A few weeks pass. I spend my time as usual, with school and friends, but apart from Leona's daily checkups, I'm a bit too skittish with touch, which everyone quickly picks up on and gives me some space.

Still, the longer it goes on, the more it starts irritating me. I won't want to be afraid of touching my friends!

Fortunately, I don't have to spend my breaks pinned to a desk for the first week, because I can burn all the energy I need to burn lifting weights during gym.

That is, until we move on to basketball. It's no help at all, so I'm right back to struggling uselessly against Leona for the first few periods every day. I swear, fate want me to suffer or something...

Even if it's Leona, being pinned and helpless with so many people around makes me kind of anxious. I'm just glad it isn't anyone else...

The biggest change though, has to be what I do after school ends each day.

“Maka-san, could you tell the class about the primary cause of the cessation of the Iberian peninsula from Gondle and its subsequent annexation into Laros?”

Suddenly, the history teacher calls on me during one class, so I stand and answer. “Wasn't it because we invaded?”

There's a pause of silence, before the teacher responds, “Of course not! The Iberian people were being mistreated, so Laros graciously stepped in to aid them.” The man scoffs at me, before returning to his lecture.

At night, I've been spending a lot of my time online. I've been researching... pretty much everything. It's sad really, how much of what I learned since childhood is seeming more and more like complete bullshit the more I dig into things. After everything about sexism, I expanded, looking for reasons. Explanations for why things are like this.

A lot of it came from the less than spectacular historical record of Laros throughout the years. Apparently, classist military dictatorships aren't that common outside of our little section of the world. It turns out, there are places out there that aren't constantly in land wars with their neighbors.

Needless to say, I don't believe much of what we learn in history anymore.

I still haven't figured things out with myself, but just having a more clear view of the world around me is something.

Nothing else major has changed, but I keep picking up on the little things. The one that worries me most is Jen. She doesn't stick as close during breaks. I'm getting more concerned that maybe it has to do with me always being occupied with Leona. I don't want to push her away or anything, but I don't really have a choice about this.

Except... she does come out on the weekends with us, and when she does, it feels like everything is back to normal. Like she's only keeping her distance at school.

Is it the rumors? As far as I can tell, they never really went away, so maybe she's still having issues with that? By the three week mark, it's clear that she's off somehow, like tired or stressed or something. I've tried asking her about things a few times, but she always says it's nothing...

Then, on a day in the middle of the week, there's a change. While Leona has me pinned to the desk and I struggle to push back, her hands move. For the first time, I'm strong enough to make her budge.

Her eyes go wide in surprise, but all she has to do is apply more force to lock me down again.

“Good job, Seiko, I'm impressed. You're unusually strong,” she compliments me. That makes me smile a little, but I know it's not enough. Even against my full strength, she's barely trying. And even if she's from the military, a big guy like Ken would still beat her in pure strength, unpowered at least.

But I'm getting stronger. If I keep it up, I might be able to get back to the point where I don't have to be afraid all the time...

A few days later, on a Friday, Jen looks particularly burned out, so I ask her to come with me to the cafeteria instead of Ken or Leona like usual.

“Nah, I've already got my lunch. Why not ask Ken?”

“Well, he looks busy with Runa-chan.” It's an excuse, but it's true. They've been cute dorks together the last few weeks as they work on figuring out the whole dating thing.

“Leona then. She'll keep an eye on you, right?” Jen has a weird look in her eye, like she's silently begging me to leave her alone. But, when she's like this...

I don't want to push her, but I know Jen. She bottles things up and tries to deal with them on her own, even when she shouldn't. Should I push a little here...?

Then our conversation derails when Shirla Kaz walks up from behind and calls out to Jen. “Corro-san, can I talk to you?”

“A-ahh, sure, Kaz-san,” Jen answers stiffly. I blink, confused by the random interruption, while the two girls walk over to Kaz's desk. They briefly speak while pointing at the girl's math notebook, probably going over some math problem. I didn't know Jen knew Kaz, I don't think I've seen them together before anyway...

It only takes her a minute to get through the problem before Jen returns again. “Sorry about that, Seiko. You know what, sure, I'll go with you. I could use a walk.” I can tell she's trying to hide it, but she looks just a little more sullen than before. Have people been relying on her for help with homework that much? It would be just like her to stretch herself thin helping too many people...

“Alright, let's go,” I respond, keeping my thoughts to myself. After we leave the classroom, Jen leads me downstairs. When we get to one hall where we should turn left, she turns right. For a moment, I wonder if she took a wrong turn, but... no, I don't think so. Rather, she's leading us toward a spot behind the gym. It's out of the way, so she must want to talk after all.

