Light from the rising sun glinted off the blonde highlights that were still in her naturally brown hair mostly because they annoyed Alisha whose hair was a black as freshly laid asphalt. Remembering the look on Alisha's face when Jan had come back from the salon was enough to make her smile as she turned a corner. She looked at her brand new runners watch to check the time. That too made her smile. She was twelve seconds ahead of the pace she thought she'd be on. This course was new to her. She'd mapped it out in her car two days earlier, but being outside made things seem different. She looked around at the nice houses, noting that some still had Christmas lights up. She looked straight ahead at the looming hill and prepared herself for the burn that she knew was coming. It came right on cue. She took a few extra breaths and maintained her stride. Without looking at her new watch she could feel that her heart rate had increased by a few beats. She was so in tune with her body that she could have even stated her blood pressure to within a couple of percentage points. She dodged some orange construction barrels as she turned onto another tree line street.

She saw a group of kids standing under a street lamp doing what kids do. Some jumped in the puddles left by melted sleet while others played games with rules that were made up on the spot. They were probably second or third graders, just a little too young to be consumed by cell phones just yet. Jan glanced at her watch again, noting that it was way too early for these kids to be on the bus stop. Somebody should call the school board. Suddenly she grinned and pushed the skip button on her ipod until ZZ Top's Waitin' for the Bus began. A little girl, bundled tightly against the cold waved. Jan smiled and waved too as she whisked past. The other kids waved vigorously which made Jan's smile broaden. She was only in sight for a while before disappearing down the backside of the hill, preparing herself for the last stretch of this morning's eight miles.

Sara Hewitt was in her bed, wrapped up in the covers like a mummy. She wasn't sure why she couldn't just lie under the covers like a normal person, but she never did. She was awake though as she lay there. It was almost impossible to wind down enough to fall asleep after surfing in Hawaii only a few hours ago. Her new swimsuit was on the other side of the room like a trophy from a dream. Her mind raced with all the different things LaShaunta was capable of doing, ignoring for a moment all the things she was capable of doing with her own gift. Shaunie could watch the Aurora Borealis in Alaska then eat dinner on a beach in Fiji a minute later. She could get into any locked room; any vault, any place, but Sara realized why all of this was fascinating to her. LaShaunta could always go home, so she was sure LaShaunta never felt homesick. Despite never admitting it, Sara often was. It had been extremely bad when she'd been away at boarding school, and even though she was back near home, Georgia wasn't the same. There were always plenty of things to keep her mind off of it, but it never truly went away. There was just no substitute for the Mississippi Delta. Sara wasn't sure how to ask LaShaunta to take her to Clover Bottom, or if LaShaunta had ever even been near there, or if she would even want to go.

Sara dropped the thought for a moment and reached out with her own gift, almost effortlessly sending her consciousness over hundreds of miles, feeling millions of her other minds in the process but using practiced skill to ignore them. It only took a couple of seconds for Sara to feel her brother, still asleep in his bed, rather fitfully. She'd have to talk to him about that later. Sara smiled as she felt Roberta heading towards Charles' room to wake him up for school. Sara felt her father in the upstairs kitchen enjoying a cup of coffee while reading the Journal. "Good morning, Daddy", she said to her father with a thought.

"Is something wrong?", William Hewitt thought back instantly.

"No. Why?"

"Well I guess it's an hour ahead there in Atlanta."

"I'm up early." Sara tried to seem as if it was no big deal, even though her normally later wake up time was a sore subject.

"Well it's good to hear from you at any time of day sweetheart." Sara could almost hear his amusement.

"Have a great day, Daddy and I'll talk to you later."

Sara pulled her power back and sighed, wondering what she should do next. She had another hour and a half to try and sleep before she had to get ready for class, or she could just get up and start her day. Her decision was made when faint traces of some heavenly scent reached her nose. It was sweet, savory, rich, heavy and light all at the same time. She opened her heavy eyelids and rolled to her right to free one arm then back to the left to free her other arm. She came out of her room moving like half a zombie as her nose sought out the source of that smell.

Jan bounded up the stairs outside her apartment three at a time, adding just a little more burn to her already tired muscles. They could take it though. Her time had been pretty good on this longer route, which made her feel better about the 10ks that she'd entered into. They were for charity, but having a chance to win always felt good too. She pulled out her earbuds with her left hand while pulling out the door key with her right. She paused and sniffed a little before opening the door getting a few whiffs of the wonderful aroma that greeted her when she finally walked inside. She kicked off her slightly muddy shoes and stepped onto the freshly clean carpets intent on finding the source of that heavenly smell. Jan was about to head towards the kitchen when she actually jumped to a startled stop. "Oh my gosh wow", she exclaimed when she saw Sara shuffle into the living room. Sara looked up, still wiping her eyes as Jan looked at her watch. "Is the apartment on fire, or did I run a lot slower than this watch said I did?"

"Oh stop", Sara begged and pushed a few of her curly locks from in front of her itching eyes. "Yes I'm up early. I couldn't sleep. I don't know how you managed to wind down from being in Hawaii like a few hours ago."

Jan shrugged. "Because Shaunie can take us back today if she wants."

"I don't think I can for the next few days", LaShaunta said as she strolled into the living room wearing some canary yellow pajama bottoms, a pair of huge bunny slippers, and a cut off t-shirt that showed off the bottom of her sexy six pack. "I've got to confirm my classes and then there's some book that I can't get online", she explained before blowing across the top of the steaming hot mug she held in both of her hands. That scent made both Jan and Sara swoon.

"So that's where that smell's coming from", Jan exclaimed.

"It smells so good", Sara gushed. "What kind of coffee is it?"

LaShaunta took another sip before answering, "It's my own little concoction. I've got some pure Arabica beans from the Ethiopian highlands, which are hard to find let me tell you, then I've got vanilla, hazelnut, a bit of goat milk cream. Oh and a little sugar", LaShaunta explained and took another sip. "I can't wake up without a cup of something hot in the morning. I can make y'all some", she offered.

"I'll take some", Sara said immediately.

LaShaunta chuckled. "Yeah, you look like you need some."

Sara huffed and looked at Jan then back to LaShaunta. "You too?"

