CW: Slurs, Derogatory names
I would also like to thank Dysole, Selene, and Pendragoon for looking over the chapter!
Berkanan 1.4
Monday, January 3rd, 2011
I knew today was going to be shit the moment I stepped into the school.
It wasn't the stares; those were normal.
It wasn't the comments I heard as I passed by. Surprisingly, most of them weren't about me.
And it wasn't even my locker. For once, it wasn't tampered with.
No, it was when I saw the kids who could be spotted from a mile away practically waving the Empire flag. They stood by the stairs, out of the way but easily seen. Not all of them had shaved heads, but a few did. It still surprised me that women would actually join the Empire but there were a few girls who did.
Even from this distance, I could
feel their eyes on me. As I (sadly) had to walk past them, I heard all the remarks they made.
"
Look at the–" I
definitely ignored the rest of that.
"
He's so disgusting." Fuck you too.
"
Can't believe he survived."
It was that last comment that nearly made me stop in my tracks. Most of the time I ignored them, it was better that way, but after what happened a few weeks ago, I couldn't. It seemed the Empire was actively targeting me.
Sure, that night they waylaid me could be pure coincidence, but that thought went away when I saw a familiar boy. Recently shaved head, brown eyes, and the fake gang tattoo barely peeking out from his t-shirt. While those features weren't anything special among them, it was the mixture of surprise and anger on his face that sparked the memory.
He had been part of the attack. The one who had stood to the side and watched me being choked to death. Leo Murphy. He was in a few of my classes and, as far as I knew, was only a recent addition to the Winslow Empire group.
A part of me wanted to summon my construct and make them scatter but that would be so incredibly
stupid. Let's go ahead and out myself before I've even had a chance to be a hero. Great idea. I withheld the exasperated sigh that wanted to escape.
It doesn't matter, he wasn't worth it.
Bzzzt!
I ignored the vibration in my pants. There was only one person who that could be and that was also not worth the effort. Emma can shove whatever, possibly true, comment she might have up her ass.
As I continued towards my first class, I saw a curious pair of eyes down the hallway. They were looking in my direction but I could tell they looked past me. Sophia wasn't really hiding but I doubted the Empire kids had noticed her given how laser focused they were on me.
Our eyes briefly met and I saw a strained look on her face. I couldn't blame her for being a little more cautious around them. The fact that I was
empathizing with her sickened me, but it was the Empire.
Her eyes returned to the kids down the hallway. For once, I was glad not to be the focus of that gaze.
I stepped into the classroom without another look. She can watch the Empire all she wants, I wanted nothing to do with them. If they ever tried anything, anything truly bad, I wouldn't be alone. Not anymore.
Sitting at a desk in the back, I took out my phone and saw the slew of messages from not only Emma, but countless others that I didn't recognize. I sighed and started deleting the messages knowing that she had given out my new number to the entire school. It almost felt like I was never going to get rid of them with how quickly they were arriving, including some threats from the Empire. A little bit of digging and I was able to set my phone to ignore any unknown phone numbers and make hers not give me a notification. They would still reach my phone, if the illuminated name and new string of words was any clue, but I wouldn't see them unless I wanted to.
If Aunt Zoe ever asked, I could feign ignorance or something. Having little knowledge about cell phones worked to my advantage for once.
…Or she would end up finding all the threats I was being sent.
Everyone slowly piled into the classroom, many bleary eyed and barely awake kids, a veritable group of zombies if I'd ever seen one. No one was truly awake this early in the morning, even the teacher was yawning.
I unraveled my plastic bag and pulled out a notebook and pencil. Flipping to a blank page, I started sketching out ideas. There were several concepts I had in mind for my costume and many of them were well outside my ability to make.
Considering that my construct is essentially a Valkyrie of Norse Mythology, I wanted something to match. The problem was that she wore what counted as plate or chain mail. Something that would need to be crafted by an armorer or smithy if I wanted something authentic. That's not to say that capes didn't wear armor like that, as many had similar designs like Dauntless who looked like a roman soldier.
