Dear Watson

Second Grade
November, 2042

Marianne bit at her lip, trying to look as small as possible as the teacher introduced her to the class. Faces, strange unfamiliar faces, blinked up at her, watching her curiously. She let out a tiny squeal, staring back down at her feet, trying to ignore the words that the man spoke.

They only made this situation feel much more real.

"I don't want to, I don't want to. I don't want to." She muttered in Korean, hugging herself. Marianne hadn't wanted to move. She hadn't wanted to change houses, hadn't wanted to meet her mother's new friend. She hadn't wanted any of that. All she wanted to go back to the house she'd lived in for as long as she could remember.

"Marianne?" She blinked up at the man, raising her head to look at him squarely. "Do you want to introduce yourself to the class?"

She glanced over at them, at the entire class, and her pulse spiked. There was so many people and they were all staring up at her with their beady eyes...

Marianne made herself focus not on them, but outside. The clouds were beginning to retreat, but the signs of yesterday's ran were everywhere. "Me? I'm just - Mari?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Can I go sit down now?" Please?

"Yes, of course."

He hadn't even finished his words before Marianne had smiled relievedly, the first one since she'd entered the school, and rushed to take a seat by herself.

For once, Bonnie was left alone as all the other children focused their attention on someone else. Trying her best to hide in her little desk in the back corner, the blond girl with bright grey-blue eyes continued to shrink, trying to seem smaller. Her appearance rippled slightly as she gave a small hiccup, and for a split second her hair seemed bright red, her skin slightly paler, her body smaller. A moment later she was blond and grey blue eyed again, and no one was any the wiser. The pink Powerpuff girls backpack leaning against the small basket beneath her desk shifted slightly, and she quickly shushed it, drawing the eyes of the girl a few seats in front of her.

With a sniffed "Glitch" the small brunette turned back to front. Another soft hiccup, and the blond rippled again, her hair bright blue this time before settling back to normal. The seats directly around her were empty, the rest of the class staying at a safe 3 to 4 desks away. "In case it's contagious" they'd whisper, whether they cared she heard or not.

Pulling the backpack into her lap, she carefully unzipped it, gazing down at the creature small enough to be inside with her notebooks and pens. "Watson." She whispered. "Shhh." Carefully extracting a chocolate chip cookie from her lunchbox, she manuvered it into her backpack with careful slyness, making sure that the teacher didn't catch her eating in class. Another hiccup caused the cookie to slip from her fingers and into the back, her hair turning black and eyes flashing violet. Frowning at herself - did she have to be so broken all the time? - she shifted in her seat slightly, before the sound of another language caught her attention.

For the first time, Bonnie looked up at the front of the room, at the girl standing there. She was pretty, and looked as uncomfortable standing up there as Bonnie did whenever she was at school. Subconciously, her hair grew and darkened to match the other girl's before Watson nipped at her finger and distracted her back to herself.

"I don't want to either." She said softly in Korean. If anything, English was the harder of the languages to learn. "I do not want to be here."

Marianne blinked, her ears perking up at the sound of the Korean language. Someone else spoke Korean here? Her gaze flickered up to the teacher, and when he was properly distracted talking to someone up front, the seven year old turned around, her eyes falling on the only person there.

Looking at the blonde curiously, her gaze drifted towards the backpack for a moment before returning to the blue-eyed girl. She tilted her head slightly, for a moment wondering if she'd just imagined the girl knowing Korean.

But she shook that thought away. Just because she didn't look Korean didn't mean she wasn't. And she'd met plenty of Koreans who couldn't speak Korean anyway.

"I just, I didn't want to move," she muttered, a frown pulling her lips downward. "I was happy the way everything was. And now it's all different." Her frown only deepened before she shook her head, her curious expression back. "Why don't you want to be here?"

Bonnie blinked over at the other girl, surprised that she had decided to talk to her. "Because I'm a freak." She said softly, keeping her gaze on Watson. Reaching into her backpack to run her fingers through Watson's smooth fur. "They don't li-*hic*" Her appearance jumped, her hair flashing black and her skin and eyes darkening before she clapped a hand over her mouth and was herself again. Her eyes lowered back to her desktop, even as the brunette from before took the new girl's arm.

"Don't talk to the Glitch. You could catch it. Mama says pretty girls shouldn't catch diseases." She said knowingly. Bonnie felt the familiar well of tears begin beneath her eyes, but she couldn't cry yet. It was too early. They hadn't even had-

Recess.

The bell rang, and the kids scattered, the brown haired girl leading the new girl out before the blond could say another word. Sniffing, she stood, carefully zipping her backpack so that Watson could breathe before hoisting it over her shoulder. She was in no hurry to get to the playground, but she knew she would have to show. The last time she'd hid in the bathroom, the teachers had gotten angry and sent her to the office. The office had called home, and Mr. and Mrs. Garrison had been the ones that had to come get her. She wasn't going to face stupid old Will again if that happened again.

Still, she hesitated on the other side of the doors, a small hiccup and appearance shift her only reaction to watching the kids outside.

