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Recap (skip if you remember. Read if you don't):

The castle was as big as I remembered it.

It was still the half glass, half stone monstrosity that sat on the shore of the ocean, the lands greener than money on this side of the world.

Stupid Heroes had everything: nice grass, nice architecture, cuter boys.

Trent decided to come with me to Hero High, afraid I'd get hunted or some lame excuse like that. Personally, I thought the Civilian kinda dug me.

The Roger dying incident took a big bite out of my good mood so this Trent guy was a real ego booster.

Most of the time.

"And not bring home some pie? How rude. This is a family reunion, you know," Trent said. We still stood outside the castle, waiting on my command to enter. Trent brought a couple of other Citizens to join our trip, the four of them holding torches up for the past few hours.

"I hate reunions." I cracked my neck. "And I hate family."

"Who hurt you as a child," whispered Trent.

The stars were already out, several lights still on inside the building. The chilly wind nipped at my cheeks, pink hair stale and crunchy from lack of showering. Okay, so we all smelled like a Devil's asshole.

I stared down that entrance door to the high school, long enough for Trent to tap my shoulder. "There's this thing we do," he began. "It's called knocking. We like to do that to doors. It's how we get into places."

"No." I turned away from the door.

"No?" Trent spun on his heel and put a hand on my shoulder. "You can't just screw my mind like that. I need to prepare for these things, daisy. Whatdoyamean 'no'?"

I waved my hand across my tattered clothes. "My parents can't see me like this! This is technically our official first encounter. I have to make an impression. They should see me for who I've become."

"But you're already dressed as a whore. What else is there to do?" I socked him in the stomach and let out a painful laugh, hunching over. "Too far?" he choked.

"Nah. I just felt like punching you." I opened my palm out, claws breaking past my nails as fur grew out of my skin. Scales burst past my flesh, muscles and bones expanding as I could feel the power in my chest growing. I felt the strength of my beast humming in my chest.

Trent scratched his head. "So you want your parents to think you grew up ugly?"

I let out a beastly roar and a crooked grin widened over his lips.

"Welcome home, Vhalerie," he said.

+++ the 21 with the HONEY I'M HOME +++ 

"How are you going to find your mama bear?" Trent asked, pulling out a chip bag he found in Roger's knapsack. I made him carry it. It was bad for my back.

And I didn't care about his so...

My cheeks pushed up into a wicked smile.

"Of course," Trent said, crunching down on a chip.

"What is the plan, sir?" asked one of the Citizens holding the torch.

"We wait for Vhalerie to need our help," Trent said. "The rest of her plan doesn't require us."

"What's her plan?" asked the other Citizen.

Trent glanced up at me and bit on another chip. "I think she's going to let her mom come to her."

+++

I moved like the wind, silent and quick. Disappearing through the shadows, I slipped across the lawn of Hero High. Only a few windows were still glowing, the rest of the Heroes asleep in the high school.

My body melted into the air and I slinked through an open window, squeezing through like a spirit before landing into Hero High.

Trent was right.

I didn't want to check every room for my mother.

I didn't care if I woke up all the Heroes in this building.

Rage shook in my system, taking every nerve and shoving it into overdrive. I had throats to tear.

What looked to be a classroom, I stared at the doorknob and smirked.

Doors were for normal people.

I crashed through the wall, taking all the bricks with me as I slid into the hallway. The ceiling wobbled, and I howled, running down the hallway.

"What is going on?" shouted a voice.

"A beast!" cried out several guards.

The floors of the high school cracked under my feet, hands slamming down as I ran on all fours.

My body nearly the size of the hallway, my scales dragged across the lockers and paintings. A banner even got caught between my scales which I ripped off with my teeth.

Heroes who stepped out of their doors were hit by my feet or jumped back in time, my speed sending everyone's hair standing.

"It went over here!"

"Get it!"

Screams echoed throughout the school, waking every Hero up from their beds.

"I see it! Prepare your weapons!"

I stared into the barrels of guns and arrows, the heroes a pathetic, unorganized mess. They fumbled with their weapons, eyes darting back and forth between me and their task.

My claws grew into talons, silver killing machines curling and gleaming; ready to draw blood.

A booming roar projected out of my mouth, walls shaking as heroes stumbled to the floor.

"Do not shoot," said a voice.

The heroes lowered their useless weapons and stepped aside, frantically watching me continue my charge.

"Stop!" this woman ordered, coming from around the corner.

The silence refused to bow down, the thumping of my feet and screams getting louder.

I could feel this woman's annoyance, and that only fueled my anger and speed.

"I am the Headmistress of Hero High and I demand you beast to stop. I will bring out my—"

I shot forward, my scales and fur disappearing into a blur and hurled this woman across the hallway with the back of my hand.

She hit the wall with a sickening smack and I dug my heels to a stop.

