This fic is on permanent hiatus. Sorry everyone, but it has way too many flaws and way too much...
A Helping Hand (Worm/Divinity) - Permanent hiatus
- Thread starter Cloud
- Start date
-
- Tags
- worm taylor hebert
- Created
- Status
- Hiatus
- Watchers
- 81
- Recent readers
- 0
- Threadmarks
- 14
-
Statistics (14 threadmarks, 29k words)
User Total Cloud 14
- Status
Introduction & Chapter 1
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
This fic is on permanent hiatus. Sorry everyone, but it has way too many flaws and way too much fanon to be worth making anything of it without a complete rework. It's just not unique. Perhaps someday it'll be finished/rewritten, but I doubt it.
This is a story about a Taylor, who gets a bit of help from something in the Divinity series.
It's an alt-power story, with some minor crossover elements, which haven't happened yet and won't for a while.
This is being cross posted from Spacebattles.
Current powers:
Pretty much a magic user from Divinity Original Sin.
Now, with all that boring shiz out of the way, here's the chapter:
Chapter 1.1
--------------
3rd of January, 2011
Friday
All good things come to an end. And how true that is. Spending the holidays with Dad made me think. Just how much I suffered these past two years, by the hands of Emma and Sophia. Never being able to take a moment to just relax, to not constantly watch over my back and hide from everyone, just fearing what they could come up with. But now those two weeks are over and I have to go back to school. Fucking Winslow. What the fuck the teachers are thinking I can't even begin to know. It's not as if its hard to make those three bitches stop, is it? Ugh, I really should stop moping around and get up.
I can already hear Dad in the shower, but really, staying in bed or going to Winslow. Not really difficult to see which option is way better. Still, it's not like I can just drop out. It would break Dad's heart. He doesn't even know I'm being bullied and suddenly dropping out of school? Nu-uh. And Mom… what would she think, if she was still here? Ifs and ifs. Thinking about how much better everything would be isn't going to help me.
Begrudingly, I got out of bed and started getting ready for the day. Maybe it won't be as bad as it was? They did sort-of give up before the holidays. Wishful thinking. Just as I stepped out of my room, Dad was getting out of the bathroom.
He smiled. "Good morning. Back to school, huh?"
"Yeah… good morning."
He must have saw me looking at the bathroom door, because he moved aside and ruffled my hair, totally ignoring my half hearted attempts to bat his hand away. He must be feeling better, he's not usually this lively in the morning, or ever really…
I got ready fairly quickly, the only time-consuming thing being me taking care of my hair. It's pretty much the only thing I like about myself. Mom had the same dark, curly and long hair. Unlike her though, I doubt many people would even recognize me as a girl if it wasn't for the hair, especially with me being taller any of the girls in my class, yet being stick thin. Stupid genes.
Heading downstairs, I smelled bacon. Dad might not know how to cook many things, but at least he can make good bacon and eggs.
"Smells good Dad! Want me to prepare the table?"
"Go ahead Taylor. And get some orange juice, too?
I called out an okay before prepping everything. I'll atleast enjoy the morning, If I won't be able to enjoy the day.
We were eating in a comfortable silence, when Dad finally spoke up.
"If you want, I can take you to school today. You won't have to take the bus."
I thought about it for a moment, then smiled. "Sure, I'd love that."
It didn't take long before I was standing before the entrance to Winslow, with Dad already having waved me goodbye.
Winslow… Winslow was a shithole. It barely looked better than a prison, and that's being generous. It was the largest school in Brockton Bay, but that doesn't mean much when all the rich kids are going to everywhere else. There were some grafitti tags, courtesy of the lovely gangs of the Brockton Bay area. But that wasn't my problem with it, not really. No, my problem was the Trio. The three bitches. What made Emma and her gang turn so hard on me I don't know. And frankly, don't really care. I'm sure there's some part in me that wants to believe Emma and I could be friends again. But that Emma is dead and has been ever since I came back from summer camp two years ago.
After taking a deep breath, I stepped inside.
I have to go to my locker first, since that's where I keep all of my books. But on my way to the locker, I saw people almost giggling just seeing me. My locker was pretty much in the most unused parts of the school. There were no classrooms near it. Coming near the locker, I started smelling a… very foul stench, is probably the best way to describe it.
Making my through the small crowd I saw Emma and Sophia there too. And then I realized what they did. They put something into my locker! Ugh, those fucking bitches.
I was not prepared.
Inside the locker were u-used tampons. And dried rotting blood. And so many bugs, skittering everywhere. I couldn't hold it in. I threw up all over it.
All I could see was a blurry mess, my eyes riddled with tears.
Before I could do anything, someone was grabbing me by my hair and shoulder, pushing me into it! The locker wasn't really big at all, and the only reason I fit into it is because I'm stick thin.
Finally realizing what just happened I start thrashing about and trying to get out, but I'm l-locked in.
"L-LET ME OUT!" I scream.
"LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT!"
I try everything. Banging on the door, trying to kick it open, anything. Anything to get me out of this horrible place.
I have to get out. I have to get out. I have to get out. LET ME OUT! P-please…
I blacked out.
"Hmm... how interesting. This won't do at all…"
January the 6th
Monday
Wha? Fuck, I feel like shit. W-what the fuck happened? Why do I feel like I can barely think? I-Is this what drugs feel like? Did I get kidnapped? Ugh… and what's that horrible probing feeling in my brain.
I opened my eyes and barely restrained myself from whimpering. Shit, that hurt. I think I'll just keep my eyes closed for now. This, … bed? Yeah, this bed feels rather nice and comfy.
Am I in a hospital? Why… why would I be in a hospital?
Trying to find out some more about what's going on, I open my eyes again. Except this time, I can't hold in the whimper. Fuck that light is horrible.
"What…?" says someone. "Taylor? You're awake!"
I recognize that voice. My Dad's. I start crying. Before I know it, I'm being held in two arms, which are obviously trying not to hug me too tightly. Oh Dad…
Dad's not exactly what people would call attractive. He's tall and skinny. His hair is dark and already fairly balding. His eyes… green, unlike my brown. I don't even want to know what he's thinking right now. He's got a fairly big temper, even if he almost always manages to tamp it down. It's probably what helps him in his job the most, what with the state of the Dockworkers and there basically being no jobs. I know it's been hard on him. There just aren't any jobs left for the Dockworkers these days, and as Head of Hiring, its his job to do the impossible.
"D-dad…" I barely manage to croak that out. I really need some water, my throat is useless.
"Shhh, Taylor. It's okay… I'm here now. Nothing's going to happen to you again, I promise. I promise…" He says it with such emotion, I-I just can't hold it back anymore, I cry into his arms again, shivering, whimpering and sobbing into his shirt. I barely notice that I opened my eyes, probably a little while ago.
Finally, after what felt like hours, such good, pain relieving hours, I manage to get myself under control.
"Dad…w-water?"
"Oh! Of course honey. Just a second." He lets me go, stands up and walks over to the sink. I let my eyes finally wander over the room. It's not much to look at, but it still is pretty okay. Green walls up to about halfway. A TV in the corner on a table. The blinding windows from before, on my left. Obviously someone forgot to roll down the shutters. There's the sink, where my dad is, and I'm hooked up to some kind of IV system. I have no idea what it's for, but it's probably best to leave it alone. Dad even put a picture of Mom on my drawer. I had no idea that one even existed. Before I could start crying again, Dad came over with the cup of water.
"Here you go. You shouldn't drink too much at once. I'll be sending a nurse in here soon. I'm so glad you're okay." He put his hand on mine and squeezed.
"I have no idea what I would do if I lost you too. Losing Annette already broke me once. And I am sorry Taylor. I've been a bad father."
"Dad, no…"
"No it's alright Taylor. I'm willing to admit my faults. Your mother always was the stronger one. She wouldn't have let any of this happen. I failed you, and I'm sorry. Maybe now, when I've gotten my head out of my ass, I can at least try to be a good father to you."
I don't say anything. I hug him so fiercely, I doubt he could breathe.
I should probably tell him about Emma. If he wants to be a better father, then I'm going to be a better daughter too. I've been hiding too much from him.
"Dad… I should tell you who did this to me. Don't freak out too much, okay? I realize now, that I should have told you all of this a long time ago. I just didn't know how to say it, didn't want to put additional troubles on you…"
"Honey, you're never any trouble to me. Never. Tell me who did this to you. If it was the gangs…"
"No. No nothing like that. It… it was Emma dad."
"WHAT?" he shouted.
"I'm sorry. What? Emma? But you… you were best friends ever since first grade! How could she do this to you?" He looked furious, probably getting ready to call Alan, Emma's father and punch him in the face.
"It's…. she's… they've been doing this for about two years now, Dad. I don't know what happened when I came back from summer camp, but she was… it's like she became an entirely different person. There's this girl, Sophia. She was there when I came to Emma's, after she didn't answer me on the phone for a week straight. I'm pretty sure… I'm pretty sure she was the one who pushed me into the l… the locker."
He hugged me, again.
"We'll get them Taylor. Don't worry. Even if I have to take this to the media, we'll get them. There's a police investigation going on, but they don't know anything yet. I'll figure something out, okay?"
"On a slightly unrelated note, the school is offering to pay for the hospital bill, and fifty thousand dollars. I'm guessing they're scared we'll sue them, which we will. The Dockworkers Union has a lawyer, you know. What happened to you… that's criminal negligance on part of the school. Now… it's your choice if you want to take their offer, but…"
"But they won't get caught will they?" I said, filling in the gap.
"Yes. The police investigation will likely end if we cave in. It still doesn't make sense. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. There's almost no reason for them to be protecting Emma and the others so hard."
"I wrote a journal about everything they did for the past year, if that'll help."
"Oh, sweetie… Yes, it'll help alright. We'll go get it after you're released from the hospital, okay?"
I nod, and he continues, "Alright. I should probably get a nurse in her soon. They'll be wanting to check up on you, now that you're awake." He stopped and started looking very sad.
"I almost lost you, you know? You were in there for 7 hours. If it wasn't for the janitor… You were critical when they called me. I'm glad you're okay now." He stood up and went to get a nurse.
A nurse came to take my readings. Somehow, after 7 hours in that fucking locker, I'm perfectly healthy. I think the nurse was a bit confused as well, but she didn't say anything, and neither did I.
Dad arranged for me to be able to go home today already and for the detective working on my case to come over to our house tomorrow. After I put on some of my clothes that Dad got from my room beforehand we went home.
For once, we actually talked a bit. Or well mostly, it was just Dad telling me about his past, or his father, or whatever was happening with the Dockworkers currently. Still, it was nice. I definitely didn't know some of those things about Dad. Who knew he beat up a cape once with a baseball bat? Crazy old man.
My room was still the same mess as it was when I left it on Friday. I'm not sure why I was expecting it to be cleaned up. Not that I mind, I love my mess of a room.
He cooked Lasagne, Mom's recipe and some tea for me. He wasn't the best cook in the world by any standard, but it still tasted good, like… home.
After eating it all and cleaning the dishes, we sat down on the couch in the living room. I could almost see how Dad wanted to ask me about something, but he was obviously unsure if he should. Probably something to do with school then. I decided to just get it over with.
"Dad… you want to ask something?"
"Heh, that obvious is it? I was wondering if you would bring that journal of yours. I'll need to know more about, well everything, if we want to present this information to the detective tomorrow. It would help him a lot, I'm sure.
"I'll go get it now. I want those bitches punished just as much as you do."
"Language." He said, half-heartedly.
I ran upstairs to get my journal, filled with the dates and descriptions of all their pranks and bullying. I even saved all of the e-mails, even if none of them actually have their names on them, it'll still help. Well, I hope so at least.
"Here. I wrote almost everything in there, after I realized they weren't going to give up, and that the teachers wouldn't stop them."
Dad read through the journal, his face filling with more and more rage with every page. You'd think he was about to explode, he had so much red on him.
"Taylor… they did all of this to you? When I see Alan I'm going to have some words. There's no way he didn't know this was happening."
"I'm sorry how this must be for you. I know you and Alan were good friends."
"Hmph. Obviously not good enough. Christ. And you have nothing to be sorry about little owl. At least this will get the detective's attention for sure."
"Yeah…"
I yawned. "It's getting pretty late and I'm still tired from the hospital. Mind if I go to sleep? Oh and I was meaning to ask… Would it be okay for me to start running every morning?"
He frowned. "Taylor, you know it's not safe."
"And who is going to even be up at 6 AM, just to rob someone? I can stick to the safer parts of the city anyway."
He sighed. "There's nothing I can do to stop you is there? If you are going to be running every morning, I want you to have something to defend yourself with. I'll go buy some pepper spray and a pocket knife for you. For my nerves if for nothing else. No running tomorrow, okay? The detective will come around at about 1 PM. We'll talk about what we'll do with school tomorrow. One thing is for sure, I'm not sending you back to Winslow. Right now, just get some rest. You have 2 weeks off in any case."
I smiled. "Sure. Goodnight!"
"Sleep well, little owl."
---------------------
Yes, yes. The locker. I didn't want to write it either, but I didn't have a better idea, unfortunately.
This is a story about a Taylor, who gets a bit of help from something in the Divinity series.
It's an alt-power story, with some minor crossover elements, which haven't happened yet and won't for a while.
This is being cross posted from Spacebattles.
Current powers:
Pretty much a magic user from Divinity Original Sin.
Costume
I saw this, was amazed and just ran with it. Thanks, person who made this! You're awesome.
I saw this, was amazed and just ran with it. Thanks, person who made this! You're awesome.
There aren't actually any "game mechanics" for her. I'll try and incorporate the powers, like powers.
I have additional plans for this (*cough* dragons *cough*), but for now that's all.
If you are in doubt as to whether this story will actually progress somewhere, I can at least partly help you there. I already have pretty much the entire plot written down in an Excel folder, with a timeline to go with it. Now... just to actually write the damn thing. Harder than it sounds, as I've found out.
PS: If there are any grammatical errors or stuff that a person not from America wouldn't know, do tell me about it, please. I try to do my research, look up cannon whenever I can, but there are going to be mistakes.
I have additional plans for this (*cough* dragons *cough*), but for now that's all.
If you are in doubt as to whether this story will actually progress somewhere, I can at least partly help you there. I already have pretty much the entire plot written down in an Excel folder, with a timeline to go with it. Now... just to actually write the damn thing. Harder than it sounds, as I've found out.
PS: If there are any grammatical errors or stuff that a person not from America wouldn't know, do tell me about it, please. I try to do my research, look up cannon whenever I can, but there are going to be mistakes.
I really have to say thank you to the Discord server Cauldron. Love ya guys. If any of you peeps reading this want to get in on the fun, click here.
Now, with all that boring shiz out of the way, here's the chapter:
Chapter 1.1
--------------
3rd of January, 2011
Friday
All good things come to an end. And how true that is. Spending the holidays with Dad made me think. Just how much I suffered these past two years, by the hands of Emma and Sophia. Never being able to take a moment to just relax, to not constantly watch over my back and hide from everyone, just fearing what they could come up with. But now those two weeks are over and I have to go back to school. Fucking Winslow. What the fuck the teachers are thinking I can't even begin to know. It's not as if its hard to make those three bitches stop, is it? Ugh, I really should stop moping around and get up.
I can already hear Dad in the shower, but really, staying in bed or going to Winslow. Not really difficult to see which option is way better. Still, it's not like I can just drop out. It would break Dad's heart. He doesn't even know I'm being bullied and suddenly dropping out of school? Nu-uh. And Mom… what would she think, if she was still here? Ifs and ifs. Thinking about how much better everything would be isn't going to help me.
Begrudingly, I got out of bed and started getting ready for the day. Maybe it won't be as bad as it was? They did sort-of give up before the holidays. Wishful thinking. Just as I stepped out of my room, Dad was getting out of the bathroom.
He smiled. "Good morning. Back to school, huh?"
"Yeah… good morning."
He must have saw me looking at the bathroom door, because he moved aside and ruffled my hair, totally ignoring my half hearted attempts to bat his hand away. He must be feeling better, he's not usually this lively in the morning, or ever really…
I got ready fairly quickly, the only time-consuming thing being me taking care of my hair. It's pretty much the only thing I like about myself. Mom had the same dark, curly and long hair. Unlike her though, I doubt many people would even recognize me as a girl if it wasn't for the hair, especially with me being taller any of the girls in my class, yet being stick thin. Stupid genes.
Heading downstairs, I smelled bacon. Dad might not know how to cook many things, but at least he can make good bacon and eggs.
"Smells good Dad! Want me to prepare the table?"
"Go ahead Taylor. And get some orange juice, too?
I called out an okay before prepping everything. I'll atleast enjoy the morning, If I won't be able to enjoy the day.
We were eating in a comfortable silence, when Dad finally spoke up.
"If you want, I can take you to school today. You won't have to take the bus."
I thought about it for a moment, then smiled. "Sure, I'd love that."
It didn't take long before I was standing before the entrance to Winslow, with Dad already having waved me goodbye.
Winslow… Winslow was a shithole. It barely looked better than a prison, and that's being generous. It was the largest school in Brockton Bay, but that doesn't mean much when all the rich kids are going to everywhere else. There were some grafitti tags, courtesy of the lovely gangs of the Brockton Bay area. But that wasn't my problem with it, not really. No, my problem was the Trio. The three bitches. What made Emma and her gang turn so hard on me I don't know. And frankly, don't really care. I'm sure there's some part in me that wants to believe Emma and I could be friends again. But that Emma is dead and has been ever since I came back from summer camp two years ago.
After taking a deep breath, I stepped inside.
I have to go to my locker first, since that's where I keep all of my books. But on my way to the locker, I saw people almost giggling just seeing me. My locker was pretty much in the most unused parts of the school. There were no classrooms near it. Coming near the locker, I started smelling a… very foul stench, is probably the best way to describe it.
Making my through the small crowd I saw Emma and Sophia there too. And then I realized what they did. They put something into my locker! Ugh, those fucking bitches.
I was not prepared.
Inside the locker were u-used tampons. And dried rotting blood. And so many bugs, skittering everywhere. I couldn't hold it in. I threw up all over it.
All I could see was a blurry mess, my eyes riddled with tears.
Before I could do anything, someone was grabbing me by my hair and shoulder, pushing me into it! The locker wasn't really big at all, and the only reason I fit into it is because I'm stick thin.
Finally realizing what just happened I start thrashing about and trying to get out, but I'm l-locked in.
"L-LET ME OUT!" I scream.
"LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT!"
I try everything. Banging on the door, trying to kick it open, anything. Anything to get me out of this horrible place.
I have to get out. I have to get out. I have to get out. LET ME OUT! P-please…
I blacked out.
"Hmm... how interesting. This won't do at all…"
January the 6th
Monday
Wha? Fuck, I feel like shit. W-what the fuck happened? Why do I feel like I can barely think? I-Is this what drugs feel like? Did I get kidnapped? Ugh… and what's that horrible probing feeling in my brain.
I opened my eyes and barely restrained myself from whimpering. Shit, that hurt. I think I'll just keep my eyes closed for now. This, … bed? Yeah, this bed feels rather nice and comfy.
Am I in a hospital? Why… why would I be in a hospital?
Trying to find out some more about what's going on, I open my eyes again. Except this time, I can't hold in the whimper. Fuck that light is horrible.
"What…?" says someone. "Taylor? You're awake!"
I recognize that voice. My Dad's. I start crying. Before I know it, I'm being held in two arms, which are obviously trying not to hug me too tightly. Oh Dad…
Dad's not exactly what people would call attractive. He's tall and skinny. His hair is dark and already fairly balding. His eyes… green, unlike my brown. I don't even want to know what he's thinking right now. He's got a fairly big temper, even if he almost always manages to tamp it down. It's probably what helps him in his job the most, what with the state of the Dockworkers and there basically being no jobs. I know it's been hard on him. There just aren't any jobs left for the Dockworkers these days, and as Head of Hiring, its his job to do the impossible.
"D-dad…" I barely manage to croak that out. I really need some water, my throat is useless.
"Shhh, Taylor. It's okay… I'm here now. Nothing's going to happen to you again, I promise. I promise…" He says it with such emotion, I-I just can't hold it back anymore, I cry into his arms again, shivering, whimpering and sobbing into his shirt. I barely notice that I opened my eyes, probably a little while ago.
Finally, after what felt like hours, such good, pain relieving hours, I manage to get myself under control.
"Dad…w-water?"
"Oh! Of course honey. Just a second." He lets me go, stands up and walks over to the sink. I let my eyes finally wander over the room. It's not much to look at, but it still is pretty okay. Green walls up to about halfway. A TV in the corner on a table. The blinding windows from before, on my left. Obviously someone forgot to roll down the shutters. There's the sink, where my dad is, and I'm hooked up to some kind of IV system. I have no idea what it's for, but it's probably best to leave it alone. Dad even put a picture of Mom on my drawer. I had no idea that one even existed. Before I could start crying again, Dad came over with the cup of water.
"Here you go. You shouldn't drink too much at once. I'll be sending a nurse in here soon. I'm so glad you're okay." He put his hand on mine and squeezed.
"I have no idea what I would do if I lost you too. Losing Annette already broke me once. And I am sorry Taylor. I've been a bad father."
"Dad, no…"
"No it's alright Taylor. I'm willing to admit my faults. Your mother always was the stronger one. She wouldn't have let any of this happen. I failed you, and I'm sorry. Maybe now, when I've gotten my head out of my ass, I can at least try to be a good father to you."
I don't say anything. I hug him so fiercely, I doubt he could breathe.
I should probably tell him about Emma. If he wants to be a better father, then I'm going to be a better daughter too. I've been hiding too much from him.
"Dad… I should tell you who did this to me. Don't freak out too much, okay? I realize now, that I should have told you all of this a long time ago. I just didn't know how to say it, didn't want to put additional troubles on you…"
"Honey, you're never any trouble to me. Never. Tell me who did this to you. If it was the gangs…"
"No. No nothing like that. It… it was Emma dad."
"WHAT?" he shouted.
"I'm sorry. What? Emma? But you… you were best friends ever since first grade! How could she do this to you?" He looked furious, probably getting ready to call Alan, Emma's father and punch him in the face.
"It's…. she's… they've been doing this for about two years now, Dad. I don't know what happened when I came back from summer camp, but she was… it's like she became an entirely different person. There's this girl, Sophia. She was there when I came to Emma's, after she didn't answer me on the phone for a week straight. I'm pretty sure… I'm pretty sure she was the one who pushed me into the l… the locker."
He hugged me, again.
"We'll get them Taylor. Don't worry. Even if I have to take this to the media, we'll get them. There's a police investigation going on, but they don't know anything yet. I'll figure something out, okay?"
"On a slightly unrelated note, the school is offering to pay for the hospital bill, and fifty thousand dollars. I'm guessing they're scared we'll sue them, which we will. The Dockworkers Union has a lawyer, you know. What happened to you… that's criminal negligance on part of the school. Now… it's your choice if you want to take their offer, but…"
"But they won't get caught will they?" I said, filling in the gap.
"Yes. The police investigation will likely end if we cave in. It still doesn't make sense. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. There's almost no reason for them to be protecting Emma and the others so hard."
"I wrote a journal about everything they did for the past year, if that'll help."
"Oh, sweetie… Yes, it'll help alright. We'll go get it after you're released from the hospital, okay?"
I nod, and he continues, "Alright. I should probably get a nurse in her soon. They'll be wanting to check up on you, now that you're awake." He stopped and started looking very sad.
"I almost lost you, you know? You were in there for 7 hours. If it wasn't for the janitor… You were critical when they called me. I'm glad you're okay now." He stood up and went to get a nurse.
A nurse came to take my readings. Somehow, after 7 hours in that fucking locker, I'm perfectly healthy. I think the nurse was a bit confused as well, but she didn't say anything, and neither did I.
Dad arranged for me to be able to go home today already and for the detective working on my case to come over to our house tomorrow. After I put on some of my clothes that Dad got from my room beforehand we went home.
For once, we actually talked a bit. Or well mostly, it was just Dad telling me about his past, or his father, or whatever was happening with the Dockworkers currently. Still, it was nice. I definitely didn't know some of those things about Dad. Who knew he beat up a cape once with a baseball bat? Crazy old man.
My room was still the same mess as it was when I left it on Friday. I'm not sure why I was expecting it to be cleaned up. Not that I mind, I love my mess of a room.
He cooked Lasagne, Mom's recipe and some tea for me. He wasn't the best cook in the world by any standard, but it still tasted good, like… home.
After eating it all and cleaning the dishes, we sat down on the couch in the living room. I could almost see how Dad wanted to ask me about something, but he was obviously unsure if he should. Probably something to do with school then. I decided to just get it over with.
"Dad… you want to ask something?"
"Heh, that obvious is it? I was wondering if you would bring that journal of yours. I'll need to know more about, well everything, if we want to present this information to the detective tomorrow. It would help him a lot, I'm sure.
"I'll go get it now. I want those bitches punished just as much as you do."
"Language." He said, half-heartedly.
I ran upstairs to get my journal, filled with the dates and descriptions of all their pranks and bullying. I even saved all of the e-mails, even if none of them actually have their names on them, it'll still help. Well, I hope so at least.
"Here. I wrote almost everything in there, after I realized they weren't going to give up, and that the teachers wouldn't stop them."
Dad read through the journal, his face filling with more and more rage with every page. You'd think he was about to explode, he had so much red on him.
"Taylor… they did all of this to you? When I see Alan I'm going to have some words. There's no way he didn't know this was happening."
"I'm sorry how this must be for you. I know you and Alan were good friends."
"Hmph. Obviously not good enough. Christ. And you have nothing to be sorry about little owl. At least this will get the detective's attention for sure."
"Yeah…"
I yawned. "It's getting pretty late and I'm still tired from the hospital. Mind if I go to sleep? Oh and I was meaning to ask… Would it be okay for me to start running every morning?"
He frowned. "Taylor, you know it's not safe."
"And who is going to even be up at 6 AM, just to rob someone? I can stick to the safer parts of the city anyway."
He sighed. "There's nothing I can do to stop you is there? If you are going to be running every morning, I want you to have something to defend yourself with. I'll go buy some pepper spray and a pocket knife for you. For my nerves if for nothing else. No running tomorrow, okay? The detective will come around at about 1 PM. We'll talk about what we'll do with school tomorrow. One thing is for sure, I'm not sending you back to Winslow. Right now, just get some rest. You have 2 weeks off in any case."
I smiled. "Sure. Goodnight!"
"Sleep well, little owl."
---------------------
Yes, yes. The locker. I didn't want to write it either, but I didn't have a better idea, unfortunately.
Last edited:
Chapter 2
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
January the 7th
Tuesday
I slept well. So well, that it was already ten AM when I woke up. Guess I really must have been tired. That weird feeling inside my head is still there, whatever that means. Probably yet another thing to thank the three bitches for. Whatever.
I got myself cleaned up and headed downstairs to make some breakfast. There's a note on the table. Apparently, Dad went to work for a few hours, but he'll be home around twelve, after all, we still needed to talk to the detective.
Fine by me, not like I'm going anywhere. I decided to just laze about until he came home. Maybe read some PHO. Those idiots on there are always funny. That sounds like a good idea.
Two hours later and I've already lost all hope in humanity. PHO, never change. I wouldn't know where to find such amusement otherwise. Some people really are straight on stupid. Fucking VoidCowboy. Aliens… yeah, sure. And that AllSeeingEye dude, hah. He twists people around his finger so hard, and they don't even notice it.
Oh well. Dad was home now, so I headed downstairs, shutting off my abysmally slow computer. He was sitting on the couch, re-reading the journal. I have no idea what he was thinking about. Probably trying to find a way to trap me in a hug somewhere and never let go. I felt a smile tugging on my lips. He was always protective. Kind of sad, how it took this to make us get back together. Ah well, find positives in negatives, right? Pretty sure someone important once said that.
"Hey Dad. Back already?" I asked.
"Yeah it was just a small thing. Not much to worry about." He had a smile on his face, but it was pretty fake.
"How 'bout we go eat somewhere today, after we're done with the detective? We haven't done that in ages." I offered.
"Sure Taylor, I'd love that."
We spent some time chatting about meaningless things, while watching an absolutely horrible soap opera on the TV.
There was a knock on the door. Must be the detective.
"I'll open it" said Dad.
Standing at the door was an averagely tall man, with short brown hair. He looked to be in about his mid-forties, slightly greying and some stubble on his face. He was wearing an actual trench coat. I thought only those 60's Noir detectives wore that. He looked pretty experienced.
"Hello Mr. Hebert, I'm detective Reynolds. And this must be Taylor, I assume?" I nodded, while he continued speaking to Dad. "You said you have something for me, about the case?"
"Yes. Shall we sit down? This is probably going to take some time. Tea or coffee?"
"Coffee, no sugar, please. "
"No problem. Taylor, would you mind putting the kettle on?" I nodded and went to put on some water for my tea and some for their coffee.
When I sat back down, Reynolds asked, "So, what did you want to show me?"
Dad puts my journal on the detective's side of the glass table and says, "Well, Taylor told me that she made a record of everything they did, who did what, and who saw it happen, for the past year."
"Oh? That'll definitely make things easier." He opened it up and started reading while I gave everyone their preferred beverages.
He was scowling very hard now. "Some of these things… Jesus, I knew Winslow was bad, but this is just criminal negligence. Especially the parts where the teachers didn't even intervene. Something is very wrong here."
Finishing the coffee, he stood up.
"Thank you for bringing attention of this to me. Do you mind if I take it back with me?"
"Of course not. Thank you for… caring." I said.
"No need to thank me, Miss. I'm just doing my job. Something which the people at Winslow very obviously don't do. I have high hopes for this. If and when we can prove all of this, those girls are going to be in some very serious trouble. I can guarantee you that." He smiled a bit.
"Well, I'd best be going now. Goodbye, and thanks for the coffee."
"Well, I think that went rather well. He really seems to care."
"Yeah, I thought so too, Dad. It's pretty strange, seeing someone in authority actually giving a fuck once in a while."
"Language!" He said that, but he obviously didn't mean it that much.
"It's true, though."
"I wish it wasn't, I wish it wasn't… You know… we still need to talk about what we're going to do about school. There's no way I'm sending you back to Winslow. Now, it all depends on what happens with the investigation, but it's either Arcadia or home schooling. What do you think?"
"As long as I'm as far away from that wretched hive of scum and villainy as I can be, I'll be alright. I mean I'd love to get into Arcadia, but if I have to home-school I'm all for it. I could probably learn most of it alone. I know you're pretty busy. Besides, I'm way smarter than you." I finished with a smirk.
"Whatever you say, mistress." He had a grin on his face. "It doesn't matter right now anyway. How 'bout I cook something for lunch and we can go out and eat something for dinner later?"
"Sure, that sounds great dad."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was dark out, probably around 8 PM. We were walking back to our car from the restaurant and took a shortcut through an alley. That was a mistake.
Two people stepped in front of us and someone also came up behind us. The first one was obviously well-built, had Asian features and was looking at us with excitement. The one besides him, was a bit on the scrawny side, but he had a gun and again, he was Asian. Fuck. We were getting mugged by ABB goons.
The big one came forward and spoke.
"Give us everything you got… and we just might let you leave here safely, gaijin."
The one from behind us grabbed me by my arm.
"No! Leave her alone!" shouted Dad.
The scrawny one pointed a gun at him. "Be quiet, fool! We do what we want. This is our city."
He was going to shoot dad and I couldn't even think straight with that fucking pain in my head. When I tried to bring my hand up to my head something inside of me just... released.
The alleyway lit up in blue clashing light and the air crackled with electricity.
I stared down at my open hand for only a moment, seeing a blue orb of lightning levitating just above it. I didn't think, I just let it loose at the one with the pistol.
He collapsed, twitching on the ground.
I quickly pulled away from the stunned man holding my arm and sent another brilliant blue bolt at him and already preparing to send one at the bigger one, only to see him already unconscious on the ground, blood on his face with Dad looming over him, clutching at his bleeding fist.
