charcoal and scars

chapter 12

I only hear Sollux drive away when I've opened the front door. I have this weird, uncontrollable smile on my face; I can feel it, but I can't explain it.

The house I walk into is quiet and dark; Nanda must still be at work. Honestly staying home on Saturday shouldn't have been such a big deal, since I'm going to be home nearly every day after school anyway.

I hang my coat in the the closet, slipping out of my freezing shoes. The first thing I do after removing my scarf is turn the heat on high, sighing gratefully when warm air blasts from the vents.

I walk into the kitchen, though I'm not really that hungry. A covered plate catches my attention, so I pick up the piece of paper next to it.

The note reads

~Kat, this is the rice for dinner. Put it in the cooker at five, then fry the chicken at six. I'll be home at ten, but I want you in bed before then. No chick flicks.

Love, Nanda~

I crumple up the paper, throwing it in the garbage can, tsking.

"Call them chick flicks, and no dinner for you." I dump the rice back in its jar and quickly wash the plate it had been on.

And how many times had I told Nanda I don't like chicken?

As I'm trumping up the stairs, my phone buzzes. I flip it open, only to find I had been messaged by someone I don't know. Curious, but cautious, I open the message.

-ArachnidsGrip started pestering CarcinoGeneticist at 3:10 p.m.-

AG: Oi, fucker.

CG: WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?

CG: AND HOW THE HELL DO YOU HAVE MY NUMBER?

AG: Oh, Karkles (I can call you that right?), if you didn't want me to talk to you anymore, may8e you should have changed your num8er, like I did.

-Only Terezi, my niece, calls me Karkles, but, thanks to her being blind, she has different typing patterns that this person seems to have. I won't deny that this pattern isn't familiar, but I still can't put my finger on it.-

CG: HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?

AG: Oh, have you forgotten me already?

AG: I'm insulted :O

CG: OK, GOODBYE NOW.

AG: W8t, w8t! I want to talk to you about Soluuuuuuuux!

-I halt in the process of closing my phone, then just stare at the screen. This person knows Sollux?-

CG: HOW DO YOU KNOW SOLLUX?

AG: Oh, we're rel8ted. I'm his dad's cousin's cousin's niece, or something like that. But he's like a little brother to me ::::)

CG: THAT'S WEIRD, BECAUSE HE'S NEVER MENTIONED YOU.

AG: Ah, but he mentions you! Oh, you should hear the gushing!

CG: WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

AG: Ooooooooh, does Karkles not know? I thought it was pretty obvious.

CG: WHAT'S OBVIOUS?

AG: Perhaps he should be the one to tell you ::::P

AG: But I will say this: He knows your secret.

CG: WHAT SECRET?

AG: Why don't you ask him? I'm sure he'll be contacting you soon. He seemed preeeeeeeety upset when I told him.

CG: OK, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?

AG: Just somebody that you used to know ::::D

CG: YOU DID *NOT* JUST REFERENCE THAT SONG.

AG: I did, and who are youuuuuuuu?

CG: THE FUCK?

AG: Since you obviously don't know who you are, here's a hint: You're noooooooot str8t, no matter how steadfastly you believe it. And I bet you're still pretty torn up about that thing with Egbert.

-CarcinoGeneticist ceased pestering ArachnidsGrip at 3:21 p.m.-

I snap my phone shut, then, as an extra reassurance, turn it all the way off.

Vriska Serket. Why had I not realized before? With all those eights... and her username. I mean "ArachnidsGrip"? Who couldn't have seen through that in a second?

I draw a shaky breath, steadying my frantic heartbeat. I use the wall as support, controlling my anger. There's this weird breathing exercise I'm supposed to do, but its a little hard for me to think right now.

Like, how the fuck does Vriska know Sollux? Don't pretend to think I believe what Vriska says about them being related, no matter how distantly.

I slowly make my way to my room, sitting on my bed in a bit of a trance. What secret had Vriska been talking about? Is it something I should be genuinely worried about, or is it another ploy by the lying Serket?

I look back down at the phone in my hands. I know I need to turn it on again; what if Nanda called? But I can't bring myself to even open it. Vriska had always been able to freeze me like this; she'd say its thanks to her luck from the magic eight balls, but we both know I'm just scared of her.

Who wouldn't be? She fucked up my life with three words. Quite a feat, considering the bad luck I've had my entire life.

My door creaks, welcoming the fluffy hairball I call my best friend. He looks as stoned as ever, with his swaying, sauntering walk. He had been hit by a car when he was a kitten, so his back legs have always been a little off.

His birthmark grin always manages to bring a smile to my face, and his purring as he snuggles up next to me gets me moving enough to turn my phone back on.

Good thing I did, because Nanda is messaging me.

-ArdousUndertaker started pestering CarcinoGeneticist at 4:03 p.m.-

AU: Hey K t. I'm just checking in.

AU: Sorry I couldn't pick you up from school tod y, but the guy I met is only free during his lunch bre k t two thirty. I'll make it up to you.

CG: THERE'S NO NEED FOR THAT. I GOT A RIDE.

AU: Oh, so you've m de some new friends?

CG: FRIEND, SINGULAR.

AU: Well, its only your first d y. Th t's a gre t st rt.

AU: I'm ctually he ding b ck to work, so I'll c ll you l ter, ok y?

CG: YEAH, THAT'S FINE. SEE YOU TONIGHT.

-ArdousUndertaker ceased pestering CarcinoGeneticist at 4:06 p.m.-

4:06... Have I been sitting on my bed that long? It had only been around three-thirty when Vriska had messaged me...

I wince as Gamzee starts kneading my arm.

"What the hell, Gamz? Didn't Nanda just cut your claws?" He let's out his croaky mew, which always sounds like a very slurred "miracles".

I scratch his ears, shoving my phone into my pocket. I have six hours to kill before Nanda comes home to send me to bed, so what to do?

I'm getting up and grabbing my sketchbook when I hear a car pull into my driveway. Nanda can't be back yet...

Curious, I part my curtains, peeking out. There's a green volvo outside my house looking suspiciously like...

"Sollux?" He's steps out of his car, then turns to look right at me.

I jerk.

His eyes are questioning, wondering, pleading, begging. His eyes are begging me to tell him something, to tell him that something isn't true, that I'm actually who I say I am.

I know immediately what Vriska had told him.