What happens when you take Marceau up to eleven?
Worm/Sekai Oni
Touch the sky
"Taylor," her teacher called her before she could leave the room. "I need to talk to you about the essay, could you stay for a moment?"
"Uh... sure?" she said, moving away from the door. She could hear some giggles, whispers. "What's wrong with it?"
Ms. Knott waited until everyone but they were out and sighed. "It's... I don't know why you did that."
She pulled out the essay - it was handwritten, demanded it to be like that because she thought that using the computer would be 'lazy'. Especially ironic when you consider that she started most classes with giving out copies of computer-written work sheets. Of course nobody called teachers out on their hypocrisy.
But... even Taylor could see what was wrong. "It's... mirrored?"
"Yes, it is," Ms. Knott said. "The question is
why is it mirrored, Taylor?"
"I don't know?"
"But that's your handwriting," her teacher shook her head. "I know it is, and it's incredible how detailed you managed to do that even though it's mirrored, but I can't grade this."
"I didn't write it like this though!" Taylor denied. "I couldn't do that-"
Ms. Knott interrupted her and put a sheet of paper on the table before pressing a pen into her hand. "Just write your name, please."
Taylor shrugged and wrote. There it was, completely normal, Taylor He-
"Why is it mirrored again?" Ms. Knott asked suddenly, making Taylor's eyes widen. She stared at the page and could see the words mirror again.
"I... how?" Taylor asked. "I didn't mean to!"
"I'm sure you didn't," Ms. Knott said. Her tone made it obvious that she didn't really mean it. "I would..."
"Why... why did I use my left hand?" Taylor asked. "I'm right handed... I..."
Taylor felt dizzy. She hunched slightly, her glasses falling to the floor as Ms. Knott put a hand on her shoulder.
"Taylor, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm... I'm sorry," Taylor said, crouching down to grab her glasses.
A figure, menacing, dangerous and with a most disgustingly evil smile she had ever seen was reflected in the glasses. With a scream, she jumped back and hit Ms. Knott with her head, making the woman drop to the floor with a bleeding nose.
Taylor put her hands over her eyes, keeping them shut.
"Taylor attacked a teacher!" she heard someone from behind shout. Taylor shook her head, trying to forget the monster...
She could still feel it. It was behind her. She was sure.
---
Taylor sat in the small interrogation room with her father. He didn't say anything, didn't ask
why, didn't ask
what. All he heard was that she attacked a teacher, and he just nodded and went along.
But Taylor still had her eyes closed.
"Do we have to sit facing the mirror?" Taylor asked the policeman. "I..."
"I'm sorry, we are not here to accommodate you, this is an investigation against you," the policeman said. "I'm Officer Davis, we will wait until your lawyer is here before we begin. Could you state your name and occupation?"
"Taylor Hebert," she said, still holding her hands over her eyes. "Student. Probably. They'll kick me out, right?"
She could hear her dad clear his throat. His glare towards the policeman wasn't visible to her...
"I'm sorry for being so late, Mr. Hebert," a woman entered the room. "I'm Carol Dallon, I will be taking the case."
"I... uh, I called for Mr. Barnes, he is an old friend of mine..." her dad stuttered. Taylor knew that name. Dallon... Dallon... oh god. This...
"Yes, and that's how it got to me," she said. "Sometimes we take cases pro bono, help the people who couldn't help themselves, and Mr. Barnes is not really a lawyer for these cases."
"I... thank you," Danny said. Taylor could hear the relief in his voice.
"Very well, then let us begin - we have multiple eye-witnesses who claim to have seen you attack your teacher after she asked you to wait in the classroom... is that true?"
"I didn't attack her!" Taylor said.
"After confirming it with a few students - they were alone in the closed room," Carol said. "Nobody entered, and when they did the whole thing had already happened."
"Very well, then why was there heard shouting then?" Davis asked. "It's what made them enter in the first place."
"I... she called for me because of my essay," Taylor mumbled.
"I can't understand you if you keep hiding your face like that," the officer said. "Just put your hands on the table, it's alright."
