Title: Time After Time
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Author's note: For anyone who doesn't know the plot of Othello, there are only three main roles for women. There is Othello's wife Desdemona, her friend Emilia – who happens to be the wife of Iago (the villain), and the courtesan/prostitute Bianca.
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Advice
Alex ran a hand through his hair and frowned at his reflection in the mirror on the bathroom wall. The day had started like any other day, with the students slumping resignedly into class. Maria had added some extra heat to the glares she sent at Courtney every time they crossed paths, whereas Liz seemed to have decided that if she ignored the other girl, the entire situation might just fade away. Alex wasn't sure which method he liked better, but being a friendly person by nature, he could not bring himself to blatantly frown menacingly at the rebel skin the way Maria did, and so he had settled for following Liz's example.
But Liz… Liz was currently worrying him. So far, she had refused completely to explain how she knew that Courtney had been the one to pull the little mind-trick that had nearly destroyed Max and had been adamant that neither he nor Maria could tell the others. Maria had agreed because, as she said logically to Alex, Liz would never withhold information like this unless she had a really, really good reason for it. And while that was true, it did little to quell Alex's unease.
Which was how he had found himself standing in the bathroom in the short break between second and third period, staring at his own reflection and wondering how on Earth he was supposed to help his best friend when she wouldn't even tell him what was wrong.
"And here I thought it was teenage girls that spent their free time staring at their own reflection," a mocking voice interrupted his thoughts.
Alex turned, already grimacing at the thought of facing the smirking Kyle. Still, he forced himself to meet Kyle eyes and answer calmly, "I was just thinking."
"Well, good for you. You've finally joined the rest of us thinking creatures."
"Did you want something?" Alex asked mildly. Kyle shook his head and turned away, and Alex spared him one final glance before walking out into the hallway. He was immediately swept up in the crush of students all around, but that did not stop him from thinking for a moment about Kyle. While Trudy had become increasingly nicer to Alex, the same could not be said for her boyfriend. Kyle had apparently taken it as a personal affront that Alex wormed his way into the popular group, and had been callous, mocking, and unwelcoming to the extreme.
His musings about Kyle were cut off by the sudden appearance of Isabel at his side. She slid her arm through his and graced him with a broad smile. Then she asked in a serious tone, "What is going on with Maria? She's been hissing threats at Courtney. I thought we were just going to keep our distance from her?"
Alex gave a heavy sigh. If it was that obvious to Isabel that something was wrong, he was not going to be able to stall her with an empty reply. And, he reasoned to himself, he had only promised Liz that he would not tell anyone about what Courtney had done to Max. He had never promised to keep Courtney's presence in the play a secret.
With that justification in mind, he said, "Courtney auditioned for Othello."
Instead of bursting out in anger, as Alex had half-expected she would, Isabel just gave a small grimace. "Did she get a part?" she asked.
"I don't know. The roles won't be posted until this afternoon. But she was good… very good." A little too good, he added silently to himself. "She'll be cast. I'm sure of it."
"I don't like this," Isabel murmured. "Has anyone told Max or Michael yet?"
Alex shook his head wordlessly. "I doubt it would do much good, though," he cautioned. "Maria, Liz, and I talked to Courtney yesterday. She's determined to be in this show."
Isabel gave him a sharp stare. "Why? What is she planning?"
"Maybe she just likes acting," Alex suggested, wondering if that could possibly be all there was to it. Although he really did not like the idea of hanging around with Courtney any longer than completely necessary, he did have to admit that he found it highly unlikely that she could actually cause them any harm through her acting. They would be surrounded by other students and teachers at all times. They would be safe.
When he expressed this to Isabel, however, she did not seem reassured. "We don't want to let her think she can ignore what we said," the statuesque blonde said softly. "Besides, it is just you, Maria, and Liz. You don't even have anyone with alien gifts to help you if she becomes a threat."
"You're worrying too much," Alex answered with a casual shrug.
"You aren't worrying enough," Isabel replied firmly.
There wasn't much more they could say, though, given that they simply knew next to nothing about Courtney or her goals. A comfortable silence fell between the two as they walked towards class, each taking comfort in the other's company.
The peace was ruined, however, when Isabel said, "Trudy wants to know if we want to go on a triple date with her and Kyle and Tess and Chris. Maybe to a movie or something on the weekend."
Alex stared at her, aghast. The idea of willingly putting himself in the same room with Tess, Kyle, and Chris was just… his own version of hell on Earth.