After we head out a side-door in one of the less used wings of the school, we walk over to a little grassy spot where two walls meet, a little corner. We stop there for a minute, her staring at the wall, away from me, before she's ready, and turns around.

Pain and distress show through the cracks in her mask. “Jen-” She comes forward and hugs me. I flinch at the sudden touch, before I push the feeling away and hug her back.

“I'm sorry, Seiko. I'm sorry. It's a gamble. I don't know what else to do. I'm scared...” What is she talking about?

“Jen, what's wrong?” I ask quietly. Whatever it is, she's been bottling it up, and it's all coming to the surface now. But she can't get it out. She keeps apologizing, saying she doesn't have any other options. Did she do something wrong?

“Don't worry, whatever it is, we'll deal with it together, right?” I try to encourage her, tears in my own eyes now. She's always protected me, so it hurts to see her like this. I can at least support her when she's down, can't I?

Then the door we came through before opens again. I look back, to see a number of other students coming out. There are a couple guys I don't recognize, but I see Shirla Kaz from earlier, Lacey Monasta, and-

I jolt when Bolin Vance walks out, pulling closer to Jen. But when I glance her way, I'm not sure if she's in any condition to help me.

Shit! My heart is hammering, this is dangerous!

I spin through thoughts, already feeling the hit of an adrenaline high as my fight or flight response kicks into overdrive.

Even if Jen wasn't out of it, there are five of them and two of us. The girls and Vance are one thing, but as awesome as Jen is, I don't know if she can take on two big guys like them in her best form. Our best bet would normally be to break through and run away.

“Jen, we have to run,” I whisper, starting to pull her toward the right, away from the door and the bullies. But she holds tight to me, so I can't move. “Jen!” I hiss.

“I'm sorry...” she's still murmuring.

“Come on, snap out of it!” I pull out of her grasp, glancing back at the advancing bullies. “We have to go!” My eyes sweep across them, shoulders shaking at the sight. They're already spreading out to box us in. Fuck! “Come on, Jen!” I grab her by the shoulders, shaking her in panic.

Should I run by myself? The bullies never focused on Jen before, wouldn't they leave her alone? But what if they didn't? There's no way I could just abandon her. So I back us up, unsure whether I should be shielding her, or hiding behind her.

“Don't worry, it'll be fine. I'm sure it'll be fine...” Jen mutters in my ear as we back up into the corner of the building. What's she talking about now? With this, we're truly cornered. The three guys stand in front, Vance in the center, with the girls a step behind.

They pause there for a moment, before Lacey steps up between Vance and the other guy. She looks straight at Jen, smirks, and snaps her fingers. Huh? I look back to Jen, who's staring at the ground, her shoulders shaking. She walks away from me, and the bullies let her pass, to stand a short distance behind them.

What?

Jen stands there, head to the ground and shoulders hunched, like a whipped dog.

...Why? Why is Jen with the bullies...?

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I thought she was my friend.

This can't be right. Jen can't be one of them. There has to be another explanation for this.

“Ooh, how slow are you?” Lacey Monasta trills. “Can't believe your precious little friend betrayed you?”

“N-no...” I mumble. Jen wouldn't. She... No... “Why...?”

“Oh, who knows? Maybe she's tired of hanging out with the sissiest little pussy on campus. Or how about you ruining her reputation? Or when you tossed her aside as soon as someone hotter came along? Or maybe just maybe,” she sneers, “Corro-chan just hates you.”

That...

“Monasta!” Jen growls, half turned toward the vile woman between us, face wet with tears.

I wipe at my own face. There's no way. No way any of that is true! Monasta is frowning and tutting at Jen.

“No. Interruptions,” she says the words in a high, playful pitch, and Jen immediately backs down. But why?

“Now then,” Monasta turns on me again. “Vance-san, let's see if we can take Maka-san down a few pegs, shall we?”

Vance steps forward and my body locks up. “Sounds great, I've been looking forward to this.” His face is twisted up into an ugly sneer, his proximity sending my arms up around me automatically.

No no no, this can't be happening.

Anyone but him.

He stalks closer, one suffocating step at a time, while I press myself further back into the corner. I stare up at him, but all I can see is the past. It's going to happen again. I can't stop it.

His hand comes up. I can't stop shaking, my head is going fuzzy. I can't think.

I'm scared.

“DON'T TOUCH ME!” The shriek tears from my throat on it's own, my fist slamming out into his chest as hard as possible. Vance grunts, his large frame collapsing backward to lie on the ground.

