In Which Taylor Quits

Emma had skipped over lunch. It wasn't so much that she wasn't hungry, it was the opportunity that lunchtime presented. Taylor was, as usual, all alone. Not even an Endbringer attacking the city had managed to break the girl out of her shell.

She was, honestly, contemplating just giving up on Taylor. She wasn't pushing back, she wasn't challenging her anymore. It was just a dull repetition now. Really, if she wanted to vent there were others she could do it to, people more interesting than Taylor Hebert.

One of her many, many friends, Samantha or something, had seen Taylor heading towards the second floor, apparently muttering to herself the entire time.

This was, Emma thought, Taylor's chance. Her chance to fight back, to get angry, to challenge her and not just... roll over and let herself be trampled on. She shook her head as she started making her way up the staircase that Taylor had taken.

"You think she's in the bathroom again?" Madison asked. She was a little quieter than before. The whole Leviathan thing had wrecked her home and they had just moved back in a few days before. But Mads was a fighter, she would come out of it stronger.

"Fucking hope not. Swear they haven't cleaned the shitters in weeks," Sophia said.

Emma snorted. She took a few deep breaths and tried to hide the way running up the stairs had left her winded. Maybe it was a good thing she was skipping lunch after all. Searching, she spotted Taylor climbing up another staircase a little ways down the corridor. "C'mon," she told her friends.

The roof access door was still ajar when they got to it. "Think she jumped?" Emma joked. It wasn't that funny. She wanted Taylor to fight back. Just dying like that would be so terribly lame of her.

Taylor was standing at the far end of the roof only a few feet away from a rusty guardrail that would do little to prevent a long fall. She took in the three girls that slid past the doorway. "Aww, Taylor, are you all alone again?" Emma asked.

Taylor smiled right back. "For now, I guess."

"You're all smiles, aren't you?" Emma said. She expected the smile to drop, for Taylor to pull into herself.

Instead, Taylor giggled into an open palm. "I guess I am."

Emma looked at the girl that used to be her friend, her sister in all but name, and shook her head sadly. "You're a real mess, Tay," she said, using an old nickname. There was something like bittersweet nostalgia churning in her chest. "What are you doing up here? Trying to convince yourself to jump? Need a hand?"

Taylor blinked, her smile turning wry. "I don't think jumping would do anything, actually," she said. "Nah, I'm waiting for my lunch. A friend is supposed to deliver it."

Emma snorted. "What kind of loser did you convince to hang out with you?"

Madison crossed her arms and Emma knew she was going to say something rather biting. Mads was good for that kind of banter. "I wonder what kind of fat loser would actually want to spen--" Madison froze, her voice leaving her with a squeak that had both Emma and Sophia turning her way.

There was a hand on Madison's shoulder. Long and white, with slender fingers that were gripping the much smaller teenager. Emma followed along the arm and up to the smiling face of the Simurgh.

Madison's eyes bugged out and she started to shake. Emma couldn't blame her. Her blood ran cold as she took in the Endbringer who let go of Madison, letting her fall to her knees. The Endbringer ran a hand along her belly, as if checking her waistline, a gesture Emma had done countless times while in front of a mirror. She looked back down at Madison then tilted her head to one side as if asked a question.

It clicked.

Taylor was smiling a lot. Taylor was giggling and acting like a kid. Taylor was just a little bit off. Taylor was waiting for the Simurgh. Taylor was Queen Administrator.

"Uh, she really didn't like it when you called her fat," Taylor, Queen Administrator, said. "Also, she says that she doesn't lose."

"I, I didn't mean it!" Madison screamed. "Yo-you're not fat. Please don't kill me."

Emma wanted to chastise Mads for being such a coward but her knees were shaking too much and her breathing was off like she'd just run a marathon and then got kicked in the ribs.

"Simmy," Taylor's voice from behind her said. "What are you wearing?"

The words helped, they were something she could focus on. Emma looked at the Simurgh, really looked and took in the way she was dressed. A pleated skirt and a white blouse with a sailor collar and bright blue necktie. It was a Japanese school uniform and the Simurgh was really pulling it off and Emma had to shake her head to remember that she was supposed to be terrified and not ogling the Endbringer.

