I didn’t plan to apologize, not like this, here in a school setting.That’s the first lie I tell myself.The second is that I don’t care what Taylor Hebert thinks. I really dont give a fuck what the creeper thinks of me. Either way, Jason wanted me to do this, and I know that Noodlehead is watching somewhere somehow.

  Fucking creeper...It’s like I’m surrounded by creeps.

  The hallway smells shit just like I remembered, Fucking Holidays dont mean shit, since joining up with the Wards I dont even get to prowl on my own and gotta babysit pipsquek on a green tutu wearing Visor like a kindergarten babysitter. Atleast it aint Cocksucker or Kidloser. White Knight in shining fucktard is probably the worse out of all of em. Something feels off about that guy, always staring, always giving me the heebs. Fuck that guy. Who the fuck calls himself Gallant? Aegis? Fucking loser tool squad, I rather listen to the pipsqueak than his mexican ass on Burito any longer than I need to. Bunch of fucking children.

  Bam*!

  Slammed my locker, the lock is loose, this shit feels normal. Boring. Winslow pretends it isn’t a pressure cooker full of a cast of rejects of every trash in the demographic somehow all ended up here in this school.

  And then there she is, Loser with a spectacle. I don't get what Jason sees in her. Taylor Hebert. Same ugly brown jacket, same hunched shoulders like she’s bracing for a hit that never stops coming. She’s at her locker, hands shaking just a little as she shoves books inside, a little angrier than the usual but these days, That’s probably on me.

  I stop.

  I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t. Fuck.

  But something in my chest twists in that sharp, ugly way it’s been doing ever since Jason found out I was bullying the little shit. Fucking prey deserve it acting like a prey. Why the fuck she keeps enduring in beyond me. What the fuck did Jason used to say about her?

  ten percent luck, twenty percent skill fifty percent concentrated power of will? Sounds like a stupid lyrics from some emo goth electropop garbage they seems to love to air these days. What they call those? EDM? Fuck that shit.

  Ah fuck this, let’s just do this and move on. I clear my throat.

  “Hebert.”

  The fucking creeper freezes for a moment and then just kept walking, fucking figures she would do that, I grit my teeth. “Hey. I’m talking to you.”

  Slowly she turns towards me, seen that look before, that fucking disgusting look. Her eyes flick up to my face, and for half a second I expect fear. Not the look im used to, that used to be the look, It’s not there anymore, I’ve seen it once when it was the first time Emma harassed her. I haven't seen that look in a long time, That predatory gaze that sparked something in me to interfere all those months ago, it’s still there. Maybe Jason had a point. Creeper was hiding shit…but there’s also something else.

  That condescending flat look she gave off now. Like I’m not worth the effort of hating.That hits harder than any punch but still, Im getting it.

  “What do you want, Sophia?” she asks.

  I hate the way she says my name like that, like I dont matter even if im right here standing infront of her, she doesn’t see me.I fold my arms, defaulting to posture, to intimidation, to everything that’s always worked, wait..that’s…no.

  “I…”

  The word sticks.

  Idiot.

  Fuck. Me.

  How the fuck do you apolagize again? shit.

  I try again. “Hey, you trying to avoid me or some shit?”

  Her eyebrow twitches. “...What?”

  That’s not! Okay. That’s came out wrong. Fuck it.

  “Look I ain’t here to cause any trouble anymore, I just..I just…FUCK! Why is it so hard?!” I snapped.

  Her lips press together. “What do you want, Sophia?”

  Something hot crawls up my neck. “Look, I just wanna say sorry, Sorry for all the-”

  She cuts me off. “You bullied me with Emma for a few months, you beat me, punched me. Shove me into the toilet, flushed my homework, and now you want to apologise? You don’t get to decide how I’m supposed to feel about that.”

  That’s because you being a little bitch about it and too weak to stand up for yourself! FUCK!! That’s not it! I’m here to say sorry and move on! Just take it you dipshit!

  “I said I’m sorry,” I growled unconsciously. Is apologising this hard to begin with?! Fuck you Jason! That sniper rifle better be encrusted with gold! Just take the damn apology fucking Hebert!

  “No,” she says. “You said you’re doing it now for something, Don't know what it is, and I don't wanna know.”

  People are slowing down. Watching. I can feel it. Whispers starting. The last thing I need is an audience. She’s already moving away from the crowd, fuck it. Don't you dare run away from me! I kept up with her in the hallway and ignore all the murmurings. Fucking assholes should just mind their own business as I glared around and they cowed away. Fucking sheep. Useless.

  I lean in, lowering my voice as she arrive at the door to our classroom but stop by next to her locker first. Must be nice when your locker is in the hallway right next to class, not like mine. Why the hell did they assign my all the way at the far end of the corner near the toilet?. “What do you want from me, Hebert? You want me to beg?”

  Her eyes harden. “I want you to mean it.”

  This is me meaning it idiot! This shouldn’t be so hard. But it is. I look around the classroom trying to find any hidden camera’s or CCTV. is that fucking Noodle arm watching me behind the screen like some Overlord? Oh wait, he’s kind of is. Fuck you Jason. The things I go through to get a tinker made Sniper Rifle.

  Also, what the fuck does Hebert mean? What meaning it? The fuck I do that? Does it means admitting I wasn’t strong? I wasn’t right? I wasn’t doing some twisted survival-of-the-fittest crap in my head? Fuck sure. I’ll admit it. It means admitting I was cruel because I could be.

  Got no shame in that.

  “I…am fucking meaning it so just take my damn apology Hebert.” My mouth feels dry. The words come out wrong, jagged. “I didn’t think it would fucking..”

  “-matter?” she finishes. “Yeah. I know.”

  The fuck? She a thinker now?

  “I didn’t think about that. Why you gotta be such a bitch about this Hebert. Just take the damn apology!” I say instead. “Okay…fuck, that came out wrong, look I don’t think. About you. About… any of it when it happens alright? You ain't exactly helping acting like a victim all the time.”

  Hebert just sighed like she’s tired from all of this and slaps me away going in, Emma and the rest were already started to watch, Fuck. I really don't need this so early in the fucking morning.

  “An apology isn’t just words,” she says. “It’s understanding what you did.”

  “I get it fucktard. Do you think this isn’t hard on me?.” I snap.

