2.2 - Infiltration

When graduation had finished, Danisha needed to get to work leaving Erika on her own.  She still had some time before she could head to Collin's apartment since he was currently still in school, but that was fine with her.  She actually had somewhere she wanted to go first anyway.  She pulled out her phone and gave her brother a quick call.  "I just wanted to let you know that I'm stopping by," she informed him before catching a taxi to the apartment complex that Nielson and Belisama had moved into.

When Belisama came to the door to greet her, Erika started feeling a bit self-conscious.  Her current plan wasn't entirely in her control, and Erika didn't like that.  It would rely on the cooperation of her sister-in-law, and while she admired the older woman, she didn't know her very well to say for sure if she would go along with what she wanted to do.

"Are you hear to see Nielson?  He's currently pinned down at the moment, but I'll see if I can rescue him so you can talk to him," Belisama offered with a slight smile as she regarded Erika.

"Actually... I came here to talk to you," Erika admitted, looking back up at Belisama.  The woman raised an eyebrow in response without saying anything.  She was obviously surprised, but waited for Erika to elaborate.

"Erika, is that you?" a voice suddenly spoke up.  Erika recognized her brother's voice and glanced around to see where he was.  It took her a moment to spot him lying on the couch.  There was also a small body on top of him.  Even if she hadn't heard the news from their mother that Nielson and Belisama had had a baby she could have guessed the little guy was his.  They had the same mop of dirty blond hair.  And if she'd been able to see his eyes she would have seen the same turquoise color there as well.  This must be Travis Gaul.

"Yeah, it's me," Erika confirmed, watching as her brother slowly got up, carefully keeping the little guy from falling off.

"Is there something you wanted to talk about?" he asked, once he was standing.

"Yes, but it's actually Belisama I want to talk to..." Erika explained, trailing off and trying to decide if telling Nielson to leave would make her sister-in-law less likely to cooperate with her.

Fortunately, Belisama seemed to sense what Erika wanted to say and intervened for her.  "Would you mind leaving us girls alone?  It's girl talk," she explained.  "Besides, you seem exhausted anyway.  Why don't you lie down on the bed for a nap rather than the couch?" she suggested.

"All right," Nielson agreed with a shrug.  "Come on little guy, the girls are kicking us out," Nielson informed his son.

"Let's have a seat," Belisama suggested once Nielson and Travis were gone and the door was closed behind them.  Erika nodded and followed her over to the counter.  "So, what did you want to ask me about that you couldn't ask in front of Nielson?" she prompted.

"I'm looking for employment right now, and I think you can help me," Erika replied, not bothering to beat around the book.

"You think I can help you?  And how exactly would I be helping you?" Belisama responded, raising another eyebrow as she regarded Erika.

"You'll be helping me get into your family's business," Erika explained.  "That's how."

Belisama's facial expression immediately changed and it was clear she knew exactly what Erika was talking about.  She didn't bother trying to deny it, although she didn't look too thrilled either.

"Why would you want to get involved  in my family's business?  Have you forgotten what happened to you the last time you did?" Belisama asked, pointedly not looking at Erika's face.

"No, I haven't forgotten.  It's precisely because I haven't forgotten that I want in," Erika insisted.  "I know you've gotten involved with them.  Even after everything that happened I kept up my research on them.  You can't just join the organization, but if you gave me a recommendation I could get in," she explained.

"You're playing with fire, Erika.  You've already been burned once.  The next time you won't get off so easy.  If this is some stupid plan for revenge then..." Belisama started to say, only to be interrupted by a bump on the floor next to them.  Instantly, both women's gaze turned downward, only to see young Travis banging a container of play-dough against his play table.  He must have gotten bored taking a nap with daddy and had popped the door to come back out here where his toys were.

"Listen to me, Erika.  If you get involved with those people it won't just be you who's in danger.  Any future family you might have will be too," Belisama murmured softly, her gaze riveted to her young son.  Obviously, she was thinking of the danger he was in because of her own involvement with them, and probably imagining what would happen to him if she betrayed the group.

