-The Light of Brockton Bay-

- Taylor's POV

The smell inside the locker was repugnant. I could taste the slurry of blood, vomit, mould, and sweat just by breathing the air in. The vile used tampons squelched from my shifting inside the locker. I could feel where every insect crawled on my skin, where they were biting into my skin, when they tried to crawl into my nose and mouth. My throat was hoarse from screaming for what seemed to be hours. I wailed for anyone's attention in the hope that someone would come to my rescue. Deep down I had a gut-wrenching feeling that help would not come.

Why would they come to save me, even if it was when I needed it the most? If they helped me they would become outcasts like me, being bullied by the trio that stuck me in here. Everyone knew that Taylor Hebert was to never be helped or befriended for fear of retaliation. The teachers would not save you nor would Blackwell of all people. I was alone.

While I banged on my locker door, thoughts raced through my mind. 'Why did it have to be me?' I shifted uselessly to try and find a more comfortable position. 'Why did Emma leave me for Sophia' Tears flowed down my cheek like a river. 'Why couldn't just one teacher give a helping hand?' Surely there was one teacher who didn't fear helping me? One thought stood above the rest, towering above all the others. 'Am I about to die?'

The thought came like a truck smashing into my psyche. I could feel my body weakening. My legs attempted to collapse only to not find enough room to fully bend. My knees scraped against the back of the locker door, leaving a gouge as my leg pressed into a piece of sharp metal. The banging got weaker as I began to feel drained of life.

I wonder how things would have changed if I did things differently. How good would my life be if I didn't text my mother while she was driving? Would my life have been better if I chose to fight back against the trio instead of taking the moral high ground? Perhaps my father could have been happier if I tried to talk with him more than the minute-long conversations we have once or twice a day.

I wished for another life. I wished to get out of this locker. I wished to get Emma back as a friend. I wished to have a normal life with a family to care for me and friends that have my back.

I wished I could have been any other version of Taylor Hebert.

The world around me seemed to swirl, my vision getting darker, my eyelids getting heavier. My breathing became forced as I slipped further away from consciousness. Even though there was not enough room to, I somehow looked up and saw the night sky. Two unfathomably large worm-like entities circled above. A piece of one of them broke off and flew towards me. It was then I heard a voice.

[Destination]

The piece continued to accelerate to me.

[Agreement]

I should have been questioning what was happening, but I didn't have the energy to think.

[Trajectory]

The piece almost reached me.

[Agreeme-

[Interruption]

The piece was abruptly blocked by a wall of pure light forming around her, it shimmered and waved like the water in a river. It then heard a woman's voice. The tone was a soothing melody that felt like it cared for and loved me unconditionally. The only words she spoke echoed in my mind.

"Be who you truly want to be."

Then it was darkness once more.

-The Light of Brockton Bay-

- ?'s POV

It was like any other day in the city, people killing each other, pickpockets applying their trade, the soulless cogs that were the citizens mulled about, most hope gone from their eyes.

She was tending to her planted seeds, Billions of lights littering the city streets painting a picture more beautiful than anything else in the world. She would whisper to people who were on their last leg, convincing them to be themselves, letting their emotions run free of their self-made restraints.

Normally when a seed of light is ready to grow it shines like a beacon in the night. The emotional turmoil becomes a rich fertilizer, helping the seed reach maturity.

It was then she felt something new.

She felt a faint connection from a place further than she should be able to notice. Looking upon this new connection she saw a world much like her own. The people in it were slowly dying, becoming calloused to life itself. She looked over to the origin of this new connection, a young woman trapped in a locker.

As she gazed she began to feel the connection slowly closing, whatever hole in space that connected the two worlds was slowly patching up. She could not spread her gifts to this world for soon she would be locked out. She made her decision, if she could not help this world perhaps this girl could. Reaching out she wrapped the woman in light, giving her a seed of light. She then gave the woman the gift of reaching into the river of human subconsciousness. She knew that one day this woman would help this other world just like she did for her own.

Finally, before the rift fully closed she spoke before departing

"Be who you truly want to be."