Penelope sat quietly in her room, staring at the door that led out into the hall. She had had such a wonderful day: visiting the mansion again, talking with Ms. Taylor, signing up to go to school there, it was just too good to be true! She had finally found a place where she could really feel comfortable just being herself and no one else. It was finally a chance for her to be happy. To live the life that she always wanted to live. A life she couldn’t have around regular human beings because of certain aspects of her life.

A CERTAIN aspect that she was going to have to get under control if she wanted to stay at the mansion. She liked Chase, she like Victoria, and more than anything she wanted to stay at the mansion so that she could not only learn, but learn to control her abilities.

Control. There was the big thing, wasn’t it? There was always a fight for control.

It was a fight that she was going to have to eventually win.

Sitting in the dark, holding her stuffed rabbit Mr. Tickle in her hands, she carefully moisture her dry lips in thought. It hurt to think so much on this particular issue, but she knew that she didn’t have a choice. As hopeless as all of it seemed, it really was her only alternative.

She needed to gain control. The only way that she knew how to do that was she was going to have to make a deal.

Lying back in bed, Penelope closed her eyes and did her best to concentrate. As she did, she called out into the ether, the blackness behind her eyes, and muttered a single name:

Jezebel?

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… Jezebel?

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…

It took some time but eventually Penelope began to make something out the darkness behind her eyes. Slowly the darkness was pulled away and revealed light beginning to illuminate all around her. She blinked as she began to make out some type of landscape. Where was she? It was hard to make anything out of the abstract world that was coming into being.

She felt a ground, she could smell open spaces, but for some reason none of it was actually coming into being. Instead, despite the fact of what she could feel and smell, none of this world was making sense to her…and yet it made perfect sense.

Neutrality.

She could feel ground below her but nothing gave any express thought to swaying one way or the other. Nothing looked too much like her’s, and nothing looked too much like Jezebel’s.

This would be the middle ground. It was the place between her subconsciouses (though she didn’t know this), a place where both she and Jezebel could meet on equal grounds. To be honest she never thought that such a place existed. And yet it did. Hopefully that at least meant her mind wasn’t a total loss.

That was good to know. But now…she needed to find where Jezebel was…

Penelope felt like she had been walking forever. Moving through the dreamscape of whiteness, she couldn’t really tell if she were making any distance at all while she walked. All she knew was that she needed to keep walking. She called out Jezebel’s name and normally whenever she did, the red Amazon was never far behind. So she had to be somewhere around here, right? It only made sense that she would. Jezebel would never let Penelope think too long without her.

But if that were the case, then where was she? Surely she was somewhere in this vast ether of her dreams. Heh, wouldn’t that just be her luck? The one time she actually wanted to find that destroyer, and of course she decided to play hide and seek.

Still, Penelope was not about to allow herself to get discouraged. She would walk until her feet fell off if she had to. She didn’t know how long this dream was going to lat but she would keep going on until she finally did stumble across that red woman. Eventually she would find her, it was just a matter of when…and how.

What was the best way to get the attention of a psycho like Jezebel?

…

Waiting. That was her best option. Jezebel would find her. As much as Penelope didn’t want to give up looking for her, she knew that if Jezebel didn’t want to be found, she wouldn’t. She would have to wait until the Amazon found her.

Fine. Then so be it.

Penelope was already bored. She had decided to stop walking a bit ago since she feared that that Jezebel was probably hiding from her. But she had a feeling that Jezebel couldn’t resist finding out whatever Penelope wanted, walking thought he neutral zone of her dreams by herself. The very fact that she had to wait, though, was quickly beginning to weigh down upon her. How long could she possibly keep this up without anything to do?

She had already laid on the ground, stared upward, hummed to herself, and skipped around in circles but so far there was still no sign of Jezebel. She was beginning to think that maybe there was a flaw in her plan. As much as she wanted it to work out, she was beginning to really doubt.

But…maybe she was going about it the wrong way. This was a neutral place, right? What if…what if she added just the smallest embellishment of herself? Surely Jezebel couldn’t stand that. She would want to bust in almost automatically just to claim how unfair that would be. And, considering this was a dream, Penelope could probably do whatever she wanted!