Erika also regarded the young toddler while imagining the two perfect children she would be having with Collin.  This career she wanted didn't really suit her perfect family life that she had imagined.  Even she could admit that.  But she was also perfectly confident that she could manage to find the balance and keep both sides of her life perfect and separated.

"Listen, I'm not asking you to betray the organization or put your family in danger, believe me.  I legitimately want to join the organization and not as some sort of revenge," Erika announced earnestly, looking Belisama straight in the eye so she could see her sincerity.

"Then why do you want to join?" Belisama asked, now sounding genuinely confused.

"My mother's goal for her life was to clean up this city," Erika replied, not answering the question directly.  "That's why she joined the police force.  But she hasn't been able to do that.  She couldn't even find her husband's murderer taking the straight and narrow path to justice.  That's why I'm going to do what my mother couldn't.  I'm going to clean up this city by starting in the filthiest parts of it and cleaning it up from there," she explained.  That's how she would make this city perfect.  By making the criminal element, the true power in this city, conform to her own image of perfection.  The rest of the city would simply fall in line.

"In order to do that you can't just be a member of the organization, you'll need to control it," Belisama commented, looking thoughtful.

"I can do that.  Believe in me," Erika insisted.

"You'll have to deal with Red first.  He's the one who took over the organization when my mother was arrested.  He's in charge of the organization now.  Since I didn't have the experience to take control when my mother was removed, he was the most logical choice.  He was actually there that night when you were attacked.  He simply escaped.  He's a big guy, but dangerously quiet so he's often overlooked," Belisama explained.  Erika knew who she was talking about.  The big guy with red hair who'd kidnapped her and hadn't said a word or changed expression the entire time.  She shivered.  He wouldn't be easy to deal with.  But she still believed she could manage.

"I'll find a way to deal with him.  No worries," Erika assured.  Perhaps she could even win a guy like that over.  He would be a powerful ally.

"And my mother won't be in jail forever.  Kidnapping and assault charges only go so far.  They couldn't pin any other crimes on her," Belisama pointed out.

"Oh, don't worry.  I'm looking forward to when Morrigan gets out," Erika assured, a cruel smile twisting her lips.  Belisama said nothing, but Erika could see her starting to smile too.  It seemed like she had her 'in' after all.

Erika didn't have time to stick around after that.  It was getting late and she wanted to get to Collin's place in time.  Belisama assured her that she'd talk to Red about setting up an introductory 'job' for her so they could see her skills and said that she could expect an anonymous call when that had been decided.  Until then, it was just a matter of waiting.

So Erika turned her mind to other things.  Mainly, her boyfriend's birthday and her impending engagement.

When Erika got up to Collin's floor and rang the doorbell, her boyfriend eagerly greeted her with a hug.  "I thought you might be too busy to make it, now that you're an adult," Collin confessed, clearly thrilled that Erika had actually shown up as promised.

"I said I'd come, didn't I?  When have I ever not followed through on my word?" Erika prompted, and he had to agree with her on that one.

"You know, I thought you were beautiful last night in the moonlight, but you're even more beautiful now that I can see you properly in the light," Collin commented with what he hoped was a very roguish smile.  He still couldn't believe that a girl as popular and beautiful as Erika was into him so he wanted her to know how much he appreciated that.  "By the way, congrats on making valedictorian.  They made the announcement at school today," he added.

"Thank you," Erika replied, blushing appropriately to the compliment.

But Collin didn't stay smiling for long.  He looked hesitant for a moment as the smile faded, and then nervous.  "Actually, there's something I want to tell you before my birthday.  There's something that I should have told you a while ago," he confessed.

"Something you need to confess?" Erika repeated, feeling her heart skip a beat.  What could it be?  Collin looked really upset so it had to be serious.  Could he be about to admit that he'd cheated on Erika?  No, that couldn't be...  Her Collin would never cheat on her.  Unless some petty bitch had seduced him.  Erika could feel her anger rise.  If any other woman had so much as touched Collin she'd make them regret it.  Collin would never cheat on her himself, but if he'd been tricked by a woman...  Erika could feel herself getting angrier at the thought.

