May 16th, 2000: Mexico enters a state of extreme vulnerability after the death of six presidents, seven vice presidents, and is believed to be personally responsible for at least some of the deaths of several politicians set to take place as president; multiple other politicians were discovered to be killed by political rivals seeking to take control of the country. Joint US and Canadian armed forces enter Mexico to try and bring stability back to the country and enforce a democratic process; corruption runs rampant and would not see a return to relative normalcy until 2012.

May 29th, 2000: Multiple South American countries collaborate to create an armed front against possible intrusion by the Brain Scythe. The Brain Scythe’s involvement in South America is unknown as, less than a month later, infighting led to warfare, and restructuring of the disparate militaries in the following years.

July 27th, 2000: Another tape arrives at Fox News Headquarters. The tape shows a young aspiring actress by the name of Manuela Avila, a resident of Zacatecas, Mexico who had gone missing in April. She gave notice that the Brain Scythe would be entering France the day the tape was delivered to Fox News while sitting in the middle of a burning house; despite showing visible distress, she made no move to save herself before the camera suffered a malfunction, presumably from heat damage. Avila’s remains were never found.

August 2nd, 2000: President Jacques Chirac retires from his position and disappears not long after, many suspect out of a fear for his own life. President Claude Forsythe of the Socialist Party is sworn in soon after on promises of strong border and international control of foreigners entering the country.

August 24th, 2000: President Claude Forsythe’s private residence is burnt to the ground. His remains reveal he was shot nineteen times with bullets matching those in his bodyguards’ guns. The United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, and Switzerland close their borders to all civilian traffic exiting France, and the presidential position is left vacant for seven weeks.

Taz never really bought into the mystical mental powers of tea; partly because it sounded like a bunch of hoo-hah, but also because it tasted weird.

Still, it was impolite to turn it down, especially when her sister was making it for her.

“Yerba mate is what I like to drink when I gotta focus real hard.” Madeline said while keeping her eyes firmly on the teapot hovering in the middle of their table. “It might taste a little odd but it’ll help you out.”

“If you say so. Can I at least put some sugar in it?” Taz said, watching her sister focus. Madeline nodded, leaned over the table, her chin resting on her folded hands, looking comfortable in a tye-dye belly shirt and shorts. Taz had no idea how Madeline ignored the fact that she had roughly half the room glancing her way, soaking her beautiful body in, and more than a few times Taz sent a mental jab towards somebody staring for a little too long.

“We’ll get you some creamer instead of sugar. Telekinesis shouldn’t burn you out that badly.” Madeline murmured. “We’ll try some more practices over the weekend, I think I have some ideas on how to fix the issue.”

“Alright Maddy.” Taz cocked a half smile and crossed her legs. “Dunno how to fix something that I don’t know how it’s broken; I just think I need more practice.” She murmured to herself and settled in with a growling stomach.

It was lunch time, and Taz had all but jogged from her Telepathy class to get to the cafeteria. The building had big windows and dim lighting, square tables, rectangular tables, round tables, a weird oval table that a buncha students were rolling dice on, a big lunch buffet on the far wall full of daily meals to pile up on a plate, and six independent food outlets that weren’t covered by student tuition; thermokinetically cooked ‘artisanal’ pizzas, burgers, Chinese food, Italian food, a Mexican cafe that was always packed, and an ice cream and pastries place.

Was any of it as good as the restaurants outside campus walls? Nope, and it was probably more expensive too, but as Taz could relate, sometimes you wanted a really fast bean and cheese taco between classes.

She was tempted to sneak off before Noelle got back to grab some food, but she knew that would only earn her a chewing out from her sister…

Taz stared at Madeline. She stared at this girl she’d known all her life, who she knew to be objectively beautiful, and who only recently, Taz realized, fell on the side of the genderline she was attracted to.

Uncertainty had shaken her gut when she’d come to the realization, but as Melodica had pointed out when they’d discussed it, Madeline was like a sister, and they had once seen her vomit ice cream cake after chugging a can of Monster.

Taz glanced at her sister’s giant boobs, grimaced, and was thankful she wasn’t compelled to stare like every other walking bag of hormones in the room. Taz rolled her eyes and went back to reviewing the class packet her Biokinesis teacher had sent her for missing class yesterday.

If anything, Taz was jealous of Madeline’s ability to multitask. Madeline kept the pot telekinetically suspended in the air, and simultaneously used thermokinesis to heat the water in the pot, no stove required.

