Apartment management had wanted the party thrown at the Club House, since they were worried about neighbors complaining about noise. Jan, like any general about to do battle, had anticipated their arguments. The apartment to the left was vacant and she'd bribed the family who lived on their other side with a trip to Gatlinburg that she'd won in a raffle back in the fall. With those problems out of the way Sara's birthday party had become a go. Sara herself hadn't known that Jan and Alisha had planned this lavish affair until the day before yesterday. It seemed that her friends were also very good at convincing mutual acquaintances to keep secrets. Sara looked down at the scrunchy bracelet hanging around her wrist and realized that her roommates had indeed thought of everything.

Drunk people came along with an open bar, so Jan had set up a system that people could only drink in exchange for turning in their keys to her. She locked them in a box, and when it was time for them to leave, Jan would use her better than perfect sense of smell to determine if a person was over the legal limit. Sara had been a little skeptical of the accuracy of Jan's nose, but she assured Sara that she was quite good at it. There had been a coin operated breathalyzer machine at the 608 Club back in her younger days, and mostly for fun, Jan had made extra money by betting people that she could tell what they'd blow. Her nose had proven quite the bread winner. If a partier was too drunk to drive Jan would use the remote control to open the complex's front gate and let in one of the taxis that were parked just outside it. The only thing Sara had yet to figure out was why Jan wasn't at her post. Five minutes earlier Jan had fast talked Sara into taking the key and the remote while she'd gone off to do whatever. Sara rose to her tip toes, her runner's calves flexing hard beneath the hem of her dark blue party dress as she looked out over the crowd looking for her tall friend. Jan was nowhere to be found.

Sara was so distracted by her plight that she was startled by the knock at the door. Her pink glossed lips twisted up, but she managed to construct a smile by the time she pulled open the door. When she did, her fake smile became real. "Oh hey!", she exclaimed and backed up so Taylor Matthews could step in. The statuesque Taylor looked like she'd stepped out of the pages of a fancy magazine. She was impeccably dressed like always, wearing khaki colored body hugging leggings, a billowing shoulder baring blouse, and black riding boots that came up to her knees. Taylor leaned down and the two hugged tightly. "I didn't know you were coming", Sara gushed in her genteel Mississippi lilt. "You look great by the way!"

Taylor smiled, one of the real smiles that only her family usually got to see. "I couldn't come just any sort of way", she explained then extended her hands showing Sara a wrapped present. "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you so much."

"Heather and I picked it out. She want to be here, but she has exam at school", Taylor explained unnecessarily.

"Well tell her that I said thank you", Sara began then took Taylor by the hand. "Come on in let me introduce you to some people." She started towards the living room then stopped suddenly. "I almost forgot", she said then put a red bracelet around Taylor's wrist. "We have an open bar", Sara said and Taylor grinned.

Jan and Alisha were out on the terrace under the heated tent where the caterers had laid out a big spread, standing next to the fruit. Alisha was slightly stooped, her large supple breasts threatening to spill out of her tight, figure hugging dress, while she held onto the table for balance. Jan looked on shaking her head. "So you thought the best way to prove to those guys that your gag reflex really is that weak was to swallow an entire banana."

"The swallowing part was an accident", Alisha moaned. "Bananas are notoriously slippery, but you should have seen them. I think one guy actually jizzed in his pants", she chuckled then moaned again.

"But Alisha you could have pretended that you were deep throating a banana, you know not actually done it."

"I should have thought of that."

Jan patted her friend on the shoulder. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one."

Alisha laughed and fought back a wave of nausea. "There's a fuckin' big gap between intelligence and wisdom."

Jan smirked. "And you're living proof." Alisha put on her shocked face, but Jan didn't wait around for any witty replies. She had to get back to the door before Sara strangled her… from across the room. She walked in through the patio door and saw her cousin almost at once. It was as if all eyes always turned towards Taylor, even Jan's. She swooped in behind Taylor and Sara and wrapped her long arms around both of their shoulders.

"I see you didn't get lost", Jan greeted her cousin with a smile after she turned around quickly.

"GPS is a wonderful thing", Taylor said back. "Even if I did get lost, I was coming anyway."

"I will say one thing", Sara began. "When someone from  yall's family makes friends, it is certainly for real."

Jan and Taylor looked at each other and smiled. "We take friends and enemies very seriously."

Sara laughed. "Remind me to stay on the friends side."

Jan pulled the key off of Sara's wrist then rubbed her hand across the top of her height challenged friend's head, just because she knew that Sara hated it. "I better get back to the door."

Taylor looked at Sara and snickered. "Don't worry. I wouldn't do that to you."

Taylor didn't say much more than, "Nice to meet you", for the next several minutes as Sara introduced her to people. Taylor soldiered through it all without a single snide comment. Sara wondered if that streak might be broken when the DJ came from behind his table to personally introduce himself to Taylor, over and over again, to tell her about all the big rooms he'd worked over his career, but to Sara's surprise Taylor continued to be quite polite. When a third batch of introductions were over Taylor headed straight for the bar. A couple of guys left with cans of beer, but she wasn't in the mood for brew.

The setup mimicked an ornate old western bar with a big mirror and dark aged looking wood. Taylor settled onto the stool and glanced at the thunderstruck bartender before looking out at the selection, which was pretty expansive. She sat for a while looking at all the various bottles, wondering what she should have and also how they'd managed to get all this beer and liquor for Sara's 20^th birthday party and not for her 21^st. Details like that could wait. The bartender, a guy not much older than the party crowd, stared at Taylor for nearly twenty whole seconds before realizing what he was doing and snapping back to himself. She was mind numbingly stunning, and she knew it. That's why she acted like the bartender's ogling had never happened. "This is a nice set up", she uttered, stalling as she narrowed down her choice. "If you're not looking for a beer, the pineapple rum's been pretty popular", he said, judging her as a fancy cocktail sort of gal. "Maybe a pink fizzy or a-"

"Elmer T. Lee, double shot, neat."

"Wow, a girl who knows her liquor", the bartender said with a tilt of his head as he grabbed a glass and the proper bottle. Taylor took a sip and stepped away from the bar without a word. She still wasn't trying to be a bitch. Sometimes she just couldn't help herself. She walked around the party, enjoying the DJ's current mix sipping her bourbon, generally enjoying herself despite not really knowing any of the people around her. She wasn't going to stay long, but she didn't want to just drink and go. Sara had explained the drunk driving precautions, and she didn't want to seem like she was bucking the system even though she could sober herself up in a hurry when she had to. For now though, she'd enjoy the taste and the buzz. Then a group of girls came over. Taylor could tell at once that they were members of an 'it' girl crew. Part of her wanted to run and hide, but there was nowhere to go.

