Shadow That Is I

Worm/Persona

1.1

Lately it has seemed that Emma had been trying to take her game to a new level.

But this?

"...for a week."

She dares?

This was the last straw.

I fell back, letting Her rise up in my place to at the helm of my body, slowly blinking to cover the flicker of passing luminous yellow that shone through my eyes between heartbeats during the swap.

What you could, if you were honest.

I watch, emotions dull as She spins off a series of poisonous lies built upon truths that I can barely remembered Emma telling me all that time ago, each barbed word staggering Emma back until She could just walk my body past her and out of the circle of her hanger-ons.
It only took Her a smirk and a light tap on the shoulder to make Madison jump back like a mouse.

Not worth more than that.

I struggle back towards the driving seat, no matter how much better at this She is than me, She is not M- Crap, I relinquish my growing grasp of control as Sophia steps from a classroom into the hall, hesitating in her step as a slightly confused and considering look crosses her face upon seeing me, very different from the smugness that used to paint her face when she looked at me.

This had become the norm lately, she always seemed to be contemplative rather than condescending when it was Her rather than Me when I encountered her.

If you didn't hold back, she would have no hold on you.

The body language or something must be different enough, whatever the reason she backed down when She grinned at her with my face, and I could feel an undercurrent of amusement and… something else from Her as my form strode past the silent Sophia.

What a pathetic excuse for a predator.

Assuming control again after She walked my body around the corner I nearly stumble, but experience in switching back in let me bleed off the almost static build up that She always left after piloting my flesh with a flick of my arms and a low buzz.
She was more wasteful than me with my powers when She was in control, but I couldn't really deny that constantly having the energy flowing through my body was a rush that nothing else could equal.

You want to be strong. Why do you deny it?

Didn't change the fact that I didn't like letting Her take the lead when I was in school, but after what Emma said it was either that or break down, and I was not going to give them the satisfaction. It was still a risk though, if they managed to actually annoy Her, to push Her past annoyed? I would have been left scrambling to take back the drivers seat to stop Her from killing them.

As you know they deserve.

It was scary how much She wanted to hurt them sometimes and if I let Her do it I would be the one blamed. Not that they wouldn't deserve… No, that line of thinking is bad, that is Her's.

Yours too.

I shook my head and continued walking out of the school, thinking of my plans for the weekend.
I have wanted to go out as a cape for awhile, but if I am letting Her out to deal with school bullies, whose to say that I wouldn't do the same when I run into gang members, or worse, Villains?

Until I could deal with them by myself, I don't honestly think I can go out as a Cape and trust myself not to back down and let Her deal with anything I ran into.

You can, just stop hiding.

I shook my head, slightly violently. 'I am not like you, just… go away.'

You can't hide forever.

She has backed off though, I can feel Her less, more faded when compared to the sensation of Her and I overlaying one another when She speaks.

I tried to name her once, Bisque, after the change in my eyes when She takes over.

She had not liked that.
"I am not this Bisque, I am You. I art Thou. Deny it if you wish, try and suppress me if you must.
But call me a name over than Taylor and I will deny anything you ask me."

So as you can probably tell, She got Her way on that issue. Even though She isn't me, I do rely on Her quite a lot for various things like dealing with the Trio, and She is better at using the powers than me.

Because I accept what we want.

I'm getting better though, this is the first time I let Her out in over a week, and I am slowly but surely coming to equal Her when it comes to my powers. She told me once, that I would have to 'Accept that we are One', that She was me and I Her.
That there was no other way.

There isn't.

I am going to prove Her wrong, I am not a monster like Her.

We are the same, try not to judge so hastily.

I suppress memories of the Trio backing off, of the glimmer of satisfaction that seeing tears well in Emma's eyes had brought me, of the vindictive pleasure of watching Her flip the terms of the game Emma had made of our shared secrets.

Thou art I

She is wrong and I will prove it.

And I art thou

I am not happy with the messy way I used to show Taylor's thoughts, nor am I glad with the First person, present tense, POV I ended up using.
Putting it up because I am not sure how to fix it, and I want to get some study done today with out my Muse poking me.

Edit
Hasty modifications made, and I'm putting an explanation here since its even messier now.
Middle Aligned + Italics = Taylor can not hear the Shadow, or is suppressing Her well enough that she takes no conscious notice.
Left Aligned + Italics + Bold = Taylor can hear the Shadow.