Forum > Tuber's secrets > thread

Aah, nope. I hope I will (get paid for writing someday)!
Thank you ever so much. I'm glad my efforts have not gone unappreciated.

Oh, snap. Natasha thought. The man came running and stroked the gryphon's head to calm it. “What is it, Owen?” he asked quietly, then turned and saw Natasha. She raised a hand in a silent greeting. He did the same and beckoned for her to come closer. Natasha approached softly. When she was close enough, she made a gentle trilling sound in her throat.
Owen tilted his head in puzzlement and trilled back.
Natasha mimicked it, causing the gryphon to back away, then thrust its head forward to inspect her.
She head-bopped it in response, a sign of affection.
Owen reared up, but when she didn't flinch, he hesitated, then nuzzled her.
She smiled at her success; Owen now considered her a friend.

His handler was impressed. “You have a talent for connecting with animals. Owen doesn't usually befriend people so quickly; he tolerates them for a good while first.”
“I don't really know about that,” Natasha replied as she scratched under Owen's chin. He trilled happily. “I'm not really an animal person. Gryphons are an exception. I like this one; Owen, was it?”
His handler smiled. “And his rider is Levi. Pleased to meet you. I'm sorry I don't have much time to talk right now, but I need to find the post that should be around here somewhere.” Levi pulled a paper map out of his pocket and examined it. It was marked in certain places with red marker. “It should be pretty close.” Natasha looked around, saw a blinking light, and pointed. “Is that the one?”
Levi followed her hand and dashed over to a pile of kudzu. “Yes, this is it! Thank you, Miss...?”
“Natasha.”
“Natasha, thank you.” He marked the map in a new place and smiled at his gryphon. “Hey, Owen, this was the last one. We're finished!”
Owen screeched happily. Levi bowed slightly to Natasha. “May I ask what you're doing here, miss Natasha?”
She shrugged. “Got caught in nature's sneeze, I guess.” Levi stared at her for a moment, then began to laugh. “Nature's sneeze? That is by far the most amusing, if not accurate, description of this green explosion I have heard thus far.”
Natasha smiled in spite of herself. “Yeah, well... I usually reserve the term for the pollen season, but in this case I couldn't resist.”
He laughed himself short of breath. “You don't mind if I use the expression, do you?” he asked.
“Knock yourself out.” was the answer. Levi chuckled once more, then composed himself. “Do you need a lift? Owen can take another passenger your size easily.”
“About that...” Natasha began. “Where am I?”
“You don't know?”
She shook her head.
“The nearest city is the Architect Dimension. Where did you think you were?”
“I didn't know. I've been wandering around for quite a while.”
Levi nodded. “Well, would you like a ride to the city? We're heading back now, and Owen seems to like you.”
Natasha considered it, then decided, Why not?
“Thanks, Levi. I'd appreciate that.”



“What?!”
The alien's eyes snapped open as Skylar's incredulous exclamation startled it into wakefulness. “What is that and where did it come from?” he was demanding. The pilot had no idea what had happened, apparently; he also expected Skylar to give him a new destination. Skylar was silent for a moment, then calmly told him to go back to the city. He returned to his seat with a resigned expression and sighed. “I woke you, didn't I?”
The alien nodded once.
“My apologies. I was... shocked. Do you see that forest outside the window?”
The alien looked out and saw the massive sprawl of the newly grown forest. Stunned, it spoke in its native tongue. Skylar leaned forward. “I'm sorry, what did you say?”
The alien repeated itself, then translated. “This Area is not as it was when I left my ship. This forest should not exist.”
Skylar nodded. “My point exactly. I'm afraid Brice will have to wait. I'm sure he'll understand.”
The jet circled back and approached the city. “At least you'll get your first good look at the city. The view from here is spectacular.”



