Emily Piggot looked up from the report at the tap on her office door.
"Enter!" she called.
The door opened, and Aegis entered; at her gesture, he took a seat.
"You asked to see me, Director?" he asked.
She nodded. "I've just been reading the report of your visit to Winslow. Reading between the lines, it's quite ... interesting."
To his credit, he did not so much as blink. "Interesting, ma'am?"
"Yes," she replied. "Interesting. For instance, where she includes comments from other members of the staff, they are universally approving, save for this one Mr Gladly, who found the Wards in general 'standoffish and unapproachable', and was 'offended' by Vista and the way she 'flaunted her nakedness in front of the student body in a most indecent fashion'."
Aegis cleared his throat. "Uh, yes. She had to dress down, to use her powers to the fullest, during the demonstration." He paused. "What was that name again?"
"A Mr Gladly," Piggot informed him. "It says here that he's a teacher."
Aegis nodded grimly. "Yes, he is. Vista had a talk with me on the way back. He forced his way on to the group escorting her around the school. Said he was along as a chaperone, but all he wanted was to have a crack at her himself."
"Really," she replied flatly.
"Really," he confirmed. "She told me - in strictest confidence, of course - that he matched Cards with her with every expectation of having sex with her, and then tried to argue the point when they came up incompatible. And that another boy didn't even have his Card, and still expected to have sex with her."
_"Did_ they now?" she asked dangerously. "I presume that Vista sent them packing."
"Yes, ma'am," he agreed. "She called them both creeps."
"Not to their faces, I hope," she commented.
"No, ma'am," he confirmed. "Only once she was back in the van."
She nodded. "Good. She's showing good judgement." She eyed Aegis, and pulled a page from the report. "Now, this is the personal report, from Principal Blackwell about her interaction with _you."_ She smiled dryly. "You will be pleased to hear that she speaks about you in the most glowing of terms."
He nodded. "That's … good to hear. I hoped that I'd made a good impression on her."
"Yes. She actually asks when the Wards can make a return visit to Winslow." She cleared her throat. "But it's some of her phrasing that gets my attention."
"Phrasing?" he asked.
Her smile turned just a little sharp-edged. "Why, yes. Let's see now … 'deep and meaningful conversation' … 'the inevitable thrust of the discussion' … 'completely open to further visits' … 'got right to the bottom of the matter' … " She looked up at him. "You had sex with her, didn't you?"
He swallowed slightly. "Uh, yes, ma'am. She more or less cornered me in her office and tore my costume off of me." He paused. "We did match Cards before we actually had sex, of course."
She raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't try to dissuade her?"
He gestured at the page she was holding. "What sort of report do you think you would have in your hand if I had?"
She considered that. "Just out of curiosity, how many times … "
"Did she come? Not sure. I think I lost count. I came once in her mouth, four times in her vagina, and once in her ass."
Piggot raised an eyebrow slightly. "'Right to the bottom … ' I see. So she's into anal?"
"I don't think so. It seemed to be a spur of the moment thing."
"Which she has heartily endorsed," the Director noted. "Well, the visit was apparently a resounding success by all accounts -"
"- except this Gladly creep -" interjected Aegis. "If I'd known he was going to try to force himself on Missy … "
"I'll mention it to Principal Blackwell," she noted. "If he did that with her, he may be playing fast and loose with other girls there." She paused. "Also, I hear from Gallant that we have a new prospect?"
"I … yes," he agreed. "She's fifteen, her name's Taylor Hebert, and she was forced to trigger via sexual torture. Deprivation of climax."
She winced. Torture was torture, no matter how it was applied. "From the tone of his report, he seems rather taken by her."
He nodded. "Yes, but that could be because of her current needy status. As soon as she gets her feet under her, he may back off. Or it could be real attraction between them. She certainly seemed to be seriously interested in him."
