I have returned with a new chapter. Keeping things slow like with the last chapter but it should still be a fun read. Things will start to pick up a bit in the next chapter so if you're worried this slice of life sections gonna go on for too long, don't. Before we begin, I've got reviews I've been meaning to reply to.

yukicrewger2: It's less she figure something out and more she's dumbfounded that something that shouldn't really work did.

HolyKnight5: Amusing it would be, but as of now, it won't happen. While Otto will be making an appearance and play a major role in later arcs, I currently only have it so girl characters end up tied to other girls and boy characters tied to boy characters. Might change that in the future to add some wackiness, but for now that's how it is. That being said, Lisa with Otto as a headmate has landed itself in the omake pile where such rules don't need to apply.

yukicrewger2: No. Also, Roses dad would be the one to make a big deal of it, not her mom. That being said, they won't stick with these battlesuits forever, obviously.

Xenokiller419: :)

Anyways on to the chapter.


Chapter 17: A Bit of Normality

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Taylor walked up to the imposing building of Arcadia High School, a new backpack on her back with her lunch and anything else she'll need for today in it. She felt a sense of surrealism as she did. Just three days ago she was fighting for her and her friend's life against the assault of a rogue former hero. Yesterday evening she was with said friend again discussing their plans for going out as heroes. And now, here she was going into school to take a series of tests. The juxtaposition between all these events left Taylor with a feeling she couldn't quite put words to.

The reason she had to take these tests was because it had been decided that her school records didn't showcase her actual academic abilities. This was due to the fact that a lot of her schoolwork was either stolen or destroyed by her bullies, making her grades poorer than they should be. Thus, she'd be given a series of tests to determine what level she should be in for Math, Science, English, and History. After that, she'd get a list of available classes and be able to choose between them.

Beyond the occasional odd look for her hair, most people ignored her as she entered the building. She went to the main office and walked up to the secretary working at her desk. She was a woman in her late forties to early fifties with glasses short hair in a sharp business casual outfit. She didn't notice Taylor's approach, too engrossed in her work.

"Uhm… excuse me…" Taylor spoke up.

The woman stopped her work and looked up at Taylor.

"Yes, how can I help you dear?" She inquired politely.

"Uhm… hi… m-my name is Taylor Hebert. I-I'm here to take some tests." Taylor answered.

"Hmmm… ah… yes, I remember hearing about this. Sign in on that sheet there while I look up in the system what room you'll need to head to. Once you're signed in I can give you a visitor's pass and the necessary information." She explained.

"Thank you." Taylor replied with a small smile as she went about signing in.

The secretary smiled.

"You're quite welcome dear. I must say I was upset to hear about what happened to you at Winslow and hope your time at Arcadia will be far better." She spoke.

Taylor stopped and her smile fell and she looked up at the secretary.

"Y-you know about that?" She questioned reservedly.

The secretary nodded.

"Yes, though that has more to do with my personal connections than anything. I'm friends with Cait and she asked me to look out for you as best as I can." The secretary explained.

It took a few minutes for Taylor to make the connection. When she did her eyes widened in surprise.

"Mrs. Jones?" She exclaimed.

"Yep," the secretary answered. "And before you ask, only myself, the principal and vice-principal know the whole scope of your situation. We thought it best."

"T-t-t-thank you." Taylor muttered before going back and finishing signing in.

"You're welcome. Speaking of which I forgot, you'll need to meet the principal before I send you off." The secretary spoke. "She isn't busy at the moment. Let me just…"

She quickly finished off grabbing the information she needed before printing it all out on a few sheets of paper.

"Follow me." She directed.

She led Taylor down a hallway to a room with a sign marked Principal Howell. The secretary knocked on the door.

"Enter," the voice of a woman spoke.

The secretary opened the door.

"Sorry to bother you ma'am, Miss Hebert is here." She explained.

Taylor stepped into view and got a good look at Principal Howell. She was what Taylor would call fairly average in terms of looks. She had bleached hair and while she dressed fairly professionally, she didn't have the air of an authority figure. Based on how they dressed, she'd argue the secretary projected more authority than the actual principal, ironically enough.

