Sophie was a little surprised to see Heather and Jeremy waiting outside of the WSA building. They didn't work there and they didn't have any children to send there yet. And there was a bit of uneasiness on Heather's face as she was waiting. Sophie walked over to them and asked, "Hey guys, what are you doing here? Waiting for Polly to get out of class?"
"No, well, a little," said Jeremy, "The Whites are taking good care of her. Better than I have."
Heather put a hand on Jeremy's shoulder and said, "You were looking after her very well."
"I was less of a brother to her than a guardian," said Jeremy, "I feel like I missed out on a lot."
"Well, you'll get another chance at it. Just not the way it was before," said Heather before turning to Sophie and saying, "But what we're really here for is you."
"Me?" asked Sophie, tilting her head.
"Well, you remember what happened last year," said Heather. There wasn't any need to elaborate. Last year's school term had a rather explosive beginning, with a crazed, half-feral Heather making her way all the way to Lyre to get her revenge on Sophie and her friends for exposing her gold-mining plot. Roland got wounded by Heather, but not seriously. The scars had disappeared after his conversion. But Heather's attack did leave quite an impact.
"Well, you're not thinking of doing it again," said Sophie in a joking manner.
"No, but I've been thinking of how much of a monster I was back then," said Heather.
"You were a different person," said Sophie, "No one expected you to be able to turn yourself into a dinosaur and you had about a dozen different theropod hunting instincts driving you."
"Even so, I nearly did something unforgivable and I'm not sure if I've truly apologized for it," said Heather.
"I'm sure you have," said Roland, standing next to Sophie, "Probably on more than once."
"Still, I feel like I need to do something to make up for it," said Heather.
"Your debt to society's been paid. You're a free woman," said Sophie.
"She's trying to invite you to dinner," said Jeremy, sounding a little annoyed.
"I was getting to that," said Heather.
"You were beating around the bush and wallowing in self-loathing too much," said Jeremy. This promptly got him a tail whack from his wife.
"So, if your parents don't have any particular plans, perhaps you can all come over," said Heather.
"I didn't know you could cook," said Roland.
"I happen to have fed myself well during college," said Jeremy.
"Eating omelets and soup from a can doesn't count as expert cooking," said Heather, poking Jeremy in the gut.
"Out of curiosity, will Tyra be there?" asked Sophie.
"Probably," said Heather.
"Considering she's going to do most of the cooking," said Jeremy. This time, Heather elbowed him in the ribs.
"Well, I don't know what my parents are planning," said Roland, "I'll have to check with them."
"Same here," said Sophie, "But as soon as I've found a day that could work, I'll call you."
"That would be great," said Heather, "I hope to hear from you soon."
With that, the two pterodactyls walked off. "You really want to accept a dinner invitation from them?" asked Roland once they were out of earshot.
"Why not?" asked Sophie, "Heather's really turned over a new leaf. She's a good person now."
"I know she is now," said Roland, "Though I'm not sure how well she can cook with those claws of hers."
"She can draw as well as she used to so she should be able to cook," said Sophie.
"Only if she could cook before," said Roland, "You want to fly about the town?"
"Actually, I was going to walk home with Jessica," said Sophie, "We got a little girl talk to do."
Roland shrugged and said, "Suit yourself." With one flap, he shot up into the air. Pterosaurs didn't flap their wings as often as birds and bats, but they could obtain great lift even from a standing position.
After Roland flew off, Sophie ran to catch up with Jessica. Walking may seem redundant to a flying creature like herself, but it was easier to have long conversations on foot.