Smile! (Part 1) by Domoviye

London, Ontario
March 3rd, 2007

Amber Ashton loves the sound of music and people playing in her family's arcade. So how did we get to this nightmare scene? I won't be describing it, read the story at your own discretion. An old supply closet and her parents are doing something this sickening to people and now to their own daughter, because she found them out, these are true monsters. Mutilating and then killing someone, now planning to do the same to their own daughter, I can't even call them people anymore with what they have done.

Who kissed Amber on her forehead, was it a fairy or an angel? The changes in Amber suggest a fairy as it seems she has become one herself. Flying, but the door is locked, she has to escape before her parents return. She dented the metal door with a blow from her wand, dang. She escapes and wishes to find her brother Gregory to get him out of there, to find the police to end her parents' evil. Darn it, forced to escape through a closed window from her charging mother, she flies off into the night. I hope Gregory will be okay.

Amber turns back into a human and everything is a blur, afraid to stop moving or her parents might catch her. Thankfully a police car pulls up and she can blurt out information the police will need before finally breaking down and crying. Poor kid, she shouldn't have had to go through this.

London's Children Hospital,
London, Ontario,
Morning, March 4th

Amber wakes up in a hospital bed, cleaned up, patched up, and in a pink hospital gown. This calm, loving sensation helps Amber to sleep, whoever or whatever they are I hope we learn more about them. She is going to need a lot of therapy, I hope the police got her parents and saved her brother. I don't like this nurse, the presence inside Amber is insightful to protect her. Crap, a panic attack, Amber won't trust any adult female who reminds her of her mother for a long, long time.

Ah, thoughts of her parents are making her not able to trust any of the adults at the hospital. Officer Fitz Smith, good man, I hope he believes what Amber tells him about her parents. Crap, tapping a pen to his chin reminded her of her father doing that with the bloody knife and got Amber to transform and attack him in a panic. Another panic attack, they need to bring in super-powered help.

An older teenage girl shows up, a mutant like Amber, named Aria King. Oh, good, only made Officer Fitz Smith go numb for 20 minutes. Confirmed that Amber is terrified of adults thanks to her parents. God, she found the innocent victim who had been mutilated by her parents and couldn't even tell if they were male or female anymore. Then what happened after she was discovered, but breaks down and cries into Aria.

She didn't really feel anything anymore, just drained.

She is worse off emotionally than I thought. Her parents fled with Gregory, nooo! Please keep her innocent brother safe until the police catch her psycho parents.

“I have a group farm for teens like you. Mutants who have emotional problems, and those who can't live at home. There are some adults there, but I'll make sure you mostly deal with me until you're comfortable. No pressure on you.”

Wait, does this mean Aria is an adult? 70% machine, those are some advanced cybernetics Aria is sporting. Riverside Rescue Farm, partner Theo, and both are retired heroes, cool. With the other kids and Aria being Amber's therapist for now this will be a unique experience.

Couldn't recall much of the drive and pretty strong anti-anxiety medicine to avoid panicking as she was wheeled out of the hospital, Amber was doped up for a while. 3 big dogs, friendly and well-trained, I hope they can help Amber out with her anxiety. Spot, Daisy, and Sir Rupert Magnus the Third are all named by the kids, heh. Friendly puppers.

A 30-minute warning bell for dinner is, a good thing to have on a farm. Ouch, I guess that massive man with long green hair is Theo. Amber needs time to process the trauma she has been through, any boys who try to bug her into a date need to be clobbered. Amber's roommate is Cassidy. Bunk beds, I miss being at a size where I could sleep in one of those. Stickers to earn prizes, good incentive system.

To lose everything from your life in 24 hours like that and just a kid, I hope her parents are caught fast and never set free again. Ah, the go-ahead from the detectives to get her things from back home, at least it isn't gone for good. A named Mr. Mistoffelees, Mist for short, and it is a girl cat, these kids. Amber, it might seem like it now, but you have a safe place to stay, clothes to wear, food to eat, and people to help you. Things will get better.