  She shakes her head. “And that’s why you get a No Sophia. You don’t get it. And that’s why I’m not accepting it.”

  That should make me angry, It does make me angry but not like I used to. These days it’s easier to control that part of me. Since meeting Jason after getting EMP like a dumbass, things were a lot easier to think things through.

  Patch things with mom and even little sis. My brother even stopped avoiding me at home. And since I joined the ward, mom seems a little calmer, its probably the extra money the PRT and Jason are giving me that’s making mom life easier. Don’t need to think about paying rent on time anymore and food at home is plenty enough these days so life is better.

  But underneath that is something worse I just realize. Helplessness. Shit like this, always the need to conform to other peoples ideals. Wards and their stupid schedule. Patrolling without maiming is out of the question anymore so no more kneecap shots. These days i’m shooting with a fucking blunt arrows. Who the fuck does that? Wouldn’t it hurt more if its blunt?

  Stupid PRT. Stupid Hebert. Stupid Jason Lin.

  “So what, then?” I ask. “You just want to hate me forever?”

  She pauses. For the first time, she hesitates, I can tell she wanted to or try not to think that way, everyone is a holier than thou attitude, even fucking Jason. And he’s Dreamhack or commander or whatever the fucking hell these random Tinker squad that kept appearing around him lately. Didn’t think he had a team. I knew so little about him, just as much as I knew very little about Hebert. Danny Hebert is this dumbass bitch father.

  I don't see the resemblance at all. At least that scrawny ass man knows how to savage in a power armor. Drowned an ABB goon tried to muscle into one of his dockworkers too, The man isn’t afraid to kill, not like his bitch ass daughter. Probably took over from her mom side. Heard she was some Professor or something.

  “I don’t care enough to hate you,” she says finally. “I just don’t trust you. And I don’t owe you forgiveness.”

  Again, bitch Hebert. Why does she gotta be such a bitch about things? She turns back to her locker, slams it shut, and slings her bag over her shoulder.

  Before she walks away, she stops.

  “For what it’s worth,” she says, not looking at me, “if you ever figure out how to actually be sorry… maybe start by not demanding anything in return.”

  Then she leaves and enter the classroom. I didn't follow her. The hallway noise rushes back in all at once. I stand there, staring at the spot where she was, my chest tight and my head buzzing. I tell myself I don’t care.

  I tell myself it’s because I’m done. Because I said my piece. Because she doesn’t matter. No…

  That’s another lie.

  The real reason sits heavier, uglier, and a hell of a lot more uncomfortable.

  Jason Lin promised me something nice, a sniper rifle. I want it, but is this really worth it going through all this turmoil all for a stupid piece metal junk? If it’s any ordinary metal junk maybe not but Jason’s equipment are…the best, not even Beardmaster can make something like this, PRT wont even give me the budget to even fashion a sleek armor like this. I took a shotgun to the face and still came out unscratch with the armor pristine and undented.

  The name alone tightens something in my chest.

  He didn’t order me to do this, He doesn’t have to. He just looked at me with that flat, knowing stare, the kind that strips excuses down to the bone, and told me what I needed to do if I wanted the rifle.

  Its pure and simple, I’m a greedy bitch.

  I see it in my head again: the weapon laid out on the table, half-finished but already beautiful. Tinker-made. Terran-grade like he always likes to say... A sniper rifle that felt like it was designed for my hands, my posture, my instincts. Long-range. Clean. Precise. The kind of thing that doesn’t miss and doesn’t forgive, probably takes a headshot and bursts a man's head like they are popping zits.

  The kind of thing that makes me better.

  All I had to do was apologize.

  Actually, apologize to that cunt.

  To Taylor Hebert.

  To fucking Bitchass Taylor Hebert.

  The irony almost makes me laugh.

  I lean against Hebert’s locker and let my head thump back, parts of it dented, some of it from me, My eyes staring at the stained ceiling tiles. My heartbeat hasn’t slowed. My hands are still tense, like they’re gripping something invisible, Do I even feel bad about doing all that shit to her? Ask myself. And the answer kept coming out…No.

  I didn’t go to her because I felt guilty.

  That’s the part I can’t stand.

  I went because I wanted something.

  Because Jason said that power without control is wasted, and control without accountability rots. Because he said I needed to clean up my messes if I wanted access to what he could build. Because the rifle was real, tangible, and forgiveness wasn’t.

  I hate that he was right.

  I hate that Taylor saw through me without even knowing the truth.

  I replay the moment in my head, over and over. The way the words stuck. The way my mouth fought me. The way my instincts screamed to dominate, to push, to win an argument that was never supposed to be one. Predators don't do apologies. They maim and rip anyone heart out and just keep talking. Survival of the fittest.

  That was me.

  And that’s the worst part? How?

  I didn’t fail because Taylor rejected me. I failed because I couldn’t even fake being sorry properly. Somewhere deep down, I wanted to check a box. Say the words. Do the thing. Get the gun. Move on.

  Jason doesn’t work like that, no. That noodlehead actually believes doing good is a good thing. Even with all that power and all that talent under him, He doesn’t abuse it. He knew I’d struggle. He knew I’d try to shortcut it. He knew I’d choke on it when it stopped being about leverage and started being about responsibility. If I have that kind of power..what would I do with it? Do I use it to force dumb Taylor to apologize?

  That’s the thing huh? I’d probably do, But I know that’s not what people in power would do, Jason wouldn’t do it. I just can’t wrap my head around why? Why is it so fucking hard to just do whatever the fuck you want!

  I grind my teeth.

  I tell myself Taylor doesn’t deserve anything from me. That life isn’t fair. That strength is all that matters. But the memory of her eyes, that stupid flat based stare, unafraid, unimpressed? It won’t just leave me alone.

  That wasn’t weakness, That was someone who survived me. And didn’t need me anymore, wasn’t that person anymore. I dont even what the fuck I am these days. Being engulfed in rage is far easier than to think about shit. Like mom, thinking about how to raise us all…

  Fuck…

  Jason knew that too probably. Maybe I am not that person anymore but it isn’t as easy as it looks, trying to understand? I just dont. I got up and start walking, boots heavy against the floor. Every step feels like I’m moving away from something familiar and toward something I don’t know how to handle.

