ILLYRIS | ix.
"IT'S AN INTERGALACTIC BOMB, ISN'T IT?"
IMMINENT DEATH (ELEVATOR EDITION)
WHILE THE TEAM was up bright and early for the biggest competition of their high school careers, Peter Parker's unsurprisingly sudden absence made them confused, frustrated, nervous, or a pleasant mixture of all three. In other words, Midtown Tech was probably screwed.
The clamor of the hotel crowd almost drowned out their worries. Other teams were counting their students and boarding their buses on schedule— all except one yellow jacket-clad bunch of nerds who were waiting on a notoriously dodgy boy.
Mr. Harrington rubbed his bearded chin and glanced at his wristwatch every now and then. All eyes were on Ned, the most obvious person to know of Peter's whereabouts... if he knew was the question.
Charles and Cindy walked down the terraced corridor with disappointed looks on their faces that gave the rest their answer.
"He's not in the business center," Cindy informed. She fidgeted with her pin-straight hair, tucking it behind her ear over and over.
"Ned, are you sure he didn't mention where he was going?" Mr. Harrington inquired, looking at the boy who wore a distressed expression.
"I— nope," Ned answered, swallowing tightly. Aside from sounding incredibly unconvincing, he looked down at his sneakers— a telltale sign of lying.
"We can't wait any longer or we'll be late to check in at the auditorium," their teacher remarked softly. He shook his head, making a circular motion with his finger. "Let's get on the bus, kids."
"Typical. I guess I'll have to take Parker's place," Flash chimed in, shrugging as he strode past Sally to be first on the bus.
"Oh, we are all doomed," Abe sighed as he followed Cindy up the steps.
Thea shook her head incredulously as she spotted Liz's silent demeanor. She hated to admit Flash was right but in this instance, he was. It wasn't fair of Peter to ditch the team, show up and join again, then abandon them the literal morning of the competition. The only thing she wondered was where he was. It wasn't like he had the map of D.C. on the back of his hand. Ned definitely knew what he was up to and Thea was going to find out.
She tugged on the boy's arm, stopping him from getting in line behind Charles. Startled, Ned tensed at the sudden physical contact. He locked fearful eyes with her steely ones.
"Where's Peter?" she asked.
"I-I don't know." He stood strong by his wavering argument but the guilty look on his face was giving him away.
"C'mon, Ned, how long are you gonna keep this up?" Thea sighed, folding her arms over her chest. "Is he at least okay? Did he text you at all—"
"Okay, look, I promise he's fine, it's just—"
"Thea, Ned, let's move it!" Mr. Harrington was leaning from the top step of the bus, beckoning them over with his clipboard.
Just what? Thea wanted to ask. She gave Ned a look and the two made their way over to the bus.
✧✦✧
Although the competition started sharply at eight, all participating teams were expected to arrive by seven at the latest to check-in and prepare themselves. For Midtown, that meant giving Charles a paper bag to throw up in when his frazzled nerves got the best of him. Thea felt bad as he heaved once again, wincing.
Her head throbbed painfully. Just when she thought the bus ride to the hotel was going to be bad, getting to the competition was even more brain-melting. Liz was grilling them to the point where Thea was sure she would hear that piercing bell chime next to the ferocious dragon in her sleep. It was bad enough to be up that early but having to do a cramped study session made it more traumatizing.
She sighed, thinking of the mantra Liz had installed in them once the bus stopped. One team. One competition. One victor.
"I did some research on our competition," she informed Thea and Cindy as the team got in line at the crowded lobby. "Charleston did great at their sectionals but they just beat the other teams by a small margin of points. We should be fine as long as we ace the time management part of the essay round."
Cindy nodded profusely, whispering words of encouragement to herself. Thea wasn't sure what she was feeling— maybe the granola bar and juice box she had for breakfast. This may have been one of the most daunting moments of her life and there have been plenty. She pulled up her black jeans nervously, creating a little pocket at the bottom of her mauve cami. The auditorium was going to be hot with the stage lights raining down on them and though Thea enjoyed the heat, she didn't want to be a pool of sweat and frazzled nerves while she was answering questions about molecular density.