It was completely against her usually cool demeanor, but once on campus LaShaunta couldn't wipe the smile from her face. She got lots of hugs from people who recognized her, while others waved or stopped and chatted for a bit. The professors were even understanding when she explained her particular circumstances. She ended up getting into all the classes that she'd wanted, even a couple of the high demand ones. If all of that hadn't been perfect enough, LaShaunta had one more awesome thing to do before the day was over.

Sara raised her leg up before putting it down on top of the fence to stretch her hamstrings. She didn't have to, but she flexed her quads just to watch them bunch and to see the tear drop form above her knee as the two lower heads expanded. She didn't put much into the flex, but it was enough for her to actually see little striations appear on the outside head. That was a new development, but a welcomed one. Just like Alisha, Sara had remade her body in the years since high school. She'd had a goal in mind for what she wanted her body to be, and when she was honest with herself she realized that she'd surpassed that goal some months ago. No one who saw Sara now would ever think that she'd once been a skinny little teenager who couldn't have lifted fifty pounds with her entire body. Now she was able to easily squat twice her own weight. She wasn't sure if she would make a new goal or just try to maintain what she'd already attained. That's what Alisha had done, refining the look that she'd created for herself. She had the look of a fit version of a swimsuit model with her legendary breasts, hard flat stomach, slim waist, and long sexy legs. Sara knew she didn't have to make her mind soon.

She switched legs and flexed that quad too so it wouldn't get jealous. She grabbed her calf and pulled her torso down closer to her leg, letting the stretch really set in. Biceps leapt along her upper arms like rolling hills. She loved her biceps too, but she was focused on her legs today. This quad didn't disappoint. Veins begin to throb along her burgeoning quad as she held this flex a little longer. Sara put her leg back on the dormant grass and spun to get ready for another stretch when she saw something unexpected.

LaShaunta came jogging towards the practice field with her cocky jock swagger, like a queen about to retake her throne. Her long braids, tied into a loose rope, swung behind her as she picked up speed. Sara stood up straight, "Hey. I didn't know you were coming to practice", she said when LaShaunta was close enough. "Wait! Are you back on the team?"

"Yep. I was gonna tell you this morning, but I thought I'd surprise you."

"Well I'm surprised alright. How did you…. You know what, nevermind."

LaShaunta chuckled, causing six well defined bricks to show through her uniform top. "It's kind of an interesting, but long story. I'm all squared away though."

"Cool", Sara said simply. Her grin said all the rest. She had met LaShaunta here at the track. Sara herself had been an untested athlete trying to make the team while LaShaunta was already a star, with everybody wondering why she hadn't gone to some huge program. Their friendship had begun there. Sara had introduced her to Jan and Alisha, and here they were getting to know each other all over again after their sharing their deepest secret with the other. Despite all of that, it was like nothing at all had changed between the two of them, except perhaps for the conversation.

The coach had hidden his doubts about LaShaunta's readiness as he began the first practice of the year. He shouldn't have been concerned. LaShaunta looked like she had been purpose built to run, and when she got on the track she moved like a lightning bolt in human form.

Her powerful muscles pushed her legs like pistons in some invisible engine. Even among a collection of young women in the peak of physical condition, LaShaunta stood out. Her body was graceful, sleek, and as explosively powerful as a nuclear reactor all at the same time. There were several girls with bigger muscles, but there was no a single girl who could match LaShaunta's magic combination of size, shape, and definition. Her muscles didn't so much flex as flow and solidify into a fleeting image of vascular, striated perfection. Her milk chocolate skin was stretched tight over her cobbled midsection. As she ran, her stomach took on a look of solid perfection to match the rest of her amazing body. When she exhaled it looked liked six fists were pressing those bricks into even more prominence. She hadn't neglected her upper body while her turning her lower body into a work of art. Her arms were in perfect proportion to the rest of her, and looked strong enough for her to throw the shot put.

People paused for a moment while they were doing their own exercises to watch LaShaunta run her laps and partial laps because they were things of beauty. Everyone on the team was happy to have her back, except perhaps for Maggie who would have been the team's top 400m specialist until LaShaunta's return. She'd practiced like a mad woman all summer and fall, shaving a full second from her personal best. As she either watched with hands on slim hips or ran along side, Maggie knew. LaShaunta could roll out of bed in the morning, without stretching, without shoes on, and run a better time than she had ever run in her entire life. The coach didn't call out times, but Maggie had strayed behind him and saw that LaShaunta's 200m split was actually faster than the fastest 200m runner on the team. "She should have gone to LSU", Maggie spat in a low voice as she went back to the track to work on coming out of the block.

It was an open secret that LaShaunta had left school after the murders the year before, of course no one knew the details. They also didn't know the details of how she'd gotten back on the team after changing schools in the fall, but none of that mattered especially to Sara. It was dark and getting cold by the time practice ended. LaShaunta was pretty exhausted, but she smiled just the same as she and Sara walked back to the locker room side by side like they'd done last year. It was like nothing at all had changed between them, except for the conversation. Both of them had grown up gifted and even though their powers were different, it was almost comical how they'd found themselves in similar situations. It always felt great to talk to someone who understood the life of a person with special powers. All four roommates ended up talking well into the night.

The next morning they were leaving at the same time, walking down the stairs towards their cars. "Oh", Jan began and pulled her oversized hemp purse from around her back and reached inside. "I got your parking pass this morning."

"Great", LaShaunta exclaimed and took it. "Now I don't have park way over there in the visitor's lot."

"Why do you even bother having a car in the first place?", Alisha asked.

"Same reason Sara has a cellphone", LaShaunta replied. Jan and Sara laughed.

Alisha blushed. "I walked into that."

Later that day the roommates joined each other for lunch, LaShaunta making time to do it just like others did.  "So did you know LaShaunta was trained by the same people who trained Amaris?", Sara asked.

"Nope", Jan said. "But I guess that would make sense."

"Some of the same people", LaShaunta clarified. "Our raw skills are a little different."

"But you're skilled hand to hand, right?"

"I'm not bad."

"Well I've been training for a little while too", Sara said.

"Uh huh", LaShaunta said before eating a forkful of salad. "You want a piece of me?"

"I think that's what she's saying", Jan said and smiled. "Well, they just installed a real boxing ring at the gym I teach at. I've got to teach a class, but I can block off some time for you guys to go at it."