That was definitely a grabber for Jezebel’s attention.

Focusing on what she could do, Penelope quietly bit her lip in thought. Hm…a rainbow? A landscape of her drawings? Maybe a giant talking Mr. Tickle! That would definitely get Jezebel’s attention. But no. She didn’t need her to appear angry. She just needed her to show up, hopefully as calm as possible just so that Penelope could get a few words in. Quickly she was running out of ideas on how to pull this off. If only she had something to drin—

She beamed. A civilized meeting? She knew just the thing…

The small table was nice. Penelope liked the sheet that was thrown over it. It was crisp, soft, white with little roses etched around the edges. It looked very fancy, like the kind that one only sees inside some kind of very expensive restaurant, where stains could never be found because the tablecloths were cleaned so immaculately. Those that could not be cleaned properly, though, were discard out into the trash heap.

But Penelope didn’t think about that. Instead, as her fingers brushed across the texture fabric, thinking to herself, she suddenly realized that she had seen this table cloth before. But it was not from any restaurant or other fancy place…it was from home. Her real, first home that was burned down to the ground.

She sniffled at the thought. She remembered the tablecloth well because she always did her best to make sure that she ruined nothing of her parent’s with her horseplay.

The truth was, though, it was ruined now. Burned into an ashen crisp because of the police officers who dared to invade her home. In reality the cloth was gone; but here, in her dreams, it would live on forever.

Speaking of…where was her constant companion? She lifted her gaze as she looked around the empty space filled only with herself and the cloth covered table. Still no sign of Jezebel. Unfortunate. She probably knew what she wanted to talk about. But, be that as it may, Penelope needed to talk to her and she was not going anywhere until she did.

Jezebel, get out here now, she said a little more forcefully. That ought to get her attent—

What do YOU want? issued that harsh, angry voice.

Penelope looked up as a dark shadow completely took over the crisp whiteness of the tablecloth. Turning in her chair, she was immediately greeted with a sight of RED. Standing extremely close to her was the tall, muscular frame of Mrs. Jezebel Tickle, the mutation that had gotten her kicked out of the school none too long ago. She was the epitome of everything that Penelope feared because she represented a complete lack of control. Whenever Penelope lost her own, this woman took the reins and proceeded to do things that were terrible and quite horrifying.

That needed to come to an end.

Penelope took a breath as she slid out of her seat. Her flowing, rainbow colored sundress hung loosely about her, while atop her head she wore a floppy hat of the same multitude of vibrant colors. Penelope liked colors. But in looking closely at the woman, she could see that indeed her look differed greatly from Jezebel. The woman herself was decked out in black leather all over: jacket, pants, high boots, all of it just clung to her curves and accented her bulging musculature.

Jezebel, she said quietly. We need to talk. Though her voice was stern, Penelope smiled as she walked over and pulled out Jezebel’s chair for her. After doing so, she began to pour from a kettle of tea that was sitting on the table top. Can you please sit?

Jezebel rolled her eyes as a look of disdain crossed her lips. Still, though, she conceded to sit at the seat offered to her.

Just tell me what you want, Jezebel grumbled. You’re obviously not here to let me out. So what is it?

Instantly Penelope could tell the good mood that Jezebel was in. Obviously she was being sarcastic with herself. Jezebel was only in a good mood whenever she was let out and could run amok. But she couldn’t let that happen right now. No, the two of them needed to talk and it was an important talk. She hoped and she prayed that Jezebel, for once, would listen to reason.

After pouring the tea for Jezebel, Penelope set the kettle down and returned to her own chair. Quietly she slipped back into the seat and smiled up at the towering woman that glared across at her.

Well? she asked angrily.

Penelope took a breath as she took a sip of her own tea. She smiled at the taste because it reminded her so much of the tea her mother made. That was probably why she was dreaming about it now.

Jezebel, she started. We have a problem. And I need to talk to you.

Jezebel rolled her eyes as she picked up the tea cup, placed it against her lips, and tilted the entire contents into her mouth. Streams of tea rolled down her neck as she drank from her cup dry and tossed the porcelain aside. It instantly smashed against the unseen floor, shattering into many tiny pieces that disappeared from view.

Then talk.