"Ahh… Miss Hebert." The principal spoke with a practiced smile.

She rose from her seat and stepped forward.

"Let me first welcome you to Arcadia. I hope your time here will be more productive than your time at Winslow." She added.

She held out her hand and Taylor shook it saying, "I hope so too."

"In regard to that, I'll say this, I won't tolerate what happened to you at Winslow happening here. I know authority figures have failed you before but I hope you can trust me when I say that myself and the staff at Arcadia are here to help you if anyone gives you trouble." The principal spoke. "Know that you can come to us if the need ever were to arise, though I hope it doesn't."

Taylor was a little shocked by the declaration and sincerity with which Howell spoke that it took a mental nudge from Kiana to break her out of it.

"R-r-right… ah… thanks then. I hope it doesn't come to that but if it does I know who to turn to then." Taylor spoke.

Principal Howell let a small smile grace her lips.

"I'm glad you understand. I'll let you go then, unfortunately I'll be busy very soon so I'll have to cut this short. Kate can explain to you where you need to go and how everything in regards to your tests will be done. I wish you the best of luck." She stated.

Taylor nodded.

"That's fine, it was nice to meet you." She returned politely.

"Likewise, take care." The principal replied.

"You too." Taylor expressed before she was led out by the secretary, who closed the door behind them.

"So… you and Mrs. Jones share the same name?" Taylor spoke up.

Kate chuckled.

"Same pronunciation, different spelling." She answered. "Now follow me, I'll get you up to speed and send you on your way."

Kate led Taylor back down the hallway and to her desk. She took the papers she had printed out and a visitor's pass and handed them to Taylor.

"There you go dear, remember to stop back at the end of the day to return the pass and sign out. For your testing schedule you'll start with Math and Science with a fifteen minute break between the tests, then you'll recess for lunch, before going on to your English and History test, again with a fifteen minute break between them. Each test will be an hour and a half long so it'll take you past the end of the day to get them all done, your test administrator will give you more details for each test." Kat explained.

"I-I-I-I see…" Taylor replied nervously.

"I know it's a lot but circumstances have led to you having to take all of them at once instead of spacing them out." Kate explained. "Just do your best and I'm sure you'll do fine."

Taylor smiled lightly.

"R-right…" She muttered.

"Now the papers I gave you have a map of each floor of the school and what I just laid out for you in more precise detail such as when and where your tests will be and when lunch is for you. Your first test starts at 8:15. Best of luck and I hope everything goes well." Kate stated.

"I hope so too. A-and thank you again." Taylor returned.

"Think nothing of dear, now you best be getting a move on, you won't be given extra time if you're late for your test and the school is quite big." Kate added.

Taylor nodded, put on her visitor pass and quickly made her way out of the office and into the school proper. Arcadia was laid out in an 'H' like shape with the north building longer than the south. Each building had four floors. The central building, which she was currently in, housed the administrative offices and connected the two main buildings. By the map, to her left in the southern building was the cafeteria, gymnasium, and classrooms while to her right in the northern building were even more classrooms, the auditorium, and the library. The south building was labeled the A-wing of the school and the north building was labeled the B-wing of the school. The central building was labeled as the C-wing of the school.

Taylor stopped and just stared at the map in front of her as that registered in her mind. She double checked the map to see that she did read the order correctly. Why is it… She shook her head. Not gonna worry about it. She walked forward again into the A-wing towards the stairs. Her first test was gonna be in A-204. As she made her way through the school a sense of uneasiness filled her as she passed by various students. Some ignored her, others gave her no more than a quick glance while others watched her pass by. Some looks were ones of curiosity, others, particularly from the male population, were ones of attraction, something she was mostly unused to. She instinctively made herself small, the year and a half of abuse she endured kicking in old habits.

'Come on Taylor-chan, hold yourself with a bit of confidence. This isn't your old school, no one's looking to hurt you.'

