"Yeah, school's important," says Caroline responsibly. "Cool. We have patrol tomorrow and the day after, then training."

"Awesome! I can be here after school tomorrow and until 5:30 on Saturday and then here the whole shift for training."

"Sounds like a plan. Do you need to scoot now? We're still on shift till the night crew gets in, monster or no monster," says Vanessa.

"No, I should be good for the rest of the shift. My parents aren't expecting me back until late." She'll have to stay up later than usual to finish her homework, but she got most of it done at school.

On and on they drive, but they don't get any more calls or sense any swarms, and they eventually return to their station and swap drivers and squads.

"I assume you can fly home?" Vanessa asks Margaret. Susan boards a motorcycle.

"Yup! See you tomorrow!" Flap flap, sandwich for dinner, biology worksheet, zzzzzz.

On Friday she stops by magical girl club long enough to explain why she's dropping out, then goes patrolling again. Saturday she gets in her first fight as part of the squad, shooting some just-appeared bugs alongside the others, and is waiting at her house when the time of her birthday party arrives.

All the club girls show up, Sumiko first.

Tim and Julio arrive as well, Tim bearing an X-box.

Once everyone is there, Margaret starts pulling pizza boxes out of the oven. "All right people, fess up, which of you likes anchovies on your pizza?"

"Me!" says Aaliyah.

"Living up to the stereotype, eh? My power went all "salty fish for a sweet meal" while I was on the phone with the pizza guy, I think he thought I was nuts!"

"Oh no!" Aaliyah giggles, but she takes the anchovy pizza anyway.

"Hey, better some guy think I'm bonkers than that I order sub-optimal pizza." She helps herself to a slice of onion and garlic, and also lays out a plain cheese and two pepperoni.

Everybody takes pizza. Mariposa has arrived in a nonstandard but still butterfly themed outfit; perhaps it is what she wears to parties.

Julio grabs the ketchup out of Margaret's fridge and puts some on his pizza. "Whaaaat, it's not weird, it's already got tomato in it."

"Of course it's weird, Julio, if you weren't weird I'd suspect you were an imposter. Nice outfit, Mariposa, I haven't seen that one before."

"Thanks, I don't have it up to the standard of my other one yet but I like it."

"Say, I don't think I've ever heard you describe what your powers do. Not that it's any of my business if you don't want to say."

Mariposa levitates a slice of pizza to her mouth and bites it out of the air.

"Oh, nice, lots of everyday utility on that one."

"Yes, I like it. I can also fly without having to stay in condition, but I am afraid of heights and working on that."

"Good for you not letting that stop you from trying. And good luck."

"I usually zoom around a few inches off the ground but I still have to go around mailboxes and things."

"Still beats walking, I bet. Can't trip, can't step in mud . . . "

"Yes, it is good for that."

"Pretty neat how some people get broadly useful stuff and some people get combat stuff. The local first responder squad thinks my tactical sense will be good for support; we're going to practice with it tomorrow."