The Architect Dimension was massive. Natasha had already known that. Seeing it from the air was a different matter entirely. It was just... huge. Levi glanced at her over his shoulder with a grin. “I used to try to describe this, but you've got to see it for yourself. Amazing, isn't it?”
Amazing was an understatement. The city was a marvel to behold, the result of architects, artists, mathematicians, inventors and engineers uniting to make their dreams come true. Sleek skyscrapers, fantastic yet symmetrical designs of other buildings, ect. Natasha wasn't sure if what she saw winding between them was a legitimate road until she saw rush hour begin. The cars didn't have wheels-- were they even touching the ground?! It was a miracle that they stayed on the road at all; a computer must've been orchestrating the management of the cars according to destination.
The wind played with Natasha's hair as she adjusted her grip on Levi's torso and laughed. “This is fantastic!”
Levi grinned. “Ever flown before?”
“Never! It's awesome!” she shouted. She had to yell, or the wind would've snatched her words right out of the air. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun.
“Well, hang on tight; we're entering the city!”
Owen screeched happily and swooped lower to clear the gateway of the arch. His harness beeped as he came nearer, and the gate opened just before they crashed into it. There must have been an electronic device in his harness to activate the gateway, Natasha supposed.
The few people nearby waved as they glided overhead; it was obvious that Owen and Levi were well-known.
Natasha suddenly remembered that she'd been here before. Oh, no-- what name did I use when I was here?! she silently panicked as she racked her brain for the answer, fishing through pseudonyms she'd used before, unable to find the right one...

“Well, Jason?” Amber tapped her tiny foot impatiently. “I'm willing to help you get to the next post, but which way are you heading?”
Jason thought about it, then decided. “I think I'll head to the city and try to get in touch with the other half, find out what happened to the kids, and hire a Flyer to take me to whichever half I decide to rejoin.”
Amber nodded. “Good. Once you've figure out where you're going, you're halfway there.” she said, clapped once and grinned. “Okay, let's go!”

Jason followed Amber to the next post, and met another Guardian: a male centaur named Philip. He led Jason to the next post and the next Guardian, and so on and so forth. Jason finally made it out of the forest, just in time to see a gryphon diving through the gateway. The muffled thunder of a jet engine caused him to look up. He wondered how it would enter the photosynthetic dome, since there was no possible way for it to fit through the arch. The jet didn't slow down or change course; it flew straight into the dome, which sparkled around the edges of the jet as it sliced through like a hot knife through a layer of gelatin. “How is that even possible?” Jason asked himself incredulously.


The alien suddenly realized that the jet had passed through the dome of the city. But how?
Skylar had forgotten to bring the laptop, so the alien had to repeat the question verbally several times before Skylar understood what it was trying to ask. “Oh, the dome? It's simple, really. The dome's energy was designed to keep plants out and cities in, no matter how hard the forces of man or nature may try to penetrate it. The key,” Skylar explained as he leaned forward, “Is the intent to pierce and maintain. Nobody seemed to understand this, but the dome takes time to respond to an incursion; when it does, the energy focuses on a perfect split, down to the atom, much like a wedge. The foreign object, man-made or plant, is sliced in two; they are either inside or outside, with no exceptions.
However, if an object with enough mass and speed to pierce through the almost gelatin-like shell, without destroying itself or getting stuck, emerges completely on the other side, the dome will repair the hole and it will be as though nothing had happened. If the object is not aerodynamic enough and fails to slip in and out like a needle through thread, the shock will be absorbed and the object simultaneously vaporized on the molecular level; thus, rendering the dome unbreakable.
So, I had this jet specifically designed to pierce the dome with as little resistance as possible to get through as quickly as possible. And it works perfectly.” Skylar finished. He reached into his suit jacket and produced a pad of paper and a pen. “Now. I have been thinking about finding a name for you, and have composed a list of ideas for you to choose from. If none of them seem to fit, we'll try something else.” He flipped the pad open and placed it on the small table, spinning it to face the alien.
The alien lifted the pad with the tips of its 'fingers' to examine the writing. Skylar's cursive script was elegant and pleasing to the eye, but hardly readable by anyone but fellow masters of the pen. Skylar seemed to have realized this, and the list was repeated in simpler italic calligraphy. This is was what it read:
Kasumi – meaning 'from the mist'.
Kazumi - meaning 'Beautiful harmony'.
Shea – meaning 'Admirable'; also, 'Hawklike - graceful, free, courageous'
Yuki – meaning 'Blessing; snow'
Kailani – meaning 'sky and sea'.
Quinn – meaning Counsel; intelligent; wise

