"-assure you, I had nothing to do with this. Erica is very special to me, and I would never do anything to hurt her. Although, I agree the resemblance is uncanny. I would think the same thing if I were you."
"Hrmm. You'll have to forgive me my suspicions."

"I know where you're coming from, and I know what this looks like. But I only use my powers for humane purposes. I only use them on myself and people who are about to die. She did this to herself somehow. I suspect her true power might be even more dangerous than mine."
"I shall have to take you at your word, then, Miss Planner..."

"To tell you the truth, it doesn't come as much of a surprise to me that she would do something like this. You have to understand that Erica is a little different from most people. She's very sensitive, and that makes it hard for her to do things that most other people take for granted. But I've always considered it a blessing that someone like her exists. She’s a sweet, gentle girl, and a wonderful person, and... well, it's a shame that the rest of the world seems incapable of seeing that side of her, and I'm afraid it's led to a lot of misunderstandings and problems for her."
"It's clear that you care for her a great deal."

"Of course I do! If there's one person who deserves to be happy, it's her. I can't thank you enough for this."
"It's no problem. It's no problem at all. It is only right to help those in need."

Erica slowly opened her blurry, irritated eyes. She was laying on the leather couch in Michael's office. Miss Planner was holding her firmly in her arms and stroking her back to soothe her and the former Sage of Destruction was standing nearby with a solemn expression on his face. Her whole body was sore and ached all over. She could barely even move her head, she was so tired. Her arms and legs felt constrained... they were wrapped up in shiny black bandages.

"Erica! Are you alright? How are you feeling?"
"Yeah... I'm fine... what... what happened?"

"The Teacher of Destruction put you to sleep for a little while. Don't worry. You're perfectly safe now."
"I feel terrible..."

The old Sage patted Erica on the head like she was a little baby. He was being so kind and protective. So loving. Erica blushed and looked away. Miss Planner smirked.

"It's to be expected. Your body is probably very confused right now."
"My power... it went out of control. It started... talking to me, and taking over my body... I couldn't think... I couldn't do anything..."

"It's a very extreme power you have, Erica. But you're going to be just fine. The Chosen Ones are very experienced with this sort of thing. I can't even imagine what you went through, but it's over now, and everything is going to be all right."
"Thank you, Jessica..."

It felt so nice to have someone hold her like this. The tone of Jessica's voice was so caring and loving. Her touch was so tender. She didn't want her to ever let go. She wanted to stay like this forever.

"Poor girl. It's okay to ask for help sometimes, you know. You don't have to wait for things to go completely crazy before you let someone else know what’s going on. I'm here for you, and I want you to rely on me whenever you need to. Okay?"
"O-okay..."

"Indeed, child. We are always ready and willing to lend a helping hand whenever needed. Some matters are best dealt with quickly before they grow out of control. I am glad that you came and found me before the worst came to pass."
"Um... yes... thank you so much..."

Erica smiled. Her head fell back against the sofa. She was drifting off in Jessica's soft embrace. The Sage left the room quietly. Erica's breathing became slower.

"You were very brave today, Erica."
"Ugh... ngh..."

Miss Planner patted Erica lightly on the back until she fell back into dreamless sleep. The exhausted girl slept for another full two hours while Miss Planner watched over her from across the room, taking the opportunity to help herself to Michael's work computer and catch up on some e-mails.

The incredible extent of Flawed Copy's power shook Miss Planner to the core. She almost couldn't believe how much Erica's body had changed in just a few short days.

"I've been modifying my bones and muscles for years... and sweet little Erica caught up to me in the blink of an eye. No, her body is probably even better than mine at this point... maybe I should bring her down to the lab and dissect her. Hehe. Just kidding."

Erica's face rested in a gentle smile, but the thoughts that raced around inside her head were chaotic and confused. Miss Planner was quietly talking to herself as she often did and Erica kept thinking it was Flawed Copy. She gave off the occasional moan or groan and a few involuntary twitches.

"It's going to be a real challenge taming this monster. It's a shame, but this isn't really my area of expertise. Maybe Elder Omen could help me set up a psychic formation or something... hmmm. It's not worth the risk to try to get him involved, is it?"

Erica's body shuddered. Miss Planner didn't notice. She continued talking to herself, lost in her own private world.

"I wonder if... no. But maybe, since she's such a good, obedient girl... hehe. I bet she'd love to be able to talk like I do. I could teach her all sorts of tricks! I bet it won't take long... a month or two... a year... and then everything will be taken care of. It'll be easy if I just... hehehe."