"Yes.  I really should have told you this the first time we met, but I didn't want to scare you off.  You see, the truth is... I'm a vampire.  I know that's hard to believe, but it's true.  Vampire's are real, and I'm one of them," he admitted, looking toward Erika for her reaction with what she could only describe as dread.

"A vampire?  Is that it?" Erika exclaimed, her surprise and relief making her blurt out the words without thinking.  Collin looked at her uncertainly.

"Uh..." he started, but Erike cut him off.

"I'm sorry.  The truth is, I figured that out a while ago," she confessed with a shrug, surprising Collin again.

"You did...?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yeah.  I admit, I didn't notice initially.  I didn't even believe in vampires at first.  But then my brother got himself in a relationship with a vampire and at his wedding I finally figured out for sure that he and his wife were vampires.  Then I realized you had a lot of similar traits with them like the glowing eyes and the faint glow to your skin so that's when I knew for sure," she explained with a shrug, leaving Collin speechless.

"And you're okay with that...?" Collin asked uncertainly, this conversation not going how he'd imagined at all.

"Of course I am.  You're still perfect, whether or not you're a vampire.  I wouldn't change you for anything," Erika assured with a smile.  Those were the perfect words, and Collin finally relaxed.

"Well... you took that better than I thought.  Thanks," Collin admitted with a sheepish smile.  He leaned in toward Erika and she leaned forward, expecting a kiss, when someone clearing their throat interrupted them.

"Collin, be a dear and put your things away in your room.  You're still a teen which means you still have chores to do before your birthday," a woman's voice commented, and Erika was surprised to see Collin's mom.  She'd only met her once, but she'd left such an impression on young Erika that she still remembered.  And she hadn't changed a bit.  Which was to be expected since she was also clearly a vampire.  Collin groaned but obediently trudged off, leaving the two women alone.  Which gave Erika a chance to get to know this woman and make a good impression on her soon-to-be mother-in-law.

"Hello, Mrs. Talon.  It's so nice to see you again," she began, only to have the older woman interrupt her.

"Oh don't be like that.  Flattering others doesn't seem like you," Jessica responded, and Erika faltered for a moment wondering if she'd taken a misstep.  But then she saw the amusement on Jessica's face and realized she was still all right.

"You know, I like you.  You remind me a lot of myself when I was your age.  Collin is such a good boy... but he can be sickeningly sweet and naive at times.  I was worried he would bring home a girl just like him.  I'm relieved to see that you're anything but," Jessica commented warmly.

"Thank you," Erika replied, excited to hear that the woman she looked up to reminded herself of her.  The very idea that she was a lot like the Jessica Talon was just beyond words.  "I do my best with him.  As long as no other girl tries to take advantage of him, I find his sweetness and innocence endearing," she admitted.

Jessica laughed a bit.  "It is that, I suppose.  And as long as you're the only one taking advantage of it it's hard to complain about, I admit," she mused.

Erika was going to continue, only to have Collin interrupt her.  "You two chatting it up like that over there is making me uncomfortable.  Especially since I'm positive it's me you're talking about.  So how about we have my birthday now, okay?" he suggested, getting the distinct impression that Erika and Jessica were conspiring together against him.  And he wasn't far off.  Not that Erika could protest.  She was more than eager to see Collin finally as an adult.  And then, once the birthday cake was eaten she'd finally be proposed to in the romantic light of the full moon, just as she'd imagined...


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I decided to cut this chapter short.  I was originally going to include Collin's birthday in it, but it was getting a little long so I'll save that for next chapter.  I was also a good girl and finally got a picture of Nielson and Belisama's son, Travis Gaul.  He's a cutie.  Right now he looks like he takes more after his mom aside from coloring, but as he grows I think he'll show that he has a good balance of his parents' features.  Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture of the other child in that household, Frank(Belisama's child from her affair), since he was at school.  But I'm putting together a family tree so you'll get to see him in that one once I get it uploaded.

