“I’m not sure.” Vivi shuffled in place.

“It’ll be fine,” Leah chuckled.

“But sis,” Vivi pouted. “Can I at least…”

“No,” Leah answered swiftly, pushing Vivi’s phone down. “Just let me do this, okay?”

“I’m still worried.”

The car approached the empty parking lot. Or perhaps it was more like a parking garage, Vivi wasn’t really sure how to define it. It was a typical ground level parking lot, if a little small for the size of the mall, but it made up for it with a small parking structure providing it a second floor with extra parking. Regardless of how one described it, it was certainly a good hiding place. Tucked away in a dark corner of the mall that was only bordered by a gravely slope leading to the highway down below.

“That’s Annie’s car, right?” Leah pointed to the nice red car.

“Y-yeah,” Vivi nodded, finally relenting.

“Cool.” Leah pulled in next to the car, Annie waving behind it, the mermaid beside her following suit. “Hey!” Leah waved.

“Leah?” Annie gawked at the girl. “You’re here?”

“Sorry.” Vivi frowned. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“I mean as long as you’re okay with it, Vi…” Annie stopped short, “-ciously hot out though isn’t it…” she recovered.

“Totally not subtle,” Melody whispered as she shook her head.

“I know,” Annie whispered back. “So, uh, how’ve you been Leah?”

“You can drop the act,” Leah sighed. “I already know.”

“Know what?” Annie asked hesitantly.

“Everything,” Leah huffed.

“Uh…” Annie looked to Vivi confusedly.

“S-sorry, she insisted she talk to you about it herself.” Vivi frowned.

“About wh--”

“About putting my sister in danger.” Leah crossed her arms, Annie looking at her in shock. “Vivi already told me about everything. About herself, and the Prism Girls.”

“Oh…” Annie meekly responded.

“I understand that Vivi wants to do this, but you’re the adults here. You should’ve stopped her.” Leah glared. “You should’ve kept her out of danger. But instead, you’ve all been playing superhero where you all, including Vivi, could’ve gotten hurt.”

“You’re right,” Annie sighed. “I… At first, I turned Vivi and Carmen down. I wasn’t comfortable with it either, but…”

“But you managed to help out this Ichika girl, right?” Leah stared her down.

“Yeah,” Annie nodded. “After that, it just… it felt right. Right now, everything’s so chaotic, and people need help, and we seemed able to help them. I know I should’ve probably said no, but…” Melody gripped her hand, giving her a reassuring smile, Annie smiling back.

“Leah, right?” Melody asked.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Leah nodded.

“I understand why you’re upset,” Melody continued. “I’ll admit that I still have my own concerns, because you’re right. Vivi, Carmen, and even Ichika, they’re all still kids. But at least this way we can keep an eye on them.”

“I mean, sure, but…”

“Thinking about it, Annie only relented because she thought Carmen would do it anyway, even without her approval,” Vivi added.

Leah sighed. “I…” She stalled as she tried to think of a counter-argument. “I guess I can’t really argue with that. I’ve known Carm long enough to know that’s true. Alright, fine,” she sighed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be harsh, but…”

“It’s okay, I get it.” Annie smiled. “You’re just being protective of your sister. If anything, I’m glad that you were willing to say all of that. It shows you care about her.”

“Can I change now?” Vivi pouted.

“Oh, right.” Leah scratched the back of her head. “Go ahead, sis.”

“Why didn’t she change earlier?” Melody asked.

“I was concerned that if our conversation went poorly she’d be stuck coming back home.” Leah frowned. “But I think it’s okay for her to crash at your place tonight.” She gave a lighthearted smile to Annie.

“Thanks.” Annie smiled back. “Well, what are you waiting for?