I know, but I can't help it. I know Arcadia's probably going to be nothing like Winslow but there's this nagging feeling in the back of my mind saying that highschool is highschool no matter where you go. That despite everything, things will go back to being what they were.

'It won't, if for no other reason then I've got your back this time. If things do end up being the same, which they won't, you won't be going it alone. Given what's happened to you, you're kind of like my little sister in a way. And I wouldn't leave my sister out to dry if I can help it. Kaslana promise.'

Taylor let a small smile appear on her face as she made her way upstairs. I guess in a way you are. Just don't expect me to call you big sis anytime soon.

'Taylor-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan! MEANY!'

Taylor laughed lightly causing Kiana to follow suit once she let go of her faux outrage.

'Alright I won't press on it, but please do it if you somehow end up meeting an alternate version of me. I'm picturing it in my head now and it's hilarious.'

As she made her way into the second floor proper, the mental image came to Taylor from Kiana and she struggled to hold in an uproarious laugh. Okay that would be funny. Unfortunately in her attempt to hold back her laugh, she failed to pay attention to where she was going.

"GAhh!/Oufff!" She and the voice of a boy exclaimed as she bumped into the owner of said voice.

They both stumbled back but remained standing.

"S-s-s-sorry…" She apologized quickly before moving to go past the boy, failing to see the look of surprise on his face as she did.

She didn't get far before he called out, "Hey wait!"

She stopped and turned around to see the boy lightly jog up to her with a few papers in hand. He was about her height with short red hair and blue eyes. He had a boyish youthful face that Taylor would describe as fairly handsome and had the lean build of someone who exercised fairly regularly.

"Think you dropped these." He said holding out the papers for her.

Her cheeks gained a light dusting of red.

"T-t-t-thanks…" She replied with a hint of embarrassment, taking the papers. "A-a-and sorry for bumping into you earlier. I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Don't worry about it." He replied, waving it off. "I wasn't exactly paying attention either so we're even I'd say. Names Dennis by the way."

He held out a hand.

"T-Taylor…" She returned, shaking it. "A-and really it's my fault for bumping into you."

"Well I say it's both our faults so let's just drop the subject, what do you say?" He posed.

"B-b-but…" Taylor began.

"Now, now, no buts, while both ours are great we're not talking about them right now and I don't think you'd like it if I did." Dennis interrupted.

Taylor snorted. Then she realized what Dennis said. What did he just say I have great butt? She was unsure how to feel about this, given she'd not received any compliments on her looks before her transformation. While she didn't dislike it she felt like she should. Unaware of her thoughts Dennis continued, "Good, got a laugh out of you, you looked like you could use it. Unrelated note, need any help. Given the map and visitor's pass I'm guessing you're new here."

"Kind of… on the being new part. I've mostly figured out where I'm going. The map isn't hard to follow." Taylor answered.

"Good to hear." He replied.

A bell rang throughout the hallway, drawing both their attention.

"Uh oh… that's the warning bell, best get a move on. Maybe I'll see you around. Bye." He expressed hurriedly before rushing off at a brisk pace.

"Uh… yeah…" She muttered.

She stood there in a slight daze before she shook herself out of it.

"Best get moving too." She muttered before rushing off to her destination, her mood lightened and a small smile on her face.

With the confines of her Taylor's mind, Kiana had a mischievous smile on her face. She kept her thoughts and feelings from flowing into Taylor. Fu fu fu… seems like Taylor-chan enjoyed the little bit of attention she received. Seems I might get to play the role of big sis in a way I wasn't expecting. Unaware of Kiana's musings, Taylor made her way down the hall to the room where her first two tests would be held and entered. Inside a teacher was waiting for her. The teacher was in her early forties with dark shoulder length hair and was dressed business casual.

"Ahh… Miss Hebert, I presume?" She spoke.

"Yes ma'am." Taylor replied.

"Sit at any desk you wish, then we can start." The teacher directed.

Taylor nodded and did this, placing her backpack down by the desk leg. She put away her papers before taking out some number two pencils. The teacher let a faint smile show on her face. She grabbed the first packet on the desk, walked up to Taylor, and placed it on her desk.

