Arc One [3]
Author: Homer
Rating: G
Word Count: 796
It’s nearly two years before she ever lays eyes on Peter again. She has seen Marco, occasionally. He mostly comes to see her daughter, and very rarely do they even say hello.
She has seen Eva once or twice, and she has never been sure if the woman knows who she is or not.
But Peter…
She hasn’t seen him since that fateful day when he and Marco ‘died’, as she screamed in the back of her own mind unable to warn them.
Marco is always trailed by bodyguards, unless he loses them and darts off to do what he wants. Eva seems to consistently have someone with her. When they sweep into the store, it’s very much like a foreign dignitary and their family entering.
It’s time for the normal people to go, and let the heroes have their free run of it.
She was moving a little slower than normal, burdened by the stroller and a bag full of gifts for her students. Little rewards for milestones reached.
She actually didn’t notice Peter.
“Nora?”
Marco and Eva turned like puppets connected to the same set of strings, eyes falling on her at the same moment. She almost flinched.
Peter was the only one smiling. Dorky, faithful, sweet, earnest Peter.
Did he realize how awkward this was?
“Hello, Peter.” She smiled for him, a gesture her students never would have bought, and spent a moment fumbling while she tried to decide if she should hug him or shake his hand.
Peter made that decision for her, crushing her in his arms like an old friend. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too. How have you been?” It’s awkward. Like high-schoolers at their ten year reunion. There is so much unsaid, so much that will never be said, because she gave him back to Eva even though it tore her heart out to do so, and claiming even a tiny part of him back seems selfish and cruel.
“Busy. Busy. You?”
“Busy. I’m working with the Liberation project, helping controllers reintegrate. It’s hard work, but it is very rewarding and I enjoy my job. The kids are wonderful, you couldn’t ask for more earnest and hard workers.” Work is easy to talk about; work is safe, normal, easy to talk about.
All she really wanted was to leave; exit stage right and let him forget he’d seen her again.
Sweet, dorky Peter. Of course he didn’t see the look his wife was giving the stroller or the carefully guarded look on Marco’s face.
“That sounds exciting. I’m sure you’re good at it. It sounds like you’re happy.” Peter is smiling, satisfied. Putting old ghosts to rest even as they spoke.
Peter often saw only what he wanted to see. And anything that he didn’t want to see had to serve written notice and apply for the clue-by-four permit to establish itself in his awareness. Earnest, honest, sweet; but so dense sometimes that it shocked people to find out he was so brilliant.
Her daughter was chewing on her fist, watching Marco with a dorky smile not unlike the one glued to her father’s face. “Bwd.”
Marco flinched.
“You have a child?”
She grimaced, forcing the smile to stay on her face by will alone. “A daughter, Rachel May. Though w...I call her May, there are more than enough little baby Rachels in the world, thanks to all the former hosts. One of my parents just gave birth to twin little boys. Aximil Tobias and Marco Jacob. I swear you could have heard a pin drop when she announced their names.”
Peter bent down, playing with May’s toes. Cooing at how adorable she was.
Her heart sank a little. He didn’t know. Even if she didn’t want him to know, even if she wanted to be able to walk out of here without Eva killing her in her sleep...
Marco was looking at her, eyes hard. But making a scene would only tell Peter something was wrong.
“Bwd!”
Eva’s eyes swung to Marco for a moment, then back to the baby, then back, once again, to her. There was something dangerously broken in her eyes. Not like her students; not shattered, but like a cornered dog more than willing to defend its home against an invader.
She wasn’t welcome.
“BWD!” The demand was a normal one, one Marco normally indulged. But not here, not now.
“We really must be going; I promised one of my parents I’d stop by. It’s one of my student’s birthday today. She’s doing well enough for a party.” She grimaced again, only a smile by definition. “It was great seeing you Peter, Marco.” She nodded politely to Eva, heart racing, palms sweaty.
This wasn’t how she had wanted this to go at all.
