The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Chapter 177 Steffi's Mother, and Steffi's Prosthetic Limb

“Oh,” Mom said from another room.

Steffie looked away from the television. She was supposed to be doing some practice problems her mother had given her, and she was doing them... during the commercial breaks.

It's Saturday morning! She should have some leisure time. Besides, commercials are always super long, and there are all sorts of great programs on Saturdays.

Mom slipped out of the kitchen and across the living room, but before she did, she glanced at the TV and clicked her tongue softly. However, she didn't tell Steffi to stop watching, so it was fine.

Mom walked to the window in front of the house and pulled down one of the blinds.

This allowed the sunlight to stream in, and a beam of light shone directly onto the television, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

“Mom—” Steffie complained.

“You have practice problems to do,” Mom said.

“I always have practice problems,” Straffy retorted. That was true! She loved her mother very much, but her mother also hoped Straffy would “succeed in life,” which meant Straffy had to be smart.

She knew that being confined to a wheelchair complicated things. She knew that all the time. It also meant that if Steffie wanted to succeed, she would have to be ten times smarter than everyone else. So, these practice problems came about.

Things have become a little tricky since she made friends, because her weekly classes are not as rigorous and organized as before, as her friends need time to catch up.

This means that more practice problems need to be done after class.

In any case, Mom said that Steffi accepted it all gracefully.

"They know it's Saturday, right?" Mom asked, in the tone she usually used when talking to herself.

"What's wrong?" Steffi asked. She couldn't see the TV very clearly anyway.

“It’s Sienna and her sisters,” Mom said.

"Oh!" Steffi released the wheelchair brakes, tossed the exercise books onto the sofa, then turned the wheelchair backwards and crossed the living room. "Are they here to play?"

“They didn’t even call ahead,” Mom said. “Hopefully Sienna doesn’t urgently need a babysitter; I still need to go grocery shopping later.”

“Mom!” Stephy cried. She rarely had the chance to play with her friends. Well, that’s not entirely true.

They do play and roughhouse together in and out of class, but it's not really "playing." Mom insists that they go to the backyard to play at least once a day (which wasn't the case before for some obvious reasons), but Steffi is mostly confined to her wheelchair.

Athena loves to chat, and Maple Leaf likes to stand by and listen to Steffie complain about all sorts of things, even though her answers are usually monosyllabic (the exercises she's doing now are vocabulary exercises, and the word is right in her head, so it comes in handy).

So, most of her so-called playtime wasn't actually spent playing, at least not when her friends were around. That's why she trembled with excitement in her wheelchair when she heard several familiar pairs of feet walking onto the front porch.

The mother opened the door and greeted Sienna and her sisters with a smile, as well as... a woman Steffie didn't recognize, a tall Black woman who looked to be about Sienna's age.

"Hello, welcome! I didn't expect to have guests. Please forgive me if the house is a bit messy," Mom said.

That's a bit redundant. Mom's always cleaning and tidying up, so the house is always spotless. "Hi, Ms. Hudson," Sienna said, "I'm sorry to be here so suddenly. We have something we'd like to discuss with you, uh, yes, I'd like to talk about this."

Steffi looked Sienna up and down, listening to her speak. Sienna was strange. She was always incredibly shy, like a maple leaf, but sometimes she could become very… not shy? Oh dear, she'd seen that word before… not “extroverted,” that was another word. “In control”? Yes, that was it!

“Sterphie!” Trinity called out. She ran forward, leaving three pairs of shoes behind her as they flew out of the doorway.

Then, Steffi was overwhelmed by Trinity's embrace.

She wouldn't tell her other friends because it would be a bit harsh, but Trinity's hug was the best.

“Hey,” Teddy said. She stifled a yawn, then grinned, revealing a mouthful of teeth. “What are you looking at?”

“Heroic cartoons,” Steffie said.

“Oh, that’s disgusting,” Teddy said.

Steffi chuckled. "I've been watching, hoping one day the bad guys will win, but it's never happened."

“Yes, that’s typical of capitalism,” Teddy agreed. Then she pushed Trinity away and gave Steffi a hug.

