CHAPTER 6

Year: 04/8/2525

Planet: Sargasso

Location: Fairfield City, 4th precinct outskirts, Spencer Estate.

Amaranth walked towards the doorway; the twelve steps between the kitchen table and the doorway to the living room felt like the most nerve-wracking thing she could imagine. Every step felt heavy, and time seemed to slow down, making the extremely short trip seem to last an eternity. As she neared the doorway corner, she stopped, closed her eyes, and walked on through. She heard multiple gasps. Amaranth opened her eyes and was met by the sight of the shocked faces of Daisy’s friends and their parents.

While Amy and Jon kept a relatively neutral expression compared to everyone else, the others were dumbstruck. Maxine stood straight, her body shaking as she stared at Amaranth. She shook her head and blinked a few times as if to confirm what she was seeing, and her legs wobbled, barely able to support her. Mr. Kimball and his daughter just stood, their dark skin turning ashen. Mrs. Chambers covered her mouth, muttering ‘My God,’ before staring at her friend silently with shocked brown eyes, practically screaming for an explanation.

Samantha stared at Amaranth and shook her head. She took a couple of slow and steady steps towards her, her go-fasters, Marine slang for sneakers, squeaking against the polished wooden floor. “Dai-Daisy?” she asked with a shaky voice.

“No, it’s Amaranth.”

“WHAT!?” asked Samantha.

“I’m kidding, yes, it’s me!” Daisy half-heartedly chuckled.

‘Time to continue the lie,’ she lamented. “Yeah, it's me, and I can walk again!” Amaranth spread out her arms as she forced the lie out, followed by an equally forced smile. For a quick moment, she glanced away, and her eye twitched.

“How… How is this possible? It shouldn’t be…. My God!” stammered Maxine before turning towards Daisy’s parents. Her brown eyes were wide and frantic, and after a long silence, she finally said, “We have to take her to the doctor!”

“We took her this morning,” stated Jon. “The doctor said that it would take a couple of days or so for the more in-depth tests to show results, but initial tests show she’s healthy. Completely healthy.”

“It’s a miracle,” added Amy choking on a sob.

“A miracle…,” Mr. Kimball shook his head, placing a hand on top of his curly black hair. “Normally, I am skeptical, but seeing your daughter-” he let out a joyful laugh. “If this isn’t a miracle, then I don't know what is!”

Mrs. Chambers clapped her pale hands together, revealing newly painted nails. “This is cause for celebration! Anywhere you and your family want to go,” she offered without a hint of hesitation, her elfish face ecstatic with delight.

Amy raised her hand. “Courtney-”

“You know this means Daisy can join us for practice and our workout sessions!” cheered Martha. She wiped the budding tears from her brown eyes.

Samantha's smile spread ear to ear, showing the dimples on her cheeks, further pronounced by her tan skin. “YEAH!” she went up to Amaranth, looking down, and grabbed her shoulders. “We can do parkour together, go to school together, rock climb, surf, swim, run-” Samantha kept naming activities, but as she continued, her voice started to crack, and tears started to cascade down her tanned face. Her ever-growing list became unusually future-oriented. “We’ll graduate together, go to college together, go to college parties, travel off planets, see new places, and graduate college together. We’ll…. We'll....”

Amaranth suddenly found herself wrapped in Samantha’s tight embrace. Amaranth maneuvered her head up to look over Samantha’s shoulder, seeing Martha’s knowing expression

“I won’t lose one of my best friends!” Sobbed Samantha.

Amaranth froze. It was known among he-Daisy’s friends and family that she didn’t have much left. It was a subject they tried to distract themselves from, at least while she was within earshot. When they hung out, Samantha and Martha just kept going forward without thinking or looking back. They tried to spend as much time with her as possible. Amaranth knew they were trying to give her and themselves as many good memories as they could, pushing those negative thoughts and emotions to the back of their minds. Trying to make what could possibly be their last time together joyful and memorable. But now that they saw her walking and healthy, those emotions no longer need to be held back. They could finally express their feelings, the pain and sadness they held in. She now knew the full extent of the sadness and pain they felt.

Amaranth hesitantly wrapped her arms around Samantha returning the hug. “I… I’m not going anywhere.”

‘At least for a while,’ she thought before pushing down the lump in her throat. She pulled from their embrace, staring Samantha and then Martha in the eye. The former snorted and hiccuped while the latter smacked her lips and swallowed, trying, and failing, to remain composed so she turned her head using her black curly hair to hide her face.