"My gosh I love your outfit", one of the girls gushed.

"Your hair's perfect too", another put in.

"Thanks", Taylor said without much emotion.

"Are you like Jan's carbon copy", the ring leader said, tamping down the enthusiasm of her followers. "Although I've never seen her wear boots like those. I didn't even know they made boots that high."

"They don't", Taylor began in her haughtiest most condescending tone which was similar to the way a master talked to pets. "I had them custom made in Milan."

Taylor left the girls in her wake, smiling a little to herself and sipping her bourbon. She glanced over to Jan who shook her head slowly. 'Be nice', her younger cousin urged and Taylor gave a little shrug. "I'm trying", she mouthed back.

"My God's she so gorgeous", Pete whispered to his friend Dave as they stood near the entrance to the dining room watching Taylor glide through the party.

"She looks like Jan", Dave replied with a dismissive wave.

Pete jabbed in the shoulder. "Who's completely gorgeous too! That's got to be her sister or something."

"Maybe", Dave allowed.

"What are the chances of the universe making two of them?", Pete wondered and moved so he could keep his eye on the new object of all of his desires. He tapped two more of his friends. "Get a look at her." The two guys who turned were just as smitten as Pete.

"Hey, Brian look", Pete called to another friend of his. "You love taking pictures, well take a mental picture of that", he pointed and Brian glanced across the room at the tall, strikingly beautiful blonde. His dismissed her with a scoff.

"She's alright."

"Alright!?! Are you crazy! You've obviously been hanging around Jan too long. You do understand that not all girls are that hot right?"

"Ah… you guys are just amateurs. I bet I can get that new girl's number. No better than that, I bet you guys a hundred bucks that I can talk that girl into giving me a kiss."

The group cracked up laughing. "You are so full of it!", Dave exclaimed. "That girl wouldn't give you the freakin time of day."

Brian took a pull from his long neck bottle then stood in front of his buddies. "That's 20 dollars a piece. Have it ready after my triumph."

They laughed again. "Go ahead Romeo. This is going to be hilarious."

Brian ran his fingers through his hair and put on his best confident guy strut as he strolled up next to Taylor. "Pretend you don't know me", he uttered quickly.

She glanced down her nose at him then glanced away all within the beat of a heart. "That's easy enough."

He chuckled. "Wow, I had no idea you were coming to Sara's party. I hadn't expected to see you again so soon, but it's cool you're here. Any party can use more Taylor Matthews."

She chuckled. "It's nice to see you too", she said while looking annoyed.

"So anyway", Brian began then cleared his throat, "I made a bet with some guys from class."

"That you could get my phone number, huh. Well, you already have my phone number."

"Umm, not exactly, see I bet them that I'd get a kiss. I mean it doesn't have to be like a huge one, but..."

Taylor's facial expression changed, just slightly. "That's asking a lot, Brian. Hmmm. I'll do it, but I want 70 percent of your haul."

"Seventy percent!", Brian tried to look cool but was failing.

"I think that's reasonable", Taylor deadpanned. "I'm doing most of the work. No offense, but there're cuter guys here and I'm going to be seen kissing you. The way I see it, you're lucky I didn't ask for more."

Brian chuckled then shrugged. "I knew I could count on you."

Taylor took another sip of Elmer then leaned down. Their lips met gently at first. The kiss that was supposed to be quick lingered longer than either had expected. When it was over, Taylor pulled back slowly. Her vibrant blue eyes were half shut and her still pursed lips curled into a little grin. "Heather was right. You're pretty good at that", she breathed and Brian's heart raced faster in his chest. He felt like he'd just pleased a goddess, forgetting all about the money until Taylor said, "I tell you what… I'll let you keep half."

"Gee thanks", Brian replied with a bit of mock joy.

"I'm planning on leaving pretty soon so get it together, and before you ask, yes I have change for a twenty."

"We've got to go", TJ said to his friend Robert as they stood in the living room where the television usually sat. "I need my car keys."

"Dude, you've had like eight beers", Robert reminded TJ. "There's no way they're gonna let you drive, or me either. We're going to be in a cab."

"Screw that!", TJ exclaimed. "I'm getting my damned keys. Who'd you give 'em too?"

"Stop being stupid TJ. They let us get free booze, but they said that there was no way we were going to be able to drive drunk."

"I'm not drunk", TJ slurred slightly. "You might be drunk. I'm just pissed!", he boasted and puffed his chest out, ready to confront whoever he needed to. His first target was his tight lipped friend. "Look man, for the last time, tell me who's got my keys so I can kick their ass and get them back!"

Robert backed up a little at the outburst and pointed at Jan who was standing near the front door conversing with some people from her Economics class. She laughed at something one of them said, throwing her head back letting her styled locks fall across her strong shoulders.  She was without a doubt the hottest woman TJ had ever laid eyes on, not any model on some glossy magazine page or swimsuit edition could outstrip the beauty of the woman who was standing right in front of him. Her face alone could turn Casanovas into wallflowers. Her steely blue eyed gaze had the power to make strong men weak in the knees, to turn tough guys into chumps. TJ had seen Jan around campus in her jogging shorts and athletics gear. He knew how sculpted she was beneath her sexy wine colored blouse and blue jeans. Her body was like a work of functional art, perfect in proportions and in performance. Everybody knew that Jan didn't suffer fools though, and had a short fuse. There were rumors of how long the last guy who'd been dumb enough to fight Jan had stayed in the hospital, immobilized and eating through a straw. TJ's chest shrank along with his willingness to confront anybody. With audible defeat he looked at Robert and said, "Okay fine, tell her we need a cab."

Taylor made her way towards the door, chatting with Jan while she finished up the last of her bourbon. Brian came over holding the money in his hand with a big smile on his face. "Your take, mi lady", he announced then bowed.

Jan put her hands on her hips and glared at the two of them. "What scam are you two pulling?"

"No scam", Taylor defended herself then mocked Jan's pose.

Brian laughed. "The two of you together are like twelve feet of awesome", he exclaimed as he walked away.

