Pizzicato

I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. My hands beat at the metal closing in on me and I pleaded for help, but there was only laughter.

I barely choked off a scream as I sat up, gasping for air. The room was dark, unfamiliar. For a moment, I didn't know where I was. Then it passed.

My room. The new house. I still wasn't used to it. I took in several shuddering breaths, running a hand through my hair. Distaste formed as I felt the strands cling to my fingers, soaked with sweat. I grimaced as I felt the same for the sheets.

"Nightmares. Joy," I said, my voice feeling raw, like I had been screaming. I pushed the sheets aside, fighting my legs clear of the tangle. A glance at the clock showed it was three in the morning.

I started out of my room, taking care to be as quiet as possible. Something told me I wasn't going to get any more sleep tonight.

The first person to come downstairs was Lily, followed by Dinah. Both looked exceptionally rested and I glared in their direction for a moment before starting to search the cabinets for bowls. Theo came down a few minutes after, also looking like he had slept well. Where the hell were the bowls?

"Are you okay?" Lily asked, a note of concern in her voice.

"I'm fine," I muttered, closing the cabinet with more force than was necessary. "Just didn't sleep well. Bad dreams, I guess." I pulled down a box of cereal as Kayden came downstairs, holding Aster in her arms. The girl was making happy sounds, but Kayden herself looked tired.

"You had a bad night too?" I asked, holding the box in one hand as I began looking for bowls again. We had been gifted a bunch of dishes but whoever put them in the cabinets had no idea what they were doing.

"Hm?" she blinked at me, then yawned. "No, I slept like a log. Just feel tired for some reason, drained. I'll be fine when I get some sun."

"Mmm," I said absently. "Once I've had breakfast and a shower, we'll go see what can be done. I don't know how helpful anything I can do will be, but ... Oh, where the fuck are the bowls?"

Silence. I turned to see Lily standing nearby, holding open a cabinet that I was sure I had checked before. In her hand was a bowl that she held out to me.

"Must be more tired than I thought," I said, taking the bowl from here and pouring some cereal. "Sorry."
"It's just a bowl, Taylor," Lily said, shaking her head. "Go get some more sleep if you need to. I can make some calls while you do."

I poured the cereal out into the bowl and grabbed some milk. "No. I'll be fine. I can take a nap later if a shower doesn't help." I started crunching down the brightly colored cereal, each bite making me feel a little better.

Showering seemed to help as well and I felt more like myself after. The remnants of my nightmare falling away as I stepped into the sunlight outside.

"Did Lisa call and say why she was running late?" I asked Lily. I had expected Lisa to be already be here.

Lily shook her head. "No, I couldn't get anyone to answer at the shelter, either."

I frowned. "Odd. Well, it is on the way, so we can stop there first." I glanced toward Kayden, Aster, and Theo then Dinah.

"It'll be a bit cramped, but Lily can drive us," I explained. "You three can have the backseat."

For a moment, Kayden's eyes flickered to Lily and I remembered what she had told me last night. But the older woman only nodded.

"That's fine," she said. "This Lisa can help?"

"She'll be able to help us plan," I replied as we went to the car.

It took a few minutes to get moving as we had to wait for Kayden to get the carseat in place, before we all piled in and started off. I shifted where I sat squeezed in with Dinah and rested my head against the side of the window. My eyes closed and I relaxed for a bit.

We were halfway there when I fished out my phone, dialing the number Colin had given me for getting in touch with him. I needed to let him know we were on our way.

"What?" his voice came over the line in a curt demand.

I blinked at his tone. "Colin, I needed to-"

"I don't have time for whatever you're babbling about," he interrupted. "I'm too busy cleaning up your messes." The line went dead and I stared at the phone.

"That was weird," I said, blacking the screen and putting it away.

"What was?" Lily asked.

"Colin," I shrugged. "In a bad mood, I guess. I'll ask him in person."

"Bad mood?" Lily echoed. "He does get kind of intense about things, but I've never seen him be in a bad mood."

"Maybe something went sour while he was working last night," I mused, frowning as I ran the brief conversation back in my mind.

"Who knows?" Lily asked idly. "It's not like you running wild doing whatever you want doesn't make problems for him."

I stared at her. "What?"

"Hm?" she glanced at me. "I didn't say anything."

"You did," I told her. "You said I was a problem for Colin."

She looked at me like I had grown a second head. "I didn't say that. Anyway, you're not."

"You did," I began.

"You're a problem for the whole town," Lily went on. "Your dad probably ran away to get away from you."

"Ninety-five point seven percent chance she is correct," Dinah chimed in next to me.