“Alright, so, while this is boiling, I wanted to talk to you about something.” Madeline said, lowering her eyes back to her sister as the pot continued to heat up.

“That being?”

“Are you the gun-shooting, piano playing lesbian with the mermaid tulpa I keep hearing about from the first year crowd?” Madeline asked calmly.

With an uncertain blink, Taz nodded. “Yeah, who else would it be?”

“I was asking myself the same question,” Madeline folded her fingers in front of her face, “but I wasn’t sure because of the lesbian part.”

Taz sat, staring blankly at her sister’s face, batting her eyelids. Her phone slipped out of her hand and clattered on the table in front of her.

Then, she spoke in a pitch somewhere between the dying scream of a murdered woman and the squeak of a deflating balloon animal.

“I SWEAR I WAS GOING TO TELL YOU SOON!”

“Taz…”

“I WASN’T KEEPING IT A SECRET I JUST WASN’T SURE MYSELF!”

“Oh my god, Taz, you’re turning so red!”

Taz pulled at her blonde hair as she sat and shivered in her chair, drawing dozens of eyes as she wriggled and whined pure gibberish. Madeline straightened up and debated if she’d approached this the right way.

“AAAAAAHHHHH I only figured it out earlier this week and I just didn’t know what to say yet!” Taz curled up on her chair and whimpered, burying her face into her knees.

Madeline stood and walked over to pat her sister’s shoulder as the little blonde shrank into the tiniest ball of embarrassment.

“C’mon girl, I didn’t mean to drag you outta the closet like this…” Madeline tried to sound consoling.

“I was gunna tell you first once I knew how to!” Taz was barely audible as she shouted into her knees.

“Taz…” Madeline sighed, running her fingers through all that blonde hair. “I already knew.”

“H-huh?” Taz peeked up from her knees, though she continued to shiver. “How? When?”

“I kinda figured it out when you told me you were practicing making out with one of your friends.” Madeline smirked as Taz turned red from cheek to shoulders and tried to hide deeper in her knees. “It’s never just practice, Taz.”

“I thought it was…” Taz mumbled.

With a groan, Madeline tugged a chair over to sit next to her sister, and dug her nails into Taz’s scalp to scritch her comfortingly. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Taz, I don’t mind it.”

“I know but it just feels so weird to finally realize, ‘oh hey, you know whose hair you wanna smell?!’” Taz grumbled and whined, and Madeline gave an understanding chuckle.

“I mean, I’m just happy you finally figured it out.” Madeline shrugged her shoulders. “You know how scared I was introducing you to Noelle? Last thing I wanna find is your undies in my dormroom and the shower running behind a closed door.”

“Eeeeww…” Taz’s nose crinkled, then softened as she pondered the thought. “... kinda hot, though.”

“No!” Madeline admonished quickly. “It’s ew! Say ew again!”

Taz made a rude noise at her sister, and devolved into an embarrassed giggle fit as Madeline pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Taz, girl, listen.” Madeline rubbed the blonde’s little head and sighed. “You can come to me about anything. Now that you know, and now that you know that I know, you can come talk to me if…” Madeline’s expression went flat. “If you ever like another girl, alright?”

“Alright…”

“Yoohoo, mes amours!” Both girls glanced up as Noelle walked towards them, three to-go bags hovering after her. The ravishing young fille drew more eyes than Madeline in her short dress and light jacket, short heels giving her that extra sway to her every step. “Did I come at a strange time?” She asked, taking the two girls in.

“No.” Madeline answered with a small smile. “Taz just—”

“Noelle I’m gay!” Taz suddenly said, staring up at the freckled, blonde-dyed girl.

Madeline’s head slowly turned to give Taz a deeply disappointed look, and Taz quietly reconsidered her life choices and dying then and there.

“I know.” Noelle said, looking only mildly surprised.

Madeline’s head twisted sharply to face her roommate. “You do?”

“You do?” Taz asked breathlessly.

“I have – how you Americans say – a gaydar that is second-to-none.” Noelle looked proud of herself, and set the to-go bags on the table as the two girls just stared at her, either annoyed or goggle-eyed. “That aside, I am quite famished! Shall we lunch, beautés?”

Taz still wanted to die, but after finishing her quiche.

Madeline nibbled at her ratatouille, her eyes rapidly glancing between Taz and Noelle, barely masking her worry as she did, but she kept quiet.

Noelle looked pleased as punch with her cassoulet, and giggled at Taz’s happy smile as she dug into her lunch. “Brasserie du Ping reminds me so much of home sometimes I could cry.” She cooed. “Es-tu satisfait?” She asked both Taz and Madeline, and Taz gave a quick nod.

