Taylor grit her teeth as she ran, the rain stabbing down like needles into her skin. Each drop from the starless night sky only spurred her on.

She pressed her legs harder, almost enjoying the burning sensation that crept up into her lungs. Puddles giggled like children as Taylor passed through them, their dirty wet hands lunging at the hem of her jeans. The sudden chill made her gasp. It almost let her forget.

Ugh, look at this thing. You know, keeping garbage around isn't doing you any favors, Taylor.

Emma's voice oozed into her mind like tree sap, forcing in the memories that Taylor had been desperately trying to keep away. The memories began to appear, unwanted.

She could see Emma's sneering face. She was holding mom's flute, dangling it between two fingers like it was a piece of trash. Behind her, Sophia, Madison, and everyone else laughed, their mockery freely given.

A scream bubbled out of Taylor's throat before she could stop herself. The heady mix of pain, fury, and despair washed over her body. It echoed through the dark streets of Brockton Bay only to be drowned out by the pitter-patter of the rain.

Taylor's trembling legs finally bid her to stop. She collapsed against the wall of a nearby apartment, feeling the roughness of bare brick against her back. The burning in her legs and chest was finally starting to catch up to her.

She heaved, but nothing came up. She hadn't eaten that day.

Taylor let out a hoarse chuckle. It'd been a stupid idea, fueled by a vague desire for a midnight jog coupled with a burning urge to get away. She had wanted to forget, even if just for a moment. She'd wanted to lose herself in the feeling, the sensation of being in control of herself. She didn't want to be powerless anymore.

Taylor rubbed at her face, trying to ignore the tears that were threatening to form. Fuck, she was so tired.

"Hey." A soft voice stopped Taylor in her tracks.

The tears stopped, replaced by a chill that crawled up Taylor's spine. Her head twisted to face the speaker, viscerally aware that she had no idea where she was. A hand reached for her pocket for the pepper spray. It was a girl around her own age. She didn't look like a gangster, but Taylor knew how deceiving appearances could be.

"Shit, you're soaking wet." The way she was staring made Taylor feel like a kitten left in a cardboard box. It was an uncomfortable feeling, even as a small voice in the back of her head made a similar comparison.

The girl brought out an umbrella. She offered it, moving as though one wrong step would spook Taylor into running. Though with the way Taylor's nerves were firing on all cylinders right now, she may not be wrong.

"I don't need help." Taylor's hoarse voice left her reply weak and unconvincing. She flushed as the other girl raised an eyebrow.

She pressed the umbrella into Taylor's hands, ignoring her meager protests. Taylor's fingers closed around the handle. They felt numb.

"Come on. I'll take you somewhere to dry off." The girl looped her arm under Taylor's and tugged, gentle but insistent. Taylor didn't resist, though she did squirm at the way her socks squished as they made they way along the street.

Unfamiliar shops and buildings passed by, and a part of Taylor's brain couldn't help but wonder where they were going. Dozens of worst-case scenarios flashed in her mind before she shook them off. No, the most worrying possibility was staring Taylor right in the face.

The girl's fashionable clothes and pretty features only added to her sense of foreboding.

Taylor's unoccupied hand pulled away from her pocket. No matter her feelings, she didn't want to pepper-spray one of Emma's friends. That, and she could only imagine the hell she'd receive for it if Emma found out.

However, she wasn't going to let whatever this girl was planning happen without a fight.

Taylor opened her mouth to say something, but the girl turned, and the words died on her lips.

Taylor knew the girl was pretty, but she hadn't gotten a good look at her face until now. Now that she had, Taylor couldn't help but stare.

She had the kind of eyes you'd read about in folklore. Green eyes like seafoam that stared into your soul to read your future. They shimmered with a thousand stories to tell but no one to tell them to.

In that moment, Taylor knew. This girl was nothing like Emma.

When Emma cried, it was for attention or sympathy. When she laughed, it was to make fun of others. When she smiled, it was to get other people to like her. Everything she did was calculated for her own benefit. She didn't know how to feel. It was foreign to her.

This girl was different. She felt. She felt deeply.

She reached out and pulled Taylor into a hug, uncaring of the way Taylor's soaked body pressed into her own.

