Juniper sat out inside the sterile room that was Evelyn’s office, The air was oxygenated, heavy, the smell of strange botanic plants that happened cluttered all over her room. It smelled like a forest– she thought, not that she’d know, she’d never set foot in one. Another thing to be ashamed of, a pity you need to live like a king to freely leave the country. See could she herself, traveling Southern American shoreline, Continental Europe and even across the Asian continent.

  But politics were god, and they were living in a sanctioned state.

  She peered in front of the vivarium next to her, a floor lower, it’s leaves cast dim but flickering shadows in the shape of tree leaves into the room. It felt eerily matching to the strange anxiety she was feeling at the moment. Sometimes there, sometimes gone.

  Juniper’s leg was kicking and bouncing restlessly; she’d been waiting an hour for the medical examiner’s to show up, and none had shown themselves. Every tick on Evelyn’s analog further drove her insane, she craved that manic NEET 3AM energy. It would be comforting.

  Her eyes went all over, she glanced at a framed photo, on Evelyn’s the desk–it looked like a much younger Evelyn, though she wasn’t any less or more pretty. An older man with an eye patch was next to her, in military fatigues. His hands were around her shoulder and she was genuinely smiling.

  Who was he a mentor? A lover? Perhaps simply a friend?

  Juniper caught herself glancing too long, and then she gazed into the abyss again. The office mirror glinted, and reflected sunlight into the corner’s of her eyes. She felt the weight of what he was witnessing. Her face had changed—sharper cheekbones, less exhaustion in her eyes. She was different. Better? Worse? She wasn’t sure. She was changing without a pause.

  She took a quick note to think about Quixis’s advice on mastering her ability, one at a time, only nab powers unless she absolutely needed to. This week was a crucial step in that direction, it was time to establish absolute control over herself.

  Older memories flashed in her head, her session with emery, the flying, and even the brief touching. The two times, she had fought Annemarie, and two times she had fought with her alongside. Right, she needed to ask Annemarie to do driving to get a hang of this distortion thing. And as well to thank her, personally in private, she put her life at risk for juniper. She hoped she would accept any gift of gratitude.

  Her mind wandered again, it was elsewhere, the issue at hand. Needless, she vaguely didn’t forget what emery had jested about when she left the diner, she did not want to get stabbed or pinched, by creepy examiner’s.

  The door creaked open. Juniper didn't need to look up—she knew who it was by the slow, deliberate footsteps. Evelyn leaned against the desk, cigarette smoke curling in lazy loops above her head before she finally spoke. Scrutinizing the young cape.

  Evelyn raised a brow at Juniper. “Didn’t I tell you to wait elsewhere? Only a week under my grasp and already as stubborn as Anne.”

  “I’m sorry, Bigsis, I- They– they won’t appear until an hour has passed right, and I wanted to be somewhere comfortable.” Juniper bowed her head, in mild shame…

  The woman clicked her tongue.

  “You know, there’s a room reserved for you, maybe check it out, speak to one of my assistants, let them decorate it for you, and if you're feeling unwell, why not try socializing with your peers, get to know them better, I know you and Annemarie, have a ‘thing’ going on.”

  Juniper nearly jumped out of her seat, but remained postured and stoic.

  “We…don't have a thing–” Juniper nearly snapped. “She…just…her antics, it fucked me up a bit… I….don’t know how to deal with it.”

  Arkangeal waved her off.

  “At ease, I’m just teasing you.” Evelyn said. “Francesca seems to like you a lot, why not let her mentor you on what’s going around here. No need to sit like Debby downer. Alone. In my office..”

  “She's nice but I hate socializing, I’d rather not deal with excessive relationship juggling. ” she murmurred.

  Evelyn leaned in close to her, her voice seeming low and very serious. Her red hair flowing freely, and her blue eyes staring into her soul, “You’re going to need to get used to it. “

  Juniper twirled her fingers. “I– don’t want to, everyone is a hassle, unreliable actors, always wanting something, pushing something.”

  “Remember this, the cape world is harsh, very harsh, and it’s going to tear you limb by limb eventually.” she says, “Out there, no one gives a damn about your heart. They only care about what you can do.”

  “It’s a scary place, big sis, I don’t think I’m cut out for it.” juniper moped.

  “I know it is, I learned that the hard way,” Evelyn cradled the photo, with the one-eyed man on it. Whispering something. “I can’t blame you for the way you feel, as a leader, no one cares about my feelings. But everyone expects me to act a certain way.

  Juniper felt a tinge of regret, was this the right way to approach this conversation, she was no conversation starter, for better or for worse. Evelyn was clearly sentimental, by the way she caressed the frame.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Speaking off, it’s inappropriate to heckle the boss, while she’s taking a smoke break.” Evelyn grabbed juniper’s arm and shook it. “I’m only holding your arm for the first few weeks, then I don’t want to see your face until briefing meetings.”

  “You know, I never asked for arm holding.”

  “It’s expected of me. You're like a little duckling, Juniper, and I want you to be the prettiest swan.”

  It certainly was the first time she was explicitly referred to as a bird. Juniper wanted to continue an argument, but had to restrain herself from doing so.

  "Wait a minute, ducks and swans are diffrent right-"

  Evelyn tapped on the desk, slender fingers, impatient. Juniper knew what that meant but… “So, why did you come in here, I let no one inside… unless I want them here. ”

  She braced herself.

  It was the unknown that ate at her, after the assessment, they would assign her rank. Make her costumed freak, have her parade around like an animal… She didn’t what to hurt anyone or anything. She'd be content with doing rescue work, helping people and their silly pets.

  Juniper looked away. “I came here because I wanted to ask you something, something personal.