  The rifle flashes in my mind again. Perfect balance. Perfect scope. Perfect reach. Jason could do it. Maybe something crazy like a 1km scope with no wind resistance bullet. He could do it. Already seen a rifle he made, and he call that standard issue. Mine is custom made, so it could do better. More.

  I want it badly enough that my chest aches.

  If I can’t even own what I did without expecting a reward… Do I actually deserve the power I’m chasing?

  The thought sticks, but class is about to start. And no matter how hard I try to shake it, it follows me down the hall. Emma finds me before I can get to class.

  Shit. Emma.

  She always has a way of appearing when I least want to deal with her, like she can smell weakness in the air. She’s leaning against the wall near the stairwell, arms crossed, eyes sharp and glittering with irritation. The moment she sees my face, her mouth twists. Probably learned that from me, probably learned smelling weakness from me to. Got a six sense about detecting prey.

  “What was that?” she demands.

  The fuck now? Is this about Hebert? She saw that?

  “I saw you,” Emma continues, pushing off the wall and stepping closer. “Talking to her. Do you have any idea how insane you looked?”

  I open my mouth, then close it again. The words don’t come easily anymore. Emma used to make me comfortable. We shared something similar, I thought we had something going on, but It wasn’t.

  “I was handling something,” I say at last.

  Emma laughs, short and brittle. “Handling what? Your conscience?” She scoffs. “Since when do you even have one?”

  She circles me like she’s inspecting damage. “You apologizing to Taylor Hebert?” she goes on. “That’s not just stupid, Sophia. That’s embarrassing. For you. For us.”

  Us she said.

  “She doesn’t deserve it,” Emma says, her voice hardening. “After everything she did! after the way she tried to play the victim? You know what she is. Weak. Pathetic. She needs to be put in her place.”

  This is familiar territory. This is the script we’ve been following for since I gain my powers and dealt with Steven and her trauma with the ABB.. Emma speaks, I nod. Emma points, I strike. It’s simple.

  Clean, I didn't need to think, got my rage to contain, things to deal with, don't need more shit in my life to muddle things through, just gotta work with anger, put an arrow to some dumbasses face, kill a mook or two, They always somehow survive but it dont matter.losing an eye a knee, some idiot out there wont be able to see or walk again. No more trash. Life was simple and safe.

  Safe.

  And yet something inside me twists. “She didn’t do anything to us,” I hear myself say.

  Emma blinks, genuinely surprised. “What?”

  The word echoes in my head. Us. I see it now, clearer than I want to. Emma behind me, always behind me. Watching. Pushing. Smiling when I went too far, frowning when I hesitated. She was using me like I was using her, It didn’t matter before, but now?

  Now it does. Real Predators don't take shit from others. Not even other predators. Kindred we maybe, But I aint about to let some Queenbee bitch in highschool to tell me what to do.Seen how other Predators deal with different shit. Jason went the Lion Path, establishing his Pridelands all over the abandon yards and took over Merchant territory.

  Even that doctor bitch Ziegler tamed everyone around her like some nine tailed fox Even coax that depressing Panacea loser too. Then there’s Ana, Stone cold bad bitch. Doesn’t even have powers. Just a regular joe but she fights like panther, stings like wasp. Her daughter is every bit the danger factor just like her mom. Her mom who looked like fucking Jailbait with muscles. Where the fuck did Jason recruited them?

  I dont wanna admit it, but even breadboy is turning into a fucking Predator, Got a fucking crew and tear shit up around ABB teritory burning and rescuing Sexworkers with his fucking hyena bitch possies.

  And some highschool QueenBee bitch gonna lecture me about the rules of the jungle?

  “She started it,” Emma snaps. “She was always looking at us like she was better. Like she judged us.”

  That’s not true, I know it now. I knew it then, too,somewhere deep down Emma didn’t get stronger, she remains stagnant and content to keep her territory, but it was easier to let Emma decide what was real. Easier to let her fear become my justification.

  “Mind your own business Emma. This is between me and Hebert. Don’t intervene,” I say quietly.

  Emma’s eyes narrow. “What did you say to me?What is wrong with you?”

  I get it, Hebert got tired of this shit. Why haven’t I noticed this?

  “What’s wrong,” Emma says, voice rising, “is that you’re acting like she matters. Like her feelings count more than ours. After everything we’ve done together.”

  Together and Us..Together huh?

  What does that even mean? That I was the weapon and she was the one who aimed me like a fucking gun?

  “I don’t want to do this anymore,” I say.

  The words hang in the air between us, fragile and dangerous.

  Emma’s face hardens, something cold settling behind her eyes. “Don’t be dramatic.”

  “I’m not,” I say. My voice sounds steadier than I feel. “I’m just… tired.”

  She scoffs. “You’re tired of winning? Of being on top?”

  No.I’m tired of carrying your hate. The thought scares me enough that I don’t say it out loud but really, Im tired of her bullshit, of carrying every single fucking time. Why the fuck did I let this go on so long? Was it really easier to just act as before just because we had a shared …what? Trauma bonding? Jason made it like it was a bad thing, I used to think that was dumb, but no…he really did have a point.

  “You think apologizing fixes anything?” Emma presses. “You think she’s suddenly going to forgive you and everything will be fine?”

  I think of Taylor’s flat gaze. Her refusal. The way she walked away without looking back, huh…she fought back didn’t she?

  “No,” I say. “I don’t.”

  “Then why bother?” Emma demands.Because someone finally made me look at myself.Because for the first time, I’m not sure you’re right anymore.

  “I need to,” I say instead.

  Emma studies me like I’m a stranger. Like she’s deciding whether I’m still useful.

  “You’re changing,” she says quietly. “And I don’t like it.”

  I meet her eyes. For once, I don’t look away.

  “Neither do I, Grow the fuck up Emma.” I finally admitted. I'm done with her shit. She gasps. Probably was taken aback, even Madison came in and stopped when she heard us arguing and didn’t expect me to say that.

  It’s all so childish. The wards? Here? It doesn't even matter. Its all the same to me. The bell rings, sharp and sudden, breaking the tension. Students flood the hallway, shoving between us, the moment splintering into pieces. Wish I fucking bailed school.

  Emma turns away first.

  Class is starting, lets get over this shit first.

  —-------------------

  Fuck, where the hell did she dissapear now?