"If LaShaunta's up to it?", Sara needled.

Sara bounced along the canvas, rolling until she'd collected herself. She'd barely stopped before biting down on her mouthpiece and charging. She feigned a right hand and unloaded a left, a move that had served her well in the past. Her fist flew at the tight midsection of her friend. LaShaunta was right there in front of Sara's gloved fist, until she wasn't. A movement as quick as the blink of an eye and as slight as a shift of balance made Sara punch nothing but air. The shorter girl lost her balance and LaShaunta pounced on her back. She wrapped her left arm behind and beneath Sara's left shoulder while hooking her right arm in a similar way. There was nothing Sara could do to stop what was about to happen. As soon as LaShaunta's feet hit the canvas she used the momentum and her leverage to send Sara flying again. Sara was a lot of things, but a quitter wasn't one of them. She gathered herself and came at LaShaunta again, this time with more caution. She circled for a moment as LaShaunta spun to follow. Sara threw a couple of quick jabs before rushing in and throwing a punch at LaShaunta's head. She moved her head back and Sara's fist went right past her ear. LaShaunta reached up and caught Sara's wrist on her back swing and held on. Sara shifted and instead of trying to pull away, she pushed forward. LaShaunta swung at Sara's head, but the shorter girl grabbed LaShaunta's wrist and the two of them stood in the middle of the ring caught by the other. Sara chomped down on her mouthpiece and pushed as hard as she could. LaShaunta had to take a step back to keep from falling, but when she planted her leg behind Sara would have needed a turbo engine to push LaShaunta backwards.

The track athletes stood in a stalemate as LaShaunta's hot body flexed to counter Sara's push. Biceps and delts flexed proudly along Sara's physique as she struggled against LaShaunta who had thought of a dozen different ways to free her hand, but decided to humor her friend. Besides she wanted to see what Sara was working with, and wasn't surprised that Sara turned out to be plenty strong. Capillaries and veins pounded just beneath Sara's skin as her muscles flexed hard. Just like always, LaShaunta's muscles didn't so much as jump into a stark flex as just flow from a relaxed state to a tensed one. Her triceps bulged like they belonged on an arm much bigger than hers were only a moment earlier. Her lats pressed out the sides of her halter top just like her traps stretched the straps around her neck. Sara watched with increasing interest as LaShaunta's pecs joined the action, flexing hard enough to push out the front of the top. Her chest further expanded when she sucked in a breath. Then LaShaunta began to push back. It looked like her triceps and shoulders and lats had been flexing before, but when LaShaunta finally did flex her powerfully athletic body Sara felt her real strength.

Sara's muscles flexed harder in response, getting bigger with more definition. Her hard feminine muscles bunched and pushed, but LaShaunta's power was undeniable. She pushed Sara back until now LaShaunta stood over Sara where her height could play into the test of the strength. Their arms shook from the strain, but Sara was slowly being forced down. LaShaunta knew though that her upper body wasn't nearly strong enough to force Sara's legs to bend. Her quads and glutes flexed powerfully, showing how much real muscle she'd added to her body in the last three years. When Sara's back was arched backwards quite a bit, LaShaunta quickly reversed her push. She instantly sprung towards LaShaunta, whose modified hip toss put Sara on her butt again. This time Sara raised her hand and removed her mouthpiece. "I give", she said between breaths.

"That was pretty good", LaShaunta said and reached down to help her up.

Sara chuckled. "You don't have to put sugar on it to make me feel better. You're stronger than me and you kicked my butt."

LaShaunta frowned. "Since when have I put sugar on anything? If you'd sucked, I'd have told you." Then she grabbed Sara's left arm. "And these little muscles aren't just for show", she said with a grin. Sara curled her arm and flexed hard just to see LaShaunta's fingers spread apart along the growing peak of her impressive, but defeated biceps. LaShaunta winked then turned to Alisha who was watching from outside the ring. "You ready?"

"Less ready now than a few minutes ago, but what the hell!"

Alisha climbed in and put on her headgear and gloves. They bounced around the ring, circling each other. The two young women cut different profiles as they sized each other up. Both Alisha and LaShaunta were about the same height, but the similarities stopped there. LaShaunta's breasts were more than ample, adding even more curves to her already intoxicating body, while Alisha's breasts were big and spectacular to behold. Alisha's trim, toned midriff only showed fleeting glimpses of the abdominals beneath while every time LaShaunta breathed they looked like they were carved into her milk chocolate colored skin. Alisha's legs were slim and trim like the rest of her new body while LaShaunta's were sleekly powerful, with sweep, muscle tone, and sexiness that any physique girl would have killed to attain. Her quads tensed and relaxed as she circled Alisha, waiting. Then LaShaunta shot forward, reaching down with her right hand, aiming for Alisha's right leg. The buxom California girl kicked her leg out of the way, then scythed a punch to the side of LaShaunta's headgear hard enough to make drops of sweat fly in the air.

Instead of pressing her attack, Alisha spun back behind LaShaunta because the track star's immediate reaction was to sweep her leg where Alisha had been. The slap of skin got people's attention as Alisha unloaded a kick to LaShaunta's unprepared side. She was still behind LaShaunta as she drew her leg back. The ball of her foot just brushed the canvas for a split second before her leg was in the air again, rocketing towards LaShaunta's side. She watched her roommate's abs tense as she bent towards the impact. Alisha's kick landed even harder, but this time LaShaunta rolled with the kick and clamped her arm down over the top, grabbing Alisha's heel firmly before gritting her teeth and spinning so hard Alisha was whipped off of her feet. She landed back first on the canvas. LaShaunta landed right on top of her. Alisha tried to get into a guard position, but LaShaunta powered right through it and pinned Alisha to the canvas.

"That was pretty nice", LaShaunta said around her mouthpiece. Alisha tried to buck to free her hips, but LaShaunta absorbed the movement.

"Just give up!", Sara called from the side of the ring.

"Never!", Alisha declared and tried to get her arm free.

LaShaunta didn't say anything before she shifted to Alisha's side, slipped her arms around Alisha's neck while pressing her chest into Alisha's side and squeezed. Her biceps and forearms became as hard as granite, and the sound of choking was immediate. LaShaunta didn't hold it long though. She released her choke hold and sprung to her feet. "Hey I didn't tap", Alisha protested with a smile as LaShaunta helped her up slowly so she wouldn't lose her balance. "Let's go again."

