowly losing what regret I felt for doing what I did. It sounds bad, but come on, you turn towards attempted murder because your kid is trans? That’s seriously messed up. Tia had this look of anger, her nose scrunched and her lips pursed.
“That sick b!tch…” she paused, “What did you do about it?” I gulped. I dreaded this moment, the moment where I had to tell her that I killed her sister.
“I…Dad kept a gun in the house, closest to my room. Before he left, he told me to use it for emergencies. I think that night was a good enough emergency to use it.” The car was quiet and I could feel beads of sweat pile on my skin. Tia patted her shoulder.
“You had to do what you had to do. You were scared and defending yourself. Good for you, Daphne. Honest. She was never my favorite sister anyways,” That made me laugh. I felt a heavy weight lay off my chest, I felt a bit more at ease. I love my Tia.
When we got home, my aunt tucked me in bed and kissed my head, sitting herself at the edge of the bed. I gave her a small smile as she brushed my hair back. She paused and whispered to me.
“You wanna know a little secret?” I nodded.
“If I tell, you have to tell me one too, though”
“Deal,” her eyes scanned my face.
“I’ve always wanted kids. As much as I love women, some guys are tolerable. Do you remember Antonio?”
“Yeah?”
“He wanted kids as much as I did. So, we tried. A lot. Everytime, I would take the test and every time, it would be negative. We found out why when we went to the doctors, I’m infertile. When my sister had you, you were the closest I would get to having a kid. Daphne, you’re truly a blessing, I want you to know that. You’re going to be mine forever and I hope you’re as happy about that as me,” I opened my arms and we hugged her. I really love my Tia. She pulled away and grabbed my hands.
“Alright, that got weirdly emotional, tell me your secret, other than you know how to use a gun real good,” I chuckled and thought. I could always show her my new cool powers. I sat up in bed and looked at her.
“You wanna see something cool?” She nodded and I focused on the plants in the room. Slowly but surely, the dangling vines crept their way over to my bed. I turned to look at my aunt, her face was covered in a mixture of awe and fear. I wasn’t completely sure if that was a good or bad thing. When they had reached the edge of the bed, I had them stop and my aunt slowly turned towards me. She gulped and fixed her hair.
“Well, Daph, that is surely a secret,” I nervously laughed.
“You’re not mad or freaked out?” She shook her head.
“I’m not mad at all, maybe a little freaked out, Daph, how the hell did you get….whatever you got?” I hesitated.
“That’s a secret I can’t tell you,” She nodded and tucked me back into bed, turning off my lamp.
“I appreciate you showing me this, Daphne. Goodnight, I love you,” She stepped over the vines and closed the door behind her. I turned in my bed and thought about Irie. I wonder how she got her powers, considering what Dad told me about the chemical that gives people powers. I fell fast asleep.
Tia woke me up early in the morning, she was dressed, her hair done all pretty and her makeup done to perfection. She had a smile on her face. I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes and looked up at her. She whispered to me.
“Do you wanna go on a road trip?” I sat up slowly, confused.
“Where to?” I croaked. She smiled wider.
“To Irie,” I was instantly awake. My aunt handed me an outfit and I have never gotten dressed quicker in my life. Soon, we were on the road. The drive was long, almost 8 hours. We sang along to the radio, got snacks and drinks, had to stop several times for bathroom breaks and to take scenic pictures. Irie’s new school sure did take awhile to get to. I wondered if they changed their rule about allowing visitors. We entered into Vermont and I gazed at all the trees that we passed by.
My aunt told me that Irie’s school was in a place called Angelgrove, which is in the middle of nowhere, you can’t even find it on a map. She started driving on this worn down math of flattened stones, moss covering most of it. I took notice of worn down buildings hidden among the trees, I was starting to see why you couldn’t find this place on a map. We pulled up to a large building with the architecture of a church and I was in awe. There was a sign up front, The Borkoshavski Academy. My aunt parked and got out of the car, I followed along. We walked through the big doors and the long halls were empty and my aunt led me to this little corridor. She had me turn towards her and she fixed up my shirt.
