The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

"What?" Teddy demanded.

It's not just asking; it's making a forceful demand.

Teddy, her annoying sisters, and the eldest were all standing on the sidewalk in some dreary suburb.

The houses in those places all look the same because capitalism requires filling every segment of the market, including this monotonous and dull residential sector.

The deputy leader (Sienna's mother, they also thought calling her the eldest leader was too strange, so they decided to call her that, but it is still strange) is here too. She is the one who led everyone to this rather ordinary-looking house.

Sienna licked her lips, tiptoed twice, and then clasped her hands together. She didn't dare look anyone in the eye as she did this, and said, "The three of you will stay here for the rest of the day. Really, just until this afternoon. While you're here, Ms. Hudson will teach you all sorts of things."

Teddy crossed his arms over his chest, and Athena beside him did the same. It was rare to see the two of them so in sync. "I don't like this," Teddy said.

“Are you leaving us?” Trinity asked. She was behind Teddy and Athena, yet also seemed to be on either side of them, and in the middle of them; the expression on all three of her faces looked like she was about to cry.

"I won't leave you." Sienna leaned forward and lied. "Well, it'll only be for a few hours, so I can go to class and take care of some things."

And all three of you need an education. We can't send you to regular schools right now, so until then…”

"Wait, are you saying you're planning to just send us to a regular school and leave us to our own devices?" Athena asked.

"You want us to go to those privately run schools and be brainwashed?" Teddy added. "I don't want to be exposed to their garbage knowledge and stuff."

"Is there trash in the school?" Trinity asked, perking up.

“Girls,” Sienna advised, “don’t be like that, it won’t be that bad.”

“You’re going to lock us up in this boring American Dream house with a wrinkled old teacher who’s going to stuff all sorts of weird stuff into our heads,” Teddy said.

"What kind of strange thing is it?" Trinity asked.

Athena turned halfway around and said, "Mathematics and the like."

“Oh no,” Trinity said, “I only have a few fingers, that’s enough.” With that, she held up six hands.

The second-in-command patted the first-in-command on the back and whispered, "Let me speak." Then she stood next to Sienna and said, "Girls, Heather is an old friend of mine. She taught at Sienna's school when Sienna was much younger, before she gave birth to Steffi. She was a very good teacher."

“Yes, but we don’t need to,” said a little busy. “We already know everything we need to know.”

“We know how to beat someone up,” Teddy said.

“She even knows how to break into someone’s house,” Trinity added, “and she knows how to create the most cozy cuddly pile.”

Teddy nodded. These are the important skills you can't learn in those boring schools. Anyway, forcing them to go to school is strange, stupid, and terrible.

Sienna nodded and said, "That's right, you're all very capable. But maybe you can learn something new? How about this, if the three of you behave well today, listen to others, and study hard, then... we'll have pizza for dinner."

Teddy paused for a moment, pondering the suggestion. This seemed like a good deal.

“It has to be a bacon pizza,” Teddy countered.

Sienna grinned, which basically meant she agreed.

"But if this Ms. Heather is annoying, don't blame us for playing dirty tricks on her and using villainous methods."

The deputy leader snorted, tapped his lower lip lightly, and said, "Here's what we'll do: if she does anything you don't like, just tell Sienna or me, and we'll handle it for you."

So, if this woman doesn't respect them, she'll face the wrath of the boss and deputy boss? Teddy thought this was a good deal. "Alright then," she said.

The deputy leader led the way toward the front door of the house. There was a small garden on one side of the house; the lawn had recently been raked, so it wasn't covered with dead leaves or anything like that.

The deputy leader knocked on the door, and after half a minute, the door opened, revealing an older woman wearing a skirt and shirt with her hair tied back.

"Claire! You brought the children too. You're a bit early."

The deputy leader nodded and said, "I think it's better to come earlier. In case it takes some effort to persuade the girls to stay. And this way they'll have more time to introduce themselves."

The woman nodded, then took a step back, opening the door wide, and said, "Come in, come in."

There's nothing particularly special about the house. There's a small living room with a sofa in the middle, a TV against the wall, a small kitchen on the other side of the counter with a basket of fruit on it, and several corridors leading to other parts of the house.

