Hell Is For Children

The paperwork's ink was still drying but by the next business day Sophia's paperwork would be officially filed and her emancipation from the state would be in motion. In the meantime, Mr. Pendelton had secured a ride to the temporary accomodations at a hotel in a nearby town until Sophia decided if she wanted to return to the PRT or go on her own. He had gotten a suite with a kitchen so they could make proper meals instead of feasting on junk food, and the suite had an attached private room for Sophia. Ray had volunteered to pay for a room for himself at the hotel but a lack of picture ID, credit card, and the fact he was under eighteen halted his plan. Instead, Park had given him the fold out couch in the tv area of the suite.

Pendelton decided to go shopping in the nearby shopping center for food supplies and left the two teenagers alone in the lobby of the hotel. The hotel was in it's off season and the pair decided to spend time at the empty pool area. Together they sat at the pool's edge, Sophia had her shoes off and dangled her legs in the water. Ray kept his hoodie pulled over his head and the rest of his clothes dry as he sat cross legged right next to her.

It was a small comfort seeing Sophia do something absent of aggression. The small ripples in the water she made with her legs spread out across the pool, calming to stillness a foot or so from the walls.

"You've been fighting", she stated.

"Yeah".

"Anyone worth anything?"

"Broken people with ugly hearts, so no."

"You're still bleeding", Sophia said calmly.

"Yeah, it'll heal, but I did find out something about what I am, and what I'm willing to do to get what I want."

"What the f- ugh, just what did they do to you, Ray? When I got the letter about my release they sent me a picture of you to keep me in line."

Ray shook his head, "I'm sorry but - I fucked up. I did things to keep you safe that broke something in me. And I'm not blaming you, I chose and did those things because I wanted to. I'm not sure if I can be happy with myself after it but I'm happy you're out and you're here. Safe."

"You remember what we promised? What we vowed?"

"Of course, we're nothing without each other. They'd eat us alive out there individually."

"Well, a part of me doesn't want you to know I - I was violated, because I went after Skitter alone. It was a trap, and the Undersiders used me to punk out the damn PRT."

"What!?"

"Regent is a Master and he stole my body. Made me fight the team, helped The Undersiders take stuff for the PRT and then Regent - ruined what little I had left as Sophia. He took it away with a phone call, an email, and a bullshit suicide attempt. It made me look disturbed and so I went to juvie."

Ray pulled his hood down and looked at Sophia, "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"No, you took the fall for the Empire stuff for me, and it was for nothing because I let my anger drive me. I became a victim again because I let what I thought was my strength become my weakness. I still ended up in prison, and you - you got taken."

"I spent three weeks with the dollar store Slaughterhouse Six. Actually I spent a few weeks before that in a Parahuman Asylum getting tortured by half of those freaks before they even took me. And it - and it was for - for a bunch of rich capes to make more money, get more territory."

Ray leaned against Sophia's shoulder and she leaned her head against his.

"And, before we keep apologizing, we're a pack Sophia. We fucked up. But we're going to learn from this. We're going to get sorted, we'll make a plan, and we're going to use our powers to make a damn difference."

"Regent admitted he did things to other people, awful shit. Skitter still knows my face, and Regent knows what my Mom and Brother look like. Plus he has no problems lying to his team to get what he wants."

Ray breathed in deep, the scent of the chlorine in the warm water flooded his senses, "Then we'll kill him. After dinner we'll see what our options are through Park. What'll happen to me since I was snatched from PRT sanctioned care. And then we'll - talk when it's lights out."

"It's a plan", she answered. "Now I'm going to give you a rundown of everything I picked up when The Undersiders had me. Powers, tactics, limitations, all that shit."

~~x