"Still no sign of Peter?" Mr. Harrington returned clutching a sheet of labels that had each of their names printed on them. He passed it around as every Midtown student took their respective labels and pressed it on the lapels of their unanimous yellow jackets.
Flash slapped his label proudly. "He probably got freaked out and ran."
"If you say one more word— I swear," Thea spoke up, her brows furrowing. She couldn't take any more stress and Flash's arrogance wasn't making it better. Not to mention Peter's blatant lying. She felt stupid for placing trust in him so quickly— it was her own fault. Up till last week, she and Peter have barely spoken but a few words together. He may not have wanted anything to do with her at all.
"Welcome to the United States Academic Decathlon. Please make sure all cell phones are turned off," a woman's voice resonated from inside the auditorium.
Strangely enough, at that moment, her phone buzzed. She discreetly turned on the screen:
BEXIPEDIA: GOOD LUCK!!! YOU'LL DO GREAT!! DON'T DIE!
Grinning at the text, she quickly sent a 'thank you and i'll try not to' before shutting off her phone. They were supposed to keep it off for the duration of the competition.
Set upon an easel just outside the door was a large sign, the words Welcome Decathletes! Printed at the bottom in bright white letters. Thea handed the woman her phone which she slipped into a plastic bag and dropped in a bin. She shared a look with Cindy and followed Ned past the doors of the auditorium, her head held high.
"The dragon is not afraid," she whispered to herself as she walked up the steps of the stage.
The overhead lights warmed her skin at once as she folded her hands together. The bell sat an arm's length away. Every face in the audience was obscured by the darkness that fell on them. As much as it irritated her, Flash was on her right and Ned on the left though Thea knew it should've been Peter. She tried to push it out of her mind— he made a choice and worrying about it wasn't going to do the team any good. The moment wasn't about their animosities, it was about working together to win.
"We will begin the first event of the competition: Art."
Thea held her breath, exhaling softly as the woman at the podium looked at each team leader. She caught Liz's poised nod. It's go-time.
The first event was nothing but a blur. Thea felt her brain overwork as she answered as many questions as she could with utmost confidence. Her reflexes and eidetic memory came in handy as her hand shot out at the bell the moment the announcer's question ended. She could see all of the passages from her book detailing the lives of Claude Monet and Joseph Mallord manifesting word-by-word at the front of her mind, her pulse burning like wildfire as she blurted out her answers.
When the event finally concluded, she walked as gracefully as she could to the wings of the stage, graciously accepting the water bottle Sally held out for her. She noticed Abe and Charles studying and quizzing each other quietly but she forced herself to take a seat so she wouldn't pass out from the stress of it all.
"Here you go," Sally announced, holding out a hair tie.
"You're a life-saver, man," Thea sighed as she flipped her head down and bunched up her hair in her hands. She secured the loose bun with the hair tie that miraculously didn't break at how quickly her movements were. Thea jolted when she felt a sudden cold breeze on the back of her hot neck and grinned at the blue handheld fan Mr. Harrington was holding.
"I don't want you to pass out. Finish that water," he ordered, looking quite nervous himself. His eyes flitted to the next round of students furiously writing their essays.
It may have been the worst time in the history of time for Thea to feel a chilling vibration run down her spine. The same vibration she felt when she and Peter ambushed the tech holders by the bridge and when he picked up the Chitauri core from the grass. There was no way... Thea shook her head. It was just her nerves, she told herself. Focus on the competition!
The competition zipped by and Thea felt herself pacing backstage to try and calm down. Abe had been speaking with her to try and settle her mind. She kept reminding herself that she was of dragon's blood. She was the Blood of Old Sovranys and she should have faith in her teammates as the last few minutes of the final round hung in the balance of victory or defeat.