That must have been clear in his expression, because Isabel smiled and said, "I know, I know. It is a horrible idea. But Trudy is just trying to help you fit into the group. You have to give her credit for that."
"I've never had any problem with Trudy," Alex answered honestly. "And as far as I know, she's never had any problem with me."
"Well, yes," a voice drawled, and both turned as Maria approached, "that's because unlike Tess, Sara, Jessica, and their respective boyfriends, Trudy actually has a soul." Arms folded across her chest, she added, "I think you should go out on the date and mock them all the time. See how they like it."
"You know," Alex muttered, "I'd really rather just ignore them."
"You can take the high road if you want," Maria countered, "but sometimes it makes more sense to fight fire with fire."
Isabel turned abruptly, a strange expression coming over her features. Then the corners of her lips turned up into a smirk and she said, "You know, Maria, that's not a bad idea." The smirk reached her eyes, turning into a gleam of triumph as she added, "If Courtney wants to start an argument with us, she'd better be ready for the consequences of it. I need to find Tess."
"Courtney? How did this end up about Courtney? And how is Tess going to help?" Maria demanded, but Isabel had already detached herself from the other two and hurried away.
The rest of the day passed, and as the final bell rang and the majority of students rushed from the building, eager for the freedom of the afternoon, Maria and Liz pushed their way through the hallways towards the drama room where the list of casting decisions was posted. A group of students gathered around the door, looking up their names and grinning with delight or pouting with disappointment.
"Wish me luck," Maria muttered.
"You did amazing at the audition," Liz answered, giving her best friend's hand a tight squeeze. "You'll be fine." As she said the reassuring words, her gaze slid past Maria and she caught sight of Courtney staring at the list, and odd expression on her face. Maria followed her gaze, and the two watched in silence as Courtney turned away, shaking her head at something.
"She doesn't look too happy," Maria said, sounding a little more elated than she intended. Still, she was happy that Courtney did not appear incredibly pleased with the casting…
Until she looked at the list herself. Her first reaction was a rush of joy and a squeal, "I'm Desdemona!" the largest of the female roles in the play and Othello's wife. Her expression faltered and fell when she caught sight of the role of Emilia, Desdemona's friend and confidant… who was to be played by Courtney.
"It will be fine," Liz said, patting her friend on the shoulder. "Come on, this is great. You couldn't have gotten a better part."
But Maria shook her head. "They want me to act like I'm friends with Emilia. With Courtney. Not possible."
"It is just acting," Liz countered.
"Not just acting," Maria grumbled. "That… that boyfriend-stealer is after Michael. I will not be friends with her."
"You don't know for certain that she wants Michael."
"Oh, please. Of course she does. Whenever she looks at him, her gaze is practically worshiping!"
Liz looked uneasy at Maria's obvious distress, but since there was nothing she could say or do to ease her friend's concern, she simply changed the subject, and the two drifted off into small talk and mindless chatter, momentarily forgetting the worries of the moment.
Courtney had pretty much assumed from the moment she had left auditions the day before that she would soon be faced with four irate hybrids demanding that she back off. Even more than that, she had expected Liz to divulge her secret to the others, to confide that Courtney was responsible for the resurfacing of Zan, and to have to deal with a venomous Isabel, Michael, and Tess.
But for the past twenty-four hours, she had been left almost entirely alone by the group.
And then came the knock at her front door, and as she opened it slowly and cautiously, she found Tess standing on the steps, smiling coolly at her.
"Hi, Tess."
"Hello, Courtney." Without waiting for an invite, Tess walked past the rebel skin and into the house, glancing around with a look of utter disdain. She meandered into the living room with the expression of someone who was tired and rather annoyed at where they were. "So… this is where you live. Nice. Classy."
Courtney shut the door and turned to face Tess. "My… mother… did most of the decorating."
Tess raised one eyebrow questioningly. "And I take it no one has actually realized yet that your… mother… went and got herself killed? That you are all on your own?" She smirked, but her eyes remained as cold as ever. "Pity. Guess no one really cares."
Courtney refused to take the bait. She was certainly shedding no tears over the death of the skin who had pretended to be her mother for all these years. Instead, she asked, "Where is the rest of the cavalry? I expected you four to come bursting in, powers blazing."
"Sorry to disappoint," Tess answered with a careless shrug, "but it is just me."
