by R. J. Ross
“Aubrey, heal him,” Dad says.
“No! I’m going to keep it so I can sue you!” Jeff says, although he’s close to tears.
“Then… I’ll use this, shall I?” Dad says, and a hologram appears in front of him. Sound comes from hidden speakers, and we all watch as Jeff jerks away from Keesha, I save the trees, and Jeff grabs me.
“I can have it broadcasted on every channel as soon as you say the word,” Zoe says over the speakers. “We’ll see what the world thinks of what you’ve done.”
“You—that—” Jeff stutters, his face turning almost as purple as his arm is. “I’m going to remember this!”
“Aubrey,” Dad says.
“I’m tempted to leave him like that,” she says, her eyes narrowing in anger. “What gives you the right to speak that way to someone? Especially to someone you don’t even know! You come into MY Hall, and start making fun of someone, regardless of whether they’re a super or not, I am not happy!”
“Who are you?” he asks.
“Life Light,” she says.
“Life… you mean… Cold Steel’s girlfriend?” he asks.
Jack taps on his watch and Jeff lets out a curse, backing away so quickly that he trips and falls on his butt. “Yeah,” Jack says. “Are you going to let her heal you or not?”
“Then why were you all looking at stupid trees?” Jeff demands. “That was—shouldn’t you have better things to do?”
“Not when it’s a wedding gift for THE Lady Rose, moron,” Jack says, snorting. “Sunny, are the trees going to be okay?”
“It was a bit of a shock,” I admit, “but I managed to calm them down. I’m glad she didn’t hit the cart with Grandpa Tree on it.”
Jeff looks a bit broken, by now. He keeps looking from one person to the next, and I can almost hear him putting a name to the debuted ones. I look over at his classmates, who Alyssa is still standing in front of. They look terrified. There’s a black suit to the side, with a banner in her hand that says, “Central Hall Tours.”
Jeff looks at Aubrey. “Fine, heal me,” he says quietly. She heals his arm with a wave of her hand.
“Is this a bad time?” the tour guide asks.
“No,” Dad says. “Go ahead and take those kids there. If you would call this kid’s parents?” he says to the other teacher. “Have them come in and we’ll deal with this, ourselves.” He looks over at Mastermental, who’s on the phone. “Double M?”
“They are already on their way,” Mastermental says. “Should I inform Lady Rose?”
“No, I’ve got this,” Dad says. “She’s busy keeping the family entertained.”
I let out a sigh, wishing I could take a nap. “And now I’m in trouble,” I complain. “Why didn’t one of you guys tell the guy off?” I ask the people behind me. They stare at me, as if that’s the stupidest question I could have asked.
“Who’s going to point it out?” Jack asks, looking around. They look back at him, and he sighs. “You’re the son of Technico,” he says as he steps forward and pokes me in the forehead, hard. I grab his hand before he can poke me again.
“But I’m no good at stuff like that!” I say.
“You’re a lot better than Jack is,” Trent says. “You handled it well, and had the guy had any sense at all, he would have given up long before he got hurt. Most norms pick up on what we are, especially in a group as big as this.”
“Um, I did, sort of,” Keesha calls out. “Sorry, I know you were trying to look like norms.”
“They just looked like dorks to me,” Jeff mutters.
“Plus, he would have been a lot worse off if I’d been handling it,” Jack says. Jeff goes pale again, as Jack smirks at him.
“What have you done to our son?” someone shouts from the entryway. I turn, looking over at the couple standing there. He’s wearing an Anti-Super-Society t-shirt. “I knew I shouldn’t have let him come on this stupid field trip!”
“Doesn’t it just figure,” I mutter, running a hand over my face.
CHAPTER FOUR
Right now I’m stuck manning the desk at Mom’s plant nursery. The Hall is in the middle of legal talk, because Jeff’s dad insists on suing us for what happened. I slump, my forehead bumping on the counter. I can’t even take a nap. And what makes it worse is that Mom insists on playing classical music. I don’t actually mind some of it, but the stuff she’s playing is perfect for napping to! I sigh, seeing the little cactus on the counter trying to turn towards me. “No, no, stay still,” I say, not daring to touch it since I don’t want to break the needles. “I’m fine. I’m just pathetic.”
