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Living with Glee A silly, silly Whateley Academy story by Souffle Girl Dedicated to all the fellow fangirls out there, and to all our friends and significant ones that have to cope with our babbling. --------------- Notes from the author: someone asked me if my Whateley stories are canon. They're not, they're just fanfiction. Also, this story contains a couple of not-so-hidden references to Mass Effect and Skyrim. They're just that - an homage from a fan. ---------------- "Babysitting Darcy and her friends? For a *whole night*?" My mother gave me the look of disappointment moms are so good at, and sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you, Noah? I have an important dinner with my coworkers tonight. The company's CEO is in town to check out the local office and every employee is expected to be present, along with their partners." "But mom, I'll be stuck the whole night with a bunch of thirteen years old watching chick flicks, discussing the last boy band and playing being pretty painting each others toes! Can't you, I don't know, put them all under a sleep spell or something?" "Magic is not a toy, Noah. And your sister is entitled to having sleepovers as much as any other girl. Besides, it's not like you'll have to actually spend time with them. Just do whatever you want to do and check on them from time to time. To make sure they're not tearing the house down or something. You know that your sister doesn't have full control of her powers yet." I reluctantly gave up. There was no way I could win this argument, and I resigned to my duty. Well, as they say, it's a dirty job but someone has to do it. The aforementioned sister was currently busy setting up the living room for the party. Despite being thirteen, she looked one or two years older. And she looked very, very good. OK, I knew that was because of her mutant trait: she's an Exemplar, just as dad. Still, can you imagine what it means to have an annoying, self-centered little sister that in a matter of months becomes taller and stronger than you? In short, it sucked. I really looked forward for the day I would manifest, and get back on all her bitching. What made Darcy even more annoying is that at the time she was deep into that "bubbly teenager fangirl" phase typical of her age. Her bedroom was all pink and shiny purple, decorated with posters of that handsome actor from the latest TV show and boy bands. Not to mention a full array of stuffed animals and all those books about sparkling vampires that make real horror fans want to tear their eyes out of their head. As you can imagine, her friends were just like her. You can guess why the thought of that night made me shudder in horror. I sighed, and prepared for the worst. ------------------ Darcy's friends began arriving just after six PM. Mom and Dad, dressed in their best clothes, welcomed them warmly. I recognized the redhead short girl as Chloe, Darcy's best friend since first term, later came her classmate Emma with her sister Sophie, and finally Andrea, her friend from the music course, with a tall and skinny brunette I never met before, who introduced herself as Sammi. Once all the girls were there, they wandered off to the living room chatting and giggling. "Remember to check on your sister, Noah. Have a good night!" Mom said, before they left for their dinner. ------------------ Since the day the thing was born, loose magical energy coalescing around that spark of psychic energy humans sent off, it had followed them. Of course it didn't know they were called humans, at the time. They were just these things that scuttled around and smelled like food. It then learned that some of them smelled better, and began to feed on them and following them. Soon it discovered that there was a large concentration of humans in a small area, a place where lots of them spent their time and lived their lives and they gave out all these kinds of vibes and emotions. Some of them felt dull, and gray, and sad, and they tasted like chalk or sand. Not that it knew what sand was, at that time. Others, however, felt happy and excited and bubbly. And they tasted wonderful. ------------------ I left the bathroom and checked on the girls before going back to my room. They were suspiciously quiet, and I found them watching something on TV. "What's up?" I asked, "Quiet!" Darcy replied, shooing me away with her hand. "It's the season special, don't you know? The whole city is watching this." Content with how good the girls were behaving, I went back to my computer and logged into Good and Evil Online, my favorite game. The image of my character, Gerrion of Calimdon, mercenary leader and fearsome warrior, popped up on the screen along with his right hand woman, the notorious scoundrel and assassin Theria, my friend Kara's character. "Who knew that the girls would have been so quiet tonight. They're all hooked up on some TV show," I wrote in the chat. "Yes, I bet my sister is watching that too. I can't stand that stupid serial. It's just an excuse for showing off handsome young actors. It has no plot whatsoever," Kara replied. I stopped. Something was wrong, I didn't feel so good. I had the faintest trace of a headache, and somehow felt... empty? I shook it off and went back to texting,"OK then, what are we going to do tonight?" "We received a request from the Craexian Empire. They want us to probe the Ferdian western border," Kara texted back. "Good. Let's not waste any more time then. Men, get ready, we're marching off!" ------------------ That night the spirit smelled food. Lots of food. Somehow, a large number of humans were focusing on the same thing, giving out these feelings of excitement. It fed on them all. It felt itself stretch out to cover the entire city as its inhabitants pumped it full of emotional energy. Then, the flow of power reached a peak and the spirit felt itself being exalted. In a moment of glory, it attained a form of what humans would call self-awareness. It examined its surrounding, while it was flooded with images and knowledge, but the hunger was even greater now. Then it felt something. Near a group of humans was a crack, a hole and it could feel warm, powerful energy on the other side. It squeezed itself through the crack and into the warmth of an alcove, and snuggled like a cat. ------------------ While I was intent at crushing the skull of an enemy warrior with my character's mace, I felt a stinging pain at my head, then the feeling of something alien filling me. I heard the girls downstairs cheering and giggling about something. I barely managed to reach my bed before collapsing and passing out. ------------------ "Good morning, sleepyhead!" A voice was stirring me to consciousness again. I was welcomed to the waking world by the sight of a young teenage girl. Her face was perfect in every detail, the very image of beauty and innocence, and was framed by two pigtails of hair so blond it was almost shining. I sat up on my bed and looked around me. It was my room, but it wasn't. Everything was in its right place, but the room was decorated like my sister's. Or rather, in a similar style, but pushed to an extreme that would extort from her the squeal of the century. Even my own bed sheets and pajamas were pink and decorated with a Hello Kitty logo. My eyes went wide and fixed on the girl. Her body matched her face, and her clothes matched the style. She looked like a stereotypical overexcited thirteen years old. "Who are you and what's up with my room?" I asked, immediately thinking about some prank from my sister. The girl looked a little shocked at that question. "Uhm... You know, this is actually the first time I get to think about it." "Think about what?" "Well, about who I am, obviously!" she giggled, amused at something. "Actually, I'm not even sure I could think yesterday." OK, I was stuck in a pink room with a nutcase. Maybe I was still dreaming. I just decided to get along. Don't anger the mad girl, just in case this isn't a dream. "OOOOOK..." I replied. "But!" she said, with a look of realization, "I think I know who I am now!" She took a step backwards and declared, "I am the spirit of all that is teenage giggling, bubbling and fangirling!" she gave him a twirl and a bow, "The very essence of what makes a teenage girl tick! I think you can call me Glee." I had a moment of panic. A spirit of... teen girlishness? I fervently hoped I was dreaming this up, and the thing didn't really exist. "Hey I do exist, you know? I'm not your dream." she said looking at him, almost upset. I gulped and managed to keep the panic in check. Could she read my thoughts? "Where are we and what are you doing here?", I asked. The girl... thing... looked around her, as if she hadn't noticed her surroundings so far. "I have no idea. I thought you somehow knew. I just found this very warm and nice place to cuddle in. Oh, but I think our time here is up. Someone is..." ------------------ "Noah, Noah?" the voice brought me back to reality. I woke up in my bed, in the place I vaguely remembered falling down to, and groggily crawled up to my feet. Mom was standing next to me. "Are you OK, Noah?" she asked. "I... I think so," I gave her a muffled reply. "Well you better... Hold on!" she abruptly stopped when she touched my shoulder. She started examining me carefully, as if she was looking at something I couldn't see. Then again, Mom was a practiced mage so that could actually be the case. "Tight bonds, a state of slow energy leakage..." she muttered, "definitely no sign of a binding spell..." I was getting more than a little freaked out by what was going on now. "Mom? What are you saying?" She had me sit on the bed, then sat next to me. She looked in my eyes with her bright blue ones and asked, "Noah, did anything strange happen since yesterday night?" "Uhhh... Mom I don't know. I just had this weird headache and fell asleep." "Is it all?" she asked, worried. I was about to bite my tongue and not say anything. But as the son of a mage I know better than taking all dreams for fantasies. "Well you see, I had this strange dream in which an odd girl told me she was a spirit of teenage girlishness or something like that. And she said she had found me by cuddling in a warm place." "Oh. And they were her exact words?" I nodded. Mom stood up and drew a breath, then looked at me. "Noah, listen carefully. Do you know what spirits are, don't you?" I nodded, "They're entities formed from magical energy held together by some force." "Exactly. Now, I checked you and you are indeed bound to a spirit. I suppose it is this... entity that talked to you in your dream. Does it have a name, by the way?" "She called herself Glee." Mom smiled. "Well, with a name like that it's unlikely to be a dangerous entity. But I still want you to be careful when dealing with it. Spirits think very differently from humans, and sometimes they can get upset about strange things or harm us without intent. Can you tell me more about this Glee?" I told her the exact details of my dream, including the strange decorations of my room and her looks. "I suppose her name is fitting," I concluded, "but Mom, how can I be bound to a spirit in the first place?" "I gave a quick examination of your bond, and I didn't detect any binding spell in effect. At the same time, you seem to be slowly feeding the spirit your own life force. I think tonight you manifested as an Avatar, and the spirit chose you as its host." My expression must have been one of utter shock as I processed the information. I was a mutant, and that was somehow expected. After all, everyone else in the family was. I was an Avatar, and again that could do. Avatars got to bind with spirits and they gained powers and strength in exchange for providing them shelter and the means to feed. But being bound to a freakish nutcase of a spirit who was the embodiment of teenage girlhood? That was too much! "Hey, I can hear you you know? Who's the nutcase?" a familiar voice I dreaded to hear again said in my head. I could even feel something like scorn coming from her. "She's talking to you, isn't she?" Mom said. She could obviously feel Glee. "Yes she is. And she's being annoying," I sighed, "Why did you choose me in the first place? I mean, you're obviously meant to feed off something girly." "So what? Why shouldn't you be girly?" "Hello? Because I'm a boy?" "Oh, right. You are," she said, in a matter of fact voice. "Yes, I am. So why don't you go and get bound to someone more useful to you?" I said in an annoyed voice. Mom was giving me alarmed glances and shaking her head no. "Dear it's not good to upset your spirit!" she warned me. "But I like you. And I can easily make it right," she said, and I swear I could feel her smiling. My world suddenly went spinning as I fell on my back, a wave of dizziness going all over my body. When I regained the sense of who and where I was, I immediately sat up again, feeling the strange weight of something on my chest. "There, all fixed. Now we can be together!" Glee cheered, as a feeling of dread crept all over me. "Noah? Dear?" Mom said, her voice trembling slightly. I looked down at my body and immediately knew I was right. I had seen this coming, and prayed that Glee couldn't do this. It all made sense in the spirit's logic. She needed me to be girly in order to feed, but I couldn't be girly because I was a boy. So she went and fixed it. From the long, wavy hair that fell on my shoulders, through my curvaceous figure, down to my fit legs, I was now all girl. I must admit it, I screamed. In a most unmanly high-pitched screech. "GLEE!!! Turn me back!" I cried. "Hey, there's no need to get upset. First you say you can't be girly because you're a boy, now you're a girl and you can be all bubbly and teenagey and stuff!" "But... I'm a girl!" "Yes. So what?" It was useless. It felt like talking to a five years old. I let out a frustrated yell and looked at my mother for help. Her eyes were concerned, and she hugged me. "Noah, are you OK? I told you you shouldn't have made her upset..." "Can you change me back?" I asked tentatively, not sure if I was talking to Mom or to Glee. "I can, but why would you want to change back? Don't you want to stay with me? Don't you like me?" she gave me the psychic equivalent of a pout. "I won't tamper with the spirit you're hosting, honey," Mom said, in a very serious way, "it would be unpredictable and dangerous. I'm not going to risk your health or sanity." I looked at my mother and my heart sank. "Noah, listen to me. Being bound to a spirit is like being in any other relationship. You have to come to understand each other, and take care of each other. Glee is likely going to be your companion for the rest of your life. I can feel she's a good spirit and doesn't mean to harm you. Give her and yourself time, and I'm sure you will settle into a position that is comfortable for both of you. In the meantime, you're still my child and I will be here for you." She gave me another tight, motherly hug. "And Glee, if you can hear me, please be kind to Noah. He's a good kid," she said, then smiled, "and welcome to the family." ------------------ "And this is basically how I got turned into a girl." I sighed, finally through the humiliating experience of telling my family, at breakfast, about the events of the morning. My father was visibly concerned, even if he was trying not to show it. Darcy, on the other hand, looked extremely amused, and I knew a good deal of teasing would come as soon as we would be alone. Mom gave me a warm smile, "It must be really hard for you, honey. Don't worry, I'm not going to judge you. Look at the bright side: doing a few girl things will give you inside info on what being female means. That will really help you in dating," she paused for a moment, then grinned, "Yes, I wonder why I didn't think about this earlier. A nice TG spell could have been good for your sister too," she said, as Darcy winced. "Hopefully, I'll be able to strike some kind of deal with Glee and be changed back," I continued, ignoring the weird comment, while eating my bacon. "What's so bad about being a girl?" Glee asked. I didn't bother to reply. After breakfast I knew I had a difficult Sunday morning coming. First, I had to take a shower. And that meant taking stock of the damage. I obviously had taken enough of a look to myself to know roughly what to expect, but the moment I stepped before the mirror in my bathroom, I was left speechless. "Like what you see?" Glee asked with a giggle. I was beautiful. Not the "prom queen" beautiful, not even the "teen beauty pageant" beautiful. The kind of impossibly gorgeous you only see in teen magazines or high school dramas. The fact that my hair was perfectly styled into long chestnut waves despite me being just up from bed said something about what I was to expect from Glee. Perfectly smooth complexion, a cute girl next door face and a figure to kill for completed the picture. Glee had even taken care of the details, and I noticed my hands had perfectly manicured nails tipped with pink polish. "This... Can't be me..." "Of course it is, silly you. That's a mirror! So, do you like it?" I mentally ran through the possible consequences of saying "no", and I nodded. "I can still feel you're not OK with this," Glee thought. She felt sad, and somehow frustrated at the thing,"I must have made a mistake somewhere... I'll have to think this through." I sighed, and decided it was time for a little chat. "Can you hear me, Glee?" I thought, "Yes, why wouldn't I?" "Please listen to me. There are boys and there are girls and they're different. You know this, don't you?" "Yes." "And you do know people are usually OK with their gender." "Yes." I carefully tried to word my next sentence to avoid giving her any more ideas. "Good. The reason I feel uneasy is that I was born a boy and was OK with it. You can't just come and change me into a girl, it's wrong." "No, you are wrong. I changed you into a girl so I obviously *can* do it." Again, it took my best to remind myself she was as clueless as a child. "Look, what I want to say is that nice girls don't make friends suffer. We're friends, and you are a good girl, right? Changing into a girl hurts because, as I said, I was born a boy." She felt sad at that. "You know, I could make you like being a girl." "I'm sure you can but that would still hurt people." I gulped, terrified by the idea of her messing with my mind as well as my body. I knew I had to give her something. "Now, you need to feed off girly things, and I need to be a boy. So we have two options here. You leave and find a more suitable host, someone who doesn't mind being all bubbly, or..." "Or?" "Or we strike a deal. I help you feed when you need it and you let me be a boy when it counts. This way, no one gets hurt." The spirit fell silent for what I felt was an age, my heart pounding in my chest. "Please! Deal?" I asked. "I hurt you. I can feel it. Deal," she said, and I was alive again, "but I still don't understand why you wouldn't want me to change your mind too." "So? Aren't you changing me back now?" "Nope. Not while I'm hungry." ------------------ Saying that showering was strange would be an understatement. I didn't know what was weirder: the sensations coming from my completely different body or the disturbing feeling of Glee being with me the whole time, and commenting too. Running my hands over my newly developed curves was really strange, and had I not known it would be a bad idea not to keep my new privates clean, I wouldn't have been able to face having a... you know. "So, this is what it feels to have a body..." Glee thought, amazed. I tried concentrating on something else while I rubbed myself dry and began blowing my hair. Having no clue at how to do it right, I ended up with a tangled mess that disappointed both me and Glee. However, I felt a little of her power flowing through me and my hair was immediately styled again. "You know, I'm pretty sure that's cheating," I thought, "So what?" she thought back with a giggle. ------------------ "OK then," I thought while trying a few of my clothes on, "how am I going to feed you?" "How about shopping?" "Can't we just... I don't know... Watch a chick flick?" I asked, "Pleeeeease! Take me shopping!" she whined, "besides, if you don't buy clothes that fit you'll have to borrow your sister's." Now that was a terrifying prospect. "OK let's do it. But if Darcy asks, this never happened." Now, even if I had a girl friend who would bring me shopping, I'd rather die than letting her know. Being out as a mutant I could deal with, this was New York after all. We had more superheroes than the rest of the East Coast together. Admitting I was stuck as a girl due to my self-appointed spirit BFF? No, thank you. I'd never see the end of the teasing. Darcy was obviously out of the question too, which meant I had to go alone. ------------------ "Do you like it?" I thought, trying on the last of a line of feminine garments that looked all the same to me. "I don't know, something's off. You taste better than before, but still taste bad." "Do you know why?" I dared to ask, "That's because you still think like a boy, I think. I need you to be excited about this in order to feed." I sighed. This was never going to work. "I... I don't know, maybe I could try with something else..." "Oh no, don't you worry. I have the perfect solution at hand!" "Glee don't you dare to..." but it was already happening, I could feel her picking and shifting the gears in my head. "Relax, Nina, just let it happen... Done! How do you feel?" Again, I looked around, dazed, "Now why did you have to go and do that?" "This is your end of the deal! You need to feed me. Now do you like it?" I looked at myself in the mirror, still wearing the cute dress I picked up before. I felt myself easing up, after all why should I be upset about this? I was a beautiful girl and the light blue dress complemented my chestnut hair perfectly. I was definitely going to buy this one. I still knew, however, that the only reason I felt like this was Glee. "OK, I'm going with the ride. But we'll need to talk, later," I thought as I went back to rummaging through racks of clothes. ------------------ It was close to noon, and I was walking back home in a brand new outfit consisting of a pink top, matching denim jacket and shorts and sandals. During my time at the mall I had a good share of stares from the boys and, I could swear, a girl too. What bothered me the most was the knowledge that while I should have been freaking out, I was actually enjoying the experience. I could have heard the little brat approaching if I wasn't in the process of staring back at a handsome boy from the school's basketball team while sitting on a bench. Then came a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find me facing my dear little sister and her friends. Specifically, Chloe and Emma. "And this here used to be my dearest brother. How are you doing, sis?" She asked, grinning. "Except for seeing your sorry face?" I replied, "I'm all right." It was true. I knew that she was trying to make fun of me having been transformed, but I just couldn't feel bad about it at all. Maybe having been girlified had its quirks too. I enjoyed the stunned look she gave me, and smiled contently. Feeling playful, I sexily crossed my bare legs and Darcy's eyes went even wider. "Darcy, you sure you aren't pulling our legs?" Emma asked. I was watching my sister with a smirk as she tried to figure out how could I ever be this calm and girly. "I told you, he's a host to this... girlhood spirit. It changed him into a girl!" Her friends gave her a strange smile, before heading off to their business. "I don't know what's up!" she hissed to me, "but you're going to pay for this one!" I merely stuck my tongue out at her, Glee giggling madly in my head. ------------------ "So, are you feeling better?" I though, while putting away my new clothes in my closet. "Ooooh yes! I feel really full of energy, and that last bit with your sister was icing on the cake!" "Yes, it felt good to be the one doing the teasing for once. So what are we going to do now?" "I have a bargain to stick to," she said, and once again her power flew freely over me. While recovering from the now more familiar dizziness, the bits and pieces of what I had done that morning snapped together, and once again I screamed out. "Noah? Noah? What's wrong?" Glee asked, "You... you manipulative little... damn! How could you make me do those things?" I screamed. "I was *checking out boys*!" "Of course you were! As Nina you're a girl!" she thought back. I sat down on my bed, thankful that nobody had apparently heard me scream. She was right, it was needed for her to feed. I was merely honoring my side of the deal. "I'm sorry, it's just that it wasn't me at all. The next time could you please keep your changes to a minimum? I can appreciate not being uncomfortable, but at the very least let me like girls!" "As a lesbian won't you end up alone and broken-hearted?" she asked concerned, "First of all, who gave you this silly idea? And then I have no desire to have any kind of relationship, straight or not, as Nina. Thanks, but I'm fine being the guy," I sighed, "Listen, there's only so much I can take. You come up out of the blue and change my life upside down. It's not that I don't like you, but can we please take this as easy as possible?" "OK. I told you, I don't want to hurt you," she said. I went over to the bathroom and washed my face, thankful that it was mine and not some girl's. Then I went downstairs for lunch, remembering I still had homework to do in the afternoon. ------------------ "I never thought school was so boring," Glee said while I went through my math assignment. "Well, welcome to reality. I know I'm going to need his stuff, but it still sucks to study." "What are you going to need this for?" "I don't plan to be a high school boy forever, Glee. I want to go to college and become an engineer." "You know that as Nina you wouldn't need to study? I could easily make us into a model or a pop icon. And it would keep me well fed too." "Glee, stop pushing this please. I'm not going to be Nina longer than we need." ------------------ It was late afternoon when I heard the front door opening. I sneaked a peek from my room's door and saw my sister walking in. Crap. I retreated back in my room but it was too late. The door slammed open as an upset Darcy walked inside. "Oh, you're male again," she noticed in disappointment. "Hey, you're smart!" I replied. "OK, you had your fun, now tell me where did that thing at the mall come from!" "What are you talking about?" I asked, faking innocence, but obviously failing as I felt myself flush at the memories. "You - from the mall! You were as feminine as a born woman. How did you pull it off?" she pressed, "it almost makes me think you've been doing this before. Do I have to think my brother is a crossdresser?" I flared up in enbarrassment, "What... you... you..." I resisted the urge to smack her head, mainly because I knew I would be the one getting hurt. "It was Glee, OK?" "Glee? You mean she made you do it?" I sighed. Just the person I wanted to have this conversation with. "Listen, it's not that I asked for it. But she needs me to be like that so I can feed her. Think of it as if I was cooking a meal for a friend." Darcy looked around, spotting some of the clothes I, or rather "Nina", bought, that were still scattered around the room. She picked up a short green dress. "But really, I mean... a dress?" she snickered, "you know, this might be the best fun I'll ever make of you." Enough was enough. I pushed her towards the door, "Thanks Sis, I love you too. Now could you please let me finish my homework?" I said. "Sure, sure. See you later," she replied, with a smirk I didn't like one bit, before closing the door behind her. ------------------ I was downstairs in the kitchen, munching on a chocolate muffin that Glee appeared to like too, when the reason for my sister's ominous smile was revealed. "Hello, you two. So tell me, Glee, aren't you hungry?" she mused. She almost shoved her make-up bag on the table, earning a telepathic sqeal of delight from my head's guest. I almost choked on my cake. "Darcy, you're an evil person, I swear," I commented bitterly, while Glee was already getting excited. "Can we? Please? Pretty pretty please?" she pleaded. "So, Glee, is Nina coming out to play?" asked Darcy, almost daring me to accept. I sighed while I gave Glee a mental OK. "You owe me one," I told my sister, as the familiar wave of dizziness washed over me. ------------------ Mom found us in the living room, watching a Sailor Moon marathon. I was giggling in a silly way while Darcy was telling me of this boy she liked at school and painting my toenails. We hushed up as soon as she walked in, giving us a puzzled look. "Looks like you're adjusting pretty well. I don't know if I should be concerned or relieved," she told me. "Nina's just feeding me. I like her so much!" Mom's eyebrows arched as her gaze drifted over to Cheryl, Darcy's stuffed unicorn, that was staring at her from the couch. Glee had liked the show so much she decided we needed a magical pet, just like the main character, so she fiddled with her powers until she found out she could animate the plushie and even make it talk. "Impressive," Mom commented, as the thing happily nestled on my lap, "I suppose you're Glee." The unicorn bowed down its head in a parody of a curtsy. "Yes, that's me!" She gave the thing a smile and petted it on the back, "OK. Have fun you girls. And Glee, be sure to have... uhm... Nina back to normal for dinner," she said, and quietly left. We went on watching the show until the last episode in the DVD. Then, I stood up from the couch and stretched my limbs. I noticed Darcy looking at me, with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "What's up?" I asked. "You know," she replied, blushing, "as a sister, you're not that bad. It's a shame you're turning back." I stared back, not sure what to say, before turning away. "I suppose you'll have your share of time with Nina. See you later, I'm off to my room." Walking up the stairs, I thought back to what Darcy had said. We were constantly at each other's throat, but those hours spent with her as Nina... She'd been unusually friendly and relaxed. I knew that, had it not been for Glee, I would have trashed the TV after the first episode of that silly show, but this didn't change the fact I didn't feel this close to my sister in months. Maybe Mom was right, and not all of this girly stuff was bad for me. ------------------ "Heya, loser," came a voice, along with a poke on my shoulder. "Nice to meet you too, Kara," I replied to the raven-haired girl that had approached me from behind. "Ooooh... Who's this? Is she your girlfriend?" Glee chimed in my head, and I blushed. "You know that when you went idle without notice, the other night, we lost the battle and the contract to boot?" Kara continued, while she opened the locker right next to mine and stuffed her black bag in. I don't think I ever saw her wearing anything but black since I first met her, at the start of high school. Rings pierced her right nostril and left eyebrow, completing the 'bad girl' vibe. Oh, yes. The game. With all that happened after that, I'd completely forgotten about it. "No, Glee, she's just a friend," I thought, then kept talking with Kara. "Sorry. I wasn't feeling good that night." "Really? All of a sudden?" I nodded, "Nothing serious, don't worry," I added, wishing I could brag about having had a cool manifestation. "Are you saying I'm not cool?" Glee asked, and I quickly reassured her that she was. Kara looked at me, puzzled, "Noah? Are you OK? You look... as if you're zoning out." "Uh... Yes, Kara, I'm OK." "I still say she's your girlfriend. Did you kiss her?" "Stop it!" Kara was still staring at me, and I realized I'd just said that out loud. "Uh... It's nothing, Kara. Really. Now I have to go, like... real quick!" I said, cheeks red as a tomato, as I ran off to my classroom, "So, really, who is she?" Glee asked. "Glee, she's... well... Kara. I've known her for two years, and her aunt was a friend of my parents from when they were superheroes," "Your parents used to be superheroes? Really?" Glee asked in interest, "Yes, you see... they're both mutants. Dad is an Exemplar. He's tough and strong and in his best days he used to go as Rampart. He was the hard hitter in the group. Mom is a wizard, and she used the codename 'Lady Starlight'. Then they had Scepter, their blaster, and Kara's aunt, Nightingale. But those days are over. They got beat up badly by some supervillain, Scepter and Nightingale were killed, and my parents decided it was time to settle down. I suppose one close call was enough." Glee remained silent for a moment, apparently absorbing the information. "So, if she's not your girlfriend, do you like her?" "You're impossible!" I replied with a sigh. ------------------ "You know, you still don't look right to me. Did you have a doctor check you up?" Kara told me, while we were walking down a narrow alley. We lived close to each other and often walked back home together. "I told you, it's nothing," I replied, while I listened to Glee's latest rant about how boring real school is. "It's as if you weren't always here. You're not losing it, are you?" she pushed. "I told you, it's not that!" I replied, snapping, "I'm perfectly fine. It's just been a hard weekend and I'm still tired." "OK, OK, there's no need to be nerv - HEY! Watch your steps, will you?" Three men had just come out of a corner and stepped before us, and one of them had bumped into Kara. They stopped where they stood, and their gaze turned to me, their eyes filled by a deep suffering and a touch of madness. A shiver ran down my spine. "Hey... We... we were just walking home, so..." I muttered, but the three didn't reply, and stared even more intently at me. "Noah... I... I can feel them. They're here for me!" came Glee's voice, and she was terrified. "Who are they, Glee?" I asked, as they closed in on me. I slowly stepped back, away from the group. "They're... like us... but they're not! They're... mad, and in pain! And they want ME, Noah! Help me!" "Glee... I don't know how to help you! Can't you do something?" "Aaaah!" came Kara's scream, and I looked at my left to see another group of men approaching, shoving her aside as if she didn't exist, then encircling me. I was trapped. One of them grabbed me by the wrist. I felt Glee scream, and her power ran through me. The man let go of my arm as the ripple of my transformation flew over it, and I was Nina again. More power. I needed more power! "I got it, Nina! Transformation!" screamed Glee in delight, and suddenly even more energy ran through my body. I felt it embrace me, change me, and it coalesced into something in my hand. I was holding a staff. A white, polished wooden staff, topped by a scarlet gem as big as a man's fist. I was covered in strange robes, but I didn't need to ask Glee to know what was going on. During that final transformation, something in my mind had clicked, and now the two of us were in total synch. We thought as one, and I immediately knew what form her - my power had taken. I was a magical girl. And I was fine with it. I knew I wouldn't be, once I'd be back to my male self, but for now I was Nina, and I was about to kick some ass! The men looked at me in what could pass for surprise in their crazed eyes. I swung my staff at the first one, and it released an energy blast on impact that sent him flying. I ducked to the right to avoid a punch from another, then again my staff swung in a horizontal arc a mere foot from the ground, toppling two of my attackers. At that exact time, one of them grabbed me from behind. Two more were about to grab me too, but then I directed all my power into the staff. As I planted it on the ground, a wave of white-hot light erupted from me, engulfing the creatures in cleansing flames. I could feel what Glee meant when she said they were "like us". Spirits were bound to them, mad and screaming in pain in their flesh prison. I felt their bindings tear and snap under the pressure of my power, and the things fell to the ground. And then it was over. Glee and me were separate beings again. My staff disappeared, as well as my robe, and I was back to normal. Normal Nina, at least. I looked at a frightened Kara, who was struggling to pull herself together, and without a single word we ran away down the alley. -------------------------------- "Husks," Mom whispered, troubled. Kara and I were sitting in the kitchen, together with Darcy and Glee in her unicorn plushie form. I tried to take a sip of my tea, but my hands were still shaking from the adrenaline surge of the fight. I couldn't believe this would happen to me. "The creatures you faced are called Husks," Mom explained, nervously striding back and forth, "and they're a product of evil, dark magic. They're created when a spirit is forcibly bound to a human body. Both the spirit and the host are driven insane beyond recovery. Trapped between the material world and the astral plane, they're forced to serve their creator until the host is eventually consumed." I shivered at the thought, and I felt Glee doing the same. "So, those things were... people?" I asked. "Not anymore. They're just shells, emptied of a soul and filled with madness and rage. Husks, indeed," Mom replied. "Mom, I think... I think they were after me. After Glee," I told her, looking instinctively at the stuffed animal I was holding on my lap. "That's troubling news. There might be