"Please." Her voice was a whisper. "Just trust me."

Her arms gripped Taylor as if afraid she would melt away. Taylor's own arms lay stiff at her sides, the sudden contact leaving her paralyzed. After a long moment however, she managed to nod.

The girl gave a watery smile, then pulled Taylor out of the drowning night and onto dry land.


Her name was Taylor, as it turned out.

Lisa filed that fact away in the back of her mind as she sprinted back to her apartment. She ignored the throbbing pain that accompanied her along the way. It was growing, but felt manageable for now.

Overtaxing her power was never a choice she liked to pick. Unfortunately, Coil wasn't keen on giving Lisa a lot of options on that front, seemingly determined to work her to the bone.

To Lisa's frustration, she was powerless to do anything about it without earning a bullet for her trouble.

Focus, Lisa. One problem at a time.

Right. Taylor.

Lisa's power had made Taylor's wariness quite apparent. Unfortunately, that meant Plan A of going back to her apartment was a non-starter for the black-haired girl.

The 24-hour laundromat had been a good compromise, and thankfully it wasn't that far from her place either. Lisa was thankful for small mercies.

She didn't waste any time when she reached her apartment. Spare clothes, towels, her handbag, Lisa practically flew as she grabbed everything that looked useful. At this point, the throbbing had graduated to become an aching pain that pounded at Lisa's head like a hammer. Again, she ignored it, she had other issues to deal with.

The return trip felt even longer, something she chalked up to the baggage slowing her down.

Now that the issue of Taylor's health was mostly in hand, Lisa turned to the other problem. Getting the girl to open up. Lisa ignored her power, which kept pointing out Taylor's skittishness and aversion to physical contact.

Her power was much better at pointing out problems than coming up with solutions.

Lisa barreled through the laundromat's front door, causing it to slam open. She winced when she noticed how Taylor flinched at the sudden entry.

Wow. Great start, Lisa.

"Sorry about that." Lisa gave Taylor a reassuring smile. A smooth and polished one, she'd like to think. "I picked up some stuff from my place for you to wear."

"Thanks." Taylor moved to help take some of the load off, but Lisa waved her off, instead pressing a bundle of clothing into her hands.

"I'll handle it. You change and I'll get the washer set up. Pass me your clothes once you're out of them." Hopefully, Taylor wouldn't mind wearing Lisa's old hoodie and sweatpants. Nothing else she had on hand seemed to match the girl's sensibilities.

"...Right here?" Taylor's voice was a bit strained, and it took Lisa a second to realize how her words sounded.

"I mean, there should be a washroom somewhere, but hey, if you're into that, I won't judge." She couldn't resist adding a teasing lilt in her voice, watching with amusement as Taylor's face went red.

"I'll be right back." Lisa couldn't help but laugh as Taylor scurried off.

Unfortunately, her good mood wasn't going to last.

The pain began to pick up as soon as Taylor left the room. Maybe the adrenaline had allowed her to ignore the pain for a bit, or maybe she'd been unconsciously pushing it aside for Taylor's sake. Whatever the reason, the dull ache had mutated into a sensation akin to spikes being driven into Lisa's brain.

Lisa hunched over, clutching at her skull. She let loose a mental stream of profanities directed at Coil. If the man didn't have a gun pressed to her head, she would have given him the verbal thrashing of a lifetime.

The door to the restroom peeped open. Lisa caught a glimpse of the Taylor's curly black hair as a hamper of wet clothes slid out through the gap.

Lisa winced as her power supplied her with one last observation before she reeled it back in.

Suffers from a lack of self-worth. Will feel guilty if she notices Lisa's pain. Will consider herself responsible for exacerbating Lisa's pain and withdraw into herself.

Fuck. Things really didn't want to go her way, huh.

Lisa stumbled over to her handbag as flashes of white began to strike her vision. She flinched as her foot met the washing machine with a loud bang. She grabbed the bag and shoved her hand in, fumbling around for the bottle of ibuprofen she'd kept on hand.

"Please be there. Please."

Lisa let out a sigh of relief when her hand closed onto a round plastic bottle. She popped out the cap and downed a handful of tablets. Not the best thing for her long-term health, but right now, being healthy was far down on Lisa's list of priorities.