Piggot waved that away. "Your relationships are of little importance to me, so long as they do not interfere with your effectiveness in the field, or cause PR nightmares." She paused. "Although … doesn't he have an ongoing relationship with Glory Girl?"
He nodded. "Yes, but she's firming up her relationship with Panacea, so that they might be cooling that one down now."
She shook her head. "So long as it doesn't bounce back on my head. In the meantime, this Hebert girl. Power set, in thirty words or less."
"Vibration control," he responded concisely. "Ranged, area, controllable, variable intensity and utility. Possible offensive and crowd control use. Also, she thinks she can break things with it. Plus, sonar."
Her eyes widened. "I am impressed. Please tell me that she's interested in joining the Wards."
He nodded. "I think so. I hope so. Gallant seems to think she is."
"And he's committed the PRT to prosecuting these two girls who stole her Age Card?"
Aegis took a deep breath. "Yes, ma'am. He told me that their intent was direct and malicious. It was no schoolyard prank, but a direct effort to humiliate and hurt her. He says we need to send a message, and I concur."
Reluctantly, she nodded. "I'll sign off on it, but be aware; this sort of thing normally needs to go through channels. Wards do not set PRT policy."
He breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll let Dean know. Thank you, Director."
She nodded. "Well you've done good work, with the school and with the Hebert girl. Just be aware, I do not officially condone you using your body and your powers to secure a more positive report for the Wards from this Blackwell woman. Whatever you did there is between yourself and your own conscience."
He swallowed. "Yes, Director."
She cracked a very faint smile. "Unofficially – good work. Dismissed."
He stood. "Thank you, Director."
She watched the door close behind him, and thoughtfully mused about exactly how much of an abuse of her power it would be to order him to give her the same treatment that he had given Principal Blackwell.
It was a nice daydream, but that was all it could be. Dismissing it from her mind, she turned to the next item of paperwork. _Just one thing after another._
<><>
The rest of the day passed in a blur; I may have seen Madison in the halls, and she may have made snide comments, but if she did, it didn't register on me. I was uplifted, buoyed, exalted, by the experience I'd had with Gallant. What he had done with me, for me, to me, was so far beyond anything I had done with anyone else to date, I could not believe it.
Perhaps this was love, or something closely akin to it. Or maybe just a teenage infatuation. I didn't care. Gallant had done more for me in one hour than anyone else had done for me in a lifetime. He wanted me to join the Wards, to put my powers to effective use.
On the bus home, I had a slight smile on my face, thinking of Gallant, when a voice disturbed my reverie. "Hi. Are you of Age?"
I looked into the smiling face of the man sitting next to me; he had quite an impressive erection going on already. Automatically, I pulled out my Age Card, and matched his. They showed a compatibility in the high eighties; we could go for it.
But as I put my Card away, I reconsidered. I didn't have to have meaningless sex with this total stranger. I didn't feel the overriding urge to do so. The orgasm would be great, sure, but it wasn't something I _needed_ to do, right then and right there.
"Sorry," I told him. "Maybe another time."
He shrugged, grinned, and turned to the girl sitting on his other side. They matched cards, and she climbed on to his lap. I watched her take his thick penis into her willing vagina, and begin to slide up and down on it. I was aroused; it was a sexy sight. But nor did I feel the burning desire to do something similar with someone else on the bus, or even to join in. Apart from caressing her breasts a little, which was only common politeness. I'm mainly hetero oriented, but a nice girl is still a nice girl, and I don't know anyone who doesn't like touching a girl's breasts.
They were still going for it when I got off the bus; as I squeezed past them, I gave her a kiss, which she returned. And then I was walking home, my feet six inches off the ground for all I knew. I was bursting with the news I had for Dad.
He looked up as I entered the living room. "Hey Dad, guess what?"
"I'm not sure," he replied carefully. "Want to give me a hint?"