The guards gripped onto their weapons, armor and voice shaking. "W-what do we do?" asked one of them.

"Tell her to come to my office," the woman groaned, slowly getting up.

A dent was left in the wall as she picked herself up.

"Her?" a guard asked.

"She is my daughter," the woman snapped and disappeared around the corner. "Bring her to my office now."

The guards turned towards my beast form, their gulps audible.

Students of Hero High whispered behind me and I spun on my heel, shooting them a hungry glare.

Like mice, they scurried back into their rooms, some tripping on the cracks in the floors and others too frozen to move.

"Headmistress...um...awaits for you?" one of the guards boldly stated.

I curled my hands into fists, their eyes landing back to my talons.

"Please?" they asked.

I snorted and casually walked past them, each step shaking the ground. I followed around the corner she had disappeared to and saw a set of doors wide open.

The shuffle of armor was behind me, and I turned, the guards stopping. I looked away and continued walking, hearing their armor clanging again.

I had to bend in order to fit through the door frame. The ceilings of her office were thankfully high, and I stood there, hands by my side with talons out.

Several guards stayed put outside, but three decided to join us in the office. Glass shelves lined with silver covered books filled the walls, scrolls and pictures of Hero High joining them.

"Leave us alone," this woman ordered. The guards remained still. "Do you want me to repeat myself?" A sharp wind whistled through the room and the guards shrunk back, stepping out of the room.

This woman, my—ugh—mother stood up from her desk and moved around. A knit shawl rested over her bony shoulders, creamy skin giving off a haunting vibe that I suddenly hated.

Actually, I hated everything about her.

Including her shawl.

Stupid shawl.

"Finally. Some mother and daughter time," she said.

She reached her hand out and winced, putting her shoulder back down.

I hoped that impact hurt her. A lot.

Noting I was staying silent, she raised a brow and suggested, "Get out of that nasty beast form will you? Let me see how you've grown. Do you still have that pink hair?"

I let out a thundering laugh, the lights flickering above us as the shelves even shook.

"I guess that's a no?" She circled around me, observing my physique like some sort of buyer at an auction show. As if she practically owned me and all she had to do was speak.

That wasn't going to happen.

"I'm not sure how much you know, but I hope you understand why I made the decision to put you in Villain Academy."

Put. As if she simply placed me in there.

This wasn't simple. This was by far not simple.

I didn't let her cage me in, walking as she tried to continue circling around me.

"We couldn't let the Villains win, Vhalerie. As soon as we knew you were the Beast of Heroes, and were born to represent our species, we couldn't let our race fail because of intimate reasons. We needed you to kill the Beast of Villains. It was the only way to secure our power. Imagine villains ruling the world?"

Villains are no different than heroes, was what I wanted to say. But apparently the architect of this beast forgot to put in vocabulary and speaking abilities. Idiot.

"And soon, you'll defeat the Beast of Citizens and this'll be all over. You'll be able to finally come home! And your father! We can be a family again!"

I felt the burn in my throat again.

She was going to die like Roger did. And so was that shawl.

Stupid shawl.

The warmth stirred in my stomach, heat blasting through my lungs.

My mother reached forward and before I could move back, she snatched onto my wrist.

Ice cold air shot into my wrist and I yelped, staring down to see her finger quickly trace a symbol on my skin. Her nails dug harder as I tried to yank her off.

A sudden power plunged into my wrists, sucking of the heat pumping through my body and leaving my blood cold and dry.

I gasped, bones and muscles folding back into my human position. Her grasp fell loose and I dropped to the floor, knees hitting first before I bowed down in exhaustion.

"How...I thought..."

"I can't have you burn down our home, Vhalerie," she said, wrapping her knit shawl tighter around her chest.

"I...I thought heroes couldn't stop the beast transformations," I spoke, the warmth gone.

A chilly wind whirled around the room, snapping the windows shut along with the door.

"Only the heroes I teach it to can stop beast transformations. Archer wasn't one of them."

An abrupt rush of anger hit my chest. "You mean there is a way to stop beast transformations?" I pushed myself to my feet, wobbling before I grabbed onto the desk. "You mean I could've had the power to stop my beast from taking over my body whenever I could?" I straightened my back, taller than my mother now. "If I knew that trick, I wouldn't have killed Roger. Roger could be alive right now"—I launched myself forward, gripping her stupid neck—"if you taught me the damn spell?!"

I tried retracting my claws, but nothing happened.

I stared down at my wrist, the symbol still imprinted and bold.

"Vhalerie. Let. Me. Go."

I snarled and roughly released her, letting her stumble back into the desk. "Give me one good reason to not kill you."

+++

A/N:

Did you guys know Vhalerie was a Hero from the beginning?

Or was that a plot twist for ya?

:)

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Love,

A.

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