I just didn't have the resources or money to get something of that quality.
It would need to be something simple. Something that would still evoke a Valkyrie or viking impression. Maybe I could look up some references online or in the documents Mom left behind. Surely one of them would have information about the armaments of Norse Mythology.
While I might be a master and my construct could act as a proxy for me, I couldn't speak through it and thus couldn't just pretend the projection was me. I would need some protection of my own to act as the voice for my winged muscle. Brockton Bay was not a safe city, I knew that all too well, and I needed to be cautious. There were capes who could become dragons, meat blenders, and shoot massive beams that could level buildings. Even just a little bit of protection could save my life.
With that in mind, I decided I should bump up my workout routine beyond running. I could use the weight room during gym class, but all the jocks would be in there and I'd rather not deal with that bullshit. Though… there might be something in the basement. Both Dad and Mom had a weight set they had used quite a bit. Well Mom had. Dad had tried, with her encouragement, but always fell behind.
Actually… When was the last time I went into the basement? Was it when-
"Alright class," the teacher said loudly, breaking my concentration. "Let's get started."
ᛒ - ᛒ - ᛒ - ᛒ - ᛒ
"Remember class," The Teacher yelled as everyone started to gather their things to leave for the day. "Be prepared for the project on Friday! We will be pairing into groups, so make sure to pick your partners well!"
Another project. As always, I would end up with Greg and someone else. If the Trio was up to any shenanigans, then Madison would join. By the gods, I really hoped that wouldn't happen. I'd already been on edge today with the lack of activity among them. Apart from seeing Sophia in the morning, they hadn't done
anything.
Emma had stayed with her groupies in the back of the classes we shared. Besides the occasional glance with a knowing smile and a buzz in my pocket, she was relatively passive. Madison hadn't stuck gum or pencil shavings in my hair. Neither of them sent me any crude remarks or gestures.
Then there was Sophia. The one class we shared, she kept glancing at me and not in the same way as Emma. It looked… concerned. Which didn't make sense. Why would Sophia be concerned? Especially about me? She's never had that face when looking at me. There was always a sneer on it.
Since then I'd been on edge. Something was going on and it bothered me. The presence in the back of my head was barely a comfort against whatever they could do. I might have powers now but it didn't mean I'd use them. There was the fact that I hadn't even made an appearance or stopped any crime. Revealing myself to Trio would be the biggest mistake and would only make things worse.
I quickly put away my notebook and pencils into the plastic bag and zipped up my backpack. Madison walked by just as I finished and I expected her to do something but she simply continued without a glance. She skipped past in her denim skirt and blouse, her backpack jumping up and down, and was out of the classroom mere seconds later.
Taking deep breaths, I walked out and looked down both sides of the hallway. No sign of the Trio. Cautiously, I walked down the hallway and down the stairs. When I saw a horde of teenagers in the hallway, I stopped like a deer in headlights. At the front of the group was none other than Emma and Madison. Emma turned around and saw me. A smirk grew on her face and she nudged Madison.
At that moment, I knew something was up and didn't want to deal with it. Taking the doors next to me, I escaped out of the school and into the nearby narrow alley. I hated going down this alley, but considering my last experience with them I think it was warranted.
I quickly went to the back of the school where the track field was and saw it completely devoid of teenagers. Guess the track team was away. Strange considering Sophia wasn't with Emma and Madison like normal. If she wasn't with them, she was usually with the team.
It was when I walked by the bleachers, that I knew something was up. Standing underneath them was the same group I walked by this morning. The Empire kids.
At first I didn't think anything of it. They were huddled together, cracking jokes about some racist bullshit no doubt. When I passed them, I heard their laughter stop and one of them said, "It's the–." Once again, I tuned out the insult and increased my pace.
Fuck. I glanced over my shoulder to see the group walking towards me with a purpose, at the lead was Leo. They picked up speed and I booked it. "Tom!" I heard Leo yell just as I was about to turn the corner.