"That's not bad", Jan said once Brian had disappeared into the crowd. "We should trademark that or something."

"Well it's got a better ring than twelve feet three inches of awesome, I guess", Taylor allowed.

While they were standing there, Miranda, Alisha's freshman year roommate, came walking up with a small group in tow. One of them looked reluctant to come. Miranda took a sip of beer then announced, "KC back there told us that you two couldn't possibly be from Baltimore." She pointed to the reluctant guy with the twisty afro. "He told us that you two are probably from the burbs, just claiming the city for street cred."

"Oh really?", Taylor challenged.

"Yeah, that's a serious accusation, challenging out B'more cred", Jan said with a grin. "I don't think we're gonna stand for that. Are we?"

"Nope", Taylor agreed. The crossed their arms across the chests.  Their beautiful faces twisted into matching frowns as they stared at KC who doubled over with laughter.

"Wait wait. Let me guess. You two grew up in Roland Park."

Taylor and Jan laughed too. "Yep", Taylor managed. "It's in the city isn't it?"

"Yeah. I guess I'll let you princesses rep B'more."

"Oh thanks for allowing us rep our own hometown!"

Alisha came walking up then sipping from a steaming cup that she was holding with both hands.  It was great to see Miranda laughing and enjoying herself after enduring a horrible ordeal over a year earlier.

"Where'd you get the tea? I thought the microwave was broken."

"It is. Armen made this for me. I think he heated it on the stove."

"That's so sweet", Sara said as she joined the group.

"Yeah", Alisha agreed and took another sip.

"Oh hey, I think it's time to give Sara my present. Come on Taylor", Jan said and dragged her cousin by the arm across the dance floor so she couldn't slip out the door. Alisha brought out a huge cake and everybody at the party sang 'Happy Birthday' to Sara who blew out all 20 candles. Then Jan unveiled Sara's brand new karaoke machine. It had studio quality sound and all the bells and whistles. Sara seemed to love it, and so did everyone else in the party because before they'd even begun to cut the cake, Juan and his roommate Ben cranked up the machine and started singing "You've Lost that Lovin Feelin".

Jan had thought that Sara would take the first crack at the microphone, but the party seemed to have a flow of its own. "I'm gonna have some fun with that thing", Sara said as she watched people starting to dance to Juan and Ben's off key performance. "My whole family's going to love this."

Things really got going when the DJ hooked the karaoke machine into his sound system. Lily, another of their classmates was working her way through a rather risqué version of "Like a Virgin", when Brian came pushing through the crowd with a Cheshire cat smile on his face.

"Hey, guess who I found lurking at Student Housing this afternoon." He pulled his arm forward and the girls couldn't believe their eyes.

"LaShaunta!", Sara yelled and rushed up to hug her long lost friend.

"Oh hey!", Jan and Alisha greeted someone they hadn't seen in almost a year.

"Where've you been?", Sara wanted to know.

"Around", LaShaunta admitted sheepishly.

Brian knew that this night was getting better and better, like all the bad stuff from the previous year had ceased to exist. "Yeah, I was gonna tell you guys earlier, but I wanted to make sure she'd actually show up."

"I'm glad you did", Alisha told LaShaunta, who still hadn't smiled.

"Hey, Shaunie, this is my cousin Taylor."

"Nice to meet you", Taylor said for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"You guys look just alike", LaShaunta said in a completely uncharacteristically subdued way. "Hey, umm, can I talk to you guys for a minute?"

"Sure", Sara answered for the group.

Jan took the scrunchy bracelet off of her wrist and shoved it into Taylor's hand. "Man the door."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Just smell people's breath and see if they're drunk. I mean, you don't have to sniff their breath, just smell when they talk." Jan sighed when Taylor rolled her eyes. "Anyway, if they aren't drunk, give them their keys. If they are drunk, use this remote to open the gates and give them a cab."

"Fine", Taylor agreed, walking towards the front door shaking her head and muttering under her breath. Jan always found it amusing when she got her cousin flustered, but she couldn't fully enjoy the moment. She was too curious wondering what LaShaunta wanted to talk about. The four of them ended up in the hallway that led to their bedrooms which were all locked from the inside. The hall wasn't empty enough though as a couple of people stood around lounging. "In private", LaShaunta requested.

"Sure", Jan put her hand on the knob for her door and waited a second for Sara to use her telekinetic power and unlock the door before spinning it. Jan flipped on the light and stepped around the love seat, Sara and Alisha following closely, but LaShaunta stayed out in the hall. "I'll be in, in just a sec", she said then closed the door.

"I wonder what's going on?", Alisha asked, shrugging her shoulders and looking at her friends to see if they knew more than she did, but they looked just as confused as she was.

"I'll explain", LaShaunta said and all three girls spun around quickly.

"What the hell!"

"How'd you get in here?", Jan asked.

"Like this", LaShaunta said then disappeared and reappeared about ten feet away.

"Oh my God", Sara exclaimed. "You're one of us… Wait. Is this your gift or is it like those rapists from last year?"

LaShaunta sighed and looked like she was about to cry. "No it's mine. The Broker used to trade it to people to anybody able to meet the price. He traded it to Ty Mitchell and Shepherd Moore. They used my gift to do horrible things! They killed Brooke and they tried to kill your roommate Alisha", LaShaunta said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "When I found out that those men had used my gift to do all that horrible stuff I was so angry, and hurt, betrayed too. I know I sort of disappeared on you guys, but I had some things to work out before I could even think face you guys… to face what had happened." More tears fell.

LaShaunta tried to say something else, but only a sob came out. Jan stepped up and wrapped her long arms around LaShaunta's shoulders. "It's okay, Shaunie. Those guys are dead." She pulled LaShaunta to arm's length.

"I was standing next to the Broker when he killed them. Even that didn't feel like enough after what those guys had done. But like I said, I was messed up for a while, but after we found out that you'd been abducted Jan, it sort of snapped me out of my funk. I'd wanted to join your father's rescue team, but the Broker convinced me that you guys had it all in hand, so he sent me to New York to help take care of the big boss."

"Wait", Alisha broke in. "You went to New York to kill Jason Mallster?"

"Yeah, with Caeda. I didn't put the bullets into him, she did, but we worked on the mission together."

"So you knew that we were gifted all along?", Sara asked and LaShaunta shook her head.

