• tab It all started when a war broke out in another galaxy. Tiny specs of white and black magic spewed outward and headed for Earth. Once there, the specs scattered all over the place. One spec of white magic landed on the edge of a cliff. It then spread itself out, forming an invisible layer of magic.
    tab Meanwhile, a girl named Doris Wens was taking a hike along the edge of the very cliff that had the layer of magic stretched across it. Suddenly, she tripped over a rock and fell down the cliff. Doris didn’t know what was going to happen. Then, she fell through the invisible layer of white magic and transformed into Natrina for the first time. Absentmindedly, she shot out a vine and pulled herself to safety.
    tab Once on solid ground, Doris looked over herself, confused as to her form. How in the world did this happen? she thought. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a cat appeared. “I suppose you’re wondering what happened, aren’t you?” it said. “Ack! It talks!” Doris shrieked. She was very surprised when the cat appeared. “Of course I talk,” it said. “Is that a problem?” “No; I was just freaked out about all this,” Doris answered. “By the way, who are you?” “Call me Ocean cat,” Ocean cat said. “I saw you fall down that cliff over there.” Doris turned. There it was; the cliff that started it all. “But how did I become like this?” Doris asked. “Isn’t it obvious? You transformed when you fell through an invisible layer of white magic,” Ocean cat explained.
    tab Doris looked at the cat, a blank stare on her face. “White magic? What’s that?” she asked. Ocean cat explained the war that was fought in another galaxy. She told Doris about the specs of white and black magic, and how one such spec formed a layer across the cliff Doris fell down. “There are many black specs still out there,” she said. “Those specs will bring out the evil in many people, plants, animals and all other living things. However, one last white spec is out there as well. Whoever it lands on will become like you, a super hero or heroine.” Doris listened with curiosity. “So what if a spec lands on something other than a living thing?” she asked. “Nothing will happen,” Ocean cat said. “Now, in order to transform back into your normal self, simply wave your hand over yourself.” “Like this?” Doris did so. Immediately she went back to normal. “Exactly,” Ocean cat said.
    tab A month later, Doris was walking home from school with her friends Mally Peterson and Baizh Garrets. “Bye! See you tomorrow,” Mally said. Doris and Baizh waved and continued walking. Suddenly, the last spec of white magic appeared and tried to land on Baizh. “Shoo! Stupid insect,” Baizh said. “What is it?” Doris asked. “Some insect keeps bugging me,” Baizh answered. Doris soon saw that the “insect” was really the white spec of magic Ocean cat told her about. “Wait! That’s no insect! That’s a speck of white magic!” Doris said. “Ha, ha, ha. If that’s magic, then I’m an elf,” Baizh replied. “I’m serious! It’s white magic,” Doris continued. “Nice try, Doris. I’m not falling for that,” Baizh said. It was obvious that she didn’t believe in magic. At that, Doris gave up and went home.
    tab Meanwhile, Baizh continued swatting at the white spec. “Go away! Leave me alone, you stupid insect!” Baizh said. Then she tried blowing it away. Nothing. She tried again. Nothing. Baizh took a deep breath, hoping to release a big huff, and the spec, seeing an opportunity, zoomed into Baizh’s mouth. “Ulp! Plack! Ptuii!” Baizh coughed. Great, just great, she thought. Now what? She ran home and headed for her bathroom. Then she took a cup and filled it with water. Glug, glug, glug, spit! Baizh rinsed her mouth ten times before feeling dizzy. She reached out for the switch. Zap! “Ouch!” Baizh said. After turning off the light, she stumbled into her room and fell onto her bed.
    tab The next day, Baizh didn’t show up at school. “Where is she? It’s not like her to miss school,” Mally said. She was right. Baizh had perfect attendance every year until now. Doris knew something fishy was going on. “What do you think happened?” she asked. “I don’t know,” Mally said. After school, Doris decided to pay Baizh a visit. “Hello! Baizh?” she called. No answer. Doris went upstairs to Baizh’s room. “Baizh? You okay?” she said softly. Then she opened the door all the way and, instead of seeing her friend lying in bed, she saw a strange purple-ish puddle. Doris took a closer look. Odd, she thought. Suddenly, the blue bead on her bracelet started blinking. On cue, Ocean cat appeared and told Doris what was wrong. “You know what to do, Doris,” she said, “Right,” Doris replied. “Warrior of nature, Natrina!” Shing! Off she flew.
    tab Once she arrived at the scene, Natrina saw who the villain was. “It’s that villain Thorn-head! I should have known!” she said. Natrina wasted no time and started fighting the villain. Unfortunately, she soon started to get tired. “Ha! You won’t defeat me!” Thorn-head cackled. Suddenly, a masked heroine appeared. Natrina was shocked. Without saying a word, the masked heroine started fighting. Natrina joined in, and together, they defeated Thorn-head. He shrank back down to normal size and became dazed. “Hey, thanks for the—” Natrina began. But the masked heroine was gone.
    tab Later that day, Doris was telling Ocean cat about the masked heroine. “I was about to thank her, but she flew off. Do you think this has something to do with Baizh’s absence from school?”
    tab “It’s possible. You say she wasn’t at school?”
    tab “That’s right. I checked on her after school, but she wasn’t lying on her bed like I thought she would be.”
    tab “Not in bed? That’s very odd.”
    tab “I know. In fact, when I went to check on her, I saw this strange watery liquid. It was a purple-ish color.”
    tab “Hmmm, very strange,” Ocean cat said. “Very strange indeed.”
    tab Meanwhile, Baizh was lying in bed, still feeling dizzy. She couldn’t remember anything about the fight with Thorn-head. In fact, she didn’t know what was going on. Suddenly, she heard a knock at her door. “Come in,” she said sleepily. Doris opened the door. “Hey there, Baizh. Are you okay? You weren’t at school today,” she said. Baizh looked up weakly. “Oh? Why’s that?” she said. “I don’t know,” Doris replied. “It’s not like you to miss school. Even the teachers were confused.”
    tab The next day, Baizh showed up at school. It was obvious that everyone was glad to see her. “Okay, what’s the deal?” Baizh said. But before she got an answer, everyone started pestering her with questions.
    tab “Where were you yesterday?”
    tab “What happened? Did you get sick?”
    tab “Whoa, whoa! Calm down people! Give her some room,” Mally said. She knew, as well as Doris, that Baizh gets claustrophobic easily. “I know it’s not like her to miss school, but that doesn’t mean you can crowd around her,” she continued. At that, everyone went back to class. Mally turned and looked at Baizh, who still had a confused look on her face. “We missed you yesterday. Where were you?”
    tab “Uh, I was sick,” Baizh said. “I don’t know why, so don’t ask.”
    After school, Doris, Baizh and Mally were talking about everything that went on at school the day before. “I don’t get it,” Mally said. “It’s so not like you to miss school. I’m confused.”
    tab “I know. I’m pretty confused about it myself.” Baizh said. “It’s very strange. First I was swatting at some stupid insect, then—”
    tab “What does an insect have to do with your absence?” Doris said.
    tab “I, uh, guess I don’t remember,” Baizh said. She turned and looked at her friends. “Maybe that insect is responsible for my illness. If it hadn’t zoomed into my mouth two days ago, I would’ve been at school yesterday.”
    tab “Well, here’s my stop,” Mally said. “See you tomorrow!” “See you!” Baizh and Doris said together. After Mally went inside, the two remaining girls continued walking.
    tab “Hey, Baizh, do you know anything about a masked heroine?” Doris asked.
    tab “Where did you hear about that?”
    tab “I heard about it on the news yesterday. A masked heroine appeared and helped Natrina fight some sort of monster, and then flew off,” Doris said. The whole city knew about Natrina, and Doris was smart enough not to tell anyone that Natrina and Doris Wens is one and the same girl.
    tab “Oh, well, no. I don’t know anything about this masked heroine you’re talking about.”
    tab “Do you recall anything after I went home?”
    tab “Yes. That stupid insect continued to bug me, and I was starting to get annoyed,” Baizh said. She continued to tell Doris about the blowing, the attempt to let out a big huff, the “insect”, which was really white magic, zooming into her mouth, the rinsing with water, the shock, and the dizziness that followed. “Odd. That’s all I can say about it. Very, very odd,” Doris said when Baizh was finished. “By the way, are you sure you didn’t inhale it?” “Positive. It just zoomed right in,” Baizh said.
    tab Later that day, Doris told Ocean cat everything she heard from Baizh. “I have a feeling,” the tabby said when Doris was finished, “that the spec actually wanted to land on your friend Baizh.” “But what about the dizziness that followed?” Doris asked.
    tab Ocean cat explained that, because Baizh swallowed the spec, she now had what Ocean cat called “non-hero powers,” meaning a transformation process isn’t necessary to acquire them. “But I don’t understand, Ocean cat. I’ve tried comparing the pictures of the masked heroine and Baizh, and they don’t make sense. Baizh always has her hair up in a ponytail; the masked heroine’s hair was down. Also, she didn’t say a word,” Doris said. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to tell you!” Ocean cat said. “People with non-hero powers often try to conceal their identities by changing their appearance when they go to fight crime. Your friend has gone so far as to taking down her hair and leaving as soon as her work is done.”
    tab “So you’re saying that Baizh and the masked heroine is the same person?”
    tab “Exactly my point,” Ocean cat said.

