#swapped!howard

Notes: Only the Swapped characters are here but I used last names for them anyways. Boleyn isn’t part of the group yet. Teddie is a walking mascot costume—.

Shadows are a person’s true selves, the side they don’t want to see and accept. A person rejecting their shadow makes it go berserk and kill the human counterpart.

TWs: past sexual abuse

—————

“There she is!”

The group skidded to a stop. The four human members of the investigation team and Teddie all skidded to a stop.

It was a clear, pink room with a stage in the middle. Instruments were lined up on the stage. The familiar emblem of a broken heart and a ring was etched on the instruments and the stage itself.

“About time you all showed up.”

Howard stood there, waiting in front of the stage. Her shadow stood with her. The shadow looked like a child version of Howard, golden eyes gleaming. Howard didn’t look hurt, only tired.

“You could’ve been sooner…” Howard hissed, stepping towards them quickly.

“You don’t have to be so bitchy about it.” Seymour snapped back.

“Let’s just… get the hell out of this place. I could’ve got out of here by myself.” Howard huffed, taking a step towards the group.

A hand grabbed onto her own, stopping. Her shadow staring back at her, a pout on the child form’s face and gold eyes flashing. “You’re leaving already?”

Howard yanked her hand away with a growl. “Of course I am!”

The shadow tilted its head, a look of confusion crossing its face. “But it’s safe here!”

Aragon was usually firm with shadows, telling them what was right and wrong firmly with a touch of softness upon seeing the problems her now friends dealt with. But Howard’s shadow being a child noticeably softened her words. “Not for humans. She could die here.”

The golden eyes switched into Aragon for a second, reminding her exactly what she was talking to. But just as quickly, the shadow’s eyes moved back to Howard.

“Come on! Stay with me where it’s safe!” The shadow pouted.

“No way in hell.” Howard said simply, pulling her hand from its grasp and turning to pace towards the others.

“You’re going to go back to the ones who hurt you?”

Howard froze in her tracks, turning back to stare at the girl. “What…?”

The smile widened as the shadow knew she had caught Howard’s attention. “Here you don’t have to be scared anymore! We won’t be weak anymore!”

Howard barked out a laugh, turning to fully face her shadow now. “Weak?”

“Yeah! You aren’t strong, you know?” A malicious grin twisted on the shadow’s face now. “Just a bitch trying to hide her weakness.”

Howard sneered at her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, brat.”

“Yes I do! Those men hurt you… and you don’t want to be that weak again…” the Shadow pushed for a long moment, and Aragon swore the shadow looked… haunted. “I can protect you here! As your other self I can make sure we don’t have to be strong and cruel ever again!”

“I don’t… I don’t need saving!” Howard snapped, stumbling back slightly. “Nobody hurt me, this is just who I am! And I don’t need to listen to your—“

“Why are you lying to yourself?”

Everyone went silent.

“Kat… what is she talking about?” Cleves asked quietly.

Howard didn’t reply. Instead her shadow did. But she wasn’t speaking to Cleves.

“Don’t you remember? The way they caressed you? The way it hurt when they said it wouldn’t?” Shadow Howard sniffed, rubbing at her teary eyes with balled fists. “It hurt… it always hurt…”

Howard gave a quick glance back to the investigation team. “None… none of that happened. You’re a little lying brat!”

Dread hit every member of the investigation team. None of what had just been described sounded good.

“But I’m you, silly! I know its true!” The shadow teased, golden eyes flashing in the lights. “Just like how I know the scandal ruined us!”

Just like that, Howard was sweeping forward, picking her shadow up by the collar of her shirt.

“What are you doing?!” Cleves called, eyes wide.

“Holy shit!” Seymour yelled at the sight, grip on her scythe tightening.

“I don’t know who the fuck you are, brat!” Howard was screaming. “But you don’t know shit about that scandal. You’re a lying little brat!”

Shadow Howard didn’t have that childish light anymore. Her face was scarily cold now. “You didn’t want it.”

Howard flinched as if she had been struck.

“Your manager wanted you.” Shadow Howard continued. “He wanted you so badly. And you couldn't say no to him. Not with his power. Not with being so abandoned all your life. And now look where it got you. In a shitty little town like this where you don’t matter.”

“I… you don’t… that’s not…” Howard shook her head, reorienting herself. “You think I would let someone use me like that?! I’m stronger then they’ll ever be!”

“If you’re so strong, then why did he get rid of us?”

Howard jolted, eyes wide with terror as she took the blank stare on her child self’s face. She dropped the shadow, who landed back on her feet as Howard staggered back several steps and fell to sit on the floor.

“Wh… what?”

“Oh no…” Parr whispered. “She was reincarnated too.”

“We were supposed to be the true queen! The one who won when the others failed! That life was ruined too, by the same men!”

Howard didn’t offer a response.

Shadow Howard broke into a sobbing wail. “He… he left us because we couldn’t stop them from hurting us! He hurt us too!”

“Who the hell are you on about?!” Howard snapped, bristling. But there was a veil of panic in her eyes.

The shadow continued as if she hadn’t heard her. “Why did they hurt us! I thought they loved me! But they—! But they—!”

“Stop babbling like that!” Howard snapped, back on her feet now and glaring furiously at her shadow. “You think I would let something like that happen to me?! That never happened!”

“You don’t remember them?” Shadow Howard tilted her head, all tears and sobbing gone. Aragon felt a chill upon realizing just how quickly the shadow was switching back and forth.

And well… shadows reflected the true self.

“Mannox was your music teacher.” Shadow Howard took a step forward as Howard took a rapid step backwards. “He taught us much more than music.”

“STOP IT!”

“Dereham is your manager! He can’t take no, can he? He’s the reason you’re trapped in this scandal and was sent to this shitty little town. Because you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself! It wasn’t you! He did it! He… he hurt us!” Shadow Howard broke off into more crying, covering her face with her hands.

“Stop… stop it…” Howard was now a far cry from the cruel girl they had met. She had tears on her cheeks now and she was staring at her shadow with a blank stare that honestly scared all of the already horrified investigation team.

“But it’s all going to be okay!” An excited glint was in the shadow’s eyes now as she beamed at Howard. “They can’t hurt us if we’re cruel! After all… who wants the bitch?”

“I…” Howard couldn’t speak and that was the moment the others realized why Howard had been so cruel to them when they first met her.

“A defense mechanism.” Cleves murmured, considering

Shadow Howard was cupping her human self’s cheeks now, looking her in the eyes. “It’s okay. We’ll be safe now.” She cooed. “We’ll be better than anyone! We’ll get back everything we’ve lost! And they’ll pay, pinkie swear! That bastard who divorced us will be the first…”

Howard snarled, pushing herself away from the shadow, glaring down at the shadow’s child form. Desperation was in her eyes. “I’m safe right now! I’m already better than anyone! None of what you talked about happened! I’m not… I’m not weak!”

“She’s going to say it!” Teddie yelped and the group took a step forward.

“Katherine stop!” Aragon tried to yell.

But it was too late.

“YOU’RE NOT ME!” Howard roared at her shadow.

There was a beat of silence and everyone froze. Then, there was a giggle. A giggle that quickly became a full blown laugh.

“That’s right! I’m not you! I’m better than you’ll ever be!” Energy began to swirl around the shadow, golden eyes glinting maliciously. “Play time’s over now! I WILL BE STRONG! SAY GOODBYE TO BEING WEAK!”