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Baptism 1.6

I walked through the hallways to my next class, barely able to control myself from giving every passerby a second look.

My instincts were jumping at me to identify the threat that Sophia implied, these other "predators" in the school, which contradicted with the need to stay lower key.

The meeting on the roof kept replaying itself in my mind, as I analyzed it for every detail.

Knowing the truth—was it really the truth?—behind Emma's betrayal didn't make me feel any better, as I used to think it would. In fact, it made me feel more angry.

I wondered if it was even worth confronting Emma over it. I didn't know what to do about her. There was a part of me that still wanted to know just what made her start to think that way, what gave her the idea that bullying me would prove that I was strong?

And the worst part of it was that it was somehow kind of right. Although Sophia mistakenly thought that something else had changed me, I was 90% sure that it was the locker incident that unlocked my powers, which meant that Emma's absurd plan actually worked, and I had an ominous feeling about Sophia's speech on predators waking up when facing something truly terrible.

If I took her words at face value, it sounded like the ramblings of a psycho. But underneath the surface, I couldn't shake the feeling that "predator" was a metaphor for something else.

A cape.

It was the most obvious answer, and I wasn't just saying that because I actually was a cape.

I didn't think it was just my own bias leading me to that answer, not when Sophia herself inexplicably disappeared from the roof like that.

A normal person couldn't do that. I mean, maybe she could've jumped over and climbed into a window, but I was quite sure that she was giving me a message, on top of her warning.

She knew I was a cape, and was warning me of the consequences for not being part of their little clique, because she was a cape too—and I was a newbie that didn't even realize who else had powers in this school and who else was a threat to me, when she saw through me so easily.

It was a show of force, in a way. As if saying, 'I can fight you evenly without even any powers, but you're obviously using powers. If I were using my powers, you wouldn't even see me coming.' That was probably why she snuck up on me too at the beginning.

It wasn't true, of course. I was holding back, and had only one enchantment on me. If I stacked all of my buff spells, or summoned the Guardian Spirit, it'd be a completely different story.

But it didn't change the fact that from her perspective, I wasn't so impressive, and I had to admit I had no idea what her power even was, if she was a cape like I thought, and maybe she really could wipe the floor with me.

And it would explain the feeling I got from her that was lacking in everyone else—that potential that I knew I could extract with a ritual.

Unless I was totally overthinking it.

Wasn't it more reasonable to think that I had been secretly practicing martial arts? That was what I had thought, but maybe that was my own wishful thinking talking. If she was a cape, she might be better able to see the signs, signs that maybe I didn't realize I was showing, or maybe because she was a cape, she automatically assumed other people that could fight well were capes too because she was biased like that.

And if "predator" was a code word for cape, did that mean Emma and Madison were capes too, and for some reason my power just hadn't detected their power in the form of the potential, or some other reason I couldn't use them for the ritual?

In the end, it just made things more complicated. I still couldn't report any of their bullying or the sudden assault because there was no evidence, according to the school, and if Sophia really was a cape, she might be threatening the teachers somehow. She also said she wouldn't "keep protecting me", as if she had been doing it all along. So who was she threatening not to come after me before, when I wasn't even a cape then?

And what were the rules she mentioned?

I shuffled into my World Issues class when it was three quarters full. More students came in even as the bell rang, but Mr. Gladly was in no rush to get started even though it was technically time.

The late ones gave him half hearted apologies and he waved them to sit down. Mr. Gladly was one of those teachers that tried to be cool, having students call him Mr. G, taking time to chat with the popular kids, assigning more group work so they could hang out with their friends, and even ending class early or starting a bit late after lunch to be "understanding".

Madison came by and gave me a weak smile which turned stiff when I gave her a disturbed look, and she took a seat behind me as usual.

"Today, we'll be looking at a question that's been puzzling people ever since cape powers appeared. Where do they come from? Does anyone want to volunteer any of your own ideas? We can make a list on the board and see how they compare to what the experts think."

When Mr. Gladly talked about capes, he was especially animated, and the class was listening closely. It wasn't just him, most students were fascinated by capes, and secretly wanted to have powers of their own, and I was no exception—then I actually got them, and I was equally curious.

I waited for other students to volunteer some ideas. I had long since given up on trying to contribute in this class, as Mr. Gladly always picked the popular students to answer, as if that would help him fit in with the popular crowd himself.

I would have told him to grow up, but if you looked at his appearances, you could mistake him for a high school student with how young and short he looked.

"A DNA mutation!"

