ain't it fun living in the real world? [PRIVATE - trigger warning]

xTaylor Brooks

xIt was nearing the end of the day and Taylor sat by the edge of the forest, her back to a thick tree trunk. A scratched helmet and a tattered leather breastplate lay by her feet. She sighed, her fingers absently playing with the fiery red hair that had fallen out despite the ponytail that held it in place. She looked way better about an hour ago. She tucked a few strands behind her ear, her nose wrinkling in disgust. She had definitely smelled better too.

Monster-fighting is exhausting as hell, she thought, wiping off the bands of sweat that formed on her temple. A damp face towel hung around her neck, albeit a less soaked than her clothes, and her arms and legs weighed her down. No surprises there. She had swung her sword a hundred times, maybe more. Nevertheless, a tired smile spread on her lips. Definitely worth it.

Taylor directed her gaze to the distance, watching campers make their way back to the cabins under the darkening sky. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to stay here for a while. She could afford a few minutes' rest. Not like she had any choice, actually, as she still felt sore all over. Besides, it was quite comfortable just sitting on the grass with her legs stretched out in front of her, the cool air caressing her face. Why not savor it a few minutes more?

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

xTaylor Brooks

xTaylor's eyes snapped open. She had dozed off for, what, one minute? Maybe two? The sun had not completely set, giving her enough light to work with as her eyes flicked from left to right. She could've sworn that she heard someone singing... And it wasn't just any old song...

The sound of rustling leaves and broken twigs under footsteps made her get up on her feet in a flash. Ignoring the sudden wave of nausea she got from standing up too quickly, Taylor started climbing the tree she had been leaning on. She lost her footing a couple of times, grazing her palms and ripping the knee-part of her jeans in the process, but she managed to sit atop a sturdy-looking branch surrounded by a myriad of leaves. It provided enough of a cover. Normally, Taylor would have faced whatever was coming head-on but with her tired body's protests and the inexplicable chills down her spine, she ultimately decided that hiding would be the best course of action.

The footsteps became louder and Taylor knew from experience that those weren't the usual clicking of scorpion pincers or the hurried padding coming from hellhound paws. Whatever was coming was not an inhabitant of the monster-infested forest. That could only mean one thing: a fellow demigod was coming her way. As Taylor came into this conclusion, she still couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something odd going on. She may have been napping when she heard it but she could recognize that tune anywhere...

Holding her breath behind the thick cover of leaves, she waited on tenterhooks for the figure to come out. However, Taylor had no intention of revealing herself. She was in no fit state to fight or socialize. She would probably wait for whoever it was to pass by and leave her alone once again, never knowing that a daughter of Khione was spying from above. But then, Taylor's eyes flickered back to where she was sitting a few moments ago and she realized a fault in her plan.

Being in a rush, she did not realize that she left her armor and helmet in full view at the base of the tree.

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

xTaylor Brooks

xSo many things were wrong here. For one, Taylor couldn't put her head around the fact that she was hearing that song again. She hadn't sung it in ages, thinking it was child's play. She helped composed it when she was eight. In grade school. Back when she still believed that babies came from storks (yes, she used to be that innocent).

Secondly, there was something eerie about the girl who was now inspecting the helmet she left behind. Taylor gave another start, causing the branch and the leaves to slightly move. The rustling wasn't missed by the girl below who looked up instantly, only to reveal the scariest thing that very nearly made Taylor fall off the branch: instead of eyes, the pale-white girl had a pair of pitch-black orbs.

With the night creeping in and considering that they were in a forest of all places, Taylor was unable to help the high-pitched yelp that slipped past her lips. This felt like the horror movies she had seen in the past, except now there was no screen separating her and the creepy white lady.

Taylor's heart hammered. But the song... the saner part of her mind reminded her. The color drained from her face. Was she being haunted by someone she had not seen for who-knows-how-long?

"Who the hell are you?" Taylor croaked, gripping the branch so tightly that the whites of her knuckles showed. Was she scared? No. Terrified? Completely. Monsters, she could take. Demigods, no sweat. But ghosts? She couldn't slice ghosts with her sword. Just how was she supposed to react to this?

