Chapter 2.2

Monday, April 11th 2011

I glared down at the clothes Chrissie had suggested I wear for my first day back at school: a scarlet hoodie and gray sweatpants. When I told her I wanted to make a statement, she had immediately suggested that I go all in and flaunt it, and the chorus was in full agreement. Neither article of clothing was new, though I had avoided wearing the hoodie since the Teeth had made their presence known at Winslow.

"Couldn't you have picked nicer clothes in our colors?" Alkaline asked.

"Not yet," Stratego said. "Taylor needs to establish herself first, and showing too much, too quickly carries many risks."

I'll spend the money on a better wardrobe this weekend. Besides, I doubt the important players will keep away for the entire week.

"Your little Trio of bitches," Fester said in a sing-song voice.

"And any Wards that may be attending," Chisel finished. I really didn't want to think about the fact that there were very likely Wards at Winslow who had stood by and let me be bullied to the point of triggering. It seemed absurd, but I knew now that heroes were not all the PRT's propaganda made them out to be.

Still, Wards or no, I didn't want to cause immediate panic by announcing that I was the Butcher and that I was attending the school. Chrissie had pointed out that the Teeth weren't exactly secret with their identities, which I knew was true given that we took our masks off around the lair. People in the gang would figure out who we were sooner or later, so she thought it was better to take refuge in audacity and own it.

So, I would do just that.

Now dressed in my own official Teeth colors, I grabbed the earrings I'd shaped with Chisel's power the night before and slotted them in, the tips Tinkered to actually be able to pierce my unnaturally durable skin. My fingers moved with surety beyond my own out-of-practice skills, which was bugging me less and less as time went on.

"You should continue the act you put on last Monday," Stratego said. "Don't show too drastic of a change right away — you're still a shy girl who went to the Teeth for protection. We don't want the Empire to get any ideas."

Memories of news headlines of New Wave's debut followed by Fleur's death played back for me, a stark reminder of how much they valued the so-called Unwritten Rules. Now that I was taking up the mantle of the Butcher, I needed those rules to be enforced ruthlessly and held to an ironclad standard, no matter who violated them.

I grabbed my new backpack — gray, to go with my hoodie — and went to catch my bus. Dad, of course, didn't even look up as I hurried past him. A short jog later, and I was slinking into one of the back seats with only a few sidelong glances from the other passengers. Some wore gang colors of their own, but nobody made any aggressive moves.

"I'm surprised the bus and hospital truce have lasted this long," Sanguine said.

Butcher himself chuckled. "That was probably the best thing Marquis did for this city. He might have been a pretentious prick but he stuck to his word in all things."

I hummed in agreement as I watched the world pass me by, knowing that there was no going back. I was a villain, the leader of one of the biggest gangs in the city and the scariest fucker on the East Coast outside of a quarantine zone. This was my life now.

"Oh don't get all melancholic!" Fester said cheerfully. "Chrissie will be there, and she promised to have your back if shit goes down. You're not alone anymore."

Thanks, but this is still going to take some getting used to.

I got the impression of a smile as she went back to conversing with a few of the others, their conversation fading into the background. It was strange — none of the other Butchers had experienced a dynamic like this where they were free to just talk to one another. All their efforts prior to my inheritance had been wasted on trying to get their way, arguing and yelling over each other in an unholy cacophony.

It made me wonder just how much things would continue to change from their old dynamic, especially if I held the title for a significant amount of time. Pondering that would have to wait, however, as the moment I was dreading arrived. With a deep breath, I steeled my nerves and stood up.

Just like last week, the first thing I noticed as I disembarked the bus and walked onto the Winslow grounds was the walking itself. Even though I had made the conscious decision to declare my affiliation with the Teeth — my Teeth — I still had to throttle my gait. Walking like I was the Butcher, with all of their super strength and myriad of killer instincts, would do no favors for my secret identity. I wasn't completely successful in suppressing those instincts, but it would have to work for the moment.

"They're looking at you kind of funny again," Alkaline said with a chuckle.

Stratego snorted, his bass rumble obviously amused. "They see the colors, and Taylor's stride, and know that something has changed."

I felt a tiny half-smile quirk on my lips at that, because where people had either ignored me or actively shunned me, they were now confused and staring. It was particularly noticeable from the girls who usually gave me trouble — I could practically see their brains weighing the consequences of continuing their little campaign.

The second thing I noticed was the new distribution of gang colors. With the ABB practically defunct, it was unsurprising that Asian kids in red and green were scarce. On the flip side, the Empire kids were doing their best to wave their disgusting flag, transparently feeling threatened by the shit-eating grins and bold confidence of the Teeth.