"As I'm sure Kate has explained, you'll be doing your math and science test here. You'll have an hour and a half for each test with a fifteen minute break in between each test. Answer as many questions as you can in the allotted time. If you get stuck on a question you're free to skip it. Be sure to fill in your answers clearly as directed. Any questions?" The teacher explained.

"Nope." Taylor replied with a shake of her head.

"Then we can begin as soon as it's time. Don't look beyond what the pack directs you until I say so." The teacher added further.

Taylor nodded as the teacher walked back to the front of the room. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Taylor anxiously awaited for the test to start. She took deep breaths to calm her nerves. A combination of this and the amusingness of Kiana mentally cheering her on in a cheerleading outfit helped her relax. Then the clock struck 8:15.

"You may begin." The teacher stated.

Taylor flipped to the first page and began in earnest.


Elsewhere…

While Taylor was hard at work with her tests, Rose was also hard at work in her training. She swung her bokken with gusto.

"Ninety-five!"

"Ninety-six!"

"Ninety-seven!"

Sweat was starting to pour down her face. She could feel the fatigue in her arms from the repeated swings.

"Ninety-eight!"

"Ninety-nine!"

"One hundred!"

She stopped to catch her breath.

'Very good, now do a hundred more than rest.'

"Yes, Mei-sensei!"

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

'After you've rested we'll move on to beginning your training in using honkai energy.'

"Yes, Mei-sensei! Four!"

"Five!"

"Six!"

'And remember to speak inside your head.'

Yes, Mei-sensei!

"Seven!"

"Eight!"

"Nine!"

'And please stop calling me Mei-sensei, it's embarrassing.'

Yes, Mei-sensei!

"TEN!

"Eleven!"

"Twelve!"

Mei sighed.

'At least you're earnest.'

Thank you Mei-sensei!

"Thirteen!"

"Fourteen!"

"Fifteen!"

If Mei were corporal, she'd be rubbing her forehead in exasperation. However she'd have to settle for doing it with Rose's mind.


Later…

Taylor stretched her arms as she exited the classroom. It had been a long three hours worth of test taking. While she was confident she did well, there were a few questions that tripped her up and she had to skip. Thankfully she got to eat her lunch before having to move on to the next classroom, which was A-318. As she was heading towards her class she passed by a multitude of students on their way to the cafeteria for their lunch period. To her they were just nameless faces whom she was unsure if she'd ever share a class with. Then, in the crowd of people, a head of silver gray hair caught her eye as she passed by.

'Wait… could that be…'

Taylor stopped to turn and look but the girl was already gone. She tried to look around for a bit but didn't see anything. Shrugging she went on her way. Might have been a trick of the eye.

'Maybe, but be on the lookout when you start going here. Since Mei-senpai is here with Rose we can't rule out anyone else being in a similar situation to you two.'

While I'd say the chances are slim given there's a whole world of people who could end up in a similar situation to us, it's still a possibility so we can't overlook it. Taylor continued on her way to the next classroom. Had she'd stayed longer she'd see the girl with silver hair peeking out from around a bend as though she was looking for someone.


Later that day…

Taylor let out a yawn and stretched out her arms as she left Arcadia. She had finished all four tests for the day and was feeling the mental fatigue wear on her. She spotted her father's truck and made her way towards it. She opened the passenger side door.

"Hey dad." She greeted him tiredly as she climbed into her seat.

"Hey little owl, how do you think you did?" He asked.

"Mostly fine," she answered as she shut the door. "Felt I could have done better. Wish I didn't have to take four stupid tests in a row."

"It is what it is." Danny replied as he shifted the car into drive and headed home. "I'm sure your 'free running practice' will help you take your mind off it."

Taylor smiled at that, feeling the anticipation and excitement well up in her. After a month of training, it was time for her first outing as a hero.


And that's a wrap, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Till next time. If you want me to be able to produce more content, please consider supporting me on subscribe star. (search zmanxv and the link is on my deviantart page).