  That might cost me more than any rifle ever could. School ends with the bell screaming like it always does, loud and final, like it’s shoving us all out whether we’re ready or not.

  I’m not.

  Finally, fucking found her!

  I see Taylor in the flow of students the second she steps into the hall. She keeps her head down, moves fast, like she already knows someone’s coming after her.

  I tell myself I’m not following her.

  I just… happen to be going the same way.

  Yeah, that's it!

  Down the stairs. Out the front doors. Across the cracked concrete of the school yard. The air outside is cold and smells like car exhaust and wet leaves. Students peel off in groups, laughter and shouting fading as they go their separate ways.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Taylor doesn’t slow down. That should’ve been my sign to stop but I didn’t. Gotta see this through, Don't know how,but I’ll just force it through until she accepts it. Fifty percent will? Try 100 percent stubbornness till I shove it up her ass.

  “Hebert, Hey! Taylor fucking Hebert!” I call.

  She stiffens. I can tell even from behind. Her shoulders rise, just a fraction, like she’s bracing again.

  She turns, eyes sharp this time, not tired. Alert.

  “Stop following me,” she says.

  The words come out fast, clipped and being all defensive, I’ll jut keep doing it until she wears out .

  “I’m not gonna…UGH! ” I start, then stop. Lying feels pointless now. “Okay. I am. Just..gimme a sec, wait.”

  She hesitates, then starts walking again, faster. I match her pace. That earns me a look over her shoulder, something between anger and disbelief.

  “I say wait you dumbass!” Why the hell does she gotta bail on me like that! I told her to fucking wait!

  “This is harassment,” she says.

  Fuck you it does! Just fucking wait!

  “I just need a minute! ” I say. “I didn’t do it right before…Fuck, nobody told me apologizing to a loser is gonna be this hard”

  She snorts. “See? Even you yourself don’t mean it. Go home Sophia. Leave me alone.”

  That shouldn’t be funny. It almost is. Fuck…was I the creep now?

  “I’m bad at this,” I say, the admission scraping my throat raw. “Talking. Saying things the right way..fucking hell..”

  “That’s not my problem,” she says.

  We reach the corner where the streets start to thin out, Winslow fading behind us. The buildings here are older, closer together, brick stained with grime and neglect.

  She knows where she’s going.

  I realize, suddenly, that I don’t.

  “Look,” I say, slowing just enough to step in front of her.

  She stops short.

  “Don’t,” she snaps. “Don’t block me.” I raise my hands, palms out, like I’m approaching something that might bolt.

  “I’m not asking for forgiveness,” I say. That’s… mostly true. “I just need you to hear me.”

  “I’ve heard enough,” she says. “Every time you opened your mouth for the past few months torturing me.”

  “I know,” I say. “I know I screwed up. I know I hurt you. I can’t take it back. I don’t even know how to explain why I did it without sounding like an excuse.”

  “Then don’t,” she says.

  She steps around me and goes into a brief sprint.

  I follow again.

  Her pace quickens. Mine does too, without thinking. My instincts are screaming at me, this is turning into something ugly, something familiar, something I promised myself I wouldn’t do.

  “Please just fucking accept it and I’ll be on my way,” I say.

  The word feels wrong in my mouth.

  “No” she said.

  “Why the hell not?!” I lashed out

  She looks back at me, eyes wide now. “Why won’t you just leave me alone?”

  Because I don’t know how to stop being the thing everyone’s afraid of duh. Because someone told me to make this right, and I don’t know what right looks like. Because you’re being such a bitchass classic Taylor, because..fuck! Because if I walk away now, I’ll prove her right.

  “I won’t back down,” I say, too blunt, too honest. “Not until you accept it.” I growled, this is getting tiresome. The moment the words leave my mouth, I know I’ve screwed up.

  Her face goes pale as she compose herself and again with that glare of hers.

  “That’s exactly what you don’t get,” she says. “You don’t get to corner me and demand closure.”

  She turns and runs. For half a second, my body reacts before my brain does. My legs tense, ready to give chase, heart pounding with the familiar thrill of pursuit. Why are you running?!

  Too late.

  She’s already sprinting down the side street, hair flying, backpack bouncing against her spine. I follow, slower, shouting her name, telling her to stop, that I’m not going to hurt her The words sound like lies even to me. Motherfucker…since when can she run like that?! She never did that in PE.

  The neighborhood changes fast. Graffiti. Boarded windows. The air feels different, heavier, like it’s watching ahh fuck, we’re in ABB territory. The fuck she runs here for?!

  I recognize it a second too late.

  Taylor darts between two buildings, vanishing down an alley. I skid to a halt at the mouth of it, chest heaving, eyes scanning the shadows. The realization sinks in, cold and bitter.I chased her so hard she ran into gang territory just to get away from me. Oh great Soph, real brilliant of you chasing her into chink teritory, now all the slanted eyes goons gonna come out of the woodwork looking at a white girl and black girl playing tom and fucking Jerry.

  It was a hunt. And I don’t know how to live with that. The anger comes back all at once. It crawls up my spine and wraps around my ribs, squeezing until it’s hard to breathe. The guilt, the doubt, the second-guessing all of it burns away under something older and meaner.

  I knew it.

  I knew this was how she’d play it.

  THIS is why I fucking bitch slap her all those months ago!

  ARGH!

  I move before I finish the thought, boots slapping against cracked pavement as I push into the alley after her. The shadows swallow me, narrow walls pressing in on both sides, trash piled high and reeking. My heart is pounding again, but now it’s not fear or panic.

  It’s rage.

  She’s at the far end, skidding to a stop, realizing too late there’s nowhere left to go. A chain-link fence blocks the exit, rusted and bent, but not broken enough to slip through.

  She spins when she hears me. Hah! Cornered like the rat you are Hebert. Who's the bitch now? You’re my bitch again. Fucking dumbbitch RAT.

  “What is wrong with you?” I snarl, the words tearing out of my throat before I can stop them. “You think running into ABB territory is smart?”

  Her eyes are wide, breathing fast. “You followed me!”

  “Yeah,” I snap. “Because you wouldn’t stop acting like a fucking bitch! like I’m the villainess no matter what I do! Fuck you Hebert! This is all on you!”

  There it is. I feel it settle into place like an old coat. Heavy. Comfortable. Wrong. But familiar mistake. But somehow? This also feels right. Hebert is gonna know what’s coming to her.

