APODEMIA ➣ ||P. PARKER||

•chapter twenty five•

When I got home and decoded the binary numbers, what I read had me say– "Goddamnit."

I wasn't sure whether to rip it up or keep it safe, not that it really mattered because I already knew what it meant.

In the end, I decided to crumple it up and throw it into the trash can by my nightstand.

Pacing around, I began to brainstorm and kept myself calm on the situation, panicking isn't going to do anything.

I tried to clear my head and figure out what is the best plan of action to take, with predicting Peter's future actions on this matter, he's going to do nothing. He was more concerned and angry over the fact that I was a murderer, and before I left he coldly said for me to deal with HYDRA on my own. He'll be more engrossed in being angry at me than to try to say anything useful.

It wasn't a bright idea to drag any hero or person into my own fight with HYDRA. Maybe I could bargain, set up a deal that if I let them take me and spare everyone else.

That would be stupid if HYDRA if they just complied like that, and stupid of me to turn myself in.

But one question remains in my head, of why the hell did HYDRA not just bust into my house and apprehend me? They'll easily catch me off guard and shoot me with tranquilizer guns, and I'm all theirs.

Unless there was a bigger scheme and plan.

A knock on my door brought me back to reality, behind it was Zane because he was the only one in the house other than me, babysitting again. "Hey, it's time for dinner. You okay in there?"

"I'm okay, I'll be down in a bit," I replied tiredly.

I got off my bed and was heading to the door before the small framed picture on my dresser grabbed my attention, I drew back a few steps and began to stare at the picture of me, mom, and dad.

Leaning on the dresser and resting my cheek on my hand, I examined them all raptly; one was one the day I got out of 'foster care', another on my birthday, two during a major company corporate dinner party, and most was us on vacation.

Was it really time to die?

The photos gave me motivation that all of this didn't have to end, I don't have to surrender and give up everything I have now, I don't have to go back to being HYDRA's shitty puppet.

This wasn't going to be an easy one-man plan and instant success, but I'll have to make it work no matter what. I'll have to survive for the ones I want to spend the rest of my life with. That included Peter as well.

. . . . . .

The next day was a hellhole. I felt bad for Ned, who had no idea what was going and was too scared to ask. The moment I stepped into Physics, Peter and I didn't greet each other nor linger to talk, I never even met his gaze once.

Flash wasn't elastic about it as I thought he would've been because it seemed like the friendship between me and Peter was gone, instead he was worried and was even contemplated to march up to Peter during lunch and ask what he did. Luckily, I stopped him from doing so and we escaped lunch to go to the library, returning a few books for English.

When I came home, mom was ready with a curler and a variety of makeup spread out on her vanity table, a few dresses laid out for me to choose from for the violin recital. "Come on! I like the pink one, it's cute," Mom held up the pink dress when I said I wanted the violet one.

Eventually me and mom came to an agreement and I ended up wearing a red dress with black flats, following the dress code for the recital.

I sat in front of mom's vanity table, little light bulbs lined around the tall rectangle mirror, they shined as mom applied the Dior cranberry lip stain onto my lips, the finishing touch along with eyeliner and mascara, nothing more.