The Arch-Demon drops in (3)

It was 7 AM in the city of Rialto as a shivering Michael Miller groggily walked down the empty streets of the awakening city for school. The struggle was real for him, he was hungry and cold. His mother was a real hardass whenever she had to punish him. It took him until three in the morning to make it back home and that was still the earliest time that he could manage. Going at full speed would have been instantaneous for him but the roads and sidewalks were filled with people at night, so he had to carefully maneuver around them without getting spotted.

The last thing that he wanted was to get an earful from his mom about sudden rumors of some kid outrunning some cars…again.

Despite making it home late with only four hours of sleep, he still looked as wide awake as yesterday not that it was a big deal. He didn't really like to sleep for too long anyways. So, after what happened the other day his mom made sure to be more vigilant with waking up and making sure that he went to school under her watch. Quite literally.

"Keep moving, slowpoke!"

"I know…I know…" He groaned as his mom honked the horn of her car as she closely drove behind him on the road.

"Mmmmm, it sure is toasty with my car's heater on especially on a cold fall morning such as today, eh?" Samantha cruelly smiled as Michael shot her the angriest of stares. His punishment was far from over, she knew he can't handle the cold and rubbed it into his face. Perhaps he should surprise her with a rattlesnake that he could pick up from the Palm Springs' dessert. Nah, that's probably pushing it, he wouldn't even have the stomach to even look at one.

"Don't worry the cold is a great motivator for you to keep moving to warm yourself up! By the way it's so warm in here, I feel like falling asleep again." She teased and basked within the comforts of her vehicle.

Tossing her one last look, Michael tightly held his hands together and breathed into it. Fine, if she was going to be that way then she probably won't mind him trying to stay warm as best as he could. The warmth was immense, in fact, the heat that he emitted from his mouth was scalding hot as evidenced by the small licks of flames that flowed out of the crevices of his fingers.

This immediately earned him a soda can being thrown at the back of his head. He groaned in slight annoyance, it didn't really hurt but he still felt the weight of it and realized that it was still full.

"What did I say about using that in public!?" Sam scolded him as she pulled up next to the sidewalk. He winced at this since she was doing it in that quiet, authoritative voice of hers. Sure getting shouted at was tolerable, but there was just something about mothers lowering their voices to reprimand their kids that made it hard not to wince.

"Don't…" He groaned.

"Right, now don't make me catch you do that again especially in the middle of the day…" She paused and looked down, "Now fetch me my can of soda, I need my daily dose of caffeine."

"Okay…" He begrudgingly walked over to pick up the dented can, but noticed a pair of familiar green and black sneakers standing in front of him. Looking up, his once long face was now somewhat beaming with joy, he was still bitter about the other day.

"How's it going, Mike?" Jefferey bitterly smiled. Like Michael, he was about his age with blond hair and blue eyes as he wore a black and green hoodie, tanned cargo shorts and a pair of glasses. Not to mention the guy's favorite pair of wireless headphones.

"Terrible, but I-I'll manage…" He hesitated upon feeling his mother's stern eyes burn holes through the back of his head.

"Good Morning, Jefferey!" Samantha backed her car up and greeted the boy with a bright smile.

"Good Morning, Miss Mill."

"So, how are you?"

"I'm doing good, I mean, my mom's tightened her leash on me and my curfew is basically around seven after school now so…yeah, everything is going great…" It was hard not cringe, despite not ditching like him, Jefferey still had to go through his hardass mother's punishment. Goes to show that not getting away with the crime will still make you pay the time with that woman as your mom.

At least his mom wasn't that cruel.

"Oh, that's right! I forgot, thanks for reminding me! Michael, you're to immediately come home after school this week, okay? Okay!"

"But-!"

"No buts, and don't think that you're off the hook this weekend because you're accompanying me to work! Yep, you're not goofing off this weekend, just staying in the lab doing your homework the whole day with your mom. Oh, and thank Karen for me, Jefferey, she comes up with the best ideas for teaching brats like mine great lessons! Tell her to call whenever she's not too busy down at the hospital, okay?" Samantha winked.