"We have now entered sudden death," the woman at the podium announced. "The next correct answer wins the championship."
Thea joined Abel and Charles to watch what was going on, leaning so close they just barely hid by the corner. Even Mr. Harrington stood nearby, his brows furrowed together and eyes trained on his four students at the table. Thea noticed the claws of fear trapping her teammates. Liz gulped though she was calm and poised. Michelle looked perfectly indifferent. Ned exhaled softly, his hands clasped together on the table. Even Flash looked petrified, the bright lights illuminating his forehead that glistened from a sheen of sweat. Despite her negative feelings about him, Thea felt a twinge of sympathy.
She was so busy trying to ignore that vibrational hum that resonated in her mind, that she didn't catch the question until the splintered second of unusual silence that followed. Michelle's hand reached out, the chime of her bell echoing in the silent auditorium that awaited her fateful answer. No one moved an inch.
"Midtown Tech?"
Thea held her breath.
Michelle shrugged. "Zero."
The judge nodded once, an approval adorning her face. "That is correct!"
The cheers from her team and the audience was deafening as Thea screamed with them, her arms wrapping around Abe as they jumped and embraced. Charles was leaping in the air, running wildly onto the stage as the few on stage hugged Michelle who cracked a wide, genuine smile. Pride overwhelmed her as she caught the golden glint of the large trophy that was theirs.
"Midtown takes the championship!" another female announced joyfully, only adding to the raw splendor of the moment.
Thea's lungs burned with the breath she had been holding in but all she could feel was pure elation as she joined the rest of her team. The feeling faltered as soon as she caught the source of that odd vibration she had been feeling for the last round... the faint purple light emanating from Ned's blazer pocket.
Her smile vanished and she wrapped her hand around his arm, pulling him just at the side of the table so as to not disturb the revels of the others. The audience members were leaving the auditorium, bodies moving along in a blur. Ned's cheery smile hesitated when he caught a glimpse of her bewildered face.
"Ned, tell me you didn't bring the glowy thing to Nationals," she muttered, trying to keep her voice low.
"I didn't know where else to put it. I couldn't just leave it at the hotel, what if someone found it or stole it?" Ned defended in a shrill whisper.
"Thea! Ned!"
Both teens faced Liz who wore a beaming smile on her face. She jerked a thumb behind her. "We're touring the Washington Monument in a bit. Wanna join us?"
Thea mustered her best fake smile, as did Ned. "Sure, we're coming."
As soon as Liz left, Ned slipped his hand into his pocket, wrapping his fingers around the purple stone to try and conceal the light.
"Be careful, that thing is charging with energy— it-it's like an intergalactic bomb," Thea muttered as the two silently joined the rest of their team.
Everyone was rolling their eyes as Flash kept the coveted championship trophy close to his chest, refusing anyone's right to touch it. Mr. Harrington led the group across the street to the towering memorial statue erected for the president who Thea learned, was a glorified slave owner and used their teeth to make his dentures. She pulled off the elastic from her bun, her hair tumbling down her back as the fresh breeze relieved her warm skin.
"Whoo-hoo!"
"Oh, you guys, I am so proud of you," Liz gushed, sighing in relief.
"We won!" Flash sang out loud, raising the trophy over his head and just narrowly missing the head of a tourist passing by. "Told you we didn't need Peter."
"Flash, you didn't answer a single question," Ned retorted, frowning.
Michelle decided to opt out, leaving the rest of the group to make their way inside of the security check-in. One by one, they passed through metal detectors that scanned them and their belongings. To Thea's confusion, Ned was in the middle of a phone call, his lips moving at the speed of light until Liz took the phone, looking way more frustrated. As soon as her phone was back in her grasp, Thea frowned at the seven text messages from Peter of all people. With anxiety getting the best of her, she quickly hit the 'call-back' button and raised it to her ear, each ring of the line making her heart jump.