2.1 - A Warning

By the time she'd finally thought to get a look at herself in the mirror it was dark out.  And while she could have looked at herself in the light of her room's lamp she'd rather have the perfect lighting for her first gussying up.  Which meant first thing in the morning, with the natural light streaming in her window, she went to her mirror to admire herself.

Her mother had been right, despite all of Erika's doubts.  The scar had faded and was no longer an angry red.  But it was still there, which meant that she was still imperfect.  But the shadows her hair cast upon her face helped.  It could nearly be overlooked unless one looked closely at her.

Still, Erika was satisfied with the way she looked.  She wouldn't bother covering up the rest of her scar with make-up.  Let others see the mark and let it warn them not to mess with her.  In that sense, it might be a blessing to give a hard edge to her otherwise feminine looks.  Especially in the field she was planning on going into.  She couldn't show any weakness.

But she didn't need to worry about any of that yet.  She wasn't starting her work today.  Instead, today was a day of celebration.  First, her graduation and then Collin's birthday and hopefully her engagement to him.  She was more excited about the latter than the former, but she would be happy to lord over her classmates in the end.  All of her hard work had paid off and she would be valedictorian at graduation.

"I'm going on ahead!" she called to her mother, throwing on her gown and rushing out of the apartment.  She couldn't be late today.

"Don't be in such a rush.  I'm almost there," Danisha called back to her daughter.  She should have been ready sooner, but she'd been slowing down quite a bit recently.  It was harder and harder to do simple things anymore.  Things like getting out of bed and getting dressed.  Getting old was horrible.  And it probably didn't help that her focus on work hadn't been kind to her body.  She certainly wasn't pulling any more late nights anymore.

She'd given up driving by now too.  Her response time just wasn't what it used to be anymore.  And there really wasn't any reason for her to be driving around in a sports car now that she was in charge of the police forensics lab.  That last stakeout with Officer Fangman where Erika had gotten hurt showed that she wasn't in top condition anymore.  She should have gotten there sooner and the sight of seeing her daughter hurt and bleeding... her heart simply couldn't take those things anymore.

But at least sitting in the back of a taxi together meant that she could spend the time talking to her daughter.  "So, when are you going to tell me about this mystery job you've landed?" Danisha prompted her daughter.

"When I'm not embarrassingly the bottom rung of the group," Erika responded.  Well, that wasn't too unreasonable.  Erika was quite proud so admitting to being something like a dishwasher or lab rat would be beneath her.

When they finally got there, Danisha gave up trying to hold Erika back, which she was grateful for.  "I'll meet you out here after graduation is over," she assured her mother before hurrying inside while Danisha was still slowly making her way up the steps.  She did these stairs every day for work and they were getting harder every day too.  Once again she found herself cursing her advanced age.

The graduation ceremony got off without a hitch.  Erika tried not to feel self-conscious as she went up to do her speech.  She reminded herself that she was so much better than everyone else here so even if someone tried to make fun of her because of her scar all she needed to do was put them in their place.

At the end of the ceremony the principal announced the result of the popularity votes.  Students had voted on who they thought best fit each of the categories that the student council had come up with.  Things like 'most likely to end world hunger' and 'most likely to get married ten times'.  Erika was surprised when she was called, but pleased with the result.  Her title was 'most likely to rule the world'.  It was a flattering title, but she had no interest in ruling the world.  The world as a whole was much too large for any one person to have full control of.  There's no way for the entire world to be perfect.  But this city would be more than sufficient for her.  "I'll be sure to live up to my classmates predictions," she assured, smirking as she left the auditorium at the end of the ceremony.

It took a little while for her mother to get out of the auditorium with all of the other people exiting the building, but soon Erika spotted her and made her way over to her.  She didn't even have a chance to speak, though, as her mother pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you," Danisha murmured, squeezing her daughter tightly.  Erika had been hugged more times in the last few days than she could remember.  Hopefully this was just about over with, though.  Still, she couldn't complain about the attention feeling nice.  She was more than willing to admit that she liked being the center of attention.

"What?  For graduating?  It was easy," Erika assured, pulling back before they got any weird stares from her classmates or their families.