Teddy is in a cool and fun middle ground.

She's easy to get along with, and Steffi wishes she could be a bear, even though her mother says it's not allowed indoors, in the backyard, or in the shed since last time.

“Hi, Steffi,” Athena said. She also gave Steffi a hug.

Of all her sisters, Steffi probably enjoyed chatting with Athena the most. They would have pleasant debates about all sorts of things, and Athena was very intelligent.

She enjoys learning new things, and sometimes they do puzzles together, with Athena always being the first to solve a problem.

Steffie also realized that among her sisters, she was... relatively emotionally intelligent. According to her mother, this was important. And, she was also a fantastic gossipmonger.

“Hi… Hi,” Maple Leaf said from behind Athena. She didn’t come forward to hug her. In fact, she remained mostly hidden behind Athena.

“Hi, Maple!” Stephy said. She always tried to be friendly to Maple, even though Maple wasn’t very talkative. “What are you doing here?”

Trinity had already sat on almost every sofa, the love sofa, and the big plush chair squeezed into the corner of the room, while Teddy went behind Steffi and grabbed the handle of the wheelchair, pushing her around.

“Maple Leaf made you a gift,” Teddy said.

"A gift?" Steffi asked. She glanced at Maple Leaf, whose face was flushed red and who was staring even more intently at the floor. Steffi knew what kind of things Maple Leaf was capable of making.

Her sisters swore she really did build a supersonic toaster, and that Steffi had watched so many superhero cartoons that she knew little inventors could make some really cool gadgets.

However, she never expected to receive any gifts.

“That’s right. But we need to convince your mom to give you the present,” Athena said. “So hurry up and give me that pitiful puppy look.”

“The poor little bear has better eyesight,” Teddy said.

“Bears don’t have puppies, you idiot,” Athena retorted.

"I know! They give birth to bear cubs. You're the puppy."

"what?"

The two women started arguing above her head, but Steffi stopped listening to them. She was more focused on the conversation between her mother, Sienna, and another woman in the doorway. "Are you sure it's safe here?" her mother asked.

Sienna looked troubled. "Are you sure? Maybe? Maple Leaf hasn't made anything unsafe before." This made another woman glance at her. "Uh, nothing is unsafe unless intentionally made. We tested it a little at the base. Trinity used it, and it worked."

"You tested it on one of her sisters?" Mom asked. She sounded displeased.

“I had Trinity try it,” Sienna corrected, that confident air returning. Steffi was somewhat impressed. Sometimes Mom could be very… Mom.

“She has a unique ability to remain unharmed in all kinds of situations. I wouldn’t risk my sister like that.”

“Yes, I’m sorry,” Mom said. “It’s just… this is a bit serious.”

“We understand,” the other woman said. She gently touched her mother’s arm. “It’s certainly hard to accept at first. But it… well, it is something. Maybe it’s an opportunity? A small chance to make Steffie feel a little more normal?”

Steffi's ears turned red as she was pushed closer. "What's wrong?" she asked.

The adults looked over at them, their worries turning into smiles. Most of them were forced smiles. "Hey, baby," the mother said.

This is a very neutral term of address. When her mother is serious, she usually calls her Steffi; when things are not going well, she calls her "darling."

“Sienna, I think there’s also Maple Leaf. Tell me, uh, um, Maple Leaf made something for you.”

“Mmm,” Steffie said. “Teddy said she made me a present?”

Mom nodded. “I think it’s up to you. You’re old enough to choose whether or not to try it. Sienna said Maple Leaf made you a leg. Not a real new leg, but… uh,” Mom paused.

“Something like an exoskeleton,” the Black woman chimed in, explaining for her mother.

“I want to try it!” Steffi said immediately. “What are they for? How do you use them?”

“Oh,” said Maple Leaf. “They’ll go on your legs, and there’ll be a belt. They should be easy to use.”

Steffie almost exclaimed in amazement. This was amazing! And it was the most Maple Leaf had ever said at once. "I have to try!" she said.

She wouldn't miss the chance to beat Teddy.