“Now, let's figure out what to do first. There are so many things I want to do that I couldn’t before.” If Amaranth was going to pretend to be their friend, then she’d give them the best times of their lives before leaving to rescue Daisy.

Samantha perked up and wiped her tears, her mood taking an almost 180-degree turn. “We can go to the mall, go rock climbing, and go cloth shopping afterward!”

“You can even join us in martial arts practice with your dad,” added Martha as she turned her head back, her face now free of tears.

Samantha slammed a fist into her open hand. “I can’t wait to challenge you when you're good enough and strong enough!” With a huge smile and eyes brimming with excitement, Samantha showed this was more of a challenge and less of an offer.

“Hey, when we go shopping, we can get you proper exercise clothing. I recommend the Extreme brand!” said Samantha pointing at the black tank tops and leggings that she and Martha wore. “They’re comfy and breathable.”

“If a little iffy when it comes to sizing,” added Martha.

Amaranth smirked. “Looking forward to it.”

Jon coughed loudly, grabbing the three girls' attention. “Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves.” he started. “We can celebrate later, right now, we need to discuss a few matters..”

“Jon’s right, make yourselves comfortable while I get some refreshments,” said Amy before heading towards the kitchen.

The group made themselves comfortable for the coming conversation, or as comfortable as they can be at the moment. Jon and Amaranth sat on the sofa facing the Waypoint TV and against the wall while Martha and Samantha sat on the adjacent sofa. Mrs. Chambers and Maxine were on the same sofa, with Mrs. Chambers sitting next to her daughter. Mr. Kimball decided to sit in Jon’s recliner closer to the kitchen facing the rest.

After sitting down, Amy came out of the kitchen with a tray carrying a plate of fruit bars, chocolate granola bars, and enough bottled water for everyone. She set the tray on the living room table and then sat down by Jon.

Maxine immediately spoke up. “When did this happen? How?” asked the question that was surely on everyone’s, minus the Spencers', mind.

Amy looked at Jon. “I’ll start,” she said, receiving a nod from her husband. “It happened this morning-”

Amy proceeded to recount what happened from Amaranth suddenly walking to driving her to the hospital. When she got to the part about the MRI scan she had to pause for a moment. After a few minutes, with Jon filling in details she overlooked, she finished recounting what happened.

“So she just got up and walked?” asked Mrs. Chambers, knitting her wheat blond eyebrows together rather than looking at Amaranth. “Like nothing.”

Amaranth shrugged and did her best to smile. “Yeah, I just got this urge to get up and started walking.” She glanced to the side for a split moment feeling the guilt gnawing further at her stomach. She noticed Martha cocking an eyebrow.

Maxine placed a hand under her chin. “And the doctors found nothing wrong?”

Jon shook his head. “No, all initial tests and examinations came back healthy. Now, Dr. Rashid did say that some of the more in-depth tests will take time, but he said that we might get later this week taking into account double-checking the results. So he wants us to bring her on Thursday morning at 0930-” he coughed. “Sorry, 9:30 a.m. to get the results and for more testing and exams.”

Maxine nodded approvingly. “As a nurse, I agree. Further testing is needed just to make sure and figure out what happened. This should be impossible-”

Samantha jumped up and pumped her fist, showing a slight definition in her arm. “Who cares! My friend is healthy and walking; that’s all that matters!”

Martha nodded. “I don’t see why we need to ask further questions. Why look a gift horse in the mouth,” she shrugged.

Mrs. Chambers looked at her daughter. “I understand your feelings and enthusiasm but remember not to be rude. We are guests in someone else's house,” she gently reminded her daughter.

“Same for you, my little Wild Hair,” said Mr. Kimball echoing similar sentiments.

Martha’s soft cheeks changed color into a shade of red. “Dad, I told you not to call me that.”

“Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. S.,” said Samantha before sitting back down before crossing her long legs.

“It's alright,” said Jon with a smile before moving on to a more pressing matter. “There’s something else we need to talk about; the inevitable media storm.”

Mr. Kimball sneered, making his pencil mustache more pronounced. “Of course, those vultures will be over this like a pack of horned sharks on a bleeding sunfish.” Mr. Kimball unfolded his arms and rolled his shoulders.

“If you ever need help, I'll be more than happy to keep any pushy vultures away,” he said, puffing out his chest, making his already large girth look even larger.

Martha looked at Amaranth. “Same, if any of them harass you-” she pounded her fist into the palm of her hand. “I’ll make them regret it.”

