Chapter 9 – Saved by the Bell
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International Mouse of Gadgetry @mtcmouse - 10 minutes ago

Do you think building a helmet for my delivery guy would fuck with his powers in any way? 

I

International Mouse of Gadgetry @mtcmouse - 8 minutes ago

Like he makes rifts by headbutting the air to places, and I don’t know half the time if he’s okay. I guess thankfully he’s Canadian

I

International Mouse of Gadgetry @mtcmouse - 8 minutes ago

So he gets free healthcare now that they’ve dealt with their bullshit. But, still, poor guy. I should look into getting more folks. Maybe contact a union or something. 

 

Clark was currently chilling on my couch, drinking some chocolate milk. It was January now, so the kids had to return to school. I wasn’t worried about Klára going back, she’s not emerged and she’s been out as a lesbian for a couple years. Took self defense classes as well, just to be sure. Plus some martial arts. 

 

I was worried about Šárka’s first day of being a girl at school. Now, me and her had showed up just before new years, to update information with the school. Since the custody transfer papers were legit, and seeing the state Šárka’s dad was in, she was officially my foster daughter now, so we had to let the school now. So, while there, she had started off the meeting in boy mode, despite my assurances, and her clear discomfort, to demonstrate stuff to the faculty. So let me just flashback to when that happened. 

It was December 30th. It was sad to see Šárka with brown hair now, instead of the vibrant pastel pink she adored. Boy jeans, a baggy t-shirt and sweater, and the disguise was complete. And she looked absolutely miserable in it. The shy smile I got used to seeing on her face turned into a slight frown, her eyes usually so full of life half closed and looking dead inside. Her posture slouched and hunched over and closed off, looking down on the ground with her hands in her pockets. I rang the bell to the school, the buzzer going off. “Yes, hello, this is Bridget Crackspanner. I called earlier about becoming the foster parent for one of your students, and needing to update records to reflect that, plus another situation?” Be fucking thankful you’re reading this story in English instead of Czech, you have no idea how difficult it was to not misgender Šárka. And I still unfortunately ended up needing to do it with some words for now. I don’t think even the Collar of Truth zapping us would cause us to have expressions as pained as the two of us had now. 

 

The sliding doors inside opened and we made our way up the stairs to the secretary office connected to the principal’s office. The secretary there was definitely surprised to see me walk in. “Yeah yeah I turned into a mouse girl during the emergence, I’m already registered and legal and stuff, wouldn’t have been able to become a foster mom for a child otherwise.” She shook her confusion out quickly. “Is the principal in for the important bit I alluded to?” She nodded at me and handed me some forms to fill in. “Thanks will do these soon enough.” 

 

I had graduated from the school more than 4 years ago now, and the office was still the same. I guess having the same president there on the wall as when I was back in school helped with that feeling. Just like it did seeing my old principal. God this was going to be a double whammy for him, a former student outing herself and a current student doing so as well? Oof. “Good day Principal, long time no see.” I extended my hand towards him and he reluctantly shook it. 

 

“Long time no see? I believe we’re meeting for the first time, Miss Crackspanner.” He definitely looked baffled. 

 

“Right yeah, I was going here under a different name back then. Do you know Klára Maidenburgová? Yeah, that’s my younger sister.” The realisation dawned on him. 

 

“I- but- you- wh-what?!?! Uhm? Okay, that surprised me there.” He sat down and offered me and Šárka a seat as well. “So you… changed into this?” He gestured to my ears, and I shrugged. 

 

“Gets me views on youtube, and I feel cute with them. Today isn’t about me though. Not completely.” I took the seat and Šárka sat next to me, looking down at her hands as she fidgeted. “You already heard the part where I took this student in, as a foster child. I’m trying very hard right now not to use any gender for the child while speaking, as, well…” That was Šárka’s queue. I heard her take a breath deeper than I ever heard before. Her hair shifted back to the lovely pink tint we both adored, her clothing shifted into more of a school girl outfit to nail the point home, making it clear she wasn’t exactly boy shaped anymore, even if it was early in her transition. Must crucial though, she straightened herself out, sat more upright, with more confidence, as the shy smile and life in her eyes returned. 

 

“Principal, I’m… a girl. Not just from emerging, that didn’t even… really turn me into a girl in a way I expected.” She scratched her chin and flashed a sharky grin, before continuing. “My name is Šárka. I can like probably get mom to sign me a gym exclusion paper to avoid any fiasco there.” She was looking him directly in the eyes, as his dumbfounded look from before returned. 

 

“If you need to do a workshop on how to deal with trans people, for both the school and faculty, I could probably organise one with some folks from Trans*Parent. Simplest way to say it though?” I stood up, to go behind Šárka and hold her shoulders. “The student before you is a girl named Šárka. You knew her under a different name, and believed her to be a different gender. That information was incorrect. The correct information is that she’s a girl named Šárka.” She nodded to affirm the information I was telling the principal. “It doesn’t matter what she’s packing, what her chromosomes are, what she was assigned at birth, what hormones she has.” 