I stare down, eyes and breathing wild and shallow. Hyperventilating as the blood pounds in my ears. I won't let him. Not again. Never again. He's coughing on the ground, rubbing his chest where I hit him.

“Shit, he can throw a punch after all,” Vance coughs out, drawing himself back up from the ground with a groan. Then his eyes light up and a huge, wicked grin spreads over his face. “Guess we get to do this the hard way.”

He steps forward again, and I brace myself. Even if I'm weak, I'll fight. I don't have that much energy left to burn off, so if I really push, I should be able to regain my full strength. Then everything will be fine.

“You will not touch me,” I glower at him.

“Let's see about that.” He cracks his knuckles. I put my hands up, but they're shaking uncontrollably. I clench my fists anyway. Vance attacks, but... he's slow. Is it his huge size, or is he just bad at fighting? He was never very strong when we were kids either, Jen and Ken had no trouble against him.

I weave, dodging his hands and hit him back. My blows are wild, all over his chest and stomach, until he lands a hit of his own. I block it with my arm, but it hardly helps. I'm thrown sideways into the wall, staggering and gasping. It feels like my arm is going numb where he hit me.

He presses in, and I dodge frantically. Why does he have to he so hard to beat when he's so bad at this?! Gritting my teeth, I force my shaking hands to move, raining blows on Vance as fast and hard as I can, avoiding everything he throws at me, until I get him to fall back a step.

“What are you a damn squirrel?!” he snarls. Then he jerks his head at the other two guys, and they chuckle darkly, advancing alongside him.

Fuck fuck fuck...

I can't do this! My eyes search through the gaps. But how? Pressing against the walls at my back, I tense, waiting a moment. Then I push off, straight to Vance in the center. He reaches for me, but I crash into his chest first, bringing my knee up straight into his crotch. I feel the hit, the crunch, snarling through my teeth, and slide between his legs, breaking past the wall of men.

I kick back up to my feet, view suddenly filled with an elbow out of nowhere. Lacey Monasta checks me, the blow landing right between my eyes, and I stagger backward, vision swimming. By the time I recover, a huge hand closes around my wrist, and my whole body swings away from the ground.

I don't see it coming at all. My entire back slams, the back of my head cracking against the solid wall and everything goes out of focus. “Ugh...” I groan, trying to shake off the hit, but I can hardly think through the pain.

“God damn, you guys are useless!” Monasta scowls at them as she advances, and the second of the two men grabs my other arm. I strain against their grips, heart jumping out of my chest even as I can't focus on my surroundings.

I can't breathe. Everything hurts, and I'm trapped. There's no way I can break out of this!

My bleary consciousness settles on Lacey Monasta, standing with one hand on her hip, the other twirling a lock of her long, silver hair like some kind of fucking princess.

“Why?” I cough the question out. I'm already pulling at the men holding me, burning down the energy while I have the chance.

“Why?” She tilts her head, with that casual, unconcerned smile.

“Why are you doing this? I don't even know you...” Why do random people have to bully me like this?

She flashes a big, toothy smile. “Oh? You don't remember, do you?” Remember what? I couldn't have possibly harmed her somehow, could I? “On the very first day of school, you walked into the class.” She puts on a pouty, pretty girl trill as she speak. “And you walked past me.”

I... walked past her? What does she mean?

Monasta leans forward, smiling and patting my cheek. “Someone like you had the audacity to appear in front of me,” she chirps.

That's it? Just... just for existing...?

“Now, chop chop.” She raises a hand, hopping a step back and snapping her fingers a couple times. On her cue, Vance lumbers over, one hand still holding between his legs as he hobbles. Without a word, he sends a fist across my cheek, my whole head snapping to the side, like my neck is going to snap. Only the strong arms holding me from behind keep me from toppling over at the force of the blow.

Before I can even respond, he drives a fist into my gut, all the air going out of my lungs, and the strength from my arms and legs. The men behind hold me upright as he follows with a second blow into the same spot. I feel it all the way through me, the like he's crushing my organs against my spine.

Vance steps back, still grunting and groaning. “So soft it feels like I'm hitting a girl,” he laughs, staring down at me with a grin on his face and rage in his eyes. I'm still fighting to force a breath back into my collapsed lungs, when I see Jen again, standing off to the side behind Vance. She's staring at me, tears running down her face.

Really... what did she expect...?

With all the strength going out of my body, I can't even struggle. Vance approaches, his hand coming up toward my face. I can't stop him at all. I can't protect myself.

My heart stops. My blood goes cold. The pain vanishes.