"No. I didn't know until after Jan got abducted. Then I remembered that she was trying to tell me that one night in yall's dorm room but I didn't listen. My parents always tell me about keeping the circle of people who know about my gift as small as possible. It doesn't matter how close you are to people, you're never sure if you're close enough to tell them…"

"That you're a freak", Alisha finished with a sigh.

"Yeah… something like that."

"So you're back in school?", Jan asked to change the subject. The last thing she wanted to think about was her time being tortured and helpless.

"Yeah", LaShaunta said with some enthusiasm. "I did a semester at NYU, but now I'm back enrolled at Emory."

"That's great", they all agreed then Sara's face lit up. "You should move in with us!"

"That's a great idea", Jan echoed.

"Yeah, my cousin Avery moved back to New Orleans and so we have an empty bedroom. Come on it'll be great!"

"All of us freaks have to stick together", Alisha said then laughed.

Sara slapped her shoulder. "We aren't freaks. I let that first one slide. We're special."

"Like the kids on the short school bus?", LaShaunta asked with a tentative smirk.

Alisha grinned. "Now there's the LaShaunta we all know.

"Oh this is going to be great", Jan said while fighting back a laugh.

"So, you gonna move in with us?"

LaShaunta looked at all three of them then smiled. "I'd love to."

"Great!"

"We should probably go back out before people start wondering where we went", Alisha said and held the door open while LaShaunta tried to hide the evidence of her tears. They girls made it towards the front of the crowd listening to Brian screech his way through Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin'. It got LaShaunta to forget the heavy emotions of earlier and double over with laughter.

"He's not that bad", Armen came over and raised his arm to put it around his girlfriend's shoulder, but stopped cold when LaShaunta stood up straight.

"Armen? Wow it is you", she said with a big grin that fell when he looked as if his brain had crashed like a computer.

"You guys know each other?", asked Sara.

"Yeah", Armen spoke up then. "She was my guide when I was thinking about transferring to Emory."

"Oh cool."

"Yeah small world", Sara agreed then snatched the microphone from Brian. "People have suffered enough", she joked then belted out the last verse. Some people knew that Sara could sing while others were completely blown away, and she wasn't even trying. She was just doing her best Steve Perry impersonation. When it was over people shouted suggestions for the next song, wondering if what they'd heard had been real or some one time trick. After the shouting the DJ, who had remained at the party even though his agreed to time had run out, pushed the button for a KT Tunstall song. Everybody began to dance to 'Suddenly I See, as Sara sang it out with all the soul and gritty power of its composer.

LaShaunta walked out to the terrace feeling confused, but happy that her friends had accepted her back with open arms. It had been a sizable leap to think that they would want anything to do with her at all, but she shouldn't have worried. She scooped some ice from the chest and prepared to pour a soda over it when Armen walked out onto the terrace in a hurry.

"Did you tell her?", he demanded looming over LaShaunta, but knowing that she wouldn't be intimidated.

"If by her you mean Sara, no, I didn't tell her anything. But you're supposed to be dating her, lying is probably not the best course of action. A tour guide? Armen, they know me, and they know I wouldn't be a guide on campus unless somebody put a gun to my head, and maybe not even then."

He shrugged. "It was the best I could come up with quickly."

"You should just tell her the truth. She'll find it out eventually anyway."

"Not unless you tell her!", he bit off his yelling, but the passion was still evident in his tone.

"She has her ways Armen, trust me."

"I'll be the one to tell Sara. Just don't say anything."

"I already told you I wasn't. Don't make me repeat myself", she hissed and the muscles of her jaw flexed as she bit down hard then exhaled slowly and her face softened. "If you care about Sara, you'll tell her the truth sooner rather than later." Armen's eyes followed her as she walked back into the house, thinking about what he was going to do now, while most of the other people standing around just figured that he was staring at LaShaunta's ass like everyone else.

By the time Sara had finished 'This is how We Do It', the people on the dance floor were wondering why she didn't do this professionally. They shouted out more suggestions that ranged from Motörhead to Britney Spears. Sara figured that they needed a slow song as the party was beginning to wind down anyway. This time Jan picked the song. Sara'd had it pretty easy with the choices so far. It was time to see what kind of shape her voice was really in. Sara looked right at her tall friend when she heard the song 'Silly' start up. Jan stood back then and crossed her arms across her chest. That song took all kinds of range and vocal chops. The gauntlet had been thrown down. Sara decided to pick it up.

Jan had heard her friend belt out plenty of blues songs with grit, attitude and expert phrasing. She'd heard Sara tackle jazz standards with class and sophistication. She'd listened to Sara sing Gospel with soul stirring power, but listening here to her voice stripped of stylistic conventions Jan realized that it was even more beautiful than she'd realized before, strong as a storm and as soft rose pedals all at the same time.

Armen had shuffled back inside after his dust up with LaShaunta with a pit in his stomach. All those bad feelings melted away when he heard Sara's voice. She saw him and smiled as she sang. What had began as Sara proving something to Jan turned into a private performance for her boyfriend, despite all the people in the room with them. It was so overwhelmingly sweet and tender that he felt like his heart was going to burst.

Sara didn't like to over use melisma, but near the end of the song she extended a word and climbed the ladder into the vocal stratosphere. Jan recoiled in shock. She looked over to Taylor who was in open awe which was rare. Sara wasn't finished. Her voice soared again, reaching into the seventh octave with power and clarity, holding the note with full sensual vibrato until her cute little face flushed red with effort.

Armen had tears standing in his eyes as Sara finished, thinking of the words of the song. He didn't want to treat Sara wrong like the guy in the song did. He wanted to be honest with her, but he looked to LaShaunta then back to Sara and knew that it just wasn't the right time to tell the truth.

People whistled and cheered and clapped when Sara was finished and put the mic back in its cradle. They wanted more, but Sara looked at them and rubbed her throat. "I think that's all she's got for tonight."

Nobody wanted to sing after Sara so the karaoke machine was retired for the night. Sara's performance was all anybody was talking about though. The party lasted for a while longer, but eventually people began leaving. Taylor hadn't thought she'd stay until the wee hours of the morning, but she stood at the door next to Jan, talking to people so she could smell the alcohol on their breath. She'd made Jan beg to get her to stay, which was a little get back for Jan asking her to do it in the first place. Taylor eventually said her good-byes and got on the road back to Virginia.