"Okay," Taylor said. "But why are you dressed that way?" Emma turned towards Taylor only to see her tilt her head to the side in the same way she used to when they were smaller and Annette had to explain something complicated. "Oh, but I'm the one in school, not you," she pointed out. It was as if she was having a conversation where Emma could only hear one side.

Taylor's face scrunched up, and she shook her head before giving the Endbringer a wry smile. "Sure, why not. Where'd you even learn about that kind of outfit?" Her eyebrows scrunched together. "What's a 'hen-tay?'"

"What the fuck?!" Sophia yelled.

Taylor's good mood seemed to vanish for a second before her smile returned. "What's wrong, Sophia?"

Soph wasn't taking this well. Emma could see it in the way her friend's eyes twitched and the way she was standing in a lower stance, as if ready to pounce at any moment. "You can't be, you're just prey!"

Taylor took a half step back, then a wave of confusion crossed over her features. "Um, well, yeah? I guess. I'm not much of a fighter, if that's what you mean. If someone tried to hunt me I think Simmy and Levi might have something to say. Well, actually they can't talk so it'd mostly be head-explodey noises." She made a gesture and Emma felt bile rise.

It was sinking in, just how badly they'd fucked up. They were on the roof, alone, with Taylor who they had treated like shit and the goddamned Simurgh. If Taylor wanted them disappeared then that was it.

Sophia's fists were shaking by her side, and for the tiniest moment, Emma thought she was going to swing at Taylor. Then the roof shook as a claw the size of her torso grabbed the edge, tore through the guardrail and pulled. Leviathan's four-eyed face peeked over the edge.

"Levi, no!" Taylor said as she started waving her arms around wildly. "You'll destroy the school." She paused, her arms stopping mid wave. Emma knew that blank look, she was thinking. "Hrm, that might not be so bad," she said under her breath.

Leviathan's other hand rose and in its centre was a bag. He moved it towards Taylor as if it was an offering and she squealed as she took it from the monster's claws. "My lunch!"

Sophia had gone deathly pale and she was backing away towards the door.

Madison, meanwhile, looked as though she couldn't decide which Endbringer to look at. She was shivering, half-crouched in an almost fetal position with a growing stain down the front of her pants. She whimpered before turning on a heel and rushing for the door. Sophia followed soon after.

Emma stayed. She couldn't leave. That would be cowardly, that would be surrendering, and Emma didn't do that, not anymore.

Taylor looked up as the other two ran, then shook her head. She wore the same smile as she returned to the centre of the roof and sat cross-legged on the floor. "Wanna join me, Ems?" She gestured across from her. There was no guile in her eyes, no maliciousness.

Emma licked her lips. "I," she began.

Taylor shrugged. "That's okay. You can stand, if you want. Or leave. Though, I'd really like to talk to you for a bit." She opened the bag Leviathan had given her and pulled out a bottle of water and placed it next to her knee. Then she took out a pre-made salad in a plastic container and hummed as if to herself.

"You know, Emma, I loved you. You were my sister. But now..." Taylor paused long enough for the wind around them to settle. When Emma looked up it was to see the Simurgh floating above Taylor's shoulder like an angel coming down from on high to reap what had been sown. "Now, I think we have a lot of catching up to do, don't we?" She reached into the bag and took out another bottle of water.

One eyebrow raised, Taylor compared the two bottles, both from different brands before setting them next to herself. The next thing out of the bag was a bag of mini marshmallows that she just looked at in confusion before placing next to the salad. "You're not saying much," Taylor said. She reached into the bag and a third bottle fell out. She placed it next to the others, revealing that it was yet another brand. "That's okay. I can talk for both of us." She popped the lid from one of them and gulped it down.

Taylor's encouraging smile had a shiver running down Emma's spine. She watched, unmoving, as Taylor opened the salad, mixed in the dressing, then started chewing on it with a plastic fork.

Despite herself, Emma started to relax--if Taylor was going to kill her she would have done it already, right? Or maybe, a small part of her mind said, she was just toying with her. Emma had done the same hundreds of times, hadn't she?