Grinning widely, I slipped out of the cargo pants and bounced on to the sofa beside him. He looked at me askance. During my worst times after the vibrator incident, I had been so desperate for sex that I had offered myself to him on several occasions, just to gain some relief from the urgent cravings. I'm not going to say that he resisted _every_ time, but my Dad is a little old-fashioned, and has strong feelings about incest. So he wasn't the most comfortable when I flaunted my body in his general direction.
"Taylor," he began, "I don't think ..."
I grabbed him and kissed him soundly. "I don't need it any more!" I enthused. "Not like I did before!"
He frowned. "You … don't?"
"No, I don't," I affirmed. "Look, you're wearing boxers, and I'm wearing nothing. I can sit beside you like this and not come on to you in any way. Watch me."
He snorted. "Back when I was your age, kiddo, sitting next to someone while wearing nothing was basically _the_ most direct come-on a person could make."
"Okay, fine," I agreed. "I'll put my cargo pants back on." Pulling them up, I flopped back on to the couch. "See? I'm dressed now."
"Your breasts are still in plain view."
I spread my hands. "And …?"
He shook his head gently. "Different times, I guess. I have to admit, though, yes, you seem to be exhibiting more self control than normal."
I coloured slightly. I guessed that I _had_ been teasing him more than a little, from time to time. "But I mean it, Dad. I'll probably still be having sex from time to time – I mean, I can't go _totally_ without – but not anywhere near as frequently as before. Maybe once a week, or so."
He blinked. "I'm impressed. What happened?"
So I told him about the Wards visit, and what happened between me and Gallant. He started showing signs of discomfort during my enthusiastic description of the act, so I eased off on the raw details, just a little.
"Oh, and there's been something I've been meaning to tell you," I informed him brightly. I was feeling so bouncy that I got up on the sofa beside him on my knees. "I've got _powers_ , Dad. Gallant wants me to join the Wards."
"Powers?" he responded, blinking. "When did this happen?"
"Beginning of the year," I told him. "A thing with Emma and the others."
He frowned. "Emma? Isn't she still your friend?"
I shook my head. "No. She's been having sex with Sophia for the last eighteen months. Dropped me totally. They're the ones who've been picking on me at at school."
He put his hands on my shoulders. "Taylor," he told me. "You should _tell_ me these things. I could have a word with Alan -"
"No, Dad," I interrupted. "I don't want to make it worse. Please, just leave it be." I paused. "Besides, they've already been arrested."
He blinked at me, so I backed up and told him what had happened _before_ all the sex with Gallant.
"Wow," he muttered at the end. "Wow. He did that for you?"
I nodded. "He really did." I found it weird that Dad thought it was more important that they had been arrested for the Age Card theft than that I had finally gotten over my fixation on sex, but then, Dad has always had weird priorities.
"Okay," he replied. "Powers. You have powers."
"Yeah." I grinned and jumped off the sofa and stripped out of my cargo pants.
"Taylor … " he protested.
"No, no, this is so I can show you what I can do," I told him. "I can control vibrations."
"Oh?" he asked. "Like how?"
I began to hum, deep in my throat. _"Like this,"_ I told him, but my voice was right next to his left ear. His head whipped around, then he stared at me. _"Or like this,"_ I added, putting my voice next to his right ear.
"Damn," he commented. "That's impressive. But throwing your voice -"
"- is the least of what I can do," I informed him with a grin. Picking up my cargo pants, I emptied the pockets and then held them up. Deep in my throat, I began to hum again. A fine fog of dust appeared around them, drifting to the floor. I shook them out, folded them, and put them on the sofa. "Cleaned," I told him. "I shook the dirt particles clean out of them."
"Yeah," he told me. "But that still -"
"Come over here. Pretend to hit me," I suggested, taking a few steps back.
Shrugging, he got up and moved toward me. He paused, frowning.
"What the hell is that?" he asked, shaking his head. "I really don't want to come any closer."
I stopped humming. "Certain subsonic frequencies can induce feelings of intense dread and revulsion. We did it last semester in science."