Out of nowhere, a tall towering teenager appeared, his arm stretched out. My head hit that arm and suddenly I was engulfed in them. I fought against the crushing hold but it did little when a fist drove all the air from my lungs. I coughed, trying to get some breath back in me when one of them began to speak.
"Little tranny isn't so tough now, is he?" I tried to focus, but the ringing in my ears made it difficult. "No cape to save your faggot ass this time."
I looked up to see that they had circled me and Leo was in front. He was the one that had been speaking and his fist was balled, ready to throw another punch.
"Fuck you!" I yelled defiantly, then spat in his face.
Stars lit up in my eyes and a wave of vertigo washed over me as his fist collided with my nose. I didn't even have time to cry out before another knocked the wind from me once more.
The assault continued and as much as I tried, I couldn't free myself from Tom's hold. There was a brief moment when Leo stopped and I heard a click but I was too focused on my struggle to free myself from the asshole holding me up like a human pinata.
"I think it was about time someone put the little tranny out of his misery," Leo snarled, the anger in his voice made me stop and stare at him. "If it wasn't for that cape, I would've been in the Empire. No matter, after this, I will be part of a great movement."
He was holding a knife. He had brought a knife to school. I shouldn't have been surprised; it wasn't like Winslow had any security or checked for weapons. But it finally clicked the danger I was in now. If it wasn't for that night, I would have been terrified, and while I still was, I had a way out. It might out me, but I wasn't going to die to some wannabe gang member.
Just as I was about to summon my construct to get out of this situation, someone barreled into one of the guys on the outside. A fist hit the man square in the jaw and he collapsed. Everyone stopped but the assailant continued, sending another to the ground with ease.
It finally dawned on me who it was. Sophia?! What the hell was she doing here?!
"It's the fucking nig-!" He exclaimed, only to be cut off as Sophia kicked his shins out from under him before finishing the job with a swift downward jab to his face.
Sophia had stunned everyone, including Tom, which afforded me the chance to drive my elbow into his stomach. He grunted and his hold on me weakened to the point that I could escape. Following Sophia's example, I decked Tom straight in the nose. Pain exploded through my hand but I wasn't going to let that stop me.
He was rocked back by the hit, his hands covering his face. Small droplets of blood dribbled down as he pulled them away. He blinked his eyes a few times before he focused on me and charged.
I didn't have the chance to dodge out of the way, but I was able to land a punch, or at least I thought I did. That moment was a little foggy given he slammed me into a brick wall. Tom wound back for another blow but I pushed forward, bashing my head into his before he could.
While I saw countless stars and my forehead was radiating pain, it was nowhere near as bad as Tom. He stood unsteadily, stumbling backwards a little as crimson gushed from the nose I had likely broken. I threw another punch into the bloody mess for good measure. Asshole deserved it.
I turned to look at the rest only to see Sophia knocking the lights out of another kid while the others scrambled away, not wanting to fight Sophia or I. Cowards.
There was only one person left; Leo. He held his knife out in front of him, pure shock on his face. When he realized that everyone had abandoned him or was on the ground, he held the knife higher. "Stay the fuck away!"
"Fuck you," I spat at him again. "You just tried to-"
He slashed the knife, keeping the two of us away as he was backed into a corner. When his back touched the wall, his movements became more erratic. I looked around and found a hefty rock on the ground. Following the instructions Dad once told me when he tried to teach me baseball, I threw the rock and nailed him right in his junk.
His knife clattered to the ground as he dropped to his knees, gripping what remained of his manhood as tears ran down his face. Before I could think what to do next, Sophia kicked him upside the head, sending him to the dirt in a heap.
My heavy breathing was the first thing I noticed after everything fell silent.Well, relatively silent given the groaning racists littering the ground around us. My eyes landed on Sophia just as she wiped some blood from her lips. Our eyes met and there was something in them I couldn't comprehend.
Then just like that, she turned and began to walk away.
"Sophia!" I yelled, trying to stop her.
She didn't say anything, still walking away like nothing happened.
"Seriously?"
She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "What?" She snarled.
