apollo

[point_b]

It is the first day of the Swan twins's second year at the Phoenix Gemini School, Apollo High, and this time around Alli isn't soliciting reassurance from her sister about conspiracy theories that the schools are designed to brainwash, de-power, or otherwise mishandle their charges. It's basically just high school, with unconventional gym requirements and an above-average proportion of superpowered faculty. And way more money than most public schools, and excellent diversity because the entry requirement cuts neatly across all demographics.

Well, in most conventional demographic respects.

There are no only children here.

Alli and Bella have all their classes together, which is nice - that wasn't always possible in elementary and middle school; here it's a matter of course.

This year they're signed up for gym but they can skip until two weeks into term, at which point they'll have their basics and Bella will be just as competent as anyone else. More so, relative to the general population. She has no idea what bonus she'll get and she's excited anyway. She's going to be able to actually go to dances, and dance at them, if she wants. Not the homecoming dance because that's not for underclassmen, but there will be others.

"Uuuugh," says Alli, "math first thing in the morning."

"Wouldn't it be funny if you said that and you got a math boost of some kind for your bonus?"

"No, that would just be horrible. And sad. Be sad for me if that happens, Bella."

"All right. What do you want to get?"

"I don't even know, is there a point? I'll just get something and so will you and that'll be that."

"Suit yourself."

The bus pulls in and out they get, uniform skirts swishing around their knees, swan emblems matching on their sleeves so everyone can tell who is whose twin.

Comments

[you_miss_it]

"Mine was super easy. Things felt slow and I felt like I could go faster." Grin. "So I did."

[blink_and]

"Mine took a while. It was just - spatial awareness and I kept wondering what it did. Eventually I got it, but it took a week. Savannah zipping around the entire time."

[point_b]

"I got spatial awareness but I might not have figured out what I was supposed to use it for if Alli hadn't used a convenient preposition. I think my awareness is different than yours, though, I get a sense of whether someplace is 'in reach' - and in sight is in reach, if it's stationary with respect to the earth, but I can use all kinds of entertainingly abstract information, same constraint."

[alli_oop]

"My powers came second but I figured them out first," brags Alli.

[blink_and]

"Mine's more like... A sense of place to everything I see. I can tell distances and ballpark what speeds things are going at. That sort of thing."

[you_miss_it]

"High-five for figuring out powers quickly?" says Savannah, holding up a hand for a high-five.

[point_b]

"I can't do that at all," says Bella to Adana. "Some things are 'near enough' and some things are 'not near enough' and I don't have any special understanding of them in relation to each other and the only speeds are 'moving' and 'not moving, or rather, only moving insofar as the earth is'. Oh, some time if it's convenient you'd be a good safety net for testing my ability to fake-fly, I think, in case I ever want to follow a moving vehicle that is not obligingly stopping at stoplights? Since you're used to providing portals to fast-moving teenage girls? But if you don't have time I can put a request in to Powers Counseling or something."

[alli_oop]

"Woot," says Alli, and she high-fives Savannah.

[blink_and]

"I can be a safety net. If you want to be properly safe, though, take Savannah up with you when you fake fly. Reaction times, and the spatial awareness thing extends from her, too. I'm not sure how well I can juggle safety-netting and portalling to keep up with someone who's going at that speed."

[you_miss_it]

"Also, fake flying is awesome. I'll do it any chance I get!"

[blink_and]

"That, too."

[point_b]

"I don't think my version of fake flying is going to be particularly exhilarating. If I do it right it should involve almost no conventional motion at all. Why would taking Savannah up work better than taking you up? Can you only use her reaction time if you're doing your sensing thing through her?"

[blink_and]

"... I suppose I could go up, too. It's not using her reaction time, it's - if something goes wrong she would react faster than I could. But I'd be more equipped to handle it, so - honestly I'll leave it up to you?" Pause. "Plus I was also subtly doing that sister thing where I give you two time alone together."

[point_b]

"We're going to homecoming. We have not exchanged promise rings or anything. I assure you that when I talk about experimenting with my teleportation I actually mean experimenting with my teleportation."

[you_miss_it]

Savannah laughs. She pats Adana on the back. "Awww, sister of the year award for wingma- er, wingwomanhood."

[blink_and]

Adana snorts. "Okay, then yeah, I can go instead. Experimenting with teleportation with no ulterior motives, then. Though it's possible to be scientific about things and still get alone time with my sister if you want it."

[point_b]

"I'm aware. We are going to see how homecoming goes."

[blink_and]

"All right." Smile. "Have fun."

[you_miss_it]

"Yup! Thanks, sis!"

[point_b]

"Is after school good? They're going to want me to fill out one of those long power registration thingies soon and I'd like to check as few 'don't know' boxes as possible."

[blink_and]

Nod. "Works for me. Both of us, or just me?"

[point_b]

"Savannah's welcome to come watch, but I cannot, as we have just seen, haul both of you, and you're my safety net."

[blink_and]

"Right. She's going to want to watch."

[you_miss_it]

"It'll be fun!"

[point_b]

"I'm not expecting it to be that visually interesting, but you are free to disagree."