"O-Okay, ma'am…" Jeff sighed and looked at a downfallen Michael walk off to school.

"I believe I can trust you boys to make it to school by yourselves, so I'll see myself off! Bye, sweetie have a great day at school!" Samantha waved goodbye to her fuming son, who only offered her a grumbled bye in return before abruptly making a sudden U-turn on the street.

Rushing to catch up with Michael, Jefferey whispered, "So are you thinking of any more plans to ditch school in the near future, or…?"

"No…" Michael facepalmed, he wasn't going to be able to pull the same plan on his mom again, plus, he didn't want his mom to spill the beans of his fake sick calls to school otherwise he would lose any opportunity to make more schemes in the future without his mother's say in the matter.

He only hopes that the following day won't be a complete headache after what happened yesterday. First, he gets his bike stolen and now he's on his mother's watchlist, well, he's now on his mother's constant watchlist. But looking back at it, he did feel that some good came out of it and that all stemmed from saving a little girl and her cat.

With his mood brightening, Michael looked to his friend and grinned, "Say, Jeff, you are not going to believe the day I had yesterday."

"Are you serious!?"

Jeff's screams of disbelief were one of many thundering voices that filled the hallways of Rialto High School. It was about a fifteen minute walk from the neighborhood to get there, and the reason why would be because his mom doesn't want him to be late, but that's never the case should he use his super speed, the real reason was because she didn't want to waste any gas money for any far away schools.

"I wouldn't lie about my bike getting jacked dude…" Michael groaned as he struggled to open his locker. Damn, locks and their stupid precise combinations, he can tell that the damn thing was being stupid with him, he can't have possibly missed the same digit thrice!

"Not that! I mean, I'm sorry about your bike but…" Jeff leaned in closer to whisper, "Are you sure that it was okay to go full…y'know…"

It wasn't a surprise for Jefferey to be concerned with that because after all from all of the people that Michael knows, only him, his own mother, and a few others knew of his secret about his powers.

"Welp, I can only cross my fingers and hope that those thugs thought that me beating their asses was some sort of dream. Dammit, really…?" He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he failed to open the lock once again.

"What about that girl you saved though?"

"You mean Rose? Nah…" Michael looked up in thought before laughing it off.

"But-"

"Dude, I doubt that the police would believe a little kid's story about what happened. They'll probably write off whatever she says as her mind playing with her due to the trauma of being kidnapped. Almost…" This time for sure, he was finally going to get this damn thing to open.

"I guess you're right, but there's always the off chance that something could…"

"It didn't work again? Grgh!" With a loud crack, Michael angrily pulled the dial off of the metal lock and dryly looked to Jefferey, "Would you mind…uh…"

"Sure…" Taking that as his cue, Jefferey turned the other way and stepped back to hide the teen from any lingering eyes as he removes his lock. It wasn't the first time to happen to him and it probably won't be the last. Placing one hand on the locker door, he tightly took hold of it, he had to be careful not to pull the whole locker off or it would obviously draw the unneeded attention of everyone in the hallway.

Okay, he was ready, he just needed to dial back on the strength and pull as fast as he could. In one…two…thr-!

"Well, well, well, if it isn't, Miller!" Startled between his counting, Michael forcibly removed not only the broken lock but the locker's handle as well.

He groaned as he looked over his ruined locker, "Why…"

Now back to the person who forced him to slip up, and he knew that annoying authoritative voice from anywhere.

"Not even a day later and you're already causing trouble, but at least that's a sign that you're no longer sick."

Grumbling to himself, he begrudgingly turned to face the bane of literal existence, Jade Lopez. The sophomore golden girl on campus. Officiously standing with both hands on her hips, the tanned girl looked down at him with those sharp brown eyes of hers. A quick jerk of her head sent back some strands of her wavy green hair from obscuring her sight.

