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CHAPTER NINE the queen's gambit
⋆*✧･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:
NADINE DIDN'T KNOW how she got home that night. Her mind was so consumed with what she'd seen in Reginald's company building that it seemed like she'd only just left it when she found herself standing in front of Molly's house. Maybe she'd taken Diego's car back, or a bus. Maybe she'd just walked. Whatever method of transportation that had gotten her here didn't matter. What did matter was what she'd seen at D.S. Umbrella Manufacturing. The mannequins awaiting the end of the world. The masks made with such realism it was as if someone had peeled off Reginald's skin. Pogo, sharp-toothed and clawed, gouging into Five's skin.
Everything she'd come across at Reginald's building was like a clue. Mannequins and masks and baby chimpanzees... it was like an escape room, where the smallest detail could lead to another key, a greenlit padlock. The problem was that Nadine had always been horrible at figuring things out. She was no detective; she only saw the individual pieces, not the picture as a whole. The only time she'd ever come close to feeling like Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot was when she'd figured out Vanya was the harbinger of the apocalypse. But that had been easier. Once she'd discovered Vanya had abilities and seen her slit Allison's throat, it had only been a matter of time. This, on the other hand, had nothing so obvious. No red flag she'd kick herself later for being blind to.
And, anyway, she was too impatient. Molly had taught her how to play chess last year, and she was abhorrent at it. She always went straight on the attack, sacrificing her pieces without remembering to defend her king. She didn't think before she moved—she saw an opportunity at the moment, and took it without thinking of the consequences. More often than not, this led her to fall right into Molly's trap.
So it was likely that Nadine would never figure out how mannequins and masks and baby chimpanzees went together. But maybe someone else would. Someone like the man who scribbled complex math equations in library books.
The lights of the house were on, which meant that Molly was still awake. Nadine didn't know what time it was, but she hadn't stayed out as late as she'd thought. So unless she headed back to Elliott's with her tail tucked between her legs, she would have to face her girlfriend tonight.
The door creaked as Nadine pushed it open, and she winced. It was practically an alarm, a siren signalling that someone had entered the house. She had barely even stepped into the genkan to remove her shoes when Molly's voice rang out.
"Sweet Jesus, Nadine, what happened to your dress?"
Nadine looked down at the uneven fabric of her skirt, and then sheepishly back up to Molly. Already, the lie sat on her tongue. "It got caught in the door," she said. It was a bitter taste. "The fabric completely tore. I'm sorry Molls, I know this was yours. I'll buy you a new one."