"You just…" I gestured erratically, "Come here, save me from the Empire and leave?"
She shrugged her shoulders and continued walking away. By the time I formulated the words to hopefully get some sort of response, she was gone.
What the fuck was going on? Never in a million years would I have expected her to jump in my defense. She was the one who usually caused the bruises in the first place! My thoughts tumbled through the day's events and I remembered that she had been watching them earlier in the day. Did she know what they were going to do? It still didn't explain why she helped me in the first place.
I never expected her to extend some sort of solidarity. No one did, not with me. Especially not her.
Ignoring the growing headache, I walked over to Leo and an impulsive thought to give him a nice well deserved kick came to mind. I stopped myself before I did though. It wouldn't be right. He was down and defenseless. Where was the honor in that? He had the piss—literally— knocked out of him and his friends. By two girls. He would have to live with that embarrassment for the rest of his life. Hopefully he learned something from it, but I doubted it. The knife next to him might get him suspended if they found him.
Instead, I walked to my fallen backpack and headed towards the bus, hoping it hadn't left yet. Along the way, I felt liquid on my lips and I tested the taste to confirm it was blood. I wiped my nose with my sleeve and ignored the crimson staining the black fabric. When I looked up, relief filled me when I saw the bus had just arrived.
Quickly hopping on, and ignoring the looks sent my way, I found a spot away from everyone. A distant ding rang and the bus started rolling down the street. My head leaned against the glass window, enjoying its cold comfort. Even after what happened, I wasn't as exhausted as I expected. I'd thought that after being nearly killed I would be drained, but instead was invigorated.
Just a new normal in my life that seemed to be rapidly changing.
ᛒ - ᛒ - ᛒ - ᛒ - ᛒ
"
Meow," I heard one of the cats cry out as I entered the house. A quick glance showed they weren't in their usual spots until I saw Bee perched on the stairs, his tail swishing back and forth as he watched me.
I quickly made my way to the stairs and stopped next to him. "Sorry, Bee, but I can't pet you right now. I have some… let's say I need to clean up first." Not that I expected him to understand, but it was the truth.
Those big green eyes stared up at me with expectant want. I had to shake my head at the pleading face he gave me. No matter how badly I wanted to give in, there were more important things to take care of first.
Depositing my backpack on my bed, I made my way to the bathroom and rummaged through the medicine closet for bandages. As I went to wash my hands, I got a good look at my face. My small braids on one side were still intact but the rest of my curly hair was a mess. The blood around my swelling nose had dried up and a bruise had begun to form around it nevermind my cheek. I tried to ignore the squareish jaw but it was hard when you had to clean yourself up.
A shuddered breath escaped my lips as I focused on the task at hand rather than the fact that I would never be a pretty girl.
The cuts were cleansed and fresh bandages were applied a few moments later. Giving them a quick inspection, I gave myself a small pat on the back and cleaned after myself.
When I left the bathroom, I heard the house phone ringing. I ran down the stairs, ignoring the plea's from Bee, and answered the phone. "Hello?"
"
Taylor?"
"Vicky?" I couldn't hold my surprise.
We were both silent for a bit, neither of us wanting to break it. She broke the awkward silence first. "
So… sorry about taking so long to call you. Things have been busy for me."
"It's fine," I said a little too quickly. "With the holidays and all…"
"
Yeah… anyway! So I've been thinking about meeting up again so we can delve deeper into that book."
"O-oh really?" Damn voice cracking. "I was thinking about the same but I didn't have a way to call you."
She sighed, "
Yeah, that's my bad. I should've given you my number. Anyway
, I was curious if the book was the only thing you had of your Mom's? Maybe if we had more references that weren't from an index, we might have better luck. Maybe something a little…newer."
I hadn't noticed that I had weaved my fingers through the coiled line of the phone and quickly undid that. Dad would be upset if I messed that up. Again. "There's actually a lot. Several scrolls, leafs of papers, and a few small journals." I looked over to the basement door and tried to envision the quantity in the containers. "There's probably close to fifty,
maybe a hundred, documents. I can try to look through them for anything that might be of interest."
