Capítulo 2763: 6.4
While Dean could show us our homeroom, he himself could not stay. "I'm sure you'll all do great." He grinned, wishing us all well before leaving. I decided to sit down at the front row with Buzz on my right and Morgan next to her with Ash sitting at the end. It didn't seem like there was a preset seating plan so we were able to stick together.
"So Ash…" Buzz began. "I'm surprised you haven't accused Dean of being Gallant yet considering all the rumors going around."
"Pfft." Ash replied. "Red herring put there by the PRT to throw us off track, Dean might be Glory Girl's real boyfriend but Gallant is just a Tinkertech robot made by Kid Win and Armsmaster, I mean if you look close enough you can see their style in the armor all over."
"OOOH!" Morgan cried out. "Do you think a Robot can feel love? I'm gonna befriend it!"
"I… I don't think that's how machines work…" I told her. Then again, if it was Tinkertech then anything was possible. It was then the classroom door opened, silencing everyone there.
"Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend." A friendly, plump looking lady greeted us. Her brown hair framed her kind eyes and red lips that quite frankly had too much lipstick on them. If I had an embarrassing aunt in the 'I'm going to overfeed you' sort of way, then this is what I imagined her to look like. "Now, as you've all have no doubt noticed by now, we have four wonderful new girls here!"
A murmur of affirmation surrounded us. The other students were probably trying to figure out which of us were Vim. It struck me that I was shrinking into myself. Not because I wanted to hide my identity but because I was so unused to such attention.
"For those of you who don't know, my name is Maureen Batson." She clasped her hands together. "You can call me Missus Batson or just Maureen." Suddenly my opinion of her dropped. She reminded me too much of Mr Gladly. The sort of teacher who wanted to get along with her students rather than teach them. "So, who wants to introduce themselves first?"
Predictably it was Morgan who volunteered, or more accurately the first person who shot out of their chair while the rest of us were happy to just sit down. That girl was too enthusiastic about everything.
"MY NAME IS MORGAN!" She announced. "I'M GONNA BEFRIEND EVERYONE AT THIS SCHOOL!" She pointed at the class. "Every student, every teacher, every Superhero including Vim! Who I only heard about today!" She then pointed at me. "I bet she's YOU! Or maybe you?" She then pointed at buzz. "Or you?" She then pointed at Ash. "STILL GONNA BEFRIEND YOU!" Why did it feel like more of a threat then an offer of peace? "Oh and if you're a Villain I guess I'll befriend you as well."
"Uhh… that's nice dear." Missus Batson told her. "But try to keep accusations on who could be a Ward to a minimum, it's against the rules and it's also rather rude to do it." While I understood that she herself wasn't Mr Gladly, I still drew a sort of sadistic pleasure from the knowledge that she'd have to deal with Morgan as much as I did.
"Oh… OKAY!" And with that Morgan the terror had returned to her seat skipping all the way.
Skipping all the way.
Skipping!
She didn't even look one bit chastised!
The classroom devolved into a frenzy of gossip, no doubt latching onto Morgan as the most likely candidate as Vim. Others of course disagreed, citing that her pigtails would get in the way of the helmet. The arguments went on for awhile until the teacher brought us all back under control with a well timed cough.
"Anyways, let's go uhh, go in alphabetical order shall we? Ash? Would you like to go next?" With an exaggerated sigh Ash pushed herself away from her table, got up from her seat and stood in front of the class.
"My name is Ash, no it isn't short for Ashley, no I don't like Pokemon and no I am not Vim." That was pretty straight forwards and almost normal. "Also my username on the PHO is LovelyTpot, no spaces, the T is spelt with one letter and is capitalized along with the L. If anyone is a Ward here then don't hesitate to contact me, I know how to keep a secret." She then went back to her desk and sat back down. I had the sinking feeling that she'd be receiving millions of private messages asking if she was the real Vim by the end of the day.
"Lovely to meet you Ash." Missus Batson told her. The other kids in the classroom began whispering to each other, not as loud or enthusiastic with what they had done with Morgan but it was still noticeable. "Uhh, now it's Jesse's turn, would you like to come up to say a few words?" Buzz shrugged and approached the front with more confidence then Ash had done but less than Morgan. Then again, I don't think anyone had as much energy as her. Anyone with that much pep must be crazy.