"Admit it, Taylor. It feels good, knowing this is all because of you," Butcher said, and while I still pushed him away, I was distracted by inspecting the various insignias of the Teeth.

I had never really noticed, but even when the Teeth weren't wearing the colors, they often had Butcher-related iconography among their accessories. For Quarrel, that had been stylized arrows worked into jewelry, key chains, patches, and so on; for me it was insects. Most of the students had made the swap, with only a few holdovers, though a handful carried both as a sign of having been a member under both Butchers. I had made a pair of vaguely wasp-like insect earrings for the occasion, though they were hard to see with my ears buried in my hair.

"You should wear your hair back," Pyro suggested.

"Not a bad suggestion, as you are about to attract a fuckload of attention either way," Sabertooth said.

"Maybe," I murmured. Chisel showed me a few memories of how she had worn her long hair, both in civvies and in costume, only to have Damascian respond with instructions on how to weave an elaborate braid that could then be curled up, say, under a helmet.

"Your hair is very pretty, Taylor," Alkaline said. "But wearing it up today would make quite a statement."

Make a statement.

Well, I was certainly going to be doing that today. In fact, as I walked up to the clump of my nominal minions clustered off to the side of the courtyard, I intentionally channeled a bit of the Butcher's confidence, as I had during my reveal to the Teeth. I had to project an air of calm surety, because I was the fuckmothering Butcher and this was my gang.

The others didn't quite laugh at me, but I could feel their quiet amusement.

As I walked up to the Teeth, several of them turned their heads and gave me incredulous looks. "What the hell is this?" one of the bigger boys said. "Are we just letting in anyone now?"

"Dunno, Fred," another boy said, cracking his knuckles. "Maybe she's confused."

Chrissie snorted dramatically and waved a blunt at me. "Heya, boss. Want a hit?"

On the second word, the entire group went completely silent. We had planned this encounter, with Chrissie having gathered those she felt would be the least likely to spill their guts bragging to their buddies about knowing the Butcher's identity. I wasn't exactly hiding — the Teeth partied without masks — but only a few kids at Winslow would have been in a position to see me. I wanted the rest to know I was here, just not who I was… yet.

I seized the spot next to Chrissie in the cluster of stunned teenagers and considered my options while the Butchers argued in my head.

"You had a hit at the party, why are you hesitating now?" Marauder asked immediately.

I could feel Chisel's disapproval. "The stuff they smoke around here is terrible."

"You'll have to learn how to smoke no matter what," Butcher growled. "Just take it."

"Sure," I said aloud, though based on the way Chrissie's eyes narrowed she had caught my hesitation. Everyone else was still silent, staring at us.

Following the memories of a dozen people, I took the offered blunt and took a small hit. While I did, Chrissie gave me an up-and-down appraisal. "You, of all people, should have some insects somewhere."

"Earrings," I said.

Chrissie rolled her eyes. "And you're not showing them off?"

"Fine," I said, dragging out the word. "Hold this." She took the blunt from me and with deft fingers (guided by Damascian), I started working my hair into a braid. While I did so, the other Teeth either went back to murmuring to each other or inspecting me surreptitiously.

"Oooh!" Chrissie said, leaning in on my exposed earrings. "You make these yourself?"

"Obviously," I said. "Gimme a hand with the end of this?"

I waved the end of my braid at her, and she worked the last few weaves in before pulling a hair band out of her own pocket to secure it. "Damn, boss, that looks great!"

"So," the first boy said, wringing his hands. "You're, uh…"

"I still think you should have gone by Skitter," Alkaline groused.

"Arachne!" Ironsides half-yelled.

I pushed the other Butchers away and gave the group a smug smile that I didn't totally feel. "Something like that. Listen up, because I'm going to lay down some new ground rules…"

I had been brief with my instructions. First was to spread the word among our members that the Butcher was attending, but not who I was. I had plans for my reveal and didn't want them spoiled.

Second, no more bullying anyone not wearing other gang's colors or symbols; picking on the weak was beneath us, and they were to defend anyone seen being harassed in a similar manner.

Third was for Chrissie and her direct subordinates only: Emma and her groupies were off limits. They could respond with equal force if provoked but never instigate nor escalate. Those back-stabbing bitches were mine. I also didn't trust Chrissie to not do something… drastic.

Finally, stop tagging the number fifteen or the roman numerals 'XV' in random places. I wasn't a huge fan of graffiti, and I saw no reason to encourage more of it around Winslow, but they could cover up any Empire tags they saw.

