Chapter 6

I was back in school for the first time since the death of my parents. Most people were very nice or just left me alone, which was fine by me. I didn’t read anyone’s thoughts, simply because I didn’t really care what anyone was thinking. Being used to people’s terrible thoughts, reading them wasn’t a top priority for me. Getting through the day without going insane was. My parents were dead, my life was uprooted, and I had to learn to live life as a girl. I wasn’t embarrassed about my situation, what happened was outside of my control, and I was happy with what I had become.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to ride the bus. That would have been torture, and I wasn’t sure if I could maintain control is pushed. Tracy drove us to school, but sensed I wasn’t in a talking mood, and left me to my thoughts.

Everything was manageable until our physical education class. Some of the other girls were not shy about telling me they didn’t want a “she male” in their locker room. One of them, Deidre Poston, made the mistake of getting physical with me. She was a large girl, known for bullying other girls.

“Hey, freak!” she called. “What the hell are you doing in the girl’s room? I don’t remember he she freaks being allowed out of the zoo!” There were a few laughs from the peanut gallery, the miserable leeches in her crew that didn’t have the guts to stand on their own.

Sighing, I replied, “Deidre, I’m just as much girl as anyone here. I have the medical opinions to back that up, so please leave me alone, okay?” There were a few girls that agreed, and spoke out in support.

Laughing as she looked around, she retorted, “My boyfriend always thought you were a little faggot, Braddock. Did you like wearing panties growing up?” More laughter from the peanuts.

I had a lot of training in dealing with situations like this in my martial arts studies. I could also sense that she had serious self esteem issues herself that were coming out in anger. I didn’t want to fight, but I wasn’t going to back down, either. She had me by 20 pounds and 3 inches in height. There were some boys that wouldn’t mess with this girl. I was only half dressed for class, in a tee and my underwear. I hadn’t had time to put on my shorts. “Whatever, Deidre. I don’t have time for this.” I turned to put on my shorts, and she took this opportunity to decide to grab for my hair. Her first and last mistake. I read her thoughts before she moved.

I ducked, spun and swept her legs out from under her, and was on her before she hit the floor. My fist was poised above her surprised face. I looked at her and quietly said “Leave…Me…Alone…Got it?”

She nodded her head vigorously. There was terror in her eyes.

I got up and continued dressing. The locker room was deathly quiet as everyone returned to what they were doing. Deidre got up and returned to her locker, her face beet red.

The class continued, we played some volleyball, and a few girls came up to thank me for cutting Deidre down to size. I didn’t really care one way or another about the incident. I just wanted to be left alone. I was numb, and I had no use for anyone outside of my little circle. I ate lunch with Tracy, and we talked about our day.

“I heard you took out the fat bitch of the west. Is that true” she asked.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, but it isn’t something I’m proud of. She’s really just an unhappy little girl who never grew up. I hope she has the good sense to just let it go, but I doubt it. I can see her troll of a boyfriend getting involved sometime, but I hope not”

Tracy giggled. “Oh, sweetie, you sound just like the guy on ‘Kung Fu’! All ‘strong and silent’. I think you’re cute like that!”

I started smiling at that. Tracy could always make me laugh when I didn’t really want to. I had to give her a hug. “Thanks for being here for me. Trace” I laughed then started crying. “I miss my old life, Tracy” I said through the tears. “I miss Mom and Daddy and being normal.”

She returned my hug and said quietly. “Its okay, Betsy. You didn’t ask for any of this, and you’ve handled yourself like a lady. I’m so proud of you, and I know your mom and dad are too.”

I had to chuckle at that. “Handle myself like a lady?”

Tracy smiled and replied, “Well, you are one, Betsy”

I smiled, even through my tears. “Yes, I guess I am”

As the day wore on, more people knew what had happened to Deidre. I could hear them thinking. Some good, some bad, but at least no one bothered me. I heard someone thinking that “they were going to get that bitch (me)”. I didn’t know who it was, but if they tried anything, they would regret it.