"Well, that.  And being valedictorian.  Your brother was quite upset when he didn't get that title," Danisha commented with a smile.  Not that he'd admit it, but she had known her son enough to see his disappointment when it was someone else's name called.

"Well, if he hadn't ditched school with Belisama so much towards the end he might have gotten it," Erika scoffed.  Danisha had to admit her daughter was right and chuckled a bit.

"I suppose she wasn't a very good influence on him.  But they're happy together," Danisha mused.

"Oh, that reminds me.  I got you something.  It's a combination birthday and graduation present," Danisha announced, fishing the present out and presenting it to Erika.  "You've been so secretive about what your new job is that I wasn't quite sure what to get you and have it be useful... but I figure no matter where you're working a tablet has to provide its benefits," she explained.  Erika could see her mother looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to announce her career, but she wasn't going to slip up that easily.

"It's wonderful!  Thank you," Erika replied enthusiastically.  "I'm sure it will help me," she assured her mother, although she didn't say exactly how.  Danisha wanted to pry, but Erika was confident that no matter what question her mother asked she would dodge it skillfully.

She was so caught up in her attempts to anticipate her mother's questions that she didn't notice who it was who walked up next to her.  At least, she didn't notice until he cleared his throat.  And then she rather wished she could have continued to not notice him.

"Hey, Erika.  That was a great speech in there.  I was really impressed," he commented with a hesitant smile.  It was Garland.  The younger brother of her brother's wife, Belisama.  And more importantly, Morrigan's son.

"You...!" Erika exclaimed, fixing her eyes on him.  Danisha glanced between the two of them, a little confused.  She didn't recognize him from the warehouse that night.  She'd been too emotionally charged to focus on much of anything but her daughter and the shooter.

"Are you two friends?  How about I give you some space," Danisha offered, stepping aside to let them talk.

"Valedictorian, huh?  That's impressive.  I guess all of your absences at the end didn't really hurt your grade at all," Garland mused, his smile growing in confidence at first.

"You...  you bastard!" Erika hissed, nearly shaking with rage.  "What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded.  Garland had for some stupid reason not expected that reaction and his smile faded.

Oh how Erika wanted to punch him right now.  She wanted to beat him into the ground until he was a bloody pulp.  But she couldn't do that.  Why?  First, because there were people around watching, including her mother.  That would be too much of a scene.  And she didn't want to attract that sort of attention.  Secondly, because she knew what he was.  A vampire.  And as a mere human, she didn't have the physical strength to hurt.  At least, not like that.

"Wh-what do you mean?  I was just..." Garland started to explain, but Erika didn't allow him to get any further with whatever bile he was about to spew.

"You were just what?  Playing nice?  Trying to see whether or not I saw you that night in the warehouse?" she watched him pale further (she hadn't thought that was possible) and knew she'd hit the nail on the head.  "Too bad for you, huh?" she snapped.

"I-it's not like that.  I was just with my mom.  I had no idea..." Garland stuttered but Erika cut him off again.

"You had no idea of what?  That I was in danger?  That they were planning on killing me?  Or that they'd get caught?  I don't know how long I was unconscious for, but you had to have been there for at least a while with me out cold and tied up in that chair.  You could have done something.  So don't you dare try to play the victim here," she growled low, making sure no one else could overhear their private conversation.  Oh how she wished she could out this guy to her mother.  But she'd done her research.  He had been arrested at the scene of the crime, but had been released as a minor.  Sure, he'd agreed to testify against his mother and help put her behind bars, but that didn't erase the stain of his former decisions.  He was just another blight on her perfect city.  A disgusting, vile stain.

"C-come on now, don't be so mad.  I did what I could.  I couldn't have directly stood up against my mother, you don't know what she's like," Garland tried to explain, but it just sounded like whining to Erika's ears.  She couldn't be bothered to listen to his pathetic explanations, and it was just making her sick the longer he kept flailing.