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

xTaylor Brooks

xFor someone who had seen so many supernatural things happening in a camp full of demigods, Taylor wasn't exactly faring well in a confrontation with a creature that seemingly stepped out of a horror flick. Ignoring the girl's question, she stayed where she was, heart beating wildly. She had already forgotten about the stinging pain coming from her grazed hands and knees. She could only stare at the girl below her, wondering if she was even human.

"Come down? Yeah, right," Taylor said, holding on to the tree for dear life. She wasn't stupid. When you saw a ghost, you should run away from it. Not towards. The only problem here was that Taylor really had no way to run. She briefly considered pulling a Tarzan and swinging to another tree when what she heard made her eyes widen even more.

That song.

"How do you know that song? What are you, a ghost?" she asked, and although she was trying to be as sarcastic as she could, there was no hiding how cracked her voice had become.

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

xTaylor Brooks

xTaylor doubled her grip on the tree when the machete hit it. Fortunately enough, it hadn't sliced off the whole trunk. Not that anyone could do that in one go, but still.

Taylor's breath caught at what the girl said next. You have got to be kidding me. She inwardly cringed at the mention of Phantom. Knights and princesses. She had always been forced to be a princess. It was stupid, because princesses and fairytales were never her taste. Racecars and robots were so much better than Barbies. But enough of lack of femininity as a child. There was a much more pressing problem now.

"Janet Nikolai Arkensaw," she said blankly, her fears partially subsiding as she began to recognize her friend - or what was left of her friend. What happened? What was with the teeth and the eyes and the paleness? Gathering her courage, Taylor continued, "Is this a stupid practical joke?"

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

xTaylor Brooks

x"No shit, Sherlocke!" Taylor gasped out, still trying to calm down. She had never been the best when it comes to censoring her thoughts and she couldn't help the sarcasm. Try being scared half to death by this pale sharp-toothed girl who happened to be a close friend from way back. Who wouldn't freak out? Her heartbeat showed no signs of slowing as she leaned back on the trunk.

"Okay, I just dye my hair red and you couldn't recognize me anymore? What the hell, Jane?" Taylor once again shouted, still hyperventilating. Her emotions were a mess. She was angry, confused, even somewhat glad to see her friend again, but mostly angry and confused. However, her body was still trying to get over the terror. She clutched her head as she looked back down, seeing sadness flit across Jane's face. Her attempts to connect her to her friend's old face proved futile. The eyes and the teeth were just too much to process, honestly.

"Oh my gods," Taylor drew in a sharp breath, "oh my freaking gods. What the hell happened to you?"

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

xTaylor Brooks

xTaylor clenched her teeth as she attempted to control her breathing. Now that her fear was fading, she grew aware of the ache coming from the shallow cuts on her palms and legs, no doubt a result of her carelessly scaling the tree from before. That wasn't even counting the exhaustion from Monster-Fighting 101. She threw her head back and groaned. "I am too freaking tired to come down," she said bluntly, leaning her head on the arm she had now pressed against the bark.

This wasn't the ideal reunion one could've hoped for. Taylor was dead beat and Jane looked like she was dressed for Halloween. What could be weirder? Still, the sight of Jane down there tugged on Taylor's heartstrings but she was still angry. And confused. She hadn't understood a thing Jane said, although that may be because her mind was still recovering from shock.

"Can you explain more... slowly?" Taylor asked, still scowling a bit even if Jane was a wreck below. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why people don't go to Taylor when they needed consolation or comfort. The daughter of Khione lacked tact. A lot of it.

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

xTaylor Brooks

xTaylor pursed her lips as she attempted to remember the party and Jeff. Oh right, Jeff - Jane's boyfriend a.k.a. the kid who got set on fire. She flinched at the memory. It was something she tried hard not to think about. It never failed to make her throw up and thankfully, whatever she ate before this was already too digested to make a reappearance.

