"Ouch," I groan as I pull myself from bed.

With all the healing or whatever that the resurrection pads do, you'd think they'd take care of this, but no. All the aches and pains, and even bruises in place of where I'd been injured… it's all there, and stretching only does so much.

Well, it certainly doesn't help getting dressed, that's for sure. I promised mom I'd keep going to school until I graduated, even though I've already got what I need to be self-sustaining.

It's fine though. Even if I don't really have any friends there… although I guess Judy might be. She's the only one pushing though, she always talks to me there on the breaks between classes or whatever.

I'm tying my ribbon when I notice… something.

A scale.

Or rather, a few. A small patch of them on the side of my neck, near the back.

…

Huh.

I guess I really am a gorgon. Who knew. I keep my hair relatively short compared to my classmates, only down to my shoulders… but If I wear it down it might almost cover it.

It's so weird.

Shrugging lightly I head to the washroom and give my face a scrub. I didn't use to bother with any of this morning routine stuff mom always pushed, but it didn't matter since I was always late enough that there wasn't time for her to notice.

Not anymore though. Training with Callien, Rosalie, and Frederick has drilled into me the need to be consistent with sleep or endanger my entire party… Sure, one of them stayed up with me, but even so.

After toweling off I jab my toothbrush in my face and start scrubbing them too before I notice something weird. Why does my toothbrush feel hard?

I pull it from my mouth to see that most of the bristles are gone, now loose in my mouth.

Why?

Probably because my teeth are weirdly sharp now.

And pointed.

…

Great.

I finish up as best I can with a fingertip, carefully enough to only scrape myself a few times rather than outright drawing blood before slapping on a light bandage just in case. That's something else they taught me… light wounds can open in combat, which can limit your abilities or even make you a liability to your team.

That's bad.

And now that I think of it… does it look like my pupils are elongating!?

…

Nah. Couldn't be. And even if they are, well. I'm just going to pretend I didn't see that!

I shake my head to clear the thought before heading for the stairs, slipping on my anti-Skill glasses before reaching the bottom to find mom waiting for me. And just like always, with a paper sack in hand, held out just like always so if I wanted to, I could just take it without slowing down.

But I have plenty of time today, and that's probably for the best. I need her input on this, just to see if it's a problem.

"Um. Mom?"

"Yes, sweetie?" she responds, sort of flat like she's expecting something normal.

I take a breath and drop the bombshell. "So, uh. I guess I have scales now?"

I lift my hair in the back to show her and she silently leans in thoughtfully, furrowing her brow.

"…And sharp teeth."

…

…

"And I think my eyes did a thing…"

Mom sighs, leaning back against the wall and gazing idly at the wooden slats making up the ceiling before quietly saying, "I guess we shouldn't be surprised."

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"We shouldn't?" I say, somewhat exasperated. "I'm surprised! Why wouldn't I be surprised!?"

"Well, Sadie… it's pretty normal for people to have physical changes if their race changes. And gorgons have a number of reptilian features, like scales, sharp teeth…"

"And the eye thing," I realize. "Wait, should I have expected this? What if people at school notice?"

Mom gives me a wry grin. "Don't worry sweetie. They will."

…

"That isn't comforting, Mom."

"It wasn't supposed to be. It's just, what it is. Sometimes there's nothing anyone can do about that."

I give her a flat look and take the bag before turning toward the door without another word, slipping my shoes on at the door. I'll be at school early, way earlier than usual, but I guess that's fine. I'm not sure what else I'd do with my time.

It's a strange feeling, walking rather than running. Is this what it's like when people are on time? I wouldn't have known since I never bothered.

Unexpected is the weird look I get from a public safety guy at one of the town checkpoints as I go to pass into the neighboring district.

"Just a moment, miss," he says after I scan my mana signature.

"Hm? Is something wrong?"

"It's probably an error with the machine, but are you by any chance carrying a monster of some kind? As I'm sure you know, transporting them between districts is strictly illegal… as long as it's not anything dangerous I'll just have to have to ask you to set it down somewhere, like the public park a block back the way you came, and I'll let you off with just a warning."

