Kitty

Kitty was in my discussion group for intro-physics. She stormed into my cramped TA's cubicle, her exam flapping. "The answer for Question 6 is word for word from the instructor's lecture," she said.

"I didn't mark that page," I said automatically.

"Could you check, please? I'm on scholarship and I need to keep my GPA."

She didn't have anything to worry about as far as I was concerned. She'd had the highest grade in that class since the semester started. Her major is computer engineering; she wrote a program fit for a master's in her sophomore year. Her mutant gift is the ability to go intangible. Apparently, this is her baseline state; she has to concentrate to stay solid.

"What happens when you phase through computers?"

"The circuits fry." She shrugged. "It really sucks for all nighters."

Her slang-ridden lingo hides a genius-level brain. She was young and could probably be forgiven for wanting to fit in with her classmates, all of whom moaned and groaned about vectors and calculus. She couldn't hide her enthusiasm for math from a fellow nerd like myself. I've seen some of her projects; she writes excellent code, simple and functional. Wherever she is now, I hope she's embraced her inner geek. I look forward to working with her on a professional level.