Finally, she heard a click but she scowled. "Peter, where were you?"
She winced as she heard him scream, "Thea! Thank God! Give the phone to Ned, I gotta speak to Ned!" She peered in front of her, catching the boy in demand placing his backpack and phone on the conveyor belt going through an X-ray.
"He's going through security right now— Peter, why did you just flake!" she exclaimed. "Man, I'm gonna scorch your ass, you hear me?"
"Okayokayokay! Thea, tell Ned—"
She pulled her phone away as a sudden rush of deafening static overwhelmed his voice that soon vanished. It beeped twice and the call ended, signaling a loss of connection. He must've been too far away— wherever he was, that is. Grumbling to herself, Thea slipped her phone in her back pocket and crammed into the elevator with the rest of her team, making sure she didn't poke her eye out by the trophy Flash was still holding like it was his baby.
"Hey, Mr. Harrington, can I be the one to tell Peter he's expelled?" Flash eagerly asked, practically bouncing on the heels of his feet.
Shit, he was probably right, Thea thought. Not only did Peter ditch Decathlon, he disappeared on a school-sanctioned trip. He must've broken every single guideline in the book. She scoffed incredulously. Peter Parker was one of the smartest boys in her grade but he was a Grade-A dumbass.
The tour guide, a short, spindly woman turned to them as the elevator began its ascension. "The Washington Monument is five hundred and fifty-five feet, five and one-eighth inches tall."
Thea suddenly envied Michelle as the lady turned around and began to drawl on about the stone and marble and whatever she was getting paid to preach. Suddenly, Thea flinched as a much stronger vibration shook her spine. Her heart lurched in her chest and she spun around, facing Ned. She only caught a glimpse of the blue light until suddenly it shot upward like lightning. The entire elevator shook and a clap of thunder resonated around them. Her hands grabbed onto the railing and Ned flung his backpack into the middle where a gaping hole burned through the material.
"Shit," Thea whispered in a panicked tone as everyone pressed themselves against the walls or held each other for support.
"Oh my God, look at the ceiling," Flash breathed, his eyes blown wide. She couldn't see him completely— a thick fog of smoke filled the small box that trapped them.
Thea didn't know if she wanted to look. If she did, it would make It all real. When she did, she felt her stomach drop at a reddish-orange line seared into the metal hanging above them. The metal creaked and moaned, like the cables holding up the box were weakening. If they snapped...
"Just stay calm everyone." Liz's voice shook.
"Oh we are all going to die here," Abe bemoaned, forehead glistening with sweat.
"It's an intergalactic bomb, isn't it?" Ned asked quietly, his eyes trained on the smoking camo-print backpack that everyone was steering clear of.
"Wow, I wonder who told you that," Thea deadpanned. She couldn't help it, she was terrified and angry at herself. Her instincts were telling her something, warning her about a concealed danger but she was so overwhelmed with Decathlon and this precious weekend of unbridled freedom that she ignored them completely.
"We're freakin' screwed," Charles muttered, anxiously staring at the melted ceiling.
"Way to be all doomsday prophecy," Thea breathed though she couldn't deny fear clutching her stomach.
"Okay, guys, I know that was scary, but our safety systems are working," the tour guide said in a scarily unconvincing way. "We're very safe in here."
"Oh my God," Thea whispered as she heard the wires holding them up creak. Her eyes darted to a hatch in the ceiling that the tour guide unlocked and pushed open with a helpful boost from Mr. Harrington. She could hear calls and hollers from assistance at the top, just barely catching a glimpse of how far they were down the elevator shaft.
Cindy was the first to go up though she was trembling as she secured her feet in Mr. Harrington's interlocked fingers. Hands from above reached out for her, then Abe, Charles, and Sally.
"There's a lot of glass here..."
"Keep coming, keep coming."
