From Chex: I have absolutely nothing to say for once.

Staring into the vanity mirror, she pushed her fiery hair away from her face, scowling. It was nearly four in the morning. She rushed to get dressed. Muttering angrily to herself, she forewent a bra and pulled on the skimpiest shirt she could find, which turned out to be a thin red tank top.

"God, does she have anything that's not from a nunnery?" Holding up a pair of jeans she felt could be at least two sizes smaller, she ripped off the legs until they were indecently short. Then she pulled them on and stepped back from the dresser to get a full view of herself in the mirror. I guess this'll have to do. For all their similarity in appearance, their taste in clothes (among many other things) couldn't be more different.

She pulled open a dresser drawer and reached into the very back. Sealed away in a small leather bag, was a tube of mascara and dark crimson lipstick. She applied both, turned her head slightly to assess her profile, then spun away from the mirror, going to open the window beside the bed. Placing one black stiletto-healed foot on the sill, she ducked under and jumped.

Landing below with a catlike grace, she didn't so much as glance back before taking off into the sky.

The wind whipped around her, strewing her previously perfect locks everywhere. She preferred the wind swept look anyway.

She landed in a narrow alley, across the street from what would've been the loud and lively Roxxi'stwo hours ago. But the club was packing it up. The fluorescent red sign was off and even the most wasted stragglers were making their way home. "Fuck," she muttered, quickly deciding it wasn't even worth going over to.

With nothing better to do anymore, she took her time walking the near-empty streets. Well, this is a night gone to waste,she thought bitterly. She considered her chances of finding someone decent before she had to head back. Meeting the eyes of a few stoners and possible pyschos, her chances diminished. They weren't the kind of fun she was looking for.

I've gotta do something about the princess's bed time. If she keeps staying up like this, I'll barely have time to get ready, let alone get out.

She heard glass shattering a few feet ahead of her. As she rounded a street corner she came face to face with a familiar dark-haired figure.

The green-eyed girl glanced up, taking note of her sister with little to no interest. "Late much." She kicked at a dark lump at her feet. She was holding the neck of a broken beer bottle.

"Don't I know it." The red-head eyed the suspiciously human-shaped lump. It lay in a puddle of dark, viscous fluid and glass shards. "You heading back?"

"'Bout to."

"You seen Blondie?"

She shrugged, making the cross-chains on her jacket clink together. "I'm not her babysitter."

"If only you could make yourself so useful."

The black clad girl scowled, dark shadows spread across her face from the dim street lights. "Whatever, Red." She walked past her sister, shoving her roughly with her shoulder. "Have fun with your next victim," she hissed over her shoulder. The fiery haired girl felt a strong gust of wind as her sister took off into the sky, a trail of glowing green fanning out behind her, lingering only long enough for her to blink.

If I only had time to find one... She had an hour left, at best. A sudden surge of irritation took her. She'd be damned if she went back early after getting nothing at all. She kicked at the trash her sister had left behind, growing angrier as the dark red liquid stained her shoes.

After taking out her frustrations on her sister's mess, she continued walking, silently hoping she'd come across an open bar or something.

Her hopes swelled as a blue Prius slowed to a stop beside her. "Blossom?"

They plummeted.

"Hey...David." The name came to after a second of sifting through her carefully organized memory-bank. With it came the face of the boy behind the steering wheel; all dark-hair and big brown eyes. Handsome, in a blue-collar kind of way. Not really what she was looking for, but...

I guess he's better than nothing... She straightened up and flipped her hair back, giving him a subtle smile.

"What are you doing out here?"

"I was just heading home." She shrugged, watching his expression as her chest moved with the gesture. He remained oblivious.

"You're not flying?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, no I didn't really feel like flying." She lowered her head demurely, changing tactics.

"Well, can I give you a ride? I don't think it's a great idea to hang around here," he said, referring to the downtown area. "Not that you can't take care of yourself. Obviously." He grinned and unlocked the passenger-side door for her. She pretended to hesitate for a moment, then leaned over slowly and pulled the door open.

"Thanks." She swept her hair to the side and slide into the seat. Feeling his eyes on her, she positioned herself to give him the best possible view.

"Uh...Blossom?"

"Yes?" she answered sweetly.

"Your seatbelt."

"...What?"

"You forgot to put your seatbelt on."

"Uh...right." The red-head yanked the belt with a little more force than necessary. Only after it clicked in place did he start the car back up again. "So what are you doing out so late?"

"Oh, I'm on my way to pick up some prints. It's a little out of the way, but the store opens at five and I really need them. You know, elections."

Right. Student council elections were coming up. She took a good long look at David. Smart, good-natured, dependable David. The kind of boy parents would handpick for their daughters to go out with. The kind of boy you turned to when you needed homework help because you knew he'd make time for you. The kind of boy who volunteered at animal shelters and helped organize school events.