“Yeah,” agreed Samantha, curling and tapping her bicep like those ancient propaganda posters from World War II that her History teacher showed her. Rosie the riveter, she thought it was called. “They’ll feel the power behind the weights I can lift.”

Amy and Mrs. Chambers shook their heads while Jon and Maxine let out a laugh. Amaranth smiled. Mr. Kimball and Martha are very much alike. Loud, loyal, honest, and unafraid to say what they feel if pushed or as needed. Though in the case of Martha, she can be too… blunt. Despite the promises of violence, everyone knew they were simply puffing their chests.

For the most part.

Samantha was usually easy-going and didn’t like pressure. She followed the ‘I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone.’ and ‘Don’t rock the boat if unneeded.’ philosophy, but when it came to defending her friends or morals, she wasn’t afraid to get up in your face. Though she could be thin-skinned at times. Amaranth still remembered one time Samantha nearly jumped on some bully a year or two her senior for not apologizing when she bumped into Amaranth’s wheelchair and nearly sent her into a trashcan.

Martha had to hold Samantha back.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t think that’s a good idea,” said Amaranth.

Martha shrugged. “At least, it’ll get the message across.” She smirked knowingly.

“So, how are we going to handle the coming media storm?” asked Maxine, bringing everyone back on topic.

For the next hour or so the group, mostly the adults, discussed and formulated a plan on how to handle the incoming media storm. It was immediately agreed that if the reporters asked courteously and respected their right to privacy, then they would grant an interview. As for the vultures, they’re to be politely asked to leave or be forced to since, at that point, it would be trespassing according to law. Jon hoped this would also discourage the vultures that hound them when going into town. If any of the pushy ones tried, then they’d be ‘gently’ moved out of the way and reported for harassment.

Jon hummed in approval. “Alright, that’ll be the procedure for the reporters. Any questions?”

Seeing everyone in agreement, Jon looked at his wrist and checked his chatter. “It's almost 17:3- 5:30 pm”

Mr. Kimball immediately stood up. “Oh, sorry, Jon, I have to go. Julie is coming back from her convention tonight. I have to meet her at the ports in an hour.”

Samantha spoke up. “I have to leave also. Jack will be off in an hour, and I want to tell him the news in person.”

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Amy smiled. “We understand; this is all so sudden.”

Courtney smiled back. “I’m happy for you three, and I’ll pray that everything turns out alright. Maybe later this week, we can celebrate after the kids finish their lessons.”

Martha stood up. “Yeah, and everything's gonna be alright-” she then pointed at Amaranth. “And later this week, we’re going to the gym. After years of being in a wheelchair, it's important to build up your strength.”

Samantha got up from her spot. She clenched her right hand, flexing her arm. “And then we can practice together. We can be like that team in that anime, the one with the superheroes!”

“That doesn’t narrow it down,” deadpanned Martha, her blank expression and softness of her face in sharp contrast.

“You know what I mean,” pouted Samantha as she crossed her arms, revealing her sharp elbows.

For a moment, Amaranth allowed herself to forget and stood up. She walked up to her and with a cocky smile, trying to mimic one shown on an anime character, she said. “Then I hope you're prepared to taste bitter defeat.” Amaranth flicked her hair before putting out her fist.

Samantha lost her smile and blinked in surprise before putting her cocky smile back on, which somehow made her pronounced cheekbones even more so.

“Right back at ya,” she said, blowing a strain of her wheat blond hair out of her face before bumping Amaranth’s fist.

Martha joined in the fist bump with a smile. “Sorry, but you're both wrong. If anything, I’ll score the most wins.”

Mr. Kimball’s, Maxine’s, and Jon’s laughs could be heard. “Well, it looks like the start of a friendly rivalry,” commented Mr. Kimball.

“And knowing them, it’ll be just like the anime shows they watch,” grinned Jon.

Amaranth perked up even more as an idea popped into her head. “Hey, since I’m better, I can cosplay at the upcoming convention!” Amaranth’s smile grew wide and turned more genuine.

“I can cosplay as Sakura, Asuka, or we can do group cosplay and dress as our OCs!” Amaranth stepped back and lowered her fist. She pulled it back and sliced the air with an open hand. “AM-” Amaranth coughed, then corrected herself. “DAISY: SHADOW ELEMENTAL BIO-KNIGHT OF THE SACRED DARK! AND WITH MY MIGHTY SWORD, SOMBRA’S JUSTICE, SHE WILL STRIKE DOWN EVIL!” Amaranth then put her hand to her face, her fingers crunched like she was trying to form Nightstalker’s claws. “Their sins will be laid bare, and the shadows will consume them!”