Thea tried to pace her own breathing and gather her thoughts. Her hands trembled and if she looked close enough, an orangey light emanating nearly blended with the thick fabric of her Decathlon sleeve. With the energy radiating all around them, she could manipulate its heat and its traces of magic to create a barrier under the elevator. She still wasn't sure what she could do with her powers— if she should even consider using them at all. With this many people in such close proximity... her cover would be blown. She was absolutely helpless.
"Okay, who's next?" Mr. Harrington asked calmly.
"Me! It's my turn!" Flash exclaimed, pushing Liz aside and shoving his feet into their moderator's locked hands.
"Flash!" Thea cried out, glaring at the boy who was shoving the damn trophy up the hatch with his person.
"Flash, seriously?! What are you doing?" Ned protested, grabbing onto the railing for dear life as the entire elevator moaned with Flash's weight and the trophy he kept pushing down on the already fragile structure.
"Don't worry about the trophy!" Thea could hear Sally exclaim from above.
The entire structure shook again as another cable snapped. Thea and Liz grabbed onto each other as the elevator dropped a foot. She could hear the older girl's heart pound wildly against her arm. Flash was out of sight— the guards must've pulled him in. Just then, the elevator shuddered violently. She saw the melted ceiling split in half. Then they dropped.
Thea wasn't scared of heights. She usually had confidence in her chances of falling and not splattering on the ground. All the vanished as the keening of metal-on-metal filled the air, matching the pitch of everyone's screams as they held on to whatever they could. She'd been on plenty of scary roller coasters at Coney Island that reduced a strong spirit like Bex's to jelly but this was horrifically nothing close to it. Rollercoasters were controlled, monitored— there was a clear beginning and an end that she could see.
But this end was something else. They were in a metal box, hurtling hundreds of feet down. Well, not just hundreds. Only five hundred and fifty-five feet and five and one-eighth inches.
Suddenly the entire box froze rather abruptly, flinging all its occupants into the ground or the wall. Thea pushed her hair that had flipped upside down and into her face. She gasped as a red-and-blue clad figure crashed into the center of the lift.
"What the hell?!" Thea screamed just before they started plummeting again at a harrowing speed.
The horrible screech of scraping metal melded with everyone's shrieking until suddenly, Peter's hand shot up to the gaping hole at the top of the elevator and a thick web latched to the top of the shaft. The force yanked the boy up but he barely secured his footing on a corner of the ceiling that hadn't been decimated.
"Hi," Mr. Harrington greeted unsurely as Peter looked around at them.
The vigilante cleared his throat and Thea raised an eyebrow at the sudden deepening and ridiculous Queens accent he donned as he said, "Hey, how you doing? Don't worry about it, I got you."
As soon as he locked lenses with her, she shot him a look conveying pure death.
On the other hand, Ned was overtaken with relief and joy as he pumped his fist and shouted, "Yes, yes!"
The elevator shuddered, prompting Peter to exclaim, "Hey, hey, hey! Big guy, quit moving around!"
"I'm sorry, sir! So sorry!" Ned rushed to say.
Thea winced as Peter groaned, using all of his strength to pull up the already heavy lift upwards. She wondered if his webbing could sustain all of their weight. Slowly but surely, she could see the doors of the shaft cracked open, the glass completely shattered. Her friends were in plain sight, faces struck with worry. The security guards were just there... they were so close. Peter let out a final exhale, breathing heavily as he kept his grip.
"Alright," he grunted as the guards forced the doors open. "This is your stop! Jacket-girl, you're up!"
Frowning at the nickname, Thea grabbed onto one of the security personnel's outstretched hands, holding her breath as she crossed over, stumbling as Abe caught her. Even Cindy clutched her arm, her eyes widened at Mr. Harrington and Ned who stagger onto the platform.
"Go, go, go! Everyone out!" Peter groaned. "Move it, people. Move it, move it!"
Thea stared in horror at the boy who was truly struggling to hoist the box up. She narrowly caught his feet forcing an indent through the weak layer of metal that was waning and stretching upwards from the rapid movement.