Skylar toyed with the blue-and-gold fountain pen while he waited for the alien to finish. The alien looked up, as though waiting for him to elaborate. Skylar put the pen away. “These are names I thought seemed to fit you.

Kasumi; You come from a mysterious place far away, as though shrouded in mist.

Kazumi; You appear to want to befriend and/or understand humans, therefore, you want to coexist peacefully with us; that is, harmoniously.

Shea; You didn't seem to know a thing about me, so I imagine that you were randomly tossed in my lap, so to speak. If that is so, then why haven't there been reports or news coverage of aliens randomly appearing around the world? Nobody could possibly hush everyone who saw one. So, I gather that you are alone. You chose to meet a human for the first time, alone. Whether or not that was the wisest thing you've ever done in your life, it took admirable courage.

Yuki; Randomly appearing before a human and trusting that we would not harm you... I am not sure whether that was naïveté or firm trust that the good side of mankind would find you before the evil side did. Either way, you don't seem anything but peaceful.

Kailani; You come from beyond the sky, do you not? And your skin is as blue as our seas.

Quinn; You seem to be a very intelligent species, whatever you are.
Speaking of which, my great-grandfather used to tell me stories of aliens constructing the mysterious city domes and Area posts. Are they true?”

The alien nodded slowly. Skylar grinned, but there was a touch of bitterness in it. “Everyone assumed my great-grandfather was simply confused, unable to tell fantasy from reality. I was the only one who actually listened to him. But I digress; do any of those names suit you?”


If you are reading this, and if you have a suggestion for another name for the alien or want to vote for one of the ones mentioned, speak up before I bring the spotlight back to the alien or forever hold your peace.

I would call the alien Quinn or Charlie
But choose what you find best

TheShadows, who also happens to be my sister, also likes the name Quinn; it's a bit masculine.
I was leaning towards Kailani myself, but it's a little girly.

Anyway, the score stands at two for Quinn, one for Kailani.


I wonder if the gender of the alien (granting the possibility that it gets one) will be affected by the name it gets... *strokes chin thoughtfully*

Another vote for quinn here

Three Quinns, huh? Interesting.

Levi looked up sharply at the dull roar of the jet as it passed. Owen stared at it. “Let it go, Owen.” Levi warned. Owen glared at it, then looked away again. Levi glanced back at Natasha. “He wants to race with it every time it shows up.”
Natasha snapped out of her train of thought. “Where did it come from?”
Levi pointed out beyond the dome. “From over there. Nobody knows how it gets past the dome, but it can.”
Natasha watched it shrink into the distance until it was smaller than her thumb. “Private jet?”
“Correct. Won't tell anyone how he does it, though. Name's Skyler something-or-other; the guy's filthy rich.”
They approached a skyscraper that looked like a couple of floors had been removed, creating a hangar of sorts. Owen screeched once to warn any people who might be in the way, and glided inside with outstretched wings.