A table big enough to fit 12 people, I've only seen one of those in my life. *tries not to drool at the description of all that food* A girl with eyes that are pitch black and shiny, another supermodel looks, but her cheeks suggest she is hungry. Gabriel is a large kid and looks like he has Down syndrome to Amber, and the other boy seems completely normal. Black black-haired girl is Cassidy who talks mainly through her tablet and Elizabeth who knows about the chickens and goats. Micheal sounds like a gadgeteer, TV channels from all over the world, not that is a big hook-up.

“I even programmed an instant translator and caption program, so we can watch anime from Japan without having to wait for it to be translated,” Micheal said.

Okay, Micheal needs to patent that, it would sell like crazy in the United States alone.

All that for Elizabeth, but why the low-fat sauce, does it have to do with her particular mutation? Pills for Micheal, I wonder what for. Gabriel is either a high-end Exemplar or has Energizer traits as well to eat that much. Such individual ways of eating, though why does Elizabeth look at her food in disgust? Crap, she started crying for another thing lost in her life without even realizing it. Aria escorts Amber to what appears to be an activities room and just sits with her as she cries.

Riverside Rescue Farm
March 5th, 2007

Ouch, on farm hours now for waking up early to do pre-breakfast chores. The cold will wake her up quick, yikes. Elizabeth instructs Amber about feeding the chickens and the directions Aria leaves. Feeding the chickens cheers Amber up, she needs as much cheer and happiness in her life as possible.

Cleaning out a chicken coop, I would rather clean out a kitty litter. Just how strong is Elizabeth? Nice deal, eat some of the eggs and sell the rest for a profit. A good place to be for troubled mutant teens. Elizabeth has anorexia and it wasn't noticed until she collapsed from starvation, yikes. The dangers of certain illnesses mixed with certain mutant powers are scary to contemplate.

Oof, the strangeness of it being cold outside, yet how hot it can get in certain buildings like a barn. Just what is Cassidy doing with that black cow right now and why does she want Amber to do the same thing with the brown and white one? Just laying on the side of a cow to relax, Cassidy has good ideas. And Spot comes over for scratching, dogs and cats seem to know when to do that.

Aria and Amber are in the art room for one-on-one therapy. Horseback riding is fun when you can do it.

“That's a good goal. We're going to try two therapies to help deal with your fear of adults, and your memories of the other night.”

A good start for her therapy plans. Exposure therapy, I hope Aria doesn't rush her on the process, that can go horribly wrong if not taken at a pace the patient can handle.

Lied that her maternal parents died in a car accident, her parents' sins just keep piling up. Whateley is the best place for Amber after she can safely deal with her fear of adults. I wonder what shaped Amber's powerset, this presence she senses, it is a spirit and she is an Avatar, right? Good, from Amber's description Aria figured out she is an Avatar. Heh, so Aria has heard of Miasma. Theo was a student at Whateley in the 80s, some of his information will be outdated unless he has visited more recently.

Amber has a point, any creature larger than you it is never relaxing sitting on them, saddle or not. A pony and she is reacting like this. Just what is Aria riding, a Clydesdale? One rule when dealing with horses is to always listen to those experienced in riding and handling them. Micheal has been there a year, besides his parents' divorce what issues does he have?

“Gadgeteer. I'm pretty good with electronics and writing up programs. I can do things like fixing a car without a manual, but it's a pain in the ass. What about you?”

Pretty good power to have in the modern age, Micheal.

He nodded, then looked at his hands, biting his lip as he did.

Now why did Micheal do that, does this have something to do with why he is there? I was right, Aria's horse is a Clydesdale, the biggest horse around.

“I got hurt. Not just the regular broken bones and bruises that happen in that line of work, but well beyond that. So I had to turn my power armour into a body and life support system. It wasn't easy, and relearning how to move and live was painful. When I was finally done, I realized that I couldn't do heroing anymore. So I went back to school, learned how to be a therapist, and decided to help teenagers who didn't have the support they needed.”

This is why she is 70% machine, I knew it had to be bad, but dang.

Therapists come in all shapes and sizes, Amber, I find those who wear comfortable clothing over suits easier to open up to. That is a lot of notes on just one patient, and to keep it all in her head is impressive. Aria is the kind of therapist the world needs more of. Amber, you are stronger than you think, you can make it through all this.