Unexpectedly, he grinned. "So, a go-away field."
I nodded. "Oh _hell_ yes."
"So can you do other things?" he asked, sitting on the sofa again.
I nodded. "All sorts of things. I just have to figure them out." I decided not to tell him about how I made my ass vibrate for Gallant. It just might short-circuit his brain.
"So what happens now?" he asked.
I sat on the sofa next to him. "Now, I ask you if I can pretty-please join the Wards."
He frowned. "I don't know. It's not exactly safe … "
I rolled my eyes. "It's not exactly safe at _Winslow._ And with the Wards, I'll have people around me who will be there to help."
"And with whom you will be having mindblowing sex." His voice was dry.
I grinned unselfconsciously. "Sounds like a good reason to me."
He rolled his eyes. "Well, far be it from me to get in the way of my daughter's sex life."
I straddled his lap, still naked, and rubbed my breasts against his chest. "You could still be part of it, you know," I purred. "I'm infertile, you're infertile, we both know we're compatible … "
He shook his head. "No, Taylor. Sorry, but your old Dad is still a little old-fashioned in his ways, and having sex with you still feels really, really wrong. Besides, it's still illegal."
I rolled my eyes. "Only _technically._ So long as you make sure you're compatible first, and don't do it right in front of a cop, no-one's gonna bust you for it. Half the girls I know at school are fucking their dads." I wriggled my bare butt against his boxers. "And besides … "
He sighed. "Yeah, I know. You caught me at a weak moment."
I wriggled my butt again, grinning mischievously. "Wanna try for another one?"
He gently lifted me off of his lap and placed me on the sofa beside him. As if in apology, he kissed me, and if the kiss was a little deeper and a little more drawn-out than his actions indicated, neither of us commented on it.
"I'm not going to have sex with you," he announced. "But I can drive you in to the PRT building right now, if you really want me to."
I bounced up from the sofa. "Ooh, could you? Please?"
He grinned and got up from where he was sitting. "Sure. Just let me put some clothes on. You too, young lady."
I paused, blinking. " … clothes?"
He nodded firmly. "Clothes."
<><>
I fidgeted in my seat, pulling at the sweater I was wearing. "Is this really necessary? Nobody wears clothes any more."
"You'll see," he told me. He was wearing, I had been surprised to see, an actual shirt and jacket, as well as jeans and shoes. It was more clothes than I had seen on him in my entire life. He looked _weird._ "When we get there, Director Piggot will also be covered up. She'll have a top and a skirt on. It's about respect."
"I _hate_ covering my breasts," I complained. "It's bad enough that you made me wear the sweater, but did I have to put on a t-shirt and underwear as well? Where did you get all this stuff from, anyway?"
He shrugged. "I never threw them away. They belonged to your mother."
"Oh." I shut up. The Mom card trumped everything. "Uh, okay. Sorry."
He reached across and ruffled my hair. "That's okay, kiddo. I miss her too."
I leaned against him for the rest of the drive.
<><>
Dad had called it; Director Piggot was dressed in navy-blue skirt and top. She rose when we entered the room. "Mr Hebert, Ms Hebert, I presume?"
Dad nodded, and held out his hand to be shaken. "Call me Danny, Director. Thank you for seeing us on such short notice."
She smiled; it was a brief smile, and I gathered she didn't do it much. "If you had not contacted us, we would have gotten in touch with you." She switched her gaze to me. "Taylor, I have heard good things about you from Gallant. Enough to know that we want you in the Wards. Now, can you give me a more complete run-down on your powers?"
I took a deep breath. "Well, to start with ..."
13. Afterglow, Part 2
I was in the girls' bathrooms on the third floor, just in the process of washing my hands, when the door opened and Emma entered, followed closely by Sophia.
"So _this_ is where you've been hiding," hissed Emma. "I should've known."
"Uh, no," I corrected her. "I've just had a free period. I've been in home room." Looking up stuff online, but Emma didn't need to know that. Or exactly what I was looking up, or why I was looking it up.
