Ugh. What the hell hit me. Oh I hurt all over. The sun currently stabbing me in the eyes sure isn't helping either. Stupid sun. I look over to my alarm clock to see that it's still early. Early enough that my alarm hadn't gone off yet. Damn, must have moved and the pain woke me up. I stay in bed more a few more minutes before deciding to get up and try to assess the damage from last night. I slowly peeled myself out of the costume I'd forgotten to take off. The chest piece is warped a little, but seems to have taken the heat of Lung's kick rather well. My chest on the other hand looks a little red, and it looks like it's going to end up blooming into a wicked bruise. My back is about the same. Thankfully nothing seems broken, just very abused.

I go about my morning routine, but I know that I'm not going to school today, Last night I, with a welcome assist from Owl, beat Lung. Winslow can bite me. I'll still probably end up going tomorrow, but you know, little victories.

After getting dressed I start to head down stairs and hear dad shuffling around down there.

I turn the corner and see him already dressed and gathering up his things for work. He turns to grab something and notices me.

"Oh, Taylor you're up early."

"Yeah, so are you, and dressed already, something wrong?"

"Nothings wrong, it's just that for the next few days I have to go in early for a possible new contract for the union." He looks down and smiles sadly. "This new contract might help keep us afloat for a while."

Well that's good news I guess. "Uh, good luck."

"Thanks" He then checks his watch "Oh I better get going" He heads to the door. "Have a good day, I'll see you tonight." Then he's through and away.

Well that saves me having to explain to him why I'm not going to school today.

Then I go about making a quick breakfast and sit and watch tv for a while.

The rest of the day goes slowly by. I waited around for a while to see if Owl was going to come by today, but she never showed up. Maybe she was giving me some space from the excitement of last night, or she got distracted by something shiny, honestly either is possible. I make dinner for me and dad, and eventually go up to my room for the night.

The next day I get up feeling better, well less sore anyway. Dad has already left by the time I go downstairs, so I get ready to go for a relaxed jog/walk. Just because I got hurt doesn't mean I'm giving up my new cape life.

When I head outside I see Owl standing there, she's watching the birds.

"Owl! Morning." I must have spooked her because she jumps and whips around to look at me.

"Tay, you scared me, don't do that." She then hops over and gives me a hug.

"Careful, I'm still sore." Damn, she's still stronger than me to.

She looks embarrassed and rubs the back of her head. "Sorry, I forget how squishy people are sometimes, my bad."

Speaking of that, "Owl how strong are you, and is that your power?" She never did get the chance to tell me her power.

"My powers? Oh ya I have those." Oh my god this girl. "Yeah being, like really strong is part of it, but I also have this transformation thing I can do and I'm pretty sure I heal so fast that I stopped aging."

"You stopped ageing!?" What kind of broken power does she have. "Man, lucky, I just control bugs." I try not to say to dejectedly.

"I don't know about lucky, I think I've been 19 for around 5 years. It gets kinda old after a while." Her smile dims a little after she says that. "Oh, wanna go inside for a minute, I can show you the transformation thingy and you can show me your cool bugs." Now she excited again.

"Well, sure I guess we can." I lead her inside and to the living room. She then starts to take off her pink hoodie. "Does that have something to do with your power?"

"Yeah this is my last good hoodie and I don't wanna ruin it." She finishes taking off her hoodie and underneath she has on a black tank top. I see that to go along with her super strength, she's also fairly toned. And that the hoodie hid some rather impressive 'assets'.

I look down at myself and unconsciously compare myself to her. You know if I only interact with attractive people, I'm never going to have a positive outlook for myself.

"Hey, if you're comparing yourself to me, don't. You're your own person Tay. Besides I think you're a cutie." She then lightly punches me in the arm, and now I have a burning blush. "Now watch this."

She then slightly hunches over, and slowly, white and red glowing quills start to grow for her the back of her neck and across her shoulders. The quills are rather thick and pulse lightly with what I guess is her heartbeat.

Then over her left shoulder, A large bubble of purple flesh starts growing. It swells, and pulses, until it ripples and pops revealing a huge appendage. I would have called it an arm because that's what it resembles, until it turns into a large sword at what would be the forearm. It's about 6 foot long, purple at the base and gradually turns white down the length. It's incredibly muscled, and to be honest, incredibly intimidating.

"Holy shit! Owl, that's your changer power."

"Cool huh. When I change I get even stronger and tougher, I could transform farther but it's not very fun." She then starts flexing her sword arm.

"You can transform more?"

She shrugs with all three arms. "I can do my whole body, but the further I go, the harder it gets to think straight. If I go all the way, I kind of just run off instinct, and that's never a good thing." She then gives a little laugh. "Anyway what's your power like."

"Mine probably won't be as cool as yours."

"Tay I just said to not compare yourself to me, that means my power as well." She then gives me a half amused, half stern look. "Besides, my friend has a power, so I'll like it no matter what."

"Fine, fine." I then start to gather up about a hundred flying insects and start to make them fly in patterns in the air.