  “I tried,” I keep going, voice sharp, cruel. “I swallowed my pride. I did the stupid apology thing. And you couldn’t even accept it like a normal person!”

  She flinches. That tiny reaction sends a sick jolt of satisfaction through me.

  “So don’t pretend this is all on me,” I say, stepping closer. “You made this worse, Hebert! Fucking made me chase a white girl in chink teritory, if your ass get sold into slavery, that aint my ass on the line!”

  I can hear myself. I know how this sounds. I don’t stop, fuck i didnt stop of course! Because fuck you Hebert!

  “You like this, don’t you?” I spit. “Being chased. Being the victim. Gives you something to cry about.”

  Her mouth opens, but no words come out.That’s when I hear it.

  Laughter.

  Some sleazy laughter too, male, a little snarly, probably haven’t had a drink in days or just came down bad with the flu.

  Movement flickers at the mouth of the alley behind me. Three shapes peel themselves out of the shadows with those stupid baggy jackets, shaved heads, the red markings painted sloppy and fresh. One of them twirls a knife like he thinks it makes him impressive. Fucking chink signature prostrating..

  ABB Mooks making their entrance like they own the place. Right. This is their territory.

  “Well, well,” one of them says, accent thick. “What did we got here? One white girl and one…very dark giant gorilla girl.”

  My anger snaps sideways, looking for something to hit. The fuck he callin me a gorilla? Taylor backs up until she hits the fence, trapped. I feel her fear like a physical thing now, sharp and real, not imagined. It crawls under my skin and twists with something ugly.

  “Doesn’t concern you ching chong motherfucker, get lost,” I growl, squaring my shoulders.

  Another one laughs. “Oooh, that’s racist, here In our alley? Yeah, it does girlie, You gonna pay for that”

  They spread out, cutting off the exits. I clock distances automatically, muscle memory kicking in. Three of them. Close quarters. Bad angles.Taylor is breathing too fast behind me. Oh now you're scared and being a little bitch like you are? Fuck! Again, this proves that she really is a fucking retard.

  I don’t look back.

  “Stay behind me, Hebert,” I mutter.

  The words surprise me as much as they probably surprise her. One of the thugs grins. “Aww. Look at that. Hero.”

  I clenched my fist, Kinda is my fault I guess, I chased her. I cornered her. I let myself slip back into being the monster because it was easier than being wrong. And now she’s here with me, trapped in gang territory, because she was running from me.

  The realization hits harder than any punch ever has.The knife flashes as one of them lunges forward, And everything that comes next is violence, fast and messy and unavoidable. But one thought keeps screaming in my head, louder than the rest:No apology in the world is worth this. The first one comes at me grinning like he already won.

  Big mistake.

  “Back the fuck up,” I snarl, and when he doesn’t, I slam my fist into his throat. Hard. Bone-on-cartilage crunch, his grin collapsing into a wet gag as he stumbles backward, clawing at his neck.

  “Stupid bitch!!” one of the others shouts.

  “Oh, go choke on it,” I snap back, already moving.

  Adrenaline roars in my ears.

  “ABB trash!” I bark, grabbing the knife-wielding idiot’s wrist and smashing it against the wall. Once. Twice. The knife clatters to the ground. I knee him in the gut and shove his face into the bricks.

  “Should’ve stayed the fuck home!”

  He slumps.Two down.The third one’s smarter. He doesn’t rush me. He circles, eyes flicking past me.Toward Taylor.

  “Get the fuck away from my prey!” I growl.

  He lunges past me anyway. Something in my chest snaps.

  “HEY!” I roar, spinning and tackling him before he can reach her. We hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of both of us. He’s swearing in another language, flailing, trying to scramble free.

  I punch him. Once. Twice. Again.

  “Don’t. Touch. Her.She’s.MINE!”

  I hear Taylor gasp behind me. That’s when the bat comes out of nowhere. A crack like a gunshot explodes in my skull. White light. Pain. Wet warmth pouring down my face.

  I stagger, but I don’t fall.

  “Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me, a fucking bat to the face?! Really?!” I snarl. Blood drips into my eyes, blurring everything red, but I can still see the bastard holding the bat, eyes wide like he expected me to drop.

  I grin.

  It probably looks terrifying.

  “That's all you got?” I spit, wiping blood off my forehead with the back of my hand. “My grandma hits harder than that, asshole.” He swings again.

  I step into it.

  The bat glances off my shoulder as I slam my head forward into his face. He screams, dropping the bat, hands flying to his nose. I grab him by the jacket and slam him against the wall.

  “Run,” I bark over my shoulder, not even looking back. “NOW!”

  I don’t know if Taylor moves. I don’t check.

  I just keep going. I throw him down, kick the bat away, and stand there bleeding, chest heaving, staring at the wreckage of three groaning idiots in an alley that smells like piss and bad decisions.

  My head is pounding. My vision swims. For once, the anger isn’t pointed at her.It’s pointed at everything else.And I don’t know what scares me more.But I’m still standing. Ahh fuck it hurts, but I’m still standing. Why the fuck did the bracelet not work? Wasn’t it supposed to activate? The fuck? Did Jason gave me a bootleg version? It definitely worked before?

  “Yeah,” I mutter hoarsely, blood dripping onto the concrete. “That’s what I thought.”

  The alley is tight, boxed in by brick and shadow, and the ABB goons spread out like they own it. One of them laughs, sharp and ugly and holding taylor while she tries to fight back and punch the guy in the face, decking him. The man just spits out his loose tooth and grinning.

  “Look at this,” he says. “White bitch thinks she’s tough.”

  That’s when my mouth runs faster than my brain.

  “Oh, please,” I snarl. “You clowns gonna jump me and her?, you still busy pretending you’re scary? Hey come on, say something. Do the accent, you’re Chinese right? So you're probably good at math? What do two girls get against a dozen of you? Equate that you slanted eye mother fucker. ”

  One of them bristles. Another spits on the ground.

  “Say that again,” the tallest one growls.

  I grin, all teeth and blood. “What, you don’t understand English? Figures. All that time yelling in Chinatown and still can’t keep up, Ching chong miaow miaow, Ni hao machao hai, whatever the fuck that means You all look the same to me, you drop one, out cames another like a fucking Chinese factory..”