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Taylor leaned in, finished chewing her mouthful of lettuce, then spoke, "Hey Emma, remember when we were little? How we used to play all those games? Do you remember how much I loved to be the silly hero?" In a distantly terrifying way, it reminded her of old times. Taylor babbling on like her mouth had no breaks.

She watched Taylor finish her salad. It took a minute, maybe two, but soon enough Taylor was done. Turning the bag upside down, Taylor shook it and watched as a single unwrapped sausage fell onto the rooftop. The wind rustled by them, playing with the Simurgh's feathers in a way that sounded, faintly, like laughter.

Taylor rolled her eyes as she stood up and placed one of the bottles in a pocket of her jeans. The salad bowl she tossed into the plastic bag. Taylor took the last bottle, the cheap off-brand one and pushed it into Emma's hand.

She grabbed it without really thinking.

When she looked up from the bottle it was to find Taylor's hand on her shoulder.

The goofy grin was gone, leaving something fierce and dark in its place, her hand tightening on the redhead's shoulder. "Well now I'm playing a new game. Just like old times, you get to be the one who knows all my secrets. Of course, this time... no one will believe you."

Taylor winked at Emma and walked by.

Emma opened her mouth to reply. Nothing came out. Her mouth closed, something cold curling in her stomach as the truth set in.

It was an act, Emma realised. It was all an act.

She started shivering.

***

Taylor popped a mini-marshmallow into her mouth and chewed on it. The corridors were, for the most part, empty. That was okay. It gave her less things to distract her while she was thinking. She ate another marshmallow.

Taylor was thinking about school, about having to come back here every day even though she really didn't want to. "Hey guys, could you homeschool me?"

{Unit-02 is Aware of Local Organisms' rudimentary 'Sciences'.}

[Affirmative! Will acquire Sexy Teacher Cosplay.]

Taylor sighed. "I don't think that's necessary."

[Host-Queen_Administrator is Definable as 'No Fun.']

She snorted and popped another marshmallow into her mouth. That was good enough for her, she supposed. Turning at the next intersection, Taylor made for the Principal's office. She was going to have a chat with Blackwell. Then, she was going to... Taylor thought about it for a moment. What was she going to do?

[Have fun?] the Simurgh suggested.

She shrugged. That sounded about right. The office was just as she'd last seen it, which was unfortunate because she hadn't liked it much last time. The woman at the front desk looked up from whatever she was working on and gave Taylor a disinterested look. "Can I help you?"

"Yup. I need to talk to Blackwell."

The secretary sighed. "Is it important?"

Taylor nodded, then noticed that the woman wasn't paying attention. "Yes, yes it is. Very important."

"Fine, take a seat, I'll go inform her Miss..."

"Hebert."

The secretary nodded, then went back to typing. Taylor stood for a few more seconds, then found one of those old plastic chairs to sit on. It was as uncomfortable as it looked. Worse, she couldn't talk to her friends without looking crazy.

At least it gave her some time to think. Mostly, she wanted to know what to do next. If she wasn't going to continue to attend classes at Winslow then she'd have a lot of free time on her hands. And, given the skills that her friends had, it wouldn't be hard for her to do... anything, really. She ate another marshmallow.

Maybe she could go on to Arcadia. Or just skip all that and go right on to college? That felt like a nice idea, but she'd still have to wait for the world to get used to her some more first. What could she do in the meantime that would be 'fun?'

Taylor leaned back, the cheap chair creaking. When she was young she had wanted to be a hero. When she got older and Emma left her, she wanted the heroes to do something to help her. How many others were in the same position? How many could use a hand?

Taylor nodded to herself. Now she just needed to plan a bit more.

"Miss Herbert, Principal Blackwell is ready to see you now."

"Hebert," Taylor corrected automatically. She stood, ignoring the secretary who ignored her back and made her way into Blackwell's office.

Blackwell herself was sitting behind her desk, a huge thing made of pressed wood and laminate that was peeling at the corners. Papers were stacked across the desk, some of them in piles that might have been defying physics to stay in place.

"Miss Hebert," Blackwell began. She eyed Taylor like someone would a rabid raccoon.

"Hello Miss Blackwell," Taylor said. "I, uh, just wanted to tell you that I quit."

