Confrontation II: The Reckoning Pt 3 (Patreon)

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Sophia had been in life-or-death situations before, but they had rarely been about her life or death, and they'd never involved someone she actually cared about. This situation was different; it hit her harder, on a more visceral level. If Buzz had actually died … she didn't know how she would handle that. Even after the bug controller had broken her jaw, there was still nobody else in the Wards with whom she could connect nearly half as well.

What she couldn't figure out was how Buzz could be taking it so calmly. The bug controller was standing off to the side a little; if Sophia knew her, there would be bugs spreading out over her entire range, locating each and every person in that area.

“No other gang activity nearby,” Buzz stated. Her voice was quiet, but the bugs around her repeated the sounds, so that her statement reached both Sophia and Clockblocker easily enough. “It all looks quiet.”

“Good,” Clockblocker replied, not looking away from Oni Lee. He had the tip of the tranq arrow up against the time-frozen villain's arm, applying almost enough pressure to break the vial and release the sedative. “Shadow Stalker, call this in. Buzz, back off. Get out of sight.”

Sophia could see the sense in that. She was less sure about Clockblocker's chances if Oni Lee managed to start teleporting before her team leader managed to freeze him again.

“No.” Buzz shook her head. “I'm not leaving you.”

“That wasn't a request.” There was a tone to Clockblocker's voice that Shadow Stalker had rarely heard before. Normally, the white-clad Ward was never serious, making jokes at the most inappropriate of times. Sophia was even pretty sure she'd caught him looking at her butt more than once. But now, he actually sounded like a leader, like someone who knew what they were talking about. “I'm ordering you to clear the area.”

“Clock's got a point,” Sophia agreed. “And whether you're over there out of sight or right next to us, you can still bugpocalypse Lee all you like.” She pointed at the pistol. “Your armour's good, but it's not that good.”

“Okay, sure,” Buzz replied reluctantly, starting to move away. “Can you at least jam it up or something?”

“It's frozen, like the rest of him.” But Sophia was looking at the pistol, with ideas forming in her head. “But if I had some duct tape …”

“What, like this?” Sophia looked around as Buzz asked the question, to see a roll of tape arcing toward her. “That help?”

Behind her mask, Sophia grinned as she caught it. “Is there anything you don't carry back there?”

“Still working on the kitchen sink.” Buzz paused. “Sure you don't need a hand?”

Sophia gestured. “Go. We got this.” Turning toward the still-frozen Oni Lee, she pulled a length of tape free. “Now … let's see.”

<><>

Oni Lee blinked. Things had suddenly gone dark. What happened? He had been fighting with the bug girl and Shadow Stalker. Despite their desperate resistance, he'd had the bug girl in his sights. Reflexively, he squeezed the trigger; nothing happened. Something was stopping it from completing its backward motion.

Something stung his arm and he lashed out instinctively; his elbow hit nothing but air. Why can't I see anything? Reaching toward his face, he realised that his fingers were bound together with some kind of tough material, hampering both his range of movement and his sense of touch. His mask, he discovered a moment later, was somehow fastened to his head. He tried to drop the useless gun, but it would not leave his grip; he couldn't even open his hand.

With the one hand, wrapped in the heavy, clinging material, he clawed at his mask, trying to pull it away from his face. That was when he discovered that there was some kind of binding wrapped around the mask and all the way around his head. It was also covering the eye-holes of the mask, rendering him effectively blind.

A cold sensation spread through his body from the point where he had felt the sting. Lassitude overcame him; he fought against it, but found himself dropping to his knees. As consciousness faded away, he thought he heard the sound of an approaching vehicle, but he couldn't quite place it.

<><>

Armsmaster climbed off the motorcycle and looked across at a crumpled tarp which had a pair of feet sticking out from under it. Three more mooks in ABB colours, their hands bound behind their backs, were lined up along the front of the building, but his attention was on the apparent corpse. “What happened to him?”

It was Clockblocker who answered. “Oni Lee was tossing around grenades. One of them caught that guy. The rest were inside or out back.”

Armsmaster nodded. “Ah.” Collateral damage, although unfortunate, was a fact of life when dealing with hardened criminals. The fact that Lee had taken out one of his own men when trying to kill Buzz was unfortunate, but viewed in the light of cold hard reality, it could have been much worse. “So Lee is sedated?”