  The knife guy steps forward. “You racist piece of-!”

  “Oh shut the fuck up,” I cut in. “You idiots hide behind numbers and symbols like it makes you warriors. You’re not soldiers. You’re not dragons. You’re just gang trash with matching tattoos.”

  That one lands.

  I can see it in their faces, rage flaring hot and stupid.

  “You think you are better than us?” one snaps. “You come into our territory! and-”

  “-and because some scared white girl ran from me? You think you could jump the two of us with a dozen guys?” I bark back. “Yeah, real powerful. Jumping girls in alleys. Guess that’s the ABB version of honor. Why don’t you go eat a dog or something? Rat meat is like a delicacy right? Fucking asians just eat everything.”

  The knife flashes. “Get them, we can sell the two into the whorehouse and let them rot, the other one is feisty, some people will pay a lot to get a bitch like that to break”

  “Big man,” I sneer. “Pulling steel ‘cause you can’t throw a punch. What’s wrong, scared you’ll break a nail?”

  He lunges.

  I slam him into the wall and snarl right in his face. “Go on. Say it. Call me something in Mandarin so you feel tough or Korean! Hanyang bullshit seohh or whatever the fuck it is! I’ll take you all on! Come on!”

  Another one shouts, “You think you can talk like that and walk out alive?”

  I laugh short, sharp, unhinged. “You think you’re anything but a statistic? Cops won’t care. Heroes won’t care. You’re just another headline with a foreign name nobody bothers to pronounce right. Just Immigrants in my country that I can wipe the floor with”

  That’s when I hear it. A voice behind me, shaking with fear and fury.

  “Stop it.”

  Taylor.

  The ABB guys glance past me.

  Bad move, could use my powers, but then I’ll expose myself to her, to fucking Hebert. My pride won't allow it. Fucking hell no! I'd rather die than let something like that get away so easily! Just a bunch of goons don't scare me!

  “Oh hell no,” I snap, spinning, planting myself between them and her. “You don’t get to look at her. You don’t get to touch her. You don’t get to breathe in her direction.”

  One of them sneers. “Protecting your girlfriend now?”

  The fuck?

  “You so much as blink at her,” I roar, “and I’ll shove your stupid little dragon tattoo so far up your ass they’ll have to peel you off a morgue table to identify you.”

  The bat comes down.Crack. But nothing came off of it, The bat just hangs in midair, someone else is here.Silence hits the alley. I straighten slowly, wiping blood from my eyes, breathing hard, laughing like I’ve finally snapped.

  “Oh,” I rasp. “You are so fucked now.”

  I turn back to them, red-streaked and grinning.And somewhere behind me, I hear Taylor gasp, I was already bleeding when I realized how bad it had gotten. Reflex. Muscle memory.

  Protectorate training drilled so deep it didn’t matter how much I pretended I didn’t care. didn't matter, sometimes you get hit, situational awareness and spatial awareness. That’s what I’ve been training to do, but with my powers all I need to do is just blink into my phasing form and I’d get out of it, didn't think id get hit of course.

  Am I glad to see a cape.

  Pressure. Weight. Like the sky had decided it was done obeying gravity. The mooks froze before I did. I felt it in my teeth, that hum, that wrongness. I looked up.

  She was floating.

  She wasn’t hovering so much as being politely ignored by physics. Black coat hanging like it was underwater, eyes calm, cold, beautiful in that terrifying way that made your instincts scream at you to run. One hand lifted slightly, fingers relaxed. Eyes purple sharp that turned bright Golden with power. Weird power interaction if you ask me. I think Jason mentioned they had a psychic hanging around…I thought it’s one of those Thinker type or someshit. Naw..he meant psychic. Telekinesis bullshit stuff. Her name is even weirder. Lagdamen. Name or cape name, it doesn’t matter. I'd name myself Psylocke if I have psychic powers or something. Something cool for the crowd. Edgy.

  But nah…Legs for da men. She does have nice legs.

  The alley exploded without a sound.

  The ABB guys were yanked off their feet like toys, slammed into brick, asphalt, each other. One of them tried to scream and couldn’t as his jaw was pinned shut by invisible pressure. Pipes twisted. Knives folded like tinfoil. Someone pissed themselves midair and it floats around like gravity didn't exist.

  I should’ve felt relieved.

  The piss should have made me laugh. Still funny but…

  Instead, I felt small.

  It’s like facing the Triumvirate three, Domineering and powerful. The kind that brawls with Endbringers and lives to tell the tale. Someone like that was here in Brocton Bay? What is a cape like that doing out here in the middle of bumfuck nowhere like Brockton Bay? What the hell is wrong with this city? Attracting all the super capes like its a discount, and they seem to congregate around Jason fucking Lin.

  Then I saw the kid.

  Schneider getting carried by that scary bad bitch. Jason has a habit to keep finding these bad bitches everywhere. Where the fuck did he find them anyway? Was there a Costco for capes I don't know about?

  Shit, that’s cool as fuck.

  Jason’s kid? I didn't think much of her at first.

  Just another pity orphan kid who’s too cute for her own britches, didnt think he would adopt a blondie, not with someone with a name like that, She screams Heil Hitler, if Zieg heil had a daughter, cute as fuck Aryan doll, and is tinier than she looks. Could have mistaken her for a four year old but she’s actually nine.

  Nine years old, too small for her age, blonde hair tied back neat, standing just behind Lagdamen with her hands clenched tight at her sides. And of course Jason adopted her, fucking Jason finding capes everywhere, of course she’s a cape too.

  Her eyes were glowing, the same glow like the lady. What the hell is up with these two?

  One of the mooks, one I’d nearly missed, was lifted off the ground inches from Taylor. Frozen. Suspended. His limbs trembled like they were fighting an ocean current.

  Schneider’s lip quivered.

  Lagdamen lady just glanced back. The man hit the wall and slid down, unconscious. “Too forceful child, you have just awaken, there’s no need to force it, leave everything to your teacher”

  Silence crashed down after. My knees buckled then. Adrenaline ran out. Pain surged all at once. I tasted copper and realized I’d been hit harder than I thought.

  I dropped to one knee, fuck my head still fucking hurts. Wish I brought aspirin, wait hold up. The bracelet. I clicked on it and something was dispersing slowly around me, green light. Huh..so it does work afterall. I’m feeling better already, so I turned to look at Taylor.

