Emma and Sophia walked down the hallway past Taylor's locker. It was out of the way for either of them to get to their next class, but when your audience was captive...

"I wonder what that smell is? Smells like something died. Taylor must be nearby."

It wasn't one of Emma's stronger barbs, but this was their third pass of the day and you ran out eventually. Hell, she wasn't even sure if Taylor was still conscious. The pounding on the locker door had been awfully weak the last pass and there wasn't any at all this time.

Sophia smirked. "Must be. Couldn't mistake that stench for anything other than her nasty cooch. Girl must not ever shower."

Their quips delivered, the two continued on. As they reached the end of the hallway and were about to split up for their respective classes, there was a loud crash as the window in front of them smashed inwards, followed immediately by a loud screech of metal being torn behind them.

They spun around and

What.

The.

Fuck.

Was that SCION pulling Taylor free from the locker?

As the entire hallway of people froze in shock, Taylor managed to limply pull her head up and lock eyes with the Golden Man. A moment passed. Then a minute. Then two. Scion hanging motionless in the air, gently holding the girl covered in noxious filth, the two staring intently at each other.

Finally, Scion lowered Taylor to the ground. As her feet touched the floor, a golden flash momentarily blinded everyone watching. When it passed, Taylor was standing confidently, clean as if she had never been dirty a day in her life. Scion nodded, then was gone in a blur, back out the window he'd come through.

As half a dozen cellphones were trained on Taylor, she looked over at Emma. And smiled.

Instincts screaming, Emma fled.