"Name's Jesse, friends call me Buzz, like Buzz Aldrin." Her introduction almost mirrored the one she made with me. "I like going to the gym, drinking my juice and space ships." She then made her way back to her desk with a few more whispers from the students. Out of the three introductions so far hers seemed like the most normal.
"And finally we have Taylor!" I stood up. Or at least tried to. I found that I was frozen in place as all heads turned to me. It struck me that I was terrified or at the very least nervous. "Taylor?" The teacher called out. I hated that name. Taylor was weak, useless and stupid. I didn't want to be Taylor, I didn't want to be afraid all the time. All they wanted was for me to stand up and say a few words. What kind of loser froze up at that?
If I was Vim, then I'd be fine.
Summoning all my courage I put my hands on my desk.
I'd be fine I told myself.
I pushed the chair from my desk.
I'd be fine.
I stood up.
I'd be fine.
I opened my mouth.
"I'd be fine."
Wait…. Did I say that outloud? "I mean, I'm fine, I uh, TAYLOR! My name is uhh Taylor!" Crap, what do I say next? Morgan said she wanted to befriend everyone, Ash told people about stuff she didn't like along with her PHO username and Buzz told everyone that she enjoyed space stuff. What did I like?
"I uh, like cooking?" CRAP! Anything but that! I didn't want people to realize I was Vim! What else could I say? What cou-
"Cooking you say?" Missus Batson piped up. "That's wonderful to hear! I do cooking for home economics!" The fact that I envisioned her as the embarrassing aunt that overfed you was suddenly solidified in my mind. "Thank you for sharing Taylor, now let's go through roll call shall we?"
I felt like my legs were going to give out at any moment. What the hell was wrong with me? I wasn't this bad at Winslow even with the constant bullying! Sure, I never liked public speaking but I could do it! What changed? I became a Hero, a Ward. But that should've made me more confident! Not awkward and scared!
"Hey Taylor? You okay?" A voice asked me. It was Buzz, however I also noted that Morgan and Ash were watching me with concern.
"I'm…." Fine I suppose? Is that what I wanted to say? "Just a bit nervous." I told them. "Used to get bullied a lot so I think that's what happened." Why was I telling them this? "I just, I'm happy to be here just…."
"Hey, hey it's okay!" Buzz told me. "A bit of stage fright is nothing to be embarrassed about." She continued. "It was pretty nice of the teacher to give you an out though." The teacher did what? I tried to remember my botched introduction and noted that yes, Missus Batson did bail me out. I just wished she hadn't put me in that position in the first place. "Yeah, when you froze up at the start she looked pretty worried, hell I was thinking of doing something myself."
"Like WHAT?" Morgan asked a bit too loudly earning a disapproving stare from the teacher.
"Morgan, please use your indoor voice." She scolded her.
"Okay…." A moment later the teacher's attention was now elsewhere leaving a freshly chastised Morgan to continue. "Like what?"
"I dunno, maybe I would've called Taylor's name?" Buzz shrugged. "I mean, it all turned out okay in the end right?"
I shrugged, unused to people feeling concern towards me. Armsmaster and the rest of the Heroes were supportive so why was this different? Was it because the concern came from civilians? People who didn't have to help people as a part of their jobs? While I was still paranoid about Emma and people who could end up like her, I felt that the three girls in front of me were genuine.
Once again, it was an alien feeling.
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Classes went smoothly enough and soon it was lunch time. "I'll meet you all in the Cafeteria!" I told them as I made my way to my locker. My own personal, perfectly clean locker. Once there I realized I had no food in my bag. I cursed. In the excitement of this being my first day at Arcadia I must've forgotten to pack anything. I still had some sweet rolls in my Inventory but I didn't want to pull them out here.