…

"I'm, uh. I'm not carrying a monster," I say, opening my bookbag and setting it on the windowsill to show the uniformed man. He looks inside, moving the contents around, his face looking more and more puzzled. "Is that something people do a lot? Um, sir?"

And then he nods quietly. "Well… not very often, but it does happen… anyway, just try going through the gate again. It must have just been a false positive."

Sure enough, the gate triggers again.

"Can't you just Identify me or something?" I ask. "I'm, er, technically a monster now…"

***

I should have expected trouble as soon as his eyes narrowed. Why didn't the lady at the shopping district checkpoint stop me then!?

It doesn't make any sense.

Anyway, the clerk I've had to talk to at the public safety branch has at least been apologetic enough… Mom isn't here yet though. Supposedly they sent her a message but I'm still waiting. Downsides of being a minor, I guess.

I could probably just break out of here and run through the checkpoint I guess, but I'm sure that'd just cause even bigger problems.

…

Wait, why do I even care!? I don't think I ever cared before…

The man across the desk from me continues furiously taking notes. He looks to be in his mid-twenties probably and is definitely human. I wonder if he's fresh from the academy…

"…Teeth and scales as well as innate…"

I tune out his muttering while he writes, choosing instead to idly kick my feet and read another one of the posters on the wall, this one about integrity and responsibility to the community. As if that ever actually comes into play… I've heard too many stories about corruption, even if I've never seen or been a victim of it.

People are people.

It's also for the best that System Assistants are only perceivable by their own ascendant, considering Olive is already standing on the desk to peek at the notes the clerk is writing. She doesn't seem too concerned though, so neither am I.

"Sadie!?" my mother calls as she bursts through the door behind us, her voice full of concern.

I wave back with a weak smile. "Hi Mom."

What follows is a strained yet polite conversation between her and the guy at the desk, but I don't particularly care. I absentmindedly run my fingers over Covetous Wanderer's grip, carefully strapped into a holster on my stomach. The one built into my shield is so much more convenient, but I obviously can't go walking around town fully armed.

Well, probably anyway. Maybe I can get a permit for it. Supposedly ascendants get a lot of wiggle room, but it's not like I've met many of them outside of the guild at the sand sea.

I've certainly never met any here besides mom, at least not that I know of. She was really clear about how I shouldn't just use Identify on people without asking, how it's rude.

But I don't particularly care about that either.

"-Shouldn't matter, should it?"

I… should probably be paying attention.

"I'm terribly sorry, Miss Vossen, but the laws are clear."

Mom pinches the bridge of her nose. "This is the first time she's ever shown up as a monster on your scans. First. Time. Check your records, I know you track all movement in and out and around the districts, so don't tell me you don't."

The man tries to speak but she continues right over him. "She's a relatively new ascendant, and it changed her race. That's it. That's all! My Sadie doesn't have any kind of history with you people or your laws. So do something, Clarence."

***

He did something alright. Or rather, his superiors did. And by something, I mean shrug and say sorry.

Nothing else.

Nothing.

I can't go to school or visit anyplace that has one of those scanners.

So… we're leaving.

…

This sucks.

It's not like I had a lot of friends here, but… still.

I sigh as I continue packing my meager belongings while my System Assistant walks figure eights around my ankles. I never really kept that much, just a handful of books – Mom has encouraged me not to keep around ones I'm not going to read again – and a few changes of clothes, plus my shield and armor and so forth…

What I'm even going to do, I have no idea.

(Academy.)

"Hm?"

Olive sits down where my bed used to be. It's in Mom's dimensional storage now.

(Academy. Go.)

"What academy though? I don't-"

"That's not actually a bad idea."

I flinch, eliciting a chuckle from my mother in the hallway. "Gah! Don't do that!"

Brushing off my irritation she continues, "We're going to have to stay with your grandmother for a bit, but hopefully only long enough for you to be accepted. I doubt it'll take long, I've been told they're lenient with family of former students… even if I didn't actually finish there."

Oh.

Grandma hates me, even though it's not my fault I was born outside of whatever traditional crap she wanted Mom to go through. I've met her 'assigned husband' too, and I wouldn't want to marry him either.

But none of that is going to help me out now.

…

…

This really, really sucks.

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