"Dad?!" He stopped looking at his hand and twisted towards me.
"Taylor, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine… I didn't even have to touch them. I should be asking you that. How did you manage to take down that guy?! He's almost twice your size!"
He chuckled. "Your dad has a lot of experience dealing with scumbags. The Dockworkers association isn't always the safest place, with all the gangs running around Brockton Bay."
He continued. "C'mon, we should get going. Someone definitely saw your little light show, and we will be talking about that missy."
I grimaced. That wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation. How long have I even been able to do that? Probably something to do with those head pains I've been having since I woke up in the hospital.
Nevermind. We have to get out of here first.
We got to our car without incident, thankfully, and drove back home. Dad obviously didn't want to talk quite yet, probably mulling everything over.
We stepped inside the house and he finally spoke up.
"Go sit on the couch and I'll make you some tea. Then we'll talk about what happened just then."
I sat and waited until he came back a few minutes later, a cup of tea and a beer in his hands.
"How are you holding up? I know it must have been tough seeing and doing that."
"I'm… okay. Still coming to terms with it, I think."
He chuckled a bit. "Now I want you to know I'm not mad at you, and you did the right thing." He stopped and sat down, handing me the tea.
"But we do have to talk about what happens now. You're a parahuman now, and I may not know much nowadays, I do know pretty much everyone wants to go out and fight when they get their shiny powers." I had a sneaking suspicion to what he was alluding.
"And you won't let me, will you? I can do so much good with this, Dad! Things like tonight shouldn't have to happen!"
"Calm down, Taylor. That wasn't what I said at all. While I wish that I could lock you inside the house and never have you get hurt, I know it's impossible. So the question is, what do you want to do with your powers? And no, going out without being prepared is not an option. How do you feel about the Wards?"
"I'm… I'm not sure. I don't think I can handle anymore teen drama even if it would be helpful to have a team. I don't know, but it just seems like all they do is care about their PR instead of doing anything to help the city!
"I agree." Huh? As I opened my mouth to voice my confusion, he continued.
"That is mostly what they do. Well that and patrol in the higher income areas, mostly. I'm not sure if New Wave is even allowing anyone into the team anymore. I'm sure I didn't raise a villain so if you really want to go out and be an independent hero, I'm not going to stop you."
I was about to start cheering when he said,
"If. If you prepare yourself first. I want you to know your power inside out before you even think about going out. Do you understand me young lady?"
I could only nod. Where was all of this coming from? He sounded so serious.
"What about my costume? I really should get one soon."
"We might live cheaply, but your Mom and I were saving up for your college fund. I could let you have access to it. The hospital bills won't really be much of a problem anyway. Your dad does work in a union job after all." He sighed. "It's not like you're likely to go to college, are you?"
"I'd like to… but. I'm a hero now. I'm sure I can get the money back, right?"
"Whatever you say honey. I'll be there with you, no matter what you choose to do. But we will be making some new rules. First, I want you to get a cellphone."
"Dad? Are you sure? I know you don't like phones."
"I don't like them, but you'll need one or two, if only to call me before you do something stupid. That's a rule by the way."
"And Taylor… Don't you dare get yourself killed. I won't be able to handle it."
We hugged each other. I had no idea Dad would be so accepting. Now I just have to come to grips that I'm actually going to be a hero. Sure lightning bolts aren't exactly Alexandria tier, but it's still pretty good right? Sure did take care of those two idiots quickly. I was taken out of my contemplation by dad saying something.
All I heard was "…shower and go to bed" but I could imagine what he meant. It was a good idea to sleep on it. He likely had a lot on his mind too.
I went to sleep with a smile on my face.
Tuesday
I slept well. So well, that it was already ten AM when I woke up. Guess I really must have been tired. That weird feeling inside my head is still there, whatever that means. Probably yet another thing to thank the three bitches for. Whatever.
I got myself cleaned up and headed downstairs to make some breakfast. There's a note on the table. Apparently, Dad went to work for a few hours, but he'll be home around twelve, after all, we still needed to talk to the detective.
Fine by me, not like I'm going anywhere. I decided to just laze about until he came home. Maybe read some PHO. Those idiots on there are always funny. That sounds like a good idea.
Two hours later and I've already lost all hope in humanity. PHO, never change. I wouldn't know where to find such amusement otherwise. Some people really are straight on stupid. Fucking VoidCowboy. Aliens… yeah, sure. And that AllSeeingEye dude, hah. He twists people around his finger so hard, and they don't even notice it.
Oh well. Dad was home now, so I headed downstairs, shutting off my abysmally slow computer. He was sitting on the couch, re-reading the journal. I have no idea what he was thinking about. Probably trying to find a way to trap me in a hug somewhere and never let go. I felt a smile tugging on my lips. He was always protective. Kind of sad, how it took this to make us get back together. Ah well, find positives in negatives, right? Pretty sure someone important once said that.
"Hey Dad. Back already?" I asked.
"Yeah it was just a small thing. Not much to worry about." He had a smile on his face, but it was pretty fake.
"How 'bout we go eat somewhere today, after we're done with the detective? We haven't done that in ages." I offered.
"Sure Taylor, I'd love that."
We spent some time chatting about meaningless things, while watching an absolutely horrible soap opera on the TV.
There was a knock on the door. Must be the detective.
"I'll open it" said Dad.
Standing at the door was an averagely tall man, with short brown hair. He looked to be in about his mid-forties, slightly greying and some stubble on his face. He was wearing an actual trench coat. I thought only those 60's Noir detectives wore that. He looked pretty experienced.
"Hello Mr. Hebert, I'm detective Reynolds. And this must be Taylor, I assume?" I nodded, while he continued speaking to Dad. "You said you have something for me, about the case?"
"Yes. Shall we sit down? This is probably going to take some time. Tea or coffee?"
"Coffee, no sugar, please. "
"No problem. Taylor, would you mind putting the kettle on?" I nodded and went to put on some water for my tea and some for their coffee.
When I sat back down, Reynolds asked, "So, what did you want to show me?"
Dad puts my journal on the detective's side of the glass table and says, "Well, Taylor told me that she made a record of everything they did, who did what, and who saw it happen, for the past year."
"Oh? That'll definitely make things easier." He opened it up and started reading while I gave everyone their preferred beverages.
He was scowling very hard now. "Some of these things… Jesus, I knew Winslow was bad, but this is just criminal negligence. Especially the parts where the teachers didn't even intervene. Something is very wrong here."
Finishing the coffee, he stood up.
"Thank you for bringing attention of this to me. Do you mind if I take it back with me?"
"Of course not. Thank you for… caring." I said.
"No need to thank me, Miss. I'm just doing my job. Something which the people at Winslow very obviously don't do. I have high hopes for this. If and when we can prove all of this, those girls are going to be in some very serious trouble. I can guarantee you that." He smiled a bit.
"Well, I'd best be going now. Goodbye, and thanks for the coffee."
"Well, I think that went rather well. He really seems to care."
"Yeah, I thought so too, Dad. It's pretty strange, seeing someone in authority actually giving a fuck once in a while."
"Language!" He said that, but he obviously didn't mean it that much.
"It's true, though."
"I wish it wasn't, I wish it wasn't… You know… we still need to talk about what we're going to do about school. There's no way I'm sending you back to Winslow. Now, it all depends on what happens with the investigation, but it's either Arcadia or home schooling. What do you think?"
"As long as I'm as far away from that wretched hive of scum and villainy as I can be, I'll be alright. I mean I'd love to get into Arcadia, but if I have to home-school I'm all for it. I could probably learn most of it alone. I know you're pretty busy. Besides, I'm way smarter than you." I finished with a smirk.
"Whatever you say, mistress." He had a grin on his face. "It doesn't matter right now anyway. How 'bout I cook something for lunch and we can go out and eat something for dinner later?"
"Sure, that sounds great dad."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was dark out, probably around 8 PM. We were walking back to our car from the restaurant and took a shortcut through an alley. That was a mistake.
Two people stepped in front of us and someone also came up behind us. The first one was obviously well-built, had Asian features and was looking at us with excitement. The one besides him, was a bit on the scrawny side, but he had a gun and again, he was Asian. Fuck. We were getting mugged by ABB goons.
The big one came forward and spoke.
"Give us everything you got… and we just might let you leave here safely, gaijin."
The one from behind us grabbed me by my arm.
"No! Leave her alone!" shouted Dad.
The scrawny one pointed a gun at him. "Be quiet, fool! We do what we want. This is our city."
He was going to shoot dad and I couldn't even think straight with that fucking pain in my head. When I tried to bring my hand up to my head something inside of me just... released.
The alleyway lit up in blue clashing light and the air crackled with electricity.
I stared down at my open hand for only a moment, seeing a blue orb of lightning levitating just above it. I didn't think, I just let it loose at the one with the pistol.
He collapsed, twitching on the ground.
I quickly pulled away from the stunned man holding my arm and sent another brilliant blue bolt at him and already preparing to send one at the bigger one, only to see him already unconscious on the ground, blood on his face with Dad looming over him, clutching at his bleeding fist.
"Dad?!" He stopped looking at his hand and twisted towards me.
"Taylor, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine… I didn't even have to touch them. I should be asking you that. How did you manage to take down that guy?! He's almost twice your size!"
He chuckled. "Your dad has a lot of experience dealing with scumbags. The Dockworkers association isn't always the safest place, with all the gangs running around Brockton Bay."
He continued. "C'mon, we should get going. Someone definitely saw your little light show, and we will be talking about that missy."
I grimaced. That wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation. How long have I even been able to do that? Probably something to do with those head pains I've been having since I woke up in the hospital.
Nevermind. We have to get out of here first.
We got to our car without incident, thankfully, and drove back home. Dad obviously didn't want to talk quite yet, probably mulling everything over.
We stepped inside the house and he finally spoke up.
"Go sit on the couch and I'll make you some tea. Then we'll talk about what happened just then."
I sat and waited until he came back a few minutes later, a cup of tea and a beer in his hands.
"How are you holding up? I know it must have been tough seeing and doing that."
"I'm… okay. Still coming to terms with it, I think."
He chuckled a bit. "Now I want you to know I'm not mad at you, and you did the right thing." He stopped and sat down, handing me the tea.
"But we do have to talk about what happens now. You're a parahuman now, and I may not know much nowadays, I do know pretty much everyone wants to go out and fight when they get their shiny powers." I had a sneaking suspicion to what he was alluding.
"And you won't let me, will you? I can do so much good with this, Dad! Things like tonight shouldn't have to happen!"
"Calm down, Taylor. That wasn't what I said at all. While I wish that I could lock you inside the house and never have you get hurt, I know it's impossible. So the question is, what do you want to do with your powers? And no, going out without being prepared is not an option. How do you feel about the Wards?"
"I'm… I'm not sure. I don't think I can handle anymore teen drama even if it would be helpful to have a team. I don't know, but it just seems like all they do is care about their PR instead of doing anything to help the city!
"I agree." Huh? As I opened my mouth to voice my confusion, he continued.
"That is mostly what they do. Well that and patrol in the higher income areas, mostly. I'm not sure if New Wave is even allowing anyone into the team anymore. I'm sure I didn't raise a villain so if you really want to go out and be an independent hero, I'm not going to stop you."
I was about to start cheering when he said,
"If. If you prepare yourself first. I want you to know your power inside out before you even think about going out. Do you understand me young lady?"
I could only nod. Where was all of this coming from? He sounded so serious.
"What about my costume? I really should get one soon."
"We might live cheaply, but your Mom and I were saving up for your college fund. I could let you have access to it. The hospital bills won't really be much of a problem anyway. Your dad does work in a union job after all." He sighed. "It's not like you're likely to go to college, are you?"
"I'd like to… but. I'm a hero now. I'm sure I can get the money back, right?"
"Whatever you say honey. I'll be there with you, no matter what you choose to do. But we will be making some new rules. First, I want you to get a cellphone."
"Dad? Are you sure? I know you don't like phones."
"I don't like them, but you'll need one or two, if only to call me before you do something stupid. That's a rule by the way."
"And Taylor… Don't you dare get yourself killed. I won't be able to handle it."
We hugged each other. I had no idea Dad would be so accepting. Now I just have to come to grips that I'm actually going to be a hero. Sure lightning bolts aren't exactly Alexandria tier, but it's still pretty good right? Sure did take care of those two idiots quickly. I was taken out of my contemplation by dad saying something.
All I heard was "…shower and go to bed" but I could imagine what he meant. It was a good idea to sleep on it. He likely had a lot on his mind too.
I went to sleep with a smile on my face.
Last edited:
Chapter 3
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
Quite short, but eh
January the 8th
Wednesday
Compared to all the excitement of yesterday, today was pleasantly boring. I'd already taken my morning run, and while it did exhaust the heck out of me, it felt good to be out and improving myself, bit by bit.
Dad still had to go to work. Just because I have powers now doesn't mean the world stops turning. And isn't that a doozey. I still haven't gotten over the fact, that I now have powers.
I've already started planning all about what I'm going to do in a new journal.
From what Dad told me today, there's over fifty thousand dollars on the savings account. Just thinking about that number makes my head spin. I always knew we weren't exactly poor, but we definitely weren't rich like for example the Barnes. Then again… back then Mom had her job as an English professor and the DWU hadn't fallen on such hard times yet. It was logical they saved up a nice amount, especially since we didn't exactly live expensively.
I had already thought about how I was going to get a costume. Making one… was probably a bad idea. It wouldn't have any protection and everyone would think I was just some idiot cape who has no idea what she's doing. I did manage to find out that Parian, the local Brockton Bay Rogue makes costumes for capes. For a price of course.
There was definitely a nice amount of information on the Parahumans Online forums. Sure, some things might be missing, but any smart person wouldn't advertise every little trick they have. I'd have to look and memorize that, for sure. Wouldn't want to be blindsided by a cape.
But most importantly, I need to find out just what the heck my power can do. Lightning bolts are nice and all, but I have a feeling there's more to it than just that. And I can't be relying on just my powers all the time. I've already decided to go running every morning, but learning how to fight properly would be nice.
And I have to find myself a name too.
All in all, I have my hands full for quite a while.
I decided the best course of action right now, would be to go to the basement and starting figuring out this power.
The basement wasn't well kept and it still had some of grandad's things. Dad never did use his tools much, but he still kept them around.
After cleaning up a bit of space, I found myself a few pieces of wood, and started placing them around. Kind of like a shooting area.
Finished, I stepped back and concentrated on making lightning, to strike the pieces of wood around me, this time without focusing it on just my hands.
Holy shit!
There was a loud boom and crackling of the lightning as it engulfed me. I moved almost too fast for me to realize between the pieces of wood in front of me, ending up at the last plank. It felt almost like jumping through the lightning. It left me a bit tired, but that quickly faded.
The wooden pieces were scorched, but still there. Likely the same power as my lightning bolts then.
Goddamn. So I can move through the lightning too? That's definitely a… what did the PRT call it again? A Mover rating, alongside the Blaster rating from my bolts.
That's… actually really useful. I was a bit worried about defending myself from any guns or the like, but if I can just do this… jumping through the lightning then I don't have to worry about that.
Well worry about it as much. I doubt I could react faster than a bullet.
I tried doing it a few more times.
It's definitely a bit harder to do than just the bolts, but still pretty easy. I couldn't do it all the time, though.
I then switched my focus on using my bolts at different amounts of power. Making a gangbanger is nice and all, but what will that do to a strong enough Brute?
I held up both hands and focused as much lightning as possible into the orb forming between them. The room was almost completely blue before I felt it was enough.
I released it… and promptly not only destroyed the first plank but also the two behind it.
Jesus. That's a lot stronger than before. Good thing I didn't use that on those muggers yesterday. They're scumbags, but they still wouldn't deserve to die.
That's pretty scary, actually. The amount of energy in that attack… makes you think just what the hell are parahumans.
Spending some more time trying to figure out if I could make the lightning attack multiple targets, but a lower power level, to which the answer is yes, I didn't even notice when Dad came downstairs.
"How long have you been down here? And what's that smell?"
I laughed nervously. I didn't even notice it's been so long. If Dad is already home then it must have been quite a few hours. That would probably explain the rumbling in my stomach.
"Nothing?"
"Taylor…"
"So… I guess my powers are quite a bit more powerful than I thought before and I kind of incinerated a couple of planks of wood?"
Dad gaped for a second before recovering. "You… incinerated planks of wood."
"Yep! And I figured out some pretty awesome things too. See, I can make the bolts go through multiple targets at a time and I can "jump" through them too!" Choosing to demonstrate to him, I jumped through the remaining three planks.
Dad looked positively ruffled and I grinned at him.
"Pretty awesome, huh?"
"Taylor, that's actually really powerful."
"I thought so too."
He ruffled my hair. "My daughter, the awesome Zeus."
"Daad! That's a terrible name. It's not even female."
"Just poking a bit of fun. C'mon let's go make some dinner. You obviously haven't eaten anything."
I grinned at him and ran up the stairs.
Today was… great.
January the 8th
Wednesday
Compared to all the excitement of yesterday, today was pleasantly boring. I'd already taken my morning run, and while it did exhaust the heck out of me, it felt good to be out and improving myself, bit by bit.
Dad still had to go to work. Just because I have powers now doesn't mean the world stops turning. And isn't that a doozey. I still haven't gotten over the fact, that I now have powers.
I've already started planning all about what I'm going to do in a new journal.
From what Dad told me today, there's over fifty thousand dollars on the savings account. Just thinking about that number makes my head spin. I always knew we weren't exactly poor, but we definitely weren't rich like for example the Barnes. Then again… back then Mom had her job as an English professor and the DWU hadn't fallen on such hard times yet. It was logical they saved up a nice amount, especially since we didn't exactly live expensively.
I had already thought about how I was going to get a costume. Making one… was probably a bad idea. It wouldn't have any protection and everyone would think I was just some idiot cape who has no idea what she's doing. I did manage to find out that Parian, the local Brockton Bay Rogue makes costumes for capes. For a price of course.
There was definitely a nice amount of information on the Parahumans Online forums. Sure, some things might be missing, but any smart person wouldn't advertise every little trick they have. I'd have to look and memorize that, for sure. Wouldn't want to be blindsided by a cape.
But most importantly, I need to find out just what the heck my power can do. Lightning bolts are nice and all, but I have a feeling there's more to it than just that. And I can't be relying on just my powers all the time. I've already decided to go running every morning, but learning how to fight properly would be nice.
And I have to find myself a name too.
All in all, I have my hands full for quite a while.
I decided the best course of action right now, would be to go to the basement and starting figuring out this power.
The basement wasn't well kept and it still had some of grandad's things. Dad never did use his tools much, but he still kept them around.
After cleaning up a bit of space, I found myself a few pieces of wood, and started placing them around. Kind of like a shooting area.
Finished, I stepped back and concentrated on making lightning, to strike the pieces of wood around me, this time without focusing it on just my hands.
Holy shit!
There was a loud boom and crackling of the lightning as it engulfed me. I moved almost too fast for me to realize between the pieces of wood in front of me, ending up at the last plank. It felt almost like jumping through the lightning. It left me a bit tired, but that quickly faded.
The wooden pieces were scorched, but still there. Likely the same power as my lightning bolts then.
Goddamn. So I can move through the lightning too? That's definitely a… what did the PRT call it again? A Mover rating, alongside the Blaster rating from my bolts.
That's… actually really useful. I was a bit worried about defending myself from any guns or the like, but if I can just do this… jumping through the lightning then I don't have to worry about that.
Well worry about it as much. I doubt I could react faster than a bullet.
I tried doing it a few more times.
It's definitely a bit harder to do than just the bolts, but still pretty easy. I couldn't do it all the time, though.
I then switched my focus on using my bolts at different amounts of power. Making a gangbanger is nice and all, but what will that do to a strong enough Brute?
I held up both hands and focused as much lightning as possible into the orb forming between them. The room was almost completely blue before I felt it was enough.
I released it… and promptly not only destroyed the first plank but also the two behind it.
Jesus. That's a lot stronger than before. Good thing I didn't use that on those muggers yesterday. They're scumbags, but they still wouldn't deserve to die.
That's pretty scary, actually. The amount of energy in that attack… makes you think just what the hell are parahumans.
Spending some more time trying to figure out if I could make the lightning attack multiple targets, but a lower power level, to which the answer is yes, I didn't even notice when Dad came downstairs.
"How long have you been down here? And what's that smell?"
I laughed nervously. I didn't even notice it's been so long. If Dad is already home then it must have been quite a few hours. That would probably explain the rumbling in my stomach.
"Nothing?"
"Taylor…"
"So… I guess my powers are quite a bit more powerful than I thought before and I kind of incinerated a couple of planks of wood?"
Dad gaped for a second before recovering. "You… incinerated planks of wood."
"Yep! And I figured out some pretty awesome things too. See, I can make the bolts go through multiple targets at a time and I can "jump" through them too!" Choosing to demonstrate to him, I jumped through the remaining three planks.
Dad looked positively ruffled and I grinned at him.
"Pretty awesome, huh?"
"Taylor, that's actually really powerful."
"I thought so too."
He ruffled my hair. "My daughter, the awesome Zeus."
"Daad! That's a terrible name. It's not even female."
"Just poking a bit of fun. C'mon let's go make some dinner. You obviously haven't eaten anything."
I grinned at him and ran up the stairs.
Today was… great.
Last edited:
Chapter 4
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
January the 9th
Thursday
Morning run AKA. Hell, done. I sat down at the table to eat breakfast with my dad. Now to think about just what to do today.
"Something bothering you? You seem a bit spaced out."
"Huh? Oh. No, I'm just thinking about what to do today. I have a ton of things I want to do, but I don't know where to begin."
"Hmm… Maybe you should get yourself a costume made soon? It will take time to do it, so it's best you begin at that first."
"That's… actually a good idea. Thanks, Dad. So, Parian… I wonder how much she charges for her costumes."
"Probably a nice amount. Cape made stuff usually isn't cheap. You should just talk to her about it, I'm sure you could work out a reasonable number."
"Yeah, I'll do that. Now I just have to look up where her Dollhouse even is."
We chatted about nonsensical things and when Dad was about to leave for work I remembered something.
"Hey Dad, do we have like a mask at home?"
He thought about it for a second. "No, I don't think so. You should go buy one. Wouldn't do for everyone to know who you are."
I smiled at that. "Yeah, probably not such a good thing, that."
"Bye, owl."
"Bye!"
Now… where would one get a mask? Maybe at the Boardwalk?
I was about to get going when I remembered that it's not even open yet. Oops.
Eh, guess I'll just laze about on PHO for a while.
Finally, at twelve, I went to get myself a mask.
The bus ride there wasn't very long, only twenty minutes. The Boardwalk was located near the worse parts of town, but the enforcers keep the crime almost non-existent. A lot of people went there to shop. It wasn't overly crowded today, mostly because it wasn't the weekend yet.
I don't know how long I wandered about looking for a shop that sells masks, but I found one. It didn't even have cameras or anything.
Makes sense, when you think about it. Not many capes would be comfortable buying masks, if someone would just film them. Then again, not only capes buy masks. I went about finding a nice mask.
Eventually I found a nice one that covered most of my face, except the mouth and chin. It was blue, a pretty nice blue too. That fits the Hero color theme, right?
The cashier looked at me a bit oddly at first, but shrugged and handed me my change. Now I had my mask and Parian's address. Her shop was located right on the borders of Empire territory. A bit troubling, but I doubt they would do anything to me. And if they tried, I'd just zap the fuck out of them.
I already had really baggy clothes on and a hoodie, and with the mask, I doubt many people would even think, yeah that's totally Taylor Hebert. But better safe than sorry. I stepped into a restroom and did my hair into a tight bun.
There, I never wear my hair like that. With my mask in my pocket I went to look for a bus that takes me near the Dollhouse.
Parian's shop… wasn't what I expected. It was a two-story building, pretty large, and right now… she was having a doll show for children.
I stepped into an alleyway, checked if anybody could see me and put on my mask and threw on the hoodie. Disguise complete.
Stepping inside, I saw about 20 children all sitting and cheerfully watching Parian's show. It was actually a bit cute. The parents looked at me a bit oddly, so I decided to stop at a nearby wall and just watch until she finished.
Her power obviously had something to do with telekinesis and cloth, but there weren't any more details on her PHO page. Probably doesn't matter, since I'm not here to fight her.
She finished up in about twenty minutes. The show wasn't even that bad, and I'm 15 for god's sake. She must have saw me standing there at some point in the show, because she almost bee-lined for me.
Parian was about as tall as me and she wore a porcelain doll mask, with golden curls coming out of it, alongside a beautiful Victorian era style dress. I couldn't help but notice that every part of her body was covered. I doubt anybody would recognize her in her civilian identity.
"Hello? Who are you?" She had a hint of an accent. I couldn't really tell what kind though.
"Hi! I'm T, I mean I'm, hmm… I guess you can call me Lightning for now."
She relaxed a bit. I didn't even notice how tense she was before. Maybe she doesn't like being around new capes?
"And I'm Parian, as you likely know. Do you need something from me?"
"Yes actually, I was thinking about buying a costume from you?" I didn't mean for it to come out so much like a question, but it did.
She perked up a bit at that. "Sure! Maybe we should go to my workspace and see just what you need."
"Okay."
And so we went to her… office? It was pretty badly disorganized. There was a bunch of wool and silk and other materials. She also had a bunch of mannequins strewn around, with various bits of clothing on them.
All in all, it was a mess.
What did you have in mind?" she asks, walking over to me.
"Well I was thinking just a simple robe, white and red? And a mask. I'm not really good at designing things."
"Hmm… Yeah I can work with that." She says obviously thinking hard. "Do you want a full mask or just half of your face?"
"Umm, I was thinking of something that covers the upper half of my face. Kind of like the one I have right now? How much is this going to cost anyway?"
"Okay. Well I'm not exactly sure yet, but for something this simple and assuming you want just some basic protection, about two thousand dollars would do."
"Yeah normal materials are just fine, I doubt I have enough money for tinker materials anyway."
"Yes, well I should have something sketched out by tomorrow." She started measuring me and turning me around. "You're a new trigger huh?" She said, with slight amusement and what I now recognize as a slightly middle-eastern accent.
"A new what?" I ask, confused.
"A new trigger, you know, like a trigger event, when you get powers?" I could almost see the amusement in her porcelain doll face mask.
"Oh! Yeah. I haven't had my powers for long yet, so I have no idea what I'm doing."
"So nobody has explained the unwritten rules to you either? I guess I probably should then." She gestured towards the couch, sitting down while inviting me to do the same.
After we were seated she began, "Basically it goes like this: Don't kill other capes, don't try to find out their real identities, don't go after their families. Pretty much everyone sticks to the rules, even villains. There are some exceptions but yeah, that's pretty much it."
"Thanks for telling me, I had no idea. Guess that's probably 'cause they are unwritten." I said, smiling slightly. "Well," I continued, "I should probably get going. I'll make a PHO account by the name of Lightning and you can just text me there when you're done?" I said, standing up.
"Sure. Have a nice day."
"Thanks! You too!" I called out, after me.
She's a pretty nice person, doing that show for kids, helping me out…
I stepped back into the alleyway, took off my mask and hoodie, and went home.
When I came back home, I saw that Dad, for once, wasn't working overtime. Who would have thought it possible. I couldn't help but smile at that. He's definitely beginning to be better, as am I.
"Hey Dad!"
He smiled at seeing me. "Back already?"
"Yep. Managed to talk with Parian."
"Really? Good. So, what kind of costume are you getting? Nothing revealing I hope." He scrunched up his face a bit at that, but the smile tugging at his light gave him away.
"Daaad. No, it's just some simple robes and a mask. I trust her to design it nicely. The stuff she had in her shop looked really pretty. Going to cost about two thousand dollars though."
"Robes? I didn't know Myrddin was your favorite Hero"
"Ugh… everyone knows powers aren't magic. Well, everyone except him. Just because I'll have a robe doesn't mean I'm suddenly Myrddin 2.0"
"Don't worry, Taylor. I'm just making fun of you. If Parian as good as you say, it's worth the two thousand dollars. Besides, I did a bit of reading up too. With the Vigilante act several years back, you can take some spoils from your poor victims."
He suddenly took a way more serious tone. "But Taylor, be careful, for my sake if not yours."
I smiled at his worry. "Don't worry about me, Dad. I can take care of myself now."
A quiet chuckle tore out of him. "It's my job to worry about you, kiddo."
"I guess so. Anyway, moving away from that topic… want to watch a movie?"
We had dinner and watched some old Earth Aleph import. It was pretty terrible, but in a funny terrible kind of way.
"So, I was thinking… if I'm not going to be in Winslow anymore… I could get myself some new clothes and I still need to buy that phone we were talking about. I think I'll go tomorrow."
His smiled wavered a bit at the mention of a phone, but he recovered fast enough. "Okay. Don't spend too much. Just because you have money now doesn't mean you have to throw it away."
"Yeah… don't worry about it, I know."
Late at night, lying in bed, I looked at just how much my life has changed… and all because something bad happened to me. The irony, right? Doesn't matter to me, I like it just how it is right now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A quick talk with Parian.
I think this chapter turned out... okayish.
Thursday
Morning run AKA. Hell, done. I sat down at the table to eat breakfast with my dad. Now to think about just what to do today.
"Something bothering you? You seem a bit spaced out."
"Huh? Oh. No, I'm just thinking about what to do today. I have a ton of things I want to do, but I don't know where to begin."
"Hmm… Maybe you should get yourself a costume made soon? It will take time to do it, so it's best you begin at that first."
"That's… actually a good idea. Thanks, Dad. So, Parian… I wonder how much she charges for her costumes."
"Probably a nice amount. Cape made stuff usually isn't cheap. You should just talk to her about it, I'm sure you could work out a reasonable number."
"Yeah, I'll do that. Now I just have to look up where her Dollhouse even is."
We chatted about nonsensical things and when Dad was about to leave for work I remembered something.
"Hey Dad, do we have like a mask at home?"
He thought about it for a second. "No, I don't think so. You should go buy one. Wouldn't do for everyone to know who you are."
I smiled at that. "Yeah, probably not such a good thing, that."
"Bye, owl."
"Bye!"
Now… where would one get a mask? Maybe at the Boardwalk?
I was about to get going when I remembered that it's not even open yet. Oops.
Eh, guess I'll just laze about on PHO for a while.
Finally, at twelve, I went to get myself a mask.
The bus ride there wasn't very long, only twenty minutes. The Boardwalk was located near the worse parts of town, but the enforcers keep the crime almost non-existent. A lot of people went there to shop. It wasn't overly crowded today, mostly because it wasn't the weekend yet.
I don't know how long I wandered about looking for a shop that sells masks, but I found one. It didn't even have cameras or anything.
Makes sense, when you think about it. Not many capes would be comfortable buying masks, if someone would just film them. Then again, not only capes buy masks. I went about finding a nice mask.
Eventually I found a nice one that covered most of my face, except the mouth and chin. It was blue, a pretty nice blue too. That fits the Hero color theme, right?
The cashier looked at me a bit oddly at first, but shrugged and handed me my change. Now I had my mask and Parian's address. Her shop was located right on the borders of Empire territory. A bit troubling, but I doubt they would do anything to me. And if they tried, I'd just zap the fuck out of them.
I already had really baggy clothes on and a hoodie, and with the mask, I doubt many people would even think, yeah that's totally Taylor Hebert. But better safe than sorry. I stepped into a restroom and did my hair into a tight bun.
There, I never wear my hair like that. With my mask in my pocket I went to look for a bus that takes me near the Dollhouse.
Parian's shop… wasn't what I expected. It was a two-story building, pretty large, and right now… she was having a doll show for children.
I stepped into an alleyway, checked if anybody could see me and put on my mask and threw on the hoodie. Disguise complete.
Stepping inside, I saw about 20 children all sitting and cheerfully watching Parian's show. It was actually a bit cute. The parents looked at me a bit oddly, so I decided to stop at a nearby wall and just watch until she finished.