“Maddy was so right, the quiche is to die for!”

“Mhmm!” Madeline grinned, gesturing to the cup by Taz’s side. “How’s the mate?”

Taz swallowed her bite after a few, slow chews, and then lifted the cup to her lips, and squeezed her eyes shut as a veggie, bitter taste flooded her tongue.

She swallowed thickly, put the cup down, and smiled at Madeline.

“Well?” Madeline smiled back.

“Terrible!”

Madeline groaned, and passed over a few creamer cups. “Can you drink any tea without turning into a broccoli hating five year old?”

“I can with milk!” Taz answered, filling her cup with creamer. “And sugar.”

Madeline snorted, while Noelle just chortled, then jabbed her fork into her cassoulet and leveled a serious eye on Taz.

“Chouchou.” she began in a soft voice. Taz looked her way in alarm, meeting the beauty’s eyes with red briefly touching her cheeks. “Despite what a man may tell you, women are no great mystery, nor a puzzle to be solved, or a trophy to be won.” Noelle’s finger traced a directionless shape on the tabletop as Taz stared, transfixed by her words. “When you pursue a lady, you must be confident, but wary; we lesbiennes are still a minority, not every woman you pursue will ultimately reciprocate your feelings. Some just like to be chased by somebody attractive.”

“O-oh.” Taz gave a small nod, watching Noelle’s eyes unfocus and go distant. “Well I shouldn’t have to worry about that, I think? It’s not like I look like you.”

“Non, that is true.” Noelle stated, giving Taz a little smile. “But, you look like you, and some might argue that is better.”

“Ah—” Taz paused, unsure how to respond as their eyes held one another, and Taz suddenly flinched, looking the other way as her heart began to race. “C’mooon, I’m so plain. I’m short, and normal, and dorky.”

“Uh-huh?” Noelle asked, pointing her fork at Taz accusingly. “And what of it? I know many a girl whose idea of perfection is normal.” She drew her hand back to touch her chest. “Chouchou, I have been favorably compared to wine in a gold-leaf goblet, and many might sup heartily at the neck of such an expensive alcohol, but many grow sick of too much glam, too much chique, and flee to tear their fineries from their bodies and lounge away from the haute couture.”

“I…” Taz mulled the fille’s words in her head, and frowned. “I’m not following.”

“She’s fancy.” Madeline simplified, tilting her head towards Noelle. “Like all the time. Most people can’t handle that.”

“Essentiellement, oui.” Noelle sighed. “You will hear some things about me as you strike out on your own to meet women.”

“Most of them true...” Madeline raised her eyebrows and avoided Noelle’s stink-eye.

“But do not let that discourage you, Chouchou.” Noelle smiled. “Your talent with the guitar will see you win more than a few admirers, and admiration is but a step away from infatuation.”

Taz’s cheeks grew rosey at the pretty girl’s wink, and the sudden urge to play a song filled her heart. “Well, I mean…” Taz tapped her fingertips together. “I’m not even sure I’m really ready to date anyone; I just got here, I’m still settling in, I’m still working stuff out…”

“You don’t have to date a girl to fuck her.”

Taz’s thoughts crashed into a brick wall, and she sat, stunned, while Madeline chased Noelle around the table with one of the to-go bags.

“Noelle I will strangle you I swear to god!”

“Ma beau, I am only telling the truth!”

“AHEM.”

Madeline slowed, nearly tumbling over a chair as she did, and Noelle twisted midstep, falling back with her arms crossed, and suddenly stopping mid-fall as she turned to greet the disruptive grunt with a curious eyebrow.

Then, a pout.

“Benny.” Noelle said dryly.

“Duplantier.” Benjamin responded.

He crossed his arms, and Taz stirred to the crackle of tension between the two European nobles, her eyes soaking in this shockingly good looking young man with little more than a curious blink. He looked like a junior politician in his navy blue suit and white dress shirt, the collar popped over the jacket’s, while a ruby red tie hung around his neck and hid underneath his top.

“Are you aware how much you look like a fool?” Benjamin asked with his arms crossed.

“And what is it to you how I look, Benny?” Noelle asked with a sour huff.

“I would at least hope you’d act with the austerity and maturity expected of the Duplantier family, but no, I find you reenacting a Bugs Bunny routine like a cockney bogan.” He breathed out sharply through his nose.

At that, Madeline spoke up in a humorless tone. “Nice to see you too, Ben.”

