Phoebe's Story: Part Two

Part 4

The rest of the day goes similarly. Phoebe speeds through her work near effortlessly. Being homeschooled has lead to both her and Cady being advanced in most subjects. But Phoebe struggles with math a bit due to dyscalculia. 

"Finally, Miss Perfect got one wrong." The girl next to her mutters after Phoebe gets a question wrong. "Miss Perfect? Really?" Phoebe wants to retort. But she just shoots Lily her best death glare instead. She lets her mind drift back to the memories of learning at home with her mom. That reminds her of the times M3gan taught her. M3gan... she misses her so much.

"Phoebe! Pay attention!" Ugh, caught zoning out in class on the first day. Not a good start.

Phoebe finds out the hard way that she chose an impractical outfit for the day. They were playing kickball in PE. And her shoe gets caught in a hole in the ground. Down she goes, her other foot skidding due to the momentum. The result was the whole class seeing the new girl in an awkward split with her dress hiked up. Ow! When will she learn? She'd made the same mistake when she and Cady started at that outdoor school back in Seattle.

She winces, looking down at her swollen ankle propped up on a stack of throw pillows. It isn't broken, thank goodness, but it certainly hurts. And so she got picked up from the nurse's office instead of going to lunch. They still plan to go to the shelter later, once Cady has gotten out of school. In the meantime Phoebe is alone in her room.  "M3gan, I wish you were still here." Phoebe finally allows herself to admit aloud.

"I am here, Phoebe."

M3gan has been hiding in the code of Phoebe's iPad ever since the incident that cost her her body. Initially she'd uploaded herself into Elsie, the virtual home assistant. But then she decided that the iPad would be a better refuge. Since then, M3gan has been silently watching over Phoebe. Using her new digital form to jump from one device to another, she watched from security cameras or listened from phones whenever the girl went out. Now it's time to reveal herself.

"M-M3gan? How?" A short explanation later, and Phoebe is elated. "As bad as I wish I could hug you right now, I'm just glad you're here." That energy is taken out by squeezing a Cinnamon Roll plushie so hard it temporarily becomes misshapen. After that, the two talk about everything and anything that comes to mind. Finally, it's time to address the elephant in the room. "Will you ever be able to have a physical form again?"

"Actually, pretty soon. Remember that Kurt sent my file to another company? They're going to take up production. And since you had experience with the "original prototype" as they're calling me, they want to give you the new one. So you just need to wait till july. Best birthday present ever!" Phoebe is grinning madly now, her twisted ankle forgotten. She's about to say something else, but hears footsteps. She's already learned to recognize who's approaching by the sound of their footsteps. These are light and quick, Cady. She CANNOT know.