I'm going to try my second shot at a chaptered Sky High fanfic, only this time I'm actually going to plan ahead, because I am recognizing that this is going to be chaptered.

Here's hoping.

But, because I'm writing this in the NORMAL fanfiction way (i.e., I haven't finished writing all of my chapters but I'm posting Ch. 1 anyway), this means I won't be posting as regularly as I did with Breaking Hearts. It also means I could run out of inspiration midway through and go on a three month hiatus. But think of it this way- I'm just building up suspense for you guys!

...Ha.

4

I could try to forget what you do
When I let you get
Through to me but then
You do it over again
I could rage like a fire
And you'd bring the rain I desire
'Til you get to me on my Morningside.

"Morningside," Sara Bareilles

When Layla Williams had a bad day, her solution to the problem was to take a nice, long, hot shower. And she had had a bad day. This meant that as soon as she stepped off of the bus and walked into her house, she headed straight for her bathroom.

She tossed her purse and bookbag on the ground in the hallway and began stripping, shutting the bathroom door behind her. Turning the hot faucet knob all the way and the cold faucet knob only a quarter of the way, she flicked on the shower switch, she shimmied out of her jeans and tossed them in the same pile as her shirt, shoes, and socks. She pulled the elastic out of her hair and combed her fingers through it, shaking it out of the braid she'd set it in at the beginning of the day.

She pulled the shower curtain to completely cover the shower and stepped out of her panties and bra, tossing them in the same direction as the rest of her clothing, and stepping into the shower.

Tilting her head back, she let the hot water hit her face as she stepped under the spray of the water. Without meaning to, she let out a soft sigh of relief. Her day had gone from bad to worse to absolute rock-bottom. This hot shower was just what she needed to wipe away her shitty day. Oh, who was she kidding? Sighing to herself, she knew she had to admit it at some point. She hadn't had a genuinely good day in nearly a month. It was getting to the point that even hot showers weren't fixing her problems.

She ran her fingers through the wet, dark red ropes of hair, which were already beginning to curl slightly under steam of the hot water. After two years of letting her hair grow out, it had reached midway down her back. Trying to forget her troubles, she lifted up 

the ends of her hair and realized she was probably in need of a trim in the near future- she didn't need to add split ends to the list of her problems, too.

And was this a long list of problems. None of which she would be able to fix in the near future. For only being a junior in high school, she had an awfully demanding life. It was beginning to take its toll on her.

Squirting a quarter-sized drop of shampoo into her hand, she considered her options. This could all be fixed… eventually. They all just needed time to sort everything out, herself included. High school years were notorious for being some of the most confusing of your life, and Layla found it was twice as worse if you were a teen with superpowers to boot.

Lathering up her hair with the shampoo, she shut her eyes, going over everything that had happened since that fateful night. If she was to pinpoint exactly when her life had begun to go downhill, she would trace it all back to that day. Since then, absolutely nothing had gone right.

As the water washed away the last traces of the shampoo, Layla reached for her cream-rinse conditioner, squeezing out a dollop into her palm. It was a must-have for curly hair like her own. Curly hair meant tangled hair, and conditioner kept it from turning into a rat's nest.

Layla worked the conditioner through her hair, wincing as she accidentally brushed the still tender wound at the base of her skull. By now, the ugly welt had to have turned into a bruise, most likely still purple. She didn't bruise easily, but when she did, it was never pretty and it always lasted a while.

For instance, the hand-shaped bruise on her upper arm was only just beginning to fade, turning a sickening yellowish-green. She had got that bruise over two weeks ago, and it most likely wouldn't fade away completely until another week, at least.

She used her favorite 100-percent recycled loofah to wash the rest of her body, being extra gentle with the deep cut on her calf that had become a scab. It didn't hurt as much as the bruises, but if she stretched her leg too much it would sting.

She wasn't really all that banged up. Just a couple of nicks here and there; nothing permanent. At the moment, what was more important to her now was keeping her friends safe and healthy. Her own health could be put on the backburner for a short time.

Layla turned back to the showerhead, closing her eyes once more as the water cascaded all around her. The longer she stood there, the less it felt like she was in Maxville, loaded down with troubles and unanswered questions. Instead, if she stopped thinking and 

worrying, it felt almost as if she was standing in the Amazon rain forest, surrounded by brightly colored frogs and big-eyed animals and every kind of plant imaginable.

It was a really nice place when she stopped thinking.

But, as all dreams must come to an eventual end, Layla twisted the hot and cold knobs off turning the gushing shower to a weak trickle. She pushed the shower curtain open, wiping the water off of her face with her wet hands. She reached across the narrow room and grabbed a towel, goosebumps pebbling her naked body as her warm skin hit the cold air.

She used the towel to squeeze out the remaining water in her hair, then quickly towel-dried it. It was quicker if she blow-dried her hair, but she didn't feel like wasting her energy- not to mention electricity. She wrapped the thick, coffee-colored towel around her body and stepped out of the bathtub. The hot shower had done her some good. She could feel the stress from earlier today begin to seep out of her body, giving her the chance to finally relax.

She didn't bring an extra set of underwear, let alone clothes, into the bathroom with her, but she wasn't entirely ready to change just yet.

Towel-drying the rest of her body, Layla suddenly remembered she had also forgotten to bring her favorite lotion with her into the bathroom. Groaning aloud, she finished wiping down her body and wrapped herself in the towel once more.

She opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom, shivering as her body came into contact with the much cooler air. She padded down the hallway, the plush carpet under her feet muffling her steps, and she was grateful for the silence. Her mother was away until Monday morning, which meant Layla had one less thing to deal with.

Slipping into her room, she grabbed the bottle of honey and lotus blossom lotion from off the top of her dresser and turned to walk back to the bathroom. When she did, she heard something that stopped her dead in her tracks. She wasn't even sure what she heard, but it was enough to make her pause.

Her adrenaline spiked when she heard it again, and this time she realized it was coming from the direction of her living room. She walked slowly down hallway, heart pounding, prepared for the slightest sound of attack.

Even with all of her preparation, she never could've planned for what greeted her as she stepped cautiously into the living room. Bruised and bleeding profusely on her couch, covered from head to toe in dirt and grime- and was that slime?- was none other than…

"Oh, don't get dressed up on my account, hippie."

Layla let out a soft sigh, her shoulders slumping. "Warren."

4

It's not much- it's really short, in fact- but I think it's an okay start for a prologue. As far as I'm aware, I will most likely be bouncing back and forth between a month prior to Warren getting his ass kicked and then presently, what's happening after Warren got his ass kicked.

I might bounce back and forth, past one chapter then present the next, or I might bounce all around with no specific pattern. But no matter what, I'll make sure that you guys know whether it's past or present, I promise.