Her power obviously had something to do with telekinesis and cloth, but there weren't any more details on her PHO page. Probably doesn't matter, since I'm not here to fight her.
She finished up in about twenty minutes. The show wasn't even that bad, and I'm 15 for god's sake. She must have saw me standing there at some point in the show, because she almost bee-lined for me.
Parian was about as tall as me and she wore a porcelain doll mask, with golden curls coming out of it, alongside a beautiful Victorian era style dress. I couldn't help but notice that every part of her body was covered. I doubt anybody would recognize her in her civilian identity.
"Hello? Who are you?" She had a hint of an accent. I couldn't really tell what kind though.
"Hi! I'm T, I mean I'm, hmm… I guess you can call me Lightning for now."
She relaxed a bit. I didn't even notice how tense she was before. Maybe she doesn't like being around new capes?
"And I'm Parian, as you likely know. Do you need something from me?"
"Yes actually, I was thinking about buying a costume from you?" I didn't mean for it to come out so much like a question, but it did.
She perked up a bit at that. "Sure! Maybe we should go to my workspace and see just what you need."
"Okay."
And so we went to her… office? It was pretty badly disorganized. There was a bunch of wool and silk and other materials. She also had a bunch of mannequins strewn around, with various bits of clothing on them.
All in all, it was a mess.
What did you have in mind?" she asks, walking over to me.
"Well I was thinking just a simple robe, white and red? And a mask. I'm not really good at designing things."
"Hmm… Yeah I can work with that." She says obviously thinking hard. "Do you want a full mask or just half of your face?"
"Umm, I was thinking of something that covers the upper half of my face. Kind of like the one I have right now? How much is this going to cost anyway?"
"Okay. Well I'm not exactly sure yet, but for something this simple and assuming you want just some basic protection, about two thousand dollars would do."
"Yeah normal materials are just fine, I doubt I have enough money for tinker materials anyway."
"Yes, well I should have something sketched out by tomorrow." She started measuring me and turning me around. "You're a new trigger huh?" She said, with slight amusement and what I now recognize as a slightly middle-eastern accent.
"A new what?" I ask, confused.
"A new trigger, you know, like a trigger event, when you get powers?" I could almost see the amusement in her porcelain doll face mask.
"Oh! Yeah. I haven't had my powers for long yet, so I have no idea what I'm doing."
"So nobody has explained the unwritten rules to you either? I guess I probably should then." She gestured towards the couch, sitting down while inviting me to do the same.
After we were seated she began, "Basically it goes like this: Don't kill other capes, don't try to find out their real identities, don't go after their families. Pretty much everyone sticks to the rules, even villains. There are some exceptions but yeah, that's pretty much it."
"Thanks for telling me, I had no idea. Guess that's probably 'cause they are unwritten." I said, smiling slightly. "Well," I continued, "I should probably get going. I'll make a PHO account by the name of Lightning and you can just text me there when you're done?" I said, standing up.
"Sure. Have a nice day."
"Thanks! You too!" I called out, after me.
She's a pretty nice person, doing that show for kids, helping me out…
I stepped back into the alleyway, took off my mask and hoodie, and went home.
When I came back home, I saw that Dad, for once, wasn't working overtime. Who would have thought it possible. I couldn't help but smile at that. He's definitely beginning to be better, as am I.
"Hey Dad!"
He smiled at seeing me. "Back already?"
"Yep. Managed to talk with Parian."
"Really? Good. So, what kind of costume are you getting? Nothing revealing I hope." He scrunched up his face a bit at that, but the smile tugging at his light gave him away.
"Daaad. No, it's just some simple robes and a mask. I trust her to design it nicely. The stuff she had in her shop looked really pretty. Going to cost about two thousand dollars though."
"Robes? I didn't know Myrddin was your favorite Hero"
"Ugh… everyone knows powers aren't magic. Well, everyone except him. Just because I'll have a robe doesn't mean I'm suddenly Myrddin 2.0"
"Don't worry, Taylor. I'm just making fun of you. If Parian as good as you say, it's worth the two thousand dollars. Besides, I did a bit of reading up too. With the Vigilante act several years back, you can take some spoils from your poor victims."
He suddenly took a way more serious tone. "But Taylor, be careful, for my sake if not yours."
I smiled at his worry. "Don't worry about me, Dad. I can take care of myself now."
A quiet chuckle tore out of him. "It's my job to worry about you, kiddo."
"I guess so. Anyway, moving away from that topic… want to watch a movie?"
We had dinner and watched some old Earth Aleph import. It was pretty terrible, but in a funny terrible kind of way.
"So, I was thinking… if I'm not going to be in Winslow anymore… I could get myself some new clothes and I still need to buy that phone we were talking about. I think I'll go tomorrow."
His smiled wavered a bit at the mention of a phone, but he recovered fast enough. "Okay. Don't spend too much. Just because you have money now doesn't mean you have to throw it away."
"Yeah… don't worry about it, I know."
Late at night, lying in bed, I looked at just how much my life has changed… and all because something bad happened to me. The irony, right? Doesn't matter to me, I like it just how it is right now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A quick talk with Parian.
I think this chapter turned out... okayish.
Last edited:
Chapter 5 Lisa interlude
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
January the 10th
Friday
Lisa interlude
Lisa woke up in her apartment at 9 AM, finally free of that damn headache that she got last night. She slipped out of her bed covers onto the hard, wooden floor of her apartment, walked into her kitchen and made herself some coffee. After a few minutes of absentmindedly sipping her morning coffee she realized she has no plans with the Undersiders today. She doesn't even have to listen to Alec's bitching about one video game or another. Joy.
Maybe she could go shopping later? That always helps take her mind off things and god knows she needs to take her mind off the fact that she just can't figure out Coil's power. He has one, that much she's sure about. It's really frustrating for her to not know something. After lazing about on the internet for a few hours she went out to the Mall.
She doesn't really need new clothes, but just looking at them and trying some on is a really good stress reliever. It's not all perfect as she just can't stop seeing all of the problems people near her have. Like that old couple sitting on the bench. His eyes go over every woman and she doesn't even realize he's been cheating on her for over 20 years.
She was just about to call it a day when she saw a very smug, fairly developed redhead, around 15 years old walk away from a very angry brunette with long and curly hair. Normally, she wouldn't pay much attention, but when she looked at the tall brunette her power almost malfunctioned.
Sad. Angry
It didn't tell her anything else. It's as if the only thing her power could read was the general expressions that the brunette's body and face gave off. It was almost useless enough that Lisa herself could do a better job. How frustrating.
Her first thought was that maybe her power stopped working fully, but she quickly dismissed that thought, it never stops working, she just gets horrible migraines. She came to the obvious conclusion, that the tall, thin brunette with long, dark and curly hair was a cape. Or more likely just a parahuman, since she doesn't remember any cape in Brockton Bay that could possibly block her powers like this.
Unlike how she makes people think she's a mind reader, she actually uses cold reading and intuition. Super-powered, but still... The girl still has all the tells that a normal person would have, so it's obviously a power. And that was when a thought popped into her head.
What if she got the brunette to help her against Coil? Maybe she could block him too? There's no reason for a power just to be blocking hers and nobody else's. The girl's social isolation had nothing to do with it. Not at all.
She walked over to the girl, sitting down at a bench, still fuming. Cautiously, because she had no help from her powers here and even though Lisa likes to think she's pretty smart, that still won't exactly help her here, she asked her, "Hey, are you alright?"
The girl, obviously not expecting somebody to talk to her snapped her head around so she faced Lisa and asked, almost accused, "What's it to you?"
Yep still angry. Lisa thought about it a bit and then said, "I'm just checking, I saw you get pretty angry at that girl, wanted to see if everything was okay. Listen, I think you need something to make you feel better. You here for clothes shopping?" When the girl nodded, Lisa continued, "Great! C'mon let's go get you some new clothes, my treat!" Before the girl, and she really needs to ask for her name soon, could stutter out a dismissal, Lisa just said, "Nu uh, none of that, I have enough money anyway and it's always fun picking out clothes for somebody. Say..., what's your name, I totally forgot to ask."
"Taylor. Taylor Hebert, and… thanks, for this."
Grateful, curious.
Taylor Hebert huh? Lisa could almost swear she saw that name somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where. "Pssh, no problem. My name is Lisa Wilbourn, and it's great to meet you!" She said enthusiastically. It was good to meet someone new, especially someone she couldn't read, even if she was also a bit concerned. She just got so used to knowing everything about a person and Taylor is a parahuman...
It was still kind of obvious to her that Taylor doesn't really have any friends, considering the fact that she's alone in a mall looking for clothes.
They walked into a clothes shop where, after what probably felt like hours of searching, Lisa found a great yellow top that shows off Taylor's stomach and some jeans that actually show off her legs, not hide them. It's like she's trying to hide herself from everything. Lisa tutted. "These clothes you're wearing are horrible Taylor. C'mon go put these on, they're a much better fit for you, you really shouldn't hide yourself so much with these hoodies." Lisa said, chidingly. Before Taylor could out a refusal, she pushed her towards the changing rooms while she kept on the lookout for some more clothes for Tay.
When Taylor finally stepped out of the changing room, she was obviously a bit embarrassed and not exactly used to showing any skin. Before she could turn and head back into the changing room Lisa pulled her into a quick hug and complimented her, "Wow, Tay, you look so much prettier now. See Lisa gets you all the best clothes", she said winking at the end. Taylor was blushing. Lisa could barely hold in a giggle seeing that. The girl was so obviously unused to any physical contact or compliments it was almost soul crushing.
"Okay, try this blouse on too and then we can head out, cool?" Taylor nodded and headed back in, some red still on her cheeks.
She wasn't lying when she said Taylor looked great in those clothes, and neither was she lying now when she told Taylor the blue blouse fits her too. Being tall suits her. She could probably eat anything she wants and still stay fit, meanwhile Lisa had to watch her diet and exercise regularly just so she fits nicely in her stupid spandex costume. Sure, Taylor may not be well developed yet… but she'll get there eventually. Not that she'd tell her that right now, the poor girl would probably faint from blushing too hard.
"Alright, let's get those clothes bought and then you and me are going for something to eat. Clothes shopping is exhausting, you know?" Said Lisa, while almost dragging Taylor to the cash register.
They made some small talk on their way to Fugly Bob's, the local burger place, and Taylor eventually opened up to Lisa and talked some more. Sitting down in a corner of the restaurant, Lisa finally asked Taylor, "What was up with that girl anyway that made you so angry?" and just seeing the sadness and anger flash in Taylor made her even more curious.
After taking a deep breath, Taylor told Lisa about Emma, Sophia and Madison and what they've been doing to her for the past two years. She was about to tell her something about what happened after the end of Christmas break when she was interrupted, or perhaps saved, though not if Lisa had anything to say about it, by the waitress coming over and bringing them their burgers.
In the ensuing silence that followed while eating their food, Lisa thought about just what was going on in Winslow that nobody did anything to those three girls. Obviously it had something to do with the Barnes' girl's father being a lawyer but somehow Lisa felt as if that wasn't just all of it.
Lisa was about to ask Taylor to tell her what she was about to before, but she could very obviously see that she had lost her courage. Instead, after paying for their lunch and getting up, she hugged Taylor fiercely, who stiffened for a second or two before finally relaxing into the embrace and returning it. After a few good seconds, Lisa broke the hug and said, "Hey, if you ever need to talk about something, and I'm pretty sure you do, just give me a call okay?", before slipping a note with her phone number on it.
She continued "And maybe you can give me your phone number too? I'd love to meet up together again sometime, and don't be afraid of calling!" She said sternly, before smiling at Taylor, who was feeling quite awkward about this whole thing.
The only cell phone Taylor has is some kind of flip phone, not even a smartphone. Quickly writing down the number that Taylor gave her, she gave Taylor a one-armed hug before saying their goodbyes and heading on their own ways.
Taylor needed help, that much was obvious even without her powers, and Lisa would provide. And maybe, maybe one day Taylor could help Lisa too.
Feeling much better, Lisa headed back to her apartment.
Now to plan some more against that slimy snake.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm really not sure about this chapter, especially the whole thinker blocking thing. If it feels like I'm railroading things, that's because I totally am.
Friday
Lisa interlude
Lisa woke up in her apartment at 9 AM, finally free of that damn headache that she got last night. She slipped out of her bed covers onto the hard, wooden floor of her apartment, walked into her kitchen and made herself some coffee. After a few minutes of absentmindedly sipping her morning coffee she realized she has no plans with the Undersiders today. She doesn't even have to listen to Alec's bitching about one video game or another. Joy.
Maybe she could go shopping later? That always helps take her mind off things and god knows she needs to take her mind off the fact that she just can't figure out Coil's power. He has one, that much she's sure about. It's really frustrating for her to not know something. After lazing about on the internet for a few hours she went out to the Mall.
She doesn't really need new clothes, but just looking at them and trying some on is a really good stress reliever. It's not all perfect as she just can't stop seeing all of the problems people near her have. Like that old couple sitting on the bench. His eyes go over every woman and she doesn't even realize he's been cheating on her for over 20 years.
She was just about to call it a day when she saw a very smug, fairly developed redhead, around 15 years old walk away from a very angry brunette with long and curly hair. Normally, she wouldn't pay much attention, but when she looked at the tall brunette her power almost malfunctioned.
Sad. Angry
It didn't tell her anything else. It's as if the only thing her power could read was the general expressions that the brunette's body and face gave off. It was almost useless enough that Lisa herself could do a better job. How frustrating.
Her first thought was that maybe her power stopped working fully, but she quickly dismissed that thought, it never stops working, she just gets horrible migraines. She came to the obvious conclusion, that the tall, thin brunette with long, dark and curly hair was a cape. Or more likely just a parahuman, since she doesn't remember any cape in Brockton Bay that could possibly block her powers like this.
Unlike how she makes people think she's a mind reader, she actually uses cold reading and intuition. Super-powered, but still... The girl still has all the tells that a normal person would have, so it's obviously a power. And that was when a thought popped into her head.
What if she got the brunette to help her against Coil? Maybe she could block him too? There's no reason for a power just to be blocking hers and nobody else's. The girl's social isolation had nothing to do with it. Not at all.
She walked over to the girl, sitting down at a bench, still fuming. Cautiously, because she had no help from her powers here and even though Lisa likes to think she's pretty smart, that still won't exactly help her here, she asked her, "Hey, are you alright?"
The girl, obviously not expecting somebody to talk to her snapped her head around so she faced Lisa and asked, almost accused, "What's it to you?"
Yep still angry. Lisa thought about it a bit and then said, "I'm just checking, I saw you get pretty angry at that girl, wanted to see if everything was okay. Listen, I think you need something to make you feel better. You here for clothes shopping?" When the girl nodded, Lisa continued, "Great! C'mon let's go get you some new clothes, my treat!" Before the girl, and she really needs to ask for her name soon, could stutter out a dismissal, Lisa just said, "Nu uh, none of that, I have enough money anyway and it's always fun picking out clothes for somebody. Say..., what's your name, I totally forgot to ask."
"Taylor. Taylor Hebert, and… thanks, for this."
Grateful, curious.
Taylor Hebert huh? Lisa could almost swear she saw that name somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where. "Pssh, no problem. My name is Lisa Wilbourn, and it's great to meet you!" She said enthusiastically. It was good to meet someone new, especially someone she couldn't read, even if she was also a bit concerned. She just got so used to knowing everything about a person and Taylor is a parahuman...
It was still kind of obvious to her that Taylor doesn't really have any friends, considering the fact that she's alone in a mall looking for clothes.
They walked into a clothes shop where, after what probably felt like hours of searching, Lisa found a great yellow top that shows off Taylor's stomach and some jeans that actually show off her legs, not hide them. It's like she's trying to hide herself from everything. Lisa tutted. "These clothes you're wearing are horrible Taylor. C'mon go put these on, they're a much better fit for you, you really shouldn't hide yourself so much with these hoodies." Lisa said, chidingly. Before Taylor could out a refusal, she pushed her towards the changing rooms while she kept on the lookout for some more clothes for Tay.
When Taylor finally stepped out of the changing room, she was obviously a bit embarrassed and not exactly used to showing any skin. Before she could turn and head back into the changing room Lisa pulled her into a quick hug and complimented her, "Wow, Tay, you look so much prettier now. See Lisa gets you all the best clothes", she said winking at the end. Taylor was blushing. Lisa could barely hold in a giggle seeing that. The girl was so obviously unused to any physical contact or compliments it was almost soul crushing.
"Okay, try this blouse on too and then we can head out, cool?" Taylor nodded and headed back in, some red still on her cheeks.
She wasn't lying when she said Taylor looked great in those clothes, and neither was she lying now when she told Taylor the blue blouse fits her too. Being tall suits her. She could probably eat anything she wants and still stay fit, meanwhile Lisa had to watch her diet and exercise regularly just so she fits nicely in her stupid spandex costume. Sure, Taylor may not be well developed yet… but she'll get there eventually. Not that she'd tell her that right now, the poor girl would probably faint from blushing too hard.
"Alright, let's get those clothes bought and then you and me are going for something to eat. Clothes shopping is exhausting, you know?" Said Lisa, while almost dragging Taylor to the cash register.
They made some small talk on their way to Fugly Bob's, the local burger place, and Taylor eventually opened up to Lisa and talked some more. Sitting down in a corner of the restaurant, Lisa finally asked Taylor, "What was up with that girl anyway that made you so angry?" and just seeing the sadness and anger flash in Taylor made her even more curious.
After taking a deep breath, Taylor told Lisa about Emma, Sophia and Madison and what they've been doing to her for the past two years. She was about to tell her something about what happened after the end of Christmas break when she was interrupted, or perhaps saved, though not if Lisa had anything to say about it, by the waitress coming over and bringing them their burgers.
In the ensuing silence that followed while eating their food, Lisa thought about just what was going on in Winslow that nobody did anything to those three girls. Obviously it had something to do with the Barnes' girl's father being a lawyer but somehow Lisa felt as if that wasn't just all of it.
Lisa was about to ask Taylor to tell her what she was about to before, but she could very obviously see that she had lost her courage. Instead, after paying for their lunch and getting up, she hugged Taylor fiercely, who stiffened for a second or two before finally relaxing into the embrace and returning it. After a few good seconds, Lisa broke the hug and said, "Hey, if you ever need to talk about something, and I'm pretty sure you do, just give me a call okay?", before slipping a note with her phone number on it.
She continued "And maybe you can give me your phone number too? I'd love to meet up together again sometime, and don't be afraid of calling!" She said sternly, before smiling at Taylor, who was feeling quite awkward about this whole thing.
The only cell phone Taylor has is some kind of flip phone, not even a smartphone. Quickly writing down the number that Taylor gave her, she gave Taylor a one-armed hug before saying their goodbyes and heading on their own ways.
Taylor needed help, that much was obvious even without her powers, and Lisa would provide. And maybe, maybe one day Taylor could help Lisa too.
Feeling much better, Lisa headed back to her apartment.
Now to plan some more against that slimy snake.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm really not sure about this chapter, especially the whole thinker blocking thing. If it feels like I'm railroading things, that's because I totally am.
Chapter 5 - Taylor's view
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
Note: This is almost the same as the same chapter, if you really want, you can skip this.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January the 10th
Friday
Taylor's view
Meeting with Parian yesterday was nice, even if I was a bit nervous at first. After finishing with my morning run, I crept into the shower.
I chatted a bit with Dad over breakfast and later watched some movies before finally getting ready to go out to the mall.
Taking the bus to the Boardwalk took thirty minutes. Right before my stop I started having second thoughts about just wasting an entire day like this, when I could be spending it experimenting with my powers. Shaking off that stupid thought, because I do need, and kind of want new clothes. It's still hard, trying to change your way of thinking, after being bullied and looked down upon for two years, but I'll just try and do it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's nice, just wandering around the Boardwalk, looking at clothes and jewelry and other tourist traps.
The only thing I bought was a cheap cell phone. I don't like it. Dad and I had a sort of unspoken arrangement of not having mobile phones, after mom died in the car accident while using one. I'll need one if I want to be a hero, so it's not really my choice and all I got was a cheap one, not even a smart phone.
The Boardwalk always was pretty much the only place where most tourists were, since it's well taken care of and the enforcers don't look kindly on people disturbing others. Well the Boardwalk or the PRT headquarters or the Rig, but that's mostly because people want to see the Heroes. Leaning over the railing, I looked at the bay, where the Rig floated and shone with its blue shimmering forcefield. It looked strikingly heroic from over here. Maybe I could be one of them someday too. Perhaps in a few years, when I'll have proven myself.
Hah. Sometimes it just feels like they hide away in their floating fortress, while the city slowly dies. I still don't understand why they don't just get a few capes and clear up the Boat Graveyard.
It can't be that hard for them, can it? Sure, the Empire has more capes than them, and Lung did beat almost the entire Hero roster when he first came to town, but the Protectorate doesn't exist just in Brockton Bay. Couldn't they just… ask for help? I read somewhere that Brockton Bay has one of the highest concentrations of parahumans per capita and that villains outnumber the heroes over two times. Seems like the perfect place for out of town reinforcements…
I should stop thinking about such morbid, if realistic things right now. I'm here to enjoy myself, not brood.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I bought myself a cola and sat down on a bench nearby, when I saw a blotch of red come near me…
"Oh hey! Look who's sitting here, a total waste of humanity. Why Taylor, I almost didn't see you, with you being as thin as a stick. Don't they feed you anything at home?"
Of course, because I was actually having a nice time today, life decided to send a fuck you. I'd recognize that bitch's nonsensical, stupid voice anywhere. The traitorous, backstabbing whore. She couldn't even leave me alone?! After all that's happened!
"What do you want, Emma?" I spit out, almost growling her name.
"Why, what do I want? I just want to help you Taylor." Seeing the confused look on my face, she continued with her bullshit, "Wouldn't want you to cry yourself to sleep for an entire week, now would we? I heard about the locker, it must have been really horrible." THAT BITCH! How dare she use that against me?! What kind of person wouldn't cry after losing their mother! Probably someone like her. And she even tries to sound innocent.
Wanting to bash her stupid face in I turn towards her, start raising my arm, when she starts smirking and says, "Now, now Taylor, shouldn't do anything rash. Those enforcers would probably think you're even more mentally damaged than you already are." Seeing the officer, I lower my arm, and she, obviously seeing the anger still on my face, walks away before I really would punch her.
Sitting back down on the bench, thinking just what her fucking problem is, and imagining caving her face in, I was interrupted by a voice, asking me if I'm okay. Do I look okay?! "What's it to you?" I snarled.
"I'm just checking, I saw you get pretty angry at that girl, wanted to see if everything was okay. Listen, I think you need something to make you feel better. You here for clothes shopping?"
I nodded, still not sure who this girl is and why she was talking to me. She was obviously at least a year older than me, with beautiful blonde hair tied up in a pony-tail and intense looking green eyes. She was smaller than me, but most girls were. Unlike me, she actually looked like a girl, with curves in all the right places, unlike me.
"Great! C'mon let's go get you some new clothes, my treat!" Before I could even try and protest, she grabbed me by my arm and pulled me up. A bit stronger than she looked, too. Why is she doing this?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll admit, Lisa does have a good sense of fashion. The clothes she got me, well they almost made me feel like an actual girl, somehow accentuating my almost non-existent curves. She even managed to get a color that goes well with my pale skin and brown hair.
She's just always so happy and joyful about everything and with that infuriating grin of hers. Though I confess, I really didn't expect to be hugged by her. It's actually kind of sad, that I don't even know when I last got a hug. It was… nice.
After shopping, we decided to go to Fugly Bob's, for a burger. We definitely wouldn't be trying a Challenger Bob, those things are enormous, and if you manage to actually eat it, you don't have to pay for it. We decided to share one normal burger, because even just one looked big enough for three people, not one. And the amount of grease in it would probably kill me too.
I guess I should have expected her to ask me what happened with Emma back there, but I still wasn't ready. Still, spending the day with Lisa was really nice, and I really do want to vent to her about everything that's been going on. She seems to be really smart, especially if finishing her GED at 16 was any show.
Taking a deep breath, I gathered my thoughts and told her everything that's been going on these past two years. How after Summer camp, I came back to find Emma spending time with Sophia. How she turned me away, after all those years of friendship and trust. I still don't understand what happened to her. And perhaps I never will. I told her all about the bullying, and just as I was getting to after the Christmas break, I thought of stopping. Maybe I shouldn't tell her about that just yet. She's already angry enough about what I told her.
In the end, I didn't have to choose, since the waitress brought our burger and we both fell into a comfortable silence, making some small talk along the way.
After we finished eating and we paid the bill, Lisa hugged me tightly. Not expecting it, I almost slipped back into my school mentality of running away and hiding, before mentally hitting myself in the head and returning her warm hug.
After a few seconds, Lisa broke the hug and said, "Hey, if you ever need to talk about something, and I'm pretty sure you do, just give me a call okay?", before slipping a note with her phone number on it.
"And maybe you can give me your phone number too? I'd love to meet up again sometime, and don't be afraid of calling!" She said, smiling softly at me as I gave her my brand-new number for my phone.
I think I will be calling her, and soon too. I needed to talk to someone about all… that. And she really is a nice person to be around.
Feeling a bit better, I head back home.
The first thing I notice, stepping inside, is dad sitting on the armchair, with the front door in obvious sight. I sighed. He must have been a bit worried. I was gone for quite a long while.
"Hey, Dad."
"Taylor. It's been hours. You didn't go fighting someone, did you?"
Before he could continue his rant, I stopped him.
"Dad, it's fine. I didn't go fighting anyone. I was at the mall the entire time. I even met a new… friend."
He must have been happy to hear that, since he relaxed a lot.
"And will you tell me about this new friend of yours?"
"Sure! Her name's Lisa…"
I told him all about Lisa, but I didn't mention Emma. I wasn't going back to Winslow ever again and I want to just forget she existed. Whatever happened to her, she wasn't my Emma anymore.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nothing much happens here, just Taylor wanting to punch Emma and actually getting a real friend. And it is literally just the Lisa interlude but from her view.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January the 10th
Friday
Taylor's view
Meeting with Parian yesterday was nice, even if I was a bit nervous at first. After finishing with my morning run, I crept into the shower.
I chatted a bit with Dad over breakfast and later watched some movies before finally getting ready to go out to the mall.
Taking the bus to the Boardwalk took thirty minutes. Right before my stop I started having second thoughts about just wasting an entire day like this, when I could be spending it experimenting with my powers. Shaking off that stupid thought, because I do need, and kind of want new clothes. It's still hard, trying to change your way of thinking, after being bullied and looked down upon for two years, but I'll just try and do it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's nice, just wandering around the Boardwalk, looking at clothes and jewelry and other tourist traps.
The only thing I bought was a cheap cell phone. I don't like it. Dad and I had a sort of unspoken arrangement of not having mobile phones, after mom died in the car accident while using one. I'll need one if I want to be a hero, so it's not really my choice and all I got was a cheap one, not even a smart phone.
The Boardwalk always was pretty much the only place where most tourists were, since it's well taken care of and the enforcers don't look kindly on people disturbing others. Well the Boardwalk or the PRT headquarters or the Rig, but that's mostly because people want to see the Heroes. Leaning over the railing, I looked at the bay, where the Rig floated and shone with its blue shimmering forcefield. It looked strikingly heroic from over here. Maybe I could be one of them someday too. Perhaps in a few years, when I'll have proven myself.
Hah. Sometimes it just feels like they hide away in their floating fortress, while the city slowly dies. I still don't understand why they don't just get a few capes and clear up the Boat Graveyard.
It can't be that hard for them, can it? Sure, the Empire has more capes than them, and Lung did beat almost the entire Hero roster when he first came to town, but the Protectorate doesn't exist just in Brockton Bay. Couldn't they just… ask for help? I read somewhere that Brockton Bay has one of the highest concentrations of parahumans per capita and that villains outnumber the heroes over two times. Seems like the perfect place for out of town reinforcements…
I should stop thinking about such morbid, if realistic things right now. I'm here to enjoy myself, not brood.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I bought myself a cola and sat down on a bench nearby, when I saw a blotch of red come near me…
"Oh hey! Look who's sitting here, a total waste of humanity. Why Taylor, I almost didn't see you, with you being as thin as a stick. Don't they feed you anything at home?"
Of course, because I was actually having a nice time today, life decided to send a fuck you. I'd recognize that bitch's nonsensical, stupid voice anywhere. The traitorous, backstabbing whore. She couldn't even leave me alone?! After all that's happened!
"What do you want, Emma?" I spit out, almost growling her name.
"Why, what do I want? I just want to help you Taylor." Seeing the confused look on my face, she continued with her bullshit, "Wouldn't want you to cry yourself to sleep for an entire week, now would we? I heard about the locker, it must have been really horrible." THAT BITCH! How dare she use that against me?! What kind of person wouldn't cry after losing their mother! Probably someone like her. And she even tries to sound innocent.
Wanting to bash her stupid face in I turn towards her, start raising my arm, when she starts smirking and says, "Now, now Taylor, shouldn't do anything rash. Those enforcers would probably think you're even more mentally damaged than you already are." Seeing the officer, I lower my arm, and she, obviously seeing the anger still on my face, walks away before I really would punch her.
Sitting back down on the bench, thinking just what her fucking problem is, and imagining caving her face in, I was interrupted by a voice, asking me if I'm okay. Do I look okay?! "What's it to you?" I snarled.
"I'm just checking, I saw you get pretty angry at that girl, wanted to see if everything was okay. Listen, I think you need something to make you feel better. You here for clothes shopping?"
I nodded, still not sure who this girl is and why she was talking to me. She was obviously at least a year older than me, with beautiful blonde hair tied up in a pony-tail and intense looking green eyes. She was smaller than me, but most girls were. Unlike me, she actually looked like a girl, with curves in all the right places, unlike me.
"Great! C'mon let's go get you some new clothes, my treat!" Before I could even try and protest, she grabbed me by my arm and pulled me up. A bit stronger than she looked, too. Why is she doing this?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll admit, Lisa does have a good sense of fashion. The clothes she got me, well they almost made me feel like an actual girl, somehow accentuating my almost non-existent curves. She even managed to get a color that goes well with my pale skin and brown hair.
She's just always so happy and joyful about everything and with that infuriating grin of hers. Though I confess, I really didn't expect to be hugged by her. It's actually kind of sad, that I don't even know when I last got a hug. It was… nice.
After shopping, we decided to go to Fugly Bob's, for a burger. We definitely wouldn't be trying a Challenger Bob, those things are enormous, and if you manage to actually eat it, you don't have to pay for it. We decided to share one normal burger, because even just one looked big enough for three people, not one. And the amount of grease in it would probably kill me too.
I guess I should have expected her to ask me what happened with Emma back there, but I still wasn't ready. Still, spending the day with Lisa was really nice, and I really do want to vent to her about everything that's been going on. She seems to be really smart, especially if finishing her GED at 16 was any show.
Taking a deep breath, I gathered my thoughts and told her everything that's been going on these past two years. How after Summer camp, I came back to find Emma spending time with Sophia. How she turned me away, after all those years of friendship and trust. I still don't understand what happened to her. And perhaps I never will. I told her all about the bullying, and just as I was getting to after the Christmas break, I thought of stopping. Maybe I shouldn't tell her about that just yet. She's already angry enough about what I told her.
In the end, I didn't have to choose, since the waitress brought our burger and we both fell into a comfortable silence, making some small talk along the way.
After we finished eating and we paid the bill, Lisa hugged me tightly. Not expecting it, I almost slipped back into my school mentality of running away and hiding, before mentally hitting myself in the head and returning her warm hug.
After a few seconds, Lisa broke the hug and said, "Hey, if you ever need to talk about something, and I'm pretty sure you do, just give me a call okay?", before slipping a note with her phone number on it.
"And maybe you can give me your phone number too? I'd love to meet up again sometime, and don't be afraid of calling!" She said, smiling softly at me as I gave her my brand-new number for my phone.