Samantha pulled her fist back and grabbed an imaginary sword from her hip, ‘pulling’ it out and stabbing the imaginary blade into the ground. “SAMANTHA: FLAME ELEMENTAL BIO-KNIGHT OF THE SACRED FIRE! AND WITH HER BURNING SWORD, FLAMING FURY, SHE BURNS EVIL TO CINDERS!” Samantha then raised her free hand in the air and clenched it into a fist. “Let evil burn to ash and blow in the wind!”

Martha flipped her hair and sliced her hands high in the air then folded her arms across her chest. “MARTHA: LIGHTING ELEMENTAL BIO-KNIGHT OF THE SACRED LIGHT! AND WITH HER THUNDERING SWORD, STORMBRINGER, EVIL SHALL FEEL THE FURY OF THE STORM!” Martha uncrossed her arms and placed her hands across each other like she was channeling lighting energy. “Evildoers beware, I am the storm that is approaching! ”

“AND TOGETHER, WE’RE THE GUARDIANS!” they shouted in unison.

Mrs. Chambers smiled then laughed, making her dimples more pronounced, her face taking on a sentimental look. “Seeing the girls like this reminds me of us back in our high school days,” she said, looking at Amy. “We were such trouble-”

“Yes, we were,” squeaked Amy. Amaranth looked at her face. Her cheeks were red like roses, and her smile was unnatural like she was holding back a cringe.

It was a strange tick Amaranth noticed about Amy as she got older and her love of anime increased. Every time she mentioned cosplaying or roleplaying, Amy seemed to act strange about it, always holding back an uncomfortable expression. This was especially true when talking about her days in high school, another subject that was semi-avoided.

Mrs. Chambers chuckled and stood up. “Alright, well, I better get going. See you tomorrow, Amy.” she then looked at Amy with a small smile. “I’ll be praying for you and your family. Come on, Samantha.”

“Yes, we dilly-dallied enough. Come on, Martha. We’ll come back tomorrow,” Mr. Kimball added as he fished for his keys in the pocket of his black pants. .

“Yes, Mom,” answered Samantha. Samantha turned her attention back to Amaranth and gave her a hug then let go. “See you tomorrow, my rival.”

“Coming, Dad.” Martha turned back to Amaranth. “You better be ready,” she smirked. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

Amaranth allowed herself to smile. “We’ll see.” Amaranth folded arms and leaned. “Who knows, I might blow you two out of the water.”

“Well, let's not hold you any longer. We’ll let you know what happens this Thursday, and if everything turns out OK, then we can go out and celebrate!” Jon promised.

“We’ll hold you to it. See you later, and I hope everything turns out OK. My family and I are here if you and your family ever need anything,” said Mr. Kimball with a soft smile.

Jon nodded. “Thank you.”

With that, everyone left the living room, leaving The Spencers and Maxine. A few moments later, the sound of the front door opening was heard, shortly followed by the sound of it closing.

Maxine got up and stretched. “I have to get going too. I’m sorry I can’t stay longer, but I have to go check on my friend. I believe she’s still a bit shaken up from last night, ” She apologized.

“It’s alright, we understand,” started Amy sympathetically. “I’m just glad you two are safe.”

“Thanks to Nightstalker. If it wasn’t for her-” Maxine shivered. “I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

“Doesn’t matter,” started Amaranth not wanting to think about such a scenario. “You're safe, and that’s all that matters.”

Maxine chuckled while walking over to Amaranth. “Thank you, Daisy.” she shook her head. “I still can’t believe we have a real-life superhero.”

Amy rolled her jaw, sporting an uneasy expression. “While I appreciate what she did, I still have misgivings. I don't like that someone put on a costume and took the law into her own hands.”

Maxine shook her head. “I don’t think it's a costume.” She placed a hand under her chin as if in thought. “Despite being scared out of my mind, I had a good look at her. That ‘costume’ wasn’t made of spandex, linen, or any other material. It looked like it was made of some sort of fleshy oily goop; it looked organic.”

“Probably special effects or using organic materials,” shrugged Jon. “As long as she works with the police and doesn't cross the line, then she’s good in my book.”

Maxine yawned into her hand. “I should really be going before it gets too late, but before I go there’s something I must say-” Maxine stepped back, looking at Jon, Amy, and Amaranth.