“Right, here I go!” Vivi cheered. She held her locket before her and opened it. A wave of magic unfurled from the object, flowing out before her and then curling back onto her. The warm energy scooped her up into a lovely blanket of warmth as it melted her boyish form away. The energies pulled and tugged upon her shrinking form before it began tightening around her. The energy settled upon her legs, forming a pair of bright pink leggings, a pair of white slips caressing her feet. Silky white fibers held her now dainty arms as she reached for her swelling chest. Next her white dress began to appear upon her, its eager frills and vibrant pink trim dancing about as she stretched her small form, two extravagant pink bows emerging from the dress’s shoulders. Then, finally, her eyes glinted blue as her hair sparkled, growing in length and volume as it adopted a luscious pink hue. At last, she stood with a graceful smile upon her lips.

“How’s that feel?” Annie smirked.

“Much better,” Vivi’s voice fluttered, as she stood in her magical form, making a cute pose as her long pink hair danced in the gentle breeze.

“Vivi…” Leah gawked.

“Oh, is this your first time seeing her like this?” Melody smiled. “She’s adorable, right?”

“Y-you think?” Vivi blushed. She suddenly stumbled to her side as Leah hugged her. “H-hey…”

“You’re so cute, sis! Oh, my goodness. How did I not notice before now? You’re so adorable!”

“L-Leah…” Vivi stammered as she struggled against Leah’s loving hug. “H-hey,” she squeaked.

“Guess there’s no worrying about her accepting it,” Annie laughed.

“Seems so,” Melody laughed as another car pulled up behind them.

“Hello, everyone,” Ichika greeted as she and Carmen approached.

“Hey Annie, Mel, Vi…” Carmen started. “Holy crap! Is that Leah?”

“Yep,” Annie laughed as the girl gawked at Leah clinging to Vivi, the pink haired girl squirming uncomfortably, her cheeks brightening with an intense blush.

“Sis, please let go,” Vivi pleaded.

“Oh, fine,” Leah relented. “Seriously though, it’s kind of unfair how cute you are.”

“Hehe, yeah, she is really cute,” Ichika giggled, Leah looking to the yuki-onna. “Oh, uh, hello.” She cleared her throat. “My name is Ichika, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Ichika, huh?” Leah repeated, thinking to herself. “Vivi mentioned you go to our school. Thinking about it, I kinda remember one of my friends talking about you.”

“Oh, right.” Carmen glanced between the two. “You’re both in the same grade, aren’t you?”

“I guess so.” Ichika held her cheek. “But I can’t say we’ve ever met before.”

“I don’t think our schedules ever lined up.” Leah shrugged. “Still though, it’s nice to meet you.” She reached to shake Ichika’s hand. She shivered slightly as she gripped the chilled hand. “Vivi really wasn’t kidding about you being cold,” she chuckled.

“What can I say, I’m just a flurry of fun,” Ichika boasted.

“Oh no, she’s making bad puns again!” Carmen yelped, the others laughing. “By the way, since we’re all here, where’s Cleo?”

“She said she was going to be a little late,” Melody explained. “Apparently her daughter was getting hungry.”

“So, she is her daughter!” Carmen celebrated her accurate guess.

“Daughter?” Leah asked. “Vivi made her sound pretty young. I didn’t expect her to be a mother.”

“She’s seems to be a little older than Mel and I, but not by much,” Annie explained. “Honestly, we don’t know a lot about the situation, but the girl called her ‘Mama’ when we saw them last.”

“I see,” Leah nodded. “Uh, guess that means I should scram then, huh?”

“Oh, you’re leaving?” Melody asked.

“Well, I imagine that you and this Cleo would want privacy. And it’s not like I know her.”

“If that’s how you feel, then that’s okay,” said Annie. “But I don’t think she’ll mind. Besides, I’m sure you and Ichika might want to talk.”

“Huh, why do you think that?” Vivi asked.

“Well, you’re all going to be going back to school eventually, and having friends to study with would probably help with that,” Annie said with a confident tone.

“Geez, why are you always going on about school?” Carmen complained.

“I am trying to become a teacher, you know.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you have to always bring it up!”

“Now, now girls,” Melody intervened with a clap of her hands. “Let’s calm down. You’re fine to stay though, Leah. I’m sure her kid could use a playmate if you’re interested.”

“Ooh! Ooh!” Ichika raised her hand. “That sounds like fun!”

“Y’know what, that does sound like fun,” Leah chuckled. “Sure, why not. I love playing with kids.”