“Yes, sir.” Clockblocker held up a tranq arrow; Armsmaster could tell from the empty reservoir that it had been expended. “I don't know how long it'll last.”

Armsmaster looked down at the unconscious villain. “Did you give him the full dose?”

“Yes, sir,” Clockblocker affirmed. “I wanted him asleep just as fast as possible.”

“I can't fault your logic,” the Protectorate hero agreed. He rubbed his chin. “I have to say, I had thought I'd seen every use there was for duct tape, but this is a new one on me. Whose idea?”

“Shadow Stalker's,” Clockblocker said. “Buzz supplied the roll.”

“Yeah,” the cloaked Ward added. “But I think I owe her a new one.” She held up a forlorn-looking cardboard tube; Armsmaster recognised the type immediately. “I kind of used it all.”

Armsmaster nodded slowly. She hadn't gone easy with it, that was for certain. Both of Lee's hands had been swathed in the tough, sticky tape, with a solid wad of it pushed behind the trigger of the pistol he was holding. More held the villain's mask to his face, while yet more again had been wrapped around the bandoleers of knives and grenades that he carried, to ensure that he would not be able to make use of them.

“Well done,” he agreed. “I'll give him another dose of sedative, just to make sure he stays under, then get him back to headquarters. We'll deal with the duct tape once we get him back there.” He looked around. “Where's Buzz?”

“Over here,” the bug controller called out, rounding the corner of the convenience store. “Clockblocker made me get out of sight, in case Lee got loose again.”

“Good thinking.” Armsmaster gave the white-clad Ward a measured nod. “From what you say, he was going all-out to kill her. Any idea why?”

Clockblocker shrugged. “Just that she was there when Lung was taken down, and when Bakuda was sent elsewhere. Maybe he was trying to make a statement?”

“If he wants to make a statement, he'll make a statement all right,” Armsmaster said grimly. “Multiple counts of attempted murder on a Ward? That's a Birdcage offence, right there.”

“Uh, I don't know much about it, but isn't it a three-strikes thing?” Buzz's voice was diffident. “I mean, you've gotta do something pretty heinous to get sent there, right?”

“Wait, you're arguing against him going to the Birdcage?” Shadow Stalker stared at her. “The asshole tried to kill you. Repeatedly.”

“Yeah,” agreed Clockblocker. “What she said.”

Armsmaster noted with grim amusement the startled glance that the two Wards shared. That's probably the first thing they've agreed on since Shadow Stalker joined the team.

Buzz shook her head. “No, I'm not saying he shouldn't go,” she said. “Just that … well, I don't know how it works, I guess.”

“To be honest, the three-strikes rule is more complex than the public generally understands,” the older hero explained. “For a start, not all crimes even register as a 'strike'. Crimes where nobody gets hurt tend to be overlooked altogether. Rob a convenience store three times? You don't even make the radar. Particularly violent or flashy crimes – anything that catches the public eye, really – are what make the 'strikes', and a really nasty one might count as two or even three strikes at once.”

“Wait, wait.” Clockblocker interrupted. “So you're saying that if someone committed lots of low-level crimes, so long as they kept their head down, they'd be in no danger of going to the Birdcage?”

“Unless they started hurting or killing people, certainly,” agreed Armsmaster. “Then all their prior crimes would suddenly add up. Premeditated murder's a big one.”

Shadow Stalker looked around at that one. “So if I get this right, the PRT can basically handwave three strikes whenever they feel like it?”

“If the PRT feels that the offence merits it, they will strongly advise the judiciary to push for the Birdcage, yes,” Armsmaster told her. “That sort of leeway does exist, although we don't tend to use it all that much. The potential for abuse is huge, so they almost always go for lesser sentences. Except for, as Buzz put it, particularly heinous crimes.”

Shadow Stalker hadn't finished. “So … what if one villain decided to off another one? Would he be likely to be Birdcaged?”

“Unlikely. The villain's prior record would have to be taken into account. Gavel, for instance. You've heard of him?”

“Australian villain,” Clockblocker supplied. “Used to target other villains. Saw himself as a hero. This was sort of before the unwritten rules really came into effect, so he used to go after family members and friends to draw out the villains.”