This time Alisha kept her distance, peppering LaShaunta with precise kicks and punches meant to frustrate her into a mistake. Instead LaShaunta patiently blocked and dodged Alisha's best attempts until at once she unloaded a kick of her own, right to Alisha's sexy stomach that dropped her to her knees.

"Oh I'm sorry", LaShaunta said and immediately bent down.

"I'm fine", Alisha wheezed and stood up.

"You aren't going to puke out that banana are you?", LaShaunta asked with a smirk and Alisha glared.

Sara jumped back in the ring. "Let's try this again." Alisha didn't look so sure. "I think I found a weakness", Sara explained and LaShaunta raised an eyebrow. "Let's attack together." LaShaunta raised both eyebrows.

Two minutes later Jan came around the corner hearing the sounds of battle, just in time to see Sara go flying into the ropes and Alisha partially block a knee to the midsection only to receive a right cross that made her stumble a bit. Sara came back then hitting LaShaunta enough to make her back up. She stepped towards Sara and went for a trip, but she countered with ease and hit LaShaunta in the forehead and jaw. Despite not wanting to hurt the star of the track team, Sara kicked LaShaunta in her lower leg. She stumbled ever so slightly, but it was enough for Sara to land two more solid punches. Finally LaShaunta moved backwards to open up a little space, jumped in the air and spun before delivering a flying round kick to the side of Sara's head that put the blonde down to the canvas. LaShaunta didn't get to admire her work because Alisha came at her then throwing kick after kick, left high, left low, right high or right at LaShaunta's abs. There wasn't much of a pattern to Alisha's attacks, which was good, but LaShaunta was really quick. Alisha sent a high kick towards LaShaunta's head and she ducked and spun. Her right calf struck the back of Alisha's ankle so hard that she fell over backwards and landed directly on her head.

LaShaunta grimaced and bent down to check on Alisha. "I hope you're okay."

"Oh she's fine", Jan said as she climbed up to the ring.

"Attacking together was NOT a good idea", Alisha deadpanned.

"That wasn't sporting", Jan said as she unfastened Alisha's gloves.

"We tried separately", she defended herself.

"And it didn't go so well", Jan finished for her.

"You're welcomed to try", Sara said as she removed her headgear letting her sweat soaked hair fall to her shoulders.

"That's up to Shaunie."

"I'm down for whatever", she said and saw Jan get a look that she hadn't seen before. "Of course these two have tired me out a bit so you can come in all fresh."

Jan chuckled. "I can run some laps around the gym if it'll make you feel better."

"Nah. Let's rumble!", LaShaunta yelled in her best WWE voice and went to the middle of the ring.

Jan did have to do a little running because she had to hurry to her car to get her sparing gear. Her hands were too big to fit into either Sara or Alisha's gloves.

That was the first thing LaShaunta noticed when Jan returned and stood across from her in the ring. It wasn't her height, or the symmetry of her impressive muscles, or the length of her arms and legs, but the size of the fists she was about to encounter. Jan cracked her knuckles and loosened up her shoulders.

"How hard do you want to go?"

Jan shrugged. "That's up to you. You know it doesn't matter to me."

"I'm not going to break my fists when I punch your impervious bones am I?"

Jan threw her head back and howled. Her already impressive abdominals flexed hard showing off all the cuts from her vascular Adonis belt up to the bricks of her eight pack to the jagged angles of her intercostals to the striated obliques capping the sides of her slim sexy waist.

LaShaunta twisted up her mouth. "I guess that means no."

"Come on I wouldn't be standing in here if that was case. So, how hard?"

"Well I've seen what your protégés have to offer. Let's see what the teacher's workin with… just don't punch a hole in my head."

Jan smirked. "Agreed, as long as you don't teleport me to the bottom of the ocean or something."

"Let's do this."

Jan and LaShaunta bounced in a loose circle around the ring as people from the exercise area wandered over to watch what was going on. Jan threw the first punch using her long arms to slam her fist into LaShaunta's padded forehead. Her head snapped back and she kept circling, looking for an opportunity to get inside of Jan's reach. She noted that Jan's footwork was superb and her balance was as good as she thought it might be. It was time to put her mobility to the test. LaShaunta darted to her left and then to her right and wove inside of Jan's range, close enough to land a flurry of blows against Jan's stomach and forearms as Jan protected her head, sacrificing her body. Jan tried to counter, but LaShaunta gobbled up Jan's attempts, using her movements as openings to land more punches, this time against her head. LaShaunta wasn't just fast on the track, everything she did was sudden. She kicked Jan's thigh then spun and swept the bigger girl off of her feet. Sara and Alisha's eyes got as big as saucers when they saw Jan dumped.

Jan's face twisted into a frown as she put her palms flat on the canvas behind her head, raised her legs and bounded up to her feet. LaShaunta smiled and winked as she circled. A moment later Jan charged in. LaShaunta saw Jan pull back for a right and moved her head only to catch a left hook square in the jaw. The pop of leather hitting leather echoed all around the gym. LaShaunta put up her defenses, but Jan punched with the accuracy of a laser guided missile and hit with about the same force. LaShaunta tried every which way to block better, but even when she did block Jan's merciless punches, they hurt. She tried to counter punch and got caught by an angled uppercut followed by a straight right that put her down. Jan's left hand was cocked back, but she didn't throw it. She backed up as LaShaunta pulled herself up off the mat. Jan didn't smile although she wanted to. She'd learned a lot about LaShaunta's fighting style in the first couple of minutes and she'd taught her roommate a couple of things too.

The two circled each other again as they reset their little match. LaShaunta was just out of Jan's punching range when she jumped forward and drove a kick between Jan's raised arms hitting her in the chin. Jan's head snapped back which gave LaShaunta plenty of time to twist up and unload a flying kick to Jan's head. LaShaunta's toes barely touched the canvas before she spun again, and whipped a kick to Jan's ribs. She tried to clamp LaShaunta's leg to her side, but her leg was already gone and another kick on the way. Jan partially blocked the kick with her right arm, but LaShaunta's shin still contacted her neck. Jan threw a front kick to the LaShaunta's middle, but the shorter girl jumped out of the way which was exactly what Jan wanted.

