Kyle Longstreet came into the common room from the hall as Nat Ryan stepped in through the French doors.  The cutoffs Nat wore still dripped sea water.

“Mr. Ryan, proper dress in the common room, please.” He said.

“Sorry, Mr. Longstreet.”

Nat failed to notice the room’s other occupant as he turned and covered the few yards to his own patio and room.

Brittany Stanton was sitting on the coach, relaxing and with her small nose stuck between the pages of a text book. She was on the tiny side, especially for a 13 year old, with shoulder length blonde hair and yellow eyes.  Engulfed in the huge couch, she seemed no more than a child of six or seven.  When Kyle confronted Nat, she had flinched and hidden behind the book, hoping the tall boy would not notice her.  Kyle smiled hoping, though she looked ready to flee, that she would stay and try to relax.

Kyle smiled over at Brittany and approached.  “Morning, Brittany, how are things?”

               Brittany nearly bolted out of her seat but her familiarity with Kyle kept her in place.  She was dressed in comfortable looking blue shorts and a white t-shirt with a dark blue Care Bear with a rain cloud on its belly.  She flushed.

"Hmm . . . Hi s-s-sir. I'm fine s-s-sir. Yes I am! I'm doing fine." She puts the book down and stood, ready for instant action.  "Umm . . . you . . . you want s-s-something s-s-s-sir?"

“How's your dad doing?  I haven't seen him in a long time.”

"He's doing fine. At least last t-t-t-time I saw him . . . s-s-ir."

“He hasn't been in the Valley for a while but I guess between Storm Watch and the DA's office he's pretty busy.  How about Betsy?  I haven't seen her around either.”

Brittany smiled at Kyle, "She's doing fine. Visiting a friend in Canada.  Sh . . . she does tend to get busy often."

Nat stopped at the door, hesitating when he saw Kyle in conversation with another student.  He had thrown on a pair of stone washed jeans that actually fit and a black tee shirt a couple of sized too small.  It looked like it was painted on his upper body.  Of course he was barefoot.

“Have you met Nat yet?”

Brittany shook her head, "Not yet s-s-s-ir. Was I s-s-s-suppose to?”

 “Hello . . .” Nat ventured.

The girl vanished at the sound of Nat’s voice only to peered around Kyle Longstreet’s back.

“Oh . . . “ she said softly.  “Hello.”

Nat blinked, not quite grasping the speed at which the girl had moved.

“Umm . . . I’m Nat . . . “

“Nat, this is Brittany Stanton,” Kyle said.  “Brittany, this is Nat Ryan.”

The girl did a curious thing and slowly looked waaaaayyy up Nat but not in the way Jessy or Chrissie had.  There wasn’t any sexual interest.  It was more like a country girl looking up at the tall buildings of New York.  Nat instantly like this tiny girl.  It was her incredible innocence.  Grinning, he did the same to her, looking waaaaayyy down at her.

“I'll let you two get to know each other.” Kyle said, starting to move away from Brittany.  She clung to him, not quite ready to let him leave.

"Umm . . . hi." She whispered.

“I gotta sit over in that big chair so I don't break something,” Nat said, heading that way.  “Ya wanna join me?”

Kyle put an arm around Brittany’s shoulder in reassurance then whispered “It's okay, Brittany, he's a nice guy"

“You wanna Coke or something?” Nat offered, changing direction for the mini-fridge.

For a second it looked as if she might bolt but then she relaxed just a little.

"Okay I will j-j-j-join y-y-y-you. I can get the drinks if y-y-y-you wish.  What would you like?"

The girl blurred and reappeared right in front of Nat.  He nearly bowled her but managed to stop short.  He looked down at her, blue eyes wide.

“You’re FAST!” he gasped.  “I didn’t even see you move!”

Brittany blushed and looked up at him with wide yellow eyes.  “Umm . . . s-s-s-s-sorry!"

“Umm . . . Coke . . . please.”