“Ah, Madeline.” He bowed his head politely in her direction. “No offense intended towards you, of course; I’m sure she deserves whatever drew your wrath.”

“You’re not wrong, Ben, you’re not wrong.” Madeline cracked half-a-smile. “So, what’s the occasion? You usually need a reason to talk to my roommate.”

At that, Benjamin turned sharply back towards Noelle, his mouth open, then closing as Noelle straightened up to match his glare. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, tapped at its screen a few times, and held up what Taz could only barely perceive as an email.

“Why am I on the planning committee?” He asked, his tone dripping with barely restrained contempt.

Taz narrowed her eyes and tried to read his phone more closely at the question.

“What do you mean, pourquoi?” Noelle asked with a raised eyebrow. “Do not tell me it is above the skill level of such a monsieur brillant such as yourself.”

“English, Duplantier, please.”

Noelle sighed heavily. “Si je me souviens bien, I was elected president for this year, and if I do so plainly recall, you took great pains explaining that the president’s job is to delegate; so, I delegated.”

“And you put me on the planning committee.” Benjamin’s expression furrowed more deeply. “When you whined to me about getting assigned to hiring catering, I put you on decorations like you’d asked. I told you from the outset I didn’t want to put any thought into these ridiculous soirees!”

“Benny Benny Benny…” Noelle sighed, rolled her eyes, and slowly leaned forward back onto her feet from her leaning position… then frowned. “I wanted to put you in the award’s selection seat, but a rather generous donation hinged on you getting put on the planning committee if you weren’t to be president this year.”

“A dona—who?” Benjamin demanded, but the anger in his tone wasn’t matched by his stiff and gentile stance. “There’s nobody who would—” He trailed off, his anger breaking into realization. “That geezer.” He chuffed in a tone that managed to make the word sound like a grave insult. “And you accepted it!”

“If it is any consolation, Benjamin, I am sorry.” Noelle shrugged, her annoyance turning to sympathy. “Like I said, I thought you knew, though I should not be surprised a stuffy head of their household would make a decision behind their own child’s back.”

“I am going to have a very stern word with my father after class today.” Benjamin’s voice was nearly a growl, but after a few moments of smoke coming out of his ears, he straightened up, adjusted his tie, and gave Noelle a flat stare. “I’ll submit a formal request to have my position changed post-haste.”

“And the donation?” Noelle frowned.

“I will ensure it comes through despite my change in station.” He turned his head away, and must not have realized how strongly he was thinking: {I should have known the penthouse came with a price.}

“Évidemment.” Noelle said dryly. “I will try to nip your whining in the bud, but I’d suggest you have the first meeting planned before I pick a new chair; Duke Alistair II likes to attend the first yearly party, if I recall.”

“I’m aware.” Benjamin grunted.

Taz leaned over towards Madeline, who had returned to her lunch while watching the drama silently. “What are they talking about?” Taz asked curiously.

At her voice, Benjamin turned to regard Taz with some surprise, like he hadn’t seen her at all until then. “Ah…” Was the only sound he made, looking only the slightest bit embarrassed.

“Nothing you need to worry about, ma chouchou!” Noelle beamed.

“Noelle and Ben here are two high-ranking members of the Scion Society.” Madeline explained.

“The Scion Society? What’s that?” Taz asked.

“Exactly what it sounds like.” Madeline answered.

Benjamin cleared his throat, getting Taz’s attention, and walked around the table to present her with a hand. After a curious glance, Taz stood and took it, about to shake when he leaned down, and to her red-faced terror, kissed her fingers.

“My apologies, miss, for putting on such a horrific display just a moment ago.” He let her hand go, and his hands crossed relaxedly in front of his stomach. “My name is Benjamin Alistair III, planning committee chair for the Scion Society.”

“I kinda figured that out.” Taz said awkwardly, and Madeline tossed a plastic spoon at Noelle when the fille began mockingly flapping her fingers like a mouth.

“Of course.” Benjamin gave her a small, unoffended nod. “The Scion Society is a prestigious club here at Phoenix-Paiute Academy who extends membership exclusively to scions. Its purpose is to connect scions with each other so that we may better plot the course of the future of psychics and psionics, and create an international bond between some of psionics’ greatest up-and-coming practitioners.”

“Oh, that’s neat.” Taz answered with a curious flutter of her eyes. “Why not invite other really good psychics then? Like non-scions?”

At that, Noelle spoke up with a smile. “Scions are more often than not a step-ahead of your base psychic! Dual-psionic parentage creates a much more powerful psychic.”