As I walked through the halls, I tried again to force my old gait but all it did was make the Butchers laugh. After a few frustrating moments on my way to Mrs. Knott's class, I finally snapped. Alright, will someone let me in on the damn joke already?

Alkaline was the first to recover enough to speak. "You're walking like some scared bitch trying to act tough. You're having the opposite effect and its fucking gold."

"It's true," Stratego confirmed. "People will see you and think you're trying to act like having the Teeth at your back will keep you safe, and are trying and failing to be confident."

"Even when you fuck up it somehow works…" Butcher grumbled.

Well, that was a thing. I noticed several of the Teeth members giving me odd looks, but none were apparently willing to openly confront me in the halls on the off chance I was actually a member. That was fine, since Chrissie and her goons would be spreading that fact alongside the confirmation that the Butcher was here. Those with more than two brain cells would be able to figure it out from there.

"You are vastly overestimating the intellectual capabilities of most of our members," Damascian said, though her snark was mostly aimed at the other Butchers.

I know, but short of ordering sports hoodies that have WEAVER embroidered on them with a giant XV on the back, I don't know how I could be more obvious without calling everyone to the gym and pulling my announcement stunt from Friday all over again.

There were a few blissful moments of true silence.

"Okay, we know you're bullshitting us on the grand display, but those hoodies would be awesome," Pyro said, to general agreement from the others.

I'll look into ordering some.

I took my usual seat in Mrs. Knott's class and pointedly ignored the looks she was giving me. Of all my teachers, she was the only one I would feel guilty about when dealing with her in my new capacity. The rest could all go to hell. Today's assignment was simple as could be, but rather than browse PHO as I usually did, I made a show of breaking the rules a bit. I pulled my phone out and browsed from there instead. In fact, anyone who actually got a good look at my screen would see I was logged in on my verified Weaver account.

"Ballsy," Fester said approvingly.

"Okay, I take it back. Maybe school won't suck all that much if we get to do shit like this all day," Marauder said.

"What about making some jewelry with my power, to hand out to the grunts?" Chisel asked. "Might be a subtle trick you could do for the members once you're ready to take another step into the open."

Not a bad idea, I'll think about it.

It took Mrs. Knott a full five minutes to work up the courage to actually come talk to me. When she did, I gently nudged the chorus to keep to themselves while I played this out.

"Taylor?" I looked up at her, making no effort to hide the device. "You know phones aren't allowed in class."

I really hated this part, but I needed to do it. I glanced at each and every student with their phones out, all of whom were looking right at us, waiting to see if I would fold or not. Most were in Teeth or Empire colors. She had given up on correcting any of them long ago, but she must have still held out hope for me… which made my heart ache to do this.

I let the facade of weak little Taylor fall away for the briefest of moments as I smirked at her. The way her pupils dilated told me she had felt a shiver of fear. Then the facade was back in full effect as I took on my weakest sounding voice I could muster.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Knott, but I assumed you wouldn't mind since you've never said anything to my friends about it." She looked stricken as I glanced at the nearest person in Teeth colors. He seemed amused by my antics more than anything. "Did you change your mind?"

I saw tears form in her eyes and had to push my own emotions into the swarm to avoid cracking. "Oh Taylor, I'm so sorry we failed you."

"It's alright," I said softly. "I have people that will make sure nothing like January ever happens again." My voice turned cheerful and I smiled wide. "Weaver promised."

An actual tear trailed down her cheek, and I wanted nothing more than to pull her into a hug — all because she actually gave a damn. She just lacked the power to actually do anything of worth and we both knew it.

Class ended shortly after that, and I saw how the Teeth members who had been in the room were giving me appraising looks. I'd name dropped the Butcher; that wasn't something one did casually and they all knew it. I looked the boy I'd used as an example in the eye and flicked my earring before winking, then I fell right back into the wounded girl act. I knew from the bugs I had on him that he stopped cold at my little display.

I had English Literature next, a class I shared with Sophia; I couldn't wait to see her reaction to my new wardrobe. However, when I took a habitual detour through a relatively unused hallway, I saw something that ignited a fury within me: two members of MY Teeth were harassing some girl who looked as weak as I used to be. She might be wearing our colors, but I thought that I had made my expectations clear.

Maybe they had not received the message.

"Oh this will be good," Knockout said and I could have sworn he pulled out a bag of popcorn to munch on.

They slammed the girl into the lockers and I heard the big guy yell out, "Got it? No more scarlet and gray!" He then shoved the hapless girl down the hall, only for her to nearly run me over when I caught her.