Eep, I've had days like that, physically exhausted and sore, but your mind just won't let you sleep, it is torture. All those fears of what has happened to her brother, her parents coming after her, thinking she is all alone. Don't listen to that voice, Amber, you can survive this and things will get better. A whisper from Cassidy that it will get better and Amber has a sense of hope again, does Cassidy have siren powers? Thank you, Cassidy, for bringing back hope into Amber's life.

Morning
March 10th, 2007

Brushing down Cinnamon's coat, chores away from the farmhouse to avoid the parents and caretakers dropping off their teens for the day or the whole weekend. Avoiding disaster thanks to the adults who work on the farm, until a woman shows up and starts asking questions, ignoring the obvious signs of distress Amber is showing at her presence. But the woman comes closer asking about Cinnamon's name and trapping Amber in the stall. She is having a panic attack and the woman rushes over, Amber transforms and shoots at the woman, then hits her wings on the ceiling spinning around, she blasts at the ceiling until she makes a hole to escape through and flees to the forest in a blind terror. This woman should know about why this place is set up and not approach any of the kids there without permission from an adult unless it is her own child.

Amber calms down enough to think and finds she is in a wooded area close to a river. She is just walking and trying to avoid people. Aria finds her and asks if she wants to talk, but Amber is so messed up from earlier she is too upset. Aria is there with a bottle of water, but Amber pushes her away and runs, this is bad. Yikes, the spirit is scared Amber will do something to hurt herself, worse than I thought to get that kind of reaction.

Amber, I know you are upset and frustrated right now, but you don't really mean it about not wanting anyone's help.

Keeping her fists balled up, Amber punched herself in the jaw. It hurt, but felt good. She'd done something wrong. If she'd been a better daughter, her parents wouldn't have turned evil.

This hurts to read, she is innocent and needs to realize what her parents did has nothing to do with her. Amber, you are a kid, you can't be expected to catch something like that, to believe your parents are capable of something like that.

God, someone make Amber stop hurting herself, none of this was her fault! I'm so glad Aria is there for Amber, she is the perfect therapist for her. Patched up and a ride in the farm van back, anything she could use to hurt herself has been removed, smart move. I just want to see her parents locked up away from anyone else for all the pain they have caused her and whatever they might be doing to Gregory even now.

Early evening
March 11th, 2007

Tidying up the living room, not allowed never anything sharp, that is going to limit her chores on the farm a bit. That many additional teens, Aria is wise to limit Amber's interactions right now to people she already knows. Cameras around the house and all around the property with basic AI constantly watch the video, great set-up.

Aria knows how to deal with an upset teen, letting her let off some steam was the smart thing. How can she take self-defense lessons from Theo to help her feel safe and in control if she panics upon seeing him? A few more days before she gets to use knives or razors, much sooner than I expected. Her eyes finally changed, she is going to catch attention with them now. Aww, her fairy spirit wore herself out keeping her from transforming yesterday. Now what would be an appropriate name for such a sweet and caring fairy spirit?

Midday,
March 15th, 2007

Aria looks to be about twenty now, huh, can she adjust her cybernetics to affect her apparent age? In exposure therapy, Theo is just 10 meters away and working while Amber just stands there with Aria holding her hand and watches Theo. All those fears of what Theo might do, I hope she can get past this part of her fears soon, the imagination can be so cruel when mixed with trauma.

Moving closer and seeing Theo like that, she has to not focus on Theo for a while to calm down, this is a work in progress. 10 stickers and she can go and get her stuff this week, finally. Something else will be her special privilege, but what to pick?

Homeschooling and Amber is having trouble with algebra, oof, unless you have a brain for math that one is rough. Micheal helps her out, but she catches a glance at his wrist and the scars, no wonder he is there, why did he try and end it all in the past?

Mid-Morning
March 16th, 2007

A little baby goat in her lap, Daisy and Sir Rupert around her, and going through her exercises to calm down, Amber says she is ready. Theo comes out and that shirt he is wearing, boy, that sure stopped a panic attack from Amber. I wonder if what is on his shirt will be the inspiration for what Amber names her fairy spirit. What was done to Theo's face that it is so messed up, that doesn't look like GSD to me. What interesting tattoos he has. What is the device at his wrist?

