Truth and Lies
Chapter 1
Failing Memories
Pietro zipped into the living room and fell on the couch next to his sister, who at the current moment seemed to be angrily looking for something. Pietro looked at her for a moment and then picked up the remote from the broken coffee table and turned on the television. Almost instantly Wanda froze and glared at Pietro, who continued flipping the channels, and failed to notice her lost face. How could she have forgotten that's where she'd put the remote, she angrily stormed off to the kitchen to get a glass of water. She rolled her eyes as Todd grabbed an afternoon snack near the over flowing trashcan, ho he'd ever gotten a girl for longer then ten minutes made her question life, and let alone his fly eating hadn't even been the cause of their breakup. She sat down at the cracked table and picked up the newspaper that Lance had spilt his coffee on apparently.
"Mornin,' Wanda," said Todd, swallowing a fly and hoping to sit next to her.
"Morning.... Pyro burned down a bridge?" asked Wanda, looking at the picture.
"Huh... whoa, this newspapers ancient, yo, that was before Arrorows.." Todd's eyes went wide and he went to grab it, until Wanda's brow raised.
"Is that me?" asked Wanda, staing at the bottom of the picture.
"Man, I know we don't clean often, but this is..." Todd used his tongue to grab it and eat it.
"Hey! I was reading that Toad," growled Wanda.
"I saw a fly and... well the paper went with it, yo." said Todd, nervously as went to get some water, he hated the taste of paper.
"Whatever." grumped Wanda, but her anger faded to a lost look, "I... I don't remember that.."
"Maybe you didn't care too," said Todd with a half smile.
"I guess... uhg. Toad, is it normal to forget things?" asked Wanda.
"Like... uh, what?" asked Todd.
"Remotes?" she asked.
"Yeah, happens all the time," said Todd with a sigh of relief.
"Moment in time?" asked Wanda, turning to look at him.
"Like history and school stuff?" asked Todd, "Cause the average person only remembers half of that stuff, yo."
"No, like.... school? Toad, do you know where I went to school?" asked Wanda rubbing her head.
"Uh.... you should ask Pietro," said Todd, turning around and biting his lip.
"Ask Pietro what?" asked Pietro, appearing by the cabinet and grabbing some chips.
"Pietro, where did I go to school?" asked Wanda.
"Ohm..... Dad home-schooled us for a while... and uh, then Bayville," said Pietro with a confident smile before her zipped away.
"Oh..." Wanda sighed and headed off to her room with a small smile.
Todd watched her leave with a sinking feeling in his stomach, why was this happening now. It's been over two years and she had questions now. Pietro and him had discussed and rehearsed these things back then, but now... now it was a strange feeling. Pietro appeared beside him, and for a moment their expressions matched, but then Pietro's switched to anger in a flash.
"What did you say to her?" asked Pietro in a low whisper.
"Nothin,' we was sitting here and then she found an old newspaper.... we should clean the house, yo..." said Todd, picking up something from the table.
"What? Which newspaper?" asked Pietro, brow raised.
"The bridge burning," said Todd.
"What? That's impossible, how would that get back here, we've remodeled the house and destroyed it twice since then," said Pietro in shock and then fury, "You better not be planting things!"
"What? Why the heck would I do that?!" yelled Todd, shoving Pietro out of his way.
"I don't know, your mind wonders so much I can't keep up... just... just if she has questions, tell her to ask me, so we can keep our stories straight. The rest still have no idea. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go fake some school papers to shove in files," said Pietro as he disappeared in a wind of garbage.
"You better tell me..." Todd bitterly mocked Pietro and stuck his tongue out in his direction, "Acts like I'm a freakin' three year old."
"Toad." Lance's voice made Todd jump onto the ceiling fan and bust it, "What have I told you about talkin' to yourself?"
"Don't do it unless I'm in public," said Todd, with a sigh, "Cause then they think I'm crazy and give me money."
"Exactly, like that time that man gave you $50 and some meds... we sold those for a fair price," said Lance with a proud smile.
"Paid our water bill," chuckled Todd.
"Hey, what's with Wanda?" asked Lance, grabbing some cash from the stash box under the fridge.
"Uh... whatya mean?" asked Todd nervously.
"Well she said it was nothing, but she's been forgetting some of the strangest things, and her questions man," said Lance with a small chuckle, "Hey, I'm going to get dinner, did you want chicken or tacos?"
"Tacos...." smiled Todd as Lance grabbed his keys and headed out the door and then his face fell, "Man.... why is this happening?"
"Okay, dirty work done... oh now what's wrong?" asked Pietro with a sigh.
"Nothin' but she's starting to ask the others questions....." said Todd.
"What?!" Pietro slumped, "Great, now I'm going to have to be on 24 hour Wanda watch.... and so will you..."
"Huh.... Pietro, do you think maybe Mastermind's work is messing with her normal memories?" asked Todd.
"What? No way.. she's probably just tired," said Pietro, with a grimmace.
"Yeah.. probably," said Todd leaving the room.
"Keep an eye on her..." said Pietro, who's face fell, 'I don't want to tell my father, he'll have Mastermind give her another once over.'
TBC
A rough beginning, but it'll get better... so... what do you do when people have questions there's no actual answers too that would fit with what they think?