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Mom left Megan a note that dad would be home for dinner, so everyone could eat together, but that it would be later then usual.  7:30PM.

Mom brought take-out from the deli, which was unusual.  It was all the parts needed to make a meal though, so mom made sure to cover all the food groups.  After the table was set Dad got in, and everyone got cleaned up and sat down to eat.

DONNIE: "Tell me that they're not going to cancel all the team sports for the year."

MOM: "The school district is talking about requiering genetic and drug testing for anyone who participates in any school sponsored athletic group.  They're worried that paranormals have an unfair advantage, and that made the other kids resort to drugs to try and compensate."

DAD: "Well, the City Council is certainly paniced.  They want the police to crackdown on the trafficing of this stuff in the schools.  We might be able to get state funding for more officers at the schools, since it seems this problem is only near Chicago thee might be a chance to get some money from them to help out too."

Megan managed to keep her face neutral when her mom mentioned the testing.  While the cheerleading team was an athletic team, they did not compete, so Megan had a secret hope that they would not be required to do the testing.  If they did…she had no idea what she would do. 

“That is so lame.”  She said.  “From what I have heard, it doesn’t sound like they took the drugs to compete with paranormals, it was because a coach gave it to them.  Most likely to make sure they win!”

“What if someone is paranormal but has powers that they can’t use to an advantage?”  She asks.  “Like, say someone that can burst into fire or something.  They can hardly use that to their advantage without anyone knowing.  They going to be kicked off a team just because of that?”

DAD: "Well, the problem with that is there is no way to know what someone with paranormal powers can actually do.   Professional atheletes are banned because of the uncertainty, so the same rule should be applied here."

DONNIE: "Yeah, I don't care if someone can breath water or turn into rock, I don't want to have to compete against them if there is the slightest chance they have an unfair advantage."

Megan looks over at Donnie and gives him a slightly nasty look and then focus back on her father.  “But professional athletes are paid and that can lead to lots of reasons for wanting to keep unfair advantages out of the picture there.  While sports in schools are competitive, they are also a means of being involved in the school.  If coaches really mean the junk about ‘winning isn’t everything’, why should the same rule apply?”

DAD: "Because they can't garuntee any degree of safety if they don't.  There are issues of the ability for a paranormal to control their powers under stress."

“Safety issues?  That is so lame dad, what safety problems have a real paranormal caused in school sports so far?  The only thing I have seen or heard about are idiots taking that superman drug.”  Megan replied, still not willing to let the matter drop.  “And saying its because your worried about a paranormal not being able to control their powers under stress, that is lame too.  That mean they shouldn’t be able to take the SATs?  I remember how stressed out Denise was over those.  You know, maybe they shouldn’t even be allowed in school at all, its pretty stressful.  But then, so is life in general!”

DAD: "Special arrangements could be made for the SATs, sports is a group event.  This has been an issue for a while, just waiting for something to boil over and bring it into the public eye.  The school district wont be able to get the genetic and blood testing to hold up in court, so they're going to have to take he only logical course of action left to them.  They aren't required to have organized athletics.  Some schools are already cutting them to free up the budget money for education, since less then five percent of the school is usually the recipient of a very large portion of the budget.  Usually the school booster clubs are able to pick up the slack, but in this case they'll just cut the programs altogether."

MOM: "That was talked about, but some of the board of education are hoping for the parents that really want their kids in the sports programs will sign waivers for the tests.  For kids hoping for a scholarship, they'll have to."

“Who gives a damn about the SATs, that was just one example of how life can stress you out!”  Megan shot back at her dad, her voice starting to rise.  “Special arrangements?  You know how stupid that sounds?  Life is a group event!  What are you going to do, make special arrangements all through their lives?  Or better yet, just exclude them from society all together?”

“And shutting down the athletic programs is a pretty stupid response!  For how many of the kids involved in some of these programs are they the only thing keeping them in school, and out of gangs and off drugs?  Because a few people are being idiots the schools are going to ruin many more lives?”

Megan's dad looks at her for a moment, then at her mother.  "First off, raising your voice to me is not the answer.  Yes, life is a group event and the response to anything like this is usually a knee jerk reaction.  The problem is Megan there is no good answer to the issue.  It's always a few people who ruin it for everyone else.  I appreciate your enthusiasm for the arguement, but every time some program is cut from schools someone suffers.  When they cut funding for music and art, you don't think there were kids that lost the only place they felt at home?  If they try to screen for drugs, certainly a reasonable response, then they might be able to keep the programs.  That'll work until some kid with paranormal powers hurts someone on the field, then they'll be forced to take the next step that is sure to create a shit-storm.  It's happened before, but in the last few years parents groups have really gotten nasty about keeping paranormals out of the athletic programs in public schools.  Their claims that it's cost 'normal' kids scholarships have been taken more seriously lately.  That's one of the reasons the paranormal registration legislation has come back around."

