Ch. 7 Acceptance
The last thing Liam expected was a beat-up teenager at his front door.
The last thing Sam expected was seeing him in a matching set of striped pajamas.
"I'd ask you what happened," his wide eyes take in her devilish form, "but I'm more terrified on how you found my hotel."
"The internet is a wonderful and terrifying thing," was Sam's only answer, "mind if I come in."
Liam starts to nod his head before turning it into a shake, "No, no, please make yourself at home."
Sam gives him a soft 'thank you' before entering the house. When inside, Liam closes the door. The young girl walks towards the couch and plops down. Her face is tense, clenched fists shaking in her lap. A bandage covers her entire left arm, and various bandaids cover her body. At least she took care of herself before coming over. Liam sits next to her.
"So, what brings you to my humble abode."
Sam snorted, "I thought you wanted to know how I found you first."
"Yes, but your answer was more than unnerving. And I don't think I want to know now."
The small smile Liam received was more than he could ask for.
"I, well," Sam's fists are released, her fingers now fumbling with one another, "I don't know."
Liam raised a brow, "You don't know."
The teen looks away. Her face scrunched while biting her lower lip. She opens her mouth a few times but snaps it close. Each time she did this she'd become more confused. Sam knew the answer, but she couldn't accept it. Yet every excuse she thought of seemed painful to say.
Liam watches her inner battle. The intensity of her expression was an explanation in itself. He sighs while running a hand through his hair.
"How about we start somewhere else, yeah."
Sam faces him again. Liam is leaning forwards, elbows resting on his knees. He's neither a happy-go-lucky or a savvy businessman. A whole new side to what was the puzzle called Liam Harlo.
"Tell me how you ended up like this," Liam waves a hand up at Sam's body.
"I got in a fight," she rubs her neck, "A group of kids from school tried to hurt my friend and I sort of lost it."
The laugh Sam gave cracked. Her eyes were directed to the ground, hands now gripping and rubbing at her bicep. Liam notices the red lines they left and pulled them away.
"Understandable,"
Sam stares wide-eyed.
"So, I'm going to take a guess and say you won, considering your past experiences, but why run here?" Liam leans forwards, "You should at least be in a hospital or with the police for questioning."
Sam's jaw tightens.
"Yeah, well, it turns out some people aren't as understanding."
Liam frowns.
"Your brother got involved."
The teen's breath hitched. That one statement brought a million questions. But all she had to do was ask one, and it would give her the answer to them all.
"What do you know about my brother."
"Well," Liam hums, "He's a good Hero by name, but arrogant and uses his powers and status for self-proclaimed 'justice' and 'protection.'" the man gives her a pointed look, "mainly to keep you tied down."
That one brain cell was back, and suddenly the teen was at a loss for words. Man, if only he could say that to Mike's face. The passive-aggressiveness of his words and tone were brutal.
Liam smiles at Sam's dumbfounded look.
"The internet is an amazing thing, but so are human connections," he chuckles, "I wanted to recruit you, Sam. Did you really think I wouldn't research my biggest roadblock."
"No, I just wouldn't have thought you'd realize he was the so-called 'biggest roadblock.' Most people swoon over him and act like he's god reincarnate."
Liam makes a turn for the serious. His eyes steeled and back against the couch.
"Sam, do you know what my quirk is."
The teen holds her chin. After a few seconds, she lets go and shakes her head. Liam nods at this.
"I can see the personality traits of people in the form of colored rings around their necks. My knowledge was limited at first, but with practice, I was able to distinguish how the tint, placement, and combination of colors affect who a person was."
Now Sam was the one leaning forwards. A new light shining in her eyes as she hung off every word. Liam could just see the gears in her head-turning, evaluating and breaking down the information.
She was analyzing his quirk.
It was exciting because Liam knew this was what made Gidget so powerful. She's able to see a quirk and figure out its inner workings. All those Heroes who never caught her lost because she used their own powers against them. All those who joined her side grew more powerful because she knew how to enhance their quirks. She never won with raw power or talent.
She won because she was resourceful.
"And that's how you are so good at your job," Sam was smiling, the revelation making her elated, "you find the similar traits on current Heroes and use that as a base to find and recruit new ones."
"Exactly, "which is why I know your brother's faults, and how to get around them. But better yet," Liam points at her, "it's how I knew you would make a great Hero."
Sam's excitement snuffs out like a cigarette in an ashtray. But she's not angry, Liam should know what that looked like. But she's not disappointed either.
Sam looked troubled.
"Your right," she's playing with her fingers again, "my brother and other siblings came when my friend got help. I explained the situation and they still believed I was in the wrong, that I was - once again - the Villain."
The laugh she gives is bitter enough to match even the toughest cynics.
"Do you know what they said to me, they said they had no choice but to be skeptical of me. That it's all my fault. That I'm weak. " Sam locks eyes with Liam, "That he will never let me be a Hero."
Liam doesn't move to stop her when the blond strands. She walks to the middle of the room and stares at the TV. With a scoff, she speaks again.
"And then I come here because of childish reasons. Because you say you want to recruit me. See that I have things to give beyond having a quirk."
Sam grabs at her hair, running her hands through it every few seconds.
"And then you say your quirk shows I have the attributes for being a hero. And just, fuck." She spins around and throws her hands towards him, "I don't why I'm doing this to myself. I need to give up. I need to not fight for what's right. I need to stay the hell away from ."
Her hands fall with her slumped form. She looks away, eyes lidded.
"I still came, because you believe I can be something more."
Liam crosses his legs, eyes trained on the girl.