"Please don't hurt me," she cried, obviously placing me in the gang myself. The bell rang as she struggled to disentangle herself from me, but I had more important things to deal with than being late for my class. I (carefully) set her back upright and gave her an appraising look.

"It's alright, I'm a friend," I said kindly. "Don't worry about those assholes, I'll make sure they get the memo to leave you alone, alright?"

She looked at me and recognition seemed to dawn, and judging by how her face fell she knew who Taylor Hebert was.

"Gonna take some work to shake that reputation," Fester mused.

Well, now was a good time to start. "Something to remember about Winslow going forward." She looked up to me as I wiped the spit off her brow with my sleeve then held a finger to my lips. A single ladybug then landed on it. "Weaver is always watching." I winked, then sent the ladybug to land on her own finger. She stared at it in wonder as I walked past her, patting her shoulder before I sauntered right up to the two offending jackasses.

"Well, if it isn't Winslow's own locker girl," one of them said, but I didn't let the insult phase me. "What's up with all the trash flocking—"

He was cut off when I hooked my arm under his chin and slammed him into the lockers. His buddy, to his credit, was only stunned for an instant before he thought to throw a punch, which I lazily caught with my free hand. The chorus was cheering, shouting out ideas for what I should do but I already had a plan.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough Friday night." The wasps hidden in my hair buzzed as I spoke, and I gave them a smile full of power-sharpened teeth. "What part of 'stop being assholes' did you fail to grasp?"

The guy actually whimpered, then an acrid smell hit me.

"Holy shit! He pissed himself!" Sabertooth howled in approval. "See if you can make the other one do it too!"

I'd rather not, this one is bad enough with your enhanced senses.

I glanced at the fist I was holding, releasing pissy jeans to fall to the floor. I twisted my grin into an unpleasant smirk as I ever so carefully squeezed down, watching as his face contorted in pain. To my surprise, the punch-throwing guy found a spark of defiance.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?"

Pissy jeans answered for him. "Shut up Paul, she's…"

"Rather upset with you," I said in a whisper, augmented by a barely-audible buzzing. I tried not to enjoy myself too much as his eyes went wide with realization and his mouth snapped shut with an audible click. "Fortunately for you both, I am more merciful than my predecessors. That means you get one warning instead of zero. Do I make myself clear?"

They both nodded so quickly that I wondered about whiplash. I held their eyes for another long second before flashing them a cheerful grin. I pretended not to hear their pair of pained whimpers as I left, humming the Imperial March as I shuffled back down the silent halls.

English Literature turned out to be uneventful. I'd expected Sophia to try something, but all she did was give me the weirdest of looks before I took my usual seat in the back. As the class droned on, she would occasionally glance back, but my only acknowledgement that she existed was a slight smirk. When the bell rang, Sophia was the first one out the door.

My trek to Mr. Gladly's class was accompanied by a wake of whispers; it seemed that word was spreading. Madison saw me before I entered the classroom, freezing in place with wide eyes, so I gave her my brightest smile as I waved. Then I heard Chrissie's laugh and had to swallow the sudden lump in my throat as my mind replayed the tickle fight we had enjoyed Sunday morning and the way she had looked at me after.

"I'm sure if you asked nicely she'd do more than kiss you," Fester teased. I felt my cheeks begin to heat up.

"I doubt you'd even need to ask, she basically gave you a blank check," Alkaline added.

I shoved them both away even as they snickered to each other.

Chrissie threw her arm over my shoulder and led me into the classroom. "Damn girl, you've got half the school jumping at shadows and it isn't even lunch yet."

If my nominal minion saw the blush that rolled over my face, she didn't say anything. But neither did she stop smiling when she practically glared Greg out of the room to take the seat next to me. He looked at me, clearly confused, as if he expected me to say something. I shrugged and pointed towards Chrissie's old seat,

"Taylor, what happened to you?" He looked over my outfit. "Is it laundry day?"

"Nerdy kid crushing on the Butcher is oblivious as shit. The story of his tragic death at eleven," Sabertooth said in his best impression of a newscaster.

I couldn't help but snort. "Yes Greg, it is laundry day," I deadpanned. "Of course, I had to finish it last night to make sure things matched. You'll notice there's no glue or juice on this hoodie… something to think about next time you decide to sit back and do nothing."

He was staring at me with a stricken expression until he seemed to deflate and took Chrissie's old seat. He kept glancing back and giving me a look that made me feel like I'd kicked a… well, not a puppy, he didn't have that look at all to himself, so maybe a possum? I was finding it difficult to care.

Madison came in with the final bell, looking rather brackish as she took her seat. With Sabertooth's enhanced senses, I could see the phone in her hand on a texting screen.