“Ah, it is a lovely little shop!” Grandma says as she walks in, the bells hanging on the door jingling loudly. “Sunny! You are looking so the professional!”
“Hi, Grandma!” I say, cheering up. “Did you come to check out the flowers for the wedding? Mom and I have come up with a system so the flowers won’t be too traumatized. They should live a lot longer, thanks to that.”
“Of course we have, darling,” Marie says, looking around with a slight smile. “Look at all these beautiful plants, Tatiana. I’ve missed seeing flowers back home.”
“Yes, it is very sad to be surrounded by white all the time,” Grandma agrees.
“If you want, I bet Dad could come up with a way to grow flowers up there,” I say. “Or even Zoe. She’s pretty good at making stuff, now…”
“Yes, but she wouldn’t be able to give us green thumbs,” Marie says. “For the life of me, the only thing I STILL used my powers for, to the very end, was gardening. I could cook, clean, and sew like a champ, but gardening…” she shakes her head. “It was never my strong point.”
“Yes, I am not the plant grower, either,” Grandma says a bit mournfully. “But we have come to see you, as well, my little sun! You have had traumatic experience, and need the hugs!” She pulls me over the counter, hugging me tightly. I try patting her arm to ask for air, but all it does is get my head patted, as well.
“Can’t… breathe…” I gasp out, as Marie looks away, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
“Oh! I am sorry, my solnyshko!” Grandma says, loosening her hold just a TINY bit. “There, there, you are okay. The big bad norm will not hurt my little one!”
I groan. “I’m the one that hurt him, Grandma,” I say, guiltily. “He grabbed me and I swatted his arm away, but he didn’t let go, and… it cracked his bone. I should have just told him to let go, or something. And now I’m stuck here, watching plants after school, probably until I graduate.”
“But darling, you’re a plant elementalist,” Marie says, running a finger over a flower petal, “you’ll be watching plants long after graduation.”
“I know, but the plants I want to watch are in jungles and deserts and stuff,” I explain. The bell over the door rings again and I look over, letting out a sigh of relief as Grandma lets me go and turns to “shop.” A well-dressed woman and her little boy have just come in.
“Tell me, do you have them?” she asks.
“Have what?” I ask.
“Those… pet things. They’re plants, so a place like this should have something like them, right? I haven’t slept in WEEKS because he’s been intent on getting one of those… things.”
“PETLEAVES!” the little boy shouts, pointing at the nearest plant.
“I’m afraid we don’t have any of those,” I say, that same sickened feeling coming to my gut. “But I could set you up with something? We have some really great planters for succulents that he might like!”
“Does the plant move?” she asks, trying to keep her son from hearing.
“Slightly, towards the sun. We suggest you turning it on a regular basis to make sure it gets sun evenly,” I say, leading her to the display of succulent planters. I picked out a lot of these. My favorite is the monster one, and I pick up one that’s already had the succulents planted in it. “I did this one, myself,” I say, showing it to the kid.
“That’s not a Petleaves,” he
says, frowning as he pokes the planter. “It’s not moving!”
“Well, most plants don’t move like you’re thinking,” I explain. “Have you thought about getting him a marimo moss ball?” I ask his mom. “You can even put a fish in there with it, which would be nice.” She looks at me desperately.
“I WANT A PETLEAVES!” he yells, throwing a temper tantrum. “Not a stupid plant!”
“Plants aren’t stupid,” I say, sensing the agitation of the plants all around. “They can hear you, and you’re hurting their feelings right now.”
“That’s stupid,” he says, glaring at me. “They don’t have ears.”
“You’re yelling so loud that they don’t need them,” I say. “Just because they don’t move doesn’t make them less of a living thing. They eat, they grow, and they respond to emotions.”
“What do they eat?” he asks in a surly tone.
“The nutrients in the ground,” I say. “Do you know what makes great plant food?”