At the end of the party it was just the four girls left. The paperwork hadn't been signed, but LaShaunta felt like a full fledged roommate because she stayed and helped clean up, moving furniture and filling up seven bags of garbage. The sun was about to rise by the time they all fell asleep. LaShaunta could have simply jumped back to her parents' house, to her own room and own bed, but she and Sara both fell asleep on the sofa.

Half a world away, Francis Peng screamed in agony and Miyu's feline muscle bristled with striated power. She set her leg firmly and bent Francis backwards with one arm even thought he was resisting with entire body. He renewed his efforts only to see Miyu's delts fire faster and faster, subdividing into hundreds of equally muscular heads. Her abs were sleek and firm and flexed tightly. She could have simply broken Francis' back if this had been a real fight. Instead Ansari just wanted him taught a lesson. Francis had wanted to keep his moniker as the Controller, but nickname had to be earned which was why none of Damteni's students used one. Francis wanted to be an exception, but Ansari was having other ideas.

"Enough", Ansari yelled in his booming voice and Miyu let up. She curled her claws and the short hairs of her coat laid down as she relaxed. She helped Francis steady himself and even smiled at him showing her fangs.

"Now you understand how not to attack a person who can fight like a tiger", Ansari said with some amusement in the rolling baritone of his voice. He'd worn tradition clothes from his homeland as he did on many occasions. He encouraged his students to do the same from time to time, to remind them where they are from.

"I couldn't use my powers", Francis complained. "But she could. That wasn't fair."

"I limited her as well." Ansari turned his dark eyes to Miyu. "Don your ungifted form, and let's try it once again, since Mr. Peng felt wronged."

"Yes, Teacher', Miyu said and her eyes got distant as she pulled her power back within herself. She shrank by inches. The soft fur went away completely, revealing her smooth skin. Her muscles got smaller, but to Francis' dismay, they were just as ripped. She might not be quite as shredded as Wen or Shu, but she was ten times as fit as he was.

"Separate twelve paces and then begin again. This time, Miyu, give him a small taste of real."

Miyu looked across the training pit feeling sympathy for what she was about to do. "Yes, Teacher", she agreed however.

"Go!", Ansari yelled and the two combatants met in the center of the pit. Francis threw an off balance punch that Miyu dodged so easily she barely noticed it. She rushed forward and thrust her knee into the pit of Francis' stomach. He doubled over and looked ready to puke. She spun as quickly as a figure skater and whipped a kick to his upper back, knocking the air from his lungs. He tried to roll away, but Miyu was so much faster. She reached down and grabbed two handfuls of Francis' sides. If she had extended her claws she would have pierced his body deeply, but instead she grabbed two handfuls of his fleshy sides. Francis' was by no means fat or even overweight, but his body was soft. Miyu's face twisted up with strain. Her legs shook, but her muscles flexed with vascular hardness as she lifted Francis' entire body off of the dirt with just her hands holding his sides. He screamed again, trying to wiggle free, but when he turned to the left, his right side felt like it was on fire, and when he turned to the right his left side felt as if she was going to tear his skin off. "AHHHH!!!", he cried out as the sleek Japanese girl lifted him higher using nothing but her hard earned brute strength. "I give up!!!", Francis yelled in Cantonese, and even though Miyu had learned more than enough from Wen and Shu to understand what he'd said, she just lifted him higher until she held him in front of her, dangling from his own flab. His shirt tore and revealed the purple and red bruises that Miyu was creating. Then she rose high onto her tippy toes and slammed Francis down hard.

He coughed and gagged and rolled into a fetal position. Miyu didn't let up. She grabbed his arms and pulled them apart despite his best effort to keep them close to his body. She flung his arms open, but her hands were so fast that she managed to slap his face with both of her hands before he could pull his arms in and cover it. Tears rolled down Francis' cheeks as Miyu went in again. This time she grabbed his legs. Her biceps rippled like waves on the sea as she countered the power of his legs with just her arms. Her mind was full of so many ways to hurt him, but his mind contained just one thought. He felt Miyu's consciousness and opened his gift, touching her mind with his.

"Enough!!", Ansari boomed and rushed closer, the hem of his grand boubou robe just brushing the ground. "Help him up, Miyu."

She extended a hand towards the ground, and Francis took it after a moment of hesitation. He watched her muscles contract again, seeing her biceps, pecs, delts, and even her abs flex to haul him to his feet. "Excellent job, Miyu. That's why you were chosen for his task. You may go back to your studies."

"Thank you, Teacher", Miyu bowed and ran off.

Ansari put his arm around Francis' shaking shoulders and looked down at the young man. "Walk with me."

So how bad did you hurt him?", Shu wanted to know a few minutes after Miyu had returned to the study room. She still felt somewhat responsible for Francis since she'd help bring him there.

"I didn't draw blood, but he was crying by the time I was finished", Miyu explained without looking up from the computer.

"You are so harsh", Rico accused and Miyu dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"The Teacher just wanted to see how much punishment Francis could take before he disobeyed and used his power to fight against me. He lasted longer than I thought he would."

"Then maybe he's got a chance to be somebody", Wen said and propped her legs up on the desk.

"You better take those down before Ansari sees you", her sister warned.

Wen chuckled. "He won't be back for a while. He's going to have to rebuild Francis' confidence after Miyu destroyed it."

"Good morning", Jan greeted LaShaunta with a smile. "I thought you and Sara were going to sleep out here on the couch all night. You looked so cute." LaShaunta twisted up her face in mock annoyance then plopped down on the sofa too. "Want some strawberries?", Jan asked then extended the bowl. LaShaunta carefully took one then leaned back.

"This is so weird."

"A little", Jan admitted. "So do you have to see where you're going or can you go any place that you remember?"

"I can go anywhere, and I remember every place I've ever been."

"Every single place?"

LaShaunta snickered. "My Mom doesn't understand it either, even after all these years. I can remember the placement of ever single step I've ever taken since I was three and a half years old, down to the centimeter. And before you ask, it's not a burden and I'm not Ray Babbitt. It's just in there. My mother will ask me, 'Can you take me to Cabo?', and I'll ask what street, what block, what building, what room, hell she could ask what corner of the room. Every time she travels with me, it's like the first time."

"My Mom didn't understand my gift either", Jan explained and bit into another berry. "You know there's something I wanted to ask you last night, but I thought I'd wait until later."

