Future Girl flew straight up, feeling the heat of various students firing their weapons at the headmaster. She could hear the lasers cutting through the at Corruption and she could smell the burning ozone of various electrical weapons slicing through the air at Corruption.
Future Girl watched from above as the Corruption tried to fight the students, only for the lights of the battle to fade after a few minutes. No matter what happened, Future Girl knew she has brought about change. The nightmare vision of the future she once saw was another closer of not coming to pass. At least that's what she hoped.
After a while, the night faded into darkness around Mirai academy, except for the security lights placed evenly throughout the campus. The fight had ended.
Future Girl flew to the girls' dorm, careful to avoid being spotted. She squeezed through an open window into an empty room. She pressed finger against her palm and transformed back into ordinary, powerless Amber Veda.
The dorm room was dark. The only light as from outside. Amber laid on her bed, with occasional flashes of light from outside.
Amber put on her pajamas and got into bed, although not feeling tired. She wondered if she had done the right thing, leaving Corruption's fate up to her students. After some time, as Amber almost drifted off to sleep, her roommate Marci burst through the door, filling their bedroom with light.
"Omigod!" Marci said. "That was awesome!"
Amber sat up and smiled.
"We all kicked Kahror's ass," Marci said. "everybody used their school projects at once. She wanted us to make weapons? She got what she wanted!"
Amber pulled her knees up to her chest. "Is she dead?"
Marci snorted. "Dude, this is Mirai. Nobody's killing anybody. This one senior kid built this stasis field thing and trapped her in it. When she comes out of it, she'll have no idea any time has passed. Cool, huh?"
Amber nodded. "I didn't see you at the fight. No Milfoil?"
"Yeah, right. While the fight was going on, a bunch of seniors got into Kahror's office and hacked her computer. You know what they found? Patent applications. She was going to steal all of our inventions."
"She's corrupt."
"No kidding. A bunch of the guys have parents who are lawyers. They're already talking about criminal charges."
"Sounds like things are going to change."
"Totally."
They both heard music coming from the still open window. Light show in from outside.
"What..." Amber started.
"We're throwing a party!" Marci said. "No headmaster, no security, no rules!"
Marci grabbed Amber's hand. "Come on!"
"I'm in my pajamas!"
"Doesn't matter! It's a party!"
Amber, only in a t-shirt, flannel pajama pants, and her bare feet, followed Marci out of their room down the hall and into the elevator.
"You know," Marci said, "Future Girl could come to the party. I know everybody would love to thank her and give her a hug."
"That wouldn't be appropriate."
"You don't have to be selfless all the time. You can enjoy what you've accomplished."
"I do, in my way."
The elevator doors opened. Marci smiled and grabbed Amber's wrist again, leading her outside and onto the partially destroyed campus green.
The Mirai students were outside, dancing and reveling under the starry sky. The brown crater at the center of the green, which had been the result of the fighting, was now an impromptu dance floor. Off to one side, some students had set up a surround sound system, blasting music around the green.
"All the security guards just ran off?" Amber said.
"This is our night." Marci spun around and ran into the crowd. Amber followed. She closed her eyes and forgot her pajamas, bare feet, and uncombed hair, and just danced along with everyone else.
Later in the night, when a slow song started, a senior boy Amber barely knew asked her to dance. Amber said yes, knowing it didn't mean anything serious.
The boy was much taller than Amber, so she rested her face against his chest and draped her arms up around his shoulders. She closed her eyes again, feeling the comfort of being close to another person, as they circled slowly to the music.
That night, for one night at least, it felt like a better world.
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END OF CHAPTER 11
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Next: Ghosts and dinosaur.