"Why are you saying these things?" I demanded, stunned at the way they were both talking to me.

"Taylor? Taylor!"

"Gah!" I jumped away as I felt a hand on my shoulder. Lily was staring at me, having reached around Dinah and both were looking worried.

"You nodded off and were mumbling to yourself," she said. "Are you okay?"

I swallowed, feeling my breathing calm. I had fallen asleep? It hadn't felt like a dream.

"Sorry," I said finally, rubbing at my face. "Must be more tired than I thought."

"Do you want me to talk to Lisa while you nap some more?" she asked.

"No, I'll be fine," I shook off the odd feeling from the nap and glanced around, frowning. "Are we there?"

"I stopped to check on you," Lily said. "It isn't far, though."

"Take Kayden on to see Colin," I said, taking a deep breath. "I know the streets and I'll walk the rest of the way and talk to Lisa."

"Are you sure?" Lily said, looking worried still.

I nodded. "A walk should help. Feels too closed in right now."

"I'll go with you," Dinah said, glancing between me and Lily.

"If you want to," I answered, pushing the latch on the door open. "I'll get Lisa and we'll head over to meet up with you guys."

"Be careful," Lily said, frowning. She was still worried, I could tell, but I was certain a walk would do good. The breeze off the coast was usually brisk enough to rip away any dregs of sleep from a person.

"We will," I said, nodding at her as Dinah climbed out of the car after me. Lily drove off and I stood there for a moment, letting the morning breeze ruffle my hair.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Dinah asked. I opened my eyes and found her watching me with an expression similar to what I had seen on Lily's face.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I'm good. Come on, let's head to the shelter. I'll get you some ice cream after that." She grinned and we started off toward Lisa's place.

I felt more awake after we walked for a bit. As we turned the corner onto the street where the shelter Lisa ran was at, I felt the fog that had clung to me the whole morning fall away.

"Are things any better at school?" I asked Dinah.

"The boys have stopped being stupid, sort of," she told me. "The girls are still stupid or jealous, though."

"Jealous?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," she said. "The boys aren't asking dumb questions, but they're still paying a lot of attention to me and the girls don't like that. Most of the girls, anyway. The rest are always trying to suck up to me." Dinah gave me a sideways look as she said that.

"Why?" I asked. "And what's that look for?"

"They suck up because I know you and they want to meet you," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Me?" I asked, then snorted. "What would they want to meet me?"

"Duh, you're awesome," Dinah said. "You kicked Leviathan's butt, for one?"

"It wasn't that impressive," I protested.

Dinah rolled her eyes again. "Ninety five point seven percent chance you're a dork, Taylor."

Ninety five point seven. I felt a chill run down my back. "Why that percentage?"

She shrugged. "I made it up. It was a joke."

I forced a laugh and ruffled her hair. "Okay, okay. The girls at your school have some weird hero-worship or something at me. What sort of ice cream do you want later?"

Dinah gave me a look at my changing the subject. "Pistachio Butterscotch."

"That sounds disgusting," I said, making a face. "Is that even a real flavor?"

"Twenty bucks says it is," she retorted, grinning at me.

"First," I said, eyeing her sternly. "Who taught you to gamble? Second, I would never take that sort of bet against someone who can see the future."

"Eighty percent chance you're smarter than you look," she told me, grinning.

"Now you're just being a smartass," I grumbled.

"Sixty seven percent chance you're right," Dinah said.

"Okay, stop that," I replied with a grin tugging at my lips.

"Seriously, though, who taught you?" I asked.

"Ninety-nine point six percent chance that something is wrong with Lisa," Dinah said, her face suddenly pale. Her hand grabbed mine and squeezed as I followed her gaze.

There was a crowd growing around the building that I knew was the shelter and from the breaks in the people, I could see that the windows were broken. What was more, the inside was filled with a roiling mass of shadow that seemed to boil past the shards of glass every so often.

Lisa.

"What the hell," I said aloud, staring, starting forward. Dinah's hand clung to mine and I glanced at her.

"Dinah, can you wait here while I go deal with this?" I asked. Her lips moved as if she were saying something, then she shook her head, tightening her grip on my hand.

"Dinah?"

"I have to stay with you," she said, looking around with a sick expression. "The numbers …"

Numbers? Damn, she had seen something. "Okay. Don't let go of my hand then." She nodded and I started forward again, pushing past the milling crowd. Whispers sprang up around us and the people began moving out of my way. I stopped in front of the shelter, staring at the broken doorframe and the glass on the walk.

Then, still holding Dinah's hand, I stepped forward into the shelter.