"Aww, she's waiting for instructions. How cute," Alkaline laughed.

Well, she was always a follower at best.

Gladly came in about a minute late, but I spent most of the class browsing PHO or texting Chrissie cute cat pictures while he droned on. He seemed content to ignore me just as he always did, so I would be grateful for that, as it was one less show I needed to put on. When the lunch bell rang I gathered my things and made for the door.

"Taylor, a word with you before you leave."

I stopped at his desk and raised an eyebrow. The bugs I had on Chrissie and Madison told me both stayed back to watch. So much for avoiding another show — a few others had stayed behind as well, including Greg, no doubt hoping for something interesting to talk about at lunch besides Winslow's resident Locker Girl joining a gang.

"Please do something interesting to this one," Damascian said. "Human refuse would be so lucky to be compared to him, after his cowardly display last week."

Memories of her trigger came to the forefront unbidden, of course she would hate the man after what he had done. Hell, even without her memories, I couldn't find a single fuck to give about the bastard. He had his chance and proved himself useless.

All in good time.

I gave him the most unimpressed look I could muster without letting my anger show. "Can you make this fast? I have plans for lunch."

He gave me an appraising look before sighing. "You skipped your detention."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "I skipped more than just detention if you hadn't noticed. I had a bit of a busy week." I made a show of dusting off my hoodie.

"Extremely busy," Stratego said with considerable approval.

"Could have been busier," Alkaline teased, nudging my attention towards Chrissie.

"So it would appear." Gladly began to wipe his glasses but I had a fly near Chrissie's ear buzz its wings.

She hurried over and hooked her arm through mine. "Come on Tay, we don't want to miss out on the grilled cheese!"

Chrissie pulled me out of the classroom even as Gladly sputtered, and both of us descended into laughter as we made our way through the halls and towards the lunch room. Most of the students we came across gave us our space; even the Empire goons were casting a wary eye upon me. We gathered our trays, paying for the shitty grilled cheese and watery tomato soup before Chrissie led me over to what I knew to be the important table for the Winslow Teeth. More than a few people took note of my placement next to the other cape, as well as how clingy she was being with me.

Maybe I'm not being as subtle as I thought…

"You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means," Alkaline said in a mocking tone.

Oh fuck off!

The chorus laughed at me and I didn't bother to hide the resulting pout, which made those sitting at the table look at me with the most curious of expressions. Most of them were out front with Chrissie earlier, but a few were newcomers and I wondered if they knew.

"You should totally fuck with them if they don't," Alkaline said with a giggle.

"Pretty sure she's already fucking with most of the school at this point," Fester chuckled. "Look at all the idiots staring!"

Thank you for reminding me.

Of course they all continued to laugh at me, the damn traitors. I would have thought that my predecessors would be more supportive now that my heroic aspirations had crashed and burned. God, it still hurt, knowing that those heroes I had always looked up to were willing to ship a fifteen year old girl into hell just to make things easier on themselves…

"They didn't deserve you," Chisel said with odd finality.

What did it say about me that I actually found their reassurances comforting? I was about to continue the conversation when an arm snaked around my waist and pulled me close. Chrissie's warm breath was suddenly on my ear and I could just feel the heat rising in my cheeks.

"You're drifting off. I take it they're being rather chatty?" she whispered.

I nodded. "They were pointing out how I've basically confused the fuck out of the entire school."

Chrissie blinked for a moment then let out a roiling belly laugh, slapping my back as she did. I just glared at my… friend? Was she my friend? Chrissie could have done any number of things at that party, but instead, she helped me. She didn't have to do that, but she did. Even now, she was helping me with my plan to make sure that nobody would be bullied like I had been at this school. Sure, that involved me actively leading our gang, but it was still a drastic shift from how things used to be for the Teeth at Winslow.

Yeah, she was a friend. I think I could say that with some confidence now.

Naturally, that was when Emma and I noticed one another from across the cafeteria. Several conflicting emotions went to war on her face, eventually settling on some sort of enraged incredulity, but I sincerely doubted that there was anything Emma could do to me at this point.

Chrissie twisted in her seat, eyes flicking between the two of us before she pulled me close and gave me a playful kiss on the cheek.

Emma's reaction to that was priceless — her jaw dropped in surprise just as she tried to make a disgusted face, and the combination made her look like a deformed fish.

"I think Red just broke," Alkaline snickered.

"Serves the traitorous bitch right!" Fester cheered.

