Living with Spirit Girl: Cp6

Living with Spirit Girl
Chapter Six

The fact that I had admitted to being a superhero really pleased Blake. He could not stop talking about it. Luckily, I had Dorothy to support me about not designing a special costume. Honestly, how I was dressed was seldom a concern of mine. While the superhero costumes looked good in the comics, the fact was that clothes often did not last with me.

Blake continued to speak of superheroes, but he at least did put himself to work on something I considered useful. I learned things about their computer network as he showed me how to manipulate a map of the city. Once I gained an understanding of how things were laid out, I pressed Blake to step me through the actions of the criminals after leaving the school.

I had to admit that human civilization was comparable to ours as I could gain a street map of the city along with a satellite map. Back home I would also have cameras providing views, but I also had a recognized special access privilege. Considering that I was hoping not to be recognized as I floated along the top shelf of the van, I felt that I was doing a good job of using certain sources of information to retrace the route of the criminals.

Suddenly the feel of the device in my hand had a different weight and texture to it. I moved and found the chair to respond in a different manner. Something was wrong. Standing up I had to brush hair from before my face. It took me longer than I care to admit to realize that Blake had gone unconscious. Where up to now I had been the visitor to the body, now it was mine. What I had so far only experienced as a semi-substantial existence now could be fully realized as a physical form. It did bother me that I still appeared as the alluring female, and I wondered if I had been wrong to accept the transformation. The feel of everything was quite different than I remembered from my old body. Fear did not overcome me however, but curiosity, and I suddenly had an urge to test the reality of my new form.

I had been around Blake enough to know that I could leave through a window. It was Felix, the older brother, that actually used it. I however moved out planning to be gone more than long enough for the active sibling to return and collapse on his bed making him unknowing when I had felt a need to come back to the room. Hoping that I would not be getting Blake into too much trouble, I left out the window.

Blake and his friends rode a bus to school. I thus looked to the various vehicles wondering what I would have to do to get permission to use them. A steering wheel I could understand. There were pedals and a shift lever that I hoped would not be too odd in their application to learn quickly. I however usually had a regular police officer, at times just an occupational staff person, drive me to wherever I needed to be. I stood outside and wondered if there were busses for regular people to ride to places.

Not knowing how to get anywhere, I then thought of my body. It was not the hardened form that I had exercised. Wondering about its abilities, I considered ways of practicing with it. I first just took off running. It took some practice working out how to move the legs. The hands were firmer than the tentacle fingers I once possessed, but not as long. I came back around to in front of Blake’s house, and was wondering what I should do with the body next when a car drove up.

“Hey, pretty momma, what you doing out so late?”

I knew the language. Keeping a healthy body, I had men try to hit on me in my previous life. I thus looked to the man while hoping that my use of the language would be appropriate for the situation.

“Just making use of what time I had without the threat of predators.”

“Ah, sweet thing, you know that we cruise about at this time.”

That was not the response I expected. The usual reply would be about the movement of the predators, and how the man felt he could keep me safe. I however was learning that humans were the predatory species of their world. I thus had to concern myself with men. While the end result was to have me bear children, the tactics of humans would be much more aggressive than that of my original race. I thus sought to give a proper response.

“I felt the challenge of knowing you would be around would make me work harder to perfect my skills.”

“Might take the chance with you one night. What’s your name, sweet thing?”

I suddenly had an idea, and said, “Spirit Girl. I’m a superhero.”

“Superhero? Cool. What’s your super power?”

“I’m a ghost. Another reason why I am out at night.”

I hoped that he would not ask for me to show off my abilities. Now that I was actually in a physical form, I did not want to chance not being able to return. It however helped when the man simply asked a basic non-general word.

“Really?”

“You know anything about the situation at the junior high school a couple of days ago? Police cars blew up. The one that did that was not in the school.”

“Yeah, bad thing. No one knows who that was.”

I moved up to the vehicle not really worried. I felt that I had the man where I wanted him. Whether he had information, I wanted him remembering the conversation.

