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It's about 10:15 pm on monday night, and Colin, who has put his cellphone on vibrate not to alert his mom, keeps looking at it and at a bag on his table.

I'm being silly. She said she would call and she will. Or she won't, and that will just mean she fell asleep and tomorrow you'll just tease her a bit about that. There is no problem at all. Stop looking at htat damn phone and do something useful.

He sneaks a last peek at the cellphone, then goes at the table to check on is homework again.

OOC:  Unless something else happens, Sammy will have met with Sarah in the earlier part of the evening.  She will have asked if you guys want to go to Homecoming with her and El in the limousine El rented. 

I kinda thought that you girls would have opened your own thread for that, but thanks anyway. :)"

OOC: Interesting fact:  I'm an idiot.  I made both of these 'let's meet' suggestions but didn't actually ask so to open threads.  Fortunately Doc is on the ball.  I'll request one for me and Sammy though mostly this is just Sarah trying to show off her new talent.  Cause it's all about me! 

IC:
Sarah sits on the rooftop looking into the window of the Crow house.  Specifically Colin's room.  Unless there is another room with photos covering the wall.  She pulls out her cell phone and dials Colin's cell. 
"Hey there.  Can I drop in for a minute?"

The phone buzzes, and it's like homework never existed.

"Hey wondergirl. Of course you can. Ring me on the phone when I should open the door. Or... I could drop the ladder from my window. Your call."

*zwip*  The strange sudden noise of quantum super-im...  teleportation is heard over the cell at the same time as it is heard in his own room.  Sarah closes her cell and smiles at Colin.  "No, that's okay.  I'll let myself in."  

She grins wide, "Guess who figured out what happened the other night?"

"Oh."

It takes Colin a second or two to realize what's happened.


"Oh!"

Then finally the implications hit him in full.

"God and Great Spirit, you really did it! You can teleport now!"

He runs a hand through his hair.

"That's... so cool I don't really know what to say. How does it work? Have you experimented with it a bit? How does it feel like?"

"It's... well... Morpheus was telling me something about quantum something.  I don't know how it works.  I've tried a few things with it.  I don't have a big range yet but Morpheus said that I'd be traveling pretty far with it eventually.  I can bounce all around a few hundred feet super easy and if I take a few seconds to concentrate I can jump out about a mile.  I went farther a couple of times but it left me feeling kind of light headed like when you do a sprint at the end of a race."

She recalls the moment and grins.  "Still it's a good sign.  I'm still getting the hang of it and there is a lot more to learn.  Like a big one Morpheus says I really need to learn.  Teleporting to an unseen location.  If I can see where I'm going to land it's no problem.  But right now it scares the crap out of me thinking about teleporting I don't know.  I mean, I could end up in the ground or in a wall or a hundred feet above the ground.  The trick is focus, which you might have noticed is not the easiest thing for me.  Not just on where I'm going but what sort of space I take up when I get there.  Lots of practice.  It was fun just hopping around.  A little tiring after a while.  As for how it feels?  It's ... it's a little strange.  Like for half a second you are going really really fast even though you haven't moved.  I mean scary fast.  Like space ship taking off in a movie fast."

"Can you... carry someone with you?" Colin tries not to sound too hopeful.

Sarah grins, "Sure!  Want to go get some coffee or ice cream or something?  It's a little tricky.  It's easier to see from the rooftops but I think we can take a minute just to hop down a few blocks on the sidewalk instead.  It's late enough that there aren't many people on the street."

"Ok. Let's try it. What do I do?"

"Just hold my hand."  Sarah holds out her hand to Colin and looks at the sidewalk outside.  When he's ready...  *zwip!* A half block away between street lights she looks at Colin with a little bit of worry.   "How was that?  You okay?  No uh.. motion sickness or um.. Morpheus would have some sort of scientific phrase with destabilization or morphic something or other."

"No, it was just a bit... How can I say... stingy." he says rubbing his hand on his jeans for a moment.

"It's really cool, anyway. Let's get our ice-cream and then come back. I have a little something for you. I hope you'll like it."

*zwip* *zwip* *zwip*  And down the block was the ice cream parlor.  Sarah walks with Colin the last few feet into the light of the store and smiles.  "This new talent is going to be so dangerous for my diet.  I mean I eat... and now I'm going to have to make extra effort to go running all the time and not just..."  She snaps her fingers.  "I think I'm just going to get one scoop." 

"Take two and see what happens. John has to eat a lot. Maybe zwipping burns up your energies too. Or you don't feel like that?" he asks, giving her a close look.

"I always feel like taking two scoops and it's got nothing to do with burning up power calories and everything to do having a love for all things sweet.  So I'm going to stick with one.  I was thinking about taking a lot more trips to the city now.  I can finally get around enough to be more than a crossing guard for Oak Park.  Not that we haven't had more than our share of trouble.  Anywhere you want to go sometime you let me know.  Chicago is a piece of cake.  I'd aim for New York but I'm wondering if I'd get bored or worn out.  I'd hate to be in the middle of nowhere and run out of gas.  Plus it would be like five hundred jumps.  That's a lot.  Even if I did five a minute it would take most of two hours.  Unless I ran out of juice.  Hmm.. maybe I'll consider it.  I should bring Megan or John along ... if I can bring him, he's an armful huh?  That way I've got a ride home just in case.  No that's dumb.  Sammy.  I wonder how far she's flown?  I'll have to ask her."