  Taylor was shaking. I reached back, grabbed her wrist to ground her. She squeezed back hard. Lagdamen descended, boots touching pavement like she’d just stepped off a curb.

  Her gaze flicked to me.

  “You intervened correctly, not the way I would do it.” she said calmly. “But you overcommitted. Head trauma reduces reaction time by forty percent.”

  Yeah. Thanks, whatever the fuck that means.

  Schneider looked at me then really looked. Concern creased her small face. She took a hesitant step closer, like she wasn’t sure if she should do it or not.

  I forced a grin, even as the world still rang. “Hey, kid,” I muttered. “Nice seeing you again, twerp. Why isn’t your noodlebrain dad with you?”

  She didn’t smile. Just nodded seriously.. Her eyes still retain that eerily golden glow “He’s busy spanking some kids at the hospital” The fuck? Jason spanking kids at the hospital? Did something happen in the hospital? That scared me more than Lagdamen ever could. The fuck is Jason leaving her kid to this lady? And what the hell does she mean spanking kids?!

  And why the hell is it in the hospital?!

  I should call Jason after this. Shit is getting weird even for cape stuff.

  Sirens wailed somewhere distant. The ABB would scatter. They always did after something like this. Lagdamen reach out for Taylor, something happened and for the first time, id freak out, Taylor fucking Hebert eyes glowed back, for a shortwhile I could feel something coming off her. She was in a brief trance before gasping back and turned pale.

  That Lagdamen lady was smiling. “ You have the potential. We will meet again soon, Taylor Hebert.” Lagdamen turned away first, already done with the situation.

  “Come, Schneider,” she said. “Your control slipped. We will review grounding exercises. I promised your father that you will be back home soon. Dinner is approaching.”

  The girl nodded again and waved bye towards me “Bye bye” She’s being awfully obedient, and just went along with the scary floating lady. As they floated past me, I caught one last thing. Schneider glanced back. And then the both of them disappeared..or fucking teleported away, I cant tell.

  Ugh…creepy.

  The fuck was that for?

  Then I turned to Taylor Hebert, her glow disappeared, and she looked back at me, no longer wary of me.

  “Taylor fucking Hebert, you’re a cape?”

  Stayed there a moment longer, head pounding, blood drying on my temple, my pulse still trying to crawl out of my throat but the pain is getting alot lesser with the bracelet healing me. The blood even dried and I stopped bleeding, Probably should head to the hospital but according to Schneider something is happening there? Fuck it, I’ll just head home. Mom’s a nurse anyway. Id just chalk it up to Wards shenanigans. Not like I have to patrol today. Im console duty again…fuck!

  . Both of us didn't say anything after that…both of us decided it’s too much to deal with and just went our separate ways, away from ABB territory and back to familiar dock territory.

  Fuck…How the hell am I gonna deal with her tomorrow?

  …………..

  Morning came, got whatever shit from yesterday out of my system.

  My mom was called into the Principals office today, asked to come early. I didn’t manage to get an apology from Taylor, things were pretty messed up yesterday. Shouldn’t have held back when my life was on the line like that, Luckily Jason kid came along with her…Teacher?

  Fucking..this is getting nowhere.

  I don't even wanna think about what I saw, those eyes glowing. Is Taylor Hebert a cape or not? It doesn’t seem like she has any powers? Just glowing eyes. What the hell does that even mean?

  All I want to do is , get an apology from Hebert, get my fucking cool ass gun, and be happy. Is it so fucking hard to do that these days?! Some predator you are Hess, Can’t even hunt a fucking Rat like Hebert properly and get out an apology.

  All you did was mess things up even when trying to protect that stupid bitch. Mom was surprisingly chill when I came home with a bloody eyed. No lecture. No sighs. No Sophia Hess, what the hell did you do this time? Energy.

  Just silence, thick and tense, like she was bracing for impact. That alone put me on edge more than any detention ever had, She treated me and didnt even asked about what I did, probably too tired from the night shift or probably had something to do with the hospital. Heard it was hit by the Undersiders, Vista wont stop messaging me about it, that twerp. Check PHO and came out with nothing. Total blackout.

  Not my problem today-

  Today? I might be in real trouble.

  Principal Blackwall’s office early morning, Did Hebert snitch? Did that fucker snitch on me? This is how it’s going to go down huh? Fuck..her office smelled like stale coffee and old paper. Same as always.. I’d been in here enough times to know where the cracks in the ceiling tiles were, should have get that fixed but who the hell am I to tell her off.

  And then I saw them.

  Taylor Hebert was here too, sitting stiff in one of the chairs like she was trying to disappear into it. Danny Hebert, her dad beside her, hands folded, jaw tight in that quiet-dad way that meant he was holding back something nuclear. Shit…this might be serious.

  And then, someone I didn't expect.

  Jason fucking Lin.

  No mask. No armor. No glowing tech or mechanical monsters at his heels. Just a civilian jacket, clean jeans, neat hair. Normal. Almost aggressively normal. The kind of normal that felt fake when you knew what he actually was. Still asian as fuck though. What’s up with that hairdo? weird.

  Dreamhack.

  Cringy ass motherfucker with half the city at his hands already and doesn't even give a damn about it. These days he acts more like a city planner than a cape, giving off jobs, zoning off places to turn into a business. Opening up daycares and orphanages…The fuck is he even doing these days. Pretty sure I saw him at a soup kitchen a few days back with friggin SCVs giving out food for the homeless. All that power and he went and fed some useless Sobs in the city. Whatever.

  Mom stopped short behind me. I felt her posture change instantly. She knew who he was too. Everyone did. His public persona lately has been massive. The new millionaire in Brocton Bay, runs Terran Construction and a whole lot of industry with his name on it in a matter of a month. What do I know about entrepreneurship? All I know, he used to slum it out in the trainyard and turned it into a fortress. I’m surprised the PRT even let him be. Probably didnt wanna anger a guy like that.

  Too bad they didn't know he’s a soft noodle shit who’s only into making stuff.That fucking turtle. Even call the former boat graveyard intoTarsonis. A new sector of land with new upcoming Condos for a beachside view, everything super hightech and super Tinker bullshit. Never knew he was a capitalist freak too.