Looks like I'd have to resort to Cafeteria food. Rumors stated that Arcadia actually provided REAL edible food that tasted like food! Another reason why it was superior to Winslow! But first I needed cash. I only had a couple bucks on me, maybe enough for an apple, digging through my bag netted only a few quarters. Unwilling to give up I resorted to searching my locker. In the back, wedged in the corner where the metal was welded together was a loose bill, unnoticeable until touched. It struck me that it was folded up rather neatly. Whoever had the locker last must've left it there by accident.
It was a $50 bill! What luck!
While I felt bad about taking money that wasn't mine I calmed myself by coming to the conclusion that whoever this belonged to was probably quite rich and wouldn't miss it. They probably had graduated already so returning it was probably not an option either. With this I'd be able to afford a feast! Not that I was hungry or anything, but all meals were important.
Making my way over to the Cafeteria it didn't take me long to find my new friends, or more specifically Morgan.
"GLORY GIRL!" Morgan shouted.
"WAIT!" Buzz shouted in panic as our mutual, pigtailed friend dashed towards the New Wave hero.
"YOU!" Morgan cried out. "I'M GONNA BEFRIEND THE SHIT OUTTA YOU!" I was starting to wonder if she was secretly a Merchant, it would explain why she seemed so… peppy all the time.
Buzz managed to catch up with them and I noted that I had been moving as well. I arrived late so I was on the edge of the gathering crowds, however before I could make my way through Glory Girl spoke.
"Wow, he wasn't kidding, you are peppy!" She commented. "Didn't think you were going to jump out at me like that."
"Yeah, very…. Peppy." Another girl near them spoke. It took me a moment to place her but when I did I mentally berated myself for not recognizing her sooner. IT WAS PANACEA! As much as I liked Glory Girl I liked her even more. Alexandria and other flying Brutes were awesome of course but ever since I found out about my healing powers Panacea earned a place in my top five Hero list.
Sorry Clockblocker, but she's just a bit cooler. That said it seemed like I'd have to change that list again. With Glory Girl being here in the flesh my opinion of her seemed to skyrocket. Well it was hard not to admire how badass she looked. Even with so many people between me and her I could see the confidence she exuded.
I heard a click followed by a flash. It was Ash with a goddamn camera! What the hell Ash? It wasn't even a smart phone, it was a proper camera with a zooming scope and everything!
"You spoke as if you recognized her?" Ash was suddenly in Glory Girl's face. "How do you know Morgan hmm? Did the other Wards mention her? Which one mentioned how peppy she was?"
"Uhh…. Morgan? Not…." Glory Girl's face suddenly turned red. "Uhh no, no! NO! I'm uhh, I was talking to Dean before and he was going on about the tour and I just recognized you all from his words and I talk to him all the time because he's my boyfriend you know hahaha!" Just standing here, watching Glory Girl talk to Morgan made me feel good about myself, more confident almost. I wasn't sure why but maybe it was because of how much she embodied Heroic ideals?
Suddenly I felt someone grab my arm. It was Dennis! Clockblocker! When did he get here?
"Stop it!" He whispered angrily to me.
"Stop what?"
"Stop using your power!" He growled.
Power?
I looked down at myself and noted that I was glowing green. Huh, that was new. Despite the fact that I was close to revealing that I was a Cape, I didn't feel any panic. I noted that everyone's attention was solely on Glory Girl, not that I could blame them. On the other side, Glory Girl's attention was on Morgan, I couldn't blame her either. Either way my identity was safe.
"Come on!" Dennis then dragged me away where my power stopped glowing all together. "What the hell was that Taylor?" He asked. "What were you even doing?"
"I… I'm not sure?" Suddenly I felt unsure, insecure, the reality of the situation came crashing down on me. "I… I'm only supposed glow when I use my healing powers, or when I drink specific potions but only for a moment… I don't know what's going on."
"I do not envy you right now." He groaned. "Armsmaster would've been pissed if you ousted yourself on the first day of school."
I nodded, agreeing with him. "He's probably going to make me go through more power testing with this green aura thingy isn't he?" How did I go from looking forwards to power testing to dreading it?