"You listen to me, Garland Hemlock, and you listen well," Erika commanded, finally putting an end to his pathetic sniveling.  "You're still alive right now thanks to the fact that I think you're beneath me.  But just looking at you makes me sick.  Crawl into the shadows and stay there.  If I ever see you again I'll make you suffer.  I'll drag you down into the pit of hell your mother cast me into and make you pay for every instant of pain I felt.  And it won't be just you.  You're getting married soon, aren't you?  Such a pathetic wife to suit a pathetic man.  And soon you'll have sniveling disgusting little brats.  And I'll make each one of them pay just for carrying your blood.  For carrying your mother's blood.  Disappear, little man.  Or I'll kill you and everything you love.  And I'll do it slowly.  And I'll take great pleasure in your suffering," she hissed, her eyes narrowing.  And she could see in the fear in his eyes that he believed her every word.  He certainly didn't have to believe her, but she was being brutally honest and he seemed to sense her sincerity.  Even if physically she wasn't his match there were all sorts of creative ways to inflict pain and suffering.

She didn't think she could carry out her threat this very moment.  But soon.  Oh, very soon if she had her way.  And soon every other writhing pest that blotted this city would feel the exact same fear that Garland just showed her.  They'd feel that fear up into the moment she erased their very existence.  Her cleansing would come at a cost.  But it wouldn't be her that would pay.  And the end result would be oh so worth it.  So deliciously worth it...


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I figured this was a good tone to start Erika's generation off on.  I was going to have this be a continuation of her birthday in the last chapter and have that be the first chapter of this generation, but it would have been too long and I felt that this scene should have a chapter dedicated to it.  So, is anyone scared of Erika's generation yet?

1.25 - End of Generation 1

That morning, Erika woke up late.  It was a weekend and she was feeling lazy.  Not that she'd been going to school.  She'd pretty much worked from home the entire rest of school and had only gone in to take her finals.  The school had been very accommodating, letting her work from home and arranging for her to take her finals in a room without distractions... or anyone staring at her.  And now she was done with school.  She wouldn't officially graduate until tomorrow.  But before then was the big day, her birthday.

When she finally did manage to get herself out of bed and dressed she emerged from her room to find her mother waiting for her.  At first she was surprised to see her mother there.  True, it was the weekend, but her mother usually was catching up on sleep on a day like this or working from home.  She had been making more of an effort recently to be around for Erika in case she 'needed her' but even then it was just casually being nearby.

"Um... morning, Danisha.  Is something the matter...?" Erika asked uncertainly as she looked at her mother.

"Matter?  Nothing's the matter!" Danisha exclaimed quickly.  Looking just as awkward as Danisha felt.  "So... um.  How did you sleep?  Did you get all of your work in to the school on time?" she asked, looking even more painfully awkward as she tried to make conversation.

"I slept fine.  And yes, I did," Erika replied, eying her mother suspiciously.  Danisha noticed the way her daughter was looking at her and sighed.  She'd never really gotten good at these motherly conversations.  It was one of many regrets she had.

"So, today is your big day," Danisha murmured instead, and now Erika understood why she was doing this.  She looked sad, nostalgic, and a little bit happy.  Probably because her youngest was now about to become an adult.  And where did that leave her?  Erika felt a pang of sympathy for her mother.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Erika agreed, smiling back at her mother.

"Have you decided what you're going to do?" Danisha asked, wondering if Erika was going to move out right away the way Nielson had.  She wondered what she'd do with herself when she was all alone.  But given how she'd been acting for the bulk of her children's lives it probably wouldn't be that different, as much as she hated to admit it.

"Well, I'm going to get a job right away.  I already have a place in mind," Erika admitted, not specifying what job it was.  If her mother pushed for more than that she'd have to lie about what type of job it was, so hopefully that would be enough to satisfy her mother's curiosity.  "And hopefully Collin won't take too long to propose," she added with a dreamy smile.

"You know, you could always propose to him," Danisha suggested.

"No way.  I want it to be perfect.  He'll take me to the beach or to a fancy restaurant... get down on one knee..." Erika explained, her face going dreamy.

"It sounds like you have quite the dream.  I hope it goes exactly as you plan," Danisha responded with a smile.  She remembered how romantic it had been when Nielson had proposed to her in her grandmother's garden.  She hoped that Erika had a similar experience.