    tab That weekend, Doris and Baizh were walking through town. Several newspapers and tabloids have published information about the masked heroine. “Look at this,” Doris said, picking up a newspaper. “It says: ‘Masked Heroine: Friend or Foe?’ This one says ‘Masked Heroine Helps Save the Day.’ Do you know anything about all this?”
    tab Baizh wasn’t answering. Instead, she was reading an article about the question as to whether or not the masked heroine was there to help. Suddenly, she got a familiar look on her face. Doris knew that look; it was the look of recognition. “Okay, tell me the truth. Do you know anything about the masked heroine?” Baizh didn’t answer. “Well? Tell me. I know that look, Baizh. Tell me the truth!”
    tab Instead of answering, Baizh turned around and ran home, leaving Doris standing there with a confused look on her face. What’s with her? Doris thought.
    tab Ocean cat was very surprised when Doris told her about it later that day. “She just ran off! I asked her the question and she ran off,” Doris told the tabby. “I don’t believe it! I have to say that your suspicions are confirmed. Why else would she run off like that? Think about it,” Ocean cat said.
    tab While all this was going on, Baizh was lying on her bed with a cold sweat running down her face. I’m so confused! Baizh thought, sitting up. Won’t somebody tell me what’s going on?
    tab All of a sudden, Ocean cat appeared. “I can tell you,” she said. “YIKES! Did that cat just talk?” Baizh yelped. “Of course I did. I hope that’s not a problem,” the tabby said. “No it’s not,” Baizh said. “I’m just not used to hearing a cat talk. That’s all.”
    tab “Okay then. Now do you want to know or not?”
    tab “Yes, please. I want know everything that’s going on right now.”
    tab Ocean cat explained everything Doris told her. She explained that the so-called “insect” was really white magic and how Baizh got non-hero powers. When Baizh asked Ocean cat why she didn’t remember any of this, Ocean cat explained that Baizh wouldn’t let herself remember. The tabby also explained what she told Doris. The entire time Baizh listened with interest. “By the way,” Ocean cat said when she was finished, “the mask idea is a wise one. However you’ll have to think of a super hero name for yourself. And if you would create a different outfit for you to wear, I’d appreciate it.” “Okay,” Baizh said. Then, Ocean cat disappeared. Immediately Baizh set to work creating an outfit for herself.
    tab The completed sketch consisted of a lavender leotard with yellow trim, lavender, elbow length glove-lets with blue trim, knee length boots made of lavender fabric and trimmed with yellow and blue, a lavender felt mask attached to a lavender and blue headband, and her favorite earrings. Baizh was completely satisfied with her sketch.
    tab Now came the hard part: Thinking of a name. Baizh wrote down several names, but they were all too obvious or not obvious enough, too fancy or too ordinary, too long or too short. “I guess I’ll need suggestions,” Baizh told herself. “And I know just where to get some.”
    tab The next day at school, Baizh found exactly who she was looking for. “Doris! Wait up! I need your help with something,” she said. “Like what?” Doris asked.
    tab “I need you to come up with super hero names for this character,” Baizh said, showing Doris her sketch. “Hmmm, let’s see here. How about ‘Watelectra’ as a suggestion? Will that work?” Doris suggested.
    tab Baizh wrote it down underneath all of the disapproved names. “How do you spell that?” she asked.
    tab “W-A-T-E-L-E-C-T-R-A,” Doris said. Baizh wrote it down. “‘Watelectra’. Hmmm. I’ll think about it,” she said.
    tab Later on, Doris was doing her homework when the blue bead on her bracelet started blinking. At once Ocean cat appeared. “What is it?” Doris asked.
    tab “It’s Thorn-head. He’s attacking City Hall. You know what to do.”
    tab "Right,” Doris said. “Warrior of nature, Natrina!” Shing! Off she flew.
    tab At City Hall, Natrina saw that Thorn-head had a partner. Oh great, she thought. I’m outnumbered two to one. Fortunately, the masked heroine appeared. However, she wore a different outfit, and, for the first time, she spoke. “Beware the power of Watelectra!” she said.
    tab “Whoa, cool!” some people said. Natrina was relieved when Watelectra arrived. Now she had some backup. “C’mon, let’s put these monsters back in their place!” Watelectra shouted to Natrina. Together, they defeated Thorn-head and his partner. “HOORAY!” everyone shouted.
    tab “Thanks for your help,” Natrina said.
    tab “No problem. Whenever you need help, I’ll be there.” At that, Watelectra flew off.
    tab About an hour later, Doris was finishing up her homework. Then, she heard a knock at her door. “Who is it?” she said.
    tab Rose, Doris’ cousin, came bounding into the room. “You missed it! You missed it! You missed it!” she said with excitement.
    tab “Missed what?” Doris asked.
    tab “You missed the fight with Natrina and Thorn-butt! A new girl showed up and helped Natrina kick butt! You totally missed it, Doris!” Rose answered. The fact is, Rose is only six years old, and she’s a major chatterbox. She’ll say three sentences quickly without running out of breath.
    tab “Whoa, whoa, calm down, Rose. I didn’t miss the fight with Natrina and ‘Thorn-butt’; I saw the whole thing on the news.”
    tab “But I’m an eye-witness! I saw the whole fight from my bedroom window! First Natrina came and said ‘All right Thorn-butt, you’re going down!’ or something like that, and then this new girl shows up and says ‘Beware the awesomeness of Waterlectria!’ or something, and—”
    tab “I get it,” Doris said. “They fought together and saved the day.”
    tab “Also, I got their autographs!” Rose said, shoving her autograph book in Doris’ face. There they were; the “official” signatures of Natrina and Watelectra.