Suddenly Dennis perked up. "Aura?" He asked. "Wait a second… come with me." Grabbing my hand again he dragged me back to the Cafeteria. I hadn't realized it until now but I had a boy touching me, holding my hand! Was it me or was it getting hot in here?
Looking around the corner he carefully brought me closer to the Cafeteria in such a way that no one would notice our entry. It was about then the green lights flared up and all doubts in my mind had vanished.
"Holy shit! I knew it!" He cried out. "I AM AWESOME! Oh shit…. Wait, we're still good." He swore, fearing that attention would be drawn to us and my glowing powers. Luckily Morgan and Glory Girl were still the most distracting people in the room.
"Knew what?" Pulling me away from the Cafeteria I suddenly was filled with self doubt again. Did my powers boost my confidence? Why did it have to manifest as a green glowy aura? Why couldn't I turn it on and off at will? I tried to summon up that feeling again, only to grasp nothing.
He then dragged me to a classroom. It looked like the chairs had been stacked up and pushed out of the way along with the tables. Why did they need so much space? Was there a dance class?
"This is huge!" He told me. "This is just conjecture but if your emotions are being tampered with, it looks like there's some sort of visual feedback! Potentially this means that if you're ever Mastered there's going to be a visual indication!"
Huh, that was oddly insightful for Dennis. Maybe that prankster thing he did was just a facade.
Oh shit, there was no way there wouldn't be more power testing now. At the very least they'd get Gallant to blast me emotion bullets to see what color I'd turn. Well I could save them the time and tell them now. I'd be black and blue!
Dennis continued babbling as if he hadn't noticed my despair. "You might not be immune to Master powers but it looks like you'll have the next best thing! A way to show people that you are in fact being Mastered in the first place! Going through M/S protocols is probably going to be a breeze for you!"
I guess that was cool? "Should we really be talking about this stuff out in the open like this?" I asked him. "What if someone walks in on us? We could BOTH be outed!"
"Oh right, uhh if anyone asks we can uhh…." It was at that moment that the classroom door opened to reveal… Ash. "This… THIS ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!" I cried out.
She then took a photo and it was at this moment that I noted that Dennis was still holding my hand.
"Who's your new boyfriend Vim?" Ash asked. "I bet he's the Leader of the Wards!"
We paused for a moment before yanking our hands away from each other as if they were poisonous.
"Wha-what are you talking about?" I shouted. "Dennis doesn't even had muscles like Aegis!"
"HA!" She replied. "You think those are real muscles? It's a projection! Notice how badly Aegis can get hurt but get up again? That's just him summoning up a new projection! Evidence number two, Dennis's hair is red just like Aegis's outfit! I bet you're both here discussing superhero plans!"
"NO! The reason why we're here is because." Dennis answered. Oh sweet reliable Dennis. "We were talking about our date!" I take it back, he wasn't sweet or reliable!
Seeing no alternative I latched onto it. "I uh, I used to be really unpopular and seeing Morgan inspired me to jump into the deep end!" Ash seemed to take my word for it. "And well, I thought Dennis was…" Handsome? Cute? Cool?
"Sexy?" Ash provided.
"Yeah! He's sexy!" SHIT! "I mean yeah! Handsome, cute and sexy but uhh he's also nice!" Great, now they were going to think I was a big hussy.
"Yeah, it's uh." Dennis began. "Just a simple date, you know, Fugly Bobs, movie, that sorta thing?"
"... Well that's boring...." She commented. "Well now I know you're not Vim."
"Uhh how?" I asked in confusion. What part of that conversation guaranteed I wasn't a Hero? Was Fugly Bobs a secret Villain dating spot?
"She's a lesbian, yeesh, don't you keep up with Hero news? That's all Clockblocker talks about on the PHO, Vim and Shadow Stalker, the SS.VIM!"
I glanced over to Dennis, his blank face revealing nothing.
I shuddered. Was this all Vim was now reduced to? A target for shipping? Not that I had anything against Dennis of course. It was just… he was nice, but he wasn't to my taste. I prefered someone with more… abs.
I realized that my face was burning up from embarrassment and it seemed that Ash was taking this as a sign that I was in love.
GODDAMNIlT!!!!
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