That got a nod and a quick scribble on the board from Mr. Gladly. "Thanks for being the first to volunteer Joe."

"When an athlete or genius breaks past some kind of limit, they get powers."

"Very good, Julia, we call that the exceptional person hypothesis so that's what I'll write down here," he said.

"They come from Scion."

"That's another popular theory," said Mr. Gladly. "Good, Zach."

There were only a couple more hands. He took one look one of them and glanced away. That was Greg Veder, who sat beside me and was a known cape geek and a nerd. He never gave up on trying to share his ideas even though Mr. Gladly obviously didn't care for them.

"Madison," Mr. Gladly decided easily.

"You have to have the potential, first. It's genetic, but not everyone unlocks it. Then, under very strong emotions, the strong ones unlock their potential."

There it was again, as if Madison was repeating Sophia's earlier words to me. My suspicions seemed to be getting more accurate by the minute. Sophia was a cape, and she knew how people got powers. Emma and Madison were either capes themselves, or had learned from Sophia how people got powers.

And Emma…had been trying to make me into a cape by bullying me. And it fucking worked.

Damn her!

Just when I finally had something that was all mine, that made me worth something, Emma was going to steal credit for it again?

"Well, I could actually put that down as two different theories that have been floated around by experts. Genetic inheritance, and traumatic trigger."

My pencil snapped in half when my anger got the better of me for an instant. The cracking sound caused a bunch of heads to turn my way.

Mr. Gladly gave me a frown. "Taylor, what have I said about disrupting class?"

"Sorry, Mr. G. My pencil just broke. It must have been defective," I said, picking up the pieces and getting another pencil out.

"It's true, Mr. G, she didn't do it on purpose. She was just trying to take notes," Madison's voice came from behind me.

Mr. Gladly looked surprised at Madison's defense of me. That surprised was shared by me and a bunch of other people in class, who started whispering.

I snuck a quick look around with my peripheral vision. Julia, one of my other tormentors, and a couple of her friends had dark looks on their faces, but they didn't turn to Madison, as if they knew all along what Madison was going to say.

"Uh! yeah! She was totally trying to take notes, like super focused on listening to the class," Greg decided to add suddenly.

I looked at him strangely and he gave me a thumbs up with a wide smile, and I mouthed a thanks.

Then I looked to Madison, who resolutely refused to meet my eyes.

"Oh. Well, okay then, if that's what happened, I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions, Taylor. Let's continue," said Mr. Gladly.

At the end of class, Madison rushed out before I could confront her privately. I rushed after her immediately.

"Hey, Taylor—" Greg tried to talk to me, and I gave him an apologetic wave, "Sorry, got something I need to do before next class!"

Greg wasn't a bad guy, but he could be annoying sometimes. He never helped me in public before, and I was guessing that the only reason he did it today was because for some reason Madison was supporting me too, and he could safely agree with one of the popular girls.

He had tried more than a few times to talk to me, and out of politeness and appreciation that he at least tried, I had a few awkward conversations with him before. But when it came down to it, he was just like all the rest of the students that never stepped in when I was being bullied. Disappointing. I had the distinct impression that he thought we were both losers that should stick together, except he didn't actually stick by me when it counted, making excuses to leave when Emma and her cohort approached.

Only now when it was easy did he bother to do anything, so I didn't feel bad about cutting him off to chase my quarry. There was a ten minute break before we had to get to the next class, and Mr. G let us out early, as usual, so I was going to find out why Madison was acting almost friendly to me.

Madison looked back to see me coming toward her and sped up. I did the same.

Then she ducked into a stairwell, but with a run that would have made the hall monitor yell at me if she'd been there to see it, I swiftly caught up to Madison just as she went out the exit doors to the pavement outside.

I grabbed her shoulder and called her name.

She twitched like I was a jump scare and turned around with frantic eyes.

"Wh-what is it, Taylor?" She said, holding her binders closer to her chest.

"What's gotten into you?" I asked, walking closer to her with narrowed eyes. "Why did you help me today?"

"Nothing! Don't worry about me, I won't bother you anymore, I swear!" She stepped backwards timidly as I approached.

"You're being awfully suspicious. I thought you three enjoyed making my life miserable. Is this another trick?"

"No, no!" She shook her head vigorously. "Completely serious."

I couldn't keep the disbelieving look off my face. Why was everyone acting so strangely today? I had to get to the bottom of this, and I was sure it had to do with the things Sophia told me earlier. How many people already knew I was a cape, and what role did Madison and Emma play in this "predator" business?