Inside, there was some scattered applause as Owen landed flawlessly. Levi slid off of the saddle and helped Natasha down while Owen was fawned over, basking in the praise of the hands who removed his harness and stroked his head and wings. The hanger doors closed and artificial lights were activated to balance the light levels. Natasha head-bopped Owen one more time before he allowed himself to be led away. Levi smiled. “That gryphon. He just loves all the attention he gets. Come, I'll show you to the elevators.”
Levi led Natasha inside the building, passing people and various Flying creatures. A fairy glided past while scribbling furiously on a clipboard; a ShapeShifter maintained the appearance of a human, but one with hawklike wings folded on his back.
“Hey, Levi,” one of the normal humans called as he approached. “Who's your friend?”
“David, this is Natasha. Natasha, this is my fellow Rider, David.”
“Nice to meet you.” David said with a wink, then began to walk with them. “So how was it?” he asked Levi.
“Owen and I located all of the posts today, with a little assistance.”
“From the new Guardians?”
“And from a couple of lost people. They got caught in nature's sneeze.”
“Talk about letting the grass grow under your feet.” Natasha added quietly, unheard.
David laughed until he had to stop and lean against the wall. “When did you come up with that description?”
“As a matter of fact, I didn't. Natasha did.”
David looked at Natasha. She shrugged. “That's what I usually say around pollen season, but it seemed to fit this situation.” She looked at Levi. “So, how far did this 'green explosion' stretch?”
“From the Party City to the Architect Dimension, but not much farther than that.” David replied.
Odd, Natasha thought. If that's the case, we only transported a couple of miles, at most. Jason and the others shouldn't be too far away. “Really? Fascinating. Does anyone know why it happened, Levi?”
“Not that I know of--” Levi began.
“I heard it was just a practical joke that got out of hand,” David interrupted again. “Hey, Carlos!”
Carlos, an absent-minded teenager, was leaning on a balcony rail. He didn't bother to make eye contact. “Yeah?”
“Who started the green explosion, anyway?”
Carlos continued watching the passerby below him as he answered in a monotone. “Word on the street is that somebody was trying a growth formula of some kind for bigger and better crops faster, and something went wrong. Heard that Skylar trillionaire was involved and went to investigate himself. Kinda stupid of him. He turned around and came back almost as soon as he got there. Didn't even have time to land. Others say that somebody was experimenting with a rejuvenation potion that spilled and spread in the earth. Couple of people say somebody was messing around with a book of mushrooms and created a hybrid spell that made everything grow at hyperspeed, not just the mushrooms. A lot of morons are saying some elves got into a magical pranking war that blew up in their faces. Them's the rumors, chief.” he finished, and fell silent.
Natasha clapped a hand over her mouth. Levi put a hand on her shaking shoulder. “Are you well?”
She nodded, her eyes tightly shut.
“Are you sure?” David asked. Carlos glanced at them out of the corner of his eye.
“Yes” she choked out.
“Liar.” Carlos said, looking back at the crowd of people. The flying fairy came back at top speed and accidentally kicked David in the head. That did it: Natasha cracked up and began to laugh, quietly at first, then louder, and finally so hard that she couldn't breathe or make any sound, and ended up clapping like a retarded seal.
Carlos stared, unconsciously giving his undivided attention to someone for the first time since he'd been coerced into accepting the internship here.
The fairy stopped dead in her tracks for thirty seconds and counting, the longest that anyone had ever seen her in one place.
In fact, almost everyone around Natasha stopped what they were doing to wonder. “Is she okay?” “Is she laughing or crying?” “What happened?” “Why is she...” “I don't know.”
Natasha finally stopped laughing long enough to gasp for air, with a few giggles in between. “You people... priceless...” she grinned and wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes. “My cheeks are killing me-- I cannot keep smiling like this...” She dissolved into laughter again. “What's so funny?” someone demanded to know.
David had the most stupid, clueless expression on his face. He was such an idiot. A rude, clueless idiot who didn't even realize it when he was called a moron; the best kind of fun could be had with those people. They never could tell when she was playing mind games with them. But he didn't have a mean nature that she could see, and if Levi could put up with him, so could she.
So she resisted the urge to start having fun with him or continue laughing.
Natasha cleared her throat, straightened, and slapped herself to regain control. Once she did, all traces of merriment were gone, wiped completely from her face. “Absolutely nothing. Nothing at all.”
“Bull hockey.” Carlos said. Natasha stared at him with blank eyes, somehow half disinterested. “What makes you think that I was laughing?” she asked with a deadly serious tone.
His eyebrows knitted together in confusion-- and not a little fear. “But I... we... you just...”
Natasha had two choices: she could say that she'd just met her 'pleasant socializing' quota for the week, turn her attitude dark and take David down for his lack of intelligence, then Carlos for his lack of manners; or, she could do what she did next, because Levi had been nice to her.