“In the years working as your daughter’s nurse I view you three as family-” Maxine’s voice cracked. She cleared her throat and continued. “I eventually considered Daisy as the little sister I never had. So, watching her become weaker every day, knowing in the back of my mind that one day soon I’ll get a call saying she-” Her voice cracked further as she wiped budding tears holding back a sob. “I’m sorry-”

Amy went to Maxine’s side and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It's alright; there's no need to apologize,” Amy comforted.

“Thank you,” Maxine sniffled before continuing. “To see Daisy like this strong and healthy after years of seeing her waste away... There are no words that can describe the amount of joy seeing her like this brings me.”

After regaining her composure Maxine walked over to Amaranth and gave her a hug. “I promise. As soon as possible, I’m going to come over, and we’re going to have fun.”

Amaranth smiled. “I’m looking forward to it, but don’t push yourself. You've been through a lot,” she said, stepping forward to hug the one thing she didn’t steal from Daisy. Maxine was employed as her nurse a few months after Daisy’s kidnapping, so she had no relation to Daisy. Throughout the years, she became, for all intents and purposes, a big sister to Amaranth.

Maxine let go and smiled. “Ever so selfless. Well, see you tomorrow. I’ll be praying for you all,” she said.

“Thank you, and I hope your friend turns out OK,” said Amy.

“If you need anything or can’t make it, don’t hesitate to let us know,” Jon said with a smirk.

“You’re practically family after all,” he added.

With a quick ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye,’ Maxine went into the hall. A few moments later, the clicks of the doors opening and closing were heard.

After being silent for so long, the sound of Nightstalker’s voice nearly caused Amaranth to jump. ‘Amaranth, I think you should ‘go to bed.’’ hinted Nightstalker.

Feeling Nightstalker wanted to talk to her in private, Amaranth stretched and let out an excessive yawn. “Mom, Dad, I think I might go to bed early. I’m feeling drained.”

Jon nodded understandingly. “Understandable, today’s events were quite draining.”

Amy went to Amaranth's side. “Alright, sweetie, let's get you upstairs, and I’ll help you get ready for bed.”

“Uh, Mom, I would like to dress by myself,” she said slowly.

Amy gasped, then chuckled. “I’m sorry, sweetie, I’m still getting used to-”

“It's alright, Mom,” started Amaranth hugging Amy. “Good night, Mom. Goodnight, Dad.”

“Good night, my little flower, get a good night's rest. We have a busy day tomorrow,” said Jon.

With that Amaranth headed out the living room and up the stairs towards her room.

Meanwhile, Nightstalker mulled over what it observed from the interactions between its host and her family and noted the hormonal changes. Nightstalker had many hosts throughout its, by human standards, long life. The one constant was the confusing relationships of certain species. Usually, the relationships its hosts shared with others fell into two camps: Klyntar-like and bewildering.

Humans fell into the latter category.

Generally, because of their understanding of social relations such as ‘friendship’ and ‘family’, it didn’t quite grasp the concept the way a human would. Certain aspects it surmised well enough. That made Amaranth’s feelings towards her friends and family even more confusing. Logically, despite the unique circumstance of her origin, she was her progenitor's offspring since she was genetically related to them, and based on the standards she laid out, her friends were her friends. Based on her hormone levels and surface thoughts, she enjoyed her time with them, benefited from their relationship, and wanted to be close, yet at the same, she was trying to keep her distance, to an extent, for reasons Nightstalker couldn’t understand.

Human relations seemed needlessly complicated. Out of a sense of duty, it gathered valuable information about its hosts' loved ones, particularly Samantha and Martha. Based on initial observations, they were similar to Amaranth: rash and energetic, though Martha seemed to be the less emotional of the two. They would make great emergency hosts if a situation called for it.

Her love of superheroes runs deeper than Nightstalker realized. For a moment, Nightstalker felt nostalgic. Amaranth partially reminded it of a couple of hosts it had in the past, especially when it came to her morality.

Nightstalker mentally filed the gathered information away believing it could use it to motivate its hosts further if needed. They were close to its host’s dwelling.

Time to talk.

---------

Amaranth entered her room, closing and locking the door behind her. She let out a sigh and rubbed her face. Normally, she wouldn't have been so drained from this, and she wished she could fully enjoy seeing Daisy's friends and family happy, but knowing it was based on a lie- Amaranth shook her head and slapped her face with both palms of her hands.