“Exactly.” Armsmaster gave the Ward an approving nod. “It's more the targeting civilians that got him put into the Birdcage, but murdering villains was also a factor. The murder part, not the villains. Going after heroes, on the other hand …” He gestured at Lee. “This attempt today … well, if it had been more of a one-off thing, then yes, it would just be one strike. But this wasn't a single random attack. He went after you with malice aforethought. The PRT has a very firm policy regarding anyone specifically targeting a Protectorate cape for murder.” He indicated the body under the tarp. “Plus, there's a case for murder right there. And he has prior offences. We've just never been able to lay hands on him before.”

“Huh.” Buzz's voice was thoughtful. “I guess that kind of makes sense, then.”

“Exactly.” Armsmaster put his hand on her shoulder. “How are you bearing up? Want to finish your patrol off now? You've just been through a pretty traumatic experience.”

Buzz laughed a little shakily. “What, as compared to Lung nearly killing me, or falling to my near-death? I'm still walking, I've got all my hair, and I've got no major injuries. I call this a win.”

“Actually, sir,” Clockblocker put in, “I think I'll call the patrol off for today. This was a rough fight for all of us. Besides, we've got reports to write up.”

“That's understandable,” Armsmaster allowed. “I'll get a van to come pick you up. The police will be by soon to get the surviving perps.”

<><>

Taylor found herself leaning against the wall as Armsmaster bundled Oni Lee into a cage that he had erected on the back of his motorcycle. Shadow Stalker leaned beside her, arms folded.

“How are you doing?” the dark-clad Ward asked quietly. “And don't bullshit me. How are you really doing?”

“I, uh, I guess I'll survive,” Taylor said, equally quietly. “I didn't get hurt this time, thankfully.”

“That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it.” Shadow Stalker's voice was impatient. “You're tough. I already know that. You don't have to put on a show for me and Clockblocker. Are you all right, or not?”

“It's not like it was with Lung.” Taylor found the words spilling from her mouth. “Or with Bakuda. Those times, I was just in the way. Wrong place at the wrong time. This time, he wanted me dead. He wanted me dead.” She could feel herself beginning to shake, just a little. “I'm still trying to get my head around that.”

“Hey.” Sophia turned toward her. “It's easy to explain. He's a douche and a sore loser. You messed with the ABB so he tried to mess with you. But we messed with him harder.”

Taylor tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “I'm just glad that you were there. You saved my life. Again.”

“Yeah, well, you're my partner. Nobody messes with my partner.”

Without quite knowing how she did it, Taylor found herself hugging Sophia. “Thanks. Thank you. For being there. For saving me.”

“Hey.” Shadow Stalker was obviously just a little uncomfortable with hugging, but she didn't push Taylor away. “You saved my ass too. I saw you pepper-spray that one copy. He was about to shoot me.” Slowly, her arms crept around Taylor.

“Yeah, well, like you said, partners, right?” Taylor could feel her shakes beginning to recede. “You don't get out of probation that easily.”

Sophia snorted with amusement. “And straight back to juvey? No thanks. But to be honest, I wasn't even thinking about that. I just wasn't gonna let that dirtbag hurt you. You know how I hate to lose.”

Taylor let her head rest against Shadow Stalker's for a moment. “Well, thanks. I mean it.”

The other girl sighed. “And there you go again, making me feel all emotional and crap. And you don't even like me. Not that I blame you.”

“Well, that's changing as of right now.” Taylor gave her an extra squeeze. “You put your life on the line for me, even knowing how I felt about you. So I think it's time I cut you just a little slack.”

“Hey, don't go getting all soft on me now, Buzz,” Shadow Stalker warned her.

Taylor chuckled. “Too late. I'm gonna be asking for permission for us to go to the movies. And to invite friends along, if you want.”

Shadow Stalker stepped back for a moment. “Wait, you mean -”

“Yup.” Taylor nodded. “We can invite tall, dark and hunky along. If you really want to, that is.” Deep in her heart, she felt a pang. I'd love to take him to the movies on my own. But then I'd be backstabbing Shadow Stalker. I'd be no better than her. A half-smile. Besides, Aisha's a lot of fun to be around, and there's nothing stopping me from admiring the eye candy anyway.

“I …” Sophia stopped. “I … holy shit. Are you serious? You're not serious. You are serious.” There was wonder in her voice.

Taylor nodded. “Never been more serious in my life.”

“What are we being serious about now?” asked Clockblocker, strolling over to where they stood. Armsmaster had taken Oni Lee away; they were alone in the parking lot, save for the unfortunate ABB casualty and the live mooks. “If it's girl talk, let me know and I'll go watch the mooks for a bit.”

“It's all good,” Taylor assured him. “This is just a personal thing. I'm going to be asking permission to take her to the movies. And maybe bring a date along.”

Clockblocker looked from one to the other. “That's really nice of you, Buzz. But hang on a second. If you bring a date along, won't Shadow Stalker kind of cramp your style?”

Taylor ignored Sophia's sudden coughing fit. “No, the date isn't for me. It's for her.”

“Okay, now I'm more confused than ever,” Clockblocker confessed, turning to face Shadow Stalker. “There's a guy your age who isn't terrified to ask you out on a date?”

Taylor winced, fully expecting Shadow Stalker to blow up on the spot. Oh boy, here it comes. But instead of punching or insulting him, her reply was almost sweet. “Yup. And he's a really nice guy.” Taylor watched her step up until she was face to face with Clockblocker; interestingly enough, the two Wards were almost exactly the same height. “So you can keep dreaming.”

“I, uh, sorry I said anything.” Clockblocker paused. “But I'll vouch for you if they ask me. You did good today. Really good.”

“Thanks.” Taylor raised her voice slightly, turning his attention away from Shadow Stalker. “I appreciate it. We appreciate it.” She lifted her chin. “Now, uh, if you don't mind, I would actually like to have some girl talk with her?”

He took the hint; giving her a sketchy salute, he backed off to where the mooks were still waiting to be picked up.

“What?” Sophia murmured, once he was out of earshot. “Did you think I was gonna deck him or something?”

“The thought crossed my mind, yeah,” Taylor said. “That, or call him an asshole.”

Shadow Stalker snorted softly. “Almost did,” she admitted. “Decided at the last moment that it wouldn't be a smart idea to call my team leader names until after he's written his after-action report.”

Taylor chuckled. “Is it me, or are you actually learning tact?”

A rude noise emanated from behind the scowling-woman mask. “Wash your mouth out.”

Taylor grinned. After learning that one important fact, she had felt that she would never be able to connect with Shadow Stalker on the same easy level that they'd had before. Now, she was hopeful; it would be a long while before she was truly comfortable with the new situation, but it seemed that Sophia was making the effort as well.

I trust her with my life. Now I just have to learn how to trust her with my friendship again.

<><>

That Evening

“So let me get this straight.” Unconsciously, Deputy Director Renick squared off the papers in front of him with his fingertips. “You want to go to the movies again instead of roller-blading, and you want to allow Shadow Stalker to ask along a date?” His eyebrows rose on the last word as he looked significantly at the two teenage girls before him.

“I'll also be roller-blading, to get there and back,” Taylor pointed out helpfully. “I was thinking we could meet the others at the movies.”

“Others.” His tone was dry. “So this is a date for you also, Buzz?”

“Uh, no, not really. The boy Sophia wants to go out with has a sister. We're pretty good friends.” She seemed about to say more, but shut her mouth firmly instead.

“Indeed. And where did you meet these people?” He watched their faces. “Down at the Boardwalk last time, for instance? Did you perhaps go to the movies with them?”

Sophia opened her mouth, but Taylor nudged her; she closed her mouth again. “Uh, yes, sir,” the bug controller admitted. “It really was an accident. Sophia literally ran into him and hurt her ankle.”

Renick closed his eyes, pressing his fingertips to his forehead for a moment. “And why, exactly, did you not report the fact that your trip to the movies was actually in the company of others?”

“Because at that time it was a one-off, sir.” Buzz's voice was earnest. “I didn't know if I'd even be thinking about asking permission to do it again. And I didn't want to prejudice Sophia's progress reports.”

“Indeed.” His dry tone made them both wilt just a little. “And what, exactly, makes you think that I would be inclined to sign off on a repeat performance? Especially given that you weren't totally forthcoming with me, the first time around?”

Buzz took a deep breath. “Sir, we did tell you that we went to the movies. We're not going behind your back on this one. And I do think that it's helping my relationship with Shadow Stalker. We are getting things worked out.”

“Hm.” Renick picked up the report before him. For once, Clockblocker had deviated from his normally irritating habit of extreme brevity. The glowing language virtually leaped off the page as he described Shadow Stalker's desperate attempts to prevent Oni Lee from murdering Buzz. Trapped in his own time-frozen costume, the leader of the Wards had been an involuntary spectator for most of the fight. By his account, Shadow Stalker had been wounded twice – her bandaged shoulder and leg attested to that – and had still managed to keep Lee's clones off of Buzz just long enough for the tide to turn.

The two girls watched him as he straightened the papers once more and placed them back on his desk. Interestingly enough, it was Shadow Stalker who seemed impassive, while Buzz was more tense. He let them sweat just a little longer before speaking.

“On the other hand, this report is a prime example of what we're trying to encourage in the Wards,” he began. “You backed one another up, you saved each others' lives, and you worked together. I cannot overstate how much I approve of this. Shadow Stalker, you're a probationary Ward twice over now; however, despite all expectations to the contrary, you have justified Buzz's trust in the most definitive way possible. Buzz, I have to admit that I had misgivings when it came to partnering you with Shadow Stalker again, but by all indications it seems to be working out better than I ever expected.”

Stunned silence met him as he stopped speaking. Both girls were staring at him as if he had grown a second head. He couldn't really blame them; the glowing praise, preceded as it was by the dressing-down of moments before, had to have caught them on the back foot.

“Uh, so what does that mean, uh, sir?” To his mild surprise, it was Shadow Stalker who spoke. He would have bet money that Buzz had told Sophia to stay quiet and let her do the talking.

“Well, for one thing,” Renick informed Shadow Stalker, “it means that Clockblocker has put your name up for a commendation. I am inclined to support this. For another, however you're doing it, your partnership seems to be working out well. I will expect a positive report from Mrs Yamada, the next time you see her, but for now I'm going to sign off on this movie date of yours. This time.”

Shadow Stalker did not leap out of her chair to hug Buzz, but he suspected that was because she was too stunned to think coherently.

Buzz, on the other hand, had a response ready. “Thank you, sir,” she said. “Thank you. A lot.” She grinned at Shadow Stalker. “I'll definitely keep an eye on her.”

“I'll be expecting you to,” Renick told her austerely. “Shadow Stalker, I believe that your leg needs a little time to mend before you'll be able to roller-blade again, but I fully expect you to discuss your issues anyway. Is that clear?”

Recovering from her surprise, Shadow Stalker looked less than pleased at that, but Buzz once again nudged her. “Uh, yes, uh, sir,” the probationary Ward replied, a little reluctantly. “We'll do that too.”

Renick smiled. “Good. Then we understand each other.”

<><>

“Holy crap, how did you even pull that off?” Sophia limped alongside Buzz as they headed down the corridor toward the entrance to the Wards' base. Both had masked up again after leaving Renick's office. “I thought we were grounded for sure.”

Buzz shrugged. “Remember how I insisted on telling them about the movies the first time? This meant that Renick already knew about them, so it wasn't just one more surprise for him to handle.”

“Yeah, but … shit.” Sophia shook her head as she stopped at the retinal scanner. “I'm used to being put on punishment duty, not being told 'sure, you can go on a date'.” She leaned over and let the scanner examine her eye. A buzzer sounded; a few moments later, the doors slid aside.

“Well, part of it's gotta be Clockblocker's report,” Buzz pointed out. “And there's the man of the hour himself.” She moved over to where Clockblocker was chatting with Kid Win at the console. “Hey, Clock.”

“Hey, Buzz.” He turned to face her. “So how'd it go?”

“It went great.” She hugged him. “Thanks for the nice things you said about Shadow Stalker. She totally deserved them.”

“Yeah, she did,” he replied. “Which is why I said them.” He looked over as Sophia approached. “I just want to say, you and me, we never really got along, but I think you and Buzz make a great team. You really stepped up.” He held out his hand. “I'll go on patrol with you any time.”

Slowly, Sophia shook it. She wasn't sure how she felt about him hugging Buzz – she's my friend, dammit – but it was an overture. “Yeah, thanks,” she said awkwardly. “Jumping on that grenade like that, that was kinda badass too.”

He shrugged. “I wear a full-body costume for a reason. But it wasn't a great move, because it put me out of the fight for a bit. How's your leg and your shoulder?”

“Eh, had worse.” She shrugged, very carefully. “I've been stitched up. Should be fine in a few days.”