“Yeah? Then maybe you should try playing with Tommy more than me, Leah,” Vivi grinned.

“Hmm, and let you miss out on the fun too? Nah,” Leah laughed, paying little attention to the blue Japanese car that rolled up beside her.

“You all seem to be having fun,” a woman chuckled. Cleo emerged from the car, her long purple hair held up by a scrunchie, allowing it to flutter in the wind. “Wait, I recognize the others, but who are you?” She looked to Leah.

“Uh, well…” Leah scratched at her cheek.

“She’s my sister,” Vivi explained.

“Your sister, huh?”

“Wow!” a small girlish voice cooed. “You have a sister?” A young girl bounced in front of Vivi, her hands balled up against her chest and her long lavender hair bobbing in the wind. Her bright green eyes looked eagerly to Vivi and then to Leah as her frilly pastel green dress bounced with her and a pair of fairy wings swayed in the wind behind her. “I’m so jealous. I just have a brother, but he’s big and grumpy. Not like your pretty sister,” she rambled excitedly.

“Wisp,” Cleo called to the girl, causing her to look to the woman with an expectant look. “Remember what I told you?”

“Oh, right.” The girl looked up to Vivi. “My name is Wisp, and I’m like you!” She grinned.

“What do you mean?” Vivi asked.

Cleo sighed. “Dear,” she said, leaning over and giving the girl a gentle smile. “She doesn’t know what you’re talking about. Slow down and start from the beginning, okay?”

“Oh, okay,” Wisp nodded. “Um, my name is Wisp… and uh… um… I’m like you, because… um… oh! We both like being girls!” Her face glowed with pride as she seemingly solved the puzzle

“I, uh… that’s not wrong, but…” Vivi looked at the girl with an increasingly perplexed look.

Cleo gave a nervous chuckle. “Guess I should explain. You see…”

“Momma, can I go play?” Wisp interrupted her.

“Uh…” Cleo looked at her, her thoughts derailed by the girl’s sudden request. “There’s not really anywhere to play here…” She frowned.

“That’s okay,” Ichika smiled. “Leah, Carmen and I can play with her while you explain things.”

“Huh,” Carmen yelped. “Wait, when did I get roped into this? And why not Vivi?” she protested.

“Come on, Carm, it’ll be fun,” Leah said, pulling at the distressed girl.

“Yay! I get to play with all sorts of pretty ladies!” Wisp cheered as she followed the three further away.

Cleo took a deep breath. “She’s quite the handful, isn’t she?” Annie observed.

“You have no idea,” Cleo sighed. “I love her, but she can be so exhausting sometimes.”

Cleo sighed as the girls looked at her worriedly. “Um,” Vivi started. “What is the deal with Wisp exactly?” she asked.

“Yeah, we were talking about it before you got here. You seem a little young to be her mom, but…” Annie frowned.

“I suppose that’s as good a place to start as any,” Cleo sighed again as she leaned against her car. “Wisp…” Cleo’s face twisted with frustration. “She’s been through a lot. Before all of this started, she was just one of my neighbor’s kids. She was an energetic kid, but also had this air of discomfort about her. Back then… she went by a different name, and was… different.” Cleo’s voice was tense and uncertain as she explained. “But after the Magic Mist happened, she changed into the young fairy girl you’ve seen.”

“She was different?” Vivi repeated. “And then she changed into…” Her eyes wandered towards the playful Wisp. “Thinking about it, she said some stuff when we first met. Like hoping I got to be myself soon. And what she just said about how we like being girls.” She smiled softly. “I guess that means we have more in common than I thought.”

“That’s what she told me too.” Cleo smiled. “Finding someone like herself has made her really happy. Almost as happy as when she first changed. But that didn’t last long, unfortunately.” Cleo frowned.

“Why’s that?” Melody asked. “Did something happen?”

Cleo gave a slow nod. “Her parents reacted really terribly to her transformation. It was bad enough that it caused her to run away,” Cleo sighed. “She even shrank into a tiny sprite to hide in some of the bushes near our apartment. That’s when I found her. She was scared and alone, and when I learned that her parents had treated her so harshly, I… I just couldn’t stand aside and do nothing, so I chose to take her in.”