Her expression shifted, the curiosity still there, but it was overshadowed with one that was more of concern and worry. The question of why she would think that was there, but the fact she did was much more worrisome for the girl. She opened her mouth to say something, but it simply hung open, her eyes wide.

Had - Had she just...

She'd heard of them, Metamorphmagi. But she hadn't ever expected to meet one.

Her gaze was torn away from the girl, the touch and sound of a brunette drawing her attention. Her eyebrows knitting together, she glanced from one girl to other. "But -"

Marianne was cut off by the bell. Blinking up in the direction of the ceiling, she blinked again as she found herself tugged along by the girl. Managing to get her feet moving to avoid smashing her head into the floor, she gave the girl a polite smile, glancing over her shoulder back at the girl they'd left behind, mouthing the words 'I'm sorry' as she was tugged helplessly along.

Zipping up her coat, she glanced around, watching the students jump in puddles and climb the jungle gym before she was pulled away by the brunette - Nettie, she'd said - towards the swings.

As the other girl swung herself higher and higher, chatting on and on about the other students in the class and who to avoid and who would be your best friend for life, Marianne simply sat, kicking her feet weakly, staring across the playground at the girl from before, chewing on her bottom lip.

It was only after an encouraging look from the school counciler - she had a different name when Bonnie saw her at home, so usually the young girl just called her 'Miss' instead of Auntie - that Bonnie made her way out into the sunlight. Miss was sure that these confrontations would make her stronger in the long run, and Bonnie usually found herself wishing that the long run came faster. Hopefully she could make it to the sandbox before the other children-

"G-G-G-Glitch alert!" came a voice, and suddenly she was the sole focus of many of her classmates. A small bubble of panic flew from her lips on a hiccup, her disorder - for surely it wasn't the gift her parents said it was - becoming painfully apparent as the change made her stumble, hair becoming a mundane brown before it shined bright and blond again.

"What have you got for lunch today?" they had cut off her path to the sandbox - she was the only person who used it anymore, they were sure it was Ground Zero for her disease - standing around her and grinning maniac grins. Their presence only caused her panic to mount, hiccups becoming more frequent and as such did her glitches. Her hair color was changing from more plain colors to bright ones, eyes doing the same.

"I- please don't-" Holding her backpack protectively to her chest, the small girl seemed to be unable to speak much more than that as her hiccups became more pronounced. "M-m-Mindy c-can't w-w-we *hic* j-j-just *hic* p- *HIC* p-p-play *hic* t-t-today?" She tried to turn, her legs wobbling oddly as she changed before their very eyes, form wavering like a leaf in the wind.

"S-s-sooorry, Glitch." The brunette who had stolen away the new girl stepped forward, grabbing onto her bookbag and tugging. "Give me this."

"No!" Hold tightening, even as the creature inside squirmed in discomfort. "You c-can't have h- it!"

"Let's see what Glitch's mommy brought her for lunch? Does your food glitch too?" The girl tugged

"Stop *hic* it!" Bonnie tugged the backpack firmly, taking a step back, but the circle of children had blocked anyway in or out. Fingers digging into the small opening left by Bonnie, Mindy tore the bag open, freeing Watson. The Niffler leapt onto the offending brunette's arm, curling his tail around her wrist as not to fall off.

Giving a bloodcurdling shriek and a cry of "RAT!!" Mindy leapt away, swinging her arm around and trying to displace the creature. Terrified once more, Bonnie didn't even have time to giggle at the scene the girl made, eyes only for the slipping of her only friend. "St-stop it! Stop it! You'll hurt him!"

Her appearance rippled again, eyes and hair turning a bright firetruck red. "Stop it!" She yelled. Mindy's eyes fell on her and she screamed, falling back into a puddle of mud and splattering the stuff everywhere. Watson ran along the ground and scurried up Bonnie's body until he rested on her shoulder.

"You're a freak!" Yelled Mindy, getting to her feet and glaring as Bonnie's hair went back to normal. "Nothing but a monster. I don't know why they let you come here. My mom said you're a mistake, and if your parents didn't have money, you wouldn't even be here!"

"That's not true!" Bonnie whispered, but her voice was barely audible. She watched as one of Mindy's many friends helped her up, and the crowd dispersed, placated after the daily show. With a sigh and a glance at Watson, the small blond girl continued on her way to the sandbox, setting her backpack - the zipper was broken again, great - on the edge and seating herself in the middle. Her niffler gave her a lick before hopping onto the small dune and burrowing himself inside, rolling in it. Bonnie gave a small smile as she watched him.

At least she could make Watson happy.

Marianne's eyes widened, staring at the scene unfolding in front of her. Her grip tightening, the metal of the swing bit into the palm of her hand, but she paid it no heed. She was rooted to the spot, a moral dilemma beginning. She wanted to do something. What they were doing, what they were all doing, was nothing short of bullying. It didn't matter that she didn't know them, what they were doing was wrong.

But she had no idea what to do, and that was the problem. She was tiny, shorter than most of them, and she doubted any of them would listen to her if she tried to yell at them. So she simply stayed where she was, the little girl biting on her bottom lip worriedly.