Sight vanished as soon as we crossed the border of that mass of shadow. Sound faded as well, but I was not bothered. I remembered this feeling, like a weight pressing down over me. And I remembered trying to counter it. It had been difficult then, but now, I knew what to do..

My powers touched it and with a few adjustments, the darkness was shoved away. Sound and color returned in a space around us.

"What happened here?" Dinah asked in a soft voice, looking at the signs of broken furniture near where we stood.

"I don't know," I said, feeling my worry for Lisa increase. "But we can't find out unless we can see. So, hold still." I stretched my power out, using what I had learned about repelling the darkness along with an imitation of Stormtiger's abilities.

Air swirled around us and the shadows were ripped away, undone by my power, to reveal devastation. Furniture was shattered, tables and chairs broken into so much kindling. There were people laying about too, groaning weakly, but alive. But I did not see Lisa.

"Stay close," I said, picking my way through toward where Lisa's office was. The door was splintered and I saw a hand visible through the broken pieces. Dinah moved with me as I shoved the pieces of a desk away. There, face down, was Lisa.

"Lisa?" I said, touching her shoulder. She didn't move and I gave it a nudge. "Lisa?"

The moment I jostled her, she recoiled, scrambling away with choked denials clearing her throat. She flopped away awkwardly, the way her arm was hanging suggesting that it was broken. My breath caught in my throat as I saw her face, a mass of bruises and dried blood.

"Lisa! It's me, Taylor!" I said, holding my hands out placatingly. "It's just me."

"-aylor?" she mumbled.

"Yes, it's me," I nodded. "What happened? Is whoever did this still here?"

"... -you," she murmured, the words too low to make out. I started to ask for more information when a rush of movement behind me prompted me to grab Dinah and pull her in front of me. I saw a dark-clothed figure erupt from the nearby closet, swinging something at me.

My field pinged and the motion of was arrested, doubled, and reversed, sending him tumbling away through part of the wall.

"Stay by Lisa," I told Dinah, straightening.

"But-" she began.

"I know," I said. "But I need to make sure this guy doesn't try anything. I won't leave your sight, I promise."

Dinah nodded and settled down near Lisa, whispering quietly as I took a step away, eyeing the spot through which the attacker had been thrown.

Shadows roiled up and flooded the space between us, heading toward me.

"Really?" I said, anger fueling my words. "Is that the best you can do? Something that doesn't work?" I disrupted these before they could spread past me in time to see the man leap through.

I caught a flash of light off a black motorcycle helmet before a tilt of my head sent him crashing into the wall to my left. "That doesn't work either. Not so great when you're the one getting swatted, is it?" I didn't know for sure if he was the one who had done this to Lisa, but it stood to reason.

"Bitch," the rumbling voice came from beneath the helmet. "All your fault."

"Sure, blame me for it," I shrugged. "It makes what I'm about to do easier." I tapped my foot on the floor and it erupted beneath him, sending him rolling away with a pained cry.

"That sounds like it hurt," I observed, faking a wince. "Did it sound that way when you broke Lisa's arm?" I felt my voice raise with the last word as I stepped over to him. His legs kicked out immediately, aiming for mine. Again, my field pinged and his leg was jerked back with an audible crack.

"That definitely hurt, didn't it?" I asked as more profanity was thrown at me. "Well, I don't think you're going to be going anywhere like that, so you can just lay there until someone comes to arrest you."

Another profane word was snarled and I saw him pull himself up, using a broken section of wall. Then with another snarled insult, he started trying to limp away.

"Yeah, I don't think so," I said, nudging a crate of bottles that were overturned at my feet. They ripped through the air toward him, shattering against his body. He went down and did not get up this time.

I turned back to where Lisa and Dinah were.

"Still with me?" I asked.

"I think she is," Dinah said. "She's been mumbling, but …"

"Damn," I fished in my pocket, dialing Colin as soon as I had his number up.

"Taylor?" he asked as he picked up. "What do you need?"

"I'm at the shelter on twenty-third," I said with a calmness I did not feel. "I need someone to pick up a criminal and an ambulance or something quickly.

"How bad?" he asked.

"One person beaten badly, broken arm. Others beaten. I don't know if anyone is dead or not." I said, then closed my eyes, though it didn't erase the image of Lisa's face from my mind. "The one I think responsible is out cold. Not dead, by the way. I didn't make more problems for you this time." I winced as I said the last. Had the nightmare while in the car really gotten to me that much?

"Thanks?" Colin asked, sounding a bit bewildered.

"Never mind that," I said, sighing. "I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Sorry. I do need someone quickly though. She's really beat up."

