Queen's Pet

Sophia wanted to scream. To shout. To warn. To beg. But she could not. She could only sit their and listen to the meeting. Inside, she was screaming, desperate. Wanting help and feeling helpless. A massive change from just a few months ago.

Perhaps it was only fitting that she was like this. Or was that Her talking, in her head? Sophia couldn't tell any more. A prisoner in her own body, or near enough that it made no difference.

"...and if that is all, and no one has any further business, we can end this here" Aegis finished.

"I... have something" Sophia said, looking around at the rest of the Wards.

"Yes?" Aegis said, interested at Sophia speaking up for once.

"...is there any changes to the Master/Stranger protocols?" Sophia said.

Aegis sighed, and then said "No... they're annoying as it is, and we don't have any reason to suspect there is anyone in the city that requires us to go above and beyond the basics. Unless you have new information?"

Sophia felt her jaw clamp shut as she wanted to scream out to them Yes! There is. Please... help me. She already got me.

But she couldn't. Any time she tried to warn them, to beg for help, she couldn't get the words out. Instead, she shook her head in negation.

As the meeting broke up, she watched the rest of the Wards leave, her eyes resting on Gallant for a moment, whom she had worked out couldn't read her real emotions any more. Heading out from the PRT Headquarters down towards the Boardwalk. There, she entered a little teashop, heading to a table at the back surrounded by girls sitting and smiling.

Sophia wondered how many of those smiles were real, how many of them were brainwashed, and how many of them were outright fake; born out of fear.

She sat, and the person at the head of the table took a sip of her drink, then looked at her, a smile on her face. Sophia had figured out by now she could read emotional states as well, so she must be able to feel the hate poring off of Sophia. That, and the fear.

"I think perhaps it would be best if me and Sophia talked alone for a while" she said, adopting that upper class tone she seemed to prefer these days.

"Yes Queen" the rest of the girls murmured, standing and walking away. Sophia's eyes lingered on Emma, the red head who had sat at the left hand at the head of the table. Emma, who smiled at her former and now once again best friend as she left. Who could not even remember the year and a half of bullying she had put Queen through.

Lucky bitch.

"Hate me still, Sophia?" asked Queen, sitting there with her head tilted, twirling in her hands a remote control idly.

"Every moment of every day" growled Sophia now there was no one else to hear.

Queen laughed lightly. "Good. You can suffer every minute of every day for the rest of your miserable life for all I care" her playful tone turned dark "You took Emma from me, turned her against me. You threw me in that Locker. Drove me to isolation. Now, you can feel that isolation, that feeling of being all alone. Helpless"

Sophia closed her eyes. Wishing she could cry. But not here... later, when there was no one around. Then the tears would fall.

"Anyway, onto other matters. Please, how are the Wards? You said you had that meeting, how did it go?" Queen asked, again in the playful aristocratic tone she adopted for normal speech with Sophia.

Sophia opened her mouth, and began to explain what the meeting had been about. Betraying everything the PRT and Wards had told her. Well, she didn't care about them really, but to betray them to the girl before her. To queen.

That grated.

"Hmmm, so they still know nothing about me? Good. You know, when I found out you were Shadow Stalker, I was worried. So panicked. But now, with you under my thumb like this?" Queen grinned. An evil and cruel grin. Sophia seethed inside.

"Anyway, enough of business. I want to play at being a hero now" Queen said, pointing the remote at Sophia.

A spike of panic shot through Sophia "No... please..." was all she said, and then Queen pressed a single button on the remote, smiling faintly. And then Sophia's body was no longer hers.

She felt herself stand up, and looked one last time into the eyes of Queen. The eyes that had stars for iris. Stars which she knew now were formed in her own eyes. Then she walked out of the café and around the corner, into an alleyway, getting changed into Shadow Stalker.

She felt her body proceed to start to patrol the city in the growing twilight.

To keep herself sane, she went other her notes in her head. Trying to ignore what her body was doing. Senses emotions. Can install compulsions in a persons head stopping or forcing them to do something. May or may not notice said compulsion. Can erase memories, though seems to be linked to compulsions. Can take direct control of someone, but seems to be limited in number. Can NOT actually read minds. Though with the ability to force you to tell her what you are thinking, makes no difference. Only goes by Queen now, and made almost everyone at school forget her real name.

Only the hope that one day, she would be able to report this and take down Queen kept her sane. That one day, all this would end.