Instantly she held the can out to Nat, almost dropping it in her haste.  He held out his hand, palm up.  She set it on his hand frowning then realized she hadn’t gotten anything for herself.  The can of Sprite appeared in her hand and she popped the top.  As she took a swallow she watched Nat balancing the can on his open palm, carefully take a seat in the biggest chair in the room.

“Umm . . . “ Nat began.  Brittany almost jumped out of her skin.  “Brittany?”

YY-y-y-es?" She stammered.

Nat looked up at her and blushed  "I can't open this can."  He held up his hand to her.  “Every time I try . . . I crush the can.”

For a moment she considered the possibility of some kind of trick but the sincerity in his eyes made her blush at her doubt.

"Umm . . . all right. I-I-I guess I c-c-c-can do it for y-y-you," She moved hesitantly closer to him then snatched the can, popped the top and had it back in his palm in a split second.

"Thanks," He said.  “You know . . . I've always been the one who breaks things that I try to hold but this is first time I've had someone so afraid of me.  Believe me, I'm not about to try to touch you.”

Brittany eyed Nat, "Tth-th-th-that so? Th-th-th-that's not g-g-g-good at all! P-p-p-poor y-y-y-you!"  She blushed, "I-I-I-I'm not afraid of y-y-y-you." Brittany blush deepens.  "It's not j-j-j-just you." She admitted out, "I'm j-j-j-just a bit nervous."

Nat looked over at the girl, his forehead creased with concern "Why?"

With quick little sips, Brittany downed about half of her Sprite.  “I j-j-just tend t-t-to be. I guess it's from me breaking th-th-things myself. Running into th-th-them. Or running into p-p-p-people."

“You break things too?”

“If I run into th-th-them quick enough.”  Her blush got deeper and Nat began to fear for her blood pressure.  “I tend to run quickly and not see where I'm running.”

Nat nodded  "And I can't put a hand on ANYTHING without fear of breaking it . . . I have to use titanium dinnerware.

Brittany eyes widened, "Y-y-y-you have big problems th-th-then! Y-y-y-you aren't s-s-scared of everything are y-y-you? I s-s-seeem to be s-s-scare of everything. I don't want t-t-to be, I j-j-j-just don't know what t-t-t-to do about it."

“I guess I'm not afraid of anything except hurting someone,” Nat admitted.  “Do you get hurt when you run into someone?”

She shook her head.  " I do hurt a little, but it t-t-t-tends to go away quickly.”

“You heal quick?” he said.

Brittany took a moment to think.

"Real quick w-w-when I want to." She replied.  “I th-th-think y-y-you j-just need practice, or y-y-yours hands aren't s-s-sensitive enough."

“I know,” Nat sighed.  “Josho's been trying but . . . I think I am hurting him.  Only thing I don't seem to crush is my board.”

Nat watched the nervous little girl with growing affection.  Fidgeting, she looked about everywhere but at him.  She glanced at him and caught him looking at her.  Again she blushed.

“What is y-y-your board made out of?” she said, blinking at him rapidly.

“Fiberglass.”

“St-st-strong st-st-stuff.”

“How fast can you run?” he leaned forward, elbows on his knees.  Brittany sank onto the edge of the chair across from him.  “Like sound barrier?”

"I am v-v-v-very good at running away from th-th-things,” she admitted wryly.  “K-k-kids at my old sc-sc-school gave me th-th-the nickname of R-r-r-rabbit."

“You don't look like a rabbit,” he said with a little smile.

“It's because I st-st-startle like a r-r-rabbit,” she said.  “Sudden noise or movement and I bolt. Th-th-the kids at sc-sc-school liked t-t-to see me run.”

Nat scowled. 

“Nobody better do that to you here or they'll have me to deal with!” He said fiercely.

Brittany’s eyes grew wide and she smiled warmly.  Very shyly she said "Th-th-thank y-y-you N-n-n-nat. I appreciate it.”