  Evelyn leaned against her wall of the door, her head peering out of the window, smoke leaving her cigarette, like a specter of whatever the conversation would become. She tapped the cigarette against a tray, the ash falling on it.

  “Well, ask away? Little Juniper.”

  “Big sis, I have two problems, one minor, one physically impossible.” she started, she wanted it off her chest.

  Evelyn’s demeanor, softened slightly, and she closed the door behind them, and mounted her chair, waiting as juniper made herself more vulnerable. “What do you need?” she asks, genuinely curious.

  “Um… Three buses disappeared from my sister’s school, stolen I believe in the middle of the night.” She said as straightforward as possible.

  Evelyn raised a brow, confused but undisturbed. “I recall something of the sort, And no one made a peep?”

  “Nothing, I have considered tracking them down myself, but I wouldn’t want to interfere in a SCRA intervention.”

  Evelyn, nodded, “You want me to order someone to track down the buses? Maybe terminal, get them back by tomorrow. ”

  “Yes, No, I’m not really asking for additional involvement, I need a solution?”

  Evelyn. Bobbed her head, holding the cigarette in her hands. I'm listening.

  “My sister," Juniper started pleading. "I have to take her to school every morning, as of yesterday, you can see how it can a become a problem for me.”

  “You feel you can’t keep up or is time the issue.”

  “Both, I was hoping you might a solution for me? I can’t reliably trust anyone in the city, but I know from a morale aspect, my well-being is in your best belongings.” she bowed her head.

  “You do have a little cunning in you, but true, I want you in your best shape, primp, pristine, perfect condition.” she clicked her fingers. “I was going to assign you a handler for a week, a manager so to speak, keep you healthy, on your toes, but…perhaps I’ll have to do it early.”

  “A h-handler?” Juniper asked, confused, excited and yet half disappointed, another person she’d have to deal with. “I don’t want someone, to look over my shoulder.”

  “Every cape here has one, we’d make it easy, choose someone compatible for you, and you alone. They'd be able to take your sister to school and back, run errands for you your own personal assistant.”

  Juniper scratched her head, it would take a lot of stress away but the prospect of having to suffer other folks.

  “This is starting to sound more like a job?”

  “Well it is, you just have to deal with a little death here and there.” Evelyn giggled, but held her hand over her mouth. Death, was and remains a touchy subject. “We can discuss details of transport tomorrow”

  Juniper let herself breathe a sigh of relief, it would be one less thing to worry about.

  “Now, tell me about the big thing? It’s not more missing buses, is it.”

  “No,” Juniper bit her cheeks. “If it really bothers me, I’ll really start looking for them.”

  Junipers heart raced, she only had one proper shot at this, and she didn’t want to turn into a villain. She didn’t know what scared her more—Evelyn’s approval or rejection. “My brother, he has PNNS.” she said, whispering.

  Evelyn looked partially surprised, but said nothing, Juniper wondered how much of that was fake or practiced.

  “As you know it’s particularly hard to cure, and victims symptoms often comeback after a period of a few years, post surgery. I was hoping you could help me….”

  Evelyn didn’t like her hesitation, “Well, out with it.”

  “I need a healer, a cape healer whose powers I could copy at the very least, I’m hoping it could cure him. Of his illness.”

  Evelyn’s face warped, turning very serious, she retracted her arms from her desk, staring Juniper down. “No cape has ever cured, nor has anyone dealt with Psionic and neural nerve syndrome with any powers Juniper, It’s the harsh truth, even if I get you what you wanted, it would be impossible, scientifically.”

  Juniper started shaking. “I don’t get it all diseases, can be cured right?”

  “No, because it’s really not a disease, it’s…something else.”

  “But… It briefly disappeared in the past, I can recall it, we were whole back then, my family, when the purple pulse thing hit the city.”

  At the mention of this, Evelyn perked upwards. “You were there, it would explain why your body has been presented with your powers are fundamentally different’t.

  No, it didn’t explain anything.

  “You saw what it did to people, didn’t you? The ones who turned?

  Juniper nodded, not a pleasant memory to think about, thank god their father’s was there to get them. “Yeah, I owe my life to my father.”

  There was a slight awkward pause, like Evelyn wanted to change the subject at all costs.

  “I-I’m sorry, juniper,” she said. “Even if it was something I could help with, there are laws in place to prevent people like power mimickers, touching healers, and you are especially a special case as you seem to hold it permanently.”

  Juniper nodded. Disappointed but not defeated, she expected this outcome.

  “On that day, a hero tried healing my brother, lady saint I believe, do you know what happened to her.”

  Her face yielded interest, at the mention of the name.

  “ Now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time,” Evelyn hands disappeared under her chin. “Can't say, she went off grid, sources believe she's dead, you were what back then? “

  “14/15.” She let out, her head becoming foggier, blank. “I don’t remember very well.”

  “If there was a way, I’d tell you. But there isn’t. Because–” Evelyn stopped herself.

  Juniper breathed a sigh of relief, perhaps she would get her hands dirty later instead.

  “Look, whatever you do…” her voice held a hint of concern, “Do not let your brother, get surgery, ten to one, It won’t work, and you give him unnecessary surgical scars.”

  “Wait, I don’t understand–”

  As if being a manifestation of Juniper’s woes. Evelyn’s telephone rang, an old thing, uninterruptible and unconnected to the internet, likely for security reasons. She turned the thing, rolling it a few times and tapped on it. “Hello?”

  Time slowed and she looked up at her protégé.

  “Yes,” she paused. “Alright.”

  Juniper motioned to leave, but Evelyn stopped her. “The examiner’s from the SCRA is here, I’ll be accompanying you if you don’t mind, don’t want them to try anything with my newest cape. Juniper affirmed her head, she had question, she’d leave for later