"I'm sending people now," he said, his voice sounding distant. "You'll be there?"

"Yeah, I'm keeping an eye on this loser," I said, glancing toward where the man still laid.

"They'll be there in five," he said, then cut the call off.

I blanked the screen on the phone and shoved it into my pocket. That done, I knelt near Lisa and slipped one of my hands into the one of hers on the arm that was unbroken. She didn't respond but I squeezed reassuringly while watching the rise and fall of her breathing.

Why had he done this? I glanced toward the still unmoving form of the attacker. Anger surged when I looked at him and I had to fight the urge to get up and inflict more damage to him.

"Will she be alright?" Dinah asked me.

"You don't know?" I replied, surprised.

She shook her head. "I don't want to look at the numbers again."

I felt an eyebrow go up and noted that she still looked pale. "What did you see before?"

The color fled her face and she pressed her lips together before shaking her head once in refusal. I gave her a worried look, but she remained silent to any of my inquiries.

Danica, the PRT agent I had met after saving Dinah the first time, showed up a short time later, along with the paramedics.

"You look tired," I said as I rose to meet her.

"You too," she said, giving a weak grin. "There's been a lot of issues the past day. The E88 being a pain, for one."

I turned away to hide my wince. Had I made more problems for Colin by letting Purity in and tacitly agreeing to help her? "Just not enough sleep for me."

"I know how that is," she remarked, looking down at the man I had taken out. "This him?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

Danica crouched and quickly cuffed his wrists, then straightened. "Get this guy secured. Foam if he gives you any trouble." Several uniformed agents came over and drug the man off.

"She'll be okay," Danica said, following my gaze to where the paramedics were attending to Lisa. "You two want to ride to the hospital with her? I've got Panacea on call if we need her. Though, I think she might actually be at Brockton Bay Memorial already."

"Riding with her sounds good," I said, then frowned. "Shit, I need to call Lily."

"The one who's staying at your place?" Danica asked. As I nodded, she continued. "I saw her arriving before I went out. Had a lady and two kids with her?"

"That's them," I confirmed. One of the paramedics rose and approached.

"We're going to get her on a stretcher and to the hospital," he said. "We've done all we can here."

"It's fine if we ride with?" I asked, indicating myself and Dinah.

The medic looked at me, his eyes widening. "That is completely fine, Ms. Hebert."

"Thank you," I told him, watching as they carefully put Lisa on the stretcher and wheeled her clear. Other medics were checking over the rest of the people in the shelter as we left. Lisa was loaded onto the ambulance and they made space for Dinah and I.

I laid my head back against the ambulance wall, worry for Lisa almost overpowering.

"Ninety three point six percent chance that this is all your fault," Dinah said beside me.

My head snapped to the side and I stared at her. "What did you say?"

"I said it isn't your fault?" Dinah asked with a confused note before peering at me. "Are yousure you're okay? You've been jumpy all morning."

I took a deep breath. "Still bothered by the nightmares, I guess."

"Did you want to talk about it?" she asked.

I couldn't breathe, couldn't move. My hands beat against the door and I cried out, but heard only laughter …

I shook my head. "No."

"Did you need anything?" one of the medics asked, glancing at me. "You're awfully pale. I have something for upset stomach …"

"Thank you, no," I said. "Just some bad memories." He nodded, but gave me a concerned look before focusing back on one of the machines that lined the interior of the ambulance.

Waiting, I decided, really sucked. They had taken Lisa back into the operating room and were working to fix whatever they could. Amy wasn't here and I had even tried to call, but only gotten voice mail.

"Taylor," Lily called out, approaching as quickly as possible with two familiar faces in tow.

"Phillipe, Shawna," I said, stunned at their appearance. "Why're you two here?"

"Thought we'd come visit," Phillipe said. "You've had some adventures without us, haven't you, chica?"

"Are you alright?" Shawna asked, giving me a hug. "You look …"

"I've heard," I said, turning my head to the door they had taken Lisa through.

"She okay?" Lily asked.

"I hope she will be," I sighed. "No word from Amy yet."

"I'm sure they'll get her here as soon as possible," Lily reasoned, resting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded and sat down beside Dinah. The others did likewise and we waited.

Twenty minutes passed and a haggard looking surgeon emerged.

"Ms. Hebert?" he asked. "We've done all we can. She was hurt severely enough that we're going to keep her in ICU overnight. As soon as we can, we'll have Ms. Dallon help her.

"Is she awake?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Between the injuries and the anesthetics, she'll be asleep for a while. I can arrange to have you informed as soon as there's any change, if you want?"

"Please," I said. He called a nurse over and she gathered the needed information from me.