She is talking with Theo, it is hard and she has to take time to calm down after he first says Hi back to her, but she is talking to him. He got the shirt specially ordered when he heard about Amber's fairy spirit, Theo is awesome. Walking towards Theo while holding the baby goat and focusing on the "SMILE" on the shirt, she touches Theo's hand despite crying, but finally runs back to Aria and cries into her shoulder. You made a lot of progress today, Amber, be proud of your accomplishment.

London, Ontario
March 18th, 2007

An hour at her old place to get her things, I hope her parents didn't leave any nasty surprises behind. Great, the neighbors acting that way towards Amber, automatically judging her based on her parents. Great, the police trashed the place looking for evidence. Arrggh! They trashed Amber's room as well, she is a victim in all this and the police just made it worse. No, Amber, that is not all people will see you as. And save your brother's things, keep him in your heart until he is found.

So few things of Gregory left and Amber is crying, afraid he is already gone for good. They broke the lock on her diary and read it, Amber was the one who informed the police of what her parents had done, how they were going to kill her as well, and this is how her things get treated. No wonder people have trouble trusting the police.

Reporters are there to take pictures and ask questions of Amber, dam vultures can't leave a victim alone. Two black walls block the reporters so they can make their escape, Aria can make energy walls, impressive. If only they could deal with all reporters who act like this in the same way.

Great, her maternal grandparents have lawyered up and demanded to see Amber. Aria looking 25 now, so she can adjust her apparent age. Ugh, the way her grandfather talked to Aria and has her balling her hands into fists, I don't want Amber in their care. Amber has to go in to see them, grandfather talking about her dying her hair which is coming in blue now. The way he talks about mutants and must have gotten it from her father, great, we have a bigot.

Aria sent them videos of how Amber reacts to adults and her grandfather acts like her not looking at him is personal, I really don't like him. Charlotte is her grandmother who is polite to Amber.

“So Vanny has left another mess for us to deal with,” her grandfather said.

Okay, please tell me Aria can record audio with her cybernetics so this can be used in court against them being allowed to be Amber's guardians.

They didn't look at the video she sent and her grandmother doesn't believe it is that bad, nor does she believe a phobia like that exists, okay, not like grandmother much either now. Get her out of there now, Aria, her grandfather demanding she look at them like that, that is proof he would be mentally and emotionally abusive to her. And the disbelief of the grandmother, that they are unfit to take care of her or any child with trauma.

*sees red* Saying that to Aria without knowing the kind of group home she runs, the kind of kids she helps, or what she has been through. He is just a bitter old man set in his ways and refuses to see any good in others. A place with pizza and games, after the trauma she went through at her family arcade, you are insensitive louts who have no empathy for others! Transforms in front of them and gets called a demon, they want nothing to do with her because she is a mutant, bigots.

March 21st, 2007

Darn it! All the progress Amber had made, was ruined by her visit with her grandparents. Now she is back to thinking she can't do anything. Amber, don't listen to anything your grandparents say, you won't turn out like your mother. I wouldn't be surprised if they were physically and emotionally abusive to your mother and that is why she turned out the way she did.

Yes! Finally realizes she isn't her parents, and refuses to be like them.

“No matter how bad things seem, if I keep moving forward trying to get better, things will eventually improve,” she told herself.

Thank you for this. Even if it is only a tiny bit each day, just keep moving forward. Able to work in the same room as Theo even if she can't look at him, yay! Her progress wasn't lost because of her grandparents, she just kept moving forward.[./spoiler]

Amber Ashton loves the sound of music and people playing in her family's arcade. So how did we get to this nightmare scene? I won't be describing it, read the story at your own discretion. An old supply closet and her parents are doing something this sickening to people and now to their own daughter, because she found them out, these are true monsters. Mutilating and then killing someone, now planning to do the same to their own daughter, I can't even call them people anymore with what they have done.

I did lean rather hard into this description. Figured I had to make an impression early on for the rest of the story to work.
And this is Smile from Sins Of The Father. Seeing her mostly happy attitude at Whateley compared this story shows how far she progressed. And I was always planning on doing her origin because she takes an important role in the future.

Who kissed Amber on her forehead, was it a fairy or an angel? The changes in Amber suggest a fairy as it seems she has become one herself.

TOOTH FAIRY TO THE RESCUE!

