Cutscene: Wards (Patreon)

Cutscene: Wards

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The complicated tapestry of Taylor’s life, knotted with the shadows of bullies and tormentors, had been carefully tucked away when she'd shifted to Arcadia, when she'd morphed into Lady Bug as she joined with the Wards.

Despite that, the past had a pesky way of pushing its unwanted nose into the present. Taylor watched Greg Veder walk away, his departure releasing a coil in her gut she hadn't realized was wound so tight.

I really thought I was done with this...

Sure, she still dealt with Sophia's biting words at the Wards base and, despite how much she hated seeing the other girl, it was really fun seeing her walk around with an electrified ankle monitor. On top of that, Emma's coma situation, as messed up as it was, had also offered another sense of relief. Her old friend was out of commission, possibly for good. Terrible, sure, but not something she really felt bad for.

It seemed her old issues, the ones that made the last two years a living hell, were being neatly packaged and stowed away. She had her dad back for one, their relationship blossoming into something that actually felt more like a family. Each morning they exchanged smiles over the breakfast table, something simple she never thought she'd experience again.

And then the universe throws in the wrench that was Greg Veder.

Greg's entrance to the gala was a slap in the face — the return of an old irritation. He was different, looking straight-up amazing compared to the Greg she remembered. It was actually disgusting how good he looked, because puberty had done him a ton of favors, face and body-wise. Even his hair… God, He looked like he could have been a model, and that was fucking ironic. It gnawed at her, the bitter unfairness of it all, like a painful punchline to some cosmic joke.

Apparently, he'd hit the jackpot in the family lottery too, attached to one of Brockton Bay's wealthiest, money and status on his side. Why can't life play fair, just once?

She remained sitting at the Wards table, adorned in her Lady Bug costume, her eyes scanning over the crowd, only half-listening to her teammates as they chattered amongst themselves. Dean was talking about some event he had attended with his father. Missy, known to the world as Vista, was eagerly sharing an anecdote from their recent patrol. She let their words wash over her as she sipped on her drink, her mind still wrestling with the intrusion of Greg into her new world.

Her silence didn't go unnoticed. Missy's voice cut through the noise and her own thoughts like a razor-sharp knife. "What's up, LB? You've been pretty quiet." Her usually sparkling eyes were heavy with concern and the others followed suit, their curious gazes boring into her.

Taylor turned to look at Missy, her eyes hard. The little girl was sharp, always catching on quicker than anyone would expect from someone her age. And beneath that high-pitched voice and youthful face was a seasoned cape, a warrior who'd seen far more than her fair share of the city's grime.

"Just thinking," Taylor replied, her voice curt, betraying the turmoil of her thoughts.

"About that guy?" Missy asked, her voice lowered, her eyes fixed on Taylor's. "The one who came over here?"

Browbeat, a tall, muscular cape sitting beside her, stirred. He looked like he wanted to say something, but Gallant shot him a look that killed the words before they even left his mouth. Kyle was a nice guy, a bit too nice for his own good. Always looking for the 'why' behind everything.

Chris glanced at her through his red visor. “Seems like you two knew each other?”

"We don't." Taylor's tone was terse, her gaze distant.

Gallant offered a soft, intervening murmur, "I see. You understand why that’s hard for us to believe, though?”

Taylor sighed. "I'd rather not talk about it," she said, her voice barely a whisper. Talking about Greg felt like picking at a fresh wound, a reminder of a time when she was someone else. Someone weaker.

"Well, if you're not going to tell us what that was about," Vista piped up, her voice laced with a note of defiance. "You could at least clue us in on who that asshole was."

"Vista," Aegis' voice was a terse reprimand, his gaze falling on the thirteen-year-old like a parent's stern look.

"My bad," she responded softly, raising her hands in mock surrender.

"Just… keep that to the HQ," Aegis added, his voice softer now.

Taylor appreciated Carlos, as Aegis, for that. He knew when to push and when to give space, a quality she admired.

"We just... knew each other," Taylor muttered, her gaze still locked on the spot Greg had vacated. "From school."