As soon as the crowd had left the blonde away, the brunette returned, muttering something about glitches and rats. Marianne didn't care. In fact, she didn't want to hear anything that came out her mouth. Fixing Nettie with a cold look, she stood up, walking pointedly towards the sandbox, not caring if every eye was on her.

Sitting down beside the blonde, she offered her a tiny smile. "Hi." Running her hands through the sand, she glanced away from her classmate. "What's your name?" Marianne asked. "Your real name." Nodding once, she glanced over her shoulder at the rest of the class before returning her gaze to the other Korean speaker. "They're terrible, every last one of them."

"My mom says they're only children." Bonnie said softly. "And that people treat me this way because they don't understand. That's the real reason I'm in school here. To learn about the world. Everyone else is like them, daddy says, and they'll react the same way, even when we're older." She shrugged. "At least here I am not in any danger."

Bonnie gave the girl a sideways glance, biting her lower lip and shrugging a shoulder. "Bonnie." She said softly. "My name is- My name is Bonnie."

With a spray of sand in their direction and a snort, Watson climbed back out of the sandbox, a shiny coin curled into his paw. He presented it to Bonnie, who opened her bag for him to place it inside of. Careful not to touch the coin herself, she ran her fingers through Watson's fur, grinning at him. "This is Watson." She said with a smile. "He's my best friend." The niffler sniffed at Mari before sneezing and wandering back to it's sand dune. Bonnie grinned. "He likes you, that's what his sneeze means. You smell funny to him, but now he's used to it, cause he sneezed. So he wants to smell you again, later." Bonnie nodded. She was of good authority to know these things, having been Watson's interpreter since she was four and a half.

On a deeper level, though she wasn't completely aware she was saying it, she also was inviting Mari back again. She had never had a real friend before, not counting Watson and the other thieving children, and they weren't even that nice to her.

She wanted to see her again. Usually her 'friendships' didn't make it past the glitching part, so this was all new, dangerous territory.

"Everyone isn't like that," she frowned, her brows furrowing together as she glanced over her shoulder again, hardly caring about the pointed looks she get from the other students. Looking back at the blonde, she gave her head a small shake. "I'd never treat anyone like that. Not in a million years."

She beamed over at her. "Bonnie. That's a pretty name. I like it." It was a simple name, easy to say. Unlike her name, which was practically two names in one.

Turning her head towards the snort, she stared, wide eyed at the animal. "Ooh," she breathed, shuffling towards it. "That is cool." She'd never seen anything like it, but it was an animal, and she always had like animals. Giving Watson a little wave in goodbye as he ambled away, she looked back up at Bonnie, her brown eyes glimmering with excitement. "I'd like that, I really would."

She and Bonnie could be good friends, she decided.

"That's cuz you're not from around here, silly. You don't know how to act like them, cuz your mama and daddy aren't like their mamas and daddies. That's all." She shrugged. "We only trust our own family, that's what Auntie says. Can't trust no one else... cept friends." She amended. "If we were friends, I'd trust you."

"He's a Niffler." Bonnie proclaimed proudly, smiling a real smile for the first time since her first day of school. "The very best niffler, fastest gold finder in the land, and I know, daddy timed him and everything." She nodded. "He's not allowed in school, so I hide him in my backpack. I don't know what I'd do without Watson. He's the only one who ever listens to me, cept mama and daddy and auntie, but they don't count cuz listening their job." She nodded, sure that when she got home today and told them about her new friend, they'd be ecstatic. What she didn't know was that her aunt had already told them, and that they were currently doing a background check on everyone in Mari's family from her father's great grandfather to the most distant of cousins.

If they didn't check out, Mari would find herself transferred to another class, unable to spend recess with her new friend, and strangely met with a teacher every time she was on her way to talk to her.

"We're going to be the bestest of friends." Bonnie proclaimed, but quickly put her hand over her mouth and shook her head. "But first, you have to pass the test." Leaning toward Mari, she cupped her hands together, whispering into her ear.

"You's gotta get a shiny thing that Watson would like from someone else."

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes widening, showing a touch of childlike vulnerability. "Is - Is that a good thing? Or a bad thing?" Self-consciously, she ran a hand through her dark hair, almost seeming to shrink slightly. Marianne nodded slowly. "I guess that makes sense." Again, she glanced at all the students around them. "People are good at hurting others."

Nifflers. Even the name sounded cool. Nodding along to Bonnie, her head beginning to resemble a bobble-head, she soaked up the information, eyes wide as they constantly turned from the blonde to sand beneath their feet.

"I'd listen to you," she blinked up at her, smiling shyly. "My sister says that I listen more than I talk." She nodded, wondering if that was a good thing.

Marianne grinned, clapping her hands together. Tilting her head slightly at the test, a small frown furrowed across her face. "Like steal? From one of them?" She gestured around at the students around them. They weren't nice, but did they deserve to be stolen from?

But the moral dilemma didn't matter. It was a test, practically a dare. And the one thing Marianne Andrea Delancy did not was to was back down from a dare.

"I'll do it," she said confidently.