Sarah looked over the ice cream selection.  "So what's your favorite flavor?" 

Colin smiles apologetically.

"I know it sounds really boring, but... vanilla?"

When it's his turn to order, he too goes for only one scoop.  He's too polite to indulge in a pleasure his girl denies herself. And if she isn't quick enough, he pays for her too.

Sarah asks for a scoop of strawberry and lets Colin pay.  "Vanilla isn't boring.  I really like vanilla.  It goes with everything.  If I get a milkshake it is either vanilla or strawberry.  I like milkshakes the best but they are four or five scoops of ice cream."

She finds a spot to sit with Colin and relax for a little while.  "Now that I have a way of getting around we'll have to go on a date into the city some time.  See a museum or a play or something.  Not that we couldn't before but..."  she shrugs.  "I guess I've been a little worried about that dream you had.  I know I told you not to worry or whatever but I guess I'm pretty relieved that things worked out.  Tomorrow I've got to tell the rest of the crew about this new ability.  Partly I don't want them to think that I'm leaving them out but mostly because I get to show off.  So shallow right?"  She grins and brushes away the comment. 

"Oh!  Sammy asked if we'd like to ride in a limo with her and Elrod for Homecoming?"

"Have I already told you I love your new power? I can't wait to do that. Remember when we talked about traveling the world together?" he chuckles.


"The blackbird told me that sometime I'm only supposed to be a special witness for important events. This whole seeing th future part of my... job.... well I hope I get a hang of it soon. I can't leave in fear because of it. And I can't keep scaring you, either. I'm sorry about that."


"Sometimes showing off is good. Sammy, and Megan, and well, me too, we get to do that all the time. Your turn. Not shallow."


"Oh. A limo. Wow. Well, I can't say it wouldn't be cool. A limo. I have even trouble picturing myself in it. Your call really. I want it to be a perfect evening for you."

"Oh limo's are easy to be in," says Sarah.  She gets a distant look  and says, "We used to take one every so often when I was little.  Like when we'd go to a performance for a birthday or a holiday or just because.  Mom and Dad took them to go on their special dates.  Fortunately I got all the button pushing out of my system when I was five."  She smiles at the memory. 

"So really it's nothing all that special.  It's a big dark car with a couch in the back with seatbelts and a little fridge.  You could probably have all the same kind of setup in a Honda Element or even the VanGo if the fridge didn't overtax the power supply.  Just the limo rides really smoothly, like when your flying with Sammy."

"Then the Limo it is. Heh. Did I tell you that I have something for you at home? It's nothing as cool, but I really hope it might be useful for you."

Sarah tilts her head, curious now and a sucker for anything remotely like a present.  "What is it?"  Useful?  What's useful to me?  A replacement brain!  He got me a new brain!  Awesome.  "Useful?  Like socks?"

"No, it won't keep you as warm. But I hope it'll help keep you afloat when you might otherwise start panicking, and that it'll remind you that I think you can do anything."

Sarah nods.  "Well now I have to see.  Are you ready to go?"

He takes her hand. "I am now."

*zwip*

Back in Colin's room, he opens the bag on his table to get out a gift-wrapped package and hands it to Sarah.

When she opens it it's clearly a book. And a book she wasn't expecting. This book. (http://www.amazon.com/Math-Call-Mathematics-Andrew-Kaplan/dp/0669508195/ref=sr_1_1/104-3703571-2757519?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184280692&sr=1-1)

It's a book on math. It's a huge book on math, more than six hundred pages. But it's choke full of colors, examples, advice, simple steps and warnings against the most common errors. Every chapter tries to turn math in a game, to make it easy, to make it likable. It's the book on math Colin would have written for her.

"I had a hard time finding the right one, but I think this is it. You see, in that... illusion, many of of us were given what they wanted but you... you probably didn't think too much of yourself in that moment. And I can't see why. Open it, please."

On the first page, Colin has written something for her.

To my wondergirl. For you have many wonders hidden inside, waiting only to shine. How can I show you all those stars, that stole my eyes away?

Sarah looks at the book.  It's a math book.  It's a FUN mathbook.  She smiles at Colin a little sadly and her eyes start to well up.  "It's really sweet Colin.  It's awesome that you think of me.. and are concerned about how I'm doing.  It's.. I.. I" 

Tears trickle down her face.  Inside the guilt of her math escape claws at her stomach.  She wipes away the tears and smiles again a little bit better.  "It's a really thoughtful present and it's way better than socks." 

She leans in and kisses Colin quick and gives him a hard hug.  "I'm sorry.. I think I'm not doing so well.  I've been playing up in the sky with Sammy and I'm out late having ice cream with you and... I gotta go."  Still holding the book in her hands she disappears.   *zwip* 

I made her cry again. What did I do wrong this time? Or... has it to do with her secret?

In a thoughtful mood, he looks for a while at the night outside his window.