Penelope took a breath. To be honest she didn’t like conversing with Jezebel like this but she knew that this was the only way to go about it. But there was just something about those eyes; those fiery, molten eyes that looked as if they could strip the flesh off of bone. It was so scary that Penelope could hardly stand looking at the woman in the face.

But she would force herself today.

This was important. Meeting with her right now, discussing things with her, this was completely necessary if they were going to be able to continue to live with one another. They needed to co-exist, no matter how much one wanted the other gone. Only by working together could they get to any sense of normalcy in their lives.

All of this, though, was banking on the notion that Jezebel would actually listen to reason. Though Penelope didn’t like her chances, she had to try.

Jezebel…I…I remember what you did. On my last day at school.

Jezebel grinned at the comment.

You’re welcome, she said happily.

Penelope shook her head. No, Jezebel. I remember, but, you shouldn’t have done that. You hurt people. AND you got me thrown out of school!

So? They deserved it. They were humans.]

Penelope sighed. This was going to be like talking to a wall.

Several minutes (that seemed longer!) of talking and still Penelope was getting nowhere with Jezebel. No matter how she worded her concerns or the fact that what Jezebel did was wrong, all she was getting was a brick wall in response. Though she anticipated this, for some reason it seemed far more stubborn than she was originally thinking that she could be. In the end, though, maybe it was not so much stubbornness but the fact that Jezebel just didn’t know any better.

That thought alone was most exhausting. How could this ten year-old girl convince the red Amazon that what she was doing was a bad thing? Was there hope at all?

Jezebel, no, Penelope pleaded. You can’t just attack and hurt people who annoy you.

Oh, I don’t, she said with a nod.

Penelope looked up, a little surprised by the break through. You…don’t?

No. she said with a firm nod. But then her face twisted into a grin as she began to giggle to herself.

It was not the type of sound that inspired confidence but instead brought up images of fear and misunderstanding. Soon the giggles descended into all out, cruel laughter as she slammed her hand a few times up and down on the table. The kettle, the cups, everything shook understand Jezebel’s rough grip before finally Penelope looked down to see a large crack across the table. Carefully, Jezebel lifted her hand, smirked, and shrugged her shoulders.

I also hurt people because I LIKE TO! HAHEHEHEAHAHAH!!!

…

Penelope just shook her head, staring down at her cup of tea. The clear, reddish liquid was disturbed with rings caused by every single movement that Jezebel made. What made it worse, though, was the image that Penelope saw within.

Looking deep into the cup, if she concentrated, she could see her own face staring back at her; the face of a sad little girl who was steadily losing everything in her life because of her unfortunate mutation. On top of that, it was a mutation with a mind of its own, a will to allow itself to exert its own agenda. It was not fair to be lashed to such a burden, but her young mind didn’t see that deeply. She didn’t fully understand just how in sync her and Jezebel was. While she wanted her to stop, deep down, there was part of her that was always glad for her intervention.

Only in time would she eventually learn this. For now, she needed to be the little girl who pouted and refused to believe how unfair her whole situation was.

It was such frustrations that made Jezebel grin all the more. She knew that whenever Penelope was tired or scared that her hold weakened. Jezebel only poked and prodded until she was finally allowed her freedom. A simple thing, really.

Eventually, though, Jezebel grew tired of the young one’s quiet and just rolled her eyes.

Listen, you called me, she pointed out. If you’re not going to say anything, I am just fine with going to bed extra early.

Penelope bit her lip. How could she find her voice?

Jezebel grumbled. Fine, she said as she stood. I’m outta here.

No! Sit!

Jezebel paused. The sudden voice was enough to actually force her to take a step back. Turning her wide, yellow eyes upon the young girl, Jezebel felt something she was not all too familiar with feeling from Penelope. It was…strange to say the least. Just standing there in the girl’s presence suddenly made Jezebel feel just a tiny bit exposed. Why, though? Penelope never made her feel like that bef—

I said…sit.

Jezebel did her best to keep up her facial expression, but it was obvious by the cracks in her expression that she was far more caught off guard than she ever wanted to be in the face of Penelope Peyton Pepper.