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Rating: G
Word Count: 796
It’s nearly two years before she ever lays eyes on Peter again. She has seen Marco, occasionally. He mostly comes to see her daughter, and very rarely do they even say hello.
She has seen Eva once or twice, and she has never been sure if the woman knows who she is or not.
But Peter…
She hasn’t seen him since that fateful day when he and Marco ‘died’, as she screamed in the back of her own mind unable to warn them.
Marco is always trailed by bodyguards, unless he loses them and darts off to do what he wants. Eva seems to consistently have someone with her. When they sweep into the store, it’s very much like a foreign dignitary and their family entering.
It’s time for the normal people to go, and let the heroes have their free run of it.
She was moving a little slower than normal, burdened by the stroller and a bag full of gifts for her students. Little rewards for milestones reached.
She actually didn’t notice Peter.
“Nora?”
Marco and Eva turned like puppets connected to the same set of strings, eyes falling on her at the same moment. She almost flinched.
Peter was the only one smiling. Dorky, faithful, sweet, earnest Peter.
Did he realize how awkward this was?
“Hello, Peter.” She smiled for him, a gesture her students never would have bought, and spent a moment fumbling while she tried to decide if she should hug him or shake his hand.
Peter made that decision for her, crushing her in his arms like an old friend. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too. How have you been?” It’s awkward. Like high-schoolers at their ten year reunion. There is so much unsaid, so much that will never be said, because she gave him back to Eva even though it tore her heart out to do so, and claiming even a tiny part of him back seems selfish and cruel.
“Busy. Busy. You?”
“Busy. I’m working with the Liberation project, helping controllers reintegrate. It’s hard work, but it is very rewarding and I enjoy my job. The kids are wonderful, you couldn’t ask for more earnest and hard workers.” Work is easy to talk about; work is safe, normal, easy to talk about.
All she really wanted was to leave; exit stage right and let him forget he’d seen her again.
Sweet, dorky Peter. Of course he didn’t see the look his wife was giving the stroller or the carefully guarded look on Marco’s face.
“That sounds exciting. I’m sure you’re good at it. It sounds like you’re happy.” Peter is smiling, satisfied. Putting old ghosts to rest even as they spoke.
Peter often saw only what he wanted to see. And anything that he didn’t want to see had to serve written notice and apply for the clue-by-four permit to establish itself in his awareness. Earnest, honest, sweet; but so dense sometimes that it shocked people to find out he was so brilliant.
Her daughter was chewing on her fist, watching Marco with a dorky smile not unlike the one glued to her father’s face. “Bwd.”
Marco flinched.
“You have a child?”
She grimaced, forcing the smile to stay on her face by will alone. “A daughter, Rachel May. Though w...I call her May, there are more than enough little baby Rachels in the world, thanks to all the former hosts. One of my parents just gave birth to twin little boys. Aximil Tobias and Marco Jacob. I swear you could have heard a pin drop when she announced their names.”
Peter bent down, playing with May’s toes. Cooing at how adorable she was.
Her heart sank a little. He didn’t know. Even if she didn’t want him to know, even if she wanted to be able to walk out of here without Eva killing her in her sleep...
Marco was looking at her, eyes hard. But making a scene would only tell Peter something was wrong.
“Bwd!”
Eva’s eyes swung to Marco for a moment, then back to the baby, then back, once again, to her. There was something dangerously broken in her eyes. Not like her students; not shattered, but like a cornered dog more than willing to defend its home against an invader.
She wasn’t welcome.
“BWD!” The demand was a normal one, one Marco normally indulged. But not here, not now.
“We really must be going; I promised one of my parents I’d stop by. It’s one of my student’s birthday today. She’s doing well enough for a party.” She grimaced again, only a smile by definition. “It was great seeing you Peter, Marco.” She nodded politely to Eva, heart racing, palms sweaty.
This wasn’t how she had wanted this to go at all.
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