The principal blinked at that. "Miss Hebert, you can't just... quit school."

Taylor tilted her head to one side. She couldn't? "I can't?" She pulled out her sack of mini marshmallows and, ignoring Blackwell's look of incredulity, popped one into her mouth.

"Of course not," the principal said. She reached over and moved one of the stacks away from the edge of the table and Taylor noticed the PRT logo on the header. "You have to attend a school or you'll find yourself in trouble with truancy officers."

"Hmm," Taylor said. "Okay then, I'll be homeschooled."

"That, that won't work either," Blackwell said. She was starting to sweat and fidget in her seat. Taylor quirked an eyebrow at the reply, but also at the reluctance in the principal's stance. The woman had never been helpful for Taylor, and this seemed like more of the same. "Look, Miss Hebert, if you're having any trouble in classes, or with any students, please tell me and I will do my utmost to take care of it."

Now Taylor knew something was up. "Okay, I guess that's helpful, but I'd still rather go. Is there a reason you want me to stay?" The last wasn't so much directed at the woman before her than at her friends who were waiting outside.

[Can explain! Organic 'Blackwell' being Influenced by Organization 'PRT' to Imprison Host-Queen_Administrator during School Operating hours.]

"Miss Hebert, you're an important student to this school." Blackwell swallowed. "What would it take to keep you here, Miss Hebert?"

"Hrm," Taylor said. Of course Blackwell hadn't turned a new leaf. She just wanted the PRT on her side for whatever reason. It didn't change much in the end. "Well, I'd want to have my own bathroom," she said.

"That can be done," the principal replied quickly.

Taylor's dad had taught her a thing or two about negotiations. When a person capitulated quickly, it just meant that they were willing to give more. "And I want my own classroom. And that the teachers come to me instead."

"I... I'm certain I could arrange that, if it would make you more comfortable."

Taylor nodded. It really would. "Oh, and I want one of the wings to be mine."

"A wing?"

Taylor gestured, trying to make a box in the air and mostly succeeding. "You know, a section of a building. Winslow has two wings."

"I, yes, I know what a wing is," she said. The principal weighed what Taylor had asked for, then nodded slowly. "We... could do that."

Taylor grinned. "I want three."

"Three what?"

"Wings," she explained.

"But Winslow only has two," Blackwell said. She was starting to sweat a lot, her suit sticking to her in ways that couldn't have been comfortable.

Taylor hummed. "Okay, I'll settle for one, but it has to be really big so that my friends can come. I don't think the Simurgh ever went to school and she really wants to."

"The, the Simurgh?" Now Blackwell sounded a little faint. Taylor almost felt bad when she pointed out towards the window behind the principal. Slowly, as if taking her time would make it not happen, Blackwell turned around and looked outside. Her office had a nice view of the parking lot next to the school.

Leaning against a car even though it only reached her mid-thigh, was the Simurgh in her school uniform. She was chewing on a wad of bubble gum, arms crossed over her chest and looking pretty cool, in a rebellious Endbringer-teen sort of way. At least, that's how Taylor saw it.

Blackwell started breathing in and out a lot faster than normal. "You want her to attend Winslow?"

"Actually, I think she could probably make it to a better school, like Arcadia, or Immaculata.... Do they only accept Christian students? I don't know if Ziz is big on religion." Taylor shrugged. Another question to ask. "Anyway, I'm not really that interested in staying. Sorry."

She got up, then froze. "Um, do you have a trash can?"

"A what?" Blackwell said. She seemed to be shaking.

"A can, for trash." Taylor wobbled her empty bag in front of Blackwell. She was out of mini marshmallows.

Blackwell seemed to come out of her stupor, even if just a little, and pulled a trash can out from under her desk. Taylor smiled in thanks and tossed the bag in. "Cool, so I guess I'll see you around," she said before making her way out of the office.

"What will you do now?" Blackwell asked.

It was a strange question, Taylor decided. It was pretty much none of her business what Taylor did from now on. In fact, Taylor was completely out of her hair. Still, answering didn't hurt anyone, and it would probably end up in the ears of the PRT before the hour was up. "I'm going to be a hero."

***