"Oh, it will," Erika assured with a smile.  "And I hope you don't mind if I don't move out right away.  I want to move out into my dream house so it may take a little while before Collin and I have our own place," she added, and Danisha felt a rush of relief.

"Of course that's all right.  Take as long as you like," Danisha assured.

"As long as I like?  No offense, but I don't want to be starting a family in this little two bedroom apartment.  That would be a bit too cramped," she commented with a grin.

"I suppose so," Danisha agreed with a laugh.

When the laughter faded, Danisha felt a wave of regret hit her again.  How many more happy memories like this might she have had if she had spent more time with her children.

"You've grown up into a fine young woman, Erika," Danisha murmured, looking ready to cry.  Before Erika could respond she wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her into a tight hug.

Erika wasn't entirely sure what to do in response.  It was rather painful and hard to breathe in her mother's vice-like grip, but at the same time she could count on one hand how many times her mother had hugged her like this since she was a child so she was reluctant to end it.

The hug was ended for them when the doorbell rang.  "I wonder who that could be..." Danisha commented.  She pulled back from Erika, which she was secretly grateful for.  Awkward family moment had been awkward.  She watched her mother leave the room and then looked around, trying to remember what she'd come in here for.

Breakfast, that's right.   She was about to go get food when she heard a voice behind her.

"Erika, look who it is," Danisha commented and Erika turned to see Collin standing there.

"Hey," he greeted.

"You came!" Erika exclaimed, trying not to seem too excited.  She'd actually been planning on going to his house later, but seeing him come here for her made her even happier.

"Of course I did, it's your big day, after all," Collin replied with a smile.  He'd been a little hesitant to come over given what had happened the last time he was here, but it seemed that Erika's mother either hadn't noticed what they'd done or had chosen to pretend she hadn't noticed so Collin was going to pretend nothing had happened along with her.

"I'm glad you're here.  It wouldn't have felt much like a celebration without you hear," Erika responded coyly.  Blushing and glancing invitingly up at him.  She probably should have been a bit more subtle with her mother standing a few feet away, but Danisha already knew she was going to marry this boy so she was sure her mother wouldn't be too shocked.

"Well, I'm happy I could make your day," Collin replied, blushing at Erika's words.  He was also aware that Erika's mother was standing right there, but with Erika looking at him expectantly like that there was no way he could resist stealing a kiss.

"If I didn't know already that I was the only one you've kissed, I'd wonder where you learned to kiss like that," Erika commented breathlessly when they parted.  It would never even occur to her that Collin might have kissed someone else over the course of his life.  He was her perfect man, that made him just for her.  If he ever did lay eyes on another girl it could only be because she'd somehow bewitched him, and Erika would make that girl pay dearly for that.  She wouldn't tolerate anyone else putting their hands on him.

"I... I..." Collin stuttered, blushing furiously at Erika praising his kissing skills.  What was a guy really supposed to say to that?  Collin certainly didn't know.

He wanted to lean in and kiss her again just so she'd praise him more, but Danisha cleared her throat, awkwardly ruining the moment.  "I bought cake for the special occasion," Danisha announced, producing a cake for her daughter and setting it on the table.  And she totally hadn't ruined that moment intentionally before the teenagers went into a full make-out session.  Of course not.

"You really didn't have to do that, mom," Erika commented, being sincere in that.  All those calories and processed sugars...  She eyes the cake uncertainly.

"Don't worry, it's not the cake I got your brother.  It's supposed to be healthier.  Sugar-free and low calorie or something," Danisha assured quickly.  Of course, she wasn't all too sure how it was going to taste, but at least this way her daughter would be willing to give it a try.

Erika was honestly touched that her mother had known all of that and had gotten her a cake to suit her tastes.  Maybe her mother paid more attention to her than she thought...

"Well?  Are you going to blow out the candles now?" Danisha prompted and Erika smiled and took her place by the cake.

Despite all of Danisha's misgivings she was excited to see her daughter growing up into a woman.  She'd always be sad about the times she'd missed but she also could continue making memories with her adult daughter too and focused on that as she cheered for Erika.