♪ “Just kidding!” ♫ she sang, reaching up to ruffle Carlos's dark hair. “You should've seen your faces!” she laughed. Carlos stared at her with a mixture of awe and vexation. The others seemed confused, and a little intimidated.
“My mom always used to say I had acting talent.” she grinned. Actually, Cyrus had been the one to say that. “Aw, come on.” Natasha closed her eyes and gave him a cute, angelic, anime smile. “I'm not that scary, am I?”

Jason would have liked to be impressed by the Architect Dimension, but it had lost its charm on him some time ago. Inside a holographic phone booth, he activated a touchscreen with the leaf he'd kept in his pocket. The leaf trick wouldn't work much longer, as the leaf would soon wither too much to use. The touchscreen recognized his fake identity and displayed two options: Holographic representation or a retro phone call. Jason cocked an eyebrow. “This common already?” he said aloud. The last time he'd been here, only a few extravagant people had holographic platforms with which to receive and/or interact with another holographic message. Now, it seemed as though they had almost replaced standard phone lines/towers. They probably would have rendered phones obsolete, were it not for the fact that only the citizens of the Architect Dimension had hologram avatars; these citizens did not wish to be completely cut off from the outside world yet.
He shook his head as he touched the 'Retro' option and picked up the handheld phone. He paused before he dialed, wondering what the hell he was doing. Then, What have I got to lose that I haven't already lost or thrown away?
He dialed.

“Nathaniel?”
“Ah, Jason.”
Nathaniel sounded less bored than he usually did. “Did Vivian do something freaky again?”
“Define freaky.”
“Um... Singing smoke, glowing eyes, giant black murderous cloud of smog with red eyes, completely ticked at us?”
“Then, no; nothing freakish. She just acted a bit strange before she yelled at Justin and ran off. He won't tell us anything about it. Where are you?”
Vivian ran off? Jason thought, surprised. Nathaniel had some problems with giving details. But, he was a man of few words and probably didn't consider them important, so Jason didn't really expect him to elaborate. “I'm in the Architect Dimension. Where are you?”
“In the Outer Plains. Brice said there wasn't much to see here before the forest grew up yesterday. The Architect Dimension is pretty close.”
What? But then Vivian and the others only moved a couple miles away, at most. “Wait, I thought you guys disappeared. I was calling to see if you were still alive.”
“Apparently so; and still in this forest. We'll probably be heading to the Architect Dimension to regroup, since it's the next closest outside Celebration City.”
“Ah, about that... Logan and Zack got a little sidetracked.”
“What?”
“This twelve-year-old kid got lost, looking for her little brother.” Okay, he may have been older in years, but he acted younger than she. Small detail. “Logan and Zack stayed to help her search by wandering aimlessly, and I went back to help a real search party find them. Except I ended up here instead.”
“I see.”
There was a minute or two as voices on the other line began questioning Nathaniel. He seemed to be explaining, and more details were being demanded. Justin's indistinct voice overrode the sounds of people talking all at once in the background.
“Justin says that we'll be joining you in a day or two.”
“All right, See you guys in a couple days, then. Meet you at around noon at the Fountain of Youth?”
“We'll be there.” was the curt reply.
Jason gave the phone in his hand a surprised look before placing it on the hook, cutting off the dial tone. “Vivian ran off, huh? Wonder why...”

Jason nonchalantly strolled through the doors of the welcome center, coolly walking towards one of the computer terminals. He had some time to kill, so checked the news feed from Celebration City to see if the kids had been found yet. Kian had been located, but the other three were still to be found. The comments underneath were being monitored by a single person, so Jason explained, without using names, what had happened. He and two others had been caught outside, the girl woke them while searching for Kian, they offered to help, ect. Basically, she was safe at the moment; that should comfort her parents somewhat.