I gently separated Chrissie from my cheek, focusing on Emma's expression to fuel my subdued laughs. I knew full well that I was twisting the knife just a bit deeper, and as Emma's expression turned to outrage, I went in for the kill. I grabbed hold of Chrissie and returned the kiss in full, eliciting wolf whistles of half the Teeth in the cafeteria and scowls from most of the Empire members. I'd probably pay for this later, but for the moment? Yeah, I could get used to this. Mel Brooks was right. It's good to be the boss.

Chemistry was my next class, and I had barely needed to open my mouth before Chrissie agreed to be my lab partner — which also let me avoid Greg. Sophia and Emma shared this class as well, which was providing all the entertainment I could have ever wanted.

"You seem to be occupying Red's full attention," Damascian noted.

"Chrissie might have some competition," Fester teased.

I almost spilled the chemical solution in my hand at that comment. Oh sweet Christ no. I was thankful I wasn't drinking water at the time, because I would have been choking now, and that would be a horribly embarrassing way to go.

"Almost as embarrassing as a bee allergy," Sabertooth said sagely.

"Fuck you and your useless ass regeneration," Quarrel snapped.

"So, you and Chrissie gonna become a thing?" Alkaline asked as I felt a blush form. "That kiss was hardly chaste compared to the one she gave you."

I'm just keeping up appearances!

The snickering and laughter just made the blush worse.

Alright, so she's kinda hot and we've already established I like girls, so is it really that big of a deal? More laughter. Come on!

Alkaline was greatly amused. "Less than an hour ago you had barely decided she was a friend, then you kissed her minutes later."

"Even Lustrum's crew worked slower than that. Annette would be so proud," Fester said like a doting parent.

"Huh, we might actually get laid this decade. Seeing her go the hero route had me worried for a bit," Knockout said with relief, so I gave him a mental shove into the corner.

"So, what has you doing a tomato impression?" Chrissie whispered.

Right, I needed to pay more attention to the real world and not the voices in my head… Which made me sound even crazier than I likely was.

Maybe.

"Internal debate about what happened at lunch," I replied.

"You mean where you left me wanting more?" Chrissie said. "Wanting to whisk me away to some empty corner of the school and have your way with me?"

My eye was twitching because she had said it loud enough for Emma to have heard it two rows over. Dammit Chrissie!

"She's not stupid, she knows you did it to mess with Red," Alkaline said. "Remember that we're villains, Taylor, and that audacity is part of being in the Teeth."

"So fucking own it!" Pyro yelled.

Everyone that heard her little question had turned to look at us, including Emma and Sophia… exactly as Chrissie had planned. Just like the rest of the day so far, I was on the spot, and the Butcher was known for their arrogant displays. For now, that meant doubling down in my audacity refuge.

I grabbed the collar of Chrissie's shirt and pulled her close, then I drew a bit on Sabertooth's power and gave a low and throaty growl. I was looking her right in the eyes when I murmured, "Later."

I could tell she wanted to pout at being denied, but at the same time her eyes sparkled with what I knew from the collective's memories to be lust. I supposed something like that would be a bit of a turn on for some people.

"Some people?" Fester asked incredulously. "Hell, that turned ME on."

I will mute you.

I was still holding the other cape close and hadn't broken eye contact. She swallowed dryly and licked her lips before giving me a single nod. With that I released my grip and went back to working on our assignment as if nothing had happened.

Under her breath I heard Chrissie mutter, "I'll hold you to that Tay."

I was so screwed.

"Hopefully literally," several voices said at once.

I wanted so desperately to slam my head into the desk and have it do something other than break the damn thing.

My last few classes of the day were not just uneventful, they were almost painfully normal. Emma and her entourage never built up the courage to do anything more than glare at me or type furiously on their phones, which left me to my own devices for the first time in weeks. Part of me wanted to rage, scream, and break things in response, knowing that it took me finally joining the fucking Teeth to let me attend school in peace.

Of course, it wouldn't actually be that simple. The bugs I had put on Madison and Sophia let me know that they were waiting around the corner when Emma and I left Mr. Quinlan's math class, so I was hardly surprised when the three of them confronted me almost as soon as I set foot into the hallway.

However, where I would normally have faced their malice alone, now I had the Teeth. Sure, one of them was a girl who had occasionally joined in on the taunting — she had been rather apologetic after seeing me and Chrissie at lunch — but I was grateful for their support nonetheless.

I also had my predecessors, but their 'help' was anything but.

"You could peel their skin off and toss them in the Bay," Knockout suggested.

That's disgusting!

"See, the Bay is salty —"

I know!

He got put into the dark, only for Ironsides to offer, "What about tripping them and breaking their ankles? If you position your foot just right, it doesn't take that much force."