"
I'm sorry, did you say fifty, maybe a hundred? Just how much did your Mom– you know what, yeah, see if you can find anything."
I was curious what she was going to say, but decided against asking. "Sure! Where do you want to meet up? The University library again?"
"
No, we can go somewhere closer. Boardwalk Tea? The tea shop on the–"
"Boardwalk?" I couldn't hold the smirk back.
I could feel her roll her eyes. "
Yeah. It's not far from the public library and I already have a few books with me."
"I also have the one we looked at the most from the university." I had to check it out again, but it was the best one we had.
"
Cool! Does Wednesday after school work?"
The question made me think about my schedule for a moment before I realized there were no plans. I wanted to go out and make my debut as a cape, but it wasn't like I couldn't do both. One during the day, the other at night. "That works!"
"
Great! I'll see you then!"
I hadn't realized there was a smile on my face. When was the last time I was this excited? A thought came to me and I quickly said, "oh, by the way, I have a cell phone now."
"
Is that so?" She was wiggling her eyebrows wasn't she?
It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Yes, it is. Here, let me give you my number." After I cited the digits that were now memorized, I added, "I don't know a
whole lot about cell phones so bear with me." Then I remembered what I did earlier and quickly said, "Uhh… I should also write down your number."
"
That's no biggie! Here let me send you a text so you have my number."
"Wait!"
She was quiet on the other end and muttered, "
what?"
"I uhh," I tried to figure out a way to explain or get out of this situation. "Let me send you one instead."
"Alright…"
She said her number and I quickly added it to my contacts, then I sent her a quick text and I heard a ping from her end. "
Got it."
"Good. So… uhh, see you Wednesday?" This was awkward, wasn't it?
"
Yeah, see ya then!"
"See ya, Vicky."
There was a click on the other side of the phone and I put it back in the receiver. After everything that happened today, it was nice to have a silver lining.
"
Mrrrw," I felt a furry body rub itself against my leg. Looking down, I saw Treacle had finally appeared and a quick look showed that Bee was still on the stairs, but closer. After giving Treacle a little scratch, I walked over to the basement.
I removed the blanket again, which seemed easier this time, and started looking through the containers again. Now I had two objectives: find designs that could be used for my outfit and anything that would be useful for our research.
Container by container, document by document, I sifted through them for anything of interest. With the little—very little— knowledge of the language I had now, I could at least figure out what it was about. For the most part.
It was painstaking, but I had gone through the first container without finding anything that would help. There were a few things that I thought were about some foreign cultures I didn't recognize and wildlife I never knew existed. I assumed it was related to Norse Mythology. From what I knew, there were nine realms with completely different people and animals. Maybe these were notes about that.
If Mom's notes were that extensive on the mythology, why the hell was she an English professor?
The next two containers didn't have anything as well. One was about ecosystems and the other was a mystery. In either case, I continued to the next container. When I started rifling through it, I finally found something for one of my objectives. Designs on armor. A few seemed to be on what I assumed were historically accurate armors of the time. Most were leathers and furs but I found a few designs with metal and what seemed like linked plates. Isameller if I was reading it correctly.
But the others… they were like nothing I'd ever seen before.
Each page seemed to have a different design. One was elegant that seemed to wrap around a body rather than be a standalone piece. I wasn't sure if it was made of cloth or metal based on the sketching and it certainly seemed like it wasn't designed for your average person. The torso seemed longer if that made sense.
Flipping through the pages, each one had a unique design and I wondered if these were based on the different people of the nine realms in Norse Mythology. Mom seemed to have quite the imagination for being able to picture what they looked like and design armor around them.
Again, she surprised me with a talent I never knew she had.
As I studied one of the pages that had a design where the backs were more open, for what, I didn't know, and I accidentally leaned too much and fell. The book went flying and I tried to grab onto something before I landed on something important. My hand grazed a weirdly warm metal and I thought I heard something click.