I think I will be calling her, and soon too. I needed to talk to someone about all… that. And she really is a nice person to be around.
Feeling a bit better, I head back home.
The first thing I notice, stepping inside, is dad sitting on the armchair, with the front door in obvious sight. I sighed. He must have been a bit worried. I was gone for quite a long while.
"Hey, Dad."
"Taylor. It's been hours. You didn't go fighting someone, did you?"
Before he could continue his rant, I stopped him.
"Dad, it's fine. I didn't go fighting anyone. I was at the mall the entire time. I even met a new… friend."
He must have been happy to hear that, since he relaxed a lot.
"And will you tell me about this new friend of yours?"
"Sure! Her name's Lisa…"
I told him all about Lisa, but I didn't mention Emma. I wasn't going back to Winslow ever again and I want to just forget she existed. Whatever happened to her, she wasn't my Emma anymore.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nothing much happens here, just Taylor wanting to punch Emma and actually getting a real friend. And it is literally just the Lisa interlude but from her view.
Chapter 6
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
January the 13th
Monday
The weekend passed pretty much without remark. Dad and I spent some time together and I even hung out with Lisa on Sunday, doing ordinary girl things. She didn't ask about school anymore and I didn't want to tell her either. Parian already messaged me on PHO, asking me to come over when I can.
But none of that was on my thoughts right now. Right now, I was apocalyptically mad and very confused.
Mad because detective Reynolds just finished explaining to us, how 'someone', aka. the PRT, stopped him from getting a warrant. Namely a warrant to search all of the deleted texts of the Bitches Three, and how without that, there just isn't enough hard evidence that it was them who did it.
Confused, because why the fuck would the PRT do that? Do they know I'm a parahuman? But that wouldn't make sense, they would help me, right?
Was someone at the school a cape? A Ward even? Don't they all go to Arcadia?
Fuck if I know.
One thing I did know for sure.
"Dad… we are going to sue the school, right?"
"Yeah… I believe so. I'll get you into Arcadia. Trust me." He was pretty much as upset as I was. I know how angry he can sometimes get, so it's probably a good thing he didn't even shout at the detective. It's not his fault anyway.
"Good."
"You okay? I know this must be really terrible for you." He gave me a hug. I really needed one right now.
"I'm… no, not really. Finding out that they're going to get away with it. It sickens me. Especially the PRT. What the hell are they doing?"
I took a deep breath. It really didn't help that much. "I think I need to clear my mind a bit. Parian said she wants to meet. I think I'll go now, take all of this bullshit out of my mind for a while."
"Don't get into trouble. And remember, you have a phone now. Call if you need something."
"I will."
I totally didn't run to the bus stop. Nuh-uh. And I totally didn't have to go back to get my mask and hoodie. Absolutely not. If I was actually thinking clearly, I would have remembered it the first time, but this really messed me up. Fuck the school and fuck the PRT. I'll show them, when I'll clear this rotting city of the gangs.
I spent more time fuming about it all than I'd like to admit. I almost didn't notice I was already at my stop.
I wonder what Parian has thought up. If it's anything like what she's done before, it'll be the best. I changed the same as before, in an alley near her shop.
Entering the shop, I saw her standing near one of her mannequins, very intensely examining … something. I decided it was probably best to not disturb her yet.
Finally, after 5 minutes, she looked away and saw me. Probably wasn't expecting me to be standing there either, since she practically jumped five feet into the air.
"Shit! Lightning, don't startle me like that."
"Hey, not my fault you were in love with your mannequin there."
"Yeah, yeah laugh it up. I was just looking at the color on the dress. It just doesn't feel right…" She trailed off, looking at it again. It would be almost hilarious, if she wasn't the one who invited me here.
I coughed a bit and she looked back up. She even looked a bit sheepish.
"Sorry. Anyway… I didn't have much to do and so I sort of just finished your costume."
What… it's barely been a few days! How fast does this girl work?!
"Wow. You're finished already? May I see?"
"Well, duh! Of course you can see. C'mon, follow me."
She led me into what I could only guess was her storage space. Just as much of a mess as her workspace. How she finds anything here, I'll never know.
"Right… where did I put it…" she looked around for a bit, before hurrying over to a wardrobe.
"You wanted a robe… I made you the best robe you'll ever find." She said as she pulled out a mostly red robe, with white…markings at the bottom. She even made a sort of… belt satchel. I didn't even think about places to store stuff in. Good thing she has a brain, because I certainly don't.
She pulled out some leather… gauntlets? They looked awesome too.
I guess there's a reason she's pretty popular. Frankly, it all looked amazing.
"Now, I made it so it has a cowl, too. So combine that, with your new mask, which I'll fetch in a moment, and you have a pretty good disguise. So what do you think? Do you like it?"
"Y-yeah! It's lovely. Thank you!"
"No need to thank me, you are the customer, after all. You can try it on over there," she pointed at what looked to be a dressing space. "and I'll go get your new mask. "
I went over and changed.
Looking into the mirror… I was stunned. She really does some damn fine work. I looked menacing, but still heroic, even if it was in an Alexandria sort of way instead of a Legend way.
Yep. Sooo worth the two thousand dollars, especially considering how quickly she finished it. And it's nice to touch too. High quality materials, likely.
I stepped back out to find Parian already there, looking me over.
"Yep, fits you right, I think. Does it feel okay? Nothing too tight?"
"Nope. It's perfect."
"Great! It's always nice to have someone say that. Here's your new mask." She handed it over.
It was pretty much a domino mask, the same red color as the robe and looked to be about big enough to go from my hair to the midpoint of my nose. It extended at the sides, over the cheeks.
I turned around and exchanged the masks and went over to the mirror.
Fuck… I looked like an actual Hero. I felt like an actual Hero, even if I hadn't done anything yet. Just as a bit of an experiment, I charged up a ball of lightning and looked at myself.
Yep. If I saw that in an alley, I'd run the heck away.
I dismissed the lightning and turned back to Parian. She must have stepped back a few steps, when I showed off.
"I love it!" I gave her a quick hug. Still wasn't used to them, even after Lisa had already given me an uncountable amount of them.
"How do I pay you for this?"
"Well, you don't have to do it right now, I'm sure we can work something out."
We spent a few minutes working out the details.
"Alright. You can take the costume with you if you want, or you can go change back."
"I think I'll take it for now. See you later, Parian!" I called out.
"Goodbye!"
Thankfully, I'm not stupid enough to go home in my costume. I slipped back into my clothes and went home with a bag with my costume in it.
I wonder what Dad will think of it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dad wasn't home yet. While he hasn't been working as much these past few days, he still does work. Even if the news of the Trio getting away with everything was pretty terrible, I still cooked lasagna, with Mom's favorite recipe.
Seeing him drive into the driveway, I quickly went and changed myself into my costume. I still haven't figured out a good name, but eh. I'll think of something eventually.
When he walked into the house, he barely even stopped for a second upon seeing me.
"Hey. Dinner sure smells good."
The cheekiness. He's pretending not to notice. I'll show him.
"Danny Hebert, on behalf on the Empire, you will help submit the Dockworkers Association to our cause."
"Y'know, it would work better if I hadn't heard your voice since the day you were born."
Dammit. Not even a flinch.
"All jokes aside. It's a wonderful costume Taylor, you look very heroic, but I can't help but wonder… hasn't it been just a few days since you ordered it?
I smiled at him.
"Yeah, it's pretty damn amazing isn't it? Parian said she didn't have much to do, so she made it over the weekend."
Now it was Dad's turn to be a bit baffled.
"Huh. Impressive. It would take a normal tailor a lot longer than that. If you're going to be eating, you should change back into your clothes. Wouldn't want your poor victims to smell lasagna would you?"
"You're… probably right."
I thought about just how different Dad and I are now.
Or maybe, not so different. We used to make jokes all the time… back before.
And soon, I'll be ready to go out and be a real Hero.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some actual excitement coming up. Who would have thought?
Monday
The weekend passed pretty much without remark. Dad and I spent some time together and I even hung out with Lisa on Sunday, doing ordinary girl things. She didn't ask about school anymore and I didn't want to tell her either. Parian already messaged me on PHO, asking me to come over when I can.
But none of that was on my thoughts right now. Right now, I was apocalyptically mad and very confused.
Mad because detective Reynolds just finished explaining to us, how 'someone', aka. the PRT, stopped him from getting a warrant. Namely a warrant to search all of the deleted texts of the Bitches Three, and how without that, there just isn't enough hard evidence that it was them who did it.
Confused, because why the fuck would the PRT do that? Do they know I'm a parahuman? But that wouldn't make sense, they would help me, right?
Was someone at the school a cape? A Ward even? Don't they all go to Arcadia?
Fuck if I know.
One thing I did know for sure.
"Dad… we are going to sue the school, right?"
"Yeah… I believe so. I'll get you into Arcadia. Trust me." He was pretty much as upset as I was. I know how angry he can sometimes get, so it's probably a good thing he didn't even shout at the detective. It's not his fault anyway.
"Good."
"You okay? I know this must be really terrible for you." He gave me a hug. I really needed one right now.
"I'm… no, not really. Finding out that they're going to get away with it. It sickens me. Especially the PRT. What the hell are they doing?"
I took a deep breath. It really didn't help that much. "I think I need to clear my mind a bit. Parian said she wants to meet. I think I'll go now, take all of this bullshit out of my mind for a while."
"Don't get into trouble. And remember, you have a phone now. Call if you need something."
"I will."
I totally didn't run to the bus stop. Nuh-uh. And I totally didn't have to go back to get my mask and hoodie. Absolutely not. If I was actually thinking clearly, I would have remembered it the first time, but this really messed me up. Fuck the school and fuck the PRT. I'll show them, when I'll clear this rotting city of the gangs.
I spent more time fuming about it all than I'd like to admit. I almost didn't notice I was already at my stop.
I wonder what Parian has thought up. If it's anything like what she's done before, it'll be the best. I changed the same as before, in an alley near her shop.
Entering the shop, I saw her standing near one of her mannequins, very intensely examining … something. I decided it was probably best to not disturb her yet.
Finally, after 5 minutes, she looked away and saw me. Probably wasn't expecting me to be standing there either, since she practically jumped five feet into the air.
"Shit! Lightning, don't startle me like that."
"Hey, not my fault you were in love with your mannequin there."
"Yeah, yeah laugh it up. I was just looking at the color on the dress. It just doesn't feel right…" She trailed off, looking at it again. It would be almost hilarious, if she wasn't the one who invited me here.
I coughed a bit and she looked back up. She even looked a bit sheepish.
"Sorry. Anyway… I didn't have much to do and so I sort of just finished your costume."
What… it's barely been a few days! How fast does this girl work?!
"Wow. You're finished already? May I see?"
"Well, duh! Of course you can see. C'mon, follow me."
She led me into what I could only guess was her storage space. Just as much of a mess as her workspace. How she finds anything here, I'll never know.
"Right… where did I put it…" she looked around for a bit, before hurrying over to a wardrobe.
"You wanted a robe… I made you the best robe you'll ever find." She said as she pulled out a mostly red robe, with white…markings at the bottom. She even made a sort of… belt satchel. I didn't even think about places to store stuff in. Good thing she has a brain, because I certainly don't.
She pulled out some leather… gauntlets? They looked awesome too.
I guess there's a reason she's pretty popular. Frankly, it all looked amazing.
"Now, I made it so it has a cowl, too. So combine that, with your new mask, which I'll fetch in a moment, and you have a pretty good disguise. So what do you think? Do you like it?"
"Y-yeah! It's lovely. Thank you!"
"No need to thank me, you are the customer, after all. You can try it on over there," she pointed at what looked to be a dressing space. "and I'll go get your new mask. "
I went over and changed.
Looking into the mirror… I was stunned. She really does some damn fine work. I looked menacing, but still heroic, even if it was in an Alexandria sort of way instead of a Legend way.
Yep. Sooo worth the two thousand dollars, especially considering how quickly she finished it. And it's nice to touch too. High quality materials, likely.
I stepped back out to find Parian already there, looking me over.
"Yep, fits you right, I think. Does it feel okay? Nothing too tight?"
"Nope. It's perfect."
"Great! It's always nice to have someone say that. Here's your new mask." She handed it over.
It was pretty much a domino mask, the same red color as the robe and looked to be about big enough to go from my hair to the midpoint of my nose. It extended at the sides, over the cheeks.
I turned around and exchanged the masks and went over to the mirror.
Fuck… I looked like an actual Hero. I felt like an actual Hero, even if I hadn't done anything yet. Just as a bit of an experiment, I charged up a ball of lightning and looked at myself.
Yep. If I saw that in an alley, I'd run the heck away.
I dismissed the lightning and turned back to Parian. She must have stepped back a few steps, when I showed off.
"I love it!" I gave her a quick hug. Still wasn't used to them, even after Lisa had already given me an uncountable amount of them.
"How do I pay you for this?"
"Well, you don't have to do it right now, I'm sure we can work something out."
We spent a few minutes working out the details.
"Alright. You can take the costume with you if you want, or you can go change back."
"I think I'll take it for now. See you later, Parian!" I called out.
"Goodbye!"
Thankfully, I'm not stupid enough to go home in my costume. I slipped back into my clothes and went home with a bag with my costume in it.
I wonder what Dad will think of it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dad wasn't home yet. While he hasn't been working as much these past few days, he still does work. Even if the news of the Trio getting away with everything was pretty terrible, I still cooked lasagna, with Mom's favorite recipe.
Seeing him drive into the driveway, I quickly went and changed myself into my costume. I still haven't figured out a good name, but eh. I'll think of something eventually.
When he walked into the house, he barely even stopped for a second upon seeing me.
"Hey. Dinner sure smells good."
The cheekiness. He's pretending not to notice. I'll show him.
"Danny Hebert, on behalf on the Empire, you will help submit the Dockworkers Association to our cause."
"Y'know, it would work better if I hadn't heard your voice since the day you were born."
Dammit. Not even a flinch.
"All jokes aside. It's a wonderful costume Taylor, you look very heroic, but I can't help but wonder… hasn't it been just a few days since you ordered it?
I smiled at him.
"Yeah, it's pretty damn amazing isn't it? Parian said she didn't have much to do, so she made it over the weekend."
Now it was Dad's turn to be a bit baffled.
"Huh. Impressive. It would take a normal tailor a lot longer than that. If you're going to be eating, you should change back into your clothes. Wouldn't want your poor victims to smell lasagna would you?"
"You're… probably right."
I thought about just how different Dad and I are now.
Or maybe, not so different. We used to make jokes all the time… back before.
And soon, I'll be ready to go out and be a real Hero.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some actual excitement coming up. Who would have thought?
Last edited:
Chapter 7
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
January the 14th
Tuesday
It's ten PM. I've convinced Dad to go to sleep. He doesn't need to be awake for however long I'm going to be out there. And I WILL be out there.
Nobody's going to suspect a teenager to be out and about on a Tuesday night.
He's made sure to beat into my head that I will not be confronting any capes or anyone with guns. As much as I'd like to give Kaiser a zap, I'll admit… I am scared. This is going to be my first real night out. I've read about just how long independent heroes last… it's not pretty. Barely three months for most. And I don't even have a Brute ability.
Fuck. I hate being uncertain.
Shaking off my thoughts, I put my costume into my backpack and stealthily head out. I'm going to do this, be it dangerous or not.
Now to decide just where to go.
Empire territory… is probably not a good place to start. They have way too many capes, and all of them equally dangerous. Just the confirmed kill count of Hookwolf makes me shiver. Why someone hasn't shot him with a sniper rifle yet, I don't know.
They're also the best equipped. People on PHO suspect they have ties with the Gesellschaft, a Nazi organization in Europe.
No… probably best I stay away from there for now. I know my limits.
The Asian Bad Boyz… they're the second biggest gang, territory wise.
And they have Lung. That doesn't make me feel any better. A rage fueled dragon, rumored to have fought against Leviathan in Kyushu, Japan and survived even when the entire island sank. Not to forget Oni Lee, the teleporting, cloning suicide bomber. I guess they can't be everywhere at once, but just the chance of them being there… I doubt I'd escape death.
Now the Archer's Bridge Merchants though… all they are is a bunch of junkies. They probably wouldn't even notice me standing near them.
There's three capes, that I know of, in the Merchants.
Skidmark's the leader of the bunch. As much as one can be if you're perpetually high on narcotics, that is. From what I read of him on his PHO page, he can make blue… force fields that make things speed up in a direction or get pushed away. Somehow, I doubt that's really all that useful.
They also have Squealer, a Tinker who specializes in making a huge monstrosity of a vehicle. Not too much is known about her creations, except that they're big, loud and very noisy. If anything, at least I'll know she's coming.
And there's a third cape too. Someone named Mush, some kind of Changer who collects up trash and uses it as kind of armor.
Their gangbangers aren't known for having any… advanced weapons, mostly because they aren't exactly an organized gang.
All in all, the perfect place for my first night out. Hopefully.
The Merchants don't have territory, not really. They're junkies, spread out over the bad parts of town, but since the worst part are the Docks... that's likely the place I'll find any of them.
I caught a bus heading into the slightly nicer part of the Docks. I'll have to walk back home, but it's better than nothing.
I made my way deep into the Docks and changed out of sight.
The place… was a wreck, mostly. Some buildings didn't even have windows, instead just bordered up with wood planks. Most parts of the streets weren't illuminated, whether the light posts were broken or just simply not even turned on, I couldn't tell.
Even in my costume, I think nobody will notice me. Red and white aren't exactly the most un-conspicuous of colors, but they do look friggin' awesome. Or at least, that's what I hope.
Thinking about if I'll be in the papers tomorrow, with pictures of me zapping Merchant scum, I realized something and barely held in a facepalm.
In all the excitement, I totally forgot to pick an actual name. I already told Parian to call me Lightning, but that was just for convenience's sake. There's no reason for me to just give out the nature of my powers for everyone to see.
Ah fuck it. It'll do for tonight, I suppose.
Finally getting everything in order, I started my patrol for crime doers.
You'd think that after an hour of searching around, you'd find at least a couple of people doing something bad.
Nope.
Sure, there were a bunch of people shooting up with drugs, and wow was that disgusting to see, but I can't exactly just run up to them and give them an electric shock. I'd probably even manage to kill them.
Ugh…
And here I thought I'd have an eventful first night out.
I got ready to head back home, when I heard a female screaming. I tamped down my thoughts of 'finally', because seriously brain, something bad is happening to someone and you think 'finally'?!
Quickly, but semi-silently I ran to where I thought the scream originated from.
Peeking around the corner of the building, I saw four men standing around a woman, who was laying on the ground.
All four of them had weird… bands on their wrists. Must be a Merchant thing. The one who was pressing onwards towards the petite, dark-haired woman looked to be thin in his arms and legs, if you ignored his obvious pot belly.
Seeing enough, I started powering up a ball of lightning in both of my hands. Taking care not to overdo them. Wouldn't do me any good to kill 4 people with electrocution on my first night out.
The entire place lit up with blue light. I probably looked really menacing right then. I stepped out from behind the corner and called out.
"Step away from the lady, and nobody gets hurt." I made sure to make my voice sound confident and unlike my real one. I'm not sure if I succeeded.
They all turned to look at me and promptly froze in place.
Almost all of them whispered a fuck or a shit. The thin yet fat man ran away further into the alley almost immediately, though the other three barely reacted to him.
The one on the left found his courage first, pulling out a knife.
"F-fuck you, cape. You-u… don't get to tell us w-what to do!" He was slurring his words. Either drunk or high then.
I raised my left hand on him and he took a step back. Not so tough now, huh?
The two others didn't back down either. One raised a bat whilst the other pulled out another knife.
I sighed. How stupid can you be?
Looking down at the woman, I saw that she was still pretty scared. Deciding that enough is enough, I released the lightning onto the ones with the knives. They both collapsed immediately, twitching on the floor, unconscious.
The stupid man with the bat, high on god knows what, didn't back down. Instead he charged right at me! He was pretty large, but his greasy hair and rotting teeth gave him away as a junkie.
When he was in range of my arms, I stepped a bit to the right and grabbed his arm, sending sweet, sweet electricity into him. He crashed onto the floor, like the others.
I ran up to the woman and put on my most comforting voice I could manage.
"Hey. Are you okay?"
She just nodded numbly.
"Did they do anything to you?"
She shook her head. I was about to help her stand up…
When a fist came crashing into the side of my ribs.
My world became pain. I went flying through the air and crashed down into a bunch of boxes, laying on the side of the street.
FUCK!
Fuck!
That hurts a fucking lot. My head is spinning so hard, I can barely even move. Looking around, trying to see who hit me, I see an eight feet tall mass of… trash, preparing to hit me again. Shit, that's fucking Mush!
I don't have time to think about it.
Panicking, I focus on the feeling I've had in my head since the day I woke up.
Suddenly, I'm falling from about a foot in the air, with the entire place changing around me. No… that's not right. Nothing changed, just my position.
Confirming my suspicions, I see Mush crashing into the wall and boxes from where I was before. Holy shit. I just switched our places. And fuck was it exhausting.
Mush is already starting to get back up and I mentally punch myself in the head. Bad Taylor! Now's not the time to be thinking about this new power.
I launch a bolt of lightning at him, only for it to be absorbed by a piece of trash. Dammit!
He charges at me, fist first and I have no choice but to throw myself to the side, only for the pain in my ribs to explode again.
Fuck!
He misses me and stumbles into the other side of the alley. The woman isn't here anymore. Must have ran off at some point in the fight. Good. At least she'll be safe.
I focus all of my remaining strength into my lightning, enveloping it around myself.
Mush, already back up, pauses.
Good, he doesn't like that.
He runs at me, and I use my lightning jump, turning into a swift bolt of thunder, crashing through him and continuing, not stopping until I'm about fifteen feet away.
Mush is still standing, but he lost quite a few of his trash, and he's only the size of a normal human now.
I notice he's twitching slightly. Perfect. So, he did get hit inside.
I'm not in much better shape than he is. The pain in the ribs is still there, and all of this jumping around has taken a lot out of me. My lungs are burning up too. All the running in the world couldn't have prepared me for this.
But I have enough left in me for a last charge, and if it doesn't work, I can still try and run away. Keyword try.
This time, I run at him. He obviously doesn't expect it, as he steps away, before launching an attack. I dodge under his swinging arm, and turn around to see parts of him not covered by rubbish. Excellent.
A bolt crashes into him and he staggers for a second before collapsing to the ground.
I do the same soon after.
Spending who knows how long on my knees, I finally regain some measure of cognition. I didn't even notice the ringing in my head until now. Makes sense considering the fact that my lightning is really loud, and I did get thrown around a bunch.
In the distance, I hear a very loud engine.
Shit. That's probably Squealer. Someone must have seen or heard our fight.
The adrenaline picking up again, I quickly run away into the direction of where I left my backpack.
I don't stop until I'm there and now sure that nobody could see me, I sit down.
Now how am I going to explain this to Dad?
I can't walk back home like this. I change back into my civilian clothes as fast as I can.
The costume, funnily enough, isn't even that battered. I could probably just wash it and it would be like new. Parian really does good work.
I shake off my thoughts. I'm just delaying the inevitable. I fish out my phone.
Only two numbers on it. Lisa's and Dad's.
He picked up on the first ring. So, he wasn't asleep at all. I should have known he would be worrying about me all night. Looks like he was right to worry too.
"Taylor? Is everything alright?"
"I'm… safe. Yeah, let's go with safe. Could you come pick me up? I'm at the Docks. The corner at 15th."
"Taylor… of course I'll come. I'll get there as quick as possible. And then you'll explain to me just what happened."
He hung up. Yup, he's angry. I'm so grounded for life.
While waiting for Dad, I contemplated just how fucking close to getting really hurt I was. If I didn't do… whatever the fuck that teleport thing was. Well, I doubt I'd be thinking about anything right now.
And just what the shit was that anyway? I thought powers had only one… theme. Lightning powers and exchanging two people with teleportation. There really isn't much of a correlation there.
One thing is for sure. I really shouldn't have let that guy run away. He wasn't running away, he was just going to collect his goddamned trash.
Who would have thought trash would be the bane of my power. Probably someone who actually thought about conductivity of electricity.
I was shaken out of my thoughts by the arrival of a sound I knew. Dad's old car came into view. I hopped in as fast as I could, trying not to agitate my ribs any further.
He didn't speak a word, only casting sidelong glances towards me, now and then. He was furious. I… probably deserved it. First night out and I'm already beaten up. How he'll react to the fact that I also fought a cape tonight… pretty badly, I'm assuming.
We arrived home and all he said was, "Go sit on the couch. I'll go get some ice."
So here I am, sitting on the couch, wondering about just what punishment he'll dole out on me, when he finally comes back with an ice pack.
He gave it to me and I pressed it to my ribs.
Sweet relief…
Dad slowly sat down on the other side of the table, clenching his jaw a few times, before speaking up.
"What on earth happened to you?! Your first time out and you have to call me because you got beaten up and can't walk back home! How did you even get hurt? I thought we agreed you wouldn't go anywhere near enough for someone to hit you!"
I listened to his shouting, it becoming louder and louder over time.
"I…I didn't mean to… I took down three Merchants who were molesting a woman and the fourth one ran away. I wanted to help her get back up, but the guy who ran away didn't run away at all. He just went to collect his trash. How was I supposed to know that guy, who didn't even have a mask on, was fucking Mush?!" I started shouting back at him towards the end. Not my finest moment. It's not like it's his fault I was a stupid dumb idiot. I didn't even realize why he was frowning so much until he spoke up again. Oops.
"You fought a cape?! Jesus… Taylor, you could have died out there! You're lucky the only thing that he managed to do to you were some bruised ribs!"
"I'm sorry…" Hearing him care so much and sound so wounded…
Fuck. And now I'm sniffling. Why am I sniffling? I'm not crying either, nuh-uh.
"Shit. Taylor, don't cry." He came to my couch and pulled me in a one-armed hug. "I'm only angry at you because you could have been very seriously hurt."
His consoling didn't help at all. I must have spent at least a couple of minutes of softly crying into his arms, with him comforting me with nonsensical words.
I finally managed to regain some composure and wipe away my tears.
"The worst thing is, I probably would have been, if it wasn't for something I didn't even know I could do!"
Now he just looked confused.
"What are you talking about, little owl? What didn't you know you could do?"
"When he tried to hit me, while I was down on the ground… I switched our places. It just doesn't make sense. That's not how powers work! Every parahuman just knows what they can do, and I only managed this out of… instinct."
"Maybe… maybe you just didn't think about doing it, before? I'm sorry, but I really am not a cape expert."
He gently pulled the ice pack away from my hands. "C'mon, go take and shower and have some rest. I can tell you're exhausted. We'll talk more tomorrow."
I complied. "Yeah… you're right. Like always."
He chuckled at that. "Not always."
Ruffling my hair, he pushed me slightly upstairs.
"Good night, little owl."
"Good night."
"Oh, and you're grounded for a week."
God damn it!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think this turned out well. What do you think?
Tuesday
It's ten PM. I've convinced Dad to go to sleep. He doesn't need to be awake for however long I'm going to be out there. And I WILL be out there.
Nobody's going to suspect a teenager to be out and about on a Tuesday night.
He's made sure to beat into my head that I will not be confronting any capes or anyone with guns. As much as I'd like to give Kaiser a zap, I'll admit… I am scared. This is going to be my first real night out. I've read about just how long independent heroes last… it's not pretty. Barely three months for most. And I don't even have a Brute ability.
Fuck. I hate being uncertain.
Shaking off my thoughts, I put my costume into my backpack and stealthily head out. I'm going to do this, be it dangerous or not.
Now to decide just where to go.
Empire territory… is probably not a good place to start. They have way too many capes, and all of them equally dangerous. Just the confirmed kill count of Hookwolf makes me shiver. Why someone hasn't shot him with a sniper rifle yet, I don't know.
They're also the best equipped. People on PHO suspect they have ties with the Gesellschaft, a Nazi organization in Europe.
No… probably best I stay away from there for now. I know my limits.
The Asian Bad Boyz… they're the second biggest gang, territory wise.
And they have Lung. That doesn't make me feel any better. A rage fueled dragon, rumored to have fought against Leviathan in Kyushu, Japan and survived even when the entire island sank. Not to forget Oni Lee, the teleporting, cloning suicide bomber. I guess they can't be everywhere at once, but just the chance of them being there… I doubt I'd escape death.
Now the Archer's Bridge Merchants though… all they are is a bunch of junkies. They probably wouldn't even notice me standing near them.
There's three capes, that I know of, in the Merchants.
Skidmark's the leader of the bunch. As much as one can be if you're perpetually high on narcotics, that is. From what I read of him on his PHO page, he can make blue… force fields that make things speed up in a direction or get pushed away. Somehow, I doubt that's really all that useful.
They also have Squealer, a Tinker who specializes in making a huge monstrosity of a vehicle. Not too much is known about her creations, except that they're big, loud and very noisy. If anything, at least I'll know she's coming.
And there's a third cape too. Someone named Mush, some kind of Changer who collects up trash and uses it as kind of armor.
Their gangbangers aren't known for having any… advanced weapons, mostly because they aren't exactly an organized gang.
All in all, the perfect place for my first night out. Hopefully.
The Merchants don't have territory, not really. They're junkies, spread out over the bad parts of town, but since the worst part are the Docks... that's likely the place I'll find any of them.
I caught a bus heading into the slightly nicer part of the Docks. I'll have to walk back home, but it's better than nothing.
I made my way deep into the Docks and changed out of sight.
The place… was a wreck, mostly. Some buildings didn't even have windows, instead just bordered up with wood planks. Most parts of the streets weren't illuminated, whether the light posts were broken or just simply not even turned on, I couldn't tell.
Even in my costume, I think nobody will notice me. Red and white aren't exactly the most un-conspicuous of colors, but they do look friggin' awesome. Or at least, that's what I hope.
Thinking about if I'll be in the papers tomorrow, with pictures of me zapping Merchant scum, I realized something and barely held in a facepalm.
In all the excitement, I totally forgot to pick an actual name. I already told Parian to call me Lightning, but that was just for convenience's sake. There's no reason for me to just give out the nature of my powers for everyone to see.
Ah fuck it. It'll do for tonight, I suppose.
Finally getting everything in order, I started my patrol for crime doers.
You'd think that after an hour of searching around, you'd find at least a couple of people doing something bad.
Nope.
Sure, there were a bunch of people shooting up with drugs, and wow was that disgusting to see, but I can't exactly just run up to them and give them an electric shock. I'd probably even manage to kill them.
Ugh…
And here I thought I'd have an eventful first night out.
I got ready to head back home, when I heard a female screaming. I tamped down my thoughts of 'finally', because seriously brain, something bad is happening to someone and you think 'finally'?!
Quickly, but semi-silently I ran to where I thought the scream originated from.
Peeking around the corner of the building, I saw four men standing around a woman, who was laying on the ground.
All four of them had weird… bands on their wrists. Must be a Merchant thing. The one who was pressing onwards towards the petite, dark-haired woman looked to be thin in his arms and legs, if you ignored his obvious pot belly.
Seeing enough, I started powering up a ball of lightning in both of my hands. Taking care not to overdo them. Wouldn't do me any good to kill 4 people with electrocution on my first night out.
The entire place lit up with blue light. I probably looked really menacing right then. I stepped out from behind the corner and called out.
"Step away from the lady, and nobody gets hurt." I made sure to make my voice sound confident and unlike my real one. I'm not sure if I succeeded.
They all turned to look at me and promptly froze in place.
Almost all of them whispered a fuck or a shit. The thin yet fat man ran away further into the alley almost immediately, though the other three barely reacted to him.
The one on the left found his courage first, pulling out a knife.
"F-fuck you, cape. You-u… don't get to tell us w-what to do!" He was slurring his words. Either drunk or high then.
I raised my left hand on him and he took a step back. Not so tough now, huh?
The two others didn't back down either. One raised a bat whilst the other pulled out another knife.
I sighed. How stupid can you be?
