Author's Note:

Before anything, allow me to give special thanks to BCTheEntity for allowing me to use two of his characters (Messiah and Headhunter) in this, and for suggesting the title.

Michael, for allowing me access to one of his characters. (Sofia)

Professional Protagonist, aka ProPro, for more than I have space for. Characters, ideas, assistance... You get the gist, you magnificent bastard.

I'd also like to thank the author of Worm, Wildbow, for the amazing work he's done and all the inspiration.

I'd also like to note that while I've read all of Worm and remain up to date on Ward, some new information may cause conflicts in this story. Since I've designed this Fic for the most part already in full, we'll be working with what I know at current. This Fic will take place before Taylor, for reference, and as such no characters or overlap will occur with the official Worm story. This cast will be primarily original characters from myself, or those mentioned similarly to the above. Any similarities to existing characters and works are not intentional. Reviews and feedback are always appreciated.

Here's to an amazing journey!

Prologue:

Egg

Lillian looked at the door to her bedroom, her legs peeking out from beneath her white skirt as they bounced off of the frame of her bed. A slight shudder went through her as footsteps became audible, coming closer and closer and closer and -

"Lily, dear, are you ready for school? The bus will be here any minute," came the soft voice of her mother, muffled through the wood.

"... Yes, mother..." She mumbled, sliding off the bed and moving at a snail's pace. Her slender fingers grasped at her bookbag straps, dragging the bag as if it weighed several dozen times more than it did. Her other hand hesitated at the doorknob, shaking slightly, before pulling it open tentatively.

Step by step Lillian moved down the hall, deep maroon walls standing guard around her as her feet sank slightly into the burgundy carpet. Down the stairs, a hand tracing the hard oak railing, before stopping at the door. Her sneakers, black with images of Alexandria imposed upon the sides, glared back at her as if they wanted to devour her from the toes up.

I really wish I could just stay home... Lillian thought sullenly as her mother came around the corner with her lunch box. The woman was dressed per usual for a Monday. Official looking business clothes, sharp and crisp and a dull gray. So not her mother, that lack of color.

"Here, luv, I packed a little extra since you missed breakfast again," she said with a swift kiss on Lillian's forehead, making sure not to smudge any lipstick on her daughter.

"Thanks, mom," came the quiet reply as the young girl slipped into her shoes. She froze for a moment as a hand landed gently on her shoulder.

"You sure there's nothing wrong, Lily? You've been acting so... Reserved lately."

"I'm fine, mother. Really." The lie came easily, quickly, smoothly. Believable enough to slide.

"Well... Alright, dear. Have a good day at school."

"I won't..." Lillian muttered under her breath as she shut the door.

The air outside was brisk, the wind light but cutting, as she moved down the stairs leading up to the apartment. With a small hop she avoided the broken bottom step, slinging her backpack onto one shoulder. Overhead the sun was just beginning to usher in the morning rays fully, flashes of bright spots blinding the unwary through the trees on the faraway foothills of the mountains. Traffic was light here, but more could be heard from a few blocks away. A loud grinding noise signaled the approaching bus, causing Lillian to hurry. She couldn't afford to miss the bus and put that kind of strain on her mother. Her mother didn't need to suffer, too.

Unsurprisingly, the bus was already fairly crowded, the seats closest to the driver being the only ones with any availability. Not that she minded, it meant she was further from them and could start her morning in relative peace today.

Or so she hoped. Maybe she could just go one day without -

A splatter from a giant spitball caught her cheek as the offending projectile slid down the seat in front of her lethargically, leaving a trail of saliva behind it. Sliding down further, Lillian hugged her backpack to her knees as she closed her eyes.

Ignore them. Ignore them. Ignore them. She chanted the words in her head, knowing today was going to turn into a bad day if they were already starting with spitballs. The humiliation, the taunting, the -

A slight jerking feeling alerted Lillian to the bus stopping, pulling her from her dreading thoughts, to which she practically jumped out of her seat and nearly ran into the school doors. She could hear the laughter at her expense as her cheeks flared red. A small price to pay to avoid the words themselves. The actions that would follow.

A slight whimper escaped her as she opened up her locker. Today... She could feel it. Today was going to be one of the bad ones.