"Fuck your free period," growled Sophia. "You ratted us out. We spent fucking _hours_ in the lockup. Emma had to blow someone to get a blanket for us to sit on -"
"- only because _you_ refused to do it," snapped Emma. This was obviously not the first time they'd had this argument.
"Never mind the fucking whys and wherefores," Sophia interjected. She glared at me. "You put us there. You ratted us out. I warned you what'd happen if you told them."
I shook my head. "You're not gonna touch me. Principal Blackwell knows all about the bullying. I get beat up, who are they gonna be looking at?"
Emma sneered. "Madison will give us an alibi. No matter what you say, she'll say it's a lie."
I grinned slightly. "I don't think so."
Emma frowned. "You don't know shit."
My grin widened. "Where's Madison right now? I bet she's not answering her phone."
Sophia glared at me while Emma pulled her phone out. After two minutes of ringing, Emma gave up. "Okay, what did you do to her?"
I showed my teeth; it might have been a grin. "Me? I did nothing."
<><>
**Earlier**
He had been fuming as he reached school that morning. He was a _teacher,_ a person of importance at Winslow, and that little _bitch_ , that jumped-up _child,_ had turned _him_ down. Worse, she had chided him, had sent him away, as if _he_ were the child, and not her.
Ever since he had learned of the visit, he had determined that he would have Vista, would feel her tight little thirteen year old pussy hot and slippery around his cock. And in his private fantasy, he would screw her so well that she would beg him to take her in the ass, to drive his manhood to the hilt between her tight, rounded buttocks. He had imagined every stroke, every thrust, every moan of gratified pleasure from the pubescent Ward. It had become so real to him that he could not imagine it _not_ happening.
And yet, it had not happened. He had not achieved compatibility with her, and she had rejected him solely on that account, as if _his_ wants, _his_ needs, meant nothing at all.
So what if he liked teenage girls? He had only been a teenager himself just a few years ago. They were almost in his age group, and if he found bodies developing in the first flush of puberty to be sexier than those who had already grown in their adult bodies, that was his business and his business alone.
He wasn't really aware of it, but he found mature women to be a little intimidating. His attempts to date in the adult scene, once he left school, had fallen flat; the popularity of his school days had not followed him, and he was at a loss as to explain why. Those women he had set his sights on had turned him down, often somewhat abruptly; it was no real surprise that he had returned to the age group with which he had met the most success. The fact that he no longer _belonged_ to this age group was not a factor for him.
When the students started arriving for his morning World Affairs class, presenting their smooth young bodies and their swelling breasts, he could not take it any longer. "Madison Clements!" he snapped.
"Yes, Mr Gladly?" she asked, turning from her desk. She was petite, almost as petite as Vista herself. Brunette, not blonde, but that couldn't be helped. Her breasts, as attractive as they were, were larger than the Ward's. But he could imagine anyway.
"I need to speak to you, privately, in the stock room."
Obediently she went to the stock room door; today, she wore Hello Kitty panties, with cat ears attached to her hairband. He followed her in, and closed the door behind them.
Immediately, she was in his arms. "Oh, Mr Gladly," she murmured. Her body pressed against his, her lips hot and demanding.
He pulled her hairband off, pulling a few hairs with it. She cried out at the unexpected pain. "Mr Gladly?"
He held her shoulders tightly, his fingers digging into her flesh. In the half-light, he could almost imagine that the little bitch herself wax in front of him. "Shut up, Vista," he growled, "and suck my cock."
"Vista?" she repeated, then light dawned. "Oh, you want me to pretend to be her."
He slapped her; her head jerked to one side. "I told you to suck my cock."
Obediently, a little frightened, but more than a little turned on, she went to her knees and began to suck on him. He was more erect than she'd ever seen him before; she had trouble fitting her mouth around his erection.