After school was out, Tracy and I went to our car in the parking lot. I looked across and saw Deidre and her boyfriend, a hulking piece of work named Jess Stapleton looking at me from across the lot. He glared at me as she talked to him. I knew he was getting half the story, and that innocent little Deidre was cruelly attacked by the mean freak.” Great. That’s all I needed right now, some lame brain and his buddies gunning for me. Oh, well, I thought. I can’t worry about that now. It wasn’t like I thought they had a chance against me anyway.

“Let’s go to the park and sit and do some homework, Betsy” chirped Tracy. “The sun will do us some good, and we can relax”

“That’s a great idea, babe!” I replied. “That will be just what the doctor ordered. Let’s stop and get a couple of frappucinos from Starbucks on the way”

“Okay, girlfriend, let’s go!”

We got our frappucinos; both of us liked vanilla, and headed to the closest park. The temperature was 75 degrees and sunny, and it was tailor made for a couple of hours soaking up some sun. Tracy laid out the blanket, and we settled in to study, sipping our drinks. We giggled like a couple of normal high school girls, about everything and nothing.

In spite of being distracted by every little thing that walked by, we both managed to get at least a couple of assignments out of the way. Then, I began to get a bad feeling. I looked around, but couldn’t see anyone threatening.

“What’s wrong, honey?” asked Tracy.

“I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling, like someone is watching us. We need to go. Now”

Tracy gathered the blanket, and I tossed out trash in the nearest can. I looked, but all I saw were a couple of cyclists and a very large man sitting on one of the park benches, feeding the geese. None of them were paying any attention to us. Then I heard Tracy scream.

Turning around, I saw she was surrounded by five guys from school, all of them I recognized as being friends of Jess Stapleton. And there in the middle, holding Tracy by the throat was Jess, who had a knife in his hand.

Jess Stapleton was a gang member, belonging to a group associated with the Latin Kings, or so I was told. He was exceptionally ugly, with an acne scarred face and terrible dental hygiene. Perfect for his ugly girlfriend.

I sprinted over to Tracy, forgetting how unthreatening I must have looked, dressed as I was in a pastel blue tunic top and skinny jeans. All the running accomplished was to make my boobs bounce uncomfortably. Cute girls don’t really inspire fear.

“Hello, bitch,” he sneered.

“Please, just leave us alone Jess”. I tried the innocent girl approach, hoping there was some humanity left in him.

“Too late for that, bitch, you should have thought about that before you messed with my woman”

“She came after me, Jess. And I didn’t touch her. I just took her down. You don’t have to do this”

All of Jess’ buddies started laughing. Jess was looking at me very strangely. I knew what he had on his mind without reading it. Tracy and I were in trouble. “Jess” I warned. “You are about to make a terrible mistake”

“I think I’ll find out how much of a girl you’ve become, freak. After all, you are kind of hot. Your little girl friend here will make a nice fuck too” Tracy wilted at that and started crying. Jess just laughed at her, and hit her in the head with the butt of his knife. She wilted, unconscious.

That did it. Something snapped in me. I could have just mind pushed them to leave, but they had picked the wrong day, the wrong girl and the wrong metahuman. I went into supergirl mode.

“You son of a bitch!” I screamed. “I’ll kill you for that!”

They all laughed. They wouldn’t laugh again.

I leapt forward to the nearest goon. He evidently didn’t think I could kick as high or as hard as I did, because he didn’t protect his face. After my roundhouse kick crushed his jaw, he collapsed. Four to go.

Another jumped forward at me, just as the daggers of light erupted from my fists one shot to the solar plexus and another to his temple, and he was gone. Three to go.

Two of them tried to high-low me. My senses were heightened and I read their intent long before their dim brains could make their bodies move. I leapt into the air like a cat, spreading my legs like a cheerleader does. The two idiots ran into each other and I finished them off with two hard shots to the back of the head. One more.