With trepidation she closed her locker, hugging her books and notes to her chest tightly as she walked towards Algebra II. Her one decent subject, several classes ahead of where she should be for a fourteen year old. Something her parents praised her over, and her classmates tormented her for.

Thankfully, however, it was mostly Juniors in that class. Freedom, for her, and a slice of bliss. Arithmetic with polynomials, abstract concepts and numbers. Things she could get lost in.

Forty minutes passed by too quickly, however, the bliss fading into despair as Lillian took extra time at her locker. Gym, her least favorite period. The irony was not lost on her, as she shut her locker with force. A gymnastics lover who hated gym. Yeah, that's something people would laugh at in a book.

With a slight snort, Lillian set off for the gymnasium, her eyes on the ground as her hair shielded her face from the crowd as her lithe figure weaved expertly between bodies. Avoid notice, pass through wandering eyes.

With an audible sigh she leaned against the stall wall in the girl's changing room. Now she just needed to wait it out, get changed, and then make it through this period. One period at a time, one breath, one step, one -

"Hurry up, Miss Grant, everyone else is already ready!" Called in the deep rumbling voice of Coach Jarksen, a hulk of a man who could profit from showering more frequently.

Resigned, Lillian opened the stall, shoving her clothes hastily in her gym locker before exiting in a nervous rush.

"Now that we're all here!" The Coach yelled with a pointed glance towards Lillian. "Start stretching. It's getting physical today!"

Internally Lillian groaned, knowing that meant only so many things. Floor hockey, as they called it, or some variation of dodgeball. Neither option was pleasing for her.

"God, it's like she gets uglier everyday!" The remark, in a false attempt at being subtle, floated over towards Lillian. It sounded like Jake Galloway. Of course it would start with the verbal.

"Flat chested, practically, and greasy. We sure her parents aren't really lizards?" Chimed in Lindsey Porter.

Lillian looked down, her face reddening. She wasn't pretty, she knew that already. Did they have to beat it in, day after day all year long?

"Probably are. Makes sense for why she's such a stupid little coward," Hillary Caldwen remarked snidely, sounding horribly close.

Please just let me be! Lillian thought frantically.

As the whistle blew and Lillian turned towards the direction the Coach was coming from, she felt something hard collide with her back, between the shoulder blades, and she hit the solid wood floor. "Ugly lizard. Why don't you stay down where you belong." Her arms took most of the fall, but it still stung. She rubbed her elbows as she got up slowly, watching Lindsey laughing at her from a few feet away. "You know, under my feet."

"Alright, today you kids are going to be playing floor hockey today. Whoever gets the most goals gets to skip tomorrow's workout. Winning team gets extra credit. Grab a stick and sort yourselves out."

As expected, the popular ones ended up together while the outcasts and unwanted ended up on the opposing side. Lillian's side. The weak, pathetic, ugly slime beneath the pretty, popular, athletic's feet.

The game... It wasn't very fun, not to Lillian's eyes. There was a distinct feeling of pressure, not merely from the Coach but from the students themselves. The drive to win, at any cost in some cases, against the drive to simply not be splattered by the more athletic.

They started easy enough, at least until the Coach's attention began to wane. Then came the hard pushes, the trips.

Even with all of that, the team Lillian was apart of was not doing horribly. They were several goals behind, and generally worse for wear in terms of bruising, but hadn't simply given up.

Lillian held her face after a particularly hard trip that ended with her biting her lip. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, and out of the corner of her eye she saw the Coach stand up.

He's going to intervene! Maybe I can go to the nurse and... Wait, wait! Where are you going? Don't leave me with them. Please! No! she screamed in her head, standing up and taking a few steps in the direction the Coach had left the gym. A figure stepped on front of her view, a slick smile on their face. Lindsey.

Looking around frantically, Lillian realized she was surrounded.

"You ugly little rat, you pathetic little gecko! We're going to get it into your stupid ugly head!" Lindsey jeered, lifting up her hockey stick and moving forward slowly.

Lillian backed up with a mild squeak escaping her mouth, feeling the pressure from the others stopping her escape. Her eyes widened as she saw the stick rise, coming towards her fast, too fast!

She closed her eyes as she felt her world fall away, waiting for the pain. Tears slid down her face, cool against her warm skin as she held her breath.

Author's Note: several edits have been made since the initial upload of this chapter in regards to feedback from reviews and personal re-readings.