“Wish I could do something more than jump to get around . . . It would be cool to fly.”

“I think flying would be n-n-n-nice, too,” she said.  “but I j-j-just run."

“Umm . . . you met Ian yet?”  Nat thought of the predatory light in the punker’s eyes and could envision his delight with a target as easy as Brittany.  He made a note to hunt Ian down and warn him off Brittany or wad him into a spiky metal ball.

Brittany shrugged, "N-n-not y-y-yet. I've been reading th-th-the books."

“You know Jessy?”

Golden curls bobbed.  “Y-y-yes, I know her. She's one of Raven's ch-ch-children. She's th-th-the one who dr-dr-dresses in leather.” She blushed deeply, "Th-th-the one who likes  all th-th-the guys?"

“Yeah,” Nat said sourly. “She wants me to teach her to surf . . .”

"Won't her leather shrink?" She covered her mouth with a hand, "I sh-sh-should not have s-s-said th-th-that!"

“Nah . . . her bikini's regular cloth . . . I guess . . . but it DOES seem to shrink.”

               “I like to swim,” Brittany ventures.  “But isn't s-s-surfing d-d-dangerous?"

“Nah . . . not for me,” he said with a grin.  “Not much hurts me when it hits me and I can hold my breath for about an hour and a half so I ain't gonna drown.”

Brittany gave him the wide eyes again.  "You can hold your breath THAT long?" Nat noticed the lack of a stutter and smiled.

"I don’t think the pressure would hurt me if I dove a mile under water.”

 “Th-th-then your strength IS good for you yes?”

He shrugged.

“I guess, in some ways . . . “ He said.  “I wanna be able to help people and I guess my strength will let me do just that.”

He finished his soda and wadded the can up into a ball the size of a pea then tossed it across the room and into the trash can.

“How'd you end up here?” he asked her.

"My dad's a hero and he knows Ghost Archer. A good friend of Ghost Archer. Th-th-that's how I know Jessy."  She told him.  “That and I need s-s-some tr-tr-training. Amongst other things.”

“So you always knew you were different?”

Brittany shook her head, "No. My powers d-d-developed sl-sl-slowly, or not s-s-so slowly. It became quite obvious recently, when some kids at sc-sc-school popped a paper bag behind me and I ended up running away, up a wall and..well..up on th-th-the roof of the school when I st-st-stopped.  How’d you end up here?"

"I was home . . . San Diego . . . Down at Mission Bay . . . These guys started teasing me about my mom.  I was ready to swat them with my board when Ghost Archer showed up and stopped me.”

“My principal was n-n-not happy about me being on th-th-the roof. Some k-k-kids can be s-s-so annoying.  I am glad you didn't hit them. Y-y-you are like me. We both have been t-t-teased. I couldn't do anything t-t-to th-th-them. T-th-they are s-s-so bigger than me.”

“Well, I can do something about them . . . “ Nat said ominously.

"It is ok now. We are here and th-th-there sh-sh-should be no one t-t-teasing us here."

“Ian . . . Jessy . . . “ he suggested.  “Nicky!”

Brittany frowned, "J-j-j-jessy would n-n-not t-t-tease ... would she? I d-d-don't know Ian at all . . . "

               “She called me Godzilla,” he said.  “She said she didn't but . . . I made her mad not going all gooey over her new hair.”

"Th-th-then I had better keep watch. I don't like being scared."  She sighed.  “Or teased.”

Nat lowered his voice and leaned forward slowly “Does Raven always go readin’ your mind?"

"Not always,” she said with a shake of her head.  “But one is not always s-s-s-sure. I th-th-think it j-j-just happens."

“I told them if she does it again, I'll go home,” he told her.  “It's creepy having someone prying into your head.”

“I am s-s-sure sh-sh-she doesn't mean to.”

“Maybe,” he said dubiously.  “”Maybe she’s like me and doesn’t have full control.
          “Maybe.” Brittany agreed.