"So now is later?"

"Yeah", Jan agreed and exhaled a short breath through her nose. "You came back here after you'd been living with the Broker for the last eleven months, and I don't quite know what to make of this Broker or your association with him. I know that he's the guy who told my father that I was alive, so he's the reason that my father put the rescue together. But he's also the guy who gave two complete low lives powers that allowed them to rape and murder women all over the city. I just wonder why this guy would save me. Does he want to trade my power, or Sara's, or Alisha's?"

"No", LaShaunta broke in quickly. "He admires people who have great power and choose to do good with it and who don't let their power control their lives. He told me so himself."

"What's his relationship with you anyway? I don't know if I can trust his motives."

"So you don't trust mine? Is that it?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to", LaShaunta shot back then sighed. "You might not think so, but what he does is a very personal thing, so it's easy to make relationships. And on the business side, the Broker doesn't keep all the money he makes from trading a person's power. He splits it generously with the person who actually owns the power."

"That's nice of him, I guess", Jan uttered.

"Not everybody's rolling in dough, Jan. There are some people who were starving. People who were watching their families starve, and the Broker gave them a way to use their powers without having to turn to crime. I know from experience. When I was little, my family was in a bad way. My grandmother was sick and… and", she paused for a moment then continued. "The money he sent kept up going, kept us afloat."

"But now your family doesn't need the money. I've been to your house, I don't think your family's needed the money for a long time, so why do you let him keep trading your gift?", Jan asked as she stabbed another strawberry on the end of her fork.

"You sound like my Dad", LaShaunta admitted. "My family's never shunned me or made me feel like an outsider because of what I can do, but like I said before, they don't understand it either. They have no idea how it's been to be me. They never have and they never will. I don't hold that against them, it just that the Broker has always made me feel exceptional, like I'd been given something very special. He told me that I shouldn't hide my power. That I had an obligation to work hard and hone it, to allow my ability to become a complete part of my life, not just something I can do, like wiggle my ears. So did I feel like I owed him? Yeah. And did I feel a sense of loyalty to him? Yes on that too."

"Past tense?", Jan asked with a raised eyebrow and LaShaunta looked down at the carpet before looking back up.

"Jan… have you ever done anything in your life that you wish you could undo?", LaShaunta asked, feeling a little ambushed when her brain wasn't even fully awake yet.

"Let me say this, and I hope you believe me", Jan began before shifting on the sofa to face LaShaunta. "I don't blame you at all for what those rapists did, not even a little bit."

"Thank you", LaShaunta said and wiped back a tear before it fell from her eyes.

"I'm trying to decide if I blame the Broker or not. See, I've grown up with my power. You did. Sara did. Like you were saying, our gifts have become as much a part of our lives as breathing. People like us know how to use them, and most importantly when to use them. Alisha didn't learn that she was gifted until a little while back, and I've seen her struggle to deal with it sometimes, and that's with me, Sara, and bunch of other people supporting her. This Broker may have helped you at one point, but if you were to shine a light on his business what would you see? Even if he only traded people's powers to choir boys, he shouldn't. The whole idea of trading powers for money or for influence troubles me. It's like giving a child a loaded gun then patting them on the back and saying, 'Go have fun.' Do you understand what I mean?"

"Look, until last year I'd have defended his business, but now… I think you're right. No matter what precautions he takes, his business can be dangerous. I'll defend the man though. You said that you didn't know what to make of the Broker. I'll tell you.

"He risked his life traveling outside of his little bubble of safety to go to Clarksville, Maryland and tell your grieving family that you were alive. Then he arraigned and paid for Jason Mallster's death, and the deaths of all the Syndicate hierarchy. Now I'm not going to tell you that he did all that for you or out of the kindness of his heart. He gained quite a lot from their deaths, but killing that FBI agent, Will Davis, that was entirely for you. That guy not only betrayed you, he betrayed your entire family, for money. The Broker thought that he should have to pay for that."

Jan sat still for a moment, taking everything in, then offered LaShaunta another strawberry. "That is all the serious talking I can stand for a while", she declared. "Unless you've got some things to ask me."

LaShaunta chuckled. "Jan, my body wakes up quickly, but my mind lags like an old computer. I couldn't form a question if I tried. But I figured you deserved answers to yours. Thanks for the strawberries by the way."

"So you forgive me?", Jan asked with an exaggerated sad face.

LaShaunta shook her head and smiled. "There's nothing to forgive."

"Great", Jan exclaimed, her sad face gone.

Both girls turned when they heard Alisha's door open. Their buxom friend came stumbling out of her room slightly bent over. "Stop staring!", Alisha complained. "My stomach feels awful."

"Chewing!", LaShaunta called as Alisha slouched against the wall. "That's why people who don't even have teeth try to chew!"

"You're not helping."

"You're right. I should do better", LaShaunta admitted as she stood up from the sofa. Alisha was about to say something to her soon to be roommate when LaShaunta disappeared. There was no smoke, or sound effect, or split second when she phased into nothingness. She was just gone. A few seconds later she reappeared right next to Alisha who flinched a little.

"Here take two of these", LaShaunta instructed and handed Alisha a pill bottle. "Give 'em about half an hour and you'll start to feel like yourself."

Alisha took the bottle at once. "I might as well try them. It's not like I'd go to the doctor and tell him how my stomach got like this."

Jan and LaShaunta snickered as Alisha headed towards the kitchen. "What's so funny?", Sara asked as she came out of her room rubbing her still half closed eyes.

Jan shook her head. "Shaunie's going to have to explain to you sleepy head. I've got to get going. I've got twenty-six sets of keys to return. Oh and the rug cleaner guys should be here at 2."

The study room door opened suddenly. Wen nearly fell to the floor while snatching her legs down off the desk. Shu snickered as Ansari stepped into view looking imposing and authoritative in his green and gold robes. He stroked at the hairs of his beard as he looked around the room. "Lars, Rico with me." Both closed their books and hurried out of the door wondering what Ansari had planned for them. For the rest of the group, study time was over so they headed back to their rooms. Francis was in his bed trying and failing at getting comfortable. Wen and Shu went into Wen's room so Miyu walked over to Francis' room.

I'm sorry", she told him.

"No you aren't", he shot back in a wavering voice. "If he'd told you to break my arm or to dislocate my shoulder you'd have done it."

