Chapter 25: Secrets

The wicked trio of Fates sit upon their thrones, strumming the threads of destiny.

"Who's life shall we end today?"

Three threads: blue, red and yellow. The most wicked of the Fates draws her gnarly finger across the threads, listening to each melody as the threads pulse beneath her fingertips.

"Not the blue - not yet." One of the three Fates interjects as the most wicked of the Fates listens to the melody. She nods in agreement then continues to the next thread.

"What say you for the red?" The most wicked of the Fates strokes the red thread, "It's time to cut this thread, don't you agree sisters? It serves little purpose in our tapestry."

"No," The youngest of the trio steps forward, her eyes narrowed. "You, sister, you see the present. And you, sister, you see the past. But I see the future and I see the consequences of cutting this thread- Cut the yellow."

"The yellow?!" Both Fates gasp. "But this is not the way it has been foretold!"

The youngest Fate nodded her head, considering the wicked Fate's words. "Blue and red are intertwined. If you cut one, you must cut the other. They are balanced and without one - the other will cease to exist. Cut the yellow."

The most wicked of the Fates pondered upon the young Fate's words. With a resolute nod, she pulled the dagger from her sleeve and gripped the yellow thread in her ancient fingers, listening to its beautiful melody for the last time.

I don't know what woke me first - the smell of bacon or the sound of a man and woman singing off key. I opened my eyes, blinking into the darkness. Where was I? My thoughts were foggy. Had it all been a bad dream? I didn't move until I heard Gwen's soft laugh and then everything came back to me in a rush of emotion. I jumped from my lumpy old mattress before the sickening feeling of failure and guilt could overwhelm my senses.

"Too much happiness," I grumbled as I shuffled from my old bedroom, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, simultaneously smearing the remnants of old mascara around my eyes. "Too early."

Upon seeing me, Peter stopped singing and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Carry on, Parker," I grinned, waving my hand presumptuously in his direction. "You have a lovely singing voice."

Peter's cheeks flushed red. Gwen giggled then lifted herself upon her tip-toes and kissed his blushing cheek. "He does, doesn't he?" He beamed down at her, confidence surging back into him. I could feel the love oozing from their pores and for a brief moment in time, I watched them, envious of the ease in which they loved each other. I could see it in their eyes: Gwen was the Earth and Peter was her moon. They were stuck in each other's orbit and even if they could have sprung free and chosen a different part of the universe to occupy, I knew they wouldn't have done it. What would the Earth be without the Moon? And what purpose would the Moon have if it weren't orbiting the Earth? Maybe that was the definition of love: being helpless in one another's presence and yet, made all the stronger for it.

"Ack!" I broke the silence with the squeal of the kitchen table chair. I sat down heavily, "Holy cuteness overload. Stop it you two."

"Bacon and eggs, my dear?" Gwen swooped behind my chair and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, leaning her chin upon my shoulder. I couldn't help but laugh. Her happiness was contagious. "And then maybe we'll go for a run through Central Park like we used to?"

"Wait. What time is it? What about school?" I turned in my chair to look at her. "Or OsCorp?"

Gwen retreated back into the kitchen. "It's only ten. You've been asleep for a couple of hours. No class today and I told Mr. Osborn that my best friend was staying with me for a little bit so, he gave me the day off."

"Mr. Osborn?" It took every bit of self control to keep my voice even. "Since when do you report to him?"

"Well, I got promoted a few months ago - don't you remember me telling you, silly?" Gwen glanced over her shoulder, smiling at me. She turned again and began to load a plate with bacon and eggs from a skillet. "I've been working with Mr. Osborn and a team of scientists on a government contract. Peter was part of the team but he got relocated."

Peter lifted himself onto the countertop then folded his legs beneath him, Indian-style. When I looked at him he simply shrugged his shoulders. "Norman said I was a better fit for another one of OsCorp's projects. Aerodynamics."

"Norman?" I snorted in disgust, "You two on a first name basis?"

Peter lifted his brows in my direction. "Uh, yeah?"

"That's cute." My acting skills were failing. Disgust was permeating through my tone causing Peter to stare at me with his brows furrowed. Gwen turned away from the stove and walked to the kitchen table, two plates piled high with scrambled eggs and steaming bacon balanced upon her palms. "He really likes you, Gwen."

A look passed over Gwen's face and if I hadn't been watching her reaction very closely, I would have missed it. As soon as it was there, it was gone again. What kind of emotion had it been? Confusion? Pain? ...guilt...? Whatever it had been, it was gone and she was smiling pleasantly at me from across the table as if it had never been there at all.