more to this that it seems," Mom said, "Your father and I will have to look deeper into the matter. But now, priorities: I think you have some explanations to give," she added, glancing at Kara. My friend was as scared as I was, and much more confused too. She had followed 'Nina' home without speaking, except for greeting my mother, and was visibly weirded out by the animated plushie. I sighed and turned to face Kara, then gave another sip at my cup. "So, I guess I have to tell you some things," I said awkwardly. Kara just nodded, her eyes saying 'obviously'. "OK, first of all, Kara, meet Glee. Glee isn't a real plushie; she's just animating it. She's a spirit, if you know what it is." Kara looked at the unicorn, "it's some kind of magical entity, right?" "Exactly," I said. "I like you, Kara! You should be Noah's girlfriend!" Glee immediately said, jumpy as usual. Apparently, her childish mind had already forgotten the danger we faced. "What!" Kara snapped back, embarrassed. "Glee! I told you we're just friends! Sorry, she's like a little child sometimes. Well, always, actually." I sighed and resumed my explanation. "Just like my parents and sister, I'm a mutant. I'm an Avatar, which means I can act as a host to a spirit. Glee here apparently decided she's my... spirit BFF. She's a spirit of girlhood and fun, so she finds it amusing and... uh... tasty to meddle with my gender," I admitted. The look on Kara's face was priceless. "You mean you got turned into a magical girl because a spirit likes you better that way? You know, if you didn't just save our lives I'd be laughing so hard I wouldn't be able to talk." I blushed. "Hey, I know that's not fun! Speaking of which, Glee, would you please change me back?" The usual dizziness turned me back into my male self, and I felt my virility had sunk to such lows that I could throw up. "Glee... of all the things... why a magical girl?" I whined. "Because they're cool!" she replied, then thought for a moment and added, "and because... when you're Noah you're... narrow." "Narrow?" "How can I put it... when you're a boy, my power can't flow to you. It's as if I was squeezing it through a narrow passage. But the more we think alike, the easiest it becomes to empower you," Glee explained. It made sense. After all, power flowed more easily *to* her if I was Nina. And during the fight, when I fully accepted Glee's power, our minds had completely synched up, to the point I couldn't feel the difference between us anymore. "Glee... thank you," I said. "For what?" "For turning me back," I said, realizing how easy it would have been for her to leave me in magical girl Nina form. In that moment, I was about to lose myself into Glee completely. "We have a deal, don't we?" In the meantime, Kara had been following the conversation with a smile. "You know, you're an odd couple," she commented, "but I think I like you, Glee. Be good to Noah." "I like you too Kara!" chirped the plushie, before jumping on her lap and snuggling in an odd fashion. "Mom, are we in danger?" asked Darcy, that had been silent until then. Our mother didn't reply immediately, a glimpse of fear shot in her eyes. "No, you are not. Dad and I will protect you," she finally said. "Do you know who created those Husks then?" I asked her. "I..." "Charlene, you know who's behind this," came Dad's voice, as he abruptly walked in the room. "Eddy... We can't be sure..." she said, her eyes darting from him to us. The subject obviously made them uncomfortable. "Mom, please. Tell us what's up," I pushed, "We're not kids anymore." "Back when we were superheroes, we made enemies," Mom said, sad and nervous. "One of them could be the person responsible for this attack. The Curator, he calls himself. He collects spirits and various magical artifacts and keeps them in a parody of a museum." "I talked with Rhea and she agrees with us. She says she'll be waiting for us at her house," Dad added, then looked at us. "Listen carefully. We're going to take the three of you to Rhea's place. She's an old time friend of ours who only recently retired from the business. You might know her better as the Red Angel." "Whoa! *That* Red Angel?" I exclaimed. Ten years ago, she used to be one of the most important superheroes around! "Exactly. Kara, I'm afraid you'll have to come too, I already called your parents. If the Curator is the one behind this, he used to be your aunt's enemy as well. We can't risk him going after you or your sister. Luckily, she's not in town." "Dad... what will you and Mom do?" Darcy asked with a worried voice. "We're going to track your brother's attacker down. Just because I've not been superheroing lately, it doesn't mean I'm out of practice," replied Mom, and to stress the point she summoned a crackling, sparkling magical field around her right fist. We all nodded and looked at each other. Glee must have felt my fear as the unicorn slipped from Kara's lap to mine. I held it tight. We're going to make it, I thought, Mom and Dad are going to make it. And everything will be fine. ----------------- The Red Angel was as magnificent in person as she was on TV, just a little shorter. The fact that she lived in an anonymous looking apartment no more than a five minutes drive from my house could surprise a layman, but I knew first hand that meta-humans were, after all, just people. Without her costume, she looked just like a regular twenty-something woman, but if I had to guess from how long she'd been around, she must have been close to my parents in age - mid forties. It was hard to tell with Exemplars and their slow aging. "Are you sure you want to go by yourself? I can make some calls and round up a team," the woman - Rhea - told Mom. "We're talking about Dave here. If I wanted to fight him, I'd accept your help. But this is a personal matter. If there's someone that can talk him into stopping this madness, it's us." "As you wish, Charrie... But please, be careful," Rhea insisted, "He's not the person he used to be." "I know, Rhea," Mom replied bitterly, "I know." Our parents gave us a hug and again told us to be careful and stick with Rhea, before getting back to their car and leaving. The Angel politely invited all of us in, and I followed my sister and Kara with the odd feeling of having forgotten something. I shrugged it off and walked into a living room where a toddler was playing with a plastic toy. The child immediately earned a mental squeal from Glee. Glee! That's what I had forgotten! "I left the unicorn in the car!" I said, and everyone else looked at me quizzically. "Darcy's unicorn! The one Glee used to talk!" I explained. "Glee..." Rhea said, studying me, "She's your partner spirit, right? Eddy told me about her." "Uhm... yes," I replied, wondering exactly how much Dad had told her. "Don't worry, the three of you are safe here. The house is well protected against external attacks, and I still remember how to fend off a few Husks. Make yourselves at home," she continued, then picked up the little child. "This is my daughter, Ellie, the reason I quit. Say hello, Ellie!" The little girl looked at the three of us curiously, then turned around, pressing her face on her mother's shoulder. "She's a little shy," Rhea explained, then deposited her on the couch again, where she went back to sucking on a toy. "So, can I make you some tea?" Rhea then added. -------------------------------- The waiting was killing me. It had already been four hours since my parents left, and we were growing afraid something bad had happened to them. We kept looking at