“Before we visit Irie, you’re going to have to meet the principal. He's a real nice guy, I talked to him on the phone last night. Just, y’know, use basic manners. He’s gonna ask you a couple of questions, they’re going to be a bit strange, but nothing out right weird. I’ll be there with you, so don’t worry. You got all that?” I nodded and she kissed my forehead. She knocked on the door and a man’s voice told us to come in. We both awkwardly walked in and behind the desk was a guy who looked oddly familiar with blonde hair cut choppy and a couple of wrinkles around his eyes.
“Hello, Ms. Flores, I’m so happy we could meet on such a short notice,” he turned towards me with a sweet smile, “it’s nice to meet you, Daphne.” My tummy did a flip, it was kinda weird hearing someone other than my aunt saying my name. He gestured towards the two seats in front of his desk and we sat down. He handed my aunt a clipboard with bunches of paper clipped to it along with a pen. I looked at the nameplate on the desk. Ala Borkoshavski. Interesting name.
“So, Daphne, do you know what type of school this is?” I looked around.
“A really fancy school that my friend goes to. Do you know them? Her name’s Irie Kehinde,” He smiled at me and nodded.
“I’m familiar with her father and her as a student, yes,” He interlocked his fingers on his desk. The more I looked at him, the more he looked like I could find him on the cover of a magazine. Maybe that’s where I know him from. I looked at him more closely. I gasped.
“Oh my god, I know you! You’re Goldwing! I knew I recognized you! What are you doing here as a principal?” He chuckled.
“I made this school after I quit The Olympians, I made it for people like me. Gifted people.” I sucked in a breath.
“So, Irie wasn’t lying, she really did have powers?” He nodded.
“And so do you, from what I hear,” Blood rushed up to my cheeks and I glanced over to my Tia, she nodded at me then towards Goldwing, or Mr. Borkoshavski. Bork? Mr. Ala? I didn’t know.
“I- yeah, I got them not too long ago. It seems like I can control plants…” His eyes widened and he smiled.
“Like Poison Ivy?” I nodded frantically.
“Like Poison Ivy?”
“Chlorokinesis, do you have any connection to plants of sorts?” I nodded again.
“Yeah, my dad was a botanist and my mom was a florist, they taught me a lot about plants,” He glanced over to my Tia and she handed him back the paperwork. He filtered through it, nodding along to every page. He set down the clipboard and turned back towards me.
“Daphne, I know that this is a sudden change, but I would absolutely love it if you attended my school. We help control our powers and we learn how we can use it to help others or how it would help our future careers,” I furrowed my eyebrows. I had only just moved in with my aunt not too long ago. I looked at her and hse had a smile on her face. I turned back to him.
“How often do I get to see my aunt?” He looked to his left and back to me.
“We actually allow very frequent visits with parents, most of them move into the houses surrounding the area we have,” he turned towards my aunt, “I know it’d be a lot to ask for, but I’d have some of my employees help you move if you wish to be closer to Daphne here. We fit your rent due to your income, no matter how little or much you make,” She smiled from ear to ear and she told him that she would love that. He turned back towards me.
“You also get to have a roommate and it seems right now, Irie doesn’t have one…”
“I WANT TO ROOM WITH HER, PLEASE!”
“You got it!” He wrote down some words on a sticky note and gave it to me, beaming a smile at the both of us, “Feel free to explore the school a little! The number on the sticky note is your room number, I’m sure Irie would love to see you,” I booked it out the door and my aunt followed me from a distance. Looking at the maps on the wall, I made my way down to the dorm areas.
B134.
I knocked on the door and I waited patiently. I heard faint footsteps approaching the door and I couldn’t contain my excitement any longer. As soon as she opened the door, I lunged myself into their arms, a yelp escaping from their mouth. I pulled away, I had a smile so big it hurt my cheeks. With a gasp, they pulled me back into their embrace.
“Daphne!’
I’m home.