Up in the sanctuary, Red watched the telemetry of Krax's descending axe. He watched Tyler's arrogant face twist into a mask of sudden terror.
Seeing that specific expression on Tyler's face yanked Red violently backward. And once again, he was reminded of a memory he badly wanted to forget.
They bullied him in a way that left no bruises. There were no physical beatings, no stolen lunch money, no public humiliations in the cafeteria.
To Tyler, Jessica, Brandon, Ashley, and the Vance twins, Julian and Julia, Red simply wasn't human. He was a piece of interactive furniture.
Tyler and Jessica were the golden couple, the untouchable peak of the high school hierarchy. Brandon and Ashley were their constant shadows, enforcing their social will. But the Vance twins, Julian and Julia, were the silent architects of the group's cruelty.