"Woah! That's so cool." Owl comments and looks absolutely mesmerized by my insects, and I start to make them fly in different patterns and do little tricks. Owl looks as blown away as a kid at their first firework show, with oohs and aahs to go with it. I give a little smile at seeing how much she likes my power.

"What's your range, and how many can you control at a time?"

"About two blocks, and all the bugs in those two blocks."

She looks away from the insect circus and gives me a blank look. "Your power is bullshit."

"What does that mean?" Sounding a little indignant.

"I could punch a hole through someone, you could put down an entire riot. Can you do anything else with it?"

I shake my head a little for a second. "Well I can control them all individually, like multitasking. And I can loosely sense things through them."

"That's even more awesome and bullshit, if you ever talk down on your cool ass power, I'll hurt you. As a friend, just to set you straight." She gives me a beaming smile, and I feel reassured and threatened, it's a funny combination. "Have you told any of your other friends that you have powers." How could she ask such a painful question so innocently.

Well we haven't really talked about my life to deeply when we hang out, so it's kind of my own fault. "Actually Owl, you're really my only friend."

She then looks shocked and sharply inhales. " But you're so fun to hang out with?" Then gets an, honestly over determined look on her face. "Then I'll be the best, best friend ever!"

I could see the fire in her eyes as she said this. "Um, thanks?" I don't even come close to returning the passion she just spoke with, but she appears happy enough at my reply. I start to look away to try and gather my thoughts, and see the clock on the wall "Oh, it's getting late, I need to go to school soon. I don't think we'll be able to get a jog in today Owl, sorry."

"Wait, do you walk to school." I nod "Then why don't I just go with you today, that'd still be fun."

I wasn't expecting that. "I guess you can come with, just give me a minute to get ready.

After getting all ready me and Owl head to Winslow, it almost feels like a normal morning walk with how we talk back and forth with each other. It alleviates some of the dread I normally feel about going to school.

Of course as we approach the gates I see that my timing and luck couldn't be shittier.

At the gates stands Emma and Sophia, they look like they just arrived as well and are talking with each other. Emma seems to be telling a joke or something, but she turns her head as she's talking and sees me. Her face lights with a cruel smirk and she pats Sophia's arm and points in my direction, they then both start to walk towards us.

"Well well, look decided to show up today. Little Miss loser and her new friend." Emma says and gives a snide little laugh.

I immediately look down as my posture goes from happy to dreadful fast. Owl goes quiet to.

Sophia then steps forward and looks Owl up and down. "I wouldn't hang around this wimpy bitch if I were you, you might catch her pathetic-ness." They then both laugh as I retreat into myself farther.

I look to Owl to see her reaction, she just sniffs the the air quick and her eyes light up. She turns to me and gives me a smile, though her normal smiles are beaming and cheerful, this one seems bloodthirsty and vicious. I feel a slight shiver go down my spine.

"Don't you worry Taylor." She lightly elbows me. She also just called me Taylor, that's a first. "I'll just give them a quick talk, I'll bet it'll even be fun." She takes a couple steps toward them before I can tell her that it's a bad idea.

"Hi, I'm Owl." Sophia's eyes narrow and her smirk slowly fades away, but Emma still just smirks cruelly. Owl smells the air again, then focuses in on Sophia. "Ooh you smell nice, I like that, you also reek of..." But then she starts talking softer as she walks closer to Sophia, and I can't make out what she's saying anymore.

Owl continues to talk to her in a hushed voice and Sophia's face runs a gambit of emotions. First her eyes go wide and she looks at Owl, then me, and then back to Owl. She looks angry, but I think I see a little fear on her face. Then she starts to pale and her fist begins to clench and loosen, like she's trying to grasp at something. Owl then grabs her collar and pulls her in close and whispers in her ear. Sophia seems angry at first and grabs Owl's arm, but that anger soon melts away, and she looks terrified. She shoots a glance at Emma, then focuses back onto Owl, and gives a shaky nod. Owl lets go and Sophia puts a couple feet between them.

Owl then turns to me and gives me one of her good smiles, before she skips over to me, picks me up in a hug and twirls me around. She puts me down. "Don't worry Tay, we came to an agreement." Then she talks a little louder. "Have a good day today, tell me tomorrow if there's any problems." Then she shoots Sophia a look and winks, before giving me one last hug and walking off.

Emma then gives an indignant scoff. "Where the hell do you think you're going huh, you got a problem you..." Sophia interrupts her by grabbing her arm and whispering in her ear. Emma's eyes go wide as she looks at Owl walking away, then at me. They both give me one last glance, with Sophia shooting me an angry look, before they both walk away quickly.

I look around to see that everyone has just left me here at the gates of the school, and I'm so fucking confused.

Well, I think that probably could have gone better.

AN/ If you wanted to see what Owl had to say, don't worry, I have what is basically an interlude planned a couple chapters from now. It'll have a couple characters points of view in it, and I think it'll be a little bit fun. If you love it, hated it or just thought 'ehh, it's another Worm fic' let me know in a review, I'd love to read what you guys thought.