Looking down at the woman, I saw that she was still pretty scared. Deciding that enough is enough, I released the lightning onto the ones with the knives. They both collapsed immediately, twitching on the floor, unconscious.
The stupid man with the bat, high on god knows what, didn't back down. Instead he charged right at me! He was pretty large, but his greasy hair and rotting teeth gave him away as a junkie.
When he was in range of my arms, I stepped a bit to the right and grabbed his arm, sending sweet, sweet electricity into him. He crashed onto the floor, like the others.
I ran up to the woman and put on my most comforting voice I could manage.
"Hey. Are you okay?"
She just nodded numbly.
"Did they do anything to you?"
She shook her head. I was about to help her stand up…
When a fist came crashing into the side of my ribs.
My world became pain. I went flying through the air and crashed down into a bunch of boxes, laying on the side of the street.
FUCK!
Fuck!
That hurts a fucking lot. My head is spinning so hard, I can barely even move. Looking around, trying to see who hit me, I see an eight feet tall mass of… trash, preparing to hit me again. Shit, that's fucking Mush!
I don't have time to think about it.
Panicking, I focus on the feeling I've had in my head since the day I woke up.
Suddenly, I'm falling from about a foot in the air, with the entire place changing around me. No… that's not right. Nothing changed, just my position.
Confirming my suspicions, I see Mush crashing into the wall and boxes from where I was before. Holy shit. I just switched our places. And fuck was it exhausting.
Mush is already starting to get back up and I mentally punch myself in the head. Bad Taylor! Now's not the time to be thinking about this new power.
I launch a bolt of lightning at him, only for it to be absorbed by a piece of trash. Dammit!
He charges at me, fist first and I have no choice but to throw myself to the side, only for the pain in my ribs to explode again.
Fuck!
He misses me and stumbles into the other side of the alley. The woman isn't here anymore. Must have ran off at some point in the fight. Good. At least she'll be safe.
I focus all of my remaining strength into my lightning, enveloping it around myself.
Mush, already back up, pauses.
Good, he doesn't like that.
He runs at me, and I use my lightning jump, turning into a swift bolt of thunder, crashing through him and continuing, not stopping until I'm about fifteen feet away.
Mush is still standing, but he lost quite a few of his trash, and he's only the size of a normal human now.
I notice he's twitching slightly. Perfect. So, he did get hit inside.
I'm not in much better shape than he is. The pain in the ribs is still there, and all of this jumping around has taken a lot out of me. My lungs are burning up too. All the running in the world couldn't have prepared me for this.
But I have enough left in me for a last charge, and if it doesn't work, I can still try and run away. Keyword try.
This time, I run at him. He obviously doesn't expect it, as he steps away, before launching an attack. I dodge under his swinging arm, and turn around to see parts of him not covered by rubbish. Excellent.
A bolt crashes into him and he staggers for a second before collapsing to the ground.
I do the same soon after.
Spending who knows how long on my knees, I finally regain some measure of cognition. I didn't even notice the ringing in my head until now. Makes sense considering the fact that my lightning is really loud, and I did get thrown around a bunch.
In the distance, I hear a very loud engine.
Shit. That's probably Squealer. Someone must have seen or heard our fight.
The adrenaline picking up again, I quickly run away into the direction of where I left my backpack.
I don't stop until I'm there and now sure that nobody could see me, I sit down.
Now how am I going to explain this to Dad?
I can't walk back home like this. I change back into my civilian clothes as fast as I can.
The costume, funnily enough, isn't even that battered. I could probably just wash it and it would be like new. Parian really does good work.
I shake off my thoughts. I'm just delaying the inevitable. I fish out my phone.
Only two numbers on it. Lisa's and Dad's.
He picked up on the first ring. So, he wasn't asleep at all. I should have known he would be worrying about me all night. Looks like he was right to worry too.
"Taylor? Is everything alright?"
"I'm… safe. Yeah, let's go with safe. Could you come pick me up? I'm at the Docks. The corner at 15th."
"Taylor… of course I'll come. I'll get there as quick as possible. And then you'll explain to me just what happened."
He hung up. Yup, he's angry. I'm so grounded for life.
While waiting for Dad, I contemplated just how fucking close to getting really hurt I was. If I didn't do… whatever the fuck that teleport thing was. Well, I doubt I'd be thinking about anything right now.
And just what the shit was that anyway? I thought powers had only one… theme. Lightning powers and exchanging two people with teleportation. There really isn't much of a correlation there.
One thing is for sure. I really shouldn't have let that guy run away. He wasn't running away, he was just going to collect his goddamned trash.
Who would have thought trash would be the bane of my power. Probably someone who actually thought about conductivity of electricity.
I was shaken out of my thoughts by the arrival of a sound I knew. Dad's old car came into view. I hopped in as fast as I could, trying not to agitate my ribs any further.
He didn't speak a word, only casting sidelong glances towards me, now and then. He was furious. I… probably deserved it. First night out and I'm already beaten up. How he'll react to the fact that I also fought a cape tonight… pretty badly, I'm assuming.
We arrived home and all he said was, "Go sit on the couch. I'll go get some ice."
So here I am, sitting on the couch, wondering about just what punishment he'll dole out on me, when he finally comes back with an ice pack.
He gave it to me and I pressed it to my ribs.
Sweet relief…
Dad slowly sat down on the other side of the table, clenching his jaw a few times, before speaking up.
"What on earth happened to you?! Your first time out and you have to call me because you got beaten up and can't walk back home! How did you even get hurt? I thought we agreed you wouldn't go anywhere near enough for someone to hit you!"
I listened to his shouting, it becoming louder and louder over time.
"I…I didn't mean to… I took down three Merchants who were molesting a woman and the fourth one ran away. I wanted to help her get back up, but the guy who ran away didn't run away at all. He just went to collect his trash. How was I supposed to know that guy, who didn't even have a mask on, was fucking Mush?!" I started shouting back at him towards the end. Not my finest moment. It's not like it's his fault I was a stupid dumb idiot. I didn't even realize why he was frowning so much until he spoke up again. Oops.
"You fought a cape?! Jesus… Taylor, you could have died out there! You're lucky the only thing that he managed to do to you were some bruised ribs!"
"I'm sorry…" Hearing him care so much and sound so wounded…
Fuck. And now I'm sniffling. Why am I sniffling? I'm not crying either, nuh-uh.
"Shit. Taylor, don't cry." He came to my couch and pulled me in a one-armed hug. "I'm only angry at you because you could have been very seriously hurt."
His consoling didn't help at all. I must have spent at least a couple of minutes of softly crying into his arms, with him comforting me with nonsensical words.
I finally managed to regain some composure and wipe away my tears.
"The worst thing is, I probably would have been, if it wasn't for something I didn't even know I could do!"
Now he just looked confused.
"What are you talking about, little owl? What didn't you know you could do?"
"When he tried to hit me, while I was down on the ground… I switched our places. It just doesn't make sense. That's not how powers work! Every parahuman just knows what they can do, and I only managed this out of… instinct."
"Maybe… maybe you just didn't think about doing it, before? I'm sorry, but I really am not a cape expert."
He gently pulled the ice pack away from my hands. "C'mon, go take and shower and have some rest. I can tell you're exhausted. We'll talk more tomorrow."
I complied. "Yeah… you're right. Like always."
He chuckled at that. "Not always."
Ruffling my hair, he pushed me slightly upstairs.
"Good night, little owl."
"Good night."
"Oh, and you're grounded for a week."
God damn it!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think this turned out well. What do you think?
Last edited:
Chapter 8
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
Had fun last chapter? Well buckle up, 'cause we're heading to dialogueville. Yeah...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January the 17th
Friday
Dad and I had a much calmer talk the morning after my first and abysmally bad time out. He admitted that he kind of blew up, seeing me hurt.
After all, he was always a bit over protective. I should have realized that not being able to help me… it must have been pretty bad for him. We both apologized to each other. I was in the wrong too. How would I react, in his place? Probably even worse…
We went to a doctor and she confirmed what we both suspected. Only bruised ribs. Thankfully she didn't ask too many questions.
And whilst Dad did decide to keep me grounded until Monday, it was mostly because I still need to heal.
Both of us agreed that I need more training. I might have been unlucky to get caught unawares by Mush, but that doesn't mean something like that won't happen again. I really had no idea what I was doing in the fight, mostly flailing about in reflex and instinct. So, we decided to sign me up for a fighting class and he promised to buy me a baton. No reason for me to use my fists, if I can just use that. Of course, I never would have thought of that, instead I just ran in head first, without stopping to think, trusting my life to powers I can't even explain and barely know how to use.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Lisa invited me to her place yesterday, I almost refused. She really opened up a lot, about how she ran away from her parents. Her telling me that… it was one of the only moments I saw her get truly… emotional. She cried in my arms for a while, but after getting herself back together, she just didn't want to mention it again. Weird.
She told me she has a job as some kind of information agent, and that's how she can afford the apartment she brought me to.
Lisa definitely noticed that I had some pain in my ribs, constantly glancing over them. Thankfully, she decided not to ask. I'm not sure what I would have told her.
She's been such a good friend, and I almost told her about me. But no. Still too soon. I like her, but this is something I'll keep for myself. For now, at least.
I felt as if there was something she wasn't telling me about, especially that one room she didn't want me to enter… but I wasn't going to pry.
How would she even react to finding out about me? Of all the time I've known her, she's always so happy and joyful… that is unless she thinks I'm not looking. Something's been bothering her too. And I will find out what.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
None of that was on my thoughts right now. Because right now, Dad just finished reading out a letter that came in this morning.
The letter, was from the City's department of Education.
There was a bunch of legalese and whatnot in it, but the gist of it? I was transferred to Arcadia High. The best high school there is in Brockton Bay. Unlike the shithole that is Winslow, Arcadia is a much newer school. Rumors have it that all of the Wards go there and everyone knows that half of the
I'll likely be a bit behind my peers, but I'll be able to get a proper education, just like Mom would have wanted me to.
Now… I suspect this had something to do with the PRT's intervention with the case. I really don't know what to think about that.
I know, I know. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth… but it just feels wrong.
I guess it doesn't matter to me. What matters to me, is that I'm finally fucking free of Winslow.
Of course, that also means that I'll have to go study some things. I've already decided to take as much time as possible these last three days to go to the Central Library and study up as much material as I can.
Not like I have much else to do… stupid Mush.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After lunch with Dad, I took a bus to the Library.
The Brockton Bay Central Library is a remnant of better times. It's well maintained, pretty big, and it has a lot of books. And while they might have fallen behind on updating their computers these past few years, it's still better than what we have at home.
Finding a secluded spot, away from prying eyes, I sat down and opened up PHO. I might have to study, but looking up if anyone saw me that night is something that's been bugging me for a while.
A quick scroll through the Brockton Bay sub-forum offered no results. Damn. I kind of hoped someone would see. Sure, it's better for no villain to even know I exist, but… I did want to see what people thought of me.
After some more searching, I found a thread talking about weird thunder sounds in the Docks. But… that's all there was. Probably for the best. I doubt I looked good, getting my ass kicked by Mush
And even with what I just experienced, I'm still itching to go back out there and catch some more criminals. I sure won't underestimate capes ever again though, even if they are Merchant junkie capes.
I sighed and turned off my computer, diverting my attention to the stack of books I'd collected. Time to do some actual learning, if I want to do good on the entrance exams.
Of course… all of this also means I'll have to juggle my cape activities and civilian ones. Ugh. School makes everything harder.
Maybe Lisa can help me study? She did already finish her GED, after all. Deciding that's probably a good idea, I give her a call.
She picked up almost immediately.
"Taylor! What's up?"
"Hi Lisa. I was thinking and…"
"And…?"
"Would you like to come over? I need to study for my entrance exam and since you've already done your GED, I thought…"
"Sure! Wait. Entrance exam?" I was about to tell her about Arcadia, when she spoke up again, even more excitedly. Where does she get this much energy anyway?
"You got into Arcadia?! Of course I'll come. Just tell me where and when."
"Thanks, Lisa!"
We eventually decided for her to come over in an hour. I quickly borrowed all of the books I needed. There weren't really that many. Winslow was bad, but they still made sure to give us the same books as Arcadia… of course with the Trio's shenanigans, I lost a few.
Getting home twenty minutes before Lisa was due to arrive, I went and cleaned up the house, just a little bit. Dad wasn't home yet, but I'm guessing he would be before we finished for today.
Just finished making snacks in the kitchen, the doorbell rang. That must be Lisa.
I ran over to open the door and right on time, standing before me was the blonde herself. She was wearing some simple denim jeans and a stylish jacket, her hair tied up in a neat ponytail. It might not get too cold here in the Bay, but January is still cold enough for at least jackets.
I smiled at her. Somehow, she just always manages to look good.
"Taylor!" before I could even invite her in, I was already enveloped in a hug. Still not used to those. Lisa really is huggy.
"Hi… Come in?"
She at least had the decency to look just a tiny bit sheepish.
I showed her around the house and finally lead her into the living room.
"So, I was thinking we could start with Math or…" I started saying, only to be interrupted by Lisa wagging a finger at me.
"None of that. First things first, you and I are celebrating."
What?
I didn't even need to voice my confusion, this time.
"You getting into Arcadia of course. From what you told me and from what I found out, Winslow was pretty bad, right?"
"And that's why…?"
"Yep! Think about it Tay. This is sooooo worthy of a celebration. C'mon go put on a movie you like."
Begrudgingly, I nodded and put on The Princess Bride. I always liked watching that movie with Mom. Of course, Lisa now derailed all of my plans for learning anything today…
But I kind of didn't mind.
We were halfway through the movie and Lisa was just starting to get bored, when Dad walked into the living room, obviously just home from work.
She must have heard him coming, because she was already standing by the time he was at the archway that leads from the kitchen into the living room.
I paused the movie and thought about what Dad would say. I don't think he'd really have any problems with it, even if I did say I would be studying today.
And he hasn't even met Lisa yet.
Dad chuckled upon seeing the TV.
"Is this how kids nowadays study? I must say it's probably more entertaining that back then. You must be Lisa."
"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you, Mr. Hebert."
They shook hands.
"Nice to meet you, too. And please, none of that Mr. Hebert nonsense. You're a good friend of Taylor's. Just call me Danny."
"Sure, Danny." Lisa smiled at him, but it wasn't her usual mischievous grin. Instead, it was a nice, soft smile. It looked better on her.
She looked a bit oddly at him, cocking her head slightly, almost like a bird and then my ribs…
"Alright, go back to watching whatever you're watching. I do hope you'll do some actual studying today, Taylor."
"Hey, don't blame me. She bullied me into celebrating."
"Oh? Don't mind me then. Lisa, if you want you can stay for dinner."
She nodded slightly. "Thanks, I'd love that."
He went off into the kitchen, probably to prepare dinner and we sat back down on the couch.
Lisa was about to pick up the remote when she paused.
"You know, he really does care a lot about you."
"Hmm? Yeah… I know."
The movie resumed.
"Good."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January the 17th
Friday
Dad and I had a much calmer talk the morning after my first and abysmally bad time out. He admitted that he kind of blew up, seeing me hurt.
After all, he was always a bit over protective. I should have realized that not being able to help me… it must have been pretty bad for him. We both apologized to each other. I was in the wrong too. How would I react, in his place? Probably even worse…
We went to a doctor and she confirmed what we both suspected. Only bruised ribs. Thankfully she didn't ask too many questions.
And whilst Dad did decide to keep me grounded until Monday, it was mostly because I still need to heal.
Both of us agreed that I need more training. I might have been unlucky to get caught unawares by Mush, but that doesn't mean something like that won't happen again. I really had no idea what I was doing in the fight, mostly flailing about in reflex and instinct. So, we decided to sign me up for a fighting class and he promised to buy me a baton. No reason for me to use my fists, if I can just use that. Of course, I never would have thought of that, instead I just ran in head first, without stopping to think, trusting my life to powers I can't even explain and barely know how to use.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Lisa invited me to her place yesterday, I almost refused. She really opened up a lot, about how she ran away from her parents. Her telling me that… it was one of the only moments I saw her get truly… emotional. She cried in my arms for a while, but after getting herself back together, she just didn't want to mention it again. Weird.
She told me she has a job as some kind of information agent, and that's how she can afford the apartment she brought me to.
Lisa definitely noticed that I had some pain in my ribs, constantly glancing over them. Thankfully, she decided not to ask. I'm not sure what I would have told her.
She's been such a good friend, and I almost told her about me. But no. Still too soon. I like her, but this is something I'll keep for myself. For now, at least.
I felt as if there was something she wasn't telling me about, especially that one room she didn't want me to enter… but I wasn't going to pry.
How would she even react to finding out about me? Of all the time I've known her, she's always so happy and joyful… that is unless she thinks I'm not looking. Something's been bothering her too. And I will find out what.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
None of that was on my thoughts right now. Because right now, Dad just finished reading out a letter that came in this morning.
The letter, was from the City's department of Education.
There was a bunch of legalese and whatnot in it, but the gist of it? I was transferred to Arcadia High. The best high school there is in Brockton Bay. Unlike the shithole that is Winslow, Arcadia is a much newer school. Rumors have it that all of the Wards go there and everyone knows that half of the
I'll likely be a bit behind my peers, but I'll be able to get a proper education, just like Mom would have wanted me to.
Now… I suspect this had something to do with the PRT's intervention with the case. I really don't know what to think about that.
I know, I know. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth… but it just feels wrong.
I guess it doesn't matter to me. What matters to me, is that I'm finally fucking free of Winslow.
Of course, that also means that I'll have to go study some things. I've already decided to take as much time as possible these last three days to go to the Central Library and study up as much material as I can.
Not like I have much else to do… stupid Mush.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After lunch with Dad, I took a bus to the Library.
The Brockton Bay Central Library is a remnant of better times. It's well maintained, pretty big, and it has a lot of books. And while they might have fallen behind on updating their computers these past few years, it's still better than what we have at home.
Finding a secluded spot, away from prying eyes, I sat down and opened up PHO. I might have to study, but looking up if anyone saw me that night is something that's been bugging me for a while.
A quick scroll through the Brockton Bay sub-forum offered no results. Damn. I kind of hoped someone would see. Sure, it's better for no villain to even know I exist, but… I did want to see what people thought of me.
After some more searching, I found a thread talking about weird thunder sounds in the Docks. But… that's all there was. Probably for the best. I doubt I looked good, getting my ass kicked by Mush
And even with what I just experienced, I'm still itching to go back out there and catch some more criminals. I sure won't underestimate capes ever again though, even if they are Merchant junkie capes.
I sighed and turned off my computer, diverting my attention to the stack of books I'd collected. Time to do some actual learning, if I want to do good on the entrance exams.
Of course… all of this also means I'll have to juggle my cape activities and civilian ones. Ugh. School makes everything harder.
Maybe Lisa can help me study? She did already finish her GED, after all. Deciding that's probably a good idea, I give her a call.
She picked up almost immediately.
"Taylor! What's up?"
"Hi Lisa. I was thinking and…"
"And…?"
"Would you like to come over? I need to study for my entrance exam and since you've already done your GED, I thought…"
"Sure! Wait. Entrance exam?" I was about to tell her about Arcadia, when she spoke up again, even more excitedly. Where does she get this much energy anyway?
"You got into Arcadia?! Of course I'll come. Just tell me where and when."
"Thanks, Lisa!"
We eventually decided for her to come over in an hour. I quickly borrowed all of the books I needed. There weren't really that many. Winslow was bad, but they still made sure to give us the same books as Arcadia… of course with the Trio's shenanigans, I lost a few.
Getting home twenty minutes before Lisa was due to arrive, I went and cleaned up the house, just a little bit. Dad wasn't home yet, but I'm guessing he would be before we finished for today.
Just finished making snacks in the kitchen, the doorbell rang. That must be Lisa.
I ran over to open the door and right on time, standing before me was the blonde herself. She was wearing some simple denim jeans and a stylish jacket, her hair tied up in a neat ponytail. It might not get too cold here in the Bay, but January is still cold enough for at least jackets.
I smiled at her. Somehow, she just always manages to look good.
"Taylor!" before I could even invite her in, I was already enveloped in a hug. Still not used to those. Lisa really is huggy.
"Hi… Come in?"
She at least had the decency to look just a tiny bit sheepish.
I showed her around the house and finally lead her into the living room.
"So, I was thinking we could start with Math or…" I started saying, only to be interrupted by Lisa wagging a finger at me.
"None of that. First things first, you and I are celebrating."
What?
I didn't even need to voice my confusion, this time.
"You getting into Arcadia of course. From what you told me and from what I found out, Winslow was pretty bad, right?"
"And that's why…?"
"Yep! Think about it Tay. This is sooooo worthy of a celebration. C'mon go put on a movie you like."
Begrudgingly, I nodded and put on The Princess Bride. I always liked watching that movie with Mom. Of course, Lisa now derailed all of my plans for learning anything today…
But I kind of didn't mind.
We were halfway through the movie and Lisa was just starting to get bored, when Dad walked into the living room, obviously just home from work.
She must have heard him coming, because she was already standing by the time he was at the archway that leads from the kitchen into the living room.
I paused the movie and thought about what Dad would say. I don't think he'd really have any problems with it, even if I did say I would be studying today.
And he hasn't even met Lisa yet.
Dad chuckled upon seeing the TV.
"Is this how kids nowadays study? I must say it's probably more entertaining that back then. You must be Lisa."
"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you, Mr. Hebert."
They shook hands.
"Nice to meet you, too. And please, none of that Mr. Hebert nonsense. You're a good friend of Taylor's. Just call me Danny."
"Sure, Danny." Lisa smiled at him, but it wasn't her usual mischievous grin. Instead, it was a nice, soft smile. It looked better on her.
She looked a bit oddly at him, cocking her head slightly, almost like a bird and then my ribs…
"Alright, go back to watching whatever you're watching. I do hope you'll do some actual studying today, Taylor."
"Hey, don't blame me. She bullied me into celebrating."
"Oh? Don't mind me then. Lisa, if you want you can stay for dinner."
She nodded slightly. "Thanks, I'd love that."
He went off into the kitchen, probably to prepare dinner and we sat back down on the couch.
Lisa was about to pick up the remote when she paused.
"You know, he really does care a lot about you."
"Hmm? Yeah… I know."
The movie resumed.
"Good."
Chapter 9
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
January the 20th
Monday
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
Ugh… goddamn alarm. Almost ten days of waking up at six AM and I'm still not used to it. I slam it down, maybe a tiny bit too forcefully.
A quick trip to the bathroom and a change of clothes and I'm ready for the morning run. I've been getting better. Even with the slight delay by the injury, I'm still doing a couple minutes longer in my sprints, a couple of hundred feet longer in my jogs.
Unlike how I was before, now, most of my stomach fat is gone. I didn't have that much before, but now it looks positively toned. My legs are starting to see some muscle definition too. Sure, I've only been running for a couple of weeks, and compared to… someone like Sophia, I'd look like nothing, but I've been pushing myself to the limit constantly.
It doesn't even feel that bad. Maybe I have a slight regeneration thing too? Nah…
Today I took a route through the Boardwalk. In the mornings, the city actually looks quite beautiful, especially with the bay in the background and the smell of the sea in the air.
I stopped at a bench and considered just how far I've gotten. Not distance wise, but as a whole. I'm free of my own personal hell. I've made a great friend. If I had any other friends, I'd call her my best friend.
And most important of all, I saved that woman, on that night. And that's really all that matters. Helping other people. It makes me feel so much better, just knowing that I can do something, something to help this dying rotting city. It might be a cesspool of scum and villainy, but it's my cesspool of scum and villainy.
But right now, I'm anxious. I know I shouldn't be. I can't exactly fail the entrance exams. Literally. And even with all the studying me and Lisa did, I still feel like I could screw up. Oh well. What will happen will happen. No point beating myself over it.
I ran back home with my head held high.
When I walked into the house, I could already smell pancakes. My sense of smell was confirmed by Dad.
"Kiddo, go take a shower! I'll finish up these pancakes in a minute." he called out, from the kitchen.
Obliging him, I took a quick shower, only to come back down to a table full of pancakes and jam.
"What's all this for?"
"Well, I decided that since today is so very important to you, I'd cook you something nice for breakfast. Probably enough energy in there for a day of exams in Arcadia, don't you think? And remember, you start your fighting class at five PM today, too."
I wasn't really sure about the fighting class. Dad found some gym that teaches real life fighting skills, combining many different fighting styles, but I'm not so sure it's the real deal.
I didn't bother replying to him, instead I began gorging down food. I was pretty damn hungry.
Dad just laughed slightly at my antics and I decided to slow down a bit.
"You'll do great. I know it."
"Thanks, Dad."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An hour later and I was standing at the main gate for Arcadia High. Dad had already waved me off. He's beaten it into his head to drive me to school for at least two weeks. What he expects to happen to me on a bus, I couldn't for the life of me know. I certainly won't complain, though. I wasn't carrying much with me. A backpack with a pencil case and a small notebook, just in case.
Compared to Winslow, which looked like an old, ransacked prison… Arcadia looks actually quite lovely.
There weren't any students around the school, with classes having already started for some.
There's an entire park built around the school, strewn with benches, trash cans and rocky roads. I can definitely see why they chose to have the Wards here. It's not actually a "public" school, with there being a tuition fee, but those are mostly covered by scholarships that practically everyone in the school has.
The school itself is about four stories tall and consists of two main buildings connected by a center crosspiece. Kind of like an H.
First thing I noticed about the school? No graffiti. The cameras were actually working, or at least that's what I assumed from the fact that they were moving about. And the entire place wasn't beaten up either. Quite the opposite, in fact. Everything looked taken care of.
Huh. They really do pour funding into the school, don't they.
I made my way to the Principal's office.
A quick glance to the clock. Eight o' clock exactly. I took a breath and knocked.
Nobody answered.
Maybe I'm at the wrong place? No… it definitely says 'Professor Eisenhower', 'Principal's office' on the door.
I was broken out of my thoughts by a harsh, old sounding voice from behind me.
"Do you need something?" I turned around to see a man in his sixties, easily. He was tall, really tall, balding and what hair you could still see was white. His eyes, though, were a silver blue and very sharp, as if they saw everything. Kind of scary, really.
Realizing I was probably quiet for a bit too long than I should have been, I spoke up.
"Yes, I was looking for the Principal, sir."
"Miss, I am the principal." Oh. Oops? "Though you obviously would have known that if you were a student from Arcadia. Is it eight o' clock already?" He cast a quick glance to the clock overhead.
"I do apologize Miss Hebert, I was held up by a student who thought it would be a good idea to steal computer parts." Huh… he figured out who I was pretty quickly.
"You're here to take your entrance exams, then? Come on, I have your papers in the office."
I stepped aside and he went in.
The office, was exactly that. An office. Though there were a very large amount of trophies, medals and prizes strewn around one side of the wall.
He took only a second looking through his desk before he pulled out two papers.
"The first one is a map of the school. I've already marked where exactly your exams will be taking place. Do try not to get lost, even if you do have fifteen minutes left."
I nodded slightly and he continued.
"The second piece of paper is the one you'll show to the teacher who'll be waiting for you inside. Do not lose it. I believe that should be everything for now. I wish you the best for the exams, I know you can do well on them."
I straightened up a bit at that, completely involuntarily.
"Thank you, sir." I headed out to leave.
"Just one more thing. A curiosity, if you will. You had a scholarship already aligned for Arcadia and yet you chose to go to Winslow. May I ask why?"
"My former best friend had to go there. And I regret going with her every day…"
"I see. Well then, you really should head on now. The classroom you've been assigned is practically on the other side of the building."
I saw the obvious dismissal for what it was.
Belatedly, I called out a goodbye.
Now… where to. Classroom 3104. Right, that would mean third floor, south side.
Thankfully, every room is helpfully marked. Pretty much impossible to get lost.
I couldn't help but think about the Principal. God. What an intense man. It's like everything you do, he judges.
The bell rang. Five minutes left.
I realized I wasn't looking where I was going, but it was too late. The beautiful, mesmerizing tall blonde coming straight for me wasn't looking either.
We crashed into each other, or more accurately I bounced off of her. What the fuck?
"Sorry!" we both called out at the same time.
"I wasn't looking." She said.
"No, it's not your fault, I…" A pounding began in my head. Shit.
Fuck, that's really starting to hurt. Why would I... why would I get a migraine now?
I clutched my forehead.
"Hey, you okay?" She came closer, and it began hurting even more. I looked at her, again. You know, on second thought, she isn't really that beautiful. Why did I think so in the first place again? No, that's not important right now...
"Y-yeah. J-just a headache." I finally managed to say. What's going on? Headaches don't just pop up out of nowhere. I could barely even think.
"Are you sure? It doesn't look like just a headache. Wait here a second."
She took only a step away and already the pain started lessening. I'll say it again. What the fuck?! Who is this girl? Some kind of Master? Should I try to run away?
"Ames! Come over here for a sec."
She ushered a what I could only describe as a mousy brunette towards me. Ames, is that short for Amy? I feel like I should know these people, but I can't for the life of me remember why.
The girl had freckles all over her face, messy, frizzy brown hair and dark bags under her eyes. Jesus. Even under the headache, I could see just how tired the poor girl was.
"What did you do now?" She tiredly asked the blonde.
"Oh, c'mon Ames. We just hit each other by accident and now she has head pains."
"That's… odd." Now she just looked intrigued. Before the blonde could respond any further, the girl grabbed me by my hand and I almost jumped away from her.
What the hell is going on here?
The girl's eyes only opened slightly wider, as if in recognition of something.
"Vicky, turn off your bloody aura!"
"What? Shit!"
Huh? Aura? I took another look at them and that was when it hit me.
Vicky and Ames… Victoria and Amy Dallon. Glory Girl and Panacea. Oh my god, I'm in the same room as Glory Girl and... she's the one who's been making my head hurt!?
But that doesn't make any sense. Why would being near Glory Girl make my head hurt?
Unless… I read once that she has a small aura that makes criminals fear her. Fuck. It's totally that isn't it. Why would that make my head hurt? It doesn't happen to anybody else…
Shit! Shit,shit,shit,shit.
My powers. Is that what Panacea saw? Does she know I'm a parahuman?
Looking for a way out, I noticed I only had two minutes left to get to the exams. Fuck!
"Shit, sorry, but I'm going to be late. Bye!"
I really did not need this. Hopefully I'll be able to take my mind off… whatever the fuck just happened.
And so, I ran off, and managed to get there one second before the bell rang. The teacher was standing outside the classroom, obviously waiting for me.
I showed her the paper.
"Ah. Taylor Hebert?" I nodded. "Right on time. My name is Helen Clarke. I'm only a substitute teacher here and today I'll be with you while you take your exams. If you'd like to begin, we can go inside now."
She's probably around thirty years old.
I sat down in the first row, right in the center and took out my pens.
"Now, your first exam is English. You have sixty minutes to finish it. Obviously, if you cheat, I will have to take it from you. I hope that won't be the case. If you need to ask me any questions at all, I'll be here. Don't worry about knowing everything. This is just to know where you stand in your knowledge from Winslow. You pretty much can't fail, just get put in a lower grade."
"Okay, so, here's your test and the clock starts ticking… now. Good luck."
I think we were both a bit surprised when I was already finished just about thirty minutes in. I was always good at English, especially because Mom wanted me to read as much as possible and use proper grammar at all times. I may… not have always succeeded.
I doubt I'll get many things wrong, it wasn't even that difficult.
"Excellent. You can begin with the Math exam next. After that, there's a break and you'll be able to go to the cafeteria. The rules are the same as before." She handed me the papers. They didn't look too bad, on a quick examination of the contents.
"Well then, good luck! I'll start grading your English test right away."
The Math test took me a little while longer and there were some things in there I didn't know, even with Lisa's tutorage. I still think I'll get about eighty percent on it. And really, that's pretty good, considering the fact that I was in Winslow the entire time, where almost all of my grades were average.
Really, the only class I actually liked in Winslow was Computer Science. Hopefully it'll be good here too.