She raised her leg and threw it forward hitting LaShaunta in the stomach so hard it knocked the smaller girl backwards. Jan spun in a tight arc, finally extending her leg to gain some real power, but LaShaunta ducked beneath Jan's kick and landed an uppercut to the body. It didn't hurt too much but it threw off her timing. LaShaunta attacked with a combination of punches and kicks. Some landed, but Jan blocked most of them. She ended up against the ropes, weaving and bobbing to duck punches while using her legs and forearms to block kicks and knees. LaShaunta was relentless. Jan didn't even have a chance to look to find an opening for a counter attack. Every time she pulled back for a punch or moved her leg for a kick, LaShaunta landed cleanly. She was doing all she could just to stay upright. Sara and Alisha knew that fighting against Jan was usually unfair because she was really strong and extremely quick, but as the sparing session continued, LaShaunta was making quick look incredibly slow. Jan knew that she had to do something.

Her arms shot out and instead of punching she grabbed the back of LaShaunta's neck. Alisha saw Shaunie's face just before Jan drove her knee into the side of her head. She backed up against Jan's clench, but that just pulled Jan off the ropes. Jan drove another knee and another into LaShaunta's midsection and head. Jan blasted a short sharp elbow above LaShaunta's earhole. Just like the knees, this blow rocked LaShaunta from the bottom to the top. Jan was so damned strong. She pushed LaShaunta away and landed a right hook that sent sweat and saliva splashing down to the canvas with LaShaunta herself right behind it. This time LaShaunta rolled away before bounding to her feet. She wiped her mouth with the back of her glove then checked it for blood but saw none. She looked up at Jan through her lashes and smiled.

Jan had planned to attack when LaShaunta got back on her feet, but her opponent had other ideas. LaShaunta launched into Jan with pinpoint attacks that had more power behind the punches and kicks. They came from all angles and then LaShaunta bit down hard on her mouth piece and sent an uppercut to Jan's chin. When Jan eyes were forced up towards the ceiling, LaShaunta unloaded with booming blows of her own. Punches dug into Jan's cast iron hard abdominals, weakening her usual defenses, forcing air from her lungs. Jan reached out trying to grab LaShaunta again, but the track star wasn't having it. A punch followed by a kick landed against Jan's unprotected ribs. A little smile showed on LaShaunta's face as she twirled and unleashed a spinning kick to Jan's face. The next moment she was in the air, her leg trailing behind her as she spun again.  Her quads snapped into prominence as she straightened her leg and blasted a flying kick to Jan's headgear that sent the taller girl careening against the ropes. Jan threw an off balance punch after bouncing off the ropes, and LaShaunta pounced. She let Jan's punch sail past her face, then grabbed it before flexing all of her mighty throughbred muscles from her calves to her traps. She could generate so much power so instantly that it was like her body was a giant spring. Jan felt LaShaunta's strength as her feet left the ground. LaShaunta screamed and her muscles peaked beyond anything any of them had yet seen as she threw Jan over her shoulder.

Jan went flying towards the other side of the ring. LaShaunta had so much momentum that she came flying too. Jan hit the canvas so hard she bounced and LaShaunta came crashing down right on top of her, dropping an elbow right into the pit of Jan's stomach. LaShaunta felt her elbow sink through Jan's unflexed abs. Her roommate's face turned red as the pain spread. LaShaunta felt her advantage growing as she forced Jan down to her back and pulled in close, so close that she didn't think that Jan could use her legs for anything. She hadn't seen all of Jan's various tricks though.

Jan set her feet against the mat and raised her her hips like a bucking horse, but LaShaunta's position stayed perfect. The shorter girl slammed a punch against Jan's face, but she wasn't going to pound her. Instead she was setting her up for one of her favorite chokes. LaShaunta had no idea how flexible Jan's hips were though. LaShaunta pulled in close to Jan, closing the space between their torsos to mere inches, while Jan practically folded her long body in half, pulling her legs up and back until her toes were touching the canvas behind her head. She grabbed LaShaunta's arm and pulled it up before letting it go then she forced her leg between her body and LaShaunta's. Shaunie had no idea what Jan was trying to do until amazingly she felt Jan's calf on her shoulder.  Jan grabbed LaShaunta's head with both of her hands, at the same time her other leg came up and linked around LaShaunta's neck.

Muscles flexed up along Jan's lower half and cinched in tight around LaShaunta's neck. She began to counter, and Jan knew that she wouldn't be able to keep a hold of her. Through watery, squinted eyes LaShaunta saw Jan's red marked abs flex into their full eight packed glory. Using her insane core strength, she pushed LaShaunta away against her will and then began to spin. She rolled over, taking LaShaunta with her. Jan ended up on her hands and knees, looking down at the canvas while LaShaunta was still trapped between her legs, stuck looking up at the ceiling. She tried to free herself, but had no leverage and Jan's flip made any strategy useless. Then Jan sat back, giving herself more leverage and increasing the pressure on LaShaunta's neck. Though it pained her to do so, before her vision went completely dark, LaShaunta tapped Jan's thigh. She released the hold immediately and rolled over to her back while several people who'd been watching clapped.

Jan glanced over at them, but then back to LaShaunta. "That was freaking awesome", she exclaimed between deep breaths.

"I didn't think you were going to beat me", LaShaunta said while still lying on her back, rubbing her neck.

"I know", Jan said and started to stand. "That's what made it so great." She took LaShaunta's hand. People on the outside of the ring got to see both girl's right biceps peak beautifully as Jan hauled LaShaunta to her feet. "Lots of people give me all sorts of respect during sparring, even my cousins, but you… you just came right at me. I'll be honest, I got lucky in the end. I thought you had me."

"Yeah", LaShaunta replied, sore in more ways than one.

"We'll go again one of these days. Give you a chance to get even, but until then, it's the Pride of Baltimore one and The Fireballer from Atlanta zero!"

"You're not still sore from yesterday are you?", Sara asked LaShaunta before track practice began.

"My pride or the rest of me?"

"Both, either, I guess."

"No, I'm fine. I've lost before. It's just that I don't like it, but Jan is good. I left some tricks in my bag, but I'm sure she did too. I'd rather Jan be the one with the wounded pride though."

Sara smiled. "The last time Jan lost a fight it was for real, and it was not pretty."

LaShaunta grinned. "Did they destroy a city block in the process or something?"

"No. It wasn't like that. I'll tell you about it after practice", Sara promised.

"So Jan split a motel building in half?", LaShaunta asked a little too loudly as she and Sara walked into the apartment two hours later.

"Yeah", Sara replied. "Cracked it right down the centerline with her arms."

LaShaunta raised an eyebrow. "Impressive."

"Talking about my exploits?", Jan inquired as she came out of the kitchen with a container of Greek yogurt.

"Not just yours", Sara explained. "I thought I'd fill Shaunie in on all the stuff she missed out on."

Jan chuckled and shook her head as she walked into her room. Half the time she'd been terrified about one thing or another during all those exploits, but if Sara wanted to talk about them so be it. The stories flowed both ways. Sara was half way through a story about a gun battle in Memphis when Alisha came rushing through the door. "Guys!", she yelled and slammed the door behind her.

"What is it?", LaShaunta asked quickly and jumped up from the sofa ready to fight if need be. Jan came out of her room and stuck her head around the corner, waiting to see what was going on.

"LaShaunta's never been linked. We didn't even think about it!"

"Wow! She's right!", Sara exclaimed. "She must have knocked out all my marbles when we sparred.

"What are y'all talking about?", LaShaunta wondered aloud, looking from face to face for a clue.

"Let me change clothes", Sara exclaimed and ran towards her bedroom as if she hadn't already run several miles a little while earlier.

Jan headed back to her room to get dressed too. "Come on Shaunie get changed", she pleaded.

"I don't know", LaShaunta began then sat back onto the sofa. "I told you I had stuff to do tonight."

Alisha sat down next to her, her face as eager as a small child's on Christmas morning. "Trust us."

Cassidy Redwine wiped her hands on the towel hanging from her apron after replacing a chair from the dining area with one from storage. She was in the back now and looked at the stain then frowned. She pulled a rag from her other pocket, wet it from the pale behind her and started scrubbing. She scrubbed and scrubbed, her hand just a blur, trying to clean that gravy spot like she was trying, and failing at cleaning her conscience. Every time she closed her eyes, even just to blink she saw the terror stricken faces of the three men she'd killed… the three men she'd turned to dust. They were bad men for sure, terrorists according to the media and government, but to Cassie they were her tormentors. She hadn't slept much in the days before the incident, and now her bed was nothing more than a piece of furniture taking up space. Most days she looked at it with open contempt, as it mocked her. She wondered how she could make herself comfortable, how could she ever just be normal now that she was a killer? For some reason the fact that she'd used her gift to kill those men made it all worse. She'd always thought of her ability as the purest part of herself, the part that wasn't corruptible by circumstances or pettiness. Now though, she knew that it was just like everything else in life. Any talent or ability could be used for bad, and she would probably never feel the same way about her powers again.

Some of the towns people back in Tunisia said that Cassie and her family were heiresses to powers both great and terrible. That had always sounded so cool, especially in the Berber accented Darija, like a line from a Wizard of Oz translation, but no. They meant that terrible part literally. Cassie's mother had tried to explain some things to her on the car ride home, saying that gifts, especially very strong ones, aren't dormant things that lie around waiting to be used. She told Cassie a dozen stories about people who first realized that they were gifted because they'd been in life or death situations. Their powers had manifested themselves in that moment. Cassie only had one question for her mother, one question that Hayfa hadn't been able to immediately answer. "Why hadn't you told me about this part of our abilities before so I could have controlled it just like I control all the rest of it?"

In the end, after some debating within herself, Hayfa had told her daughter, "I'm glad I didn't tell you before. You would have stopped it all from happening and you'd be dead. If I have to chose between the lives of three men who were trying to kill my child and the life of my child…"

Cassidy wasn't satisfied with that answer. She'd become a killer, but she also knew that her mother wasn't going to apologize. Not many people knew what had happened and Cassie wanted to keep it that way. She lost herself in school work and work at the restaurant. That was how she kept herself from crying all day long.

Jeremy Redwine's heart was very near breaking. His daughter's early teen years had been troubled as she'd struggled with self control, but even back then she'd been like a shining light to him, always happy and always so caring to those around her. She was child that he couldn't stay mad at no matter what she'd done. She'd always been eager to please those she loved, which was why she'd started working at the restaurant as a kid and why she'd followed her mother to that warehouse. Jeremy didn't know what to do. He'd never killed anybody and had no idea what she was going through. He wished that she would just snap out of it one day, but knew that wasn't realistic. Jeremy had always been there for his children, but he didn't know how to help his daughter, and it was tearing him to pieces.

Her phone rang with that silly song she used as a ringtone for her friends, and Jeremy felt a sudden chill come over him. Until that day at the warehouse her phone had been like another appendage, but now he didn't even know why she brought it with her. She hadn't answered a call in days. She reached into her pocket and pulled it out, which was progress. Jeremy was overjoyed at what happened next. She answered it.

Cassie had sighed when she read Jan's name at the top of the screen. She'd wanted to dismiss the call, but Sara was probably standing nearby, and there was no ignore button for her. Sara would enter Cassie's head, even in a little way, and that was no place for anybody to be right now. So in an effort to save herself, and Sara any more pain, Cassie pushed the button, put the phone to her ear and said, "Hey."

"Hey, Cassie, where are you?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, where are you right this minute", Jan asked quickly.

"I'm at the restaurant", Cassie replied with a frown.

Jan looked back to Alisha, to Sara, then finally to LaShaunta. She muted the phone and asked, "You ever been to Redwine's in Chicago?"

"Of course", she replied. "I like steaks."

"Know any place sorta private in Redwines?"

LaShaunta rolled her eyes. "Yes."

"Okay Cassie, go to the hallway by the customer bathrooms.

"Jan, does any of this have a point?"

"Yes. I promise. Is anybody else there with you?"

"Not at the moment. Look I gotta get back to work, Jan."

Back in Atlanta Jan laughed and held out her hand. "Ready to travel captain."

LaShaunta snickered and shook her head. "Pull in close together, and you might want to leave your phone."

"What? Why?"

"Because there's no way to explain to your carrier how you got from Hot-Lanta to Chi-Town so quickly."

"Oh", she said and put her phone on the table.

"Jan? Jan?", Cassie called into the phone.

"Right here", Jan said as she opened the door from a mechanical room. Cassie spun around so quickly that her vision blurred.

"Surprise!", Jan, Sara, and Alisha yelled all at once.

"Wait! How'd you guys get here?!?", Cassie asked and managed a stunned smile.

Alisha, who'd known Cassie the longest, stepped up and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "Cassidy Redwine, meet LaShaunta Turner, our new roommate and travel specialist."

"Oh cool. Hey!", Cassie greeted LaShaunta with genuine cheer in her voice. That actually surprised her as she shook LaShaunta's hand. Despite her internal pain Cassie always liked meeting gifted people and a gifted person who was a friend of her friends was a bonus.

"Yeah", Alisha began. "We've known Shaunie since the start of freshman year."

"We just didn't know that she could do this", Jan added.

"It usually works that way", Cassie said and looked back towards the dining hall. "So you guys hungry?"

"A little", Sara began then grinned. "The food's awesome here, but that's not really what we came for."

"She's never been linked", Alisha explained with all the excitement returning to her voice.

"Ok", Cassie said after a moment. "Come on this way. We can't stay in the hall by the bathrooms."

Jeremy slowly made his way to a little used kitchen door so he could look through the glass to see what was keeping his daughter so long. When he peered through the glass he saw his daughter walking past with a big smile on her pretty young face. The ashen pallor to her skin was gone and her normally radiant bronze tone was back. That spark that usually resided in her hazel eyes was back as well. Jeremy couldn't understand what had changed then he saw Jan come by talking and smiling, then Alisha. Sara turned towards him and waved as she walked by with another girl walking beside her.

Jeremy was so happy he almost jumped for joy right then and there, but he knew it wouldn't be this easy. And it wasn't. By the time Cassie lead the group into a storage room past the cold storage locker, she felt the malaise coming back. She tried desperately to push it away and concentrate on what she was about to do. Instead of smiling like she normally would in a situation like this, Cassie sighed and held out her hands. "Okay."

The girls stood in a circle and clasped hands. Everybody bowed their heads like it was some sort of religious ceremony, except for LaShaunta who looked at Cassie before looking around the room. Just that fast though she felt the power flowing around the group. The energy penetrated every bit of her, delving down to the core of her being. She gasped as a feeling of both extreme violation and of all consuming bliss washed over her. Every other emotion she'd ever had felt trivial compared to this. She was powerless against it and yet so drawn to it that she could have no other thoughts. The energy gently coaxed her gift out of the place inside her where it dwelled and joined it to the circle. It was strange feeling her power not inside her but it was beautiful to be able to see it in its complexities and in its completeness. Then she felt Sara's power join the group and it was almost overwhelming. Cassie expertly drew out Sara's vast gift and fit it into the tapestry that she was building.  Just when LaShaunta began to come to grips with Sara's gift, Jan's power hit the circle like an exploding bomb, threatening to fry synapses. The white hot rage made the hairs on the back of LaSaunta's neck stand on end. Just when she thought that she couldn't take anymore the soothing, calming healing portion of Jan's gift joined the group. It didn't balance out the fury, it just tempered it slightly. This was already the most intense moment of LaShaunta's entire life, and then Alisha's power joined the circle. It had been hard for Cassie to wrangle Alisha's gift at first, but the two of them had done this dance several times now and both knew what to do. When Alisha's power joined the group LaShaunta didn't know what to think. It flowed like honey filling all the gaps between the girls' very different abilities and once that was done LaShaunta could see Alisha's gift too. Infinite possibilities all flowed together like a stream. Anything that was and anything that could possibly be, were all merged together into a single thread controlled by Alisha.

Cassie had almost not done it at all, but feeling all the positive emotions from her friends, she thought that it was safe to tap her own power and join it to the group. She felt all her friends smile at the same time as her power spread around the circle. She concentrated very hard to make sure that her depression didn't enter the group, and she was successful because when the linking was finished the reaction was like always.

No one opened their eyes because they didn't want the feelings to flee or the memories to fade. No one said a word. No one even breathed until Cassie broke the silence. "Well. There you go", she told LaShaunta who opened her eyes and nearly lost her balance.

"That was… that was…", she mumbled as the regular world rushed back to meet her.

"Now I know why we usually do that sitting down", Jan uttered and gave Cassie's hand a quick squeeze before letting go.

"I should have suggested that, especially with a new girl in the group", Cassie admitted. The linking was amazing as usual and her friends' trust made it that much better every time they linked. Cassie wanted to spill her guts to them, to tell them everything that had happened to her over the last several days, but instead she made herself smile and asked, "So now are you guys ready for food?"

An hour later the five of them were seated around a table enjoying mouth watering steaks that Jeremy had personally cooked.  "You know", LaShaunta began then looked at Sara.  "If I'd known how powerful you are, I would never have dumped you on your head when we were sparring."

Sara laughed and so did everyone else.  "And you", she said to Jan.  "Are a boiling cauldron of white hot insanity. I have no idea how you keep from going RAWR and crushing some driver inside their Honda after they cut you off in traffic."

"Sometimes I wonder myself", Jan replied then rolled her eyes and groaned, lowering a forkful of rib-eye steak to her half finished plate.

"Something wrong?", Cassie asked while dining at the table with them.

"My cousins! We should have brought them too."

"Oh, I remember. Taylor and Heather right?"

"And Brice too", Jan said. "His gift isn't as strong as theirs, but yeah, none of them have been linked."

"Next time", Cassie agreed.

"Sucks for them though", Alisha began. "They have no idea, that they have no idea what they're missing."

Jeremy heard his daughter's laughter, but didn't go near the table. Cassie was enjoying herself, at least for now, and that was good enough for him. He looked at his watch and realized that he had to put his game face on. The mayor and a group of powerful business leaders were coming in and it was time for  some Redwine charm.

"Did Cassie seem a little off to you?", Alisha asked Jan and Sara as they sat in the living room of their apartment. LaShaunta had gone to her room, still in awe over the memory of being linked.

"Preoccupied at least", Jan agreed.

"It's something", Sara said. "Shaunie too. She's got something on her mind."

"You could just go up there and root around. You know… find out", Alisha suggested while pointing at her temple. Sara didn't even know where to begin to explain how bad a suggestion that was. "Just kidding", Alisha said.

"LaShaunta went away after Brooke was killed", Jan began. "She's already explained that."

"There's more to it", Sara insisted. "She regrets that whole thing, but it's also in the past. Does she seem like the kinda person who would dwell on something that she's put behind her? She wouldn't be back here in school if she hadn't moved on. No, there's something going on right now that she's not talking about."

"I don't know", Jan mused. "I do know who to ask about what's bothering Cassie."

"I'll work on LaShaunta. See if I can get her to open up", Sara said, her mind already coming up with ways to accomplish that feat. She looked deep in thought until her phone rang. The smile on her face told the others who was calling even before she said, "Hey Armen. I missed you after practice."

The next afternoon LaShaunta had no idea why she was standing on a street corner in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, but Sara, who was standing next to her, seemed excited. A few minutes earlier, back in Atlanta, she had asked LaShaunta if she'd been to a couple of different towns before suggesting one that she'd actually been to. LaShaunta had transported them to an alley behind a market that had closed since the last time she'd been there. Sara looked down the street when a gold Durango turned the corner and came towards them. Sara unnecessarily waved her arms. "Hey, LaShaunta this is my brother Charles."

"Nice to meet you", she said and slipped into the passenger seat next to Charles while Sara got into the backseat.

"I've heard a lot about you", Charles said and shook LaShaunta's hand while giving her body a careful once over. "How in the world did you get from Atlanta to Rolling Fork?"

LaShaunta looked over the seat and Sara sat forward. "She's gifted."

"Wow", Charles exclaimed as he got on the main road heading home. "You guys must attract each other."

"Yeah", LaShaunta said with a chuckle. "Like magnets."

Charles didn't bother driving the extra miles to go through the north entrance which would have shown off the front of the house, but it was plenty impressive enough when LaShaunta saw the western side of the Clover Bottom mansion. She couldn't keep the look of awe from her face as the mansion came into view. Charles pulled up to the side door and killed the engine. "Come on in", he bid LaShaunta.

Once again Sara got nervous as she lead LaShaunta up the ornate staircases to the third floor and finally out to the third floor veranda to a spot just outside of her bedroom. The two of them sat in rocking chairs facing the sunset. LaShaunta was rocking easy when Alice, one of the household staff, came from around the corner.

"You ladies want anything?"

"Some lemonade", Sara said immediately.

"A glass of tea would be great", LaShaunta answered.

"Oh and some fried tomatoes."

Alice smiled. "I'll be back in just a few minutes." True to her word, Alice set the platter down on a wicker table a few minutes later. "If you need anything else", she said and turned to go towards the front of the house then back inside.

LaShaunta took a sip of from the tall glass and then another. "Now this is good tea", she said while admiring the vast orange tinged landscape in front of her. "Nice place", she remarked before grabbing a slice of tomato.

"Thanks", Sara said, her nervousness not quite gone. "I brought Alisha and Jan here, and I thought you should come too."

"Well I'm honored", LaShaunta said without looking over.

"I…I was actually not quite sure how you'd take coming here."

"Because it's a plantation house?", LaShaunta asked bluntly. "Sara, I've been to plantation houses before. I am from Georgia. Sherman didn't burn them all to the ground. Although, I've never been to one this huge."

"What I was saying was that… I didn't know how you'd take that one of your friends grew up in a house like this… in a place like this."

This time LaShaunta looked over. "I knew what you were trying to say", she said and took another sip of iced tea. "I'd be lying if I said that the past of this place doesn't bother me some, because it does. It's not even the house itself, or anything like that. This house is beautiful by the way."

"Thanks", Sara said almost out of reflex then LaShaunta continued.

"Anyway, it's the system that created the wealth to build this house that really bothers me, but none of that was your fault. I don't have to agree with any of that to look around and say that this is an amazing place."

Sara looked down at the floor. "I love it here so much, but it's... sometimes it's hard to explain."

"You don't have to explain anything, not to me anyway, and don't ever apologize for being who you are. Your family has this house, what, were you not supposed to live in it just to please someone else's sensibilities? You know, actually being here explains a few things about you."

"Like what?", Sara made herself ask.

"Like why you talk like this", LaShaunta began then cleared her throat. "Martha! Oh Martha, could you please pass the marmalade spread, it's delightful."

Sara laughed. "I don't sound like that!"

"You sound exactly like this", LaShaunta continued mimicking Sara's drawl and lilt to perfection. "The weather has been so dreadfully hot these last several days, and all the people around me have begun to perspire terribly."

Sara laughed into her hands as they covered her bright red face. "Please, I can't take it!" LaShaunta munched on another slice of tomato while Sara gathered herself. "I'm so glad you haven't done that around Jan or Alisha."

"Who says I haven't?", LaShaunta said back in her regular voice.

"Oh if you had, I'd have heard about it. They've tried to do impressions of me before, but they aren't very good at it. I still don't think you sound like me, but like one of my aunts maybe."

LaShaunta grinned. "Of course they can't do the impression right. They're both yankees. I mean Jan's technically not, but you can't get sweet tea like this in Baltimore. So for all intents and purposes she's a yankee too."

Sara smiled and shook her head slowly.

"What?", LaShaunta wanted to know.

"It's so true. Bless their hearts. They are both yankees, but I love 'em anyway."

The roommates both chuckled until LaShaunta stopped and turned towards Sara. "Thanks for inviting me here, really. I know you were nervous, but it's cool."

"You could have made this so awkward."

"You mean more awkward than it already was?", LaShaunta asked before putting her feet up onto the railing next to a column. "Times change, Sara. Here I am, on your veranda, enjoying your hospitality. I bet some of the people on those paintings downstairs would have birthed a cow to know it though."

Sara twisted up her mouth and shook her head. "Probably a few of them", she admitted with a sigh. "But they had their time. This is our time."

LaShaunta smiled broadly and raised her glass across the table. Sara smiled back and toasted. "I'll drink to that. This is our time."

to be continued....

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