Hey guys, so I know, I am a terrible author, I have been M.I.A for what, a year now? Yikes. Anyway, I felt spontaneously inspired at midnight last night so I decided to up and write this. Again, I wrote this in one go at midnight, so I can't promise the quality of it, but I decided to post it anyway. I have been sitting on this premise for a while now, and am really excited to start delving into it. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it. :)
Alright well, without further a dew, here it is my lovelies.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel character's just my OCs.
Clarity blinked slowly as she felt herself come back. She took deep breaths and relished the feeling of clear air filling her lungs. This was the only good part about the trip back – being able to breath without worrying about what, or rather who, you're breathing in.
As she let herself settle and felt the feeling coming back to her limbs, she glanced around and focused on her surroundings, even though it made no difference. They're always the same. Every time she comes back. She's always in AP Biology with Mr. Fitz at 11:32 am, 24 hours before the whole world goes to shit.
And so, like every time before, she looked around her to see that she was surrounded by classmates all blissfully ignorant of what had just taken place. Or rather, what will take place. In 24 hours. Unless Clarity stops it, which she never does and honestly doesn't have much hope she'll figure out how to this time around. She'd done it enough to understand that though hope was powerful, it was also dangerous, and could ruin a person. She'd given up hoping long ago, and now she was just doing. She was just running through an ever shortening list of things to do that might work, but probably not. Best to not get your hopes up.
But just because she didn't let herself hope didn't mean she didn't feel anything. She tried not to, and she wished that she didn't - all of this would be so much easier if she just didn't feel anything - but sadly, the universe hated her, so she always felt. Always felt everything, all at once, especially on the trip back. Felt the weight of what had occurred just seconds before, and many times previous, settle on her like a boulder, smothering her so she couldn't breath, much less call for help. So Clarity allowed herself one break – one brief moment of time where she could just stop and stay still for a moment. She leaned back in her uncomfortable standard school chair and did just that. She breathed. She counted - 1, 2, 3. Ok, enough. Back to reality. Back to the depressing reality she had become so accustomed to.
Sitting strait once more, she began to calmly gather her things up in front of her, stuffing them into her back pack. She had done this every time, and every time, without fail, Mr. Fitz would stop his lecture and look, and then so would the entire class. She was used to it by this point – expecting it really – so it did nothing to faze her.
Finally, the jittery science teacher piped up,
"M-Ms. Johnson, may I help you?" he asked.
Clarity didn't respond. She finished packing her things and stood up, walking to the front of the room to where her teacher stood. She paused for a moment, looking at him with a sadness in her eyes that stretched beyond her years.
"I'm not sure anyone can" she spoke softly before promptly turning and walking out of the class.
Peter Parker loved biology, that much was sure, but Mr. Fitz had a way of teaching it that made it seem like the most boring subject on the entire planet. Even Peter had trouble staying focused. Don't get it wrong, he tried to pay attention, he really did, but each time, without fail, he would find his mind wandering and his pen scribbling.
This class, with the teacher droning on about the intricacies of mitosis, Peter was absent mindedly drawing different chemical formulas on the margin of his page. He finished sketching glucose and glanced up to see the clock turn 11:32, movement out of the corner of his eye catching his attention. He turned his head, watching Clarity Johnson slowly sit slightly straighter and blink a couple times, her pen that was usually writing down notes stopping.
Peter didn't know her very well. She was just the girl that he used to be best friends with in elementary, but had found a different group in middle school and drifted apart. Namingly the popular group. Because of that, they didn't really talk anymore except for a 'hey' in the hallways. She wasn't mean or anything, in fact, she had never been anything but perfectly nice to him, but she was untouchable in her social status compared to his. He had a feeling the only reason she still even acknowledged him in passing was because she felt bad. But whatever, the past was in the past. He was over it.
He watched as she breathed in deeply through her mouth, still blinking every couple seconds. A darker look fell across her face like a shadow. She looked different – older. Not the same happy and innocent teenager that he usually saw laughing from a distance. Her eyes were darker and held behind them a pain and emptiness he hadn't seen before. She even slouched a little bit more, as if a sudden weight had been thrust upon her shoulders. He frowned as she leaned back and closed her eyes, pursing her mouth as if stealing herself to do something. He was about to ask her if she was ok when she suddenly sat up and started gathering up her things from her desk and shoving them in her bag. A silence fell across the room as the noise from her actions drew attention. Even Mr. Fitz stopped and looked confused.
"M-Mrs. Johnson, may I help you?" he stuttered.
It seemed as if she didn't hear him, merely continuing to clear her desk, after which she stood up and walked to the front of the room. Only when she was there and facing their science teacher did she stop. From behind, and relatively near the back of the class, Peter didn't see what her expression was or what she said next, but based off of their teacher's reaction and his spidey senses suddenly making his hair stand on end after she left the room, it couldn't have been good.
Everyone was shocked for a couple seconds, seemingly not sure what to do. Mr. Fitz was the first to take action.
"I, uh, well that-uh.." he tried, fumbling for words.
Peter suddenly felt a rush of determination and, in one fluid movement, swept from his desk and out the door after the girl he had once considered his closest friend.
Clarity walked stiffly towards the school's double doors that would lead outside. In her head she was going over the list of things she had to do, making small steps so it was easier to complete. She would think of them as a to-do list and give herself orders. Orders like get to those doors. Open them. Go outside. Walk to the sanctum. It made it simpler, and her brain needed simpler right now. The first hour or two after the trip back was always the worst, When she was still trying to forget the horrors she had just relived for the umpteenth time. She continued to try to push the images of it out of her mind as she leaned into the doors, pushing them open. Just then, right on time, as always, she heard a voice call out.
She continued on, walking outside and starting down the steps towards the front gate. The voice called to her again and she heard the doors open behind her, footsteps scrambling down the steps after her. Hearing his voice and then turning and seeing his face always broke a part of her, no matter how many times she did it, so she tried postpone it as long as she could. Alas, he caught up and forced her to face the facts.
A hand gently but firmly gripped her upper arm, stopping her in her tracks.
"Clarity," he said for the third time, panting a little from running to catch up to her. She waited a moment, closing her eyes and stealing herself to turn and face him. When she finally did, she realized that it was no use. As soon as she saw those kind brown eyes and worried expression, she felt her heart break even more, something she thought not possible.
Clarity forced a smile on her face, though she suspected by the look on his that it wasn't very convincing.
"It's Claire, Pete, you know that," she tried to sound casual, but heard the sad tone herself. She turned around again, gently freeing herself from his grip and continuing toward the gate, opening it and stepping threw. She felt him hesitate a moment, then follow her, closing it behind him. She immediately turned right, continuing to walk. He quickly caught up to her, keeping pace by her side.
"Uh, right, sorry. Claire," he stuttered, playing with his hands and blushing slightly. She smiled and shook her head fondly.
"You're going to ask me what's wrong," she said for him. "Do you want the short or the long version? Well, you're going to get the long one pretty soon, so why don't we just keep it short but sweet hm?"
Peter was looking at her now, watching her facial expression intently. She glanced at him, but refused to make eye contact when she said the next part.
"In 24 hours, half the universe is going to be snapped out of existence, present company included. I came back to try to stop it, but I'm going to need help, so if you could call Tony and tell him we're coming to the compound in 10 that would be great."