"Good work. I must say, just from what I've seen from your English exam, I can tell you're a smart student."
All that remained for now was Science. I was the most worried about this. I didn't have any problems per se with it but… from what Lisa and I saw, I was almost an entire school year behind.
Thankfully, it wasn't too hard, or so I thought.
"If you want, you can go to the cafeteria now. Just show this piece of paper." She handed me a little note, with something quickly handwritten on it. "Come back in about forty minutes and I should be able to tell you your results."
"Okay, thanks!"
Now to find the cafeteria. I am a bit hungry…
Thankfully, it was rather empty. Lunch break already ended a couple of minutes ago.
I know I have Lisa as a friend, but she doesn't go to school. Maybe this time, I won't be so much of a social outcast. I can only try…
I finished eating. Thankfully, you could actually call this lunch. If I was still in Winslow… yeah. Lunch there was pretty bad, half the time I didn't even know what I was eating.
I went back to check if Miss Clarke had my results already.
As I walked in, she was just checking the paper over. She looked up at me and smiled. That's a good sign, right?
"Taylor, you're back just at the right moment. I was just doing a final look over. Frankly, you did really good. I know how it is in Winslow High. I think we'll be glad to have you in Arcadia. Now English you'll be…"
She told me the general details of what classes I'll be having. Mostly as if I was in Arcadia the entire time. I just have to pick up my schedule tomorrow morning at a quarter to eight and I'll be ready to start anew.
And god how good hearing that felt. I know it was irrational to have even feared anything, but hearing her say it just washed me over with relief.
Now I just have to get back home and get ready for my first day of training.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"No, no, no." He holds up his hand, signaling me to stop and I pause to catch my breath. There's probably a reason I'm the only student of his. He's been working me to death for over an hour now, constantly making me redo exercises or fixing my posture. But in a way… I love it. It makes me feel better, to actually see myself improving, bit by bit.
And it's all thanks to him. Mister Akizawa, or as he absolutely insists on me calling him, sensei. He's about forty years old, but goddamn would you never notice it when he hits you. He looks like he's been training his entire life and he's pretty much the most stereotypical skillful sensei you'd ever see. The kind that makes the protagonist into a real badass. Maybe he'll even manage to do the same to me.
The gym itself is really only a gym, though it does have some Chinese martial arts-y stuff in it. Mostly posters and odd looking wooden items. Definitely not a Dojo. Or was that Japanese? I never could tell these things apart.
"You're doing it entirely wrong, Taylor." He says, with his slight accent. Akizawa told me he's actually Japanese, born in China. He escaped China just before the forming of the Chinese Union-Imperial, immigrating to America. That was even before Lung was in Brockton Bay.
He came over, and started guiding my hands and legs until they were exactly as his was when he demonstrated beforehand.
"Now try hitting."
I struck out with my hand, taking great care to heed the former instructions on how to actually land a punch. Who knew you weren't supposed to have your thumb inside of the fist?
"Good." That's the thing about sensei. He never absolutely congratulates you on anything. No 'perfect' or 'excellent' or anything like that. What he says is that you can never be absolutely perfect at anything, merely good enough. How's that for a high standard.
We repeated the entire technique for at least half an hour, before he finally decided I'd had enough torture for the day. Sorry, I mean training.
"You did well. Remember, I expect to see you here at least four times a week. We'll make a good fighter out of you yet."
"Thank you, sensei." And I meant it too. It meant a lot hearing that from him. He may be a hard ass, but he knows his stuff, and he's a great teacher.
"You're free to go. You know where the showers are, if you wish to use them. Farewell."
I nodded, said my goodbyes and went to take a shower. After that workout? Yeah, I probably smell worse than a month-old pile of laundry.
Dad was already waiting for me in his car outside. When I hopped in he took one look at my exhausted self and chuckled.
"Learnt a lot, I take it?"
Hmph. I wonder how well he'd do in there. Probably drop dead the first fifteen minutes.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. I'm tired as heck, after that. But yes, I did actually learn a lot."
"Want to keep going, then?"
"Duh. It was great. I really had no idea how to even punch someone beforehand."
"I can see that happening, definitely. So, I'm guessing you don't want to go out and patrol tonight?"
I may have squealed slightly. And then realized he was teasing me the entire time.
"You did that on purpose!"
"Yup." He said, with a cheeky grin on his face as he started up the car.
Now… how do I convince Lisa to start coming with me…
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Poor Lisa.
I have... mixed feelings about this chapter. Kinda felt like I put too much stuff into it at once. Writing the 'merican school system is hard, if you've never even seen it. I had no idea what i was writing half of the time.
Monday
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
Ugh… goddamn alarm. Almost ten days of waking up at six AM and I'm still not used to it. I slam it down, maybe a tiny bit too forcefully.
A quick trip to the bathroom and a change of clothes and I'm ready for the morning run. I've been getting better. Even with the slight delay by the injury, I'm still doing a couple minutes longer in my sprints, a couple of hundred feet longer in my jogs.
Unlike how I was before, now, most of my stomach fat is gone. I didn't have that much before, but now it looks positively toned. My legs are starting to see some muscle definition too. Sure, I've only been running for a couple of weeks, and compared to… someone like Sophia, I'd look like nothing, but I've been pushing myself to the limit constantly.
It doesn't even feel that bad. Maybe I have a slight regeneration thing too? Nah…
Today I took a route through the Boardwalk. In the mornings, the city actually looks quite beautiful, especially with the bay in the background and the smell of the sea in the air.
I stopped at a bench and considered just how far I've gotten. Not distance wise, but as a whole. I'm free of my own personal hell. I've made a great friend. If I had any other friends, I'd call her my best friend.
And most important of all, I saved that woman, on that night. And that's really all that matters. Helping other people. It makes me feel so much better, just knowing that I can do something, something to help this dying rotting city. It might be a cesspool of scum and villainy, but it's my cesspool of scum and villainy.
But right now, I'm anxious. I know I shouldn't be. I can't exactly fail the entrance exams. Literally. And even with all the studying me and Lisa did, I still feel like I could screw up. Oh well. What will happen will happen. No point beating myself over it.
I ran back home with my head held high.
When I walked into the house, I could already smell pancakes. My sense of smell was confirmed by Dad.
"Kiddo, go take a shower! I'll finish up these pancakes in a minute." he called out, from the kitchen.
Obliging him, I took a quick shower, only to come back down to a table full of pancakes and jam.
"What's all this for?"
"Well, I decided that since today is so very important to you, I'd cook you something nice for breakfast. Probably enough energy in there for a day of exams in Arcadia, don't you think? And remember, you start your fighting class at five PM today, too."
I wasn't really sure about the fighting class. Dad found some gym that teaches real life fighting skills, combining many different fighting styles, but I'm not so sure it's the real deal.
I didn't bother replying to him, instead I began gorging down food. I was pretty damn hungry.
Dad just laughed slightly at my antics and I decided to slow down a bit.
"You'll do great. I know it."
"Thanks, Dad."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An hour later and I was standing at the main gate for Arcadia High. Dad had already waved me off. He's beaten it into his head to drive me to school for at least two weeks. What he expects to happen to me on a bus, I couldn't for the life of me know. I certainly won't complain, though. I wasn't carrying much with me. A backpack with a pencil case and a small notebook, just in case.
Compared to Winslow, which looked like an old, ransacked prison… Arcadia looks actually quite lovely.
There weren't any students around the school, with classes having already started for some.
There's an entire park built around the school, strewn with benches, trash cans and rocky roads. I can definitely see why they chose to have the Wards here. It's not actually a "public" school, with there being a tuition fee, but those are mostly covered by scholarships that practically everyone in the school has.
The school itself is about four stories tall and consists of two main buildings connected by a center crosspiece. Kind of like an H.
First thing I noticed about the school? No graffiti. The cameras were actually working, or at least that's what I assumed from the fact that they were moving about. And the entire place wasn't beaten up either. Quite the opposite, in fact. Everything looked taken care of.
Huh. They really do pour funding into the school, don't they.
I made my way to the Principal's office.
A quick glance to the clock. Eight o' clock exactly. I took a breath and knocked.
Nobody answered.
Maybe I'm at the wrong place? No… it definitely says 'Professor Eisenhower', 'Principal's office' on the door.
I was broken out of my thoughts by a harsh, old sounding voice from behind me.
"Do you need something?" I turned around to see a man in his sixties, easily. He was tall, really tall, balding and what hair you could still see was white. His eyes, though, were a silver blue and very sharp, as if they saw everything. Kind of scary, really.
Realizing I was probably quiet for a bit too long than I should have been, I spoke up.
"Yes, I was looking for the Principal, sir."
"Miss, I am the principal." Oh. Oops? "Though you obviously would have known that if you were a student from Arcadia. Is it eight o' clock already?" He cast a quick glance to the clock overhead.
"I do apologize Miss Hebert, I was held up by a student who thought it would be a good idea to steal computer parts." Huh… he figured out who I was pretty quickly.
"You're here to take your entrance exams, then? Come on, I have your papers in the office."
I stepped aside and he went in.
The office, was exactly that. An office. Though there were a very large amount of trophies, medals and prizes strewn around one side of the wall.
He took only a second looking through his desk before he pulled out two papers.
"The first one is a map of the school. I've already marked where exactly your exams will be taking place. Do try not to get lost, even if you do have fifteen minutes left."
I nodded slightly and he continued.
"The second piece of paper is the one you'll show to the teacher who'll be waiting for you inside. Do not lose it. I believe that should be everything for now. I wish you the best for the exams, I know you can do well on them."
I straightened up a bit at that, completely involuntarily.
"Thank you, sir." I headed out to leave.
"Just one more thing. A curiosity, if you will. You had a scholarship already aligned for Arcadia and yet you chose to go to Winslow. May I ask why?"
"My former best friend had to go there. And I regret going with her every day…"
"I see. Well then, you really should head on now. The classroom you've been assigned is practically on the other side of the building."
I saw the obvious dismissal for what it was.
Belatedly, I called out a goodbye.
Now… where to. Classroom 3104. Right, that would mean third floor, south side.
Thankfully, every room is helpfully marked. Pretty much impossible to get lost.
I couldn't help but think about the Principal. God. What an intense man. It's like everything you do, he judges.
The bell rang. Five minutes left.
I realized I wasn't looking where I was going, but it was too late. The beautiful, mesmerizing tall blonde coming straight for me wasn't looking either.
We crashed into each other, or more accurately I bounced off of her. What the fuck?
"Sorry!" we both called out at the same time.
"I wasn't looking." She said.
"No, it's not your fault, I…" A pounding began in my head. Shit.
Fuck, that's really starting to hurt. Why would I... why would I get a migraine now?
I clutched my forehead.
"Hey, you okay?" She came closer, and it began hurting even more. I looked at her, again. You know, on second thought, she isn't really that beautiful. Why did I think so in the first place again? No, that's not important right now...
"Y-yeah. J-just a headache." I finally managed to say. What's going on? Headaches don't just pop up out of nowhere. I could barely even think.
"Are you sure? It doesn't look like just a headache. Wait here a second."
She took only a step away and already the pain started lessening. I'll say it again. What the fuck?! Who is this girl? Some kind of Master? Should I try to run away?
"Ames! Come over here for a sec."
She ushered a what I could only describe as a mousy brunette towards me. Ames, is that short for Amy? I feel like I should know these people, but I can't for the life of me remember why.
The girl had freckles all over her face, messy, frizzy brown hair and dark bags under her eyes. Jesus. Even under the headache, I could see just how tired the poor girl was.
"What did you do now?" She tiredly asked the blonde.
"Oh, c'mon Ames. We just hit each other by accident and now she has head pains."
"That's… odd." Now she just looked intrigued. Before the blonde could respond any further, the girl grabbed me by my hand and I almost jumped away from her.
What the hell is going on here?
The girl's eyes only opened slightly wider, as if in recognition of something.
"Vicky, turn off your bloody aura!"
"What? Shit!"
Huh? Aura? I took another look at them and that was when it hit me.
Vicky and Ames… Victoria and Amy Dallon. Glory Girl and Panacea. Oh my god, I'm in the same room as Glory Girl and... she's the one who's been making my head hurt!?
But that doesn't make any sense. Why would being near Glory Girl make my head hurt?
Unless… I read once that she has a small aura that makes criminals fear her. Fuck. It's totally that isn't it. Why would that make my head hurt? It doesn't happen to anybody else…
Shit! Shit,shit,shit,shit.
My powers. Is that what Panacea saw? Does she know I'm a parahuman?
Looking for a way out, I noticed I only had two minutes left to get to the exams. Fuck!
"Shit, sorry, but I'm going to be late. Bye!"
I really did not need this. Hopefully I'll be able to take my mind off… whatever the fuck just happened.
And so, I ran off, and managed to get there one second before the bell rang. The teacher was standing outside the classroom, obviously waiting for me.
I showed her the paper.
"Ah. Taylor Hebert?" I nodded. "Right on time. My name is Helen Clarke. I'm only a substitute teacher here and today I'll be with you while you take your exams. If you'd like to begin, we can go inside now."
She's probably around thirty years old.
I sat down in the first row, right in the center and took out my pens.
"Now, your first exam is English. You have sixty minutes to finish it. Obviously, if you cheat, I will have to take it from you. I hope that won't be the case. If you need to ask me any questions at all, I'll be here. Don't worry about knowing everything. This is just to know where you stand in your knowledge from Winslow. You pretty much can't fail, just get put in a lower grade."
"Okay, so, here's your test and the clock starts ticking… now. Good luck."
I think we were both a bit surprised when I was already finished just about thirty minutes in. I was always good at English, especially because Mom wanted me to read as much as possible and use proper grammar at all times. I may… not have always succeeded.
I doubt I'll get many things wrong, it wasn't even that difficult.
"Excellent. You can begin with the Math exam next. After that, there's a break and you'll be able to go to the cafeteria. The rules are the same as before." She handed me the papers. They didn't look too bad, on a quick examination of the contents.
"Well then, good luck! I'll start grading your English test right away."
The Math test took me a little while longer and there were some things in there I didn't know, even with Lisa's tutorage. I still think I'll get about eighty percent on it. And really, that's pretty good, considering the fact that I was in Winslow the entire time, where almost all of my grades were average.
Really, the only class I actually liked in Winslow was Computer Science. Hopefully it'll be good here too.
"Good work. I must say, just from what I've seen from your English exam, I can tell you're a smart student."
All that remained for now was Science. I was the most worried about this. I didn't have any problems per se with it but… from what Lisa and I saw, I was almost an entire school year behind.
Thankfully, it wasn't too hard, or so I thought.
"If you want, you can go to the cafeteria now. Just show this piece of paper." She handed me a little note, with something quickly handwritten on it. "Come back in about forty minutes and I should be able to tell you your results."
"Okay, thanks!"
Now to find the cafeteria. I am a bit hungry…
Thankfully, it was rather empty. Lunch break already ended a couple of minutes ago.
I know I have Lisa as a friend, but she doesn't go to school. Maybe this time, I won't be so much of a social outcast. I can only try…
I finished eating. Thankfully, you could actually call this lunch. If I was still in Winslow… yeah. Lunch there was pretty bad, half the time I didn't even know what I was eating.
I went back to check if Miss Clarke had my results already.
As I walked in, she was just checking the paper over. She looked up at me and smiled. That's a good sign, right?
"Taylor, you're back just at the right moment. I was just doing a final look over. Frankly, you did really good. I know how it is in Winslow High. I think we'll be glad to have you in Arcadia. Now English you'll be…"
She told me the general details of what classes I'll be having. Mostly as if I was in Arcadia the entire time. I just have to pick up my schedule tomorrow morning at a quarter to eight and I'll be ready to start anew.
And god how good hearing that felt. I know it was irrational to have even feared anything, but hearing her say it just washed me over with relief.
Now I just have to get back home and get ready for my first day of training.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"No, no, no." He holds up his hand, signaling me to stop and I pause to catch my breath. There's probably a reason I'm the only student of his. He's been working me to death for over an hour now, constantly making me redo exercises or fixing my posture. But in a way… I love it. It makes me feel better, to actually see myself improving, bit by bit.
And it's all thanks to him. Mister Akizawa, or as he absolutely insists on me calling him, sensei. He's about forty years old, but goddamn would you never notice it when he hits you. He looks like he's been training his entire life and he's pretty much the most stereotypical skillful sensei you'd ever see. The kind that makes the protagonist into a real badass. Maybe he'll even manage to do the same to me.
The gym itself is really only a gym, though it does have some Chinese martial arts-y stuff in it. Mostly posters and odd looking wooden items. Definitely not a Dojo. Or was that Japanese? I never could tell these things apart.
"You're doing it entirely wrong, Taylor." He says, with his slight accent. Akizawa told me he's actually Japanese, born in China. He escaped China just before the forming of the Chinese Union-Imperial, immigrating to America. That was even before Lung was in Brockton Bay.
He came over, and started guiding my hands and legs until they were exactly as his was when he demonstrated beforehand.
"Now try hitting."
I struck out with my hand, taking great care to heed the former instructions on how to actually land a punch. Who knew you weren't supposed to have your thumb inside of the fist?
"Good." That's the thing about sensei. He never absolutely congratulates you on anything. No 'perfect' or 'excellent' or anything like that. What he says is that you can never be absolutely perfect at anything, merely good enough. How's that for a high standard.
We repeated the entire technique for at least half an hour, before he finally decided I'd had enough torture for the day. Sorry, I mean training.
"You did well. Remember, I expect to see you here at least four times a week. We'll make a good fighter out of you yet."
"Thank you, sensei." And I meant it too. It meant a lot hearing that from him. He may be a hard ass, but he knows his stuff, and he's a great teacher.
"You're free to go. You know where the showers are, if you wish to use them. Farewell."
I nodded, said my goodbyes and went to take a shower. After that workout? Yeah, I probably smell worse than a month-old pile of laundry.
Dad was already waiting for me in his car outside. When I hopped in he took one look at my exhausted self and chuckled.
"Learnt a lot, I take it?"
Hmph. I wonder how well he'd do in there. Probably drop dead the first fifteen minutes.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. I'm tired as heck, after that. But yes, I did actually learn a lot."
"Want to keep going, then?"
"Duh. It was great. I really had no idea how to even punch someone beforehand."
"I can see that happening, definitely. So, I'm guessing you don't want to go out and patrol tonight?"
I may have squealed slightly. And then realized he was teasing me the entire time.
"You did that on purpose!"
"Yup." He said, with a cheeky grin on his face as he started up the car.
Now… how do I convince Lisa to start coming with me…
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Poor Lisa.
I have... mixed feelings about this chapter. Kinda felt like I put too much stuff into it at once. Writing the 'merican school system is hard, if you've never even seen it. I had no idea what i was writing half of the time.
Last edited:
Chapter 10
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
January the 21st
Tuesday
I'd just collected my new timetable. Who knew they would put me into Advanced English? And I have Computer Science, too. At least that I know will be fun.
Right now, though, I have homeroom, which means that now… now I just have to meet my classmates for the first time. No pressure, Taylor.
When I entered the room, I saw that there were no free tables. Great… While looking for someone to sit down next to, I noticed something.
A girl, petite, almost a foot smaller than me, with pale skin, mildly brown hair which curled almost like mine, deep blue eyes and a mildly round face, was waving at me and smiling happily. If anything, I would probably describe her as… maybe Slavic?
"Hey! Come sit down next to me?"
I came up to her, in the third row and on the far left of the class.
"Hi? I'm Taylor Hebert. Nice to meet you."
"Hi!" she practically exclaimed. Jesus, this one sure is energetic. "I'm Marie Rogers. Nice to meet you too."
I just smiled at her and sat down. As soon as I put my bag away, she leaned in towards me.
"So, you're the new girl, huh? Where' you from? Out of town? I don't know why anybody would want to move to Brockton Bay, but…" she trailed off from her barrage of questions for a bit and decided it was probably best to stop her right there, before I get drowned in them.
"Yeah, no, I'm from Brockton Bay. I went to Winslow before." I said, almost growling the word.
She winced. "Yikes. Is it as bad as they say?"
I just shrugged. "I dunno. What do they say?"
Marie grimaced for a second. "Like, gang members and graffiti and fighting in the hallways?"
"Oh yeah. Yeah, that happened a bit. Mostly I just stayed out of their way. Had other stuff to worry about…"
"Christ. Sorry you had to be there. So, wait. How did you get transferred here in the middle of the school year?"
Now it was my time to grimace. I really don't want to talk about the locker. I haven't even told Lisa the full details, only that something happened. I mean, she probably already found, since she seems to know pretty much everything, but it's the thought that counts.
"I… can we not talk about that, please? It wasn't pleasant." My voice turned must have been quite serious, since she dropped it immediately.
"Shit. Sorry, I really shouldn't ask stuff like that. Please, don't be mad at me?"
What?
"Marie… I'm not mad at you. Why would you even think that?"
"I just… no, it doesn't matter, really. Hey, um, can you show me your schedule? I can point you out some things!"
I gave her the schedule and Marie took out hers.
"Oh hey, look we have lots of classes together. This is so cool. Hey, if you want you can sit with me and a couple of other people at lunch?"
I've just realized I met Lisa dialed to eleven, haven't I? One of them is enough…
I silently sighed, knowing I've just been doomed for eternity.
"Sure, I don't see why not." I said, with a slightly resigned tone.
"Great!" She chipperly said. "Oh, we should probably stop talking, the teacher is about to start the class."
And that was when I even noticed that the teacher, a fairly young woman, with short dark hair, is standing in front of class. I didn't even notice her come in. Though I have a feeling a few of the boys did.
"Good morning, everyone." She said, enthusiastically enough that I could tell she was new to this. No teacher lasts being that cheerful for a very long time, especially not in the mornings.
There were some half-hearted murmurings from the class, and I tried to make up for them. Just how rude are some of these people?
"Now today, before we begin… as you probably already noticed, we have a new student." Everyone turned to look at me. I froze in place. "Taylor, please stand up." I stood. "Thank you. Now as you likely don't know me, I'm Susan Carver, and I'll be your homeroom teacher this year. If you would be so kind to introduce yourself to us?"
She finished speaking and it was almost as if a ball caught in my throat. Before I could embarrass myself with my silence any further, I took a long deep breath.
"Uh… hi. I'm Taylor Hebert. And I, uh, hope we can be good classmates." I… probably sounded far too skittish for my own tastes. What's done is done.
"Well, it's definitely good to meet you, Taylor. You can sit down now. Now today…" she kept talking about something to do with the class, but I really couldn't focus on her right now.
I almost fell back into my chair, and taking a quick glance around I saw that nobody was looking at me anymore, either paying attention to Ms. Carver, chatting to each other or sneakily using their phones.
That is… everyone but Marie. She was looking at me, with some worry evident on her eyes. Was I that obvious? God, I hope not.
"You okay?" she asked, as if confirming my thoughts.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I already knew my fate was sealed.
"You know, I feel pretty scared talking to a big group too, you know. Nothing to be ashamed of."
I just raised an eyebrow at her. Marie, the girl who immediately jumped into socializing with me, was afraid of speaking to groups? Yeah, right. God, I just can't get a break, can I?
"What?" she asked, looking slightly annoyed. "You think just because I'm so… friendly, that I can't be scared of public speaking?" she sounded annoyed too.
Great. Just bloody great. I suck at figuring people out, don't I?
I sighed heavily. "You're right. I just didn't expect it to be so. You're just so lively, I just never would have thought it. I thought you were making fun of me…"
"Huh? What even made you think so? No, that's not important. What's important is I'd never make fun of you like that. Something light hearted and funny for the both of us, sure, but nothing like that!"
Couldn't even make a new friend in school without screwing everything up. It's a fucking wonder Lisa hasn't gone away yet.
Ah fuck it, I blame Emma.
I really should apologize… try and fix this mess I've made.
"I'm sorry." I said, sincerely, because I did mean it.
She just brightly smiled at me. "No worries! Now, we really should listen to the teacher, at least a little bit."
The morning passed by, and some people looked at me a bit oddly now and then. Likely wondering who I am. Marie stayed by me most of the time, introducing me to everything that I didn't know in Arcadia.
Then lunch came, and after getting my food I, by instinct, turned towards the bathrooms. Thankfully, nobody noticed. But just thinking such things… Ugh! I hate it. I hate it that my first instinct was to run away, like a fucking coward!
I sat down besides my new friend and her friends. I had already met one of them, Alice. A fairly pretty brunette.
Marie was the first to speak up.
"Taylor, this is Rick, one of the who I told you about." She said, gesturing towards a blonde haired and blue eyed boy. He definitely wouldn't look misplaced in the Empire. Looks German, too. No, bad Taylor! Stop stereotyping people! This isn't fucking Winslow.
He practically beamed at me.
"Hey Taylor!"
"Hi…"
"Hey, where's David anyway?" asked Alice.
"Haven't got a clue. He wasn't in school today." I saw her deflate a bit at that. I guess she must like him.
I just listened and watched them while they talked. Not like I had much to really contribute. I felt a bit awkward, of course, but eh. Awkward is an old friend.
My eyes wandered over to another table, which seemed to be fairly popular. And what I saw reminded me of something I definitely never wanted to think about again. Glory Girl. Victoria Dallon. I still don't know what the fuck happened there and I'm pretty sure I never want to find out. They're hiding something and it bothers me a lot. 'Personal responsibility' my ass.
I… probably shouldn't be so hard on New Wave, but I can't help it.
Thankfully, Marie broke me out of my not so kind thoughts, reminding me that it's time to go back to class soon.
Feeling that I need to cheer myself up a bit, I gave Lisa a quick text to see if she wanted to hang out today. Funnily enough, she replied almost immediately in the affirmative. That girl has waaaaay too much time on her hands. How she managed to finish her GED at sixteen and get a high paying job, I'll never know. I do know that I envy her.
The rest of class wasn't really all that interesting. I had to be introduced a bunch of times and try and figure out where exactly in the curriculum are they.
At least the teachers actually seemed to be competent, even if Marie was complaining about one or another, I actually liked them.
And chatting with her wasn't all that bad either. Well… I say chatting. She was mainly the one who talked. It's like her mouth has a mind of her own.
A smile tugged on my lips. Yeah, she's definitely a motormouth.
I was about to go see if Dad was here yet, since he promised to come after school, when Marie almost sprinted after me.
"Hey Taylor, wait a bit!"
I let her catch up with me and take a breath. The girl really isn't in shape.
"What's up, Marie? Did I forget something?" I asked her, slightly confused why she ran after me.
She started laughing. At least this time, I didn't cringe away. Stupid trio.
"No, no you did not forget anything. You ran away before we could exchange phone numbers, silly!"
"Marie, you do realize we're gonna see each other tomorrow too?" I deadpanned.
"Well, yeah, but what if I need to call you today?" I just kept my eyes on her, not blinking.
"Oh, alright, so I might not have thought it through. Whateeeeevs. Soooo, you gonna give me your number or not?"
I barely suppressed an eye-roll at her antics, though a small laugh did escape me. I told her my number and she entered it quickly on her gigantic smartphone. How she could tap so fast, I couldn't for the life of me know.
I pulled out my flip-phone, only to see Marie frowning at it, as if it's an abomination to the world.
"That… that thing… I'm horrified Taylor. We're getting you a new proper phone ASAP. You sure that thing can even store numbers?"
This time, I just stuck out my tongue at her.
"I like my phone! It's useful!"
"If you say so…" her skeptical tone was done so well, I almost suspected it to be real. "Alright fineee. Have it your way."
She gave me her number, glancing at my phone every now and then as if she wanted to take it from my hands and take it away.
"You really do like your smartphones, don't you?" I asked her, slightly interested even if she did slander my perfectly fine flip-phone.
"Like you wouldn't believe. I don't think I could live without my baby."
Seeing me raise my eyebrows at that ridiculous statement, she put her hands up.
"Kidding, kidding! Well… mostly."
"Riiiiight." I saw Dad's car, parked in the background. "I should probably go now, Dad's already waiting. See you tomorrow, Marie!"
"See ya!"
Walking away, I sighed a bit. It was fun to poke each other. While I do it with Lisa too, it's definitely a bit different to have fun with a classmate/quite likely new friend.
Feeling just a bit better, I sat down in the car.
"Hey Dad."
"Little owl. How was your day at school? Not too terrible, I hope."
"No, it was actually quite nice. I think I've made a new friend too." He smiled at that.
"Good! It's always nice to have another friend. So, any plans for today? You're not training today, are you?"
"Nah, I can't do it every day. I've already messaged Lisa if she wants to hang out. Not sure where we'll be. Eh, I'll ask her later. She always has some ideas. Ideas and way too much time."
"Mmm, that she does. C'mon, tell me something about your new friend."
"Well, her name's Marie…"
------------------------------------------------------------
Oh boy... this one took me a couple of days. Been kind of busy. I'm not sure how many chapters i'll manage to put out this week...
Hopefully you'll like the chapter!
Tuesday
I'd just collected my new timetable. Who knew they would put me into Advanced English? And I have Computer Science, too. At least that I know will be fun.
Right now, though, I have homeroom, which means that now… now I just have to meet my classmates for the first time. No pressure, Taylor.
When I entered the room, I saw that there were no free tables. Great… While looking for someone to sit down next to, I noticed something.
A girl, petite, almost a foot smaller than me, with pale skin, mildly brown hair which curled almost like mine, deep blue eyes and a mildly round face, was waving at me and smiling happily. If anything, I would probably describe her as… maybe Slavic?
"Hey! Come sit down next to me?"
I came up to her, in the third row and on the far left of the class.
"Hi? I'm Taylor Hebert. Nice to meet you."
"Hi!" she practically exclaimed. Jesus, this one sure is energetic. "I'm Marie Rogers. Nice to meet you too."
I just smiled at her and sat down. As soon as I put my bag away, she leaned in towards me.
"So, you're the new girl, huh? Where' you from? Out of town? I don't know why anybody would want to move to Brockton Bay, but…" she trailed off from her barrage of questions for a bit and decided it was probably best to stop her right there, before I get drowned in them.
"Yeah, no, I'm from Brockton Bay. I went to Winslow before." I said, almost growling the word.
She winced. "Yikes. Is it as bad as they say?"
I just shrugged. "I dunno. What do they say?"
Marie grimaced for a second. "Like, gang members and graffiti and fighting in the hallways?"
"Oh yeah. Yeah, that happened a bit. Mostly I just stayed out of their way. Had other stuff to worry about…"
"Christ. Sorry you had to be there. So, wait. How did you get transferred here in the middle of the school year?"
Now it was my time to grimace. I really don't want to talk about the locker. I haven't even told Lisa the full details, only that something happened. I mean, she probably already found, since she seems to know pretty much everything, but it's the thought that counts.
"I… can we not talk about that, please? It wasn't pleasant." My voice turned must have been quite serious, since she dropped it immediately.
"Shit. Sorry, I really shouldn't ask stuff like that. Please, don't be mad at me?"
What?
"Marie… I'm not mad at you. Why would you even think that?"
"I just… no, it doesn't matter, really. Hey, um, can you show me your schedule? I can point you out some things!"
I gave her the schedule and Marie took out hers.
"Oh hey, look we have lots of classes together. This is so cool. Hey, if you want you can sit with me and a couple of other people at lunch?"
I've just realized I met Lisa dialed to eleven, haven't I? One of them is enough…
I silently sighed, knowing I've just been doomed for eternity.
"Sure, I don't see why not." I said, with a slightly resigned tone.
"Great!" She chipperly said. "Oh, we should probably stop talking, the teacher is about to start the class."
And that was when I even noticed that the teacher, a fairly young woman, with short dark hair, is standing in front of class. I didn't even notice her come in. Though I have a feeling a few of the boys did.
"Good morning, everyone." She said, enthusiastically enough that I could tell she was new to this. No teacher lasts being that cheerful for a very long time, especially not in the mornings.
There were some half-hearted murmurings from the class, and I tried to make up for them. Just how rude are some of these people?