I don't like this nurse, the presence inside Amber is insightful to protect her. Crap, a panic attack, Amber won't trust any adult female who reminds her of her mother for a long, long time.

Ah, thoughts of her parents are making her not able to trust any of the adults at the hospital. Officer Fitz Smith, good man, I hope he believes what Amber tells him about her parents. Crap, tapping a pen to his chin reminded her of her father doing that with the bloody knife and got Amber to transform and attack him in a panic. Another panic attack, they need to bring in super-powered help.

I forget how I came up with the idea of making her have a phobia of adults. I think it was when I tried to come up with some ideas for her time at Whateley, particularly combat class. But once I did, it seemed perfect, especially considering her past.

An older teenage girl shows up, a mutant like Amber, named Aria King. Oh, good, only made Officer Fitz Smith go numb for 20 minutes. Confirmed that Amber is terrified of adults thanks to her parents. God, she found the innocent victim who had been mutilated by her parents and couldn't even tell if they were male or female anymore. Then what happened after she was discovered, but breaks down and cries into Aria.

Aria King, I really liked her.
Idle brainstorming one day I came up with a rescue farm that helps mutant teens, who for whatever reason don't want to or can't go to Whateley. Developing the pair in charge, I thought a cyborg would be cool. And then I realized that Aria would be the perfect person to deal with a kid who is terrified of adults, a holographic projection let's her be any age she wants as long as it accounts for her height.

3 big dogs, friendly and well-trained, I hope they can help Amber out with her anxiety. Spot, Daisy, and Sir Rupert Magnus the Third are all named by the kids, heh. Friendly puppers.

Sir Rupert Magnus the Third made me chuckle. But when I told my daughter, she rolled her eyes and called me weird.

Stickers to earn prizes, good incentive system.

Did some research on group homes for youths, and stickers, stars, check marks, etc, are commonly used. The better ones make it a bit challenging to get them, to push the kids to get them. The bad ones make it really difficult.

A table big enough to fit 12 people, I've only seen one of those in my life. *tries not to drool at the description of all that food* A girl with eyes that are pitch black and shiny, another supermodel looks, but her cheeks suggest she is hungry. Gabriel is a large kid and looks like he has Down syndrome to Amber, and the other boy seems completely normal. Black black-haired girl is Cassidy who talks mainly through her tablet and Elizabeth who knows about the chickens and goats. Micheal sounds like a gadgeteer, TV channels from all over the world, not that is a big hook-up.

“I even programmed an instant translator and caption program, so we can watch anime from Japan without having to wait for it to be translated,” Micheal said.

Okay, Micheal needs to patent that, it would sell like crazy in the United States alone.

It was fun coming up with these people. Black eyed girl is actually an idea I've had for a while, and did a flash fiction on. Selective mutism (doesn't talk due to anxiety), and fairly powerful psychic. but not a telepath.
The rest are brand new, and I was trying to think of powers and problems that would put them there, rather than Whateley or treatment at home.
And Gabriel is an Energizer.

Ouch, on farm hours now for waking up early to do pre-breakfast chores. The cold will wake her up quick, yikes. Elizabeth instructs Amber about feeding the chickens and the directions Aria leaves. Feeding the chickens cheers Amber up, she needs as much cheer and happiness in her life as possible.

Cleaning out a chicken coop, I would rather clean out a kitty litter. Just how strong is Elizabeth? Nice deal, eat some of the eggs and sell the rest for a profit. A good place to be for troubled mutant teens. Elizabeth has anorexia and it wasn't noticed until she collapsed from starvation, yikes. The dangers of certain illnesses mixed with certain mutant powers are scary to contemplate.

Animal therapy is a thing and has been gaining favour for teens, neurodivergent and special needs individuals for a while. Caring for animals makes most people calm down, the routine is good for almost everyone, and the responsibility gives them a sense of accomplishment.
With Elizabeth and anorexia, I was struggling to come up with something interesting for her. Then I thought what if she had an eating disorder but her mutation prevented people from noticing? I'm evil.

Oof, the strangeness of it being cold outside, yet how hot it can get in certain buildings like a barn. Just what is Cassidy doing with that black cow right now and why does she want Amber to do the same thing with the brown and white one? Just laying on the side of a cow to relax, Cassidy has good ideas. And Spot comes over for scratching, dogs and cats seem to know when to do that.