"Why, Ironsides, I didn't know you had such tactical thoughts!" Stratego laughed.

Chisel made an irritated noise. "Just get this over with. It's not like they can hurt you any more than they already have."

"You idiot," Fester spat, but luckily they both shut up when Emma started talking.

"Well look at you, Taylor," my ex-friend said with far too much fake excitement. "Just when I thought you couldn't get more pathetic, you went crawling to the only group who would give trash like you the time of day."

Madison followed up before I could even formulate a response. "Those are nice earrings, though. Are you practicing having the Teeth put things into your body?"

The Butchers burst into laughter in my head, and as much as I hated to admit it, that was kind of clever. I snickered along with them; my minions started laughing a second or so after me.

"Perhaps this explains their silence," Damascian crowed. "They've been waiting on her overtaxed brain to develop that disparagement all day!" The comment triggered another round of laughs, but I forced myself back to the real-world conversation. Sophia was scowling, as usual, but looks of pure confusion flashed over Emma and Madison's faces before returning to their usual scorn.

"Fuck, that was kind of funny," I said, getting my chuckles under control.

"I don't think she realizes that we're making fun of her," Madison tried, but her comment lacked her usual cutesy zeal.

"Maybe the Teeth managed to fuck her brains out," Emma agreed. "It's all she's really good for, anymore."

"Is that all she's got?" Alkaline wondered, and I found myself agreeing with her. Between the heroes' betrayal and the Butchers' commentary, none of these petty insults really seemed to matter anymore.

Still, being reminded of cuddling with Chrissie during the party sent a blush through my cheeks, and Emma's face twisted into her usual sneer of victory. "What are you so embarrassed about, Taylor? Actually, does your dad know that you're whoring yourself out? What would your Mom say?"

"She'd fucking applaud you for nailing Stormtiger to the ground!" Fester yelled. "Can we please kill these fuckers already?"

"You could just tear them apart like the animals they are!" Sabertooth roared.

"Taylor's not going to kill them, but she didn't say anything about maiming," Sanguine added unhelpfully. "If you just —"

No.

While I was dealing with the collective's complaints, Emma was staring at me with unerring malice. When I refused to show any emotion other than bored disinterest — my bugs were skittering around like crazy to compensate — she took a deep breath and prepared another verbal salvo. "Taylor —"

"There you are, Tay!" Chrissie appeared around the corner and darted over to us, deftly avoiding the jab to her ribs that Sophia tried to get in as she passed. "Hey Britney, Zach. Whatcha up to?" Zach flicked his chin at Emma and shrugged. Chrissie gave the trio a once-over and nodded. "You know, we talked about recruiting you three. That locker thing you did to Taylor was horrific, and it sure as hell impressed our more cutthroat members."

"Impressed?" I hissed, turning my gaze onto the other cape.

Chrissie blinked several times before realization washed over her face. "Aw fuck, sorry Taylor. Well, um, point is that they've got the makings of great Teeth, and, uh…"

"Taylor, don't do something you'll regret here," Chisel said immediately.

She… the… I, fuck.

"She's just playing into the role, trying to find a nerve to prod. Don't let yourself be the one bothered."

The Butchers were blessedly silent while I took a moment to get my temper under control. My trigger event had been horrific, yes, but I wasn't going to let Emma get any more enjoyment out of my suffering than she already had. Or, was — she and Madison were laughing and saying things about how even the Teeth thought I was disgusting.

"She's right, you know," I bit out, cutting off their tirade. "Even the Teeth haven't done something as awful as the locker recently. Between that and all of the other bullshit you've put me through, you would fit right in. We could even be friends again, Emma."

I was surprised by the wide range of emotional responses to my offer. Emma locked up, freezing an expression of anger onto her face that sharply contrasted the horror in her eyes. Chrissie huffed out a relieved sigh, while Madison looked… queasy? She definitely seemed only moments from throwing up.

Sophia punched me.

With all of my Thinker powers, I saw the blow coming from a mile away. Her form was uncommonly good, and the punch would have hurt quite a bit if I didn't have all of the rest of my powers. The residual anger from Chrissie's comment — really, the resulting laughter — tempted me to catch the punch and hit her back ten fold, or just stand there and let her break her hand on my face, but I wasn't going to out myself as a cape in the middle of the hallway. Not with so many rubberneckers watching us.

So, I turned my head ever so slightly, and let Sophia's fist impact my cheekbone instead of my nose. I cried out in feigned pain while allowing her momentum to spin me around and send me sprawling to the ground. I took a moment to recover while gently cupping my cheek where she had struck me.