“Well, now what am I supposed to do?” he asked the screen. It didn't offer any suggestions, so Jason put it to sleep and walked out of the building.

“You are one freaky chick.”
Natasha smiled sweetly at the male sprite. “I am? Why do you say that?”
The teenager's fraternal twin answered. “Because you do not even realize exactly how murderous you looked just now. You could've been a sociopath.” Her brother crossed his arms and nodded agreement as they hovered next to each other, only a few feet off the marble floor. The two had been passing by when she'd had her laughing fit.
Natasha smirked at the Flyers. They resembled humans in most respects, such as size. “Sociopaths don't kill people unless it benefits them, and they can get away with it.” she corrected.
“How do you even know that?” the boy asked.
“I got tired of hearing people use the word 'sociopath' when they clearly meant 'psychopath.' The first step to criticizing people is to know more about the subject than they themselves know, otherwise you're just two blockheads yelling “you're wrong!” back and forth until somebody gives up in disgust. Therefore, I looked up the definitions of both and memorized it for times such as these.”
The female sprite shrugged. “I gotta side with my brother-- you're creepy for knowing that.”
The two were turning to leave when Natasha said innocently, “Going to drug Owen again?”
She clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified by what she'd just said.

One of Natasha's quirks was an occasional stroke of genius; spontaneous, unpredictable, and generally meant bad news for some unlucky soul. Sherlock Holmes himself would have been impressed, had he been present for one of those moments.
Earlier, she'd noticed that Owen shifted slightly away whenever someone's hand strayed near the base of his left wing.
She'd seen the twins in the hanger, watching Levi and his gryphon from a distance with admiring looks; but Natasha knew a false smile when she saw one. She was willing to bet that they secretly hated Levi and Owen, who had been the center of attention wherever they went.
They'd been careful to stay out of Owen's line of sight, but he saw them leaving. Natasha had seen him act as though an invisible dragon had winked at him before leaving the hanger, though the people stroking his head calmed him almost immediately.

Tiny implications she'd seen without noticing suddenly took shape. Owen associated the twin sprites with pain; the twins hated Owen and Levi. Two and two.

Just now, while she'd been laughing, she'd seen the girl touch her knapsack's inner pocket, as though she were checking to make sure something was safe. For an instant, the boy had looked like a scared rabbit-- a classic sign of guilt. Both had been watching Levi out of the corners of their eyes. If Natasha had thought about it, she would've been reasonably sure they were up to something, and Levi would have been the ideal target. In the worst-case scenario, (she was always prepared for the absolute worst) she'd have guessed that Owen would, sooner or later, inexplicably fall from the sky due to their work, taking Levi with him. The twins would've had to be stopped.

Natasha had been trying to be generally nice for Levi's sake, but old habits die hard. She'd subconsciously been looking for something to criticize when all the pieces floating in the back of her head fell into place with a very loud metaphorical click.

She was just as surprised as everyone else when the words practically jumped out of her mouth out and accused the twins of their own free will. She hadn't even had time to realize that the twins were bad news until the words were out; but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

Of course, nobody else knew that.

Natasha's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the floor, both hands firmly clamped over her mouth. The other people didn't seem to know what to do; she'd accused the twin Flyers of something she couldn't possibly prove, but she looked horrified, as though something had possessed her mouth. So, once again, there was nothing to say, except:
“What is wrong with you?”
The question hung in the air, waiting for her to respond. She didn't know who said it, but it didn't matter; everyone was thinking it.
She closed her eyes for several seconds, trying to pull herself together and figure out what to do. At that moment, the name she'd been trying to remember suddenly decided to pop up.
She was sad that Levi had to see her strip the twins' masks away to reveal the hatred for him they had so carefully concealed. “I'm sorry, Levi.” she said softly, so that only he heard. Levi's frown was one of confusion, but he didn't have a chance to reply before she took a deep breath, and became her usual obnoxious self.
She dropped her hands and looked the girl straight in the eye.