"You think I'd believe that, after what you did to me? After you almost killed me in the locker?"

"W-wait, I didn't have anything to do with that! It was all Emma and Sophia!" She backed herself against the wall.

"Why are you scared of me all of a sudden?"

She swallowed. "I'm not scared," she said, contradicting her obvious body language. Her eyes darted around as if looking for an escape.

"Yes, you are. You know something, don't you? What is it? What do you know?!"

"I don't know what you mean!" She said in a high pitched voice.

"Sophia attacked me today," I said, watching for her reaction.

"What?" She had a look of genuine surprise.

"A test. To see if I could join your little group," I elaborated.

"Oh," she said, surprise giving away to understanding, as if my clarification was a perfectly logical explanation. She knew.

My eyes narrowed.

"So you three are all predators? You're a predator, Madison?"

Her face pale. "Y-yeah."

"You don't sound sure of that."

"I am!" She said, desperation in her voice.

"Really? I think you're lying. But you wish you were, don't you?," I said.

Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened. "I-I…"

"Sophia must have told you a few things about it, about how to become one? So you can be different and better than everyone else that's just—what did she call them—prey?"

She winced.

"And she's been protecting you while you pretend to be a predator. Emma too, am I right?"

"You can't tell them that, please!"

"You're lucky Madison. You have no idea what it's really like. Do you know I almost died in there? I was suffocating, nauseous, puking, and getting slowly eaten alive by insects. The doctors said I was catatonic for a week. Maybe I came out stronger, but I wouldn't have wished that on anyone. And here you are, wishing for it."

"N-no, I'm sorry!" She was shaking, her fingers clutching her binders were turning white with tension. "I-I had no choice! If they think I'm not one of them, if I go against them, I would be next! They're psycho!"

"So why the change of heart then? Why risk helping me now?"

"It-it was Emma! She told me to be nice to you, because if you passed Sophia's test you could be her friend again! I swear to god it's true, I'm not making this up!"

I stared at her unblinkingly, expression blank as I reviewed what I had found out. Everything was becoming clear to me.

There was some kind of underground cape society right in school, with Sophia and Emma leading one group.

That summer, Emma must have become a cape and met Sophia. She wanted me to be part of them, but it was against the "rules" that Sophia mentioned. I still didn't know what they were, but it was obvious that they had something to do with hiding our powers and not talking about it openly—hence the code words predators for capesand prey for non-capes.

So Emma came up with a plan to make me into a cape, except it didn't work very well, so she kept trying worse things until the locker incident.

It all starting to make sense now, why nobody else ever helped me, why the administration looked the other way.

There were other capes in school, other groups, who were staying away because Sophia and Emma had 'marked' me as theirs. The school might be either in on the whole thing, as part of a bigger gang trying to foster capes out of Winslow, or maybe they were scared of the students. Like Sophia, who was somehow on the track team and favoured by teachers even though everyone knew she got into fights outside of school and sometimes in school where the teachers couldn't see.

I always wondered why there were so many villains compared to heroes. If there were a lot more capes than the public knew, with school bullying making a perfect breeding ground for more capes, then it would make sense that more capes end up turning to villainy. The Protectorate and military obviously couldn't use such methods. Well maybe the CIA and NSA did, in offshore bases like Guantanamo Bay, as highly classified programs. I remembered reading something about mind control experiments back in the 50s and 60s, so it wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility.

Before I could decide what to do next, Madison slunk down and started tearing up.

"Oh god, d-don't hurt me, please! I'll do whatever you want! J-just don't hurt me! I never wanted to be part of it, I'm not a predator! I know it's hard to believe and everything sounds stupid, but it's true! Sophia and Emma are both crazy, but they can get away with everything and I can't do anything about it or I'd be next! The school always takes their side and even the gangers don't try anything with them!"

"You know who the gang members are?" I asked. More facts lining up.

"Y-yeah, like Frank, he's E88, or Jun, he brings a knife to school everyday. And I h-heard some of the seniors are full members," she emphasized the last two words as if they were terrifying secret. "I'm f-from a normal family and w-we can't afford to transfer to Immaculata, Arcadia wouldn't accept me and Clarendon is too full, or I would never have stayed past the first month!"

As much as I hated her, I began to pity her. I couldn't keep her in my mind as that monstrous bully when the positions had practically reversed and she was turning out to be almost as much a victim as me. And I still didn't know why she was so scared of me now, but it didn't look like I'd get anything more out of her.

Who was to blame for all this?

Something was rotten in the school of Winslow.