“What?”
“Horse poop,” I say. He stares at me before bursting out laughing. “Of course it needs to be composted and you have to wait a while, but still, horse poop is horse poop. The plant breaks it into nutrients and uses it to help bloom. So they get rid of stinky stuff and smell pretty, all at the same time.” I turn, picking up a lavender plant to let him smell it. “Some plants can actually clear the air, as well. Plants do amazing things, you know?”
“But they don’t play fetch,” he says.
“His father is allergic to dog hair,” his mom says. “He wants a pet so badly…”
“Oh, yeah,” I say, “I can get that, but… I would advise against a Petleaves.”
“Why is that?” she asks.
“They don’t seem… right,” I say. “I’m really big on plants, you know? I’ve never seen one like those things. It’s not natural. But a fish or a lizard, those are natural, if he wants a pet that badly.”
She makes a face.
“I want a Petleaves!” the boy says, glaring at me. “Not a stupid poop eater!”
I feel like hitting my head against the wall, but I don’t want to break Mom’s nursery. “I’m sorry, then, I think you’re going to have to wait. The Petleaves aren’t being sold, yet, and even when they are, you shouldn’t get one. They’re unnatural.”
“You’re a scaredy cat!” he says.
“I can understand why you would try to discourage people, but don’t you think you’re going a bit too far trying to scare a child?” his mother asks.
I look at her, and then at the boy, chewing on my bottom lip as I debate. “I’m not just a plant seller, I’m…”
“Sunny, it is not smart to say what you are thinking of saying,” Grandma warns me softly.
“But Grandma, they’re…” I start out, looking over at her. I sigh as I see both her and Marie looking at me. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” I say, “but have you ever seen a plant like that in nature?” I ask.
“Computers have come a very long way since I was my son’s age,” she says. “Who knows what they can do with them? Honey, we’re not going to find them here, I’m sorry.”
The boy is still glaring at me, and he kicks me in the shin as his mother pulls him towards the door. I shoot a dark look after them, not saying a thing. “That boy is very needing of a spanking,” Grandma says after the door closes behind them. “It is good you wear very baggy pants, Solnyshko, he could have broke foot!”
“If I was normal, that could have hurt me, not him!” I complain. “I’d feel sorry for any pet that kid got, even if it IS a Petleaves… Petleaf, I guess, since it’s singular, right?”
“You handled that very well, darling,” Marie says, sitting on our counter.
“Who knows how many kids are out there, begging their parents just like that one,” I say. “The moment those things start selling, they’ll buy them, and those creepy plants will be in houses all over the place, with kids.”
“And what are you thinking, Sunny?” Grandma prompts.
“I can’t do anything about it,” I say with a sigh. “I’ve already gotten the Hall in trouble this week. They’re probably going to keep tabs on me for the rest of my life.”
“You are Superior, little one! You will live very, very long time,” Grandma tells me.
“That’s what I was worried about,” I mutter. I turn, cleaning up the plants I’d shown the kid, my shoulders slumped. “If I just knew where the heck they came from, I wouldn’t be so worried about all of this. Eh, forget it. Come into the back and I’ll show you the bouquets. If we need to make changes, now is the time, right?”
“These Petleaves,” Marie says, “what are they?”
“Sentient plants that vaguely resemble dogs, I guess,” I say. “Wait, you’re from space! Have you ever seen anything like that before?”
“Mmm, there are lots of strange things out there,” she admits, “and it’s been a long time since I’ve been out there. You realize, though, that even our planet carried many plants like that, right? Even our spaceships were living organisms. Perhaps they are something like that?”
“Oh,” I say, “but I’ve never gotten to look at the ship. Do you still have it up there? I want to see it sometime!”
“We do,” Marie says. “We can take you to meet it, if you like!”
“Can’t right now, I’m watching the shop,” I say as I lead them to the room with the flowers for the wedding. “These are the vines we’ll be placing at the end of the pews, these are for the front table, and here are the flowers for the tables at the reception,” I say as we walk through a sea of plants ready to bloom. “And here are the bouquets. We designed each to go along with each of the dresses, well, Mom did. This one is Skye’s, this is Liz’s, and so on. We’ll make them bloom properly on the day of the wedding.”
