Sunday, August Second, 2020.

The suitcase waited on the bed. Felicity stood in the mirror. She wore the school uniform, a black pleated skirt with a beige blouse and a yellow blazer jacket. They even sent a pair of black knee socks and a long black floppy bow tie. All this included a straw boaters hat with a yellow and black ribbon. Felicity had spent an hour at a police and fire uniform shop for measurements. The shop had shipped four other sets, including summer and winter gym uniforms, to the school.

The tags on the uniforms came with a warning label. The fabric distorted digital photography and video. Felicity snapped a selfie in the mirror; her entire body blurred to a yellow and black haze.

That explains the blurry pictures, Felicity thought.

Other tags marked the skirt and jacket as Level 1 body armor. A quick search on her phone found out the uniform was bulletproof-ish.

Why do we need body armor? Felicity thought.

She spun around. The skirt didn't raise much. The fabric had a thick feel. Felicity couldn't remember the last time she wore a dress. The cut-resistant blouse and socks had an odd texture and nit pattern. The school shoes were black steel-toe penny loafers with a hiking tread.

Who makes these? Felicity thought, slipping on the shoes. Everything fit well.

Karol stopped by the door. Felicity turned and shrugged her shoulders.

"This is the stylish drip of a new Hero. Feels like I'm cosplaying," Felicity said.

"Do you have everything?" Karol said.

"I'm ready to go," Felicity said.

The girls' campus was forty minutes from the Fisher's home, two minutes over the border into South Carolina. The campus was unmarked on the mapping apps. And the directions Rudy had given them led to a long side road between stands of southern live oak. Branches bent and twisted to block out the sun.

"This is a serial killer stretch of road," Felicity said.

"No street lights, it'll be dark at night," Karol said.

The Fishers entered the campus at the unmarked red brick arch where evergreens lined the road. It was as if, they had turned into a green tunnel. The evergreens gave way to an open field. In the center, the school had two brick buildings six stories high, with a central glass atrium. The parking lot looked small. They parked in a visitor space and followed the signs to the school office.

"It's not a run-down dump," Felicity said. The doors had a heavy, thick feel yet balanced on hinge pins. Inside, marble floors gleamed with new wax.

"Heroes are well funded by the government," Karol said.

A girl named Florida ran through the empty school hallway. The synapses in her brain drove her to find an adult to tell of the vision in her head. Florida appeared as an average girl. She had blond hair down to her shoulders and a pair of glasses. Lean muscles from years of kickboxing lay hidden under the school uniform.

Crested ran behind Florida to help her friend. Also, Florida ran, so Crested chased with her tongue out of her mouth. Crested would stand a head shorter than Florida, at four foot nine inches. Her bright white hair parted in the center and arched over her eyes. And a pair of pointed, hairless ears stood too high on her head for a human. White hair covered her forearms and shins. She wore the school gym uniform. A yellow tee shirt and black shorts. Open in the back to accommodate her tail, also hairless except for the tip. Crested is one of the beast folk, an advanced human-canine, or a dog girl.

When the visions came, and Florida ran, it was better to jog along behind and keep the girl from hurting herself. Crested would stay with Florida until she got back to her senses. The dog girl kept pace and liked to chase people.

Principle Mark Coy smiled as the Fishers entered his office. He had been a handsome man once but was prone to weight gain from the time at his desk. The mother had a businesslike neutral expression to cover her nervousness. He saw it every year. His new student looked less than thrilled. They were new to the Hero system.

"Welcome to South. I'm Principle Coy. Please have a seat. So your Felicity?" Coy said.

"Yes," Felicity said.

"Are you excited to start a new school?" Coy said.

"No, not anymore. This whole Baseline thing sucks," Felicity said.

Karol sighed, her head dropped. Coy nodded.

"Not everyone has positive experiences with advanced humanism. But if we leave you in the public schools, it will become negative." Coy said.

"This School also starts a month early," Felicity said.

"Classes for all students begin September first. The advanced students start August third with F.E.M.A., C.E.R.T…" Coy said.

The office door banged open as Florida ran to Coy's desk.

"The new student is here!" Florida said.

Crested came in behind Florida as she swooned to help the girl stay on her feet. Coy's face never changed.

"Thank you, Flora. Poppy, please take Flora back to her room," Coy said.

"Bark," Crested said. Florida looked around, confused, as Crested walked her out of the office.

The Fishers sat still. After the two girls left, Felicity looked back to Coy.

"Who?" Felicity said. She pointed at the door.

"Flora. She has visions and has to tell someone. It's not under control yet," Coy said.

"No, the one with the tail," Karol said.

"Poppy? She's a good girl. She's also called Crested," Coy said.

"This is not what I expected," Karol said.

"Mom, it's a girl with a tail and dog ears. Not even a lot of fur," Felicity said.

"Are there others who are not in control? How can I know my daughter will be safe?" Karol said. She waved at the door.

"Mrs. Fisher. The Piedmont Atlantic Hero Association has made arrangements for children with advanced abilities. Their children attend this school," Coy said.

"I know we have limited choices," Karol said.

"I could give you all kinds of assurances about our school. Felicity's abilities will be the best protection. Baselines are very resilient." Coy said.

"How can that make me feel better?" Karol said.

"Nothing will, only time. Let's get Felicity to the dorms to meet the other girls," Coy said.

"Are you the principal? Felicity said.

"Yes. Felicity, this is a weird place. All the students here are special needs. One of those needs is to face the world quickly," Coy said.

"Do I have roommates?" Felicity said.

"Yes. Poppy O'Neil is one. A speedster named Jenny Cooper. And Barbra Yamamoto…a werewolf," Coy said.

