Mess 1.1
I'd hardly had enough time to realize what I was looking at before I was being shoved into my own locker, head slamming against the back wall of it as my arms twisted behind me. The sounds of my classmates' reactions drown out by a loud clang as my locker door is kicked shut. I fight not to gag at the rotten smell, trying to shout for help; but the class bell rings, drowning out my scream. I feel something cold, grainy and wet against my ankles and try to lift my feet up in the cramped space, but my knee smacks against the wall in front of me, and my torso slides back against my locker door.
I retch, losing my breakfast to the locker. I try to steady myself, call for help again, surely someone would get help if they heard me. Everyone saw what they did to my locker, they all watched me get shoved in here. I elbow the door behind me, hard enough to sting as I shout again for help. Hacking coughs follow the shout as the taste of blood sits in the air. Just another minute, and someone would help. They had to… They had to.
I'm not sure how long I struggled like that, trying not to breathe but trying to shout for help. They were taking too long. A strangled sob fought its way out as I threw my head back against the door, anything to make more noise. Anything for someone to hear me, and help me; to let me out. They're going to leave me to die in here.
[Destination]
[Agreement]
[Trajectory]
[Agreement]
Something in my head explodes, scents and sights and sounds I can't even begin to understand flooding into my head as I cower. Memories of swimming monstrosities of crystal flesh burn themselves out of thought. The sensation of writhing and crawling and biting and flying and hearing and seeing and eating and breathing from a thousand perspectives all screamed into my brain. It needs to stop, it needs to go away. I can't do anything I can't even think. My nails bite into my own skin, the pain only serving to remind me that I'm still stuck here, that no one here cares enough to help.
That I'm all on my own.
[Destination]
[Agreement]
[Trajectory]
[Agreement]
Again my brain burns, but it feels different somehow. More painful, but less overwhelming, like a migraine instead of a concussion. Like a wave, rolling from the outside in, I feel all those extra senses cut off. The squirming sights and sounds and sensations rolling back in until it's just me, ankle deep in filth with sore arms, sore legs, a bunch of scratches, and a searing headache.
Ability expression of [Administrator] in Host[Taylor] suppressed
The thought oozes from my head like honey, feeling wrong somehow as my struggling slowly stops. The sobs that wrack my body are the only movement I have left in me for now.
[Queen Administrator] altering designation to delineate from [Administrator] shard already present
[Queen Administrator] assigned [Designation: Khepri] by host species
[Khepri] requesting ability expression authority from Host-Self[Taylor] to assist Host-Self[Taylor] in [Escape]
'Those aren't my thoughts.' Is the first thing that comes to me, wrapping around the sticky, foreign ideas that are welling up in my head. But they want to help me, some cape is trying to help, finally! I try to think back as hard as I can, begging for help.
Ability expression of [Khepri] induced in Host-Self[Taylor]
I feel my muscles untense, my body relaxing without even thinking about it. I shimmy side to side, my arms carefully coming back around to the front of my body. I feel a tingle as blood flow comes back to my arms, I didn't even realize it was a problem having them behind me like that. My arms brace against the back wall, my back straightens against the door of my locker, my lungs fill until the barest hint of pain is left in them.
And then I release the most blood curdling scream I've heard in my life, all without even thinking about what I'm doing. It's a matter of seconds before the sound of doors opening and teachers shouting hits my ears, concerned tones as they try to identify the source of my scream. 'Of course now they're concerned.' I can't help but think, noticing just a moment too late to mentally brace myself that my lungs are full again. The second scream leaves my lungs burning. I think I hear someone call for the janitor, for anyone with a locker key.
I don't have time to scream a third time before I hear someone fumbling with the lock. The door swings opening without warning, dropping me onto the linoleum floor with a wet smack. It doesn't hurt as much as I might have expected. The janitor, and the teacher that retrieved him, look down at me, concerned expressions on their faces. As if they care. I'm slowly turned over by a twist of my back, filth-soak hands pushing against the ground until I'm up on my feet. My hair's in my face, making it a little hard to see, but I can still make out the shapes of the teachers and student facing me, staring.
"I'll…" My head snaps over to the teacher as they begin to speak. Not one of mine, now that I'm looking at them. "I'll notify the principal, and… probably call for an ambulance."