“And,” Madeline added, turning her head Taz’s way, “lots of scions who come here are from very big, very rich families, which means you have a lot of rich kids who want to hang out with other rich kids.”

“Madeline has the right of it.” Benjamin said.

Noelle tried to put on a light-hearted smile. “It is not that we dislike non-scions, you understand, chouchou? It’s just a club, nothing quite that special!”

“Not special, but you’re the president of it.” Taz grinned at Noelle, who tittered.

“Oh, well, I can’t say I’m not proud of it!”

“Do they have, like, an evolink club?” Taz asked Madeline.

Madeline shook her head, giving Taz an apologetic pat on her back at her frown. “Evolinks are rare, hon, real rare. Last year we only had about five, and two of them graduated.”

Taz pouted a bit, until Benjamin spoke up.

“Indeed.” He examined her for a moment, thoughtfully. “I take it you are associated with Madeline?”

“Yeah, Maddy’s my big pseudo-sister.” Taz half-smiled, and Benjamin glanced between the two thoughtfully.

“That’s right, Madeline’s mentioned having a close family friend before. If I may recommend, you stick with her advice instead of Duplantier’s.”

Before Taz could even ask, he and Noelle were already staring daggers at one another again. “Should I remind you that I am one of the best telekinetics on this campus, Benny?” Noelle asked, barely hiding the growl in her throat.

“Indeed, but second to whom, Duplantier?” Benjamin managed the most flat-faced sneer Taz had ever seen.

“That will change this year, Benny.”

“I’ll believe it when you’re not being peeled out of a new girl’s crotch every other week.”

The two went silent, but that may have very well made the tension even worse.

Taz shuffled on her feet uncomfortably a moment, glancing between the two as she imagined a psionic wrestling match happening between the two at the very moment. “Well, I like Noelle.” Taz said gently, drawing a delighted gasp from the fille.

“Your loss.” Benjamin answered in a flat tone of voice.

Whatever was happening between Benjamin and Noelle stopped when a mental pulse washed over the both of them, and Taz as well; a simple, strong, disruptive feeling of ‘stop’ from Madeline.

“Ben, maybe you should head out.” She said, looking bemused with the whole pissing contest. “Not that you aren’t a delight, but something tells me Einar misses you.”

“Right.” Benjamin adjusted his tie again, despite it being perfectly straight and wrinkle-free, and nodded his head Madeline’s way. “A pleasure as always, Madeline. I imagine Noelle will likely make you her plus one to the first Society gathering?”

“We’ll talk that out later.” Madeline gave a quick nod.

“Should you come, I would like to introduce you to my father, he’s quite interested in divination and I think you would make a good impression on him.” Madeline looked intrigued by the offer, but Benjamin had already turned Taz’s away. “Enjoy your time here at Phoenix-Paiute, miss…” He trailed off, and only the slightest twitch of his lips betrayed his embarrassment. “Ah, my mistake, please forgive my gaffe, ma’am, but what is your name?”

“Oh!” Taz straightened up, still feeling the second-hand tension. She shot her hand forward, which Benjamin awkwardly took again for a proper handshake. “Sorry! Nice to meet you Benjamin, I’m gay.”

The shake went on for a little too long, and it took just a little bit longer for Taz to realize why Benjamin was staring at her so weirdly.

“Taz.” Madeline hissed, pinching her little sister’s hip.

“AaaaAAAAAAaaaaAH I’m Taz!” Taz squealed, bringing her hands up to cover her face. “My name is Natasha Cooper but you can call me Taz please don’t call me gay that’s not my name!”

“... Right.” Benjamin let his hand hang at his side before turning to face Noelle, who was fighting with all her might to not cackle at Taz’s embarrassment. “Fix my chair, Duplantier, I don’t want to have this conversation again.”

“I-I-I will consider your request, party boy.” Noelle tightened her lips to cut a snicker short.

“Good.” Benjamin moved to walk around Noelle, then paused. “Telekinetic evaluation is next Tuesday.” He suddenly said, as if he’d only just remembered it. He turned his head, and the twos’ eyes met. Taz peeked between her fingers as she felt their hostility rise again. “Your downfall starts early this year, Duplantier.”

“Soak your head, Benny.” Noelle sneered. “You’re living in fantasyland once more.”

“Hmph.” Benjamin turned on his heel to march off towards the cafeteria’s exit, and Noelle turned in time to see Madeline keep Taz from jamming a plastic knife into her own neck.