“You really are a kind person, aren’t you?” Annie smiled. “Taking in a girl you barely even knew like that.

“I try my best.” Cleo smiled back.

Melody looked to Cleo and took a breath. “I’m not sure I really want to ask this, but have you talked to her birth parents since then?”

“I have.” Cleo frowned. “I didn’t mention that she was staying with me, and I’m honestly glad I didn’t. Those people, they just started tearing into me, demanding to see her so they could discipline her.” She shivered. Vivi looked at her in horror.

“They wanted to punish her for being a girl? Even though it makes her happy?” Vivi’s voice shook.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Cleo sank in place. “I can’t stand people like that, so when they questioned me on her whereabouts, I just lied and said I didn’t know,” she sighed. “I know there are probably going to be consequences, but I couldn’t let Wisp go with them. If I did, who knows what would have happened to her. I’ve heard of parents harming their kids over stuff like this, and imagining them trying to control her appearance and all the abuse… I mean, they threw out their son for similar reasons.”

“Their son?” Annie grimaced.

“He’s a good guy,” Cleo sighed. “A little odd, but passionate. A bit of a flirt. I’ve seen him with a number of men and women, which tended to upset his parents. Apparently, they threw him out when that mist swept through. Something about him becoming part wolf and his parents blaming it on his sexuality. Or at least, that’s what I gathered from what Wisp said. She wasn’t really clear on all of it herself.”

“That’s awful.” Melody gripped her armrests, a flash of anger and swell of sadness steaming in her misting eyes. “Parents like that are the worst,” she whimpered before looking back to Cleo. “I know it probably wasn’t an easy decision, but I’m glad you rescued her from that situation.”

“Thanks.” Cleo smiled. “It’s definitely been hard. When I found her, I was coming home from…” She gripped her arm as her eyes seemed to flash with anger and sorrow. Vivi hesitated for a moment as she remembered those eyes. She had seen them when she connected with Cleo’s heart. There was so much sadness and fury. Then there was a lot of sorrow and pity, as well as a sense of love and anguish. All because of a girl, but all of her vitriol was targeted at a group of men she couldn’t identify. Vivi didn’t know what happened, but she figured someone close to her had gotten hurt that day. No, not just close, someone precious. Cleo shook her head. “I was already pretty upset, and things weren’t exactly easy after it happened either.

“I won’t say I didn’t want to be a mother.” Cleo frowned. “But the idea still felt like it was pretty far into the future for me. It was more of a ‘one day’ rather than a ‘I want to be a mom soon.’ And then suddenly, here I am, with my own little girl to take care of. I’ve had to figure out how to get food for both of us. Get her things that could help her feel comfortable and try to help her heal.” She sighed again. “I don’t even know if it’s even enough. Sure, she’s smiling more now, but is she really okay? Does she still feel afraid and alone, and just doesn’t show that to me?” She wondered aloud. “I’m just constantly worried that I’m going to screw things up. And then something just snapped eventually.”

“What do you mean snapped?” Melody asked.

“I’ve told this to Annie, and I think Vivi picked up on it already, but I’ve never had good luck with men in my life. My dad was an abusive piece of shit before he died in a DUI. I’ve been harassed by teachers, classmates, heck even the police joined in when I tried getting help. And then that night happened.

“It wasn’t long after that Magic Mist showed up. I found myself getting chased by a group of men working for that creep, Gunther. They tried attacking me for whatever reason, and in my panic, I suddenly managed to use my new magic abilities,” she said, raising her hand to her chest, an electric current zapping between her fingers. “It was like a flip was switched inside of me. It just came so easily to me, much easier than Gunther’s goons, and it was so much more powerful. Then after that night, I made a decision. If I was blessed with these powers, I should at least use them to do something good.”

“Which led you to start hunting all those men?” Annie asked.

“Yes.” Cleo frowned. “I know how it sounds, but even now, a lot of the people hurting others are the same awful men that were abusing their power in the first place. I just want to protect others from them… even if it means I wind up being seen as a monster by other people.”