"I'm not quitting the play," Courtney remarked.
Again, Tess answered with the same careless shrug. "Alright." She paused, then said, "You know that Emilia dies at the end of the play, right? At the very least, it will be fun to watch you get yourself murdered on stage."
"Desdemona dies as well," Courtney replied.
Tess tilted her head to the side, considering this, then said, "True. But I never really cared much about Maria, so that death doesn't bother me either."
"I'm surprised you took enough interest in us to figure out which roles we had been assigned."
"Oh, I didn't," Tess explained with a bored yawn. She pulled at a few loose strands of hair and let her gaze wander about the room once more, taking in the carpeted floor, elegantly decorated curtains, and plush sofa and armchairs. "But Chris' sister has the role of Bianca, and she insisted on telling my boyfriend and I who had all the other major parts."
"Fascinating," Courtney drawled. "Why are you here, Tess? I told you I wouldn't quit the play, but you don't even seem to care about that."
Tess sat on one of the armchairs, leaning back and scrutinizing Courtney. "You think you're brave, don't you? Because you stood up to us, you refused to back down when Maria and Liz didn't want you to be in the show. You think that somehow makes you something worthwhile."
"Like I told your three human friends, I've seen the pain and death and destruction and horror of war. You don't scare me," Courtney answered icily.
"Really? Then you are a complete fool," Tess said bluntly.
"I don't think so, Ava," Courtney snapped. "You were always so sure that you would make a good Queen. People adored you. Even the ones that hated you still fell in love with you all the same. You were married to the most powerful man on the planet, and your temper and your passion were so famed that people rarely stood in your way. And you thought that made you invincible."
Her words were laced with bitterness and anger, with a resentment that had grown over the years, that had slowly formed into a hard knot in her stomach. It wasn't Ava she had disliked, but the Royal Four in general. Zan's determination to rush forward in the name of progress, Ava's temperamental passion and impulsive ways, Vilandra's naïve pride and gullibility, and Rath's blind loyalty to a failing monarch… All of those had contributed to the downfall of the Royal Four. All of them had led to the downfall of Antar.
But Max, Michael, and Isabel were not sitting before her. It was Tess, with her smug and self-righteous expression, with her expectation that Courtney would obey her every whim… so like Ava…
So it was Tess who suddenly bore the brunt of Courtney's boiling anger.
"It didn't make you invincible, though, did it? You died, just like the rest of them. And now you're here, on Earth, barely a shadow of the person you once were. You might think you can carry yourself like a Queen, Tess, but you can't. You are no longer Ava. So let me give you a little bit of advice. Drop the act and stop pretending to be something you're not."
Tess folded her arms in her lap and held her sapphire eyes steadily on Courtney. "Any other advice you'd like to give me?" she asked coldly.
"Yeah. Back off. Because, trust me, I am not a good person to cross. I have every right to be in that play. I have to build a life here, in this town, at that school. And I am not going to let you ruin it for me."
The menacing look in Courtney's eyes might have been enough to scare off a weaker-willed person, but Tess was no coward. She had promised Isabel that she would confront Courtney, that she would fight fire with fire, and that was exactly what she was planning to do.
"Do you know the nickname that people whisper behind my back when they think I won't hear it?" Tess asked softly.
Courtney smirked. "Ice Queen," she replied, remembering with vague amusement how she had found that particular title rather fitting when she had first heard it.
Tess nodded. "Very good. You do pay attention," she mocked. Courtney glared at her, but she just smiled sweetly in return, before continuing, "Did you ever hear the story of how Liz and Kyle broke up?"
Courtney shook her head. She had only sort-of been aware of the fact that the two had ever even been dating. It had been referred to once or twice, mostly in response to the drama that had resulted from Max and Liz's temporary break up while the hybrid king had been so strongly influenced by his alien half.
"Well… to make a long story… less long… I had to start a few rumors. About Liz cheating on Kyle with Max. That was back when Jim was still oblivious to all this, and I was trying to cover our tracks." Tess licked her lips and paused for a moment, watching Courtney carefully. Then she continued, "The point is, anyone who knows Liz would be able to vouch for the fact that she would never, ever, cheat on her boyfriend. Even if she despised the guy. She's too… pathetically decent. She'd break up with him first, and then probably even wait a couple weeks before dating someone new so as to not hurt her ex's feelings."
"Fascinating. But I don't need a psych 101 lecture on Liz," Courtney retorted, leaning against the wall.