"No it isn't," Taylor shook her head. "There is a monster in the mirror."
"Aren't you a bit old to believe stuff like that?"
"Shut up," Taylor said. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
"Ms. Hebert, please stop," Carol said. "It's alright. Please don't bother with anything besides the questions you are here to ask, Officer."
"Of course, Mrs. Dallon," Davis sighed. "It was Ms. Knott who called the police and is suing you - and I doubt she broke her nose herself just to frame you, why don't you explain what happened?"
And Taylor did. From the mirrored essay, up to the monster in her glasses.
"Taylor," Carol said. "I believe it might be a psychological problem, there is a sickness that might explain why you saw what you saw. Just open your eyes - you will see, it can't do anything."
Taylor shook her head, but felt hands on hers suddenly. "It's alright."
It was her dad, so... so she just stopped closing her eyes and slowly removed her hands from her face...
And just like before. It was there, standing in the mirrored glass behind the policeman. It grinned as its claws slowly moved towards her reflection.
"NO!" she screamed, lifting her hand above her head. A hammer appeared. Huge. Bigger than she could comfortably hold in one hand, but yet she threw it at the mirror and watched the glass crack, destroying the monster in the mirror and watching the hammer fall to the floor harmlessly.
Carol watched the scene, completely baffled, while the officer didn't hesitate grabbing Taylor's hands and pulling them to the table - forcing handcuffs on her and staring at Carol.
"Parahuman?" he asked her, grimacing. Carol nodded. This case just got a whole lot more complicated.
---
The PRT, Taylor decided, was annoying. Annoying, annoying, annoying!
"The charges against your daughter will be dropped," Director Piggot said, sitting with them in the interrogation room. They decided that the hammer throw was obviously aimed at the policeman, and thus charged her with attempted assault of a police officer with a parahuman power.
"But you want her to fight for you."
"The Wards are not there to
fight," the Director said. "Quite the opposite. They are supposed to stay away from villains, and learn about their powers in a controlled environment. It would be beneficial for her, and she would also receive a stipend that will help her in her future life."
"It's her choice," Danny growled. "She asked the policeman to stay away from the mirror, and now you tell me she has a power that needs to be added to your junior law enforcers, or else she will get thrown into jail. That sounds less than a fair offer and more like a threat."
Two days ago he might have immediately agreed with the woman. But Carol had... warned him, so to speak. The case was more complicated now, the nature of her powers can't be used against her if she told people about it - and apparently the
'monster in the mirror' was, spinning it right, a warning the trained policeman should have seen coming. It wasn't even like he sued her - the higher ups arrested her for it.
"I concur, it's her choice, and I know your choice matters to her," she said. "I can send you someone who was both in the Wards when she was younger and has a... similar power, as it seems. Just let her talk to your daughter."
"I am
right here," Taylor growled, staring at the table. "And just because you can't talk to me without my lawyer present, it doesn't mean that I can't hear you."
Piggot coughed, looking away. "I didn't mean to ignore you, it's..."
"Screw you! Get out! I'm going to prison, just keep me away from mirrors! Charge me as an adult for all I care! Nobody ever listens to my side! You are all the same! All the same! ALL THE SAME! Blackwell, Emma, Sophia, everyone! Even you! Shut up! Get out!"
Taylor's shouts weren't heard outside the isolated room, but most certainly recorded. Her body was shaking but she didn't look up as her shouts grew louder. After the disaster from last time, she was kept away from reflective surfaces - the 'request' of a transfer in a place that could hold a parahuman better has been struck down by Carol rather early.
"Taylor, she's gone," Danny said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Sorry, Dad," Taylor said, blinking away tears. I... I don't know what's happening. I just want... want it to be normal again. It's hard..."
"Avoiding all mirrors for the rest of your life might be hard," Danny said. "Their offer isn't bad, but I don't think you should be
forced to join. It's... unethical."
"Tell me about it," she sighed. "I... you know I'm not lying, right?"
"Of course."
"I'm... not lying. I'm not lying," she repeated. "I'm telling the truth."