The sprite was laughing. “That's ridiculous. Why would we do that?” Her brother grinned, the two deciding to treat it as a joke.
Natasha laughed, too, and exaggerated her sarcastic tone. “I know, right? Which is why I can't imagine why Owen is afraid of you two. What ever made me think you were bad news?”
The boy snorted. “He looked fine to me. We were in the hangar when you came in. There are witnesses.”
“So you wouldn't mind going to see Owen now?”
The girl shrugged. “Nope. But he's probably asleep by now. He always naps after a day of flying.”
“He doesn't eat first? He looked pretty hungry.”
“Nah, he'll sleep for about an hour before he eats.” the boy said.
Natasha rolled her eyes. “I don't believe you.” She thought about daring the girl to dump her stuff out of her bag, but if she didn't have the drugs on her, Natasha would be the one in trouble. The gamble was too risky.
“Oh, like you're an expert.” the girl said, her tone beginning to sound nasty. “It was the muddy clothes and dirty hair that had me confused.”
Natasha smirked. “Oh, these? It's what happens after you survive an encounter with a dragon, brat.” Yeah, that was months ago, but they didn't need to know that detail.
The boy guffawed. “A dragon? Yeah, right.”
“If you're calling me a liar, fine. Hand me a phone and I can call the hunting party that witnessed it.”
“What hunting party? You came in alone.”
“Duh. We got split up, genius. Stop trying to change the subject. I wonder how you know how long the gryphon, who does not belong to you, sleeps. Are you so jealous of Owen and Levi that you're really willing to sabotage them? What a mature way to handle your selfish feelings.”
“We are not!”
“Rather defensive all of a sudden, aren't you?”
The girl cut in. “What are you saying?”
“Why don't you tell me?”
“I don't know what you're talking about!”
“Uh huh. Riiiiiight...”
“Who do you think you are?!” the boy finally snapped.
Natasha grinned, but there was no humor in it. “You two worthless brats can address me as Tiana.”
“What did you say?!” they both said in unison, outraged.
Tiana tossed her head back derisively. “You should get your ears checked; and your mental faculties, while you're at it.”
“How dare you?” the girl snarled. “you don't even have any proof!”
Tiana shrugged. “So you admit you tried to cover your tracks. I see.”
“Tracks of WHAT?” she demanded.
Tiana crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “I'll bet you didn't think anyone would notice.” she teased, baiting them further, drawing out the nasty side they'd tried to hide under polite smiles for so long.

Levi had enough. “Natasha, explain yourself.” he ordered.
She locked eyes with him. “Oh, Natasha? Natasha was the nice person who restrained herself from playing mind games with David, though she was sorely tempted. I'm Tiana, and I suggest you back off. I'm busy doing you a favor.”
“You're what?”
She stretched, not answering him, looking at the twin. “Anyway, I'm tired, so I'd like to get this over with quickly. You probably have whatever-it-is that you've been giving Owen in the inner pocket of your knapsack right now. You've been injecting him with it at the base of his left wing. It was your plan and your brother just helped you, didn't he? Well, if you 'fess up now, I'm sure you'll get off on a lighter sentence.”
The sprites paled. “That's absurd!” the girl said. The boy was silent. “That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard! Come on, people; you're really gonna believe this crazy girl over us? She's nuts, probably been outside too long. Cra-zy.”

Tiana shrugged and pushed herself away from the wall. Oh look, there are the elevators! she thought happily, spotting them. “The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” she said with a yawn. “Oh, well. You people can check it out; it's not like this benefited me in the first place. I do need a shower, a bed, and a hot meal-- and, in that order.”
People stood aside, clearing a path straight to the elevators. Fate was with her today; the doors opened immediately for her.

She didn't know this, but those doors never opened immediately for anyone, ever. There was a little urban legend running through the building that said if they did, the person they opened for was blessed by the gods of good fortune.
At any rate, it appeared to be an omen in her favor.