All that's left is the memory and the fear.

He touches me again.

His big hand closes under my chin, around my cheeks, jerking my head up to look at him. “Well well well, what's it been, ten years? And here we are again. But look, we have an audience this time.” He squeezes, shifting my head to meet Jen's eyes, and announces for everyone to hear, “Ready for round two, Sei-chan? Let's see if I can make you a girl for real this time!”

Eyes still locked with Jen, I see her moment of realization. The abject horror.

I can't stop this. He's going to do it again. His hands close around the collar of my jacket, ripping it open, all the buttons snapping off. The guys holding my arms pull it off entirely, while Vance sneers. “Seriously, you're more of a girl than you were back then. You have girl hair and everything. Did you really like last time that much?”

No... Not again... I have to keep fighting...

When I start to struggle again, he throws another huge, body-staggering punch, right into the side of my head, then grabs my vest and rips that too. And another shot to the ribs. I think I'm going to pass out...

When I look up again, my fading sight is filled with Vance's face.

Then there's an enormous violet flare, and the hands holding me vanish. I slump to the ground immediately, completely unable to hold myself up. I look around in a stupor, not understanding, until I see Leona. She's a blazing glow of light, hardly a few steps away.

I'm... saved...?

“You!” Her words resonate with power, physically crushing me to the ground. But they're aimed behind me. I turn and see the five bullies, pinned, backs against the school building, ten feet in the air.

Their mouths move, but they're under so much pressure, they can't make a sound.

“You hurt Seiko!” her words fly out, the students bodies shredding, blood splattering against the concrete. She raises a foot, her eyes shifting to a blinding glow of reddened indigo and righteous fury. “Begone!” The foot slams down, and... they're gone. They just vanish. There's nothing left but the splatters of blood formed into vaguely human shapes, and the scraps of cloth falling from their torn clothes.

Did Leona just...

Before I can even fully consider what happened to the bullies, Leona is on her knees in front of me. She hovers, but doesn't touch me. “Seiko, are you alright? Did they hurt you? Did he hurt you?”

I can't find my voice. I can't think beyond the fact that I'm safe. I'm not going to be molested again. I break down sobbing, and Leona ever so slowly moves in to pull me into a gentle hug. I cry on her shoulder, hands clutching weakly at her back. I cry until the pain inside doesn't hurt quite as bad as the injuries all over my body.

Leona turns, holding me close, my only source of comfort and safety right now. Her gaze lands on Jen, who shudders and falls to her knees.

“Why?” with a flare of power, Jen is knocked prone on the ground, staring up at Leona from her belly.

“They blackmailed me. I didn't have a choice. I'm so sorry... I'm the fucking worst...” She presses her face into the dirt, body wracked with sobs. “I'm sorry, I didn't know. Oh god, Seiko, I'm so sorry...”

“Didn't know what?” Leona demands, eyes glaring down into slits.

“Vance-san. He- he said... he said he did things... Seiko, when you were just a child...?”

“HIM...” The word practically emanates outward from Leona's entire body. “He's the one.” Her powers are overflowing, raining through the air around her. I can't breath, and Jen is whining pathetically, her whole body crushed beneath the weight. “If I ever see his face again...” she mutters darkly.

I finally find my voice. “What... happened... to them...?” The words come at a whisper. It doesn't sound like they're gone. I don't need to worry about them anymore, do I?

“I sent them far, far away,” Leona murmurs soothingly, bringing herself under control again. “They can't hurt you anymore.” Then she turns to Jen once more. “Give me your vest,” she demands, voice harsh. Jen complies without a single word.

With slow, gentle motions, she takes the offered clothing, and wraps it around me, over top of my own torn vest, which reveals my undershirt and the faint curve of my breasts. Once Jen's top is settled into place, Leona glowers at her.

“Tell me why this happened. Explain clearly why you betrayed Seiko like this.”

Jen remains on her hands and knees, speaking in a low, deadened tone. “Monasta-san threatened me. Her mother is a school administrator, so even if there's no evidence and it's my word against hers, I'm fucked.”

That's as far as she gets before a voice suddenly cuts all across the school grounds, emanating from the ever-present PA system. “Jenna Corro-san, Seiko Maka-san, Leona Vicca-san. Come to the administration office immediately.”

Jen's reaction is instant. “Oh fuck, oh fuck!” Her arms wrap around herself. Even after what she did to me, I recognize that terror, and it's like a knife in the heart. I knew Jen wouldn't do something like this for no reason. She's afraid too...

“Come, we're dealing with this,” Leona growls.