"Yes I would have. I'd have done it quickly and without question. That is how a student follows her Teacher. I am sorry you had to be hurt so badly."

"But you're the one who hurt me!"

"Because you needed a lesson. It is not for me to discern whether you need to be taught this or that one. My task is to perform my task to the best of my ability. If I didn't, then I'd be the one with a lesson to learn." Francis rubbed his side then sat up. "It's unfortunate that our first interaction was a painful lesson", Miyu offered.

"Your body is just as hard and in shape as all the others. I think painful lessons are the only type you know how to give."

Miyu gave a half smile and looked at Francis through her lashes. "You think wrong. Perhaps I can introduce myself to you again."

Francis stood up. Miyu winced as she saw the pain that caused.  She placed her hand on Francis' side then stepped closer. He was several inches taller than the lithely muscled Japanese girl, bigger too, but it made him nervous having her so close. Goosebumps rose along his arms though as she ran gently swept her hands across the wounds that she'd created. Then he ran his hand over her soft butter cream colored skin, feeling the hard relaxed muscles beneath. He was shaking as he looked at Miyu. Suddenly he bent down and pressed his lips to hers.

"What are you doing?", she asked in a breathy voice.

"You're beautiful." He kissed her again. Francis had never been shy about going after what he wanted. Only this time he had to be careful. Miyu could kill him if she wanted. She could kill him before he could even take control of her mind. Francis wouldn't tell anyone around here, but it took more time and more effort to take over the mind of a gifted person. That was the real reason it took so long for him to try and defy Ansari's orders not to use his powers. In truth he knew that it probably wouldn't have worked in time. By the end though, Miyu had made him desperate and she hadn't even been trying. She was trying now though as she rubbed her hands across his back and up his neck. His hands didn't want to leave her muscled arms and shoulders, but they roamed, brushing against then grabbing hold of her little tits. Her nipples were ice pick hard and little chills traveled through her body at his touch.

His eyes opened wide when he felt Miyu's hands cup his ass. She giggled as they kissed. Her kisses traveled along his cheek and neck and finally she nibbled on his ear. "Everything you've read about the submissive Japanese women in your manga and henai… forget it!"

Her arms flexed as hard as gun barrel steel and his feet left the floor. She didn't even seem to be straining as she lifted him up then dumped him onto the bed. He bounced and looked up at Miyu. Her dark hair fell to one side of her heart shaped face and she smiled before pulling off his shirt, revealing the ugly bruises. She got on her knees and gently pushed him down until he was laying flat on the bed. She kissed his wounds now, giving each a proper amount of attention, rubbing his body slowly and sensuously with surprising soft hands. Francis' manhood was the only part of his body nearly as hard as Miyu's body. It pressed painfully against his pants. Miyu was working him into a drooling frenzy. Her hand lightly brushed against his crotch which gave a quick pleasure filled spasm. He was ready for more, ready to rip his pants off like they were on fire, but Miyu stood up and backed away from the bed.

"Too much in one day is bad for both you and me", Miyu said then opened the door. She looked back over her shoulder with a big grin. "I told you I was sorry for earlier." She shut the door behind herself as she walked into the hall. Francis felt like he was floating. He'd thought that some part of Miyu had enjoyed humiliating him earlier, but he was wrong. She was an amazing woman who seemed to have lots of layers to her complex personality. He was going to enjoy getting to know her.

Miyu was thinking of Francis too as she bypassed the door to her room and walked down one of the long rounded corridors in the old World War II fort until she came to what had been a gun emplacement. Ansari was waiting. "Did it go as planned?", he asked.

Miyu nodded curtly. "Hai. It worked perfectly. He even made the first move towards romantic contact."

"Then he will truly think that he instigated your soon to be budding romance." Ansari rubbed his beard for a moment. "Take things slowly, Miyu. We have much to learn about Mr. Peng before we can truly trust him as one of us."

"I understand completely, Teacher."

Ansari rubbed her shoulder and his pride showed. "I knew you would, Miyu. You always do."

The next day LaShaunta was added to the lease without any objections from management, which was a little surprising given their past, and she'd insisted on paying a quarter of the rent even though the apartment was paid up for the rest of the year. Moving LaShaunta's things into the apartment had been a breeze. One roommate had super human strength, another was one of the world's most powerful telekinetics. It turned out that not only could LaShaunta teleport herself from place to place, she could also take even large objects along with her. She'd moved the dresser, the bed, and plenty of clothes. Then there was Alisha who sat on the front landing, recovering from her upset stomach while creating an illusion to make their neighbors think that the girls were moving things in the old fashioned way. Alisha was so pleased with the arrangement that she agreed to not dress her friends like they were in a soft core porn film. It didn't matter that Alisha put Jan in sweats, Sara in baggy jeans, and LaShaunta in track pants. The illusion was so good that several guys came up with offers to help. Three or four of the offers had probably been genuine. The others were just attempts to hit on the collection of hot neighbors.

Despite all of their advantages it had taken most of the day to get everything settled and arranged just how they wanted. It had turned cold with a chilly wind blowing and sleet falling outside by the time Sara collapsed onto the loveseat tired and spent. Alisha plopped down next to her and then sighed. "So who wants to drive out in the bad weather to get something to eat?", she asked.

"It's not that bad", Jan opined after pulling back the curtain and glancing outside.

"That's only because you grew up in the frozen tundra", Alisha said back. Jan rolled her eyes. "Anyway, it's too late to start cooking."

"Oh yeah", LaShaunta said as she strolled into the living room after making up the bed in her new room. "You guys said that you trade off cooking duties. Tonight it'll be my turn. I'll take you guys out." She pulled on one of her braids for a moment then her face lit up with the biggest smile they'd seen from her all day. "Y'all will love it. Now come on let's go!" She held her hands out and wiggled her fingers.

Sara was the first to take Shaunie's hand. Jan and Alisha shared a look before joining the makeshift line. "This isn't like 'The Fly' is it? You know the movie?", Alisha asked with a nervous chuckle.

"Nobody's been turned inside out so far, but if that does happen to you… I apologize in advance." Just that quickly they were gone. There was no warning, no feeling inside them or disappearing haze. One instant they were in their living room looking at the walls, furniture, and carpet, and the next instant everything was different. The image entering their eyes changed faster than their senses could even process. The new travelers looked around what had to be a storage room. There were items stacked and shelved all around them. No attempt had been made to paint the utilitarian walls. The rough floors hadn't been swept in some time. There were no windows, but two doors. The door behind them gave no indications of what lay beyond it while the bright yellow rays of sunlight pierced the gap between the second door and its slightly warped frame.