The kind of boy who'd make the perfect junior class president.

It's a shame he's going to lose, she thought, pityingly. Because when it came right down to it, not even the town's most beloved and well-behaved boy could compete against a superhero. After all, would you be more likely to vote for someone who let you borrow their notes once, or someone who saved your life?

"Are you nervous?" she asked casually. School politics was the last thing on her mind, really. But she was starting to see an opening that just might get her a fix before it was time to turn in.

"Nervous?" His eyes darted over to her for a second. He was rigid while he drove, his eyes locked on the road ahead and hands practically glued to the ten o'clock and two o'clock positions. "You mean about the elections? Not really...it's always exciting. Especially since I get to run against you. You always come up with the best campaign tactics. Like last year? Your speech on the importance of community-school interaction was-"

Ugh...getting off topic. Glancing out the window, she saw that they were already in the neighborhood. Shit. I've got to speed things up. "David..." She slid her hand up his arm. "I'm really glad you found me tonight."

He finally seemed to be catching on to her vibe as he watched her hand rub up and down his arm slowly. "You-You are?"

A quickly-spreading fire grew in her as she heard the catch in his voice, the slight blush on his cheeks, the way his eyes were darting around nervously. "Yes. I am." She undid her seatbelt; it was getting in the way. Leaning towards him, she slid her hands over to his chest, tracing the contours of faint muscle lines with her fingers. He wasn't rock solid, but he kept in shape, apparently.

"B-Blossom-!" he squeaked, as her hands traveled lower, brushing against his belt. He hastily parked along the curb, a few houses down from the Utonium residence. "Blossom...w-what are you-"

She ignored his stuttering, going on in a soft, lilting voice. "I always get so depressed around election time, David. It takes so much out of me that I just don't know what to do with myself." She placed one of her fingers in the collar of his dress shirt, dragging it downwards so that the buttons popped off one by one. "But I think I do now." She crawled over the seat, straddling him. He held his hands away from her, his eyes wide with shock and...something else.

"Blossom, wa-" She placed her mouth against his. Kissing him fiercely, her tongue lashing out at his lips. He moaned involuntarily. She placed both hands on his shoulders to steady him. Feeling them untense as he started to give in, she took one of his hands and placed it up her shirt, holding his fingers against the curve of her bare breast. He froze, his hands shaking as he mentally debated what to do with her.

Meanwhile, the redhead was quickly losing patience. She knew his body wouldn't let him resist for long; she could already feel that. But she was running out of time, and it was obvious he didn't know what to do with himself. Let alone what to do with her. Jesus, am I gonna have to do it for him? she thought, irritated.

A stabbing pain broke through her thoughts. It felt as if a thousand needles were piercing her skull. Groaning, she pulled away from the boy, trying to gain control of her thoughts. A silent war waged in her mind; somewhere deep inside, she was repulsed with herself. The fire that had spread so quickly was being stamped out. She was fighting back; trying to gain control of her body. She could feel herself going numb; she was losing control. No! Not yet!

"B-Blossom?" David asked, momentarily gaining back his speech now that she had stopped.

"Shut-up," she growled, kissing him again. Her mouth was hot against his, her tongue moving freely. Her hands reached lower, undoing his belt and buttons until she could reach inside his boxers. He gasped sharply as she grabbed at him. But even as he began to lose control of himself, pulling her closer and urging her to keep going, her pain continued.

Its no good, she conceded. Pulling away from David, she tried to grit through the pain and not be too abrupt in leaving him. After all, he might prove to be useful later.

She kissed his ear lightly, nibbling a bit, and whispered, "We'll finish this later."

Throwing open his door, she jumped off of him, blowing a quick kiss and racing towards the house. She didn't bother looking back, knowing he was in exactly the position she left him in, pants and shirt unbuttoned, face flushed, and (from what she had felt) probably dealing with a pretty bad case of blue balls unless he was willing to take care of himself.

Zooming into the window, she fought against the searing headache for as long as she could. Getting undressed and trying to make sure everything would be in exactly the right place in the morning. Throwing out a few choice words as she did so, she made a mental note to get out earlier no matter what. She hadn't gotten her fix. David hadn't been able to fuel the fire growing in her chest. It had been stamped out as daylight approached. Her hours were supposed to be getting longer, not shorter.

She did admit, however, that it was her own fault somewhat for thinking he'd be able to. She'd been desperate, but she wasn't that attracted to David. And he was too clumsy anyway; he didn't know what he was doing and probably wouldn't for a very long time. It had been a futile effort.

Still...he's a bit worked up now. I wonder if that will do me any good later,she pondered briefly. Climbing into bed and throwing the covers over herself, she barely had time to close her eyes before the pain rendered her unconcious.

From Chex: You were all warned. This is tame compared to what's coming. Keep reading at your own risk. And if you will, send feedback.