Megan listened to her father, remaining quite.  There seemed to be little that could be done about things at the moment, and likely nothing that could be done at all to stop the testing.  All these problems so far were being caused by people using drugs to gain powers, and that was creating hatred for people that really had powers but were not doing anything illegal. 

“So a mob mentality is taking root?  Wonderful, what will they turn against next?”  Megan said in a much lower voice.  “Was that all this ‘special’ dinner was about?”

MOM: "Megan!"  mom's tone was a mix of shock and unhappiness, "What is wrong with you today?"

DAD:  "Well, I also heard back from our lawyer today about the settlement with Lawson Labs.  They've agreed to our initial number  and to treat any conditions that arise from your exposure to the chemicals at the lab.  They'll need to do a full physical exam annually to make sure there isn't anything that might be linked back to the exposure.  They gave me seven years as a timeframe, just to be on the safe side, but we can extend it or adjust it if you want."

Megan sighed slightly, she had not really wanted to upset her mom, but so many things just seemed to be caving in on her.  She felt almost as if she was being backed into a corner, and the only ways out all seemed to have bad ends.  “Just so much has been happening lately mom.  First Cal moves back to Texas, then have to watch that insanity at the game Saturday, from the sidelines no less and then all athletics being suspended for now today and now this.”

When her father started speaking about the settlement negotiations with Lawson Labs, she had almost forgotten about that, seeing as her dad, or more truthfully, lawyers from his old firm, were running everything.  “That sounds fine with me if you think it is good enough.”  Megan replied calmly, though inside she was a bit afraid at what those yearly checkups might show.

As the topic of the lab accident was up, Megan figured that this might be a good way to raise her own personal concerns regarding the possible testing.  “What if the chemicals from the lab somehow come up in any testing they might do on the cheerleading squad.”  She asked her mom and dad as she looked back up at them.

DAD: "Well, they're testing for drugs and this would be something that's in your medical records so it wouldn't be a problem."

MOM: "If there were some genetic component to any effects from the chemicals I assume that would be the same, right?"

Dad shrugs, "Well, unless the accident gave her super powers, in which case it might be an issue if they managed to get genetic screening pushed through."

Great, not the answer I wanted to hear.  Megan thought, hoping that the genetic testing part would not be done, or that they might at least not test the cheerleaders, as they were not involved in any competitions unlike some other squads were.  Deciding it might be a good idea to change the topic after the last thing her father said, Megan brings up something she was not sure she wanted to know the answer to.

“Dad, there is something else I was wondering if you have heard anything about.”  She asks, somewhat nervously.  “Lots of people in school have been talking about some pictures that were somehow taken in some of the girls’ showers and some boys have been caught with.  I would figure that would become a police mater, likely child pornography or something.  Have you heard anything from them as to whether I might be in any of those pictures?”

Mom almost spits food across the table, "WHAT?"

DAD: "Erin, relax.  I've talked to the cheif, and he's got people working the case.  The problem is they think a paranormal is involved because of the content of the pictures it puts the camera in places that no one could put a camera.  They think it might be someone that can become invisible.  As for the child pornography statute, it would be hard to get a juvenile conviction with it.  As for if you're in any of them, honestly honey the police only have a handful and we're sure there are plenty we haven't seen."

“That isn’t very reassuring dad, and not really an answer either.”  Megan replies.  “Invisible huh?  There is also someone stealing stuff all over school, right out of people’s hands even!  Just Thursday Cleo’s iPod was snatched from her hand at our table in the cafeteria.  Maybe it’s the same guy?” 

Then the blond teen gets a smile as she continues.  “But I have a plan.  Today I just got a tracking device I ordered online.  Tomorrow I am putting it in my iPod and seeing if I can’t get it taken by this mysterious thief.  Then the Principle and school police can find whomever it is.”

DAD: "That's pretty clever.  If you really want to find out about those pictures try to see if you know anyone who knows the person selling them.  No one that's been arrested yet has given up the person they bought them from.  Maybe with that the police can find the person responsible."

“Thanks daddy, but if I don’t manage to catch the jerk, then it probably isn’t too clever.”  Megan replied with a little grin.  That then faded as she responded to the rest of what he said.  “I think the last think I want to be doing is asking around trying to find out who is selling pictures from the girls’ showers.”  The blond teen shudders slightly at the thought of that.  “All that can like lead to is me getting a reputation I probably don’t want.”

“I am not even sure I want to know the answer, its just a bit troubling to wonder if there might be pictures of me out there, and if the next boy that asks me out has seen them or not.”