“I’m not sure if it’s respectable or not,” Melody sighed. “But I kind of empathize. My father was never that awful, but I’ve known others whose fathers were,” she explained, Annie nodding quietly beside her. “I’ve also known my fair share of sexist and homophobic men. There’s definitely a lot of toxic women out there, but those type of men...” She shivered at the thought of them.

Vivi cringed as they talked about their abusers. She couldn’t help but feel out of place. Even if she knew plenty of awful guys, like her English teacher or that jerk who always harassed her, it wasn’t really comparable, was it? Even if she felt singled out for some impossible to identify reason. Even if a lot of what they said sounded oddly familiar. It had to be different, right?

“Vivi?” Annie looked at her. “Are you alright?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine,” Vivi nodded.

“If you say so.” Annie frowned.

“Anyway, you know what happened next. I pissed off Gunther, which led to the fight at the mall.” Cleo grimaced. “I don’t know, maybe I deserved it, but I couldn’t just accept things as they were going anymore. There are so many vulnerable people out there, and I want to try helping them, even if it’s not the best way to do it.”

“I can’t say I agree with your methods,” Melody frowned, “but I can’t find it in me to argue either. Heck, that creep Gunther even trapped me in a tank so he could do God knows what to me, and I don’t want anyone else suffering like that. I don’t accept the idea of killing them or anything of the sort, but I don’t have a better idea either. And it’s not like the police really help or protect anyone, and that was before we had people running around throwing fireballs and having magical brawls in open daylight. I’m not even sure if there is a good solution anymore.”

“Exactly, that’s why…” said Cleo.

“That’s why we should work together and find a solution, together,” Annie interrupted. “I don’t think anyone here will argue that things are easy, or that your reasoning is flawed. If anything, I kind of wish things were that simple. But they aren’t. And even if they were that black and white, we have to protect ourselves too. I mean, what happens if you get arrested? Where will Wisp go? What will she do?”

Cleo was speechless. She mumbled partial attempts at an answer but couldn’t find one. She finally began to frown. “I know all of that. But…” she trembled, a tear running down her cheek. “But what the damn hell is this power good for if I can’t protect anyone,” she muttered. “If I can’t protect a little girl like Wisp, or anyone else I care about, what’s even the point.”

“Um…” Vivi piped up. “I may not have any good answers either. I mean, all this talk about the police and things being black and white feels a little hard for me to really get right now. But we’ve gotten this far by working together. When Ichika felt all alone and her powers were getting out of control, I managed to reach out to her because I knew I had friends who would help her too. And we all managed to save Melody from Gunther too. Maybe there isn’t an easy answer, but we can at least try together, right?”

“You…” Cleo looked at Vivi uncertainly, then began to smile. “You shouldn’t,” she scowled. “I’ve already made a lot of enemies. And if you ally with me, then you could just get pulled into my fights.”

“But Cleo…” Vivi tried to object. Her mouth hung open as she noticed a car on the other side of the garage. It was black, with white doors and… “Is that a police car!?” she yelped.

“A what!?” Cleo looked behind her, watching the car cruise by.

“What are they doing here?” Melody questioned.

“A patrol maybe? Hopefully they didn’t notice us,” Annie said with an optimistic tone.

“I’m not taking any chances,” Cleo grimaced. “Wisp! We’re leaving!” she called out to the young girl. Wisp looked to her with shock and sadness then started to pout. She said something in protest, but her voice didn’t carry well, leaving it as an unintelligible whimper as the girls around her looked about in confusion. Cleo dashed towards her, reaching for the girl. Suddenly, a sudden bang erupted from the distance. Vivi grasped her mouth in shock. That sound was certainly what she feared it was.

Cleo held Wisp, shaking in fear as she felt a chill cross her skin. She looked up in horror as she saw the offending bullet, captured in ice. Ichika stood beside her, a furious look upon her face, her pure blue eyes piercing the ice and eyeing the officers glaring back at her.

“Come out with your hands up!” a man’s voice called.