Another day, another day at school. Except Steven wasn't there with another stupid idea with Darren as his point man... none of his wild fun and games... And nobody would ever notice, not even Steven's parents, because Steven had never existed.
Instead the wolf-woman droid Steph existed instead. Darren had tried to tell himself that she was just a soulless machine, so asking Yuriko to restore Steven should have been simple, but the fact she had a soul was the problem! Next he tried to tell himself she was hold Steven's soul captive with the real Steven trapped inside... except Yuriko explained that wasn't how it worked.
Maid-droids were supposed to be just robots... objects. They came from a store, and had a warranty. But Steph had clearly been scared for her life... Even to save Steven, he couldn't erase someone to bring him back. Steph was supposed to be an 'it' not a 'she'... He hadn't counted on having a soul might make that different.
Now that the anger at everything he'd been pulled into by Steven's stupid dare had worn off... Darren felt disturbed at what he'd done. Yuriko had told him, "Good, that means you're still human yourself. I told you doing it to strangers would be easy, not people you know. Remember Steven then, and think about it if you ever remake another person's existence utterly. If you're going to sacrifice all that they are, be sure what you give me is equal or greater in return!"
Hannah knew about the rings... but due to the changes in reality she didn't really miss Steven, and she seemed to have a somewhat better friendship with Steph... However,
"Darren... I... I wish I could say I was sorry. It's hard to be sorry when I can't remember who Steven is. But... if he was really your friend, then he's not really gone, Steph is your friend too... The obedient robot big sister who meddles in your life, but still your friend."
So much drama had happened, he was caught off guard when he saw again Mrs. Wright, or rather, Gail, in math class, teaching kids who were no older than she was. Darren hadn't even done it on purpose, which Yuriko warned was the absolute worst, and could result in him doing something horrible without even realizing it until it was too late!
"In the end, like any teenager, you need to be taught to think first, act second."
But here we were. And it seemed Gail was actually doing a better job than before in spite of NOT having the decades of life experience that SHOULD HAVE made her job easier when she was an old woman! To Darren, it was kinda scary how smart she was.
Maybe he was hoping for some escape from his thought about Steven, or maybe he genuinely wanted to try out his power on something he knew worked, but he resolved, 'Maybe Gail doesn't have to be the only teacher prodigy working here.'
Still... after class, Darren asked, "Uh, Mrs. Miss? Uh."
"Teacher will do."
"Uh, Teach? Wright... are you... Do you still have friends with all the studying you do?"
"UGH! This again? Darren, I do not bury myself in books and cut off my heart from everyone! It just comes to me naturally, I didn't ask to be able to skip grades and get a teaching degree when other kids are in middle school... it's what I wanted, I was just able to get it faster than family ever thought they would. I was their miracle having a child at their age... Ugh. Never mind."
"Do you wish...the other teachers related to you more?"
"... Maybe I do."
"Okay, thanks."
+++
First came music class. Darren had always hated this class. He hadn't wanted it. But it had been put as part of his school schedule anyway. It didn't help that Darren was tone deaf and was not doing well at all. Pamela Foster had insisted that he try try try again even if he was miserable and wasn't getting better.
He considered alerting reality so he was a pro or that the teacher Pamela Foster would just give him a passing grade... But if he messed up his own head somehow, the power he had would be out of control or something!
This wouldn't change Darren sucked at the flute, or him being trapped in this class (likely), but he figured he might as well test out his power this way.
Pamela Foster walked onto stage in front of her students, a middled age woman with fading blond hair. An oversized cello waited for her.
Then there was a blond girl just barely into her teens wearing a one color skirt and holding a fiddle instead that she played with an old master with easy. The students actually clapped, and seemed energized.
"Thanks everyone," Pamela said with a smile. "Now turn to page... Darren? What are you doing here? I sent the note to your family that you're free to transfer out of my class. Did you change your mind?"
"N-n-no! I forgot! Thank you Miss Foster! Thank you!" Darren didn't look a gift horse in the mouth and ran... now he just needed to find out what his replacement class would be.
-
Darren's next class was PE... with loud and aging coach Ewart Balfours. The elderly but sharp tongued old man who should have retired by now but stubbornly refused (Darren didn't know this was because Ewart wasn't as old as he looked, but some bad life choices had left his body damaged).
Darren used the rings, and there was now young athlete with near physical perfection. Now shouting ENCOURAGEMENT at his students whom most were actually taller than he was (but he still trounce all of them in track, wrestling, arm wrestling, swimming, etc). He was smiling. Darren had never seen Ewart smile... at least... not in this reality.
Darren also had no way to know after his first change to reality, Gail had avoided the teacher's lounge... But now with two other prodigies who's intelligence and talent were nothing short of mind blowing. She now comfortably had her lunch in here with her friends.
After the exhaustion and sore muscles of PE... Darren thought that today he had one more stop...
"Hello?" The name on the door read 'Stella Heat' the guidance counselor and the one who had 'checked up on' Gail in the original timeline.
"Who? Ah! Darren! How nice to see you!" said Stella Heat, "Have your teachers been helpful to you?"
"Yes, they have," Darren said a bit awkwardly.
"Ah, so what can I do for you?"
And in a moment, was a thirteen year old girl in frilly purple dress with curly black hair smiling back at Darren.
"Just seeing if you needed anything Miss Heat."
The teenage girl giggled. "Oh you're so sweet. But no, I'm fine. It's very nice of you to ask. You should consider giving help to your other teachers too."
"I like to think I am, thank you Miss Heat."
"Bye bye!"
As Darren walked, he spotted the principle, tall, gray and balding, thin... Except, Darren simply got a sharp headache when he tried to use the rings... he had a sudden flash of the principal with the people he'd seen in his pictures in the office... his children and grandchildren.
Darren didn't put two and two together, but he realized that he wouldn't be making EVERY adult at the school a teenage child after all.
---
Hannah thought of how Darren had said he'd changed Gail into a kid like them. Maybe to help her fit in with the other kid teachers? She'd have to ask him. Uh-oh.
She had no intention of hiding or some nonsense. What she saw what going to be a disaster in the making and she'd best stop it before it was too late.
It was Darren, sitting with Crystal Mathers. No! She wasn't jealous! Geeze!
But she did hear what they were saying.
"I just want to say I'm sorry about asking you to go into that big scary haunted house," she fluttered her oh so perfect eyes lashes.
"It's, it's okay Crystal... Just... thanks for speaking with me."
"No problem!" She laughed with her high pitched voice.
"So uh, I wanted to ask you, if you could be any fantasy creature, what would it be?"
Crystal startled and quickly looked around and whispered, "Why would you ask something like that?"
"Just... curious, you did wonder about me finding something magic in there."
"Well, not that I know much about fantasy," she lied elegantly. "Buuuut... maybe a fairy? No! Wait! A dragon! Oh! A fairy dragon? A unicorn! A unicorn fairy dragon hybrid?" She'd unpopped the lid, and couldn't stop as she excited listed off her favorite fantasy creatures. "And she'd be a princess too!" Of course.
Crystal had had to spend so long being the perfect student her teachers and family wanted... her fantasy world her only escape. Now that Darren had popped the cork, she was letting out everything.
What was that word Hannah was looking for? Oh right, 'Mary Sue.' From the sounds of it, if Darren folded to Crystal, then there was no telling what sort of overpowered abomination she'd become, and whatever Darren shaped the world into, it would be Crystal's vision, not Darren's.