Gladly groaned and leaned back against the wall; Vista certainly knew how to suck a cock, once he showed her who was boss. But he couldn't cum quite yet; he had a class to teach, so he had to move things along.
"On your feet," he grunted; before she had the time to do more than stop sucking his cock, he wrapped his hand in her hair and yanked her to her feet. He kept his eyes mostly closed, ignoring the yelp of pain from the rough treatment; his other hand traced down her slim body, until he found the panties. Vista did nor wear panties; he hooked two fingers through them and tore them from her hips.
"Bend over," he snapped, forcing her head down with the hand still tangled in her hair. Whimpering, she obeyed; his other hand pulled her hard back against him. She felt him line his erection up with her vagina; despite the rough treatment - or in fact, in some small part, because of it - she was slick wet and ready for him. All the same, when he thrust hard into her, she could not help crying out at his violence.
Gladly knew, on some level, that the slim body he was grasping by the hair and ramming his cock into was in fact Madison Clements; however, on another level altogether, he was fully engaged in fucking the little Wards bitch just as hard as she needed to be fucked. Every time he twisted his fist in her long hair, she cried out and clenched her oh-so-tight pussy around him, and he drove into her all the harder.
He would cum before long, he knew. But he didn't want to cum in her pussy. He wanted to conquer her, possess her ass, before he came. He wanted her to feel his sperm in her tightest hole.
She gasped as he pulled out of her, and even let go of her hair so that he could hold her hips properly. And then she realised what he intended, and tried to gasp an objection.
"Mr Gladly! No! There's no lube -"
She cried out, then, as he ruthlessly thrust his hard cock at her tight little rosebud anus. Again and again he thrust at her, prising her ass cheeks open with his thumbs. She'd had him in her ass before, quite a few times; she knew how to relax her sphincter. It was, after all, the only way she could really achieve a satisfying orgasm. But the way he was trying to force himself into her, it was hard for her to relax and let it happen. The battering-ram of his cock was bludgeoning its way past her defences, not allowing her the time to open the gates and let him through.
His cock was halfway up inside her, and he was driving farther in with every stroke, when her legs gave way, and she fell to her knees. He went down with her; she ended up with her head on the stock-room floor, face turned to one side, sobbing with the pain of Mr Gladly's relentless assault.
_I thought he liked me, that he thought I was special._
And then the door opened.
<><>
Principal Blackwell strode down the corridor toward Mr Gladly's classroom, lips pursed in a thin line. She had received the reply from Director Piggot, thanking her for Winslow's hospitality. The content of the message had caused her to sit up straight and re-read it carefully. _If Gladly is breaking the school rules so blatantly …_
Even before she got the message, she had been reading through the list of offences committed by Emma Barnes, Sophia Hess and Madison Clements upon Taylor Hebert. The first two were facing criminal charges already, but Madison had not yet been made to face up to her crimes.
_Gladly is having sex with several of the popular girls, including Madison Clements, and then showing them favouritism. I know that Winslow has sunk low, but this is lower than I am willing to countenance._
And so she strode along the corridor, metaphorical smoke drifting from her nostrils. Both Mr Gladly and Madison Clements were to be found in one location; Gladly's World Affairs class.
_I will not let this go on for one moment longer._
<><>
The entire class, including myself, had been fascinated by the sounds emanating through the stock-room door.
"Wow," commented Julia. "Sounds like he's being really rough with her."
The boy beside her shook his head. "Nah, she's got to be playing a part. No adult would be stupid enough to be that rough with a kid. It'd be asking to have your Age Card sex permissions limited."
That was true enough. No-one would want to have sex with someone whose Age Card had "Sexually Violent" as a mandatory warning attached to it.
The door to the corridor burst open, and Principal Blackwell stormed in. She scanned the room, and looked frustrated. "I'm looking for Mr Gladly, and Madison Clements," she announced.
We all pointed at once, at the stock-room door. She looked that way, and just then Madison cried out again; she hurried to the door, and flung it wide open.