"Make sure you make a wish!" she encouraged happily.

Her mother's encouragement caught Erika off-guard.  A wish?  What did she have to wish for?  Everything was going exactly according to her plan.  The only thing she could 'wish' for was that her scar would magically disappear, but no amount of wishing would make that happen.  Still, her mother seemed to expect it so she made a great show of thinking up a wish.  Not that she could really do any thinking with Collin blowing his party favor directly into her ear.

Still, she made a show of having decided on the perfect wish and then leaned down to blow out the candles.  She had no hesitation or trepidation about becoming an adult.  She'd been eager to be an adult since she was a child.  Now she would finally have the ability to do something about her plan to perfect this city.

The first thing she wanted to do as an adult was rush to a mirror to see how she looked.  But that simply wasn't an option yet.  It would be rude to leave Collin and her mother standing there while she looked at her self.  One thing she was aware of was that most of her missing hair had grown back.  It wasn't as long as the rest of her hair, but that was easily solved by cutting the rest of her hair to that length.  She did prefer long hair over short, but she could live with this length.  And it was just long enough to cast the imperfect side of her face in shadows.  She was sure, shaded by her hair, the scar would be mostly concealed.  Just another example of how shadow and darkness could perfect the imperfect.

"You look amazing, Erika," Collin praised with a smile.  Erika smiled back at him, although she couldn't take him on his word.  It seemed that even if she turned into a hideous mutant he would still find her beautiful for some inexplicable reason so just because he called her beautiful didn't make her so.

Still, she was flattered by the praise.  "Thank you," she replied, taking a seat with her cake.  Collin and Danisha helped themselves as well and enjoyed a conversation at the table.  Collin was sorry to say that he wouldn't be able to come to Erika's graduation.  He had his last day of school that day and couldn't afford to ditch.  Erika couldn't imagine Collin ditching school anyway and assured him it was fine.  Instead she promised to stop by his house after school so that she could celebrate his birthday with him.

By the time they had finished eating and cleaned up it was late.  "You should get going, you do have school tomorrow," Erika reminded him, even if she wanted him to spend the night with her.

"All right," Collin agreed, heading towards the door.  "Oh, wait!  I almost forgot something," he announced, grinning widely as he turned back to Erika.

"Forgot something?" she repeated.

"It's your birthday, right?  Well, happy birthday!" Collin announced, before producing a present he'd stowed by the door when he came in so he could surprise Erika.  And Erika was very surprised.  She expected her mother to get her a present for her birthday, but for some reason she hadn't thought Collin would get her something.  For a moment she was hopeful that it might be an engagement ring... but Collin was still a teenager, and the box was much too big to hold just a ring.  Still, she was happy Collin had gotten her anything.

"I hope you like it.  I may or may not have had my mother help me pick it out," Collin admitted sheepishly.

"I'm sure it will be perfect," Erika assured, smiling at Collin.  This seemed to reassure him and he smiled back at her.

She opened the present up and sighed happily over the beautifully decorated jewelry box that it held within.  "It's lovely," she assured with a smile.  She set it down and wrapped her arms around Collin.  She wanted to do more, but he was still a teenager.  She could hold back until tomorrow night anyway.

"I'm glad you like it," Collin replied with a smile as he returned the hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow night, then," Erika assured as they finally parted.

"I'm looking forward to it," Collin replied with a smile.  Despite her restraint, Collin did give her a kiss to the cheek before he finally went out the door.  Erika sighed and picked up her new jewelry box, admiring it and momentarily forgetting her rush to look at herself properly in the mirror.  Already her life was looking just as perfect as she had always planned it would be.


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I was originally planning on making this the first chapter of generation 2, but I ended up making it the end of generation 1 instead.  Next chapter will be 2.1 since Erika will be an adult for the entire chapter.  Not a lot happened in this chapter.  I originally planned on making it longer to include Erika starting her new career but I'm holding off on that.  I'll be keeping that secret for now, although some of you might have already guessed it.  Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  I look forward to reading your comments!