I step back and let them look over the plants, my mind going straight back to the Petleaves. That makes me think of Cubby and Robo… and they make me remember that I still need to learn to fly, which I can’t do while I’m stuck in this place!
“Sunny would do well with the spaceship!” Grandma says, making me look over. “It is being bored of the ice, but if we let Sunny take care of it, it will not go out of control, yes?”
“Or it might grow way bigger than it’s supposed to,” Marie says, picking up one of the bouquets and looking it over. “These are beautiful, darling. You have done excellent work. Will they be able to plant them once the wedding is over?”
“We have the windowsill boxes ready, already,” I say. “What would I do with a spaceship, though? I mean, I just plan on going overseas, not over galaxies.”
“It can do that!” Grandma says.
The bell over the door rings and we all turn, heading for the main part of the nursery. Mom is standing there with a strange look on her face. “Why didn’t you TELL me what the fight was about, Sunny?” she demands.
“You found out?” I ask. “Crud… we were hoping to keep it a secret.”
“Of course I found out! My son is being sued, so of course I’m going to want to know why!” She sighs, a little smile on her lips. “It’s a wonderful gift. I love it.”
“Then it was worth it,” I say. She shakes her head, pushing her hair out of her face.
“I just wish it hadn’t happened that way,” she says. “Tatiana, Marie, welcome to my store. It’s still a bit small at the moment, but I hope you like it.”
“It is lovely!” Grandma says. “And we have seen the flowers for the wedding. They are quite beautiful.”
“Will they work?” Mom asks, leading the way back to the back room. Grandma follows, but Marie stays where she is, looking at me thoughtfully.
“Tell me, darling,” she says quietly, “what is it that bothers you so much about the creature the child wanted?”
“I…” I frown, “they struck me as… wrong. I know, or recognize plants from this planet when I see them, you know? On a basic level. I didn’t recognize those, but it WAS a video, so m
aybe they just animated them?”
“If it’s not from this planet, you really should find out how it got here, don’t you think?” she says. “Your Hall needs to be quicker to notice visitors from the outside. They never even brought me a welcoming basket, back when I showed up.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Wait, wouldn’t that have been really awkward, though?”
She laughs, waving a hand. “Oh, of course it would have, but still, it’s impolite not to greet a guest!”
***
*Somewhere in Texas*
“I don’t like this,” Grahmm says to Thelma. “They’re being TOO good, now. It’s unnatural.” They’re standing outside the glass building, watching the Petleaves. “I haven’t even added the lavender. What did you do?”
“You’re the one that’s been working on that,” she says. “But I have noticed a definite improvement after we switched their food. Maybe they’re like dogs.”
“How are they like dogs?”
“If they’re full, they’re less likely to kill things. Also, we will have complete control of their food source, which means we’ll be making a lot of money from that, as well,” she says, moving on to the window that shows Little Monster. He’s lounging on a chewed up blanket. He doesn’t even react to their presence. “I know that you thought this would never work… but Floyd…”
“It’s working,” he says, stunned.
“It’s working,” she agrees. “Combining the food with the slight changes I made to the nanobytes has done it. Floyd, we’re going to be rich.”
“What changes?” he asks.
“Oh, just changing the frequencies based on time of day. They respond to signals such as wake up, sleep, nap, and so on. It was so simple, once I thought about it. I just needed to figure out what the frequencies were.”
“Why are you suddenly so on-board with this?” he asks. “They’re dangerous creatures. They eat each other!”
“They haven’t even nibbled on each other lately,” she says. “Floyd, don’t you understand? None of this is in SITEC’s name! This is all ours! Oh, sure, we’ll probably have to pay them back for the start-up loan that they gave us, under the table, but if this works out like it should, we will far surpass SITEC in a matter of no time! We can grind that annoying man into the dirt!”