Unfortunately, the effects wouldn't kick in for a few minutes. Lisa used that time to try and keep herself busy, dragging Taylor's wet clothes over to dump into the washer. The entire process was painful, but the promise of relief let her endure the pain, which didn't seem as bad now.

The washing machine began to hum.

So preoccupied trying to block out the pain, Lisa almost missed Taylor speaking.

"Is everything okay? I thought I heard something."

"All good." Lisa called back, hoping her voice sounded steady enough.

Taylor's head peaked out from inside the washroom. The way her black locks were strewn haphazardly suggested she'd just toweled her hair.

"You sure?" She asked, her eyes flickered over Lisa's face. "That was pretty loud."

"Yeah. Just knocked some stuff over." A shooting spike of pain flashed through her head, causing Lisa to grimace. Her hand reflexively clutched at her head.

"Are you okay?" Great, now Taylor looked worried.

"Just a headache." Lisa admitted, hoping Taylor couldn't see the tension on her face.

"I can handle the rest if you're not feeling well." Taylor made her way over to Lisa, concern etched on her face. She was wearing Lisa's grey hoodie and sweats. "You've already helped me out a lot tonight. You don't need to keep pushing yourself for me."

Under normal circumstances, Lisa would have taken Taylor up on her offer. It had been a long day, and Lisa could tell that her Thinker headache was going to carry over well into the next as well.

But then she'd imagine the guilt on Taylor's face. Then, she'd think back to him, and then the pain wouldn't feel so bad.

"I'm fine. I've had a lot worse before, trust me."

"Are you sure?" Taylor tried again.

"Now it feels like you're trying to get rid of me." Lisa joked, only to be met with utter silence. Shit.

"…I'm sorry." Taylor murmured, her eyes downcast. "I didn't mean to…"

"Hey, hey. None of that." Lisa rushed to reassure her. "We've just met. You don't need to apologize-"

"I just don't get why." Taylor's voice cut through Lisa's like a razor. "You've been incredibly nice and helpful this entire time. You seem genuine. But why? Why put in all this effort for me?"

Why. Wasn't that the million-dollar question. Logically speaking, befriending Taylor could come with a whole slew of problems. Coil is undoubtedly keeping an eye on her movements, and she didn't want to know what would happen if he learned about Taylor. There was a chance he wouldn't care, but was she willing to risk it?

Then, she'd see Taylor's face and feel her heart melt. The resignation, the apprehension, the desperate wish for hope. They were things Lisa knew all too well.

Being a runaway didn't come with second chances. Lisa had learned very quickly how easily kindness could hide ill intent, how quickly people changed when they thought her guard was down. On the other hand, Lisa had latched onto the few genuine acts of kindness with fervor. No matter how small their gestures seemed, she accepted them with gratitude.

All this time, Lisa had used her power as a shield, a last line of defense against a world that wanted nothing to do with her. It was her one advantage and she had never hesitated to use it. The few times her power had been on the fritz were the few times she'd truly felt vulnerable.

Right now, Lisa couldn't use her power. She couldn't glean anything from Taylor other than what her instincts told her. She should have been cautious, apprehensive of what variables this could introduce to her life.

But despite everything, Lisa didn't think she would regret this choice.

"Well, why not?" She spoke. In this moment, the pain in her head felt like a distant memory. "Is there a reason why I shouldn't take the time to help someone who needs it? You know, lots of friendships form under much weirder circumstances."

"We hardly know each other. You barely know anything about me."

"Then it sounds like we've got a lot of work to do." Lisa stuck out her hand. "Hi, my name's Lisa Wilbourn. I'm sixteen years old and I sure could use a friend. How about you?"

Taylor didn't quite laugh, but it was a close thing, "That sounds like something a middle schooler would say." She said.

"First thing to know about being my friend. I like to keep people guessing." Lisa said, grinning.

Taylor cracked a smile. Her first real smile that night.

It looks good on her, Lisa thought, as Taylor slowly intertwined their hands together.

"I'm Taylor Hebert. Fifteen years old. Don't know how good of a friend I'll be, but I can give it a try."

Yes. Lisa decided. She was not going to regret this choice.