"Ow fuck, you crazy bitch!"

It wasn't until Chrissie, Zach, and Britney were advancing on the trio that I remembered to wave my hand, calling them off from the attack and prompting them to help me up. Sophia had backed off, dropping her fighting stance at the same time that Emma pulled her lips back in a victorious smirk. I could feel Mr. Quinlan approaching via my bugs, along with the handful of students who had stopped to watch the budding fight, but any hope that I might have had about witnesses sputtered and died in the whirlwind of memories Chissie had kicked up.

"It might work," Sanguine mused. "Wait, nevermind, the teachers here are morons."

Fester rolled her metaphorical eyes. "You're also in Teeth colors, surrounded by our people, you seriously think he might side with us?"

"Never too late to just kill everyone and leave no witnesses," Buchter said with a hearty laugh.

"At least make them work for it," Sabertooth growled. "Force them to show their hand." I nodded slightly in agreement, my eyes never leaving Emma's smirking face. Even if their support would very likely amount to nothing, it felt good to know that the Teeth had my back.

"Ladies, we have a no-tolerance policy about fighting in this school," Mr. Quinlan said.

I locked eyes with the teacher, noting the grimace that passed over his face when I did. "Mr. Quinlan, Sophia punched me in the face for no justifiable reason."

"It's true," Chrissie said, echoed by Zach and Britney.

"She punched me first," Sophia said, shrugging.

"Naturally," Alkaline spat.

"Don't bullshit," Chrissie snapped, taking a half step forward before my hand stopped her.

"Miss Dawson, language," Mr. Quinlan replied. His eyes flicked over my face and towards Sophia's and he sagged infinitesimally. "And Miss Hebert, no matter what the provocation, escalation is not the answer."

"Wrong again, dipshit!" Knockout bellowed.

This sort of bullshit was the reason I didn't try to get justice for the locker, and I could feel the Butchers feeding on my own anger. Some I pushed out into the swarm, sending the bugs scurrying and buzzing, but the rest leaked into my voice. "Are you really going to join in on this nonsense? You saw Sophia hit me!"

"Miss Barnes, Clements?" he asked, eyes tightening.

Madison shook herself, some of her cutesy poise returning. "Taylor just punched her out of the blue, Mr. Quinlan." Emma nodded enthusiastically.

"Would anyone else like to offer what they witnessed?" he asked the crowd of onlookers. When three people in Teeth colors stepped forward, he waved them off. "Preferably someone not affiliated with one of the aggressors?"

I saw the girl I'd helped earlier in the day deflate a bit, she'd been one of the three to step forward, as had one of the assholes I'd threatened earlier today. He looked like he expected blood, which made sense given that he knew my identity.

Mr. Quinlan deliberated for a moment before sighing. "So be it. I'm letting you both off with a warning —"

"She doesn't have a mark on her!" Britney yelled.

"Neither does Taylor," Emma bit back.

"Flay them alive!" "Break their spines!" "Eat their hearts!"

My fist clenched as I began to pull my anger back from my swarm. "Trust me, if I had punched Sophia…" I looked the offender dead in the eyes, feeling several of my powers itching to be used. "She would still be on the floor."

Sophia and Emma both rolled their eyes dramatically at my declaration, though it did cause Madison to flinch… small victories.

"A warning," Mr. Quinlan repeated, more firmly, then turned and walked back into his classroom.

I could practically feel Damascian cracking her knuckles. "Is this faculty composed entirely of cowards?"

Stratego hummed in thought. "What did he truly do, though? Nothing changed with his intervention aside from pulling everyone back from a potential brawl, which is now free to resume."

Emma's smile turned predatory as soon as the door shut. "Now that you've shown your true colors, it looks like I made the right choice to stop being friends with you, Taylor."

While part of my mind noted that Emma's parting remark was lacking in viciousness, the rest of me was fuming in silent rage as the three of them walked away. It was taking all of my self control to not go along with one of the many suggestions the Butchers kept offering me. Still, I couldn't let her get the last word.

"Just remember, Emma. Whatever I become, you made me into this." The three girls paused, but I was already turning to leave. I was sure that they would confront me again eventually, so I really needed to come up with a plan. That would have to be later, though — I was too pissed with Chrissie, Emma, Quinlan, and damn near everything else to think straight at the moment.

"Hey, Tay," Chrissie started, trailing off as I brushed past her towards the steps up to the third floor. Retreating to the bathroom felt like defeat after an otherwise good day, but I needed to vent in a place where nobody would care if I broke some shit.