Jan reached out, turned the knob, and pulled it open. Warm heavy air flooded in with the bright sunshine. "Oh cool!" Tall palm trees and spiky tropical shrubs both bent in the same wind that whipped up white caps on the ocean waves. Those sapphire blue waters were well populated with people waiting on the next swell. Hundreds more people laid on the beach in groups of twos and threes, laughing, talking, or just enjoying the sun. Shirtless guys and swimsuit clad women strolled all over the place. Everyone was in shorts and there were lots of guys wearing the brightly colored button down shirts that this place was famous for. A group of Samoans in elaborate shirts strolled past and all glanced at Jan who stood looking back at them like she was lost. They seemed amused, but kept walking.

Sara pushed her way forward and fit her head beneath Jan's arm so she could peer out. "Hey we're in Hawaii!", she exclaimed.

"Really?" Alisha pushed her way to the doorway, but didn't step out. It was so unreal, really being here. It almost felt like she was inside one of her own illusions, but then she stepped out onto the soft sand. An ocean breeze whipped some of her dark locks across her face. She looked back towards the volcano.

"Welcome to the North Shore", LaShaunta said as she too stepped out of the door then looked back to her friends and laughed. "Come on guys y'all look like Dorothy after getting to Oz. We haven't even left the country."

"I feel so over dressed", Jan said while looking down at her yoga pants and sneakers. Only Sara was wearing shorts, but they weren't her best look, and her Nike sandals were about a week from replacement. She should have changed, but Shaunie had made it seem like it didn't matter. It mattered. "And I feel like an alien in a foreign land. Same country or not", Sara added.

"I can remedy that", LaShaunta said after a chuckle and lead the group down the sidewalk. "I have a great place in mind to eat, but first we'll stop in here." She led them across some sand and down to an alley between two rows of buildings. A bell rang when she pushed open the door to a little shop. The guy behind the counter greeted his customers without even looking up, "Aloha oukou. I'll be with you in just a second." When he did look up he frowned. "LaShaunta, I thought you didn't like me. That you'd switched to another shop."

"Oh come on. You know I wouldn't do that."

"So who are your friends?"

"This is Jan, Sara, and Alisha. As you can see, they need to be properly outfitted. I'll get a new suit while I'm here too."

Momo began to work his magic almost immediately. He had a knack of being able to glance at a woman and pick out the perfect swimsuit to accentuate their assets and hide any flaws. In this case it seemed like LaShaunta only hung around other beautiful people. Each of her friends had different body types, but there weren't many flaws to hide. That tall one had the most perfect proportions he'd ever seen on a woman her height. Momo had seen just about every type of banging body come through his shop, but when he'd first seen the dark haired girl he'd thought to himself that she should have tipped her plastic surgeon. Her implants were the best he'd ever seen. Only after getting closer did he realize that Alisha's breasts were real. That blew his mind a bit as he shifted his attention to an honest to goodness Southern Belle. He'd never actually met one in real life. Being around her buxom friend probably made it harder to spot, but the blonde girl had nice natural breasts too with muscular, toned feminine curves, and wonderful legs. With all the surfers, rock climbers, volleyball players, and tri-athletes who came through his shop, finding suits for Sara was easy too.

LaShaunta presented a separate challenge altogether. There were few women who came to his shop or any other who had her combination of broad shoulders, flared lats, round hips, strong legs, and a tiny wispy waist that supermodels had to starve themselves to get. Half an hour after they'd come in, Momo had all the girls outfitted with bikinis, wraps, sandals, shades, and in Sara's case a darling little sun hat.

LaShaunta had probably thought about it sometime in the past, but while inspecting her friends' new outfits, it struck her how gorgeous they all were. All were so different and still so perfect in their own way. She'd never admit it, but they put some pressure on her to stay at the top of her game. LaShaunta thrived on pressure, and looking beautiful was sometimes hard work anyway.

"Ok", Momo exclaimed and stepped back behind the counter. "I think that's about it. Your friends are more beautiful now than when they walked in, and that was not easy to pull off. Anything else?"

"LaShaunta had put her braids into a pony tail, but she reached back to handle one anyway while she looked her friends over. "Give me two bottles of sunscreen and some business suits. We're gonna have some fun this afternoon." Momo gave her a skeptical look, while heading towards the wet suits. LaShaunta laughed. "I'll have 'em snatching ankle breakers by sundown. You just watch!"

A few hours later Jan found herself laying face down on a surfboard paddling into the surf trying to catch the next wave rolling towards the shore, marveling at all the things she hadn't known about LaShaunta. She could surf, and not just a little bit. Shaunie was really good. While her roommates had stood on the beach with shocked expressions, she'd paddled out and caught a twelve foot pipe and had ridden it for what seemed like an hour before the wave had swallowed her whole. She'd come up to the surface with a huge smile. She'd gotten a few high fives and shakas from the other surfers. She rode one more wave before coming to beach and giving her friends their first lesson in the Hawaiian sport of kings. None of her friends knew before, but LaShaunta had started coming to Hawaii when she was eight. She'd come several times a week after school for move than a decade. The timing was perfect. After getting out of school in Atlanta, she'd surf for a while then go back home. She'd come around so much that the locals thought that she lived there too. She'd never lived there, but she did love it.

She rested on the beach, watching Sara catch a wave and jump to her feet only to wipeout and hit the water back first. Alisha had surfed a little back home in California. Her form looked great from a distance, but her results were close to Sara's. Jan though seemed to be taking to the board pretty well. She paddled near the crest and jumped up with her catlike quickness and grace. Eyes turned, as the tall girl with the amazing body found her balance and rode a wave all the way to the shore. The muscles in Jan's long legs flexed and relaxed a thousand times as they tried to learn how to do something they'd never done before. Her balance was so good and her body so strong that she could almost bully the board into behaving her commands. She snatched her board out of the water and jogged towards LaShaunta with her long graceful strides. LaShaunta still felt the heavy burden of knowledge on her mind, but for a moment all of that was forgotten. She just wished that things would stay the way they were right now, but of course she knew that they couldn't. Events would come to a head sooner or later.

to be continued....

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