"Liz!" Mr. Harrington cried out, his hand reaching out for the girl that was just about to cross until Peter's footing broke through.
The box dropped. With Liz in it.
Abe clutched onto Thea with horror as everyone flinched and watched their team leader disappear down the shaft, her piercing shrieks echoing. Peter's web shot down and all they could hear was the elevator rumbled as it fell all the way down to dark depths. Thea couldn't see anything besides the web at the very top of the shaft beginning to stretch dangerously thin. She felt her stomach turn as she saw Liz's arm first with the web securely attached. Peter pulled the whimpering girl up and the moment she stepped onto the platform it was like Thea could breathe again.
"So is, uh, everyone okay?" Peter asked with that exaggerated accent again.
Liz, breathing heavily, gaped at him, her nod slow but sincere. The two stared at each other for a moment that felt timeless... until the web holding him up snapped and Peter went sailing down the shaft.
Everyone's heads turned sharply down, watching the boy practically disappear silently.
"Th-thank you!" Mr. Harrington called after him.
Flash, clinging to the stupid trophy, pushed everyone aside, craning himself down over the harrowing shaft to shout, "ARE YOU REALLY FRIENDS WITH PETER PARKER?!"
✧✦✧
THE DECISION TO return to New York was a no-brainer. No one was dying to see the Library of Congress. Well, to say they were dying was a bit punitive.
Everyone was silent and shaken. None more so than Liz who sat by herself on the bus quietly. It was near-death, what happened on a harmless trip to Decathlon. The victory of winning had been pushed down in the depths for Thea who kept staring at the seat in front of her, struggling to grasp what had just happened. Michelle was right next to her, explaining everything she could see on the ground from Spider-Man rushing to the rescue to being practically an invisible speck as he scaled the whole of the monument. Thea would've felt a twinge of pride for Peter's heroics if it wasn't for his lies poisoning the waters between them.
Speaking of Peter, the boy had reunited with the team at the hotel, wearing the same blue hoodie she saw him in the night before. He gave off some excuse about wanting to study before the competition started but got horribly lost. He tried to look at Thea but she didn't meet his eyes.
Mr. Harrington didn't seem to mind one bit, probably grateful that none of his kids died on a trip he was moderating. The moment everyone boarded the bus, it was like safety and security became precious commodities they would never let go of again. It was harrowingly quiet, sharply rivaling the chaos of the ride to the hotel. Everyone was either trying to get some sleep, listened to music, or just didn't talk.
Michelle had mentioned news vans and helicopters as well, leading Thea to believe everyone on the Eastern Coast must've heard the news. That meant instant phone calls and texts from Bex and Serafina— the former of which Thea spent twenty minutes reassuring her, Abuela Imelda, and even Bex's mom, Lydia, that she was alright. She would get her chance to talk to Serafina soon enough.
As the bus pulled into the parking lot of the school, she could see Serafina standing somberly next to May. The look on her face was what killed Thea as everyone began to hurriedly get off the bus and embrace their worried parents. May rushed to Peter, hugging her nephew tightly.
The dragon is not afraid, she thought to herself as she took heavy steps towards Sera. To Thea's surprise, she was wearing black trousers and an old Sovrani top the color of pitch. It was quilted, tight, perforated and with the piece of dull black leather bound around her waist, she stood out against the parents in their hastily pulled sweatpants and blazers. Maybe that was the idea, upholding an image, flashing an ensemble worn the day she rescued Thea from the Mad Titan's knives. Her scarlet hair was brushed down her back, straight and perfect. When Thea got closer, she noticed a silver clasp on the collar of the top— two entangled vipers, the crest of her House.
Thea stopped, her breath hushed. Serafina looked her dead in the eye, steely and passive but not necessarily angry unless smoke inhalation really did its course. Sera just turned around and walked away.
____
peter's ass is gonna get it
and so is thea's
okay bye—
- geena