each other and the clock, counting the minutes. Even Glee seemed affected by the general gloomy mood, and was far quieter than usual. The day was giving way to night when I finally couldn't take it anymore. "We have to do something," I told Kara and Darcy. Rhea was busy feeding Ellie in another room, and we could talk quite freely. Kara stared at me as if I'd gone crazy. "Noah, what can we do? We have no idea where your parents are, and even if we could slip away from under Red Angel's nose and find them, what could we possibly do against a real life supervillain?" I knew she was right, and yet I felt horribly powerless. If only Glee could help somehow... "Glee, do you still control Cheryl?" I asked, an idea popping up in my head. "Yes. It's still in the car," she replied, apparently oblivious to the significance of it. "Do you know where it is? Could you take us there?" "It's in a place surrounded by factories and warehouses. I don't know the place, but I know the general direction," she replied. A smirk formed on my lips. "Glee says she can take us to Dad and Mom," I told the others. "Wonderful... but then what?" Darcy asked, "how can we help them?" In the past few days, I caught a glimpse of how Glee's mind worked, and something told me she would love a particular idea mulling around in my head. "Tell me... How would you like to become real life magical girls?" I asked grinning. ------------- "This is madness, you know?" Kara repeated as her brand new car slowed to a halt near my parents', in one of the worst suburbs of the city. Buildings in various states of decay surrounded us from all sides. We'd run away as quickly as possible from under Rhea's protection while she was busy dealing with Ellie - in fact, I suspect the only reason we managed to get away was that she didn't expect us to try something this stupid in the first place. "Are these things even going to work?" Darcy asked, taking a good look at the bracelet Glee had summoned for her. In the best anime - and Gleeish - tradition, it was sparkly, with a huge green gem. Kara had a matching one, with a purple gem, while mine was adorned with the same scarlet gem as my magical girl staff. "Glee says they will, as long as I'm in magical girl form too," I replied, spying at our surroundings. "Now I wonder how we're going to find the entrance." "I can help you here. I think... I can feel them. Spirits trapped and screaming," Glee told me. "Are you sure? Where?" I thought back. Glee directed me towards one of the buildings, until I was standing before a door. "I don't think just knocking would be a good idea," Kara commented, as I inspected the door, finding it locked. "Let the experts work this out," Darcy said smirking, and shoved me aside. She then threw herself against the door with everything she had - it gave in like paper before collapsing on the floor. "Super strength," she added smugly, and showed us the opening, "you first." "I still say that counts as 'knocking'" Kara commented while the three of us walked in. The place was a large, poorly lit room lined with doors. We barely had the time to take stock of our surroundings, when the doors bursted open and a horde of Husks poured out. "Dammit! Glee!" I screamed, as with a ripple I changed into Nina. "You know what to do!" Glee told me. My arm went to my chest, bracelet resting on my heart, before starting to chant, "In the name of Joy and Fun, give us your power, Glee!" "You're a drama queen. And a megalomaniac," I thought, while a wave of spirit power engulfed me and my two companions, gaining form and substance in my robes and staff. "Hey, you ever heard of credits?" she just replied, giggling, before merging completely with me again. Soon, the three of us were hitting, hacking and bursting our way through the horde of brainless monsters, standing back to back for protection. "There's just too many of them!" I heard Darcy cry. "Just keep going!" I cried back, as I smashed my staff right through a husks's skull. "Ho-ho! This so much better than GEO!" Kara said, while she cut down husk after husk with a huge sword. What felt like an era later, we found ourselves standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by the remains of our attackers. As I recovered from my combat high and disconnected from Glee again, I finally had a chance to take a look at the others, and myself. The three of us wore matching outfits consisting of a dress, knee-high boots and jewelry. Mine was all in white and scarlet, Darcy's was green, and Kara's was a deep purple with black trims, giving her a perfect 'gothic lolita' look. My hair was even longer than in 'standard' Nina form, reaching down to my knees while somehow not impairing me in combat. The gems we wore before had disappeared from our bracelets, instead moving to what appeared to be our weapon of choice. For me, it was my staff, and the gem proudly topped it. Kara now had a sword so long she shouldn't be able to lift it, let alone swing it, looking at the same time elegant and wicked. Her purple gem rested on the hilt. Darcy, on her part, sported nothing but a pair of gloves, each one adorned with a small emerald gem, but considering how strong she already was, one of her Glee-powered fists must have been something to stay away from. Once again, I knew I should have felt outraged by the sheer *girliness* of it all, but as Nina I relished in it as much as Glee did. I pushed the thoughts away and, together with the girls, did a quick inspection of the area. Apparently, the ground floor was completely abandoned. The only possible route deeper into what we presumed was the Curator's "museum" was a door leading to a basement. We warily opened it and walked into a maze of hallways. Here and there a room opened, revealing strange collections of things. A room was full with jars, small forms of nothingness swirling inside, whispering unintelligible things to my mind. Another one was covered in pictures of alien landscapes, so weird they could only be conceived by a madman, that sent shivers of fear down my spine. Still following Glee's guidance, we finally reached a larger room. This exhibit was clearly some sort of trophy room. The items meticolously placed around the room must have belonged to the Curator's various enemies. I saw a pair of iron gauntlets that appeared to have been part of a medieval armor, different spandex hoods and capes, the large blood-red waraxe of the Scarlet Jarl, and many others I couldn't recognize. "Nina..." I heard Kara say. I turned around, barely registering the fact she had used my female name. She was staring in awe at a particular piece of the exhibit. It was a jewel - a choker, more accurately - in the shape of a pentacle with an open eye at the center. "This choker... Nina, I'm fairly sure it used to be my aunt's," Kara said, almost whispering. She reached out to open the display case holding it. "Kara... don't, there might be traps..." I said, but it was already too late. The case clacked open and... nothing happened. Not immediately, at least. Then, the choker suddenly lifted up from the case on its own and wrapped itself around my friend's neck. Kara gave out a whimper, her body jerking as if she was in pain. I grabbed her so she wouldn't fall on the ground, but after just a moment the fit was gone. "The... Nightingale..." she whispered, opening her eyes again, "Kara? Are you OK?" I asked her, staring in her eyes that now had a look of wonder and realization. "The Choker of Mists. The Mark of the Nightingale..." she said, standing on her feet again, "I heard my aunt's voice. This choker... it's the Choker of Mists, granting the powers of darkness and deceit to its wearer. It's an old and powerful charm, and... she said I'm its new designated keeper. The new Nightingale." I stared at her, and then at the choker, in silence. "Are you sure about this? It feels so... strange." "I am. I just... know it," she replied. I nodded, and we walked further down the large hall. The trophy room opened into another large room. I walked in taking a look at the huge glass cases lining the walls, under a balcony, and realized with horror that they were holding cells. The sick bastard wasn't satisfied with dead thophies alone - he wanted live ones too! I heard a soft sound of someone crying coming from a cell further down the room - all the ones I could see were thankfully empty - and the three of us warily moved closer to the source. A figure was sitting on the floor, she looked at us when she heard us coming, and as soon as she saw us her eyes filled with surprise and fear. It was Mom! "Mom!" I exclaimed, running closer and forgetting for a moment about our surroundings. "Who... Noah? Is that you? And... Darcy and Kara? What are you doing here?" "We came looking for you, we were afraid you could get hurt!" Darcy told her, "Where's Dad?" "Hush! Don't talk so loud, Dave... I mean, the Curator is nearby. As for Dad... I'm afraid he got him. Now please get me out of this cage and let's get away before he comes back," she said in a frightened tone before adding, "and you should have stayed home! It's too dangerous for kids here!" "Are you OK, Mom?" Darcy asked. "Yes. Only, he drained all my Essence so I can't cast spells right now." "So, how do we open the cage?" I asked, looking for a door or a lock. "That's the easy part, actually," Darcy said, and threw herself at the glass. The front of the cage shattered in a thousand shards with a loud noise. "Darcy, you fool!" I scolded her, "now he'll know we're here!" "But... but..." she pouted. "No time for this. Run!" Mom called, but only a moment later the door back to the trophy room closed shut. "Oh, look who's here!" came a man's voice, and a figure walked in our sight, on the balcony. At a first glance, the Curator was an average man, the kind you'd expect to see going to work in a suit in the morning. He sure didn't have the look you'd expect from a powerful sorcerer, in his white shirt and circular glasses. But his eyes burned with hatred and malice. He looked down at us, dismissing the others with a scowl, before staring at me. "So this is the girl, the host... Indeed, she looks a lot like you, Charlene," he said, his voice was what you'd expect from a cat playing with a mouse. "Dave, please, let them go. It's me that you want," Mom pleaded. It was striking to see her, usually proud, so humiliated. "Of course, Charlene, I always wanted you. And you knew when you chose Edward over me. But this time I think I'll get both the girl and the prize," the Curator said, without even bothering to look at Mom, then continued. "I don't know what your patron spirit is, kid, but I know it's powerful enough to understand me. Leave this girl now, and I won't have to kill your host and her mother." "Run! Run away!" Mom screamed. But we didn't come here only to run away. "Don't worry Glee. I'll protect you. I'm still a boy after all - and I won't leave a girl in need," I thought, and I could feel her cheering up. "Let's say that, if you back down now, maybe we aren't going to burn your pathetic museum to ashes, and you with it," I challenged him back, with all the recklessness only a teenager could muster. "Fiery, just like your mother, huh? I wouldn't have expected any less. It doesn't matter - after all, the best way to capture a spirit is to kill the host!" he said dramatically, and a figure from behind him jumped down the balcony and into the room. "Oh, God, not this!" Mom cried, staring in absolute horror at Dad - his eyes mad and empty. The husk that used to be Dad charged right at me, with all the power of its Exemplar body. All I could do was stare in shock, unable to bring myself to attack. I knew that it wasn't Dad anymore, and still... Someone grabbed me and pulled me aside just in time for the charging monster to miss me, crashing right into a glass wall. I found myself staring at Kara. "What the fuck are you doing?" she screamed. "But... Dad!" I could only whine, before a hand punched right into my back. I went flying forward, tumbling on the floor and hurting everywhere. I barely managed to turn around in time to see the thing crashing on top of me. "Dad... Dad please!" I cried, but a moment later the husk's hands were at my throat, pressing harder and... The husk screamed in pain as Kara's sword hit. It threw me aside and turned to face her, only for the blade to pass right through its chest, impaling it to the ground. I coughed and painfully rose to my feet, staring at what used to be my father in utter horror. Please, no, I thought. God, let this be a joke. A nightmare. Tears filled my eyes and I almost collapsed to the ground, but Kara held me up. Even Glee, in my head, was crying. ----------------- The car was silent. Dad's funeral had been terrible, and I still couldn't bring myself to believe he was gone, even if I'd seen him die with my own eyes. Next to me, Darcy cried softly, silently petting Cheryl-Glee. I hugged her, holding back the tears. After all, I was still the man of the family. Barely. Today was the first day I met Kara since Dad's death and the Curator's escape. We couldn't bring ourselves to look in each other's eyes, even if we both knew she did the only possible thing. "Noah," Darcy asked, "do you think we could have saved him? I mean, if we only had been there earlier..." The question burned like hot metal. I'd been thinking the same thing many times in the past few days. "Darcy, Noah," Mom said, "you did what you could. You weren't even supposed to be there." I knew she was right, but it still felt horrible. "And that's the worst part of being a hero," she continued, "no matter what fancy superpowers you have, you can never save everyone." With that sad truth in mind, I followed Mom into the house. She had told us we were going to leave, but not where we'd go. Our stuff was already packed and Mom was finishing preparing hers. "And now Mom?" I finally managed to ask, "What do we do now?" She sighed, and sat down on the sofa. In her hands, in a plastic bag, was her old grey spandex suit. Lady Starlight's costume. "I've made arrangements for the two of you and Kara. You're going to attend a special school, the same Dad and me studied at. You made yourself a dangerous enemy; you'll be safe there." "A special school?" I asked. She nodded. "The Whateley Academy. A boarding school for mutants, where young supers are taught how to control their powers. It's a neutral area for heroes and villains alike, not even the Curator would be so foolish as to attack you there." She managed to hold in a sob. "It was there that I first met your father, Kara's aunt and Scepter. And it was there that I met the Curator, when he was just David. Back when... we used to be friends." "What happened then?" Mom just shook her head, biting her lower lip. "I don't know. I guess people change. Or maybe, I just never wanted to see he was like this." "And what about you?" Darcy asked, "What are you going to do?" "Me?" Mom replied, holding her costume tight. "I guess Lady Starlight has one last score to settle. And this time, once and for all." The end (for now...)