More animal therapy.
I knew that people used goats as therapy animals, and that horses are fantastic for a variety of reasons, but cows being used for therapy was a surprise. It turns out that cows actually like cuddling with people and will curl around a person when lying down. There slow heartbeat, heat, and when trained their calm attitude is extremely relaxing.

He nodded, then looked at his hands, biting his lip as he did.

Now why did Micheal do that, does this have something to do with why he is there? I was right, Aria's horse is a Clydesdale, the biggest horse around.

“I got hurt. Not just the regular broken bones and bruises that happen in that line of work, but well beyond that. So I had to turn my power armour into a body and life support system. It wasn't easy, and relearning how to move and live was painful. When I was finally done, I realized that I couldn't do heroing anymore. So I went back to school, learned how to be a therapist, and decided to help teenagers who didn't have the support they needed.”

This is why she is 70% machine, I knew it had to be bad, but dang.

Micheal is just awkward. Giving advice and helping, he's good. Regular conversation, not so much.
With Aria, only a Clydesdale can comfortably handle her weight, cybernetics aren't light. Originally I was going to have her 90% machine, but toned it down a little. And yeah, she got hurt bad enough that she became a pacifist.

Eep, I've had days like that, physically exhausted and sore, but your mind just won't let you sleep, it is torture. All those fears of what has happened to her brother, her parents coming after her, thinking she is all alone. Don't listen to that voice, Amber, you can survive this and things will get better. A whisper from Cassidy that it will get better and Amber has a sense of hope again, does Cassidy have siren powers? Thank you, Cassidy, for bringing back hope into Amber's life.

Projective empathy can be extremely useful. And extremely scary. Cassidy may explain why she doesn't talk in Part 2.

Brushing down Cinnamon's coat, chores away from the farmhouse to avoid the parents and caretakers dropping off their teens for the day or the whole weekend. Avoiding disaster thanks to the adults who work on the farm, until a woman shows up and starts asking questions, ignoring the obvious signs of distress Amber is showing at her presence. But the woman comes closer asking about Cinnamon's name and trapping Amber in the stall. She is having a panic attack and the woman rushes over, Amber transforms and shoots at the woman, then hits her wings on the ceiling spinning around, she blasts at the ceiling until she makes a hole to escape through and flees to the forest in a blind terror. This woman should know about why this place is set up and not approach any of the kids there without permission from an adult unless it is her own child.

I wasn't 100% happy with this scene. The woman does seem a bit too clueless, but I've met people who are even more clueless. So I decided it worked well enough, and it did what I needed it to do.

Amber calms down enough to think and finds she is in a wooded area close to a river. She is just walking and trying to avoid people. Aria finds her and asks if she wants to talk, but Amber is so messed up from earlier she is too upset. Aria is there with a bottle of water, but Amber pushes her away and runs, this is bad. Yikes, the spirit is scared Amber will do something to hurt herself, worse than I thought to get that kind of reaction.

This scene was inspired by a person who worked in a group home for teen girls. She described a typical day in a group home from the perspective of a resident. Really interesting, and depressing.

Amber, I know you are upset and frustrated right now, but you don't really mean it about not wanting anyone's help.

Keeping her fists balled up, Amber punched herself in the jaw. It hurt, but felt good. She'd done something wrong. If she'd been a better daughter, her parents wouldn't have turned evil.

This hurts to read, she is innocent and needs to realize what her parents did has nothing to do with her. Amber, you are a kid, you can't be expected to catch something like that, to believe your parents are capable of something like that.

This was hard to write. This whole scene just had me wanting to stop typing and rethink the whole story to do something nice for Amber. But that's not in the cards. Unfortunately self-harm is an easy outlet for people, especially teens.

How can she take self-defense lessons from Theo to help her feel safe and in control if she panics upon seeing him? A few more days before she gets to use knives or razors, much sooner than I expected. Her eyes finally changed, she is going to catch attention with them now. Aww, her fairy spirit wore herself out keeping her from transforming yesterday. Now what would be an appropriate name for such a sweet and caring fairy spirit?