Try as she may, she couldn't remember much of the bullying Jane mentioned. Had she not paid enough attention back then? How could she have not realized it at the time? That certainly made her feel a bit lousy, but the slight anger was still there.

"Okay, you went emo. That would explain the paleness," Taylor said as though this was a normal conversation. "But that does not explain why you went all white lady on me and threatened to make me into mince meat."

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

xTaylor Brooks

xTaylor had never been more thankful that she didn't have anything to throw up. But that still didn't stop her from turning away and retching. It had been enough to see Jeff aflame. There was no need to replace that image with Jane instead.

"That is sick!" Taylor finally said, a hand on her throat. "I told you! I freaking told you before that he was a very bad idea! But noooo. You were too high 'in love,'" she said, making air quotes with her fingers. Saying 'I told you so' didn't feel as justified as she thought it would be back then. Now, it felt rather hollow to get the words out. Despite the fact that she was pretty much screaming her head off, there was a faint emotion in Taylor's eyes as they softened a little. Was it pity, perhaps? She was too high up the tree for it to be clearly seen, though.

"How is that not all?" she asked, but she sounded more concerned that sarcastic now. To be honest, a part of her really didn't want to hear whatever happened next, but she still couldn't help but ask.

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

xTaylor Brooks

xTaylor tugged on the collar of her orange camp shirt. She was becoming even more sweaty than she already was. The story just felt so unreal, something that only happened in movies and fiction books. "I don't think you're ugly. I mean, once you get past the scary white lady image, you're still pretty hot," she offered, then raked a hand through her hair and smirked. "Still not as hot as me, but that's not the point."

Taylor frowned once more after her light attempt at humor. Had Jane even talked to someone about this before? It almost seemed like she didn't want to stop once she started. Not that Taylor was against this. Even if the whole thing struck her as freaky and part of her mind even wondered if this was really just a prank and in the end Jane would be like 'oh just kidding I just put on some powder and black contacts to practice for next Halloween.'

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

xTaylor Brooks

xTaylor stuck her tongue out, about to let slip a witty retort when Jane continued. Her jaw dropped instead. She stayed silent, waiting for her to yell 'gotcha!' but it never came. She didn't know which was weirder: Jane admitting that she had cannibalistic habits or the nonchalance in which she said it. Other people used that kind of tone when they talked about something as mundane as the weather. The sad kind of weather.

"And this is where you say 'haha, Tay, I'm just pulling your leg,'" Taylor said disbelievingly, forcing a laugh. This couldn't be real. It was too farfetched, too impossible. "Joke's over, Jane."

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

xTaylor Brooks

xA wave of nausea passed over Taylor and she groaned, holding her knuckles to her mouth. It troubled her how Jane could say all those things so easily. Perhaps it was because she had been close to her all those years? But still, Taylor thought, trying not to gag. "I'm not a shrink, Jane," she said. "If I was full right now I would've thrown up. From the top of the tree. And said puke would probably land on you."

She buried her head in the arm that was on the trunk. This was a dream - no, a nightmare. But then, she pinched herself and realized the horrible notion that she was really awake.

"Oh gods if I pass out while climbing down I will blame you," Taylor told her as she pressed both stinging palms on the bark and started to climb down. She still felt sick and tired and climbing down would probably worsen her condition, but she can deal with that later.

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

xTaylor Brooks

x"You better," Taylor laughed a little. Nothing like a bit of humor to offset the pricking of her skin as she scaled down the tree. Her eyelids were beginning to droop as well, from nausea or exhaustion she could no longer tell. Fortunately, she managed to get back to the ground in one piece, although a little scruffier than usual. Resisting the urge to wince as she wiped her slightly bleeding palms on the fabric of her tracksuit bottoms, Taylor managed a smile as she looked over at Jane.

"Yeah, I climbed down a tree even if I feel sick and exhausted, that ought to count for something too," Taylor said, out of breath. She straightened up and stretched her arms wide, not caring if she smelled like she had spent the entire day swordfighting. "I hope you don't mind the stink, but c'mere."

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose