IT WAS GETTING HARDER AND HARDER TO HIDE THE BRUISES.
It had only been mere minutes, yet Inga managed to break me down and rip my bones apart in a matter of seconds, leaving a broken and bloody mess to stain the floor, even more, only to stagger up and clean her 'conveniently placed' wounds accordingly. However, she would grow sloppier each time, and bruises would grow on exposed skin on arms and legs, meaning I had to wear longer and thicker articles of clothing just to hide away the secrets - something that didn't go unnoticed.
I hissed as I pushed the wet cloth against an open cut, gritting my teeth as it both stung like crazy and soothed the fire underneath. These new cuts would mean my wardrobe would consist of a long shirt, thick enough to hide any bandages, today - which would annoy me to no end, considering the heat that raged outside of the apartment. No doubt someone would ask about it again, as they were prone to, but there wasn't another choice.
My head fell back against the cool wall and I sighed, biting my lip to hold back angry tears - crying didn't solve anything. These were just small cuts, and they barely hurt; I had felt worse, and I had done much worse to others before. I was not dying, nor would I from my pitiful cuts. Only babies and small, whimpering, useless children cried over spilt milk, and I was far from an infant anymore. I couldn't just let Inga win, not like this.
So, instead, I forced myself up to my feet and, bracing myself on objects around, stumbled out of the bathroom into the cold air of the apartment - surprisingly empty, though I knew I wasn't truly alone. Cameras littered the rooms, even in places I didn't know, and Inga had multiple trackers planted, even on me. Being alone wasn't a term a Red Room could ever even been aware of, and it certainly didn't apply here, even from so far away.
Her desk and any information about anything were locked up or hidden, secure where I couldn't reach it. I scraped with broken down, blunt nails at the lock, desperate to find something, but it was no use. I could potentially open it in better circumstances, without Inga watching or even just with more time, but for now, I was left in the dark to wait for her return.
This was much more than I had thought. In only weeks, my small mission meant to bring me to the top had turned into so much more; the boy was a prize, Inga was itching to grab hold of him, and I was somewhere in the midst, a pawn in her games - or, maybe not even her games. I had no idea where this started; Madame or the Lider could be behind it, or maybe something much bigger. Maybe, however, she was going behind their backs, and this was a set-up between only her and her mystery correspondent, and I was just her new play toy while she manipulated all of us.
I didn't know anything, or at least, not anymore. All I did know was that this was much more than a stupid protection program for the Parker boy, and I had the sneaking suspicion that this wasn't going to end well for either of us.
Lifting myself up off of the floor, I scanned her spotlessly clean desk, as if somehow there would be something more - however, as I thought, there wasn't. The only thing I had to hold onto and investigate was the weird phone call several days ago, and that wasn't really something one could trace easily. If she was anything, Inga was very clever.
The door handle jiggled, and I stepped away from the desk, though that didn't really matter much; after all, she had cameras everywhere watching my every move, so I could lie my heart out and get nothing. However, I still stood away from her area and linked my fingers behind my back, silently begging she wasn't eager for round two of training. I didn't think I could take anymore today.
...
Sweat dripped down my back, and I winced, adjusting my thick hair to hopefully cover up the moisture soaking the shirt. Of course the school was boiling hot, and of course, I was stuck wearing a thick sweater in the midst of the worst. Needless to say, I was dying and feeling increasingly more grumpy as the minutes peeled away.
Mary Jane, who had decided to invite me to join them that day, cocked an eyebrow at me as I fidgeted and fanned fervently at myself. "I have an extra shirt if you want? You look pretty hot - temperature wise, of course, though you do like pretty too."
"I'm okay."
She didn't look convinced by my answer; on the contrary, she sat up and her frown grew deeper. "Dude, you're clearly uncomfortable, and I have another shirt. Just use it!"
"It's fine," I mumbled, though it really wasn't - I felt like a sausage being slowly suffocated out of its plastic lining, and that was not a feeling I thought I would ever have to experience - or even think about. "Look, that girl isn't bothered by the heat, either."
MJ and Gwen followed my discreet point over to a girl sitting alone at a separate table, glaring at anyone who got remotely close over her sketch pad. Gwen, sporting a long, elegant ponytail with her typical headband snorted back a laugh. "Michelle isn't bothered by anything, that's the thing. She could be in the middle of the desert and she wouldn't remove that coat."
"Well, if she's fine, I'm fine - besides, it's not even that hot in here."
The girl only rolled her eyes and instead focused her attention back onto her notes, staring blankly at the papers around her. "Guys, I'm pretty sure I'm going to fail this test - how the hell am I supposed to remember all this stuff?"
"Well, if you had studied before-"
"-I was busy!"
"-I didn't ask if you were busy, dumbass, I said if you had studied before..."
I droned out their bickering over their notes - a useless strategy in trying to cram Gwen's head with physics equations, but one they seemed to enjoy - and focused blankly at the door, watching students pass every which way in front of it. A familiar bag passed, but this time instead of darting away, he paused, hand on the door, as if he was going to enter - but then eyes locked with mine and the boy was gone, as if he had never been there.
Except, he had been there, and Mary Jane, always clever and sly, had noticed too. She nudged me, dropping flash cards onto the table without a care. "What was that about?"
I blinked, "what was what about?"
"Oh, don't play dumb, Em - why did Peter run away from the doors like he had seen a ghost? Is everything okay between you two?"
"Nothing, nothing happened between us - why would you think it was me?" Even as the words left my mouth, however, a thought tickled my mind and my frown deepened as I realised just what the boy might be worried about. Of course.
MJ frowned too, though it was more out of concern than fear. "What?"
"Nothing. Why?"
Gwen, who had by now abandoned her failing attempt at studying, now watched us both closely. Her back was to the doors, so she couldn't have seen anything, but she smiled in curiosity now too. "Come to think about it, I haven't seen you two talking at all today - which is strange, considering you were always sitting with him and Ned. Lovers quarrel?"
"For the last time, we're not...lovers," I gritted out, throwing my textbook into my bag as the two also began to pack up. "I just wanted to help you study, and besides, we talked in class."
She didn't buy it. "Then why are you looking like you're about to charge him - where are you going now?"
I shrugged and smile wearily before darting out of the chair, mumbling apologies as I snaked through the crowds and out the door. There wasn't time for explanations; I had to catch the boy, try to understand why he was so worried, for I couldn't have him growing apart from me. Not after all my hard work.
"Peter!"
The boy, startled by my shout, whirling around in shock and watched me run up. "O-oh, hi, yeah, hi Emily."
I slowed to a casual walk and smiled at him, curiosity shining through my eyes. "Is everything okay?"
"Oh, um, yeah - why wouldn't they be?"
"Well, let's see. You've been avoiding me all day, you ran from the library like you saw a ghost, and just right now you're walking about two and a half feet away from me as if you're trying to get away but you're too nice to say anything." I drifted closer, putting a hand on his shoulder in a hopefully comforting way. "Are you okay?"
Peter, who had remained silent my entire speech, looked away from me and focused on the people around him. His ears glowed a dusty red, and it was clear my facts spit at him had put him off; he was embarrassed to admit something, at least, from what I could tell from his actions.
"Peter?"
The boy sighed quietly and shoved his hands into jean pockets, still not looking my way. "Look, how exactly...how do you know about it?"
We reached a small area of the corridor where there weren't many people around, yet we still kept our voices to a low, hoarse whisper. "What exactly do you mean? I don't understand what you're going on about, Peter."
"You know...when you said, you know, be careful and don't get hurt-"
I interrupted him with a snort of laughter, practically spitting out my giggles at his confusion and worry. "Why is that so bad to you? I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to do something dumb like getting hit by a car or something! What else would I be talking about?"
It was as if the boy's body deflated a thousand times as the worry flowed out of him; he visibly relaxed and sighed in relief, running a hand through messy hair and smiling finally, though it was an expression of weary relief, not the joyful, slightly lopsided grin he would wear when he was truly happy. "No, no, nothing, I just didn't-"
"-What, you thought I thought something more? That's ridiculous; that would be like saying that I could fly!" I laughed again, continuing our slow wander down the hall. "Trust me, Peter, I was just wishing you a safe walk home, not saying that you were Spiderman or something."
My last words, as expected, hit a chord; the boy jolted and gasped under his breath like he had just been shocked with a thousand volts of electricity. "W-what?"
"What is it?"
He shook his head, a wan smile spreading across his cheeks but not touching his eyes. "No, no, nothing, it was just - hilarious, you know, comparing me to Spiderman!"
My smile was different from his, for it was real, but for different reasons; I had caught him off-guard and left another opening to strike curiosity at him and his alter-ego. "Well, of course - you, as Spiderman? I think that would be the day cows fell from the sky - or, is it supposed to be cats?"
"Yeah, course," he mumbled. He did his best to regain the air he had before, though it was clear that would be impossible today; the boy was shocked, and I had given him much to think about. I - Emily, at least - had sprouted a theory in his mind, and it wasn't hard to tell he was thinking hard about it. "Should we, um, head to class?"
I shrugged. "If you want, Peter - or, Spiderman?"
"You shouldn't say that - I'm not that...guy. You don't to, like, confuse people...?"
My smile only grew. "Of course, Peter. That would just be ridiculous."
Ugh, I don't really enjoy this chapter too much - it's okay but then the ending is sort of bland, but we're going with it. But hey-o, more bonding between my faves! I'm honestly really excited for the next chapter [wink wonk] but this one is super important and has a lot of hints towards what the next one is about, so, if you picked those up, good for you haha, let me know what you think! Also, y'all, we've just reached the halfway mark - only 20 + bonus chapters left, and then this is done. I mean, don't worry, there's still a long ass way to go, but just saying that it's going to be picking up a lot here and I mean, missing an update will just leave you confused and wondering if I had lost my mind because nothing makes sense to you. [btw the answer is yes, I have lost my mind].
The gorgeous gif above was created by fallenfairchild.
Thank you for reading!