The Reaping - Part 1:

I was gasping for breath as I rounded the corner. I had taken up running after...the incident, had decided to get into shape. Even after two months, even with all the improvement that I had seen in myself, I wasn't able to handle this. I collapsed onto the grass, thankful that I had made it to a park before needing to do so.

This might be the worst torture I had ever endured.

"Come on, Hebert. This is pathetic."

I grimaced at the voice. I had been trying to keep my cool all morning, but there was only so much I could take. "Not all of us have Track experience under our belts, Sophia."

"Even without Track, I'd be able to outrun you." Sophia said. "Hell, I've seen toddlers run better than you. No wonder we were always able to catch you so easy."

I felt my grimace grow, and knew I was baring my teeth. Come on, Taylor. Don't ley her get to you. You're better than this. You have to be.

"You gonna get up?" Sophia asked. "Or are you gonna give up...?"

The way she said it, I could pick up the subtext. Are you gonna give up like you always do?

I took a few deep breaths, relishing the feeling of the air in my lungs, and pushed myself to my feet. I took a quick glance at my watch. 5:37 AM. I rolled my eyes. I used to get up at 6:30 for my runs. I had figured that was early enough.

Sophia had disagreed. My new running partner demanded I get up at 5, and run until 6:30. Apparently it was the same schedule she had kept since she had gotten into running.

I hated her for pushing me into her schedule. Among other things.

I could practically feel her own disdain for me as she spoke. "Bout time. Back to it, Hebert. Don't wanna sit still too long and draw gang attention, do we?"

"No gang members will be up this early." I shot back, starting to move again.

"They could be if they didn't sleep yet."

I groaned, and picked up the pace. It was a valid point. We both knew gang members could easily be up at this time. That they could easily try to take advantage of us.

Just as we knew that would be their mistake. We could take them. Any normal gang member, anyway. Easily, too, with our powers. The only issue would be if one of the Capes involved in a gang showed up.

Even then, I knew that wouldn't be that much of a problem. We could take them.

I could take them, anyway...

"Jesus, listen to you gasp for air. You think you can cut it as a hero when you can't even go for an easy run?" Sophia asked.

"This...isn't an easy...run..." I said between gasps.

"Sure it is." I could hear the joy in her voice. She was loving this. Loved causing me any sort of discomfort.

Even after everything.

We continued in silence. Luckily, one of the few things we agreed on what a hatred for small talk. If neither of us had anything to say, we could let time pass in silence.

For my part, I was able to keep a quick, steady pace until we reached the stretch of this route that I hated the most. One of Sophia's little barbs at me. I knew this had to have played into why she had chosen this route.

I looked the other way as we walked past the cemetery. I didn't need the reminders of my past guilt on my head. I had already suffered enough because of my past decisions.

I would keep suffering, too. Probably forever.

Maybe I deserved it.

"You're picking up speed, now." Sophia said.

I grumbled a response. She knew why I was moving faster. I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of hearing me say it. Not again.

We fell back into silence after her attempt to provoke me failed. I glanced at my watch as we finally made it back into my neighborhood. 6:21. My dad would just be getting up to get into the shower.

And he would hopefully not notice that I was gone. He hadn't like me running in the mornings at all. He had been ecstatic when I told him I was switching to afternoon runs. Which, to be fair, I had.

I just hadn't given up the morning runs when I did.

"Well, you weren't as pathetic today as you have been." Sophia said.

"Gee, thanks. So kind of you to say." I responded. "I still say your regimen is insane."

"Hey, I didn't ask to be here, you know? If I'm stuck with you, then you're gonna quit being so pathetic."

I looked down at the ground, as we approached my back door.

"Right..." I decided not to point out that I hadn't asked for her to be here, either. It was, as far as I could figure, as much her fault as mine...

Or maybe I'm just trying to lessen my own guilt...

I sighed as I stopped in front of my back steps. They squeaked horribly, and would have been a dead giveaway that I was coming in. I had learned quickly when I started my runs. Coming in, my father would come running when he heard them.

For the last couple weeks, though? They hadn't been an issue. Not since I found out exactly how my power worked.

I shifted into the Shadow state and floated up, past the steps and through the door. I moved silently through the kitchen, and then up the stairs and to my room. I phased through the door, and only once I was safely in my room did I return to normal.

I went to my mirror and took in the image there. I saw myself, the same way I had looked after my morning runs for the last couple of weeks. Completely run down and exhausted looking. Behind me...was the ghostly form of Sophia Hess. The same ghostly image I had seen in every mirror I looked into since our last real altercation two weeks ago. She looked as angry as usual.

"So..." she began, looking at me through the mirror. "How much longer you gonna drag your ass before going out and doing the hero thing?"

I sighed. It had been a long two weeks.