“What if I told you a super-villain did it? It was an intelligent gorilla by the name of Lorither.”

“Have you gone to the police with that information?”

He was just being conversational, and that was what I wanted. I wanted to start some rumors that might have Lorither worried that he would be found out. Honestly, from what I heard of gorillas I suspected that more than just the police were looking for him. If Lorither was looking for me, I wanted him getting word that I was looking for him. I thus chatted simply to continue the conversation with the man.

“Why? They are simply seeking to protect the children, and that is noble in itself. If they can provide the basic level of protection to the citizens, I will track down Lorither and deal with him.”

“Lorither, huh? Any leads?”

Having worked the streets for information before, I stepped back feeling that I had done all I could do with this man. “Actually, yes, which is why I felt the need to get out here and do some exercises.”

“Well, the street is not the place to do it, sweet thing. They have a gym down two blocks behind the Lutheran Church. They might preach to you, but it is a safe place to go through some routines. You don’t need to be out on the street at this time.”

That was actually a good piece of information, so I said, “Thanks.”

“Want me to drive you? You can trust me, at least this first time.”

Reminding myself that human were a predatory species, I replied, “No. I told you that I am out trying to exercise. I will thus run.”

“Go get that super-villain gorilla, Spirit Girl. I will root for you.”

Actually pleased with how that conversation went, I took off to see if I could find the place the man had mentioned. Going down two blocks I found nothing different about the streets. Hearing a car pull up beside me, I was grateful to again hear the voice of the man.

“The lights are out, but you should see a gym with its lights on if you head around the back.”

He had said a Lutheran Church. Of course I had no idea of the religions of this world, but I could tell that one building was larger. Unlike the regular houses, this structure also had signs out front. I thus accepted that it was my objective.

“Thanks for providing that information,” I said. “I’m not really a ghost, but an alien. I cannot say that I would have figured it out.”

“You cannot read?”

“I will learn. I believe the only reason I can talk is that I have a mental connection with a human host that I guess you could call my secret identity.”

“There ain’t nothing secret about you, Sweet Thing. I came back just to get another look.”

Not the response I expected, but I saw no reason to be rude. “Thanks again.”

“Listen, Spirit Girl –“

Having dealt with plenty of men before, I worked at putting whatever he was going to say in a better format. “Arraelly. My name is Arraelly. Officer S4 Arraelly Fortauber.”

“Whoa, fine – Arraelly. My name is Conner. It is actually Alfred Conner, but I don’t like the name Alfred. He was Batman’s butler, and I ain’t no one’s servant.”

I actually had been shown Batman, so recognized the reference. “Okay, Conner. Glad to meet you.”

“Listen, I do drugs, so you aren’t going to find me. However, if I find you, feel free to ask me for a ride to anywhere. Just don’t involve me in your trouble, as I cannot face any real police.”

Honestly, people like Conner were not unknown to me. I was a member of the police, but my S4 level allowed me to ignore the regular criminals. Most I did report to the regular police, but that was to keep my reputation clear. Since I had no standing with the police of this world, I accepted that dealing with Conner and turning him in would probably create more trouble for me than him.

“I promise you, Conner, that if I ask for a ride I will be able to tell you exactly where I want to go. That will however also mean for you to simply take me there, and let me out. If you go there and try to involve yourself with me further, it is your fault if you get into trouble.”

“I understand, Sweet Thing.”

Not wanting to allow our relationship to get too close, I quickly returned, “Arraelly.”

“Okay, Arraelly. You’re something else. I will be looking for you.”

The car took off. I did not wave. I just took off to the building that Conner had identified.

There was a parking lot around the building, so I could accept that people would come and congregate here. What I did not see were the weapons to ward off the predators. My race was not one to prey on other creatures. We did eat them, but usually only the fallen carcasses. We had learned to kill, but the reality was that our place in the ecology was as a food source. Many preached of our taking ourselves out of the food chain was disrupting the planet, but there were groups raising other animals to fill the niche we sought to vacate. Actually finding myself interested in this world and its inhabitants, I ran around the building to find the gym.