Gallant turned to Taylor, his voice gentle. "You only have to tell us if you want to, LB. It just seems like you have some history with him."

History was a mild word for what she and Greg had. She sighed, her mind flitting back to the boy she once knew. Acne-ridden, a little pudgy, with an annoying persistence that made her skin crawl. "He was just... there." Her words felt inadequate, like trying to sketch a landscape with a broken pencil. "Kind of like a bully. Kind of like a friend."

The table fell silent, the collective attentiveness of her teammates threatening to suffocate her. Did he know? Was that why he came up to me? He had been looking too close at her, his eyes narrowed and judging as he studied her face.

She found her voice, "I… do. He's basically one of my bullies from Winslow. Well, not really but it's hard to explain. I thought he was just a random nerd who had a crush on me but I think he had been working an angle for over a year, pretending to be like that to get close to me? It's kind of confusing."

Confusing was an understatement. Greg Veder had been an annoying part of her past, a bug she couldn't squash, and now he was here in her present, looking nothing like the Greg Veder she knew. He had lost the chubbiness, his skin had cleared up, and he stood taller than he ever did back in Winslow. It was as if he had metamorphosed overnight, while she wasn't looking. He had been a random nerd with a creepy crush on her, now he was a hunk with connections to high society, an unfair twist of fate.

"He's an asshole," Taylor continued, her voice flat, her face devoid of any emotion. "He's one of Sophia's friends and I honestly never want to see him again. Odds are, I never will."

As she spoke, she could see her teammates exchange glances. They didn't press her further, a small mercy she was grateful for. Being Lady Bug, being part of the Wards, it was a fresh start. She wanted to leave the old Taylor Hebert behind, but it seemed her past was not ready to let go of her yet.

"He's a jerk." She shrugged, her voice bitter. "That's all you need to know." It's not supposed to be like this. This isn't me.

Lady Bug shifted her gaze from her teammates back to the crowd. She took a long, deep breath, her eyes skimming over the room, lingering on the adult capes engaged in their mingling and politicking. It was a different world indeed, far from the desolate corridors of Winslow. She scanned the sea of faces, some familiar, some new, but all hidden behind the masks of their alter egos. She was looking for Greg, but she didn't find him. A sense of relief washed over her. She didn't need his ghost haunting her new life.

Aegis spoke up, successfully steering the conversation away from Greg and Taylor’s troubled past. "We should mingle, guys. We're the young heroes of Brockton Bay after all."

Taylor rose with them, a slight smile on her face. The Wards were a distraction, a respite, a purpose. They were friends, comrades-in-arms. She had started to trust them, to let them in, to feel at home with them.

Still, as she glanced back at her team, the unspoken words hanging in the air felt like a too-heavy blanket in the atmosphere. Browbeat, Gallant, Aegis, Vista — they looked at her, concern etched on their faces. It was a far cry from the biting sarcasm and cruel taunts of Sophia and Emma. Taylor had made a world for herself here, amongst the Wards. She'd fought tooth and nail to earn their trust, to build a place where she wasn't an outcast. Here, she wasn't a target; she was a teammate.

The bitterness melted away slowly, replaced by a strange cocktail of gratitude and trepidation. She felt lighter, more grounded. She was Lady Bug, and she had the Wards on her side. She was Taylor Hebert, and she wasn't going to let Greg Veder, or anyone else, unravel her hard-fought peace.

She cast a final look at the spot Greg had occupied earlier, steeling herself.

No more ghosts. No more hiding. I've changed. It's time they see that.

"I'm fine, guys. I promise," she said, her voice steady. "And hey, if I have to see him again...I’ll be fine with that too."

With that, the Wards rose from their seats and made their way towards the crowd. Taylor tagged along, her heart beating a tad lighter. As Lady Bug, she wasn't just Taylor Hebert anymore, she was more. She had been through hell and came back stronger. Greg Veder was a ghost of her past, but he had nothing to do with Lady Bug.

After all, she was a cape.

Greg might be different now but he couldn’t come close to her on that.