"So why not take my offer."
"Because it's impossible."
She says that, but Liam can see the hesitation. He can see that stone wall a few days prior to crumbling. Whatever happened that night, it made Sam rethink the situation.
"Then why come here."
"I," Sam stops. Her face becomes tight, scrunched. She's chewing her bottom lip when she speaks again.
"Because I do want to be a Hero," The teen shoves her hands into her jean pockets, "and that part of me keeps dragging me back when I know it's impossible. No matter how hard I try, I always come crawling to whatever chance I can get. It's pathetic."
"Sam," Liam stands up, "this is anything but pathetic. I know you've been through the wringer, and you're exhausted because of it. But, you know deep down that you are supposed to be here."
"No, I'm not."
"Then why did you come here after you were told you can't be a Hero."
"I don't know," Sam screams, hands yanking at her hair, "I don't know anymore. I'm just so sick and tired of this. Tired of being told how useless I am and trying to snuff my hope so I don't get hurt again, because I," tears stain her cheeks, "I don't think I can handle another failure."
That's right, it wasn't because Sam didn't think it could work. It was the fear of another failure because Sam wasn't sure she'd survive it. So much had happened. So much had been thrown at her. Her heart couldn't take another beat down.
She couldn't take another empty promise.
"But it won't fail," Liam gently guides her hands down and holds them, "I promise you that this will work."
"What makes you so sure about all this" Sam ripped her hands away and threw them up, "I've tried so many goddamn times to prove people wrong Liam. To show them that even quirkless I am strong and have powers and talents that go beyond luck."
She was now pacing the room, hands gesturing to every word. "So tell me, how do you think this time will be different. That when I do get my transfer papers signed, when I do pass the provisional licensing exam, that they'll keep their word, and not back out like all the cowards before them."
Her gaze was turned on him. Eyes ablaze and ready to strike. "How do you have so much confidence in this working out."
Liam didn't do much for a few seconds. He just stared at Samantha with his own calm expression.
"Because I refuse to let that happen. Because I truly believe this is the right thing to do. Because Samantha," He placed a hand on her shoulder, face pulled tight, "you are no longer alone in this fight."
The girl was still. Her eyes wider than Liam thought possible. And at that moment, he knew he had reached her.
"I recruit heroes for a living, Sam. I know all about contracts and legalities, and how the hero world works. I made sure that every agreement was figuratively written in blood. That no amount of bullshitery would allow them to back down. I flew to fucking Japan and stared down the best pro Heroes and influential figures out there and convinced them that you are worth it." His grip tightened. He realized he was leaning closer to her.
"You are worth this, Sam. And because I know you are, I am going to go to high hell and back to make sure you get this opportunity to show people what you can do. To help a now crippling system from falling into dark hands and push people into hysteria."
The girl's eyes were obscured by her hair, head angled down. She was like a statue.
"I want Gidget to show the world what it means to be a hero."
Silence hung heavy in the air.
Liam was now breathless, body buzzing from the adrenalin. Samantha was still not looking at him. Not making a single reaction. And if Liam wasn't able to see her hair shift from her own breathing, he might have thought she was dead.
And then, it all came tumbling down.
Sam raised her head high, and at that moment, Liam could feel his heart break.
Her usual indifferent expression was shaky. Her lips twitch. Eyes shut tight every few seconds. Breath uneven with sharp intakes.
She didn't turn away.
"Do you mean it," it was like seeing and hearing metal crack, "do you really believe if I do this, they'll keep their promise. They'll," She gave a brief glance at the ground, biting her lip, "That I can finally have a chance at. That I'll. I can actually be."
It wasn't like watching a dam break, but a mountain crack and crumble. The girl threw herself forwards. Her head buried in his chest, gripping his shirt for dear life. Sobs racking her body, turning her into a trembling mess. Her voice is barely able to keep calm and low, yet she still speaks.
"Please, please," she kept repeating, no longer sounding like an adult, but a girl.
Liam felt the realization devour him. That's what she was. A girl. A sixteen year old girl who was told to give up, who was shoved into the dirt every time she tried to get back up. A girl who had to grow up faster than others. A girl gave no other path and yet punished for the inaction of others.
"Please, tell me that this time it will actually work."
"Sam," Liam felt his throat clutch, the words painful. So, he didn't speak. He wrapped his arms around her shaking form and held tight. And to Sam, it meant the world. It was all she ever wanted. No pity. No shame. No anger. Just understandment. The reassurance that someone was there and they saw you. That you are validated.
"You deserve the chance to be a hero."
That night Sam found herself not crying in pain,
but in relief.
Those memories felt centuries old.
Like a figment of her imagination.
If it wasn't for the present, Sam would believe it never happened. But there she was, standing in a sea of people, staring at the same blue screen they were. And there, in big bold letters, were three words that brought tears to her eyes.
Sam Windsor, PASS.
Every inch of her body aches. Sweat and dirt covering her head to toe. But Sam could barely care.
She did it.
She had finally done it.
A sobe bubbles at her throat, tears coming down in streams. Yet, it was contrasted by the giant grin she wore.
Across the field, sitting in the bleachers was Liam. The recruiter was jumping in the air, sporting his own crazed grin. When he stops, he locks eyes with Sam and his smile manages to grow. He throws a hand up, thumb sticking in the air.
With equal enthusiasm, the new Hero throws her hand up as well. Goggles clasped in trembling hands, she lets out a laugh that wavers into a cry. And at that moment, she realized that everything up to then had been worth it. Sam had finally picked up the broken pieces,
And made something beautiful.