When I prevented myself from falling, I took a look at where my hand was and noticed it was on the chest where the keyless lock was dangling precariously from the clasp.
Wait… what?
Kneeling in front of the chest, I lifted the lock to see it… unlocked. But how? As my mind started reeling through everything I did, I realized that the lock was still in place when I had unveiled Mom's stash and started looking. So when did it unlock itself?
Then it clicked. I grabbed the note again, reading over memorized words to see if what I was concluding did in fact happen. "The chest would open when the time is right," I said aloud, not exactly verbatim. Was that time now?
I tossed the note to the side and carefully took the lock out and flipped the clasp. My hands were clammy as anxiety rose within me. She hid something important in this large chest, I knew it. A keyless lock that I couldn't unlock a few weeks ago but can now? What changed?
It smacked me in the face like a mack truck. I was a cape now. How Mom was able to make a lock that could distinguish if I was a cape or not, let alone her mysterious future sight that I would even become one, would remain a mystery for now. Unless the answer was in this chest.
With slightly slick hands, I opened it.
And a large puff of dust hit me square in the face.
"What the-!" I yelled as I wiped the dust from my face. When I was no longer blinded, I looked inside the chest. What I saw surprised me.
The chest seemed larger on the inside. On top of what seemed like feathers was a large blue polaroid photo book with golden letters spelling 'The Movement' and a leather bound journal with no description on it. I picked up the photo book and started rifling through it. At first I didn't know what to make of it. It was a bunch of women standing with each other and at other various events. Then it hit me, once again, when I saw my mom and a woman I'd seen before in the news.
Lustrum.
A long blonde haired woman with a matronly face had a smile on it. She was rather muscular, but not in a bad way and it fit her quite well. Like one of those mothers who would beat the shit out of anyone who would harm her kids. Sort of like Mom, to be honest.
The two of them seemed to be thick as thieves. Each photo, Mom was next to her, a bright smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye whenever she was looking at her. They had to be best friends, I'd seen a similar look with Aunt Zoe. Mom had the same look with many women in the photos. Why had I never heard of this before?
Setting the photo book to the side, I picked up the journal and skimmed through it. Surprisingly, this was actually in English. Based on the quick read, it was about her time with Lustrum. Parts of it were vague about what she was doing, but it seemed Mom was a bigger part of the movement than I thought. She always told me that she was just a lieutenant, but not what that had involved. That was apparently a lie if the photos and her own words were any indication.
Oh look, another note specifically for me.
Taylor,
I'm sorry I lied.
That was it. Mom was a Thinker, there's no other explanation for this. She knew that she lied and that I was going to look at this at some point. The lock had to be some sort of Tinkertech that she procured and was tailored specifically to me.
What made it interesting was why our powers were so different. There's some evidence that children of capes often have similar powers, just look at New Wave for an example. I was a Master and all evidence led towards Mom being a Thinker,
maybe a Tinker. It didn't make sense.
As frustrated as I was, I continued to go through the life my mom had experienced in Lustrum's group. There wasn't any indication that she was a cape. Not in the photos or her journal. I'd have to read deeper later.
Setting the photo book and journal to the side, I looked inside the chest once again. There was something under the feathers, the lumps gave it away. When my fingers grazed the brownish feathers, I felt an incredible softness that I was not expecting. I gently caressed the plumage, mesmerized by their fluffiness, before I realized what it was. Grabbing hold of them, and surprised none came loose, I pulled them out from the chest. A cloak of some kind!
I stood up, holding the feathered cloak in its full glory and found the clasps at the front, I realized that it wasn't brown but pitch black like the night sky. There was something about the feathers that reminded me of something.
Wait.
They were similar to an owl! I wasn't sure what kind of owl, but definitely from an owl. We had a few feathers when I went to the summer camp. They had intrigued me for many reasons, one of them being my fascinations with birds, particularly owls. Mom nicknamed me after I watched an entire marathon on them. I would hate for these feathers to be forcefully taken, so I hoped they had been shed naturally.