"Great, its you…" The despondence dripping from his tone was made quite clear as he rolled his eyes.

Tapping her feet, she narrowed her eyes at him, "Is that any way to say good morning to someone, Miller?"

You're one to talk, Michael thought as his eyebrow twitched at the hypocrisy. Wasn't it customary to greet someone first when engaging a conversation instead of, oh, he doesn't know, screaming their name like a freaking banshee. Usually, he wouldn't indulge in listening to her, but after yesterday, he decided to just get it over with…

"You're right, I'm sorry…"

"What?" Both Jade and Jefferey were put off by the teenager's sudden apology. The usual brash Michael would never apology let alone give one to Jade.

"Allow me to properly greet you today…" While Jefferey took a sigh in relief, Jade was absolutely taken aback by the young man prostrating himself to her.

"Good Morning, your Grace!" He tried his best to sound as subservient as any french butler would and at the top of his lungs no less. This attracted the attention of nearby students, who quietly observed. Jade shot any observers a fierce glower that sent them walking away. This however didn't stop the rising whispers.

"Miller…" Jade growled.

Bouncing back up on his heels, the young man laughed, "What, no good morning back? Pfft, and you insinuate that I'm the rude one." Jade angrily clicked her tongue, and with that he finally gained some semblance of a good morning from the green headed girl.

"Good morning...Miller…" Jade sweetly(?) greeted him through grit teeth.

"Oh, I can just feel the love…" Michael snickered.

"And good morning to you too, Jefferey." She said, sweetly.

"Morning…" Jefferey warily waved.

Soon enough the pre-warning bell for first period rang throughout the halls, students began moving each and every way like a pack of unorganized fish.

"That's the bell for homeroom, I'll see you there, Jefferey." She smiled to the blond but gave the other teen a look so frigid that it would give you goosebumps, "And I better see you there too, Miller."

"Here's to hoping I don't get sick on the way there." He vehemently forced a frown.

"Yes, because we wouldn't want that to happen again, now would we?" The insinuation wasn't lost on Michael, he could pull the rug on most people in the school with his little ditch tactics since he's not that close to anyone besides Mark, but Jade was a different case. The girl was always on his case ever since he started to attend school, why she did so in the first place was lost on him, but it doesn't change the fact that she's annoying as hell.

Watching her leave, Michael's eyes lowered to appreciate the pleasing view of her hips.

"Even though I hate to see her come…" He trailed off before looking on in disinterest, "I still love to see her literally leave."

"So, uh, what are you going to do about the…" Jeff pointed to the ruined locker.

Not even sparing the handle in his hand any thought, he nonchalantly tossed it over his shoulder and shrugged. "Meh, I'll just get another one during lunch." There was more than enough time since their free period would last for about an hour before wrapping up the last two classes for the day. This wasn't the first time that he jacked up his locker and it probably won't be the last. He'll just have to come up with some excuse about the locker being too rickety like the last two times.

He silently made a note to himself about holding back should the news of him breaking so much property reaches his mom's ears.

"And your textbook for class?" Jeff further inferred.

"I'll just share your book for class." Taking step, the two then proceeded to class but with Jeff looking a bit hesitant.

"Yeah, that's not going to work, pal. Remember, Mr. Peterson deducts points from our grade for each day we don't enter class with our textbooks." The young teen groaned at that, these high school teachers were ridiculous. The reason was probably because the teacher wants to teach them responsibility, but isn't that inadvertently killing a student's drive to get to class. Not to mention that he's shooting himself in the foot by possibly failing students this way and getting fired for having a low teaching performance.

"Another reason why I hate coming here…" The young man scratched his head out of frustration before a thought came to mind. Putting on as big of a grin as he could, the young man began to back peddle away much to Jeff's confusion as the blond teen turned around to see that his friend was already halfway down the hall.