Psh! she mocked with a breath of air. But, slowly, she did take her seat again across from Penelope. Turning her yellow eyes on the little girl, she focused as intently as she could, actually curious as to what Penelope could have to say ow.

Okay. I’m sitting. Now what?

Looking across the table, she glared at the little girl. She didn’t like the uppity tone but what could she really do about it now. She may as well hear what Penelope felt was so important to bring up. It was not very often that Penelope actually got her attention like this.

Here’s the deal, Penelope said sternly. She didn’t know where this fire in her tummy was coming from, but she was encouraging it. It was the only thing allowing her to speak to Jezebel so firmly. And, the best part, it was working to get the giant Amazon’s attention. We’re in trouble. I got kicked out of school because of what you did.

Psh, I’m not in trouble, sweetheart, Jezebel grumbled. I didn’t want to be there in the first pla—

Well tough! Penelope suddenly snapped.

The raise in her voice and her snapping remark quickly caught Jezebel’s ear. The red woman quieted down as her gaze flickered, looking over Penelope carefully. Penelope soon felt herself going on autopilot; she had things to say and Jezebel was going to listen for once in her damn life!

Mrs. Tickle…you and I are stuck together! she shouted. Whether you like it or not…you’re stuck with me.

Tell me about it, Jezebel said with a roll of her eyes.

So…we need to live with one another. I’m going to a new school. A good school, with people like me. I don’t want to get kicked out again.

Jezebel was quiet, looking at Penelope intensely. Penelope, sensing no more snide remarks, continued on.

It’s a good school. They may not agree with what you think mutants should do, but they will be nice to both me and you. You need to behave yourself, Mrs. Jezebel Tickle. she muttered sternly. “You need to behave…or you’ll be sorry…”

Jezebel’s molten eyes finally flashed indignantly. It was not a good look.

The threat was issued. Penelope didn’t know what possessed her to threaten Jezebel Tickle at all, but something inside told her that she could. And not only that she could, but that she could get away with it too. Normally she was far too scared to ever speak to Jezebel like this, but it was something that she just felt she could do. She had had enough and she needed to draw the line in the sand.

Unfortunately she needed to keep standing up to Jezebel if she wanted to make any leeway…and this was the first strike.

The angry Penelope felt behind the red Amazon’s eyes are white hot. It was as if molten lava were being poured over her body, charring and stripping away the flesh from her bones. Surely this was exactly what it felt like to be in a volcano. The sheer malevolence behind that heat was so shattering that it could have made the strongest of minds completely fall flat. Penelope counted herself lucky that she had not succumb to the woman’s rage.

Who do you think you are?! Jezebel shouted angrily.

Hopping onto her feet, she gripped the edge of the table before hurling it off to the side in a fit of rage. Porcelain, tea, and cloth shreds flew in all directions. Had someone been standing on the side she had thrown the table, they would more than likely be dead.

After everything I do!! EVERYTHING I’VE DONE TO PROTECT US!! she growled. YOU DARE SNAP AT ME YOU LITTLE M************ B****!!!!

Calmly Penelope sat there, taking on the full heat of the creature’s anger. She was not surprised. It was always Jezebel’s fallback to rage and be mad at the things that she was made at. If she so much as stubbed her toe on a chair, Jezebel would shatter it into as many small pieces as she could manage. It was just her way.

But, sitting there, being called “this” and “that” and feeling the spittle of the red woman splatter against her face, Penelope found herself surprisingly….not scared. Instead she just sat there, in her seat, staring up and the huffing, puffing monster that seemed so hell bent to ruin her life.

If Jezebel had had her way, she would have killed every last person at that school. Penelope, obviously, was not going to allow that.

ARRRRGGHHHH!!!! Jezebel screamed and started smash and stomp on the ground. Cracks were quickly becoming visible but it was not something that Penelope was worried about. Instead, she sat in silence and waited for the tantrum to pass…which it eventually did.

Not long after her raging started, Jezebel finally came to a halt, slamming her fist into the ground one last time before she straightened back up and crossed her arms over her chest. With a huff she turned her angry gaze back onto the young girl.

Penelope, after Jezebel was done, still continued to sit calmly before she raised her gaze to meet the molten yellow eyes. With a small twitch of her mouth, she sighed.

Are you done?