However, they didn't have a chance to explore, because for some reason, everyone was crowded at the entrance and didn't move.

“Well, please introduce yourselves?” the woman asked. “My name is Heather, but you ladies can call me Ms. Hudson. My daughter’s name is Steffi, and you’ll meet her soon; she’s getting ready for class. Could you please tell me your names, and if you’re not shy, tell me a little about yourself?”

Sienna looked at the group of girls, and Teddy understood what she meant, saying, "Yes, I'm Teddy—Theodora Wright. I'm the eldest sister, and also the most powerful one."

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Theodora,” Ms. Hudson said, extending her hand, which Teddy shook hands with very formally.

“I am Athena, Athena Isabella. I am the wisest one.”

"Then you must be very smart?" Teddy asked.

Athena poked her in the ribs, and Teddy was about to retaliate when the leader patted them both on the head and said, "Girls, stop fooling around."

"Sorry, boss," Teddy muttered softly.

"I'm sorry, sis."

Ms. Hudson laughed and said, "I see, you're a smart girl. And you... triplets?"

“I am Trinity,” Trinity said. “This is all me. I like…” She blinked, her eyes momentarily vacant. “I like so many things. Do I have to say them all?”

Sienna cleared her throat and asked, "Well, my mother told you about their... situation, right?"

“Yes, she mentioned a little,” Ms. Hudson said. “I’ve taught children who needed special care before.”

“That’s good, that’s great,” Sienna said.

Ms. Hudson smiled, then turned to another Trinity and asked, "So what's your name, dear?"

Trinity blinked again and said, "I just told you, my name is Trinity."

"Oh? Do these triplets like to play pranks?" she asked.

“Yes, she does like it, but she’s not wrong, and she’s not triplets,” the eldest said, rubbing his nose. “Trinity exists in all three bodies at the same time; it’s all her. This is… a manifestation of a superpower.”

Ms. Hudson's mouth formed a small "O," which prompted Teddy to scoff dismissively. If she was this surprised by Trinity's boring, insignificant superpower, he couldn't imagine her reaction when Teddy displayed his far more powerful abilities. "You five... all have superpowers?"

“Three,” Sienna said. “Well, Trinity may have three bodies, but she is actually one person.”

“If I die, I can be resurrected,” Trinity explained.

“What?” Ms. Hudson asked.

The eldest brother smiled, a strange smile, and said, "At least you don't have to worry about her choking on her food, right?"

"I understand," she said, but her tone clearly indicated she didn't. She turned to the deputy leader and said, "You said before that it might be a bit complicated, and I thought... well, I was thinking of something completely different."

The deputy leader sighed and said, "I know, Heather, but you're the only one I can ask for help from. Besides, the girls are all really cute and well-behaved kids."

Teddy puffed out his chest. "Absolutely right."

“We promise we won’t damage your things, ma’am,” Teddy said. She didn’t actually intend to do that, but the boss patted her on the shoulder for saying it, so she was quite pleased with herself for saying it.

“Well, okay,” Ms. Hudson said, hesitated for a moment, then smiled. “Girls, how about you go to my classroom? It’s the game room, just walk down this corridor, it’s on your right. If you need to wash up or anything, there’s a restroom just ahead. I’ll bring you some snacks in a bit.”

Teddy perked up immediately. No one had mentioned having snacks before.

Trinity rushed toward the room, startling Teddy, whose two bodies blocked his and Athena's path. "No! I want to be first!" Trinity protested. "The last one to arrive is the good girl!"

"Don't run, please!" the leader shouted. But the leader didn't understand how important it was that Teddy couldn't be the last one to get there.

Athena slipped past Teddy in the hallway, and just as Teddy was about to catch up, Athena jumped into the room.

“Ha! You’re the last one!” Trinity said.

“No, you are!” Teddy said. Indeed, Trinity still had two bodies about to enter the room.

"But I was the first one to arrive."

“Two-thirds of the time you arrive last,” Athena said.

"Uh……"

The girls all stopped abruptly, because they saw a fourth girl in the room. She was sitting at a small desk, staring at them with wide eyes.

"Hi?" she said, "Who are you?"