I am my enemy

the water's up to the knee

I never wanted nothing from you

Finding a safe sleeping spot had been difficult. Mic didn't even think she'd ever slept since she'd died, but with a vessel which was so close to death Mic had decided she needed to let it recuperate. So, she had slept in a back alley on a dirty mattress which smelled of human misery and regrets. Across the street from her was a school, she could hear the children grumbling in the morning- which had woke her up- since it was their last day before they received, what Mic guessed, was a break from whatever it was school was. Mic had never gone to school, she had grown up in an era where if a woman was well-educated, they were a witch. Hells, Mic wasn't even literate. She yawned and sat up, teasing her hair with a slight smirk as she stood up, pulling the leather jacket tighter around herself. Perhaps investigating the school would be fun, right? Mic had never seen so many human offspring in one place, even though she'd grown up in a time period where a woman was expected to bear a large amount of children (Mic had never had kids, she had never married- she would not let a man push her around, perhaps that was why she had been murdered) in one place. Younger ones screamed, older ones didn't appear to wish to be at the school. Mic didn't know whether she should sympathize with them or not, but she continued to look around. The schoolyard was large and grassy and green, and the building itself was tall and smelled of human emotions- too many emotions to pinpoint, really- as the humans scuttled to and fro. Mic blinked and watched them as she leaned against a wire fence, perplexed. She wondered, should she go inside? Perhaps she could find what she was looking for in there, though she doubted it. Still, it would be nice to look anyway. She shoved herself away from the fence, her curiosity growing- as well as a devilish grin- as she trotted up the stairs. She blinked in mild disarray as the stench of humans hit her nose. The smell was awful, as though the stupid beings never showered, and Mic hated it. Or, well, at least the male smell. Some of the females smelled quite enjoyable. Children hurried to class as a loud, shrieking bell rang- but Mic continued to wander the halls.

"What an odd place," Mic muttered to herself as she glanced around with wide eyes. She stopped when she saw a door with an odd symbol on the door, like a little stick figure with a triangle for a body. Instantly captivated and curious, Mic pushed open the door and entered. Three girls were in the room, giggling, and they paid no mind to Mic- although this time Mic wasn't trying to remain invisible. She tilted her head, blinking, as one girl grabbed a trash bin and proceeded to drag it into a stall. Another female- Mic could smell the meanness in her- taunted a hidden person, who was presumably hidden behind a thin metal door. The contents of said trash bin were then promptly dumped onto the hidden one with a splat. "Hey!" Mic protested involuntarily, gaining the three bullys' attention. Their eyes snapped onto Mic, whose eyebrows were creased into an expression of confusion and anger.

"Stay out of it, Rat." The ringleader snapped.

"The fuck did you just call me?" Mic spat, now infuriated her own status had been challenged. She tensed up, stepping closer to the ringleader, her eyes wide in a craze.

"Step off," The ringleader spat, her nose inches from Mic's.

Mic shoved the ringleader, sending her flying back. "Jesus Chris- you're like a balloon animal!" Mic said, having forgotten her own strength. She rolled her eyes as the girls scurried out, shooting venomous glares at the she-demon as they did so. Mic blinked and walked to the steel door, gently rapping her knuckles against its cool surface. "Hello?" Mic frowned, keeping her urge to retch at the garbage smell down, "Are you alright?"

"Go away." An unmistakably female voice muttered.

"You're okay now." Mic pressed. "Come on out."

"Why? So you can dump garbage on me?"

"No." Mic said, blinking. "I am here to help."

"Hah, that's a laugh." The female laughed dryly. "Why do you want to help me? Haven't you heard? I'm tainted."

"Well.." Mic knew what the female meant, but she didn't delve into the subject. "I'm a stranger, I don't know much about you.. or anything around here." Not a complete lie, but it was just enough.

"So then you haven't heard, huh?" The girl asked, suspicious.

"No, I haven't heard." Mic said softly. Whatever this girl was going through, Mic- in some odd way- could relate. "What's your name?" Mic asked, her curiosity naturally peaking.

"You really wanna know my name?" The female laughed. "Why?"

"Why not?" Mic challenged, eyes narrowing in a curious suspicion. "Look, my name's Mic."

After a long while of contemplation, the female sighed and seemed to cave in. "My name's Beverly. You can call me Bev."

"Bev.." Mic smiled. "I like it. Beverly means 'beaver stream'. So, you gonna come out or what?" There was a soft groan of annoyance, and the smell of a burning cigarette being put out with a soft hiss, but someone had stood up. The tin door creaked open, a pale hand gently looping around the ajar door as it was pushed open. Mic watched as a young woman, perhaps fourteen or fifteen, with porcelain skin dotted with light freckles and fiery red hair slowly pushed herself out of the stall. An odd scent, the scent of pain and untold miseries, lingered on the girl's soft skin- along with the sweet, uplifting scent of undeniable hope.

"'Beaver stream'?" Beverly muttered, quirking an eyebrow. Mic offered a lopsided, wolfish grin and a shrug.

"I didn't make it up, I promise." Mic told her. "C'mon, lemme help you get cleaned up. Kids are such assholes, y'know?"

"I know." Beverly said, her voice still a soft mutter as she reluctantly allowed Mic to pick bits and pieces of trash from her hair and clothes. "They're not the only ones, though."

"I know." Mic said simply. "Might I ask, why're you hiding in the bathroom?"

"Why?" Beverly asked. It was clear she didn't truly wish to speak on the subject.

"I'm just curious." Mic said hastily. "I won't judge you."

Beverly was silent for a long while, her face scrunched into a mix between discomfort and debate. "Promise you won't judge?"

"Promise." Mic said with a soft nod.

"There.. there's this guy here, Henry. He.. he spread this rumor that we.. we.."

"Screwed?" Mic speculated. Beverly nodded, and Mic felt an odd sympathy for the girl. Of course, deep down Mic could relate due to her own past, but she didn't speak. Instead, she patted Beverly's back and draped an arm over the thin shoulders. "Hey, don't worry. I'll stop any kids from picking on you." Mic said with a sincere smile. "You seem pretty cool."

Beverly seemed unfazed. "If you knew me, you wouldn't think that." She removed Mic's arm from her shoulders gently, without rancor, and simply walked away. Left to her lonesome, Mic simply watched the bathroom door continue to softly swing to and fro.