"Now today, before we begin… as you probably already noticed, we have a new student." Everyone turned to look at me. I froze in place. "Taylor, please stand up." I stood. "Thank you. Now as you likely don't know me, I'm Susan Carver, and I'll be your homeroom teacher this year. If you would be so kind to introduce yourself to us?"
She finished speaking and it was almost as if a ball caught in my throat. Before I could embarrass myself with my silence any further, I took a long deep breath.
"Uh… hi. I'm Taylor Hebert. And I, uh, hope we can be good classmates." I… probably sounded far too skittish for my own tastes. What's done is done.
"Well, it's definitely good to meet you, Taylor. You can sit down now. Now today…" she kept talking about something to do with the class, but I really couldn't focus on her right now.
I almost fell back into my chair, and taking a quick glance around I saw that nobody was looking at me anymore, either paying attention to Ms. Carver, chatting to each other or sneakily using their phones.
That is… everyone but Marie. She was looking at me, with some worry evident on her eyes. Was I that obvious? God, I hope not.
"You okay?" she asked, as if confirming my thoughts.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I already knew my fate was sealed.
"You know, I feel pretty scared talking to a big group too, you know. Nothing to be ashamed of."
I just raised an eyebrow at her. Marie, the girl who immediately jumped into socializing with me, was afraid of speaking to groups? Yeah, right. God, I just can't get a break, can I?
"What?" she asked, looking slightly annoyed. "You think just because I'm so… friendly, that I can't be scared of public speaking?" she sounded annoyed too.
Great. Just bloody great. I suck at figuring people out, don't I?
I sighed heavily. "You're right. I just didn't expect it to be so. You're just so lively, I just never would have thought it. I thought you were making fun of me…"
"Huh? What even made you think so? No, that's not important. What's important is I'd never make fun of you like that. Something light hearted and funny for the both of us, sure, but nothing like that!"
Couldn't even make a new friend in school without screwing everything up. It's a fucking wonder Lisa hasn't gone away yet.
Ah fuck it, I blame Emma.
I really should apologize… try and fix this mess I've made.
"I'm sorry." I said, sincerely, because I did mean it.
She just brightly smiled at me. "No worries! Now, we really should listen to the teacher, at least a little bit."
The morning passed by, and some people looked at me a bit oddly now and then. Likely wondering who I am. Marie stayed by me most of the time, introducing me to everything that I didn't know in Arcadia.
Then lunch came, and after getting my food I, by instinct, turned towards the bathrooms. Thankfully, nobody noticed. But just thinking such things… Ugh! I hate it. I hate it that my first instinct was to run away, like a fucking coward!
I sat down besides my new friend and her friends. I had already met one of them, Alice. A fairly pretty brunette.
Marie was the first to speak up.
"Taylor, this is Rick, one of the who I told you about." She said, gesturing towards a blonde haired and blue eyed boy. He definitely wouldn't look misplaced in the Empire. Looks German, too. No, bad Taylor! Stop stereotyping people! This isn't fucking Winslow.
He practically beamed at me.
"Hey Taylor!"
"Hi…"
"Hey, where's David anyway?" asked Alice.
"Haven't got a clue. He wasn't in school today." I saw her deflate a bit at that. I guess she must like him.
I just listened and watched them while they talked. Not like I had much to really contribute. I felt a bit awkward, of course, but eh. Awkward is an old friend.
My eyes wandered over to another table, which seemed to be fairly popular. And what I saw reminded me of something I definitely never wanted to think about again. Glory Girl. Victoria Dallon. I still don't know what the fuck happened there and I'm pretty sure I never want to find out. They're hiding something and it bothers me a lot. 'Personal responsibility' my ass.
I… probably shouldn't be so hard on New Wave, but I can't help it.
Thankfully, Marie broke me out of my not so kind thoughts, reminding me that it's time to go back to class soon.
Feeling that I need to cheer myself up a bit, I gave Lisa a quick text to see if she wanted to hang out today. Funnily enough, she replied almost immediately in the affirmative. That girl has waaaaay too much time on her hands. How she managed to finish her GED at sixteen and get a high paying job, I'll never know. I do know that I envy her.
The rest of class wasn't really all that interesting. I had to be introduced a bunch of times and try and figure out where exactly in the curriculum are they.
At least the teachers actually seemed to be competent, even if Marie was complaining about one or another, I actually liked them.
And chatting with her wasn't all that bad either. Well… I say chatting. She was mainly the one who talked. It's like her mouth has a mind of her own.
A smile tugged on my lips. Yeah, she's definitely a motormouth.
I was about to go see if Dad was here yet, since he promised to come after school, when Marie almost sprinted after me.
"Hey Taylor, wait a bit!"
I let her catch up with me and take a breath. The girl really isn't in shape.
"What's up, Marie? Did I forget something?" I asked her, slightly confused why she ran after me.
She started laughing. At least this time, I didn't cringe away. Stupid trio.
"No, no you did not forget anything. You ran away before we could exchange phone numbers, silly!"
"Marie, you do realize we're gonna see each other tomorrow too?" I deadpanned.
"Well, yeah, but what if I need to call you today?" I just kept my eyes on her, not blinking.
"Oh, alright, so I might not have thought it through. Whateeeeevs. Soooo, you gonna give me your number or not?"
I barely suppressed an eye-roll at her antics, though a small laugh did escape me. I told her my number and she entered it quickly on her gigantic smartphone. How she could tap so fast, I couldn't for the life of me know.
I pulled out my flip-phone, only to see Marie frowning at it, as if it's an abomination to the world.
"That… that thing… I'm horrified Taylor. We're getting you a new proper phone ASAP. You sure that thing can even store numbers?"
This time, I just stuck out my tongue at her.
"I like my phone! It's useful!"
"If you say so…" her skeptical tone was done so well, I almost suspected it to be real. "Alright fineee. Have it your way."
She gave me her number, glancing at my phone every now and then as if she wanted to take it from my hands and take it away.
"You really do like your smartphones, don't you?" I asked her, slightly interested even if she did slander my perfectly fine flip-phone.
"Like you wouldn't believe. I don't think I could live without my baby."
Seeing me raise my eyebrows at that ridiculous statement, she put her hands up.
"Kidding, kidding! Well… mostly."
"Riiiiight." I saw Dad's car, parked in the background. "I should probably go now, Dad's already waiting. See you tomorrow, Marie!"
"See ya!"
Walking away, I sighed a bit. It was fun to poke each other. While I do it with Lisa too, it's definitely a bit different to have fun with a classmate/quite likely new friend.
Feeling just a bit better, I sat down in the car.
"Hey Dad."
"Little owl. How was your day at school? Not too terrible, I hope."
"No, it was actually quite nice. I think I've made a new friend too." He smiled at that.
"Good! It's always nice to have another friend. So, any plans for today? You're not training today, are you?"
"Nah, I can't do it every day. I've already messaged Lisa if she wants to hang out. Not sure where we'll be. Eh, I'll ask her later. She always has some ideas. Ideas and way too much time."
"Mmm, that she does. C'mon, tell me something about your new friend."
"Well, her name's Marie…"
------------------------------------------------------------
Oh boy... this one took me a couple of days. Been kind of busy. I'm not sure how many chapters i'll manage to put out this week...
Hopefully you'll like the chapter!
Last edited:
Pridakarbiter
Unseelie
- Location
- Arctis Tor
Seems off to a good start. I look forward to more.
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
Note: This is a slightly modified post from the thead over at Spacebattles, and I'm just gonna post it here to let you guys know the changes to stuff that might have bugged you.
Thanks to Lyova to pointing out my mistakes.
Surprisingly easy to change this, actually. Removed like 15 uses of kiddo too. As some people in other threads have pointed out, apparently Danny almost never says that. Who bloody knew...
Right. I mostly made this post just to let you people, who have already read the chapters, know what's changed(almost nothing).
See ya.
Thanks to Lyova to pointing out my mistakes.
Right. Deleted that. I'm pretty sure that wasn't supposed to be in the damned fic in the first place, likely something I forgot to change from an earlier draft.
Yeah, since people seem to really hate this, I've changed those damned 5 words. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Enjoy the teacher who's name even I have already forgotten.
Changed it from being a rumor that he won, to there being a rumor that he survived Kyushu after fighting Leviathan.
Surprisingly easy to change this, actually. Removed like 15 uses of kiddo too. As some people in other threads have pointed out, apparently Danny almost never says that. Who bloody knew...
Right. I mostly made this post just to let you people, who have already read the chapters, know what's changed(almost nothing).
See ya.
Chapter 11
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
January the 21st
Tuesday
Afternoon
I was sprawled over the sofa, with way too many cushions all around me. The TV was ready to be hooked up with Lisa's laptop. Right now, it was playing some silly cape soap opera. The kitchen was a mess, courtesy of my haphazard cooking of some snacks for the afternoon. Dad was at work until late in the evening today, having finally found some work for the dockworkers. Lisa and I are free to do whatever we want, and today, we agreed to watch some movies.
The bell rang. I frowned and checked the clock on the TV. Barely four PM, just like I thought. Lisa said she didn't have time until half past four, and she's always exactly on time.
I sighed and went to greet whoever decided to come over on a Tuesday.
There was just one problem. When I opened the door, nobody was there. Maybe this someone went around the house?
Stepping onto the wooden porch, shivering slightly. It was a bit cold, it being January and all. I looked around.
Nobody.
I decided to just head back into the house.
"BOO!"
I quickly took a step back and started raising my arm, just like Mister Akizawa taught me to, only to realize it was fucking Lisa. Because of course it's her.
"What the fuck, Lise? You scared the shit out of me! I could have hurt you!"
She just started giggling at me. "Doesn't matter to me, just seeing that face on you was glorious."
Overly exaggerating my groan, I walked past her into the house, flicking my hand at the back of her head.
"Ouch! What was that for?!" She managed to fake her indignation quite nicely, whilst moving into the house and closing the door. I noticed she had new shoes, again. Jesus, Lisa.
"You know exactly what it was for." I wrinkled my nose at her. "Now c'mon, let's go watch some movies, now that you've had your stupid fun."
"Nuh uh. You're gonna tell me how your first day at school was first. And I want to know where you learned those moves, too!"
"Ughh. Fine, have it your way."
We went over to the living room, so I could give her my "report" about my day. Why she wants to know just about damned everything, I'll never know.
"Well, c'mon, spill! How was it?"
I smiled at her. Her joyfulness is almost infectious. "It was pretty nice."
"Seriously, Tay. You can't just say 'nice' about something like this. Tell me some juicy details. I'm dying over here!"
All I could do was sigh at her antics. "Fine… well, I did make a new friend. She's even worse than you."
Lisa put her hands on her heart, pretending to be hurt. "You wound me, Tay. Well, don't make me pull it out of you! Tell meee."
"Ugh… you need help, Lisa." She gave me her best version of puppy eyes. "Fine… Well, her name is Marie, she's probably more energetic than the both of us combined, uhhh… she helped me get settled into Arcadia, I guess. Not really much I can tell you, Lise. I've only known her for one day."
"Oh alright… be that way. So, confused by how much different Arcadia and Winslow are?"
I looked off into the distance, comparing the two schools. "Yeah… it was a bit fucking surreal. It's like we are living in an entirely different city or something. Makes you think if it's really all just because of some Wards being there or some crap like that."
Lisa smiled at me, and it wasn't a nice smile. Sometimes I think she doesn't even realize it.
"Yeah, that's definitely it… So, when are you going to explain why exactly you dropped into a fighting stance when I scared you?"
"Well, first of all, you scared the crap out of me, and second… this was actually something I was intending to ask you about. I've started going to this fighting class and it was awesome. And I was thinking…"
"You want me to come, too."
"Yes."
"Nope. Not a chance in hell. I maintain my sanity by being a lazy bum. No way am I going to some fighting class. I might actually have to do something!"
"Yes, the horror. C'mon Lisa. It's a good idea! I'm the only one there anyway and you need some way to protect yourself. What if you get attacked on the streets or something?! You could get killed!"
"Alright, alright. You've proven your stupid point. Once. I'll go once, and if I like it, I'll consider going again. And only because this is you asking."
"Great! I'm going tomorrow. I'll call you and hour before or something."
She grumbled something under her breath, but I couldn't understand a word of it.
"Said something?"
"No." she tried to make it look like she was skulking, but the smile on her face gave her away.
"So, we watching a movie or not?" I asked her.
"Fine, fine, my laptop is in the bag. You know how to set it up. I've gotta go to the bathroom, first. And pick a good movie this time!"
"You wouldn't know a good movie if it hit you…" I grumbled after her, but I doubted she even heard.
A few minutes later, I had setup everything and Lisa was coming back. Now a normal person would have chosen her own couch, but Lisa, the giant goof, decided to throw herself on mine, squashing me.
"Get off, you stupid"-some of her hair got into my mouth and I had to splutter it out-" thing!"
She just kept laughing and trying to lie on top of me, idly clicking something on the remote. The idea of giving her a bit of a zap was almost too tempting, but I held off.
I gave her a big push and she fell off of me.
"Now why did you have to do that? I was so comfortable, too!"
"Ugh. Go away and set up the damn movie." The goof plopped herself down on the other side of the couch.
"Yea, yea. What we watchn?" Having an English professor as a mother made me want to correct her so much. It's almost as if she does it on purpose.
"I don't know, I picked some "good" Aleph movies on that list of yours. I figured since you complain so much, you'd want to choose."
"I don't complain! I criticize. There's a difference."
"Just… pick something. I'll go get the snacks."
I collected the sweet goodies I'd cooked earlier and of course, mandatory popcorn.
Thankfully, this night didn't devolve into a food fight. The amount of cleaning up I had to do last time was atrocious.
We were halfway through the Disney animation movie, when Lisa's phone rang. She started cursing up a storm, picking up the phone as if it was the plague.
I just watched her, utterly baffled as to what could possibly make Lisa so… like this.
She took a breath and tapped the answer button.
"Hi boss!" her voice was utterly devoid of all her previous resentment, now as cheerful as she could be.
Something was wrong here. Didn't she say she liked her job?
"No… that wouldn't work."
She finally hung up after a few minutes and her face was the epitome of sadness.
Lisa sighed and dropped her voice low. "I'm sorry, Taylor. I have to go. Work calls, you know?"
"Lise, wait a minute. You aren't going to tell me why you lied about your job?"
"What do you mean? I'm pretty sure I didn't lie." Her face wrinkled into a slight frown.
"You said you liked it!"
"Oh."-she seemed to be almost slightly glad about something...-"No… the job itself isn't that bad. The boss though…" -her voice turned spiteful- "the boss is a giant prick."
"I see."
She ran a hand over her face. "I really am sorry. I'll need the laptop, too…"
I helped her unplug everything. Damn. It was a good movie too. Even Lise seemed to enjoy it, at least somewhat.
Lisa regained some of her usual joyfulness and pulled me into a hug.
"Take care, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."
I watched her walk away from the house and three things went through my mind.
Who the fuck is Lisa's boss, why do I want to punch him in the face and what the hell am I supposed to do, now that our movie night was ruined?
In the end I decided to just go read some stupid book. At least a book can't run away.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just some slice of life, since I practically time-skipped almost all of the Lisa-Taylor interactions. I have a feeling I've written Lisa way too… immaturely and easy going? I'm really not sure.
I've also looked up some stuff about writing dialogues and hopefully it's a bit better now.
This doesn't actually mean I've written those chapters that I wanted to before starting to post again... but since it's been a little while from my last post, I figured you'd like a new chapter.
Tuesday
Afternoon
I was sprawled over the sofa, with way too many cushions all around me. The TV was ready to be hooked up with Lisa's laptop. Right now, it was playing some silly cape soap opera. The kitchen was a mess, courtesy of my haphazard cooking of some snacks for the afternoon. Dad was at work until late in the evening today, having finally found some work for the dockworkers. Lisa and I are free to do whatever we want, and today, we agreed to watch some movies.
The bell rang. I frowned and checked the clock on the TV. Barely four PM, just like I thought. Lisa said she didn't have time until half past four, and she's always exactly on time.
I sighed and went to greet whoever decided to come over on a Tuesday.
There was just one problem. When I opened the door, nobody was there. Maybe this someone went around the house?
Stepping onto the wooden porch, shivering slightly. It was a bit cold, it being January and all. I looked around.
Nobody.
I decided to just head back into the house.
"BOO!"
I quickly took a step back and started raising my arm, just like Mister Akizawa taught me to, only to realize it was fucking Lisa. Because of course it's her.
"What the fuck, Lise? You scared the shit out of me! I could have hurt you!"
She just started giggling at me. "Doesn't matter to me, just seeing that face on you was glorious."
Overly exaggerating my groan, I walked past her into the house, flicking my hand at the back of her head.
"Ouch! What was that for?!" She managed to fake her indignation quite nicely, whilst moving into the house and closing the door. I noticed she had new shoes, again. Jesus, Lisa.
"You know exactly what it was for." I wrinkled my nose at her. "Now c'mon, let's go watch some movies, now that you've had your stupid fun."
"Nuh uh. You're gonna tell me how your first day at school was first. And I want to know where you learned those moves, too!"
"Ughh. Fine, have it your way."
We went over to the living room, so I could give her my "report" about my day. Why she wants to know just about damned everything, I'll never know.
"Well, c'mon, spill! How was it?"
I smiled at her. Her joyfulness is almost infectious. "It was pretty nice."
"Seriously, Tay. You can't just say 'nice' about something like this. Tell me some juicy details. I'm dying over here!"
All I could do was sigh at her antics. "Fine… well, I did make a new friend. She's even worse than you."
Lisa put her hands on her heart, pretending to be hurt. "You wound me, Tay. Well, don't make me pull it out of you! Tell meee."
"Ugh… you need help, Lisa." She gave me her best version of puppy eyes. "Fine… Well, her name is Marie, she's probably more energetic than the both of us combined, uhhh… she helped me get settled into Arcadia, I guess. Not really much I can tell you, Lise. I've only known her for one day."
"Oh alright… be that way. So, confused by how much different Arcadia and Winslow are?"
I looked off into the distance, comparing the two schools. "Yeah… it was a bit fucking surreal. It's like we are living in an entirely different city or something. Makes you think if it's really all just because of some Wards being there or some crap like that."
Lisa smiled at me, and it wasn't a nice smile. Sometimes I think she doesn't even realize it.
"Yeah, that's definitely it… So, when are you going to explain why exactly you dropped into a fighting stance when I scared you?"
"Well, first of all, you scared the crap out of me, and second… this was actually something I was intending to ask you about. I've started going to this fighting class and it was awesome. And I was thinking…"
"You want me to come, too."
"Yes."
"Nope. Not a chance in hell. I maintain my sanity by being a lazy bum. No way am I going to some fighting class. I might actually have to do something!"
"Yes, the horror. C'mon Lisa. It's a good idea! I'm the only one there anyway and you need some way to protect yourself. What if you get attacked on the streets or something?! You could get killed!"
"Alright, alright. You've proven your stupid point. Once. I'll go once, and if I like it, I'll consider going again. And only because this is you asking."
"Great! I'm going tomorrow. I'll call you and hour before or something."
She grumbled something under her breath, but I couldn't understand a word of it.
"Said something?"
"No." she tried to make it look like she was skulking, but the smile on her face gave her away.
"So, we watching a movie or not?" I asked her.
"Fine, fine, my laptop is in the bag. You know how to set it up. I've gotta go to the bathroom, first. And pick a good movie this time!"
"You wouldn't know a good movie if it hit you…" I grumbled after her, but I doubted she even heard.
A few minutes later, I had setup everything and Lisa was coming back. Now a normal person would have chosen her own couch, but Lisa, the giant goof, decided to throw herself on mine, squashing me.
"Get off, you stupid"-some of her hair got into my mouth and I had to splutter it out-" thing!"
She just kept laughing and trying to lie on top of me, idly clicking something on the remote. The idea of giving her a bit of a zap was almost too tempting, but I held off.
I gave her a big push and she fell off of me.
"Now why did you have to do that? I was so comfortable, too!"
"Ugh. Go away and set up the damn movie." The goof plopped herself down on the other side of the couch.
"Yea, yea. What we watchn?" Having an English professor as a mother made me want to correct her so much. It's almost as if she does it on purpose.
"I don't know, I picked some "good" Aleph movies on that list of yours. I figured since you complain so much, you'd want to choose."
"I don't complain! I criticize. There's a difference."
"Just… pick something. I'll go get the snacks."
I collected the sweet goodies I'd cooked earlier and of course, mandatory popcorn.
Thankfully, this night didn't devolve into a food fight. The amount of cleaning up I had to do last time was atrocious.
We were halfway through the Disney animation movie, when Lisa's phone rang. She started cursing up a storm, picking up the phone as if it was the plague.
I just watched her, utterly baffled as to what could possibly make Lisa so… like this.
She took a breath and tapped the answer button.
"Hi boss!" her voice was utterly devoid of all her previous resentment, now as cheerful as she could be.
Something was wrong here. Didn't she say she liked her job?
"No… that wouldn't work."
She finally hung up after a few minutes and her face was the epitome of sadness.
Lisa sighed and dropped her voice low. "I'm sorry, Taylor. I have to go. Work calls, you know?"
"Lise, wait a minute. You aren't going to tell me why you lied about your job?"
"What do you mean? I'm pretty sure I didn't lie." Her face wrinkled into a slight frown.
"You said you liked it!"
"Oh."-she seemed to be almost slightly glad about something...-"No… the job itself isn't that bad. The boss though…" -her voice turned spiteful- "the boss is a giant prick."
"I see."
She ran a hand over her face. "I really am sorry. I'll need the laptop, too…"
I helped her unplug everything. Damn. It was a good movie too. Even Lise seemed to enjoy it, at least somewhat.
Lisa regained some of her usual joyfulness and pulled me into a hug.
"Take care, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."
I watched her walk away from the house and three things went through my mind.
Who the fuck is Lisa's boss, why do I want to punch him in the face and what the hell am I supposed to do, now that our movie night was ruined?
In the end I decided to just go read some stupid book. At least a book can't run away.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just some slice of life, since I practically time-skipped almost all of the Lisa-Taylor interactions. I have a feeling I've written Lisa way too… immaturely and easy going? I'm really not sure.
I've also looked up some stuff about writing dialogues and hopefully it's a bit better now.
This doesn't actually mean I've written those chapters that I wanted to before starting to post again... but since it's been a little while from my last post, I figured you'd like a new chapter.
Last edited:
Darth Marrs
Fluffy, the Destroyer of Worlds
- Location
- Republic of Texas
I very rarely comment on stories, so if I'm out of line or providing unwanted feedback, feel free to disregard. I've lurked here for a while, but I'll be the first to admit this isn't my normal stomping ground.
First, dialogue is hard. There is a sharp divide between written and spoken English, so producing natural sounding dialogue is a challenge that takes practice. And sometimes even with practice it never gets easy. A suggestion might be to actually look at screenplays. You can find movie and TV screenplays online, and it'll give you a distilled view of dialogue. If it was actually a good movie, it might even be good dialogue. (Anything by Joss Whedon would be good within the fantasy/sci-fi field. Firefly remains one of the best written pieces of TV sci-fi ever produced). Also, read your dialogue out loud to a friend or family member to see how it actually sounds.
The technical aspects of your writing are fine, better than many. If English is your second language, this is especially impressive to an old monolinguist like me. Which means you can concentrate on the more ephemeral aspects of the story. Dialogue, character and how they interact. I bring this up because, in short, your characters are just too nice. The beginning chapters between Taylor and her dad read like a therapy session. Cathartic, loving, and unfortunately unlikely in any real world scenario. People in real life just don't share that much. People normally don't spill their hearts to the extent you've written. We want them too, and it feels good to write about it, but after the catharsis of putting it down in words, it falters as a narrative for a story. Believe me, this is a sin I've committed myself, so I understand how attractive it is.
Conflict drives fiction. Personal conflict. Violent conflict. Conflict arising from misunderstandings or a failure to communicate at all (which was one of Taylor's and her father's main failings in canon).
Of course there is also the "show, don't tell" axiom that remains a staple of good writing. This gets tricky in 1st person narratives, but should still be doable. Show us what is happening through descriptions of action, rather than just summarizing.
I think you have a lot of promise as a writer, and a forum like this is a great place to start. Take from this what you will, but regardless keep writing and growing. I'll look forward to seeing where you go.
First, dialogue is hard. There is a sharp divide between written and spoken English, so producing natural sounding dialogue is a challenge that takes practice. And sometimes even with practice it never gets easy. A suggestion might be to actually look at screenplays. You can find movie and TV screenplays online, and it'll give you a distilled view of dialogue. If it was actually a good movie, it might even be good dialogue. (Anything by Joss Whedon would be good within the fantasy/sci-fi field. Firefly remains one of the best written pieces of TV sci-fi ever produced). Also, read your dialogue out loud to a friend or family member to see how it actually sounds.
The technical aspects of your writing are fine, better than many. If English is your second language, this is especially impressive to an old monolinguist like me. Which means you can concentrate on the more ephemeral aspects of the story. Dialogue, character and how they interact. I bring this up because, in short, your characters are just too nice. The beginning chapters between Taylor and her dad read like a therapy session. Cathartic, loving, and unfortunately unlikely in any real world scenario. People in real life just don't share that much. People normally don't spill their hearts to the extent you've written. We want them too, and it feels good to write about it, but after the catharsis of putting it down in words, it falters as a narrative for a story. Believe me, this is a sin I've committed myself, so I understand how attractive it is.
Conflict drives fiction. Personal conflict. Violent conflict. Conflict arising from misunderstandings or a failure to communicate at all (which was one of Taylor's and her father's main failings in canon).
Of course there is also the "show, don't tell" axiom that remains a staple of good writing. This gets tricky in 1st person narratives, but should still be doable. Show us what is happening through descriptions of action, rather than just summarizing.
I think you have a lot of promise as a writer, and a forum like this is a great place to start. Take from this what you will, but regardless keep writing and growing. I'll look forward to seeing where you go.
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
That... actually makes a shit ton of sense. The "technical" aspects was what I was actually the most worried about, since like you mentioned, this actually is my second language, and my first is not even from this language group(Slavic). Still a giant pain to know where those goddamn commas go, with how nonsensical English is. Get some rules, damn you! I just plop 'em down when it "sounds" right.
And, I'm almost ashamed to admit this, I actually didn't even stop to think that I made Taylor and Danny too friendly. It's likely a bit too late to change all of that, so maybe just pretend they had some touchy-feel-y stuff during the Christmas break? (Right now it probably isn't too bad, considering the fact that Taylor was practically forced by circumstances to tell everything.)
On the topic of conflict... I was focusing too much on future events and totally forgot to actually have some stuff happen now. Oops.
As always, thanks for reading/writing.
And, I'm almost ashamed to admit this, I actually didn't even stop to think that I made Taylor and Danny too friendly. It's likely a bit too late to change all of that, so maybe just pretend they had some touchy-feel-y stuff during the Christmas break?
(Right now it probably isn't too bad, considering the fact that Taylor was practically forced by circumstances to tell everything.)On the topic of conflict... I was focusing too much on future events and totally forgot to actually have some stuff happen now. Oops.
As always, thanks for reading/writing.
Last edited:
Chapter 12
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
Takes a bit of a sad turn, this chapter. Suicide trigger warning, I guess.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 23rd 2011
Friday
Ten minutes later and I'm still the only one here. Goddammit, Lisa. I should have known she'd quit. She was bitching on Wednesday pretty hard. Lazy bum.
I was just doing my quick warm-ups when Akizawa walked up to me, with that leisurely walk he always does.
His face was filled with amusement. "I knew your friend wouldn't last long. Though I must admit, I expected that to be more than the first day. Since she isn't here…"
Before he could finish his sentence, the main doors opened in a rush. Standing in front of them was a slightly winded, rose-y cheeked Lisa.
"Sorry,"-she took a breath-" I'm late! I got held up."
Mr. Akizawa only started laughing. "Apparently, I was wrong. For now. Go get changed, Ms. Wilbourn. Today you and Taylor here will learn to spar."
I was a bit shocked to hear that, but all I could see on Lisa's face was that devilish grin of hers.
"Sure." She hurried off into the changing rooms and I turned towards Akizawa.
"Why would we be learning to spar? Isn't it too soon for that?"
His wrinkled face smiled at me. That was one thing I noticed. He was always either stone faced or smiling.
"Of course. You'll be flailing around like chickens without heads."
"Why then?" I was only getting more and more confused by the minute.
"It's in a fight that you learn the most. A spar may be a poor substitute, but with how eager the both of you are, that shouldn't be a problem."
I guess that sort of makes sense. I went back to doing my warmup, waiting for Lisa to come back.
A few minutes later, Lisa was in her black workout clothes and we were standing on the fighting mat. Both of us had some minor gloves and teeth protection, just in case.
"You know the rules. You will fight for ten minutes or until someone wins. Go!" He put his hands behind his back and watched us intently.
We both dropped into a fighting stance and started advancing onto each other, Lisa's grin never faltering.
She either has an ego the size of the moon or she's a lunatic. Spending these past few weeks with her, I think I'd go with both.
Standing a few feet away from her, I could see she didn't want to attack first, obviously waiting for me to make a mistake.
I launched a light feint at her head and she expertly dodged to the side.
I was too slow.
My follow up kick missed her and now she was on the offensive. Lisa launched a punch directly at me and I had only a split second to raise my arms back up again. Dammit! I never should have dropped them anyway.
The punch wasn't too bad. It's not like Lisa is exactly buff, but it still hurt.
Lisa was already too far away, bouncing around and grinning like a madwoman. She's enjoying this waaaay too much.
I could see she was still out of shape, though. Even now she was already panting hard, while I wasn't even slightly winded yet, courtesy of my morning runs.
Pressing the advantage, I advanced on her and threw a punch, trying to keep the training in mind.
She couldn't keep up and barely managed to block it. Deciding to try and end this, I kicked out with my right leg, aiming for her thigs.
It connected and her eye's widened. She didn't even see it coming. Lisa stumbled a bit and I decided to let up.
That was a mistake.
Lisa, the snake that she is, jumped right back at me, attempting to sweep my feet off the ground.
I barely caught my balance and sent a punch flying for Lisa's chest.
"Stop!"
We both stopped in our tracks. Were the ten minutes over already?
Akizawa walked up to us.
"Not bad. Not good either. You have much, much to learn. Do you see the difference between being in a fight and merely training for it? You have to think on your feet, react to your opponent. I think you both noticed, however, that you are not physically nor technically ready for a fight. If you can barely hurt each other," -a smile broke out on his face- "how do you expect to hurt someone who weighs over a hundred pounds more than you?"
Lisa and I looked at each other. It even made sense, when you thought about it…
"Come on. Back to training. Those muscles aren't going to make themselves." He gave us a tiny push on the shoulders and it was still enough to make us stumble forwards.
Lisa gave me a slight bump with her elbow.
"You know, I totally would have won."
I rolled my eyes at her. "Right, especially after you were almost dying catching your breath."
"Hey! Was not!"
"Yeah, you were."
"No, I wasn't!"
"Lisa… just, forget it." I sighed.
"I'll take that as your confirmation of my absolute victory over you." She said, her voice filled with smugness.
"What?!"
Only now did I realize she'd been riling me up the entire time.
"Ugh… Lisa, you're horrible."
She stuck her tongue out at me.
"Just get working, you goof."
------
Two hours later and we were standing outside the 'Dojo', as I like to call it. It was barely seven and already it was almost pitch black out, the yellow lights illuminating the street. I hate winter. Someone was lying down on a cardboard, in an alley. Bottles of what was obviously alcohol strewn about near him. There were more and more homeless people each year…
A breeze picked up and I shivered and shut together my coat. It was even colder, because of the shower.
"C'mon you don't have to bother Danny. It's not that far to your house and we can still walk, at least. Maybe we'll even finish our movie night."
"You sure you can still walk, Lise? You were almost dead at the end in there."
Lisa looked at me with some glee in her eyes, smirking. "I see what you're trying to do, Tay. Maybe I should be asking you that."