Looking at the cloak now, I realized it would fit me perfectly and then I noticed something shining inside the chest.
It was metal, gold and silver, and it was connected to what looked like red cloth. On top of it was a helmet that was oddly similar to my construct's helmet, but the silver face was more obvious and had elegant gold and red horns that swept upwards instead of wings. I picked it up and realized it was about the size of my own head. I wasn't sure where my hair was supposed to go, but I wouldn't know how it fit till I put it on.
Setting the amazing cloak and helmet to the side, I picked up the gleaming silver and quickly realized it was armor. It was surprisingly light and shimmered in the dim light, as if it was glowing. There were shoulder guards, made of predominantly silver with gold trim. The red I had noticed before was actually a tunic that was attached to the chainmail underneath. A single black sash came across from the right shoulder to the gold or bronze belt with a large circular belt buckle.
It was beautiful, that's the only way I could describe it. I'd never seen anything like it and it wasn't like any of the drawings in the armor book.
I turned it around and saw that it was mostly open. Awkward. Why was that? Holding it up, I realized that it was the perfect size for me, as though it were made just for me. If that was the case, then Mom had it made in preparation like everything else.
What intrigued me was that the feathered cloak fit perfectly in between the shoulder guard and neck.
Setting aside both the armor and cloak, I peered inside the chest one more time. There were only three more items. An ancient looking book, which looked as old if not older than 'The Compendium', a large metal key, and a sword.
A sword?!
What in the hell was Mom doing with a sword? Let alone one as beautifully crafted as this one? It gleamed in the low light, the engravings standing out far more than they naturally should have. I was mesmerized by the design and how the darker center seemed to radiate out into the lighter edge like veins through a leaf. A golden leaf. The circular pommel seemed to be missing something unless the hole was there by design. The handle was made of what looked like a deep red oak with gold inlaid in the center. The crossguard seemed smaller than I expected; it was shaped like a diamond instead of a T.
It was stunning, magnificent. As my hand reached inside to grab the hilt, I noticed that the sword wasn't very large. Maybe reaching three-quarters of my arm. The handle was warm, just like most of the metal I touched here, and I easily picked up the sword. It was far too light and I overcompensated, my hand going over my head accidentally.
Luckily I didn't let go and accounted for the weight quickly. I held it out in front of me and stared at it closely. "You're beautiful, but what was Mom doing with you?"
The sword
obviously didn't respond so I was left with my own thoughts. While I could chalk the armor and cloak up to Mom's mysterious powers, the sword didn't match those. There was no reason to have a sword. If she knew I was a Master, then why would I need a weapon?
Sadly, that question would never be answered but if Mom wanted me to use it, then I would. I'd need to train with it and look at countless videos on how to wield a sword, but it wasn't a bad idea. I
was defenseless without my construct.
I carefully set the sword down on top of the armor and looked inside the chest once again. The key wasn't anything special. It was a storage key with a blue tag, labeled with the number thirteen on it. Just another hint for me to trace it seemed. The book, on the other hand, was more interesting. It had Old Norse written on it but I didn't know enough to decipher it.
It was made of bound leather that came across as ancient and I feared it might just crumble in my hands. As I carefully opened and leafed through the tome, I was surprised that the parchment seemed pristine. There were pages upon pages of words that might depict instructions for something. On some pages there were lines connecting runes and circles and I couldn't even begin to grasp what they meant. Just another mystery that needed to be solved. It was rather fascinating and seemed well organized by section. Learning more Old Norse was quickly becoming the priority, just so I could read and learn more.
In fact, as I gazed over all of Mom's stuff, I became very excited for Wednesday. Not only would Vicky and I continue to unravel this mystery, I had a means to go out without spending any money for my costume. My eyes lingered on the armor, helmet, and cloak. Yeah, they would do nicely.
The plot thicken and the mystery continues! I have to admit, and this is also due to my backlog, but I do so love writing Victoria. She's been my favorite since INFC.
But yeah... The Empire does not mess around, especially with an out and open trans girl and someone wanting a ticket into the gang.