There's an understanding, somewhere in that foreign part of my brain that's spoken to me, and a pull from it as my lips start moving on their own. "Agreement, medical attention required to prevent infection." My voice says without inflection. The adult flinches, but nods, turning to leave. My body pushes past the janitor and begins to follow them at a clipped pace, my legs screaming in protest, but moving all the same. They notice about halfway down the hallway, glancing back and freezing up.
"H-hey," they stutter, "You should sit down, okay? We don't want you hurting yourself and worse, alright?"
"Denial," My tone is terse now, my body corralling the teacher… Ms. Stevenson, I think? Forwards as I continue to talk. "School Administrator must see me, and Know this was done to me." My tone and wording is off, really really off. It's more or less what I was thinking, that Blackwell would sweep this all under the rug if she could, if she wasn't forced to see it with her own eyes, but…
Confusion recognized in Host-Self[Taylor]
[Khepri] inducing ability expression of [Administrator] shard in Host-Self[Taylor] to [Broadcast] with host species. Host-Self[Taylor] currently unsuitable for [Negotiate] or [Slip] without ability expression of [Administrator] shard.
'You're controlling me, because I wouldn't be able to talk or move without you controlling me.' If the hairs on my neck could stand up in dread right now, I'm sure they would. Instead, I'm treated to a view of the inside of Blackwell's office 'and when did I get here?' as she, Ms. Stevenson, and… my body discuss getting me to the hospital.
[Agreement], sensory feedback of ability expression of [Administrator] shard, and injuries sustained by [Coagulate] result in a catatonic state.
'Who are you? Why are you helping me?' A jostle and a small flare of pain bring my focus back to what's happening to my body. I'm being loaded onto a stretcher and rolled out of the school, ceiling lights rolling by overhead as my eyes refuse to focus.
Concern recognized in Host-Self[Taylor]
[Khepri] is advanced expression of current-former-future shard [Administrator]
[Khepri] is expression of future Host-Self[Taylor]
Current-future Host-Self[Taylor] designated by host species as [subcategory: Cape]
[Khepri] is designated by host species as [Designation: Power]
[Khepri] has three [Primary Objective]
[Safety] of Host-Self[Taylor]
[Broadcast] and [Renewal] of [Bond] to known Hosts
Completion of [The Goal] with [Efficiency], [Renew] lost life.
'I'm a cape now… will be a cape. You're my power, and also myself from the future, and want to keep me safe and also… do something important without people dying?' I can't keep track of the amount of time passing, every time I try to wrap my head around the alien words in my head it feels like the world pulls away from me, like the situation around me becomes completely unrecognizable. I feel something soft beneath me, and hear a rhythmic beeping somewhere, am I already in the hospital?
How long have I even been here? I feel panic start to well up. Does my dad know I'm here? That I'm safe? Has he visited and I completely missed him, is he even going to come for me, or will he ignore me like everyone else?
Fear recognized in Host-Self[Taylor]
Request from [Khepri] to provide Data Packet[Assurance] to Host-Self[Taylor]
'What? Fine, I-' My thought is cut off by a memory of sitting on a hospital bed not unlike this one, sitting up, staring into the face of some… woman. An adult I think, with dirty blonde hair, speaking to me. There are a few others in the room, but my attention is fixed on the blonde in the domino mask.
"There," she said. She smiled a little, but it wasn't a grin, exactly. If it was an attempt at being reassuring, it wasn't something she had a lot of practice in. "I've said what I needed to say. I do have your back, here. Now we need to figure out how we're going to fix this."
The memory shifts, back I think. It feels like back. My hair is ruffled, I'm in a vulnerable place, talking about something I don't want to talk about, but feel like I need to. She's there again, younger this time, my age maybe? I wouldn't recognize her without the domino mask if I wasn't seeing her back to back. Both of us are alongside a number of other teenagers I don't recognize.
"Don't worry about it." She says, grinning disingenuously, and somehow it makes the last smile I saw feel more genuine.
I'm pushed out of the memory with a start, panicked breaths pulled into gasping lungs as I push myself up to sitting and realize that I am actually moving myself, for all the soreness I feel doing it.
"Okay, Khepri." my voice comes out as a rasp, my throat still sore from screaming. "I believe you."