A/N : Hello and welcome to the first short chapter in what I hope will be a finished story! My mind wanders way too often and I lose interest quickly but I'll try my best. 'Goddess of Spiders' will be put on an indefinite hiatus at this point. I can't seem to hammer out a plotline that doesn't seem cliche or just plain dumb. I'm still writing shorts for 'Dance of Spears' and will be updating that collection when I do. Also, this is my first time writing first person, so please tell me what you think. Anyways, hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer : I do not own the Persona series or Worm.

Warning : THIS IS AN AU! That means I can do whatever I want. Also, I've only read Worm and Persona fanfictions (I've never read the original web series or played the game) so if anything is not canon, I don't really care.

The Locker (Prologue)

The latter half of the term was peaceful. There was about a week more till break and I was pretty happy. The trio seemed to be avoiding me for whatever reason, but I did not mind. The other students still ignored me, even with the lack of bullying and I was once again reminded that I was just a plain, useless nerd who had no friends. Greg didn't count, his crush was obvious and I did not like him in that way, especially since he had never stood up for me.

The trio could push me all they want, but it was reassuring that they at least knew about plain old Taylor Hebert and were willing to spend some time off their days to make my life miserable. It was the loneliness that broke me. When dad wasn't at home, working overnight at the docks. I doubted he even cared at this point, so swallowed up in his grief he forgot he had a daughter at home. I barely saw him, only once every few months when his workers convinced him to come home.

I knew he blamed me for the accident. Blamed me for not calling when I was supposed to. Blamed me for not picking up the phone that night. I still saw it in his eyes when he thought I wasn't looking. He hated me, and that hurt more than the year and a half of bullying. Every month, the allowance I was provided seemed to be getting less and less. Even Eddie, his worker who he had assigned to 'babysit' me had noticed, but I knew he was too terrified of speaking up and losing his job. It was a hard time for a black man like him with the threat of the Empire constantly hovering nearby.

Enough of the sob story. There were some pros to the situation, even if losing my father completely overshadowed them.

Every day after school, Eddie and at least two other workers would come over with takeout dinner. If there was no school, Eddie would assemble an entire group of five to six friends and hang out at the house. He'd started this about two years ago when he first introduced me to my favourite game of all time - Dungeons & Dragons.

It was the best game I had ever played. A game where I could change myself into anything I could ever dream of. A game where I could escape the shell of the mortal Taylor Hebert. A game where you could do anything you wished was possible. I had played more than a 100 campaigns at this point, considering we played at least an hour to three a day. And I had made a completely different character every time.

I remembered being a charismatic rogue who could talk her way out of any situation - I died anyways because Eddie provoked an Ancient Dragon who proceeded to oneshot me before I could even talk, or run, - a paladin with a cursed shield that injured him every time he told a lie, and even a weird Alexandria-Eidolon combo who had an ego the size of a mountain. Good times. DnD also got me interested in mythology. It was an easy way for me to brainstorm new characters and campaigns by improvising and combining mythological stories and heroes like Hercules and Siegfried. A campaign where the adventurers had to go through twelve new labors and fight godlike dragons was both a challenge and my first experience as a Dungeon Master. Needless to say, I was pushed to being DM at least once a month after that weird plot line. Anyways, back to school problems.

It was the Friday right before break. I never had a reason to use my locker after the incident involving mom's flute and I unconsciously avoided it, mostly because it brought up bad memories I'd rather forget. Unfortunately, I was tempted by a note from Emma.

"Meet me at your locker after school and I'll tell you everything." It said.

It was an obvious setup for something. Even I knew that. But the chance that I could find out why she had turned all bitch mode after meeting Sophia was too much to pass up. Besides, they hadn't done much to me in the past few weeks so I was hopeful. Like any idiot would, I walked into a trap. Immediately, I noticed the smell as I approached. It was so strong, as if my locker had become a garbage dump. The next thing I did was questionable and frankly, real stupid on my part. I opened the door using my old code, and promptly, regretted it.

The smell of the tampons and literal crap they had shoved into my locker was painful to breathe in. The fact that there were bugs everywhere seemed to enhance the severity of the situation. I gawked. How long had they been storing these? How did I not notice? I walked by at least thrice a week for Chemistry damn it! I turned away, holding my breath as I attempted to shut the locker door, only to get blindsided by who I assumed to be Sophia. Disoriented, I could do nothing as I was shoved and locked into my own personal hellhole.

"You're so gullible Taylor! Did you actually think that I would tell you anything?" I shouted, kicking and punching, trying to get out. I could feel legs, crawling all over me, insects of all kinds biting at my skin. I felt blood flowing from cracked nails and scraped heels. Insects going in my ears, into my mouth, into every open orifice they could fit in. I cried for HELP. I screamed for justice. And I only got pain in return. So much pain. I didn't know how long I pushed, but the laughs were the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

QUESTIONS

The mind of Taylor opened to a realm of new possibilities. Myths and Legends came to life. Power filled her soul as her Corona Pollentia enveloped her brain in a warm embrace. Within the darkness of the locker, a blinding light forms, unbeknownst to the ones outside.

HEROES

Yes. Heroes. Her soul splits apart. Again and again. A million times over. Personalities are given form, heroes are given power and each are given a purpose, a name.

QUEEN

And when the dust settles and it is all over, she calls, desperate for an escape. And her personas answer.

"I am thou, thou art I. From the sea of thy soul I come. I am…"

Oh no cliffhanger. Please give me some ideas for Personas to use. It doesn't have to be a Persona from the series. Just some mythological or ancient dude or dudess that I can write for fun. :3