She couldn’t focus on that now. Nightstalker wanted to talk to her about something. Right on cue, the symbiote manifested itself from her back and faced her.

“So what’s the-” Amaranth coughed and continued using her thoughts. She nearly forgot that Jon and Amy were downstairs. ‘What’s the matter? Is there a problem?’

The Klyntar shook its head. ‘Not really, I just wanted to talk. While we were watching the show you love so much, I noticed a spike in brain activity similar to the one from last night. What did you see?”

‘I saw a woman with cold blue eyes, black hair, and glasses.’ Amaranth felt the familiar blaze swept through her body as her lips curled and her muscles tensed up. ‘When I saw her, I felt-’

‘You felt anger bordering on rage. And it was caused by that scientist character, I believe,’ presumed Nightstalker.

‘Yes,’ admitted Amaranth. ‘Something about him and the way he talked about ‘greatest creation’ and his mannerisms made me feel like I was on fire.’ Amaranth looked to her side in thought. ‘There was something familiar about his words… About him.’

‘When you saw that scene your brain activity reflected that of last night’s.’

‘I think-’ Amaranth shook her head as she walked over to her dresser and slammed her hands on it. She looked into the mirror at the face staring back with blue eyes. The face she stole. The face Daisy properly would’ve had if she hadn’t taken and was raised by her family. And right next to the face of the imposter was Nightstalker, its serpentine-like body attached to her back, hovering beside her like a spirit or demon. ‘I know she’s connected to Daisy and likely one of the ones responsible. Those emotions I felt didn’t feel like my own. It was like they were coming from somewhere else.’

‘You believe they were Daisy’s,’ deduced Nightstalker.

‘Yes,’ answered Amaranth.

Nightstalker was quiet for a moment before growling uncomfortably.

Amaranth glanced at Nightstalker feeling its discomfort. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘There’s another reason why I want to talk to you. Your hormone levels are fluctuating rapidly, making me uncomfortable.’

‘I’m sorry, with all that happened, I’m a little-”

‘I know,’ it interrupted harshly before speaking more softly. ‘Which is why I told you to come up here. Recent stresses caused your body to become an uncomfortable home for me. To relieve your stress, we’re going to start your training now. We’ll start with a patrol to get you further familiarized with my abilities.’

‘Yeah, good idea,’ agreed Amaranth. A patrol will help calm her down. The feeling of swinging through the city with speed and power she never knew, free and unbound, will distract her for a little while. ‘So what’s the plan exactly? I mean, we have to come back so I can have enough time to train.’

‘We’ll patrol and practice using my abilities until seven, then train for an hour with calisthenics. And repeat the pattern until 3:30 AM. This will be your nightly schedule. You will only need a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, but each week you’ll need at least one night for a full eight hours. Otherwise, after the first week, you will wear down until you collapse. Also, your training schedule will be changed accordingly based on your progress. You’ll need something to keep track of your progress.’ lectured Nightstalker.

“So, you reduced my need for sleep also? Well, that’ll come in handy,” Amaranth stood up and stretched her arms out. “ Let's get started then. Cover me.”

Within moments the familiar inky goo enveloped her once more, morphing the teenage girl into the protector of the night, Nightstalker. They walked over to the bedroom’s window. She ducked her head and went through the window, but before she could climb out, Nightstalker spoke.

‘Double check your lock. We don’t want your parents barging in.’

Amaranth paused. She was pretty sure she had locked the door, but she decided to double-check—better safe than sorry. She was about to take a step toward the door when she realized she didn’t need to walk over. She pointed an arm at the door and extended a thin tendril. It reached the lock and pushed clockwise, and as expected, it didn’t move to confirm that it was locked.

‘Good, your thinking with your new abilities in mind,’

‘You knew the door was locked, but you had me check it anyway,’ surmised Amaranth.

‘Correct, I wanted to see ‘how’ you checked it,’ answered Nightstalker.

‘Why?’ asked Amaranth.

‘I was testing your creativity in a simple scenario.’ it explained. ‘Remember, with me, your creativity is one of your greatest assets. Especially against more unimaginative foes.’

Amaranth let out an ‘ah’ in understanding. It made sense. Nightstalkers ability to shape itself into who knows what meant her imagination could very well be the limit.

Amaranth smirked, or more accurately, smiled further, considering her current form. ‘Well then, let's see how creative I can be with my abilities,’ she said with excitement as she crawled out the window. She shot out a tendril and swung herself into the forested area heading towards the sea. After a quick swim to the city, the patrol/hunt would begin.