"What makes you say that?" She lifted her fork and took a bite of the scrambled eggs.

"Of course he likes her." Peter spoke from behind us, "She's brilliant!"

"He talks about you a lot." I didn't pick up my fork. Rather, I sat there quietly watching her reaction. Peter was oblivious to us. He had dropped from the counter and was walking back into Gwen's bedroom. Gwen continued to stare down at the scrambled eggs, intent upon stabbing them with her fork and mechanically shove them into her mouth. I gave her a chance to reply but when she didn't, I spoke again but this time as a whisper. "What's going on."

She looked up at me and it was like she was seeing me for the first time.

"Nothing." She smiled sweetly but her hand trembled. I stared at her trembling hand and when she realized, she let her fork clatter against the plate, hiding her hand beneath the table. "Nothing's going on, MJ. Don't be silly."

I was suddenly overcome with the urge to scream. I wanted to overturn the table and throw the plates against the wall. What had Norman done to her? What was she hiding from me? Gwen didn't have secrets. I had secrets. Harry had secrets. Hell, I'm sure even Peter had secrets. But not Gwen! Gwen was pure and transparent. She was the only untainted thing in my world, my steady rock. She couldn't have secrets! Not the kind of secrets that involved Norman Osborn!

She stood from the table and took her plate of untouched food to the sink. "Alright, well, let's get a move on! I'd like to run Central Park before it gets too hot."

I gave up the subject of Norman, for now at least. Perhaps once we were away from Peter, she would open up... but I had to make sure he wasn't coming with us.

"How about you, Parker?" I shouted into Gwen's bedroom as I walked into my old bedroom. I overheard him scoff as I began to rifle through my suitcase for running clothes.

"I don't work out." Peter spoke up from behind me. Surprised, I turned and looked over my shoulder as he stood in my doorway, arms raised and flexed. "I'm au naturale." While his tone and silly overconfident expression inferred that he had meant his words in jest, his imposing figure filled the doorway. His biceps were abnormally toned for someone who didn't "work out." They bulged beneath his sleeves, testament to years of rigorous training... yet, everyone knew that Peter Parker wouldn't be caught dead in a gym. He laughed at my expression as he dropped his arms to his side.

"Must be -" My hand had found my tennis shoe within the suitcase and without looking away, I tossed it at his head. "Nice." He caught it easily. Too easily. His movements were unnaturally quick, almost as though he had known I was going to throw it before I had actually thrown it.

"Whoa." Both of my brows shot up. "You're quick."

I don't know what triggered it but he suddenly clammed up again. He glanced down at the shoe, unable to look me in the eye. "No, you're just slow." He tossed the shoe back to me then turned. He was walking back into Gwen's bedroom when he stopped and spoke softly, his back still turned to me, "Be careful out there. I know Harry loves you but... I wouldn't trust him right now. He isn't himself."

"Thanks." I stared at his back, shame brimming beneath the surface of my skin. I was the broken one; the incomplete woman-child. The one who always needed saving. I had disrupted their perfect world, intruded into their lives with my drama. ...Shame was a natural feeling, given the circumstances.

He turned his head slightly so that only his silhouette could be seen; the unremarkable slope of his straight nose, his thin lips drawn into a solemn line. "I know I'm an ass to you sometimes-"

"Understatement!" I shot back, cutting his sentence in half. He chuckled and nodded his head.

"Fair enough. I've been a major ass to you, a lot of the time," The faintest hint of a smile vanished from his mouth. "But you're always welcome here with us. For as long as you want or need. You know that, right?"

His words were so sincere that it took me a moment to process the true meaning behind the sincerity: Harry was dangerous and Peter was warning me to stay away. Behind his dimples and charismatic smile was someone dangerous enough to elicit this thinly veiled warning. I felt fear tingling at my fingertips. What was Harry capable of? I stood from the floor and took a step towards the door.

"Thank you but I can take care of myself, Peter." I softly shut the door, building up the wall that had temporarily fallen between Peter and I. He didn't need to see the fear or shame threatening to unmask itself upon my face. He didn't need to see how I really felt about all of this - I had shown enough emotion in the hotel room with the outburst about my father and the nightmares. I didn't want to be the person who attracted drama and sorrow like mosquitos to sweat so I shut him out. Gwen never pried - or maybe she did but I never noticed it - but Peter had a way of digging his nails under my skin and lifting the scales to see into the darkest parts of my soul. I hated it. It made me feel vulnerable and helpless: two things I never wanted to be.