 

“But I am going through girl puberty instead of guy puberty, for sure, ever since the emergence happened. I think you can tell from my voice.” The principal nodded at Šárka’s addition, before he cleared his throat. 

 

“Well today has been… surprising, and educational. Uhm. I think I might take you up on that workshop thing about trans people.” He grabbed a piece of paper and started writing down on it. “Possibly combine it with maybe a workshop on emerged since you both have… gone through that?” He handed me the paper, it was his direct number to contact him about it. I grabbed it, quickly filled out the forms I needed to, left them with him and added one informing him about Šárka’s transition. 

And so we find ourselves here again. January 7th, with Clark sipping chocolate milk on my couch at 2 pm, as I awaited my daughter’s return. I had Ben and Jerry’s in the freezer. I had a couple two litres of Kofola in the fridge. My hugs were ready for deployment if it went badly. Dare was showing me a doodle of her breathing fire as an option for revenge. I do admit it was a cute drawing. The thoughts racing through my head were stopped when I heard the key turn in the lock, the door opening and the elevator whirring up, as Šárka entered the living room. 

 

My thoughts of course began racing right away as I saw her slouch a bit, but she faced me and smiled. Her eyes were exhausted in the way you get exhausted after a day of swimming, or amusement parks. They didn’t look exhausted in the way they look when you work in customer service. She set down her backpack and walked over to me to give me a hug. “All the other emerged kids at school got like, slight levitation or writing their thoughts on paper with a touch if they hold material for it. Pretty weak stuff. I was the only one with a cool power. And everyone wanted to see.” She let go of the hug and sat down on the couch next to Clark, who gave her a fist bump. 

 

“Oh phew okay wow so that’s one hurdle, uhm, what about the trans thing?” I fidgeted with my thumbs, as she kept smiling. 

 

“For a second it flew over people’s heads before it clicked. And… I ended up showing some transphobes the Shadow Zora form. As well as what it’s like in my puddles.” She leaned back and sighed. “There’s no policy about not using powers in school yet, since it’s so highly individualised. It’s not like they have power testing established to be able to go: Oh yeah, your power is a minor one you get to use it to help with schoolwork, okay you make fire fists no powers for you at school.” I heard Clark chuckle as he finished his milk. 

 

“Okay, thanks for the aspirin and the chocolate milk, Bridget. Ready for your delivery now.” He stood up and walked over to the crate, inspecting the address. “What are you sending to Japan?” He picked it up and turned towards me. 

 

“You ever seen Samurai Flamenco? Cool anime, I suggest it, ends with the vigilante and cop as boyfriends.” Clark turned his head to the side at my answer. “Anyways, there’s a vigilante whose schtick is being a magical girl. She has a magical girl staff that counts as a mace and a shock weapon. Person ordering it wanted a knock off.” He nodded at that, before he used his head and walked out. 

 

At that point, I sat down next to Šárka and gave her a hug. She giggled a bit. “They threatened the girl that can melt into shadows and become a shadow creature with violence. It was amazing to see them try to slam me or punch me, and I just puddled around them.” Her giggles turned into laughter. “Like five guys ended up punching each other from different years when I dodged them. Then I spooked them and went about my business.” She leaned into the hug as Dare joined us on my lap, for Šárka to pet and scratch. “A couple of the girls even want to hang out, thinking it’d be fun to have me as a dress up doll or something. I told them I’d ask my mom, and, well, that’s you.” I gave her a headpat.

 

“You should be more assertive about not being a toy, you little critter, but yeah you can invite your friends over.” I smiled and eased up at last. “There’s Ben and Jerry’s in the freezer, one each.” I barely registered Šárka zooming out of the hug and bringing the pints to the couch along with spoons. “I mean we should probably have a proper meal but like, you’ve probably had lunch at the cafeteria.” 

 

“Yes. It was okay. You know, mass produced meals meant to feed a crowd meaning they can’t focus on individuals, resulting in some loss of quality. But it was still a nice meal.” She spooned a hunk of ice cream in and smiled. God I love my adorable daughter. I ruffled her hair as she giggled with the spoon still in her mouth. 

 

“Well, I’m gonna start preparing for the presentation more. I mean sure I’ve had a week.” I began talking ten minutes later, after finishing my own pint, before standing up and making my way over to the workshop slash bedroom slash office. “Buuut I need to look more stuff up. Accounts from folks, any possible research. The trans part is EASY the folks from Trans*Parent do these all the time! The rest… not so much.” I sat down at my desk and began googling. Šárka had snuck up behind me and leaned on the chair in the process. 

 

“You should take Dare. If going Trans People Exist And Are Their Gender backfires, or Emerged Are Now A Thing Don’t Be Dicks doesn’t work, you can like… promote your channel and have a bunch of kids be interested in a robot.” Dare was on Šárka’s shoulder so she had an easy time scratching her chin. “Especially one that’s pretty much a talking pokemon. A feathered fox dragon, I mean… you might as well have built a Pikachu!” 

 

“This household already has a resident electrical mouse thank you. I have both an electrifying personality, shockingly good looks and paralysingly awe inspiring inventions.” I held my chin and smiled like the massive dork I am before Dare flicked her tail in my face. “Right. Work.”

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