"Riiiight… let's get going then."
We were passing a big, rundown hotel when Lisa stopped dead. I barely stopped myself from crashing into her.
"Lisa?"
She was looking up. Lisa was keeping her face stoic.
I followed her gaze up and saw a person, standing on a window still, several stories up.
Gasping, I threw my hands over my mouth.
Lisa whispered. "He's going to kill himself."
"No, no, we can stop him! Lisa, how do we stop him?!"
She only looked down, staring at the floor. I could see a tear forming in her eyes and her mouth twitching down.
"Goddammit!" I tried thinking what I could do. I could try and run up to him, talk to him, or I could use my switching. Right! If he doesn't want to come down, I could just switch our places. There's no one around but Lisa and him. The people in the café besides the hotel wouldn't know it was me, right? I have to tell her sometime soon anyway.
I took a step forward, intent on talking to him, but I was too late.
He spread his arms and threw himself off.
No… I searched through that feeling that's always there, in the back of my mind, trying to find a solution, just like with Mush. Trying to find something! Everything felt as if it was moving in slow motion.
He was about to hit the ground and I couldn't look, couldn't focus! My gaze fell downwards and all I heard was a crash.
A tear fell from my cheek.
Screaming from the café soon after.
Lisa turned towards me and held me in a tight, almost rib breaking hug. I could hear her choking back a sob. She needed that hug even more than me.
People were already flocking around the body, gawking. I could see a few people with phones in their hands, but only one was actually calling. How could you photograph something like this?!
Lisa raised her tear stained eyes to me and cleaned them up with her hands. "Come on… let's go." She said in a sad voice.
Ten minutes later, we arrived back home. Dad's car wasn't there. Working late again…
I made some tea for myself and some coffee for Lisa and we sat down at the couch in the living room. She wasn't as bad as when it happened right now, but I could tell she was hiding some of her emotions.
I placed my hand on hers. "Are you going to be okay, Lisa? You were pretty shaken up back there."
She smiled sadly back at me, then put a hand to her forehead, rubbing it lightly and sighed. "I never did tell you what happened, that made me leave home, did I?"
"I… no." I did wonder a few times, but I didn't want to exactly pry.
"Figured. I had a brother, you know?" Oh… I squeezed her hand a bit more. "Reggie. Rex, they called him. He was the popular kid in school, the sports type."
I nodded along.
"I sort of pushed him away, after I realized he wasn't actually being a real brother to me. He only spent time with me because he felt as if that was his duty, as a sibling. He was too busy being the popular kid in school to actually care about me. I practically resented him."
She looked away for a moment, and I let her collect her thoughts.
"Even then… I noticed he wasn't really being himself. As if he was wearing a second skin, faking being happy. Bottling something up inside. I still don't know what it was. One day, he just… killed himself." She finished in a monotone voice.
Lisa… "I'm sorry."
"I told them I noticed something, and they started blaming me for it, calling me stupid. I ran away."
I gave her a hug and she leaned into my neck. I ran a hand through her messy blonde hair.
We stayed like that for a while. After we parted, I noticed she was getting sleepy. She hadn't even touched her coffee and normally she gulps that stuff down.
"Hey. We don't have to watch movies if you don't want to. You'd probably snooze off anyway."
Lisa tried frowning and saying no, only to yawn. She smiled back at me. "Damn."
In the end, she only managed to make me yawn too.
She threw off her slippers and almost collapsed on the sofa and I went over to another one.
"Hey, can you stay here?" she gestured over to the couch.
I raised an eyebrow at her. "You sure? I don't think there'll be any space…"
"Oh, shut up. You're as thin as a stick. Could probably fit two of us on here."
We spent a few minutes rearranging ourselves and then she snuggled up to me, dozing off almost immediately.
I couldn't help but smile, even with what happened earlier. At least... at least Lisa trusted me enough to tell me this.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now if only I could somehow manage to make chapters longer than a couple of K...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 23rd 2011
Friday
Ten minutes later and I'm still the only one here. Goddammit, Lisa. I should have known she'd quit. She was bitching on Wednesday pretty hard. Lazy bum.
I was just doing my quick warm-ups when Akizawa walked up to me, with that leisurely walk he always does.
His face was filled with amusement. "I knew your friend wouldn't last long. Though I must admit, I expected that to be more than the first day. Since she isn't here…"
Before he could finish his sentence, the main doors opened in a rush. Standing in front of them was a slightly winded, rose-y cheeked Lisa.
"Sorry,"-she took a breath-" I'm late! I got held up."
Mr. Akizawa only started laughing. "Apparently, I was wrong. For now. Go get changed, Ms. Wilbourn. Today you and Taylor here will learn to spar."
I was a bit shocked to hear that, but all I could see on Lisa's face was that devilish grin of hers.
"Sure." She hurried off into the changing rooms and I turned towards Akizawa.
"Why would we be learning to spar? Isn't it too soon for that?"
His wrinkled face smiled at me. That was one thing I noticed. He was always either stone faced or smiling.
"Of course. You'll be flailing around like chickens without heads."
"Why then?" I was only getting more and more confused by the minute.
"It's in a fight that you learn the most. A spar may be a poor substitute, but with how eager the both of you are, that shouldn't be a problem."
I guess that sort of makes sense. I went back to doing my warmup, waiting for Lisa to come back.
A few minutes later, Lisa was in her black workout clothes and we were standing on the fighting mat. Both of us had some minor gloves and teeth protection, just in case.
"You know the rules. You will fight for ten minutes or until someone wins. Go!" He put his hands behind his back and watched us intently.
We both dropped into a fighting stance and started advancing onto each other, Lisa's grin never faltering.
She either has an ego the size of the moon or she's a lunatic. Spending these past few weeks with her, I think I'd go with both.
Standing a few feet away from her, I could see she didn't want to attack first, obviously waiting for me to make a mistake.
I launched a light feint at her head and she expertly dodged to the side.
I was too slow.
My follow up kick missed her and now she was on the offensive. Lisa launched a punch directly at me and I had only a split second to raise my arms back up again. Dammit! I never should have dropped them anyway.
The punch wasn't too bad. It's not like Lisa is exactly buff, but it still hurt.
Lisa was already too far away, bouncing around and grinning like a madwoman. She's enjoying this waaaay too much.
I could see she was still out of shape, though. Even now she was already panting hard, while I wasn't even slightly winded yet, courtesy of my morning runs.
Pressing the advantage, I advanced on her and threw a punch, trying to keep the training in mind.
She couldn't keep up and barely managed to block it. Deciding to try and end this, I kicked out with my right leg, aiming for her thigs.
It connected and her eye's widened. She didn't even see it coming. Lisa stumbled a bit and I decided to let up.
That was a mistake.
Lisa, the snake that she is, jumped right back at me, attempting to sweep my feet off the ground.
I barely caught my balance and sent a punch flying for Lisa's chest.
"Stop!"
We both stopped in our tracks. Were the ten minutes over already?
Akizawa walked up to us.
"Not bad. Not good either. You have much, much to learn. Do you see the difference between being in a fight and merely training for it? You have to think on your feet, react to your opponent. I think you both noticed, however, that you are not physically nor technically ready for a fight. If you can barely hurt each other," -a smile broke out on his face- "how do you expect to hurt someone who weighs over a hundred pounds more than you?"
Lisa and I looked at each other. It even made sense, when you thought about it…
"Come on. Back to training. Those muscles aren't going to make themselves." He gave us a tiny push on the shoulders and it was still enough to make us stumble forwards.
Lisa gave me a slight bump with her elbow.
"You know, I totally would have won."
I rolled my eyes at her. "Right, especially after you were almost dying catching your breath."
"Hey! Was not!"
"Yeah, you were."
"No, I wasn't!"
"Lisa… just, forget it." I sighed.
"I'll take that as your confirmation of my absolute victory over you." She said, her voice filled with smugness.
"What?!"
Only now did I realize she'd been riling me up the entire time.
"Ugh… Lisa, you're horrible."
She stuck her tongue out at me.
"Just get working, you goof."
------
Two hours later and we were standing outside the 'Dojo', as I like to call it. It was barely seven and already it was almost pitch black out, the yellow lights illuminating the street. I hate winter. Someone was lying down on a cardboard, in an alley. Bottles of what was obviously alcohol strewn about near him. There were more and more homeless people each year…
A breeze picked up and I shivered and shut together my coat. It was even colder, because of the shower.
"C'mon you don't have to bother Danny. It's not that far to your house and we can still walk, at least. Maybe we'll even finish our movie night."
"You sure you can still walk, Lise? You were almost dead at the end in there."
Lisa looked at me with some glee in her eyes, smirking. "I see what you're trying to do, Tay. Maybe I should be asking you that."
"Riiiight… let's get going then."
We were passing a big, rundown hotel when Lisa stopped dead. I barely stopped myself from crashing into her.
"Lisa?"
She was looking up. Lisa was keeping her face stoic.
I followed her gaze up and saw a person, standing on a window still, several stories up.
Gasping, I threw my hands over my mouth.
Lisa whispered. "He's going to kill himself."
"No, no, we can stop him! Lisa, how do we stop him?!"
She only looked down, staring at the floor. I could see a tear forming in her eyes and her mouth twitching down.
"Goddammit!" I tried thinking what I could do. I could try and run up to him, talk to him, or I could use my switching. Right! If he doesn't want to come down, I could just switch our places. There's no one around but Lisa and him. The people in the café besides the hotel wouldn't know it was me, right? I have to tell her sometime soon anyway.
I took a step forward, intent on talking to him, but I was too late.
He spread his arms and threw himself off.
No… I searched through that feeling that's always there, in the back of my mind, trying to find a solution, just like with Mush. Trying to find something! Everything felt as if it was moving in slow motion.
He was about to hit the ground and I couldn't look, couldn't focus! My gaze fell downwards and all I heard was a crash.
A tear fell from my cheek.
Screaming from the café soon after.
Lisa turned towards me and held me in a tight, almost rib breaking hug. I could hear her choking back a sob. She needed that hug even more than me.
People were already flocking around the body, gawking. I could see a few people with phones in their hands, but only one was actually calling. How could you photograph something like this?!
Lisa raised her tear stained eyes to me and cleaned them up with her hands. "Come on… let's go." She said in a sad voice.
Ten minutes later, we arrived back home. Dad's car wasn't there. Working late again…
I made some tea for myself and some coffee for Lisa and we sat down at the couch in the living room. She wasn't as bad as when it happened right now, but I could tell she was hiding some of her emotions.
I placed my hand on hers. "Are you going to be okay, Lisa? You were pretty shaken up back there."
She smiled sadly back at me, then put a hand to her forehead, rubbing it lightly and sighed. "I never did tell you what happened, that made me leave home, did I?"
"I… no." I did wonder a few times, but I didn't want to exactly pry.
"Figured. I had a brother, you know?" Oh… I squeezed her hand a bit more. "Reggie. Rex, they called him. He was the popular kid in school, the sports type."
I nodded along.
"I sort of pushed him away, after I realized he wasn't actually being a real brother to me. He only spent time with me because he felt as if that was his duty, as a sibling. He was too busy being the popular kid in school to actually care about me. I practically resented him."
She looked away for a moment, and I let her collect her thoughts.
"Even then… I noticed he wasn't really being himself. As if he was wearing a second skin, faking being happy. Bottling something up inside. I still don't know what it was. One day, he just… killed himself." She finished in a monotone voice.
Lisa… "I'm sorry."
"I told them I noticed something, and they started blaming me for it, calling me stupid. I ran away."
I gave her a hug and she leaned into my neck. I ran a hand through her messy blonde hair.
We stayed like that for a while. After we parted, I noticed she was getting sleepy. She hadn't even touched her coffee and normally she gulps that stuff down.
"Hey. We don't have to watch movies if you don't want to. You'd probably snooze off anyway."
Lisa tried frowning and saying no, only to yawn. She smiled back at me. "Damn."
In the end, she only managed to make me yawn too.
She threw off her slippers and almost collapsed on the sofa and I went over to another one.
"Hey, can you stay here?" she gestured over to the couch.
I raised an eyebrow at her. "You sure? I don't think there'll be any space…"
"Oh, shut up. You're as thin as a stick. Could probably fit two of us on here."
We spent a few minutes rearranging ourselves and then she snuggled up to me, dozing off almost immediately.
I couldn't help but smile, even with what happened earlier. At least... at least Lisa trusted me enough to tell me this.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now if only I could somehow manage to make chapters longer than a couple of K...
Dr. Mercurious
Strangest Person You Know
- Location
- New England
This is NOT true; sometimes, yes. But not always.
Chapter 13
- Location
- The Slavic kingdom
January 23rd 2011
Friday/Saturday
Eventually, Dad came home and saw us sleeping together on the couch. Since it was already pretty late in the night, and Lisa's apartment is on the other side of the city… we all decided it was best she just slept here, in the guest room. We were much too tired to actually cook something, so we left that to Dad. A bit of a late dinner, but after the training we had beforehand, it was just right.
After Lisa closed her bedroom door, I led Dad downstairs into the living room. I think he caught on pretty quick as to what I wanted to tell him.
"You want to go out, don't you?" he didn't sound angry or anything. Instead, it sounded like resignation.
"Yeeees?" I asked him cautiously.
"And you're wondering if I'll let you go…"
"Yeah." I had a feeling he would. It's not like he event meant the whole grounded thing, and that was over last week anyway.
"It's not like I can stop you, Taylor." the sad look on his face certainly made it seem like he would love to be able to. I guess he must be worried… "When are you going to be leaving? I'm assuming you haven't told Lisa anything yet?"
"No, I haven't really, I just don't know how to tell her. Or even if I should. What if she thought differently of me?"
He chuckled a bit. "Lisa really doesn't seem like the type, and if she did, it would be her loss little owl. I think you're just trying to avoid it."
I… am a bit scared of telling her.
"You're probably right…"
"I know I am. So, if you haven't told Lisa, it might be better if you leave when she's actually sleeping."
"Mhm. I think I'm going to get some sleep before I leave anyway. Don't want to drop dead while electrocuting some thugs."
He gave me a stern look. "Don't electrocute them dead, either. And no fighting capes this time, even if it wasn't your fault. You know the rules, and I expect you to follow them."
I grimaced at the memories of Mush punching me across the alley. "No need to worry about that. I'm not in any rush for a repeat of that, at least."
"Good. Come on, you'd better get some sleep. I'll wake you up in about an hour or so."
He paused for a moment and then grinned widely. "Lisa was already almost dead at the table. She's probably sleeping like a rock already."
I thought about Lisa… and today.
"Something's bothering you. I can tell."
"Yeah… something happened today and I.. I want to tell you what happened, just not..."
"Not now?"
I sighed. "No…shit, I don't know. I should probably talk about it anyway. Good to get it off my chest, I guess. It hit Lisa really hard, too."
His voice became low and almost nursing, in a way. "What happened, Taylor? It's good to talk about these things. Never let them bottle up."
A sad smile began on my lips. He cares so much… "We were walking back from training and… a man jumped off a building. I-I tried to save him. I tried. I tried every stupid thing I could think of. I was just too fucking late! He threw himself off before I could even try and talk him out of it. Not even these bullshit powers that don't make any fucking sense could save him."
He softly grabbed me in a hug.
"Shhh… it's okay Taylor. You did what you could."
This time, at least, I didn't cry. Maybe a tear or two. Honest.
"What… what about Lisa, Taylor? You said it hit her hard?"
"Yeah," I wiped the tear from my cheek "her brother killed himself too. It's part of the reason she ran away from home in the first place. Even I could see it hit her bad. She tries to hard her real feeling so hard…"
"That she does. Poor girl."
"So yeah. Now you know. And I do feel a bit better about it."
He cupped my chin in his large hands and pushed my head slightly up, so I was looking him in the eye.
"You tried to do the right thing. And that's what really counts, in the end. Go and get some sleep little owl."
Thankfully, I managed to fall asleep fairly quickly as well, even with my excitement of a second night out growing. Now, hopefully this time it'll go a bit better, too.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hiding behind a wooden crate, I watched the Nazis guarding the warehouse. The warehouse itself likely isn't big, in the sense of operations. Not really deep into Empire territory, here. It's a pretty small brick building three stories high, broken windows everywhere, surrounded by a small fence that can barely be called a fence. The only reason I even spotted the 'warehouse' was the van they're loading weapons into. And from the looks of it, high grade stuff, too!
Fifteen minutes of observation confirmed about five of them being here. Two in the front, "guarding" the entrance, the driver sitting in the van, and the two people loading into it.
Now, I'm all for taking a bite out of crime… but there's just one, fairly big problem. They all have guns and I'm preeeetty sure I'm not fucking bullet proof.
Now, I doubt they would even see me for a reasonable amount of time, even if I straight up walked to them. It's very dark and only the faint streetlights illuminate the streets. The two guards in front aren't even paying attention from what I can tell.
If someone aims a gun at me, I can always exchange us, though I can only do it… at most two times before I'll get too tired.
Damn it all, why didn't I just get a stupid Brute power!
In the end, I decided my game plan is to sneak through the left side of the broken fence, quickly electrocute the guards in front, as they have guns on them, not in crates unlike the other two, and then take out the guys who are currently loading the van with weapons, after they come investigating.
And if that doesn't work, either run like hell or fill the entire street with lightning.
Crouching, I moved towards the opening, as silently as I possibly could, staying out of the light coming from the streetlights.
One of the men near the van, what looked to be a twenty something skinhead with tattoos all over, shouted something, and my heart almost skipped a beat as I thought I'd been found already, but he was just berating his colleague for almost dropping a box.
Dammit, Taylor! Stop being so jumpy and nervous, I'm a Hero, this is what Heroes do.
I continued sneaking towards the fence. Thankfully, the opening was pretty big and I got through easily.
A heavyset man was leaning on the main doors into the warehouse, puffing on a cigarette that illuminating his face, his eyes closed.
His partner, a slightly smaller man who I still wouldn't be even comfortable thinking about fighting hand to hand, was standing near the gate entrance to the compound, looking forwards with his rifle at his side.
I took a deep breath, stood straight up and channeled power to my hands, forming two big balls of lightning. Everything lit up in blue light and the air started crackling from the small discharges of lightning coming from the orbs.
It didn't even take a second before bolts, straight out of my hands, were crashing into the both of them.
They both collapsed head first in another half second, twitching slightly on the ground. Didn't even have a chance to yell.
Not that it mattered. My power is fairly fucking obvious to someone not deaf and blind.
I could hear something dropping over where they were loading into the van. Probably the boxes. Two men started shouting something, but I couldn't make out what. I could guess though. They know I'm here.
Taking a moment to recollect myself slightly, I ran up to the edge of the warehouse and saw as the van started up. The tattooed man and one other both had guns now, and they weren't joking around either.
Before I could doubt myself, I gathered up my power again, stepped out of the corner and started running up to them. I switched places with the other guy, since he seemed way less alert than Mr. Tattoo.
A fraction of a second of disorientation later, I was standing next to him, my hand already up and a bolt flying for him.
Before he could even start dropping, I was raising a second hand to where I was standing before, not even bothering to aim.
Two loud sounds, but not as loud as normal thunder, later, I was the only one left standing.
Fuck…
That was easier than I thought it would be.
I almost started relaxing, when I remembered the van. The van that was now attempting to drive away.
Not attempting, is driving away. I wanted to punch myself in the face for forgetting the van. Instead, I put about two times more power into the lightning and fired it into the van.
Only for it to do nothing, only arc around it.
Shit! Of course it does nothing! It's a fucking faraday cage.
I really want to hit something right now! Fucking stupid idiot! If only I was faster. Now the entire Empire Eighty-Eight will know I was here, and all my powers too!
I took a deep breath and collected myself.
Right. Should I call the police? Or is it the PRT, if I'm a cape? The goons are unconscious, but that doesn't mean they can't wake up. I decided to drag the ones near me to the first two.
That… wasn't as easy as it sounds. They were actually pretty heavy and I did get a tired, even before I decided to zap the van.
Finally finished, I fetched my phone and called the police.
"Hello 911, what's your emergency?" A young female voice said.
"Um, I have four Empire gang members here, unconscious."
The responder paused for a second. "Miss, are you a parahuman?"
"Uh. Yes."
"Can you tell us where you are?"
I gave her the street name and number, and ten minutes later a police van, its blue and red lights lighting up the building, arrived. It was one of those used specifically to capture criminals.
Standing in front of the unconscious bodies, I watched as the doors swung open and policemen filtered out.
They were all wearing full body vests, pistols in hand and ready to shoot.
Finally, the last man, with a different body suit, stepped out and started ordering people around. Four people in pairs of two immediately went around the sides of the warehouse, obviously searching for any remaining threats.
Another two followed close behind the serious looking man, who I assume is the officer in command.
The officer gestured with his head and we moved to the side, whilst the two who were behind him started cuffing the Empire goons.
He looked old, at the very least in his late thirties, early forties, with a big brown beard and a bald head.
"Sergeant William Carter, representative of the Parahuman Response Teams."
"So," he began. "You must be a new cape in town. Took down four gang members, all armed too." He didn't make it sound like a question. There might have been a little hint of respect in there.
I tried to make my voice sound a bit deeper than normal. "Uh, yes sir. I saw them loading weapons into a van and I had to do something."
The sergeant crossed his arms and scoffed. "Yeah, heard that too many times. Tell me kid, did you even think about what would happen if you got hit by a bullet from one of those guns?" He didn't give me a chance to say yes.
"Guns are still dangerous, even to capes, perhaps especially to capes. I'm not saying you did something wrong by attacking these scum, but you should be careful." I gave him a slight nod.
"Now… you said something about loading weapons into a van?"
"Yeah, there were two guarding the warehouse entrance, two loading into the van, and a person driving it. Turns out electricity doesn't do much to a van, so one of them got away with about half the weapons." My voice turned bitter towards the end. Still peeved me that they got away.
He placed one of his giant hands on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kid. You did better than most. As per regulations, I am required to ask you to consider joining the Wards."
"I've thought about it, but no, not right now."
Carter didn't look like he approved. "Alright, you're free to go do whatever you capes do. We'll clean up here." He used his hand to push me slightly towards the exit.
I quickly walked back to the place I changed into my costume. Had a bus to catch, after all.
AN; My god, I actually manged to write this.
Friday/Saturday
Eventually, Dad came home and saw us sleeping together on the couch. Since it was already pretty late in the night, and Lisa's apartment is on the other side of the city… we all decided it was best she just slept here, in the guest room. We were much too tired to actually cook something, so we left that to Dad. A bit of a late dinner, but after the training we had beforehand, it was just right.
After Lisa closed her bedroom door, I led Dad downstairs into the living room. I think he caught on pretty quick as to what I wanted to tell him.
"You want to go out, don't you?" he didn't sound angry or anything. Instead, it sounded like resignation.
"Yeeees?" I asked him cautiously.
"And you're wondering if I'll let you go…"
"Yeah." I had a feeling he would. It's not like he event meant the whole grounded thing, and that was over last week anyway.
"It's not like I can stop you, Taylor." the sad look on his face certainly made it seem like he would love to be able to. I guess he must be worried… "When are you going to be leaving? I'm assuming you haven't told Lisa anything yet?"
"No, I haven't really, I just don't know how to tell her. Or even if I should. What if she thought differently of me?"
He chuckled a bit. "Lisa really doesn't seem like the type, and if she did, it would be her loss little owl. I think you're just trying to avoid it."
I… am a bit scared of telling her.
"You're probably right…"
"I know I am. So, if you haven't told Lisa, it might be better if you leave when she's actually sleeping."
"Mhm. I think I'm going to get some sleep before I leave anyway. Don't want to drop dead while electrocuting some thugs."
He gave me a stern look. "Don't electrocute them dead, either. And no fighting capes this time, even if it wasn't your fault. You know the rules, and I expect you to follow them."
I grimaced at the memories of Mush punching me across the alley. "No need to worry about that. I'm not in any rush for a repeat of that, at least."
"Good. Come on, you'd better get some sleep. I'll wake you up in about an hour or so."
He paused for a moment and then grinned widely. "Lisa was already almost dead at the table. She's probably sleeping like a rock already."
I thought about Lisa… and today.
"Something's bothering you. I can tell."
"Yeah… something happened today and I.. I want to tell you what happened, just not..."
"Not now?"
I sighed. "No…shit, I don't know. I should probably talk about it anyway. Good to get it off my chest, I guess. It hit Lisa really hard, too."
His voice became low and almost nursing, in a way. "What happened, Taylor? It's good to talk about these things. Never let them bottle up."
A sad smile began on my lips. He cares so much… "We were walking back from training and… a man jumped off a building. I-I tried to save him. I tried. I tried every stupid thing I could think of. I was just too fucking late! He threw himself off before I could even try and talk him out of it. Not even these bullshit powers that don't make any fucking sense could save him."
He softly grabbed me in a hug.
"Shhh… it's okay Taylor. You did what you could."
This time, at least, I didn't cry. Maybe a tear or two. Honest.
"What… what about Lisa, Taylor? You said it hit her hard?"
"Yeah," I wiped the tear from my cheek "her brother killed himself too. It's part of the reason she ran away from home in the first place. Even I could see it hit her bad. She tries to hard her real feeling so hard…"
"That she does. Poor girl."
"So yeah. Now you know. And I do feel a bit better about it."
He cupped my chin in his large hands and pushed my head slightly up, so I was looking him in the eye.
"You tried to do the right thing. And that's what really counts, in the end. Go and get some sleep little owl."
Thankfully, I managed to fall asleep fairly quickly as well, even with my excitement of a second night out growing. Now, hopefully this time it'll go a bit better, too.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hiding behind a wooden crate, I watched the Nazis guarding the warehouse. The warehouse itself likely isn't big, in the sense of operations. Not really deep into Empire territory, here. It's a pretty small brick building three stories high, broken windows everywhere, surrounded by a small fence that can barely be called a fence. The only reason I even spotted the 'warehouse' was the van they're loading weapons into. And from the looks of it, high grade stuff, too!
Fifteen minutes of observation confirmed about five of them being here. Two in the front, "guarding" the entrance, the driver sitting in the van, and the two people loading into it.
Now, I'm all for taking a bite out of crime… but there's just one, fairly big problem. They all have guns and I'm preeeetty sure I'm not fucking bullet proof.
Now, I doubt they would even see me for a reasonable amount of time, even if I straight up walked to them. It's very dark and only the faint streetlights illuminate the streets. The two guards in front aren't even paying attention from what I can tell.
If someone aims a gun at me, I can always exchange us, though I can only do it… at most two times before I'll get too tired.
Damn it all, why didn't I just get a stupid Brute power!
In the end, I decided my game plan is to sneak through the left side of the broken fence, quickly electrocute the guards in front, as they have guns on them, not in crates unlike the other two, and then take out the guys who are currently loading the van with weapons, after they come investigating.
And if that doesn't work, either run like hell or fill the entire street with lightning.
Crouching, I moved towards the opening, as silently as I possibly could, staying out of the light coming from the streetlights.
One of the men near the van, what looked to be a twenty something skinhead with tattoos all over, shouted something, and my heart almost skipped a beat as I thought I'd been found already, but he was just berating his colleague for almost dropping a box.
Dammit, Taylor! Stop being so jumpy and nervous, I'm a Hero, this is what Heroes do.
I continued sneaking towards the fence. Thankfully, the opening was pretty big and I got through easily.
A heavyset man was leaning on the main doors into the warehouse, puffing on a cigarette that illuminating his face, his eyes closed.
His partner, a slightly smaller man who I still wouldn't be even comfortable thinking about fighting hand to hand, was standing near the gate entrance to the compound, looking forwards with his rifle at his side.
I took a deep breath, stood straight up and channeled power to my hands, forming two big balls of lightning. Everything lit up in blue light and the air started crackling from the small discharges of lightning coming from the orbs.
It didn't even take a second before bolts, straight out of my hands, were crashing into the both of them.
They both collapsed head first in another half second, twitching slightly on the ground. Didn't even have a chance to yell.
Not that it mattered. My power is fairly fucking obvious to someone not deaf and blind.
I could hear something dropping over where they were loading into the van. Probably the boxes. Two men started shouting something, but I couldn't make out what. I could guess though. They know I'm here.
Taking a moment to recollect myself slightly, I ran up to the edge of the warehouse and saw as the van started up. The tattooed man and one other both had guns now, and they weren't joking around either.
Before I could doubt myself, I gathered up my power again, stepped out of the corner and started running up to them. I switched places with the other guy, since he seemed way less alert than Mr. Tattoo.
A fraction of a second of disorientation later, I was standing next to him, my hand already up and a bolt flying for him.
Before he could even start dropping, I was raising a second hand to where I was standing before, not even bothering to aim.
Two loud sounds, but not as loud as normal thunder, later, I was the only one left standing.
Fuck…
That was easier than I thought it would be.
I almost started relaxing, when I remembered the van. The van that was now attempting to drive away.
Not attempting, is driving away. I wanted to punch myself in the face for forgetting the van. Instead, I put about two times more power into the lightning and fired it into the van.
Only for it to do nothing, only arc around it.
Shit! Of course it does nothing! It's a fucking faraday cage.
I really want to hit something right now! Fucking stupid idiot! If only I was faster. Now the entire Empire Eighty-Eight will know I was here, and all my powers too!
I took a deep breath and collected myself.
Right. Should I call the police? Or is it the PRT, if I'm a cape? The goons are unconscious, but that doesn't mean they can't wake up. I decided to drag the ones near me to the first two.
That… wasn't as easy as it sounds. They were actually pretty heavy and I did get a tired, even before I decided to zap the van.
Finally finished, I fetched my phone and called the police.
"Hello 911, what's your emergency?" A young female voice said.
"Um, I have four Empire gang members here, unconscious."
The responder paused for a second. "Miss, are you a parahuman?"
"Uh. Yes."
"Can you tell us where you are?"
I gave her the street name and number, and ten minutes later a police van, its blue and red lights lighting up the building, arrived. It was one of those used specifically to capture criminals.
Standing in front of the unconscious bodies, I watched as the doors swung open and policemen filtered out.
They were all wearing full body vests, pistols in hand and ready to shoot.
Finally, the last man, with a different body suit, stepped out and started ordering people around. Four people in pairs of two immediately went around the sides of the warehouse, obviously searching for any remaining threats.
Another two followed close behind the serious looking man, who I assume is the officer in command.
The officer gestured with his head and we moved to the side, whilst the two who were behind him started cuffing the Empire goons.
He looked old, at the very least in his late thirties, early forties, with a big brown beard and a bald head.
"Sergeant William Carter, representative of the Parahuman Response Teams."
"So," he began. "You must be a new cape in town. Took down four gang members, all armed too." He didn't make it sound like a question. There might have been a little hint of respect in there.
I tried to make my voice sound a bit deeper than normal. "Uh, yes sir. I saw them loading weapons into a van and I had to do something."
The sergeant crossed his arms and scoffed. "Yeah, heard that too many times. Tell me kid, did you even think about what would happen if you got hit by a bullet from one of those guns?" He didn't give me a chance to say yes.
"Guns are still dangerous, even to capes, perhaps especially to capes. I'm not saying you did something wrong by attacking these scum, but you should be careful." I gave him a slight nod.
"Now… you said something about loading weapons into a van?"
"Yeah, there were two guarding the warehouse entrance, two loading into the van, and a person driving it. Turns out electricity doesn't do much to a van, so one of them got away with about half the weapons." My voice turned bitter towards the end. Still peeved me that they got away.
He placed one of his giant hands on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kid. You did better than most. As per regulations, I am required to ask you to consider joining the Wards."
"I've thought about it, but no, not right now."
Carter didn't look like he approved. "Alright, you're free to go do whatever you capes do. We'll clean up here." He used his hand to push me slightly towards the exit.
I quickly walked back to the place I changed into my costume. Had a bus to catch, after all.
AN; My god, I actually manged to write this.
Mugenhakke
(Verified Clockwork)
- Location
- Hammerspace
Nice work!
This looks interesting. Your writing is becoming smoother as well.
- Status