“Clock was just telling me about the fight,” put in Kid Win. “Did you really put a grenade underground?”

“Only thing I could think of doing,” Sophia confirmed. “The bastard was handing them out like party favours.”

The Tinker nodded at her. “He's scary like that. Good job keeping him off Buzz. Sounds like he really had it in for her.”

“Yeah, well, here's hoping he really goes to the Birdcage, like Armsmaster said,” Buzz added. “That's something I don't ever want to go through again.”

Clockblocker slapped her on the shoulder. “You and me both. It's just a good thing that Shadow Stalker was there too.”

And for the first time in a long time, with the three of them looking at her in obvious approval, Sophia found herself blushing.

<><>

Winslow High School
Wednesday Morning, April 27, 2011

"Hey, Sophia, wait up!"

Sophia looked around to see Emma approaching, with Madison right behind her. Oh great. She's still pissed about my statement. A quick glance around showed that Taylor was nowhere in sight - she didn't need that particular can of worms opening itself right now - so she turned to face the redhead. "What do you want, Emma?"

"Geez, what got up your ass?" retorted Emma. "All I did was ask for one little tiny favour on Monday and you just stomped off. And if I didn't know better, I'd think you were avoiding me all yesterday."

I was, because I don't know how to handle this situation. "I wasn't. I was just ... busy." Sophia didn't say any more, because Madison wasn't in on her secret identity.

"Yeah, well, Dad's been looking at the legal side of things for the last couple of days." Emma rolled her eyes, apparently over her upset with Sophia. "I need to let off some steam."

Madison nodded. "Yeah. So, anyone seen Hebert? I've got the urge to go pull a massive prank on her."

Shit, that didn't take long. Sophia shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Not today, anyway."

“What do you mean, not today? She's been getting away from us for days now,” Emma protested. “It's like she's got a sixth sense about what we're going to do. We need to get our heads back in the game if we're gonna get her.”

Sophia repressed a grimace. I'm treading a fine line here. If I let Emma know why Buzz is off limits, I risk outing her. “Listen. I got in the shit a couple days ago, same as you. Big time. Really big time. So they're gonna be watching me extra close.”

“What do you mean, got in the shit big time?” piped up Madison. “Who's watching you?”

Oh, for fuck's sake. She's not supposed to know. “Blackwell and the teachers,” lied Sophia. “They're on some kind of kick, and I'm in their cross-hairs. If I pull anything at all, I might lose my spot on the track team. Shit, I might even get expelled.” Not that I'd even think of doing anything now. Even if she wasn't my partner, Buzz is way too fucking scary to mess with.

“What did you get caught doing?" insisted Madison. “I didn't hear about anything. You seemed okay on Friday.” She tilted her head. "Is this something to do with that thing that's happening with Emma?"

Emma and Sophia glanced at each other. Sophia could see the redhead wondering if their problems were indeed related. "Uh, no," she replied. "They didn't say anything to me about Emma at all. Anyway, can we just drop it?"

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Emma seemed to have the idea that Sophia's problems were to do with the Wards, so she was doing her best to cover for Sophia. "Better leave it, Mads."

“Okay, fine.” Madison didn't pout, but it was a near thing. “Be that way.” She shrugged. “Anyway, there's always after school. Once we're off school grounds, Blackwell can kiss my ass.”

“After school sounds fine to me,” Emma agreed. “We'll get her before she gets on the bus. What do you think, Sophia?”

Sophia wanted to beat her head against a wall. After school is when we're meeting Brian for the date. Fuck, were we always so fixated on tormenting Taylor like this? “ Uh, there's this thing I gotta do. Can't make it, sorry.”

Once more, she saw Emma come to the conclusion that it had to do with the Wards. Madison, of course, was oblivious. “For fuck's sake, really? You blew us off on Monday and Tuesday and now today, too. What's going on?”

Sophia gritted her teeth. Time to be the bully again. Shoving Madison against the wall, she ignored the shorter girl's shocked expression as she hissed, “What's going on is none of your fucking business. So just butt out, okay?”

“Sophia -” began Emma.

“Stay out of this, Emma,” ordered Sophia. “This is between me and Madison. I -”

“Miss Hess! Let Miss Clements go at once!”

It was Mr Gladly's voice. Sophia sighed as she released her hold on Madison and stepped back. Now they start paying fucking attention. 

Part 4