"And yet," Tess continued as though Courtney had not spoken, "ask anyone at that school, and they will swear to you that Liz cheated on Kyle. Despite the fact that they should know better than to believe it… they still believed all the rumors I spread."
"Bet Liz was thrilled about that," Courtney sneered.
"Liz's opinion meant very little to me at the time," Tess replied honestly. "Even less than it does now."
"Fascinating," was Courtney's sarcastic reply.
"Yeah. I guess that was probably not so fun for Liz," Tess murmured, adopting a look of mock contemplation. "I probably should apologize to her, but… well, I'm not actually going to." She looked down at her hands, studying her fingernails. "I did the opposite for Alex. Didn't like him, didn't like the fact that Isabel had decided to date a computer geek. She was supposed to be part of the popular crowd, and really… we just don't date boys like Alex."
"No, you go for the good-looking yet incredibly stupid ones," Courtney interjected.
Tess glanced at her for a moment, both eyebrows lifted. Then she said smoothly, "Of course, after the whole mess with the FBI and the white room… well, I decided to cut Isabel a little slack. Seeing as she had come to my rescue and all that. So I extended the proverbial olive branch to Alex, and the others begrudgingly followed suit. Except, of course, for Kyle, but he's allowed to form his own opinions. He's my brother, so he gets special treatment."
"Not that I don't enjoy listening to you drone on and on, but do you actually have a point?" Courtney demanded.
"My point, Courtney," Tess answered, "is that you are right."
"Huh?" Courtney stammered, momentarily thrown by Tess' reply.
"You do need to form your own life here," Tess explained, "because you could very well be stuck in this miserably small town for a while. And, because of that, I will not attempt to stop you from having fun with your little acting thing."
"Then why are you here?" Courtney asked suspiciously.
Tess rose to her feet. "Because you were very, very mistaken when you said that I am no longer the Queen. I might not have an entire planet under my control, but I most certainly have this school wrapped around my little finger. Do you think mind-warping is the only power at my disposal? Trust me, it's not."
"So you're going to do what, exactly? Start rumors about me?" Courtney sneered.
Tess smiled. "There!" she said mockingly, "I knew you would figure it out." She took a few steps towards Courtney and rested her hands on her hips. "You're going to stay away from Maria, Alex, and Liz. You are only going to interact with them when absolutely necessary for the success of this play, and you are going to make damn sure that there are other people in the room when you do it."
"You can't order me around."
"Oh, yes, Courtney, I can," Tess said firmly, her tone becoming abruptly vicious. "Because if you don't, I will ruin your life. I will start rumors that you're desperate, that you'll sleep with any boy who asks. I convinced your teachers that you moved here because you were expelled from your old school for drugs and alcohol. I will ensure that you are so wildly unpopular you will never receive an invitation to a single party, picnic, barbecue, or any other social event. Ever."
Courtney licked her dry lips.
"You see, you might be quite a bit older than us. And you might have seen a lot of horrible things in your lifetime, and fought a lot of horrible battles. I certainly don't envy you that. But this is not Antar, and you do not have the advantage. This is high school. This is my world. And if you try to fight me, I will crush you every time."
Courtney frowned, trying to find something in Tess' gaze to indicate that the other girl was not capable of all she was threatening, that these were just empty warnings that would never be enforced. But Tess just stared back, and Courtney knew abruptly that the petite hybrid was skilled enough to accomplish of all of this.
"You could make other friends," Tess offered in a steely voice. "You could hang out with people other than the seven of us. And we will let you do that. I certainly will not interfere in your attempts to build your own happy little life."
"Thanks," Courtney replied, the one word dripping with sarcasm.
Tess reached out and placed a hand on Courtney's shoulder. In a tone filled with fake sympathy, she said, "But since you were kind enough to bestow some advice on me earlier, let me now return the favor. My advice… if you cross me, I will not attack you. I will not mind-warp you. I will not have Michael blow you up or Isabel dream-walk you into insanity. All of those would surely be fun, but I will not actually do it." She dropped her hand and gave Courtney a hard look. "I will, however, destroy you. If you cross me, I will ensure that this school eats you alive."
And without another word, she pushed past Courtney and walked out of the house, stepping into the bright afternoon sun, and leaving a stunned rebel skin to stare after her in worried silence.
Next Chapter: Othello and Desdemona
Due: Wed 1/28