"Were-What?" Karol said.

Last Night, August 1st, at 00:00 hours.

An unmarked van crossed the back country roads of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Three professional Heroes and a student bounced along inside. The largest of the pros turned on an overhead light. The pros were each over six feet, heavy with muscle, and in tactical gear meant for Baseline humans. The student wore an oversized midnight blue cloak. Body armor would slow her. A ponytail of dark blond hair topped the pile of canvas. A leggy, muscled girl, the three men towered over her.

"No time to rehearse. Advanced Children Services has information that six kids are in this farmhouse. We are to assist the Marshals Service with the no-knock. We go in first to tank the gunfire.

"Chainsaw takes the back door. Block is with me in the front. Block will be on the first floor. I'll run to the second floor. Gyaru, if there's a basement or root cellar, it's yours. Otherwise, chase any runners in the back. Any Questions?" Rudy said.

Gyaru, the blond girl, pointed at Block. "Block?" she said.

"All the cool names are taken. I'm a Baseline," Block said.

"Fair enough," Gyaru said. Chainsaw smiled at her.

"Did you have your nails done before we left? Rudy, what can this little girl do?" Chainsaw said.

"Werewolf stuff. Gyaru spent this summer at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. The Marshals asked for her," Rudy said. Gyaru pulled her Deputy Marshal's badge from under the cloak to dangle by the lanyard.

"OK, OK. Cool. We’re filling in this week from Raleigh," Chainsaw said. Gyaru flipped him off with a wink.

"Save the team building for after we get these kids safe," Rudy said.

The van stopped out of sight and sound of the farmhouse. The four Heroes got out to meet with their marshal teams. Gyaru dropped out of the vehicle. Her toes dug into the gravel road, and she stretched her arms. With the moon out, she let the change happen. Block stepped back as her body sprouted thick blond fur. Hands and limbs warped into bent joints and clawed hands. Her face popped as the bones moved, her jaw lengthened, and her teeth grew to fill the gaps. Block stood face to face with a seven foot two werewolf with the same ponytail. Gyaru sniffed the air enjoying the smells of the Blue Ridge.

The boys each took an entry shield. All three were bulletproof against small arms, but no one liked getting shot. Gyaru lifted an entry ram from the back of the van.

Gyaru walked with the basement team. They hid along the tree line of the house. When the signal came, the basement team ran for the building. Gyaru guided the Marshals with her night vision. They found a door, and it looked like an old root cellar. She pulled open the stairwell covers to jump to the basement door. With a swing, Gyaru rammed the door open in one blow. For an entry, the ram would step to the side. But Gyaru ducked under the door frame to push inside. The chance of silver bullets was low.

The werewolf stepped into the darkness and bent over to walk under the low rafters. The cellar had no windows, only spider webs and old wood. Flashlight beams lit the room. It smelled of dust; it had been a while since anyone had been here. Gyaru started to relax, and she knew they wouldn't find any children.

"U.S. Marshals Service!" The Marshals swept the room as Gyaru postured to attract gunfire.

"Clear."

The overhead floor creaked with the heavy footsteps of the other teams. More calls of 'clear' came from above.

The basement had a second room. Gyaru slammed the door off its hinges. She stepped into a plastic sheet. Two marshals followed her. A wire on the floor snapped as the two marshals passed her on both sides. Gyaru froze in place, waiting. The marshals realized she had stopped and moved over to her.

"Maybe nothing," Gyaru said, but with a pop, fine dust burst from the rafters. With coughs, Gyaru, and the two marshals tumbled out of the room. The dust covered their heads and shoulders. A cloud of fine powder rolled out behind them.

Gyaru heard the radio calls of "Gas Gas Gas Basement." She grabbed the two down marshals by the drag straps and ran for the door.

Rudy made it to the back door. Gyaru straddled Chainsaw. Two marshals rolled on the ground, coughing. Chainsaw held her wrists to keep her claws away but struggled to keep his face from the jaws. The werewolf's eyes were wide open, and rolled wild in her head. The other Marshals pulled their own away and let the Heroes settle the werewolf problem.

Rudy keyed his radio. "Three down, gas exposure. Two marshals and a werewolf. Need a Baseline med cart and heavy irons for the werewolf," Rudy said.

"Get her off!" Chainsaw said.

Rudy grabbed Gyaru by the scruff. He pulled her off of Chainsaw. Gyaru clawed and twisted to get away from the large man.

"Barbra Stop!" Rudy said with a shake. Chainsaw hurried away from the werewolf.

She turned back to her human form and slipped from Rudy's hand. He grabbed the ponytail and slammed her face into the ground. She stopped moving.

By early morning Rudy watched Gyaru through the window of the seclusion room. They were in the Mecklenburg Girls Academy Infirmary. Gyaru howled and clawed at the straps. The cart rocked as Coy waited nearby. The school nurse practitioner watched the girl on a monitor. The cart shuttered violently as she changed back and forth from human to werewolf. She was covered in sweat.

"Did you find any children?" Coy said.

"No," Rudy said. His eyes never moved from the window.

"How's Chainsaw?" Coy said.

"Flown out to Bethesda for stitches. He's afraid he'll turn into a werewolf," Rudy said.

"Any idea what she breathed in?" Coy said.

"Still waiting for tests," Rudy said.

"I'll get the girls' gas masks," Coy said. Rudy turned to Coy.

"The tip came from Gorgon. They set this trap up for her, not us," Rudy said.

"I'll tell Poppy to warn her friend," Coy said.

Rudy watched the window.

"Mark. If it had been me in the root cellar?" Rudy said.

"Barbra would have done what's needed," Coy said.