Treating everyone with a good line of sight to the picture of Madison, deprived of all but her shoes, kneeling on the floor of the stock-room with her face on the ground, sobbing loudly; and kneeling behind her, Mr Gladly, equally naked, with his erect penis buried balls-deep between her tightly-stretched buttocks.
The question that had to be asked was rhetorical in the extreme; everyone there could see the answer, even Blackwell herself. But she asked it anyway.
"Mr Gladly," she shouted, "what in heaven's name do you think you're doing?"
<><>
After Gladly was separated from Madison, Blackwell gave rapid-fire orders.
"Gladly, come along to my office; we need to have a long discussion about what is, and is not, appropriate behaviour for a teacher in any school, anywhere. Dryden, Roberts, make sure that Miss Clements gets to the school nurse so that she can be examined for damage. If she's fine, then she must go to my office and stay there until I can get to her. Everyone else, this World Affairs class is cancelled. You have a free period until lunch. Dismissed."
<><>
**Now**
I leaned against the wall, careful to keep an eye on both Emma and Sophia. "Last I heard, Madison was under sedation in the infirmary. Once she gets better, then she's gonna be facing other problems. But the one thing she isn't gonna be doing is backing up any lie you'll be telling Principal Blackwell."
Sophia clenched her fists. "I beat you up good enough, you won't be able to tell anyone shit," she threatened. "Not that anyone would care."
I shook my head slightly. "I wouldn't. I've got Gallant's number on speed dial. We're sort of going out. So if you lay one hand on me, it'll be like you beat up on a Ward. Do you really want that sort of shit coming down on your head? You're already up on those other charges. Beating up on the plaintiff? They'll throw the fucking book at you."
I had a humming going on at the back of my throat; my cargo pants were blunting my power somewhat, but the tiled walls and floor were adding a little resonance, giving back some of what I was losing.
_... certain low level frequencies have been known to reduce the critical faculties in listeners, making them less able to judge the truth of what they are hearing ..._
Emma shook her head. "It'll never make it to court. Dad'll have it squashed first."
I hooked my thumbs in my waistband, ready to drop my pants at the first sign of trouble. "The PRT's taking this one up, Emma. They've got lawyers that will chew your dad up and spit him out. How about you try playing a different tune? That one's out of date."
They hesitated, irresolute; I decided to change tacks. "Anyway, Sophia, I don't know why we're fighting. You can have Emma; I don't want her."
Sophia's head jerked and she stared at me. "The fuck are you talking about?"
I spread my fingers without moving my thumbs from my waistband; I edged the pants down an inch. I felt my power pick up a few percentage points. "You're doing all this to keep Emma, to stop her from going back to me, right? Well, sure, you can have her. I got no claim. I don't _want_ her, seeing as she stabbed me in the back as soon as she met someone cuter."
Sophia glanced from me to Emma, then back again. "No," she muttered. "That's not right."
I nodded earnestly. "Sure it is. I was away; she met you, you were hot and sexy and willing to jump into bed. But now she's probably getting tired of you. Looking for someone else. When Madison gets better … she's pretty cute, isn't she? Ever wonder why Emma let her tag around with you?"
This time, the look that Sophia gave Emma was longer, and full of dawning suspicion. Emma stared at her, and then at me.
"No," she blurted. "That's not true. I left you because you were _boring._ Wanted to wait till you were fifteen. Like it was a special date. Sophia did things with me that you never even considered."
I smiled. "Just keep telling yourself that, Emma." I glanced at Sophia. "So, when's she gonna decide that you're too boring for her too?"
I strolled past them then, toward the door.
"She's full of shit," Emma protested. "She's lying!"
"Well, _I_ don't want you back," I interjected from the door. "So why would I be lying about anything?"
I pushed the door open and left; just as it began to swing closed, I heard a meaty _smack,_ as of fist hitting flesh. I didn't look around.
_That felt **good.**_