INTERLUDE: RESOLVE

The motel room was dark, save for the weak glow of the streetlights seeping through the thin curtains. The air was still, thick with the lingering scent of cheap detergent and old, mouldy carpet.

Taylor sat on the edge of the bed, hands clasped together, staring at the floor.

She had been sitting there for a while.

The ache in her body wasn’t from training. It wasn’t the satisfying burn of sore muscles, the kind that meant progress. This was something else. A tension that settled deep in her bones, coiling tighter with every passing hour.

The kind that whispered you can’t keep this up forever.

The thought had been circling in her head all night, an unwelcome repetition she couldn’t shake.

And it was right.

The city wasn’t blind. The war between the ABB and E88 was only getting worse, and sooner or later, she would have to involve herself to keep innocents from getting hurt. People would notice her, and sooner or later, someone would put the pieces together. 

Keith was slowly doing so. 

And her father…

He must be so worried. 

Taylor let out a sigh, pressing her fingers against her temples.

She still hadn’t called him.

She told herself it was safer this way. That dragging him into this mess would only make things worse. That he was better off not knowing.

But deep down, she knew the truth.

She wasn’t ready.

Not for the conversation. Not for the disappointment.

She had crossed a line.

And she didn’t know how to walk it back. 

Her fingers curled into fists.

But she wasn’t stopping.

She knew Blue better now. It wasn’t just some raw, untamed force that lashed out when she called on it. It had rules. Limits. She could somewhat direct it.

Control it.

She was getting stronger.

She had a plan.

It wasn’t perfect. It wouldn’t last forever.

But for now—

For now, it was enough.

Taylor pushed herself to her feet, rolling her shoulders. The tension was still there, the fear, the uncertainty.

But beneath it, something steadier.

Resolve.

She grabbed her jacket, slung it over her shoulders, and stepped out into the night.

She wasn’t ready for everything.

But she was ready for whatever came next.