Aria did say when Amber was up to it, Theo could teach her. They both realize it's a ways in the future, but it's something to aim for. And Aria will only fight to keep those in her care safe, she's been traumatized as well and has lines she can't cross.
With the knives and razors, Amber did hurt herself, but it wasn't exactly planned. It was spur of the moment, and done in a moment of pretty great distress. So she needs to be watched for a while, but as long as she hasn't just had a panic attack, she should be pretty safe. It's a calculated risk, she needs some trust and responsibility, as well as being kept safe.
There was a bit of a discussion about if a spirit could stop an avatar from using their power. It was ultimately decided that yes in some cases, BUT it wouldn't be easy.

Homeschooling and Amber is having trouble with algebra, oof, unless you have a brain for math that one is rough. Micheal helps her out, but she catches a glance at his wrist and the scars, no wonder he is there, why did he try and end it all in the past?

That's an interesting story. We'll learn about it in Part 2.

A little baby goat in her lap, Daisy and Sir Rupert around her, and going through her exercises to calm down, Amber says she is ready. Theo comes out and that shirt he is wearing, boy, that sure stopped a panic attack from Amber. I wonder if what is on his shirt will be the inspiration for what Amber names her fairy spirit. What was done to Theo's face that it is so messed up, that doesn't look like GSD to me. What interesting tattoos he has. What is the device at his wrist?

She is talking with Theo, it is hard and she has to take time to calm down after he first says Hi back to her, but she is talking to him. ... You made a lot of progress today, Amber, be proud of your accomplishment.

Theo's shirt was fun to make. I hadn't planned it, and then as I was writing his description the image popped up in my head. There was no way I couldn't use it after that.
And his shirt is an inspiration for her.
As for Theo's face, he was a military superhero for over a decade. He fought some of the worst people in world, and it took it's toll, on his body and his friends.
I really wanted to show that that Amber is making progress. Can't just keep beating her into the ground.

An hour at her old place to get her things, I hope her parents didn't leave any nasty surprises behind. Great, the neighbors acting that way towards Amber, automatically judging her based on her parents. Great, the police trashed the place looking for evidence. Arrggh! They trashed Amber's room as well, she is a victim in all this and the police just made it worse. No, Amber, that is not all people will see you as. And save your brother's things, keep him in your heart until he is found.

So few things of Gregory left and Amber is crying, afraid he is already gone for good. They broke the lock on her diary and read it, Amber was the one who informed the police of what her parents had done, how they were going to kill her as well, and this is how her things get treated. No wonder people have trouble trusting the police.

I double checked to see how police sometimes search homes. There's a few recent-ish stories in Canada calling for a change to how it's done because too often places are trashed.
I was pretty happy about how Amber cried after searching Gregory's room. It felt right as I wrote this.

*sees red* Saying that to Aria without knowing the kind of group home she runs, the kind of kids she helps, or what she has been through. He is just a bitter old man set in his ways and refuses to see any good in others. A place with pizza and games, after the trauma she went through at her family arcade, you are insensitive louts who have no empathy for others! Transforms in front of them and gets called a demon, they want nothing to do with her because she is a mutant, bigots.

Her grandparents are horrible people. But it wasn't so much because Amber is a mutant, although that doesn't help things. They REALLY hate their daughter. The comments about having to clean up Vanny's mess again, the best thing their daughter ever doing was leaving, etc, they cut ties to their daughter decades ago. They also want nothing to do with Amber because they believe she'll be exactly like their daughter.

Yes! Finally realizes she isn't her parents, and refuses to be like them.

“No matter how bad things seem, if I keep moving forward trying to get better, things will eventually improve,” she told herself.

Thank you for this. Even if it is only a tiny bit each day, just keep moving forward. Able to work in the same room as Theo even if she can't look at him, yay! Her progress wasn't lost because of her grandparents, she just kept moving forward.

I wasn't sure at first if I should have ended it with Amber feeling really low after meeting her grandparents or on a high note. Ultimately decided to go with a high note to avoid angst overload. Amber has a LONG way to go before she's healed, but she's heading in that direction.
And her telling herself about moving forward and things will improve, is basically what she tells Just Me after she explains her past in Sins Of The Father.
Aria and her time on the farm do a lot of help her recover, even if there's still a long way for her to go months later.