Jess was shocked that I had handled his idiots so easily. He was a big kid, easily 8 inches taller than me and a good 100 pounds heavier. It didn’t matter. He screamed as he rushed me. I easily dodged his attack and hit the pressure point in his wrist, causing him to drop his knife. I followed this with a kick to his back that was meant to throw him off balance and send him sprawling to the ground.

I picked up his knife and looked at him as he rolled to get back on his feet. “You boys and your toys” I mocked him, shaking my head. “You’re nothing without them, are you?”

“You bitch! I’ll kill you!” he screamed.

I smiled at him. “I’ll tell you what, little boy” I paused, and threw the knife into a tree twenty five feet away, where it stuck into the trunk. “If you can get by me, I’ll let you have your little toy back”

I saw the first signs of fear in Jess. He knew he was beaten, but couldn’t accept it. He got up and spit in my direction. “You are dead, bitch”

“Yeah, I know, dickless. You’re talking me to death right now. COME ON!”

With a scream of rage, he charged me, expecting me to dodge. I didn’t, and struck him full in the solar plexus with all I had, energy daggers and all. He wilted and collapsed onto the ground. Out cold. They were all out. It took me all of about 30 seconds.

I ran over to Tracy, who had a cut in her scalp that was bleeding pretty heavily. I ran over to one of the gang bangers and ripped his bandanna off. Running back to Tracy, I held her head in my lap and applied pressure to the wound.

“Tracy? Tracy? Please wake up for me, ok?” I began to cry. I looked around and screamed for help, but no one was within sight. Great. Where are those donut munching bastards when you need one?

I heard a voice behind me “She’ll be okay, Betsy. Just a bump on the head”

I looked behind me, and there stood the largest man I had seen in all my life. He had to be eight feet tall, and had muscles on top of muscles. Men didn’t get that big, did they?

“Help us, please” I cried. “Tracy is hurt”

The man knelt down and looked at Tracy, touching her head and looking at her eyes. For such a large man, he was really gentle with her.

He looked at me and smiled a bit. “She’ll be fine, Betsy. Help is on the way.”

“How do you know my name? Do I know you?” I asked. Dabbing my eyes with my sleeve, I asked, “Who are you?”

“My name is Cain Marko. And actually, someone we both know sent me to kill you” he said calmly.

I bowed my head in defeat. Tears ran down my face. “Shadow King?”

“Yes”

I sighed heavily and began sobbing. “Okay, I give up. I can’t fight anymore. Just please, don’t hurt Tracy”

I couldn’t even look up. I knew I was dead and I just keeled there, with Tracy’s head in my lap. I looked through my tears into her face, and I stroked her cheek. “Goodbye, baby. I love you”

Looking up at the giant, I whispered “I’m ready”

He smiled at me and grasped my chin in his huge hand. “Don’t worry, little girl. You are the last person who has to fear the Juggernaut. You are very brave. Not at all like the person described to me by that weasel. Shadow King indeed. No, he’ll have to do his own dirty work with you.”

“Y-you aren’t going to kill me?”

“Hardly, Betsy. Killing you would be like squashing a butterfly. It wouldn’t make sense” He stood up to his full height. Let me show you who I really am.”

As he stood if front of me, crimson light exploded from his body. He grew even larger, and metal bands appeared around his fists, biceps and forearms. A huge helmet appeared over his head. Then the light faded away. In front of me was what could only be described as a human battering ram. If he was even human.

“I am the Juggernaut, Betsy. I am the living embodiment of power. Killing you would be easy, and totally wrong. Even for me. If Shadow King ever bothers you, I’ll be there to help. Just for you. Take care, Betsy Braddock”

He ran off, incredibly fast for someone so huge. Sirens were blaring in the distance, getting closer. Tracy began to moan, snapping me out of my stupor.

“W-what happened, Betsy?” She moaned.

“Tracy! You’re awake! Shh-for now. We’ll talk about it later”

The ambulance arrived, along with the police. They wanted to know what happened, but I was going to the hospital with Tracy. I played hurt and got into the ambulance with Tracy. I had a lot to think about.