"Y'know, I figured that it would be best for me to get myself that new lock about now. Make sure to…hehe…tell Mr. Peterson, okay?" He noticed the suspicious look in Jeff's narrowed eyes, but took off running once he got his bud's affirmative nod. Yes! Yes! Yes! It may not be long, but maybe he can salvage some form of freedom with this great new excuse.

Amidst all of his excitement, he caught himself from zooming through the hallways with a little too much speed just before he almost passed the janitor. Looking ahead, it took him a few more steps to reach the front door to the school faculty office. All he needed to do was talk to the lady at the front desk give her the excuse that his locker's been broken once again and that he forgot some very important books at home, so he'll have to rush back and get them.

Oh, and he has to make sure to emphasize the part about how busy his mom was that she had to rush to work at S.T.A.R labs. That part always hooked them in on how top priority things were.

Reaching for the door knob, he shirked back in surprise as the door suddenly slammed opened. Phew, he almost got slammed in the face by…some random girl with brown hair and green eyes. And looking closely at her face, she had freckles too. She shot him an awkward look that soon turned to disdain. Oh, was urh…looking at her face for too long?

"What? Is there something wrong my face?" Ugh, he didn't want to make another Jade to be pissy at him during school. So all had to do was break the awkward tension.

"Nope, but you have a nice one…" There a compliment, being kind goes a long way and peacefully makes enemies into friends. Well, at least that's what the Old Big Blue would say.

"…" The girl raised her eyebrow. He guesses that his remark may not have landed on her. Probably? Maybe? Meh, girls around his age were hard to figure out.

"If it isn't, Mr. Miller." Appearing out from behind her in the doorway was the school's principal himself, Mr. Hernandez. A rather fit man in his mid 30's who can still somehow rock a pair of shades and a pant suit.

"Hello, sir." Michael waved trying to avert his attention from the girl still giving him that weird look.

"Classes have begun, any reason why you're here?"

"Actually yes, my locker broke, so I need a new one." Michael lightly shrugged it off.

Taking a deep breath, the principal shook head and said, "…Again?" He gave the man a nod. Glancing at the girl, Mr. Hernandez gave her what looked like a sympathetic glance, "Alright then Ms. Jones, you'd best hurry off to class. Remember, should your situation change, then you come talk to me anytime you're ready."

"Thank you, Mr. Hernandez." The girl's lips crooked upwards in what formed a smile, but for some reason the look on Mr. Hernandez's face didn't fully look that convinced of it. Was she forcing herself to smile or wh-and he's been staring at her face again without thinking? Dammit!

"…Weirdo…" Really, she had to say that while the principal was in front of them, and just as she was about to leave too? Man, girls are so hard to understand sometimes.

"So…" The young man trailed off as he nudged his head to the office, "Can I come in?"

Hand to forehead, Hernandez groaned and gestured for the boy to enter. Might as well if he had to reassign him to a new locker. The young man waved to nice lady at the front desk, he certainly didn't know her name, but they were at least acquainted. Well, he shares this sentiment with most of his classmates as a whole. Off the top of his head, he can only name a few that he either likes or dislikes.

"So, Mr. Miller, how have you been? I take it your sickness is gone?" Mr. Hernandez asked.

"Yep, I'm feeling better than ever. You won't catch me eating anymore gas station food after school anymore, hehehe…" The excuse that he had used may have been lame, but considering the health hazards of some gas stations it was quite believable. The principal made way to the front desk to retrieve a walkie talkie and walked off to probably talk about his locker and stuff.

A few minutes of waiting and he returns after strangely giving the front desk lady a courteous smile, "Cindy would you make taking a call for me right now?"

"Yes, sir." The front desk receptionist named Cindy does just that as she inputs a few numbers before putting the landline to her ear awaiting the call. Turning back to the teen, Mr. Hernandez coughed and crossed his arms.

"Well, Mr. Miller, you'll be happy to know that we've already decided your next new locker…again. Here's the number and we'll have someone get your books out of the old one in a little while." He handed Michael the slip, "Now is there anything else you need before I send you off to class?"

Go time. "Why yes actually, Principal, I need to have my textbook for class right now and I wouldn't want to do poorly in it otherwise I'd get points deducted from my grade for not having it with me." First, layout the problem.

"While that's unfortunate, it will take some time to retrieve it."

Now to counter. "Yes, but after missing out on class the other day, I find it would be best to come in prepared, so I won't be too behind on the subject matter."

"I see, then what would you suggest?" Alright, he's taken the bait, now its time to lure him in with some flawless logic.

"Time, you see class doesn't finish for another hour, and thankfully, my mom always buys me two sets of textbooks in case I lose one of them." And by lose, he means accidentally set on fire or tear in half, "The books are back at my place, and its only a fifteen minute walk here to there, and if I run there and back real quickly then I'd be able to participate in class for just enough time to get situated with the content."

"I see…" Mr. Hernandez rubbed his chin. Now was time for the final blow.

"I mean, I would ask my mom to pick it up for me, but she does have important S.T.A.R. Lab business to handle. Last I heard, they've been researching a biological mutation in people's genes, and it would be a shame for her to drive all the way back from L.A. to get my dumb old books."

"…You're right that would be rather troublesome for your mother, and considering how close your address is to the school… Then I have no qualms with you leaving, Mr. Miller." Michael had to stop himself from excitedly bouncing about. It may not be enough time, but with his speed, he's sure that he can figure out something to do with those precious thirty minutes.

"Thanks for being so considerate, sir. I'll be back in a flash like the Flash!" Michael chuckled.

"No need for thanks, Mr. Miller. In all actuality, you should be thanking your mother." Michael's body soon shivered at the very mention of his mom, but still tried his best to compose himself.

"Y-You mean thank her for my extra books?" He nervously laughed.

"No for actually changing my mind about punishing you for falsely calling in sick." Oh, he can see where this is going.

"…She came here yesterday, didn't she?" He slumped down and groaned.

"And she spared us no little detail about what you may pull the next day. In fact, she even asked if we could give her the chance to hear your scheme." Oh, no. He followed the principal's line of sight to see Cindy holding up the phone.

"Oh…"

"Cindy, would you mind putting it on speaker?"

"Oh no, Miss Cindy, you don't have to do-!"

["Hi, sweetie!"]

"That… Hi, mom…" Michael facepalmed.

["So how's school! I trust that you haven't been getting into too much trouble, I hope!"] Even over the phone, he could tell that his mom was considerably annoyed despite her cheery tone.

"Nothing is wrong, Miss Miller. Michael here simply came in to request a new locker after his old one got broken." The teen felt annoyed once the principal patted his shoulder. He didn't quite like being one upped like this.

["So…another…broken locker. That's nice…that's nice…meaning I'll have to pay for the repairs…again…"] The tension grew in her voice.

"Look, mom, I'm sor-!" He really needed to salvage things before they came back to bite him in the ass later.

["Two weeks…"] What, two weeks? Was she referring to his punishment meaning…he'll have to go straight back home after school for the next two weeks.

"H-Hold up, mom! That's not fair, look, I'm sorry! I won't do it again!" He pleaded as best as he could because once she got mad things would only go downhill from here for him.

["…You're right two weeks is a bit unfair."] His breath stopped, he knew it would be too easy to expect leniency from her, ["That's why for revealing such vague yet touchy information about my work to get some time off from school, expect a five-week punishment."]

"F-F-F-Five weeks?" The young man was speechless, he couldn't wait that long to do nothing. He had very important stuff to do! Well, it wasn't that important, but he still has some things to focus on.

["Well, I'd best hang up. I'm just about close to exit traffic-" *HONK!* "My turning signal was fucking on you son of a bitch!"] The whole office fell quiet from the woman's road rage, ["Excuse me for that, and don't bother going back home. I already gave them your textbooks. Now, for the last time, have a great day at school and don't let me catch you pulling this again, okay?]

"Yes, ma'am." Damn, if he didn't feel defeated yesterday, he would most certainly feel it today.

["Good, boy. And Mr. Hernandez have a nice day as well, sir."]

"You too, Miss Miller…" Just as his mother hung up, Mr. Hernandez was already on his way to his office to collect said stack of books for Michael to carry.

"Here you are, Mr. Miller."

"Thanks…"

As he returned, he immediately handed the heavy weight of the stack to the teen. It wasn't heavy for the young man, but the weight of his designated punishment was pretty much crushing him. He would ask for a pass for class, but he just too bitter to ask at this point. Just as his hand touched the doorknob, the principal called out to him once more.

"Oh, yes, and Mr. Miller." He turned back to face the stern look on Mr. Hernandez's face, "We still need to discuss your choice for an extra-curricular activity. You won't be putting it off like you did your freshman year."

"Of course, sir…" He groaned as he didn't bother to hide how grated his nerves were. As gently as he could, he opened and closed the door with as much ease as he could with his frustrated mood. He would only hope that no one would notice the crushed indentations on the knob before the day was over, and the fact that the knob was a "bit" loosened.

"You know, in hindsight, you really should have seen this coming." Jeff shook his head while laughing a bit at Michael's predicament.

"I know…" The grounded teen's shoulders were slumped as he walked beside his friend down the hallway towards his new locker.

"I mean, your mom may not be as strict as mine, heck, she's pretty chill but she's just as quick to figure out bullshit from a mile away."

"I know…"

First period was over, and boy was it another boring slog of just listening to the teacher talk and talk and talk. Honestly, he could have just read the book by himself and now because he was late, he now had to make an essay for each section of the chapter that they were currently going over. And not to complain or anything, but there are seven to eight sections in all of the chapters for their AP European history class!

Michael managed to take a deep breath but noticed the worried look in Jeff's eyes as he looked at him.

"Five weeks may suck, but look on the bright side…"

"There are no bright sides…"

"Be positive, Mike. The world isn't going to end because you lost some semblance of freedom." Jeff laughed a bit but looked at the young man contemplating the very notion of it.

"You're right, the world is too big to end. It has to be something smaller, perhaps the school." Michael laughed.

"Mike…" Jeff gave him "the" look, and it was working. He was only kidding, nothing but a harmless joke.

"For now…" He whispered to himself but failed to realize Jeff shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

"So, I wonder who my new locker buddies will be…" The young man adjusted the books in his arms while his arms trembled in a faux fashion. Still have to keep up appearances especially in a crowded hallway full of nosy high schoolers.

"Hmmm…" Jeff took a closer glance to identify the number on the strip of paper, "I believe you're next to Kyle."

"Kyle? Never heard of h-wait, you mean that guy in class who always doodles on the desks?" It hit him once he gave the name some thought.

"And the same guy who draws some strip comics for the school's newspaper, the Knightly Roundtable." Jeff explained.

Huh, so that was the guy. He didn't really look at his comics since he doesn't read newspapers, but he has seen some of his work on the desks, and he has to say that they look incredibly drawn. Heck, he even heard that guy consistently held an A+ throughout freshman year for art class and even Michael found that class the hardest because he could use a paint brush to save his life…without breaking it and because he sucks at drawing in general.

If guy like that was going to be his locker neighbor, then things shouldn't be too bad. He keyed in on the number of his new incoming locker, but he gave Jeff an inquisitive glance once he stopped with a shocked look on his face. Probably just some cute red head walking our way, he did have a soft spot for Gingers.

Hm, oh, seems like another person was using the locker next to them at the moment. Neat, perhaps, they'll be nice like Kyle.

Inputting the combination for the already slotted lock, he made quick work of finally putting his books and backpack into the locker. Grabbing the book that he needed for the next class, he reached for the door of his locker, but not before roughly bumping shoulders with someone next to him.

"Oh, sorry about th-you!"

"Miller?"

Does god hate him? Did he just take it upon himself just to curse him with all of his bad luck for just this one day because being grounded and getting forced to choose some boring elective for the school year wasn't the worse thing that he could experience. No, what really sucked the life out of his day…was becoming locker neighbors with Jade-Goddamn-Lopez!

"That's it. I officially hate today… Jeff, let's bounce…" The teen didn't even bother to acknowledge her existence at that moment, he just wanted to get through the day with no more bullshit.

"R-Right…" Jeff still looked between the two of them, but mostly observed Jade's expression since she was just as surprised as his best friend was. From then on, the day progressed as slowly and boringly as possible, the young man did receive a few silent glares from Jade throughout the day, but he ignored her. Just as the school day ended, he and Jeff went their separate ways with Jeff merrily walking to HQ and Michael dragging his feet back home.

He didn't want to risk going back there, he was afraid that his mom was hiding out in the warehouse waiting for the chance to extend his punishment. So, he made it back home. He opened the front, threw his backpack on the couch, slogged his way up the stairs, and limply fell onto his bedsheets.

Ah, these flame-retardant sheets were just as warm as he left them. The day was a definite bust, but you know, he could figure things out to do while at home. Like playing video games, watching t.v., eating junk food, and…that was it. That would've been a nice schedule for a lazy day, but he wasn't in the mood to be lazy, he just wants to hang out around the city while continuing to…ugh…

Figure things out about himself. He certainly wasn't in the mood to sleep for too long anymore, so he had more than enough time to just see how things clicked. He picked himself up to stand, in one moment, his skin was dark, and the next moment, he was on his feet now with a strikingly red skin color and completely different look to boot. He looked to the mirror to once again observe his unique anatomy.

The house was a safe zone as his mom may put it when it came to him relaxing at him in his other form. He used to call it a "devil form" but he found the mere thought of it to be too self-evident. Hell, recently, he's noticed that he doesn't even look like a traditional devil should. Sure, he had the horns and claws, but what about the wings, the tails, his white void like empty socket for eyes and he was pretty sure that devils at least had noses. If Uncle Finn didn't explain to him that he breathed through his skin, then he would still be in the dark about it.

Also, he still wonders how the anatomy of his lips or was it his teeth? Bah, its hard to tell with that too, they're sharp and act like teeth, but he's still able to make a regular smile like his regular form. Giving himself a rather horrific looking smile in the mirror, he quickly dashed the "regular" part out of his past thought. Nothing was regular about the form. Its not like he hated it, he loves the powers despite the multiple times he's had to restrain them since childhood.

He's just wondering about what he is or more specifically what his own body is to him. The guys down at S.T.A.R. labs certainly don't know, and neither does him mom, and she knows everything that there is to know about him. There have been an outbreak of metahumans, but he's never heard of one running around with all of his powers, well powers that he's aware of for now. Probably there is, but he doesn't really know, some of those guys out there can be ridiculous.

The posters and many action figures of the Big guy in blue filled the middle half of his room as his signature "S" was proudly pinned against his wall, and he's basically an amalgamation of so many superpowers combined. Taking a glance at his little souvenir from his little adventure the other day, he picked it up to take a closer look.

He pressed the button and almost jumped as what looked like a blue blade of energy shunted itself from the handle. It sure was a strange blade, even stranger that some common thug had it. Looks like something that Aunt Kate would make and that stuff's usually high tech. So, he decided to put the blade against his wrist.

It may sound crazy, but he's quite durable in general. Heck, this form is twice a durable as his regular one. Just as he pressed it against his skin, he immediately sighs in relaxation. The heat that emitted from the blade was really soothing. Usually, it takes a lot for his body to heat besides using the sun, so this thing must have been releasing all kinds of thermal heat. Meaning to the average person, it was dangerous.

Retracting the blade back into the handle, he rubbed his chin in thought. If one criminal had something like this, then he'd definitely bet that tons more have the same weapons if not even more dangerous ones. If more of these guys were causing trouble like the ones who kidnapped rose, then it would be a totally just cause to stop a few of them, and maybe figure out his powers along the way.

Rialto wasn't the best place for crimes, its too darn peaceful here, well, compared to L.A. And since he's already forced to go there with his mom as punishment, then why the heck not. He could use the chance to spread his non-existent wings and check how things are over there. He might even find some thug selling the stuff and put an end to things before his mom even catches him. Bam! He saves many lives, and he figures out his powers in the process.

…But its going to be tough to sneak past her especially since she's more aggravated than ever. Welp, he'll just have to hope for a miracle that something new is brought up to garner her attention.

But enough of that downer talk, its time for this…erh…devil(?) to head towards the City of Angels! And nothings going to get in my way.

XXX

In the city of Los Angeles, a beautiful woman around her mid to late 20s let out a strained breath of air as she finished stacking the last box in an extra room of her condo. Sweat dripped down her glossy white skin as she pushed back a few strands of her long brown hair's bangs. Her green eyes shifted around the room.

Usually, Kate would have subjected her creations to handle the labor, but there was still some satisfaction had in working together with a relative. Especially, when she has the chance to make use of this empty place, she was always much too busy working at the labs than to really stay home. It wouldn't be an exaggeration if she were to honestly call the lab her home. Ever since she first transferred here as an intern. Sure, during that time she had to act as a babysitter for one of the new genetic scientists, but she was able to earn her place with some wonderful inventions.

"Hey, Caitlin, is that the last box?" She yelled out the door, and immediately heard the loud stomping of her niece come up the stairs.

"Yep, we've got everything situated here, Aunt Katelyn! Literally everything, you even allowed me to bring my own mini-fridge to live with you! You're the best!" To Kate, the very moment her red headed niece walked through the door, the whole room got brighter. Her brown eyes were the same bright and curious ones that she ever since she was a kid, and not to mention her luxurious, wavy gingery hair a very nice inheritance from her mother.

Thankfully, Kate was relieved that she received more from her sister-in-law's side than her brother's in more ways than one. But enough talk about that, lets get the little bundle of sunshine acquainted with her new home.

"So, Caitlin, welcome to Los Angeles. Uh…if you need anything just tell me and I'll come running. Well, not really since I installed a comm to your room to instantly reach me in any part of the condo, but still don't hesitate to call." Kate smiled.

"Okay, okay." Caitlin just nodded.

"Great, and…uh…I know it may be sudden, since you've been out of the country, but I made sure to sign you up to this great school called Providence Academy, and they gladly accepted you once I turned in that test I had you fill out and now they want you to take their Advanced courses. But if you want, I can opt to change to another high scho-."

"No, in fact, I want to see what its like. Any interaction with teens my own age might help me get used to being back in America." Caitlin shook her head.

"Great, we'll go shopping for your supplies just as soon as I finish my shift this weekend down at the lab. I'll take you there and let you see the neighborhood, and give you tips on which paths to take and avoid." Kate patted herself off and made her way to door.

"Okay." Caitlin nodded.

"Good, then I'll just leave you to unpack." But just before Katelyn could go about her business, she turned around upon being called.

"Say, Aunt Katelyn?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks for letting me stay with you. It may have been sudden, but I really appreciate it." There was a hint of sadness in her eyes, it wasn't hard to put two and two together. The poor girl. She immediately embraced Caitlin and gave her a back a soft rub.

"No need. Its what family is all about, so enjoy your stay. California's your new home, so go wild, but don't go too wild…" She already had enough on her plate with "that" kid.

"Okay." Then she'll leave her to get ready. With a wave of the hand, Kate left the room and closed the door behind her as she left to prepare dinner, but then quickly stops herself upon realizing a small blunder.

Opening the door, Kate looked to her niece who had just barely opened a box, "That's right, Cait, I forgot to ask you, when you're being enrolled would you rather keep both your surnames or just one, and if just one then which one?"

With no hesitation, she gently smiled and said, "Caitlin Lincoln, please."