  Blackwall was standing behind his desk, arms crossed, expression carved out of stone. And she looked pissed. Not her usual annoyed administrator pissed this was territorial, something seems to rile her up and I got the feeling it aint me or Hebert.. Like someone had walked into the house and started rearranging the furniture.

  I didn’t sit. None of us did at first.

  Jason glanced over at me, then at Taylor. Like he was already ten steps ahead and just waiting for the rest of us to catch up. Fuck if I know what’s he’s thinking. He’s always pulling shit out of his ass or something.It’s hard to keep up.

  “This isn’t a disciplinary meeting,” Blackwall said flatly. “Let’s make that clear.”

  Good. Because if it was, I was already too tired for his speeches. Jason nodded once, polite. “Agreed. This is an administrative matter.”

  I frowned a little. The fuck does that mean? Is this about Taylor snitching or naw?That didn’t make sense.

  Blackwall’s jaw tightened. “And one I fundamentally disagree with.”

  “The decision’s already been approved at the district level. Arcadia High will be accepting both Taylor Hebert and Sophia Hess effective immediately.”

  My brain stalled.

  Both?

  Arcadia?

  Eh?

  What the fuck?

  Who? Why?

  I looked at Taylor. Her eyes snapped up, just as startled as I felt. That made it worse. If this was some plot, she wasn’t in on it either.

  I turned to my mom. “What?”

  She didn’t look at me. Her eyes were on Jason now, narrowed, measuring. “This is… sudden, and to be honest..I’m not sure if we can afford it” Danny cleared his throat. “It was presented to us as a safety transfer.”

  Safety? The fuck is Daddy Hebert talking about?! This better not be her snitching?!

  Blackwall scoffed. “With all due respect, Mr. Hebert, Winslow has procedures. We don’t just ship students out because of rumors.”

  Jason’s gaze shifted, sharp for half a second. “They aren’t rumors.”

  The temperature in the room dropped.I felt my hands curl into fists without meaning to. I suddenly felt like I was standing on the wrong side of the board, pieces moving without me. Is this how it all falls apart for me?

  “You’re overstepping,” Blackwall snapped. “You’re not part of the school system, Mr. Lin. Whatever influence you think you have, you have no say on the matter ”

  “I don’t think so. See this? I have evidence and a money trail. Money misappropriated by the PRT to manage Sophia Hess” Jason replied evenly. “ No, the minute you fumbled that up, the ball is in my hands”

  My head was buzzing now. Arcadia meant better resources. Wait, Hebert didn't snitch on me, so I'm off the hook?! Wait..Did Jason snitch on me? That Noodlefucker! He just told everyone I was with the PRT!!

  And Taylor? What would Taylor…oh fuck.

  I glanced at her again. She looked scared. Not panicking, just bracing. Like she expected this to go wrong somehow. But she also looked at me confusedly? And mouth out something…

  P-R-T? The fuck do I explain it?

  Oh, she's mouthing off again…W-T-F Sop- okay that’s my name. Fuck, she knows I’m a cape too. FUCK! FUCK you Jason! I turned to Jason and glared at him.

  “The fuck you are doing! Blowing my cover like this!”

  Jason met my eyes.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?” That… bothered me more than it should have. Why? And why now?!

  “So let me get this straight,” I said finally, breaking the silence. My voice sounded steadier than I felt. “You’re pulling both of us out. Together and you just told those two I was a fucking cape! What the hell?! The fuck you snitching on me! You’re Asians! Asians don't snitch!”

  Jason just sighed “Ok first of all, that's stereotyping, and secondly…It doesn’t matter cuz this matter is no longer a PRT issue, but my issue now. I had a clause with the PRT saying that if there's any PRT shenanigans or misuse of power with the PRT, I'd pull you out of the Ward program or renegotiate. She’s gonna find out anyway because…”

  He didn’t answer immediately. That alone told me it wasn’t simple.

  “Because,” he said at last, “keeping you here is no longer a viable option and her as well, we are pulling the both of you out. I’ll tell you later.”

  Blackwall opened his mouth again, but my mom cut in first. “And you don't get to decide that, what happens if we refuse? The PRT will take action and-”

  Jason turned to her, respectful. “And then I’ll have your whole department investigate, they find the same thing I do, there’s no way to scrub this off, I already sent a copy to Director Pigot. Shouldn’t have taken the bribe money from the PRT, that agent does not have the power to divert all the funds to the school to be used for your personal funding.”

  Oh fuck…Im not in trouble. Blackwall is.

  Oooh ..I see I see..

  I get it.

  No I fucking don’t.

  What agent? Who?

  “And who are you to her? Jason Lin. What does a philanthropist have to do with a PRT Ward?” Jason looks at me and just grin “ Me? I'm her sponsor. Her sugardaddy” Mom was shocked and even fanned herself looking at and looking at him. What the fuck mom? What the fuck Jason? Even Hebert look at me strangely…Her Dad was just shaking his head..Hey hey! It’s not like that!

  The fuck?!

  Fucking Jason! I’m gonna kill you! The first thing I’ll do when I get that sniper is a bullet to the head~!

  Jason just laughs “ All jokes aside, she’s my intern. I pay top dollar for HR and Quality Assurance.”

  I…

  The hell?

  And somehow, without asking, without choosing, I’d been moved onto a different board entirely. I didn’t know what scared me more, that Jason Lin was doing this for Taylor or for me?

  What the hell is he plotting now?

  **********************

  A/N

  Hi, it’s Sophia again. She is hmm. I don't know if I do this chapter justice. Perhaps some of the personality bleeds in over a little and might sound less harsh than she really is. But somehow it still comes off as harsh compared to normal folks. Wildbow got that harsh tone talk down to a T yeah?.

  I am going for a less grimdark and more slice of life. Even as the Endbringer stuff is looming over doom and gloom it seems really far away when chapters are based on real time hours and sometimes within few daya. I haven’t really thought of the doom and gloom much, and dont wanna change the tone and genre.

  I'm going too much even if the source material is very dark and depressing and all kinds of horrible stuff. Yeah no. I’ll try, but not now. I have issues with moving with the plot and just fleshing out everyone first…seems like it’s more fitting later when plotlines go hard and its action stuff goes through stuff later. Eh..why is this so complicated.