"Come on," Phillipe said, resting a hand on my other shoulder. "I know you're worried, but you look like you're about to fall over. Lets get you something to eat."

"I …" the words started to be a protest before I swallowed. "Yeah, that sounds good."

A cup of hot tea occupied my hands as I sat on the couch. From my place, I could see Phillipe cooking, wearing an apron and obnoxiously large chef's hat.

I wondered who had given us that.

"Now here," he was saying, gesturing grandly before stirring something in a pan, "we have an ancient recipe passed down from before those spanish invaders defiled my people."

"Oh, here he goes again," Shawna interrupted. "He'll be detailing how it was only served to Aztec royalty, of which he's the last, next."

"Just because you don't have greatness in your family, chica," he began.

"Didn't you know?" she asked sweetly. "My many times removed grandmother was Queen of the Nile."

"My grandfather is theTenno Heika," Lily said, rolling her eyes as the other two gave her blank looks. "Emperor of Japan? Don't you learn anything in history?"

"Not about heathen lands like that, no," Phillipe murmured, then looked at me. "How about you, Taylor? Any famous people?"

"No," I said. "Just me, I guess."

"Oh, Taylor doesn't need famous people for ancestors," Shawna said airily. "She thinks the world revolves around her, after all."

I blinked, stung. "I don't think that at all."

"No?" Lily asked. "Who is it that expects the Protectorate to clean up after her when she kills a bunch of people, or burns down the docks?"

My head turned to look at her. "I don't expect anything like that!"

Don't I? The thought slipped across my mind as I thought of how little I had done to help fix the mess my fight with Lung had made.

"Never mind the docks," Phillipe said. "Let's talk about her being so much of a freak that we're sent here to keep an eye on her."

I shook my head, pressing back into the couch as if it could hide me. "What are you saying?"

"We're saying we've been yanked away from family,again," Shawna told me, "All to take care of a monster."

My mouth moved, but no sounds emerged.

"I think I was right before," Lily remarked. "Your dad probably did run off to get away from you. Probably happy to be away from a burden like you."

Phillipe shook his head. "Disgusted by her, I bet. He probably saw her in the air fighting Lung and realized that his daughter was a freak."

"A freak?" I echoed, standing up. My cup of tea fell to the floor, shattering. "Is that really what you think of me?"

"No," Shawna said. "Not a freak. A monster."

"No, a burden," Lily stated. "Wrecks everything and does nothing to help fix the problems she creates."

Phillipe moved forward on my left. "A freak, who survives temperatures that would kill anyone else."

Shawna advanced on my right. "A monster. That's what people see when they look at you."

I shook my head, backing up. "No."

"No?" Phillipe asked, mimicking my voice. "Denying what's right in front of you. You're afreak."

"A burden," Lily snapped.

"Amonster," Shawna said.

My breath came in short gasps as the three of them herded me backward until my back hit the wall.

"Monster."

"Burden."

"Freak."

I squeezed my hands over my ears, trying to block them out. "I'm not!"

The words continued hammering me and I looked wildly between them, my eyes burning. Why were they saying these things? Their expressions were full of loathing and as I watched, they shifted slightly, allowing a bit of space, that Dinah stepped into.

"Dinah …" I said, trying to push the echoes of words from my mind. "Tell them they're wrong… " I trailed off as her lips twisted in a malicious grin.

"One hundred percent chance that you're a freak, a burden, and a monster."

I cried out, shoving myself forward while a litany of words battered at me. My knees struck something and I felt my power trigger. I opened my eyes in time to see the coffee table explode into splinters.

"What the hell, Taylor?" I heard someone cry out and I looked around wildly. Phillipe, Lily, and Dinah were staring at me. Shawna was directly opposite the couch I had been sitting on, clutching at her upper arm, where a jagged piece of wood had pierced.

She took a steadying breath and Phillipe cleared his throat. "I know Shawna's jokes are terrible, chica, but freaking out from your nap because of one is a bit much."

A nap? Another nightmare? I looked around again, unable to form words as the blood pounded in my ears.

Freak. Burden. The words rang out and my eyes settled back on Shawna's arm. Monster.

I fled up the stairs blindly, ignoring their cries to stop. The hallway spun around me as I flung open my room's door and slammed it close behind me. I twisted the lock and stumbled toward the bed in the dark. Knocking made me jump and their voices called out, pleading for me to come out.

I climbed onto the bed instead, burrowing under the covers. When that did nothing to muffle their sounds, I used my powers and silence descended. The covers came up over my head, blocking the rest of the light around me.

Burden. Freak. Monster.