Central Park

"I forgot how beautiful Central Park is in the fall." We ran side by side, passing giant Oaks and Elm trees. I reveled in their beauty, something I hadn't even done when I lived here. Despite their beauty, I didn't forget my mission. "Let's take a break for a second."

We slowed to an easy, steady walk. Gwen kept her gaze carefully away from mine. Her energy was off; almost like she sensed I was going to ask about Norman again. If she had sensed it, she had sensed it correctly.

"Let's talk about Norman." I kept my gaze upon her rather than the winding path that took us deeper into the park. She flinched at his name then groaned.

"Let's not." She tried to smile but the corners of her mouth refused to budge.

"Something happened, Gwen. I know it did!" I turned my gaze away from her in hopes that it would help to make her feel more comfortable. "I'm your best friend. If you can't talk to me about this then who can you talk to?"

"MJ, it's really complicated." She was trying to keep her tone light and airy but I felt her frustration beginning to mount. "I know I can trust you but-"

"But what?" I stopped and placed my hand upon her forearm, forcing her to stop. I looked into her eyes, imploring her to speak. To fess up everything. To confide in me, her best friend.

"Norman is like a second father to Peter." She shook her head and a few strands of her golden hair fell into her sorrowful eyes. I reached up and brushed them away, my palm lingering upon the side of her face. "He's my boss. He's a good guy, really he is, but there are days when-" She let her words trail off as the tears began to fall. I wanted to take her into my arms but I was so afraid she would be too afraid to speak again if she stopped now. "There are days when he becomes another person. He's mean, sinister even, and he looks at me like -"

"A piece of meat." A nodded my head. I knew all too well that condescending look.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, a bitter laugh shaking even more tears from her eyes. "OsCorp is my dream job and I don't want to lose it but sometimes he say things that make me think, 'Gwen, just go! Just leave it all behind before he does something you both regret.' But it isn't always like that! Sometimes he's normal and he acts like a father to me and I can see why Peter loves him."

"If he's making you feel uncomfortable, you have to leave." I furiously wiped the tears from her eyes then dropped my hand from her face. "Tell Peter everything. He loves you so much, Gwen. If you tell him, he'll understand and I promise he won't be angry with you." My words weren't helping to stem her tears. Rather, she began to cry harder, vicious tears that ripped gut-wrenching sobs from her core. I wrapped her in my arms and hugged her to me. How I wished I could protect her innocence from the evil of the world. If I could have done it, I would have laid my life down to protect her from hurt, tears, all of it! "Listen to me, Gwen. You're brilliant. You are the most intelligent individual I have ever met. Leave OsCorp. You'll find something better in no time!"

As she cried upon my shoulder, I noticed a strange, menacing statue watching us. Was it a statue? Or was it a person? It seemed to move ever so slightly as though, beneath its chiseled emerald armor, it was breathing. It's angular green face possessed two large yellow eyes above an open mouth of baring, white fangs. It didn't blink but I felt it watching us, poised to attack.

"Gwen," I whispered into her ear as she sobbed into the side of my neck. "Gwen," I tried again, wanting only to gain her attention. "What is that?"

She lifted her head from my shoulder and looked into my face, confused. "What is what?" She looked around and when she turned, she saw the statue. Something about it struck her as familiar and instantly, she grabbed my hand and began to pull me down the path. "It's time for us to go home."

"Gwen," I stumbled to keep up with her pace. She was holding my hand so tight that it began to hurt. "What's going on? What is that?" I chanced a glance behind us and the statue had moved. It was walking after us, its footsteps impossibly heavy against the sidewalk. "Ha ha, very funny!" I shouted at the person in the goblin costume, "Halloween isn't for a couple more months, idiot!"

"Stop it!" Gwen yanked my hand hard, pulling me closer to her. "Don't talk to it." We were walking impossibly fast, our pace nearly jogging down the path. With her free hand, Gwen fished her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Peter's number. When he didn't answer, she left a message and I knew by her words that we were in trouble, "Peter, we're in Central Park. Somewhere in the northern half. There's a man following us in a goblin costume. It sounds stupid but... just - just call my dad." She paused and then hurriedly added, "I love you, Peter."

She had shoved the phone back in her pocket. "MJ," She spoke softly, her voice trembling, "When I say run, we run. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Stay with me, MJ." She squeezed my hand one final time then whispered, "RUN."