Chapter 4: Loner
Warren was walking back to his locker to get some notes for Mad Science. The halls were deserted. Usually there were a few stragglers, some couples making out in the closets, that kind of thing; at least until Verity had shown her powers off in 'Save the Citizen.' After that, no one wanted to be alone in the hallways with her.
Verity didn't seem to mind though. She lost her spark after that day. She started coming to school in baggy t-shirts and jeans. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail all the time; she looked like she was losing sleep. Everyday, people parted in the hallways to give her space; at lunch, she sat alone in the Detention room. She became more shy and tentative. If she even saw Warren in the hall, she'd run the opposite direction like a frightened faun. It was driving Warren crazy.
Which was why he constantly forgot things in his locker. With Verity patrolling the halls for ten minutes after classes started, he had the opportunity to see her. That is, if she didn't see him coming and run.
Warren was contemplating his rotten luck over the last few weeks when he heard sniffling coming from the stairwell ahead. He approached slowly, as quietly as he could. Verity was laying on the first few steps, sobbing into her sweatshirt sleeve. She looked vulnerable and frail; Warren ached to hold her. Quietly, he slid around the railing and sat beside her.
"Are you okay, sunshine?" He whispered the words, putting his hand on her back gently. He didn't want to startle her too badly.
Verity gasped and quickly brushed her tears away. "Where's your hall pass?" She said it quietly, not looking at him.
"Here." He handed her the small slip of paper. Then he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him. "Talk."
Verity laughed hollowly, but didn't pull away. "Why should I tell you anything?"
Warren chuckled and lifted her chin up slowly, so she had to look him directly in the eye. "Because I'm the only one in this school that really cares if you're going crazy."
Verity's face lit up in a smile. "Yeah, I guess that's true." She snuggled into Warren, getting comfortable. He fought the urge to pounce on her and complete the scene from the Detention room so many weeks ago as she began to talk. "I've never been a loner before."
Warren shrugged. "It definitely has its down sides."
Verity nodded rapidly. "I've never had that happen either. I mean, I've never absorbed a power." Her voice broke. "It was scary."
Warren's eyebrow went up, even though Verity couldn't see the gesture. "Why was it scary?"
"Well, for starters, I didn't know how to control it." She sighed wearily. "And secondly, I heard these voices…telling me…things."
Warren pulled her into a sitting position so she could look at him. He narrowed his eyes in concentration. "What kind of things, Verity?"
Verity shivered involuntarily and snuggled back into Warren, tears slipping silently down her cheeks. "Bad things." Her breathing was ragged. "They wanted me to hurt you…and hurt Will."
Verity sobbed into Warren's chest for several minutes. Warren patted her back consolingly. He didn't feel uncomfortable about it; that surprised him. Usually he was terrible with emotional girls. But he felt this urge to comfort Verity; it was too strong to resist. Plus, it put him closer to her.
Verity sat up, taking both of Warren's hands in hers. "Before you can understand how that makes me feel, I need to tell you a few things about me." She smiled at the look of shock on Warren's face. "You've proved your loyalty, Warren. That's why I'm telling you. And if you feel you must tell your friends, go ahead. I'd prefer it if it stayed between us, though."
Warren squeezed her hands reassuringly. "You got it, cutie."
Verity smiled and then let out a tremendous sigh. "First of all, as you can tell, I can control my neutralizing powers. I decide when to use them, and to what strength, which is why you don't feel drained right now."
Warren hadn't noticed it, but she was right. There was no ice feeling in his veins; he could have set her hands on fire if he'd wanted to…which he didn't.
"Secondly, this isn't the first time I've heard voices."
Warren looked at her, mouth gaping. "Excuse me?"
Verity sighed and pulled her hands away, sitting so she was facing the wall opposite the stairs. She put a hand on either side of her head and sat staring at her shoes. "Do you remember me telling you I was on a new medication the first time we met?"
Warren nodded. "So, what of it?"
"They were pills for a mental condition I have. You see," she looked up at Warren before continuing. "I have a very severe form of bipolar disorder. If I take my pills, I'm fine. If I don't, well, the voices come back and tell me to do not so nice things."
"So, you didn't take them that day?" Warren looked confused. Verity seemed really responsible. Why would she want to skip taking her pills if they made her better?
"You see, that's what I thought. Only when I went home to count how many pills I had left, I had the exact number I should have if I had taken the pills that morning." Verity's eyes refilled. "And besides, the voices usually told me to do bad things to myself. This time they wanted me to hurt other people."
"And that's why you cried?" Warren's arm immediately went around her.
"Partially." Verity hid her face in his shirt.
"Well, what was the other reason?" Warren ran a gentle hand through her hair. It felt so good to hold her and talk to her after all these weeks over her avoidance.
"While I was like that, in gym…" Verity took a deep breath in. "I actually liked hurting you."
Verity pulled away and stood up, walking a few steps down the hall. Warren followed. He was slightly hurt. Was Verity saying she didn't like him?
"I know what you're thinking. The answer is I do like you." She turned to face him; she had the same tearful terror-filled gaze as that day in the gym. "That's why I've been avoiding you. I don't want the voices to come back. I d-don't." She sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't want to hurt you."
Warren closed the space between them in a few short strides. He wrapped his arms around Verity's waist and pressed his lips onto hers. Slowly, her arms went around his neck and he could feel her body relax into his. Slowly, and all too soon in his opinion, they broke apart. He brushed a stray strand of hair out of her beautiful eyes.
"The only way you'll hurt me is if you ignore me some more." Warren smiled at her. "Don't run away anymore. Let me be there for you, okay?"
Verity bit her lower lip. "But what if the voices come back? What if I can't stop myself?"
Warren put a finger to her lips. "We'll worry about it when it happens, okay? Right now, let's just focus on us." And then he kissed her again. And God, it felt good to have her talking to him again. He'd almost forgotten how much he loved the sound of her voice. Now he just had to explain to Stronghold and the others how the woman who tried to kill him was going to be his girlfriend.
A/N: Hope you all liked this. It was kind of emotional, but I had to explain about Verity. Anyway, r/r! I love you guys!! More to come, XOXOXO Nellie
